Biblical view of end times...

Check out this website:
http://prewrathministries.org/index.html

I was introduced to this view point in the late 90's by my MIL. She had read "The Sign" by Robert Van Kampen and was doing some serious investigation into the pre-trib rapture view. I read the book (also Pre-Wrath Rapture by Marv Rosenthal) and did my own studies and was convinced. This is very controversial and some people get very angry but it is worth your time to look at it. This is another good site to go to:
http://www.zionshope.org/index.aspx
Marv Rosenthal is doing an excellent study on Revelation right now and the Zions Hope magazine is wonderful!! Happy reading!

My baby is weaned..

Thomas is 22 months old and for the most part, weaned. He still nurses for comfort, but there is nothing there. He has been teething lately and want to nurse more (he calls it ni-ni-tos?). Each one of mine have called it something different, except for Colton, who I weaned at 9 months. I weaned him so early because I got pg and my ob told me that was the thing to do. Obviously now I know better. Usually at about the end of the first trimester in my pregnancies my milk has dried up. It didn't happen with Katie who I nursed almost to the end of Garrett's pregnancy and then she weaned herself without a fuss. I nursed her the longest at 2.5 years. It is so bittersweet to know that my "baby" is becoming my big boy and soon the next baby will be here.

The van!

Right now as I speak, Jesse is putting new brakes and shocks on the maroon striped Dodge Ram Van that we bought to pull a trailer home to Iowa. It is only a 7 passenger (can stretch to 8 with the roomy back seat) but will fit us all much better than the tiny Plymouth Voyager we've been driving for the past 9 months...although it has worked and gotten great gas mileage. I cringe to think of the gas I used to pour into the Excursion, although I loved that beast. I loved the room that the Sprinter gave us, but I hated the tallness, it was goodbye to drive-thrus for awhile. The Ram is rough...it has seen better days, but I pray it will get us where we need to go.

Julia got her bangs cut...

After growing them out for an agonizingly long time.......

Haircuts...

It had been so long since I did anything to my hair, it was out of control! Very long, tangled, dry! I was actually afraid to go in and have anyone see it but also hated to go out in public looking like a hag:) I finally went yesterday to Hair Masters while dd was at her orthodontist appt and other dd was watching the two boys. I am so happy and free now! Here are pictures of the new do.... Excuse the old face and shirt:) Julia is peeking around me in the second one.

Moving...

Ahhh, the logistics! So much to do...I think I want to give up before I start. We are trying to figure out how we will get all of our stuff from here to there. Moving truck, trailer, semi to load our big storage container? Didn't we just do this 4 years ago? I need boxes and I need to pack. I also need to continually get rid of stuff. This all needs to be done in the next 6 weeks or so. Then once the move takes place the fun really begins. Where to live, what to do, school, doctor, etc. etc. Can you imagine being born in one place and living there until you die? I can't. Neither can my mom or sister. My maternal Grandma has lived in Pennsylvania since she was a young girl, just not in the same house. But same state...wow! Moving is tough. Saying goodbye to friends, familiar places. But it is also a journey, adventure....it changes who we are, broadens us. We get out of our rut and learn new things. I love all this, but really don't want to move again for a long, long time.

15 weeks and...

still sick, in the mornings esp. I have never been sick this long..usually at 13 weeks..zap, presto, woohoo...all previous devious symptoms gone and replaced by mirth and feelings of extreme well-being. What is the deal? Twins? The wonder does lurk in my mind...

Plus, the cravings! So intense. I wake up dying for a cheese enchilada, glass of orange juice and cheetos cheese puffs. Ok, my cravings are not the healthiest. Help me! Those garlic fried mushrooms at Woody's barbeque dance around in my dreams like little sheep jumping over a toothpick fence! Sonny's sliced beef with a tiny bit of sweet barbeque sauce, cole slaw and fries are forever on my mind. Why does nothing homemade sound good? My husband sees dollar signs in his eyes (floating away mind you) when it is meal time.

Belated beach pix

We went to Cocoa Beach a week and a half ago....gorgeous weather, although the water was still a bit chilly. Thomas and Garrett loved playing with their foam swords. Katie brought home a pail of little clams, they lived about a week.

My husband, blessed chef

DH doesn't have any time to cook during the week, but on weekends he is so handy in the kitchen. We went grocery shopping on Saturday afternoon. He doesn't like to have a list but likes to go and piece meals together as he walks through the store. That is totally opposite of me but he says it's like a game or puzzle to him. Upon coming home he made a delicious dinner of pan-cooked mahi-mahi, corn, broccoli and hushpuppies (not homemade but still great). He then made a stew for the next day. I have not been cooking or eating much lately and I am so thankful for what he does in the kitchen. My son is very good, too, and loves to make chicken and rice on the stovetop. We were eating alot of that lately so it is very good to have something different.

Next years curriculum...

I am trying to prepare for the next school year, buying materials here and there. I plan on homeschooling everyone next year, at this point anyway. I am skipping the big convention this year in May. I did enjoy going last year (for the first time) even though I didn't get to hear any lectures, due to having Garrett and Thomas with me. The vendor arena was overwhelming! This was my third year homeschooling, although Alicia (4th) and Katie (1st) went to public school. It has been a good thing overall, with lots of ups and downs.

Taxes

We are finally getting our taxes done; Jesse had a 3 hour appt last night and another one tonight. Our taxes have never been easy. Farming, self-employment, depreciation..never just a normal 9 to 5 job. We actually just got our 2006 taxes done two months ago, so we are very much on the ball this time. It is always a big stress. I keep track of everything on Quicken, so that helps, but it is not our favorite job to do and it will be a big relief to have it done.

Katie's birth story...

In honor of her 7th birthday....

After Jesse and I had our 4th child in September of 1997, we both decided that we were done having kids. We had always discussed that 4 was our perfect number. Plus, after number 4, I experienced a devastating bout of clinical depression leaving me with great doubts that I could take care of the ones that I had. Although I eventually recovered, I was very sure that 4 was all I could handle. We did not take any permanent measures but did actively prevent. Fast forward to July 2000...we were in Metropolis, Illinois (home of the giant Superman statue) camping in a state park, on our way to a Florida vacation. AF was late in showing up by a week, which never happens for me...so I decided to take a pt. Imagine my shock and amazement when those two pink lines showed up as dark as can be. Jesse and I were both thrilled...and I can say this is the only time we have been surprised with a positive pregnancy test. We quickly adjusted to the idea of having another one and thanked God that He is in control of conception and determines life beyond our imaginations. The pregnancy was wonderful and uneventful besides some moderate morning sickness for the first trimester. Our due date was April 5th and despite an ultrasound, we did not discover the gender of the child I was carrying. Thus I had a plethora of yellow sleepers, onesies, etc. On the last day of March I began to feel some pangs and secretly prayed that the baby would not be an April Fool's baby. I have never had a baby early, so I believed that this would be the case again. The pains ended only to pick up again on Sunday, April 2nd and continue all day. Early Monday morning we called Jesse's mom to come stay with the kids and we headed to the hospital around 1am. I was determined not to show up in L&D until I was good and gone, so I walked the hospital lobby for a good two hours. Jesse slept on the couch and my mom showed up to keep me company. Finally I decided it was time to head up to L&D. Once settled in, they checked me and I was disappointed to find that I was only 5cm. The labor began to get tougher and I begged for a dose of nubain...of course, this slowed my contractions down. The ob finally showed up and broke my water, which picked things up a bit but not much. I did not want pitocin and was praying that the contractions would get going again and they finally did. I had a very tough transition which I did not think I was going to survive. My nurse was named, Robin, also, and I think she was desperately wishing I had been given an epidural due to my thrashing and moaning on the birthing table. Finally time to push and it did not take long for our little baby girl to make her entrance into the world!! Katherine Grace was born on April 3, 2001 at 9:36am and was 7lbs13oz and 20inches long. The nurses commented that she looked just like her daddy and they were exactly right.

Back to the Midwest

Jesse officially gave his boss 2 months notice, so it looks like we are headed back to Iowa around the first part of June. We are planning on staying with Jesse's mom for a bit while we look for a place and new employment. The girls will get to finish out the school year and we will also get to do the recital on June 1st and then ROAD TRIP! I am waiting for that mega-second-trimester-energy-burst to start so I can begin packing but have been found woefully lacking thus far. We bought an old Dodge Van that will be able to pull a trailer, although it needs work right now. We will probably rent a truck as well. I am trying to purge stuff but really need to kick it into high gear!

Katie's 7th Birthday

My lone Spring babe celebrated her 7th birthday on April 3rd. She is my last baby girl...even though I am now pregnant I feel very strongly that I am having another little boy (could be wrong of course). We had a simple family party with a homemade cake (thanks to Julia!) and a few gifts. Katie had gotten two mice for her birthday a few weeks ago, but they have been incognito or happily nesting somewhere besides their cage since about the second day. The little houdini's can get in and out of their cage at will so they come to eat and drink periodically.