Just an update

Peek a boo

We went to skaterz and she slept like a good little girl

Have you ever been so tired you just couldn't see yourself getting up to go to the bathroom? Well thats me right now. Yes id say I'm past my pregger bladder and now can hold it for hours.Oh good times :) Laura is now 4 weeks old and sleeps during the day and very little at night.Which is ok because I like that quiet time and snuggles I get. Also I have an auto setting on my coffee maker that makes life just a little easier for a mom like me.I keep setting it back everyday as I need it earlier and earlier. Little Laura has been the pooh queen, just as soon as I put a cute outfit on her she blows out her diaper like maybe she didn't like I put on her. I do have to say using throw away diapers has made my life so much better and faster to change. I love it! I dont like buying 3 boxes at a time ( well I lied, I do really like that for some reason). I love having so many littles! Jolene is talking and pretending like never before.She always has a baby doll in her arms and playing tuff with boys. I love she is so active in playing AND she climbs to the school table everyday and sits!! Yes my 1 year old asks for school!! Oh the joys I have from that! She also now goes to sleep on her own for naps and bed time. I snuggle her and love on her and lay her down with her blanket and shes out. I cant believe it! Chase still gets rocked to sleep and then we have to break our backs to lift him into his bed which is right next to my bed and Laura's crib.He is so stinking cute! Hannah thinks he will be our model. He is just speeding away in school and keeping up with Ethan. Its amazing to watch.Ethan knows how to write his name and some numbers.Knows all his colors and shapes and we are learning to read! Cody is blowing me away in history! We are learning about the Indians and Christopher Columbus. He is really liking the extra books from the library we are using. I also started him back in MFW ECC today because that really floats his boat and I'm good with that. The little boys got in on the ECC this morning and loved the Map and Globes book. Cody is still having a hard time with math but I see if we don't skip a day and I do math with him twice a day it really helps him remember. Thats why we decided with him and the boys we will do school 6 days a week. Hannah is Hannah and flys though school like its nothing.Reading like theres no tomorrow. She loves her new piano teacher and just beams when they are done. I love hearing her play in the house though out the day. Basketball starts in November and we are waiting and waiting. They are really excited to be doing that. We had homeschool skaterz last Wednesday and so glad thats finally back into our school year. This week we have homeschool day at the History museum. YEAHHHHH!!!!! All homeschoolers NO others to bump into my kids and then Mommy meanie has to pop out! I have my mom babysitting Ethan, Chase and Jolene because it will be a long day and not sure how they would hold up in a museum that long. We will also have lunch at turtle park if its nice out an then head over to the zoo for alittle peek and grab our zoo pack we will be loaning from the zoo on the rain forest. Well I better get to the bathroom and then bed!

Fall is wonderful

Laura in this picture just got out of her very first sink bath.Yes at 3 weeks old that day :) sponge baths were given because her baby cord took that long to fall off ( which made me cry)

Its a BEAUTIFUL fall afternoon with really strong winds blowing.Love it! My husband and Cody ran to Lowe's to get 2 new heating elements for both the water heaters.Nothing like well water;) Husband never gets break when he comes home.Its amazing the elements didnt even take a year to replace. Oh well. Tomorrow I can have a nice hot shower and be good :) Im starting to find my old self come back to life. Yes im always loud thats just how I am, but this week I have held my tongue kept my yelling next to non. Again I am loud but my kids know when Im yelling and Cody came to me and gave me a hug and said " this was the best week. You didnt yell at me." Broke my heart but then realized he was right. I think being sooo very preggers in the freakin HEAT really did me in this year and my whole family suffered. But as my weight slowly comes off and body back to normal and the pure JOY I have from all my children im loven life again. I do have to say I have never been this busy in my life before. I get to sit when im nursing and thats alot because LauraBeth nurses like every hour on the hour. But really im busy. Im always cleaning, laundry, cooking, schooling, playing, running somewhere or just plain keeping up with the kids. its alot of fun but boy when its bed time im out!! And I only get 2 hours of the good sleep. After that im up and down from the rocking chair with LauraBeth.Those are the best times. Whens its quiet and I can just look at my beautiful baby. ohh yes im so excited about this new thing in my life. Not so much new but awesome. I started using Pampers and Huggies again!! Thats right i sold my cloth diapers yet again and Im proud to say we are done with them!! With 3 in diapers it was to much to keep up with and I honestly they were cute and thats it.I hated having to wash and stuff and wash and stuff them! I hated the big butted babies I got from them wearing them. It was like 1000 pounds lifted off my shoulders once we finally decided to be done for good with cloth. I like being able to wipe a poohy butt and THROW AWAY! I know i know simple things get me happy :)

School Days around here have been swinging! This week we had a field trip to Shaw Nature reserve to go hiking. Hiking is my favorite thing to do and Codys. We all had so much fun walking through the wetlands. The wind was blowing and leaves were falling with kids chasing the leaves and laughing like never before. It was so much needed not only for me but for them. Monday we had my good friend Lisa over I think I posted that already. Loved it! Then I got a text from a friend I just love and she will be back to homeschooling again next year!!!! Oh how I have missed her! Cant wait for co op next year with her and the kids in it again!! We are taking a step back with math for Cody. One of the things thats awesome about homeschooling is the fact that when a child struggles with a new concept we can take extra time on it so they really know what they are doing before moving on. Also we switched Cody English back to Rod and Staff. Abeka isnt working for us in a few subjects. Hannah loves Abeka but she is a book worm and just gets everything she reads. Cody is more like me and needs to pretty have everything read to him over and over. His reading is coming along. Not were I wanted him at this time but we are getting there and thats what counts. The littles are doing wonders with preschool. Ethan can write his name. Not in order but he knows the letters and writes them. This week we will focus on putting them into his name. Chase has his C and H down. well LauraBeth just woke up.........

Ramble

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I had my friend Lisa and her 3 beautiful children over for a day of fellowship. Manly so I could pick her brain on The Feast of Tabernacles. She has been teaching a class on the Feast and Holy days we have been attending but I needed more answers and wanted to really get the facts right an be able to look them up in scripture myself and see. Hannah and I have just been soaking this up. Boy do we Christians really miss things that are right in front of us but dont take the time to do it because we are so caught up in the world. Im sorry but we will no longer live blindly and walk around in caught up in all thats not right.Amazing how things are right in front of ya and you choose not to see or you are worried what some people might think of ya. Oh boy the stuff we have learned and Im honestly waiting for certain people to say to me" I sure hope you are studying on your own" or " Your not going to be brain washed again are ya?" or so on and so on. Keep it to yourself please!

Anyways we are waiting for some rain here. The dark clouds moved in and the rain needs to come like now! we are plugging away at school and not getting much of it done really because theres alot to do with school. The husband was pretty upset with me this weekend because the big kids were again when he came home. So he laid the law down and told me and THEM they arent to to be gone but once a month when he comes home. He finally gets Saturdays off and they weren't here for a family day so we stayed home. He got alot done around the house though.Sunday he even bbqed for us and we loaded everybody up and went for a nice long drive.The trees are starting to turn beautiful colors.We have a field trip Thursday with our co op to the Shaw Nature Reserve to enjoy the trees and hiking. I also need to take the kids to the pumpkin patch this weekend and apple picking next week. The littles are reading The Pumpkin Patch Parable and LOVE IT. They are ready to rip open their pumpkins. Their letter this week is E and P. Color is orange and shape is a triangle. The will do weaving and more painting. The bigger kids are a bible study on Feasts. They have basketball this weekend and Hannah starts a new piano class Thursday. She is very excited to start back up as she has been off since Sept because of the baby. She got a really nice digital Yamaha piano for birthday last month and its so cool because she can record what she plays and then it shows her what keys she might have messed up on. She loves it! Cody has showed an interest in piano so Im thinking maybe he will join her. Jolene has been coloring with the kids as they do school work and is always so busy.She reminds me of Chase because they are always soooo busy! Little LauraBeth is doing awesome! Nursing like a pro and nursing ALL the time. I so love nursing her.I have missed it so much.Jolene stopped around 9 months and I was so sad! Laura lost her baby cord on Sunday and I cried :( Why cant they stay small for longer?! I always take her outside on the porch and sit in my favorite chair while the other kids play and I nurse her.Pure joy!! There is nothing like nursing your baby and watching all your other kids smile and scream with laughter ( unless its Jolene who is screaming because 3 of her brothers are chasing her with power wheels). Im so grateful for all I have been blessed with.My kiddos are loud and crazy and I wouldnt change that for anything!

Our days

My days are filled with sippy cups, bottles, binkies, cups, clothes on the floor, nursing, blanket forts, screaming kids, laughing kids, the question of "why" from my 3 and 4 year old, frogs, worms on the dinner table in the MIDDLE of dinner, dirty diapers, hand prints on the windows, pee on the bathroom floor, dishes in the sink, school books every where and the list will go on and on. I wouldnt change a thing for anything.My husband is so in love with his new baby girl its crazy. I dont know what it was but when he came home this past weekend he was glowing with a beautiful smile and content look. He is a man who loves his family and it shows. To must people our house is loud and crazy and full of toys everywhere and kids flying up and down the hallway. If someone looked in our window at any given time they would turn gray headed and run! Large families are like this.We love it! Im so happy to be holding and nursing at all hours of the day and night.Im so happy to have my body slowly going back to normal. To top it off its FALL and its my favorite season ever! ( as im typing this Ethan and Hannah walk past me shaking their rears like " monkey babies"). Ill write more later baby calls me!!!

welcome Laura Elizabeth

One week ago today we welcomed our sweet little blessing Laura into the world.It was a crazy day.My mom came over to watch the 5 kiddos so I could run to my doctor appt.I had a feeling that morning that Laura was going to come so I packed my bag and had her stuff ready to go in the crib. Once I got to the doctor my blood pressure was up and the ultrasound showed that my fluid had dropped to 2 cm in all my water pockets.So It was 12:30 and the doctor told me NOT to go anywhere else but straight to the hospital and he'd follow behind. I got there 10 mins later and I had my calls and got ahold of my husband who works in Indiana and take 4 hours to get here. My sister in law Paula was headed out to join me for this day. They blew my first vein trying to get the IV in but the nurse that tried next was able to do it first try on my other arm. I have a nice black arm thanks to that. Doctor came in and wanted to break my water but once he tried Lauras little hand slipped in the way and he said he would wait until her head was down alittle more. I was really nerves about getting epidural so they had the head of that department come in. "Mr.Positive" told me he would be able to knock this out in no time and id feel nothing.Well after he gave some great pain in my spine and alot of grinding( the kind of grinding you hear inside your body and hurts so bad that you would rather have a limb cut off). So I was in great pain and told the guy to stop and id do this birth natural. So he stopped and now not only am I feeling my contractions but I have a horrible pain in my back where he tried to give me a an epidural.The contractions were pretty much ones I could breathe through and was ok.The doctor came in at 5:30 and broke my water.He was worried that since I didnt have much water that Lauras heart rate my go down with contractions.But thankfully they didnt.As soon as they picked up the mess and put the intrenal monitors on Laura Jeff walked in. He was my rock and I was so glad to see him.At this time I was feeling contractions and had my eyes closed the rest of the time I was in labor. I looked every once in awhile to talk for a moment or to check Jeff and Paula to make sure they were still in up right postion. I was only a 4 at the time they broke my water and checked me again at some time after 7 and I was still a 4. At 8 I felt the need to push and my body was really pushing on its own. I had Jeff call the nurses in and check and I was an 8. She left the room and got called right back in only to see I was pushing and ready. She checked and I was complete. They set up the table and got ready, I still didnt have my eyes open as I was in the zone and breathing through the contractions and trying my hardest not to push until they were ready. I pushed and pushed like mad. I did 10 sets of 3 before Laura was born. She was sunny side up which made it that much more of a work out to get her here. She was beautiful!! Full head of jet black hair and the worlds biggest dimples! My sister in law Paula cut the cord and my baby was ran over to the warmer. I has laying there yes with my eyes still closed. I had ripped inside out and in alot of pain. I didnt rip or need on stitch with the last 3 kiddos but man this one was horrible. I have so many stitches laughing hurts. The doctor got me all cleaned up and I was able to hold my beautiful baby and look at my husband who was amazing. Seeing his face light up when I was holding her was something from heaven. we know how blessed we are and so thankful we have her here in our family. My mom brought up the other kids to meet their new sister. It was late and the littles were alittle out f it and ready to go back home. Cody and Hannah were smiling so big and happy to see us ok. Jeff took the kids back home because it was late and my mom and Paula stayed awhile. Paula bless her heart left for the night after she held laura for awhile. I thought for sure I had scared her with the natural delivery but I didnt ;) My mom stayed the night with me at the hospital and it was nice to talk all night and have her there to be with me. I usually dont have anyone stay with me but im so glad I had here stay. There were 12 other labor and delivery's that night. My friend from our homeschool group was being induced the next morning. she welcomed her baby girl that afternoon.I was released at 9:30 pm on Thursday.They made us stay a full 24 hours before we could leave.we didn't get home until close to 11pm. I was so glad when I made it home. Cody and my mom had the house spotless. Our first few days were pure craziness! Kids everywhere and I was in pain. Not down there pain but back pain. Laura nurses like a pro and we are just in awww of her. Jeff went back to work Monday night. Im here doing on my own and we are doing good. Im tired but good. My kids are realizing MOM is back and in charge and they aren't liking that much ;) School is back on and routine is slowing flowing. I took all 6 kids out for the first time yesterday and it was pretty good. The need for a 12 pass van is a must! The good suburban is awesome but we are loaded and full in it. Well I just wanted to update before I forgot about the details.Not much time to do anything. Im busy and loven every minute of it. we are truly blessed and amazed how God planned this out of us. Praise Him for the wonderful birth and beautiful baby girl we now get to spoil!

School Week

Chase working on tracing

Sorry for the fuzzy pic but the sun was in the way.

Big man working on his math

They were doing Art.Big kids were working on the color wheel and the littles doing the Fall Trees.

daddy and the 3 littles in bed on the only morning we get to see him :( He comes home for less than day every week, it gets very hard to explain to a 3 and 4 year old why :(

This week has started off good. we have been doing school work and no big melt downs as of yet.We did school on Saturday to make up for a few lessons we missed. Im to fat and preggers t go much of anywhere these days and with it being HOT again I hate even thinking about leaving.Although today we have to go out to the library and then the feed store for dog food. A nice big cold front is coming in this evening and you can bet we will be waiting with open arms! I have a doctors appt tomorrow with ultrasound and I will beg and plead to be induced this Friday not next! This baby is causing more pain than the terrible 2's!!!! Im so ready! the house needs to to be cleaned again but honestly I know once my mom gets here she will clean ;) hehehehe Anywho, we are chucking right along. In preschool we are learning about the seasons and Fall an winter are Ethans favorite. He asked me why God isnt letting it snow right? Well I explained that and then he said when he wakes up in the morning there better be snow! HA love that boy! Chase and Ethan made Fall trees yesterday and alot of school work with out drama. Hannahs found a new passion of water color painting.Not the baby kind the real water colors! Man this girl is awesome! We are going to buy the heavy water color paper and have them framed for Christmas gifts to grandparents. She made a beautiful pic of Lily's all free hand and it looks like it came right of the back yard! amazing! Cody found another snake yesterday and the thing want to happy to see us! we looked and played with it for a little and then released it.Cody also found a cool snake skin that will stay in our science box along with the months and other things we have found this summer. YES we still have a frog in the house but im sure by now its dead and ill find it when Im least ready to see it!!

Well time for an update.....Im still preggers and im still a smidge crabby BUT we have amazing weather thats nice and cool to make the last few weeks better. Id love to be holding our sweet Laura Elisabeth but Gods timing is good for me. I have been back and forth from hospital to Doctor office and im so glad they said I dont have to come back in until Wednesday.Oh yes, her size! Well when started the ultrasounds months ago she was so small and not thriving like they wished for.She was small forever THEN with prayers and prayers she started gaining......and gaining.......and gaining. I went yesterday for my weekly ultrasound and I almost fell right off the table when he said shes over the 9 pound mark! What the heck did you say? By the time for her birthday she could be pushing 11 pounds!! ummmm im pretty sure my husband will flip out and never touch again if I give birth to an 11 pound toddler! Will I walk right ever again if that happens? Are you kidding me! Now thats just a doctor thought.She could totally stay at 9 pounds and not gain another drop of fat.Thats my hope.I know ultrasounds are off by so many oz but come on really? So we wait and Wednesday we do it all over again and decide if the 23rd is good or if we need to move it up or not.As they see it, shes doing great and no need to take to early.Our first goal was to get to 36 weeks, and so glad we didnt have to go down the preemie road.
 School time.....well we have been slow an lazy and kids that are being lazy and more worried about friends and doing things out side the house.That has to stop as of today and we refocus our attention on the important stuff. Id tired of the older ones wanting this and that to go here and there.Really? Get over it! When your 18 or 25 you have all the time in the world to be doing crap.Lets focus on training an loving family. We will be back to field trips as a one, back to respecting one another, no damn cell phones at the school table just to see who text you, no more TV all freaking night. Daddy is taking has taken away the TV from downstairs unless its sat or sun and only for small amounts of time. To much crap is coming back in here and honestly I have taken away the TV during the day unless its down time with the littles and you should see how much they play and learn when its off. Its nice. With the weather turning cooler that means hiking and nature exploring will be with us again and we cant wait, once I squirt the baby of course! We are on week 2 of My fathers World, yes we did this last year but they forgot half of what we learned and they LOVE every second of maps and exploring countries.So as we are still on full swing with Abeka, MFW is amazing to us and we are using as a supplement. For the little we have done We Are Going On  A Bear Hunt and I think that was the favorite for them by far! Today we will Go On A Bear Hunt on our land! FUn times here!!
 I almost forgot to add this!! After taking an 8 month break cloth diapering( the husband thought I was way to busy to do it) I have returned!! I have 32 new Kawaii diapers that I found to be the best for our heavy wetters! Not one leak at night with double inserts.No need for the wool cover as of yet. I have pile of prefolds that are ready for Laura but im thinking ill do more Kawaii diapers instead of prefolds. I do love the prefolds but I hate messing with them.So pockets might just be the number 1 for me! I cant believe I gave away all my Bum diapers and others! I kick myself for that.It was probley around the 500 dollars worth of cloth pockets!! I have been doing this almost 5 years so thats a small amount compared to the cost of pampers I have been buying for 8 months!!With 3 in diapers come on!!