5 Boys, 1 Bedroom

After many requests by the kids, and after much musing and planning by the grown-ups, we have moved all the boys into a shared bedroom.

I think this may be my favorite home project we've completed. Not only do I like the way it turned out, but I also LOVE the camaraderie that it reflects in the kids. As I sit and rock Peter before naps, I like to remember how God has blessed our family with brother-love.

Of course the kids still bicker and sometimes even fight, but they CHOSE to share a room! Wow! After all the prayers that God would place a deep love in their hearts for each other, this is a precious and clear answer.

I don't know how long it would have taken us to pull off this project without my parents. Last time they were here, Dad spent his whole trip working on the beds. The boys helped a pretty good bit--sanding and varnishing the boards. I found my ideas for the beds on pinterest HERE and my paint colors HERE (I used Gray Owl for the walls, and Amherst Gray for the bookcase.) ((Not that from these crappy pictures anyone would ever say, "Hey! I love that! I wish I knew what color that was?" It's more like: At least this way I have some record of the colors for moi.))

Are you wondering where their clothes go? Yes, we have all 5 boys' clothes in one closet. I love it.

And this is where I change Peter. I love it, too. :)

I don't quite have this all "decorated" yet (actually, the only room in the house that is completely decorated is a cubby hole of a half bath that my mom helped me with). But I do like the way the paint turned out.

We let each kid pick their own colors for their sliding cabinet doors. Trevor chose blue and grey, Zack was very, very, very happy with the red and blue. I hope Peter likes it, too, once he's old enough to leave the crib and share the double bed with Zack! William picked blue and orange (benjamin moore citrus orange) and Samuel went with grey and orange. I think they turned out so cool.

Lastly, here's some bedroom-makeover-in-progress pictures. I'm just going to throw them out there for you to enjoy.:) (Yes, there's lots of pictures of Zack here. He's been my right hand man--always eager to help.

My First Teenager

This is one cool kid. He is strong and persevering. He is creative and funny. We are so glad he is in our family.

Thirteen is a big deal. Teenager: the word strikes fear in the bravest of us :) And now we have one. Thankfully, he's still just Trevor.

Tim took him on a weekend excursion for his birthday. Trevor loves history, so they went to Mobile and visited several museums and a battleship!



Poor guy...he was sick with fever on his birthday. That didn't stop him from trying to have fun. We ordered pizza and watched his favorite movie--Pacific Rim. All our special dinner plans got postponed, but he was gracious and patient. About 2 weeks after his birthday we finally had our big celebration.

Trevor helped create the Italian menu: Bread and Salad, Chicken Parmigiana, pasta, and tiramisu for dessert. William and Samuel helped make the tiramisu the day before.





They soaked the lady finger cookies in espresso for me and arranged them in the pan.



And took turns helping with Peter while I made the filling.





They set the table for me--washed the china and laid it out, cut daffodils out of the yard and put them on the table (actually, table-s. I really wanted everyone in one room together, so we put 3 tables together! It was tight, but it worked!).



Tim played Chef and got all the chicken ready.



Grandparents and aunts and uncles all came--we had quite the crowd!



We had "celebration juice" for the kids, and vino for the adults :)





While we were eating Tim gave a speech. :) My quiet, reserved, and wise husband did a great job making the dinner special. He praised Trevor and his delightful talents, abilities, and character. He told us about how long ago he decided that he wanted to make the 13th birthday special. We've probably all heard of Bar Mitzvahs, but Tim went the extra mile and learned more about them. He told us that Bar Mitzvah is more than just the party, it's the person. "Bar" means "son of", and "Mitzvah" means "the Law". Apparently in the Jewish culture, 13 is the age when a boy becomes accountable to the law. But Tim also told us about something he read about online called Bar Yeshua. A "Son of Jesus". It was really special hearing Tim's thoughts on turning Trevor over to Jesus. Trevor has been a Believer for years now, but Tim celebrated the next step of Trevor becoming more independent, and following Jesus in a more individual way. It was really neat.



We all had fun singing to him...



Trevor has a serious and thoughtful side. Many of his birthday-candle-blowing-out pictures show that. We've some some pictures of him actually hiding his face. Thankfully, he doesn't do that any more.



And trick candles can still get a smile even if singing can't.



Happy Birthday, Trevor ;)

Christmas, New Year's, etc.

Look at all those stockings!!


When it has been this long since a post, I just don't know where to start! In November I started couponing, and haven't posted since. :( The couponing has taken so much time, but has saved us hundreds of dollars. This week I got the kids to help me!



The 3 big boys and Peter all went to the store with me today. The Bigs found deals that they liked in the circulars, and then they compared prices at Walmart. I think it was a good experience for them, and they were excited about some of their purchases. We got home just in time for "Friday Afternoon Play with Dad Time." Mostly Tim is playing with Zack, but the Bigs are getting to play Minecraft, so that's okay with them.





So, to catch up, how 'bout a bunch of Christmas photos, then our trip to the lake for New Year's, then my Peter Pictures...

Christmas came and went in a blur in our house. It started with fondue, and ended with presents.



Playing Tripoley...



Fun Felt Christmas Tree Grandma sent...



Christmas morning...











We spent New Year's at the lake. I mostly stayed inside with Peter, but did take one excursion with Tim, Trevor, Zack, and Peter. Trevor took us to look at a cool mushroom :) It was a weird shape and color--very interesting! I also really enjoyed all the textures in the woods...amazing balls of moss on the ground and hanging Spanish Moss in the trees. It was fun to tramp around with my kids.















He just needs a little encouragement to get a smile :)



Now, random pictures:

William made some cookie dough...



Zack blanket-attacked Samuel (who is SUCH a good sport with Zack)...



Trevor got another Karate trophy at his Christmas party! Way to go, Trevor! He also made a pretty sweet house of cards.





Zack has been enjoying bubble baths and climbing in trees. He still keeps wearing that cape!







He had a blast getting into my makeup. That's fingernail polish and cream blush on his tummy. It looked awesome with his grubby jeans, over-sized-hand-me-down cleats, and cape. He was so pleased with himself. We've since had a talk about asking to play with makeup first.



Zack has also been enjoying Peter. He likes to put hats on his head, give him kisses, take baths with him, watch videos with him, etc. etc.













And now, check out how Peter is changing!





He loves to sit in his Bumbo. He can finally grab toys and "play" with them. Notice: No Bib! He is spitting a little less. We still get bombed daily, but the constant stream of goo has slowed down.



He is totally filling up his swing these days.



He found his toes, and loves to hang onto them.



Starting to like to play on his tummy...


He LOVES the bath...


Speaking of Who--I'm needed! Happy New Year!