Dear Kate Plus 8 lady-
Why in the world do you wear hooker shoes and shirts where your boobs are falling out while taking your 8 kids on tours of New York and while taking plane rides? I simply do not understand this. It bugs the heck out of me. I think your claim of "doing whatever for your children" is phony. You are too into yourself. :) Sure, it is fine to look nice, but seriously- stop it.

WE SOLD THE BIKE!

So, in less than a week, I sold my van and Joel's motorcycle. I am pumped. I had no idea they would sell so quickly but I am not complaining. The first people to look- bought! YES. So, now we are on the hunt to find me a car. Let the real fun begin.
So needless to say, this week has been full of signing, phone calls, emails, notarizing, making trips to the county clerks office (which always makes me want to slit my wrists) and now my life consists of spending hours on cars.com.

School is still going well. I just signed the girls up for an art class that I am excited about. Not only will they be learning all kind of things about painting, drawing, and famous artists, but I will have an hour and a half every week to chat with my friend whose boy will also be in the class. I am thinking I could get used to that.

I was reading in Romans today and came across this verse- Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
I love it. I know a lot of people really facing some hard things. I pray that each of them can find the strength to rejoice in hope and to be patient and to constantly be in prayer. The Word of God completely amazes me. It truly is water for my soul and a lamp to my feet that often have no idea where they are going.

Lots going on these days- first off, I am no longer the owner of a family fun bus, otherwise known as a minivan. She was good to us but she had to go. She was sold in less than 4 days! So, now I am on to find something else. I am leaning towards an Accord- good, nice, safe, dependable, doesn't break the bank, and will last a long time. Now I just have to be patient enough to find the right one. SIGH.

The weather is getting cooler here. Running is so much more doable, thank goodness!

Jesslyn has lost two teeth in the last two days. The first one was hanging by a thread, so she finally let Joel pull it after he had been begging her to for about a week. The next day, I was at the computer and she and Nevaeh were taking a shower together. I heard Nevaeh say, "oh no! Go show mommy!" I thought to myself- oh no... what in the world just happened. Just then, Jesslyn runs to me dripping wet with blood running down her chin. She had lost her second bottom tooth in the shower and it had went right down the drain! So funny. I thought she would be freaking out a bit but she was not. She thought it was funny and was probably already thinking about what she could spend her tooth fairy money on. She loves to spend money..... who doesn't?

Hillsong - I Will Exalt You - Faith+HOpe+Love - With Subtitles HQ

Love this song.

I think my nine year old is FINALLY loving school. Well, not really loving school but I see her being more anxious to learn and especially to write. I bought her two binders and she has been carrying them around for the last 24 hrs. I gave her a list of spelling words to put in the binder and she was grinning when I told her she had to write them a few times and have them done by tomorrow morning. She already did them and said now she wants to write a book. (with pink notebook paper and she wants to cover it with flowery wrapping paper). I am really looking forward to this year for homeschooling. I am focused and determined and am getting to spend my day with my two main girls. Teaching them about life as we learn how to read and write and count, etc.
We have already gotten into a pretty good groove and with gymnastics starting up again on Fridays and with art classes coming up next month- things are looking fun and full.

On a side note- I cannot seem to get this family out of my mind. This family who has been smacked with the realty of cancer in their sweet little boy. I am hugging my kids and loving them more now. You never know if things could change at any moment. I know this family is going to make it through it but it stills seems so unfair that their journey has to go down this hard road. Don't ever let a day go by without loving your family or kissing and hugging your kids. They are the biggest blessings from God and if you don't cherish them, shame on you.

Today has been good so far. Kids are writing letters and spelling words right now. I also decided to delete my last post. It sounded incredibly dreary- and even though I felt down yesterday, I realize that what I am feeling and dealing with is far less terrible than what I know others are going through. This is just a minor bump in my road. Life is still good. My kids are healthy and Joel has a job. Those are all very special things to be thankful for.

Here is the address to a blog about the little boy I mentioned in an earlier post. His mom is documenting this journey they are on with cancer and her three year old. Be warned- you may want some tissues. It is very hard to imagine what that family is facing.

Rockstarronan.wordpress.com

Perspective..... it's what it is all about.

Sometimes I wish I could write a blog that no one could read- just to vent.. just to be totally completely honest- without people being able to actually see in writing my troubling thoughts ;) I guess that would be like having a diary with a big lock on it so that only my eyes could see it.

So, completely off the subject, but in the last two days, I found out through facebook that a girl from my hometown got the horrible news this week that her three year old little boy has stage 4 of neuroblastoma, which is a kind of cancer. It is so amazing to me that one day your life can be fine, your children can be seemingly healthy, and then the next day they are headed into surgery while looking down the road filled with treatments of chemo and possibly more surgeries. I can't seem to shake thinking of this family. I can't seem to even begin to imagine putting myself in their shoes. To see my child laying there, feeling helpless to fix it. It is in these times that faith plays a huge part... and also in these times that I am reminded of what really matters in life. Money, things, chasing after that moment of happiness,etc.... those things no longer seem to matter. I waste way too much time with silly things. I am now challenged to love on my kids more.. to appreciate and count my blessings and to thank God for their health. Last night I let Jesslyn paint my toenails and fingernails. They look awful and I am pretty sure that I have more polish on my skin than on my nails. But I do not care. Her eyes lit up when I agree to let her paint them. She took such pleasure in painting them for me. I took ever greater pleasure watching her do it. Why do we lose focus? Why do we get so caught up on the stupid things around us that really don't matter? I hope this is a lesson I don't have to keep learning. I hope it sticks. I hope I love more, forgive easier, and just plain enjoy my kids to the fullest. We take too much for granted. We spend too much time worrying about stupid things instead of counting our blessings.

So here is a short list of things I am thankful for:
*healthy kids
*healthy family.... parents are well! family members are well!
*a roof over our heads
*food in the fridge
*a job for Joel
*the chance to homeschool
*cars that work
*a marriage that is still together
*parents that love me and pray for me
*a knowledge and hunger for God
*mental health- without the help of medication- thank you Jesus!
*freedom

and the list goes on and on.........

What are you thankful for today?

Meteor Showers

I had heard that last night was the best night of the year to watch some meteor showers. So, my entire family was fast asleep while I headed to the back deck... it was probably still close to 90 degrees at 11pm and the sound of bugs in the trees was almost overwhelming and actually a bit of a constant buzzing that could have easily gotten really annoying... but I persisted and sat there, gazing up into the night sky. Can I just say that I have not gazed at stars for many years. Sure, I look up from time to time but I just sat there, head up.. staring. What an amazing thing. What a gorgeous view. What a great and huge God we serve. It overwhelmed me actually. What a mystery. What wonder. I sat there for a few hours... it was nice (minus the bugs.. which I do believe a bug bit me in the butt). Anyways, as I sat there, I was amazed... in awe.... what greatness... I felt small... but then remembered that even in my smallness- He knows every hair on my head, every thought in my mind, every word before I speak it... every desire of my heart. WOW.

Math books are out .... pencils are scattered along with some crayons on the kitchen table. I am so excited about this school year. I am looking forward to my kids learning... and hopefully having lots of fun in the process. I am so blessed and thankful that I get this opportunity with my girls. I hope I never go a day without being thankful that I have the right to homeschool, a hard working husband who makes it possible, and family that is supportive (well, most of them are.)
I took the kids swimming yesterday. It has been so hot here. In the 100's with humidity. The pool is a perfect place to be and the kids swim like crazy and get worn out quickly.
I also watched the movie, Book of Eli last night. I enjoyed it. Joel fell asleep due to his two days in a row of migraines so I watched it alone- but really liked it. I think a lot can be said about it. First off, I hope I treasure that Book the way he did. It really is full of power and I can't start my day without reading from it. I would like to say that I have the entire thing memorized like he did at the end- haha! I better get reading and memorizing.
So back to the subject of Joel's migraines- he went to the doctor yesterday and he put him on a pill that is preventative and should be taken daily. Come to find out, it is an anti-depressent. That freaked Joel and I out a bit but it obviously can be used for other things than depression. We are hoping it helps but really are leaning towards going with some natural preventative medication- anti-depressents scare me a bit! I have heard too many horror stories :)
Well, now that math is over and my blog is done, it is time to open up the language arts books...
Oh, and if you are reading this Uncle Andy, I want you to know that math is our favorite subject so far! ;)

some things I get annoyed with:

*people who hum or whistle in public.
*people who try and "make it rich" quick instead of working like the rest of us.
*people who never grow up.
*people who destroy everyone around them.... those kinds of people should go live on an island and leave the rest of us alone. They can destroy the lives of the people who destroy other lives- it's a perfect plan.


Have a nice day ;)

It is a lazy Saturday morning here. It is now August and the weather is hot and humid. Jesslyn hates it cause her underwear sticks to her butt. That really irritates her. It irritates me also. I am ready for fall. I am ready for football, orange leaves, sweatshirts, apples, ciders, and pumpkins. I am also craving some schedule in our lives. The school books, pencils, crayons, scissors, and glue have been purchased and are sitting on the shelf waiting for us to dive into it. I am ready. I can officially say goodbye to summer with no turning back. I am expecting a great school year... lots of learning... and hopefully lots of fun. Jesslyn will be officially in kindergarten this year and she is super pumped. I hope her excitement never wears off.

Fact 524 about me. I cry when I'm angry and once the tears are turned on- it takes way too long for them to turn off. Ugh.