God is Good even when Bad things are Happening!

God is really teaching me this concept. There are days that I absolutely think I am losing my mind...and it is in those moments...or maybe a few moments later...that He reminds me that He is working on me THROUGH these situations. Everytime another instance comes my way, I seem to forget that it is Him, and I end up remember about halfway through, and then I have to ask for forgiveness once again, and start again...this time doing things His way!

Ok...now that that is off my mind...on to lighter issues!

Christmas Time! The kids had an absolute BlaSt!! Shall I just do a photo blog, since a picture is way quicker than me typing a thousand words!

Olivia at her first piano recital. Luke Terry is her instructor and (L to R) Kelsie, Trevor, and Faith also are taking lessons.

Olivia performed "Ode to Joy"...such a beginner classic...and unbiasedly stated, she did a FaBuLouS job!!! Look...her feet are not even touching the floor :) How Cute!

Me and my baby...she's getting so big...~sniff~sniff~~

Elijah and Elissa went to Stephanie's and got haircuts. It was Elissa's FIRST haircut December 22, 2008. Elijah's on the other hand...just CrAzY and in desparate need of trimming!

Thanks, Ms. Stephanie...for removing the mullet and giving me a big o peppermint...so Elissa would stop crying !

Happy Birthday, Sophia! It was all about Chuck E. Cheese and Strawberry Shortcake...interesting combo!

Ride 'em, Cowgirl Sophia!!

Sophia and Tonya...her best buddy, Preston's, Mom!Yummy cake!! Side note of frustration...We ordered 3 pizzas and tons of tokens. We desired our kids to drink water, but they told us we had to buy bottled waters or sodas...they would not give us cups for tap water!! Ridiculous...knowing darn well we more than paid for those paper cups with all we had already purchased!! Anyway...that's over!

Strawberry Shortcake for the "Little Sniffer" girl. She loves smelly things...so here...smell this!

Jude drug out all these empty diaper boxes and created "Robot Man" with a special robotic arm.These are all the Buchanan cousins' kids at our Christmas Eve meal!

This is Christmas at Grandmother Noles' house.

Elissa was the cutest thing to watch open gifts...she was so excited once she figured out what it was!This was the suit Jude got from Keith's parents...he loved it and didn't ever want to take it off!

Christmas at my Dad's house. The kids were all decorating cakes that were cut into shapes that told the Christmas story...it was really a cute idea!

We got the kids a Wii!! I don't think they really understood what they had until we played it! NOW...they L-O-V-E it!

As stressful as it is to get everybody ready and there on time...for the most part...it is worth it!

I just pray that every Christmas only gets better and less stressful!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Fun Times with Friends!!

The Blasczyks came over for a full family visit last Monday, Dec. 1st. The kids struggled to have fun...can't you tell??


















So the boys...Shiloh, as Batman, and Jude, as Spiderman...and Elijah as Mr. Cool who had to be a part of this photo!

















Elissa enjoying not being the baby in the house...but the "BIG GIRL"!! Izzy doesn't look very happy! Probably didn't get the next bite served to him quick enough!
















The Girls (Elissa, Abi, and Sophia) and again...Mr. Cool (Elijah) who needs to be in EVERY group shot! We just could not get over the pose...arm over the person's shoulder! HiLaRiOuS!!




We love our friends!! We cherish our time with them.

Thought I would do this to enlighten you on Sarah Noles by filling out this survey...I haven't read through this so it may not be very enlightening at ALL!! Guess we will see!


Do you drink lots of water?
No, but I really should...it would take some of the pressure off of my kidneys in the long run!

Is it easy for someone to make you smile/laugh?
I would say YES! Like Elissa's giggle is making me laugh right now :)

Would you rather go camping or to a five star hotel?
Definitely a 5-star Hotel!!

Who was the last girl you had a conversation with?
Elissa...told her to stop throwing her cracker snack on the floor for Lola to eat!!

Do you plan on moving out in the next year?
Nope, not unless God calls us to Mexico!!

Are you missing someone?
Not at this particular moment...but I always miss my Momma if I stop long enough to think about it.

Would you like to put last night on repeat and live it forever?
Heck NO!! Between an all evening Dinner Theater practice and not being super happy with my Hubs...NO WAY!!

What was on your mind mostly today?
Having fun with the Godfreys!

Do you think you can last in a relationship for three months?
I think I have proven I can!

Do you think before you speak?
Most of the time, but even if I think I still should not say some of the things I say!

Would you rather be called hot, cute, or beautiful?
Seeing as I am too old to be "cute", and do not qualify as "hot"...I guess I will settle for "beautiful".

Do you like to wear flip-flops?
All summer long...but I am not one of those crazy folks that wears them in the winter!!

How old were you when you got your first cell phone?
19?? I only remember it was for emergencies only and it was a "bag phone"!!

Have you ever made anyone laugh when they were crying?
It's my specialty...with my kids anyway:)

Have you ever thought about getting your lip pierced?
Ewww! No!

Is anyone interested in you right now?
I can think of one that can't seem to get enough of me!

What color are your eyes?
Green.

Did you have a good birthday last year?
It wasn't bad...but it wasn't the most memorable.

What are you doing for your next birthday?
I don't know but it will be my 30th...don't get any CrAzY ideas!!

How late did you stay up last night?
Not late at all...I fell asleep within 5 minutes of being in the bed...which is extremely RARE..especially at 10:30pm!!

What were you doing?
Obviously...filling out this survey, while listening to "Green Eggs and Ham" being read to the twins by Keith and the listening to the 11 o' clock news!

Do you get scared when your home alone and hear weird noises?
Sometimes..but I mostly watch the dog to see if she hears anything...she has good hearing!

Ever told your parents you hated them?
I don't think so...definitely not to their face!...I would not have had a face after I did!

What movie is in your DVD player?
"White Christmas" I just watched it with the kids...Jude enjoyed it the most!

Have you told anybody you love them today?
Yeah!! Lots of people!

Do you think too much or too little?
I think I am a "well-balanced" thinker!

What brand of shirt are you wearing?
Take a wild guess...Yep...Old Navy!

Do you wash your hair in the shower?
Yeah?? Who actually writes these things???

What is your fear?
Not going to Heaven! I would really have some issues if I lost Keith, too!

How are you feeling right now?
Tired...I kinda have a slight headache!

What was your last argument about?
The same ol' stuff...family issues!

Last nap?
Obviously too long ago seeing as I can't remember...NOTE TO SELF: take nap tomorrow!!

Have you ever liked anyone that treated you like crap?
Nope!!

Where would you like to be right now?
In my bed, sleeping!

What were you doing at 9:07 pm last night?
In the car waiting for Keith to stop talking to Pastor Dwayne...yeah, I was in the car with 6 exhausted kids for an HOUR while he was talking!! Grrr!!

Besides this, what are you doing right now?
Did we not just ask this, People?? Are we a little ADD??

Will you be up before 7 am tomorrow?
Hope not!

Are you afraid to grow up?
Not really...I think I'm past the "growing up" part...I've moved to the "growing old" part! That scares me a little :)

What do you do when you're sad?
Depends...usually call Valarie or Cassie.

Do you have a secret that you've never told ANYONE?
Probably...but I can't seem to think of anything at the present!

Last place you took a plane to?
Guadalajara, MX to see my Bestie:)

Three words to explain why you last threw up?
Virus, thanks kids!

What are your plans for the weekend?
Dinner Theater, Dinner Theater, Dinner Theater!

How many children do you plan on having?
Ummm...I think...uhhhh...6!

Do you like what the ocean does to your hair?
Again...who write these kinds of questions?? What kind of response were you really expecting??

How do you feel about public displays of affection?
For married couples: Keep it Rated G...any others: Save it for marriage!

Last movie you saw in theaters, with who?
"Four Christmases" with Keith, Derrick and my Val!..Pastor Phil.................

How many pills do you take a day?
ONE...No more Babies:)

Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Not really.

What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Coke...it's my wake up choice in the AM!

Favorite place to be?
Somewhere having fun!

Do you love where you live?
Love IT!!

What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
That was a very interesting sequence of dreams...all about puppies and kittens running everywhere...IDK!!

Have you ever intentionally made someone jealous?
I don't think so!

What's something you're excited about right now?
This weekend...an opportunity to be used by God to plant seeds of salvation!

Any plans for tomorrow?
Go get some new jazz shoes for me and Tony for Dinner Theater this weekend!

Have you ever dated someone older than yourself?
I think I could definitely say, "Yeah...a little older!"



Well, I hope you learned something new about me through this...off to bed!

God is Still in the Prayer Answering Business!

Well, life has been interesting this past year. December 25th will mark the one year anniversary of inheriting our 6th child. Austin came to us after his mother, Tina, passed away from a short 2-month battle with Leukemia. Tina, Keith's sister, received Austin from the state of Alabama to foster him. She continued to not know the final decision on his living situation for 2 1/2 years. Finally, she was able to adopt him, and he officially became a "Noles". He continues to be a Noles in our home, too. We have brought him in our family and called him our "son".

As I said...maybe "interesting" isn't the most descriptive word to use in this situation. Things have gradually been getting tougher. He has been required to live his life to a totally different standard...and it has caused many issues to be revealed...not only in his life, but in mine and Keith's, also. We have prayed, read Scriptures, refered to life stories...and then prayed MORE. It seemed the more we tried to do what we thought God wanted us to do...the harder he would fight against us.

For whatever reason, God decided to peel back the scales on his spiritual eyes and ears, and He allowed him to hear our heart's desires for him and his future. This past Wednesday, Keith and I had a conversation with him that really contained nothing we hadn't said to him at some point...but because of God's life-changing power, it seemed to make sense this time. His heart appears to have begun to change. We continue to pray that his relationship will only grow deeper. We explained to him that if his relationship with God wasn't strong...then when he and I's relationship became difficult, there would not really be any motivation to work on it. We told him it's because we want to please God that we work on relationships when times get tough.

So for the past 2 days not only has he finished all of his schoolwork, he has asked me to help him and asked me to pray that he will not be distracted.

GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Thanksgiving 2008

Ok...so it hasn't been as long since I blogged this time. I'm proud of myself:)

So I added this lady's blog to my list this morning. She has 16 kids and has incredible blogs. She was so encouraging...made me feel as though I shouldn't ever complain about being overwhelmed with my 6 kids. She had some amazing tips on laundry, grocery shopping....just how to keep up with everyday living with a large family.

So I am going to try implementing some of her tips and see how that goes.

So...back at the Noles' Ranch...

Elissa and Elijah went to the Dr. for their 2 year old check-up. They both weigh 23 1/2 lbs and are the same height also. They are in about the 4th percentile for height and weight. Keith and I talked about what we could do to "fatten" them up. I'm not so convinced that we should. Powdered Donuts...I think a few of these should fatten them right up!I think that eating habits are formed young just as are other habits. So why for the sake of "fattening" should we start to feed them fatty foods or oversized portions. Maybe...just maybe, they are fine. Who makes these percentile charts anywho?? I do care about their health, but I am going to try to find a way to feed them more, but keep it healthy and within limits.

It was very fun to show up at the pediatrician's office with Elijah's eye looking like this. He was sitting on the ottoman, and as he leaned over, he accidentally hit his eye on the one unpadded part of the couch. Talent! It immediately turned purple!
Elissa also has a bruise under her eye from bonking it on a countertop while someone was holding her. Good thing my pediatrician knows me fairly well...otherwise, DEFACS may have shown up at my door!

Well, Thanksgiving day we went to my Dad's house. I got to meet Caleb's new girlfriend, Renee. She was very sweet, and Elissa befriended her and then wouldn't let her go! My new Momma Judy invited her brother from Boise, Idaho, to join us, too. He was very funny! Josh and Angie and his boys, Reed and Roman, also attended. The dinner was very yummy...there was sooooo much food!

Supossedly, Caleb is helping transfer the turkey from the roasting pan to a serving platter...I don't know...that's not exactly what it looks like from this angle?!

Elijah was fine when we left the house, but shortly thereafter, he became very fussy and only wanted to be held. He didn't really eat much...then he started running a fever. By the time I took his temperature with a thermometer, it registered at 102 degrees. Poor baby! So he was held...and he slept the evening away! Note the drool pool on Keith's shoulder! AwEsOmE!!

The kids watched Wall-E. I really wanted to watch it all, but both times it was started over, I only got through the first 30 minutes before something would call me away! So...I still haven't seen it all the way through. Don't tell me how it ends:)

On Friday, we headed to Bowdon, GA to visit with Keith's side of the family. We started at Keith's parents house where we ate turkey sandwiches. Then we went to Grandmother Noles'. Funny story: She kept telling us she had an infection in her head! Keith finally asked her what exactly the Dr. said was wrong with her...she said he said she had a sinus infection. That made more sense! After spending some time with her, we left and went to Grandmother Buck's house. By the time we had been there 20 minutes, the babies were so exhausted they were crying about everything. So we packed up and left. Let's just say...that was an EXTREMELY long day!!

After that experience, Keith and I began to talk about how it was going to have to be different come Christmas Eve. I don't want them being cranky on Christmas Day...on home video:) So we will see!