Happenings

Well, I have approximately 21 minutes before three babies wake up from their afternoon naps and begin crying for dinner. At that point, I will go upstairs and fix three bottles, plus three dishes of bananas and oatmeal. I will then dress my babes in their full body bibs and begin the evening routine all over again. The picture includes myself in the middle, with three high chairs surrounding me as I attempt to place spoonfuls of food into each mouth. The scene typically takes about an hour and involves food everywhere. While Taerik blows bubbles at me, Drake will likely sneeze. And Keira, who has figured out how to grab her spoon, will attempt to feed herself. I'm not sure where she got the idea that waving a spoonful of food in the air is how we eat, but I can assure you that is what she will do. After we have finally managed to empty each bowl and bottle, I will then begin the process of cleaning up. In the end, three babies will be fed, hosed off, and changed and will sit happily in their high chairs while the rest of the family enjoys dinner and family devotions. Yes, my days are busy, but oh, so rewarding.

Griffen and Rhys are proving to be GREAT big brothers! They absolutely adore their babies and can often be found entertaining them. The other day during school the babies started fussing, so I asked them to quick go and put them in their bedroom with some toys. This was the scene I walked into. 

Rob has been an assistant coach with the Derby Invasion basketball teams for three years now. This past weekend our family traveled to Springdale, Arkansas for a tournament. We enjoyed a beautiful hotel and LOTS of basketball. Most interesting event, however, was when Taerik's car seat completely flipped out of the stroller and rolled twice. While I had a brief moment of panic, he seemed somewhat unaffected. It must be all the wheelie's Griffen does with the stroller already that kept him calm.  

Another "big" deal in our lives right now --- my sister, Heather, entered one of my songs into a music contest recently. Out of several hundred submissions, "Give Me Eyes That See" was chosen as one of the top 10.  The public has until December 14 to vote on their favorite.(You can listen to my submission here.)  The winner gets a $7000 recording package with Greg Howlett (an accomplished Christian pianist). All that to say...

1. I'd REALLY appreciate your daily votes!!! You can vote once per day at  http://greghowlett.com/blog/2014-studio-recording-contest-voting-page

2. My sister and I have been on a "Get Out The Vote" campaign. She has been making crazy daily video's and I have attempted other such antics. Check out her videos here.

"Keira voted. Have you?"

So, that's what we've been up to. Here are a few more pics for the road. And, by the way, it's totally 10:00 PM now. I only finished paragraph one before the babies were ready to eat. But now they're sound asleep and I somehow managed to grab a few more minutes before heading to bed myself. :) 

Rock, Paper, Scissors shirts (thanks Amanda!)

New family picture for church directory board.

Still debating if this dress has enough bling.... 

We Have Sitters!

One day last week, while playing with the babies, I looked at them and said, "Well, kids, it's about time that someone start sitting." And so, I set each one up in position to see what would happen. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Taerik and Keira could do it! That was easy. Maybe I'll hold off on seeing if they can walk....

Drake doesn't have much interest in sitting yet, but he sure is cute! Yup, I sure do like these kiddo's!!!

Drake 

Taerik 

Candy On The Brain

Some might say I am a glutton for punishment, even considering the thought that we could Take 5 kids on a multi-state road trip and 12 concert music tour. But, stop your Snickers. We have finally crawled out from under the Mounds of laundry and are eager to report our adventures! This is like the longest post ever so grab a Kit-Kat and hang on!

It all began on October 12, when I flew down to Austin, TX to attend a three day music conference with my sister, Heather. Leaving our Junior Mints at home with both dad's and grandma's, we enjoyed some quality sister time together. It was Bar None one of the best weeks ever!

We savored our one-hour private music session with Joseph Martin! He is the Director of Sacred Publications at Shawnee Press and has over 1200 published musical arrangements.

Heather Sorenson was another guest clinician!

We got to know this really sweet group of ladies.

This conference is normally held each year in Georgia, where they allow 60 musicians to gain entrance. However, there were so many applicants last year that they decided to offer a second conference in Austin. Being the ground-breaking year, there were only 13 of us in attendance. With the smaller crowd, Joseph Martin invited all of us over to his home on Wednesday evening after classes, where we enjoyed desserts in his beautiful backyard garden. 

And, without all our little Runts, there was plenty of opportunity for two stay-at-home moms to get a little crazy.

To view more of our Texas adventures, check out these short video's that my sister created. 

We know - we're Nerds.

Come Along Video #1

Come Along Video #2

Come Along Video #3

We said a sad good-bye to the sunny south on Thursday, October 16. Having progressed from Dum-Dum's to musical Smarties, we ventured north, where we met up with all the little Peeps and began a nine-day ministry tour to the Swedish Fish of Wisconsin. Rather than Snow Caps, we enjoyed the Starburst of autumn colors and the Crunch of fallen leaves.  

Obviously, the primary purpose of our trip was ministry! We served in 9 locations and performed 12 total concert's. This picture was taken at Calvary Baptist in Watertown, WI, where they also recorded the program via live stream. Click here if you are interested in watching. (Click on the "Forever Be Sure" tab on the right side.)

The four oldest kids were also involved. We are hopefully teaching them young that there is truly joy in serving Jesus!

There was also plenty of time for fun....and MORE SUGAR!!!

Would you believe that one church gave us almost 40 bars and boxes of chocolate that were left over from a fundraiser? Talk about a Pay Day.

 If that wasn't enough, we ran into an old friend from college who actually works at a chocolate factory!!! Yup, he brought bags for each of us to load up on even more tasty treats!

 The kids were literally climbing the walls. Did I mention LITERALLY???

There was never a shortage of hands to help with babies!!! There were 2 grandma's...

...two grandpa's...

...cousins...

...more cousins (first cousins once removed, to be exact)...

...great aunts...

...and great-grandparents!!!

Come Along Video #4

Come Along Video #5

Come Along Video #6

Come Along Video #7

Come Along Video #8

Come Along Video #9

Come Along Video #10

Come Along Video #11

Come Along Video #12

 Finally, on October 25, we said our farewells and headed home with our little Sugar Babies. Our work may not have earned us 100 Grand or a shopping Spree on 5th Avenue, but it was indeed rewarding! We will hopefully reap the benefits both Now & Later, as we hold tightly to great memories and trust that the truths of God's Word were indeed planted deep inside the hearts of the listeners. 

How could I possibly end a post about candy without shining a brief spotlight on Halloween? First, we had Mike & Ike who went as ninja's. 

Then, there were my little 3 Musketeers.

Lastly...and I mean it this time...the babies had their 6 month check up and shots this past Tuesday. Here were their stats - 

Taerik Andrew

26.25 inches (20th percentile)

15 pounds, 14 ounces (15th percentile)

Drake Alexander

26 inches (13th percentile)

15 pounds (6th percentile)

Keira Ashleigh

25.5 inches (65th percentile)

16 pounds, 3 ounces (45th percentile)

*Note that girls and boys use different charts.

Well, that's a wrap for today! This exhausted momma is going to go and attempt a nap! While my five little Goobers definitely keep me busy, I can think of two tremendous benefits they offer. There is Zero chance for boredom and abundant Hugs and Kisses!!! We are blessed!!!