A Few Months Worth of Pictures

Our Herd - Swim team 2016.  We log a lot of hours at the pool during early summer!

Towards the end of swim team season, the coaches put on a huge fun day for the kids.  Shaving cream wars are a big it.  Here's Sarah Grace and I *think* that's her bestie, Abigail. 

Sarah discovered her love for back-stroke and participated in the city-wide meet.  We were all proud of her hard work!

Killing time at city meet with Abigail. 

This little dude did NOT do swim team.  He spent his pool time wooing the life guards and monkeying around during meets.

Flag foot-ball with Thomas was another summer activity.  It was his last year to play and he really enjoyed every aspect of it.

Shenanigans on the sidelines. 

 

Daniel. 

Sarah was often found doodling away during football games.  Or spinning stories for the rest of the family. 

The undefeated 2016 Packers!

Elizabeth's mission in life is to steer clear of the lens, but here's a true to life picture of our little Sunshine. 

Talk Like a Pirate Day, 2016.  It's a thing.  And Krispy Kreme gives free donuts to visiting pirates. 

This beauty has lows in the night on a semi-regular basis.  While it's not the way I would recommend getting one on one time with a child, it has proven to be a sweet time with her.  She has such a wonderfully good attitude, even if she occasionally has to be prodded into being awake enough to eat something. 

Speaking of sweet, these two have such a special bond.  They play together so well and their laughter is loud and contagious.  Here they are on their patiently awaited McWane Center date.  Full disclosure: I took this picture as we were going in just in case one of them wandered off. 

This little girl went to Camp Seale Harris' diabetes day camp this summer.  This was just before her first day - she was SO excited and loved every minute of camp!! 

Elizabeth Hope Freeman.  This little lady was baptized at our annual church retreat. 

Shopping sisters. 

This picture, y'all.  It's perfectly captures the spirit of the relationship these two sisters have. 

This kid.  He makes me crazy some moments, but I'm so proud of him.  I love him to the moon and back. 

We participated in the Kids Bowl Free program this summer.  It was a lot of fun but our favorite time was when my Dad came to bowl with us! 

Thomas and Sarah got ENO hammocks for their birthdays this year.  A LOT of time has been spent doing school work, reading books, giggling, and just hanging our in those hammocks.  I'm especially partial to when they stack them like this. 

Sarah had a big birthday bash at the lake this year and we learned that the hammocks were also a LOT of fun when used in the boat slip! 

Joshua and all the kiddos inside a B-17, a War World II bomber. 

A pic of my sweet friend, Bethany, and me at the beach.  She's wearing Peter, her 4 month old cherub. 

Lizzie making sure that Peter got to put his toes in the water. 

My guy.  I'm so thankful he likes me! 

Beach Camping

Last year, we tried something new with our family.  We all went camping.... at the beach.  We enjoyed it so much that we reserved spots for this year and did it again!

Here's the thing about beach camping:  packing is a bear.  You're packing to go camping - tents, sleeping bags, cooking gear, food, all the stuff.  BUT.  You're also packing to go to the beach - towels, swimsuits, beach toys, portable shade (for me!), sunscreen, all the stuff.

So by the time your ready to actually roll out of the driveway, you basically have half your house packed to go with you and it's time to find a place to cram all the people. 

It's a really good thing that being there is so fun because getting ready to go is nothing short of exhausting. 

But get there, we did!  And with the added bonus of friends!  16 people, 14 bikes, 6 coolers, 5 days of vacation, 4 tents, 2 vans, 1 trailer, 2 campsites, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Florida has beautiful state parks and we enjoyed the scenery, the short bike ride to the beach, the shuffle board courts, and the freedom to just relax.  Plus we took a day trip to another state park, Eden Gardens.  Just gorgeous!  

Sarah Grace as a Mermaid

Daniel and Lucy

Lizzie

Eden Gardens

Lillianna, Anna, and Lucy

Anna spent a fair portion of the week learning to cartwheel.  I have lots of pictures of her upside down with her legs thrown in the air and haphazard angles!

The younger crew stayed closer and were easier to get pictures of.  The older kids walked up and down the beach looking for beach life and played out in the waves for hours at a time. 

Meal time was fun.

The little girls kept us in supply of treasures to use as centerpieces for the tables. 

The only picture I took of Thomas - he was so rarely to be found sitting still!

Sarah Grace and Caroline.  These two girls loved their 'extended sleep over'! 

Some of All The Things

Y'all, it's been a bit of a busy last couple of months.  I mean, all months are busy, right?  But I feel like November and December came careening out of nowhere with all their Things To Be Dealt With.  Some of those things were wonderful and fun.  Others of those things, well, not so much.

Early in November, our friend Jennifer was stateside.  Jen's family serves in Costa Rica as missionaries and we miss them tons, so it was big fun to get to take off on a last minute trip to see her in Atlanta.  The goofiness knew no bounds, and the heartfelt conversation among friends was balm to all our hearts. 

While I was in Atlanta, I got a call from Joshua.  It was the kind of call that every mama fears getting, especially when she's away from home.

"We've been in a wreck."   

My hear stopped, y'all.  I excused myself from my friends and went to listen to my husband.

"Everyone is fine, though.  No injuries."

The van was totaled but everyone involved in the wreck was fine.  It was the best case scenario.

We drove four different vans (rentals and loaners) over the next two weeks, then bought this bad boy on Black Friday.

That would be our new 12 passenger Nissan NV.  We've been eye-balling them for a couple of years now, waiting for all the kinks to be worked out since their release in 2012.  We were also waiting on our van to die or for our kids rear-ends to outgrow the super narrow 3-seater bench in the back of it.  Our checkbook would have preferred we wait another year or so, but ultimately, a lot of things came together at once and this baby fell in our laps.

A week and a half later, we went to the hospital with Anna.  About the time we recovered from the barrage of information and lack of sleep that comes with any hospital stay, it was well and truly Christmas!

And just like that, a new year is looming with all it's possibilities. 

Our current plan for this weekend is for me to send my husband and kids off with big hugs and kisses as I focus on working through the first rendition of the 2nd semester schedule and plot out the next six weeks of school.  I have big plans to get more done, too, but realistically, the school prep will be MORE than enough.

I'm ready for things to even keel and for all the excitement to die down so we can find a routine again.  I'm ready for dance classes and co-op and bible study to resume.  I'm looking forward to the new year and thankful for the Lord's provision in this last one.

What've Y'all Been Up To?

You know when you run into someone you haven't seen in a while and you exclaim over how good it is to see one another, comment on how big the kids are getting, and then the question of 'so, what've y'all been up to?' 

Can I just tell you that question makes me choke a little?  Because the real answer is five hundred sentences long, but nobody wants to hear that in the toilet paper aisle at Target.  I generally eye my children and say something like, 'Oh, you know.  Life!'

Life with my people is wonderfully busy and blessedly relaxed.  We are in a beautiful season of no extra-curiculars, so we aren't constantly shuffling off to practice or games.  However, despite the lack of committed time, we are not in a state of dullness.

Oh, no.  Never dullness.

This is how we want you all to think of us... sane, normal, smiling. 

This is what we do when snow happen... find any warm items we have (does it matter if they match) and go play like wild things in the snow!

Occasionally, when it's been too cold for too long (more than 28 minutes), we climb walls and die dead (and giggly) of snake bites.

Sometimes we team up with friends for field trips...

...or spend time capturing silly but loving moments on camera.

One time, we turned all the kids loose with hammers and nails.  Except the baby.  He just stood in bins full of hammers and nails.

Some of us see the sunshine and ask to take off all our clothes (okay, only one of us does that).  Others paint things or stick stickers all over their faces.  Sometimes, Mommy just documents the Tower of Laundry Taller Than a Kid.

So if I look at you like this when you ask me 'What've y'all been up to?', it's because I'm wondering just how much you really want to know...

Silver & Gold

When I was a Girl Scout, we often ended our meetings with a song that reminded us to make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other gold.  Our New Year's Eve and New Year's Day has brought that song into sharp focus for me.

New Year's Eve found us hosting a houseful of new friends and their children.  We shared food and laughter and played ridiculous games. We said good-by to the old year with our new friends as we toasted in the new year with the East Coast because we are all finding midnight to be far too late an hour for our sleep deprived bodies: The average age of our combined 14 children is 3.6.

Kidlets playing Minute To Win It games.  Uproarious entertainment for both the kids and their parents!

Which means none of us sleep through the night on a regular basis nor do we have the luxury of sleeping in.

New Year's Day (after we woke up somewhat recovered from the late night) had us traveling to the new home of old friends for a relaxing time of catching up.  Face to face, where Lora and I were able to actually finish conversations that were started over the phone.  Last month. We might have even made fudge and indulged in a bite or two, but not before the masses zeroed in on the smell of chocolate.

Kids olfactory senses are incredible.

Those kids also managed to chaw through an entire 5# bag of cuties.  Vitamin C for the day? Check.

The only picture I took all day was of Daniel sporting Adam's helmet, just before Adam reclaimed it to do his evening chores! 

We've had a wonderful past couple of days hanging out with friends and reflecting on what the old year brought to pass and wondering over what the new year might have in store.  The obstacles, both big and small, that the Lord has walked us through and reveling in His faithfulness, knowing He will continue to hold us as we step forward toward what is to come. 

Shaving Cream and Broken Cabinets, Among Other Things

It's been a crazier than normal week around here. There are stories to tell that I am not ready to share yet. But God has been walking around rearranging things and working things out for His glory and I can't wait to see what happens next.

For now, here are a few pictures of our days.

Anna sporting her new haircut and showing me different places on the map. And when I say different, I mean she totally made up names of places and what kinds of things you would see or do there. It was thoroughly entertaining!

I've been toying with the idea of open cabinets in my kitchen. Not all of them, but a couple. After a coat or five of paint. However, I couldn't quite wrap my mind around how it would actually look. Sarah Grace helped me solve that visual. She was leaning on one of the lower doors when it just broke. The look on her face was priceless. It helps me think on that whole no-door bit, even if it is on the bottom and not the top.

Joshua promised to fix it this weekend.

We are finally in that wonderful time of year when the weather is cooler and my children LOVE to be outside. Lunch is frequently taken on the deck these days.

Homeschooling is a family affair. Even if the children aren't of school age, they want to be involved. In an effort to keep everyone busy, I spent quite a bit of time coming up with daily activities for Anna to do. Elizabeth vacillates between wanting 'real' school work and preferring Anna's activities. I've learned I really like to have the older two kids at the school table doing their work and the younger two in the dining room doing their work. Here are Anna and Elizabeth playing in shaving cream, a highly scented activity (I'd advise being sure you like the scent of the shaving cream), but one they delighted in for nearly an hour!

There was a baby boom in our church this year. Here are a few of the products! From left to right, Daniel at 4 months, Little Miss C at 3 months, and Little Mister M at five months. There are about five more in the six month and under range who weren't at this gathering!