Happy Memorial Day

I truly hope that amidst the barbecues and merriment, that everyone realize the true meaning of the day and take a moment to remember all of those who died to give us the opportunity to have such wonderful festivities with our families, for none of it would be possible without their ultimate sacrifice. As we thank and give tribute to the brave men and women who have died for our freedom here on Earth, let us also remember to thank Jesus. He was the first to sacrifice Himself for our freedom, our eternal freedom.

There is a poem I want to share that means a great deal to me, as a military spouse. I thought it fitting to share it with you today:

I am the wife of an American soldier.

I am a supporter of the United States Army-

an encouragement for the protectors of the greatest nation on earth.

Because I am proud of my husband and the uniform that he wears,

I will always act in ways creditable to him, the military service

and the nation he is sworn to guard.

I am proud of my husband. I will do all that I can to protect

and provide for my family in his absence. I will be loyal to my

husband and to the vows that we made as we entered the

covenant of marriage.

I will do my full part to carry on the values

and goals we have set apart for our family

and I will continue to instruct our children in the same manner.

As a soldier's wife, I realize that I play a vital role

in my husband's decision to become a member of a time-honored

profession-

that I am doing my share to keep alive the principles of freedom

for which my country stands.

No matter what situation I am in, I will never do anything

for pleasure, profit, or personal safety

which will disgrace my husband, his uniform or our country.

I will use every means I have to encourage my husband to be

the best soldier that he can be.

I am proud of my husband, my country, and its flag.

I will fly the flag and will always remember the sacrifices

made by my husband and by generations of men and women

that have served our beloved country.

I will try to make my husband proud of the

manner in which I accept his decision to defend my freedom and

the freedom of all American citizens-

for I am the wife of an American soldier.

May you all have a wonderful Memorial Day.

God bless you and God bless America!

Happy 10th Birthday Kiddo #1!!

On May 20th, our kiddo #1 turned 10. Double digits!! We don't know where a decade has gone, but know that this last decade has been made all the more special and wonderful with this precious human being a part of it.

This child brings a smile to everyone's face with his genuine sweetness, respect, helpfulness and humor. Words cannot describe how special he is!

On his birthday, we took out the photo album of his first few months and in every picture, he is full of smiles, love and life! That is our kiddo #1!

I cannot help but remember the fear we felt during kiddo #1's first few hours of life. He was over a month premature (but born at a whopping 7 pounds, 4 ounces) and stopped breathing suddenly after only a few minutes of life. I could only hold him for a moment before they rushed him off to the NICU. At 4am the following morning, I was awakened in my hospital room by the staff asking me for permission to put him on a ventilator. By 4:30, I was in the NICU holding his little hand and remained there.

Thank God he only had to be on the ventilator for 24 hours. Between the oxygen and jaundice, he wasn't released from the hospital until 6 days after his birth. But, all the days since then have been those of joy. We cannot imagine our lives without him a part of it! Happy Birthday Kiddo #1! We love you very much!

His birthday celebrating started on Sunday morning with a moon bounce party at a local establishment for he, his siblings and 13 friends, for a total of 17 very happy, tired kids by the end of the party! They bounced, bounced and bounced some more, had pizza and made a craft. It was a lot of fun. Sunday afternoon saw the family arrive for a wonderful dinner made by my mom. Of course, kiddo was spoiled with lots of his favorite things including the model you see in the photo from one of his aunts and uncles. On his actual day, his siblings gave him gifts and breakfast, his mommy and daddy gave him gifts at lunchtime and his grandparents gave him gifts in the evening, followed by a dinner at his choice of restaurant. I know he had a wonderful time.

We're reading the classics! (well, almost)

Kiddos #1 and #2 just finished reading the Classic Starts version of "Swiss Family Robinson." What a wonderful introduction the classics! This series includes a large number of the classic novels of the past and they have been rewritten at the reading and interest level of children their ages. They loved it. The idea of life on a remote island and the escapades of the 4 sons in the story definitely kept their interest. They would beg every night for another chapter. Last night we started "Robinson Crusoe." Another great adventure for them hopefully to enjoy! :-)

Peter Wentz Farmstead

Last Thursday, we visited a historic farmstead. Kiddo #1 wrote an essay for school about the trip. Here it is:

"On Thursday, May 8, we visited the Peter Wentz Farmstead in Worcester, PA. This farm served as headquarters for General Washington during October 1777. On the grounds are the main house, barns, pastures and fields for crops. It was fun seeing all of the animals. They have sheep, cows, goats and horses on the farm. It is just the way it would have looked in the 18th century. We were given a tour of the house that Washington stayed in during the winter and saw the actual room in which he planned the Battle of Germantown. One of the guides let us touch and hold items from during that time and we had to try to guess what they were and how they were used. We learned a lot about farm life and America's early years during our trip to the Peter Wentz Farmstead. It was a fun morning for all of us."

This sums up the morning really well! The weather was "iffy," but literally held out until we were heading to our cars (then we got poured upon, LOL!), which was great since all of the kids really wanted to see the animals outside. The farmstead is on over 1000 acres and walking around on its grounds was literally like stepping back in time.

The hands on portion of the tour was especially interesting and fun for the kids. Having to guess the use of some peculiar-looking items kept them thinking!

The animals, as you can see, were especially friendly and made the kids feel welcome.

The kiddos are here modeling what colonial children would be very familiar with- a tool used to carry two heavy buckets of water from the well to the house or farm, depending on where it was needed. Of course, all of the kids looked aghast when the tour guide told them that if they were alive during colonial times, they would awaken before dawn to work the farm and house!

My, How They Have Grown!

About a month and a half ago, the kiddos planted carrot seeds in see-through containers so we could actually watch and record their growth. It has been awesome to watch the development of the carrot, something none of us would ordinarily see.

They all are very proud of how well they have taken care of their plants and how well they are growing. Look at the silly grin on kiddo #4. Her carrots have really taken off!

Kiddo #2 looks especially happy with his and he has even promised to eat some of his carrots once they are fully grown. This is great since we all know that kiddo #2 can be a pretty picky eater! :-)

Kiddo #1 has been very diligent in making sure his plants have plenty of water and sunshine.

The process thus far has been a lot of fun for all of the kiddos. We'll be sure to post pics of our "finished products" as soon as they are available! :-)

Happy Mother's Day!

Kiddo #4's preschool had their annual "Mother's Day Tea" on Friday. The children sang for us and presented us with homemade gifts and refreshments. It was a lot of fun. Listen in to kiddo #4 singing....

Tony Stewart's #1 Fan !

One would only have to look at our kiddo#1's room (#20 sheets, comforter, curtains, rug, posters, etc., etc,) to see that he is surely Tony's #1 fan! And, what completely seals the deal is that they share the same birthday. (May 20th- kiddo #1 will be 10 that day and was absolutely beside himself when he found out that his favorite driver and he shared the same day)

Today, at our local Home Depot, kiddo #1 was able to get photographed with one of Tony's new Camry racecars (kiddo already has a framed pic with the Chevy Monte Carlo in his room). Despite the nasty weather, he had a great time and was actually the first person there to see the car!

Here's wishing Tony luck in tomorrow night's race!