our charlie

Yep, I finally convinced my man that our little family of five needs a dog. Since we’ve moved I just couldn’t shake the desire for a dog. My man, who is not an animal lover, needed a lot of persuading. So, I prayed, seriously, for God to place the right dog in our home. My requirements for the new pet were …

1. It can’t shed.
2. It needs to be a year old or less (I prefer it be over the puppy chewing phase)
3. I wanted the dog to be free.

Well to make a long story short, my man’s aunt and uncle had a Maltepoo puppy (Maltese and Poodle mix). I really liked her and she did not shed. So we decided to wait for the next litter of puppies from that breeder. Friday I get a call from his aunt saying that the breeder removed one of the puppies from an owners home. They were on drugs and not taking good care of the dog. All she knew about the dog was that he was 8 months old. I was hesitant but his aunt suggested that she keep him for a few days to determine his temperament and then we could decide. The report was that he was super sweet and good with kids. So, My man and I went to check him out last night, not for sure if we’d bring him home to the kids. It just took one look at him and we knew he was meant to be our dog!

When we walked in the door with Charlie the kids were totally shocked. They had no clue we were getting a dog. Charlie took right to them and they have been literally smothering him with love from the minute they laid eyes on him. He is amazing. He’s just what I wanted!

home from the beach

My friend Jenn and her two kids plus me and my 3 packed out a Honda minivan and made a “trip” to the beach. Two adults and 5 kids does not equate to a vacation, it’s a trip. The kids got along beautifully but I think we were some serious birth control for the people we came in contact with at the grocery store and restaurants.

Today I feel wiped out and #2 is coughing and has a low grade temp. Thankfully I cleaned like a mad woman before I left. It felt so stinkin good to walk into a clean house last night. I gave the kids a “clean up the mess you make without complaining” talk this morning and under my breath I said the same thing to myself, so hopefully it will stay decent for a while.

The 5 kids

The best memories were made in harbor, which is in the backyard of the condo we stay at. The kids got in there with their flip flops and picked up shells, tiny crabs and hermit crabs. Then we placed some left over rotisserie chicken in nets and the kids caught little fish. It was awesome.

Thanks for the stickers MeMe.

Thanks Jenn for being such and incredible friend and putting up with me and my crew for a week. Can’t wait until next year!

a chilly spring

Wow, it’s been really cold the past few days. I am not complaining. I know the heat is on its way and I will be wishing for cooler weather, so I need to enjoy it while it’s here. I did have to dig through the sacks of packed up winter clothing to find stuff for the girls to wear. It seemed strange putting them in a sweater in mid April.

#2 and her sweet smile.

#1 spring cleaning the space ship.

#3 is giving a famous “WHOO HOO!”

scabby scab

See … I told you she has a pickin’ problem.

“My boo boo got bweed on it.” – Those were the words my three year old used to greet me as I went to tuck her in bed tonight. There she sat at the edge of the top bunk with fresh blood on her knee and a big solid piece of scab between her fingers. If you look close you can see she is holding the scab.

She not only picks scabs …

wots of boo boos

“Mommy, I got wots of boo boos and they weally hurt” – all said with a big fat pouty lip. My #3 just can’t stop getting hurt. Two days ago she fell off the front porch. Her back and under her arms got all scraped up from the boxwood bush that broke her fall. The bush now has an even bigger hole on the top since that was her second fall into the same bush since we’ve moved in. Then yesterday she fell running in the back of the house on some concrete. She got scraped up even more, reopening a wound on her hand that got hurt on our camping trip. She now has bloody knee boo boos right next to the other ones that are half way healed. They would probably be completely healed is she could control her “picking” habit. I have to constantly remind her to not pick at her scabs (she gets that nasty trait from her dad). I feel so sorry for her. Her legs look so pitiful. When she is snuggling with me she loves to point out each little and big boo boo. It just melts me as she talks through each one.

grief

I spoke with a friend last night who has recently lost her father. She described to me his final days and though her stories broke my heart, they spurred me to celebrate the eternal life that Jesus Christ so freely offers us. Her dad, who was a Christian, had been sick for over a year with cancer. About a month ago he refused to receive anymore treatments. He didn’t give up, he just knew his time had come. So they put him into hospice care and gave him 4 weeks to live. Two weeks had passed and he got to the point where all he could do was sleep. He could no longer eat or drink so my friend got on a plane to see him one last time. Before she got on the plane she phoned her sister who was with her dad to say she was on the way. After they hung up, her father woke. He looked at her sister and asked, “Do you hear that beautiful music?” She replied, “No dad I don’t” He stated, “It’s the most beautiful music I have ever heard.” She teased and asked, “Dad is it rap music?” His response, “No, I hate rap music. It’s the most beautiful music I have ever heard.” Then he sent her on an errand. Her mom returned several minutes later and found him lying there with his face toward the window where a dogwood tree had just bloomed. He had passed.

Hearing her words took me back to when my grandfather passed away, December of 2002. I was so blessed to be there when he died. My family stood over him and held hands. As his breathing began to cease, my grandmother began to pray. The grief was so painful but at the same time the experience could not have been more beautiful. My Papa was celebrating eternal life with our Father in Heaven. He was healed. He was whole.

I just praise God for the hope he gives us. I praise him for the painful grief we experience. It’s a beautiful reminder of what is to come for all those who have faith in is perfect son Jesus Christ!

Well since I am already crying, I will mention the story of Eliot and the 99 balloons. My man and my mother-in-law suggest I view it. When it started, I told myself not to cry, well I managed not to cry, instead I wept. Still through all the sadness, God is working all things for His glory, and that is the beauty of it all.

our easter

Here’s a run down of our Easter Weekend:

Friday: My parents came down to stay the night. We had great BBQ and we visited some local parks.
Saturday : Boys did yard work and ate some famous southern hot dogs, while the girls went to Hobby Lobby and ate a Mexican lunch. My parents left late that afternoon and then we headed to an Easter Play.
Sunday: First church, then home to dye eggs. We ate at my man’s aunt’s house and the kids did an egg hunt. Returned home and we all snuggled up on the couch and watched Happy Feet.

I loved my weekend.

Oh, and check out my man’s blog to see an awesome video.

lead singer

Oh, don’t you love some toy electric keyboard. We have been blessed with one at our house. We’ve had it for almost two years now and some how the kids have fallen in love with it all over again. I am about ready to pry the batteries out of it and just conveniently forget to buy replacements. Even though the thing is about to drive me up the wall, it has really helped create some very memorable moments. It’s given inspiration to all three kids to form a rock band and perform for me. #1 does air guitar, #2 keyboard, and #3 is the lead vocal. I have heard songs about Power Rangers, poop, cleaning up, french fries, cats, bombs, and a bunch of random syllables that don’t make a lick of sense.

#3 has really begun to take her singing and dancing seriously. She’ll bust out a mean electric air “tar” (she can’t put the gu in the guitar), eyes closed and everything, while singing to the top of her lungs … feed it, feed it, feed it, ya um da um blah (the tune is Michael Jackson’s Beat It). It amazes me how she hears things. She heard the song … Don’t you want me baby (by Human League) and she proceeded to sing the hook all day, “Don’t you want my baby, don’t you want my baby”. It’s just so cute that we won’t correct her right away. We just giggle and tell her later once her performance is done. The downside is that she can get stuck on a tune. I mean over and louder and over and louder and over and over she will sing the same tiny bit from one song. After we’ve all heard enough of it and after asking her politely to move on, it’s like she just can’t stop herself. So I respond, “please tell your brain to stop playing that song in your head!” She just looks at me and grins and I think there is no way she could get any cuter! It’s amazing how much entertainment and joy that little person brings to our family. I am one blessed mom.

our first camping trip…

..and it was a success! The kids loved it. They all started screaming for joy when we pulled up to the camp site.

The 5 of us.

Our tent. The first morning we woke up and all 5 of us were snuggling together, it felt like heaven.

My man’s family camped with us. It was a lot of fun grilling out, eating smores, attempting to pop campfire popcorn, and just hanging out by the fire. (Camping reminded me of how much I love smores. I toasted marshmallows and made some by our gas stove after lunch today)

Cousins hiking through the woods.

Brim fish bait, or should I say “food”. The fish somehow just kept eating them off the hook. We never caught a single fish. I just couldn’t bring myself to pick a cricket up. Instead I dumped a few out on the dock, paralyzed them with my flip flop and then hooked them.