I Call This

 I call this picture, 

"Baby Brother Leads Morning Yoga"

Their Idea

 It was my kiddo's idea to position themselves in this way and try to take this picture.

Future Window

 A few weeks ago our twins were home doing a virtual school quarantine.  One of their classmates tested positive for covid, and this was before the district required masks on students (now masks are required to try to reduce the need for quarantines).

Howard and Caroline have had several exposures to virtual schooling for over a year-and-a-half (since April 2020).  They have done virtual schooling for various quarantine periods for preschool, pre-kindergarten, and they watched Tracey do it as a kindergartener and first grader.  I'll be honest, I was pretty impressed with how well my twins did with it for the couple of days it was required.

During the time my twins were home for virtual learning, they both had runny noses and minor coughs, and when that happens at our house, I give the kids hot green tea with honey and lemon (it works SOO well!). Most of the children don't especially like it, but they drink it and they know it helps make their throat and their coughs better.

So, here  was my Caroline, as a kindergarten in a virtual class meeting with her morning tea next to her.  She looked so grown up and independent, I felt like I was given a window in the future -- her future.

I don't know what path the Lord has for Caroline, but there's a chance she'll be in virtual meetings with her morning coffee... and I got to see it here twenty years in advance.

Christmas Eve Church

 Christmas Eve church looked different this year in that we did not attend in person.  We attended in our family room.

We were still dressed up for Christmas Eve church, but I'm not going to lie, it was nice to not have to find nice shoes to match our nice outfits.

The kids loved all the carols, and enjoyed the freedom to dance around our family room, play drums on their seats, and climb all over Daddy which watching the service.

I was able to pick up white candles from the church earlier that week, so we lit candles just like they did in church, although our home wasn't completely dark at that time of day, so our kids loved lighting the candles, but we didn't have the full candlelight effect of a black room lit only by candles.

Either way, it is so wonderful to know what we do not worship a God who is confined to one building.  We can worship Him anywhere, any time, with anyone.  That knowledge is powerful and glorious and a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Next Week

 Now, I usually try to begin each week with as positive, productive, organized, and hopeful outlook as possible.  It always has seemed like the best way to tackle a new week.

That being said, I laughed out loud when I saw this posted on facebook a few days ago...

Truthfully, I am feeling this even with every positive outlook I am trying to have for the week.  All our school-aged children are virtual learning next week -- a decision that we learned about last Friday night.  Our children have been in school since August, and we feel very grateful that this is the first time this has happened for our children's elementary school... and it falls the week before Thanksgiving break.

As educators, Hubby and I have incredibly full work-weeks leading up to the Thanksgiving break with both our usual obligations, but also some extra responsibilities that we have to complete before taking the week off for Thanksgiving...and now we get to do it with our first grader, and our twin preschoolers learning virtually from home (and our toddler and baby at home too).

I'm sure this week will be fine... if not comical and probably a little stressful, but the Lord has our strength for each day measured... and hopefully He gives me an extra helping of calm and patience for this coming week.

Strength

 I read this today, and I think it helps to have an attitude of gratitude to realize the fortitude that I (and many others have had) during so many unprecedented, unexpected, discouraging, and challenging changes this year.

30 For a Funeral

 Something to think about as we near Thanksgiving this year...

Update on the Crazy Life

 So... I haven't covered all of Hubby's surprises, but I will in the next few days.

I had been planning this surprise party for YEARS!  I literally told the family to mark their calendars on Hubby's 38th birthday giving them two years to make travel plans to come to our house for his 40th, and they totally came through.

It felt like planning a wedding to arrange all the moving parts, coordinate so many out of town guests, plan activities while they were in town and more.

Here is what life has been like since...

Labor Day weekend -- Chris gets surprised by LOTS of family.

Labor Day Monday -- Chris gets surprised by some friends, and then we take family pictures.

Monday evening a visiting family member vomits (at the hotel) and spikes a fever

Tuesday, our kids play at our house with their cousins, and the ill family member hangs out on our couch, resting and playing with the kids when feeling up to it.

Wednesday, our ill family member gets a rapid test for COVID which comes back positive.

Wednesday I spend the afternoon and evening on the phone with the rest of the family who attend our party, and our close friends who attended the Monday surprise to explain the situation.  The health department calls me to ask for the details of the birthday gathering that we had and to find out if our children had been back to school since their exposure.  THANK GOODNESS, our kids had NOT been back to school.  We deliberately made the decision to keep our children home to spend the week with family because we had not seen our family since Christmas.  Had our children returned to school, Tracey's entire class and the twins' preschool class would have gone under quarantine.  That was not the case.  But our children were put on a 14-day quarantine and asked to not return to school until Sept 22.

Thursday morning all the kiddos and I get tested for COVID.  By the way, we still have family in town at this point in the week -- after all, they were planning to stay until Saturday, and now the only thing that has changed with the COVID diagnosis is that they are going to drive back instead of fly.

By Friday we bid farewell to the last of the cousins.  We also get our COVID results all of which were NEGATIVE!  Praise God!  After days of back and forth with the Health Department, they have made the recommendation that ALL adults who attended the birthday festivities quarantine for 14-days, and make the recommendation that we can return to work and our children return to school on September 22.

On Saturday we say goodbye to Memaw and Pepaw and begin our remaining 9 days of quarantine just the seven of us.

Sunday (Sept 13) was Hubby's actual 40th birthday...

Then Monday-Friday began the week of Hubby and me BOTH teaching virtually from home, with all our children at home with us.  We have all been completely healthy without even a hint of COVID... which is wonderful.  It also means that our children have been bouncing off the walls wanting to go back to school.

This past weekend, Hubby went bear hunting and the kiddos and I were home -- of course... waiting out the clock of quarantine.

Yesterday was our LAST day of all of us home, and Hubby and Tracey, Howard, and Caroline are SOOOOO ready to return to school.  They also understand with a completely new appreciation why we wear our masks because if we get sick or even around someone who was sick, we have to stay home again for awhile.

I will still be teaching from home, but I will be doing so with less children each day and hopefully getting back to our normal routine -- or at least the routine we had for one week before Labor Day weekend.

So, if you've hung with the post this far, I will end with a picture that I saw a few days ago that left me laughing out loud.

Hunter Nicholas -- Nine Months

 Hunter turned nine months a few days ago and what a big month this has been for our little boy.

Hunter at nine months

Lee Lee at nine months

Caroline at nine months

Howard at nine months

Twins at nine months

Tracey at nine months

Comparison picture at nine months

Weight: 

Straight from his nine month check-up: 16 pounds, 6 ounces

Length:  

Straight from his nine month check-up: 27.5" long

Clothing size: 

Almost all 12 month clothing... but honestly, I just have him wear summer clothes.  I did recently buy him an outfit and I ordered 12 months.  It is big on him, but it fits.  I'm not returning it -- so 12 months.

 Eating:  

At the moment, Hunter can eat anything except peanuts and eggs.  He avoids all peanuts, peanut products, eggs, and food that contains either peanuts or eggs.

He eats really well for us and loves most foods.  This week, I made beef stroganoff and he gobbled that up!  He also loves rice, veggies, chicken, fruit, sweet potatoes, elk meat, tacos, spaghetti, yogurt... we have not found anything I can think of that he doesn't like.  Now that I think of it, he has some chicken fajitas and I think the spices upset his tummy a little.

He drinks water with his meal and he still nurses several times a day as well.

He has another round of allergy tests this month, and we learned he has no additional food allergies... but he does have INCREDIBLY sensitive skin.  He had a reaction to the Negative Saline Control that they put on his back -- so sometimes when his skin reactions, its just sensitive skin, not a food allergic reaction.  That has not been a fun balance to navigate, but thankfully, he is an incredibly happy baby, so we're figuring things out.

Sleeping:  

Hunter sleeps well and usually takes 2 naps a day.  He naps mid-day for about 2 hours, and again in the late afternoon for maybe 1 hour, and is ready for bed by about 8:00.  He sleeps through the night for between 11-12 hours.

New things/discoveries/accomplishments: 

One new tooth

Crawling (well, sliding/scooting -- but he moves forward on his belly and moves quickly, so I call it crawling) -- he is officially mobile

Pulling up on things

Going from his tummy to a seated position

Rolling over -- FINALLY!  This baby literally started crawling, and then realized it was to his benefit to roll over.

Lots of babbling -- We say, "Say Mama!" and he usually responds with "Dada" or "Nana"

Lots of days in the stroller while Mama walks or jogs or bikes while the big kids ride bikes

He got his first actual viral infection this month where he had a fever for a few days, and was incredibly fussy, and a few days later he broke out with a post-fever rash.  Everything was cleared up in a few days, but he was a fussy little boy for a few days.

He is still working on holding a bottle -- little guy has been nursed since the pandemic started, so when I gave him a bottle of water this month, he had no idea what to do with it.  The big kids love holding it for him, which, of course, does not help him learn to hold it for himself.

Likes: 

Walking in his walker

Crawling

Being around his siblings

Tags -- like the silky tags on her stuffed animals

Daddy

Tiny pieces of paper on the floor, which he then puts immediately in his mouth

Chattering

Baths

Meal time

Waking Lee Lee up from her naps -- and trying to steal her passie

Being carried by Tracey, Howard, or Caroline

Naps

Dislikes:

Being sick

Tummy aches

Sitting still for diaper changes when he could be crawling around

 Places He's Gone:

Special Memories: 

Attending a local photographer's annual Breastfeeding Awareness photo shoot.  I went two years ago with Lee Lee and it was nice to go with Hunter.  I'm sure most of the time I completely take for granted the fact I've been able to nurse five babies over the past six-and-a-half years.  I wouldn't trade it for the world, but the truth is that it takes determination, commitment, and sacrifice, and it is so kind of this photographer to appreciate and celebrate this every August with a free photo shoot for nursing Mamas.

Nicknames:

Hunt Hunt (by Lee Lee)

Hunner (by Caroline)

Hunny (by Howard and Tracey)

Buddy

Little Guy

Happy Boy

Buster

Buzz Boy

Hunt Buddy

Pictures from this month: