A Family Day Away

Twenty-eight days left until we MOVE HOME!!!! I’d post a picture of me doing jumping jacks for joy, but you’ll probably just have to imagine it! 🙂 I will post a rare picture of myself, though: This post is later in the day than I usually like to post on Wednesdays. We have a lot going on! Plus, this week I decided to kill two birds with one stone by completing (and... Read More

Preparing to Move

Last week my parents and one of my husband’s brothers came for several days to help me get a head start on packing. The guys would have liked more “manly” things to do, beyond changing the oil in the tractor and running errands, but they were good sports about how much I needed someone just to watch the kids so I could string two thoughts together and make thousands... Read More

A Packing Push

This morning we’re right in the middle of a packing blitz, a flurry of boxes, a push to the Pod: My regular Wednesday post will be delayed several days. Looking out toward new – and much flatter – horizons! Thirty-four more days!  Read More

iheartfaces Photo Challenge: Yellow

This week’s iheartfaces photo challenge is “yellow.” Spring sunshine makes this a great theme for this time of year! I’ve been seeing so many beautiful photos with sun flare lately, so I thought I’d give it a try. My two-year old daughter was a good sport about having her picture taken… as always! This photo was entered into the I Heart Faces... Read More

On the Heavy Side of Life: House Hunting and Adoption Issues

I had another post planned for today, but levity doesn’t seem to be the order of the day. My husband grew up as the oldest of five siblings. After he left for college, his parents adopted another sibling group of five, plus a sixth foster child who was living with them and who became available for adoption at the same time. Several years later, they added the seventh, a little... Read More

Pregnancy Brain (and Pictures)

Well, it is Wednesday night at 7:30 and the realization hit that it is, indeed, NOT Tuesday night, like I had thought! AAAAaaa! Sorry! So, I thought this would be a good time to sneak in some pregnancy pictures and put up a big sign saying “to be continued!” I guess I should at least defend myself by saying that this last week HAS been crazy, with Drew still gone after... Read More

The Things Kids Say: Bible Memory Verses

Scroll to the bottom of this post to view the list of verses, or printable PDF of the verses we’re using (plus how they fit with our school topics), click here. If you do use these, please double-check the verses for accuracy, in the Bible version you like to use. Some of the verses are only partial; older children could memorize the entire Bible verse. Also, several verses... Read More

Spring Garden Tour, Tools, and Tips

Happy National Day of Prayer today! Also, Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Our family has many beloved traditions, one of which is Mother’s Day. Every year, Dad would take us to the local greenhouse and let us each pick out whichever four-packs of annuals we fancied. Then, we would all go home and spend the day planting with Mom. It was a wonderful time of togetherness and... Read More

Here We Go Again

This was my older son (and his twin sister) three years ago. He was receiving an albuterol treatment with a home nebulizer. It was one of many, many treatments over the course of two years. He had “reactive airway disease,” his pediatrician said. It’s a precursor to asthma, which apparently cannot be diagnosed reliably until age six. When I was a kid, they didn’t... Read More

Next Time I'll "Chick" With My Husband

Last week, a not-quite-7A.M. phone call came from Drew (who was in Nebraska). “Annie, the post office just called to say that the chicks are here.” “What????” (now fully awake) “Annie, did we order chicks?” “Well, yeah, but they weren’t supposed to come for another WEEK!” “Did I know that we ordered chicks?” “I’m... Read More