There’s nothing better than a soft, clean-smelling baby straight from the tub.

His soft, blonde hair smelling of citrus and berries.

The chill on his skin makes him curl up in your arms.

And there’s nothing like a picture to show you that your little baby is most certainly not a baby any longer.

I love you Owen.

~audrey

That is the title of the quaint little book store inside the new Goodwill by our house. It’s not necessarily the biggest Goodwill I’ve ever seen, but they have a great book/media section and a sweet little cafe where they serve treats from Very Vera, a Southern Living featured caterer/business owner from right here in Augusta. I look forward to having lunch there sometime soon.

Their children’s section is not enormous, but all children’s books are either $0.99 or $1.99 depending on the size. Here is today’s booty:

I had homeschooling in mind and what we’ll be learning about this year in co-op, so I jumped at these Kingfisher science books.

and this book on Great Inventions

I was thrilled to find some of our favorite oldies but goodies from the Little House series and the Boxcar Kids

as well as a few great picture books

This one made me smile, so I bought it with the hopes of reading it to Owen in the coming months. (not pregnant yet)

Who would’ve ever thought cheap children’s books could make me so blissfully happy? 🙂

~audrey

~audrey

I can’t believe it’s been thirteen days since my last post! Between sticking with a schedule for our homeschooling, preparing for three foster children to stay with us for eight days, and today being our first day of co-op, we haven’t had a spare moment.

School is still going wonderfully. I have a feeling that Joshua and Jesse will be on the same level in just about every subject by the end of this year; it’s incredible how fast they pick things up when they’re doing it together (like math and spelling for example).

As soon as I peel myself off of this chair, I have to finish cleaning the house and putting sheets on the spare beds in preparation for the three foster kids that will be staying with us for the next eight days. Boy 5, Girl 4, and Boy 2. I’m looking forward to it and I’ll keep you posted on the craziness that will surely come.

Today was our first day of co-op. I used Classical Conversations curriculum with Joshua last year, but this is our first year participating in the co-op held at a local church. It is three or four hours a week on Tuesdays and it allows the children to get in a classroom setting with a “tutor” (teacher) and learn their new memory work for the week. Every week they have memory work for history, science, grammar, Latin, math, geography, Bible, and Timeline (historical timeline). They also get to practice drawing their maps (this year their focus is on Europe), participate in science experiments, and learn about art. It was absolutely wonderful. I will be singing about European waters and chanting the timeline for the next week for sure.

Happy Tuesday!

~audrey

I smile every time I hear the country song Beautiful Mess. The song has nothing to do with this post, but I still like the title. 🙂

I can’t quite describe to you how the last three days have been in my house.

Quiet.
Calm.
Right.
Adventurous.
Loving.
Sweet.
Splendor.

I feel like I’ve arrived at the place in which my family has always meant to be. Mom and her boys, gathered around the table, hands folded, listening intently as Mom reads from an old King James Bible. Smiling as we take turns praying, knowing God hears each word. I’ve been praying and reading and praying and praying that God would help me to have a meek and quiet spirit. I want to speak life into each of my children as I spend time with each of them individually. I want them to ask me anything and know that they’ll get a wise and gentle answer.
I was on the phone earlier today with a new friend. Together, we’ve taken on some nursery coordinating responsibilities regarding our homeschool co-op and things are getting stressful as we try to comply with the hosting church’s rules as well as meet as many needs for our co-op families as possible. She was getting to her wit’s end when she suddenly stopped and said, “I love talking to you. You’re so calm and encouraging.” Tears filled my eyes as I realized God was using me to reassure her, even when I was feeling anything but calm and encouraging. My pastor said many times from the pulpit, “You can act your way into a feeling much easier than you can feel your way into an action.” Knowing God desires for me to be patient and calm and loving toward my children, I’ve been consciously using a calm and gentle tone in my voice, even when I’d rather yell. I’ve been extra encouraging with my middle child, who often needs the most love and affection. As a result, I’ve been so incredibly relaxed.

I leave our breakfast mess in the sink and on the counter each morning, knowing I’ll get to it within the next two hours.

I don’t fear our next foster placement, knowing God will fit them into our lives just as He has intended. We got a call about two more children today. After praying, calling my husband, and deciding to say ‘yes’, I called the agency back. Of course I immediately begin making plans and arrangements. I need to pick up the other mattress from the Bailey’s, set up the other twin bed, take down the crib, pick up enrollment forms from the elementary school, etc, etc. About 30 minutes later, the agency called back. Apparently DFCS couldn’t wait the 35 minutes it took us to make a decision about the children, so they placed them with another agency. Without getting flustered at all, I simply looked at the boys and said, “Sorry boys, God put them somewhere else. We’ll get another call soon.” That is the 4th call we’ve gotten in the last two weeks. Two fell through and we had to say ‘no’ to two because they were too far out of our age preference.

I’m overwhelmingly excited at the thought of taking a pregnancy test at the end of each month, not knowing what it will say. I haven’t seen two lines in almost four years. That’s hard to comprehend. I get a knot in my throat as I watch my boys (particularly Joshua) hold Ashley’s twins and oooh and aaahh over newborns at church.

All of those things have lead me to see my life as a big beautiful mess right now.

Through it all, I remind myself daily that God is not the author of confusion, nor does He give us a spirit of fear.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

~audrey

Days, that is.

Richmond County requires that homeschooling students log at least 180 days of school per year. Of course, if we sent in attendance sheets year round for everyday that we learn great stuff at home (or in the car, or on vacation), we’d probably log more like 300, but we’ll just report what’s required.

Today was a total success. We started the day off right, reading out of Ephesians 6 and praying together. School time went smoothly with no complaining. I’m really really excited to have all of my boys home with me this year. I look forward to the days and years to come. I’m excited about all of the things we will learn and discover together. I’m so thankful for the freedom to teach my children at home. I hope to never take it for granted.

We finished school around 11:30 this morning and the boys ran off to play, like puppies released from their leashes. No TV, no computer, no DS, not even any music played as I packed up the books for the day and listened to the boys play trains with their little brother. It was a sweet time. Moments like those make me so very excited at the thought of another baby. We’re trusting the Lord for His perfect timing. After trying for a year to get pregnant with Owen, we’ve decided to leave it up to God (as if it really would have happened any other way!!) as to when we will get pregnant with number four…or number four and five! LOL! See, while twin pregnancies seem to be happening ALL around us, I actually do have the genetic cards stacked in my favor (or against me, depending on how I choose to look at it).
Twins are only genetic on the female’s side and only from her mother. Twin pregnancies tend to skip a generation, but I’m not sure that is scientific. In any case, my mother and her TWIN brother were numbers four and five in their family! My mother did not have twins, so not only is it my turn, but your chances increase with each year of age and with each recurring pregnancy. Twin pregnancies fascinate me, but I prefer one at a time, so that is certainly what I’ll be praying for. I just wanted to clear up the misconception that twins can run on either side of the family, from any family member, identical or fraternal…it’s just not true. Identical twins on the other hand, are a completely spontaneous miracle!
Tomorrow, school must start early so Josh and I can make an 11:00 training at the foster agency.
Can’t wait to hear how everyone else’s first day went!!
Happy Monday!
~audrey

I don’t know about you, but I like to get comfortable when I’m at home for the night. I was sitting on my bed talking with Josh when he asked if I would mind going to the store to get a movie from RedBox. I was still dressed, so I hopped up, grabbed my purse and headed for Walmart.

I had just started the dishwasher and needed more dishwasher detergent, so I was glad to go to the store by myself for a few minutes. As I parked the car and walked toward the entrance, I felt the blood leave my face as I realized I had forgotten to put my bra back on!!! Thankfully, I was wearing a camisole under my shirt, but I was still paranoid and embarrassed. I suppose I fit right in with the PeopleofWalmart.com!

As the boys and I drove thru Starbucks this morning, the boys noticed several bright butterflies on the bushes next to the drive thru. Owen’s favorite color is orange and one of the biggest ones we saw was orange. The picture isn’t great because I used my phone, but I thought I’d post it anyway.

It’s one of my favorite times of year again:

Yankee Candle Company has votives and tarts for $1 with $5 flat rate shipping!!

If you don’t see the discount applied automatically in your shopping cart, use the promo code: TS008A1

My favorite scents are:

Cranberry Chutney
Red Berry and Cedar (for the holidays)
Garden Sweet Pea

The sale ends on August 8, so hurry over to YankeeCandle.com! 🙂

~audrey

As I’ve said before, we used the Maxwell‘s scheduling material to come up with our Master Schedule and Chore Packs.

Our Master Schedule is simply a tool. There is never a single day that everything on everyone’s schedule gets accomplished. However, if we get off track during the day, it’s an excellent tool to refer to in order to help me reel us back in and continue being productive. It’s also a great way to make sure your time is accounted for on those days when you feel like you got nothing accomplished whatsoever!

Hope that helps!  Let me know if you have any questions.  It’s very trial and error in the creation process.

Happy Monday!

~audrey

I must confess, I was quite nervous about providing respite care this weekend. There is just no way to know what to expect out of foster children being placed in a temporary, new environment.

Big Brother and Little Sister hopped right out of the truck and uncertainly stood at my front door. Big Brother has autism; once the door was open, he let himself in and began to explore his new world for the next 24 hours. Little Sister wasn’t quite as brave, but she and Owen really hit it off and before too long, they were running around the house squealing with joy.

I was relieved.

I was told neither of them could swim without life jackets, so I decided to take them to the Y after lunch since they have several kiddie pool options. Little Sister and I went to Target in search of a little bathing suit on clearance; we found the perfect suit. Pink and red and white with little sparkley polka dots; she loved it.

The pool was a success but we had to leave after just over an hour because a storm was rolling in and it began to thunder. Dinner was corn dogs, tater tots, and applesauce; everyone ate well. My in-laws picked Owen up around 7:45pm and headed over to the church to get Joshua and Jesse before going home. Once Owen was gone, the kids sat beside me on the couch and we read four books. When we finished our stories, they brushed their teeth and got into their beds. As I tucked little sister into her bed, she looked up at me with a big smile on her face and said, “I’m not scared. This isn’t a scary room, it’s pretty.” My heart ached and my mind wandered as I remembered what their foster father told me of why they were removed from their biological mother’s care.

Neglect.

Severe neglect.

They were found living in squalor, left alone in a nasty rent-by-the week motel in the worst part of town. I can only imagine what they’ve seen, heard, smelled, and experienced.
By the grace of God, they are delightful, happy children.

By the end of the night, I was already Mommy.

~audrey