Dreams

Jaron has had a difficult year adjusting to kindergarten. He started out scribbling on every paper they gave him. He never drew anything recognizable. He ALWAYS wrote his name in all caps no matter how many times we told him not to. I was very worried he might even fail. But there has been some progress and definate improvements with his work. He brought this paper home to me last week and I couldn't believe it. I really didn't think he did this all by himself. I must have asked him 4 times if anyone helped him. I also asked his teacher. She said no he did it all by himself! I am so proud of him. He can really do very good when he wants to. The assignment was: If you had $100 what would you buy? He wrote "I wud buy a monstr truk" Notice all the details on the truck: Yellow lights, green truck, blue man inside, black tires and mud slinging out the back! He has NEVER colored in the lines this good and never written words that perfect on the lines before either. We definately got excited and told him we can't wait to see some more like this.

Antarctica

Jacob made this at school. He said it took him "weeks" to finish. I am so very proud of all his hard work and details he put into this. I hope you can read it all. You might try to click on the picture and open it up bigger. He is so smart and doing great in all his subjects. He rarely ever gets in trouble. And for being so good he gets to pick things from the prize box. Some days he'll bring home candy and give it to me or one of his brothers. He is so thoughtful and very helpful. He told me when he grows up he wants to have a store and call it the "Penny Store". (kinda like the dollar store but cheaper)

Handsome Man!

Jaron would wear his suit "like daddy's" every sunday if we'd let him. Just too handsome for his own good! He has recently taught himself to tie his shoes and lost one of his bottom teeth (literally). It was very loose for weeks and he finally pulled it one day at school and said he lost it in the hallway. He has finally reached 38 pounds! He is getting taller just still very slim. He does still have trouble behaving in school despite the 1000mg of fish oil he gets every morning. I am running out of options and I REALLY don't want to give him prescription for ADD. I do think he may have it but I just believe in treating things as natural as possible. If you have any suggestions of "ALL NATURAL" supplements or anything we can do to help him focus please comment below. I am getting desperate. My hope is that he will mature over the summer when he turns 6 years old and maybe do better next year in first grade. He has come a long way with his drawing and writing skills. I have some of his best work I need to scan in and post on here soon. Anyway...I am tired...had a long day.

Hysterical!

Good Times

 After we got back from "Meeting in the middle" Jonah could not wait until bedtime...

 The boys were outside playing and Justus wanted to go out so bad....Jacob blew bubbles for him.

 The conversation went like this "when you get bigger you want to share my toys with me?"

We took the boys bowling and Jonah was waiting to see how many pins he knocked down. Like father~Like son.

I can't...

Well I was on a roll there for a while posting on here daily...I just got too busy and tired. Sometimes sleep just has to be priority. My eyes are closing now as I type. I still haven't taken out my contacts. I skipped nap today because I took my Nanny to the grocery store. I drank too much sun drop and not enough water. I love water by the way incase you didn't know. I am addicted to water actually. I have to have it during the night by my bed since I was a little girl. I drink it all day long like most people drink tea. I do not like tea. My favorite color is purple and I could eat chocolate 3 meals a day. I love winter (because I am so hot natured) and I love to sing. I also enjoy sewing anything I can think of. I wish I had a place to set up my machine and sew every day but there just isn't enough time. Well I guess this turned into a post of favorites....Now I'm too lazy to go up and change the title. Oh well goodnight. :-D

Happy Birthday Uncle Tim!!!

Today my brother turned 33 years old. We miss you uncle Tim and hope you have a great day!

Liquid Gold

Well for those of you who don't know...I nursed Jacob for 4 months. Jaron received donor breast milk for 11 months. I nursed Jonah for 11 months and I am also nursing Justus. I believe God gave women milk to provide complete nutrition for our babies. The doctors and nurses all refer to breast milk as "liquid gold". Every drop is precious. I don't waste any! As they get bigger (3 months) and get distracted easily, I begin pumping my milk so they can drink it from a bottle. I do still nurse them at night because it's easier than getting up to pump. Also it makes it easier to feed him out in public places. I have done so much research and I wanted to share some of the things I have learned about the POWER of a mother's milk. I copied this info from http://www.llli.org/

Human milk contains live cells, like those in blood. Some components of human milk also enhance the effects of others, so the ingredients of human milk work together. In contrast, only a small percentage of some ingredients of formula are absorbed; mixing ingredients in formula does not guarantee they will act together the way they do in human milk.



Human milk provides different kinds of defense against disease, including secretory antibodies against specific pathogens. It also contains lactoferrin, which not only is the source of iron for breastfed infants, but also appears to have antibacterial and antiviral properties. Other components in human milk protect infants on a molecular level because their actual shape hinders certain pathogen's access to the infant.

One gastrointestinal hormone, cholecystokinine (CCK) signals sedation and a feeling of satiation and well-being. During suckling, CCK release in both mother and infant produces a sleepy feeling. The infant's CCK level peaks twice after suckling. The first peak occurs immediately after the feeding. It peaks again 30 to 60 minutes later. The first CCK rise is probably induced by suckling; the second by the presence of milk in the GI tract. The drop of infant CCK levels 10 minutes after a feeding implies a "window" within which the infant can be awakened to feed from the second breast or to reattach to the first side for additional fat-rich milk. Waiting 30 minutes after the feeding before laying the baby down takes advantage of the second CCK peak to help the infant to stay asleep.



Human milk contains levels of vitamins and minerals appropriate for the healthy, full-term, human infant. It is ever-changing -- from the beginning of the feeding to the end, from feeding to feeding, and from day to day. The infant provides many signals that stimulate some of the changes in his mother's milk. When following her infant's feeding cues, a mother can be assured that her child will benefit from those changes. For instance, if the milk taken at a particular feeding is lower in fat (fat is the most variable constituent of mother's milk), the infant will become hungry again sooner. If his cues are followed and he receives the next few feedings close together (cluster feeds), the higher fat milk he receives (fat content goes up when the breast is less full) will ensure his overall fat intake is adequate.



The essential fatty acids in human milk optimize cognitive function and vision. Studies have found that premature infants who received human milk via feeding tube were more advanced developmentally at 18 months and at seven to eight years of age than those of comparable gestational age and birth weight who had received formula by tube. Such observations suggest that human milk has a significant impact on the growth of the central nervous system. Also, breastfed infants have higher visual acuity. These benefits of human milk can be attributed to the presence of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA). Although some formulas have recently added these ingredients, it is unknown if they will have similar effects long-term.



The hormones, live antibacterial and antiviral cells, and essential fatty acids are just some of the reasons why human milk is the vastly superior infant food. It is a truly unique substance that cannot be copied artificially.

Meeting in the middle

My dad and stepmom live in FL and wanted to see the boys especially our newest addition so we met them halfway in Valdosta, GA for the weekend.

We just hung out in the hotel room and played with silly balloons and a few new toys from the walmart right next door.

They brought the boys costumes...which of course they LOVED!

And we ordered Pizza Hut for dinner. It was a short visit but nice to get away from home and see Meme & Pepe!

Bumbo!

This is where Justus sleeps in our room. When he starts sleeping all night he will go in the crib in the same room with Jonah.

Pillow pets! Justus took a nap in the living room floor the other day

And Chris brought these home to me after work...just because. I love that man.

Under the sheets!

Are You Ready?

Well two days ago I posted about being speechless and today...I actually am. I have lost my voice. The boys got sick and now I have whatever virus they had. My throat is sore and I have a POUNDING headache. I cannot talk above a whisper.

I am sad to see all the things happening in Japan. But I also know that it means it is getting closer to time for Jesus to return. His promises are being fullfilled and the signs of the times are evident all around us. If you have never accepted Jesus as your personal savoir I hope you will do it now before it's too late. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.


Matthew 18:3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.


Matthew 24:7   For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

Speechless

Well ladies and gentlemen I've got nothing....I guess I'm too tired to think of anything....Check back tomorrow and maybe I'll have my head on straight and I can think of something interesting to blog about. :-D Goodnight!

There Will Be Grace

Sleep

I have not had a lot since I became a mother for the first time, 8 years ago. And apparently it's something we need to function normally. These last few nights have been hard with all 4 boys coughing and congested. And hearing them all night long I can't sleep for worrying about them. So the days all seem to be one big blur. I haven't balanced the checkbook because I'm too sleepy to focus. The papers piled up on my desk will just have to wait. Maybe tomorrow...I keep telling myself.

I turned off my alarm this morning and went back to sleep nursing Justus in my bed. The next time I looked at the clock it was 7am and that's when the bus comes to pick up the boys. Oh well....we missed it. So we rushed around eating breakfast and packing lunches and Daddy took them to school.

I do still nap everyday with the little ones but can never seem to get caught up. Maybe it's because I stay up too late at night. Like I am now blogging...(actually it only takes me about 10 minutes to post.)

I wish I had enough of my milk to give all the boys, to help them get over this virus. That is how strongly I beleive in the power of breastmilk. But that's a whole other post for another day when I can get my head on straight.

Goodnight (I hope)

My Biggest Fears

Well since I'm being honest I thought now would be as good a time as any to tell you the things I fear most in this life.

I know it sounds crazy but I have the worst fear of having a car wreck and my children being with me and I get hurt or die and they have to see it happen. It sounds horrible but it's been a big fear of mine. And right up there with that is dying and leaving them all behind. Especially when I am nursing the first thing I think of is. "they won't get anymore of my milk". I know silly thing to think of ....but hey this is me....being honest.

And I also worry about the bus wrecking with my boys on it. OMGOSH there have been a few days it was a few minutes late and I almost got in the van to go find it.

I don't worry about these things daily but they are always in the back of my head. Maybe it is just the devil trying to steal my joy and doubt God. That is just some of my weaknesses. I know as a christian I should have more faith. It's not that I don't trust God, I just have a fear of the unknown.

I just don't want to pretend like I'm perfect and I never worry. Being a christian doesn't mean I'm perfect it just means I'm striving to do better; and it's a daily struggle.

Saturday project

I found these cute little wooden vehicles in the craft section at walmart last week. They were only 97 cents and I knew right away the boys would love them. I already had the paints at home so I saved them for Saturday. When they are bored and it was raining outside so they couldn't go out. I surprised them "Look what I got!!!" and they were so excited! :-D

 Here are some pictures of the older boys' bedroom.  I posted on here about it the other day but didn't have any pictures yet. So here they are. Toy Story decorations and they glow in the dark!!!

 The brown shelf with baskets is new. If you know me at all you know that each basket is designated for a certain kinda of toy. Like balls, legos, people, games, and there is always one for misc. Also noticed the decals are up high enough so the little ones can pick them off the walls.

They love their new blankets too. We also bought a bed tent but one of the poles got broken so I put it away for now.

Allergies!!!

Well I guess the pollen has already gotten bad out there....we are all coughing, sneezing and runny noses. Jonah is running a fever so not sure what he's got but the rest of us are most likely suffering from pollen allergies. NO FUN! I am gonna stay home from church tomorrow because Jonah has a fever and load them all up on vitamin C and anything else I can find in there! :-D We all love mangos and I have some apples....don't they say "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" guess we'll eat an apple tomorrow too. Hey it's not funny.....desperate times....call for desperate measures. Anyway this raining saturday was kinda depressing. We did manage to take the boys bowling and had zaxby's for dinner. But right now I am just praying for a sleep. Jonah seems to be the most miserable of them all.

Please God give us all some good sleep and if that is not possible then I'll just drink a sun drop for breakfast. My new pick me up. Incase you didn't know...I am not a coffee drinker (NASTY) so I usually drink one coke a day. But I have found my old favorite drink from highschool in the stores. Sun Drop. And guess what!? It has more caffeine than coke!!! WOO HOO!!!

Oh check out what Jaron did with the bumbo seat today. so funny had to share.

Valleys...

Why do we allow the devil to steal our joy? It's not fair! I am sick and tired of being discouraged by people. Chris and I want to live according to the Bible and no matter how hard we try to do things right~the devil is attacking us from every angle.  God has blessed our family so much and we are so thankful. I know as a christian we have to go through the valleys so we can appreciate those mountains tops. But this valley is deep and dark and we need your help God. Christians please pray for our family.

Filtered

I feel like sometimes I think about who will read this before I type. Should I say that? Well maybe not...it might offend them. But this is my blog and I do have the freedom of speech. But do I want to be fake? Should I edit my feelings before I type them? Why not I edit pictures before I post them. I don't want anyone to see my in my night gown or my pile of laundry on the couch. I guess filtering my thoughts is not a bad idea. What do you think? Do you want to hear the whole truth and nothing but the truth from me? We all have those faults we'd rather not talk about and that is another thing I edit....my faults.

Well I'm tired of keeping it a secret....maybe if I put it out there I will feel more accountable and be more motivated to change. So here goes....I yell at my kids and they watch too much tv. (only approved videos) I don't have enough patience with them. I am sure I'm not the only mother out there like this but here I am admitting I have a problem and I need to work on it.  People tell me I'm such a good mother but I don't understand what they mean? I feel so bad about these things and I wish I could change. I have tried but it's very hard. I have prayed for God to help me make it through one day without yelling at the boys and I haven't been able to do that yet. I guess as they get older it will only get harder. So I need to keep praying.

SURPRISE!!!

Jacob & Jaron had Thomas the train room decorations for several years and we decided it was time for a change of scenary. So they spent the night with Granna & Pappa Saturday night and Chris and I painted their room from blue to green and bought toy story decals, curtains & blankets. We didn't tell them we were going to paint while they were gone so it was all a big surprise! They LOVE it!!! Oh and a Toy Story bed tent. (That is their favorite part.) I am not sure why I didn't take a picture yet...guess I'm just too busy. But I have taken some pictures of the boys.

Justus got a Bumbo seat. I know it's purple but for only $15 at a thrift store who cares what color it is! :-D He likes sitting up more and more.

I also tried letting him jump in the jumper that all the boys have enjoyed. But.....he fell asleep. Maybe next month he'll appreciate it a little more.

Oh and I happened to get a good close up of him smiling today. ENJOY! I am exhausted....