Not exactly what I expected

Well my evening is not going as I expected. Tonight we were going over to John's parents for dinner and I was looking forward to a yummy turkey dinner. Instead John took Alex, JJ, and Livie over and I stayed home with Kennedy. She has a stomach bug and so I have spent my evening cleaning up after 6 rounds of her puking and getting thrown up 3 times.

I am praying that her sour stomach is over and that no one else gets sick. Just as every week, we really don't have time for people being sick. This week is teacher appreciation week at PVCA and I am to help out with it throughout the week. Plus I honestly don't want to be thrown up on again and would like to get this nasty puke smell out of my house!!!

But on a bright note, John brought me home the newest Chronicles of Narnia dvd to watch so I am watching that as we speak, or I guess, as I type.

I love PVCA!!!

Last night was Platte Valley Christian Academy's annual dinner theater. Being there reminded me why I love this school so much. This ministry is awesome! We, as an extention of the home, help to train up young men and women of God who strive to bring glory to God's name. I was so proud of not only Alex and JJ, but also all the other students, the teachers(especially Mrs. Dishman for directing this awesome musical), Mr. Dishman for creating a good meal, the families for pulling together and manning the event, and all those who came to cheer on our school.

I am so blessed!!

As I write this I am watching the royal wedding that I taped from earlier this morning. Kate is arriving at the church to meet her groom and it takes me back to my wedding.

There is no relationship that is more important in a person's life(other than their relationship with God) than their relationship with their spouse. It should be a top priority for everyone to cultivate on a daily basis. I am very blessed to be married to be my best friend. Yes John and I do have days where we get on each others nerves, after almost 9 years of marriage and seeing each other everyday that is bound to happen. But John is the one person in the whole world that knows the true me. He sees me at my best and at my worst, he has seen me through times of joy and times of complete darkness, he has been through my side through it all. There is no other person in the world I want with me for the rest of my life. He is an amazing man, husband, and father. He is a huge dork, who loves wrestling, funny movies, and quoting movies and sitcoms on a daily basis. He is a man in love with the Lord. He is the one God created for me and I fall more and more in love with him everyday. I am truly blessed to be married to just an amazing man and have 5 beautiful children with!!

The joys of adulthood!

The other day I was looking through a magazine and there was a couple pages with actress ranging from 20-60, one for every year. So as I am looking through them I see women in their 20's and I think that they are so young. Then I realize that they are my age. And it made me think about how really in the grand scheme of things I am really pretty young.

If you think about it we really don't get much time being kids and trying to figure out just who God created us to before we are piled with responsibility. Now some of the responsibility are things that just come to us because it is just the way life goes. Once you are done with high school, it is expected you go to college, get a job, get married, etc., but regardless of your desicion you are now an adult and are expected to pay for yourself in most cases. For some they get help until after college from parents or school loans, but eventually the reality of paying for ourselves is placed upon us all whether we are ready for it or not.

Now then their are aspects of adulthood that people choose to accept or not. Marriage, children, which job we choose, being on committees, etc. are choices that we make.

I say this to say that sometimes I feel so much older than I really am. Because of the amount of responsibility that we have chosen to accept sometimes I forget that I am only 26. That I still have a long and hopefully healthy life to still explore and grow into the woman God created me to be. This makes me glad to know that through all the trials, joy, and lessons that I learn throughout the years are not for nothing. Every things I go through can be used to bring glory to God's name is I chose to let Him use it to mold me.

Cleaning just isn't my passion!!

I am coming to find that it is true that you where you put your money is often your passion. So needless to say that I don't put alot of money into cleaning products. It is true, I will spend money on crafts, pictures, crafty items, but I don't like to spend alot of money on products that are just used to clean my house.

But today when I was trying to vacuum and I once again had to mess around with the vacuum hose because the screw is missing that holds a part of it up, and the piece that broke off the bottom keep refusing to stay in place, and it was ONCE AGAIN clogged up because it has no sucking power, John said that we were buying a new one.

So we went down and got one from Walmart and frankly it made me sick spending $50 on something that just sucks up dirt and hair. All the way home I kept thinking about returning it before John had a chance to open it and get it all together, but I resisted the urge. And I am glad I did. John vacuumed real quick and since it was one without a filter we were able to see everything it picked up. Man was that gross!! The canister was almost 3/4 full from dog hair and dirt that the other one just wasn't picking up anymore.

So although we spent $50 on something I would have prefered not to, I am so glad to have floors that are no longer full of dirt and hair!!

Not your typical Easter

Well today instead of dressing all the kids up in their new Easter outfits and heading to church to worship our Lord and Savior and teach Sunday school class, our family stayed home from church. I have been fighting a bad sinus infection for close to 2 weeks and finally went to the doctor today to get some meds. So with a diagnosis in hand John felt that I needed to stay home and lounge around. As much as I hate to admit it, he was right. I have felt horrible all day.

And since my amazing brother is in town, he decided to take Alex, JJ, and Kennedy to my grandma's for the afternoon so the house was alot quieter so I could get some rest. This is what my day has consisted off. Admittedly not exactly how I wanted to spend Easter, but definitely was needed!

Snuggled up on the couch under a blanket with lots of tissues within reach.

Playing on the computer. Crocheting a blanket with some pretty colored yarn.

Playing and cuddling with Miss Livie.

Escape Artist

Yesterday I took Kennedy to dance class while my brother watched the boys and Livie. I got a phone call in the middle of class and Casey told me that JJ had been picking on Alex so Casey sent him to his room. Casey then went to check on JJ and he found that JJ had opened his window and climbed out the window and was running around outside in the driveway.

Bright side is if there is ever a fire, he will know how to get out of his room. Bad side is that he knows how to do it, so we will have to keep an eye on him when he is in his room. Kids aren't suppose to try climbing out the window until they are teenagers.

First trip to Dentist

Today included a trip to the dentist for the Schimek boys. Alex has 2 cavities which will be easy to fill and not even need shots since children teeth are not as sensitive as adults, but JJ's unfortunately wont be that easy. He has two cavities that started in between his teeth and then he had 2 teeth break off because of the cavities. So his fillings will require shots, but the doctor says on children this young they don't like to use shots, so he suggested oral sedation. Which of course the insurance will not pay for so that is an additional $300. So I walked into that appointment knowing we would need to have some fillings but never imagining the extent of the need. Just praying these kids don't ever require braces, cause if I don't like an extra $300, I am sure I will really dislike the cost of braces! lol

Crafty by Nature!

I am by nature a very crafty person. Not crafty like, man that girl is shady, but in the way that I LOVE to do craft projects! Scrapbooking, crocheting, emboirdery, quilting, etc. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved to do crafts. I remember being about 7 and my great grandma teaching me how to make chains with yarn which is something you have to learn to start crocheting. Having a project to work on has always been kinda a stress relief, someway to get all my creativity put to use. I have even been paid to make quilts and sold stuff at crafts shows. I say all this to say that lately I haven't worked on anything in months. The last thing I worked on was my nephew's quilt front and it still needs quilted and given to him. I need to start doing projects again! I am so far behind in my scrapbooking, I have missed making quilts for lots of babies that have been born, and there is no way I am getting the quilt done for Emma for graduation I know she was hoping for. Part of the reason I haven't worked on stuff is lack of time. Even though I am a stay at home mom, with 4 kids, all the responsibility of being on the school board, youth group and Sunday school, and just life in general, I just don't have the time to do a long project. The other thing is the mess that quilting brings to my house. Having quilting stuff over my dining room table just makes my house seem messier than it already is. Lets face it with 4 kids, 2 dogs, and all the chores they require, I don't need to find more ways to add to the mess. lol But I still think I am going to start a crochet project today. Something to do to use my creative side and de-stress! This means looking through my stuff and seeing what I have to use. Hopefully I can find a crochet needle and not have to run to the store! Here are just 2 projects out of the hundreds I have done. This scrapbook page is of October 2003 and the quilt is the one I made Livie.

Gotta Love Snow Days!!

Last night as I went to bed, I really thought that the storm would just blow over. Well it did, bringing snow and nasty cold with it. So we used our last snow day in the middle of April. Praise God we still had it and don't have to make up before the end of the year.

So with a snow day be announced, that meant Mommy didn't have to go out in the snow with 4 kids. Thank you Lord!! So I stayed in my pjs until about 9:30 and made cinnamon rolls for everyone. We watched a movie and have just had a lazy day. I will have to venture out in the snow to pay 2 bills, but I am waiting until John gets up.

So here I sit in my living room, with Livie scooting around in her walker, Alex entertained by the Starwars Lego game Daddy rented him, and Kennedy and JJ are playing in the boys room(which means they are further destroying it), and I am thinking how amazing a large cold coke sounds right now and how truly blessed I am to have my husband and kids.

Thank You Platte Valley Christian Academy

I am thankful to the ministry of Platte Valley Christian Academy! I am seeing the fruit of their labor through my boys' prayer life! Alex is quick to ask for prayer if he is hurt, sick, or having a hard time. He will tell me that I need to pray when I am having a hard time. To think my 6 year old is quicker to bow his head and speak to our God than I am at times. And just the other day when Kennedy fell and hurt her leg, JJ goes "it's ok Mom, I prayed for her." I LOVE that they are learning that their first thought in time of need is to go to their Savior, not the last resort!! PVCA is a huge blessing in our lives!! I am so thankful to the teachers, aides, fellow board members, and parents of the school. I love this school!!

He is growing up too fast!!!

Had a meeting today with Alex's teacher and the other kindergarten mommy. We are planning the kindergarten graduation. It makes me kinda sad, my little man is growing up so fast. We decided to get gowns this year in addition to the hats they always have. They will look so cute in their little gowns. And in addition to Alex's upcoming graduation which reminds me that he is growing up, he came home today upset because the little girl he likes said that one of his friends in her boyfriend. He was heartbroken. And was asking me when he could have a girlfriend when I told him he was too young to be thinking of having a girlfriend. He then asked me to call the little girl's mom to let her know that this little girl was too young. He told me that the little boy likes another girl also and Alex told him to forget about the other girl because it would make the girl that they both like sad if she found out. He said he would rather the little boy only like her even if it means she doesn't like Alex. Oh what a tender spirit my little man has! So today was full of reminders that my baby is growing up faster than I would like!! Seems like just yesterday he was placed in my arms for the first time and today he is wanting a girlfriend and graduating kindergarten.

Coloring, Butterflies, and Sugar Cookies

So today was my third week of teaching the 3, 4, and 5 years old Sunday school. I have a great bunch of kids. There are a couple wild boys, JJ included, but they keep it lively! Having never taught Sunday school I wasn't sure what to expect. I have worked with youth for years but little kids, I had never taught them before. Kinda thought they would drive me nuts. But I am loving it. Love talking to the kids about God's love for them, doing crafts, playing games, and coloring. Today we talked about Jesus healing the 10 lepers and only 1 thanking Jesus for it. Talked about things we are thankful like our moms and dads, toys, and amazing sugar cookies from Eileen's.(I picked up some for the snack for today and they were sooooo yummy!!) We also made butterflies out of felt and a spoon and decorated them with felt pieces and little sparkles. It was alot of fun. And then we had a little scavenger hunt, where each kid was given an item and they had to go find the 9 other identical items that were under different tables. They all loved that and it got some extra energy out. And then we finished off the morning with a round of musical chairs with the older class. Now I am thinking of different projects to do with them and looking forward to doing VBS later this summer. I am so happy that God lead me to volunteer because I really didn't think that I would enjoy working with this age group, but am really loving it.

He is so smart!

So my husband being the amazingly smart man that he is(and taking strong, direct hints from his oh-so-subtle wife) is going to let me get away by myself for a couple of hours today. Now I am figuring out my gameplan. Need to run to cashway on school business, but not sure if I want to do that on my time. I am going to run to A-Z books and look around. Take my Bible study to starbucks and try to catch up on it some. Maybe even walk through the mall and enjoy being without kids to haul around. I am so excited. Just need to get the boys, cook lunch, and get kids down for naps, then I am off!! Need time to recharge and remember that I am still Mandi, not just a mommy all the time! So blessed that John is letting me get away!