Our "little boy"  turned out to be a girl. The sonogram showed a boy and the doctor agreed but he came out a girl.   Emily Elizabeth arrived on August 18, 2009 at 4:01 a.m. weighing in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long.   I have been so happy since having her.  I wanted another girl but was fine with having another boy.  The Lord has truly blessed us. 

My children have had some wonderful vacations again this year.  The week my kids spend with my sister every summer turned into a two week vacation.  Liz offered to take them anywhere they wanted to go within seven hours of her house.  Brittney picked Pensacola Florida.  So she took them there. They spent three days on Navarre Beach. They had a wonderful beach house right on the ocean.  The beach is not a popular one so it was not crowded. 

While down there they took the opportunity to visit Pensacola Christian College.   This is the 5th college visit my sisiter has taken them on.  Brittney liked it but wasn't to sure if it would be her top pick with it being so far away from home.  Lee thought it was okay but his top pick is still BJU.

 After going back to my sisters house they went to see all the area attractions again.  They did this because Brittney's friend Kim went with them this year.  They had a very busy two weeks and came home exhausted.

Last week Jim had his yearly work conference.  Normally it is in June but because of the 100th anniversary this year of the union.  They moved it to July.  I stayed at home with Jessica and Christian and Jim took Lee, Brittney, and James with him.  They spent a week in Philadelphia, PA.  They got to see some of the sights but not as many as they hoped.  The conference took up a lot of their time.  At the end of the week Jim took them down to Washington D.C.  They just saw the major sights and left.  Jim thought they needed more time - like 2-3 days to see everything he wanted them to.  Maybe that will be another vacation we will take in the future.       

Wow, I hadn't realized so much time had passed since I last blogged.  I thought moving the office would allow me to have more of a chance to keep current on my blog. 

I am now 33 weeks pregnant.  Everything is going just fine.  I have had two baby showers.  They were such a blessing to receive some of the fun stuff I was not planning on buying.   God has richly blessed us with free stuff from family.  This stuff was the BIG stuff - car seat, crib, high chair, etc.  I am always amazed at how God provides for us.  

We received the full results on Jessica and they were not what I was expecting.  I have spent the last couple of months trying to pinpoint what exactly is wrong.  The state has labeled her learning disabled with low IQ.  I have come to realize that is so general and does not help when trying to plan her education.  I narrowed it down to a processing disorder with maybe some dsylexic.  I started giving her Omega 3's and putting walnuts and flax seed in all of our baked goods.  This seems to help with some of her reading problems.  I know it is not a cure all but anything that will help a little is better than nothing in my book.  I have been working on writing out goals for her this year.  Maybe we will see improvement in her low areas now that I know what is wrong and can change my teaching style to fit her needs. 

So often I wonder what happened that caused her to be this way.  Was it the overdose of pain killers that the hospital gave me when I was in labor?  Or was the stress of moving far away from family during my pregnancy?  When these questions start running through my head I remind myself that God is ultimately in control and he has a plan and purpose for her. 

Happy Easter to all!

I have been so busy the past month.  Jessica was tested by the state to see what was keeping her from learning.  This process has been going on since January.  We finally have part of the results back.  I meet with them next Monday and Tuesday to receive the rest of them and to find out what needs to be done next.  Jessica is low on her IQ test results and her academic.  I knew her academic test scores would be low but not her IQ.  We are praying for her and guidance on how to best her help her achieve her full potential. 

Brittney has received her driving permit.  It has been a real challenge to teach her to drive.  She will not be taking a drivers ed class.  It was way out of our budget for a two week class.  She studied the drivers manual and passed the test on her own.  the real challenge is keeping the car on the road and not causing me to have high blood pressure while I am pregnant.

On March 24th I had my sonogram.  It is another boy.  We are having the big debate over what to name to the baby.  We are slowly getting prepared for him. 

This week we switched the dining room and office/library.  The "family room" was being used for an office/playroom/tv room; since it was much larger than the dining room.  Well, I decided to clean out the office/playroom/tv room.  I took the air hockey table to my mom's house - she has a very large basement.   I put the tv in my bedroom to discourage the kids from turning it on all the time.  Finally, we switched the dining room and the office area.  We had out grown our dining room and needed a larger area to accomodate our long table.  I put all of our bookcases and computer into the old dining room.  It looks like an office/library.  Since it next to the living room I am hoping I will be able to blog a little more often.  I can sit at the computer and talk to Jim in the living room.  The "family room" is open to the end of the kitchen so it works just fine as a dining room.  It is great to be able to put all the leaves in our table.  

Lee and Brittney took the ACT test last Saturday.  I can't wait to get their test results. 

Lee & Brittney were granted their name change by the judge on Wednesday.  An answer to prayer!!!

 Now, the rest of the story.  My ex-husband walked out on Brittney, Lee, and I when Lee was just 6 months old.  We didn't see or hear from him for six months.  I filled for divorce and a couple of years later married my husband. R has visitation rights but never consistently saw the children.  We tried several times to adopt them but he would never consent & would disappear for awhile.  9 years ago he walked out of the  kids' life and has not been back or called.  Actually we tried to find him last year and could not locate him.  Well, Brittney turned 16 and realized when she went to open a bank account and get her drivers license she was going to have to use her legal name.  At that point she came and asked if we could legally change her last name to match the rest of the family .  I said sure and went to see if Lee wanted his done also.  Of course he said yes.  He has went by his middle name since he was 7 months old.   Now he doesn't go by his middle name but his first name.  We switced the order of his name (first and middle).

So started the process of the name change.  I did not go to a lawyer I  did it all my self.   I bought the legal forms from USlegalforms.com.  It was the best money I spent on this process.  This process was not without problems.  I realized early on not to trust the clerks at the court house. I made sure I did all my research and asked questions from the legal forms company.  I stood firm with what I knew had to be done even though they didn't think so.  L & B was involved in the whole process.  I wanted them to know with a little work and determination you can do things legally without a lawyer. 

Our exciting news is I am expecting our sixth child!!! He/she is due August 24th.  Though I know I will never make that due date it is exciting to be having a non-winter/spring baby.  The other exciting part is that I got to hear the heart beat at just 10 weeks along.  I have never heard the heart beat that early in the pregnancy and was amazed that the doctor was able to pick it up.  I always think hearing the heart beat makes it more real.  

The only bad part is we were booked to be in Philadelphia for a week in the middle of July for my husbands work conference.  We discussed it and decided he would take the three older kids and I would keep the younger two home.  They have  some awesome activities planned for the kids this year that I really want them to go to.  The conference pays to see some of the local attractions.  Right now on the agenda is lunch on a naval ship, dinner on a sailing ship, and some of the local attractions.  We have some good friends that we spend time with every year at the conference that will look out for the kids when Jim is in meetings.  If at the last minute my pregnancy is going okay and they don't think the baby is going to come way early like Jessica, I may tag along. 

So school is going okay.  Since the beginning of the new year we have hit the books hard and are making progress.  We have had to make a few changes in curriculum.  The changes have made things go more smoothly and not such a hassle.   

On November 19th Lee & Brittney flew out to Atlanta, GA to meet my sister.  From there they drove to BJU in Greenville, SC.  They participated in college days while there.  B & L went to classes and spent a couple of nights in the dorm.  This was a real eye opener for them.  They got to experience real college life. 

On Saturday after they drove back to Chattanooga they went to see Lee University & Bryan College.  Neither B or L were impressed with Lee University and said it was not for them.  B didn't like Bryan College but Lee thought it was ok.  On Monday evening they went to Tennessee Temple for a brief walk through.  Then Wednesday morning they went and visited Covenant College.  Of course they all liked the most expensive college.  I was impressed with my kids because they took in account each colleges spiritual aspect as well as the academics.  They have yet to decide which college they will attend but they have seen enough to give them a good foundation of what to ask & look for in future college visits.  Yes, we do plan to visit more colleges closer to home in the spring.  We have found visiting really gives you a feel for the overall campus life, especially when you just show up without scheduling a tour. 

Thanksgiving went great.  The turkey was perfectly done.  Don't tell my mother-in-law that I left the giblets in the turkey again when I baked it.  I checked but they must have been still frozen to the inside of the turkey.  My in-laws came in on Wednesday and went home of Sunday.  My mom, dad, Liz, Randy, Uncle Larry, and Aunt Wanda came for pie and coffee in the afternoon. 

 Jim Sr.  went shopping with me on Friday morning.  That was the whole reason he wanted to come.  He does all of his Christmas shopping for my kids that day.  Mom, Dad, Liz, & Randy joined us later in the morning.  Jim & I did not get back from shopping till 5 p.m.  That was  12+ hours of shopping.  I have never shopped that long.  But he didn't want to stop. 

We had an answer to prayer Sunday.  Rose & Jim both came to church with us.  I know Rose is struggling with spiritual issues and may not be saved. 

On Sunday, Mom, Dad, Liz & Randy came to lunch after the morning service at church.   

My two favorite books this year for school are Draw Proverbs and Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends.  The kids have been enjoying both of these books.  For Draw Proverbs each day you have a few verses to read from Proverbs.  Then the author gives you a title and explanation of what to draw to illustrate those verses.  My childrens drawings have been slowly improving over the last couple of months.   It is also interesting to see how each child interepts the daily assignment.  Never are two exactly alike.  We take about 15-20 minutes first thing in the morning to do this.  While they are drawing I read a section from Making Brothers and Sisters Best Friends.  This book is wonderfully broken down into sections that are easy to read in the 15 minute time period.  It is humorous while still driving home their point of getting along.  They have done a great job of incorporating the Bible into this book.     

I found out this weekend that my in-laws are coming for 5 days at Thanksgiving.  They haven't been to Thanksgiving at our house in 3 years so I am looking forward to cooking this year.  The only problem is my two oldest will be gone the week before Thanksgiving and coming home the day of.  So all my big help with cleaning and cooking will not be here.  I think we will start next week that way I will have plenty of time to get everything done.  Jim's mom is someone who fears germs.  She brings her own toliet paper and sheets.  So I try to scrub everything in the house before she comes.  I want her to enjoy her time here and not feel the urge to clean. 

What a busy month this has started out to be with much more to come.  Jessica had her last soccer game on Nov. 1st.   James started basketball practice on Oct 30th.  I am thankful he has practice only once a week and 1 game a week.  I am hoping that with that schedule I will be able to find some time to blog more. 

We have meet a wonderful homeschooling family.  We got together for the first time this week.  Lee and Brittney had a great time with two of her kids that were close in age.  Her kids challanged my kids spiritually and that was an added blessing.  

Jim and Rose are coming for Thanksgiving.  We will start our fall cleaning next week.  That will give me two weeks to get the house scrubbed from top to bottom.  I just think that once it will be done it will be ready for Christmas.   

Schoolwork is going better this year than I thought it would.  We are doing better with not getting behind.  Brittney is doing well on reviewing Algebra I.   We will be starting Algebra II after Christmas.  Lee is still having a hard time applying himself.  I just am concerned that he will have to redo some of the work he is doing.   I have seen improvement in Jessi this year but I know she is still not where she should be.   

I can't believe it is already October.  You know how time flies when you are having fun.  I have spent the past two months canning.  I have canned more this year than any other year.  I need to build more shelves in the laundry room for the all the jars.  The Lord has really blessed us this year with fruits.   And we still have more coming.  I have canned salsa, tomatoes, peaches, pears, and apples.  We have frozen some corn.  I didn't get any green beans this year.  They never came down in price.  

One fun thing that our homeschool group is doing this year is a Spanish Club.   Lee and Brittney met with other highschoolers and have a fun hour and half trying to speak Spanish.  The group leader is Peurto Rican and speaks fluent Spanish. 

The Lord has blessed us with a great piano teacher this year.  Brittney is taking private lessons from Cara.  Cara is also teaching a beginning keyboarding class on Fridays in a group setting.  James and Jessica is in this class.  So I have three practicing the piano this year.  

We are doing well staying on schedule this year with school work.  Our favorite book this year is Drawing Proverbs.   We start our day with this book.  We read the selected Proverb than draw a picture that goes along with the verse(s).  The kids are not artist except Lee so it is fun to see their attempts at drawing.  They are improving and that was what I was striving for.