Homeschool Hubbub

We have been back in the swing of homeschooling for almost two months now so I thought I would take a quick second to lay out what we are doing this year. Owen is technically in 1st grade so he has a plethora of subjects to work through. Caeden is a preschooler so I have a few workbooks for him to work on like Explode the Code and a set of preschool books published by Rod and Staff. And Elliot, well I just try to keep track of him and keep him from eating toothpaste and writing on my bedspread with permanent marker (not that he would ever do these things!!!! :) Owen is just now finishing up his phonics primer The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and we will soon start spelling using Spelling Workout. We are using Writing with Ease for writing and First Language Lessons for the well-trained mind for grammar. For math, we finished up Saxon Math 1 and have moved onto Saxon Math 2. We are also doing history a couple of times a week using The Story of the World. We didn't do a very good job last year of getting in his art lessons so we are starting over this year using the same curriculum, Artistic Pursuits. Both older boys are currently participating in Upward Soccer and we are excited to also do a little co-op this year with some sweet ladies from our church who all have kids the same age. Yes, our days and weeks are full but we are grateful for the opportunity to educate our boys from a gospel-centered worldview!

Summer Fun!

I guess since it is almost October, summer should be officially over. We had a great summer! We loved having Chris around for a couple of months and it was such a welcomed break for me after a difficult school year being pregnant. A lot of our summer was spent adjusting to having a new baby and entertaining family and friends that graciously helped out after Hudson was born. But despite all the transition we did manage to make a few trips out to Huber's Orchard to pick strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, apples and concord grapes. We love having this local orchard available to stock up on produce to can and freeze for the winter. The boys also loved having a yard to play in, a sprinkler to run through and a pool to cool off in! Here are some pictures of our summer fun!

It's funny how I always thought of apple picking as a fall thing because it was about 90 degrees when we picked these at like 10:00 in the morning. Yikes! Elliot attempted to carry them but they were a wee bit too heavy.

Happy (late) 6th Birthday Owen!

While I was getting the pictures ready for Hudson's post I realized I had never posted pictures of Owen's birthday! He turned 6 on March 30th. It's so hard to believe that he is 6 already. He is becoming such a young man. It's so fun for me to feel like I can trust him to be responsible for certain things. He continues to amaze us with his creativity, always coming up with projects to make and pictures to draw! Here's a few pictures of the big boy at his party!

A new shirt and tie from Grandma and Grandpa Michigan!

He wanted a decorated cake like he saw in one of his picture books. Unfortunately Mommy isn't quite that good at decorating!

Our good friend Josh made each of the boys a wooden sword. These little warriors love their swords!

Praise the Lord!

We are praising the Lord this week for his provision in our lives. Ever since we moved to Louisville, we have debated whether or not for Chris to try to teach in a different school district. We (he) have loved the school that he has worked at for the past 4 years and they have loved and supported our family so well, but the school is quite far away and doesn't pay very well. Every year, we have prayed through making a switch and decided in the end not to because it was such a great workplace for Chris. This year when we got pregnant and then decided to move, we felt the Lord clearly directing us (Chris) to apply to a different district that would be closer to home and pay more for our growing family. He applied back in February and just this week got a call for an interview for a school 4 miles from our home and later that day got offered the position at this school! Praise the Lord! We know that even with the advantages of being closer to home and more money that it won't necessarily be an easy transition. He will be teaching a different grade in a more urban school, but we are trusting the Lord to continue to provide for us even in the difficulties. I am so thankful for my husband who works so hard to provide for our family so that I can stay home.

Introducing Hudson Robert

Hudson Robert was born on May 31, 2011 at 5:02 p.m. He was 8lbs. 10oz. and 20 in. long. On that day, I went into my doctor for my normal appointment only to discover that I was already 6-7 cm. dialated. My doctor recommended going into the hospital at that point because the risk of infection was so much greater and I still had almost a week to go before my due date. So, I went home called Chris home from work and confirmed a babysitter for the other boys (thanks, Annie!) and Chris and I went back to the hospital. I was having regular contractions every 3 minutes or so but they weren't really progressing me so I wasn't in active labor. At 3:00 in the afternoon the doctor broke my water and 2, very intense and unmedicated, hours later Hudson was born. We were undecided about his name until after we had him and then Chris settled on Hudson for the first name. We had already decided that his middle name would be Robert after my dad! I must say that this was my first natural labor and it was quite difficult and I was so exhausted afterwards despite the fact that it was only 2 hours long. I can't imagine you girls you endure this for hours and hours on end! Hudson was perfect and quite big and we were so thankful for no complications with his health.

The proud big brothers and Daddy. I don't think that there has ever been a baby as well-loved by his brothers than Hudson is.

We thought he was going to be quite a swarthy baby with these cheeks but he has slimmed down a bit in that area.

This was Hudson at a few days old and now...

This is Hudson at two months old. He smiles a lot and brings us so much joy. He seems like he is going to take after his brother Caeden and be on the thinner side but he is really sweet and we think he is quite cute!

A Quick Pregnancy Update

I went to the doctor this past Tuesday (my 31st birthday!) and found out that I am 2 cm. dilated and 50% effaced. This really doesn't mean much to me since I have never gone early on my own and have always progressed well early on. I am having a lot of contractions but nothing that is real labor! This little boy is definitely in position though and causing me a lot of discomfort. We still haven't decided on a name yet but I think Chris is determined to nail one down before he comes! I will try to keep y'all updated!

Our Craziness

Well, it has been awhile. For some reason, I feel like I am always saying that. We moved into our new rental home just over 3 weeks ago in the middle of what seemed like a monsoon! Seriously we had tons of rain leading up to moving day, on moving day and then after as well, but despite the conditions still had a lot of help from our church body, which we were so thankful for.

This whole time, I was experiencing quite a lot of back pain but I just chalked it up to moving and my very large 34 week belly. A few days after we moved the back pain got worse and was pretty much constant for an entire day. I called my doctor and she thought maybe it was just a pulled muscle and recommended tylenol but to call if it got worse. Well, it definitely got worse! By the time Chris got home from work, I was in tears and before I knew it was literally getting sick (if you know what I mean!) because the pain was so intense. Needless to say, we were quite concerned as this was six weeks before my due date. We called the doctor again and she told us to go to the ER. Through some pretty crazy circumstances which included calling friends to watch the boys and a police escort going 105 mph on the freeway (the cop is the husband of one of Chris's co-workers), we finally made it to the hospital.

They concluded that I was having some pretty serious contractions of 1 minute in duration and 1 minute apart. They gave me a shot to stop them, which seemed to work for about an hour, but then they were back only the monitor showed I wasn't having any. At this point, they concluded that it was most likely a kidney stone and wanted to admit me overnight. Chris needed to go back home to be with the boys and I had one of the worst nights ever. The very strong pain meds. didn't work as long as they were supposed to which left me in a lot of pain and very sick! But praise the Lord, the following day around dinner time the pain meds. wore off and I was no longer in pain! This was glorious news because they were probably going to need to do surgery the following day if I didn't get better!

So, after two days in the hospital I came home to a houseful of boys who were clearly getting quite sick with colds. A couple days later, we took Caeden in to the doctor and found out he had a double ear infection, sinus infection, pink eye, and seasonal allergies. By the next day, the other boys and I clearly needed to be seen as well. More sinus and ear infections followed!

Needless to say, our first two weeks in our new home were fairly unproductive on the house end and more focused on getting our family healthy! But now I am happy to say that thanks to some diligent and hard work on the part of my sweet husband, we are very close to having our house in order! Yeah! So hopefully I will be able to post some pictures soon!

We are moving...

No, not back to Michigan! Sorry! But we are moving across town and our whole family is so excited and thankful for the opportunity! There is a family in our church who have been desirous to move out of state for awhile, but due to the housing market, have been unable to sell their house. They had approached us awhile back about renting from them, but at the time it seemed to not really be a feasible option. The more we thought about it and the more we looked at other rental homes and really, once we found out we were having a fourth boy, the more it seemed like the perfect option for us! They have enough space for our family and a nice fenced-in backyard for the boys to play in! We are set to move in Easter weekend and are gearing up for packing up our apartment in the next couple of months!

Pregnancy Update

I thought I would take a minute to do a little pregnancy update. I am now just a couple of days past 26 weeks. So that means I have about 14 weeks to go! It is nice to be on this side of the calendar and to actually be able to count down instead of up. I have been feeling okay. I think I have actually been sick with colds pretty much my entire 2nd trimester, which has been a bit discouraging since that is when you are supposed to have the most energy. Just this past week, I was able to finally get some antibiotics for a cold/sinus infection that had been going on for just about a month! It is such a relief to finally be starting to feel a little normal again! I am quite big now and had hoped to post a picture of my ever-expanding belly, but they really did not turn out well so I will have to try again and see what happens! This little boy has really become quite the little mover over the last few weeks, which is so fun for me. The boys are quite eager to be able to feel him as well. I go into the doctor next week for my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes, but otherwise things seem to be going well. His heart rate has always been strong and I am measuring where I should be! We still haven't come up with a name yet but have a few in the runnings. I am hoping to make some new bedding/curtains for the baby but have yet to find the right fabric! I am hopeful to find it soon though as I need to get moving if I want it to be done by the time he decides to make his presence.

Happy 4th Birthday Caeden!!

Earlier this month, we were blessed to celebrate our middle son, Caeden's 4th birthday! It is so hard for me to believe that he really is 4 already. I can remember our oldest niece's 4th birthday when we first moved down here to Louisville. She seemed so big at the time (now she is almost 8!) and it seemed like it would be forever before our boys would be that old. Caeden was only 6 weeks old! Caeden is our "boy" to the fullest. He loves anything that involves running, climbing, cars, adventure, sticks, loud noises...well, you get the picture. I'm not quite sure that he ever really stops moving. His name means friend or companion and our prayer for him when he was born was that he would be a great friend to his brothers, neighbors, and the world. We love this little boy and all his energy! Happy Birthday Caeden!

Happy 2nd Birthday Elliot!!!

While we were in Michigan, we also celebrated Elliot's 2nd birthday. It's so hard to believe that this little boy is already 2. He brings so much joy to our family with his love for his brothers, Mommy and Daddy, airplanes, wrestling with the boys and big trucks! We love you Elliot James!

Our Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year! Chris ended up with about 2 1/2 weeks off because of snow/ice the week before his break. It was great to have him home for that time! The first week of our break was spent sewing (the boys' presents), blowing noses (we all came down with colds), celebrating our 8th wedding anniversay (Dec. 21st), and just having good family time (including watching The Nativity Story). On Christmas Eve, we were lamenting the absence of Chris's brother's family (who are in Maylasia for 6 months doing mission work); so instead of spending the evening with their family like we have done for the last few years, we went to a service at church, which was really good. On Christmas day, we finished our advent calandar, opened presents, ate cinnamon rolls, and spent a good portion of the day packing for our trip to Michigan, but that evening we did take a break from the packing and were able to have some great friends over from church for good food and fellowship!

The next day, we left for Michigan and a week of visiting with grandparents. It was great to see all of our family! The boys really love going to visit their grandparents. They received lots of generous gifts and even got to go sledding for the first time! We ended the week by attending a wedding of some good friends (back from Chris's campus ministry days) which was a beautiful, God-glorifying time!

I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of the boys from Christmas day. Owen and Elliot are sporting their capes made by Mommy and Daddy. (Caeden also got a cape with a car on it, but for some reason we didn't get a picture of him--maybe someday!) Merry Christmas in January!

It's a...

I am officially a couple of days shy of 20 weeks (which is the half-way point) in this pregnancy. Yeah! This also means that we had our routine ultrasound this past Tuesday in which we could see how the baby is developing and what gender the baby is. We went into the appointment with a strong desire for a girl since we already have 3 boys, but were seeking to trust the Lord with whatever he saw fitting for our family. We truly believe that the Lord is sovereign over all things which includes the make-up of our family! So all that to say...we will be having our fourth boy come June!!! We are excited and truly believe that this little boy will be the perfect addition to our family!! We praise the Lord that he is healthy and growing right on track! Now we have the task of coming up with another name! Any suggestions? We have a couple that we are thinking of but nothing definitive right now.