Party Like A Rock Star...

So, my sister and I decided to embark on a wild girls night out. We spent the day together with the kids, watched them swim and play and scream and have fun. I bathed the babies, cleaned the house. It was time to kiss the kiddies goodbye and put on our dancin shoes. Off we went to Publix, Cindy needed to pick up a prescription for Brian. Her lovely hubby Eddie packed her meds for her which resulted in a small molecular explosion. After spending more time than needed fixing a very stupid error, (Dr called in wrong prescription)we got our drugs and toured the store. At the check-out we read People Magazine, caught up on the latest gossip and use-less info and headed to Rite-Aid. We played with the windchimes on clearance and bought some more things. Whew, what a night. I am beat. My jammies were calling me. I needed my blanket and some comfort food. Our car took us straight to Jack-In-The-Box. We bought very greasy cheap tacos and will feast till our tummies burn with hurt. Wow. What party animals we are. I missed these wild nights we shared. ROFL. Okay Okay maybe we are not the wild animals we used to be but we still had fun. I can't wait till tomorrow to see what other adventures we will share... stay tuned. ;)))

Sister-ly Luuuvvveee....

Well the girls are back!! My sis is back in town. She arrived last night with my nephew and it has been great! You don't realize how much you really miss someone till you are reunited again.

 We sat up late chatting and catching up on her escapades. This morning we sat by the pool as 6 kids jumped and screamed and splashed away. She took the older three kids off to Chick-fil-a for lunch. Yummy. What a great big sister I have. She not only loves me but she feeds me too. Who could ask for more?

Blogher What??

Did you ever hear of Blogher? I have not until this morning. I stumbled across a mom of 6's very high tech website and saw she was speaking at a Blogher conference in Cali. Apparently its the best of the best women's/Moms bloggers that speak and mingle with the public. Its a chance to meet and greet your cyber-friends face to face. It looks like fun and everything but my inner ( ok very very outer ) New Yorker comes out. I am thinking of all the haters and stalkers just lurking around the hotel ready to kill you. Hmm perhaps not for me, but I do enjoy this woman's website and her funny tales. She is a woman after my own heart... meaning 6 kids! Oh how I love the number 6...

Countdown!!!

4 months till turkey day, smooth mashed potatoes and my world famous stuffed mushrooms... but who's counting? I AM. There is only one thing I love more than a table full of good food and that is a room full of people to share it with. I might just have my wish this year! My hubbys side of the family might be caravan-ing down to our "little red school house" for some of the best down home comfort food you can get. Tickets have been bought and days off of work have been put in. I can't wait. Im still waiting for a final head count and that is just fine! We still have a while and I always make too much food anyway. Im preparing the menu and keep adding yummy goodness every day! I will start our family Thanksgiving tree promptly on October 30th of this year. This time I might do a whole forest scene on my one Living room wall which is still empty. I know a lot more people now and would love to have their hands on my wall. The kids are excited and ideas are flying thru my head. Im so excited. I will keep you updated as the holiday approaches and I will be sure to post the menu and pictures as they come. Until then enjoy the summer!!!

**** The pictures are of our Thanksgiving Tree last year. This year we are doing bigger and better. The kids are so excited****

Ode to My Pansy and My Flower...

The smell of spring blooms are not so sweet in these pictures. I try and try I tell you but sometimes its ok to fail. My pansies are blooming ever so lovely. Feminine and strong. What that flower should be! My flower on the other hand... well let me just say rotten roots might have set in. I still have hope though. I will keep watering and watering and I know one day her sweet petals will open. Lets pray there will still be bees around ;). At the end of the day I love them both and hope to have them back in my garden soon. There is nothing like new flowers at our kitchen table to put a smile on our faces..... I love and miss you guys xoxo

Gelato + Coffee= Sugar rush

Friday night was a fun night for us and our house guests. Our ever so faithful babysitter Elizabeth came over to watch my kiddies and off we went downtown. We didn't do anything magical or fantabulous but we had fun. We walked thru the park at night which was lit just beautifully. We stared over the bridge onto the falls and tried to find the people who were playing the drums. It sent a cool rythem thru the warm air. We loaded up on some coffee at a quaint coffee house underground and watched the big jazz band play their huge shiny instruments. Jason had the craving for Gelato and we followed. I tried ever so hard to find and TRY to ride the trolley but it seemed whenever I found it, it was either going the wrong way or I was on the other side of the street. It was a conspiracy against me. Hee hee. I drowned my sorrows in chocolate velvet gelato (thanks for the recommend Dugin)and pulled out my camera. Lots of silly pictures were taken and many laughs were had. The last picture shows me with both phones. No, this was not a posed picture. It was an ever so true candid shot of my texting addiction. I not only had my phone going but swiped Jasons as well and was trying to have multi-conversations. Im currently looking for a support group for this but.... well im not ready to kick the habit... =))) Emily had a hard time walking and I have a feeling she added more than sugar to her hot cup of Joe ;) I will have to go back and search thru my pics for any discriminating photos. All in all it was a great night. All the kids were in bed by the time we got home and we spent the rest of the evening listening to country music on itunes and texting the world. Life is good!!

A Beautiful Day

What a beautiful sunny thursday we had. We headed off to the park to watch the ducks, play in the fountains and just enjoy all the summer flowers in bloom. The stage was set up for the Shakespeare Festival and we made a mental note to go back Friday night to watch. The kids had a blast and Noah was SOO excited to see the duckies. He laughed and screamed and clapped his hands. It was precious!! I loved his little gingham green overall shorts even though Jason hates them. Noah liked them too. He showed everyone the puppy that was on the front. We had a great time and enjoyed the afternoon together!

A mystery

I got my very first secret comment today!!! How neat. They corrected my blogging error on my latest post. A roof blew off of a certain building and I guess the exact location was of great importance. Anywhoo... for future reference my blog is strictly random thoughts. Exact precise locations, events and actions should not be used as newsworthy. Using my information as nightly news could result in slight inaccurate information. And please feel free to comment as much as you like but I hope your brave enough to not post as anonymous!!!! Im not evil and I don't bite!

The Week So Far...

Hello my friends!! This week is flying by! We have been busy doing a whole lotta nothing!! The mornings and afternoons are spent by the pool. We had fun with all the kids in the big pool jumping and splashing around. Then we have to go home and start dinner. The girls have VBS every evening from 6:30-9 p.m. So we go to the mall and stroll. I was very proud to be with Emily the very first time she EVER purchased something from the Gap. GAPGIRL was PROUD!! I was their to witness the remarkable moment. Maygen and Emily found some great sales (and shoes) and I of coarse kept the GAP in business by purchasing a really cute shirt. Tonight is the last night of VBS so we will attend church service together and watch the slide show that the kids put together. I have some steak defrosting and as soon and J comes home its getting slapped on the grill .Yum Yum. I can't wait. Tomorrow we are off to downtown to show Em and let all the kids play in the fountains. Friday night I have a babysitter booked and off we go downtown for some adult time... just the 4 of us. I smell some coffee and gelato headed my way. Well the babies are getting up and we will be off to some stores. Catch you later....

NC or BUST

We did it! We survived!!! Yesterday was quite a day AND a long one at that. We drove up to Charlotte, NC to pick up some friends from the airport. Its about a good 1 1/2 hours of pure highway driving!!! 70 mile an hour highway driving. I break the trip up by stopping at the outlets which is about halfway there. Its literally right off the highway. So I happily sped along to the Gap Outlet. I forgot to take pictures as I was in a GAP zone but I did remember to take after shots courtesy of my Emma!! We had fun. Jason ended up staying home from work that day because my car needed to get a last minute fix, so after he came home we left the babies with him and us women hit the road. We had fun! We joked, acted silly, Molly slept. We sang along to Ferris Bueller songs and sang loud when Cyndi Laupers "Girls just wanna have fun" came on the radio. Unfortunately because I spent a bit too long at the Gap we were late to welcome our guests. BAD BAD hostess I was. I sped up to the valet, threw my keys at him and ran down to greet them. I felt SO bad. I always like to greet my Out of town guests with a huge smile and hug welcoming them to our home and I didn't do that. FOR SHAME!!!!

 We headed back in the van and had a smooth ride for the first 25 minutes or so. We were just entering SC territory when the weather changed quick!!! I checked the forecast before we left and it was clear sunny skies!! Well not anymore! The skies turned dark and the lightning started. i knew this was not going to be good based on the season so far. The winds started and the rains came down. We were driving straight into something and it wasn't good. We drove like that on and off for about an hour. Luckily we moved faster than the clouds and made it to VBS before the next downpour. It was thundering and lightning all night, the winds were insane.

 Well this morning the damage was calculated. The "storm" ripped the roof off of Greenville Tech school and downed trees were everywhere. They have warnings out for tonight already. Its 100 degrees today and tonight more storms are coming. Something wicked this way cometh!

Just a Personal Tidbit...

Im off to the airport to pick up friends. I will be stopping at the GAP OUTLET to do some overdue shopping. The GapGirl is headed to The Gap Outlet. That sounds so sweet!Can you feel my excitement? Can you hear my shreaks of glee??? I am going to bring my camera and capture my afternoon. Hey, im driving to North Carolina... I need something to look forward to during the LOONNGGG drive!!!!

HELP!!! THEY GOT ME!!!!!

The South can be described in 3 words... BIG HAIR BOWS!!!! Thats the only thing that comes to mind. Little girls in hair bows so big that they can't hold their head straight. They walk around with their heads tilted because the weight of their matching bow is overwhelming. Ok, maybe im exaggerating just a bit but its pretty close to the truth. Just take a stroll down town. Maybe its a status thing? The cuter your kid the bigger the bow? Or could they be compensating for something else?? I have no clue what the southern customs are down here. I sometimes swear its a world of their own. A bit of ol world charm. Scarlett O'Hara DOES exist and Tara is down the block. Whatever is in the water down here, its entered my bloodstream and is swimmin around. I now have a fascination for hairbows! I even put them in my little girls hair. Molly too!!! The same bows I used to make fun of and roll my eyes at are now weighing my own babies head down. You can see in the picture!! Even my poor Miss Muffet can't keep her head up straight. I have one in almost every color and plan on buying more today!! To make matters even worse, my friend Heather is going to teach me to make them. Sheesh! what has happened to me? Whatever has gone wrong im not minding. Im actually excited to style Molly's hair today. She will be wearing a cute Polk-a-dot blouse with a matching purple bow. Beam me up scottie they've got me. Just remember this, if I start blogging about corn fritters and chit-lins please pay me a visit and slap me silly.... 

Papa's New Hair

This past Saturday we took the ENTIRE family to go get Noah's hair cut. I don't know who was more excited, his parents or his 4 sisters...aka... other mommies!!! He was a trooper. We oohhed and ahhhed and he cried. He was easily enticed by lollipops and daddy sat nearby grinning. Oh how handsome my little man is!! I could have bitten his little cheeks off. Snip-its is an awesome place for little ones. They have colors, games,movies and personal computer games for kids to play with while they get their hair cut. The picture of the salon came back darker than I wished. This place rocked!!! They also offer Locks of Love service, so the older girls and I are going to grow our hair and donate to help others in need. Enjoy the pics !!!

Secret Confessions..... Shhhhh

Ok, I have to be truthful and honest. I can't hide anymore. Im a DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH JUNKIE!!! Not the new ones, but those old ones filmed back in the 80's. Do you remember? Come on, if you think real hard you can hear Joey and Caitlin fighting in the halls! Remember Shane and Spike? Lucy? And those twin girls in desperate need of a personal hairdresser? How about the provocative Steph? I can buy the whole 3 year box set on Amazon for a mear $80. Hours upon hours of unadulterated tween drama slowly killing my brain cells one by one. But what fun I would have!!! Now as I watch some clips on Youtube I wonder how the heck I was ever allowed to watch such horrid stuff. They dealt with some heavy heavy issues. Teen pregnancy, sex,interracial relationships,gays and lesbians,Aids,shoplifting,alcohol,drugs. You name it and these kids encountered it. I would NEVER allow my kids to watch it.... and if my mom had a clue as to what was on the Tv she would have burned it. I was a newly defined latch key kid back in the 80's. Not a full time one like my Jason. A part timer. Just long enough to watch smut and get educated on the evils of the world. Oh how I wanted to dress like some of those girls. The scarves and bangle bracelets, the bad 80's hair...sigh. those were the days. Where would I even get neon butterfly clips? Well please excuse me. I just made a fresh pot of coffee and I plan on indulging my inner tween soul in some more DJH drama... To all the kids on Degrassi Street... Thanks for the memories!

P.s. Stay tuned I have many more blogs to come if I ever stop watching youtube

Miss Marvelous Molly Jaye and her Birthday Day!!

Miss Molly had an absolute Marvalicious birthday!! She turned the ripe old age of 4 years old!!! We can't believe she has been in our life that long... but at the same time cannot imagine our home without her. Miss Molly almost never was, after our first two babies we swore we were DONE!!! We had our girls and life was grand. When Hannah was 5 we met some friends at the park. She had just had a baby girl named Brooke who was so small and tiny. I held her right next to the swings and jungle gym. My heart melted. I handed her to Jason who usually has no interest in other peoples babies. He too could not resist the urge to hold her. His heart melted as well. On the way home that day we looked at each other and said the magic words... "We have to have another baby..." 3 days later we were at my OB removing my birth control and the next week I was pregnant!!! The sad part of the story was that we ended up loosing that baby and almost gave up. I was too scared to try again...but 3 weeks later the good news came. I was pregnant AGAIN!!! I was so scared and happy and nervous. We kept her name a secret from family...(due to LOTS of unsolicited "advice") We chose her name based on a song called "Molly's Smile." Little did I know then how much of those words would reflect her life.

She was a daddy's girl. I blogged about it one day on Myspace. Since those words flowed so beautifully, I will copy what I wrote:

   

Molly’s Smile....

Current mood: blessed

Thats the name of our new song on our profile page. It was the song we heard back in early 2004. It was the song that finally convinced Jason to agree to the name Molly for our unborn baby girl. Little did he know then how many of these words would be a reflection of his relationship with his one and only Molly. This song is found at the end of the movie Uptown Girls. A cute movie. Nothing to brag about but was entertainment for the moment. It was this song that makes the movie so special to us.

We were so excited to welcome baby girl 3. We kept her name a secret and revealed it the day she was born. Molly Jaye Wyler. Jaye of coarse was to carry Jasons name on because we were convinced we would never have a son. The moment their eyes connected ,the relationship began. A relationship I could never capture in words. Jason loves all his babies...but there is something about Molly. Molly chose Jason from the start. She chose him to wrap her heart around. I saw it. I was right there in the hospital when the two became one. They share that special bond still. Its stronger now. She will be celebrating her 4th birthday this summer....4 going on 14. They fight, Jason gets hurt, Molly knows just what to say to make it all better. Molly knows exactly what to do to make Jasons blood boil with anger. She takes his heart, dances on it and then ever so gingerly places it back. Then they are best friends again. Its funny to watch.

Im not sure what Jason will do when she grows up. He can't handle when I talk about her dating or getting married. His hand goes up and by the look on his face...I know its time to change the subject. But that day will come. It will be a bittersweet day, a sad day, a happy day. A day Im not sure Im looking forward to. After all I will be the one picking of the pieces but I don't think I will ever be able to put them together the way Molly could.

So please listen to our new song. It could have been written just for them...

Happy Monday

Its been a few days since my last blog, so I figured I would just fill you in on the happenings on our home. The weekend went pretty well despite a few glitches in our path. Our A/C unit in our van just broke completely! We have an estimate to get it fixed which almost made me pass out BUT it must be done! I have to drive to N.C on monday to pick up friends. I would fry like bacon without it. So, sometime this week our big black beauty will be brought in to get fixed yet again. Once its all set and done and the money is ripped out of my clenched fists I will be happy to be driving around as cool as a cucumber!!

 Sunday we officially became members of our current church. We were members of our old one and had to get the paperwork switched. This past Sunday we stood in front of the assembly during service and were formally welcomed! It was so bittersweet. I felt like I was finally in a church but I shed some tears for my faithful family back home. I LOVED my home church and miss everyone dearly! Now this one is my church and soon I will love them as much as my others.

 Today was a great day! We had lunch guests over for some great conversation and eats. She attends my church and has 5 kids herself....AND is expecting her 6th on Thanksgiving Day! How beautiful. I had 10 children in my home but you would never have known!! They were all so well behaved. They cleaned their spots and politely answered any questions. I never had to tell them to use their inside voice, stop running, take your shoes off... NOTHING!! They were the most wonderful,smart and well behaved children I have ever met.... besides my own.( I have to brag a bit and say my children are extremely well behaved and mannered... they know better=))) Did I mention they were also homeschooled?  The older kids ran out to see the clubhouse our girls made on the hill. They then began making bricks from the clay just like the Hebrews. The babies played beautifully together and we ate delicious treats and shared our lives. It was a purely delightful day!

 Well I must go and decorate my home for my Miss Molly's 4th birthday tomorrow!!! I hope the rest of the week goes just as smooth for you... Until next time

Large Family Statistics...

Today was payday! Yaaa, that means one thing. FOOD SHOPPING!! My house is bare and my shopping list is long. It takes me a good 2 solid days to compile my list, sort thru my pantry and brainstorm. Since we do have 7 members of our family all eating the same things, our "normal" staples are far from the average Joe. Believe it or not I do get asked about my food bill and surprisingly enough I LOVE talking about it. Go figure. If we add any more members to our family it will increase slightly but you'll get the picture. Before I start let me clear a few things up. YES, I shop with all 5 kids, I use 2 sometimes 3 carts, I shop bi-weekly, I DON"T menu plan, I shop for all food for 2 weeks in ONE day and I'm usually home by noon, It takes me all day to sort, organize and put away and NO 99% of the time Hubby does not come with me. So those of you who complain about taking one, two or three of your kids shopping... Go cry somewhere else =) (I get stopped all the time by women who shake their heads and say they could never do it...if you had no choice you WOULD)

TWO WEEKS:

---2- 3 qt pitchers of Iced tea

--4 dozen eggs

--8 loaves of bread

--7 lbs. Chicken

--5 lbs Ground Turkey

--6 Lbs. Ground Beef

--10 gallons of %1 milk

--4 1/2 gallons of lactaid for Noah

--1 Lb sliced american cheese

--1 case (60 ct) eggo waffles

--3 lbs bananas

--3 lbs Grapes

--3 64 oz containers apple juice

--2 1/2 gallons ice cream

--2 boxes of Capri sun (10 ct in each)

--8 boxes mac and cheese

--1 container baby wipes

--4 packs of luvs diapers

--2 boxes flavored oatmeal

--3 lbs roma tomatoes

--4 lbs. butter

--1 lb bacon

--4 packs strawberry jello

--10 lb bag potatoes

--24 oz sour cream

This is just a sample. I buy a lot of other things such as creamed soups,rice,beans,cereal,soda,snacks,seasonings,produce,soap,napkins,shampoo,who needs socks,undies,tissues,medicine... you get the picture! Lets not forget cleaning supplies and paper goods! I shop at my favorite Wal-mart and Sams and I save oodles of money. I never go over $300 either. Surprised? It can be done. Im quite savvy and creative with my cooking! You might think this is crazy but by the end of the week my pantries are bare. My stock is low and im running back to the store. We eat almost every meal at home and enjoy family time around our extra large table. I try to include my older girls in the cooking when Im not rushed and have the patience. Domesticity is sadly a dying art. Even though all our money goes to food, we would not have it any other way. Food is a form of hospitality, something the Bible talks a lot about. It brings people together, creates laughter and binds like glue. If your ever in town stop by my table. Its an experience you'll never forget. Think back to some of your favorite comfort moments. I guarantee they happened around a table

Auntie-Em Auntie-Em

Last night was  interesting. My girls and I are quite the weather buffs. We love storms, track hurricanes and are obsessed with tornadoes. On any given afternoon Emma is outside studying the clouds. She watches their form and will let you know where the storm is coming from. Its no surprise that I will make sure we spend a lot of time this coming year learning about weather patterns across the world. Last night was no different. I decided to take the kids for a quick swim before Jason came home. It was about 3 p.m. They swam for about 45 minutes. I noticed how unusually windy it was. I stopped swimming and sat by our table to make sure the wind didn't flip the umbrella over. The clouds came and went and small rolls of thunder could be heard. No big deal. This is how summer is in the Upstate... well, SC in general. Its really hot during the day and a small passing storm in the evening. Emma was the first to point out the changing weather. We scurried out of the pool and headed home. We quickly forgot about the storm and continued on with our evening. Jason came home, dinner was consumed and baths were given. The older girls played with friends outside till it was time to come in for showers. Around 7:30 Jason put the babies to bed and the older girls waited for their ice cream. I stepped outside because I saw some flickers of lightning. Jason joined me and we sat on our patio in awe. We saw the dark clouds quickly move in and could not keep up with all of the ground strikes... Then things started changing. In a blink of an eye it was black, the wind was so strong and the thunder got worse. We just looked at each other and knew this was not going to be a simple storm. Jason ran outside to make sure all toys were put away. The rain came down and the wind blew even stronger. At this point it just seemed too dangerous to stay out. We gathered by our big LV window and watched as the tree blew sideways and things flew through the air. I turned on channel 4 for any weather warnings. The girls were scared . The lightning was so strong and bright we closed the curtains and watched tv until it blew over us. The night was exciting to say the least. Do we get tornadoes you ask? Well technically we don't BUT for some reason they seem to blow thru all the time. Hmmm, makes me wonder. But don't worry. I will train my kids well and pretty soon we will be able to predict our own forecasts and never be caught off guard again!

P.S- This picture was taken seconds before the storm changed and we ran for cover...