Make every day count....

I came home today to open the newspaper and find out that an old friend from high school had passed away suddenly. I haven't seen her for years, but when I saw her photo, years of memories came flooding back, and as if I haven't had enough reminders over the years, I realized how precious life is.

If you are reading this, hug your child, tell your parents you love them, and call that old friend whom you shared so many memories with.

I'll miss you Sarah.

God is good. All the time.

My favorite things...

This post works best if read to the tune of "My favorite things" from The Sound of Music! :)

Cheesy, I know...but I need to keep up with my wonder blogger friend Missy. :) I can't take pictures like her, or sew like her, or bake like her...(I'm starting to develop a complex now...I'm not worthy!!) So I need to make up songs to the tunes of preexisting songs to make myself feel better! Tee hee...love ya Miss!

Girls in silly blue jeans with sock monkey patches...

Watching my children carve pumpkins from patches...

Birthday cakes done up with Dora and Friends....

When you live with five children the fun never ends!

Okay...stop singing now!

No more rhymes...or cheesy songs.

So....the girls are two now. Officially. I am now in the midst of terrible twos times two. We tried to get pictures done today. I am sure that there are pictures of my girls posted at photo studios stating "Beware...impossible to photograph children...send them to Walmart"

Needless to say, we got a few pics of Ruby, but Clara REFUSED to cooperate. She flat out told the photographer "stop it" and then promptly threw a stuffed animal at him and put her binky back in her mouth, and re affixed herself to my leg.

I haven't ordered any yet. My boys got a bout of bodily gas issues while attempting to wrestle one another in the studio, so I politely asked (if one can do so while attempting to not strangle children in public) to come back on Friday to order without them.

I am thankful for so many things, first and foremost being my friends, my family, and my faith. For all of you, thank you for being there for me in good times and bad. My life is so much better because of all of you!

May the spirit of the coming season fill you with the the ability to find joy in the ordinary, and appreciate every day miracles.

God is good. All the time.

Cutie Patooties in the Pumpkin Patch!

Okay, so I know it's November, and I'm just NOW posting pumpkin patch pictures, but that is just the way my life has been going lately! Busy...busy...busy!


We had a great time at the pumpkin patch...the "big" boys didn't want to go! When did 9 and 6 get too old to hang out with the family?

I've realized that my kids may eventually wonder what I looked like when they were little! I'm always the one taking the pictures! I think I'll just have to photoshop wedding pictures (the prettiest day of my life) into things like birthday parties, pumpkin patches, and Christmas photos, and they will all look back and remember me as a babe...a bit eccentric always dressed in a wedding gown, but a babe none the less! I'll just blame it on them...(there were six of you! I never had time to do my own laundry! The only thing clean was my wedding dress!) Lol...

Here's Matthew sitting on his pumpkin pick...looking snazzy in his favorite Spring Bean duds! Is he a fashionable sprout or what???

Ruby is wondering why anyone would want only three gourds....she planned on taking off with the whole wagon full! (We made it out with just four...one in each hand of each girl!)

Clara checks to make sure Ruby isn't looking before making off with a few gourds of her own!

God is good...all the time

Happy Birthday in Heaven.....

My sweet sweet girl would have been five today.

Briona taught me to make the most of the life that you are given. Every day is a gift...share it with the people you love.

Take walks, jump in the leaves, play a board game, tickle, make bubble bath beards, and snuggle. Let them stir cake batter, or play in the sink. Do what Dora and Diego tell you to, and watch them smile. Take a minute to read that bedtime story for the seventh time,....

These are the moments that memories are made of.

Happy Birthday Briona Hope. I love you and miss you.

God is good. All the time.

She Loves Me.....She Loves Me Not!!

Ruby loves her Mama!

Clara....well...not so much!

My girls are as different as night and day. It's sometimes hard to believe they are growing up in the same house!

We went to a friend's birthday party the other day. I took too many of my children with me to take a camera, but my dear friend Anne managed to get some great candids of me (thanks Anne...blah!) and the kids enjoying the day. Poor Noah was home still on restricted activity, but GREAT NEWS!!! His latest CT scan shows that he has healed WAY ahead of schedule, and he is now allowed to resume normal activities! :)

Ricky, as usual enjoyed himself! As did Matthew. He LOVES jumping and bouncing, and there was a HUGE bounce house for him to play in! Emily's mom even kicked out all of the big kids so that he could have it all to himself for awhile. He was in seventh heaven!

Ruby arrived at the party dressed, but each time I saw her, she had on less and less clothing. I'm really going to have to keep my eye on that one!

This wasn't even the worst of it. She eventually took off her jeans too, and was attempting to take her diaper off. I told everyone it was because she is potty training....at least I hope that is why she has such a penchant for being in the buff lately!

Good news is that I finally found costumes the girls will wear without having a nervous breakdown. Not what I had dreamed of certainly...but at least they aren't dressing up in their brother's costumes! I got them both Native American Squaw costumes. Brown and made of fleece with a little fringe on them. No tulle, no wings, no glitter...no fun for mom! The saving grace would be that Ricky is being a cowboy, so now they are "Cowboys and Indians"!

Well...my MIL is supposed to come here on Wednesday. She is still imobile. Will be here for 6-12 weeks. I'm currently praying for serenity and grace.

The boys are busy busy busy. Matthew has a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch on Friday. Ricky is in Eastern Michigan's production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat...Noah has decided he wants to go to Green Hills, a small indepent school that serves grades 6-12. It would be an amazing opportunity for him. We went to an Open House there yesterday, and even DH thinks it would be the optimal learning enviornment for Noah. He is currently working on his portfolio that needs to be submitted as part of the admission process...he's really enjoying it so far. I'm proud of him. He is really gung ho on getting admitted to this school, and it is no minor feat to do so! He and Ricky are both in Chess club again and hoping to be on Chess team for the state tournament in February. Kindergarten is as crazy as ever, but we are getting into the swing of things and really starting to get some learning going!

God is good...all the time.

I think I may be in trouble....

You know, they say to be careful what you wish for....once upon a time, I would wish long and hard for a baby girl. I used to dream of dressing them up in adorable clothing, playing with baby dolls, and the like. I never quite imagined what I would be getting!

My Clara is ALL girl...and not always in the good way. I mean the temper tantrums (shrieking, back arch, arms flailing, biting, and crying) and a mind of her own on what she will and will not wear. She has become obsessed with changing her clothes, weather be darned. She wants to wear what she wants to wear...even if it is three pairs of pants over one another, or as you will see by the picture....a bikini in October! She also has taken to deciding that we will go "bye bye" by getting on her sunglasses, her chosen outfit, shoes, purse, and baby doll in a baby carrier. Today she even brought me MY shoes and purse. Unfortunately I was sick with the flu, so her dreams of going somewhere were quickly squashed. She found the dollar bill in her brother's wallet and was trying to hide it in her bikini top! DH insisted that I get the camera...we couldn't resist!

Like I said....I think we may be in trouble!

Ruby on the other hand is much more subdued. Even tempered, and ever patient with her high maintenance sister. Where Clara tantrums Ruby rushes around looking for things to bring her to make her stop crying, saying in her best mama voice "Der doo do" (there you go) and then nodding her head up and down saying "Sess? Oday now?" (yes? okay now?) It makes me feel better...and she eventually finds something to calm her sister. I think she's earned her nick name of Lil' Mama. She loves it when I call her that...beams from ear to ear. She enjoys wearing pretty clothing as well....but always looks a wreck! I think she may take after her dear mommy....(poor kid) it's exhausting looking after Clara! Here she is helping me wash the dishes.

I swear her hair was combed at one point!

I'm still on my quest to find a costume that the girls will wear...so far no custom boutique Lady Bugs, Monarchs, Sugar Plum Fairies, Jewel Beetles will do...nor will any plain old Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty from the second hand store, or the fleece pink poodle costumes from Old Navy that I ordered. Thank goodness for Ebay and 30 day return policies....I'm beginning to think they may just go out as twins! Although I'm thinking they MIGHT wear the cute squaw costume I've seen on ebay. Those would be especially cute since big brother Ricky is going as a cowboy! Plus...no tulle, no wings, nothing that goes on their heads (we can do without the headband...) but only if I can acquire it cheap. I've been outbid twice tonight so I am going to bed!

God is good. All the time.

Ricky and the Ugly Dog Collection....

Yesterday was one of those days when it seemed as if every time I turned around Ricky was underfoot! It must have been the good Lord's way of reminding me I owed Ricky a post on my blog. :)

So here he is in all of his cup stacking glory, along with little brother Matthew (as Superman) and best buddy Dylan. My DH yelled about me letting the boys "waste" all of the cups, but he got them FREE at a rummage sale, and then proceeded to leave them on the front porch for a week. I didn't really think he was that attached to them! Even if he was, the time the boys spent stacking, re stacking, and working together was worth the grump or two. Look how sweet they look working together!

The Ugly Dog Collection....

Here are a few pictures of my ugly dogs that I am unwillingly collecting lately due to the car accident my MIL and her sister were in. They are both still in the hospital, and have several months of rehabilitation ahead of them. God forgive me, but I was hoping that our own DD (dear dog...not daughter) would soon be romping in the fields of Heaven...alas now I have two MORE dogs in my house! Thankfully the weather has been cooperating, and they have spent a lot of time out of doors. Puck, the ugliest of them all is actually beginning to endear himself to me! Matthew calls Puck "Punk" and seems to think we are going to keep him "foweva". I don' think that will come to pass...but I supposed stranger things have happened! Puck is pictured first, then Conrad. Please pray for swift recovery for my MIL and her sister!

God is good. All the time.