Today is 9/11. We have spent the day trying to explain to our older two girls the importance of what today means to our country. They don't get it. They try but to them war, violence, terrorism happens so far away from thier lives. Those are things that happen on TV and in other countries. I am so grateful that my children's lives are like that, that there innoncence has not been taken by those horrible things in life. But as far as Jeremy and I, we understand. On that day 10 yrs ago, something was taken from us. Maybe innocence is the wrong word, but we know now what we did not know then, the USA is not invincible and terrorism can happen anywhere.
It was the day before my birthday, we were both 20 yrs old and had recently gotten married. I was 11 weeks pregnant for Caroline and was excited about my first dr.'s visit that day. Jeremy was woken up by a phone call from a friend in Mandeville telling him that one of the World Trade Center towers had been hit by a plane. We both jumped up and watch the horror unfold on TV. We both had classes that day but I don't remember making it to any of them. We made it to school but ended up watching the TV at the NCM. I know that as I watched all of it, the magnitude did not sink in, it was surreal.
Later that day, we had an appointment. We both saw Caroline on an ultrasound for the first time. We watched her cut flips, seeing her face, then her feet, then her face again. The moment was so precious to us but the dread that hung over it was awful. After the appointment, we looked at each other and we both had the same question. "How could we bring a child into such an awful world?"
I spent the afternoon at work. I worked at the daycare on campus and I think that is when things began to sink in. I remember moms coming in with huge tears in their eyes asking for thier babies. They could not be apart from them that day.
Today, 10 yrs later, I still cry when I see the footage. I am not a political person but I am a patriot. I learned that day how precious freedom is, and I pray each day that I can instill that gratefulness in my children.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
A Walk
After a long and overwhelming summer, school has started again and so has the urge to blog. I have been so busy, sitting down to blog was WAY at the bottom of my to do list. Now that life is returning to a normal school routine, I realized how much I missed blogging. I know that this means we are in need of an update but today is just a simple blog, the update will come later.
The weather has finally started to cool down and so this morning we decided to go for a walk. My two boys have had some kind of cold and we have been holed up in the house for a week now. The walk was so much fun. Thatcher kept commenting on how beautiful it was outside.
Blake enjoyed riding in the stroller and being pushed by her big brothers.
And Ayden would just plop down in the road and enjoy the view.
At the end of the walk, we realized that somewhere along the way Ayden had lost his pacey. Thatch refused to walk back to find it. Since he has been sick, I didn't push him, so we all climb in the car, drove down the road and found Ayden's pacey. The things mothers do for thier child's favorite pacey!!
The weather has finally started to cool down and so this morning we decided to go for a walk. My two boys have had some kind of cold and we have been holed up in the house for a week now. The walk was so much fun. Thatcher kept commenting on how beautiful it was outside.
Blake enjoyed riding in the stroller and being pushed by her big brothers.
And Ayden would just plop down in the road and enjoy the view.
At the end of the walk, we realized that somewhere along the way Ayden had lost his pacey. Thatch refused to walk back to find it. Since he has been sick, I didn't push him, so we all climb in the car, drove down the road and found Ayden's pacey. The things mothers do for thier child's favorite pacey!!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Pictures from this week!
Blake dressed up for Mother's Day.
All the kiddos.
Ayden being a boy!
Notice his fluff!
Our girls!
Naptime and snacks!
All the kiddos.
Ayden being a boy!
Notice his fluff!
Our girls!
Naptime and snacks!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Making Friends
I wrote a few weeks ago about coming out of my fog from years of having babies. Well, my new challenge is I am bored!! I know, I know, I watch 3 kids all day long, I do laundry, dishes, and keep a house clean for 7 people. I am still bored!! Now that I am not overwhelmed with diapers, feedings, and lack of sleep, I want to get out and do stuff. I do have to say, my house is never really clean. I am have come to the conclusion that housework is just not a strong point for me. Maybe one day, I will be able to afford a maid. Anyways, back to being bored. No more fog, means I have to occupy my time more efficiently. I really need to start a hobby. My mom has said she will teach me how to sew, which sounds okay. At least it is something to do. The other thing I would like to start doing is making friend again. I now feel like I could be a decent friend. Before, by the time I finished with all my kids and my husband, I had no energy to be a good friend. I can now officially say, I think I am ready to socialize again. There is just one BIG hiccup in that plan, keeping all my kids well. UGH!! Everytime I have tried to schedule a playdate with someone, somebody in my house has caught something contagious! Last week during spring break, we all had 5th's disease.
I miss going to church! I know I would make good friends at our church but to get there seems impossible sometimes. I guess, this is one of those lessons you learn when you have a big family. Especially when your big family, has little ones in it. Just because your ready to move on to the next step in life, does not mean the rest of the family is. What I do know, is that things continuely get better. A year ago, jumping up and going to the lakefront would have been impossible. Now that is a weekly thing. So maybe by the end of this summer, Jeremy and I will be social bugs again. I have so much faith that God has people out there that are suppose to be apart of our lives. I get all giggly thinking about it. :)
I miss going to church! I know I would make good friends at our church but to get there seems impossible sometimes. I guess, this is one of those lessons you learn when you have a big family. Especially when your big family, has little ones in it. Just because your ready to move on to the next step in life, does not mean the rest of the family is. What I do know, is that things continuely get better. A year ago, jumping up and going to the lakefront would have been impossible. Now that is a weekly thing. So maybe by the end of this summer, Jeremy and I will be social bugs again. I have so much faith that God has people out there that are suppose to be apart of our lives. I get all giggly thinking about it. :)
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wonderful Photos from a Great Photographer and friend!
If you remember a while back, Jeremy and I took Blake and Ayden to take pictures. Well, I must share!! These photos were taken by the same friend who took the other photos shown on this blog. She is unbelievably good!! She has a knack for capturing beautiful pictures, without making small children pose. She is also one of the sweetest people I know! If you are in the Southeast Louisiana area and need a good photographer, she is the person to call!!! (and yes, I am shamelessly promoting her business!)
Here are a few of my favorites pictures from our shoot.
If you would like to see more of her pictures, go to her blog.
ambervphotography.blogspot.com
Here are a few of my favorites pictures from our shoot.
If you would like to see more of her pictures, go to her blog.
ambervphotography.blogspot.com
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
And now for an update...2011
Two posts in one day!! I can't believe I am doing it!! So I am sure it is time for an update on The Rich family. Here goes:
Jeremy: He is working his booty off a very long drive away from home. He has had some blows lately. His car breaking and me being sick. He really has been handling alot of stress lately. He is doing well since just having a wife and 5 kids is normally stressful. He is still an awesome husband and Dad!!
Caroline: She is 9 now. :( She is growing up so fast. This is her last year in elementary school and will be going to middle school in the fall. She has lost about 15lbs and is fitting in clothes that were too tight last summer. She looks so pretty and I am so proud of her for working hard to get into shape and be healthier. She is also playing softball. Her team has played two games and not lost yet.
Kylie: She is 7 now. She lost both front teeth. ;) She is so much different than her sister. She is taking tap and ballet and is also playing violin. She excels at everything she attempts without much effort. Her "Make Mandeville Clean" poster won at her grade level for her school. Kylie loves to learn and spends alot of time looking up facts so she can tell us new things.
Thatch: He is 3 1/2 now. He is definitely our comedian. He does anything to make us laugh and is always smiling. He has the biggest heart! He went for a speech evaluation and qualified for a further assessment in articulation. They will also check his fluency at that time. Right now, his two favorite things are superheros and dinosaurs.
Ayden: Ayden is 1 1/2 now. He is much happier than he used to be. He is still my problem child but we do not have days where he screams continually. He is more light hearted and spends most of his time making sure Blake doesn't play with any of his toys. He is starting to talk. His vocabulary is Da-dee, Kylie, Jack, Mo (for Nemo), Bolt, Down, and more.
Blake: She is now almost 9 months. She is the sweetest, happiest baby anyone could ask for. She is round all over and has the sweetest smile. She absolutely LOVES her big siblings and always wants to be in the middle of them. She is crawling, pulling up and has two teeth.
Me: Well, most days I am good. I do get overwhelmed, alot! I was sick with a kidney infection for about 2 weeks. Those things are awful. I am coaching Caroline's softball team and having so much fun!! I still stink at housework but I am working on getting better. I have made it a point to find every way I can save money. Most days, by the end of the day, I am exhausted! Sometimes, I feel like thier is just not enough of me to go around! That is why my house is a mess. (or at least, that is the excuse I am using :)).
The most important thing Jeremy and I have learned in 2011, is how EXTREMELY BLESSED we are to have each other and our beautiful children. They teach us new things every day!
Jeremy: He is working his booty off a very long drive away from home. He has had some blows lately. His car breaking and me being sick. He really has been handling alot of stress lately. He is doing well since just having a wife and 5 kids is normally stressful. He is still an awesome husband and Dad!!
Caroline: She is 9 now. :( She is growing up so fast. This is her last year in elementary school and will be going to middle school in the fall. She has lost about 15lbs and is fitting in clothes that were too tight last summer. She looks so pretty and I am so proud of her for working hard to get into shape and be healthier. She is also playing softball. Her team has played two games and not lost yet.
Kylie: She is 7 now. She lost both front teeth. ;) She is so much different than her sister. She is taking tap and ballet and is also playing violin. She excels at everything she attempts without much effort. Her "Make Mandeville Clean" poster won at her grade level for her school. Kylie loves to learn and spends alot of time looking up facts so she can tell us new things.
Thatch: He is 3 1/2 now. He is definitely our comedian. He does anything to make us laugh and is always smiling. He has the biggest heart! He went for a speech evaluation and qualified for a further assessment in articulation. They will also check his fluency at that time. Right now, his two favorite things are superheros and dinosaurs.
Ayden: Ayden is 1 1/2 now. He is much happier than he used to be. He is still my problem child but we do not have days where he screams continually. He is more light hearted and spends most of his time making sure Blake doesn't play with any of his toys. He is starting to talk. His vocabulary is Da-dee, Kylie, Jack, Mo (for Nemo), Bolt, Down, and more.
Blake: She is now almost 9 months. She is the sweetest, happiest baby anyone could ask for. She is round all over and has the sweetest smile. She absolutely LOVES her big siblings and always wants to be in the middle of them. She is crawling, pulling up and has two teeth.
Me: Well, most days I am good. I do get overwhelmed, alot! I was sick with a kidney infection for about 2 weeks. Those things are awful. I am coaching Caroline's softball team and having so much fun!! I still stink at housework but I am working on getting better. I have made it a point to find every way I can save money. Most days, by the end of the day, I am exhausted! Sometimes, I feel like thier is just not enough of me to go around! That is why my house is a mess. (or at least, that is the excuse I am using :)).
The most important thing Jeremy and I have learned in 2011, is how EXTREMELY BLESSED we are to have each other and our beautiful children. They teach us new things every day!
My New Obsession
It has definitely been a while since I have written and we have done so many things that I should update about. But first, I must get this particular blog out of the way. I have a new obsession!! CLOTH DIAPERING!! WAIT!! Before all of you think I am crazy and on some impractical binge of buying things that I will never use, I must inform everyone, cloth diapers have evolved. But first, let me begin at the beginning.
It all started about 2 months before Blake was born. A very good friend of mine started cloth diapering her son. She began explaining the whole process to me. No more pins, or folding like the old diapers. The new ones have snaps and are as easy to put on as a disposable. The biggest problem (she told me) was the I would have an extra load of laundry every other day. Well, I really considered starting then, but to be honest, I was a grump when I pregnant for Blake. I could not imagine adding any extra housework to my daily or weekly routine.
Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago, and I started considering it again. To be truthful, we are struggling financially in Mandeville. Jeremy drives 128 miles a day and does get mileage, but when gas prices went up, his mileage rate did not. So I started considering CDing again, to save money. Now that I am out of my grump phase, and I actually read all of the info, I am HOOKED!! We figured we would save about $80-$120 a month by cloth diapering. Do you know how much money that is in a year????? I started by buying used ones on diaper swap pages. I got my first "fluff" mail Saturday and I was so so so very excited. I immediately washed them, so we could start.
By Sunday night, Ayden was demanding cloth instead of disposable. (we did not have enough cloth to go a whole day without some disposable use) That was all it took to sell me. Since then, I have been shopping and finding deals trying to up my stash, so we can go solely cloth. And yes, my friend was right, all it is is an extra wash daily (right now, b/c we don't have enough).
So you ask? How did it turn into an obsession? Well, cloth diapers are expensive to get started with. Most name brands run about $20 a diaper. So I really had to shop to find good deals. Well, as any girl knows, finding deals is so much FUN!! I have gotten diapers as cheap as $5 a diaper!!!
This new adventure had done so much for me! As a SAHM, finding something that makes you feel accomplished is very hard. Cleaning does not do it for me. I have too many kids, so once my house (or I should say a room) is clean, it takes about 5 mins before it is messy again. This CDing is helping me save money and help out the enviroment!! Can't get any better than that!!
Hello, my name is Kendra and I am a cloth diapering addict!!!
It all started about 2 months before Blake was born. A very good friend of mine started cloth diapering her son. She began explaining the whole process to me. No more pins, or folding like the old diapers. The new ones have snaps and are as easy to put on as a disposable. The biggest problem (she told me) was the I would have an extra load of laundry every other day. Well, I really considered starting then, but to be honest, I was a grump when I pregnant for Blake. I could not imagine adding any extra housework to my daily or weekly routine.
Fast forward to about 2 weeks ago, and I started considering it again. To be truthful, we are struggling financially in Mandeville. Jeremy drives 128 miles a day and does get mileage, but when gas prices went up, his mileage rate did not. So I started considering CDing again, to save money. Now that I am out of my grump phase, and I actually read all of the info, I am HOOKED!! We figured we would save about $80-$120 a month by cloth diapering. Do you know how much money that is in a year????? I started by buying used ones on diaper swap pages. I got my first "fluff" mail Saturday and I was so so so very excited. I immediately washed them, so we could start.
By Sunday night, Ayden was demanding cloth instead of disposable. (we did not have enough cloth to go a whole day without some disposable use) That was all it took to sell me. Since then, I have been shopping and finding deals trying to up my stash, so we can go solely cloth. And yes, my friend was right, all it is is an extra wash daily (right now, b/c we don't have enough).
So you ask? How did it turn into an obsession? Well, cloth diapers are expensive to get started with. Most name brands run about $20 a diaper. So I really had to shop to find good deals. Well, as any girl knows, finding deals is so much FUN!! I have gotten diapers as cheap as $5 a diaper!!!
This new adventure had done so much for me! As a SAHM, finding something that makes you feel accomplished is very hard. Cleaning does not do it for me. I have too many kids, so once my house (or I should say a room) is clean, it takes about 5 mins before it is messy again. This CDing is helping me save money and help out the enviroment!! Can't get any better than that!!
Hello, my name is Kendra and I am a cloth diapering addict!!!
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