Freedom Celebration

Day 23

Church this morning. This is the earliest we've gotten there since Christopher left, but I was still a few minutes late. Oh well, each week is an improvement.

After church we had lunch w/ my parents. We did some shopping for tonight, then headed home for naps.

Tonight was the Freedom Celebration at church. We had a blast!!!!! The kids got to watch a BMX stunt team and play on inflatables. They also got to climb all over a firetruck. Then we saw an awesome fireworks show!! The only disappointing thing was the music. During the fireworks there was not one Christian song! Why do churches do that?? There are patriotic songs sung by Christian artists. Why not use those? Several years ago they did "secular" music for a couple of years. Then they got back to Christian for a few years. I guess they are going back to secular. Wonder if it has anything to do with the new music minister??

Ok, it's way late, and I am exhausted! Hope everyone else had a great Sunday!

Day 22 - half way there

Three weeks down, 3 to go!! I'm so glad! Not that things have been horrible, I will just be so glad when Chris is back.

I basically did nothing this morning. Just kind of took it easy. But this afternoon, I organized my bedroom, boxed up 3 boxes of stuff to give away, did 2 loads of laundry, 1 load of dishes, bought some groceries, and vacuumed! I am very proud of the progress I made in my room today!! Now if I can just figure out how to organize the girls' room, I'll be all set!

Day 21

Today is kind of a blur. We are all sick w/ a cold, and today I had a really bad pain in my right side. I was starting to get worried b/c I can't really afford the doctor right now. I took it easy for today, and had my friends praying for me. After naps, I felt much better! Everyone took long naps today, so hopefully we are on the road to recovery!

I did manage to wash a load of clothes, and make sure the kids were fed, so the basics were taken care of today. :) I'll have to get out of the house tomorrow b/c we are out of some grocery items, so hopefully we are all feeling better tomorrow.

Chris got to call tonight!! We were all excited to talk to him, since it had been a few days.

A milestone

Today when I was giving Madison a bath, she reached up and grabbed my thumb, then just studied it. It's the first time she's actually reached for something and grabbed hold! It was so cute!!!!!!

video of madison - taken 6/26/2008

Day 20

I am officially sick. :( UGH! I hate being sick, but especially when I'm the only parent. The kids were driving me crazy today! I was trying to talk to a friend (who also has 4 kids) on the phone, and I finally said "you wanna meet for lunch?" And she was like "yes!!" LOL So we met at Burger King. The kids played and had a great time. Our 4 kids are very close in age, and like me she has 2 boys and 2 girls. After sitting at BK for hours, I finally said "wanna come to my house?" So the 5 of them came to our house for a while. It was nice have company. I was able to loan her some books as well. She was looking for some good Christian books. It was nice to able share some of my MANY books. :) After they left, I made dinner, and then the kids took baths and went to bed. So another long, but very fun day.

Christopher - the hat come today. :) I'm so glad it got here in time!!

Day 19

Another long day. I feel like I was barely home today. Here are the highlights:

~ eye dr for followup. took the kids w/ me - they were great!!!
~ playdate at the splash pad! Lots of fun!! (I actually remembered the sunscreen!!)
~ home for lunch and naps
~ took some videos to a friend at the sno cone stand, so of course, had a sno cone. :)
~ went to my parents' - out to eat (chinese), then they took the kids to their house, and I went shopping. I took Madison w/ me, and she slept the whole time. I could actually think while I was in the store!! It was wonderful!
~ back home to get the kids in bed.
~ Madison slept till 8am!! but she was making noise at 6, just didn't actually wake up till 8.
~ everyone now has a cold. How does that happen in the summer?? Caleb was up 3 times last night to blow his nose. At 3am I gave him some cold medicine. Don't know if it helped or not. :(
~ hoping since everyone is sick and was up late, that everyone will sleep in tomorow. I can dream, right? LOL
~ first day since he's been gone that I didn't get to talk to Christopher. :(

Day 18

So last night I forgot to blog. I think I've made up for it today as this is my third blog today. LOL

So, yesterday:
~got some baby toys out of the garage for Madison. You would have thought it was Christmas the way the older kids were acting.
~let the older kids play outside in the water. They had a blast!

Today:
~my 15 yr old cousin came by to help out. She watched the kids while I got some housework done. I cleaned the bathrooms, did tons of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, mowed the backyard, and played outside with the kids.
~Caleb got a kiddie pool/toy for his birthday. It's a kiddie pool w/ a slide, basketball goal, ring toss, and sprinkler. We finally found the air pump, so I let the kids play in the pool. They had so much fun!! They played in it for hours. Unfortunately, I forgot the sunscreen, so they are all pink now.

The last few mornings Madison has gotten up between 5:30 and 6:00am. :( She had been sleeping till 8:30, so I'm not sure what's going on with her.
Conner finally came down with the same cold that Megan has. :( The only symptom seems to be a runny nose. They still have plenty of energy!

Chris called this morning b/c he'll be out in the field the next few days and won't be able to call. It was weird not talking to him tonight. That's the highlight of our day.

Guess that about sums up today. Still hanging in there...

Person of Faith

I've been seeing bits and pieces of an interview with Obama lately, and I've got to post my feelings on him. Let me start off by saying - I believe I have been blessed with a gift - I can read people. I know that sounds strange. But I believe most women have this to a degree. I can usually tell after a short time what kind of person someone is. This has been very beneficial to me since my hubby is a youth pastor. When we go to a new church, I can tell you within a couple of weeks (usually the first Sunday) who is going to be a good friend, and who we need to keep an eye on. I can tell you right off who the trouble makers are. I can even tell you who is being friendly, but will eventually stab us in the back. It's just something I've been blessed with.

Having said that - I believe that Obama is a liar. I believe he is fooling America. He has already fooled a few big name celebrities. One in particular does not surprise me, as this person is very "confused" about matters of faith anyway. But Obama is not what he seems. He is not being honest with America. If he is elected president, we should be afraid. He is not what he seems.

Recently he said something about being a "person of faith". However, if you look at other comments he has made, it is obvious his faith is not what he wants Americans to believe. I'm sorry, but there is only ONE way to Heaven. The Bible is very clear about that. And just b/c more and more Americans are falling for the "there are many paths to the same place" speech, does NOT make it true. It doesn't really matter what people believe or say - Truth is truth. Everyone can believe that today is Friday, but that does not make today Friday - no matter how much you want it to be true, or how many people say it's so. And a true believer will know that what I say is right. So just b/c Obama calls himself a "person of faith" does not mean faith in one true God - the only God, the God who sent His son, Jesus, to die for the sins of the world. Obama does not believe that is true.

Do we really want a president that can't even be honest about his "faith"? He's trying to win over believers, so he can get elected. I just hope the believers are paying attention to his words at all times - not just when he's trying to sound religious.

Maddy's new shirt

Day 16

Pretty normal Sunday - church, lunch w/ parents. Then we did some shopping. Home for naps!! :) After naps, I was doing some laundry, and getting the stuff to clean the bathroom mirror. Megan was brushing her teeth. She comes to me and says "I need you to come look at the bathroom." And I'm like "why? What's wrong with it?" She calmly says "Just come look." So we stroll into the bathroom where I see that the toilet is overflowing and the floor is flooded!! Oh the joys of being the only adult home!! I have to unclog the toilet, mop up gross water, start a load of laundry to wash (the towels covered in gross water), then mop the floor w/ clean water. OH JOY!! At least the toilet was an easy fix. If it had kept overflowing, I would have been in trouble. At least I know how to shut off the water - I think. ;)

And even with all of that, I still got the kids in bed at a decent time, and got to watch Army Wives. :) Sometimes I feel like Roxie did in the first season of that show - she was new to the Army and had no idea about anything. That's how I feel. And my circumstance is even more unique b/c my hubby is a chaplain. That's not that common. I guess I will learn as I go.

Day 15

I got extra sleep today. Since the 3 oldest kids were at my parents' house, Madison and I had an easy morning. I got up when she did, gave her a bottle, then we talked and played until she was ready for her nap. Then we both slept about 2 more hours. It was wonderful!!!

Megan seems to be getting a cold. Seems odd since it's summer, but she has a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, etc. Madison seems to be getting sick as well. And I've had a sore throat all day. I was wondering if I was getting sick b/c things have been tasting different to me. Hopefully everyone is feeling better tomorrow so we can go to church.

That pretty much sums up our Saturday. I was so glad for an easy day!!

Day 14

The 3 oldest kids went to VBS today. Everyone had a great time, and was sad to see it come to an end. I'm not sure what I'm going to do next week when we don't have VBS everyday.

While they were at VBS, Madison and I ran to Walmart for a few things.

We attempted naps today, but things did not go as planned.

The oldest kids are at my parents' house tonight. They are spending the night tonight, so it's just me and Madison at the house. Maddy's already in bed, and I'm fixing to curl up in the recliner and watch a movie - after I clean the kitchen. :(

Lots of family drama going on w/ the extended family on both sides. :( Just keep us in your prayers as I'm not comfortable writing about it yet.

I saw a story on the news today that really made me angry. Some woman went into Walmart with her son. She walked down a few aisles, then left - without her son!!! She left him with a backpack of diapers and a bottle w/ a note pinned to his shirt. The note said her husband had left, and she couldn't afford the kid anymore. OK, What???!! Just like that she can leave her son in Walmart??? Get a job, get some assistance, whatever it takes, but you don't just leave your son in Walmart!! Obviously she's not a real mother b/c a real mother would do whatever it took to provide for her child. UGH, some people should not be allowed to have kids! Ok, off my soapbox.

Guess I better get busy on that kitchen. ;)

Message for Christopher

Day 13

Today was much better. The kids were better, and I even left the house w/ them. LOL

Megan wouldn't go to VBS today. I'm not sure what was up with that. She was crying, and clinging to me. She never acts like that. She told me she will go tomorrow for the last day. I hope she does.

I did make it to the Y. I'm going to be short this week b/c of all the running around. But I'm trying. :)

After I picked up the boys we ran a few errands, then we came home and napped!! Our electricity went off for a while. I was starting to worry we would have to stay with my parents, but it finally came back on.

We spent a quiet evening at home. It was a nice change. ;)

Day 12

Kids were better today, but I feel like I barely saw them today:

~VBS this morning for the boys. Megan was having "tummy issues", so she went to my mom's w/ Madison while I went to the eye doctor. My eyes may have improved. We aren't fully sure b/c my corneas are irritated and swollen. So I go back in a week to see how my eyes do after recovering from the irritation.

~Picked up the girls then picked up the boys.

~Home for lunch and quiet time.

~Dropped off everyone but Megan at my parents' house. Took Megan to the doctor for a follow up.

~Picked up the kids, came home to refill the diaper bag (needed bottles), then to Family Fun Night at the church. My parents came also, but by the time we got the hot dog table they were out. So we left to go have dinner. Kids did get to do several inflatables before we left. They also had some "exotic animals" there that the kids got to see and touch. So it was a very fun time for all.

~At Braum's I ran into a very dear friend. We keep bumping into each other this summer. But I found out tonight she's moving to Tulsa. :( I'm gonna miss her!!

~Home late AGAIN. Got kids in bed, and now I'm ready to crash! What a day!!! I'm actually looking forward to next week when there's no VBS so I can just take it easy during the day.

Days like today when I'm driving all over town dropping off kids, picking up kids, going to the doctor, etc I really miss Chris. This single parenting stuff is hard!! I don't see how people do it. But I am so grateful that I have parents that live nearby and are willing to help me out. I know a lot of people don't have that. I am truly blessed!

Day 11

Today didn't go as smoothly as the others have. The kids were really wild today. It's like with each passing day they try to push the limit further and further. I had to run in Walmart for like 5 things, and by the time we left, I was ready for them to all take a nap!! I may send them to my parents' house on Friday for a sleepover b/c I could use a nice, quiet evening.

Storms woke me up early again. And we still have the chance of storms for the rest of the week. It's almost July and we are dealing w/ spring weather. That's Oklahoma for ya!

I guess that's all I have to update on for today.

Picture

Madison and me at JumpZone.

Day 10 - crazy busy!

What a crazy day!! I've been going non-stop since I woke up!


~Took the 3 oldest kids to VBS.

~Madison and I went to the Y. I did 35 minutes on the eliptical!!

~Back home to clean up and feed Maddy.

~Picked up the 3 kids. This takes a while b/c they are on opposite sides of the huge church. ~Had lunch at BK. They have Hulk toys, and my kids have been begging to go.

~JumpZone (giant inflatables) - today was discount day, so we all got in for under $10!!

~They were doing drawings every 15 minutes, and we won a t-shirt.

~Your drawing ticket also got you $1 scoop of ice cream at Marble Slab, so we had 3 scoops (total not each of us lol).

~It started getting dark and windy while we were at MS, so I rushed the kids to beat the storm home, but it has yet to rain.

~The kids were being whiney, so I sent Conner and Megan to bed till they could stop whining, and told Caleb to read. All 3 fell asleep. Caleb fell asleep in the recliner reading. It was so cute, I had to take his picture. Guess all that jumping wears you out. ;)

~I was debating mowing the yard before the rain moved in. It's suppose to rain every day this week, so I was thinking I should probably do it while I had the chance. Then my dad called and offered to come over and mow for me. I thought that was so sweet of him! I pulled out the mower to make sure it had gas and would start. (it's very moody) It started, so I just started mowing. My dad pulled up and said "I thought I was doing that." lol So I trimmed the shrubs while he mowed.

~It's thundering outside, so the storms must be moving in. I hope we can sleep throught them tonight - I need the rest!

Day 9 - Father's Day

Father's day is hard on kids when their father is away. :( Chris called this afternoon, and after Caleb talked to him, he told me he was close to crying. And I know it's hard on Conner b/c he's such a daddy's boy. I don't think Megan has fully grasped the time concept yet. But in another week or so, I think it's going to start sinking in for her as well.

The kids had colored Father's Day pictures for Chris before he left, and we snuck them into his bag. So at least he has something from the kids on this day.

After church, we headed to my parents' house for a cookout. My brother and his family came by, and everyone had a good time. My mom recently got home movies of her childhood on DVD, so we watched it tonight. It was weird seeing my mom as a child. The kids were a little wild today, and we had a long discussion about it before they went to bed tonight.

This week is going to be busy - the 3 oldest are in VBS all week. It will give me a break each day. I plan on working out every day, and running errands while I just have Madison. The kids are really looking forward to it - especially Megan since this will be her first one.

Storms are expected all week. I don't mind - I like storms. But I was going to mow this week, and now that will have to wait. And most of these storms are expected overnight, so I might be getting little sleep this week.

Speaking of sleep, I have been exhausted the last few days. I don't think I'm sleeping well for several reasons - 1) I never sleep good when Chris is gone and 2) I'm sleeping very light knowing I'm the only one that can be there for the kids if they need me. Guess that means I need to get to bed!

Day 8

Another busy day! It started off with Madison sleeping in - which would normally be a good thing, but today meant I slept in. So we were a few minutes late to my cousin's wedding. It was an outdoor wedding, and we were walking up the drive as they were playing "here comes the bride." But my parents had saved us seats, and we didn't miss much. The ceremony was nice - short, but nice. The groom's cake was an OU cake!! And the weather was almost perfect.

This evening we went shoe shopping with my mom. I found one pair of dress shoes, but needed to find some tennis shoes. Guess I'll have to keep shopping. We stayed at my parents' house and did some crafts. The kids all made necklaces w/ the their names, and I made Madison a bracelet with hers. It's such a tiny bracelet!! but sooo cute!

I took lots of pictures at the wedding to show Chris. Originally he was going to perform the ceremony, but since he had to do this NG stuff, they had to find another minister. I know he's sorry he missed out.

In this picture: cousins: Chelsey, Kerry, Kasey, and Aunt Carol. (can you tell the 2 in the middle are twins? lol) They all looked so beautiful!!

For Christopher

This is what Madison wore today. Christopher picked out this onsie for her before she was even born. Just had to show it off. :)

Day 7

Today wasn't as smooth as the others have been. The kids were a little wild today. They have been wrestling each other, but someone always gets hurt. Madison has been very cranky today as well. Not sure what's up with her.

It was a pretty laid-back day. The kids watched TV this morning, then just played around this afternoon. The boys got hair cuts, and Megan got her bangs trimmed. They played outside till it started raining. It's thundering outside right now, so I hope the kids are able to sleep. We have a wedding in the morning, and I don't need the kids to be tired and cranky. :(

We only got out tonight to take my movie back, buy a gift card for the wedding, and pick up a few things at Big Lots. I always forget about that store, but they have some great deals!

Wow, it's actually quiet in the house. Maybe the kids will fall asleep even with the thunder in the distance. The storms are being brought in by a cold front, so hopefully things won't be too hot tomorrow for the wedding, since it's outdoors.

I had one of those "man, I wish Chris was here" moments today. I was putting Madison in the van and saw a dead mouse in the middle of the garage. I guess that Deacon we put out really worked. But I was standing there thinking - I have to get rid of the mouse before the kids see it. I really wish Chris was here to take care of it. :( But I did what I had to do. EEEWWW

I also saw a commercial encouraging me to vacation in Arkansas. It made me sad to think I was just there a week ago, but not under happy circumstances. But hey, it's day 7 and we are doing great! dead mouse and all! We can get through the next 5 weeks just as well as the first one. :)

Day 6

I've got to do better about getting my act together in the mornings. I decided to go to the Y, but had to get the kids motivated to get dressed, feed Madison, get ready, etc. So by the time I got there, I only got to do 17 minutes on the eliptical. The daycare closes at 12:30 - don't ask me why. I don't understand why they can't offer daycare all day. It starts back up again at 4:30, so why not just do it all day? anyway, I saw the pastor and his wife come in, so I went over to say hi. I ended up being 3 minutes late to pick up the kids. The workers told me next time I'm late, I have to pay. Interesting, since I don't pay for daycare - it's included in the membership. I guess they make you pay out of pocket? or charge you extra that month? I don't know. Anyway, I'll be doing better.

Going to the Y was about all we did today. I rented a chick flick for me to watch after the kids were in bed. That's my recovery time. Tonight I watched 27 Dresses. Very cute movie, just wish it wasn't full of cussing. I don't understand why they put that in movies. It has no bearing on the movie whatsoever! Just leave it out, and make it a clean movie. That's my 2 cents anyway.

All the kids slept in today, which means I slept in today!! Gotta love that!

Everyone keeps asking me how I'm doing. And honestly - much better than I thought I would. I have a renewed confidence in my parenting ability. Of course, it's only been a week. By week 3 I may be in a mental institution. lol I miss Chris terribly, but I also know that I can do this! That feels good.

Day 5

Another day comes to a close. It was another good day! The kids were very good today, so we watched Alvin and the Chipmunks - cute movie!!! But then the day went downhill - the kids started acting up this evening, but we had a talk, and I'm hoping tomorrow is better. I've got a few activities I'm working on for them, so I hope they behave. :)

Tonight we had dinner with my parents, then went shopping. I found some great deals at walmart!! I'm very excited!

I also got some housework done. The house has been staying really clean! The kids are doing good with keeping their toys picked up. yay!!

Guess that's it for today.

Red Hawks game!

Day 4

Another fun day! I got to workout at the Y this morning. I had to cut it 3 minutes short b/c the daycare was closing, but that's not bad.

I rented a movie for the kids last night, and told them they could watch it today if they were good. However, they did not get to watch the movie. :( They just kept doing things to pick on each other, so I said no movie.

We had tickets to a Red Hawks baseball tonight. My dad decided to go with us, which I was so thankful for. It would have been really hard by myself, but I was going to try. My dad spoiled the kids. He said you can't go to a baseball game w/o hot dogs, peanuts and cracker jacks. LOL He came back to the seats w/ chili fries, hot dogs, and cracker jacks. Then I got drinks for everyone, and then Dad decided we needed ice cream. It comes in little plastic baseball hats, so the kids were thrilled. Conner put his on Chris' dresser and said his was for Daddy. :) so sweet!! Conner told me tonight he really misses his daddy and sometimes he cries for him. I haven't seen him cry, so I guess he does it when no one is around. :( Chris called while we were at the game, so everyone got to talk to him tonight. That's the highlight of my day!

Well, it's late, and I'm tired. Just wanted to give a quick update on our day. Chris, if you are reading this - We love you and miss you!!

Day 3

Another good day!! The kids were pretty good. We even went to Walmart for some groceries, and they were better than I expected. YAY!!

We had storms last night, so I ended up with kids in my bed. Caleb came in first around 3am. After that round of storms passed, he went back to his bed. Then at 6am Megan came in b/c of another round of storms. We had storms off and on all day today. So that means the kids were stuck inside. I let them play some video games, but they mostly just played with their toys.

We got to talk to Chris again. He called while we were grocery shopping, but everyone got a chance to talk.

Think that's about all for today!

pictures from our trip to Arkansas to say bye to daddy

Our day at Frontier City

pics from Caleb's 7th birthday party

Day 2

Another day comes to a close. And it was another good one. Madison was up before my alarm, but not too much. The morning went smoothly - everyone's clothes had been laid out the night before, so that was no problem. And even with Caleb losing his second tooth this morning (which is lost somewhere in the hall carpet), we actually got to church at 9:02! (It starts at 9:00, but this is huge with me getting 4 gets ready by myself.) However, when we got the nursery, Conner and Megan's room had no teacher. I stood around waiting for them to figure out what to do about it, and finally decided to take Caleb to the other side of the church for his class. We get over there, and guess what - he has no teacher! Now for those that don't know, we are going to my "home" church since Chris isn't ministering at a church right now. And this church is a big church! Plenty of people to work the nursery. So it was a little annoying that they were short-handed today. And it's more the fault of the workers - they should be there on time - which for them is 15 BEFORE service. Not 2 minutes after it's started. and if they can't be there, they are suppose to have a fill-in ready. I know this b/c I've worked in the nursery before. Anyway, back to my story - we finally figure out Caleb is joining the K class, so I notice that it's the welcome time in service. I find my parents and hand them Madison, and tell them I'll be back. I take Conner and Megan back to their class where there is now a worker. Oh, and why did I take Madison to service instead of leaving her in the nursery? Glad you asked. B/c one of the ladies in charge looked at her and said "oh, are you taking the baby to the nursery? b/c that will mess me up." Ok, I'm not even going to go there. I decided to keep Maddy w/ me. She slept the whole service in my arms. :) So it was a wonerful time for me!

Ok, after church - lunch w/ my parents, then home for naps. And trust me, I needed one. We all got about an hour of sleep, then everyone was up. The kids played outside while I played inside with Madison.

Chris called this evening. Always wonderful to hear from him! He talked to Caleb and Megan - Conner didn't want to talk this time.

My new favorite show was back tonight - Army Wives on Lifetime!! I'm getting a little annoyed w/ Lifetime - all their movies are the same and getting very cheesey, but this series is awesome!! Maybe it's b/c I am an Army wife now, but I love this show!! I cried through most of tonight's episode. It was about losing a child. My emotions are already all over the place, and then to watch a show like that - all the emotions of an army wife and a mom... man!

Ok, I think that about sums up today. We survived another day! And the only thing lost is the tooth. :) Man, we are doing good!!

Day 1 as a single mom

I survived my first full day without Chris. It started off with me getting to sleep in. Not sure what was up with Madison, but she slept till 8:30!! She spends more time awake during the day, so it all evens out. But that was a nice treat to start off the day.

I spent most of the day in the same t-shirt I slept in (and shorts) doing laundry. I probaby would have stayed that way all day, but my parents came over, so I had to get dressed in decent clothes. ;) They brought over one of those outdoor playhouses for the kids. The boys call is their clubhouse.

I can't believe the house in still in good shape. The kids are doing really good at keeping their stuff picked up! It's a miracle!! lol

The kids have been picking on each other more, but I think we are getting that under control.

Got to talk to Chris tonight. He'll be at his final destination tomorrow, so not sure when I'll hear from him again. I tried to keep the conversation happy and light. I don't want him to think I'm too stressed with all the kids. Because, honestly, I'm not. But give me a few days, and I may be singing a different tune. ;)

I'm also tackling a home improvement project. I'm redoing some of the grout in my shower. It needed to be replaced, and I figured I could do it. So far so good. We'll see how it looks when it dries. Bad news - I have to shower in the kids' bathroom. It's not the end of the world, I just have to gather up all my stuff and move it. You know how girls tend to have lots of bathroom stuff. :) But I'm just thankful we have 2 bathrooms! I remember all too well the days of one - no fun!!!

I think that about sums up my first day.
((((HUGS))))

And so it begins...

The next six weeks are going to be very hard for me. Chris, my hubby, is on his way to South Carolina with the National Guard. This will be the longest we have ever been apart. The second longest would be last year when he was gone for 2 weeks with the Guard. I know there are many other military families out there that have had to go through much worse than this, but this is my blog, and it's about my life. ;) So here I get to freely discuss how much I dislike this.

This is what I wrote in my journal last night:

My quiet time verse is I Thess. 5: 16-18 (NIV). It's so fitting for today. "Be joyful always; pray continuously; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
We are in Arkansas spending our last couple of days with Chris for a while. It's hard to be joyful and thankful when thinking about the next 6 weeks w/o him. I'm scared. I don't want to give thanks. But I know I should. God has a plan and a reason for this. I may not understand or be happy about it. But I need to still be joyful and thankful. and I will definitely need to pray continuously. :) We will survive the next 6 weeks, and I will be stronger on the other side.

reflections on the day my oldest turns 7

It does not seem possible that I have a seven year old! It doesn't feel like I've been a mom for 7 years. I still picture my kids as being little. But as Chris pointed out - Caleb doesn't even look like a "little kid" anymore. It's crazy! Where has the time gone? Then I look at Madison - she'll be 3 months old on the 5th. How has it been 3 months since she was born? Wasn't it just last week that I was waddling around, huge pregnant?!

Times like this make me reflect - have I been a good mom? Am I doing a good job of raising the kids? Do I spend enough time with them? Do they know how much I love them? Do I have a good balance of discipline so as to not be too permissive or too strict? Will they grow up warped? Because to be honest - on most days, I don't think I'm a good enough mom. I always think of mistakes I've made. I know no one is perfect. And I just have to pray for God's guidance b/c I have no clue. Thankfully, I know where to turn when I'm confused. I pray for my children to find God at a young age. I want them to avoid years of pain, mistakes, hurt, etc. I know salvation doesn't guarantee they won't experience those things, but life is so much easier when you have God to lean on. I think we are doing decent in that area. We let Caleb pick out a Bible for his birthday. And since we got it, he's been reading it on his own. He will just decide he wants to read, and go find his Bible! I am so thankful! He could be filling his head with worthless junk like those very popular "children's" series (you can probably figure out what I'm talking about.) But instead, he's filling his head with stories of the faith. Stories that he can look back to when he's an adult. I am so proud of him! He also knows we only listen to Christian music. You can probably tell from my playlist, we like rockin' Christian music. The "rockin'" part doesn't bother me. I just don't want my kids filling their heads w/ bad lyrics and immoral messages. I want everything they read, see, and hear to be positive.

Today, I was in the kitchen helping Conner with something. I said "Do you know I love you?" and he said "yes, mom, you tell me like every day!" (he said it in an annoyed "of course I know" voice) But I said "Good! I don't want you to ever forget." It's moments like that, that I will treasure forever!

And Chris is a wonderful dad! He's always been the early bird. (I'm the night owl. Hence my posting at 10:35 at night.) But since he's always up early, he takes care of Madison in the morning. She gets up between 5:30 and 7:30 every morning. The other day he told me that's his "Maddy and Daddy time". He treasures those mornings with her. I know he worries about being gone for so long. He'll be gone for 6 weeks. That's a long time when your only 3 months old. She'll be so different when he gets back. At least it's only 6 weeks. Someday it will probably be 15 months. :( Anyway, he is very careful to spend one-on-one time with each child. If he has to run to the store for something, he always takes at least one kid along. I know those are going to be wonderful memories for the kids and for Chris. I am so glad he's the kind of dad that *wants* to be actively involved with is kids. He is such a good dad!

Well, it's been a long day. This night owl is ready to call it a day.

update (it's been a while)

June already??!! Where did May go? Man, time is flying by!

Our new kitchen floor is done!! WOOHOO!! I am so excited! It looks soooo good. When Conner came in earlier, he said "I like our new floor." Even our kids can see the difference. It looks so much better than the other stuff we had.

Yesterday was Caleb's birthday party. He turns 7 on the 3rd. How do I have a 7 year old??? Anyway, he wanted a pool party, so we had it at my Grandma's. We had a blast!! I even put on a swimsuit. I didn't get in the water b/c it was cold, but I figured if I was going to get tan lines, they should at least be the outline of my swimsuit. Caleb was in the pool pretty much the whole time, and Conner and Megan were in and out the whole time. Madison was a doll the whole time. She was awake most of the time, so she slept really good last night. She didn't get up till 7:30 this morning! 3 nights ago we put her in her crib in her room. She's been doing great in there. She usually sleeps till 6:00 or so.

We are getting ready for Chris to leave. We are all going to leave on Thursday and drive to Arkansas. We will spend Thursday and half of Friday just doing fun stuff. Then we will drive back to okc, and Chris will go on to South Carolina. It will be so weird having him gone for so long. Last summer was only 2 weeks, but it felt like months! This time it really will be 2 months. I'm also concerned about him doing so much driving alone. It's so much easier to do long distance driving when you have someone to talk to. But I know God will protect him.

The kids are going to VBS Mon-Wed, and then next week they will go to the VBS at my gma's church. We are also going to Frontier City tomorrow since a military id gets you in for 50 cents!!! Can't beat that!

Madison has been acting cranky the last couple of days and having more poopy diapers than normal. I hope she's not getting sick. Especially if we aren't going to be home later in the week.
Hm, can't really think of anything else to update on. Just staying busy and spending lots of time w/ Chris.

((((HUGS))))