Bath Time

A quick page I put together while eating my lunch today.

We don't often have the luxury of bubble baths in our house.

With so many little ones and so few tubs, getting clean is more of a factory-style event.

I have been showering all three girls together until recently.  Now I shower the younger two and while I'm getting them dried up and combed, etc, Joy takes a shower by herself.   Now that she is six, she is suddenly more modest and also able to wash her own hair, etc.    

It's kinda funny that she and Kade both became more self-conscious about the same time.  I guess that is the difference between boys and girls.  None of my boys seemed to notice or mind their lack of clothing until about the age of eight.  Joy arrived at this awareness right about the time she turned six.  

Anyhow, every  now and then I will allow a bubble bath for a special treat, especially if they've been out playing in the cold and need to warm up.   

I have gotten to where I really enjoy a bubble bath myself especially if I am chilled and can't seem to get warm otherwise.  Too bad my long legs have to prop up on the wall in order for my main body to fit in the tub.  I enjoy it nonetheless.

Potty Training

I can't believe these photos are from a year ago.  I've gotten just a bit of work done on little one's album lately.  She still doesn't like to get any kind of mess on her.  If so much as a drop of water gets on her shirt, she thinks she has to change immediately.

This week I am trying to get her completely potty trained.  

I loathe potty training, but it is past time to for her to be proficient in this area.

Although, if she does train completely this week, she will be trained at the youngest age of any of my children.   She is ready.

Journal

In my life this week…

We've had two bugs going thru the crew over the past week.  One is a head cold and the other a tummy bug.  No one had both at the same time until Thursday evening when I got to be the lucky one to come down with both simultaneously.  Needless to say, there wasn't much school going on this Friday.  My beloved started in with the cold last night so today we are just hanging out together sharing a box of tissues.

In our homeschool this week…

I had written up a new schedule for our school day a week or so ago.  I love how it all looks on paper and flows so seamlessly.  In reality, we have had one and a half days this week where we were truly on schedule and I sure did cherish those days!

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…

I've already shared that the scouts went on a big trip over the holiday weekend.  Other than that, Hope had her first dentist appt. this week.  She has two small cavities....guess I should have taken her in before the age of four, eh?  


On Friday, the girls started swim lessons again.  This time, little Faith is doing lessons, too.  They love their lessons and have learned so much.  Faith did great with her first lesson.  I expected her to scream, but she was so excited.  She wasn't too happy about bobbing under water and had quite the unhappy face during that part of the lesson.  I'll have to take my camera next week to see if I can capture that.

The neighborhood children have been coming over to play a LOT since Christmas break.  Mostly I request that they all play in our backyard so that I can keep tabs on my younger ones, but the boys do love to ride scooters out in the street.

My favorite thing this week was…

Joe playing finger songs with Faith.  She loves to sing "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" with him and do the hand motions.  He is great to do it over and over and the sound of their laughter together is precious.  I love seeing my older children cherishing their young siblings.  They truly enjoy one another.

Questions/thoughts I have…

I am contemplating volunteering to rock babies in the NICU at one of the hospitals in the city.  There was a little write-up about it in last Sunday's paper and it has been on my mind since then.  I absolutely love babies and it would be such a privilege to hold and cuddle those wee ones.

Things I’m working on…

I finished painting the built-in desk in the kitchen this week and have been trying to organize and move stuff back into it.  The cabinets above the desk have glass in the door which I had always kept covered with fabric to hide the mess in the shelves.  But I have now decided to keep the glass uncovered and try to make it look cute, yet functional.  It was hilarious when we put the doors back up the other night and twelve-year-old Joe looked at them in astonishment and said, "There is glass in those doors!"  He had apparently never noticed over the past ten years we have lived here.

I’m reading…

I have just finished reading "Growing Up Amish" by Ira Wagler.   I also just received my new ESV Literary Study Bible.  I am looking forward to reading through the Bible again from a literary perspective.

I’m cooking…

uh, no, I'm not.  I've been throwing together pathetic attempts at meals from what is in the freezer.

I’m grateful for…

food in the freezer!  

The mostly warm winter we have had.  

Six beautiful, healthy children.

I’m praying for…

A woman named Becky whom I do not know, but she is a mother of five and she suffered a major heart attack last weekend and wasn't expected to survive.  God is working miracles there and she continues to need prayer for restoration and healing.

We are also praying for like-minded friends with children similar ages as our own.

A photo to share…

Abundant Acorns

We have lived here for ten plus years now, but I have never seen so many acorns in our yard as there are this year.  There are thousands of them to the point where it is quite dangerous to walk across the yard on the slippery things.   After turning my ankle for the umpteenth time, I decided today was the day to rake those buggers to the curb.  The girls think it is fun to pick them up and put them into a bucket, too.

They are tickled when they pick up one that has already begun to take root and they can see the split shell and the long tendril reaching down.

Faith tried on big brother's new glasses this morning.  I couldn't pass up such a photo op.
Her hair had so much static in it!
She is such a busy little body.  She fills our days with laughter at her many antics.

Scout Trip

My big guys spent the holiday weekend on a scout trip to Louisiana.

I stayed home with the younger children and relaxed, did school work, watched TV, cleaned out the garden, took them to the playground, played on the computer, etc. 

I thought I'd treat the children to lunch at McDonald's one day while the guys were gone, but when I pulled into the parking lot Kade and Joy chorused, "Ewwww, gross!  I hate McDeath, yuck!"

And so, I got Happy Meals for the youngest two girls (I would normally not get kids' meals) and a little something for myself and nothing for those two.  They quickly changed their tune and declared that chicken nuggets are good, but alas it was too late for them.  

Say what you mean and mean what you say.  

They were treated to PB&Js at home.

Bifocals and a Baby

So I went to the eye doctor last week and came out with a prescription for bifocals.  

I will be turning forty in February.  The number doesn't bother me.  I don't feel old inside or anything.
I don't feel like the good life is over or any such drama.  But, I have to say I don't care for some of the changes in my body.   I think I've shared before that I've gained around 20 pounds in 2011.  Middle age spread is real, folks.  I have always been blessed with a high metabolism and could eat whatever I wanted without gaining a pound nor an inch.  This is no longer true and I'm not adapting well to the new reality.

There has been another big change, too.  

This past week, I had a miscarriage.   Statistically, I know that as my husband and I get older pregnancy loss is much more likely.  While we weren't trying to have another child, the loss of one still grieves my spirit.  I am doing well now.  I was only six weeks along.  This loss has been much easier physically and emotionally than when we lost Grace at eighteen weeks gestation.  

The children are disappointed.  Kinkade really wanted a baby brother and has been praying for one for several months now.  Joe and Kade especially felt it was important that we name this wee one, so my beloved and I have settled on the name Jordan.  It is fairly gender-neutral and somewhat poetic as this child has crossed over the river, so to speak, to a better place.  

While I do not understand why the Lord allows us to conceive a child only to take that child away so soon, I thank Him for the opportunity to bear a new soul.  I trust that He has a plan that I simply can not see from this side.....not even with bifocals.

Transitions

I love this picture of the family for the most part except that my glasses are dark.

I got transitions lenses a couple of years ago.....the last time I bought glasses.

I can not say that I like them.  

My main reason for choosing transitions was so that I would not need a separate pair of sunglasses to keep track of....especially to wear while driving.

What I did not realize is that the transitions lenses do not work inside the car.  I think it is due to the UV coating on the windshield that keeps the lenses from darkening.    I have been very disappointed as a result.   Then there is the weirdo factor.  The glasses take quite a bit of time to change from dark to normal after entering a building from bright outdoor light.    

 I look totally weird with dark glasses on inside stores.  

But, today is the day I have been waiting for!

With the new year comes new money in the FSA account and I have an eye doctor appointment today.

I've been looking forward to this for months as my eyes have changed and I am needing a new scrip.

Not only will I be going, but Joe is getting his eyes checked today and we fully expect that he will be getting his first pair of glasses.  He is less-than-excited at the prospect, but he recognizes his need.

So, we will be starting off our new year with new vision!