Valentine, Party of 11

Just a few weekends ago we had a house FULL of Valentines when Steve, Jenny, Karis, Isaac & Olivia moved in with us for three nights. It was a lot of things including loud, hilarious, exhausting, busy, entertaining & bunches of fun not only for the little people but also for us adults. We said goodbye to this beloved family when we left Florida in May & had not seen them since. The countdown was on for weeks as we anticipated their arrival to the great state of Texas where they had a month stay planned in their support raising journey. We were glad to have them with us since we had much catching up to do!

The cool weather kicked in (for a short stay) that Saturday so we enjoyed some yummy chicken noodle soup for lunch with grilled cheese. We got the five littlest Valentines down for naps (amazing feat right?) & sent the daddies to the grocery store while we rested on the couch. There was a lot of playing that afternoon both inside & out followed by tortilla pizzas & bed for the chitlins. We had an adult only cheese & wine night at the kitchen table which offered wonderful time to visit & laugh with one another. 

The next morning, it still felt great outside so we headed over to the elementary school park for some play time. 

We love double anything around this house..

 

Kar-Bear & Lolo...

Anson & Isaac. I love this one....Isaac was so happy to have some boy cousins to rough & tumble with although the little guys weren't quite as ready as Isaac thought they might be ; ) Anson looks tense haha!

We had a good laugh trying to name states up in this area of America. Here are these three discussing which is which. After five weeks of Classical Conversations covering US Geography, Charlotte knows about half of the states & state capitals covering this region. Mommy is learning too ; )

We can't miss out on rolling down a hill if one is present....

Karis had her own plan for rolling down the hill....backwards haha! It was a bit more challenging than she initially expected but we all had a good laugh!

Little Livi-Lou got lots of snuggles from all of us including her Uncle Rob. She is SOOOOO precious & petite as she can be!

After naps for many in the bunch, we had a mini Valentine family reunion with us plus Bob, Jeannine, Bob's brother Bill, his wife Kathleen plus their children. We grilled fajitas & had a great time.

Here's the whole crew including Bella....

These two, love them more than they will ever know.

Charlee always enjoys a good snuggle with her Grandpa Bob!

Bob & Jeannine with their collection of grandkids. One a year (or two) haha! Charlotte- 5, Karis-4, Eloise-3, Isaac-2, Owen & Anson- 18 months, Olivia- 6 months.

And the other Valentines we love, Bill, Kathleen, John, Elizabeth, Ana & her boyfriend John.

Eloise took to Aunt K pretty well & was excited to hear that she & Charlotte might be invited to have a sleepover at her house! Sounds like fun to me!

The only bummer about that evening was due to my allergies/cold or whatever it was, I lost my voice completely. I still had a good time & once we said farewell & got kids to bed, the guys enjoyed a cigar on the back porch while Jenny attempted to get me hooked on 19 Kids & Counting which worked. We laughed, well, I silent laughed & we had a blast on the couch.

Thankfully Steve & Jenny planned to spend Monday with us as well because I had no voice & could not even imagine trying to tend to my four in that state! Robby & I were laughing when we went to bed that night as I said "I am so glad S&J were here today, they were my voice when I couldn't speak" & continued on through the lyrics of the Celine Dion song "Because You Loved Me." Really though, there would have been no walk to the park without two loud voiced parents to keep the bunch under control!

There are always lots of turtles to look at from the bridge!

This was our attempt at a cousin only picture with Uncle Steve behind to help catch Liv if she was headed out of someone's arms. Thumbs up right? It's frame-able!

Isaac was excited to hop into the wagon with his boys...

Super Steve & all seven...

Our last evening was full of snuggles on the couch with the littlest lady

Eloise had her turn & rolled onto her back on the couch with Livi in her arms. It looks like she wanted her mommy but then she got real cozy on her cousin.

Then all hopped onto Uncle Steve or "Daddy" as Olivia refers to him ; )

What a wild & wonderful weekend it was spending uninterrupted time with this special family.  We had our fair share of helping the three big girls love each other well & broke up a couple fist fights between the boys...not really fist fights but the equivalent for 1 & 2 year olds ; ) We are excited to see how the Lord is providing financial means for this family to make their way to Poland next summer as missionaries. Our time with them is even more valuable looking forward to the years ahead & knowing the lack of "in person" time we will share once they are on the other side of the world. We do trust that God will continue to deepen our love for each other's families while they are away & make our Skype dates sweet.

I feel like I need a nap just recounting our time together! Too bad, we are headed to the State Fair in just a couple hours to see them again : )

Oktoberfest 2014!

We are slowly easing back into the Texas life we once knew & loved but it certainly looks a little different now with Robby & Lauren plus four!  One event we enjoyed each September was Addison Oktoberfest. A weekend full of great music, dancing, eating & beer which is what I care least about but apparently, I'm the weirdo there ; ) 

The weekend snuck up on us due to all the transition here plus a little respiratory infection for an already tired mama but after some quick planning, we were on our way! Charlotte kept saying "We are going to the Fest!" The girls were most excited to hear that there were rides there after our trip this past Spring to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo or as Eloise simply says "the rode-E." There are just some things you don't correct since it is adorable coming out of a little mouth...that is one! Those boys are pretty much just along for the ride at this point in life. They were less excited about the hot temperatures & height restrictions on the rides.  The first tense moment was actually our "ride" into the parking garage with the rack on top of the Expedition. The entrance said seven feet which we initially cleared but then dragged along the roof a bit to make it to our parking spot. It was fun. We ended up with a few scrapes which aren't noticeable unless you are the same height as Goliath so I guess it's alright. We loaded into the double stroller, held hands with the ladies & trekked across the field to the entrance.  

The girls got their tickets & headed straight for the Caterpillar ride....

After that ride was finished I was pretty sad that they spotted the mini rollercoaster that requires a parent to ride with someone Eloise's height. If you read the "Rode-E" post back in March you would know I was required to board that serpent & was not impressed by the rickityness of the track. Let's just say I was even more terrified about the dragon rollercoaster at the "Fest!" The girls giggles every single twist & turn coupled with Robby holding up a finger each time we passed the start of the track to say "One more time around!" made it worth the risk of losing my life on the mini Dragon.  Writing this post is proof that I survived but I will definitely try to get out of it at the State Fair ; )

We then parked it at the entrance of the carnival to wait for the Clark Crew.  Brooke texted soon after & said that they were at the Dragon coaster. We made our way back to my least favorite ride to find Brooke boarding with her two middles. I had a good laugh watching her face each time they circled back around ; ) Someday our kiddos will be tall enough to ride on their own but for now, we will keep on riding to hear the shrieks of laughter as we squish them with all our weight around the hair pin turns. While we were waiting, I attempted to get these two smiling...Oh Lolo!

Camden, Kenzie & Corbin (not pictured) joined us on the helicopter ride. I say "us" because once again I got to ride with my little Eloise who was just tad too short to ride alone.  Kenzie was looking fabulous in her German wear!

It proved to feel a bit safer than the dragon & Eloise was a dare devil rider keeping her helicopter at the highest height the entire time. She also told me she loved me more than a couple times. LOVE her so much.

The last ride was hilarious & Karlee made her debut on her own little pink Harley. She was too cute for words!

Once we were drenched in sweat & had spent too much money on tickets for carnival rides we headed for the giant air conditioned tent. It was packed out but thankfully Brooke's mom got a spot cleared out for our crew & we settled down for a moment....but really, it was just a moment. The music was blaring & all the big kids headed over to the dance floor while I worked on wrangling my little buckaroos. Robby grabbed a plate full of food which I was thinking was mostly for the two of us but Chubby Bubby proved me wrong. I wish I had a video of him scarfing down the Bratwurst on a stick. Like the good & safe mother I am (only partially recovered from my respiratory infection), I was biting pieces off, splitting them in two with my teeth then feeding my baby birds. Anson was screaming, grabbed ahold of the stick & proceeded to attack the brat. I'm pretty sure he growled a bit as he ripped of large chunks of meat....my little carnivore. Owen was content with me passing him bites but still ate his fair share & then some. He's working on catching up. 

After eating a bit, we went to the edge of the dance floor with our four to watch a little show where Edelweiss, a favorite song that we had in our wedding was played with little bells or something like that. I honestly can't remember due to what happened next. There were easily 2,000 people in that tent & most seem to have great control over their children. I was looking down at Anson in my lap for a second & when I looked up I saw Eloise running full speed across the middle of the show. I was whisper yelling to Rob to do something but as I caught his attention we glanced down at Owen & could not stop laughing. Robby had is Oktoberfest mug full of a fresh beer & that little stinker had his hand & half of his arm in that mug, pulled it out, took a big lick & stuck it back in again!  Eloise returned back to arms reach soon after, we had a little chat & returned back to our table. It was one of those moments that we had a million of on that trip we took to West Palm Beach, Florida when the boys were about five months old. It was a moment that was a hilarious reminder of where we are in life & how much had changed since our last visit to Oktoberfest in 2007. 

Last time we went with the Clarks, Corbin, their oldest was only 9 months old & we were childless. My how the times have changed! Oh & that guy between Brad & Brooke is not part of our group ; ) 

The boys were a bit grumpy to say the least & I was thinking we needed to get out of there ASAP. I was waiting to get Rob's attention but he would never turn around to glance my way where I was stroller locked with all the tables so I did what I had to do & loaded a baby on each hip to make my way to his side. Once I got there I sat down my heavy loads & could not believe what happened next. Those two screaming babies were happy as they could be "dancing," attempting to jump & racing all over the dance floor for an entire hour. If I would have known that, I may have parked it at a table in the air condition upon arrival at Oktoberfest! Here is just a little taste of the fun that was had. Look close & you can see Brad & Kenzie showing off some cool moves. You can also see me stop the Lolo bird & remind her not to run over people.

We were exhausted after our four hour stay & we bid the Clark's farewell as we made our way back to the vehicle that was potentially stuck in the to small parking garage. Thankfully we were able to exit without any difficulty. We realized that we were starving so we made a detour to Torchy's Tacos...a new found favorite thanks to my little brothers, picked up our dinner & made a beeline for home. The girls were hungry too so we said it was "Fest night" at home & we cooked hot dogs & popcorn for a second dinner at 8pm (so past bedtime for our crew!) I will just confess here that even though my children were beyond filthy, I put them to bed....filthy...then I didn't have time the following day to bathe them so we went to church like that & waited 24 more hours to clean off the filth of the Fest.  You know what, we all survived & I sure washed those sheets on the sanitize setting after looking at the dirty feet that rubbed all over them : )

We are faced with a dilemma almost every day around here. Can we handle our kids in public? If the answer is "yes," do we have the energy to do so? Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't but we are thankful that we made it to Oktoberfest 2014...even if we lost control for a minute (or five)! 

Failure & the fruit of the Spirit

Monday started off like any other day. We were up when the sun came up, enjoyed some breakfast & sent Daddy off to work.  Within an hour all four children were falling apart, I was beyond irritable & was not proud of the way I interacted with them. I received a text from a dear friend inviting us over for lunch & I looked around at my brood & thought "heck no, this crazy train needs to stay non mobile in the station!" but as I continued to hear the constant whining, I decided it might be good for us to escape for a bit plus, this dear friend has her own bunch of four little ones & is well accustomed to challenging days : ) I called her & she said no need to pack a lunch & that she would love to feed us. That sealed the deal for me & I was packing us up to get out the door. In the end, I was so thankful I accepted the invitation & felt deeply loved & cared for by this friend who pointed me to scripture providing the encouragement I needed to continue through the day.

Feeling tense after our grand exit which frequently involves a game looking much like a Chinese fire drill while trying to get everyone into their proper places in the vehicle, I popped a new CD in the player to relieve some anxiety. We bought Karis a Seeds Family Worship album called "Seeds of Character." Each album comes with an additional CD to bless someone else with & I was thankful (especially that day) that Jenny chose to give it to us! The first few were good & then we came to number four called The Fruit.

The lyrics are as follows:

Galatians 5:16 & 22

I SAY WALK BY THE SPIRIT AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY
THE DESIRES OF THE FLESH

BUT I SAY WALK BY THE SPIRIT AND YOU WILL NOT GRATIFY THE DESIRES
OF THE FLESH

BUT THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS
GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL
IT’S, LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS
GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL
GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL

As usual, with all their albums, the scripture is set to a catchy tune & this one happened to be upbeat. After one time through I was singing it aloud & when I hit the list of "the fruit," I started feeling deep conviction for the way I had acted that morning. I heard a word & thoughts followed...  "love"-maybe, "joy"-not really, "peace"-haha! "patience"-hmmm, "kindness"-nope, "goodness"-I don't know but probably not, "faithfulness"-faithful to God?, "gentleness"- yeah, I missed that one entirely & "self control"- DEFINITELY not! In fact, it was slightly hilarious to me that when they sing "self control" they dragged it out with a little "trol-oooo-ohhh-oooo-ohhh-oooo-ohhh" as if to really rub it in that I stink at the last one. All of this amounted to hearing the word "FAILURE!!" as I considered my thoughts & actions with my sweet little ones who have been placed in my care. 

By the time the next chorus rolled around, Charlotte & Eloise were yelling from the backseat saying "Mommy, are you crying? What's the matter?" I turned the music off & said "yes girls, mommy is crying. I feel really sad about the way I acted this morning." I repeated what the scripture said to them & began asking, "Was mommy patient with you this morning? Was I gentle? Did I have self control?" They, being the non filtered little creatures they are said "no" & reminded me of the lovely tone of voice I exhibited as they shouted back to me "You talked like this when I wouldn't put my shoes on!" Sickening feelings in my heart....really. Mostly about Eloise who is a mere three years old & probably needs assistance doing things I ask her to do & then get angry when she doesn't. 

Side story & then I will tie this all together.  In the recent weeks, Charlotte has been staying with us in the worship service. We have been excited about her interest & ability to pay attention enough to have some questions for us.  There are many short conversations everyday about why we take communion, why Jesus had to die, why we die, what sin is or how He always forgives us. We believe & are praying that God is working in heart as she ponders all these things & look forward to each coming question. 

Naturally, I feel like I am on display for my children each day to see how I respond to different situations & naturally I feel like I should perfectly display this "fruit" Galatians talks about.  God used his word that morning to remind me that I was not walking by the Spirit & instead choosing to gratify the desires of the flesh.  It's so funny to how short lived that gratification is! In the moment of sensory overload with whining & disobedient kids I just let loose & yelled as loud as I could while throwing shoes etc...you get the ugly picture right? Sick feelings follow when I act this way & I am convicted of the sin that seems so difficult to conquer in this stage of little bitty kids who need SO very much assistance with pretty much everything in life. 

As I was sharing with the girls about why I felt sad while listening to the song, the Lord brought to mind & allowed me to share something gospel-centered instead of me-centered.  Instead of displaying this fruit perfectly to my children & being boastful in how I am doing well, I can point them to Jesus by saying "mommy can't do these things on her own, I will fail over & over again. I need Jesus." Instead of saying "I just have to do it, I have to walk in the Spirit!" I can point them to Jesus by praying aloud with them "Lord, help me walk in your Spirit." Instead of making excuses like "your disobedience just made me so mad!" I can point them to Jesus by saying "Will you please forgive me? I should have never treated you that way. I am so thankful that God always forgives us!" That's what they need to see! The good news is not that "with enough doing things well & right, we make God happy" but "that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! He can't stop loving us! He always forgives us & never leaves us!" What great news that is for each & every one of us! Through God's graciousness, he is helping me through these situations & I trust that His word that is being poured into our childrens' hearts will bear fruit one day. 

We pray that we would (and someday they would) "Walk in the Spirit & not gratify the desires of the flesh....for the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control." Galatians 5:16 & 22

Daddy goes TO work!

Have we here at the Valentine Nest experienced some major life change or what? Two weeks ago, Robby started a new full time position in IT consulting OUTSIDE the nest! Following seven years of enjoying his daily presence in our home we were sad to say goodbye but also excited for the new adventure both for him & for us.  

His role with the company he was previously working for came to an end & he was hired by a different company that is literally within a quick jog (if you are like Robby, long jog/walk if you are like me) from our new house.  They are family friendly, require NO traveling & offer an environment where Robby will get to learn a lot from others.  

After college, he started a job in Addison for a consulting company where he worked for two years. Through some connections with friends, he was offered a position in 2007 with a small consulting firm in Dallas where he was able to work from home about 99 percent of the time.  As young marrieds, I was working full time day shift & enjoyed his presence on my days off & his cooking on the days I was working. It was this company that fully supported our move to Orlando to be a part of a church plant.  He asked after working for only a few months with these guys & had the green light immediately to pursue a move to the sandbar.  The men he worked with were not only wonderful co-workers but cared deeply for our family & offered a friendship to Robby that he greatly valued through the years he was with them & I would venture to say will continue now that we are in Dallas again.  Once we settled into Florida, as many of you know, our home was quickly filled with little girls & boys.  A work from home dad could not have been any more appreciated than he was in those first five years of parenthood! We LOVED having him at home day in & day out & will forever treasure moments like these that occurred during "working hours." 

In honor of five years at home...

always time for a morning read with baby Charlotte on the table.  In fact for months 3-6 of Charlotte's life, work at home Daddy tended to bottle feeding, putting her down for naps & keeping her happy in a Bumbo chair on his desk when Mommy was at work 1 day a week! 

mid day music with Charlotte when she was in the stage of excess in the headband & panty department...lol....

Snuggles with Baby Eloise....

Horsey rides on a lunch break...even Bella girl was happy to be close...real close haha!

One nice part about working from home was that when there was nothing that needed to be done immediately, he could take a break to enjoy an afternoon rain with two little guys. 

The office was relocated to Robby's parents house this summer just in time for the World Cup...

GOAL!

Oh what sweet days they were! Robby would be the first to say that it was not always easy working from home & I would quickly affirm that statement!  The noise level increased about every 21 months as another baby (or two) were added to the mix.  A sign appeared on the office door that had rules like "Knock, if someone answers, come in, if no one answers, turn around quietly & walk away." I found this funny since I was the only one who could read in the house & it was placed right at my eye level  ; ) Sometimes he would walk out & say "It has to be quiet in here for the next hour." I would grin & say, "okay, we will do our best!" as I looked around at kids and/or dogs. We would often lock ourselves in the Master bedroom or load up in the car & get a Chick-Fil-A milk shake again...I liked those days. He eventually added weatherstripping to his office door to reinforce the gaps & block out some racket, it worked amazingly well from both sides.  The dogs really loved that his office was about 15 degrees hotter than the rest of the house due to all the computers running & passed out on a regular basis at his feet. I definitely spent many an afternoon breaking in to lay on the floor & lamenting about crying babies or failures in motherhood. I never failed to mention that I felt like he needed a chaise lounge against the wall so I could express my mental state more comfortably. He would grin at me like "I will never get one of those because then you would never leave my office." Ha! True story!

He really worked hard & played hard during those years & I am pretty sure I would not have survived the year that the twins were born without him at home with us.  He helped me stay sane & shared the workload when he was able. Many times he held down the fort when there were napping children so I could run to the grocery store sans kids or even let me take a quick walk....that was a gift in itself.

His first day was the Tuesday after Labor Day & I fought back the urge to write "First day of work" on our chalkboard sign & have him pose for a picture. But I did request that he smile with the Fab Four as they said goodbye to Daddy at the front door. The caption "Don't leave us!!"

Overall, we have enjoyed the past two weeks of our new routine. With Rob away it has really helped me take charge around the house & tend to everyone's needs while keeping up with housework & preparing for his arrival in the evening. Since he is literally around the corner he has joined us for lunch most days which is a perfect break in my day & offers much excitement for the little ones. There have been a few nights where he was walked into "perfection" you know, dinner on the table, four smiling, self controlled children with a calm mother but most nights he steps into the wildest hour of the day with grumpy kids, a half made meal & a disaster kitchen. He is always happy to see us (I think) & jumps right into the evening routine which we conquer then collapse on the couch simultaneously & ask, "how long will we feel this tired?" Ha! I think it's going to be a long time ; )

We look back over this year of uncertainty with employment for Robby & are so thankful that God provided exactly what we needed in every way. What a wild year...or years for that matter. Praise the Lord for all that He has done in our family. Here's to Daddy going TO work!

Kindergarten here we come!

Charlotte had her first day of Kindergarten at Classical Conversations on August 28th. She could not have been MORE excited & asked days in advance "Do I get to go to school tomorrow?" day after day after day : ) It was really fun to finally say "Yes, sweetheart, you get to go tomorrow!" the night prior to the big first day.  We got her backpack all packed up with the necessities, made lunches & aimed for a good night sleep. It was like Christmas Eve for that adorable little five year old. She hopped in my bed around 6:30am & snuggled with me till 7 when we got moving. I imagine packing up anyone for a day at school has the potential to be a big deal but with Classical Conversations I have to pack for the kindergartner plus three younger siblings who spend the morning in childcare + me, the mama. I'm getting faster : ) 

Back to the first day.  Robby had a meeting that morning so he got his picture taken with a breakfast eating baby girl #1 prior to his departure. 

The rest of the crew enjoyed a quick cereal & yogurt breakfast while Uncle Scott & I traded off getting ready. Praise the Lord he was there to help us on the first day! It went quite smoothly with two adults.

The girlies were excited & acting very silly as they finished up at the table....

I took Charlotte to the store to pick out something special to wear on the first day & almost had a heart attack when she chose a tutu like skirt! Our practical, always wanting to be comfortable in shorts & a t-shirt girl was looking like a little lady on her first day of Kindergarten & could not have been more beautiful.

We spent what I thought would be a few minutes online looking for a backpack but in actuality it turned into much longer.  She was picky & wishy washy but so was I looking at all our options, haha! She finally decided on a Land's End (which was more financially friendly than Pottery Barn) purple & lime green with her initials on the front. It is just the right size for her & even Mr. Owen can carry it around : )

and a couple more....

Scott & I thought we should give getting a picture of the Fab Four a try. It went GREAT!

First of all, the boys don't like the girls to hold their hands....

Eloise decided since Anson wouldn't come close with the hand holding that she should just pick him up...

and what usually happens when the little sissy gets the chubby bubby.....

My favorite part of the following picture is cute little Char just smiling away : ) Does this mean when I have a 9 year old, a 7 year old & two five year olds I will have it made in the family photo department? If we have to wait that long, there are surely many more moments like these to come!

We gave up & put the most cooperative person of the morning with the girls...

So, after a photo session on the front porch we said farewell to Uncle Scott, loaded up & made our 10 minute drive to our CC location.  This was a nice change from our 30+ minute drive last year! Another big & exciting change this year is that the boys are old enough to be in childcare. Last year, they were my best buds that took a lot of attention & energy to care for outside our home for three hours. Thankfully, God provided some other mamas that were happy to share the load and/or help me snap my buckles on double Ergos ; ) Eloise was really happy to have the boys in her "class" & went right in with a smile on her face ready to "help" the boys have fun. Anson was the one who completely lost it. He is such a mama's boy right now...I'd be lying if I said it even bothered me for a second ; ) I passed him off to an energetic young lady & he stopped crying fairly quickly.

We started in the opening assembly & I was quickly reminded of how little a Kindergartner is compared to even a Third grader. It brought a smile to my face knowing that there are MANY years ahead with our sweet young lady. She was grinning ear to ear & participated in every part. After the assembly we were dismissed to our individual classes.  God provided the kindest, sweetest teacher for us to enjoy this year. Her name is Mrs. Brandi & I am thankful for her willingness to serve our children this year.

Our class has only one boy which is a completely different dynamic than last year! It was much more calm with all ladies & one gentleman : ) They were attentive & had a great time learning. I did find myself missing the other mamas & kids from our class last year...especially the Brainard family whom Hannah, Char's buddy belongs to. We had some wonderful, hilarious moments last year they will not soon be forgotten. I do know that God provides exactly who we need in each & every season, that being said, I look forward to seeing friendships formed as we transition into being Texan again!

Part of CC is having a weekly presentation to share.  Last year, Charlotte hated it for the first 12 weeks. This year, wow, she hopped right up & answered all her "interview" questions without missing a beat. She, in true Charlotte style was still soft spoken & serious but she has grown leaps & bounds since last year! We look forward to seeing her grow this year too. 

One last first day pic...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her & could not be more delighted to be tackling Kindergarten together at home & with Classical Conversations. It is sure to be a year full of excitement!