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Family Life
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Last night Simon said "Thanks Mom, for giving us another baby". It was so cute. He thinks he has the cutest baby sister in the world.
Looks like everyone has winter boots that fit except for Audrey. It's nice when I can go 'shopping' in my storage room and find coats and boots to fit everyone. I'll probably still have to pick up a few pairs of gloves and mittens because they tend to get lost or wrecked by the dog.
Lucy is starting to smile and almost giggle. She tends to be fussy in the evening. I have my 6 week check up today. I made an appointment today for Dana to see a dermatologist. Her skin is pretty broken out and dry looking, I don't want it to develop into a big problem for her.
Treat or treating was cold. We all went to the trunk or treat at church and then just the older 3 and Tim went out into the neighborhood.
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One year anniversary of my miscarriage.
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A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms
when his hands are empty.
~Reader's Digest
Still no dishwasher, the garage door won't close, and my older washing machine is not working right. Apparently my appliances are not too happy..
Still no lab results.
Going to a purse party tonight at my cousin Karen's. Tim says if I get a purse, it can be my birthday present.
Going to court in Kalamazoo for the bankruptcy hearing tomorrow. Grandpa and Grandma will watch Simon and Ruby, the rest of the kids will go with us. Sherill will probably stop by and let Nigel out. My family is so helpful  . After the hearing, we'll stop at a museum in Kalamazoo. http://kvm.kvcc.edu/
Thinking that I'll sign Simon and Ruby up for some swimming classes. I had another nightmare about one of the kids drowning last night. Our pool is closed up, I thought I'd get a break from these kinds of bad dreams for a few months:( I've read that the drowning risk for children is reduced when they have taken some sort of formal swimming lessons and I'm sure they'd have a good time taking lessons at the Aquatic Center.
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18-21 Place these words on your hearts. Get them deep inside you. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder. Teach them to your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning until you fall into bed at night. Inscribe them on the doorposts and gates of your cities so that you'll live a long time, and your children with you, on the soil that God promised to give your ancestors for as long as there is a sky over the Earth.
Deuteronomy 11:18-21 - The Message
We are still waiting on the results of the labs drawn in Detroit. Those results will basically tell us if Tim and I are both carriers, or just one of us, and also if Lucy is a carrier of the classic form or just the mild.
Lucy's blood was also drawn again last week to see how she is tolerating her diet of half breastmilk and half soy formula.
When we told people about her being on soy formula, many of them said they got their formula from WIC. We decided to see if we were eligible, and because of Tim's current lower income and our family size, we are eligible. So that will be very helpful to us for the time being.
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“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
- Elizabeth Stone
This a what I posted on Facebook about what is going on with Miss Lucy.
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Galactosemia means too much galactose in the blood. The infant cannot properly change galactose into energy. Galactose is one of the many sugars found in foods where it exists by itself or as part of another sugar called lactose.
So, Lucy will be on half soy formula and half breastmilk for her first year. When she is able to start solids, she won't be able to have: Milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, sherbet, or pudding.
She will have her galactose levels checked at 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months to make sure she is tolerating her diet and the levels remain where they should be. After 1 year of age, she will have a food challenge, where she will get to have several servings of milk, and if her labs still remain good, then she can eat the same as the rest of the family.
So, in Detroit, they did a physical exam on her. They explained how they are really testing for Classic Galactosemia, but in doing so they often find Duarte or Mild Galactosemia. Untreated mild galactosemia can possibly cause learning delays, speech delays, and delayed ovarian function. Classic galactosemia is a different disorder from lactose intolerance. I also spoke with a dietician.
Anyways, they always took a blood sample for DNA, and I think that is so we will know if she is a carrier for mild galactosemia only, or also for classic galactosemia, which she will want to know when she has children. They also drew blood from Tim and I, so we will know if we are both carriers. It's kind of strange that this showed up in our 6th child! Hopefully we will get all of those results soon. All further labs can be done in Holland, and any further appointments will be done in Grand Rapids.
Tim had time to quick take Isaac and Audrey to the Detroit Science Museum to see their cool Accidential Mummies exhibit. We stopped at Red Lobster on the way home, and also shopped a bit at the Twelve Oaks Mall in Nove. Lucy did great during the drive and slept almost the entire time. My mom and Dana stayed home and took care of Simon and Ruby.
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Well, we got the call on Tuesday afternoon that Lucy has mild galactosemia (also known as Duarte-variant). This means that she might have had symptoms that are less severe than the classic form. Or that she might have had no symptoms at all and not needed any treatment. We have been advised to put her on a diet of half soy formula and half breastmilk.
Classic galactosemia, which she does not have, can be life-threatening and lead to hypoglycemia, seizures, enlarged liver, jaundice, bleeding, serious infections, and early cataracts. Children who have this who do not receive treatment usually die of liver failure. So, we are thankful that she has the mild form. But also kind of surprised because this is our 6th child, and no one else has tested positive for this.
And they want us to bring her to a special hospital in Detroit for a physical exam, genetic counseling, and a meeting with a dietician. We will be going there next week. It should be pretty informative, but also a pain as far as figuring out what kids will go where, who will watch them, how many will we take with us. We'll get that all figured out somehow. And then a year from now, we'll probably have to go back to this Detroit hospital for more testing to see if she is ready to start dairy products.
The other children will probably need to be tested when they are older or ready to start their own families so they will know if they are carriers of this condition.
All in all, Lucy is a pretty content little baby. Drinking the soy formula has given her some constipation. She turns 3 weeks tomorrow. Tim turned 37 yesterday, we got him a fry daddy. He had been wanting one for some time and made a batch of french fries with it yesterday.
I signed Simon up for some nature classes at the Outdoor Discovery Center. Isaac and Audrey are really enjoying their classes at Holland Christian.
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Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(Psalms 127:3-5 ESV)
First time going to church today as a family of 8. It went pretty well. Ruby went to the nursery and everyone else sat with us. After church, someone was even kind enough to complement me on how well they all behaved and how quiet they were.
Hoping to hear Lucy's lab results tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. Weight on Friday, Oct 2, was 8 lb 10 oz. She is taking the soy formula fine, but it would be awesome if we could nurse part of the time.
Planning on a little movie night with the kids tonight. Monsters VS Aliens in the basement with popcorn.
Tim turning 37 this week! We started dating when we were 17, so we've known each other almost 20 years.
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No news on Lucy. Maybe tomorrow?
Total weight loss since Lucy's birth, 24 pounds!!!
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An interesting couple of days!
I came home from the hospital on Saturday evening (Sept 19, 2009). My parents were there, so they saw Lucy for a few brief minutes before heading out. The kids were extremely EXCITED and everyone had their turns holding her. Simon met me in the garage and looked under my shirt immediately, asking how the baby came out, and if she was naked when she came out.
Sunday and Monday were pretty calm. Tim's mom stopped by to see Lucy.
Tuesday (Sept 22, 2009) - We go in to the pediatrician's office for her first little routine check up. Her weight is
7 lb 11 oz. Dr is concerned about Lucy's weight loss, we need to come back Friday to recheck the weight. I think we went through this with Ruby.
Wednesday (Sept 23, 2009) - I wake up with a sore leg, sore on one of my varicose veins, it is red and hot. I call my dr., they send me in for an ultrasound. It is phlebitis, irritation of a surface vein. All it needs is rest, heat, and Motrin. Later that afternoon, the pediatrician calls. Lucy has a border line positive on her newborn screening for Galactosemia. We need to go in and redo that test.
Thursday ( Sept 24, 2009) - Go in to the hospital, get lab test redone.
Friday (Sept 25, 2009) - Weight up to 8 lb 3 oz, make appt for 2 months, wait for lab results, but dr seems to think it was a false positve.
Saturday ( Sept 26, 2009) - 4:30 pm, Dr's office calls, lab test still not looking good, confirmatory testing needed, in the meantime, stop breastfeeding IMMEDIATELY. Galactosemia is a very serious disorder. We ask if we can go in immediately for the next lab tests, but they want to see her in the office first. She has had no symptoms of this disorder, but since it can be extremely serious, we follow dr orders, go buy soy formula and bottles, and I get to start pumping. Not a good day. However, Lucy doesn't seem to mind the bottles or the formula, so that makes it somewhat easier.
Sunday (Sept 27, 2009) - Stay home from church, almost all the kids have colds. Tim takes the kids to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in the afternoon.
Monday (Sept 28, 2009) - Call first thing in the morning and get an appointment for Lucy. They check her over (again), no symptoms, no vomiting, no jaundice. Weight is up to 8 lb 4.5 oz. So, they want to see her again on Friday because of the slow weight gain, I'm thinking it's because we had to switch her to formula over the weekend. Dr mentions how tired I look, gee thanks. He makes calls to figure out what lab tests are needed. Go home and wait to hear that the test is ordered so we can go back out to the hospital lab. Finally get to go in to the lab at around 5:30 pm.
Tuesday (Sept 29, 2009) - Waiting, waiting, waiting. Still giving soy formula, still pumping and freezing breast milk. Children's Hospital of Detroit calls to see what lab the blood was taken at and asks if we have any questions. They seem to think if Lucy has Galactosemia, that she will have a mild case of it and we will probably be able to 1/2 breast feed and 1/2 soy formula. Hoping to hear results soon.
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Well, our anniversary (Sept 10) came and went, Sept 11 came and went, Tim's Dad's birthday (Sept 12) came and went and still no baby. I was getting more and more tired and more and more sick. Hardly eating and throwing up daily. I called the Dr.'s office on Sept 16 and said I was ready to be induced. They called back later that day and said to be at the hospital on September 18 at 7 am. I went out that night, Wednesday, and got a last stock up on groceries. On Thursday, I took Isaac to tae kwondo, and then went to my homeschool support group meeting. I didn't really sleep that night, stayed up until at least 1:30 am, and was up at 4:30, and then up again for good at 5:30 am. Took a shower and got ready to go. Grandma Nicol arrived right on time and Tim and I headed to the hospital. We took a few pictures, got all checked in. The Dr. was in by 7:45 and broke my water and I thought we were good to go. I was having contractions before they broke my water.
Oops, Lucy is awake and crying, will finish this later.
By 10 am, not much was happening yet. The nurse started the pitocin at 6, promising to come back and increase it by 6 every 30 minutes. Obviously, things started getting much more painful at this point. I asked for an epidural at around 2:45 pm, and it took until around 3:25 for it to be in and working. Tim was a great help during this waiting time. In hind sight, I wonder if we should have just tried the Stadol, but at the moment, all I could think about was the epidural.
I started feeling changes pretty quickly so we called the nurse back in, she checked and said the baby was 'right there'. I was like 'what do you mean?', I was feeling pretty tired and spacey at this point. She said that she had to go get the Dr.
So, Dr comes rushing in, nurse helps me get into position, Lucy starts coming out, Dr says 'hold on'. I say 'I'm not doing anything'. Birth is very fast and easy. Lucy is pink, beautiful, and crying.
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Patiently waiting for #6 to join us. Appt. this week, everything looks fine, blood pressure nice and low, feet still swollen and gross. Just keep waiting.
15 year anniversary coming up next week. Wow.
Kids doing well with the start of school (homeschool). Meet the teacher meeting tonight for the Holland Christian Homeschool program that Isaac and Audrey will be attending. Dana volunteering at Critter Barn today. Isaac was promoted to GREEN belt and earned his red uniform. He is part of the Black Belt Club now, we are so proud of him!
And we're still bankrupt, but with the help of a family member, we were able to pay our mortgage for August. Whew!
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August 21, 2009
We didn't pay our mortgage this month, I'm not sure if we'll be able to pay it next month. I never thought we'd be unable to pay our mortgage. Tim called the bank and explained our current rotten situation. Our hope and prayer is that we can finish up with the bankruptcy stuff and get his 401k out and pay our mortgage with that. Of course it takes money to file for bankruptcy, that makes no sense. We've changed our phone number so the credit card people will stop calling, obviously we haven't paid those bills either, business or personal. We've cut out lots of stuff around here, but will be cutting more. We are making sure that the health insurance gets paid this month, so we have insurance when this baby is born. Actually, this little blog will probably be going down soon. Thankfully, we have no car payments, so we don't have to worry about that.
Trying to be hopeful and look ahead and not ever be in this type of situation again. Trying to be hopeful that we won't lose our house, but there is a good chance we will. Where will we rent a house big enough for 8 people? Maybe we should move out of state? Trying not to blame situations or people for this whole mess. Like what if the business had been built on cash, rather than debt, what if it had been grown slowly, what if he hadn't been sued, what if the whole family mess hadn't occurred, what if he had actually taken some business classes and had a clue what he was doing, what if he had another business mentor or someone to give him advice, what if he hadn't paid a large amount of money to a brother that won't speak to him, what if his Dad hadn't died, what if we hadn't done our house remodel and had some of that money left, what if we hadn't been so stupid and impatient? I'm sure Tim could add his own list of what ifs?
It's kind of funny that in January of 2008, I started listening to Dave Ramsey and was really inspired to turn things around for our personal finances. We actually paid a large amount of debt down, but there wasn't any hope for a business that was built on debt. And actually, Tim had recently gotten a plan (with much urging and begging from me) and was working on getting out debt for the business too, but the economic downturn and the bank calling his mortgage killed any chance of recovery.
So, that's the Friday whine. On the upside, I'm 36 weeks pregnant today. I got the baby swings, play pen, and bassinet out. So thankful that we don't need any baby supplies. Wishing I had a more concrete plan of who will watch the kids while I'm at the hospital, but it's hard to know because I don't know if she will make her appearance in the morning, evening, or middle of the night. I'm sure it will all work out fine. Dana and Audrey say they want to be there for the birth.
We went downtown last night and saw the street performers. Before we went downtown, we brought a bag of change to the CoinStar at Family Fare, so we'd have some cash for the kids to get some candy at the Peanut Store. The evening started out a little rocky with Isaac having a fit over his Nintendo game in the van, but I think he ended up having a good time in spite of himself. The kids all really liked the juggler and the living statue guy, and we didn't lose any kids, that's always a plus. We saw tons of people from our church downtown. Ruby carried her four baby bears everywhere we went.
And last but not least, our basement is carpeted again, it looks beautiful, thank you to our church!!!
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34 week Dr. appointment. Everything looking good. Baby girl is head down, blood pressure fine, weight fine. It's almost like I've done this before:) Next appointment on August 25, 2009.
Carpet coming on Thursday and Friday for basement main room and stairs. Going out to Cran-Hill on Saturday for the day to visit with the group from church that will be there.
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First gift for new baby! My mom brought over a pack of size 1 diapers.
Carpet gets put into the 2 bedrooms in the basement tomorrow. Dana will get to move back downstairs soon.
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The other day I got out the boxes of baby clothes and started washing and hanging them up. We have a serious baby girl clothes overload. No baby girl clothes are needed in this house anytime soon. This sweet girl will be very well dressed, now I just have to pick out what she will wear for her hospital picture. She has a name too.
Drywall guy finishing up in the basement tomorrow, hooray. Refrigerator finally fixed, still under warranty, thank goodness. Dishwasher a hopeless mess, probably would cost more to repair than it would to get a new one. I think the poor thing was overworked. The kids are getting good at drying dishes though, it's good for them.
We went blueberry picking on July 19 at Earl's Farm Market and got about 16 pounds of berries. I made blueberry coffee cake today.
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And now the dishwasher goes up in smoke, time to wash by hand and use lots of paper plates. Blah...
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Pregnancy Update:
Appt on July 14, 2009. Blood pressure good. Dr. says I've only gained 16 pounds. I had probably gained a couple before my first appointment and I gained a few pounds and not lost them after my miscarriage this fall. Dr. estimating baby's current weight at around 3 pounds. Everything looking good except my gross varicose veins on my right leg.
Kids all doing well. Isaac going to Camp Geneva on July 23 and 24.
We've contacted the people that we had set up a Traverse City cottage with and told them that we are unable to go to due to financial difficulty and basement flooding. We might be able to get our deposit back if they can rebook the cottage for that week, otherwise we lose our deposit:(
Drywall board up in the basement, waiting for drywall mudding guy to come sometime this week.
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 Pregnancy News: Dr. appt from June 9 went fine. I passed my gestational diabetes screening. Everything looks good. Next appt June 30, I should be getting my Rhogam shot. Feeling good, but tired. Lots of swelling in my feet and ankles. Name is 95% picked out, but could always change at the last minute. Kid news: Dana and Audrey spent 5 nights at Cran Hill Ranch. They both had a great time and can't wait to go back next year. House news: Our basement was flooded, the carpet and some drywall was ruined. All kids sleeping upstairs for now. It's inconvenient, but I know many others had much worse damage. Thankful for lots of help from church. Life news: Bank has called in Tim's business mortgage. Lakeshore Wheel & Tire will be closing very soon. Very stressful. On to new things, just hope we don't starve or lose our house during the transition.
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My Least Favorite Mom Jobs:
1. Pushing kids on the swings. Daddy does it so much better, so they always complain when I do it. Push me higher, underdogs, higher, more.......
2. Blowing bubbles. The bubble goo gets all over. Can never blow them fast enough. And lately when I do it, the dog gets the bubbles and pops them before the kids can.
3. Giving kids baths. They want to stay in forever, get the whole floor wet and slipper, and then they never want to crawl out, and I hate having to bend way over and pick them up out of the tub.
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The baby that we lost this fall would have been due any day now. I'm missing him or her alot today.
Glory Baby by Watermark....
Glory baby you slipped away as fast as we could say baby…baby..
You were growing, what happened dear?
You disappeared on us baby…baby..
Heaven will hold you before we do
Heaven will keep you safe until we’re home with you…
Until we’re home with you…
Miss you everyday
Miss you in every way
But we know there’s a
day when we will hold you
We will hold you
You’ll kiss our tears away
When we’re home to stay
Can’t wait for the day when we will see you
We will see you
But baby let sweet Jesus hold you
‘till mom and dad can hold you…
You’ll just have heaven before we do
You’ll just have heaven before we do
Sweet little babies, it’s hard to
understand it ‘cause we’re hurting
We are hurting
But there is healing
And we know we’re stronger people through the growing
And in knowing-
That all things work together for our good
And God works His purposes just like He said He would…
Just like He said He would…
BRIDGE:
I can’t imagine heaven’s lullabies
and what they must sound like
But I will rest in knowing, heaven is your home
And it’s all you’ll ever know…all you’ll ever know…
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We celebrated Simon's 4th birthday this weekend. He is a big boy now and doesn't want anyone to forget it. He received some Wolverine toys, a Big Wheel, and lots of play-doh. And he even got to go to the big Saturday Tulip Time parade on his birthday.
It's hard to believe that he is 4 already. And to think that we thought we were 'done' after Audrey. We can't imagine life without our Simon and thank God for him daily.
Dana also had a guitar and piano recital on Saturday. She did great and we are very proud of her.
And for Mother's Day, I got a Kindle, it is soooo cool.
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We've been discussing lately how to rearrange rooms when our new baby joins us. Baby usually sleeps with mom and dad for awhile, but at some point, someone will have to share a room. Audrey heard us talking and really wanted to share a room with Ruby, starting immediately. So, Friday night Tim carried down Ruby's little toddler bed and the girls read books together and went right to sleep. Saturday morning, Audrey and Ruby got up around 8:15, and Audrey dressed and changed Ruby. It's great to see sisterly love in action.
On Friday, we Tim, Dana, and I went and took a tour of Calvary Schools. www.cbschool.org We signed Dana up for Power Plus. It looks like it will be a great experience for her and possibly lead into her taking more classes there as she gets older. We were very impressed with the school and everyone that we met there.
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20 weeks pregnant today and we are having a GIRL!!!!!!
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Simon learned how to swing today! He learned how to kick his little legs and lean back a little so that he can keep the swing going without Mom (or Dad or Dana or Isaac or Audrey) pushing him. Way to go!!!
Dana and I are going to Lansing for a Homeschool Day. It should be interesting, but will also be a long day.
Audrey had the big 7 year birthday on April 24th. She got to go to the Hannah Montanna movie with Grandma Nicol. She did shopping and lunch with Grandma Jan.
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I'm 18 weeks pregnant today and starting to feel little baby kicks and movement. What a blessing! I can't help but think that I should be much farther along and still miss our baby that we lost that would have been born late May or early June.
But I am constantly thinking about what to name this little brother or sister. We have an ultra sound scheduled for April 30.
Some names that I like, in no particular order:
Lucy
Ella
Wendy
Laura
Etta
Vera
Lily
Lana
Eden
Zoe
Jesse
Micah
Owen
Emmett
Gavin
Obviously I have a harder time coming up with boys names, and the middle name has to be Robert.
Other names that I like, but won't use because they are too similar to other kids in our family, or that don't fit in with our name 'rules'. Some of these could be used for middle names.
Daphne
Silas
Adam
Faith
Hope
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It's been quite awhile since I have added anything to this page. We have had some excitement around here.
We finally announced to the world that we are expecting again. So far things look great. I am 16 weeks and 2 days today. I have a doctor appointment this week and will hopefully get my ultrasound set up. Bring on the name suggestions!
We got a babysitter/mother's helper who is helping out several hours a week. Her name is Heather and the kids LOVE her!
Audrey lost two teeth this weekend. She is beyond excited. Gone are the days of sweet little girl teeth, here comes the giant adult teeth:(
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Embarassing:(
We went out to Bob Evans for dinner last night. For us going out to eat is a rare occasion. So last night, during dinner, Simon left the table and went across the aisle, used a straw, and spit a spitball right in a lady's face. I wish I could have crawled under the table. We apologized and the couple laughed and said that they had 6 children. Whew! Could have been worse, but still super embarassing. And then as an added bonus, Isaac threw up all over when we got home. My brave husband cleaned it all up because he knows that if I see vomit, it will get me going too:(
Planning on going to the Air Zoo later this week if everyone is healthy.
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Happy Birthday to Ruby Lynn!
Our baby girl turns 2 today. She was born about a week early, in the middle of the night, during an ice storm. She is a whirlwind of climbing and playing. She loves her brothers and sisters. One of her favorite activities is taking a nice long bath, usually with a sibling (or two). She sleeps in a big girl bed (most of the time). She loves her Grandpa Bob. Her favorite food is cheese. Her favorite toys are Tickle Me Elmo, Tickle Me Cookie Monster, Brobee, and all her dollies. Her favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. She likes to look at cats, puppies, and babies. She knows what she wants and when she wants it. She is talking up a storm. We thank God for giving us this beautiful little girl.
We are also rejoicing today with Brad and Monica, as they have received news that their court date has gone through and they will be able to travel soon to pick up their son and daughter.
www.pennythoughts-monica.blogspot.com
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Best of 2008
- Trip to Florida
- Weekend in Rothbury, hotel with water park, Double JJ Ranch
- Getting serious about budget, thank you Dave Ramsey
- Ruby turns 1!
- Audrey turns 6!
- Day trip to Meijer Gardens
- New neighbors with kids
- Isaac and Dana on TCAC swim team
- Simon turns 3!
- Dutch Dancing with Sherill
- We get a puppy, Nigel Danger
- Dana turns 11, Isaac turns 9
- Isaac and Dana do Science Camps at Hope College
- Lots of swimming in our pool this summer
- Dana volunteers twice a month at Critter Barn
- Isaac starts Luvox for OCD, and it helps alot
- Celebrate 14 years of marriage
- Grandma Jan gets a hip replacement and feels lots better
- We get 3 chickens
- Grandpa and Grandma Nicol doing well
- Dana starts guitar lessons, Audrey continuing piano lessons, Isaac doing taekwon do
- 7th year of homeschooling
- Tim and kids go to Legoland in Schaumburg, IL
- Tim and Barb turn 36
- We get pregnant with #6
- Brandon and Amanda visit from Rhode Island
- Kids growing, everyone healthy, older 3 all get glasses
- We get an awesome 10 passenger van
Worst of 2008
- We've made some bad decisions financially
- No resolution in a major family relationship
- Simon breaks his collarbone
- We lost our baby at around 7 weeks, Nov. 2, 2008
So, obviously the good outweighs the bad, but high hopes that 2009 will be a blessed, happy, and healthy year for us all.
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The chickens finally laid some eggs and Isaac found them!
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Dana gets her bite jumpers put on, no more overbite!!!
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We had a nice Thanksgiving meal at Grandma Jan's today and we even got lots of leftovers to take home.
The new van is working out really well. I love love love it. Lots of space for everyone, and easier to drive than I expected.
Isaac has his yellow belt in taekwondo now. We went to lunch at Wild Chef to celebrate. He got two new patches for his uniform too.
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I was woken up this morning by two boys asking if they could play outside. They have been outside for hours and hours these last three days. I'm looking into buying a boot dryer to help keep their little toes warm. This is one of the great joys of homeschooling for me. I can't even picture Isaac having to sit in a school room, behind a desk, when there is so much snow on the ground. Yesterday Isaac built 4 snowmen, 4! That's alot of snow time. But then on his breaks from snow time, he comes in does his Bible, Math, Language Arts, Science, Handwriting, History-Geography, Typing, and Chores. And he is making wonderful grades in those subjects. Homeschooling is a perfect fit for Isaac.
Isaac will also be going to Taekwondo this afternoon. He is really doing great there and will be getting his yellow belt on Saturday. I'm so proud of him! He said last night that he will do swim team this season too.
And if everything works out, we will be getting a 2005 Ford Econoline 350, 10 passenger van this weekend. It has center aisle seating too. Unfortunately, it is white, (I'm thinking of naming it Casper),but maybe we can get it painted at some point. It won't have a DVD player in it, but the children will have to survive without it, the older kids just read in the car anyways. I was ready to trade in the Armada after we rented one of these beasts back in Feb when we went to Florida. Don't get me wrong, the Armada is a beautiful car, I love it. I love the mapping system (since I get lost at least once a week), I love how it looks too, but we'll make some cash on this deal and the big van will be more practical for us. Hope it fits in the garage. And I hope that we are blessed with another child ( or two or three more) to fill those seats!!
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Finally, some love. Simon has been telling me for weeks that he hates me. He hates girls, but he specifically hates me. And then all of a sudden, this week, he loves me again. He loves Dad, Mom, Dana, Isaac, Ruby, Nigel, and the cats. And he still does not love Audrey, oh well 
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In light of election week, I thought I'd have the kids journal about what they would do if they were President. So they all made lists of new laws that they would make.
Dana
1. no animal abuse
2. horses for anyone who wants them
3. no abortion
4. world peace (maybe, if i can?)
5. homeschool legal everywhere
6. no child abuse
7. tax breaks for bankrupt people
8. education for everyone
Isaac
1. no cheating
2. no lying
3. no black-mail
4. no eating cat or dog food
5. no killing
Audrey (she borrowed a few laws from Isaac)
If I were president, I'd take care of my people.
The Laws
1. no eating dog food or cat food
2.no black-mail
3. no peas
4. no beans
5. all the toys I want
6. no school
7. no chores
8. all kids should have nintendo ds
9. no kool aid
(and then she must have ran out of ideas)
10. need idea
11. need idea
12. need idea
13. need idea
And yes, all the law about eating dog and cat food are referring to Ruby, she loves dog treats!
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Recovering and getting back to normal.
Had a nice Halloween, the weather was perfect. Kids had a great time at the church trunk or treat and trick or treating in our neighborhood. The little ones, Simon and Ruby stayed home with Grandpa and Grandma. Cousin Allison came along for some of the neighborhood trick or treating. Grandma Jan brought supper over on Oct 30, and Grandma Nicol brought supper over on Oct 31, and I really appreciated that from both of them.
Waiting to watch the election results...
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I had an ultrasound on Monday afternoon. The doctor called on Tuesday and said that it showed no hearbeat and that we should wait for a miscarriage to start......
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Ouch, I did something to my back and it has been very sore for 3 days now. I got a prescription for a muscle relaxer from my doctor, but it does not seem to be helping much. Hopefully it will get itself straightened out over the weekend.
Dana got her braces put on this week. It's been exciting for her. She's been a little sore, but not too bad.
Ruby is really starting to talk quite a bit. She can say Dana, Audrey, Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa, but she can't say Isaac or Simon. She calls Isaac - Guy, and she calls Simon - Doo-dee.
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Suggestions Please
This baby coming this spring will need a name. Feel free to visit my guestbook and leave your ideas and suggestions. The rules are: needs to be 2 syllable, would prefer it not to end in the 'ee' sound, (like Audrey and Ruby), would prefer it not to start with any letters that we already have, so that leaves out D, I, A, S, and R. I also prefer the name to not be to popular, hopefully not on the top 100 popular baby names list. Not too concerned about name meanings, but don't like names with very negative meanings, such as Mallory means "unlucky".
These are some names that I like, but some of them break my rules. And the boy middle name has to be Robert, or might Dad might disown me:( Other family names that would be nice to include or honor, Jean, Jo, Jan, Edward, Dale, Carol, and Ruth.
Boy
Joel
Micah
Anders
Hans - breaks 2 syllable rule
Charlie (Tim's favorite) - breaks - e - ending rule
Henry - breaks - e- ending rule
Owen
Robb - breaks 2 syllable rule
Jesse (adding this one in for Tim) - breaks -e- ending rule
Girl
Cora
Vera
Lily (Tim's favorite) - breaks -e- ending rule
Hope - breaks 2 syllable rule
Lana
Eden
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We had another family injury yesterday. Audrey fell on her ankle while jumping on the trampoline. We took her in the the doctor and got it checked out. So far it just looks like a bad sprain. It is still sore, turning purple, and pretty swollen. If it is not feeling quite a bit better tomorrow, the doctor wants us to call him back and possible have an x-ray done.
I'm going with a group of ladies tonight to a homeschool conference. www.titus2.org
I have enjoyed several books by this family and am looking forward to the conference.
No morning sickness yet, which is kind of unusual for me. I'll just try to enjoy it while it lasts:)
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On Wednesday, Oct 8, I was able to go in to the Dr. for my first appointment. She was able to get me in for a quick ultrasound so that we would have a better idea of how far along I am. She wasn't sure if we would see a heart beat, but we did. It was amazing to see that little heart flicker. It estimated I am probably around 6 weeks 1 day, which would give me a due date of June 1, 2008. Next appointment is Nov. 5.
On Thursday, Oct 9, Isaac and Dana went to the orthodontist. No big changes for Isaac, just keep waiting to lose and gain more teeth. Dana, however, will be having major changes, and getting her braces this month. We are excited for her! We hope this helps with her speech and her self esteem. She's had to deal with that overbite for awhile now. She is still missing a tooth that is impacted and she will have to have some oral surgery to get that tooth out.
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Van Huis Baby #6
Truly, we tried to wait to tell everyone. Wait until I was further along, wait until I was showing, wait until the morning sickness begins, but....... we were too excited and had to tell! First doctor appointment is set for October 8, 2008.
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On Sept 27, 2008, we became the proud owners of 3 Isa Browns. It was quite an adventure getting them. Tim got his work truck and drove out to get them. Unfortunately, the coop did not fit in the truck, so he had to leave it and come back home. Then he made a series of phone calls looking for a trailer. He went and bought a knob thing for our Armada, borrowed a trailer from my sister's husband, and went to get the chickens at 8 in the evening, taking the 3 older kids with him. And then when they tried to load it up, one of the legs of the coop broke off, that had to be mended, it was completely dark, in the middle of the country, with 3 very hyper and excited kids. He did finally make it home successfully with the chickens who have been named Millie, Ninja, and Diamond. Stay tuned for the first eggs!
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Grandma Jan had hip replacement surgery on Monday. She is now at a rehab facility. She is doing great and is sure to be home soon. We have been very impressed with all of the fine care that she has received at the hospital and rehab center. And impressed with how quickly she is recovering.
Tim and Isaac are on their way to get our new chickens right now. Will be posting chicken coop and hen pictures soon!
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 We had a great time at the Ringling Bros. Circus. It was a Bellobration after Bello, the famous clown. Simon's face was priceless, he clapped and clapped for each performer. He got a little restless now and then, but over all did very well. All of us really enjoyed the show, and we had good seats too. The only downer was the animal rights activists that were picketing the entrace of Van Andel. And that the snacks were expensive. Ruby stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, she's a little young for the circus.
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 Yup, 20 months old and still nursing. I even did it in the back of a carriage in Shipshewana, IN. My nursing history, Dana - 11 months, Isaac - 13 months, Audrey - 18 months, and Simon - 15 months, Ruby - ??? The World Health Organization recommends....... Exclusive breastfeedingBreastfeeding is an unequalled way of providing ideal food for the healthy growth and development of infants; it is also an integral part of the reproductive process with important implications for the health of mothers. A recent review of evidence has shown that, on a population basis, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is the optimal way of feeding infants. Thereafter infants should receive complementary foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.
http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/exclusive_breastfeeding/en/index.html
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www.splashuniverse.com
Highs and Lows of our trip to Shipshewana, IN
HIGHS
- drive down went very well, Ruby slept
- hotel and water park was not crowded, 24 rooms booked out of 150 rooms
-3 big kids are old enough to play in the park without us following them every second
-water park is set up so you can easily keep an eye on all the kids
- Ruby was afraid of the water and just stayed right by me so I didn't have to chase her
- got to take a horse and buggy ride
- got to eat at the Blue Gate Inn. awesome roast beef, chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans
www.riegsecker.com
-having a peanut butter sandwich picnic at the park and playground
- Tim eating at least 3 pieces of pie, Choc. Peanut Butter, Coconut, Choc Cream
-Buying Fudge, monster cookies, taffy
-seeing the beautiful country side
-seeing the Amish buggies, seeing little tiny Amish babies
-missing Nigel, our sweet puppy
-kids finally went to sleep around midnight, and slept in
-Simon finally pooped at 6 am, but then went back to sleep
-great country buffet breakfast in the hotel
-nice lunch Friday at the 5 & 20
Lows
- Isaac and Audrey complained the whole time during the 15 minute, $40 buggy ride "can't the horse go faster, why doesn't the horse gallop, this is sooo boring, why does Dana get to sit up by the driver, this is sooooo boring
- Dinner at the Blue Gate was a comedy of errors, either Tim or I was out with Simon or Ruby, we didn't get to sit together for more than 30 seconds, Tim had to eat cold food, $76 for a rushed screaming meal of torture
- Simon was constipated (again) and screamed on and off most of Friday about his sore butt, occasionally hunching over and grunting, and then crying
- Kids wanting to stay at hotel all the time, complaining about going to downtown Shipshewana
- staying in a pretty small room with 5 kids
- fighting and complaining in general
-obsessing about earning tickets in the game room and buying junky toys with the tickets
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Picture of Ruby and Simon, they fell asleep watching TV in our bed.
I know the prior post about homeschooling was kind of rambling, but it's really hard to put down into words all the reasons why we homeschool. It just really comes down to the fact that I believe it is best for our family. It's pretty hard alot of the time, but I'm going to keep working at it.
Today was the first day we did a full day of school for the fall 2008 year. This morning the kids did group exercises, Dana and Isaac did math and Bible. Audrey did Language Arts and penmanship. Dana did history and language arts. Isaac did science. At lunch, we all did devotions. After lunch, they all had some reading time. Isaac did typing practice. Dana did language arts and science. Audrey did math. They all did some chores. We went to visit Chan's Martial Arts to learn about their program and sign up for some introductory lessons. We stopped at Captain Sundae. A very successful day overall!!! A few more things will be added in once Thursday School begins. Dana will be starting guitar and Audrey will be starting piano. Isaac might be starting martial arts. Isaac will be doing Lego Engineering classes at Hope College.
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Why do we homeschool?
We homeschool for many many reasons. Sometimes I need to think about all these reasons when I get down or overwhelmed.
How did we even learn about homeschooling? When we lived in Athens, Georgia, we met some homeschoolers. The drop out rate of the schools were so bad, that we knew if we stayed in that area, we would want to homeschool. Fast forward a few years, we move back to Michigan!!! Now that we are back home, of course the kids will go to Holland Christian. But then we think, homeschooling could still be great, we don't necessarily have to send them to school just because we've moved back. We end up meeting more and more families in the area that homeschool. Our oldest daughter is shy, timid, afraid of loud noises, and has a speech problem. We are afraid she will have trouble in school because of these reasons. We hear about Bill Bennet's K-12 school program, and we sign up.
Ok, Ruby escaped outside, I will continue this later:)
So, we went to conferences, I did a lot of reading. We read things online. And then we get started when Dana is 5. I can clearly remember the joy and pride I felt when she started reading, it was an awesome thing to see your own child learning to read.
Other reasons we homeschool, we just like being around out kids, we want to be one of their main influences, not peers or other adults. We like being able to vacation on our own schedule, not follow a school schedule. We like to be able to teach our faith freely.
Now that we've been doing this for awhile, going on 7 years. Why do we keep homeschooling? It hasn't always been easy, I've actually had meetings set up with Holland Christian that I have backed out of at the last minute. I don't want to be a quitter, I want to be committed to homeschooling through high school. I don't know if we will, but that is my hope.
Isaac, has pretty severe ADHD, it's hard to say how he would do in school. He would probably do fine academically, and horribly socially and behaviorly, and I'm not willing to risk that. He has been kicked out of Thursday Resource Center.
I think Dana and Audrey would do fine in school and they actually are kind of curious about school. Some part time courses when they get older would probably be a great option. Dana is doing fine, still complains about math. Audrey has taught herself how to ready, and is also doing fine. So for now, we're going to keep on homeschooling. Bring on 6th grade, 4th grade, and 1st grade!!!
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3 year old boys are just gross. There's no way around it. Simon peed in Nigel's water bowl today. We have made tremendous strides in the potty training department, but I guess we need to keep working on it.
And....... Dana got her glasses today!!!! She is pretty happy with them. She says she can see better and she looks great.
Looking forward to going to Shipshewana later on this month. Haven't been out on a girls' day in quite awhile. I'm going with my sister, Sherill, and my cousins, Karen, Dawn, and Becky, and maybe Aunt Shirley too. I hope I'll be able to relax and enjoy the day and not worry too much about the kiddos.
My friend, Monica, has just put up a new blog entry about their upcoming adoption. What an exciting time for their family! 2 children to love!
http://pennythoughts-monica.blogspot.com/
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Simon or Lucario?
Simon has decided that he would rather be called Lucario. Lucario is a Pokemon character, a little blue kangaroo type creature. http://www.camerony.com/20050314_lucario.png
If anyone 'mistakenly' calls him Simon, Simon corrects them by saying Lucario under his breath. Even at his 3 year physical he insisted on being called Lucario. So, when the friendly nurse asked him if he knew his name, he answered Lucario. Yup, embarrassing. Sundays, church, nursery, yup, checking him in as Lucario. Is this some sort of odd family trait? Dana, our oldest, went through a long phase of wanting to be called Ariel (from The Little Mermaid). She went so far as to introduce Isaac to everyone as Prince Eric. Mmmmm, Simon refers to Isaac as Pikachu, Audrey as Kirby, and Dana as Peach. OK, I guess it is a family thing.
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Audrey lost her first tooth today. She was soooo excited. We stopped at Family Fare for a few groceries and she told everyone she saw that she had a loose tooth. When she went to bed, she brushed her tooth so it would be clean for the tooth fairy. Way to go, Audrey!!!
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http://www.lpcenters.com
This morning, Dana and I did LifeWalk 2008 to benefit the Lakeshore Pregnancy Center. It looked like there was a great turnout and I enjoyed spending some time with my oldest.
Gave Tim some of his Father's Day present early. Yes, I couldn't wait until tomorrow. I think he liked them. 6 t shirts with custom sayings on them, Dana's Dad, Isaac's Dad, Audrey's Dad. Simon's Dad, Ruby's Dad, and Barb's Husband. All in different colors and fonts.
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 Simon - eating ice cream while naked. What more can I say?
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Savings Angel Member #7008
http://savingsangel.com/amember/go.php?r=7008&i=l1
Took the boys shopping to Family Fare yesterday. I brought cans in and let Isaac do a bag and keep the slip from it. He ended up buying a straw hat that would help him with his Indiana Jones playing.
I did pretty well. Spent $80.29. Saved $10.05 in coupons, $39.37 in sales, and $6.60 in bottle returns. So savings of $57.02 total. 
I did end up buying some unnecessary items because I had the boys with me, like Silly Putty for Simon. And cinnamon waffles for Isaac, sometimes it's easier to buy it than to sit there and explain that we already have some at home, plus I know cinnamon waffles will get eaten. I came out of there with 4 bottles of syrup, priced at $2.34 each and then a coupon for .55 off after buying two. I also got 6 bags of Lender bagels, which were buy one get one free, and then I had 3 coupons for those, .50. Doritos and butter spread were also buy one get one free, so I stocked up on those items. Some items unfortunately are rarely on sale, chocolate milk, kitty litter. Our grocery bill is huge, so anything I can do to reduce it helps.
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Not much new going on. We had Dana reevaluated at the orthodontist and they are recommending that we wait until January and then reevaluate again. It's hard to wait, we are anxious to see what braces will do to improve her overbite and her speech.
Nigel is doing well. He has had a bout with diarrhea and has started on some medicine that seems to be helping.
Pool has been opened, but is way to cold to get in yet. Waiting for some nice weather.
Lots of doctor appointments coming up, Audrey's 6 year check up, Simon's 3 year check up, Dana's 11 year check up, Isaac's 9 year check up, and Ruby's 18 month check up. Isaac also will see his doc to check on his ADHD med, and he is currently going to his therapist twice a month.
Looking forward to our church's VBS later this month.
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Tim and the children got me some lovely and thoughtful Mother's Day gifts. A hummingbird feeder, sunglasses, perfume, Swedish fish candy, and a auto link for my IPod. Unfortunately, I was quite sick most of the day  , food poisoning probably. And Simon broke my sunglasses immediately.
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Our big boy turns 3 today!!!! He was born 3 years at 12:27 pm, 8 lbs 1 oz.
He's no baby anymore. He sits in the swing like a big kid. He's gone to a couple of movies. He still loves his good ol' paci. He still says 'I uff you Mommy'. He loves SpiderMan. He really loves his SpiderMan pajamas. He loves playing outside. He loves playing on the computer.
I am so thankful for this little boy!!!!!
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Our new puppy, Nigel, is adjusting well to our family. He didn't have any accidents in the house yesterday! His first vet appointment is May 13, 2008.
Tulip Time season is here. I danced on Friday night and will be dancing more this week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday morning and night, and Friday.
We went to Frederick Meijer Gardens last week. Tim hadn't been there in several years. It's always pretty busy and frantic when we go out with all the kids, but we managed.
Miss Rubykins is waking, so I'd better go grab her before she falls off the bed.
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Isaac had a tooth pulled today. It didn't go so great. They had to give him IV sedation and that didn't calm him very much and he fought and struggled and cried. He has had 5 teeth pulled this winter. All due to rotting baby teeth. Afterwards, we stopped at Target and got him a nice big Lego Star Wars kit. He has really been working at brushing better and I hope his adult teeth come in without so many problems.
Ruby's 5th tooth, and the start of her 6th tooth came in this week.
Dana is going to the CROP walk this Saturday.
Audrey gave herself another mini haircut. Makes it kind of hard to grow your hair long like a princess if you keep cutting it!
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The kids played outside quite a bit yesterday and today. It's in the low 60's. I washed the snowpants and am packing them away.
Dana is still working her way through school.
Isaac is finished with Bible and Science, still working on Language Arts, Geography and History, and Math.
Audrey is just about finished with Math U See Primer. She will turn 6 in just a few days. She already got a few birthday presents, a Barbie house and some accessories.
Simon is becoming a computer whiz. It looks funny to see a kid who isn't even 3 years old, playing the computer so well already.
Ruby is into everything. She is starting to figure out how to go down stairs.
Tim and I have a babysitter set up for an evening this week. It will be the first time we've gone out since before Ruby was born. We'll probably be going out for dinner and for groceries, nothing too exciting, but I'm looking forward to it.
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So, there was an article in the paper the other day about coupon clipping. It really got my attention and go me inspired to try to work on our grocery shopping. Groceries with 5 growing children gets expensive. The newspaper article mentioned a website that compiles ads from different stores and then also notes where coupons are for those same items. Some of the coupons are from the paper and some are printed on line. On Monday night when I went shopping, I really focused on sale items and using the coupons that I had and I save $59!!! And I bought stuff we needed and use constantly like chicken breasts, waffles, syrup, cereal, pop, and so on. I took Isaac with me. I love going out with 1 or 2 of them at a time and getting groceries, but also doing something fun like stopping for coffee.
Also, have started trying to get Ruby to sleep in her crib. She's been sleeping with us and sometimes wants to nurse constantly. She turned 1 on January 15. She slept in her crib last night for 3 hours, hooray, it's a start. And she's in her crib right now, when she wakes we'll bring her back to bed with us, but it's nice to have a couple of hours without her.
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We had a fun and busy time in Florida. The airplane rides went very well.
We stayed with Grandma in Cape Coral. We were able to visit Sanibel Island, Fort Myers beach, and Cape Coral beach. Audrey lost her pink crocs at Cape Coral beach. They didn't get into the water too much, but they had a great time collecting shells and playing in the sand. The weather was perfect, high 70's to low 80's. The kids were able to swim at Grandma's condo a few times. We also toured a orange factory and got to sample lots of OJ and grapefruit.
www.sunharvestcitrus.com
We also went to the Naples Zoo. We saw lots of alligators and monkeys. www.napleszoo.com
We also stayed in Saratoga Springs at Disney for 2 nights and played in the park for 3 days. We were able to make it to all the parks. We probably had the best time in the Animal Kingdom. It was hard to get alot done with five busy kids.
Here is a picture of Ruby at Animal Kingdom.
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Dec. 31, 2007 - Ruby getting more teeth
On Friday, Dec 28, Ruby's 3rd tooth started really showing. She has definitely had a few restless nights. She also has started taking some steps and will be walking soon. Just a few more days til her first birthday on January 15.
All of the kids seem to be coming down with colds and fevers. Dana has been complaining of sore throat and had a temp of 100.6 this morning. Audrey has been coughing and seems slightly feverish. Simon had a temp yesterday. Ruby's nose has been running constantly.
Because of the colds, we'll be ringing in the New Year from home, instead of at the party at church.
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Dec. 10, 2007 - Enjoying the Season
Just enjoying the season here. Nice to have a litle snow around. Kids have been playing outside quite a bit. Simon has been playing out in the snow too, although he doesn't want to wear snow pants yet. We've had two big Christmas parties so far. The church Christmas program is next weekend. Audrey is supposed to sing a solo, we'll see how that goes. No new teeth for Ruby yet. Isaac had to get 4 teeth pulled because they were rotting and it was either pull them or get mini root canals on baby teeth. He feels so much better now that those yucky teeth are out. We bought a Wii on Ebay, hopefully it gets here soon. Then we'll need to figure out what kind of games and accessories we should get to go with it.
Here's a picture of the kiddos feet that we are using for the Christmas Card this year.
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Nov. 7, 2007 - A Disaster at Bee Movie
I took Dana, Isaac, Audrey, and Ruby to the Bee Movie yesterday. Simon stayed with Grandma Nicol :)
I love going to movies during the day. We are generally the only people there. Any way, Ruby crawled around during part of the movie and stayed awake the entire time. Towards the end of the movie, I picked her up and felt something wet. She had pooped through all of her clothes down to the socks. Being the experienced mother of 5 that I am, I had no extra clothes with me. I didn't even have any wipees with me. I had to take her into the bathroom, strip her down, wipe her off with paper towels, and take her back into the movie with just her shoes and a diaper on.
The movie was quite cute and the kids all enjoyed it. Looks like there are quite a few kid/family movies coming out. Maybe next time we'll take Simon with us and leave Ruby home.
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Oct. 22, 2007 - Ruby
Ruby learned how to clap her hands this weekend. It's pretty adorable. Even though she is our 5th child, it's amazing every time to watch them learn how to sit up, stand up, and all the incredible things little ones do.
We're kind of hoping to go to Crane's Orchards tomorrow afternoon to pick apples and do the corn maze. We'll see how the weather holds out.
Dana is working on a book report about Incas for her Thursday Resource Center Class. Isaac is still pretty obsessed with Pokemon. He has been seeing a new counselor for some of his ADHD issues. All of the kids are getting pretty excited about Halloween. We went shopping last week Friday and got costumes. Dana - cow girl, Isaac - unknown phantom, Audrey - princess, Simon - bat. I didn't buy a costume for Ruby. We'll wait and see what the weather is like and decide if the youngest two will go out with us or stay home.
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Oct. 16, 2007 - Now that is wierd!!
Dana came up yesterday morning and asked Isaac if her pants looked wierd. He said they looked wierder than a buffalo eating cheese. Where does he come up with this stuff?
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Oct. 1, 2007 - My 8 month old wants to stand all the time and my 2 year old thinks he is a cat
Just a quick post because I hear lots of noise coming from upstairs, which means Simon is finished with his nap.
Ruby can barely crawl, spends most of her time dragging herself around on the floor, but wants to pull herself up and stand all the time. This means that I (or one of the kids) has to be next to her all the time to keep her from falling over and injuring herself. I was hoping she'd be content being a crawler for a little longer, like maybe til Christmas.
She was able to crawl and fall off of my bed last week Friday. No more naps in Mommy's bed. So now, I've got to somehow get her to sleep, then transfer her to the crib or playpen without waking her up.
Simon, on the other hand, is crawling all the time, pretending that he is a cat. He even tries to crawl down the stairs, which looks pretty dangerous. And of course, he meows constantly.
In the middle of all of this standing and crawling, we are doing school. Isaac is still doing great with Alpha Omega SOS. Dana is too. Dana volunteered at Critter Barn last Friday and helped with a field trip of special needs kids.
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Sep. 26, 2007 - Ruby is on the move!
I can't believe how fast our little Ruby is growing. She is eight months old already. It seems like she was just born yesterday, but here she is dragging herself around and even trying to grab onto stuff and pull herself up. Time to keep the floors clear of paper and pencils. Time to make sure all the gates are working. She's had a little rash on her face lately, maybe it's time for the first teeth
Isaac had a funny saying the other day. I had made some Blueberry Buckle. He really liked it and kept asking if he could have some Blueberry Belt for his snack.
Dana started piano lessons on Monday. She is practicing right now. Audrey is going to take a horse back riding lesson on Thursday. • 2 Comments •
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Sep. 17, 2007 - Simon moves to a big boy bed!!!
While on vacation, Simon slept in a big bed, and seemed to like it. So.... when we got home, Tim put together a twin bed and Simon has been sleeping in it ever since.
Of course, when he was putting the bed together, he knocked over a can of paint that was in the room. Dana had been painting decorative circles on the wall and hadn't fully shut the paint can, and I forgot to check the paint can. Oh well, someone is coming next week to remove and patch the carpet
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Sep. 17, 2007 - Vacation!!!
Vacation - Day One - Saturday
Leave the house around noon. Stopped in Grand Haven at Russ' for lunch, Ruby and Simon fall asleep in the car for awhile. Stop in Manistee for a walk on the River front and for coffee. Get to Traverse City and Moosehead Lodge around 5 pm. The house we rented is great and very well suited to our needs. Tim runs out to Giovanni's and gets supper for all of us. Dana and I run out to Ric's and get some groceries to get us through the week. Kids play outside in beautiful Duck Lake, Dana and Isaac take kayak rides, unfortunately the kayak is not pulled all the way out of the water and drifts off during the night.
Vacation - Day Two - Sunday
Everyone sleeps fairly well. Simon has a little trouble setting down for the night. In the morning, we notice that one of the kayaks is gone, oops. Tim paddles around our general area looking for it with no luck. We eat hot dogs on the grill for lunch and then decide to go out for the day. Tim decides we should check the public boat launch to see if the kayak is there. Hooray, it is there. Tim jumps in the kayak and paddles back to the lodge, I drove home and meet him there. We then take a drive to Old Mission Point. Ruby and Simon take nice naps during the drive. We see the Old Mission Lighthouse.
We go visit the Old Mission Store and go play at Haserot Park. Stop for dinner at Don's Drive Inn and at Horizon Books down town. The kids get some new Garfield comic books and Snoopy comic books. Go home and make a fire for smores.
Vacation - Day 3 - Monday
Happy Anniversary to us!!! 13 years!!! We stay around the Moosehead Lodge for most of the day. Olive Garden for an anniversary dinner. The waitress asks if these are all our kids. Dinner goes pretty well. We then go to the Grand Traverse Mall.
Vacation - Day 4 - Tuesday
We go to the Omelette Shop for lunch, shop a little downtown. We go to the Traverse City Children's Museum. The kids play there for almost 2 hours. It is cold and rainy. We stop for an afternoon snack at Moomers. www.moomers.com Grandpa and Grandma call us while we are at Moomers. They have made it to their hotel. We call for pizza from Rico's.
Vacation - Day 5 - Wednesday
Today is the day for Sleeping Bear Dunes. It is still pretty chilly. The kids run around at the dunes for a good while, then we go to Glen Arbor for lunch. We eat at Boonedocks for lunch. We head back home. Grandpa and Grandma come over for dinner and we grill hot dogs and burgers. When I tried to light the grill I burned my hair. We all head to Moomers for an evening snack.
Vacation - Day 6 - Thursday
We are packed and out of the Moosehead Lodge shortly after 9 am. We head to the Omelette Shop for breakfast. While we are there, Simon presses the silent alarm button behind the cash register, and the police come to the premises. We shop around a bit downtown and then hit the road. Simon and Ruby fall asleep and we drive until Ludington. In Ludington, the kids play at the playground by the beach and walk along the water. We get back in the car and arrive home around 4 pm. An over all excellent vacation.
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Sep. 7, 2007 - Twenty great things about my Husband
Great things about my Husband
1. He gets up with the kids in the middle of the night.
2. He loves playing with the kids, especially swimming with the kids.
3. He is generally in charge of putting the kids to bed.
4. He lets me go out and take a break whenever I need it.
5. He just let us remodel our house and helped me design a great kitchen and a great laundry room.
6. He is adorable.
7. He is getting gray hairs and they make him look even cuter to me.
8. He is taking us on vacation this week, even though it is hard for him to leave his business.
9. He takes time to help my parents with outdoor projects when needed.
10. He takes time to help his mom with things that she needs.
11. He is brilliant.
12. He makes me breakfast in bed on weekends.
13. He likes to grill.
14. He helps fold laundry, without even being asked.
15. He is full of energy, he loves running.
16. He loves to watch 'Everybody loves Raymond' and 'Funniest Home Videos'.
17. He supports homeschooling.
18. He is secretly afraid of zombies.
19. He brings home candy for me.
20. He loves me.
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Aug. 31, 2007 - Ughh, the dentist and Isaac
Poor Isaac had a dentist appointment on Wednesday morning. He had to go in at 9 am, take the special calming medicine, and have his cavity worked on at 9:30. They also numbed his lower left lip. When he came home, he could not and would not understand that he needed to leave his mouth alone. He bit and scratched at his poor numb mouth until it swelled up huge. It's Friday evening now and he still has a nice swollen lip and now it's oozing. We might have to keep him home from church this weekend because it looks so gross.
School on the other hand, is going fairly well. Isaac seems to be catching onto Switched on Schoolhouse very easily. Dana has had a couple of poor grades on quizzes already and wants Mom and Dad to go back into the program and clear them out for her. We are trying to use these bad grades as a lesson that you actually have to study for and retain the lessons or you will get bad grades and if you were in school the teacher would not clear out your bad grades and let you redo everything many times. Audrey is whizzing along in her reading. She is reading through Dana's old readers that came with the K12 program.
We are starting to look forward to our Traverse City trip. We have ordered a cargo carrier for the top of our Nissan Armada, so we will have room for all of our belongings.
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Aug. 24, 2007 - First Day
We officially started school today. That's because the rest of Dana's stuff arrived from Christian Book Distributors yesterday. Dana is in 5th grade this year, doing Switched on Schoolhouse, Thursday Resource Center, riding lessons, speech therapy, and hopefully volunteering at Critter Barn. Isaac is in 3rd grade this year, starting on Switched on Schoolhouse, gym class, maybe Cub Scouts, and Math U See - Beta level. Audrey is in kindergarten, she will be doing Math U See - Primer, Explode the Code - C, and Thursday Resource Center. They all will be doing Wednesday night activities at Church. They also all will be doing handwriting and listening to Paws and Tales CDs for a devotional time. I also hope to work through a Manners book with them. The kids are getting older and there are more of them, so I hope this is a good year for all of us. Last year, we extensively remodeled our house, and had a baby, so it was interesting to say the least. But well worth it, Ruby is 7 months now, and a perfect jewel. The house is beautiful and a perfect fit for our needs.
Noodles had her first vet appointment this week. She is negative for feline leukemia and has round worms. We had a family portrait taken this week, our first in about 5 years, it turned out pretty good. It's not easy to get 7 people looking in the same direction and looking reasonably happy.
Making some cookies right now, Simon and Ruby are napping, and the big kids are in the basement. Thinking it will be hamburgers on the grill and fries for dinner.
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Aug. 18, 2007 - A new family member - A new kitten.
We got a new kitten this morning. She is black with brown eyes. Isaac has named her Noodles Jane. A great name. She is pretty timid and scared right now. She has been staying in the mudroom for now and hopefully will be interested in exploring the rest of the house later. This is a big step for us, we've been a non pet family for about 7 years, not counting a few attempts with lizards, turtles, and hamsters. The kids are very happy and excited, and I have to admit, I'm kind of excited too. Simon's arm is still doing ok. He has a Dr. appt on Monday, Aug 20, to get it checked. I'm hoping to start school next week. Isaac has done a couple of practice sessions on Switched On Schoolhouse 3rd grade and it has gone pretty well. Still waiting for Dana's Bible and Math to arrive before she can officially start.
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Aug. 12, 2007 - Our first broken bone
On Friday, August 3, Simon flipped off the end of the couch. He cried for a few minutes, I gave him some ibuprofen and he fell asleep. All day I kept a close eye on him, debating whether to take him in to the Doctor or not. Finally, later afternoon, I called the Dr's office, and explained what happened. They said that it was probably broken and I should take him into the Emergency room. Our neighbor, Alicia, was over swimming with her kids, so I left Dana, Isaac, and Audrey with her. Grandma Jan and her friend, Linda, came over to help too. So, Simon got an x-ray and sure enough, the radius and ulna bones were broken. He got a large splint put on his arm. He didn't sleep well that weekend, because of the large splint. Monday morning, Dr. Dykema put a nice blue cast on Simon. We go back on August 20 to have it checked. He is doing well with the cast. It is much smaller and lighter than the splint.
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Jul. 31, 2007 - To Clean or not to Clean?
I've have had cleaning ladies for just about 7 years now. I'm thinking it might be time to go it alone and save some money. It's been great to have the opportunity to have the whole house cleaned at one time, I have been incredibly spoiled. But, it is expensive. I've found Flylady.com and will probably order some books from there before making a final decision.
Swim season is finished for the summer. The kids had a good season overall. Isaac had a few ups and downs with getting in trouble with his coaches, but they were really willing to work with him. Dana ended up getting a nice yellow ribbon and medal for a 4th place finish in the 50 breast stroke at the B Conference meet. Isaac got around 10 ribbons, won 1st place in his heat for 25 back stroke. He was disappointed that he did not get a medal.
Last night Tim and I were able to go out for dinner with Dr. Fritz and Karin Schaeffer, his professor from UGA. We went to Boatwerks restaurant. It was fun to go out with adults and have a conversation about that past and present. Laura babysat for the 4 older kids and Ruby went along and took a nice nap during dinner.
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 Aren't They Cute?
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Hello, my name is Barb. I have been married to Tim for 12 years and we have 5 children, and yes they are all ours, yes they are a handful, yes we will probably have more. Our oldest is Dana, 10 years old, next comes Isaac, 8 years old, then Audrey, 5, Simon, 2, and Ruby, 6 months.
The other night, I was saying to my husband Tim, that I needed to start a journal or something so I could remember all the cute things our children said and did. The event that started this desire was a tooth. Dana lost yet another tooth and was preparing a note for The Tooth Fairy. I approached her and asked if maybe she was getting a little old for The Tooth Fairy. She came back out of her bedroom shortly after, crying. She wondered if I were the Tooth Fairy, what would I do with the teeth. I said if I were the Tooth Fairy, I would probably dump the teeth. She said if she were the Tooth Fairy, she would treasure the teeth, not throw them away. This led to more crying, I said that the Tooth Fairy collected teeth in a bag. Tim confirmed this to be true, one bag for the teeth, and one bag for the money. And back to bed for her. Shortly after this, we hear a great moaning and sobbing come from her room, she comes back up, she's not ready to give the tooth up, she wants to treasure it. We come up with a plan. She is to keep the tooth in a drawer, not under her pillow, and decide if she wants to keep the tooth or put it under her pillow the next night.
The next day, I decide enough is enough, the girl is ten years old. I ask her if she really believes in a tooth fairy, easter bunny, or Santa Claus. She says she doesn't, that she stopped believing when she turned 10 ( a whole month ago). Tears are coming again, she says she doesn't want to grow up. We decide she can be part of the club that 'knows'. She can help keep it fun for the younger kids and the next time a tooth falls out, she can just ask Dad for a dollar. Whew!!
Today, Isaac loses a tooth. This tooth business is going to be expensive.
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