It is crazy to me that I could be blow drying my hair and think of 3 blog posts and yet I sit down to type out my thoughts and what is new in my life and I draw a blank.
I try to think of what's new and all I can think is that I hope this ride slows down a little, so I can take it all in and hopefully remember some of it years from now. I am so often asked what's new and my usual answer is that I am busy. I don't like that answer. I really need to think of another one :). While I am actually busy, I think it's a poor answer. In the busyness we are having fun, making memories, struggling at times, and learning that God wants us to know and trust Him more. So our busyness is good, so I am thankful for it and am choosing joy ;)
Baby update.....Brayden is now 4 months. He is smiling, laughing, and loves to watch the kids play. At his four month checkup he weighed in at 16lbs 10oz and is now 25 inches long. He is also reaching out. He gently rubs my cheek and puts his hand on my mouth when I talk. It's so sweet. He is such a wonderful gift to our family.
:>Michelle
I am also posting at my new blog, but will post on both for a few more times. Please visit it HERE
I am still posting at my new blog HERE. I will double post here for a couple more times. We have always been a game playing family. And we love finding new ones. When we find a new one, we play it over and over again. I mostly play with my Mom, brother, and sil play when we get together (my husband doesn't play games :(. Besides the millions of games of Lexulous I play on Facebook. This weekend I found a new one (insert huge smile). One of the best things about it is that it is a word game. What a wordy sentence that was. hahahaa It is called Bananagrams.
I can't believe we had not played this before. It is sort of like scrabble, but in a solitaire kind of way;) We did add scoring to it, which it didn't really have. We play that each game you win earns you a letter, spelling out B A N A N A.We had so much fun. What are some of your favorite games?? Did you grow up playing games??
I have decided to move my blog to eblogger. I can't believe I am doing this. I am not a fan of change at all. I have gone back and forth with the idea. And what finally made the decision, was a friend, well beside that was my desire to change my blog templates. I am not too techy and they make is so much easier to look creative and not really be. I have had the same design for over a year and well I no longer have only 5 ducks and I have no idea how to change it. I had another really nice friend offer to help, but once again I am not techy and was thinking it was more than I could do, with my limited patience and time. lol
I have had so many blog ideas and yet haven't made the time to sit down and write. I miss it, so I am hoping my new one will inspire me to get writing. I find it to be almost therapeutic.
I am not really sure who reads my blog and hope all who do will follow me over.
The link is HERE.
Dec. 16, 2009 - A Gingerbread House and Missing Teeth
As part of our Christmas study we also had a little fun reading the gingerbread story. I read them a few gingerbread stories and the kid had to write a summary of what they heard. They also got to decorate a gingerbread house. We had not done that before and so it was lots of fun. I did however learn that putting down newspaper would have saved me a lot of time trying to get the island clean. The more I washed the stickier it seemed to get. After several washes I think I got all the icing off. I also have gingerbread boy and girl cookies for the decorating this week.
Here are the kids working on their house. Notice Carter... The kid wouldn't just smile. I think he was sampling the candy a little too much.
And if you are wondering about the red cheeks?? Their Dad was playing monster and chasing them through our house before they came to the kitchen.
And finally here is how it turned out.
Kiley had a big day in our house this week. She lost 2 teeth on the same day, one on top and one on bottom. They had both been loose for a while. She looks so cute and is making her voice adorable. Those words just don't sound the same without your two top teeth. She was so excited to put them under her pillow and wait for her surprise.
Here she is smiling with pride. She sure is going to look grown up when the new teeth grow in.
And finally, since Brayden wasn't in any pictures I will include a couple of his little smiling face.
:>Michelle
Dec. 13, 2009 - Our Count Down to the Birth of our King!
A few years back I decided to make a fun way for the kids to count down to Christmas. I had more time and less kids back then. haha It was much fancier and started the first day of December. The kids have been asking me to do it again this year. We were not able to start at the beginning of the month, since I didn't get the cards done, and we will only be counting down the last 12. I figure, hey something is better than nothing. Here is a picture of what I did this year with an explanation.
In each of the 12 envelopes is a card. On each card is written 3 things.
The first is something to remind them how blessed they are or to remember something about God. For example: favorite vacation memory, Bible story, someone you love and why, a scripture you know, etc...
The second thing listed is a way in which they can serve, since Jesus came to serve and paid the ultimate price for us. So I listed things like, dust the living room, vacuum under the couch cushions, fold 20 pieces of laundry, etc...
The third thing listed is a special treat, since Jesus came as a gift for us and was given gifts by the wisemen. I included sitting in Dad's chair at dinner, going to the store with Mom, being the dinner helper, eating off a glass plate rather than their kid ones, etc...
For school we are working on our Christmas lapbook and reading Christmas stories and the passages in the Bible that help us remember the real reason we celebrate.
Well life is moving along and Christmas is going to be here before I know it. I am pretty much done with my Christmas shopping. We have 3 birthdays this month too, so I have to double up on their gifts. I am looking forward too celebrating the birth of our King and intentionally focusing on Jesus and not the hoopla of it all. Like that word hoopla...haha. I am reading the kids the accounts of Jesus' birth and the OT passages that prophecy His birth too. We are also putting together a lapbook. The kids and I love to do unit studies, especially when they are about Jesus.
We are all also enjoying Brayden and love him like crazy. He has started smiling and cooing at us. The kids are still loving on him and I think he likes it :) He is sleeping good at night and many nights I have to wake him to eat. I think all my late nights up when I was pregnant are coming back to get me. Brayden goes to bed between 11 and midnight. My little night owl. I am so exhausted by then.
Here are some recent pics.
The kids were also in our church Christmas play this year. They loved it. Carter had us all laughing and was so funny in the play. His antics included running around, requesting gum, flips, getting eskimo kisses from a little girl, and singing...he was so cute. Bailey read a scripture (which for Bailey is a big thing) and was part of the choir. The others also sang in the choir. I was really proud of all their hard work. Kiley Carter being silly
And finally a group shot.
Merry Christmas!
I always love that Thanksgiving gives our family a month to focus on being thankful. Which is something we could all use around here. So often I could complain about doing laundry and forget what a gift clean clothes are and the list goes on. I have come to realize that being obedient to the Lord and having a thankful heart brings joy. I have the kids make a wall of thanksgiving each year. They have to think of someone or something they are thankful for and write it down on an index card. They are being creative this year and decorating their cards too. We are also doing some mini-studies on Thanksgiving and doing some worksheets too. Here is a pic of the wall so far. The pictures on the side are copy work of a Thanksgiving poem.
Brayden loves baths he gets a little upset at first, but then relaxes. So here are some of his expressions I captured of him while in his bath. his little clenched fists. and
We are so thankful for our newest gift.
:>Michelle
Well with Thanksgiving coming up so quickly and Christmas a mere 53 days away I am wondering where time goes. I have days that seem to last forever and months that are gone before I know it. Brayden is already a month old. That just amazes me. School is still moving along and is about to take a turn towards how thankful we are for all God has given us and then on to Christmas to learn about the greatest gift of all. Brayden loves to be held, well what I really mean is that he wants me to hold him a lot or else he screams. I am sure learning how to work with only one arm. lol.
The kids are going outside as much as possible these days. I keep telling them they better enjoy it now, because the freezing weather will be here soon. Today we were blessed with a beautiful day. They were able to play for a couple hours after school.
Last week I finally was able to get some outside pics too. Between forgetting and the rain I wasn't sure I was going to get any before the beautiful leaves were gone. I didn't really capture all the great colors, but hey it's the kids that are the star of the pic anyways.
We also went to a local church's pumpkin party and the kids had fun searching the dress up containers and their closets for something to wear. They played games and were given prizes like the silly glasses shown below.
Here are a bunch of pictures, since I have a bunch of kids and don't want to leave anyone out. The kids also made a cool fort with the leaves. It even has a tunnel to get in and out.
And finally I love little baby feet. Here are a few I thought were so precious.
:>Michelle
Oct. 19, 2009 - What Me and My 6 Little Ducks are Up To
I thought I would give another update. It's hard for me to believe that Brayden is nearly 3 weeks old. We are all really enjoying loving on our new little guy. The kids are great with him and everyone has been so helpful. I am starting to feel better, but am eager to get back to normal.
We have been doing some school, but in a more casual way. I am starting to get us back on schedule and in a better routine. Being too relaxed makes it harder on me and them. Structure is our friend. lol
The kids are all doing great in school. We are going to be starting a Bird Lapbook and Bailey is finishing her Amelia Earhart one. I have to keep in mind that the holidays will be upon us quickly. I like to focus on those through unit studies and discussions.
Back to loving on the baby. I really do feel so blessed to have 6 wonderful kids to love. We do have times where things go crazy and what I call micro-bursts of chaos, but overall it's wonderful. I look at them sleeping or randomly during the day and am in awe that I get to be their Mom. They are all so eager to help and hold Brayden too. The girls love to pretend he is their doll.
They also LOVE holding him any chance they get. Proud big brother
Carter keeps asking, "to kiss his little cheekies" Kiley loves that she is now the big sister to two brothers. And I don't think she minds remaining the baby girl
They are also helping around the house a lot. They have been assigned a couple more chores and are doing great. They are all so willing to get Brayden anything he needs too.
Here is Carter washing the bathroom counter and sink. He was so proud of himself and asked me to come see how clean it looked when he was done.
And finally I need to try and get a hold of the lady who designed my blog. We need it changed to, "My 6 Little Ducks and Me" and update the picture. I hope she is still designing blogs.
Well I am going to feed him and get to bed. The morning always comes so quickly.
:>Michelle
Ok, this is my second attempt at a post. I somehow erased the last one I have been busy with Dr's appointments and preparations. I am finally going to deliver next Wednesday. We can't wait to meet him and start our new normal.
I am going to have to do some catching up on here. My twins turned 8 on September 11th. My Mom and I took the kids to Chucky Cheese for lunch. We had lots of fun. I wasn't sure what to get the boys for their gift. I decided to surprise them with a trip to the pet store. While Kiley and the others wanted a dog, I had hermit crabs in mind With a new baby coming the last thing I want right now is to train a puppy. I told them to ask again on their 10th birthday. We already had a cage for them and I remembered having them as a kid.
Here are some pics from Chucky Cheese. Sorry I haven't take any pics of the critters Carter and Cameron on the monster truck. I think this picture is saying, "yeah we are cool we are 8 now"lol I love when her dimples show.
Later we had dinner, gifts from Grandma, and Jeff played kickball with them outside.
Then the next day I drove to see Laura again (love her) and also to meet Emily for the first time. We have been blog friends and played lots of scrabble on FB for a couple years, but hadn't yet met. I was very excited and had a great time. I was really glad Laura was nice enough to share her visiting time with me. Emily was so sweet and fun to hang out with. The 3 of us enjoyed lunch together and laughs. It was a bit sad leaving knowing that Emily lives so far. And I sure wish Laura and I lived closer too.
And then finally school stuff:
I have been a bit edgey lately and school has not been real consistent. I had been praying and asking the Lord for wisdom and His guidance. Then last night it came to me. I decided we needed to still do school, but that we needed a fun day. I thought since it was the first week of Fall we needed to celebrate. I began to think of ideas and at 11 o'clock at night I wrote them down and surprised the kids the next morning. I had them write in their journals something related to Fall, I read them a fun Fall book, we did word mining with the phrase "Fall pumpkins", finger painted trees, made a list of things that happen in the Fall, and baked cakes, muffins and breads. I had them work in teams and make the different things. They even did their Math lessons while I cleaned up the kitchen. It was very fun and just what we needed. It is so good that when we pray and ask the Lord for wisdom He gives it. Love that
I only took pictures of them painting. I didn't think of it when we were cooking. Bailey Cameron Kileyki Collin Carter
Next time I am back I am guessing it will be to post pics of the new baby.
:>Michelle
Well here I am up at 3 am with terrible heartburn. It wakes me up so often. I am just glad I never get unless I am at least 7 months pregnant. That would really stink. I decided why not blog if I can't sleep.
I am now 1 week away from what I hope is my delivery date. It all depends on the results of the Amniocentesis. We all know the statistics are good (99% that his lungs will be mature) and lots of prayer. Yep, we should be meeting our new little guy next Wednesday We still haven't settled on a name. This sure gets harder the more we have.
My twins will be turning 8 on Friday the 11th. I can't believe it's been 8 years. I think I say that every year for each kid. lol It's just so true. Last week we let them have a birthday sleepover. They had a friend and their 2 cousins over. Jeff took them for ice cream and to play baseball, while I cleaned up the pizza mess and got the craft ready. They wanted to do a craft. My Mom took them to find something. They decided on ceramics to paint. We did cupcakes and presents and then it was time to lay down (haha lay down) and watch Bolt. That movie is really cute. I went to bed before them. They finally went to sleep when they woke Jeff up for the 3rd time It was 1:30 am. And of course they were up before 7. I remember those days.
Here are some pics. They sure don't look like twins, brothers yes, twins nah. And I was told they were identical. Here they are with their cousin who is 3 months younger. We all had fun!!
As I have mentioned before one of our challenges this year is what to do with Carter. He has been so used to having 4 playmates all Summer. He is doing much better and is learning once again how to play independently and/or to sit nice at the table with us. I have also been praying for wisdom and trying to remember the things we had done when the older 3 were little.
The other day I got out the colored bear counters, a piece of white paper, and some markers. I drew the same colored lines on the paper as we had bears. I told Carter he needed to match them and line them up. He loved the idea and sat there for a long time sorting and arranging. It was great. And then apparently wore himself out. Here he is sleeping while I make dinner. And he tells me he doesn't need naps He really thought he was a big kid. Here he is almost done. We could not wake him.
Each Summer when garage sale season comes along I have a list of things I want to find. This year at the top of the list was all the stuff I would need for our new baby. You see I keep saying I am done and getting rid of everything. Silly me, I am not answering that question anymore. lol Back to what I was saying.... I found everything I needed for the baby and the Lord blessed me with some great finds. Also I bought clothes to size 12-18 months, which I hope will get me to the next Spring when the garage sales are back.
As the garage sales are coming to an end I still had a few more things on my wish list. One was a waffle maker and the other was a bike trailer. Jeff has been taking the older kids for bike rides and I have been left with 2 little sad faces. This past weekend my Mom found a waffle maker, new still in the box for $3. I joked and said I was going to wrap it up for Collin. He loves all foods that go with syrup. It was getting late in the afternoon and we were trying to find our way out of the subdivision we had been shopping in and found a street we had missed. One of the houses had a bike trailer. I thought it must have been priced too high, since every time I had seen one over the Summer they were always sold. Nope. I was able to get it for only $20.
Here are the kids all loaded and ready to go for a ride. Can you tell they were excited?
In baby news....
I went for a checkup and for an ultrasound today. Can we say long day :) My friend has been watching my kids for my last couple appointments. It has been such a blessing for me and the kids. She lives only 10 minutes from the drs. (which is an hour from my house) and so it's no problem to drop them off. She is pregnant with her 5th so she isn't afraid of my crew. lol Our kids are all the same age and it works out great.
Baby is doing great and is growing! They estimate his weight at about 7lbs right now. And here I was thinking that going 3 weeks early would give me a tiny baby. Well at least that explains all the stares I get for my really big belly.
I would really appreciate prayer for the baby to have mature lungs. I go for an amnio on Sept 15th. If his lungs are good I am scheduled to have a c-section (my 4th) on Sept. 16th. Thank you
Here are some pics I got today. I don't know why my cropping didn't work, but I am not going back to fix it. His little foot. He is resting his chin on his arm.
We started back to school this week. I am really glad we did, because we needed the extra time to adjust. Carter has forgotten how to play without the other kids. I am trying to find things to keep him busy, but mostly he wants to be where the kids are. I am hoping after a couple weeks he will get it. The kids have done great and are working in each of their subjects. I think school is wearing me out more than them. lol
We are also trying a few new things. I added J. Fulbright's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day, Map Skills, and some Geography booklets. I am also switching Bailey from Abeka Math and going to Saxon in a few weeks. So far so good on all the changes. I think the schedule I made should work, if not I will adjust as needed.
Here is a picture I took of our first day.
:>Michelle
I haven't been blogging much, it's not that we haven't been doing lots. I have been preparing for a new baby, a new school year, and well just life is a 24/7 job too
We are finally getting some Summer weather and so the kids have been swimming everyday. We went to my Dad's farm and his local beach a couple weeks ago. The kids loved it and were even able to ride one of his horses. Carter had never been on a horse and so he was very excited. The other kids told him he could go first. He was thrilled. I am sorry that I didn't feel like walking back to the house for the camera, it was at the end of a very long day.
We have also been going to Dr's visit for baby no name We are still working on a name. The kids get to hear the babies heart beat. Carter says, "Baby's heart says, wow wow wow". Which it really does sound like that.
I have also filled the baby's dresser with clothes. I had been picking up clothes at garage sales all Summer and sorting them into boxes marked with sizes. I am so thankful I did that. I have the newborn and 0-3 month clothes in the dresser and 3-6 sitting next to the dresser, figuring it won't take too long.
The kids and I have also been having special park days with friends. Through facebook I found friends who I went to church with through out my childhood and also went to school with too. Others I have been in contact with throughout the years. There are 6 Moms all together. Our goal is to meet each month. The Winter months will get tricky, but we have so much fun we will make it work.
Here are all our kids and a couple Mom's who needed to hold the kids for the picture. here they lined up by age and a group shot.
Finally, I went to the Dr's today and baby is doing well. I am scheduled for an amnioscentisis on September 15th and if all is well I will deliver on the 16th. This will be my 4th c-section. I was really nervous about the amnio, I have never had one. I talked to the Dr today and am feeling much better. I have been seeing the same dr for 10 yrs now and he has delivered all my kids and so I trust his judgement. I think the concern of me going to fullterm are enough that I will take his advice and deliver early. I have had a baby that has weighed 5,6,7,8, and 9 +pounds. It will be interesting to see how much he weighs.
:>Michelle
Aug. 11, 2009 - I Didn't Know they could get Medical degrees!
We had some bats in our attic. I contacted a place and they said that we would have to wait until the 1st of August to get them out. The reason being is that the babies were too young to fly out and would still be nursing for food from the females. He also explained how to set a trap of sorts, where they can get out, but not back in. We talked about this several times while the kids were around.
The first of August finally arrives and we began to make plans to set the "traps" up. The kids were talking about it and fascinated that Daddy was on the roof and how cool (me YUCK) that their were bats around.
Then I hear the funniest conversation take place amongst the kids. I am not sure which boy said it first, but they were both sure about what they were saying and agreed with each other. They were talking and said that the "nurse bats" were still in the attic caring for the babies. Then they began to discuss how some of the bats are nurses and they care for the babies, while the parents are out eating bugs. Bailey did kind of mock them and say something about a Dr. Bat coming by to check them too. But she didn't correct them either. Jeff and I were looked at each other and laughed (mostly inside). They later retold the story to my Mom and asked if she thought the babies were old enough to fly or if they had to stay at the home with the nurses.
I love kid conversations. Their versions of what is said and perspectives on situations never cease to amaze me.
:>Michelle
Well the good news is that I didn't actually find any skeletons in my pantry closet. After viewing the pictures you will see my concern. LOL
I am not sure if any of you remember this post. Well I like to keep it real and so here I go again. I wouldn't want any of you to think I am some super Mom/wife/housekeeper lady.
Taking the before and after pictures of these major projects is actually incentive. So if any of you have something that needs some serious organization, you may want to try it. And of course post it on your blog and let me know, so I don't feel like I am the only one who can't keep it all together
I like to know what I have and what I need to buy, so keeping the pantry organized is important. Otherwise I do things like have 6 cans of cream of mushroom soup (which I use to make beef gravy...yum) and only one can of cream of chicken. I also get frustrated when I can't find something and have to wade through and search around in order to find it.
Somethings I have learned is :
> a 3 year old won't put things away properly when asked to put something away in the pantry,
> the 5 year old isn't much better,
> the boys make an ok attempt depending on what they were pulled away from,
> and Bailey is my best chance at it at least being on the right shelf. And if Bailey is putting it away that proper place needs to be available and if I had any of the previously mentioned children put something away recently it won't be there.
Here are the pictures I took. It was hard to take a full picture. The pantry is in a hall and so I couldn't get back enough to take it. I am sure you will get the idea.
BEFORE!
Here are the AFTER!
I wish I could have gotten a better angle, but you get the idea. I am glad to have it done. If you noticed the dates. It took me a couple more days to get a chance and/or the guts to work on it.
I am thankful to cross another thing off my "to do" before baby comes. I have only 40 days or so to go. I am going to have to get back to that list so I am ready to snuggle and kiss our new baby a lot!!
:>Michelle
Jul. 29, 2009 - Visiting New Friends * Birthdays * Silly Boys
My husband is a talker and he talks to just about anyone. He was working and saw a man stocking Christian books in a Walmart. He decided to introduce himself and a really cool friendship was the result. Soon Jeff took a little trip to visit him and some other men who are truly seeking the things of God. The group has a home church very similar to how it is described in the New Testament. The families sing, share what the Lord has been doing in their lives, and pray. The service often goes on for hours. After Jeff had made a few visits with friends the kids and I joined them. Jeff also invited some other of our friends to go too. All in all there were 23 of us (kids included) heading out to meet some sisters and brothers in Christ. They were part of the Mennonite and Amish Community. When we talked they expressed how they were believers following the Lord's leading and aren't really part of a particular group any longer. It was really a neat day and the kids had so much fun. Here is a picture of some of the kids that were there that day.
We also had a birthday party for Bailey. I bought little ceramics for the girls to paint and canvas bags to decorate. The girls also swimmed for a bit. Unfortunatley we are having a really cold July and our pool was kind of chilly. Most of the girls didn't seem to mind and had a great time. Bailey was really blessed to have all her friends come and celebrate with her :)
I also have two silly boys who have found a new way to swing.
:>Michelle
I have an intense love-hate relationship with my boys k'nex. I love how they bring out their creative side and how they spend hours playing with them. But and here is the hate part...I find them everywhere and I mean everywhere. In the bathroom, front room, kitchen, and well you get the idea. They have a home and place to be played with and yet they wander throughout the home With that said here are some really cool things my boys have made.
The first was a gift to me from my sweet Collin and here it is working great... I asked Carter what his creation was and he told me they were,
"thingy a bobs" Cameron Collin with his silly smile
They have also made motorcycles, helicopters, and planes. So while it drives me crazy avoiding them with the vacuum and stepping on them, I think they are really cool toys for the kids
:>Michelle
I am so in love with Jesus and am seeking to know Him more each day. I am a wife to Jeff and Mommy to 6 children (Bailey 9, Cameron & Collin 8, Kiley 5, Carter 3 and Brayden born 9/30/09). My house is often crazy, but always full of love. This blog is a story of my adventures, God's mercy and grace in my life, and funny days that aren't always very funny at first.
I also have gingerbread boy and girl cookies for the decorating this week. 
Notice Carter... The kid wouldn't just smile. I think he was sampling the candy a little too much. 
She sure is going to look grown up when the new teeth grow in. 
Kiley 
Carter being silly
The pictures on the side are copy work of a Thanksgiving poem.
his little clenched fists.
and
The kids also made a cool fort with the leaves. It even has a tunnel to get in and out. 
They are all so eager to help and hold Brayden too. The girls love to pretend he is their doll.
Proud big brother
Kiley loves that she is now the big sister to two brothers. And I don't think she minds remaining the baby girl
He was so proud of himself and asked me to come see how clean it looked when he was done.
:> Michelle
I have been busy with Dr's appointments and preparations. I am finally going to deliver next Wednesday. We can't wait to meet him and start our new normal. 
Carter and Cameron on the monster truck.
I think this picture is saying, "yeah we are cool we are 8 now"lol
I love when her dimples show.
) and also to meet 
Bailey
Cameron
Kileyki
Collin
Carter
It was 1:30 am. And of course they were up before 7. I remember those days. 
They sure don't look like twins, brothers yes, twins nah. And I was told they were identical. 
Here they are with their cousin who is 3 months younger. 
We all had fun!! 
He really thought he was a big kid.
Here he is almost done.
We could not wake him.
Can you tell they were excited?
I don't know why my cropping didn't work, but I am not going back to fix it.
His little foot.
He is resting his chin on his arm. 
here they lined up by age
and a group shot.
Bailey was really blessed to have all her friends come and celebrate with her :)
and here it is working great...
I asked Carter what his creation was and he told me they were,
Cameron
Collin with his silly smile
