5 minute Friday

I am starting five minute friday. This is where I take five minutes and post something. Only five minutes. If I run out of things to say, I'll stop early and if I run out of time I may stop mid sentence. But surely I can fit five minutes into this day to post something.

This week has been crazy (whats new?). Christian started out the week sick. Fever, cough. Not sick enough to keep him flat in bed, just sick enough he had to stay home and talk NON STOP with a froggy voice.

Oh! And just a quick story about how truly airheaded my THIRTEEN year old son is...Gary asked Christian to take the turkey out of the deepfreeze so it could thaw out a little (we brined it, posted earlier). So C comes up and says,"Dad, I couldn't get it out of the bucket, the water is like frozen around it."

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! He was going to place a RAW turkey on the CONCRETE FLOOR of my storage room. SERIOUSLY?!

Running out of time! Okay, baby has croup. Poor girl. Oh and with sick kids we couldnt go to Garys sisters for Thanksgiving so we threw it together here. then a christmas carol movie with Jim Carrey which i slept through because i have been up every night with a sick baby.

Still, its been a nice holiday and I have much to be thankful for. And no I didnt go Black Friday Shopping. Waiting for payday to go Christmas shopping :-/

Quynn's first words

Six months... SIX MONTHS I have been teaching her to say, "Ma ma ma ma ma".


Tonight she is laying on a blanket singing, "Da da da da da da!"

Turkey Time

My turkey is in the bucket. Is yours? It should be! :-D

Here's how to do it!

The busiest time of year

Feeling overwhelmed. This time of year is just a thrasher for me, and this year more than ever. Every year we set our Christmas trees (yes, three to be exact) up on November 1st. That's right NOVEMBER FIRST. Well, it takes about a week to get it all up but that is the day we generally start. In fact Gary has the boxes out on Halloween.

I love Christmas and especially the decorations. I love it when the lights are off in the house and only the warm glow of Christmas lights illuminate the room. I love seeing the ornaments that I bought, one for each year to express what we did that year as a family.

I love seeing my collection of snow globes, one for each year of marriage. Some that sing and others that light up. So beautiful.

I love to see the little Christmas village that I hand painted in years past when I had more time.



This year...NOTHING. I have set up NOTHING!!!

I told my kids that when they started keeping the house clean all week long that I would put up Christmas decorations. See, they are great about getting the house clean on Saturdays, but to think of three trees, or even one tree fitting in my house right now, between all the backpacks, baby toys, game controllers, shoes, etc. etc. etc.? I just can't do it.

And now here we are getting into real crunch time with the recital. We are so very unprepared at this point. I know you are all thinking, "dude, its a month away". (Okay, maybe you don't think the word "dude" as much as I do but whatever.) We have practice this week, followed by a two week break because of thanksgiving. Just enough time to forget everything they have learned. One more practice week, and then dress rehearsal. AGH!

We only started the opener last week. And a several classes have not finished learning their dance for the recital!

Not to mention (You know I hate it when people say that and then mention it anyway. Sort of an oxymoron don't you think?) all the stage notes and emails and schedules, programs and fliers I have to figure out, type up, and disperse, as well as decorate 15 or so tomato cages to look like trees, make 30 huge snow flakes, and wrap at least 3 more giant boxes.

All this and just the regular day to day life of raising 5 kids. Quynn is just amazing, I enjoy her so much, but the kid takes time, you know?

My play time with my friends is constant work. Our GNO has turned into sewing parties to finish our costumes for the recital. (Which, by the way, are going to be so fun!) And Lisa (my bff) is adding on to her home. So we are picking fireplaces, flooring, cabinets, fixtures, stonework, stucco, floor plans, window styles and sizes, and more. It is so fun, but just time consuming. You may be thinking, so split up and each do your own thing. Trust me, we both do better with help from the other and I honestly believe we accomplish more together. Plus, I need some fun in life.

Life is crazy right now to say the least. Deep breaths. DEEP BREATHS!

And It Came To Pass

I was just thinking about where I was on Halloween a year ago compared to this year.

One year ago I was sitting with my very sick son in the hospital. Christian had his appendix burst the week of Halloween and we spent six days in the hospital. I was sleeping on a cot in his hospital room with a bad case of Plantar Fasciitous. Christian was sad because he had his costume all planned to wear my black leather biker jacket and go as a biker for Halloween. Very tough and great way to impress the girls.

This year he didn't quite pull together his costume. He was going to go as a kissing booth closed due to the Swine Flu outbreak. But five minutes before the kids were leaving to trick or treat he still had nothing. A couple of years ago I went as a Gypsy and told him he could go as that (half joking of coarse). He thought it was a great idea and 5 minutes later he was in a skirt, make-up, jewelry, and had long gray hair.

I dressed up too. I was a pirate. So together we made a cute couple.

Last year I my heart was filled with prayer. Prayer that my son would get better and so much gratitude for good doctors and medical advancements. Prayer that I would be able to hold the barf bag for my son and not throw up myself. Prayer that the tiny baby growing inside of me would thrive and grow. Desperately praying that I would not have to go through another miscarriage. Prayer for my husband who was home with Strep throat and a high fever on Halloween. Prayer for my other three children who were shipped off with friends to trick-or-treat. Prayer that by some miracle I could pay all the medical bills that I had coming in my future. Little did I know they would only get bigger.

This year my heart is filled with prayer too. Gratitude for FIVE healthy kids. Grateful for a beautiful healthy baby who got to be a ladybug for Halloween. Grateful that I am healthy and feeling good. Grateful to have a wonderful husband who has held my hand the past almost 15 years and held me up the past year. Gratitude that my kids could go trick-or-treating with their dad this year and I could be home and answer the door for all my cute dancers and primary kids.

As for medical bills, they did indeed get bigger. Boston had a cyst in his neck removed last winter and this summer Christian had to have a hernia operation. Then there are of coarse the bills from having this beautiful baby. All I can say is thank goodness for payment plans. I just keep remembering, this too shall pass.

For sure, this year is much better than last year. Maybe the best Halloween I have ever had. And though I wouldn't want to do it again, I can see how much these trials have changed me. The time I spent in the hospital brought me so much closer to Christian. Obviously I am closer to my Heavenly Father for going through these trials. Am I more grateful for this baby than I was for my others? I dont think so but I have never taken having a baby for grantid. It is a miracle any time a baby makes it here. I am finding joy in the simple things. I recognize that I am truly blessed and that my Heavenly Father loves me.

Happy Haloween.