It's Not Quite Like I Thought It'd Be

Today, my firstborn turns 18.

Eighteen years ago I was struggling with preeclampsia - my feet, hands, face, and abdomen were swollen beyond anything I had ever imagined.  After a protein urine test over the weekend and a doctor visit on Monday afternoon, it was determined that the little boy growing inside of my womb needed to be born immediately.

And, just like that...I was officially thrust into motherhood.

I had a lot to learn...but I knew that God had created me to be a mother.  He had given me this child to nurture, to teach, to prepare for the world.

...Then came sleepless nights...and I thought, "I can't wait until he sleeps through the night!"

...And then came toddlerhood...and I thought, "I can't wait until he learns to go potty...and dress himself...and feed himself!"

...Then there was preschool...and I thought, "I can't wait until he learns to read and write!"

...Early school days came and went in a flurry of commotion...and I thought, "I'll be so glad when I get him to the point where he wants to learn independently!"

...He turned 15...and I thought, "Yay, now he can drive!"

...Along the way, he began to learn to pull a man's load of work around our home and in our community...and I thought, "I'll be glad when he decides on a college to attend and chooses just the right career for himself!"

And, now...he's 18.

High school graduation is near...our school days as teacher-parent and pupil-child are almost over.

He sleeps through the night, goes to the potty and dresses himself, reads and writes, learns independently, drives his own car, and has decided on a college to attend.

He has grown to be a young man that fills me with pride.

He has big plans for his future.

...And they don't all include mom and dad.

All these things I "couldn't wait" to happen...have happened.

My firstborn son is now officially a grown man.

When I held Nathan in my arms for the first time (all 5 lb. 13 ozs. of him), I never imagined I could love him more.  As the years have flown by, I have found that I love him with a greater intensity than I ever imagined. 

There are emotions that only a mother understands - a teetering between wishing he were little again, and yet, enjoying what he has become. 

Today, I admit, I'm sad.  I'm sad for the times I know I messed up and didn't truly cherish the moments.  I'm sad that his hugs are a little different.  And that there are no child-like snuggles or bedtime stories now.  I'm sad that he no longer depends on me. 

Years ago...as I was constantly waiting for the next stage, it was hard to enjoy the moments at hand.

I thought I'd be GLAD when he was finally 18. 

...But, somehow, it's not quite like I thought it'd be...

Praise God for Angiosperms!

"Praise God for angiosperms!  Not only do they provide our lives with essential things we need to survive on this earth, they are also beautiful to behold."  (Exploring Creation with Botany by Jeannie K. Fulbright)

What are angiosperms, you ask?  Flowering plants, of course!  :)

Have you ever thought about how many flowering plants you come in contact with every single day?

Or better yet...all the products that come from flowering plants?

Roses, sunflowers, mums, and lots of other beautiful flowers we enjoy indoors and outdoors are all obvious angiosperms.

But what about fruits, veggies, wheat, oats, corn, rice, honey, sugar? ...Most of what we eat wouldn't be here!

But, we could eat meat, right? 

WRONG!  Most of the meat we eat (chicken, pork, beef, wild game) rely on angiosperms to live and grow...so our meat wouldn't exist without flowering plants. 

We could probably eat fish...but all the time?  That would get pretty boring!

How about cotton in our t-shirts, undies, and bed sheets?  Nope...not without flowering plants.  (*side note:  If you've never seen blossoms on a cotton plant, you are missing out!  They come in the prettiest shades of pinks and yellows!)

You get the picture? 

My kids were pretty good at recognizing the benefits of flowering plants in our discussion today - probably because they get to help garden a little in the summers. 

...And, they know their momma absolutely LOVES flowers - that totally makes them important, right? :)

So...for our Botany lesson today, we performed a flower dissection on a rose from the back yard.

Truth be told, sometimes our little Science labs wind up being a crazy headache, especially with the little ones...but, today, I still have enough sanity to want to write about it, which means everyone was interested enough to be attentive - SUCCESS!  ;)

(I DID have to steer our conversation back to flowers after Silas, my 5 year old, asked if he could go "kill a frog so we could dissect that" instead! ..."Ummmm, no, Big, we don't get to do that in Botany - that has to wait until Biology." )

Today, during our flower dissection, we started learning about how flowers make seeds...and that's important in learning about a whole lot of other things to come (pollination, seed dispersal, fruits)!

After our work, I sent them outside to soak up some much-needed SUNSHINE (it's been raining for a week here, but the sun finally peeked through today!)...and I encouraged them to look around them while they played, and to try not to take things around us for granted...

..and to "Praise God for angiosperms!"

It's No Accident

Lunar Eclipse Observation 101 - Oct. 8, 2014

Kids awake by 4:15am... (No, I am not a morning person...and, yes, I got called "grumpy" by my 11 yr old. She was right, and I am not proud of this...but I did straighten out my act after being called on it. Go, Mom!)

Much excitement...(just picture a 3 yr old little girl running through the house in pink fleece footie pj's at 4am)

At one point, the "moon gazing" evolved into "star gazing", b/c the clouds kept covering the eclipse...

Part of my moon-gazing, star-gazing crew...
The outside light was on only briefly,
b/c I couldn't get my camera to take a pic in the darkness.
And, the Ritz cracker box -
this was a homemade pinhole box we made several weeks ago
to view a SOLAR eclipse.
Samuel grabbed it with excitement and thought we could view the moon with it.
Nope, little man, sorry.  You can see the moon much better with your own eyes.

So Gregg showed them Jupiter (and 1 of its moons) through the telescope.

At the time of total eclipse there was complete cloud cover, and we were very disappointed.

"We waited 2 hours for THIS?"

"Ummm...this is interesting...but highly overrated."

"Well, at least I TRIED to make school fun.  Do you understand what a big deal this is?  Even when an eclipse occurs, it's rare to be able to see it in YOUR town.  And, even then, the weather conditions have to be just right.  At least we were able to see part of it, right?" (I did well keeping my grumpiness at bay...Go, Mom!  I'm not sure they were convinced it was worth it, though.)

But...then the clouds parted for about 30 seconds! (Thank you, Lord, for answering my spoken prayer from just minutes before!)

We were able to behold the "blood moon" just after 6:30am.

Honestly, I think the kids were tired by then and less enthusiastic than I had hoped.  (and naptime will not come soon enough!)

But, we managed to grab a few photos, and we discussed the physical logistics of how an eclipse occurs.

We talked about how God does, indeed, have an order to our universe, and He gives us glimpses of this every day in "ordinary ways" and sometimes in some "not so ordinary ways."

The heavens truly behold His glory...it's no accident.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

                                    Genesis 1:1

Solar System - part 2

Finished it... (well, almost...still need to repurchase the missing Uranus, paint it, and add it to the dangling wire that marks it's placement on our model)

I was hopeful the small Styrofoam ball would show up, but it hasn't.

All-in-all, I think it turned out pretty well.  The kids learned some neat things about our Solar System: 

1.  God did amazing things when he perfectly designed each planet's mass and gravitational pull to keep it in it's orbit.  And the Earth's position in our Solar System is perfectly compatible with life.  A little closer, or a little further from the sun, and we have NO LIFE. 

Could that REALLY have happened by accident?  Seriously, I don't think so.

2.  Our model is not built correctly "to scale", because it would be very difficult to do.  In reality, the sun is so much bigger than the planets...and the real distance between planets would require a much larger model.

3.  One time around the sun = 1 year.

4.  There used to be 9 planets in our Solar System.  However, in 2006, Pluto was deemed "not a planet" according to a revised definition made by the International Astronomical Union.  So, now we have 8 planets.  Yes, scientific "facts" sometimes change.  It's important to note this.  (I joked with Isaiah, who is 8 years old and very strong-willed, that his birth must have shaken the entire Universe b/c even the planets changed the year he was born!) 

5.  We can name the planets in their order according to distance from the sun.  Why does it matter?  It doesn't really, I guess...except that it helps us begin to get a sense for the beauty and wonder of the Universe.  It "sets the stage" for exploring more of God's creation.

As it turned out, it wasn't really necessary for me to be a "control freak" over the project.  Eva played that role quite well.  Maybe it's a "girl thing." ;)

positioning the sun

taking it outside to show it to Daddy



Yes, sometimes we climb on the furniture...

I really wanted to add Pluto...but, it was deemed "not a planet" in 2006.
Who knew???
Things have changed a bit since I was in school!

The Beginnings of a Solar System Model

It was the perfect day to start work on our model of the solar system.   My younger kids are all studying Astronomy this year.  Soooo much fun!  Seriously.  It's going to be great - I hope.

I admit it...I don't do well when it comes to little people and PAINT...or little people and CRAFTS for that matter.  I want to stand over them and tell them EXACTLY what to do - what colors, what brush strokes to use, what materials they need, and how we need to put it all together JUST RIGHT.

And, when it turns out not-as-neat as it could've, it stresses me out!

But, 9 kids has a way of teaching you to let go of some of the CONTROL FREAK in you.  At least I feel like I'm getting better at it. 

I'm trying.  I really am.

So, today, we went outside and started painting our sun and planets. (Outside...in our faded bathing suits...on a plastic-covered table...b/c, did I mention that I don't do well with kids and craft paint??)

Sometime between yesterday afternoon and today, we managed to lose Uranus.  Have NO IDEA how that styro ball disappeared!  One of the kids probably ate it.  We'll try to replace it the next time we make a run to the store...or maybe we'll just pretend Uranus just got catapulted out of our Solar System all together!  ;)

They managed to use an exorbitant amount of orange paint - even for a star as big as the sun.  But, hey, I love the color orange - so it's all good.

Jupiter turned out red with black stripes.  Cool.  Different...but definitely cool, right?

All in all,  they did very well - AND they had a blast.

They can even tell you where the missing Uranus is supposed to go in the order of things. 

Success. :)

Hopefully, we'll finish putting it together tomorrow.  (minus Uranus, of course) 

It's gonna be great...just wait and see!

Oh, how I LOVE Kedesh's face here!! Didn't even know
I captured that look until I was going through the photos afterwards. :)
She really did have fun - promise!



Mechanics 101

Two weekends ago, my guys were raking up piles...and piles...and piles of leaves from our yard.

Around here, we use our 1973 Chevy pickup (affectionately known as "The Blue Goose") to transport the leaves from our yard into the gully just beyond the back yard perimeter.

Just as they were unloading, Gregg noticed a quickly-forming puddle of liquid under the truck - antifreeze.

Now, I'm not a mechanical genius, but I can tell you that when antifreeze is running out of an engine like there is an open faucet, that is NOT a good sign!

Gregg and the older boys quickly rolled the truck into the shed and went to work trying to figure out what was wrong.

A freeze plug was corroded and leaking in a very bad way.  Don't ask me the details beyond that...but I can tell you that in order to "get to" the freeze plug to replace the < $1.00 part, it was going to require lifting the entire engine.

Bad news...

No engine lifting equipment...no experience...what are we going to do??

After asking around for a couple of days for advice from more-knowledgeable mechanics, my dear husband came up with a plan.

He and the boys would hoist the engine just enough to get to the plug - using an array of boards, jacks, and cement blocks.  (I was having serious scenarios of 1000+ lbs. of steel landing on one of my guys.  Not good!)  Gregg convinced me that is was completely safe, and I tried not to worry.

By Saturday, they had carefully created their contraption, hoisted the engine, and managed to free the tattered freeze plug.  Yay!!  (And, no injuries!!)

They managed to replace the plug and began putting the truck "back together again."  That required remounting the starter, the manifold, and the fuel pump...and, of course, remounting the engine as well.

Gregg and Caleb working from the top of the engine...

Nathan working from underneath.

In the course of this, the fuel pump was replaced incorrectly and the fuel pump push rod was bent EVER. SO. SLIGHTLY. 

The truck would not run.

At almost midnight this past Saturday night, and a YouTube video later (who says you can't find just about ANYTHING on YouTube??), Gregg was determined to be done with this project, so he began work correcting the fuel pump.  The bent push rod wouldn't budge - NO. MATTER. WHAT.

WHAT GIVES?!?!?!

So, for 2 days, they tried various ideas to remove the bent push rod.  Finally, Gregg came up with the idea of JB Welding a nut to the rod and creating some type of wooden contraption with a large bolt running through it - in hopes of pulling the bent rod out. 

I had no real concept of what he was describing to me in his plan...but, guess what?!?!  It worked!!

Last night, they managed to remove the bent rod and replace it with the new one we had ordered ($20).

And the truck runs like a champ!  Whew!!  We are all pretty excited. :) 

Total cost of the project was approximately $30.00 and about 40 hours of toil.

And the benefits included Gregg, Nathan, Caleb, Elijah, and Isaiah spending time together and learning some serious mechanics.  Even our 7 and 8 year olds were able to see how tiny hands can help in big ways!  We call that homeschooling at it's finest! ;)

And this Momma is praising God for an injury-free, low-cost, finished project! 

Mechanics 101...hopefully the last hands-on project for a while!

Counting My Blessings...

Here at our house, we get pretty excited about surprise blessings.

And, God seems to just show up with a blessing when we need it most.

Sometimes, it's an unexpected and encouraging note in the mailbox... 

Or someone making a nice comment about our family instead of looking at us like we have three heads and only one tiny brain. 

Sometimes, it's a bag of hand-me-down clothes from a friend who couldn't have known that my 3 yr. old had just grown out of all the jeans in his closet.  And, guess what?  The bag will have "new" jeans just his size! 

I totally love when God does that!  It never ceases to amaze me.  :)

Once, when I was pregnant with our 3rd child, I remember God showing up in an amazing way to me.  We had recently moved to a new city, bought a house, and were still waiting for our old home (3 hrs. away) to sell.  Money was tight.  We budget and simply didn't spend money on anything we didn't NEED... 

At the same time, I was really craving Krispy Kreme donuts...and you know how pregnancy cravings can be!?!? 

But, I did without and didn't mention it to anyone - not even my sweet hubby.  Then, one Sunday morning, we were walking out of church, and a man we didn't even know walked up to us with a box of Krispy Kreme donuts and asked if we would take them.  The man had no idea who we were and couldn't have known that I was craving them.  But, GOD KNEW.  When we got into our van with the donuts, I cried.  I told Gregg, "God gave me donuts!"  (pretty sure Gregg thought my hormones were way out of whack at that point! hahaha! )

It seems a little silly to write about that now.  Maybe you could call it a coincidence.  But, I don't think so.  I think we need to be acutely aware of the many, many ways in which God gives us good gifts.  I just sort of picture Him looking at us in hopeful expectation - just waiting for us to smile and say, "Yippeee!  Thank you!  I love you!"

I really like to do this with my kids.  I like to give them little things and watch them beam with excitement.  I'm pretty sure God is the same way with us - considering we are made in His image and all... 

So, this past week, we had lots of blessings, but there were two that really stood out to me:

The first was on Monday.  A friend sent a special basket of goodies.  She knew I would be beginning the home school year with my little ones.  She fashioned a basket of goodies for our family with some of our favorite snacks - Reese's cups, Doritos, and pistachios.  And, inside was a very sweet and encouraging note.  The basket of goodies was great, but the encouragement and the thought that somebody cared was even better.  Thank you, Lord, for caring friends - and goodies. :) 

 

 

The second surprise blessing came on Tuesday.  A friend had contacted me asking if I might be interested in some maternity clothes.  Although I do have enough maternity clothes from my previous pregnancies, I had begun to get a little concerned that I was going to have to buy some new shorts/capris/pants because - well, I'm a little heavier this time than the others.  Such is life, right?

 

So, here's the thing...she brings FOUR bags of maternity clothes to my house on Tuesday morning.  And, guess what?  There were pants and capris and shorts that fit me!!  And lots of pretty shirts for me to wear, too.  And, although I can certainly wear my older maternity clothes, what woman doesn't like some new pretty things to add to her wardrobe? 

 

God knew that I could "make do" with what I had, but I have a feeling He was beaming with excitement as I took each article of clothing from the bags.  I have a feeling He just couldn't wait to see my joy and hear me say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  I love them!"

 

 

 

Now, I "get" that these are material things...but to me, it's so much more than that.

God knows me intimately.  He knows my desires.  He knows when I'm feeling alone or down and just need a little surprise encouragement.  He even knows when I'm feeling frumpy in my old maternity clothes.

And, HE CARES.  He really cares.  For me, the basket and the maternity clothes this week were a part of God telling me so.

Thank you, Lord.

I promise to not stop counting my blessings.  For they are many...

Northeast Family Trip - Day One

(to follow from the beginning, click here)

Early rising...time for Adventure!!

Gregg woke at 4:00am and started with breakfast; everyone else is up by 4:30am. 

(I'm grumpy, but I realize that sometimes it's better for me to just be quiet for a while.  I tend to be a little short with my words and tone.  I very much wish I was a morning person, but if I ain't one by now...chances are I'm just going to have to accept the fact!  Gregg, on the other hand, has the radio going and is "chipper"!  He's bouncing around preparing much of the last minute packing.  I'm thankful for him...even if I don't smile at him to let him know...)

Everyone is up and ready and excited!  Everyone's clothes were put out the night before and big buddies helped dress the little buddies.  This helped A LOT!

Breakfast at 5:00am - sausage, grits, gravy, juice.

Dishes, clean-up, hands and faces washed, teeth brushed.

Packing everything into the van.  Includes the following:

• Suitcases (8 in all, various sizes) 
• Diapers and Training pants 
• LOTS of baby wipes
• Boxes filled with food for meals and snacking along the way
• Cooking pots, utensils, dish towels, potholders, seasonings
• Coolers filled with gatorade, water, juice, cheese, margarine, fruit, puddings, chocolate, and other misc items to be kept cold
• Extra water, juice, and gatorades to add to coolers later
• Games, mp3 players, toys, and craft items to occupy kids
• Pillows and blankets
• Coats and sweatshirts
• Extra shoes
• Toiletry items in separate bags
• Camera and camera bag w/ extra lenses, batteries, and SD cards
• Money, checkbook, debit card, keys
• Box of AAA tourbooks, maps, and handwritten notes
• Diaper bag
• Small cooler for front of van with drinks
• Phones and chargers
• 2 backpack carriers
• Portable child seat

all packed!!

 

Everybody goes to the potty, toilets are flushed, trash is taken to the shed, animals are tended, and I make a final run through the house to straighten everything so we come home to neatness..WHEW!! 

It's a beautiful morning...

beautiful morning

 And we're in the van, ready to leave by 7:15am.  I assign seats to ward off arguing, and promise to change up the seating along the way...

 

first thing Eva does - takes off her socks and shoes!

 

the three muskateers on the back seat

 

Caleb and Silas ready for the ride

 

Eva, Nathan, and Kedesh ready to go

 

"I've got my toy...let's ride!"

 

Me - riding shotgun

 

Gregg giving everyone last minute directions such as:
"Keep your hands to yourself...
If you need to use the bathroom, speak up now...
If we can hear your music up here, it's too loud in your earbuds..."

Destination...Paradise, Pennsylvania.  Mapquest says it's going to take us 10 hours and 15 minutes to get there.  We must also account for rest stops and eating along the way...

 

First stop for gas and bathrooms @ 8:19am.  Isaiah wants to know, "How many hours have we been riding?"  "Uh...just ONE, little man!"

 

North Carolina state line

Stop at Walmart for items we forgot...tablecloths, chewing gum, and sunglasses for Gregg.  Of course, we also have to go potty - AGAIN.

 

Entering Virginia

10:45am - We make a stop at the Virginia Welcome Center to stretch legs and potty - AGAIN.  By this time, several of us have had a little nap, so we're a little slow moving...

 

"Wake up, Caleb!"



Desh-Desh with bedhead

12:00-1:30 pm ...We decide to eat sandwich wraps at a rest area.  It was a beautiful little spot where we were able to observe the oldest metal bridge in Virginia...and we had plenty of room to run and romp.  The only downside was that the wind was blowing really hard while we were trying to eat, and our paper plates and napkins kept wanting to fly away! 

 

First meal on the road - picnic with sandwich wraps

 

Silas with a gatorade as big as he is

 

Buddies

 

Silly Samuel taking advantage of the open space

 

taking a walk

 

Row String Arch Truss - the oldest metal bridge in Virginia

 

exploring the bridge and what is underneath

 

stopping just long enough to pose for a pic

 

sweet times loving each other

After getting everyone's tummies full, it was more riding and naptime for everybody...well, almost everybody - Gregg had to drive. :)

 

The rest of our day was mostly traveling on the interstate.

 

Entering West Virginia

 

Entering Maryland

 



Entering Pennsylvania

We saw lots of pretty landscapes, though, and the kids were fantastic. 

 

Kedesh is chillin'

 They did ask 100+ times how much longer it was going to be...and we finally threatened to make them get out and walk if they asked again - lol!

 

About 2 hours from Paradise, PA, we decided to take a "short cut" that we were hoping would be more scenic.  It turned out to go through tons of little not-so-scenic towns, lots of construction, and traffic lights.  By the time we began looking for the house we were renting, it was dark and everybody was hungry and tired. 

 

We spotted the road to the house at the last minute, and I thought Gregg might wreck us in that 15 passenger, but he didn't!  I was spastic about the turn and almost hitting a cement block wall...the kids...well, they loved it!

 

We arrived at our destination in Paradise, PA at 8:20pm - just over 13 hours after we began. 

 

Our rental home for the next 4 days

The house was built in the 1920's and had recently been renovated and updated.  It had plenty of room at a great price.  And, being a woman, I had to check out all of the decor.  Here were a few of my favorites things about the house:

 



the girls' room where they could look out the window at the head of the bed
and see the Amish buggies going by

 

Nathan and Silas' room with traveling decor

 

the master bath

 

canvas covered in vintage sheet music

 

vintage cradle used for holding towels and washcloths

 

the stairway

 

hodgepodge of misc chair styles and colors

vintage high chair

 

glass bottles arranged in the kitchen windowsill

 

coatrack made using antique doorknobs

 

"He will cover you..."

 

vintage books in the windowsill of the kids' room

 

the wall above the master bed

 We all got baths (before I knew it, there were 4 little naked boys in the jacuzzi upstairs, and they were looking for the bubble bath!), cooked a supper of homemade chili and beans, and watched the Clemson v. Florida State football game.

 

Then it was to bed...just before midnight.  Can you say "exhausted"??

 

precious baby girl

 

 

Stay tuned for Day 2 as God leads us to worship in a new place and we explore the famous battlefield at GETTYSBURG...