My All Star

Dan is going to Orlando for the Florida All-Star Baseball Championship tournament today. Games run through Saturday and then depending on their win record, they may play Sunday, too! Grandpa (80 years old) drove him down and will do so again tomorrow because Daddy has to work and mommy is caring for littles. I wish I could see him play! Good luck, Dan!

A Summery Sunday

We're deep into what really feels like summer, but it doesn't officially begin until June 21st, right?!? Temps here have been in the mid-90's with heat indexes of over 100. Needless to say, we are trying to keep ourselves busy indoors. We only have a couple small trees on the lot, so we venture out after 7 p.m.

Jamie left for St. Louis today. Stu, Dan, Max, & Tom drove him to the airport in Orlando. He will be gone for 8 weeks. :( I will miss his help cooking, his fun card tricks, and long hair. Dan and Max are still in baseball All Stars and have a couple games and practices this week. I will be glad when baseball season is over. It's been long this year! They have learned a lot and are both better players, but all the nights home alone are wearing on me. It's hard to drag the little babies to the park in this heat, so we just stay at home. I have a sore throat today and a runny nose. I think I've got the cold the kids have been passing around. Ick! Now I'm off to figure out something for dinner. Have a super week!

A picture thought

It's so hot that Eden even wear sunglasses at breakfast!

Summer

Ah, so it begins. It begins, with birthdays (Jamie's and mine), All-Star baseball practices and games, hot days, rain, antsy kids, Jamie leaving, homeschool planning for next year, and what to do with all this time on our hands? I'm trying to plan some fun things that are free or virtually free. The problem is the heat. We have no trees on our property, so my kids don't play outside during the day. They would be scorched in the 90+ degree heat. What I need is a good vacation, but that's not going to happen! So, any ideas appreciated!

Happy 15th Birthday, Jamie!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Turn of my music at the bottom of this page to watch this slideshow! Thanks!

The Latest

The most recent news is rain and lots of it! Due to this, the boys' baseball tournament had to be cancelled. They kept rescheduling and finally gave up. However, Dan has try-outs for All-Star team on Saturday morning. He was one of 3 pitchers for his team this year. I'm praying he makes it!

Joshua's newest thing is learning to walk. He is 13 months now and is getting more brave by the day. He took 6 steps to Max today. Joshua is very reckless as a walker and enjoys crashing at the end of his walking attempts. This child is going to get hurt!

Eden spent Saturday afternoon at the emergency room. She had a anaphalactic-type allergic reaction to something she ate. Her tongue swelled up 2.5 times normal size, she had trouble talking, and was gasping for breath. We think it was coconut oil in some gummie snacks. I'm not sure I want to do that again soon!

Jamie is out of school in 6 short days. Thus ends his first year of public school since kindergarten. He currently has a 3.83 GPA and won 2 awar ds: an academic honor for 3.5 and above, and the Most Outstanding Integrated Science Student. That's #1 in the whole 9th grade folks! I knew homeschooling him paid off! He will continue at the high school for at least one more year and then is planning on dual-enrolling in order to earn college credit while still in high school.

Celeste has been working a lot and is making plans for continuing her college education in the fall.

We have pretty much wrapped up homeschooling for the year. Max has a little more math to do. We add Tommy as a kindergartner next year. He already knows all of his letters and beginning sounds. He can print pretty well and he can count to 100.

I'm selling Thirty-One Gifts and having lots of fun with it! I'm having an eShow right now, so you can click on my name and shop! Stuart is busy with his holster/gun business, PbPrecision. And that's our update for now. June is coming!

No, Mr. President. Killing is killing no matter what we call it.

Please watch this...

John Piper addresses the sanctity of life.

Thirty-One

I have a new endeavor and I am SO excited about it!!! I am a Thirty-One consultant and can't wait to share it. In an effort to help with our family finances I am looking forward to sharing these neat products. Check out my Thirty-One website. For the best view, click on place an order to look at the neat totes, purses, lunch sacks, etc. Most can be personalized. How fun!!

Verse of the Day

Mother's Day 2009

My children on Mother's Day 2009

Celeste 17, Jamie 14, Dan 10, Max 8, Tommy 4.5, Eden 2.5, Joshua 12 months

(and our Jack Russell, Chipper--he's 11)

Celeste made me a cool flip photo album. I got a Starbuck's card, birdseed, music, & bath salts. Happy Mommy!

Wednesday--A Picture Thought

Eden says, "Look, I wearing socks!" (They're Daddy's.)

The Long Haul

Graduating our first homeschooler this past week has caused me to think on things. There are 6 dear ones behind her. Currently, my youngest will graduate high school in 2026 and I will be 57 years old. Life is an adventure. God has given me so much! I am richly blessed! At first, I think of the long road ahead. Everyone has been asking me if I am relieved after the graduation. Honestly, I cannot say that I am. I am proud of Celeste's (and my) accomplishment. I am excited for what comes next. I am contemplative. Relieved, no. Thankfully, God's grace is there every day of my life and I can do all things through Him. It is awesome to think on what great things God has for us and what the future holds. I am thinking on this verse today:

"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." James 1:2-4

May God's grace be evident to you today and may you lack nothing in Him.

Pictures from Graduation 2009

My Sweet Grad
Celeste with Max and Joshua

Zach, my Jamie, & James (The Cheeseballs)

Stuart & I with Celeste--Proud Parents!

Celeste with her display board

Here She Is!

Celeste Marie

Life Verse
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

High School
During her high school years, Celeste has been very busy with many interests and activities. Some of these include: piano lessons, MimeTime, Community Band, 180 Youth Group, helping out with child care, and volunteering. Celeste is an avid reader, amateur photographer, and enjoys scrap booking. When not in school, she works part-time for a local grocery store. Currently, Celeste is dual-enrolled and will complete her high school education having earned 30 college credit hours. Her family appreciates all the effort she has put into school and work for the past 2 years!

Future Plans
Celeste plans to complete her Associate of Arts degree in the next year. After this, she hopes to transfer to University of Florida or another similar university. Celeste desires to continue to develop a Pro-Life Advocacy Group and to one day become a Godly wife and mother.

Our First Homeschool Graduate

It's going to be a busy week! Next Saturday, we will graduate our 1st homeschool graduate. It has been a lot of hard work, so I am quite reflective at this point. It makes me think about our decision to homeschool and how we got here. Back in 1996-1997 I used to manage a medical office. Every day the UPS Man would come in and testify about Jesus, his church, and how much he loved his wife. Also, he began to tell me about homeschooling. At this point, Stuart & I had just gotten married and we had Celeste(6yo)and Jamie(3yo). We were starting our own family and God led us to make the decision for homeschooling. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9. We have had challenges and made mistakes, but God has been so faithful to Celeste. She is a very hard-working young lady who is currently taking 12 credit hours at the local community college and working at a local grocery 20-25 hours per week. I don't get to see her as much as I'd like! I'm going to post her bio in the next post.

Raising Money For Adoption

My friend, Becky, who designed this blog, is adopting a second little girl from China! They are trying to raise money for this adoption, so please visit her website that has an auction-style garage sale of really cute little girls' clothing.

Chloe's Closet

They received their placement and can't wait to bring little Jada home. Please pray that this would go smoothly and they would get to love on their new daughter VERY soon!

Joshua Turned 1 Yesterday

Border Patrol Beats Baptist Pastor

This says it all...

See this eye-opening video HERE.

Some favorite baby things

Being a mother of 7 children, I have tried out quite a few baby products. I thought I would share a list of some of my favorite things.

Graco Contempo High Chair--I don't have much use for the extra tray that sits on top, because Joshua likes to pull it off and throw it. :) This is probably the best high chair we have owned!

Graco Quattro Tour Travel System--This stroller, while not light-weight, is very sturdy and has held up better than ANY full-size stroller I have owned.

Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat--Hands down, this is the absolute best car seat I have ever owned! I've had mine 3 years now and it was passed down from Tommy to Eden and then to Joshua. It is the easiest to install, is comfortable, and has a nice velcro feature for the straps when not in use.

New Avent bottles BPA-free (Finally!)

Nuk brand pacifiers

Huggies Diapers--the regular ones

Sprout Organic Baby Food by Tyler Florence--It's like you just made it!

Baby's Only Organic Formula (If you can't nurse...)--We used this for Tommy, nursed Eden, and then are now using it for Joshua.

McClaren Volo Lightweight Stroller--I bought this little baby in 2001 and have NEVER regretted it. It has been through Max, Tommy, Eden, & Joshua and is still going strong! I have owned it for 8 years! You can sling it over your shoulder. Great stroller for toddlers for travel or whatever. Highly recommend!

My SlingEZee baby sling--I have tried others that are more costly, but this is my favorite.

Graco Jump-up--I have owned this jumper for 15 years!! Can't live without it. Great for showers and computer time!

I'll stop for today... I need to go make dinner and we have a storm on the way. I think baseball may be cancelled for this evening. I have really been looking forward to the games tonight, but I can't control the weather!

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Dan turned 10 on Wednesday this week! I can't believe it's been a decade already! He is growing into a helpful young man. Dan loves to read and is quite smart with his school work. He's a great pitcher for his baseball team and I am just enjoying him this year.