Clement Clan

I did it

2012-02-02T12:23:00.000-06:00

Today I took that leap of faith, today I trusted fully in the assurance that God will provide.

Today- I turned in my notice at work. This will be my last year teaching at MJMS. I love what I do and who I work with , but Matt and I decided that this was the time for me to stay home, AND to homeschool our kids next year. We are very excited about this new phase of our life and I cannot wait till Summer!

New Year- New Me

2012-02-02T12:19:00.000-06:00

I love the start of a new year! I always feel refreshed and even though I don't do "resolutions", I do set some goals. For years I have had goals, that in reality I never accomplished. Some that feel by the wayside with in a few weeks. Some I stuck with, but didn't see results, so they fizzled out. I love to have goals, as it gives me something to strive for. This year, as in years past, I set some goals to better me. But the main difference this year is that these goals are simple. I didn't go all out and crazy and specific- I believe that is where my downfall usually is. I get to specific, and when I don't reach them, I give up. I also decided to post them on here to remind me. To remind me of what changes I want to make in my life, in my family's life, in my marriage and in my relationship with my children, family and friends. So- without further adieu....my goals for 2012 (you know you are excited to read them!) :)

1) Make Healthy Lifestyle Changes: This seems like a duh moment, right? In years past I have always stated to loose weight. Who am I kidding?? 4 kids later, my body is not the same and will never be that pre-kid size/shape again. So now my goal is to be healthy. To make good choices in food and exercise. No diet here. We eat fairly healthy, but we can still improve. This is a family change too. Not just for me, but for my entire family. For us all to be healthy and active. I want my kids to grow up making good choices.

2) Read every day: Here is the kicker. I am going to read 3 chapters out of the Bible, and then read what ever else I want. I want to make sure that I am in the Word each day. I will confess right here that I am not doing that right now. I don't take the time to read God's Word, but I do read other things. His Word needs to be first!

3) Take a Sabbath: Yep- you heard me. I don't think I ever really rest. As a mom/wife/teacher I am always doing something. Each day I am cleaning, working and trying to keep it all together. But I need to rest as well. My body and mind need that rest, that time to recharge. Now...can I do it for a whole day straight? Probably not, especially in the season of life that I am in, but I can do a few hours here and there.

4) Take intentional time for Matt and I: This is a no brain-er. We spend time with each other, but taking the time to occasionally get away for the weekend, and to go on dates more often. Not just one on one time after the kids go to bed. My marriage is top priority, and I want to make sure that I am putting all I can into Matt and I.

Eloquent Words

2012-01-07T07:48:00.000-06:00

There are some people who are so eloquent in their speech.  I am not one of those people.  I would love to be, as I love reading what they say and I always think, " That is what I want to say, but I can't get it out that well".  The funny thing about that is that I teach Language Arts.  That encompasses reading, grammar and WRITING.  Do you see the irony?  Oh I can form a well structured paragraph, but it isn't always eloquent.  :)  As my students sometime have trouble, I often have trouble expressing myself with words.  I have to think about what I want to say, because let's face it.  Sometimes words don't come out right.  I want to be (and have to be) intentional with what I say, and I want to make it count.  All that to say- this will not be an eloquent post.  If that is what you are looking for- slide on by!  It will be filled with mistakes that I will  miss (and probably not go back to change once I see them, because let's face it...there won't be time as the kids start to get up), phrases that will make people think I might need some sort of therapy, and will possibly make someone laugh.  

I don't always have a lot of time to read blogs like I would love to. I stumbled across a post that is circulating around facebook. I read it, I laughed, I nodded my head, and led to another blog post that humbled my heart, straightened my mind and put a resolve in my heart. You see...we are in the throng of child rearing. We are in the throng of teaching our children right from wrong. It.is.hard. There are days, that I go to bed thinking.." today I snapped at the kids who were not getting ready fast enough for school, so we were almost late, then I taught someone elses kids who have no respect for me, themselves or others; I came home and rushed to get it all done- ignored and pushed away to prepare dinner; I encouraged and at times argued with the homework child; I said NO more times that I can count; I broke up arguments; I tried to snuggle with my kids, but they argued like cats and dogs and didn't listen; then they are put in bed with a hug, kiss and sigh from a tired mom" how the heck did that go? Not well! It is not easy when there are days you feel like you are always saying no, always questioning if you are raising and teaching them right since they fight like crazy and are not the kindest to one another. There are days that I struggle with consistency, and not sighing and saying "fine" or "Whatever". Tossing in the towel on those days would be so easy...so easy and yet so destructive. Not to say it never happens, but I regret the days I did that. It always returns much worse. God blessed me with these babies, he entrusted me with them. What a great responsibility it is. To teach them right from wrong, to teach them about love, grace, hope, kindness, patience, self control. To teach them to turn the cheek and not retaliate, that two wrongs DO NOT make a right. To teach them to stand up for what they believe and for each other. To protect their minds while allowing them to grow and learn. It is not for the faint at heart. But daily, God renews my mind and whispers- "You can. You can do this. I wouldn't have given them to you if I didn't know you could do this. Yes, it is hard. Not everything is easy. As you teach my children, you grow and you seek more of me. You are teaching them to seek me. Will you mess up? Of course, but you seek forgiveness and your children learn that from you. Love them, trust me." So each morning, I pray to not take them for granted. To not wish these years to be gone. To wake up each day and remember that my job will be tough, but that HE will carry me through the hard days, and that one day all the hard work will hopefully pay off. That one day my children will rise with thoughts of HIM, and will love others to show them Him.

Until then I will "no" away, I will love with toughness, and snuggle and bestow grace when needed.

A time to be Bold

2011-11-08T11:03:00.000-06:00

Since this is my blog I decided it was time for me to speak what is on my heart and mind. :)

Most of the time I look like I am an extrovert- always happy, friendly- a real go getter. I am those things, but I also need my own time, family time and quiet time. Needless to say, the quiet time does not occour very often. I am blessed that my amazing husband gives me time to do things that I enjoy, and even though I do not do them often- when I do, they leave me refreshed.

This year has been a struggle for me. Well- this school year. Not just physically and mentally, but spiritually as well. There have been days where I literally have just wanted to get out of there the moment that I got there. My heart has been heavy and as hard as I try, there were many times when I couldn't feel Gods' presence or hear his voice. When I felt that around every corner, was another attack from satan. I have spent many hours in prayer , praying for big changes in my heart, mind and soul. God has granted me these and I am grateful. There are still days where something happens that gets me down, but they are far and few between. I still feel restless, knowing that God has a bigger plan for me and for my family. So I continue to pray and try to be still. Hopefully sometime soon I will know where the path God has laid out for me is.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-06T09:16:00.000-06:00

This year Halloween fell on a Monday, so we tried to make it fun, but not go crazy on candy or staying up late. I am certain the kids teachers were thankful for our efforts! We started out the morning with Halloween donuts for breakfast- they kids were so excited since we don't do donuts very often. After they got home from school, it was time to get ready. Caleb was Shawn White, Ian a Knight, Riley was a bride and Jaiden was Tony Hawk. They had so much fun. Our neighborhood gets tons of traffic, so Jaiden rode in style (much to his pleasure!). We had fun, and the kids racked up. There were two houses that Riley refused to go up to with out Matt or myself. One happened to be our neighbor (and Riley's K teachers house). I had to laugh, because she had watched Mr. Koehn set it up and was excited to go, but then reality hit and even though she knew who it was, I went with her. All in all the kids had a great time this year, and we successfully avoided the scary costumes for another year!

Honeysuckle Hill Farm (TONS of pictures, so be ready!)

2011-11-06T09:08:00.000-06:00

My pictures do not do this place justice!! Seriously- it was SO much fun! The kids had a blast and we literally spend almost all day there!! They had animals out, a hay bale maze (which my kids did over, and over, and over again!) There was an awesome sand pit, a large jump pillow, tunnel slides (one massive looking one that my kids literally zoomed down), pumpkins, corn maze, the corn box (think sandbox but with corn), Cow train and a ton more. Even with our large family, it was super affordable and worth every penny!We will definitely be making this a yearly trip.

Ghouls at Grassmere

2011-11-06T08:54:00.000-06:00

We had an amazing time at Ghouls at Grassmere at the Nashville Zoo! We have never been, and we ended up going the weekend of Halloween. I thought it would be insane, but we went of Friday evening and it was not busy at all! It was pretty cold, so we we re all bundled up, and poor Jaiden's hands were chilly by the time we left. They had Trick-or-Treat stations set up around the Zoo, and some of the animals were out. There was a maze, Hayride, Dance area, Game tent and fire pit. It was a ton of fun, and the kids really enjoyed it!

Punkin Carving Time!

2011-10-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

We had so much fun carving pumpkins this year. The kids were so gung-ho about it. They all reached in and cleaned their pumpkins good! Last year, they were so timid about the "goop" that I did most of the cleaning. Of course the boys had the most fun with the "guts". Jaiden even cleaned his pumpkin, although he wanted his hands wiped after each reach in :) We went through a lot of wipes Sunday. That is one thing that I love doing with the kids. Every fall I love watching my kids at the pumpkin patch, carving pumpkins and being thankful for all that they have. Our family is so richly blessed, and at times I over look it or take it for granted. I am grateful for the small things that I get to enjoy with them. One day they will be too old for all these fun things. But I will always cherish the memories!

My Lil' Pumpkins

2011-10-24T19:43:00.000-05:00

We had planned to go to a pumpkin patch this weekend, but the boys were struck with a really weird 9 hour virus, so we decided to delay the patch till next weekend and go gab some pumpkins to carve. We let the kids pick out their own pumpkin, and the boys were devastated when I vetoed a 50lb pumpkin for each of them. :) We will be heading to Ghouls at Grassmere and Honeysuckle Hill this weekend before Halloween.

It is quiet funny as I am unsure where I stand with the whole Halloween thing. Each year I hem and haw over what we should do. I love to watch the kids dress up ( and we scored yet again with the non-scary costumes! Thank you Jaiden for being so little and for making your oldest brother not want to scare you!!!) and enjoy the innocence of what it is now. But now that Caleb and Ian are older, and they are in school, they are hearing more about Halloween and are asking questions. It is making me more aware and wanting to research it to see what I/we should do. Next up....the pumpkin carving!

I give up

2011-10-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

You know...I try so hard to keep up with this thing, but I never seem to be able to find the time. It is important to me, but not more important than my family, so to the wayside it fell. Today I decided that I wanted to start it back up. I am not sure if anyone even reads this, but I wanted to document more for me. I have missed posting so much on here, but I can't even try to "go back" and put it all on here. So I choose to start from today (well yesterday in the next post) and just do the best I can to keep up. Post about the family, my thoughts, my struggles and dreams. So....in my famous words....Here goes nothing!!

My, Oh My!

2011-08-30T05:45:00.000-05:00

3 months....3 months?? What the heck have I been doing?? That is horrible. And before that- 5 months?? Wow, I am a total slacker! Not really but when I look at that I realize just how busy, crazy and insane things have been. I have so much I want to add to my "memory bank" here, so hopefully I can. School is slowing down from 95 to 90 mph....so maybe I will have time soon!

Yea.....

2011-06-13T08:34:00.000-05:00

Well...as you can see I was busy from Spring Break till now...I have a ton of things to catch up on (including, but not limited to): Dance recitals, school functions, birthday, painting of the kids rooms, what they look like now, updates on the kids and on our family. Man....stinks when you get behind. :)

Spring Break??

2011-03-17T08:27:00.000-05:00

So it is already spring break! Amazing how time flies by! I have so much to write, but the big kids are gone this week and I decided to paint both kids rooms. Not sure what I was thinking, but I am doing it. I have till tomorrow (Friday) to get them done. The kids come home this weekend and I need to have at least their beds ready! I will post more after I return from my paint infused coma, and will be firing off a bunch of posts! Have a great day!!

After my own heart!

2011-02-09T13:04:00.003-06:00

Caleb loves to help me in the kitchen. He completely enjoys cooking- and I love that! I love to get in the kitchen and create, cook and bake. One of the things he has been helping me with and I actually let him do on his own, was to make pancakes. He measured, mixed and cooked them all by himself. I was near by, of course, observing and ready to help if need be. We got one finger a bit warm, but he was brave and kept going. The pancakes were eaten quickly as they were very yummy!!!

Celebration!

2011-02-09T11:01:00.003-06:00

We were blessed to be able to celebrate Jaiden with many of our good friends and family. We had so much fun eating and watching Jaiden open presents and eat cake. I do believe that he loved the tissue paper more than the actual presents. But he is now enjoying the toys much more. :) I ordered his cake this year, as I knew that it was going to be a busy week and I wouldn't have time to make it myself. I did feel a little guilty as I always make the kids cakes. But I must admit that Hermitage Bakery did an awesome job!!! The cake was delish, and as you can see from above, Jaiden loved it as well.

My baby boy is 1

2011-02-02T18:00:00.005-06:00

January 2011
Just born 2-2
Our precious baby!

Well...today was the day- my baby boy turned one! It was bitter sweet for me, knowing this was the last one. But at the same time, I knew that it would be so special. Jaiden has grown into such a sweet baby, he is crusin, almost to that walking point. He loves to eat and play. His laughter is SO infectious!!

I think back to the day that I discovered I was pregnant. Shocked is the only word I have to describe my feelings. Soon after (well maybe a month) I was happy and elated to have a new life growing in me. God knew what he was he was doing- he gifted us with a little man who has made our family complete. He is the laugh in a tired day, he is the snuggle in the evening, he is a ray of sunshine to our family.

I love you so very much, Jaiden. I praise God the day you entered into this world, and I will hold you dear till you leave it. You have brought so much joy and laughter to my life, and my heart grew a size bigger with you. Your brothers and sister delight in playing with you and taking care of you. You will never lack for playmates!!! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for you and I am blessed to be your mommy. " Love you forever, like you for always, as long as your living...my baby you'll be!"

That time of year...

2011-01-23T08:45:00.002-06:00

Every year about this time, I begin to look at the next school year. Many of you know that I teach special ed. I love it and have been blessed by it. But around this time, I begin to evaluate if me teaching is working for my family. Being a working mom (outside the home- I know sah mom's work too!), while trying to keep up with everything else at times is very tiring. When I took this new job, I told the principal that I took it year by year. I could only commit to one school year at a time. I am not going to lie- this year has been ROUGH! By far the "worst" year ever. Of course this has me thinking "Do I really want to do this next year???".

I know God led me into special ed and teaching. I have now doubt about that at all. God knew that my heart was for children with special needs. But, at the same time, God blessed me with 4 beautiful children. He entrusted them to me, and my most important job is to make sure that I am training them up in Him. I have no doubt that God will lead me to where he wants me to be and what he wants me to do. My job till then- not to worry (which is SO hard for me). Why do I worry so much....is it not knowing , not having a plan? Yep- I am pretty sure that is it. :) I like to know what is going on, or at least know what direction I am going. But as part of the ME makeover, I am doing my best to be still and listen. Listen for Gods nudge on which way to go. Listen to His voice as He speaks His will for me. Praying constantly that my worry will not interfere with, or over shadow His voice.

Do any of you find it hard not to worry, or to give up that control that you "think" you have over it all??

Decluttering EVERYTHING!!

2011-01-15T15:07:00.002-06:00

Do you ever just feel like there is so much "stuff" that you just don't know what to do? I am there....so there in fact that this weekend is being spent cleaning out and donating lots of "stuff". I am starting with my home, but will so move on in to myself.

First things first (I wish I had taken before and after pictures) I organized the bookshelf. That may not sound like much, but oh my word it needed it BIG TIME! Next I moved to my kitchen cabinets. There is one that is truly a catch all, and was getting rather annoying. So they are not straightened and ready to go. Next I moved on to a drawer that was begging for some attention. Then to all areas of the downstairs, were I sorted baby toys, and cleaned like a mad woman.

Riley and Ian have helped by picking up their rooms. Now, at this time they just have Rubbermaid tubs to hold their toys and stuff in. Matt and I are going to be building a storage unit for the boys room and for Rileys room this spring. Once we get those built, it will be easier for the kids to clean up and keep their stuff up. at that time we will also sort through toys and let them choose what to keep and what to donate. I plan on continuing to rotate some toys (2 tubs in the attic, and then I can swap them every few months) but most will be in their room.

I am going to tackle the attic and garage tomorrow and Monday. I am so ready to be able to walk in the attic and to park in the garage :)

I know this post wasn't too interesting I am sure....but at times it helps me to list what I am going to do.....next post how I am decluttering my life!

Today I am reminded...

2011-01-13T08:45:00.002-06:00

of just how blessed I am. I am blessed that at this time, God has seen fit to bless my children with health. Sure- they get the occasional cold and have some allergies. But they are healthy- free of disease. Others are not so lucky. We have known of several friends/acquaintances who have been diagnosed with cancer, or their children have been diagnosed with it. Every time I hear of this- my heart breaks. My prayers rise to the King of Kings for healing, restoration and peace for the family. There are times where my prayers are answered, but not in the way I had hoped...they are made new - a perfect body free from pain and disease and living with the I AM. Each time, I weep in pain for the family, but also with joy.

My children have prayed for these young fighters. One in particular, Hailey Ann, they prayers each night that God would heal her, and if she went to heaven that God would make her family happy about it. They prayed unprompted, but from their heart. The only death they know about takes them to heaven where it is the best place to be! And they are unafraid. One of Caleb's baseball teammates, Jackson Williams, is going through chemo at the moment. Another child in our community, Savannah Swandal, is struggling as they just got word that her cancer has spread. These families need our prayers. These children need our prayers. I have included their CaringBridge sites below. should you choose to visit.

Lord- help me not to ever take for granted their health. Help me to see the blessing when they are clingy because they are not feeling well. Help me to always treasure every moment with them, because those moments might be gone too soon.

Jackson Williams:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/actionjacksonwilliams

Savanna Swandal:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/savannahswandal

An Angel in Heaven, Hailey Ann Trainer:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/haileyanntrainer

New Year, New Me and New Goals

2011-01-11T12:28:00.002-06:00

How did you like the title of that one! I am super excited to restart this blog. It has been way too long and I love being able to look back and see what has happened with the kids. Blogging sporadically over the last 2 years or so makes me sad as I miss those moments to look back on. I have vowed in the past to do better about blogging and failed, but this year- it is on!

Not only have I usually said I am going to blog more, but I find myself wanting to work on me. I think I am half way decent ;) but there are some areas I want to work on. I want to be more disciplined- not only in taking care of me (eating smaller portions, exercising), but also I want to grow in my spiritual walk with Christ. I have found over the last year that I feel more stagnant. By that I mean that I feel like my progress in learning and studying has slowed so much. To be the best wife and mother, I need to focus on my life with Christ. I need to model for my kids, digging into God's word to find answers and to be prepared for spreading His word!

I have many photos and events that I want to document, but I will get to those later. I know I don't have many readers out there anymore. And I am ok with that. Hopefully some of my friends will come back :)

Can't forget the Baby :)

2010-10-11T14:59:00.002-05:00

Oh how this sweet baby boy just melts my heart! I cannot imagine my life without him. He has truly made our family complete. He has been such a trooper on our recent travels. He smile is infectious, he learns and changes each and every day. Watching him grow I am reminded just how amazing and awesome our God is. I love and am so happy that God is in control of his life, that He already knows what and who Jaiden will become.

Little man is working on crawling, and from there it will go so fast. He is shy at times, and loved his mommy and daddy so much. He squeels with delight when Matt walks in and if he doesn't get picked up right away by him, will scream till he does :) He looks so intently at you that you wonder what he is thinking at that moment. He loves to buzz his lips and adores his siblings. He loves to laugh and he loves his school. He just soaks it all in and loves each day.

The 3 Amigos

2010-10-11T14:15:00.002-05:00

How I love these three!!! They are amazing, wonderful and pure joys to have in my life. I am blessed beyond measure with all of my kids. The thought that God would entrust them to Matt and I is very overwhelming at times. I look back and think of all the mistakes that i have made already in their short lives, and I am astounded that they love me despite it all! A true gift of grace.

Caleb is growing way to fast for me. He will soon be 8! To think that 7+ years have flown by is sobering. I am so blessed that he has a tender heart for others, loves me unconditionally, loves his Daddy and his brothers and sisters like crazy (although he will tell you that at times, he is not particularly fond of them) :) He is playing flag football and loving it. He is now in 2nd grade and doing well. He loves school and loves that I am next door to his school! He continues to be a leader and example to his brothers and sister. He is such a HUGE helper to me and always strives to please us and God. Sometimes he asks me questions that just blow me away, and he remembers everything!

Ian is growing just as fast. He is now in 1st grade, and has made such a huge improvement in maturity. He loves his teacher and tries his best in everything. He loves going to skate church with Matt and hanging out with all the kids! He loves to be outside and takes every opportunity to be out there. He lives his life with such abandon that I hope I can do that as well. At times that abandon gets him into trouble, but I love that he is passionate about so many things. He is so bright and inquisitive. He gets bored easily, so keeping him entertained can be a struggle. He is getting more into having a baby brother....of course it helps that Jaiden is getting more interesting :) He loves his sister and brothers like crazy, he wears his heart on his sleeve which can hurt him at times. He loves God and loves going to church!

Riley is also growing up way to fast....She is still little, but growing in maturity like crazy. Seems like a little adult already. She will be starting Dance/gymnastics soon and I think she will LOVE it! She loves school, her family and life in general. She is now at school with the boys, at EPE. I love that she is right next door and so close. She is back with Ms. Sebrina, who was her first teacher when I started with Wilson Co. She is so smart and very observant. Matt and I think that she is going to be a song writer. She is forever making up songs and preforming them for us. She loves Jaiden immensely and will always help with him. She is longing to start Kindergarten and to turn 5. Insane that she will be 5 so soon!

These 3 keep me on my toes and constantly checking on myself to make sure that I am modeling who I want them to be. I am constantly humbled that I am their mother, and that it is my job to train them in God. I struggle with that responsibility each day....hearing the whispers in my head that lead me to believe I can't do this and that I am not good enough to teach them. I have struggled with that responsibility since the day they are born. But today starts something new. I refuse to listen to those voices and to give into that insecurity. I will not let fear get in the way of my job as their mother and teacher. I love them with all my heart..

M/M Update

2010-10-11T13:43:00.004-05:00

WOW....where to start?? I guess I will start with the love of my life, and my best friend.

Matt is still with Vanderbilt, but in a new area. He is now with the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN). He is really enjoying this job, but at times it is stressful. He is the "it" guy now :) I am proud of him for taking the leap to this new job. Matt has become involved with Skate Church here in MJ. Every Thursday, he heads to our skate park and gets to know the kids. They do a devo and skate. The kids really look up to him and he loves that God has used him in this area.

I am still with Wilson Co Schools, but am now close to home :) I am working at Mt Juliet Middle and I am loving it. The change itself was rather stressful, but I love the kids and people I am with. They restructured the whole SPED department, so there have been some stressful moments and hiccups along the way. I am sponsoring a Campus Life club at our school and some of the Skate Kids are leading it up. I am super excited that God is using me in our public schools.

We are both loving our church home. Friendship has become our home now. We love the people, the service and the community that we are in. Matt is working in the Recreational Ministry and I am working in the Ladies Ministry. We have been blessed with friends and the ability to jump in to work with our church.

God is continuing to bless our lives and our marriage. Since our move here 4 years ago, we have grown not only as individuals but as a couple. God has moved our relationship more towards each other and him. I am truly blessed to have Matt in my life. He is my best friend and I love spending each day with him.

A New Start

2010-10-11T13:15:00.002-05:00

Well...in all the craziness of starting a new job and having 4 kids, our blog took a back seat to everything else. So today, in a way, is the start of something new. My hope is to update at least once each week, and this will continue to be a blog about our family, with work and my thoughts mixed in.

The next few days I will be doing a few blogs to "catch up" on the things going on right now. There is no way that I can completely catch up, but I can at least get on here what is going on right now. :) So be on the look out for all the changes that are coming up.

You could win....

2010-07-11T13:32:00.000-05:00

New beginings in a lot of ways

2010-06-18T06:33:00.003-05:00

Well, our summer has officially started. Although we have been extremely busy I have loved every min of it. I am hoping I can keep up with our blog better than i did through out the year. At the moment I am a SAHM. I am still looking for a job, but we will have to wait and see what God has in store for me. I am trying to be still and patient in this process, but it is difficult.

The kids ask every night before going to bed, "do we have school in the morning" and each night I answer no. They get all excited :) Jaiden is growing like a weed. I am amazed that he is 4 months already. Seems like yesterday that he was born. Riley,the poor lonely girl in our family has hit the drama stage. I am hoping it is short lived, but I have a feeling that it will stretch out since she is the only girl. I just repeat to myself several times a day " it could be worse, just breathe and correct". HA! Here are a few previews of pictures I will be posting on here soon.

Saying Goodbye

2010-05-23T17:34:00.003-05:00

This post is dedicated to my students who will never see it. I have applied for a transfer closer to home. If I do not get one, I will resign from my job at LHS. I have now been there 3 years and I love my students. They have all been amazing kids and I was blessed to be there teacher. I will post more, as these were taken when we were not in our room, but thought I would do a preview.

First taste of cereal

2010-05-23T17:32:00.003-05:00

Although it looks like I am feeding his nose, he actually did well with the first try. He has had some since, and is slowly liking it. I tried mixing it with formula, but that was a no go. So we stick with water. I think that next month as long as he keeps doing well with the cereals that we will start baby food.

Ian's Performance and Ceremony

2010-05-23T17:24:00.004-05:00

Well- Ian had his Kindergarten Graduation. It is nuts to think that next year I will have a 1st grader and a 2nd grader! He has had an amazing teacher this year. Mrs. Jernigan was amazing and helped get him into school. She has a son who loves Star Wars, so that was right up Ian's alley! She will be leaving this year to become a Librarian at another elementary school. We will miss her greatly, but we are also so excited for her!! We are really proud of Ian!!

Ian and Mrs. Jernigan
Checking out his portfolio for the year
After the program
Ian getting his award for curiosity! I asked if that meant he was into everything, but Mrs. Jernigan said that he always asks the why questions and the deep discussion questions- wanting to know more.
ABC Rock
He spotted us! We were supposed to be in the section right in front of him, but there was no room- there were tons of people there

Riley's Debut

2010-05-23T17:14:00.004-05:00

Well- One day I will figure out how to get these in order- I have tried every which way and I am giving up for the sake of getting them posted- any of you who still read this- tell me what to do!!!

Riley had her Nursery Rhyme performance for her class. It was really cute and Riley made a very cute kitten. She sang Pease Porridge Hot, and was a Little Kitten who had lost her mittens. I am excited to see her in dance in the fall- she is loving the stage!

Daddy and his baby girl! (LOVE this picture of them!)
Papa, Riley and Grandma
The 3 amigos...I mean kittens: Lily, Riley and Emma
Singing Pease Porridge Hot
Jaiden was enjoying the show...he was in front of Matt and I- I think he was trying to figure out how we got back there
3 little kittens, momma cat and Mother Goose
Riley and Lily- best of friends
Matt putting on Lilys nose
My little performer
Getting her nose and whiskers on

Long time...

2010-05-23T17:06:00.003-05:00

Well- I am finally getting around to posting pictures of the kids. This one will be dedicated to Jaiden- you will see more photos of him in the next ones to come as well. He is growing like a weed and it is so hard for me to think that in June he will be 4 months!! That is insane! He is full of laughter and smiles. Here are some shots of my baby boy!

I am amazed he is smiling while in the car seat. Of course having mommy do silly things to get h im to smile could have been the reason! :)
Sweet boy after bath time
We call him Chunky Monkey- he is FULL of rolls!
Not sure why this is sideways, but every time it loads this way- so turn your head to see those beautiful blue eyes!
Loves his bath times! He will be a water baby just like my other 3!

To all the Mom's I know..

2010-05-09T12:52:00.002-05:00

Happy Mothers Day!!

There are so many reasons I love being a mom. Seeing the joy in their eyes, the wet and fast kisses, the hugs, the smiles and sound of their laughter, the excitement they bring, their energy, chasing the fears away, wiping the tears, calming snuggles. I became a better person the day I became a mom.

I love you Caleb, Ian, Riley and Jaiden. I cherish each of you, I love each of you and I am PROUD and BLESSED to be your mom. Thank you for making me feel loved!

I love you Matt- Thank you for blessing my life and loving me unconditionally. You and I are in it for the long haul, and I am so thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you!

Long time...

2010-05-09T09:38:00.002-05:00

Well it has been quiet a while since I have posted on here. Life keeps me pretty busy, and since I am now back at work- I find that my time is pretty limited. I am going to have to rearrange my time to get it all in! :) I have tons of pictures that I am going to be getting on here. But before that comes an update!

I am back at work, and so far Jaiden is loving his class. It took him a while to adjust, and for me to adjust, but we are getting there. Only 3 more weeks left and I am counting the days! :) I applied for a job closer to home and had an interview a few weeks ago. I am starting to get a little worried as I have not heard anything. But I am trying to be patient and hear God's voice. I know that He will tell me what to do.

Caleb, Ian and Riley are growing like weeds. I am constantly amazed at how they are maturing and growing right in front of me. I get teary eyed just thinking that next year, Caleb will be in 2nd grade and turning 8!! Seems like not that long ago, he was a baby in my arms. Sigh..... I know it is part of the "process"- just wish that he would slow it down a little.

Matt has started a new job with in Vandy. He is working for the Human Tissue network. He is really excited about it and will do an amazing job. I got to see his office and visit the bldg the other day. Pretty nice! Helps that a Starbucks, Borders and Bread & Company is right downstairs! :) I can see myself visiting often ;)

Well on to pictures...they are on the way!

2010-05-04T09:24:00.001-05:00

I have a bunch of photos to upload and will get them on here soon along with several posts that I have been wanting to do. With all the flooding, we are out of school- so hopefully I will have time to do this today! :)

Pictures...

2010-03-22T21:08:00.001-05:00

Pictures are coming soon. I promise! :)

Time to Renew

2010-03-19T06:57:00.002-05:00

Today is the day that I will be "released" to exercise. Now I have been doing way more than I should since I left Room 217 at Summit Med Ctr., but this marks the day that my honest to goodness exercise and healthy eating regimen begins.

So as I begin to renew my body physically, I will be working on renewing my heart as well. Making sure that I am taking the time to spend time in his word, in prayer and in praise. Not only with my time but with the kids and with Matt. I don't want a day to go by that I don't take care of me and my spiritual journey. I want to make sure that He is my priority.

Today also marks the day that says I have 3 weeks till i should be returning back to work. I say should because I gave myself 3 weeks of "security time". I can still take up to 3 weeks of leave. I may use one of those weeks. I would love to go back to school that first week in May and only have 4 weeks till the end. But we will see. I can do anything for 7 weeks, but I am just not sure if I am ready to leave him :) We will see.

Pictures are coming- I have to get them off the camera. I have been trying to catch Jaidens smile and his pouty face that he makes when he is about to cry or is startled (I LOVE that face). I also have some of the bigger kids that I can't wait to showcase! They are growing so fast and I wish time would pause and let me enjoy this time that we are in... but every time I ask them to stop growing??? They tell me God won't let them :)

Oh one very funny thing that Caleb said recently... As some of you know, Caleb can on occasion have issues with using the restroom. We have meds for it, but when he eats too much dairy, he gets stopped up. I asked him the other night if he needed to go, and he told me no. So I did the mommy thing and double checked. He replied, " Mom if you prayed and asked God right now I am sure he would tell you that I don't have to go". Smart kid....what do you reply to that one??

Randomness

2010-03-01T09:51:00.002-06:00

Well...there will not be any pictures of the kids- I know- you are dying to see some. Those will come tomorrow :) This post is so eloquently titled due to the fact that I have so many things just running around in my head. Concerns and frustrations. I figured - it's my blog- I am getting them out! :)

Some of you have never experienced what I am about to talk about....and yes I am jealous of you!! With each of my pregnancies (sans Riley's) I gained weight. Not just the recommended weight but some extra. I am not one of those people who loose it nursing, or that it just melts off of. I struggle with this. After each pregnancy I manage to loose some of the weight, but not all- the result you ask? After 4 pregnancies I have some unwanted weight that is really bumming me out. I look at my reflection and cringe. Am I ugly? I don't think so by any means. There is just more "curves" to me now. Would I take them away in exchange for never having my children? Heck no! I would take it all again to have each one of my precious babies. It just stinks to have such a different body now. I have never made my health a priority. Family, husband and kids and everything else has always come before that. Not that I am complaining- I like it that way- I truly enjoy taking care of my family. But I need to do better for me, so that I can take care of them. Hence the reason for this post. I am quickly approaching the 6 week mark where I can begin exercising. My goal is to become healthy. If I don't loose any weight, I will be ok with that. But I want to make it a goal to start off eating healthy, and eating less. I Also want to make it a priority to exercise at least 2-3 times a week to start off with. Whether it is walking for 20-30 min, or jogging. I think it will give me clarity in my mind and heart and also will help me to become physically fit and healthy for my family. I am posting it to help me be accountable. To have it remind me what I hope to accomplish. Ont he side bar I will have a ticker that will help count down the number of pounds I aim to loose as well. Hopefully the daily reminder will help me keep on track.

So if you back some yummy brownies, don;t tell me till I am able to handle it :) Keep the GS cookies to yourself and remind me when i do some therapeutic baking to send it all to work with Matt. :)

Jaiden at 2 weeks

2010-02-16T13:13:00.003-06:00

Our baby is now 2 weeks old. Time is flying by so fast! I am amazed at how much he has changed in 2 weeks. I love him more and more each day and I am amazed at how much love my heart can hold for each of my children. I love each of them the same but in different ways. What I mean by that is- each of my children are different- they each have qualities that I love. My heart loves each of them for who they are. Each of them have stolen my heart in a different way.

Hi-Tailing it!

2010-02-16T13:08:00.003-06:00

Ok- they are loaded in the wrong order and I have tried to fix it 10 times- I give up!!

These pictures are from the one time that Caleb decided he would take care of changing Jaiden. As you can see, he got the onsie unsnapped, off his feet, the diaper open and that was it. He saw the poop and ran for the hills. didn't even get the wipe in his hand :) Hey- at least he tried! He is 7 so I can't blame him ;)

Jaiden's Story (and Photos)

2010-02-08T13:23:00.003-06:00

Our new little man

We Now have FULL van! :)
Squishy cheeks
Proud big sister
Proud big Brother
Proud big Brother

Well, I must admit- this was by far the easiest birth and recovery. It was pretty un-eventful and calm. I was lucky in the fact that I was given a spinal rather than an epidural, and I really think that made a huge difference. The day after the c-section, I was IV free and had no attachments. It was so nice. I was up and walking about 5-6 hours after surgery and never really had any pain. The kids were so excited to come to the hospital and see Jaiden. Caleb is a pro already at lifting him and holding him. He wouldn't give him up if it were not for the fact that he can't feed him. :) Ian and Riley love to hold him and are always looking for ways to make sure that he is taken care of. He has very healthy lungs and exercises them like clock work. He is not a huge fan of diaper changes and is particularly vocal about them at night. I made the mistake of coming downstairs a few nights ago, wanting to give Matt some sleep, and he woke everyone up. I hadn't considered that his cries would echo through the house. :) He is doing well and we love having him here!

Introducing............

2010-02-04T07:17:00.003-06:00

Jaiden Malachi Clement
9:49 am
7lbs 10oz 19.5 inches

We are all doing well. I should be released from the hospital tomorrow and I will get more pics up as soon as I can.

Here we go again!!

2010-02-01T21:00:00.002-06:00

Well...I realize I haven't posted in a while, but I have been pretty busy! :) I have been trying to get all my lesson plans done for my interim teacher, prepare for our new arrival and get through this serious nesting phase I am in. I don't think I have ever had a nesting phase like this, and I have to admit it is wreaking havoc on my body. I can't do what I feel needs to be done. So here I am at the eve of my c-section still lamenting on what hasn't been done!! :)

Tomorrow we will be welcoming Jaiden Malachi into our family! Amazing that this time has flown by so quickly- I am constantly amazed at how much my body can handle. :) I will be updating our blog after he arrives so all can see pictures! And more recipes will come at some point!

I want my daughters mindset

2010-01-24T17:47:00.002-06:00

I am always amazed at what my children truly know. There are somethings that my mind cannot fathom, but to them- it is a given. We discuss Heaven a lot in our family. The kids are always curious about what it will be like, and every time we pass a cemetery, they are quick to say "that is where people are buried, but it is only their bodies, they are really in Heaven". Every time Riley sees clouds, she exclaims that when she is in Heaven she will sit on a cloud, but always wants me there to hold her hand so she won't fall. :)

At least once a week, if not more, My insightful daughter will exclaim " I want to be in Heaven right now so I can see God and my Pop". ( Now for those of you who don't know, Pop was Matt's grandfather. He passed away when Caleb was about 9 months old. Ian and Riley have never met Pop, and for that matter, really Caleb has no memory of him. They know that he died and is in Heaven. ) But what is amazing to me, and what I need to grasp from her proclamation is wanting to be in Heaven right now! There is so much that I want to see and do, watch my children grow up have families of their own, grow old with Matt, ect. I do want to see God and "be in heaven", but I still want that in the future...not now. Why is that? Why do I not long to be in Heaven as my little girl does? Is it because I know what I would be missing out on? Is it because I think I have so much more to do, and I need to be here? Am I scared? Is it because I know what it means to die? I am not sure....I just know that every time she says it, I wonder and I pray. I pray that God grants me the clarity to have her thoughts, to want what she wants. Out of the mouths of babes.....I am taught.

Y U M

2010-01-17T18:44:00.002-06:00

So I did another recipe tonight and man was it good. The kids had seconds, Matt had seconds...and if I had the room, I am certain I would have had seconds! :)

Cranberry Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 envelopes dried onion soup*
1 16-oz can whole berry cranberry sauce*

Freeze chicken breasts in bag. When ready to serve- thaw. Mix 2 onion soup mix and cranberry sauce. Put chicken in greased baking dish and spread cranberry mixture over the top of chicken. Cover with foil and Bake 40 min at 350 or until done. Bake the last 15 min uncovered.

**I made several modifications to this one to start off. I put the chicken and the berry mix all in a freezer bag and froze it so that the chicken would absorb it. I also kept it covered the whole time. This seemed to lock in the flavor and it was DELICIOUS!!! I served it with a spinach salad and mashed sweet potatoes. It was yummy!

Few more recipes to catch up :)

2010-01-16T17:17:00.002-06:00

Well, if you scroll down you will find 4 more recipes that we have tasted and my reviews. One thing I have discovered after starting this, is that I have spent more than our grocery budget. If youhave a stockpile of meat than I think it would be better. My plan for next month as I am off from work is to take a few of the recipes that we are trying and to make them. But for our budget that we have set.....it was extremely difficult. But I also think I had to get a lot of the mixes/items for the marinades that I don't normally keep in my cupboards.

Here are a few more of the meals:

Green Chille Enchiladas

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 1/4 finely chopped onion
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese (1 cup)*
8-12 four tortillas
1 10 3/4 ounce condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 4-oz can green chillies- diced

Cook ground beef and saute onions until meat is brown (about 15 min). Drain off the fat. Combine with Chilli powder, cumin, salt and pepper. reserve one cup cheese in a 1 qt freezer bag for top. Spoon enough meat mixture and cheese onto each tortilla and roll. Place in 9x13 baking dish (coated with non-stick spray) with seam side down. When tortillas are completed, combine soup, sour cream, milk and green chillies to make sauce, pour over tortillas. Cover dish with foil and freeze.
To prepare for serving: Thaw enchiladas and cheese. Bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 375 for 20-25 min. In the last 10 min of cooking, sprinkle remaining cheese ontop.

***We liked this one. For us, I think I would add a little more spice as it needed more for our taste.

Joes to Go

1 lb lean ground beef
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 chilli sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
6 hamburger buns*

In a large skillet cook and stir ground beef and onion until beef is brown, about 15 min. Drain fat- add garlic salt, pepper, chilli sauce, brown sugar, white vinegar, mustard and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Sinmmer uncovered 10 min, stirring occasionally. Cool and freeze. Keep with hamburger buns.
To prepare for serving: Thaw hamburger sauce and buns. Heat sauce till bubbly and serve on warm buns. Makes enough for all 6 buns.

**We thought this one was pretty good. I would do this again.

Playoff Burgers

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp steak sauce
1 cup grated Monterey Jack Cheese
Salt and pepeer to taste
6 buns

Salt and pepper groundbeef to taste and mix with chopped onion and A-1 sauce.Make 12 thin patties. Sprinkle cheese over 6 of those. Top with remaining 6 patties and press rdges together. Wrap each patty in wax paper and seal in a one gallon freezer bag.
To prepare for serving: thaw patties and place on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for a total of 12 to 14 min, or until done. Turn once half way through. Serve on bus- toast if you wish.

**We loved the tast of these and the kids gobbled them up. The only thing is that we are trying to eat less red meat. So these were prety meaty.

Recipes are here!! Hip Hip Hooray!

2010-01-16T08:56:00.003-06:00

I received the cookbook back from m y co-worker this week (She wrote down almost all the recipes I believe...) so I can now post the ones we have eaten in the last few weeks. Several the kids had "ok'd" and some they have really liked. My kids are somewhat hard to please- they are not to adventrous in the food department. But they are getting better! Here are the first few that we did after the Mexican Lasagna:

Fiesta Shrimp (YUM!)

1 1/2 lbs frozen shrimp (cooked)
12 oz wide egg noodles (I used linguine)
4 oz fetta cheese
1/2 cup swiss cheese,shredded
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 oz mild chunky salsa
3/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 large eggs
1 cup half and half
1 cup plain yogurt

Cook and drain noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, measure the 3 cheeses, salsa, parsley and spices into medium bowl; add noodles and stir. In a small bowl mix well the eggs, half and half and yogurt. Add to noodles. Label a 1-gallon ziplock bag. Tape frozen shrimp to bag and freeze.

When ready to cook- Thaw completely. Blot thawed cooked shrimp with paper towel. Add shrimp to noodles and place in greased 9x13 inch prepared dish. Bake uncovered at 350 for 25 to 30 min. Let stand 5 min before serving.

***We really loved this one. We all loke shrimp as it is, and I actually added 2 lbs of shrimp since we had gotten that size from Sams. It didn't change anything, we just had more shrimp in our portions.

Sweet Soy Marinated Chicken

2 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken pieces (breasts and or thighs)

Marinade:
1 cup Honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp ground ginger

Warm marinade ingredients together in microwave untill the honey is melted, about 1 1/2 min. Pour over chicken in freezer bag, label and freeze. When thawed, pour into baking dish, cover with foil bake for 30 m in at 350. Uncover, turn chicken and bake an additional 30 min. Serve over Rice.

**Both Matt and I agreed that this one has been our fav by far. Next time I am going to double the recipe, since we barely had enough left over for both of our lunches. The kids liked this one as well.

Meal-on-the-Run Pork Loin

1 3 1/2 lb pork loin
5 oz soy sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup red cooking wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups water

Trim fat off pork loin. Place all ingredients in bag and seal well. Freeze. Thaw and place in crock pot. Cover and set on low. If possible, turn several times to coat meat with sauce. When done, shred meat and return to sauce.

**We really liked this one as well. We even had enough leftovers that I plan to make bbq pork sandwiches.

Recipes are comming!

2010-01-13T20:06:00.002-06:00

I got the book back from my co-worker and so I will be posting the recipes from this last week on here tomorrow. Some have been really good ) such as tonight's! It was super yummy and if I hadn't been pregnant I am quiet certain that I would have eaten a bunch more! So check back for the last 5 meals tomorrow!

I have not forgotten...

2010-01-07T10:35:00.003-06:00

to post about our meals. I let a co-worker look at the cookbook and since we are having a snow day today (yes- laugh with me....yup! No snow yet!) so I was not able to get it from her. She is loving it though and I plan to spread the wealth to as many people want to try it! So as soon as I return to school, I will post the recipes of the following meals:

Fiesta Shrimp
Taco Soup
Chilli

And I am sure that I will have a few more to post by Monday. I really don't want to attempt from memory, as it would be very unfair to you! I also plan to post pictures if I have them. I keep meaning to take some, but everyone is starving that the stomach takes over before the camera! :)

So we are enjoying the "we-have-yet-to-see-snow" snow day and to be honest.....I am hopeful that the supposed wind chill tomorrow in the am will cause us to not have school. I know...very bad of me huh?? :)

Monday Meal #1

2010-01-04T17:19:00.004-06:00

I would love to say that today I had a wonderful freezer meal tonight, but the reality is that Life happened! :) We started back to school today I had a late dr's apt and the boys started basketball practice, which all left us with an hour after I got home to the Dr to the time the boys practice started...so this evening became a pizza night! But I do have the entree that we had last night to review!

Our first trial with the freezer meals was Mexican Chicken Lasagna. To be honest the name is a tad misleading. Yes it is made in lasagna style and with lasagna noodles, but it tastes nothing like what you think lasagna should. :) Matt and I really liked it, and the kids did as well. There are tomatoes in the recipe so the kids had to pick that out. And since I was not sure how the kids would handle the green chillies, I only put them on half the lasagna so that Matt and I could have them, but the kids wouldn't freak out. :) An added bonus? It re-heats well and tastes even better the next day!

Mexican Chicken Lasagna

16 oz Ricotta Cheese
Garlic powder (about 1tsp)
1 egg
10 lasagna Noodles(UNCOOKED)
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup mild salsa
1 packet Taco seasoning
3 cans stewed tomatoes
about 3 cooked chicken breasts, chopped (I sprinkled with paprika before baking)
1 4oz can green chillies
Monteray Jack Cheese- shredded

Mix egg, ricotta and garlic- set aside
In a bowl put tomatoes, black beans, salsa and seasoning- mix well

Start with a shallow layer of tomato mixture (should just cover bottom of dish), place 5 lasagna noodles on top. Spread half the Ricotta mixture over noodles and top with half the chopped chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat steps for second layer. EXCEPT: sprinkle chillies before adding cheese.

Cover with foil and freeze.

When ready to bake- thaw in refrigerator for at least one day (may take longer depending on your freezer and length of time frozen. Bake at 350 for 45-60 min or until noodles are tender. Let set for about 5 min before slicing and serving.

Once a Month Cooking

2010-01-03T20:35:00.003-06:00

I decided to try something new this month. For Christmas, my MIL had given me a cookbook with the above title. Basically it gives you choices or 4- 15 day menus and 2-30 day menus. In the book are the basics of how cooking once a month works and how you can tailor the recipes to fit your family. Basically the goal is to take one day to make all 30 meals. You then freeze them to be pulled out on what ever day you choose, thaw, cook and enjoy.

I LOVE to make homemade, healthy meals, but due to the fact that I do not get home from work till close to 4:30, it makes it a little difficult. I manage to do it but then we eat late and it feels like the kids go straight to bed after dinner. We were sacrificing family time that I so desperately wanted to cook. So I decided to be adventurous this month and test it out. Now I modified it a bit to fit our needs. We like to have pizza every now and then, so I made sure that we would still have our pizza nights and I also made sure that we had some of our favorites through out the month. I also left days for leftover nights. That way, we could eat a hodge-podge of leftovers and it wouldn't crowd the fridge. So I went through the cookbook and picked out 15-20 recipes and made my list. Now if you follow the meal plans they have in the book, they give you the shopping list. Since I chose meals from each of the menus, I made my own list. Then we hit Sams. I will have to admit- we spent much, much more that I normally would on the first shopping trip, but I had to remember that I was cooking a bunch of meals at once.

I also broke my cooking up into several days. This way I wasn't taking a whole day away from the kids. I will say I drove Matt nuts during this time. He had to smell everything I made, but couldn't taste it! :) I also cleaned dishes as I went- I probably did about 5 loads of dishes over the 2 days. But in the end it was worth it. So you ask....what did I make? Each night I will highlight the meal that we had and will post the recipe. I will give you a hint that this time I did many meals that are either a casserole in a bag, or have meats in a marinade that will go in the crock pot.

Check back tomorrow for my first review: Mexican Chicken Lasagna!

New Year....New Blog

2010-01-02T10:08:00.002-06:00

As the new year comes and I realize just how many changes are on their way, I have to sit and re-arrange my thinking. For so long I feel as if I have been struggling to do every day things. I feel that Satan has used these thoughts to his advantage and I haven't been the person that God has designed me to be. There are so many days that I feel so inadequate in my tasks as a child of God, Wife, Mother and Friend. I struggle to feel as if I am getting it all done and doing a good job of it.

Working outside the home has restructured out life in so many ways, as well as the kids being in school. Now that the boys play sports and Riley will be starting this spring, our lives get so hectic. And now that we are adding #4 into the mix, I struggle to see how I can continue to be good at it all. I am not a perfectionist, but I certainly want to do things well. I want to be everything for everyone. It not only wears me down, but I tend to leave me out of the equation. Please hear me when I say that I do love my job and I am in no way complaining that I am working. The students I work with can wear my patience on any given day, but I do enjoy it. There is part of me that would love to keep working, and there is part of me that would love to stay home. As I have been contemplating the upcoming year, I have decided to make several changes and carry a few over from last year that I started but need to take them to a higher level.

I am going to start with my goals for this blog. I am a sporadic blogger. I haven't been consistent, and I use to be. I get so caught up in the business of life that I don't get to express my thoughts or share my family as much as I want to. I hope to make this more of a priority this year. It will change in nature a little bit as I would love to continue to post about my family, but I also want to post my thoughts and struggles. I know this blog can be an outlet for my thoughts and that I can offer encouragement and receive it as well. And many times, just getting my thoughts out and in words help me to sort through them and gain a better perspective.

I also want to make sure this year that I am truly taking time for my relationships. I want to take time everyday to spend time with my Father. Not only to read uplifting books, but to read the Bible and truly study his word. As my children grow older I want to be able to set an example of spending time daily in the Word and I want to be as knowledgeable as I can to help them understand. I also want to make sure that I have time for Matt. We usually try to snag time after the kids go to bed, but he needs to be a top priority in my life. He is my best friend and he is an amazing father to our kids. I am so blessed to have him in my life and want to make more time for him- to give him my undivided attention. I also want to spend time with my children one on one. I love to read to them and spend time doing things with them, but often we are rushing through the evening and after they are in bed I wonder what time I was truly with them. I plan to use my time more wisely with my family.

I also want to take time to keep me healthy. I would be lying if I said that I am as healthy as I should be. Honestly it is not about the weight that i have gain over the years, or the fact that my body looks nothing like it did 9 years ago. There are times I wish that I looked that way again, but my main goal with eating healthy and exercising is to be strong and healthy. If I never get to my pre-kids weight and size, that is ok. I want to make sure that I am healthy so that I can spend a lifetime with them (Lord willing). I know that means making better food choices, and portion sizes, but it also means exercising. Making time in my day for at least 30 min of exercise (more than walking up and down the stairs with loads of laundry). So I am starting simple with 30 min. I know that is attainable and if I can I will add more to it through out the year.

I also want to make the most of everyday. When people see me I don't want them to just see me, I want them to see Christ. I want them to see Him in all I do and I want him to receive all the credit. I want to remember that each day is a blessing and not to waste it. I want Him to use me each day for my family and friends. I don't want to be involved in the politics of school, or in the gossip that happens in the work place.

I know there are more things that I would like to work on and I plan to post about them from time to time. I just know that He has so much more planned for me than I am allowing Him to do with me. I need to step aside and let Him work, mold and create me to be all He has ordained for me to be. Only then will I be able to be all that I can be for Him, Matt and my children.

I pray that you all (however many of you are left reading here) have a wonderful 2010 and that He makes you all to be what He wants you to be!

Christmas in Pictures (Final Installment)

2009-12-30T21:21:00.004-06:00

*Opening with Grandpa and Grandma Clement

*Princess Flashlight
*Flashlight that you had crank- pretty neat!
*Box o jewlery
*Pawpaw and the boys
*Sumo wrestlers- actually really fun!
*Army men, for my future army man
*Tutorial
*Grandma and her grandkids
*Case for the DS- the boys loved them!!

Christmas in Pictures (Part 2- out of wack)

2009-12-30T20:42:00.006-06:00

*Opening the tiny pieces for her castle
*Caleb helped Zeiva open her gift from Santa (He was a little worried that she didn't get very much, but we convinced him that her bed and tug were also part of her Christmas!
*Craziness
*New princess dolls
*Caleb's new DS game
*Books, Books and more books
*The one thing that he wanted from Santa- a DS
*and a game to go with it!
*While watching one of Daddy's new movies, Riley apparently got a little cold (might have helped if she actually wore warm clothing, but no- we had to dress like a princess :)
*Testing the new game out- he had it beat by the end of the day!
*Doesn't Zeiva look SO happy that Riley is sharing her new princess crown?? :)
*Zeiva prefers to have her toys on her bed at all times- and loves to play with them!
*Christmas PJ's that they opened Christmas Eve
*Princess Riley (yes, it is spaghetti straps in 30 degree weather!)
*Daddy helping Riley put her new Castle together- she was SUPER excited and loves it!

Christmas in Pictures (Part one)

2009-12-26T11:36:00.004-06:00

*Yummy Gingerbread men- decorated by my 3 elves
*Hard at work
*Look at that technique
*Opening presents with Grandma and Papa Anderson
*My 3 precious elves
*Having fun!
*Admiring the final result
*Grandma and Papa checking out all the goodies in their basket

*Ian with Papa- checking out his Christmas PJ's

2009-12-24T21:24:00.001-06:00

From Our Family to Yours:

Merry CHRISTmas!!

We are all alone!

2009-12-21T07:26:00.002-06:00

I won't be seeing my children much this Christmas! Right now they are at my parents and will come home Christmas Eve when we celebrate with my family, then will head to my in-laws after we celebrate with them on Christmas Day evening. We won't see them till New Years weekend. I am m issing them, but at the same time I plan on getting a bunch done. I have tons of stuff to sort and clear out before heading back to work. I only have 7 weeks now till the baby comes (yes- he is still the baby as we have no name!).
I am slightly annoyed at my internal alarm clock. I can sleep in, and I mean really sleep in as there are no kids. What time do I wake up this morning???? 4 stinkin 30!! What time I normally wake up. I tried to force myself to go back to bed which resulted in tossing and turning for another 2 hours. Sigh....oh well, baking has started and I have huge plans for today. We will see how it all turns out. :)

Start of my favorite Season

2009-12-12T20:18:00.003-06:00

My favorite season has arrived! Christmas is my favorite Holiday and Winter has to be my favorite season. The cold weather, the ice/snow (if it comes this way) the time spent with family, near and far. I love seeing the joy on my children's faces as Christmas eve rolls around. I love seeing all the decorations and having a fire going. I love spending the evenings watching Christmas movies (no matter how cheesy). I love telling the Christmas story and talking about why we celebrate this time of year. I also enjoy telling people Merry Christmas. We pulled out the decorations a few weekends ago and had a blast getting it all up. Since we were out of town for Thanksgiving we were not able to decorate that weekend, but we did a little each night till we got it done. I decorated the top of the tree with our breakables and sentimental ornaments and then each kid got a pile to put on the bottom of the tree. they had so much fun and so did I.
We have one week till we get out for Christmas and we are SUPER excited. The kids will be visiting both sets of grandparents over the break, so I will have a ton of time to get everything somewhat ready for the baby. I can also get all the cleaning done that I have been waiting to do. And I get to spend some one on one time with my hubs and I am so grateful for that.

My oldest is 7!

2009-12-12T19:55:00.004-06:00

My first born child turned 7 this year! I am amazed at how quickly this time has flown by- I still remember the day we brought him home from the hospital in such vivid memories. It is so hard to think that I have a 7 year old! We celebrated Caleb by having a Star Wars Party. We had a bunch of games planned that we did and the kids had a huge blast. As the padawans entered training facility, they were given the traditional robe and sash, along with their light saber. They then went trough agility training (walking through the lava while destroying the thermal detonators that were coming at them), force training (hitting a droid with the bomb) and light saber training (learning to balance the skills of the light saber). The kids had fun and Caleb loved his cake of dueling light sabers. He is an amazing young man who is such a joy!

A Princess Tea Party

2009-12-12T19:37:00.003-06:00

This year Riley decided to have a Princess Party. We invited all the little girls from school and we had different stations set up around the house. We had a nail painting station, a crown station and then they were up in the bedrooms playing dress up. All the young ladies were dressed in their princess finest and had a blast! We had cupcakes along with finger foods that you might expect for princesses to eat (come on- pigs in a blanket fit the bill!) I think all the presents she got were either fairy or princess related. :) She was in heaven. It is insane to me that our little princess is 4. She is growing so fast and it seems to be flying by! We are so blessed to have Riley in our family- it wouldn't be complete with out her. And I know that in the years to come, she will be treasured by all of us as the only little girl in the family.

Fall...a tad late :)

2009-12-12T19:20:00.004-06:00

Way back in the fall, the kids were helping us rake the leaves in the back. It truly was a futile effort as this was the first leaf drop of the season. I had gone inside for a little bit and the next thing I know Caleb is running in telling to get my camera. I come out and my 3 lovelys were in the leaves posing for me to take the pictures. After I snapped a few we got down and played in the leaves. They so love to do that!

hmmmm

2009-12-05T17:30:00.002-06:00

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. We have been busy and once I am home from school...I amso exhausted that I fail to update. But I am going to attempt tomorrow (see still procrastinating!) Hopefully I still have some readers left! :)

Halloween 2009

2009-11-12T08:47:00.002-06:00

My biker, princess and hunter :)
Going to Mr. Rays house (I have been told that we have to decorate like him next year)

Aren't they just cute??
One of the kids favorite houses.

We did a short round this year since it was pretty chilly. We have a route that we goon and hit about 3 major streets with the culdisacks. We have several houses that go all out. there is one that the kids are always excited about, but once we get there are totally freaked out with. It can be really scary, but they do real good when small kids come up as not to scare them. They got a huge Haul that I am planning on cleaning out here soon and taking it to my classroom as reward picks. They are already planning on their costumes for next year. I think I may try to make them next year, if we can decide early on what they want to be.

Pumpkin Carving Time!

2009-11-12T08:32:00.003-06:00

It has been a while since I updated, and I am a little behind. Since I am a bit under the weather at the moment and taking a day from work- I decided this was the best time to catch up on my blogging! I'll do Halloween and then I am going to post a bread recipe that I am making right at this moment, with pictures of course! :)

This year, we skipped the pumpkin patch and headed to a near by stand. the kids had fun looking at all the pumpkins that were teeny-tiny and then some that were bigger than I have ever seen. Each kid picked out one, and we headed home to carve them. They were not to enthusiastic about scooping out the pumpkin guts, but they enjoyed the whole process. Riley let me help carve her pumpkin and thought I did an awesome job...the boys however didn't think I was the best choice, so they went with their artistic daddy! :) We lit them later that evening and they were so excited to see them.

(Ok....so apparently I need to re-learn blogger. No matter how I order the pictures in the up loader they come out all backwards- sorry will try to get it right by the next post. )

Day 5: Heading Home

2009-10-24T08:59:00.002-05:00

On our last day there we loaded up the car and headed home. Before we hit the highway, we stopped in for a great breakfast at Flapjacks. It was so good and we enjoyed eating together. It was relaxing and the perfect way to finish off our trip. We decided that next year we will do this again, and try to go when it isn't raining so we can spend more time out doors. One of the things that I did forget to mention is that the kids and Matt did get to see a bear. We were heading out somewhere, and the kids were heading to the vans when Caleb tells everyone there is a bear. Well all the men were like OK, yea a bear until they looked and there really was a bear. All the kids go running on the porch, yelling a bear. Rebecca and I come out in time to see a furry black bottom running down the driveway out of sight. It was pretty exciting (even though I only saw the hiney) Caleb was out of breath and a little nervous, but I think the kids scared the toddler bear more than he scared them. He wasn't a baby, but defiantly wasn't a teen either, so I dubbed him the toddler. We kept a look out after that for him, or his mom (who I am sure was around somewhere) but never saw them. we were out on the porch one night and heard some trash cans being knocked down, but that was all.

We had a great time and the kids ask when we are going back. It would be so much fun to do it again. Spend more time outdoors and enjoying God's work.

Day 4: Cherokee, NC

2009-10-24T08:46:00.002-05:00

On the day before we left, we decided to drive up through the Smokey's and head to Cherokee, NC. Once we got there, we realized that the town, has dwindled a bit since I have last been there, or maybe it was just because it was raining, but most everything was closed. We ate lunch and wandered through the shops, then headed back, stopping to take in the views. It was so beautiful. We did stop at a historic farm and walk around to see and look at all the tools used in the 1800's. The kids enjoyed that. They eventually fell asleep, but Matt and I stopped and got some good shots of the many waterfalls and rapids along the way. eventually we made it home to relax and prepare to head out inthe morning.

Day 3: Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokeys

2009-10-24T08:22:00.003-05:00

Well it had started raining again by this time, and we were trying to figure out something to do indoors. So we headed into Gatlinburg to Ripley's Aquarium. It was so neat!! Very interactive for the kids and so many learning opportunities. The kids, Matt and I, and the Cases had a ton of fun looking at all the displays. I think our favorite part was looking into the shark tank and then realizing that there was a tunnel that you would walk through. The kids were so excited and kept telling to take a picture of everything. It really was a neat thing to see. Then there was a hands on exhibit where they got to hold/touch a horse shoe crab. Plus tons of stations to learn about the creatures of the deep. the last are we went into had tons of smaller tanks that had hand prints next to them- you became a secret agent and placed your hand on them to find out the unique thing about that particular animal. There was a place on the bottom of the shark tank where there were tons of scratches on the glass. the sign next to it said those were scratches resulting from a shark attack on the glass when people were coming through. Helps remind you that no matter how amazing they look, that they are still wild and not to be messed with, no matter how use to people thy are! We had so much fun, and it was the best thing to do on a rainy day!

Day 2 (Part 2): Putt Putt Golf

2009-10-21T19:43:00.003-05:00

After we hiked to Laurel Falls and had our Picnic, we decided to go out to eat and then play some Putt Putt. The kids were so excited! We found a Mexican restaurant (a staple with the Clement clan) and then hit a mountain side putt putt place. It was so much fun. we enjoyed the good food and good company, and then walked through Gatlinburg to the Putt Putt place. The kids picked out the ball and went to town. The boys had played before, but this was Riley's first time playing. She did really well and the boys did too. They all had a great time. The only issue we had was if your ball got a way (bounced out) it was a LONG way down and we lost 3 at the end :) Apparently it happens quiet often, but we managed to finish the last 2 holes with out any issues. I think Matt and I tied, and we quit keeping score with the kids about half way through ;)

Gatlinburg Day 2 (Part 1): Laurel Falls

2009-10-16T23:02:00.002-05:00

On our second day there, the weather was amazing and we took advantage of it! We decided to go hiking for the day. we headed up into the smokies, but due to the fact that the bears were out in full force, we sat in traffic for a LONG time. We decided to turn around and hit some of the smaller trails. we decided to hike up to Laurel falls. It was a good hike (a little over a mile one way) and the kids had a blast! Riley kept pace with Matt the whole way up and down. The kids had a blast and really enjoyed being out doors. Once we got to the falls we had a great time enjoying the clean scent, and amazing views that God created. I did good- keeping a steady (but slower) pace. I made sure that I took breaks (for those of you concerned that I am hiking at 23 weeks :)) We took some photos of the falls and then Matt took the kids down the side of the mountain, further down from the falls to get a closer view. I would have gone too if I had been allowed (Matt told me no). After we hiked back to the car, we went to a picnic area and let the kids enjoy getting a little closer to the river. After lunch the men hiked to a little school house, while Rebecca, Riley and I drove up there. Riley hiked back with them, and we headed back to the cabin to get cleaned up for our evening. (the kids were wet from slipping into the falls little pools and then playing (or wading for some) into the river to explore) :)

Part 2 of day 2 next.....

Gatlinburg Day 1

2009-10-16T21:16:00.004-05:00

We were blessed to spend a week in Gatlinburg TN. We shared a cabin with a co-worker of mine and her family. Even though we only really had a few days of good weather (it rained about half the time) our time there was still tons of fun. I am splitting this up into several posts as I don't want to overwhelm you with tons of shots or slides. :)

Our First full day in Gatlinburg, we (Rebecca, the kids and I) hung out in the morning and did the grocery run before the men came in from the Titans game Sunday Eve. After the men got in and we ate lunch, got settled and relaxed we decided to head into Pigeon Forge and check out the sights and what we might be able to do that afternoon. We decided to hit WonderWorks. It is an interactive children's museum that has tons of hands on activities for the kids. 4 out of 5 of us were able to get in free since I am a teacher. :) Was a nice perk for us! Since it was a dreary day we were not the only ones who thought it would be a good indoor activity. My boys got to climb the wall, play in a replica of a space ship, experience hurricane winds and an earthquake, dance with art in motion, play with bubbles and have an absolute blast. Riley was able to do all but a few of the activities. It was so fun to watch them. I stayed on the sidelines for the rides, just because of the pregnancy, but it was a blast for me as well. I have to say by far it was one of the best Children's museums I have been in.

Stay tuned for day 2!

Baking Day(s)

2009-10-08T13:03:00.003-05:00

I am going to try each week to post a new recepie on here each week. I have been discovering (or re-discovering) that I love to bake. Althought working does not always give me the time I would like to bake I have discovered that I still have the knack. I have made bread (no machine) 3 times now and we all love the taste of it much better than the store bought. It was a little daunting at first, but I have realized that it really is not too hard. Sometimes time consuming, but with my family loving it so much, my plan is to do it once a month and double many of the recepies to get us through. I wanted to start with the breads, but thought it might be better to get all the pictures in to show the steps. So I will start with the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. They are SO good and smell amazing. I got the recipe off of Money Saving Mom. I was inspired since she does baking days to try and get a bunch done. Unfortunatly, I have to spread it all out. I am going to do some once a month meals as well. Freeze meals to pull out and cook on days that we are rushed. It will be so nice!

2009-10-06T08:13:00.002-05:00

Riley's birthday is coming up (I CANNOT believe she will be 4!) and since Lee and Linda will not be in town they decided to go ahead and get her a birthday present. Riley has been wanting a big girl bike for a while and we thought we would start looking at them. Since she was wanting one and they have gotten each of the boys a toddler bike, they went ahead and got Riley her first big girl bike. It is a princess bike with all the frills and she loves it! We went ahead and got her a helmet for part of her present from us. Since it was rainy and cool we let the kids ride in the garage and they had a blast. While we were in the store she learned to ride it (push the pedals) so once she got home she was a pro. Now her biggest trick is that she will stand up to pedal like the boys and her daddy. :)

A Post for the Boys

2009-10-05T15:35:00.004-05:00

Both Caleb and Ian were on the Cubs team this year. Matt was one of the assistant coaches again this year, and I think they all enjoyed it. We moved Ian from T-ball to the pitching machine. He has the ability (takes after Matt there), but not the concentration yet. So it was a rough season for him, but I think he is for the better since he participated. It was a learning experience and we are happy that he had it. We plan on him taking off a season, so he has time to rest and mature a bit. He did get a game ball for some completely awesome hits! Caleb had a great season, and it only improved after he got his cast off. He moved up in the batting order as the season went on and even got 2 game balls. I so enjoy having my boys play sports and I look forward the the many years that we have playing! :) I even got to be a co-team mom this year. I was a lot of hard work, but so much fun!

Ultrasound Photos

2009-10-05T15:24:00.003-05:00

Well, for those that do not know (if we are friends on FB- then you know) we are having another boy! Riley was devastated. She wanted a little sister so badly. We took her to the ultrasound apt since she is at school with me. When the technician said it is a boy, the look on Riley's face made me want to cry! The boys were so excited, and Riley is coming around to it. She cried for about half an hour after the apt, and Matt and I are trying to get her to understand that being Daddy's only princess is a good thing, and she can still help and teach the baby so much. Each day she is getting better about it. After she was done crying, she was asking about play dates with other girls, and I told her that we could do that, but then she started crying since we apparently don't know how to get to any of their houses. I assured her that I could find out :) The next morning everyone could tell what we were having by the look on her face. When I asked if she was feeling better about it, She told me that she would rather not talk about it. That is my girl for ya.

We are excited to have another little boy- the hard part is going to be figuring out a name. I have some ideas I am toying with at this moment. We should have one picked out by the time we bring him home

Updates coming soon

2009-10-05T11:49:00.002-05:00

I know there can't be many of you who read this anymore since I am a TERRIBLE blogger, but I am going to do some updates soon. I have pictures to post and things to document on here for me. We are on fall break and I hope to get lots of things done. I have bread rising, and hopefully will get these 4 loaves in the oven soon, then I can start on the cinnamon raisin bread. I am baking today and tomorrow, get my freezer stocked and getting my bags of meals ready for the upcoming weeks.

I have a goal that by the time the baby comes, I would like to have a months worth of bread, muffins and waffles in the freezer, and at least 2 weeks worth of meals that I can pull out any day to have for dinner. We will see....I have plenty of time.

Look for posts and pictures starting tomorrow- have tons of time to catch up on!

The new family member

2009-09-20T14:23:00.002-05:00

Here is our newest family member. We tried this beautiful girl out this weekend. She is almost 2 years old and is so docile. They had her named Sheba, but we are changing it to Zeiva (Zee-va). She is a beautiful girl and the kids adore her.

Belly Shot #1

2009-09-05T14:20:00.003-05:00

So....it really isn't a great picture of me, but I had been cleaning all morning and never did blow-dry my hair after the shower. But if you disregard the upper portion of this photo, you can see my belly. I feel like over the last week it has grown. I really can't suck it in anymore and after I eat, it looks like I have swallowed a watermelon. :) Everything seems to be going well. I have gotten my energy back, and my allergies have pretty much disappeared, so that makes for happier mornings. :) I am almost 18 weeks prego- which is crazy! I go in 3 weeks for the "big" ultrasound. Hopefully we can find out what it is. I have a feeling it is a girl, but my MIL thinks it is a boy. So we shall see.

Work is keeping me busy, as well as the boys baseball games. I am co-team mom this season, since the other team mom is prego as well. I enjoy it and I get a closer view of all the plays. The hardest part of that is not yelling out all the time. I am working on that. :) Work, is .....well it is work. I am trying to catch up as I got several new students in at the beg of the year, but I am getting it all done- slowly but surely. I am also trying to get all of my lesson plans done for when I am out for Maternity leave. I have to have them all ready for the sub. but other than that I have a decent group of kids and I finally have all the testing done, so we are starting on individualized/group work. All in all I am doing well, and looking forward to meeting this little one!

Riley's Day

2009-09-05T14:10:00.003-05:00

Well, after taking a blogger hiatus (not intentional, but it was the first month of school- CRAZY times in this house), I thought I would do a few posts and make one about each kid. So I started with Riley. In the coming weeks, the boys will be featured as well has the hubs. We are hitting the ladies in this family first. :)

Riley was dressed to the hilt this day. We have made many grocery store trips with a fancied up Riley, but this day took the cake! She was posing and dancing around- and was so much fun! She is loving school and is so excited about the baby. She tells me all the time that it is a girl and we are going to name her Hiley, since it rhymes with Riley. I told her we would decide on the name after we know. She will pat on my belly and give it kisses. she is going to be such a great big sister! She is learning so much and growing up so fast! it is nuts how quickly my baby has grown. I get told all the time now that she is not a baby but a big girl.

Picture coming soon!

2009-08-20T20:05:00.002-05:00

Well I had an appointment today at the dr. Riley went with me and she was able to hear the baby's heart beat. It was pretty exciting. next month we go for the big ultra sound. Hopefully we will be able to find out what we are having. I am honestly hoping for another girl. Riley needs someone to play with like Ian and Caleb have each other. My nausea has gone down, I think the allergies are starting to go away. I have only gained 8lbs in 15 weeks which I think is pretty good. I know being back at work helps- LOTS of walking and I am on my feet almost all day long. Plus being active with the boys baseball team is good too.

Kids are enjoying school and Ian is doing well with Kindergarten. Caleb is doing great with 1st grade and next week his is the star of his class. We will get to decorate a bulletin board for him, eat with him and send in a special letter. I am super excited for him.

We have made it though 3 weeks of school and 4 of me being back at work. It is going well, getting back into a routine. Hopefully by the end of August I will be getting it all done well. :)

I'll post some pictures of the kids soon, and maybe one of me, if I can get a good one! :)

Private Time

2009-08-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this, hopefully you were able to get on ok and view our blog. I will do an update later this week, but wanted to make sure that everyone can see it!

THE first day of school!!!!

2009-08-03T17:31:00.003-05:00

*Ian and his teacher Mrs. Jernagan
*Siting at his table (her room is a beach theme, so they colored Hawaiian shirts)
*Best shot of all 3 this morning. (I have to work on getting Caleb to open his eyes- I had so much trouble with that when I was his age!)
* Ian wanted a special picture with just Riley- they may fight like cats and dogs, but they truly love each other!

Well- Today was the official start of school! The boys were so excited- I went to wake them up and all I said was "Good Morning!!! It is the first day of school!" and they were at the stairs before I even realized it!! :) Once we got to school, Caleb joined the 1st graders in the gym. Ian, Riley and I sat near the Kindergarten side. When they told us to head to the room, I went over and told Caleb that I would take Ian to class and then go to his to get a picture. He politely told me that he didn't want me to and he really wanted to go by himself (insert knife!). Do being the good mommy that I am, I cried and begged to get just one picture (really I just asked again) but was refused. So I hugged my BIG boy and let him to on his way. (sniff) We got to Ian's room and His teacher Mrs. Jernagan was there and said there was a message on the board. So I read it to Ian and he did as he was supposed to (put lunch box up and hang back pack up) then he sat down to color his picture. I managed to convince him to get a picture with his teacher, and then he patted me on the shoulder and said "Mommy, time for you to get to class". And that was it. No long hugs (on his part) and no worries. We hugged and I told him I would pick him up at Mrs. Sabrina's (she runs the learning center there and was Ian's pre-k teacher 2 years ago- they have phase in days this week).....and he said "bye" and continued coloring. that was it...bye. That's all!! So again, I was the good mommy, and smiled though the tears that were threatening to pour out of my eyes, got Riley in the car and drove safely (well...we drove fast since I still had to make it to my school on time) to school, where Riley went in with out so much as a bye, hug or kiss. When did they become such little adults???? But I got a huge hug from each as I picked them up and I heard all about their days. So I know, they are in good hands and that they did miss me and were excited to see me. I just wish they didn't grow up so fast!!

First Day

2009-08-01T21:03:00.000-05:00

Fist of all, thanks to all who have emailed me with your info or left a comment. I will be making the change towards the end of this week. I will alert you before i do it just so you all know.

Monday if our first day back at school. Caleb will be starting 1st grade (!!!!) and Ian will be starting Kindergarten. It is so insane that they are old enough for this- seems like only yesterday we were all at home and they were so little! But they are growing, and even though it makes my heart ache for the times past, I am so eager to see them in the future. I can't wait to see what they do with their lives.

I will have pictures, and all the good stuff Monday evening. At this moment I am working on things I didn't get done for my classroom and getting all their supplies ready to go.

Going Private

2009-07-25T08:49:00.002-05:00

After much thought, Matt and I have decided to make our blog private. I know that since I update pretty infrequently, that many of you may not even read this (sorry!!). But just for the safety of our family, we think it best to go private. I am looking into all that goes with it, but if you want to continue to read out blog and want to be updated, send me an email and I will get you on the "safe" list. Thanks for being understanding as we make some changes to our blog.

Not this time

2009-07-22T13:00:00.003-05:00

This time, the job passed me by. It would have been a good one, but I have a feeling that since teachers are due back next week that they decided to go with someone else instead of transferring me. I was told that might be a possibility. So I will stay at Good ole LHS for another year and try again next year. Luckily, Riley loves her Pre-k teachers and I have good friendships there. Plus with a few new group of kids, I am bound to be on the upswing :) Positive thinking will get me far! Thank you for keeping this in your prayers. I know that God has something more wonderful planned for me and I will be patient and wait for it.

Today is the day!

2009-07-20T07:47:00.002-05:00

*UPDATE: Still have not heard from the school........trying not to stress or worry. Maybe tomorrow- oh well. Lesson in patience?? :)

I should hear something about hte job I interviewed for today. I am trying to be ok with what ever happens, but I have to admit that I will feel upset if I don't get it. Let you all know soon!

Interviews

2009-07-15T10:36:00.002-05:00

If all of you could say a little prayer for me today. I just returned from one interview and I have another interview in a little bit. I am hoping to get into a school closer to home and to the kids. The first one was with the middle school right next door to the kids school, and I would really LOVE that job. Please pray that if it is the Lord's will that I will meet the requirements and needs for that job. I also have another one in a hour, that I would love as well. It is more behavior oriented, but not any closer to home, or near the kids. Please pray that where ever the Lord desires for me to be, that it will work out and I will have a peace no matter where that may be. Thank you all!

Not much going on

2009-07-01T09:05:00.003-05:00

There is not much of interest going on this week. The kids are at Lee and Linda's , so it has been VERY quiet around here. Too quiet to be honest. I have the tv on just to get some noise!! Silly I know, but when you are so used to having others around, it gets a little lonely. But we will be heading that way tomorrow after Matt gets off work- SO excited to see them. I have been cleaning and sorting toys and trying to get caught up on everything that I have been lax on for the last month. I have bursts of low energy, so I try to keep myself going, but about 2ish, I am almost spent. :) I have been feeling pretty decent. I always have to be drinking something, just to help with the neausea from allergies (and it frustrates me that the otc meds don't seem to be helping!) and just having a dry mouth. Just thought I would update. I will have pictures after this weekend. Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!!

Here we go again.....

2009-06-27T10:34:00.002-05:00

Well for those of you who know us- you can take a decent guess at where this is going and get it right! :) We found out this week that we are expecting #4. Huge shock to us. But since God has seen fit to bless us with a fourth, we will enjoy these times. After my c-section, we will be making sure this is the last one for us. Any further c-sections are risky and for the safety of myself and our family, an additional surgery will happen.
We are growing excited and if my allergies would cooperate, I wouldn't be sick at all. :) Lovely allergies. Our due date is early Feb, but since they normally do c-sections at 38 or 39 weeks, it may be the end of January. At least this time the kids are older so I will have LOTS of helpers. :) If you will say a prayer for us as our family grows and changes.

My First Attempt

2009-06-22T16:01:00.003-05:00

I think my first attempt at homemade bread turned out pretty good. We will be eating some for dinner tonight. I almost tried it after I made it, but decided to wait for Matt. I got a little worried when I was making it, since the power went off right towards the end. But it all worked out (just left the door shut and let it bake for an extra 5 min). I got this recipe from Stacey, and I have 2 more of hers to try. I just have to get a few ingredients. I have to admit, I was nervous going into this, but it was pretty easy and I enjoyed the work. Plus, my home smelled heavenly while it was baking! :) I will post another picture once I make the other one. That will be sometime next week. It looks a tad more complicated- so I will need some quiet time, and since the kids will be at my in-laws, that will be the perfect time to try it for the first time.

Football Camp

2009-06-22T15:44:00.002-05:00

The boys were able to attend Football Camp this year. Every year the HS Football team (Coaches and players) teach kids K-8 the techniques for playing. They boys really enjoyed it. Little Miss and I would drop them off and then pick them back up. They slept really good the next few nights. They played on the field and in the indoor commons area. Outside on the field, they had 6 stations set up that everyone rotated through. So they learned the positions, and what each one does. They had many, many drills for agility and speed. Each kids got to try kicking and throwing. Inside, they had an obstacle course that they boys enjoyed. You had to run, jump, do sit-ups and push-ups. They kept saying their legs and stomach hurt :) I told them it was building muscles, so they lived through it. Enjoy some of the pictures from Camp. :)

Short Update

2009-06-15T12:39:00.001-05:00

Not much going on here. My oldest is with his grandparents, and we have a friend staying the weekend with us. I haven't taken any pictures so there is not much to post. I will try to get some here soon, and get them posted for you. I do have pictures from football camp that the boys attended.

I am also thinking of making this blog private. the more I think about it the more I am certain I would like to do that. I will let you know when I decide. :)

Do you ever wonder?

2009-06-09T15:37:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what God is trying to teach you at certain stages in your life? There is a ton going on here, and I am wondering what I am being taught. Patience is one, I know. Trust in Him is another. I am trying to learn more about Him and the kind of mom he has planned for me to be. I am learning a lot, but at times feel a little overwhelmed about it all. But then I realize, that is where He is teaching me to lean on him and trust him- fully. Amazing how I keep having to re-learn this lesson. I keep pulling back the reigns of my life and trying to control it. Maybe this time I will learn it for good, and not try to take it all over.

Ian's first game of the season (FINALLY!)

2009-06-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

As you all know, Ian broke his arm at the beginning of the season, so he has missed a lot of games. We were not sure if he would be able to play at all, but one they took the cast off we decided to let him play. He has played about 3-4 games now and even got a game ball at his last one on Sunday. He is super proud of that one and LOVES to play!! I think we are going to move him up to the pitching machine next year. He hits it off the t really hard and he already can hit it when it is pitched. I think that will be a good level for him.

Kindergarten Celebration 2009

2009-06-01T18:53:00.000-05:00

Wow! This year has flown by for Caleb. Seems like it was just yesterday, when we were dropping him off for his first day of school! His excitement has not waned. He is still loving school and enjoys every min of it. We attended the first ever Kindergarten Celebration at EPE. At EPE, they use Covey's 7 Habits as a leadership model. It has been so neat to see how what Caleb has learned at school transfers to life in general. Mrs. Koehn, Caleb's teacher, read a poem that made all the mom's cry, and then as I watched my first born walk up to shake her hand and get his award, I realized, that I need to toughen up for his senior year!!!! I was all teary eyed and trying to to cry. She has been an amazing teacher and I pray that Ian has her next year. All the K teachers put together a binder that has work from the entire year. It is amazing to look at how he has grown and how much he has learned. Saturday we get his work binder along with his report card. I know he is excited about going to 1st grade. My baby's first year of school is completed. Way to go Caleb!

Pre-K Graduation 2009

2009-06-01T18:22:00.000-05:00

The Learning Center where Ian and Riley go, held their Awards/Graduation ceremony Thursday evening. It was so neat to see them up there singing and showing us all they had learned that year. Ian received the awards of "Lost in Space" and "Little Devil". The lost in space was in reference to his daydreaming and to the fact that he will replay a whole Star Wars scene in his head while he is supposed to be listening. He received the little Devil award as LHS's mascot is the blue devil. Riley aptly received the Most Outgoing award and Drama Queen reward- no explanation needed. :) We had great time celebrating their year!

Just keep scrolling .....

2009-05-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

I did a few (5) posts this evening. I have more that I know the grandparents are eagerly anticipating, so I will get them posted tomorrow. I have to get the pictures in a slide show, since there are so many of them. after tomorrow, I will be caught up on all the action here in our home. :) Long time coming on that one! The boys both have games tomorrow and starting Tuesday, Caleb will be in tourney mode, so we play every night till elimination. So, may be quite till next weekend and we are all done with games and school!

Look Who's Five!

2009-05-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

My how time flies, and how quickly my children grow! What a blessing this little man is to our family. He keeps us on our toes, rolling on the floor and learning new disciplinary techniques. :) He will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and he is so excited! God blessed me with many smiles and hugs from my now big boy. I asked him if he would still be my baby the other day. His response? "No, Mom. I'm a big boy, but I will always love you- even when you are old."
Gotta love that boy!

2009-05-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I decided to test my cooking abilities and try to make pizza dough. It turned out good, but I think I rolled it a little to thin. It was like a think crust pizza, but really good. The kids really enjoyed it and so did Matt and I. I am going to be attempting to make bread here soon, but thought I had better wait till school was out to attempt that feat! I may need a whole day to get it right!

Birthdays and Easter

2009-05-30T21:45:00.000-05:00

We were blessed to be able to spend Easter up with our family in Indiana. We were able to celebrate Linda's birthday as well as Jake turning one! The kids had a blast and we enjoyed the time spent with family. At Jake's birthday party, since it was the weekend of Easter, Heather put together an egg hunt for all the kids. They had such a great time and so did we!

The Rays

2009-05-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

Caleb is on the Rays this season, and these were pictures of his first game. The night before, his bike had slid out from under him, so he looked like he had been in a fight. They did really good and he was so excited. He is with several of the same kids that he was with in the fall. so that made it even better. Ian had broken his wrist the evening before, so he got to watch brother instead of playing in his game.

Playing Catch up

2009-05-30T21:06:00.000-05:00

It has been so long since i blogged that I don't even know where to start! This time of year is insane, as school is almost out. I have gobbs of end-of-the-year paperwork and finishing up any IEP's (aka- Individual Education Plan for non- special ed people! :) ) for the next school year and the incoming Freshman IEP's, so I am pretty busy at the moment. But this is our last week!!!! I am PUMPED!
I applied for a transfer to Mt Juliet area schools since that is closer to us. I have an interview at an elementary school for a possible resource job. They are not positive that they will get it, but she wanted to go ahead and start interviewing. It is not where the kids will be going, but is only about 5-10 min away, so it is doable. I have lots of pictures to show, but am going to start with another post for those. Thanks for hanging with me as I get back into the blogging thing! :)