Book Review

It has been a couple of weeks ago now, but I read a book I wanted to share!

 

I am a little biased here, because the author is AMAZING, but let me go ahead and tell you a little about the book and author (without giving too much away of the story).

 

The book, "Terri's Gift", "will challenge everything you thought you knew about government run health care".  It is a well thought out look into what our future may hold as Americans if we allow our health care (and perhaps other areas of life) to be dictated to us.  The book paints a detailed picture of how government-run health care can challenge our morals and values as humans. It is one of those books you won't want to put down. It keeps your attention!

 

Now some of you have heard of this guy before, Dr. Neff.  He's a pretty well known guy around our house, although typically called, "Pap".  Yep, it's my Dad's first novel.  So while I may be a bit biased, I really think you should get the book.  See for yourself and draw your own conclusions!   

 

You can purchase the book at amazon either in paperback or for your kindle! 

I highly recommend it! 

Let me know what you think.

Wilmore Week #14

Wilmore Week #14 is officially underway!  We had a class at the church last night, so Ron left this morning!  His quote was something like, "It's a rainy Monday morning and I'm leaving...great!" ( Lots of sarcasm intended!)  Monday's are typically hard days for him, but leaving and driving in the rain for 5 1.2 hours is not his idea of a good Monday, mine either for that matter!

 

It's actually been since December since Ron got his week in Wilmore.  A lot has happened in 3 months!

 

So we are praying for an uneventful week! It is already a full week, but I'm praying that the Lord will go before us!  Give us strength and patience and wisdom and kindness toward each other!

Minus One More

It was just 2 weeks ago that I posted on a Big milestone in Eli's life.  His first loose tooth.  Well in the past 2 weeks, he has been non-stop working on the next one.  Can't get him to leave them alone.

 

So last night, he was all excited because Daddy said it was loose enough to pull out.  He wanted to do something "fun". 

He patiently stood for Daddy to tie the floss to the door and his tooth.

 

 

I was laughing, Ron kept saying, "he's drooling". 

It took a little while to get the floss tied on.

 

 

But finally he was ready. 

I thought for sure he would chicken out. 

I remember my Dad doing the same thing with my brother, Jay. 

Except he just kept standing there and finally Dad slammed the door for him.

 

Not Eli, he did it himself.  This is the best action shot I have!

 

 The final shot!

(please excuse the dust on the back of the door, guess I need to clean a little more in the boys room!)

 

 

As it turns out, it was just Ron and I that witness the tooth pulling.  Ronnie was working on homework and Nathaniel and Maddie had decided they really didn't want to see it, so they left the room.  They neither one like to see anyone hurting!

Eli laughed, and was so excited. 

Then he announced...my top two are loose too! 

Oh no, here we go again.

 

By Easter he will have one huge gaping hole in the front of his head!

Difficult At Times

I found Maddie like this a couple of days ago. 

 

We had 7 "babysitting kids" here and she was sitting on the couch by herself.

After I took this picture, I sat down beside her and asked how she was.  She quickly climbed into my lap and held onto me. 

Are you OK?, I asked.

She just held on tighter.

Are you having a hard time sharing all your things today?

 

I knew she was...

There are just days when it is hard to have 7 other kids playing with all your stuff.

 

I snuggled her tighter and whispered into her ear how proud I was that she was kind and willing to share with her friends!  She pulled back a minute and starred at me, then grabbed my neck even tighter!

 

"I'm sure it is hard, but Jesus is proud of you too.  You can show Jesus to your friends, by sharing and being kind to them!

It may not be easy, but you can do it!"

 

We hugged one more time, before she climbed down and went back to her play!

 

Think about it, not many 3 year olds would be thrilled to have 7 kids going through all their toys, coloring books, books, games, etc. day in and day out!  She makes me proud, even on the difficult days! 

 

Snow Delay

This morning we had a delay!

My boys are not sleepers, at least not when you want or expect them too :)

 

They were our shoveling with Daddy bright and early this morning.

 

We got several inches (Plus what the snowplow piled up) so Daddy was very grateful for the help!

 

 

Me...well I stayed out long enough to get this picture, then got the water warm for hot chocolate and snuggled with Maddie!

Fundraiser

The boys school has been collecting money this year for a young man named Carlos!  Carlos is a high school student in Belize.  The school is collecting money to help him go to school!  Their goal is to raise $2000 this school year! 

 

Recently they had an anonymous donor has agreed that if the kids will raise another $500 before their spring break on March 25th this donor will match it! 

 

The kindergarten class brought home piggy banks with Carlos' name on them to collect change!   Eli has been very into this collection!

 

 

So much so that he has begun selling stuff!  He started the first night with putting prices (papers with numbers on them) on all his Christmas gifts.  When I said, "Eli are you sure you want to sell your new Christmas gifts?".  He decided he would change what he was selling, but he still needed to sell something!

Then he invited his siblings to begin buying things. 

Here he is below with some of the items he has been trying to sell!

(a hat, colored pencils, a giddeon Bible, and a picture of one of his classmates)

 

So, I'm pretty sure he has fundraising in his future!  I was gone this past weekend on a retreat and when I got back Eli was updating me on how he got some of his change for the piggy bank. 

 

He said that he had sold some things to Maddie.  That got my attention! 

#1 - where did Maddie get her money?

 and

#2 what did she buy?

 

 

She apparently didn't know what she had bought with the money she got out of her piggy bank. 
Eli reminder her, "You bought the firetruck".

Maddie's response, "NO I didn't"

Eli was quick to reply, "OH, you just donated?!"

 

Oh boy, we've got a fundraiser in the family!

Priceless

This is how it should be!

The older reading to the younger!

Big Brother reading to his Little Sis!

 

But not just reading, they are reading the

BIBLE!

 

I love it!

 

She watches

She watches...

 

She notices...

 

 

She mimics...

A sign

Last night we had another sign of growth around here.  I don't like that word...growth.  It means my babies are not babies.  It means the ones who call me momma are becoming more independent.  I just don't like it, and yet it seems inevitable.

 

Eli lost his first tooth last night.  It was only about a week ago that he showed us he had a loose one (2 in fact).  Well he hasn't quit messing with it since then.  Last night he was complaining it hurt.  I grabbed a hold of it and noticed how loose it was.  Eli jerked away and the tooth stayed in my hand.  He was pretty excited after the realizing it was out.  (He was so busy talking he didn't even realize it was in my hand).  So he was eager to show it off.

 

 

When the excitement died down, I realized that the youngest member of our family was not quite as excited.  In fact, she was in tears.  She didn't get it.  Her big brother was missing something she had never seen him without!  She was concerned for him.

 

Below he is "explaining" that he is a big boy now and it's OK!

 

I was on my way out the door when all this excitement was going on, but Ron said she continued to look at the tooth and seemed very deep in thought.

 

 

More growing up around here.  Sometimes I wish so badly I could keep them little!

Never Wanted to Hear

Last week Ron heard words come out of his little girls mouth that he never dreamed he would hear!  Let me explain!

 

Ron overheard a conversation between Maddie and Ronnie.

The two of them were playing and evidently got tired of what they were doing.

 

Ronnie says, "what are we going to do now?".

 

Maddie's response, "You can look at my tattoo, if you want!"

 

 

Yep, Tattoo!  That's what she said.  That's what Ron heard.

 

Maddie had been given a Cinderella tattoo from one of the little girls we babysit with her Valentine card, so she was very proud to show it off to her big brother. 

 

Daddy... well he wasn't nearly as impressed.