Take Time to Enjoy Life

the appearance of Cala Grace

2011-12-05T10:35:00.000-06:00

I feel like I've lost most of November. We thought we were going to have an October baby, so we spent weeks preparing and waiting for our second little girl to make her appearance. But she decided she wanted to do things on her own time table, so we kept waiting. At a week past her due date, we had a non-stress test to make sure she was still doing pretty well. Everything looked good, so we went home to wait a little longer. I'd been having steady contractions 10 minutes apart for 5 long days, so I was growing pretty weary of the waiting. Shortly after we got home that afternoon, the contractions let up for the first time in days. Since I was pretty sure that wouldn't last, I decided to take advantage of the reprieve so I went to bed at about 7 o'clock Saturday night, Nov 5.

I woke up with a pretty strong contraction shortly after 1 (or was it 2? I can't figure out how the whole daylight savings time change thing works) Sunday morning. Glad I had gotten some rest, I tried to get comfortable for another long night of contractions. The next one came about 10 minutes later, just like before, but PAINFUL! And then I was wet. At that time of night, I wasn't thinking too clearly and I wasn't that wet, so I figured I must have peed my pants. Crazy, right? So I changed and got back into bed only to find myself wet again. The next contraction came just a couple minutes later, and I suddenly realized my water had probably broken and these contractions had gone from 10 minutes apart to 3 or 4 minutes. I yelled for Kevin to call his mom so she could come stay with the kids, and it is time to go NOW!

We called the midwife on the way in to town so she could meet us at the hospital. Since it was the middle of the night, we had to be triaged in the ER. The nurse asked if my water had broken and I thought so, but I wasn't sure. She kind of scoffed at me and said I would know if it had. Apparently, this little girl wanted to be different, because I was now completely dry, but it was definitely time for her to show up. We finally got up to labor and delivery at about 2:30. The nurses asked me a bunch of questions while Amy put in my IV and then they ushered me into the tub. I really didn't want to mess with any drugs because my pattern seems to be that I labor so fast, they never even get a chance to work before the baby comes.

The tub was wonderful! The contractions were coming pretty quickly, but I still had a minute or so to rest between them for a while. But then, out of the blue, I was hot and I wanted out of that tub! Amy kinda shoved me back down and told me to wait for that contraction to pass when here comes another one!

I have to push!

Somebody called for Kevin to come in before he missed his baby being born.

Reach down and feel your baby's head. Here she is. Cala Grace.

The tub was great. The waterbirth was totally unintended. It's not actually allowed at that hospital and it was the first time in 20 years our nurse had ever seen a baby born in the water. But I think it was awesome. No ring of fire, the pain was there and gone so fast. And like I said before, this little one had to be different.

She was born so fast, we were there less than an hour. Kevin said he was pacing around the room so the nurse had just told him to sit down and turn on the tv when they all jumped into action. He did get to see her born, but just from the back of the room. Poor guy can't remember what hospital our other kids were born in, but he won't soon forget little Cala's birth.

I'm so thankful she's finally here, and I can't believe it's been a month already. My sweet girl, my unexpected blessing. The little one I didn't know I longed for.

Nesting and 40 + 3

2011-11-01T14:23:00.000-05:00

I've been here twice before, so you would think I would be used to it. But I don't think there is a pregnant woman in the world who hasn't gotten a little impatient as that magical due date comes and goes. I try to remember that Chloe and Micah were both born 3 days late, but here we are, and I don't think we're showing any more signs of labor than a couple of weeks ago. I just keep reminding myself, it'll happen in God's perfect timing. Right?

In the meantime, I've gotta keep myself busy. So I've been finding little baby projects to do. Lots of sewing and a little knitting. The project thing actually started way back in the summer when we found out we are having a girl. Isaac's carseat was wonderful, but it had this nylon fabric that made him sweat like crazy. And it was brown and red, not terrible, but nothing girlie about it for sure. So I found this awesome carseat tutorial by Ashley over at Make it and Love it. It was a huge project, but totally worth it.

After Kevin got my sewing table all set up in the new school room, I got kinda wrapped up in finding new things to sew and I discovered these cute little fabric shoes.

I've also kept busy making baby blankets and nursing covers for a couple other moms due this week. Not to mention making all of the bedding for sweet baby Corbin, Jody's little guy.

Last week I stopped in at the yarn store in town and found this beautiful, soft yarn that I just had to have. It was ridiculously priced, but I decided that I needed to splurge, so I bought it with absolutely no idea what I was going to do with it. But that's what the internet is for. I found a cardigan pattern made specifically for that yarn and made the little matching headband with it at the top of the page.

So I suppose my little one will just have more fun things from Mommy if she decides to take even longer to show up. But I won't be disapointed if she shows up soon anyway :).

HOW MANY kids do you have???

2011-10-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

I get this question a lot. We've got 4, about to be 5 in about 2-3 weeks. And our house is the same one we bought 9 years ago when I was pregnant with my oldest, Chloe. It's a 2 bedroom bungalow, not exactly the sprawling home you'd expect when you think about someone with so many kids. But we like it, and we've made do. Kevin's job is still in the "building a portfolio/client base" stage, so we really don't feel like we're in a position to buy. BUT... we need somewhere to put all of these kids!!

A couple years ago (nearly 3 years actually) Kevin and his dad started building a bedroom in the basement wtih the idea that Chloe would move down there. Well, fast forward to this summer, and here I am pregnant with our 5th child and she's still sharing a bedroom with 2 brothers and Isaac is still sleeping in our room. Definitely not a great setup.

So we made a deal, the bedroom had to be done by the time school started this fall. The spring started out on a positive note, a couple of weekends with forward movement, but then softball season started. That pretty much meant that NOTHING happened on the house for 2 whole months. As July came to a close, I was starting to stress.

So I called Kevin at work one afternoon and asked what project could I do in the 2 hours Isaac was sleeping right then. He told me and I got to work painting Chloe's closet. I think the fact that I was asking for a job to do during naptime got him to realize this seriously needed to get done. The next day I called and asked how to set the computer up in another room so we could have a place for the crib in ours. After my midweek nesting craze, Kevin got the hint and started getting serious with Chloe's room. He spent 4-5 days a week for the next few weeks working all evening after work.

It's amazing how long it can take to get from "almost done" to "actually done" but we finally got there!! Chloe now has her very own room and she loves it!!

After sharing with her brothers for the last 7, almost 8, years, she was definitely ready for some girlie space.

A most beautiful girl

2011-10-05T11:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, before I get into my post, I will briefly address my 11 month blogging hiatus: I've been busy.

Moving on...

A couple of years ago, I met this young girl who was babysitting for our small group and needed a ride into church every Thursday night. She's fun and bubbly, and I've gotten to know her pretty well during those 20 minute drives every week since then. I've learned a lot about how much she doesn't like math and how much she loves Burrus corn. But something more than that, I've seen this girl grow into an awesome woman of God. She struggles with all the same things that teenagers struggle with, but she knows the loving God who's with her through it all.

Crae loves children with a passion and she has found a very special place in the hearts of my children and me.

She lives right around the corner and often shows up to play with the kids or take them to the park. Last summer, she surprised me by teaching Jadon how to pump his legs on the swing without me even knowing! Now, that's the way to a Momma's heart!!

Crae is a senior in high school this year, so I asked her if I could do her senior pictures for her as an early graduation gift. She wanted to take the kids to the park to do them, which is so typical of her. I really don't know what we're going to do if she goes off to college next year. We'll miss her for sure, but I'm so proud of who she's become.

Congratulations, Crae! We love you.

first words

2010-11-23T09:50:00.001-06:00

When you are the fourth in line, sometimes life is rough.

Big brothers take your toys.

Or big sister won't let you chew on her markers.

But sometimes life is easy... too easy. You never have to do much to get attention.

After a year, you still don't feel the need for walking or talking because you have brothers and sister around 24/7 to bring you every toy or tell Mommy you need a snack.

Until one night you're up a little late and something shiny catches your eye. You point up at it, look over at Daddy and say "buffoon!!"

That's another rough thing about being number 4, sometimes boys have to play with princess 'buffoons'

Conversations with a 4 year old

2010-11-14T15:35:00.001-06:00

On vacation, fixing a plate of pancakes for my boy~

Jadon: I want not too much peanut butter, but too much syrup.

Same vacation, early morning in the tent, looking up at the sky~

Jadon: Mom, look, the day is coming!

Later that same day, trying to get things packed up~

Me: Get away from the campsite and go play in the parking lot!

This morning, as I was getting ready for church~

Jadon: Mommy, do you know why we have 2 shoes?

Me: Why, JJ?

Jadon: Because we have 2 feet.

Gotta love that boy!

My life as a Circus

2010-11-12T17:08:00.000-06:00

Life has a way of spiralling out of control every once in a while. Take this week for example: my husband, a banker worked 16 hours yesterday. SIXTEEN!! With hours like that, no one should ever make comments about him working "banker's hours." Anyway, this post is supposed to be about my circus life. We're a little crazy around here. Homeschooling, sick kids having chest xrays, Mom2Mom on Fridays, plus all the prep time, and redefining the term "banker's hours." So isn't it appropriate that this year our family Halloween theme was the Circus!

We even made a "Rodies' Big Top" trunk for Trunk or Treat this year.

My dear scruffy husband is certainly the ringleader for this crew.

Chloe kept reminding everyone that she was a "male" lion, because the females do not have manes.

Micah is definitely our "class clown" so I thought the costume was appropriate.

Jadon loved the elephant costume that we borrowed. I heard a trumpetting elephant all week after this.

And, yes, that is my sick little man out in the cold. Don't worry, we didn't stay long. And he still managed to get well, despite the cold weather and all the sugar the other kids kept sneaking him.

Where did she go?

2010-10-26T13:40:00.000-05:00

So this past month, I'm sure you've been wondering where we went. I mean, there's no more softball, so surely we've been home enough to do some blogging. Well, not exactly. Since there is no softball, my dear husband has decided he needs to make up for it with fishing. LOTS of fishing! Fishing for BIG fish!

So this is where we've been. On this dock.

Fishing for these fish.

And this 34 lbs, bigger-than-my-now-4-year-old fish.

And this one, too.

Kevin said his dad tried to play it cool, but I think he was pretty pleased with the biggest-catch-of-his-life fish. What do you think?

ONE!!

2010-09-20T08:51:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, it's cliché. But there is usually a reason for cliché. I can't believe it's been a year already! My little guy is growing up and entering that mystical time of toddlerhood.

Zac has finally figured out how to crawl on his hands and knees rather than slither like a snake on his belly. But the cake I made for his and Joshua's birthday party sure fit him well.

You know, they say (whoever "they" are) that later babies learn to walk and talk later. In Zac's case that seems to apply as well, because there is never any shortage of brothers or sister or cousins to help him out. He even has a cousin to share his birthday with!

What a blessing it is to watch this little one grow and to help him become the man that God wants him to be. I pray we are up to the task. Who knows, he might even become a football star!

(But I think he'll have to stop chewing on the ball first.)

A Letter from my Baby Brother

2010-09-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

I'm so proud of my baby brother. The same little brother I used to pick on, and who pushed me down the stairs once. The baby brother that was my best friend every time we moved in the middle of the summer, when there was no school to busy us or help us make new friends. The baby brother who has no kids of his own, but loves mine with abandon and plays wiffle ball with them in his suit and tie.

I got a message from him today and it was so moving, I called him up to ask him if I could share it with you.

everything is going well, and i'm happy to be useful, even though this situation is very strange. i feel like i have no experience and authority for getting things done, but people look at me as if i should be in charge. its so weird, but i guess its similar for other peace corps volunteers in the country.

we get treated with respect because people think we're rich and well educated. in comparison we are, but i don't feel like i have the capabilities to do some of the things they expect. its all so strange, but i guess i sometimes do. that's the reality of it.

we're here because we believe we can get things done, we don't settle, we don't quit, we show up and care and as long as we keep doing that we'll be somwhat effective.

He's such an awesome guy! I'm so proud of the sacrifice he's making to better our world. I love him so much, even if he is a bit of a goofball.

It's Over!

2010-09-07T12:51:00.000-05:00

Softball season is finally over for the year. Despite many ups and downs this season, they ended on a really great note. The Rodies ended the Sunday afternoon league in a 3 way tie for first, but somehow came out on top. I have no idea how they figure it out, but I'm just excited for them!

We played the last game of the night, which always means we end up with a few short Rodies on the field after the game.

Girls too!

And even little Teegan!

The following week was the tournament for that league. Apparently, our guys have never actually finished in first for both the season and the tournament. This year they finally did it! Of course, with a little more help from the fans!

No, she's not mine, but she's stinkin' CUTE!!

2010-09-06T20:02:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, Kevin and I spent a few days with his sister's 4 kiddos while she and her hubby were out of town. The thing is, Kevin and his brothers were playing in a softball tournament the same weekend. My van only seats seven, that leaves no place for 3 of us. So we divied up the munchkins, girls with Daddy/Uncle Kevin and boys with Mommy/Aunt Becca, and drove both our cars over to the tournament. While we waited for the games to start, I took all 8 kids over to the really great playground. I learned a couple of things while I was over there.

1. Trying to count to 8 children when only one of them is still is quite a challenge.

and 2. Lydia...

likes to climb...

a lot!!

I don't think I realized she was actually trying to push Luke off the steps here.

The things cute 2 year olds get away with. Maybe Aunt Becca should come out from behind that camera a little more.

Dirty Baby

2010-08-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

Zac still has an interesting little army crawl. No hands and knees for this guy! It makes for a very dirty baby some days and Sunday was no exception. We were at a cookout with some old friends and Zac was insistent that he was going to play in the dirt. So I let him.

Crawling on the patio around the firepit is certainly an easy way to get covered in soot!

And a baby that slides along the grass, will never be clean!

Look at those little black feet!

Teeth!!

2010-08-16T10:31:00.000-05:00

Isaac has had a rough couple of weeks. Lots of crying, very little sleeping. A month ago, he had just the very beginnings of 2 teeth. Today, at eleven months old, he's working hard on number 7 and 8. I'd be grumpy, too, if I had 6 teeth slice through my gums in just two weeks! But they sure are cute!

Going to the Game!

2010-08-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was having camera withdrawals, so as we were headed out the door to yet another softball game I grabbed my bag, intent on actually using it this time. While there are some thrilling photos to be taken of the actual game, they require paying attention with your finger on the trigger for the entire game to get that split second shot and I just am not that dedicated. And besides, I have 4 kids. Enough said. So rather than show take a bunch of shots that all look like this

I took some photos of what the rest of us do while the Daddies play.

Zac has been showing off his beautiful new teeth. He's very proud of them.

Aunt Megan brought jelly beans to hand out to the kiddos.

What else would Micah be doing?

Chloe has been learning to make friendship bracelets, so she's teaching the other kids. That's right up her alley.

Last night was so humid, my glasses fogged up as soon as I opened the car door. Jadon was dripping with sweat within minutes.

After a win, sometimes even a loss, we usually end up at Dairy Queen. The kids do a lot of begging and we usually cave.

Zac was pretty perturbed that he didn't have anything. But don't worry, little guy, Uncle Mark's got your back!

Eleven Years

2010-08-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight my hubby and I get to go out to celebrate our eleventh anniversary (we had other obligations on Saturday, the actual day). I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. So much has happened in the last 11 years.

Now, it seems like we were just babies when we got married! I was 18 and Kevin was 20; why on earth did our parents let us get married so young?! I suppose they didn't have much choice, but it really seems crazy looking back.

Even though it seems crazy now, I wouldn't change a thing. God has really blessed our little family. We've got 4 great kids and a cute little house. And I'm so thankful for all the other Rodies around here and my family too. Life isn't always easy, but it's lots of fun!

Teaser

2010-07-25T15:18:00.000-05:00

This year I've taken quite a little break from photographing anyone other than my own children. But when one of my oldest and dearest friends asked if I would do her little guy's 2 year photos, I just couldn't say no. However, being 2, little "E" could say "no" just fine. He was not very interested in having his picture taken by this strange lady he only sees a handful of times each year. Anyway, I thought all of my 4 readers might get a kick out of seeing our first attempt at a portrait of this adorable little family.

Summer School

2010-07-23T10:57:00.000-05:00

One of the great things about homeschooling is that almost anything can be a teaching opportunity. This summer, we've taken advantage of a lot of local farms that have Upick berries. In the spring we picked strawberries, which we've done quite a bit.

Last month we got to pick blueberries, which is something we've never done before. We've had lots of fun learning about seeds and sun how things grow.

The really great part is that everyone gets to do it together. Jadon picked about a quart of blueberries himself.

Chloe did great, she picked more than half a gallon! What a champ!

Even Isaac got in on the fun, riding along on Momma's back.

Micah got a little distracted, but still managed to get quite a few berries in his bucket!

Zac at 10 months:

2010-07-19T15:29:00.001-05:00

He's SO big!!

Mummum is a favorite word, no mama or dada (at least with any intention) but he's decided dinnertime is very important and "mummum" is about all he says until his mouth is full.

(yummy blueberry muffins from the blueberries we picked last month!)

He noticed stairs for the first time on Saturday.

(he also climbed stairs for the first time on Saturday)

Still loves his momma and big sister, but he's starting to warm up to other people now.

But he's pretty happy on Momma's back. :)

He got his first tooth on Friday, 10 months and one day. But he won't let anyone check it out.

He's gotta keep chewing instead.

My Awesome Little Brother

2010-06-24T15:09:00.001-05:00

My brother, Brian, came by today for most likely the last time for more than 2 years. He's off to Malawi next week with the Peace Corps. While I'm sad to miss him, and a little jealous of the adventure, I'm mostly excited and proud of him! So Kevin took the day off of work to visit and we spent a great morning together before he left this afternoon.

Of course, it's beautiful outside today, so we had to walk up to a local café for lunch. The kids thought that was a real novelty and had a hard time not running in the street.

We had to get a few last photos together, kinda fun.

And Chloe is really going to miss Uncle Brian.

We're all going to miss him.

If you want to know more about why he's going or what he's doing while he's in Malawi, click here.

Fun on the Lake and a Little, Big River

2010-06-22T09:55:00.000-05:00

When all was said and done, and we were on our ridiculously long drive home, Kevin and I asked the kids what they thought about our vacation in Minnesota. We asked for their 3 favorite things that they did. Their responses varied of course. Jadon loved tubing with Daddy

and swimming in the lake.

Micah had a great time fishing

and doing the boys vs girls photo scavenger hunt.

Chloe asked to have her birthday on vacation every year, it was obvious she loved being the center of attention.

But the one thing they all said was that they LOVED going to the headwaters of the Mississippi!

It was drissly and dreary that day, but we decided to go anyway. All the kids ended up soaked, falling into the river at one time or another (sometimes on purpose, sometimes on accident). We all had such a great time and the kids really thought the idea of walking across such a HUGE river was awesome!
Jadon got to cross with Kevin.

And even Lydia made it across with Mark, although convincing her to let Daddy help was quite a trick.

Even Mommy and Zac got a picture taken on the rocks, although we did cheat and cross the little bridge.

(something about slipping on the rocks with a baby strapped to me didn't sound all that appealing)
What great memories we made! And I love that most of the fun was just enjoying God's world!

One Week

2010-06-20T10:27:00.001-05:00

some of our kids at Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi River

1200 + miles
18 children
28 adults (give or take)
1 lake
4 boats
2 kayaks
7? cabins
800 + photos
1 river
2 birthdays
1 fish fry
1 campfire
3 potlucks
TONS of fun

Berry Hunting

2010-06-07T12:00:00.022-05:00

What do you do when you see this?

My kids know.

For a couple of weeks I've been waiting for the signs advertising strawberries and I finally saw them last week. So we made a plan to go out and get some a couple of days later. I wasn't really sure how it would go with 4 kids along, but we decided we were up for an adventure.

So with specific instructions to pick only pretty red berries with no white and no green, off they went into the patch with Isaac strapped to Momma's back.

They did a really great job and picked gorgeous baskets full of bright red berries!

Those kiddos were hot and sweaty after all that hard work, but it was so much fun!!

And of course I rewarded them with yummy Strawberry Stuffed French Toast the next morning.

Daddy's are the BEST!

2010-06-06T14:09:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, we had the opportunity to visit a different park with the whole family. We had a great time together running around and exploring new things.

For some reason, parks are always more fun when Daddy comes along. I'm thinking it may be the crazy ideas he comes up with, like putting 3 kids together on one swing.

Or just the simple fact that he plays on the equipment with the kids.

Divide and conquer. Daddy plays on the equipment while Mommy mans the baby and the camera.

Get Moving!

2010-05-15T22:21:00.000-05:00

Isaac is 8 months old today. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a good picture of a moving 8 month old?
This was the first try. Probably a bad idea, trying to get him in the commando crawl. (Please ignore the blue glow from the tv: Daddy was playing Wii)

Here he stops to play. Maybe he'll slow down enough here. Nope. The toys are way too interesting to look at mommy's camera!

Quick! He's looking! Never mind.

We almost got this one. But not quite.

He's taking off again. No luck Mom!

A Recap: Spring!

2010-05-04T09:41:00.000-05:00

Spring has arrived, and full force I might add. And along with the warm weather comes lots of playing outside and the abandonment of the computer. So we'll do a brief overview of the last month to make up for my absence from this blog.

Isaac turned 7 months old: he's adorable for sure, and rolling and squirming to get wherever he can go

He's also learned to sit all on his own which makes life much easier on this Momma, since he's happy to play alone or with the other kids for good stretches now

Jadon learned to pump his legs on the swing. Our regular babysitter dropped by the yard to play with the kids a couple weeks ago and taught him how. Awesome! (this Momma is thrilled to not hafta push too!)

Chloe is nearing her 8th birthday.

She's such a HUGE help around the house, I don't know what I'd do without her. There are days that I have to remind myself to let her be a kid. Since she likes to help out, I sometimes take advantage without realizing it. But the help with Zac is awesome! I can even get supper fixed on time most nights with her help.

Micah hasn't changed much. He's still a baseball fanatic, and he loves playing outside.

I spent last Friday repairing every bike we own so they can ride in this awesome weather we've had. Micah asked to go out and ride at 8:00 this morning! No wonder he's so stinkin' skinny!

Jody and I spent a day last week preparing meals for the freezer, along with another friend. Together, the 3 of us made 36 meals: that's right, 12 full meals for each of us! Now my freezer is stocked for those days I just can't get dinner ready, or nights when I've got something else going.

Kevin shot his second turkey ever on Saturday.

Oh, and the Rodies won their first tournament of the year!

(dodgeball tournament that is)

So that's what has been happening around here. Tonight marks the start of softball season, so we'll be busy, busy. Hopefully, I'll find some time to post updates on here, but if not, you'll know what we're doing... watching softball of course!

Triumph!

2010-04-13T20:01:00.000-05:00

Jody called about a month ago. She had a table in her school room that was too big for the room and wanted to know if we would like to trade for the dining table we were using. Our table comfortable seats 4, a little tricky with our growing family of 6! Unfortunately, there was a catch. Her table had a bad finish, as well as some traces of paper permanently afixed to the sticky finish. But, ever the adventurer that I am, I thought "How hard could it be to refinish a table?" So we made the trade.

Well, the job turned out to be a little trickier than I had first imagined. Stripping was easy, and kinda fun. As was staining. I didn't love sanding the whole surface, but it wasn't too bad. The problem came when I tried to put the 2nd coat of polyurethane on. Remember high school chemistry (maybe it was even grade school) when you learned that oil and water don't mix? I kinda forgot that part. Or at least forgot to apply it to my table. Oops! After attempting to wash my brush with water, I reapplied my varnish. It did NOT like the water in the brush! So after my lovely table had been stained to look like this

It ended up with a huge white streak across one side. Needless to say, I was less than pleased. So after debating for most of the weekend whether or not to leave it, I finally decided to bite the bullet and strip and stain it again. In the end, the extra work was worth doing. And today, we finally got to eat at our new table! We all fit, and the food fits too. We even have extra leaves for when we have guests. I can't wait!

Sometimes you just don't "feel it"

2010-04-04T21:03:00.001-05:00

I've come to a realization today. There are days that I don't "feel saved." I have a lot of them, actually. I don't mean days that I question my salvation, that I know with certainty, deep within my soul. But I have lots of days that I don't feel an overwhelming presence of God, or I think I know what I "should" feel and it doesn't match up with my actual feelings. I often finish reading my Bible without feeling, that "wow factor" from what God is saying. Often, I'm not even sure of what He is saying to me.

But after a string of days like that, I realized something today. It's okay not to have that overwhelming feeling. At Friday's service, I kept thinking my heart wasn't really in it because I wasn't feeling overwhelming grief. But today I knew why. Jesus' death wasn't the end. He died, but not forever. And while His death was a terrible thing that I am to blame for, it was part of His plan and I just have a hard time being sad knowing how the story ends. Jesus took my sins with Him on that cross. And He rose again that Easter morning. That is what the story is about. So while I may not always "feel" the overwheming feelings I sometimes think I'm supposed have. I KNOW that my REDEEMER LIVES! And that is awesome!

So I'm gonna allow myself to have those moments and enjoy the life my Savior gave me. And when I pray or study the Bible, I'll wait quietly for when He will use His words to teach me, knowing sometimes it may take a while before I know what the lesson is. And I'll continue to teach my children His word. Because, while somedays God is silent, He is always present. Even when we don't "feel" Him, He is present. And today is a day to celebrate!

Beautiful...

2010-04-01T11:38:00.001-05:00

Last week, I had the awesome privelege to visit with my girlfriend Val and her family in the Pacific Northwest. Isaac and I flew out last Thursday and were met by Val's hubby, Andy, at SeaTac. It was late, and dark, but I really appreciated getting to know this guy who had to be really cool to have married my bestest friend. Val and I stayed up way too late talking, but it was totally worth it. We hadn't seen each other for over a year!

Friday, Val and I and her two girls, along with little Zac spent a lazy day visiting this cute little town nearby. It definitely had a great view from the pier.

And it was certainly a great place to let the girls run off some energy.

Then we stopped at this cute little ice cream shop where I was forced to eat a waffle cone against my will.

Don't let me fool you though, I would drive back just to get another one. You could smell the waffles cooking all the way down the street. Yum!

I think Carolyn and Abbie enjoyed their ice cream too.

We had such a fantastic time. I love that I got to spend so much time with Val's family. I've met them, of course, and I feel like I know them, but really more from talking about them than to them. But now, her family is my family. Carolyn and Abbie are such great kids. And Andy and Val are great parents and really fun people. I am so blessed to have such an awesome woman as a friend and I feel even more blessed now that I've gotten to know her family better.

The area where Val lives is gorgeous, a photographer's dream! I missed the view from the bridge on the way onto the island because it was so late and dark, but I cerainly didn't miss it the next day. I can't imagine getting to see this view every day.

The trees are awesome! They seem to just stretch up forever.

And don't let reports of Washington rainy weather fool you. I actually took this shot in the rain (you can see a couple of drops) but it's such a soft rain you hardly notice.

I love warm beaches with white sand, but there is something so awe inspiring to me about rocky beaches like this.

They are certainly fun to explore!

Andy joined us Saturday and showed me around his part of the navy base. That was really cool, but I kept thinking, that Kevin and the boys would have loved it. So, maybe we'll have to all come back someday.

After the base, we also went looking for tulips Saturday afternoon. I've never been a huge fan of tulips, just not my favorite flower, but I think I may have changed my mind.

We had such a wonderful time. Leaving was pretty tough, but I was ready to be home with my family. Hopefully I'll get to go back with my whole crew sometime, but until then, I've got some great memories. Miss you guys.

BFF

2010-03-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

Do you have a friend like this?

Someone you can call anytime you're happy or sad, anxious or bored?

Who calls you up just cuz she was thinking of you?

Or who you call just cuz your kids did something funny and you wanted to share the laugh with someone else?

Someone who loves you even when you tell her your deepest darkest secrets that make you not like yourself very much?

Someone to make you forget why you were mad at the grocery store clerk, or who gets indignant with you so you know you're not a freak?

Someone who loves you even more when you don't agree with her, just because you're you and she values your opinion?

Someone to remind you that Jesus loves you and so does she when you're feeling most unloved?

Everyone should have a friend like this and I am so blessed that I do. And I get to leave this crazy joint to go see her next week for 6 days!

6 months is half a year

2010-03-15T16:23:00.000-05:00

Wow. That's all I can say. Well, not all I can say. Really I can say a lot. But "Wow!" Isaac is six months old today.

He's growing up so fast. He just learned to roll over a couple of weeks ago and already, I'm having to get after the bigs for leaving toys out. He's not quite moving yet, but he's rolling with a purpose and I'm sure it won't be long before he can get anywhere he wants.

He's starting to tolerate other people a little better, Daddy in particular has become pretty fun. Zac even teased me a little the other day when I tried to take him from Kevin. It was just a tease though cuz he is definitely a momma's boy through and through.

I've been thinking back over the last six months and how fast it seems this little guy is growing, but how much the next six months have in store for him. Today was the first time he got to play on the ground (still on a blanket) outside. The kids and I took him for his very first walk just last week. He's only gotten to experience the outdoors as the cold place we have to go through to get to where we're going. How fun will it be to introduce this little person to the beauty of God's world rather than the four walls man made? He loves playing with his stuffed toys, but how awesome will it be the first time he pats a real dog or sees a real bird?

In six months, God has grown this little tiny bundle into a fun baby with real personality. What will the next six months bring?

This is the face he reserves for his mommy, his most favorite person.

Look at those eyes sparkle in the sun!

Dinner time!

2010-03-04T14:19:00.000-06:00

Sunday night I was not feeling at all like fixing dinner. I had made fajitas for lunch, and I really don't think it's necessary to have more than one big meal a day. But we had used up most of the leftovers and I didn't think of it soon enough to pull a meal out of the freezer, so it was either sandwiches or fajitas again. Then in a flash of brilliance, I figured out how to get a meal like this on the table with little or no effort from me.

Get the seven year old to do it! I have never been a big fan of kids in the kitchen, mostly because I am not a very patient person. But on occasion I do let them help. And Chloe is beginning to be quite a big helper. She is big enough now to even do the stirring on the stove which makes her feel pretty big and special.

And this works out really well for me because all I had to do was give her instructions and supervise the process. She made the entire tatertot casserole from start to finish! She even chopped the onions! I did have to put the casserole in the oven, but that was definitely worth it to me.

Check out the tongue! She was really working hard! Chloe was so proud of herself she even thanked me afterwards for letting her do it. She's such a big girl and I am so proud of her.

A night with my guys

2010-03-03T22:09:00.000-06:00

Every Wednesday, Kevin takes Chloe and Micah to AWANA and I get to hang out with Jadon and Isaac. I usually try to get Isaac down early so J and I can have some time with just the two of us, but tonight Zac had other plans. So Jadon and I had to make do. We played a little Wii.

And read a book. And then we made some cookies.

That was, of course, the best part. Actually, I think the best part was eating them!

Chocolate chip is Jadon's favorite. Just look at that grin!

Isaac didn't get to try them today, but he still had fun playing with Mommy and brother.

Yeah, I know it's been a while...

2010-02-16T08:41:00.000-06:00

But instead of writing about my life, I've been out living it. So I hope you'll forgive me for my absense. In the meantime, lots has been happening around here so here's a little update.

You missed Isaac turning 4 months, so here's a shot of that.

He started getting really smiley and happy about this time, but he wasn't really fond of Mommy's big black growth *read: camera* on her face. But sleeping baby photos are fun anyway, right?

Also, Zac has lost quite a bit of hair and is now sporting this cool mohawk look.

Someday, he's gonna use this shot as an arguement for a real mohawk, I just know it.

What else... oh yeah, we got a Nintendo Wii a few weeks ago. The kids love it, and I'll confess, I do too. We do try to limit screen time, but at least this encourages a lot of activity. Jadon has the most innocent face begging for the Wii don't you think?

Oh yeah, this guy got a new job!

Kevin is now officially a financial consultant and he's loving every minute of it! I don't think I tell him enough how proud I am of him. Love you honey!

So that little recap brings us to now. Zac actually turned 5 months old yesterday so we had another little photo shoot last night. I leave you with my favorite shot from that one. I just love this little guy!

Emergency Bath!

2010-01-07T15:09:00.000-06:00

Some days are really exciting around here. Although, I guess that depends on your definition of exciting. Today, we had a diaper explosion that required an immediate bath for little Zac. He's really not too fond of bathtime, but today, he managed to calm down pretty quickly. Of course, I try never to miss a photo opportunity and today was no exception.

Right out of the sink and onto the bed.

Not too bad if you have a warm towel and a Mommy to dry you off.

Pretty happy when he's all lotioned up.

I just can't resist baby feet!

Of course, around here bathtime is just an excuse to take a nap. He's all tuckered out. Gotta love sleeping babies.

The Real Meaning

2009-12-25T00:48:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love Christmas, but for some reason, I haven't been able to get into it this year. I've had fun shopping and baking and planning out our holiday, but I've been a little grinchy. I'm sure part of it is being exhausted by the baby, but it seems like something more.

After we got the tree set up, I decided that was the only decorating I was going to do. I couldn't find the nativity where it was supposed to be and I didn't really want to search. Besides, that would mean clearing a place for it, so I never got it out.

Until today. Getting ready for company, Kevin asked what he could do and I told him he could go find the nativity set. I really was kind of missing it. He found it right away, and soon the kids were begging to help put it up.

So they carefully unpacked all the pieces.

Then they wanted to arrange the characters. So I asked them what should they put out first. As they started putting the pieces together, they were all telling the nativity story together.

They put out Mary and Joseph and the donkey who had travelled a long way. They told us how they came to the inn and there was no room and how they had to go to the stable and stay with the animals.

They added animals to the scene and told us how it was crowded and noisy and probably smelled quite a bit.

Then they told us that baby Jesus was born, so they added him to the company.

And then the angel told the shepherd about the birth, so the shepherds came to visit with their sheep.

Then the wise men saw a star and travelled very far to visit Jesus, so they added the wise men to the figures. Soon all the people and animals were gathered close around the tiny baby.

The kids were so excited about what they were doing I finally realized why I've been feeling so Grinchy lately. I've been so tired and busy, I haven't been remembering the real reason for Christmas at all. I'm so glad my kids could remind me that this tiny baby is the reason for our celebrations!

The presents and the family gatherings and the food are all great. But we can't let them get in the way of celebrating how much God loves us to send us His Son. Merry Christmas everybody and don't forget the real reason we celebrate. God loves us and He is AWESOME!!

It looks like Christmas!

2009-12-14T10:30:00.002-06:00

We finally got our Christmas tree up last weekend. Usually we do it while Kevin is hunting, sometimes first season, but usually second season. We are fake tree kinda people, sorry to all of you purists out there, but it's just simpler. However, that thing is HEAVY! So I tasked my husband with the job of bringing it up from the basement before he went off hunting...

Then I tasked him to bring it up after he came home from hunting...

Finally, a week after I had first asked for it... I dragged it up the stairs myself. And then I ripped the bag in the process. (That's why he's supposed to do it.)

It's a prelit tree, but when I plugged in the first of the three sections, only one strand lit up. Those suckers are very complicated to get off. In the end only 2 or 3 of approximately 8 strands worked. Our basement flooded last spring and even though we set the tree up in the backyard to dry (yes I know, very white trash but you do whatcha gotta do) I think the water shorted out the lights. So after several hours of unstringing and restringing lights, we got the tree up. Then we still had to wait for Daddy to decorate with us, because life is just more fun with Daddy around.

The kids do all the ornaments. Jadon was really into it this year along with Chloe's instruction.

Most of the ornaments ended up front and center, because that's how my kids roll, but Daddy tried to help distribute them a little more evenly.

Isaac wasn't really much help, but he sure is cute under there.

Micah was more interested in his reflection in the ornaments than anything else.

After we were all finished with our tree, we made our way to Grandma Ellen's to play with Ilese. And of course Grandma's tree still needed decorations, so they got right to work over there.

Ilese and Chloe worked diligently to make that tree look awfully pretty.

Of course Grandma is a little more into her Christmas decor than I, and she had already done the rest of the house. And she decided her home could not be complete without her very own Rudolph.

This must be where my husband gets his sense of humor.

I'm thankful for...

2009-12-03T09:04:00.000-06:00

Boys...

Babies...

Silly faces...

Brothers...

Cousins...

Creative little girls...

Chess lessons from old guys who don't play chess...

Crazy games...

Family...

We spent a great few days with my parents and brother last week over Thanksgiving. My brother Hoa also visited from North Carolina and I got to meet his kids for the first time. I haven't seen him in almost 15 years and my husband had never even met him. He was actually my foster brother, but he lived with us for 5 or 6 years while I was growing up, so I've always thought of him as a brother. It was so great to spend time with him and his family (minus his wife who had to work).

Milestones

2009-11-15T21:02:00.001-06:00

Well there is certainly lots going on around here these days. It seems like my boys have all decided they're going to grow up this week. Today happens to be Micah's birthday. Happy Birthday Micah!! He got to spend his sixth birthday looking for deer in the woods with his Daddy. What a fun day!

While Micah is getting a little bigger, he's still the same ball playing kiddo he's always been. But he has certainly added a wealth of football knowledge as well as a serious interest in soccer recently. So far, his size doesn't seem to be impeding his athletic ability much.

Micah's baby brother also just happened to turn two months old today. Just look how cute my boys are together. At least they're cute when they want to be ;)

Isaac has changed quite a bit over the last month. He still doesn't like the car, but now he does tolerate it under certain circumstances. We've even discovered that he will take a MAM pacifier if we insist, but usually he'd just prefer a blanket and a cuddle. The best part of this new two month old baby is the smiles. He's decided he loves to play with us first thing in the morning, right after breakfast that is. He'll smile and laugh at anyone who comes to him for a good ten minutes if he's just eaten. Baby smiles are just the best aren't they?!

Now for Jadon. His birthday was last month, but he's decided he's not to be left out of the growing boys' club. We had an unusually calm week, so he and I spent the better part of Monday through Wed in the bathroom on the potty. And believe it or not, my boy is potty trained. If you ask him, he'll be sure to tell you big boys go in the potty and babies go in the diaper. And Jadon is definitely a big boy!!

Some days I just can't stand the fact that my kids are growing up so fast, but most days I'm so proud. They are great kids, aren't they?

Fall photos

2009-11-02T17:47:00.002-06:00

You know that old saying, "the best laid plans..." Well, that was how I felt today after my attempt at a photo shoot for my kiddos. The day was gorgeous: blue sky, lots of sun (not always great for photos, but there were enough clouds to make a go of it), warm enough for just a sweater and no rain. So I found some fallish sweaters for the big kids and went to town looking for something for Isaac (I had a gift card specifically for this purpose). We struck out at Walmart, so I used the gift card for family essentials and found a cute sweater for my guy at Target.

Then we headed off to the lake. I had done a shoot out there a week ago that the scenery was awesome for.

However, I forgot to take into account the torrential rains we had last week. Of course I think my kids are adorable so anywhere will work, right? Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the rain decimated the leaves on the trees and filled the lakebed with water. This shot was no longer possible. That was REALLY sad, because I love it and I wanted it for my kids.

But we made do. I stood below this dock to take pictures last week, today the water came right up underneath it. There was no standing below it today. But Micah definitely seems to be at home on the water, doesn't he?

Here, we found a little bit of yellow still left on the trees, but JJ appears more interested in the stick he found than in any photo shoot. Maybe that's why I absolutely love this shot.

Chloe is certainly growing up to be a big helper.

She's such a big girl and she's really sweet to her little brothers (most of the time).

Isaac is getting big too, big enough he stayed awake and happy to sit for the camera with his big sister. Aren't they sweet together?

We had a great time out together despite the rough start. And it was a great day to be outside even without any picture taking. I hope we have a few more days like it this year before it gets any colder. I just love fall.

Our own little pumpkin patch

2009-11-01T13:46:00.000-06:00

Last night was Trunk or Treat. I had already planned on Isaac wearing the pumpkin costume I made for Jadon when he was a baby

so Micah and Jadon wanted to be pumpkins too.

Chloe wanted to be different and be flower this year.

So we got them all dressed up to go to the church where Kevin's cousin and his family actually had a jungle theme set up in there trunk. They even included the boys' costumes in the theme.

The kids were adorable and they all had a really great time. I can't wait to see what they come up with next year!!

Are you ready...?

2009-10-31T10:23:00.001-05:00

...For some Football?

The last two weeks have been completely chaotic. I must have been insane when I filled my schedule to overflowing just a month after having a baby. We have had dr appts and photo shoots and retreats and just a few birthday parties. But we survived and had a little fun on the way.

Micah and Jadon's birthdays are exactly 4 weeks apart, and because of the sheer number of fall birthdays in the Rodie clan, we've celebrated them together the last couple of years. Last year, we had an airplane party at the church where we threw paratroopers and foam gliders off the balcony into the gym. I wasn't sure if we could top that this year, but we sure had a good time trying.

Everyone agrees that Micah is the king of baseball, but Jadon has become a pretty big football fan. And what's more appropriate for fall birthdays than football? So we borrowed some flags from Aunt Jody, and invited all our friends. And then we prayed for good weather. It turned out to be a perfectly fall day. We did get a little sprinkle during the game, but not too bad at all.

So how do you throw a football party with a bunch of kids ages 3 to 7? Well first you need teams.

Kevin and Justin were our captains. They did a great job teaching the kids how to play. And how cute are these little football huddles?

Then you start running!

Caleb was a little intimidated to begin with, but he quickly got the hang of the game. Look at him go!!

Of course we had to have a cheerleader. "Touchdown!"

Eliana was happy to oblige.

After an hour, all the kids were pretty tired and sweaty so we headed inside for some cake and yummy hot chocolate. What a great party!

A month already?!

2009-10-16T14:01:00.000-05:00

Little Isaac turned one month old yesterday. I can hardly believe it. I know that sounds cliché, but really, it seems like he was just born the other day. At the same time, so much has happened in the last month. For one thing, he's gotten really big! He weighs about 10 lbs already, although I don't know exactly, but he's really starting to get some fat on him.

He's not a paci baby, much to his father's dismay, but he's a great sleeper (at least he is during the day). He sleeps through all kinds of running and fighting and playing all day long. I keep joking that we need to have Micah and Jadon run through the house in the middle of the night to get him to sleep better.

For the most part, he's really a happy baby. He really only cries when he's in the carseat. This is the face he makes as soon as he's buckled in.

Yesterday, he cried most of the way home from Camp Akita. That's really too bad since we have to drive 20 minutes just about anywhere we go. Hopefully, he'll get a little more accustomed to that soon.

This is Zac's favorite place to sleep. (Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but that's what happens when the 7 year old has the camera)

I made a bunch of these slings before he was born and we both just love them. It's a really great alternative since he hates the carseat so much. And he's certainly easier to carry around than lugging that heavy seat everywhere.

The big kids just love having a baby brother. They are all eager to help and are constantly asking to hold him. Every once in a while, the ugly green monster rears its head, but not very often. I'm sure the day will come, but we're all having a great time right now. Hopefully that will last a long time.

Camp Akita!!

2009-10-15T15:45:00.002-05:00

One of the great things about homeschooling my kids is that I get to spend so much time with them. But one of the hardest things for them is how much time they spend with me. Don't get me wrong, they spend lots of time with friends and cousins, but sometimes they just need a fun day with other kids. So that's what we did today.

Camp Akita is just a little over 30 minutes away from us and they have opened up their camp to our homeschooling coop for free once a month. Today was our first day out there and we had a blast!! It was a little cold and wet, so we spent several hours out there at the lodge doing crafts and playing games. Look what a great time we had!

Petra supplied a craft for all the kids to do together. Even Micah enjoyed that and he doesn't usually like to stay in one place for too long.

Jody organized games for the kids. Relay races are always fun!

This game was a big hit. I can't remember what she called it but we used to call it "the blob"!

Who says you have to group kids together by age? We had 15 kids ranging from one month to 13 years old. While I don't think Isaac actually had any strong opinions, the rest of them seemed to have a great time together despite their age differences. And how great is it to see the big kids playing with the little kids?

Growing, Growing, Growing

2009-10-11T12:10:00.001-05:00

I actually posted the birth story yesterday so I could post this today.

Isaac was 7 lbs 15 oz at birth, my second biggest baby (Chloe was 8 lbs 3 oz, Jadon, 7 lbs 12 oz and Micah 7 lbs 5 oz). At 10 days old he was 8 lbs 2 oz. At 2 1/2 weeks he was 9 lbs. Who knows how big he is today, but I would not be surprised if he's already pushing 10 lbs. He really likes to eat!! So Friday, I decided to document my little porker. Although any excuse to take pictures of my baby will do, right?

Number Four

2009-10-10T20:04:00.000-05:00

While I realize this post is a little late in coming, I thought I'd fill in a little info about our newest addition. Isaac James was born Tuesday, Sept 15 at 6:05 pm. Although I had been having strong contractions pretty regularly since Sunday morning, they never really got to the point of actual labor until Tuesday afternoon. Every time I thought they might be going somewhere, they'd slow down to about 20 min apart or even stop completely. Tuesday morning, I woke up at about 4:30 am and had pretty regular contractions about 7 or 8 minutes apart for several hours. I even went so far as to ask Kevin to hold off going to work until they slowed down to 10 to 12 min apart by about 9am.

After lunch, I put all 3 kids down for naps and laid down myself. At that point, the contractions were coming just under 20 minutes apart and were really just a nuisance. All that changed at about 3:30pm. Jadon got up from his nap a little after 3 and I got up soon after. In the next half hour I had 3 or 4 contractions that were only relieved by walking around the house. Ellen came over for some reason I can't remember anymore but she had to follow me around the house in order to have a conversation because I could not stop pacing. At this point the contractions were still 8 or 9 min apart, but they were definitely more intense. So I called Kevin and asked him to come straight home after work. Then Ellen, Megan and I took the kids to the park. I figured I had more room to pace there and maybe it wouldn't look so funny.

Soon after that Kevin came home and grabbed my bag and headed to the park to pick me up. We got to the hospital at about 5pm. I was only 3 cm dilated, but the contractions were coming fast and furious at that point. The nurses kept talking about when I got into "active" labor, which blew my mind because I couldn't figure out how much more active it could actually get. My midwife was not on call so the OB came in a few minutes before 6. My water still hadn't broken, so she thought she had a little more time. In reality, she had no time to spare. My water broke before she had a chance to do it herself and along came Isaac James.

His delivery was a little scary because the cord was wrapped around his neck twice, and so tightly that they made me stop pushing so they could cut it off before he was completely delivered. Thankfully, he is just perfect despite the momentary panic in the room.

Jody and Mark came by shortly after his birth so Jody could document our newest gift. What a blessing he is! (And how great to have so many photographers in the family!)

Science lesson

2009-10-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Remember the "Song of the Cebu" fromVeggie Tales?

Well I always thought they were fictitious animals. Apparently, though, they really do exist. Right here in central Illinois. Even Mommy has to learn something new once in a while.

There is a pumpkin patch north of us, about 45 minutes that I've always wanted to go to, but I've never gotten around to it. So last Friday Jody, and Megan and I had plans to take the kids finally. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. So on Wednesday, after naptime, I packed up my troupe and took them myself.

They had a blast!!

This place has fun little petting zoo with, you guessed it, Zebus!!

They've got a fun playhouse, big enough for my girl, with slides for getting down from the house.

They've also got a corn maze that looks pretty cool, but it's kinda expensive and not something I want to do with four kids anyway. But they also have a "corn shock" maze just for the kids. All three of my biggies will tell you this was their favorite part.

Of course they have pumpkins, some of them are enormous!!

This bad boy weighed almost 900 pounds!!

It was really great to do something fun with the kids. I think they've been getting a little stir crazy because everything seems to be about the baby lately, so I was glad to get out with them. Of course we did bring little Isaac along and he stayed warm and content with Mommy in his snuggly little sling right up until we left. Then we had to document the day with a picture of all four of my kids together. I just think they are darling!

Baby brother love

2009-10-03T11:32:00.003-05:00

I know it's been forever and I've not done much to satisfy the need for more pictures, but you'll have to forgive me. I've ignored my camera a lot these past couple of weeks. I'll try to do better. In the meantime, here are the proud big sister and brothers. Megan came up to the hospital with Kevin and the kids after Isaac was born and she took some pictures of my kiddos with the baby.

They just dote on him. Jadon loves to give him kisses. I am constantly reminding him to kiss hiss head, not his face. Micah ignores the baby most of the time, but every once in a while, he finds the need to come play with him or hold him for a bit. I think he'll like him a whole lot more when they can do a little more playing instead of just watching. Chloe is having a great time being a big sister to a newborn. She's a great helper. Isaac hates to be left alone, so she often volunteers to talk to him and keep him calm while I'm occupied with the other kids or doing dishes or fixing dinner. She's also gotten to be a big help with Jadon. He usually goes to her for help making his bed or putting on his shoes or coat. She definitely makes the transition to Momma of 4 a lot easier for me to handle.

We're having lots of fun, but life is definitely a challenge right now. We're hoping to start school again next week and get into a more normal routine. I'll let you know how that works out. Hopefully I can give my camera the attention that it needs, too!

As promised...

2009-09-22T15:51:00.003-05:00

Despite all the chaos and changes around here, there is one thing that has not changed: my love of a photo of a baby. So yesterday, I convinced my husband to help me out with a newborn shoot of my very own newborn. Here are a couple of my favorites.

Kevin actually took this one, I just love the face.

Precious.

Enter jealous brother pose.

Of course, one of the biggest benefits for the big kids when there is a new baby in the house is that they get bonus Daddy time. And yesterday, that meant FOOTBALL! (Or as my kids like to call it, Chase and Tackle!)

Of course the big kids all got involved.

Just cuz you're two, doesn't mean you can't score a touchdown!

It's fun to tackle your big sister! Unfortunately, this shot was immediately followed by a loud WHACK when the two heads came back together.

And that was the end of chase and tackle.

New Life

2009-09-20T10:16:00.004-05:00

Thanks to all of you who've left comments and congratulations. We've finally made it home and we're settling into our new life as a family of six. Of course the first couple of nights were pretty rough, but last night went really well. Isaac woke up to nurse a couple of times and then went right back off to sleep in his own bed even. I know I promised pictures, and I'm sure I'll have more soon, but for now I'll leave you with this sweet image of our little guy. FYI he does not like the pacifier, but he sure loves that fist.

Happy Birthday Dear Isaac!

2009-09-15T19:37:00.003-05:00

Hello to Becca's Blog Buddies! This is Val.

Please, join me in welcoming Isaac James. He was born at 6:05 p.m. tonight (September 15).

He's 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 21 inches long. Becca says he has a whole mess of dark hair and that he looks just like Micah did when he was born.

Happy Birthday little Isaac! You are loved by so many people already!!!

Weekend photo shoot

2009-09-02T19:43:00.002-05:00

I did a shoot for a friend of mine and her family this weekend. It was something we'd been planning to do for a while, but our schedules had not meshed until this weekend. So I left my kids with Aunt Jody for an hour (she already had her 4 and Kelly's 2), and took off down the road for a quick shoot.

Anyway, Amelia's been begging to see her shots all week, so I thought I'd send her a little teaser until I finish the rest. Of course you all can see them too.

These kids are adorable and they were so fun to shoot.

Justin and Amelia have been married since just before Chloe was born. And they still look like they have a lot of fun together!

Almost there...

2009-08-31T20:33:00.002-05:00

Well, this week I will be 37 weeks pregnant. I keep telling myself that I'm not ready to have this baby boy yet, but really, it wouldn't be so bad for him or me to have him now. Those last few weeks are always the longest, but I'm trying to be patient and wait on God's timing.

Meanwhile, Megan asked if she could do some more maternity pix of me, so I of course obliged. As soon as Kevin got home tonight, she and I took off and left Kevin and Jody fixing dinner while BJ took charge of the little ones. We were only gone about 1/2 an hour and we had dinner ready to cook when we left, so don't feel too badly for them.

We tried out a couple of fun places for shooting the pics, this was actually in the neighbor's backyard. I thought it was sweet.

This shot was out on the edge of town. It may have been the first time I've ever just sat in the middle of the road, but not a bad idea for a fun photo.

My favorite photo from the whole day. I don't know why, I just love it.

He knew he was supposed to say something...

2009-08-31T07:30:00.004-05:00

Last night, at dinner, Aunt Jody told all the kids they had to say a bible verse to get their pizza. So one by one they raised their hands and said a verse. After a couple of kids had said a verse, Jadon raised his hand. He waited patiently until Jody called his name at which point he said,

"Why did the chicken cross the road?"

Swallowing my Pride

2009-08-26T21:29:00.003-05:00

My SIL, Megan (she happens to be another aspiring photographer in our family) and I were talking about the new baby a couple of weeks ago and it occurred to me that I've never really had any pictures taken of myself pregnant. We've got a couple of shots from Chloe's shower and when we moved in. As well as some shots in the middle of my pregnancy with Micah, but never any intentionally pregnant pictures. So we decided it was time I got over myself and let her take some really pregnant pictures of me. I suppose I would be pretty sad if I didn't have any to look back on some day.

So last week, we decided to try to get some shots of the family together, not real posey, but just being together. Unfortunately, our husbands had plans to get out on the river, so we didn't get as much time as we wanted, but we did get a couple of cute shots.

Picking apples for my boy.

Jadon needed some encouragement.

I love this one of Kevin and me. Just as a shot of the two of us it's pretty neat. Not to mention the fact that it's pretty gentle on the big tummy.

This may be my favorite shot of the day. Would you believe that my 3yo niece actually took this?! I just love the perspective! I may have to copy her composition someday. LOL.

Best Friends

2009-08-24T09:26:00.002-05:00

Do you all have friends like this?

We all graduated together 10 years ago, and we often go months without seeing each other or even talking, but about once a year we get together to shoot the breeze and catch up. And it's just like we pick up where we left off. Most of us live pretty close, an hour or two away, so it's not too tough to get together when we get the hankering. Unfortunately, Val lives all the way over on the west coast so she doesn't get to make it most of the time. We miss you Val!

Over the years, we've grown a little. Adding husbands and then children. Of course I had a little head start. Chloe was a year old and I was pregnant with Micah when all the rest of them got married within just six months of each other. But just look how we've exploded in just 10 years! Brandy and I are due just about a week apart this fall. So we'll be adding 2 more little guys to the mix in just about a month! What will we look like next year?

No longer FIVE

2009-08-13T19:24:00.004-05:00

Last year I chronicled the Fab Five turning Five. Well, unfortunately these kids just keep insisting on growing up. Ilese turned six a couple of weeks ago, but before the big event, we did get a shot of all of them together as FIVE 5 year olds.

I have a shot of them turned around, but I thought this was much sweeter. That's Uncle BJ in the background rounding third.

Pretty soon Katy will be six and then a couple months after that, Micah and the twins. Five 6 year olds just doesn't have the same ring to it. But they will all be in school this year. Micah and Ilese are in 1st grade and Katy and the twins are in kindergarten. They just keep getting bigger don't they. I suppose if they have to do that, I'm pretty proud of the kids they're turning out to be.

It's HOT, HOT, HOT

2009-08-11T15:16:00.003-05:00

This weekend was one of the hottest of the summer. So what do we do? Have a softball tournament of course. Kevin and his brothers played 5 games between 9am and midnight Saturday. The kids and I headed over for the afternoon, for some fun watching the game as well as some playtime at the park. Poor kids, they really wanted to play, but they were just baking in the sun. That certainly didn't stop this kiddo's fun.

When you're two years old, nothing makes a 95 degree day better than digging in the dirt.

Giant slides with Daddy and Sister aren't bad either.

Jadon wasn't the only one having fun. Micah discovered this bag toss game and loved every second of it.

And of course, we can't forget the whole reason for the trip: for Daddy to get dirty!

The kids and I left before the tournament was actually over. But what we saw was pretty fun. We stayed until the end of the fourth game. All three kids were incredibly well behaved, but I figured 9:30 was long enough to push my luck. The Rodies had managed to win every game up to that point, so it was pretty hard to leave, but the kids had to sing at church at 8 the next morning. We probably shouldn't have stayed that long.

Kevin called as soon as the last game was over at midnight. And the Rodies won!! Needless to say, they were pretty excited. This has been a pretty tough year for our guys so I was glad they pulled out a great win at this tournament. Let's just hope they do so well in the next couple of weeks. I've completely lost count of the number of games being played this week and next. Let's just say, it's a lot. But it's certainly fun to watch them win!

10 Years

2009-08-06T11:08:00.004-05:00

Kevin and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary last Friday. We thought about taking a cruise sometime this summer, but apparently pregnant women are not welcome. Something about being away from any hospitals in emergency situations or some other such nonsense. Anyway, we decided to take the train to Chicago for the occasion.

We had an absolutely fantastic time! The kids stayed with Aunt Jody while we were off and of course we knew they were perfectly safe. Except for the time that Jadon fell into the neighbors stagnant, nasty pond in the backyard. Thankfully, Micah was there to pull him out. A fantastic story, that I am tired of telling because of the strain it puts on my poor heart.

Back to our trip, Kevin and I had a great time. The train was a great idea! Not only was it nice for Kevin to avoid the responsibility of driving, it was significantly cheaper than driving! Parking at our hotel was $50/ night and that doesn't even account for the cost of mileage to and from Chicago. We also decided to just take the trains and buses around town, rather than taking cabs in the city. We were just a few blocks from the El, and it was really quite convenient and certainly a new experience for us.

We stayed at the Avenue Hotel, just a half a block from Michigan Avenue. It was beautiful. These funky chairs are their trademark, don't ask me why. And they have a heated pool on the roof of the building with a great view of the city. Unfortunately we forgot to get a shot at night, but it was very cool.

After we got into Chicago, we went to Navy Pier for dinner and stayed for the fireworks that night. They weren't very long (they do them every Wed and Fri and that could get pretty expensive) but they were very cool.

Thursday, we went to the Cubs/Astros game. That was my anniversary gift to Kevin. (I suppose his gift to me was the trip in general, you know, since he makes about 98% of the money in our house) We left for Wrigleyville early in the day and just spent a couple hours wandering around, enjoying all the excitement. It really is a fun atmosphere. The game was great! The Cubs won 12 to 3 with back to back homeruns in the third or fourth inning. Kevin actually got a photo of Milton Bradley's homerun swing! Micah loved that. If you've never been to a Cubs game, it's quite an experience! The stadium was full, as it always is and it seems like everyone you meet is a die hard fan. I'm sure many baseball teams have great followings, but there is just something special about the Cubs. (K says it's WGN broadcasting nationwide and I'm sure he's right. Even though I was raised a Cardinal fan and really am not all that interested in the Cubs, I thought the whole thing was awesome!

After the game, we went back to our hotel and my brother joined us after he got off of work. We walked over to Gino's East, just a block away and got one of their famous deep dish pizzas. If you're ever in the Chicago area, Gino's Pizza is a must.

Friday we spent most of the day on Michigan Avenue. We didn't really buy much, we just had a good time walking around together. That evening, we took the River Tour from Navy Pier, my brother gave us tickets for our anniversary. It was really neat. Chicago has some really interesting buildings and I thought it was cool despite the fact I don't care a bit about architecture.

The best part was just the fact that we got to spend three uninterupted days together: something that doesn't come very often and will surely come even less once the baby is born.

My BIG Mistake

2009-07-18T19:30:00.004-05:00

Kevin and I are getting ready to celebrate our 10 year anniversary next week. We have plans to take the train to Chicago for a few days and just spend some time together alone, something we don't get nearly enough of. So the other day, I thought I'd check into getting Cubs tickets for the two of us while we're there.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of letting Micah know. For those of you who don't know Micah very well, even at 5 years old he is a diehard Cubs fan. He knows more about the Cubs than any man, aside from his own family, that I've ever met. He broke down in tears because he wanted to go so badly. After he finally got calmed down, he went outside to play while I fixed lunch. When we sat down to eat, he asked to pray for the meal. Micah got about halfway through his prayer and began to ask for God to keep Mommy and Daddy safe during the trip to Chicago to see the Cubs. He got just a couple words in before he broke down sobbing again. Poor kid. He was absolutely devastated.

Well, to make up for my boneheaded mistake, and to get the waterworks to stop, I finally suggested that we go outside to play in the sprinkler after lunch. That seemed to get him calmed down enough to eat at least. I have to admit, the kids had a great time and it did seem to get Micah's mind off of his heartbreak.

Micah's even figured out that the sprinkler is more fun if you actually get wet.

Jadon loves the sprinkler! He was asking for it today when it was only 65 degrees outside.

Chloe is definitely not afraid to get wet.

Mommy even let them jump in the mudpuddles just to keep that poor Micah happy. What a mess!

I'm afraid the Cubs game fiasco is still going to come back to haunt me, but at least this helped ease the pain on this day.

A Big Girl and Daddy School

2009-07-15T08:39:00.005-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we took the kids out to the park for a family photo shoot. Chloe was very eager to have her 7 year pictures taken, but I wanted to wait until I had my new camera. So the day after I got my camera, we headed off to the park together. Isn't she sweet.
Anyway, we thought we'd take the opportunity to get a family photo taken if we could. Not the easiest task to do with a tripod and a timer. But I think it went pretty well, don't you?

Here's a shot of my three munchkins together. Pretty soon it'll be four. Just two months left to go!!

So after our photo shoot, Kevin took the kids off for a lesson at the lake.

Boys can never resist going under and through the brush rather than around, but I'm not sure my girl was really thrilled with that idea.

Nine times out of ten, Daddy's lessons involve fish. I have no idea what they are looking at and pointing to, but the kids are definitely thrilled with whatever it is. They just love it when we have field trips like this when Daddy's home from work.

Oops!!

2009-07-09T14:17:00.002-05:00

Jadon wrote on the couch today in orange marker. I kinda lost it. No, I really lost it. Then I sent all the kids to bed. Apparently I should have done that about 5 minutes sooner. But the nice thing is that they all went to sleep with no fussing or getting up. Even my little JJ knew that this was not the time to reject naptime. It's been one of those days all week long. Pray for me.

A Farm, A Zoo, and a Tall, Tall Arch

2009-07-08T10:51:00.009-05:00

Last week, after hearing that my Grandpa was ill and in the hospital, Kevin and I made plans to travel to the St Louis area to visit him. We also thought, if we're going all that way, we ought to make the most of our time and have some fun too. So we made plans to leave early Thursday morning for a little mini-vacation.

Our first stop was Grant's Farm. Neither Kevin nor I had ever been, so we thought it would be fun to try. We had lots of fun at the farm. If you've never been, it's worth the trip. It's kind of like a mini-zoo. Much calmer and than the zoo, but still plenty to do for an afternoon. The kids wanted to feed the goats, so Kevin took them all in. Unfortunately, that was a little less than successful. With only one entrance, and dozens of baby goats, every child walking in is a target for attack. Jadon in particular was pretty disturbed by the swarming mass of baby goats. Chloe was fine, and as soon as Kevin handed JJ off to me and took Micah to a less crowded part of the pen, Micah seemed to enjoy himself too.

Even though the goats weren't really a hit with Jadon, he loved the carousel! There was a mirror in the center of the ride that he got a kick out of looking for every time he passed it.
Chloe had a great time, but she was asking for the horses the entire time we were at the farm. So we eventually made it through the entire farm and over to the Clydesdales on the other side. She was in horse heaven. Those Clydesdales are HUGE!She even managed to talk Daddy into getting each of the kids a stuffed horse to take home.

After we left Grant's Farm, Kevin decided to head over to the Gateway Arch. He'd never been up in it and the kids had never even been near it, so we thought it would be a fun experience. It took a little longer than we expected(hours longer) to get there, even though we were only a few miles away, because we didn't realize we were heading downtown just in time for the start of the Cardinals game. A bit of advice, always check the baseball schedule before heading to downtown St Louis.

The kids were amazed at how tall the arch was, it seems big from the interstate, but that's nothing compared to standing underneath. They had a great time going up in the top of the arch. Micah was particularly excited about seeing the Cardinals game starting.Pretty neat for such a baseball fanatic, even if it isn't his team.

We ended up getting out of there pretty late before we headed off to dinner with my parents at Landry's in Union Station. If you like seafood and are ever in St Louis, I highly advise making that stop a priority. It may have been the best meal I've ever eaten.

Friday morning, after Jadon woke me up at 5:30, we had breakfast with my parents and headed off to the nursing home to see my Grandpa. After that visit, we decided to take the kids to the zoo for a short adventure. They've all been to the St Louis Zoo, and they'd certainly seen a lot of animals the day before, but what kid doesn't like a trip to the zoo?

Since we'd already had a pretty big day on Thursday, and Mommy was feeling a bit worn out, we let each of the kids choose their favorite animal to see and we just visited those parts of the park. Kevin wanted to start in the butterfly house, so we made our way from there to the snakes and reptiles that Micah wanted to see. Jadon seemed most pleased by some ducks that we saw in the grass on the way. He apparently doesn't need any zoo animals to stay happy. Just let him out of the stroller every once in a while.

Chloe wanted to see the penguins so we wandered through the center of the zoo, past the gorillas and the sea lions to see the penguins.On the way, we discovered a new apiary(birdcage) that we'd never been in before. Think pterodactyl cage in Jurassic Park, but with much less scary birds. We only spent 2 or 3 hours at the zoo, but we were exhausted by the time we left.
Jadon was so tired that he laid down in the middle of the floor as soon as we got back to the house for naptime. We decided that we were ready to go home that night instead of leaving the next morning. So Micah and I went into the nursing home to say goodbye to my Grandpa before we left for dinner. We got home at about 11 that night completely spent but very glad we had gone.

We did very little the next day, and I was even glad to hear that 4th of July plans had been postponed because of the weather. It was much more fun to celebrate on Sunday after we'd had a whole day to recuperate.

My PaPa

2009-07-05T09:28:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a message about my Grandpa. We drove down to St Louis to visit him this week. He seems to be doing as well as can be expected. He was moved to a nursing home on Wednesday and we came in to visit him on Friday morning. He will probably never fully recover, but with time and prayer, he should do well. I suppose my Dad had not told him we were coming, because when we walked in, he was overcome with emotion. We had a nice visit for about an hour. We finally had to leave because the boys were getting a little stir-crazy.

After we left we went into St Louis for some fun with the kids, while my parents stayed with Grandpa to visit and take care of some of his business. My mom said that during his afternoon physical therapy, Grandpa was very motivated. That was a great change over the past couple of weeks when he would talk about getting well, but he had not really been interested in putting forth much effort. Learning this, I was very convicted at how little time we have spent with him recently. Part of the reason is distance, but another part is that we just get so busy with life, we forget to take time for really important things. I plan to stay in touch with him better now. I take so many photos (duh) that there's really no reason that I can't send some to him more often than once a year.

Sometimes we forget how much the very young and the very old need each other. Kevin's Grandmother is one of Jadon's favorite people, and he is naturally so loving. He went right up to my Grandpa for a hug despite Micah's reluctance. Chloe also really enjoyed her visit with him. She seems to crave attention from her family, and she wanted to be included in every visit to her Great-Grandpa. We all enjoyed our visit and the rest of our St Louis trip. I'll be sure to post some pics from our St Louis adventures sometime in the next couple of days.

Welcome to the Midwest

2009-06-29T08:28:00.003-05:00

In the Midwest thunderstorms and tornadoes tend to become a regular part of life. For those of us who have lived here most of our lives, we become a little callous to the realities of that. Sure, occasionally you here of a tornado that devastates a town, you might even go help with the cleanup, but then you move on. We find ourselves having little parties in the basement two or three times every summer, often Mommies and babies are down there listening to the radio while Daddy is out on the porch watching the storm go by. But then this happens.
This is where Kevin's brother, Todd lives. That mess in the middle was a great big machine shed. That cement slab across the front of the photo used to have another grain bin on it.

See the grain bin now? That's it in pieces, all across the field. That mess stretches for about a half mile.

That's the neighbor's machine shed. Oh, don't you see it? It's in pieces scattered amongst the overturned machines.

That's the neighbor's grain bins. The one smashed to the ground was in Todd and Michelle's front yard Saturday night. Right in front of the door.

Thankfully, the house is fine, except for a few broken windows in the attic and the front storm door. The trees on the other hand, did not make it. But we are all convinced that God had his hand on the house. All the trees on the north side of the house are snapped. The big maple in the back snapped at the ground and we've already seen the buildings that were demolished on the south side of the house.

The storm came on so fast that there was no warning at all. Shelly said she and the kids were on the landing to the basement when she heard a loud crash that was either the shed coming down or the grain bin landing in the yard. If the tornado had hit the house, they wouldn't have made it downstairs in time.

We are all so thankful for God's protection over them. The cleanup will be tough, but it'll get done. Todd had lots of brothers and friends cutting up trees yesterday. I'm sure there will be more days like that in the near future. Abby, my niece, is still a little shaken up by the whole thing. She told me yesterday that she's afraid to sleep at her house. I'm not certain how last night went for her, so please pray for her and her family to have a return to normal quickly.

A very long weekend

2009-06-25T13:19:00.004-05:00

I have to say that this was a particularly busy weekend for me. Father's Day weekend is always a little hectic around here, as it often coincides with Chloe's birthday and Kevin's family reunion is always held on Father's Day. The Rodie boys also play in a Sunday afternoon softball league that often causes us to hustle off from the reunion as soon as lunch is over.

Of course I had to complicate all of that with my own busyness this weekend. I shot a wedding at 3 on Saturday, and then I had the dumb idea to agree to do a class reunion at 7 the same evening. In my defense, it was very difficult to turn down a job which required about 20 minutes of work and several hundred dollars worth of print orders. Especially since I was driving right past it at the exact time I was needed. Really, who wouldn't have taken it?

Anyway, the wedding was fine, despite the oppressive heat. It was actually a little better than either the day before or after, so I was very thankful for that at least. I also drank about a half gallon of water in addition to eating a half a bottle of Tums. I really enjoyed the shoot I had with the bride and groom before the reception. This is my absolute favorite shot.

The groom's sister is also a photographer, so she took over after dinner at the reception so I stopped for a quick bite to eat and high-tailed it over to the lake for the class of 1954's 55 year reunion. Who knew that this many people would show up for a reunion 55 years later?

I can't say I really enjoyed shooting the reunion or the wedding as much as shooting kids and families; I certainly wouldn't want to do it everyday or even on a regular basis. But it sure is a great way to supplement your income a little.

My Grandpa

2009-06-20T09:22:00.002-05:00

My Dad sent me an email this morning. My Grandpa fell twice yesterday and was found the second time by his neighbors who called an ambulance to take him to the hospital. My Dad lost his Mom at the beginning of the year so he seems to be pretty broken up.

The kids and I were just talking yesterday about how blessed they are to have 4 living Great-Grandparents. Hopefully, my Grandpa will recover soon, but he's got some pre-existing heart problems. Anyway, we'd appreciate all your prayers for my Grandpa and my Dad. Thanks.

The Party...

2009-06-19T14:18:00.004-05:00

Well, despite the terrific thunderstorm that had our entire family in the basement a mere 12 hours before Chloe's birthday party and without power just 8 hours before, the party was great! We started at 4 and at about 3:58, the power went out again. But just for a few minutes. We had planned on having the entire event outside, but my husband made the decision to move all 46 of us into the house because of the 90 degree heat outside. It turned out to be a great decision.

My SIL, Megan had the idea to tie dye at Chloe's party. I had not tie dyed since the '80s so she was kind enough to help with that part of the party. The night before, Chloe, Megan, Ellen (my MIL) and I did some practice shirts for our family to wear at the party and so Ellen and I could learn how to do it. So yesterday morning we set up the basement for the tie dye station. It really helped to keep the chaos to a minimum and the kids had so much fun! The older kids (the fab 5 and older) did most of their own work on their shirts. The mommies got to do the shirts for the littler ones. I think most of them turned out really cute!

Unfortunately, this photographer mommy got so caught up with helping the kids, I completely forgot to get out my camera! We'll just blame it on my pregnant brain. I did get it out after the party for some of the stragglers.

Here's the finished product. We actually had 25 kids and all of them got at least one t-shirt. My girl and a few of her cousins got to use some left-overs to make these after everyone else was gone. We even did one for the baby.

Here are some cousins in their tie dye fun! (fyi: this is only half the cousins)

Chloe is 7!!

2009-06-15T17:33:00.006-05:00

In honor of her seventh birthday, Kevin took Chloe out fishing tonight. He kinda spoiled the dinner that we had planned, but she seemed pretty okay with that.

So how about a look back over her last seven years instead?

2 wheels... or 4?

2009-06-14T20:25:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know. I've been rather inexplicably absent recently. While I have plenty to blog about, we've been rather busy doing all the things I have to blog about. Kind of a catch 22 don't ya think?

Anyway, a couple weeks ago, Micah had been begging to get a bigger bike. He's been distraught about the fact that all his cousins and his sister have bigger bikes while he's still riding around on his little 12 inch bike with the training wheels. So Kevin made a deal with him, as soon as he learned to ride on 2 wheels, we'd get him a bigger bike.

So on a Saturday afternoon when Kevin was home with nothing to do, they went outside to do just that. It took him a while, but he finally caught on. Every time he got a little tired, they'd take a break, and Micah would come back a little while later doing a lot better. He did so well that when I went out on my girls' night out later on, I got a phone call that Micah had ridden all the way to the park without any help(that's just a little less than a block away)!

Last weekend, I happened to drive past a yard sale with a boy's bike out front. When I stopped they said they were asking $5 for the bike. It was a really nice bike and it was in great shape, so of course we bought it! Micah is not quite tall enough to get on by himself so Kevin or I have to hold the bike up for him, but he's learning to get it going. And he loves being on a big bike now!

Chloe and Micah spent this evening racing up and down the street on their big kid bikes!

Jadon was not going to be left out!Jadon is definitely enjoying the fruits of Micah's labor because now he gets to learn on the little bike. Four wheels is just fine with him!

Little Boy Blue

2009-05-28T08:46:00.005-05:00

My SIL, Megan, asked me about a month ago if I would cut her little guy's hair. The timing finally worked out this week, so she and BJ brought little Teegan over to play barbershop on Tuesday. He was not terribly impressed with the idea. But BJ did a pretty good job of distracting him with one toy after another. He really sat pretty still for how upset he was to begin with.
Still, little T.T. was definitely relieved to be done with the whole ordeal. Megan was a little sad to see all his baby hair go, but doesn't he look cute?

Where I've been

2009-05-26T13:36:00.005-05:00

I've had no internet access for an entire week. It's been very difficult to handle. Fortunately, I've had plenty of other things to keep me busy. Namely cleaning up this mess.

Our basement flooded a couple of weeks ago after 6 or so inches of rain which translated into 16 inches of water in the house. So here is our basement spread out all over the yard. My favorite is the Christmas tree standing in the middle of the backyard. Can we say redneck?Thankfully, most of our things were saved. And despite replacing the motor on the dryer, all the appliances survived. There was some damage to the drywall and the doors in the new bedroom, but hopefully not too much.

I truly appreciated the clothesline and 80 degree weather while we waited for the dryer to be repaired.

The funny thing is, after all the cleanup I did, I managed to have a lot of the basement, at least my part, much more organized than before. And that feels great. Sometimes you just need a little push to get something done.

Is it summer?

2009-05-08T10:46:00.003-05:00

I do realize that summer hasn't officially begun. Most kids aren't out of school yet and the weather is a little iffy with lots of rain and temps ranging from 60 to 80 day to day. Nevertheless, the things that typically mark our summers have begun full force this week. Tuesday was Kevin's first softball game: the first of many. And last weekend we had a cookout at Aunt Ann's house. Fun, fun.
Jadon got to go on his first kayak ride with Daddy. He asked to go again as soon as I pulled him out of the boat. What do you think? Did he like it?

Of course, the kids got to do some fishing off the dock. Micah, was a little disappointed that it was not quite as fruitful as his last fishing trip, but he still had a lot of fun.

Jadon, however, thought it was the best thing ever. He caught his very first fish. I'm sure the first of many. Even Teegan thought it was pretty neat that he got to touch it.

Kevin took the kids back to Aunt Ann's on Monday to fish some more. Jody even brought her brood out to join them. I think her philosophy is that her kids will just have to latch onto their uncles if they ever want to learn to fish. They must have all had lots of fun out there. It sounded like they all got to catch quite a few. I wish I had pictures of the seven kids all fishing off Aunt Ann's dock. Assuming Lydia got in on the action. Maybe Jody will have some to share.

Anyway, we're off to a blazing start this summer. I hope you all enjoy yours as much as we plan to.

Rainy Days

2009-05-04T11:19:00.005-05:00

We've had quite a rainy spring around here. Despite all the warmer weather, it has led to several days of staying inside because the ground is covered in muddy puddles. So this was a very common sight in our house last week. It really warms my heart that my kids like to read so much.

Even Jadon likes to get in on the book time. Thankfully we have two very nice libraries available to us. They definitely make rainy/muddy days a little more fun.

It's a Lunker!!

2009-04-29T17:03:00.004-05:00

Micah has been in some dire need of Daddy time lately. So last week, I suggested that Kevin take him out fishing this weekend. I know, I know, I can't believe I actually suggested Kevin go fishing. But you have to make certain sacrifices for your children you know.

Anyway, Kevin and Micah took off sometime before 8 that morning. A little while later I got a call from Micah saying that he had caught a 13 oz crappie. I honestly didn't know if that was big or not, but of course I made a big deal out of it. FYI, it is pretty big. I did know that sometime in the past, but my children have taken my place as Kevin's fishing companion, much to my relief.

Kevin's brother Mark, his daughter Ilese (one of the Fab 5) and Kevin's Dad joined my boys at the pond later that morning. The crowded dock made casting a little difficult for my little guy, so he was pretty content to simply fish over the edge of the dock. That was apparently the best spot because this is the fish he caught there.

6 Pounds!!

He was so excited! I actually think Uncle Mark was a little jealous. Kevin was in high school before he ever caught a fish that big. Way to go Micah. He had so much fun!

Ilese got in on the action too. She caught a little 1 pound catfish, much better for eating. They both got a kick out of eating the fish they caught themselves.

Boy or Girl?

2009-04-29T11:12:00.002-05:00

We had another ultrasound yesterday. The baby is very healthy and very active. Any guesses as to whether it's a boy or girl?

I'll give you a hint...

you may be seeing more shots like this one, very soon.

I never do this

2009-04-22T19:33:00.005-05:00

Okay, I know. I really never do this. I don't like to get involved in political debate. I rarely even know what's going on in the news, let alone get all riled up enough to blog about it. But, the other day I did happen to catch a report about a 13 year old girl being strip searched by the school nurse. It outraged me! You can read more about the story here.

I have read all the school arguments. There's a zero tolerance for drugs and prescription drugs are the drug of choice anymore. The school should have a wide latitude for keeping students safe.

I actually find many of the arguments on the student's behalf weak as well. I honestly think the fact that the administrators were only looking for ibuprofen is irrelevant. (Although it's pretty silly considering 10 years ago, I was giving ibuprofen to my teachers at their request.) I really don't care that the girl was an honors student or even that the girl who pointed the finger at her was less than reliable.

My problem actually lies in the fact that a school authority would ever presume to have the right to force a child to take off their clothes. If the infraction or suspicion is so severe as to validate a strip search of a young girl (or boy for that matter) then I think the police ought to be involved. A 13 year old would not be allowed to be questioned by police without parental consent, why on earth should that same child be allowed to be stripped searched without the same requirements?

A school should be a safe haven for our children. I see very little difference between this school's behavior and a priest or teacher who tells a child to take off his or her clothes for the adult's own pleasure. For a student who has done nothing wrong (and nothing was found on this girl during her search) the violation is the same. She was humiliated so much so that she never returned to that school and, at 19, has never completed high school despite being an honors student until this incident.

The Supreme Court heard the case on Monday and is not expected to rule until late June. But many of the justices made comments siding with the school district. I wonder if these, mostly older men, justices remember what it was to be an awkward junior high student. Certainly none of these men have the faintest idea what it is like to be an overweight 13 yo girl. The school administrators have said that a little embarrassment is worth risking for the safety of the students. But they seem to have greatly understated the risk and overstated the reward.

I'm sure many of you disagree with me and my views, it's certainly happened before and I really do respect other opinions. But I just had to get that off my chest, so now I'll step down off my soapbox.

* now back to our regularly scheduled programming

I'm Back!!

2009-04-21T12:50:00.004-05:00

Shelly and I had a GREAT time in Florida! This is Ann and John's place where we stayed. The picture is a few years old, so there's quite a bit more plant life around the house. But isn't it gorgeous! We did absolutely nothing all weekend. Seriously. The first day was a little chilly in the morning, so we wandered around downtown and did a little shopping. Then we ate lunch at the Loose Caboose. YUM! After lunch it warmed up quite a bit so we got a couple of books and towels and went to the pool for a while. Sometime in the middle of the afternoon, I realized I had no idea what time it was. And guess what? We didn't care. It is such a freeing feeling to not care about a clock. We had no one else to answer to, nobody who was counting on us to fix dinner or wash laundry or anything else. Ahhh.

The timing was perfect. We had a great time, but we were ready to be home by the end of the trip. We actually ended up getting $300 airline vouchers on the way home. The plane was too heavy, so they asked 3 people to get off the plane. Shelly was so excited, apparently that's something she's always wanted to do. Then they sent us in a cab to Tampa where we flew to Memphis to catch the same flight home we would have been on had we stayed on the plane in Sarasota. How funny is that!

Anyway, I didn't even take a camera with me, so I have no pictures to share. Sorry. I'll leave you with picture from a few years ago. Just to make you all a little green with envy.

Ready... Set...

2009-04-08T07:22:00.002-05:00

GO!!!

So I know that I've been rather sporadic with my blogging lately. Forgive me. With surgeries and extra children and potty training, life has been pretty hectic around here. But you'll have to excuse me for one more week. My Sis-in-law and I are going to Boca Grande tomorrow for the next 5 days. That's in Florida by the way. Where it's warm. And there are no children jumping in their beds at 6:30 in the morning. Or begging for supper at 4pm. Or arguing that he took my toy or she's in my way.

I'll miss my kids and my hubby, but only when I allow myself to. The rest of the time we'll be enjoying the sun and the beach. Doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!

See ya next week!

Big Boy!

2009-04-05T21:21:00.003-05:00

Last week, while grocery shopping, I went down the diaper aisle for about the nine hundredth time. While perusing the selection I reached for Jadon's size in the big ol' $20 package and then stopped. Did I really want to do this? So I turned around and instead picked up a package of Easy-Ups. And that was the beginning of the end. We stayed home all day the next day. Jadon spent several half-hour stints on the potty chair watching Veggie Tales. After a couple of unsuccessful tries, he figured it out! He "dirtied" his pants precisely at 8am for the next four days, but stayed dry all day(including naptime) all week long. Even a shopping trip and the library didn't faze him! In the nursery both Friday and this morning, he didn't really want to cooperate, but instead of having an accident, he just waited for Mommy. After Micah's very delayed attitude about the potty, I had myself ready for a few more years of diapers with a little overlap with the baby. But it looks like I might have a six month reprieve! I'm so proud of my big boy!!

Whew! Long time...

2009-03-30T14:38:00.006-05:00

Yeah, yeah. I know. I kinda went MIA for a while. But this has been a long month. And we've had quite a few fun days outside, too. The baseball tradition has continued in this family. Jadon has developed a strong desire to be part of the action already. Chloe and Micah are usually willing to oblige.
He's also really into basketball. Really any kind of ball will do with this guy.

Then last week, Jody and Mark flew to Orlando for the week. So Mark's mom kept their kids until Wed when I picked up the girls(she dropped the boys off the next day) and we spent the rest of the week at their house. I would've brought them here, but I just thought my two bedroom house was a little small to add 4 extra kiddos. Poor Lydia looks so sad. But she actually had a lot of fun playing outside with the sandbox. I hope her Mommy's not too mad when she sees her tights. I tried to get them clean;).Besides, can you imagine anything cuter than these little feet?

Jadon really enjoyed the sandbox, too. At least when he wasn't in trouble for taking Lydia's shovel away.

Anyway, so now we're home and praying for nicer weather. It's been so sketchy around here and these kids are feeling a little tricked by the short stint of 70s a couple of weeks ago followed by 3 inches of snow this weekend.

Finally!

2009-03-01T18:34:00.003-06:00

So our poor van that I have been disallowed from driving gave out on Kevin on Friday. I spent most of the day picking him up and transporting him from the mechanic to work and back again. We had found a minivan we liked but we were on the fence. The mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with our current van, so we brought it home and went back to the dealership on Saturday to drive it again. Or, at least we tried to go back. We ended up calling a tow truck from the side of the road. Kevin's dad had to pick us up to get us the rest of the way to the dealership. At which point, we decided that we were done messing around with the old van and just bit the bullet to get the new(er) one. It's a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country. This is not actually the one we bought, but you get the idea. It's beautiful inside and out. And it has all the features Kevin wanted plus a few more. I like it a lot, although I would have been happy with one that just made it into town. Suffice it to say that my husband is much pickier about the features than I, and I am happy to benefit from his discernment. Anyway, I'm very pleased with our new van. And thankful that God provided something close to home. Especially considering we drove 4 hours to purchase our last vehicle. Breaking down 4 hours from home would have been incredibly unpleasant.

Playtime with the Rodies

2009-02-27T19:44:00.003-06:00

Due to a ridiculous amount of snow followed by mud (repeat cycle many times) this has become the favorite pastime of my children.

Sad, but true.
Meanwhile, Grandma Ellen and Papa Joe are making great progress in the basement. I wish I had the knowledge, or child-free moments, to help. But just look how marvelous these people are.

What a blessing family is.

No Advil stinks

2009-02-26T17:38:00.002-06:00

I've had a headache all day today. And being pregnant means no Advil. Tylenol is for the birds. So I've been self medicating with Girl Scout cookies. Peanut Butter patties to be exact. I would've had the Thin Mints, those are my favorites. But the kids were up and I do NOT share my Thin Mints.

Some Bullets from our Lives

2009-02-20T12:56:00.002-06:00

As most of you have figured out, we are expecting our fourth child. It's a little unnerving considering my recent miscarriage, but seeing the heartbeat has done a lot to assuage my fears. The due date is Sept 23, but all that really means is that he or she is guaranteed not to be born on that day.
Jadon had his surgery on Tuesday. He's doing really well, a little fussy and a couple of fevers, but nothing that wasn't expected.
Kevin is in Florida with 2 brothers and a cousin and an Aunt, as well as their families. I'm jealous.
Our van is on its last leg. My husband informed me that he will drive it now until we find a suitable replacement, so I'm cramming 3 kids into our little crossover Saturn. If any of you know of someone just giving away minivans, why don't you just send 'em my way.
Mom2Mom is hosting a parenting conference with Dr Todd Cartmell at the church this weekend. This morning was a great workshop for Moms on sibling rivalry. Tonight will be dinner for Dads Only and a discussion of male role models. Tomorrow morning is for Moms and Dads and the workshop is focusing on raising respectful kids. Very exciting topics!
That's about all for us right now, although as I look over the list, I suppose it's been pretty busy around here. All I know is that I'm tired all the time and I will be very glad when I am through with the first trimester of this pregnancy. Maybe I'll be able to get something done without taking 2 or 3 naps a day.

Thanks

2009-02-17T14:21:00.002-06:00

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Jadon. His surgery was this morning and it went very well. After having yucky, full-feeling ears myself for the last week, I really feel for the guy having both ears infected for months at a time. Not fun. Hopefully, this will help him feel a lot better, although right now he's feeling pretty crabby.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-16T17:37:00.001-06:00

Our church often invites a comedian for V-Day. This year was Tim Hawkins, so in honor of the day of love, here's a sample of our evening.