Krazy House of Kramer

Insta-Friday

2012-01-13T15:40:00.001-05:00

I like Insta-Friday. It's a personal commitment to posting at least once a week! I DO try to post more, but I've lost a little mojo. At any rate, I always have my phone so getting these shots is pretty easy. Unless my kids don't cooperate of course!

The "girls" went to the American Girl Doll Store with some really great friends!

The girls had a blast. Theyhave something they want to save their money for. It's crazy how expensive the dolls, and the clothes, and the shoes, and accessories are! When I was little there were MAYBE, what 4 or 5 dolls. NOW you can get one that looks like you! ( Slightly narsisissitic in my opinion!) We had a blast though. All those childhood dreams of having one came back, but I resisted the urge to get one!

While we went to AG, the boys went to the Manasas Battle field! With Super cool cannons. Beats dolls ANYDAY in their book!

Ok, I feel like almost every Insta-Friday has a 5-guys post! We really do love this place!

This kids LOVES legos. LOVES. He wanted to make sure we got a picture with one of his Star Wars guys!

Can you tell he's the baby of the family? That is a rug NOT a blanket!

We go some snow! The kids were so excited!

It was gorgeous to watch. I didn't grow up with snow, so even though it can be a pain in the rear, I LOVE watching it!

Amelia Bedelia. Can't beat her!

A stack of our "couch" time reading for school!

My cheapo panini press. Works like a charm!

Another favortie place to eat. LOVE when my man says, "We're going out!"

Happy Friday! Hope you have a great weekend!

Fall photo shoot

2012-01-11T16:48:00.000-05:00

I was able to get a few pictures in for our Christmas cards, which did come out a little late. We got these shortly before we moved from South Carolina. We completely LOVED our time there! I'm so glad I was able to get these shots!

There HAD to be at least one with tears!

Insta-Friday

2012-01-06T13:13:00.000-05:00

I haven't participated in this for a few weeks due to our move and getting settled in a new home. BUT I took plenty of pictures!

on our way to visit family for Thanksgiving!

LOVE saving big bucks at Kohls!

Our last meal in South Carolina!

Ready for our road trip to our next stop on our way to VA.

A stop at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC

Leesville Baptist Church. The first church Philip and I served in after we were married. We drove by during our stay in Raleigh for a few days!

First dinner in our new City!

My NEW pantry!

a little Christmas Goodness!

See the above!

Feeling like home! Pizza surely helps!

Learned how to tie shoes- Check!

On the Metro

Taking our kids to D.C. for the first time!

View when we came out of the metro tunnel!

So glad my man is a history buff!

Our current bible verses to memorize!

We are so thankful for our smooth move to Fairfax! We are adjusting for sure. We've even seen some snow flurries, which for these Southern folks is a big deal!

so thankful

2012-01-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

So this post is a little late in coming, but with all that's happened since Thanksgiving, I feel somewhat better about posting it! We were able to spend a little over a week down in our hometown in FL. We got to see so many friends and family. I got to hear my man preach TWICE (love!!!) AND see my two middle kiddies get baptized!

Cousin fun!

Two of my best friends. We've known each other since we were about 2! So technically, they are my "oldest" friends!

My sister, La, and niece Harlee!

Finding frogs!

Bulls. Always time for Bulls!

Cousins!

Horseback Riding! Thanks Uncle Cliff!

some new baby piglets to play with!

My heart overflows!

We made it.

2011-12-27T21:44:00.002-05:00

We made it to our new home in VA. We are "townhouse" living and adjusting to what that entails.
We got our most of our boxes unpacked, the garage bears witness to all those we didn't!
We got our Christmas tree put up with decorations before Christmas!
We're learning our way around this traffic heavy area.
We LOVED having my sister here for Christnas and we also loved spending the day with some good friends from Ft. Bragg who also live in this area.
We made it. Let's see what happens next!

so much to do!

2011-12-03T21:02:00.001-05:00

This afternoon we had a great time with some friends from NC who drove down to hang out with us before me move.

Tomorrow we have Libby's birthday party. My girl will be 8 on Monday!!!

Monday, get organizing, cook a big pot of chili for some folks coming for dinner. More organizing.

Tuesday -last PWOC here at Jackson. What a fast semester! More organizing. Even in these 5 short months we've accumulated a bunch of stuff...

Wednesday- you guessed it. ORGANIZE!

Thursday, packers come. Philip's graduation.

Friday- packers come, assuming they haven't finished.

Saturday, clean.

Sunday- last Sunday in Columbia and I get to hear my favorite preacher at Chapel Next. Come if you're here!
Monday- load the truck with all our stuff! Clean like crazy!

Tuesday- leave Columbia, bound for Washington D.C.!

It's hard to believe we are leaving Ft. Jackson already. Our time here flew by. We've loved every minute!

Next adventure...here we come!

Insta-Friday

2011-12-02T14:48:00.001-05:00

Driving Granddaddy's Tractor

Making my Grannie's Caramel Icing for Thankgiving.

My Grandparents with some of their grand and great grandkids.

on the road.

amazing old elevator sign.

my girls

making smore's with cousins

InstaFriday

2011-11-04T11:13:00.000-04:00

I'm going to link up overhere for instafriday. I thought this might be a fun way to get me back in my "blogging" grove. I've been a little out of it lately. So, without further ado, here are some shots from this past week!

For this night I had a Super-Hero, Hermione Granger, Darth Vadar, and Princess Leia for children. They loved their costumes and came with them all on their own!

Here is EL using the "Force Choke" on Light Light. He thinks it's hilarious. Making choking sounds, in HIS mind, is one of the best things ever.!

All the weeds at the end of our street are finally dying (since they don't get mowed...) and Lightsey decided to let me get a shot of him. Too bad he wouldn't actually look at me!

This head set goes with the kids Rosetta Stone French. They never use it for french though, so it has been added to the toy box. This is Baur connecting to "Mission Control."

My sweet, silly middle kiddos while we read during 'couch time" for school. A picture here and there can break up monotony.(not that we have it very often...monotony that is.)

The moon peaking out.

Sweets Libs, This is one of her favorite places to sit in the forest. It seems to fit perfectly!

Our family met with this guys (on the left) and his sweet wife last week for lunch. He was my husbands and my youth pastor when we were younger. We had a great time catching up and hopefully we won't have to wait another 10-15 years to see him again!

Art supplies. My kids love to draw and paint. Thankfully they get their abilities from their daddy!

Double Digits

2011-11-04T09:27:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, our firstborn, Emma, turned 10! Double digits! How did we get here so quickly? It seems like it was only a few days ago we brought her home, that she was on a billi-blanket for few days due to her jaundice.

She has a great love for reading, for making up stories that are primarily made up of characters from "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter." She loves playing with her neighborhood friends and making origami (thank you Eastern History in school!)

I can't begin to imagine how quickly the next 10 years will go by... I
really don't want to think about it. I love seeing her become a young lady, but I ache to keep her a little girl.

If she's anything like her mama, her love for reading will last for years and years to come!

Sweet girl, we love watching you grow and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you! Keep walking toward Jesus!

A dream

2011-09-28T14:05:00.001-04:00

When I was a freshman in college, at the University of Florida, a guy named Clayton King came and spoke at an FCA meeting. He spoke about "Dreams" and how God places a dream or dreams, within us that help us determine direction in our lives. It was a little more extensive than that, but that message was pivitol in leading me to where I am now.

At the time I was a psychology major but not completely sure what I wanted to do with it. After I heard this message and it started to penetrate my heart and mind, I began to realized that I did NOT want to be a psychologist, that I had a dream to be a wife and a mama one day. I remember calling up my dad and stating those very words. He proceeded to ask me if I had any prospective husbands, and the answer being, "NO." he reminded me that I was where the Lord wanted me and while I was there, continuing to do what I was doing, the Lord WOULD indeed bring those dreams to pass in His timing. So, I kept plugging away at school, was involved in church and other campus ministries. Looking back, I see how the Lord directed my time and mind toward the dreams He had given me.

Fast forward a while and in comes Philip Kramer. We were both home for Christmas break from the schools we were attending, and to make a relatively short tale shorter, Philip asked me if he could pursue a relationship with me and over the next several weeks and months, the Lord revealed to both of us, that we were to be married. (There are a bunch of details that I've left out that are exciting and amazing, but I'll share those at a later time. )

Seven months later, to the day, we got married and began what has been an amazing journey. God has been the foundation of our relationship and He has made all the difference. By bringing two selfish and sinful people together, making them one flesh, and allowing us the great privilege of serving Him, He has revealed His grace to us over and over and I believe has allowed His light to shine though us.

Two months after our first anniversary, we welcomed our firstborn child, Emma Layne.There have been so many astonishing details in the journey that I call marriage and motherhood. Today, more than 11 years since we said, "I will" and 4 kids later, my dream of being a wife and a mother has been more than realized. The Lord placed within me a passion for my family and my home. He has used this empty vessel more than I would have every hoped.

Where this dream will continue onto, I'm not sure. But the Giver of the Dream is faithful and through surrender to Him, He will empower this "jar of clay" to proclaim His faithfulness, His love and His grace.

A dream come true!!!

Words to live by:

"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray for joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on the completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil. 1:4-6

This little Light of mine...

2011-09-28T13:35:00.000-04:00

When I first started blogging, I thought I would blog about "everything." I saw so many inspiring blogs about cooking, crafting, child-rearing, photography, meal-planning, military wives, homemaking, faith, and much more. There are a ton of great blogs written by a ton of great women. They are encouraging and endearing. Challenging and character building. Some are hilarious, some thought provoking. What more can be added to an already overwhelming amount of blogs? And then I read this post by Meg. She wrote how the Lord revealed to her WHAT to blog about, about being intentional in sharing her faith and her passion. How HE is the basis of WHY she shares. I was challenged by that. The Lord began to poke me a little. He reminded me of the passions HE has given me, the calling HE has place on my life and that, indeed, there ARE hundreds of thousands of blogs, but there is ONE Shara L. Kramer (that I know of!:) That He may be the only one who ever "reads" these words, but in writing them, I'm being obedient to Him.

So, I'm not entirely sure HOW this outlet will look. But I know the Lord is helping me to uncover those deep and hidden things. I'm a little afraid. When I "write" in my head, it sounds pretty boring and silly. It doesn't sound inspiring or challenging. I think, "there are so many other people out there who can write WAY better than I can, I'll let them do it." But I want to be faithful with the little God has given me. I want to let HIS light shine in and through me.

So here goes...

Sunday School and Star Wars

2011-09-26T17:57:00.000-04:00

My kids have a HUGE appreciation for Star Wars due in large part to their Daddy and the Star Wars Lego xbox game they play. They've seen some of the movies and I'm always fascinated by all the weird names, places, and creatures they remember AND incorporate into everyday conversation. Of course the most notable thing about the movies is the theme song and the other songs throughout, especially the song that plays when Darth Vadar and the Storm troopers are coming. What boggles my mind the most is how much my 3 years old knows about. He walks around humming those tunes and even gave an impromptu concert at the public library during check out time. All the library volunteers thought it was just "adorable" and many of the other patrons just smiled, especially since were on our way out. I even found Lightsey and Baur some "graphic tees" featuring Star Wars that they both LOVE! It makes me remember the awesome Ewok Village my brother had when we were growing up. I'm sure if he still had it, it'd be worth a bundle!

One of my favorite things concerning Star Wars and it's presence in our home is that each Sunday, for the last several weeks, whenever I pick Lightsey up from his Sunday School class, I ask him if they sang any songs. Inevitably he will say, "Yes,Star Wars." He then starts singing pretty loudly, the Star Wars theme as we walk down the hall. The dad's that help in his class think it's awesome, kinda makes me wonder if they really DO sing it!

We had a little impromptu flying session.

Little book worm

2011-09-13T15:29:00.000-04:00

He looks like a little bug here. All rolled up.

He's looking at the "Soul Surfer" book. He mostly just looks at the pictures.

Especially the one of the shark. He likes that big...dead...hanging by a bulldozer, shark the best.

He makes me happy.

And yes, that is marker on his forehead.

right now

2011-08-31T09:21:00.000-04:00

The classical music is playing, you know, to occupy the right side of the brain while the left side concentrates.

Libby is working in the pantry with the door closed, because, well, apparently she can concentrate better in there. Maybe she'll have all my canned goods arranged alphabetically by the time she comes out!

Baur is taking a break because he finished all his table work and is waiting to do his reading lesson. He's using his imagination, he's playing Star Wars with his little brother who wants all of his big brothers Lego Star War guys. So here we are engaging that great imagination AND he's sharing. That's a great 2 for 1 in my mind.

Emma Layne is working on her science, a book called Blood and Guts. Doesn't that sound delightful. She's already read me some of her book. Apparently in South America, many years ago, folks drank, well, that is, they drank, um...urine, as a delicacy. How gross is that? She then read me many other uses of urine and proceeded to GAG me. Ugh, science!

And I'm sitting here writing, waiting to be asked for help. I know that question will come any moment!

Although, I don't mind.

My baby is 3!

2011-08-23T13:35:00.000-04:00

Oh my word. I can't believe it. Seriously, remember when your first born turned 3 and you were so excited. All the milestones they had passed and all the "big kid" things they were doing? Well, I remember how all that felt with my firstborn.

But now it was my baby turning three. THREE! What? He's still a baby. A baby can't be three! Babies are...well, babies.

They are not supposed to be talking, or walking, sleeping in a "big bed" or be potty trained. But MY baby is all of those things!

What does that mean?

He's NOT a baby anymore?

I beg to differ. He still has his baby curls. Think I can keep those around for at least another year? I'm hoping so. My baby should NOT have a big boy haircut.

Maybe when he's 6 or...18. Maybe by then we'll have stopped calling him " Baby Lightsey."

Although I doubt it.

Where did my summer go?

2011-08-22T19:24:00.000-04:00

Moving in the summer time REALLY throws off the "summer mindset." Packing, unpacking setting up the new house, deciding what not to unpack because you'll be moving in a few months again. Trying to make your house "homey" but knowing you're not going to be there too long. And amongst all this, setting up "school" in your house for your 3 school aged kiddos.

Now, I LOVE homeschooling my kids, usually. My husband and I both KNOW we were called to train our children in our home and understand the responsibilties that go along with it. But sometimes it gets a bit... well...hard, which is why I look forward to SUMMERTIME!!! So when we moved and set up house in a new place, summer seemed to FLY BY!

Thankfully, I still have the same conviction that I'm doing exactly what I've been led to do. I have a supportive husband and children, who for the most part, really are excited about school, and when they're not, they, thankfully, have learned the art of obedience.

So what does this look like for us? I order curriculum from a company that comes with lessons plans pre-made for the whole year. I. Love. This. If you're interested in this company you can find more about them here.

Shelves all organized, ready for school!

I try to plan ahead. I have most of all their supplies set out the night before. I have all the books we will be using, pulled out and put in a special spot. I have breakfast planned so we can eat together before Daddy'o has to go to work. And then we pretty much stick to our routine. Kids dress, make beds and brush teeth while I clean up after breakfast and then we are all ready to go.

Libby helped me mix breakfast!

We are a few days into my 6th year of homeschooling and so far so good. I have to say, my Iphone comes in handy as my "baby" gets to play while I teach. Don't judge.

Here's to a great new school year. And the summer time that will follow!

A Six year old!

2011-08-19T08:15:00.000-04:00

Baur Boy is 6! Where have the last six years gone? A few blinks and here we are. Unbelievable.

I love this kid like crazy! He is super sweet. Is polite and obedient. He can play well with other kids and is perfectly content playing all alone!

He loves Legos and Star Wars. He loves Legos Star Wars which is indicative by the fact that pretty much all his presents were Lego Star Wars!

He is a first grader this year! Likes math better than writing. Is improving his reading but would rather be building legos or shooting his nerf guns!

This boy is a great delight and joy! Love him more and more everyday!

News of the future

2011-08-18T16:43:00.000-04:00

We found out a few weeks ago that our next duty station will be Washington D.C. To be honest, it was a HUGE surprise. We were hoping for a much different assignment. The job that my hubby will be doing is very far outside of the "ministry" of what he being a chaplain has been for the last 7 1/2 years. He will be doing a lot of administrative stuff. It will be very different from what he's been doing. We were hoping for something more "family friendly" and it looks like this job will be,well... not so much. It looks like there will be be a bit of a commute for Philip and no being able to come home for lunch! Something we have LOVED having the ability to do while living on post the several years. This new job will definitely be a change for us but we KNOW that the Lord is leading us to this place and is making a way for us.

We are so excited about the MANY homeschool field trip opportunities we will have access to, living in a place with so much history, and thankful that although this job might NOT have been what we were hoping for, my husband will be NON-deployable for a while!

Right now, we are trying to focus on today and prepare for tomorrow. We're not quite sure where we will live and the cost of living makes for a bit of anxiety. Thankfully, the "small world" of the army means that we already have a few friends living there! Super exciting!

lots o' changes!

2011-07-09T10:19:00.000-04:00

Life has been especially busy around here the last couple of weeks. We moved from Fort Benning to Fort Jackson, SC. We said "goodbye" to some a great unit and some wonderful people! Which is the hardest part about moving.

The Lord blessed us with a great house. Really, it is way more than we ever expected! We've moved the girls into one room and the boys into another (yay!) That means a girly room and a masculine room! I don't think Baur would have cared for pink pom pom's hanging from the ceiling!

We (meaning "I") started potty training Lightsey. He's doing really well!

We are still waiting our our "overflow" stuff that wouldn't fit on our moving truck ( did NOT think we had that much stuff!)

We've found a new church that I think is going to be amazing!

We've reconnected with some friends we've not lived close to in several years which is so much fun!

Getting ready to order school stuff for the fall. (I think we are adding a language with the kids and we're thinking about French!)

Found two nightstands for $6.25 a piece at Goodwill that I'm painting for the girls room!

I have a craft room that the kids love to play memory in. The floor is totally clear, so lots of space.

I'll be posting more pics in the days to come. As soon as I find my camera cord! Oh the joys of moving!

the packers are here!

2011-06-27T14:48:00.000-04:00

I'm writing this as I listen to our packer's cell phone blaring country music down in the basement. We have two men packing. I'm hoping they pack well. I think it would be helpful to have at least ONE woman. Women seem to "see" things. Like the FOUR hatboxes on the top shelf in my close that both of them missed, or the cabinets in the bathroom. They didn't even open them!

But they are really nice guys. They scarfed down the BBQ chicken sandwiches I made as well as the pecan pie. I just hope they hurry it up a bit! There is still a LOT of packing to do. They are the same guys who will load our stuff, drive our stuff and UNload our stuff. It's a good thing they're nice and not creepy!

We are excited to be moving on down the road and are excited about what the future holds! I love the fact that we already know some folks at our new post. It's nice to know you have a few built in friends already waiting!

We've loved our time here. It really has been such a blessing and the people have been amazing!

The last few weeks have been busy!

I've recovered these chairs...

the "afters" to come.

painted a couple of stools from my favorite thrift store (pics to come!)

recovered my living room furniture, (pics also to come!)

And took some photos for some wonderful folks!

this gorgeous couple and their beautiful kids!

And some just of the mama!

And this beautiful sweet family that lives just up the alley from me...

And some dear,dear friends. Some longtime Army friends! Brandon was in my hubby's Batt. in the 82nd AND here! How cool is that!

Lord, you have blessed our time here and we praise you for your faithfulness! Please give our packers/loaders/drivers/unloaders great skill and strength, especially carrying that piano up the stairs! Thank you for your grace, great friends and a wonderful family that I get to take with me!

Amen!

We've been busy...

2011-06-10T14:37:00.000-04:00

And I've neglected the ol' blog! I will probably continue to neglect it as well, since we are moving soon and then setting up our new place. I hope to share soon about what is instore for us and doors the Lord has opened. Stay tuned, but for now, here's what we've been up to...

Happy Summertime!!!

He's BAAAACCCKKK!

2011-05-21T11:51:00.000-04:00

Early last Sunday Morning, my love arrived home! It was very early in the morn, and he gave me the option of getting him (which I was planning on when I thought we would be getting home around 10pm) or for him to grad a ride home. I have to confess, when the time of arrival became 1:30am, I went with option number 2. Please don't think less of me for not picking up my husband at his company area after returning from deployment #5. He doesn't, think less of me that is! Trying to coordinate picking up someone anywhere in the middle of the night while trying to either 1) get someone to stay with the 4 sleeping kids OR 2) waking up those dreaming children, dragging them down to pick up daddy and then trying to get them to go back to sleep after the fact... I went with the drop off!

But no one was disappointed and we all got some sleep that night!

Please ignore the fact that this is out of focus, I had a large 2 year old holding on to my arm!

Lord willing, this will be his last deployment for a very long time, well at least a couple of years!

the cuz's...

2011-05-11T09:59:00.000-04:00

Over our spring break, the kids and I were able to spend some fun time with my brother's kiddos! We don't get to see them very often, but we try to always make the most of our time together!

These are NOT technically related to us, in case you were wondering!

Until next time sweet cousins!

egg huntin'

2011-05-07T09:03:00.000-04:00

We were able to spend Easter with family down in Florida this past week and we had a fantastic time! MY kids had an easter egg hunt at my grandparents house and it brought back so many memories of when I was a child! Primarily, that my brother always found the most eggs and I usually ended up in tears!

This is Lightsey with my 1st cousin Aubrey. Yes, he is about a month older than she is.

These are my kids with another 1st cousin of mine, Aubrey's big sister, Kayley!

This girl is the QUEEN of funny faces!

I pray you had a glorious Resurrection Day! Celebrating our Risen Savior with your family and friends!

Healthy Burgers

2011-05-06T09:37:00.000-04:00

This recipe is from Martha Stewarts Everyday Food magazine. I made a couple of changes to the recipe. My kids LOVED this meal! I also made some shoestring french fries to go along with it. It was delish!

Ingredients

2 ounces feta cheese
1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 cup bulgur ( I used about 1/2 cup dried plain oatmeal instead)
1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound ground beef chuck (95 percent lean) ( Here I substituted ground turkey and I used a whole pound.)
1/3 cup roughly chopped mint leaves (optional)
Nonstick cooking spray
4 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
I added 1 egg which made these burgers stay together a little better
I also seasoned it to taste with Everglades Seasoning, but you can add salt and pepper, etc.

Directions

In a small bowl, mash feta with the back of a fork until smooth. Stir in yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
In small heatproof bowl, combine bulgur and 1/2 cup boiling water (skip if you use oatmeal). Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse chickpeas until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and add beef and mint. Drain bulgur and add to chickpea mixture. With your hands, mix until mixture is evenly combined and holds together when pressed into a ball. Divide into four 1-inch-thick patties and season with salt and pepper.
Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high. Add patties and cook until browned and crispy on the outside and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping once. Serve on buns with sliced cucumber, tomato, and feta-yogurt sauce.

2 thumbs up!!!

this one, I just love her hair!

I think my man would even love these, ok, maybe not love, but at least consume!

cousins, cows, and cooper

2011-05-03T17:13:00.000-04:00

A glimpse of things to come...

When I get a chance to sit down for more than 15 seconds, I have much to share about what's been happening in Kramer Life lately. But for now, enjoy these!

curls, curls, curls

2011-04-13T08:28:00.000-04:00

I LOVE these curls. But they will be gone in a few short weeks...

Because, when his daddy comes home, he'll take him to get his first haircut...

And I might cry...because he's my baby. And when the curls go, he won't LOOK like a baby anymore. He'll look like a kid. And well, he IS almost 3 years old.

What? Have I put off getting my baby's haircut?

Umm, yes. Do you have a problem with that?

Good. I didn't think so.

It doesn't even bother me if someone calls him a girl. I'll quickly and gladly correct them. Because I LOVE these curls.

So I must enjoy these curls while I can. I have to take lots and lots of pictures of them. Because one day, they will be gone.

Every Life

2011-04-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

Every life is important. Every life ever conceived has meaning. Even those who don't survive being born. Briar did not live long on this earth, but his life has been especially important. His mama and daddy are wonderful friends of ours and we have been so blessed by them over the years. I hope you take the time to read their story and see how God is using them to further His kingdom.

But, back to Briar. Our children know Briar's story. We spent MUCH time praying for Ms. Brooke and Mr. Brandon and our children were very sad when Briar went to be with Jesus. Every once in a while one of our big kids will bring him up. Tonight it was Libby. She had some questions about Briar being in heaven, is he still a baby, did he ask Jesus in his heart before he died, will he get to grow up in heaven... you know, all those really simplistic, easy to answer questions. As our conversation went on, we started to get to talking about things we DO know, what the Bible DOES say about those who go to heaven and those who don't. How those who have chosen Jesus as their Savior spend eternity with God, and those who have rejected Jesus do not. (And that makes us very sad. yes, we like to have really light-hearted conversations with our kids before bedtime!)

This led to Baur saying, " I don't want to go down there with Satan. How do I NOT go down there?" I responded saying, " Son, I really don't think you will. Mama and Daddy are teaching you what God has to say to us, through His word about what it means to be a Christian, and I think one day you WILL ask Jesus into your heart and you will never fear Hell again." He then said, "But...what would I say to Jesus if I wanted him to come into my heart?" I shared with him what the bible says and he said, "I want to say that right now."

Me: Right now?
Baur: Yes.
Me: Do you mean now, or do you want to wait until Daddy gets home?"
Baur: Right Now.
Me: Ok little boy, come down here on the floor with me and lets talk to Jesus.

I then had the Amazing, Blessed, Indescribable, Tearful privilege of leading my sweet Baur-Boy in confessing his sins and receiving Jesus as his Savior! Can you say" Praise the Lord!!!!!"

I got to share that our hope for him is that " he would be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither." Ps. 1:3. That he would grow into a mighty man of faith, who shares the love and hope of Jesus with all he comes in contact with.

We have had the blessed privilege of leading each of our 3 older children to Jesus and now we have the distinct mandate to continue to train them in rightousness and truth. There is NO GREATER JOY THAN TO KNOW THAT MY CHILDREN WALK IN TRUTH!!!

I was able to pray aloud over all my children tonight for their future, that even now, the Lord is preparing them to be used according to the gifts He has given them. This faith is their HERITAGE!!!! The hope of their calling! I want them to be crazy about the One and Only.

I also got to tell him that according to the Bible, whenever one sinner comes to repentance, the angels in heaven rejoice! That right then, at that very moment, they were having a party in heaven!

He asked if I could make a cake, so we can party too! You got it little boy!!!

So I want to thank Brooke and Brandon, for the courage you had to carry your son, and to share him with us. This is HIS heritage too!

A few weeks ago

2011-04-03T14:05:00.000-04:00

I took these. I've been so behind in updating this bloggy! Love the warmer weather we are now having. Can't believe we were in jackets not too long ago!

Playing with Dough!

2011-04-01T15:33:00.000-04:00

This is a GREAT homemade playdough recipe. It makes quite a bit and stays really soft.

1 c. of all purpose flour
1/2 c. of salt
1 c. of water
2T. cream of tarter (the small container you can get at the grocery store has about 4 T. in it so you can get 2 batches out of it. OR you can try to buy it in bulk at some place like Fresh Market.)
Food coloring.

Mix these together over low/med heat until it combines into a ball. Allow to cool and then knead it. Store it in a ziploc bag or container.

Fun for the whole family!

some old photos

2011-03-07T08:51:00.000-05:00

I was looking at some of our old picture albums in our Iphoto. It seems like only yesterday that we took these...

right after P. returned from his first deployment to Afghanistan.

the shirt I'm wearing in this photo, I wore on our fist date. Just a little trivia!

right before P. left for deployment #2

Yes, most of these are pre-baby boys. Isn't it fun to look back and see how far we've come!

smiles...and tears

2011-03-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

This little girl is usually all smiles!

Bubbling with excitement over something. Happy to be silly. Saying SOME ridiculous thing to make me laugh. Prancing around like a prissy ballerina (although the only ballet lessons she's had are from "Barbie and the 12 Dancing Pricesses!")

But not last night. Last night, my sweet Libs was virtually inconsolable. Her little friend moved. This is not the first time one of her friends has moved, but it WAS the first time it hit her like this one. That she will probably not get to see Caleigh again. She was a little 7 year old mess.

But we made it. And Caleigh's daddy brought over an Easy Bake Oven that they didn't have room for. And Libby scavenged some ~~junk~~ stuff from their curbside that didn't make the cut either. Now we will remember Caleigh every time we 'easy bake!"

And the tears are gone...for now.

Gettin' ready for Spring...

2011-03-02T08:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite ready for the cooler temps to leave. I'd LOVE for them to stick around for another, oh, 5 months or so! But it is evident all around here that spring IS on its way!

flowers flowering...

strawberries growing (I hope!!!)

Screen doors slamming (although that is not limited to springtime!)

short sleeve shirts...

rolled up sleeves...

happy, sun-shiney smiles...

Say "Bonjour" to spring!

School Outside? Yes, please!!!

2011-03-01T11:36:00.000-05:00

This morning I stepped outside to water my plants and made a decision to have school outside. I knew it might be a little unproductive (it was), but with the sun shining and the temperature so nice, I couldn't resist!

We made it! I was a little crazy, but totally worth it! Can't wait to have school outdoors again!

a little snackie, some wrestling and a few curls!

2011-03-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

My kids LOVE making popcorn in our air popcorn popper. It smells so good to! They also love to share it!

It tastes better outside on the trampoline!

Throw a little wrestling in there...

And check out those curls!

Shoe Fashion Show...

2011-02-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

Last week, some of my wonderful neighbors asked if they could keep my kids...on their day off. How could I disappoint them? Anyhoo, I did what any mom would do in this situation. I went shopping...for those items that would not be fun or convenient to shop for with 4 kids! Primarily a new sports bra. Can you even begin to imagine what kind of comments the fellow dressing room dwellers would hear if I had my extremely vocal and loud children with me? Well, they didn't have to hear because I left those verbose children in very capable hands.

After finding the necessary items I wondered over to the necessity aisle, you know, the shoe aisle! I came home with 2 new pair.

After ~~rescuing my neighbors~~ picking up my fed and worn out kiddos from these much appreciated neighbors, they started digging through my shopping bags and decided to try out some of my new apparel...apparel from the shoe aisle that is!

I do believe watching them try to stand up with them on was the funniest part!

Please don't tell his daddy that I let his oldest son try on my new, flowery, high heels! He'll never trust me with him again!

I think he would have to admit though, that they are cute shoes...

Thank you Luke, Amy, and Dave! Your Fan Club LOVES YOU!!!

Happy Monday!

Can't be that long!

2011-02-27T22:52:00.000-05:00

I just looked to see when I last posted and can't believe it's been that long! Let me just say life has been a little crazy 'round these parts. Have a great bunch of pictures to post in the coming days but I'll leave you with this one...

Will You be...

2011-02-14T15:45:00.000-05:00

My V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E? If you will you surely know how happy I will be.

Sugar, spice and all things nice, that's what you are to me...

Will you be my V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E???

(Thank you Mr. Mann for teaching me that song in elementary school!)

These are my precious Valentine's...

And of course this guy. He's my main Valentine!

But, right now, he's takin' care of business...And I miss him like crazy!

Fire Starter

2011-02-11T07:54:00.001-05:00

Not really, just for pretend. I LOVE when my kids use their noggins and pretend.

They pretend that this is a fire pit made out of magnolia pods!

and that they can start this little fire...with rocks!

And that Lightsey is TRULY a great protector...

and these girls are BeSt friends, although that's for real not pretend!

Oh, how they make my heart grow!

Please ignore the fact that there is only one picture of EL. She wouldn't let me take anymore pics of her. SHE makes my heart grow too!!!

L.P.S

2011-02-09T16:26:00.000-05:00

Do you know what these initials stand for? If you have little girls, you probably do. Littlest Pet Shop. These are all over the place around our house. The girls have a ball with these tiny little toys that come with tiny toys!

No, I dd NOT fix the girls hair... if you were wondering!

They even like to take them outside for some L.P.S. camping???

I love eavesdropping on my girls anytime they are playing with these adorable little pets. It's fascinating what they come up with!

A good Sword Fight...

2011-02-07T16:12:00.000-05:00

Like most little boys, Lightsey is a pro at making car sounds, gun sounds, and even sword sounds. He loves to hand you a stick or in this case, a yard stick.

It makes no difference to him that HIS sword is the size of a pencil...

or rather IS a pencil. Even if you give him the yardstick, he wants the pencil. I think it must be easier to manuever.

More, than just a sword fight, it's a GREAT fight with the best swordsman, aka, Daddy.

And when sword fighting is over, it's just a little sad...

jammin' out...

2011-01-31T09:13:00.000-05:00

Light Light likes to play guitar.

But only when he wears this shirt...

I'm telling you, he can REALLY jam out!!!

Happy Monday!

Why we homeschool...

2011-01-26T16:35:00.000-05:00

so we can take spelling tests on the floor...

and do handwriting in a fireman costume...

work on our math with our knees pulled up to our chest...

play with puzzles while the big kids work...

(say no to crack!!! even cute crack!)

and combining puzzles, spelling tests AND fireman costumes...

Wanna come to our school? It's fantastic!

"I'm like, your Space Dad"

2011-01-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

My kids really like Megamind and they LOVE doing imitations. This Libby's imitation of...

Love the blanket wrapped around her head???

I think she did a great imitation!!! She even had the lisp down!

Been workin' on these

2011-01-21T11:08:00.000-05:00

I've been working on these for the girls. I'm almost done~

I've attempted making quilts for the girls several times over the years, and have given them away to others.

I believe they will now be able to appreciate them all the more, so I'm glad I've waited!

Once I finish the binding, I'll attach it and be done!!!

I'll post pics of the finished products soon!

Mmmm Ribs

2011-01-12T17:36:00.000-05:00

I made these ribs a few night ago.

They were good.

At least these people thought so...

And, I didn't get a picture of the man who ate MOST of these ribs.

This is all that was left...

What you'll need:

-1 slab of spareribs
- rub or sauce of your choice.

I made a rub with brown sugar, salt, pepper, Everglades seasoning. galic powder and some paprika.
I don't have exact measurements. Just eyeball it.

Either rub your "rub" into your meat after it's been sitting at room temperature for about 20 minutes or coat it with your favorite bbq sauce. Put them in a roasting pan and cover with foil.

To bake these, I put them in a 250 degree oven for about 4 1/2 hours. Just stick them in and forget about them until supper time!!

Playing Together...

2011-01-11T11:17:00.001-05:00

Do you and your hubs play? I don't mean just "that" kind of playing. But do you go out of your way to make sure that you do thing with your hubby that HE enjoys? If you have not read this book by Shaunti Feldhahn, you need to. She has some wonderful suggestions for helping women to understand and know how their man ticks.

Anyhoo... one of her chapters is on "The Power of a Woman in Love" and how both men and woman want romance, it just looks different. She says," Men view going out and doing things as incredibly romantic. Here's a great insight from one husband. " Most married men don't want to abandon their wife to do guy things. They want to do "guy" things with their wife... It's no different from when they were dating. For a guy, a big part of the thrill (then) was doing fun things together. The woman who is having fun with her husband is incredibly attractive." She continues, " 'Playing' with their wives makes husbands feel close, loving, and intimate. It offers them an escape from the ordinary, a time to focus on each other-all the things that women want from romance. Clearly just as we want our husbands to love us in the way we need to be loved, so do our men want the same thing. "

So what does this look like? There is a really easy way to figure it out. In most cases if your husband asks you if you want to do something with him, he wants to do it! "Baby, you wanna go to Home Depot with me?" Say yes! "Honey, you wanna go play golf with me?" Say... YES. Now, those may not be your most favorite activities. Suck it up! Go, spend time with you man. " Sweetheart, you wanna go fishing, to the football game, hunting..." It can be any number of things. Take advantage of his asking, and go. This is his way of pursuing you! It may not be candlelight and roses. It may not be a romantic walk on the beach. It might involve breaking a sweat and getting a little smelly, but invest in your man.

I think of my dad and step mom. They have a big ranch and Dad likes to drive around and check on things...fences, cows, orange groves, etc. When he asks if she wants to go, 99% of the time the answer is "Yes."

What about you? Does your husband still ask you do things with him? Or have you said "No thanks, I've got other things to do," too many times. If he has stopped asking, that may not be a good thing. You need to start showing interest in "his' stuff and show him you want to spend time with him doing "his" things.

This is one of my man's favorite pictures of me. More than 10 years after it was taken, he loves it!

Now, I don't go out shooting Uzi's everyday, but I still make sure HE knows that I want to spend time with him. When he asks to go... Say Yes!

Hoot Hoot

2011-01-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I found this tutorial. You can find the instructions here. It's pretty easy and turns out super cute!!!

It took me just a few hours to whip these up.

My little helper...

Libby's Owl

Emma Layne's Owl

Baur's Owl

( he was a little grump, so this was the only decent one I got!)

Work

2011-01-09T14:06:00.000-05:00

Even when he's on vacation, he's working. That's just the way he is. He has to have something to do. If there is not one thing that must be done, he finds something that needs to be done.

This is his work computer. Notice the duct tape???

But this doesn't mean that he works all the time. He is great at balancing work, home and hobbies. I guess it helps that WE are his hobby! He makes time everyday to play with the krazies, not just a "hi, how are you, pat on the head." But a "get down in the floor or go on a bike ride, or xbox game playing" time well spent! My kids KNOW that their daddy is crazy about them. I know it too! One of the best things in life is to see a daddy playing with his children.

I must say that this hardworking, gotta "do" something is one of the traits I love most about him. Although sometimes he unintentionally makes me feel a bit lazy...at least I think it's unintentional.

Hanging Outside...

2011-01-09T13:56:00.000-05:00

When the weather is nice (and sometimes when its not...) everyone is outside running around and burning off their Kramer Energy!

We've got kids hanging around...

Riding Bikes...

Playing in the leaves...

And then Daddy gets out the football...

This REALLY helps kids sleep well at night!!

Thank you Lord for Beautiful days!!!

It's lego mania 'round here!

2011-01-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

What is it with boys of all ages and Legos? I'm not sure I get it, but I'm so thankful for them!(the boys and legos!) Baur's collection of Legos has grown since Chrismtas and he plays with them every day!! That leads to asking Daddy if he wants to play, and if Light Light is anywhere close by, he's gets in on it too!

We've got Airboats...

Airplanes...

And a good ol' free for all...

Told you he likes 'em!!!

Daddy Date:Take 2

2011-01-06T21:30:00.000-05:00

Emma got her chance tonight. One on one with Daddy. She too, was very excited.

She chose Olive Garden. In her words, "It's bee years and YEARS since I've eaten there..."
Ummm, maybe, but I don't think it's been that long. Just in her mind!

Don't forget to be intentional with your kids too. Not only with reminders, admonishments, corrections, disciplines, but TWICE as much with compliments, praises, words of love, grace and truth!

Daddy Date:Take 1

2011-01-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

Our girls are getting to the age where it is even more important for them to spend lots of time with their Daddy. Philip has always done an amazing job of spending quantity and quality time with all of our kiddos, but we are see how essential it is for them to be able to do "special" things with daddy. Last night was Libby's turn. She chose what she wanted to wear, asked me to help her fix her hair and eve put on a little lip shine!

Here she is waiting for Daddy to come so we can get some "date night" pictures.

Of course all her little neighborhood friends were outside playing and she wanted to brag about how SHE was going on a special date. They were all very excited for her!

Their best faces, obviously!!

On Daddy Dates, they go to a nice restaurant and use BEST table manners. They get to talk about all kinds of neat ideas but most importantly, they get TIME together.

For Breakfast

2011-01-04T16:15:00.000-05:00

When my man was a boy, his mom used to make "egg McMuffins." She had these nifty little egg molds that she'd would cook her eggs in to make them a perfect circle. My hubs has very fond memories of these and wanted to pass down this recipe to our children. It's super easy and keeps my kids full for at least 3 1/2 hours!

You'll need:
~eggs. 1 per person
~english muffins
~turkey sausage (optional)
~cheese(optional)
~egg rings aka, a biscuit cutter or these I got these several years ago, made english muffins once or twice, and now use them to make circular fried eggs!
~griddle or large skillet
~butter
~salt

1. Start by heating your griddle and toasting your muffins. I like to toast mine before I fry the eggs because 1) it takes a few minutes longer and 2) we have two batches to get done.

After you get your griddle hot, place your rings on it and spray really well with PAM

After your rings and well coated, crack 1 egg into each ring.

Once your eggs have set after about 30-45 seconds, you can remove the rings. Notice the pretty circular shape!!

Let them cook for about 1-1 1/2 minutes, then flip them over.

While these eggs have been cooking, hopefully you've been slicing your cheese, nuking your sausage, and buttering your toasted muffins. Once your eggs are cooked, or just under cooked, unplug your griddle or remove your pan from the heat. The residual heat will keep your eggs warm.

Here is the assembly line for fixing 6 folks "egg McMuffins" minus the "Mc" Some of my kids like cheese, some don't. The same goes for the sausage.

Here is the finished product all stacked and plated up.

Preparing this breakfast is little more time consuming than pouring a bowl of cereal, but worth the extra effort. You can lay out all your non perishable items the night before, even pulling apart your english muffins.

This also keeps well wrapped in foil for those family members who might be late to breakfast due to things like... morning PT or staff meetings!

Enjoy!

somewhat random

2011-01-04T15:47:00.000-05:00

~Just finished eating a scoop of MooseTracks icecream... out of a mug. I always eat icecream out of a mug. It keeps my hand from getting cold. Try it sometime.

~I ate it in complete solitude and didn't have to share any!! Why?? Because my amazing hubs, who is still on leave, took our krazies to the Library. Then took them to Doughboy Stadium so they can run, ride their bikes and throw the football around. And Light Light is napping, so it's quiet, and I'm lovin' it!

~My man got me these for Christmas. I'm lovin' them. I've been pulling up older photos to play around with.

Here is a before of my sweet baby:

And here is the after using the Pandora action ( i think!)

Here is another one of the kids on a swing at Granddaddy's Ranch

And after:

I obviously cropped EL out, not because I don't love her to bits, I just like the more clustered look of these three better. I can't remember which action I used here though.

~Tonight Daddy is taking Libby on a date. She' so excited! Tomorrow night is EL's turn. I love that they are old enough to "get" Daddy dates. Libby has already picked out what she's gonna wear.

~We started school back up. We only took off one week. We started week 19. We are more than 1/2 way done. Libby is reading more and more and is so excited. Baur likes to pretend that he doesn't remember anything from the day before. We've nipped that problem in the bud.

Happy Tuesday!

Wedded Bliss

2011-01-03T23:21:00.000-05:00

We don't hear much about "wedded bliss" these days. We hear and see LOADS of articles, magazines, blogs, etc. about perfect weddings and having a glamorous honeymoon. Most of our favorite movies end right after the wedding is over. But hearing, reading and being encouraged by marriages that have lasted the test of time...not so much. If we are not actively seeking out beautiful, authentic, and honest examples of a husband and wife who are have been married for more than 10, 15...40 years, we are not going to just find them.

When Philip and I started talking about marriage, we knew we wanted to be a godly example of how God can take two sinful and selfish people and use them to be a picture of Christ and His Bride, the Church. We believed that by building the foundation of our marriage on Truth we could be a light shining in a very dark world. Our marriage is by no means, and I mean no means perfect. But it's pretty darn close. Both of us come from broken homes. Our childhoods were rife with dysfunction and neither one of us had a great example of what a godly marriage looked like. That is not to say that the Lord did not use our home lives tremendously, because He certainly has. We are both very thankful for our parents and what we have learned through them and from them.

Philip always jokes that if I ever leave him...he's coming with me. I say the same thing. I am committed to this man, no matter what. We have learned over the last 10 years that having a strong marriage is not just for our sake, or even for the sake of our children. We recognize that when others see that our commitment has lasted through many great difficulties, to include being separated for over 3years out of 10 due to deployments, etc, and not just lasted, but is stronger than ever, we are bearing testimony to the grace and goodness our our Lord and King.

Even though we did not grow up in homes that were the epitome of "healthy marriages," in His graciousness, the Lord gave both of us wonderful examples of what a godly marriage looks like. I know and understand that these homes were by no means perfect, but they knew how to communicate, how to love, and even how to argue without tearing each other apart, and were willing to share those skills with others who desperately needed to learn.

I LOVE being married to my man. I love him more today than I did the day I married him. He still surprises me, he loves me more than I deserve, and he's the best daddy ever!~

The Lord continues to soften our edges, curb our selfishness, and reveal to us individually as we seek Him, how to love each other even more. We take very seriously this responsibility called marriage. We want to pass down to our children a legacy of love, respect, devotion, and truth. Our children see the good, bad and ugly (although I DO try to put on my make-up before they get up:). They are being raised in a place where honoring the Lord is our most important objective. Why? Because when we choose to honor the Lord and His precepts, we can't go wrong, in marriage or in life.

We are so thankful for those who have been such wonderful examples of marital devotion. I think of my grandparents, who celebrated 61 years of marriage this past year. What about you? Who has given you a model of the kind of marriage you desire?

2011!!

2011-01-01T09:56:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!! I'm truly excited about what this year has in store.

Watching these Krazies grow.

Learn.

Be Silly.

Become.

Potty training this one. OK. not really looking forward to. Actually dreading it, but it must be done.

Saying "Goodbye" and "Hello" to this one...(not looking forward to the "goodbye"...)

But most of all, loving the Lord more than I ever have before, being the best wife and mama I've ever been, aaannnnddd, shedding these last baby pounds that have been sticking around WAY TOO LONG!!!

Happy New Year!!!

After Christmas Activity!

2010-12-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

Baur Boy got some super cool Legos for Christmas and he and Philip have spent hours since those boxes were opened, building to their hearts content!

SO thankful for Daddies who follow 85 steps to build super cool Lego trucks!

On Christmas Day

2010-12-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration in spite of the fact that Philip has to take my MIL to the ER due to a reaction to penicillin. We had special time at the breakfast table reading from Luke 2 and celebrating the TRUE meaning of Christmas before we headed to the living room where I got the ONLY pictures of the day.

After getting all of these Krazies situated with their new loot, we started setting up for our upcoming lunch hosting 3 other families for a total of 22 folks. After putting down my camera after opening presents, I forgot to pick it back up again and unfortunately have no other pictures!! I seriously kicked myself for not getting more. We had such a great day with so many amazing people!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas too (and got lot's of pictures!!)

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-29T14:30:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve. My MIL and sister were both here this year and we had a wonderful celebration. We went to the Christmas Eve service at The Infantry Chapel. It was a beautiful service. The kids were a little squirmy and Aunt La took Light Light out since he didn't want to sit still (Thanks Aunt La!) At the end we all lite pretty little white candles while singing Silent Night. It was beautiful even when I started hearing, "ow, OW, the wax is burning me!!" At that point I blew out a few candles and kept on singing.

Here are a few shots of our annual "open one present on Christmas Eve and wear it to bed, b/c it's always jammies."

not Christmas Related...at ALL!

2010-12-23T10:27:00.000-05:00

Not sure if he is a future Airborne Ranger (not sure if I want him to be...) but here he is pretending to be one. (I guess this post is somewhat Christmas related since there IS a Christmas tree in the background!)

Easy Baking...

2010-12-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!!

If you wanna know...

2010-12-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

If you wanna know the truth, today was a little emotional. P. and I cleaned out the basement and I always get emotional when he helps me clean! Ok, not exactly, but we were cleaning and straightening and making toss piles and give away piles... In this process, bags of baby and toddler clothes were getting put the "give away" pile. The GIVEAWAY pile. I can't believe I'm giving away baby and toddler clothes. Because I'll probably never have another toddler or baby. My toddler is practically a kid, he's huge! I wanted to keep all the clothes, of course, but my gracious, wonderful husband encouraged me to pick my favorites right after I cried my eyes out on his shoulder (and wiped my nose on it!)

My "baby" is 2 1/2. Where has the time gone? They just keep growing, Thank you Jesus! I love the ages they are and I look forward to the ages they will become, but right now they're growing up too fast!

I recently got to hold a brand spakin' new baby. She was so tiny and gorgeous. wrapped in her hospital, striped white, pink, and blue blankie. Swaddled so tightly and sleeping so peacefully.

This is sweet baby Claire, She belongs to Charlsey and Colin!

I think I almost felt milk let down. Alright, not really, but I certainly felt that ache to have maybe "just one more."

I realize giving away baby clothes doesn't close the door to another baby completely, but it certainly helps me cherish the days I have with my babies. And it also keeps me from getting my youngest son's hair cut, because that is the last "baby thing" about him, well and those precious, sweet ,fat baby knees!

These children are NOT babies anymore!! But I'm so thankful for each one of my "babies!"

Birthday Lunch and presents!

2010-12-05T20:38:00.000-05:00

Libby chose to have her birthday lunch at one of our all time fav's, Red Robin! She likes the french fries and pizza, I like the fact that it's so loud, no one can hear my kids if/when they get loud!

The long anticipated, gift time!!

Thanks Aunt La!

Hmm, these girl toys are pretty cool...

What, you don't think she's exited??

This boy was cold, so instead of putting PANTS on, he decided to wear his brother's size 2 jacket. Apparently he warmed right up!

My Libby is 7!

2010-12-05T08:21:00.001-05:00

Another year has passed since this day...

Libby has brought us so much joy, giggles, exhaustion, questions, enthusiasm for life, and craziness in general!

I LOVE how this picture shows her just days after Baur was born. Never afraid to snuggle, no matter whose sitting on your lap or laying on your shoulder.

She doesn't suck on those fingers anymore...
She still has that blankie...
She still loves to sit on an open lap...
She's really good at math and is learning to love to read...
She's a wonderful sister (so I'm told...)
She's got the cutest dimples and smattering of freckles on her nose...
She doesn't know cute she is...
She's got dance moves that I have no idea where she learned...
She's can make friends with anyone...
She can make up silly song's like it's nobodies business...
She has my heart and her daddy's
She loves Jesus more everyday.

We can't imagine life without her!

a little tree trimmin'

2010-12-04T23:34:00.000-05:00

Having children old enough to hang ornaments makes decorating our Christmas Tree so much more fun!

I'm pretty sure the ornament in P.'s hand is one of the only one's he hung. BUT he did bring the tree upstairs, put it together, and bring up the other decoration boxes. (Yay for strong men!!)

This child was able to hang ornaments on some of the higher branches...

This one was not. But she had the middle and bottom ones covered...

you may notice the bulk of the ornaments are right at her eye level!

This kid was extremely helpful...for about 3 minutes. Then he discovered all the John Deere Tractor ornaments and made it his mission to make sure they no longer felt neglected after their year in storage!!

I'm hoping next year I can sit back with my feet up, drinking hot chocolate while they do it all... Surely Emma Layne will be able to reach the tippy top by then!

Leapin' and Landin'

2010-11-30T17:48:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's scary to leap and even scarier to land, at least in an abstract, hypothetical sense... sometime it's scary from a swing too!

But...these girls make it look pretty easy!

And sometimes, you just want to keep swingin'

Attempts at a Family Photo

2010-11-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

I had a vision of our wonderful family of 6 sitting pleasantly on the grass smiling sweetly for the camera, patiently, as we took our family Christmas card pictures. Well, I'm certainly no prophetess, because that vision did NOT come to pass!

We start out with this, Baur leaned over and mama not even looking...

Then we had a beauty fix...

Lightsey seems to be getting bored...

"No honey, we'll get one, I'm sure of it..." (Baur is not even IN this one!)

Light Light has had enough apparently...

"REALLY, I KNOW we can get ONE!!" (Emma Layne, look at the camera!!! Lightsey, sit down!!)

And I leave you with this one. Yes, the inevitable tears. You MUST have known they were coming!

and notice who is NOW holding Lightsey...who was the hair pulling culprit that resulted in tears and a proclamation of "I"M DONE!"

Unfortunately, my vision of "happy Kramer Family photo" was not to come to pass. Maybe next year!

But we did get this shot after we sent all the kids away to go play in the dirt!

shots of Thanksgiving...

2010-11-30T12:41:00.002-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Florida with my family. Here are a few shots from our time down there...

most of these were taken by my sister, Lauren!

No pictures of food, but I can guarantee you we ate!

got my money's worth...

2010-11-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

I like to buy costumes on the days following Halloween because they, of course, are on SALE!! This year I was only able to find decent boy costumes. All the little girls costumes were quite frankly, pathetic.

No, I don't want my little, sweet girl's walking around in highly inappropriate costumes, Thank you!

I found two different Star Wars costumes and they have certainly been getting used!

This cape from "Darth Vader" gets used everyday...

She gives it a thumbs up!

And THIS mask was part of a Bobafett costume that was...90% off! I paid $2.49 for it. Great deal!!

I'm telling you, check out those racks full of 90% off, Halloween junk. You never know what you're gonna find!

Women's Leadership Forum

2010-11-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

A little over a week ago I found out about the "15th Anniversary Women's Leadership Forum" at Ridgecrest, NC. After reading about it, I really wanted to attend even though I'd NEVER heard of it. I talked to my hubby, recruited some great friends to keep my kiddos and called to make sure their was still availability. After doing those things, I called my friend Kara to see if she wanted to go with me, (she did, and she could!) We got registered and I talked to another "army friend" who said we could stay with her, allowing us to visit with her wonderful family AND save $$!

I left home around 5:30am Tuesday morning and made my way to Pendergrass, GA where I was picking up Kara. We made great time to NC, which seemed to have flown by due to the non-stop talking!!

The forum was set up with General Sessions and then several break out sessions. Kara and I ended up going to all the break out sessions together and being completely blessed and challenged. My favorite session was hosted by Esther Burroughs. She spoke of "Leaving a Legacy of Faith" to our children, grandchildren and their children. She spoke with such wisdom and grace, I sat there praying "Lord, I want to be like that..."

Kara and I met so many wonderful wonderful women of faith from all over the country, whom I'm able to get to know more and stay connected with through the World of Facebook!

The greatest blessing was being led in worship by this guy...

Travis Cottrell. It was amazing!

1300 women raising their hands and voices to worship the One and Only...

Oh, AND we got to hear, up-close and personal...

Beth Moore!!!!

So challenging and uplifting. At the end of the last session, she asked all the "young adult" women (I'm still in that category!!) to kneel in the aisles and she had all the other women come and pray over us. A time of commissioning, praying that we would boldly take Truth to our families and our generation. A wonderful, humbling experience that I'll always remember.

I thank the Lord for this time of refreshment and retreat. For reminding me of His great love and the knowledge that He will use those committed to Him.

typical day in the school room (aka basement!)

2010-11-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

School days are filled with reading...

standing on our heads...

math on the computer (thank you Teaching Textbooks!!)

Happy Ween, Finally!

2010-11-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

We always combine our Halloween Costumes with Awana Bible Character night. The girls are usually a queen and Baur is one of many options for Bible men.

This year Emma Layne was Queen Ester and Libby wanted to be an angel. Baur was Joseph, the father Jesus, but decided to trick or treat in his Spiderman Costume. Lightsey was an Indian, b/c that was costume we had in the dress up box and it was free!!

Emma Layne, 1 day post op. She was very excited we got back from her follow up appt. to go trick or treating!

Light Light dropped his sucker and stuck it back in his mouth. It was covered with leaves hence the tongue sticking out!

Light Light ate all his candy and was moving on to help big brother!

something to look forward to!

2010-11-07T09:01:00.000-05:00

When we told EL about her upcoming surgery, she was extremely nervous. We decided to get her something special to look forward to as well as make going into surgery a little easier. She and her sister are on a Calico Critter spree right now. EL got a bunch for her birthday, so we got her a little something to go with all the families.

She was EXTREMELY excited in this picture, you just can't tell, well, because she's still kinda doped up. But trust me, she LOVED her new Calico Critter town house!

Doesn't that look fun? I want to play with it!!

3rd times a Charm

2010-11-03T07:53:00.000-04:00

This past Friday, Emma Layne had her third and, Lord willing, last eye surgery. She and I left around 7am that morning and made our way to Dothan, AL. She was referred to a new eye doctor about 4 months ago, and let me say I wish we'd found her before the last surgery. She was/is very thorough and EL really likes her.

EL was extremely nervous about this surgery. It didn't help that after her last one, she had a corneal abrasion which made her healing process more painful than it should have been. We spent so much time praying with her and for her but it's still heart-wrenching watching her hug her daddy with her eyes full of tears before we left that morning.

P. ended up staying with the other kids and I took EL b/c she responds better to my nurturing after surgery than P.'s ranger mentality. (j/k. he doesn't expect them to "Ranger Up" until the next day!!) EL and I made great time and arrived a little early. Thankfully there were some fun books to distract her until she was called. It also helped that the nurses and staff were dressed up for Halloween. Once they called us back, we got her in a gown and, poor thing broke down crying. I sincerely wished I could have taken her away from what was coming, but this was one of those things we needed to do. Thankfully, the 'pain Dr." gave her a little "something" to calm her down and they provided us with a small portable DVD player and she became distracted by "Robots." She was still a little worried, but the medicine given to her, made a HUGE difference.

They save all the "poky" stuff for after she's out (like the i.v.). The time came for them to take her away and I'm so thankful for her amazing staff. They really put her at ease (and me too!) I went to the wonderful waiting room and found myself tearing up. I knew then she was in surgery and took those tears as a reminder to pray for her and her Dr. right then. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I knew I wanted The Great Healer with my daughter. The Lord brought so much peace during that time and about an hour and a half later, the Dr. called me back and gave me the details of the surgery. From what she could tell, it was a success.

I while later, I was called back to recovery and rejoiced to see my little girl! I have to admit, I was somewhat concerned, as she has, after her two previous surgeries, come out of recovery madder than a hornet and letting us know about it. Praise the Lord, this time, she was a confused and in pain, but she did beautifully (which was a HUGE answer to prayer!) This was outpatient surgery, so once she was coherent, we hit the road for home. I set up a pallet in the back seat and she slept the entire way back.

At her follow up appt. the Dr. believes everything is healing nicely. EL is already back to her old self and we are so grateful. I know that there are parents who have chronically ill children or have had even MORE surgeries than our sweet girl. I know in the "big scheme" of things, this may not be very big, but for us it was and we are so grateful that she is on her way to complete recovery. Thank you for your prayers!

Curly Locks

2010-10-24T14:21:00.000-04:00

He should probably get a hair cut, but I just can't do it yet. I LOVE his baby boy curls.

Birthday Girl

2010-10-23T17:15:00.000-04:00

Today is my firstborn's birthday. She got to have a "friend" party this year. The party was a blast! Unfortunately, Daddy was training and didn't make it home until eeeaarrllyy the next morning.

We celebrated Emma's actual birthday(today) with hashbrown casserole and frenchtoast casserole, both requests of the birthday girl. Then she got to open all her presents and we were blessed to have my mom and aunt visiting to make it even more speical!

Happy Birthday Sweet Emma Layne!

Bed-Lam

2010-10-16T15:38:00.000-04:00

Ok, so not really chaotic in this picture, but it certainly has the potential to become. I adore LightLight's expression here. He looks so sneaky, like he's got a secret of somekind.

He loves to play in our bed and pretend to go to sleep and then "wake up" and scare us! It's even better when Daddy gets in on the games!

River Plantation revisited

2010-10-15T13:21:00.001-04:00

We took a 4-day weekend to head back to my family's cabin in Morgan, GA. We had such a wonderful, relaxing time. I took my sewing machine and a few projects I'd been working on and was finally able to finish them. It's amazing what you can get done when you don't have 50 over things you should be doing staring you in the face. P. took guns, that's all he really needed, well of course after he packed his clothes,in, get this- a garbage bag. I'm not kidding. A white drawstring Glad bag. Really?? Yes! Can you say, "Redneck."

EL is a finder of all things slimy, crazy about lizards and frogs.

check out those dirty fingernails!

A little dock time.

sweet baby feet ( yes I know they are no longer "baby" feet!)

Goin' Fishin'

Whatcha doin'?

more...

brotherly love!

marshmallow roastin'

marshmallow roastin' fire

nothin' cuter!

Fall girly shirts

2010-10-14T15:22:00.000-04:00

I don't really applique much, but I LOVE the way it looks. I made these shirts for the girls and they've worn them, so I'm assuming they like em'!

Libby wanted a pink shirt and wanted all 3 fabric choices.

Emma Layne wanted a green shirt and just 2 of the fabrics, but 3 trees.

Light Light wanted to get in on the picture taking!

And show off his bee-yoo-ti-ful belly!

Love 'em like KRAZY

2010-10-14T15:06:00.000-04:00

It's true, these kids make me laugh and make me cry; Usually from laughing so hard OR because of the great love I have for them (and only sometimes because they make me want to pull my hair out!)

An AM photoshoot

2010-10-14T14:59:00.000-04:00

Can we call this a field trip? Yes, I think we'll go with field trip...

My beautiful (8 year old) Girl

2010-10-13T08:26:00.000-04:00

She rarely ever lets me take posed pictures of her and this time she did. I LOVE them. She looks so grown up to me (I don't love that part...) But thought I'd share!

BTW, none of these have been edited!

Oh Humidity, Where Art Thou? (not that we miss you!)

2010-10-05T14:58:00.000-04:00

Sibling Love

2010-09-18T21:46:00.000-04:00

Parrott, GA

2010-09-14T14:11:00.000-04:00

We drive through Parrott, GA on our way to River Plantation where our family owns some property. We've driven through this town many times, but have never stopped. They ~~have~~ had several antique stores, are down to one due to the economy, and my man knows I love to browse through these. They also have an amazing BBQ restaurant that we'd been missing out on, so we are thrilled we finally stopped!