Well…our four year old just recently broke his leg this last Saturday.  Long story short…he must’ve been tipping his chair back at the dining room table, maybe sitting on his knees with his feet tucked back between a space between the seat and the backing of the chair.  Daddy and I weren’t in the room to see it happen.  His siblings were.   Anyway…today he got a blue cast put on.  He’ll be in it for at least a month.  He’ll be learning to scoot around again on his bottom to get places!

Baby can now roll from front to back…from back to front.  And she seems pretty happy to do so.  I wonder if she’ll be our earliest mover?  Not that I think she’s rolling early.  I just wonder.  Her hair is coming in lighter and I see some red right now.  I wonder if she’ll have curly hair?  There is a fair chance of it!

I’m so busy.  I run from one thing to another to another to another….   Baby’s crying.  I’m off!

We’ve had a bunk bed for our boys since summer.  The top bunk has been occupied only…until last night.  My husband went and picked up a double  mattress we ordered for our four year old.  He also got the cutest Wall-E sheets to go with   So, now our 7 year old has the top and 4 year old has the bottom.  It’s working out fine sleepwise.  Our four year old though has had a hard time adjusting today (kind of making our household miserable this morning.)   I personally wouldnt have a hard time with it    Just because he went from a too-small toddler bed to this wonderful spacious mattress.  But, I guess if you love familarity and you’re only four years old, it makes sense.  So, now our 2.5 year old is finally in a toddler bed and out of her crib.  She really seems to like it, along with the freedom.  The freedom part I have yet to fully appreciate though, as she is the child that gets into *everything.*

Thanking the Lord that things seem to be easing up here with our oldest child.  I think we’ve gotten some answers concerning what I wrote about in our last post.  I’m wondering where blogging fits in my life these days!

Oh my has it been cold! -30’s to -20 chills some mornings!  But, balmy weather (20’s and 30’s) is coming, yay!  I am so looking forward to getting the kids outdoors again.  We’ve been utilizing our library like crazy….books, dvd’s, cd’s.  We’ve been dragging the cozy blankets out in the evenings and reading all sorts of books before bedtime.  My kids LOVE this, as do I. 

Our oldest daughter continues to struggle with a horrible diaper rash.  She goes back in this evening to the doctor.  I think this will be the third or fourth visit for this issue.  I am starting to wonder if it could be MRSA.  That sounds extreme to me, but it just really leaves me wondering.  We’ve been using an expensive diaper ointment recipe given to us by the ped.  We’ve also been using a topical antibiotic ointment that says not to exceed 3-5 days of use.  We’ve been using it way longer than that (with the dr.’s knowledge.)  We’ve switched diapers now and now have switched back again.  I feel so badly for our girl.  She is now up crying and yelling at nights.  We are trying our best to keep her constantly dry.  We’re all tired of this rash and we’re also just tired in general.  Praying for answers!

This afternoon I am going to make some really cool paper airplanes with the kiddos.   That should be very fun for them   They received a book of ‘Ultimate Paper Airplanes’ for a Christmas gift.  Well, I am off!

I love carrying baby in my moby

We welcomed in the New Year quietly   That was definitely my style this year.  Probably one of the biggest thrills for me of the New Year is that our 4 year old son is no longer using the ‘Froggy’ potty.  He’s strictly on the big toilet now…yay!  Oh my, does this say something about the excitement in my daily life??? (lol!)  Oh, well…it’s fitting for the season I am in with young children.

Daddy had many days off for Christmas break.  Right before his prolonged break started I was chatting how I desperately needed him home, which was true!  It’s been great.  But, now…somehow I desperately need to get back to some “normacly” (whatever that may be )  I know my husband will have lots to catch up on at work this week, and it will be nice to get started into the New Year.  I was able to get not even quite half of my Christmas letters out before Christmas and the rest of them???  Well, I am seriously thinking of making them Valentine Letters……:)

The picture above is just one that I really like.  It was taken over a month ago.  Baby now loves to have her little head out to look all around while I go about my business.

This is SO true.

And hey…why is there a hole in our tree?!   Really, we like our tree.  It’s the same tree we bought when we were first married, and we’re still making do with it.  We’re having fun counting down until Christmas.  We’ve already done one round of Christmas cookies.  We’re doing our Advent Calendar in the evenings, and we made a paper chain to count down the days too.  We pretty much have Christmas music playing daily as well.  Most of all…I am looking forward to our fun-filled Christmas day as a family.  I’m super excited about our kids’ gifts this year.  I love watching the expressions on their faces upon gift opening time.  I love the special breakfast we have before gift opening time also.  We’re keeping things simpler this year…yay!  What do I want for Christmas?  I want rest.  I was thinking about naps.  And I truly cannot remember when I napped last.  I am thinking it was the week I came home from the hospital.  That was…late September into the beginning of October.  I’ve been going like a crazy mommy engine since after baby’s birth.  I can still feel my body trying to recoup from surgery.  I am so thankful for my loving and helpful husband! 

My kids are doing okay!  Shortly after Thanksgiving our oldest came down with croup and an ear infection.  We’ve finally gotten thru that.  Our oldest girl is still in diapers.  I’ll leave it at that.  She battled a staph infection (diaper rash) right before she got sick.  She was miserable.  But, we’ve been VERY pleased with our pediatrician’s nurse practitioner.  She does really well with our oldest and she gave us a SUPER diaper ointment recipe.  It’s expensive, but I think it’s worth it to us.  My daughter’s issues certainly do keep me at the foot of the cross.  Never lacking anything to pray about, I guess. 

So, all of the kiddos are busy, busy.  I am trying to concentrate a lot on reading and vocab. right now with the kids.  Give me my library card and a good book list…and I am HAPPY.  God is SO good in how He brings resources and little nuggets of wisdom and information my way.  He certainly does meet me right where I am at!

I like soaking this verse up…

He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.”      Isaiah 40:11
 

What a precious promise!  The Lord’s ways toward parents of young children are not harried and rushed.  I pray you all have a peaceful Christmas, and take time for rest!

Merry Christmas!

It’s funny how some of our greatest teaches moments happen when I least expect it.  Today my 7 year old son was unloading the dishwasher.  I had laid a clean towel on the counter for him to set the clean dishes on until I was able to put them away.  Well, unfortunately while I had my head turned away from our oldest special needs child (not a very wise thing to do while in the kitchen), she pulled the towel, along with one of my favorite baking dishes off of the counter.  It broke in many pieces.  Yeah, I was disappointed.  But, I wasn’t mad.  My son stood in a bit of shock, but then helped me clean it up.  We talked about how ’stuff’ can always be replaced,  but people cannot.  Stuff is not eternal, but people’s souls are.   We also talked about storing our treasures up in Heaven, and not here on earth….where things can break!  I think my son got it.  I am sure he’ll need to be reminded of these lessons repeatedly.  I know that I often need to be reminded of things in my ripe old age of 33!

Describes many things in life right now, including my new header.   I thought something Christmas-y was appropriate.  I am very excited for Christmas.  Thanksgiving first of course!  Today I was happy to sit down with my 5 and 7 year old and we discussed the Pilgrims and read some Scripture.  We did a fun little dice game that explored the fact that the Pilgrims experienced persecution from King James if they did not worship God the way he wanted them to.  Simply put, my kids either ended up in King James court if they favored his way or in prison, if they worshiped God the way they desired.  My kids ended up in prison 3 times.  I know for sure they didn’t really understand what that meant, as they thought it was a fun place to be

Our oldest finally gave up in wanting to give up her quiet times for now.  I allowed her to stay up in the afternoons for over a week.  The result?  By the weekend she was falling asleep in daddy’s arms midday, and then she was communicating that she wanted her bed the next day   She has been extra tired though.  All of my kids have been…so I just adjust things when needed.

Baby is sweet!  Sleeping is going fairly well.  Getting up once in the night and sleeping longer stretches.  I have not been able to get rid of her trush.  She’s had it since late October.  The plan is that I am supposed to apply something called Nystatin in her mouth 4 times a day.  Well, I also have another child that regularly needs meds. 5 times daily.  That would make a total of 9 times a day…giving meds.  I’ve seriously only ever been able to remember to give it to baby 2-3 times a day.  I’ve even made a chart and put it on the inside of our cupboard to keep track of the doses.  But, now I’ve figured that I need to put a note on the outside of the cupboard to remind myelf of the chart on the inside of the cupboard!  You can see where this is all going.  Today I called and talked to a nurse.  She completely understood me…whew.  So, the Dr. called in something stronger to the pharmacy for baby’s thrush.  Hopefully this will kick it!

Well, baby is fussing.  But, here are a few little funny saying from the kids.

My 4 year old son and 2.5 year old daughter:

While eating breakfast one morning, my son called out to my daughter, “You come on over here to my chair and give me a hug and a kiss!”  She of course…did not.  I on the other hand said, “Well, I’ll take a hug and a kiss.”  My son’s response, “Oh mommy, that’s beautiful!”

And today (this is gross), my 5 year old daughter announced, “Mommy, I just dropped my tutu in the potty chair!” (the one that little brother just did his business in.)  I know some moms would think this is minor.  But, I admit, I am a mom of six, and I don’t do well with bodily fluids.  I just force myself to.  Anyway, on that note…Happy Thankgiving!

My Blessings!

Just thought I would share a few good things happening.  Of course, I’ll start out with a potty post   Our 4 year old continues to WOW me with his successes.  He has consistently been going #2 in the potty and not going in his pull-ups at naptime.  I pray this is IT….ya know, that fact that he’s finally gotten down.  I am certainly not expecting perfection or never any accidents.  I am just very much ready for this to be permanent.

We’ve been praying, and asking others to pray that we would be able to find a bigger vehicle to fit our family of 8 into.  We found one!  A 1999 black GMC Suburban.  It’s BIG.  And much to my surprise, I LOVE driving it.  We’ve been out doing errands as a family and the kids love it too. 

I was able to visit with church family this morning a bit, and many got to see our baby for the first time.  The votes seem to be unanimous that baby looks like her 5 year old sister.  My husband and I thought so right when we brought baby home from the hospital and were looking at her siblings baby pictures.  Fun, fun.

I think this is good…kind of still waiting to see.  Our oldest daughter has been forgoing her afternoon, self-imposed quiet times.  She has gotten sick quite often in the past and has pretty much demanded (in her own way), to be put to bed in the afternoons.  She just gets that tired.  Well, for whatever reason, lately she’s been wanting to stay up and play.  It’s been going okay.  She’s been pretty obedient during the afternoon.  The only thing is that I hardly get any kind of downtime to myself.  I guess that’s supposed to come in the evening.  Yet, now I am in the season of having a newborn who likes to be held in the evenings and is now cluster feeding before bedtime.  I am tired.  But, it really does make me happy to see our oldest child happier.  In a nutshell, that’s all I want for her anymore in this lifetime…to be happy and not struggle so much with ongoing health issues.

And I forgot to mention…baby slept completely thru the night two nights ago!  Didn’t happen last night.  But, she’s only been getting up once a night lately.  I’m praying for an early sleeper.