A Day at the Beach....

Yesterday we trekked to the ocean for several hours. The kids had a blast and the moms enjoyed reconnecting after a full year of homeschool :) We took the 'scenic' route home... okay, we got quite lost! The combination of sketchy directions, a foggy sun saturated brain, and the clamor of 9 children behind me made for an interesting ride home. Still it was a wonderful day and we eventually made it back to familiar territory. After racing to unload and 'de-sand' the van and 6 children, we piled back in to head to our Unit Celebration for the wrap up of our Tapestry of Grace coop. It was a fun evening :) I'm so grateful to be able to homeschool our kiddos alongside of such great friends who spur me on and keep me laughing. The bonus is, I love their children too and am so glad my kids are friends with them!!
Today we are busy doing laundry, straightening up the house, and packing in preparation for our early morning departure tomorrow to Indiana. I'm sure we'll have tales to tell of our adventures with Mimi and Pop-Pop!!

Looking forward to more memory making!
MamaB

I thought this lifeguard's stance was a bit amusing...he doesn't quite look ready to rescue... to add to his leisurely posture , he had a Starbuck's coffee in his right hand.To their credit I will say the lifeguards certainly grew more attentive as the crowd grew and there was lots of whistle blowing as the day wore on. When the little ones were in the waves, I was not comfortable being more than an arm's length away--just in case!

Fun in the sand and sun~

Before the tide came in, there was this little gully just perfect for the younger crowd to play in!

L had such fun reconnecting with the Mac family who recently had moved quite close to this beach and blessed us all with a surprise visit !

Mercy would have gone way out with the big kids if I'd let her...she had a ball being chased by the waves.

Surfer Dudes!

~C catching a wave~

Our 2 big guys :)

Odesco: Hold onto that sandwich...the seagulls would love to join you for lunch!!

My friends amaze me...even toting wee babes to the beach along with their strollers and 4 other children in tow!!

The 2 babes 'met' each other for the first time :)

Our Tapestry of Grace coop kids :)

Because we were studying the Oregon Trail and Westward expansion, we had a meal of beans, cornbread and beef jerky served on a tin plate before enjoying the 'real' goods...a yummy barbecue :)

Mrs. S reading aloud to some of the little ones...

The evening concluded with dessert and the kids giving informal presentations on topics we studied this spring. What a full, fun day!!

Catching up...

As you can tell by my lack of posts lately, life has been a blur in recent weeks. But it has been full of wonderful memory making and now I need to catch up and download my pictures before I have too many to post! Tomorrow we plan to hit the beach for a day with friends from church, we'll go to our Tapestry of Grace unit celebration tomorrow night, and Friday morning 5am we hope to roll out of the driveway on our trek to Mimi and Pop-Pop's in Indiana!!

Now to play 'catch up' since my last post...Memorial Day weekend we were blessed to spend time with our dear friends the C's. After an 8am baseball game on Saturday, we headed out to their home in Frederick Maryland . We slept over, went to church with them Sunday morning , and then left for Williamsburg, Virginia where we stayed in a beautiful timeshare courtesy of Mr.C. Between both families we have 13 children...1 of their sons is recently married (remember the wedding we were sadly too sick to attend?) and their 17 year old son was at the New Attitude conference. There were still 13 children in all because they invited 2 of their friend's children to join the fun. We had a wonderful time... the timeshare was a beautifully furnished , spacious 3 bedroom 'walk out'. We stayed 1 floor below the C family...next time we need to request the bottom 2 floors as our noisy crew actually elicited a phone call from the people staying below us. Evidently Odesco was jumping around and it must have sounded like the ceiling was about to cave in ...oops! Needless to say, we had to work really hard at keeping the noise level down~ This is a challenge in our own home with 'only' our 6!! On site' was an indoor and outdoor pool, miniature golf and unlimited use of an arcade. The kids had a blast and our few days together ended too quickly!

As soon as we returned home from Williamsburg on Wednesday we headed out to C's baseball game. Then we had to pack up the 4 youngest to get them ready on Thursday night when they would be picked up by Mimi and Pop-Pop for a 2 day stay at their house. The big boys, M and I went to our state homeschool convention where we served in various jobs all weekend. It was a whirlwind, we were exhausted, but the Lord sustained us and my parents who had a few challenges to deal with!!

This past weekend we attended a pool party for C's baseball team and believe it or not, I forgot my camera!! 2 of the coaches were swinging kids by the arms and legs and throwing them into the deep end. The kids were all lined up awaiting their turn. Mercy and Odesco, our little 'belongers', were right there in the middle of it all. Their exuberance and love of life were definitely enjoyed by many that day. To see their beautiful bright smiles as they sailed through the air before hitting the water did my mommy heart good. At times their energy level can be well, a little exhausting...and sometimes even exasperating as their their boundless energy can often be quite provoking. The Lord gave me a new appreciation for their zest and zeal that day ...these traits which can often challenge are also strengths in the proper context :) The coach's wife took pictures so I hope to receive those soon and I'll get my cyber boy to help me post them :)

Thanks for actually checking in considering what a bad blogger I've been lately!!
Mama B

PS: Some humorous household happenings:
** Odesco can still be quite challenging to understand at times requiring him to repeat things often. Some of it this is due to his thick Liberian accent but he also struggles at time to correctly pronounce certain sounds which we are working on with his phonics instruction. Anyway, as you can imagine, this can frustrate the little guy!! A few weeks ago L was asking me about something and although I could comprehend him perfectly, I had no idea what he was referring to. Odesco found this quite comical and commented,"Mom, you so silly...you from America and L from America and you still no understand him!!!" I think he was relieved to know he is not the only one in the house needing to repeat himself!!

** On the way to Williamsburg we stopped at a Burger King to feed all the hungry bellies. As I was taking orders for various hamburgers, Odesco emphatically declared, "I want a Williamsburger!!!" He was totally serious~

** For weeks before our trip, Mercy told anyone who would listen that soon we were heading to "William-S-burg". ...in spite of all our correction regarding correct pronunciation, she still insisted that this is where we were going. Before long, the rest of us were saying we were going to William -S - burg as well!

** The other morning Odesco exclaimed that he had seen a 'see-mall' bat in his room. (translation: 'small bat') he then went on to explain that it had pooped on him. Yikes, what in the world was he talking about?! He was quite concerned about this...I finally figured out that Mercy had killed a moth (they sort of look like small bats, don't you think??) She smooshed the critter and the guts got on Odesco's hand-hence the 'poop' comment!!

** I asked Odesco if he had greased up the other morning ...he told me, "Mommy, I always forget! You need to "remember" me..."

** The other day I took just Mercy and Odesco out on errands with me. It was fun just enjoying them without all the other sibling issues which crop up on a regular basis. I realized I need to take them out more often for a primer in 'social skills' . Mercy who is very observant, just says whatever comes to her mind in her typical LOUD voice.We had a few embarrassing moments--I guess the Lord needed to work on my 'fear of man' issues as well!! She now knows she can ask me whatever she wants once we reach the privacy of our car :) She also has no problems sharing with those in line with us that she is adopted from Liberia and that there are 8 people in our family!

** A few days ago, we went to deliver something to our neighbor. Mercy and Odesco were with me and they had never met our neighbor's mom before. Mercy spoke very comfortably this gracious lady explaining that her middle name 'Evangeline' means 'bringer of good news'...she then went on to share Odesco's full name and why we chose it. As this woman nodded sweetly, Gracie whispered to me, "Mom she's sharing too much personal information!!" Undaunted, Mercy said," I wanted her to get to know the B family!". Well, she certainly did- whether she wanted to or not :)
Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

These are old pictures from several weeks ago...Odesco asked for a Mohawk...so he got one for about 5 minutes :)!! All he needs is a gold chain and he could be Mr. T's son!!

Scary looking!!

Ahh...Mommy likes this much better :)!

Williamsburg, Virginia...After checking out the place, L struck this pose and declared,"Now, this is the life!!"

A 'quiet' meal in our timeshare unit.

The rest of the crew...

All 13 kiddos :)

On Memorial day we went to historic Jamestown. It was fun to relive a period in history that we have already studied. Mercy was thrilled to see this in the Indian village...it reminded her of 'beating food' in Liberia.

'Paddling' along in a dug out canoe. L says he's the Indian chief!

L and F...I think the armor weighs almost as much as these 2!!

Daddy and the gang taking a break

On board a replica of one of the ships the colonists traveled over in. A boy sure can do a lot of 'imaginating' with props like this!!

While viewing the Indian village, P saw a tree snake..Miss K bravely pulled it off the tree...eeek!!! We also saw several 'skinks'...cool looking lizard type creatures with bright blue tails. We were told that they can somehow detach their wiggling tails if a predator goes after them ...so they are able to scramble away while the hungry predator is left with a wiggling tail...pretty cool, huh??

At this area there were a few reenactors dressed and ready to welcome 'recruits' to the company. Tickets were required for this event so we just sat and watched from a distance.

Notice L and Mercy with fingers in their ears...they were like this for most of our time here. They were convinced the men were going to shoot their guns...as we were leaving and almost to our cars, the shots rang...good thing we were a distance away! As much as L loves artillery, the anticipation of the bang sends those fingers to his ears!

L Really wanted his head in a picture with the horse and carriage...couldn't get them both ..at least we got the back end of the horse...speaking of which.....

The kids didn't really appreciate the 'present' dumped by that beautiful horse left unattended in the middle of the road...

A walk in historic Williamsburg....look what happens to disobedient kiddos!!

We ended the evening in the historic area with a Dairy Queen visit...the folks behind us had their patience challenged as we attempted to have everyone make quick decisions regarding flavor choices...between wavering decisions and cash register blunders, it was a bit of a fiasco but well worth it :)!!


Uncle Fred taught the younger kids a little bible lesson on kindness with the help of his puppet friend "Hush Puppy"

Ready to head for the pool...what a crew!!

Fun in the sun !!

Ahh, the joys of homeschooling. I came outside to look for L and this is what I found. He was intently studying this picture from a book given to us about the War of 1812 :)

You can't tell but L had me take this picture because he decided to get 'shiny, shiny' with the coconut oil ... while his skin didn't appear shiny, he sure smelled good!

P is being creatively lifted up to take down the sign at the close of our annual state homeschool convention...who needs a ladder when you have an able bodied teen around???

These 2 crack me up...L is sitting in his 'wagon' (think Oregon Trail) and Odesco is pretending to be the horse...notice L's attire and gun (of course) to scare off any Indians who might attack!!

Happy 18th birthday, Miss Brittany!! That sign is Mercy's masterpiece...it actually says "Happy Birthday" in the midst of all the dots :) Brittany has been such an instrument of grace into our lives. She has offered to babysit various times so I can attend a church meeting with M or just to give us a date out. She has also recently begun doing Mercy's hair and she is quite good at it and much quicker than I am. I marvel at the Lord's attention to detail ...due to my recent responsibilities on a project for the homeschool convention, my time was definitely limited. Britt's offer to take over Mercy's hair literally freed up HOURS so that I could get this project done. Thanks, Brittany!!! You are well loved in the B house!

Our 'little man' is 6!!!

For those of you who know L, I'm sure you'll agree that while he may be little in stature, he is mighty in spirit. This little guy keeps us quite entertained with all his 'imaginating' and creativity. Just today as I was attempting to do his math lesson with him, he had the lid to the math manipulative bin (a 'shield' ) and a sharpened pencil (a 'sword') and was jumping around the living room fighting off imaginary enemies as he loudly counted backwards, shouted the days of the week, and answered other related questions that are a part of his math work. Later, I caught him with the roll of aluminum foil and before I realized what was happening, he had taped a large folded square of it to his head (why, armor of course!!) and was later found sitting on P's new toolbox (why, a horse of course!) galloping off to battle with his 'sword' and 'shield' ready. Odesco soon followed L's lead and had a head full of foil too! L continues to love to draw and can often be found with pencil in hand and smudge marks all over his face as he creates quite intricate drawings. Last week he announced that he needed a quiet place to draw since he can't concentrate with all the noise in our house-as if he is not a main contributor!?! . He asked permission to set up a 'studio' in the basement and that is exactly what he did.
L has truly risen to the challenges he has faced in these past 17 months. He went from being the 'baby' of the family to welcoming a 'little' brother who is actually much bigger than he is! He really has a heart for Odesco and in spite of their frequent spats, these 2 can be good little buddies. I often see them out in the yard with sticks having sword fights or hiding behind trees 'shooting ' at the enemy. Tonight they helped me clean out their room...they were both so pleased with the results that they were saying over and over,"I love our clean room!" and then for some reason, they kissed the door...silly boys!! They also crack us up with a ridiculous game they created and now call 'the paper mache game' (I honestly have no idea how L came up with this unique name!) Odesco and L stand at opposite sides of the room...both boys pound on their bellies and then L runs toward his big 'little' brother ...they sort of body slam as L bounces off Odesco's protruding belly --it is truly a sight to behold! I usually shut it down after a few moments because of the 'ouch' potential but it really is a hoot to watch these 2 in action!!
L is also our cuddlebug and many times in the day will say,"Mom, I love you!" to which Odesco replies, "L ,why do you have to keep saying that?!?" He has a very sensitive heart and today after a rather challenging day , he was feeling quite sad about his sin. What an opportunity to encourage him that God is at work in his heart causing him to feel sorrow for his sin. It was also an opportunity to reaffirm my love for him in spite of my impatience during his many dramatic episodes.

How grateful I am to have this little guy in our family...he truly does keep us all laughing with his silly antics and unique "L-isms" such as "Mom, can't you just imaginate it?", or his cute pronunciation of words like 'snaked' (as in no clothes on!), 'sterious' (as in mysterious)...oh and often he makes 'a stake' (mistake).
Phew, we have officially made it through another B family Birthday Bash season...no birthdays until September when Odesco turns '5' . What a blessing it has been to recount the faithfulness of the Lord in granting us these precious children...it's easy to lose sight of this in the thick of it all. He truly is a giver of good gifts!!

We went to visit the G family a few weeks ago...all the kids were playing rambunctiously outside when these 2 came in...L has found a kindred spirit in his friend S...they both decided to draw a 'still life' of a toy car...too cute.

L is hard at work sketching...We just finished a unit study on the Oregon Trail and we borrowed this cool wagon train model from our friends.

Voila...the finished work :)

Dress up fun :)

We were all outside playing in the cul-de-sac with some neighborhood friends when L suddenly ran inside...he was obviously busy 'imaginating' because this is what(or should I say, who) I found when I came in to look for him, Darth Vader was in my kitchen!!

Odesco and L preparing for the 'paper mache game'... what a study in contrasts!! Need I say more?!

G and L in a sweet sibling moment :)

L with his birthday stash...Civil War army men and cool Medieval figures..he didn't seem to mind that we were mixing 2 distinct periods in history :) Oh and I just love when I can get away with giving a toothbrush as a gift and there is genuine excitement from the recipient !!

One more gift...A very ingenious invention is hidden underneath all of L's masterpieces ( except for the Star War guys which were created by Miss Brittany). It's a sticky piece of plastic that clings to the wall without damaging the paint... and supposedly, it can be easily removed. It is also sticky on top so you can plaster it with whatever you want. L went through his pile of papers and chose his favorites to hang. The plastic itself is only 8.5x11" but L really got a lot of mileage out of it by creatively arranging , don't you think?!

Gotta love those 'authentic' looking helmets and L's homemade sword and shield

Never a dull moment around here...after a rather challenging morning, the 4 littles decided to lighten the mood and were busy upstairs making lots of noise. They were in stitches as they came downstairs to present to me the '2 old ladies'...notice Odesco's tights and sandals...the sword in L's hand is actually a 'cane' in this scenario.

These 2 didn't want to change out of their attire and played "Go to the Dump"(a math game similar to Go Fish except they are trying to get 2 cards to add up to 10) in costume.

It's Official: There's a teenager in the house!!!!

Yes, it's true. We are now the parents of a teenager :) P celebrated his 13th birthday on Saturday. It blows my mind to contemplate how quickly these past 13 years of parenting have flown by. I will never forget the tears of gratitude as M wheeled me out of the hospital with our long awaited baby in my arms...truly the Lord heard the cry of my heart in granting me the privilege to be a mom and now we are blessed with a houseful. In spite of my sin and shortcomings the Lord has chosen to bless us in this way... what amazing grace!!

P spent his 13th birthday with me at a homeschool conference in a neighboring state. We went up with a friend from church and her 15 year old son who attended seminars with P during the bulk of the convention. We stayed overnight and arrived back home on Saturday evening.(Daddy was Mr. Mom and stayed home on Friday so that we could leave early in the morning...what a guy!!) P especially enjoyed all of the meals out and perusing the mountains of books! It is amazing to watch our little boy become a young man...he has changed so much in just the past year. Not only has he changed physically, but he is growing in his walk with the Lord. P sets his alarm almost every morning for 6am and comes downstairs while the house is still quiet to have his devotions and get a head start on his schoolwork before the noise begins :) He is very diligent and has become quite independent and responsible for his schoolwork with just oversight from me. He also watches his siblings frequently when I need to take a sick child to the doctor or run quick errands. We are very proud of the young man he is becoming and look forward to seeing all the Lord has for him in the coming years.
Happy 13th birthday :)
We love you!!

For his 13th birthday Daddy bought P a mega toolbox that we can fill holiday by holiday until he is ready to leave the nest (sniff, sniff!!) Then he'll be equipped to handle household fix-its! (Thanks to my friend Kim for this great idea!!)

Happy Birthday, C!!

Our newly turned 11 year old in his BRAVES uniform.

We are in the midst of our busy birthday season in the B household. In 5 weeks we celebrate 5 birthdays and Mother's Day. Definitely a season of celebration :)!! C turned 11 on Saturday--I can not believe how quickly these years have flown by. I know those of you with growing families can understand this phenomena. The memories of his arrival are still so very vivid...I'll never forget the nurses giggling in surprise to see the weight on the delivery room scale peak at 9 # 14 ounces...and our 'little' fellow was almost 23" long. As we celebrate all of these milestones, I am reminded afresh of what a privilege it is to be a mom and watch the years unfold, personalities develop, and the Lord work in the lives of our children.

C is my shopping buddy and great company when I am counting coupons in the grocery store or even searching through clothes racks for a gift. I asked him yesterday why he likes to join me on evening grocery trips. He admitted the reward of a free cookie from the Shoprite bakery and the advantage of knowing all the good food in the house is a great motivator.(I guess so he can 'stake his claim'??) Wisely, he also added he likes spending time with me :)---good answer!!
C has always had a tender heart for his little brothers and often is found playing around with them during the day. He loves to accompany these little guys on doctor's visits to help distract them and he often 'rewards' their good behavior with play time on his Game Boy.
C loves sports and last year willingly sacrificed his township baseball season so that we could focus on building our newest additions into the B family. He never complained about this although I know it was something he missed. Thankfully, this year our family is spending many hours at the ball field cheering C and his teammates on. We are proud of C's self control on the field and his coach has commented on what a joy it is to have a young man like him on the team. I look forward to seeing all the Lord has in store for our #2 son!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, C~ We love you!!

Another one of Mimi's yummy creations--decorated this time in Medieval theme for L --C and P thought their little brother might enjoy that theme.

All this partying tires a guy out...Odesco crashed on the family room floor with baseball cap still in place and cap gun not far from his reach!!