Childproof cabinet locks????

The other day I heard screaming coming from the kitchen..I ran into the kitchen to see who was making the awful noise and found out quickly that Cade had managed to open our cabinet locks and climb into the cabinet! The only problem was that he shut the door after he climbed in and because of the locks he couldn't push the door back open to get out! I laughed so hard as I walked in and saw his feet sticking out of the bottom of the cabinet! I quickly grabbed my camera ( yeah I know, terrible right? I should have gotten him out immediately!) but the sight was so hilarious that I knew another minute locked in the cabinet would be worth the memory. In this case a picture is truly worth more than a thousand words, so I will spare you any more talking and post the pictures! Hope you laugh as hard as I did! :)

      For some reason I am having trouble turning this....I will figure it out but until then...so sorry!

Easter Sunday

This morning we woke up not sure what our Sunday would look like. We were all pretty tired from the festivities before and didn't make it to the early service. After talking we decided to meet up with David and Hannah at the park in between our houses and have a family Easter service together. We decided it would be fun and more meaningful to spend time togehter reflectiong on what Easter means to us instead of going to our packed church and splitting up into classes. I am so glad we did this. It will be an Easter Sunday we will never forget and probably one of the first Sundays that I can remember not "going to church." I dressed the kids in the outfits I had bought them so that they cordinated and we grabbed the camera, my guitar, our Bibles and headed down to the park. Once we got there we all collected some stones and each wrote an area of struggle on the stones. We then each placed the stones in the shape of the cross and told the children that because Jesus dies on the cross that His blood covers each one of the sins written on the rocks. I think this really stuck in their little minds and it touched my heart to see them each write of have us write areas that they wanted help in. Michael read the Easter story and we prayed. It was so simple, but yet so refreshing and meaningful. I am so thankful for what the resurrection means to each one of us who has been covered by the blood of Jesus!

Easter Celebrations

I feel like I have so much backtracking to do as I have missed posting so many things...oh well..I guess I can backtrack later if I have time! :)

This Easter was such a special time. Every year I look for ways to incorporate the message of the resurrection to my children and what that means in our lives. It is so fun to find ways to teach them and I find myself looking at blog after blog and finding all kinds of fun ideas. Every year I always hope I will add more and make it even more real to our children.

We always make resurrection rolls and we got a chance to do that with a few of our wonderful homeschooling friends this year. The children take a marshmallow, dip it in butter symbolizing the oil they annointed the body of Jesus with and then roll it in cinnamon and sugar symbolizing the spices they rubbed on his body before they placed him in the tomb. Then you place the marshmallow in a crescent roll and seal it up tight ( like the tomb) put it in the oven and wait to see what happens! When the rolls are finished and they are opened up they are hollow inside like the empty tomb! This is such a fun idea for the children to make and yummy too!



We read a lot of stories and talk a lot about the ressurection and what it means. This year we talked about the last supper and about what that meant. I think the older two really understood what the grape juice and the bread symbolized.

Since Michael works on Sundays we decided to celebrate with friends and family on Saturday. I baked a ham, made potatoes, fresh homemade lemonade and our traditional "dirt cake" in a flower pot served with a small hand shovel. I usually have an Easter lily to put in but forgot to get one this year so ended up pulling off a fake flower from a plant in my room and sticking it in the pot. :) Everyone brought a dish which included: a wonderful veggie tray, rolls, delicious stuffed eggs and green bean casserole. The food was amazing! All the Dads went to the park with armfulls of plastic eggs to hide for the kids, as all the Moms and children waited a few minutes to give them a head start to hide the eggs! Everyone had a blast looking for eggs and Silas even found the "golden egg" which held $5 that Uncle David generously donated. Silas of course was so sweet and gave it to his lifelong friend Selah. That really warmed my heart.... :) The egg hunt was followed by a talk about what Easter is all about and a quiz for the kids. What a fun evening! I am so thankful for such close, wonderful friends that we truly call family to celebrate with!

How many pieces of bubble gum???

I took the kids to the store the other day and told them they could each pick out a pack of bubble gum. I have never seen kids get so excited over gum! I loved watching the excitement on their faces as the picked out the specific kind they wanted and made sure it wasn't "sugar free" and full of preservatives. Ha ha..I guess Mama taught them well to read the labels!
 On the way home Jude had apparently filled his mouth with a bunch of bubble gum. When we got home I took his package from him as he looked at me with his cheeks bulging. He could hardly chew his gum because his mouth was so stuffed full! I asked him how many pieces he put in his mouth and he looked up at me with chipmunk cheeks and held out his fingers and said "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9! The look on his face was so cute! I laughed so hard! 9 pieces of gum in that little mouth? I don't think he really had 9, but I do think it must have been close! I never want to forget these fun moments. They grow up so fast..it makes me so sad. I wish I could keep them little for ever with sticky fingers, and stuffed bubble gum mouths! I am so thankful for each of my little people and thank God every day for the amazing priviledge of raising them, bubble gum cheeks and all!

Sharp Knives, electrical outlets, and small toys OH MY!!!

I am sure you can tell by the title that this post is pretty scary! SO, the other day I was talking on the phone and hooked to a chord because my battery was dying. All the other kids were in bed and Cade of course, since he had a late nap was not quite ready to wind down. I was sitting down enjoying my phone conversation when all of a suuden I realized that Cade had been out of my sight for a full 2 minutes. ( It doesn't take him long to get into ANYTHING!) I yelled for Michael to please go and check on him and make sure he wasn't getting into anything. Michael went looking for him and I hear" NO! NO!" and a very loud scream from Cade. Michael had smacked his hand because he had a butcher knife and was trying to stick it into an electrical socket! AHHHHHH.....!!!!  All of a sudden I heard choking noises and and looked into the kitchen to see Michael holding Cade over the sink as Cade began throwing up. I immediatley got off of the phone and ran in to see what was wrong. Apparently Cade had a toy in his mouth while he was sticking the knife into the socket! How bad can this get, right? So, when Michael smacked his hand, he cried and sucked the toy down his thoat! Michael was trying to figure out if he was choking or just really upset and couldn't catch his breath...talk abou ta very stressful situation for a Daddy!
We are SO thankful that our baby Cade is fine and shudder to think of the harm that could have come to him. We pray God's protection over him daily now! Each new day is a new journey with that  precious little man! We love you TONS baby Cade!

The Simple Things

We enjoyed a visit from my Dad (Grandpa) last weekend and we all had such a good time! Hannah and I got to take him out on a special Daddy daughter date to Paradise Bakery where we had fun sharing our hearts, talking and laughing. I am so thankful for a man like my Dad. He means the world to me and I love him so much! <3 Hannah , David and Anayah came over and Hannah brought her special spinach crust pan pizza to share with us which was absolutley amazing! I have to say she is the best deep dish pizza maker around! ;) I made a yogurt cheesecake which actually to my surprise was pretty good! We figured since it was 80 percent less fat than regular cheesecake than we could have 3 pieces instead of one! After dinner Dad helped the kids carve a pumpkin that he had bought them. I loved watching the joy on their faces as they watched the master carver at work! Silas loved taking the seeds out of the pumpkin while Mireya and Jude looked on with disgust! As I sat and watched them laughing, asking questions and talking with their Grandpa, I told my Dad how special these memories would be to them. I remember as a child loving all the simple things that my Grandparents and mt parents did for me and with me. I remember my Grandpas LeFevre's jelly bean jar that he kept in his office. Every time we went to visit him, he would bring us the jar and let us pick out a jelly bean! I loved all the stories he would tell as we would all climb up onto his lap, and I loved his laugh, the twinkle in his eye and his smile. My Grandma LeFevre would always shower us with love and give us apple juice and let us watch cartoons. We loved her knick knack shelf, and would always ask to stand on a chair and very carefully hold each piece. Every time I drink apple juice I think of her.
My Grandma figgs would always rock us in her little pink rocker..sometime 3 of us at a time and sing songs like "Home on the Range" and" Take me out to the ball game" Every night when she would lay out our sleeping bags on the floor and after the last light was turned out we would all sit up at the same time and say "Grandma, we are hungry!" She knew we would ask every night, but she would patiently turn the lights on and make us all a piece of bread and butter! We would always pack lunches for my Uncles and Grandpa and take them to the shop since they owned a wrecking yard..yeah we were junk yard kids and couldn't have been happier! My Grandpa always ahd a smile and a twinkle in his eyes..his hands were always dirty and he always smelled like grease. He would always threaten to "thump us all", but there was never a sweeter guy around! Every time we showed him anything or told him about something he would reply with "I'll be darned!" I remember him giving us rides in his little airplane and in his yellow pick up truck.
I always thought I was special because I was blessed with 3 sets of Grandparents since my birth Mom passed away when I was little.
My Grandpa and Grandma Frymyer always had a special place in my heart also..I loved eating vanilla icecream with chocolate syrup at night with my Grandpa and watching tv with him. I loved his chuckle and how when he would laugh his eyes would dissappear. He seemed like a tough man, but Hannah and I always saw his tender, loving side. I miss him so much...I remember loving all the crafty things Grandma Frymyer would make for us. She was very talented with sewing and woodworking and would always bring us gifts. She also is missed and was very loved.
I could go on and on about my Grandparents...so many special memories. We even adopted a Grandma who was a wonderful German lady that we adored who had a sheep farm in Ohio. Her name was Mrs. Lutterus and what a fun time we always shared with her. We loved to go and help her in her garden, have tea time, play with the baby lambs, and help feed the sheep. She always made the most delicious feasts and to this day no-one can make meatballs like I remember her making!

Of all the memories I can recount with my Grandparents and of my childhood I remember the simple things the most. We loved our Christmas presents but the huge refrigerator boxes were the best! We had a big farm in Ohio with a huge hill on our property..so..we would get in the box and roll down the hill! We had hours of fun with what we called "summer sledding!" I loved walking through our hay fields, playing on the huge hay bales, swimming in our creeks, building forts, swinging on our big tree swing, catching lightning bugs, reading Christmas storied together as a family and taking long summer walks. I remember the smell of my Mom's fresh homemade bread when we came in frozen cold out of the snow, milking goats, gathering eggs, and most of all all the time we spent together as a family. Family movie night every Friday night was a BIG deal. We would spread a blanket out on the living room floor and eat popcorn, apples, crackers and cheese! Sure, I remember the trips to Dollywood, to the ocean, Sea World, Cedar Point ect. but those aren't the things that stand out. I think we need to remember as parents that the "BIG exciting things and opportunities may be fun and wonderful, but they aren't the most important. Tears come to my eyes when I talk to my children and they tell me that family time and their family is what is most important to them. We started a "Thankfulness tree" today where the kids and I made a big tree trunk out of poster board and colored it brown. I cut out a bunch of fall colored construction paper leaves and told the kids that each day of November we would each write one thing we were thankful for and pin it on the tree. Mireya wrote "My Family" and Silas wrote "Jesus" Jude wasn't quite as deep as he wanted me to write his "badge" which is just a little plastic badge for his shirt that says Sheriff on it. :)
I pray that through life I always remember what really matters. Through the pressures of life and keeping up with everything and making sure our kids have the "best" opportunities, experiences and adventures, let's not forget the small things and the things that will leave a lasting mark and impression on their lives.

 So next time we think that our kids would love going to California Adventure land rather that digging in the mud and laughing with us..maybe we should take a step back and think again. Let's not discredit the specail times of cuddling, playing, reading, laughing and playing in the dirt. I want to make the most of these precious days making memories with my children. I want to look back and know that we took advantage of every day making it as special and memorable as we can, and just loving the simple things in life.

oops, having problems getting my pictures where I want them for some reason!

Overload!!!

I can't sleep tonight..I have way too much on my mind. I feel buried under the tremendous responsibilty of being a Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend, house keeper, cook, teacher, seamstress, doula ect.. I feel like I just can't do it. I don't know how to get everything done that I need to do in a day. I wish I had more time to sit quiet with my children and play games or just cuddle and talk and do nothing. I feel like life comes at me every day so quickly and I don't know how to slow it down. I fall into bed at night exhausted and wonder if this is how we were meant to live. I LOVE my life and wouldn't trade it for anything, but sometimes I think I am trying to spin too many plates and yet somehow I still feel like I am not doing enough and could still be doing so much more! AHHH...I feel so overwhelmed!  I always feel so frustrated that I can't get everything done. Maybe it is because I have my agenda and I am trying too hard? I don't know... What can I cut out? I try to cut out house work, haha! but that just makes me crazier when it is messy! :p
When I think of life I think of the many activities and responsibilities of my days...making meals, dressing children, changing diapers, teaching school , ministering to the needs and the hearts of my children and husband, doing dishes, picking up, oops he got in the mud again..oops spilled milk..NO..Don't throw that in the toilet! What does the Bible say about being kind? Did you really get hurt again? Who cut up all the paper all over the floor? How many times have I told you not to eat popcorn on the couch? vacuming, sweeping, mopping, laundry..oh the laundry! It is such a monster that I can't keep up with no matter how hard I try!! No to mention shopping, meal planning, crafts, schooling, devotions, praying, time with friends, phone calls, classes, sorting through clothes, decorating for different seasons, packages to mail, cards to send,  baths, pictures, organizing, homeschool groups, tap lessons, piano lessons,excersize, church activities, birthday parties, baking, ministry, blogging, e- mails-unfinished sewing projects, decorating projects and home projects!!!!! The list could go on and on it is so ridiculous! These are things that make life happen..the things that keep us going... the things I seriously LOVE...the daily monotony of life and the beauty of life.
Sometimes I just want to climb in a hole and be still and hear nothing but quiet. I know I am rambling..probably because I am tired like usual.
 I don't know all the answers and how to organize my time and my days. I feel like I try so hard to stay on top of things, and I try to stay balanced and not be too busy, but it is so hard for me! Every day life without adding anything extra is busy! I want the peace of God to reside on our family. I don't want to be too busy where I miss out on the simple things in life...I want to take my guitar to the park and play while my kids run and have fun. I want to always have time for people and put God first. I want to sit on the couch and  be still. I never want to be too busy with my plans that God can't change them..
".Please help me God to put you first. Weed out the things in my life that aren't beneficial to our family and to our lifestyle. I admit that I can't do this on my own..I need your help to be a balanced, organized person. I feel like I have so much on my plate, but at the same time I am not doing what you have given me to do very well. I don't want to do anything half heartedly. I give you my days and ask for wisdom to order my time. Use our family for your kingdom...shine in us and through us so that your name will be glorified. I love you Lord and I thank you that when I am weak then you are strong."

              "When my heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I" 
                                             Psalm 61:2