Laura Elizabeth Ownby

We found out Friday we are having another girl! Woohoooooo girls rule the house! In honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder we are naming our baby Laura Elizabeth. Just beautiful!Cant wait to hold and snuggle this baby.I look forward to nursing and rocking and all the wonderful things a new blessing brings to a family.We havent done anything but school work and clean.I had some homeschool friends over for a day of fellowship and that was so nice. The weather was amazing and the kids played hard. Over the weekend Cody had a friends sleep over and we had a birthday party to go and the I babysat my sisters 3 kiddos.Sunday my sweet sexy husband bbq for us and we enjoyed the weather by trying to fly kites.With 60 mph winds we broke alot of kites.We only have 3 weeks of school left before I declare summer break wooooohoooooo!! Im ready to lay out and tan this big white growing belly! It pays to not have neighbors close by people. Theres alot coming up this spring and it makes me tired just thinking about it all, but its all good times..... Here's somethings Im thinking of tonight....Im very excited to be learning about the Feast and Holy Days.As we learned about Hanukkah this past winter and now we will celebrate that just as we do the birth of Jesus on Christmas.Very excited about the Holy days and we have been reading the bible about them and doing research after research and loven every minute of it. Im also thinking about the people who judge others because they do not fit into their idea of what a Christian should look and act like.The bible clearly states WE DO NOT judge.My walk with God is so much more real and honest when I stopped trying to fit in to this label of people.I wore a skirt for 2 years and hide myself from the world and my husband because I thought and looked down upon and gossiped about if I didnt look or make my kids and I act the way they did. I hide myself for so long and made my sweet children suffer along with me.Once I broke out of my shell and God told me he loved me as ME.The big loud mouth tell you how it is really kinda girl.I love Jesus and we teach our children to by theGlory God.We do that.But God made us all different and he Likes that! I dont have to be like you or wear what you wear or act like you.I love our God and teach is commands and we follow.But my children will have black hair or blue hair and they will wear shorts and paint there nails wild colors and my boys will be rowdy and crazy and get muddy and manly.Thats how we roll.but if you like to do that Ill love that about you and cherish that fact.It doesnt make us better people for what we wear.I love my dear friends who only wear long shirts.Why? because thats who they are and they are great people! I like the fact I can talk like sailor and my husband doesn't even blink.Why? Because thats who I am and he loves every drop of me he can get.He knows my love for Jesus as we Jesus is a huge fact in our daily lives.Sure I pray for helping in holding my tongue because God doesnt like that but im human and when the f bomb flies out of my mouth or when I stub my toe on the chair and I have ugly words fly out of mouth its all good.Don't judge because I dont care how Holy you think you are words happen.Im also thinking about these people who are suppose to leading believers on a walk and they are faker than Dollys boobs and so many people dont realize this until they are betrayed these very people.I pray for them and pray hard.Bless them! Thinking that id love to have my garden tilled and ready which im not seeing that getting done.WHY? Because I'm lazy! well not really but lets use that. Id also like to start going through all these totes and getting rid of the clothes we dont fit in and our out of season.The boys all have so many clothes and if you saw my 3 boys play out side you'd know why I keep so many extras for them. But I really dont need to keep 3 totes of clothes the boys dont fit in either.Hannah has I think 2 totes she has out grown and I know everything we saved last year for her will no longer fit.She is almost as tall as me.Jolene has bags and bags of clothes for this spring and summer.Thanks Aunt Paula!!! I'm so ready for her to wear them! carpi's here we come!!!

Update :)

Cody I think back in Jan.So cute!

Ethan and his get-up

Chase after Hannah got ahold of him.

Grandma with hannah banana

well I have to say the husband does not clean up here in Indiana.I just spent the better half of my morning scrubbing and changing out the shower curtain. he keeps the kitchen spotless and the living room ( I'm thinking that's because theres no kids here to make it a mess) but he uses whats called grandpas soap and it likes pine tar.Dark brown and sticks to everything.Its clean now and I'm sure he'll be happy :) Yesterday before we came up I had another ultrasound.The beaner was dancing and waving at me.every time I see a beaner it just amazes me that I have that in my body and I'm growing a baby! Amazing! He/she is looking great and we are still waiting on Jeffs blood work.Once the results show up Ill post what I'm talking because if I try to explain it now Id loose all of ya and that wouldn't be good. But baby and I look great.I'm measuring at 16 weeks and ill be 11 weeks Friday.I look like I'm 7 months preggers! But hey i love being preggers and ill take it! The kids are busy building forts with blankets, sofa pillows and tote boxes.Hannah is just getting up and its 11 am!!!! can you say teenagers!!!!!I brought little school work with us just our readers and Hannah's math.Hoping to relax and just be.we will leave here Sat and Jeff will follow after work that day only to have him home for 18 hours! I had planned on going to the history museum on our way back but I left Jolene's big stroller and Moby at home so that wont work for us at all! Maybe next time! I'm going to hit all the resale shops out here and found a crib!! i have yet decided on how ill do Jolene's room with another crib.But my bedroom is BIG and I'm thinking ill put the new baby in with me until he/she sleeps through the night.So that means until 3 years old in this house! Jolene is up and down all night long still.BUT last night she slept forever and when Jeff and I woke up we had 2 little boys in the middle of us with all our blankets! They were sleeping in the living and how and when they got in bed is still a question?!

well i must go and do something......not sure what but something :)

week 10 and doing good

Jolene showing me her pretty teeth

We love mud around here and any time we can play fight in it we do!!

My 3 boys got really into it so Hannah and me joined!

My 5 blessings at a park in Indiana!!

I have hit week 10 with this baby and feeling better everyday.Im not as tired and crabby as I was but Im a woman and we are all usually crabby from time to time anyway so whats new ;) We have had storm after storm here in Missouri and they have had some scary straight line winds that look worse than tornado's at times.I love a good thunderstorm but the bad storms are no fun with no husband around to keep me down to earth.we had many trips downstairs late at night with the littles not knowing what is going on.Needless to say im ready for spring but the storms can be gone :) School is going good but slow.My girlfriend bless her heart gave me all her 4th grade Abeka! I still need Math 4 and some readers and I cant think what else..... anyways she saved me alot of money.Now i have to buy 7th grade Abeka and really looking forward to using this.I have all of grade 2 so the little boys will be good in a few years.I had thought I wouldn't buy them a set of books, but I still love Rod and Staff preschool and their packs are so cheap and all though we have done the packs twice now, Ethan is just now realizing Letters make a sound and a word.Chase is right behind him so we have decided to go ahead and stick with those packs for this year coming up. We have all our seeds for our garden and getting ready to plant them in there containers for our seedlings to sport.Im hoping to do a big garden this year so we can can and freeze and have enough for the winter.Would love to work on a chicken coop but honestly im one woman with a handful of kids and my time is all over but building something.Im very blessed to have a Mom who is very handy and good at doing stuff like this.Did I tell you she is the one who put in all my posts for our fence! I didnt do even one!! I was busy inside with the littles while her and Cody were working hard.

I have another Ultrasound Wednesday and then we are heading to Indiana to see my husband.We are waiting for his blood results to see if he is the carrier for the antigens I have.I have tigers Little C in my blood. With Chase I had little E and C and Jolene I only had E, with this one I have C and thats scary because it can cause problems I wont get into until we know who carries them.SO we are waiting and waiting and its causing exploding thoughts for me! I leave it in the Lords hands and thats what comforts me the most. We are also on the hunt for a 12 or 15 passenger van.Needs to be in our price range and nice. we found a few but nothing that really held for us. Well I most be off to do some laundry and cleaning!......

The desire to be a super mom

I'm struggling with keeping up with my large family. Early weeks of being pregnant are in full swing and knocking me out.I HATE complaining but at least on my blog I know just about every one reading this has a large family and has been here done that so I don't feel bad.Im tired all the time.I also think that with my husband gone and only home for 18 hours is tuff on me because I have no help from him.Hes not here for me to lean on or to complain to and no one can make that up for him.Somebody else just wont do for me. I take my folic acid, vitamins and all my drops for my water but its not enough.Theres one day out of seven I feel like I did something.Its so hard to get up and get motivated to get everyone up and ready for the table. Then everyday its a total shock to my 9 year old that yes indeed you have to do English. Then I honestly struggle with him for about 2 hours everyday to get it done and we don't because he has won.We found him a tutor and im praying that will help.I know in homeschooling you cant " get behind" but you know your planner and you know where you should be and we aren't.I'm really looking into different curriculum's for English for him and maybe even Hannah.Rod and Staff is boring to him and its not colorful which is what he needs.If you have ever looked at or even tried Rod and Staff you know they are advanced and they really push the work.Which is great for the child who wired for that like my Hannah but Cody is more a chalkboard kinda kid and likes everything oral.I brought Easy grammar and I'm pulling sheets from that so the tutor can have those and I might just put Rod and Staff away for another child.Im also switching to Abeaka on just about everything for the new school year.We loved My fathers World but honestly it was kinda plain and boring also.I love the books you get with them but I feel ( as a history buff) we are missing out on US history and goodies like that.I have just about all the readers for history in Abeaka and we look through those and love them.I cant see spending another $400 on MFW when we just use them for alittle reading. I'm glad we tried it and I love tall the books we got with the first set and we know our maps and countries like the back of our hands now.But now its time for Us history and the men and women who shaped our country and made it what it is.I also use Abeaka Math on Cody right now and its the only math book we found out of many many currics that we really likes and does 4 pages everyday.Not that I make him do that many its because he likes it.He now is doing times and division like he knew it all along.we haven't gone past 3s yet but that's huge for a boy who hated math a few months ago and couldn't get long addition and now does it with out blinking.His reading is still a struggle but all kids have their time and we are getting there. I have also decided not to buy a kindergarten set for the boys this coming year. we have work books we get at the dollar store and those are great for early learner.I think reading out loud to your littles is the best thing you can do for them. READ READ READ. Get them involved in everything you do from laundry to cooking to bathroom cleaning to sharping pencils for the big kids.They learn the most from being your shadow( remember they watch your every move). I plan to take a 4-6 week break this summer and then hit hard core before the baby is born in the fall.Then we will take maybe 2 weeks off, only if needed. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow morning and hoping to see if theres one or two in there.I have belly that has popped like a basketball.I'm fat yes but this is now round and when I lay down its like a ball.I know its because I have had back to back babies for 4 years but theres always that chance with the more you have. and it runs in the family.I'm freaking out if it is.I like my single babies. I saw my sister do it and it was hard.Although she made it look so easy and had routine since the day she brought them room 6 years ago.Right after she had the twins she found out she was expecting again! He is now 5 and keeps her hopping more than the twins ever could! I love that little guy!My brother is also expecting their 4th baby in August.they thought for sure they were done and JD was the baby.But the Lord has other plans and those plans were to have another baby.Its really fun to have some one in my family due around the time I am because we always text each other funny stuff and compare everything. Kinda fun. we spent a week in Indiana last week and had skunk problem! He is living under the house over there and he SMELLS!!! makes a horrible screaming noise all night long keeping Jeff and me awake.The smell the day we left was so bad I thought for sure I was going to have to soak in tomato juice for weeks.It was bad. Jeff said he heard it again last night but it doesn't smell.That just means he is no longer afraid of the smell and its now a "normal" smell to him!!Gross!! we have had some really good mud fights with the kids since all my yard is solid mud. What else has been going on??? Well not alot beings I'm tired and I'm tired.Alot of nothing and I feel really bad about that.The kids are so good at watching movies now its sad :( we read alot but really I don't want to move alot and don't have a desire to clean,cook,help or anything.I know it will pass and I'm praying for that day to get here quick.
As usual my stupid blogger wont download my photos again!!!!

Dierks Bentley - Up On The Ridge

The early weeks

My husband and Jolene in the old house before Christmas

Chase made a really neat necklace for school Monday or maybe it was yeserday??he was so proud

Ethan made one too.it was a great project for them

we are snowed in again! we have under the new snow about 3 inches of rock solid ice that makes going outside a death wish.I love snow more then anyone I know but we have had snow it seem every other day all winter long.I still do love it but I ( we ) could use some nice weather for the kids to go play in.I have 5 kiddos who need the sun and fresh air so badly.yes they do out go and go sledding everyday but it would be great to sit in the sun and soak it up for hours on end.I got my first seed catalog in the mail and thought yeaaaa I cant wait.Then I looked out side to the huge amount of ice and thought "it will be awhile." The kids put some grass seed in little bitty pots on my kitchen window sill and we have grass growing!! We have a caterpillar friend in a bug house so we pot one of the grass pots in there for it and with in seconds we climbed in it and started eating the grass.we also have a ladybug in there who also made the grass his new home. Im really looking forward to have a flower garden and a huge veggie garden this year. I have been doing alot reading on it so Im hoping that will help.I will be huge and pregnant durning the summer so thankfully I have 2 older very hard working kids that will help and then 3 littles who im sure will want to help.We have snakes so bad out here Im a little worried about that.Come spring im getting a bunch of chickens to eat ticks and baby snakes.Growing up we always had chickens and not many snakes.Im looking forward also to getting a couple goats for milking.First my mom is going to put in a fence for out dogs and then we can work on the goat pen.I think once I hit 5 months I wont be going to Indiana as much because if we break down along the way im a sitting duck for weirdos. Just not worth it and I cant bare to think about that.So we are getting as much Indiana daddy time now as we can.Jeff also told me that come spring the will be working 7 days a week so this will be a huge challenge for us.

We have got alot of school done and today im just tired that as im writing this in my recliner with Chase refusing to get up.I have a million and one things to do but I have to keep reminding myself that Im still in the early weeks and this shall pass.I feel guilty for not getting up and cleaning and cooking etc.

WooHoo A blizzard!

Jolene and me playing the snow from a few weeks ago

• I was jolted from my bed at 4:30 this morning with this LOUD sound of my weather band Alert just buzzing like crazy.It was saying instead of the inch of ice with snow we are nowing going to get 12-24 inches of snow! if you know me and know me well you know this excites me like crazy! I have never seen snow that high.As much as I want to live in Alaska I can change my mind if MO can have winters like this every year Ill be good to stay :) My kids have never seen snow over 6 inches and it was just like 2 weeks ago we had that.they were thrilled and so was I.But they were hoping for a snow day off of school but you know im a mean teacher and I just laughed at them! we have been waiting for this since last Friday and we are all ready for. Food and clean clothes extra blankets and formula.Water filled every where just in case the power goes out because we do have alot of ice on everything out here. I took my shower at 5 this morning and did my dishes so if the power does go out at least Im clean and the kitchen is clean, well until the wild ones decide they need to eat.My husband is in Indiana with me stranded here by myself.I feel more sad for him far away and im sure they will close down his job for the week because they work outside up in steel pulling wires.So he will be there and ill be here wishing he was here to enjoy this snow with kids.Over here he is at they are getting mostly ice and that only means it will be longer for him to get home than if it was just snow.We wrecked one time going up there on ice and for the record he is NEVER to drive even for a short trip to the store allowed to drive on it again.Way to scary and never to happen again! Im so glad we are moved in the house to look out and see the white fields of pretty snow.Nothing like as open field and nothing around. well we do have a neighbor in front of us but they have a huge horse farm and thats what we look at is the horse in the morning when she lets them out to eat. Beautiful!! I love the fact my Littles can open the door and pee out off the porch and no one can see.I love the fact we have endless fields and a huge creek that runs along our backyard for the boys to play in with the puppies and friends.Cody loves to wake up and head straight down to the creek until its time to eat.


• Somethings Im thinking about as I sit here...


• I love being pregnant again


• I love my kids smile


• I love coffee with creamer


• i love talking to my mom in the morning


• I love hearing Jolene babble to me like she is telling me a great story


• I love my new house


• I love reading the bible before the kids wake up


• Seeing the snow come down reminds me of Little House


• I love teaching my children


• Im blessed!