Salt Springs/ Suns Game

Summertime is here...let's go to the Springs! Summertime is here....let's go to a Suns game!   I say this every year. Since Billy has worked six days a week and ten hour days, it's never happened.
This summer greeted us with several changes. One was Billy's schedule now that he is working for RaceSmith. After a very long week working Billy mustered up the energy to continue our (my) summer bucket list and we conquered both the Springs and the Suns game.

Things we learned at Salt Springs:
1. The water is perfectly clear, has lots of fish of various sizes, and is ALWAYS 72 degrees. And 72 degrees is cold.
2. While traveling with our minivan full of kids, know ahead of time you need to pay per head. And know ahead of time you need to bring flotation devices so the gang isn't using you as a flotation device.
3. Walking on algae covered rocks are slippery.
4. The boil is the giant hole where water comes out of the ground. Kids will want to swim over it. And if you are brave enough to hide behind a kid, you can put on kiddie goggles, cling to the rock, and stick your face underwater to see this amazing sight.
5. Try to hike miles through the woods in 95 degree weather BEFORE going in the 72 degree spring.

Things we learned at the Jacksonville Suns Game:
1. 50cent Family Feast Night means hot dogs for everyone. It's time to try out how fun it is to crack open peanuts. And by the time we are ready for dessert, the Moo Bars will melt, and possibly, no probably land on the ground and Liam will try to grab them.
2. We should bring a pads of paper and pens for the girls. What was I thinking leaving home without that stuff? They were entertained by Daddy's quizzes about the players and the game. They had fun reading stats. No, seriously.
3. No matter how many babies you see falling asleep as the innings go on, Liam will not be one of them. Mommies walk around the stands with strollers and peaceful babies. Liam sat up in constant wonder high-fiving all the guys watching the game.
4. Realize that Billy will leave early if the game stinks, but if the game keeps him on the edge of his seat, like this one, we will stay for. the. entire. game.
5. Don't worry about Eric being fidgety. He will stay seated for all 9 innings in hopes of getting a foul ball. Thank you No.9 from the Chattanooga Look Outs for giving that ball to Eric after the game.

How could I forget to mention the crazy man at Salt Springs "playing" with the alligator who was swimming near us? Only in Florida.

The end of July

1. Papers with kids drawings, sticky syrup from pancakes, the contents of little girl purses, baseball cards, guitar picks, craft supplies, over ripe produce, fort supplies galore, piles of pool towels, library books, friendship bracelets, flip flops, far less house work time, much more learning and fun time.

2. Laid back schedule: Liam gets to nap when he wants, pretty much. Kids still sleep in with an occasional 7am appearance.

3. Half hour of screen time has been upgraded. Now the kids get some extra time for Mario Super Sluggers and Just Dance. As long as they are sweaty, it's okay :)

4. The kids play in the pool. When told. Not so much like in the beginning of the summer when they would play for hours and hours and be forced to get out.

5. We are trying to cram in the last of the summer bucket list adventures: The Springs, a Jax Suns Game, Aunt Amy's house, Orlando Science Center, more beach, more cookouts...oh the time crunch!!
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6. You know that Sunday night feeling in your gut: Monday is coming. I must get ready, but-I-don't-wanna. That's the end of July. August is coming. School is almost here.

7. School supply sales. My thoughts: The children use a fraction of what we buy. Some are given to others students who run out and then the teachers give some back at the end of the year. Like partially filled notebooks...guess who's ripping out those pages and sending them in a second year...this mom.

8. School shoes. Oh what fun it is to go shoe shopping...yeah right. Too expensive, too fancy, too gawdy. I usually scope out resale shops first...but try to find the right size and style is like playing Where's Waldo again. Thankfully we are the warm season so no new clothes are needed until November.

9. It's starting to occur me to that for the first time EVER, I will be home with a baby by myself. Still trying to absorb that. The kid doesn't even talk yet. LOL. Seems to me that it's a good time to start researching middle school curriculum. That's right. We are going to that strange homeschool family in couple of years.

10. <Home Video>. (Okay, here's where you imagine the video the kids and I made on my Kindle. ~We sing "Summertime Blues" with sounds effects and everything.~ I have no idea how to upload it to my blog. I'm ashamed to say I tried for almost an hour to no avail.)

Basics

When Billy and I were married, we lived in a one bedroom apartment in Lynchburg, VA and we shared a Sam's Club membership with his college buddy. That was stupid.
Last month after being married for ten years and after having five kids we got another Sam's Club membership. That makes sense. Oh how that kids eyes lit up touring each aisle. The giant sized cheese balls impressed the girls. No we didn't get them. And Eric was under the impression that bulk sized junk was our only mission while we were there.
Most of all they loved the pizza and ice cream. And we loved the cheap prices for our dinner-dessert-bulkshopping adventure.

The next day we went to the farmer's market and got loads of fruit. And then with all five into tow we moved onto Publix for odds and ends and weekly sales. So we should be stocked up on food. For now.

After all that food shopping I come away amazed at the blessings of God. Both necessity and luxury. We have so many choices down each aisle. The cold food is cold. The packaged food is well stocked.

At Publix Eric counted six people who pointed out that fact that I had five kids with me. And yes, they are all mine. Mixed reactions though. Some shuttered. Some told me how blessed I was. I believe those people.

Children and food to feed them. With daily frustrations and challenges. Jesus, help me not to complain. Simple bounty overflows here.

My mom told me in H.S. when I had writer's block, JUST WRITE

{To the tune of Ten Little Indians} January, February, March, April, May, June... these are all the months I didn't blog. ...July, August, September, October, November, December. These are the months of the year. And these are the months I hope to continue this digital scrapbook adventure. Sure, believe when you see it.

Family Photo Time

(Disclaimer:  Gammy, Mimi, and Mommom...Shutterfly is preparing your copy of this photo...)

I read once that if you don't blog everyday, you shouldn't have one. My guess is that blogger, yes it was a he, doesn't have a bunch of kids to care for and he must get paid.   Moving on...

Three and a half months passed by without one group photo of my kids.  The only picture I owned of my youngest was sent to me via snail mail by Mommom for my birthday.  This determined mama asked her good friend with mighty fine camera skills and a brave spirit to tackle this goal.

After school I dressed them up in somewhat coordinating outfits in a deserted parking lot.  And the task at hand was fairly simple: snap a good shot.  We did the whole family by the fence and just the kids. Then we did it again and again at various spots.  My very patient friend took well over 100 shots...

Home Birth Vs. Hospital Birth

Well, my first four (yes, I know that sounds crazy) were born in hospitals. One Virginia boy. Two Jersey girls. One Florida girl.  I have had positive experiences. No hospital horror stories, though I do hear a lot of those.  With all my girls, I had an epidural.  I have concluded that it definitely slows things down and birthing a child is nothing to slow down. I have also concluded that it is not as necessary as you might think.  I didn't miss a nurse waiting on me.  I didn't even miss getting served my meals.  I didn't miss waiting to leave the hospital...for some reason that takes forever.  I didn't miss sitting in that bed. Just sitting. Watching TV in that bed was always so boring.  Number five came along and I decided to change it up this time.

Liam's story:  Contractions started ten minutes apart while driving Eric to football practice.  Really not that bad. I actually welcomed them.  Having something, anything...get started was long awaited.  My due date from my ultrasound said that I was due Aug. 26th. SEVENTEEN DAYS LATER...contractions on the way to football practice.  (My LPM date was Sept 8th...he was really just four days late.)  Sadly the contractions stopped but I did put my midwife on alert.  1:51 am come along.  WHOA! It became apparent that Liam finally wanted out. But I had no idea when to call Misti, my midwife, after all she is a mama to six so I really didn't want to wake her.  Like I said, Liam really wanted OUT, so just thirty minutes went by and I called.  Since we live in the middle of nowhere, I knew it would take her a while to get out here.  I walked around my bedroom. Slipped into the tub for a bit.  Held on to Misti.  She had magical fingers on my back with each contraction.  It was time to push. I was on the floor on all fours.  Then I ended up on the bed in the same position. Liam was born just after 5am and he greeted by his brother and sisters when they woke up for school.  It was so weird to be able to move around.  In a hospital I was always hooked up to monitors and unable to do anything but shift from one side to another.

This is where I sound like a hippie:  This all happened the way is was supposed to happen.  God gave women this gift.  And he equipped us to know how to do it.  We just don't know that.  We think we need to read more, study more, and talk about horror stories and medicate the pain.  I kept asking Misti, "What do I do next?"  My mind wanted info...I have always listened to the nurses tell me shift...shift...shift.... I didn't know how to give birth.  I didn't know what to do next.  Misti told me to do whatever I felt like.  I found myself moving from each stage of labor to the next and my body adjusted. It knew what position to be in. It knew how to bring forth life.  Liam came out. Life happened.

Family helped. With food. With laundry. With the kids.  I was so thankful to bring Liam into our family in our own home.

It's My Birthday, I'll Blog If I Want To

So it's been long over due. (Much like most of my library books).  Time to blog.  Here are the ideas that I've wanted to write about for so long now.

-Home birth vs. hospital birth
-Liam Jude: blessings and challenges
-Kid updates-new school year...
-I completely skipped over Halloween pictures. But I do have Thanksgiving ones.

I am wondering how long this will take me.  Everything takes longer when you have an infant.  Hours and hours longer.  But it won't get done if I don't start.

But first...someone's crying in his crib.  Off I go...