April 30, 2018

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  • Whitman joined us around 7 this morning. He laid quietly in our bed for a few minutes which was a nice change since on Sunday, he came into our room, sat by our door and turned on an ipad movie.
  • Keaton helped me find his breakfast, but I was summoned to pour his milk. After he ate some, it was soon time for him to head to school. 3 days of school left for the boy. I think that he was not too pleased when I reminded him that his grandparents wouldn't pick him up today. Though when I arrived, he was perfectly happy to see me.
  • Everyone worked well on their school today. The kids know that they only have 2 more full days after today and 2 half days. I feel pretty good about everything we have accomplished this year. I have certainly enjoyed history and think that the kids have too.
  • I had to leave at 11 to go and pick up Whitman. Everyone stayed here and worked on their school work. I think that things were fairly calm while I was gone-at least I hope that it was calm here.
  • We had our lunch, and then everyone worked on their science fair projects a bit more. We didn't write out their reports this time which has sent everyone into a tizzy. They will do fine and their speeches will be much shorter which is a good thing. 
  • The church has mentioned screen free week which is happening this week, so we decided that we would do a modified version (after all we are here ALL day long.) So there are no screens on this week from 1-5. It will take a bit of getting used to but really is a good thing.
  • I have noticed that when my kids don't have their ipads, they are much uglier with each other or they are happily playing together. All of this free time has caused many more messes around here though! Everyone is pulling out something to do-legos, forts, cooking, volcano making. Why can't they do things like laundry, dusting, toilet cleaning?
  • Robby arrived in time to take the 3 bigs to their soccer practice. Meanwhile, I worked with Whitman and Campbell and Keaton did some work for the trip. When the others arrived home, Graham was excited that he had scored during a scrimmage, and Anderson said that they had to run 14 laps which he didn't seem to bothered by.
  • I had supper ready when they arrived home. We all ate and then the soccer stars had their showers. Afterwards, they had a bit of downtime with those blessed ipads before it was bedtime around here!

April 29, 2018

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  • The tooth fairy visited Anderson last night since he had lost a tooth at the soccer fields yesterday. Anderson said that he wanted his money in pennies and sure enough the tooth fairy delivered pennies. Now, this morning Anderson said that he wasn't the one who wanted his money in pennies. And by tonight, when I offered to trade his 104 pennies in for a dollar bill, he was pretty sour about the whole thing. The tooth fairy has almost had enough but by my count, there are at least 50 baby teeth to be lost in the house.
  • I thought that everyone slept well last night, but when Keaton went to climb in her bed tonight she discovered that she was sick last night. Joy! Nothing like cleaning up day old vomit! She didn't remember being sick so hopefully, it was just her normal occasional nighttime sickness.
  • Not only was this church morning but it was also Feed the Need morning. After church, we worked at Kroger collecting food. Things were a bit more organized than when we helped last time. 
  • It is always a good lesson working the Feed for Need. I pointed out two main things to the kids: 1. You do not want to have to ask people for money or panhandle. And number 2. So many people came to shop right after leaving their church houses, yet they didn't help when they had such an easy opportunity. We say we are Christians but we just don't live like it. Now, also the people that were the most different from us and the people that looked like they didn't have any money to spare were so much more likely to give.
  • Our shift was from 11 to 1. It was kind of cool outside but the time went by fairly quickly. I did not want to have to talk to people but somehow I ended up at the door handing out cards and telling people what we were doing. When the kids were helping pass out the cards, people were much more responsive. Reagan and Camryn took about an hour to work up enough nerve to actually talk to people, but Whitman quickly learned my speech and would gladly tell anyone who would listen.
  • Afterwards, I ran into the store to pick up some food for our family while Robby bought lunch across the street. Then we headed home. Robby worked in the yard while I worked on packing. My list is down to 4 pages. I did have to take a break for a bit to help Robby in the yard. His lawnmower got stuck in the yard. He had Anderson sit on it so he could push it but that didn't work. I walked out in time to help push, and thankfully, while standing in mud and with the tires spinning mud I ended up not getting any on me.
  • I had finished my work and sat down for a few minutes before we jumped up to head to the church picnic. The weather was perfect, and the kids enjoyed just playing in the fields. There were jumpys tonight so Whitman was in heaven. We ate and then encouraged the kids to stop playing and eat. They all ended up eating but for a while I wasn't sure if they would make it to the line before they ran out of food.
  • We stayed until the very end of the picnic. We had brought Camryn and Laynie with us so after dropping them off, we went home for showers. It was already late but the kids still had time to work on their science fair speeches along with picking up a bit.
  • When it was finally bedtime, Whitman and Anderson are sleeping in a fort that they built. It is tiny, and I doubt that they will make it all night in there but at least they are quiet right now. 

April 28, 2018

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  • Saturday morning soccer began early today. Since we have played one game, I felt fine with hoping for rain this morning. Unfortunately, it was a beautiful day. The kids didn't take long to wake up and start putting on their jerseys.
  • They grabbed their breakfasts as Robby and I ran through the house grabbing last minute things. We then headed on to Raymar for the day. The weather was indeed nice for a soccer-a bit cool this morning and then warmed up perfectly this afternoon. I kept the sunscreen on everyone, and I don't think that anyone is red.
  • Keaton and Whitman played at the same time as Graham this morning. Keaton scored once today, but bless her poor team was trounced. They tried, and Whitman even ran after the ball but even with their 3 best players in, they were the underdogs.
  • I only saw Graham's team play 1 quarter. Robby was coaching down there so he did indeed have a parent watching him. The quarter I saw they did really well and the score was 1 to nothing. The other team came back though and ended up beating them by 2.
  • Next was Campbell's game. After the first 3 or 4 minutes, and Campbell had scored twice, Robby turned to me and asked, "did she play like this last time?" That girl runs like you can not imagine on the soccer field. Her score was about 8 to 0. 
  • Then Anderson's team played and gracious me, at one point Robby was worried that Anderson might need his asthma medicine since he was the only one on the field running. The only one on his team that is. I would love for Anderson's team to win at least one game but that probably is not going to happen this season. Out of all of the kids, he is the one that can get down about losing over and over again.
  • Finally, it was Reagan's team's turn. Reagan didn't hang back as much today, and was in the mix. She made quite a few shots but none did go in. Their score was tied but they did win in the last few minutes. Now, they played a not that great team today so the next few weeks may be tough. Reagan did get knocked down today, right in front of us, and when she hit the ground she even made an "umph" sound. The girl hopped right up and kept on playing. I do have some tough kids.
  • Anderson got hurt during the game today, but after shaking it off, he stayed on the field. And before Reagan's game, the kids were playing by the goal. Whitman put on the goalie gloves and before he knew it, he stopped the ball from entering the goal...he stopped the ball with his face! He covered his face for a few seconds and then kept playing. The girls from Reagan's team that had kicked the ball felt so bad, but he didn't seem to mind too much.
  • After the games, we headed to Dairy Queen for our weekly Blizzards. Robby even bought some chicken strips for everyone to enjoy. Then it was home for showers for everyone while I worked on folding the first loads of laundry. 
  • I packed some and then we had our supper. Afterwards, everyone but Reagan and Anderson took a walk. We even walked on the sidewalk on Lawson for a bit before heading home. It was more laundry when we returned home. I thought it was all done but Robby just said that we almost had enough for another load tonight! The church is having screen free week next week, but we possibly should go for clothes free week to help out with my laundry!

April 27, 2018-Branson Adventure #2 (Day 3)

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I am not exactly how long Whitman lasted in his spot last night, but the sky was beginning to lighten up at least when he joined us in bed. I wasn't awake enough to put him back in his sleeping bag, but I did move him to the edge. Again this morning, Robby was quick to point out that one more child could have joined us on the other side of Whitman. He does this often during a trip, and it will often take him a few nights to learn to stay in his bed again. I probably should make a him a pallet on my floor tonight just in case!

We had our leftover doughnuts along with grapes and poptarts for our breakfasts. We had planned on arriving at the park a bit earlier than we did, but we were still there before they opened. Actually, we had already walked to Time Traveler by the time that park opened at 10. The big 3 went to Time Traveler while Keaton, Whitman, Robby and I rode Thunderation twice. Afterwards, we met back up and everyone rode Thunderation again together.

The park was a lot fuller today but oddly enough, you could still pretty much walk on most of the big roller coasters, and that is what my big 4 did over and over again. We would split up occasionally from them while they rode. Reagan had my phone in her jacket so Robby could easily text and track them.

We did cover lots of ground today despite the larger crowds. There was no kettle corn for us today, but we did manage to eat a funnel cake at some point during the morning. Then we ate our lunchables at our new favorite spot-behind the cooking school on their back porch. They have lots of rocking chairs there and the wind was a bit breezy. Oh, it was nice! 

I have no decided that I want to come back with just Robby to Silver Dollar City and go to one of the cooking classes. After we ate, we sent the big 4 off to ride another coaster. It was closed so they let us know that they were going to another one. Meanwhile, Keaton, Whitman and I rode the pirate ship and then the swings. 

While we were riding the swings, Robby ran into the Crafts. Keaton was so excited to see her little buddies. We had planned on leaving at 3 but ended up staying until 4 since we let her ride 2 more rides with them. Then, we had the others meet us at the round raft ride. Even though we had told them over and over that we weren't doing water rides today, since the Crafts were there, we changed our minds.

Campbell was so happy to see Abigail. So Robby, Casey and a gaggle of girls along with my boys rode the wet water ride not just once but twice. When Reagan finished, her coat weighed at least 20 pounds. It was completely filled with water! Robby ended up relatively dry! They all had a blast, and we left the park with 6 soaking wet kids.

Thankfully, we all had changes of clothes in the car so everyone put on dry clothes. Then we headed towards home. We stopped before we made it to Arkansas for gas and then drove and drove. Well, we also snacked and snacked. 

At a bathroom stop, Robby bought ice cream sandwiches. There were 12 in the box so we had to eat them all-everyone had 1 and a half. In Greenbriar, we picked up pizza and ate as we drove on home. I thought it was edible enough but Reagan, our pickiest child, thought it was the best pizza she had ever had.

Once at home, we unloaded the car and then vacuumed it out. While Robby and Campbell did the vacuuming, Whitman showered and everyone else worked on unpacking our bags. Soon the house was straight and all of the people here were clean. We had some downtime until bed! Lots of soccer games tomorrow so everyone needs lots of sleep!

April 26, 2018-Branson Adventure #2 (Day 2)

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When we laid down last night, I could hear the rain hitting the roof, and it was incredible wonderful. However, I also could hear these birds chirping. They were loud and consistent. I was even worried that those chirping birds might keep someone up.

Though in my room, Graham was snoring as soon as his head hit the pillow. The birds could have possibly kept Whitman up, who was quickly moved to our bedroom. Just a few hours later, he burst into our bed and spent the rest of the night in bed with us. 

I wasn't crowded at all last night and even wondered if this bed was bigger than ours at home. Robby, who must have been very crowded, was quick to remind me that it was much smaller than at home. Either way, Whitman and I slept incredibly well.

The tooth fairy did show up last night. There had been a bit of discussion since Campbell received 2 dollars when she lost a tooth in NYC. However, things are much more expensive there. Last night the tooth fairy did pay the normal 1 dollar rate for Keaton's tooth. 

I have been wanting to try Billy Gails for a very long time, and this was the morning. We knew we needed to be there early for parking and to avoid a long wait so we were up at 7. Well, Graham was up before 7! Man, I hope he sleeps in tomorrow because we don't have to leave until later.

We were in the parking lot at the restaurant a bit before 8. Though Robby quickly remembered that he left his cash and checks back at the motel. Thankfully, he did have a check so we didn't have to turn around.

Parking was simple there today, and we were seated immediately. Since we were expecting a long wait, we were very pleased. Robby ordered sausage and biscuits. We all split 2 orders of bacon and 3 chocolate chip pancakes. The pancakes were bigger than a Dennie head! We passed that play of pancakes around and everyone ate their full. The people behind us left about 3 whole pancakes on their table, but the Dennie table was licked completely cleaned. 

When kids leave Billy Gails, they can take a toy with them. Keaton grabbed the only good one since the rest were McDonald type toys. She found a teddy bear just like Whitman's two teddy bears that he carts everywhere. 

From there, we headed back to the motel so Robby could officially check in. While we were getting things ready for the rest of the day, the kids ran down to play on the playground for a little bit. Afterwards, we loaded up and drove the 5 minutes to Silver Dollar City.

In the parking lot, we were surprised at the number of cars, but when we parked, we were much closer than we have ever been before. We quickly entered the park and went right to the first ride!

Robby, Anderson, Graham and Reagan rode the Time Traveler first thing. They had to wait a bit for them to open the ride but soon they were flying through time. When they finished, we hoped on Thunderation, which is the roller coaster that Keaton cried on the entire ride last time. She was a brave trooper this time and though she was a bit scared, she left with a smile on her face.

We all rode Fire in the Hole and then Graham was brave today and rode Powder Keg with Anderson and Reagan twice. While they did that, Keaton, Campbell and Robby went back to Fire in the Hole.

Next stop was Wildfire. On the way there, I lost my ever loving mind and told Campbell that if she did the ride, I would go with her. What in the world was I thinking? She said yes and I said a few prayers and we were soon strapped into Wildfire. Now, as soon as the left the gate, Campbell started boohooing. 

She was sobbing! Now, since this was a big roller coaster, there was no way to comfort her. I was able to put my hand over hers while shouting, "close your eyes and scream and it will be over in a second." I would open my eyes occasionally during the ride but would quickly close them! She was super proud for riding her first upside down ride but bless, she sobbed the entire time! 

Our next stop was the fireman kiddie area. The kids rode a few rides there. I even made them all ride one ride. They have a little up and down ride here. In my kitchen, I have a picture of 5 of them riding a ride just like this one. So even though my kids long legs were dangling everywhere, they were all told to get on that little ride and look happy! Robby through in the promise of kettle corn and that certainly helped.

From there, we ate lunch. We had brought in our lunchables for lunch. Those with some cheese, crackers and the popcorn did the trick. Then, it was on to the other kiddie area. Having so few crowds today was exceptionally nice. We were able to do twice as much today before lunch as we were able to do on two days of our trip here in March.

It is nice that Whitman can ride most things. Though Whitman and Keaton could ride more things if Robby and I had a bit better stomachs. At one time today in the kiddie area, I had to say no more rides for me. I had rode on the pirate ships twice and then on the fast spinning elephants. My stomach had had enough.

While leaving the second kiddie area, we saw that the Time Traveler line was short, and since Campbell was willing we went on it. This time, I ended up on it again! Now Campbell hated the other roller coaster but this one she loved. She was squealing with delight as we slowly flipped over and over again. I was just closing my eyes and screaming! Actually, I can't scream on rides. I just open my mouth but no sound comes out!

Some folks from there went to ride the wet water ride while Keaton, Whitman and I rode the Mine Train. We met back up and then went to the Barn Swings. And goodness, if Campbell didn't get on that ride. She didn't like the pirate ships but loved that one. The Barn Swings is the ride that I thought I was going to die on when I rode it  I have no idea why Reagan and Campbell would love it.

Reagan loves all rides! Anderson can almost keep up with her but does get a bit dizzy with lots of spinning. Graham is still getting his ride-legs and will do things once but not usually more than that. We ended the day with a ride on the log ride and headed out of the park completely soaked. 

It had been a chilly little day. The sun would peek out for a few seconds and warm us up, but then it would hide back behind the clouds. The kids took of their jackets in the afternoon but I never took mine off even though I had on 4 layers.

Leaving the park, we happened to find ourselves at the cinnamon bread place. The first time we walked by the wait was 18 minutes for some cinnamon bread, but after watching some people on pogo sticks, we soon headed back. I bought us 2 loaves, and we devoured that bread in 10 seconds flat! It was delicious! 

From there, we headed to the Coleman store. As much as I love bags, Robby loves ice chests. He found him a new one to try out before our big road trip. The perfect ice chest has been elusive to us, but hopefully, this one will be the one. 

Then I ran into a Walmart to return a movie and pick up a caribiner to hold my cup on my back pack. We didn't want a big supper but did need something. Robby found a BBQ place and picked up some BBQ. Then I ran into a grocery store to pick up chips and buns. We ate in the parking lot and it was a perfect little picnic. The BBQ was good, and we even had bologna. It was pretty good, and something that I had never had before. (Well, I have had bologna, but not from a BBQ place.)

Next stop was Hurt's Donuts for a little snack. When we stopped there last time, we were stuffed, but tonight we were able to enjoy them. We even have a few leftover for tomorrow's breakfast. 

When we made it back to the hotel, we all checked out watches. For some reason when we are at home, Graham takes more steps than I do-even when we have done the exact same thing all day long. I have had to assume that he just takes smaller, so more, steps than me. Today, Robby's watch was pretty close to mine which confirms my theory.  We both had around 16K steps compared to Graham's 19K. Even though Graham's steps are always more than mine, our miles are usually fairly consistent (when we have done the same things!)  Today though, Robby and Graham walked about a mile more than me...I don't recall taking a break on a bench today while they were going anywhere. I am not quite sure I trust these watches!

The kids had showers tonight and then there was lots of ipad playing while waiting on bed. Campbell, my smart one, did crawl in a bed and go right to sleep. Robby and I did our computing and soon it was bedtime for all. Hopefully, the birds will have flown on to another nest tonight. And hopefully, Whitman will sleep hard...in his own spot!

April 25, 2018-Branson Adventure #2 (Day 1)

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I woke up at the time that I should be getting up on Wednesdays. That was a good thing since I was able to fold a few loads of laundry and empty the dishwasher. The kids were pretty quick to wake up and start putting on their clothes. Anderson wasn't pleased with having to wear a Sunday shirt since it was Wednesday.

Today wasn't any normal Wednesday because this was performance day along with Branson day. We headed to Bible study at the normal time, but at 11 all of the kids classes performed a few songs. Robby and all of the grands were there to see everyone.

Well, not all of my Dennie's performed. Reagan, my baby, is too old to perform anymore. So she was helping the babies! Made me a bit sad. Graham, Anderson and Campbell's classes all performed together. Graham was Luke in their play. When he heard that we were leaving for Branson today, he gladly offered for us to leave early and him to miss his part. Graham and Anderson had parts in their song as well. They each chanted a Bible verse.

Keaton and Whitman's group performed a few songs too. Of course, my Keaton is as precious as she could be and knew all of the words to the songs. Whitman, on the other hand enjoyed performing. He has even perfected his bow! Gracious me!

Afterwards, the kids went home with Robby while Nonna and I went shopping. It was my birthday shopping trip. I delayed it since I do like having new clothes for our big trips. We went out to eat and then we quickly found everything on my list.

When we were done, I took Nonna home and showed Pops my loot. Then I text Robby and headed home. His exact response to my "headed home" text was "Ugh, you are early." I didn't think that was very kind at all! I believe that he was trying to say that they weren't quite ready to leave yet at home. I wasn't home that early after all-possibly 30 minutes earlier than we had guessed I would be. Once I made it home, the loading began.

Everyone pottied and before long, we were in the car headed to Branson. It is nice now that everyone, well except Whitman, know to turn off the lights and pick up when we leave and especially when we are leaving for a few days. 

I always think that taking a little trip before a big trip is a very good thing. We were quick to find the first thing that we needed to work on before the trip is the DVD player. The last trip it was very contrary but we couldn't get it to play anything today. It did pass the time just the same today-for me and Robby. I worked on it until Conway. Then I drove and Robby worked on it for at least another hour. 

Other things that we have added to our trip list is warm hotel clothes for me (I'm always cold), a GPS cord, podcasts about where we are, lots of trash bags and a portable fan. I am sure that you will rest better knowing that list. 

We stopped once on the way for a potty stop, and then we finally stopped again in Harrison at McDonalds. Robby had a free chicken sandwich and it was absolutely delicious. I was told to not get used to them because they were pricey! 

From Harrison, it was just a short drive to our motel. We did have to drive near the lake while it was dark and foggy. This set the mood for a few of my people to get spooked-Keaton, Campbell and Graham. 

Our motel tonight is an older lodge. It looks pretty dated and that long with the fact that we are the only ones staying in it, added to the spooks of my 3 spooked kids. The room is large with a kitchen area, pull out couch and 3 beds. We all vegged out for a bit while eating oreos before finally going to sleep.

And yes, Graham would have been sleeping in the bed with Reagan tonight but he decided that he wanted to be in the same room as us! Keaton lost her second tooth on the way here tonight so even though she tried to stay awake, she didn't make it too long. Graham was up a bit later and did look up anytime Robby neared the tooth. 

Hopefully, we will all sleep well because tomorrow is breakfast out and then Silver Dollar City!

April 24, 2018

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  • We didn't hear anyone this morning when our alarms started ringing. Later, we did discover that Anderson and Graham were awake but that was all. Robby woke up Whitman, who quickly put on his clothes so he could join his brothers watching Minecraft.
  • I made his breakfast, and soon Whitman was headed out the door with Robby. Poor Whitman only has 5 days of school left so he better get there early and learn alot.
  • Back at home, we had breakfasts and then started on our school work. It was kind of crazy since we had not done a full day of school this week and since my mind was on getting garage sale stuff ready, our 6 dentist and 1 ortho appointment along with packing for tomorrow. My yesterday's to do list was nothing compared to todays.
  • By 1, Reagan had already been to the dentist, school was mostly finished, 4 bags had been packed, many chores done and garage sale stuff loaded. Soon the kids were loaded in the car, and we zoomed to pick up Whitman.
  • He was at Grannymom's house for the short afternoon. He wasn't ready to leave with me for the dentist. That boy was a hoot though at the dentist. Surprisingly, they were even able to get xrays on the boy.
  • Whitman wasn't the only one who got xrays today! Keaton needs a crown and a filling. She was not too excited when she heard the news, but she kept a brave face. Her little teeth will be fixed in a few weeks. And then Campbell. They did some big xrays on her. The teeth beside her upper front teeth are odd. One is normal but the one on the other side is smaller than normal. Not something that isn't fixable (pulling two teeth or am implant sound like the fix) So to the ortho we will soon be going for her-boo!  
  • Next up was dropping off our garage sale stuff at Danas. I am not too sure what happened but I have a ton of junk. Even with all of my stuff, I think that I will be lucky to make 75 bucks. I am so glad to get all of that out of my house. When I turned 40, I decided to try to throw out 40 bags of trash this year. When I count my garage sale boxes, I only have 14 more bags to go!
  • From there, Robby took the boys to eat and then home for the evening. The girls and I grabbed supper and then headed to look for some clothes. At our first stop, we saw a few different groups of people-one was a man wearing a dress.  Needless to say, when we made it back to the car, I made it clear that God designed women to be women and do things that women do and God designed men to do manly things. Gracious me!
  • Next stop was Walmart followed by getting gas and Kroger. The girls were a bit upset with me since I didn't go by Sonic on the way home. We had already eaten out, bought them clothes, and bought them shoes. I did promise a snack and drink when we made it home.
  • After we unloaded everything, the girls took their showers while Anderson and I glued his science fair project on his board. Hallelujah! We are done with those science fair projects! We just have to show their projects and give a brief talk on Tuesday. 
  • When the kids went to bed, Robby and I still had lots to do. We did finish most of it with a bit of time to sit down! I still have to pack along with the dishes and a few loads of laundry!  

April 23, 2018

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  • Whitman's class only takes two field trips during the year, the pumpkin patch and the zoo. Today, was the zoo field trip, and Whitman could not be anymore excited. Everyone else was excited but probably would have rather stayed home so they could have finished their very light day of school work.
  • Last night I had told the kids that from 7 to 7:30 they could play on their ipads this morning, but after 7:30 it was chore and school time. I guess that caused everyone to stay in their beds a bit longer since they couldn't ipad as long as they wanted. Graham and Whitman were the only ones awake. 
  • Soon I was having to wake up everyone because leaving at 8:15 was tough! I was very glad that I did wake up a few minutes earlier than usual because I needed every bit of that time.
  • We arrived at the zoo and were again surprised at the cool weather. We all had jackets, but it was misting and cold. I should have known that it would be cold because out of 6 zoo field trips, I remember it being cold 6 times! 
  • We met up with Whitman's class and followed the group around the zoo. Whitman did say that the monkeys were his favorite animal that we saw today. We did see an elephant up close which was neat.
  • It was a good day at the zoo. I was quick to remind Whitman that last year at Keaton's school field trip, he ran away from us! He promised not to do it again today, and thankfully he did not. At the end of the field trip, the kids played on the playground some. Then we had a little snack in the car before heading to Dairy Queen for our weekly Blizzard. 
  • Once home, I read history and a few books with the kids. Then they started on their chores and what was left of their school work. It didn't take too long and with just a bit of work, I felt much better about the state of this house. Grannymom and Grandpa came over for a bit help plant a few plants. 
  • There was also some science fair project work along with puzzle working and puzzle hanging happening. I did have a huge list today, but by the end of the day, it was pretty well marked off. Around 5, the Monday soccer players and Robby left for practice. Keaton and Campbell also went with them leaving Whitman and me home by ourselves.
  • I worked on my VBS stuff some, then read to Whitman. Next I did the treadmill and then Whitman did his reading book and practiced his science fair project. At some point, I put him in the shower and worked on next year's school. Finally, I made Whitman work on a National Park book some. He didn't mind, and I think that by the end of the evening he was as bored as I was. I enjoy being home in the quiet. I am able to accomplish a lot but after doing a lot, then there isn't much left to do! 
  • Needless to say, we were both glad to see the others come home from practice and eating out. They all had to have showers, and then it was bedtime!

April 22, 2018

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  • We could hear the kids awake this morning so maybe that is why Robby and I both continued hitting snooze. Reagan wasn't here this morning since she had spent the night with Kaleigh, but even with her gone most everyone can get Sunday ready by themselves. Actually, everyone but Whitman can if I lay out his clothes, which I had not!
  • Even with me scurrying around more than usual, we were still able to leave on time. We walked through and saw the grands before setting down. I knew that Reagan would arrive about 15 minutes later since their Sunday school starts later than our service. I expected her to show up, but she never did. 
  • After church, we asked someone if she had been in their SS class, and he said no. I had to go to teach Keaton and Whitman's SS class but did leave Robby instructions to find my girl. He quickly did. She had indeed been to SS with the other girls. Robby told her that she could go to worship with them if she wanted but she opted to go to her own SS class.
  • When church was over, we gathered our crew and headed to Nonna's house for lunch. She had a bit lunch and everyone enjoyed it. We stayed for a bit before hurrying home for a very short nap. Church was tonight and since Reagan, Graham and Campbell had to be there early, their was little time for a nap!
  • Before I was ready, I was back in the car headed to church. Everyone did their rehearsals and soon the service started. Along with baby dedication, which we were obviously not a part of, the 1st through 4th grade choir sang. Graham had a speaking part which he was extremely happy to be done with. Campbell was singing her little heart out on the back row. A bit later, Reagan and the preteen worship group led the congregation in two songs. Then all of the 6th graders, including Reagan, received an ESV study Bible. 
  • Afterwards, there was a little fellowship upstairs including cupcakes which my kids ate more than a dozen of! Once we made it home, everyone put on their pjs and then started on tomorrow's school work while Robby heated up a bite of supper. 
  • The kids had a bit of downtime before bed. I think that my crew is tired tonight and after writing out my to-do list for just tomorrow, I am overwhelmed and a bit tired myself!

April 21, 2018

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  • Lately, Robby and I have been reminiscing of when we would have 2 to 4 people, or sometimes even more, in our bed during the wee morning hours. They aren't usually in our bed anymore, but Whitman now sleeps with one of his brothers most every night and Campbell and Keaton slept in the same bed last night since Reagan was away. This morning, however, our room was full of people at 7:01.
  • Today was our first soccer day since the last two Saturdays have been rainy, and the Dennie team was ready. Reagan met us at the fields since she had spent the night at Grannymom and Grandpa's house.
  • It was a built chilly this morning, but eventually the sun did come out and warm us up. However, the wind always seems to blow at Raymar, at least during this time of the year. I started off with 4 layers on and then got down to one but eventually had to put one jacket back on due to the wind.
  • Our first game was Keaton and Whitman's team. Keaton, which was no surprise, did excellent. She scored 6 of her teams 8 goals. Whitman also did really well-he did everything that we had hoped. He ran through the tunnel, stayed on the field, didn't chase a butterfly, did chase the ball and even kicked the ball a few times. And, he isn't even the worst player on his team!
  • The next game was Graham's team. This is the first year that 4th grade and up are playing on the big fields with goalies so all of this was new to us. His team did well and won 2-0. Robby coaches their team and was relieved to see them look decent on the field.
  • Next up was Campbell's game and Reagan's game. Reagan's team won but she hung back quite a bit. She is good at defense and was trying to do that. However, Robby says that she is a completely different player during practice than she was during the game. Campbell is a beast during soccer. I know you would never believe that she runs the entire time, but she sure does. She scored 2 of her teams 3 or 4 goals. She thinks they tied, but they might possibly have lost by 1 point. 
  • Finally, we watched Anderson's game. Bless his little team. He knew the first practice that it was going to be a long year, and it will be. Now, they were playing a team with one star player and that kid did score all 3 goals so if you take those away, it would have been a tie. Anderson played goalie for a quarter, and I just couldn't get over how much he looked the part. I do think he was the cutest goalie at Raymar. Poor guy did twist his ankle pretty good at the very beginning of the game and limped for the rest of it.
  • I do think that everyone had a good soccer day. Once we came home, everyone had showers and a piece of pizza from the fridge. Reagan just really had time to shower and repack before her, Robby, Campbell and Keaton left again. She is spending the night at Kaleigh's house, and the others left for a quick Kroger run and a mystery shop.
  • Meanwhile back at home, Anderson and I worked on his science fair project. I also worked on a few other things before starting on supper. Oh, I did have to take a shower to get the knots out of my hair from the crazy wind this morning.
  • For supper, we had hamburgers, twice baked potatoes, roasted carrots and butternut squash along with corn on the cob. The twice baked potatoes were wonderful, and we topped our supper off with ice cream. The Wilson's were over for supper, and the kids all played outside with the neighbor kids until the rain started to move in.
  • When the WIlson's left, my crew had to have another set of showers before bedtime. They were all pretty exhausted tonight. So exhausted that I bet Whitman won't even be awake long enough to move into a brother's bed. Keaton and Campbell already started out in the same bed, but we never heard a peep out of them.

April 20, 2018

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  • For some reason, Robby and I were awake earlier today than usual. That was fine since I had plenty to do this morning. The kids found their own breakfasts, and then we did a little reading before working on chores and clothes.
  • At 9:30, we loaded up and headed to Jacksonville. On the way, we picked up Kennedy. Despite having a buddy in the car, Reagan was insistent that we listen to our book on tape. Everyone loves our books on the tape but the one we are listening to now is only on loan from the library for 14 days so we must hurry.
  • Today's field trip was all about electricity, and it was really well done. They had a lady from the Museum of Discovery who did a few science experiments for everyone first. Then the 6th graders on up, went to another area. Sara went with Noah, Kennedy and Reagan and said that it was really neat. Reagan elaborated more by saying "that talked about stuff." So informative!
  • Now my boys could have hung with the 6th graders, but I followed the rules and they stayed in the right group. It was a magician who talked about electrical safety. He was light on magic but really funny. 
  • Keaton was chosen to be an assistant. She ripped up some tissue paper, and then smashed it back together. Afterwards, the torn tissue paper turned into an adorable pink tissue paper hat. Keaton was absolutely glowing during all of this. Now later, Keaton handed me the hat and asked me to hold it. Soon Campbelll came running up to me telling me to not fold the hat. She was worried that if I folded it back up, it would turn back into torn pieces of tissue paper. I didn't fold it, and Keaton has asked for me to put the hat in her memory box.
  • After the magician, there were stations for us to go through. The favorite was making your own circuit to make a flashlight. My people made two each! When you had been to all of the stations, you were able to turn in your paper and receive a goody bag of candy. The kids loved this!
  • On the way home, we stopped by a picked up a pizza for a little snack on the way home. We then dropped off Kennedy before taking Reagan to spend the night at Grannymom's house. We stayed there for a few minutes before coming home for a bit.
  • Tonight the boys had basketball so we loaded back up to drop them off. Robby and I grabbed a shake before taking the littles to McDonalds to eat and play for a bit. We then ran to Grannymom's to drop some things off. Then Robby dropped me off at the Kroger for some speed shopping while he picked up the boys. We picked their supper up on the way home and then it was back home for the night.

April 19, 2018

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  • Thursday morning and Whitman had to get off to school. Robby made a special trip to the story yesterday to buy cheese for his grilled cheese breakfast sandwiches. Of course this morning, he didn't want one!
  • Once Robby headed off with Whitman, the rest of us settled in the living room to do our work together. We usually hibernate in my bedroom, but since muffins were baking and Robby was gone, we ended up in the living room. A change was kind of different. 
  • Currently, I spend most of our school day in my bedroom by the window where I fold the laundry. I think this is the second year that we have been working right there. One year was spent in the hallway working, and the year that I was pregnant with Whitman, we did all of our work in my bed. Maybe I will find a new spot for next year.
  • School went fairly well. Reagan finished her report for her science fair-well, it is a short, very short report. That is fine though because I think that I am done with science fairs. I am actually pretty done with this school year and ready to start next year. Now, I will say that is fine since our school year is pretty much over already. We have very few days left and am just trying to cram the rest in.
  • Once we finished school, we had our lunch. The kids listened as I read some. Afterwards, Keaton was a subject for Anderson's science fair project. While she was doing that, Anderson and I finished his last Star Wars puzzle. He has asked me to help him hang them up. I think framing them would be pricey but thankfully, I have found a solution, hopefully, on pinterest. 
  • The kids ended up outside for just a bit this afternoon. I played basketball with Graham, Anderson and Keaton. The neighbor came down for a bit and a few played with him before soccer.
  • Keaton, Campbell and I then jumped in the car to meet Robby. We met him at the gas station and then Robby and I went to work changing Whitman. We put him in his soccer uniform-it is a booger trying to dress a 5 year old in the back of the car especially when putting cleats, shin guards and socks which are large enough for a grown man to wear.
  • We made it to soccer on time though I have no idea why anyone would ever want to drive down 1-30 at 5 in the evening. It was picture night at soccer so that took up most of their time. Campbell's team did scrimmage, and they did fine. No one scored. Keaton and Whitman's team also scrimmaged. Keaton was all over that field, and all though I was worried about how they would do, their team seemed okay-ish. Whitman, bless, did better than I thought. The ball did touch him a few times. He stayed on the field and didn't lay down which is all that I can hope for on Saturday.
  • Once at home, my crew ate our supper. The others had already eaten. The kids had showers and afterwards, we had some ice cream before bed. You could have heard a pin drop when Robby mentioned that in a few weeks, the church is participating in screen free week, and we would be participating (to some degree.) I better make some plans as to what we are going to do all day long!

April 18, 2018

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  • Whitman burst in our room around 3:30 this morning and jumped over me into the middle of the bed. I do believe that he went to both brothers' beds to tell them that he was scared last night before coming down here. Now, it probably served them right that he woke them up before coming downstairs because I think that they might have possibly been egging him on earlier in the evening. I believe that they continued to talk about the "scary granny" that he has been worried about the past few nights. Hopefully, tonight he will sleep all night in his own bed.
  • I guess having one more warm body in our bed last night made it a bit cuddlier, and I stayed in bed until the last possibly moment. It is pretty amazing that within 30 minutes of me waking up, we can walk out the door. Even with that short amount of time, everyone had breakfast, everyone packed their lunch (which we remembered to bring), I unloaded the dishes, and we didn't leave a single thing at home. All of that will probably never happen again.
  • Bible study was good, and afterwards my Bible study group went to a park. It was one ladies birthday so another had bought the most beautiful cake from Sams of all places. It was as good as it looked, and that should mean quite a bit since cake is not my favorite of desserts. Though I would certainly take a slice of cake right now.
  • Afterwards, I took my crew to Dairy Queen for our Blizzards. They ate them in the car and for some reason, Reagan and Keaton didn't finish theirs so I struggled eating them and driving home.
  • Once at home, the kids did little of nothing while I worked on some garage sale stuff and worked with Whitman on his school stuff. Soon, it was time to eat our supper before church. We worked on all of the fridge leftovers. 
  • After church tonight, I headed out of the parking lot a different way than usual. The kids quickly noticed and I said that we were still heading home. When we missed the turn to go home, Graham was the only one who noticed. I then told them that we were headed to Chickfila for a few cookie. My Anderson said that he just loves free stuff! That's my boy. The cookies were delicious although the lady at the window wasn't that friendly which is completely unlike any Chickfila people. She questioned if I had 7 people in the car. Of course, the kids were all being exceptional and the car was as quiet as crickets. 
  • Once at home, everyone had a sip of coke to wash down that wonderful cookie. Before they knew it, it was bedtime.

April 17, 2018

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  • I woke up this morning with Anderson standing over me asking if they could get their own breakfasts. Scared the daylights out of me! I was glad that he asked because we were going to eat together this morning. We don't eat together usually on mornings that we have to leave the house.
  • Robby took Whitman to school while the rest of us ate our breakfasts and then went to town on reading history. As soon as they was finished, I had everyone put on their clothes and start on their chores. 
  • Today was Field Day for our little homeschool group. We had it at Raymar fields so everyone was super excited about it. Now the first stop this morning was to pick Whitman up from school. I think that he was just there about an hour and a half before we came. He didn't mind and was ready to go which was nice.
  • Our next stop was ChickFila for a free chicken biscuits. We had to wait a few minutes to get our biscuits and while waiting, a friend text saying that Hardees was giving out free sausage biscuits if you made it there by 10. I looked up, and there was a Hardees sign. They delivered our food, and I pulled out headed to Hardees. 
  • We parked in their parking lot with 3 minutes to spare and ran inside. They were just as friendly as ChickFilA and happily gave us our sausage biscuits. The kids got a kick out of this, and the boys ate their sausage biscuits for lunch in lieu of their sandwiches that they had packed this morning.
  • Most everyone was already at Raymar when we arrived. The first organized activity was a kickball game. We didn't play too long-actually, I am not even sure who's team won though I think that it was not my team. 
  • There were a few relay races and even tug of war. The kids had brought balls and all kinds of toys. Everyone just enjoyed walking all over Raymar and just doing whatever they wanted. Now, I wasn't really thinking today since I didn't get the sunscreen out until it was way too late. I have a bunch of red faced kids! Campbell, of course, is the very worse. Hopefully, they will just be pink tomorrow and not bright red!
  • We headed home around 2 after a full days worth of playing. Reagan worked on her science fair project while the others played on their ipads. It was a fairly low key afternoon because I think that they were exhausted. 
  • I had to help Robby with a work project tonight so we ate supper a bit later than usual. Everyone had baked potatoes while I had a pan full of roasted veggies (green beans, tomatoes, corn, carrots, butternut squash, mushrooms and a zuchinni or a cucumber-I don't know which one it was.) Reagan did try a few but I didn't even offer them to anyone else. 
  • After supper, the kids had their showers and then we all went upstairs to play the wii for a bit before bedtime.

April 16, 2018

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  • Anderson was awake this morning, but that was all. I went up to find Whitman so he could get ready for school. He wasn't in his bed but was sleeping all cozied up to Graham. Graham is usually the first one awake, but maybe he needed someone to snuggle up to so he could sleep a little bit longer.
  • In the girls' room, Keaton was quick to wake up to check her tooth fairy pillow. Indeed, the fairy did leave her a dollar. She was pleased with her money but did let it be known and more money would have been better.
  • We got Whitman off to school. As I buckled his seat belt, I told him that he would always be my little baby. This didn't settle with him well, so I continued that Anderson and Graham would always be my babies too. To this, Whitman said, "I want a another Momma." Gotta love parenthood!
  • The rest of us started on our school work. Since everyone had done some last night, my load was a lot lighter, and I was able to work on my afternoon chores while the kids finished their stuff. We read an interesting book about Marco Polo this year. I tell you, I have so enjoyed our history this year, and I am going to try really hard to enjoy science next year as much as I have liked history.
  • We just have two science fair projects to finish up around here. Reagan did make 3 more batches of her cupcakes today. Today she left out milk, vanilla and then something else. Her little experiment has been pretty interesting, at least to me. She did say today that she had memorized her cupcake recipe. I read a blog about a lady who let her kid do "baking" as a high school elective. I think we would go broke buying flour and sugar if that happened at our house.
  • The kids tried to find the neighbors today to play, but they were still doing school. I worked on some garage sale stuff. Whitman went home with Nonna and Pops after school. Since I had Bunko tonight, Pops came over to pick up Campbell and Keaton because everyone else had soccer practice.
  • Soon afterwards, the others were loading up for practice. This was actually picture day which is kind of funny since the kids have never put on their uniforms before. We did find out today that we are going to get to make up one game on a Sunday afternoon.
  • I headed off to Bunko-we ate at Whole Foods, which was a fun little change. Robby took the others to practice. After they picked up supper, they picked up the littles. Once everyone was home it was showers and bed.