2. Being called a “big meanie” by my almost 5 year old daughter and not caring that she just called me that.

3. How my children’s stomachs always have room for dessert. Where, on earth, did they get the idea that we should have dessert at every meal everyday? I sure haven’t given them that so I’m a little confused.

4. No matter how much I clean each day the house looks like a wreck. Seriously, how does anyone keep up with 9 rooms and 3 children and a husband?

5. How everyone else in our town has huge amounts of tomatoes, but we only get one or two a day. Hilarious! And there is nothing I like better than a good ripe tomato in the summer. I could live on them…if they would just grow and ripen. I think I’ll plant twice as many next year.

Anything funny to you today?

January – We celebrated Kristopher and Kody’s birthday quietly with dinner and some cake. Kristopher didn’t get to have a party this year. At the end of the month Western KY was hit by a huge ice storm and we were without electricity and water for almost a week. Our gas fireplace kept us warm and we had to find non-electronical things to occupy our time with. The nights were long since it got dark earlier and we sat around playing cards by candlelight and went to bed pretty early. It was nice to spend so much time together, but we were glad when we could take showers again!

February – Kristopher participated in his first Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. He built his car with some help from Kody, to look like a green pickup truck. It won the prize for most realistic vehicle. Unfortunately it didn’t win in the speed category. We still had a lot of fun with it and the whole family was able to be there:)

March – We started working outside a lot in March, trying to clean up and clear some of our property. The first thing to go was this little old shed. There were two of them right behind our house and we decided to only keep the bigger, nicer one.

April – We had a great Easter, but looking back through my pictures these are some of my favorite memories. The first is of our very dear friends. We hung out with them too many times to count over the year, this is just one of them. Kody found many turtles when he was out clearing the yard or mowing and this is one of them. We thought afterward when we found others that we should have tagged him so we could count how many we actually had. A few we were able to tell some differences. I also have to include this picture of Kameron. He was toted to many soccer games in the spring and he enjoyed playing on the blanket and discovering grass!

May – We bought a new refrigerator this month because we were tired of the old one leaking onto our new floor and ruining it. We really like the new one! Taylor played her first season of soccer this spring and she loves it. I hope she continues to like it or some form of physical activity. She really enjoys being outside and running though, so I think she’ll keep it up for awhile. We also finished Taylor’s room this month.

June – The only memorable thing I could see in pictures this month is that we went to Kody’s cousin Amy and her new husband Jim’s wedding reception. We all had a lot of fun there. Oh yeah…I celebrated my birthday this month too, don’t really remember it though…I think I was getting things ready to teach a week of VBS at church:)

July – So many beautiful memories this month, I took hundreds of pictures! We went to the Independence Day parade and Kristopher walked in it and threw candy with his cubscout pack. We made a trip to Louisville and visited with Grandpa and got to do many things. We spent many days at my in law’s house playing oustide in the garden. But my most favorite memories from this month are of my sweet boy and his cute chubby little hands and feet. I want to remember this forever…

August – This month we started a new adventure…Homeschool. We were unsure of ourselves and wondered if we made the right decision, especially with some of the people we had questioning us. After the last few months of living the homeschooling life, even with the hard days, I wouldn’t trade it back for anything. I really am glad we dove in and tried this and I’m so glad that it is working for our family. I am also very thankful for our support network of families doing the same thing!

September – We celebrated Kameron’s first birthday and Taylor’s fourth all in the same week. It was a busy week that dominated the month in time, energy and pictures!

October – Kristopher learned to ride his bike around the end of August and one of our favorite things to do this fall has been to take a walk/bike ride. The kids hop on their bikes (Taylor’s in a tricycle), Kameron is in the stroller and Kody and I walk. Our street is perfect for family time like this and we all enjoy it. I just love looking at this picture of my “big kids” on their “bikes”. It makes me smile inside!

November – Kristopher and Taylor were outside playing so much at the beginning of this month because it was still so warm. This particular day they decided, on their own, to have a picnic. They covered this old stone well with a picnic blanket, got their little chairs set up and then came and ordered some food. It was fun to watch them with their own ideas:) This month I also participated in a Craft Bazaar at my church – I had a table set up with my handmade things and one for the Usborne books I started selling in August. I really like the books and it has been fun selling them.

December – Christmas was lots of fun and I have so many pictures of decorations and presents being unwrapped, but I don’t think those things will be the ones my mind remembers. The homeschool group that I am in had a birthday party for Jesus (I helped a bit with the organization of it) that the kids all enjoyed. We had crafts, food, cake, bible story, games; what more could you want? We also started tearing up our little bathroom (the kids/guest bathroom) so that we can make it bigger and nicer. It will probably be a work in progress for sometime, but at least it got started! Kristopher was in the older kids musical at church this year and he played the part of a man who lost all his belongings in a fire. He didn’t have any lines to remember, so it waas pretty easy. He did a great job singing too! Taylor also sang before the big kids with the preschool choir. She loves to sing, but I’m not so sure about the being in front of people. Her face is fun to watch.

It was a great year and I feel like we got a lot accomplished not only in our “needs work house”, but in our lives. I feel like we all have grown in our walk with Christ this year and that we have grown closer as a family as well. We still have our issues (doesn’t everybody?) but we’re headed in the right direction. I hope 2009 was the same way for you! Happy 2010 everyone!

Our little girl, Taylor, turned 4 on the 21st. Her birthday this year was so much more exciting than last year. Last year I came home with Kameron the day before her birthday and while a baby brother is a pretty good present he made it impossible to have an semblance of a party for her. She ended up opening gifts in her jammies and I’m pretty sure we didn’t even have a cake…pretty sad. So, fast forward to this year. We might have had too much fun! On her birthday we went to the doctor…ugh…for a check up. Then we came home and she opened her presents and blew out candles and we did have a cake:) Then on Tuesday she took cupcakes to school and had a little “class party.” And on the 26th we had the joint party for her and Kameron. She invited some little girls for a Princess party, where they made crowns and, you guessed it, ate more cake! I made her a castle cake for her party, and I thought it was cute even if it didn’t entirely look like a castle. She liked it, that’s all that matters! Anyway, the best pictures from all three days are below. Many of the ones I took didn’t turn out well because of faces she made or blurriness or angle. Oh well. Oh, yeah, the first picture of her in the pink outside is terrible because “the sun is in my eyes” :( But I had to put it up here because that was my dress when I was little! It was fun to see her in it and I tried to get some good pictures, but we were trying not to look too silly taking pictures at the doctors office (their landscaping is nice;)) and I forgot to try again at home. Enjoy the pictures and your day!

I meant to do this post a couple of weeks ago when he actually turned one, but you know what they say…”better late than never!”

Kameron turned 1 year old on September 17. It was an exciting day for us although he didn’t really have a clue what was going on:) We told him Happy Birthday all day long and his siblings sang to him several times. After Kody came home from work we gave him his presents. He had several, but I just put all of them in a big bag with tissue paper so that it wouldn’t be so hard for him to figure out. He enjoyed pulling things out of the bag, but his favorite thing was the first toy he pulled out. A little jingly thing that rolls back to you when you roll it away. He wouldn’t put it down! After he finished pulling everything out we had his birthday dinner. His favorite vegetable is green beans (not yucky baby food ones, real ones) so I made those and french fries and he had some applesauce and cheerios too. Then I stripped him down for cake. I made cupcakes and we gave him a whole chocolate one. He was so excited about getting to touch it and eat it. The smiles were so beautiful. However he was not so clean by the time he was finished. After a few bites he decided it would be easiest to just lean down and eat it off the highchair and he was really messy. He got to have a bath and then play with his new things a bit before going to bed. I think it was a great birthday, and even if he won’t remember it, I will.

Then on the 26th we had, pretty much, an all day birthday party extravaganza! Taylor had a party in the afternoon (which I will put pictures of on her birthday post) and then we had dinner with our best family friends and Gram & Grandaddy:) It was fun and I made Kameron a monkey cake for his party. He had a bit of a runny nose and wasn’t quite as excited about the cake, but still ate most of one of the ears. He also got to do some tricycle riding with Grandaddy which he thought was great fun!

Thank you to everyone who made Kameron’s first birthday one-derful! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

1. I’ve tried to start shredding with Jillian again. Last week I was able to keep it up Monday through Thursday and it was difficult because I have three children to get ready on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we cannot be late getting Taylor to preschool. So those mornings were basically spent shredding while listening to people cry and I just could not handle that. So Friday & Saturday, when I had to be somewhere early, I just didn’t do it and Sundays are always off. Then I didn’t do it Monday either and Tuesday was a preschool day. I did Shred this morning though, and I am going to try to keep it up for M-W-F from now on. Every T-T-S-S I have a place to be at 9 with all children dressed and fed and I just don’t miserable people anymore!

2. Last night was our September Women on Mission meeting for church and we voted on a slate of officers. I am the secretary now! Not that I had anyone against me, but I am still excited to get to do this. We also talked about fundraisers and are going to do a craft bazaar in November (on my suggestion!) that I am so excited about! If you’re not in WOM and would like to know more about this, let me know!

3. I made 2 Baby Taggy Blankeys as gifts for Kameron and Jakin. I’ve been wanting to make one of these since Taylor was a baby and just now got around to it. I know the boys are approaching being to old for one of these, but I really wanted to make them each one. Kameron’s is the monkey one (of course) and Jakin got the corduroy polkadot one. I have a huge basket full of ribbon, so I just picked out some cute ones and on they went! The back is white minky dot fabric.

4. Homeschooling Kristopher is going great! He is waking up and wanting to get started every morning and we have been having a good time with it. The only part that isn’t really great is the math. He doesn’t seem to have any confidence in himself with math and it isn’t really my favorite subject. He can do it though…that subject just takes longer for us. His Unit 1 tests will all be this week and next, so I can see how he is actually doing with the material. Then we get to move on to some new books! We really are enjoying this for our family and everytime I hear about something that has happened in school this year I praise the Lord that we made this decision. Here is a picture of him at his desk. This sewing desk was in the house when we bought it and my machine doesn’t fit it so we had it out in the garage. We are using it for now since it was free. It is working much better than the kitchen table did on our first day. My desk is next to it and the computer desk is across the room from it, so I can just slide my chair over from where ever I’m sitting to help him.

5. I have been trying to find coupons for my groceries and everything else I buy in the last couple of weeks. I read about a woman who gets a full cart of groceries every week for $4-$10 and that inspired me to at least get a few dollars off ours! It would be so nice to be able to do what she does, but I am not willing to spend 4 hours in a grocery store messing with all of it; 1 to 1 1/2 hours is enough! SO, if you find any good coupons let me know – I’ll take them!

6. Kody has started training his replacement at NCR and will be starting his new job at Ag Connections on October 1. We are very excited, but also nervous about this.

7. I am going to be setting up an informational meeting sometime in the next few months to try to guage interest in American Heritage Girls and getting a troop in Murray. If anyone would be interested in helping me with that or interested in having this sort of program for girls here, please contact me. This is a Christ centered scouting program for girls 5-18. They stress purity and service and stewardship to the girls and I would really like to have this available to my daughter next year when she is the right age. Go to the site to learn more about their Mission Statement and what they do.

8. I have signed up to be an Usborne Books consultant. I will be having a show at the end of September to “announce” my business and let everyone see some books. If you would like to see some before then contact me or visit my website. If you would like to order or book your own show/party let me know as well. Right now, I can get you double free books as a hostess. These books are so wonderful for kids. We have so many at our house and they are the favorite “go to” books for my kids. They really are “The books kids love to read!”

9. I am wondering, this morning, why my children cannot grasp the concept of “being quiet.” Why is this so hard. I think since we moved here last year that everyone has gotten louder…is it because of the extra space? Do they think it has to be filled with noise all the time? I just don’t get it.

10. And because I feel like I need to have an even 10 things… Here is a scripture that I read on Martin’s blog yesterday and have been thinking on. Go read what he has to say – so good!

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.” 2 Tim 2:15-16 NIV

Right now I am thinking that we will do the Art book (scroll down – it’s called I can do all things) from My Father’s World, but I may just come up with my own art projects. It wouldn’t be a problem, but sometimes it’s nice to just have it laid out for you. I’m still looking into Music lessons of some sort, but I may just try doing that myself too…we shall see.

Tomorrow, on the first day at Artesian Christian Academy, we are going to do a fun activity that Taylor can participate in as well. I got these posters from Oriental Trading Company. I think the kids will have fun filling in the information about themselves and their family – hope I’m right! I purchased one of those big pocket calendars too that you can have the kids add the days to and the weather and holidays. I’ve always wanted one of those for my kids even when we weren’t planning to homeschool, so I was finally able to justify it. Taylor will get to help with that too:)

We went on our first field trip last Thursday and it was fun for all the kids. It was a fishing field trip organized by one of the moms in our homeschooling group. She had a KY Department of Fish & Wildlife educator, Sonya Mahler, come out and teach the kids about KY fish. Then they learned how to cast their line by trying to get it into a hula hoop. Then the kids split up into 2 groups and one did sidewalk chalk art while the others got to try fishing in the pond. I sat on a blanket with Kameron and Jakin, while Bill & Suzie helped Boaz, Lillian, Taylor and Kristopher with their poles. Taylor caught a catfish, but I’m not sure she was that excited about it! Then the groups switched until it was time to eat lunch. It was a really fun thing for all the kids and the group was the most well behaved group of kids I’ve ever seen in that kind of setting. Everything was relaxed and fun and they learned something too – a very nice first experience for us.

Taylor is going to be starting Kingdom Kids this Tuesday. She will be there 2 days a week like Kristopher was when he was her age. We really liked the program then, so I hope it goes well for Taylor too. When Kristopher was there he had a small class, but Taylor’s class has 14 – heavy on the boys side. When we went to meet the teacher Taylor actually walked in and sat down at the table with all the boys, while the other girls all went to the other table. She has always wanted to hang out with the boys, so having that many around won’t be a problem for her! I just hope she enjoys going and doesn’t cry every time like she does when we drop her off for church.

Well, I better get to bed, so that I am well rested for tomorrow. Getting enough sleep is essential to me so that I have enough patience…and I definitely want that! Pray for me, and all of us, as we begin this new adventure of homeschool.

When we first came to look at the house we took pictures, so we could remember and show the house to people when we talked about it. We really thought this was the one when we first saw it, so we were excited. However Kody was the one taking the pictures so he took more of some things than others… Taylor’s room to be only got this one shot. You can see that it has blue walls and cream trim. The closet door had a deadbolt instead of a doorknob. You can’t see the light, but it was an ugly rectangular flourescent fixture that probably belonged inside a shop more than a bedroom;) There was also a hole cut in the wall behind the door (presumably to get into the attic space), but it wasn’t finished and just sat there open leaking air and bugs.

Her room has been mostly finished for some time, but we just got her dresser and bookshelf last week so I didn’t want to post pictures of all her stuff sitting on the floor looking messy;) Her walls are now lavender with white trim (which she picked out). She has lovely silver doorknobs on the closet and door to the hall (curtousey of Grandpa). The light fixture is now a pretty silver one, which I don’t have in a photo here. The dresser, bookshelf and toy rack are all from Target. We’re thinking that by the time she gets a twin bed she might be done with the kitchen so that will give her more room there. She has my old desk from my aunt and uncle which I loved and Kristopher used, but is really too big for now. I still would like to change the color again, but we’ll see if I get time for that! Some other things you can see in her room are special to me and I hope that they will become special to her someday: cross stitched picture of ballerinas done by my grandmother for my mom when she was little; my mirror from when I was little, a box that I handpainted for her last summer with her name on it; a hat rack made for her when she was born, by my best friend:); a doll cradle given to me by my grandparents when I was young; and a Hairbow holder that I made for her (this morning) using one of our wedding frames.

I guess the room isn’t still totally finished;) Her mirror still needs to be hung. I have the fabric here to make her a twin sized quilt. It is from Moda’s Full Moon Forrest line. When I do that I will also be making white curtains with patchwork trim to match. I am really excited about those things and can’t wait to get started if I get a little time and a clean office to start in! I have enjoyed making her room into a beautiful place and I hope that she enjoys her own space for years to come. She has been spending a lot of time up there since we put her furniture in and got all her toys organized!

Have a great day everybody!

When we asked Kristopher if he wanted to play this season after taking a break last fall, he was kind of hesitant, but did say yes, so we signed him up. He has played since he was 4 with the exception of last fall (I didn’t want to try to figure out how he would get there while I wasn’t allowed to drive or carry anything). This is the age when the coaches start actually teaching the positions and they use a goalie and referees. Kristopher has decided that he doesn’t like it anymore and doesn’t want to play anymore. We aren’t going to let him quit – he will finish the season, but now we have to try to find him something he does like. This is sad for me…

Taylor had a slow start. She didn’t get a coach that seems like she wants to be there, so we didn’t have as many practices as the other teams prior to games starting. The first game Kristopher had to go out and run along beside her so that she would play. Then last Saturday (the second game) she was ready to play when we arrived. She ran right out when she was called and ran all over the field taking the ball and kicking it. She scored 2 goals and had so much fun! Her team has 2 girls and 5 boys I think. So far the girls are the only ones making the goals;) The other little girl’s sister is on a traveling team so she has someone to watch and practice with. I’m not sure how she’ll feel in the future, but for right now she wants to play and loves getting out there. I didn’t envision this being her thing. I have thought that she would dance or do gymnastics like I did as a little girl (and that my boys would be the soccer players), but this will be just fine:)

As we prepare to homeschool next year I really want to have some type of sport or physical activity for Kristopher to be involved in. I think that it’s important to have something like that other than just “playing outside.”

I took some spring pictures yesterday and had considerable difficulty getting all the kids to look at me and smile and so forth, but here are a couple with all my little soccer players:) Even if they don’t play on a team, we still have fun kicking the ball around here and playing family games! Hope you enjoy them! (more on Facebook) (I can’t really figure out what I’m doing with this new gallery thing on WP so imagine that the soccer picture from Taylor’s first game is up there with the part about soccer. The other pics are from the “photo shoot” that we did yesterday!)

*I know it’s been almost 8 months since I last wrote. I’m not going to make any statements about trying to do better – yada yada…I’m also not going to do any catch up posts. If I decide to write, I hope you’ll read:) If I don’t I’m not going to feel bad about it!

Kameron’s pictures

Kameron Luke was born Wednesday, September 17th at 8:16 am. He was 7 lbs 5 ounces and 19.25 inches long. My biggest baby so far – no wonder I was so uncomfortable at the end! He is a very sweet, cute little boy and we love him very much already:) (of course, who wouldn’t love a sweet baby?!) His tiny bit of hair is dark brown and we won’t know about his eyes for awhile, but I’m going to guess brown like the rest of us!

Enjoy the pictures! If you have any questions just ask and I’ll try to answer soon:) I might bw too busy snuggling with a little cutie, so it might not be too quick though! Have a great day everyone!

Kristopher had a really great year last year, I was just disappointed with a few things that public school had to offer. I did love his teacher and his class though and he did too as far as I know. This year has been completely different and has made our entire family unhappy. That’s not to say that he has a bad teacher or class, but something’s not right. He has been getting into trouble for things that he knows not to do and has no reason to be doing and some things that I think are ridiculous. He cries almost everyday when I pick him up from school – something that didn’t happen once last year. I hear stories about how the other kids were mean to him on the bus or at recess or at lunch almost everyday as well. He is being pushed away from all the activities by kids who were his “friends” last year. This is my child who has lots of friends at church in all the age groups, can play with anyone wherever we go. He is nice, helpful and giving to people who need it. He is quiet and listens to instructions and follows them in other groups (almost all of the time – no one is perfect!) but for some reason at school he is having all of this trouble. His work however is great. He is reading on a much higher level than the others in his class, as he was last year. He wants to read everything he can and loves to learn. He is good at math and excellent at spelling. The only thing that he doesn’t do well (as far as I can see and have heard) is writing. He still writes too big, which isn’t the worst thing in the world to me.

That brings me to homeschooling. I think we’ve pretty much decided that we are going to do it. We aren’t going to take him out of school yet, but either for the spring semester or starting with his Second grade year we will be homeschooling. I want to try to address some of the arguments that I’ve already heard and know that I will hear from some of you.

First, the issue of whether children learn from their parents vs. other teachers. Parents are their children’s first teachers and the ones that God has provided them with. That should make them the best teachers for that particular child. That is what we are here for – to bring up our children and teach them everything that we know. Children will listen to their parents and I have actually noticed when helping Kristopher with his mountains of homework this year that he does listen to me and he asks questions and is learning what I tell him. And even in homeschooling, we would not be his only teachers or mentors. We attend church, where he has many different teachers, all of whom we trust to teach things that we agree with. There are many extra activities and sports and classes available to children who are homeschooled or who want extra in Murray. If that weren’t enough, there is also a homeschool co-op here. The parents who excel or are passionate about a certain subject will teach (or sometimes other trusted adults will help out with a class) classes for whichever kids want to take it. There are some really neat classes and they would count toward his schooling as well. So, he could still learn from other people, they would be people I know and trust in a well supervised environment with parental involvement.

Next, the issue of socialization has come up. Our research and watching what happens at public school has proved to us that homeschooled kids probably are more socialized and have better social skills than their peers. Children who are in public school end up sitting in silence for most of the day with little time for actual interaction with others. And when they do finally get to have that play time and do things that are supposed to be fun, some of them get hurt physically or emotionally by other kids. Homeschooled kids have interaction all day with siblings or with people at extracurricular activities. Homeschooled kids have more experience actually living life instead of sitting in one room with a bunch of other kids all day. That’s not what life is going to be like when they get out of school. Academics are important and we will be emphasizing that here, but learning how to interact with people in a normal manner is also important – I don’t think school teaches you that. If Kristopher is homeschooled he will still be around other children and will probably be much happier and better off than he is now. I firmly believe that and hope that we will have support with our decisions.

I’m not sure what else will be thrown at me, but if you have a question, please ask it. We have been reading and researching books and the internet and really think this is the right thing for our family right now. That isn’t to say that we will homeschool all three children for all 13 years of their schooling. Our decision doesn’t have to be permanent, but for right now we think it is the best one and are planning to go ahead with it. I have also joined a group called Lake Area Homeschoolers to get help and advice. I know many people around here who homeschool and Kristopher is friends with many of their kids too, so that is very helpful. We’re going to try to go to a meeting soon and find out more.

I feel much better now that I have all of that out. I’ve really been struggling with how to do this with a new house and new baby (who still isn’t here!!), but I don’t feel like it is totally my decision. God has a plan for our family and will get me through whatever I need to do to carry out that plan.

So, the baby…he hasn’t arrived yet. My c-section is next Wednesday at early o’clock. We have to be there at 5:30am. I am still hoping that Kameron will arrive in the next 2-3 days, but it isn’t looking like he will. I have been having contractions and pain for a week and have been checked out three times and all three they have sent me back home. So, probably the only way they will keep me is if my contractions are really close together and constant or if my water breaks. I’m praying that it will!! We are mostly ready around here. We still don’t really have a bed for him, but I do have a playpen that has the bassinet top he can sleep in. It doesn’t seem real comfortable or like something that I want to use forever, but it will work until we acquire a real crib! Kody has next week off – actually starting in two days That will be helpful, but would be even more so if Kameron came now, so I can have help when I get home from the hospital. I’m pretty nervous about getting home without him here to help me; I don’t know who will stay with me if he’s not here. My mom came and stayed for a week when Taylor was born and I really needed her help then, so I can’t imagine being alone this time. Anyway, enough rambling! I know everything will work out, it’s just hard to see how right now.

The house is still under construction! It is turning out very nice though and we really feel blessed with it. I hope to get pictures on here soon – I know some of you are waiting for them! The before and after thing that I was going to participate in got moved, which is why I haven’t mentioned it. Instead of in July BooMama is doing it on September 26, so maybe by then I’ll be ready with the camera hooked up!

I hope you are all having a great week! Hopefully my next post will have new baby information and maybe some pictures!