2024
Friday, May 6, 2016
6
I just thought about this...when I started this blog, I chose the "6" part because that was how many people were in our family. When we had Noah, and it changed to 7 in our family, I thought, "well, it's just going to have to stay like that & we can count the cat as "six lives we take care of". Now it will actually mean something again because we have 6 kids. Now it's not just the size of our family, it's the number of dependents we claim on our taxes! LOL, they're way more than just a number, but I think it's just funny how things turn out! I remember when we first moved back here and we lived out on Jason's parents' family farm & someone commented, "You have to have 6 kids if you live out here." I think we had one or two & thought, "You are insane! I have 2 and that's enough!" But one by one, they have blessed our lives and my heart swells with love as I think of all I could have missed out on if I would have shut the door on what God had planned for me and our beautiful family. Good thing He doesn't always work only on what we imagine for ourselves!
Thursday, May 5, 2016
So much news!
It seems like I keep starting out my posts lately saying that it's been too long. Yeah, you get that, if anyone is actually still reading these! If you are, thanks for sticking with me & I hope to get back to updating this more often since we have so much news to share & many changes happening!
First of all, I was working part-time this year in the mornings for preschool, but at the end of February had to take a little time off because of severe morning sickness. Yes, baby Myhre #6 is on the way! He/she is due to arrive sometime in October. We are excited and Noah has been preparing to be a big brother. He actually started becoming fascinated with baby dolls and real babies 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant, so I think he somehow knew before us.
So with pregnancy for us, it tends to go hand-in-hand with moving, and wouldn't you know it, we are! But this time, it's not just in town...we're actually moving to a completely different community and school district, 2 1/2 hours away from here. We are excited, as it has been an answer to prayers for Jason to find a full-time position in a job that he really loves, being an Activities/Athletic Director. What's better is that it's only one job and it pays way more than what he's been getting for the past 5 years.
The hardest part was for me to actually let go of leaving the home that we love, where a majority of his family lives (all of the kid's cousins on this side) and where we have made a ton of wonderful friends. But clinging to my comforts has become less comfortable as I watch Jason work harder and harder for less money and less time with our family. Something had to change, and for the most part, it was my attitude about what I thought God had planned for me. The past year has been about listening to Him in prayer and allowing Him to continue to love me even more. I felt Him tell me, "I know you love everything here, but what if I have more for you? You have to let go of one hand before I can give you what's in the other." So with that comes peace. The peace of knowing that living here has been a blessing, but that also being led somewhere else can be a blessing too.
Since putting my faith and trust in God's will, He has given me so much consolation in His love and plan for me. Granted I am surging with hormones right now, but I have felt His presence and gift of love and grace so many times I am moved to sobbing tears. I have allowed Him to work me through this usually difficult process of selling and buying homes, and so far, it's gone way better than I could have imagined. We are still a little ways away from the whole process, but I am trusting that He will make things work how He wants and I'm trying not to mess it up or worry too much about things I have no control over, and that gives me even more peace. And that helps me deal with the everyday workings a pregnant mom of 5-1/4 kids, with a husband who has 3 administrator jobs and coaching his son's junior high baseball team, selling 2 homes and having them constantly show-ready, and searching for another home in another town over 2 hours away, has to deal with. I could easily be overwhelmed, but I know there's no way I can do it myself...that's way too many crosses for this out-of-shape body! That's where I allow the Lord to help me, to love me, and to bear the weight of what I can't carry on my own.
First of all, I was working part-time this year in the mornings for preschool, but at the end of February had to take a little time off because of severe morning sickness. Yes, baby Myhre #6 is on the way! He/she is due to arrive sometime in October. We are excited and Noah has been preparing to be a big brother. He actually started becoming fascinated with baby dolls and real babies 2 weeks before I found out I was pregnant, so I think he somehow knew before us.
So with pregnancy for us, it tends to go hand-in-hand with moving, and wouldn't you know it, we are! But this time, it's not just in town...we're actually moving to a completely different community and school district, 2 1/2 hours away from here. We are excited, as it has been an answer to prayers for Jason to find a full-time position in a job that he really loves, being an Activities/Athletic Director. What's better is that it's only one job and it pays way more than what he's been getting for the past 5 years.
The hardest part was for me to actually let go of leaving the home that we love, where a majority of his family lives (all of the kid's cousins on this side) and where we have made a ton of wonderful friends. But clinging to my comforts has become less comfortable as I watch Jason work harder and harder for less money and less time with our family. Something had to change, and for the most part, it was my attitude about what I thought God had planned for me. The past year has been about listening to Him in prayer and allowing Him to continue to love me even more. I felt Him tell me, "I know you love everything here, but what if I have more for you? You have to let go of one hand before I can give you what's in the other." So with that comes peace. The peace of knowing that living here has been a blessing, but that also being led somewhere else can be a blessing too.
Since putting my faith and trust in God's will, He has given me so much consolation in His love and plan for me. Granted I am surging with hormones right now, but I have felt His presence and gift of love and grace so many times I am moved to sobbing tears. I have allowed Him to work me through this usually difficult process of selling and buying homes, and so far, it's gone way better than I could have imagined. We are still a little ways away from the whole process, but I am trusting that He will make things work how He wants and I'm trying not to mess it up or worry too much about things I have no control over, and that gives me even more peace. And that helps me deal with the everyday workings a pregnant mom of 5-1/4 kids, with a husband who has 3 administrator jobs and coaching his son's junior high baseball team, selling 2 homes and having them constantly show-ready, and searching for another home in another town over 2 hours away, has to deal with. I could easily be overwhelmed, but I know there's no way I can do it myself...that's way too many crosses for this out-of-shape body! That's where I allow the Lord to help me, to love me, and to bear the weight of what I can't carry on my own.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
It's POTTY time!!
I know...to you this is gross. To me, it's the exciting beginning of the end of a 13-year journey that I would like to call "diaper changing". No, it didn't take me 13 years to toilet train my kids, but we have been changing diapers every day for the last 13 years. "Really?" you're thinking. "How is that possible?" Well, we have always had someone in diapers. Actually, at one point in our parenting journey, we had 3 in diapers, and I remember actually lining them up like an assembly line and changing them all at once to save time. A.J. eventually learned how to pee on trees in the yard, so that helped get him out of diapers after his 4th birthday. (Bonus of living in the country with boys, but a luxury we do not currently have.) We may have had a small break between Faith and Ian, but we were so busy that I barely remember. But for all of the boys, they didn't even come close to toilet training until after they were all 4, hence the continuous reign of diaper duty.
So, yes, I did a potty dance when Noah accomplished this, and considering the fact that we've been asking him for awhile about the potty, shouldn't surprise anyone. He actually had a fear of the water in the toilet (thank you America's Funniest Home Videos for that phobia!), and got upset with me when I strolled through the potty section the first time to let him pick one out. Luckily, the second trip with Daddy by his side, he agreed to this one.
I was disappointed the other kids did not share my enthusiasm and refused to dance with me, despite much coaching to be excited for their baby brother (and me), so you can imagine their disgust when I took this picture! I got the, "Seriously Mom?!" I didn't even get laughs...just disgust. I had to laugh though, because my days of paying back my kids for years of embarrassing moments is also beginning. Haha, yes!
I will promise to not post any pictures when he does the other "duty" though (LOL), but I WILL be dancing!
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Catching up...
The past couple months have been a blur...Just when I think I'm getting used to a schedule or keeping up with things, I get a reality check that life with 5 busy kids just isn't going to be neat and tidy like that. I am starting to get over that (and myself) and am trying to enjoy every moment without completely trying to control or worry over it all. Our kids have been great at picking up the pieces of what Mom can't keep up with and turning it into being responsible, well-rounded & adapted individuals. I was really excited when they all went out this Halloween, and for the most part, chose their own costumes and decided what they were going to do. I simply did not have the energy and felt bad, because I know it won't be long and I won't get a picture like this again.
If I could have found a football uniform for Noah, you can bet he would have been a football player too. If he is just as obsessed about it next year as he is this year, you know what he'll be wearing next Halloween.
We went up to the Prep Bowl this year and although I was worried that it was going to be outside (TCF Stadium), the weather cooperated perfectly and it was a beautiful day, a great game & the best outcome...Back to back Class A State Champs! There was a little action that happened during and especially after that game, but our boys displayed Viking Valor and made us all proud of them and our community, because it could have gotten really ugly.
Now that football is over, we are well underway into basketball and wrestling season. Ian is wrestling again this year because they have a great program for little ones to burn off some energy. We will take him to a few tournaments but we are by no means going all-out for first grade wrestling, simply because we have 2 other kids in activities as well.
Faith is now in her first year of organized basketball, and her coach is none other than...Daddy! He just can't say no, but it only seems fair that since he coached AJ's 4th grade team, that he does so again for Faith. I must say, he's much more laid back now with her team than he was 3 years ago. Faith has a great knack for ball handling and loves to take control and drive right to the basket. I hope she continues to have that confidence as she grows in her game.
AJ is back to basketball after having to sit out last year because of his ACL injury. His class has gotten taller, the game is faster, and competition is a little more, well...competetive. He feels a little behind in his skills, but we encouraged him to keep practicing hard and it will get better. I think part of his frustration is that he compares himself to one of his classmates who is a foot taller and comes from a large family of older superstar basketball athletes to practice with. (That player has now been moved up from 7th grade ball to play with C & B squad - 9th-11th graders. Yes, he's THAT good.) So, now without their "star" player, the boys have to up their games and their attitudes about themselves and just have fun playing games they might not always win, as they have so easily done in the past. Sports are just not about the game, but also learning lots about life and who we are and how to grow in that. I think that's why Jason loves being an athletic director so much. It's a great privilege to be able to teach kids about being adults in the settings they are in.
Laney is excelling in all things artsy. She made her costume for Halloween, loves drawing for art class, and plays piano and clarinet beautifully. She spends much of her time at home while most of us run up to the school for games, but she doesn't mind and loves having the house quiet and to herself once in a while. Noah also likes to hang out at home sometimes, so they have had more time together. She also took a babysitting course this fall, so she is getting more experience at home and hopes to earn some money that doesn't involve picking rocks. Both her and AJ are as tall as Mom now and it takes some getting used to. I've been so used to hugging small people and now it's like hugging myself...seems way to soon for that!
Unfortunately, my camera is on the fritz and I was forced to bring the tablet to Christmas concerts. With the intention of video taping each of the kids' songs, I realized halfway through that there was only enough storage for one picture. So as I watched part of the concert through the back side of a tablet, thinking I was taping it, I really only snapped a picture, and this was it. (If you look closely, you can pick out Ian dressed as "the man in black") I'm thankful for the memory...it was a beautiful program, as well as thankful that I realized what was happening and closed the tablet and watched the rest of it from my chair and not through a screen.
We went up to the Prep Bowl this year and although I was worried that it was going to be outside (TCF Stadium), the weather cooperated perfectly and it was a beautiful day, a great game & the best outcome...Back to back Class A State Champs! There was a little action that happened during and especially after that game, but our boys displayed Viking Valor and made us all proud of them and our community, because it could have gotten really ugly.
Now that football is over, we are well underway into basketball and wrestling season. Ian is wrestling again this year because they have a great program for little ones to burn off some energy. We will take him to a few tournaments but we are by no means going all-out for first grade wrestling, simply because we have 2 other kids in activities as well.
Faith is now in her first year of organized basketball, and her coach is none other than...Daddy! He just can't say no, but it only seems fair that since he coached AJ's 4th grade team, that he does so again for Faith. I must say, he's much more laid back now with her team than he was 3 years ago. Faith has a great knack for ball handling and loves to take control and drive right to the basket. I hope she continues to have that confidence as she grows in her game.
AJ is back to basketball after having to sit out last year because of his ACL injury. His class has gotten taller, the game is faster, and competition is a little more, well...competetive. He feels a little behind in his skills, but we encouraged him to keep practicing hard and it will get better. I think part of his frustration is that he compares himself to one of his classmates who is a foot taller and comes from a large family of older superstar basketball athletes to practice with. (That player has now been moved up from 7th grade ball to play with C & B squad - 9th-11th graders. Yes, he's THAT good.) So, now without their "star" player, the boys have to up their games and their attitudes about themselves and just have fun playing games they might not always win, as they have so easily done in the past. Sports are just not about the game, but also learning lots about life and who we are and how to grow in that. I think that's why Jason loves being an athletic director so much. It's a great privilege to be able to teach kids about being adults in the settings they are in.
Laney is excelling in all things artsy. She made her costume for Halloween, loves drawing for art class, and plays piano and clarinet beautifully. She spends much of her time at home while most of us run up to the school for games, but she doesn't mind and loves having the house quiet and to herself once in a while. Noah also likes to hang out at home sometimes, so they have had more time together. She also took a babysitting course this fall, so she is getting more experience at home and hopes to earn some money that doesn't involve picking rocks. Both her and AJ are as tall as Mom now and it takes some getting used to. I've been so used to hugging small people and now it's like hugging myself...seems way to soon for that!
Unfortunately, my camera is on the fritz and I was forced to bring the tablet to Christmas concerts. With the intention of video taping each of the kids' songs, I realized halfway through that there was only enough storage for one picture. So as I watched part of the concert through the back side of a tablet, thinking I was taping it, I really only snapped a picture, and this was it. (If you look closely, you can pick out Ian dressed as "the man in black") I'm thankful for the memory...it was a beautiful program, as well as thankful that I realized what was happening and closed the tablet and watched the rest of it from my chair and not through a screen.
Merry Christmas!! May you know the love of God and His desires for you!
Sunday, December 13, 2015
rep-uh-TAY-shun-ist - n.
Faith: (in a conversation with Laney) You know...the person who sits at a desk and answers phones and stuff?
Me: (overhearing the struggle of explaining her word) Faith, do you mean "receptionist"?
Faith (laughing): Yes! That's what I meant!
I need to make sure I get these recorded right away, because I almost forgot how she said it and it wasn't as funny the way I was trying to explain it to Jason. It's almost as good as the spuh-TOO-lah story!
Me: (overhearing the struggle of explaining her word) Faith, do you mean "receptionist"?
Faith (laughing): Yes! That's what I meant!
I need to make sure I get these recorded right away, because I almost forgot how she said it and it wasn't as funny the way I was trying to explain it to Jason. It's almost as good as the spuh-TOO-lah story!
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Happy birthday, Noah!
Yes, he still falls asleep at strange times in strange positions. He couldn't even finish his ice cream cone this time! We are excited (and somewhat sad) that our youngest is 4. As he grows, we try take in every toddler moment knowing it will most likely be our last. (God has not been calling us to another baby...sorry ya'll!) With that in mind, we are looking at our family as moving toward teenagers, later nights and with that, sleeping in later, more activities, more conversations and no diapers! (Well, unfortunately, Noah has expressed no intention of using any type of potty in the near future, so the patience virtue builds as we anticipate that milestone.) He does about everything necessary for potty training, except wanting to use it! He even got mad at me for taking him down the aisle at Walmart that had potty chairs & pouted all the way to the other end of the store. When I realized he was upset about something, I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "I don't want to get a potty chair! I don't like it!"
So this little Mister gets his way because with this little face and a Mom that prayed for patience, he is sure to give her opportunities to master it, but she absolutely loves it and is grateful for the gift of him and his big persistence in a tiny body. Happy birthday, Mister!
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Got shingles?
Unfortunately, these are not the shingles on the roof, and yes, I got them. It's been over 2 weeks since I was diagnosed, but looking back, I began having symptoms 4 days before that. I didn't get the classic itching rash right away, rather the pain first and then a rash, so that's why it took me so long to go to the doctor. For the most part, I am healed up, just some slight nerve pain when I get stressed or overwhelmed, (which, let's face it, in a family with 5 kids, working a part-time job with preschoolers after a 13 year at-home-mom-hiatus, and a hubby that works 2 admin jobs, stressed is everyday.) Right now, my skin feels like a bad sunburn that itches, but you can't scratch because that makes it burn more.
What has this condition taught me? 1) That it's time to let go of most of the "extras" that I am doing right now so I can take care of myself and my family first and foremost. The extras will always be there. 2) That I need a better outlet to deal with my stress. 3) Lastly, to offer my never-ending cycle of pain and health issues up to God and put them to good use. I am reminded that there are many people suffering way more than me in other ways, and that by directing my pain toward God and offering it to Him for someone else, somehow allows me to experience a grace and relief that I can't do myself or with painkillers. It is in the suffering that Christ showed us how much He loved us, so the least I can do is turn this experience into His loving hands so that He can bless it with His perfect will.
What has this condition taught me? 1) That it's time to let go of most of the "extras" that I am doing right now so I can take care of myself and my family first and foremost. The extras will always be there. 2) That I need a better outlet to deal with my stress. 3) Lastly, to offer my never-ending cycle of pain and health issues up to God and put them to good use. I am reminded that there are many people suffering way more than me in other ways, and that by directing my pain toward God and offering it to Him for someone else, somehow allows me to experience a grace and relief that I can't do myself or with painkillers. It is in the suffering that Christ showed us how much He loved us, so the least I can do is turn this experience into His loving hands so that He can bless it with His perfect will.
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