Chicken Pox x7

When our oldest 4 were little they all got the chicken pox at the same time.



As God added more children to our family, the number of unpoxed children grew.
They were exposed over and over, but never got them.
When the poxes would be going around we would comment on how much "fun" it would be if our littles would get it! And the more children that were added to the unpoxed number, I imagined how much more "fun" it would be.

A few weeks ago our sweet little grandson Andrew got the chicken pox. Of course we are together often, so the kids were exposed.

 2 weeks went by and nothing. Then 2 weeks and 2 days went by and this sweet little thing got all poxy on us. But only her....no one else! And so the virus stayed alive.



So....another 2 weeks went by and then the spots showed up on Brooke and we held our breathe. Then one by one the rest of our little chickens got the poxes....all 7 of them!

So for a few days our house was strangely quiet.....and this is what the quiet ones looked like. (Don't let their smiles fool you. They were really feeling kind of crummy!)

Poor little Josiah got it the worst. There wasn't a square inch in his body that didn't have a spot. On Saturday he was beside himself with itch. Even the Gaither's couldn't make him happy :( The only thing that would  console him for a few minutes was reading to him. I felt so bad for him. And so for 2 days he was kind of like this.....

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And this little sweetie got just a few spots and except for waking up a couple of times in the night and f this didn't really seem to phase him at all! He pretty much was like this through it all :)

But today everyone is almost back to normal, except for the polka dots!

Ahhhh.....just look at those smiles :)

 

One of my Least Favorite Things.....

I am not typically a procrastinator, but there is one thing in parenting that I always procrastinate on. Well except with our first child that is. Nope, with him I enthusiastically dove in. Only to realize a little while later that I had no idea what I was getting into. Or how frustrated and impatient I would get.

This is a topic that people think I should be an expert on. And I get asked many times for advice on how to successfully accomplish this task. Sure I have learned a few tricks over the years, but an expert I am definitely NOT!

Everytime we have a child that is getting on in age....well around 2 anyway! I recognize the need to train this child to do his/her job on the potty. POTTY TRAINING....uggghhhh, just saying it makes me quiver :)

So anyway, that is the stage we are at now with Josiah. I am trying to go into it with a good attitude. I am hopeful that he will be one of those children who catch on easy, hate messing his pants, and will be potty trained in a record time. But I know just as well, that he may take awhile to catch on, that messing in his pants won't phase him one bit, and that it might indeed make records, but not the kind I want!

But I guess I have learned a few tricks over my last years of potty training and I thought I might share a few with you. Cause chances are, if you have kids and they aren't potty trained, that it will be happening sometime in the future. Like I said, I am far from an expert, but I have learned a thing or two after potty training 10 children!!!!!!

1. While potty training your child, ALWAYS wear a hat. That way when you feel like pulling your hair out...you CAN'T!!!

2. If the potty trainee is a boy, one of those little guard thingys on the potty is a must or you might end up with a puddle.

3. Talking about puddles, wear shoes or bare feet at all times. Socks are not recommended....cause they might end up a little soggy.

4. If your a busy mom, like we all are, a timer will be a neccessity because a couple of hours seem only like a few minutes....and believe me, tiny bladders explode after  a couple of hours.

5. Cover all non waterproof sitting places. Even if you have never seem your child sit on "that" nonwaterproof chair before in his/her little life, you can be sure that is where he/she will be sitting when he/she has an accident! Trust me, I know......Why else do you think that we have mostly leather furniture? :)

6. Don't feed your child an abundance of raisins, peas or prunes while potty training......the less runny it is .....the better.

7. Being physically fit is a asset.....wear clothes that are easy to sprint in.....cause when the little trainee's face starts to turn red, you will have to leap over chairs, toys and small buildings to get your child to the potty in time!

8. Many books, and lots of siblings around to read them are helpful.

9. Smarties or M&M's are the best incentive. They are small and don't have much sugar, but are yummy enough to keep them coming back for more. And make sure you have extra on hand because chocolate is good for stress!

10. Rubber gloves are not necessary, but nice!

11. If all is quiet with little trainee and he/she is nowhere to be found....WORRY!

12. Lots of yelling, cheering and celebrating are a must and high fives all around (could take awhile in a large family!)

10. When your child is fully potty trained you will feel a great sense of accomplishment and realize that   all the consistency, patience and perseverance was well worth it! And be encouraged that, unlike most of the other training, this should only have to be done once in your child's life :)

I know there are other potty trainers out there. 

What advice do you have about potty training?

What's Happing Around Here....

We are seeing spots!!

Beauty In The Eyes of a Child

Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother gently rubbed cold cream on her face. "Why are you rubbing cold cream on your face, Mommy?" he asked.


"To make myself beautiful," said his mother.


A few minutes later, she began removing the cream with a tissue.


"What's the matter?" asked Little Johnny. "Giving up?"

Laughter...the Best Medicine!

There are just some times when you have to laugh!

Did you know laughter is contagious.

Fast Forward this video to 46 sec.....watch it...see if it doesn't get you laughing.

Happy 16th Birthday Kerri!

Today marks the day that we first met Kerri 16 years ago. I remember that day well. It was storming the couple of days before and I was in the early stages of labor, so we decided to stay in at some friend's a little closer to the hospital in case the weather got worse. So we spent the night and by morning things had not progressed much so we decided to go home and feed the cows and then go back to our friends. Finally that evening things started to move forward so we headed to the hospital that evening, but Kerri was only born early the next morning. We were so happy to finally have her here. Three girls in a row.....WOW!

Kerri was a colicky baby for her first three months. From 7-11 every evening she would scream! I felt so bad, there was nothing we could do but rock her. Then when she was three months, it almost seemed like overnight, she stopped screaming and became one of the most contented, happiest babies we have had!

Kerri has always been the quieter, least demanding of our older children. But she also had this hilarious side that would surface once in awhile. She could be a real goof when she wanted to be! I think of her stuffing herself with layer after layer of dress clothes, crazy hair, mouth full of marshmellows, and her sweet smile that melted any heart. Mikaya reminds me a lot of Kerri when she was younger.

If I would think of one food that Kerri has liked since she was young, it would be potatoes. She could eat and eat and eat potatoes and never get sick of them! And of course because chips are made of potatoes, she loved them too!

As the years went on Kerri started to mature into a beautiful young lady. Because she was the youngest of the four older children, she always seemed to just go along with the flow of things. So she was able to have privileges earlier that the other children had to wait for. She was OK with that :)

Kerri was probably around 10 or 11 when we started to notice a genuine caring servant's heart in her. She was quick to ask forgiveness when she had been in the wrong. And she was the one who would complete a task when you would say, "Could someone please...." And it wasn't the fact that she just did it, but she did it with a sweet heart and attitude! Not only did Kerri make her own birthday cake this year, but she also made her birthday breakfast. Why? Well she told me it was because she likes to make things, but I know that it is more than that. She loves to serve her family!

And age has only made these qualities in her mature. Today I look at her and see how much I can learn from her. She has a purpose to what she does, she is committed to completing a task, she is quick to lend a helping hand, she has amazing self-control, she doesn't leave wrongs wrong,  and she works hard to keep the peace.

God has blessed her with an amazing singing voice. I love to hear her sing. But more importantly I love her heart of worship. When Kerri is on breakfast you can be sure there will be music playing and she will be singing her heart out. I will never forget one morning when I came out of our room and there was Kerri, eyes closed, singing to the love her life, Jesus, oblivious to all that was going on around her. That's Kerri, a worshipper.

Kerri, you have blessed our family beyond measure. I am so very thankful God gave you as a gift to us. And what a beautiful gift you are. We love you and pray that as you carry on in living your life for God that you will only draw closer to Him and experience all that He has planned for your life. Love you Kerisco.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13

Tarp Times

Mark's cousin, Harry, gave this tarp to us and had the great idea of using it to pull kids behind the snowmobile. It's the only sled big enough for all of our kids to fit on! Here is a clip of the fun they had yesterday.

Jump In A Cup

We were talking about fire one day and how it needs oxygen or it will extinguish. To demonstrate, I lit a candle and then put a cup over top. Within a couple of seconds the flame went out. When I asked the boys why the flame went out they said it was because it ran out of oxygen. Then Jen said, "That's why you don't run if you are on fire, because it would fan the flame." To which one of our more brilliant and slightly cheeky sons replied, "So if your on fire you should put yourself in a cup?"