This Week's Recap

So as I posted on Wednesday, we have a few extra family members for the week and our kids are having a blast! Last Sunday before they arrived Elijah said, "I'm excited to have an extra brother for the week, but that also means I'm going to have TEN sisters for the week!" 

   The boys have been busy tobogganing outside, stealing food from the kitchen, playing Catan, Minecraft (of course!)...

...and making everything from lie detectors to radios with an electronics curriculum that just arrived.

The older girls have kept the younger ones busy as well. Lots of Barbies, tea parties, colouring, braiding hair, and playing outside. 

Having thirteen kids here doing school during the day has been a little bit busy. We only had two breakdowns from kindergartners that wanted to go play and a few boys trying to skip out on classes that they didn't think I'd notice. :)

We plan to bake some special Valentine's Day cookies tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

Now for an update about our reading challenge! I finished my biography book "Unbroken" and it was an amazing story. I can't wait to watch the movie! At some points it was almost unfathomable what Louis went through. What so many soldiers went through. It was an eye opening book for me. Keona's going to read it for her biography as well.

I started reading "The 5th Wave" series to screen it for the girls but then I got really into it and had to know what happened next... Scott bought me the next one in series and I plan to read the final book when it comes out in May. Like I said... I like teen books. :)

I started "The Girl on the Train" last week and am about a third of the way through. I'm reading this for my "a book I've been meaning to read." So far I'm enjoying it. I have no idea what's going on yet- so that's always fun. 

Keona is reading "Alex Ryder: Eagle Strike" for a book she's been meaning to read. Actually, Elijah has been bothering her to read it for a long time now! So that's what's going on there.

Addy enjoys reading the dictionary...

I'm pretty excited for Family Day! It's always nice to have Scott home for an extra day. We're planning a little surprise outing with the kids and then relaxing. Ah... Relaxing.

 Did I mention that we ran out of fruit on Wednesday? Cause yeah, thirteen kids go through a lot of fruit. Thankfully Scott was kind enough to stop on his way home from work with Keona to grab some apples that were on sale for 99 cents a pound. So he bought 20lbs worth... That should last a few days. Oh, and Keona started her first job! She's working part time in the office with Scott. Mostly just filing and data entry, but it's exciting for her. 

What else?...

Rain is getting bigger by the second. There was a day last week when I wondered what we were thinking getting a puppy. Justus is pretty much middle age now- for a dog. He just sleeps, eats, plays with the kids for an hour and then sleeps again. I had forgotten what having a puppy is like! Not to mention, we got Justus when he was 13 weeks and already trained to go outside. It never dawned on us that at 8 weeks... They couldn't be trained yet! *kicking myself* But she makes up for it all in cuteness! The kids have been a big help. The girls take turns getting up with her first thing in the morning and taking care of her. Even Prayer. Who has decided that she is not an animal person and her children will never have pets... 

And for everyone who has expressed concern about Justus... 

He is doing just fine! He's been spoiled with extra treats and attention. He spends lots of time running around outside with the kids. Only occasionally roaming off the property and getting into trouble. He even let Rain hide in his bed with him when a loud noise scared her. 

He even tried to protect us from the Bell guy by keeping him from getting out of his truck in the driveway. Poor guy...

I guess that's about it! Hopefully I'll have time for more than one post next week.

The Photos You Didn't See...

We kinda live in a world now where everyone shares everything. Or at least it seems as though everyone shares everything. While in reality, everyone is very selective and careful to only show exactly what they want people to see. I am completely guilty of this as well. Every once in a while I may take a cute picture of one of my kids and share it on Instagram right away. Most of the time however, I take several shots, choose the best one, and that's all people ever see.

I wanted to start doing a "Wordless Wednesday" again, but thought I'd start out with this.

So... here are a few of the pictures you didn't see.

Those who follow me on Instagram may have seen this adorable shot of Lily in the hat, gloves, and boot cuffs that I made her...

Well, this is the shot from a few minutes prior...

She was "too cold" and didn't want to be outside. I offered her a cookie if she co-operated.

I actually did post this one on Instagram. Sadly, Addy refused to lay down for my annual New Year's Day photo. I gave up trying. I kept this one to show her when she's a teenager.

And this one...

Adorbs! Right???

(I may have watched one too many Barbie episodes...)

Except that this was the reality of sitting in a van with a 1 year old while her older siblings visited and sang in a nursing home for an hour.

After this shot I made faces at her in the rear view mirror until she laughed.

The time my 4 year old wanted to make funny faces but I had no makeup on and hadn't done my hair...

Or when we tried to get 10 kids to look civilized in a picture with their aunt.

There were at least 4 adults standing behind the camera. Elijah was standing awkwardly off to the side so I told him to put his arm around his sister. But he didn't want to touch her... Pretty sure Meg had just threatened Carson. Addy ripped her headband off for the 1,478th time a split second later... But I love it all.

It isn't perfect and yet it's perfectly us at the same time.

I'd take some pictures of my laundry room, but I don't want to traumatize anyone.

Nobody's life looks like their Instagram account 100% of the time.

It's such a small portion of our real life that is shared.

Sometimes life is picturesque...

Like when my 13 year old makes heavenly cupcakes.

Or homemade bagels..

I really like bread. And cupcakes...

Hence the "after exercise" photo.

This is reality.

I was ready to pass out and my entire body aches.

But it's totally worth it to enjoy the cupcakes...

Rain agrees with me.

I promise that my next Wednesday will be wordless.

Welcome, Baby Rain!

This all started over a month ago when a co-worker of Scott's told him that there was a Great Dane in the animal shelter near us. We know that can be a common occurrence as people don't realize how big and clumsy these adorable little puppies will become. Or how much they will need to eat! We still had a crate that belonged to the shelter from bringing Theo home so we figured that we'd just go "check it out" when we returned the crate. Both of us hated the thought of a gentle giant like Justus being in a shelter...

So we drove down there only to find out that she had already been adopted. While we were happy for her, we were both slightly disappointed as we had started to like the idea of having a second Dane.

So I decided to keep my eye out and watch a few different websites just in case anything came up. Within a week or so, we found this little beauty who was the last one left from the litter of 7 and needed a home.

The kids were ecstatic and so were we! Scott has said that he will always have to own a Great Dane after having Justus.

Rain came home with us yesterday and after greeting all of the kids she climbed into Justus' bed and fell asleep curled up in the middle. Justus just stood there and stared at her like "Now what?" and laid down on the kitchen floor. We promptly ran back out to grab a second bed. 

She still likes to try and cuddle with him, but he isn't so sure. When she starts barking to play- he runs away! Today he jumped up on the couch to try and get away from her!

Theo is also unsure, usually watching from a table or somewhere else out of reach. They've had a few scuffles today. They may be the same height, but Rain already weighs 3x his weight at 15.5 lbs!

She's adored by all.

We'll keep giving Justus and Theo extra attention and treats until they adjust. Can't wait to see what adventures they have as she gets bigger! 

Wipeout

I’m pretty sure that most people have heard of this show. I don’t know that I’ve ever sat through an entire episode, but the first round- the one where people get sucker punched into a mud pit, and inevitably fly off the big red balls… that’s my favourite. If Scott knows I’m having a bad night, he sends me a link to a fail video on YouTube. I blame my grandfather for my sense of humour. I still remember when we were playing catch and I ran for the ball, “Got it! Got it!” and it went right through my hands and off my face… Before he even asked if I was ok – he laughed! So in my defense, I come by it naturally.

ANYWAYS.. back to the real story.

So I was out on the porch chatting with Scott while he cleaned the car. Keona and Lily were playing around on the front lawn, and Justus was chained to the railing. I decided that I would take the girls and the dog for a quick walk around the block and kill two birds with one stone by tiring Lily and Justus both out for their naps. :) I casually unhooked his leash as I talked to Scott and had my back turned to the dog who was just chilling in front of the steps. I saw Lily head around the side of the house, and I watched as Keona followed her. What I didn’t see was a guy walking down the sidewalk in front of our house with his dog…

All of a sudden I felt a tug on the leash and as I tried to turn and get my footing, the dog took off. Being the brilliant person that I am- I tightened my grip on the leash. I think that for a split second I believed that I could hold him back…tripping over my feet and all.

Nope.

I fell down two steps and then my knees hit the pavement. I thought to myself, “Ouch, that was bad.” But it didn’t stop there… He proceeded to run and drag me, on my stomach, arms outstretched, like a cartoon, across 10 feet of lawn. I have the grass stains and bruises to prove it… When we finally stopped, I looked up and saw that I was at the feet of a guy with his dog. Meanwhile, Justus was still tugging at the leash and I was still lying on the grass. I saw Scott come around the truck with a very confused look on his face and he just stood there and stared for what seemed like an ETERNITY until I finally said, “Ummm, can you please take the leash so I can get up?” He grabbed the leash and dealt with the dog while I got up and brushed off my shirt. After the guy had asked me if I was OK several times, and told me how strong my dog was, (as if I hadn’t just witnessed it firsthand) I politely excused myself and said that I was going to go inside and clean up my knees.

As I was walking in the door he shouted, “Hey! Didn’t I see you guys in the newspaper!?”

Ha… Exactly how I wanted to be remembered. ;)

 

As a side note, I don’t think Justus knew that I had his leash. He has never pulled me like that before. We let the kids walk him (with one of us there) and he has never been a problem. When I went inside he came over to me and put his head up to my chest and then on my lap as if to apologize. We took him out several times that day and the following weekend, and no further incidences.

 

He really does love me…

On Saturday night, Scott and I were walking him to the park when a lady in a van stopped us to ask questions about him. She ended by saying, “He’s just so huge! If he wanted to go, you’d just be dragging behind!”

Scott and I both chuckled at how accurate her statement was…

And that is my wipeout story.

I am much relieved that there were no cameras around. My 13 year old laughing at me was bad enough. Though I can’t really blame her!

Phonograms, Birthdays, and a Runaway Dog

I have missed blogging! There are so many little stories that I will forget because I haven’t written them down. So many things the kids have said…

Like Prayer declaring that she was “sweating like a hotdog in the desert!”

Or Ella practicing her phonograms…

Sa, like ‘sat’.

Se, like ‘set’.

So, like ‘sock’.

Su, like ‘wasup’.”

I blame her father for that one.

Ella’s turn to add the star.

Lily now says, “Dum” (some) when she wants us to share food. “Lub ooo!” (Love you) “Mum! Mum!” As soon as I walk in the room.

12 months

Her sisters have taught her to go up and down the stairs. It’s quite hilarious to watch her crawl backwards while trying to find the top of the steps with her toes!

Keona taught her to feed herself. It keeps her busy and happy, but it’s incredibly messy…

 

Did I mention that Lily turned 1? Cause she did!

It was also my little brother’s 13th birthday! My little brother who just passed me in height…

The cake may have been a tad bit sweet for her fruit, veggie, and grain taste buds…

The kids decorated the tree! I did nothing this year. And other than the 6 candy canes in a row across the bottom branch (courtesy of Ella) they did a really good job! As they said the next morning, “Mom, you didn’t even redecorate it!” :)

The dog has grown.

A lot.

 

He ran out the front door the other day and jumped on a neighbour’s kid. I shouted at him and called him back. He ran the opposite way. I apologized to the father, who seemed to find it funny, and then proceeded to try and catch my 75lb puppy. He eventually came over to me and walked back home. We’ve been doing some serious training since that little incident.

 

I cut my bangs! Not so exciting, I know. I wanted to do something new with my hair, but I settled with dying it black to hide all the white and cutting my bangs because I’m too chicken to cut my hair. This is the longest it has been since I was… 10?

Gotta love iPhone self-portraits!

I’m incredibly excited about a new type of photoshoot I’ll be offering in the new year! I have my first official “Birth Photo Session” scheduled as soon as momma-to-be goes into labour! I’ll be portfolio building for a bit, so if you or someone you know wants their baby’s birth documented- contact me!

 

The kids are done school until next year! I would post the picture of Keona’s “happy dance”, but I can’t force myself to do it. I made her promise me that she’d never try to dance in public again… haha!

Begging his sisters for icing, or cake batter, or something like that!

I am enjoying my kids. Sure they drive me to the brink of insanity some days… but I love them to death. I wouldn’t trade these days at home with them for anything. Did I ever blog about the time that I had told the kids to be quiet while I was making a few phone calls? I was trying to leave a message for our dentist when a full-out brawl broke out right beside me. I finished my message, set down my phone, and proceeded to tell the kids off for being so inconsiderate. (Forget the fact that they were on the floor wrestling- I was trying to make a phone call!) Anyhow, after telling them off correcting them loudly, I picked my phone back up, only to realize that I had never hung up. Must have made for an interesting message.

 

Anyhow, December has been a great month with the kids so far. God is so good to us! I’ll share about our “advent calendar” in the next post! :)

Oh, did I mention that Scott was writing something the other day with a pen (!) when he admitted to looking back at a word, expecting to see a red squiggly line underneath it, and thought, “Oh, I spelled it right!” You know you’re using your iPad too much when… :P

Wouldn’t be a complete post without poking fun at Scott!

Love ya, hun!