Thursday, May 31, 2007
Powerhouse Learner
Judah is my powerhouse learner. He attacks school like everything else- with gusto. :):) He is also smart. He was flying through the Pre-K workbook we had. (Thomas is in Pre-K stuff and it's about the right speed for him.) So, today I bought a first grade workbook for Judah. I figured it would give him more of a challenge. I also decided, from now on, to have him skip naps and do a second round of school while Thomas and Gideon are sleeping. He usually doesn't nap anymore anyway unless he's super tired. So, today we started the new workbook. He went through 11 pages. He did great on 9 and good on 2. This is definitely more his speed. Even this is a bit like review because he is already starting to read but it's good. They have interesting and fun exercises for him to do and he enjoyed those. I also bought stickers today so they can put them on a completed paper. He was excited about the stickers as well. He would have kept going but I told him we needed to save some for tomorrow. LOL We were working on beginning consonant sounds and today we did B-N. I'm guessing tomorrow he'll talk me into finishing the alphabet. The only letters he had trouble matching the sounds on were G and N. :):):) (and I was only going to do 2 pages today. LOL ) He is like a home school mother's dream.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sorry
Sorry that it's been a few days. Things have been a bit hectic here. BUT, our household is thriving since we got back on schedule. The boys are once again in the habit of cleaning up and not just after themselves. You see, I don't buy the whole, "I didn't make the mess so I'm not cleaning it up" thing. Sometimes that is necessary to teach a lesson but more often than not I don't let that comment go. I usually remind whoever that we are a FAMILY and families help each other out. I also point out that I clean LOTS of things around the house that are not MY messes. I explain that families work together and that's just part of being a family. I usually then sing the section of the Bob the Builder theme song that says, "working together we get the job done!" By then they are usually on board with a comment such as, "will you clean with us and we can see how fast we can go?"
I grew up so self centered. I did like to vacuum and dust but usually I was trying to figure out how people could benefit me not how I could be a part of a functioning family unit. All relationship training starts with the family. I want my children to know they are a valuable part of our family and are also actively contributing to it; just as I want them to know that they are a valuable part of the kingdom family and are contributing to that as well. :):) I figure that if they always do chores (as soon as they are able) then there will be a lot less mutiny. Don't get me wrong we still have those days too but more and more I see our kids excited to do chores with me and Michael and they especially love it when we are all "working together to get the job done"- sorry couldn't resist.
I hope this made sense. I'm EXHAUSTED! Good night, sleep tight and don't bite the bedbugs! -haha
I grew up so self centered. I did like to vacuum and dust but usually I was trying to figure out how people could benefit me not how I could be a part of a functioning family unit. All relationship training starts with the family. I want my children to know they are a valuable part of our family and are also actively contributing to it; just as I want them to know that they are a valuable part of the kingdom family and are contributing to that as well. :):) I figure that if they always do chores (as soon as they are able) then there will be a lot less mutiny. Don't get me wrong we still have those days too but more and more I see our kids excited to do chores with me and Michael and they especially love it when we are all "working together to get the job done"- sorry couldn't resist.
I hope this made sense. I'm EXHAUSTED! Good night, sleep tight and don't bite the bedbugs! -haha
Sunday, May 27, 2007
I've been tagged!!
I was wondering if I would get tagged. At least I think I did...Tonya was a bit cryptic. LOL
Anyway, here you are ladies and gentlemen...
8 Random Things About Myself:
1. During high school I was a majorette (baton twirler). At one time I could keep 3 going at once. Was the head majorette my senior year.
2. My senior year of high school I was the Student Director of our high school concert choir.
3. Also during my senior year (it as good year of my life) I won Best Supporting Actress at our high school One Act competition.
4. During college we (the friends I hung out with) used to have weird study parties. Shirt off night, free table clothes night, etc. I was one of the leaders in picking out the theme for the night.
5. During all of my public school years (K-12) I never once got detention BUT during college I got gratis 3 times. (gratis is one hour of labor, or more, for breaking a rule) I know this will come as a huge shock to everyone but all 3 times it was for noise after quiet hours had started. I can almost hear you guys laughing. :):):)
6. Growing up we almost always had pets but at age 18 I developed big time allergies to most animals-horses being the worst. HUGE BUMMER!
7. I was always a "little momma" and dreamed of having children when I was just a child myself.
8. I still read children's literature for my own enjoyment.
Anyway, here you are ladies and gentlemen...
8 Random Things About Myself:
1. During high school I was a majorette (baton twirler). At one time I could keep 3 going at once. Was the head majorette my senior year.
2. My senior year of high school I was the Student Director of our high school concert choir.
3. Also during my senior year (it as good year of my life) I won Best Supporting Actress at our high school One Act competition.
4. During college we (the friends I hung out with) used to have weird study parties. Shirt off night, free table clothes night, etc. I was one of the leaders in picking out the theme for the night.
5. During all of my public school years (K-12) I never once got detention BUT during college I got gratis 3 times. (gratis is one hour of labor, or more, for breaking a rule) I know this will come as a huge shock to everyone but all 3 times it was for noise after quiet hours had started. I can almost hear you guys laughing. :):):)
6. Growing up we almost always had pets but at age 18 I developed big time allergies to most animals-horses being the worst. HUGE BUMMER!
7. I was always a "little momma" and dreamed of having children when I was just a child myself.
8. I still read children's literature for my own enjoyment.
Ladies Only
Well, if you're a man you can read this but you probably won't understand. LOL
You know you're hormonal when you almost burst into tears in the breakfast line at church because the little boy in front of you is taking too long to remove his toast from the toaster and yours is done but you can't get to it until he moves.
must be because this is the first real cycle I've had since February 2005. LOL (that's 27 1/2 months)
You also know you're hormonal when Doritos (of course the Natural kind) and chocolate chips sound like a good lunch.
You know you're REALLY hormonal when you actually DO eat them for lunch; placing the chocolate chips on top of the Doritos and eating them together. :P
Just a little insight into my world today!! LOL
You know you're hormonal when you almost burst into tears in the breakfast line at church because the little boy in front of you is taking too long to remove his toast from the toaster and yours is done but you can't get to it until he moves.
must be because this is the first real cycle I've had since February 2005. LOL (that's 27 1/2 months)
You also know you're hormonal when Doritos (of course the Natural kind) and chocolate chips sound like a good lunch.
You know you're REALLY hormonal when you actually DO eat them for lunch; placing the chocolate chips on top of the Doritos and eating them together. :P
Just a little insight into my world today!! LOL
Saturday, May 26, 2007
WHAT?!!
Read this article and notice the parts in Bold. The blue bolded parts are the parts I think are great. The red...I bolded those so that you would know why I was so appalled...
PETERSBURG, Ky (Reuters) - Like many modern museums, the newest U.S. tourist attraction includes some awesome exhibits -- roaring dinosaurs and a life-sized ship.
But only at the Creation Museum in Kentucky do the dinosaurs sail on the ship -- Noah's Ark, to be precise.
The Christian creators of the sprawling museum, unveiled on Saturday, hope to draw as many as half a million people each year to their state-of-the-art project, which depicts the Bible's first book, Genesis, as literal truth.
While the $27 million museum near Cincinnati has drawn snickers from media and condemnation from U.S. scientists, those who believe God created the heavens and the Earth in six days about 6,000 years ago say their views are finally being represented.
"What we've done here is to give people an opportunity to hear information that is not readily available ... to challenge them that really you can believe the Bible's history," said Ken Ham, president of the group Answers in Genesis that founded the museum.
Here exhibits show the Grand Canyon took just days to form during Noah's flood, dinosaurs coexisted with humans and had a place on Noah's Ark, and Cain married his sister to people the earth, among other Biblical wonders.
Scientists, secularists and moderate Christians have pledged to protest the museum's public opening on Monday. An airplane trailing a "Thou Shalt Not Lie" banner buzzed overhead during the museum's opening news conference.
Opponents argue that children who see the exhibits will be confused when they learn in school that the universe is 14 billion years old rather than 6,000.
"Teachers don't deserve a student coming into class saying 'Gee Mrs. Brown, I went to this fancy museum and it said you're teaching me a lie,"' Dr. Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, told reporters before the museum opened.
A Gallup poll last year showed almost half of Americans believe that humans did not evolve but were created by God in their present form within the last 10,000 years.
Three of 10 Republican presidential candidates said in a recent debate that they did not believe in evolution. _end article
I am appalled that Dr. Eugenie Scott thinks that teachers should not be "inconvenienced" by kids who are taught to think outside of the public education box. It's just another example of how some people believe that gov't schools "own and raise" your kids while they are in school. Many groups have their own agenda where the public schools are concerned. What about all the evolution "proof" that has been disproved by scientists yet remains in the textbook?!
What Mr Scott is saying is that we as parents or the museum as Christian scientists cannot give kids a different viewpoint for them to think about. And they think we as Christians are narrowminded. Hah! What are they afraid of? Are they afraid they will have to back up the info they teach kids in the public school? Is the National Center For Science Education really that nervous about people learning to see two different religious views (Evolution can no more be proven by the scientific theory than Creation can)? If they are it's probably because they know that their theories are ever weakening as new evidence emerges and the literal 7 day creation is gaining momentum with scientists like Kenn Ham and Kent Hovind.
I hope that the controversy over the new museum sparks more people to see it than originally would have. I hope that God uses that museum mightily to show His glory and amazing creativity!
big breath
Anyway, it got me fired up and since my husband was busy I thought I'd share my thoughts and heart with y'all. Aren't you the lucky ones?! LOL
Blessings!- Angela :)
PETERSBURG, Ky (Reuters) - Like many modern museums, the newest U.S. tourist attraction includes some awesome exhibits -- roaring dinosaurs and a life-sized ship.
But only at the Creation Museum in Kentucky do the dinosaurs sail on the ship -- Noah's Ark, to be precise.
The Christian creators of the sprawling museum, unveiled on Saturday, hope to draw as many as half a million people each year to their state-of-the-art project, which depicts the Bible's first book, Genesis, as literal truth.
While the $27 million museum near Cincinnati has drawn snickers from media and condemnation from U.S. scientists, those who believe God created the heavens and the Earth in six days about 6,000 years ago say their views are finally being represented.
"What we've done here is to give people an opportunity to hear information that is not readily available ... to challenge them that really you can believe the Bible's history," said Ken Ham, president of the group Answers in Genesis that founded the museum.
Here exhibits show the Grand Canyon took just days to form during Noah's flood, dinosaurs coexisted with humans and had a place on Noah's Ark, and Cain married his sister to people the earth, among other Biblical wonders.
Scientists, secularists and moderate Christians have pledged to protest the museum's public opening on Monday. An airplane trailing a "Thou Shalt Not Lie" banner buzzed overhead during the museum's opening news conference.
Opponents argue that children who see the exhibits will be confused when they learn in school that the universe is 14 billion years old rather than 6,000.
"Teachers don't deserve a student coming into class saying 'Gee Mrs. Brown, I went to this fancy museum and it said you're teaching me a lie,"' Dr. Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, told reporters before the museum opened.
A Gallup poll last year showed almost half of Americans believe that humans did not evolve but were created by God in their present form within the last 10,000 years.
Three of 10 Republican presidential candidates said in a recent debate that they did not believe in evolution. _end article
I am appalled that Dr. Eugenie Scott thinks that teachers should not be "inconvenienced" by kids who are taught to think outside of the public education box. It's just another example of how some people believe that gov't schools "own and raise" your kids while they are in school. Many groups have their own agenda where the public schools are concerned. What about all the evolution "proof" that has been disproved by scientists yet remains in the textbook?!
What Mr Scott is saying is that we as parents or the museum as Christian scientists cannot give kids a different viewpoint for them to think about. And they think we as Christians are narrowminded. Hah! What are they afraid of? Are they afraid they will have to back up the info they teach kids in the public school? Is the National Center For Science Education really that nervous about people learning to see two different religious views (Evolution can no more be proven by the scientific theory than Creation can)? If they are it's probably because they know that their theories are ever weakening as new evidence emerges and the literal 7 day creation is gaining momentum with scientists like Kenn Ham and Kent Hovind.
I hope that the controversy over the new museum sparks more people to see it than originally would have. I hope that God uses that museum mightily to show His glory and amazing creativity!
big breath
Anyway, it got me fired up and since my husband was busy I thought I'd share my thoughts and heart with y'all. Aren't you the lucky ones?! LOL
Blessings!- Angela :)
Friday, May 25, 2007
Melting my heart
I just have to say a few words about my youngest little boy. First of all he has been a precious joy since the day he was born. He is much adored and MUCH loved in our household. Thank goodness he is easygoing or he would also be VERY spoiled. :):)
Tonight he was supposed to be nursing to sleep but he was still wide awake. I was using the computer to pass the time and he was quiet. I looked down to see if he was asleep and saw that he was grinning at me. He has the MOST PRECIOUS smile. He's cutting all those teeth and still is able to smile. Amazing! Anyway, I digress...
So I smiled back of course and this led to a babbling, patting Mommy's back, tickling, giggling, hugging session.
Little boys are the best!!
Thank-you Lord for all our little boys!!
Blessings to everyone!- Angela :)
Tonight he was supposed to be nursing to sleep but he was still wide awake. I was using the computer to pass the time and he was quiet. I looked down to see if he was asleep and saw that he was grinning at me. He has the MOST PRECIOUS smile. He's cutting all those teeth and still is able to smile. Amazing! Anyway, I digress...
So I smiled back of course and this led to a babbling, patting Mommy's back, tickling, giggling, hugging session.
Little boys are the best!!
Thank-you Lord for all our little boys!!
Blessings to everyone!- Angela :)
Thursday, May 24, 2007
FOUR years old, Awards night, A Good Week
Well, in that order:
Thomas turned 4 on Tues. WOW! I can't believe that he is four already! He woke me up at 6:45 am on Tues to ask if he could open his presents. We let him. It was funny. HE was bouncing around with all this energy and we were dragging ourselves out of bed. Then I took the boys to Walmart so that Thomas could spend his birthday money. We purchased a pool with money that my mom sent and tied it to the top of our van. LOL I'm sure I was a sight. I figured that everyone was HATING my GUTS but I just kept going 35 down our 55 mile per hour road and thinking to myself, "At least I'm faster than a tractor." I did pull over to the shoulder every time I got more than 3 cars behind me; which was a lot because hwy 17 is a busy road. :):) The really funny part was that when I turned onto 328 I got right in front of a tractor and was able to go the 2 1/2 miles to our road without a single car till the end because "We REALLY WERE faster than a tractor!" LOL LOL
The rest of the day was spent swimming in the pool, shooting water guns, and playing with battery operated bubble guns. We had pizza and birthday cake for dinner. Thomas constantly changes his mind about things so I didn't order a cake for him. Instead, he picked one out a Walmart while we were there. Usually I make them but Judah wanted a store one this year so I figured that Thomas would too. It was very creative actually. He picked out one of the variety cakes. It had 4 different quarter cakes on it. So Thomas had a Red Velvet, German Chocolate, Carrot, Chocolate Truffle cake. :):) It was great! Ironic too that his fourth birthday cake had four parts.
Awana Cubbies awards night was last night and I was SO PROUD of my boys. Judah actually finished 2 books this year so he got two awards. It was his idea. Thomas got his one year award. Also, I was video taping for Michael (because he was sick and couldn't come) and right in the middle of the program Thomas jumps up and says, "I gotta go pee!" You have to love those moments...and I got it on tape!! LOL
This week has been a good one. Feels great to be back on schedule and the boys are enjoying that too. God has been showing Himself strong in different areas of my life. He is really a wonderful God and I PRAISE HIM for His excellent care of us!!
Well gotta get some sleep. Blessings!
Thomas turned 4 on Tues. WOW! I can't believe that he is four already! He woke me up at 6:45 am on Tues to ask if he could open his presents. We let him. It was funny. HE was bouncing around with all this energy and we were dragging ourselves out of bed. Then I took the boys to Walmart so that Thomas could spend his birthday money. We purchased a pool with money that my mom sent and tied it to the top of our van. LOL I'm sure I was a sight. I figured that everyone was HATING my GUTS but I just kept going 35 down our 55 mile per hour road and thinking to myself, "At least I'm faster than a tractor." I did pull over to the shoulder every time I got more than 3 cars behind me; which was a lot because hwy 17 is a busy road. :):) The really funny part was that when I turned onto 328 I got right in front of a tractor and was able to go the 2 1/2 miles to our road without a single car till the end because "We REALLY WERE faster than a tractor!" LOL LOL
The rest of the day was spent swimming in the pool, shooting water guns, and playing with battery operated bubble guns. We had pizza and birthday cake for dinner. Thomas constantly changes his mind about things so I didn't order a cake for him. Instead, he picked one out a Walmart while we were there. Usually I make them but Judah wanted a store one this year so I figured that Thomas would too. It was very creative actually. He picked out one of the variety cakes. It had 4 different quarter cakes on it. So Thomas had a Red Velvet, German Chocolate, Carrot, Chocolate Truffle cake. :):) It was great! Ironic too that his fourth birthday cake had four parts.
Awana Cubbies awards night was last night and I was SO PROUD of my boys. Judah actually finished 2 books this year so he got two awards. It was his idea. Thomas got his one year award. Also, I was video taping for Michael (because he was sick and couldn't come) and right in the middle of the program Thomas jumps up and says, "I gotta go pee!" You have to love those moments...and I got it on tape!! LOL
This week has been a good one. Feels great to be back on schedule and the boys are enjoying that too. God has been showing Himself strong in different areas of my life. He is really a wonderful God and I PRAISE HIM for His excellent care of us!!
Well gotta get some sleep. Blessings!
Monday, May 21, 2007
Back on Track
Well we are back on track here, hence the title. Right before vacation I was so burned out on life and after vacation I was so tired that I had just been doing what absolutely had to be done here. I decided yest that it was high time to get back on schedule. This morning went very well. I got to sleep in. (that was nice) Then I got up and made breakfast (chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, orange juice). While the pancakes were cooking (in btwn flipping and removing) I made the beds, started a load of laundry, swept the floors, cleaned the kitchen table very well, and removed some clutter from the kitchen.
After breakfast the kids went and cleaned up the TV room while I mopped the floors and cleaned up from breakfast. Then we all dusted different parts of the house (all while talking about being a team and being a part of the family). While they cleaned their toy closet I vacuumed. It was a nice little system. They did a good job. They must have missed up working together. I even know what we're having for dinner tonight! LOL
After the chores we were only 1/2 hour behind schedule because the cleaning went so well. We did math this morning with both boys and then I read for about 20 minutes with Judah. Then I read them a couple of stories out of their Awana cubbies book. They enjoyed that. They are officially finished with this year of cubbies. They only have 1 night left and that is award night. Since October of last year Judah has learned 52 verses and Thomas has learned 26 verses. WOW!
Next year Thomas will still be a Cubbie because Cubbies is a 2 year class and Judah will go on to the Sparks class. :):)
Well this afternoon's schedule consists of PLAY PLAY PLAY outside and then make dinner, clean up, baths, and possibly a video. :) :)
Hope everyone else is enjoying their Monday! It feels so good to feel "normal" again! BLESSINGS!- Angela :)
After breakfast the kids went and cleaned up the TV room while I mopped the floors and cleaned up from breakfast. Then we all dusted different parts of the house (all while talking about being a team and being a part of the family). While they cleaned their toy closet I vacuumed. It was a nice little system. They did a good job. They must have missed up working together. I even know what we're having for dinner tonight! LOL
After the chores we were only 1/2 hour behind schedule because the cleaning went so well. We did math this morning with both boys and then I read for about 20 minutes with Judah. Then I read them a couple of stories out of their Awana cubbies book. They enjoyed that. They are officially finished with this year of cubbies. They only have 1 night left and that is award night. Since October of last year Judah has learned 52 verses and Thomas has learned 26 verses. WOW!
Next year Thomas will still be a Cubbie because Cubbies is a 2 year class and Judah will go on to the Sparks class. :):)
Well this afternoon's schedule consists of PLAY PLAY PLAY outside and then make dinner, clean up, baths, and possibly a video. :) :)
Hope everyone else is enjoying their Monday! It feels so good to feel "normal" again! BLESSINGS!- Angela :)
Sunday, May 20, 2007
busy busy busy!!!
We have been just hanging around this weekend but still I have been busy. Such is life with 3 small boys. :):)
I can spend the whole day cleaning and it doesn't look like I've done a thing. Susannah, I can relate to the carpet thing. I have a huge spot to clean in the living room sometime this week but it will either be null and void in a few hours or it will only make the little stains more glaring. :):)
Tomorrow we are going back to our regular schedule. Cleaning, schooling, etc. Since the weather has been nice I have let the boys off the hook on all the cleaning and schoolwork to go play outside because they are still young and they are BOYS but tomorrow the schedule must commence. I wanted to take summers off but Michael feels that since our life and the business can be chaotic we should just go through the summer. Then, if we have to take off days here and there we can without pressure.
On a more exciting note I am leading worship again. Not for our regular church service. (we have a wonderful worship leader for that already) but for Saturday night prayer meeting. (The RIVER) This prayer meeting is supposed to be Spirit-led. Most of these people haven't experienced that to a deep degree so there is great growth and change taking place. I find myself challenged and stretched and enjoying the people very much. Worship is generally 3 songs. (well unless God has a new one for us! )
I can't tell you how much I have missed doing worship!! When they called me and asked a couple of months ago I hadn't even been attending "the River" but I had wanted to. I was waiting for Michael's schedule to lessen a bit. Actually it was "very God". I had been praying about it for a couple of months prior to the phone call. I found out they didn't have a worship leader and wanted to do it; especially at a Spirit-led meeting. BUT i didn't want to ask for it or offer myself to the ministry. I just wanted to pray about God's will in the situation and I asked God to have them "give me a call" if it was His will. LOL The rest is history.
Anyway, that's what's up. I'm going to try to upload an adorable video tonight. We'll see how it goes. LOL
BLESSINGS everyone!- Angela ;)
I can spend the whole day cleaning and it doesn't look like I've done a thing. Susannah, I can relate to the carpet thing. I have a huge spot to clean in the living room sometime this week but it will either be null and void in a few hours or it will only make the little stains more glaring. :):)
Tomorrow we are going back to our regular schedule. Cleaning, schooling, etc. Since the weather has been nice I have let the boys off the hook on all the cleaning and schoolwork to go play outside because they are still young and they are BOYS but tomorrow the schedule must commence. I wanted to take summers off but Michael feels that since our life and the business can be chaotic we should just go through the summer. Then, if we have to take off days here and there we can without pressure.
On a more exciting note I am leading worship again. Not for our regular church service. (we have a wonderful worship leader for that already) but for Saturday night prayer meeting. (The RIVER) This prayer meeting is supposed to be Spirit-led. Most of these people haven't experienced that to a deep degree so there is great growth and change taking place. I find myself challenged and stretched and enjoying the people very much. Worship is generally 3 songs. (well unless God has a new one for us! )
I can't tell you how much I have missed doing worship!! When they called me and asked a couple of months ago I hadn't even been attending "the River" but I had wanted to. I was waiting for Michael's schedule to lessen a bit. Actually it was "very God". I had been praying about it for a couple of months prior to the phone call. I found out they didn't have a worship leader and wanted to do it; especially at a Spirit-led meeting. BUT i didn't want to ask for it or offer myself to the ministry. I just wanted to pray about God's will in the situation and I asked God to have them "give me a call" if it was His will. LOL The rest is history.
Anyway, that's what's up. I'm going to try to upload an adorable video tonight. We'll see how it goes. LOL
BLESSINGS everyone!- Angela ;)
Thursday, May 17, 2007
We're Baaaaaaack!!
Well, actually we've been back since Sunday but I was bombarded with things to do since we arrived home and also I've been VERY VERY tired for the last 4 days. (It took me 3 full days to unload and put things away. That's very unlike me.)
So I thought everyone would like hearing the short version of our trip. Now that our children are mostly potty trained (we're finally almost there with the older two!!! YEAH!) it was a little more hectic during the long rides. Thomas has the SMALLEST bladder. He must have stopped us 4 times in 4 hours. I wanted to SCREAM! However, we did eventually make it there. The first stop was Cocoa Beach and it was a GREAT hotel. It was old and a little dingy but the pluses were that it was on the beach and they had a FANTASTIC kids swimming pool with a huge pirate ship and 4 water slides. All three boys loved that. They also liked the ocean. Michael and I enjoyed both too. It was very relaxing there. We mostly just hung out at that hotel. We only went into town once to go to Ron Jon's Surf Shop. It's a really big deal down there. I asked my California bred husband to go in and take a look at the store before taking the boys in there. I didn't want a lot of sexually graphic women in bikinis staring them in the face. Michael came out smiling. He said that it as great and that he loved it. I said something like, "Oh no! Are you trying to figure out how much you can put on the credit card?" (which would be COMPLETELY out of character for him) He replied, "no, it's way past that. I'm trying to figure out how I can sell the business and move to the beach. LOL The boys had a hard time in the store and Michael couldn't exactly look so I took them back to the hotel to swim.
The next day we went to Kennedy Space Center. Wow! That place sure has changed in the last 15 years. It's like a big tour now. The boys were pretty crabby there. I thought we'd be done in time for a nap but it didn't happen and they were HORRIBLE at dinner that night. They did enjoy the rockets and stuff but not enough to justify either the money it cost or the loss of a nap.
The next two days were at a hotel in Orlando and we spent 2 days at Sea World. It took us the whole first day just to get our bearings. Plus since we have 3 little ones it took awhile to stop at the bathrooms every couple of hours and go across the park with the boys losing their flip flops every other step. GRRR! WE did make it into 1 show the first day. That was the new Shamu show- Believe and it was AWESOME!! I grew up near a different Sea World and we went in the summers but my mom didn't want to sit in the soak zone so I had never been splashed by Shamu. I talked Michael into sitting in the top part of the soak zone. It was really fun. We didn't get terribly wet but we did get splashed a bit. The REALLY funny thing to me was watching and listening to the people who were in the front two rows who got DRENCHED!! I kept whispering to Michael- "why do they look SO surprised to be so wet? They're in the FRONT row of the SOAK ZONE!" People sure are funny. I mean for goodness sake they actually sell ponchos before the show. That should give you somewhat of a clue of things to come! LOL
The rest of that day we rode the roller coaster and let the kids play in the underground water fountain. Gideon LOVED that. So did the other boys. I'll put up pics when I get them developed if it's ok with Michael. The jury is still out on that. :):)
We also saw some of the exhibits. They were fun.
The next morning we came back with a plan. Two strollers (1 double and 1 single) and EVERYONE had on tennis shoes. We literally sprinted through the park to catch all the shows and we accomplished in 3 hours what we couldn't do all day the day before. We sat in the 3rd or 4th row in the dolphin show and we got WET. Judah LOVED that! He kept asking me when they were going to splash us again. Even Gideon loved the shows he was awake for. The Elmo show fascinated the older kids.
After day 2 at Sea World we drove up to Brunswick. For some reason that trip took HOURS longer than it should have. It was something like 5 1/2 instead of 3. GGGRRRR Traffic was rough and then bathroom stops and a Walmart stop to replenish the soda/ water supply in the cooler. Plus Gideon needed Orajel. I had forgotten ours at home and I knew he was cutting a tooth before we left. He was getting a bit fussy during the evenings (he is NOT a fussy baby) and I figured the tooth was bothering him. Well one night while he was giggling I got a good look in his wide open mouth and realized that he was not only cutting one in the top front but 4 MOLARS and one on the front bottom too. Poor guy! SIX teeth all at once. I never even dreamed he was cutting that many. He was only a little bit fussier and much less fussy than my other boys were cutting ONE tooth when they were that age.
Anyway, we FINALLY made it to the hotel and got some sleep. We were pretty worn out from the past two days so we just hung around the next morning. I took the two older boys to the hot tub in the morning and in the afternoon we went over to St. Simon's island. We played at a park there. Michael walked out on the pier. We took a pic with the light house in the background and then Michael took the boys into the ocean for about 45 minutes. I opted out of that swim because the water there was DIRTY!! We went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. We fed the kids PB &J for dinner and put them to bed. Once they were in bed we tried out the Italian restaurant next to the hotel. (we got take out) It was WONDERFUL! Very authentic and VERY YUMMY!! I also had gotten a cup of coffee at Starbucks down the street. The funny thing was that I also wanted one of their desserts. When I asked what a particular dessert was no one could tell me. I said that it looked so good that I would take my chances on it. Well it got even funnier when one of the guys pointed out, "If we don't know what it is. We really can't charge her." I laughed and said that I would take a bite and see if they could tell by the ingredients. It was DELICIOUS! Some sort of gingerbread/molasses cookies base with a creamy topping. YUMMY! That still didn't help them so I got it for FREE! Yeah! By the time I got back from gathering the food the boys were asleep so Michael and I left the door to our room open and sat outside at one of the tables and enjoyed our food. It was almost like a date!!! :):):)
The next day was my "get away" day on Jekyll Island. I had the whole day (from 10:00 am -5:00pm ) to myself. I haven't had one of those days in roughly 3 years. It was "high time". I had a blast. I rented a bicycle and rode around the whole island. I stopped for lunch, at two or three stores, and also once to swim by myself which was great. I only had to worry about 1 person drowning then. LOL I rode from about 10:30 - 4:00 pm and then came back to the hotel and relaxed in the pool for about 1/2 hour. Then we all went to dinner at a great seafood restaurant. The next day was supposed to be Michael's deep sea fishing trip but it was cancelled because they didn't have the minimum amount of people signed up. BUMMER!! I felt really bad for him. We rented bikes with the carts on the back and rode 3 miles to Driftwood Beach on Jekyll. It's a very interesting beach with HUGE pieces of driftwood littering the beach. In fact there are WHOLE trees in some places. It's because of erosion. We let the kids play in the tide pools and they had a blast! Then I told Michael to go to dinner with just Gideon (less chaos) and the older boys and I spent about 1 1/2-2 hours in the hotel pool. That was really fun. Then when Michael came back I went in search of dinner.
We left the next morning. I wish that I could say it was a great Mother's day but a 10 hour trip (that is only a 6 1/2 hour drive) with 3 small children isn't that exciting. Plus, everything was booked and Olive Garden, where I really wanted to go, was a 1 1/2 hour wait EVERYWHERE we called. So we ended up at Outback but it was VERY loud and I had a headache, plus Gideon was SUPER fussy. So, I ended up back in the van nursing him which was just fine. Michael brought my meal out to me and I ate some of it on the way home. WHEW!
So, all in all we had a great time! Next time we are definitely going to schedule in naps for the kids because they were just TOO stressed at dinnertime. :):) they had a blast though!!
That's the "short" version. LOL I guess you can see why it took me 4 days to get it down. :):)
BLESSINGS!
So I thought everyone would like hearing the short version of our trip. Now that our children are mostly potty trained (we're finally almost there with the older two!!! YEAH!) it was a little more hectic during the long rides. Thomas has the SMALLEST bladder. He must have stopped us 4 times in 4 hours. I wanted to SCREAM! However, we did eventually make it there. The first stop was Cocoa Beach and it was a GREAT hotel. It was old and a little dingy but the pluses were that it was on the beach and they had a FANTASTIC kids swimming pool with a huge pirate ship and 4 water slides. All three boys loved that. They also liked the ocean. Michael and I enjoyed both too. It was very relaxing there. We mostly just hung out at that hotel. We only went into town once to go to Ron Jon's Surf Shop. It's a really big deal down there. I asked my California bred husband to go in and take a look at the store before taking the boys in there. I didn't want a lot of sexually graphic women in bikinis staring them in the face. Michael came out smiling. He said that it as great and that he loved it. I said something like, "Oh no! Are you trying to figure out how much you can put on the credit card?" (which would be COMPLETELY out of character for him) He replied, "no, it's way past that. I'm trying to figure out how I can sell the business and move to the beach. LOL The boys had a hard time in the store and Michael couldn't exactly look so I took them back to the hotel to swim.
The next day we went to Kennedy Space Center. Wow! That place sure has changed in the last 15 years. It's like a big tour now. The boys were pretty crabby there. I thought we'd be done in time for a nap but it didn't happen and they were HORRIBLE at dinner that night. They did enjoy the rockets and stuff but not enough to justify either the money it cost or the loss of a nap.
The next two days were at a hotel in Orlando and we spent 2 days at Sea World. It took us the whole first day just to get our bearings. Plus since we have 3 little ones it took awhile to stop at the bathrooms every couple of hours and go across the park with the boys losing their flip flops every other step. GRRR! WE did make it into 1 show the first day. That was the new Shamu show- Believe and it was AWESOME!! I grew up near a different Sea World and we went in the summers but my mom didn't want to sit in the soak zone so I had never been splashed by Shamu. I talked Michael into sitting in the top part of the soak zone. It was really fun. We didn't get terribly wet but we did get splashed a bit. The REALLY funny thing to me was watching and listening to the people who were in the front two rows who got DRENCHED!! I kept whispering to Michael- "why do they look SO surprised to be so wet? They're in the FRONT row of the SOAK ZONE!" People sure are funny. I mean for goodness sake they actually sell ponchos before the show. That should give you somewhat of a clue of things to come! LOL
The rest of that day we rode the roller coaster and let the kids play in the underground water fountain. Gideon LOVED that. So did the other boys. I'll put up pics when I get them developed if it's ok with Michael. The jury is still out on that. :):)
We also saw some of the exhibits. They were fun.
The next morning we came back with a plan. Two strollers (1 double and 1 single) and EVERYONE had on tennis shoes. We literally sprinted through the park to catch all the shows and we accomplished in 3 hours what we couldn't do all day the day before. We sat in the 3rd or 4th row in the dolphin show and we got WET. Judah LOVED that! He kept asking me when they were going to splash us again. Even Gideon loved the shows he was awake for. The Elmo show fascinated the older kids.
After day 2 at Sea World we drove up to Brunswick. For some reason that trip took HOURS longer than it should have. It was something like 5 1/2 instead of 3. GGGRRRR Traffic was rough and then bathroom stops and a Walmart stop to replenish the soda/ water supply in the cooler. Plus Gideon needed Orajel. I had forgotten ours at home and I knew he was cutting a tooth before we left. He was getting a bit fussy during the evenings (he is NOT a fussy baby) and I figured the tooth was bothering him. Well one night while he was giggling I got a good look in his wide open mouth and realized that he was not only cutting one in the top front but 4 MOLARS and one on the front bottom too. Poor guy! SIX teeth all at once. I never even dreamed he was cutting that many. He was only a little bit fussier and much less fussy than my other boys were cutting ONE tooth when they were that age.
Anyway, we FINALLY made it to the hotel and got some sleep. We were pretty worn out from the past two days so we just hung around the next morning. I took the two older boys to the hot tub in the morning and in the afternoon we went over to St. Simon's island. We played at a park there. Michael walked out on the pier. We took a pic with the light house in the background and then Michael took the boys into the ocean for about 45 minutes. I opted out of that swim because the water there was DIRTY!! We went back to the hotel and swam in the pool. We fed the kids PB &J for dinner and put them to bed. Once they were in bed we tried out the Italian restaurant next to the hotel. (we got take out) It was WONDERFUL! Very authentic and VERY YUMMY!! I also had gotten a cup of coffee at Starbucks down the street. The funny thing was that I also wanted one of their desserts. When I asked what a particular dessert was no one could tell me. I said that it looked so good that I would take my chances on it. Well it got even funnier when one of the guys pointed out, "If we don't know what it is. We really can't charge her." I laughed and said that I would take a bite and see if they could tell by the ingredients. It was DELICIOUS! Some sort of gingerbread/molasses cookies base with a creamy topping. YUMMY! That still didn't help them so I got it for FREE! Yeah! By the time I got back from gathering the food the boys were asleep so Michael and I left the door to our room open and sat outside at one of the tables and enjoyed our food. It was almost like a date!!! :):):)
The next day was my "get away" day on Jekyll Island. I had the whole day (from 10:00 am -5:00pm ) to myself. I haven't had one of those days in roughly 3 years. It was "high time". I had a blast. I rented a bicycle and rode around the whole island. I stopped for lunch, at two or three stores, and also once to swim by myself which was great. I only had to worry about 1 person drowning then. LOL I rode from about 10:30 - 4:00 pm and then came back to the hotel and relaxed in the pool for about 1/2 hour. Then we all went to dinner at a great seafood restaurant. The next day was supposed to be Michael's deep sea fishing trip but it was cancelled because they didn't have the minimum amount of people signed up. BUMMER!! I felt really bad for him. We rented bikes with the carts on the back and rode 3 miles to Driftwood Beach on Jekyll. It's a very interesting beach with HUGE pieces of driftwood littering the beach. In fact there are WHOLE trees in some places. It's because of erosion. We let the kids play in the tide pools and they had a blast! Then I told Michael to go to dinner with just Gideon (less chaos) and the older boys and I spent about 1 1/2-2 hours in the hotel pool. That was really fun. Then when Michael came back I went in search of dinner.
We left the next morning. I wish that I could say it was a great Mother's day but a 10 hour trip (that is only a 6 1/2 hour drive) with 3 small children isn't that exciting. Plus, everything was booked and Olive Garden, where I really wanted to go, was a 1 1/2 hour wait EVERYWHERE we called. So we ended up at Outback but it was VERY loud and I had a headache, plus Gideon was SUPER fussy. So, I ended up back in the van nursing him which was just fine. Michael brought my meal out to me and I ate some of it on the way home. WHEW!
So, all in all we had a great time! Next time we are definitely going to schedule in naps for the kids because they were just TOO stressed at dinnertime. :):) they had a blast though!!
That's the "short" version. LOL I guess you can see why it took me 4 days to get it down. :):)
BLESSINGS!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Friday, May 4, 2007
TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TOMORROW, TOMORROW, I LOVE YOU TOMORROW,
YOU'RE ONLY A DAAAAAY AAAAAAA WAAAAAY!!!!!
Sorry I just couldn't resist. I actually did sing that already this morning and it's only 7:09am. Hahaha
I'M SO EXCITED! You just don't know how the last 7 years have been for us. Michael has been completely burned out for the last 3-4 years. We're talking REALLY burned out. I'm so hoping that this little break gives him a bit of refreshment. I'm hoping that the Holy Spirit instills in him a fresh wind and fresh fire as we "get away from it all". :):) He's actually not burned out on God, just the business and life. -Just wanted to clarify that. :):)
The boys are excited too. We have a lot to do today. Mostly cleaning, changing sheets, and that sort of thing. Judah, Thomas, and Gideon are eating breakfast that Judah got for them. It was great. I came into the kitchen and he already had Gid in his high chair. He was doing such a good job I let him get the cereal and everything. :):) I know most of you are thinking that 5 year olds are capable of getting cereal but my boys tend to get overexcited and make huge messes. So, I held my breath until the cereal was in their bowls and the milk was in their cups. Then I let it out and started down the hall when I heard the sound of a cup being knocked over. sigh. :)
I have had mine and the boys clothes packed since Mon and YES DeeAnn...I have my AM snacks separated from our PM snacks. heehee (I find that on road trips it's easier to separate things in individual brown bags. Also since my boys are "always" hungry it's easier to show them what they have for morning snacks and what they have for evening snacks.
Not only did I do that but Sunday-Thursday (to save money) we are brown bagging it for lunch. Good ol' PB & J. So I have all the bread we need and the PB & J. Plus, every one's fish crackers, pretzels, fruit snacks, and granola bars for those four days are placed in individual sandwich bags. (well not the granola bars or fruit snacks) If you're counting that's 25 little baggies of pretzels, 25 bags of fish crackers, etc. What a chore that was. :) I don't care. I will be SO GLAD that I was that neurotic when I go to pack every one's lunches and just have to make the sandwiches, grab the baggies, and voila!- instant lunch. :):)
Well all the boys are in here now. So, I'd better go and GET BUSY!! This may be that last post for 10 days or so unless the hotels have free Internet and I have a few minutes. So, farewell everyone- I'm off to explore the country with my boys!! Love and Blessings!
YOU'RE ONLY A DAAAAAY AAAAAAA WAAAAAY!!!!!
Sorry I just couldn't resist. I actually did sing that already this morning and it's only 7:09am. Hahaha
I'M SO EXCITED! You just don't know how the last 7 years have been for us. Michael has been completely burned out for the last 3-4 years. We're talking REALLY burned out. I'm so hoping that this little break gives him a bit of refreshment. I'm hoping that the Holy Spirit instills in him a fresh wind and fresh fire as we "get away from it all". :):) He's actually not burned out on God, just the business and life. -Just wanted to clarify that. :):)
The boys are excited too. We have a lot to do today. Mostly cleaning, changing sheets, and that sort of thing. Judah, Thomas, and Gideon are eating breakfast that Judah got for them. It was great. I came into the kitchen and he already had Gid in his high chair. He was doing such a good job I let him get the cereal and everything. :):) I know most of you are thinking that 5 year olds are capable of getting cereal but my boys tend to get overexcited and make huge messes. So, I held my breath until the cereal was in their bowls and the milk was in their cups. Then I let it out and started down the hall when I heard the sound of a cup being knocked over. sigh. :)
I have had mine and the boys clothes packed since Mon and YES DeeAnn...I have my AM snacks separated from our PM snacks. heehee (I find that on road trips it's easier to separate things in individual brown bags. Also since my boys are "always" hungry it's easier to show them what they have for morning snacks and what they have for evening snacks.
Not only did I do that but Sunday-Thursday (to save money) we are brown bagging it for lunch. Good ol' PB & J. So I have all the bread we need and the PB & J. Plus, every one's fish crackers, pretzels, fruit snacks, and granola bars for those four days are placed in individual sandwich bags. (well not the granola bars or fruit snacks) If you're counting that's 25 little baggies of pretzels, 25 bags of fish crackers, etc. What a chore that was. :) I don't care. I will be SO GLAD that I was that neurotic when I go to pack every one's lunches and just have to make the sandwiches, grab the baggies, and voila!- instant lunch. :):)
Well all the boys are in here now. So, I'd better go and GET BUSY!! This may be that last post for 10 days or so unless the hotels have free Internet and I have a few minutes. So, farewell everyone- I'm off to explore the country with my boys!! Love and Blessings!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Vacation Countdown ...4 DAYS!!
Can you tell I'm still excited? I was always an excitable child and it doesn't seem to have changed much since I entered adulthood years ago. LOL That's okay. Well, most of the time it is unless I let my expectations get too high and then am crushed when reality hits. Although I'm doing better at that lately too.
I had a new friend over today. She brought her little girl. Maggie is from Brazil originally. She has been here for 4 years. She met her husband when he came to Brazil on a missions trip and then married him 1 year later and moved to America. She's an amazing, vibrant, woman. Megan is her 15 month old little girl. She is adorable and shy. She did play but always looked over to make sure Mamai (mom in Portuguese) was still in the room.
I had fun learning about Maggie's culture and also about when she met Fred (her husband) as well as hearing about when she met Jesus.
She said that she met Jesus when she was 25 and then prayed that God would chose a husband for her since she didn't have a good track record with that. She met Fred when she was 38. I was blessed to hear of a woman who waited for God's best and then not only met him in a neat way but married an American and moved here. Wow! God is SO BIG! He can send the right mate from anywhere! I have another friend who met her husband on the way home from a missions trip on an airplane. He was coming home from a missions trip in another country. The corresponded for a year and saw each other twice before they got married. Wow! Again God had them meet in such a neat way. He was from Seattle, WA and she was from Akron, Ohio. Isn't God amazing?!! I think so!
The boys and I are all packed for the trip. We just need to buy PB &J and snack foods and we'll be all set. Just four more days till we roll out of here and actually get to spend- GASP- 9 days together!!! WOW!
Blessings!- Angela :)
I had a new friend over today. She brought her little girl. Maggie is from Brazil originally. She has been here for 4 years. She met her husband when he came to Brazil on a missions trip and then married him 1 year later and moved to America. She's an amazing, vibrant, woman. Megan is her 15 month old little girl. She is adorable and shy. She did play but always looked over to make sure Mamai (mom in Portuguese) was still in the room.
I had fun learning about Maggie's culture and also about when she met Fred (her husband) as well as hearing about when she met Jesus.
She said that she met Jesus when she was 25 and then prayed that God would chose a husband for her since she didn't have a good track record with that. She met Fred when she was 38. I was blessed to hear of a woman who waited for God's best and then not only met him in a neat way but married an American and moved here. Wow! God is SO BIG! He can send the right mate from anywhere! I have another friend who met her husband on the way home from a missions trip on an airplane. He was coming home from a missions trip in another country. The corresponded for a year and saw each other twice before they got married. Wow! Again God had them meet in such a neat way. He was from Seattle, WA and she was from Akron, Ohio. Isn't God amazing?!! I think so!
The boys and I are all packed for the trip. We just need to buy PB &J and snack foods and we'll be all set. Just four more days till we roll out of here and actually get to spend- GASP- 9 days together!!! WOW!
Blessings!- Angela :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
