Abby Girl

Fourteen years ago, we were living in MO. On a chilly day in February, our precious Abigail Marie came into the world. She was a feisty baby and still is today!
We went to the Oxford Exchange for a mini photo shoot and yummy lunch.

A New Love

I have always wanted to have my kids learn new things and grow by doing them. This year Jonathan and Anna have had the privilege of being in CAST. It is a phenomenal group of singers, actors and dancers!
Anna is in Aladdin Jr. She is one of Jasmine's attendants and has a few lines that she gets to sing by herself. I guess you call that a solo part :) Her voice is beautiful and I think that she will make a leading lady some day!
Jonathan has had some great opportunities, as well. He has a leading role in Flapper and I am very excited to see him perform!
Another opportunity is for him to sing at Busch Gardens for the Christmas season. They have asked CAST to sing many times throughout December. I love to hear Jonathan's solo! Woohoo! I have waited for this since the last solo when he was 8!!

Let's Grow!

When the kids are bored they tend to want to go on some sort of screen: tv, computer games. This is an easy way to kill time, but it really detracts from family time and building memories together.
I have been challenged to encourage my children to be creators rather than consumers. To have them be the ones to build, plant, fish, bike, draw, paint, tend.
The youngest boys have helped tend to our little garden. That meant that they had to help grandma plant it, then water it. The harvest is always fun and easy. Fresh beans, peas and tomatoes. Yum! A few unnamed older ones have been know to eat a bunch and not leave any for the hard workers ;) Just wait a few days and here comes some more!

Back to Blogging Again!

The summer break from blogging turned into much longer than expected. Sadly, I forgot about it and life took over. 

I really want to make this more of a journal of memories, so I am going to try to be more disciplined in writing. 

Giving Thanks

I have always loved Thanksgiving. I have so many fond memories of it in my past. Many times we would go to a friend's home since we did not live near relatives.

 The kids and I made two leaf garlands and on the back wrote what we were thankful for this year.

I love the fall season and it's warm colors. Decorating for it makes me happy!

This year was quiet since a lot of our family was away or had to work. We still had a delicious dinner and had many things to give praise for this year.

Psalm 30:4

 Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

Park Day

We love to head down to a nearby park and soak up some rays and enjoy the beauty all around us.

Of course, going to the park does not create the excitement that it once did for all the kids. The swings and slide have been replaced by a game of basketball for the older guys.

There are still those who love the swings and slides! Yeah!

 Sammy is ready to take on all the park smells.

Grateful for health and strength to celebrate all God's simple gifts.

Election Fever

Today we headed to Westshore Blvd. to see Mitt Romney and some other well-know government officials. You could sense the excitement in the air. I had to keep fairly calm, since my teens didn't want me to get too crazy!

What a great opportunity for my kids to see the people they hear about on a regular basis in the news.

 Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio and Connie Mack.

I am so thankful that no matter who wins in this year's election God is the one who has all power and control.
Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

Another school year

School is back in session and so is blogging. I am going to post at least twice a month.

I have a Senior in high school this year!! Wow, where did the years go? 

Some of them are showing there grade level on their fingers. 

Here are some more odds and ends of the first week of school.

The Moodymobile

Some people say that your vehicle reflects who you are as a person. It describes you as being sporty, wild, elegant, studious, or even, wealthy. That may or may not be true, but my van does define my season of life.
Our big white van has been faithfully transporting our family since Judson was born. Yes, child number 6. The one that kicked us out of the minivan. Ha! He was born in 2003. The van was made in 2001. So, yes, that is a lot of years and miles added. We have even added one more child and, no, we don't plan to fill it to the 12 passenger limit. :)
Due to having this Moodymobile (as one sweet friend described it) for many years, Dan has become quite the mechanic. He has done everything from minor repairs to replacing many parts of the engine. He has learned so much on Youtube and has saved our family thousands of dollars by doing this. Yes, it can cost some sanity, blood, sweat and tears, but it has been worth it in the long run.
Dan just replaced the whole the air conditioning system last week after being without it for a year. So thankful!! Now we can drive our Moodymobile in comfort!

I had a question regarding my goals for the year. Maybe the reason I have been putting it off is that I have failed at most of them! Failed is not the right term, so I will say redirected :)

First, all the juicing that I was doing was supposed to get my body in  tip top health. Unfortunately, I found out that I am allergic to nickel and all the juicing is not helping me at all. Wow, who would have thought? I am actually having a hard time finding out what I can eat without my hand breaking out. Yes, my hand, yes,it is weird.

In the exercise department, I have not gotten the T-tapp DVD yet. The one I want comes with a big price tag, so I have been waiting to purchase it. In the meantime, I go for walks, jog, and bike with the kids. I am not getting rock hard abs, but I am staying reatively healthy by doing this.

Now for the goal of an early bed time. Nope, not working. My earliest was 10:30 and I happened to have been on a fast and it was day four and I was miserable. That being said, I am doing fine with 6 or 7 hours of sleep. So let's just say that I go to bed before midnight. :)

This month I wanted to start knitting or crocheting. I have done both! I made a small dog collar for Sammie. I was just practicing and when I was finished I decided that it would make a nifty dog collar. How lame! I have to admit it was small but cute, so I did accomplish this month's goal.

Another Easter has come and gone. What a wonderful time to really concentrate on Christ's death, burial and resurrection! What a joy to have the hope of heaven and to see our Savior and loved ones again some day.
We like to read the book of Mark during this time. It was interesting to hear the kids discuss new things that they had learned from Scripture that they had never thought about before.

Of course, we like to color Easter eggs every year. It is a tradition and a fun way to enjoy time together.

Dan designed this egg free hand! Slightly jealous of his artist ability. We joke that he should have been a tattoo artist.

 Everyone started drawing faces on their eggs. What a bunch.

Bunny cookies for everyone. We don't usually buy the prefab kind, but they were cheap :)

Someone had the camera set on macro, so the shots are very blurry.

On Sunday we had a ham dinner with all the fixings.

 Afterwards we had a quick Easter egg hunt outside.

Birthdays happen quite often in a house full of nine people. I try to make the day special by asking the birthday boy or girl what they want for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It really varies from person to person but pizza rates pretty high.
Josiah wanted bear pancakes with chocolate chips for his last birthday breakfast.

Sometimes I let them frost their own cake. Ok, this cake is a bit ugly, but it tasted so good.