About me . . . Unlike Grandpa, I am not the youngest, but the oldest child of a much smaller family--just 3 of us kids and I the only girl. I am the mother of 7. There's Cannon, Goofball, Princess, KBug, JT, JerBear and CharlieBrown (CB).
Cannon is my oldest and only adult child (19yo). He lives about 500 miles away. We've really missed having him around, but are so proud of what he's accomplished out on his own. He is headed into the US Marine Corp in 2012 and we are looking forward to a trip to witness his graduation in the next year.
Goofball is 17 and the one who keeps the family in stitches. He's fought through some educational challenges (un-diagnosed dyslexia) to reach graduation this coming spring. We can't wait to see what his future holds. Whatever it is will involve him creating things and never sitting at a desk. This past fall one of his many accomplishments were completing several 'bigger and better' potato cannons. He spends a lot of time with his bass guitar, a ukulele, drums and mostly recently my grandmother's mandolin. (the grandmother pictured above)
Princess is 15. I'm not sure who gave her permission to get so tall and beautiful, but she is now taller than her mother. She is often found at a sewing machine creating outfits for her collection of 18" dolls. Not that she 'plays' with dolls anymore, but they make great mannequins for displaying her fashion designs. :) She's very artistic and has dabbled in many mediums--acrylics, pen and ink, pencil, stained glass, pottery, and really anything she's given a chance to learn. She loves anything dealing with fashion and interior design.
KBug is 12 and growing up. She is also quite artistic and maybe I'll even share some of her sketches on here. She is especially fond of drawing horses. But she is also developing a talent of sculpting. KBug makes friends everywhere she goes. I am certain that there is no place in life she will ever go and not make a friend.
JT is not quite 10. He's growing up to be much like Goofball with a nice twist of Cannon. He's learning to overcome some of the same educational challenges as Goofball, too. He finds himself positioned in life between 2 very strong-willed, opinionated sisters. He wants to like sports (soccer, baseball and basketball) but I think he was truly be happy to spend his days in his room with Star Wars toys and Magnetix.
JerBear is a 5yo bundle of 'fun'! Ok, admittedly I'm not a huge fan of 5 year olds. She is cute, though, and she is mine, so I will do my best to embrace this 6th year of her life. She has been learning to play the piano and has taught herself several songs out of the book her teacher loaned her after 3 lessons. She's trying to take after her sisters' artistic bends and will spend countless hours with her hands in her play-doh.
Charlie Brown is our baby. Well, baby is relative. He's 2.5 and finally lost his curls to the scissors. There's not a whole lot to share about him at 2.5, although we have determined that he is our lone leftie, taking after his dad and grandpa. He loves to sing Twinkle, Twinkle and is his mommy's boy. He doesn't realize that he's not one of the teens and will follow Goofball and his friends as long as they will let him--and they usually let him.
I'm also the wife of 21 years to a wonderful man. I guess we'll just call him Mr. Wonderful. And I don't mean that sarcastically. Why is he wonderful? He is up early every morning to drive himself 40 min. to work all day before making the 40 min. drive home so that I can stay home with our children and home-educate them. He never complains when I ask for an evening (or morning) out with a few friends to recharge. He has never made me question our decisions to homeschool or for me to stay at home. He prays with me every morning before leaving for work--sometimes to the sound of MY snoring. Of course the last 21 years haven't been perfect. But I know he's as committed to me as I am to him and I look forward to many more years of celebrating life's adventures. Maybe we'll eventually celebrate from an RV as we go house to house visiting our children. He has a great retirement plan that includes staying at each child's house until they give us enough gas money to get to the next child's house. LOL
So, that's my family. Me?
I'm a stay-at-home mom who educates all those kids, struggles to keep the house in order, does too much and daily thinks she needs to re-prioritize. I love God with all my heart and do the best I can to raise my children to not just love God but to desire a personal relationship with Him. He is the difference in my life, and while I'm not a perfect wife or mother, I shudder to think how much less of one I'd be if was trying to do this thing called Life in my own strength.
I like artistic things, too. I learned to love stained glass last year and now just need to find time to 'do' it. I love to take pictures of my kids, but again I can't find much time for it these days. And in recent years I have discovered an enjoyment of theater--as in being ON stage.
I have no idea what this blog will be or how I'll use it. Maybe I'll share a good recipe or funny story. Maybe I'll have some great, deep insights (ok, don't hold your breath on that one!). Or maybe this will mostly be for me--I'm just inviting you to peek into my life if you'd like.
Oh, yes! And those kids? Yeah, here they are in their finest:
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