I Need Some Sleep

I am so tired today. For some strange reason I couldn't get to sleep last night. It started out with one of the boys getting sick. Then I just couldn't fall asleep. Last time I looked at the clock it was 3:34 a.m. That is bad when it's daylight savings time and I'm loosing an hour of sleep already. I don't think I've felt this foggy for a long time.

We came up with this brilliant idea to go out and shop for bathroom stuff for our new fixture. We figured, if we were tired (Pa had been sick), then shopping for our tile would be a good idea. Not! Do you know how many different kinds of tile there are? How about colors? Size? Stone? The list goes on. We spent 3 hours trying to decide. We did get floor tile but I gave up on the shower and wall tile. I just couldn't decide. I got my vanity, faucet, shower head, toilet, floor tile, and accent tiles now. I suppose it would help if we had a floor first. Oh well!

I do so hate it when we get sick. I am happy it's not nearly as often as it used to be.

We started a new Sunday School class this morning that is going to prove awsome. It is a parent support group for teens. Yes! We need that. Although if we have survived this long, I suppose we will continue to survive. I was amazed at how all the parent there have children going through tough times or had been through tough times. I shall enjoy it. Just a little reprieve from trying to survive alone.

On a weary note, my children can memorize verses faster than I can get the first phrase memorized. It's anoying. I am very happy for them, just anoyed that it takes me so long.

Got to go for now. Ta Ta

If you get blown down, stand up again!

Help, my pictures are doing weird things. The order is all wrong. There is two of the same. Oh, this is so frustrating.

Well, here are a few pictures of the kids and the house. The first one is from this past fall. They look the same, except Christopher is growing a mustache now. Ahhhhh! They grow up to fast.

The second one here is the new vanity we put in last summer. I love it because it has 7 drawers. There is one for each of us and one big drawer at the bottom for other stuff. This bathroom could really use an overhaul but we shall leave that for later.

We went on vacation last month up to Mt. Hood. We stayed in one of the lodges and had a great time swimming in the wonderful heated pool. We were able to swim many times a day, read our Bible, Pray, and have devotions. We took this time to concentrate on family and had a wonderful time. Richard and his girlfriend Caitlin came up Thursday night to stay with us. Pa, Dick Bob, and Christopher went night skiing and had a wonderful time. The kids all had a wonderful time on Friday snowboarding too. pooh did a smashing job for her first time. She knew everybody on the tow rope by lunch time and was trying to help other kids snowboard. We all came back refreshed.

We moved Pooh Bear upstairs, moved the boys to Dick Bob's room and moved Dick Bob downstairs. Pooh Bear never adjusted to having to come down stairs, she is much happier upstairs. She does however, want all the windows taken out of her room so no one can see in. She doesn't see the need for natural light! I have put a picture of her room here too. It turned out so cute!

We have much to do on the remodel of our bathroom as we have just begun, so I won't say much ado yet. I will say that I am looking forward to 10 steps to the potty rather than 110 steps every night. I think I have established just how long a person can go, without actually getting up to Go, if you know what I mean. I wait til the last possible moment because I hate the long treck across the basement, up the steps, through the kitchen, living room, and hallway before I actually get to the bathroom.

As for homeschooling, I shall never homeschool the traditional way. I am doing more unit studies. Christopher is into airplanes and electricity right now, Eyore is into woodworking and legos and robotics, Pooh is into butterflies. Did you know that the largest butterfly is 14" wide? Me neither. We are also doing a large block of our time developing a family unit that is tight and relies on God for everything. I like the idea of tea time for our daughter but so far we do our hour or so reading and memorizing verses each day. I can't believe how many verses we know now. We were memorizing 1st Peter 3:8-16 and then we have been memorizing weekly verses from Kids Kollege and Christopher's youth group. Part of our schooling is that everything is done together. If the bathroom needs cleaned, we do it togetherj. If there is dinner to make, we do it together. I am developing a relationship between all the kids and me. It is proving to be one of the best things I have ever done. They are starting to rely on each other rather than on outsiders or their peers. Our saying is "Families don't treat families that way." They no longer are arguing at every turn. They are learing more and more that if they are struggling to pray about it and pray together. We are praying with 3 other homeschool families each week and are seeing the kids come alive in their spiritual walk. Well, at first I wasn't sure wether I saw that but then we had a prayer and praise time Sunday night a church. My children were the only 3 children there. The kids felt a little akward at first but soon became involved. We would sing a few songs and then pray a little. The first part was just saying a Thank You to God. Pooh and Eyore said a short prayer. The second part was praying over our pastor and his wife. Eyore prayed for them. The third part of prayer we split into groups. The boys found their own group to pray in. I came away from there so moved, I was crying. Each one of the younger 3 kids prayed. Thanking him and asking for prayer for themselves and their siblings. It was then that I saw all that God is doing. It was then that I saw how awsome God Is. It was there that I saw a glimpse of God's love for us. I am amazed at their growth and mine too.

Speaking of that, we found the most wonderful youthgroup for Christopher. They have daily, weekly reading and memorizing they do. He say's he likes what he gets out of it. I love the tender heart he is developing. He recently deleted some songs of his mp3 player because he decided they weren't appropriate. It was a big step for him. 13 is such a tough age. He is working towards a missions trip to California this summer. He has to have memorized all the verses every week and then be able to say them all before the missions trip. Pretty cool~

Dick Bob goes to our church youth group. We have a new youth pastor and we all like him. Dick Bob is ready to graduate already. He plans on taking a couple of summer classes and fininshing up within his first trimester of next year. He will still graduate with his class next June. He has a great job and has been rebuilding his engine on his pick-up. He tends to be a little frustrated with it but with lots of prayer, he should be done in the next 2 weeks or so. He is having to refit the houses and wires to a new engine. He forgot to label the parts when he took the engine out.

Some ask me about my mother and her husband. Yes, we still have them here with us. God is teaching me much patience and understanding through this. I believe my mother is begining to loose some of her memory. It is hard to leave the kids with her now because she does strange things. She accuses Eyore of lying. Just out right lying. She gets upset at Pooh Bear because she took 16 ounces of a drink when she should never have more than 8 ounces, more like 7 ounces. She is angry most of the time now. Right now she is ranting to the kids that they always help me and never her. She needs only ask, but no way will she! Her health is so poor now she can barely walk and needs a hip replacement badly. She doesn't have insurance though, so we have to wait. How does one help their mother out when she doesn't want help. She recently went to my sisters house for a day visit. She told her how horrible it was living with me. I am so decieving and I lie and I have never, ever, ever, mopped my kitchen floor. She told her that people may think I'm nice, but I'm really not. The stuff she said went on from there. It is so far fetched that even I don't feel to bad about it. It was so unrealistic! My sister told her she should move out. Nooooo, if my mom wasn't here to take care of the house and the chores and the kids, who would do it? I'm not doing, you know!!!! So, as you can see, I have a lot on my plate right now.

Any prayer my way would be appreciated.

Well, I must go for now, my mother thinks it's horrible that she is cleaning the garage when I'm just typing! Who would ever dare defy their mother? Oh, that's me! Ta Ta for Now!

For the one person who wants to see me here

Well, I suppose if a phone call is too much for some, I can write again. I really don't have much time to do this as I am searching craigslist or remodeling our home the majority of the time. I will, however, tell my happenings, boring that they are, here just for you my friend.

You ask me who this friend is? I shall not name names, except to say she has a tinkerbell in her world!

Since last summer many things have transpired. I decided to homeschool 2 of my 4 kids. As of January, I pulled the youngest out to homeschool her too. I love it, even though I am busy!

We decided to go all organic, as Christopher became so ill, I feared for his life. He is now off all medications, has had absolutely NO ashtma attacks, has not been back to the regular doctor, is up and running by 7 or 8:00 in the morning. He is riding his bike, which he previously could not do for the past 3 years. Not only Christopher, but all of us have absolutely no more ashtma problems. We are all doing better health wise.

We plan on growing a large garden this year. Our swiming pool has a leak we are trying to figure out. We are putting in a bathroom downstairs (big project), We have added the fifth bedroom, put in a large window in the basement, letting in more light. We have done some landscaping, put in a new large window in the living room and sided part of the front of the house.

Our oldest child got his liscence with a 100% on his test. He drives everywhere now and drives us crazy. He has a steady girlfriend. Our next child is a teenager and goes to a fabulous youth group out in Molalla. All the kids are doing a fantastic job of memorizing verses and reading their Bible.

I have had a downfall in my health. I am dealing with almost daily migraines. Not sure what is up with that.

I have a great group of friends that are supportive and all homeschoolers. I love that.

Hubby and I have been hired out to do some out of town work. It is good money and we are able to pay off and do more things.

Hubby is so busy with extra work that we hardly get to see him.

We are attending a Bible training class and a wonderful biblestudy that is so insightful. We are learing more each day about the Lord and what we are here for.

We love our new church and can't imagine being anywhere else.

I have to go for now, will write more later.