Saving Grace...

Sunday while we were at our church, our pastor began his sermon and I could feel a stir in my heart as if I should be on alert for my childrens hearts. You see our pastors father passed away in his sleep two weeks prior and his sermon began "you are never promised tomorrow." Knowing the fear that this can bring forth in children I perked my sensors in case I needed to offer up peace to one or two of them. However, no such signs of fear were present in their faces. We have discussed the fact that everyone will die but only when God calls them, and I assumed this was the cause for the peace in their hearts during the sermon.

Today as the kids and I were sitting around, the discussion on the pastors sermon began...Kiely: "I was up all night thinking about dying and that scared me"
Me: "Death is nothing to fear...if you are a child of God you will live forever with Him in heaven."
Kiely: "Dont you worry about dying?"
Me: "My only worries are...have I led my children to the saving knowledge of Christ...because I dont want to spend eternity separated from you guys."
Kiely: "Thats your only fear?"
Me: "Thats my only fear..."

The conversation ended because as with most conversations in this house someone interrupted and sent our brains into a totally different direction and conversation. But then tonight after all the others had gone to bed and were asleep...Kiely came down stairs in tears...I assumed missing her daddy, but actually she said she was thinking about our conversation earlier and she wasnt sure that she had salvation...she wanted the assurance that she would be there too and that she has felt God pulling at her heart since Sunday (she must have been the one I was on alert for). She prayed and we talked for over an hour about her decision and I am proud to say that Kiely has accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and my heart is busting at the seams with joy that I cant even put into words. Hallelujah!!! Amen!!!

Happy Veterans Day 11-11-11

"Freedom isn't free!!!"...that is the phrase we hear most often on these days of remembering our heros. And it is true! But if you were to ask a soldier, both past and present, they would tell you the sacrifice is worth it. No one wants to be separated from their families, but when a soldier is called, they feel that calling from the deepest part within. Its a calling that most of us dont experience, but there are those few who seemingly are born to answer it. My husband, Big Papa, is one of those people. I burst with pride knowing that God made him in his mothers womb to come out a fighter. Does it hurt like crazy to be separated from him while he answers his call? Like a knife stabbing me in the heart!!! But the kids and I know that being indifferent is no good. There must be someone to stand up and fight. We are proud of his God given ability to get the job done. Some of us are called to be the workers in the field, some are called to invent those machines that make the workers lives easier, some are called to give us music while we work, and some are called to document these days in writing and photos and films. Then, there are those who are called to fight to give us others the freedom to choose what we want to do with the lives we have been given. Today is the day we honor the fighters. Happy Veterans Day!!!

To all the men and women in my life that have served, are serving, or will serve...Thank You!!!

Looking For Serenity...

These days of trying to kiss boo boos, dry tears of broken hearts, teach ninja moves to 3 & 4 year old boys (in order to balance the barbie play they have to endure with 6 sisters), give my best advice on lifes ups and downs, teach reading to dyslexic 7 year old, teach pre-algebra to hormonal teens, stop the cat fights that happen when you have 5 girls 7-14 yrs of age, keep the house from looking like a tornado of: shoes, baby toys, matchbox cars, pillows that never get back up onto the couch, school books, sweaters that we needed this morning but not this afternoon but they never got hung up, dvds all over the floor because the baby now knows how to open the cabinet and pull them all out...and we let her to keep her from making screaming noises while we are doing school,...not to mention a dog that apparently suffers from some disease that makes him stupid enough to eat an entire chair that was left outside yesterday to help the little ones up on the trampoline (which he ate the other chair months ago), kittens that arent even ours destroying the garage, and a momma cat that constantly scratches on the door as if we are going to let her in (whose cat is she anyways?)!!!

Anyway, all that list is just to say "Wow! I would love to be back at the beach sitting on that balcony and looking out at this view and enjoying a cup of coffee...yeh right...if you know anything about me, you know that is a lie...I drink Diet Pepsi. However, no matter what you are drinking, you cannot deny that this view is a view of peace and serenity. Not to mention the fact that we were so far out there that there was nothing to distract that sweet peace...it was just me, God, and the ocean...and the perfect chaos that comes with 8 children going on behind me inside the beach house...but when the doors are shut it only causes a faint roar in the background.

Come on summer...Momma needs another beach trip!!!

A Moment...

Sometimes on this journey of Big Papa being oceans away, there will come a night that seems more lonely than the others. For some odd reason, tonight is one of those nights. It doesnt make sense to me. I went to dinner with a friend and that was nice...however, it made me miss my man even more. I walked upstairs to put my hobo shoes on after returning home (cause my boots hurt my fat foot)...and I could have sworn that I smelled Big Papas cologne (its really body wash but it knocks my socks off...tmi). Maybe the kids found it and were playing with it, but it made my heart ache to be close to him. I miss you Scooter Boo!!! Dont worry...Im staying composed its just one of those nights...just hurry home to me and Ill be alright!

Trick or Treat...

Sweet Irelyn Jane as a pumpkin princess...considering this was her first halloween she seemed to handle all the hoopla pretty well. Luckily no really scary costumes came in our path and the biggest upset happened when our neighbors puppy "roxy" came bolting out of the house and scared the pants off all the kids. It was a little colder than we expected but all in all we had a good time.

Here's the whole crew + 2 getting ready for the big neighborhood festivities...I love living here on days like this. The whole group of families really kicks in and gives the kids a night to remember. These guys will be talking about tonight for at least a week or two depending on how long it takes that mountain of candy to disappear. Bring on the Kit Kats and dont forget momma likes 'em cold.

Welcome to the Circus...

...And He's Gone Again

It has been a wonderful 2 months of Big Papa being home...but time has flown by and now he has taken flight again.

Big Papa treated us like royalty while he was here. It all began with a night of being whisked away (just Scooter and me) to an awesome night of wining and dining at a little B&B. So Romantic We then gathered the kids and headed to the Outer Banks for some alone family time which became a vacation that will be etched in the kids hearts forever. 4 wheeling on the beach...pool and jacuzzi to ourselves...mansion of a house...horses grazing in the yard...beautiful weather...perfect vacation!!!

We then came home and celebrated 4 birthdays, two of which were spent at The Mills riding gocarts and winning jackpot on a chicken game and winning lots of prizes for everyone. Big Papa and I got another year older and threw money around like it was Monopoly money but wow was it a fun 2 months.

Now reality is here again, and life has my main squeeze in a distant land. I am missing him like crazy and counting down the days to his return. Be safe Scooter Boo...see ya soon...

Daddy's Home!!!!

After a long and turbulent deployment, Big Papa is home!!! We decided that after such a hard separation for the kids we should take this opportunity to do a surprise reunion. First I picked Scooter up from the airport and we spent a night of fine dining and rose petal sprinkled floors at a little bed and breakfast downtown. It was enchanting!!! The kids were under the impression that I was at an overnight homeschool convention and were awaiting my return. We decided to surprise them at a local park and staged a mini photo shoot to send to daddy in Afghanistan. Scooter hid in the woods and waited for me to show up with the kids...

Bailey ran in fear and Lyndie took a pretty hard fall trying to get to daddy but all in all it was great. We will have this day to talk about for the rest of our lives. We have needed this day to come...A very happy reunion!!!!

Welcome Home Big Papa...we will all rest easy tonight!!!!!

Fifteen!!!

My Dearest Scooter Boo!

Here we are again at that magical moment of memory...
How can we ever forget where we began? Was it that night at Myrtle Beach where you jumped into my car; or was it that night on the beach in Guam where you offered up the most heartfelt proposal after pushing your car? Let me rephrase that, "me" pushing your car! Anyway...no matter which direction you go...it all begins at the beach. Is there any wonder why I love the beach so much...you and I began there. Just the air can spark that intense feeling of anxiousness I felt on both occasions. The ocean has a lot of meaning for me and our lives. At the beginning of our wedding video are the images of your baptism on Serena Beach. Everything monumental in the beginning of our married lives takes place at the beach.

Because the beach is so monumental to us, it only seems fit to use the ocean to describe our love. On this day of our 15th wedding anniversary you and I are oceans apart. There will be no kiss under the moonlight or in the candlelight of our little restaurant downtown, instead I will sit across the table from our 8 beautiful children and thank God for the gifts that He has given us through this amazing union of 2 totally different souls. Just as the ocean, there is always the give and the take of the tide present in our marriage. The waves crash onto the beach and just as they seem to overtake it they pull back and reveal smooth untouched sand. I feel like our times of separation over the years seems to be resemblance of that ocean tide. As the turmoil of the separation (the pulling back of the tide) causes the crazy waves, then there is the excitement of the return (the crash of the wave onto the sand) and as the wave smooths the sand...your return smooths my fears and leaves me settled again.

Our lives in these past 15 years is just like the waves...and as much as others or myself at times questions the sanity of this lifestyle...if we didnt do this then who would? You are an amazing man with conviction for the need to fight to the end and that makes me proud to call you my husband. You are the true meaning of American Soldier and my heart bursts with pride when I tell people that you fight for our country. Yes, it hurts to be away from you but I know the wave will always come rolling back in and bring peace to my heart again. I love you with all that is within me and I am yearning for the day when you crash upon my sands again and bring me back to serenity. Hurry home...Your Jenni Leigh is waiting!!!

My Sweets...

How can a baby be so good? Sweet Irelyn Jane fits her perfect. She rarely makes a peep unless it is to greet me with giggles and grins and loves everyone who pays her attention (as if she needs a bigger audience than the one she lives with). We can go and do anything and she is a trooper and just goes with the flow. I think I have heard her cry 4 times in these 4 wonderful months since she was born. Her cries are so rare that when she does, it breaks my heart. There must really be something intense wrong if she sheds a tear. She sleeps all night (with a few passy replacement interruptions), and loves her blankie. Thanks to Auntie Jane for the Babys-r-us trip that brought forth the ultimate blankie purchase. I love this little girl...Sweet Irelyn Jane!

Bear...No Longer Bad to the Bone

Isnt he a beauty! If you would have asked me that a month ago I would have said "No, he's Satan's spawn"! However, Bear has been at school learning how to be a good dog. Before this, he ate everything he came in contact with: toys, grills, bike seats, trampoline, shoes, but worst of all he tried to eat us. Dont get me wrong he never fully bit...he only nipped because he was outta control. Now he is schooled and a joy to be around except that he poops, has doggie breath, and smells like a dog. All in all, hes a good addition (now that he doesnt use us as a chew toy).

Here's a quick video of Bear even bending to Haydens commands. I figured if he could see her as an authority role then we are good to go. Big Papa, your money has done you well...too bad they didnt teach him to clean up his own poop.

The Here and Now

My friend does these things on her blog to catch people up on the happenings of life after not blogging for a little while...I hope she doesnt mind if I take that idea and run with it because I feel like I am really failing on this blogging thing lately...

1. We have gone swimming at least 4 days a week each week this summer.
2. Owen has become a little fish with his head underwater but his feet always
touching the bottom.
3. Hayden jumps off the diving board and swims like her daddy (we call it scary
shark)
4. Kiely, Bailey, and Fallon have perfected some acrobats under the water but
refuse to take their abilities to the deep end.
5. Devan actually swims quite well, but stays mad at me because I refuse to let
her go past 3ft for peace of mind sake.
6. Baby Irelyn loves the water so much that she falls asleep on me everytime.
Maybe its a womb thing.
7. We are getting ready to start school back in 2 weeks...yippee (Im being
sarcastic)!
8. Irelyn has been rolling and beginning to situp on her own...she is the
happiest baby ever, and has a smile for everyone. She sleeps through the
night and wakes up with a happy playful voice every morning. Its the best
way to start my day!
9. All the kids are really missing Big Papa and are ready for him to come home.
10. And me, well, Im enjoying this summer of just being Mommy and nothing else.
I have enjoyed my kids more in the past weeks than I have allowed myself in
a while. Removing the "teacher" role always helps me to find more joy in
my most important role of all...mommy! I have learned more about my kids
over the past few weeks than I learned all year. I learned that I have
amazing kids...not perfect...but amazing. I am a very blessed woman and am
praying that God will keep my eyes open to the awesomeness of each day I
am given to be with them!

The Little Things...

To My Baby Daddy

I know it is hard to be away from all the kids right now, and the little things that happen day to day. I wish you could be here to see your little fish in the water every night, so I took like 500 videos of her trying to capture that silliness that she exhibits in the tub. The problem is that she gets captivated by the camera and doesnt do what she typically does. However, here is just a glimpse into her nightly bath routine. She usually splashes around like a fish then shoots her arms into the air like Superman, but on this particular night she decided she was hungry and could not go without eating her hands. She is definately a chunk and if you dont feed her in time then she will find everything possible to try to eat. Her hands are her favorites, especially the right one...however when she grabs toys she always tries with her left hand first. I will try to post more videos of the kids to keep you in the know of their day to day discoveries. The boys are working on a robot dance for you...I cant wait to post that one!

Small Talk

Do you ever have one of those days when it feels like everything you say is "small talk"? You know those generic comments like...Wow can you believe how hot it is?...Those are nice shoes...We'll have to get together sometime...
It goes on and on the things you can say without saying anything. Amazing! Anyway, I feel as if my entire conversations lately are nothing but a bunch of "small talk" statements added up to sound like conversation. When really I am saying nothing at all. Why do people get together and never really talk about anything. I'll tell you why...FEAR...fear of judgement. If I were to expose the comments that rush to my head, but I have to bite my tongue to keep from saying; people would look at me like I had two heads. Because what comes to my head is the truth, but what I allow out of my mouth is the filtered version and it is so dulled down that it comes out sounding like "small talk"! I wonder if everyone else around me is doing the same filtering and that is why all conversations seem so trivial. I say we take the filters off and just let it rip...it might make us all feel better.

Fourth Festivities

Ok so I have become one of those moms who make their sweet baby girls wear those tacky oversized bows on their heads. Dont judge me!!! This is my last baby girl and I want her to be ribbons and bows for as long as I am still in control of her wardrobe. I have lost the battle with the older 5 so I am living my dream through Miss Irelyn! Besides she does look so cute in these things. She looks like my little Gerber Baby. Cant you just kiss those sweet squishy cheeks?


It has come to my attention that whenever I want that one perfect family photo...there will always be a clown amongst the group. It is not always the same person who throws a kink into my group photo plans, however, I have noticed a trend in one cute little boy making goofy faces in my pictures. Oh well, what is a group of kids in a picture without one clown. Thanks Owen for all the personality you bring to my camera.

Our Angel Is Born...

We are proud to announce the birth of our little angel!!! Baby Irelyn made her debut 2 weeks early and is dealing with a lung disorder called pneumothorax. This is found in newborns who have made their decent too fast or who have picked up a bacterial infection inutero. So far it seems that her issue has occurred due to her extremely fast decent through the birth canal. She is currently in the special care nursery but is doing very well. Her doctor has removed the excessive pocket of air outside her lungs and she seems to be holding her own. We would appreciate continued prayer for her miraculous healing, because this is a very scary time for us all. Please add her brothers and sisters to your prayers because this is a little more than children should have to deal with. Big Papa has began an emergency trip back home to make us all feel better. There is just something about him here that makes things not seem so big. Hurry Big Papa, I need you!!!!

This is Dedicated To All My Fellow Club Members...LifeSavers Muffin Top Commercial

Scooter Boo...you know you laughed...cause fat is funny!!!

To My Boo...Lucky Jason Mraz ft Colbie Caillat Lyrics

To my Scooter Boo
When we were chatting as you were flying over the ocean, it reminded me of this song and I couldnt sleep until I shared it with my blog friends. I truly am lucky to be married to the only one who "gets me"! I love you and am starting the countdown...have fun! And be safe!!!

We Took A Little Peak...

...and it turns out that Big Papa has been right all along our little baby is a little girl! We watched in 3d/4d and watched as she smiled and kept moving to get away from the ultrasound tech. Turns out she sleeps just like her daddy with her hand up at her face balled up. That was our first image of her and it was just a reminder of how powerful genes are. I think we may have another little Scooterette on our hands! Do pray that she finds her way into the right position because currently she is lying sideways in my tummy...last I remember that is not a great delivery position! We have plenty of time but you know me; I like to be prepared and little miss is not cooperating with my motto!

Dun' Gone To Da Dawgs...

For anyone who didnt know already...we have a new addition! Nope not a baby yet, or at least not a sweet smellin' one. However, this big black bundle of fur is quite a lovely addition to the brew. Big Papa surprized the kids on New Years Eve with "Bear"! I wish I could have caugt their initial reactions but cameras are just not all that cooperative. Considering I am not an animal person...I actually like this pup. I guess I really like watching the kids with him. There is nothing like watching your childrens faces light up when they teach him a new trick or get him to follow instructions. All in all, he is a great dog and we are happy to have him as our newest family member.

A Little Sugar High...

My Super "O" was hyped up on sugar high one night after one of the many birthday celebrations this past year! Sometimes I forget these silly videos are stored away in my archive of pictures just screaming to be shared. This is the excitement that keeps me so in love with this little guy. Even without 500 lbs of sugar he goes at life with such a gusto...usually earning him the title of Mr. Drama!!! He just has that much vigor towards everyday life...we should all try to capture just a little of his enthusiasm!

Train A Child....

...in the way he should go, and when he grows he will not depart from it!!! I am praying that proverb is true...My Little "L" loves to vacuum. In fact, he literally cries if we dont let him. Am I afraid of making him a little soft? Heck no...I see him being the man of every womans dreams. A man that isnt afraid to run a vacuum here and there is a rare find...he will be an amazing husband!!!

Our Amazing Kids...

Arent they the cutest kids ever!?!? Everyday I look at each of them and wonder how did I become so blessed? My joy overwhelms me when I sit and think of all the wonderful things that God has given me. He gave me an awesome man to walk this path together, 7 almost 8 beautiful children to keep the path colorful and bright, family all around that is always there when we need them to surround us in love, and friends who know us yet love us anyway. We are truly blessed!!! Thank you to everyone for being a part of our lives!

How To Climb a Wall...

First, you need to take your feet and spread them as far apart as you can and try to be just like Spiderman...any other way would just be too easy. See like you are doing is too babyish...be Spiderman like me.

Ok, so you made it up here but can you walk on this tightrope like me. Be very careful, only big boys who are 3 can do this kinda thing. Dont worry...you'll be able to do it next year, cause you'll be 3 too!

Daddy's Tattoo Session...

Dont be freaked out by these images...we have not turned to the goth side, we have on the other hand realized that paper is a waste of money when you have a living walking canvas. Big Papa is a sucker when it comes to letting his kids draw all over him...he actually begs them to. On this particular night I think he must have actually dozed off during his tattoo session and woke up to an entire upper body art show. Scooter I figured while you are there in your quiet hotel room you would enjoy the reminder of what you are missing here at home. We miss you!