You might ask what have we been up to...well here is a daily schedule to show you.

5:00am - WAKE
5:30am - GYM
6:45am - Shower
7:15am - Quiet Time
7:30am - Kids wake up
8:00am - Breakfast
8:30am - Will & Leila arrive (Will 22months, Leila 4 months)
9:00am - Leila Naps, the other kids play
9:45am - Leila has a bottle, change diaper
10:45am - Leila Naps, try to get the kids to be quiet so she can sleep.
11:30am - Lunch time for all the kids
12:00pm - Change diapers, deal with screaming kids, time outs, all the norm.
12:30am - Leila has a bottle, change diaper
1:00pm - Will, Natalie & Leila go down for naps, Liam & Reilly play, I do laundry, dishes and whatever else I can get done. Sometimes I just sit and rest my eyes.
3:00-3:30pm - Kids wake up, Leila has a bottle & change diaper
3:30pm - kids have snack
4:00pm - Change diapers, deal with screaming kids, time out, all the norm.
5:00pm - I break down and let the kids watch TV, so I can make it through the last hour. I try to think about dinner. Will & Leila get picked up.
5:30pm - dinner with family
6:30pm - bath time & pj's
7:30pm - Brush teeth, story time
8:00pm - bedtime
8:30pm - I sit in front of the tv and zone out for about an hour and go to bed.

Then we start all over again the next day! In between all of this I seem to find time to start our garden, feed chickens, clean bathrooms, pay bills, hang out with our friends and have playdates.

One might say "that seems like a lot" and they would be right. It is never a dull moment in our house. BUT God never gives me anything I can not handle. I rise to the challenge, I cry, I laugh, I raise my voice,I sit in pure exhaustion, but I love every minute of it. One day I know I will look back and laugh about these days and hopefully remember the memories.

"I MADE" by Natalie Cavanaugh

I was sitting in my crib one day, while all went outside to play. The sun was out and my room was hot, but this did not stop me from feeling distraught. I tried to nap, but the heat was intense and then I pooped so it all made perfect sense. I called for someone to help "MOM" and there just was no answer. So I took matters into my own hands and took off that stinky diaper. The smell was a lot, but it looked like brown finger paint, so I thought what the heck I could be here really late. I called out to "MOM" and yelled "I POOPY", but still no one noticed that I was in no mood for sleepy. So with that brown finger paint I painted my crib, the wall, and then my belly. It started to stink, but it worked really great and when I was done I had it all over the place. I was so proud I yelled "I PAINTED MY POOPY". I heard a faint cry and then they finally came. My Mema entered and I heard her exclaim "JESSICA COME HERE RIGHT NOW". I did not know what was all the fuss I was so happy that someone finally came in a rush. My mommie came running in quit a hurry and when she entered my room I could see she was in no flurry. She laughed so hard she fell on the floor. I laughed and said "I MADE" I smiled at her and yelled out her name. I got to take a bubble bath while pictures were taken of my fine art work and a memory I guess that will last a lifetime.


"I MADE"

"Seriously, I had no idea you could not paint with poop"

"OOPS"