Baby Update

Wow, only eight more weeks to go. It is amazing that it has gone by this fast, but now I feel like the days are creeping by. It is hot and I have NO energy. I go see my midwife on Monday. I arranged the appointment late in the day so my oldest can go with me. She loves going to my appointments and because she is my babysitter she doesn't get to go very often.

Here is a lovely pregnant shot that McKenzie took of me. My belly is actually a lot rounder than it looks in this picture.

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Other exciting news!!! Malachi is officially potty-trained. We have been accident free for several days. Thank goodness! I was beginning to think I would be buying two size diapers for the first time in my mothering career! :>) Here is a picture of him after his first time pooping on the potty. We promised him ice cream (along with lots of other things.) He was eating his icecream and talking to grandma telling her the exciting news! ( I realize nobody reading this really cares about my two year olds potty habits, but hey, this IS my blog! :>)

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Another funny thing kids say:

Usually it is Mariah that keeps us laughing. This time it unexpectedly came from our thirteen year old boy. Matthew was playing in the pool at grandma's house. He was playing with Madeline and he said something that was a little less than kind to her. When his dad corrected him and asked him if he was going to talk to his children like that he very seriously responded with, "No sir, I guess I am getting it out of my system now."

Summer Fun

Father's Day- daddy with his crew

Summer wouldn't be summer without going to grandma and grandpa's house to swim. The kids think you can't go swimming without having watermelon too!

Summertime and icecream- you can't have one without the other! :>)

The yard is so much prettier in the summer when all of the pecan trees are green!

Fourth of July celebration- Mariah (right) with two of her sweet little friends from church.

Our annual trip to the beach. We always take the kids picture on this bench. Looks like there is room for another little one on the end! :>)

Our first evening out playing on the beach a man (sitting with his big belly and beer in his hand) looked at Marc and laughingly said, "Are they ALL yours?" Marc said yes and then looking at me the man said, "And having another one!?" I told Marc he should have said, "No, she is just fat!" Fortunately, we had the beach to ourselves most of the time that we were there!

Ramblings

(Almost) 29 Weeks (My blog counter is a little off, and yes...... everyday counts!)
I went to my midwife today. I had to have the glucose tolerance test. I passed it with flying colors. My last pregnancy I passed it too, but my baby was 10lb. 12 oz. I am really praying that this baby will be a little smaller. I had a big jump in my weight this time. She basically told me that everything I have been eating was not good and to start eating lots of protein. I can't stand protein for some reason right now. I have been living off of cereal, fruit, raw vegetables and ice cream. I came home and fixed a salad with boiled egg on it. I normally like eggs, but right now I don't. About an hour later I went out to check on our pregnant goat. We have had a hen sitting on a pile of eggs for about a month now. Two babies have hatched out and she pretty much abandoned the other eggs. I decided to toss the old eggs out in the woods. There were actually four more babies that had died because she wasn't sitting on them. The smell was horrible! I have been close to vomiting since I came back in!! Not pleasant! Other than feeling like a beached whale the pregnancy is going well.

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Other baby news! My sister gave birth to a baby girl this past Monday. I had hoped to be able to be at the birth, but because she is two hours away and our busy schedule I didn't know if it would work out. It is amazing how things always work out. The Lord blessed her with an easy delivery and a beautiful, healthy baby girl named Lily Katherine. This was my fourth birth to witness (other than my own!) and it is always so amazing!

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Other exciting news. I think we have finally turned a corner with potty-training Malachi! He is now going tee tee on his own (he had been wetting his pants unless we remembered to take him.) Now if we can get the other down pat we will be set! I really don't want two in diapers!!

It has been a hot summer so far. We have been spending the late evenings outside because the days are so miserable. It is hard to drag the kids in for bath time!

An evening of picking from the garden. We discovered raised bed gardening this year. It has been so much easier to grow things.

Off to bed!

Poem

“They tie you down,” a woman said,

Whose cheeks should have been flaming red

With shame to speak of children so.

“When babies come you cannot go

In search of pleasure with your friends,

And all your happy wandering ends.

The things you like you cannot do,

For babies make a slave of you.

”I looked at her and said, “’Tis true

That children make a slave of you,’

And tie you down with many a knot,

But have you never thought to what

It is of happiness and pride

That little babies have you tied?

Do you not miss the greater joys

That come with little girls and boys?

They tie you down to laughter rare,

To hours of smiles and hours of care,

To nights of watching and to fears;

Sometimes they tie you down to tears

And then repay you with a smile,

And make your trouble all worth while.

They tie you fast to chubby feet

And cheeks of pink and kisses sweet.

They fasten you with cords of love

To God divine, who reigns above.

They tie you, whereso’er you roam,

Unto the little place called home;

And over sea or railroad track

They tug at you to bring you back.

The happiest people in the town

Are those the babies have tied down.

Oh, go your selfish way and free

But hampered I would rather be,

Yes rather than a kingly crown

I would be, what you term, tied down;

Tied down to dancing eyes and charms,

Held fast by chubby, dimpled arms,

The fettered slave of girl and boy,

And win from them earth’s finest joy.

~ Edgar A. Guest

Crazy Days!

The weekend after McKenzie's birthday just she and I took off for Stone Mountain. We had fun and I worked very hard to keep up with her the whole time! It was amazing what we crammed into two days, we even climbed the mountain.
On top of the mountain.

Life has been anything but dull lately! The day of McKenzie's birthday my husband drove over an hour away to buy two new Nubian goats. One of them is a pregnant female and the other is her mate. I have discovered that I don't like goats! The males smell bad, and they jump all over you. They make very strange noises and just aren't very cute! We were eating with grandparents this past weekend and Mariah proceeded to hold up a black bean and announce that that was what goat poop looked like.

Last week my very pregnant sister came to visit with her five children. Ten children and two pregnant mamas under one roof. We had a good visit and it really wasn't too much of a zoo. The worst thing that happened was Matthew hit a baseball and cracked our van's windshield. He now has a list of jobs to pay his dad back for the damages. Hard life lessons! The children all got along great except for a few minor incidents when her two year old clobbered our two year old. Malachi still talks about "Lebi (Levi) hit my head!" I guess he will be scarred for life! :>)

CousinsPregnant bellies!

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Today we all loaded up to go to piano lessons and run errands. Our very wild yellow lab was tied out on a stake. We bought a long heavy duty dog cable that was supposed to be made for large dogs. She either stays in her pen or has to be tied out because she will chase the chickens. We pulled up in the driveway and saw her sitting there. When we got out we discovered she had gone for a swim! We have an above ground pool and there was a cover over the top of it. I have no idea how she jumped in (because of the two year old we don't leave the stairs in it) and can't believe she didn't get tangled in the cover. She did all of that with the heavy cable still tied to her! We now have two holes in the top ring of the pool. Hmmm........ I guess another job to add to Matthew's list!

Some days you have to laugh to keep from crying. I think this is why the Lord gave us Mariah! Here are some of her latest.

While shopping for groceries I jokingly said, "Should we get some eggs?" (We have 40 laying hens.) She said, "Oh, our chickens would be SO jealous!"

We (or more accurately our ten year old) are potty training Malachi. The first time Mariah saw me take him tee tee she was mortified that I didn't wipe him. I told her a little boy doesn't wipe tee tee because they have a "hose". She said, "I wish I had a hose."

Today she was looking out the window just in time to see her white rooster "Tom" jump on the back of one of the hens. She shook her head with her hands on her hips and said, "Oh, that Tom! He is trying to make eggs again!" I have no idea how she even figured that much out! Nothing like animals to teach your kids the facts of life!

Happy Birthday McKenzie!

Sixteen years ago today I became a mom. My husband and I married while we were in college. I was only nineteen and he was twenty-two. I had big plans to finish college and go on to get my Master's in Early Childhood Education. The fall of my senior year I found out I was expecting a baby. I was very surprised and wondered how it was all going to fit with my plans. The last day of my senior year instead of being at college I was in the hospital giving birth (eleven days late!) to a beautiful baby girl. Until you become a parent I don't think you can even imagine what it is like to lay eyes on your first baby. Everything changed the day she was born. It no longer seemed important to be a school teacher and it definitely didn't seem important to go on and get my masters!

It is funny thinking back on those early days as new parents. I remember changing her outfits several times a day just to see something new on her. I took pictures and videoed everything she did. I remember my husband racing home from work to see her because he was afraid he was going to miss something! We have videos of her laying on a pallet with music playing and both of us talking to her as hard as we could. It is a wonder that she isn't a nervous wreck to this day!

I am so glad that the Lord had bigger plans than I had. I often wonder what my life would look like if I had gotten my way and started teaching school. It is sad to think of the blessings I would have missed. Each one of our children are unique and have a special place in the family. I am SO thankful as our family continues to grow that He knew I would need McKenzie to be the first-born. She is a huge help to me and a blessing to the entire family!

We love you McKenzie and hope that you have a wonderful Sixteenth Birthday!

Farmer Malachi

Malachi loves to help water the garden. We have called him "farmer Malachi. Last night when he saw me watering he came running saying, "I be farmer!" (Notice the plant he is watering OUTSIDE the raised bed garden. This is a result of him dumping my seeds out when I was trying to plant. We now call those plants "Malachi's garden".) It is kind of funny, you are so careful to have your dirt just right and plant the seeds perfect. His seeds were just dumped on top of the ground and the plants are beautiful!