Dreamy chaos...

Jump on in....

Life is good!!!

I am laughing today, still laughing, about something that happened yesterday.  I received a text from one of the sweetest girls in Georgia!!  The text said this....

"Your blog sounds dreamy.  I want to be Erin.  My life is completely crazy."

:-)

I just handed the phone to Erik and said, "Hey, read this!!" He read it and then he laughed out loud.  I told him that I guess it was about time for me to post an everyday, real life sort of post.  You see back in the old days when I had only three boys or so, and they were just getting old enough to show me their true colors, I was taken aback by their boy behavior.  And, because their behavior struck me as so outlandish, I wrote about it a lot on my blog.  

Rest assured, these things still happen.  My life is beautiful, wonderful, wild chaos and nothing less.  I just don't think to write about most of the crazy things that happen because, well, they just don't seem so crazy anymore.  They have actually become so normal that I don't even think twice about them.  

Take for instance yesterday...  I set the boys free to play in the rain...

Looks fun, huh?

I went inside to put up my camera, and when I walked back out, guess what I saw...

Eriky had stripped himself of all, every single stitch, of his clothing and was dancing around like a madman in the rain.

It is just another day around here...

We've grown accustomed to these sorts of things. 

Like the fact that Eriky tinkles wherever and whenever he wants to ~ for example: at the Fourth of July parade or at Joshua's baseball games.  He doesn't go hide himself.  No, he just pulls his pants down right there two inches from the next person and goes...  Or, worse yet, we went through a phase where we kept catching him pooing in the yard.  The first time he did it I was on the phone with my mom, and I realized that he was squatting in the grass for a reason.  I said, "Oh, Mama!! He is pooing!!!! in the grass!!!! LIKE A DOG!!!!"  And, he looked up at me from his little squatted position and said...

"WOOF!!!  WOOF!!!"  

Yes, that is my son.  My adorable brown eyed baby.

Okay, then, this morning after I caught Eriky drawing on my tomatoes with a marker...

I sat down to nurse my baby in the peace and quiet of my bedroom.  The boys had gone outside to seek adventure of some kind.  But, my peace was quickly disturbed by Elijah running in the backdoor yelling, "MOM!!!  Come here!!!!!  I GOTTA show you SOME~TIN!!!! NOW!!! MOM COME HERE!!!"  So, I came to him holding my sweet babe in my arms.  

He tilted his sweet little Lijah head to the side and smiled his little mischievous sideways grin.  "You wanna guess what I have in my hand???"

Not really...

"LOOK, MAMA, I CAUGHT A FROG!!!!"  He opened his hand to show me and when he did a large ugly brown toad jumped out of his hand and onto the floor and then under the kitchen table.

I SCREAMED!!!!!!  And, that made Jack SCREAM!!!!  So, I am trying to calm Jack down and yelling at Elijah to hurry up and catch him because I don't want him free in my house!!!!!  Then, JCT, I'm not sure whose child he is (maybe he got this from Deana B), grabs a spray bottle of surface cleaner and a paper towel and starts following the toad around the kitchen ~ not trying to catch him, no, just cleaning behind him.  Wherever he jumped, JCT sprayed and cleaned.  He moved right behind him ~ beat all I've ever seen ~ that child cleaning up after a toad!!!  Anyway, Lije never could catch the toad, so I had to call Joshua in from outside to help.  Joshua and Elijah cornered it, and Joshua caught him.  I took a picture...

Then, I said, "Give it to Lije, so I can take a picture of him with it."  Big mistake.  I took this picture...

And, then the toad jumped out of his hand, and the whole thing began once again until toadman was caught and set free outside once and for all!!!

Boys!!!  They keep my life very....

not dreamy.

I promise, sweet Meredith, my life is completely crazy, too!!!!!  I just don't always think to write about the crazy!!!  Here are some recent pics to prove how absolutely wonderfully chaotic my life is!

Beautiful chaos.  But, you know what?  I wouldn't change a thing.

Not one thing...

Because if you look closely...

No matter what the situation...
No matter how busy or crazy...

If you will take time to stop...
and look closely...
Even in the chaos...

 You can see Jesus.

Inside the Van...

We have 5 children, and we have a minivan, an Odyssey to be exact.  And, sometimes I wonder if anyone ever sees us driving down the road and wonders what exactly goes on within the steel frame of our vehicle.  If they haven't wondered, they really ought to!  I can assure them that it is never quiet, nor is it ever boring.

Our church friends might wonder if we are quoting scripture from memory or singing hymns and/or praise songs.

Our sweet friends might imagine that we are in some deep and meaningful heartfelt discussion.

Our homeschool friends might assume we are discussing America's involvement in ending the Cold War.

Our sports friends might think we are discussing the NBA draft or the upcoming SEC football season.

But, the truth is, they would all be wrong.  This, my friends, this is what goes on behind the steel frame of our family van... 

Five Little Monkeys... How perfectly appropriate!!!!

Between the trees...

When I sit at the kitchen table and sip coffee, I look out at a backyard full of trees.  But, the trees closest to the house are two crabapple trees.  They are a bit too bushy, and I'm not crazy about the way they look.  But, they are very much loved by my little boys.  Therefore, they are close to my heart.  

Often I tell the boys that they can go outside and play out back "between the trees."  This way, I can sit at the kitchen table, hold the baby, and watch them play.  They chase each other around the trees. They have climbed one of these trees to the point that the back branches of this particular tree lay almost flat.  They play football with each tree being an end zone.  They play soccer with each tree being a goal.  They even play baseball there "between the trees."  But, my favorite thing they play, they can only play this time of year ~ crabapple wars!  They split up in groups, pick apples, and throw them at one another!!!  It is wild fun to them!

I just sit at the window and take it all in...

the laughter... the strategy... my sweet boys hard at play...

One day I will sit at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a quiet house.  And, I will look out at those bushy trees and remember all the play that happened around them and in them.  Oh, how many one year olds have I chased around those trees??  How many circle 8's have we run around them??  How many handmade bird feeders have the boys hung on those trees??  We've strung up the branches with cranberries and hung peanut butter and bird seed covered pine cones on them. We've had picnic lunches in their shade and afternoon snacks under their low hanging branches.  They have been such a part of the boys' playtime.  And, it has brought me so much joy to watch the boys play and interact there between the trees ~ their little imaginations running wild!!

So many memories made between the trees...

Jesus Loves Jack. . .

I was straightening up the schoolroom after we finished our morning work when I heard them.  First, I heard little Jack begin to cry in his moses basket, then suddenly he was quiet...

And, his cries were replaced by the sounds of sweet brother angels singing...

Road Trip. . .

Last Friday we loaded up and headed out to watch our local high school basketball team play a game in our state's capital.  This game is the game that would determine whether or not they could play for the state 3 A title.  So, we packed up the boys and drove 4 hours south to our state's captial city.  The game was at 10:30 in the morning, so we headed out around 6:00!! 

Erik Daniel clutching his two favorite things ~ his ball and his silkie!  He sleeps with both of them every night and holds them most all the live long day!!

This trip was very fun for so many reasons.  Our community hugely supports their team!  So, not only was school shut down for all grades and all schools, but literally hundreds of people came!!  The team we played is located not too far from the state capital, and even though our community is four hours away, we had 3. . . 4. . . possibly 5 times as many fans present!!!!  Our side of the gym was full!!  I told Shawna, the coach's wife, "It is like a home game!  Everybody is here!!"  I was overwhelmed at the support.  We passed car after car of friends from our town on their way to cheer for their Devils as we drove Friday morning!!  Erik would say, "Look, Erin, there's the So and So family!"  And, we'd look over and wave to them as we passed them on the road. It was so fun!

I am such a crybaby.  But, I couldn't hold back the tears as the announcer named the starting five!!!  I was so happy for them, and the amazing support from everyone moved me, too!!!

The crowd cheered wildly!  At one point when one of my favorite players scored a beautiful 3, I screamed as loud as I could right in my baby's ear!  Erik Daniel let me know that he! did! not! like! that!!!!

KP shooting free-throws. . .

My guys watching the game. . .

We clinched the victory in the fourth quarter.  So, we walked down onto the floor during the last minute to be close when the boys exited the court!  Poor Joshua was a major trooper.  He was hurting, but he wouldn't have missed the game for anything!!  He is a big fan!

The final minutes. . .

The crowd was on their feet!!  I loved watching Shawna cheer like crazy for her husband's team. She sat on the front row along with her mother and mother in law and her three small children.  Many times I looked down to see her cheering with her baby Clarke (her one year old) glued to her hip!  He was hanging on for dear life!!  Mama was into the game!!  :-) So cute!

I kept trying to get a good picture of the crowd, but my iphone camera just couldn't get it all.  This was the first level of fans. . .

The students sat in their own section which was so wild and crazy and fun!!!  Made me miss the good old days!!  They were so loud!!

As soon as the game was over, the Superintendent called off school for the day of the Championship game, so they should have a nice crowd once again!!

After the game we headed to Erik's Aunt Barbara's house for some delicious homemade fried chicken, butter beans, mac'n cheese, string beans, cornbread, and sweet tea!!!

The boys, even the biggest boy, napped well after all that!!!!!

Happy day!!! :-)

Memorizing Moments. . .

Our week. . .

could be summed up by the above picture!  This has been beautiful, wonderful, and gentle (if I can use that word to describe our week:-).  I have spent several hours of each day outside watching my boys play.  With temps in the 60's all week, we have spent most of our free time outside soaking in the warm sunshine and the soft breezes.  Sometimes I choose to sit back in a fold up chair, sip hot chocolate, make lists, and watch, and sometimes I choose to join them in their fun. When I sit back and watch, this is what I see. . .

and this. . .

and a little of this. . .

Makes a mama's heart happy!!! :-)

And, all the play and sunshine has resulted in some very tired little men. . .

 And, all the while I have been watching them, and (to steal a phrase from Mrs. Voskamp) "memorizing moments," taking them in, holding them close, savoring them because time is fleeting.  The other day Joshua counted the years until he will be in our church's youth group.  I told him to be be quiet, please.  Please!  These days are so sweet, and I hope they do not pass too quickly.

Today Elijah fell asleep on my lap as I read aloud to him and his brothers.  He was 100% knocked out.  If you know Lije, you know he likes his sleep ~ except in the early morning ~ but that is another story.  I kissed his sweet sleepy cheeks at least a thousand times this afternoon while I held his sleepy, limp body in my arms.  One day he will be bigger than his mama.  One day those sweet cheeks will be full of rough, hairy stubble.  One day I will try with all my might to remember what it was like to kiss his soft, sweet, plump 3 year old cheeks.  Now I know, and I am attempting to memorize the moment.

Other moments that I am memorizing this week. . .

God's glory in the sky. . .

My boys friendships growing. . . They have so much fun together!  I asked Erik on the way to church the other day as we were being loudly serenaded by our four men, "What do you think it would be like to grow up in our family as one of four boys?"  He laughed and said, "I think it would be a lot of fun!!"  

I so hope that they look back and think it was fun!!  I'm having fun.  They are joy to my heart!  This week everything schoolwise has clicked and fallen into place so nicely.  They have gotten their work done faster than usual, and we have really been able to enjoy the beautiful weather!  We've eaten lunch outside every single day!!  The fresh air makes all of us feel so refreshed!  It is hard to believe that my yard was covered in snow last week at this time!  I can't decide which I like better???  I love them both!!!

The boys keep pointing this out to me. . .

They are so ready for spring!  It will not be long now!  The seasons pass too quickly these days.  Wasn't I just getting excited about the cooler weather of fall???  And, now it is time once again for spring!  Where do the days go?  The hours?  The moments?  They are gone in a flash.  So, here I am sitting back watching these little wonders, miracles walking all around me, running barefoot, sweet and free.  And, I am trying desperately to cling to the moments, to memorize their little feet, little hands, little smiles, little voices. . .

Moments, moments, moments. . .

Every Shade of Beautiful. . .

I love that as my kids get older I can take my hands off, sit back and watch, and be amazed at their creativity not stifled by my direction. These cookies are a perfect representation of this. I did my best to stand back and watch them decorate however they would like. We didn't stick to traditional Christmas colors or shapes. They were free, within reason, to have fun and create to their hearts' content.

The creative process. . .

And, that makes this year's cookies the most beautiful ever to me!!!

A Text Mess!!!!

So, yesterday evening, after a long day, I wrote this text to my sweet husband. . .

"You know that thong you clean your ears with, yeah, bring yourself a new one home. P.S. The ear cleaner will not work to unlock the bathroom door, the bathroom that houses the plunger, that bathroom. Therefore, I am unable to unstop the stopped up toilet and this pg (pregnant) mama is having to go upstairs to potty. Your sons opt for the backyard."

This is all fine and well. It is a relatively normal text for me, anyway. Only problem is that after I pushed send I realized that I sent the text to Joshua's choir teacher who I had recently texted to ask what they were going to be doing during choir that evening (caroling, Christmas party, etc. ~ I couldn't remember the plan?). So, I gasped! And, as quick as I could, I grabbed my phone and typed this text in. . .

"Oh, funny - totally meant that for Erik!!!!!! :-) Sorry, you got a glimpse into my crazy life!!! Maybe it made you smile or be thankful for your calm life!!!!!!"

I pushed send as fast as my little fingers could, and then I waited. . .

and waited. . .

No response.

So, I thought, "Take a deep breath, Erin, reread the text. Maybe it isn't so unusual or crazy. Maybe she just shrugged and thought nothing of it."

It is during this rereading of the text that I realized that I misspelled the word "thing" and typed the word "thong" instead. Could it get any worse???? So, once again, as fast as I could type, I texted her again. . .

"And Erik doesn't use a thong to clean his ears!! I meant thing!! I'll never get used to this stinking new phone!!!!!"

I pushed send and waited. . .

and waited. . .

At this point I broke a sweat!!!

No response.

Silence.

And, I am very, very uncomfortable with silence ~ just ask my husband. :-) So, I felt compelled to explain myself. . .

"Long story short ~ Elijah locked one of our downstairs bathrooms. Then, later Joshua and JCT took turns pooping in our other downstairs bathroom and stopped it up, but the plunger is in the locked bathroom which I can't find the key for. And, all day I have tried to pick the lock with everything that I can think of including my husband's very beloved ear pick! There you go! Again, sorry!!!!! :-)"

Again, silence. But, this time at least I felt that I had done all that I could do ~ including laugh so hard that I cried a puddle!! :-)

Finally, sweet Lori (Thankfully, she has a great sense of humor!) text me back!!! Hurray!! This is the sweet girl who used to kid me when I got pregnant for the 4th time in 5 years that I needed to "Lock the door! And, when he knocks, do not let him in!!!" First thing she said when she saw me after word got out about baby number 5 was, "You let him in!!!! I warned you not to let him in!!!" I love her. She's great! Anyway, she said. . .

"Well I was just getting ready to text you and check on the thong thing. Maybe thats why you stay pg! I have laughed for a while. You are so funny."

Later I found out that she was driving to church (she lives out a little bit) and just kept receiving my texts and laughing. . . .

I texted her back. . .

"Glad I could make you laugh!" :-)

It seems I say that last a lot these days!! Oh, me, it's just another day around here. . .

The Kids that Call you Mom. . .

One day last week Joshua handed me this note with a large glass of ice he had gotten for me (I eat ice like crazy when I'm pregnant). . .

The "Go" and the arrow were meant to tell me to flip the note over. When I flipped it over, I read this. . .

Oh, my! My heart melts into a puddle every time I read it!!! I do not deserve these sweet boys!!!!

Losing. It./ Craziness/Making PB and Soap!!

Yes, those are underwear behind the boys in this picture. Not sure who they belong to or why they are not on, but they are there nonetheless. . .

I may just start doing one weekly post with a crazy amount of unrelated and unorganized information. I just do not have time to post anymore!!! When will there be less to do??? When??

Never.

That's when.

It hit me when I was nursing Erik Daniel one time. I think he was 4 months or so at the time. And, I was thinking about how one day Erik and I would be alone, and life would once again be calm and organized. Then, it hit me.

About the time Erik Daniel leaves for college, Joshua could be getting married. And, that means grandkiddos are just around the corner. And, multiply granddolls by four kids (now five).

And, basically. . .

I'll be busy for the rest of my life.

Isn't it great???

Okay, so anyway, this week, oh, this week. . . It was a serious of roller coaster like ups and downs. This baby has me acting like an emotional basketcase. I've always been close to being an emotional basketcase, but this pregnancy has totally pushed me over the edge. I'm not nauseated anymore. No, now I am just plain crazy. Take for example this conversation. . . Joshua and I were discussing WWII because it came up for some random unschool-related reason. Of course, he wanted to know who won and how. So, I was honest. I told him that we did, and I added that we won by dropping bombs on the Japanese. Immediately images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki flooded my mind. His response was, "Cool!!" To which I quickly snapped, "No, it was not cool. It was awful!!!" Then, the tears came like a flood. "Mom, are you crying??" he asked. "Yes, I'm crying!!!" Then, he asked, "Why are you crying?" And, all I could say, and I blubbered it over and over like a complete lunatic, "I'm crying because it was an awful war, an awful, awful, terrible war. It was horrible, just horrible." I saw images of the Holocaust in my mind. WWII was an awful thing, but normally I wouldn't cry about it. I'm nearly convinced that I am losing it, ever so slowly, ever so surely. . . I. am. losing. it.

And, in other news, Rain puked one morning this week. He puked all over the kitchen floor just as I was getting to a good part in our read aloud. Then a couple hours later I was doing math with Joshua when Erik Daniel waltzed into the schoolroom naked. I thought to myself, "Self, when you finish this last point, go put a diaper on your youngest son." And, as soon as I said this to myself, Eriky turned to waltz back into the kitchen, and his naked bottom was covered in brown. So, I said to myself, "Self, you can go over this last point in a minute. You must first catch brown-bottomed child." So, I chased his cute little brown buns into the other room, assessed the damages, found the dirty diaper with my dog's nose in it, carried said child at great distance from my body to nearest changing station, cleaned his backside, and diapered him.

And, this, friends, this is my life.

Every. day.

It isn't pretty, but it is fun!!!

They make me laugh so hard! Take for instance, one day this week we were reviewing our composer for this month. I had the computer open to play various versions of Brahm's Lullaby that the boys' art/music teacher recommended. I turned the music on, and then I went to warm up a late lunch of leftover lasagna for myself. A few minutes later I turned around to see this. . .

Totally faking sleep! I laughed out loud!! They are such characters!

And, let's see what else happened this week? Oh, yes, I walked out of the school room to find that Erik Daniel decided it was about time I clean out my basket of magazines!! I couldn't even walk to my bedroom! They were everywhere!!! And, guess what? I scooted them to the side and left them there for 2 days! Erik said something about them being kind of in the way, and I said, "I'll get to them Thursday. Can't do it today, sorry!" I know my limitations!

Now the real news of the week is that we made soap and peanut butter. Both were tons of fun and much easier than I anticipated. Here are the pics. . .

And, for lunch we had. . .

We were a soapmaking factory this week!! So fun!!!

I don't have a picture of our finished soap!!! It was part of the boys' science project for Excelsior, and I won't get them back until next week. (They are studying Botany, and the soaps were made with various herbs. It is sciencey, I promise! Well, sort of, anyway!! :-) I'll try to remember to take pictures next week!

And, that pretty much sums up the week. Oh, except for the pumpkin patch, but I'll post that separately when I have more time!!! And, I forgot, I went to the doctor today and heard my little one's heartbeat on the doppler!!! Thank You, Jesus, for a strong heartbeat!!! :-) I'm off!!!