Raising Godly Arrows...Only Slightly Bent(s)

Happy January!

2012-01-10T14:25:00.001-06:00

I have been awfully busy as of late. I am not going to blame my busyness on our new baby but people are pretty shocked when they see me coming with my 6 kids & the never ending question is always, "How do you do it with all those kids. I only have (fill in a #) & I'm overwhelmed, going crazy," or whatever adjective they throw out there. But how can you blame a baby when all she does is eat, sleep, smile & coo? Plus, she smells fantastic & de-stresses my body just by holding her while she sleeps. No, I blame myself for our busyness.

This winter we have 3 basketball players that had their first games last Saturday. I am the assistant coach for Julia's team, Jeremy is the assistant coach for Brody's team, & the head coach for Sage's team. Luckily they all have practice on Thursday nights & Jeremy's parents help us with child care & the player shuffle. I can't wait for the Saturday that Sage's team plays Brody's team...what will Jeremy do? Run as fast as he can with the kids up & down the court shouting at all 10 of the kids instead of just his normal 5. (Seriously, it is just as fun to watch Jeremy coach as the kids play. He hops up & down just like Sage does, hollers, etc. He's normally not a gregarious fellow in public so it's quite comical)

We have had great weather this winter. Right now the big kids are outside WITHOUT COATS!...IN JANUARY!!!! Normally it's 12 degrees w/ a negative windchill & at least 6" of frozen tundra! We are loving it although it was a bit weird to not have snow for Christmas. That old friend Mr Cabin Fever hasn't stopped by this year because we try to stay outside in the afternoon to miss his calls.

Wow, I just realized something; track with me. I have had snow every year since I moved to the midwest in 1992. Which means that I have had 19 Midwest Christmases, 18 of those being white...which means I have lived in Iowa for 17 years; longer than anywhere else. Does that mean that I'm an Iowan now? I used to always to say, " I live in Iowa but I'm from Oregon." Can I claim that now? That is so odd. You know, even though this is a foreign idea, I don't mind so much. I love Iowa. It is so great. I don't think I could choose a better place for my kids to grow up. I used to miss the mountains & the ocean (OK I STILL MISS THE OCEAN!) but now I really can see the beauty in the endless farmland, the vast green fields in spring & the varied colors said fields turn in the fall. Wow, who'd a thunk it? And since we have no plans to move any time soon, it's great that I'm content with where God has placed me.

We planned another vacation to Wisconsin Dells at the Wilderness Resort (truly, if you want a great vacation on winter buy a week on ebay-it's a great deal). This time we are going with Jeremy's parents & sister's family. In lieu of Christmas gifts we asked that we spend some time building memories together. I hope it will be just a fun for them as we have had in the past. As the kids & I were talking about it before Christmas I realized that this means that I will have to be in a swimsuit on Feb 5th. What was I thinking; well I wasn't thinking. I have much baby weight to rid myself of & I will have to be in a swimsuit. HELLLLLLOOOOOO! I've been trying to find an old fashioned swim suit like the ones they wear in Cheaper By The Dozen (the older version) but to no avail. It's not really an option to just sit in shorts on the side when you have 6 kids to look after who all (well maybe not Glory) want to be IN the water not sitting on the side watching. Luckily Sage, Julia & Brody can be by themselves for the most part & the littles have no problem wearing life jackets just in case. I am generally not a vain person. I hardly ever wear makeup except Sundays, I go to the grocery store in a pony tail & work out clothes, & I don't have any of the newest styles of clothes unless my sister Aubrey gives me her clothes she has grown tired of. But the idea of being in a swimsuit isn't a positive one in the slightest. I wish I knew when I was a teenager how good I had it.

Good grief I am rambling today. I better go check on my kids.

Anyway,

37 weeks!

2011-10-08T14:33:00.000-05:00

I like this picture that Sage took because it makes me look so small-seriously small, right!?

Boating & tubing!

2011-10-08T14:31:00.000-05:00

We had lots of fun tubing & boating at Little Wall Lake towards the end of summer!

I figured I better post something!

2011-10-02T22:16:00.000-05:00

I know that I haven't posted in quite some time but I do have my reasons. Do you know how hard it can be to prioritize all kinds of things over the summer with my kids, the normal doings of my household, etc? I didn't even get online to read other people's blogs that I follow or any of the other online things to do except checking my family facebook statuses from my phone. So, I'll update you a little on what we did this summer.

We planted a HUGE garden! We had about 18 tomato plants that were about 5' tall, cucumbers, peppers, chilis, asparagus, radishes, potatoes, raspberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, onions, corn, sweet peas, green beans, & more that I can't remember right now. The bad news was that right around harvest time Jeremy realized that some grub killler he had used on the lawn might have effected the food even though the bottle said nothing about it-he called & they said they should really include that on the bottle. SO, all our work was for naught & Jeremy was depressed for about 2 weeks. Good thing he had made about 24 qts of pickles before he put the grub killer down.

We spent a lot of time at the aquatic center in Ames & our 3 bigs passed their deep water tests so they could go off the diving boards & down the infamous RED slide. Because they passed these tests, we took the kids out for the first time in Jeremy's parents boat to go tubing & for Jeremy to go skiing. Celeste & Corbin got to go on the tube too but we were pretty careful. NOTE* until this time Sage had been the only one in the family to avoid stitches or staples in our family. The very first day out tubing he was sitting on the couch seat, he leaned back to yell to Brody & slipped & hit his eyebrow bone on the back end of the boat. I knew right away he needed stitches so he & I headed to the ER. Now Sage is devastatingly fearful of needles. He had to be held down by 3 men & me to get his blood drawn for a lead test. I was praying diligently the entire 20min drive back to the Ames ER & don't ever tell me prayer doesn't work. He was so brave. He didn't cry, whine, wince or put up a fuss. He sat there calmly while the doc & nurse went to work. Of course he was bummed that they then stated he couldn't get in any water (other than a shower) until his stitches came out which meant his tubing weekend was shot but he did get to be the driver of the boat so that was a little better.

Now, you will notice that I said Sage was the last one! That means that my darling 1 year old must have been stitched or stapled. Yes! On Sage's birthday/father's day, Celeste fell of one of our kitchen stools & cut a gash from her chin along her jaw bone. It is quite large for a tiny little face & I asked for a plastic surgeon to stitch her up & they agreed that he was needed. I know it's sexist but I told Jeremy that bringing your baby girl in to the ER for stitches is SO much harder than bringing in your sons. Now Celeste hates bandaids which is totally the opposite of the other 4 who think bandaids cure everything & are really fun to just wear for fashion.

We had a birthday party for all the boys in our family. Sage felt badly that Brody really doesn't ever get a friend party because his birthday is so close to Christmas & then Corbin couldn't be left out so they had a brother's pirate party. It got rained out but was rescued when we relocated to the PLEX at the last minute.

We got to spend 9 days at the Iowa State Fair this year. Normally we only go for 3-4 days but this year we had time to ourselves at the fair & time with Jeremy's family. The kids had a blast as usual. We finally figured out why we love the fair & would never miss it. Other people have always made statements to us like, "I'm just not a fair person." or "how can you stay there that long, one day is enough for me". Glenna's (my mother in law) cousin came from CA & she said the reason it's so great is because of the people we get to be with. Family is HUGE & she's right. Jeremy's family has been coming & camping at the fair for over 40 yrs & we have such a great time. It is the people. It's what we anticipate all year-especially Feb when it's so cold & gray outside.

We went to our first Iowa Straw Poll this year. It was so fun. Totally family oriented & much like the fair. We will probably make this a family activity every 4 years. The kids had fun on all the blow up things, face paint, snow cones, tattoos, arts & crafts, free stuff, etc.

I have now graduated to a new level. Let me explain. Jeremy & I split up at the Straw Poll because I chose a different candidate to support than he did so he had Brody, Julia & Corbin while I took Sage & Celeste. Standing in line to get my ticket to vote I went up to the proper table & was immediately asked if I homeschool my kids. I looked around to see if that was a common question they were asking the other 16 people checking in next to me & noone was. They then told me that I needed to write a big H on my sign in sheet & head over to a new table to get special tshirts for my whole family. Now, I look down. I am not wearing my white tennis shoes, denim jumper & long braid that is typical of a homeschool mama. In fact, I'm looking pretty good for it being 90 something degrees, pushing a stroller, being 7 months pregnant, & only having my oldest son with me. Then, while I was at the fair, I expected to get the usual questions & odd statements about my pregnancy. But instead of the normal "You are huge." "You look like you're gonna pop any time now." & my personal favorite "Are you sure your doctor is right, you look like you're having twins." But instead I got, "When are you due? Do you homeschool?" I guess that because I am/will be any day now a mom of 6, that automatically means that I am a homeschooling mom. My friend Ruth put a very positive spin on it for me. She said that it was probably the way that I interact with my kids. I naturally just teach them in all circumstances & others notice that because it isn't natural for all moms to do with their kids. I guess I exude "homeschool mom". Interesting...

So, now I have 3 1/2 weeks until this baby joins in the chaos that is my home. I don't know the gender. Julia wants a girl really badly because then "it will be equal". I don't really have a preference except that it is really much more fun to dress a baby girl. I am very excited because I found the baby outfit that all my kids have come home from the hospital in (except Celeste). I couldn't find it even though I looked & looked for quite some time. I feel like Celeste kinda got jipped because she has no birth video & no picture in the treasured outfit. Jeremy thinks that it will only matter to me in the long run. I still feel like I should do something special for her but I don't know what. But I am definitely ready for this new one to make an appearance any time. We are doing something special with this birth that I haven't really made public so if you want to know what it is, you'll have to email me. I am very excited about it though.

I guess that about updates you on everything. Sage does get to go to an art class on all the Wed nights of October but other than that I'm kinda sticking close to home with no big plans. If I think of anything else I'll have to find time to type again sometime. I guess I'll post some pictures when Babe gets here so it won't be months away. Until then...

Pella's Tulip Days May 2011

2011-07-20T11:48:00.000-05:00

We took mom to Pella, IA for the Tulip Festival that they have every year. I've never gotten to go & this year we actually went the day after the festival but it worked out really well. It was Mother's Day & really sunny. We brought mom's dog Lady & wandered around the city in the heat but it was doable. As you can see from the pictures of Sage (almost 10) he was very enthusiastic about all the flowers but he only made 2 comments about being tired! His favorite part of the day was eating the buffet at Pizza Ranch! Celeste & Julia had a great time. Mom & I loved the beauty surrounding us. Corbin was very disappointed because he lost his prized Buzz Lightyear cap somewhere on the 2 block walk to lunch so hopefully I'll find one similar to it somewhere. It was a very nice Mother's Day for us.

Bents' Boys Pirate Party

2011-06-25T21:36:00.000-05:00

I need to get my feelings written down

2011-06-15T10:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever noticed that when people ask you how you're doing they really don't want to know the truth? They expect the normal anwer of "fine"; the little wave as you continue on with whatever business or small talk you are required & then you're on your merry way. This didn't really bother me all that much until there really was something wrong & I felt like I was lying to say "fine". So for the past 6months now, I have not been fine. My whole life has been turned upside down although I can't honestly say that the whole situation has started to get me down until this last March.

You see, I can honestly say that my life was so perfect 6mo ago. I think I lived in a bubble that insulated me from horribleness. My bubble was burst in Oct. & I'm having to deal with situations I NEVER would have imagined having to deal with. Other people, yes; me, never! Because my extended family all live far away from me, it's kinda easy to compartmentalize & pray for them when they come to mind but you know the old saying "out of sight, out of mind". I'd change it slightly to "out of sight, the emotions don't sting so bad or consume your thoughts". Don't get me wrong, I care immensely but daily life can help put those thoughts on the back burner while you deal with the kids & house & church & husband.

Toby Mac has a song about his parents getting a divorce. It hit home because now my parents are getting a divorce. According to Oregon courts, it doesn't matter why- even though I want to rail & rant & let everyone know why. I want the consequences known: my family is ripped apart, I feel as if I've been austracized even though all I did was offer a place to heal. I'm disappointed with my family at the lack of support or even contact. It's like we have a "Don't ask, don't tell" rule. It nver happened if I don't know about it & yet that only works for 1 side of this. For some reason, knowing one side is good enough. I am amazed at how self righteous & judgmental people can be when they only hear one side of the story & aren't even interested in knowing anything else. Some may say that that is how I am. Only seeing one side, but when you have documented evidence from banks, collection agencies, texts, emails, credit reports, etc. I don't need to talk to anyone else. It negates anything else that could be said & verifies the other that has nothing to do with the financials. It hurts even more when it's my family you know, those perfect few who weren't effected by the horribleness of the world.

My pain & disappointment is so deep that I feel it daily, hourly & sometimes every minute especially when you add in losing my relationships with my sisters as they were, money problems from all this (because WE pay for all mom's needs) regular stress of life without all this crap, pregnancy hormones, etc. I want my life back & it's not going to happen. Then I feel terrible for even feeling sorry for myself when I know that this whole situation is 800 times worse for my mom. She can't even escape her pain for the hour that I can. Everything reminds her of it, music, tv, movies, memories, voids in her life, etc.

This was supposed to be therapeutic for me. I hope it worked.

More Easter

2011-05-05T15:29:00.000-05:00

Easter Celebrations

2011-05-05T15:21:00.000-05:00

We went to Reiman Gardens to hunt eggs, see the butterflies, & look at the indoor flowers.

Corbin had all his eggs blue or green & done in 3 minutes-until he figured out he could dbl dip in many colors!

Celeste tried her hardest to color on the eggs since she couldn't touch the dye.

We had so many beautiful eggs-some looked like real bird eggs.

Julia & Brody played in the bell choir on Easter morning during the first service.

My pretty girls in their Easter dresses!

Isn't she pretty!

We had Easter dinner with Jeremy's parents.

The kids painted Easter window sun catchers while Daddy & Gma Glenna hid the eggs outside.

Gpa Bill supervised the painting & made sure no spills happened.

Celeste picked up every egg & shook it thoroughly before she would put it in her basket.

Don't know if you noticed?

2011-04-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Has anyone noticed the pregnancy ticker on my blog? Well, in case you didn't, we are expecting another baby in October! This will be our 4th baby due then end of October...it's a good month for us apparently.

The kids are very excited & all but Brody want us to have twins. Which, come to think of it, has been the general concensus for all my pregnancies. While that was part of my dream as a child, now that I already have 5 I'm not really hoping for twins this time. Not that I wouldn't LOVE to have 2 babies to kiss & smell & love on but I just think I might be overwhelmed to have 6 kids ages 10 & under. I would get through it & I have a great support system here, I just think I might need help & I'm not that great at asking for or accepting help. (Something God is really trying to teach me in the last couple of years).

Anyway, be excited with us! This will be the 8th grandchild on Jeremy's side of the family & the 16th on my side. But also pray for us because I've just now gotten to the point where I'm not sick 24hrs a day but I'm still not up to par. My 1st OB appt is next Thurs & I'm always a little nervous until then because our 1st baby was ectopic & we had to have emergency surgery at 14 1/2 weeks. Once I know all is placed correctly I settle right down.

Upward Basketball

2011-02-04T11:21:00.000-06:00

This year Brody & Sage are both playing basketball again only this year they are on separate teams because the teams are divided up by grades. Next year they can be on the same team again. Sage is a tall guy on his team & he's really developing his abilities to block shots & guard his guy.

Cookie baking continued

2011-02-04T11:08:00.000-06:00

Here are the rest of the pictures. Above you can see Brody carefully constructing his pizza which ended up being about 3 inches thick & took a LONG time to bake.

Celeste & her red dough that she chose.

Julia's flower smile was just as cute as her own smile!

Corbin's candle & Brody's "me, too" smile!

Cookie Baking Personalities

2011-02-04T11:05:00.000-06:00

The personalities of your kids are never more evident than when you do something all at the same time. Sage (9) was done with his owl mosaic in less than 2 minutes. I barely had enough time to get the camera from my bedroom. Julia was methodical & focused. Brody actually touched cookie dough for the first time in his life & spent at least 20 minutes constructing a pizza. The dough we used was bought from a school fundraiser from one of the neighbor kids & was the most beautiful, bright colored dough I've ever seen! It also makes baby's tongues & diapers very bright (hehehehe). Celeste would only eat the red dough. Corbin just loved rolling it out over & over with the rolling pins, which apparently I need more of because 2 is just not enough when you have 5 children. We had to share or get creative. I seem to remember using glasses or jelly jars at my gma's house as a child.

Corbin's duck (above) & his train (below, upper right). In the middle of the pan below is Sage's owl mosaic.

Julia was very proud of her faces on her hearts & flowers!

Outnumbered but not quieter!

2011-01-11T17:10:00.000-06:00

While there are only 5 boy cousins, they will not be outnumbered in strength or noise! Donovan sat by his mama but was right in there when the guns popped out, the cars needed revving or girls needed chasing! We're gonna have to work on evening up that ratio! 5:9 will change to 5:10 when Daniel's daughter is born this spring!

My Christmas Angel

2011-01-11T17:06:00.000-06:00

Here is my sweet little Christmas Angel!

Little Girls

2011-01-11T17:05:00.001-06:00

The little girls has such fun together! Izzy is a little too old to play with them now. She is quite the young lady so Aunt Aubrey gave her lessons in hot glue gun usage & making her own cards.

Christmas at Aubrey's

2011-01-11T17:04:00.000-06:00

We're choosing to remember the good parts (not the stomach flu we ended with). What a good looking group we are!

Loosing yourself in a book

2011-01-07T13:41:00.000-06:00

I am forever greatful that God gave us imaginations & the ability to write it all down for others to enjoy. I am definitely one of those people who prefer books to tv or movies. I like nothing better than to sit down with a blanket surrounding me, a cup of tea or hot cocoa, & a good historical fiction book. Of corse, I generally always have to watch for kids bumping me & spilling in their enthusiasm to snuggle. Loosing yourself in the life of another is a pleasure instilled in me by my parents & various teachers. No matter what is going on in your life right now, you can always retreat to a far off place where you know the ending will always be wonderful! My favorite ones right now are Amish fiction by Beverly Lewis. I highly recommend them!

Open up to the world

2010-12-02T14:53:00.000-06:00

Today is a wierd day for me. I feel rather lonely & awfully melancholy. I miss my mom & sisters. I need to cut sugar out of my diet again. We're getting an inspection done on the farm we want to buy. The first part of the inspection was this morning and they should be finishing the second part right now, I think. Jeremy is with the man doing it & he said he is very thorough. I am the kind of person who gets very excited about something very quickly. I begin to dream of all the wonderful possibilites ahead. My husband is not. I lovingly call him my Eeyore. He looks for the dark cloud & keeps his feet firmly on the ground when it comes to everything. We are made for eachother. I help him to be excited & he helps me see reality for what it is. One of the things I don't like about myself is that I let small things steal my joy. For instance, my Jeremy called me to tell me just a few of the unfortunate things wrong with my dream farm & now the wind is out of my sails. I'm doubting whether or not we should make this deal even though I've seen God's hand in the entire process. We accepted an offer on our current home from the farm owner's daughter & family but it was for an amount lower than what we wanted so we have to save thousands of dollars before closing to make the money add up. We won't have any extra money for fixing up the things the inspector has already found wrong with the property as we're strapping ourselves just buying the property in order to accomplish this lifelong goal. We still love our current home & would love to just magically transport this house to the property we want. It's tough heading into the unknown when you get bogged down with the daily hardships you try to overlook... And then your sweet baby wakes from her nap, puts her tiny arms around your neck & calls you Mama, I love that name! Or your 3 yo runs up to you with his contagious smile to tell you the same secret he tells you everyday while holding my cheeks in his warm, sometimes sticky hands & I smile & I feel a little better.

Thanksgiving Plans

2010-11-15T12:46:00.000-06:00

One of my friends put this on our MOMYS board & I decided to share it since it made me laugh!

Dear Family & Friends, I know that you were eager to accept our family's invitation to Thanksgiving dinner when you found out that the famous Martha Stewart would be joining us. However, due to scheduling conflicts beyond her control, Ms. Stewart finds that she is unable to grace our table this year. With that in mind, there will be a few minor changes regarding the meal and decor, as outlined below. Please be aware of them, and adjust your appetite and dress appropriately.

Thank you

1) Our driveway will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After several trial runs and two visits from the fire department, it was decided that, no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

2) Once inside, please note that the entry space will not be decorated with swags of Indian corn and fall foliage. Instead, we included our dog in decorating by having him track in colorful autumn leaves from the back yard. The mud was his idea.

3) The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork. Since this is Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the paper SpongeBob dinner plates, the leftover Halloween napkins, and our plastic cup collection.

4) Our centerpiece will not be a tower of fresh fruit and flowers. Instead we will be proudly displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper and pine cones. The artist assures me it is a turkey, albeit one without wings, legs, or a beak.

5) We will be dining somewhat later than planned. However, our daughter will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure she will be happy to share every choice comment her mother made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims, stuffing choices, the turkey hotline, and, especially, her husband. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 7:00AM upon discovering that said husband had only remembered to pull the turkey from the freezer at 6:00 AM, and that the thing was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

6) As an accompaniment to our daughter's recital of these events, I will play a recording of Native American tribal drumming. Curiously, the tribal drumming sounds a great deal like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, but that only enhances the holiday appropriateness. If our daughter should mention that we don't own a recording of Native American tribal drumming, ignore her. She's only nine; what does she know?

7) A dainty silver bell will not be rung to announce the start of our feast. We have chosen to keep our traditional method of assembling when the smoke alarm goes off.

8 ) There will be no formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like. In the spirit of harmony, we will ask all the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door. And I would like to take this opportunity to remind our younger diners that "passing the rolls" is neither a football play nor an excuse to bean your cousin in the head with bread.

9) The turkey will not be carved at the table. I know you have seen the Norman Rockwell image of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. Such a scene may occur somewhere in America , but it won't be happening at our dinner table. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in the kitchen at a private ceremony. I stress "private", meaning Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children, or older, helpful grandparents into the kitchen to check on my progress. I have a very large, very sharp knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win the battle. When I do, we will eat.

10) For the duration of the meal, we will refer to the gravy by its lesser-known name: Kraft Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or makeup of the Kraft Cheese Sauce, smile kindly and say that you know the answer, but it's a secret that can't be revealed to them until they are 18.

11) Instead of offering a choice among 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and dog tongue marks. You still have a choice: take it or leave it.

That concludes our list of alterations. Again, I apologize that Martha will not be joining us this year. Come to think of it, she probably won't come next year, either.

Celeste is 1!

2010-11-11T12:09:00.000-06:00

When your big sister & brother have birthdays within 2 weeks of your first birthday you know exactly how to open a present even though it's your first time! She was excited but they are never as excited as their siblings!

Vacation in Wisconsin Dells

2010-11-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

We went to the Wisconsin Dells for a 5 day, much needed vacation. We originally went to celebrate the 3 birthdays in 2 weeks that we have. The younger 3 kids all deserved to have a fun birthday so we bid on a vacation on Ebay & won. I totally recommend it! We saved a lot of money & it was so great! We stayed at the Wilderness Resort which gave us access to 3 indoor water parks & many more ammenities that we didn't take advantage of. Our favorite park was what we called The Dome. A huge clear dome covered a wave pool that gave you the feeling of being in a warm tropical place instead of a cold, windy northern state. It even had bananas growing on the trees inside. Corbin was recovering from hernia surgery & a cold so he spent most of his time sleeping in a chair by the pool but Celeste is just like Daddy...Total Waterbug! Not afraid one bit to get wet or go underwater. Sage loved the water but didn't want to trek up the 3 story stairs to get on the water slides (he's leery of high places & the dark tunnels of the slides). Brody & Julia, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of the slides & Jeremy was glad to accomodate their eagerness.

I loved to watch & go on the slides once or twice a day but it was fun for me to just sit. I tried to relax knowing that when we got back, I'd be in for a long road of painting & the impossible job of keeping our house clean for possible buyers. You see, we found an acreage! We've been looking for 3 years & we finally found The One! It's close to Ames, has a great house, the land has been taken care of & we are so excited. It's been my dream since I was a little girl to live on a farm & now my dream will hopefully come true in May! (I even wrote a speech in the 8th grade about how I wanted to be the wife of a pig farmer when I grew up!) My kids are excited about the animals we can have & I am ecstatic, too. Now comes the waiting game & continuous prayer for a buyer for our home!

I need to get the pictures on but they're on the other computer, so maybe tomorrow I'll remember to logon & upload those. We'll see if I can get my phone pictures on here right now.

Julia turned 6 while I was busy painting walls when we got back home. Corbin just turned 3 on Monday & Celeste will be 1 on Saturday! For some reason, all this seems fine with me right now but the hard one for me to swallow was realizing, after dropping Julia off at gymnastics this afternoon, that Brody will be 8 at Christmas! That seems just as impossible as Sage turning 10 in June! Maybe because I didn't think Brody would live this long with his pentiant for danger but mostly because 8 feels like a turning point. Don't you think? No more excuses, he's responsible for so much. I have such a short time left with them & I intend to make it count!

And in order to do that, I better hit the hay. Good night!

About My Kids

2010-09-21T14:06:00.000-05:00

One of the websites that I belong to had this exercise to post the characteristics of our kids. I thought it was kinda fun after I got started so I thought I'd stick it here for you to share.

This is fun & a really good exercisewhen they're drivin' ya bonkers!

Sage is my gangly giraffe. His body is growing so fast he just can't keep up. He sings all day & sometimes while he sleeps. His imagination will take him far in life. He loves animals & following rules (totally baffles him when people don't choose the right path) He is uninhibited & joy filled! He loves books that stimulate his imagination.

Brody is fierce & intense! He loves competition & has natural sports ability. He doesn't understand teasing or jokes yet but he thinks he's awfully funny when he makes up one of his jokes that make no sense to anyone else. Brody has no fear & a high pain tolerance (can be a BAD combination). He wants to do what is right but sometimes impulsivity wins often. We've just begun meds for ADD after trying all other methods & the transformation is amazing! I can't wait to discover new character traits within Brody when we cut out all the focus & impulsivity problems.

Julia is our princess. She is very focused on the beauty around her & definintely has her own fashion sense. She will decorate the world. She loves the Bible & is fiercely loyal. She is a little mama to many people which can be misinterpreted as being bossy but I don't think she's trying to get in people's business just trying to help. She loves to be with her mama but her daddy is her true love-it's so sweet!

Corbin is my baby. He used to introduce himself as "Durbin wee-wI (Levi), Baby" (like "esquire") although lately he has informed me that he is a big boy now. He is a lover! His smiles light up not only my life but everyone else's, too. He loves to please & even though he's only going to be 3 in Nov. he carries on the most stimulating conversations! He loves Thomas the Tank Engine & for some reason is desperately afraid of elephants.

Celeste. My mom calls her Rosebud because her lips are so sweet. She looks like a doll when you take her picture. She is perfect all the time. Sometime soon I know she will probably figure out she has an opinion but I'm relishing the snuggly baby stage. I can't wait to see her personality grow!

I don't know why the picture is so grainy. It isn't on my phone or on the computer, Oh, well.

Brody's gpa teeth

2010-06-30T12:54:00.000-05:00

Do you notice Brody is getting his adult teeth in front? He calls them gpa teeth & is very proud of them!

Sage made a birthday limmerick

2010-06-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

There once was a boy named Sage
Who liked to stand on a stage
He sang many a song
Til his voice was all gone.
Now he writes all the songs on a page.

There once was a sister named Celeste
Who turned out to be the best
Her brother named Sage
Sang a song from a page
And put her to sleep in her nest.

There once was a woman named Katie
She turned out to be quite a lady.
Her first baby boy was born on a stage
Where she quickly named him Sage
And taught him not to be afraidy.

There once was a man named Jeremy
Who asked Katie, "Will you marry me?"
Together they birthed a son named Sage.
They kept him in their very fine cage
Until the dear boys said, "Carry me."

Industrious Boy

2010-06-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Corbin decided he'd change Celie for me one day. It was interesting. He got the diaper off but couldn't get her to lay still so he could snap up the dry one! Funny for me, frustrating for 2 babies!

Looks can be deceiving

2010-06-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

Aren't these too adorable? You'd never know that they were fighting like cats & dogs just moments before I took these pictures!

Sage is 9!

2010-06-30T12:42:00.000-05:00

Isn't he getting handsome! I can't believe he's 9! He is only 12 inches from my height and he has calculated he'll pass me when he's 12 & I think he could be right! He loves all things imaginative & right now his focus is on a tv character named Ben 10. Ben is a 10yr old boy who's life is changed forever when he comes in contact with a watch looking thing that changes him into 10 different aliens with various strengths & weaknesses. We've been spending all our allowances on action figures, books, videos, coloring books, etc. Plus, all computer time is spent watching episodes & developing games with Ben in them. He is somewhat obssessive about things which will someday translate into great passions in his adult life. I pray that a very personal relationship with his Savior is one of those adult passions. If he continues on this way, there will be no stopping him in whatever he pursues!

Bents Grandkids take 5

2010-06-30T12:29:00.001-05:00

Here's one with the better lighting but it's not as good I think.

Bents grandkids

2010-06-30T12:28:00.000-05:00

I'm still getting used to my new camera so by the time I changed the settings to different lighting, I'd already takem the best picture of the bunch. So here it is with the shadow lights of dusk.

Naming Lovies

2010-06-17T15:00:00.000-05:00

If any of you have ever read Ramon Quimby books, you might have read that Ramona names her doll Chevrolet because she thinks it's beautiful! Well, my kids name EVERYTHING! I figured I should write my favorites down before they are a distant memory & maybe you'll think they are as cute as I do.

Our van is named Speedy & the Suburban is Burt. Our RV is Winnie (Winnebago)
Corbin's stuffed penguin is named Baby Jesus.
Julia named her first dolly Saya (I call Sage Isaiah Say-Zaya sometimes), her white horse with purple mane is named Spatula and every other dolly is named Sarah.
Sage names all his hundreds of stuffed animals but my favorite was his penguin Brain Freeze.

I'll think of more later

Celeste has new skills

2010-06-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

Celeste is now 7 months old & learning so many new things. I found her Saturday morning standing up in her crib with a look of pure excitement which quickly turned into frustration because she didn't know how to get down. She's been pulling herself up on things like the stairs or short things for a couple of days now but today was so funny! She was watching the kids out the sliding glass doors & figured out she could stand up next to the window. Well, of course, once you stand next to a window you should definitely start to lick the window. It was so cute. I took pictures that I can post later tomorrow if I have time. She's getting so big. I can't believe it. You'd think I'd be used to this by now but I'm still amazed at every little thing they learn. It's like a miracle & I'm so glad I can take the time to watch the daily nuances. I hope I never get used to this & take it for granted.

Baby birds!

2010-06-03T10:08:00.000-05:00

Two days ago, Corbin proceeded across the yard, then the patio, & up the steps to the sliding glass door with his hand outstretched & a huge grin on his sweet little 2 year old face. As he reached the patio door, the treasure I assumed was a rock fell in between the steps & the edge of the house which caused Corbin to begin to cry. As I tried to peer into the dim crack I realized that it was not a rock but a featherless baby bird. (This was not the first time he'd brought me a baby bird. He brought me one a couple of weeks ago that was the size of my finger.) After determining that he was in fact dead, I tried to console my baby & explain things. Then, yesterday we were watching out the window & a robin was SITTING in the grass. I've never seen a robin sit in the grass before. Well, later last night we were in the yard having a picnic dinner & we found another baby bird. He was still alive so it dawned on me that the mother robin must have been sitting on her baby trying to keep it warm. We live in a new subdivision which used to be a corn field so we don't have any mature trees in our yard & there are no nests in the ones we do have so it is a mystery to me how we keep finding baby birds in our yard. My father in law & Jeremy think they're blowing into our yard; possibly from the roof. So, this morning I went out to bury the baby bird before the kids got outside & I found another one. Good grief. I know this sounds ridiculous but I just can't stop thinking about that poor mama bird.She was the first thought I had when I woke up this morning (& I don't think in the morning until after 9 but I was up at 530am!) If all these babies were hers she has got to be heartbroken & at the same time I really hope she learns that building a nest on my 25' tall roof is a bad idea because I don't think I can take this next summer too.

Why did I choose this title?

2010-05-24T23:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever read Psalm 127, specifically verses 3-5? Many people use them as their family's verses & I was given these verses to read some years ago in an email from my pastor. He thought they fit & so do I. Here they are:

"3. Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4. Like arrows in the hand of the warrior, So are the children of one's youth.
5. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They shall not be ashamed, When they speak with their enemies at the gate."

We hope to fill our quiver full of arrows & aim them as straight as we can down the road leading to Life with our Heavenly Father.

These verses made me think back then & they still cause me to pause now. I wonder what the purpose of the last phrase is (about not being ashamed when they speak with their enemies at the gate). I think in the last couple of years it's changed definitions for me. It started when we were pregnant with Corbin & people believed it was their business to try to talk us out of having "so many kids" or just reply in a derogatory manner-things like "I can barely stay sane with 2, you must be crazy". I started to have hurt feelings & feel as if people believed I was irresponsible or stupid. The comments only got worse when we got pregnant with Celeste. People seemed to think it was their duty to extol upon me the many virtues of small families & the many horrible things involved with large families. To add to it, it seemed that any reply I gave them, no matter how positive, seemed to be irrelevent in their eyes & only make them more vehement. I began to just ignore people without trying to set them straight when they'd see me out with just 3 kids & they'd say something like "You've got your hands full" when they don't even know the half of it. (My kids now reply for me, "we've got a lot more at home & we're gonna have 20 more!" or something to that effect) So...I think that last verse for me now means that when I go out & I meet up with people I truly believe Satan has sent to discourage me in my daily life, I will not be ashamed to speak up. I've never been ashamed of any of my kids but just felt maybe I should be ashamed of the quantity. I can reply to them with a smile & continue on with my day knowing that God gave me each of my children for a reason & I am so glad He did. I have great joy in writing every individual name down on guest books, cards, & other forms you might fill out. I love walking around stores & seeing the many varied reactions on people's faces when they see my kids "helping" me shop. I know there are days when I would love a break & then my wonderful husband will send me out by myself or my thoughtful in-laws will give me yet another opportunity to get away but for the most part, even amidst the many challenges I love to be with my kids all the time. I feel disjointed or disoriented without them & the funny thing is is that even when I do get out it's hard to know what to do without them.

Wow, I really got off track. All this to say that I chose this title as a kind of the purpose statement of my life right now. Raising Godly Arrows...only slightly Bent(s) because they won't be perfect because Jeremy & I aren't even close to perfect. Someday I'll have to pick a new one but I hope to be here for awhile.

Sage & baseball

2010-05-13T11:05:00.000-05:00

Sage's picture wasn't on the other post so I must only be able to put 4 on at a time. I think he keeps missing the ball because his eyes are closed!

Family Baseball Game

2010-05-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

When the weather has been this nice there isn't anything a whole lot nicer than to go outside & play baseball as a family. Notice Julia's purse on her arm as she bats & runs the bases? We must never sacrifice accessories for baseball.

Corbin's staples & Julia's hair cut

2010-05-13T10:57:00.000-05:00

Corbin got a haircut and staples in his head all in the same 2 hr span. Julia had a haircut later that day-here's the before & after.

KidStuf

2010-05-13T10:54:00.000-05:00

We love KidStuf on Sunday mornings & we especially love to dance & sing with Daddy!

Our new playstructure

2010-05-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

We were totally blessed to be given this great new play structure that my kids and MANY neighborhood kids enjoy on a daily basis! Julia has dubbed the downstairs the Doll house and the boys claimed the top as either the Fort or the Clubhouse! Thank you so much to the Gildermaster Family for such a great gift!

More style!

2010-04-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

My camo man still wants to be a Marine!

2010-04-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

New camo shorts & binoculars!

Julia has her own style!

2010-04-10T22:54:00.000-05:00

Celeste is now 5 months old!

2010-04-10T22:52:00.000-05:00

Tut tut, it looks like rain!

2010-04-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

Julia called me outside to express her disgust at her little brother fully expecting I'd be just as incensed as she. Instead I laughed and told him to hold still so I could get the camera! Notice the pants & undies around the ankles!

I just realized

2010-03-24T21:55:00.000-05:00

While pictures are great for blogs, they aren't absloutely necessary. Hello. I kept waiting to download pictures before I posted anything and then waited for a reason but that's not necessary. I can post whenever. Sometimes it takes me a little while to figure some things out. So maybe now that I've had this realization I can enter a little more often...oh yah, I might need to schedule some time maybe.

Bowling New Year's Eve

2010-01-01T14:02:00.001-06:00

New Year's Eve the kids & I went bowling with Grandma Glenna, Aunt Jessica & cousins Cade & Joel. Julia beat all the boys & Grandma beat us all. I had lots of "help" from Corbin but we all had an interesting time. Celeste slept through it all!

That night I was so bored with everyone else sleeping but me that I decided to celebrate the Ohio New Year with Mari & headed to bed at 11pm our time. (Mari is an hour ahead in Ohio)

Gingerbread houses

2010-01-01T14:00:00.001-06:00

I found Gingerbread house kits at WalMart that were dairy free so we set to making them Sunday after Christmas. No sooner were we done building them did they try to eat them...while I was trying to take pictures of the finished product. Good thing I didn't have to change the batteries in my camera or I would have missed the whole thing!

decorating cookies & Julia petting zoo

2010-01-01T13:58:00.001-06:00

Our church put on an Old Fashioned Christmas called the Perfect Gift complete with cookie decorating, petting zoo around a live nativity, various musical instruments, circling carolers, puppet shows, the telling of St Nicholas' story, food, Christmas trees decorated in themes by many different groups, presents that kids could wrap for parents, and much more.

more petting zoo

2010-01-01T13:56:00.002-06:00

As you all know, Sage LOVES all things animals. We couldn't get him out of the petting zoo. He was supposed to sing & play the handbells but wouldn't leave the animals. He stayed in there for 2 1/2 HOURS!

pETTING zOo AT PERFECT GIFT

2010-01-01T13:52:00.001-06:00

Julia was really afraid of the petting zoo after her brother told her there was a big dog in there. The dog was a Great Burmese or something like that and was bigger than a shetland pony and slept the entire time (I thought it was dead). She finally got comfortable after 20 minutes of hiding under my coat. Corbin liked to chase the ducks & chickens & wasn't afraid in the slightest to pick them up by the neck & haul them around. Bless the poor animals they didn't act like they minded in the slightest!

Winter happenings!

2010-01-01T13:49:00.001-06:00

Corbin likes to take pictures so he took one of me sitting on the couch figuring out the lesson plans for the next week.

I had to take a picture of Celeste's new diapers. I splurged a little and got really cute ones. If the next baby is a boy he definitely won't want to wear these cute things!

Sleeping baby Celeste! Such an easy baby!

Celeste Elizabeth Born

2009-11-09T21:15:00.002-06:00

It's a GIRL! Celeste Elizabeth was born on November 6th at 401am. She weighed 8#8oz at birth and is 21"long.

Corbin's 2nd Birthday!

2009-11-03T10:59:00.000-06:00

My baby is now 2! I can't believe how sweet and wonderful he is! He's very into cows, balls, and trains. He has no idea what to do when his siblings are gone. He loves to smile at everyone unless they pet his white hair and then he tells them NO! Which people always think is adorable and don't listen to his request. He is rarely unhappy unless he has to have his feet covered by socks and/or shoes. He loves to ride his brothers' scooters and recently wanted to start potty training. He talks all the time and his vocabulary grows by the day. He now says 4 word sentences and loves to read books or be read to. He has a Bible verse memorized now and it's so cute...John 14:15 Jesus said, "If you love me, obey me" He says this anytime Jesus or obedience is mentioned-which could be many times a day depending on the day. Corbin brings smiles and joy to my heart everyday!

Big Mama!

2009-11-03T10:46:00.000-06:00

Week 39-Not quite done!

More fall pictures

2009-10-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

My sweet little angels-it only tooks about 10 tries to get the angelic look!

CHEESE PIZZA!

Fall Fun!

2009-10-12T22:32:00.002-05:00

Corbin loves digging in the garden and looking for bugs in the rotted produce left over from picking them too early!

Brody is growing up quickly-don't ya know he's been almost 7 for 9 months and his birthday isn't until December!

Julia is still our little princess & will always be! She must always have the right shoes, hair, & purse for every occasion!

Sage wanted a serious picture! He's growing up so fast...he's almost as tall as I am (he's up to my shoulders) and he's only 8!

My sweet Julia will be 5 soon!

2009-10-12T22:27:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that my sweet baby girl will be turning 5 in a couple of weeks! She will have a birthday party the weekend before the actual day so we will not run into delivery day for mommy & hopefully I'll have more energy! She got to invite 5 little girls & a big girl (our church's children's ministry assistant). I found some really cute games on the internet and it will be a fun time for all I hope!

2009-09-20T22:17:00.000-05:00

I now have 5 1/2 weeks left in this pregnancy and this past week I've become pretty uncomfortable. Brody took this picture before church this morning since I haven't really taken any pictures of myself this pregnancy.

Sundance Kid

2009-09-10T00:21:00.001-05:00

Here is the picture of the kids after breakfast with Sundance. Brody challenged him to many quick draw contests and Julia got dolled up in dresses, all 15 or so bracelets, necklaces, and about 12 bows in her hair, eye shadow and lipgloss before heading out to look for him wherever we were. He talked to her all about his little sister (5) who has a pink saddle for her horse and that immediately endeared him to her. That and the fact that he noticed her pink cowgirl boots and pretty hair. She is all fashion and her love language is definitely words of encouragement. We could be in for it if any teenage boys figure this out later in life. To be fair, Julia did catch the fancy of Wild Bill and Wyatt Earp also. She is a very beautiful girl and they loved to listen to her talk in her little pixie voice.

Julia on Mechanical Bull

2009-09-07T22:19:00.003-05:00

Iowa Arabian Horse Show

2009-09-07T22:06:00.004-05:00

Julia's prairie bonnet

2009-09-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

Julia loves her new prairie bonnet and wore it at the fair this year. Aunt Debbie was so wonderful (and speedy) to make it for her. We'd been looking for one for awhile. Thank you, Aunt Debbie!

Vacation in Wisconsin Dells

2009-07-15T16:08:00.000-05:00

Lunch time & SkipBo

Addison, Layla, Ava & Julia playing dolls

Nick, Keira & Christian talking by the camp fire.

Salsa & Chips for Jeremy, Corbin, Christian & Brody

Jellystone Vacation in Wisconsin Dells

2009-07-15T16:04:00.001-05:00

Roasting chicken, spinache & asiago cheese brats! See my 6mo pregnant belly!

Alex the firewood chopper extrordinaire!

Aubrey & Mom on the cabin porch swing!

What did you do on your vacation? We played dolls & duck duck goose around the sewer post! Stinky but fun!

Corbin's favorite past time was throwing rocks in the road and getting as dusty as possible. The funny thing is it didn't change his hair color or his skin color.

Girls watching a movie in our RV.

Guilty Update

2009-06-30T09:33:00.005-05:00

As I started this blog I thought it would make life easier with staying in touch and getting down some of those things that I never take the time to do since I am not a scrap booker. Well...I am not a blogger either. Although I love to read them and get updated with my far off family I really stink at being motivated to do this. I don't have time amidst all the laundry, dr appts, cleaning, laundry, dishes, laundry, playing with the kids, laundry, diaper changes, meal prep, church, laundry, grocery shopping, errands...did I mention LAUNDRY? So, if you follow my blog I apologize but I don't like taking time from my kids to do this so you'll have to be happy with my once in awhile posts. And I just realized how much time I spend cleaning rather than playing with my kids-that will have to be remedied.

Anyway, here is a quick update since my last post. I had my birthday (no biggie). We went to St. Louis for 6 days and saw the zoo, science center, Grant's Farm, Anheuser-Busch Brewery tour, the arch, Purina Farms, took a Riverboat tour, swam in the RV park pool and lived to tell about it all. I think I got it all. Then, we had VBS where I helped lead the music & was given the head MC job for it all-totally fun! Next came Sage's 8th birthday...HOLY SMOKES! He's so great. I think he will always love animals. He has such a tender heart and is really starting to understand foreshadowing of movies, books, etc. He and Grandma Glenna have read through all the Narnia books this winter/spring and he LOVES them and can tell you all about them if asked or not. He has enough energy for 6 kids and doesn't stop moving even when he's sleeping. Jeremy and I also celebrated our 11th anniversary by going on the Boone Scenic Vally Railroad Dinner Train. A 1950's style ride that takes 2 hours through very nice scenery and over a 150 foot tall bridge. (Aubrey would have hated that bridge!) That's it. Short and sweet.

Camping weekend

2009-05-12T16:49:00.004-05:00

We went to Nerstrand Big Woods to camp on the way to Kiera Ryann's "bath"atism. We hiked for about 2 hours but the rain was putting a damper on our activities.

Gpa Bill's Birthday present

2009-05-12T16:41:00.004-05:00

For Gpa Bill's birthday we used some clay to mold things that reminded us of him and then we painted them when they dried. Sage made a caterpillar because Gpa brought a huge caterpillar with spikes on his back to our house. Brody made a frog. Julia made a dragonfly. Corbin was asleep so mommy made a cannon for him to paint later because he likes to shoot the pop guns with gpa and popguns were too hard to make. Here's the pictures. Brody even painted his head orange... thank goodness he's bald! Much easier to clean a bald head.

Julia said...

2009-05-12T16:31:00.002-05:00

Julia has very distinct reasons why she won't get married.

#1 She's not getting married cause you have to go to the hospital...to have a baby and she won't go to the hospital.

#2 She's not getting married cause she's going to be a kid forever and live with daddy & I cause she's not having kids, not gonna be a grandma & DEFINITELY not gonna be an old lady! She will live her whole life as a kid and die a kid.

Most fun March moment!

2009-03-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

Some of you may or may not know that it is my dream to one day go back to school to become a midwife. Aubrey has given me the joy twice now of using my nursing skills at the labor & birth of her daughters. I love it when she sets her birthing schedule around my availability...kidding. I arrived for an hour of catching up chit chat and then we got down to business. Kiera Ryann was delivered at 150pm weighing 7#11oz & 21" long. It never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many births I attend, & I pray it never does.

March happenings

2009-03-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

Corbin got his first haircut this month. Here's the before picture above. As you can tell...he needed one badly. :) He only had to have a trim around the ears and in the back where it was getting too long. He's barely got any hair but it annoyed daddy that it went over his ears and you could grab some in the back so we trimmed. He didn't mind the process one bit.

Mayo vs. Manna

2009-03-11T22:06:00.002-05:00

Julia & I have been attending Bible Study Fellowship this year and studying the life of Moses. Last Wednesday at dinner, Jeremy asked Julia to tell him what she had learned that morning. She began to relate the story of the Israelites complaining again about the fact that all they had to eat was manna and they liked the food better back in Egypt. So, God gives them so much quail that they literally have it coming out their nostrils and they choke & die.

The funny thing about this is that Julia kept pronouncing manna as "man-A" which is what she calls mayonaise. So when she was done telling her story I asked if she was meaning manna or "man-A". She was saying "man-A". Since we started studying this in September, she has been assuming that the Israelites have been eating mayonaise in the desert. No wonder they were complaining. :)

Daddy Daughter Dance & Ski trip

2009-02-17T10:57:00.003-06:00

Julia & Daddy went to the Daddy Daughter Dance at church on Sunday. Julia dressed up in her pinkest, frilliest, princess dress & we curled her hair (using MAJOR hairspray because her hair will not stay curled for longer than 5 minutes without it). Then we washed her hair out because she didn't like it - she "looked like grandma". Daddy got her a hot pink corsagge & they left for what Julia termed a "magical" evening. The cupcakes, chips, fruit snacks, light up balloons, & the DJ flown in from FL made the evening very special. They even got their pictures taken at the dance; which I'll post when we get them.

Monday, Jeremy took Brody to what Ames residents call the Boone Bump. In the neighboring town of Boone they have a little hill that they tube, snowboard, & ski down. Brody had never been skiing but he loves his snowboard that we got him 2 Christmases ago. So far he's just been able to use it on the sledding hills around town. Jeremy rented skis for him & he LOVED skiing. He is just like his dad in that generally whatever he tries turns golden. I'm going to try & put the video of him on the slope.

Funny things they say!

2009-02-14T11:11:00.003-06:00

Happy Valentines Day!

This week I was teaching Sage about the 5W's & How so he chose the book Prince
Caspian to answer the questions about. When we got to the question of "When" his answer was, "This story happened a long time ago...before the 1980's". I didn't realize he knew about those dates as we've only talked about the year numbers when we do the calendar & at New Year's. But Brody piped in with, "Maybe it was the 1970's?" I forgot that when they sort the pennies at Grandma Glenna's they put the pennies into piles according to year and they feel the 1970's on down are really old, special pennies!

25 Random Things About Me

2009-02-01T21:12:00.001-06:00

I did this exercise on Facebook & I learned a lot about myself so I thought I'd better put it here.

1. I have moved 27 times, lived in 4 states, went to 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 3 high schools, 1 year of university, & nursing school.

2. I married my high school sweetheart & have NEVER once regretted that decision.

3. I am an extremely organized person and prefer to have everything in its place...kids are stretching me since they really don't enjoy organizing and KEEPING it that way. At least not yet, I'm still hopeful!

4. I will probably never leave the US, I'm afraid something dreadful will happen to me in another country(weird things happen to me enough-see #5).

5. I was bitten by a brown recluse spider my senior year of high school and almost died.

6. My dream is to become a nurse midwife after my kids are out of the house.

7. I LOVE mexican food!

8. I can't imagine ever not wanting another baby! I hope to have as many as God & Jeremy allow.

9. I really enjoy reading historical fiction or books about the Amish way of life.

10. I have very fond memories of camping with all my cousins & riding bikes all around the HUGE campground.

11. I actually have 5 children, my first is waiting in heaven for me. I had emergency surgery at 14.5 weeks pregnant because I had an ectopic pregnancy.

12. My dream is to adopt babies from Haiti but I'm too young; I have 3 more years to wait & a lot of money to save.

13. While I never imagined myself doing this, I am hoome schooling my kids and I actually like it most days.

14. I find my peace and calm whenever I'm near water (even a shower or bath but I'm especially talking about lakes, rivers, etc.)

15. My perfect weather temp is 72 degrees.

16. I love the Iowa State Fair & begin to get excited every February for the annual August event.

17. Not much can compare to freshly washed sheets, Thanksgiving dinner, or wet fall leaves as smells go.

18. I am not tech savvy like my husband but I'm sure I must be good at something else.

19. I am not a rebellious person & I usually don't question authority (unless I know for a fact that it goes against God's plan). I avoid conflict like the plague.

20. I love to mow the lawn or vacuum; it's very orderly & you can see the results.

21. I go on 2 websites almost daily; facebook & MOMYS.com-MOMYS is an acronym for Mothers of Many Young Siblings.

22. I am allergic to almost every environmental thing.

23. I LOVE Bible Study Fellowship. It's is perfect for my learning style.

24. I store all my stress in my neck and thus I go to the chiropractor every 6 weeks...why I have any stress when my life is perfect I'll never know.

25. My favorite sport is baseball-especially when I get to watch my husband play catcher.

Zoo trip!

2009-01-31T14:30:00.010-06:00

My family just loves to go to the zoo. We love it so much that we travel 2.5 hours west to Omaha to go to the Henry Doorly Zoo. It's awesome & the best time to go is in the winter. All the zoo keepers are walking around with less to do since there aren't as many people so they will just sit and talk with you. Yesterday we even got a sneak peak into the inside of the Cat Complex where a lovely man let us view that male lion who was not on display. It was so awesome, he growled & swiped at the keeper and made that low sound in his throat that just makes you go all tingly inside.

We got to see our special butterfly with our name engraved on it outside the brand new butterfly building that opened last year. **Note** Julia & I WILL NOT be heading back to the insect part of the butterfly building as they let some spiders just go where ever and we DO NOT appreciate silver dollar size spiders in webs so close without glass separating us. I tried not to have a heart attack while running with my head down out of the building! (Hazards of being bitten by a poisonous spider) The zoo helper outside the door had the nerve to say that the mama spider had just had babies & they wouldn't hurt anyone so they let them go wherever they want! WHAT! If you have a heart attack from the sheer terror of seeing a spider that big with the ability to drop on you at any second...I'd call that hurting people.

Corbin had issues with the goats in the petting zoo- they were a little too curious for his liking. He kept saying "Dote" meaning "don't touch my stuff, don't chew on my snow suit, don't lick my water bottle". Good thing he had older siblings to practice that line on for just such an occasion.
Corbin loved the aquarium & the penguins! He wanted to watch the penguins all day! Some were having races & I let him crawl under the posts right up to the window to see them up close. But if the animals aren't moving he's not interested. We did see a couple of the cutest monkeys in the jungle I have ever seen. (See pictures)

Look at our growing Gorilla family!

Every year I want to take a picture of this water fall outside the Gorilla Canyon & I finally have some. Isn't this gorgeous!

Sage does a pretty good job taking pictures!

Allergies

2009-01-14T15:51:00.003-06:00

I am feeling rather frustrated today. Allergies are actually the bane of my existence. Last Saturday I ended up in the ER because after my weekly allergy shots because my tongue began to get itchy, then swell. Of course by then the clinic was already closed. Then I got some great lips, hives on my eye lids, & then the hives slowly crept down my body. It's rather hard to breathe after all that. Well, I had to get some shots & a breathing treatment followed by a nap. This all adds to the fact that for the past 18+ months we've been a dairy free home trying to figure out if the kids are lactose intolerant or actually allergic to milk. (You would not believe all the foods with milk in them...my favorite Lime flavored Tostitos tortilla chips...seriously) Corbin seems to react to the most things. So my frustration comes from Corbin's rash covering his entire body that began yesterday after lunch. I think that to add to his peanuts, milk, citrus, & some weird spice in beef jerky we can now add GRAPES. Raisins & now grape juice haven't been good. We're talking rash & blisters on the bum. AARGH! The good that has come out of all this is that we are the healthiest eating family with practically no processed foods to speak of. I've learned many new cooking skills & my kids are eating a much more varied diet than most kids their age. There's my vent if you've survived this long.

So, enjoy some real ice cream, pizza, & chocolate for me!

Snow forts

2009-01-03T15:03:00.003-06:00

December 25th, Jeremy, Sage, Brody & Christian built a huge snow fort in the front yard and here are the pictures! Jeremy stayed outside an hour longer than the littles; probably reliving his childhood.

Birthday Week

2008-12-26T14:19:00.012-06:00

Monday was Brody's 6th Birthday! He's been counting down the days since big brother's birthday last June. We did the time honored tradition of going to Hickory Park Restaurant & homemade cupcakes. What more could a guy ask for...bbq & cupcakes with pressed sugar baseball mitts on top? I'd add a picture of him but iphoto keeps "closing unexpectedly". AARRGG!

Tuesday we celebrated Jesus Birth with Jeremy's parents & sister's family. The kids were excited to play with Cade & we were all excited to learn of the 10th cousin joining us in July!

Christmas day we went to Gma Sparks' farm to have a big family Christmas with dinner, an ornament exchange & program. Sage, Brody & Julia sang a couple of songs for the program...they aren't timid when it comes to performing. The men got to participate in a rousing rendition of Rudolph the Red

Nosed Reindeer with Sage as Rudolph & "The Rugged & Handsome Uncle Steve" as Santa.

New Christmas slippers

2008-12-15T13:54:00.002-06:00

Because Christmas is tight this year I'm making my gifts .... My dear friends and family, It is somewhat embarrassing to admit, Christmas is tight this year. I will be making bedroom slippers for you all as gifts. Please let me know your sizes. You'll most likely agree that it's a splendid idea, and should you wish to do the same, I've included the instructions below. How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads: You need four maxi pads to make a pair. Two of them get laid out flat, for the foot part. The other two wrap around the toe area to form the top. Tape or glue each side of the top pieces to the bottom of the foot part. Decorate the tops with whatever you desire, silk flowers (this is most aesthetically appealing), etc. These slippers are: * Soft and Hygienic * Non-slip grip strips on the soles * Built in deodorant feature keeps feet smelling fresh * No more bending over to mop up spills * Disposable and biodegradable * Environmentally safe * Three convenient sizes: (1.) Regular, (2.) Light and (3.) Get out the Sand Bags. I've attached a photo of the first pair I made so that you can see the nifty slippers for yourself.... Awaiting your response. It's crucial that I get the right size for each one of you. And for the men I'll leave the them plain.

Family Picture

2008-12-14T14:15:00.000-06:00

Christmas love

2008-12-11T21:17:00.002-06:00

This Christmas version of I Corinthians 13 is a good reminder of how we can get caught up in the "busyness" of the season & lose focus on the true reason for celebrating Christmas.

Christmas Love (source unknown)

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows, strands of twinkling & shiny balls, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozen os Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals & arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love to my family, I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing home & give all that I have to charity, but do not show love to my family, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels & crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love is kind, though harried & tired. Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china & table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way, but is thankful they are there to be in the way. Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

The greatest gift we could ever receive is our Savior Jesus. Enjoy the season of Advent and the anticipation of His birth.

philosophical questions from a 7 year old

2008-12-11T10:52:00.003-06:00

So, yesterday I got a small break while the 3 littles took 2 1/2 hr. naps! Totally amazing! But while they were sleeping Sage had to figure out what to do. He had to stay in his room for 1 hr. but after awhile he came down & announced to me that he had prayed 12 times for God to turn his teddy bear into a nice monster that ate garbage so that he could take care of something real. After another hour I found him sitting on a stool in front of the Christmas tree & crying. When I asked him what was wrong he told me that he had prayed 12 times and God still hadn't answered his prayers. So...we got to have a discussion on the fact that just because you pray doesn't mean God will say yes every time. Very disheartening for a little boy who thinks that this is a great idea so why wouldn't God want to do it? (This picture is of Sage with his cousin Luke in the hog confinement last September)

Happy Birthday, Gma Glenna

2008-12-08T12:29:00.002-06:00

~Yesterday was Grandma Glenna's birthday and we got to celebrate at Hickory Park Restaurant after church. When asked what they love best about their grandma, these were the replies: Sage- reads us stories, lets us do fun things like build traps for the bunnies, & she lets us spend the night...Just everything! Brody-she lets me sleep in the bunk bed and in her room, she lets me have swords, she lets me watch TV, & I just love 'er very much and that's it. Julia-she lets me play outside, she lets me sleep in the bunkbed (on the top sometimes), & I love her, love her, love her, and she paints my nails, and she watches Jon & Kate + 8 with me. We all love that grandma takes us on interesting field trips, introduces us to Mr Clark (Julia's best friend), fosters our creativity, fixes our favorite foods, is always available when we want to stop by for a chat or to play. We are so glad to have her as a major influence in our lives!~

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T20:11:00.002-06:00

I left last Friday to go stay with Aubrey and help while she's on bed rest. I got to see my mom for a day before she flew out and I had a nice time with my niece & nephew (Aub & Nick, too). Please, if you think about it, pray for my sister. She's not used to going any speed but really FAST and it's hard to lay still when you feel fine. I got back from Aubrey's house on Wednesday night after driving in holiday traffic for quite some time...I left Aub's at 12:37 and got home at 5:26pm! For those of you who know Minneapolis traffic, I got to go 15 mph until I was about 5 miles from the I35W south/I35 south merge! I did stop for a 1/2 hour to take care of Corbin but it was still a long trip that normally takes 4 hrs at the most.

It's been nice to be home but I must admit that not having Sage here creates quite a hole. Sage got to go with Gma Glenna, Gpa Bill, & Gma Sparks to Kansas City to see Aunt Opal, Lance, & Uncle Steve. I am glad he's having a great time (probably being really spoiled!!!) but I'll also be really glad when he gets home. I haven't been gone from any of my kids for so long before.

Our day consisted of a quick trip to Cub Foods (so I could get dinner supplies we were missing), high stakes checkers games, playing outside with the neighbors' grandkids, cooking & eating, book reading, & lots of loving. Tomorrow I was thinking of putting up the Christmas decorations but I think I'll wait for Sage to get home now. Maybe I'll hit all the sales tomorrow ;)

I hope your day was full of people to be thankful for!

Fall Leaf Elves

2008-11-14T12:38:00.004-06:00

Guess what I found in the leaves at the park...a bunch of leaf elves! Aren't they cute! Of course I did find a very tall giant who uses whole trees as swords!

Immunized...yucky!

2008-11-07T19:54:00.002-06:00

We are green today! We spent the day at the doctor's office for Corbin's 1 year check up (4 shots & finger stick), Julia's 4 year check up (4 shots, hearing check, & vision check), Sage & Brody's flu mist, 3 strep cultures to check to see if these angels are carriers & my allergy & flu shots! Can you believe we were only at the clinic for 2 hours? Corbin was already feeling yucky because we tried just a little bit of cheese the last 2 days and his stomache was not liking it...we're pretty sure he's allergic to milk. Just 1 minute after I took him out of his high chair from a fussy dinner of mandarin oranges (bad idea but that's all he wanted and he begged for it when he saw Julia's) he threw up all over me, the couch and carpet. Thank you, Daddy for cleaning that up while I cleaned us up! You're wonderful! Now I'm feeling just a little bit nauseous myself so I figured you wouldn't want a picture to be posted. Hoping your day was better than mine!

Corbin's 1st birthday!

2008-11-01T21:53:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's his 1st birthday already. He's so sweet! Everyone comments on his smile because it's always present. He has all of his teeth (minus 2) even his molars and he loves to chase his siblings. He really likes brooms; so what did he get for his birthday? Sweepin' Sam of course. He was very lucky to have Gma Glenna, Gpa Bill. Aunt Aubrey, Uncle Nick, Christian, & Ava attend his special birthday dinner tonight. Corbin says just a couple of words so far: UhOh! Dada, brother (bwuwu), Julia (Doo-yuh), Goodnight (nInI) w/ a wave. NO MOMMY, can you believe it! I try really hard to to teach him too. When I say, "Corbin, say Mama." He promptly says, "DADA" and then cracks up laughing! He thinks he's so funny! He goes with the flow and is pretty patient with his brothers but has learned to voice his opinion when Julia is involved. :)

Camping....hummmm....

2008-10-31T08:58:00.007-05:00

Two weekends ago we took another short RV trip from Ames to Mechanicsville for my cousin's wedding. We stopped one night at Rock Creek State Park the boys got introduced to the camp fire, toasted marshmallows and burning leaves. The family had a great time and we enjoyed hiking around the lake one cool morning. We even saw turkey vultures hanging out with geese for no reason...

Julia's birthday & 1st ballet class

2008-10-28T11:14:00.005-05:00

Our sweet Julia turned 4 years old last Thursday! She is a total princess & loves all things pink, shoes & purses! After a lovely lunch with Gma Glenna & Gpa Bill we had castle cake & opened gifts. Then, after dinner she got to do something she's been begging for for months...go to her very 1st DANCE CLASS! She was so precious in her pink leotard, tutu, and bun. It just made my heart so full watching her learn shuffle steps, plies, & relivees (sp?). She was so cute and so were the other 13 girls in her class. Thank you to all our family for sending her mail throughout the month. She got at least 2 envelopes a day to open to reveal her treasures.

Julia is full of joy & smiles. She is always looking for the beauty in everything. One of her hugs can brighten any sad moment!

Wow! I'm so up in the techy world!

2008-10-27T17:10:00.001-05:00

This will be my first attempt at being a techy without any help from my resident techy husband so be patient while I learn.