Finally...An Update

So sorry that it has been so long since the last update. We have had such a busy summer with Drama Camp and all the birthdays. We are now back at school so we are getting into a really nice routine now. I am very hopeful that we will be having a very productive year! The kids spent the day with Grandma a few weeks ago, and they made the following video. It was a great lesson in family history. Enjoy! PS----> I promise to update more frequently!

Just click on the link under the picture:)


Story of Broken Door Lady

Lily's Birth Photos...

I did this video a few months ago, and I forgot to put it on the blog. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFmJhunREh0

Happy 4th of July

Well, we had a great 4th of July at my moms. I took some pics and put together this little video. Enjoy!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvAnj4Eu4tU

The Beach...

Well we finally made it to the beach. It took us long enough, but boy have we been busy around here. The kids had a ball, and Lily was so into the whole beach thing. She even had the great pleasure of meeting a wave with her face. She didn't even shed a tear or make a whimper. She just wanted back down in the water:) Somehow in the hurry I managed to take a few photos, and the following is the end result of that...

A Day At The Beach

CAST - Sibling Switch

The Callahan Area Show Theater wrapped up their latest shows this month. The gang worked on the play Sibling Switch. I made the following video from some pictures we took. Enjoy!


Callahan Area Show Theater - CAST

Lily and Some of Her First Steps...

Here is a video of Lily taking some of her first steps while visiting Gammy. Sorry for the camera angle, but it does change half way through.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TomgeonOJV4

Happy Spring...Or at least it should be...

Wow! Is is really Easter? I was sure this morning when I got up it felt like Christmas. This is Florida for goodness sake it should be 90 today. Anyway, we had a very nice day at my Grandma's on Saturday. The kids hunted eggs, and ate candy. That is all they really need to be happy:) LOL!

Mom and Lily at naptime.

Monica and Mandy hanging out during the egghunt.

Uncle Kurt gives hunting instructions.

Mandy, Elizabeth, Bella, Thomas, Ryne, Joseph, Caroline, Lily and Alicia.

Aunt Karen and Aunt Barbara working on Grandma's computer.

Bella, Thomas, Ryne, Lily and Alicia.

A Rocker is Born...

Well, after a year of begging Thomas has his mohawk. He would like it colored like a rainbow, but I am pretty sure that is not gonna happen anytime in the immediate future. He loves his new do, and has had some really cute comments from people that have seen him out in public.

Lily is 8 Months Old!!

Lily is eight months old, and I really can not believe it. She still hasn't walked yet, but it is only a matter of days. She is standing on her own without support. She is saying mama and dada now! YAY!! She is eating everything I give her so not complaints there. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Ryne works on a new career...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT3Ntyyfrrc

We had our play rehearsals on Monday night, and on the way home Ryne decided to video the gang in the back seat. They were singing a song by The Killers. Watch the ending Thomas just made me laugh!

Thank All That Is Good For Spring!

Alicia and Ringo playing outside together.

Lily wearing moms hat from Mexico.

I am so ready for spring. The weather is getting so nice, and I barely use the air conditioner or heater right now. I am going to try and take some pics of all the pretty birds that have been hanging around the last few weeks. They love my big yard, and I really enjoy watching them. The kids have been outside everyday playing. It is so nice, and the house is so quiet when they are out. They built a playhouse under the grapevine, and spend alot of time hanging out there.

That said the kids are doing pretty good. We are having some major bedtime problems. They are getting older, and honestly tired of sleeping in the same room. All of a sudden everyone is driving everyone else nuts. The only thing I can think of is to work extra hard and hurry the process up of buying a new house.

Not much else to report right now. I will post soon....

Sorry It's Been So Long...

Hello everyone! I am so sorry that this post is so late. I have been getting over one of the worst colds ever. I believe that I can say with great confidence that everyone is finally well in our house. It has been one heck of a cold season, and I for one am ready for some really warm weather. I love living here when it is hot. I love the hot weather!

The kids are getting ready for their next play. We had auditions last night. I forgot my camera, but I will make sure I take it next week for the second part. We will be doing Chicken Little in the children's theater. I wrote the script, and I think it came out pretty good. I am trying to find some placed to incorporate some music into it. I think we will have a great production. The kids just love doing it, and they really are making some great friends. It is a really nice social outlet for them.

The kids finished up the unit study on the Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They really enjoyed it. They did a good job, and I am even more convinced now that unit study for the most part is a great way to go. We are working on animal adaptation and evolution right now. They loved the books we read, and now we will start the research part. I will take some pictures when they give their oral reports and post them.

Lily is going strong, and is now 7 months. I can not believe that she is that old. We started signing to her the last few weeks. She just loves it when you sign. She gets all excited and smiles really big. I think she will pick this up pretty quick.

Well, that will do it for now. I will try and post some more next week. I promise:)

Bella hanging out in my room showing off her nails Gammy did.

Lily tasting the computer. Hmmm That's Good!

Thomas playing Singstar one cold afternoon.

Bella, Alicia, and part of Ryne playing Singstar one cold afternoon.

Gammy's birthday party! Happy Birthday Gammy!!

Lily's appointment and weekly update...

Lily had her 6 month checkup last Thursday, and it went very well. She is weighing in at 15.1 lbs which puts her around 30th percentile I believe. She is 26 1/4" long which puts her in the 70th percentile for length. She is running pretty average from what Dr. Miles said. She is crawling, standing and anticipating that first step. I can see her little brain considering it. I just hope I have a camera close by for it. I missed the triplets and Thomas. She is eating well, and Dr. Miles was very pleased with her progress. Her next appointment will be at 9 months.

I think that everyone is finally getting well. That is except for me. I have a fever at the moment and feel pretty much like crap, but I will survive. Oh Dang It! Now I have that song in my head. It is on the Chicken Little CD and I have been listening to it for the last 2 weeks. Now I need to think of another song or that one will be in my head all day. I hate that when it happens:(

Lily started biting yesterday, and not only legs and arms but Ninnies. Yes, it hurts like a dickens! She started this out of the blue yesterday afternoon after her nap. I have been trying to offer her the breast more to cut down on her night feeds, and when I offered before she was ready yesterday she took a great big clamp of a bite on my ninney. I screamed and she just laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever done ever. She bit again and I screamed again and she laughed again. I tried all the tricks, and even called Rae. When we went to bed last night she nursed with only a nibble and went right to sleep. Unfortunately she nursed all night, and between her the rest of the kids and the dog next door I am exhausted. I have let her decide when she wants to nurse instead of trying to get her to nurse, and that has slowed the biting down. If she starts to clamp down I just took her off and walked away. I think it is working. Keep your fingers crossed! LOL!

Well, The only other thing to report is Busta is heading to Nicaragua as I am typing this. His uncle wanted him to visit for the week. He will be home next Sunday.

A Busy Few Days...

It has been a crazy week so far and we are only half way to the weekend. We just got back from taking Alicia to the dentist. She had to have a tooth taken out, and she is really uncomfortable right now. I snapped a picture of her watching tv a few minutes ago. I put it on the end of this post. I hope she feels better tomorrow. Poor Baby!

We have been on overdrive with school this week. I started the guys on a new theme unit, and they are really enjoying it. We are learning about the underground railroad and the civil war. They are really interested in the materials, and tomorrow I am assigning them each a topic to research online for an oral report to give on Friday. We are also going to make a large map out of different materials to represent the maps used by slaves to find the underground railroad. I only have to mention craft project, and I have their full attention. They are so anxious for that project.

Lily has her 6 month check up tomorrow. I could not get her in last week. I can't wait to see how big she is now. I will post the update after I get back tomorrow.

Thomas sleeping last night. I couldn't resist when I saw him sleeping like this I had to snap a quick picture.

Lily helping me sort the laundry this morning.

Lily in her new highchair.

Lily in her new highchair.

Alicia after dentist appointment today.

Bella's Dentist Appointment

Poor Bella had to visit Dr. Meyers yesterday. In the middle of her treatment he came out to tell me it was going to be more work than he thought. Her previous dentist had not done her earlier work correctly, and now it was costing her a tooth. She did very well, and is acting today like herself. I was happy to see her in the bathroom brushing and flossing today. Nothing like a little trip to the dentist to motivate good oral hygiene.

Lily at 6 Months

As much as I try I can not believe 6 months have passed since Lily was born. She has really been such a joy to mother. It seems like only yesterday I woke everyone up ready to go to the birth center. Now, we are all busy chasing after a very quick person with her very own personality. Just to catch everyone up Lily is now crawling, pulling up on everything, and trying her hardest to stand on her own. She cut her first tooth this weekend, and is very interested in it. She is eating breakfast and dinner now. I have found that she really likes avocados, sweet potatoes, squash, yogurt, bananas, apples and carrots. I usually just steam and mash them. It seems to work for her. She is still a big nurser, but honestly she would rather be moving most of the time. She has to be ready or she will have nothing to do with it. I think that catches everyone up on our newest addition. Everyone else in the house it great.

The Boys At The Zoo Last Week....

Ryne playing on the ropes at the zoo.

Thomas trying to climb on the whale tail.

Thomas running at the zoo.

Ryne climbing on the rocks at the zoo.

The Girls At The Zoo Last Week....

Lily at the Zoo with Me

Bella at the zoo climbing on the rocks.

Alicia at the zoo climbing on the rocks.

Bella playing on the ropes.

Alicia looking down at me at the zoo,

OOPS!!

I messed up getting those photos together with the first post. Please forgive me I have a 6 month crawling up my back to let me know it is her ninny time. I promise I will do better next time (at least I hope so).

Photos of Birth and California Trip....

Sharon holding Lily right after her birth.

View on the beach in Dana Point.



Ryne running on the beach in Dana Point.

Gammy with Alicia, Bella, Thomas and Ryne in California.

Lily and I in the tub after her birth.

Monica, mom, Alicia helping me while I was in labor.

Mom, Rae and Alicia helping me while I was in labor.

Finally!!

After several years I am finally getting this blog up and going. I will try my best to post at least every week or two. If it has been quiet around here I may stretch that out a bit.

First, a catch up. I wanted to post a few pics of Lily's birth, and our recent trip to California in September. Lily was born on the 31st of July in the water at the Fruitful Vine Midwifery Center in Jacksonville, Florida. I decided to go the birth center this last time because I am in such a small house right now. I thought it would be so much easier for everyone. It was a great experience. I could not have had a better experience. Sharon, Monica, Rae and everyone at the birthcenter was amazing.

Our trip to California was great. The kids had a ball, and it was so great to let the kids hang out with Busta's family. They really enjoyed Legoland and the beach in Dana Point. I hope we can go back soon.