The Office

Last week the kids used most of their free time to play office. I think Ryan started the trend. He set up a corner in his room with one of those plastic storage bins on wheels, an old cell phone, an old laptop bag that Lee got from one of his conventions and a chair. Soon, everyone was setting up their offices. They were staged mostly in the corners of the room. I guess they like the cubicle concept. Very cozy. However, Jake decided it wasn't big enough so later, he took over their dresser and bargained for an old keyboard a neighbor was throwing out. He is such the executive. For computers they have taken hardback books and then they lift up the cover, turn it sideways and pretend it's a laptop. The yellow octagon pattern block is the mouse of choice. We also made telephones from string and paper cups, but they did not last very long.

Ryan surprised me when he came into the playroom one afternoon dressed in his church clothes. He looked very handsome, his shirt was tucked in and he had a belt on. He had combed and slicked his hair! He announced he had an important meeting at the office. (!!) For the record, he still claims he wants to be either a priest, or a professional football player when he grows up for real. Jake is looking for a career in stand-up. Laine wants to be a cheerleader, but Luke and Mary Clare are undecided.

Hands on science

We had nice short school week that ended on a high note today at our homeschool co-op. I was assisting in the K-1st program where we had a science lesson, a brief Spanish lesson and some time in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium. Jake and Ryan are working on a unit study with other 2nd and 3rd graders and also have the opportunity to take a class on Gregorian chant.

The science lesson was on organs in the human body. The lead teacher had a fabulous lesson plan. She had a body poster for each child with stickers for the major organs she had placed on already. Then we went through several major ones and discussed their function. For each organ she had a short hands-on type of activity to bring it home for the kids and then they placed the label sticker themselves. For the brain we did a round of Simon Says. For the lungs we used a latex balloon illustrate inhaling and exhaling. We found our pulses, listened to our hearts and did a resting vs. activity pulse experiment. We saw how the liver acts like a coffee filter to clean our blood. We had a particularly icky demonstration of the large intestine. Mrs. Carr had pre-mixed up individual baggies with chocolate cake mix and oatmeal to familiar consistantcy (unless you suffer with some bowel issues!) then we cut a corner off the baggie and the children squeezed out the mix and saw how God designed our bodies to get rid of body trash. Ewww! Then the children got to demonstrate how our bladder collects and releases liquid waste using water balloons and a safety pin.

Isn't that a wonderful lesson? I know these kids will not soon forget the amazing functions of our organs. I think I had just as much fun as they did!

Reality Check

I came across this site visiting Tienne's blog Take The Poor With You. I admire Tienne and am especially grateful for this blog reference.

Reading through this site forced me into a stark reality check. The human rights situation in China is not rosy. I can't help but wonder why this isn't discussed more often in our media. I really have no clear answer.

I think in the China adoption community there is a real concern that discussing these issues might put adoptions in jeopardy. That is probably not unfounded. I am going to add this link to my sidebar and I hope you will visit it, read and pray for the people of China.

Yippee!

Some friends of our will be getting the referral of their daughter today. Their LID was 11/22/05. Our was 05/23/05 and we have have been home with Mary Clare for almost 18 months. I truly do not know how that have held it together during this wait that has kept growing and stretching, but I completely admire them. I do know that either today or tomorrow, after they see her sweet face for the first time, those months of waiting will seem like days and they will know that this little one was meant just for them.

What color crayon are you?

You Are a Green Crayon

Your world is colored in harmonious, peaceful, natural colors. While some may associate green with money, you are one of the least materialistic people around. Comfort is important to you. You like to feel as relaxed as possible - and you try to make others feel at ease. You're very happy with who you are, and it certainly shows! Your color wheel opposite is red. Every time you feel grounded, a red person does their best to shake you.

What Color Crayon Are You?

HT:Maryann

Another great site

Theresa of Lapaz Farm, recommended a great site for free online games. Orsinal is free and safe. The games are clever and the graphics are beautiful. I can't believe this is a free site!

Diorama-Rama

Last week went pretty well considering the size of our school has doubled this year!

We are off to a great start I would say. The highlight of the week was the completion of a diorama that depicts the crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus.



We began with a cereal box. (Yes, very healthy I know) We opened it up completely and then Jake and Ryan painted the sides blue and drew and colored some fish to paste on the 'water'. For the bottom of the sea (actually one of the narrow,long sides of the box), we spread some glue and then some sand. I made a little Moses out of pipe cleaners and he went in the front. The the stick people crowd of Israelites are behind him. Laine used watercolors to paint a sea-like background. I cut off the top of the cereal box and taped Laine's watercolor to it. That became the background of the diorama. Then I cut a sky light into the top (which was the other narrow long side of the box. In the front I cut a small hole to view the scene.




This project was based on one we found in the Story of the World vol.1 activity book. Fun was had by all. I love taking pictures of this stuff. There is no way I'll be able to save this diorama from being destroyed so the pictures are a great way to save the memories. Now I don't have to feel guilty for tossing out the crumpled and smashed box two weeks from now. This week's project is based on colored glass. I'll be sure and take more pictures.

First Day!

Today we officially begin a new school year. We have been doing some schooly stuff this summer, but today is the 'real' first day of the new school year. Luke and Laine are so excited to begin. Jake and Ryan are kind of bummed because we decided that there will not be any video/computer games during the weekdays. They are not sure they can survive, which is exactly why we instituted this rule. :)

One of Those Days

Yesterday was one of those days. It was just so good. Nothing extraordinary happend, it was just a good, happy day. I want to record the minutia here so that I can look back and remember this good, ordinary day.

I woke up feeling refreshed. I had a great cup of coffee made by my personal barrista (barristo?) Lee. I took Sparky on a walk before it became too hot. I came home and did some craft work with the kids. Jake and Ryan are working on a latch hook rug and Luke is learning needlework on a small canvas soccer ball. Then, Laine, Ryan and I sat on the couch and rolled some yarn balls. We had some egg salad for lunch and then went to the pool.

We had the pool all to ourselves. There was one group time out after an episode of rowdiness, but everyone played nicely for the most part. Luke and Laine are swimming with more confidence and Mary Clare (wearing her floaty suit) followed them all over the pool.

We left and put Mary Clare down for nap and then I went to the library and the grocery store. I came home and put away things and made a special dessert and then we got everyone dressed for mass. It was a feast day, The Assumption of Mary. Mass was at 6 and we saw many friends. After dinner we had a dessert (Pink Clouds-some stawberry jell-o and ice cream concoction)and then went out on the deck.



While I was doling out the dessert, Lee helped the kids write a short prayer to Mary. I rolled them into scrolls and tied them to blue and white balloons.
Out on the deck, the kids released the balloons. We watched the rise and thought of Our Lady and her Assumption into Heaven.



It was just one of those days!

Great website

I used this website a bit last year with Ryan, but I had forgotten about it until a friend of mine reminded me. Her son is in speech therapy and the therapist recommended it to her.

I am so glad she reminded me of this website. Starfall is free and has exellent and safe content to help pre-readers and new readers. Luke and Laine have been using the alphabet recognition pages and just love playing 'computer games' like their brothers.

Luke

This is Luke doing his famous spitless spit. No one else inthe family can do this particular sound. He sucks in his cheeks very quickly or something. It sounds quite disgusting and he is very proud of his unique talent.

I love these big brown eyes!

Homecoming

Lee is coming home tonight after being gone for nearly two weeks straight. He has been in Houston for some sales thing. I didn't want to post about his travel because, well, this is the internet. He actually travels pretty regularly. He is gone, on average, about 2 nights a week.

There are times I do not mind the travel. This has been our life ever since we were married, so I am used to it. I like having some evenings of alone time after the kids are in bed. I also think that the away time keeps us on our toes and we have learned to appreciate each other so much because of these seperations.

Two weeks at a time? Not so great though. He will be home tonight and I am so excited! The kids will probably be in bed, but I have a bottle of wine and two glasses waiting for us to settle on the couch and catch up.

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Please keep our home sale in your prayers. We are still waiting..............

Planning mode

I think I finally have my basic plan for curriculum this year done. I feel so much better prepared to begin this year. I love looking at different curriculum and books, but I am going to try so hard to just stick with what we're doing (as long as it's working) and not get distracted and interested in the Next Best Thing. My name is Tracy and I am a curriculum junkie.

I have loved books as long as I can remember. I love their smell! I was a regular at every school library and now I am making the regualr round at the local libraries. I like to go to amazon.com and read reviews for fun. So I guess it is no surprise that I love browsing for homeschooling stuff.

I did not go with one set curriculum this year. We will have a classical and Charlotte Mason mix mainly. I think this will be the right fit for us and I resolve to give it a good 12 weeks no matter what. There, I wrote it here so i have to do it!

Island Nature Adventure

We had a wonderful time on the Isle of Palms. The home we rented was a block from the beach and around the corner from the pool. It had great porches with a nice view of a lagoon area around which all of the homes were situated.

After unloading, we went on the back porch and immediately turtles swam up to the edge of the water right beneath the porch. By twos and threes they arrived and popped their tiny heads up. These were no ordinary scummy pond turtles; these were domesticated begging turtles! Of course being the kind nature lovers we are, we ran inside and grabbed some bread to feed these poor starving creatures. Soon, there were over twenty little heads popping up and treading water right in front of us. In the midst of all of this charming nature, I glanced up and took a closer squint at the large log sitting under the tree on the other side of the lagoon. Surely that log didn't just move! Surely it is not sliding into the water and floating right over to our turtle feeding ground!

It seems that this lagoon is teeming with wildlife. The 6ft. alligator swam right up by the turtles. The turtles were not impressed and kept their begging routine going. We,however, were very impressed and felt a creepy thrill as he eyed us up on the deck. A lady came out onto the porch next door and told us there is a 500 dollar fine for feeding "Al" so the turtles left to go run their con at someone else's back porch. Eventually, "Al" got tired of watching us, especially after we made MC go inside. Later we saw an egret, who was hunting for some dinner,narrowly escape getting eaten by "Al". It was like "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" out there! We even saw some carp or something making giant leaps and spins. We kept hearing wierd plops and we finally caught sight of the aquatic acrobats.

Interestingly, in all of the material the owner left for us, intructions on recycling, air-conditioner settings, restaurant suggestions etc... there was not one mention of the 6ft. alligator out back!


There were plenty of nature thrills and chills at the beach as well. We caught (and released) twenty something hermit crabs. This was very exciting to the boys who read a wonderful book about hermit crabs this year. We were very tempted to keep some of the beautiful shell hermit crab homes, but came to a group decision to let them go, shells and all.

We also had several shark sightings. Past hurricanes have given this part of the beach an unusual sandbar formation and several of the days small sand sharks were sighted where they had been caught in low tide. I saw a pair of fins myself. Most thrilling was the hammerhead sighting. Thankfully, everyone was alerted quickly by others along the shoreline and no one was hurt. It swam up into very shallow water though and we got a close look at it. I'd guess it was about 4ft.

We were all quite pleased with the beach nature adventures on this trip. The encounters were unexpected, but we enjoyed the first hand thrill of observing new creatures in their natural habitats. We did leave a message for the owner, suggesting that she add something about "Al" in her communications with future renters.

Pictures

I love this picture of MC and her little ponytail flying like a flag on the top of her head!

Jake on a bucket filling mission. This picture is very similar to another shot I have of him at our last beach trip.

Laine on the front porch.

Releasing our hermit crab pals.

Kissing a chubbalicious cheek!

Another shot for the "Tantrums Abroad" series we are working on for MC.

Long arm self portrait

The boys are working on the ramparts of 'Castle Seagull'. MC is construction manager.

Just our friendly neighborhood 6 ft. alligator "Al" swimming over to eye our delicious array of plump limbs and tasty toddlers. (!!!!)

Uncle Lee

Thanks for looking dahlings!

Back from the beach....again!

We were able to go to the beach again this summer. My MIL turned 60 last week and so we were able to celebrate by going to Isle of Palms in SC for a week. I was particularly excited to see my new (and only) niece, Margueritte (Maggie is an approved nickname). She is about 6 months and the first child for my brother and sister-in-law. She is sweet and oh so chubbalicious!

I will put up some pictures soon.

I love to travel, but it is always nice to come home to you own bed.

Please?

Mary Clare will be two tomorrow, but because she is very advanced, she has been acting very two for quite while now. We discovered her stubborn streak pretty early on in our relationship. Even as a baby she was determined to do what she wanted when she wanted. Luckily, she is easy going most of the time, but when she is crossed about something she really cared about? Look out! She happens to have a set of lungs strong enough to equal her stubborness.

She also has a strength of will power I secretly admire. We have been working on making her say 'please' when she wants something. I know, we can be quite mean, but I think 'please' will serve her better in the world than grunting and pointing. The sweet puppy dog eyes and sheer cuteness factor really are good tools. But we don't want her to rely soley on her looks and charm, though I am sure they will work for many years to come.

Anyway, she absolutely refuses to say the magic word. We tempt her with ice cream and favorite books and toys, but the girl stands firm. We know she can say it because we have heard her say it before it times of complete desperation, but only once or twice. In any case I am not looking for clear elocution, just a 'pluh' or an 'eash' and I would gladly give in. Instead she cries with giant tears and loud wails. And if that doesn't work? She simply walks away. Yes, she will walk away from ice cream. See why I admire her willpower?

Are you ever ready?

I just love this post at "Et-tu?"

Jen really puts clarity to the jumble of thoughts that go through my brain when people say, "So, are you done yet?" or "How do you do it with FIVE kids?". Mostly I mumble around and shrug and try to change the subject, but this is what I wish I could say.

Summer daze

Summer is in full swing. The days seem long and relaxed, but they are passing by too quickly. I read this on the 4Real Learning Forum and felt this summed up my feelings completely!

Hugs and blessings to all of you who still have wee ones...where the days are so very long, but the years are too short!-Oney Jones

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The Fourth was a great day for all of us. In the morning we went to the local parade. I just love a parade. I always get choked up when the bands play and the kids cycle by on their bikes decorated with red, white and blue. When I am at the parade I have a real feeling of community and citizenship. We always go to this parade on the Fourth if we can. We went before we actually lived in this part of town and we will come even when we move out.

After the parade we headed home to cool off and rest. I lounged around reading while Mary Clare had a long nap and then we went to mu in-laws for a swim and some hamburgers and grilled corn on the cob, yum!

We gathered up the crew as evening approached and drove to meet our friends (and Mary Clare's godparents) to watch some fireworks. After getting lost and stuck in traffic, we ended up with a great parking spot and a great view of some spectacular fireworks. Fireworks have gotten quite fancy! Our favorites were the ones with golden glitter trails at the end and the ones with crazy meteorite movement.

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This week, Luke and Laine are continuing their swimming lessons and we have a co-op meeting on Thursday. We are planning to go to a cousin's annual pig roast at their lake house on Saturday. YUM! I am also beginning to plan for this year's curriculum. This is a bug job, but I really enjoy it.

Happy Summer Days to all of you!

Is this Meez?

Pretty accurate this morning!




HT: Marjorie

No moon, but look!

We were outside Saturday night looking for the Summer Moon Illusion, but I guess it was too cloudy for us to see. While we were waiting we worked with Luke and Laine on learning to ride their two wheelers.

Check out her boots. She loves to wear these, even during this hot summer. Turns out they do have a practical purpose. She claims they are part of her biking protective gear and keep her from getting hurt. At the very least they give her confidence!



What a milestone for them. I am so proud! I vividly remember when Jake and Ryan learned how to ride their two wheelers. Riding a bike is such a liberating feelign, isn't it?

Summer Moon

Tonight we will enjoy viewing the 'Summer Moon Illusion'

We plan to head outside and let our eyes be tricked. I will try to take some pictures to share too. I can't believe I have never heard of this before. Thanks Dawn!

Hello out there!

I need to take the time to properly say 'Hello' and 'Welcome' to anyone who reads this blog. I do not use a site-meter, so basically the comments section is the only indication I have of who is reading.

Every couple of months I re-think this whole blog thing and wonder if I should pack it up. I question my own intentions and motives in what I write and share with the blogosphere. Obviously, this is not a diary, but I do write about some personal stuff as well as just a daily log on family life. Sometimes I think it is arrogant of me to believe strangers would even care about our beach trip or how we force our kids to be nice. I know many family members read this, but so do other folks, people I know in real life and others I have never meant. Usually, I have no idea how they strolled into the Magnolia Cul-de-sac!

I do love to write though and I think that writing for an 'audience' helps you become a better writer. It is an exercise in clarity. I know and trust that Lee understands what I mean when I mutter around the house about my toothbrush being buried in the Lego box. However, I re-read my blog entries and try to pare down and edit so that hopefully they make sense. Interestingly, my blog seems to encourage clarity in my everyday thought process as well. What a nice side-effect!

Anyhow, welcome to my blog and thank you for reading.

Sibling Loyalty

People are always commenting to us about how close our children are. Sure, they bicker and glare at each other occasionally like most kids, but overall they are very loyal and loving towards each other. Their love and loyalty is obvious enough for folks to comment on it and ask us about how we get our kids to actually like each other. The short answer is, "We force them!"

Lee and I made a decision to encourage the virtue of sibling loyalty in the kids very early on in our parenting career. We figured not only is it good for the kids, but also, kids who get along well make our lives easier too! Maybe this virtue occurs naturally and easily in some families, but we really put in effort at our home. Many volatile situations arise when you have children very close in age and temperament. Let's face it, most likely after we are dead and gone, they will still have each other. I want them to be able to encourage, support and rely on each other for the rest of their lives.

The main component in our loyalty plan is simply fostering an awareness of the unique and special sibling relationship. We stress to them that brothers and sisters are for life. Friends will come and go, but even best friends will not be as close to you as your siblings. We also consciously foster a sense of family pride and honor. We discuss our goal and purpose as a family and even have a cheesy family song.


In general, we have a low tolerance for bickering and pestering behavior. When we notice someone bugging or speaking rudely to another we intervene as quickly as we can. We give them a *script prompt to help them talk to each other in more kind ways. We get the eye rolls and deep sighs, but they do it and everyone is happier in the end. After they apologise we have them hug or handshake and say 'brothers forever' (with the boys) 'twins are special' (between L and L) and also 'best friends forever' and 'Culloms forever' works well too. It may seem trite to adults, but saying these words while looking at each other in the eyes encourages love and loyalty.

I know this sounds ideal and like we must have stepford kids, but believe me this virtue training is ongoing.
I am the first to explain that they do not always get along perfectly. I have two that are like oil and water and have conflict more than the others. I certainly can't sit back and relax all the time while my kids play serenely in the background, but I can testify to some real results.

I hope these ideas encourage other parents to make a special effort in fostering loyalty among their children.
I am also interested in hearing of ways other families are making sibling loyalty a priority in their homes. So, please comment if you have advice and ideas!


*One of the most helpful tools we have used in fostering this loyalty is how they handle apologies. When someone has done something deliberately and on purpose to hurt or annoy another, a simple "I'm sorry" is not enough. The offender must say some form of, "Please forgive me for X,Y and Z. I really love you and don't want you to be hurt or sad." They must be as specific as possible about what they have done and the offended must say, "Yes, I forgive you." Then they end with the handshake or hug and the special phrase. Of course with friends they don't say all of the sibling stuff, but the basic apology form is the same.




*UPDATE 3/24/2012*
Well I have to say this post is still pretty much ringing true. We've added 2 more kids and kept up the sibling love and loyalty I believe. It's not that we don't have bickering, it's that I still really feel that as a family we still have a strong family bond going on here. I do pray that this continues. 

Now and Then

Now...

and then...
2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

So much to write about....

Last week we celebrated two wonderful milestones in the Cullom home. June 14th was our 10 year anniversary. I remember writing last year about our 9th and then I blinked and here we are at 10!

We are actually going away this weekend on a secret trip that Lee has planned. I have no idea where we will be. My sis and brother in law are staying here (God bless them!) to be with the kids.

June 15th was Luke and Laine's 5th birthday. Shocking, I know! I will put on a few pics of then and now. Quite a change in my little twinkles.

Also, over the past month or so I have been having an interesting email conversation with my best friend about Catholicism. It has been good for both of us I think. She is Baptist and was pretty stunned when Lee became Catholic and I came back to the Church after being very involved in a non-denominational church. Over the years we have discussed it a bit, but it is hard because passions are high and we value our friendship so much that neither of us wants to alienate the other. Email seems to work well for clarifying without hurting feelings. These conversations have been enlightening and I am trying to decide on a way to share them here. I'll keep you posted if I do this. I need to talk it over with her and see if she is ok with that.

For sale

The house is officially "For Sale". Lee put the sign up Saturday morning.

Two years ago we moved closer into the city to be more convenient for Lee's commute. He was commuting almost 2 hrs and he also travelled quite a bit. We left a suburban McMansion neighborhood to move to a more urban suburban neighborhood so that we could spend more time together as a family.

I really love this home and the neighborhood. We are on a small cul-de-sac with a giant magnolia tree in the middle. The kids have made some wonderful friends and I love having our church down the street and being close to the grocery store. We are also closer to our parents as well.

So why the move? Well there are several reasons and when we listed "move" and "stay" reasons the moves won out by a slight margin. About 6 months after we moved her, Lee took a job with a small company working from home, no more commute. Over the last 18 months the business has been doing well and Lee has been travelling less.

Homeschooling is wonderful and I hope to continue it for several years, but we want the opportunity to send them to a great private Catholic school if and when they are ready. That school is near where we used to live.

There are a few more reasons to move and several to stay, but once we had it on paper, both of us came to the decision to move. It wasn't an easy one and we are grateful for the last two years we have spent in this home....and with the way the market is, it may be several more before it sells! Hardy har har.I sincerely hope not though

Ironically, our old home is for sale again too. When I saw this I felt like it was a message from God. When we moved here people thought we were sorta nuts for leaving our beautiful new home with the high ceilings and tricked out basement for this older and smaller home. I think people undertsood the motivation though, more family time. Myy assurance that we did the right thing slipped a few times over the last two years, I admit. Now that the old/new home is for sale again, it is like we have a chance to go back and just move right back in, as if the last two years were just a hiccup.

I discussed this with Lee and we both agreed, we wouldn't buy that house again anyway! Living here the past two years has helped us define what we really desire in a home. The last house as fancy as it was, had a rotten yard. It was very large and honestly not very 'homey' if you know what I mean. A great house objectively, just not for us.

Now as we are checking out what is available in that area, we are remembering what we have loved about this home. The level cul-de-sac, the big yard, mature trees and the smallness of the subdivision that leads to a very friendly neighborly atmosphere. I am sure that we can find that again, no matter where we live, now that we know what we are looking for.

I am trying very hard not to obsess over selling this home, but it is hard I tell ya! I just want it over. I am sure you can imagine that trying to keep a home in show mode with 5 kiddos is not a very relaxing way to spend the summer. However, I remember God has a plan and me worrying about stuff will not make anything actually happen (darn!). I know only with prayer and patience will this be played out in the least stressful way. So we have begun praying for our home to sell in a timely manner and also praying for the family that will live here one day. Please join us in this prayer request if you can!

Consequences

I just heard a wonderful thing. Remember back in April when Lee and I worked on the Holy Week Missions? It was a wonderful experience, but in the weeks leading up to it I was not so excited. At the last minute I needed to lead up the Kids Track. It is like a mini camp for the kids of the missionaries to attend while their parents have some training and spiritual guidance before heading out.

Honestly, I was not thrilled to be doing this and especially not thrilled about the time frame. Someone who was going to be heading this up had to cancel at the last minute and there really was no one else who could take this on. With much sighing and grumbling, I sucked it up and took it on. I knew that God would make it what it needed to be as long as I gave it my best shot.

It came together wonderfully, of course. While I was working in the kids track which was for kids over 3, Mary Clare went to the nursery area that was being run by a great lady named Emily. I had to get there pretty early to set up, so Lee took Mary Clare over to the nursery area early to hang out with Emily.

Emily and Andy have been married for about 6 years and have just not been able to conceive. Every day after the camp was over, Lee would tell me how MC did great in the nursery and how all of the caregivers just loved having her there and how Emily loved the special morning time she was having with MC one on one.

Lee saw Andy this Monday night and heard how they are in the middle of paperwork to adopt from China! Adoption was definitely something they were considering, but apparently, meeting and spending time with Mary Clare really sparked them into action to move forward with a China adoption.

I am so grateful that God let me know about this little turn of events. I knew that doing the kids camp was the right thing and that I needed to do it. I just really, REALLY did not want to do it. I know that God uses our choices, our little 'yes Lord I will do this even though I am dreading it!' answers in many ways that we will never even know of, but this time, for some reason, He let me in on one way our presence at this event made an impact.

Next time something comes into my path and my first reaction is a similar sense of dread mixed with duty, I will look back at this and know that my little 'yes' will likely be used in a very big way. In fact my whole attitude about things like this may be changed and maybe I won't even experience the dread. Well maybe not quite as much, I know these things take time!

So, thank you, all of you out there in the world, for all of your 'yesses'. Even though you may never know how they impacted the world, I am positive that many blessings in my life are as a direct result of your answer to serve God in some way that you were not so thrilled about.

My sleep number is not 100

Last night I came home from visitng my sister and all of the kids (sans MC)were tucked in a sound asleep...in the tent outside. I had been over to my sister's to see the first episode of my summer guilty pleasure, So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD). We love that show!

I was so surprised to find the kids actually sleeping in the tent! I really didn't think they would do it. I talked with Lee for a minute though and we quickly decided it was wierd for them to be out there without an adult. I was mostly concerned about Luke and Laine. I was worried they might get up and need to go to the bathroom or have a bad dream (Laine had a bad dream on vacation about crabs!) Since Lee has a hurt back (leftover from the muscle spasms during his seizure) I needed to take one for the team.

It was neat to be out there with the kiddos, in the wide open. I read and prayed and tried to drift off into dreamland, but then I made a horrible discovery. The ground? Pretty darn hard.

Last fall when we camped out, Lee and I had an air matress (yes we are cheaters!)and even then I didn't sleep very well.

I made it restlessly through the night, but man am I tired today. Also my hips hurt. The kids slept like angels and were making plans for tonight. Sadly I had to nix that idea. Mommy is getting to old to sleep on the ground (sleep number 100) my sleep number is more like 35.

Some Vacation Pictures.

We stayed in a wonderful neighborhood adjacent to Rosemary Beach in the panhandle of Florida. My good friends on my mothers of twins forum hooked me up with www.vrbo.com and I was able to find a great deal. Here are few shots. I also am working on a pictoral series tentatively titled "Tantrums Abroad" in which someone who thinks they are already two demonstrates how to have a tantrum in various exotic locales. It is quite amusing.


Lainey at the pool.

Front porch

Luke working on sandcastles

Jake going out to get some crabs

Jake and Luke

Ryan looking for dolphins

Ryan holding his catch

Gang of bikers

Pitiful attempt at a family photo

Mary Clare loved the 'crabitat'

Telling secrets

Writing names in the sand

Oldest and youngest

Too cute for words

ditto