Wish lists...

At work this morning, Abby grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen and started asking me how to spell some words. The first few were normal girl words like doll, stroller, crown. But then she asked me how to spell mailbox. I thought it was kinda strange so I asked her what she was writing this stuff for. She amswered me that it was for her birthday list--for a birthday that is still 4 1/2 months away! Naturally, my next question was why did she want a mailbox for her birthday?

Her answer? "So the mailman can bring me letters and packages like you get!"

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One of my favorite pictures...

I rarely say this about a picture that has me in it. However, not only did I have tons of fun playing paintball with these ladies, but the picture also just makes us look tough! Don't ya think?

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Pizza Night...and some planting

So tonight the kids voted down my idea to make vegetable stew and elected pizza as the meal that would grace the supper table. I'm not a huge fan of pizza and just so happen to LOVE soups and stews. But I acquiesced. This is my very favorite pizza dough recipe. It comes from here . Gone are the days of fighting to work the dough into formation in the pan. It glides easily and bakes up perfectly!

I am blessed with kids who love to help in the kitchen. Chopping, stirring, kneading...I've got some sous-chefs in the making!


~Alex making pizza dough


~Kneading the dough


~Micah cutting up toppings


~Hannah building the pizza


~Nikolas slicing it


~And this little pixie was flitting all about the kitchen


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Yesterday we attempted to do some planting. You would think that these few items wouldn't cause much trouble or require much time.

Think again. Lack of planning ahead bit me in the behind and I ended up without enough potting soil. We piled into the car and headed to Walmart in Lexington. Alexander is not a quiet child. So his chatter on the way really didn't surprise me much. However, I am almost certain he never took a breath the entire 40 minute ride. He peppered me with questions and then had questions for my answers. The return trip home was no different. I learned alot about my boy that day and I'm pretty sure he learned some stuff about me!

Anyway, I'm getting all distracted here. We did finally make it home and started to get to the planting. Things began to take shape quite nicely and we were feeling very proud of how just a few carefully chosen flowers made things so much brighter. The kids set out to clean up the mess we'd made and tidy up the yard. I went in the house to wash the grime from my hands. When I returned to check on their progress, I found that three of my beautiful plants had been dug out by two naughty dogs. The kids were just glad that somebody else was to blame for once!

Over the course of the weekend, the girls had found two toads. One was given the name Suicide and one Smart. Wondering at the names? Naturally there is a story behind them! Alex had been holding one of the toads when it jumped from his hand and landed on the porch. It then proceeded to jump from the porch to the ground far below. The kids immediately began to call this daredevil toad, Suicide. And then because the other one didn't make such a foolish attempt, they called him Smart. :)

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And finally...Abigail Kate

Being the youngest in a family of five children isn't always all it's cracked up to be. But most of the time...it is!

She's spunky. She's crazy. She's adorable. She thinks she's a cat!



She is the epitome of "spoiled". And the spoiling comes at her from every direction. Thankfully, for the most part, she is not yet entirely "rotten".:) Even her siblings tend to cater to her whims. Her legs were soooooo tired the other day in Kroger. Sooooo tired that Micah carried her piggy-back style through the store and kept her giggling with his arsenal of tricks from the big-brother bag! Nikolas is a huge ball of mush when it comes to younger kids, period. But he thrives in his role with this little sister who is sure he hung the moon! If it makes her smile, he'll do it.



She is super social and thrives on interaction with others, adult or child. However, if she lacks a playmate she compensates with great ease and just becomes her very own best friend. She is often heard talking to herself, even using different voices for the various characters residing within her imagination. She'd rock at karaoke if given the chance as she is forever singing her little heart out! Under my desk, in the car, roaming the yard, playing in the dirt...singing suits every possible occasion. And it matters little who is listening. She's pretty sure she's right on tune!



I suppose having four older siblings takes it's toll on the little girl, and as a result she seeks attention from the older crowd. If you smile at her just right she accepts it as the clear sign that you would like her to become your shadow. Mommy Lisa, Miss Martha, Miss Julie, Mr. Bruce ~ to name just of few of the chosen ones. And these big-hearted adults have all made a profound impression on my little girl. Even Mr. Stevie makes her dissolve into laughter with just a look. Her beloved Miss Lisa (who I battled with for my daughter's affection--hence the nickname, Mommy Lisa!!) is forever etched in her heart. She doesn't even see her often these days, yet that soft spot remains perfectly secure! And my poor boss, "Mr. Bruce", is really hard put to it each day as his chair is stolen or his desk is used as a spot to hide from Mama or she manipulates candy out of him. His lap is all too often the landing spot for this little "kitty" who then rubs her cheek again him while meowing piteously. Even Scary Stanley, one of the rangers at the camp, has suddenly failed in his attempts to frighten the poor child. I'm not sure if it's he who has succumbed to her charms, or she to his. Either way, his tough-guy image is shot!



When one of the other kids finds trouble and it becomes clear that I am not happy with it, Abby will tell me she loves me. Without fail. Micah says this is her insurance policy to see to it that she remains in good standing. Her heart is easily crushed, she has perfected her pout, and her dimpled grin is ridiculously infectious. Not a good combo for a mother that already struggles with being firm enough!

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Blog adjustments...

I sometimes just get the itch to rearrange. Before I started to work full-time, my house was in a constant state of movement. Furniture was moved from this corner to that. Sometimes into a whole different room. I will even admit rather grudgingly, that I did a lot of room swapping. Somebody could wake up in one room and by bedtime find their belongings in a whole different part of the house. Yeah, it was bad!

Anyway, all that to say...I got bored of my blog layout. I didn't change it drastically, but I at least switched up the colors a little. And I opened the ability to post a comment directly to the blog to everyone instead of just registered users or those with a google account. This should make it easier for those of you who typically email me regarding a post. And now anyone and everyone can put their two cents in! Yikes!! :)

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It's a girl!!!!!!...Hannah Elizabeth

She's the little blond haired, blue-eyed cutie who added the first touch of pink to our brood. She's six...but not for long. We'll be celebrating her 7th birthday in less than 2 weeks. Tall and thin, she's like a bolt of lightening when she takes off running. And in fact, it's one of my very favorite things to watch her do. She holds herself so erect and really pumps those skinny little legs. She's going places...and fast!



Funny thing I've learned about girls ~ they aren't like boys!! Even my girls, who have three older brothers they've been watching from birth, are "girlie". Hannah can be all rough and tumble one minute and in the blink of an eye switch gears and run off to play dolls. She changes clothes continuously, always striving for just the right look! Her favorite outfits come from some of the older girls at school. On a day when we are given a bag of these hand-me-down treasures, she runs to her room with them as soon as we get home. And then we know to brace ourselves for what will be a frenzy of costume changes. It isn't enough to just try an outfit on and check it out for herself in the mirror. Yet neither is she bold enough to actually come and ask us what we think of it. Instead, she strolls nonchalantly into whatever room everybody is in and sort of just stands around...waiting. Inevitably, as soon as someone comments on her stunning choice of clothing, she scampers off to wriggle into the next outfit!



Having been booted from her place as "baby" in the family somewhat abruptly at 16 months, she has never seemed to have quite figured out her role. Being the oldest girl, she has many of the first-born qualities. Yet there is no way those older brothers are going to allow her to exert any authority. And being so close in age to her little sister, Abby is just not interested in being bossed about by someone she considers her equal. So that role just doesn't fit. On the flip side, she sees Abby (who is a monster snuggle bug) always being loved on and held. Let's be honest...no matter how you try the youngest is just gonna end up a wee bit spoiled. So Hannah observes this and attempts to get in on the action. She quickly finds that too much cuddle time makes her feel a bit claustrophobic. Again, no dice.



Once she's come out the other end of this awkward phase of figuring out where she fits, I hope she'll have learned that her place is right in the center of our hearts. Her sweet smile and the adorable way she tosses her long, unruly hair out of her face, make you completely forget she was whining just moments ago. Her quick "yes, ma'am" when asked to do something always makes me want to scoop her up and kiss her plump little cheeks. I remember her first day of kindergarten. She came home and immediately told of her new friend...also a Hannah. For the past going on two years, these sweet little girls have called each other Hannah G. and Hannah W. They are adorable together and we are all sad that Hannah G. and her family will be relocating to Canada. I'm going to have a very sad Hannah W. on my hands when that day comes!



Okay, I completely blew the whole point of my post. I was supposed to reveal deep and dramatic details about the crazy stuff my girl has done. But the kids and I determined collectively that there really isn't much to tell. Baby dolls and stuffed animals just don't have a whole lot of shock value! And truth be told, I must admit I'm a bit relieved at that more laid-back pace of the girls!

We love you, Hannah!

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Alexander Bray...

Oh my, where do I begin? Anybody who knows Alex right away thinks of that fiery temper. He was the most easy-going baby and toddler. Then suddenly one day sometime in his third year of life, he got seriously upset about something. I have no memory of what set him off. I only remember that he went over and grabbed a lamp and smashed it into the ground. And that was just the beginning! His fuse was clipped and we've never quite figured out how to fix that. What may surprise you is that temper aside, he is actually quite calm. Okay, calling him calm may be a bit of a stretch. Let me explain...



While Micah and Nikolas are off building bombs and endangering themselves and others, Alex is happy to be out back digging in the dirt creating "truck roads". His brothers look innocent and harmless while Alex would appear at a glance to be the one to be leery of. He loves nothing better than to strap himself down with his pocket knife, compass, military bag and BB gun and set off into the "wild". But his form of entertainment is all imagination... and harmless role play. He'll get a hair-brained idea on occasion and impulsively act on it. But that is more the exception than the rule.



A few weeks ago, Alex came upon a can of spray paint that was intended to put life back into his well-loved red wagon. He decided that since he had nothing better to do, he'd perform a little experiment. So he put the can on the ground, grabbed the nearest big rock, warned everybody to stand back, and hurled his weapon at the target. Hannah was an innocent by-stander who apparently failed to get back far enough. Her reward for this failure was an appalling spattering of red paint all over her face, neck, hair, clothes and NEW sneakers. I'd love to say I handled the situation calmly and with control. But I can't. Let's just say the poor boy went to bed early and woke the next morning a bit more hungry than usual.



Generally speaking though, the Alexander that people don't often get to see is the sweet and charming one. The boy who can flash his dimpled grin and let you know in an instant that you are okay in his book. The tender-hearted (yes, I said it. And yes, it's true!) one who still resides in that tiny frame that fits so nicely in a lap. If you peeked in our window in the evenings, you would often find him perched on a stool helping to prepare supper. (He's all over the place about what he wants to be when he grows up, but lots of days he wants to be a cook like his Daddy.) Or you'd see him with his nose stuck in a book. This boy who seems to be in perpetual motion actually does calm down at home and allows his inner bookworm to surface! At our home in Dunnsville, he would sneak out in the morning to run over to our neighbors' house. They always sat at their kitchen table for awhile after breakfast. Alex would peek his little head in there, flash one of his huge smiles, and run back home. Again, this is something I didn't even know was happening at the time. They told me about it after we moved. But it came as no surprise. That little boy and that elderly couple were bosom friends!



The cool thing about Alex is that he is so real. You don't have to guess what's on his mind or what kind of mood he's in. He lets it all hang out. The good, the bad and the ugly. He has never been inhibited by social pressures like the other kids. What you see is what you get, like it or not. I'll be the first to admit that I don't always like it. But I know that once we get through all the bumps of childhood and adolescence he is going to be amazing. That kind of steadfastness, with the ability to be unswayed by the crowd, will surely enable him to withstand peer pressure better than many. I honestly believe God has big plans for him. I remember a nurse friend from years ago telling me one day about her son. She had several children, but one child in particular that had an incredibly strong will. She said she told him that she knew without a doubt the Lord had something big in store for him and Satan was not happy about it! So many of the most notable biblical figures had a struggle of the wills.

So while I don't have a lot of hair-raising stories to tell about this youngest boy, I hope you got a glimpse of what lies beneath. And remember that there is always more than meets the eye!

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It is the pleasure of my life...

...to be mother to these amazing kids!!!

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Nikolas...

When I think of Nikolas I think of words like crazy, creative, dangerous! and eccentric. That all fits. However, so does sweet, sensitive, thoughtful and nurturing. See how confusing he can be?!

This boy is my 11 year old cling-on. He often has his arm around me, his hand on my shoulder or at the very least is sitting right next to me. I tease him and promise that I won't get lost if he wants to go elsewhere for awhile! I get little notes from him randomly reminding me that he's glad I'm his Mama. But before you go thinking I've got a sissy, Mama's boy on my hands, let me assure you that this affectionate nature is not reserved for me alone. At school they get prizes for good behavior and hard work. More often than not, when Nik goes to collect his prize he chooses something to give to his little sister who is not yet in school. Many times he even wraps it up in notebook paper and draws cute little pictures on it. Oh, how this makes her beam. Nikolas is quick to pray when there is a need and every bit as quick to point out when that prayer is answered. Okay, so that's the good stuff. But like Micah, he has another side.



So pretty much anything that I tell about Micah, Nik was right there in the middle of it. Often times I think he is the mastermind behind their joint mischief. Correction. I KNOW he is. I've mentioned before that Nikolas struggles with dyslexia. And it is said that the dyslexic mind is one of great intelligence. Creativity. Artistry. And I know for a fact that this is true for my son. His mind never stops working and the stuff he comes up with is an uncomfortable combination of terrifying and brilliant. To give you a clue, one day Nik had been using the laptop on the kitchen counter. He left for a minute to do something and I peeked at what was in the search engine. It said, "how to make TNT explosive". I told you that he hadn't learned his lesson about the dangers of fire quite as well as Micah. Are you scared yet?

One day I went up to Micah's desk to look for something. I found an empty aerosol can. It didn't take long to get the story. This can, which had been FULL, was used to create a torch. Nikolas took a lighter and sprayed the aerosol onto the flame and succeeded in creating a huge ball of fire. Micah was there, but Nik founded this bright idea. Glad they stick to things that aren't dangerous!



He has a smoke bomb fetish. He wraps a ping pong ball up in tin foil. Lighting the foil creates a plethora of smoke, which for some reason is fascinating to his little mind. I allow him to do this under my supervision. What I learned recently is that on occasion he has gotten sneaky and expanded on his creations. He has also made what he calls a spark bomb. To make this he scraped off the ends of two sparklers and stuck that along with pepper and popcorn inside a paper towel. Crazy kid!!!

The boys all got BB guns for Christmas. Well, we had a very long, cold, snowy winter and the boys didn't shoot their guns as much as they wanted to. Nikolas decided that he had come up with a way they could get their target practice in while staying relatively warm. He simply opened his bedroom window up and took aim. Yeah, I was not a happy Mama!

It's constant. It's exhausting. It's Nikolas. Always up to something. Some friends suggested that I get a burn barrel and send him outside to burn every possible piece of trash, no matter the weather conditions. The theory is that the fun would be taken out of playing with fire if it became a mandatory chore. I have yet to actually get a barrel, but I do think the idea has merit!

The stuff that comes out of his mouth is equally perplexing. When he was very little he once said, "I wish I had two mouths because I have so much to say!" Even he recognized his propensity to chatter endlessly. He has an answer for everything. And what I hate most is when I laugh involuntarily at him in these moments. I can know the situation demands an authoritative figure and possible discipline, yet somehow...without even being disrespectful...he lightens the mood and cracks me up. He had caused some sort of trouble the other day and was simultaneously being reprimanded while a conversation about what was for dinner was taking place. He pipes up, "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling I'm on that menu!" Seriously, I am so not good at this parenting thing cause all I could do was laugh.

Now, if you don't mind, could you please whisper a prayer for us that we make it through his growing up years unscathed...and in a house that hasn't burned to the ground?!

*****
Disclaimer: For anybody who may read this and be concerned that I have just accepted that I have a little pyro on my hands...NOT the case. We are actively working on this tendency and making good progress. He knows that if he comes to me with an idea that involves fire, I will attempt to help him do it safely. But if you see my hair rapidly change from brown to white, you'll know why!
*****

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The untold story..of Micah

Lately I've been trying to remember times from when my kids were little. Okay, I realize that with my oldest not yet 13 that they technically are still "little", but you get the idea. We've been talking about it in the car and while lying leisurely around the house. These kids remember so much that I had forgotten. Well, to be perfectly honest, I'd say that some of it wasn't so much forgotten as put from my mind. You know, the things kids do that you must just push past in order to preserve sanity? Yep, those are the kinds of things I'm talking about. So often when I write something about my kids, it's the good stuff. You get all excited when your child does something noteworthy that it is easy to brag on them! Not so much with the bad stuff. Let's just say that the family closet is full of secrets around here! I'll go easy on you and do a post per child over a week or so. Wouldn't want anybody to be overwhelmed by all the naughty-ness at once! :)

So, Micah is the stereotypical first-born child. Very organized (actually he is frighteningly clean and tidy!), task oriented (most of the time!), and in control (or at least trying to be!). He doesn't like to do anything unless he is pretty confident he's going to be good at it. Huge competitor! And this boy is all heart. He might act like he's all tough...and I know he has made a hobby of picking on the girls in his class...but really he's a big softy! At home, he is very much like having another adult around. You can just connect with him on that level. There are many, many nights where he ends up past his bedtime because he is divulging what has happened in his day, what is on his heart (to an extent), and what he wants to do when he is grown.




However, there is another side to this sweet, sensitive boy. One that in the moment can make me see red, but when looking back after sufficient time has passed makes me laugh myself silly!

We've lived at Camp Blue Ridge for 4 years. But before we moved here, we called a cute little house in Dunnsville, VA home. What I have learned since moving is that there was a lot of un-cute stuff going on inside those walls and spilling out onto the surrounding 50 acres. It seems that when I would trustingly lay my precious babies down for their naps, they didn't always stay there. You see, the two oldest boys shared a room and took their naps together. What I didn't know then was that they were sometimes opening windows and actually leaving the house. Yeah, I know...great mom. I'm cluelessly somewhere in the house, priding myself on how quiet the room holding the two slumbering boys is, and they are out gallivanting across the property. We had the absolute most wonderful elderly neighbors that shared the land with us. Amazing people who smathered us with love...and sugar! The boys would sneak over to their house, be gifted with Little Debbie's and root beer and then steal away to their secret fort to gorge themselves. Micah said just recently that he feels bad for the people who lived there after us because there was a whole section where they stashed their wrappers and cans.

Or there is the time that they went outside to play and somehow decided that a lighter was a great new toy. It was windy and dry. Micah managed to catch himself on fire and in his frantic clamoring to douse the flame succeeded in igniting a bush. Thankfully his shirt was quickly extinguished. But what followed was a sequence of events that I am sure stole years from his life. Nik was with him and they decided they needed dirt to throw at the bush. So they ran across the yard to the field to get some. It didn't take long for them to realize that this was going to take something more. They knelt down together and prayed that God would help them. And then they got back to work. Naturally, because God is in the business of answering little boys' prayers and averting the danger that is never far from a mischievous child, the fire was put out. About the same time, I got a call from the neighbor saying that they could see smoke out their window and little bodies scurrying about. I quickly hung up and ran to assess the situation. **I like it how when writing you can use words like "hung up" and "assess" and it paints a relatively calm picture. If you had been there to witness the event you might have seen a phone smashing onto the receiver and a crazed woman flying through the house and out screaming into the yard. But, I digress...** When I found them, the flames were out and the scene was secured. But those boys were pale and shaken and Micah was certain he was about to throw up. I couldn't even punish them. They already taken a very severe, self-inflicted beating. Micah learned two valuable lessons that day. Fire, wind and dry conditions don't mix. And that no matter how big a mistake you make, God is still right there to help you gain your footing. I'd love to say Nik learned the same lessons. He has always been a prayer warrior in this family, and that situation only strengthened this. However the fire thing...well, that will have to wait for another day!



During those same years, I've learned that when the house was quiet at night and those boys were sure I was sleeping and their Daddy was occupied, they would sneak from their room and into the stash of goodies that did actually make it to the house. As I've been told, they would do this sort of ninja style. With creeping, crawling, slithering, hiding in the shadows and sliding along the walls. They even apparently stood up on the counters and snaked their way over to the cupboard that held the prize. Micah says now that they did it more just to see if they could get away with it than due to actually having the midnight munchies. And get away with it they did. I have always been way too sound a sleeper!

There's more. Much, much more. (Like when they collected mustard and hot sauce packets and used them to "glue" shingles onto the roof of their fort. Ewww!) But some of the details must remain a secret or never again will anybody be able to look this poor boy in the eye. Just kidding! None of it is all that bad. Just kids testing the limits and learning that "getting away with it" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Micah himself says that he can't believe how bad he once was. And while there are certainly still plenty of issues that he struggles with, when confronted he talks pretty openly about how to overcome them. And there are increasingly more times when he comes forward and rats himself out seeking forgiveness. To me this is growth. Not that he has always been the perfect child and just never desired to walk outside the bounds, but that he sees his need and can humble himself enough to want to be better!




Stay tuned for the next installment...Nikolas Cooper!

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