Finally back at church

Today we went back to church here in Delaware since my pregnancy got complicated back in October. Raegan looked like a baby doll and I was thrilled to show her off. Just in case anyone didn't know her name it was monogrammed on her undies, burp cloth and blanket. She wore her Easter dress(I want her to wear it more than once before she outgrows it) which is a pale pink smocked gown with matching bonnet and little white socks with pink ruffles. She was beautiful!



And yes, I wore jeans to church. It is so not me but I can't squeeze into my dress pants yet and church is casual enough that I can get away with it instead of buying more "fat" clothes. The good news I am down 5 more pounds since I started watching my weight. Slowly but steady it is coming off. In the mean time I will dress Raegan Joy so pretty all eyes will be on her anyway..lol!

No more monkey's climbing up the bed

Three little monkeys climbed up the bed (Cohen, Brasen, and Nolan)
One fell off (Nolan) and bumped his head. Mommy went upstairs, frowned and said, "NO MORE CLIMBING UP THE BED!"

Three little monkeys climbed up the bed, one fell off (Nolan again) and bumped his head.Mommy went upstairs,frowned and said, "I said no more monkeys climbing up the bed!"

Three little monkeys climbed up the bed mommy peaked in and finally said, "When daddy comes home there will be no more bunk beds....."

So daddy came home and the bunkbed came down...no more monkeys climbing up the bed (Nolan)

Its an EMERGENCY!!!

During the past snow storm we were trying to decide what to cook for dinner.The lights had been flickering so we were concerned our power was about to be lost so we didn't want to get into cooking something big. Cohen came in and suggested we order pizza. We explained that the roads were closed because of the snow and only emergency vehicles were allowed to drive. Cohen said, "mommy isn't the pizza delivery car an emergency car, after all us not eating dinner would be an emergency!"

C.O.R.E. Christain Academy (the name of our school)

I love home schooling the kids and I am so thankful to be able to do it. Her are a few pictures of us doing school. Brasen is learning his ABC's and while he is learning he is also teaching Nolan. I am so blessed!

Mommy doesn't need help..at least not that kind!

So my six year old had taken on this new since of "adulthood" or so he thinks. Cohen is a typical first child and he totally takes after his mommy which makes him a strong leader (translation parent number three). We have struggled to teach him there is a time and place to be a leader and their are times to let mommy and daddy do their jobs.During my long duration of bed rest Cohen began to be a helper.He would fix breakfast for himself and brothers (dry cereal or granola bars).We have already had to lock the microwave because he and Brasen cooked a pop tart for 60 minutes. Thanks to my mother in laws quick nose and the smoke filling my house it didn't cook the entire length of time, but was burnt to a crisp. Once he took on the task of bathing himself and younger brother Brasen without any knowledge to the grownups in the house.He was praised for being such a big help but lectured on how dangerous it was to get into the tub with no grown up knowing. He seemed to get the hint and we thought that was the end of that. Every now and again he would forget and hop in the tub with his brother in tow. Usually he does it after dinner while we are cleaning the table. Now if you are thinking at this point I should know he is up to something and I should be more aware of where my kids are at all times I agree, however to my defense I have four kids to manage and every once in awhile my multitasking isn't efficient epically if Raegan is eating, I am trapped for that moment (or moments) in time. Yesterday was a wonderful day including outings and getting to skip nap. I should have known better! Five o'clock rolls around and I am stressed and the kids are wide open. I sent them upstairs to play legos while I nursed Ragen and had a moment of silence. Silence QUICKLY turned to extreme stress and my heart pounding out of my chest.Cohen once again decided to do bath time on his own, but this time he put all three boys in the tub...Nolan comes running down the steps butt naked and covered in bubbles, Brasen quickly joined in. This wouldn't be so bad if I could have stopped what I was doing to towel them off and get them dressed but I was nursing the baby who had already cried for a bit waiting her turn to eat. So I sat and watched and sweet Raegan took her time having her dinner Nolan ran laps around the house managed to fall and put a good bruise on his rear end as well as discovered how to fall off the ladder (which Cohen put up so Nolan could climb, because we take it down and store under the bed to prevent that very thing)and land gracefully in the pile of toys on the floor. After I finished with Raegan and threatened the boys to go to bed at 530 since they had already had baths unless they sat and didn't move except to breathe I managed to regain control and get everyone at least in underwear and a diaper. I sat Cohen down and explained mommy doesn't need help in that way. I need help when I ask for it and in the way I ask for it. So hopefully I can regain my position as mommy and Cohen can regain his position as oldest child. I love my children and their unique personalities. I will one day look back and laugh at these kind of stories. One day......lol.

Back to reality and snow....

Well we are finally settling back into routine. It took us up to today to have a smooth morning and a uneventful school day. Monday was rough, so much so we didn't even get school done. I was all out of sorts with a spoiled 6 week old and a ton of laundry. Tuesday was a bit better but my nerves were still shot and I admit they got the better of me most of the day. Wednesday was much better and we got caught up in school and even managed to play a few games after nap time.I also ordered next years curriculum. It is so expensive but totally worth it. Brasen will be in k4 and Cohen in first grade, talk about time flying by....another SIGH. Today, (Thursday) I had my 6 week followup from having Raegan. Has it already been 6 weeks?! SIGH...time is flying by. Everything checked out well. Since I had showered and put on make up and even was having a great hair day (haha)I didn't want to stay inside all day. So after school we went to Khol's and then to the mall for lunch. I have to say having 4 kids out and about is a huge accomplishment epically since I had no major breakdowns to deal with. We had a good outing and are now sitting at home watching cartoon and snow falling. We are under a winter warning for the fourth time this winter According to my latest check in with the weather channel we are to get 8 inches. That is nothing compared to storms past but still a lot of snow. We still have snow on the ground from the past two storms. I guess it will be July before it all melts. Well thats about it for this week thus far, oh potty training....I am so ready for Nolan to learn to use the potty. Changing 2year old poopy diapers is no fun! So I am ready to take on the challenge...so when I muster up the courage to go with the challenge I will take on the task...haha.

Our Trip Home to NC

I had a wonderful time going home and showing off our newest addition Raegan Joy. I have lots of pics to share.
This is what all I had to pack for us to go on a short trip to NC.

The roads we drove on to get to NC (I agree not the smartest thing, but we REALLY wanted to go home)

Driving the long 7 hour drive......

Nannie and Pawpaw meeting Raegan Joy

Aunt Liz meeting Raegan Joy

Uncle Ernie meeting
Raegan Joy

Opa getting cuddle time

Aunt Nancy meeting Raegan

Sandi and her daughter Savannah meeting Raegan


Aunt Hannah and Raegan

Aunt Rebekah and Raegan

Me and my sister and my kiddos


I have about 100 pictures to share and will do so when I have more time. We had a wonderful visit and I miss you all very much!

Snowed in...again in 2010!

Bert's car under feet of snow!


Well here we sit in well over 2 feet of snow on the ground. Our trip to NC has been delayed until tomorrow as of now. We are in a state of emergency which means no cars allowed on the street unless you are essential personnel.We are praying that will be lifted so we can leave in the morning.Bert and the boys are out playing in the snow while Raegan and I are cozy on the couch watching the weather and they are saying another storm in on its way...UNREAL!

Yesterday during the storm we exhausted all toys, games, and even broke out the finger paint.

After the finger paint it was bath time, a little crowded in there but bubbles are more fun with more kids!



Bert with his baby girl

It has been nice having so much family time,we have been blessed to make memories that are for the record books (literally!). This is the most snow Delaware has ever seen on record. Bert and I have always wanted to live in an area where it snowed and boy did we get what we asked for! I am so glad we got to share the memories with our precious children who seem to love the snow as much as their parents!

Well, off to finish making dinner. Since we had a "snow day" and the kids spent all morning helping Bert dig out his car, we will be doing school after dinner. What a blessing it is to live in a country where I can home school my children!



Finally Finished!

..."mommy don't you know...?"

As I write this I am am looking out my window at about 3 feet of snow. I love it! So pretty. We are under a winter storm warning and are expecting 12-18 more inches tonight. We have plans to travel to North Carolina Thursday so we can introduce Raegan Joy to all of our family. We were sitting at lunch yesterday when I explained to the boys that if the next snow storm (tonights)is bad we may have to cancel our trip to NC. Brasen Thomas looked at me and said, "Mommy don't you know I can talk to God, and I will just tell him to make it not a bad storm!" How true that is. We will wait and see how the storm plays out and how our plans will unfold.

Yesterday we got out of the house in order to get a few things we needed to prepare for round two of the snow and get rid of a touch of cabin fever. We walked around Khol's for awhile and I look forward to getting back to my pre preggo body so I can purchase new clothes for myself. Then we did a very daring and crazy thing. We went to Olive Garden for dinner. Yeap all six of us. We got a lot of strange and critical looks, but it wasn't because our kids were misbehaving. It was because of the number of kids sitting at our table. I know we were a sight to behold eating out with 4 kids ages six and under. I was so proud of the kids. Cohen and Brasen entertained each other with games of tic tac toe and I took care of Raegan while Nolan and Bert watched many mini family movies on Bert's phone. It was a success! And I didn't have to cook or clean up the mess so an even bigger success!

This morning I have managed to clean the kitchen, fold 4 loads of laundry and start another. I have taken the sheets off my bed that Raegan so sweetly peed all over at 3 am. And I have eaten breakfast! However all 5 of us are still in our jammies, a battle I have decided if I want to fight today or not. I am waiting for Raegan to eat again and as soon as she does I will start school with the boys. As of right now I can safley say that going from one kid to two was the hardest transition. Going from three to four has been easy. That is how I feel today, we will see how I feel tomorrow...or this afternoon!

Let the Peace from the outside come inside...

Well we woke up to another beautiful snowy day in Delaware. I love how God coats the ground with snow and everything seems quiet and peaceful outside. As I sit on my couch and look out the window I can't help but pray that the peace that the snow brings to the outside would enter my home. We are adjusting well to Baby Raegan Joy. The boys still adore her and won't keep their hands off of her, and I admit with this being my last baby I can't keep my hands off of her either. Like any multi-child household we struggle daily with arguing, bullying, and temper tantrums. I began to re enforce the long forgotten "naughty spot" after one warning and my patience has been tested to say the least. We bought Raegan a new swing and it has a lot of buttons that tempt Nolan. he has spent may minutes in the naughty spot. However he has no problems going to the naughty spot, it is the staying there that is the problem.Nolan knows that when Raegan is eating it is possible to get away with more then normal, well that is what he thought. I have begun to nurse and walk and put him back on the spot over and over again until he sits and stays. Yesterday we did this for 30 mins. It wore me out. But it is working because he walked toward the swing this morning and I gave him a warning and he went running. Now I just have to be consistent.

As for the older boys, just teaching them not to leave Nolan out all of the time and to play with kindness is a daily challenge. We have our good days and our not so good days. With the peace the snow brings it also brings cabin fever because I can't take my 3 week old outside to supervise playing in the snow and I am not going to leave her inside either. School has been a great for passing time epically when we do a detailed craft or science experiment. Yesterday being Groundhog Day we traced the boys shadow of their head and cut it out, reminded me of what we did when I was in school. I am always looking for something fun and creative to do with the boys. I want to get better about playing board games and imaginative play as oppose to tv time. For the most part we don't watch tv in the morning (I do put on a movie during school to entertain Nolan, which rarely works)and after naps I do allow a few cartoon while I get diapers and snacks done.

So as we begin another snowy day my prayer is that the outside pf my home would reflect what is going on inside. And it starts now, Raegan is peacefully sleeping by my side and the three boys are playing together in Nolan's room (for now).