Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Strawberry Slushies

This is a good day for
an original made up recipe by me, when I was 18!
(the heat index is 100+ today)

Frozen Strawberries
Diet 7-up
Sweet-n-Low

Put in the blender, and drink in the shade!
*This counts as 1 (!) Weight Watcher point, if you are counting!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

My Boys

 This was going to be a "Wordless Wednesday" post,
but
I think my computer is going to crash soon
and won't make it to Wednesday
I can only read like 2 blogs
and
I can not send emails....
Well, sometimes it lets me and sometimes it doesn't.
It keeps crashing, it needs to go to the doctor!
I'll be out for a while
Maybe, if we can get this thing in...
 Close up on this one, you can see the drool just steaming out of Sim's mouth!
(Not Jedi's)
Little Red needed some sunglasses, that bright sun just makes his eyes water like crazy!
I think he just looks the coolest!

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Thankful Thursday

 Oh, look at this sweet little boy!!
Thankful he'll be 6 months on Friday!
(He's 12 lbs 3 oz now)

I have to admit, I'm not feeling thankful today,
which means, I need to try to find those things.
When life seems as you can take no more
When your faith is tested
Not my religion, but my faith

I have this on going picture in my head of the devil,
discussing me with God.
The devil is saying, "Oh, yeah, well, give her this!"
and God says, "Fine, she is my good and faithful servant"
(I can only hope He is saying that)

But anyway...
I look at my sweet baby, the baby who
I now take out after staying in (for fear of RSV) for 5 months,
and I protect him,
when people come up to see "the baby"
(strangers)
I stop them, before they say something stupid, because they will, they have that look,
 and I say,
"He has a cleft lip and palate, and had surgery a month ago."

But sometimes, I can't protect him or the other children
from things people say.
One new friend of my daughters
said in the van on the way to our house,

"Ewwww Gross!"
Upon explaining (educating) her on why he looks this way,
she says it again.

"Oh, gross, I mean, it's just gross"

My oldest son says,
"Mom....Mom", with tears in his eyes.

I stay strong for the kids, I explain to her
it's the way God made him and it's not gross.
I also explain that that hurts our feelings,
because we don't think it's gross, we love him, we think he's beautiful.

And then
I cry while I feed him that night.

He's also had these clogged tear ducts since he's been born,
all 6 months except the 2 weeks after his surgery.
I've been begging God to take it away
(I know about warm washcloths and pressing, etc...etc...)
I ask and pray every time I wipe his eyes
Many, many times a day.
I pray again when I try to clean the dried lashes with joboba oil

and I ask God "why?" 
"Doesn't he have enough?"
I'm like a spoiled child.
Because there is so much to be Thankful for

My faith is tested.
I wonder where and how is this glorifying God?

I trust.
I know somehow it is.

I know deep in my heart,
it is not all in vain.

I pump breast milk and feed a baby that needs to be fed special
and Oh, how I love this baby.

But
How must the rest of our family suffer while we endure this year
and all future surgeries he will need?

Jedi wants to have a Ninjago tournament with his friends
Rosie wants to have a sleepover with her friends
They ask daily
"what are we going to do today?"

I want to and do yell
"Nothing!!"
"I'm doing what I do every day!"
"Every day is the same!"

I am barely surviving here,
just getting through my day,
doing normal things
like laundry, potty training, cooking,
and cleaning.

Going from need to need.


Yesterday, I wanted so badly to kneel down
to beg God's mercy, alone,
but when I went upstairs to do so,
4 kids followed me, each needing something.

I laugh
I say "God doesn't really want me to pray."

He does
I know He does
but sometimes
my desperate prayers
are my vocation,
where I am in life right now.
My work, my struggles,
they are all prayers for our Heavenly Father.
They all glorify Him.

Even when I don't handle it very good.
Even when I figure it all out, right now, while I'm typing.

And so,
I will be Thankful
for my faith, my husband, my family

and



 Beautiful babies, with soft, kissable toesies--Oh, I could kiss and gobble up these toes all day.
(and I do)
 Thankful for butt sleepers, now isn't that adorable?
Thankful  for our new 6 year old, who poses in front of the Irises that always bloom on her birthday!
(June 1) 
 Thankful her "fish" birthday turned out great!
 Thankful Grandma and Grandpa gave her money and she had just enough to get this bike!!
 Thankful for ice cream cones and 2 year olds!
Thankful she is potty trained finally, but not poopie trained

 Thankful for cute little baby boy sun hats
 Thankful there is such a thing as a "sewing camp"
otherwise my daughters would never learn how to sew.
She just finished her camp today, and now has a new pair of shorts
and some bean bags and the excitement to keep sewing!
 Thankful that I am able to pump breastmilk for my baby,
that he is getting the best I can give him,
but
I am also Thankful I have 6 months down and only need to do it til his next surgery....
(next year sometime?)
 Thankful for beautiful blooming roses, and Thankful
for perennial flowers, because it's all I've got t his year!!
I just don't have the time to take care of any annuals!
 Thankful for teething babies!!
I took him to the doctor Monday, because he had a fever since Saturday night,
but he's just teething, Thankful for that!
(we call him "Little Red")
 Thankful I've always got kitchen helpers, as hard as it is for me to let go
and hand over some of the control and perfectionism I have,
I am Thankful for it!
 Thankful for my favorite First Holy Communion picture of Mary Hannah
Thankful for my husband, the father of my children,
Thankful for all the sacrifices he makes for us.


There will always be hard things in our lives to deal with, to struggle through,
but with God,
we have the grace
to be
Thankful.

Got Ripe Bananas?


(click on that)
It works, it really works, we just made it and the girls loved it!
What a great way to use up old bananas!


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Reply!

I'm liking this new "Reply" thing in the comments!!

I will try to reply better to your comments.  I just finished replying in the last post!

Please don't get mad at me if I don't reply though...

Monday, June 18, 2012

Baby Food!

I am getting ready to start feeding Simeon baby food!!
I usually start with Rice cereal and then gradually add
veggies....then fruit.
I don't do the dessert fruits.
I don't make my own either.
With Jedi, I started at 4 months.
With the others, I waited til they were 6 months.


 When do you start?
What do you do?
and
Why?

Just curious, because everyone does something different!
Simeon's doctor just told me to do what I'm comfortable with, what I usually do.

Monday, June 11, 2012

For Cuteness

You must go HERE!
Prayers much appreciated by the family for the twins to come home very soon!!!

Identical twins...how often do  you see that?

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Over 30,000

That's the number of pictures I have in files on the computer.

What do you do with your photos?

We are trying to copy them onto a special device....it's taking a long time.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Potty Training

When you learn that your 2 year old can hold her potty for a really long time to avoid actually going in the pot.  (like 7 1/2 hours)

That she doesn't really care if she's wet or poopy

That it gives so much hope when there is finally a "go a little, stop, run to the  potty and go more in the potty" time....(this was after the 7 1/2 hours)

That that hopeful time is soon diminished by many more "doesn't really care if she's wet or poopy" times.

That when she goes again in the potty and not in her underwear, I think to myself, "she's so smart."  "She'll be done training after today"  (see "hope" part)

She, after saying "I'm fine" to "Do you need to go poopie?" immediately goes out of the room and poops her underwear...and potties it too.  

Good thing I know this will be all part of her potty training story and in a month (or 2 or 3 maybe) we will all look back and laugh. 

I'll be able to laugh, right?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Quick Check in.....

 Summer has started here, it's full of piggy tails
 child made garden salads...
 painted toes and fingers...
 Baby love....
and potty training!!!

Tom is gone to Canada fishing with the 2 oldest kiddos,
so
I have the 4 littlest...
I have no time to read your wonderful blogs,
 I'm so sorry
I also have no time to post on my blog,
except
this little check in!
I'm not ignoring you, it's just that, well....
Life has taken over!!