Until next time...

We had a wonderful last weekend in Indiana.  Now the real fun in is about to begin.  Our movers will be here in about 5 hours and we're still up sorting, packing, cleaning, and the list goes on.  But enough about that...on to the fun weekend.

My parents came up from Alabama for one last visit before we move out of driving distance.  The kids so enjoyed them and so did we.  It never seems to be "work" when my parents are here.  We can just truly relax and enjoy their company.  I know the kids feel the same way.  Even though it's been several months since they've seen them, they picked up right where they left off.  

The first day they were in town we met them at their hotel for a swim (they stayed in a hotel to avoid disrupting our packing progress....and let's be honest, it's a little more relaxing. :)  Then, that night, they went to a George Strait concert.  Certainly a fun date and much needed get-away for them.  While they were doing that, Ken and the older kids camped out in the backyard with the neighbor kids.  I know I've mentioned before how much we will miss this neighborhood, haven't I?  They roasted marshmallows, played games and slept in tents (at least until the 2am thunderstorm hit and everyone moved it inside).

On Saturday Ken and I got to go on a date...a rare treat!  We went to a yummy fondue restaurant and enjoyed a fun evening together.  My folk and the kiddos ordered pizza and played and had a movie night.  Then, the girls wanted to have a sleepover with my folks, so I dropped off the older 2 and they had an absolute blast!  They slept on the fold out in my folks room, went swimming at 10pm, had snacks and got to eat the "best breakfast ever" at the hotel the next morning.  I'm so glad that they are having these opportunities to make fun memories.

On Sunday our church prayed for us and sent us off.  (I know I have also mentioned that we will miss this church.  We really will.)  Then my Dad and Ken went to the Brickyard 400...yee-ha...and my Mom and I took the kids for another swim.  Could you really ask for a better weekend?

But (sigh) it's over now and time to get to work.  The movers roll in this morning and we're off on a week long adventure as we head to RI.  We'll likely be offline for a while, but I'll email our new address to those who'd like it as soon as we get there.  I do so enjoy the fellowship I have with so many of you via blog and email and I know that several of you pray for our family.  This week, if you would, will you pray for a safe and smooth transition for our family?  And for the hearts of our children as they move away from friends they love.  And, give thanks with us for the blessings that God has given us in our last 2 years here.  Now... let's head 'em up and move 'em out!

boogers

Honest to goodness conversation I had in the car today.

After discussing exactly what a "booger" consists of and correcting one of our daughters on why is is socially incorrect to pick one's nose...

"But why?"

"It's not polite, sweetie.  You should just use a tissue."

"But what if I don't have a tissue."

"Then ask Mom and we'll find one."

"But what if we can't find one, and I really, really have to pick my nose."

At that point, I just dropped the conversation and kept driving.

A few minutes of silence.

"Mom, what if I'm laying the in road  and I can't wipe my nose on the pavement and someone ran over my legs so I can't go get a tissue and my mouth is taped shut but I can't breathe because my nose is so full of boogers.  Then can I pick my nose?"

"Yes, sweetheart.  Then you can pick your nose."

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

the boys

There's no overtly exciting news to report this week.  Just another week of sorting, cleaning and general move prep.  Ken is doing turnover stuff at work and I'm wrapping up last minute details here.  There are medical records to be picked up, addresses to be changed, appointments to be made and the list goes on.  The kids are getting excited about the move although this will be the first move that will be a little harder for them.  This is the first place they've been in school.  It's also the first place they've really been old enough to make close friends.  I know they will miss them, but we've been singing the "make new friends, keep the old" song alot.  With technology being what it is now, I think we all feel better that we can pretty much keep in touch with anyone, anywhere.

Of course, I did make some time this week to snap a few pictures.  You saw what the girls were up to in my last post, so here's the boys. Nathan is growing so fast and has discovered that he can roll pretty much anywhere he wants to go.  He's still the happiest baby we've ever had and is always making us smile.   He's nearing 20lbs now, so he's no small fry.  He gets lots and lots and lots of love from his siblings.  Almost too much sometimes.   But who wouldn't want to kiss this face, right?

 

And here's Jakey.  I think we're going to start calling him "slim".  He was by far our fattest baby, but is now growing straight up and not gaining a pound.  The kid has washboard abs and you can see every rib.  We do feed him, but, as his pediatrician says, "his activity level is burning more calories than he's taking in."  No kidding.  He is non-stop action and a comedian as well.

Well, that's the boys.   It's now 5:00am and while I've been up, a wee one has wandered into my bed and taken my spot.  So, I guess I'm up for the day.  Hope your day is fun.

girls

Here's what happens to a Daddy, brave enough to fall asleep on the couch...

in a house full of little girls.

a godly heritage

Last weekend, we spent a few days with Ken's family for the 4th of July holiday.  It was nice to have cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles all together.  Since we tend to go long stretches living away from family, we tend to pack lots of visiting in when we can.  Ken affectionately refers to these as "power visits".  

One of the highlights of our weekend was getting to spend some time with Ken's grandma, known to all the kids as Grandma Fifer.  She is 94 years old and still a beautiful lady inside and out.  The kids truly enjoyed spending time with her.  Jacob, who called her "Fifer", would just come sit in the room where she was, seemingly just to be near her.  She is someone who has the comfortable, loving presence that little ones just want to be around.  We all enjoyed listening to her tell stories from when she was younger, about raising her children, her time spent with her late husband on the mission field in India.  Her passion for the Lord and for life is still visible and can be seen in so many ways.  Her sense of humor is sharp and witty and her laugh is contagious.  I only hope that I can be such a graceful, godly woman of the faith at her age.

We enjoyed our time with her and were glad that our children got to see another piece of the godly heritage that God has woven just for them.  God's faithfulness truly is evident through all generations.

"Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.  Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come."  Psalm 71: 17-18

cuddly

Gracie came up behind me last night and gave me a big hug.

"Mommy you are so cuddly.  You're all soft, just like you're stuffed with stuffing."

I'll choose to take that as the compliment it was intended to be.

moving, mites and skinned knees

So much to write about and so little time to blog!  As much as I love to write about our adventures and misadventures, I often find myself way too tired at the end of the day and wanting nothing more than to fall into bed.  So, tonight, while I'm feeling moderately energized and my sweet husband is watching the All-Star game, I'll catch you up on this week's happenings at our house.

We have made it through another week of busyness, as we are getting ready for the move.  Our movers will be here in less than 2 weeks and we'll packing up for the next chapter in our lives.  Military moves generally, in my experience, require quite a bit of planning.  We finally got a call from the movers and have our move dates set, pictures off the walls and a new address.  We're spending our evenings patching nail holes, touching up paint, repairing screens and sorting everything else.

While doing all this this weekend, Ken came across a bird's nest that had fallen to the ground which he allowed, nay encouraged,  the kids to play with.  I saw this and quickly dismissed the reminder in my head of my mom not allowing me to play with old bird's nests due to bird mites.  Nonsense and overprotective parenting, for sure.  About 10 minutes later,  while making playdough eggs to put in their new found nest, I noticed 1 of my kids doing quite a bit of scratching.  Oh yes.  Upon closer inspection, I see that at least 2 of my darlings were covered in itty-bitty bugs.  Eeek! Quickly, we grab all 4 of the older children and toss them into bathtubs and showers.  They each got their hair washed several times with lemon juice and vinegar (thanks to a little quick online research).  Clothes were all thrown immediately in the washer for sanitation and I went on a cleaning frenzy.  Thankfully, the nest was kept outside and disaster narrowly averted.  I feel sure that none of my children will ever look at birds nests the same again.

In a bird update,  the neighbor later found a tiny inhabitant of the earlier mentioned dishevelled nest.  She is nursing the baby bird back to health, and so far it seems to be doing well.  The girls have been digging worms for him every day and helping her feed him.

Here's the rest of the news of the week in (somewhat) bullet form:

After almost a month of back problems, I began seeing a chiropractor this week.  I was a little skeptical at first, but even with one adjustment I'm already feeling better.  I'm finally feeling hopeful that I may be back to normal soon.

Our van got a new radiator this week.  Those suckers normally cost about $800 and since the van is only about 5 years old, we were surprised to have to make this repair.  Ken suggested we call Toyota, just to see what could be done.  I called and, it turns out that our particular model of van has been known to have radiator problems, so they agreed to do all the work and replacement for free!  Yay!  I'm thankful for my husband's wisdom.... it never hurts to ask!

The low point of my week was falling up the front steps while holding 2 gallons of milk.  I haven't had a good fall-on-my-face in years, so I suppose I had it coming.  I gained 2 nicely skinned knees from the mishap, and had their been any cars passing at the time, they would have surely gotten a full moon, considering I was wearing a skirt at the time.  All in all, no harm done, but I was a little bummed that I punctured one of my gallons of milk.  

But so as not to end on a low note, I got a very sweet bouquet of flowers this week from my hubby.   He was biking back from dropping the van off at the shop.  {Sidenote: When you have 5 children, dropping the van off becomes a challenge.  We can't fit the kids in his truck and they can't stay home alone.  Therefore, we only have our cars repaired at places close enough for us to drop it off then run or bike home.}  Anyway, on his way home, he stopped along the side of the road and picked me a sweet handful of wild flowers.  He used to do that when we were dating.  And when we lived far apart, he would press flowers in cards and mail them to me.    I'm a sucker for stuff like that.  And he knows it.  Anyway, it was definitely a high point of my week.

Maybe it's my newly adjusted spine, but I am feeling particularly thankful for my family right now.  Even in the craziness that is surrounding us right now, we are blessed.  Hope you had a good week too.

"Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory.  Amen and amen."  Psalm 72:18-19

brotherly sisterly love

long, fun weekend

This picture pretty much says it all.  We had a great 4th of July weekend and just got home today from a wonderful visit with Ken's family.  We hung out with the family, cooked out burgers, watched the fireworks and stayed up late.  We played in the pool, played badminton, ate popsicles and went for walks.  We visited an animal farm, rode bikes, played ball and ate some more.  There was a trip into the city, fun at the Aquarium, a walk by Lake Michigan and even a Cubs game at Wrigley.  We took flowers to the cemetery, took family photos and enjoyed 4 generations under one roof.  All is all it was a fun-filled weekend that I would love to tell more about and hopefully will later, but for now, I can't wait to go to bed.  Hope you had a wonderful 4th!

the grocery store

I've said it once, and I'll say it again.  I'd almost rather be beaten with a stick than to go grocery shopping.  Don't get me wrong, I am abundantly thankful to have groceries to buy, mouths to feed and the resources with which to do it.  It is, however, the process that I dislike.  I don't particularly enjoy menu planning, sale browsing or list writing.  And even more, I dislike the time it takes, loading the cart, unloading the cart, loading the bags, unloading the bags and putting everything away....usually only to realize that I forgot the one thing I most needed. Then, within a week, maybe less, the process must be repeated.

Of all the things, however, that I abhor about the grocery shopping experience, I must say that it is the comments of fellow shoppers that are the most puzzling to me.  I grew up in Alabama and, generally speaking, the rule of thumb there is, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  (Or at the very least, sugar coat it until no one can really tell if it was nice or not.)

For my own sanity and out of consideration for others, I usually try to shop alone, after the little ones are in bed and Ken is holding down the fort.  There are, however, times when I need to pick up a few things and I have to take the whole crew with me.  They are usually quite well behaved and really don't cause a disruption of any sort.  But still, I think it's the size and close ages of our family that seems to catch people off guard...and so, they feel the need to say something.  "Got your hands full, don't ya?"  "You've got your own basketball team there!" "Don't you know how this happens?" and, my personal favorite, "Are they all yours?"  I usually laugh off the comment and let it go.  After all, I think people just don't know what to say and when they see us coming they feel the need to say something.  The comments don't necessarily bug me, I just think they need to come up with some new material.

Most of the time, though, I do try to shop alone.  And, believe it or not, I still get comments.  Namely concerning the amount of groceries in my cart.  "Wow, you must be hungry." and the like.  Really, should it really concern anyone else how many groceries I buy?  Should I have to justify every time that I have a family of 7 people who need to eat?  Not to mention diapers and wipes, pull-ups and paper products, laundry detergent and cleaning supplies.  And, oh yeah, I do have to buy food...for 6 out of 7 people...every week.  Should it really bother anyone how many groceries I buy or what I buy, for that matter?  Unless I am asking them to pay for my groceries or haul them out to the car for me.  Really.  

But, I generally try to just ignore the comments and go about my business of gathering so I can feed my family for the coming week.  And when I do get the occasional comment, I realize that maybe they just don't know any better. Then I just say, in true southern fashion, "Bless their heart."