Yuck and More Yuck!

Well . . . I think, I hope we are getting better. I thought I had the flu last week, and I was wrong. I got it on Saturday. It was horrible. However, now I still feel weak and have stomach cramps now and again. Just not tip top. I am always tired. I didn't sleep well last night though due to stomach cramps. This is just weird. I hope it goes away. Give me a cold, bronchitis, or any respiratory thing any day - but stomach flu??? -- no way!

Okay okay, enough.

Awhile ago the two eldest boys had a piano recital. They take lessons with a young woman in our church who does an amazing job. Isaac has been in lessons now since he was five and Gabriel also has taken lessons since being five. I like to get my children in as soon as they know some basic reading and are seemingly mature enough to be trusted on their "own" (without Mom right next to them making sure they obey). We have been truly blessed in having our children learn the piano. To hear them play duets is something that brings a tear to my eye. It just does something to you.

Here are some pictures of them playing. Afterward, we went to a park and played. I included a really funny picture of E.T. going down the slide. I know his head is cut off, but look at his facial expression. It is hilarious. That kid is ALWAYS smiling. I call him my liquid sunshine. Even in swim lessons - he has a perma-grin on throughout the ENTIRE lesson. While floating on his back: smiling; while kicking his legs: smiling; while dunking head under water: smiling! He is a wonderfully happy kiddo!

A Serious Case of the YUCK!

No pictures this time . . . be thankful. We have the stomach flu. It is going around the church and has made it's nasty way into our home. However, we are taking turns with it and so it lurks for awhile. Phillip had it Sunday. I had it the next day. (I think - I don't usually get too affected by stomach bugs . . .wierd.) Isaac and Ellie on Wednesday. Ethan and Chloe today. I even think my dog and another dog named Chopper (we were watching) got it. Can dogs get the stomach flu??? Seemed like it.
What a mess.
I am hoping we get out of this soon. I have WAY tooo many things to do. This is a nasty bug. Starts off as a headache and cramping in your stomach. Within hours you are locked in the bathroom.
Please keep my Chlobug in prayer. I always get a little nervous when babies get it. When Ethan was a year old he had to be put on two bags of IV fluid due to dehydration. If we would not have taken him in we could have lost him. It is hard to detect sometimes just how dehydrated a baby can be. Ellie, as little as she is, made it through. She was awful pale and weak. However, she is doing great now.

Thanks for the prayer. I will keep you posted.

Another Beachy Day

For Memorial Day we went to our favorite place . . . yep you guessed right . . . the beach. I know I have said this before, but I love it there. The wind, the surf, the smell. It is automatic, the feeling of calm that I have as soon as we arrive. The kids enjoy it too. They play and play in the sand. The boys are taking swim lessons now in hopes that they too can go surfing with Dad. We are waiting until they are good swimmers before we will allow that. For now, they enjoy going out to their waists and letting the waves hit their chests. We have a very strict rule. My Dad imposed it on me when I was a kid. That is - you are never supposed to turn your back on the ocean. The reason is because you never know what kind of wave is coming as well as being prepared for a riptide. I look forward to being able to go surfing with Phillip again one day. I enjoy trying to get up on my board. I say trying, because I am not very good at it yet. It is harder than it looks. I am glad that the Lord gave me a husband that loves the ocean as much as I do. It is such a beautiful, calming and yet invigorating creation. It certainly attests to God's glory in creating it.

I have meant to get these uploaded for a time now. Thanks for letting me share . . . .

Look What We Saw . . .

Driving into town the other day from our house we got to see a sub coming into the shipyard. It was awesome. With my camera in digital zoom I got to see people actually standing atop the sub. I have never seen this before in this inlet. We have seen ferries and aircraft carriers but not any submarines. Look closely and you will see the people. Not sure which sub it is. I live in such a beautiful part of the country. I love it.

The Things We Do

Crazy. That is how I would describe this. We were getting ready to go somewhere . . . and Ellie decides it's a great time to experiment with pinching her nose and letting go. She got sooo tickled that her nostrils would stick together. Well, you can imagine the reaction from her brothers . . . and yes, me. We laughed, hysterically. I have to admit that we egged her on to do more. Then we joined in the action and all started pinching our noses and making our nostrils stick. It was really funny to hear everyone talk with nasally voices and look like we had beaks. Crazy bunch of birds (as my husband would have called us). - Ohhh, the things we do.

Big . . . Red . . . Ball

A friend of mine recently suggested that I invest in an exercise ball for my stomach strengthening. So I did. I ordered one off of the Internet. Didn't put much thought into it . . . it's a ball. I was thinking one size fits all . . . right??? Wrong. This ball is big. It's an extra large type ball. Whodu thunk? Anyhow . . . you can see how big it is from Ellie standing next to it. It' s the biggest this particular company makes - and I didn't even inflate it to it's max capacity.

It is great though. I have been doing crunches and other exercises on it. The crunches are awesome. The ball makes it so you are using a wider variety of muscle groups as you do the crunch. It hurts - so much better. You know what I mean. Well, the first night I got it I decided after the kids were in bed that I would do some exercises with it. Phillip was at the table doing schoolwork as I was in the living room on the floor. In between us is a couch and he cannot really see me. Perfect . . . I thought. I had the bright idea of putting that HUGE ball between my legs and waving them overhead to try and work my lower abs. You know, lifting and lowering your legs so that you are concentrating the work there. Much to my chagrin, the ball did not cooperate! I managed to get the ball between my ankles and lift, however a ball that size is a bit heavy, and guess what - it's round and likes to roll. As I lifted my legs - the ball kind of slipped. All Phillip saw was a big red ball, two feet and then heard a big BOING sound and then me going OWWW! The big red ball dropped nicely on my head and then bounced off. A big ball makes a big boing! After being a bit dazed I realized Phillip was asking "What in the world are you doing over there?" I replied, "Oh, nothing." Then started to laugh hysterically.

Take note - exercise balls are not One Size Fits All.

The What . . . . .

You guys are soooo predictable! I am not with child, but good guesses. I thought this would be a fun way of announcing the new big deal in our home. Ethan is READING! WOOOHOOO! He has been working on it for quite awhile, but now is doing a wonderful job! He has gotten down the one - vowel rule (vowel says short sound) and has now learned the two - vowel rule (1st vowel says long sound and 2nd vowel is silent). We are SO very proud of him. This is probably one of the most rewarding experiences that I can be apart of in homeschooling my children. I feel like I have just given keys to my child to unlock so much information. You should see the look on Ethan's face, when he is asked to sound out words in the Bible during our family devotions. (We each take turns reading scripture) I just praise the Lord for such a blessing. To you, this may not seem like a big deal - but to me it is priceless and unforgettable. This helps me press through when the days of homeschooling become tedious and sometimes difficult. To me, it serves as an encouragement. I am just in awe that I can be apart of something so amazing. Think about it . . . if you cannot read then what kind of opportunities will you have in this life? Reading is essential - and yet taken for granted. In serving with the youth for approx. 10 years now, Phillip and I have seen many teens that cannot read. It always saddens me. I, again, praise the Lord for the allowance of me being involved in teaching my own child how to read. He will always remember that his Mom was able to do that with him. Awesome. Ethan is currently in K-4 (really this is almost just like kindergarten). He is finishing this year up and then will turn five in July. To be reading at such a young age is awesome!

To those of you who thought this was going to be a BIG announcement - sorry if I disappointed you. To us this is a big deal! I also thought it was a fun way of doing things . . . . .

Hey . . . Guess What???!!!

Ooops . . . not enough time to tell. I will post later! (Hmmm, wonder what it could be?)