Happenings

 So, we officially have no internet...It'll be big gaps between posting, unless I can get to town! So, I had a great birthday! James took me to Mimi's Cafe, I LOVE their carrot bread! Then we went to the movies, and got some movies and went home...We stopped at some stores too. It was so nice! I know I'm not really cursed, but I usually don't have good birthdays, so it was nice to finally have a good one!

The kids and I are kinda hit and miss with school, but I try to do something everyday that is related to school...even if it's just playing a game that includes some math skills. Sometimes I have the little girls try to read words to me, or I ask the older kids some questions, or I talk to them about a subject that somehow came up in our day...i.e. science, history, general information.

I haven't been doing great at my house but I have been trying to at least keep it straightened up during the week...We are working on getting a daily schedule so that we can be more efficient at doing our chores.

I haven't been reading a chapter a day of my Bible, but I at least read 2-3 verses. It's really amazing how the Lord works. In ways you don't expect! I'm  not shocked but I am so grateful! Things have been so chaotic financially. It's really been stressing me big time! I talked to  my pastor's wife and she told me to just pray about it and don't make a decision until you have peace about it. I really didn't have peace about any of the options I had. The very next day I did something I thought would help. I wrote to my BIL. About 5 mins after I sent it my SIL got on FB and told me she had read it and that  my BIL had sensed something was wrong and had left 3 1/2 hrs before! He was already on his way! God had answered my prayers before I had done anything about it. It was like I was thinking I could do it. Get him to come and that would help. And God did it first so I would know it was Him not me that had done it! It was a great thing! Things got done. My hubby is finishing all the projects they started. In addition to that, we have been trying to sell things for a while and nothing was selling. After all my prayers things are finally starting to sell! And finances are being taken care of in other ways as well. It is evident that it is the Lord that is working! Everything only could have happened through Him! God is Good! I am so blessed that He is working in our lives!

Going Ons!

Well, a lot is going on around here. Some good, some bad. We no longer have a phone, which I hate. We have internet, but for who knows how long. My sister had her baby, I didn't get to be there. I can't wait to see him. The kids are finally all healthy. Zachary's a bit fussy, but I think he's getting his top teeth. He's growing like a weed. The Lord's been dealing with me a lot. Through many different situations. I am trying (it's very difficult) to lean on Him and Him alone and trust that He will take care of everything. Is. 42:16  And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. Has become my new life verse. He is leading me in a way and on paths I don't know and He will show me the light in all the darkness. All the bad things in my life. And he will make all the crooked, messed up things in my life straight. He is a good God. I know He is in control, I just need to give things to Him and not take them back. That is usually my problem. I take things back. I don't like feeling like I'm not in control. It's the perfectionist in me. And the self-sufficiency in me. It is so awesome how He works and when things happen and you know it's got to be Him cause it's just impossible otherwise it's just the most awesome thing in the world. We are starting to get things accomplished and hopefully we can get them taken care of quickly so we can move. I really want to be close to my family. I hate being so far away from them. I want my kids to grow up knowing their grandparents and cousins and Aunts and Uncles. And vice versa! 


I have been reading my Bible more. I'm reading through James. It always seems as if at least 2 or 3 verses are speaking directly to me. 


I have been doing school with the kids more. I'm not too worried about doing it everyday, or doing it for a long period of time. We are just working on reading, devotions, and our logic book. The kids are enjoying it so I will keep it that way for a while. I want them to enjoy school not dread it. I think I'm gonna have them start doing math flash cards with each other. They think it's a game and have fun and they learn! Although I figure they're getting plenty of math in the games they already play. Adding scores and such. And they have been doing some cooking too which requires division and multiplication. 


I am not doing my food journal. I am trying to change the way I eat but I will find out Monday if I'm diabetic and then I will change the way I eat to work with that. I need to know in order to know which diet I can do.


Well, I guess I'd better go watch the kiddos :)

Michelle's Birth Story

First off none of my children were accidents :) but she was a surprise! I don't know why but I really didn't think I was pregnant! Normally I pretty much know right away. I'm always a little paranoid for the first 12 weeks. Never had a miscarriage, but came close with Makenzie so I always worry til I get past 12wks. Then I usually am perfectly fine! No worries at all! With Michelle my worry didn't go away, it got worse! I was really afraid she was going to die. I was in a car accident when I was 6 mos along. That was really scary! It wasn't a really bad accident but I was already worried and then I started having contractions. They stopped the next day and everything "seemed" fine. I continued to have this overwhelming feeling that she was going to die though. Everytime I got that feeling (which was quite often) I would just pray (Lord, please keep your hand on her, protect her, keep her safe!). I ended up going 2 weeks late with her. My midwife (whose name is Michelle :) tried to naturally induce me on the 7th. It didn't work. She sent me home & told me that if I didn't have her by the next day I'd have to go to the hospital on the 9th. I really didn't want that. I also had an ultra sound a few days before to make sure everything was ok. The U/S showed everything was fine. But still I would get that feeling! It was so overwhelming that I would just cry and cry and pray! I went into labor around 4pm on the 8th. My contractions were hard but not too painful. Even as they got close they were "easy". I was actually falling asleep between them. No drugs were doing that, it was God. When the midwife said I was complete she broke my water and said I could push, I did. After 1-2 pushes she said "her heads out, stop pushing" I actually did NOT feel her head come out. I was still pushing thinking I needed to push hard to get her to come down! I pushed her shoulders out and the midwife handed her to me. She was beautiful! I was so enraptured and absorbed in her...then the midwife said "Twylia, you're bleeding PUSH." Apparently blood was shooting out of me! It wasn't easy cause my body wasn't ready for that phase yet. But I did. As soon as the placenta came out the midwife sat back and said "The Lord has had his hand on you!" The exact thing I had prayed for nine months! Apparently her cord had implanted into the side of the placenta. It had a velamentous insertion ( which means the veins/arteries running through the placenta weren't inside of it, they were exposed. And about an inch and a half of the whartons jelly was gone from her cord where it meets the placenta. At any time in the pregnancy if she'd have moved wrong she could have ripped the cord and bled to death. If the labor had been hard or my water broken before she was about to come out, it could have ripped the cord and she would have bled and possibly died or had serious complications due to lack of oxygen. If...But no if's! God took care of it all! I had the shortest(6hrs), easiest labor & delivery! Even through the car accident He protected her! I looked it up afterwards and the mortality rate is like 95%! She had a 5% chance of survival, and the injury rate was like 99.9%. She has absolutely nothing!!! She is perfectly normal in every way, even advanced in some ways! (she can memorize so quickly it's amazing! she memorized the 23rd Ps. in less than a week @ 4 yrs old!) God is GOOD!

School Cabinet

Well, I didn't do everything I was supposed/going to. But I did at least get my school cabinet set up, filled and organized! Personally think it looks pretty good too!

Even the messy shelf to the left is actually clean compared to what it was...So tomorrow I'm gonna try again! I will do my best to get dressed, read my Bible (if nothing else), do school, keep my food journal, clean my living room and Shine my Sink!

Kiddo Intro 6-7-8

Well, I love my kiddos to death, but don't have a lot to say about them. I can think of lots of things when I don't have to, but when it comes time to write it...So, anyways, I'll introduce my last 3 in one post :)

First is number 6. Emily Noel/Punkin' Pie. I did not ever want to have a baby on Christmas. So when I found out I was pregnant with her and due on Dec. 20th. I just knew I was gonna have her on the 25th! Sure, enough, I went into labor at Midnight, right after I finished putting out all the christmas presents. She was born at 10:53pm, after 20hrs of labor. Her cord was so long it was wrapped around her neck two and half times and around bother her shoulders. It was also inhibiting the midwife from getting her heartbeat while I was in labor. The midwife and my mom were both concerned but she was getting the cord pulse so she was still alive. When I went to push her out, it was the most awful pain I've ever felt! I was pushing and the cord was pulling her back. She came out and was perfectly fine. :) I knew even while pregnant that she had a temper. She would get mad if I pushed on my belly a way she didn't like. When she was 6 mos old, she would get mad and throw her toys and throw her body on the floor and scream!!!! AHH, how do I deal with her? As a toddler, she got mad one time when she went to sit on a potty chair and missed. She turned around and picked up the seat and threw it! It was funny but not good! Thankfully at 3 she's calmed down a bit! She is a sweetheart most of the time. She is always asking to hold Zachary. She hates taking naps. She refers to herself in the third person, which is very cute :) She loves doing school too.

Next is Kathleen Rose. Kind of an Irish name for a girl who also has an Irish temper! LOL, They get it from their dad, he's mostly Irish. Her nickname is Stinkbug. She's very ornery! Blond hair and brown eyes. She was born after just over 48 hrs of labor. Her cord had the same complication as Michelle's, but her cord was very short. She is quite the little terror :) Love her bunches! She is learning to talk more and more. When she gets up from her naps she always tells me "I Happy!" Very loudly with a big smile! (it's a requirement for staying up to be happy!) She thinks shes a big girl. She is allergic to lots of different foods and I have the hardest time with her not getting diaper rashes. She is in disposables right now to keep her from getting them.

Last but not least is Zachary Glen. His nickname is Chunky Monkey. Because he's chunky and because when he spits up it's chunky! LOL! The kids think it's so gross, and the other day he puked all over Emily's face! Hysterical! She laughed too, so it's ok to laugh : ) Anyhow, he's 7mos old now, and growin' like a weed! Usually happy, but a bit spoiled since his sisters won't stop holding him. His middle name is my Great Grandpas name. He (my GGpa) died a week after Makenzie was born. I'm so glad we finally had a boy so we could use his name! We've been planning on it since then and that was almost 7 years ago. My Zachary is sitting up on his own really well now, he can turn over pretty good too. He has a bit of trouble because of his arms. I think he will be crawling soon. Don't know exactly what's wrong with his arms, but he's always seemed to pull them back instead of reach out in front of him. We take him to the chiropractor when we can and that seems to help. He's a precious little boy and I love him bunches!

Well, that concludes the intros for now...At least until number 9 makes an appearance : )

Kiddo Intro 5

Well, today is Michelle/ShellyWellyBoo! She is 5 and probably the smartest kid I've got. She can memorize and remember things unbelievably well! And very fast! She is my miracle baby. I will post or link to her birth story sometime. Her labor was only 6 hrs, and the easiest of all 8 of my kiddos! She is named after me, but her name is the same as the midwifes too :)

She is such a giggle box! Always happy and laughing. Well not always, she does have occasional bad attitudes. She is 16 mos younger than Makenzie and they're very close. Always play together and get along the best of all my kids. Michelle acts like she's the oldest though. She just takes over and Makenzie lets her. It's kinda funny but I think Makenzie prefers it that way. Both of them are doing tutoring right now and they're both starting to read small words! It's great!

Michelle likes to hold babies too, but likes to play with everyone else more! She really can't wait to read! And I think she'll be reading really well very quickly!

P.S. I almost died last nite ;)

Just wanted to add to my post from this morning...Yes I almost died of a heart attack last night!!! I went to shine my sink, and when I grabbed the plug from off the back of the sink a...CRICKET jumped out! AHHHH, I hate bugs!!! Not only did the dumb thing jump out, I TOUCHED IT!!!! AAAHHHHH my chest hurt and I think I was having some  major panic attacks! Didn't think I would be able to get over it and go to sleep! James killed it thankfully.

To-do List

So my friend and I decided to get started on some things! We are trying our best to be a good christian wives and mothers. To be " keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." As a wives whose husbands aren't always in the right place, and as a mothers of lots of little ones, it's not easy to do. So we decided to be encouragement and accountability partners! I am definitely in need of encouragement and accountability! So I made a little check list and put it on my board last night...

The first area is to make sure I am doing my personal daily devotions. So easy to put on the back burner. I just don't have time ya know! Of course then I have a hard time with everything and nothing seems to go right and I wonder why! So I did my own Bible reading today...I'm starting in James. Read chapter 1. Had lots of good verses speak to me! 


The second area is just encouragement in doing school with my kiddos. Homeschooling is not always easy. Picking curriculum, doing it everyday and making sure our kids are actually learning, can be a lot to deal with! As I said before, we are really just concentrating on reading right now. We did most of our stuff today. Except for the stuff that I couldn't do cause the little ones were down for a nap :) We also added penmanship to our work. I'm reading them a proverbs a day for our devotions. While I'm reading I pick out a verse or two for each of the older 3 to write out. Simple, yet effective. I try to pick them according to what I think is relevant to the person.


The third area, and it's a biggie, is my house! It can get very messy around here! It is really hard to care for your family and even do normal daily things when your house is in total chaos!So, Last night was shine your sink so I did that!!! Here is a picture....

Looks pretty good, Even though it's made of some weird type of granite that wasn't supposed to stain but did big time! At least it's clean! Yay!!! For today I was supposed to lay out my clothes and get dressed (including makeup) in the morning...Well, I'm happy to tell ya that I DID! Yes, I laid out my clothes last night, I put them on this morning and I put on my makeup! It's amazing how such a little thing can make you feel like you've accomplished so much! 


So the fourth area is...Weight Loss! A never ending thing I know...But I am so tired of being exhausted and feeling like I can't even move because of all the extra weight I'm carrying around. I so want to be healthy for my family and for my God. I want to look good for my husband as well! So I am going to be keeping food journals...I probably won't put mine on here but I will be setting up a blog for my weight loss journey and I'll be putting some of it on there!


Your prayers would be greatly appreciated!

Kiddo Intro 4

Well, Next in the bunch is Makenzie/monster! She is 6! Wow, I can't believe that! She'll be 7 in 2 months, time flies! Makenzie was born after a whopping 4 day labor (yes you read that right 4 DAY) And besides the extremely long labor, she was in a breech presentation several times during my labor. Also, because of the length of my labor, the midwife wasn't sure I was close so didn't come and stay...Ended up, I finally got my mom to call and tell her "COME now!" She hopped in her car and headed out here (she lives an hr away) had to go the speed limit most of the way cause of an OHP following her. About 15 mins after she was called my water broke! James was in a panic and my mom was telling me "don't push, I don't know how far dilated you are." ??? I didn't push tho! LOL...45 mins later however, she was coming! No stopping it! As her head was coming out the midwife got there! My mom started to get out of her way but Michelle said to stay there! :) So Nana got to deliver little miss Makenzie! She was also my biggest baby! And had a knot in her cord from all her turning about!


She has always been very quiet and shy. She loves to cuddle. When she was little she would always come lay with me on the couch for her naps :) She wanted me and no one else! She also spit up the most. Even continued to spit up after starting solid foods. But she was still my biggest girl!


She is also known as "miss hysteria". She gets COMPLETELY hysterical about things...i.e...once she got some black fuzz between her toes and thought there was an ant on her, it sounded like she was being beat to death! Another time while in the car she started screaming, I thought maybe the straw had poked her in the throat when we went over a bump...No, she had 3 drops of her drink on her SEATBELT!!! Another time while she was potty training she accidentally peed while sitting in her booster seat for lunch...she started screaming, stood up and was so hysterical it made her chest hurt! (she grabbed her chest so I'm assuming it hurt) So anyhow...get the picture?! She gets hysterical! LOL, but we love her!


She loves babies and is constantly wanting to hold Zachary. She is actually the best with him so she holds him alot, and takes care of him. She liked to hold Kathleen too. 


She is finally starting to learn to read. She is definitely my slowest learner. She's very smart, but definitely slower than my others. She can't wait to read well though, and will be soon! She's doing great at it.


She (like the others) loves to hear stories about herself. Thinks it's funny that I called her monster and fatso. She had the biggest buns and thighs you've ever seen on a baby! Seriously! She was short so it really stuck out. People would always be like "don't say that, she's just perfect!" LOL...I never thought otherwise! I wasn't saying it to be mean! I tend to call my kids names...dork, nerd, goofball, retard, weirdo...but I'm not saying it in a mean way!!!! I promise...I know you might not believe me or think it is mean but for me it's not!


Anyways, I love my Kenzie Emma Girl! She's a sweetheart!

Kiddo Intro 3

Well, I want to introduce ALL of my kiddos. Since today is Wed. that means it's Madison/Mes's day! :) (each kiddo has their own day, they get all the extras for the day so we don't have to worry about who to give them to, and so each one gets a special me day!)

Mes turned 8 in February. She is my 3rd child and the oldest girl! She was my first home birth! Her labor was 48 hrs long! She loves to read! So wants to be grown up. Tries to help with everything, but still is wanting to be a little girl at times. She loves to cuddle. 

Mes is very smart, beautiful, and whiny! :) Has been since she was born. She is a drama queen! I have come to find that while girls are all dramatic...they are dramatic in different ways! She is a DRAMA queen! She is like an actress overplaying her part all day long! I often find her talking to herself in the mirror. Or I will walk by whatever room she is in and overhear some very interesting conversations!

She loves to sing. She has a very good voice too, (if I do say so myself :) And a very good memory...If she hears a song, she will remember it and sing it later. Good and bad...i.e. if she hears a song on the radio, she will remember it! It's amazing to me though that not only does she remember the words, it sounds just like it does on the radio!

She loves to go to church. She wants to be a farmers wife when she grows up, and a mom to alot of kiddos! 

Kiddo Intro 2

My second son is,Jason/Turkey! What's with the weird names you ask? Well,  My kiddos have this thing about the nicknames I gave them as babies...This one was ornery! Hence the nickname Turkey! Lol!

Had another easy 12 hr labor and a hefty 8 lb baby boy. He was nothing like his brother...Besides the fact that he was over a pound larger, he had dark hair and darker eyes and darker skin. He was a very good baby, except for the colic. He had it bad. Screamed every night for hours! Started about 12 ended anywhere from 3-5am. Was so miserable! Colic tablets from Hylands was what finally helped. But until then, I sat in my "walking" chair and sang to him. Would put the chair on one side of the room and rock til I had "walked" across the whole living room and then I would pull it back across the room and start all over again! I am so thankful that none of my other babies had it as bad as he did!

He is very smart also. Hates to work though. He will be told to do a job and then when you look away, he disappears! Pesty kid :) He is very athletic. Would probably be great at any sport we could put him in. Is also very musically inclined. (Probably something to do with the classical music I played for his naps when he was a baby!) If only he would try! But that's ok, we're gonna push and make him do it anyways! 

He has always loved his brother alot! He used to grab him from behind and pull him down on top of himself. James Michael would scream and flail about and Jason would LAUGH! Thought it was hysterical! He likes to remind me of the time when we had gotten home from town and I had just bought a nice BIG Route 44 cherry Dr. Pepper! I set it on the counter to run to the bathroom and as I was coming back out I hear a sound like water pouring on carpet...Yep, you guessed it! He had my cup, had punched a hole through the bottom of it and was sucking as hard/fast as he could to drink as much as possible before it all poured out! And he really panicked when he saw me coming to take it from  him! LOL..I was not too happy about it at the time, it's very funny now though!

He is also my very literal kid! What does that mean? If you say something to him, he will take it very literally! I once asked him what soap he had used in the shower and he told me "the blue and white one for his head and shoulders and..." I laughed so hard I cried! He makes me laugh all the time with silly things like this! 

I love him so much and thank God for him! I hope we can train him to be a man of God who will serve God with his whole heart and life!

What we're doing!

Well, today wasn't such a good day :( I think the steroids are definitely helping and I felt so good yesterday that I over did it. Today I could barely get off the couch. And I had such plans for the day too. Didn't even do school! Oh well, guess we always have tomorrow! LOL! 


We are going with Konos for school this semester. We'll see how it goes before we get more. Right now we are just focusing on Reading! We haven't done anything with the Konos except look at it! (we all like the way it looks and are excited to start) I really want to make sure they all know how to read really well before we get started. I think we'll just keep it this way for the rest of August and get started with the rest in September.
We are starting with a devotion time. We read a verse and discuss it. We sing songs. (whoever's day it it gets to pick the songs) We do our ABC verse cards and we pray. The kids really like the way we have "theme" prayer days. Today was Family, then each day is different...Friends, Church Needs, Missionaries, USA, and a Country. They like picking out of the theme to see what they will pray for. And it seems that they are really trying to pray harder that way too! Not just a generic thanks for the day and help us to be good type of a prayer! I am so glad. I have such a hard time with praying out loud and it is helping me too! Having something specific to pray for and knowing they're listening to me and learning how to pray from me!


After devotions we do reading. The girls do a learning to read book with me and James Michael and Jason do an in-depth Phonics book while we're doing that. Then the 2 younger girls do their writing books and the older three have a read out loud time. It's really helping them improve their reading skills as well as their public speaking and expressive reading skills. We do 1 chapter all week and not only do they learn a moral/character lesson from it, they are comprehending it. At the end of the week we have a voting session (everyone listens to them read) and they either pass or work on it again and add another chapter. 


Then we do a book called "The Fallacy Detective". It is helping them learn to think logically and to reason through situations. They are really enjoying it. As am I! It's fun and challenging and really makes them listen and think so they get the correct answers!


All in all I think it's going well! Just as soon as we're all feeling better I think it will go even better!

Kiddo Intro 1

Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning...My oldest,James Michael/Goober, is 11. He came out, after a 12.5 hr labor, blond haired and blue eyed! He has always been so sweet, obedient, and kind. He has been talking since he was 10 mos old! Smart as a whip!


He has always been very smart and done very well in school. He is my right hand man! If I need something done, he is who I turn to. He is always quick to do it, and rarely complains. I don't know how I would do anything without him :)


He is recently, really into spiders! (Yuck!!!) Boys are so gross! He loves catching them and watching how they do things and how they work. He also likes catching snakes, frogs, lizards, bugs, grasshoppers, and anything else that creeps and crawls. 


He is also recently getting very physically active. He hasn't been so much. He can now do 50 push-ups in 2 mins. He can do 98 sit ups in 2 mins. His bicep grew a half an inch in just this last week from all his "working out". I think it's great! Love that he is trying to be healthy and in shape!


He loves and adores his father. Loves to play games with him. They are very into "acquire" right now. As well as our rousing, nightly game of Uno. I am not much for thinking games :) 


He is a very good older brother. Loves his brothers and sisters. Tries his best to care for them. (sometimes to boss them :) But he does such a great job! I am so proud to have him as a son! God as truly blessed us giving him to us!  

About Me!

First official blog :) I have only one follower, and that's ME! Awesome! So I guess this will be an intro blog...I am a Christian! Was saved in 1991! I did gymnastics from the time I was 2 til I was about 12. I did ballet from the time I was 5 til I got married. I was homeschooled from 1st grade til I graduated in '96. At that time I was teaching ballet classes and going to a vocational college to become a Medical Office Specialist...fancy term for front and back office medical assistant! For my internship I was placed at a chiropractors office. The day I started working there was the day I met DH. It was right around my 18th birthday. He asked me out. We went on our first date on the 12th of Sept. On the 26th he proposed! We were married on October 31, 1997. It has always been my goal in life to get married and have a bunch of children. (I told my cousin at age 10, that I wanted to have so many kids that she couldn't count them!) Well, that is exactly what I'm doing!


I am now the very proud mother of 8 beautiful children! I am a stay at home mom. I homeschool all of them (except the baby of course LOL). For the most part I like homeschooling. There are days I wish there was a good private christian school they could go to! But there's not, so we keep on keepin' on!


I hope to start reading materials to train to be a midwife soon. I am wanting to become a midwife someday. I love birth and want to help bring life into this world! I have had 3 hospital births and 5 home births. Absolutely hate hospitals! Will do anything to avoid going there next time...Home is best!


I am desperately in need of the Lord! I know what I need to do, but am too lazy to do it! I am so tired all the time. So I put off my Bible reading and prayer til I can find the time, but somehow I never do find it! Surprise, surprise huh? I seem to be constantly battling depression. Most days I feel like a complete failure, in everything! Then there are days (like today) when I go places and have everyone telling me how beautiful my kiddos are and how well behaved they are...I must have done something right if people think they are well behaved right?!


I have started school with the kids. So at least I'm getting some devotion time with them. It's not enough, as I need personal time with the Lord, but at least it's a start!


Well I guess that's enough for now...gotta get the kids to settle down and go to sleep!

Life

Today I will start blogging! It will have to be later on though, as it is 2:30 am, and I am exhausted!