Sunday, February 24, 2008

Pictures






Red-handed

This was so funny. We think of this as "caught red-handed by the red-handed bandit" as Ed put it.
Ed had built a fire in the fire pit and set up the telescope the other night because we wanted to try to watch the lunar eclipse. We did get to see most of it, but the funny thing was we didn't know this picture was taken until we uploaded them to the computer. Apparently Aaron had taken the camera (without permission) and been shooting alot of pictures and took this one of Alyssa trying to look through the telescope (also with out permission). I guess we must have all gone in the house for a minute. Josh, Rachel, and Anna Laurie were over that night so there was alot of in and out going on. Anyway, we didn't let Aaron know, but we thought this was a pretty good picture. He got some good ones of the eclipse too. I think it was an accident but I'm not sure.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

P.S.

By the way, just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who comment on here. It really makes my day...I feel like I'm getting letters when I read them. So...Thank You, all of you.

every day things

Yes, most of our lives are made up of just every day things. I really am trying to notice and appreciate those little every day things more. Writing about them is one way I feel like I can do that.
The kids are constantly saying and doing things and I really can't remember all of them by the time I get on here. But I really want to try because I know it 's the little things that we are all going to enjoy remembering when they get older and things do slow down. (At least I'm assuming they will slow down, but not sure at this point.) I don't always appreciate things "in the moment"....like when I go looking for Levi and find him in the bathroom brushing his teeth in the toilet. Yes, I know...my reaction too. Times 10!!! Thankfully it was clean if that makes it any better. (Didn't... really... make me feel better.)
Like I said..hard to appreciate in the moment, but looking back I found it blog-worthy. If for no other reason than to embarrass him when he is older.=)
But other things, you kind of know when they happen that you want to write about them. Take Isaac (again)...he came in the other morning with a very concerned voice and informed us that "those men were STEALING our garbage". We tried not to laugh and explained that we wanted them to take it away and that it was their job. But he still insisted, " But those were WRONG men, they were STEALING our GARBAGE!"
Oh, and then there was a day this week... a couple of us caught a stomach bug for about a day, me being one of them. I had to pretty much stay in bed for most of the day, but when I did get up Aaron had made tea and set the table. Granted it was with chocolate and candy, but it was so sweet. They are all so responsible I sometimes tend to forget how little they still are.
There are so many little details about each one... how they interact with each other...sometimes arguing, sometimes playing with the baby, playing with each other, working and helping me. I wouldn't trade any of it, and I want to write about it so I can remember to let them know how much I do notice even if I don't tell them right then.
Someone once told me to remember, no matter what else I do or don't do, to enjoy my children now while they are still little...because they grow up so fast. I wish I could say that I always remember to do that...I don't. But I try. Ed is great about helping me to see and appreciate. Not that he does it consciously. I think because he is at work more, when he comes home he points out things that I might see but not really notice, and helps me appreciate or laugh about them.
And it's important, you know, to notice the seemingly ordinary blessings that the LORD sends us every day. They are the things that make life sweet. They are what make the tough times worthwhile. Knowing that He cares, that He sees the little things in our lives, and that He sends these things to lighten our loads and make our days brighter if we can just take the time to open our eyes, and then thank Him.

Peepaw's flowers


Part 1.1
Originally uploaded by cute mommy of 6
The story behind these flowers was so cute I thought I would share it.
I finally had a chance last Sat. to go see Peepaw after his surgery. Pete stayed with the kids while Holly and I went.
We went by Walmart first because I wanted sunflowers and I knew they carried them. I found the sunflowers first and then we decided the purple mums looked good with them so we got those too, but unfortunately they had no filler or greenery so we had to just go with that. Then we picked out a vase and a pair of shears, and, after checking out, I went to the restroom to arrange them. (My thinking was that it would save time instead of going back home.) Well that was easier said than done. It was pretty crowded and busy so I waited until I had room and moved up to the sink. I was thinking about the time so I tried to hurry and I wasn't being as picky as I would have at home. Then this black lady and her friend come in and as she is washing her hands I notice her going really slowly and watching me. I mean REALLY watching me. My first thought was "Oh, I bet she arranges flowers" and I was sort of embarrassed because I knew my arrangement was so far short of what a professional would do. (What with the lack of all the right stuff it was far short of what I would normally do too, but I was out of time.)
So I just kept on with my work and hoped she wouldn't look too (much more) closely. =)
Wrong!
She came over after I was done and looked at my flowers and her friend laughed " Oh, here we go". I smiled sheepishly and asked if she did flowers and she just nodded and kept on examining my work. She didn't say anything at all hardly but I knew she wanted to fix it. Sure enough, in a few minutes she takes the shears from Holly and with a "do you mind?" to me she proceeds to redo my work. She took them all out and filled the vase up with more water then she very meticulously puts them all back in at just the right angles. I'm trying to make small talk so I asked her if she owned a shop. She said no but she always wanted to. I could tell her friend felt sort of awkward and I was thinking about the time, but tried not to show that I was in a hurry and just waited until she had it to her satisfaction. Honestly, she barely said anything until she was almost done and then she asked if there was any baby's breath or greenery.I tried to explain that they didn't sell any by itself but I'm not sure she believed me. She reluctantly handed them back over with a smile and then told me that I could find filler at Winn Dixie as it really needed something else.
I thanked her very much and then as quickly as was polite ran to the truck. It was all actually pretty funny and I figured Peepaw would get a laugh out of the story. Besides, we thought it probably made her afternoon a little brighter.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Isaac ...

Isaac is always saying the cutest stuff. The kind of stuff you want to write down and remember. While we were driving down to Houma the other day, Isaac just pipes up out of the blue, "Papa, I'm glad you got married to mama." I melted. I have no idea what makes him think of things like that but he is always surprising us.
He is so funny too. On the one hand, he can be the loudest of all my children...making car noises or singing at the top of his lungs...but if either of the babies start crying he'll cover his ears and say " Your scaring my ears!".
He can be rough and tough and hardheaded, but will hug your neck off and is always thanking me for the smallest things. He is such a little charmer and just melts my heart. It's hard to realize he will be 4 years old before I know it. He still often seems like a baby in my mind, but then I hear him talking and see him doing stuff, and realize he is really getting so big and is mostly little boy.
Until he wants to snuggle... and he is my baby again.

news and more

Well, we had a good trip to Houma last week. It was actually a flying trip as Ed had to be back at work the next evening. But we all enjoyed it and Ky got to meet her other grandparents.
Even though it was a short trip it has still taken me awhile to recover. As in unpacking and catching up on laundry and housework...not to mention school. And Ed has been off all this time so I've wanted to spend as much time as I could with him. Speaking of which, we got to go on a date for the first time in a really long while. He took me to a Japanese restaurant, and it was a lot of fun.
This week I've been working on planning out the remaining months of school. I realize that it is still several months away but I feel like if I don't have all written out I won't get as much done or I may forget something I wanted to cover. I had hoped to have it all done before now, but somehow things never happen when I want them to...so you just gotta "go with the flow".
I think everyone (including me) is finally over all colds and ills. And I see evidence of spring being just around the corner. Although today and last night were REALLY cold again. Here in Mississippi you never know what the weather will be from one day to the next.
Actually, you never know what life will bring from one day to the next. As of this past week, Ed is going to be going back to school to get his associates degree as an RN. He has been considering it for awhile and finally felt peace about it. He will be going to Jones County Community College where he got his EMT training. Hopefully, by starting over the summer, he will be able to get his degree in 2 years. We are both excited about it but also know it will be hard work. Please pray that all the details work out if the Lord brings us to your mind.
So...that's us for now.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Update on Kyla

Kyla is getting so big and doing so good. She such a fat little thing and I love it. She is now rolling over. She did it for the first time last week. It's fun to watch her. She will lay and play with her hands and talk to herself for the longest time. And she loves to talk to her brothers and sisters....especially Levi.
We spent Sun night at Pete and Holly's apartment ( not planned, sort of just happened) while Ed was at work, and I woke in the early morning hours to see Levi and Kyla both laying on their tummies, heads close together, and giggling at each other. Apparently Levi woke up and saw her laying there and thought it would be fun to chat. So he woke her up. It was cute, but at that hour of the morning I really wasn't in the mood to appreciate it too much so I put him up with me on the couch and she went back to sleep.=)

Where does time go?

Well it's been several days since I did any posts on here, but I'm not really sure what I've done in the meantime.
It has been busy with trying to keep school going with the kids as well as dealing with several rounds of colds and pink eye. And, of course, whatever one gets they all get. Anyway, I'm hoping we are all on the mend now.
The weather the last couple days has been so gorgeous...it's letting us know that spring isn't too far off. I'm making plans for a garden this year...more specifically a kids garden. I think it will be alot of fun as well as a learning experience for them. I have so many ideas, I'm not sure which ones will happen yet. I think I definitely want to try a sunflower house and a green bean teepee. I know I would have loved something like that when I was a kid. (Who am I kidding, I would like something like that now.=) Of course, I want tomatoes and carrots and peppers and zucchini too. Anyway, it's been fun to plan.
Tomorrow Ed will get home after being at work for 4 DAYS! Yes, that really read 4. I can't wait...it's been a long shift. But the upside is he will be off for 8 days, so I'm hoping it will have been worth while in the long run.=) We are planning a quick trip to Houma tomorrow. The kids are beside themselves. They have been begging to go for a while now, but it's just been to get some time when Ed was off work and all the timing worked out. Anyway, I think it will be fun.
Well, if I'm to get the rest of the packing done and leave the house clean I have to get off of here.
I'll write more later.