Another new year...

It's amazing how things just sneak up on you...an upcoming event, a birthday, the new school year. We're still finishing things up from last year and all of a sudden I'm having to think about this upcoming year...and I'm panicking a bit. LOL Things aren't finished with the basement and I'm really feeling horribly disorganized.

In the next few days I hope to clean off my desk (which has "gone to Alaska" in the last year!), get a daily schedule back in order, order curriculum and get it here and organized, and begin school. My ultimate goal is to have all of that accomplished by Labor Day weekend...but I'm wondering now if that will happen. However, even if it doesn't, I will just have to deal with that, huh? LOL

Another thing that has snuck up on me....Clayton will turn 9 in just a few short weeks! NINE! My babies are growing!

Before we know it, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here... But I'll think about that tomorrow!

No Matter Your Age...

Recently I've been doing couponing...and let me tell you with 3 kids in tow, I get quite a few odd looks! Here we are with 2 shopping carts...the boys with Alivia in one, along with all the purses, diaper bags, etc, and me with the other one with my binder sitting up in the "child" area. We try to stay out of the way of other shoppers and stay *relatively* quiet... :-D Sometimes, we get nasty comments, but not all that often.

Yesterday, while in Schnucks, this older couple was shopping as well...we had passed them a couple of times in different aisles. They walked up behind us and said, "Let me guess...19 months apart and then 5 years." It took me a moment to realize they were talking about the spread of the kids' ages...I told them that the boys were 17 months apart, and then there was 7 and 9 years between them and Alivia. They were close in their guess...found out, after standing there talking to them for a bit, that they had children that are 19 months and then 4 years apart...very similar to mine. Then they continue on and tell me, "Yes, our oldest is 65." (!!!!! Emphasis mine!!!!!) Um, okay...I quickly did the math...even if they started at about 18, that would make them over 80. This delightful couple did NOT look a day over 65 themselves!! They were walking through the store commenting about the price of things, figuring out what to buy, which coupons to use (YES, they were couponing too!), and bantering back and forth like they were youngsters.

We swapped stories of couponing, the price of items, and such...and things about shopping with or without children (HA!). It was really quite fun! But what got me the most was how young they acted. They didn't complain about all these "young people" or how hard it was for them to get around (because clearly, they were both doing quite well in the physical department!) and were full of smiles and kind comments to a tired Mama with 3 kids in tow. It was truly refreshing to visit with a couple (randomly) that was upbeat and smiling, rather than complaining and grumpy!

It was a great reminder that no matter how bad we feel, or how old we are, we can offer a smile to someone else. No matter our age, we can chat with some random person in a store. No matter our age, we can swap stories with someone of a different generation.

I'm learning lately that older people sometimes feel dismissed...they feel that kids of today (and we're ALL considered "kids" to them!) ignore them, don't notice them, or just want to hurry past them to get to the next new item on the hot list for that day. I could have just smiled politely to that couple and lightly acknowledged their presence, but then gone back to my stressful and exhausting task of shopping and getting good deals. However, that's not me. I don't do that (intentionally, anyway!) and I didn't want to do that with them... I also realize that it's not all the "fault" of the youngsters of today...there are some "older" people that just like to complain. Plain and simple. They are hurting (physically? emotionally? spiritually?) and because of this hurt, they get grumpy with the people they see, they don't want to get up and go shopping or go run errands, they want to be left alone but not so alone that they get lonely. There is a delicate balance that needs to take place. We need to teach our children to acknowledge and learn from these older generations...they are passing away so quickly, it seems, that we're losing a great deal of their wisdom and knowledge. But we also need to help these older generations feel young again! We need to spend more time around them to help them feel young, help them smile again, and help them remember what it's like to raise children and try to shop with them! (I'd love any ideas on how to work on this little project....)

I'm so thankful I didn't dismiss them! It was a pleasant conversation and really added to my day! I only regret that I didn't get their names...how nice it would have been to possibly keep in contact.
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***I realize I haven't posted on here in a LONG time...I hope to remedy that soon. I'm really wanting to get things blogged more often...which will likely mean less Facebook time! LOL

Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona

Love Finds You in Tombstone, Arizona

By Miralee Ferrell

Christy Grey (first seen in Last Chance, CA) used to be a dancehall girl, but has changed her life and had a new start in California. She has vowed never to go back to that life again. But when she receives a telegram stating that her mother is very ill, Christy leaves California and heads home to care for her mother. However, on the way the Christy is injured during a stagecoach robbery that leaves her with no money. When she arrives in Tombstone, Christy finds her brother at a gambling hall and her mother gravely ill in a shack of a home. Christy tries to look for work, but her brother’s reputation precedes her and hinders her progress. Finally Christy is forced to work in the gambling hall, but not as a “working girl.”

Nevada is a gun-fighter who is on the run. Unknowingly, he gets himself tied to the stagecoach robbers and ends up meeting Christy. Forced by a desire to help her, Nevada tracks Christy down in Tombstone. Along the way, Nevada feels the need to help one of the saloon girls leave that way of life. But soon his past catches up with him and Nevada finds himself searching for a brighter future…with God and with Christy.

The history and the research that went into this book is truly fascinating! The events that take place in the book are very similar to those that took place in real life in Tombstone in the late 1800’s. Miralee tells a wonderful story of love, acceptance, forgiveness, and resolution. We meet several new characters throughout this book that I, personally, would love to see in future stories!

While finding their way back to God, Christy and Nevada find their way to each other!

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I once again had the privilege of reading and reviewing this book for Miralee. I've read every book of hers so far and have never been disappointed, but I think this is my favorite so far! Thanks to Miralee for the chance to read and review!

Halloween 2010

Well, due to the craziness of our lives after getting back on my own, we didn't get to carve our pumpkins until the day before Halloween! LOL The boys still had fun and they *insisted* we do one for Alivia too! This little one is hers...

For whatever reason, the boys wanted pictures of the insides of their hollowed out pumpkins...I just kept hoping that we saw the face of someone (the Pope, Bush, Sarah Palin) somewhere in there...but no luck. LOL

And then the boys wanted a picture of the "innards" of the pumpkins...which I cleaned up and soaked in saltwater for a couple of days and then baked. Terry said this years pumpkin seeds were the best ones I've ever done! Woot! Brent also felt the need to take a few pictures, and of course, had to get me from a weird angle. LOL Oh well...we were having fun!


Below left: Brent's Pumpkin that he carved. Below right: Clayton's pumpkin that he carved. (And both boys actually carved their own pumpkins this year. They used that little kit thing and did the little holes all around their design and then went back and finished it up. They did really well, but their hands were TIRED when they were finished!


Below left: Alivia's pumpkin, which *I* carved for her. (For some odd reason, she couldn't do it?? LOL) And then to the right is all three of their pumpkins on the porch.


All three kids together with their pumpkins:

Brent decided to be a sheriff for Halloween and was practicing is "swagger" the day we carved the pumpkins..., swagger and his mean face. LOL


Alivia was a pumpkin for Halloween, but oddly I don't have a picture of her in her pumpkin suit?? Hmm....

Clayton made up his own costume. That's kinda a story in itself. He had this grand idea/scheme of what he wanted to be and what he wanted me to do/make for him...none of it made sense to me and all of it involved probably15-20 hours worth of work on my part. Which normally I wouldn't mind...I've always enjoyed making their costumes for them. But after the summer/fall we'd already had up to that point, and with dealing with a little girl who cried a LOT, I just didn't have it in me to do all that for his costume. So, one night when I was out of ear shot, Clayton started in on all this stuff he needed me to do and Terry was the one listening. Apparently he came down kinda tough on Clayton for not "seeing" that I was extremely busy and didn't have all the time to sink into his costume. So the next morning he woke up and told me that he had it all planned out that he would make up his own costume and I wouldn't have to do a thing for him. (Bless him!) He used the 3-Musketeer's smock from last year, a belt, and a toy sword to become this Ninja-Musketeer-Soldier thing. *shrug* He was happy with it so it made me happy! :)

Brent and his sheriff guns...making more faces for the camera. I think the one on the right is my favorite:

Updates Continue: Clayton's Birthday and 4-H Pumpkin Patch

We had Clayton's 8th birthday in Salem with the rest of the family. He really enjoyed having everyone sing to him!

Below: Brent helped Clayton read his cards...he's still struggling with reading, especially under "pressure." Mom and Dad got him a basketball for his birthday...he was really excited, because he finally has one of his own. (Brent has one, but Clayton wanted one of his own.)

Something was exciting, but I honestly don't know what. HA! Something tells me that their cousin had shot a Nerf bullet past their heads...thus Brent is shocked looking forward and Clayton is shocked looking behind him. In the background is Terry's mom (in the purple shirt).

My job during the opening of presents was to put little girl to sleep. She only prefers Mommy and was pretty fussy this night. Just LOVE her little "leggings" that Terry's sister got for Alivia!

Later in the month of October, we went with our 4-H group to the Pumpkin Patch here in town. The kids had SO much fun, although it was VERY windy! The temp was in the low 60's but with the wind blowing the way it was, it felt like the 40's...bitterly cold! (Had a hard time keeping Alivia warm during all that....)

Below, Brent is playing "Pumpkin Bowling"...

There were hay bales stacked together in a little tunnel-type of thing...all the kids had fun climbing through them. If you look close below, Brent's head is just barely sticking up from the bales...Clayton had decided to stand there and wait for Brent to pop up and then he's scream at him! LOL

There was an opening (like a car window) and Brent kept hollering at me to come see him...I get around the side and this is what I see:

All my babies at the pumpkin patch....Alivia looks like she could care less! :D

Brent's Birthday and Youth Trip to the Zoo

I'm still trying to get some blogging caught up, so I'm going back to the spring when we celebrated Brent's birthday! ;) He had a few friends over for his first-time-ever "sleep over" party...he was SO excited! Had such a great time, stayed up ALL night with his friends and then proceeded to be sick the next morning! We quickly figured out that his sick feeling was more due to exhaustion and low sugar levels. They had eaten junk food through the night and his body just didn't handle that well. After getting some juice into him (to raise the sugar levels) and then getting some real food into him, he started to feel better and within an hour was outside playing with his buddies while I made his lunch meal: BBQ chicken and homemade mac and cheese. :) He LOVES my mac and cheese! Anyway, this picture below is the only one from the party I can show because I don't know how the other moms feel about me showing their kids on the 'net.

A week or two later, we had Brent's family birthday when my parents and Terry's family could come down (I couldn't travel to them this time because of being so close to having Alivia). Brent had said he wanted a NASCAR cake, so I had him pick out a track from the NASCAR tracks and he picked out the Richmond track. (Please don't go look at that track and then critique me on what I did wrong...do you KNOW how hard it is to cut and mold cake!?!? LOL) At the very last down there is the finished product, but I didn't get the last and final shot that I wanted...we had ONE car that he specifically wanted, a Jeff Gordon race car. We had one, but didn't put it on until we were ready to do candles, then I had him close his eyes and I put Jeff Gordon crossing the finish line...winning the race, of course! LOL Anyway, I don't have a picture of that one, but it's okay...

Later in the summer, the Youth Group at church planned a trip to the zoo and since I was down after my surgery, I couldn't take them like I did last year. So, Terry took the boys up and they had a lot of fun. He got some really good shots too! :)

Alivia Grace Schafer

On June 2, 2010, our lives were once again blessed with a child....Alivia Grace. She entered into this world weighing 6 lbs 14 oz and measuring 19 1/4 inches long. As soon as they got her bundled up and Terry brought back out to the operating room to me, I took one look at her and said, "She's our smallest one!" :-) She was so small, but (as you can see below) already so very alert. These two pictures below are when she is 30 minutes old and we're still in recovery:



Here, below, Alivia got to meet her brothers for the first time. We had it set up so that when I got back to my room, we would bring the boys in by themselves (without anyone else) and it could be just our little family for a few minutes. We felt it was only fair to have the boys be able to meet her and spend some time with her before anyone else. (And although the grandparents didn't necessarily like this, they understood.)

One with Grandpa (my dad) in the hospital...Dad only got to spend a couple days with us after Alivia was born because he started his new job (across the state) and had to leave to get ready for that.

Hehe...checking out of the hospital, she did NOT like being changed into her new dress. This was after we got her dressed and I was picking her up to hold her...Mom snapped this at just the right moment! LOL

Just Thinking....


This was her first bath at home....oh, she was MAD. (And to this day she STILL does not like her bath...) :(

I just love her feet....

Just napping and chillaxin'...

Terry's sister, Darlene, was in Hawaii when Alivia was born and brought these outfits/shirts back for the kids. I took some shots of them for Terry for Father's Day...So nice!

Clayton decided that since there was this new pillow out, he would figure out what all he could do with it... LOL Up on the head it goes...

This is "Grandma" Marcia holding Alivia when she brought food to us. Marcia is another deacons' wife at church and is a mentor and great friend to me. I have GREAT respect for her and she is like another grandma to Alivia (well, to all three kids!).

One night before bed, Mom was holding Alivia and got her to sleep. Well, along came Clayton and laid his head down on mom's lap. S-l-o-w-l-y, Alivia inched her way down till she was literally sitting (in her sleep) on Clayton's head. :-)

Just a couple shots that I liked....

A couple years ago, the boys learned the "chickie chickie" at VBS. One day, they all decided to call Alivia down to do the Chickie Chickie Dance... :)

Sleeping with Sophie....


In July, Jhansi and her kids came out to visit and meet Alivia. They got to spend some good "face time" together...

I just love her feet when she's sleeping....she always ends up kicking out one foot (or both feet!) from under the covers. Like Mama like baby! LOL

This was after my surgery in July....I couldn't pick her up, so mom and the boys had to bring her to me after I was sitting. She fell asleep on me, and naturally scooter her way down. :-)

Playing with Sensory Sam...LOVE that toy! :)

Mom took this picture of the three kids one afternoon....I just love it! :)

A good friend, Ruth, took these pics while they were watching Alivia one evening (we had a Youth Group activity that was outside and I didn't want Alivia in the cool night air...). In the first one, it's a normal look for her: with her whole fist in her mouth. Hehe. The second is just a cool look...it's her "who ME!?" look. The last one at the bottom is just a really great shot of her while having tummy time.

Life has not been the same since she arrived, and I'm still learning what our new normal is. It changes every week. She's a more fussy baby than either of the boys ever was, but I'm *told* by many that that is just part-n-parcel of having a girl: drama. :-) We shall see. I don't get much time to be on the computer anymore...between schooling the boys and having a baby to keep track of, life is just pretty much non-stop. I'm working harder around the house than I ever have before and I STILL don't get it all done. But, it will be there when I get back to it, right? :D

I love my daughter...I love our new family...I love how she makes me smile every morning as soon as she gets out of bed. She's ALWAYS ready with a smile for her brothers, her mommy, or her daddy! Welcome to our family, baby girl!

I will try to do another post soon that will have other pics from other activities from the last 5 months that the family/boys have been involved in. Hopefully, once I get caught up, I can do smaller posts to stay caught up! LOL

Till another time....