Bumped heads

I got home from work last night and decided to get caught up on laundry.  I brought all the clothes into the living room to fold and began my work.  Shortly after I started, Big E came in and said she and little E had bonked heads.  I didn't think much of it until she said he was bleeding pretty badly.  I figured being the head that it would bleed a good amount but that it probably was nothing more than a little owie.  The kids brought him to me and I saw that indeed, he was bleed quite a bit.  At first, I thought he had just cut just below his lip.  I began cleaning him up when I noticed a big hole under his chin.  I knew immediately that he needed stitches.  I was so grateful my girls are now old enough to watch the other kids so I grabbed little E and made I come along (he doesn't get along with anyone and can get quite mean) and headed to Urgent Care.  Sure enough, he not only needed stitches but needed some inside the cut as well.

Isn't that nasty?!

I was a little confused by how he got such a cut from hitting his chin on her head but the Dr said he must have hit it just right that the skin was pulled two different ways and just pulled apart.
It was actually kind of funny because the way the fat was pulled apart it ended up looking like teeth and every time he talked, it looked like he had two mouths talking.


Little E was so brave!  He didn't cry even though I could tell he wanted to.  He just kept saying he was being brave and he sure was!  Even as they poked the needle right into the cut he just squeezed my hand and told me how he was thinking about playing a game he enjoys on the computer.  Not sure where he learned that trick but he is such an amazing little boy!

Update...

It has been so long since I blogged!  I am talking years.  I decided it was time to get back at it.  So much has changed since the last time I blogged and I don't mean just with the kids growing up like crazy (seriously, I keep telling them to slow down but they won't listen!).

For starters, Hubby left the military and is now a correctional officer with a state prison.  When he got out of the army, we moved across country to be near family and the job.  Unfortunately, it doesn't pay real well so we made the decision for me to return to work.  The kids are older now and as much as I would LOVE to continue to be a stay at home mom, we knew we couldn't afford it.  We aren't looking for anything fancy, but need to be able to pay for bills and food.  So, I am also a correctional officer at the same prison. I actually enjoy my job, but miss my kids dearly when I am gone.

At the moment, we are still homeschooling the kids.  They are pretty independent learners so they only need me when I am teaching them a new concept.  These kids love to learn so they will study as long as they possibly can.  This year, we were able to buy a microscope and some DNA experiment kids and the kids went nuts!  Little C is now old enough to do school as well and became obsessed with the microscope!  Her reactions to the things she would see were so cute.

Having the twins, I fully expected to have them on the same grade level and just double up on everything.  Nope.  I should have known better.  Little E is actually about 2-3 full grade levels above little C.  Little C is right where she should be for K going into 1st but little E is extremely advanced.  He is starting to read chapter books and is doing multiplication like it is going out of style.  I can't even right down problems before he has answered them.  The kids is nuts.  He takes after big C.

This is just the beginning of course but I don't want this to be too long so I will continue to update over the next few posts.  Hopefully you will all be patient with me.

Softball Friends

What we didn't realize when we started softball was that we would make such great friends.  We made many friends but one family in particular has become close friends of ours over the last couple of months.  They have two kids, one girl that is 8 yrs old, and one boy that is six yrs old.  They also have one of their nieces with them a large part of the time and she is almost 10 yrs old.  All our kids get along very well.  Their daughter is also a red head and looks like she is the twin of Celestial.  Our kids have begun spending every free minute they can together.  I even had the three of them at church with us today.  It was quite the sight as we took up almost two full rows with all of us.  My twins have even become very close with each of them and ask for them when they are not around.  It has become the type of friendship that I expect will continue even after we move away and those types of friendships are few and far between.  I am so glad we decided to participate in softball this year for so many reasons.  It was well worth it and I look forward to the girls continuing this fall in fall softball.

Update

I haven't had time to post on here in forever but I am hoping to use Sundays to do so more often, with the help of the kids.  We'll see how that goes.

The kids have been growing like crazy, as kids do.  Time seems to fly fast as each day passes.  Ben is coming to the end of his Army time so we are all looking forward to moving back to Idaho (or that area) to be back with my family.  I am very stressed about getting the house ready to sell or rent but hoping I can get everything done in time.  We are hoping to be out there before Christmas.

I am finishing up with school and am hoping to graduate by October so that should give us time to finish packing up.  Once we are settled, I am hoping to get our home business built up so that hopefully at some point Ben can work with me from home and we can travel with the kids.

Ben recently finished coaching Celestial's basketball team and enjoyed it much more than he expected he would.  We looked forward to not coaching when we signed the girls up for softball and then ended up coaching anyway, but we enjoy it.  The girls we coach are 7-8 yrs old and so much fun.  Celestial has become completely addicted to sports and especially softball, which she whines about if she doesn't get to practice every single day.  Eden enjoys it but isn't quite so much obsessed with it.  Luci is just starting and seems to really enjoy it as well.  She just finished soccer and also begged to go every day.

Israel has never been much of a sports kid.  He is more into Yu-gi-oh cards and anything relating to the computer.  I wouldn't be surprised if he followed in my steps someday.  The twins are growing like crazy and causing all sorts of trouble together but we can't help but laugh.  They are still in that cute stage.  They are best friends and hate to be seperated.  They haven't seen snow yet so I am looking forward to moving out west and seeing their faces the first time they see it as I still remember the shock from Luci the first time she saw snow.  I will never forget that little face.

Hopefully you all enjoy this little update.  I will try to keep them coming more often.

CPS, CFS, DHR or whatever your state calls it

No matter what your state calls it's version of Child Protective Services, they all have the same basic reason for existing.  They exist to protect the children.  From what?  Child abuse and neglect.  Not from life.  Children are not going to have a perfect life no matter how you look at it.  So what am I getting at?

Families are there for a reason.  We have kids and we raise them the best we can (most of us anyway).  Life isn't perfect but we try to protect our kids, love our kids, and teach our kids.  We try to prepare them the best we can for the life ahead of them.  Kids need that love and security.  They can actually have long term "issues" when they are suddenly ripped away from the things they know and love.  Are there times that is a good thing?  Yes!  If a child is being abuse or neglected, GET THEM OUT OF THERE!  However, what if their life just isn't the way you think it should be?

I have had more friends that have had CPS called on them than ones that haven't.  Are any of them abusing their kids or neglecting them?  Not a single one that I know of.  So why was CPS called?  Because their lives weren't perfect or because they were going through a tough time.  Examples, one family was in the process of moving.  The family is larger than ours and the mother was overdue with another baby.  They had no help in moving.  CPS was called because there was *GASP* laundry on the floor.  Example 2, CPS was called because the mom was loosing "too much weight" and the kids caught the flu.  That's right, the kids got sick.  Horrible, right?  #3, a baby was crawling around on the porch and slipped.  The mom picked her up and went inside.  CPS was called and when asked what happened to the baby the answer was, "I don't know.  The mom picked her up and brought her inside."  So, a baby isn't allowed to crawl around outside and fall.  #4, kids 1 kept hitting kid 2.  Mom kept telling him to stop and after she had had enough, she spanked him.  CPS was called for her "beating" her child.  Oh, so she should just let him keep on hitting the other kid.  That makes sense.

There are many more stories than I can possibly recount on one blog post, but you get the point.  Why is it that we seem to think that if ANYTHING happens in a family that we don't agree with, we just call CPS.  Would breaking up a family really make anything better for the child(ren) involved?  In most cases, all it does is make a stressful time much worse on the family and leave lasting scars on the child.  If you see something you think needs to be changed, offer to help.  See if there is something you can do.  Often the parent just needs a hand up or someone to be there for them.  And realize that life isn't perfect and not everyone is going to parent the way you would.  Each family and child is different and that is the way it is supposed to be.  So stop trying to tear families apart.  If you really want to make a difference, be there for someone when they need you and unless there is abuse or neglect (in which case, please step in) then don't call CPS.  You are really doing more harm than good.

Supermom syndrome

We all know what it is. We think we need to keep the house perfectly clean, make everything from scratch, raise happy, well behaved kids who love us and ALWAYS respect their elders, keep up with our blog and journal, volunteer at church, and maybe even go to school or homeschool our kids our selves. If we do homeschool, our kids MUST be far ahead of the dreaded public school kids and be able to keep house as well as we do. What is it? Supermom Syndrome.

I must confess, I suffer from Supermom Syndrome really bad. My house is NEVER clean enough, I constantly worry that my kids aren't learning as much as they could, I expect too much of my kids, and I worry that I won't get a 4.0 in school this time. The list goes on and on. Some people say I just need to be easier on myself and my kids. That may be true, but it isn't that simple. How can you be easier when everyone around you seems to criticize everything you do. Your autistic kid has a temper tantrum over something seemingly small, you must be a horrible mom that spoils him to death. Your kids spent time playing instead of doing school cause they need a break? You need to be turned in to the authorities for not schooling your kids enough. Your house is a mess cause you caught the flu along with your six kids and your husband is gone for an extended time? You must need me to call CPS and report you (no, I have not had them come here yet but to most my friends so I worry constantly). The list goes on and on.

So my question is, why do we judge each other so much? Why can't we offer a helping hand instead of thinking the worst about someone or worse, calling them in? Why can't we just assume a parent is doing what they feel is best for their family and each child and not just spoiling them or being lazy. Why can't we just try to be there for each other more and quit leaving people that could really use a friend in a desperate lonely state?

I see it all around me. Some are ready to give up, others want to hide out from the world, most just need someone to be there for them in their time of need. What happened to truly loving and supporting one another?

So next time you are tempted to judge someone or simply to tell them to lighten up and not be so hard on themselves, think about offering a hand or better yet, some true friendship instead. You both will end up better off in the end if you do.

Ok, so it has been FOREVER again since I wrote anything on here, but I will try to start again. I don't have a whole lot of time, but I will try to update today and hopefully will get to do more of this in the future.

Starting with Ben, nothing much has changed. Things are normal at work. We have made the decision to leave the army after this enlistment in about two and a half years. Not 100% sure what we will do after that other than we will be returning to Idaho. We have some ideas but it will be a while before we know for sure as it is so far off.

As for me, I just completed another semester in school and with a 4.0! Way excited about that. I am planning on a degree in Web design and interactive media. I am having so much fun with it and never would have guessed it just a few months/years ago.

Eden is doing ok. She has been sick for forever so we are trying to get her better. Hopefully it won't be much longer. She is being very mature and is quite the help around here even when she is sick.

Israel is his normal, handful self. He is starting to notice how he is a little different than others and asking questions. It is hard sometimes to know what to say to him. But he is a happy little guy that really loves his siblings.

Celestial is still our easiest one. I know you aren't supposed to label the kids, but she really is. She has been testing her boundaries lately but even her hard days are so much easier than the other kids easy days.

Luci is set on growing up. She is constantly telling us how she is growing up and her teeth are falling out. If we tell her she won't loose them until she is around 7 she tells us she just turned 7 so we just let it be lol.

Cumorah is happy just being who she is. She has no interest in learning to walk and is happy pretty much all the time. Always seems to have a smile on her face. She loves to jabber to everyone and really seems to know what she is saying.

Elijah is walking all over the place. He is very weary of new circumstances and people and will stare new faces down. It is a lot tougher to get a smile out of him if you aren't close family. The twins love to play together and jabber together. When we put them down for naps they stand up and start playing and talking to eachother until they get tired. It is so cute. I really love having twins.

So, that has brought us up to speed I think. Hope you are all doing well.