Full House

 

 

As you can see from the line up above, we have a full house today!  7 from 2 years to 5 years + Maddie!  We are enjoying "Nn" week!

Day Off

Yesterday the boys had a cancellation.  The neat thing was that all 3 of the families I sit for are teachers in 3 different schools and they were all 3 canceled - YIPPEE!  We all got a day off! 

 

We tried to make the most of it.  Daddy hadn't gotten much of a Sabbath yesterday so he took a few hours to relax too!  We played some games.

 

 

And just spent some time together!

 

So far there is a fog delay for today, we'll see what that leads to!



"Mm" Week

 

Last week was "Mm" week around here!

We played Monster Trucks...

practiced being Mommies...

and overall had a great time!

 

Maddie mentioned to me on Friday night, as she climbed into bed.  "Mom, I know another M word (we keep a running list throughout the week), but I don't want it in the list."

That got my attention, so I asked what it was!

 

She whispered, "michigan" and was quick to say, "but don't put it on the list". 

I laughed!  Nope we won't add that M word to our list!

We had a fun week!

Scissors

This picture almost put me to tears.  Actually it wasn't the picture, but prior to it!  Maddie has had scissors for quite some time.  She loves to cut and really is pretty good at it!  Well Friday she decided to move her paper cutting skills up a notch!  She and the kindergarten boy we watch were "coloring" together and the other kids were napping.  Maddie decided to become a beautician.  Supposedly she cut her friends hair first (although I couldn't tell) then she turned the scissors on herself! 

 

Maddie has never had a hair cut.  Anytime I have mentioned it she says that she wants to let it keep growing.  I've been OK with that!  But I really didn't want her to be the beautician!

 

In all honesty, you can't tell. No one would even know (except that it is now been posted).  Her hair is long and beautiful and although this looked like a huge amount when it was all collected, it really wasn't!

 

All scissors have been collected and Maddie will not be cutting, anything for awhile!  Hopefully the next hair cut she gets will come from a trained professional!

In Love

Do you remember when you first found the one you would spend the rest of your life with?  Remember wanting to spend every single minute of every day with that someone special?  Remember not wanting a day to go by without seeing or hearing from him/her?  I do.

 

Ron and I were engaged for over a year, and dated almost a year before getting engaged! I knew he was the one and there were days (summer, in particular) that were hard.  We spent that summer at our own homes (over 4 hours apart).  We saw each other, but only a couple of times.  We would talk on the phone in the evening, but it wasn't the same as really being with him!

 

That's what I want!  I want that kind of passion and love for Jesus!  I don't want a day, or even an hour to go by without thinking of Him!  I want to be so IN LOVE with Jesus, that it hurts.  So in love that I can't think of anything else!

 

Are you that "in love" with the Creator of the Universe?

Western Wear

These 2 love being "cowboy and girl"!

 and they look so cute too!

Grades

 

This past week the boys received their 2nd 9 weeks grades!  You may recall that the first time around, Daddy had declared the boy with the highest GPA would receive a Browns tin! 

 

Well this time it was an Indians t-shirt that had been given to us.  Only 1!  Last time you may also recall that the little guy in the front above was in tears!  This time he is all grins!  He beat out his brothers for the t-shirt with all A's!! 

Still between the 3 of them and 34 possible grades we had 32 A's!  Can't complain with that!

I have a feeling it will get harder and harder to determine who is the winner, but we'll let their competitive Daddy figure that out!

Floater

Now some of you might think the above photo is a little weird and perhaps you are right, but let me explain a little. I realized last week that this is the only picture I have of our "Dear Floater". This is mind blowing because he has been a part of this family for....well forever it seemed!

Three and a half years ago Ronnie received Floater as a Birthday gift from his grandparents! When Ronnie got the fish, there were 2! "Weaky" died within a couple of days (I guess he lived up to his name). Floater, on the other hand - would not live up to his name...at All. No matter how hard we tried, I mean no matter what!

Floater was named by Ronnie and really was a crazy fish. He grew quite big for a goldfish (at least we thought so). He was a fascinating fish too. He would spit rocks and they would "ping" on the fish bowl. He would also jump. On several occasions we would hear him splash the water in his bowl. Floater was quite the traveler too. Ron's mom still laughs about the Sunday afternoon drive Floater took with Ron and I just before Christmas this past year.

Anyway, Ronnie took pretty good care of Floater. He only forgot to feed him a few times in 3 1/2 years and changed his bowl as soon as he could no longer see him :) Finally one day last week, it was all Floater could take. Ronnie overfed him that morning and we think he tried to eat it all! The hilarious thing is -Floater didn't float. Seriously, he lay at the bottom of the bowl sideways until we moved his bowl to the bathroom - then he came up to the top! So, Ronnie's first pet (finally) died! Ronnie took it pretty well. Amazed, like his momma, that even in death he didn't float!

What a day in the Adkins home - the Day Floater finally lived up to his name!

Catching Up

I have been silent on the blog front for a little over a week, not because there is nothing to blog about, but rather because life has been so busy with so much going on! It's hard to know where to even begin to catch up on all that is going on around here! We lost a beloved pet...got our 2nd 9 weeks of grades...got new glasses! All within the last week or so! Plus a lot more, but those are the highlights. I'll try to post pictures and more details before another round of exciting things happens around here :)

Nativity

Today I put the Nativities away! I had gotten a couple of new ones this year. The one above is both Maddie's and my new favorite. It plays music and the it looks like it is snowing! I love getting them all out every year and I hate putting them away! I left one out again this year, my African one! Maddie said, "Mom, do we have to put ALL the baby Jesus' away". Absolutely not Maddie Anne! We'll keep Him out and keep Him in our hearts!

Parenting

There are days, more than I care to think about in fact, when this parenting thing gets the best of me.  I doubt my abilities.  I mean really, I have 4 chances, but I don't want anything less than a 4 for 4 record!  I can strain and try and just beat myself up over desiring to do it right.  But really in all honesty, I won't. 

 

I will fail!  I am human!  However, that is not the end! 

 

I don't just say, "OK...I messed up big time".  "I failed that one, but hopefully I'll do better with a younger sibling." 

 

Nope, I have to get back up.  Try again and get back on my knees and seek the direction of the only One who can do it perfectly!

 

Jesus, Guide Me!  Use me to raise all four of my children to Know YOU, to Seek YOU, to Desire YOU!  Show me how to train my children.  Show me how to mother correctly and effectively.  Give me guidance and then Jesus give me wisdom to seek forgiveness!  Wisdom to begin again.  Wisdom to admit my failures!  And Jesus please give Grace and make up for my shortcomings!  Thank you for not allowing me to be alone in this journey of Mothering.  Thank you for being at my side, my right and left, my front and back and never leaving or forsaking!  Thank you Jesus that I have YOU to point them too!  The Truly PERFECT ONE!

Grandparents

Yesterday my parents came, they had gotten home from Gulf Shores on Friday and then headed up our way.  We had not gotten to have our Christmas with them, so we spent a little bit of time with them. It's funny how several of the gift for the kids were gifts that would be fun at our beach house in Gulf Shores. Here Maddie and Grandma are putting a puzzle together. They can do the puzzle anywhere, but Grandma had hoped to do it together in AL.

We aren't exactly sure why our Christmas plan didn't all work out as we planned, but we're thankful for understanding Grandparents and still getting to be with them.

Curve Ball

It seems like every time Ron is away, there is some kind of curve ball!  Either with the van or with sickness in the kids - something always seems to be crazy while he was gone. 

This week was no exception.  Wednesday evening, I was getting Maddie's PJ's on and noticed a hive-like rash on the back of her neck and a little on her back.  When she woke on Thursday she was covered, but it was more of a rash then.  She was miserable, itchy and just a mess.  I checked the boys (who were clear) and got them to school, before getting Maddie in to the doctor.

As it turns out she is more than likely having an allergic reaction, but we have no idea to what! (absolutely no other symptoms, not strep, no apparent virus)  Nothing is new.  No new foods, no new detergent, or lotion or shampoo!  Everything is our same old routine.  The only possibility I could come up with is something to do with a Clementine she ate Wed. evening.  It was a new bag and she is the only one who has had one.  Perhaps something there.  She has eaten Clementine before, actually loves them, but "perhaps" this time she reacted.  (Doctor says its possible).

She is slowly improving, but still looks like she has chicken pox.  She was in tears loudly crying, pretty much just miserable, yesterday as we drove home from our appointment and the pharmacy - Daddy called and wanted to talk to her, she immediately calmed down and relaxed.  She loves her Daddy and he can right any situation!  We're missing him.  Hopefully by the time he returns on Saturday we'll be back to normal around here.

 

Routine

It seems we are back to our routine! 

 

The boys went back to school today, Nathaniel even said he was excited to go back :)

 

Ron left early this morning for Phoenix and Evangelical Church meetings - wish we weren't back to the traveling part.

 

Maddie and I have a few more days off before kids start coming again, but we're getting back into the swing.

 

We trust that 2013 will be filled with blessings, faith builders and reminders of God's goodness!

Ending 2012

We ended 2012 with Dominoes!  We played from the double 12 down to double blank! 

Maddie loved it! 

 

She and Nathaniel teamed up and came within 1 point of winning!

This little guy was impressive.  He strategized and did a great job, getting rid of as many points as he

could.

 

Ronnie won it all by a point!

Ronnie also had the most impressive train at the end of the game!

She tries so hard to be like her brothers!

 

 

So we said goodbye to 2012 and welcome 2013!