If you finish your school work early...

We're all about rewards in our house. Cowboy usually is the creative one to think of them, but I'm happy to follow through if they make my life easier and more fun!

So...before Christmas break Cowboy dangled the carrot in front of Miss B and C-Man. They went for it!!!

I had their agendas filled out with everything that needed to be accomplished before we started our official Christmas Break. Cowboy told the kids if they finished by certain dates they would receive rewards. The sooner they finished, the bigger the reward. He did this to save my sanity and I thank him for that! (He's always looking out for my sanity).

Miss B stayed up until after midnight one night to finish her work so that she would have an extra week of Christmas Break.

She and I went to our city's downtown area to ice skate. We had so much fun and laughed SO hard at each other! I worked very hard to NOT FALL!!! She, of course, made fun of me for my caution. However, I tried to remind her my body was old and I could get seriously hurt if I fell.



After successfully ice skating without injury, we had dinner together. Don't panic about the amount of food she consumed. Right after this she swam for an hour and fifteen minutes. (Makes me tired to think about it).



This reward was TOTALLY worth it!!! Not only did I not have to harp on Miss B to finish up her school work on the days preceding Christmas, but I also got to spend time with my girl. PRICELESS!!!

Today I'm tired.

...tired of cleaning up vomit on floors
...tired of cleaning up vomit on children & their clothes
...tired of cleaning up vomit on bedding
...tired of sanitizing the high chair, sink, & bath tub
...tired of spraying disinfectant
...tired of not having Cowboy here to sleep next to
...tired of worrying about who's going to get sick next
...tired of telling kids to clean their rooms
...tired of working hard on Little Bit's hair only to have it look like she did it herself


So this morning I'm going to start my day with Coke and this bit of God's Word that I'm holding on tightly to today.

My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,
in secure homes,
in undisturbed places of rest.
Isaiah 32:18

His Hand

With plans for Cowboy & Miss B to be out of town for a few days, Saturday afternoon Cowboy and I decided we better get out and about with all the kids to stock up on groceries so that I wouldn't have to get out with 4 by myself to shop when you can't even push a shopping cart through the parking lots of the grocery stores because of the packed snow. While we were getting everyone ready to head out, my mom called and said if we'd pick up the things on her list, she and Dad would keep all the kids for Cowboy and I to run errands without the whole crew. HOW AMAZING!!!

Yesterday Cowboy and Miss B went with our church youth group to San Antonio for a fun trip. Last night NoBo started throwing up here at home, then Cowboy called me to tell me Miss B was doing the same thing at the church they were staying at in San Antonio. YUCK! I was SO thankful that Cowboy was on the trip with her and could take care of her.

Today 2 of my dear friends have taken my other 3 kids off my hands so I could sanitize my home and take care of NoBo. My sweet mother-in-law is bringing homemade chicken and noodles for dinner.

I just got off the phone with Cowboy and Miss B is feeling much better. They were walking through the parking lot at Sea World ready to see Shamu!

How amazing when I choose to see God's hand at work in our lives each and every day!!!

Providence

Yesterday started out as one of those days. I entered the little boys' bedroom to the discover the stinch of puke on NoBo. I didn't see any evidence, but I knew it was there. I immediately went into panic. This is the teeny tiny 2-year old who doesn't even weigh 19 pounds. His body can't afford to get any smaller and I can't afford to lose time with my family by being in the hospital with him, if dehydration happened. After a clean-up, he acted as if he was starving. I tried his cup, which he quickly ejected from his body. I cleaned everything up, sent out a text to family, friends, and his case worker asking for prayer.

With all of this taking place, I decided to change my plans for the day. I'd stay in all day with kiddos, instead of running a few errands I had planned on.

Little Bit's mom called at about this time and I explained to her we SO wanted to have Little Bit over to spend the night, but was now worried about giving her NoBo's stomach crud. I told her Cowboy would pick up Little Bit after he got off work unless she heard back from me that NoBo had gotten sick again.

Well...NoBo did NOT get sick again, but I did get many Christmas gifts wrapped during afternoon nap time, some dishes done, and laundry mostly caught up.

Cowboy called after picking up Little Bit and told me her mom, her siblings, and her don't currently have a home. They've been driving around in their van for the past day, but the van was now about out of gas and they were out of money. They'd been living with a boyfriend of mom's, who was getting ready to get violent. Mom felt it was necessary for everybody's safety to leave everything behind and get out of there. Cowboy told me to plan to have Little Bit through Christmas and possibly longer. The big kids and I kicked it into high gear getting the dining room table cleared (our kitchen table, which seats 6, is clearly NOT big enough for a family of 7), cleaning bathrooms, rounding up clothes for her, etc.

This morning, after having Little Bit safely nestled between me and Cowboy during the night, I am SO grateful for God's providence. He made a way yesterday for me to get more done at home than I'd planned, because of NoBo's yucky tummy.

I would've never dreamed we would be able to have ALL our children home for Christmas together. Thank you, God, for your divine providence!

Our Favorite Christmas Tradition 2009

We (somewhat) pulled it off again!

Our kids had a very sneaky suspicion about what was coming. They've been driving us crazy for the last few days wondering when we were going to look at lights. They're also getting older and resisting bedtimes more, so it's difficult to put them all to bed and get them up out of bed to surprise them with our annual Christmas Light-seeing. We typically wait until they've been in bed for about 30 minutes. This year we were struggling to get them out of their showers in time to catch the lights before they shut them down at 11. After the 2 big kids were cleaned & dresseed, we told them to hustle to the car. Cowboy's mom came in to sit with NoBo, while he slept.

We loaded everyone up with their blankets. We had no time for our normal 7-11 run, but the kids didn't mind.

This was Little I's second time to go with us on our late-night adventure. When we told him we were going to look at the Christmas lights, he asked, "What are they going to do for us?" I love this age! Apparently he'd forgotten all about looking at lights last year.

Once we were at the light display, we let the kids unbuckle. Little I was hysterical! He was WOUND UP!!! I think we had just as much fun giggling at his silliness as we did oohing and aahing over the lights. I love having the age range we have with our kids. The joy that Miss B & C-Man get from their younger brothers makes my heart smile.

I'm thinking next year we'll need to do this on a schoolnight a couple weeks before Christmas so they won't suspect a thing. Whether they were surprised or not, we're still making memories!

Two of a Kind

When Cowboy & I were engaged there was a Garth Brooks song that we loved, Two of a Kind Working on a Full House. Cowboy kept teasing me that it would be sung at our wedding. I put my foot down there--how hick are we, really? I said the ONLY way that would be sung at our wedding was by Garth himself. He assured me he could make that happen, since we both went to the same high school and college as Garth (only 10 years later).

Well...the song was thankfully not sung at our wedding. I just happened to think of that song today and thought that there are many times I feel like our house couldn't get any more full. (Yes, my friends with BIG families, I know it could). My family today is not at all what I thought my family would look like, but I wouldn't change it for ANYTHING! God has worked in our lives in ways, that 17 years ago when we were a few weeks shy of being married, would've been unimaginable to us.

So...is your house full? Do you have a real faith in Christ? Are you living it? Can you welcome into your home a child who is currently without parents? I'm challenging you now to pray about how your family can help foster children in your area during 2010. Perhaps you can become a foster family or an adoptive family or a respite family or volunteer at your county's shelter, where the kids live while they wait for a foster home.

Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:27 (The Message)

Poopsicles

So Little I asked me tonight if I'd ever had "one of those poopsicles". He said, "the ones that we had at that hotel that had writing on them and Deanna Jones (Indiana Jones). C-Man said, "He's talking about a pop-tart."

Little I said, "Yeah, a fart tart." Then he asked me if I'd ever had a fart-tart.

I'm grateful tonight that I've never had a poopsicle or a fart-tart!!!