oodles of noodles...

More Birthdays!!

2011-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

Abby turned 7 on October 26th and right after that we celebrated Noah's 2nd birthday on November 9th. Time sure seems to be flying lately. Happy Birthday to both of you! We love you and enjoy watching you grow and learn everyday!

first snow!!

2011-10-29T05:31:00.000-07:00

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! our first snow of the season. The kids woke up this morning and were sooo excited. It was like Christmas morning. They couldn't wait to go outside and even though we did not have winter items ( such as boots, hats and gloves) they went out anyway and got soaked but loved every minute of it!

Our newest addition.......

2011-10-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Lilyan Rachel was born Friday, October 7th at 2:56 PM. A week late but still only weighed in at 7lbs 6oz and 19 1/2 inches. It was the hardest labor and delivery out of all 7 but well worth all the turmoil. Welcome, Lily, to this beautiful mess. We are so blessed to have you as part of our family.

Happy Birhtday Time.........

2011-09-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

My oldest just turned 12!!!! TWELVE! It is hard to believe she will be a teenager next year. She is definitely a young lady now. Thank You Lord for my beautiful daughter. She is definately a Gift from above!!! Happy Birthday Eve!

Karate Lessons...........

2011-06-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Jack and Eve have been taking tae kwan do and eskrima (Filipino style) for the past 4 months and they Love it! Jack especially loves it and all day long runs around the house doing kicks and forms. He uses his little siblings as pretend sparring partners and, needless to say, they love to try their own moves on big brother. Recently though, Jack broke his arm..............doing the thing he loves the most, Sparring in class with a partner trying out kicks and punches that only advanced students do. While attempting an exchange front snap kick his beginner partner reacted and grabbed Jack's leg and Jack lost his balance falling off the mat onto the tile floor. He landed with his left arm twisted behind his back. Diagnosis: a broken humorous! But that has not stopped the boy. No, He still wants to go to class to watch so he doesn't miss anything and now two weeks later, even with his cast still on, he is jumping off the couches and doing his kicks in the middle of the living room with Samuel. Lesson Learned?????? All of this excitement comes just four weeks after a swimming pool accident landing Jack in the ER with two gashes in his head resulting in 5 staples and quite the scare!! Hopefully, that is the last of the drama for a while. This mommy needs a breather!

Samuel.........

2011-05-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

Sam turned the BIG 5 on Friday. He was so excited when the big day came that he couldn't wait to tell everyone we know how old he was now. I looked at some old pictures and it is so amazing to see how he has changed in a few short years. Samuel, you are as handsome as can be! We love you bunches.........Happy Birthday!!!

The last few months...............

2011-04-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it is almost May! This (school) year has gone by too quickly and there is still so much to be done. Here are just some of the things that have been going on.

---In August we moved back to Florida after being unemployed for a year. Joshua was offered a job as a Language Arts teacher at the Public School. Even though it was not a ton of money we trusted that God would work it out and so far He has provided for all of our needs on a small teacher's salary.

---In September we started a new homeschool year with 4 of my 6 kids . That was a HUGE load for me to transition into especially after I found out I was pregnant again!

---I had a misscarraige in mid November at 10 weeks. Things were so crazy with birthday's, Thanksgiving and Christmas that I barely had time to rest. But God was there the whole time and the experience has changed our thinking about a lot of things. God truely is good!!

---December, of course, was Christmas and much needed break from homeschool. We don't really ever take breaks because we feel that just a trip to the grocery store can be quite educational (especially in the area of Character Building). But we did take a break from formal bookwork!

---In January I thought I would be able to slowly get back to normal but that idea was scratched upon finding out I was pregnant again!! I got so sick right away that all planning was out the window and everything came one day at a time. We are soooo thrilled to be adding Baby #7 to our family. God has blessed us so much!!!

---February we began to feel God tugging on our hearts to pray. Faced with our family expanding and so many needs we knew we were going to need to change some things. We really began to feel that God wanted us to stay out of debt and rely on Him to supply our needs so we began to pray for his provision. The first thing He provided was a 15 passenger van!! WOW! Right now we are currently debt free except for some student loans while Joshua works on finishing his Doctorate. Thank you Lord!

---March turned out to be pretty nice but sooooo busy. Here is where I left off with the blog posts.............We had a wonderful surprise visit from a Baby Otter. We found him under the kids slide scared as could be. We were able to rescue him and put him back in his home ( the large pond across the road). It was a great homeschool opportunity and we learned a lot.

My parents came for a visit in mid March from Pennsylvania and we went to the state park and to the beach. Joshua had an evaluation for his Job that went extremely well. He was told he was doing well and the school was glad to have him as a teacher............Then in the same breath the administrator said that due to budget cuts he was not going to be able to recontract with Joshua for next year!!!!!! Little did we know back in February that this may have been what God was preparing us for........... Trusting Him to supply all our needs seems so much harder when He strips us down to nothing!!! Now, once again, we will be looking for employment and praying for God to direct our steps. School ends in June.......But, God is still Good!

---The first week of April we went to Asheville, NC for our annual Evangelical Methodist Conference (Pastor's School). We had not been to conference in a few years but God provided at the last minute and we decided we needed to go. It was wonderful to fellowship with all our friends and fellow Pastor's. It even snowed the first night we were there!

Last but not least, Easter!!

Happy Birthday!!!

2011-03-27T14:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been three months since my last post!! So much has happened and we have been sooooo busy. I'll have more updates later but this post is for Katie's birthday. Three years old and counting................Love ya girl!!!

More Christmas......

2010-12-26T14:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas Morning! Cutest Ever!
Noah and his Thumb!

My Boys!!!

My Girls!! We had a wonderful Christmas Day yesterday. Even though we all missed Grandparents it was nice to be in our own home. Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday Season with family and friends!! From the Strunk Family!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010!! (and I can't believe we are ALL looking at the camera......Wonders never cease)

Jack.......

2010-12-12T19:03:00.000-08:00

We had a small family celebration for Jack's birthday today. His actual birthday is on the 19th but every year we celerate it a week or two early. So, Happy Birthday, Jack! Nine years and counting!!

A Day Out......

2010-11-11T12:36:00.000-08:00

My parents came to visit last week and we had a great time. We went to the State Park and to the Children's Museum and to the beach. It was nice to go out with all the kids and have a little help. We can't wait for another visit!

Noah's 1st!!

2010-11-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

Noah turned 1 yesterday!!!! Still not walking which is unusual for my kids but he is standing on his own! I never get tired of watching them grow and change. Every child is a blessing and a miracle!

!

Another Birthday!!

2010-10-26T10:28:00.001-07:00

Abigail turned 6 today! She is turning into quite the little lady!

Happy Birthday Abby! We love you bunches!

Noah.......

2010-10-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Noah is 11 months old. He took his first steps today!! Everyone was so excited! The kids kept trying to encourage him to take more steps by clapping and cheering and then by trying to make him stand up but after about 5 minutes Noah was NOT in the mood to be messed with anymore. Soon enough he will be running around with all of them!!!

Birthday Post........

2010-09-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Eve turned 11 today!!! ELEVEN! It is really fun watching my kids grow and change but sometimes I wish things would slow down just a little.

Happy Birthday Eve! Lots of Love to you!

Beautiful (not so little) Girl!!

Noah is 10 Months........

2010-09-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

Only 2 more months to go until my little guy is a whole year old. It seems like I've missed something along the way. So much has happened in 10 months and it is overwhelming to think about it all. Noah is growing and changing all the time so the picture will be out dated soon enough but I hope I can do a little more blogging when we get completely settled into our new place.

Noah at 9 months!!!

2010-08-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Everything will soon be changing around here......

I've got to think about child proofing!! (HA HA HA HA)

There really is no such thing when you have 6 kids..........or any # of kids for that matter. Once they learn to walk it's ALL over.....................

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Random.........

2010-07-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

AAAHHHHHH!!!

I just sat Noah in the living room to play so I could change Katie's diaper in the bedroom. When I came out of the bedroom I almost tripped on Noah.........

He's moving fast!!!

Noah is 8 Months!!!

2010-07-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Crawling, babbling, sitting, two teeth and baby food!!!! Yeah, Big Boy!!

4th of July.................

2010-07-06T19:03:00.000-07:00

For the 4th we went to our friends house and went swimming, ate hot dogs and did some pretty cool fireworks. The kids really had a good time and we are thankful to have such wonderful friends. On Monday we went to the town parade, ate snow cones and got a lot of candy that the people in the parade threw. It was a lot of fun but it sure was HOT! No central
air conditioning in PA!!

Here are the kids all lined up on the curb to watch the parade.....
Eating snow cones to stay cool!

We had a nice weekend.................

A Family Visit.......

2010-06-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Joshua's Mom and Dad came to visit last week and we had a wonderful time! We went swimming at a friends house the first day and the kids just wore themselves out. Jack enjoyed his Grandpa.......sleeping outside under the stars in the field for three nights in a row. The weekend went way too fast but hopefully we can visit again soon....................

Random Post.........

2010-06-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

We do family devotions and prayer at bed time (just about) every night with all the kids. We usually start with some songs then read the Bible and then pray. Each child is given the opportunity to pray and say whatever they like even Katie mumbles when she is in the mood! The other night during prayer time the kids were all excited and praying for things like 'thank you for my bike' and 'thank you for toys', 'thank you for brothers and sisters' and prayer for 'Daddy to get a job'! When it was Jack's turn he had some things on his mind.............................

"Dear Jesus, Please help Sammy to stop being so angry all the time..........Please help Eve to learn to control her temper and please help Abby to stop being so antagonistic.......AMEN!"

Yes, that was his prayer...........Short and right to the point! He is not a man of many words and Joshua and I were kind of lost for words.............we just chuckled a little!

Father's Day..............

2010-06-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to a great Daddy and to all those special men in our lives!!
Daddy:)
Great PapPap with Noah.....My Dad...Grandpa (Joshua's Dad)

We are so lucky to have you all in our lives. We love you!

7 months!!

2010-06-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

It feels like we are just cruising along and I think I missed something along the way! Noah is such a cutie at 7 months!

Daddy's Birthday!

2010-06-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

Joshua's birthday was on June 6th. Happy Birthday Daddy! We love you very much!!

Agriculture Anyone..........

2010-06-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

So we have come full circle. When we first came to live with my parents we came just in time to do a little gardening and harvesting with my mom. Now, the kids get to experience the planting and weeding process that yields all the crops in the end. We would have tried to do this even if we were not living here but it has been good to learn from an old pro. So maybe next year we can do it for ourselves in our own home (God willing)........The kids have really enjoyed learning how to garden and watching things grow. They loved learning how to can and make sauces, relish and jelly and then getting to see all the shelves fill up with the foods they made. It was also quite helpful for me to be able to use this as part of our science for home school (which has been very difficult to do given our circumstances). It is very rewarding when you get to see the fruit of your labor. Maybe there is a lesson in this for us too........Here are some pics of the kids sowing their seeds...........
.

The kids helped plant tomatoes, onions, beans, corn, lettuce, spinach, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli, peppers and carrots. We will have a lot of work to do come harvest time!!

Memorial Day Reunion.........

2010-06-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

The Antizzo Family (Joshua's Dad's family) got together for a reunion over Memorial Day weekend. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again. We are so blessed to be a part of such a loving family and to be able to spend time with them.....

Sammy Says........

2010-05-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Samuel has an interesting perspective on life. It is fun and often amusing to listen to him talk and try to convey his thoughts to us. Everyday he says things that I wonder about but I don't always remember to post. So today I remembered and here are a few Famous sayings of a little four year old boy.............

1. Mommy, I'm swearing........I'm so hot I'm swearing! (He meant he was so hot he was sweating)!

2. Mommy, that bird can poop eggs!!! (looking at a picture of an ostrich standing next to a nest)

3. I don't like that burn sauce! (hot sauce)

He keeps me smiling!!!!

Daddy's First......

2010-05-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Today Joshua attended his FIRST EVER professional baseball game! Yes, it is true! Joshua has never been to any sports game before except for a very few games during highschool and games of friends and the kids. Now when I say a few games that is what I mean....... even when the kids have played in the past it was usually me that went to the games and watched. Joshua is just not a sports person............Well, he just is not an outdoors person! I think he might be growing out of this stage, though, it has taken him a long time to even think about the outdoors as a good thing. He's like a caveman (one that stays in the cave all the time)! Hey Honey, By going outside you could discover you like it! It is so easy even a CAVEMAN can do it!!!!! Hee Hee HEE! Love you, Joshua! I am glad you and the kids enjoyed it..........................................

Happy Mothers Day!!

2010-05-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers I know! And to some that are special in our family! We all are blessed to have you in our lives.............

Joshua's Grandmother passed away in February but we will always remember her and the things she taught us as a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother!

Joshua's grandmother on his mom's side. Celebrating her 80th birthday with everyone!

My Grandma (dad's side) holding Noah, her 9th great grandchild!

both Grandma's

Mommy!

Half Pint............

2010-05-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

Noah is half way to being a big, little boy! Six months and counting. It is wonderful to see him laugh and smile and coo! I love being his Mommy!

Happy Birthday Samuel!!

2010-05-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

Samuel turned 4 on Thursday! I love watching my kids grow and learn new things all the time. They change so quickly when they are small but they always bring joy and a unique perspective to life.

Cutest kid in the land!

The many faces of Sam but only one color..........he only likes green!

Sam got his very own scooter! Now he doesn't have to share one with Jack and of course it is green!

Happy Birthday Buddy! We love you very much!

13 years!!

2010-05-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Joshua and I just celebrated our 13th anniversary on May 3rd!! Hard to believe it has been that long. We have been through so many ups and downs over time but God has always been there. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man. He's really my best friend and I don't know what I would do without him. Happy Anniversary, Joshua! I look forward to many more years with the one I love........................................................................

Noah pic.....

2010-04-10T06:59:00.001-07:00

Noah is 5 months old!! Time flies when you are having fun!!

Happy Easter!!

2010-04-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

The snow has finally gone and some warm weather came to visit for Easter. Life has been a roller coaster for a while but we had a nice relaxing Easter Sunday.

Joshua has been a pulpit supply pastor for the last couple of months. Sunday was our last day there but we had a wonderful time with the people. Joshua preached and did communion and I got to hang out with the kids and learn about Jesus' Resurrection, the real reason we celebrate Easter..............To all of you at Morningstar Fellowship................We will miss you very much and we will pray that God continues to bless you and your church!!!

We were also invited to participate in an egg hunt at my parents church on Easter Sunday afternoon. Even though we had church at Morningstar we were able to get be there in time. We got there about 10 minutes before they started the hunt so the kids got to find some eggs and play for a little while. Samuel did NOT want to participate AT ALL. He wanted to be left alone. He had it in his head that he NEEDED to go home so he could play a game. Even though he didn't hunt for eggs at the church he did get to find them at the house. Saturday we had colored real eggs and then Eve hid them for the little ones to find. Then we made deviled eggs and had them for Easter lunch......YUM!

The Easter eggs we colored...................Thank you Aunt Tara for the egg dye kits!!

Abby on Saturday....................
Katie loving the above average temps for April..........
Samuel trying to find all the ones that he colored........The GREEN ones!

Katie at church in her pretty dress. She does not like stuff in her hair so she takes it out and discards the hair thing where it will never be found and used again thus creating a very attractive windblown look................Abby still thinks that 65 degrees is too cold...............Jack has decided he wants to grow his hair out....... It doesn't look too bad yet.........Eve is just growing up so fast lately! She is up to my chin and still shooting right up........

Noah's First Easter!!! Happy, Happy Day!

Happy Easter 2010!!!!

Grandma's Birthday........

2010-03-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

We recently visited Joshua's family to celebrate his grandmother's 80th birthday.......

We had wonderful time and it was good to see family that we haven't seen in about three years.

Grandma Strunk turns 80!!! Happy Birthday!

Joshua and his Brother, James and Sister Dorrie.

Cousins....... See any resemblance??

All of us with Gram, Mom, Dad, Uncle James and aunt Tara.....

Joshua's Mom and Dad!

Gram and her kids......

Cousins..........................

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

2010-03-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Katelyn turned 2 on the 12th. She is turning into quite a little chatter box and she has got so much personality and determination. There is never a dull moment in our house unless she is napping! Anyway, Happy Birthday Katelyn! We love you and look forward to watching you grow in the years to come!!!Someone is just a little tired of birthday stuff........................

Handsome little man......

2010-03-02T18:11:00.000-08:00

My little man is almost 4 months old and is cute as a button!

Noah found his thumb at 2 months and has been sucking on in ever since. Sooo cute!

My babies........

2010-02-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

Some recent pics of the kids

MY BOYS...........

MY GIRLS!!!

Snow Days!

2010-02-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

It has snowed so much here in the last month. The weather channel calls it February Fury.................I call it cold insanity.................and the kids call it fun!!!

The kids dug a huge snow fort/igloo with the help of a friend from church.

They worked on it for a few days. I went out to tell them to come in and they did not want to at all. I thought it was too cold for them to be out there for so long and they gave me the 'look' like I was an over protective mom or something!

The four little Eskimos hiding from the wind. They are loving it but Samuel looks a little tired.............

Spinach Eating Bag Lady..............

2010-01-21T20:52:00.000-08:00

Katelyn is becoming quite entertaining in her uniqueness. She absolutely LOVES fresh spinach. She will scream for it like it is candy. If she sees someone else eating it she is automatically their BFF (best friend forever)! I have never had or met a child who liked spinach or ate it like candy. And just so you all believe me I captured the moment with a camera. (A video will be added soon)

Katie also loves to dress herself. Whatever I put on her comes off within minutes and she comes out with something else. She has developed a love for the odd, non-matching and layered look creating her own new line of clothing...........We call it 'The Bag Lady' look!!!

Lil' Bruiser................

2010-01-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

Sammy is one tough little man. He is all about super heroes and beating the 'Bad' guys. He wants everyone to believe he is super and untouchable. Fortunately, we have been able to speak some truth into his unreasonable world. Jesus is now the biggest super hero of all for Sam and when in doubt he has learned to ask Him for help.

Joshua was recently asked to preach at a church so we took the kids with us. Before service had gotten under way Samuel wanted to go up behind the pulpit with his dad (also one of Sam's heroes). He beamed from ear to ear being up there with his Dad but on his way back to our seat he tripped over his own foot and went head-long into the front pew. He barely cried which I thought was him trying to be tough. Upon inspection of his head and help from a fellow in the congregation who was an EMT, I realized that Samuel was not crying because he was a little dazed. For about 2 days my 'spirited' child was not. I never thought I would worry about my child because he was acting normal! The large knot on his head didn't look so good either. I took the opportunity to pray with Sam and talk to him about God's healing power. After a visit to the doctor and a few days to let the swelling go down Sam was back to his old self. I see him growing everyday and I pray that with God's help I will be able to steward him. Maybe one day he will turn the world upside down.

This is Sam about 4 days after the fall. It actually doesn't look so bad here. After the swelling went down I thought it was going to heal quickly.................................These two pictures are after only 6 days........The doctor called it raccoon eye. The original wound drains down causing bruising around the eye.

It has been almost two weeks now and the bruising around his eye looks even worse. I don't have a picture but he looks like a movie star!

Big Guy.............

2010-01-21T18:22:00.000-08:00

Noah is now 2 1/2 months and, of course, growing like a weed! He loves to coo and smile and be held. Here are some pictures of our 12 pounder!!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

2010-01-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

This morning was just one of those mornings. The kids started off the day whining and since I did not get that much sleep last night (Noah wanted some one on one time!!!) I was just a little frustrated during breakfast. I made pancakes and the kids were not too happy with that choice so I told them they did not have to eat breakfast. Samuel decided he did not want to wait to eat until lunch so he climbed up to the table and asked for a pancake. I gave him one and proceeded to try to help him with the syrup and cutting it up. Everything I did was wrong for him. He did not want the syrup on that way, or the pancake cut that way, or the one I gave him was not the right one etc., etc. I was trying to be patient but finally I had enough........... I looked at him and said in a frustrated tone, 'Samuel, I am done helping you. You have to do it yourself. I am leaving.' To which he scrunched up his nose and then looked at me, crossed his arms and said grumpily, 'Mommy, you 'posed to be happy.'

Now how do you respond to that?.......................................I looked at Joshua who was laughing under his breath and couldn't help but laugh too. That changed the mood rather quickly and Samuel ate his breakfast without a complaint after that. Now, for the OTHER children........

Happy Birthday!!!

2009-12-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jack...........Jack turned 8 on the 19th. I was just so busy with Christmas that I forgot to put a post on here. Jack enjoyed himself helping to make his cupcakes and decorate a little. We usually try to do something for each kid around their birthday so Daddy took the older three kids to the small town theatre to watch a family movie. Jack wanted to go because he thought it would be cool and they enjoyed the 'big screen' experience. Even though it was cold and snowy I think Jack had a great time on his birthday.

Jack made and decorated his own birthday cupcakes. He used star wars figures to put on top...An 8 year olds dream........ Legos and Nerf stuff for your birthday.................

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T14:30:00.000-08:00

Just a note to say Happy Holidays!!! The kids had a great day with grandparents and seeing it snow outside was exciting. We hope all our friends and family have a Great Christmas!!!

All the kids (except Noah) In their new Homemade PJ's they got on Christmas Eve.............

The color White.............

2009-12-09T08:58:00.000-08:00

When we woke up this morning the only thing we could see was the color white. About 6 inches covered the ground. It was exciting (for a moment)..................

The kids love, love, love it!!

I wish it was not so cold.

Joshua says he loves it and then always seems to disappear when there is shoveling to be done.........How does that happen??????

It is very beautiful in its own way and it does set the mood for Christmas. So now instead of just 'dreaming of a white Christmas' we will actually have one.............

Luckily, My Dad has a snow blower because Joshua was MIA....................

Eve could not get enough of snowball throwing...................anyone that was near got pelted.....Someone plowed the driveway creating a huge mound..... Jack is planning to build an igloo......Abigail would stay outside all day if I never called her in.......even if her extremities were numb...

Sammy and Katie just wanted to eat the snow and make footprints...............................

NOAH......

2009-12-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Noah is one month old today!! It is amazing how much time flies as I get older.......... He is now 8lbs and 4oz and growing like a weed. The kids love having a new baby brother and for Joshua and I it is a joy to have a little baby in the house again. We love having kids!!!

Introducing............................

2009-11-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

Noah Isaac Strunk

Noah was born yesterday, November 9th at 7:15 am. He weighed 6 lbs. 4oz. and was 19 inches long................................. Welcome baby!!

Happy Birthday Abby!!

2009-10-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

Abby turned 5 on the 26th. She is excited to be one year older! The only thing she wished for was to have 3 hands so she could do more at once because 2 hands was not enough. She is glad it only takes two hands to ride her new bike. Anyway, happy birthday to you, Abigail! We love you very much!!!

More Fall Pics................

2009-10-23T18:16:00.000-07:00

The kids have been enjoying Autumn. It is still not quite like going to the beach but they have enjoyed 'swimming' in the leaves. Here are some more pictures of our fun..............

It's Fall!!!

2009-10-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Every autumn we try to do something as a family. We have kind of made it a tradition to go to a farm or some place that has fun stuff for kids and treats and pumpkins. This year we went to a family farm where they had hayrides, petting animals, a corn maze, a playground and a little local restaurant. We planned to stay for a couple of hours but ended up there for approx. 8 hours due to the loss of a car key somewhere on the large hillside farm............... Joshua didn't realize it was gone from his pocket until we were getting ready to leave. Then he thought if he just retraced his steps he would find it. After a while I was finally able to convince him that we should just call a lock place so we could hopefully get home at a reasonable hour. Of course, the lock guy who was on call would not answer his phone and the owner of the lock place had to come to our rescue from about an hour away so we waited and waited. At least there was plenty to do and it didn't cost that much. We went on the hayride which took us to the pumpkin patch and the kids got to pick a pumpkin right off the vine. The older two went through the mazes and down the underground slide. Samuel fed and fed and fed the goats with this special pulley contraption. I'm not really sure what it was but you put the food in a little box and then wind the handle and it would take the food to the goats. Sure, you could just go over to the fence and feed them but Sam was enthralled by this thing and fed them for about an hour (maybe more). Katie and Abby played in the hay and in the sandbox and then we all ate at the restaurant. We really had a good time and the kids did really well. And in the end we got ice cream cones even though the sun had gone down and it got a little cool (the jackets were locked in the car).All total we got 7 pumpkins.........We will be canning and freezing and making a lot of pumpkin stuff...............Muffins, cookies and maybe a cheesecake or something, YUM!!!The kids all got to go on this barrel ride pulled by a lawn tractor through the corn field. They loved it!! I might have to try to build one........................
Sam played on the tire swings before he found out about the goats.............

Is That............

2009-10-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is snow!!! We had the first snow of the season yesterday. However, Indian Summer is supposed to grace us next week with temps in the 60's (OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!). Then it will probably stay that way for a couple of more weeks until winter comes to stay! The kids rather enjoyed going out to play in the snow for about an hour until they got too cold and wet to stay out. It felt kind of like being on vacation but now I think the novelty has worn off and the kids are asking to go back where it is warmer. Hopefully, God will provide Joshua with a job soon so we can concentrate on settling down. But for now we are grateful for the things that keep us busy like canning homemade applesauce and vegetable soup and going outside in the snow!

Eve, Jack and Abby went out to play but Samuel wanted nothing to do with the snow. He said he wanted to go to the beach.............

Jack made a mini snowman on the railing of the porch.............Abby smashed it!They built a snowman that was kind of lopsided. After I took the picture they smashed it and came inside...........I think they were cold or something!

Zoo Fun!!

2009-09-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the zoo for Eve's birthday! We had a great time. I made a quick scrapblog............Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday Eve!!!!!

2009-09-25T07:22:00.000-07:00

We say it all the time.........'I can't believe my child is getting so big,' or 'It seems like just yesterday...............' or 'Where has the time gone.' Although I didn't think much about those things they did cross my mind for a brief moment on September 18th. My oldest, Eve, turned the big 10 last Friday and she is so excited to finally be 'double digits'. I asked her how it felt but she really didn't have an answer except that she would let me know soon. We went to the zoo and then had a small family celebration with the usual pizza, cake and ice cream. She asked specifically for hot wings, a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing and chocolate peanut butter ice cream (she really likes chocolate and peanut butter)! It was a good day!!!

Eve at 10 years old!! Turning into a little lady!!
Eve made herself a birthday hat...........She was princess for a day!Grammy helped by making the cake which was quite good!!

staying busy........

2009-08-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

The weather here is sooooo not like Florida. We have been enjoying 78 degree days with a few scorchers in between (like 85 or 86 degrees HA HA)! The kids have not been inside at all for most of the last two weeks. Of course, when winter time hits it will be a totally different story I am sure, but for now we are staying busy outside.

Since Joshua is unemployed and money can only stretch so far we have been learning how to garden and can from my mother. My parents have a small garden with all kinds of vegetables and the kids have been helping with that. In the last two weeks we have gotten green beans, lettuce, tomatoes and a few squash from it. We also went with my mom to pick blueberries. We picked over 60 lbs. of blueberries. We went to a farm and got a bushel of corn (approx. 50 ears) and a bushel of peaches to can (we got about 21 quarts of canned peaches from all those). We plan on getting more but not until we rest from all the canning and freezing and picking. We didn't get here in time for strawberries but maybe next year!!

It has been a lot of hard work, especially for my mom, but it is well worth it when we can look at the cupboard and freezer and see them all full with fresh fruits and veggies to last us through winter.........YUM!

Here are some pictures of the 'FRUITS' of our labor..................................

Jack, Eve, and Abby helped pick blueberries. They were really a big help and they seemed to enjoy it. This was only the first trip to the blueberry patch..........................................

Everyone is pitching in to shuck the corn. We had one bushel that we cut off the cob and froze but we will probably go to the farm and get some more........................................................This is only one bushel of peaches (it is really a lot) but my mom wants to go back and get another 1 1/2. Eve and Abby helping their Grammy make relish from all the cucumbers and onions in her garden.....................Grammy then canned it all.Sammy had his turn to grind stuff for the relish. He loved doing it sooooo much he stayed at it the longest out of all the kids...................................Only one row of green beans and still three more to go.........Not to mention that tomorrow there will be this much more in each row...............................After many long days of VERY HARD work, Farmer SAM found some nice quiet music to put him to sleep................No one even knew how long he'd been there......................

Random..........

2009-08-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

OK. So I usually am good about posting at least something new fairly often. I have been so scatter brained lately I just can't think of anything to post when I have a free moment at the computer. My mind just goes blank................It probably has something to do with all the transition we've been going through lately. It never fails, we start to settle and then something happens and we are faced with the big question.......Now What?????
Sooooooo, I will elaborate on that one a little.....................
--As of August 1st we no longer live in Florida (ARGH!) (Another story for another day). We are temporarily residing in Pennsylvania waiting on a job opportunity. Hopefully we will know something soon.
--I have no idea how I feel on a daily basis about all this.......I am just trying to be supportive of Joshua and keep the kids from going absolutely nuts.
--I am 6 & 1/2 months pregnant and I now have no midwife or insurance. Who will deliver my baby?? Where will we be living in three months when the time comes??
I am trying to stay positive. Too many things are going on right now I don't even know what to say........We all just need prayer!

On a happier note, We did find out that we are expecting a boy!! We will have 3 girls and 3 boys! We are all excited for the new little one. Can't wait 'til he's here!

I do have some other things to post. Hopefully I can get to them soon.

Marriage...........

2009-06-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Joshua and I have been married for 12 years now. We have our habits and rituals and they work well, most of the time. Things like hello and good bye kisses, good night routines etc. But, we have children that occasionally like to give their opinion even when things are none of their business........... You know, 'kissing is gross' or 'you guys talk too much.' Most of the time it is innocent but recently it has begun to get ridiculous. Our 2 older children have been getting very dramatic if they see us kiss or hug. They will scrunch up their noses and whine, "EWWWW, that's gross! Stop kissing! We don't want to see that!" Some of the time I think they are just trying to be silly. Of course we have explained that we are married and it is perfectly fine for us to do it and we have approached it from a biblical stand point. They agree that it is all true in theory but in practice it is a little far fetched how married people act. So we have just kindly asked that they mind their own business and keep their comments to themselves. They are still working on that one..................... On the other hand we have a 4 year old who thinks that marriage is awesome and encourages the kissing and hugging in a very dramatic and demanding way. She will hear Joshua come in the door after work and run to him and demand, "Daddy, Daddy! Kiss Mommy! Kiss! KISS!" I am not sure what is going on in her head. Yesterday in the car, Eve, Jack and Abby were sitting in the backseat and there was a bit of commotion (go figure). When I asked them to calm down and try to get along Eve whined, "But Abby keeps trying to kiss us and she won't stop!" I turned around to address the issue and said, "Abigail, please stop trying to kiss everyone. I Know you love your brother and sister but one hug and kiss is enough!" Abby frowned and pouted, "But Mommy, I just want someone to be married to me!" She definitely has a big imagination and a 4 year old grasp of things. She is going to be a handful (blessing) and I think (know) I will need to keep my eye on her.....................................

Even though things can be frustrating at times I am glad that we have children who desire to be a part of our lives. And we get to use the everyday things as teaching opportunities and tools for learning especially when it comes to the sacredness of marriage and purity.

Just some pics......

2009-05-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

These are just some recent pics of the kids cause you know how much I LOVE to take pictures of the kids..........

Congratulations Grad!!!

2009-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

I have so many things to post but I just haven't been on the computer much. The first is Joshua's Graduation. Yes, Joshua graduated, AGAIN. On May 9th he received his M.Div. (Masters of Divinity) from Liberty University. We traveled to North Carolina and stayed with some friends of ours for 4 days. They watched our kids on Saturday while Joshua and I drove to Lynchburg, VA for the day. We were able to attend the ceremony and overall we had a great trip. Oh yeah, He started his Doctorate the same week he graduated so he doesn't even get a nice summer vacation. If all goes well we will be attending another ceremony in about 3 years!! Anyway............ Congratulations Daddy (Josh)! We love you very much and are very proud of you!!

This is a picture of the commencement ceremony and the graduate processional. There were over 6,000 grads that day. WOW! Most of them being under-grads.......

This is a picture of Joshua walking in the processional...........This is a picture after the entire ceremony. It is official, Joshua has graduated!!

Happy Birthday Samuel!!!!

2009-05-13T06:31:00.000-07:00

Samuel turned 3 on May the 6th. He was so excited! Samuel loves the color green and he loves super hero stuff so we had green decorations and a TMNT (teenage mutant ninja turtles) cake. We actually had a celebration for him on Saturday the 2nd because we went out of town on his actual birthday. Here are some pictures............

Pictures..............

2009-04-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Easter 2009!

Joshua and I run the Children's Ministry at our Church. We organize volunteers for all ages 0-11 but we teach the 5-11 year olds. We have about 90 kids in all.

These are some pictures of the older kids singing songs with our volunteers and then having an egg hunt. We had a great time! The younger kids did an egg hunt also and it was sooooo cute!

One hour in the life of the Strunk's.............

2009-04-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today the kids decided to make the living room into a small gymnasium!! I asked them to take it outside but before I got around to enforcing the 'take it outside' rule....................... Yeah, You know how it goes..........Jack tried to do a flip and landed flat on his back knocking the wind out of himself, Abby slammed her face into the back of Eve's head and got a bloody nose, and Samuel tried to do a ninja move (two year old style) and fell into the corner of the TV cabinet leaving him rather sore on his backside! Of course, I can only imagine what might have happened outside! At least the Emergency Room was not part of our day.............

Random.........

2009-04-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

I am feeling pretty good today. I haven't felt sick all day except once. Don't know why and don't care, I am enjoying this somewhat restful day. Joshua has spring break this week so maybe I'll be able to get some much needed work done around the house. I am so thankful for my older kids (all the kids) because they help me out so much. Eve is such a 'little mommy' and Jack loves to help his little brother with everything (most of the time). Some people say they will out grow it but I don't think so....................Thanks for all your prayers. Hopefully I can keep having more good days than bad 'sick' days.

What's worse???

2009-04-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

We all just had the "24 hour bug" come to our house this week. Everyone but Joshua got sick. It all started with Katie on Tuesday (but hers was very mild) and then on Wednesday around 5pm Samuel got sick. Then at 8pm Eve, 11pm Abby, 3am Jack and then after being up all night without a wink of sleep, I got the bug around 5am. All the kids still had stuff coming out both ends and so in between my trips to the bathroom, I was running back and forth to the kids when they would holler, "Mommy, quick, I need you.....". Of course, Joshua helped a little and then took care of everything when I could no longer do it. Thank goodness he wasn't away this week!! The kids are much better. We are just having a 'lay down' day today. The only thing now is that I have about 10 loads of laundry to do and a carpet to spot clean (Where is mom when you need her)..................... I am not sure what is worse, Everyone Having a 24 hr. bug all at once or this constant nagging pregnancy sickness to go along with everything else? I have never had to recover from being REALLY sick to being only SOMEWHAT sick. I think I feel worse now......... UGH!! I really need HELP!!

It All Happened Yesterday........

2009-03-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Abby got her cast off! It has been a long five weeks but she is doing well and she is glad to be free once again.

After we got back from the doctor is when everything happened...............I told the kids I would make them milkshakes after lunch because they did so well on the trip to the doctor. Chocolate peanut butter was the choice of all. Samuel set his cup on the counter (where he was supposed to)and walked away. It only took a second for me to realize that the Puppy was now just barely big enough to reach the counter but a second was too long.......Jake had jumped up and with his paw he knocked the cup off the counter and there went Samuel's drink.......all over the dog, all over the floor and the wall and then the excited dog stepped in it as he was licking it up. As I ran to grab the dog he saw me coming and started to trot away. So, now there was chocolate peanut butter milkshake all over the kitchen. Now I had to mop and give the dog a bath and make Sam a new milkshake because he was very upset.
After all that was done it was nap time for the younger three kids. Eve and Jack went outside with the dog. It only took 5 minutes.......Jack came to the door to tell me he had stepped in dog dodo! I thought it was no big deal but..... Then he said he wiped it all over the driveway and the sidewalk and it got all over his Basketball. Clean up #2!!
Long story shortened.......Next, The kids played with the hose outside and got all muddy. Clean up #3!
After nap time Katie got into the kitchen pantry and dumped a whole box of pancake mix all over her and the freshly mopped floor.......Clean up #4.
Samuel dirtied his diaper right after nap time and the tried to change it himself! Clean up #5!
All this happened from 1pm to 5pm. Then I cooked supper and cleaned that up. I don't think I even sat down to eat for more than 15 minutes. It is a good thing this stuff doesn't happen every day........Only Yesterday!!
I did not take pictures of everything because at first I was just plain frustrated. But When Katie got into the pancake mix I couldn't help but take a picture. I had been running around trying to deal with everything else and she was so quiet I didn't want to disturb her. Sometimes you just have to breathe!!

Blahh days...

2009-03-28T05:34:00.000-07:00

Sick! That's how I feel these days.........It just started around Wednesday and will be here for the next 10 weeks or so. Yes, I get nausea and sometimes vomitting during the first 15 to 17 weeks of pregnancy. It usually doesn't start until sometime around 7 weeks (which is next week) but this time it started early.......ugh!! The worst part is I feel sick day and night. It is not just in the morning or one part of the day, it is ALL day. And the smells of, well, everything make it worse! But, time will fly and it will be over before I know it. It is just that the days seem to drag on forever right now................At least I have the kids and the dog to keep my mind otherwise occupied. I wish I had some frozen meals stored up this time. But I have not been that organized for a while. Oh, well! Pray for me!

Grandparents visit.......

2009-03-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

My parents were here this past week and we had a great time. We took the kids to the beach (even though we can go anytime my parents can't) and we spent some time at a State Park. We walked an old Cypress swamp trail at the State Park and got to see some alligators up close. All in all it was a nice visit. I wish we lived closer so we could do it more often. Here are some pics....................................

...

Strunk News......

2009-03-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

So, as you might be able to tell by looking at my side bar........We are expecting!! God willing, number six will be here sometime in mid November. We are still at the beginning but Joshua was so excited that he started telling everyone as soon as I took the pregnancy test. I will go to see my midwife on Friday and we will plan another home birth. We just told the kids yesterday and they are all ecstatic! We feel truly blessed.

In other news.......we put in an offer to buy a house. The house is on the market being sold as a 'short sale' so it may take some time for us to hear back about our offer. This will be the first house we have ever bought if things go through. God willing, it will not take much longer.

Katelyn was sick 2 weeks ago and no one knew what was wrong with her. Finally, after some tests we found out that she had salmonella. She is doing better, thank the Lord, but now the health department has to get involved. Hopefully that will not be too bad.

Abby gets her cast off on Friday! She can't wait. Hopefully the new x-rays will show a healed elbow so they don't have to put another cast on. She has been a real trooper. It hasn't stopped her from being her daring self.........

Joshua will start his Doctoral studies in June. We are so proud of him. He graduates in May with his second Masters Degree (Master of Divinity) and he will Graduate with Honors! It has been a long journey for us to get to this point but as we look back we feel it was worth it.

Even though the events that led up to our coming to Florida were hard and painful at times, God was there and He showed us his hand of protection and provision along the way. He is still taking care of us every day and it is a blessing to be where He wants us..............

Happy 1st Birthday!!!

2009-03-12T07:41:00.000-07:00

Katelyn turned one today! It is hard to believe that her 1st birthday is already here. When I look at her I still see my little baby. Time seems to fly by when you have so much to fill up your life (like 5 kids, a dog, ministry, homeschool and all the day to day things). I looked back at some pictures of Katie and I feel like I can't even remember when she was an infant. It is amazing how they grow so much in just a year. We had a small informal celebration today with some pizza and cake for her. We will have a Family celebration next week when my Parents and Sister come for a visit. Here are some pictures of our cute one year old.........

Super Hero Sam...........

2009-03-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

Samuel is following in the footsteps of his older brother. He LOVES Super Hero stuff.

Samuel Only knows about all this stuff because Jack tells him. Jack is a big fan of Marvel Comics. So, Samuel identifies everything using a super hero as a reference.........For instance, When Samuel wants something he says, "Mommy, I wan my geen Hulk bam cup," Or "I wan my blue Superman fork," or " "Mommy, dis is a wed (red) Spiderdman crayon." Everything from dinnerware to his bubble bath is somehow (in his mind) tied to a superhero. Even if there is no picture on it he describes it that way. The other night I made green beans for dinner and when I set them on the table I could see all the little faces looking kind of disappointed. When I began to dish out the 'horrible' vegetable Samuel opened his eyes really wide and exclaimed, "WOOOW, geen Hulk Bam fench fwies!!" And then he ate them up and asked for more. That was all he ate that night! I wish it was that easy all the time. Sam also loves the color Green. He thinks that if it is green, it must belong to him. Here is the run down of Sam's favorite super heroes in case you were wondering.........

Green (Sam's Favorite)- The Incredible Hulk

Blue- Super Man

Red- Spiderman

Yellow/Orange- The Thing (from the Fantastic Four)

There are several more that he likes but they don't get a color. At least not yet...................

Meet Jake!!

2009-03-09T11:19:00.000-07:00

We added a new member to our family over the weekend. Meet Jake! He is a golden retriever puppy and he is soooooo sweet!

Fun in the Sun...........

2009-03-05T06:13:00.000-08:00

The last couple of months have been great as far as the weather goes and the kids have wanted to do nothing else except play outside. I welcome this since they will be begging to stay inside when summer time hits. I guess it is good that we homeschool and have some amount of freedom to structure our days the way we want to. As long as our kids get the instruction time they need and learn the material we are doing o.k. But unfortunately, we are not getting much school work done right now. So I announced to the kids that I have determined we will be changing everything as long as we live in South Florida! Our Summer vacation will be from Thanksgiving through Easter and we will attend school strait throughout the actual HOT, HOT summer months. Since the kids don't want to go outside anyway and going to the beach is not relaxing when it is so hot, and we don't have a pool, we will just stay inside and do school work!! When I announced this, however, they did not really like that idea. So I guess I need to think of another way to explain our being behind in formal lessons. Fortunately, the older two kids can read and they do Math and English (reading) most everyday on their own. Maybe one day I'll be super organized and be able to do 100 things at one time. Pray for me!!!

All is Well that Ends Well.......

2009-02-26T07:16:00.000-08:00

Samuel is almost 3 now and he has decided he is ready to use the potty (awesome). But he wants to do it on his own and not let anyone in the bathroom when he goes (no problem). Well, I thought it was no problem because he was doing really well. He would flush the toilet and wash his hands and he was so proud of himself! But you can only let a little boy alone in the bathroom so long. Unfortunately, leaving Samuel alone for only 2 minutes was way too long. He used the potty and flushed it about 5 times so I thought he went #1 but when I went in to check that was not the case. I spent the next hour giving my bathroom that much needed scrub down from top to bottom!! He got so excited the other day when I brought him home some new Hulk and Spiderman underwear. The only thing is that he refuses to wear them correctly. He thinks that the picture of the superhero is supposed to be in the front and not on his bum. So, if I do not let him wear them backwards he will not wear them at all. I guess if it all turns out in the end that he can wear his underwear however he wants.............

Life Happens..........

2009-02-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

This past week was one of the the longest weeks I've had in a long time. It started on Tuesday with a series of head aches that would not stop. Taking pain killer only took the edge away not the whole head ache away ( and I am still suffering from them right now). Then on Thursday everything came crashing down (figuratively and literally) when Abby fell off the bunk bed and fractured her elbow!! We spent the entire afternoon at the doctors office and then the Hospital. We did not get home until 11:30 pm and then we had to go back to a specialist doctor on Friday which took the entire afternoon and some of the evening. This whole time my head was hurting. In the end Abby got a PINK cast and is very proud!! All of her siblings keep giving her a lot of attention. Just a side note.........Abby did fall off a bunk bed but don't all at once decide not to get bunk beds or take down ones that you already have............She could have just as easily fallen down the steps or off a swing or gotten hurt while wrestling with her brothers or any number of things we don't think about. Just food for thought. Life Happens! Abigail is doing great and is such a little trooper.

Okeechobee News........

2009-02-10T08:34:00.000-08:00

Every year our somewhat small, rural, lake town puts on several fesivals. They run through most of the winter (because it's too hot in the summer) when all of the Northerners come to the Lake to escape the snow. Most of the festivals are the same (at least I think so) except for the so-called themes. We usually don't go 'cause there is nothing for kids to do but this past weekend we decided to go to the "Speckled Perch Festival" in the park (I just learned that the Speckled Perch is a fish).
This year, Okeechobee Christian Academy was asked to participate in the annual Chili Cook-off at this festival. Since Joshua had to be there we all went to hang out with Daddy. The kids found a few booths that had free games and prizes so they had fun and it turned out to be an eventful day. The school entered the chili contest at the last minute and had to compete with 12 total teams, but took home first prize for their chili! It was completely unexpected! It really isn't much but we are really proud of the school and the hard work the volunteers put into it.Joshua and Tom (a friend). Tom also entered the chili cook-off and they were goofing around.

New Family Member............

2009-02-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my brother and sister-in-law celebrated the arrival of their second baby. They had a little girl! Her name is Autumn Mae and she is beautiful and healthy. Congratulations to you both on her birth! The kids are excited to have a new cousin!

Don't you wish you were here...........

2009-02-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

It is winter all over where we are originally from. Both my parents and Joshua's parents are bundled up, looking out their living room windows at a lot of snow. All of our friends in North Carolina may not have snow but they have broken out the hats and gloves and coats. Truth be told, we miss all of that. We miss having four ACTUAL seasons. But when I talk to my mother or mother-in-law, they always say that they wish they were here. Here! In South Florida! I will admit, though, I do like not having to dress 5 children in coats, hats, gloves, boots and all other winter attire every time they decide they want to go outside. Here, we have two seasons. HOT and HOTTER! We have one wardrobe. Shorts and T-Shirts for everyone, a few pairs of jeans and one or two sweaters or jackets (just in case). So, while family and friends up North are running your heat, this is what we are doing......................................................
And yes, none of the kids are wearing shoes. I think they have forgotten what shoes are for.....

Sing to the Lord a new Song...............

2009-01-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

Katelyn loves music! I recently observed her bouncing and waving when we put a worship CD on and so I tried other things. She loves to hear any type of music. She likes it so much that she has started to "sing" when she hears it. So here is a video of her "singing."

Children are a gift from the Lord...............

2009-01-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

God has truly blessed us with 5 beautiful children. We as parents are responsible for teaching and molding their young minds and characters and "training them up in the way they should go." This is not always an easy task but we try to be good stewards of our children. We sing worship songs with them. We pray with them. And we even read the bible with them morning, noon and night hoping that they will take it all in and get something out of it. It is always exciting when one of them shares what they have learned..............

So, for our evening devotions we get everyone ready for bed (snack, brush teeth, pajamas etc.) and then gather in their bedroom. We usually go over a memory verse and then read scripture and do a devotion. Well, tonight, we had the kids say several verses that we have been learning, (John 14:23, Exodus 20:12, Luke 6:37 and Joshua 1:9). Then we read Proverbs 22. As I was reading, Samuel was having a hard time sitting still. In fact, he wasn't really interested in behaving at all. I know that comes as a big shock to everyone. But, I kept reading. I got to Proverbs 22:15 which says, "A youngster's heart is filled with foolishness, but discipline will drive it away." I paused and looked at Samuel and then read the verse again with a little bit more volume in my voice so I could make sure he heard me. I looked at him again and spoke to him. I said, "Samuel, the Bible says that 'Every child is full of foolishness, but discipline will get rid of it.' What do you think will happen if you keep acting foolishly?" And then I said, "If you do not quiet down and let Mommy finish reading to everyone, you will get disciplined." Samuel stopped and smiled at me and then stated very matter of fact, "Be bold and strong, For the Lord is with you wherever you go.........Joshua 1:9." And then he started to giggle and act all proud of himself. Now, I am not really sure if he was just randomly quoting a memory verse or if he was saying, 'I'll take anything you can dish out, Mom," but if there is one thing I know about Sammy, it is not to underestimate him.

So, Joshua did end up correcting Sammy and then we finished our devotions. Everything went well after that.

Katie................

2009-01-05T16:39:00.000-08:00

Katelyn is almost ten months now and so the fun begins! She is crawling a record speeds and uses everything to pull herself up and stand. It won't be long before she is walking. But she doesn't need to walk to be able to get into things. I thought I had a pretty child-proof house but I guess every baby is different and they will find the one thing you didn't think of................ It is a good thing they all keep me on my toes!!

Here are some fun pictures of Katie.......... enjoying her favorite pastime.................

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

Today has been a long awaited day for everyone. The kids waited patiently for the whole month and didn't even complain this morning when we made them wait a little longer because they were up sooooooo early. Daddy and I have been waiting for it to come because he gets 2 weeks of much needed time off. We spent the day hanging out and playing with all the new things we found under the tree. I made a big family dinner and then got to take a short nap (which never happens). We had a great day!! And for all our family that we aren't able to be with..........We love you and miss you all like crazy. Happy Holidays to everyone!

Samuel loves, loves the Incredible Hulk (even though he doesn't know the story). He is into super hero stuff like Jack. The green shirt he has on is a hulk shirt and he wears it ALL THE TIME! Grammy made sock monkeys and dressed them up in super hero costumes for the boys.She also made Raggedy Ann dolls for all the girls. Everyone loved them!!Katie didn't really get to open her gifts because everyone else was all too helpful. She didn't mind as long as the other little ones did not take her unwrapped gift away.Abby loves dolls.......Well, she likes what she likes. It all depends on the moment!

It was fun to watch the kids get excited and squeel when they opened up their gifts. And even though it wasn't a huge Christmas (that's the way we like it), the kids had fun.

Merry Christmas!!!

Did I ever tell you the story about..................

2008-12-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

One of my earliest memories is when I was about 4 years old. I can remember in great detail the things that went on that day. I don't remember if it was in the Fall or Spring but I remember exactly what I was thinking and exactly what I was doing. I remember having it all planned out (what I was about to do) so my Mother would not find out. I even manipulated my little sister into being my guinea pig. That day no one could have predicted what I was about to do............................... That day, at 4 years old, I can remember like it was just the other day. I stacked up some bible story books on the porch to make a chair for my sister, age 3, and then proceeded to tell her I was going to make her beautiful. I sat her down and then took my mothers scissors (that I had secretly taken out of the drawer earlier when MOM wasn't looking) and then I CUT her hair. Now, my sister and I both had long, strait, beautiful hair but the key word here is "HAD." I didn't just "trim" or "slightly cut" her hair. I CHOPPED IT OFF! Almost right to her scalp. Yes, I did that! Me, Allissa! But wait, that's not all......................... After I had finished, I got one of our doll baby blankets and told my sister to wear it on her head so that my mother would not see. I had it all planned out.............but it didn't last long. Now, I don't really remember in my own mind what happened when my mom found out but she says she was very, very MAD. I think she eventually forgave me. After all, I was only 4 and I only did what any child would do with idle time right? Right!

I know you all are thinking that you are being set up for the REAL reason why I am telling you this, and some of you may have already guessed but I will tell you anyway................................

Today, I cried. I felt such a sense of loss and distress. I asked "WHY" about 100 times but there was no answer. My 4 year old, Abigail, CUT HER HAIR!!! AAAHHHHHH!! Yes, MY daughter went digging ( and she had to dig because I try to keep all that stuff OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN) and found scissors. She decided to cut, and cut all that beautiful hair. It only took a few moments for me to realize something was going on because she didn't come back from the bathroom right away after using it. But a moment is all it takes. I am sure that the only reason none of her siblings fell prey to her experiment is because Eve, 9, would never have agreed to it, Jack and Sammy are boys and already have short hair and Katie would not have stayed quiet or still long enough for a hair cut. So, she felt that her beautiful, long hair was the perfect candidate. I am very thankful, though, that she did not start at the scalp. I was able to fix most of it but it is pretty short compared to before. I know that it is just hair and it will eventually grow back but I still cried and cried. And when Abby saw me crying so much she teared up and hugged me tight. I told her I would miss her long hair but that didn't change how beautiful she was and that Mommy still loved her very much. She just hung her head and responded, "Yeah," and then hugged me some more.

My mother said that one day she hoped I would have a child just like me. I just never thought that history would repeat itself in such an ironic way..........................

Here are some before and after pics..................

Happy Birthday, Jack!!

2008-12-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today Jack officially turned 7..........................We had a small party planned for him but it turned into a not so small party. Jack invited 4 friends and then their whole families came (which we expected). And then Eve invited one of her friends and her family and since we were already going to have so many people we asked some other family friends to come hang out. Everyone showed up too! Jack was so happy to have so many friends to hang out with. We had BBQ pork and maccaroni and beans. It was awesome to fellowship with everyone in our home. I think we'll have to start doing it more often!

Here in December.................

2008-12-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

I'm still here...........life gets so chaotic in the Strunk house around this time of year.

The Friday before Thanksgiving Joshua's school had a faculty and family lunch. Thanksgiving week we worked on our house and Joshua, of course, worked on school work. We had 20 people over on Thanksgiving day and last weekend Joshua's school had a fund raiser two days strait. Last week, Jack had an ear infection and Katelyn's ear drum burst so it was off to the doctor. Now I am getting ready for Jack's birthday and right after is Christmas (Jack will be 7 on the 19th but we always try to celebrate it a week or two early so he can enjoy it by itself instead of it feeling like an "early Christmas" for him). Anyway, Here is what we did today ........................................................

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

2008-11-30T19:38:00.000-08:00

We had 20 people over for Thanksgiving Dinner Thursday. We had a great time and I didn't do any of the cooking! Friday we went to the playground at Joshua's school and the kids played. Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving...............................

Baby Interpreter........

2008-11-18T08:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday night we went to small group at a friends house. On our way home Samuel was in the worst mood. I could not figure out what was going on and he had absolutely no desire to calm himself to be able to communicate so I had to raise my voice to get his attention. I explained that I could not understand him and he needed to stop. Sammy gave me the evil eye and said nothing...........But thankfully I have a Baby Interpreter! From the back of the van I hear a voice say, "I think Sammy is saying that he wants to go to Dairy Queen and get an ice cream cone. And he says that I, Abby, need a slushy." ........Well, Thankfully we had that taken care of...........But it was not over. When everyone else heard the words "ice cream" and "Dairy Queen" they all chimed in with their orders. We don't go there that much but they all know they can get a chocolate dipped cone there. So we did end up getting everyone a small kids cone (dipped for the older two). They had behaved so well at small group and (with the exception of Sam throwing a fit for whatever reason in the car) they all asked nicely for an ice cream. Now Abby always gives me her interpretation although I have a sneaky suspicion that she has her own agenda....................................

8 months and crawling..........

2008-11-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Katelyn is finally crawling. This is a short clip for all the family out there who can't visit often and might feel like they are missing out...............

Gulf Coast trip........

2008-11-08T13:45:00.000-08:00

We have been in South Florida for a little over a year now and we finally took a trip to see the Gulf Coast. It is totally different than the East Coast where we go often. It was beautiful! The sand was almost white and powder-like and the water was much more calm. We loved it!

Field Trip............

2008-11-05T07:32:00.000-08:00

My Parents came to visit this past week and spent some time with the kids. One of the things we did was go to the Imaginarium. It is a discovery center of sorts but it also has several other hands on exhibits. There was a fish tank where we got to touch some sea life, an animal rain forest where the kids got to feed some HUGE fish and swans, and there was a Florida reptile exhibit where a worker gave a tour and we got to pet a baby alligator, a snake and a turtle!
The kids didn't want to pet any of them...........They just kept backing up. Then there was the discovery/science part. We played with puppets, jumbo marble mazes that used billiard balls instead of marbles, made music, and saw some scientific exhibits that showed stuff about magnets and pressure. They also went "digging" in the Fossil Quarry (giant size sand box). The younger kids played in the toddler area where they had trains and a grocery store area. One of the last exhibits we went to was the Hurricane Experience. You got to go inside a simulator and "experience" what it might be like to go through a small hurricane.................. We had a great time!!

Abby's birthday pics

2008-11-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

Whenever the kids have a birthday we like to have a small party with just family. My parents came to visit from Pennsylvania so Abigail got to have a nice quiet party with her siblings and Grandparents. Eve made homemade decorations again and the older kids helped make the cake. We had a good time..................................................

Happy Birthday Abby.............

2008-10-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Abigail turned 4 Sunday........................She is turning into quite the little lady. We are going to celebrate with family later this week so I'll post more pics later. For now, Happy Birthday to my little 4 year old............We all love you!!!

Autumn in the air.........

2008-10-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Even though Autumn doesn't really "happen" here it is still nice to get the feel of it. So we went to the pumpkin patch yesterday to get some pumpkins. It was a nice day and not too hot (about 82 degrees). The kids had a good time and found some great pumpkins...............

Soccer Days........

2008-10-21T08:26:00.000-07:00

Eve and Jack started soccer a couple of weeks ago.......................Soccer season is a little later for the kids here because it is too hot to start at the end of August so their first game wasn't until October 4th. They are playing with Upward Soccer which is through a church here in town and they seem to like it. They are having a lot of fun...................................Jack is a little more agressive and plays offense but Eve prefers to play defense. They are on the same team this year but maybe next year we will try something different............................

Eve Kicking the ball on a corner kick...................
Eve starting the game................................. Jack in front of everyone with the ball........................... Jack running against 3 GIRLS..................................... Jack taking the ball from a GIRL and going for a goal.......................

Beach Baby...........

2008-10-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach last week. We try to go to the beach at least once a month because we live so close but taking an infant and four other kids is a little hard. We have been there about three times since Katie was born but this was the first time Katie could sit on the beach by herself and we didn't have to lug her car seat along. It was her first "official" trip................... It was a little windy that day but it was warm. We went in the evening around 5:30 and no one else was there except for a couple of wind surfers.........

Play days.......

2008-10-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Joshua finally finished putting together the swing set (Except for the slide). The kids couldn't wait to play on it today so we went out for a while and I took some pictures................... Samuel is climbing...................Again!
Something about boys...................I think mine were born monkeys..........

7 months.......

2008-10-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

The months are flying by...........Katelyn has so much personality....... Here are some pics.......

Recent stories.....................

2008-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Whoa Cool.....................

I mentioned that someone gave us a wooden play set...........Samuel loves it!! We still haven't put a slide on it yet but that doesn't bother him much. He climbs up and down, up and down. Well, he did only climb up and down until he realized there was supposed to be another way down and we just hadn't fixed it up yet. So he decided to go down that way anyway............He jumped from the platform where the slide is supposed to go. And as I had a heart attack and panicked when his feet hit the ground and his body crumbled.........Samuel stumbled to his feet and exclaimed, "WHOA, COOL!" Then he wanted to try it again..............

Making waffles...........

The other morning I made waffles, as I do on a regular basis. Everyone ate, except Abby, and then I put the leftovers away and cleaned up. About an hour later I went back to the laundry room to put a load of laundry in the dryer and start a new one in the washer. Then I picked up Katie and went to change her diaper. When I walked back out into the kitchen it smelled like something was cooking but I didn't see anything. After putting Katie down I went to inspect further. I found Abigail, in the kitchen, with the waffle iron.....................In the 6 minutes or so that it took me to go to the laundry room and change a diaper, she had gotten out the leftover waffles, gotten the waffle iron and plugged it in and then put her waffle in it to "cook" it so she could have her breakfast............

Eating books........

Samuel loves, loves, books! His favorite books are this set of 4......One is about colors, one about numbers, one first words and one about shapes. Everyday he asks for them to be read to him and if he has already asked me once he then gets Eve or Jack to read them. He loves them so much that he has started to "eat" them......................He is only pretending, of course, but he does actually lick the pages and then pretend to eat them. He particularly likes the book with the colors because on the purple page there is a picture of grapes..........

These are just a few stories but every day has something going on.....................Life is always interesting and fun when you have kids!

Just playing around.........

2008-10-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Someone gave us a trampoline and a wooden playset the other day. They are used but perfect for the kids. They have never had this stuff before so they have been enjoying them. We got the trampoline up without much of a problem but the swingset is going to take some time to put back together completely. The kids LOVE it.............................................