Daddy enjoyed taking Mady and Andrew out in the kayak. Andrew would go with anyone that would take him! Mady wasn't too sure about it, but quickly warmed up to it, especially when Dad started chasing the ducks and the ducks started chasing them!!
Paul kayaked a few houses down and when I looked down the canal I saw this. The pictures did not come out, I guess I had it set wrong :( It appeared that Mady became a duck whisperer (she kept watching them, pointing and whispering at them when she got back down by the house). She now thinks EVERY bird is a "du" (duck).
Thursday we got hit by a Tropical Depression. I knew nothing about it until Thursday morning. Guess you should watch or listen or read the news....even on vacation! It was quite interesting watching the water rise on the canal. All the houses have their own dock and boat ramp and we watched the water go from being no where near touching the bottom of the docks to flooding over the docks and up the seawalls.
We did not let that stop us from having fun, though. Just added to the excitement that we already experience when doing things with our brood! Paul and I and the kids went to check out the aquarium and some other "tourist attractions". A lot of the time was actually spent outside, oddly enough. But, we had a lot of fun. The aquarium was nothing to write home about. We did go see the Big Tree. It measured something like 89 feet across, 44 feet tall and 35 foot circumfrence and is over 1000 years old.
This stop went something like this: We get out of the car and wake up two sleeping kids to go look at the tree. Once we are all out we realize that there are CLOUDS of mosquitos all around. We QUICKLY go to the tree. You will notice in the pictures with Paul the boys are all scratching and slapping and rubbing their legs, but all smiling. After I snapped a couple of pics (QUICKLY), I said lets go, but Paul wanted pictures of ME with the kids. I say "Stop scratching and smile real quick so we can go!" Of course, this starts buckets of tears from two of them! So, when Dad is satisfied, we all take off RUNNING to the car. Then we have to jump in the car and try to get rid of the swarm of mosquitos that followed us!! Of course, I get the picture of the kids mad!!
Tuesday we spent on the beach. Because there were some pretty good sunburns going around, it was the only day we really spent on the beach. Wednesday we stayed in more to give sunburns time to heal. Little did we know that Thursday was not going to be a good weather day!! But, we had so much fun on the beach
We spent last week at the Texas coast. My parents got two houses on the bay and we had a family reunion. My family and the families of my three siblings, and my parents (that is 8 adults and 11 kids). We had a blast and I took a LOT of pictures. Because there is SO much to remember and so many pictures, this is going to HAVE to be split up in lots of post! So, just be expecting lots of vacation post!! In this post I am going to put lots of pictures from around the house.
Sometimes you see or hear something that kind of puts things in perspective in your life. Sometimes it can be something you hear or see ALL the time, but all of a sudden it hits you in a different way. I had a moment like that this week. I heard a song I have heard over and over, but this week I really HEARD the song.
Sanctus Real - “Lead Me" I look around and see my wonderful life Almost perfect from the outside In picture frames I see my beautiful wife Always smiling But on the inside, I can hear her saying...
“Lead me with strong hands Stand up when I can't Don't leave me hungry for love Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight That I'm still the love of your life I know we call this our home But I still feel alone”
I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes They're just children from the outside I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine They're independent But on the inside, I can hear them saying...
“Lead me with strong hands Stand up when I can't Don't leave me hungry for love Chasing dreams, but what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight That I'm still the love of your life I know we call this our home But I still feel alone”
So Father, give me the strength To be everything I'm called to be Oh, Father, show me the way To lead them Won't You lead me?
To lead them with strong hands To stand up when they can't Don't want to leave them hungry for love, Chasing things that I could give up
I'll show them I'm willing to fight And give them the best of my life So we can call this our home Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone
It is easy to see this in a Husband/Father role, but it is so much more than that. I do need my husband to be the leader of the family. But, HE can't do it alone either! There are times that I get so exhausted, stressed. frustrated and just want to give up. I need him there to pick me up, encourage me and help me. At the same time, there are times he gets exhausted, stressed, frustrated and wants to give up. Doesn't he deserve to have someone there to pick him up, encourage him and help him?
I also look at this from a parent/child role. They need someone to lead them and it cannot all fall on the father. Sometimes I wonder if I do enough. As a stay at home mom I am always here with them, but am I really HERE? Or do I spend too much time just trying to make it through another day? Do I REALLY hear what they are saying? Do I really take an interest in what they are doing? When they ask to do something with me do I too frequently say "some other time?"
I can really relate to this song because of the number of years my husband was gone traveling for work so often. I many times have said those words and wondered what it was all for. As hard as it was to pack up our family and move to Louisiana, I KNOW without a doubt it was the right choice. It was our way of fighting for our family and showing our children that the chase is not worth it if we are not ALL in it together and that their happiness is important and that we want them to feel loved.
So, all I can do is pray! Pray that the Lord will lead me to be the wife I am supposed to be. To help me never let my husband wonder if he is the love of my life. To actually LIVE our life, instead of just going through the motions of life. Help me let him know without a doubt that I can be his rock as much as I need him to be mine.
And that I can also be the mother I am supposed to be. To always let my children know that they are wanted, loved and worthy of my time and attention. Help me show them that they never have to look for that love or attention somewhere else. Open my ears more and my mouth less. Help me realize and remember that sometimes they don't want or need a solution, but just someone to talk to and be understanding of what they are going through.
I know I will make mistakes. I just pray that they will forgive me and that I can forgive myself and learn from them.
Mostly, I just pray that the Lord will lead me with HIS strong hands and make me the best person I can be for my family so that my children can grow up and be the best people they can be. Sometimes it can be really hard, but it is a fight worth fighting!
As previously posted (I think), when Isaac was in Texas visiting Nana and Grandpa Jim, they got him a private golf lesson. I knew he would like it but I had no clue how much he would love it! He even watched the US Open on tv when he was at their house. While he was there he was given some jr golf clubs which he anxiously awaited the arrival of after he got home (the clubs were sent fedex instead of trying to get them on an airplane).
Golf is a good sport for Isaac for many reasons. For one, he is ADD (no hyperactivity, just has a really hard time concentrating). He is on medicine right now and it is working great. He only gets the medicine when he is really needing to concentrate on something (like school). After 6-8 hours it is completely out of his system. However, I do not want him to forever be dependent on medicine to be able to concentrate. Golf is a game of focus and concentration (not that I know much about the game). I am hoping that through playing the game he will learn to focus and concentrate without medicine.
Secondly, Isaac's self esteem took a HUGE hit this past school year, as did his confidence. I want him to find something that is "his". Something that he can excel at, at his own pace, without having brothers to compare himself to or compete with. Anything that makes him feel better about himself.
It seems we may have found that something.
This week he is doing a golf camp. It is through First Tee. The First Tee is an organization that teaches life skills through the game of golf. They golf, but they also do mind-stimulating games, teach and encourage self confidence and build self-esteem. When I was talking to the man that is in charge of the program I was telling him some of Isaac's struggles and what we were looking for and he said I had just described their program.
His camp has about 15 kids and probably about 8 coaches. The coaches look like they are college aged. The kids have to be 9 by the end of the year to be able to be in the camp. Isaac just barely squeezed in (his birthday is December 20). He is the youngest child there, although "the boss" as Isaac was calling him until I told him his name, said that really he and Isaac were the only two that knew he was only 8 because he is the same size as everyone else.
When I dropped him off the first morning I asked the guy to look at Isaac's clubs and make sure they would work. After he looked at them, he said they were fine but might be a little small. They had some jr clubs for sale and for the clubs and a bag with the built in stand it was $75. Before I had a chance to say anything the guy said he had some clubs they had gotten with a grant and not everyone that signed up for whatever they were gotten for had shown up. So he had some clubs he could give Isaac. Isaac got a $75 set of clubs for free (second set of free clubs in a two week period)!
On his first day, right before I got there to pick him up at 4, he managed to sit in an ant pile. He had taken his shoes off to get sand out of them and when he sat down to put them back on he sat in ants. Somehow, before he even realized he was in ants he was COVERED in ants. When I walked in to get him the instructor was kneeling in front of Isaac rubbing alcohol all over his legs to make the burning stop.
Between golfing in the heat, getting eaten alive by ants and then the benadryl I gave him when he got home, I was SURE he would pass out from exhaustion. Nope. Dad got home from work and as normal, before Dad even got the door closed Isaac was asking if they could go golf. And they did. And he does every evening after dinner.
I have talked to the head of the program several times when I was picking Isaac up and asked what he thought of how Isaac was doing. He said that he was keeping up with the best of the group and working hard. He said he was very respectful (which has never been a problem with him) and seemed to truly love the game. He also said that he asked a lot of questions. The only problem he had noticed was that Isaac was getting hot easily (which he always has) and needed a couple of more breaks than the other kids, but after he took a very short break, he was ready to go again.
Most of the kids in the camp have been golfing for a while. They come decked out in their Callaway golf attire, have their wheeled bag caddys (whatever they are called), etc. Isaac does not let that discourage him. He says that there are several that are REALLY good, but his coaches have told him that they are a little older and they ALL started where Isaac is at. So instead of it discouraging him, he is looking at it more like "If I work hard, that is where I can be"
It is so exciting for his Dad and I to see our very mellow, laid back child become so happy and passionate about something. He keeps asking me to buy him things like the golf shoes, the bag caddy, etc and I keep telling him we have to wait and see if he is going to stick with it. To be completely honest, I do not see this going away any time soon. Even when he comes home tired he still wants to play more. He even wants to take his clubs on vacation with him. I swear if he thought he could get away with it he would sleep with them!
I was once told when I was younger that I would know when I was in love when he was the first thing I thought about when I opened my eyes in the morning and the last thing I thought of when I closed my eyes at night and in between those times he was always on my mind. And that, even when it hurt you still wanted more.
Y'all probably think this blog has been abandoned, but it hasn't. Something about summer/five kids/summer school/golf camp/vacation coming up/yada yada yada/LIFE makes finding the time to get on this blog a little difficult. I have been walking in the evenings after I put the kids to bed so by the time I get time to get on here, I am passing out!
Here are just some pictures from the last couple of weeks. I will be posting as soon as I get another minute about Isaac and golf camp, but my daughter roars, so I must get off of this!!
I have been talking to Isaac and Nana (although Isaac doesn't really talk back to me) a couple of times a day since he left Wednesday. They have been doing a good job keeping me updated on what is going on there.
Yesterday morning he went swimming at his great-grandparents house. He has always been a hang-out-at-the-steps kinda kid. Since we don't have a pool, or access to a pool, the only time he gets to swim is when we are at a hotel or in Dallas. Needless to say, neither happens too often, so he doesn't get much practice or time to get used to being in the water.
He ventured away from the steps yesterday! By the afternoon swimming at the country club, he was going all the way underwater! So, on the way home they stopped and got him goggles and a snorkel for Nana's pool. (he is SURROUNDED by pools there!!!)
He had his golf lesson yesterday. One on one. He was even given his own club and a hat! Nana said he loved it. She said he paid close attention and tried really hard! By the end he was actually hitting the balls! When they got home last night, he and his uncle went between two houses and started hitting practice balls. Even then, she said he was really taking his time and making sure his feet were right, his stance was right, etc. And, he was hitting the balls!!
When they called after the golf lessons and swimming at the country club, it was the only time since he left that he actually talked! He was VERY excited!!! Not only did he call and talk to ME, but when he hung up with me he called Dad to tell him about it! He said he loved golf. I can see lots of trips to the park the remainder of the summer (EARLY in the morning) so he can practice. I just wish he had someone around that knew more about it. Paul and I both have clubs, but I don't really know how to play and don't have the time to learn. Paul knows how to play, but only has the weekends. But, it would be a great father-son thing for them to do together.
I am so happy to hear him so excited! He more than deserves it.
Nana called last night while he was in the pool. He only had 15 minutes to swim, so when she called and asked Isaac if he wanted to talk, I told her he didn't have to stop swimming to talk to me if he didn't want to. He came and talked (more like listened) to me. I was in the middle of a sentence and he says "okay, bye!" and handed the phone back to Nana. NO TIME FOR HIS MAMA!!
Today was my birthday. I went to bed 30 and woke up.....THIRTEEN!!!
After a long day of three year old temper tantrums and getting a one year old out of....well, everything (over and over) and dealing with her screams of disapproval, my husband found the perfect way to end my day! He came home, baked me a cake and then put my candles backwards!
I also had a neighbor bring me a batch of cookies and card, another neighbor that is taking me to dinner tomorrow night (NO KIDS!), and my boys each gave me one of their beloved silly bands as gifts!
Although, I did miss having Isaac with me, I am glad he is having fun and I had a pretty good day!!
Now, I am probably the only 13 year old that WANTS to go to bed at 9 pm....but I think I might give it a shot! (Yes, Emily...I am probably the only 13 year old with five kids too....just let me have the moment please!!).
Isaac was picked up today by Uncle Steve and Nana to go to Dallas until Sunday. He has a very busy few days planned. He is going to a airline museum in the am, private golf lessons tomorrow afternoon, a tour of the country club after that. Friday they are going to Six Flags. Saturday he is spending the day with his Aunt Lindsay who was talking about taking him to the movies or to Medieval Times.
He has been so excited about the trip! He has worked so hard this past school year (and so far this summer), so I am glad he is getting to have some fun!
He took his camera with him. If he comes home with any good pics, I will put them on here. Here are some pics of the kids and the airplane.
helping Uncle Steve put gas in the plane
Bryce and Nana
Andrew and Nana
Settling in
Andrew screamed for about an hour and a half - starting when Isaac got in the plane. "I want to go to Nana's!" "I want to fly in the plane!" were heard a lot. BUT, "I don't want Isaac to go bye-bye!!" was heard the most! OVER AND OVER!!!! He finally fell asleep. When he woke up he was talking about Isaac, but he has not started having tantrums about him being gone again, yet!
They called to let me know they got there a little while ago. Nana said Isaac had lots of good questions about the different instruments and what they do and different things he saw from the air. I am glad his first plane trip went good (hopefully the second one - on Sunday, on a commercial flight - will be as good of an experience!!
I made my rounds checking on the kids before I went to bed last night. I never really know what I am going to find when I open a door. Some might still be awake and reading (or playing). Some might be asleep on the floor (Mads frequently prefers her shaggy pink rug oversleeping in her bed). Some may be asleep with a bed full of anything and everything. Here is what I found in one room last night:
Wherever his dreams take him, at least SOME part of this crazy (but cute) child will be prepared for ANYTHING!!!
Madeleine has never been a huge fan of the car. We go through some periods of time where she is more tolerant than others. Right now, we are going through a not-so-tolerant period!!
I took this video this weekend while we were in the car running errands (I am NOT driving!). Unfortunately, there is a glare on the window, so you cannot see a vital part of the video. Mads will be crying and we put her window down and she immediately stops. When we put her window back up, she immediately starts crying again!
Could be a REALLY LONG (and wind-blown) 7 hours to the beach!!
That is the best way to describe my life right now! Yes, my challenges are MINUTE compared to what many people are going through. I know this! I think I am slowly being prepared for what is to come in the oh-too-near future that life with four boys and all the "glory" that will come with that.
Oh, don't worry, I have not forgotten about the girl. I think she was our gift just so we don't get too comfortable with raising boys. We would not ever want to believe we had become "pros" at raising children (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!)
I always wanted a big family (as did "we" when I became we). Equal amounts of boys and girls (alternating boy than girl than boy, etc). Evenly spread out. Perfect amounts of sibling love and rivalry (obviously much more love than rivalry). Life would always be fun and exciting and for the most part calm.
If you know my life and family, you are laughing with me right now!! That was MY plan. If there is one thing He has taught me it is definitely that MY plan is just that, MY plan. His plan, however, is THE plan. So, I can tell Him what I think should happen and what I want to happen, but He knows best!
I am a girly girl. I would be happy wearing heels everyday. I get up each morning and put my make-up on. I spend time every morning trying to decide what I am going to wear everyday - even though I know I will be at home taking care of my house and family. I like pretty things. I want to take care of what I have. I like things to be CLEAN! I am totally aware and okay with my OCD (especially when it comes to my house being picked up and at least semi-clean).
I don't like bugs. I prefer not to get too dirty (although I do like being outdoors). I don't like chasing frogs and lizards and snakes. I don't think anything in the rat family is cool. I don't care to spend my time discussing bodily functions, or seeing who can make the loudest or stinkiest.....well you know (again, really don't care to discuss them). I don't enjoy going outside on a hot day and having a competition with my siblings to see who can turn the most purple and have the most sweat dripping off of me. These things are just not my idea of fun.
This is me. This is how God made me, how I am wired.
You gotta love God's sense of humor!
If you take the two paragraphs above of my likes and dislikes, turn them around and you have four of my five children. If I like it, they are not interested. If I dislike it, they not only like it, they LOVE it!!! They also love to see me squirm. So, they like to do things like put slugs on my front door knob while they are waiting for a school bus. Even though they don't get to SEE my reaction when I go to open the door and spot the slug sliming around on it, they know how I am going to react and that is enough for them.
Mads, at this point, is the perfect combination of a girly girl and a tomboy. She already loves dress-up, shoes, purses, shopping, getting her nails painted, etc. But, she will put on her tutu and accessories and go play in mud puddles. She wants to be outside running around with her brothers. Bugs don't bother her in the least. She loves smelling flowers. When she has had enough of her brothers, she lets them know in a blood-curdling squeal of a scream. She talks ALL.THE.TIME (NO idea where she gets that from).
The kids ages are spread out so much that we are getting experiences from many stages all at one time. We have two "tweens", one almost a full blown teen and one just entering the tween phase. We have one stuck in the middle, not quite a tween, but not a preschooler either. We have a preschooler and we have a toddler. Each phase comes with its own challenges. Then they feed off of each other. The oldest likes to pick on and antagonize the younger. The younger want to be just like the older. The one in the middle can act like the older kids and hang with them or throw a temper tantrum bigger than the little kids.
Although the challenges are seen daily, they are obviously much worse during the summer when none of them get much of a break from each other. They all want their parents attention, but they all want it in different ways. Some push us away, but put out hints that there are certain things we do that they really like but don't want to admit too. For example, I have one that says how embarrassing it is when I write notes and put in lunch boxes or stand outside and say "huggy huggy kissy kissy have a great day", but if I quit writing notes I get little comments like "there is a kid in my class who has a note from his mom in his lunch box EVERY day." He doesn't say that is cool or isn't cool, just points it out. I take that as "I want a note too!!" And, if I DON'T get out the door quick enough when the bus is spotted, I have boys that come in several times as it comes down the street to say "the bus is about to be here Mom...where are you?" Those are signs to me that they WANT that attention, but don't want to admit that they want it. Andrew is used to have lots of attention during the day (as is Mads), so when there are three more people here to "compete" with there are lots of screams, attitudes, fighting, etc.
I always heard if you have an odd number of kids, someone is always left out. I see this being true too. We definitely have children that always play together and it is usually the same child that is always left out. They all know which buttons to push to annoy everyone (including their parents). I am constantly having to correct someone for something. There is little relaxation between the hours of 7 am (if we are lucky) and 9 pm.
Several times a day I feel like a failure. When the kids are in bed I question if they each got enough attention and what can I do better tomorrow. I feel like I get frustrated way too easy, way too often. Patience is something I frequently pray for more of. I see my children struggle with something and then I struggle with feeling like it is my fault (even when I know it isn't).
I know this is all part of parenting, and we all go through these struggles and challenges. Sometimes they are all a bit overwhelming. But, when I see how quickly they are growing up it makes me want to try a little harder and enjoy the phases we are in a bit more. It makes me thank God for everything he has blessed us with and appreciate His sense of humor even more. After all, who doesn't love a good challenge (or 5)?
I am going to try and do a quick update on everything that has been going on here lately! We are trying to adjust to summer and having everyone home all day, so I have not been blogging much.
The boys are very glad to be out of school. Isaac is doing a "summer academy" through his school this summer. One month of four day school weeks, 8:30-11:30. It is not an actual summer school, he is not forced to go to it. It is an optional summer program to get a little more one on one help and help get him ready for third grade. I wanted him to go since he is still not completely caught up from what he fell behind on last year, but he WANTS to go - so that makes it much easier!
Caleb found out that a friend from school lives in our neighborhood and has been spending a lot of time with him. Although they go between the two houses, our house is the less cool one because his friend has an awesome pool in his backyard!! He is at an age where he wants some more independence, and I am glad I can give it to him while still keeping him close!
Paul was out of town the first full week of summer. That was some horrible timing, but we survived and my hair didn't gray too much more! We spent Memorial Day weekend catching up on some much needed work outside. Paul got home Thursday at lunch and took Friday off, so we had a four and a half day weekend.
Monday we had some friends come over and Paul made and AWESOME brisket. They brought homemade potato salad (also YUMMY), beans and bread. And then, of course, there was dessert! They have two little boys, so we opened the sandbox, turned on the sprinklers, filled up the little pool (for the little kids) and turned them loose!! Luckily, in the shade the weather wasn't too unbearable.
Mady started feeling bad on Friday afternoon. We thought she was having asthma problems, so we were keeping a close eye on her and praying we did not have to make a trip to the ER. Luckily, she never had any bad episodes, but she was running fever, had a horrible cough and runny nose, So Tuesday morning we took her to see the dr. She had a bad sinus infection that was turning into bronchitis. He put her on an antibiotic and told us to give her a cough expectorant during the day and a cough suppressant at night. Needless to say, nights have been long! Lots of waking up crying, lots of early mornings....in other words, the normal but worse!
After we got home from the dr yesterday, everyone was lying down and quiet. Isaac got up and threw up. Seemed fine after that. Andrew got up with a fever. Mads got up with a fever of 102.5. The boys seem fine today though and Mads seems to be doing a little better.
We have a busy month this month. We have our anniversary this weekend, my birthday, Bryce's birthday (which we are going to do a small party for I think), which is also on Father's Day this year (poor Daddy has to share ALL his holidays). Isaac will be going to Dallas the middle of the month and staying with Nana and Grandpa Jim, and we will be going on a family vacation the end of the month. Plus, Isaac's school four mornings a week. I will try to keep up the blog, but if I fall behind that is why.
I will try to get the boys awards/musical post up soon from the end of the school year.
In a little more than a nutshell:
I am married with 5 boys and we just got our (surprise) little girl. I should probably clarify by letting you know that only 4 of the boys are young children, the other one just acts like a young child. I am very girly, which makes for an interesting life - living in a house dominated by males (in all their glory). I blog so that maybe someday the kids can look back at this and see what they put me through - and what they can expect from their kids, someday!! Also, so that our family in far away lands can keep up with what is going on in our crazy lives.
When my husband first saw this title, he asked if it was because I was supposed to be THE dandelion surrounded by mud (all the boys). I guess it could mean that, but I read this one day and it really touched my heart and made me think:
When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.
When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away. My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.
When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen. My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.
When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.
When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that. My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."
When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets. My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.
I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children! Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. - Author Unknown
