about two weeks ago I started using starfall.com for Ryan and Kyley.  Kyley is not too inerested in this program but Ryan just LOVES it.  He sits on my lap each day and we go over about 1/2 of the alphabet.  It is helping his speech as well as introducing the alphabet.  The other day he was wearing a t-shirt with a soccer ball on it.  He pointed to it and said, "ball" and then he said, B!"  I was so proud!  Hey, he just turned three. ; )

I just finished reading the second book in the Chronicles of Narnia.  I am taking a break and reading aloud the History of the World. 

Jordan is working on Starfall.com as well and he is gaining confidence in his reading.  I think it is a great free program.

Happy teaching!

mom2many

I have been on a huge spring cleaning kick the past week.  I finished one bathroom the hallway, the stairs, and today I cleaned the kitchen.  Becky and I worked for about 9 hours.  Wow, what a job.  We have the floor to do tomorrow and some paint touch up and we will be done with the kitchen.  It looks so clean and smells so fresh.  Update on our addition...It is drywalled and primered!!  We are going to paint and put in the floor at the end of the month.  I am getting really excited!!  I will take lots of pictures to share when it is done.  I can't wait until garage sale season starts so I can shop for some decor (hubby still out of work).

I taught my older girls how to make homemade refried beans this week.  They are so easy and economical.

Happy cleaning,

mom2many

My beautiful, beautiful, baby girl is 4 yrs. Old Today.  You bring us so much joy and love

My baby turned 3 on March  8th.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY PRECIOUS, ADORABLE, WONDERFUL LITTLE MAN!!!

I can't believe I have not written for almost a whole month.  We have had so much going on both good and difficult.  My husband lost his job two weeks ago.  We are in the middle of having our much needed family room added to our house.  Izaac has been having a lot of behavior problems and we started on a new behavior program for him, and us. 

We live in an area of high unemployment right now and so this job loss was somewhat expected but we were hopeful it wouldn't happen.  So...we will get to see how God will provide for us, and I know He will!

We have paid for our addition up to the drywall so we should be able to still get into our new family room, minus the decorating ideas I had all planned  Of course garage sale season is going to be here soon so we will see how creative I can get on a very small budget. 

I have a major praise!!  Kyley made it through the entire winter season without getting croup!!  This is the first year and thank you to all that said a prayer for her.   God is so good!

I am potty training Ryan and Miss Kyley.  You may think it would be easier with my ninth and tenth child but not exactly!  I am soooo much older and I don't have the energy I used to. LOL! 

Some of you may remember that I was potty training Kyley a while ago. Well, she got the stomach flu twice this winter and she has regressed.  I can't blame her!  It is so hard to remember to go potty when you are sick.  So, we are back to square 2 with Kyley and starting at square 1 with Ryan.  I will let everyone know how it is going, if I survive, and any great tips I come up with for potty training a child with DS.

We do have a serious case of cabin fever around here.  today we played hooky and went for a long ride in the country.  Some times being cooped up for too long makes concentration so hard for the little ones and even the older ones!!

I am reading a loud "the Magicians Nephew" and Gracie, Nina, and Jordan are narrating through drawing. 

We also started "The story of the world".  The kids are really enjoying this and I am as well. 

I am knitting a scarf for my dear husband.  I am using a very thick wool blend yarn.  It is more difficult but I think the end result will be really nice.

Yes, the stomach bug has hit our family.  It started with Gracie and Nina...onto Ryan and Kyley...onto Becky and myself...onto Dan and then Allysa...next Kevin and still holding out is Jordan.

I know we all have to get sick and it will pass.  The worse part is watching the household chores get more and more behind.  Everyone is pitching in but you know how it is. 

Kyley is having a particularly hard time.  Her stomach is better but she is cranky and extra tired..She also is just a little dramatic!!

I am knitting and reading and yes I still am managing to get in quite a bit of "teaching".

We just got back from an over night trip to a hotel/waterpark..

It is about 10 degrees outside and the inside of the waterpark was 85 degrees!!  We all had such a fun time.  there was water slides, a "river" to float down, hot tubs, and more, more, more!

It was a much needed "cabin fever" break....

We truly had a wonderful Christmas this year.  First and foremost we were all together and healthy, what else could a mother want, right?  On christmas Eve we enacted a scene from dickens "A Christmas Carol".  Jordan was playing the part of Bob Cratchit and Ryan was Tiny Tim.  When Mrs. Cratchit (Allysa) said her line, "And how was Tiny Tim?"  Jordan was supposed to answer, "As good as gold and better".  Instead he said, "As bad as gold"!  When I told him that wasn't his line he informed me that Ryan was NOT behaving backstage (the kitchen).  It was so funny!  We also watched the Nativity Story at bed time.  What a beautiful movie!  Dan and I were up late filling stockings and putting finishing touches on the gifts.  Christmas day was fun and tiring.  The girls and I made a huge turkey dinner.  Now on to more celebrating...Allysa's birthday is tomorrow and Kevin's is New Years day!!

I received this template from Laura at Jelly Bean designs!  It is so adorable, and I am very grateful.  Thank you.

mom2many

Today we made up plates of our annual cookies and delivered them to our neighbors.  A few of our neighbors really don't like us, or anyone for that matter, so we try to do a good deed for them.  We have a wonderful older couple that live a few acres behind us and they get so thrilled when the kids come over.  We are still well!!  I will keep praying everyday until the winter is over.

We continue to have good health and lots of activity.  I finished our script for "A Christmas Carol" to be performed on Christmas Eve.  We had a great day at church today singing Christmas carols and reading Lukes account of the Birth of our Saviour. 

Each year we nominate a Cheer Meister who is "crowned" on new years eve.  We had the primaries tonight and the committee decided on Nina and Becky as this years nominees.  They will give their final speeches on New Years Day and then vote and announce the winner after our talent show.

We baked cookies to give to the neighbors today. Whew, I am tired!!

December is moving a long at a quick pace as it has a tendency to do.  I am happy, no not happy, ecstatic to report that we are all well!!  So with that good news, what have we been up to?

Last week was project week.  We made homemade peppermint sticks, graham peanut butter dipped in chocolate bars.  We mad some bird feeders out of empty milk and orange juice cartons and filled them with homemade suet.  The birds were so excited!  The kids made snowflake Christmas cards for their grandparents.  I got all my cards and packages sent out.  Most of my wrapping is done and the house is decorated.

We finished reading the Dickens wonderful "A Christmas Carol" in it's entirety.  I am a firm bleliever in exposing my little ones to higher vocabulary in their literature.  Everyone enjoyed it and now we are planning on reenacting a few scenes on Christmas Eve. 

What else has happened?   Well, I had a root canal for tooth that was terribly abscessed.  I really don't care as long as my babies stay healthy.

Dan is on steroids for his arthritis and is feeling better.

We have snow which is so great and Christmasy.

I need to finish up shopping for Jay and start baking for the neighbors.  We have received few Christmas cards this year, but it makes no difference

Allysa finished her first college class and got an A!  I am so proud of her.

I really wish it was easier to put pictures on this site, I have so many great ones.

We had such a fun time decorating our Christmas tree this year.  We have a lot of personal ornaments  that we have use for over 20 years but this year I really wanted a base theme to start with.  I went to see what Martha Stewart had to offer at Kmart and wow was I excited!  We decided on using her "first snowfall" collection and were very happy with the results.  The topper is an old one that I couldn't bear to change, but we got some great snowflakes, frosted leaves, snowy pinecones and different color round balls, and some silver and blue bells.  I even splurged on a new tree skirt!  Last year we had a lot of illness and our tree reflected the sad state of our home at that time, so...this year I really wanted to make the tree peaceful and happy.  Sometimes the small things really help.

We made snowflake cards to send to grandparents today.  I also went out to get ingredients for a delicious birthday dinner for my dear husband tomorrow.

We are making home made lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and a triple layer butterscotch-pecan cake.  yum!  Maybe I can have some fun gaining back the weight I lost from having the stomach flu. 

We had such a fun time getting the house decorated today for the Christmas season.  We enjoyed a lot of Becky's delicious homemade cookies.  I am only sad that my appetite is still not good and I have a throbbing tooth ache.  I called the dentist (he lives down the street) but he wasn't home so I will have to wait until morning to get some relief.  I have learned to never ignore a small cavity again because it will soon become a LARGE cavity and ouch!

Tomorrow is shopping day for my dear husbands birthday.  Becky and I are going to make a triple layer butterscotch cake. 

The weather continues to be cold and we have a lot of beautiful snow.  I hope it sticks around through the new year.  It makes everything so much brighter.  We are still praying hard that Kyley does not get croup this year.  It is a daily pleading before the Lord!

Everyone was actually feeling pretty good today!  Dan and I went out to an upscale resale shop today and found a really great couch for our living room. Later we took all the kids to get our Christmas tree.  We go to a little tree farm by our house and cut one down.  It was so cold that the little ones didn't last long, but we got a nice tree and tomorrow we will decorate. 

I have a throbbing toothache tonight and have another tooth that's needs a root canal.  Even with insurance they are so expensive I have put it off too long.

Tomorrow I am going to start on my Christmas cards. They came out really cute this year, so it will be fun to send them out.

Chelsea is getting better, and will hopefully make it through another winter without too many complications.  She is such a sweet old dog.

Next week in school is going to be project week.  I decided to do some of the fun things with the kids now in case we get sick again.

I really wasn't sure at the beginning of this year how Izaac was going to cooperate with his schooling, and life in general.  He is doing much better than I expected and this is a good thing!  Izaac will be 13 in January and is quickly changing and growing, and growing, and more growing.  He has passed up all of the "girls" and is quickly gaining on his older brothers.  Allysa is Izaac's science instructor this year and it is really nice to see them working together.  Izaac has also gotten involved in flag football and a youth group.