Pictures

I haven't really posted since Christmas, so I thought I'd share a few new pictures! Papa time! Jeff and I were having as much fun as the kids!

NO! I didn't slide. I just sent Rileigh slowly down to Jeff.

Now for the important part....the Kids!

Edana isn't a baby at all anymore. She is a beautiful little girl, stubborn and independent but vulnerable and attached at the hip.

I love watching her paint. She "lives for crafting" Oh the emotions of girls.

We chopped her hair. Back to the independent thing. She wanted to do it herself, so I gave her hair she could do herself. Well, I didn't the hairdresser did. She really is beautiful!

Aidan is such a sweetheart! And a fireball at times. Guess it goes with the name! Not to mention Edana can talk him into all kinds...

He is also very creative! His imagination is crazy! This painting ended up being Mr. Tumnus.

Declan is growing so much and learning like crazy. He knows his colors at 2! It makes me very proud.

He loves painting too. If possible I think he may be more active than ever!

He's super cute and super ornery!

Rileigh Cait turned one in Feb.!

She was reaching for her pacifier. She REALLY likes that thing.

I must have a hunderd pics like this. I never get tired of seeing all the kids piled on top of Jeff reading their bedtime story!

They ae so awesome! And they are all getting so BIG!!

Jeff cleaning fish, still flopping in the bag, straight from the river that a neighbor brought us one night. Finally ate them they other day. They were great!The kids were fascinated, of course. It was probably 70degrees that night. We ended up having an unexpectedly silly, fun night.

She wanted out with them so bad!

In Bed

That's where I am. That's where I've been for two whole days now! Two days! AHHHH!!!! okay, so that was a little dramatic. Anyway, for a few details you can check out Jeff's blog. I finally convinced him to start his own. This one was a little mushy, but since it was about me, I didn't mind! haha!

Some may say I'm living it up right now. My pain levels are fairly mild. I'm just weak as a kitten...no, weaker. At the moment, I'm propped on a mound of pillows, nicely drugged (enough to dull the pain without making me out of it), eating gumbo, and have the laptop all to myself. As nice as it sounds, its driving me crazy. I can hear mom watching bull riding in the office and Jeff and the kids watching Cars in the living room. I'm way to social to sit in the room by myself. I tried sitting in the living room, but inevitably I moved around too much and made myself hurt again.

The kids have handle things pretty well. Rileigh and Declan don't really know whats going on, but Edana and Aidan have been very informed. Edana has said she is going to be a nurse since she was barely three years old. Aidan says he is going to be a preacher. We never try to tell our kids what they should say, so I was very surprised when Aidan announced he wants to be a preacher. What is funny is he says I'm going to be a preacher and... the and usually changes, but always he says a preacher. there is a point to my ramblings! Friday afternoon when Jeff got me settled into bed I asked to see the kids. Edana came in asked to see my bandages, asked a few questions and said she'd come back later. Aidan climbed up on the bed and talked to me for about 15min. He climbed off the bed, patted my foot and said I'm going to leave you alone now. My Nurse and My Preacher. It was so fitting of them! I hope I can be a good enough parent to always encourage those gifts that God has placed in them from birth. Parenting can be so humbling!

Jeff has had it a lot harder than I have through this ordeal. I mean, I've been the one not feeling well and that had surgery, but Jeff has had to deal with a tired, achy, hormonal wife for the last ten months. the last three being the roughest, the point of me not hardly being able to exercise and gaining back the weight I'd worked so hard to get off. I should have gone to the doctor sooner, but that goes back to that bad patient thing. Already I feel better, surgery pains aside. The last few days, Jeff has had to do all the cleaning and taking care of the kids himself. I think dad took care of the cooking though. Next week, he'll be at Hermitage with the oldest two kids, and I'll be here with mom and dad and the youngest two kids. Jeff will have made three trips back and forth by the time its all over. I wouldn't say Jeff is spoiled, but he has a stay home wife. I am very big on the fact that my job is the housework and I try to do as much as I can. Jeff works hard and often ends up getting very little sleep. (Hopefully that will get better as he adjust to doing lesson plans more quickly) Not being used to doing as much of the housework on top of his job and taking care of a helpless woman who doesn't like waiting on help can be a little overwhelming. He might not admit it but he'll need lots of prayers over the next few weeks. Well, My words aren't making sense to me anymore. Meds must be getting to me. Check out Jeff's blog!

Home Again, Home Again...

I wouldn't say I'm hardheaded exactly...well, not set in my ways, but maybe a little stubborn. Ha! People who know me best are laughing right now. That said...I'll tell you about the subtle changing of my mind. It only took nine years! Nine years ago in Feb, I came home one Saturday, between my split shifts at Charlie's Chicken, to find an empty house. I did the best thing I could think to do...I took a nap! My parents came home and woke me up with what they thought to be exciting news. They had bought a trailer and we were going to move to Brentwood! I was furious. How could they make that kind of a decision without me! (did I mention I was 17 and the baby of the family-yeah) What on earth would make them crazy enough to move out in the country to this ..... I took these shots when mom and dad were moving into their new house. The intent was to blow them up and frame them.

At some point that decision that made me so furious became home. We came in last night about 5:30p.m. When Jeff turned into the drive Edana, her most mothering voice, said, "Do you know where we are?" Aidan promptly answered, "We're home, its our trailer!" Strangely enough, I felt the same way. Maybe it took me a while, but this little valley, has grown on me. In my devotional the other night it asked a question, "what is your favorite spot outside?" Without warning, I started crying....I know I'm a baby. But it made me so homesick. This is my favorite spot...not really the prettiest, but my favorite.... I'm home for a few weeks. Jeff and the oldest two are going to be back and forth. I'll be having surgery Thursday, so please keep me in your prayers, but I intend to enjoy being outside as much as the weather allows!