Polar Express Day

Bryton was having Pajama day and Polar Express Day at school for the last day before Christmas Holidays, so we planned the same for our homeschool. I checked out the book and movie from the library and we were ready with hot chocolate and donuts to share. Then last night, we got the idea to make our own tickets. It worked! We found the exact image and my printer actually printed on construction paper, so the kids and I made enough for our family and Bryton's class, cut and glued at 9pm. It was a fun, relaxing day!

A Reminder to Remember

I stole this from another's blog. It was just what I needed and don't want to forget, so here it is:

I was reminded again, that it is not my job to keep my house in order, raise my children, serve at Church, care for my extended family members, encourage my husband, etc., etc. 
It's not my job.
It's God's.
My job is to LISTEN to what He wants me to do and DO it.
I LOVE this quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell... he is telling reasons why we become weary...
"First, we forget that while we work with others, we are working for Him!  Working for "them" can be very wearying.  Our naive insistence on seeing rapid results is intensified when we work for "them"; our expectations become unrealistic and, therefore, are not fulfilled.  This weariness is of our own making, real as it is.  But when we truly work for Him rather than for others, we will be less cluttered, less frantic-- and more effective.  We will also actually be more helpful to "them".  

don't you love that? i love it.
The Lord is my shephard.
He is my King, my deliverer, my ALL.

one more great quote from Elder Maxwell...
"True exhilieration, the incomparable antidote to weariness, comes from knowing and from conforming to our true identity and our true purposes on this planet.  Purposelessness, however, brings a terrible weariness."

We have SUCH purpose as mothers in Zion.
We have SUCH purpose this month!
How can we bring the Celebration of Christ to those we love?!!
How can we teach?  How can we serve?  How can we feel that joy?
I know it is possible.
Even amidst life's funk.

Celebrate Mexico Day

We are studying Countries and Culture this year, we began with the World and maps. Then on to the United States we went for a  few weeks. We've been stuck on Mexico the last month because of my health. So, today we tied it all up and made our paper flowers and homemade tortillas to celebrate.
 
The kids all got to help measure, mix, roll out their own and cook (except Cayd) and flip. We put butter and cinnamon sugar and they were a huge hit :).

 

Sooo very grateful I could stand long enough to have this fun. I've been resting the rest of the day .

Now, we're on to Canada, we'll stamp passports tomorrow, eh!

Happy Quiet Day

Bryan left for three days, thankfully I don't have to leave the house. Bryton is riding the morning school bus and our friends are picking him up in the afternoon. The kids have found tadpoles in our flooded yard & enjoyed hours of play with the neighbor girls. I am so happy that they love to play at home at least as much as a park if not more.

I'm thankful Bryton enjoys doing homework.

I'm grateful school went well and I could rest as I needed.

Homeschool Halloween

I wanted it to be a fun, different day. Gavyn wanted "different" to mean no school, but alas, if Bryton had to go so do you :). So, I made a Halloween packet of school work, that included Language arts, spelling, math and games. Plus, when their morning chores were done and they were ready to do school they got a Halloween goody bag of candy to eat while doing work. Science was making our pumpkin seeds from our carving last night. They had to figure out the ratio of seeds, salt and water and help clean the goop off the seeds. There were hints of a Halloween party in the afternoon. 

Our party included fun Halloween Oreos, Cheez-its, Pumpkin seeds, carrots and juice. We decorated with our pumpkins and enjoyed our yummy party right when Bryton came in the door. 

Daddy took the kids Trick-or-Treating in a local neighborhood. Makayla left a little early with her friend, Sally Jo, but they met up and all got a TON of candy.

I sat (well laid) in a quiet house and enjoyed the best show of The Sing Off so far.

Pumpkin fever

My sweet Bryan cleaned up the house today, while I spent another day "resting". Tonight the kids, including Bryan painted & cut out pumpkins. There's been lots of laughing kids today :).

Also grateful that Bryan, my very own handy-man, fixed our van today. It started without being jumped.

Saturday's are Wonderful

Grateful for sleeping in and being able to rest when both Bryan and I desperately needed our bodies to rest and heal.

May the Force be With You Also known as Trunk or Treat

Thankful for the insight to hold the full activity inside :).

So Thankful I felt up to going to the combined Trunk or Treat. We were a Star Wars family. The first time we've done a family theme since Makayla was 3. Bryan was Hans Solo, I was Padme Amidala, Makayla was Princess Leia, Gavyn was Luke Skywalker, Bryton was Darth Vader and Cayd was Captain Rex, Clone Trooper.

Also very thankful to my friend, Claudia for driving me to PT today, watching kids, jumping the van, and enduring a McDonald's run with the kids. Such a sweetie!!!

Enjoyed a fun movie night with our friends, the Egberts watching the first Star Wars movie to commemorate our costume success.

What am I thankful for today???

A laptop to help keep me sane when I lay in bed

A good chat with a friend

The ability to do some laundry, even fold and put away in 5- 10 minute spurts

The strength to sit and help my kids clean up their room

Getting to read some stories with the little boys and not get too dizzy

A swept floor in our bedroom :)

Grateful

I just realized that today is two years!

It's been two years since Bryan was diagnosed with CML. He's still here! The American Cancer Society campaign about more birthdays always brings tears to my eyes because they truly gave us more birthdays. Cancer research found the drugs that are keeping him alive within the last 12 years. His specific drug has only been around for about 4 years.

I am also thankful that I could sit at the table and eat dinner with the kids tonight. Bryan is out of town, but my sweet Gavyn made dinner (creamy burritos, his specialty :) ), set the table and I was able to make it through dinner. It's been almost two weeks since that happened. I am blessed to have such amazing kiddos.

Grateful for the "Chick Resort" the kids have been building the past few days in the yard with Sally Jo. Our new 8 chicks are very pampered in their special place. For the record, we are down to 4 hens (getting about 3 eggs daily :) ) and these new 2 week old chicks, supposedly all girls. We lost 3 chickens  before (2 to bobcats and one to an unknown cause), then 3 turned out to be roosters. We successfully found the roosters a new home, where the teen pinky promised Makayla they would not be killed :). The roosters had become rather aggressive with the kids, pecking them and drawing blood.

A Grateful Beginning

I've decided to try a new approach. I will try and blog at least one thing each day I am grateful for. I need to focus on what is good in our lives :).

Today I am thankful for a fellow Homeschool Mom who took Makayla and Gavyn to see Seussical. We got tickets back in August, but my health wouldn't allow me to attend. I posted on our homeschool site that we had free tickets and the lady who asked for them, I had actually met at a homeschool playgroup. She volunteered to take my kids along with hers. I was so happy that my kids didn't have to miss another event because of my health. I am grateful for homeschool groups. 

The kids had a great time!

School Starts

After much deliberation, prayer, and stress (on my part), we decided to Homeschool Gavyn and Makayla for 3rd and 4th grade, but to enroll Bryton in Sabal Palm Elementary for Kindergarten. Everyone was excited about this plan and so off we go on a new adventurous year of learning.

 

 Bryton with his "Me" Doll he created to look like him. He also is wearing his war paint of the night.

 All ready for tomorrow's big day!

 Sad, but this is our best picture of his first day of school. He was soooo excited and happy, but I forgot to take a picture until we were almost there, and he refused to smile for the picture in the car line :(

 Cayd having fun sorting bears and chillaxin'

 Makayla and Gavyn's first day with new supplies and already hard at work :)

 This was a nature study, where they had a yarn circle and drew pictures and answered some questions about what they observed and heard, etc. Cayd of course wanted to be a part.

Here's to a great new School Year!!!!

Closing Day, 15 Months in the Making

We no longer own our house in Leesburg, Floida. 

HAPPY DAY!!!

Bryan accepted his new job with Schluter back in March 2010. We both felt assurances that "something" would work out with our home, which we were ridiculously underwater with. It was listed in April, went through one buyer from August - October, the bank wouldn't accept a short sale and us still be current. After lots more prayers, we finally felt good about stopping paying in Feb 2011, a week later, we had a new buyer. I'll forbear in sharing all the gory, roller-coaster details of the past four months, but needless to say it has not been pretty. 

Still, today has come, as the Lord assured us it would. It is officially sold as a short sale....we'll see where things stand in a few months as far as owning again. Right now I am in no hurry to get into debt again. 

Today is a Grateful day. Grateful for the assurances and peace we have continually felt through this process. Gratitude for the renewed testimony of His constant care and concern over all the details of our lives. Thankful!

Summer Takes Off

The kids didn't finish school until June 9th, but we started with a bang and left on the 10th for our "first" vacation. We were headed to Leesburg for Gavyn and Logan's Baptisms. The Shields, Russ and Balagna families all converged in Leesburg for this special event. As my older brother, Hal, said we were like our own branch. It was fabulous (pics to follow sometime)!!!

Things began on Saturday, I went shopping for all the activities. I only had to use an electric cart for the fourth store and thank heavens Liz "happened" to be there when I needed some help. We made it back in time for a little rest and then time to PARTY. We celebrated at George and Liz' home with some water games, helium balloons, popsicles, jell-o cake and very green cupcakes! There were 12 cousins thru most of the party and 2 more showed up towards the end. We visited a little but most were exhausted from long drives. So we headed to different hotels and beds to meet up for Sunday.

Church was wonderful, cousins in Primary together, Moms and Sisters in RS and brothers......mostly in the hall talking :).

After lots of hot picture taking, we had a beautiful service and saw our special boys make a wonderful choice. I pause here to talk about our Gavyn. He is a very energetic, all-boy boy. We've had our moments learning how to be his parents and we have a long way to go, but we are so proud of who he is. He has such a tender heart. He has a testimony of his own. He likes to joke and is constantly moving, but he ponders the gospel and has some profound insights. We are excited to see him grow and develop into who the Lord already knows he is. His powerful spirit and body have important work to do here. It's a blessing to be his Mom.

We enjoyed yummy refreshments and visiting at the church and then once again headed off in our many directions. Monday, most families went to amusement parks....us, we headed to Gainesville to see my chiropractor. Happy news there was that my atlas had stayed in place for 5 weeks. That hadn't happened in over 9 months. The prolo must be working :).

We drove on to Daytona Monday evening and played in the pool and lazy river in the dark with Becky and her kiddos. Tuesday was Shields Family day at the Beach. We played at all the Oceanwalk pools, slides, lazy river, etc. We played at the beach, caught fish, dug in the sand and smiled lots and lots getting to see cousins play at the beach together for the first time. It was wonderful. We headed up to Becky's condo for pizza, more visiting and tired kiddos (love the sun and water for how it quiets down kids). 

Wed was more water, pool & beach. Bryan and Devin took the kids to the pier where they buried them in the sand, we watched a kid get arrested for jumping of the closed pier, and walked back s-l-o-w-l-y through the amusement park area, where we made plans for our return in August with the Russ family.

Thursday was packing and driving for more Doctors, another prolo treatment and then driving back to Naples. Mom and Devin got there within  minutes of us. It was cool. They spent another few days with us. We enjoyed Barefoot Beach twice, once trying to be cool and stay through a rainstorm and then running back to the car freezing cold. Awesome memories! We celebrated Father's day and Devin's 19th Birthday and just had a great time. 

What a way to start a summer!

Bedtime Funnies

*Gavyn is reading Knock-knock jokes and this is Cayd's 3 yr old version of the "Interrupting Cow":
"Mom, Knock, Knock"
Me, "Who's there?"
Cayd, "Cow....Moo"

*Bryton, who is about to loose the fingernail from the finger he broke a month ago and whom I just told it may fall off tonight,  says, "Toothfairies only take toothes not fingernails."

A New way to Defrost

I was having a conversation with Bryton, it goes like this:
Bryt: "Can I have a Gogurt, Mom?" (they are frozen)
Mom: "Sure, one for you and Cayd" a few minutes pass and I walk by the living room where both boys are sitting on the couch.
Bryt: "This is freezing!!!"
Mom: "Where is it?"
...Bryt: "Oh, it's under my butt."
SO there you have it, anything you need defrosted, just sit on it!

Our little Farm Wanna-be

Our new home in Naples is on about 2 acres, most of the back part is an amazing cypress hammock (at least I think that is what Bryan told me it is called) filled with palms and cypress trees. The cypress trees keep out some undergrowth, so the kids were able to blaze an incredible trail in no time. It's really like a trail we used to hike at girl's camp. There were also two cages built from cut cypress trees and chicken wire. One needs a lot of work, but the smaller one is in pretty good shape. 

Yesterday was our first Saturday without other obligations and so it became a yard day. Bryan worked like crazy clearing off more land and clearing out the second cage. Some friends from church brought over a raccoon they had caught trying to kill their chickens. We let the raccoon loose in our "good" cage to "test" it out. If he could find a way out, then a friend of his could find a way in to kill our chickens too. Well, it took him about 8 hours, but sure enough, he found a rusted section of the buried wire (it goes a foot deep into the ground) and dug himself out. 

For a break, Bryan and Makayla had their Daddy-daughter date at the feed store picking out our baby chicks and all the "Stuff" they need to keep them healthy and alive from the start....heat lamp, feeder, waterer, food, bedding, vitamin supplements,etc.(I was a bit overwhelmed when they returned and told me how much it cost!). Sooo...now we have 8 adorable chicks and have educated ourselves on how to care for chicks and hope our online education works. We have a month to get our outdoor cage ready for them, hopefully we can prevent deaths. It's amazing what all wildlife is here and they all seem to love to kill chickens: raccoons, foxes, Florida panthers, skunks, weasels, dogs, etc. those are just the ones that we have friends who've had first hand experience with. We have warned the kids that most likely some of them won't make it, but we'll do our best!

The chicks are adorable! I love their cute little chirps right now. They are currently in our house in a big box (we have a few hanging around here :)). We all love to sit and just watch their cute little antics. Makayla even set up house right beside them for about 5 hours today to keep a close eye on them. We have 5 hens that are Black Sexlink or Black Stars, they are supposed to be excellent layers. Then we got 3 Rhode Island Reds
straight runs" which means we aren't sure whether they are boys or girls. Gavyn is hoping his is a boy. 

So this brings our Russ family farm total animal count up to 10 - Pebbles, Makayla's pet rabbit that Dad nicknamed "Food Storage", 8 chicks (one Bryan named "Wishbone") and Bryan's Tarantulita, a Mexican red-kneed tarantula. This is not counting the regular inclusions of ring neck snakes, skinks, lizards, etc that only stay a few days or so before being released.

My next goal is to get our grow box finally planted with something edible :).

Kid Moments

Quite a few times lately I have thought "I should record that", about something one of the kids has done, so I decided to do that here :).

Bryton (5) was playing in our new forested back yard and picked up what looked like a piece of black plastic pipe. He holds it up from about 50 yards away and asks, "What is this?" I tell him I'm not quite sure. He drops it down and says, "Oh well, it's probably just from the Indians."

Gavyn (7) offered to say the prayer last night before bed. He prays and then adds, "We thank thee for a Mom who Rocks.......and a Dad who Rocks too." I smiled as he closed and said thanks. He said, "Well you do!" (A sweet compliment when I wasn't feeling like a such a great parent right then). I told him I had some pretty "rockin" kids too. He says "Yeah, when we are listening to music and dancing."

Cayd (3) is potty training. He had gone poop and I had just helped him wipe. I told him to put on his underwear while I hurried to the door, a neighbor just showed up. Of course, he comes running out naked from the waist down, and I excuse myself to cover his "special parts". I return and he comes running up saying he wants to go outside and tries to run out just in underwear. I say, "you have to have on pants and shoes and socks to go outside." Now as a sidenote, in the past these weren't always required, especially shoes, but in our new home there are lots of ant piles, wasps on the ground, and all sorts of new things that bite, cut and sting, so more clothing is a neccesity. He runs off and is back a minute later in underwear and his Lightning McQueen shoes ready to head out. The scenario continues step by step until he finally has on underwear,  pants and shoes. Everytime he comes bouncing out like, "Look, I'm all ready" :). I love little ones!!! I keep telling Bryan that he is at the age where you could video everything he says and does, because it is so cute.

"Listen to your Body"

This has been the phrase for potty training. We talked about learning to listen and obey our bodies when we have to go to the bathroom. Heavenly father made our bodies so that we can tell when we need to go pee or poop. We have to learn to pay attention and quickly obey those signals. (I got this lesson from the Duggars).

So Cayd has been practicing the past two days. Bryan had to take my Mom to the airport and drive back up to Leesburg to get his trailer, so he took the older three kids and Cayd and I had a day alone together. I decided to let him be naked from the waist down to practice and have instant feedback. He's gotten a Teddy Graham every time he's been successful. Today, we practiced with underwear. He's catching on really quickly. Maybe waiting till he was 3 wasn't such a horrible idea. Our life has been sooooo crazy the past 18 months, that I decided to wait until the move to even attempt it much.

A few funny incidents:
* He ran outside and promptly pooped on the sidewalk in 3 places as well as pee. I walk out to see him standing on the driveway with his shirt pulled up and nothing else on....i can only imagine what drivers must have thought. They probably just got a good laugh. I made him sit in the corner for a few minutes for showing his body to other people. A bit later, with our first underwear trial he peed on the couch. I walked over and he sits up and says, " I need to go to the corner." I told him no, he just has to help clean up accidents.

* Tonight, at dinner I remind him to listen to his body because he may need to go while eating, he jumps up and takes off for the bathroom yelling, "it says GO!

SO that's where we stand, more adventures to follow I'm sure!

Naples in A Nutshell

We've made it. We moved in on the 15th with my Mom"s help. She left this past Thursday after a week and a half. The house is perfect for us, I love it and already feel at home. Mom helped me unpack, register the kids in school, do the first few shopping trips, register the car and most importantly...get a beach pass:). We did get to the library, take the kids to a splash park (where we only had a minor episode of losing Cayd  for a moment), and spend a few hours at an extremely crowded beach ! She was such a blessing to us all.

We love our new branch, everyone has been so welcoming and kind. The branch president texted Bryan about coming 30 mins early on Sunday to meet the Stake President with me....a little suspicious. Well, they read our names into the branch and then had Bryan stand as the new Elders Quorum president. Things can move fast in Lord's work I guess. I proceeded to pass out in RS so they pulled Bryan out of Elders Quorum. We seem to know how to make an entrance. We think we have a plan for the future. A beach chair that will recline when I need it. Right now there is no place to lay at all,

Updates

I have to let go of the "cute blog" syndrome I suffer from. I don't blog, because it's not "cute", or fun enough, etc, or I don't have the pictures, a new phenomenon now that Bryan takes more of the pics because his work camera is better and his phone seems to get a lot more pics and videos. Regardless, I don't blog even when I have a few moments of "upright" time, so here goes :).

We are moving on March 15th, if everything goes according to plan, which it hasn't thus far. We are moving to Naples, FL in the Golden Gate area, which is highly rural, lots of land and trees and space. We are excited. The house we found is great, larger than all the others we looked at and I like the layout and lanai and yard. We will be a mile from the kids school and the "church" - it's a branch and meets in a middle school right now. The beach is a 30 minute straight shot from our house, along with Sam's Club, Wal-mart, Target and everything else it seems. It will cause us to plan our outings and shopping better. The library is the one exception, it's only about 10 minutes I believe.

Bryan will still be gone a couple or three nights a week, but better than now and closer, less driving, etc. We are renting to make sure this area will work.