Homeschool Soccer: Week 5

It was a wet day at Homeschool Soccer today.  It had just started sprinkling, or as Kindle calls it sparkling, while we were headed to the park.  We hoped it would blow over.  Instead as we got out of the car, it actually picked up and got worst.  So, the kids had a fun day of soccer in the rain and mud.  Of course, they loved it!  I obviously didn't get my camera out in the rain.  Instead, I took some videos on my iPhone.  I was with Grant the entire time because Kindle and Cooper finished earlier because of the rain.  

Here is Grant and the 3 year olds doing jumping jacks.

And doing the helicopter stretch.

And touching their toes.

And "dancing" with the ball.

And kicking the ball uphill.

And playing with the parachute.

And more fun with the parachute.

The kids had a really great, wet day!

100 Posts!!!

Today, I am proud to say that this is my 100th post.  Woo hoo! 

When I started my blog in June, I had no idea if anyone would actually read it besides my family and a few friends.  I just kept getting phone calls and emails from other Moms and Moms-to-be asking me many of the same questions.  I thought it would be easier to respond on a blog rather than email the same thing over and over.  I am happy that many people have been helped by some of the things I have discussed.  I am here to say I DEFINITELY do not have it all figured out.  I am just doing the best I can and seeking God on how to be a better Mom and wife. 

Through this journey, I realized how wonderful it is to have an [almost] daily post about what was going on in our lives.  As most of you know, I love to scrapbook.  This blog has been very helpful to remember the little details that often times get forgotten when I go to print photos to scrapbook.  I plan to print my posts and make some kind of journal [eventually].  

I also have really enjoyed getting to know other people out there in the blogging world.  Prior to starting my blog, I rarely read other people's blogs.  I was a bit overwhelmed [I might still be just a little] and had no idea barely any idea what I was doing.  It has been such a blessing to read other Mom's homeschooling ideas, meal planning tips, craft projects, product suggestions, etc.  It also is wonderful to read other Mom's blog posts that make you feel like "I am not the only one who has a messy house somedays :)" ha ha.

To sum this up, I just wanted to say thanks for reading my blog.  Thanks for suggesting it to friends.  Thanks for your comments.  I hope you continue to enjoy reading about our lives.

Gunnar cuddled up to me at dinner tonight.  So sweet!

Lesson Learned for the Day: Always Bring the Kid's Shoes in the Car

Nathan is always saying to me that no matter what we are doing the kids should wear their shoes in the car just in case.  I learned why this was a good idea this evening...

The kids and I decided to grab a bite to eat through a drive-thru since Nathan was out of town on a photoshoot in Alabama.  I got some food and then headed to the gas station.  After I pumped the gas, I went to start the car and it wouldn't start.  Prior to leaving the house, I actually thought "maybe I should put the kids shoes on?"  I decided not to worry about it since I was in a hurry and we weren't going to be getting out of the car.  So here I was at the pump at the gas station, Nathan is in Alabama, all 5 kids are getting hot in the car, they have on no shoes so I can't go inside the gas station to ask for help and I have no jumper cables or clue what to do.  I talked to Nathan and ended up calling my parents.  God Bless them because they had just sat down at a restaurant for dinner.  They left the restaurant and headed towards me.  I decided to ask the man at the pump next to me if he had jumper cables.  Unfortunately, he was on the phone, so I pushed the call button on the pump and let them know I couldn't drive away from the pump because my car wouldn't start.  They said they could send someone out to help me.  Just then, a lady and her son pulled up behind me waiting their turn to use the pump I was pulled up to.  The completely wild thing was that there were over 20 pumps and only a few were occupied, but she decided to wait for mine.  Since I was waiting, I walked over and told her that my car wouldn't start and that she might want to pick a new pump.  She told me that she had jumper cables and could help me.  Just then, the man sitting in his car on the phone overheard my conversation, and said "oh, you need a jump?" and he whipped his car around to help me.  He discovered that I had corrosion on my battery and he cleaned it off and jumped the car for me while on his cell phone the entire time. LOL.  I thanked him and the lady in the car behind me many times. [Side note: I was really blessed that 3 people offered to help me!]  I made it home without anymore problems.  Since my parents were headed my way, they asked me to park in the driveway, so the kids got out barefooted (they thought that was awesome).  When they arrived, my Dad took a look at the battery which needed water as well.  He cleaned everything up too.
P.S. I will be putting jumper cables in the car asap!
[There are no photos of this "event" because I would like to forget that it happened and not memorialize it with photos.  ha ha]

In other news, while I was getting the older 4 kids ready this morning, Gunnar fell asleep on my bed.  He looked so sweet, I had to snap a couple of photos.

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut, Sometimes You Don't

Trying to get things accomplished with 5 little ones always proves to be challenging.  I have a great plan of getting my task accomplished in [insert time frame here] and then there is reality where I have to add an extra 30 minutes to an hour for the unexpected.  My Mother came over to do to go through the last child's clothes for the Fall today. We are almost completely finished, but man did it take a lot longer than I thought.

The kids had a great time today even with the busyness.  Cooper decided that he was going to be a warrior and created a costume.  He ended up combining 4 of his old Halloween costumes to come up with this.

He was so excited to see this photo.  He is wearing his Dale Earnheart Jr. racing costume, his Buzz Lightyear boot covers, his pirate sword & ties around his neck and his Luke Skywalker belt.

Kindle and Grant are such great buddies.  They were playing kickball in the foyer.

They also went outside and jumped on the trampoline.  We are all enjoying this cooler weather!

Tonight, we had to run some errands.  Grant had to go to the potty for the 3rd time in an hour.  Gunnar decided he was not happy in his car seat anymore.  Celeste was upset because she wanted a book to read in the car, etc.  All I could think of was the old commercial for Mounds and Almond Joy chocolate bars. You know the "Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't."  Ha ha

Breaking Free & Mighty to Save

We had a super busy day today.  We took baths, did school, put the kids down for early naps, took Kindle to ballet and went to a friend's house so she could meet Gunnar.  Whew!  It was a long time in the car for the little ones, but we survived.

The older 4 watching TV after their baths.

Celeste right before bedtime.  She told me "No more pictures, Mommy!"

Tonight, I am starting Beth Moore's bible study on Breaking Free.  My friend, Candra, and I are doing it together remotely since she is in Ohio till Thanksgiving.  I am really excited because I have never done a women's bible study before.  Lots of people have recommended the Breaking Free bible study to me, so I can't wait!











All day, I have had the song Mighty to Save by Hillsong United stuck in my head.  If you are not familiar with it.  Here are the lyrics:


Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave. 

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus (x2)

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave. 

My Saviour, you can move the mountains,
You are mighty to save,
You are mighty to save.
Forever, Author of Salvation,
You rose and conquered the grave,
Yes you conquered the grave

I wanted to see where the term "mighty to save" was found in the Bible and I found this verse.

Zephaniah 3:17 (New International Version)

 ¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you,
       he is mighty to save.
       He will take great delight in you,
       he will quiet you with his love,
       he will rejoice over you with singing.


I hope this encourages some of you as it has encouraged me today.

Sentimental Sunday: Celeste's Baby Dedication

Continuing with the theme from last week of baby dedications, I thought it would be fun to look back at Celeste's baby dedication.  Hannah "Celeste" Martin was dedicated on August 31, 2008.  She was a little over 2 months old at that time.  Celeste wore a dress that my Mother, Sister, Kindle and I all wore for our baby dedications.  It was made by my Great-Grandmother.  My Mom bought a handkerchief bonnet when Kindle was a baby that she and Celeste wore for their dedications.  One day, they can use it as a handkerchief on their wedding day, if they would like to.

Celeste was dedicated at our church by our Pastor Marc Lawson, just like all of the other children.  It was a very sweet dedication.  Celeste was wide eyed and checking it all out.

Praying blessings over Celeste and handing her back to her Daddy :)

After the dedication, we ate lunch and came back to take some photos together.

Kindle's New Smile

Kindle is beyond thrilled that she lost her first tooth today!  She has been very nervous about her loose tooth.  She had it in her mind for some reason that if she lost one, they all would fall out and she would have no teeth "like Gunnar".  I explained to her, once again, that a new "big girl" tooth would grow in to replace her baby tooth.  This afternoon, it had gotten so wiggly that I am pretty sure it might have just popped right out if she ate an apple.  She was complaining that it was hurting so I asked her if I could check to see if it was bleeding. I wrapped a paper towel around and it and gently tugged.  It popped right out.

She was soooo excited and the pain instantly went away!  We had her gargle with salt water and it stopped bleeding in less than 15 seconds.  She said the worst part was the salt water.  Ha ha!  

Kindle's New Smile (She kept closing her eyes in all the photos I tried to take so I told her you gotta open them wide, and she did, ha ha.)

She called her Nana to tell her the exciting news.  Then, she told all of her brothers and sisters.

I reminded Cooper and Kindle tonight that we start back to school tomorrow (we have been on Fall break this week).  Kindle said, "I get to do school without my tooth!  Awesome!"  She is too funny.

Before she went to bed, she put her tooth out because she knows she gets some money and she can't wait!  We don't do the Tooth Fairy at our house.  Cooper never went for all that stuff (Tooth Fairy, Santa, Easter Bunny, etc.).  He told me from a very young age that he knew it wasn't real and that was that.  We still do stockings, Easter baskets and put our tooth out.  The kids just know Mommy and Daddy will have a surprise in store for them when they wake up.  They love it!

Table for 15 + a Baby, Gunnar's First Words & My New Hairdo

Earlier today, I got a new haircut and color.  I decided to go a little darker for the Fall.  I also decided to do some bangs to change it up a small bit.  I go to Ashley Valdes at Kara Christian Styling Studio in Woodstock.  I would highly recommend her!

My sister, Emily, her hubby, Gil, and my niece, Ella

This evening, we went to Jim 'n Nicks to celebrate my brother-in-law, Gil's, birthday.  There were 16 of us because my parents, brother, cousin Ben, and my grandparents came along as well.  We all sat at a very long table in the middle of the restaurant.  We discussed how wild it is that our family has expanded so much in size.

We had a very yummy dinner.  If you haven't tried Jim 'n Nicks, I recommend the smoked turkey, macaroni and cheese and their cheese biscuits with honey butter.  Yummy!

Everyone did great as always in the restaurant.  Gunnar was completely enchanted by the bright lights and fans.  The other children enjoyed coloring their pictures.

It was a nice evening.  After dinner, Nathan and the older kids played Super Mario Bros. for Wii.  They are on World 8 (the last one).  I was holding Gunnar and he said "Mama" as clear as day 4 times.  We all heard it.  All 5 of our kids have said "Mama" first.  You gotta love it!

Resting

Last night when we got home from a busy day, Gunnar was completely exhausted.  I was able to capture a few moments of him sleeping peacefully in his car seat.  It was so sweet.  I love to watch my kiddos sleep.

I love the purity and simplicity that children have.  They have no worry or fear of what will happen they just trust that Mommy and Daddy will take care of their needs.  It is a nice reminder of how our Heavenly Father feels about us.  He wants us to rest and be at peace, trusting in Him.

Matthew 6:25-27


²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?


I pray that each of you reading this enters this weekend trusting in God's promises for your life.  I pray that there will be no worry or stress, but that you rest in the love from your Heavenly Father.

Homeschool Soccer: Week 4

It was another fun, but hot day at Homeschool Soccer.  Nathan's Dad, the kids call him Opa, came out to watch the kids play.  They were very excited to see him!   

I spent most of the day with Grant again.  

Today, he wanted to do all the non-soccer activities more than he wanted to play soccer.  Ha ha.  He couldn't wait to get the mat out and do flips and log rolls.

He also really enjoyed playing with the parachute.  He kept asking to keep playing with it over and over.  All of the other kids did too.  It is definitely one of their favorite parts of homeschool soccer.

Under the Parachute

Grant found a stick and decided to dig around too.  

He has also made a friend at soccer named Drew.  It is really sweet to see them playing together.  Here they are running down the big hill together.

We got to watch Kindle play for a few minutes today.  They were playing tag while dribbling their soccer balls.  

One of the highlights of the day is when they get to have ice pops.  Grant and Kindle enjoyed their ice pops while we watched Cooper's team finish up their game.

They 7 & 8 year old boys teamed up with the 7 & 8 year old girls today to play a game.  Cooper got to be goalie which is his favorite position to play.

He did really great as goalie.  He never let a ball get past him.  Here he is making a save.

The kids had a ton of fun again today and look forward to going back next week.

Sparkles and Gunnar's New Trick

Today, we went over to the Taylor's house to let the kids play since they are out of school for a Fall break this week.  They just got a new kitten last week named Sparkles.  Grant is obsessed with animals so he was in heaven.  He spent most of the day following, petting and holding the kitten.

Thank goodness that Sparkles was a very tolerant kitten!  She and Grant were swatting their hands at each other playing a game.  It was very cute!  She got lots and lots of love today!

We had a really great day playing with friends.  The boys played video games and Legos.  The girls played all sorts of make believe games and colored.  We always have fun playing with the Taylors!

Gunnar has a new trick.  A couple of days ago, Nathan was holding Gunnar and Nathan stuck his tongue out at Gunnar.  Then, Gunnar copied him and stuck his tongue out at Nathan.  Gunnar kept doing it over and over.  He would always have a huge grin on his face and laugh at himself.  Ever since, Gunnar has been sticking his tongue out at all of us.  It is just too cute!