Family of 7!

We are thrilled to announce at Juliana Faith has made her grand entrance on

Saturday, December 8th at 2:30 p.m.

 

She came at 35 weeks and 5 days right around the same time others arrived. She weighed 5 lbs 5 oz and is very healthy!

 

We're back at home enjoying our new bundle of joy. She's a great baby.

 

I started contractions on Friday afternoon and at 1:30 am we left of the hospital. In route my water broke. I got to the hospital and I was only 2cm. Things moved VERY slowly this time around. I went without pain medication until 1:00 in the afternoon. Wow, it was painful!!! After I wouldn't progress past a 5 I got an epidural and she arrived 45 minutes later. My body just needed to relax. I don't know how I did natural childbirth with my 1st. I pushed once and she arrived and was very alert and crying. We had a great hospital stay it was a like a vacation for my husband and I. Special memories I will always cherish.

 

I feel very blessed with my 5 wonderful children!

Happy Thanksgiving and Baby Countdown

Here is my little Indian at her kindergarten pow-wow last week. She was so cute!

 

I'm 33 weeks so I have a few more weeks to go. I had Caroline and Madeline during my 35th week the other two were at 36 weeks.

 

The contractions that had me on bed rest with Caroline have returned. This time I'm much further along so I just take it easy.

 

Monday I go in for another sonogram and a check to see if I'm dilated. I'll be 34 weeks then.

 

Each time my nerves get me. I get scared and nervous. Its known but then again unknown.

 

We're taking it easy around here prepping for baby and just trying to maintain our regular busy routine.

 

Enjoy your day with your family and Happy Thanksgiving!!

How to keep your house clean

I don't know about you but I love walking into my house when it's clean

 

With our busy lives and 4 soon to be 5 kids sometimes the only thing I feel in control of is the house.

 

Over the years we've debated and tried cleaning services.

 

For me I'm too picky when I'm paying hard earned money for someone else to clean.

 

Plus it takes the kids 5 minutes to tornado through the expensively clean house. Urgh... that's really makes me crazy.

 

So what do I do?

 

I have a realistic daily cleaning schedule a little bit at a time so I'm never overwhelmed and keep up with things each day. It's taken me 15 years as a mother to finally figure this out.

 

Let me share:

Monday: Oh how I love Mondays.

 The big kids are back in school and I have time to get things back in order.

 

Back to school daily tidy up: I do a quick walk through and place things that need to go upstairs in a basket next to the stairs for the girls. I do a quick vacuum and sweep of the downstairs.

Clean the kitchen sink with trusty comet

Clean the gas cook top and wipe off counters

Laundry duty of mine and my husbands clothes

Tuesdays:

Daily back to school tidy up

Boys Laundry

Tidy up son's room and vacuum (He is required to pick up his room Monday night before bed)

Wednesday:

Daily back to school tidy up

Little girls laundry

Errand in town day. I try to coordinate trips in to Target or meet my husband for lunch.

Thursday:

Daily back to school tidy up

Wash rotation of bed sheets and bath towels

Clean bathrooms: wipe down counters, Windex windows, clean potty. I mop the floors every other week. I clean the floor bath mats once a month.

Tidy up and vacuum little girls room

Plan the meals for next week and make grocery list

Friday:

Grocery store trip (I only go once a week and do a big purchase)

Tidy up and vacuum master bedroom

Weekends:

My oldest daughter is 15 and she cleans her room and does her laundry on Saturdays. The other kids do outside chores to help out. Sunday is our day off from cleaning. If we have any inside home projects that require my husbands handy help he does these during this time.

I never spend more than 2 hours a day cleaning. Some days are quicker than others. The key is to stick to the schedule so you are never so overwhelmed at your house doesn't get out of control... well most of the time.

 

Baby Countdown and Football Games

 

 

I've neglected this poor blog. I've got pictures to prove I've been busy.

 Our son Will has had an incredible first season of football. He made his first touchdown last week. I jumped up and down like a crazy Texas football mom.

 

People probably thought I was going to give birth right there at the stadium. Thankfully no ambulance was needed.

 Our oldest daughter is captain of her drill team.

She's doing great and we are so proud to see her out on the field at the high school football games.

 

We live in a small town and football is king around here.

Our team has won state the last 3 years in a row. 

That means they are bigger than the Dallas Cowboys around these parts.

 

 We took a family trip to the circus and I got in front of the camera for one shot.

 

Can you believe this is one of the only pregnant photos I have of myself.

Speaking of pregnancy. I'm now 30 weeks and everything is going great!

 

I had one little blip with my glucose test and it requiring the nasty 3 hour test. My wonderful husband spent the time with me in the lab and we had a little day time date. He made it much better.

 

I do look like a vampire bit my arm but other than that I'm great.

 

Last pregnancy some of you might remember I went into pre-term labor at 26 weeks and had many problems. No such problems this time. Yeah!!!

 

Did I tell you we picked a name? Her name is Juliana!

 

I've officially started monogramming this for this sweet little girl.

 

I have my babies at 36 weeks so we are 6 weeks away...... oh my!

Birthday Boy

 

My lil guy turns 9 today.

 

The first thing my husband tells me this morning is did you know he will be grown in 9 more years....

 

No!!!! I can still remember giving birth.

 

This little dude is a ton of fun.

 

 This is one of my favorite pictures of him at Disney 4 years ago.

 

 It shows his sweet smiley eyes and big smile.

 

He will always be my little boy.

 

Although now, he's a rough and tumble 9 year old.

 

Look at the mean machine on the football field taking down the quarterback.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!!!

Yummiest and Easiest Crock Pot Recipe

I love the fall and I love my crock pot!

 

This year we are so busy each evening with kids activities. We all get home at different times on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

 

To avoid fast food I've made a commitment to making crock pot meals these days.

 

Let me tell you, I found a super easy and very yummy recipe on pinterest.

 

Creamy Italian Chicken

 

It's very simple:

 

4 chicken breast (I threw in 4 frozen Tyson)

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 8oz of cream cheese (I used reduced fat)

1 packet of Zesty Italian Dressing Seasoning

 

Just throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours. I pulled the chicken out to shred after that and put in a bag of cooked bow tie pasta and let it cook for about 30 more minutes.

 

It was SOOOO good! We all ate it even the picky kids.

 

There is something so wonderful as a mom to come home and dinner is done and warm.

Busy Life of 6

 

This is a typical evening at our house. 

 

My favorite thing about living in the country is all the room to play outside.

 

Our busy summer days have come to a close and we've started a new school year.

 

This year we have 3 in school. Our Madeline started kindergarten! What a big day for our sweetie.

 We had a final summer outing before school started to the American Girl store in Dallas.

 

 All I can say is WOW!

 

We had a fantastic time!

 Both little girls brought their dolls to join us in afternoon tea.

 Katelyn and Nana joined in on the fun. A girls never too old to play dolls.

 The little girls before the first day of school. Madeline was up and ready 30 minutes before we had to leave. Caroline had no idea she was going to get Mommy all to herself.

 All fixed up and ready for the 1st day.

 

Girls take sure careful consideration what to wear compared to Will who slapped on a shirt from last year and was ready to go back.

 Here she is with her backpack in place ready to start class. This is where Mommy started to tear up.

 This year our oldest daughter made Captain of her drill team!

 

We are beyond thrilled and so proud of her hard work. This team has a very dedicated leader.

 Will continues to be our master lego builder.

 

Since Mommy refuses to put up real deer antlers on the wall Will made his own lego sculpture.

We had a wonderful summer and it flew by very quickly.

 

 In a few short months we will be welcoming another baby girl.

 

She still doesn't have a name but we've got it narrowed down to a few. We might wait until she arrives and see what name fits her best. 

Baby #5 It's a ......

We found out today!

We are thrilled to add another girl into our family.

This is our 4th girl in the family, we will now be accepting donations for a wedding fund.

We gotta start saving now!

We can't wait to meet her in December.

Have any name suggestions?

Living Room Turned Dining?

We've been in our home almost a year. For the last year this room has sat exactly like this... empty.

This is the view right when you walk in the front door.

We've had 2 designers out to help us design the space. Lot's of $$ and we are not "formal" people. Remember we have 4 kids and another on the way.

I'm looking for functional.

Early this morning at 5:30 am it hit me.

Make it the dining room and turn the dining room into a little cozy piano and wine room.

This is our current dining room.

My thought:

Raise the chandy up.

Put my childhood piano in front of the windows

Add a couple club chairs and a side table

A nice room to chill in.

I look forward to resuming my Wine Wednesday's with my husband after the baby arrives.

Am I crazy or will this work?

Big News!

We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting baby #5 in December!

I am 9 weeks along. I had my first appt today and the baby is measuring right on time and was very active moving around. The Dr was surprised at the activity and said "This is one healthy baby".

We had long conversations and lots of prayers about expanding our family.

We had a rough pregnancy with #4. We met with several different OBGYN's to get opinions about the possibility. They all agreed it was fine and they would proceed with progesterone shots early to avoid the pre-term contractions.

It's a little unorthodox in today's world to have 5 kids but as you know we live outside the square box.

I've gotten some great and some negative responses. I look at it that every child is a gift from God and I thank him to entrusting 5 little souls to my care.

Krispy Kreme

Oh howI love Krispy Kreme donuts!

This is one thing I miss most about living in the country.... these melt in your mouth donuts.

So if you live near a Krispy Kreme stop by on June 1st and have one for me for free!

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Madeline

5 years ago today we welcome Madeline into our lives. Little sweetie had some problems at birth and had a hard start at life but she showed her spunk and strong will and quickly recovered.

 We had no idea the little joy that was going to enter our lives. A family of 4 now with 5.

 Always smiling and full of joy!

 Such a sweet little face. I love to see her learn new things.

 She is my child who will walk slowly taking everything in. She's aware of everything and very full of questions.

Today on your 5th birthday I see you as a little girl. You start school next year. How can this be?

I love you so very much!

You are the middle sister and a lot is going on around you.

Your always there to cheer your big sister and big brother on. You love your baby sister Caroline so much. She turns to you for guidance always coping your moves.

Happy Birthday Mitty Girl!!

Call me old fashion

I took this photo straight out of my 15 year old daughters Seventeen magazine.

Did I buy it? Yes.

Did I read it first? No.

I only found out because of my open and honest relationship with my daughter. She brought the magazine to me saying "see this is why my friends are on the pill".

 

 

Here's a quote

"Birth control methods are like jeans: You may need to try a few on before finding a perfect fit. These girls love theirs!"

 

 

What? Are you kidding me comparing birth control to jeans.


Look at the other headline "Sex will be better if you use it"

 

 

The target audience for this magazine is 13 to 18.

 

 

This is not ok with me a mother of 3 girls.

 

New research http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-207039/Pill-harm-future-fertility.html is showing that taking the "pill" for long periods can destroy fertility. All I can say is SCARY!!!

 

Are you going to teach her morals or is Seventeen magazine?


I didn't know this article was in the magazine. The cover looks great with makeup tips and all about The Hunger Games.


Hidden inside is a message to our very impressionable young girls, it's ok to be promiscuous and you can get the pill without your parents knowing. What's next a guide to abortion?

 

 

I was reminded once again today, we have to be aware and downright snoopy when it's come to our children.

 

There are many wolves in sheep's clothing easily luring our children into making poor decisions.

 

We have been in trusted with these children and we are to teach them the moral compass.

 

 

My biggest advice after getting pregnant at 19 is talk to your daughter. Don't be naive, they know more than you think. The internet is littered with filth your children can easily see. Music videos, TV shows... the list goes on and on.

 

 

 She will listen all you have to do is have a relationship where you can discuss sex openly and honestly.

Special Day

Yesterday was a special day for our son.

He has been preparing this year for his first Holy Communion.

 In our faith it's a very special day to celebrate.

We even got a family photo all together and smiling!

Yes, my teenager is much taller than me.

I'm so proud of family.

William is finishing up his 2nd grade year and has grown up way too fast.

He's so handsome and has a very kind heart.

I have to share something that happened this year at school:

I received an email from a mom thanking me for raising a good son. As parents we usually hear the bad and seldom hear the good behavior things.

A little boy was harrasing this sweet little girl in class. She was very upset daily so much so the mother had to say prayers with her each day to help her (heart- breaking).

One day this boy was calling her names and my son went over and told him to leave her alone and stood up for her. Then my son went and told the teacher.

When she got home she told her mom that William stood up to him and it made her feel much better and realized it was going to be ok and she was able to shrug it off.

When I read it I cried with joy, my son is actually listening to what we are teaching him! This email was much better than hitting a homerun at a baseball game. This is true character!

I am so very proud of this sweet boy! Please slow down growing up, I'm not ready.

1/2 off Starbucks

This is a great savings for Starbucks! I love the mocha or vanilla Frappuccino now I can pick them up for half off.

I'll be ditching Sonic for Starbucks today!

YUM!

House Before and Afters

We've been in our house for almost a year now.

We've done a lot of work and still have a lot to do.

I was looking back at photos today and I thought I would share.

This is how the entry looks today.

We've done a ton of painting and wall paper removal.

This is a bit of the living room/ bar/ kitchen

before when we first looked at the house at year ago.
This is it today. We've painted and refinished the hardwood floors.
I'm hoping we will redo the kitchen and get me some new appliances and granite soon!

I'm enjoying the country life. Many changes but my favorite is the quiet 2 lane roads.
I don't miss the long lines at the traffic lights.

Seasons of Friends

We always hear life is a journey.

What does that really mean?

I've been reflecting lately on friendships I've had over the years.

Our move has had me thinking.

Some are with you for many years others only a few months.

Childhood friends, church friends, kid activity friends, neighbors, friends you meet by chance.... the list goes on and on.

As life changes so does the contact with these special people in your lives.

Just because life has taken you in a different path doesn't mean these people are less important.

These memories and journey is very important in who you are and who you become.

Each of my friendships have had purpose and I value the time spent with each and everyone.

God brings people together when you need it.

I can't tell you how many times I've been praying for a particular thing and someone comes into my path and helps me or leads me in the right direction.

Today I'm praying for all the people I've called friends over the years. Those of you I've emailed in the blog world to those of you who I've known as long as I can remember in real life.

May God Bless each of you and bring you peace today.

Thank you God for friendship.

I see a beautiful image in heaven seeing familiar friendly faces along your path.

We're all here on Earth striving for the same goal.

Let's pray for one another and ask for God's blessings.

Maybe today is the day you call a friend you've lost contact with just to say hi.

Time to Celebrate

Spring time so many things to celebrate!

Easter was an anticipated celebration in our home.

After the 40 days of lent and no desserts the kids were overjoyed and filled with treats.

I didn't get a photo before church when the girls had bows and Will had on his church pants. But here are the kids about to head out to lunch with the grandparents.

This little girl cracks me up. She should be called "Miss Independent". She wants to do everything herself. She likes to eat with her long baby spoons. Lots of messes!

Another celebration was our oldest daughters 15th birthday.

In our new town they have these signs up in the middle of town that kids paint for birthdays and special occasions.

It's a mark we're officially residents Katelyn's birthday was annoucened on the sign. Her sweet friend Elizabeth painted it for her. What a great friend and talented artist!

Here is Kate and her pretty friends for her birthday party. These girls are a ton of fun! It reminded me of my teenage sleepover days.

They pigged out on junk food, took a ton of photos, decorated pillowcases and headed off to a late showing of the Hunger Games. Sleep time, what's that??

Favorite Fast Food

If you like Whataburger then this should make your mouth water with excitement!

Before we moved out to the country I had every choice of fast food within 5 miles.

Now it's more like 3 choices....

Whataburger is my new favorite when we have weeknight sports games or late practice.

I just crave their cute little ketchup packets. Seriously, what's in their ketchup it's the best anywhere. Have you tried new spicy ketchup, delish!

Did you know if you get rid of the cheese on your burger you can't taste the difference?

You also save about 100 calories.

Just sayin its summer time and I'm thinking about bathing suits.

I used to think it was called "waterburger"

What is your favorite fast food?

Our family Circus

Hello visitors from Kelly's Korner. These are my 4 beautiful kiddos. We have a 15 year old, 8, 4, and 19 months. These are the members of our circus. This is our family nickname.

Anywhere and at anytime we're bound to give you a show.

The little girls are double trouble, they remind me of the doublemint twins. They look a like even though they are 2 years apart. Caroline has gotten Mommy's stop that look down early.

Our 2 oldest Kate and Will are tons of fun. Kate's our dancer and Will is our all-star athlete. His nickname is "homerun Will". They've outgrown the picking at each other and get along really well. I think they gang up against double trouble.

Madeline the 4 year old is the spunky girl. Seriously one of the funniest kids. She says the craziest things.

Here we are all polished and fixed up. One of my best friends Adrien who's a photographer took this family photo for us last year.

Most of our photos end up like this. It's hard to get everyone to smile and look at once. Dad even said "Look I see Ariel, it's didn't work"

Many people ask why we have such big age gaps. I tell them I wouldn't have it any other way. We've had time to enjoy each child as a baby and they all interact very well together. We never have to pay for a babysitter although we don't do date nights very often since we moved out to the country about 25 minutes from the city.

Every Sunday night we have family night. It's a highlight of our week. We make a big dinner then play a game. We also unplug our phones and turn off the computer so we can stay focused.

A family favorite is the game of "Life". We get very competitive. Don't worry in the photo above that's my wine not my 4 year olds!

I grew up as an only child and our next door neighbors had 4 kids. I told my mom "It's not fair they go home and still get to play". Now I know it's true!

It brings me so much joy seeing the children interact together. I won't lie it's stressful and we don't have much down time but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Thanks for visiting and meeting our circus!