Family Pictures

We finally got everyone dressed and lined up and took some awesome family pictures!!

Boys

Littles

Kevin and me

Girls!

The whole clan

Children in birth order.  As someone pointed out, we are no longer stair step.  Isaac is almost 6 ft. 2 inches tall now!

Update on My Weight

I said months ago I would update on my attempt to lose weight.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Finally, in my late 40's, I am experiencing the reality known by most of you, that losing weight is hard!

So yeah, I haven't really lost weight.  The last 7 months were crazy anyway, of course, with the miscarriage and the hysterectomy. I gained weight during the pregnancy because we did have a baby and a heartbeat there for a bit.  Then I had surgery and lost some weight, because I felt lousy for awhile.

Now I'm hovering at 158 lbs or so.

I am 5 ft. 8 inches tall, so that is not an unreasonable weight at all.  But except for pregnancy and post partum, I've always been less.  Like the most I used to be was 145 lbs. So when I look in the mirror, I look a bit heavy to my own eyes.

Does it matter?  I think the answer is a resounding NO.  But for all that I disdain our culture and its obsession with thinness, it does bother me sometimes at some visceral, unconscious level until I whack myself upside the head (figuratively) and run through the truth.

I am a child of God Most High.

I am loved.

My shape and size do not reflect at all my value as a human being.

My goal should always be to treat my body like a temple of the Holy Spirit, which it is. So I should attempt to be healthy without being obsessive.

I have improved my stamina and general health a great deal in the last 6 months. Post surgery I was a weak mess. I am now literally running up the stairs.  Like really. Running.  Me.  Stamina.  Awesome.

So I will not worry about my weight.  Now if I gain 10 lbs in the next couple of months, that's a problem. Because if I get too heavy, it really will affect my health.  I am diabetic already and being significantly overweight would probably increase my insulin resistance.  But probably that won't happen. I've been coasting along in the upper 150's for months now.  It seems to be my new normal.

I am content, and am thankful for my body which came back from surgery.

And I'm thankful to the Lord who watched over me and kept me safe through the ordeal of the pregnancy last year.  God gave me some awesome doctors and I live in a time and place with excellent hospitals and safe medication. Kevin and the kids took amazing care of me. I'm thankful.

Cold and Wind

Like much of the country, we are in the midst of a major cold snap with wind as an exciting addition.

Sub zero temps

With lots of wind

Our cats are outdoors so we have two little tubs on the front porch, protected by blankets and a chair and a table for wind blocks, and we are heating up hot packs and putting them in the tubs. So they'll be fine. Also, their water bowl is heated.

They'll be fine.  They don't get along perfectly so putting them in one room inside might result in blood. Seriously.

It is kind of weird when it is so cold and the weather winkies are exclaiming about how it is a super cold snap etc. etc.  They closed Clark State today, which made us happy.  Naomi has an 8 a.m. class and the thought of her out driving in brisk winds and such cold was unnerving.  All the local schools are closed as well.  Kevin had to go to work.  It is chilly in his office but mostly fine.

Snow and Ice

We were supposed to get a LOT of snow yesterday. Well, most of the morning the temperatures hovered around 33 to 34 degrees, so we just got lots of cold rain.  Finally, the temperatures dropped to allow freezing rain for a couple of hours.  Then it got colder still, and we got some snow, probably 4 inches.

Oh, did I mention the blizzard like winds?

The result this morning is that we have drifts and ice and it is beautiful.  And the temperature is 12 degrees now and will be in negative territory tonight.

I just feel chigger eggs or whatever produces chiggers dying out there, which makes me happy.

Other than that, its too cold.

But it is beautiful.  And our house is warm. I am very thankful.

Another Sickness, Plus some Snow

Ergh, so a stomach flu has hit.

Our wonderful neighbors dealt with two rounds of stomach flu for most of the month of December. They kindly stayed away from us until they were healthy, so I know we didn't get sick from them. But it's prevalent and yeah, somehow we picked it up. So far, only one child has gotten violently (throwing up in the middle of the night) sick. A few other people, including me, have had an upset tummy and nausea and fatigue and headaches, blah blah blah.  No fun.

BUT I am reading a book called Beauty in the Broken Places by Allison Pataki, about her journey with her husband when he had a major stroke at age 30.  While I haven't finished the book, I gather he recovered pretty well but it was a grueling horror for all of them.   When it happened, she was 5 months pregnant with their first child. So yeah.  Being sick for a few days isn't a huge deal.

Naomi and Lydia started college this week.  This is Naomi's last semester before she earns her Associate's Degree. We are very thankful for College Credit Plus, a state program which provides aid for high school students to take college classes.  We are also thankful we are close to a couple of great community colleges.

Both girls have been rather stressed these last few days as they gear up to full time college work again.  I'm sure they will do fine -- but it is hard work.  I'm proud of them for working hard.

We had a big snowstorm. Like 10 inches big!!

Rose and Mommy.

Pushing Down on the Accelerator of Life

It is Monday, January 7th, and life is moving back into normal.  The last few weeks were quite pleasant with much time at home, and much time with Kevin. He starts a new position today at the base with is exciting and a little challenging because he has to figure out his job.

I have 2 doctor appointments for kids this week, plus 2 afternoons of work (that's normal enough.)  All together, it will be a busy week for us.  We started school back up today for the middle 6 kids.  Naomi and Lydia go back to college next week.

Sarah (age 8) and Daniel (age 6) are making good progress with reading, which is a delight. Sarah is no surprise given her age and general intelligence.  Daniel, I have to admit, is quite startling given that is a young boy.  As I've said before, his brothers were older when they learned to read well.

Sarah read a story from "George and Martha" to Rose this week, which was sweet.

We are attending a new church in the nearby city of Kettering.  It's a small congregation which has just acquired a humongous building that some other church was selling off.  A youth pastor who is a friend of ours is starting up a children and youth ministry there.  It's a good thing.  The senior pastor loves Jesus and that's the most important thing.  His theology is sound.  

Well, two little girls want me!