Christmas Celebrations

We had our first Christmas celebration the Saturday before Christmas with my family. Most were going to be out of town for Christmas so we opted to get together early. It was great to let the cousins exchange their gifts and play together. We ate our traditional sausage casserole, watched Luke II, and acted out the nativity.

On Christmas Eve we went to the Farm. Santa came while we were there. He always stops at the farm in Christiana and lets the reindeer have a rest. Somehow he always loses a reindeer. The kids were able to wave to him, but he had to hurry on his way because he had to find his reindeer and had lots of presents to deliver. He did leave a bag of goodies on the front porch for the kids. We ate dinner, the kids exchanged their gifts, and the adults played the white elephant game. It was a fun night!!

Christmas Day we got to stay home!!! It was wonderful. The kids loved being able to open their gifts and stay home and play with them all day. Some of my family and some of Zack's family came by for a little bit. We ate and played all day!! It was a great Christmas.

Since Christmas we have not done much but stay home and play. The kids have been so excited not to have to go anywhere. I have loved it myself. Thankfully I was caught up on laundry, stocked up on groceries, and semi caught up on house work that I have not worried about much. I have enjoyed playing and watching the kids play with their new Christmas toys.

Now that all the Christmas decorations are down it is time to clean house and get ready for baby #6. We may never be ready but it is time for reality to sink in that we are going to have another baby in a few short months. Ready or not it is coming!!!

Christmas Caroling

The Monday before Christmas I had taken Kierstyn and Mia shopping with me. In the car I was playing my favorite Christmas CD, when they asked me to turn it off. They said they wanted to sing on their own. These girls sang, and sang, and sang Christmas carols. I loved it! It was then we decided we needed to go Christmas caroling for Family Home Evening. We called Kyler, Landon, and Trevin to see if they wanted to join us. Kyler and Landon decided they did. We eventually all ended up at my house, made goodies for all our neighbors, then headed out caroling. By this time Cy and Piper were asleep, so I stayed on the front porch while they walked around delivering goodies and singing carols. To rewind a little. While we were waiting for the last of the cookies to bake, I told them to go upstairs and decide what they were going to sing. They came up with the songs, gave each other parts, and practiced. They were so cute. I could see and hear them at all the houses. My neighbors loved it!!! They all said they had never had carolers before. One neighbor took pictures of them. It was freezing that night. My neighbors were good sports to come outside and listen. The kids would not start singing until they were outside. Some tried to listen through their glass door, but the kids wanted them to open the door before they would sing. It was a very successful night!!!

After eating the goodies they got at each of the houses, we went upstairs to start rearranging rooms. I knew Zack was going to be putting in some late hours, so I took advantage of having two extra helping hands. One of these days, I will be content with how things are arranged. Thanks to Kyler's great suggestion we moved Mia into the boys room and made her room a playroom. Who knows all five of the kids may be in the same room in a few months. I haven't gotten all that figured out yet. I was grateful for all the help moving beds, dressers, tables, and shelves.

Tis the Season

This is my favorite time of year. Even though it often seems to be so busy, I love it. I survived our ward Christmas party last week. I am activities committee leader so I am in charge of it. Not really my thing, but I do my best. I think it was a success. A little chaotic, but most seemed to have a good time.

This weekend was the annual ornament party. I love making and exchanging homemade ornaments. I also love visiting with friends and eating all night. This is a tradition I have done for about seven years, but many in the group have been doing it for eleven or twelve years. Between ornament parties and kids school crafts, our tree is full of beautiful handmade ornaments. I love it!!!!

I look forward to a week of Christmas pictures, Christmas plays, Christmas recitals, Christmas parties, Christmas brunch, and Christmas shopping!!!

Wrestling and Haircuts

This week we had a few firsts for some of the kids. I just needed to document somehow because there are no pictures for proof. Zack took Logan to his first wrestling practice this week. He absolutely loved it and did great!!! His daddy and big brother were very proud. Cy and Piper both got their first haircuts this week. They both did great.

"Junk"

Tonight Zack was asking Mia what she wanted Santa to bring her. She named off a few things, but said she really didn't care she just wanted more junk. Zack told her that we don't need any more junk and that mommy just throws junk away. Mia said, "Oh junk is just another word mommy uses for toys."

Fingers and Doors

For some reason my kids have trouble keeping their fingers out of closing doors. This weekend we all decided to go run errands. We were in Lowe's parking lot when the drama unfolded. I had Logan, Cy, and Piper and we headed toward the van. Zack, Landon, and Mia were right behind us. Logan was being such a good listener that he went straight to the van ready to get in. I pushed the button to open the door the same time he pulled the handle. The door got stuck so I pushed the button again. The only problem was his hand was in the door. He managed to get everything out but his thumb. The door closed completely on his thumb. He is standing there screaming and I am frantically trying to get the door open. It seemed like an eternity before it would open. I felt so horrible. His thumb is sore and a little swollen but looks amazingly great. I was thankful it was not any worse and that Zack was with me to keep everything calm. He did leave our cart somewhere in the parking lot to come over and help me, but it wasn't busy so it was still there once we got everyone situated and calmed down. All Logan cared about was getting to snuggle with Daddy in his chair when we got home.

Reading

Landon and Mia love to read to Logan. I have banned the tv lately and the kids have been doing tons of reading on their own. I love to see my children read! All of Logan's stuffed animals are listening to this book too.

MTSU Homecoming parade

Last Saturday I took the kids to the MTSU Homecoming parade. Everyone loved it, but Cy. He does not like people or noise. Logan especially loved all the candy they threw him.

Halloween

Halloween was a busy day. We started the morning out at Mia's school for Turkey Trot. This is the annual fundraiser they do for her school. The kids run laps for an hour to raise money. Mia did awesome!! She ran the entire time and had the most laps for the girls in her class. She wasn't too far behind the top boys. She was even kind enough to take Logan around a few times with her. Cy and Piper loved watching all the kids run! Cy did not like the Shoney Bear or the woman dressed as a turkey. He burst into tears every time he saw them. The weather was beautiful! It was a fun morning!!

After Turkey Trot, we headed home for lunch and naps. I had a sitter come to stay with Logan, Cy, and Piper because Landon and Mia both had Fall parties. I knew they needed to get a nap if they were going to make it through a long night. Cy and Piper both slept, which is a miracle these days. I headed back to Mia's school for Fall centers. They made ghost hands, painted pumpkins on a fence, made ghost tootsie pops, ate cookies, and drank witches brew. Mia and I then headed to Landon's school. Their party was already started. They were eating lots of food and then decorated their mini pumpkins. Mia had brought a mini pumpkin to decorate too. Landon picked his pumpkin out. He wanted to find the smallest pumpkin possible. They both had a great day!

Next we ran in Kroger to get dry ice for the mad scientist and then headed home to get ready for our night of fun! I knew I just had an hour to get the kids dressed, pictures taken, and in the car. I thought I could get it done. Needless to say it took me about twice that and I was late everywhere I was suppose to be. I did not get good pictures either, but atleast I did get some. Cy refused to wear his costume. It took re-dressing Piper several times to convince her to wear her costume. We started the night out by going to Grandma's (Zack's mom) house and then to GG's (Zack's grandmother) house. They both had huge candy bars they were passing out. Boy were the kids in their neighborhoods lucky. The kids loved watching the turtles at grandma's. We then went home and got Daddy and went to get dinner. I was suppose to be at the church sometime in between all that to let people in the building for the trunk-or-treat. Luckily I got a phone call and an angel knew I was running behind and went to let them in for me. After dinner, we headed to the church just in time for the costume parade. That was the part I was in charge of. After the parade, Zack took the kids outside to wait for the trunk-or-treat and I stayed inside to help clean-up. With all the help, clean-up was fast and we were all able to go trunk-or-treating. We made our way around the parking lot then loaded up and went to Mama Mary and Granddaddy's house. We trick or treated at their house and then went around their neighborhood. We were all exhausted by the end of the night, but it was a fun filled day!!!

Landon was a Mad Scientist. He knew exactly what he wanted for his costume. He carried around his "shrinking potion". It looked great with the dry ice in it. Mia dressed as a High School Musical cheerleader. Logan was a tiger, Piper was a pumpkin, and Cy was Cy.

Field Trip to the Farm

Last week I went on a field trip with Mia. Boy do teachers have a tough job. It definitely made me grateful for my children. I was just responsible for Mia and one of her friends. They were both very good. We saw the apple and peach trees, learned about how pumpkins grow, learned about bees, went on a hay ride, picked pumpkins, and played on the BIG slides! We had a great day!!

Mia on the hay ride. Mia and her friend milking a cow.

The pigs were cute, but very stinky!

An Amazing Woman

Nancy Levi

Yesterday morning I got a call with the news that Nancy Levi had passed away Wednesday. Mrs. Levi was a wonderful woman, teacher, mentor, travel guide, and friend. I took the time yesterday to reflect over my life and all the areas she was an influence. My earliest memories of Mrs. Levi are at wrestling tournaments when I would go watch my brothers wrestle. I always sat next to Mrs. Levi and she taught me how to keep score. I later learned how to run a wrestling tournament from her. We would keep score together at all home matches and would also run tournaments hosted by Oakland. Mrs. Levi gave me my first job when she asked me to assist her in teaching swimming lessons. This was the summer before my freshman year in high school. We taught swimming lessons together every summer. I continued to teach swimming lessons for many years after she retired. She was my freshman English teacher (gave me one of my only B's in high school- I'm horrible at English as you can tell) and my Spanish II teacher at Oakland High School. She was one of the teachers over Student Council when I was Student Body President. After my senior year, she and her husband Mike and daughter Jennifer took me on my senior trip. We went to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and Holland. It was an amazing trip. We had so much fun!! The above pictures were taken on this trip. On another trip we went to Washington, DC. Mike and Nancy love to travel and I loved to be their travel partner. I kept the lists and kept us organized. Mike always made fun of me for that. Before Zack and I got married Mike and Nancy had a big party for us at their home. They are very special people to us. I am grateful for the influence and teaching Mrs. Levi had in my life. Her influence and teaching in this town will be greatly missed. We love you Mrs. Levi.

The Middle Half

It has now been almost a week since the half marathon. It was great! It is such an awesome feeling to cross the finish line of a long race. My only goals for this half marathon were to take it easy, enjoy it, and feel good at the end. I accomplished all three of those goals. I felt so good at the end that I didn't feel like I pushed myself hard enough. As my husband reminds me, this really isn't the time to push yourself.

I have always had an issue with port-a-potties. I had an experience this time that will keep me from ever using one again. I have had major bladder issues while training for this race. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact I am carrying my sixth child. I was determined not to stop too many times during the half marathon. The lines were so long that I really didn't want to stop. By about mile 7 I knew I had waited too long and was going to have to stop. Stephanie was still with me at this point so I sent her ahead. I waited in line and was finally able to get a little relief. See since I already have this issue with port-a-potties I can't go once I get inside. Even though I really have to go. I usually do better to just pee on myself while running. Too much information I know. So at mile 9 I needed to stop again. This time there was no line. Great! It was a little off the course, but no big deal. I still couldn't go so I decided to give up and just endure till the end. The only problem was when I went to open the door it wouldn't open. I calmly tried again. It wasn't opening. I could see through the top and could see runners on the other side of the road. Remember this port-a-potty was not on the course. I start yelling, HELP and banging on the door. Still runners are just running by. I continue to yell and bang on the door. Finally this wonderful girl comes to help me get out. I am forever grateful to her. We tried to bend the metal piece that was getting stuck so it wouldn't happen to someone else but we weren't strong enough. I kept worrying all day that someone else was stuck in there. Later that day we drove by and nobody was stuck in there, but someone had broken the metal piece off. So I know I am not the only person who had the experience of being locked in a port-a-potty.

Logan, granddaddy, and Josiah followed us along the course to take pictures and cheer us on!!It was a very hot day! Some wonderful firefighters sprayed us with water . It was a great boost to finish the last two miles.Mom and the youth from church worked one of the water stations. They had a great time too!!

Fall Break Fun

This week is Fall Break for all the kids!!! I love having them home. We are trying to do something fun everyday. Today has been a lazy but fun day. We have had a few late nights in a row so Cy and Piper needed to catch up on sleep. Cy slept in till 10:30 this morning. I don't think he has ever slept that late. I actual don't know when he got up. I went in the room at 10:30 and he was just sitting in his crib enjoying some peace and quiet. Piper went down for a nap as soon as he got up, so I haven't had all the kids awake at the same time yet today.

Landon went to lunch and a movie with a friend from school. Mia and Logan have been spending the afternoon singing High School Musical songs, making chocolate covered strawberries, and playing freeze dance. Cy has been right in the middle of all the action.

Walden Farm

We went to Walden Farm for Family Home Evening Monday night. The kids had a blast. They went through a corn maze, played in the corn crib, and climbed Hay Mountain. They always enjoy petting, feeding, and watching the farm animals. Cy and Piper were entertained watching all the farm animals and kids. The weather was perfect and was a fun night for all!!

Good to Go

I had my ultrasound and doctors appointment today. We don't find out the sex so you will have to wait 20 more weeks for that. Zack was convinced he could figure it out from the ultrasound and video. He did with Logan and the twins, but he is not so sure this time. The technician even had difficulty because the baby had its legs crossed. I like to be prepared and organized with almost everything else in my life, but this is one area that I like the surprise.

I was most excited that everything was great and I have the go ahead to run the half marathon next weekend. She does want me to decrease the running after next weekend and I won't argue with that. I definitely am not out to set any records; I just want to run, have fun, and finish the race.

I have been training with Stephanie, a good friend from church. Stephanie and I started running when I was looking for someone to help me get ready for a 5K on Memorial Day. We have been running since. I found out I was pregnant shortly after that race, but was convinced I was going to continue running this time. I had my mind set on the Murfreesboro Half Marathon. Everything was great until I started experiencing morning sickness. I won't go into detail, but it made for some rough runs. I finally had to confide in Stephanie that I was pregnant, but told her I was determined to run through it. I had the goal to run the Half Marathon but didn't know if I really would keep up with the training. I put off signing up till the very last minute. After our long run last Saturday, I figured I was safe to sign up. Now that I am signed up and have the doctors approval I am good to go!! Stephanie and I joke that if we can both stay on our feet during the race we will be happy. We have both had some bad falls during runs lately. I think it is the early hour of morning on dark roads we are running that has caused us to lose our balance. I'm sure mine has nothing to do with this ever growing stomach. I love our early morning runs and will miss them when the half marathon is over. It is the best way to start your day. It is about the only peace I get during the day. Stephanie is a nursing student and starts the hardest part of her semester right after the half marathon. She will be spending her early mornings studying or at the hospital for clinicals. It will take alot more discipline to convince myself to get out of bed at 4:30-4:45 to go run or walk by myself.

Well, I'm off to bed so I can get up early in the morning for our last long (but really not so long) run tomorrow.

Country Western Fall Festival

Saturday we attended the Country Western Fall Festival at the Quinn Fam Farm. It was a great event as always. We started by getting everybody dressed in their cowboy and cowgirl duds. I couldn't get a great picture of everybody together. I did the best I could.

We started the afternoon out with the kids riding horses. A family friend brought his horses for the kids to ride. Landon, Mia, and Logan were in heaven. Cy acted like he wanted to ride, but changed his mind as we got closer to the horses. Logan made a new friend with Amy. He is such a ladies man. We were very thankful to Bill and Amy for helping the kids with the horses.

Mia made a new friend too. She had a butterfly land on her hand. She was able to walk around with it. She named it Bella. She finally put it on some flowers, but it flew back to her later and landed on her arm.

Karen had great games planned. The kids had to find two dozen eggs hidden in a pile of hay. The adults had two very interesting games. First we had a manure throwing contest for distance. Thankfully they provided us with latex gloves. Then we had a riding lawn mower race. It turned into riding lawn mower bumper cars while dodging flying manure. You never know what to expect at the farm.

We also took a hay ride back in the field and the kids searched for pumpkins. They then decorated their pumpkins with Mr. Potato Head looking eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

We had a great dinner with Chicken n' dumplings and all the fixins'. We ended the night by the bonfire roasting marshmallows and making smores.

We had five very tired children and two worn out adults!! We all slept great!!

Read to Succeed

Friday was Read to Succeed day at Landon and Mia's schools. They both dressed up as their favorite book character. Mia was Fancy Nancy and Landon was Jack from the Magic Tree House books. After Mia left for school, Landon said he thought her class would be jealous because she was so fancy. He thought she did a good job picking out her outfit. She would dress like this everyday if I would let her. Landon had to find something as close to normal as possible. I don't know how long the glasses actually lasted at school.

Soccer

We are in the middle of soccer season. Both Landon and Mia are playing this year. They seem to love it and are doing very good. It keeps us busy, but I love it! I can only imagine the balancing act that will have to take place when we have all of them in sports. I guess it is a good thing I enjoy sports. I have yet to remember to take my camera to their soccer games. Maybe once the half marathon is over and I am not rushing from a long run to the soccer field I will remember my camera. Hopefully I will have a post with pictures of my two soccer stars soon!

Logan and his animals

Logan loves to play outside with this tub and his animals. He often fills it with water and plays with the animals. For some reason he does not like to keep his clothes on when he is in the backyard. This particular day it was a little chilly outside. I usually leave the back door open or window open so I can hear him playing. I knew he was having a good time, but I didn't expect what I saw when I looked outside. He said he was cold so he just got in the water with his animals. Whatever keeps the boy entertained!! He has a great imagination and loves his animals (or I should say Landon's animals that he lets Logan play with).

Happy Birthday Mia

On August 22, Mia turned 6. She had her entire day planned. She wanted chocolate donuts with sprinkles for breakfast, she told me exactly what to put in her lunch box, and we had a party at Chuck E Cheese that night. She was so excited about her birthday!! It was a great day!

Mia is turning into such a great big girl. She is such a good helper. She loves school and especially reading. Dancing, singing, and dressing up are still her all time favorite things to do! We love our Mia!!!

So far behind

In an effort to keep other areas of my life in order, I have put blogging on hold. I will attempt in the next few post to catch up a little.

Landon's First Job

Landon started his first job yesterday. He has been so excited and anxiously awaiting this day. Our neighbor is a school teacher and cheerleading coach. On days she has games she needs someone to let Dixie out and walk her. Landon gladly volunteered for this position. After school it is his responsibility to go get her and let her go to the bathroom and get some exercise.

Landon has wanted a dog for a very long time. He is really hoping he can prove he can take care of a dog and wants to save his money to buy a dog. We will have to see!!!

Due Date

If I remember correctly, my due date is February 23, 2009. Somewhere around there anyway!!

Family Poem

Here we are it is August
The end of summer blues
Mia's birthday is this month
And we have some other news
You might think we won the lottery
What else could we say
We have kept a secret
And have done so day to day
Our news is not uncommon
And it comes directly from Heaven
At this time we have been blessed
With Fowler number six...and possibly number seven
For those of you in a panic
We were just having some fun
The doctor has confirmed
That there is only one
We are thankful for our families
And all of your support
We have one more piece of info
That we feel we must report
Having all these children
Has been fun as you can see
For those who think we're done
We make no guarantee

Zack wrote an alternate ending that I prefer:

Having all these children
Has been tons and tons of fun
In order to retain our sanity
We think we may be done

Oh, Boy!!!

"Mom look at Cy!!!", Logan yelled. I walked around the corner to find him standing on the table holding on to the bottom of the light. I thought big brother had assisted him, but when I got him down he climbed right back up by himself. Thank goodness Piper was in bed. Just the other day Cy started opening the refrigerator too. Not that I got much done before, but I really am not going to get anything done now. I can't take my eyes off him for two seconds. When the phone rang this morning, I went to answer it and he took off running to the table. He thought he was pretty funny!!! It is a good thing he is so cute!!

Mia's First Day of School

Yesterday was Mia's first day of school. She used one word to describe it "FABULOUS"! She has had such a positive attitude about this year. She did not get the teacher she wanted and there were only two people from her class last year in her class. It didn't bother her. She said I'm sure my teacher will be great and I can just make some new friends. With an attitude like that, she will do great anywhere. We are looking forward to a great year!!Poor Logan has had the hardest time with the kids going back to school. For about the first two weeks he cried every morning we dropped Landon off at school. He finally adjusted to that, but now we are trying to adjust to Mia being at school. He was very upset this morning when Mia had to go to school. Landon and Mia created an imaginary friend for him named Kanoe. Kanoe can play with Logan while Landon and Mia are at school. Hopefully he will adjust and get use to the fact that Landon and Mia have to go to school every morning. In September he will be going to preschool two days a week. Hopefully that will help. I can't say I blame Logan. I hate dropping them off at school and would rather them be at home playing too. I don't hate it enough to home school though :).

Dr. J's Party

Friday night Landon's orthodontist hosted a huge party for all his patients and their families. We went last year so we knew what to expect. They have tons of inflatables, climbing wall, face painting, free food, music, and much more. Of course I didn't take my camera to get any pictures of the fun. It was a great night. The kids loved every minute except when it was time to go.

Bathroom troubles

Last night Mia comes running downstairs and screams, "There is poop all over the bathroom!" She tends to be a drama queen so I was hoping she was exaggerating. Daddy was working on spelling words with Landon so I went upstairs to check out the situation. She was not exaggerating. It was all over the wall, floor, toilet, and child. I was not looking forward to this clean-up. While I took care of the child and got him bathed and cleaned, I asked Mia to go get me the cleaning supplies. When she came back I told her she could clean the bathroom. I was just joking, but her response was so funny to me. She said, "You are the one who chose to be a mommy, so you have to clean this up." I am sure I have said something similar to that to her and she had no problem turning it around on me.

Messy Babies

I don't know what I am going to do when this little girl is too big to put in the sink after each meal. She is the messiest eater. Everything has to be rubbed in her hair, all over the highchair and all over her. But I must say she is happy during the entire process!!

First Day of School

I am really late with this post because Landon is now on his third week of school. He started school July 21st. He is at the Discovery School this year. He has had a great transition so far. He is like his mama and doesn't like change. I don't know who was more nervous-me or him. He was very relieved when he found out a boy that was in his kindergarten class at Northfield was going to be in his class. He has made lots of new friends and likes his teacher. When we had our parent meeting the first week of school, I had several parents come up to me and tell me Landon was their son's new best friend. That is our sweet Landon.