Thankful

Sweet Jolene

Cody being Cody

Hannah and few of her girlfriends from MFW co op

Cody and his friends from MFW co op and Ethan behind him and Hannah up top

Ethan on the turtle he calls Franklin

My husband headed out a little while ago and I did my shedding of tears and heartbreaking.As I have to wait now until late Friday night to his smiling face.As I was doing my pity party for me and got smacked in the head by God(thanks) and how it must feel for him to leave us.We lined up on the fence and did our waving as be backed out of the driveway waving back. The look on his face was so sad and hard for me to see.Here this man is with a huge family and adores us all like theres no tomorrow and he is leaving so we can have everything we have ever wanted.Here he is driving far far way and sleeping in the bed with no one, working his ass off in the highest point in the job and scared shit less im sure. God smacked me and Im pretty sure will have a bruise ;) from that one. You see this morning he was stressing out like bad! theres a list a mile long to get done at the new house and then at this house we are selling. Theres things that need to be done so he can leave on time today and things like foster parenting classes that need to be done on his part. Thankfully on that he can make his time up on the Saturday 6 hour class and be fine and done. But thats stressful to for him because here I am with our 6 six kids homesachooling and Im holding the fort by myself. Let me tell you, I hate mowing, I hate doing any type of crap that involves something like that. Im a mom, im a cook, im a diaper changer, im a boo boo kisser, Im a yeller, I am NOT a manly woman and I dont in any way want to be. Thats why God gave me a manly 9 year old. He gave Cody the desire to work HARD outside and love it for this very reason. He knew in the plan that one Jeff would be far away from us and things would need to get done. He knew that one day Id need my lawn mowed and one day I might need my garage door fixed or washer worked on. He blessed Cody with the skills to work hard and be proud that he can take care of his family while Dad is gone busting his butt for us. This plan plays out clearer and clearer for me. He is amazing. Truly amazing. So as I shed my tears for the touch of my husband and smell of his shirt and I no longer shed a tear for the why me's. I see it in a new light and im good with that. God also gave me the love of traveling because HE knew I would be traveling to see my husband. And He just happened to plant my husband in the best place in the world just for my sake ;) Amish Land!! thats right people, he is by the Amish. If you know me you know Im smiling and counting down the days until we make our first trip there. I might be the person walking the Amish dirt roads stalking them but ill be so happy doing so. SMILES :) So when changes happen and you feel like crying and asking why, be prepared for the smack of a life time because I think God might actually like hitting people :) hard enough to wake them up! Many blessing to my husband and his friend as they travel to Indiana together for another week of climbing and pulling wires.

Now on to school...Friday we had My Fathers World co op and we did class for awhile the headed to Turtle Park for lunch. After that which was a amazing for the kids we headed over to the Zoo. Another great day of wonderful weather and many laughs and smiles from the kids. They saw just about everything and 4 of them fell alsleep in the truck on the way back. Busy day. This week I has decided that since Jeff was gone we would try to make routine and keep school flowing. So thats what we did. Hannah even had a girlfriend sleep over and she brought her school too so all the kids did their work together :) It was pretty fun. Ethan has been loving school and doing really well. Doesn't like anything but his B and E but we are getting somewhere Im sure. Chase wakes up and says" Mom, lets do school", now he says this with his binkie still in mouth so its super cute! This week we will do the same and keep to routine and work like crazy so when we take a trip we wont have to bring books. All play would be nice. We have be doing Rod and Staff English for years now and im pretty sure we need to move on to thing else. Cody is doing 3 and they are diagramming sentences and Hannah is in 6 and thats all she does. Ok they know what they are doing and really tired of doing over and over. So if anyone has a good English Curriculum let me know Id love to hear about it. I have searched online and found a lot but need to hear from people who use it. I have 2 children who learn very differently so Im sure it will be 2 different curriculum's.

well lets talk Jolene shall we..... she is walking !!!! walking like she had a little to much to drink but she is walking :) She says Dad and mom and baba. She also sings really loud thanks to her sister who thinks she is an opera singer :) She was horribly sick last night and today she has been sleeping. But no throwing up today. We have been truly blessed by this laid back baby :) Daddy took us out to eat last night and she sat in her highchair smiling to everyone. Shes awesome.Daddy bought the 3 boys new John Deere tractors so they have been outside just about all playing with those in the dirt. Jolene did go out play for while and ate some acorns to give mom a heart attack. But I survived as did she. Ethan took her for a ride in his jeep and she clapped the whole time. thank goodness we see a chiropractor because whiplash might be in the future they way Ethan drives around :)

OPPppsss after I posted this Jolene started throwing up. So she was better all day until tonight.....Now Ethan and I have some tummy troubles going on...

Changes are here

we are still working on our Character Training and we made on owl to go with it and a poem.They had alot of fun

These are Hannahs new friends.If I could remember how to spell their names Id tell ya but I forgot :(

Look Chase is skating!

My nephew Alex closest then Cody, Ethan, and then my niece Hannah

Jolene saying" I have super girl powers don't make me use them"

Times are a changing. The moment I was and still do not want to hear have come to a reality in the house.My husband took a job in another state and will be gone all week long. From Sunday afternoon until Friday around 11 or 12 at night.His good friend actually took the same job(the are union commercial Electricians) so they will spend the first 2 or so weeks in a hotel and while there they will be looking for an apartment.having his friend there with him makes me feel so much better.That way they aren't lonely and they have that someone to do things with.His Friend is a really good guy and couldn't be blessed more. He also has little twin boys I think they are 6.they are going through the same changes.Im heart broken and beyond myself. God has a plan and we are following but its hard anyway I look at it. He is my best friend, the one I vent to, the one I hear a dozen or more times on the phone, the one who comes home everyday for lunch with us, the one who makes me complete. Having him gone will be so wrong for me and us.He leaves tomorrow for the first week and Im so upset. I hold it in because I know if the kids see me upset they will be more so. The older ones get it, the know we will be going and seeing him sometimes during the week and making a field trip out of it. They understand he wont be home at night. The littles have no idea. I told them but they are so small they pretty much were like uhh Mom her is right here what are talking about :) So sweet :) we will adjust and God will guide us and we will follow.This also means it slows down our new house!we are having a friend go pick up our bamboo flooring and someone will lay it for us.Once thats done the cabinet guys can come and do what he needs to do. Still waiting on the well to be put in. I'm so done and ready to move its nuts. I'm ready the space and the country living again. I know the kids are ready.Ill just slowly pack and wait....

Friday we had and MFW co op and it was the best we had ever. well actually it was our Disciple Training Day but its with World Changers which is our MFW co op. we had another missionary speaker and she spent years in Pakistan and Germany. She asked for no one to post her name or pictures out of respect for her group. She was amazing and told great stories of her Muslim friends. we are studying Germany in MFW right now so it tied in real well. we are also doing a silent drama and my daughter Hannah got the leading part. She is the "believer" in it and im so proud of her. She is really breaking out that shell she has been wearing and doing things I knew she could do.Its awesome. Cody is also doing a sign language song for this drama and again I'm so proud. Jesus is giving the desire they need and really working it.Hannah became good friends with these 2 girls. Its so neat to see them all giggling and just really enjoying each other. Cody has a bunch of new friends and they actually live out by my mom so that's even cooler! Im so glad God has moved us to this group of amazing people. i cant put into words how nice it feels to be part of this.

Today I'm babysitting my Niece and nephew and I took all the kids skating with my sister and her family and then my Mom even came. we had so much fun. Chase and Ethan decided to get some skates and try. Guess what? They did great. So it took us 15 minutes to move 15 feet but it worked. By the end of the session they were able to walk and stay up! Thats pretty neat. My sister is like a child out there. Just skating like its nothing. She goes skating every weekend with her kids so her skill is sweet :) What else have we been doing? Oh yes, we have been doing school. Yes thats right I have pretty much stuck to routine this week and I'm so proud of myself! Monday we did have Chiropractor appts but other than that we did well. Like I said we made it to Germany in MFW and liking it. This week I'm really going to focus on the preschool and get Ethan to spell his name and point out the letters. Chase is working on his ABCs and I'm going to work on his name also. With Jeff gone through the week I feel God pushing me to stay home and do my good as homemaker.Fridays will be co op and library day. Kinda excited about it.

I am thinking...I need to go to bed and rest

i am praying...about my husband and his new job and how we are going be through the week without him

I am hearing...A 9 year old and a 13 year old playing IronMan downstairs very loudly.

I cooking...well tomorrow I'm baking cookies and breads for my hubby for his first week away.

II am reading...Many books at this time.

I am wearing...all black

From the schoolroom...This week are in Germany and doing alot of Fall crafts and nature hikes in our own back yard.This is my favorite time of year.I'm also working hard on our reading with Cody and Ethan. Flash cards will be are friends.

For the week ahead... lonely.

My calling

Chase here is gathering up all the straw my mom and me laid out. we seeded and strawed the front yard at the new house and he went right along gathering it all back up.

Jolene playing in the seed and straw

My mom is amazing.we went to the woods and I pulled down these huge vines and in like 10 minutes she made me this HUGE pumpkin wreath and a smaller one. She made it like it was a piece of cake. Ill post a good pic of them when I go back out to the house tomorrow.

Daddy giving Ethan and Chase a ride

These are the first of the heart booklets we are doing.

I cant believe its October already. That means we have 2 birthdays coming up in November. Ethan will be 4 and Jolene will be 1. Thats just to hard to wrap my brain around. I have a few friends having babies this month and next. well 2 already gave birth and are enjoying their sweet babies now.I have also had many posts for prayer for a few of these babies. This is a subject that bring tears and full blown sobs from me. Prayers are needed for the baby who is dying, for a baby who has a condition only 5 kids in the WORLD have. Prayers for these mothers and fathers who have to bare the pain and watch their baby suffer.But at least these wonderful babies have those parent to hold them, to lay them on their chest when ever they make a sound, they have the warm touch of mommy all the time.God has a plan and though its one i'll never understand and they wont ever understand its His plan.God made our choices we have been going through very clear to me.His reason for me letting go of something so stressful and something that was making me hide and not be me. I got rid of that. Then he opened my heart to Foster parenting. He did this all at the same time for this very reason. As my husband just said to me"share your nurturing".Thats what we will and are doing. Im ready to take on that child that hates and feels alone. Who has been hurt and abused and deep down wants a Mom who loves and protects. Im here for that child. Im here for the week long battles and the fists flying in my way. Im here for the screams and the don't talk to me moments. Its those moments, that childs heart softens, that child can go to sleep and dream about that hug, dream about that I love you he just heard. Fostering is alot of hard work but God has called Jeff and me to this and we plan to use every fiber we got to help that family. We'll be looking into adoption in January.Yes I'm planning on a special needs child. Yes you can keep you " oh mys" and " what about you other children" and what are thinking" comments to yourself. they will be instantly deleted from me. Its people who have no heart for these children that make the fall of the world worse than it is. every child deserves to be loved.Pray for the children and families that waited 9 months to hold their baby and find out they only have a few weeks. Pray for the mothers who are grieving the loss of their baby. Pray for the whole family who needs Jesus right now more than ever. I'm blessed to have 6 beautiful healthy children and my calling now is help the ones who aren't so blessed.

We have had another busy week but with many great memories along the way. school has been slow BUT we are learning those life skills that come in handy.we have been doing our Character Notes/training and I have to say if you haven't done those with your kids your missing out. They are amazing and the kids love them. we are making 12 heart booklets each have 4 pages in them. every day I write in the board the verse and the character trait. We read the verse and the chapter in the bible an talk about it. Then we brain storm all things that fit into that area. Its been alot of fun. Real eye opening for the kids.( I hope it sticks) :) Id love to stay on here and write forever but really im tired and I want the pillow NOW. Blessings

Before Five in A Row

I'm working on my preschool lessons for the Ethan and Chase. We are doing Before Five In A Row with them and reading Jesse Bear,What Will You Wear? Ethan will be working on his B lapbook, tracing his Bb, coloring black, brown, and finding words that start with B. We are doing a matching game with wooden bears and dressing those bears in different outfits. He loves the books we read though this program.Cody is FIAR and this week we are doing Lentil. He will be doing a lapbook and many games to go with this. It fits right in with My Fathers World so I'm happy with this weeks set up.With the moving going on and everything else that comes with homeschooling we are going to really pray and try to stay home and get work done. The downstairs in the new house is down( while not the bedrooms but my school room) so I'm going to try to set that up next weekend and get it really exciting and fun for our change soon. I'm going to set up a computer area and craft area and up stairs in the living room Ill have a corner with bean bag chairs for reading time. Ill have 2 desks set up for test time or for those days when we have "hiccups" during class. looking forward to our new change and I cant wait.

Prairie days

Ethan riding the horse

Hannah and Cody doing crafts

Cody is the one closest and Ethan is in back

Doesnt he look cute

Cody throwing the tomahawk

What a wonderful day we had. First thing this morning we had another home visit for our Stars training for foster parenting. It was amazing. I love our assessment worker and our caseworker. The classes will break your heart and prepare you for all the crap that these wonderful blessings have been through. It will be really hard to go through this but think of that child, the one who was abused and no one to help. well that's why God call on us to do this. We will help in anyway we can. We have our faith, we have our God. we will help.After that was over I took the kids out to Prairie Days and had a blast!The kids rode horse which by the way Ethan hopped one a horse and smiled the whole way. He doesn't like changes, he doesn't like adults he doesn't know but man today he was going for that horse with Cody and wasn't looking back :) They were able to pet snakes and turtles and furs and the list goes on. we saw the Blacksmith and that was really neat. Amazes me every year. Cody got to throw a tomahawk like an Indian.Loved it! Hannah went around collecting her wooden coins to trade at the Trading Post. She got 2 bracelets and stickers.Cody traded in his coins for an arrowhead. The little boys got a fake snake.All was good in out little world today.After that I dropped Hannah and Cody off at their friends house. It pays off when they are friends with siblings because then they are always together and we dont have to worry so much. Cody came home around 7:30 tonight and Hannah is sleeping over. We have a rule and its you have to be 10 years old and ready before you stay at someones house. So he has another year to go :( But we will see I love the family they play with and I'm pretty sure he would do great. we have had his friend over for sleep overs many times so its something we may bend the rules on :) Awhile ago we got out all our info we got today from Missouri Conservation and looked at all the frogs and turtles and snakes. The boys love looking at snakes and frog. Cody and Nick found a ring snake today by the chicken coop and thought that was the best thing ever. Only problem is we watch all the Man vs wild and Man woman wilds and so Cody thinks he is am expert on all. We watches Billy the Exterminator all the time.Child has no fear. Then poor Chase thought he would give old mom here a heart attack and decided to fall down the stairs. Yes he is fine but I'm sure you know the feeling.I think every fall like that is the worst thing ever and he was fine but I was scared *&*^less.Tomorrow I'm working on my reading with the kids and relaxing. I have spent more than enough in gas this week and I'm done for awhile. Well I have to go pick Hannah up but then that's it.....

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12 the lucky #

Cody after skating for while

For Hannahs b-day she wanted streaks of color in her hair, So I took her to a salon and it took 3 hours to do her hair! They had to bleach out the color we had put in months ago and then wash and dry. Then they had to put her real color back in with the black and blue she was wanting. then she got it cut really cute. Its looks AWESOME.

Hannah and sis Caitlin at skaterz for her birthday

Jolene wearing a Dora wig!!!

Happy birthday Hannah.12 years ago today I had barely turned 16 and was in the hospital in labor. After hours of labor I gave birth to the sweetest thing.Hannah is kind,thoughtful,loud,crazy,extremely smart and always ready to talk. I'm so proud of her. She has blossomed into this amazing young lady and I get complements every time we go out on her.She is the one I lean on, she is the one always there to play a game, she is always the one who jumps up when a little needs something. She is always the one who leaves her room like a tornado ran through. She is always the one who has on mix matched socks( she gets that from me).Hannah I love you and thank you for being my daughter.

For her birthday we have been busy so we through in some fun time. Friday I dropped all 5 children off at my Moms so I could go out to the the new house and paint. And I mean I painted like crazy. I love the colors and cant wait to put pictures up and decorate.Her friend Kinzey came over for a sleep over and then Sat Caitlin made her way over here.Those 3 girls are the best est of friends. I also brought the kids over to the new house leaving the 3 girls at home. I had to finish up my painting and my Mom was bringing back Cody we slept over there for the night. Having the 3 littles there while painting, well you just don't get much done. So I did what I could only leaving one all left for Jeff to do. Then we headed home and I took the kids skating. It was alot of fun and really exhausting for me. The 3 littles are crazy!! They were everywhere! Cody fell a few good times but nothing bad. the girls all had a blast. We came home and I was pooped! Today I have been cleaning and sorting clothes. Thursday when Aunt Paula came to babysit so Jeff and me could go to our second training class, she brought out 8 bags of clothes and shoes for Jolene. Yes 8. I mean huge black trash bags FULL of clothes from Easter dresses to Halloween costumes. So much stuff and so many days to sort it all. Lets just say I hope we foster a little girl so we can use some of these clothes!Our training classes are going good. They are really long! like 3 hours long. You hear some heartbreaking stuff that people do to these wonderful children and you just cry for them.How any one can do these things is beyond me. I don't understand it but we are going to give these children were they never have to worry about that again. Its so horrible what you hear. In January we are taking our 12 hour class to become adoption ready. Meaning if a child came into our home and they were up for adoption and they fit with us we could adopt. That also means we can start looking for a child that is in the USA needing a home.You would not believe how close Jeff and me have got since deciding to do this. God is wonderful.

Tomorrow I will be waking my olders up at 6:30 am to start our routine. I have been letting Hannah sleep until after 9 and we just don't get anything done. Not that we will get alot done with the moving and all but I'm hoping to at least do math and reading. I'm good if we get that done. We do bible every morning regardless if we are busy or not.That always gets done. I have been boxing everything up and I only left out the books we are using now for school. Which is only 2 boxes. SO I'm doing good.I know I had more to write but I have a list going in my mind right now I cant think what to write?????

MFW week15

The boys had a cat in the boxand she wanted to see so bad

Ethan made the pivk one and Hannah made the orange

Hannah making crafts for me

She looks just like Ethan. I love those ears!!

The husband :) Its from April

This week in MFW we are finishing up France and doing a review of week 3 and 4 for our co op. the are making the Eiffel Tower out of popsticks and making a really yummy dinner one day this week.Which day ot sure as I plan to stay home every day with them until co op on Friday. Well I take that back we have a little running to do. DANGG never works does it. Anyways as we get deeper and deeper into the animal behaviors in science I'm planning our trip to the zoo.now that the weather is cooler and the kids can make that long walk with out killing mom half way through its a great time to do so. we really need to be focusing on Cody's reading and writing. So I'm writing scripture out on the board and he is coping them down so many times everyday. I must stick with this because I can not read he handwriting and keep marking things wrong when they aren't. I'm also breaking back out the pathway readers for him and doing the workbooks for him. I need to make sure he is getting what he is reading. we are also working on Ethan's handwriting. He is doing really good on tracing. He can now can recognize alot of letter and we are going to start Starfall.com with tomorrow. He is going to love it. Hannah is loving her new Math. Saxon. She is getting and I love the solutions for the parents. I do like math at all. I'm so luckily my husband knows everything about it so he can teach because half the time I through my hands in the air and say I'm done. Yes I know great attitude MOM but really I just don't get it until the husband comes home and explains every detail to us over and over again! Jolene is doing her school.Yes even Jolene does school. She plays. She now goes everywhere in the house and loves exploring her bedroom and under the table in the kitchen. what she finds a mystery to us. So here's our week for ya. Monday: School,Tuesday:School, Hannah is getting her hair cut and highlights put in, Wed: school, Thursday: school, Aunt Paula is coming over to babysit all the kids so Jeff and me can go to our 2nd training class,Friday:MFW Co op and SHESHH theres a secret r this day for someone in our house!! hehehehehe.