I am thankful...

...for my family.

We are all so different but I love them all. My siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and parents. Our lifestyles and beliefs are not all similar but that's ok because if everyone was like me the world would be a boring place. God created us all different and as I get older I am learning to appreciate people's differences.

We decided kinda last minute to take a trip to Florida and spend Thanksgiving with my dad and his side of the family down there. Because there are 6 of us now we didn't want to bombard their house with all our stuff. So we chose to get a hotel room right down the road even though he REALLY wanted us to stay with them.

We like our bedtime routine with the boys and they need that structure even when we aren't at home. So we spent most of our days with the family and went back to the hotel at night to get them bathed and in the bed by 8pm. Being in one room with everyone sleeping can be difficult for me.

When I became a mother those nights of deep sleep and never hearing a noise were over. I hear everything now! So every time one of the boys coughed (and there was a lot of this going on) I got woke up. I was worried Jaron was going to fall off the bed so I jumped every time he moved around in his sleep. Jonah was against the wall in the bed with Jaron because I pushed the bed over to the wall for him. And I seriously considered pushing our bed against theirs so Jaron wouldn't hit the floor. Jacob slept on the couch and he did hit the floor twice in one night. Justus was in a crib provided by the hotel right beside our bed. We got the efficiency so we had a fridge, microwave, sink, and stove. It was just the right size for what we needed.

Driving 500 miles with 4 boys was something I dreaded but after lots of research online for travel games I was actually excited for all the things I had planned. I made travel journals for each one of them. They included a map of our trip and all the cities we would drive through. A map of the US so they could color in states as we passed cars with that states tag on it. Coloring pages, blank pages, black paper (for white chalk), travel bingo, homework pages, and their own pack of crayons taped to the inside pocket. So there would be no fighting over crayons. I made a treasure bottle full of rice with little things hidden inside. (the lid glued on tightly of course) And I had a new pack of pipe cleaners. We told knock jokes, played virtual hide and seek, listened to music, watched movies, took naps, ate snacks and lunch and let them spend some of their hard earned money in the stores we stopped at to fill up.

It was fun and we didn't have a whole lot of melt downs but the ride home was more dvds and less games. I tried to keep things going but we were all exhausted. Ready to get home to our house and our beds.

So we had a good Thanksgiving and it was nice to get away and see some family....

but as Dorothy says "There's no place like home"

What A Weekend!

It all started when I thought someone stoled my WIC envelope with vouchers for free baby formula inside. I couldn't find it anywhere and I panicked! I called Walmart cause that's where I always shop and they said it was not in lost and found. So since it was after 5 and WIC was closed for the weekend I had to put that in the back of my mind and wait until Monday to call them and report it.

Then today I went to Walmart and stopped to get gas on the way home and after filling up the van would not crank! I had Justus with me and just one cold item (frozen stauffers lasagna) so I called Chris and he had to put the other 3 boys in his truck ( one without his required car seat) and come help me. So after he hooked it up to the jumper cables and gave me a charge it was fine.

I got home and stuck the lasagna in the oven and with just 20 minutes left the power went off!!! OMGOSH! So after a phone call to the power company and no luck relighting the pilot light on our new ELECTRIC start oven we decided to take the core temperature of the lasagna and it was 130 so I think it was pretty done.

After lighting every candle in the house because Jonah was panicing and Justus was about to panic, we sat down at the table as a family and had our lasagna in the beautiful candle light.

Then we noticed the power company out there diligently working so as it got dark we got the flashlights out and tried to make the best of it. Daddy hung a flashlight from the ceiling fan so they could play Disney Wheel of Fortune.

I boiled water to make a warm bottle of formula for Justus because he is finished nursing. Oh yeah I didn't tell you. Yeah he's done. My supply got really low so I gradually weened him and pumped less and less throughout the last 2 weeks. He is doing great on the formula too by the way. Something I was worried about.

After the games it was time for every ones nightly milk and then we brushed teeth in the candle light. The house was starting to get cold so they all put on their "zipper pj's" and we read the Bible and said our prayers and the boys got in the bed. Then after 3 1/2 hours without power every light in the house came on simultaneously!

All this while Me, Justus, Jaron and Jonah are sick with cough, runny noses and congestion. I hope we get some sleep tonight.

There's a first time for everything....

Jaron likes to dress up and "get in character" so this day he asked for me to make him a shield and this is what we came up with. And he had a sword Jacob made with Popsicle sticks and snow boots and a bike helmet. None of the others have done anything like this so this is a first in our house.

Oh and Jonah figured he could play hockey with a golf club and a wooden hamburger from the "food drawer" None of the other boys have ever done this either.

 Jonah decided the other day to do some "homework" and I had a Thomas book he could use to trace numbers and he did all the numbers 1-10 without my help and very good. That was a first for him.

 Justus tasted a wagon wheel learning to handle other textures without gagging. His first time...He didn't like the puffs or the yogurt melts though.

 And I finally decided to cut his hair. The curls were cute but had to go because it was just too frizzy. So here is a before picture...

And here is Justus after his first haircut....He didn't even cry.

Oh and another first in our house.....Chris tasted that dried mango I confessed to being addicted to in a previous post and guess what....HE's ADDICTED TOO! He said it should be illegal.

Name that Photo

What should I call this photo. Any suggestions? The winner will get some fresh new flavors of Wrigleys gum mailed directly to your home straight from the factory where my husband works.

I admit...

I have opened a pack of pacifiers in the store to give one to my babies before boiling it....

I did play hide n seek in the waiting room at my dermatologist the other day with Jonah (full of people)

I do let the boys play outside in their pjs

I have let laundry stay in the washer and dryer for 24 hours or on the couch for 2 days not folded

I sometimes eat peanut butter toast WAY TOO late at night

I have hidden a candy bar wrapper in the babies dirty diaper so no one know I ate it

I don't eat enough vegetables

I am addicted to caffiene

Dried mango is my weakness almost as bad as chocolate

I stay up too late and that's why I am exhausted

I don't clean my floors as much as I should

I usually try on 4 or 5 outfits before deciding what to wear to church

My bathroom closet is a disaster

Our laundry room needs more shelves because it's a mess too

I haven't put one page in Justus' baby book and he is almost one year old

I enjoy paying the boys to clean things because it means less for me to do

I love shopping at the Goodwill

I ate all the Monkey bread (sorry Chris)

I need to have more patience with our boys 

SO now that I got all that off my chest.....you know me a little better and I don't feel like I am leaving out all the negative things on my blog and giving you the impression our lives are perfect. Everyone makes mistakes and I'll be the first to admit it. I choose the better moments in our lives to put on the blog because I am not proud of the others. We don't take pictures of crying babies or messy rooms or spilled milk or broken dishes because we'd rather not remember those. I try to focus on the positive things in life and I hope you do to.

Where's Jacob?

 He is at the age where he doesn't want his picture taken so I had to take these against his will :-D

 He was outside playing with his brothers and I took these through the glass door.

 He said "stop taking my picture"

 I acted like I was done and held the camera down and snuck another one.

 He turning around trying to avoid the camera

That is his serious face "no more mommy"

I always feel guilty for putting pictures of the other boys and not so many of Jacob but it's hard to get any when he acts like this. So now you know why he's not featured much on here.

Silly Justus

Why I love him....

...because my husband Chris loves me despite my faults.
He tries to always put God first in our lives.
He always tells me I'm beautiful on my worst days.
He supports me in parenting our boys.
He washes all the laundry.
He irons our church clothes.
He works hard to provide for our family.
He always gives 100% of himself in anything he does.
He's taught me how to keep a secret.
He is not too prideful to admit when he's wrong.
He is the leader in our home.
He always gets me a birthday present the week before my birthday.
He wants what is best for our boys.
He loved being in the military.
He loves to read the Bible and preach.

God gave me my husband and I love him.