Happy birthday

A happy cake smeared 1 year old!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...Gracie is 1 today. She was born at home, in the very room I am sitting in a year ago today. She is such a joy to our family and has had happy birthday sung to her countless times today. I caught her 9 yr old brother sneaking in her room early this morning, peeking into the crib to quietly sing "Happy birthday to Gracie"....how sweet is that? She took her first steps on Saturday...so we can say she walked before she was one. Gracies interests in life are toys with buttons, shirts with buttons, toast with butter, bananas, her blanky and thumb.

Miker "reading" Gracie her birthday card from the H's.

Our wonderful neighbors lent us their jumping castle again and it tuckered the kids out real well. Gracie obviously never went in, but she was plum tuckered from all the excitement of turning one.

I used to thumb my nose at large families thinking those poor children...not getting the attention they deserve, the opportunities...I was so wrong. Our children have such a rich environment to live in. We do not watch T.V. We have a DVD player for schoolwork and an occasional movie when Grandpa comes over. My children LOVE reading books and we try to pack the bookcases with many good ones and hit the Library regularly. Any interest they have, they pursue. My eldest daugther has never shown a real interest or passion in any subject. I have tried to spark her onto things only to have her shrug her shoulders and move one. Recently she has been having fun with my camera, so we are talking about taking a photography class together in a couple years at the local tech college. What a kick that will be if she holds on to that interest!

Shasta Daisy

"Chrysanthemum maximum (Asteraceae)"

"Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You."

Ps 139:16-18

Why I Don't Write Poems...

I've swept all the floors then mopped 'em,

Washed the mirrors, glass, sink, coffeepot.
Cleaned my room, fed the dogs, changed three diapers,

Did the laundry, picked up toys...quite a lot.

Baked a cake and renewed hubby's licence,

Laid out clothes for our dinner tonight.
Emptied then filled the dishwasher,

Made lunch and tucked the little ones in tight.

So now my older ones are playing outside,

The young ones are napping so sound

My house is cleaned up for a moment,

And I sit in the quiet surround.

Yes, I know there are more constructive things I could be doing with my time!

I got to sit down at lunch for a few moments, o.k.?

I am always fighting handprints up the staircase, around the light switches, doors, walls...This is one of my FAVEorite poems that helps me to overlook the unsightly smudges and smears of dirty hands.

I think most of us gave this poem to our parents

accompanied by a plaster of paris mold of our hand?

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small,

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But everyday I'm growing,

I'll be all grown up someday,

And all these tiny handprints

Will simply fade away.

Sand

Sand is yummy. Just ask Gracie the almost one year old.

Gracie would like to show you her sandbox.

1. First take a smidge of sand and try licking it off your fingers, to make sure the texture is alright.

2. Pick up half a Lego man and lick the sand off of him. After he is wet, re-dip him and he will attract much more sand! Then, snack again.

3. Look around and make sure no one is looking for this one....go for the gusto, why take in teaspoons when you can have mouthfuls?! The experience is exciting!

4. Move off the sideboards and directly into the box itself. The sand is still warm from the sun.

Oh the sheer bliss of sand on your tongue

Farewell for now, dear friends, until we meet again.

**disclaimer - No babies actually ate sand in the shooting of these pictures. She was pulled back and wiped up then ran to the house with mommy clearing the way with "ewe, ewe, ewe.." all the way. She is sand-free in bed, drinking a warm bottle as I write.

A busy week...

Our week started out with Jacob FINALLY being able to attend the baseball clinic he was invited to through church this whole week. It was at our pastors house waaaaay out in the boondocks(o.k., maybe WE are the ones out in the boondocks). It was taught by an older man in the church who looves coaching and did a fabulous job. The idea wasn't to win, it was to glorify God first in humbleness, actions and speech and to sharpen the boys' skill's and learn the game. Monday through Friday they practiced from 1:30 - 3pm in the hot sun and Saturday was the big game. We didn't sing the national anthem, we recited the Lord's Prayer, though we all would have been proud to sing our anthem, it was a creative change to start out in prayer.





A full 9 innings were played(I think) and there was no winner announced. Remember the idea wasn't competition, but glorifying God. The game was made challenging for the more experienced players but the ball fumbled and dropped when a newbie got a poor hit, allowing him to jump for joy after reaching first base and hearing a strong "Safe!" In other words, it was rigged. But what a GREAT time of fellowship and iron sharpening iron. The boys on that field were not boys, but men in training.





The boys each left with a team picture, a signed certificate of completion, a uniform and new friends....good friends.

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Afterwards, the B's invited our family over to their house for dinner. Like she said, what's 8 more people? They are the exceptional parents of 13 children. So she had this huge spread of food whipped up in no time and we loved sitting down to talk for a good long time. At one point Paul stopped and pointed out there were 20 children running around playing and we were sitting in the dining room thoroughly enjoying adult conversation...uninterrupted for the most part. Jessie brought her cousin Ali with if you are adding numbers. I just love this family. Their children are very well mannered, sweet and full of adventurous ideas...the opposite of what people imagine a large family to be. I have conquered all their names! I felt like I deserved a patch or somethin(Renee, if you read this, did you get all MINE down?). I wanted to talk to each child and was bummed I missed five of them. Oh well, that is what future BBQ's are for!

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This is my dream dahlia garden that I have wanted for 4 years now. Paul went through all the work of creating it for me and here is it's current state. I have weeded it several times and spent hours in here...really. I haven't counted it as lost.....yet....but I am loosing hope. Any ideas on how to grow a low-weed dahlia garden...or garden for that matter, would be greatly appreciated.

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And this is a typical Sunday afternoon. Daddy is in the pool, who needs pool toys? Daddy serves as a spring board & flotation device. The kids couldn't have a better father!

Paul's birthday is tomorrow, Monday, and Gracie is celebrating her FIRST birthday on Tuesday! I can not believe how fast this year has gone. Paul and I get to enjoy a dinner out at a fancy shmancy restaurant tomorrow night and we will have a BBQ Tuesday night for the both Paul and Gracie.

"But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more,

and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life..." 1 Thess 4:11

I did a study of the phrase "quiet life" today. Sometimes I feel guilty for opting out of my children participating in out-of-the-home programs and music and sports and more programs, but then I read this...

The greek word for "quiet" in 1 Thess 4:11 is "hesuchazo" - 2270 -

which literally means

1) to keep quiet
a) to rest, cease from labour
b) to lead a quiet life, said of those who are not running hither and thither, but stay at home and mind their business
c) to be silent, i.e. to say nothing, hold one's peace

Ahhhhh, now that settles much better with me.

Hatching documentry...

The circle is complete

Well, the day has come. Little peeps can be heard every time go upstairs. That is where the incubator has been for 21+ days. Because I am fascinated with God's creation, love to type, and have a five minute coffee break while the kids swim I'll give you a short lesson in hatching chicks...THEN if you live close to us come borrow one of our incubators and give it a try!

Heave....Ho!

Place an X on one side and an O on the other side of the eggs. Place pointy end(chick) down and fat side(air pocket) up. Keep a small dish of water in incubator and as steady a temp of 99.5 as you can. Turning the eggs to X in the morning and O in the evening. On day 5 candle the eggs and watch the little fellas swim around...or see a bacteria ring, or clear egg in which you throw it in the garbage. You MUST throw out bad eggs before they explode, thus candling is important, I hear exploders are quite gross. After 19 looooong days stop turning the eggs and place a soaked washcloth in the inky to raise the humidity to +80%. *side note* It is amazing the changes a hens body goes through to accommodate the hatching eggs. They loose all their feathers on their underside, they fluctuate the humidity with sweat glands to keep the membrane on a pipped egg from drying out. We found out the hard way if you do not keep the humidity very high on hatching day and when that chick pips its first hole, the membrane surrounding it can dry quickly and become unbreakable. The chicks suck in the last of the yolk while it is pipping. They have an egg tooth on the end of their beak that is very hard and sharp. They pip a teeny hole and rotate in the egg 1/8" of an inch, then pip a hole and rotate, pip a hole and rotate and so on until a complete circle is cut away and at last they push with their legs and spill out. It is so precise! I used to think they just cracked a hole and forced their way out, but they are very strategic!

All twisted up!

Time for a warm hatcher to dry you off!

Under the red warming lights.

They become fluff balls in minutes! Nice straight toes means I kept a nice even temperature while incubating.

The children are LOVING this. I am trying to let each one have an egg hatch in their hands.

We are back online...

But life is busy and blogging is the first to go. I will post closer to the weekend. I went to rotate the chicken eggs last night and I heard them peeping & one was cracked. They break through an air pocket up to three days before hatching and the little guys call out to their mamma. So cute.

Jacob has Softball Clinic this week at our pastors house. He is having so much fun. Yesterday, his first day, I went to pick him up and asked how he did. He needed better shoes, cleats, maybe? All he has are Romeos, I can't afford cleats! As we left I asked the Lord to please help us find a pair of cleats, or even tennis shoes, just so he could play better. I went to the consignment store from there and found 1 pair of cleats, good shape, a little on the big side and a good price. Score! He was happy. Then we came home and I told a neighbor how the Lord provided so quickly and she hauls out a pair of even better cleats, fit like a glove. Wow! Even better!

Then we get home and my sister calls and said her husband had dug through his old stuff and found a pair that would fit Jacob, too. In a matter of 5 hours the Lord provided three fold. We stuck with my neighbors pair and praise the Lord we have a personal God who cares for our little needs and hears our every prayer.

No posting...

Our modem fried Tuesday night and I am sitting at my favorite neighbors home just typing a note to say I won't be here for a few days! Clearwire is mailing us a new modem, but it may take a while. Bye!

That's my boy...

Jacob is all man and has the best mentor for becoming a great one...his daddy! After spying an old canoe for sale on the way home from Grandma's house, Jacob went to the door and asked the nice lady if she would hold it for him until he could ask his daddy if it would be a wise investment. She agreed and an hour later Daddy and Jacob picked it up. Jacob is going to wash it up, learn how to do fiberglass repair, make seats and turn around and sell it for profit! He paid $50 and a canoe in good shape goes for $200 so we'll see.

Then there is Emma. Showing off her yellow jacket sting. In her blue swimming suit, her blue boots, with her blue bandage(holding an apple cider soaked cottonball) with her electric blue eyes.