Sam's Prize

Sam with his prize that he got yesterday in Junior Church. This was the last Sunday of a five week theme.

Lincoln Log Fort

The boys spent late last evening creating this fort. They have named it Fort Lee. How could one do any less when they have a mother named Dixie Lee.

Tonka Wheelchair

Alex wheeling himself around in two Tonka dump trucks.

Briana Up to Bat

Briana loves to have her Daddy pitch her the ball so she can bat. She does a fairly decent job of hitting the ball.

Update on Health of Children

We are all feeling much better. They still have a lingering cough but are up and playing for which I am very thankful.

Flowers From My Children

Briana and I sitting by the flowers the kids gave me for Mother's Day.

To My Beautiful Mother!

Happy Mother's Day - Mom!

M is for Memories precious   

O is for Outstanding Character

T is for her Tenderness      

H is for her Heart of Gold   

E is for Ever Giving         

R is for Resolute            

Love Your Daughter,

~Dixie Lee~

To My Grandmother!

Happy Mother's Day - Grandma!

And Grandma's Too

by: Author Unknown

"While we honor all our mothers

with words of love and praise.

While we tell about their goodness

and their kind and loving ways.

We should also think of Grandma,

she's a mother too, you see....

For she mothered my dear mother

as my mother mothers me."

Two Fridays in a Row

We visited here again this Friday. I certainly hope this is not a sign of Friday's to come. The kids are all doing better save Curtis. He was up again in the night with a fever and about passed out on me. I got him laid down in time to prevent him from passing out. I took him to the doctor and they gave it a big name which I don't remember. But basically he needs to take in more fluid than he takes in on a normal basis. So we are pushing more and more liquids in hopes that he will soon be over this stuff. The other kids are back to normal temps with just a cough remaining. Now to get caught up in all that fell behind this week.

Wildflowers

I haven't been able to figure out the names of these flowers but I thought they were pretty, especially the white ones. If anyone can identify one or both of these flowers, I would greatly appreciate it.

Education is an Atmosphere

A link to a thought provoking post I read this week. A very fitting title with all the thermometer usage that has been happening here this week.

Are You a Thermostat or a Thermometer?

Lilacs

My lilacs are blooming once again. I absolutely love the smell of lilacs. They remind me of when I was young at Grandpa and Grandma's. They had a huge lilac bush in the front corner of their lawn.

Feverish Frenzy

I've been checking temps, giving Tylenol, and trying to keep kids hyrdrated. Alex was sick over the weekend and is now feeling better but the other four kids are now sick. They have been running a temp and coughing. With Alex the fever lasted three days and the cough is still lingering. I imagine we have at least one more day of feverish kids. Last night around 1 AM Curtis came into the room to tell me he was hot. So I took his temp and decided he needed some Tylenol, so we went downstairs to get him medicine and a drink. He sat down in the family room and then came to the kitchen while I was getting his stuff. To make a long story short he ended up passing out on me twice before he got his Tylenol and drink. Jeff then helped him back to bed where he slept fitfully. He is doing better today as long as I keep Tylenol in him. The other kids don't seem to have near the trouble with running a temp as he does. Tonight Julissa came to me and wanted me to take her "number" (temperature).

Curtis on the couch. The couch is where he spent the day.

Samuel on the loveseat. This is where Sam spent the day.

Alex feeling much better. He's been doing the boy's chores in the kitchen. He has done a great job!

Briana looking great even though she is running a temp of 100 degrees.

Julissa in Mama's chair.

Photo by Samuel

Samuel took this photo of the ducks today. I thought he did a great job framing it. This is his original uncropped picture.

Julissa Studying Indiana History

It was a very busy day today. I was gone from home from around 12:45 PM until around 6:30 PM. I went to a mother-daughter lunch with the ladies from Union Friends Church and then I went shopping. I stopped at the Goodwill and purchased the entire Anne of Green Gables set in a slipcase along with a few other books. Then I headed to Kohls to try to find some clothes for Briana. I picked up a dress and a skirt both of which I will have to return as they do not fit right. Then I went to Wal-mart to get groceries and a few other things; to Hallmark to get a Mother's Day Card for my Mom; and then to home to put groceries away, eat supper fixed by my wonderful husband, and give baths to the kids. I sat down at the computer to blog and realized I hadn't taken any pictures today but noticed my camera was not where I had left it. So I checked the camera and lo and behold there were pictures on it. Briana told me that she had used the camera today. So another picture comes your way compliments of Briana.

Elegant Simplicity

My friend Christy

The Wedding Cake

Tonight I went to a simple but absolutely elegant wedding.

Three of the Five

Alex

Curtis

Briana

I got pictures of three of the five tonight while we were at Jeff's ball game. I couldn't get Julissa to stand still long enough and the shot I took of Sam didn't turn out very well. The kids enjoyed going to the game. Curtis watched the game while the others played and ran around. I tried to watch the game amidst keeping track of five kids. It was a beautiful evening for a game weather wise.

My FTD Husband at Bat

The first game of the season. The way Jeff feels right now, he wishes it was the last.

Quote from Julissa

This morning when I had a breaking point in school with one of the boys, I went to check on Julissa. This is where I found her and when she saw me she said, "Go do school work, Mama, go do schoolwork." Obviously, she was quite content with her building blocks and didn't want to be interrupted by Mama.

A Baltimore Oriole

During lunch we watched a Baltimore Oriole in a tree out in the backyard. I believe this is the first time I have seen one in this area. Curtis spotted it and pointed it out to the rest of us. He also told us that this is the bird whose nest looks like a hanging bag. When I asked him how he knew this he told me that he had read it in one of the many books he has read. It thrills me to know that he is retaining info like this from books he has read. As you can see the photo is a stock photo and not one of mine. The bird was too far away to get a picture of any merit. A poem about the Oriole.



The Oriole

Hush I 'tis he!
My Oriole, my glance of summer fire
Is come at last;

Heave, ho! Heave, ho! he whistles
Once more, now! and a flash
Lightens across the sunlight to the elm
Where his mate dangles at her cup of felt.

Lowell