It Never Ends

The growing up of our munchkins never ends.

Here's proof:
C-Man got a cell phone a couple weeks ago.

Little I is learning to swim.

Miss B is looking older by the hour, I think.

NoBo recently had his first dentist appointment. It was a NIGHTMARE, but it's over!!! Here he is playing in the waiting area before the appointment.

Remodel--Days 1 & 2

We're remodeling!!! Nothing major, though. We're adding a room into the garage to become our laundry room. Our current laundry room will become a 5th bedroom! We're so excited!

Day 1:
Notice the direction the attic ladder comes down. That will be reversed so that the attic will open into our laundry room. Just behind the ladder you can see our entry door from the garage. That will be removed. Do you see that lovely dark green door? That will be removed, repainted, and will be moved to a new spot. It will become our entry door from the garage.

You can see below where our wall will be built.


Day 2:
You can see in this first picture where the other wall will be built. You can also see the current hot water heater closet. That closet will be opened up to the rest of the room. We will install a tankless hot water system and the washer and dryer will be in that area.


In this next picture you can see where the dark green door was removed. This spot is now ready for a wall to be built there. You can't tell in the pictures, but we're also getting ready to build a new floor, which will be at the same level as the rest of our house.


Here's an outside view of where the door used to be. It's just waiting on me to buy some paint and paint it! I know it's not beautiful, but NOBODY sees this side of our house, except our neighbor, sometimes, and the meter readers, and our kids' friends. Oh, forget it! FEW people see this side of our house.


Oh, do you know the reason we're jumping into this project? Actually, there are 2 very adorable reasons.

These 2 cuties are our newest family members. They moved in with us 2 weeks ago. We don't know how long they'll be with us, but we're excited to get to love on them. He is 2 1/2 and she is 9 months.

Yes, we now have an even half-dozen!

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday post in SO long.

Come to think of it, I've hardly even blogged in the last several months.

Today I'm thankful for...

1. Cowboy's new cholesterol number: 186!!! I'm SO proud of him for bringing it down from it's all-time high of 270.

2. New life insurance policies that are worth more, but costing the same (thanks to that lower cholesterol level).

3. 5 meals in the freezer for my family to enjoy while I'm in Uganda.

4. NoBo waking up without a fever for the first time since Saturday.

5. My father-in-law's nice recovery from knee replacement surgery 1 month ago.

6. Coke Zero

7. C-Man's sweet spirit. It really shines as he helps Cowboy coach Little I's basketball team.

8. My Algebra students. They make me smile.

9. Miss B's good friendships. When I asked her tonight if she truly had friends that she could be spiritually accountable to, without hesitation, her answer was yes. (All my friends were Christians when I was 13, but I don't think I could've answered that question with a yes at that age).

10. The lessons learned (through Beth Moore & many sweet friends) at my homeschool co-op mom's retreat a couple weeks ago.

My Head is Spinning

4 weeks from today I'll be in Africa.

I really can't believe it's getting so close! I've dreamed of going to that distant continent for most of my adult life.

My head is spinning with things that need to be accomplished. Packing, getting donations for the orphans we'll be visiting, scheduling my kids' days and their caretakers while I'm gone, making sure my family knows how to do the laundry, finishing my vaccinations, visiting the doctor to get my malaria prescription, creating a display at church with the orphans' pictures so that they can be prayed over by our church family, preparing my students' work, putting together some freezer meals

Can I just say that 2 full weeks is a long time to leave my sweet family?

I'm working on multiple mental checklists right now.

Today I made my first freezer meal for them. I'm hoping to make the time over the next few weeks to make 5 or 6 more. I figure if I leave them with 3-4 meals a week, they'll be happy. If not, at least they now have 1!!!

6570 Nights

18 years ago today Cowboy & I got married.

In these 18 years we've spent 6570 nights studying, cramming, working on class projects, preparing our resumes, crying through the ups and downs of infertility, tending to the needs of new babies, wondering how we were going to pay bills, taking care of sick kiddos, praying for wisdom on how we raise these munchkins God's blessed us with, and we've had SO much fun!

Can't wait for the next 6570 nights!

Thankful Thursday

Here's my list of things i'm thankful for this week in random order, because my life is full of random order:

1. The Godly company that employs Cowboy. The owners are SUCH an amazing family! Their goal is for the company to be more successful so that they can give more money away to promote the Kingdom of God worldwide.

2. Our family's homeschool co-op. I've said this so many times, but we are so blessed to be a part of this group of families.

3. The time our family has been spending in God's Word as we celebrate the Advent season. We're doing the Christmas reading plan from youversion. Each day has been challenging and has made us think outside of ourselves.

4. My friends. I'm at a point in life where I have a few different small circles of friends. Each circle of friends is encouraging and fun and I'm SO grateful!

5. NoBo eating corn for the first time this past week! Each new food is SO exciting!

6. An opportunity this week to help a neighbor in need.

7. Laundry! I'm choosing to be thankful today that I have a wonderful husband & 4 kids who are healthy enough to get out each day & dirty some clothes! I'm also thankful for the provision from God of these clothes.

8. Christmas shopping that is hopefully near finished.

9. Little I enjoying all the Christmas books I've been reading to him.

10. C-Man giving SACRIFICIALLY to a family in need. (One of those moments that made me cry when he said how much of his own money he was willing to give away).

Great Things He Has Done

Last fall during a Bible Study I was convicted about journaling. One of the reasons it's important for me to journal is that I have NO memory!

Lately I have FLOPPED at journaling! Sometimes blogging is my version of journaling and clearly I haven't done much of that lately.

So today I'm journaling an answered prayer.

For years now Cowboy & I have been praying together for a specific physical healing in one of our kids. This child has been in tears many times over this situation. We've been in tears for this child. Without going into detail, let me just assure you that it's been a long, hard struggle!

God has healed this child! There's been no symptom of this ailment for over 2 weeks now! As parents, we've each spoken to our child and reminded this child that this healing has come from God alone.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!!!