Football cookout with friends

We had the opportunity to see some old friends in their new house & watch the Alabama game with them last night. We had so much fun. As the game started, the children snuck off & got into the black eye shadow to create their own football stripes on their faces. They all came charging into the living room with a roar. It was hilarious! Sarah opted for no war paint because she wanted to be a cheerleader.

We reminisced with Mike & Monique (our friends) about the old days. We have been friends since before we were married with children. We talked about how in the "old days" we would have been out late at a bar or eating dinner & watching the game. Now we have a house FULL of kids & we are too worn out & broke to even consider getting a babysitter & going out! We would be ready for bed at 8pm!

Homeschool Highlights: Week One

Psalms 139:14 "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

Cooking Class: this week's menu item was pizza!


We saw this spider on our field trip to the zoo.

Patrick finished his Creation lapbook.

View inside his Creation lapbook.

Velvet Elvis

I love to read. However, I am sorely behind the curve on reading current bestsellers & things I am interested in. Lately I have been making myself stay up a few minutes once I go to bed & read. I am proud to say I actually finished a book last night! It is called Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell. Although I love Elvis Presley, this book is not about him, but was written by a pastor & is his view of Christianity. Here is one of my favorite quotes:

"The point of the cross isn't forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn't just interested in the covering over of our sins: God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be. It is not just the removal of what's being held against us: it is God pulling us into the people he originally had in mind when he made us. This restoration is why Jesus always orients his message around becoming the kind of people who are generous and loving and compassionate. The goal here isn't simply to not sin. Our purpose is to increase the shalom in this world, which is why approaches to the Christian faith that deal soley with not sinning always fail. They aim at the wrong thing. It is not about what you don't do. The point is becoming more and more the kind of people God had in mind when we were first created."

If I Had Known

This was my devotional from Tuesday and I thought I might share it with all my other homeschool moms. I can't take credit for writing it, but it touched my heart & thought it might touch your's as well:

If I Had Known
Tuesday / August 26, 2008

"Looking back over your homeschooling experiences, what would you do differently? Enjoy these reflections gleaned from other homeschooling parents just like you.

If I had known that teaching my children would be so much fun, I would have started homeschooling sooner.

If I had known my children were going to grow as fast as older women said they would, I would have treasured our time together even more.

If I had known that my son was going to become an archeologist and dig in the dirt for a profession, I would have never worried about removing the stains when washing his clothes.

If I had known that all my children would go on to receive college degrees, I would have never second guessed my curriculum choices and teaching abilities.

If I had known how unimportant it was to keep a spotless house, I would have gone to bed on time instead of spending countless hours cleaning, organizing, and tidying up for the next day.

If I had known how living on one income would build a solid faith in God, I would have gladly lived with less without all the complaining.

If I could only experience the thrill of one job to last an entire lifetime, I would homeschool my children all over again.

Whatever lessons you've learned from homeschooling so far, you're incredibly blessed to teach your children. Praise God for the wonderful opportunity to be both your child's parent and teacher!

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)

Lord, I lift up a grateful heart of praise and thank You for all my homeschooling joys. As we begin a new school year, please help me appreciate the benefits of homeschooling even more. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Our first day of school

When P first saw our school space, he said, "Whoa! Cool!"

Abby wanted to get in on the fun for a few minutes.

I discovered Play Doh will keep Sarah occupied quietly a long time!

Sweet relief! As I am writing this, Patrick is finishing up his last bit of work for the day. It has been a wonderful day- far exceeding my expectations. Thanks to all of you who prayed for this day. I really couldn't have asked for more. I guess I had examined all the possibilities so much in my mind that I was ready for almost anything. I knew it was a possibility that Abby would be fussy or Sarah would be bored or cranky (and both happened a few times!) but all in all it was amazing. Most of this is due to Patrick's thirst for knowledge , his determination, and his beautiful, sweet spirit. I am also incredibly thankful that Patrick can read so well already as this makes my job that much easier.

Aaahh. What an incredible start to our first year. But what will happen tomorrow??? One thing I have learned for sure is that life really is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. But hey, it's all sweet. Even those weird ones that have the orange cream in them. So I am thankful that I get chocolates & not lima beans. Am I making sense here? I hope you get my drift. Because every day is an incredible gift God is giving us.

Homeschool Eve

Tomorrow is our first day of Homeschooling. I am excited & a little nervous about getting into a good routine. Let me get this out- I am not delusional. I don't think I have unrealistic expectations about this new season in our lives. I don't picture myself suddenly sewing all our clothes & baking homemade bread & growing all our vegetables while the children sit peacefully reading at their desks & Abby is napping... I realize that I will struggle with patience & that all of my everyday stress will still be here... All I know is that this is what God wants for us & I am going to try my best to be successful. Please pray for me as I start this journey. All I really desire is for this upcoming year to be a fun one for Patrick so he will continue to love learning the way he already does, and for him to grow in his relationship with the Lord & his understanding of all things Godly.

Here are a few more pictures of our dining room that has been magically transformed tonight into our classroom. It will be a total suprise to the kids- I think they will be most excited about the balloons. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36699&l=df51e&id=605729855

Sarah is Sick

Poor Baby! Sarah & Patrick are hardly ever sick. I am so used to Abby being the one I have to take care of. Sarah has a cold this morning. I noticed a slightly runny nose yesterday. But she was up on & off all night- and just in case you were wondering, she is definitely a Daddy's girl. She was crying, "Where is my Daddy? I want my Daddy!" It was pitiful & I felt very inadequate but since Jason is on night shift, she had to make due with me this time. Her little nose was so runny she couldn't breathe.

So this is a picture of her on the couch watching cartoons. I had to take a picture for posterity.

Baron's Game

This picture cracks me up!!!

I am glad I endulged in that Starbuck's. I needed the energy to keep up with the kids at the game! It was a success. The weather was wonderful. Fall is in the air. The kids had fun & since we got free tickets, we endulged them & bought them the $5 bracelets to play in the kid's fun zone. We stayed until the end- the Baron's tied it up in the 8th & then won with a home run in the 9th. Then we watched the end of the season fireworks. I had forgotten Sarah was afraid of fireworks, so I ended up standing in the breezeway with her.

We didn't realize that so many of our friends would be there also. As you can see from the picture, the kids were happy to see Turner, Clay & Sam.

My addiction

Caffeine. It is my addiction. I felt guilt as I got closer to the Starbuck's drive-thru. I know a Mint Mocha Chip Frappe is not in our budget. But I have reached the point of no return. I am like a junkie going to the dealer for a fix. Aaahh. Patrick wants a sip. I tell him, "No. This is Mommy's treat."

I tell myself I deserve it. Abby has had an undiagnosed UTI for a week. No sleep. Taking Patrick & Sarah to Pump It Up with our homeschool group on the same day that everyone else in Birmingham decided to take their preschoolers. Jason told me he has free tickets to the Baron's game tonight. Will I last that long? If I am going to make it 'til bedtime, I need drugs! Ok, for $4.14, it is worth it! I know all you other SAHM's know EXACTLY what I am talking about. Here's to you. Cheers!

Gotta go get chicken 'n dressing out of the oven, break up a fight, change a diaper, get Jason up, give meds, eat dinners, clean kitchen, get kids dressed, & head for the game!

Sweet N Sassy Haircuts

Trip to Clinic 8

You can see Abby's "noodle" sticking out from her blankie, waiting on chemo

I just thought her little shoes were precious peeking out from her blanket

So I have Abby's caringbridge site where I keep everyone up to date on Abby's chemo. But I thought I would share a few pictures & a snippet of my experience in Clinic 8 this week. I can't say enough good things about all of the doctors, nurses & support staff in Clinic 8 at Children's. They are amazing women & I love them. They are amazing people to do what they do willingly everyday...

Most of the time when we are there it becomes naptime, somewhere in between waiting to get labs drawn & waiting to hear results. Or waiting to see Dr. Haines. Or waiting to get treatment. Anyway, there are plenty of "wait" times when we are doing nothing & a nap starts to sound like a great idea. So without fail Abby will fall asleep, usually minutes before someone comes in to mess with her. Not that I am complaining, that's just the way it is... Anyway, yesterday and at clinic when we went 3 weeks ago, she fell asleep waiting to get treatment (this is the last thing we have to do before we get to come home & actually only takes a minute or 2 once the nurse gets the drugs). So both times, yesterday & 3 weeks ago, we got Nurse Jill. Nurse Jill was able to give Abby her treatment through her port & remove the tape around the port & remove her "noodle" out of her port without Abby ever waking up! This seems like an impossible feat. I think Nurse Jill is really the Baby Whisperer in disguise! By the way, the "noodle" is what the nurses call the iv line attached to the needle that goes into her port that the chemo goes in. They also call the blood that they draw "koolaid." Bless their hearts. They are such professionals & angels. I tear up just thinking about them & the difference they have made in this situation.

Zoo trip

Ok, we have a family membership to the zoo & I will try not to post every single time we go there. But I got a few good pictures & wanted to post them. It was a suprisingly cool day to be mid-August, so we took advantage of it & went to the zoo. Highlights included playing in the water fountains, sharing a blue slushie, and seeing the new baby giraffe.

Our new cousin, Tyler

We got to spend time with our new cousin Tyler this week. I am an only child & Jason only has one brother, so a new cousin is very exciting news in our house. Patrick has been so excited about Tyler's arrival- Tyler has 2 older sisters, so this makes the only other boy Vandiver cousin. He is warm & snuggly & perfect, just the way newborns should be. He had to spend 1 week in the NICU so they could check on his rapid breathing & make sure he was ok. Thankfully he was parolled quickly & got to come home to his adoring sisters. We all got to hold him, although I must admit I selfishly kept him most of the time!

Camping at Oak Mountain

We just got back from a camping trip at Oak Mountain. Luckily our best friends have a camper & let us borrow it. What a blessing! I can't imagine going there with our young children without the luxury of air conditioning & a kitchen!

We packed a lot of activity into our 3 night stay. We went hiking, swimming, went to the barn, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, fishing, played on the playground, played in the sand at the beach, and of course made smores & roasted marshmallows. We saw lots of tiny little frogs, a heron, and there were some tame little squirrels at the campsite.

I will add that there was excitement on the trip: when we were visiting the animals at the barn, one of the goats got a wild hair and head-butted Sarah! I couldn't believe it! Sarah was shocked and terrified, to say the least! She was physically fine, but I wonder if this is how phobias are born!

Here is a link to many more great pictures I got on the trip:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34394&l=f9e23&id=605729855

Beauty and the Beast

This morning the Red Mountain Theatre Company put on a free show of Beauty and the Beast at Barnes and Noble. It was an experiment for me because I was unsure if either of the girls would sit still enough to be able to stay. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. All three kids were so good. I kept Abby busy with goldfish and books. Patrick was even chosen to go up and be in the show with Lumiere when he sings "Be My Guest." Patrick played it off because he said it was a "girl play" but I could tell he had fun, too. The cast was really sweet and even stayed and posed for pictures afterward.