Michelle asked.......

You just need to be patient, girl!!! My birthday celebrations are not that exciting, but here goes. We used to combine kids who were close to each other. Adam and Ashley are Dec 10th and 12th...that was a given. Then the 3 middle boys are in May, June, and July. They were also together. Austin never really got parties per se, because when he was in school it was hard, since his birthday was RIGHT at the beginning of the school year. We knew no one at that point. And then the older he got, the more it seemed kind of corny because he was older and didn't know alot of kids his age. So, last year, I decided to do one giant party in August for everyone. I don't know if you've ever watched kids by the dozen, but the Jeub family did a family celebration and I loved the idea! So, we invited everyone we knew and had a huge bash. We had a swimming pool set up for the little kids, with a sprinkler, a huge tub of water balloons, a volleyball net, horseback riding, and water guns. It was hot as all get out, but still fun. People brought food, we provided drinks and cake...a huge cake! Everyone either brought a gift for the kid of the same age as their own, or some even brought gifts for everyone. Some gave gifts to a few, and not all. It all worked out fine, and the kids had a great time with their friends. It was more than the gifts for them...but that part was nice. LOL!

If we did it again, we wouldn't wait until August because it was almost too hot...adults brought chairs and we had shade tents up, but it was still way hot for those who didn't play in the water.

Happy, Michelle?? Huh??? :)

Rachel asked....

Hi Rachel...love your name, by the way!! :) She asked if there were any activities my kids want to do that either we are unable to do, or just don't want to do. Well, hmmm...that is a hard question, because my kids would love to do anything and everything ever offered. Seriously. I make the joke that they would be the first in line to attend a funeral just to have something to do. I hear other families kids say they don't want to go somewhere and that shocks me. So, in some form, I am sure they feel slighted. We don't run all day every day. LOL!

The oldest two were in, or going to be in, basketball this year, but there weren't enough kids wanting to play. This surprises me, as we have a huge homeschool group. My third kid is in basketball currently. The oldest three were in robotics until recently. The youngers have been in basketball and soccer through the YMCA. They all do homeschool bowling once a month, and 4-H once a month too. I honestly try to discourage much more than that. Homeschooling has the tendency to lend itself to being way too busy, but then you put a large family into that mix, and that is a recipe for disaster. They would love more, but that is just their personalities, not because they are lacking.

Any more questions? I love a good topic starter. :)

In bed on a Sunday with nothing to do but type...

Well, fooey! My back is out again, and boy does it hurt. I am stuck in bed until whatever is locked up is let free again. Tony just took the whole group to church by his self. That should be interesting, but they are good kids, so it won't be bad. Then they eat lunch at the church. I wish I could enjoy this alone time without being cooped in a bed hurting, but I guess I will take the quiet however I get it. :)

Ashley just turned 16 and Adam just turned 12. Birthdays in a row, that used to be shared in the party sense, but not anymore. I think we will wait until January to have a party for each of them, since Dec. seems so busy. We did the huge family party and that was awesome, but hard to organize. I would love to do one every year, because that avoids the whole party all the time thing that comes with a large family, but we didn't get to it this year, so now I am stuck with the party kids wanting something. It will be small, whatever it is. Adam wants to go to laser tag or Incredible Pizza which is a huge pizza place with games and a go kart track. Pretty fun, but expensive. And far away... Not sure if that will be a reality or not. Ashley really doesn't care what she does, but she just wants to get together with a bunch of giggling girls and do something girly. LOL~!

I discovered today that Conner can draw on an etch a sketch....do you realize how hard those things are to draw on?? That is pure talent right there! I took a photo of one of his drawings to keep..it was a boba fett or jengo fett slave ship from star wars. Not bad for a 6 year old, huh? I might try to upload it on here so you can see it.

When I announced on facebook that we were having another boy, someone commented that this just means MORE LEGOS. I had to laugh out loud because that is exactly right. That's all these boys do all day long....we own so many legos and we look like a store. They are never picked up and I step on them all the time, but they DO learn from them. So, it will be my burden to carry, I suppose. HAHA!

Rachel the happy child has turned into Rachel the grumpy child. I don't like this new little change, because nothing is making her happy. We feed her, she is still grumpy....we give her a toy, still grumpy. I don't know what is going on with her, but boy howdy...She needs to get over it soon or this house will become a bit more stressed out than it needs to be. At least with a typically developing child you can send them to time out, or if need be, give them a spanking when they are being unreasonable, but with her like an infant, it wouldn't work. She had no understanding of cause and effect, so there is no way I will be spanking her, ever! And putting her in time out just makes her cry harder, and then momma feels bad because she has this baby who is so sad....argh!

Well, I need to take some pain reliever and lay down. I know they say that laying in a bed is the worst thing for a bad back, but this is different. My spine at the bottom actually goes crooked, and makes me all out of kilter. My shoulders actually are different heights when this happens, and my hip joint starts to rub itself when I walk. the pain is awful and I have tried so many things to kick it back in place, and nothing works. It must be a nerve or something, but there is no walking or stretching it out...It is gone, down for the count, until it lets go, then I am completely better with only a little soreness. Weird.

robotic competition...

Hey, so don't forget to comment on my delurk post! Thanks to those who have already said something. It is so great to "meet" you and to be able to go to your blogs too!! Lord knows, I love me some blogs. :)

I never told you all about the robotic tournament that we went to. We drove up to Arkansas Thursday night, and let me tell you something....Holiday Inn Express Suites are awesome. We all camped out in one hotel room on our trip to California this summer and we were cramped! This hotel room here though?? Was huge!!! We had no problem whatsoever fitting all of us in there with room to spare. And it was only 70.00 a night!!! There were two queen beds and a sleeper sofa, so that fit 6 of us, then Rachel in her pack and play, Nathan by us on the floor, Austin by the wall on one side and Aaron by the wall on the other side and we were set. It was so nice. Moving on. LOL... Kids got to swim and all that stuff Thursday night, and then went to the college bright and early Friday for check in. The competition was Saturday starting at 8 am, and was "supposed" to last until 5 or 6 AT THE LATEST. Oh, such a funny statement. We had to check out of the hotel at 11, so the plan was to go watch the competition from that point on. There was no reason to go early with all the little kids, so we all stayed back to pack and enjoy a leisurely breakfast etc.

We get to the college, and boy is it LOUD!! I hate loud...really. So, there I was, trying to figure out whether or not I wanted to leave. I brought ear plugs, but really didn't know how to put them in all the kids ears too. I tried that, but throughout the day, they kept bringing me them back saying they fell out. Argh! So, I improvised and stuck wadded up sections of baby wipes in their ears, which actually worked, but looked odd I am sure. The announcer of each round was loud, the music they played during each round was loud, and the kids were loud. Why did they feel the need to be so loud, is beyond me, but I guess I am old...

Our team made it to 11th place at the end of the seeding rounds, of which they went 8 rounds for that part. The top 14 teams (out of 40) went on to the semi finals. Then the top 4 went on to the finals. We didn't make it that far. The stuff kept messing up and had to be redone so it was frustrating to say the least, but I suppose it was messing up on everyone, not just our team. I was so proud of our team though!!! We had never had a team even make it to regionals, and then to make it to the second phase of that even. Woohoo.

Oh, maybe I should mention, since I did it all in caps earlier, that it was supposed to end at 5 or 6. Well, it didn't end until 8:30. The redos, and the fixing things that were breaking, and the sheer time to go from round to round was excruciating, however we lived....and made it home safely.

They did awesome building the robot, driving it, etc. My oldest 3 children are now engineers. :) Who knows.....maybe this planted a seed in one of them to pursue engineering as a degree?

delurk post

I get a bunch of people coming to this blog. I am a curious person by nature, so with that in mind, could you please tell me who you are? I know alot of the same people come back, so I want to "meet" you. This relationship feels so one sided. LOL! Tell me a little bit about yourself too...We gotta even this thing out. :) Thanks!!!!!!

It's a............

We had our ultrasound today...everything is fine. Baby measures nearly 2 weeks bigger than supposed to, but that can be expected. We are so excited that all looks well, especially since I feel tiny this time. I thought the baby would be too small. Oh, and we are having a boy!!!!! #7 for the boys, in case you are keeping count. My 2 daughters and I are soooooo outnumbered. :)

Thanksgiving and miscellany

Wow...It is almost December!!! Woot! My favorite month of the year.

Thanksgiving went very smoothly, and for those of you who don't know my little secret, well, here ya go! I have never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner...ever! I used to go to my mom's, and then when that stopped, I never saw the point in cooking this huge feast for a bunch of little people. So, we just went to the local community center and ate there, sometimes volunteering afterwards or beforehand to work. One year, I tried to cook...this is the secret that you must not laugh at...I thought the turkey that was in a glass dish needed a little water, so I got some. Put it on the turkey and the glass promptly shattered from the cold water. It went everywhere, all over the oven, the kitchen and the turkey. I never knew a hot glass would shatter from cold water. You all probably know that. HAHA! So, that was it for me. Except this year, my almost 12 year old and my almost 16 year old wanted to cook. So, I let them. They did a ham, mashed potatoes with bacon, green beans, corn, rolls, and cherry cheesecake for dessert. YUMMO! I was so proud of them. It was good food, and fun for the others to eat at home.

I am now 36 years old. My birthday was the day after Thanksgiving. I am now really advanced maternal age, LOL! I can't wait for the tests to all be offered more often now. I go in for my level 2 ultrasound on the 7th, speaking of tests. I am excited to see this little person. I won't believe the sex of the baby, I am sure.. Have I ever mentioned why? They messed up 3 times with Nathan. All said he was a girl, and so ha ha...I had nothing to bring him home in, no name, and a very surprised husband. It wasn't funny at the time to anyone but me. I just went with the flow. I am almost 20 weeks and still am not feeling anything, so it will be nice to see that everything is going along smoothly.

Getting ready for Arkansas...Kids are excited about a trip and three days in a motel. I suppose it could be fun. I hope they do well. :)

travel and school

Oh my goodness, we are about to embark on a lot of travel..for me, anyway. I am the homebody to beat all homebodies. However, my kids robotics team won first place and are getting ready to go to regionals in Arkansas. It is only 3 or 4 hours away, but will be over 3 days and that means a lot of packing for this momma. Then, there is a large family retreat in Virginia that we are interested in the first part of next year. I would love to be able to do that too. It is pretty far from Oklahoma, and we could choose either one, two, or three weeks to stay. Then there is the micro conference again, which is in Arizona I believe, so closer than California, but still. I love to travel, but I don't love it, if you know what I mean? There is so much to pack and plan, and I am NOT organized at all. I would love to just go somewhere with Tony and I, and that is it...but that won't happen for a LONG time probably. Oh well...this is the life I want.

18 weeks pregnant and popped out like a watermelon. I go for the big ultrasound in 2 weeks...kinda excited. This pregnancy is so laid back compared to all the rest. I am not anxious and counting days and miserable like usual. I like it, don't get me wrong, but it is just different.

Rachel is out of therapy, and the school didn't much like us saying no to them, but I think we can do this. We know her, and we know what makes her tick. Just because we are not educated in special needs therapy doesn't mean we can't stimulate her the same as they can. We have music here, we have developmental toys, and lots of kids for socializing. We stand her up, and swing her, and do all the things they would do. She doesn't need to get sick from all the kids, and plus, if you think about it, the higher needs children (misbehaving etc) will get more attention by default than she will, so how would that benefit her? I just think God gave her to us just like he gave the rest to us, and we are qualified to teach them all.

We had a fun birthday party for her and Nathan. Went to a party of another kiddo who was born the same day as her, and in the same hospital too. Then after that, we went and ate pizza and had cake. Gave Nathan his own little cake. He didn't get forgotten about on his actual birthday, but we wanted to give him a little more.

Enjoy some photos for once. :)

This is the little boy and Rachel sharing a birthday...













Rachel and Daddy














Stuffing her face!














Nathan and his little cake. He didn't even finish it... HaHa!














Messy girl!

pregnancy update and Rachel therapy

Had a Dr's appt yesterday, and I was pleased to note that I lost 2 pounds. Ha!! 17 weeks pregnant and I am losing. That is kind of funny to me, especially since I am overweight to begin with. Baby sounded great and measured right at 17, so all is well.

Football season is almost done, thank the Lord. My kids have been working the robotic teams concession stand, and they are gone for hours and hours...It did provide a lot of job experience, but enough is enough.

Robotic tournament is on the 3rd of Dec, I think? Still not sure if I am going with them, or if me and the kiddos are staying home. It would be fun to get out of Oklahoma, and see somewhere else, but the venue is loud, and I don't do loud well...Neither do a couple of my kids. We are just going to pray about it.

Rachel graduated her therapy program simply by turning 3. So, we had the experience of going to the public school to see their special needs program. I do not want to do it though, so hopefully they will allow us to make that decision and not try to interfere. We have been doing her therapy for the most part anyway, so I think we are okay to continue. Its very basic at this point, because that is all her cognitive level is. If she advances, we will figure out what to do then.

Moving on to November.........

Moving on from the Halloween rant. I know so many people have no problem with it, and that bothers me, but...moving on anyway.

How pregnant am I? This is so strange. It is sort of flying by and I can't remember. Maybe I will look at the medcalc and see where I am. I certainly don't feel pregnant still, which is a blessing. No contractions or pain or overly large this early like usual. Very very sore breasts though...That one is killing me.

Sprained my ankle, which is horrible when you have things to do. I was going to my son's basketball game, where we are the concession stand coordinators. I was stepping of a little curb, and where it looked like there was grass, actually was a pothole covered in leaves. I hit that and went straight down. OUCH! It is pretty shades of black and blue now, but I can finally walk on it a bit.

Nathan just turned 4! We didn't get many pics because I can't find our good camera. We took one of his cake and him with Ashley's camera, but mine is so much better. Got to find it!!! I hope it is still here and not accidently left somewhere. Rachel turns 3 in a couple of weeks, so we have another picture moment coming up. Pray we can find it.

Randomness....as usual

My kiddos are driving me crazy! Why is that? It gets cold and all of a sudden they have the energy of a football team. They are arguing, roughhousing, running around, etc, and I am about to throw them out in the rain.

Now that I got that out of the way....what else is new? My kids are in a robotics tournament, which has proven to be very time consuming. They essentially build a robot that follows commands on a playing field, and compete against other schools/teams. Saturday is the big day, and if they win, they will go on to the next level. If they don't win, it is over for the year. I kinda like that idea, but of course they want to win...so I guess I could be happy with that too. LOL.

Still hating Halloween. I don't get how Christians can participate in this awful day. It is full of blood/gore/evil things. What about this day appeals to anyone with a Christian mind set? How is it okay to go around essentially begging for candy from others, with the funny ha ha threat of a trick should they not get any???? Why would you want your little Hello Kitty to see and participate next to a horror show killer? There is no redemptive value in this nasty day...I am just so confused. All of my Christian facebook friends save one or two keep talking about trick or treating or costumes and the like and it is so hard to hold my tongue. I will argue my position on my own facebook, but not theirs.

We did a huge clean fest the other day. Cleaned up the entire yard, and also the garage. It was hard but we persevered and it looks great. We have a huge trash pile for trash day, but we are allowed 2 a year, so no problem. Now to just finish inside the house. I wish I could be ruthless inside like I was outside. Just chuck it in the trash already, Holly. LOL!

blog schmog!

I am so glad other bloggers aren't like me. I would have nothing to do on my down time. Ah, well. At least you get to know I am still alive, huh? :)

Pregnancy star date log 14 weeks. Feeling a little fuller now. Can't bend over without feeling like I am squishing something. I am showing low when I lay down, and high when I stand up. That is so weird....

Only gained a pound this last month! Woohoo...I really shouldn't gain a whole bunch of weight anyway, being that I am overweight to begin with. I used to gain 30 pounds, no more, no less...but the last one, I think I gained maybe 9 pounds or something like that.

Kind of stressed out the last couple of days, thanks to some family drama. I posted on my facebook page that I hated Halloween, and was then attacked by my husbands brother and his wife about how I am warping my children by not allowing them to participate in every right of childhood. Like, when is a satanic day a right of passage that a child needs to grow up well rounded? They don't need every little thing everyone else does to make them who they are. My bro in law brought in third world country stuff, like, since when does pain and suffering for the unfortunate children equate to us well off americans making sure we overinduldge our kids here, to make them feel loved? Good grief! It was a very long discussion on facebook, and then was moved over to our inbox, until she had nothing more to say except calling me names, and then she blocked me. Typical response from someone backed in a corner....just quit! Family reunions shall be most enlightening now, I would assume. They will tell everyone else what we thought and because everyone else thinks like them too, we shall remain outcasts. So, we might just cut ties with the family, because we don't need that kind of stress. We are raising our children to be conservative Christians who think for themselves, not just do what everyone else does. Think why you do things...And, no matter what anyone says about the history or any of that, Halloween is a satanic themed day and there is no way around it. If you just do the stupid thing for candy, go buy your own. :)

We just moved all the kids rooming arrangements again. We do this so often that it feels like musical chairs. They love it though. Feels like moving all the time to them. It did leave Nathan in a room alone, and he doesn't like it, and has been waking up at night to come into our bed, which is a no-no. So, we get to deal with this, but hopefully it will be short lived. He is driving us nuts right now. LOL!

Rachel is about to age out of home therapy. They want us to put her in school, which I will not do. I really think we can handle therapy for a while anyway. They don't do much right now, so anything will be an improvement. Understanding the homeschool mentality even when it comes to the disabled seems to be hard for everyone. Like, just because she can't walk, or talk, or crawl for that matter, seems to lend everyone to think that I should make an exception for her. I don't get that. I work with her everyday, and she has one on one from me. Yeah, she MIGHT get it at school, but what else will she get? Overwhelmed by screaming children, sick, possibly forgotten on the school bus (yes, this has happened to several disabled children before) and more. I just don't want it for her anymore than I want it for the rest of my kids.

My hands hurt....I may or may not write more, but this is enough for now. :)

11 weeks almost....

Well, it seems I have neglected this blog yet again. All you readers need to get a facebook. I am more active there. LOL!.

I am now almost 11 weeks!! Really?? This thing is flying by. Good thing too, because we all know how much I really do not enjoy being pregnant. I really wish I could get a two-fer. Having twins would be so awesome. We did an ultrasound and they say there is only one peanut in there, but they have been wrong before on others. Wishful thinking.

They are treating me like I am super duper high risk, and that bothers me. I couldn't even get my old doctor to take me this time, because I have had 8 babies, my age, my child's genetic defect, and he didn't deliver my last baby. Goodness...there are mom's who don't even start to have babies until they are 35! What does age have to do with anything? And all my births have been uneventful, save for the last one, but that was her fault, not mine. Being special needs by means of a genetic problem that affects her brain made her not know how to swallow the amniotic fluid. So, it just built up and up...and the birth was awful because of that. NOT likely to happen again.

I had trace protein in my urine, so I immediatly had to do a 24 hour collection. My number was 113. Really normal. My A1C for diabetes was 5.1. Again, really low. My blood pressure was 120/70. Normal. The only thing bad about me is my weight, and that is not a real bad factor here. They ordered me to do a level 2 ultrasound, but thankfully the level 2 guy didn't think we needed it yet. I agreed wholeheartedly. This pregnancy is gonna be real fun, yall!

I am way to mouthy and opinionated for my own good tho, so I might not let it keep happening. I already refused the 3 hour glucose test before and got fired by my O.B. but woopie!!! I got the high risk dr to allow me to just say I had gestational diabetes and report my sugars. Didn't have to take the test. So there... :)

9 weeks

Feeling kinda icky! Maybe the hormone levels are finally up to sickie level. LOL! Hopefully it wont last long. Go to the doctors on Wednesday. That should be interesting.

On other news, my daughter is now the 5th child in the United States to have a malformed CASK gene. This is supposedly the cause of her disabilities. We had it confirmed by a doctor in Germany, now we get to retest in the U.S. Hmmm...this thing is rare.

8 weeks

8 weeks today, and boy...if I didn't know better, I would not believe I am pregnant. This is so disconcerting. If God is blessing me with a great pregnancy, than I should be thanking Him, but all I can do right now is worry....I go in Tuesday for blood work labs, and then next Wednesday for the ultrasound. Argh! Can't wait.

Pregnancy stuff

So, yeah. About this blog! I have neglected it as of late, and I really shouldn't. Stupid facebook, and cleaning, and cooking, and sleep. Yeah, it's the sleep's fault.

Anyway, about the pregnancy. Yes, I am now 7 weeks pregnant, and really do not feel pregnant at all! It is so disconcerting. I love that I don't get sick, but it makes for a weird start to all of them. At least when you're throwing up, you kinda feel like things are going well, and no worries. I mean, I am tired, and going to the bathroom ALL THE TIME, but still, do not feel pregnant. The bathroom could just be me drinking a ton of water. Tired, well, that is my reality. Moving on.....

I go to the OB in 2 weeks, and get an ultrasound in 3. I will not rest until then. I can't stand not knowing if things are all good. I know I should trust God, and I do! But I am human.

We have names already!! Cool, huh? I guess when you let 3 years go by between pregnancies, you have lots of time to think about cool names. It is weird that it is this long since Rachel. She will be 3 in November, and I haven't had this much of a space between any of them except when I wasn't married. There is exactly 4 years between Ashley and Adam.

I am due April 24th, and I know the exact date of conception. It will be interesting to see what the ultrasound comes up with as far as dates. I hope they match, because really....I know the date of conception. LOL!

Explanation

Oh, the funny stuff. This is why I haven't been able to be here. Ummmmmmm. We are expecting another blessing!!!!! So.Very.Tired......
More soon, I hope.

sorry

I will get back to the topics at hand (like anyone else but me cares) soon, but right now, my entire family is gone to IOWA and I am all alone....so I am cleaning, cleaning,cleaning. Did I mention, cleaning? HAHA...Stay with me folks. I will be back!

Day 5 continued

We get to the HILTON, check in, and then feel the need to bring everything into the two massive sized rooms. All our food, pillows, clothes, etc. I needed to sort it all out again by now, anyway, plus we needed munchie foods. And I like my own pillow, thank you very much. My kids are just like me. We get everyone situated into who will sleep where, and then start wandering around. We see alot of people who just look like they are with our group, but of course, I am too shy to break out into conversation. This hotel is huge, which is why I keep typing it in all caps. Way to foo foo for my tastes, and budget, but it was cool nontheless. They were two hundred dollar a night rooms, I might add. We got them for half price. We could have all fit into one, with room to spare, but they probably wouldn't have let us.

Get registered with the lady in charge, proceed to tell her about the whole "no more camping" thing, and ask to postdate the very large check...so we could make it back home without needing the local authorities to pay for it. She said fine. We mosied around again for awhile, then thankfully, it was time for dinner.

Pasta!!!!!! Yum...This fat chick loves her some pasta. Maybe I shouldn't eat pasta, and I would lose weight, but you know how that goes. Kids loved it, we loved it. Free soda and water and gatorade. Yummm...Then there was a music man who played guitar WAY TOO LOUD!!! I like music, but feel there is no place for music that hurts your ears. However, I digress.

Met a wonderful lady named Heather, who is the Ohio state rep, through which I may become the Oklahoma state rep...we shall see. Watched her kid and my kid dance like they were supposed to get married in a few years. They were so cute...he would walk up to her, and wiggle, and she would run. He would chase her, she would laugh. Too cute. She has actually passed the hurdle of having another child AFTER the disabled child...wonder how she did it? Her cutie was in a wheelchair, snoozing away. Don't know how with all that LOUD music going on.

Met the lady in charge again, and the Dr. spoke in front of the group. Watched a picture slide show that just wouldn't work at first, even though her dad is a computer guy, and my husband is a computer guy...they couldn't get it to run. She ran out in tears, she was so upset. But alas, it finally worked.

Got up to the rooms, and crashed. We had made it, but not without some serious exhaustion and stress. Have I mentioned, I hate traffic...and stuff falling off my van in traffic? Really, I didn't think I had.

Day 5 of the trip

This is the big one!! The day we will arrive at the HILTON!!! Too scary for me...Hills, and 4 lanes/5 lanes of traffic (on each side of the road!!)just about did me in. I drove because I am a control freak like that. In case you wondered. So, when we finally made it close to our destination, we just went...zoom, zoom, zoom. One interchange after the other. Not thinking, just driving. Well, that was a bad thing. 1695 miles we traveled thus far...fanny was fine. Our stuff was fine. Zooming up and down the freeway, on bad roads must have made things jar around just enough to make our ties loose. We are happily (NOT) driving down the road when suddenly people are honking and waving. We pull over, and discover that we have lost some of our load. In RUSH HOUR traffic. A kind gentleman pulls up behind us and says that some maintenance guys pulled it to the side and it should be fine. WHEW we think. Tony and Austin walk the half a mile journey, and discover that ha ha...no one pulled it anywhere. It was smushed beyond recognition. "IT" was our tent poles, our camp chairs, and a stroller. HA HA HA HA HA. Right?? Well, whatever. We retie what was left down, try to understand why this had to happen to us 5 MILES from our destination!!? Get there with no more incident, and proceed to empty the van into the Hilton!

Day three and four

Woke up FREEZING!!!!! At 5 am!!! What the?? It was so cold, no one wanted to get out of the sleeping bags, and even then, we were all shivering! Didn't realize this phenomenon happened. Got up and got dressed anyway. Left at 9 am. Better time than the days before. Woohoo!! We are becoming good at this. Driving to the painted desert, which is really cool! Petrified wood, and well, the painted looking mountains. Got in free because of our handicapped person card. That was a nice perk that we didn't know about until right before we left. Yeah, any national park that takes admission, we get in free. Got to Flagstaff, it was raining, so we decided on the first motel of the journey. Packed all 10 of us in one room. Like frugal Holly is gonna pay for 2 if Holly doesn't have too?! We fit fine actually. Two on one bed, two on the other, one in middle of bed, one on side of bed, one in crib, and three along the floor. Cooked on the propane stove in the hotel room, much to Tony's fear that we would be arrested or something. Man, that guy is a killjoy.

Day four...towards the Grand Canyon!! Again, free...woohoo. I love that perk. Raining off and on all day. Rode the tour buses, met some foreigners that thought Nathan was the end all be all...The kids all became jr. rangers, Left at about 4pm. Drove to Kingman Az and got motel #2. Didn't want to get wet or freeze again, you know? Why was it raining everywhere we went? Goodness....Nathan woke up with his first ever night terror. THAT was fun, let me tell ya!

Day two

Took off from Amarillo bright and early (yeah right....about 10:30 is more like it) and headed westward. Went to the Cadillac Ranch, and painted our names on the big caddy's in the ground. That was sort of fun...one had to walk a long distance to get to them, and then there is the whole paint fume things. Hopped back in. Still no problems except we discovered a dinosaur museum that looked awesome, but ha ha...closed on mondays. So, sad children had to keep on traveling. The night before, Tony's friend had splurged on Fazzolis spaghetti for us, and we took the left overs with us. We stopped at the New Mexico visitors center and had lunch. The whole place smelled italian. Yum...No messes and good kids helped the people not get upset at our large group eating at the tables. Left, and headed on. Nothing more really to report except Albuquerque traffic made me completely lose my composure No, really. I cried. It was stressful. You have to understand that the reason I feared this trip is because of the traffic and whole fear of dying in a car crash thing. We made it to a KOA and set up camp. Cooked our dinner on the camp stove (chili dogs) and the kids swam. Stayed up till about 10:30 and hit the hay. Went to sleep in the heat, sweating, but wait until you hear about the morning!!!

Day one from the trip

Okay, this will only be interesting to me, in posterity, but feel free to read anyway. LOL. A recap of the time we were gone in 5-4-3-2-1!

Left on Sunday the 14th of June. Had to come back a couple of times for a couple of things we forgot. Tee Hee! That ALWAYS happens, so we laughed about it. Finally got on the road about 10:00 I would say? Drove to our hometown, which was 3 hours away and decided to stop for lunch with Grandma. She met us at a park and the kids enjoyed seeing her. Stayed for about 30 minutes, and then got on the way again. I should preface all this with telling you that we packed for a trip with 10 people. Food for a couple of weeks were in a huge cooler, and everything else was packed around it. Then all the stuff on "aunt fanny" which only makes sense if you have seen the cartoon movie with Robin Williams. So, anyway, I say this to let you understand that when we stopped, it was an ordeal to get everything we needed out, and then back in. It got better the more we figured out some things, but in the beginning, we were floundering.

So, back on the road again, and having a good time. No movies, no games, just us and the anticipation of the trip. Almost made it to Amarillo, and decided to call an old friend of Tony's. She said that she wanted to feed us dinner, and that we could stay at her parents home. WoW! We get there, a freak storm rolls in, but leaves. Get to her parents house, and decide to repack the van. Waiting on dinner to come, we unloaded everything. We kinda rushed the packing in the first place, and it showed. Kept trying to rain again, just enough to be annoying. Finally, we were mostly repacked and wondering whether or not to put up the tent in their backyard. We decided against it, and boy and I glad. As we were getting settled in his shop floor, the floodgates opened, and all the water fell! It stormed all night long!!! It hardly ever rains there, according to her father, so that was strange.

But we slept, and that was all that mattered. Day one was done!

Stay tuned for Day 2.

Tidbits from our 16 day journey

the rainy Grand Canyon




The loaded down Aunt Fanny as we called it.Not long after this pic was taken, the thing snapped, and we promptly lost our stroller, chairs, and tent poles on the Califonia Freeway.In rush hour traffic.They were toast.





Rachel really, really wanting to swim.Or touch the water, rather.She goes nuts!!And Nathan in the bottom, getting wet from the waist down only.




Lil Miss Rachel posing for her shot at the microcephaly convention.Which was fun, and informative.More later...still processing, and unpacking.

hey!

we are back!!!! update coming! thanks for sticking around waiting on me!!!!!!!!

travel post

Ok everyone!!!! We are about to embark on the travel of the century. I am so nervous, yet kind of excited now. We are going to achieve so much on this trip. I will update with pics and info as I am able. We are taking a computer with us, but if I have anything to say about it, it won't get opened. I am all about the abstaining from electronics thing. My husband may have issues with that though. Please pray!!!!! Keep my family in your thoughts. For safe travel, for getting along, for my back to not go out sleeping in a tent (which i have NEVER done...) and to pray for answers about Rachel. Thank you all, and God bless!!!!!

Monday evening musings....

I have no idea how these bloggers (yes, you...Della) have time to write a post or 3 every day! I am scrounging some days just for something to write about. We really aren't doing much these days...just cleaning, and getting ready to pack. I really have such trepidation about this trip. I mean, driving in California??? What the heck am I thinking? It is bad, right? Like 6 lanes of traffic or some crazy thing like that? The convention is in Costa Mesa...right by the ocean. There is a lot of traffic by the ocean. Man!! I gotta move on to a different conversation. My heart is beating fast just thinking about it.

We walked 4 miles the other day. Went to the library, then to eat, and then back home. I was pooped! It felt nice, but definitely not something I am used to. Then we got home, loaded up in the van and went to watch a free outdoor band concert. My kids liked that. I didn't like the smells of everyone's bug spray, but then again...I don't like many smells. Anyone out there like me? Dislike smells, loud noises, certain textures, bitter tasting things, bright lights? I am on sensory overload at any given time, hence the California anguish.

Could still use a little more donations, if anyone were interested in helping out. Rest assured, I am doing this whole thing with the thrifty plan. I will not be throwing anyone's money around at all. I hate donating to things where I think they will misuse the funds, so I would be a hypocrit to do that myself. A hypocrit I am not. I am my own worst critic. If I tell my kids not to do something, most times it is something I wouldn't do either. It is such a bad example if I did. Now, I know that I am an adult, and there is some things adults do that kids can't, but that isn't what I mean...I do not drink, smoke, watch horror movies, listen to bad music, etc. :)

Well, Rachel is NOT wanting to go to bed tonight, so I need to go help. She is emerging with a little attitude this week. Which is a good thing, but then again, a not so good thing. I wonder how she will camp..........

wal mart and drunk folk

Just got back from a rousing trip to the Wal Mart. I hate shopping there. It's not that I hate Wal Mart in particular, it's just that it is so huge, and my feet hurt when I get done. And we always spend too much money. I am such a tightwad... This could be TMI, and if so, I apologize. I own one bra. That bra finally bit the dust. So I HAD to go get another one. Can't think about going to church tomorrow without it, can I? LOL. So, got that, a battery for a lantern, and a bunch of food. These kids eat way too much food.

In the line at the check out, there were these two drunk guys buying more beer. One of them was so disgusting that he spit on the floor!!! ICK! We mentioned to the cashier that she might should have not sold it to them, and she said it was hard to tell the difference between drunk and stupid. I see her point. I only pray that they made it to their destination without killing someone. Drunk driving is always bad.

In other, non related to Wal Mart news, we found out that we all fit in one tent! I am so excited. It gives us way more room in the van to only have to carry one tent. We have our full/queen? blowup bed, and 4 littles sleeping with us, and then in the other room, the 4 big kids. It's not even cramped. We won't have to pay for 2 tent spots everywhere we go now. Tightwad rejoices. LOL!

10 things I love and hate about a big family

Loves
1. Never a dull moment here. Always someone to make you laugh, or to play with. (The first pic is Nathan, being Nathan!)
2. Always some leftovers (from the little kids anyway...and sometimes, that is my dinner)
3. Always someone to hug you or kiss you for no reason
4. Seeing the older ones exhibit patience with a younger child (it does happen, occasionally)
5. Always having another go 'round with that baby smell....ahh! They should bottle that one up and sell it at the wal-mart. Always having another go 'round with the itty bitty tiny baby clothes.
6. The excitement when we do something as a surprise is always great! They are so expressive and put the joy in whatever it is we are doing. (the pic is Braydon learning that we were going to an amusement park! Woo hoo!
7. Whenever I need help, there is always someone willing to pitch in with me.
8. We have a basketball team, a soccer team, and almost a baseball team.
9. I love being able to say, yep, they are all mine....or, that isn't all of them, there are (blank) more at home, and seeing the shocked look on their faces
10. Seeing each and every personality blossom and grow...

Hates
1. Laundry.. 'nuff said
2. Cooking
3. Cleaning. I have never been a clean person by nature. I am always surrounded by piles, and boxes and books...It just got worse with each kiddo. I am working on that.
4. Remembering all their names. My memory is bad enough, but when you throw in a large family and a mom trying to get the attention of a misbehaving child, and she is flustered? You get Au-Ad-Conn-NATHAN!! Stop that. :)
5. The ever pressing need to always rearrange something...a room, the toys, the homeschool stuff....it works for awhile, and then it just doesn't anymore.
6. Not getting to use the bathroom sometimes, when I really need to go!!! There are two bathrooms, back to back and sometimes, they are both occupied! Can you believe that? LOL
7. Having to always share any little treat I get, or meal for that matter. They have such cute little faces, I can't say no...
8. Getting up early. I have NEVER been an early bird....So, while I have always gotten up early with the kids, I have never liked it. Not ever......
9. Not being able to run to the store for a quick shopping trip. Someone always wants to go, and you just can't be quick, even for a couple of meals worth, when you are feeding 10.
10. Paying a small fortune for fast food. That alone has almost broken the habit. So, maybe that should be in the things I love category?

Ultimately, I love my big family....I wouldn't change it for the world. Even with all the things I dislike, there is so much more that I cherish. God has blessed me and I fully appreciate those blessings. :)

can anyone help me with a dilemma?

I know...I know. I keep asking for stuff. First, donations to go on this trip, then camping tips. But now...I need help getting rid of things. How do any of you decide what to get rid of and what to keep? I am a sentimental junkie and with 8 kids, I always want things on hand for any of them. That leads to too much clutter. I want tips for organizing and purging. Motivation for purging. Something!!!

Works for me Wednesday WFMW....boredom

How do you keep children from getting bored? Well, I am not an expert, because I hear it quite frequently. However, there are some things we use to help keep them at bay. We take advantage of the summer library programs. They are usually 2 times a week. Reading is always good for boredom.

We go to the park at least once or twice. Lots of kids and fun equipment equals fun!

The kids just recently got a club penguin account. The base account is free, and for the free one, you can play some of the games and chat with other penguin kids around the world. There is safe chat, and regular chat. It is basically an online community for children, that is totally safe. I read an article the other day saying that club penguin was one of the very few online places that are very safe for kids, because there are moderators and strict filters. We just paid for a month for each kid and it costs just under 6.00 each account for the paid version. It unlocks more options if you pay, but the free one was fun too! They get a half an hour a day, sometimes twice if I deem it necessary. Oh, and parents can monitor the accounts too! You can also set time limits, and it will just turn off when the time is up.



They go outside and play watergun fights, do chalk drawings, play in the mud, climb the tree in the front yard, play on the swingsets in the back, and ride bikes or scooters. Play legos, legos, legos in the house. Is there any reason to keep any other toy??! I should just get rid of the rest. We read a ton....I have so many books that our house is a fire hazard. Board games are also good, but our boys tend to fight over them, which annoys me to no end.

Ultimately, any child will still get bored, so it is just a part of life. Just move on to the next thing. We really don't suffer for thinking of things to do in the summer, because we homeschool. We actually do some work over the summer, but really....except for the school part, they have the potential to be bored at any time of the year.

Trip advice needed....got any???

Well, let's see....what is going on this week? We found 3 sleeping bags and a couple of cookware type items for our camping adventure. Trying to figure out whether or not KOA's are worth the extra expense. I want to ensure that the kids have things to do when we stop for the day, but do not like the idea of paying the same type of price that we would pay for a motel. Is there good camping locations between oklahoma and california that do not cost a fortune?

Hubby had a really bad migraine today. It was a big one...He has them every now and again. I think the stress of this trip has him all tied in knots. There is just sooo much to do planning a huge trip with 8 children!!! Thank goodness it finally subsided.

Trying to sell an entertainment center, to raise more money. Still needing some of that, if anyone is wondering (smile). A big ole wind gust grabs the glass door and tears it off the hinges. CRASH!! Glass all over the driveway now. The person interested still wants it, but due to the broken glass and messed up wood, she only wants to pay 10.00 for it! Oh well....Better than hauling it off now, huh?

Still trying to figure out what we want to do while on this trip. Being that we are spending so much time and money anyway, we might as well do something fun, right? We are going to the ocean...free I think. We are camping at the Grand Canyon...only paying to enter the park and camp I think. Umm, staying at a couple of churches hopefully. There are church groups that are connected to ours, so maybe they will have somewhere to stay for us. That will be free. I am trying so hard to find frugal things to do. I think Disney is out, even though they got us good rates from the convention. Knotts Berry Farm is good rates, but the reviews are horrible. San Diego Zoo is too big and not really better than our zoo here, someone said. They told us Sea World, but not sure how much it is.

I need help here, people! Anyone with any ideas. Must be frugal...I am a cheapskate by nature, and being that this is funded with donations partly, I don't want to feel like I am wasting someone's money. But, I do want my children to have fun and remember this, because it may be another few years before we get to do it again.

recap of the weekend

Well, with no ad, we still did pretty good! Got rid of lots of things, still have some left over though. I kept the really good stuff, donated some other stuff, and threw away anything that just looked clunky or old. Made about 300.00 and for a 3rd sale, with no advertising, that is pretty respectable. Oh, also got another 100.00 from a guy who just drove up, came up to us, asked if we were the ones holding the sale for the little baby...when we said yes, he opened up his wallet, and pulled out a hundred dollar bill!!!!! Can you believe that??! I said thank you so much, and God bless you. Tony proceeded to choke on his lunch. It was surreal. My kids called him an angel. I think he was prompted by a real need to do this for us. Much like the time we helped the lady whose home burned down. We let her pick through alot of things we were saving for a garage sale, and gave her a 100.00 walmart card. She cried, and I really couldn't understand why, because it really didn't seem like a lot to me then...but now I understand. A hundred dollars when you need it so very bad is a lot of money! So, I hope he knows how much we appreciated that. He turned and walked away without so much as a goodbye. He really didn't want us to know who he was.

The church took up an offering for us this morning. We will find out about it soon enough. We are over halfway to the goal, with enough time to get the rest, I think. We are still praying!

We are going to spend this week cleaning the house, and next week packing. Hopefully we will get so much done in the week that it makes packing easy! When one is cluttered and messy, it makes packing very difficult because you can't find what you need! I could totally have another garage sale with more stuff...but I will refrain for a few months anyway. Give the people time to forget who I am, and where I live. Then it will feel all new again. LOL!

Well, gotta run! Bedtime calls. I am still waiting for you guys to delurk and tell me a bit about yourselves! Anyone have any blogs I could read? I am always on the look out for new blogs. smile!

are you sick of reading about my garage sales yet?

Got everything all set up again....No ad in the paper, so this is purely going to happen by signs and God's prompting. He can do that you know? Just make you drive somewhere, not realizing where you're going, until BAM....you're where you needed to go, but didn't know you needed to be there.

Gave some tables back, and got some new ones. That was nice. You need tables for a garage sale!!!

One of my friends from here decided she was going to put up some pickle jars at a couple of places, to garner donations of spare change and what not...We went to those two places to put up garage sale signs, and boy....there is a bunch of change in them! Praise the Lord. I have no idea how much, but every little bit helps. The lady coordinating it is taking care of bringing the money to us. This has been a challenge for me, because I am a control freak. Bad quality to have sometimes. I have had to give this over to her because it was her idea. Which is a great lesson for me! Don't get me wrong...I love it when God teaches me things. It's just been hard to not go dump the change out every couple of days and know exactly how much is there. It's not my place to know....I have to realize that.

Oh....how is this for a "cool" moment? The microcephaly website has the section about fundraising for people who want to go, but need help. Its called shining stars. I found a bear the other day at a thrift store that has a button to play a song. What song is it? Shining Stars by the Manhattans. HA! Isn't that cool? I am taking it along with us to show the coordinators of the conference. :)

another garage sale, and fears...

This is what I was afraid of when I would think about opening my blog. Seeing everyone read all my personal thoughts and daily blurbs, but not getting comments from anyone! I know...Joann, Michelle, Della, and Emily...you four are awesome! But everyone else??? Do you enjoy what I am writing about? Do I weird you out? Do you wish you would never have flipped over here? What gives? LOL!!

Just kidding....kinda!

Hey, so how about a third garage sale?? I am sort of tired of selling things to raise money. However, my house is slowly getting cleaner and more open! (Look on the bright side, Holly....) This trip will not come on it's own. Gas, food, camping fees, etc will NOT be cheap. Part of me wonders why I really want to do this? I mean, I know WHY I want to go, but what if it really isn't as informative and wonderful as I think it will? What if we went through all this fundraising stuff to get all this money, and it ends up feeling like a waste? Will it?? I hope not, but you have to understand. I have NEVER done anything like this before in my entire life. Traveled cross country with 8 children (1 3yr old and a disabled 2yr old), thinking about roughing it the whole way with tents and portable food, only to find my family lost in the sea of California....hoping that the doctor will tell me more than he did through the mail.

Will I find someone else like Rachel? Microcephaly is such a wide range of a disability, that I wonder if she will be like any of them. Will it matter? Am I just scared? I am such a homebody that this is SOOOO out of my element. I would almost like to just curl up in my chair in my familiar house and just say "forget about it". "Too much work." But, I can't........I would simply regret it and so would all of my kiddos. They are looking forward to this like you couldn't believe.

So, garage sale number 3 it is....and prayer that more money comes in....I know it will, but I am not a patient person. God is dealing with that via many avenues...Humbling experiences all around.

Church

So, I never mentioned what happened after we left the church. Several months went by and we did nothing on Sunday. We never really started doing devotionals with the kids, and we certainly didn't do what one could consider a church service at home. It was an awful feeling. We started thinking that we would just go back to the church we left, and just consider our little time away as just that, but it never felt right. Every Sunday after that decision, we still stayed home. All the while, the kids would mention "when are we ever going to go back to church?"

We decided to try a reformed church and so we went. It was very much different than the baptist church we were used to. We had gone to the baptist church for 8 years, so that was all I knew. This new church, well, they sang the Psalms with no music. They stood, sang, sat, read, stood, sang again. Rinse and repeat. It felt so awkward and wrong somehow. The people were great, very welcoming and all, but just foreign. They have a lunch every Sunday after service and we would go to it. Slowly, but surely we got to know some people. Got used to the singing with no music thing. Found out that they have no problems with musical instruments, but that the focus of worship music should be on the words, not the sound of the music. This one is still hard for my husband and myself, because my husband was a music major in college, and I am all about music.

Still we persisted. Got to know more people. All the while, the kids loved it!! They loved the kids, and the commaradarie. So, here we are. Still going, still feeling a little different. The people there are great, and very quick to help when needed. The thing is though....they are all very educated and driven, so I feel a little dumb around them. My children are not academic scholars....Some of these kids are 16 year old high school graduates! So, that part feels strange. Plus, it is small. About 100 people or so. We are seen when our children act out in service! We are missed when we don't go.

But, you know what? In our other church, it never felt like a small close knit community. Here, we still need to get to know some of the people, but I honestly feel more important to them then I did to the other church. Is that what happens in a small church? Is it because this church is full of homeschoolers/christian schoolers, so we fit in more? Is it me? I don't know, but I am glad to be back in a church where the focus is on God. Those Sunday's at home certainly did not have a focus on anything......

musings from the day

Argh! Can someone please clue me in to the reason God created mosquitoes? I know all things were created by Him for a reason, but I truly think He messed up with the mosquito. I am serious. I went outside just now to pick worms out of the ground for the guys to use while fishing, and I received no less than 8 bites. ITCHY!!!!!!!!!

I am doing the never ending laundry pile today. We sort of slacked off on it all while we were having the marathon all week long garage sale last week, but I need clothes and so does everyone else. Ho-hum...

Adam, my 11 year old just went across the street and landed a mowing job. He is so excited to be working. Everyone thinks he is too little to push a lawnmower, but he isn't. He is spunky, and smart. He just has to show everyone that he can do it, and then they will keep him. My little entrepreneur.

raffle....

If you are here about the raffle, it is over. If you still feel led by God to donate any money for our trip, you can do that. Also, we could still use your prayers for achieving this trip. It will be a long, hard one, but seeing this doctor and meeting other families will be a huge thing for our family.

The kids are beyond excited for travel. They haven't gone anywhere like this in years. We went on a mission trip last year, but that is not the same.

Views from the crib

Isn't this cute??

She discovered that she could put her head up under her bumper pad and look out. This was right before we took it off. She still has a bumper around to protect her head when she falls over, but the big bumper was blocking her view. Just thought I would post a little pic today.

Ashley and her heart.....

I need to make a post about this. It has somewhat taken a back burner to all this fundraising hoopla, but it needs to be written for memory sake as well as to work through my feelings about it. I mentioned several times about my oldest daughters heart problems. She had to have several diagnostic tests done over the last few months, and finally had to wear a holter monitor, which she wore for a month. Anytime she had pain or heart racing episodes, she had to push a button, which went back like 30 seconds or so, and recorded her heart rate from then to about a minute or so after the button push.

We sent the recordings in, and gave the monitor back without much a thought really. She had about 5 or 6 episodes during that month. A month went by without hearing anything about it, so I called the doctor. She said that the cardiologist only came to town once a month and he may have just come when we turned it in, so wait a little and see if the results came in soon. They didn't. Life happened and we just kept thinking about it, but never hearing anything and it bugged me. So, one day, I called in again. Doc said she would look into it. Next thing I know, I am getting a call that the hospital had just put in a page of paper into the doctors slot saying my daughter had SVT and that was the diagnosis! That is it....just a piece of paper with those letters, and nothing else. We were livid, as was the doc. She insisted she had followed up, and that it must have either been the cardiologist or the hospital. Next thing we knew, we were getting a call from the cardio's office saying we needed to be seen at the next time he was there. So, we did. They apologized and blamed the hospital. I really am getting sick and tired of the medical care we are recieving......but that is another post all together. However, in a nutshell, my daughter has SVT which is supraventricular tachicardia.

Supraventricular Tachycardia Symptoms

Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) can cause a number of symptoms, depending on your overall health and how fast your heart is beating. People with heart damage or other coexisting medical problems experience a greater degree of discomfort and complications than those who are healthy. Some people have no symptoms at all.

Symptoms can come on suddenly and may go away by themselves. They can last a few minutes or as long as 1-2 days. The rapid beating of the heart during PSVT can make your heart a less effective pump so that your body organs do not receive enough blood to work normally. The following symptoms are typical with a rapid pulse of 140-250 beats per minute:

• Palpitations - The sensation of your heart pounding in your chest
  
  
• Dizziness, or light-headedness (near-faint), or fainting
  
  
• Shortness of breath
  
  
• Anxiety
  
  
• Chest pain or tightness

We were told that she could live with this the rest of her life, with only episodes that were bothersome, but not life threatning, or she could have surgery to repair it. It is not a 100 percent effective, this surgery, but it would be worth a try. We are currently talking it over amongst ourselves to see where we want to go. She doesn't have many episodes per month, and she can make them go away by sitting down, and holding her breath. That works...it was suggested on a website and she had never even read it. It was instinct with her. You know your own body best, huh? We will probably go through with the surgery, and while its not a real invasive one, they just go through the groin vein, it is still surgery. Scary stuff...and then hope for the best. I am worried about my "little" 15 year old, but at least I can breath a sigh of relief that it is not something far worse. With her biological fathers history of heart problems, and the fact that he died from them in his early 30's, this is reassuring. They aren't related at all, so they say. They will do an echo on her once a year to monitor, but the cardiologist says that SVT doesn't morph into heart disease or failure. I still need to become more educated on that before I truly believe it. There is that trust thing again.

what is microcephaly, anyway?

What exactly is microcephaly? People asked me that all the time during the garage sale. I was shocked at first, but then realized that I probably wouldn't know either unless I had a reason to know...So, I explained it, over and over again. I like educating people, and helping them to understand that even though she is disabled, she is still very much a person and deserves to be here just as much as the next guy. You know? It saddens me to think that some people think that those "less than perfect" people don't deserve to live. I am less than perfect. So are you... Just because we can walk, and talk, and do all those mundane things we do, doesn't make us any more worthy of life.

Of course, I never went into that part of the conversation because no one suggested she shouldn't be alive. They were truly curious and concerned. I loved that. I wish I would have had opportunities to talk with parents of disabled children before I had my own, so I wouldn't have struggled so long with being comfortable around them. You realize that parent's of special children are just people, like you...and that the children are just children. Just different.

So, in that light, I realize many of you probably don't know what it is either, unless you read through each and every archive. Which I don't recommend, because, BORING....LOL.

Microcephaly means "small head". Small head comes from small brain. One that isn't growing right for whatever reason. Some children can have a small case of micro, meaning their head circumference is somewhat smaller than normal, and they can be delayed but still do many things like walk and talk etc. Others can be WAY off the curve, be way under what they are supposed to be for their age and be severely delayed. That is where Rachel is. She is functional, but infant like. She may never get past infant stage. I pray daily that she does, but the reality of the situation is that she may never progress much further and while she doesn't know the difference, we do. Still others have micro and can be pretty much non functional. They can't eat on their own, and require feeding tubes etc. They don't communicate at all, and can be locked in their own little world. I am very aware that Rachel could be much worse, but also aware that she could be much better.

Microcephaly is a hard diagnosis to accept. Many things cause it, and it can't be fixed. You have to take things day by day and just let the child develop at their own rate. That is why I want to go to this conference. To meet other families with children like her that have bridged some gaps I haven't even come close to crossing. To help a new mommy of a newly diagnosed baby to know that it will be hard, but that she can do it. To learn about new developmental tools that can help her brain learn more, even if only a small amount, because a little learning is better than none. To let my kids be able to meet other children who deal with this daily in their own lives. Finally, just to get away from the normal day to day life here, and shake things up a bit by traveling and living in close quarters for a couple of weeks. This will either kill us all, or make us closer, and I truly think we will get closer. We are family, and families stick together. In normal and not so normal fashions.

garage sale, kids camping...blah blah.

Garage sale number 2 is halfway through the week...It is funny, but just sorting out all the stuff and setting the boxes on the tables makes people stop. They slam on their brakes sometimes, which is so funny, unless there is a car behind them. Then it isn't. But, our road is so traveled, that without a sign or an ad in the paper, we probably had about 100 people stop today. Granted, since everything wasn't spread out, they probably missed those treasures that they wanted, but we still sold quite a bit to those willing to dig around, and those wanting to buy the big stuff that just sits out on its own.

Austin, Ashley, Adam and Aaron slept outside in our big ole tent. They loved it!! They are getting in some good practice for what we are going to do on our ride up to California. We have 2 big 2 room tents, so together they will sleep all ten of us comfortably. For sure! We have all the sleeping bags and pillows too. It is weird, but we have all this camping stuff, and have never camped! Can you believe that??? I have either been new pregnant, old pregnant (lol) or new mommy or too hot in the mid/late summer. So, this long drive and many camping stops should make us pros, don't you think?

They did wake up the little boys this morning with their racket though. That wasn't good. The college kids down the road kept waking them up all night, so I have to wonder why they all woke up at 6:45, but they did and made alot of noise outside the little kids room. So, in our room, the little guys tromped. Complaining that all the noise outside made them wake up. Ugh....

They are enjoying this week of no school. We will make up for it next week however. There will be no summer vacation from school in this house! We miss to many days here and there to actually have a full 3 months time to take off. It keeps their brains fresh this way.

Off to bed, to mentally price items and sell them in my sleep. I also type things in my head. Does anyone else do that? I am crazy, aren't I? I know it.......

Garage sale stuff, and a welcome note!

Whew...These garage sales are hard, sweaty work! I truly wish it was good for some weight loss at least, but nah...not so much. :( Anyway, I am feverishly looking for donated items for this, and getting lots from people, for which I am very thankful. It is truly great that people can rally together for things. I will never take friendship and community for granted, let me tell you that!

We are about 1/4 of the way there in our fundraising efforts, so we have lots to go, but God is faithful! I have never seen Him let me down yet. Even when He allowed my daughter to be born with this disability, He didn't let me down. We need Rachel just as much as she needs us. When I see my boys just melt for her, that is for the purpose of keeping these guys tender. She will most likely be carried for a very very long time, and I need these big strapping guys to help with that. They will not mind a bit!

Her sister is so good with her too...they have little tea parties and Ashley fixes her hair. Rachel just sits there and smiles, and it is the cutest thing. Life is far to short to be bitter about things, and to just watch it all pass without caring about the little things. It's those every day little things that we should always remember.

I am so glad I have new people coming to my blog! I worried about opening it up for a very long time, but I think God wants all of you to "get to know" my family. So, welcome!! I am glad you are here, and I hope you enjoy reading about my "little" family. :)

readers...

Who all reads this blog? Hardly anyone comments, but I love comments. Leave one, and tell me a bit about yourself. Pretty please!! :)

lazy saturdays........

Wow...who would have thought you could have a migraine for 2 days solid? Not me! Alas, I have had one though. I go to sleep, and wake up with it even. There is no reprieve from this thing. Exedrin migraine pills, lots of ibuprofen, dr. pepper....nothing works. It may have something to do with my "friend of the month" but good grief...I have had those for years and never had this. Whew! I think I need a lobotomy...

Wanting to have another garage sale, but its been rain, rain, rain...except this morning would have been perfect if not for the storms last night, and that migraine. We only have a few more weeks to get the rest of this money sent in and then have some in reserve for the gas/hotels/campgrounds/food on the way up there and back. God will provide, though. I fully believe that!

Went to frontier city amusement park last week for homeschool day. That was fun. Took the oldest 4 kiddos and Tony and I. It was Aaron's 9th birthday, so he was thrilled. Got to see an old friend, and meet her family! She looks just as young and pretty as she used to. Seriously, Michelle. I am not even lying.

Sent out a ton of postcards today and yesterday to all my friends asking for prayers and donations. Hope they are all recieved well, and unoffensive. I hate asking for help, but between this event, and the fact that Tony is on a health related sabbatical...well, money is scarce these days.

His shoulder is still causing considerable pain. We thought it would be so much better by now, but it really isn't. It affects his sleep, and his self image. He can't lift heavy things, and with this garage sale thing, there are lots and lots of heavy boxes. So, good thing I have that strapping 17 year old to help. Pray for him if you think about it. :)

Well, we are off to enjoy free hamburgers and see cop cars/ambulances and get finger prints of the kids. I hope I don't get sick from this head thing...That would be embarrasing.

New, with updates...LOL

Rain, rain, rain....nice for awhile, but now ruining my plans. We were going to be doing something on Friday, but I refuse to pay money for something that will not let me get a refund if it rains. So, we aren't going. Bah!!! Sorry Michelle! Rain was good for awhile because it kept my house cool while my a/c was broken. That was a nice blessing, so thank you God. A/C fixed now, and it is hot outside.

Moved rooms around AGAIN. 3 boys in one, 2 girls in one, 2 boys in one, and one boy in one. Then us in one. We have a door again! Woohoo...it was weird not having a traditional door. LOL!

Getting more and more stuff for the next garage sale fundraiser. Mailing out letters too probably. God will provide for this trip, but we need to work for it. Nothing ever comes from sitting on your rear, you know?

Just wanted to post an update here. Facebook is really so much easier than a blog. However, I may be printing out my blog on of these days for posterity, and I need stuff typed, don't I? Ha!

Garage sale a success!

We raised a bunch of money for this trip, but have a lot to go. We will be having another sale in the near future, and am contemplating sending out letters to people we know. It seems so strange to do this, but if everyone we knew donated only 20.00 or so, we could easily cover all this expense, and we could go without worry. Should I ask? Hmmm. Michelle brought up a donation button from paypal, which I have up, but am uneasy about opening my blog up to the public. Is there any incriminating evidence on here that would show I am a bad mommy or something LOL! What say you, JoAnn?

Garage sale time!!

Phew! This garage sale stuff is fun, and exhausting at the same time. I am currently sore from every area of my body. It's okay though because we needed to get rid of alot of excess as well as raise money for a trip in June to California. Rachel's disability is microcephaly from ponto-cerebellar hypoplasia. She is 2 and a half but functioning at about a 7 or 8 month old level. The top doctor in the USA is going to be speaking there as well as seeing patients for a thorough diagnosis. We have already sent all her records and MRI scans to him in the mail, and he has given the above diagnosis through that, but there is nothing that would compare to seeing her in front of him. Plus, there is the aspect of having our other children see and meet kids who have siblings just like Rachel. There will be speakers for them as well. So this will be an entire family event, going to California in our van. It is about 1500 miles from here, so we will be taking it slowly. Don't forget we have a 3 year old as well, LOL! It makes me nervous just thinking about it, but it is truly something we need to do. I am overwhelmed by the donations to our yard sale so far...it is awesome to have such great friends. They have donated tables to use, and stuff to sale, as well as buying stuff! We will make it to this conference by God's grace alone. I am sure of it. Pray for a good sale!

Bargain of the year

Look at the size of this whiteboard!!!!!!! and we got it for 10 bucks!!!!!! thank you God!!!!!

Musings from the day

Well, another day gone! Why do these days just fly by?? I mean, seriously. When I was a kid, and then even into my 20's, everything seemed in slow motion. I couldn't wait for the kids to grow up some, and to just be done with certain things. Now, it just zooms by and I want to grab ahold of the day and just reign it back in. It's all out of my control, and I don't like giving up control....of anything. It is so very hard for me. I cry when I think of my kids growing up and leaving. I don't like the thought of growing older, AT ALL! I know I am not pregnant right now, and I am sort of glad, but there are times that I just stop and count how many possible years I have left to concieve and I get nervous...Like, what if I enter menopause early?? I don't want to be done...but yet....here I sit. Frozen in a time where everything else is just spinning by. I am stuck, but the rest of the world isn't. It is very disconcerting.

Ick...must get past that first paragraph. Onto more lighter things. We went on an awesome homeschool field trip today. We saw exhibits and participated in things at the geoscience center in Tulsa. That was cool.....my kids getting to see dinosaur poop, and fossils, and rocks. Now, duh...they were telling it all from a "scientific" point of view, like millions of years ago baloney, but my kids know better and it WAS still informative. Holding fool's gold is kind of neat you know. Adam already had a rock collection started, so he added a couple more to it.

Got home from the field trip, and the kids were late to start their paper routes.....We still had to quickly eat dinner, and then they went out. We called the paper and told them we would be late, which was fine, because we are NEVER late, and we have worked this job for 3 years now. So, they said fine...and so it was fine. The kids leave, and a half hour later, my daughter comes home completely red faced and no coat on. Mind you, it was snowing!!! I said, what is wrong, to which she replied "Hall".

I said "huh"??? She retells the story that he jumped on her on his porch after he opened the door and she handed him his paper. He demanded to know why she was late, and she told him that we were in the city all day. To which he replied that "we didn't tell him that it would be late...we should have it on our answering machine or something"!! As if! She told him that "she was sorry", and he proceeds to say, "I called 3 times, and hate answering machines, and that her brother never screwed up the service and she should not expect him to tip her this month." He asks her if she understood, and she said "yes"...Then he goes, "no you dont"!!! He belittled my daughter for no reason! To put the icing on the cake, he didn't even call! He lied about that even. So, my husband immediately marches to his house and confronts the guy.

Hall said "it's their job to give me a paper, and I am a customer". Tony said that he understands that, but "she was gone for school, and that she never gives him bad service. Dont yell at my daughter and hold a tip over her head like a carrot and belittle her just because one day you get your paper late!"

Well, I am going to talk to the newspaper manager and stop him, because I will NOT have my child treated this way...period. If they don't let us stop him, then my kids will quit. Plain and simple.

Whew! That was a handful....More later.

finally, with updates!!

So, it's been forever. Sick families, plus finding facebook has made me choose my time carefully. Facebook---never thought I would get into it, but it really is fun! A big time waster, but still fun nontheless. I hope the novelty wears off soon, because I need to preserve some more memories here.

By the way...who is reading from virginia? Hello whoever you are!! Sorry my blog has been so boring lately.

Basketball is almost over, thank the good Lord!! We have sustained only a few injuries this year. 2 sprained ankles from one kid, and a sprained wrist/silver cap falling out from another. They all want to play again next year, so I guess all is well. Now the daughter wants to play too, so next year shall be busy, I am sure! The two little guys are playing on the local YMCA this year also. I don't know about this Y stuff. They focus on teamwork, which is great, but they let the kids get away with so much stuff. They don't really enforce dribbling, and the fouling is kind of out of control. I don't think that is good learning. But what do I know? LOL!

Rachel has been put in her stander once. She kind of liked it, but it left pressure marks on her knees and feet. Wonder what I can do about that? She is so much more expressive these days. She has this love/hate relationship with this fuzzy blue pillow. She grabs it, gets overwhelmed with the texture, recoils and screams, but then goes in again. It is hilarious. She used to get overwhelmed with certain things in a bad way, and would take awhile to calm down, so this isn't like that. She realizes the pillow is safe, and fun....just a little weird, and she wants to touch it.

Aaron's eye is about the same. He claims he doesn't see double, but who knows? We go in to the surgeon in a couple of weeks. He is pretty grumpy lately. I think he is hitting this stage where he is too big for the littles, and to little for the bigs. He doesn't quite know where he fits in, and so he argues with everyone alot. We are working on that....

Conner is the most creative person I know. He is 5 years old, and can make some of the most original lego creations ever! They look like lego should sell them, that's how good they are...seriously. I am the worst critic about things, and if I am impressed, that means it is good. They are huge, and elaborate planes, and star wars type things. I should get a pic on here.

Adam has been playing on a YMCA team, but also getting to play with Trinity's Junior High team, which is an honor because he is only 5th grade and it is usually reserved for 6th and 7th graders. He looks so little out there, but he loves it and is very good.

Nathan is still very much Nathan. Stopped the whole potty training thing, did a complete 180, and I have no clue what to do. You think moms with 8 kids would be super experienced and know everything, well....I am here to dispell that myth. They are truly individuals, and what works for one wont work for the other. We have chosen not to fight him, and just be encouraging when he tries.

whew....My fingers hurt, so I will close this novel. Please leave me a comment and tell me who still reads this blog. :)

argh!

I am so tired of people!!! I am fighting with everyone for different reasons, and it just sucks. I think I should be done trying to care.

8 and a half inches people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is my results to the quiz, joann

Extroversion:You have medium extroversion.You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time".

Conscientiousness:You have medium conscientiousness.You're generally good at balancing work and play.When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:You have low agreeableness.Your self interest comes first, and others come later, if at all.In general, you feel that people are not to be trusted.And you're skeptical that anyone else really feels differently.

Neuroticism:You have medium neuroticism.You're generally cool and collected, but sometimes you do panic.Little worries or problems can consume you, draining your energy.Your life is pretty smooth, but there's a few emotional bumps you'd like to get rid of.

Openness to experience:Your openness to new experiences is low.You're a pretty conservative person, and you favor what's socially acceptable.You think that change for novelty's sake is a very bad idea.While some may see this as boring, many see you as dependable and wise.

My kids were on live television!!!

Here they are...posing before going live. It's Gary England! Most of those children in the picture were mine!! The two his arms are around, the big two in the back, the grumpy little guy next to the big girl in the back, and the two right in front of the two with his arms on. The only one missing is Ms. Rachel....who was hanging out happily on daddy.

Here is our weather, and what was showing right before their debut!

And here is the television shot. Woohoo!! They toured a real life newschannel studio. Much fun!! Love being a homeschooler!!!!