*disclaimer* I do not recommend all of the videos in the ‘secular’ section… just weirdness!  LOL  I actually haven’t even watched all the videos… some of the songs I have only heard – I’m just using youtube to link them… *end disclaimer*

{the first 11 are secular, the last 8 are Christian}:

1.  ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ by Gotye (in a small way, this kind of makes me think of a modern version of the 80′s song, ‘Don’t You Want Me’ by Human League, which, of course, was brilliant [and dude's makeup in that video is outta control... just saying])

2. ‘Sail’ by AWOLNATION (and for kicks, I’m adding this ‘unofficial’ video made by two girls in their back yard, because I like it better than the ‘real’ video – both videos are the same song though)

3. ‘Poison & Wine’ by The Civil Wars – amazing!

4. ‘Barton Hollow’ by The Civil Wars

5. ‘We Are Young’ by Fun. – love this!

6. ‘Modern Nature’ by Sondre Lerche (from the Dan In Real Life soundtrack)

7. ‘Copacabana’ by Barry Manilow (this song never gets old.  And have you ever noticed that he looks VERY similar to Willy Wonka from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie in this video?)

8. ‘Animal’ by Neon Trees (I’m enjoying lots of their songs currently)

9. ‘D’Artagnan’s Theme’ by Citizen Cope (the only good song I’ve heard of theirs though)

10. ‘The Lipstick on His Collar’ by Caro Emerald

11. ‘Strangers in the Night’ by Frank Sinatra – Frank should always be on the playlist!

1. ‘Busted Heart’ by For King & Country (one of my current favorites!)

2. ‘Every Time You Run’ by Manafest (I love this whole song, but especially love the chorus)

3. ‘Make a Move’ by Royal Tailor (kinda peppy and late 80′s feeling to it – great lyrics!)

4. ‘You Are More’ by Tenth Avenue North (this song recently made it’s way back to my playlist – love it! Watch the video if you haven’t seen it) [also - if you don't want to click on all these songs and don't already know them, but only want to choose just one, choose this one]

5. ‘Garbage In’ by Tal & Acacia

6. ‘Drive All Night’ by Needtobreathe (if you’ve never heard Needtobreathe, they are awesome – try ‘Something Beautiful’, ‘Lay Em Down’ and ‘Washed By the Water’ for starters)

7. ‘Hold Me’ by Jamie Grace with Toby Mac (I’m not a Toby Mac fan, but I enjoy this song)

8. ‘Slow Your Breath Down’ by Future of Forestry (the amount of talent in the musicians here is amazing – watch the video and see all the different sounds they can make.  They have lots of good tunes.  If my other Christian music tastes are too ‘upbeat pop’ or too ‘alternative sounding’ for your taste, try Future of Forestry)

Okay, I have more Christian music I listen to, but I’m currently on the hunt for some new stuff.  So share if you know of something I’ll love!

I am aware that I haven’t blogged in over a month. I haven’t felt like it. Sue me. Or don’t. I don’t really care. To make up for it, this post is going to cover all the happenings of March. If you are my friend on Facebook, much of this will be a repeat, but as you know – part of the reason I blog is for the online-journal aspect of it. I am actually referencing Facebook (along with my calendar) to remind me of what actually did happen this month.

March:
1: Took Darby to gymnastics and Jarvis to soccer. Hung out on Facebook a lot.
2: Who knows? Took the kids to church in the evening.
3: Had an OB appointment. Everything looked good, until she went to listen for the baby’s heartbeat. Ended up getting an ultrasound, only to find out that little baby Mila had passed away. Sad day. I was 13 weeks, 2 days along, but she had not been alive for a few weeks. The reason my belly was growing and I was still feeling so many pregnancy symptoms is because my uterus and placenta were still thriving.
4: Brittany and I headed to the hospital at 10:30 for my D&C. I was really nervous, having never had surgery on anything before except getting my wisdom teeth cut out. All went well, though, and it was quick and smooth. Over the next few days, friends from church brought meals to us (so nice!). Marci drove up from Atlanta to help out. So good to see her!
5: Stayed drugged up and slept a lot! Karyn and Jess brought over tonight’s meal and stayed and hung out for a while. Marci took the kids out eating, shopping, and to see a movie. They LOVED having her here.  They bought green hats and wigs and came into my room with flowers – to make me laugh.  I was groggy and half-asleep and had no idea what was going on.  It was hilarious. 

Jacob in his funny hair and hat

Britta and Darby

Britta, Marci, and Darby

6: Marci took all six kiddos to church, then to eat and grocery shopping.  I slept so much in a very quiet house – it was nice!  Marci headed back to Georgia.  (soccer game was rained out today).
7: Still recovering. Out of bed today and feeling a lot better.  Talked to Andy on the phone a lot.  Had other things to deal with as well, but not blog fodder (sorry). 
8: Took Darby to gymnastics.  Did lots of resting, as far as I can remember.
9: Had a small nervous breakdown (hormones changing, I’m sure) and couldn’t stop crying.  It finally passed though, thank goodness – because I HATE crying.  And I’m using the word “hate” here, in the strongest sense of the word.  So thankful for an ecouraging husband, who, even though he is on the other side of the world, called at just the right time and was such a comfort to me.  And also thankful for good friends (like Ali) who will yak on the phone with me for hours and who I can be completely open with.    Bought Paige’s Easter dress while talking on the phone to Ali.  Took the kids to church (Paige and I don’t go to church on Wednesday nights – I drop the oldest 5 kids off for an hour and a half and Paige and I head home… why?  our church has Kids Klub for Jacob and Darby and youth group for Jarvis, Justice, and Brittany.  There is a ladies’ Bible study, and I have been to it, but it’s not really geared towards my age group [i.e. I'm the youngest woman in there by very far], and I have found that I love spending that one on one time with Paige without interruption.)
10: My new dishwasher was delivered.  It will sit in the front room while we wait for my neighbor to have time to install it (he’s busy).  Jarvis had an orthodontist consult.  Not quite time to start braces, but there is a plan in place, and we go back in 4 months to see if his mouth is ready.  Had some other things going on that aren’t blog-worthy (again, sorry).  Soccer practice got rained out, so I took Brittany and Jarvis to see The Adjustment Bureau.  It was good.
11: Rested in the morning.  My kids were all in desperate need of new shoes or clothes or a combination of the two, and I had some tax refund money, along with some other unexpected income, come in.  Jarvis was the first one to get to go shopping, since I owed him a birthday movie anyway.  We went to Jason’s Deli, Target, Marshall’s, and to see Unknown.  Loved it.
12: Dropped Justice off early at Molly’s yard sale to sell a few things.  Took Brittany and Darby shopping.  Ate at Jason’s Deli (again – ugh).  Shopped at Marshall’s, Old Navy, and Target.  Found lots of good deals!  And we all got new swimsuits (shopping for those is always a nightmare!  And why is the Target dressing room lighting the HARSHEST lighting in the world?!). 
13: Sunday School and church.  Brittany and Jacob went with Molly to a friend’s house to play (Britt went to help with the little kiddos).  I took Darby and Paige to Jarvis’ soccer game.  Didn’t get home in time for evening church. 

Paige at Jarvis' soccer game

Darby at Jarvis' soccer game

Jarvis playing soccer

Paige playing peekaboo with her sunglasses

14: Various errands, including getting my annual car inspection (and found out I’d been driving around with a giant screw stuck in my tire). 
15: Darby to gymnastics.  Got a ride for Jarvis to soccer so I could take Justice on his shopping trip.  We splurged and ate at Carrabba’s (so good! BUT I got glutened there and ended up feeling bad for the next few days - ugh!).  Shopped at Target, TJ Maxx, and Kohl’s – found everything he needed. 
16: Various errands and dropping kids off places (I have been leaving out a lot of things like this on this list).  Darby’s orthodontist consult.  She could really use ortho treatment now, probably make it a lot easier down the line, but alas – it turns out our insurance only covers ortho treatment ONCE per lifetime (and only a small percentage then), so we are waiting.  If Jarvis wasn’t about to get braces, we might go for it, but yeah – that’s a bit much.  Dropped off the kiddos at church in the evening. 

Jacob being a nut at Darby's ortho consult... Darby in the dental chair in the background

Paige with her "I don't feel good cause I'm teething and my nose is runny" look

17: Justice did yard work at someone’s house – he’s done a LOT of that this month.  He spends most of his money on Papa John’s ordering.  Dropped Jarvis off at soccer practice, and then headed out on the town with the Mollster.  Ate a yummy dinner at Bonefish Grill (love me some saucy shrimp! mmmmm!) and got some Starbucks and headed home. 

cell phone self-portraits are the best, no? lol. Ali will be shocked I was actually wearing a ruffled shirt!

my attempt at taking a self-portrait of Molly and me at Starbucks. Worked out well, don't you think?

18: Haven’t been getting much sleep – aside from not being able to fall asleep at a reasonable hour, Paige has been teething (2 year molars) and that’s been interrupting her sleep. Even with the sleep issues, my energy has been increasing, though.  Starting to get a LOT done around the house.  Had a couple months worth of deep cleaning to catch up on, we are rearranging some kids’ rooms, doing some construction, etc. 
19: Worked around the house.  Kids played outside.  Weather has been gorgeous!  Jarvis fell off the neighbor’s playground (er, JUMPED from the roof of the playground to a rope swing, which broke when he grabbed it so he hit the ground).  Dropped Justice off at the church for Winterjam.  They didn’t make it in though, it was sold out and many thousands of fans didn’t get in. 

Dance party!

pouty pajama time

20: Sunday School and Church.  Luncheon at church.  Got a ton of stuff done at the house.  The boys had a couple of friends over and played airsoft, etc.  Jarvis missed his soccer game because of his hurt foot, and it happened to be the first game they lost all season.  Justice and my very helpful neighbor installed my awesome new dishwasher!  It’s so so so nice to have a dishwasher after not having one for almost a year!!!

Paige the Mess. (photo by darby)

Cutie! (photo by darby)

Paige's first time with painted fingernails and toenails. She LOVED it! (photo by darby)

My attempt at photos of the kids after church - sun too bright, kids hungry, Jarvis missing (on the couch with a hurt foot), etc... not ideal photography conditions. lol

Jacob needs his sunglasses!

Paige insisted on being on the step with Jacob and Darby!

The expressions say everything!

Britt attempted to take a few photos of me (for the hubster, and also for the "before" hairdo)

another photo by Britt

21: Aside from some errands and cleaning, took some time to myself.  Went and got a real, actual haircut.  She ended up giving me too many layers, but that’s my own fault (I wasn’t specific enough).  My friend, Jess, came by for a few and chatted and dropped off some eggs (she’s been keeping us in stock since they have chickens and we love FRESH eggs).    Went to a movie by myself, saw Limitless – loved it. 

Britt attempting to get a photo of my hairdo. It looks better in real life. Much.

Attempt #2

Attempt #3?

Our kitten - pretty sure it's current name is Ninja. I liked Odin better. But it's not my kitten.

My bathroom mirror attempts with my cell phone to get a pic of the new do...

Last attempt to show you people my new hairdo!

22: Darby to gymnastics.  Took Jacob with me and bought him some new tennis shoes, flip flops, and sunglasses – all things he desperately needed.  After we picked up Darby from gymnastics, I took the two of them through an automatic car wash.  Jacob had never known such a thing existed and I’m pretty sure it’s the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to him.  Best 9 bucks I’ve spent in a while!  (p.s.  When did it start costing NINE bucks for an automatic car wash?!?!).  Took Jarvis to the doctor to get an x-ray for his foot that was still bothering him.  No brake – just a sprain, thank goodness! 
(you only need to watch the first 4 seconds of the following video to see Darby’s cartwheel – I kept recording thinking something else would happen, lol…)

(apparently I’ve become retarded when it comes to embedding youtube videos – either that or WordPress has become more difficult – either way, you’ll have to click on the link: Darby\’s cartwheel)

23: Got stuff done around the house, ran errands, etc.  Got to church a little early to pick up the kids and it was a gorgeous evening, so Paige and I swung on the playground swings while we waited.  Paige LOVES the swings.  She’s too cute.  My cell phone takes horrible photos, especially at night:

Paige swinging

24: Took Justice and Jarvis to the dentist.  Justice had been hurting since his last filling – they made a small adjustment and the pain automatically went away – yay.  Jarvis had to get a filling.  Worked on kids’ bedrooms (a seemingly neverending project).
25: Clean, clean, clean.  (had to cancel/postpone our trip to Atlanta).
26: Dropped Justice off to do some yard work and then I went grocery shopping.  Felt pretty under the weather and didn’t get much done the rest of the day. 
27: Did nothing.  All day.  Felt ick.
28: Today – not much going on.  Going to try to get some major bedroom work done today, but still feeling pretty blah.
29: Tomorrow – the usual gymnastics and soccer practice. 
30: Kids will go to church.
31: No plans. 

And that concludes March in Review.  I hope you enjoyed the show.

With all of my gypsy tendencies, however, some things just never get old.  Here’s a list (because you knew this was going to end up in a list, right?)…

in no particular order:

• sunshine (is it spring yet?!)
• talking to Andrew (my best friend)
• hugs and kisses from my little ones
• Dwight Yoakam (I get tired of a lot of music, but never Dwight)
• cookies
• being organized (it’s driving me crazy that I’m not organized right now!)
• reading God’s Word (I find new things in there all the time – so cool)
• going to the movie theater
• the beach (even though I haven’t been to one in two years, I know in my heart that I still love it)
• this song:

• Andrew and I decided to try Carrabba’s on a date last week.  I had heard they had a gluten-free menu, but hadn’t tried it since Italian food mostly consists of wheat-filled pasta.  I figured they wouldn’t have anything good.  While their gluten-free menu isn’t extremely long, the Chicken Bryan is AWESOME.  And it didn’t make me sick at all!  Oh yum, so good.  Also, the garlic mashed potatoes are delicious.  We went there for our next date too.  But we can’t afford to go back for a while (Christmas kind of puts a dent in the ‘date’ budget – ha!).  Man oh man – I am craving it though! 
• We had our Sunday School Christmas party at our house.  My friend, Karyn, and I made the invitations (which reminded me how much I miss scrapbooking!), and the party was tons of fun.  Andrew ended up missing most of it (he was stuck at work – ), but he joined in on the fun game at the end. 
• Justice started basketball practices.  His games will start towards the end of January.  He likes his coach and his team so far.  I like watching him play!
• Darby has been loving her gymnastics classes!  I think she’d like to do them every day instead of once a week!
• The kittens are SO adorable right now.  Here are a few photos that were taken on December 10th.  I am amazed at how much they have grown since then!!!  They are running around getting into things now.  Between 4 and 10 weeks is the CUTEST age. 
  
  
  
  
• God has really been working in our family.  It’s exciting to see how He makes us learn and grow and how His Holy Spirit becomes more and more evident in our lives as we turn more and more over to Him.  I’m just in awe of His grace and love.  He is amazing.
• I actually ate a piece of candy with corn syrup in it earlier today.  What is wrong with me?  That is SO unlike me.  I can actually handle very SMALL amounts of corn and chemicals, but I usually avoid them altogether.  But for some reason that york peppermint patty was just staring at me and I HAD to eat it.  It’s been a long time since I have craved a non-food item.  lol. 
• Andrew and I have had so much fun doing all our Christmas shopping this year.  We have turned our shopping trips into dates.  We have so much fun together.  I’m so thankful for our marriage!
  
  
• We are getting closer to Andrew’s deployment.  It hasn’t really sunk in yet that he’s leaving, but I’m sure I’ll cry when it does.  At least it isn’t a year this time!
• Speaking of crying, I really hate crying in front of people.  If you have ever seen me cry, congratulations!  You must be special, because I will normally go WAY out of my way to NOT cry.  I have cried a couple of times in the last few days though – I am just so thrilled about some things that God is doing… it’s a little emotional sometimes. 
• I love my family.  I love my husband. I love my kids. I love my life.  I am just so blessed. 
  
• Question: Do any of you want to come to my house and do some construction/decorating work?  I have a big long list of things that need doing and not enough time/energy/money to get it all done.  I think time is the biggest hindrance to the progress.  First up: cleaning up all the dust in the basement (from the sanding) and putting the primer on the walls (I haven’t bought the colored paint yet, but I’ve got a huge tub of primer sitting down there waiting).  Any takers?  Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? 
• Paige thinks she’s a big girl because she can now eat things like cereal-with-milk or soup out of a bowl with a spoon without making a huge mess.  She’s adorable. 
• I think I might work on one of my books tonight.  I’m pretty sure I’ll be an old lady before any of the books I’ve been working on are done, but hey – someone can read them in 50 years. 
• I’m pretty sure I need to ask Andrew to go buy me some dark chocolate, because I’m very tempted to go eat another york peppermint patty.  The last one wasn’t even that delicious (your taste buds change when you stop eating chemicals and they no longer taste like food).  I  must just be hungry. lol
• (while I was checking my spelling and proof-reading this post, I ate a reeses’ cup.  I figured at least it didn’t have corn syrup in it so it was a better choice than the peppermint patty.  It was so disgusting.  And now I have a chemical residue taste in my mouth.  Why did I do that ? So gross.  I need to hit Trader Joe’s and get some of their chocolate-peanut butter cups.  Those taste like real food!  And they’re delicious!)

A quick list…

• We have had a couple of rounds of illness here, which takes a bit of time when it’s going through eight people.  We are all on the mend, however, and are getting into the Christmas spirit.
• We’re having our Sunday School class Christmas party at our house tonight.  It should be fun.  Yay.
• We are getting closer and closer to Andrew’s deployment, but we’re not letting it get us down.  God will take care of us and make us stronger through it.
• We are really looking forward to celebrating Christmas with various relatives this year!  Should be a blast!
• When one moves around a lot, making close friends is kind of difficult – one tends to become a little distant.  But, I am making some great friends here, and it’s a good thing (channeling Martha Stewart there).  I forgot how much I enjoy having an active social life. 
• I’ve decided to embrace my gray hair (as I get more and more of them).  For now anyways.  I’m not sure how I’ll feel when they are super noticeable. 
• The kittens are absolutely adorable!  As of yesterday (I haven’t looked today), two of them had their eyes open finally, and the third was trying.  They are starting to become playful, and there is pretty much nothing cuter than a tiny kitten lying on it’s back showing me it’s tiny furry belly while batting my fingers around playfully and chewing on my hand. 
• I need to take some photos of the aforementioned kittens.
• Paige is becoming a major Daddy’s girl!  She hollers his name all the time, or sings it.  So adorable.  I hope we are able to do some video-chatting while he is gone.  She’s really going to miss him (well, we all will, but the younger the child, the harder it is for them to understand… obviously). 
• Britta and I started watching Bones season 5 on Netflix yesterday, and of course it’s awesome.  We finished season 4 several months ago.  It’s fun to have a TV show to keep up with. 

Speaking of TV shows, here’s a random list of TV shows I’ve loved in the past (by ‘loved’ I mean, I didn’t like missing an episode.  I am not obsessed with TV or anything – though maybe I have been slightly in the past *cough ‘Friends’ cough* – and I really could stop watching any of these shows at any time and be fine with it.  But they are fun and entertaining – something to do when I’m not feeling well, or if I need to rest for a bit.)  So, without further ado…

The 80′s and early 90′s, in no particular order (and I’m sure I’m  missing some because this is just off the top of my head; I watched a lot of TV in those days)

• The Facts of Life (“you take the good, you take the bad, you take ‘em both and there you have…” sing it with me now… )
• Family Ties (Mallory was my hero, and Alex was so cool)
• Growing Pains (Oh Kirk Cameron.  How far you’ve come. lol)
• E.R. (not the popular one with Goose from Top Gun [what's his real name? it eludes me at the moment], but the lesser known sitcom called E.R., which,ironically, also starred George Clooney… I thought that show was fantastic, but it didn’t last very long)
• Sisters (I couldn’t wait for this show each week, starring Swoozie Kurtz and, again, George Clooney – though he wasn’t a main character – and a bunch of other people.  I wonder if it’s on DVD.  I wonder if it stood the test of time.  Probably not.)
• Just the Ten of Us (sheltered Catholic sisters who snuck out to sing at a ‘wild’ diner each weekend… what could be better? lol)
• Full House (I loved Jesse, and yes, I had a poster on my wall *insert eye roll at self here*)
• Who’s the Boss? (I wanted to be Samantha? Yes, I admit it.)
• The Nanny (ah, whining Fran.  And the butler was hilarious.  “she was there to sell makeup, but father saw more…” <—genius show tune lyrics!)

The mid to late 90′s…

• Friends (I remembered Courtney Cox from Family Ties (she was Alex’s girlfriend for a while) and I liked her, so I watched Friends from the first episode to the last.  All ten years.  I was a devoted fan.)
• Seinfeld (Hilarious. Classic. So quotable.)
• Golden Girls reruns (“Thank you for being a friend…”)
• Late Night with David Letterman (because Dave is Dave.  And so much funnier than Jay.  Speaking of, are any of you Jay Leno fans?  Please stop reading if you are.  Because he’s not funny.  He’s annoying.  I’m just saying.  I’m kidding about the not reading part, but still.  Jay was never funny.)

Late 90′s and 00′s…

• Gilmore Girls (I recently watched the whole thing on DVD again.  I guess I shouldn’t put which characters remind me of which family members, but those of you who already know, you know.)
• -more- Friends (it was still on in this time frame, and I’m pretty sure I watched all the seasons on DVD a few times before finally selling them on ebay about 5 years ago)
• Arrested Development (inappropriate at times, yes, but absolutely hilarious… I wouldn’t watch it over and over because there’s just too much crudeness to overlook.  And we recently started trying to watch it again and were like “was it this inappropriate last time we saw it?” —- oh well.)
• Extreme Home Makeover (awesome show)
• Heroes (“Hiro from Heroes is a hero” —Dwight Schrute)
• Lost (I was another fan who was disappointed the last season [or three], but still, I really enjoyed this show – all the way through)
• The Office (I probably wouldn’t be a huge fan if it wasn’t for others in my family who love this show, but they got me hooked.  And it is funny.)
• Alias (I had to edit and add this one when Karyn brought it up, because Alias was 700 kinds of AWESOME! I didn’t start watching it until it had been out a few years, but between Hollywood Video and Netflix – I watched every episode when I was on bed rest with Jacob.)

Recent and current…

• Pushing Daisies (so colorful and fun, even though it involves dead people.  Mystery and intrigue and pie = perfect combo)
• Wonderfalls (I can’t believe there was only one season!)
• Bones (Andy is not a fan.  He thinks it’s WAY too unrealistic.  But I’m okay with that.  It seems real enough to me. lol)
• Community (lighthearted and brainless – fun to zone out to)
• Parenthood (Lauren Graham reeled me in)
• 30 Rock (disclaimer: this show can be really funny, but also can be very stupid and/or crude)
• Parks and Recreation

If I could choose only two TV shows on DVD to watch over and over again, it would be Seinfeld and Gilmore Girls.  Tell me your favorite shows!

• Paige went to the doctor this morning for her 18 month old checkup, and according to her doctor (who we love, by the way!) Paige is perfect.  We already knew that though.  She had to get one shot today, but the nurse was fast, so while she did scream for a minute, she was soon fine.  She weighs 21 pounds (10th %), and is 29 1/2″ tall (5th %).  Her head?  It’s still large.  It’s 19 or 19 1/2″ (I can’t remember which) and that, my friends, is in the 90th %.  Tiny body, huge head. For that big brain, I presume.
• Britta Cait started babysitting for a local MOPS group.  Today was her first day, and they meet once a month.  She had a great time.  She loves little kids, and she loves making money = a great combo. 
• Britta also turned 17 last week.  More to come on that (and also I have photos from Justice’s birthday celebration last month.  Patience, young padawans, patience).
• Have I mentioned how much I love my kids?  Yes?  Well, I’m saying it again.  God has blessed us so much with six amazing kiddos, I just can’t believe it most of the time.  They all show me and Andy such love and respect (absolutely no slamming doors or “I hate you”‘s in this house), they all want to serve God, and they all love spending time with us.  That may sound ‘normal’ to some of you, but I know a lot of people who struggle with their teenagers (and a lot of people who struggle with their pre-teens and toddlers too), and it just makes me so thankful to have loving, well-behaved kids.  They are not perfect, of course (no one is), but they are an enormous blessing to me and I thank God for them all.
• Homeschooling is going swimmingly (pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve ever used that word).  I’m enjoying it, the kids are enjoying it – so awesome.  The kids are all learning (which is more than I can say for their previous public school educations), and our schedule is going great.  Total answer to prayer – all of it!!!
• Construction is still ongoing.  Andrew finished building the walls in the main room of the basement (school room/office/craft area), and just needs to do one more round of mudding and sanding – then we paint and put a new floor in.  We decided on a laminate floor for that room and Brittany’s room after looking at cost, where it was in the house, how much wear it would get, etc… but we’ll put a tiled area by the back door since rumor has it that laminate flooring does not do well when it gets wet. 
• We have gotten more involved in our church and are loving it.  The people are wonderful, the kids love it, and we just know it’s exactly where God wants us to be.  Awesome.
• Britta is going on a missions trip with some people from our church at the end of this month.  They are heading to New York City to do some ministering to others.  Please be prayingn for them.
• Jacob has turned into a social butterfly!  He used to be SO shy and just wanted to be with me all the time, but he has changed SO much in the past 6 months or so.  He just wants to play with his friends, invite them over, go see them, go to church, and of course… marry Katie, my friend Robyn’s daughter.
• Aaaaand since I’ve been interrupted no less than 47 times since the start of this post, I’ll go ahead and close with a couple of photos from my brother Matt’s house…

Paige walking around Uncle Matt's house like she owned the place.

Justice and Tanner in the 'mud pit' at Uncle Matt's house - the boys had a BLAST!

Canyon, Justice, Tanner, and Chance

Poor Jarvis was sick on the mud pit day.

Jacob LOVED the swimming pool and hot tub!

Darby and Taylor

Taking turns on each other's shoulders in the pool

Taylor's turn on Darby's shoulders... so fun to have a cousin so close in age!

Britta apparently beating up Canyon. lol

More mud pit fun (that's Canyon and Britta if you can't tell)

For today, I have a list update followed by a bunch of party photos (more photos ready to share over the next several days too)… hopefully tomorrow I’ll think of something that will be inspirational and blow your mind.  Let’s play that one by ear though, okay? Okay.

• We love our new homeschool schedule.  We get up in time to have two hours for breakfast, exercising, Bible study, and getting ready for the day before our schoolwork begins.  We did a week-long test run, then interrupted for a trip, but will get back to it this coming Monday.
• We had a great trip to Atlanta visiting my siblings and nieces and nephews.  Wonderful times were had by all.  My kids LOVE hanging out with their cousins – we wish we lived closer so they could see them more often.
• We stayed with my brother and sister-in-law (Matt & Carolyn).  They are so nice and hospitable, and my kids love their kids, their house, their animals, their pool, etc… [Thanks for letting us stay guys!]
• Gideon (my great-nephew) is SO adorable.  His first birthday party was the reason for the trip, and he just couldn’t be cuter.
• Isn’t it funny how traveling makes you appreciate your own bed/pillow/blankets?  I have slept like a rock the past two nights!!!
• Andrew is finished with school and is at his new job now.  My prayer is that he loves it!  He’ll be deployed a lot, but that’s part of the downside to being in the military.
• The kids (the five oldest) started their Wednesday night programs at church last night.  Britta and Jarvis missed it because they weren’t feeling well, but the other three kids had a great time!
• We passed around a stomach bug.  It was kind of brutal for some of us, but short-lived.  I’ll take super painful/gross for a day over less ill for a week though.  I prefer just getting it all out of the way at once.
• Andrew got a lot of work done in the office/school room while the kids and I were in Atlanta.  He rocks! 
• Now there’s a lot of sanding to do and then we prime.  Andrew had to build some walls, and then drywall and he got all that done plus mudding.
• I was sick the day I was supposed to shop at the Atlanta IKEA with friends/family, but on the way back home Tuesday, I stopped at the Charlotte IKEA and was able to do about an hour and a half of shopping.  It was fabulous.  I LOVE that store!! I didn’t spend too much (although if I HAD more to spend, I certainly WOULD have – lol), but I got some much needed items for the kitchen (glasses, kids dishes, mixing bowls, can opener, platter, cute napkins – yes cute napkins were much needed – haha), and I got toilet bowl brushes (hey – they are only 99 cents and are much cuter than the 3 dollar ones at Walmart or Target!) and I got some $20 desks for my three oldest kids to use for their schoolwork.  So score!
• While at IKEA, it was kind of late (we were there from 7:30 to 9:00 pm), and when I let Paige out of the cart in the kid’s section, she climbed into the toddler beds and took her shoes off, laid down and tried to sleep.  She got mad when we wouldn’t let her go to sleep.  She was like “hey – I haven’t seen my own bed in weeks” (it was only 5 days, but that’s a long time to a baby)… “I’m tired, and this bed is comfy – why can’t I sleep here?!”  She’s so adorable.  AND I found the toddler bed I want to get for her – as soon as I have the extra cash, I’m going to head back to IKEA and get it!  It will go perfectly in her newly painted room!!  AND it stretches out to a twin bed for when she grows, so it’ll be a good investment.  :)
• I have a few things I want to sell on craigslist or ebay, but it is SUCH a hassle to do that type of thing anymore.  Does anyone want to do it for me?  I’ll probably just end up giving those items away – so much easier. lol
• I really love our house – have I mentioned that?  I’m so thankful to have a house of our own (I mean, it belongs to the bank currently – but we are not renting for the first time ever).  I love being able to paint it, I love having all this space (we’ve lived in some pretty cramped places in the past), I love our neighborhood for the most part… it’s just nice. 
• I need to make my meal plan and grocery list for this pay period.  Any suggestions for cheap and easy meals that will feed 8 and are gluten-free?  Please post them. 

Paige wasn't so sure about the ball pit at first, but she liked it later.

Sweet Taylor. Darby had a blast playing with her all weekend!

The uncooperative duo. Marci was trying to get them to re-create their old "fight stance" photos, but they refused. Oh well.

Adam and Andrea.

Gideon and his Grandma.

Paige getting cupcake all over Aunt Marci's shirt.

Canyon, Jarvis, and Nathaniel.

The Van Meters. Some of my favorite people in the wide world.

Me & Andrea dressed alike. Again. Never planned. (because why on earth would be plan to match? that would be weird.)

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Gideon. Happy birthday to you. (whew. so glad to get that out. only Andrea understands.)

Paige and Andrea. Paige was kind of a grumpypants that day.

Me and four of my six siblings.

A lot of Goodling cousins. Missing Tori, Cory, Tim, Matt, Lauren, Olivia, & Alia.

The LaMontagnes and Van Meters.

Matt and Carolyn. My wonderful brother and his sweet wife. I just love them!

My sister, Marci, and one of my best friends in the world.

Paige liked the ball pit with Darby and Taylor in there playing too.

The Joshinator. Looking forward to his Thanksgiving visit!

Jacob. I mean, Wolverine. I didn't get a better photo of the sticks. I mean, claws.

She was absolutely filthy (and SO sweaty) by the time the party was over!

They did not allow me to get a good photo of them together. Next time, next time.

Back at Gideon's house - he's such a rock star, he loved the drum sticks one of his little baby friends gave him for his birthday.

Another attempt at a photo of the two of them, but Paige is just looking at Gideon like "why are you on my mommy?!?!" lol

1. Andy’s parents and sister came for a visit this week, and we had a blast. I definitely hit the jackpot when it comes to in-laws. And I’m not just saying that because they read my blog. I really, truly mean it. Love them!
   
   

   It was more difficult than it should have been to take this photo - lol.

   

   I had to use the flash to get a semi-decent shot. Ideally, I'd have taken this photo during daylight when everyone was all fixed up (note the freshly bathed, pajama'd three in front), but alas, I forgot to even touch my camera during their whole visit until the last possible second).

2. Darby got baptized on Sunday morning (and Andy’s family was here to see – so cool)!  So proud of her that she genuinely wants to follow Jesus. 
   
   

   Darby was too short to see much during the actual baptism, but I managed to take her photo just after.

   

   Getting her baptism certificate (I was using Andy's point&shoot camera and I have no idea how to work that thing - lol)

3. Jarvis had his first (soccer) scrimmage with another team last night and he did great. Looking forward to his games, which start in about three weeks.
4. Have I mentioned our school plans on my blog? If not, fyi (and for prosperity’s sake), we are homeschooling all the kids this year. That’ll be 5 kids. Homeschooled. Grades K, 4, 7, 9, and 12.  Once we start, if you don’t hear from me for a while, check in and make sure I’m still alive and sane, would you?   Seriously though - I’m looking forward to it. We aren’t ‘officially’ starting for a couple more weeks-ish, but are doing some things to prepare such as diagnostic testing (starting today). 
5. I went to Darby and Jarvis’ old schools yesterday to withdraw them (school started today — what? you don’t wait until the last possible minute to do things? whatever.), and my decision was just completely confirmed.  Ahhhh… feels good to be doing the right thing for your family. 
6. And please don’t take that last sentence to mean that I think everyone should homeschool. I definitely do not feel that way.  But I do know that this is the right thing for OUR family right now. 
7. I caught the Dojo Sensei in Mousehunt a few days ago. Exciting, right?
8. As you know, my iPhone got wet.  So sad.  I did manage to get it working again, but the LCD screen is all smeared and ruined. I can only barely see 1/2 the screen, and when I try to turn it on, I can’t slide the bar to get to the main menu.  So it’s useless to me.  It’s okay, you can cry too.
9. Since I don’t have a few hundred dollars set aside for replacing phones, Andrew found his 5 year old Motorola Razr L7.  We charged it, and lo and behold it works. So, I have a phone now, which is nice.  The downside is that I have to pay the iPhone $30 monthly fee until April, when my contract ends, and it’ll probably be April before I can afford another iPhone.  Oh well.  At least I can check my yahoo mail on the Razr, and set alarms on the calendar.  I’m just happy to be able to talk and text again – not that I talk/text often, but it’s nice to have the option.
10. Note to self: record Brittany playing the piano and post it. She totally rocks.
11. (disclaimer: this point includes the words ‘breast’ and ‘mastitis’… move on to the next point if you aren’t interested)… A few weeks ago, I cut down on the amount of times per day that Paige nursed, thinking that I’d wean her by 18 months.  She got down to nursing 3 or 4 times a day (at bed time, nap time, sometimes in the morning, and sometimes if she woke up in the middle of the night).  Well, then she started teething again (and no, those eye teeth haven’t poked through yet), and she wanted to nurse ALL THE TIME.  So I accomodated her since it seemed to comfort her, and my milk supply went up again.  Then, one day, about a week and a half ago, she refused to nurse.  Ever again.  She went from getting my milk supply WAY up to absolutely nothing.  With no warning whatsoever.  It was so weird. Anyway, so that led to mastitis in BOTH breasts (fun for me), which I quickly nipped in the bud with garlic, but because of the process of going cold turkey on the breastfeeding, it was kind of a long week or so.  I did pump a few times for relief, but I’ve never had much luck with pumping (and I hate doing it).  I’m finally feeling ‘normal’ and my energy is starting to return.  Thankfully.
12. I made some barbecue chicken when Andy’s family was here that turned out really great, if I do say so myself.  I’ve been struggling trying to find a barbecue sauce that we all like that is 1. gluten-free, 2. chemical-free, and 3. corn-free. Corn-free is nearly impossible to find.  The last barbecue chicken I had made was kind of gross – dry and the sauce not tasty (an organic Annie’s sauce – I do not recommend).  And of course, we had company when I made it (so sorry Pastor Josh and Trisha! I’ll make a better main course next time!  Not that you read my blog, but just in case… I really can make chicken taste good. lol).  Anyway… the homemade barbecue sauce had rave reviews, it cooked well with the chicken, which came out really moist and wonderful, and of course, I have no idea how I made it.  I did write down all the ingredients I used, but amounts?  Who knows?  I just threw stuff in there until it smelled right.  If I can replicate it, I’ll share the recipe. 
13. Speaking of corn-free… have you seen King Corn?  We watched that the other day.  Other food documentaries I’ve watched lately are Food, Inc. and The Beautiful Truth.  I recommend them all (and they can all be found on netflix’s instant play list).  Watch them, make changes, and stop killing yourself by ingesting poison.  When we’re all old and I am clear-headed and healthy (because hopefully I made my changes before it was too late – my health is slowly but surely improving), and when you have Alzheimer’s because you thought I was nuts for eating organic and not using harsh chemicals in my home?  I’ll say “I told you so!” and you won’t have a clue what I’m talking about because the dementia will be so bad, but I’ll say it anyway and you’ll say “who are you again?” and the nurse will come wipe your drool and wheel you away and I’ll go for a jog.
14. Yes, the correct spelling of ‘BBQ’ or ‘barbeque’ is actually ‘barbecue’.  In case you are judging my spelling of the word in point number 12.  Not that I’m ever very aware of grammar on my blog, but misspelled words is a pet peeve of mine.  Fragments and run-on sentences are okay though.  Unless I’m writing a book – in that case, I’d be more careful with my grammar.  Believe it or not, I do understand proper grammar.  I really am qualified to teach it to my children. 
15. That last point was FULL of terrible grammar.
16. Did I blog about Josh’s visit last week?  I think I just posted a few photos from our trip to the capitol (in the things-I-love post).  Well, Josh visited last week and we had a great visit.  Jacob thinks Uncle Josh hung the moon and gets a little hyper excited when Josh is around.  What can you do?  He’s four.
    
    

    Britta and Josh imitating Justice on the bench. lol

17. Darby and Paige wore matching dresses to church on Sunday – and of course, these were the only two photos that I got.  I’ll have to make them wear them again and take some real photos. Darby was the one that picked out their clothes, so don’t be all “why are you forcing your children to match” on me – it was HER idea!  (dresses are complements of our good friend Robyn who passes her girls’ clothes down to my girls).
    
    

    Paige is tugging at her face in the one on the right, which explains why her eye looks all wonky. lol

{I like to make these lists every few years or so – they’re fun to look back on later. I made a scrapbook page like this around ten years ago and a lot of things have changed since then! After you read mine, go make your own list on your blog – because you’ll have fun with it too.}

Things I’m loving right now…

1. my marriage. It just keeps getting better and better! Andrew rocks my socks.
2. my toddlers. Jacob & Paige are way too adorable. Lots of squeezes and kisses happen daily!
3. my tweens. Jarvis & Darby are in a fun stage – and are both still such learning sponges! (and cute too)
4. my teens. I feel so blessed to have Britta & Justice. I hear so many people complaining about how their teens hate them (and it sounds like they hate their teens), but I am grateful to have really great relationships with my teenagers!! (and they’re funny – and I do love to laugh)
5. Target.
6. organic Kettle barbecue potato chips.
7. Trader Joe’s brand everything.
8. our church. So happy to have found one we love! We were beginning to wonder if we ever would.
9. netflix.
10. tazo green tea.
11. white chocolate peanut butter by the peanut butter co. By the spoonful.
12. Qdoba naked burritos.
13. my iPhone.
14. reading through the New Testament (again)… so much good stuff and I see new totally awesome things every time. I love it.
15. having our own house that doesn’t have plain white walls.
16. dairy-free, soy-free, corn syrup-free, chocolate, coconut ‘ice-cream’. In small doses.
17. black and white accented with an awesome color like teal or dark yellow.
18. yoga on the Wii.
19. getting mail. Snail or e.
20. shopping. Though I don’t get to do it enough. And I don’t mean for groceries. Grocery shopping is definitely not on this list.
21. lazy summer days. Even though there doesn’t seem to be very many of them.
22. photoshop cs4.
23. music – she & him, sanctus real, needtobreathe, david crowder band…
24. movie quotes.
25. hearing songs I used to love on the car radio, and turning it up and singing loudly and dancing (much to the chagrin of my children who cannot escape the moving vehicle).
26. organic food.
27. organic beauty products.
28. organic everything.
29. cute buckets/vases/bowls/containers.
30. facebook.
31. blogging.
32. going to the movies.
33. fresh fruit.
34. good TV shows. Can’t wait for The Office season 6 to come out on DVD – I haven’t seen any it yet!
35. good books. And time (or rather, quiet) to read them.
36. dinner parties. I need to have more of them. I’ve slacked since child #4 came along.
37. dates with Andrew.
38. sleep. Thankfully, Paige is finally starting to sleep a little bit better. I wonder how long it’ll take me to make up for the lack of sleep from the last 5 years.
39. massages.
40. thunderstorms.

Some current pet peeves…

1. judgmental people. I’m working hard on not being judgmental, but as you can see, I need some prayer, because right now I’m judging judgmental people.
2. when people misspell lose/loose and chose/choose. You sometimes ’lose’ your keys, and your pants are too ‘loose’ when you ‘lose’ a few pounds. Yesterday, I ‘chose’ to go to church, and tonight I might ‘choose’ to watch a movie. ‘Chose’ is past tense, and ‘choose’ is present or future tense. Please stop the madness!
3. a messy house. I have six children though, and I don’t have ridiculous amounts of energy, so I really need to learn to get past this one.
4. the amount of chemicals and garbage that the crooked FDA allows to be put into the food that is sold at our grocery stores. Go organic!
5. how difficult and expensive it is to eat organically. I really want a garden!
6. hypocrisy. And fakeness.