Words on Wednesday: Danielle-isms

I previously wrote a post about the funny things the kids say.  At the time I couldn't think of Danielle's funniest moments... well I thought of some and few things have happened since then....
A lot of these are my facebook status updates.  So glad I jot things down on there so I will always remember them!

While stuck doing a lot of homework, she looks up and says, "don't you think they are taking our lives away?" I ask, who? She says, "the teachers, we have to go to school allllll day and then we have to come home and practice piano and do lots and lots of homework and then it's time for bed.... we get no time to play.... and then we wake up and do it all over again!"  Katie overhears, who has much more homework than Danielle on a regular basis and says... "your life is so rough, Danielle!"
Funny thing is, they did get to play at "evergreen valley" for a long time after school, WITH their friend Juliette! Silly girl.

Another time Danielle was ironing Steven's shirt.  I recently taught katie and Danielle to do this.  Helps me out.. gives them a life skill that is necessary... helps Steven out... and if they mess up, no biggie!  So, I went to go and check on her and everything was going all wrong... she tells me that she accidentally ironed it inside out! She tells me, "I was doing it right, too... but then I realized it was inside out and that is NOT right!" Haha!! It's so cute coming from her cute little voice.  So I helped her figure it out and we got a good giggle.

The way she describes things is awesome.  She was telling our friend Charity Long about  sliding down the stairs on her belly... the little kids call it "Wah" because they say "waaaaahhh" as they go down.  Anyways she was saying that it was hard for her to do because it squishes her organs, lol!

The other morning she was looking everywhere for her backpack... she was saying, "it's so weird, I just had it!" Johanna pointed out, she had it on her back all along!!!!

I love hearing her laugh.  The younger kids do things that just get her cracking up.  She just loves them so much it's so cute to hear her delight in them.  The first night Elise was in her pack-n-play in their room, Danielle went to go and lie down on the floor next to her... all I could hear was giggling through the monitor.  Not long after Danielle comes to tell us what happened, laughing so hard she could hardly talk... I seriously love it, the giggle is so cute.. but apparently what happened was she was lying there and looked up to check on Lisey because it had been quiet and when s he looked, elise had her face smushed against the mesh siding on the pack-n-play and said, "Dah-yaw? Sweeping?"  She did not expect to see her there and it cracked her up!
Then last night she was spying on Matthew through the crack of his door and he was singing by himself and getting higher and higher til his voice squeeked and unzipping his jammies and she just laughed and laughed... It was really cute.

After my ultrasound I asked her how she liked the part where they showed us baby was a boy (I was teasing because she got 'grossed out' at the picture of that part from the first u/s)... she said, "It was so gross! I don't know why they had to name all the parts, why couldn't they just say, look it's a boy and move on!"  Hehe... I got a kick out of that.

Last night we were watching American Idol... and she really likes guys with deep voices.  She told me if a guy sings too high it sends shivers up her spine and she can't stand it.  I am noticing a trend here... if a guy wears pink or purple it really bothers her.  She does not like girly men... haha! It's funny seeing such a preference from her at such a young age.

February Status Updates

Feb 1, 2012
Matthew: Soon I'll be big like Daddy! I am growing up! Then I'll say (and he deepens his voice) CLEAN THE ROOM, KIDS! There will be no more Matthews....
It was so cute.. but I told him, we'll still have a Matthew, just a BIG Matthew... :) Makes me kinda sad thinking about him growing up and being a big Matthew... :(

poor neglected fat Benny... he's over here harassing me for attention, lol

I think it's time for some more pickles, onions and turkey....

Feb 3
So today we had a piano tuner come over to work on our piano. This man is blind. As I am rushing the kids around to clean the house before he gets here, Katie stops and says, "why are we cleaning? He can't see the mess anyway..." True... but his wife was with him and she can! LOL! Besides, the "mess" is a tripping hazard even when you CAN see! Stinker

Feb 4
Good snow day today! We had a "party".... just celebrating good behavior. We had cake and blew up balloons and melted crayons in the oven. I thought those could have turned out better, but Elise LOVES them... :)"

Feb 5
Darn cold I have. :( I do not feel well. Ugh.

Feb 6
Crayon vs. laundry... Add heat from the dryer and the crayon always wins. :( Casualty: Steven's favorite khaki pants among many other things.

Feb 7
I have a dentist appt later... so unfortunately no garlic or onions on ANYthing today... ;)

Feb 8
Matthew: bandaids make me brave... :)

Is listening to Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids With the Love of Jesus on audible. So far it's really good! I've learned a lot and only 2 chapters into it!

Feb 9
"Yes give them God's law. Teach it to them and tell them that God demands obedience. But before you are done, give them grace and explain again the beautiful story of Christ's perfect keeping of it for them. Jesus Christ was the only one that deserved to hear, "You are good" but he relinquished his right relationship with the law and his Father, and suffered as a lawbreaker. This is the message we all need to hear, and it is the only message that will transform our hearts." Elyse Fitzpatrick, Give Them Grace: Dazzling your Kids with the Love of Jesus.

Feb 11
Matthew: "Look I am SO strong!" (as he carries a bucket full of books)... "because I ate a broccoli yesterday. A big fat one!"

Feb 13
Recently I taught the older girls to iron shirts.. saves me time and gives them a necessary life skill... :) So I went to check on Danielle (10) who was ironing Steven's shirt... things were going way wrong, lol... and she began to explain... "well things were going really good until I realized I ironed it inside out! I was doing it right, too... only it was all wrong" Haha... Silly girl!

If there is no one getting rid of/selling a pack-n-play in the Omaha area.. does someone have one they'd be willing to let me borrow.. long term? LOL We are getting the room set up for baby already and we are moving Elise with the older girls, instead of moving her crib I'd rather just stick her in a pack-n-play until she's ready for a toddler bed.. or until *I* am ready for her to be in a toddler bed.. haha..

Feb 14
Elise pulled a Johanna this morning. In case you don't know what that is... well, to put it simply, she pooped then opened her diaper and it got all over her bed! Why am I always pregnant when these things happen... wait... yeah, I know... I am pregnant a lot. :) Total grossness and Happy Valentine's Day!

Feb 16
uh-oh... Lisey's being a total snuggle bug and just wants her ny-nite and paci... and has been acting ready for a nap all morning... better not be getting sick!

Feb 17
So... today Elise was trying to pull something apart and couldn't do it, so she said, "uuuhhhh..... I can't. Dang it." :( It doesn't sound bad coming from Steven's or my mouth, but from those sweet little lips it was just not right! I have never had a kid mimic so much stuff... the little stinker! We still got a laugh out of it when she wasn't in earshot though... ;)

Feb 18
Elise says, "bap-you" for Matthew. It's really funny to hear her yelling at the top of her lungs for him, lol."

Feb 21
Katie finished the Bible last night! She read the whole thing in 3 months... :) She really enjoyed it and I am proud of her for sticking with it!

Feb 22
Danielle... wandering around aimlessly this morning, "I can't find my backpack. It was just here. So weird! What in the world did I do with it?"
Johanna... "it's on your back, Danielle"
((Lots of giggling))
They're so cute. ♥ them!

Matthew: "Dear God, please help my Grandma's that live far far away have her house......... on my sidewalk...." ♥!!

Feb 23
Today has been kind of off to a rough start, but things are a little better now. Trying to get the housework done early because a nap is definitely needed by all today. Especially me."

I am 20 weeks today!!! Tomorrow I have another u/s! :) We'll see if this baby is still a boy..... :) Better be!

Feb 24
Baby is still a boy!! :)

Danielle, after the ultrasound... "why couldn't they just say, 'it's a boy'... did they really have to go into all the details and name all the parts? They could have just done with out all that stuff... it was gross!" LOL!!!

Feb 26
Baby is active tonight, my tummy is bouncing all over the place!! Love him!!

Benny is grounded tonight. He pooped in the potatoes. Too bad I am pregnant and couldn't clean up that mess!

Feb 27
Our van is paid off.... such a great feeling, took us less than a year and a half, but feels so much longer! What a relief!

Feb 28
Me: Matthew, do you want to have a matching shirt with your baby brother?
Matthew: Yes! I have a 'handsome like daddy' shirt (his favorite), my baby brother can wear a 'handsome like Matthew' shirt!
Me: ((lots of hugs and kisses and squeezes for my cute and sweet little boy..))

So, Matthew lifted up my shirt to look at my stomach and he very seriously said, "there's no ball in there...." ;)

Feb 29
Hopefully Matthew will be this sweet forever... so, he has this "magic 8 ball" type thing, only it's a Sponge Bob... but he brought it to me and told me to shake it. So I did. Then he "read" it.... and said, "it says, 'I love Mommy and Daddy..'" Aww! ♥ him!! :)

Mundane Monday: Quilting buddies

Today the kids had no school... kind of a delayed Presidents day thing... Anyway, we got to work on quilts! We got all the blocks done!! Woo hoo!!

 Here's one of Katie's quilt squares from the other day... it's come a long day since the last update!

 Here it is all blocked out, ready to be sewn together... so colorful! The border that will be on all 4 sides is shown on the bottom.

 One of Danielle's quilt squares in progress! She loves wolves, so this is SO her! :) Love it!

Danielle's quilt squares all blocked together.. some wolves are upside down because... well, we're beginners, haha!!

The girls are doing so well!!! Katie has gotten good at running the machine.  She can thread the needle and today I showed her how to work the bobbin.  So that is awesome.  She probably could almost just do an entire quilt herself! Danielle is on her way to independance too.. she does especially well with (and enjoys) the ironing! She is also pretty speedy at seam ripping! They are doing great.  I am proud of them! Next I will start on mine!!

Thursday's Thoughts: HALFWAY!! :)

Today marks week 20 of my pregnancy!! That means, if I am pregnant until July 12, 2012 I am exactly halfway there!! :) Woo hoo!!!
As of right now, I don't want to be induced... but I don't want to go overdue either... so I think I will stick with the same plan I had with Elise.  I will plan to wait until my duedate to induce.  I didn't make it with Elise, because my blood pressure went up at 39 weeks, but at that point I was dilated to a 4 and like 80% effaced so I probably wouldn't have made it another week anyway.. who knows though... stranger things have happened!
It would be cool to have him on the 7th though because then I can say I had my 7th child on 7/7.. :) That's only 5 days before my due date, it's possible!!!
Either way, today is a milestone!
So far the pregnancy has been going wonderfully... I am not super tired, not sick at all, baby is moving around, no cramping, no pain... the only complaint is I am already gaining too much.  I am pushing 160 already.. Haven't actually seen those numbers on the scale yet... but I am steadily creeping up there and it won't be long.  Considering my highest weight ever was like 176, I do feel a little nervous.  I still have 19-20 weeks to go and the baby grows the most during this time and I put on the most water during this time... especially in the summer months.  So.. I should cut down on food now! No more bedtime snacks and more salads!

On another note.. had to share what Matthew prayed last night.  He was praying for all the usual things... like a baby brother  and a dog... and then he said, "help my grandmas that live far far away to have her house right on my sidewalk!" aww.. so sweet... I so wish that our parents could be closer.  Sometimes it feels so isolating out here all alone, yet we love it and wouldnt' want to move to CO.  IDK, though... sometimes I think, if we homeschooled, then why not? I mean the church is our family here, but everyone knows that's just different.  We are not blood family and that does make a difference.  Everyone has their own families and lives.  So, I am with Matthew... I miss my Grandma too!

Words on Wednesday: Quilting

Katie, Danielle and I have been quilting with some ladies from the church.  So far it's been a fun process... something I've wanted to learn and teach them for a long time, so very thankful for the opportunity.  Katie's quilt is a lot of bright colors and flowers (pictured), Danielle's is wolves, horses, greens and camoflauge. :) So excited to see how they turn out, but mostly I am just happy to do this with them and get the time with them.  I've enjoyed it so much that I want to go and pick out fabric with Johanna and Alaina, too... and let them stay up a little late individually to "help" me.  I've truly loved it so much! Last night we got Katie's squares started.  Tonight we'll work on Danielle's some.
I'll be updating our progress on here from time to time with pictures.  Next I will do one for our new baby boy so that will be a lot of fun too. 
After they make their quilts they will no longer be going to the quilting meetings.  I guess I didn't plan on having them come anyway because they will be done with their quilts, but I do feel a little bummed about the circumstances... the quilting group will be an adult only group from now on, so that kind of takes away the most important part to me which comes from Titus 2:3-5 "the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— ⁴ that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed."
I just feel it is very important that our preteens and teens have this opportunity. Being only around their peers is not good because they can only learn so much from them.  I LOVED the idea of having them around women I trust and respect to set an example for them.  Of course they have me and I am the most important example, but since we live so far from family and they don't have grandmas, aunts and older cousins around regularly, the church is all I have... At the same time, I do understand.... but idk....
So, I am not sure yet, but I *might* not be going after they are done with their quilts because it just takes away precious time that I rarely get with them anyway because of our short chaotic evenings on school days. Makes me a little sad... even though like I said, they probably wouldn't have gone anyway after these quilts are done, I just hoped they could again in the future sometime.
haha, I didn't plan on writing about that.. just an update... That's okay, it's just what was on my heart this morning I guess.

Thursday's Thoughts: the kids and salvation

I look at things different now than I used to about the kids and salvation.  Before, I didn't talk much about it with them.  I mean, I said, Jesus died on the cross, etc, etc... and Jesus is in your heart, etc etc.. but not much else.  I know Katie is saved now, but we never had a moment with her where I just knew it clicked.  It was just something that slowly developed over the years. I know she gets it now.

Danielle came home from AWANA club one night when she was 5 and said she asked Jesus into her heart.  I am not sure if she totally understood it, and I think she felt pressured into it at the time.  At the same time, I knew she believed, I had taught her, but it also wasn't a defining moment in her life.  I am still waiting for it to totally "click" with her, but I know she loves God, wants to serve Him and she does believe and want to be saved.
((Update))
After blogging about this I talked to Danielle.  I told her that I wasn't sure if she truly gave her heart to Jesus, or understood what or why she was doing it, when she was 5.  Afterall, I did not know the leaders, I don't know what they told her - they basically sent her alone to pray.  I asked her if she has ever prayed a similar prayer since that one time at AWANA.  She said no.  Not that she isn't saved because of that, because I know God knows her heart, but I had the sneaking suspiscion that she had not truly surrendered her heart to God.  I explained that to her.  How God begins to change your heart after you give it to Him.  He can help take away the bitterness and jealousy, anger, and pride once you do this. I will never claim to "know" where my kids' hearts are with God.. I know it is not up to me if they are saved and I can't decide if they are or not.. only God knows the heart.  However there are things that we can see.. fruits and an openness to God.. that I wasn't *quite* seeing... it was like she was *almost* there, but she'd just sometimes shut down when I'd talk to her.  Well, the first place to start is giving your heart to Jesus and she understood that... and did it! :) Since then, (it's only been a day) we've had to talk to her about some attitudes, and she did seem more receptive than usual.. so who knows! I know God will do a work in her life and I am excited to see the amazing things that will come from it! 

Then there was Johanna.  I started seeing things differently with her.  She was in K4 at the church school.  Lollie Hofer was her teacher.  I was there every Wed helping out and as the months and weeks led up to Easter, Lollie was teaching the girls about sin, the penalty of sin, how Jesus died on the cross for our sins and the resurrection.  She did this over a period of many weeks so she went into great detail, careful to answer any questions the girls might have. 
One day, on a day I was not helping out, Johanna really expressed interest and asked Lollie how she could go to heaven.  That she did not like the sin in her heart and wanted God to take it away. Lollie helped lead her to Jesus, but was careful to make sure Johanna understood and said the prayer herself in her own words.  I trust that Lollie did great with this. :)
I wouldn't say the change was instant.. but I know her heart has changed.  She is developing into a girl after God's heart! :)   She is showing some understanding and she loves to worship. She's 7, so of course it hasn't totally "clicked" for her either, but she's getting it.
Jeanne told me yesterday that Johanna told her that Alaina had asked why we have owies.. and Johanna explained to her all about Adam and Eve and how they sinned and the Garden of Eden! lol! I am surprised that Johanna even gets the concept of sin entering this world and that is why things are the way they are.  Imperfect, corrupt, etc.  She's slowly coming around.. now if we could get the behavior to line up, haha! Pastor Don always says, you get her heart on the right track and she won't turn from God.  I hope that will be true with her! :)

Alaina and Matthew aren't quite there yet, but like I said, I see things differently now. I am working on them slowly.  Trying to prepare their hearts for what God wants to do with them, and then just wait.  We have a lot of conversations about this.  Alaina asks a lot of questions that are hard to answer.  Like why didn't God make us magic.  Or why didn't he do this or that? Or why do things happen? when you attempt to answer her she is not happy with the answer.. so she is tough one.  She doesn't seem to understand.  I know God is going to do a work in her life though so for now I just wait.  She talks a lot about wanting to go to Heaven. Today she said, "how come it takes so long to go to Heaven?" I told her that God has a purpose for her here on earth, a job to do. First she will get saved, when she understands, then she will tell others about Jesus so they can be saved, too.  She then asked me about our neighbor, Aiden. "Does he know Jesus?" That, I don't know, but I don't think so... So, I told her she should tell him about Jesus.

Matthew, on the other hand, although it might still be a couple years, he seems to be on track to getting it. Today in the car, he said, "mommy, I want to wash my sins..." So, I told him that Jesus will wash his sins, when he gets saved, all his sins are washed away.  He went on to say he wants them washed because they hurt, lol. He then  said a few minutes later, "crocodiles can bite me if I am in the water". To this, I did agree. He went on to say, "but God would save me." haha.. so he's getting the idea, but obviously learning that by God's grace he will be saved from hell and get to spend eternity with God by surrendering his life to Him and believing in his heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for his sins.. well, that's a little complex.  I tried to explain it anyway. 
We'll get there eventually, but I am glad that I am beginning to understand my role in this.  I need to take an active part in this, and I am trying.  Doing my best to help them understand.  God will do the rest.

Words on Wednesday: the things they say...

I usually put cute things my kids say as status updates.. but I had to mention a few on here.
Matthew (3), lately, has been all about being BIG, strong and brave... just. like. Daddy. :)
So in the last month here are some things he has said:
"band-aids make me brave.."
"Look I am SO strong!" (as he carries a bucket full of books)... "because I ate a broccoli yesterday. A big fat one!"
"Soon I'll be big like Daddy! I am growing up! Then I'll say (and he deepens his voice) CLEAN THE ROOM, KIDS! There will be no more Matthews...."

Today Elise (21m) is obsessed with saying, "underwear" LOL... Don't know where she got it and honestly I don't think she's trying to even say that word.. it's funny anyway.
She's speaking in little sentences now and loves to sing.  She sings Jesus Loves Me, Joy Joy Down in my Heart, Jingle Bells, ABC's, Happy Day... etc... Some little sentences I've caught her saying are, "I can't, I can't reach!" while trying to hang up her coat, lol.. She'll say, "I find it!!" and the "I love you..." just melts my heart!

Johanna's (7) funny phrase of the month.... she ran out of the bathroom excitedly... "MOMMY!! I have pitch green poop... I mean PITCH!" LOL... Apparently she had heard the expression 'pitch black' and figured it applied either way, haha!!!

Katie (12) doesn't surprise us with hilarious unexpected stuff as much anymore, but the other day, before the piano tuner got here, we were rushing around and cleaning.  As I pressured her to hurry up, there were dishes to be done afterall... she paused and looked at me and said, "why do we have to clean, he's blind, he can't see the mess anyway!" Haha! 

Alaina (5) has her funny moments too, but this just goes to show that i really need to blog this stuff more often, I forget so fast and so easily!  A couple things I can remember that were super cute... one time she said, "I know how to spell Taco John's... J-E-S-U-S!"
Then the other day she was super excited for the Davis' to come over and I asked her, "why are you so excited?" She thought about it a minute and said, "ummm... I get to go to evergreen valley, Heaven one day, and a new baby brother!!!" Haha! The answer I was looking for was evergreen valley, a place down the street they play at with a fort.  Alaina usually never gets to go, but on this particular day I was letting her.. :) The 'Heaven' and 'baby brother' part surprised me.

Then there's Steven... he's guilty of saying a funny thing or two... :) Tonight, after Matthew went to the bathroom I asked Steven if he'd wipe him... and then I hear.... "EW! Did you share a candy bar with your butt or sit on a hershey's kiss?!" LOL  Then Katie, who is trying to eat at the time, starts to gag, lol... Oh my family, haha.... On the plus side.. it made my fast of candy a little easier.....

Danielle is ALWAYS cracking us up.  Seriously, it's funny I can't remember anything recent from her.  When I do remember something I will add it for sure!
Never a dull moment...

Take on Tuesday: Poopy Valentine's Day

Yep... Elise pulled a Johanna and I hope it's not the start of something horrible!!!
This morning she was fussing in her crib, so I sent Danielle to go and get her.  Her diaper was half off and there was poop everywhere! She did not like it at all! Neither did I. 
It was so nasty and stunk so bad... ugh.... I went through this enough with Johanna when she was this age that I could go the rest of my life and never clean another poop mess and it would not bother me one bit! lol...
Life goes on though... she got cleaned up, the mess got cleaned up and all Katie could say is, "I am scared for her to share a room with us now!" lol...

Today is Valentine's Day.  We went to the church school to hand out our cards so that was fun for the kids.  I sent Alaina to school late so she could be a part of it, so she gets two parties today! That made her happy.  Our family is fasting candy (and fast food) for 3 wks so everyone is disappointed that they can't eat any of their candy.. haha... oh well, we'll all get over it! :)
That's about it.  That's my poopy Valentine's Day.  Some people get chocolates and roses and I get poop messes and laundry, haha! Totally not complaining... well maybe a little... but honestly once that mess was cleaned up, I really didn't mind.  I love my life just the way it is... poop and all!

Mundane Monday: friends

I am just thankful for friends.  I have been blessed with so many wonderful ones.  Some I've known forever and are more like sisters to me, some I only had in my life a short time but the impact was huge, many are miles and miles away, a few I've only known a couple short years but I know they will be in my life forever.
I am just thankful for all of them. The ones I see everyday and the ones I only see once a year or every couple years.  I hope our kids can find friendships like I have. :) Of course they have one another.. my sister is one of my very best friends.. and they are getting a better start than we did, but it's nice to know and trust and love.. just friends too!

Words on Wednesday: sleepy days

I've been trying to get on here and blog more often. Just to jot down the day to day stuff.  It's okay if they are short entries.. in fact I'll probably prefer that one day when i read over these again.
Today was a normal Wednesday except that I have been more tired today than usual.  Almost early pregnant tired-ish.  It's the first time this school year I woke up and didn't feel like teaching at the church school.  I really do love it.  It's my fault though, I stayed up too late last night watching T.V.
I did teach though and it went well... I just yawned every few seconds.  Then I went to Alicia's to pick up the 3 youngest kids... Alaina was being a stinker there again.  She's just whiny and doesn't want to listen.  I never know how to respond to that... but it's annoying and I KNOW it annoys Alicia... sigh... not that I really blame her.  That age group is hard for me too, with my kids anyway.  I enjoy babies, LOVE the 1yr-2yr range and then at about 3-4ish through about 7 it's just hard for me.  Of course it's different for every kid.  Johanna and Alaina just demand more, idk how to put it... patience? lol.
Either way.. today I was just tired... but I got them home and just dragged my butt all afternoon.  After picking up the kids from school I finally just gave in to the exhaustion and fell asleep on the couch.  The kids were all around me watching tv and playing with katie's new toys she got... hex bugs... lol... Then I made dinner and I am still just pooped.  Time to go to bed and turn the TV on and just zone out.  Maybe even fall asleep early tonight.
Good night!

Mundane Monday: little kicks

I am 17 1/2 weeks pregnant now... I've been feeling little kicks for about a week for sure... maybe even up to a week and a half.  A couple times I could even feel them from the outside!!! I seriously can't wait til they are stronger... one of my favorite things is to put my hand on my belly and feel the little 'pop, pop, pop'... sweet baby. :)
Steven and the kids can't wait to feel the baby either.. anxiously waiting for those moments.
Kicking is just one of the many joys of pregnancy.  One day I will really miss never feeling it again.

Simply Saturday: the bedroom situation

Still trying to figure out what we're going to do with the bedroom situation.  I am pretty sure I'll put the baby with Matthew almost right away.. if the baby keeps him up at night then he can always come and sleep in our room.  It's where to put them.  Right now Matthew is in the smallest room, with the biggest closet.  So, it would kinda make sense to put Katie and Danielle in there.. they have the most clothes but will take up the least amount of space in the actual bedroom since they'll still be in bunkbeds. 
I might put Johanna and Alaina in bunkbeds, but Johanna still sleepwalks at night so it'll have to be Alaina on the top... Johanna won't like that.... If they are not in bunkbeds, but separate twin beds, then they'll need more space as well as Matthew and the baby who obviously won't be in bunk beds.  The problem with this is the paint colors on the walls.... the smallest room with the biggest closet is painted in boyish colors... green and light brown.. ok for girls..  BUT the other two rooms are totally girl colors.  So if I put Matthew and the baby in one of them they are either going to have pink/green walls or purple/green/gray walls... sigh... I really really don't want to paint again.  Maybe that doesn't matter... I mean they don't care, right? 
Then there's Lisey.  I think at this point she will be with katie and Danielle... she could share a room with Johanna and Alaina but they go to bed the same time as she does and they talk awhile.  Katie and Danielle go to bed later so it'd give Elise a chance to fall asleep before they go in there.  But then that's putting three girls in the tiniest room...... but honestly it's that big walk in closet... they can keep the guinea pig in there for one... that means when he stinks we can close the closet door, haha! I know I could make them go through their clothes so they have less and then would be able to fit them in a small closet (we are going to do that either way), but it still just makes so much more sense for them to have the bigger closet.... sigh... we'll see......

Right now the 4 oldest girls are in the same room. It really is fine at this point and I could leave it this way.  The problem is all their clothes (except Katie) are in Matthew's closet (the great big one...) so his room is constantly a mess with THEIR stuff... and he literally has nowhere to put his clothes except for a dresser and once I move the baby stuff in there there will not be ANY room for the extra dressers that the girls are using.  So, what I'd have to do anyway if I wanted to keep the 4 oldest girls together is move Matthew and the baby in the bigger (purple/green/gray) room that Elise is in now and move Elise in Matthew's room WITH the big closet and then SHE can have a  perpetually messy room because of her sisters, lol... but then there's still the problem of having the boys in a purple room (3 walls are purple, of course).  See??? See my dilemma? 
The reason I am considering splitting up the 4 girls is not because they are not getting along, in fact it's been fine, but I am not seeing any benefit to it relationally.  They are not closer because of it... bonding does not happen between the oldest 2 and youngest 2 at bedtime, which was the primary reason I wanted to do this in the first place.  They all play together outside of their room and bedtime, but that would happen whether or not they shared a room.  So... I just really want their clothes in their own rooms... I just don't know.
The last option which is the LAST option, as I don't like it at all... is putting K and D in the basement.  I want them all close to us though and I do feel that is crossing a line with separating them.  That is giving them way too much privacy, too much entitlement and it takes away our playroom (which isn't necessary, but nice) and our guest room (which at times IS necessary).
So for now.. they'll all stay upstairs...... still confused though.

Friday's Facts: the piano tuner

Today we had a blind piano tuner come and look at our piano.  Wendy has had him tune hers for years and recommended him.  He was so nice! Unfortunately, the piano is not able to be tuned and it has some notes that are sticking which can be fixed, but it's entirely a different issue.  That would cost a couple hundred dollars... to tune it, we'd have to rebuild the piano and we're looking at a couple thousand.  Eek.  So, for a free piano it's done it's job.  We're going to start saving (and praying) for a new one.  This one we'll eventually stick in our basement for the beginner piano players to plunk around on... it at least serves that purpose.  He explained that as our children get better that they will train their ears to hear the notes wrong.  Right now our piano is playing a couple notes low. so, it can cause confusion and eventually mess with their ability to use their ears to learn music.

Other than that, the day was normal.  There seemed to be a little more bickering than usual today though.  The common denominator was Danielle.. and then Alaina.  Not Danielle AND Alaina together.. but those two seemed to be starting trouble the most in their own circles, lol. 

We've been using a sticker chart for the kids, to award them for little things.  If they listen cheerfully the first time, do a chore, put their shoes up against the wall and hang up their coat.. they get a sticker.  It's taken a couple weeks but we are almost to the end.  Then we'll have a little family party.  I'll make a cake and then we'll melt crayons together.. different colors... and make big colorful crayons.  Should be fun.  Well, I better get to Bible Study... so the kids can get to bed! :)