Happy 1st day of school, Daddy!!!

Special breakfasts for the 1st day of school have become a tradition at our house. So, since today is the 1st day of school for Daddy, the kids insisted we have a special breakfast. We didn't tell Jeff exactly what we were having but we told him not to get up until the kids came to get him. Here's a look at what he saw when he came downstairs.....

We made a special 1st day of school banner that was simply 4 pieces of computer paper taped together and hung on the wall. But each of the kids got to decorate 1 piece of paper. Joey decorated the piece that said "Happy", Noah decorated the piece that said "1st day of', Abby decorated the piece saying "School", and Eli decorated the piece saying "Daddy". Jeff loved every minute of it!

fortunes

It's become a Sunday tradition that Jeff and I have time after church for a date....one of the many perks of having my parents close by and going to the same church! Anyway, we each got a fortune cookie after our lunch and I always find it interesting to see what the "fortune" is. Many times it's something incredibly generic causing Jeff and me to burst out laughing. But today was a little bit different. Don't misunderstand......I do not believe in fortune cookies. I believe that God is the One who is in control and has a plan for my life. It's just that today the messages were quite applicable.

Here is my fortune (which simply made us laugh):

And here was Jeff's:

The significance of Jeff's message is that he starts back to college tomorrow morning! We are all extremely excited for him -- especially the kids since he starts back to school before they do -- but it's a scary and daring step. One that we feel is being guided by God....and who can argue with Him?

Boy and Girl Caves

The other day, the kids had friends over to play. The boys were very busy with some project downstairs and the girls were working on something upstairs as well. I would get questions like "Where did you put the markers, Mom?", "Where is the tape?", "The boys are using all the good tape!", etc etc. But I was to stay in one place (which turned out to be the kitchen -- surprise surprise!) until they were done. This is what I found when I was allowed to come out of hiding.......

I had to stifle the laughter that was welling up in my throat to compliment them on their wonderful imaginations and spelling! hahahahaha The signs are still up and everyone still abides by them. I guess everyone -- even at young ages -- need their own spaces to be boys and girls.

Summer storms!

Saturday night we had a huge summer storm....along with tornado warnings, straight line winds, and hail! Jeff took these pictures of the lightning storm we were having. It just lit up the sky!

Poor Abby was a wreck that night when the sirens went off....twice! She was pacing the floor, wringing her hands....I finally got her to come sit down by me. She asked me to pray for the storm to stop which seemed to comfort her a little bit. Then I told her to pick out a movie to take our minds off of the storm. She let Joey pick it out since she didn't even want to get up. Joey picked the movie "Dumbo" which, ironically, has a storm in the beginning of the movie! hahahahaha But it helped take the kids minds off the raging weather outside.

Thankfully we had no damage to any of our trees or house. Two of our neighbors had trees down so we feel very blessed to not be dealing with any of that.

Eli and other things

Playing at the kitchen sink has become Eli's favorite thing to do when his siblings are out riding their bikes or playing with friends and I have things I have to do inside. Eli was occupied for over an hour while I was able to unload the dishwasher, load it up again, get dinner in the crockpot, clean out the refrigerator (yuck!), and clean up my kitchen counters a bit. I don't think I've ever been that productive with him as the only child at home! After all of that he was ready for a snack.

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An update to my "SAHM" post.......I am not taking that job. As Jeff and I talked about it, the pros and cons, it became crystal clear (thank you, Lord!) that it wasn't the right fit for me...or our family. I feel very strongly about being at home with Eli and being available for our 3 other kids while they're at school. I was looking forward to volunteering in Noah, Abby, and Joey's classrooms this year.....and after getting a letter from Noah's teacher, I feel even STRONGER about that. His teacher will be going on maternity leave in Novemeber and Noah has a tough time with change. I want to be available during that time to do whatever I can to make it easier for him and being at work all day doesn't feel right.

Please understand that I am not judging anyone that works outside of their home. I just don't feel that it is right for my family at this time.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed and is still praying for us. We appreciate it more than you know and we need all we can get right now.

We also found out that Jeff and I both misread the letter that came from the unemployment office in June and that he was eligible for benefits! They have reactivated his case and he will begin receiving benefits shortly. So that was an incredible answer to prayer. We will have money coming in each week now and Jeff is still looking for work as well. God is good!!!!

Good-bye to SAHM???

So it's after midnight and I can't sleep....so I decided to blog. Today has been an exciting day. I had a group interview for a job giving presentations on equipment that helps people with breathing problems, allergies, or simply for people who are concerned with air quality. It sounded like a lot of fun....in theory! The job is flexible so I'd be able to work while Noah, Abby, and Joey are in school. Sounds perfect, doesn't it?!?! After the group interview we were told to call between 6:30 and 7:00 tonight to find out if we were selected. If so, the job begins Monday.

I called right at 6:30....while Noah, Abby, and Joey were finishing up with swimming lessons. This is what I heard on the other end of the phone: "Congratulations! You have been selected! We'll see you at 1:00 on Monday afternoon. Congratulations, again." I was ecstatic! You would have thought I had won $10,000 by the huge smile on my face. Jeff, my mom, my dad, even the kids were all thrilled.

Now it has sunk in. Not the fact that I got the job after getting so many "no" responses. Not the fact that the job pays well. Not the fact that I would be helping improve our financial picture after we've gone without any income for a few months. What has sunk in is that I will no longer be a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM). Eli will not have me around during the day. Eli will not have his siblings around during the day either because they will all be in school all day. That fact is breaking my heart. I have cried about this over the last hour or so.....and I don't know what to do. Jeff has a very good possibility of getting a job but won't find out until Monday.

When do you make a decision solely based on money rather than what you think is best for your child? When does the fact that I have been wired by God to be with my children come into play? And why does it seem that God isn't giving me a clear answer?

Look at this face....I want to be with him!!!!! I don't want to say "good-bye" to being a stay-at-home-mom!

Play play play

On Tuesday we went to this incredibly fun FREE outdoor play area. The kids had so much fun playing and having a picnic. Eli loved loved loved the misting area and got SOAKED! But he also did a fantastic job keeping up with his siblings in the huge climbing area. Needless to say he took a very good nap that afternoon. Anyone want to join us the next time we go???

Making changes

Obviously, I made some changes on my blog! How do you like it?!?! Is it still easy to read? Do you like the colors? I think it looks a little bit more fun. Now if I could just figure out what colors to paint in the house.......