The Hayden Family

A Day in My Life

2011-08-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

(Disclaimer--mostly for my wonderful husband-- this post is not for the faint of heart, it is written in spaghetti format)I love my life and I enjoy my many jobs. (wife, mother, teacher, friend, home economist, personal assistant, spiritual leader, encourager, doctor, nurse etc, etc, etc) Most days I find great satisfaction in being able to do my many jobs some days, like today, I feel totally sapped by the time the kids go to bed. My jobs today included cook, nurse, chauffeur, child advocate, friend, helper, maid, tutor, shepherd--literally have you ever tried to keep 4 kids contained at Wednesday night church?-- referee, guidance counselor. In case you are wondering what that looks like here it is.
5 AM - I got up early this morning so that I could be ready to walk out the door with the kids. I showered, dressed,put on my face, checked the daily weather (hot) and sat down for a few precious minutes of devotional time.
5:30 - child number one comes down looking for ibuprofen and breakfast. (He broke his arm on Sunday and is on a regular regiment of pain killers) I get him started on breakfast and the "get ready for school routine".
6 AM I go upstairs to wake number 2,3 & 4. Two and three are not in their beds so I have to call for them and search the house wondering if they were stolen during the night. No they were not, they were both asleep in the closet (Don't ask, I started to and then realized it would not make sense to me anyway) number 4 was sound asleep in very wet sheets so he headed to the shower.
6:30 Everyone has finished with breakfast and they are now scrambling to find clothes, shoes, socks and all of the school stuff they will need for the day.   I wake Chris.
6:45 Mom is getting frustrated because they have still not brushed their teeth or found any of their gear and one of them is still running around naked.
6:55 Mom yells that they are going to leave in 5 minutes and they better have everything done...at which point naked kid yells that he doesn't think that I washed any clothes for him (He was rather startled to learn that mom would send him to school that way and he miraculously found something to wear)
7 AM We are heading out of the house, everyone has clothes on. I think I should have had a cup of coffee with my devotions. Chris drops of #3 & 4. I drop off # 2 and bring #1 to his Dr.appointment? No to my school where I keep a spare toothbrush because even though he is 12 he neglected to take care of that item.
It is now 7:45 and we are heading to the Orthopedics office so that Ben can have his arm looked at.
8AM Waiting    8:30 Waiting   9:00 STILL Waiting 9:15 someone brings us back to a different part of the building for...you guessed it MORE WAITING 10:00 Doctor finally comes in to look at the x ray, re splint the arm and send us on our way.
10:30 Drop Ben off at school and sign him in.
10:40 Finally head to the library so that I can get some computer work done.
10:45 Just get all my gear out of the car and am half way to the library when my phone rings. It is the school nurse,   she has Ben in her office and he can't feel his fingers, she needs me to come back to school and re-wrap his bandage because it is too tight.
10:50 GO BACK TO SCHOOL TO BE MY SONS NURSE   **SIGH**

Is it bedtime yet?

11:00 Go back to the library where it is quiet and get all my work set up only to notice that the kids did their homework on my laptop without the power cord...no battery left. Get ready to plug in the laptop and realize that they have also taken the power cord out of the bag.
11:10 Put my head in my hands and try to maintain calm.
11:15 Pack up belongings and head home when the phone rings, its Hannah's teacher just wondering if I remember that she had her chorus audition today and needs to be picked up later than usually. I assured her that I had remembered and would be there. (Famous last words)
11:30 Arrive home and grab a quiet lunch aaahhhhh.
12:00 Decide that I am too keyed up to work at the computer so I start washing the breakfast dishes, the laundry and general household pick up.
1:45 Realize that I have lost track of the time and need to make the trip to my car-lines
2:20 Pick up child 3 and 4 and our carpool rider head to next school
2:35 Pick up child 1 and realize that I did not inform the carpoolers grandma that we were going to be late so I head out to drop her off.
2:45 My own children want to start their homework, have a snack and NEEEEEEED to use the bathroom so I drop them off at home and head out alone to pick up Hannah at the school we just came from.
2:55 Car starts to sputter...that's right the gas light means you need to stop and get gas. I am blessed to be next to a gas station so I pull in
3:00 Put 19.88 gallons of gas in a 20 gallon tank.
3:15 Pull into school 5 minutes late amid glares from the car line teacher (Okay that may be my own take on the issue but I told them I would be on time at 3:10)

Are you sure its not bedtime?

Homework, homework, homework, housework, housework, housework, complain, complain, complain.
5:30 Leave for Fellowship supper at church
6:30 Drop most kids off at their classes and have a quiet meal out with chris and one child who is just too tired to have fun with her friends.
7:30 Chris takes tired child home and I go to get other 3
Round up the kids, chat with a friend, round up the kids again, get stopped to talk, round up kids for the last time and head them purposefully to the car.
8:15 arrive home and start to put kids to bed
Order shower for one child, send the others to bed again.
This routine goes on for an hour
9:15 All seems quiet :) Now I can work on the rest of the laundry and get ready for another day in my life.
Thanks for hanging in there with me. I appreciate when you sit and listen when I need to unload!
Good Night

Meatless Monday

2011-08-15T13:37:00.000-07:00

During the summer we were challenged to schedule one day a month where we have a meatless meal. We had been discussing our Carbon Footprint and the effect raising meat has on our environment. Well if you know me at all you are aware that a challenge like that is taken seriously. We have proclaimed every Monday "Meatless Monday". Yeah, I thought that it was a great idea to have it on Monday with the alliteration and everything. It wasn't until this morning when I was searching for "meatless" meals that I discovered that there is a whole website for Meatless Monday. Okay so Meatless Monday is not an idea original to me, I was glad to see that the website has recipes and other websites to follow.
Tonight for Meatless Monday we are having one of the recipes listed in the website Pasta e Fagioli. I have added home made bread and a salad.

Pasta e Fagioli

Loosely translated to “pasta and beans” this Italian dish is one the first meatless classics. Tomatoes are sauteed with garlic, seasoned with parsley, oregano and basil and tossed with Cannellini beans and orrechiette. This dish comes to us from Angela of The Sustainable Scribe.
Serves 4

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 16-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
½ teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces elbow, ditalini, orrechiette or other short pasta, freshly cooked
red pepper flakes*, to taste

*optional
Heat 2 of the tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic begins to brown.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Season the tomato mixture with the parsley, basil and oregano. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with back of a spoon.
Add the cannellini beans, stir to combine and cook for about 5 minutes more, or until the beans are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl. Toss the pasta with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Pour the cannellini bean sauce over the pasta and toss together thoroughly. Finish the dish with red pepper flakes, if you like it spicy.

I will let you know how the family likes this meal. I know for a fact that my kids will love the bread and they will enjoy the salad so the main dish recipe is the one that we are testing.

**Update**So I am going to be honest about this it was not our family favorite. My children who usually eat very well finished very quickly and did not ask for more. I thought that the flavor was very good. Some people ate everything but the beans. We will amend the recipe for our needs and try it again.

Moments In Time

2011-08-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been feeling that life is just going to fast. Maybe its that summer is once again coming to a close or maybe its the fact that we have just celebrated the summer birthdays and have spent time reflecting on our children's lives. Maybe its the fact that my youngest is headed off to all day Kindergarten and I am going back to work. The time that I thought would take so long has just flown by. No longer are we a household with strollers and highchairs, bottles and sippy cups. We are moving on to a house with braces and 2 wheelers, I pods and digital cameras. (***Sigh***)

This summer we had the opportunity to have our family photos taken, it was a reminder to stop and enjoy the time that we have been given because things do change so quickly.

It was a reminder to make memories with the kids so that they will have stories to tell their children and grandchildren (Yes it is going that fast and no I am not trying to rush it)

It was a reminder to look at the goals I set for my kids, and my parenting, when the kids were born and see how far we have come and where we would like to be.

It was a reminder to slow down and appreciate where we are now as a family.

It was a reminder that though we have had our fair share of struggles and difficulties God has been so good to us.

We are blessed beyond measure.

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven"

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Things that warm my heart

2011-06-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to write this post for awhile! It is actually saved as a draft about 4 different times. Now, lets see if I can remember all the things that have been running through my mind!

*We signed Sam up for baseball this year. It was his first time playing and our first time spectating! He did a great job and really love it BUT what really impressed me was his coach. Couch Lou was knowledgeable about baseball and he was excited to be sharing his knowledge with a bunch of 5 year olds. He wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and learn. He challenged them to be attentive and involved. He did not put up with any whining or complaining but he encouraged everyone to do their very best. Sam learned a lot about baseball this year and he is excited about doing it again next year. We are so thankful that men like couch Lou step up to teach young kids. It was a big blessing!

*I have, as many of you moms can empathize with, been trying to teach my kids how to be effective helpers around the house. The kids all have chores they need to get done. It is often much harder to have them do their chores and keep them accountable for them than it would be just to do it myself. I have to admit that sometimes I have to remind myself WHY I am teaching them. This week all of my work was rewarded in 2 different instances (Yes 2!) The first was with Ben...what you have to know about Ben is that he is very easily distracted and he has a hard time seeing a job through till the end. Saturday it was such a struggle to get him to do anything. Monday morning he was up bright and early ready to go. "What is going to be my first job Mom?" I set him to work in the car, it needed to be cleaned and vacuumed. After about an hour I went to look for him (he does better if you check in periodically. Image my surprise when he was out there washing the windows inside and wiping off the cup holders. He had already cleaned out the trash and other assorted mess (He had filled 2 trash bags Amy! It was a mess). He had already vacuumed and cleaned out Chris' truck as well. He was ready to come inside and ask if he could wash it then rainX the outside windows! When he finished all that he came inside and laid out all of the clothes he wanted to pack...and made a list of what he was missing! He packed and then asked for more work. The kid was on fire! I made sure to praise him HIGHLY! I was so proud
At the same time I had asked Hannah to be in charge of laundry for the day. I knew there was a lot and I knew that she would not be able to finish it all. She was not very happy about the job and she did her share of trying to get out of it but once we explained her guidelines she went to work. I thought that she would do a few loads then run out of steam but that girl worked on the laundry consistently until this evening when she finally got the last load into the dryer! She worked 2 days with no more complaining. I was proud of her and she was proud of herself. It was so rewarding to see her take joy in a job done well!
*I went back to work this year assisting in a 1-2 year old "preschool" class. I really enjoyed working with the kids again. I feel like this job is preparing me to go back to work full time. I have to say that the thing that I enjoyed most of all was the person that I taught with. We hit it off right away. She is fun, loves the Lord, enjoys the kids and she asks lots of questions. If you know me you are aware that I am not really a conversationalist! :) Amy kept me talking. I really think that the reason I did not blog as much this year because after work I just did not have that much to say anymore! Amy is a remarkable woman that I had the pleasure of befriending this year.

*I always worry about how the transition from school schedule to summer schedule is going to go. We are ALL home during the summer and so it is likely that we are going to get on each others nerves a bit. One thing that has really helped this summer is Chris. Chris decided that he wanted to spend some time reading with the kids. Almost everyday they gather in the living room and listen attentively while Chris reads. They each have a list of things that they want to read with him this summer and look forward to reading time every single day.

There are so many things that have really warmed my heart in the last few weeks but they have all fled from my mind. You know how that goes!

Classic Sam

2011-05-09T18:23:00.000-07:00

School Pictures... Some people dread them, some look forward to them. As a mother I love to look at my kids school pictures to mark the growth from one year to the next. Its fun to see how they have changed and matured. The kids like it when the pictures come home and we lay them all out on the floor and remember each stage that we chose to document with pictures. They are growing older much faster than I anticipated (yes, I know, experienced mothers told me it would happen but I did not listen) So here is the picture of my baby. Next year he will be in Kindergarten all day...every day. He will be outgrowing the time that he likes to cuddle with his mama, He will continue to develop in his independence, his personality will continue to find new ways to shine. In the preschool that Sam attends they hire a professional photographer every year. This year it was someone from our church, someone we know. He took some really nice pictures of Sam. It was hard to choose which proof to use.
We ordered pictures and waited eagerly for them to come home so that we could change our "picture wall". As I was going through his package I could not help but notice this picture. I am sure that I did not order this one. Yup notice all the personality shining! The photographer thought that we needed to have this picture because it is so Sam! Thanks Fred. We will treasure this picture too, not because it shows Sam growing and changing but because it shows Sam as he is.

Sam's Baseball Practice

2011-04-11T18:04:00.000-07:00

I know it has been quite awhile. I have not fallen off the edge of the earth. I will post more later.

Tonight we wanted to share with you Sam's very first baseball practice. He was very interested in learning baseball so we signed him up for a team at the YMCA. He had his first practice this evening. We think that he has a lot of potential but we are a bit biased.

The kids were told that they HAD to touch each base as they ran past...Sam missed the last one.

Words of Wisdom

2010-11-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

As you know from my last post I sometimes struggle with feelings of inadequacy. I have been blessed with family and friends who love and support me. I am blessed with people who encourage and lift me up. I wanted to share with you the comment that my mom posted on the last blog entry because it is a great reminder. If you struggle with self esteem issues then I hope that you too can take some encouragement from her words.

I think the enemy would love to have you feel this way (invisible). He thrives on fear, unbelief, doubt and limitations that people accept. The truth is, he has no place in your heart or mind because you belong to Jesus. Tell him to GET OUT and replace his lies with the Truth.

The truth is:
You are very loved!
John 15:9, Rom.8:35-39, Eph.2:4-6

You are accepted!
John 15:15-16, Eph. 1:3-6

You are Worthy!
Rom. 8:31-34, I Cor. 6:19-20, II Cor. 5:21

You are Adequate!
2 Cor. 2:14, 3:4-6, 12:9, Phil. 4:13

You are free from fear!
Psalm 4:8, 27:1, 32:7, 2Tim. 1:7

You are strong in Christ!
Acts 1:8, 2Cor.12:9-10, Eph. 1:19-23, 3:16, Phil. 4;13

You have God's wisdom!
John 15:15, 16:13-14, I Cor. 1:30, James 1:5, I John 2:20-21, 27

You are totally forgiven!
Eph. 1:7, 2;13, Col. 1:14

You have all the confidence you need!
Prov. 3:26, 13:26, 28:1 Eph. 3:12,
Phil. 1:16, Heb. 10:19-22, I John 5:14

You are Never alone!
Rom. 8:38-39, Heb. 13:5

You have authority over Satan!
Col. 1:13, James 4:7-10, I John 4:4
Rev. 12:7-11

Thanks mom!

Invisible

2010-11-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

     Sometimes I am sure that I am invisible. Have you ever felt that way? Your kids act as if they have not heard you tell them to take care of their homework, to pick up their dirty laundry, to not ride their bikes into the road with out looking. You have told them more than once and your voice gets continually louder!   (I am pretty sure that you don't want to admit that you end up yelling but most of us have been there) How can they not hear you...the only logical answer? You're invisible. There are many other examples but I am not going to dwell on it. The purpose of this blog is to let you all know that I have been down lately...and how I am trying to pick myself up.
    I was sitting with my family during fellowship supper at church last night and I felt totally invisible. I know that you could hear us (I mean you can't take 4 active kids anywhere without people knowing about it.) Nobody stopped to sit near us or chat with us about our lives. We were invisible. As I was sitting there trying to understand it I wondered if anyone would notice if we left. (Aside from the quiet) Would anyone notice if we changed our "pattern" of church, school, home etc? Would it matter to anyone besides us?
We live our lives with a goal in mind. What do we want to be remembered for? Will we be remembered at all?
     I love my husband and my kids and they let me know regularly that I matter to them. You should see how eager my husband is to be able to take out for supper when the kids go to Wednesday night class. He sees me. You should see how hard the kids have been working to help out around the house and make my life easier since I have been working. I know that they see me and I am comforted by that. I can't help but wonder sometimes about the rest of the people that I come in contact with? Do they really SEE me?
    I was sitting here this morning fighting against the depression that sometimes overtakes me. I talked about some of these things with my sister (Thanks Alison) She convinced me that I could blog about this without being a whiner or complainer. Then I remembered Psalm 139 and it spoke to me today...let me remind you:

Psalm 139:1-19

O Lord, You have examined me and know me.

When I sit down or stand up You know it;

You discern my thoughts from afar.

You observe my walking and reclining,

and are familiar with all my ways.

There is not a word on my tongue but that You,
O Lord, know it well.

You hedge me before and behind;

You lay Your hand upon me.

It is beyond my knowledge; it is a mystery;
I cannot fathom it.

Where can I escape from Your spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
if I descend to Sheol, You are there too.

If I take wing with the down
to come to rest on the western horizon,

even there Your hand will be guiding me,
Your right hand will be holding me fast.

If I say, "Surely darkness will conceal me,
night will provide me with cover,"

darkness is not dark for You; night is as light as day;

It was You who created my conscience;

You fashioned me in my mother's womb.

I PRAISE YOU,

for I am awesomely, wondrously made;
Your work is wonderful; I know it very well.

My frame was not concealed from You
when I was shaped in a hidden place,

knit together in the recesses of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed limbs;
they were all recorded in Your book;

in due time they were formed to the very last one of them.

How weighty Your thoughts seem to me,
O God, how great their number!

I count them--they exceed the grains of sand;
I end--but am still with You.

I am not as invisible as I sometimes feel and that is powerful to me!

Mundane Mothering Moments

2010-10-07T07:45:00.001-07:00

(Also known as My Work For The Kingdom Today)
It has been awhile since I have updated so I thought that it was about time...besides it gives me a small break from my long to-do list today. I am not sure why you would want to read about such menial tasks but then this is my blog and I am not forcing you to sit there:)

Here is my to-do list for today. Keep in mind that this is just one day!

1. Mount Laundry...as my sister-in-law calls it:

This is a task that really never gets crossed off. Once the kids come home from school we start it all over again. I just think that it would be really nice if I was washing only the clothes that have been worn...NOT the ones that happened to fall off the hangars when the children are stuffing their messes in the closet! I had high goals for the children to be able to help me in this area but I found that I am a bit more picky about it than I thought I was. I am sorry children but I do expect you to hang the hangars in the closet not lay them on the dresser where they are in danger of becoming the next days laundry!

2. THE KITCHEN:

This task has been pushed to the back burner with our busy schedule. I have recently started working again and I have not been diligent about the dishes. Now if I do not clean the kitchen today we will have no dishes to use for supper tonight...I know Mom, I am sorry!

3. Windows

Ugh! I really do not like this job but since we do like to enjoy the continual sunshine it needs to get done! Unfortunately while I am washing windows I realize that the children need to clean their rooms again and it is going to take more than their organizational skills to accomplish this (at least for the boys) This also means more laundry.

4. Childrens room

Don't worry that is not on my list directly. The children get that one but since some of them need supervision I get that one too!

5. Clothes shopping

No, not for me. My daughters have been leaving the house strangely (blue leggings under brown shorts with layered pink shirts) dressed the last few mornings. It has been chilly and evidently they have NO pants that fit them so I get to go pick up some jeans etc.

6. Meal Planning

I love to cook but lately my cooking has been falling to the bland, boring side. (Yes Chris, I know you did not say that, those are my words) I would like the next few nights to be good ones so tonight we are having Mojito Chicken, homemade seasoned fries and green beans. Tomorrow we are having roast, mashed potatoes,a veggie and Challah for Shabbat! Once I finished this task I realized it added the next one to my list.

7. Grocery shopping

Wouldn't you know it but I am all out of Rum for my mojito chicken?! There are a few other ingredients that I need too.

8. Bring the recycling to the dump

This is self explanatory but it is one of those little jobs that I don't enjoy much.

9. Talk to my daughters teacher

This is not such a bad thing except it happens when there are specific issues to talk about.

10. Work in Sarah's classroom

11. Carline and Carpool

11. Walk

This one I do enjoy! I can't wait!

12. Devotions

Another one that I can't call a job! I have been learning more about how to discern the voice of God! What has God been teaching you?

Thats it. My list as I remember it. It will start all over again tomorrow! There are other things that I should have written down. They will come back to me as I am frantically trying to finish this list before supper.

What do you have planned today?

Random Ramblings

2010-08-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

**I thought that I had a little more time before we had to deal with low self esteem/body image but we have reached that point with a certain 9 year old who thinks that she is fat. She has been refusing her normal meals in favor of just veggies and she is adamant that she gets out to walk every day(this is a good thing for me but I worry about her). I tried to help her understand that God created her with a specific body type and that as long as she concentrates on healthy choices there will be no need to go over board. OY! 9 years old is too early for this!

**It is important to remember that when you have trained your children to do or not to do something then you are expected to follow those rules. We were on a Dadventure today and we are continually reminded that if we want to see wildlife then we have to be quiet. I sneezed and was scolded for "scaring the wits out of the creatures"(Sam) I am going to have to remember to hold in those sneezes!

**Someone discovered today that the words boobs and breasts refer to the same body parts. We will never again eat chicken breast without a good deal of giggling at the table. Really these kids are growing up way too fast.

**Just when you think that you have washed, dried, folded and put away the last load of laundry in the house another basket of the dirty stuff just appears in the laundry room. It reminds me of the woman and her oil. Not the kind of miracle I was hoping for but I am thankful for clothes all the same!

**I am super proud of my husband who spent hours preparing for his Sunday School class this week and did a great job! He had 2 1/2 pages of notes to give to the class and even though he was very nervous we had a great class!

**I was reminded today that a child with ADHD is very hard to keep focused...until you want him to keep moving! He takes Dadventures VERY seriously and he has to walk at a snails pace so that he does not miss any wildlife. Fortunately for me I was so far ahead of him when I sneezed he did not get upset with me!

**I am getting very irritated by this white square that I can't get off this blog. Is there anyone out there who can help me?

Where has my baby gone?

2010-08-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

No I am not posting about a missing child! I am taking some time to vent my thoughts on the progression of life in this house!

When I was growing up I wanted to have a lot of children...not even a lot of children but I loved babies and little kids. All of a sudden they are gone. My children are growing like crazy and entering new phases of life that I did not sign up for! I have been hanging on to them in an attempt to keep them little. Needless to say it is NOT working. I realized this morning, as Sam's preschool teacher came for her home visit, that I don't have any more babies or toddlers! My last baby is growing up and getting ready for his journey into being a big boy, a young man! I told myself "Preschool is not too bad", then I listened as the teacher read The Kissing Hand. I had tears in my eyes because the book is like that but then they discussed if there was any thing different between the raccoon school and Sam's school.

Sam told her "Yes, the raccoon goes to school at night and I go during the day."

"That's right", the teacher told him. "He goes when we are sleeping..."

At which point Sam interrupted her and said "that makes him nocturnal!"

Where has my baby gone!

I know that God will walk with us down these paths that I did not anticipate in the beginning but that does not mean that I won't shed a few tears on the way!

More Birthday Blessings

2010-08-14T12:58:00.001-07:00

I can't believe that Ben is 11 years old! He is our first born and our continual parenting guinea pig. I have to say that so far he is surviving:) He is getting ready to enter 5th grade and is moving to a school where he will be changing classes! Ben is steadily maturing and becoming a Godly young man (His friend gave him deodorant for his birthday--I am not sure if it was a hint or just a way of honoring the fact that they are becoming young men)

We love Ben and are so proud of the way that God is growing him!

Happy Birthday Ben!

Birthday Blessings

2010-08-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!

Wow! 9 Years!

It has been a lot of fun watching Hannah grow into the young lady that she is becoming! She loves to be thought of as responsible and trust worthy and she will do what she needs to do to have that reputation. She loves to nurture and care for Sam and other young kids. She loves to create and make things ON HER OWN.

Honest

Active

Not a morning person

Neat

Awesome

Humble

We love you so much Hannah and can't wait to see how you grow and mature this year!

Reflections of Summer

2010-08-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is a relaxing but busy time for us, as it is for many of you. Not only are the children home from school and ready to party, Chris is enjoying time away from work as well. We like to take the extra time that we all have together and do some family activities. This year, as you know we spent a lot of time gardening together. We also took a day and went to Columbia to see the zoo! Despite the fact that Sam's face says otherwise the kids all love the zoo. They love learning about different animals and seeing new things. The were able to feed some zebras and "converse" with some parrots. ( Sam did enjoy himself he was upset that it was time to leave and "Mom made him get his picture taken.)

At the end of June we packed up and headed North to visit with family. This year we planned 5 wonderful weeks to reconnect and enjoy Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and of course cousins. While we were they we celebrated my parents 40th wedding anniversary with a family day.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

It was at this time that we had our annual struggle to get pictures with all the kids. It does not matter what stage they are all in there is always someone who is not happy about this picture.

All 15 Grandkids
Jake, Madelyn, Clayton, Mya, Sarah, Ben, Chloe, Hannah
Sam, Lydia holding Grace, Sophia, Ellie, Garrett and Eli

We were invited to my Uncle Paul's cottage to spend some time with my Dad's side of the family! This was a highlight for the kids. They spent a lot of time in the water fishing, paddle boating, swimming and trying new things like skiing and tubing!

Sophia, Ellie and Sam

I was not sure that these 2 should be on a paddle boat...alone...in the middle of the lake, but they made it back unharmed!

Clayton and Ben working on their catch.

We spent a day at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park with my sister Lisa and her family. We hiked some, stopped at the education center, had a picnic lunch, swam in lake Michigan and climbed the dunes...all in the rain. It rained most of the day but that did not keep us from having a great time together.

Ben and Jake playing at the top of the dune.

Eating lunch...in the rain.

We were able to help Grandpa put up the bat house that we made him for Christmas!

Sarah was able to climb the ladder to help with the drilling.

Grandpa and Grandma took all the kids to Crazy Bounce to play...like crazy people!

We rode the train to Chicago and spent an afternoon in the Museum of Science and Industry.

We all enjoyed our time in Chicago. The Museum was awesome but I think that the highlight for the kids was riding the train!

MMmmmmm smores!

Sam and Ellie waiting patiently for the fire works at Grandpa and Grandmas house.

and more waiting

Ben's back dive

We love swimming!

Watching the chipmunk trap! I am pretty sure they did not catch a chipmunk that day!

Driving the tractor

Once our time in Michigan came to an end we ventured back home again...to the heat...and our own beds:) We weeded, and tended to the garden. We are even trying a second crop since our growing season is so long! (We will let you know how that goes)

The kids are getting ready to head back to school next week. Sam is all ready for preschool, but that is another post!

I hope that you are all enjoying your summer as much as we have!

A Bad Combination

2010-06-22T07:50:00.001-07:00

You know Sam. He is a child who is full of curiosity...and mischief. When you combine him with oh lets say this..........

Well you get the picture.

I have been spending some time cleaning the house in preparation for our vacation so things are off the top of the fridge, the junk drawers are cleaned out everything is getting organized. The kids, having helped out are taking a break in front of the TV. I stopped to sit for a few minutes when I hear a panicked cry. "Um, MOM? He is not crying but he is not okay.

I went to find him and there he stands with blood dripping down his hand. At this point I am trying not to panic, I wrapped his finger tightly in a towel and asked "Sam what happened" I knew something was up when he just looked at me. "Well I was spinning my bike tire and I stopped it with my hand and it cut me!"

REALLY!

I took care of him and went out to the scene and found an open box cutter.

He ended up getting 3 stitches because he cut to the bone.

He knew he was going to get into trouble for taking the box cutter outside and he was determined NOT to cry.

Sometimes They Surprise You

2010-06-04T05:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all, I wanted to share a little exchange that happened the other day between our two youngest. It has been raining off and on for the last 3 or 4 days and with that of course is the thunder and lightening. We were finishing up a little family time (watching The Incredibles) and this happened:
(Thunder Boom)

Sarah: I don't like the thunder!

Sam: It's OK Sarah! You stick with me and it will be alright. You can sleep in my bed and I will take care of you.

Sarah: thanks Sam!

And there they sat together until the storm was over.
Touching and yet interesting that the smallest of the bunch would care so much for the older one. Too cute!

By the way, I have to say I have the best, all-around most awesome husband in the universe. He is talented, funny, thoughtful, mezmerizingly handsome, quick witted, physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight, and yes he is the one writing this post! :)

Scratch and sniff

2010-05-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

(Nut-thing finer)

(Root Beer...our favorite)

When I was in the 3rd grade I had a sticker book. I collected all kinds of stickers. There were sparkly stickers, raised stickers, and then there were the scratch and sniff stickers. These were fun! I remember they had all kinds of smells, they made candy smells, soda smells, flower and fruit smells, they even started making some with not so popular smells, like grass. I was reminded today of my childhood when we went through some awards that Chris got when he was in elementary school. He had 2 awards with scratch and sniff stickers. I smiled, then of course scratched and sniffed. To my surprise they still had their fragrance...it was stronger than I thought it was going to be. Not stronger in a bad way but I was sure that over the 28 years that they sat in a box they would not have a fragrance! Good Memories!

Our three day garden update

2010-05-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

We harvested our first cucumbers, cilantro and basil out of the garden today. Now I have to find some recipes for the herbs. I will probably freeze the rest. The cucumbers will only serve as an appetizer for the family. We all love cucumbers and we could probably eat a dozen of these in one serving (I am not exaggerating!)Our first spaghetti squash is about a week away from being ready to eat! Just 3 days after the last update this is the progress that Sam's watermelon has made!
In case you have not noticed we are very garden centered right now. I was looking forward to have at least 2 meals of sugar snap peas but when I went out there to check on them there were no peas! After a little probing we discovered several people who pick a couple when they walk past. There will be no peas at meal times because they have become snacks! (I am not complaining!)

Sam's Watermelon Update

2010-05-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

I last updated the blog on Saturday the 22nd. In just 3 days Sam's watermelon grew from

this...........

To this!
Needless to say Sam has us taking daily pictures to measure growth AND he will not remove the pink tennis ball as a way to measure!

Some of the posts that never made it out of my head!

2010-05-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

I am not quite sure where to start but I knew when Chris sat down at the computer the other day that it was time to get a new post up.

Chris "Michelle, when are you going to put a new post on the blog?"

Me (knowing that I should have plenty to write about, decided to just be honest) "Probably when people start to bug me about it."

Chris "Okay then consider yourself bugged!"

I have decided to post all the small topics that I have worked on (in my head) over the last several months...so grab your cup of coffee and have a seat!

A Season Pass

We went to our local county park today. They have a nice park, nature trails, fishing, canoeing, a nature center but the thing that drew us there today was the "Splash Pad." The splash pad is a variety of different fountains and sprinklers set up on a cement pad. The cost to get in is $3.00 per person. I was online this morning and discovered that I could get a season pass for $30.00. It is totally worth it because it is so close to our house. We got to the park knowing that it would rain within an hours time. I told the kids it was fine we would go in for 15-20 minutes then we could come back next week. (season pass!) I got up to the window to get the season pass and the guy told me that it was $30.00...PER CHILD! That was not going to happen but we were there so I paid the fee for the day and sent the kids in to play. Within 5 minutes there was rain, thunder and lightning, the lifeguard shut everything down and sent every one out! We went home pretty sad that we did not get the chance to play and we had no season pass! How frustrating!

MOTHERS DAY REFLECTION

"What do you want for Mother's Day?" This is the question that the kids asked often in the weeks before Mothers Day. (They start asking early enough that you know that they are working on something in school.) I went through the typical mom list...I would like a day with no fighting, I would like you kids to pick up your things with out being asked and without complaining about it, I would like lots of hugs and kisses and I would like to spend time with my family. These requests are all true, I do want all of these things but as I reflect on what I truly want for mothers day I came up with this list as well...I want my children to need me. I want the things that I do as a mother to benefit them, to help them grow, to make a difference in their lives. I would like my mothering to glorify God at all times. I already have what I want for mothers day. I have laundry and dishes that show how much my children need me. They like to chat and share their day, they come to me when they have a problem. I have to joy of being able to teach them life skills that will help them when they leave my house, I get to share God's love and his promises with them. I don't always do such a great job but I already have the opportunity to MOTHER. Now I may not always have such a mature view of the laundry and dishes. the tears and troubles, but when I stop to think about it these are the things that I can do. What more could I want!

OUR GARDEN

We are trying some thing new this year (again). Since we have little space we put up some raised bed gardens. We also decided to try square foot gardening where we attempted to plant things not in rows but in squares. (I say attempt because I had a hard time getting my head around the concept, It was Chris' vision) We allowed the kids to pick some plants to care for and we went to work. Ben planted sugar snap peas, Hannah planted green beans, Sarah planted mint and Sam was super excited about his watermelon. Chris and I filled in the rest of the space with tomatoes, spaghetti squash, shallots, parsley, basil, cilantro and cucumbers! Everything is growing like crazy thanks to warm, sunny days and lots of watering! We are hoping to be able to eat some of our produce before we go on vacation in July! We underestimated how the squash and watermelon would take off but everything looks like it will do well. I love to go out and smell the tomato plants (I know its weird but I love that smell).

What I did over Spring Break!

2010-04-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!
Again this is Chris not Michelle. I wanted to show you the new pens I made over spring break! I have a few new ones that didn't make the picture. One is a tasmanian curly eucalyptus made pen (very pretty) another is a tigerwood pen (don't worry it won't cheat on you) another was a boodwood pen (very deep red) and another was a padauk pen. The ones in the picture go like this from left to right:
1. black palm bullet pen
2 curly ?? bullet pen
3. cocobolo bullet pen (already sold)
4 bethlehem olivewood in satin finished gold
5. bethlehem olivewood in gold
6. african acacia wood
7. milante
8. composite piece of ??
9. composite piece of ??

Hope you enjoy them. I have many people at school wanting them. Don't worry...your birthdays are all coming up!

Answered Prayers

2010-04-01T16:57:00.000-07:00

We have lived in South Carolina for almost 5 years! As many of you are aware it was a huge leap of faith, something that we knew we needed to do but something that we were not eager to do. From the very beginning of our time here I have felt God's presence. I have spent a lot of time since our move on my knees. I have prayed for peace, for missing our family, for assurance that we made the right decision, for more peace (you get the picture). I have spent time waiting for prayer to be answered...in God's time. I have watched the kids become thoroughly involved in our church. I have watched as in His time we were shown different areas of growth and change in our lives. This move has not been easy but we are still watching and waiting to see what God has in store for us.

Over the past year God has been answering my personal prayer for friendship. He has worked in my life to be more open, more outgoing, and more willing to extend myself. He has brought into my life a group of Godly women that I have come to love like sisters. People that I can reach out to when I am in need and that I can reach out to when they are in need. Women that I can share my struggles and joys with. I had the privilege of going away last weekend with these women. We rented a house near the beach and spent time sharing our lives with one another. We shopped, talked, ate, talked, laughed and had a great time being together. We are all in different stages of our lives and that is great! I loved that I could spend time away from the busyness of being a wife and mother and still spend time talking about how much I love that job. I enjoyed getting a chance to know these women even better. (Thank you ladies!)

I know that God's timing is always best but it was hard to be in a new place and have no real connections. As I look back I am so thankful that God is in charge because if I had done it on my own I would have missed out on some wonderful friendships.

New Found Fun for the Kids

2010-03-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

We are leaving Target. It is me with 4 kids in tow. I am not yelling at them to stay to the side, if anything I am reminding them to pay attention to the traffic. My kids are walking so close to the parked cars I am afraid they might get in the wrong one. Their eyes are moving side to side and their heads are looking straight down.
I know, now you are asking "THIS is fun?" Yes, I know my kids are weird! I don't deny it BUT their piggy banks are filling up.
We don't have a single errand day that we return without a few extra cents! The kids ask me to park as far away as possible, they want to search the largest area possible.
They have learned that the space on the floor near the checkout counter is often a good place to hang out! I don't argue because I don't have to continually remind them to stay with me.
Sam is really good at this although I have a suspicion that he finds a few of his daily pennies in my van!

Chris' New Found Fun

2010-03-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

First off...I am NOT Michelle. I am her other half (albeit not her better half). So please direct any and all comments to me...unless they are REALLY good and then she can have them too! I am not a writer, at least in the sense of emotional, thought provoking...you know spaghetti writing (for clarification please direct questions to Michelle).

I tend to write in a more professional or as Michelle would call it...pompous english. I use -re instead of -er for words like centre, theatre, etc. I prefer words like chiffarobe to dresser, you get the idea.

But I digress (see), I wanted to share with all of our family and friends who read (whenever there is a new post) about the sordid escapades and antics of our family life about my newest found hobby. I am sure you are familiar with the phrase, "jack of all trades, but a master at none." I also think you know that most people use this phrase in a rather negative sort of light...like it is a bad thing. Well, I don't think so. A variety of hobbies allows you to develop a well-rounded sense of self (if you know me, you can be assured I DON'T need any more ROUNDING!)

But nevertheless, I enjoy many hobbies. I love hiking and geocaching with the family, I love playing music, reading books (however academic and dry most people think the topics are), I love building rockets with my son and the rocket team at school, gardening and doing things like composting, routing rain water and I love woodworking. The last one I will admit, is the one I work at the most because it is the one I have the hardest time "mastering." But I keep telling myself that it isn't that I'm not good...I just havent found the thing I am suited to do.

Some people are good at drawing...I make stick figures. Some people are good at making fine intricate cabinets and things...I struggle with this. But lately I have found something I am good at and enjoy doing...making woodturnings. I recently got a benchtop lathe (thank you again for the christmas gift in-laws!) and have been drawn to making bits and bobs from the lathe. I have a unique collection of turned handles make of pine and Alaskan yellow cedar. I also am working on a candlestick holder and some fridge magnets. But recently I have been working on something a little more "involved." Namely, turning pens.

I LOVE turning pens! Not only is it fun, but when those ear muffs go on and I am tunnel visioned on the piece I am doing it is a peaceful and quiet time that allows the could be to shine through.

The only other time I EVER feel this way is when I am underwater (that is why it is my favorite place!).

So I thought I would share a bit of my crafty-ness with you and let you see what I have made. I showed them off at school and have many people asking for orders.

Thanks for taking time to read this. Hopefully it doesn't make any of you cry or anything (I don't do well with crying)!

Enjoy!

Chris

Kid Quotes

2010-03-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Sam: "Mom can we have a baby brother tomorrow?"
Mom: "I don't think so, Sam."
Sam: " Good because I would rather have a baby sister anyway."
Mom: "That is not going to happen either, why would you rather have a baby sister?"
Sam : "Well, because brothers beat on you and tease you way too much!"

2010-03-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

She tiptoed into our room this morning with a big smile on her face. "Mom", she whispered, "can I cuddle with you this morning?

"Of course, Birthday Girl, Happy Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Mom, Can you tell me the story of the day I was born?""It was a dark and stormy night"... "Um, Mom, that's not the story", "How do you know?" I asked. "Because this is my favorite story...it starts with "we waited and waited and finally the day came" You have to tell me how excited you were and how perfect and cute I was, I want to hear about how I did not cry very much and how the other kids loved having me around."

"I think it sounds like you already know this story!"

She had asked for a castle cake...not a pink or purple one but a blue and green one. She wanted it to have a moat complete with an Alligator.

She knows what she likes and she is happy with that! She does not care that the other kids thought she was a little strange. She is okay with that.

She has a free spirit, a kind heart, and a compassionate soul.

She surprises us and makes us laugh by announcing things like..."I can't wait to see how my husband is going to impress me!" or "Mom, I prayed for my husband today...he's going to need it!" or this conversation "Mom, how did I get into your tummy?" God made a way for that to happen. "Where was I before God put me in your tummy?" "Ummmmmm." "Wait I know I was in heaven singing with the angels!"

She plays the most imaginative games all by herself and she does not mind. She sat in the wagon, with her birthday hat, pretending she was "driving" to a party (for over an hour)!

Happy 7th Birthday Sarah! You are such a blessing!

Totally Random Ramblings

2010-03-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

I have made an interesting discovery about myself...I am not a natural blogger. Some people use this as therapy but not me. I blog to keep my family and friends up to date on the things that are going on in our lives. The problem is that I don't find our day to day monotony blog-worthy. I have some family members who are great at this (you know who you are) but this is not where my strength lies! Having made my disclaimer I would like to think that you are involved in even the small events of our lives. This post is going to be totally random thoughts and events that I have been pondering in the last few weeks.

*After more "snowfalls" and cold weather than we have experienced since we have lived here, Sarah announced to me the other day that "She is so done with winter!" Now I know she is a southern girl! Sorry to all you "northern" folks my children think that winter should end by mid February!

*Chris surprised me the other day by telling me that it was time for me to go out and get some new clothes. I, on the other hand, did not agree as mine are just fine. It took me a little while to remember that this is one of the ways that he shows me love SO I let him take me shopping. He was a most wonderful shopping companion. He truthfully told me when something fit well or not. He brought me clothes that he thought would look nice. (He put his foot down when I picked out more black saying that I look nice in colors and should wear them more often) I picked out several things and said enough...He picked out several more before he would let me leave. I don't really like to shop but I had a great time with Chris, he really made me feel good about myself. I felt loved!

* Sam asked me the other day "Mom, when do you think that my legs will be long enough to drive this car?" (Heaven help us)

I responded "I am pretty sure that your legs will be long enough when you are 16!"

Sam "Mom, I think they will be longer before that...you wait and see, I am 4 years old you know!"

Mom "Don't remind me"

*Ben announced to me today "In 4 years I will be in high school. Isn't that exciting?" Pause "Wait that means that I am over half way done living in your house!" At this point I am having serious mixed emotions! Yes! He is planning on growing up and moving out AND I can't believe that he is growing so fast, my 10 year old is past the half way mark!

*7 years ago we bought a van...named Stella. This van has been good to us. She has been a faithful van for over 160,000 miles. Stella is starting to become very unpredictable, she takes a bit of loving care in the morning in order to get her where we need her to go. When she gives us trouble in the mornings I can hear the loving murmurs of several children in the back seat stroking her and speaking encouraging words. We make sure to all have comfortable walking shoes so that when she decides she has had enough we will be able to walk for help! Don't tell poor Stella but I think we are going to start looking for a new van.

*We were incredibly disappointed that we had to cancel our train trip to Washington DC. We decided that since Stella needed to be (shhhh) replaced our money would be best spent on a vehicle. The kids were sad that they would not get to ride on the train but they were more upset that they would not get to see all the museums and monuments. They must be the children of a social studies teacher!

What happened?

2010-01-16T05:54:00.000-08:00

I blinked!

I can't believe that I blinked and 4 years went by just like that!

It is not supposed to happen this way. Four years ago we welcomed Samuel into our family, all 11 pounds and 8 ounces of him. He astounded the doctors with his size...to which I only have to say "I told you so".

He very quickly wrapped us around his little fingers. Is it any wonder that the baby of the family has a special place? He loves to have fun even when it gets him in trouble. Why does his mischief always make us smile (on the inside not always on the outside)?

He loves to make us laugh and when we laugh he laughs, it is infectious.

There have, of course, been times when I was sure that I would never survive his busy nature. Some days I wondered how I made it through the whole day without ripping my hair out. He seemed to go from one room to the next making messes while I was cleaning up after him! Then I would see him while he was sleeping or hear him call to me for a hug and I would know that while he kept me busy I loved him!

These two get along so well its scary, then again they both share a love for mischief.

He astounds us with what he learns and can do (like swimming underwater...on his own...at 2 years old)

He has tons of energy and enjoys keeping us moving! A Sunday stroll through the parks turns into a brisk walk/jog just trying to keep up with him!

Happy Birthday to this young man! We hope that you continue to grow and challenge those around you...in good ways!

I am going to have to stop blinking. Last night at his birthday celebration I had to blink away the tears as I realized how fast he is growing and how we are closing out this toddler chapter of our lives. I have to remind myself daily to just enjoy the place we are at!

God has truly blessed us with 4 wonderful children who can be so thoughtful.

Here is the card that Sarah made for Sam on his birthday before anyone else woke up or gave suggestions.

In case you can't read it it says(no spelling corrections made): May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord carz (cause) his face to shine upon you. Amen. Sam your my spishle (special) little brother. No other one could take your place in my haret (heart). I will love you from the bottum of my haret (heart). Sarah Elizabeth

My new glasses

2009-11-30T15:39:00.000-08:00

My new glasses are black on the outside and blue on the inside. I like my new glasses. My glasses are very cool! We went out tonight to fit the glasses and bring them home. We also bought a case for my glasses. The glasses came with a soft case. We bought a hard case for $3:00. My mom asked for a cleaning rag. So we got that. My Mom ,Dad and I think I look very smart. My mom is going to use the cleaning rag for her glasses. I have to wear my glasses constantly. I take them off at bed time. I can use them to read before I go to bed. They might break well I'm asleep.

I've had an epiphany!

2009-11-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

I sat down last night after the sometimes difficult task of putting the kids to bed. I was waiting for the inevitable..."Mom? My leg hurts" "I need to use the bathroom" "I would like a drink" I am sure you are aware of the routine. Ben is typically out of bed for at least an hour after we tuck him in. He has a difficult time getting to sleep at night because of some of the medication that he takes. BUT...it was quiet.

Ben was born about 10 1/2 years ago and from the time of his birth he turned our lives upside down. We were not ready for the changes that he brought. He was a very smart, active child. As with most children he knew what he wanted and how to get it. From the time we brought him home from the hospital he loved skin time. The fastest way to calm him down was to rub his back, or to let him snuggle against skin. He liked to be held tight! He was also very independent and busy. Very busy. He would stand himself in our laps and just bounce! A few years ago he was diagnosed with ADHD. This came as no surprise to us. He even sleeps wild! He was given Concerta to help him settle down. One of the side effects of this medication is difficulty getting to sleep. He is often up until 10:00 (he goes to bed at 8). He reads books, plays with his toys, gets into mischief and wakes up tired the next day.

Yesterday Sam was diagnosed with strep...again, so I stripped off all the sheets and did loads of laundry to try and contain the germs. I remade all of the beds and tucked them in (Yes mom with hospital corners!)

As I tucked in each child I made sure that their covers were still tucked tight. Ben laughed and said I made him feel like a burrito. He said his prayers and I left the room. I was sitting on the couch relaxing, wondering why it was so quite upstairs. I decided I had better go and check, to my surprise Ben was asleep! It was only 8:30. As I tried to process whether he was feeling okay I had an epiphany. He was tucked in tight. The blankets were wrapped tightly around his skin. There was contact there! I made sure to tuck him in tight tonight just to test this connection and I was pleasantly surprised to find him sound asleep.

It is interesting to me that such a small comfort as an infant can still be such a big deal!

Cannonballlll!!!!!!!!

2009-11-18T06:55:00.001-08:00

This Tuesday was like every other Tuesday. Wake up early to get the kids ready for school, coax and prod to make sure we could leave on time, drop the children off and get ready for the work of the day. Sam and I ran some errands and came home to clean, do laundry and various other daily tasks. At noon we picked up Ellianna, (the little girl I take care of in the afternoon) and went to Chris' school to pick up the van. Then we picked up our kids and headed to the park. We played for awhile and headed home to start the homework/dinner routine. The kids finished their homework and their household chores and headed out to play so that I could get supper started. Like I said it was like every other Tuesday...Until the doorbell rang.
I am used to the doorbell ringing so in my head I am saying "I wish those kids would just use the other door" I did not move until Hannah said "Um mom, I think that you should come here...its for you" I went to the door and there was the neighbor (the mom of Ben's friend) and Ben. Neither of them looked real happy so I wondered "what did he do"? Then I noticed that not only was he crying but he was bleeding from several spots. The neighbor first said how sorry she was on behalf of her son, who dared Ben to jump out of the tree in their yard. I assured her that we definitely did not blame her for the activity of boys. I mean I expected a lot more of this type of injury when they first told us "Its a Boy!" I thanked her for walking him home and took him inside to clean him up. He had several bite marks on his lip and his knee was open. I knew when I looked at the knee that he was going to need more attention than what I could offer. I mean I could sew him up but I was pretty sure he would rather have some numbing medication and a professional!
At this point Chris came home to the chaos. Sam was, well he was very Sam-like, running all around. Ellianna was trying to peacefully wake up from her nap, Hannah was frantically trying to be helpful, much to Ben's frustration, and Sarah, sweet Sarah was crying because Ben was crying. Chris took charge of the clean up and he brought Ben to the prime care. I stayed back and brought the household once more to calm. (Well as calm as our household usually is) The Doctor looked carefully at Ben's lip and felt sure that he did not bite completely through so she used Dermabond to glue the outside injury. She also gave him three stitches in his knee. I will post that picture later as his knee is still bandaged. He was a great patient I am told and he did not freak out when she got out the suture kit!
Once he was out of the office Chris tried to get him to explain how in the world he got those injuries from jumping out of a tree.
Evidently, Paxton dared him to jump out of the tree that they had climbed. It was a jump of about 6 feet. He jumped because his friend had offered him money to do it! As he was jumping he decided to make it more daring and he did a cannonball into a pile of leaves. At this point in hearing the story it is starting to make a lot more sense! His head came down and his teeth hit his kneecap. Somehow he got his lip in there and he bit it! I say that it made more sense...I just mean now I understand how the injury came to be. I still don't, and may never, understand the why?!
Motherhood has been an adventure these past 10 years. Just when I think that things may calm down something else comes up! I am more sure than ever that the only way to survive this adventure called parenthood is by staying on my knees. Cannonball!

Kid Quotes

2009-11-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

I walked in on Sam singing "rock a bye baby".
Mom: "Sam, what are you doing?"
Sam: "I am putting my blankie to sleep, its nap time"
Mom: "Is it sleeping yet?"
Sam: "No, but I will lay him on the couch"
Mom: "Are you going to stay around and watch to make sure he does get up and sneak off?"
Sam: Looking at me in frustration "Mom, its a blankie, its not alive!"
My mistake!

What a month

2009-10-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well October has been a rather turbulent month here is the Hayden household. It started but one child who came home with the H1N1 virus. Hannah was home for the full 5 days that is recommended and then was sent back to school. The same day that we sent her back to school we had 2 more with the same symptoms. We hauled the rest of the kids to the Dr. and sure enough the all had the H1N1. At the same time Chris was also home sick. We were 2 days into it when Hannah was back at home with fever and vomiting! She and Sam spent 3 days with the stomach flu. Just when Hannah was again starting to feel better she still was not eating. She claimed that her throat hurt too much! I took her into the Dr. and she was tested positive for strep. Given the fact the in our family we tend to share everything...even germs, I took everyone in the next day for strep tests. While the Dr. refused to test us because we looked fine I was not convinced. Within an hour of coming home from the Dr. office three of us had high fevers and you guessed it...sore throats! I went in the next day because I was just miserable and yes I had strep! I finally got the Dr. to give all the kids antibiotics. This is just the drama that I have been taking care of. Chris learned that on top of the flu he had developed bronchitis and a severe sinus infection. We are beginning to feel a lot better, thank goodness! I don't want to think about the fact that flu season is just starting!!

Sam is miserable when he gets fever. Every once in a while he would wander off and quietly put himself to bed. I would wonder what he was up to and find him all covered up with blankets, stuffed animals, or pillows. I would ask him whether he wanted to cuddle with mommy in her bed and he would reply "No thanks mom, just tuck me into my own bed"

Monday night we noticed some red bumps on this poor kid. I knew he had not been playing outside so I wondered where he got all the mosquito bites but by the next morning he looked more like this:

Notice the red spots go all through his hair! His eye was swollen shut and one of his ears looked like a big pink marshmallow!
So I took him to the Dr. yet again and it turns out the child is allergic to penicillin. He is very very itchy. He has been living on Benedryl, hydro cortisone and oatmeal baths. I asked him whether he wanted an oatmeal bath to take away some of the itch and he said"No thanks I don't want to bath in my breakfast!

Mom Quotes

2009-10-14T11:17:00.001-07:00

This is something that I NEVER thought that I would hear my mom say. I thought that I should write it down as proof that yes she said it!

We were discussing making dinner or cleaning up. I told mom that I did not mind making dinner and she said
"That is good because I would much rather follow you around, cleaning up after you."

I always thought she hated cleaning up after us, who knew?!

Kid Quotes

2009-10-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sam and I were sitting by the computer this morning. He was playing a game. I was trying to get him to use the taller stool. In my attempt to transition him the stool tipped over and landed on my toe. I was trying to use only 3 year old appropriate words to describe my pain and Sam came over to me and said:

"Mom, I am very sorry. Will you forgive me?"
M: "Sam it was not your fault, I dropped the stool on my foot."
S: "Okay then I forgive you!"

I just love him :)

He also told me this afternoon that my toe looks pretty like a sunset! (It is purple and pink!)

Kid Quotes

2009-10-06T03:36:00.000-07:00

Just this morning:
Mom: "Good morning Sam."
Sam: "Good Morning Mommy."
M: "Is your diaper dry?"
S: "No, I just went pee in it."
M: " After you wake up can you please use the bathroom when you have to pee?"
S: "So, you are saying you want me to keep my diapers DRY?"
M: "Yes Sam, That is what I am saying!"

God's Timing

2009-09-27T18:23:00.000-07:00

I am posting about something that I don't like to talk about. I try to post about the positive things that are happening in our household...or the funny things...or things that are noteworthy. In order to share with you the encouragement that we received I have to blog about it all.
These last few weeks have been hard for me.
I am struggling with loneliness. I have to tell you that I am not extroverted and so making friends has never been easy for me. We have lived in South Carolina for 4 years and I still don't feel like I have friends that I can call when I need some wisdom, sympathy or prayer. (Thank goodness for my mom and sisters) God has helped me to reach out of my comfort zone and put forth a lot of effort but those efforts have been unrewarded.
I am struggling with church. I will not go into great detail here but our church is going through change and we are still working through what it will all mean. These changes have left us feeling more or less empty spiritually. Add to this the fact that Chris and I don't always agree about what church, worship, worship style etc. should look like.
I struggle to help my family feel happy here, to feel needed and valuable.
I am struggling with self image. Yes, this is not a new one for me. If you have kept up with this blog you know that. I have made a number of changes since January and none of them have been real fruitful.
These struggles have left me tired, irritable, and depressed. They brought me to my knees on Friday and left me in prayer for answers, for patience in Gods timing, for peace in my struggles and for comfort. I asked God to tell me whether we are supposed to be here in SC and whether he does have work for us here.
I did not feel like going to church this morning. Have you ever been there? Where you were just down and did not feel like hearing that God loves you and it will all be okay? I wanted to stay home BUT because it would have been cruel to leave Chris in church with all 4 of the children I went. The preacher encouraged us to keep going! "The key to your walk is simple: Read, Pray and keep plugging away!" That was encouragement to me. During our fellowship time I met another family that had moved from Holland,MI this year! I felt like they brought me some of "home". More encouragement. As Chris and I turned to leave at the end of the service one of the elders and his wife stopped us and asked if they could pray with us. He said that God had placed us on his heart. He felt that he needed to pray with us about our frustrations. He went on to mention most of the things that we have been struggling with but have not told to anyone! He said that he felt that Chris had valuable contributions to make to the church with his wisdom and biblical knowledge. He encouraged us to keep reaching out and keep making ourselves available because we could be used here in powerful ways.
GOD IS GOOD. I asked for some kind of an answer and He reached down and placed this elder in our path to speak directly to our struggle. I know that I was encouraged and in awe of the love the Father has for me. I needed this reminder that God has a plan and its a good one. I will keep working for his glory in all areas of my life! Thank you Lord!

Kid Quotes

2009-09-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sam (3) asked for a glass of water at bedtime tonight so I brought him a little water. It spilled on his pajama shirt and he started to cry. This is the conversation that followed:
Mom: "Don't worry Sam, its only water, it will dry."
Sam: "No it won't."
Mom: "Sam it will dry, by morning it won't be wet anymore."
Sam: "Mom, it won't dry...You are supposed to tell me "Don't worry it will E-V-A-P-O-R-A-T-E!" "

(This post is for my friend, the science teacher!)

Kid Quotes

2009-09-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

Sarah (6): "Hey! Look at the sunrise. Lets see how many colors we can find."

Sam (3): "Isn't God wonderful? He makes the best sunrises!"

Kid Quotes

2009-09-21T06:13:00.000-07:00

Mom: "I wonder how Jesus felt sitting with his disciples celebrating Rosh Hashana for the last time. How did he feel knowing that he was going to be God's sacrificial lamb?"

Ben: "He was probably pretty bummed!"

My Prince Charming

2009-08-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

I met my Prince Charming at the end of the summer of '95. ( The summer that I told God I was okay being single.) We were both students at The Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem. The question of "who asked who" or "who started it all" is a subject of great debate in our house. There was a basketball game, a bracelet, a movie and a looong walk. After that we spent 3 months getting to know each other. We were engaged 11 months after we first met and married 1 year after that. In our married life we have lived in 3 different states, moved 5 times, gone through 9 job changes (jobs not careers) and had 4 children. This summer we celebrated 12 wonderful years of marriage. After 12 years I have learned some important things about Chris. I would like to share those lessons with you as well as some of the many reasons he is still "my charming prince".

He loves to create and he uses the kids as an excuse to construct LEGO masterpieces.

He plans "spur of the moment" trips...in advance...in his head.

He thrives in an orderly, efficient environment ( sorry honey:) )

He is great to have around when you need to figure out which spices to add to any meal.

He really believes the kids get all their stubbornness from me.

He loves it when we surprise him by bringing him lunch at school.

He takes his job very seriously and he goes out of his way to help his students.

He pays attention to my goals and dreams.

He knows how to make me laugh.

He wants me to be with him on all of the adventures he takes in his life.

He works hard to provide for his family.

He plays hard on his vacation time to "make memories" for his kids.

He loves to learn.

He has information on just about any subject and he enjoys sharing it. (I would not suggest playing Trivial Pursuit against him)

He enjoys trying new things.

He usually tells me when I am right. (Okay so it does not happen that often...JK)

He encourages me to continue the good things that I do, Workout Wednesday, walks with Sam, "Kids choice night", family Bible memory.

He wants the children to value learning as much as he does. He goes out of his way to teach them new things on a regular basis.

He involves himself in the children's interests.

He knows how to make me laugh.

He takes my health issues very seriously.

I love him more and more every year. Thank you Chris for 12 years. I look forward to many more to come.

Back to School

2009-08-19T03:01:00.000-07:00

...pencil sharpened...supplies all packed up...new outfits laid out...back packs ready...

3 eager children and 1 well prepared husband went back to school this week. I am sure that they all had butterflies as they headed into another year. They will all have to get to know new students, teachers and routines! Sarah was the most excited to get back to school. She loves to learn. The others love to learn as well, they would just rather do it on their own terms. Hannah loves knowing what will happen so this new adventure made her more nervous than excited. Ben takes it all in stride, he is confident that he will do well. They all, except Chris, allowed me to take the annual first day of school pictures. They even allowed me to get one with the teacher. Sadly that will be the last time Ben lets me do that (he's already told me NOT AGAIN)

Sarah - 1st Grade

Hannah - 3rd Grade

Ben - 4th Grade

Ben and Mrs. Bessenger
Hannah and Mrs. Davis

Sarah and Mrs. Munn

**They all had a great first day. They had a lot of good things to say about their classes and their teachers. We are looking forward to another year of growth and learning!**

I don't like shopping

2009-08-14T18:45:00.000-07:00

I really don't like shopping.

I do not go to the mall if I can avoid it, I try to get all my groceries in one stop...once a week. I would much rather be doing almost anything else. I don't think that I have gone to the mall "for fun" since Jr. High! That being said, Hannah received 2 gift cards for her birthday! She knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to go to the mall and"browse" before she decided what to buy...AND...she chose me to go with her. I have to honestly tell you that I was not excited, I mean its the mall. Hannah tends to be very indecisive and it can take her forever to make decisions, But it was her birthday gift and she chose me! So after supper we headed to the mall.

Her first stop was Barnes and Noble, where she carefully looked at just about every book they had on the shelf. She looked at the covers, read the backs, flipped through the books and put them back. She did not make her decisions until she was satisfied that she had seen everything and she found good deals. She purchased 4 books that she was excited to start, Anne of Green Gables, Pollyanna, Little Lord Fauntleroy and Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls.

We then headed into the mall where we walked into many stores and looked around and left. It was not until we had seen all of the stores and gained some knowledge about what they were selling that she began to form ideas of what she wanted to spend her money on. She then went into the most promising stores looking at the sales, the styles, the accessories etc. It could have been torture...until I realized how Hannah is growing up. She is changing before my very eyes, growing, maturing and wanting to be treated like a young lady. She also reminds me a lot of myself. She does not always enjoy being a child. She has little time for dolls and other "frivolous" things, she wants only what will make her look more responsible and mature. She picked out an adorable outfit tonight and carefully picked up bracelets, earrings, and sunglasses to match. She even picked out lip gloss and body lotion to help her be her best. At the end of the evening she had 16 dollars left and she was left with some hard choices. She wanted a pair of shoes that completed her outfit BUT she also wanted to take her daddy to a movie AND she really wanted to save some money so she could go to Great Clips and get a good haircut. I watched as she agonized over what to do. In the end she decided time with Daddy would be the best use of her money. She wanted to try to have some left over so that if she did some extra chores around the house to earn a few dollars she could get her shoes. She said that "the haircut could wait until Grandma came for a visit".
I said it before and I'll say it again...I don't like shopping...BUT I sure do love Hannah! We had a blast tonight! I would do it again in a heartbeat! Thank you Hannah for a wonderful evening!

One Decade!

2009-08-10T06:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Ben!Benjamin Michael joined our family at 7:54 PM. After laboring for 24 hours and not progressing the doctor decided that a C-section was necessary. Ben's birth marked the beginning of a lot of "firsts" for us. People often ask whether the transition from 2 kids to 3 was the most difficult, for me the hard one was the transition from 0 to Ben! He was a pretty happy baby...as long as he was fed and diapered regularly! He enjoyed his sleep...as long as you rocked him there and did not leave his side!

Ben was alert and ready for action right from the start. He was a few hours old when he first tried to hold his head up on his own. He was always interested in the activities that were happening around him. He was always moving, his legs kicked constantly, his head was always turning! When you supported him in a standing position he bounced constantly!He was walking by 9 months old and talking pretty clearly by 14 months! He was full of energy and ...well...mischief (my parents called it curiosity)!

Ben loved to work and help us out. He enjoyed new experiences and seeing new and exciting things!

Despite frustrations with Ben ability to move from 0-60 in no time flat, he has been a joy! We love that way that he embraces new experiences. He is so much like his father in that when we go anywhere he wants to learn as much as we can. At the zoo or museum he will be reading all the signs and looking at everything. He will then come back and share his exciting discoveries with any one who will listen.

I am sad to see Ben leave his childhood and enter into his pre-teen years but when he comes to me after VBS and says "Mom, I am ready to ask Jesus into my heart, I would like to live my life for him. Will you pray with me?" I am thrilled at what is coming for him. He shows glimpses of maturity that are exciting. Ben was and is such a gift from God. He is beginning to struggle with questions of maturity such as "Do I want my parents to come and tuck me in or am too old for that?" I just want to hug him!

We love you Ben! Have a great birthday and an awesome year!

He was trying to find a solutions to the smoke in your face dilemma! That's just Ben!

H R H

2009-08-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Today we are celebrating Hannah Ruth Hayden. She was born into our family at 12:23 PM. Hers was a long pregnancy. We worried daily about the effects of my diabetes on her precious body. My doctor wanted to deliver her 3 weeks early because she was growing too quickly. As soon as they delivered her they brought her to the scale and told us they had just delivered a linebacker! She was 11 pounds and 14 ounces...yes, it was a C-section. We were so happy that she had arrived and was finally out of a diabetic environment! It seemed that the only unusual thing about Hannah was the extra finger on her right hand.

It did not take long before they worried about Hannah having seizures and a rather pronounced heart murmur. They transferred her to De Vos Children's Hospital where she was the biggest preemie they had seen! They told us that because of my diabetes her heart had become very thick and they thought that she would grow into it. After 5 days of observation, no seizures and many instructions on her care they let us take her home.

Healthy Relaxed Home: For the first 3 months of her life she just laid around! She hardly ate, she mostly slept! She just took some time to grow into her body! She slowly developed a wonderful, cheerful and friendly personality. She was a delightful baby to have around. She did not want to be cuddled at bedtime she just wanted to be laid in her bed! No sleep issues with her!

Happy Really Happy

Humorous Responsible Huggable: As she has grown Hannah has developed a very independent nature. An idea should be her own if you expect her to follow it. She does not want to be told what to do. She is a very strong individual! She likes to dress herself, choose her own foods and pick her own activities. In other words she was a typical 2 year old!

1st day of preschool

Notice the application of her own make up! She enjoyed taking care of her newborn brother!

When Hannah was 6 she informed us that she was not Hannah Ruth Hayden her initials stood for Her Royal Highness. We thought that it was appropriate since she acted like royalty! When we chose her name we were looking for a name that she could live up to, one that would make her a strong woman of God. We did not think of HRH being her royal highness but we feel that it fits her. She is a child of the KING. She is royalty! She carries herself with grace. She works very hard to make her parents proud of her, to make her siblings happy with her and to make those around her feel accepted and comfortable. She enjoys entertaining and proving how much she is maturing!

Happy Birthday Hannah Ruth! We love you very much. We look forward to seeing what God has planned for you in your life!

Some people have dogs...

2009-07-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Charity, this post is for you!

Some people have dogs to keep their house safe from prowlers and intruders. We have discovered that we have something easier to maintain but quite effective! We have HUGE spiders.

When we returned home from our trip to Michigan we found many large spider webs along the front porch and the roof line of the house. We live here and did not really want to try and pass this new "security" system. The spiders build a web in the evening but strangely disappear during the day. I am not going to ponder where they go I am just going to be content that they eat many bugs, keep intruders away, and do not need to be fed, let out, or cleaned up after!

Sorry for the quality of the pictures...you try taking pictures with a flashlight...after dark...while trying to keep creepy crawlies off of you!

A glimpse of our summer so far

2009-06-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

Summer is going great! We are having a lot of fun working and playing together! I thought that I would post some pictures to show some of the things that we have been doing the last few weeks! We have had thunder showers almost every day and we have a large puddle in the backyard! I was looking for Sam the other day and I found him dressed in his swim suit. He was kneeling on the surfboard trying to paddle his way from one end of the puddle to the other! I went for the camera but I did not get there in time! :)We learned what Ben is going to look like in about 30 years when he got started on a summer haircut! Both of the boys ended up with a summer Mohawk. They persuaded me to let them keep them for awhile since they did not have to go to school!I mentioned the daily (nightly) thundershowers...well the other night the storm was very close. Chris woke me up to show me the fire trucks in front of our house and down the street. One of our neighbors houses was hit by lightning! The lightning started a small attic fire! The kids were concerned for the neighbor but very excited to see the firemen in action! We headed off to the beach last weekend. The kids had a blast playing in the waves and on the sand! Unfortunately our afternoon was cut short but yet another thunderstorm!

During our time at the beach we were able to walk near the salt marsh! We saw at least 4 alligators and a lot of cool birds!
(You can just see the alligators eyes and nose in the water)

Despite all the rain, the days have been in the 90's. The kids have been enjoying sprinkler time in the afternoons!

Sam has been learning several new skills...like setting the table. I was so proud of him. He asked if he could help me with supper and I had to tell him that the only thing left to do was set the table so he went right to work! There is hope for the boy!

He also decided that he wanted me to teach him how to drive the car. (He was serious) I told him that he had to be able to see out of the front window. This was his solution...notice the car seat! Then I told him that he had to be able to reach the pedals as well. He was bound and determined to meet the criteria!

We hope that you are all having a great summer as well!

Dadventure

2009-06-18T06:41:00.001-07:00

It has been a bit difficult to get out for a Dadventure with the end of the school year busy-ness, but now that the summer is in full swing for us we headed out again! This time we headed to the Little Pee Dee State Park. We were hoping to see some beaver dams during our hike!On this Dadventure I watched as the different personalities came out in each of the Dadventurers!

Chris' goal in each trip is to be able to get out and see creatures in their natural habitat, to see the area more or less the way God created it, and to enjoy the awesome world that God has given us to care for! He asks that we walk quietly so that we don't scare away any animals that may be there and that we do not disturb the natural order of things! Ben wants to be the first one to see everything, touch everything and discover new things! (He is a firstborn!) He stops to see the smallest things on and off the trail! He longs to be the trail-blazer! As he is doing this Sarah stops me and says "Mom, I don't understand boys! Why do they always have to touch and explore everything!" (No comment)

A nice fire-ant mound

Sam in true 3 year old fashion does have to touch everything, every branch, every leaf, every stone...everything. This makes his mother and father very nervous because of the fact that there are snakes and other creepy crawlies in the woods! He was the one to upset every fire-ant mound that we came across, this was upsetting to every one who walked behind him!The girls are more alike in their nature walk goals. They get out into nature and they love to see what they can find but mostly they enjoy the peace of their surroundings. The quiet seems to loose their tongues! They become very chatty. This is very enjoyable for me as I like to hear what is going on in their heads. This is not so enjoyable for the others who are "just trying to see the animals!"

We did not see any beavers on our trip but we did see where they have been logging!

We saw many other small creatures!

My job on our Dadventures is to keep every one happy. I get to encourage the boys exploration, help to keep people quiet, listen to the girls share their thoughts...in whispers, and delight in the time that our family has together!

We stopped along the trail to look for beaver dams. Chris took the kids one at a time to get close to the water and try to find beavers. As I was hanging back with the other kids I looked off the trail and spotted a coiled mound in the branches. I know the picture is not great but as I was taking it the snake started to slither away and frankly my first goal was to get a quick picture and then keep walking! I know how Chris feels about snakes so I quietly alerted the kids took some quick pictures, and tried to share with Chris our find without inviting panic! We then scurried ourselves back to the car! All in all another successful Dadventure!

WW

2009-06-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to say this week. Things are still going well. I have the same struggles, although I have been getting out of bed before 8 to get my walk in before the oppressive heat sets in! (It is so hot and humid here lately that I cannot get my hair to straighten. It is just a mass of curls and frizz!)
I will leave you with this: This week I was feeling alone in these struggles and I want to give you the same encouragement that I gave myself! YOU ARE NOT ALONE! I have other peoples blogs to prove it! No matter how you look we love you for who you are!

2 Corinthians 12:9

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Workout Wednesday!

2009-06-11T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is in full swing over here! We have spent the week trying to stay cool and dreaming about my parents pool. With temperatures in the 90's we have had the sprinklers out daily! This leads me to some workout Wednesday goals!

Goals:
*I need to get out of bed in time so that I can walk before the humidity is oppressive! The kids have been great "encouragers" to get out and take a walk but when it gets hot here it is hard to keep moving at a good pace!
* I need to keep drinking more water!
* This is my second week of Phase 2 of South Beach. I would like to be able to push through this week and remain focused!

Confessions:
* I just don't feel like walking anymore :) I need something different!
* I have been struggling with discouragement this week. I am back to being frustrated that I don't SEE changes. I know I feel better and I am doing the right thing but that is not enough for me this week!

2 Corinthians 7:1

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

As I sit here finishing this post I was so proud of my 3 year old who is playing with his trucks quietly in the kitchen...until I realized that he is being quiet for a reason. He was sent on a mission! He is filling his dump truck with candy from the candy jar. Any minute he will take his stash upstairs to share with his eager siblings. I really hope that this is just childhood and its not a learned behavior. Workout Wednesday is for me...and for them!

Just ONE Bag????

2009-06-09T09:59:00.000-07:00

It has been a slight adjustment having the entire family home for the summer! We are dealing with the increase in arguing and then there are the kids...just kidding!! We are all re-learning how to share our time and space 24-7! I was at the grocery store with the girls last night. We had our weekly menu and were trying to anticipate all our culinary needs for the coming week. How can 6 people need so much in one week?!? I am very happy to report that the majority of our groceries came from the fresh food section! We went home feeling great about the choices that we had made. We did not spend a lot of money and we have food for the week.
For lunch today I served chicken salad sandwiches, grapes and nut chips. I had all the kids around the table and I stopped to get the water, I turned around and the kids had already helped themselves to their favorite part!

This bowl contains 1 bag of grapes...THE one bag of grapes that I bought for the week! I guess I should not complain, my children like things that are good for them.

I would have thought that the bag would have at least seen lunch for 2 days...the sad thing about it all was that Chris and I did not get any!

Workout Wednesday!

2009-06-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

This week could be a challenge...the kids will all be home from school starting tomorrow. Chris will be home starting Monday. This is where I need to continue to focus on family health and what is good for all not just for me! I was blessed with children who love their fruits and veggies...I just can't afford to replenish what they go through in a day!

Goals: Again I am doing good! My goal is to be able to continue to do well while the rest of the family is home. I have said in the past that weekends are challenging and we are looking at a 2 1/2 month long weekend!

Successes: South Beach continues to go well. I should start phase 2 in the next week!

Confessions:
*I went to look at the scale this morning. I know I said I was not going to but I did. AND the batteries were dead so it did not even work. It was a good reminder about focus!
*I need to get back on track with walking. I skipped more days last week than I care to mention!

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

Workout Wednesday!

2009-05-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Once again Wednesday is here way too soon! I always try to sneak in a different post between Wednesdays but I did not manage to get that done this week. Where does the time go?!

Goal:
* This week I am going to keep this simple! Simple is good. I am going to focus on the weekend by keeping myself on track. I WILL walk Saturday and Sunday even if it means getting up early or taking all the kids with me! I WILL stick to South Beach regardless of what is being served to the family.

Successes:
*The week days were great this week. I walked, even ran, each day sometimes twice. I stuck to my South Beach plan...and was happy about it! (I was very tempted to jump back on the scale but I resisted the urge because this is about lifestyle!)

Confessions:
*The weekend, as I said, was horrible. Since I am being honest I have to say that I was not trying very hard. I did not feel like fixing something different for me than I fixed for everyone else. Trust me I could feel it. We ate healthy but everything seemed to have carbs. Eating carelessly affected how motivated I was to walk! Keep praying!

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

***You may have failed in some things like I did this week but I would encourage you to persevere!***

Workout Wednesday!

2009-05-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

Another week has passed! When you are keeping track of them by blogging like this they tend to go way too fast!

Changes:
*This week I started on phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. I have done this in the past with great results. Keep me in your prayers because if I am not careful I could struggle with chronic low blood sugar (phase 1 eliminates all carbohydrates except milk!)

Successes:
*I really am feeling good! As well as my daily walks I have been trying to out a second time with all the kids. I get the benefit of a second "workout" and they are able to get one in as well.

Confessions:
* We were gone a lot this weekend and I have to admit that I was not at all careful about the food choices that I was making!
* I drank too much soda!

I have been encourage by the feedback that I receive by posting all my struggles here! Thank you for "being there", for your prayers and your kind words!

1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

I am pretty sure that "Let nothing move you" does not give you a reason to stop exercising! Keep up the good work!

Dadventure

2009-05-19T04:33:00.001-07:00

Dad-ven-ture (noun) an exciting or remarkable experience planned and encouraged by...you guessed it DAD!

Chris has a wonderful quality that we have been enjoying a lot lately...his adventurous spirit! He plans simple day trips that turns into exiting family time. If you know me at all then you know that I am a home body to the core and I don't need to go far to be happy. (Just ask Chris and he will tell you the story of our unexpected layover in Belgium!) We went on 2 separate but similar "Dadventures" this weekend, the first was Cheraw State Park (about 45 minute drive north of Florence) and the second was Congaree National Park (in Columbia)

It always amazes me what happens when you take our kids out of their technology ridden world and set them loose in a park (I know you are thinking that I am here BLOGGING about their techno world) Okay...its amazing what happens to all of us when you remove the technology!

As we walked the kids enjoyed trying to find new things... kind of like Where's Waldo in nature. (I know that dates me too) Hannah spotted this small water snake hiding in the Lily Pads! The kids stopped to watch for at least 5 minutes! They enjoyed just observing small things like the fact that the lake water was so still, and that if they were quiet the birds were "like a choir!"

For most of the trip they even enjoyed being together! They looked after one another so no one(Sam) fell in the water.

They love learning about the animals and they were challenged to try and find as many as possible. They also listened carefully as Hannah read the "self guided tour" information! Did you know that some trees have knees, or snorkels, that help them to stabilize themselves and get nutrients during flooding? In the picture below, if you look carefully, you can see the "knees jutting up above the marsh!

If you look carefully in this picture you will see the rat snake that we all walked past (I mean just inches past!) Its wrapped around the truck of the small tree. Are you surprised to see Chris so close to it? So was I!!!

We saw trees that were over 2 hundred years old! The kids were amazed at how big they were!

The park ranger told us to look for this alligator. He is not usually in the Columbia area. They think that he was trapped here during the last big flood!

Red-bellied water snake! Needless to say we weren't even tempted to swim here with the alligator and water snakes!

The kids weren't all excited about going on our Dadventures but once we got there they had a lot of fun! They talked about their adventures all the way home!

Great Job DAD!

Workout Wednesday!

2009-05-13T13:27:00.001-07:00

I am beginning to think that I am rather stuck in a rut. It seems like the only post that I get to is my Wednesday post! Trust me...much more goes on in this house than exercise and struggling to eat right! How are you all doing? Are you sticking to it?

Changes:
*Again I have made many changes in the past and I am still working to make these changes permanent.
Successes:
*Portions sizes for me (and the rest of the family) are becoming more and more normal. Thanks to www.mypyramid.gov I have been very aware of portion sizes.
*I am not craving sweet things nearly as much as I used to!
*I am still walking very regularly and feeling very good about it!
Confessions:
* I don't know what I was thinking but I bought ice cream this week and of course I couldn't let my kids enjoy it alone :( I realized this week that ice cream is really bad for my blood sugar!

Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed!

You just gotta love them!

2009-05-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

I love being a mother! Yes there are trials and hardships but I love being a mom. Every once in awhile...more often with some kids than others...they say things that really make you smile. These are the moments that warmed my heart this week:

The other night I went to check on the kids before I went to bed. It was around 11:00 and I was surprised to find Ben still awake. He was sitting up in bed and was very surprised when I said "What in the world are you doing awake?" His response..."Mom, this is so AWESOME! I just finished reading the Declaration of Independence and now I am in the middle of The Gettysburg Address...Its just so....incredible! I am going to take this to school tomorrow to read to my friends!" There is no question in my mind that this child takes after his father! REALLY when was the last time that you read the Gettysburg Address just because it was incredible?

The kids were getting ready for bed last night and I was not feeling well. In an attempt to get them into bed quickly I told them that the first 2 kids that got into bed first would get a special treat in the morning. (Give me a break I don't bribe them that often!) They are raced off to bed. When I was tucking them in Hannah said to me "What is the special surprise? I bet its a late bedtime on Saturday!" I reminded her that she had already earned a chance to watch Jonas on sat night because she had so readily cleaned the kitchen on her own. "Mom, I would be willing to trade in my special surprise so that Sarah can stay up with me and watch Jonas." Isn't she sweet?

At this point in the conversation Sarah burst into tears and said "I don't want Hannah to give up her special treat just for me! I will go to bed on time so that we can all have our special treats."
I need to remember this conversation the next time they are being so selfish I can't stand it!

Sam and I were in the grocery store the other day and he leaned out of the cart and hugged me, then he said "Mom you are my favorite WOman and I love you to the bottom of my toes....and your toes to!" How can I not love them!

Workout Wednesday

2009-05-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here thinking over this past week. It has definitely had its ups and downs. Overall I feel good about my new lifestyle. This week I have seen some gains in energy! (With 4 kids that is a huge victory!)
Changes:
This week I have decided that if I truly am doing this to be healthy then I should not need my scale. I usually feel most discouraged when I step on it so I am not going to step on it any more. I will be working for health NOT weight. I will be weighed when I go to the Dr. I know this is more of an attitude change rather than a physical change but I think it all counts!
Confessions:
*I am struggling with over eating when I have low blood sugar. I tend to see it as a time when I am given permission to eat. I need to stick to my plan!
*I did not walk as often this week as I should have. I did not try very hard to get around having sick kids and get out when my relief came!
Successes:
My overall blood sugars in the last week have been consistently under 100 (which is awesome for me)!!! That may have something to do with the increased energy!

I would like to leave you with this verse James 4:7-8

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."

Perfect Potato Salad

2009-05-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Michelle's version of Perfect Potato Salad

This is a recipe that my mom received from a friend many years ago. I have tweaked and changed it quite a bit over the years. It has become the one food that my dad always asks for when he comes to visit! I have to let you know that this is a recipe that I don't measure carefully. I am a very sensory cook (hence workout Wednesdays).

3 cups cooked and diced potatoes

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup onions, diced

1/2 cup gherkins, diced

1/2 cup radishes, diced

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp celery seed

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 hard boiled eggs, diced(opt)

I usually mix the dressing ingredients first then add it to the warm potatoes. Mix together well and refrigerate.

I also don't make this recipe in this quantity very often. I usually use 5 + pounds of potatoes (a roaster pan full)

(Don't worry dad...I don't use mayonnaise in your potato salad...veganaise all the way!)

Our First Harvest

2009-05-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

We started a garden this year! It is a non traditional garden. We wanted to be able to grow some of our own vegetables but we really do not have a good spot in our yard...so we went out and bought some large planters. We started our seeds inside and were able to plant them outdoors in mid march. The kids sometimes refer to our garden as the "pot garden" but for obvious reasons we are trying to discourage that! :)We are growing 3 tomato plants, 8 bean plants, 1 50 pound cabbage that Ben got from school, 3 pepper plants, some carrots and radishes. As we were admiring our effort yesterday we noticed that some of the radishes were ready to be harvested! We were so excited! Hannah helped us plant most of the plants so she got to pick the first radish!We made an interesting discovery with our first radish!

No one really likes radishes! At least not plain. Don't worry Dad next week we are going to make a large batch of my famous potato salad and all the radishes will be used! You're more than welcome to come and eat potato salad with us!

Workout Wednesday!

2009-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This week I have encountered a lot of discouragement. I have been frustrated by the amount of work I have been doing and the changes I have have made and the lack of difference I SEE. Recently, though, I have realized that I am not the only one. I reminded someone that they are making the right decisions as far as health is concerned and that should be what we are working for. Her value in Christ is not dependent on what the world says we should look like and she should be secure in the fact that God loves her and praises her efforts. Shouldn't that be enough? Then I thought about what I was saying and figured if it was true for her then it is true for me too. Ladies, I am praying for you! I am praying that you stick to your goals and you are encouraged with your hard work but mostly that God guards your hearts and minds against worldly values. Keep up the good work!

Changes: I am going to stick to what I have changed in the past and hope to turn those changes into lifestyle.

Confessions: I let my discouragement this week keep me from working hard.

Successes: God spoke to me this week through my own words to others! I would love to see physical changes but I am happy with spiritual and emotional progress as well!

One last thing: Chris came home this week with a website for me to look at. http://www.mypyramid.gov/ It is a website that allows you to keep track of the food you eat, it helps you to see how your meals fill in the food pyramid. I found it very helpful in relearning about portion sizing and the values of each food that I ate! Take a look... its free and pretty easy to use. Click on meal planning and it will take you to a food journal type setup!

Sam's New Do

2009-04-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

We decided that it was time for Sam to get his summer haircut. He was starting to look a little bit fuzzy. Chris is responsible for giving the boys their cuts, he was trying to tease Sam by giving him a Mohawk. When Sam got up to look in the mirror he was thrilled. You would have thought it was Christmas. "It's AWESOME!" Then in true Sam style he acted the part for a few minutes.

He was so excited I could not get him to look directly at me so I could take a picture! In the end I made him get the rest cut off. He was not too happy with me! I am not looking forward to his teenage years!

Workout Wednesday...on Thursday

2009-04-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

You will have to excuse the delay in this post. Yesterday was Earth Day and our family decided to spend the day without using electricity! It was a good day, we ate breakfast by candle light, we spent the day with very few distractions, no cooking, vacuuming or laundry! It was difficult to spend the day with out my computer. But now here we are back to our regular routine and I can post my Wednesday blog!

Changes:
*Along with eating more fruit and veggies I am going to try to cut way back on animal protein(IE.meat)
* I am going to add time to my daily exercise routine

Confessions:
*I had a good week last week but then the weekend came and I totally allowed stress to dictate my choices!
* I have to admit that I am a fairly "fair weather" journaler. As long as I am keeping on track I journal but as soon as I hit a rough patch my journal seems to disappear!

Successes:
*I am still out walking everyday! I am actually enjoying that part. I have to say though that we have awesome walking weather and if I had cold weather I am not sure how enjoyable I would find it. Keep up the good work Lisa!
* Apple slices and carrot sticks have become a well accepted snack in this household!
*

Workout Wednesday!

2009-04-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

With encouragement from my sister Lisa I hope to post this weekly entry. It is meant to let people know what my goals are and how I am doing with them. I can hopefully get some encouragement as well as some accountability.
On a weekly basis I will post some changes that I would like to make, "confess" some failures and also keep you up to date on some successes. Hopefully the successes will outnumber the need for confession. :)
1. Changes:
* Increase fruits and vegetables - for me and the rest of the family. We have gotten away from offering healthy snacking and I know it would benefit both me and the children!
* Drink more water - get rid of diet soda (aka pop)
* Start journaling about diet and exercise - this serves as a way to help myself see bad habits as well as know what I am doing well!

2. Confessions:
* This week was the start of spring break...no its not an excuse...we had been eating out more and I don't make the best choices when we eat out. I don't think that vegetables have been included in our meals for the last 5 days!
*I know that I started a journal but I can't seem to find it! hhhmmmmmm!
3. Successes:
*We no longer have anything to drink in this house except for milk and water!
* I got out and walked every day even though we were on vacation and I commonly have 4 kids trying to trail along with me. I did not let them slow me down. (They have been sleeping very well as a result)
* I feel very positive about the changes that we have been making and that can be half the battle. I don't feel like we are being deprived we are just being healthy and taking better care of what God has entrusted us with!
How are you all doing? I hope that you have a great week!

Happy Birthday Sarah

2009-03-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th Birthday Sarah!

I know...I am once again behind on my posts! I did not, however, want to go without paying attention to Sarah's birthday! **She is our 3rd child after all and already feels like she gets missed too often :)** I say this with every birthday but our precious child is growing up way to fast! Sarah came into this world at 1:00PM on March 14, 2003. I enjoyed Sarah's pregnancy thoroughly! (Yes ladies, I have to say that I usually enjoyed pregnancy) She was 9 pounds and 11 ounces and 19 inches long! Our second smallest and definitely shortest baby!

Right from the beginning she was a happy little girl. She was happy right away when she got up and spent most of her days smiling!

She loved to be hugged and cuddled! She has a vivid imagination and will spend hours playing by herself and talking to herself.

Sarah is very sensitive to the people around her. She wants everyone to be happy. She is willing to go out of her way to spread joy! One of her favorite things to do is sing! She likes to sing songs that she has made up herself (She gets that from her dad!) I love to sit and quietly listen to her make up praise songs! I told her once how much I was enjoying her singing and she said "Good...but mom, I am sorry to say my songs are for God. I hope its okay but I love Him more than you!" I had to tell her that was the way it should be!

Sarah wants to grow up to be a teacher and a nurse but she also wants to live in lighthouse.

Sarah loves beauty, dancing, coloring, playing, riding her scooter and talking to people! ( I am not sure where she gets that from!) She loves to look at "God's sky paintings".

Sarah does not like...the dark, the doctors office and being far away from her best cousins, grandma and grandpas!

During the past 6 years Sarah has added so much to our family! Happy Birthday Sarah! We hope that this next year is wonderful for you!

A big Job!

2009-03-07T13:45:00.001-08:00

This is going to be another picture post. We have spent all day cutting up and hauling away branches and log from a tree that we had taken out of our yard this week. We had a tree that was rotting from the inside out. It was leaning over Chris' barn so we decided to have it cut down. The "tree man" came yesterday with a crew and dropped it in our yard! The boys were thrilled with the big truck and the chain saws!

They left a large pile that we had to haul away. It would not have been so bad except that it was 80 degrees today and we all ended up with sunburn. (No, I guess I am not complaining) :)

They first cut all the branches off and then they dropped the truck in sections!

Ben and Sam spent most of the day hanging out of the kitchen window watching all the action. Sorry the pictures are posted in reverse order! You get the picture!

Going Green

2009-03-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

We have been convicted lately about the importance of using our resources wisely. Not just because of the cost but also the way the world is using up all God's valuable resources. We have made several changes at our house in order to help. We have changed all our light bulbs, we turn off more lights than we used to, we are now composting our food waste, separating our recycling, collecting rain water to water our plants outside... etc. One of the things that we have recently changed have to do with our water usage. Chris bought a "sink positive"! It is a sink that attaches to the toilet tank. After you flush the toilet the faucet automatically turns on. The water that comes out of the faucet would normally fill up the tank, now we can wash our hands and then the water drains into the toilet tank. We have used the water twice! The kids love it. Now they not only remember to flush the toilet they also want to wash their hands!

Great idea Chris!

I think its time

2009-03-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

This post is for Aunt Judy who can't seem to get enough of the strange things that go on in our family! As many of you know we have been diligently working the last few months to toilet train Sam. He just turned 3 and he has been doing very well. We typically do toilet training in 2 phases,-- phase one daytime control and phase two night time. Phase one I believe is complete. Sam faithfully runs to the bathroom whenever he has to go. Aside from when he feels the need to urinate into cups and water bottles we consider phase 1 complete.
We have been hesitant to begin phase 2 because it involves double laundry duty. I hate laundry day when it involves bedding! BUT I think its time to begin phase 2. I was trying to get all the kids dressed this morning and I told Sam to take off his clothes. He obeyed without question so I told him to take off his diaper and throw it into the trash. He was getting ready to comply when He looked at me and said..."just wait a minute I need to pee in it first". If the child knows enough to wet his diaper intentionally then it may be time to get rid of the diaper all together!

The tooth fairy strikes again and again

2009-03-04T08:13:00.000-08:00

I think that we have our tooth fairy woes all figured out ( I gave the job to a more reliable adult in our household). Now if we could only stop needing her/him so much! Sarah has lost 2 more teeth this week and she still has one more that is loose! Her mom and dad thoroughly stressed her out trying to get the last one out so she would not let us near her mouth. She did not talk about wiggly teeth or show them to us, she just wiggled them with her tongue until they came out! Now Sam comes to me on a daily basis and asks me to wiggle his teeth. You have a few more year buddy!

More from Picture Day

2009-02-26T06:22:00.001-08:00

Aren't they sweet?!

Picture Day!

2009-02-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

I thought that you all might enjoy seeing our updated pictures!

A Mothers Joy

2009-02-26T05:45:00.001-08:00

I've been spending a lot of time the last few weeks "just surviving" motherhood. I catch myself thinking "what next, what are they going to do or think of next?!" Then I stopped myself and thought about what is my attitude teaching them. Do I want them to always expect the worst? I decided to look back at the last few weeks and find the things that brought me the most joy.

*This morning I woke Sam up before he was ready and he looked at me and said "Good Morning Mama, You are my sunshine and I love you!" At that point he sighed, hugged me and said "My best friend". Aaawwww!

*We were on our way home from Myrtle Beach on Sunday and in the midst of arguing and discontent I heard a small voice singing a made up song..."God you put the stars in the sky, and you put the moon in the sky. You made me and my family. God you are my superhero!" Sarah made up her own tune and sang at least 5 verses of a praise song to God. All the arguing faded in my mind as I thanked God for that sweet sound in the middle of chaos!

*My kids don't always like the meals I put on the table (imagine that). But one night when I knew the meal may be questionable (it had zucchini, mushrooms, onions and chili powder-not favorites of the kids) Ben came to the table,sat down, put his hand on my arm and said "Mom, supper looks great! Thank-you!

* Chores, of course, are not a favorite at our house so my heart leapt with joy when Hannah came to me one evening and said "Can I help you with supper? I can set the table."

It is not easy to parent such spirited youngsters. I am constantly dealing with a child who can't get to the bathroom in time but can manage to pee into a cup in the living room. Children who can't seem to stay in the same house together not to mention try to straighten the same room. I often wonder why they can't just finish their homework instead of arguing and complaining about how hard their life is. BUT when I stop to think about how great they can be I am reassured that it is all worthwhile.

The worst tooth fairy ever

2009-01-30T09:51:00.001-08:00

Well, it has finally happened. Sarah lost that tooth that has been precariously hanging out of her mouth for the last month and a half. It has caused us much grief as she wouldn't let us come near her for fear that we would try to pull it out! It came out last night just before bed and Sarah was thrilled. She put it under her pillow and fought sleep so that she could see the tooth fairy. I feel that it is important to say at this point that the tooth fairy that serves our house becomes quite forgetful once the children are asleep. When I went to wake the kids up this morning the first words out of Sarah's mouth were..."I wonder what the tooth fairy left me" My heart sunk because Sarah had instant tears when she realized "the tooth fairy forgot about me, how could she do that?" At this point I had a choice, I could either tell her the truth...that mommy and daddy are the tooth fairy, or I could write a fairy note explaining. Please remember that this is Sarah and for those of you who know her you realize that she holds onto her imaginary world very tightly, she would not believe the truth SO she got a note from the tooth fairy explaining and asking for understanding. The other kids can vouch for the tooth fairy because they have both been forgotten as well.
I am going to fire myself from this post. Is there anyone who would be willing to serve as the Hayden family tooth fairy? :)

Snow Day

2009-01-28T04:59:00.000-08:00

Our family has lived in Florence for about 3 1/2 years and we had our first snow day last week. I have to say that the kids were starting to feel bad when they kept hearing about the continual snow that was falling by their cousins houses. They were thoroughly excited when they woke up last week and school was cancelled. After they inhaled some breakfast they were getting dressed to go outside. (3 longsleeve shirts, 2 pairs of pants, many socks and whatever else we could find)

I t started snowing at 4:30 am and the school called to cancel at 5:00. There was hardly a dusting on the grass. I left to bring Sam to a doctor appointment and we were the only ones in the office, evidently most of the other patients had cancelled their appointments so that they did not have to drive in the "bad weather". ( I feel that I must mention the roads were wet but not slippery.) We enjoyed our snow day because we could play in the snow but by the next day it was gone and we were warm again. I have to say that people in the south don't handle the cold and snow very well but they are great with the summer heat and humidity!

The kids are looking forward to our next snow day...about 4-5 years from now!

Happy Birthday Samuel!

2009-01-26T05:42:00.001-08:00

Samuel James Hayden

January 16, 2006

11 pounds 8 ounces 21 inches long

(Yes I know he was huge)

I can hardly believe that 3 years has passed since Samuel joined our family. I think that Sarah perfectly described how Sam has affected our family when she said to him "Sam if you were not born I would not laugh so much!" As a baby Sam was very easy going. He slept well and was easy to entertain. He was content to just be a part of all the activity that was going on around him. As he has grown these past 3 years he has discovered his ability to entertain. He loves it when his older sisters and brother laugh at the things that he does.
He is also an expert at keeping his parents on their toes. He is continually looking for ways to get into mischief. We are sure that his childhood will be marked with memories of his exploits like driving the car down the driveway, lighting the oven on fire, having surgery to remove the bingo chip lodged in his throat, trust me the list goes on.

He is also a very loving and affectionate child. He enjoys reading books and cuddling on the couch. He is known to rub the back of a wounded sibling and say "It's okay, Sammy's got you!"

It has been three wonderful and busy years with Sam but we would not trade it!

We love you Samuel James! Have a very Happy Birthday!

Living Nativity

2008-12-14T10:44:00.001-08:00

"While they were there the time came for the baby to be born,

and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.

She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in

a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Luke 2:6-7

I did not realize it but Ben signed up to be a shepherd for part of the night. I was so proud of him. He took the initiative to participate and he enjoyed every minute of it. They had real animals and Ben took his responsibility as a shepherd seriously. He even tried using the hooked end of his staff to make sure that the sheep stood up!

Christmas is Bens favorite time of year and it really shows!

A bit Ridiculous

2008-12-03T05:30:00.000-08:00

Last night we were sitting around the family dinner table doing what we usually do. We were talking with the kids about the highlights and lowlights of their day. We were just getting started when we were reminded how different life is here than it is in Michigan or any other place I have lived.
Hannah was telling us that her class joined another class to watch a movie in the afternoon. We, being involved parents, asked what movie they watched and what they were studying. She replied "We watched a movie because it was too cold to go out for recess"!!!!! I was not even sure what to say to the child! Ben and Sarah backed up her story and said that they were not allowed outside either. I just looked around the table. Chris and I were both thinking how ridiculous that sounded. Yesterday was a bit chilly but it was a beautiful day. I am very sure that we almost hit 60!
Aaahhhhh! Life in the South!!!

Unexpected Blessing

2008-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sam and I decided that it would be fun today to go and check out the brand new Walmart Super Center that opened on our side of town. It had its grand opening this morning and so we went to look! As we were walking around an elderly woman approached us and began to talk to Sam. She told him how she gets a small pension check from being a school counselor and how she uses part of her check to teach boys and girls. I am thinking okay lady that is nice but do you know you are talking to a 2 year old? She went on to tell him that she grew up during the depression and that what she learned about money was taught to her through her experiences. She handed Sam a brand new gold dollar and told him that he needed to save it. She explained that it was important to her that children learn how to save their money so that they don't need to depend on welfare. She turned to me and said, "Please don't let him spend that dollar. Save it until he turns 18. This is very important to me."
I was very blessed by this woman, her lesson and her generosity. She spends a good part of a day looking for children to share her life with. I was wondering how much of what she said Sam actually understood and how long it would take him to drop the money and lose it under the store shelf. As the woman walked away from us Sam turned to me and said "Here mama you better hang on to this!"

This post is for my mother!

2008-10-25T03:51:00.000-07:00

I don't claim to be very good with computers. I have always said that I am glad to have Chris around because he can solve all my computer needs. I have to ability to do the basics, check my email, write on my facebook, post on my blog and other simple tasks. I am happy with the knowledge that I have and did not realize that I am way behind UNTIL Ben. Ben, 9, came into the study a few days ago and was reading family blogs with me. Our conversation went something like this...
Ben - "Mom why are you scrolling down the blog that way?"
Mom- "How would you like me to scroll down the blog dear?" (No sarcasm at all)
Ben- "You could hold down that little middle piece and then slowly move the mouse down. It lets you move fast or slow and it is much easier. See now your finger doesn't have to work so hard."
Mom-"Thanks" (again no sarcasm) "Don't you have homework to finish?"

I know that Ben is smart but I was not prepared for the day when he begins to know more than me especially when the boy is only 9 years old. I think it goes downhill from here into his teenage years. Mom please remind me that kids come back to their mothers some day and are awed by how much they actually do know!!!!!!!!

Boring is Good!

2008-10-25T03:41:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile, even I am tired of all the old posts. Life at the Hayden house has been quite boring lately for which we are very thankful for! After a couple of hospital stays for observation...one for me and one for Chris and the recovery that we both are enduring we are very thankful for a quiet time. (Well not quiet with these 4 kids but uneventful!) I am happy to report that I am feeling much better and in a short time have gain a lot of facial movement back again. I am no longer stumbling over words or biting my lip! I still can't wink or raise my eyebrow but I am happy with the progress that I have been making! God is Good.

Be careful what you wish for!

2008-10-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

I was catching up on reading some of your blogs last week wishing that there was something that I could blog about...well I got my wish! Last Tuesday morning I woke up and my face felt weird. I could not smile properly or raise my eyebrow. I shared my concern with Chris and he told me that I had to go to the Dr. so I scheduled an appointment for later that morning. The doctor said that my symptoms pointed to a minor stroke and as soon as I could make arrangements for Sam I needed to be admitted to the hospital for observation. At this point I am starting to panic. I picked up lunch for Sam and dropped him off at Chris' school. I made sure that he could get the rest of the day off and I went to the hospital. They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to get x-rays, ct scan, blood work and a whole lot of other things. All of the tests came back negative for stroke and the dr. deduced that I had bells palsy. She put me on a steroid, an anti viral drug and an anti biotic for a sinus infection that I didn't know I had. They kept me in the hospital over night and let me go home just before noon. I still cant feel the right side of my face and I have no muscle activity on that side. It makes it difficult to drink, talk, yell at the kids and many other things. I can't close my eye so it is feeling rather dry. I am very thankful that it was not a stroke like the doctor first thought! I should make a full recovery in about 2 months! Until that point I am going to keep a low profile. The kids are relieved that I am home but think that my paralysis is rather humorous. I will remember that kids!
I want to thank all of you for your prayers and your phone calls, they have been very encouraging!

Me and My Shadow

2008-09-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

I was reminded this morning that as a mother everything you do teaches. I have a small shadow! He follows me every where I go. If I have toast for breakfast he wants toast, if I have oatmeal, he wants oatmeal. If I feed him in the kitchen and try to settle down on the couch to watch the news with my meal then here he comes with his plate and cup. I try to distract him with an activity so that I can take a shower. I quickly run the water and get washed and when I turn around there he is standing naked in the back of the tub! No matter what I do he is not far behind trying to do the same. What a huge responsibility. I can stay in the house all day and still my life is under a microscope! It is a big job but what an awesome opportunity to teach. I have a young child here that can help me to be accountable in my daily walk with Christ. I am praying for you parents (and grandparents) that the "little shadows" in your life are able to testify to the value of Christ in your life. Pray for us as well!

Just Wondering

2008-09-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

A strange and disturbing pattern has been brought to my attention since school started in August. I am not sure why this happens but I am awfully tired on the weekends. My children, who love school, need to be "encouraged" to wake up and get ready during the week. I can make an awesome breakfast and have their clothes, backpacks and everything set out for them and it still takes them 45 minutes to be ready. There is arguing and prodding but we are always ready just in time to catch our ride at 7. The weekend is another story. On Saturday and Sunday the children are usually awake before 6, dressed and trying to make their own breakfast. This is not usually a quiet activity. If you have any insight into why this happens feel free to comment!

***I just have to say that I am blessed to have a husband that let me sleep in on Sunday morning! He did not wake me up to deal with children he got up himself and entertained them while I was able to sleep in!

Summer Olympics 2024 here we come!

2008-09-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Earlier last week we were out in the pool (not heated and still 84*) when Sam (who is only 2)decided he was going to swim. He climbed up on the ladder and jumped in putting his face underwater and paddling! We were so proud and amazed at the same time. He has been swimming like this since it happened and has now progressed to diving under the water to retrieve toys from the bottom (not quite there yet!). We got him some goggles because our chlorine is really high and his eyes are always bloodshot when he gets out. He has had so much FUN in the pool, swimming with mom every morning. We figure with his webbed feet and this early start on swimming, we can have him "Phelps" ready for the 2024 Olympics!

Check him out!

Ooh That Child

2008-08-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

As you know I have one child who is constantly exit seeking. Yesterday we were getting ready for church, the kids were upstairs, I heard the doorbell ring! Wondering who in the world would ring the doorbell at 8:30 on Sunday morning I went to answer it. It was a neighbor with her 3 children. She said..."I thought that you might want to know that Sam rode his bike down to our house and rang the doorbell" (Our older kids play at their house on a regular basis.) I was shocked! Sam had dressed himself and left the house, retrieved his tricycle from the front porch and 5 houses down the street towards a very busy road! I thanked her repeatedly for returning my independent child and brought him inside where he was assigned a permanent body guard! Just when you think things should start to settle down something like this happens! If you think of us please pray for general safety because its a pretty sure thing that Sam will be testing his limits!

The First Day of School

2008-08-18T16:13:00.001-07:00

The kids have really been looking forward to going back to school. (Okay, okay the mom has been looking forward to it a bit too!) We are all eager to start a new school year and the changes that come with it. This year we have 3 that are in school all day, every day! Poor Sam does not quite know what to do with himself! Sarah is in Kindergarten this year! She has made a huge jump from preschool where she went only 3 mornings a week to going all day 5 days a week! She said that she is most looking forward to learning how to read! She cam home from her first day and said that she had a good day but "was a little disappointed...we didn't learn any reading today!"

Ben, as usual, is looking for some structure in his day. He is looking forward to the 3rd grade but he could not tell me exactly why!
Hannah walked into school very confidently and told me she could walk herself to her class and I did not need to bring her there! She was off to conquer the new challenge..second grade. I must confess that just letting her get there herself was not alright with me. Sam and I dropped off the other kids and the went to her class room to sneak a few pictures! After having Hannah in the classroom for 10 minutes the teacher was ready to comment on Hannah's independence!
We had a good day but we did miss the kids. Sam was lonely and did not leave my side for very long! I am hoping that he gains some ability to entertain himself for a little while or I won't get anything done!

Chris had his first day with students yesterday too. I did not think it was a great idea to ask him for his first day pictures but I can report that he had a pretty good day. It was a typical first day with freshmen. He took care of a lot of schedule changes, directing students to the right classrooms, teaching about school rules and procedures! He is also looking forward to a good year!

Happy Birthday Ben!

2008-08-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ben was so excited for his birthday to come this year. He has been counting down for the last month. Finally the day arrived! We asked him what he would like to do on his birthday and he said "the beach". We packed every one up and headed to Huntington Beach. We had a great time! Ben spent his time riding the waves and playing with Chris in the deeper water. The other kids and I played in the shallow water and the sand! Ben was finally ready to head home when Chris got stung by a jellyfish! We ate supper on the road and then headed home for cake!

Ben chose a Wall-E cake for his birthday. It was not an easy one to decorate but we managed and he loved it!

I can't believe that Ben is in his last year of single digits. He is changing so fast and growing up too much! We love him and hopes he has a great year this year!

Happy Birthday Benjamin!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

2008-08-09T07:51:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that Hannah is already 7! )Of course she acts like she is 16) Her wish for the day yesterday was that we go to Myrtle Beach and visit Libby Lu! She used her birthday money to buy a "Rockin" makeover! The girls had a great time, they felt and acted like princess'. Sarah could hardly contain herself and even though Hannah excitement is not as obvious she had an awesome time. She had a hard time deciding whether she wanted to keep her hair up for a few days or take a bath and use the bath stuff she had created. She finally decided to use all her bath stuff and trust that Mom had paid enough attention during her makeover to replicate her do!

Hannah chose to have a tinkerbell cake for her birthday. It turned out great although hannah said that tinkerbell looks like she had a bit too much sun!
Hannah is excited to be 7 because she gets to go to 2nd grade!

Summer Vacation third and final installment

2008-08-08T07:35:00.001-07:00

During the last week of our time in Michigan we tried to get in as much activity as possible. We had a small birthday celebration for Ben and Hannah. Instead of having cake they wanted to roast marshmellows and have s'mores, much easier!

We also went to Crazy Bounce with my Dad, my sisters and all the kids! It was a blast. I was perfectly content to watch the kids have fun and be adventurous until...Sarah got stuck at the top of the slide and would not come down. I went back and paid to go with the kids and it was worth it! Ben and Hannah loved it right away. I hardly saw them for the first hour. Sarah had trouble at first but it was not long before she was on her own going down the big slides!

I was sure that Sam would want to be with me and do the toddler stuff BUT he didn't. Within minutes he was asking to go down the big slides. He did not want to go all by himself, of course, he wanted an adult to come with him. We found out about the adult thing because he would get himself to the top and then sit there waiting for someone to go down with him. By the end he would go down the smaller slides all by himself!

We had a great time! Our month in Michigan will be remembered for a long time and as always we are looking forward to going back next summer!

Summer Vacation second installment

2008-08-08T06:54:00.000-07:00

After spending time with our family daily swimming is what the kids enjoy! We were in the pool almost every day! Ben, Hannah, and Sarah are all confident with their swimming abilities. Sarah learned how to swim to the bottom of the deep end this summer. We tried very hard to keep a life jacket on Sam but he started to ask to swim without it. We were very surprised when we took it off the first time and after going under water a few times he started to put his own head under and swim to us! After he learned that he could maybe handle a bit more freedom he fought the lifejacket issue!

We were able to get together with Grandma Feyen several times as well as Aunt Judy and Aunt Mary Jo! That family connection is something that we really miss living in SC.

Tractor rides come in a close third on the fun list at Grandpa house. Even though we are home now he still asks if we can go get Grandpas tractor.

We invited everyone over for a celebration of the July/August birthdays. It is becoming a tradition to have a pinata. I wondered if they would mind if we filled it with baby carrots... maybe we'll try it next summer.

This is what the pool looks like with all of the kids in it. It takes most of the parents to lifeguard when all the kids are there!
Here all the kids are posing for the annual group photo!

I have been struggling to get Sarah to try and ride a 2 wheeler. She always told me she wasn't going to try because she knew she was going to fall and she did not want to get hurt. When we got to my parents house she gave it a try all on her own! She did not fall and she just keeps getting more confident.

Summer Vacation first installment

2008-08-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

I know that I have not written a new entry in awhile and I am getting some grief from my sisters so I think that it is about time that I caught you up on what we have done this summer! At the end of June we packed what we needed for 5 weeks away from home and we headed to Ohio to see Chris' Dad and Grandma. We spent 3 days visiting, helping out and catching up. While we were there Ben helped by mowing the lawn, Chris pruned bushes, Sam pretended to mow the lawn and the girls helped me with the meals! It was great for the kids to see Grandpa and Great Grandma. We also took some time while we were there to visit the Air Force Museum! Sam was especially excited to see all the airplanes!
I believe that the highlight of the museum was the IMAX movie titled Fighter Pilots. Ben's career aspiration is to one day be a fighter pilot. He was entranced by the feeling that he was flying in a fighter plane!
The kids were great at the museum, even Sam who was without a stroller! He walked around just looking at the planes and trying to be as independent as possible!

After our time in Ohio we continued on to Michigan to visit with my family. We jumped right into a busy schedule. We prepared for a nice 4th of July celebration and spent some time helping Alison and Todd with their house. They were living in a trailer and very eager to get into their newly renovated home. We sanded, stained, cleaned, watched children, landscaped, and helped to unpack a bit. We have been hearing about their renovation all year and it was nice to finally get the chance to be more actively involved!

The boys are watching the fireworks intently!

While I worked the kids played up in the barn loft! It was a great place for the older kids. It kept them busy for long periods of time! They enjoyed being able to play with their cousins!

Family Time

2008-06-20T06:46:00.000-07:00

While the adjustment to everyone being home was difficult we are having a good time together. Chris is involving the children in most of his daily projects. Its so cute to watch when he mows the lawn Sam just follows him around with his lawn mower. Sam just loves to spend time with Daddy and will remind him daily that they need to ride together in Daddy's "big truck". Sam is also a very good helper when there are not a lot of distractions around.
Ben was thrilled that he was able to help with the counter tops. When his friend came over to ask him to play he just said "sorry, I can't , I've got to help my dad". He has never done that before.
We've spent some time in our pool and at the beach. The girls love to play on the edge of water and get their suits full of sand! (Is that bad for the washer?) Chris and Ben love to be in the deeper water getting pummeled by waves! Sam loves to be out there too but wants to come in if water gets near his face!
Sarah wanted to be turned into a mermaid so Sam and Daddy helped her. Maybe this was why she was full of sand!
If you are wondering what Ben was trying to do you must know that in true Ben form he wanted to be turned into a Merman skeleton!
We have also been visiting with friends, doing chores, thinking about going to Michigan and the other daily things that come up. Ben was so very excited to get a letter from school saying that he has been accepted into the REACH program. (South Carolinas gifted and talented program) One day a week he will be bussed to the reach location and given in depth instruction in math, social studies, science and reading! We are enjoying our summer and can't wait to come and see our family in Michigan.

Its About Time

2008-06-20T06:36:00.001-07:00

I know that it has been awhile since I have added to our blog. Let me just tell you that it is not easy being married to a teacher. (This is not necessarily a bad thing since I was a teacher myself) Imagine the transition at the end of school when all the kids are home and you have change how everything is done. Now imagine that everyone one is home all the time! It has just taken me awhile to adjust! The first project that we worked on was finishing the workspace in our new study. We purchased cabinets and a countertop and we needed to install them. Chris did an awesome job leveling the cabinets and getting the counter tops in with just one glitch...the room is not square. (No more will be said about that here:) ) We need to reorder one section so that we can have it all fit correctly. I am very excited about the work space that we are gaining for homework and creative memories. While this project was under way our computer was not hooked up so I was not able to post!
Now we are back and I can keep you all up to date on the other activities of summer!

I'M SO PROUD

2008-05-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

My heart is full of pride for my oldest child! For the last few weeks we have had "kids choice night." On Thursday or Friday night the older 3 children take turns planning, shopping for and preparing a meal for the family. This has been difficult for some and easy for others. Ben struggles finishing a big task like that but tonight he went above and beyond! He chose the meal, baked potatoes with a broccoli/cheese sauce, meatloaf muffins (basically muffin sized meatloaves, and homemade ice cream sandwiches for desert. He wrote his own grocery list, shopped for the groceries and came home and prepared the meal from start to finish. I was explaining to him that when we cook we always clean up the dishes that we used but I would be willing to wash the dishes if he would set a nice table. He said to me "No mom, it is my responsibility I will do it!" My heart was bursting with pride! He does not often hear this kind of praise from us and I wanted to share it with you! By the way the meal was delicious!

May Fly

2008-05-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we took the family to the May Fly Air Fair at the Florence County Airport! We thought that Ben and Sam would love it. We left after lunch and headed to the Airport but wouldn't you know it Sam fell asleep on the way there. He was so tired that he slept in the stroller for an hour after we arrived. He only woke up after one of the aircraft started up right next to us! For the most part we all had a great time. We looked at all the aircraft that they had parked there and the kids were able to sit in some of the helicopters!
Ben and Sam took their time in the cockpit very serious! We had a hard time getting them to move on the the next thing!
We had fun watching the stunt planes and the wing walkers, seeing all the military exhibits they had, and being able to walk around! Ben reported that his favorite part of the day was the jet powered semi truck. We had to admit that was cool! The truck raced and beat an airplane! Hannah's favorite parts were when we stopped to get water and also when we got ready to leave. Sarah's favorite part throwing the football through a target at the army recruiting station. (Don't worry none of our kids signed up...yet) Sam's favorite part was...well it was everything!
The last demonstration in the air show was the F16 that flew in from a base in colombia. It took about 2-3 minutes for it to arrive! It was very loud but we enjoyed it. Ben is still convinced that he is going to join the air force when he grows up because he wants to be a fighter pilot!

End of School Picnic

2008-05-24T10:42:00.001-07:00

Sarah has been counting the days until the end of school and yesterday we were finally there. She had her last day of preschool. She has grown up a lot this year and gained a lot of independence. She is imaginative, caring, compassionate and has a strong desire to serve God! We are so proud of Sarah and what she has learned this year!
At the end of their last day the kids were dismissed early. Parents met the kids on the front lawn where they were able to spread out blankets and share a picnic lunch. The school provided unlimited popcorn and snowcones, which were wonderful as it was 85 degrees and very sunny! They also had several inflatables that the kids could play in.
Sarah had a lot of fun playing and spending time with her brother. She brought Sam with her wherever she went! She wanted to make sure that he did not feel left out!
On our way home Sarah shared that she was finally ready to start Kindergarten but she would really miss her teacher, Ms. Poston. She had a great year at Calvary Preschool!

Karate Exhibition

2008-05-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ben has been involved in Karate/self defense lessons for the last 2 years. He has earned a yellow belt and a purple belt and is currently working on his blue belt. Last Saturday his class had an exhibition to show parents and family what they have been working on. They demonstrated some punching, blocking and kicking drills, ground fighting techniques, self defense, and kicking bag drills. They also demonstrated their sparring techniques. Ben was paired up twice and he won both of his matches. Ben is the student on the left hand side of the picture. He was proud of the fact that he doublekicked and faked out his opponent! This activity has been perfect for Ben. It keeps him active and focused!
Ben's kick! Beware he can defend himself when he needs to! We just hope that he will never need to !
Hannah wanted to make sure that everyone knows that she is in Karate too. She is a yellow belt and her exhibition will be later next month!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-09T14:22:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there. I truly hope that you are reminded this mothers day that you are so valuable to your families. God has given us such a blessing in our children. Remember that you are needed and appreciated! I have been doing a study on Wednesday night at church about parenting. We are studying the book Shepherding A Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. I highly recommend this book to you! Every week Gods truths about his will for parents are revealed. I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of the things that I have been reminded (re convicted)of. Parenting is such an important job...we are responsible for raising children to be like their heavenly father and we cannot do this job properly unless we start on our knees and pray, pray, pray! One of our primary goals in parenting is to understand the hearts of our children. When we honestly seek to understand what is going on in their hearts we should also be learning what is in the heart of God and how to let that shine through in us. We should not be so focused on why they hit their brother or took a toy from their sister. We should be focusing on who was first in their mind and how they were serving God when they did it. I have been reminded through this study that these children are my legacy and I want to be very intentional in how I raise them. I want Christ to be the focal point in everything we do. This mothers day I have set some goals for how I interact with these children. Please pray for me!

Fears

2008-05-07T04:19:00.000-07:00

What is Chris afraid of? Well in a word...snakes. Imagine our surprise when the children and I were sitting inside getting ready for supper and Chris comes in very agitated and says (sternly) "I want ALL of you to come outside and see why I don't like you playing in the flower beds and bushes!" I am thinking "Oh great what have the children ruined" We all tromped outside to see Chris holding a 5 gallon pail away from his body. Inside the pail... a 24inch rat snake! The children were fascinated and wanted to see inside the pail but Chris was not about to open the lid. He was watering the flowers and went between 2 bushes to turn off the faucet. When he sprayed some water on the bushes the snake came slithering out. I am sure that he jumped about 2 feet before he got the nerve to capture the poor thing. He did not call me for a picture so you will just have to use your imagination to think of the look on his face! He and Ben brought the snake to an empty field and let it go. Fortunately rat snakes are not poisonous, they are constrictors, they eat all our rodents and large insects like palmetto bugs. I just hope now that Mr Snake is gone we won't have an insect infestation.

Spring Break Mini Trip

2008-04-22T09:13:00.000-07:00

We had our spring break last week! The weather was great and we had a lot of fun together! We had time for playing outside, getting our rooms cleaned, playing outside, cleaning other parts of the house and of course playing outside! We did decide to take an overnight trip to Wilmington, NC. We left after breakfast on Thursday and drove the 2 hours it took to our first stop and highlight of the trip...The Battleship North Carolina!

The kids explored every area of the battleship that was available. Sam even managed to explore some areas that were not "available". The girls and I only got lost once as we were trying to find our way out of the ship to get to a bathroom and then back to the boys! We cut it a bit close but were successful!

Hannah decided that they needed a periscope for their rooms so that they could see when Mom and Dad were coming up the stairs to check on them!

Ben and Chris thought that we too could maximize our bedroom space if we constructed bunk beds like this one. They had 4 beds all stacked up like this. I quickly vetoed this idea as it brought with it arguing over who had to sleep in the middle and who got to sleep on top and why they should stick Sam on the bottom!

After the battleship we found our hotel and went swimming...in the outdoor pool...in the shade...in the cold water. Needless to say it is still spring and the water temperature has not gotten too warm! On Friday we spent some time at the Cape Fear Museum. They had exhibits detailing the history of the Wilmington, Cape Fear area. It was very interesting! We headed home soon after lunch in order to prepare for Chris' dads arrival!