Where to begin?!

We really ended our 2011 year with a bang!!  I don't even know where to begin.  Mid December, Emi had to have 4 teeth pulled to make room for her permanent teeth.  She was such a trooper!  They pulled two teeth on each side of her front teeth on top.  We then scheduled to have 4 teeth on the bottom pulled for January 2nd. Insurance reasons were a main issue in waiting until the the new year to have them pulled.  Well... they were able to pull each tooth beside the front teeth, but she wasn't into having the other two pulled.  The pain meds weren't stronger enough.  The dentist decided to wait 6 months to get the other two teeth, instead of freaking her out.  I really HOPE this will postpone braces until she is much older.

The weekend after the kiddos got our of school for Christmas break, JJ came down with fifth disease.  It sounds worse than it really is.  It is a bad rash that looks horrible, but it is contagious.  Once they start breaking out, they are no longer contagious.  Well, Mr. Lukey and Mr. Jon Jon started with the fever that weekend, which meant I had to stay home with them and miss the Hill family Christmas.  No one else in the family got it.  Thank you Lord for that blessing.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve.  Jonathan did NOT sleep well that night.  He woke up about the time I went to bed (which wasn't early) from letting Santa in the house.  He played well all Christmas Day, but he started running a high temp that night.  I made an appointment the next morning.  After making the appointment, I decided to take a peek in his ears with a flash light.  Yep, right ear was red and infected.  Left ear.... what in the world is that in his ear?!  Looked like a pink bead shoved way back into the ear canal.  No way I could get that out!  The doctor took a look into his ears and the right ear was indeed infected.  BUT, she thought the left ear had a blister on the ear drum that would rupture on its own.  Okay... I wasn't about to go poking around in his ear to confirm, so I decided to let the antibiotics do their job.  After a week on the antibiotics, the "blister" hadn't changed, so I made an appointment with our ENT.  Guess what!!  I was right, it was a pink bead.  I will say that the color and position of the bead could have been mistaken for a yucky ear.  Dr. Oliver dug it out for us while we restrained him and this is what he gave me....

Now, for Lukey's part of the bang for the end of the year.  The kids got  trampoline for Christmas from Santa.  No, it wasn't our idea, but they love it.  Anyway, they had all been feeling pretty crumby so they hadn't jumped on it until the Saturday after Christmas, Dec. 31.  The little ones jumped for a while with no incidence.  Now add Andrew (17) to the trampoline.  He decided to jump for a while with the little ones.  Lukey got off the trampoline after a few minutes to ride the little Powerwheels 4wheeler from Santa.  A few times, Andrew and Laura caught Luke trying to ride the 4wheeler under the trampoline, and they would make him turn it around.  Well, he slipped past them one time and as Andrew bounced down on his butt, he landed on the top of Lukey's head.  This was the result....

We made a run to the e.r. only to find out there was nothing they could do for it.  It has actually healed quickly.  He did enjoy his popsicle diet for a few days.  Andrew felt horrible about it, but it wasn't his fault.  Let's just hope Lukey has learned his lesson about being under the trampoline while others are jumping.

Yes, it was a wild ending to the year, but what can you expect with 7 kids?!  Life isn't going to be all smooth sailing, so we just have to learn to ride the waves.  I can't imagine life without Mike and the kiddos. 

As I begin this new year, my prayer for my family is that God will do whatever He needs to do to bring our family where He wants us to be.  Brave prayer?!  Yes, very brave.  But I know that whatever we face, He will never leave us.  I pray that we seek His will for our lives and not our own will.  I know I will never be perfect.  But I pray that I will always turn back to Him for guidance when I fail.

Now, it is time to get things rolling around here.  I pray you are having a wonderful day.  Love ya bunches.

We have been hacked...

By the Blog Design Fairy!!!!  I got a text from a little birdie to tell me to check my blog and this is what I found!  I am loving the new look.  Thank you Lissa!!  It looks wonderful.  Everyone needs to check out the pictures on the righthand side, especially the Busted picture.  That picture was the brainstorm idea of our brother-in-law, Ron.  If you look down at the bottom of the page, you will find a picture of all of Mike's siblings and their families.  We are a nutty bunch! 

I hope you enjoy the new look as much as I do.  Now it is back to cleaning the kitchen for me!  Love ya bunches!

Look who came to see us....

all the way from the North Pole!  We woke up this morning to find we have guests that will be with us until Christmas Eve.  I'm not sure what their names are, b/c I haven't had time to sit down and have a chat with them.  Aren't they just the cutest little things?!  JJ informed us yesterday that if you touch them, they will lose their power to go back to the North Pole.  It will be a challenge to keep Mr. Lukey from putting his little hands on them.  I hope they know that they will have to hide in high places.  Let the fun begin!!

Love ya bunches!

Decisions, decisions....

I need help deciding which picture of Mike and me to frame.

Please tell me...

the Thanksgiving break is not almost over!  I am not ready to go back to our school schedule.  I have loved having the kiddos at home, even though they probably think I was in full drill sargeant mode.  Yes, I thought they would get their rooms spotless, but it didn't happen.  Guess that means I will be cleaning them myself, which means things will disappear FOREVER! :o)

I enjoyed our Thanksgiving break.  Mike was off all week, and he made me a stand for our Christmas stockings.  I will post pictures later.  I have stuff from the laundryroom in the livingroom, b/c Mike and Andrew worked on my dryer yesterday.  They are going to work on the freezer next week, so the stuff hasn't been put back.  We put our tree up this week and have enjoyed it.  Luke fell into the Christmas tree while trying to get a candy cane.  Jonathan climbed up on the counter using a barstool and discovered he couldn't get back down.  We heard him yelling "I tuck!  I tuck!"  I got to see a million of JJ's mischievous grins this week.  Andrew worked the beginning of the week.  Laura, Emi, and Bekah got to spend a few days w/ Honey, Granny, and BooBoo, and the boys were NOT allowed.

Thanksgiving Day was wonderful.  Laura and I stayed up late Wednesday baking cakes and making fudge.  Then Mike got up Thursday morning and baked some cookies while I ironed clothes for pictures.  We had lunch w/ Mike's brother, sisters, and their "chillrens."  I look at each of them and want to make them stop growing so fast.  Melissa took Laura and Hannah to take some AMAZING pics of two beautiful young ladies.  Then we took pics of the whole clan.  Lemme tell ya.... getting our crew to take a picture is a job.  Think adding another 11 people to the mix.  It was a FUNNNNNAY experience.  The people in the park probably thought we were all a little looney.  Melissa done a wonderful job with the pictures, as usual.  Can't wait to share them with you all.  After our crew was finished with pics, we went to spend a little time with my mama's side of the family.  Again, TONS of laughs!  We got to see my cousins that have just moved back from California.  We hadn't seen them in 4 years.  We were sick with a virus the time they came to visit.  After visiting with the Johnson side, we came home to whip up a quick dish before going to have supper with the Thompson side.  Adam called while we were eating.  I am so excited, b/c we will get to see them in less than a month.  After all of the fun from the day, you know I was up for some Black Friday shopping.... NOT!!  I stayed my butt in my nice warm bed.  I did feel like I had been beaten by the mob in Walmart, b/c I was sandwiched between Mike and the two lil boys in our queen size bed for most of the night.

I have too many blessings to begin to count here, but I do thank God for His saving grace.  I thank Him for my wonderful family.  I thank Him for the friends He has put in my life.  May I use each day to bring Him glory.  I pray that He will use me for His will.  I want others to see Him when they see me.  I want to live my life to bring Him glory in EVERYTHING that I do.  I am not perfect and I know I will stumble; but I don't want to use that as an excuse or a crutch to live a lukewarm life.  I want to be on fire for Him.

Now, my bed is screaming my name.  It will be time for church in a few hours.  Tomorrow is my turn to help in the nursery.  Love ya bunches!

Out of place

Over the past year and half, I have felt out of place.  A decision was made and there will be no more babies in our house.  All of the blogs that I have followed about letting God have complete control of the size of our family leave me feeling inadequate as a wife and mother.  I still love reading them, because I learn some many neat things to help raise a small army.  But, it also leaves me with an empty feeling, because I know I will never again have the experience of holding my newborn in my arms for the first time.  I do enjoy each stage that the kiddos are in, but I also miss not having a precious little one around the house.  I have all of these "if only's" running through my mind about the decision that was made: "if only I had not been so stressed,"  "if only I had been a better wife,"  "if only I had been a better housekeeper."  About the time I think I'm overing it, the thoughts return and I'm back to feeling inadequate.  I get the question all the time, "Isn't it time for another baby?"  Yes, we probably would've had another one by now.  Jonathan turned 2 years old yesterday.  Can you believe that?!  I try to keep the feelings inside, because there really aren't many people around who understand, especially in this area.  There just aren't many large families around here.  So, I feel out of place.  When I am asked how many kids I have, other moms look at me like I have a second head when I tell them 7.  I just don't fit into their world.

Then there is the homeschooling world... another feeling of being inadequate.  Talk about making me feel like a failure!  I put my kids back in school.  I wasn't able to juggle all the levels plus life.  I miss my Hillians terribly.  But, I do rejoice in knowing that they are doing well.  Emi's reading has improved tremendously.  I know I made the right decision, but it still doesn't take away the sting of knowing I wasn't good enough to do it all.  I have read the books and blogs about how "moms of many" were able to juggle it all, and I wasn't able to do it.  They had help, either by a spouse, other family member, or tutor.  I didn't have that option.  Yes, there is a co-op around, but I have too many little ones to try to chase after to keep up with what they are doing.  I can't run here and there for this class or that class.  It just drove up my stress levels thinking about it.  There were videos they could've watched for classes, but my kids would have been bored to tears sitting through them.  I lost my motivation and was overwhelmed.  I tried to juggle things a lot longer than I should've.  So now, I'm out of place in the homeschool world.

Where does a wife of 18 years who is an ex-homeschooling mom of seven w/ three little ones still at home fit in?!  My days are filled with chasing little ones that can destroy something about as fast as you can fix it, not going to this play group or that.  By the end of the day, I'm exhausted and feel defeated by my lack of progress.  I know that I should be stronger and more disciplined.  I know my strength comes from God, all I have to do it ask for it.  I know all I have to do it go to the cross for answers.  But my "follow through" falls aparts, and the doubt creeps in.  Why can't I be stronger?!  Why can't I be a better wife and mother?!  Why can't I shake the feeling of being out of place?!  All I can do is pray that God will show me His ways and give me understanding of these days.

You wanted honesty, and you got it.  I have the "dark" days just like all other moms, no matter how big or small the family.  I know one day I will look back, and my kids will be grown.  I pray that I can become the wife and mother that God wants me to be, and I will finally enjoy the feeling of NOT being out of place. 

A couple of Luke funnies

Luke has given us plenty of laughs the past few days.  The first laugh started before supper Thursday night.  The kids played outside for several hours after school since they had no homework and no school the next day.  To say that Luke was filthy was an understatement.  Andrew gave him a bath while Laura and I got the table ready for supper.  Andrew said as he was trying to wash Luke's hair to remove the acre of sand he had in there, Luke said, "Hey!  You can't use that girl 'poo'!!  I don't have girl hair!"  Andrew was clueless what girl 'poo' was until Luke said he didn't have girl hair.  He had grabbed my shampoo instead of Mike's shampoo.  So my question to you is... do you use girl 'poo' or boy 'poo' to wash your hair?! hehehe

Later that night, Luke informed Laura and me that he wanted to go to the moon.  Of course, Laura was all too happy to jump on that one and run with it.  She had him pack his backpack with a pillow and blanket.  He had on a stocking cap.  Andrew came into the livingroom and added fuel to the fire.  They had him get a flashlight, put on some shoes, and even had a plastic hammer to hit the aliens with if they messed with him.  Laura told him he would need a spaceship and to tell me to buy him one.  They must've had him going for 30 minutes about going to the moon.  They finally convinced him that he needed to get sleep so that I could take him to the moon the next day.  Gee thanks Andrew & Laura!  Needless to say, I had to hear all day Friday that I needed to buy him a spaceship, so he could go to the moon.  When Andrew & Laura got home, Luke insisted that Andrew take him to the moon.  What was Andrew to do?!  He told Luke that he didn't know how to get to the moon, but Mommy knew!  That stinker!!  Luke decided that he needed a map, which he found.... a map of Colorado!  But to him, it looked like the moon.  LOL!  He carried the map around for a couple of hours, opening it up every few minutes to look at the moon. :o)  He finally put his map in his backpack along with the blanket and pillow.  Then he started wearing Andrew down.  Needless to say, Andrew ended up strapping Luke's carseat into the truck and off they went to find their way to the moon!  They drove around for about 10 minutes.  Andrew pretended to be lost and told Luke that he didn't know which way to go to get to the moon.  Lukey replied, "Oh wait, I got a map!"  Andrew finally convinced Luke that they needed to come back home and try again another day.  All weekend, Lukey has come up to me to tell me that I needed to buy him a spaceship.

Life would be so boring around here without these kiddos!  I can't imagine my life without this family that God has blessed me with.  I pray you are well.  Love ya bunches!