Not too good at this..

I haven't been very good at keeping up with this, but in my defense, we've had either major allergy attacks, or a bug that's going around for the past two weeks.. so I haven't had much time.to write. So last Friday was our last day of the homeschooling year! Chaeli and Halle are so exited for summer vacation! Chaeli will continue to do her reading program online that she loves, and we'll still be finishing up the Little house on the prarie books this summer, but it will be nice to have a break from schoolwork! :) I'm currently looking at some things that will make planning, and keeping record of our school days for next year. Anyway, Lily is still binky free, she found the paci that was lost, it was at the bottom of a toybox, but she put it in her mouth, and made a horrible face and then I was able to take it and say all done, and throw it away. Thankfully she just fussed for a minute and then was fine. Emma and Maya are still their silly selves, I was able to get a video of them that totally shows what life is like with them. I asked Emma to sing a song, and she sang "Jesus Loves me" which entails the first line, over and over, so I got that, and then asked Maya to sing twinkle twinkle, which she has never sang on video before, well Emma didn't like that Maya was on the video and she wasn't. Here it is.. it is SO humorous to see Emma go from pouting to a cheesy smile!

Binky free!

So Lily has decided that she is a big girl, and therefore threw her paci away (or so we're guessing.. we have NO clue where it is, and she's done it in the past) and has done GREAT without it! I was SO worried about trying to wean her from it! None of my kids ever took pacifyers so this was a new thing for me in parenting! Thank you God that she just did it, and has been fine! I foresaw many sleepless nights, and days filled with LOTS of crying, but thankfully she has been my happy girl, and has actually started being more vocal, and "talking" more! :) On another note we've all been struggling with allergies here, the enormous ammount of pollen that is surrounding us has really taken it's toll.. And now on top of that, we think our dog has Lyme's disease.. so now we have to plan a trip to the vet to get him some anti-biotics.. Stupid ticks, actually stupid deer that have over run this island!! Because it's a national park there is NO hunting, so now the deer are menaces, and cause accidents.. and leave behind Lymes disease! Anyway.. on the bright side of things, along with the pollen have come beautiful lilacs, and blossoms! I really do love that part of springtime! The smell of the air, the sound of birds chirping and singing first thing in the morning. Enjoying God's beautiful creation! :) Here are some new pics of the girlies! It's so hard to believe how fast they grow!!

Finally some nice weather!!

So after last week's rain, this week has been simply gorgeous, which means LOTS of outside time! Riding bikes, Chaeli is on her two wheeler, riding away! So proud of herself! She has already wiped out pretty bad once, and skun up her knee and elbow, but got "right back on the horse" so to say! Halle isn't as exited about being outside, because the blackflies seem to think that she tastes extra good, poor kiddo gets all bit up, even with bug spray on. Emma and Maya would spend all day playing in the dirt/mud whatever! Maya HATES having food on her hands, and if they get dirty when she's eating, flips out, yet she LOVES playing in the mud and holding her wormies (night crawlers are her favorites.. eww) strange! Emma doesn't care either way, she just loves being messy! :) She cracks me up with her little giggle when she teases her sisters! She is definitely her Daddy's daughter! Lily also loves to be outside, but the blackflies like her too, and they are ruthless, again even with bug spray (kid friendly btw) she gets bit up, and then she swells after the bites, of course after digging them! This morning my poor baby woke up with a "cankle" her little ankle was so swollen! Poor kiddo! But one of Lily's favorite thing is to come with me when I take Baloo out after his breakfast, or dinner.. :) All of the girls are just too funny with him.. he really only listens when you use your " Mean voice" as we call it.. lol! Halle now has her "mean voice" mastered, and Lily points and mumbles jibber jabber at him if he barks.. and if she wants him to stay.. holds her hand in front of him, and jibber jabbers again! I love how Maya says drop it when he has something he's not supposed to have.. "Shwop it" :) And Emma LOVES to praise him.. Good boy! I am so glad my kiddos are able to have a dog! I loved having one growing up, and it's nice to not have to potty train and regular train a puppy! So this weekend Jim's band is performing at the local Men's conference. They played it last year and were such a big hit they were asked to come back! He even had a fan at our local fair! Someone waiting on us at a booth said "Hey aren't you the lead singer of a Higher Call?" that totally made his day! With this awesome weather he has been able to ride his bike to and from work every day, which is a major stress reliever and unwinder for him! I'm so glad he's able to have it! :) I never would have pictured him as the motorcycle type, but he totally is, and I love seeing him decked out in leather! ;) On the homeschooling front we technically only have 22 days left! I will continue to have Chaeli read books to keep up on her reading, that is really progressing well. She is a wiz when it comes to Math.. just like her Daddy! :) Actually she is doing really well in everything. Halle is so exited to start reading, which we will start working on in the Fall when she officially starts Kindergarten. We worked on number and letter recognition this year! :) So off to another busy day with the McCrum girlies!

Mothers day weekend!

So this was mothers day number 8 for me. It's hard to believe that I have been a Mom for that long! As I was getting in the car to head to church I was greeted with a chorus of "Happy mothers Day" from 4 of my 5 girlies! :) Of course earlier that very morning Chaeli (7) and Halle (5) had been arguing about what yesterday was. Chaeli insisted that it was Mothers Day, and Halle insisted that it was "Elmer Day" Since our church is having a Kids Crusade with The Lussier Family featuring Elmer the puppet, and it started last night. I had to explain to her that it was both Mothers day and Elmer day. The twins after greeting me with Happy Mothers day, proceeded to say "Happy Mothers Day Daddy" Silly girls :). I am so thankful to God for my 5 beautiful healthy little girls! I have been blessed beyond words! I sat in tears Thursday night after reading about a woman who had lost 2 of her 5 babies, and realised how much and how often I take my kids health, and just them in general for granted! I need to learn to not sweat the small stuff so much, and remember that before long they are going to be all grown up, and I am going to miss it! I find myself complaining about how they fight so much, and how they don't know how to use their indoor voices way too much! I don't brag about when they do play nicely, and when they are giggling, or when they refer to each other as "their best friend". I need to do that more! Like last night in the nursery with the twins and Lily, we had a birthday party for Emma and Maya's baby.. it was SO much fun to watch them play together, to watch their little imaginations come to life! Or when Emma asks where her sisters are, only she says, "Where are my best friends" Or when Chaeli and Halle go to bed and I hear them giggling and wispering like I used to do with my friends. :) I use the verse "Do everything without complaining or arguing" with my girls, and I need to apply it in my own life!

Bright and early.. not so much!

So Emma's latest thing is waking up at 6 am. Which I am thankful that it's not 5 or any earlier, but man I am NOT a morning person, and neither are any of her sisters, especially poor Maya who almost always gets woken up, which results in her being grumpy the rest of the day.. Not fun! This morning 6 am came and thanks to the dreary weather, and dark clouds I was able to tell her it's not time to wake up yet.. and she slept til about 7.. Thank God! :) Speaking of God, I had a neat moment with Chaeli this morning. Halle was having a bad spell, trying to control her anger, and not having a very easy time doing it, well after it had passed and we had dealt with it Chaeli told me, "Mommy, I haven't gotten angry today because I prayed that God would help me to control my anger today, and he has!" I love seeing the word of God showing forth in my children. :) One of their memory verses they have memorized for High Point, is
"In your anger do not sin, do not let the sun go down while you are still angry" Ephesians 4:26

New to all of this

So this is my very first blog ever. I wanted to start this as a way to journal and write stuff down that I know I'm not going to remember in a year or two! :) I don't want to forget anything about my kids childhood, and as crazy as things get in this household this will be an easy way of documenting it, and also a good way for me to vent! ;) Anyway, so a peak into our craziness! I'm Julia (27) wife to Jim (27) and mommy to Chaeli (7) Halle (5) twins Emma and Maya (3) and Lily(1 1/2) and we also have a black lab Baloo who is also 3. I am a stay at home mommy, and I also homeschool our two older girls. It is one of the hardest yet rewarding things I have ever done, and if anyone thinks it might be a good choice for their family, definitely give it a try! :) Whenever I tell anyone that I homeschool it is usually followed by a look of terror and a comment about how "brave" I am! But with 5 kids I'm used to the looks, and we've learned to ignore them, and the comments about how many kids we have! It's amazing that 5 kids is now considered a lot! There was a time the 5 was a small ammount! I look at the mom's with 10 or 15 kids, and wonder how they can possibly do it, since I can't even keep my kids names straight, and sometimes the dog's name gets mixed in there too! But I'm sure they would say the same thing I tell people when they ask how I do it.. You just do it.. you adjust, you get used to the chaos! :) So there is a little peak! I look forward to blogging more!