Changes...

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! A LOT has been happening in our Little Red House. Its been a busy and crazy week. This past Thursday my oldest Emma turned the B-I-G "13!" I cannot believe I am the mom to an official TEENAGER!! Where has the time gone???

Birthdays are a BIG deal in our home. The week of the big day, the designated birthday girl or boy gets to retrieve the mail... whats the big deal you wonder??? Well, apparently its the thing to do. Major fights can happen over who get to greet the mail lady for those beloved stack of bills.

Monday morning, the presents and cards started to pour in. Grandma W. sent a very special gift in the mail. I made Em PROMISE to treasure it and take care of it forever...

Birthday mail is a BIG event in our home!

Her first piece of adult jewelry!! Her birthstone necklace!

As the week went on, more cards (and some beloved birthday money) trickled in.... But on the day of her ACTUAL birthday, she got an even bigger surprise. Her pillow pet that she had wanted as her gift from us arrived!! It was not expected to arrive until Saturday so you can imagine the chaos in our home when the mail lady rang our door and was attacked by 7 VERY excited kids. (They had friends over)

I have to admit, the Moose pillow pet is pretty cool!!

After an evening swim in the pool, we gathered at our big 'ol table and celebrated with chocolate cake. The kids ran off some sugar and we skyped some family members well into the evening

All in all the day was a success!!! My beloved Emma is one year older!

Im sure you noticed that I also changed somethings on my blog (yet again). I finally realized blogger added some really cool gadgets to customize and create with, so if you come back to visit and my pictures are upside down and my posts are written in chinese... don't fret. All will be fixed shortly...(I hope) Im horrible with technology!!!

Our big black van is out of commission yet again, so in my complete and utter cabin fever/stir-crazy pregnancy induced hormonal rage, Im sure I will be posting ALOT!!! I may even Vlog if I can lock my kids outside long enough to get a word in.... JUST KIDDING!!! (maybe >))

I hope you have a GREAT weekend and chat tomorrow?? I have to show you my newest Chicken I bought to add to my collction. She is so cute!!!! Shhh don't tell hubby, he didn't want me to spend extra money but she followed me home (with a yellow clearance tag!!!)

XOXO

Its A.........

GIRL!!!

A beautiful, healthy precious little girl. My heart melted when I saw her moving around and playing with her feet on screen. I can't wait to meet her and wrap her in PINK and BOWS!

And YES, we do have a name, but you don't think I would tell you everything in one post did you???

Thank you to all of you wonderful commenters who shared in my joy yesterday. I thought of you all when we found out.

xoxo

This Is The Day....

That the Lord has made... I will rejoice and be glad in it....

For this is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made!!!!

We are off to find out what are new addition will be. Wh at do you think? Pink or blue? Stay tuned. =))))))

P.s. IN A SHOE is FINALLY in labor!!! Check out her blog for baby updates. Can't wait to hear the news!!

My Abigail Turns 3!!!

Yesterday. My little baby turned 3 years old... where did the time go? Little did I know when she entered the world, my whole life would become sweeter. She is full of songs and hugs and kisses.

God blessed me with the perfect little girl and I am forever thankful!!!!

It Really Is!!!

Last week the kiddies and I packed up our big black van and headed downtown to see the Greatest Show On Earth. I think half the town and all the local schools also joined us for the show. Traffic was crazy and I paid a small fortune to have front parking. 1 huge van+ 5 kids and 1 mommy= parking nightmare, so I happily handed over the money and walked right in!

My fears were calmed and my kids easily fell in line. Everyone had a partner and everyone stayed close.

We easily found our seats and sat back and enjoyed the show. I don't think our eyes could have gotten any wider. The show was truly spectacular. Every last child was amazed at the stunts, the pretty costumes and of coarse the elephants.

During intermission we all stopped for bathroom breaks (where we bumped into friends=) and headed back to our seats. On our way, I was able to meet one of my readers who recognized me from my blog. Her name is Melissa. I wish I could have gotten a picture with her but my camera died. I was impressed she liked my blog enough to remember who I was and I enjoyed meeting her husband and her adorable baby!

The circus ended just in time for lunch and we headed home. My kids are already counting down the days till next year, when the Greatest Show On Earth comes back to town!

An Interesting Dilemma...

This is my Banana. She is my responsible animal lover! We pet sit many of our friends animals and she is always by my side, making sure each pet gets the required daily dose of love and affection. She is pictured above with our newest "client" Lucy! She lives next door and is a 10 year old St. Bernard and our newest love. We LOVE Lucy. She also has 2 brothers, a bloodhound puppy named Hubert and a very mean dashound named Frank. EVery day we walk next door and let them out to play. Hannah immediately kisses them, runs them around, picks up the poop and makes sure they all get a few treats before being put back in their house.

This weekend, as we gathered around our family table, the conversation took another unexpected twist. Pets. We currently have no pets. Our beloved fish Bob, died a few weeks ago leaving us completely pet free.

Talks of a puppy entering our home have been placed on the backburner until the next tax season. The breed we want is beyond our current budget. Until then, we will prepare for his/her arrival.

But the thought of waiting another year for a furry friend (and totally convincing Mom to let an animal into her beloved Red House) is too much for my Banana to bare.

As we left the wal-mart parking lot saturday evening, we saw a little black kitty on the side of the road. Hannah almost cried at the thought of leaving that little precious feline to fend for herself.

Her pleads and cries for mercy on the kittens behalf must have softened an itty-bitty piece of hubbys heart. Although we didn't scoop that ball of softness into our car, we did in fact spend the remainder of our dinner time trying to convince daddy that a kitten is a MUST!!!

The kitten would of coarse be a family pet, but I know the moment it comes into our home, it will forever be attached to Hannah's heart. I know, from experience, she will love and care for this kitty as if her life depended on it. I know her heart, its made to love little furry animals.

At 2 years old, we brought home a puppy and even as little as she was, she never left the dogs side. When everyone else was tired of him drooling all over us and hitting us with his tail, my banana covered him with kisses.

When he had to be placed in a new home 2 years later, she was devastated. It took her almost a year to get over him. The bad dreams and the tears lasted forever.

She was made to love!

So, over dinner she stated her case.

I could tell she somehow wormed her reasons right into Hubby's mind. He was thinking... not happily though. But thinking none the less.

She vowed to save up enough money to buy a kitty that came with shots and spayed/neutered.

Right then and there the agreement was made. If she saved up enough money for a kitty and its supplies, Hubby would think about it....

But of coarse, in her mind, this was a yes.

So thus the saving has begun. She has $13 for her future kitty. She earns money from going above and beyond around the house and she earns money from pet sitting our neighbor. She is on a mission... and when she has her mind set on something... all things are possible.

I wonder what hubby will do when he is presented with the cash she needs to pick out her new pet? What should he do?? What do you think? What should be the right thing to do?

I think a little kitty would make this Little Red House complete! Don't you??

Oh did I mention Emma is saving up for a lizard??? Sheesh...

Straight To The Heart...

As we were decorating for Hannahs birthday party, our conversation turned...

Hannah..." Mommy, if the baby would have lived, what month would he have been born in again?"

Mommy..." March. His birthday would have been in March."

Hannah..." So, He would have turned 1 this coming March?"

Mommy..."Yes, He would be about 10 months old right now..."

Hannah... with a smile..." Awww, that would have been so cool. We would have had birthdays in January, February, MARCH, April, May, June AND July."

Mommy..."Yup, your right..."

Hannah..." Oh, I want you to have another baby mom..."

Mommy..." Me too banana... me too...."

and then we finished decorating the kitchen....

It was a GREAT party!

Our Fairy Tale...

Their once was a Pretty Princess and a Handsome boy...

They were best friends....

One day he surprised the Pretty Princess with a beautiful ring...

She was so happy. They lived happily ever after.... for 5 minutes. Until they viciously fought over toys.

The End!

Emma

Last week my firstborn decided to follow in her sister's footsteps and get baptized! She was so nervous but knew it was something she wanted to do. Together, we stood behind the tank up in the wall of our church and giggled and whispered. I promised her it would be quick and after we would celebrate with chocolate cake!!!

I was so proud of her when Pastor Jimmy (her youth pastor) dunked her under. She did it!! What a good little follower of Christ. My heart beamed with pride. Its moments like these that make motherhood indescribable.

Proud Mama

Getting make-up done

Hiding all flesh!!

A quick practice before heading downstairs

My Emma and her entire drama team performed their first human drama video of the year last Sunday night! Their audience was a group home for troubled boys. They all did amazing! I have it all on video and when I figure out how to upload it, I will share with al of you. Their drama leader also gave a great message which hopefully touched the lives of all who sat and watched. I was so proud of all of them. They worked hard, played hard and pulled together to minister to these youth.

Yes, my other children (future drama students) snuck in on the picture.... one can never start prepping too early!!!

Whats Missing?

Little Miss Molly finally lost her very 1st tooth Sunday... in church! Thus began her long obsession with the tooth fairy.

"How big is she...?"

"Does she lift the pillow?"

"Do I have to be asleep?"

"Will I wake up?"

"When does she come...?"

"How does she know I lost a tooth..?"

"Where does the tooth go?"

"Where does she live?"

"Will she wake up Abby?"

"If Abby wakes up can you come get her?"

"Can I sleep in your bed?"

"Will you leave the door open?"

Whoever said these cute little traditions were so nice, obviously didn't have an overly anxious little girl.

The next morning, the dollar was carried proudly through the house. All day! To the store, to the bathroom, at the dinner table. It never left her little hands. I guess the questions were worth it. ;)

Preacher Molly

So sweet. My #3 was preaching the word of God to #4 and #5. Hubby and I were chatting in the kitchen and #2 was in our room using our computer (nothing is sacred anymore=p.) Im not sure where numero uno was but anyway, we heard a very loud authoritative voice. We peeked around the corner and their she was... telling the littles all about Jesus and how He grew up. She held a small pocket bible in her hand and flipped thu it and "read" several passages from it. Hubby and I tried to contain our laughter. It was hysterical... and precious all at the same time. Its so nice to see God in the hearts of our children.

Welcome Fall

We welcomed the cool weather last week by having a field trip to a different playground. My kids had never been to this one before but when our big black van pulled up... we invaded!

Its a great "old fashioned" wooden playground that is meant to really spark a childs imagination. Its HUGE! It has secret passages, towers and more towers, stairs, bridges, swings, tires, monkey bars... you name it. All 5 of my kids ran around playing games, making up characters and just being kids. It was great to watch (and join in) I found myself climbing the high towers and overlooking the "kingdom."

Once I was able to coax them across the way, they performed a wonderful hand puppet show for me in the little theatre and played with the musical instruments there.

Pretty soon it was time to pack up our big black van and head back to our little red house. The groans and moans could be heard for miles. I promised them we would return, in the meantime they still chat about the wonderful day they had!

Quite Random

I added some pictures of random activities that have happened throughout our little red house. If you peer in any nook or cranny, you will find someone is always up to something. The kids are forever using their imaginations and turning the oddest moments and spaces into an endless adventure. Its a good thing, even though my compulsive need to keep things orderly often interrupts their fun. Im trying, I promise... but sometimes the need for neat takes over. Perhaps its something that needs to be added to my prayer list. Maybe even prioritized to the tippy-tippy top. After all, wasn't I the girl who came home from delivering baby #2 and vacuumed my living room because it hadn't been done in 2 days??? Yes, I will work on that.

Tonight I had a wonderful moment with my oldest daughter. It was just myself and the first 4 headed home from church in our big black van. The other three watched Milo and Otis and Em sat quietly in the front seat. I knew I had to call my sis but something told me to put the phone down and listen to the heart of my child. Our conversation quickly turned to prayer. She told me how at youth group she went to their "prayer closet" and prayed to God something that was on her heart. After some gently prying, she confided in me. What was it?? Well, I'll never tell. I was sworn to secrecy. Don't worry, she is 12. It really was not life shattering or life changing but to her it was the secrets of her heart. We began to chat about what the bible said about prayer closets and how important prayer was. Thankfully, this was just discussed in my bible study that night, so I had plenty of advice to offer.

"Wouldn't it be neat if we had our own prayer closet? A place to go and shut ourselves off for a few minutes a day to focus on prayer." I said

She smiled. She loved the idea. Being the oldest, she craves her own space. Unfortunately, we don't have the room for one. Not now anyway and not for many years to come. Our little red home is filled to the brim and if prayers are answered... will be stuffed even tighter... but I did offer something else...

"Well Em, if their is a time you feel the need for a place to pray and seek God... NOT to color, draw or just hang out.. come to me and I will make a way. My closet is available to you whenever you need it..."

Before you choke at the thought of me stuffing my dear child into a dark closet, just relax and know I have a nice roomy walk-in and will be adding a cute bench for when I need private phone calls away from my very nosy kids....

She loved the idea. I loved the fact that she opened her heart to me even more. I said a quick thank you prayer and I pray the lines of communication will never close. My prayers for her will only grow longer and more frequent as she enters those tumultuous years. She is an amazing graceful little girl and I know she will make a great lady!

My Maiden Of Virtue

Playing tackle football in the living room... she loves football. Can you tell who's winning??? Sigh... I try, I really really do but she makes me wonder if she is really my child. Perhaps if she were wearing fluffy pink shoes and a cute pink purse I could relate... but this? She is beautiful though!