Our Day

We had a good Saturday. The kids played a game for quite a while. We thought it would be cheat proof and we found out that it isn't. We have one child who cheats at every game that is played. She would slowly put her foot down and make adjustments if she felt "poop". Fortunately it was obvious and foul was called.

We had my late birthday dinner out tonight. All the kids came and we had a great time....

Vaida was not too happy with the fire.

Benjamin found it exciting.

There are many challenges in having a big family, getting everyone together at the same time is one of them!

Day of Appointments

Bright and early I took this one in for a well baby check up. His height and weight are both at 80%, his iron is good and he didn't have a lead problem. He does however have a doctor problem. In this moment he is being curious. However, as soon as we walked into the room he started crying. He spent a majority of the time crying. I spent a majority of my time sweating. They keep the rooms warm and I was walking and bouncing a crying, unhappy baby.

The only problem he is having is with milk, it gives him diarrhea! The doctor said to keep him on the toddler formula until he is two. Anyone have a toddler with a milk problem? What do you feed your child to compensate?

I took Little Man home and picked up Joselin for her doctors appointment. No surprise, she is breech. She is scheduled for a C-section on Monday at noon. So grand baby will be here Monday unless she goes into labor this weekend. Apparently he is sitting up with his legs crossed. We expect some type of hip issue.

The rest of my day was pretty relaxed. I dropped Larissa off at her friends house for a few hours and then for dinner a friend took me out for my birthday. 

I actually had a little free time and decided to clean the stove top. That thing gets pretty nasty real quick. It is a gas stove top and I love it. I just with it came with a self cleaning option. Other than that no house cleaning got complete by me. The kids did their chores so that will have to do. 

My house is normally in a total state of disarray. One day I will take care of that! No time soon. I have been trying to declutter but realize that I have been trying to do that for years! Obviously I am not capable of decluttering on my own. On a good note, when I peeked in on the bathroom that I remodeled, it still looked great. I guess that my threats of having them shower in the yard worked!

Anyone have any great weekend plans or plans for the 4th of July (Americans). Our grill died and a new one isn't in the budget so this BBQing Texan isn't sure what we will do. 

June 28th

I talked to the church today. Larissa's phone has been found and they apologized for the ball incident. I went ahead and let Emma, Michelle and Benjamin go to the last night. Apparently a lot of negative things were said about Larissa and my complaints. I told the kids to let it go. We simply won't be going back to that church and their VBS program.

Benjamin is in that crowd.

Emma and Michelle were in that big crowd.

Interesting fact I found out. A few months ago the kids were playing in a church kickball league. The games were great except for one. The other church brought cow bells and stood along the fence where they lined up to kick. I didn't realize until my kids came to me mad but they were saying negative things to them and kept ringing those bells at them. I thought it was pretty rude for a church league and was thankful that was the only group with such poor sportsmanship. I found out today that this was THAT church! I would have never sent them if I had known that little bit of information.

Some kids wanted pictures taken so I did....

Anthony wouldn't do pictures but his foot is in this one.

Today Joselin had an ultrasound to see if she was still breech. We didn't feel it was necessary, he is obviously breech.

Tomorrow we go to her doctor to determine when he wants to do the C-section. I wonder if she will make it to next week.

I had an appointment in the evening with Larissa and the modeling orientation. My husband called me in a panic asking me what hospital she goes to if she goes into labor. He suddenly realized that it is going to happen and sooner than later and what if I wasn't around!? I told him the hospital, where to take her and if she was screaming and carrying on to tell them she was breech. I also told him that this was her first child and she isn't having regular contractions so he should be ok, I wouldn't be gone that long.

Larissa and I went to her orientation. They gave her feedback on her audition which was written in positive language. They explained what all they do and what she will come out of their training with. We have decided to do it since we really think that the process will give her a big boost in confidence. She starts classes July 14th and she is pretty excited. They put her in the teen/adult class so she needs to get a pair of black 2" heels. September she will be a teenager! Hard to believe. 

This shall be an interesting journey.

Daily Journaling

If you are a regular reader I am sure you are wondering why I am suddenly writing daily. Well, I am trying something new, writing about my day each day. I figured that I wouldn't last long, life tends to get in the way. But I found that often I wasn't writing because so much had passed and I didn't feel like I could accurately write about it. Always playing catch up often led me to not writing at all! So I am trying this. My life isn't too exciting so it may become a bit mundane but it may give you an idea of how a big household operates!

Boys Playing

Ups and Downs of the Day

I was looking forward to the day. My new fridge, washer and dryer were coming today. Our old fridge worked but was starting to break down, especially the baskets. The freezer was on the bottom and was a drawer. Benjamin loves to lean on the drawer all the time. Little Man was in training. I very much disliked that drawer. Things got put in the freezer never to be found again as they went to the bottom. Who designed that thing?

Then the washing machine broke down. I guess I didn't buy the extra warranty so it wasn't covered. Seriously, it wasn't even 2 years old. I have always had issues with that dryer so it was going. You had to run it twice to get anything to dry, so frustrating.

My husband wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday and I told him a new fridge, washer and dryer. Guess that makes me old to want such items for my birthday!

I was quite amazed at how they got that monster of a fridge into my kitchen. It barely fit, but it fit.

I love the bottom doors. The left side is a freezer and the right side can be a freezer or a fridge. 

New washer and dryer. I went big again, need a step stool to reach the bottom of the washer. We tried the front loading machine once, it was not good. We could never get rid of the mold. We were told to keep the door open all the time. We couldn't, we were using it all of the time. We went more than a week with one washer, we sure missed it.

Anthony found his old cowboy boots from when we lived in San Antonio. He passed them down to Benjamin. They are way too big but he loves them and was stomping around the house all day.

We had a social worker visit today. My moms worker came out. She hadn't been out in a while and the visit wasn't long. She basically had to lay eyes on my mom to see that she was still alive. Apparently they are no longer allowed to do phone checks. They had a case locally where an elderly man did not report his wife's death to them because he needed to meals to continue. This man was not able to afford food and now he will be fined for all the back meals he acquired after his wife's death. I find it sad that he had to resort to that to have food.

All was well until the kids went to VBS. It has been hours and I am still mad. As soon as we get in the car Larissa told me that she was having hearing problems in her ear. They were starting to play a game called Chest Ball when one of the adults in her group came up to her and smacked her in the ear with the ball hard enough to knock her to the ground. She said she sat out the rest of the time trying not to cry. Her ear was ringing and hurt. She tried to play other games and none of the kids would let her. 

Michelle was there and she even said that the guy just walked up to Larissa and smacked her. She wasn't even aware that the game had started. Everyone was laughing at Larissa. She didn't find it funny. They are supposed to hit the chest, not the ear. Michelle told me that no one would let Larissa play the other games and that they were all white. Michelle felt that they all did that to Larissa because she is black. Michelle made that observation, not Larissa.

Then we get home and someone had stole Larissa's phone out of her bag. She thought that she had watched it well. To take it would have taken more than one kid. She cried over that loss.

The phone makes me mad but I know that it can be replaced. I think that it has been a lesson to her, that you can't trust anyone and that is sad. But the phone doesn't make me boil as much as the hit to the ear. She is 5'7", he had to of hit hard to knock her to the floor. The loss of that rust for her adult youth leader is a harder loss and will take longer to recover from than the phone. The church that is hosting this VBS is not our church and it isn't one that we have visited. However, it had been recommended to us. I can promise you it isn't a church we would consider attending.

I have the reports from my two girls, I wonder how the church will report it tomorrow. I did leave a voice mail on their phone and will follow up tomorrow.

I really don't understand why she is such a target. She is a very respectful child. She is loving and quiet. She tries to do the right thing. Sure, she is a kid and has her moments but overall a great kid. It frustrates me so.

Bio-dad Visit

We found out that Anthony and Larissa's bio-dad has been sitting outside of Pizza Hut carving and selling his canes. Larissa has been wanting to give him some dance pictures so we went in search of him. Anthony did not want to go.

He was very excited to see her and loved her pictures.

He prayed for her.

He asked if we could get him some lettuce and tomatoes so we did.

It was a very interesting meet up. He looked at her dance pictures and immediately started talking to her about bullies. He told her that she would have girls who would be envious and would want her to fail or would work to put her down. He said to ignore them and stay her course. He had great timing as she was just having issues with girls yesterday. Every time we meet with him he is very appropriate. However, I do know that he is struggling with drug issues right now. We still can't visit with their bio-mom. Apparently the boyfriend that she has at this time locks her in the house during the day, he says it is not a safe situation to take the kids to.

We were supposed to have a visit from Little Man's GAL today but she called and rescheduled for Saturday. Hopefully I will be here as we are on baby watch.

I started and finished a painting for a friend. I have more I need to do!

Larissa received a phone call from the agency that she auditioned for on Saturday. We weren't expecting a call for two weeks as that is what they told us. They want her to come to orientation this Thursday. We will go and see what they have to offer. I think it will be very interesting!

Birthday and Bullying

I started my day with a hairstyle from Benjamin.

 He was helping me get my day started because it was my birthday.

Larissa made me some slime. She has a slime problem, we buy glue by the gallons.

Since the kids are going to VBS my husband and I were able to sneak off and have dinner alone.

We had a visit from Little Man's social worker. Not much to report in that area. We won't know anything until the next court date and even then a family member could step forward. I think that the thing that bothers me most is that no one has visited with him in over a year yet a family member could decide to step forward and off he would go. He only knows us at this point.

Our day was pretty quiet until the kids got back from VBS. Larissa came in fuming. A group of girls were picking on her. She was doing her best not to let it get the best of her until they went and sat by Emma. That set her off because she feels that Emma is behind it. I can't say yes and I can't say no. I do know that Emma has a history of getting her friends to say racist comments to Larissa and bully her. I really hope that she didn't but at this point I honestly wouldn't be surprised. I don't get it, I don't understand why she is such a target. It is so frustrating.

People think that bullying happens in school and the kids grow up and get past it. I haven't seen that. Sometimes Sarah still talks about the kids who bullied her in high school. Sometimes she will see the now adults in public and she will point them out to me. I still see the hurt that those kids caused. I see how much it hurt her self esteem. I feel so frustrated that I can't stop the same thing from happening to Larissa. I get mad that some of it comes from her own home.

Anyone else dealing with bullying?

Large Family Travel

We love to travel. I love to share new experiences with my kids. I think that one of my biggest challenges with a big family is being able to afford family vacations. I know that if we had never expanded our family my husband and I would be empty nesters! Oh the travels we could make.

One of the places that is top on our list is Alaska. My husband really wants to see Alaska. Well, Alaska requires flying. It is also a long trip which means we are not willing to leave all the kids behind. However, some days I'd prefer to not take all of the kids, I don't think I can travel for 2 weeks with a teenager that does not respect me. Naturally the thing that slows me down the most is financial. It is quite expensive travelling to Alaska and cruising with a group of 8ish.

Many of our trip are closer to home where we can drive. When we flew to Texas on our last trip there a huge expense was the airfare and big van rental.It was a huge expense so that my kids could meet my dad and all he wanted to do was a dinner at a restaurant. Well, at least they got to see the Alamo.

When we travel lodging and food are obviously the big costs (unless you are buying Disney tickets). We have gotten so big that we either stay in two rooms or we rent a suite. On our recent trip to Myrtle Beach we stayed in a three bedroom suite. It was nice and came with a kitchen. We had breakfast and lunch in the room but went out for dinner. The only extra activity we paid for was the Ripley's Aquarium where they offered a military discount of 50%.

In August we are travelling back up to Deep Creek. We have rented a big house and two cabins. Most of our meals will be cooked there with a few in town. We will rent tubes and possibly go rafting. The biggest expense there is lodging. Most of us will be going on that trip. I think Kassi won't be there as she will be very pregnant.

Another item on our bucket list is Ireland. I don't know if I will ever be able to budget that one!

We are always looking for ways to save and new places to see. If you have any suggestions please share them!

Sunday

Today we went to church as usual. It was a great service, we are currently doing a series on the Road to Recovery and how everyone has something in their life that they are struggling with. So true, I know that I do.

I had bought the girls this shirt, couldn't find a smaller one for Emma! She wore it anyway. Benjamin has moved up to the 4 year old classroom and he hasn't been happy with the change. This is his third week going there and he is slowly getting better about going. I love how his teacher is so patient with him and is encouraging him to help him with greeting the kids as they come.

We are waiting for Miguel to make his appearance. He sure is poking his head up, unfortunately. Joselin has tried many things to get him headed in the right direction and he just isn't willing.

The kids are attending VBS this week and it started today. Benjamin went without a look back! He is growing up. Otherwise it has been a quiet day at our house. 

Something New

I am walking into uncharted territory, Larissa wants to model. She wants to take classes. I am so out of my comfort zone with this industry. Everyone has opinions but not any specific help! I hear that so many agencies are really just about making money. I shouldn't pay for pictures. I shouldn't pay for classes. Well that seems odd to me. Seems like if you want to model you might want to take a class. I know you have to have a portfolio of some type with pictures.

Today she went to an audition. She had to do a reading, get a picture and walk the runway. She has never walked a runway but they gave a short class on what they wanted and she did pretty well. There were 6 people there. They said that they will review the videos and will let you know if you have a call back in two weeks.

I had called them to ask about classes, which is what Larissa wants. They offer classes and opportunities to model locally and as you are trained opportunities in other locations. They spend 6 weeks in LA going to auditions every summer.

Honestly, I don't know how I feel. She has asked about this for a while and we wanted to wait until she was a teenager. She will be 13 in September. If anything we are willing to pay for some classes. It was very interesting to watch her today. She didn't realize that she was going to have to do a reading and she looked terrified! There is a group of people watching you. When I think back to the child with selective mutism I am amazed at how far she has come.

She glanced over at me and I gave her a thumbs up.

She then did her reading well and posed for a picture.

If anything I hope that she can build some confidence. We have talked and talked about rejection in this field. Sometimes you just aren't what they want. She says she understands and that she really wants to do it. She also wants to study fashion design and learn how to sew better. Any suggestions for home school curriculum's?

Last Week

The weather was balmy so the kids had breath holding contests.

Emma wants a horse, this is as far as I will go.

Benjamin has taken off with his swimming.

Vaida is getting bolder with her swimming.

A little painting got done

Dance Camp was great fun. Vaida made it three days before her daddy couldn't stand it anymore. She could have totally made all three days. Maybe he will be ready next summer.

Larissa wearing a skirt that Sarah bought her.

Kids dressing up.

Dance Camp again

Someone was worn out and stole my spot in bed.

Dance pictures came back, pictures of pictures.

Finally we scheduled a pregnancy shoot. Yes, I procrastinated and found a photographer on Tuesday, had the shoot on Thursday. Photos to follow.