House fire...

Nathan and I got married in 2005.  When we married we never imagined that God would bless us with so many children in such a short time, so we bought a house that was 1,095 square foot, three bedrooms, and two baths.  We purchased this home right before we got married, and after a two week honeymoon in Cancun, a week later we found out we were expecting our first child!  We moved into our home a month later and have been there ever since.

God has used this tiny home to mold me and shape me into the person I am today.  Who would have ever thought that he could use our living situation to strengthen our faith.  After a few months in our home, we realized that there was a leak in the kitchen.  We shut off the dishwasher, and the leak stopped.  We began to pray that we would get a new kitchen floor for free, because the floor was messed up from the water.  So for the first few years we washed dishes by hand until we were able to save up some money to get the leak fixed.  By the time 2009 came I was pregnant with baby #3 and somehow the leak got worse and just shutting off the dishwasher didn't work anymore.  We came home to water gushing up between the floor boards in our kitchen floor!  We were so upset and had no idea what to do, or that we could even afford the amount of money it was going to take to clean up that mess!  So we prayed!  Someone mentioned we should call our insurance company, so we took the chance and did it.  Although it was a huge headache, a huge mess, and a long process; God answered our prayers!  Not only did he give us a brand new floor for FREE, he gave us a BRAND NEW KITCHEN!!  They replaced the cabinets, the flooring, we were able to add MORE cabinets, and painted the entire kitchen!  We got a 14k kitchen for free!!

Not only were we praying for the floor in our kitchen, but we were praying that God would supply us with a new refrigerator!  While ours worked perfectly, it was cracked on the door on the inside and was held together by duct tape!  While they were doing the flooring in our kitchen they were being pretty rough on our fridge and when they were finished with it and had it back in place, it would cool my feet as I walked past it instead of our food that we had inside!  So we ended up getting a new fridge for FREE because they had damaged the one we had!

After baby #3 things became very tight in our home.  The living situation was becoming crowded, but still do-able.  I think my biggest complaint was that we didn't have storage space.  So I began to pray for a larger house!  I didn't need something huge, just something big enough for the family we had, plus room to expand that family with how ever many more children God wanted to bless us with.  After baby #4, I just became bitter!  I was angry that we didn't have a larger house yet and I didn't even feel financially that we were able to even make that step to look for a larger house because everything larger was a higher payment.  As our family got larger our house became smaller!!  

One day I was listening to a CD from our homeschool convention.  There was a woman talking about how bitter she had been because God would not bless her with a larger house.  She realized that she had been so obsessed with wanting a larger house that she couldn't enjoy what God had given her.  Her "larger house" became an idol to her.  As I listened to this story, I was immediately convicted that I was doing the exact same thing!  So I repented, and began to love the house that God had already blessed us with.  I built a garden out back, and we got a trampoline and swing set and we love our back yard!!  We made our kitchen into a homeschool classroom (who says a kitchen has to be decorated like a kitchen) and we love our learning space.  I love our spacious new kitchen.  There are so many things that I have fallen in love with about our little house, that I became completely comfortable and content with not moving ever!  UNTIL A MONTH AGO>....

Everyone in our family has had birthday's this year.  They are all getting so big.  Our 5th baby is 1 year old now and everyone is walking and climbing and fighting, and no one gets naps because they are all sharing a room and keep each other awake all day long!  I have a whole house full of crabby, babies!!  So after lots of talking, Nathan and I decided we needed to start looking.  We decided the best thing would be to rent out our home and buy another.  So we started looking.  We chose a Realtor who has been a family friend since I was little.  I actually used to babysit his daughter!  He has been fantastic!  After months of looking we kept going back to this ONE house that was just perfect for what we needed!!  

We felt for sure this house was the only one on the market so far that was that large, in a good neighborhood, and had a school room, play room, office and 4 bedrooms, at an affordable price.  We were pre-approved to get another home without having to sell our current home, which I felt was a miracle!  So we drew up an offer for the house and felt very peaceful!!  We were told it was accepted, but thirty minutes later another offer came in and they said they would let us know in the morning because they had to allow the seller to decide the next day.   

That night all 7 of us got on our knees and prayed that if it was God's will he would give us that house!  The next morning I woke up with a song in my heart:

    "Lord you are more precious than silver, Lord you are more costly than Gold, Lord you are more     beautiful than diamonds, and nothing I desire compares with you."

I knew immediately that God was teaching me a lesson and testing my faith.  Could my desire for that home compare with my desire for God himself?  Who did I desire more and seek after more...the house or my Savior?  That morning I woke up with a heart-change.  I knew that morning even before I received the call that we would not be getting that home, and that God had other plans.  And sure enough I received the call that they went with the third offer.  I was heartbroken over it, but I wasn't torn down.  I knew that God had a plan and there was something else out there for us!   

So for now we remain in our crowded, suffocating, loud, chaotic small amazing house that we were blessed with from God, because to Him those things were not important.  What was important was that we made God and only God, enough for us.  That we seek him and want him more than we seek and want a larger house because it will make things easier in our lives.  I've learned that God isn't in the business of making life easier, but he is in the business of making life a series of fire pits that will shape us and refine us as we walk over the burning embers, through the fire to the other side.  This time it just happened to be a "house fire."  We never look the same as when we went in, and once we are melted and shaped we never go back to the way we were before.  That I am thankful for.  I pray that through this process he continues to mold our hearts for him!   

        

Baby #6 ????

Naaaaa.......Crazy last few days!  So we had our first false alarm this week, we've never had quite an experience like this.  Most people have two questions that they eventually ask us, (1) "are you gonna try for the boy?"  and (2) "Do you use birth control?"  Well here are those answers for the entire world to see..  (1) we have never tried for any child we have, they have all been given to us graciously, and (2) no we do not use the pill.  These two things are very difficult for people to swallow because America is about convenience and it's never convenient to have five children in seven years!  All my life I've heard about having "peace and quiet" and "relaxing" and "having ME time"  and well...who knows maybe this is my way of being rebellious; with five children you don't get any of that, but it's still great!!  So this week I was late...I began to get a little scared because I'm NEVER late unless....  So sent Nathan to CVS and took a test...it looked negative but I could see a light blue line that would make it positive.  So...I took the second one...same thing but a little darker.  So yes...I began to go pregnancy test nutty and bought like one of each type and took about 7 in one day!  All the rest were negative!!  2 (lightly positive) and 5 negative!  I just couldn't understand it!  So I waited till the next morning and took another...negative...the next morning...negative!!  It was making me crazy!  So finally I was able to positively say this morning that we had two false positives and I pray that I never have to go through that again!   What a horrible trick to play on people, especially when it's baby #6 and you have to start preparing right away because 8 people means: 12 passenger van, larger kitchen table, moving the kids into the master bedroom so they all fit in the house....it's a lot of preparation!   I do have to say I did feel sad when I finally found out it was negative, even though life would be outrageously crazy if that did happen again so soon...well it would be outrageously wonderful too to be blessed with another mini-Cooper!  They are all so great!!  However having a little break is more than okay with me right now, but If God decides the time has come for #6 I will be more than thrilled!

So Friday was Hobble-bobble's 3rd birthday!  That girl is just the sweetest kid ever!!  She is obsessed with Veggie Tales; Larry Boy in particular!  We are completely running out of Veggie Tales toys to get her for her birthday's and Christmas!  Hopefully they will come out with more later.  So this year for her...she doesn't get a huge party...we invited a few of our friends over next saturday for a cook out but other than that...we had cupcakes and gave her gifts as a family.

Friday was also the Homeschool Convention.  It was awesome!  The used book sale this year wasn't as great as the last few years but we did get more time to check out all the vendors this year and the last two years we have not.  The girls really enjoyed it this year, they met a few homeschool children who were their age but in a family of 8 kids!  They really liked the music booth where they could try out violins and instruments.  Nathan and I bought a parent package from www.doorposts.com while we were there.  It is amazing stuff!  I've always said that If only I had a step by step program that told me how to discipline for what offense, I'd be great!!  That is exactly what this is!!!  I'm so beyond excited.  It's a book that is split up by offense, when a child lies, steals, is selfish, disobedient etc.. you open it to that page and read scripture to your child about that subject and why it's not good to do.  They also have a chart to put on the wall that tells the child what their consequences are for certain crimes.  We started out doing this today, we still have to work out a few kinks with it but so far so good!  By the end of the day it was "here comes mom and dad with the bible book again!"  lol   but they are getting it and we are able to discipline the way we've always wanted to through prayer and scripture, it's been great!

So today, we woke up early and cleaned up the house.  The girls and Nathan helped me in the living room, and hallway, and then I started on the girls room while they ate lunch.  When we were finished they all went down for quiet time while Nathan worked on tightening and replacing screws on the swing set outside, and I started packing for the pool.  I laid out swimming suits, towels, cut veggies and fruits for snacks, filled up cups, packed a diaper bag, packed clothes and underwear for afterwards, made a bottle and found shoes.  When we got to the pool I lathered the kids with sun screen and they were off!!  Three hours swimming and we were headed back home to play outside!  We ordered pizza and sat on the back porch an ate.  Then Nathan and I laid on the trampoline while the girls jumped around us and we tried grabbing them and pulling them down on top of us to tickle.  Once we got inside it was 8:30pm and I filled up the bathtub for all the girls, washed them, dried them and sent them to pick up toys in their room.  We all then laid in Little Bear's bed together while I read a story to all the kids and then they were sound asleep!!  We wore them out!!!`

Our week has been filled with so much that I haven't even made it to start on my school work that is due monday night by 11:59pm!  I have two days but I'm SO exhausted!!  Monday will be our wedding anniversary.....so we may have to put off our celebration till Tuesday instead.  I'm so thankful that I've been able to have the last eight years with the love of my life!  I could not have asked God for a better man!  I'm so undeserving of him, yet thankful I have him!

~HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

If you haven't heard from me.....

So yesterday we had a birthday party at pump-it-up for Little bear.  With everything going on recently I just needed a place that would take the stress out of it, and I wouldn't have to worry about anything.  I really didn't even put a lot of thought into much of it, I ordered a cake a few days before, had her gifts ready a week before, and sent invites through facebook of which again It was not well planned out because I left out a few good friends who we would have loved to have.  But overall it was nice, I had a blast with the girls- jumping and going down the slide with them.  I wish Nathan was able to do more but he did get to go down the slide a few times with the girls at least.  So one big event down and seems like A MILLION to go over the next two in a half weeks!

May 22nd through June 12th, is the busiest, longest, and most costly weeks in our entire year...every year!!  My weeks start to run together and this is the time that having a calendar is essential!!  So just this week we have (monday) Nathan's physical therapy, (tues) another shot for Nathan's back (we all have to drive up there and wait for 2 hours- this will be fun).  (wed) FREE (free days means cleaning day), (thursday) Nathan's physical therapy, (friday) I get to finish off the week having a mom's night out with a great friend from high school!!    Then next week is when the real fun begins!!  CRUNCH TIME!  (tuesday) Nathan gets another shot, (wed) Little Bear's recital photos where everyone has to be in full make up and dress, (thursday) Little Bear's dress rehersal for recital, (friday) Free day-cleaning, (Saturday) Little Bear's recital- then we run home drop the kids with grandma, change clothes and are off to the Jefferson for a wedding.  We then get to slow down until the next weekend when we have the homeschool convention, Hobble-bobble's birthday, and our Wedding Anniversary!     Throughout all this I will also be caring for 5 children, a husband who is limited in mobility, keeping up the house and going to college full-time.  So if you do not hear from me for the next few weeks this is why!  I am thankful that I've contracted some things out this year to take some of the load off me.  We have a nice man who comes and mows our yard every other week for only 35.00.  He does the trim and everything and all I have to do is the bushes (which I need to get on soon!).  This has been a HUGE help!  The yard has been the one thing that has been the hardest for Nathan to do, then last summer while I was pregnant I took over, and now this summer I just don't have time to even think about it!  

Well I guess I better get off here and get to cleaning before Nathan gets home from PT, I don't do well cleaning around him and tend to want to sit with him and spend time with him instead of going about my normal day!  I also need to make a trip to the grocery store so a grocery list will be in my near future!!  

~Happy Monday Everyone!

Almost peed my pants....

So the last few days have been pretty stressful, but we are getting there.  Hobble-bobble had to put her boot back on tonight.  She fractured her ankle the first of April.  She fractured it in a growth spot and so they said the hardest thing for us is going to be keeping her from re-injuring it!  She wore a boot for 3 weeks and then they said she was able to take it off and try to regain strength.  They said it would take about two weeks.  But still she limps, some days worse than others.  She still stands on the bunk beds and jumps off onto the floor, although we tell her not to.  She came in from playing outside today and said it was hurting.  When I looked at it, it was swollen again.  So I put her boot back on and will keep it on her till Wednesday when she has her re-check.  I think if it's hurt again or they want her back in the boot for a while longer I'm going to ask for a cast this time since she thinks she is a super hero!

She also finally potty trained this week!  I do not try to potty train my kids.  I know most parents want their kids out of diapers as soon as they can, but for me I learned early with baby #1 that I'm not going there until they want to!  I would rather they keep their diaper on until they turn four, that way I can say, "happy birthday- by the way you get to use the potty now!"  and they knew exactly what I was talking about!  When Pumpkin was a baby, someone told me that the easiest way to potty train was to take off their pants and let them wonder around.  They said if I did this they would sit on the potty because they will not just stand there and pee.  Well, they were wrong!  I found poop in corners, in her toy guitar, in her sink that goes in her play kitchen!  She opened drawers and stood in them on her clothes and peed all over them!  And then one day....it happened...she had her door closed in her room, I walked in and opened the door and there it was!  A HUGE pile of poo was behind the door; when I opened the door it went over the poo causing it to embed itself into the off white carpet, and spread like butter while oozing under the door and sticking to the bottom of it.  Being mad was an understatement!!  I put her diaper back on her, and told her until she started going potty herself we were not taking it off!!  She eventually got the idea.  It took her the longest out of all my kids to potty train, and still she was in a diaper until just this year (6years old) at night time!  Little Bear trained in a week!  The week she turned 3 years old I told her if she went to the potty I would sign her up for dance class.  By the end of the week she was even trained at night!  And now Hobble-bobble, she has trained the earliest!  She wont be 3 until June so I'm super proud of her!  She wants to wear panties all the time, even at night but I had to tell her she can't do that yet.  She is so cute!!  So that is my strategy just wait till they go on their own one day...it saves so many headaches!!

So today I went to the library to start on my 1200 word essay that is due by Monday.  As I sat there something out the window caught my eye.  There were police officers combing the woods behind the library!!  I started to get a little nervous, but still I pecked away on my computer.  A few minutes later I hear the sound of police radios inside the library!  They were walking around searching the library!  So then I really started to get nervous!  As I was walking out to my car to leave a few hours later, I remembered that I didn't lock it.  I started to think that would be the perfect hiding place in someones car!!  I walked up to the van and saw this old man had just parked in front of me.  He was walking around my van on the passengers side.  When he got to the back of the van I began to open my car door, and the man sneezes so loud I jumped and seriously almost peed all over myself!! lol  

Anyways, so while I was doing my research for my paper I came across a website of people who lived green lifestyles!  This woman was pregnant but because she was so worried about saving the planet, she had an abortion in order to reduce her carbon foot print!!  Then another woman talked about how the only thing she cares about was keeping the earth healthy and in order to do so she is getting sterilized so she won't have any babies!  They say that basically baby + stuff + extra room in the house +babies the baby will have = pollution!  YES that is right they called babies pollution!!  Seriously!!  I was so disgusted and outraged by this that I couldn't even write my paper!  Do people not think that if everyone lived this way...humanity would die out!  Well, my babies are far from pollution.  "They is smart, they is kind, they is important!"  What makes these people think their life is anymore valuable than a child?  Anyways, I need to vent that out!  I know people can believe some crazy stuff but this was just shocking to me!

So for lunch today, Nathan and I took the girls to Grandma's for a few hours.  We went to Panera for some salads (since I'm watching the calories) and then to Starbucks for our "meeting."  We sat down and picked out curriculum for next year and scheduled appointments and put things on the calendar.  It was nice to finally have little bit of a plan for next year...once we finish school this year!  We are about halfway through this year and we will eventually get there!  Looking forward to getting the new curriculum for next year!!