School has begun

By Stacey

Sorry I have been silent lately.  We have hit our first weeks of school really hard and things have gone great so far.  The beginning of school for us is very similar to any other school, meaning that as a teacher I am very firm and involved the first few weeks so that all the kids know what is expected of them every day.  They must understand what I want them to do and how I want them to do it.  When we get a good routine going, THEN we can plan in some play dates, field trips, and fun.  The boys have done great with finishing their morning assignments quickly.  Last year it was a struggle to get finished by lunchtime.  So far they are finished with time to spare.  Abbie is doing great with her new second grade assignments, which require much more writing on her part than last year’s work.  Bethany and Caleb have rediscovered the train set and have happily played with it several mornings.  And Anna has learned to climb the steps and is trying to learn to walk.

My sister Tara flies in today for the weekend.  We are so glad she can squeeze a visit with us into her busy life…..the kids can’t wait to see her!

Same Dad, different baby

By Stacey

Wow, I have found these pictures of John with our babies at the piano….he loves to sit and play after dinner…and usually it isn’t long before he has company.  Anna is our newest piano virtuoso….she can bang with the best of them!  I know I have pictures like this of the older kids when they were babies too, but they are in photo albums somewhere, not on the computer.  I always copied these pictures and sent them to John’s mom.  She loved to hear him play the piano and it would make her smile to see the babies there with Daddy.  I wish I knew what I did to make this blue and underlined.

Back to school, for real

By Stacey

We started the new school year the 4th of August.  Things were going along smoothly, then came camp.  The kids enjoyed their colonial camp experience, but now it is time to get back into regular school.  Pen and paper school, flashcards, reading, spelling words, and history.

Since Alicia talked about her schedule, I thought I’d post mine.  If this is too boring to you, feel free to skip this post and come back next week for more Anna pics.  But, if you struggle with maintaining order in your home like I do, then maybe this schedule will help out.

We all kind of get up at different times in the morning.  John and I shower and read before we go downstairs.  Unless I hear Caleb say “Want be-bas mama.”  Breakfast is at 8.  The 3 big kids do a chore or two after breakfast while I get the babies dressed and cleaned up.  School starts at 9.  I would like to begin with a bible devotion, but haven’t started that yet….The big kids to their math, english, reading, handwriting and such while I rotate among them, answering questions and keeping Caleb out of mischief.  Lunch is at 11:30 sharp!  We are all hungry by then.  The big kids will rotate being the lunch helper and will make sandwiches and help the littles get fed.  After lunch I send them all to the basement or outside to play while I talk with John, play with Anna, check email, grade papers, clip coupons, clean something…..whatever needs to be done.

Naptime is 1:30.  I put all the babies down and the big kids and I do either history, science, or latin.  I assign them some work, usually reading, to do while I go lay down.  They set the timer and read for 30 minutes, then they play the computer for 30 minutes.  When I get up it is snack time and supper prep…..the day ends at 8:30 when I put the babies to bed.  The big kids go at 9.

We will have homeschool co-op on Thursdays, soccer a couple nights a week, scouts on Tuesdays, and accountability groups on Wed.  So our lives will be busy, but if we stick to a routine, we will be able to manage.  There will be many days where I feel like we didn’t accomplish all that I had planned.  That’s the beauty of homeschool- we can do it tomorrow….it’s ok when things come up and we have to be flexible.  It’s ok when a friend calls for a playdate, or a field trip, or a ministry opportunity.  I want to use a schedule to help us, not to tie us down.

Colonial Camping

By Stacey

This week our 3 big kids are spending the day at camp.  Our friends run a colonial camp where kids dress in colonial clothing, cook with cast iron over open fires, shoot muskets, make candles etc…….Josh even bought a coonskin cap.  They practiced archery, tomohawk throwing, bread making, rope making, ink printing, indian warpaint….such a busy week.

So we have to drop them off at 9 and pick them up at 3 every day.  I thought at first I would enjoy my time without having to homeschool the bigs.  I can just play with the babies and get some projects done, right?  Well, I have really missed my big kids.  The babies really look forward to playing with them and I depend on their help to manage the little ones.  I haven’t had any time for projects.  How can I sew or scrapbook with 3 babies?

Is this what sending your kids to public school all day is like?  Wow.  I would really miss mine if this was a daily thing.  Plus the 20 minute drive to drop them off and pick them up is really exhausting.  How spoiled we are to have them all the time and live by our own clock.

Our turtle, Anna

By John

Abbie is a helpful big sister……sometimes.  Last week she buckled Anna into a booster seat in the kitchen floor and gave her some crackers.  Then, she went off to play and when Anna finished the crackers, she decided to go play too.  Somehow she tipped herself over and crawled through the house with the booster seat still strapped on to her back!  She went all the way down the hall to the boy’s room to see what the kids were up to.  While I was busy laughing, John grabbed the camera and captured this video, enjoy:

Strange Anniversaries

By John

Our family has been busy with anniversaries for the last few weeks.  All three of our girls have birthdays around the end of July and beginning of August.  It is a peculiar tradition to pick a day and celebrate it yearly, but we do it.  Now, in the mix with that is the anniversary of my Mom’s death.  Tomorrow will be one year since her death, so now we have gone through all the “firsts” without her.  Her birthday, Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary, thanksgiving, Christmas, our kids birthdays, and of course, the McLeod reunion.

Through no design of my own, I have been relatively unemotional about my Mom’s death.  It’s not because I’ve tried to be strong, or anything as conscious as that.  It’s just the way that my humanness has shown itself.  In some ways, I think it would have been easier to have some huge emotional release.  But, oh well.  I can say this.  There has been a huge void in my life and in my family’s life without her.  She was a truly fabulous woman.  Perhaps the greatest sense of loss that I feel is that some of my children will not be able to remember her.

I also grieve for the sake of my dad and my sister, who physically miss Mom’s presence and conversation daily.  It has been so much harder for them, and it will continue to be. . . and also for my Memama, who still wakes up each morning with the pain of losing her daughter.

But, the more I think about Mom, the less I think of loss, and the more I think of gain.  Her gain.  I’ve been listening to a song on a new CD this week.  I’ve probably listened to it a dozen or so times in the last few days.  I enjoyed the melody and the tone of the song; it seemed to fit my mood.  However, unlike Stacey (who can remember lyrics to any song she has ever heard), I still didn’t really grasp the lyrics.  I was just catching bits and phrases.  Well, today I decided to read along as I listened.  Here is the text.

It is not death to die
To leave this weary road
And join the saints who dwell on high
Who’ve found their home with God
It is not death to close
The eyes long dimmed by tears
And wake in joy before Your throne
Delivered from our fears

O Jesus conquering the grave
Your precious blood has power to save
Those who trust in You
Will in Your mercy find
That it is not death to die

It is not death to fling
Aside this earthly dust
And rise with strong and noble wing
To live among the just
It is not death to hear
The key unlock the door
That sets us free from mortal years
To praise You evermore

© 2008 Sovereign Grace Praise (c/o Integrity Music, Inc.)
Bob Kauflin | George Washington Bethune | Henri Abraham Cesar Malan

You can listen to a sample of the song here.

Mom was a gift from God to us.  She has left an indelible mark on our lives.  Her unwavering commitment and care for those she loved. . . her grace. . . her hospitality. . . are evidence of God’s grace to her and to us.

Thank you, Lord for 32 great years with my Mom.

Promised updates

By Stacey

Here is my pink girls’ bathroom, and my huge tomato plants.  A friend said they are so tall because they aren’t getting enough sun, they are reaching for it!  I don’t know about that…..but they are finally turning out red tomatoes…..lovin’ our tomato sandwiches for lunch!

Got some news

By Stacey

Yes, we have some big news.  Baby number 7 is on the way!  I know, many of you won’t be surprised, and people have actually been asking us if another one was coming yet…..”isn’t it about time?” they ask.  Well, I don’t know about timing, because I would have rather waited until Anna was a little older……just being honest.

But the Bible says that God opens the womb, and that He grants conception (Ruth), that He remembers the woman (Hannah) and gives children.  So, I guess the time is perfect.  God said so, He has given a child, and we’ll rejoice.

Woah, 7 kids…….we’re barely used to saying we have 6!

Photo fiasco with baby’s nose

By Stacey

I took the best pics of the kids last week and had them printed and framed.  It looks really nice.  The only problem I had was Anna………after 16 atempts to get her to look at me and smile, I finally gave up.  She ate a dandilion, crawled around on the concrete and hurt her knees, and wrinkled her nose at me!  Here are some of the funny faces she made:

And here is the one I printed, the best one of the batch with the least wrinkle in the nose:

My birthday present

By Stacey

This year John surprised me with a front loading washer for my birthday.  He and the kids got me a few things for the garden too, but we were all thrilled to watch the washer quietly washing.  We are hoping this will make a difference in our water bill.  I don’t need to tell you that I do a lot of laundry!  Well, this little washer has been happily spinning it’s way through all our clothes….I am pleased so far.  And it wrings the water out really well so that the dryer doesn’t have as much work to do either!