#15-26

15. Church picnics at the park.

16. Spending time with my cousin Becky. She is funny and I always have a good time with her. And I can act like a big dork around her, which I enjoy.

17. My nine year old's sense of humor. I love the way her mind works. She constantly surprises me and makes me laugh. I was grading her rough draft paper on weather. At the bottom she drew a picture of a glass of water with a caption- 'Nothing to see here, just a glass of water.' Not sure what that had to do with hurricanes, but the randomness of it made me laugh.

18. My sweet friend Diane who is so willing to share homeschooling tips and books, and will answer any question I throw at her. And there have been a lot of questions.

19. Listening to Ian read.

20. Playdates with cousins.

21. The way my husband rustled up computers so now each of the older three kids have their own for schoolwork. I am also thankful for his job which provides said computers.

22. Craft projects.

23. New friends.

24. The gym. I am so happy to have a membership to the Y, and my cousin, my mom and my friend Sarah do too. It is so much fun to work out when you have

25. Listening to Karl upstairs reading 'The Spooky Old Tree' to Elizabeth.

26. Alexandria choosing 'attitude' for the thing about herself she needs to work on, when she is one of the most pleasant people I know.

First thankful post

I saw on another blog (thank you Megan, at Adding to the Beauty) a gratitude list and it has been on my mind to implement that here. So, here is my first entry:

I am thankful for:

1. Cool nights under an electric blanket with a warm cat purring at my side.

2. Time spent with my mother-in-law talking about crafting, homeschooling, and the Bible (amongst other things.)

3. Two girls laying on their stomachs, chins propped up with their fists, hard at work on their math assignments.

4. Kind friends.

5. A mom who laughs so hard she cries. And who makes me laugh just as hard.

6. A husband who often gives me more grace than I deserve.

7. A wonderful first-born daughter who is sweet-spirited, caring and a great example for her younger siblings.

8. Big cowboy boots on my little boy. :)

9. The promise of Spring just around the corner

10. Elizabeth randomly telling me, "I love you too!" throughout the day, when I haven't even said I love her.

11. The tv in my bedroom finally breaking. It bothered me at first, but now I am loving the complete peace and quiet of my room after everyone is asleep.

12. Books. I forgot how much I love to read until said tv broke.

13. A pastor who is a wonderful teacher of God's Word, who makes everyone feel welcome, and who frequently makes me laugh.

and now that it is past midnight... it is officially my sister-in-law's birthday now, so I am also very thankful for

14. Natalie. I couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law. She is so sweet, fun to be around, our kids adore her and bonus- she has the best decorating ideas ever!

Sad quote

I'm not a baby anymore Mommy! See, my tongue is not talking like a baby!- Elizabeth

Update

A few things have happened around here since last I blogged. I had two wrecks within a three week time period. We got two new (used) vehicles. Said vehicles have been in and out of the shop every other week. We moved. We have started homeschooling.

We love our new place. It is very bright and clean. One of my favorite things about it is the huge fenced back yard that backs up to a great park. There are tons of windows here, so I can watch the kids play very easily. The park has two playgrounds and tennis courts. We can't wait until the weather warms up so we can make more use of it. I also have a dishwasher! I have not had one since Annika was a baby (she is 9 now) and I am loving it. A few other cool things? A sprayer on the sink, shelves in the garage and a garbage disposal. All things we didn't have at our old house so it is exciting to me. I have been busy crafting and decorating which I love. I don't so much have the vision for interior decorating, but I love to look at other people's visions and try to recreate them. Decorating blogs are my new online obsession.

And since this has not been a very entertaining post, I will leave you with one of Elizabeth's funny moments:

My mom had come over to eat dinner with us, and as she was leaving, everyone was telling her good-bye and thanking her for coming. Elizabeth called out sweetly "Thank you Grandma Goody for eating all our food!"

Sleep Deprivation Torture

Some of you may remember Ian's difficulties sleeping. I am happy to report that he has been sleeping wonderfully for the last several months. In not so good news, it appears that the reason he is sleeping so well is that he has fully trained his apprentice in the ways of sleep deprivation torture. I suspect they have been having meetings wherein they strategize ways to keep me in a fog of exhaustion. I can hear Ian now, "Listen Elizabeth, I have been on duty for 5 years now, I need a break. It is your turn to start staying up all night. You can do it, we've been training you for it. Go make me proud."
I dare say the apprentice has surpassed the teacher in depriving mommy of sleep. She doesn't just refuse to sleep, she is now coming to me at all hours of the night (and morning) making demands. Case in point, this morning:

2:00am Wants her "Mommy back", climbs into bed with Mommy but refuses to sleep

3:00am Is kicked out of Mommy and Daddy's bed and sent back to her room.

4:00am Brings Mommy nail polish. Would like a pedicure.

4:30am Brings Mommy Wheat Thins. Would like them opened.

4:35am Has managed to open Wheat Thins on her own. Would like to know if there is any spray cheese to go with them

4:36am Mommy resigns herself to getting up for the day. Discovers open can of frosting on counter. Discovers child's hands covered with sparkly purple nail polish and 4 open bottles of nail polish on the floor.

Now she is still very wide awake and would like to do puzzles, would like like me to read books, and could I fix Dora's hair?

The Sleep Deprivation Method is two-fold. The other part of the torture is waiting for the impending melt-down that will result due to the child having not slept. I suspect it will hit right about the time we need to get ready to go to Bible Study. Stay tuned...

We go together like...

ramma lamma lamma lamma lamma ding dong.

Now that song is stuck in my head. Speaking of being stuck, Miss Elizabeth has turned into quite the Mama's girl lately and has been glued to me pretty much 24/7. Woe is the person (usually Ian) who dare try to take her 'spot'- which is the space next to me anytime I sit down. Even at bedtime she keeps popping up in my doorway saying "I want my mommy back!!" all pitiful like. To which I say, we are never apart so how could she want me back. Karl finds this all equal parts exasperating and amusing. He was laughing the other day as she trailed along behind me and told me she was my clone. I said, "Umm, I think you mean shadow." He says she looks and acts just like me. Okay, looks maybe, but acts?? Really?? She is bossy and opinionated,finicky, must have her own way and enjoys being catered to. Oh, wait...maybe she is a little like me.

This incident from the other morning most definitely reminded me of myself. I am notorious for, shall we say, taking a little time to get going in the morning. In fact more than one person has said that it isn't wise to speak to me before noon. I like to think I have gotten a little better as I've gotten older, but I just still don't enjoy mornings. Alexandria, on the other hand, is chipper as can be the minute she hops out of bed. One morning last week, Elizabeth woke up and came into the kitchen all bleary-eyed. Alexandria said (in her most super enthusiastic voice), "Well good morning Elizabeth!!!!!"
Elizabeth looked at her and warned in a low,stern voice, "Stop it."

This led to Alexandria creating the t-shirt Elizabeth is wearing in this picture. You can't see all of it, but it says "100% not a morning person". Like mother, like daughter.



P.S. If you look closely, you can see Elizabeth's bangs that got trimmed. Thankfully the person who did it (we still aren't 100% sure who) went for a subtle look.

Halloween Pictures