My Trough

Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
Proverbs 14:4

This morning I am faced with baking a rainbow cake for Katie's birthday party tomorrow, finishing sewing Katie's (and Hudson's) birthday present, and cleaning my house--all before 1:00 P.M. I'm feeling overwhelmed, so I got on the computer. Actually, I got on the computer to look up the rainbow cake instructions, but got sidetracked.

I've been lamenting the fact that lately my house never seems to be clean. We've spent a huge amount of time at basketball games lately, and it seems like I do school and clean all day, but when we leave in the evenings, the little kids mess it all up again. It's a never ending cycle. Imagine how many more times our toilets get flushed each day compared to the average household of two working parents, with two public schooled kids.

My point is, I've got a lot of oxen.

That's the way we planned it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel comforted to know that it's scriptural that my house isn't spotless. It most likely won't ever be, because by the time all of my children are grown and gone, I'll have a houseful of grandchildren running around.

I'm going to go get the strength of my oxen moving, and we'll have this place ship-shape in no time.

Thankful Thursday

~Today is Katie's 6th birthday. She is such a joy. Girls are so different from boys, and I'm enjoying each and every moment of her transformation from little girl to big girl. I'm so thankful for her. I'll post more about Katie later.



~Today our friend Julie lost her fight with cancer and is now safe in the arms of Jesus. It breaks my heart that her husband and children will not have the privilege of growing old with her. God is in control. Always. Like it or not. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to know her and be her friend.

"A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Winter Formal 2010

Alex and Jackson decided that they wanted to attend the annual Winter Formal at the school this year.

Alex invited Jordin.

Jackson went with Abbie.

"Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings." Proverbs 31:3

Hudson's 3rd Birthday

Back on January 9th Hudson turned three. We celebrated by having family over and eating cake and ice cream. I think perhaps this was the last sunny day we've had all month.

When I asked Hudson to smile for me, this is what I got.

We have a rule around our house. You can't have your third birthday until you're potty-trained. Well, Hudson made a valiant effort, and did quite well for several weeks. Once his birthday was over and he had collected his loot, he regressed and has not been very successful lately. Why, after training seven other children, is this one so difficult?

Aside from the potty issues, Hudson is a joy to have around. He is generally a happy little guy, and is talking up a storm. He definitely knows how to make his wishes known. He recently discovered the TV show 'Yo Gabba Gabba', and would be content to sit mindlessly in front of the TV all day watching it. From my perspective, a little of that goes a loooooong way. He's also a big Diego fan. He enjoys building with blocks and playing Mario Kart on the Wii.

We love you Hudson!

"When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother," Proverbs 4:3

New Year's Eve

We hosted our annual NYE party again this year. Our kids are growing, and the number of people who come keeps growing, but we love it!

We rented the gym at the middle school so we could play all evening. I tried counting bodies at one time, and came up with 49. I can't say for sure that that is accurate, since everyone was moving at the time. We had bbq pork sandwiches, chips, lots of snacks, cake, and juice.

Colton and Ashleigh

Jocee, Naomi and Katie

Big boys playing basketball

Sam, Jackson, Jordin and Chelsea

Noah and Jeff

More big boys playing basketball

Jeff helping Julie do the rip-stick

I wanted so badly to get a picture of all of the kids. Reagan graduates from high school this year, and I'm afraid we won't all be together for many more years. But I forgot. I'm still kicking myself.

As usual, we ate too much, slept too little, and had a GREAT time. On New Year's Day we moved the party to Troy and Theresa's house, and ate even more. We really enjoy this tradition, and hope to continue it in the future.

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

Christmas 2009

Better late than never, huh?

Here are a few pictures from our celebrations. We went to my parents on Christmas Eve, opened gifts at home Christmas morning, then met Shannon's family on Christmas afternoon.











The family finally convinced me to put up a tree again this year. I'm a bit of a Scrooge, and hate the mess and clutter of getting Christmas decorations out. But alas, I complied. Shannon and the kids did the decorating. I didn't get any pictures of the tree, though. After decorating the tree, we turned out all of the lights to admire our work. I was in the living room reading a book, and suddenly heard Colton, Katie, Naomi and Hudson singing 'Away in the Manger'. I glanced into the dining room, and they were standing arm in arm, swaying back and forth as they sang in front of the tree.

I guess that's why we should decorate a tree each year.

This year, because we were running out of time and the weather was less than desirable, we bought a once live tree at Home Depot rather than picking one and chopping our own down. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. I even managed to have all of the gifts wrapped a couple days before Christmas.

We hope you all had a blessed holiday season.

"The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him." Proverbs 20:7

What 40 looks like

Shannon turned 40 on December 21st. We celebrated by going out for dinner the day before, and we surprised him with cake at the office. He just keeps getting better and better!

"For the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught." Proverbs 3:26

Hudson's New Look

It seems lately that any time I get the camera out and aim it at Hudson, this is his reaction.



How long can I expect this to last?

"A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin." Proverbs 26:28

Thankful Thursday

I'm way behind on blogging. It seems that dealing with children, school, keeping up the house, cooking, various projects, and multiple basketball games each week have taken up all of my time. Maybe I'll catch up and post some holiday pictures, maybe not. Time will tell.

*I'm thankful for my Homeschool Tracker program on my laptop. It keeps all of my student's lesson plans organized, and let's them know what needs to be done each day.

*I'm thankful for my sewing machine. I'm working on a project for the little kids, and it would be a monstrous undertaking if I had to sew by hand.

*I'm thankful for our dog, Checkers. He loves us.

*I'm thankful Jackson didn't need stitches when he got bonked in the head while playing basketball. Although it bled a lot, it was just a little scratch.

*I'm thankful for Shannon.

*I'm thankful for my warm house.

*I'm thankful we were able to get a replacement disc for Chase's broken science disc at a fraction of the original cost.

*I'm thankful that I only have one more load of laundry to do today.

"The integrity of the upright will guide them..." Proverbs 11:3a

Thankful Thursday

~I am thankful for snow. Shannon is staying home with us this afternoon, and bringing pizza with him!

~I am thankful for pull-ups. Hudson is having his ups and downs with the whole potty-training thing.

~I am thankful for slippers. My feet are chilly.

~I am thankful for God's protection. Alex went in the ditch last night, but was not injured.

~I am thankful for my girls. They make me smile.

~I am thankful for my boys. They keep me on my toes.

~I am thankful for the holiday break we got from school. I needed it. Too bad we can't take a semester break...

~I am thankful for my friends. They recharge my batteries.

~I'm thankful for my nail gun. It helps me finish lots of projects, and it's fun to use.

~I'm thankful for Shannon. Just because.

~I'm thankful for our corn stove. It makes it nice and toasty warm in our house.

"Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way." Proverbs 23:7