this just......out

My kiddos never let me pull their teeth.  I don't really know why this bothers me.  It's not like its pleasant or anything.  I just always get high hopes when someone shows up with a hanging tooth telling me that it's time to pull.  Why tell me if you aren't going to let me pull it? 

At any rate, last night was no different.  After the kids were put to bed, I heard the call from a little boy, "Mommy, I think my tooth needs to come out".  So, I stood by him in the bathroom while he proceeds to pull the tooth.  Sigh.

What can I say?  Teeth or no teeth, he is still one cute, sweet boy.

Even if he does pull them by himself.

TobyMac

I love music.  Almost any music will do depending on my mood.  My ipod holds a such a variety that anyone who listened would really be confused.  Rock, classical, contemporary christian, even alternative.  This past week, however, this family was gearing up for a little of everything.  We had tickets for TobyMac Sunday night!!  His music is a little bit of everything- and we love it in our house!!

The night was not complete without a dose of drama though.  Big Daddy had a function to attend, so I decided I would take the kids and have a wonderful time.  Well, then J decided he didn't think he wanted to go.  Alrighty then- I called my friend and offered to take her 2 girls if she would keep J and L while Big Daddy was gone.  All was set.

After a series of events to include:  child throws up, feels better, another child feels bad, feels better, feels bad again, goes home, and another child decides to come afterall- we were set- again- for sure.  Myself, my 2 boys and my friend's 2 girls were ready to par-tay!   And par-tay we did.  TobyMac puts on such a great show!!

I wish this one was clear.  He was walking through the crowd a few rows over and people came from eveywhere to crowd around.  It made it impossible to take the picture without getting bumped!

At one point T man was hip-hop dancing (thinking we weren't looking), and it was almost the highlight of the night.  I only wish I would have gotten a picture.

The night also included Brandon Heath, but I missed most of him during all of the drama of kids coming and going!  We had a blast and came home with sore feet, hoarse voices, and ringing ears, but it was well worth it.  If you ever get the chance to see TobyMac in concert you really should.

baby steps

The past few weeks around here have been a whirlwind of little less than chaotic.  At the end of January I was lost.  Really- I was behind in everything- every aspect of my (and the kids') lives.  At one point I wondered if there would ever be a point at which I would get back on track. 

A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to encourage my kiddos to return to their daily schedule without my constant reminders.  Before Christmas break, they were doing a wonderful job of getting up to the sound of their alarms and getting their morning work completed.  Not so much since we returned to our regular schedule.

While talking to J, I told him to start adding one thing each day.  Day one- get up on time and get into the shower.  Day two- add making his bed.  Day three- add cleaning his room.  You get the picture- baby steps.  I must say- it has cartainly been working.  This morning he was the first one up and ready to go!  (I cannot tell you just how HUGE this is)

This year I have also been encouraging A to do the same kind of "adding in" with her gymnastics.  She began with her vault.  Working hard to get it right.  Next, she worked hard on her beam.  Both scores have improved greatly this year.  Now, with the State meet in 3 weeks, she is working on her floor routine.  Again- baby steps.

Well, this week I have been working with T trying to teach him about when to talk (or when not to).  Along with this, I am also working on his volume.  Yes- he is LOUD!!!  What can you expext from number three?  Its hard for him, but I explained that he needed to just try doing school with a soft tone.  Since he only takes about 1 hour (give or take), this was a good starting point.  You got it- baby steps.

As I was thinking back to all of this, I felt a gentle tapping on my shoulder.  I knew just who it was.

"Aundrea, if you practice what you teach- you can certainly get back on track." 

Yep, the Lord does that often with me.  Uses what I say and how I act with my kiddos to teach me.  I have learned more about the character and love of God by being a mother than any other time in my life.  

So what have I been doing lately?  Taking baby steps.  The house remained a mess so I could get school back on track.  While cleaning the house, the laundry piled.  While the laundry was washing, I maintained the other areas that were already done.

Am I "there" yet? Nope. I haven't gotten all closets cleaned out (we are having a big yard sale soon).  I haven't gotten back to the gym.  I haven't finished our taxes (not sure why- I have all I need).  I haven't gone a full day without raising my voice.  sigh.  See how easy it is to get weighed down by thinking about it all at once??

Will I get "there"? Yep.  Baby steps people. Baby steps.

Sun, fun, fellowship

After such a crazy, drama- filled, stressful week, this weekend and all its fun was quite enjoyable.  Friday night our family had an impromptu evening out with friends.  Saturday evening was spent at the home of another family.  Today was  much more of the same.  We had a family over for lunch after church and we ended up making an entire day of it!!  They actually left only about an hour ago.  My in-laws also came for the afternoon, so we had a house full!! 

God gave us a wonderful gift with the weather as well.  Bright sunshine and warm temperatures allowed the kids (all 8 of them) to play outside.  I wish I had pictures of all the fun and festivities, but I guess I was just having way too much fun enjoying the day! 

I now officially have Spring Fever.  This is bittersweet because we have a couple of months of school to finish.  At least the end is in sight and we were able to get a taste of what summer break will bring.  Sun, fun, and fellowship.

Tomorrow begins a new week, but the fun and joy we have filled up on this weekend has me looking forward to it.  We will be playing a little "catch-up" from the drama from last week, but somehow it just doesn't seem as stressful as it did before.  Funny how things work out that way.

February 12, 2010

Here in the Southeast, we rarely get to see much (if any at all) snow. The last real snow I remember was in the late 80's or early 90's. Last year we saw some fall from the sky, but it melted as soon as it hit the ground. My older kids have seen snow in West Virginia, but my 2 younger ones haven't really gotten to experience the thrill of what a good snowfall consists of.

That is until Friday. The snow started to fall around 2pm and didn't stop until the wee hours of Saturday morning. We ended up with about 5 inches!! It was Beautiful!!!

The kids played outside until late that night, and were up and out early on Saturday morning. They were excited to have neighborhood friends to have snowball fights with and sled down our front yard!

The next morning , the sights were absolutely breathtaking!! For a West Virginia girl, it was like going home.

We consider the snow a wonderful blessing. The fact that it didn't hang around very long or cause and damage was even better!!

my valentine

Yesterday was a special day in our house. Sure, it was Valentine's Day- special for so many "love birds", but for me and Big Daddy, it marks the 18th anniversary of our very first date. Yep, February 14, 1992. I was a senior in high school and he was a freshman in college. My best friend was dating his best friend, so they arranged for us all to get together. Our best friends didn't work out, but we have been together ever since. 18 years- WOW. We were married on August 9, 1997 (my parents anniversary). It doesn't feel like that much time has passed, but when I think about how much has happened in those years and how far we've come- its really breathtaking. I don't think Big Daddy knew then how crazy his life would be. He sure does have his hands full with all of us, but we try like crazy to love on him and show him everyday how thankful we are of him. He is an amazing man, friend, husband, father, and leader. We are abundantly blessed. I look forward to getting to celebrate 13 years of marriage in August and count even more blessings then!

So to my Valentine- I love you Big Daddy!!

I have to tell you about this boy.
He is all boy and then some. He is LOUD, full of energy, a motivated and hard worker, and is the best snuggler ever! He turned 7 this past October and had a very cool party with live animals from the Savannah River Site Ecology Lab. He had lots of his friends there to share his day with him and received lots of neat gifts. The one present he didn't get was something he asked his Mimi and Pop for- a day at his favorite restaurant.

Well, it has only been 4 months, and he finally was able to go. He spent the night Sunday night with my in-laws and on Monday we skipped school to meet them. T was so excited and had such a great time. We spent a couple of hours there just letting the kids wander around playing games.

Don't know if you can guess from the pictures where we went. If you couldn't from those, I bet you can from this one. Yep, Chuck E. Cheese. Usually I don't enjoy going there, but since we were able to go during normal public school hours, it was actually quite fun. There were only a couple of other people there with their younger children, so we were able to let our kiddos just roam and enjoy themselves. T man has decided that he really likes splitting his birthday gifts throughout the year and is already planning on doing it again next year!!

I really must admit that is was the best Monday I think we have ever had!!