Happy holidays 2008

Happy Holidays everybody :) We have been busy eating this last week and baking goodies. The kids made sugar cookies and used enough frosting on one cookie to make a 2 cakes. Ethan enjoyed eating the red icing. i have really tried to not eat alot of cookies( trying) but what can I do. We had a really nice Thanksgiving over at my sisters house and stuff our faces until we couldn't move. It was really good. It was such a nice day out that the kids pretty much stayed outside playing on the playground and trampoline. We all were so blessed that day the weather was so nice. It was aslo Ethans 2nd birthday on Thanksgiving. they grow so fast. He has fallen in love with Thomas the Train, so thats what we got him. Now all the kids sit in the living room with a track that takes up the whole floor just a playing away. I didn't realize Cody liked trains as much as he does. Chase likes to destroy the track when he makes his way over there.Then the kids scream at me and then the drama starts. Saturday we had Thanksgiving over on the Ownby side at Jeffs brothers house, Don. The kids played up in the new game room Ben got over the summer. Its such a nice room.Its like a loft, everything a teen boy would want :) The kids ate again until they couldn't move. Don had all the kids outside roasting marshmallows. They had a blast. Hannah got sick on the way home from that, I think she might have gotten carsick but not sure.Shes fine, out playing in the 1st snow for the season. WE have our neighbors over playing with. Jimmy 9 and Patrick is 7. Ethan is out there right in the middle of a snow fight. It feels like Christmas now. we had planned on taken the kids to Santas Magical Kingdom last night on our way home but With Hannah getting sick and Cody fallen asleep we are going to do it tonight.
We are all so blessed, its amazing to me how lucky I am to have a great big family thats loves so much. I have a husband who just does so much for us. he works hard so we can homeschool and stay home to enjoy our lives together. All the kids are healthy and smart and beautiful. I wake up every morning thanking the Lord for picken me for this family. I find myself in prayer all the time just rambling on and on. Its amazing what the Lord can do when you let him into your heart. We live a fastline kinda world and its a shame. we forget why we are where. Just take a minute and give thanks.
Caitlin, Hannah, Cody, Ethan and Chase are doing great. We took last week off school. Which we all needed. Chase is finally sitting and crawling. Ethan is up to 8 words and loves to tell Daddy " NO " .
I hope everybody has a Merry Christmas.

October 2008

Sept. was a crazy month for us. Hannah turned 10 on the 19th. We took her to the Prairie Days for her b-day. It was really neat. The kids seen alot of really cool stuff. Both Grandma and me forgot our cameras so no pic of that. what a bummer. We had cake and ice cream over at Grandmas house and let all the kids play there. Its so sad to think Hannah is already 10. I wish I could turn back the clock and go back to when she was little. I miss having a little girl. But she has turned out be the neatest kid ever. God could not have done a better job.
We had a birthday party for one of our friends and he had The Reptile Guy there.Now Cody is really brave and will hold anything he can get his hands on but there was a HUGE tarantula there and both Hannah and Cody held it.I almost peed my pants.They both FREAK out when they see a pin sized spider at home, so where they came up with this courage i have no clue. So that leads me to this story that happened yesterday. Cody went to the garden to get a pitchfork and came running in yelling there is a huge black snake in the walk way. So grandpa and Hannah go running out there and I think nothing of.Hannah comes in needing something for grandpa to cut the snake lose from the fence. I go out there with her to see what is going on and had my camera.This poor black snake was so tangled in the fence it was nuts,Grandpa cut him loose after a few tries and Codys help. But heres the thing Hannah and Cody were all about picking the thing up!!! I have many pictures of this.A wild snake my Cody is using the snake as a slinky.Hannah acted like it was no big deal to pick it up. Cody just might be the next Croc hunter.
We also sold our house in Sullivan and moved in to Grandmas. It has been an adjustment to say the least. But now that we have been here a few weeks things have fallen into place.I do have trouble with Cody thinking he doesn't have to listen because grandma is here. Cody is my wild child here. Many times I have wanted to pull my hair out. I think he is starting to understand the rules he had before are still HERE and in use. I cant blame him, wanting to be with grandma.

School with the kids is going better.It was really hard at first here because everything was in boxes and nothing was where I needed it to be. But all is well now, Thank you God!!! Im looking for some new books for Hannah. The math we are using is so horrible. She has a better time using websites for math practice than her text book. Codys math book is awesome!!!! And Cody has mastered TELLING TIME. I thought the clock would be really hard for him because it was for me but man he got it right away. way to go Cody!!!!!! Ethan is still having a hard time talking.He is up to about 6 words but only uses mom,baba,eat. thats it. I read to him and flash cards so I'm hoping he is just bottling it all up so one day he just lets it all out. Chase is not sitting up for more than 2 minutes at a time before he topples over and face plants the ground. He does like to stand and talk up a storm.He can say as many words as Ethan.