It's been a while since I've written,

but we have been very busy. We moved out of town and are loving it.
We got two new dogs, Chihuahua's and one of them just had puppies, so, for now, we have 8 dogs. The kids have started a new school year and we are using a Charlotte Mason approach and have been thoroughly enjoying it.
I don't have much time this morning, but I'll leave a picture of the puppies.

Mike has been working hard!

And I am so glad that he has! I have a very nice looking kitchen now. I am so happy with it. It looks like a whole different house. We've been updating it slowly over the past four years, but the counter tops really had a big impact. I don't know that there's much left to do in the kitchen, maybe just the back splashes. It really does look nice!!!

Everyone is doing well and growing. Josiah is so cute! Of course, they all look cute at his age, and our kids all look very much alike. I am really having to keep the baby pictures well-labeled. So I'll include a few pics with this post. Enjoy!

Lots of changes for our New Year!

So, I finally took the time to download a more recent picture of myself. Jacob took it yesterday, in fact, Jan 11. I like it because Josiah is in it too. He is 3 months old now!

I have decided to cut out sugar. I thought I would just stop eating desserts, etc., but with the way I am I had to go out and buy a book about it. Turns out that our food supply in America is just overflowing with sugar and it's STILL not good for us. So over the next month or two I hope to have sugar out of our house. Fortunately, Mike agrees with me and is supportive of this decision. In fact, he is happy about it too. He has always wanted to limit sugar anyway. I am so glad that we agree on this. I already feel better from just not eating dessert type sweets. The kids haven't complained a bit and don't seem to notice the difference.

We are having a family conference at church later this week, followed by a teen conference. I am so excited about it (www.the-war.com). I have been able to go to church much more regularly now with all the kids and hope to be back to our regular every service schedule by the end of this month. After having Josiah I did slow down a bit, but am getting stronger and more organized daily.

Wow, it's been a while.

We have been so busy. December went by so quickly! It started with a trip to Lubbock to see my mom at the beginning of the month. From there we went to San Antonio to visit the river walk. Mike's mom met us there and we had a great time. Christmas Eve we went to my dad's. And lastly, Christmas Day we spent in Odessa with my Aunt Barbara. Whew!

Tomorrow we start getting back to our regular schedule. I am actually excited about getting back to school in the morning. The daily grind is so much sweeter after a nice break like that.

The kids are all doing well and Josiah is growing like a little weed. He's strong and alert. He's really very sweet and he just loves his older brothers and sisters. Jacob holds him often and Jenna can get him to laugh easily. Ryan and Rachel just want to kiss his head, but even they are caught singing to him and wanting to hold him at times.

So, after everything starts getting back to normal, we decide that we're going to go to Florida in May. I am excited about going, but wow, is it quite a bit of work and planning. Mike's grandma has a hard time traveling, so we're going to her. She hasn't seen the kids since Jenna was born, and that's too long for any grandma. Mike's mom will be happy to see them again too. One visit at Christmas really isn't enough. We are going to visit Disney while we are there and Mike is going to try and do some repairs at his grandmas house. I'm sure we will be ready for home after this trip too.

I'm still working on getting some updated pictures. I did recently open a Facebook account, so if anyone wants to be my friend, you can check out the pictures I posted there too.

I caught one!

A smile that is. People say that babies don't really smile til they're at least a month old, well, I have proof that little Josiah is the exception. He has been the smilingest (I know that's not a real word) baby ever since he was 4 days old. What a sweetheart!!! Now tell me people, does this look like gas....I think NOT!

I was in the paper today.

Well, my short claim to fame was begun and ended in a day, haha! My midwife and I were in the local paper in an article on homebirth. Josiah looked very cute, they caught him in a yawn. I wish Rachel would have been smiling, but she still looked cute. If anyone is interested, here is a link to it. http://www.oaoa.com/articles/midwife_21957___article.html/birth_cockrell.html

Other than that, just normal stuff going on here. Little Josiah is three weeks old today and doing very well. He had gained over a pound at his 2 week check up. What a healthy little (big!) guy. He is sleeping a little less during the day and getting better at sleeping at night. All of the kids want to hold him all of the time and they love him so much already. I am happy about the amount of energy I have this time after having him. I am attributing that to a healthy diet and continuing my vitamins. I also was able to rest much more due to a very wonderful group of ladies at church who brought us dinner for the first two weeks after Josiah's birth. I can't begin to express with words what a wonderful and sweet blessing that was! I look forward to even more energy to return after the first 6 weeks have gone by.

It looks like we will be going to San Antonio for Christmas. I have to get out of here and I'm tired of foiled attempts at a short vacation of some sort. I have always wanted to see the Riverwalk all lit up for Christmas, so that's what we are going to do. I'm so excited already. We also may visit Six Flags or Sea World. Most likely Six Flags because we haven't been there yet.

Whirlwind September Ending!

Yay, we finally have a new baby. He is beautiful and healthy! What a blessing. He weighed 9 lbs. 11 oz. and is our biggest baby yet. He was born Sunday evening, the 28th, at about 9:55. I'll type more later, but for now I'm pressed for time.

Also, Jenna turned 6 today and is having a very happy birthday. She got to go to the store and pick out a toy with the money her granny Trish sent her. She picked some bath doll and really likes it. I made her a Candy Land cake about a week ago, just in case I had Josiah, and it turned out to be a good strategy, so all went well.

I added a few pictures for you all to enjoy. Hope to be writing again soon! Sorry this post turned out a little less than perfect.

Ryan Turns 4!

I can't believe Ryan is 4 now! He's growing up so quickly. He asked yesterday if he could start school now that he's four, lol. I guess he'll be ready when it's time.

He had a good birthday. He wanted a McQueen cake, again, so I did my best. And with Ryan, anything with wheels makes him happy so, since we didn't go to the beach, we got him a Power Wheels F-150. He seems to really be enjoying it.

We are still waiting on Josiah. I can feel some very slight pre-labor type pains, but still nothing to be overly concerned about. Maybe this week or next week he'll be born. Sigh, we'll see, we'll see.

It's way early here and I am starting to feel tired now. Maybe I can get in a couple hours of sleep before everyone wakes up.....

Ahhh, September!

I wish I could say that it's cooling off, but really it's not. We have had quite a few overcast days, but with very little rain. Overall, I guess on average it has cooled off to about the lower 90's each day instead of the usual lower 100's. I am still holding out for the real fall weather change.

We had a good Labor Day. Angie and her husband Steven stopped by and it was good to get to see her and talk to her. She doesn't get much time off from work so it was really nice that she and Steven were off on the same day.

Ryan's birthday is comming up this Sunday. He will be 4! He told me that he saw his gift in the garage yesterday, so we went ahead and assembled it and he ended up sleeping on the couch next to it. It is a ride on monster truck thing. We are still charging the battery though, so he just pretended yesterday and then when he was through pretending to ride it, he pretended to work on it, haha! He is so sweet. I really think he will enjoy working on and driving cars when he is older.

Mike and I are also celebrating our 12th anniversary this week. We don't have anything extra special planned. I am still just kind of wanting to relax. Though I would have enjoyed going to Port A this week. I have also thought about a short trip to Carlsbad Caverns, that would be fun and close, but we'll just have to see.

So far I have not had much indication that we will be having a baby anytime soon. My contractions have been anything but painful and so few and far between. I know this isn't going to last forever, but it sure seems like it is. At least I am much more comfortable than past pregnancies, mostly due to good Chiropractic care I believe. I don't want him to be born too early, but early would be okay with me. Tomorrow marks the end of week 36 so anytime after week 37 would be just fine with me. I'll probably be late though, just because I'm so anxious this time. I'll try and keep my blog here updated.

Changing again?

Yes, our minds have changed again. No trip to Port Aransas for us after all. We have decided that the money would be better spent elsewhere. So, at least don't have any more planning to do.

So, now I'm at about 34 weeks and am as impatient as ever. I am so tired of being uncomfortable and hot. Ah, well, it really is all worth it in the end. I do love having these kiddos. No real changes, still doing well. I am having the early contractions though, which I am happy about. At least pregnancy doesn't go on forever.

Jacob has taken up chess and loves it. I am trying to become more involved in the Midland homeschool group and they have chess on Monday nights. Jenna is saying she has enjoyed playing a little too so tonight she wants to go and check it out also. I'm glad they are having fun.

August Already?

I say that, but July really did go by slowly for me. August, however is flying by, which I am very happy about.

We are preparing for our trip to Port A now. My midwife knows a fellow midwife in the Corpus area, so we are covered. I am excited and yet, I know I'll wear myself out. I plan to sit around as much as possible. Dawn says she expects me to deliver mid-September and maybe I will. I still think the last week of September is when he'll be born. We'll see, we'll see.

So, birthdays are coming up here in the Coleman house. And I don't just mean a few, I mean everyone except me will be having a birthday here soon. For the girls, I re-painted their room with a cute monkey theme and got them accessories to match (sheets, quilt, rug, some monkeys to play with). Ryan gets a Rainforest lunch party in San Antonio and I think we have decided on a bike for him. Jacob wanted some leatherworking stuff, so that's what he will get. He really has enjoyed leatherworking since Susie, a friend of ours, has been working with him on it. I can't believe I am going to have an 8 year old who's almost as tall as I am!

Well, today is normal. We are going to keep trucking along on school so that we don't get behind. Though I guess it doesn't matter too much, since I like the idea of year-round schooling. We get lots of breaks that way and don't get burned out or forget everything over the summer.

I guess I've been tagged, lol...

Okay, Terri, I'll give my 6 "quirky, yet boring, unspectacular things about myself", but I'm pretty much too lazy to send six other people notice that I've tagged them. Fortunately, my observant husband was watching and let me know what is going on here.

Anyway, today I'm just scrapbooking. I have finished so many pages over this last week I haven't been online much.

Baby Josiah is doing well and my midwife says he's head down and getting ready. I also made a visit to my Chiropractor who said he believes I'm 2 weeks ahead of where I think I am on my pregnancy timeline. Not bad news I say, but child birth is so variable, I will likely never know for sure. Encouraging to hear though.

I am having reservations about going to Mustang Island. It is far away and especially after hearing my Chiropractor say he thought I was due sooner than I thought, it makes it downright to the wire. We have reservations made and are still planning to go, but I will still reserve my right to cancel at any time. I don't want to have my baby in Corpus Christi!

Alright, after a few updates, here are my quirks...
1. I have to bathe each of my children each day. I do not like smelly children.
2. I love dogs and think it's mean to keep them as outside pets. (Hey, I'm being honest)
3. I can't stand disorder and dust!
4. It bothers me if weeds grow in my yard.
5. I like white vehicles, remember I live in Texas. Any darker colored vehicles mean they get hotter in the sun!
6. I don't like to scrub the drain plug in the sink. I think it is the most disgusting, nasty thing and I don't like to even touch it. I have to clean it with bleach before I'm happy with it, even if I did got through all the trouble to get one with a cute froggy on it to help me with this hang-up.

Are those boring and unspectacular enough?

Another hot day in West Texas

Yep, summer is still here and I am hotter than ever. I have a fan pointing at me and the a/c on and am still breaking a slight sweat, ugh! I am still ready for fall/winter this year more than ever.

We are all loving school so far. Jacob has really enjoyed that some of his subjects are more self-paced and he's actually working ahead with it. I am glad yet again that we went with Landmark this year. I did have to buy a manuscript writing practice book for them, because ABeka starts out with cursive, but gives zero instruction in manuscript as part of a regular school curriculum. Both of them cannot write in manuscript and I am seeing places where they would need to, so we have an extra bit of work to do there.

This morning the kids are out helping dad. A friend of ours needs a tree cut down, so they all went along to "help". I think Jacob will actually be useful, but it's still good for the other two to be there also. Rachel, of course, stayed here with me.

I am really having a good time with my newest cookbook, Saving Dinner. I am actually cooking the meals I buy groceries for and they are healthy. We are still doing great on the not eating out too. We did have Papa John's pizza once, and that was just for fun, so I am sticking with my plan well. I have so much extra time in the afternoons that I have decided to work on my scrapbooking again. I really would like to do more of it, but time doesn't always let me. So, I guess up until Josiah is born, I can scrap, lol!

I was feeling a little couped up here in the house, so I scheduled a short trip to Port Aransas for us in August. I am excited about that too. It will be a little uncomfortable for me, but I feel like it will be better for me over all. We won't be able to go anywhere again for quite a while after the birth, so this will be really nice. I will post more about that as we go.

A New Church Home.

As if things couldn't get any more trying over these past couple of weeks, we decided to leave our church and find a new one.

It has been difficult, though I must say my heart aches more for Shelby. We didn't change much, just the WHERE. We had no idea our new church was even there and found it after looking the day after we left our old one. I think it is actually closer to our house, but they are pretty much the same distance. We just needed a more conservative view for us and the kids. I think we have found it. One thing I do know for sure is that I have had complete peace about all of it. I truly believe we did the right thing and feel it was just time for us to move on. I am enjoying the fact that we are no longer the largest family there, in fact, we are probably the 3rd, maybe 4th, I still don't know for sure yet. There are other homeschoolers and the pastor is friendly and preaches a strong message. I brethe a sigh of relief as we go to church now and am so thankful that there was actually another IFB close by, I don't know what we would have done if there wasn't. God took care of things though and it all worked out well. We had a nice talk with the pastor last night and we will go forward to join the next service Mike gets to go to (remember, he is a shift-worker and doesn't make it to every one), which I believe is next Wednesday night. Here is our website if any one is curious: www.southwestbaptistchurch.info/page.cfm?id=8

So, the potluck is at our new church and it turns out that since they just built it, there is no fellowship hall yet. I was going to make a few refrigerated things, fruit salad and jello dessert, but due to the lack of refrigeration I am switching to corn casserole and a cake. I have two corn casserole recipes that I am trying to decide on and am making them both this week to try them out. Unfortunately, I had to make an extra trip to the grocery store, but sometimes those things happen. Also, I didn't know that the church is providing the meat, so I have an extra Chicken Enchilada Casserole that I can make for us soon. I have already deviated from my menu, as I usually do (we had the meatball subs last night), but I'll just adjust as we go along. I am still sticking to my main goal of not eating out, which is much more important to me.

Menus

I had a friend of mine ask for a copy of my planned menus for the next two weeks, so since I typed them up already I would post them here too. I have also been able to add on some more blog sites that I enjoy. I am really liking Starr's cooking blog, her recipes and food look so delicious. I am going to plan at least one of them in to my next menu. See Cooking with the Preachers Wife-at right.

I wish I had more time to blog, I am really enjoying it. Mike took the kids to the skate park this morning and Rachel and I stayed home.

I am starting to look forward to starting school again. I have already got the planned schedule posted and am going to spread it out over more of the year this year to see how we like it and to make Josiah's adjustment easier. We will not be having school in the month of October.

I don't know why, but for some reason I am getting impatient for this baby! I was like this with Jenna and Ryan, but with Jacob and Rachel, I was just content to wait until they arrived. I know there's nothing I can do about it, and really, wouldn't want to, as I want the healthiest babies possible, but wow, is this pregnancy dragging. Also, for some, probably hormonal, reason (yes, Mike, I can hear you laughing as you read this) I am ready for winter too. I just want to bake and wear warm clothes. I could stand a few inches of snow too. Well, all in "due" time, huh? LOL!

My menus for the next two weeks...

Fri 20th
Spaghetti

Sat 21st
Turkey & Rice Strata
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli
(from Saving Dinner Ckbk, by Leanne Ely)

Sun 22
Black Bean Taco Salad (from Taste of Home website)
Lime Jello Salad

Mon 23
Grilled Asian Chicken
Brown Rice
Corn
Yellow Squash and Zucchini
(Saving Dinner Also)

Tues 24
Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Red Potatoes (in the microwave)
Salad
Baby Carrots
(Saving Dinner)

Wed 25
Brown Rice Chicken Salad (Taste of Home)
This one is great because it is good cold and can be made ahead easily.

Thurs 26
Sausage and Penne (Taste of Home)
I may switch this one with yesterdays if we are sick of chicken by now. I wasn't paying attention very well to the amount of chicken I was planning in a row.

Fri 27
Frozen Lasagna (Sam's Club, Stouffers Kind)
Garlic Toast
Salad

Sat 28
Beef & Spinach Pitas
Salad
Carrots
Angel Food Cake with Strawberry Cool Whip
(Saving Dinner)
Sometimes I add a dessert

Sun 29 - Potluck at Church, I will be taking...
Chicken Enchiladas
Double Apple Fruit Salad
Dessert-Raspberry Delight
(All of these are Taste of Home recipes, but I have to sub Strawberries for the Raspberries in the dessert because I just can't find Raspberries anymore)

Mon 30
Meatball Subs
With salad and fresh cantaloupe
Oatmeal Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches (home made)
(Taste of Home)

Tues 1
Frozen Garlic Chicken and Pasta
our grocery store sells this in a 3 lb. bag for $10 and my whole family loves it and it's so easy

Wed 2
Sausage
Baked beans
Frozen bagged fruit with honey
Lime pie tarts

Thurs 3
Meatloaf
Mashed potatoes (I'm using instant here because we have them and they need to be used up)
Frozen green beans
Peach fruit salad

Fri 4th
Grill day since it's a holiday.
I kind of left it open since this is payday again and I can go to the grocery store and get extra stuff if I need too.
Hot Dogs
Sausage
Red potato salad
Cold fruit or jell-o salad

A Sad Day at the Coleman House.

Well, we had to get rid of sweet Shelby. She was a very good dog, but just couldn't get along with Bucky (our little Chihuahua mix). I thought that since I picked a more calm type of breed and a female that she would get along with him. Sadly she decided last Friday that she had to try and kill Bucky, so she went to the pound after two very troubling attacks. I physically couldn't do anything about it, so I knew right away we couldn't keep her.
Happily, after a full weekend at the vet, Bucky is doing just fine. Chipper and spunky and all stitched up, he is seemly missing Shelby, but is happy to be home and doing better than I would have expected.
In light of this incident though, we will not be getting any more dogs until Bucky is gone. I believe he is teaching other dogs to be mean and vicious. Unknowingly, he was brought up in a home where he was not socialized properly, so by the time he came to live with us he was already this way.
We all miss Shelby deeply and wish this didn't happen, I hope and pray she was able to find a good home. It's all in God's hands.

Finally Finished

Well, today is our last day of school! We are all happy that this school year is finally over. It sure does get difficult to work during these last few weeks. Now I will begin going through everything and getting next years stuff ready. Jacob is really excited to be going into 3rd grade. Jenna is a little less excited, but she is ready for 1st grade.

We had a good Memorial Day. A co-worker of Mike's had a BBQ so we all went over and had some really delicious fajitas. You really can't beat this part of the country for good Mexican food. Even if it's not at a restaurant the stuff is great. Our annual Mex-Tex food festival is comming up downtown here. We may try to go to it, though I have eaten at most of the restaurants represented and know they are good. Oh, back on track now, we played some games with the kids when everyone was through eating and they all had a wonderful time. I was surprised that we made it home about 8:45 and everyone got to bed at a decent time.

It's A....

BOY! So, we finally know that Coleman number 5 is a boy. He looks strong and healthy. He was very active and the radiologist had a hard time getting all of the sonogram pictures she needed. As far as the due date goes, it stayed about the same, so we're right on track for the very end of September or the very beginning of October. I am going to be very surprised if he is born on Jennas' birthday, September 30.

This week we are having a revival. It's a short one and only lasts 4 days. I had the nursery full of older kids last night and it about wore me out. I won't go into detail, I'll just be nice and say that people really don't seem to understand how to take care of children these days. I have always found that I tend to do things differently than others and apparently child rearing is yet another difference. I just can't see how people can put their children in daycare everyday and then need a break from them when they actually do have them. I know, this is not a new story to many, but can't families understand that there is a season for small children and it doesn't last forever? Mine may last longer than others, haha, but I'm enjoying it! Mike was commended the other day by a public school teacher. He told him that he was one of the few parents he saw that actually cared about his kids, and our kids don't go to a public school! Okay, I'll step off of my soapbox here, I could probably go on forever about it.

Yesterdays Events

Yesterday was a lot of fun for us. The homeschool group had the end-of-year track and field day for the kiddos. We met at Sherwood Park in Odessa and from there they had all kinds of fun things for them to do. Jacob especially loved the tug-o-war. He participated in every event from the 100 meter dash to the obstacle course. Jenna only did the obstacle course, but found a friend to talk to and ended up talking to her most of the time we were there. They climbed on the monkey bars and talked and talked. I mainly followed Ryan and Rachel around who had a great time just playing at the park. I am still kicking myself, though, for forgetting the camera! They ended the busy morning with pizza for everyone and even Rachel ate almost 2 whole pieces! The only thing missing was Mike, who had to work the night before and then had to wake up and help with a funeral that afternoon. (Someone we didn't know, they asked him to be a pall bearer.) I know he wanted to go though, maybe next time he'll get to.

When we got home in the afternoon we rested and then they still had energy to go to Aikido. Afterwards, they came home and took baths to wash off all of the sunscreen and sweat from the day.

Jacob and Jenna also had their bi-yearly dental cleaning Wednesday morning. I have to say that I really do like their dentist. They actually enjoy going and ask when we can go again. What a nice thing to do for kids. Now when they grow up they will have a positive outlook about going to the dentist.

Since we have been quite busy this week, we obviously have some school to get working on. Today promises to be a nice day. We did get a bit of rain Wednesday, but I don't think there's any hope of that today, so I've already started watering the yard.

Oh, and I finally downloaded the Grand Canyon pictures.

A Couple of Short Updates

I finally called about my house yesterday and it's already under contract! I guess that makes a quick end to that. I am thankful for a speedy decision.

Also, Mike called Dawn yesterday and it turns out my appointment isn't until next Monday, so we will just have to wait until then to see if we are having a boy or a girl. I was so ready to know too.