A Day in the Life

Ben's 9th Birthday

Today is Ben's 9th birthday!  Wow, where has the time gone?  As it happend to be Saturday, Dad was home to spend the day with us.  We let him choose what to do on his day.  He wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese.  After a birthday breakfast of donuts, our family was off to see Chuck E.  We arrived right at 10 am so we could enjoy a couple hours before it got crazy.  There were just a few families there when we arrived.  We got our tokens and the kids went off to play the games.  They really had a good time and accumulated 400 tickets together.  They all choose their "prizes" and then we were on our way.  Ben had a great time. 

At home we had lunch.  Then Ben opened his gifts.  He got a new Stingray bike which was really cool.  He also got a Lego set and a remote control car.  Grandpa and Grandma sent him money which he is saving to buy something special.  Then after presents we had ice cream cake.

We serve in the Children's Dept. on Saturday nights, so it was off to church.  They all sang "happy birthday" to him. 

On Sunday after church, we had Pizza Hut pizza to celebrate some more.  We just don't stop at one day, but the next too. 

I think he had a fun birthday weekend!

Happy Leap Day!

Today is Leap Day!  It's an extra day that we get every 4 years.  I wish I could say that I did something special to make use of my "extra" day, but alas, it was just another day.  I guess I don't have the luxury to do what I want.  Another day of school and Friday is another drama practice. 

But tonight Daddy and the boys got to go to a Panther Hockey game.  Someone gave us 4 free tickets so they get to do something special today.  They left a little while ago so now Katrina and I have the house to ourselves.  It's quiet and Katrina has fallen asleep (she is getting over the flu). 

Tomorrow Ben will be 9.  Because of Leap Day, his birthday is delayed one day.  But it will be Saturday and it will be a fun day!

How did you use your "extra" day?

New Year's Eve 2007

2007 is almost over.  It's hard to believe that another year is already coming to a close.  Has the year met my expectations?  Has it been an easy year or a challenging one?  Have my goals been met for myself and my family?  I've given up on new year's resolutions, but rather call them a new goal for myself.  I find that if I choose one, I can usually stick with it.  I'm happy to report that my 2007 goal has been successful.  And I have a new one for 2008 (I never share it with anyone, just between God and me). 

2007 was a year of new transitions for our family.  We added an adult to the family and also sent her off to college.  That was a very big deal to me and I felt like no one else knew what that was like (although families do it all the time), but I guess since it was happening to me it was different. 

I'm looking forward to 2008 to see what God has planned for our family.  I wonder if a move will happen this year?  In 2007 I came to the conclusion that God didn't want us to move yet?  Will He move us in 2008?  Whatever He chooses, I pray that He uses our family in great ways this year!  And that we can glorify God in everything we do, then whatever else happens, it's okay with me.

Happy New Year and may God's blessing be on your family!

Our Christmas 2007

Christmas 2007 was a wonderful time at our house this year.  It's hard to believe it is already over. 

My parents came to visit us at our house.  They arrived on Sunday afternoon.  On Monday, Christmas Eve, we attended our church service.  We were especially blessed to have our middle son, Benjamin, baptized.  We had been talking about baptism for several months and he was very excited about being baptized.  We were glad to have Rebecca home from college and Grandpa and Grandma here too!  After church we went home and had Christmas Eve dinner.  Before bed we read "Twas the night before Christmas" and Luke 2.  The kids were all excited about the next days events, but managed to settle down for the night.

Christmas morning came (all too early for me), but not early enough for the kids.  We enjoyed our morning and took turns opening gifts.  Everyone received so many gifts (and money).  It was a good Christmas morning.

The afternoon was spent playing with new gifts, making dinner, watching DVD's and just being together.  In the evening we all played Apples to Apples Junior.  We have the older version, but think the Junior edition is even more fun.  We laughed and laughed and just had a great time together!

Our Christmas was filled with a great time with family and many happy memories.  We didn't forget why we celebrated this special day either and made sure to remember our Savior's birth!

P.S.  A little snow in South Florida would really make it a miraculous Christmas!

Boys with Santa

Christmas is coming!

Rebecca has offically completed her first semester at Belmont and she is safe at home!  We are so glad to have her here for 4 weeks.  She is glad to be home without any books to read, papers to write or classes to attend!  Her grades were very good and she ended up with a 3.6 GPA. 

Now we are all enjoying being together and awaiting Christmas.  This year I have completely finished my shopping.   I think this has been a first for me and I didn't even start early.

We have enjoyed our evenings together watching Christmas movies.  And our weather finally got cold and there is a chance for a cold front on Christmas instead of the usual 80s!

Tonight, we will be attending something called "Bethlehem Revisited".  There is a church down the stree that is having a recreation of the streets of Bethlehem during the time of Christ.  It should be interesting for the kids to see.  Then we will come home and watch The Nativity.  So it should be a good night.

Well, may God bless your home this Christmas! 

Thanksgiving Blessings!

Another Thanksgiving is upon us.  There's an overabundance to be thankful in our home!  More than I can list.  Having Rebecca home for Thanksgiving was great!  We were so glad to have her here again and our family complete. 

On Wednesday our family got into our new Chrysler van and drove to Grandpa and Grandma's house for Thanksgiving.  Traffic was heavy but we arrived without too much delay.  It was good to see my parents again after about 6 months.  Thursday we all went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner.  We all ate together (the 13 of us) and enjoyed the time together.  The kids played together and had a great time.  It's always good to get together and spend time with family and catch up.  It was a good Thanksgiving day.

Friday a few of us braved Kohls on an extremely busy day.  Rebecca was needing some warm winter clothes and we shopped.  Standing in line was an adventure as the line wrapped around the store, but the employees worked hard to get us out in about 20-25 minutes. 

That evening our family headed for home.  Dad and the kids watched High School Musical 2 on the satelite TV, while mom drove home.  The traffic was good and we arrived home in very good time.

Saturday morning we were up and off to get our Christmas Tree.  The weather was rainy, but we were determined to get one so Rebecca could help put it up.  We found a nice one and tied it to the car (in the rain) and went home.  The tree was set up outside on the back porch with the fan on to dry, while we got the decorations down from the attic.  The tree was decorated in no time and we had homemade pizza for lunch.

Rebecca was flying back to college today.  We had to get her to the airport by 4:00 pm.  The airport was fairly empty and she had no problems getting through security and on her plane.  She had a safe trip home and came to a deserted campus.  Two of her good friends also came home that night, so she was happy to have someone she knew.

Thanksgiving was great this year!  God has given so much!  Having my family together for Thanksgiving was a wonderful blessing!  I will enjoy each moment we spend together.

Our week

What a busy week!  It really has flown by too.  We started the week off with a few sick kids.  Ben really scared us when he woke up early Saturday morning and had a bad croup cough and was having a hard time breathing.  I immediately took him into the bathroom and ran the hot shower.  I also got some Eucalyptus Essential Oil and put some on a cotton ball.  I also boiled some water and put the pot with Eucalyptus in it.  About an hour later, his breathing got better.  It took him until Wednesday to shake this.  No one else got exactly what he had, but we all had some form of the cold this past week.

Aaron had 3 soccer games.  The team is improving, but it's their first year together and they are learning.  I think they all have good attitudes and have fun. 

Our weather turned beautiful this week.  The a/c was off all week and the windows open.  I have begun my thorough "spring" cleaning.  It's always nice to open up the windows and air out the place.  I spend lots of time dusting and washing windows and screens.

Today was yard day.  We got rid of the old trampoline (hopfully make room for a new one).  My hubby got a new weed wacker.  He found a good deal on a poulon (not sure what that is but he loves his new toy).  I cleaned up an area of the garage to make room for the Christmas decorations that will be down from the attic soon.  Our pool pump died a few weeks ago, so today we got a new one.  Our pool is now sparkling clean.  I'm hoping that is the last of the things that break. 

And the best news is our daughter is home from college in 10 days!  We are so excited and working hard to get the house spic and span for her arrival.  My kids keep asking why since it's only Rebecca, but it feels like to me when a new baby comes and you are "nesting".  I want to make sure the house is perfect for her.  I also have planned to make her favorite food and have all sorts of special goodies around.

School has been going very well.  My son loves Sonlight and is keeping up with all the reading required.  We also started doing Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) the Student Writing Intensive course and he loves it and asks to do it first.  I'm so happy as writing has never been his favorite.  We finished Day 1 of the DVD and begin Day 2 on Monday.  Our days are full and sometimes it's hard to complete everything before Soccer. 

Well that's it for now.

November is here!

It's hard to believe that November is already here!  We finally have some very nice weather.  It's very nice here and the windows are open.  We stayed in the 70's during the day and actually got into the 60's at night. 

Our week went well.  We accomplished alot in school.  Aaron had 3 soccer games.  I felt like we really drove alot and got caught in rush hour traffic.  The kids were smart the 2nd game and brought books to read in the car.  That kept the bickering down some.

Wednesday we went to church for Trunk or Treat.  The kids dressed up in whatever they had in their closets.  It was a nice night and the kids got some candy.

Two more weeks and Rebecca comes home for Thanksgiving!  We can't wait for her to come home!

Until later . . .

Update . . . after 2 months of nothing

Well, we have not disappeared off the planet!    I don't have any excuses for not blogging.  So here goes what has been happening the last 2 months.

Our school started Aug. 27th.  We got off to a good start.  The kids were working hard.  Our schedule was going well.  Aaron got his own room and therefore, that is where he did his work.  He does better with quiet.  I thought I was pleased with everything, but things changed (more about that later).

In September our homeschool drama group started up again.  The boys were all going to be in the junior group (ages 6-12).  The play for this year was to be The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  The boys were all excited about being in that production.  Tryouts were the next week.  Aaron was trying out for Peter and Edmund.  Ben was trying out for the Fox.  Nathan wanted to be one of the wolves.  They practiced and memorized their parts (although not required).  Auditions went well.  Aaron got the part of Peter, Ben the Fox and Nathan one of the wolves.  They were all happy.    It's very good when things go your way.  So now we have drama each Friday.

In the middle of October, Aaron started Middle School soccer with the homeschool team.  We play against Christian and private schools in our area like a regular school team.  Practice was only 5 minutes from me so that was great!  The first game is tomorrow and Aaron is excited about it.  We have 3 games next week so that will keep us busy with practice on the other two days.

Now back to our school.  About the second week in October, I just started feeling that I wasn't happy with our curriculum.  I had added a Konos co-op in at the last minute just before starting school.  To be honest, I wasn't happy with it.  I felt like I was trying to get too much in and not accomplishing my goals for the kids.  I kept asking God to lead me.  Well, I started to get emails from Sonlight (not sure how that happend, but I'm glad).  I had looked at it over 10 years ago, and for some reason, I decided it wouldn't work for us, but I can't remember why.  Anyway, I read about Sonlights great 18 week guarantee.  During the same week, I went to our homeschool meeting and someone was talking about Sonlight.  There were catalogs so I took one home.  I visited the website and read through the catalog.  It looked good.  My concern with what I was using before was that I lacked direction in certain areas (mainly history, reading and writing essays and papers).  With Sonlight I could still use my math, science & grammar (which I was happy with).  I felt reading good books and incorporating writing assignments into our day was very important (especially preparing for the college load).  This is what Sonlight offered.  Within the end of that week I had placed my order and in a few days I had my box.  And what a great box. 

Reading over the Intructors Guide, I was pleased with my purchase.  I cannot read everything my children read and it had real answers to the discussion questions!  I couldn't believe that.  No more skimming through books to find answers to questions.  It even included a Bible reading and memory schedule, which is extremely helpful for me.

My son watched me open the box and take out all the books.  He asked if he was suppose to read all these books.  I hesitantly said yes, not wanting to hear his reaction, but thankfully it was "oh, cool".    That wasn't the answer I expected, but it was the one I got! 

We've done Sonlight for one week and I'm pleased to say that he has kept up on his reading and I have kept up on my read alouds.  It's been a good week.  This coming week we will add our writing assignment.

A Rebecca update:  Our college daughter is doing extremely well.  She has had TONS of reading and writing assignments.  She has done her share and more.  But the work has paid off with great mid-term grades!  She has made many great friends and has done so many exciting things!  She's gotten to see several plays and performances and heard interesting lectures.  We are so looking forward to seeing her for Thanksgiving and then having her home for several weeks in December. 

Well, that's it for now.  I hope not to wait 2 months for the next update. 

Rebecca at Belmont

Saying Goodbye

We got up early, dressed and ate and then we were off to Belmont.  We met Rebecca and sat in the auditorium together.  This would be a church-like service and I instructed the kids to behave well, or else.  They did.  It was a touching ceremony to ask God to bless this new year, the new freshmen class and the parents. 

Afterward, we took Rebecca to burger king to pick up some food for her to eat.  Then back to the dorm.  We had until 1pm (when the families had to leave)    We went back to her dorm and took lots of pictures.  Then lunch came and had to feed the crew again.  This time we went up the other side of the street.  We found such a cute shopping area, that if it were not 100 degrees, we would have taken a walk.  Well, on another visit that wasn't so hot!  We found the famous pancake house that famous people visit often.  We saw the campus of Vanderbelt University.  Then we found a KFC and picked up some potato wedges and macaroni and cheese.  We ate in the car in the parking garage (what a last meal together [but we actually had our last family meal at home]). 

It was getting close for us to leave.  I drove over to her dorm and we started our goodbyes.  It was hard for me to say goodbye to my little girl.  I let the other children say their goodbyes and then I did.    It was hard, but I was so very proud of her and knew that God would take care of her alot better than me.

We went back to the timeshare and just rested and the kids enjoyed watching The Disney Channel.  After watching High School Musical 2, we went to the pool for another evening swim.  The off to bed.

Rebecca's Dorm

Move-In Day

After a good night's sleep, the day was here.  Today is move-in day at Belmont.  We didn't have to get there until 11 am, so we were able to take our time. 

After eating breakfast, we left around 10:30 am.  We arrived a little before 11am and we directed to the line for her hall.  We followed the line around and around and every turn, we thought we might be there, but yet another alley to go down.  But after about 45 minutes we were in front of her dorm.  We were greeted with several volunteers from the Nashville community and they unloaded us and put all her things in her dorm.  They were thrilled that her dorm was on the first floor.  We then parked our cars in the parking garage and headed back to her dorm. 

At her room, we were nicely surprised to see how big the room was.  There were three of them sharing the dorm (usually 2) and they had lots of room.  We met her roomates and parents and began unpacking her things.  Rebecca's bed was bunked and she put her desk and dresser underneath her drawers giving her more room for the refridgerator.

At 2pm the unpacking was finished.  The kids were hungry so we left to find something to eat.  The only thing we could find was a burger king, so we had veggie burgers & fries.  Then back to the dorm.  There was an assembly that we were to attend at 5pm and then have dinner.  It was short and we were eating soon.  Of course, we didn't eat the meat, so we had buns, chips, potato salad and cookies for dinner.  Afterward, we said "goodbye" to Rebecca, as the kids were tired.  She would have other things to do tonight after we left (although she really just wanted to sleep).

After leaving, we stopped off at the grocery store to purchase so food.  When we got to the timeshare, the kids got their suits on and we went off to the pool for an evening swim.  They swam about 30 minutes and then off to bed.  We had to be at the college at 9 am for the Matriculation Ceremony.

On our way to college

Well, it's the night before we leave for college.  It's hard to believe the day is already here.  Rebecca is excited and nervous at the same time.  She doesn't know what to expect from this new adventure in her life!

We have everything packed and ready to put into the van.  We put down the 3 back seats (stow 'n' go) and loaded everything into the van, which included a 4.0 cu refridgerator, TV, storage shelves, bedding, blankets, towels, winter clothes, other clothes, school supplies and books (bought them used online), and so much more.  We fit everything.

Dad was not going with us.  He just started a new job and had to work.  Even though we would miss having him with us, he had come down with this awful cold and it would not have been good for him to come. 

The night before leaving was not as I had envisioned it.  Dad was sick in bed and looked awful while we were eating dinner.  He then went to bed.

4:45 am came really early.  I managed to get about 5 hours sleep and was somewhat rested.  After waking the kids and getting dressed, we were in the cars at 5:10 am.  Rebecca would be following me in her car.  Ben rode with Rebecca first.

We arrived at the Georgia line making good time and shortly after stopped to get gas and take a bathroom break.  I had packed food for lunch, so that didn't hold us up.  Then we arrived at the dreaded Atlanta and traffic was a bear.  It was only 3:00 pm, but rush hour was early.  It took us over 2 hours to get out of Atlanta.  Rebecca met the crazy Atlanta drivers the hard way!  Then before Chatanooga we experienced another traffic problem that took another hour to get through.

From then on it was smooth sailing.  We arrived at Nashville around 8:30 pm (about 3 hours longer than planned).  My parents graciously allowed us to use a few of their timeshare days and we stayed in a beautiful 2 bedroom/2 bathroom with living room and kitchen suite.  We were also on the first floor and the pool and playground were just behind us.

After ordering out pizza and getting cleaned up, we were glad to get into our beds.  Tomorrow would be another busy move-in day.

5 weeks til were taking her to college!

Oh, my!  I can't believe we only have 5 weeks until we are taking Rebecca to college!    Okay, it's a good thing though, even though my baby girl will be in college!    We are so proud of her!  

We've been real busy around here getting everything ready.  One of her very big projects is to clean and pack up her room.  She's been working on this for 2 weeks now and still has more to do.  Her brother will be moving into her room (yes he's sharing the room with two younger boys) so he's thrilled about the prospect of having his own room.  She will be storing most of her stuff in the closet.  She is doing well at filling up our trash cans!

We've also been buying things for college.  We are trying to get the best deals on everything and yet get the best things to last for four years.  I was so thrilled about finding a 3.9 cu. compact refridgertor for only $78!  It was regularly $150 and with sale price, coupon, and rebate that's what we ended up paying for it.   

I had hoped to start school early, but with everything that is happening, no chance.   We are enjoying going to the free summer movies and having friends over and softball games, so with all that there's only about one free day a week.

The picture thing finally worked so I was able to get a picture up.  I will post more soon.

Rebecca at Belmont U

Freshman Orientation

Rebecca and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at Belmont University at the Freshman Orientation.  First I must say that I was very impressed with the University!  They were so organized and complete in their orientation.  I’m still in awe that she will be attending this school in the Fall.  It’s really a great place!  I’m so thankful to God that He led us here!

We arrived Tuesday at 8 am.  We registered and then took Rebecca’s things to the dorm to check in.  She was staying on campus tonight.  After that we headed over to the Massey Performing Arts Center for the welcome from the president.  He did a great job at making us feel welcome and assuring us that we had made a great decision to send our student to Belmont.  After that the parents went one way and the students the other for specific seminars.  Rebecca wasn’t quite sure about this as she knew no one, but she went on her way.  My first seminar was on residence life which answered several of my questions and then on to the fun stuff, financial aid!  I had more questions about the finances than anything else.  The financial advisor did a great job in easing our worries about money and explained it very well.  Apparently Belmont is a model for other colleges on how to do the money thing easy without complication.  Meanwhile, Rebecca learned about Residence Life, the convocation requirement and the core curriculum. 

Next we met at the cafeteria for lunch.  They have an impressive cafeteria, not like anything I remembered in college.  They have everything from a salad bar, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and other things to choose from.  And the food was good.

After the lunch break, we spit up again.  The parents attended the Parenting seminar, basically helping us to let go and let them become adults.  Then we all met with Belmont’s Leadership Team while enjoying some great desserts and punch (chocolate covered strawberries were really good).  Meanwhile, Rebecca attended sessions on Student Life Opportunities, Studying Abroad, Financial services and how to use the classfinder.

We then met together for the specific colleges/schools/departments.  Ours was the College of Visual and Performing Arts which was rather big as it includes theater, music and art.  After meeting the head of the college and the chairs, we split up into our specific area of study.  During this orientation it was only Rebecca and another girl, so we got individual attention.  He spoke about the different paths in theater they could take and whether they wanted a BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts).  Rebecca chose BFA with a focus on performance.  The BFA is a heavy load and therefore she will not be able to double major or minor like she had wanted, but this is what she wants to do.  He then said I could go and he would work on the schedule with her.  I said goodbye and went back to the hotel for the night.  It was only 4pm. 

 
When I left, I was not quite sure how to get back to my hotel.  The directions we had were not correct and we did some driving around before we got to Belmont.  So I was turned around in all directions.  I just prayed and asked God to get me back because I didn’t know where I was.  While waiting at a light, I found a map and figured out where I was and where to go next.  I figured it out and ended up going to the hotel a different way, but a faster one.  After stopping for something to eat, I went back to the room.

I had a hotel room all to myself (a first) and also a tv with cable!  I talked on the phone and watched tv until I fell asleep at ten.  Well, by 4am I was wide awake.  After trying awhile to go back to sleep, I finally just got up.  I read the Bible and then watched some of the older shows on tv.  I went down for breakfast at 6am (not much there, but the OJ tasted good).  At 7:30 I was ready to check out and go back to the college.

Traffic was better today and I got there by 8am.  I called Rebecca and she met me with her things by the door and then I parked.  She checked out of her dorm.  Last night after I left, she had a tour of downtown Nashville and visited the capital (that counted for one of her convocation points).  She then had a tour of the bell tour and learned the myths and legends of Belmont.  She met a few friends during her stay and was pretty tired so went to bed early.

This morning began with a breakfast in one of the residence hall.  We then got to tour Heron Hall (where she will be living).  It’s a nice dorm.  She’s on the first floor and we saw where her dorm is.  She will be sharing a room with 2 others and they will share the bathroom too.  There are 4 washers and dryers in the basement along with a kitchen and TV area.

Then we went on to the closing session together where we received our final remarks.  But that wasn’t all.  We split up again for a few more sessions.  I found out about administrative services for students and parents.  Rebecca was off to sign up for her classes in the Fall.  Registration opened at 10:45 and then it was a made dash on the computer to get your classes.  Rebecca got the ones that she wanted.

We visited the security center and she got her student ID and filled out her car form.  Then we went next store to the bookstore to purchase a t-shirt and hoodie and of course the car decal.  We were then ready to head home to Florida.  It was 11:30 am central time.

The ride home was long, but we arrived home at 2:30 am very tired and brains overflowing with new information. 

Happy Birthday, Katrina!

Sunday began with a family chocolate chip pancake breakfast!  After breakfast we all got ready for church.  Katrina loves going to church, so this just added to her day.

After church, the birthday girl chose pizza and French fries as our lunch menu.  Not very nutritional, but this is only on special occasions.  Then she opened her gifts.  She was excited about everything she got and always appreciates each gift.

While she spent time enjoying her gifts, Mom prepared for a visit to the beach.  Going to the beach is one of her favorite activities.  When the car was loaded up with all the essential beach items, we were off to the beach.

God gave her a special present by giving us an extra nice day!  Just yesterday, Tropical Storm Barry was giving us rain and wind, mind you, we needed the rain very bad!  And for practically the whole month of May, there were rip currents at the beach.  Not good for going to the beach.  But when we arrived at the beach, we were happy to see the gentle rolling waves!  The sun was shinning as you would image a Florida beach to be, just perfect!

We had a great several hours at the beach.  The kids had a great time in the water and the sand.  We ran out of quarters for the meter, so we left for home.

The day ended with Mom’s Traditional Ice Cream Cake, a family favorite and easy for Mom to make.  We then watched Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and then it was off to bed.  It was a great day for Katrina!

Happy Birthday, Katrina!  May God give you many more birthdays!  We Love You!