Fire Safety...........................

So, school has started again and is full swing. I pretty much have a schedule for Eve and Jack. Abby is just starting out so I use her daily activities for opportunities to teach the basics. Samuel, on the other hand, is teaching all of us. You know, all the practical things we don't think about..................................................................................

Last night, Abigail asked for some popcorn so I got out the microwave stuff (because I wasn't feeling good and I was on the phone with Joshua's mom). I put it in the microwave and hit the popcorn button then walked to the other room. I was changing Katie's diaper and saying good-bye to Joshua's mom when I started to smell smoke. I was only gone out of the room for about 5 minutes but it was plenty of time for trouble to brew. When I got out to the kitchen the room was filled with smoke, there was black smoke coming out of the microwave and Sammy was standing on the floor, by the bar stool that was in front of where the microwave is. He was pointing to it, coughing and saying, "Mommy, moke pocorn." Yes, Samuel had pulled the bar stool over so he could reach the microwave and then apparently added time to the popcorn and it burned. Not like a little burnt but like it caught on fire burnt....................There was no popcorn left in the bag only black soot and seeds and the bag was half gone too. After making sure there was no fire anywhere and turning on all the fans to get the smoke out, I assessed the damage and needless to say, my microwave has seen it's better days.
Jack walked over and asked, "Mommy, why is there smoke everywhere?" So I explained it and He remarked, "Well, I guess we know now that our smoke detectors don't work!"
I would like to say that it is not true but sadly, when we moved into this house we really didn't think about the detectors. We normally check them on a regular basis but this time it had slipped our minds. Right about now, I know, Grandpa (Joshua's dad and Fire Captain) is using a few expletives (**%$#!!**%$!) and is picking up the phone to call Joshua but he can rest easy because we bought new detectors and they work well. There are even fire extinguishers! Thank you, Sammy!!

We all are fine and the smoke has cleared but we won't be forgetting our lessons in "fire safety" from our two year old.........................................................................
Here is a picture for Grandpa.....................................................

Does God like cookies???????

The other night we were playing bible trivia with Eve and Jack. Instead of playing the actual game part of it they decided to have me just read the questions and they would shout out the answer as quick as possible. I think they were testing their super hero speed or something......... So this is how it went.................................

ME: "On which day of creation did God rest?"

KIDS: "THE SEVEEEEEEENTH!!!"

ME: "Where did God want Jonah to preach?"

KIDS: "NINEVEHHHHHHH!!!"

ME: "What did God put in the sky as a promise to Noah?"

KIDS: "A RAINBOWWWWWW!!!"

ME: "The land of Canaan was flowing with milk and............................................."

KIDS: "COOKIEEEEEEES!!!"

They were on such a roll that they didn't even realize what they'd said until Daddy and I burst out laughing. Jack was the first one to giggle and then say the right answer. Then Eve giggled and said, "Oh yeah, Canaan was flowing with milk and honey. But if I were God I would like to have cookies because they go better with milk..........I think God probably likes cookies. Especially Oreo's because they taste the best with milk!"

Eve is my abstract random child (The Way They Learn by Cynthia Tobias) and it shines through. She has a way of making mundane things seem exciting. Who knows, maybe God does like cookies!

Daddy and his girls..................

Making a scene...........

Last night we ALL went shopping. That usually does not happen just because it is easier without the 5 kids in tow even when they behave. Anyway, we went to the grocery store because we needed a few things and then Joshua wanted my opinion on some grills he's been looking at (He "needs" a grill so he can cook better steaks.......Ha ha!). All in all our kids behaved very well and we got done shopping in a decent amount of time. Samuel didn't scream and throw fits, Abby didn't run off, Katelyn sucked her thumb and did not make a peep and Eve and Jack didn't beg for things (well, maybe a soda and some candy. You know, all the things the retailers put in the check out lanes so your kids will misbehave and you will be tempted to give in and buy because, after all, it is only $.88 and you don't want your kids to make a scene.................................lol!). But even though they didn't do anything to make a scene it never fails. If we look around we can see all the stares and hear the mumblings, "Look at how many kids they have," and some people are actually brave enough to smile and ask, "Are they all yours?" It always strikes me as funny because why else would we be shopping with five kids? Maybe we like borrowing other people's kids and then running our errands.................lol! Besides, we only have 5, and even though it is significantly more than the national average of "2.5" we don't need a 15 passenger van yet. But no matter how our kids behave or where we go from now on we will be making a scene.......................

having fun.........

So, I changed some things on my blog page.............I have several friends who blog and I saw some of their changes and decided to play around a little. I tried several backgrounds but liked this one the best (can you tell what my favorite color is). I had fun messing around with it so you might see some other different backgrounds after a while, if I can find some free time to play.........
Anyway, I hope you all (all 4 of you) enjoy it.

Storms of Life........

We have just experienced our first tropical storm since moving here to South Florida last August. It is still tormenting the state and will probably continue for the next couple of days but the major threat for us is over. It came right over top of Okeechobee where we are and school was closed for two days! Tropical Storm Fay left a lot of people without power and there was so much flooding that the locals were saying that they haven't seen this much damage in a long time. Thankfully, we did not experience as much damage but it was a little bit scary at times. We didn't lose power or have any trees fall on us (and that was only a tropical storm)!

It reminds me of life.................Sometimes disaster happens............most of the time it isn't even something we planned for, it just happens. And sometimes, no matter how much we plan, it still happens. When we begin to get comfortable and think we are O.K. God has a way of getting our attention and bringing us to our knees. He wants us to constantly rely on Him and trust Him but we seem to think we can do it on our own. And when we stop allowing God to be our source for everything, disaster happens. Not always extreme or harsh but we do have a tendency to mess things up if left to our own (kind of like my children).

We have been in Florida for a year and will probably be here for a while longer so this will not be the only storm we have to go through. There will be plenty more. But just like us having to learn how to trust God to keep us safe during these tropical storms, I believe He is showing us that He will carry us through the many Storms of Life.............and we will learn to walk with Him one day at a time..............................................

Here are a couple of videos of Tropical Storm Fay...............

This is a while before it really hit. When it was just windy and rainy but you could tell it was coming........................

This is about an hour before the center passed by us. It didn't really get scary until after the center passed and we caught the tail winds. I did not get that on tape because it was dark then.

All in all, I think it felt like a really bad thunder storm except without the thunder and it lasting for several days instead of a couple of hours.

A Day at The Park.........

We were invited to go to a State park with some friends of ours and the first thing the kids wanted to know was if there was a place to swim. It was a good question to ask since it is pretty hot here in August and being outside without some way to stay cool is insane! Well, we decided to go even though there was no place to swim or be in water because it was cloudy and breezy and not too hot (98 degrees). The kids complained a little until we got there and they saw a large playground (in the shade). After a while of playing Samuel came running over to the pavilion we were all sitting under and he was all wet. I asked him what happened and he went running off all the way over to the other side of the playground next to a trail. I followed because I was curious and when I got there I saw the water spout. Samuel figured out how to turn the spout so water came out and filled up the hole under it and then he went swimming! Sammy's water radar is excellent if you didn't already know, so if there is water somewhere near, he will find it (like the time he ran full speed and went face first into a small pond in the front yard of a house we looked at to buy or the time at the ball field where he found a large puddle left over from a recent storm and stripped down naked and sat in it )............................. Anyway, The kids had a great time after they all discovered the water and played in it.................