Mr. Bumbo

Mr. Bumbo is a little name we like to call the Bumbo seat. This seat enables your baby to sit up as soon as he/she can barely hold their head up. Last night we introduced Wyatt to Mr. Bumbo and he LOVE IT.....

For a little while...........

Welcome Back from the Closet Mr. Bumbo!

My Shiny Sink

I have cleaning issues.. I am NOT a BO (born organized) person. I have to work at it. Last night after doing a FULL load of dishes, then made a tutu for my au pair's (nanny) halloween costume and filled an order of 5 bows, I crashed into bed. I dreaded the several very messy pots/pans waiting for me on this Friday Morning.

When I awoke I found a beautiful shiny sink and a hot pot of coffee waiting for me.......

..............just another reason why I love Mr. Wonderful

Disclaimer: For more on the shiny sink and BO people please visit www.flylady.net

Not Homeschooling

AGH!! Have you ever just felt like God put you in the wrong family?? I know God has called me to home school but I believe that if I give my family time to digest the inner thoughts/plans of the past 3 years it may go over better with them. Although I have several items already purchased that I will use in my curriculum, I may go ahead and start looking for some other programs and learning more about Classical Education. I am sure there are many processes I need to learn.

I also am going to work on my personal housekeeping routine and try to make sure that is going a little smoother...HAHA. Then next August the baby will not be nursing anymore and that will be another weight off my shoulders. I think all in all this is not the worst thing for my homeschooling plans. I do feel just a little bit of pain with letting this go.......again.

Homeschooling

Well we are finally going to do it. We are going to homeschool our kids!! AGH! I have waited for this day for so long and I am so excited that I have finally done it. I have made the decision and told the world! I really am just so excited that I cannot stand it. I am scared too! I do believe that God will give me the ability to do this task.

Family Weekend

Family Weekend was so much fun. This was the first year we really participated. We put up a tent, bought some beef, and went to cookin! Well Bill manned the grill. He actually enjoys it once it gets going and he is such a great griller! I love tasting his cooking.

It seems with all this crazy in my life (the last 2 weeks of Oct are always 2 of the busiest of the year) I have forgotten to tell him I love him. Bill, if you are reading this (which he never does) I love you and I am proud to be your wife. Thank you for cooking at family weekend. Next year we can cook the brisket slower...no worries...:)


This pic is of me and my man........yeah I know he is a stud

Nachman Fall Carnival

Thursday October 23rd was the Nachman Fall Carnival. This annual event takes all our weekly dining out budget as we buy lots and lots of tickets to appease the over-excited children we have.

I have not idea what Abi is doing here...I think she is practicing for a "shotgun....set...hike"

Again this year I stayed up all night (well until 11PM) and worked all day (this is accurate) making the kids fall costumes. I do not know why I have procrastinated so badly these past several years. It is not like all these events are happening sooner in the year. So starting next year I have implemented a new rule. All costume requests must be turned in by October 1st.

Maybe I should write that down.

Abi is a football playing tutu wearer!

Hannah is an outlaw princess

(could not catch him for a pic)...yet
William is an outlaw

Wyatt is the sherriff!


YEEHAW!

Tribute to Smokey Joe

Saturday October 18th, I had a temporary lapse in judgement and allowed Abigail to buy a dog. It was a cute dog, but still a dog.

I am not and never will be a dog person.

We sent him back, and I went to bleaching my floors....

....Poor Abi

Mr. Dotty Pants

While Abigail was vacuuming (she had floor duty this night) she started screaming because she had vacuumed up a lizard. She dropped the vacuum and started running around the kitchen. "Abi, turn the vacuum off!" I yelled over the roaring machine. As soon as the suction let loose, a poor little lizard drunkenly sauntered out of the bristles below our Oreck. Abi immediately grabbed a plastic cup and covered the lizard. "DAD! DAD! DAD! COME HERE!!" Abi screamed with amazing fear.

Of course Billy came running into the kitchen with this super hero face on, picked up a paper plate and tried to maneuver the crawling lizard from the floor onto the plate, all while staying under the cup. He successed and after the lizard was turned upside down, dropping into the cup, Bill set the plate down with a lizard tail still on it swinging back and forth. He had chopped the poor things tail off with a cup! What a weapon! On the way out the door they encountered a crying Hannah who wanted the lizard as a pet and named him Mr. Dotty Pants. I am assuming it was because he was spotted.

She then wanted to let him go back to his mommy so he would not get in trouble for being gone so long.

She was happy for a while.........

Then she cried again.

Ahhh the stresses of a 3-year-old

Breastmilk

Having decided to breastfeed my babies as long as I was able, I planned for the day when one of the two older "babies" would ask me to try the milk. I have read about this happening in books and I just knew one of them would want to nurse. William and Hannah both were intrigued by the sight of the baby constantly attached to one of moms boobs. Then one day Hannah came into my room and sat down on the bed with me and look at the baby who was nursing. She then looked up at me, down at the baby, and then back up at me. Very sweetly she said "Mom, why does the baby like breast milk?" "Well Hannah, breastmilk is best for the baby and it is important for him drink it while he is a baby."

Hannah thought for a minute and finally asked the long awaited question "Can I have a drink?"

BOOM there it is, me in all my infinite wisdom was smart to be prepared and "role play" this senario in my head a million time previously. I looked at Hannah very calmly and asked, "You would like a drink of breastmilk?"

Hannah then looked at me with a shocking disgust and answered......."

No, of juice!"

Meek and Quiet Spirit

1 Peter 3:4 (King James Version)
4But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.

1 Peter 3:4 (New International Version)
4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.

Now this passage is a call for Christian women to example Christ to thier husbands in this way. I actually think that the NIV translation is the one I understand best.

Ashley's version:
So this is saying to me to let my inner self (thoughts, desires, intentions) be meek (gentle, mild of temper, soft, not easily provoked or irritated) and quiet (peaceable, not turbulent, not giving offense, mild, contented) and this is important and valuable to God.

I can't help but feel that this must be some sort of dirty joke. THIS is of value to God? Well I am just about as opposite as one can get with this description. I feel like I am constantly aggrivated and very easily provoked. I do love peace but very often have high levels of anxiety and feelings of doubt in myself and my ability to complete the task before me (raise this family). I am careful not to offend people but very often I stick my foot in my mouth. And most importantly I know God "loves" me but I want to be of "value" to him.

"Lord, Please help me as I learn to better serve you. I want to example you by loving my children and husband unconditionally and with a meek and quiet spirit. Please quicken my heart when I begin to act/react in a way that is unbecoming to you. I do realize that my little girls will be a product of what I show them to be. I do not want them to be the me they see now. Please help me to change and get my heart in line with your word before it is too late. I also know that the tone of my marriage and home will be set by me. Help me to think of them when I am having a bad day. I want to put my emotions in check so Billy and the kids can feel happiness everyday.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen"

Billy,

It is my desire to love you with an unconditional love just the way God loves us. Please be patient with me while I learn. I am sure I will make mistakes but know I love you and you are my one and only, till death do us part.

Abigail, Payton, Hannah, William, and Wyatt,

Mommy loves you more than anything. I am so glad God has allowed me to have you in my life. I make a lot of mistakes and sometimes I have not been the sweet and loving quiet spirited mother God has called me to be. I am sorry for that. From this day forward I will do my best to love you patiently, to kiss more bo-bo's, scratch more backs, and read more books. Follow me, I will lead you in the right direction.

William

Richard Robert William Fowler

"Mommy's Man"

Born November 21st 2006

Oh what a man this is! He has truly captured my heart. From the way he loves me all the time to the times he runs around butt naked! He is a blessing in my life. I wanted so badly to give my husband another little boy and when we found out "it" was a "he", we were SO excited. We actually had tried to have a baby for several months after we had Hannah. We just could not get pregnant. Bill and I knew we wanted one right away or none at all. (We think it is easier to do it all at once) We stopped trying and decided I would go on birth control and we would move on into another chapter in our lives. THEN GUESS WHAT?? I got pregnant! HA. We were so happy! (well atleast I was!) haha. Here is a picture of when Hannah told her daddy we were having a baby boy. Keep in mind I was only about 3/4 weeks pregnant!

I guess my faith in God just really paid off this time! Hannah and I had gone to see daddy at work at Rapides Regional Hospital. It was about 10AM. Then nine month later we had a beautiful baby boy. What a blessing he has been! I can remember thinking there was no way I could do it all, but I did, and we got through it. Here is William when he was only a few days old.

I will leave you with a few more of my favorite pics of my little man

My Vow to Never "WORK" again

Why is it that everytime I have a baby I feel the need to "work"? It is almost like I need an excape. With Hannah I started a transcription company, with William I went to work as a teacher's aide and now with Wyatt I am taking order for alterations, custom outfits for children, and bows. I have just spent all of my Saturday making things that are not even for my kids while my children are killing each other in the other rooms. What is it for? I am not making any money really and after I buy supplies I am barely breaking even. Sometimes it even costs me to make items. Why do I have trouble just staying home? Accepting the jobs that I really want the most.....housewife, homemaker, mother, helpmeet. This is where my true joy is; it is in the jobs God has designated for me. I have a husband that supports me in this calling and I keep finding "occupations". I am sure one day we will look back and laugh but right now I am having to fight back screams/tears while my children are running around like crazy and I have a skirt on the sewing machine that needs to be finished.

It is in this moment I am taking a vow:

I Vow:
to do a devotion over coffee every morning.
to create a home that is a peaceful beautiful place to be.
to wake up early and do my morning routine.
to get dressed everyday.......and look hot!
to not take any more "jobs".
to get my kids dressed every morning.
to play with my kids every day!
to enjoy my life.........
.............and to not be a Basket Headed Mother


A basket headed mother is one who focuses more on getting the jobs done than on the joy of doing the job.

Living on Purpose

I haven't posted in a while. Although I have had flashes of brilliant ideas FOR my blog, they just never make it all the way to the computer. Bill and I went on a 3-day marriage retreat this past weekend and really enjoyed it. It was nice to be romatic and loving with my husband. I must say I also enjoyed sleeping through the night and finishing a full meal withOUT having to stop and pick up food off the floor. My children do complicate the romance in our relationship but what would life be like without them. BORING. I would have to have a real job without any excitement at all! With all these children I am able to work at my most favorite place in the world, my home.

I am on a quest to change my home by the way. I want to make it more peaceful, more of a retreat. I want to yell at my children less and play with them more. I want to enjoy things more and complain less. Instead of just having a daily devotion, I want to be truly devoted. How do I really get pasted all the clutter of life to the true nectar very few people taste? This is my current mission: To Change my Home into What I Want It To Be.

LIVE ON PURPOSE