Quick post before I head to bed...

We had a great Thanksgiving. We drove over to New Braunfels to see Jamie's family...aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. We haven't seen them in a while. I wish we lived closer because our visits with them are always so much fun. The girls had a blast. They were completely spoiled and given lots of gifts, but I guess that's one of the joys of getting to see family. They played with all their cousins, which was sweet to watch. The girls wanted to stay longer. Jasmine was determined to. We were leaving, and she decided she was going to stay. When we didn't let her, she started crying. She was upset most of the drive home. But her Aunt Sandy called and talked to her, and I promised Jaz that we would go back to see all of them again soon. Hopefully we can head over there for Easter.
I first met most of Jamie's family less then a week after we were married. I fell in love with them. They all welcomed me as one of the family even though they didn't know me. They've treated me with love, kindness and generosity from the start. I'm so thankful for them and all of my family.
And now Christmas is so close I can smell it. I'll be getting the tree put up this week (hopefully), and soon I'll have family in town. I had one brother show up already, and will have another brother and sister here in a few weeks. I'm excited to see everyone. I can't believe this year is almost over. But I guess I say that every year.
Oh, sorry no pictures. We were in such a rush to get out the door that I forgot to take my camera. I'm going to have to bum some pics of my in-laws.
I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving!

I've been kind of busy

I've been wanting to sit down to type up a new post for a while now, but haven't been able to find a spare moment. So, for those of you that have been waiting, I hope you enjoy this one.

I came out the other morning to grab some clothes for Levi. All he had on was a diaper. Jamie said, "Look at Levi's little man-boobs." Lily attempted to correct her dad by saying, "Dad...they're called nibbles." I thought that was so funny. I corrected her, but Rosalie apparently didn't hear me, and started singing, "I see Levi's nickles...nickles...nickles..." I love those funny little moments.

I've been in the process of taking pictures for our Christmas card to send out this season. The past few years, I've actually been able to get one taken with everyone looking at the camera. I figured that would be near impossible to do this year. So, I decided that it would be easier to design our card to include 3 pictures. I'm posting some of the ones that won't be in the card, but I liked them too much to delete them. I love the outfits that I found for the kids!

This past Saturday, my sister Ashley had a formal that she was attending. I got to do her hair for that. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out since I was winging it. I'm assuming that her hair survived the night because she hasn't called me to tell me otherwise. I had fun doing it. I also had done her hair for a choir banquet that she went to when she was in high school. I scared her that time because I was half-way done with her hair, and didn't like the way it was turning out, so I took it all out. I think when I did that, she had an hour left before the banquet started. But once I got started on her hair again, it looked great, and went really fast with my second attempt. That all said, I'm surprised she let me do her hair for this formal.

Jamie and I celebrated our seventh anniversery on the 17th of this month. I grow more and more in love with him each year. Jamie is a wonderful husband and dad. Our marriage still feels so new to me. I continue to look forward to many, many more years together. God blessed me with more than I could hope for or imagine in a husband. He is my best friend and partner. I love him very much. We didn't have a traditional start, and a lot of people said we'd never make it. All I can say is we're still going stong, and our marriage only grows stronger as time passes.

Ninja!

First, let me start out by saying that I did not pose my children. We were about to load up in the suburban to go to the party when I said, "Hey girls, let me get a picture of you first...stand together over here." I made sure they were close enough to all make it in the picture, and I told them to smile, but they instead decided to really get into character, thus resulting in what you see. Iris is so funny. She likes to make "chopping" motions with her hands, and say, "Hit!...Hit!...Hit!" Levi got to dress up, too. I love his outfit with his little hat. Since they are so young, and I don't give them much say in the decision, I have fun dressing them with a theme in mind. I had a lot of different themes that I was trying to find enough costumes in the right sizes...clowns, super heroes, wizard of oz, and star wars. I'm glad the ninja theme won. Seeing all of them in their costumes, and watching them run around & play was so much fun for Jamie and I.

The night before the party, we went to see The Promise with some friends of ours. All the kids did so well, and really enjoyed it. Lily was on the edge of her seat for most of the performance. It was definitely a far better treat for them than a bag full of candy for Halloween.

Speaking of treats, I can't forget to mention that Jamie took it upon himself to make caramel apples for the girls. He didn't do the whole production of dipping the apples...he took the short cut of buying those caramel disks to wrap around the apples. That's not the point, though. The point is that he made his girls a treat, and I thought it was really sweet.

I'm just posting an update.

I want to keep this somewhat current, but that's hard to do some times when there's nothing new to report.

Half of us have been sick these past few days. I credit that to eating at El Chico's in Granbury...that's what I get for craving mexican food. I completely jinxed myself when I told Jamie on the ride home, "I'll be paying for that later." Which I did...the entire night (use your imagination so I don't have to go into details). And as if that wasn't enough, Iris and Rosalie got hit the next day. Poor Iris had it the worst, but she's pretty good when she doesn't feel well...she likes to stay in bed.

When I'm not sick, I like playing Rock Band or Guitar Hero with Jamie. Those are the only games that I'm good at. Guitar Hero World Tour came out last Sunday, and we made sure we got it. I wish it was easy enough for the girls to play because they always seem to get a guitar or the drum sticks and act like they're part of the game. Watch out for Iris, though...she'll smack you with a drum stick if you make her mad. She says, "I'm gonna bank you!"

We don't take the kids trick or treating (I know...we're soooo mean). Last year they got to dress up for a friend's birthday/costume party. We had four very beautiful cats. This year we lucked out, and have another friend that is having a birthday/costume party for their little one. We will have a clan of ninjas (check back next week...I'll post pictures). The kids are really excited. The party is the day after Halloween. On the night of Halloween, we're all going to watch The Promise in Glen Rose (http://thepromiseglenrose.com/). It's a production about the life of Christ. I saw it when I was in high school and was really impressed with it. The kids are going to love it. They can't wait for Friday, and neither can I.

Other than what I mentioned above, not too much has been going on. But I like it that way.

Happy Birthday Iris

Today our precious Iris turns 2. We ate birthday cake last night because I have to work Wednesday evenings. Instead of a big cake, we did cupcakes, and everyone got to get in on the action.
Our lady bugs were strawberry cakes frosted with chocolate and strawberry icing, topped with chocolate chips and mini oreos. I baked and frosted them, and then the girls took care of the decorating. As you can see, Jamie got in on it, too.

Iris was still asleep from her nap when we got started. I woke her up hoping that she'd want to help out, but she was still pretty out of it, and ended up just eating the chocolate chips while the other girls finished decorating. We were crunched for time because Jamie needed to go to a men's group meeting, and my sister Ashley (who had stopped by) had choir rehearsal. So, me, being the "greatest mom ever" (as proclaimed by my kids), let everyone have cupcakes before eating dinner.

The cupcakes ended up tasting really good. Lily ate 3, and was about to grab a fourth when Jamie had stopped her. Jasmine licked the frosting off of 2, and was getting another to do the same when, again, Jamie had to stop her. Rosalie nibbled most of one, and Iris was given 2--the one with her name and the one with the number 2 on it. Iris ended up wearing a lot of hers.

Ashley left, shortly followed by Jamie. The rest of us decided to go get happy meals, and then came back home to eat and hang out together. Last night was really a sweet time. I so enjoyed watching them decorate, and then eat the cupcakes. I have a happy, precious bunch of kids. I don't ever imagine life without them because they've made mine complete. Happy birthday my beautiful baby Iris, and may God bless you with many more to come.

Our most recent happenings...

I love this picture. I have to brag...I have a beautiful baby! Levi is 3 months old now, and is just the most wonderful blessing. I wake up to him every morning cooing, smiling, and kicking off the covers. He's laughing now, which is a real treat. He'll be our last (unless God sees otherwise), and seems to be growing too fast. I'm just sooo in-love with this little guy. That's one thing he doesn't do without: love. His sisters smother him with kisses. They all want to help out with their baby brother. I'm just enjoying him right now. Before I know it, he'll be his daddy's little buddy, so I want to soak up as much of him as I can while I still have a chance.

We went to the Ft. Worth Zoo yesterday for homeschool day. We met up with some friends of ours. All the kids had sooo much fun, and did very well for the long day that we had. Even though we were there pretty much all day, I think we missed some animals. I love going to the zoo. I remember when I was pregnant with Jasmine, Jamie took me to the zoo for my birthday. He's so thoughtful :) I was very thankful that he was able to go with us. I don't know how I would have managed without him there. He not only helped keep an eye on the kiddos, but he'd also made and packed our lunch and snacks for the day. He does such a good job when I finally let go, and let him help ***Note to self...I should let him help more often...***

As if the zoo wasn't enough, I also managed to drag the family to the mall afterward to get Iris' birthday present. This year, all the kids got to make a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop. I wanted to keep their birthdays simple, but special. Iris turns 2 on October 8th, so it was her turn to make a bear. Jamie got to take her through the process this time. She picked her bear quickly...she's a girl that knows what she wants. When it was time to fill the bear, the noise from the machine scared her, but I was quick to get her sisters over there to help out. It worked, and Iris was ready to go on. When she went to pick out clothes, she picked a Nascar outfit. Jamie liked that. But I had to intervene. I had them put it back, and directed them to a different shelf of clothes. Thus resulting in what you see in the picture. She named her bear Baby.

Oh, and another silly picture of the girls. You know, in the age of digital cameras, most silly pictures get deleted (unless you keep them to black-mail someone). But I have lots of goofy pictures. They really show personality, and most of them have a story. It's a sweet time when you get to sit down with a photo album and flip through the pages to remember those moments.

Lonely...waiting...tired...Daddy-sick

Jamie is working out of town this week. Therefore, I've been kind of gloomy during the day, and when evening hits, I don't exactly rush off to bed. There's just too many noises in the night, and I've realized just how much Jamie makes me feel safe and secure. Which is why I'm typing this at around, oh say, midnight.
Since I've been staying up late, I've had a hard time getting up in the morning. So, the girls had brunch today. Lily wanted to know why we were eating later than usual, and I told her that I haven't been sleeping well since her dad was gone. Yesterday, Lily overheard me telling Jamie, over the phone, that he must be home-sick. So, she was quick to respond, "You must be Daddy-sick. That's why your not sleeping good." She's so sweet, and she's exactly right...I'm "Daddy-sick."

Although I terribly miss my husband, it's been good with him gone. It's been a time for both of us to reflect on how much we love each other and need one another. I can tell that he really is home-sick because every day he's called and asked, "Have the girls asked about me today? Do you think they miss me?" And of course they do. Monday, when I told Lily that Jamie would be out of town, she asked, "How long? Will it take months?" I told her he'd just be a few days, and her reply was, "Wow, he must have gone to another country for a while." Lily took the liberty of telling her sisters that Jamie would be gone, and Jasmine said, "Yeah, he's at work." It was no big deal to her. But Lily holds back tears at the mention of him being away. I gave her my phone so she could call him. When he answered, Lily's voice trembled, "Daddy, it's me, Lily...when are you coming home." Don't think I'm crazy, but it's a beautiful thing watching her miss him. And I can't wait for him to walk through the door when he gets home. There will be four little girls jumping, running, and yelling, "Daddy! Daddy! You're home!" And a big girl with a hug and a big kiss waiting for him. Okay, now off to bed for me...at least I have Levi to snuggle up to.

Same old song and dance...

Gosh, I feel like I'm falling behind in blogging, but just know that means not too much is going on. Everyday is pretty much the same at my house...get up, feed the kids, feed the baby and lay him down, check my email, and before I know it, it's time to make lunch. After lunch, I lay the girls down, feed the baby again, and then Lily or Jasmine will start on homeschool. I get that out of the way, and it's time to make dinner because Jamie is heading home, and in the process of dinner Levi is ready to eat again. It's amazing if I get laundry washed or dishes cleaned in the process, but it happens...I don't know how, but it does. It's funny how I'm content with this ordinary life. I don't expect everyone to understand or live their life as I live mine, but I want others to know that joy can come from the simplest things in life. It's the sound of my kids playing, relaxing on the couch with Levi as he nurses, Jamie sending me a text just to say "I love you," those little everyday things that bring so much joy to my life. That's how I'm ending this entry...short and simple,

oh, and a picture of my goofy girls.

All I said was, "Make a funny face," and they willingly offered one to me.

1st Day of School!

Yesterday was our first day of school. Last year I waited to start Lily until after Labor Day, but the girls were getting restless, so I decided to start early. Since I'm homeschooling two in different grades, each of them get their own private class time. Jasmine was first. She was so excited. All last year as Lily went through Kindergarten, Jasmine felt left out. Even if I gave her a page to color or had her practice writing letters, she wanted more. So when we started yesterday, she could barely sit still. I was trying to teach her the lesson, and she was wiggling in her chair, grinning ear to ear, and nodding her head saying, "It's okay mom, I know...I can do it all by myself." Even though at the time, I didn't think she was paying much attention (because she was too excited to concentrate), when I had her tell Jamie what she'd learned in school, she'd remembered everything. She's already greeted me this morning because she wants to do her homeschool (it's 6:30 in the morning...I couldn't sleep).

Lily had a good first day as well, that is until I put a movie on for her sisters. The other girls were being louder than I'd wanted, so I put a movie on to get them settled so Lily could do her work. But I made the mistake of picking a movie that Lily apparently wanted to watch. It was killing her...she was missing the movie because of class. Before my bright idea to put on the movie, she was as excited as Jasmine had been. She was ready to start first grade, unless Alvin and the Chipmunks was playing in the other room. Oh well. Today is a new day, and I'll make sure to pick a movie that Lily doesn't like.

So by now you are wondering what the story is with the crowns...

I wanted to have a fun craft for the girls on their first day. I'd been at Walmart a few days before, and ran across these crowns in the craft section. The girls got to make their own "first day of school crown." Rosalie and Iris got to make one also. If we're going to have princesses in our house, everyone gets to be one.
I think this year will be a good one. Our first day went very well. Lily was understanding when I'd make her take a break so I could feed Levi, or change Iris. I'd better finish this entry. Jasmine has managed to wake up all her sisters in hopes that we can get a start on another day.

Keeping you updated...

Okay, I really don't have much to talk about, but when I started this blog it was with intentions that I'd keep it fairly updated.



Levi is 6 weeks old, and growing like crazy. He's already well over 10-1/2 lbs. Maybe he'll be tall. I keep saying that he broke the mold in more ways then one. He's the biggest baby that we've had (only by 2 ounces). Of course, he is the only boy, following 4 sisters. He has brown eyes; all of his sisters have blue eyes. So far, he's the fussiest baby that we've had, but that's getting better. I guess he's starting to realize that's okay for me to put him down (even though I'd hold him all day if I could). He's the first one to take a pacifier (Lily didn't take anything, and all the other girls suck their thumb). He's so sweet! I'm really enjoying this little guy.




This past week I've been busy getting my lesson plans and materials put together for the new school year. I'll be homeschooling Lily (1st grade) and Jasmine (Kindergarten). They are both really excited about starting school. Growing up I loved pretending to be a teacher, and now I'm so blessed to be able to teach my children. Just one more thing to occupy my time, as if a new baby wasn't enough. But I like the challenge.




I've been proud of myself lately. I've been staying on top of the housework, having dinner ready for when Jamie comes home, and keeping the kiddos happy and taken care of (that's just a few of the things that I do everyday, but are the most important). This Sunday I'll return to work at the church nursery. Like I mentioned, school will start for us soon. I guess I like for things to stay busy. It's makes me feel important, and needed. It reminds me of who I am. I am a wife, mom, teacher, chef, caregiver, daughter, sister, friend,...(you get the point). I know things would manage to get done eventually if I wasn't taking care of it, but right now I'm happy to be the one in charge of them.

My July babies

So, yesterday was Jasmine's birthday. She turned 5. I'd bought the stuff to make her cake a few days before. Luckily I bought white frosting because the first thing she said to me when we saw each other yesterday morning was, "Mom, it's my birthday. I'm gonna have a cake, and it's going to be purple with purple flowers on it." So, I put my cake-making skills to the test. It wasn't anything special by my standards, but Jaz was so happy. When she saw her cake, she said, "That's my beautiful cake--my beautiful purple cake with flowers." She continued to repeat that even after Jamie had cut slices off the cake.



Normally I have a party for the kids with decorations, guests, and a big store-bought cake. I enjoy putting a party together for them. I want it to be their special day. But this year I decided not to do parties. Instead, the girls made a trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop. Even though those stuffed animals are over-rated and expensive, in my opinion, it saved me time, energy, and money. So, on the day of their actual birthday, they just got a cake...an uneven, imperfect cake made by mom just for them. And all of them have loved it.


Levi is 4 weeks old today. He's a pretty good baby. It's a little different having a boy after 4 girls. Once you figure out how to avoid getting peed-on during diaper changes, it's pretty much the same. I have to tell you (if you've never changed a girl), girls pee just as much when you open their diaper...the difference is that they can't aim to hit the wall behind them. I have fun dressing this guy. After all the pink dresses and sparkle-shoes, it's nice picking out something blue or brown. My sister, Jessica, sent me a box of clothes for Levi. I was so excited with each piece of clothing that I pulled out. Everything was soooo cute, and exactly what I would have picked out if I'd been at the store. You can't see the whole thing, but he's wearing one of those outfits in this picture.





And I don't want to forget my other July baby...Jamie. He celebrated a birthday on the 19th. I won't post his age, but let's just say he's not too excited about being another year older. My dad was 4o when I was born, and he had 3 more kids following me, so by no means do I think Jamie is old. He's feeling that way, though. He's wanted a motorcycle ever since I met him, but the itch for one is extremely strong this year. I'll give it a few weeks, and he'll stop focusing on his age, and maybe he'll stop dreaming about a motorcycle for a bit, too.

I'm married to a wonderful man...

A lot of my friends have blogs, and I always enjoy reading what they post. It's like getting to know them on a different level. So, I'm going to give blogging a shot because I wanted to share a story that made me realize how truly blessed I am...

This past Saturday, my husband, Jamie, came home a bit earlier than usual. I love when he's home. Only I don't think he knows that because usually by the time he gets to the house, I'm ready for the day to be over (being a mom of 5 can challenge your patience sometimes). That day I was frustrated. I'd wanted to get the house picked up, but couldn't because every time I got started on a task either the baby needed to be tended to, or the girls were not being on their best behavior (to say the least). Of course when Jamie walks through the door, and sees that I'm in a mood, he naturally thinks he's the cause. He asked what was wrong, and I gave the usual "I'm fine" response. He didn't believe that I was fine, and I eventually told him that I'd had a hard day, and just wanted to get out of the house. After a bit of talking to each other, he said to me, "I don't want you to leave one day and never come back..." WOW! I never thought that was a fear of his, and I would never do that to him or our family. I try to be strong, but fact is I'm nothing less than human, and as strong as I want to be I still break from time to time.

Anyway, to continue with my story...we went and rented a movie and grabbed some fast food. We got out of the house and I didn't have to make dinner. We watched the movie together, and headed off to bed. The next morning was church, but we slept-in (which has happened a lot lately since Levi was born). Since we would have been extremely late for church, we decided not to go. I mentioned that I wanted to go shopping while I had the chance, and he said that I should take the day and go to Ft Worth while he watched the girls. I would already have to take Levi with me, so I offered to take Jasmine too. So, we got ready and left. No matter where we were, the day wasn't going as I'd hoped. If Jasmine wasn't complaining, then Levi was crying. I never really got to do what I wanted to get done. Everything seemed to work against me. On my drive home I should have been frustrated. But instead, I realized what a wonderful husband I have. He wanted me to have a day for me. And he gave me the chance for that to happen. I probably should have been home working on the house, but it's important to him that I'm happy and taken care of. He rarely complains, where I do a lot of it. He works everyday long and hard for his family. I get to stay home, and tend to the kids and the house. He loves me and our family unconditionally, and shows it all the time. God has blessed me with something that most people can only hope for. It meant a lot to me that he not only says I'm a priority, but he shows it. He does a better job then I do because where he has worry and doubt that I would leave, I don't have the same about him. He's shown me more than once that he's not going anywhere, and that our family is one of the most important things in his life. He makes me want to be a better wife and mother. I am married to him not by chance, but because God had a plan and a purpose for us. For that I am thankful, and blessed. I tell him all the time that he's stuck with me, and I wouldn't want to be "stuck" with anyone else.