What to do? 

I'm tired, worn out and just keeping myself above the surface. 

Last week Jonathan had a little runny nose, red cheeks and a slight fever.  He’s teething, as babies do, so I gave it little thought.

Then on Friday night, Rebekah threw up. 

Then on Saturday afternoon, Jonathan threw up. 

Then on Sunday Jeremiah, Josiah, Rebekah and Jonathan were throwing up. 

Well, with all the kids, except for Jonathan, it passed in 24 hours.  I took both Jonathan and Jeremiah to the doctor and they were both placed on antibiotics.  Jonathan had a very bad ear infection - so bad it was coming out of his ear!  Well, Jonathan continued to throw up for the next two days as we tried to give him liquids in small amounts.  But by Wednesday, he looked his worse.  He had lost his pink color, his eyes looked tired, large and sad plus had darkness around it.  He just didn’t look himself at all!  It was holding a different baby.  I took him back to the doctor that day and he  was a bit dehydrated but the doctor didn’t seemed to alarmed.  Well I was!

And would you know, that was the day our family was to go away on an already-paid over-night wate rpark vacation!  Well,  I encouraged the rest of the family to go without me, while I stayed home with Jonathan.  He was VERY thirsty and cried often because I wouldn't give him more than 4-8 sips at a time of Pedilayte.  But by the end of the day, he looked better, was happy and even nursed me for the first time that day (he had passed over two nursing sessions).  But today, it was a different story.  He woke up happy and thirsty, but again refused to nurse.  Then suddenly, we refused the sippy cup and got really tired.  So, after being up for one hour, I put him back to bed.  When he woke up, he continued to refuse most of the day.  I was able to get a little in him, plus about 1 tbsp of applesauce and a 1/2 of saltine cracker, but he didn't want it.  What is the worst, is that he's refusing to Mommy Milk so it’s been over 24 hours since he last nursed!

He puts his little finger in his mouth - poor guy!  He seemed to like the Orajel I put on his finger - in fact that was the only thing he opened up wide his mouth all day - Baby Orajel!

I guess I’ll have to see what comes my way tomorrow – but

I blame it on first year molars!

Cry, Cry, Cry...

Feed, Feed, Feed...

Change, Change, Change...

Time, Time, Time...

Cute, Cute, Cute...

Cuddle, Cuddle, Cuddle...

Love, Love, Love!

What else is there to say?  The fifth little life into our family and what a ride so far!  Last time I traveled down this road, my oldest was one month shy from turning 7 years old and only in 1st grade.  Now he's in 6th grade and I have a 4^th, 2^nd and pre-schooler!  Life is busier than ever, and filled with schedules to keep and people to teach.  The last time I traveled down this road I thought it was rough, but now there are many more potholes along the way!

Luckily, along with older kids in the mix who need more time in school, I also have many more hands who love to hold the newborn baby.  That makes life not only bearable, but wonderful.  To see your older children interact with a newborn is something I thought I'd never see - and that I especially enjoy!  What a wonderful experience that has been.  I still can't believe that at my age I'm a new mother - again.

Please enjoy the new pictures I posted at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/40626232@N00/   of our new baby boy.

     Well, this has been my story.  When life seems to calm down - WHAM! - something happens!

     Finally, no diapers and then I get pregnant at 40 years old.  I'll be 41 when this next boy is born and he's due two days after Christmas!   Rebekah was born the day after Christmas.  I guess it's another busy Christmas season for us!  Of course, there is homeschooling in my LAST TRIMESTER, and I've been tired almost every day.  I'm good for about 3 hours in the morning, and then I need a good nap.   

     And yes, our home is for sale.  Though this is the worst time to try to sell our home, if the Lord wants to sell it, I'm sure it will.  Then we will have so many homes to choose from!  We trust the Lord is saving or preparing the home he wants us to have at His time.  Actually, we are not in a rush to sell and 'get out of here.'  We love our home but we just know in the future we will be in need of another bedroom and Michael could sure use an office of his own since he has been working from home since January.  We just need more space since we will be a 7 person family that is home together - working, schooling, playing - almost 24/7.  The home is getting a bit small, but we are OK for now, so not in a rush.  If it doesn't sell by the beginning of December, we won't be trying again until after the baby is born and into the early Spring.  The Lord knows the details and our future and it is in His hands who holds our future!

     Michael is still going through school online, the boys are still in Scouts, and we are soon starting performing arts & music school.  Life is SUPER busy, but it's all OK.

     Jesus is whom I holding on to.  His power and His promise that He will work things out according to His glory and his good pleasure.  Tha's my stronghold at times of stress and fatigue.

     On a different note, just last weekend we went to the Henry Ford Musum and had a wonderful time.  That is such a wonderul place to go and so educational.  There are so many pieces of history there, it is so worth the trip!  Highlights include JFK's car he was killed in and other presidental cars, The Weinermobil, The first ford car, Wright Brothers Shop & home, Thomas Edison's lab, and so much more!  What a place!  I will be posting picture on flickr soon on these.

     Tomorrow, we will be painting the basement white to cheer and lighten it up.  Right now it is a light cream color, but it always feels dingy down stairs to me.  Michael has put a new floor in our upstairs bathroom, and we are slowly doing more work on the home to help improve our chances of people wanting to buy it.  But if it doesn't happen right away, we will then be able to enjoy our improvements for a while.  There is no problem with that!

It’s been a crazy year and that is the reason for the large amount of time that has passed since the last posting.

In January we had Abby live with us, a senior high school honors student.  Her family went to Morocco because her father went there to teach Middle East Studies and the entire family went with him, except for Abby.  She, instead, decided to stay behind so she can end her Senior High Year of homeschooling here and be involved with Speech and Debate Club.  She also had an honor’s class in CSU.  I helped her to pass her drivers test during the time she stayed with us and the kids feel in love with her (and her two parakeets she brought with her).  She got accepted into the honors program at CSU with a full scholarship for all 4 years.  I don’t know how she did it but she is a smartie!  She wants to study language and become a translator somewhere on the mission field.  Maybe for Wycliffe??

She left in mid June and then we had a family live with us for two months.  The Newfields are on their way to Africa to become missionaries and the wife is about to have their 3^rd baby.  They decided it be better to live with other people who were closer to his work so I didn’t get to experience the miracle of birth in my house.

It’s been a crazy first part of the year, but I’m hoping the next part will be easier.  I went to my first ever homeschooling convention which gave me great tools and ideas of how/what to teach this year.  I’m looking forward for a great school year with the kids.

One thing I have learned is to relax…take it easy.  Make sure they know how to read…make sure they know how to write…make sure they know how to do math…and the rest…just show them how to love to learn.  Life is an ongoing, never stopping journey of learning and education.  Much of what we learn and is useful really is never taught in school…but it’s experienced in life.  I want my children to learn from life experiences and I’m hoping to make each subject into that this year.  Field trips, lots of library books to read and enjoy, videos about history, science and culture and whatever comes their way that will teach them about our wonderful (but sometimes scary) world around us. 

So though this first half of the year was filled with much of helping others as they lived with us, we were truly blessed to have our guests!  We always love guests!  Our door is always open to friends!

Hey, I'm new at this.  In fact, I really didn't know what a blog was until I looked it up on Google.com and found out that I should be writing something about what's happening.  So, I guess I will. 

You will find more pictures on my Weblog than word entries simply because through the use of photography is how I express myself and remember my past.  As a teen, when time seemed limitless, a journal was my best friend.  However, as time now seems scarce, photography is my journal.  Thus, in my life, pictures do speak a thousand words.  I hope you enjoy them.

Today in homeschooling, as usual right now, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to get everything done.  With two little ones not yet in school, it is difficult to keep them happy and go on having quality time with the older ones who still need my help and who are not yet independent.  Homeschooling young ones are fun, but challenging.  I have felt that God will help me with the challenge.  Nothing of true value in a life comes easily, but only that which is difficult to achieve and takes hard work.  The outcome of what is fought for in ones life through a challenge will become like pure gold and silver in one's life.  Homeschooling is like that.  Sometime I feel like I want to give up.  Sometimes I feel like a failure and that there is nothing left in me to give.  But when I ask for God's help, his guidance, his mercy, grace, wisdom and strength, then renewal comes from above and I can soar again.  I'm fighting for the homeschooling experience in my family - not with my family but with my own shortcomings.  The fight is within me and the battle is doing what is right over what I would like to be doing.  That is the front lines which I am in daily.  Is this worth fighting for?  Yes indeed, and once on this path for me and my family there is no turning back.  Fighting for a close-knit family system of homeschooling is worth it in this day of age.  And I know the pay-off won't be until later in life when my little ones grow up and begin lives of their own outside the nest that has been built around their growing experience here.  My entire house permeates "children live and are growing here."  There are casualties of the war I'm fighting between doing what is right for homeschooling, and doing what I wish to do all around me.  What I wish is to keep and spot-free home, but the casualties of homeschooling are toys and papers scattered in every room.  What I wish is to have time for me to be creative just for fun, but the casualties are putting that aside to pull out crayons, glue and construction paper to make paper crafts.  What I wish is to have time just to relax and read for myself, but the reality of the war that rages inside of me is that also needs to be put aside and the reading of Green Eggs and Ham and Usbornes World History is better fit to be read at this time of life to my fellow little soldiers.  The war rages on in my home, my life, but again, only that which I truly fight for is ever really worth the fight.  Happy homeschooling!