A Lifetime of Love

I took the girls to pick blueberries one day while the boys were working to earn some extra money. We have only been to this particular farm once for a strawberry festival. I was familiar with the layout but honestly didn't know what to expect because we've never picked blueberries before. It was a GREAT time! When we first arrived, we made a stop at the bathroom to ensure we would have plenty of time to pick without having to "go" later. When we came out of the bathroom, we saw a group of people listening to instructions from one of the farmers. He then handed out half-gallon buckets to everyone. Side note: we have gone strawberry picking at a different farm and at that farm, customers were required to pay prior to getting their buckets. I was assuming this farm operated in the same way. I was wrong. I was only wanting a total of 1 half-gallon bucket of blueberries. Since each of the older 3 girls had a bucket, I was trying to convince them we were going to SHARE t...

Now that summer is here, school is out, and our days less busy, I have more time to post what's been going on in our lives... For several months, Tristin-Grace has been wanting to cut her hair. As in short, very short. She was tired of having to sleep in braids, and truthfully, she just wanted a change. TJ was against her getting her hair cut off. Every morning, as I brushed and fixed her hair for school, she'd plead with me to make her an appointment. Every evening, after her shower, she'd plead with me to make her an appointment. And each day when she got home from school, she'd ask me to fix her hair and beg me to make her an appointment. And each instance I told her the same thing: talk to your dad. Finally, Tristin-Grace was able to plead her case to her dad. Although not happy, he agreed she could get her hair cut. I made her appointment about 2 weeks out to give her time to think about how she wanted it cut, and if she truly did want to cut it short or if she...

This post is simply a public expression of thanksgiving to God for all that He has provided us over the past few months. Here are the specifics: *We knew last summer that we would be needing a new(er) vehicle as TJ's van (our only vehicle that could hold all 8 of us) was showing signs of its age and wear, particularly with the transmission. The goal was to keep up the maintenance on it for as long as possible until it was no longer safe to drive. On one of our trips to Ohio, we drove a rented Toyota Sienna while TJ's van was being repaired after a minor accident he was involved in. It was very spacious and had plenty of cargo space for all of us plus our luggage and gear. As a result, we discussed buying either a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna when the time came to replace his van. I will admit, I wanted a new van sooner than later, and hoped that TJ would one day soon announce his decision that it was "time". When I found out I was pregnant in November, immediate...

Tristin-Grace came home from school just now excited to show me what was in her bag. I unzipped it and found a "Difference Maker" t-shirt that she received from her teacher. Her teacher said that she makes a difference because every morning she walks another girl to class. This has been going on since the beginning of the year when the girl was crying because she didn't want to walk in alone. Tristin-Grace offered to walk in with her, and they have been doing it ever since. Her teacher also said that Tristin-Grace is good about cleaning up her work space and helping others tidy up theirs. That is really no surprise to me as she loves to organize things! I am one proud momma!

Today is Tristin-Grace's birthday. I am so thankful for her as she is such a mini-mommy. Tristin-Grace likes to take Annie potty, brush her hair, and help her get dressed. She really enjoys helping me take care of Taryn by changing her diaper, dressing, feeding, and playing with her while I am busy doing other things. This year TG has learned to fix her own hair (a time-saver for me!) and we are working on braiding. Tristin-Grace has also started helping me more with laundry, cooking, and cleaning. She has learned to sort the clothes by color, and she can make her own cereal or oatmeal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Tristin-Grace LOVES to clean, and really doesn't mind cleaning the toilets or washing dishes. The tougher the job, the happier she is! Since school has started, she has started to read better and it's been fun to listen to her read to her younger siblings (and sometimes Tanner). Tristin-Grace loves homework and on the days she doesn't have any, ...