Andy, our oldest, at 8 years old. Ian, our youngest, at 8 months old. Buddies!

I’m sitting on the couch, snuggling Evan Joy this morning. Fitting, since it’s National Preemie Day.

She’ll be FIVE years old in just two months… and the pajamas she has on are size 24 months. (Thankfully, they are snug!) A couple of her younger siblings have passed her up, weight-wise. And, while state law says you can move from 5-point harness carseat to booster at age 4, it also says you have to weigh 40 pounds, too… so, she’s still in the toddler seat!

What she lacks in size, she makes up in personality… and God has BIG plans for my tiny girl!

How do you do it?? Are you homeschooling as well? Do you have to let things (like keeping a tidy house) go, or are you ultra-organized?… Some days I just want to chuck all the toys. They are happy with whatever they have anyway, and it’s less of a mess to clean up at the end of the day! (Yes, they clean their messes, too, but it’s still messy during the day!)

 

Some days I feel great about being a mom and being home with my kids. And on those days I would like more blessings from God. I really do want to have His perspective on children. But other days, the spankings never seem to end, the kids continually bicker, and the mess feels like “too much.” Do you have any advice for me?… 

 

It helps to be married to Nate… By that, I mean that he and I have the same expectations. He does NOT expect the house to be spotless at this point in our lives. He doesn’t even expect us to be dressed everyday. We do, however, have chores each child must do daily and they each (well, the older ones,) must have school done by a reasonable time on school days (even if we are in PJs)!

Two things I think will help your thinking:
1) This stage you’re in (with lots of little ones) is FOR A SEASON. A lot of people don’t understand what I mean by that. We were there a few years ago… We rarely had dates alone, Nate worked ALL the time, most of my kids were in diapers and we had little help. It doesn’t last forever. It does get better… but even as your kids mature, the seasons will change… but your kids will still be a main priority for years to come.

For example, just last year, some friends of ours won a sweepstakes for a “Free” cruise. They could take a limited number of people on a week’s cruise, and all the people had to pay was the TAX… (which was about $80.) Our friends immediately called us because they knew we’d never taken a vacation alone. While we loved the offer (and the price!!) we couldn’t justify leaving our little ones at home. (It would have been right after Ian was born.) PLUS, we know our kids are only little for a short time… Any big vacations we take, we’d love for them to experience, too!!

I guess I mean this: we like our kids… and we want to build memories with them while they’re tiny and still living at home. We want them to remember their big-family life at home, fondly… even if it was chaotic at times.

2) I said it above, but it will get easier!! I truly believe life is now easier with 7 (oldest is 8 years old, youngest is 8 months old) at home than it was with just two or three. We do not require our older kids to change diapers or baby-sit of course, but they really LOVE helping with their younger siblings. They seem to thrive on the fact that the “babies” look up to them and look to them to sometimes learn new things. Andy and Brady always take time out of their baseball games to talk to their little fan club through the dugout fence. They are endlessly patient with them. In fact, I do not remember the last time I buckled someone in a car seat. The three “big boys” buckle and unbuckle all the car seats!

This has not been a mandated “You WILL take care of your younger siblings” standard. It’s more of a “Hey, see a need, fill a need” mindset that we practice and the kids have picked up on it! I often say things like,”We’re part of a TEAM! It’s called FAMILY!”

All that does not mean our kids don’t whine or complain or try to get out of things… They do! They dread chores and schoolwork sometimes… but they know it’s expected of them and they know there are consequences if their responsibilities are not done.

Truth be told, our house is often messy… I used to be a perfectionist, but no one would know that now!! I have learned to relax on the house so that spelling tests get taken, laundry gets washed, diapers get changed, babies get snuggled and dinner gets made… Truthfully, I do not know how ANYONE could do it ALL without outside help. (or at least help from older family members.) I’ve just learned to adjust my priorities… I like to think, “I’m not raising a perfectly manicured lawn or a spotless house… God trusted US to raise these kids!” When they’re older and want to help more (or have moved out,) I can have a perfectly clean house again and a beautiful yard… because I’ll be bored then.

Let me know if you have more questions of if anything I said is unclear! I hope this is a little bit of an encouragement to you in this “season” you’re in!

Our boy Ian has been busy. He got his first two teeth back-to-back days! A top one on Monday and a bottom on on Tuesday. Next week, he’ll be driving!

Ferris, age 3: “I just burped when my mouth was closed. THAT’s a magic trick!”

Yup, we’re classy.

Being a large(r) family, we’re always looking for ways to streamline things and make life more efficient.

I often dress my kids in coordinated outfits if we’re going to be in a crowded place. While we were at our huge county fair this summer, I got the idea of tie-dying a bunch of shirts! That way we could easily scan a group and find our kids.

Then, last week, Andy and Brady studied Joseph (from Genesis) for their history lesson. So, we tie-dyed shirts as a reminder of Joseph’s coat of many colors and to remember the blessings that come when we trust God the way Joseph did.

Ian turned 6 months old a couple of weeks ago. About a week before, he started crawling. For real.

Within two weeks after, he had reached all sorts of milestones. In that three week span the boy was sitting up, sleeping in his crib in the “big boys’ room” overnight, eating mashed bananas, and *almost* driving a car.

OK, I’m kidding on that last one.

Today, he pulled up to a stand on the coffee table!

Slow down, Pudge! Mama just wants to snuggle you for a minute.

Yet, we did have a first.

I cut up Grayson’s pancake up. (He proudly called it his “Hunkin’ Mouse can-kick.” ) I then moved on to up Ferris’ pancake.

Cut off the ears. All was fine. Then I started to cut through his “head.” Ferris FREAKED!!

She started to sob. Hysterically!

“Don’t cut Mickey’s face!”

She clarified that she was, indeed, OK to eat his ears, but under no circumstances would she eat his head.

Let me pause and explain that I am a no-nonsense sort of Mom. I don’t entertain drama or encourage whims… but this one had me snickering so bad I had to let it go!

In her own, sweet, only-a-three-year-old-little-girl-could-even-dream-this-up sort of way, she was sincerely concerned for Mickey’s face. She refused to eat it!

I snuck it to one of her big brothers, replaced it with a simple “polka dot one,” (her terminology) and we moved on.

I can’t quit chuckling about this one though… perhaps it’ll make it into her wedding ceremony as an illustration of just how big her heart is!

PS-Long live Mickey… with or without ears.

Hunting season is fast approaching, which means I’ll be a “hunting widow” for most of the season. My three oldest boys will take turns going with Daddy, too, so things will be quieter around here.

Ferris was asking me the other day to buy her “some bwacelips.” I’d been thinking the girls I needed a hobby to help us through hunting season.

That’s when I remembered a hobby I had as a kid: friendship bracelets!

Not only are the cheap jewelry, but they’re relatively safe… no pieces for Ian to choke on, no chunks of hard stuff for me to step on.

So, I did a little research and ordered this. Check back soon to see how we’re doing (and if we have ANY spare room on our forearms!)

I sighed and said, “Go tell her to come here.”

She scurried off to find her sister while Nate & I chuckled at our daughter’s latest rite of passage. We then heard Evan loudly say, “Ferris, Mom wants you.”

Then we heard a muffled reply from Ferris to Evan… then Evan loudly shouts, “SHE SAYS SHE’S SLEEPING SO SHE CAN’T COME!!”

For the record, it didn’t work.

Pudge is mobile! He pretty much skipped the army crawl and went straight to the up & down movement on his knees and/or his feet! He’s still slow at it since he makes more vertical movement than horizontal, but he gets there! Not too shabby for being just 5 months.

We recently had VBS at church, so she’s been thinking a lot more about heaven, hell, Jesus, sin, etc. That’s a good thing, right? She’s 4.

For an illustration of her “specialness,” read the following conversation I had with her a few days ago:

Evan: “Mama, do you know what is higher than an airplane?” (We were outside.)

Me: “No, what?”

E: “GOD!” She giggled. “And…?”

She obviously wanted me to answer her. I followed her lead.

Me: “Jesus?”

E: “Yes!! And…”

She wanted another answer. Thought I was on to her, so I followed her lead again…

Me: “The Holy Spirit?” I completed the Trinity. Had to be right, right??

E: “Noooo!! Satan!!”

Me: “Evan, Satan isn’t in Heaven with God! Satan is in Hell, remember?”

Evan stopped and looked around, puzzled.

E: “Hmm. I haven’t seen him!”

Apparently our little yard qualifies as Hell on Earth. Now you know!

I haven’t given up blogging. In my heart of hearts, I still think about posting funnies all the time. I just rarely make it to the computer to get them entered. Guess I’ll need to download an app for that on my phone!

Which brings me to today’s schoolwork. If you’ve lost count, I now have 4 kids officially being homeschooled. Andy’s 8 and doing 4th grade work, Brady’s 7 and doing 3rd grade, Connor’s 5 and doing first grade, and tiny Evan is 4 and doing Kindergarten now! She’s very proud of that!

Ferris is 3 and will not be outdone. She begged and batted her eyes and acted so grown up that I bought her some preschool books, just to make her feel special. Her attention span for school is amazing!

Back to today, though! Part of the reason we love our curriculum is that it focuses on character and proper decision making. For example, Brady’s reading lesson today was discussing the Biblical idea of turning away wrath with a soft answer. To apply it, he was to give an example of something someone says that demonstrates wrath and then reveal a “soft answer” to politely refute the comment. Here’s his example:

“You stink!”

I’ll admit that I chuckled when I read that… but the next part sent me over the edge. His rebuttle?

“I know.”

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!!

I looked over and they all seemed to be leaning toward the middle and Brady looked half as wide as normal. I asked Andy to scoot over a bit.

“Andy move the other way a bit. Brady looks squished.”

Brady piped up, “It’s OK, Mom. The creamy filling of the Oreo is the best part, too. I’m just in the middle like that.”

Funny, funny boy!

Much has been happening with our very busy family. Here’s a photo update for you:

You may remember that we bought a used shuttle bus in January… then spent several weeks having it painted. Well, at the end of April, a construction worker slammed into the back of that bus while I was driving. Praise the Lord, I was alone and not severely hurt.

After weeks of research, the insurance company deemed it “totaled,” so the search began for a “new” bus.

Meanwhile, baseball season began! Our three oldest boys are in three different divisions this season, which means three different teams. LOTS of ballgames.

Connor (5) is playing T-ball on the Mets. In this picture, he’s playing 1st base!

Of course, the girls are designated team cheerleaders. Ferris is wearing her dress in support of Connor’s Mets here.

Brady’s 7 and he plays for the Rangers this season. He often plays catcher, which he LOVES.

Andy is 8 and playing for the Cubs, a minor division of our baseball league. He’s doing real pitching now and is really doing well at it, too! He also plays first base. He looks handsome in his uniform, too, but I somehow haven’t caught a photo of him doing it yet. I’ll have to snap a picture of him soon!  Believe it or not, I tend to have my hands full most of the time during games because Nate’s the coach.

Here are Ferris and Evan, ready to cheer on the Rangers and / or the Cubs (which conveniently have the same team colors!)

About a month after the bus crash, we found a used replacement. It’s actually much nicer than the first. The Lord provides in mysterious ways!

We bought it from a shuttle service, so Nate had to remove some stickers.

The kids really like the nicer inside. Comfy seats and a DVD player are a plus. I like that I get to sit next to Nate, as this bus has a “co-pilot seat.” (They actually have car seats in the bus… The girls were just in the bus playing in this photo.)

Baseball season is continuing, so we’re still on the go. Ian enjoys being outside during the games, which helps. He turned 3 months old this week.

He’s a smiley little guy who is still fought over by his siblings. He doesn’t seem to mind all the attention!

Grayson turned TWO yesterday.

His love for baseball already runs deep! He’s often seen running around the backyard with his big brothers, loudly mumbling “Hey, ba-er, ba-er… ‘WING!”

Today we took Nate out for a steak dinner, so I snapped this shot of the whole gang whie we waited for our table.

Connor (5.5)… Ian (3 months)… Ferris (3)… Brady (7.5ish)… Andy (8.5)… Evan (4.5ish)… Grayson (2 years, 1 day)