We're back to school!

Well, the summer is over and school is back in session! And what a crazy summer it was!

We: visited family and friends in Connecticut, held an 86 pound python at The Creation Museum, watched firreworks at the Cincinnati Reds stadium(after the game), spent a week at Family Camp, participated in VBS (Jaden led worship, I taught classes), Nicole attended Royal Family Kids Camp, visited family in Georgia, attended National Fine Arts in Orlando (which of course included trips to Epcot and Hollywood Studios), Jaden & I saw a Cirque du Soleil show, and we ended the summer with a trip to Athens, Ohio with the kids to visit family and relax!

At the end of last school year I was greatly anticipating what I hoped to be a very relaxing summer. But as the summer flew by in a whirlwind of always preparing for, doing or wrapping up one event after another, I realized that there wasn't going to be anything relaxing about it! And how could it be with the activity schedules for a family of 10! So then I thought, "Man, I can't wait for the school year to start back up so that we can get back into a routine!"

Every school year I try to get more and more organized, as every year I am usually teaching one additional student. This year I am schooling 7 of my 8 children. I had hoped that I could have all of the meal plans, chore charts, lesson plans, field trips, and project sheets for the first quarter completely planned and ready to go by the first day of school. Yep...didn't happen. In fact, i'm still working on those. But you know, I have learned that it's okay. God is with me, speaking to me, leading me, everyday. And although I'd like to have it all planned in advance, sometimes some of our most productive, and most fun days are when I just get up in the morning and say, "Okay, Lord, what do you want me to teach the children today? What do you have for us to do today?"

Just wanna blog

I have a lot going on today and not a lot to ponder or say right now. I just felt like blogging! We are working like crazy to get things set up for the Father's Day celebration this Sunday. I am hoping for great weather and for a great attendance. We will be having a mexican feast since my Dad and brother have been asking me to make my mexican pizza for them for a few years now.

The kids will do their usual skits and human videos, and hammin' it up. I love getting the family together. Good times. Well, I have to get dinner for us and clean my room...which will take a while.

Busy Summer Ahead

Well, here are some recent pics of the Mosier Crew! The picture of Wes & the girls was taken by Teresa Suchecki when she spent the weekend here with my kids while Jaden, Carina & I were away in Texas for a cousins wedding. (Jonathan Shelley). This photo of Carina was taken in Texas at the wedding.

This pic of Jaden & me was also taken the day of the wedding.

We are getting old! And so are our children!! Carina turns 1 in August. Katie & Sara just had their birthdays in May...turning 3 and 14! The ages are now 10 mos., 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14 and 18!

Nicole has plans this summer to formerly and legally change her name to Nicole Mosier. (It is currently, legally Elizabeth Nicole Kirk). She also wants to drop Elizabeth, and add a new middle name (Hope). Nicole will also be: getting her temps and hopefully her license this summer...along with taking the GED, hopefully working at the church day care, a camp counselor for Royal Family Kids Camp (with abused and neglected children in the Franklin County Foster Care system), and performing a human video solo in the National Fine Arts competition in Orlando!! We are very proud of her. She also wants to move on from youth group and join Converge, the young adult ministry.

We are very proud of Nicole and greatly enjoy watching her blossom into the awesome young lady God has created her to be. The man who gets her as wife and mother of his children will be blessed indeed.

Katie...whew! Still a handful! But also a beautiful young woman of God who is continually trying to find new ways to draw closer to God and to Jaden & me. I have several gray hairs named after her (& Wes)...but I know that when we get through this battle of the wills, she will turn out awesome. Unfortunately for her, Jaden & I are even more stubborn than she is. I guess that works to our advantage though! Katie just commissioned out of the Friends club at church...which is similar to a Girl Scouts program. It's a big deal in our world. We got to dress her up in a gorgeous dress...and make a big fuss out of her. She looked like a princess...now if we could only get her to act like one! ;) On a serious note though...she is awesome. She currently cleans the church (part of the cleaning staff), babysits for the Ladies Bible Study and runs childcare for the Indian Fellowship (along with Nicole). She is crazy excited about finally having the opportunity to attend youth group. And she would love to volunteer at the zoo this summer.

Wes...he may be the only boy but he makes up for it!! Wes has recently taken up guitar, and he blows us away with his ability to learn by ear. He just woke up one day and decided he wanted to learn to play. Jaden spent an hour teaching him a few chords and left him alone to practice. By the next day he was playing 4 worship songs!! He now plays many. He also dabbles with piano and rocks the drums. Like father, like son! Wes also took up videography last week. He conned me out of my video camera and he & Ellie made a short film. A very impressive short film. He had it scripted (in his head- not actually on paper, of course. That would take too much time and he likes things done quickly). Anyway, they did a great job. It was about a girl (Jacey)who was very prissy and self-absorbed who turned her life around and accepted Christ. It also had another girl (Ellie) who died (from touching bird poop...I mean, come on, he is a boy) and was healed. We look forward to many more of his films. He also enjoys riding his dirtbike.

Ellie, Jacey & Gabby just finished their season of soccer. Yay!! No summer sports, so that makes a little bit of a freer summer. They are awesome and growing like crazy. Not only physically but also spiritually. Ellie & Wes were actually baptized in the Holy Spirit (& spoke in tongues) a few months ago at our house. God is good!

Sara is convinced she should be treated like one of the big girls. And she always has the funniest things to say! She's so smart! And Carina is popping in teeth everywhere. She's also starting to walk. She's a joy.

The rest of the summer activities will include Family Camp, a 2-day camping family reunion, Creation Museum, possibly another trip to PA, a pit stop in GA on our way to Orlando...and then the start up of our schoolyear right before a Labor Day trip to Athens Ohio to visit my grand-mother. A lot of traveling this summer!

Well, I have kids in the background crying and plenty to do...i'll blog more later!

Enjoying an Evening at Home

Today was a good day. I attended our church's Mother/Daughter Banquet with my 7 daughters. Then I came home and relaxed a little while baking cookies, making dinner and talking on the phone to some relatives I haven't seen in a while. Wes & Jaden are at Pre-Pow Wow all weekend. Jacey & Gabby were at a friends house (they're home now). Katie & Nicole were doing the childcare for Indian Fellowship (which they LOVE doing). So, that just left me with Carina, Sara and Ellie...and their friend, Emma. It was a great, peaceful evening.

At the Banquet this afternoon, Pastor Rachel spoke about how we as women are God's MVPs in our homes. We are the ones that hold it all together and keep it running smoothly. She used the Proverbs 31 woman as an example of a busy woman, with a lot of things to get done...but whom God was pleased with and valued above rubies. We are that woman!

Tomorrow is another day full of activities and God's many blessings. Until then...goodnight!

Rookie

Okay, so I am totally new to this blogging thing. But, thanks to a good friend, (Stacy Brown), I am fumbling my way through. This is the only family photo I could find. It was taken back in September, at my Grandmother's (Mamaw) house in Athens, Ohio. I guess it's time to get a new family photo done!

This pic represents a fun time with family though. The kids got to play with Mamaw's horses and kitties, ride the 4 wheeler and the rhino, and best of all...we got to enjoy Mamaw's down home cooking every day! It was great!

Well, I will blog more later as I figure out what in the world i'm doing!