Holiday week is here!

We are so excited that our holiday week with the family is here! Right now we are at my parents' house, trying to figure out how to get cookies that I made for my extended family out of my freezer in Dayton while we are here in Indianapolis! Yeah... that is going to be interesting.

Last week was a week for accomplishments! Sydney FINALLY decided to make her "eggs" in the potty and not in her pants!! Wow! What a milestone for her! We were so excited!! And thankfully she has kept on it. She went into the bathroom all by herself and shut the door and did her business. she waited until we noticed that she was gone and Jerry went to check on her... needless to say we were so incredibly excited we made a big deal about it. Once the "fanfare" died down Jerry said, "Who knew she just needed privacy?!" She asked for her baby toys too (we had taken them away when she kept pooping in her pants) and that was so sweet. Her little shy voice came out and said, "Now I can have my baby toys?" She has been having fun playing mommy again with all her accessories!

Caleb discovered his tongue last week. That is pretty funny to see. He will be sitting there chilling out on your lap and looking around and the next thing you know, his little tongue is sticking out of his mouth and he's looking around wiggling his tongue as his head swivels. We joke that he is "tasting for danger"! He is such a funny baby! He loves any attention that you give him and just smiles most of the time. He also watches his feet when he is in sleepers with little doggies on his feet. He has two of them and it is pretty funny to watch him when he has them on. We also noticed that he is trying to roll over! He can roll from side to side and almost has back to belly. A little longer and he will have it. The child can lift his whole chest off the ground and pulls his knees up so his bum is way up in the air too... Once he gets them going together, we are going to be in trouble!! He will be EVERYWHERE all the time! ha!!

Jay got to spend the night with his Aunt Mary and Uncle Casey on Sunday night and that was a lot of fun for him! He really enjoyed his time alone with them. We picked him up on the way through to my parents' and he was happy to us but seemed to forget there for a bit just how he was supposed to interact with his siblings! It's tough being the oldest! On our way home we are going to drop Anna off to have her time with Aunt Mary and Uncle Casey. She is totatlly excited! She can't wait! She's counting the days!

I almost forgot our most funny story of last week!! Jerry and I bought a king size mattress for our Christmas. We had Jerry's dad pick it up in his trailer and bring it over for us, with the understanding that we would pay for his diesel that he used to get here and back. Well the man who sold us our set, was not the man that gave my FIL the set. So they (my in-laws) get all the way over to Dayton and shortly after, the mattress company calls.... the guy gave my FIL the wrong mattress! And of course it isn't a step UP, it is a step down! AND there is a customer waiting for it! After discussing it, Jerry and his dad decided to go back to Brownsburg that day and switch the mattresses out... It was 6:30 by the time they got back. I had taken down our bed (with a little help) and moved it to the guest bedroom and had all the parts open and ready for the guys when they got back. We thought it would be tough getting the mattress upstairs... well, tough wasn't the word for it! Our cieling was 4 inches too short... or rather the mattress was 4 inches too wide!! We pushed, and pulled, and heaved and hoed and all that for about a good hour before we got that sucker up the stairs. It was a chore! Our cieling has the little popcorn effect on it... and yeah, it doesn't have that so much anymore above our stairs now! It is all smooth now! We are going to watch the movers when they go to move it out of our house and see if they have as hard a time as we did!! It took Jerry, his dad, his sister, and me to get it up there! It was no small feat to say the least but VERY worth it! It sleeps so well! Our kids have to use our hope chest to climb up on our bed because it is so high! Our bed is very nice! I can't wait to go home and sleep in it again!!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas! I will have to put our kid's pictures on the bottom! I finally got an updated one of all of them on Sunday! They are pretty cute kids!

Gearing up for the Holidays!

Well we are almost done with our shopping! We only have our parents left and a nephew. That shouldn't be too hard, right?! Ha! Here's hoping!!

Jerry is recovering from his surgery still. He has moments in the day that his shoulder still aches and gives him a lot of pain. But the physical therapist says he is where he should be as far as recovery. So that is good news.

I took the kids with some neighbors to our children's musuem. THAT was interesting to say the least! I had Xavier who wanted to go everywhere all at once, by himself; Jay and Anna were very well-behaved and responsible, well, for the most part; Sydney wanted to go all over; and Caleb who was wide-awake the whole time! Thankfully he was in a good mood and I had neighbors to help! I think I could do that place by myself on their slow days, but would definitely have to have the baby in a sling or baby carrier so I could keep up with all of them! AND we would have to work on staying together too!!

One funny thing this week... our sweet Sydney has a very unique way of saying Caleb's name. She calls him "Baby Waleb"! It is so cute when she says it too! She will say, "Oh momma! Baby Waleb is cwying!" They all love their little brother, which is fun to see. I pray they will continue to when he gets in to all their things!

Other than that, not much else is going on. Kids are doing well with their school and growing like always! Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holiday atmosphere.

New week... new fun!

So I got the kids piano books last week and I have it all mapped out in their schedule! (That is what I did while Jerry was in surgery.) I am pretty excited that they will start learning to play the piano. I think they will enjoy it and if they choose to try something else then they can. But at least they will be able to read notes and music... well, that is my hope anyway!

Sydney continues to make "eggs" in her pants. That is SO frustrating!! I am not sure how to get it across to her that she needs to do this in the potty...

Anna is quite a little needleworker. She loves to "needle" with gma when she comes over. I am going to see about getting her some crochet hooks for Christmas to start teaching her next semester. She has been dying for me to teach her, so I suppose that I will.

Xavier is loving life and drawing on his magna doodle. I bought him one for Christmas and when it got here... I was amazed at how big it was. He is going to LOVE it! Now I am going to have to look for one for Sydney or there will be massive fights!

Jay likes playing games on his game boy. We are thinking about getting him a DS, but not quite sure. He loves legos and anything to do with Star Wars. His reading has improved too which makes me happy!

Caleb is a sweet baby that just smells sweet all the time! He is so happy and babbles to everyone that gives him eye contact! I can't wait for my gpa's wedding so that the extended family can meet him!! That and so that I can see them too!

Jerry and I got our Christmas pretty much taken care of. I think I am going to go out and get one surprise for him. I don't know what yet, but it will be good. I hope! Last time I tried to surprise him, he guessed what it was... stinkin' man!

I am getting excited about the holiday!! It is so much fun! We did a Christmas Craft Day with our Coop on Friday and it was a lot of fun! The kids made their crafts and we all had lunch and gma was there to help us... I don't know what I would have done if she hadn't been there! I would have been crazy I think!

Jerry and I have to start working on our Christmas letter. We are going to email our letter this year and mail it to those who do not have email. I will post it on here as well in case I don't have someone's email address!

Happy Holidays!!

Great Holiday Season begins!

Our Thanksgiving Day was a fantastic one! We enjoyed the company of Jerry's side of the family along with my brother, Michael. The food was excellent and the conversation and visiting was so relaxing, I don't think we could have asked for a better day.

On Friday, Jerry came back with the four older kids and gma and gpa (his parents). They left me behind to go to lunch and a movie!! It was FANTABULOUS! Caleb didn't get into the movie so much, but he enjoyed lunch. Then Friday night I spent the evening with my brother and we watched Fred Claus. It has the BEST Silent Night that I had ever heard. I am talking moves you emotionally to hear it! I looked it up online to see who sang it and was shocked to see that Sinead O'Connor sang it.

I drove home on Saturday with the baby and it was a lonely ride. It took me longer to get home than normal so that kind of stunk but was all right. While I was gone the guys went fishing and gma stayed home with the kiddos. All was well when I got home. The guys had caught their limit but lost 2 fish before they left... SO they only ended up with 6 instead of 8. But they were still pleased, and that is what counts.

Gma stayed with us while gpa had to go home. She stayed with the kids on Wednesday while Jerry had his surgery done on his shoulder. Everything went well. It was just a LONG day at the hospital. I took Caleb with me and he was very well-behaved. He flirted with a young female airman while I ate. That was really funny! He would be gabbing at her and she would look away and he would squeal at her. I told him he was too young to be flirting with the ladies already!

Jerry is recovering now by resting. He is home until next Wednesday. That will be an interesting dynamic change to the house! I finally got the kids (Jay and Anna) piano lesson books. So we are going to start that next week. Tomorrow Jay and Anna have their Christmas Craft Day at our Coop. Gma is going to go with us so they will have supervision while I man a craft table! Xavier is still a wonder. Sydney still makes "eggs" in her pants.... aarrgghh... And Caleb is growing like a WEED, but still a good baby.

We ended up buying a King bed in Brownsburg this past weekend!!! We probably won't be bringing it home until after Christmas or so... I am hoping for before, but not holding my breath. We were going to wait to get it, but we got such a great deal (the bed and frame- headboard/footboard for the price of the bed on sale!!) that we couldn't pass it up! Now we just have to haul it home ourselves. Which we will with gpa's help!!

Christmas is coming up fast. We are almost done buying for Christmas!! I can't wait to see family and hang out and have holiday food and holiday fun!!

Getting ready for Turkey Day!

So I just realized that I haven't updated in over a week!! AGH! Life gets so crazy sometimes that things just kind of fall on the wayside!

The end of last week Jerry took the last couple of days off and we had "learning days" with the kids. We took them to the Boonshoft Museum and we had a BLAST! They had their new display or area up, whatever you want to call it. It was science in toys. We had the whole place to ourselves for about an hour and a half. It was great! The kids had the run of the place and spent quite a bit of time at each spot. There was a house that the kids could "build" around an already set of frame. They put all the "walls" on it and "shingles" and "bricks" and were so proud. I was thinking, "What great kids I have to leave a display all put together and the place looking neat..." I turned my back for 10 minutes and Sydney had gone over to it and taken everything off!! EVERYTHING! She is quite a little tornado of destruction when she wants to be. I was surprised she did it because usually she is my OCD child that has to have everything put away! It was funny!

Then Friday we took them to Chuck E. Cheese's!! Where a kid can be a kid, right?! Well, my kids had a lot of fun there...they usually do! They played all over the place. Sydney climbed off a horse ride the wrong way and was dangling... that was pretty funny (I know... mean mom!). She was freaking out and then dropped the inch, yes... I said inch, to the ground and was fine. Just a little shaken. She walked up the Skee Ball thing too. Xavier walked around and put coins into games and then walked away! Jay and Anna were really into getting tickets and their pictures "taken" by Chuck E. Cheese! All in all it was a great day.

Saturday we got our family pictures taken. And that actually went pretty well! The shirt I wore under my sweater showed in our family picture a little... so that was a little disappointing, but the one of Jerry and I together looked really good. It better too because I ordered 10x13s for our wall!! Ha!

On Monday I took the baby to the doctor and he is 12 lbs. 8 oz. now!! BIG boy!! He is in 6 mos. clothing by Carter's.... I love that brand!! It is so soft!! I bought him 6/9 mos. clothes for Christmas! He is such a good baby too. He took his shot like a trooper and hasn't had any bad effects. A little cranky but I think that is to be expected.

We are still waiting on official word as to where we will be going... a little frustrating but what can you do? Jerry has a bone scan on Monday the 1st and surgery on the 3rd. So our next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas will be very interesting.

Speaking of interesting... my gpa is getting married the Saturday after Christmas. That is in so many ways strange to me. But I am happy that he is happy. Plus I will get to see all (well, most) the family!!

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

Early Thanksgiving and a week of plans!

Since my parents are going to be in the UK for Thanksgiving we decided to celebrate early with them this weekend. They were coming over for a conference at our church so we planned ahead of time what all we were going to do. They ended up not going to the conference but they did get to see Jay and Anna with their project at their FHG History Fair! This week we worked on our Creation project for the fair. I couldn't find the BIG poster board displays anywhere, but did find a smaller one. Worked out perfect, but then we got there and all the other kids had the BIG ones, food to taste, mini displays, papers, and just general what not that I did not THINK about having the kids do... Lame brain mom here did the best she could do with 3 small ones wanting attention too! Next time, I will be more prepared! The kids didn't even notice. They were more interested in looking at the other projects than hanging out around theirs. Jay, however, has Jerry's gift of briefing people. He would talk the people's arm off about what he learned and why we put a picture to the certain day... Anna on the other hand, has mommy's gift of gab. She would rather socialize, but she also knew her stuff!

Sydney has been in big girl panties for 24 hours now and hasn't had any accidents!! (I better find some wood to knock on!) She is doing a lot better. Daddy pointed out a little girl that is a month older than her at the History Fair and told Sydney, "See! That little girl is potty trained! She pee-pees in the potty... she wears big girl underwear. Don't you want to, too?" I am praying that this continues! We even took her to church and out to eat and she stayed dry! Now we just have to get her to make "eggs" in the potty. (#2)

Xavier is doing well. He was gpa's little man this weekend and just ate it up that gpa would read a book to him and he would repeat it and feel like he was reading. Guess preschool needs to start with him SOON! He is going to be a reader I think. Anna is like that too. She just gets it.

Caleb continues to get HUGE! He is due for his 2 mos. immunizations which we have to do this week.... I am NOT looking forward to that. It always breaks my heart when my kids cry at things like shots and things I know they have to do but it hurts them. I kind of think that not all of my hormones are back to normal just yet. There are times that I still feel really emotional about things. I don't like to show the weepy emotions but I feel like that is how I am sometimes. It probably has to do with lack of sleep too!

Jerry is doing well. Working on awards packages and hoping to get our next assignment nailed down sometime soon. He is going to be having shoulder surgery on December 3. So he will be home for most if not all of December! He had a good idea the other day about our family Christmas present... we are going to invest in a King Size bed. All of our kids don't fit on our bed anymore! I think the kids will enjoy having a bigger bed to climb into when they are scared! I know I will enjoy not feeling crowded in my own bed when they come in in the morning! Family movie nights are in the future!!

ANYWAY, this week is more school, scheduling, chore charts, and figuring out how best to encourage good character qualities in my kids! We are looking at going to Chucky Cheese on Thursday and the Boonshoft Museum on Friday. So it should be a fun, productive week.

I hope all are blessed this week!

Restless...

So those of you who know me really well know that when I get restless... I rearrange things! Yep... that is right!! I rearranged my living room AGAIN! That is what? 4 times in the last 4 mos! Ha! Yeah. I got that itch again. I want/need to scrapbook and get them all caught up before our next move. Why, you may ask? Because the thought of movers... packing away my PAPER and my SCRAPBOOKS and my ACCESSORIES is too much for me to handle right now! The last move, I moved it all. Granted we were moving ourselves from 3 miles away, but still. I MOVED IT! So nothing was crinkled or ruined or smashed or LOST! So if I get it all caught up then there will be less to move and less to break or ruin. Or so I hope!

Okay so back to yesterday! While I was rearranging and moving things from here to there, Anna was running the vacuum cleaner, Xavier was watching cartoons and helping every once in awhile, Jay was helping or entertaining the baby, and Sydney was the baby's guardian. At one point, Caleb spit up. I didn't know it. All I saw was Syd throw the top of the blanket he was laying on over his face and her rub his face with her hand. Obviously, it freaked me out a little and I said, "Don't do that! You'll hurt the baby! Take the blanket off his face please!" She turned and looked at me with this look of disgust and said, "EWWW... YUCKY SPIT UP!" So I showed her how to use a smaller burp cloth that wouldn't suffocate him! She is such a good big sister! Just have to work on her gentleness a little more. Caleb on the other hand just looked at her with adoration on his face. It didn't upset him at all that she was trying to help. I think it startled him for a second but then he was all right. I think I was more worried than him!

I have come to the realization that I need to have more structure to our day too. School is going great and the kids are getting it done quickly but I have realized that the rest of our day is kind of like free time. Which for the most part is fine, but I am feeling the pull that I need to give them more. More time working on their character, more time exercising (running circles around my downstairs does not count!), more time playing with each other and working together. I think the reason why I have always hesistated making a "schedule" is because I want my kids to be able to adjust to anything that I want to do at a moments notice. And they do all right for the most part, but that is a very selfish driven reason and I think along the road (if we keep going like this) I will pay the price when they are older. That is my goal. We'll see how it goes!

It looks as though we will be here in Ohio until next year or so. But we don't have any confirmation. We are hoping to get that next week or at the latest the end of November. This is good in a lot of ways. We don't know when we will find out our next place or not. Thankfully, a lot of these decisions we don't have to make. They are made for us. We just keep praying that God's hand will move and put us where he needs us to be and that he will bless where ever we end up!

This weekend is my birthday!! I turn the big 31. I don't feel that old so I guess that is good, right? I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Flu mist is easier than shots!

So I took Sydney to the doctor today, with all the kids... Thankfully, Jerry was able to come with us because it was a little busy! She is good and got her flu shot like a trooper. The older three got to do the flu mist option. While I was waiting with Sydney for her shot, Jerry took the others to do the mist. I asked the kids how they sniffed up the mist and they all made the funniest faces trying to show me how they did it. But the winner of the funniest face was Xavier... he was HILARIOUS! He pulled his eyebrows so far up it looked like they were in his hairline and his nose was practically flat because he pulled his chin down with his mouth closed. I can picture it and it still makes me laugh! I hope that you can imagine it how I described.... if not, sorry, guess you had to be there! ;) Unfortunately, the kids have to stay away from the baby because it is a live virus. So for the next couple of days... it is going to be VERY challenging! Hopefully, no one will get sick!

The kids are doing pretty good. With the lovely weather we have been outside playing and Jerry and I have been trying to get our outdoors ready for winter and a possible PCS. He mowed the lawn, I cleaned out the garage and the front flower beds. Now we just have to get our basket ball goal moved so we can get our trampoline in the garage for the winter! The kids are really excited to have it accessible throughout the winter months... even if it is too cold to be out there!

Tomorrow is voting day! Don't forget to vote!!

Falling behind...

So I realized that I am falling behind in my posts... Sorry to those who read it! This past week was extremely out of the ordinary.

First off, Xavier and Sydney went home with Gma Ottinger on Friday. Talk about a strange week? I was the mother of three! That was so out of the ordinary it kind of threw everything out of whack! It was a good break and I got things done that are made EXTREMELY difficult with 5 kids... but it was nice to get the back.

We celebrated Jay's 7th birthday on Tuesday and again this past Saturday with family. He had a great time and got just what he loves.... Star Wars toys and Legos! We let him pick what he wanted to eat on his birthday and he picked donuts for breakfast, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, and Sonic for supper! He is so funny! But he had a great day all in all.

On Saturday, a week ago this past one, Jay and his soccer team played in a tournament. They won their first game and then lost the second. The kids at the second game where heads taller than ALL of our kids! And they just stomped them into the ground. Good thing was that our kids were upbeat the whole time and kept playing their little hearts out.

So this past week I got to spend a lot of one on one time with my older two, which I don't get very often. Well, I guess doing school I do, but this was fun one on one! This week my goal is to set some goals with the kids to get things done around the house and just chores in general. I figure they are old enough to really start helping. I just have to let go of the expectation that they will do it the way I want it done! We'll see how that goes.

My FIL made an observation about Xavier and Sydney this week after watching them that I thought was pretty funny! He told me that Xavier is a really quiet kid... in all actuality, it is Sydney that supplies 90% of our house's noise! Funny thing is... I could have told him that! They are both sweet kids, Sydney's nature is just a lot more stubborn than Xavier and she wants things her way or no way! Xavier is more of a go with the flow kind of boy and very polite. So now I just have to figure out how to get Xavier to rub off on Sydney!! Or rather teach her how to behave more like Xavier by finding a way to reach her on her level. Should prove interesting!

We got some other news this week too. We have orders in the AF system to go to Malmstrom AFB in Montana... That should prove to be a very interesting move if we get it. They want us to report February 1, 2009. Yeah... dead of winter... MOVE NORTH! We are waiting to see if Jerry get picked up for LCBP (Logistics Career Broadening Program). If he does, our orders will be cancelled and we won't move until August of 2009. There are positives to both jobs and really hard to choose one over the other. Montana is somewhere most people got to visit... not necessarily to live... and the LCBP could still put us out west somewhere. However, we would not be moving in the middle of winter either! God has a plan, we are just waiting for his hand to move us where he wants/needs us.

This week has started out smoothly. Xavier and Sydney have a cough, I have a cough, and Jerry had to go to the doctor for his cough because it made them postpone his surgery until the first of December... Hopefully, we will all be healthy soon! I think that has everything all caught up.

Looking forward to a week with 3!

So my MIL is going to be taking Xavier and Sydney home with her for a week... That will prove to be interesting for her and for me! I won't know what to do with myself with only 3 kids at home!! I am a little excited about it though. Since Jay's birthday is Tuesday it will be easier for me to make the day about him on his special day with only Anna and Caleb at home! We will be able to go to the museum without having to wait for daddy or a friend to be available to help. We could also go to Magic Castle and not have to worry about losing anyone, or rather a little one taking off on us!

Today I am going to be going through all the kids fall clothes and see what is what! I like the cooler weather! But now I have to switch clothes out and figure out what they need! Oh well... I have to do the same for me! Now it is just times 5!!

Jerry comes home today. It will be good to have him home and around again!

Well, I need to finish the school work and all that. I will update later this weekend as we have a soccer tournament, hockey game and more excitement!

Thinking of this week...

Jerry and I have come to a conclusion of our own... and far be it from us if it is right, seeing as how we are not doctors! However, we have observed that in holding Caleb he likes to be leaning away from us and head back, sometimes at an angle. For the longest time we just thought this was a baby thing. The more we think about it, our other kids did not do this and that it is probably because none of our other kids had the cord wrapped around their neck. So our theory is that he was facing back and his body was out in the belly and the cord kept him from coming down like he was supposed to until they (the doctors/midwife) helped labor along by breaking the water. Kind of a scary thought of what could have happened if he had gone longer, but like I said... just a thought.



On another note... almost as scary too... Jerry's mom (MIL) and I had quite an adventure on Saturday with the kids. We decided to take all the kids to Wal-Mart with us to spend a gift card from my aunt on Caleb. On the way in, I said to my MIL... "You know... I wonder if we should have put the kids (Xavier and Sydney) in the double stroller?" But that thought got interrupted when we saw Jay's soccer coach at the entrance selling Boy Scout popcorn and then again once we got inside and I saw a member of our small group. Well, we progressed to look at pumpkins. Xavier and Sydney were looking at the price sign and I was on the side next to them. As I came around Xavier took off running with Sydney hot on his heels! I said, "Come back here, right now." Xavier stopped and turned and Sydney smacked right into him. They hit heads, of course. Xavier fell back on his bum, and Sydney fell straight back, body straight.... Needless to say, she pushes all her breath out, turns blue, passes out, goes rigid in her body, and then listlessly comes too... Talk about scary!! WOW. I was so scared, I felt the nerve endings in the tips of my fingers and toes and the top of my head... She became aware again after what seemed like an eternity when in all actuality it was probably a couple of minutes. The meat department lady came over and asked if we needed medics and then brought the kids cookies after we declined the help. I think she was just as shaken as we were! As soon as I got Syd to respond coherently I gave my keys to my MIL and had her go get the stroller and said, "The next time I think aloud something like I did with the stroller... let's do it!" To which she responded, "Next time, you go by yourself with the baby and I will stay home with the kids!!" Ha! She is right though... it would have been a lot less stressful! Oh well, live and learn, right?!



Anyway... that has been our weekend. Jerry has been in Columbus, OH since Sunday. He is at the LOA conference for the Air Force. Since our base is hosting it, he is working it by helping to set up and take care of DVs' (Distinguished Visitors) escorts and all that. He won't be home until Thursday or so.



Oh yeah! We also experienced a miracle of sorts... My MIL got here on little to no antifreeze in her car! Jerry's dad called on Friday and asked Jerry to step out and check his mom's car because there was a puddle of antifreeze in their garage. Sure enough... it was all gone! So tomorrow we are going to have her car towed to an auto group here that we use and have it looked at/fixed. Hopefully all will go smoothly with that! Regardless, she was pretty blessed not to have any issues on the way over from IN!

I hope that everyone else's weekend was not as dramatic as ours seemed to be! We are on overload right now!!

Soccer is intense!

This past week was pretty uneventful. The kids were reasonably good! Xavier and Sydney are still either loving each other or annoying each other. Anna finished her soccer season. She got a trophy and was pretty proud of that. Jay still has one more week of games before he is done... and let me just say, even at 6 and 7 year old leagues... parents get pretty uptight about things!

Saturday Jay had a game against St. Helen's team. Our parents are VERY supportive of all our kids. And I really couldn't tell what the other parents take on the whole thing was, but our parents were pretty upset. We have a little guy on our team that is kind of awkward... what kid isn't at that age? Well, the other team's coach (or parent... couldn't tell!) thought that this kid was trying to slide tackle his players. He actually tried to get our kid kicked out of the game! HELLO!! If he had watched the kid, he would have seen him falling off and on constantly. The worst part was his players were bullying ours and the ref wouldn't call anything on them but gave our kid a yellow card... Wow... parents were fired up! I just sat there and observed. Had it been Jay though... I would have been just as peeved. I doubt I would have been as vocal... Ha! Probably not. The only thing that really bothered me about the game, besides the other coach/parent picking on our kids and talking to the kids was that they let a player stand right in front of Jay for half the game and thought nothing of it. (Jay is the goalie... and that is not allowed!) All in all it was a very interesting game. One of the more interesting ones that we have had by far!

Well, little Caleb is wanting attention and school is not getting done because I am not giving Jay and Anna my full attention... I can't wait until they are more responsible and can read all their work themselves!!

Late Update!

This past week was kind of crazy... and I am sure that this one will be even crazier!

Last week Jerry had the week off from work. So we adjusted as much as we could to being a family of 7 instead of 6. It went pretty well, I think. We had a lot of fun with the kids. We took them to the Boonshoft Museum and explored. We had soccer games and practices and daily playtime outside as the weather was beautiful last week!

Xavier and Sydney are two of the funniest kids right now. They either get along or they are at each other's throats! Sydney thinks she can discipline him and vice versa. The other day they were playing out on our swing set. Xavier fell off the lower swing backwards and is laying on the ground crying and Sydney runs over and hops her little fanny up on the swing and starts swinging over the top of him! She didn't see if he was all right because she wanted the swing to begin with and as it was vacant... well, she helped herself!

Jay and Anna are improving at soccer. Jay LOVES being goalie. He did really well at his game this past Saturday. He didn't let any goals in and his team had really improved on their team work. Anna made a goal in her last game and was slightly embarrassed by all the cheers! She is such a funny girl. Both are doing well with their school work. We have grumbles here and there but for the most part they are happy getting their school work done and learning!

Caleb is growing like a weed!! Already he is 9 lbs. 1 oz., well, by now he is more than that... That was his weight on Thursday, his two week well-baby check up. His head had also grown 2 cm. and his length is now 21.75 inches! He has gone up to Sz. 1 diapers and size 3 mos. in Carter's clothes! It is crazy how fast this kid is growing! He sleeps well and eats well too. He even has more awake moments now.

I am doing well with recovery and all that. I was back in my clothes 12 days after having him. People ask me HOW?! I don't know. It is just the way God made me. I am thankful for that! The kids think it is funny that I have a small tummy now. Sydney is the most confused. She still pulls my shirt up every once in awhile to see where the "baby went"!

This week could be a big week for us. We find out when Jerry has surgery on his shoulder and hopefully where our next assignment is. We are still holding out hope for Florida... but who knows! Hopefully, their decision will be made by the end of this week so that we can really start getting ready for our move. Or at least we will have a time line to work with!

Well, I think that is it. Jerry is back to work this week and I am home alone with the kids... so this will be an interesting week! I am sure many funny things will happen!

Love to all of you!

The wind storm of 2008...

We had hurricane force winds this past Sunday. We have had forceful winds before, but our gusts got up to 70 mph! It was CRAZY! You looked outside and the sky was just filled with leaves and twigs/branches flying around or across streets/cul-de-sacs. It was nuts. Jerry and his mom were standing in our kitchen and watched our last tree by our fence fall on it! That stunk because it broke the fence. Thankfully, it did not break any of the poles, just the fence and the top rail. We got it cut off on Tuesday and Jerry fixed it later that afternoon so that the kids could go out and play again. Jay had the funniest response to the tree falling! He said, "OH MAN!! Now we're never going to go outside and play because our babies will escape!!" It was so funny, but you know... at least his concern was placed on his siblings!

That has been our big excitement so far. We haven't really done much because of Caleb and trying to get back into a sense of normalcy in the house... Caleb is doing well. He has spurts of sleeping and spurts of being awake. The kids are fascinated with him. They want to kiss him all the time and pet his head or hold his hand. It is sweet and sometimes a little overwhelming!

Jerry's mom is still here and will be until next Thursday. So the following week will be my true trial run as a mother of 5 by myself! That should prove interesting. I forsee meltdowns and lots of tears, but am praying for it not to come to that! I will also have to start school with them either next week or the following week! It will be interesting.

Well, kids are being cranky and not cooperating for gma... so I better head.

Caleb Michael Ottinger's debut!

Our newest family member is here! And we are all relieved that he is whole and hale and very laid back!

After leaving the doctor's office on Monday we came home and went to soccer practice/game. It was all pretty uneventful. Around 1 a.m. a storm came through our area and Jerry and I laid in bed waiting for our munchkins to join us in bed as the thunder and lightening worsened. About 2 a.m. Sydney climbed in bed on my side and just barely bumped into my belly and the contractions began! I told Jerry if he was going to take a shower before going to the hospital he should get up and take it then because I didn't know how fast they were going to start coming and didn't really want to be sitting at home having a baby in the middle of a storm! In the ten minutes it took him to shower, I had 2 intense contractions and decided we should go!

We got to the hospital around 3 a.m. and the doctors monitored the contractions and Caleb for an hour. It took 3 different people to get my IV started. It was pretty funny actually. Usually I don't do needles very well and it makes me feel ill if they dig around in my vein to get it in, but this time I didn't really care. Probably because they would do their attempt during a contraction. The final guy to try was a big guy with tattoos all over his arms, kind of thug looking, but was AWESOME at getting the needle in my vein. I was relieved to say the least.

They stalled on breaking my water, which was fine. (I think it irritated Jerry but in the end it worked out better.) Around 6 a.m., I was 8 cms so they hooked up my fluids and gave me Nubain (sp?). That was WONDERFUL! I didn't care what was going on and got to sleep for a while. The doctor opted to wait until after the shift change to break my water and have the midwife deliver our baby. (I had been trying to get an appointment with this lady since Sydney's conception!) The mid wife came in at 9:15 and broke my water. I got up to go to the bathroom around 10:15 and got back to the edge of the bed and couldn't get back in it. They had the room set up and ready so we sat at the edge of the bed for a bit and in the end Jerry sat behind me holding me up and I had my legs over the mid wife's knees and pushed out our baby!

He came out pretty quickly, which was kind of scary but good because he had his cord wrapped around his neck. It took him a little bit to cry which was a very scary moment. When I was pushing I asked them to just tell me when his head was out because usually the pain decreases, I can take a breath and push the rest of him out... that was not the case with Caleb. Only later did I find out why! His head is 35 cms and his chest is 35.5 cms.... yeah... that was not too fun! Thankfully, there were no other complications. The mid wife laid him in our arms so we could hold him right after he came out. It was a great moment for both Jerry and I!

All in all the birth was completely diffferent from any of the other kids. Every kid is different! We are so blessed to have him here and can't imagine our family without him. We think, at least I do, at this point he is a great bookend to our kids. This was a pretty intense experience for us and we realize just how blessed we are.

We can't wait for you all to meet him! He is such a little cutie! He is a great mix of all the kids. The kids LOVE their new brother too. Jay is glad he is here and I can really hug him again. Anna is a little mommy and wants to help with EVERYTHING. Xavier is fascinated that his arms flail around and he coos. Sydney is still figuring out that he is real and not a baby doll and loves to give him kisses on his head.

I guess I didn't put in the particulars, so here they are:

Caleb Michael

born at 10:54 a.m.

September 9, 2008

8 lbs. 7.3 oz.

20.4" long.

Will update soon!

The end is near!!

Okay... so I really thought that we would have a baby by now and that my next post would be pictures of the baby and all that.... NOT SO!

The doctor today said, "Wow... you are at 6 cm and still walking around!" I almost cried... so she suggested that maybe they just keep me and we have a baby, but had to get it approved. One veto and we were sent home... BUT, I go back tomorrow at 7 am to Labor and Delivery and they are going to induce!!! HOORAY!! Tomorrow, Caleb will come!! Or at least the process will be started.

In the meantime, we have gone to Anna's soccer game and Jay's soccer practice and called in the family for help with the kids! Thankfully, Jerry's mom is here and my mom is going to head over tomorrow morning. I am so thankful that the end is near! I have my bag packed -it has been for 3 weeks- but added a book today that I am excited to read!!

The kids are glad that gmas are here/coming and can't wait to push me out the door! We got them something each to occupy their time -somewhat- to help alleviate the entertainment factor for the gmas!

Funny story from the weekend:
On Saturday evening when we sent my mom home the kids said to me, "NO! You are supposed to go to the doctor and have the baby and gma is supposed to stay here with us!! Why aren't you having the baby yet?!" That has been the topic of conversation since then....

Well, supper needs to get finished! Will post when I get home!

A walking time bomb!

Now I know how a time bomb must feel, if it were an animate object! The doctor said I was at a 4 and looking like anytime now. She said my body is probably just waiting for his head to turn a certain way so that things can really start moving! That is encouraging news, and yet kind of scary. Jerry is looking at taking some time off this week and when he gets home early today, I am going to go walk the mall a bit with my friend Sharra! So hopefully, in the next day or so we will have our new addition!

My mom is thinking she will come over tonight, which will be great if he decides to start coming in the middle of the night! I always hate to wake people up to come over to watch kids. We have only done it twice, and they didn't mind, but it still makes me feel bad. Maybe because I like my sleep A LOT! Next week Jerry's mom is coming over and we should definitely have a baby by then. We are as ready as ready can be... and now the waiting continues...

The kids are being really understanding and patient as well. Sydney keeps telling Caleb (the baby) to 'get ow', she also calls him 'mine'. She is going to be one protective big sister! The older kids just want to hug him and Xavier just wants to sit on my lap again! All in all, I still feel like it is a dream sometimes. It is going to be so wierd to have a new baby!

Hopefully, next posting will have a picture of Caleb! Or at least his birth information!!

Yeah... still nothin'...

Just wanted to let everyone know... still no baby. I had a funny incident with a neighbor the other day though. She was driving down the street and I had my back to her and she shouts out, "Hey! When did you have the baby?!" Yeah... I turned around and she said, "Oh... honey, I am so sorry!" I guess it could be taken as a compliment though. From the back I don't look like I am pregnant or rather about to explode! So we will focus on the positive aspect of that incident!

Yesterday we had our neighborhood picnic and that was a lot of fun. We met the new 3/4 of our street! (Just in time for us to get ready to move... how great is that?!) As it happens, most of them are here on longer tours then just a school slot (12-18 mos.). The kids had a water balloon fight with rubber catapults. That was fun to watch. They were stationed on opposites sides of the street and only a couple kids could actually get the balloons to go the distance to the other side! Jay and Anna had a blast filling the balloons and launching them. Jay ran around with some of the boys and had a water gun fight. Anna stuck with the girls and filled the balloons. Jerry took Xavier and Sydney home after we ate lunch and they played outside in the sprinkler and then helped daddy "fish" on the Wii. Once Sydney went down for a nap, Jerry changed the game to bowling and let Xavier bowl away! You should see this kid bowl! He is not only funny to watch, he is GOOD!

Last night we replanted two plants as well. I have a HUGE Lily that had to be repotted because of the growth in it! We also tried to move our tomato plant, but it looks like it is going to die. It is all wilted and hasn't perked up yet. But the Lily looks AWESOME! So at least we have one successful transplant. I am going to have to figure out what to do with it soon. I don't think that I can split it, but I don't really want to leave it behind either. It was one of the plants that I got from Gma Dragon's funeral... so... we'll see. I don't know how we would be able to move it, but I am going to try because I don't like the thought of giving it away or leaving it behind.

Snack time is calling me... better go! We will post when the baby comes!

Hoping to have a baby soon...

So... the doctor told me I am almost 4 cm... she thinks if I hit 5 I will have him VERY QUICKLY! That is good and bad. Good that it will go quick, bad that I might not have an available neighbor or family won't have time to get here!! Should be very interesting!! But honestly, we are just hoping that he comes soon and with some warning. Jerry says he can catch worst case scenario and we have an EMT across the street and an ER nurse down the way and a Peds nurse across the street! BUT we don't like to think in those terms!!

The kids are doing well. We took them to the Boonshoft Museum today. They had so much fun running all over the place playing in their Chinasaurs area and all the other exhibits. We walked around and around and around!

After Anna's soccer practice we took the kids to McDonald's to support our babysitter Hannah's cheerleading team's fund raiser. They were so excited to see her and help her out! Xavier was so happy he ran into a post! Don't know how he missed it but he did! Kind of funny... We met up with some other neighbors there and plan to take the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's tomorrow! We are packing in the family/neighbor time before our baby comes and our BIG MOVE.

Funny moment this week:

Earlier this week I took Anna to the doctor to have her hearing and eye sight checked. And it was really kind of funny the way the nurse handled her. Of course, I talked to Anna about 'these are tests and if you don't listen you won't do very well and they will worry that something is wrong with you' and she listened very well for the hearing exam. Then came the eye test and the nurse put up a poster with 3 different pictures on it; an apple, umbrella, and house. Anna is standing maybe 6-7 ft. away and is telling the woman 'circle, triangle, square' instead of the picture names. The nurse got a little frustrated, so I kindly said to her, "Please try the letters. She will do better." I think she thought I was not serious, but she did it and had Anna move back 4 ft. So my little girl stands there, and just goes to town on telling her which letter she is pointing to. The nurse was a little dumbfounded but pleasantly surprised that my kid actually did know her letters.

Anyway... that is about all that is going on here... we hope to give you all good news soon!

Still no baby... : (

So Saturday was an eventful day! First Xavier has figured out how to use key phrases at poignant times! For instance, after supper I was cleaning up the kitchen by loading our dishes in the dishwasher and Xavier was finishing his supper. I was turned for loading and didn't see him come up behind me until he said, "HEY, Momma! Are you going to wipe me off already?" Little stinker! It was so funny the way he said it with his little, deep voice and his serious tone. I turned and looked at him and said, "Excuse me?!" Then he smiled like, 'Oh... maybe that isn't how I should have said it'. Then he added a 'please' to his statement! Ha! He is too much sometimes!

Later that night I started having really good contractions. Called a neighbor to watch the kids, called mom to come over, and really thought we were on the road to have a baby... Well, as luck would have it, we had great contractions until 3 cms and then labor stalled. They gave me a relaxing pill to take, thinking it would ease the back pressure and it did. But I also stalled where I was. So we came home about 10 AM on Sunday, with no baby, and a little... okay, a LOT bummed! I think this child is going to be really stubborn!

We did more last minute errands yesterday. I got the girls some clothes on clearance at Kohl's and Sydney some new shoes, much to her delight! The boys didn't luck out there though. The clothes for the boys were either not their size or not on clearance! That kind of stunk... Thankfully they still have clothes to grow into!

I rearranged the living room a little more too. Added another shelf for our Wii and Play Station2, and another cabinet with doors to lock up the crayons and markers!! I have it planned to start school on the 15th of Sept. I am starting to wonder if I should have already started since our little guy is still not here!! Oh well, I am going to stick to the plan.

For those of you who don't know, we are looking to move in January. We found out last week that we were looking at a new assignment. We were a little surprised since it is only our 3rd year, but a little glad too! We love being close to home, but Jerry is just not being challenged at his job. Right now it looks like FL will be our next destination. It would be great, but we are trying not to get too excited just in case things change! So we will keep you posted.

Jay and Anna start their soccer games next week! Jerry got roped into coaching Anna's team since her team still doesn't have a coach. It is so fun to watch the kids at this age! I am going to have to go watch a practice to see my husband coaching a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds!!

Well, I think that is it. Until we have a baby everything is kind of 'going with the flow' of life.

We miss you all and look forward to seeing some of you soon!

Still waiting...

Yes... we are still waiting for Caleb to make his debut. Good thing is that I got my scrapbooking delivery today so I can make his announcement cards while I wait, right?! That way I have something to do with my time at the hospital and am not bored the whole time. I think he is going to be the most prepared for kid we have had yet!! Ha!

Jay and Anna are enjoying their soccer practices so far. We have good coaches and they really keep their attention! I am going to take some picture tonight and tomorrow of practice so that I can post some on here. Then maybe their enthusiasm will show through in their pictures and not just my words!

Xavier and Sydney are still up to their crazy antics! They both LOVE to pat my belly and tell Caleb to "OUT!" Although, I often get the feeling that they are more excited that their grandmas and Aunt Mary are planning on coming over when the "big day" arrives!

We are in the process of meeting the new neighbors all around us and getting to know them. The people moving in next to us have a little girl about Anna's age and she is so excited to have a friend! I don't know who is more excited, us or them! Of course right about the time we fully get to know them we will be moving! Yep... that is right. We are up for orders to move anywhere from January to April of next year. We have no idea where we will be going or what Jerry will be doing. So we are praying and trusting God that it will all work out for the good of His will!

Other than that, we are plugging along and getting along! We miss our family and can't wait to see them! This will probably be our last holiday season close to home, so we are going to enjoy every moment of it and not hold back.

Hope all is well with everyone else!

The Countdown is on!

So this is our week of getting last minute things together so that when our new baby joins us, we are prepared! We were sort of caught off guard with Sydney being two weeks early, and didn't want to have a repeat of last minute shopping with this one. Good news is that we are past the threshhold of being sent away from base or they stop labor! Now we just have to get the contractions to DO something! My back hurts all the time now and I can feel the contractions, but I am afraid they are still Braxton-Hicks due to the fact that I can still walk around and talk and think! SO.... back to the waiting game it is.

Our first week of soccer practice has ended well. We got Jay on a team with the same coach he has had for the last 2 years, so that was a true blessing! He really enjoys playing and has a knack for the game. Of course he says he knows EVERYTHING about soccer! Ha! He did do really well with staying in the positions he had at practice. I was impressed with how much he has retained and how much he has grown. His team looks like it is going to be a good one. All the kids did a great job passing and working together as a team. And then there is Anna... bless her heart! She was so excited tonight because she made a goal, and then her coach says, "But Anna... your goal is down there!" She was a little embarrassed and then got over it and played her little heart out. Her team is a good mix of new kids and a couple experienced. We'll see if she remembers as much as Jay from last year.

Xavier and Sydney have now realized their true calling in life - at least for the time being - and that is to be partners in chaos. One will cause a distraction while the other gets into whatever it is they decide they need! For example, one will purposefully get in trouble to distract mommy while the other goes into the pantry to get the Twizzlers down to eat quietly until mommy leaves the room and then they will share! Oh yeah... lots of fun stuff.

Thankfully, we have had nice weather and the kids go out and play with daddy and mommy gets things done! I got the garage all swept out and organized, the kitchen put in order, and last minute laundry down today. AND we all took a nap! It was a good day. Now we just need to get the baby moving along! Full moon Saturday!

Hope your week is a blessed one!

Back to Ohio!

Well, we made it home safely... all kids accounted for and doing well! We got home around lunch on Friday and spent the day unloading, putting things away, and adjusting to having daddy back in our space!

Jerry filled the pool up with half cold, half hot water so the kids could go out and play in it. They had such a blast! Even after naps, they all went down that night without one word of protest. It was GREAT! I am not to sure who had more fun though, daddy? or the kids? Did I mention that he got in the pool with them?! Ha! That was why he put the hot water in it!! Silly daddy...

Today we had an AWESOME picnic with some neighbors and some new nieghbors! Anna made a little friend, which is really great. Since her friend Alena moved away she has been pretty sad about not having someone to play with. Our neighbors next door moved down a block and a half from us... so we are once again going to get new neighbors next door. I am praying they will have children our age and similiar to us. (Not that our other neighbors weren't, we got babysitters and friends through them!)

I am hoping that the baby will come in the next couple of weeks! He is so crammed in his space that he makes my back ache almost all the time now. I have had a couple of contractions, but that is probably just the Braxton Hicks that are fake and don't do anything!! We'll find out on Monday though. And then the doctor visits are every week! I find it hard to believe that he will wait until Sept. 7th, but you never know!

Tomorrow is church and our small group! And then our week kicks off our soccer season! Hooray... if they did not enjoy it so much, they would not be in it!! I am too pregnant and too tired for this! Thank goodness Jerry is home to help!

Hope all is well your way!

Back Home in Indiana

So the kids and I had a conversation on Friday morning as to why I still call going to Gma and Gpa Dragon's/Ottinger's "going home". Jay and Anna were really confused as to why I would call their houses home and not so much ours. That is tough one to explain! So I tried to explain that our parents' homes will always be our home (meaning Jerry and I). Especially Jerry's parents because he was raised in that house. When it all came down to it, they asked that I not call going to Indiana "going home" and that I save that reference for when we go to our house. We'll see how that goes... I will probably forget and still call it "going home". Home to me is where family is. It is hard to call my house home, when I know we will move in the next year or so. But for my kids' sake, I am working on it!

Jerry and I attended a wedding/reception for one of my roommates in college on Saturday evening. And I have to say, it was a lot of fun to get away without the kids and have 4 hours of uninterrupted conversation with my husband on the drive there and back! Not to mention that we had a blast catching up with my roommates and their significant others. Had I not been 35+ weeks I think I would have lasted a little longer!

The kids stayed with my parents and went to church with them on Sunday morning. They were well-behaved and didn't give gma and gpa too much grief overall! Then we all went over to Jerry's parents' house for a FABULOUS fish fry! We got to see family that we had not seen for awhile (especially Jerry!). It was wonderful watching the kids play with cousins outside and eat watermelon and just visit with family. Sydney did try to pee standing up in gma's bathroom and that did not turn out to well, but other than that she did stay dry all day! Hooray! Hopefully the end is in sight with potty-training... Lord knows, I am still not pushing it!

Jerry and his dad are fishing the next couple of days, Wednesday we are taking the kids to the Children's Museum, Thursday is our anniversary - 9 years!!, and Friday we are hoping to catch up with his sisters before we head home. Then we have a full weekend at home and into the first of the week... That should prove interesting!

Well, it is time to start getting motivated to do something today! I got my first update done and will probably have more throughout the week! We hope you all are doing well!

A New Adventure!

Hello family and friends,

Since we know so many people all over the U.S. and other countries, I figure this will be an easy way to keep everyone up to date on what we are doing then trying to fit in a lot of calls! With 4 kids and #5 on the way... time just seems to speed by on many days and before I know it, it is way to late to call anyone! So thus begins my first adventure into the technology realm of "blogging". Please don't expect perfection!!

My goal is to update this weekly. Unless, of course, something so funny happens that I can't resist telling everyone about it... which happens more times than not in this house! So here we go!

Right now we are experiencing "Adventures in Potty Training" or so I will call it. Sydney has decided that she is a big girl and can potty train on her own. (No way was I going to push anything this big going into the last month of my pregnancy!) We tried the "big girl" panties with the extra cushioning in the middle.... and that didn't work so well. We went through 4 pairs in an hour! So we went back to the Easy Ups. Much to her distaste, but with only one clean pair left... she had no choice left in the matter! She is also a little Ms. Independent. She has to pick out her own clothes and dress herself. And shoes.... OH MY! The child loves shoes. She doesn't care whose they are. If her feet fit in them, they are hers for the time being!

Xavier is developing an obssessive nature, or maybe just a really FOCUSED nature. He plays GameBoy with the older kids and gets so focused that he doesn't pay attention to when he needs to go potty! So we end up with a potty-trained, 3-yr. old that has such a massive accident in the bathroom that floors have to be mopped and mats washed! Not a pleasant thing to have to deal with when you know that they know what they are supposed to do!! So I mopped the floors a day early yesterday and the Gameboys have been put in exile for an undisclosed amount of time! He is such a smart little boy too. He knows his colors and can count and has some really good one-liners! He has entered the "why?" stage. You ask/tell him to do something and he wants to know why... ALL the time and SEVERAL times too!

Anna is growing and becoming more moody. Right now I can blame it on 5 yr. molars cutting through, BUT if this is how PMS will be with her... OH MY! I am NOT looking forward to that stage! She is such a good big sister. She amazes me with her reading. It just seems to come naturally to her. She really loves school and learning. Handwriting is her favorite, and I think that is because she has control over that. I don't have to instruct her or anything, she just does it on her own at her own pace. She is also very loving and trusting. The ladies at church just get such a kick out of her being in their room. They are always telling me how helpful she is and how she is good at anticipating someone's needs.

Jay is getting so big. His legs are so skinny and long! His body type reminds me of one of my brothers, but his personality is a good mix of his daddy and mommy! He doesn't know a stranger, and is quick to meet new friends at playgrounds and such. In fact, he likes to tell his new friends our phone number and address!! Yeah... as you can imagine, that is a lot of fun to load a kid yelling all of your information to the world! We have put them in the A.S.S.E.R.T. program to teach them about "Stranger Danger" and they still don't get it! His school is going so well. He will be in 1st grade technically, but doing 2nd grade math and phonics.

This year I plan to teach Jay and Anna at a much slower pace with more electives. We are going to be doing a four day week with the fifth day being for math tests and catch up, if needed. We are a part of our church's homeschool group and soccer should be starting in the next couple of weeks! It is amazing how fast our children are growing up.

As far as Jerry and I go... Jerry is finishing with his class graduation in NJ today and then heading home. He is only allowed to drive 6 hours a day, so that means he won't get home until tomorrow sometime. Then we are headed home to visit with family, attend a wedding, and have a fish fry! We won't be headed back to IN for awhile since we will have a new baby SOON, and he will be in line for surgery on his shoulder. I am doing well. I took over the finance position for our homeschool group. That has been interesting so far! I plan on starting school with the kids around September 15 so that I have enough adjusting time with the baby. We'll see how that all works out! I have it all planned out for a 36 week school and our "learning weeks" are the weeks of our birthdays and holidays, so it works out well.

In the fall we are blessed to have a family across the street that is homeschooling their son as well. So Jay will spend Tuesday mornings with them while I take the other 4 to Bible Study! They are doing the Beth Moore "Daniel" study. I am really excited! I have the book already, and hope the other kids will be as excited to go as me!

Well, the natives are getting restless, and laundry needs to be switched! Thus ends the first of what I hope is many updates for our family!

We hope to hear from you all and pray for each of you!