Summer endings and Fall beginnings

I know I failed on my "keeping up with my blog goal" but such a busy summer and a hot one!  Since we took our vacation to Disney in March we stayed home all summer but did some little day trips.  Summer sure did go fast!  It was nice though to have all my kids around and no routines to follow.  School started a few weeks ago for Brittney who is now in 11th grade.  Goodness another one will be flying the nest very soon.  Kevin has also started back to CCAC and still working a lot at PF Changs.  We started our school back up on Sept 12.  Our first full year of homeschooling.  Excited and nervous all at the same time.  Alyssa is in 9th, Brandon 7th and Ryan 6th.  We will also do some school things with Aiden as well.  Then Mason will just be there to entertain us throughout the day. 
With School starting that means scouts has started as well as Band.  Alyssa also starts the next dance season.  So here comes the schedule and the family always being busy. 

My goal is to blog more so my family will have these memories to share with each other in their adult life now that I have many older ones up and coming! 

So Happy Fall to you all (a few days early)  I am excited about blogging my journey of this next phase of my life! 

Fathers Day

I never got around to wishing my husband a Happy Fathers Day and let him know how much I appreciate all the hard work he does for his kids!  Not only does he work 60 hours a week then he has to come over to take over the duties as I work 35 hours a week.  Even though he had to work Fathers Day, he had Monday off and he set up the tents in the backyard and slept outside with our 10 and 12 year old sons...  I love seeing not only the father relationship he has with his kids but the friendship too.....

We are so blessed to have you Mark!!!

dance recital

It is the end of our busy Spring, our daughters dance recital!  What a joy to watch our little girl growing up over the years on the stage doing something she loves.  I will not sugarcoat it...its stressful to keep up with the lessons 3 times a week and the paying the tuition...but every year after the dance recital is over I remind myself how blessed I am to be able to watch my kids participate in things like this.

Field Trip Day!

We took a field trip on the other day (one perk of homeschooling...) and we went to Living Treasures Animal Park.  All these years I heard that we should take the kids there and they would love it!  We finally took the hour drive and took the 4 youngest and they had a blast!  We got a bag of food and went on to feed every animal we could.  They just come up and eat right out of your hand.  We also got to see some exotic animals as well.  It took a while for my boys to actually feed the animals, they thought the animals would bite right through their hand.   Then after they felt the tickle from their tongues their was no stopping them except that we were running out of food! 

So hard to get them all to look decent for a picture!

 Looked like the pony wanted to give Aiden a kiss! 

 My husband found a friend!  He even posed with him to take a selfie!

I love taking little road trips with the family.  They have a sister park that is about 2 hours North of us and we plan on going up there and taking the two girls that did not get to come along.

Blessing to you all!

OHANA

Ohana means family (in an extended sense of the term, including blood-related, adoptive or intentional).  the concept emphasizes that families are bound together and members must cooperate and remember one another.

Recently we went to Disney World and on our last day there we had Breakfast had one of our favorite on site restaurants simply called Ohana.  Its a family style buffet and characters such as Lilo and Stitch visit your table.  The atmosphere is also an added bonus.  Because of the meaning of Ohana they defiantly try to make it a family friendly atmosphere.  "Everyone is family" at this restaurant, they remind you often....even as you leave they will say something on the line of please come back again family.  Such a warm cozy feeling it leaves with you.

Well having 7 kids I know family plays a huge role in my daily living and will as my family expands.  They will marry and that could give me 7 more kids plus the lovely bonus of Grandchildren (and I secretly hope for lots and lots of them)  I love family....family is so important!  I think ahead of what it will be like when Holidays role around and they all come back to gather with us to celebrate.  Grandkids running around, siblings and their spouses reminiscing about their childhood (as they make fun of me...which they do that now so I I know they will still do that). 

Now you start thinking of extended family....ya know they will eventually branch out...they will have grandchildren of their own (I hope I live long enough to enjoy them also)  this will start the flowing of the branches.  Will they still gather?  All 50+ of us?  I sure hope so...I know it will not be easy, living out of state or work schedules or whatever it is, but I hope every effort is made for them to have the family gatherings and for them not to forget that Family is everything. 

There will always be celebrations to have,  Besides the Christmas Holiday and Thanksgiving as well as Easter,  their will be Birthdays, Anniversaries and other achievements that they will endure.  That is such a wonderful excuse for a family gathering.  I know that is buying a gift all they time and some might complain but its not  always about gift giving.  You might not think it but $5 can go a long way still and its about the thought, not the amount. 

So to sum this post up....Family is so important to have around.  Cherish the moments you have with them, create memoires for generations to come.  Do not let the family get torn apart,  Do everything you can to keep the family strong!  I will post again on how some families have inspired me to write on the family unit staying strong!

Killing 2 birds with 1 stone....

Yesterday we finally were able to celebrate Aiden turning 3 and Mason turning 1.  A little late, I know but we have had so much going.  We also celebrated Alyssa and Brandon making their confirmation at our church yesterday. How blessed to have kids that are wanting to follow the life of being a Christian. Sometimes it is them who say mom we need to get to church and its me who says I don't feel like it today. (I do work every Saturday night til 11:15)  I remember a customer once saying to me that one of the best things you can do for your kids is raise them up in a church.  How true that is!  Sadly we don't get to attend every Sunday but my kids don't need to just sit in a church to know the life Christ wants us to live. 

So after church we all gathered here for some food and family time.  My parents and my in-laws along with my BIL and SIL and their precious little girl.  Its so nice to have gatherings with family and especially right after church, just like they did back in the day.   We finished the day with a game of Spades (I will just say I won)


So after a nice weekend off with the family, I was reminded today of how chaotic it can get here.  Trying to finish up our homeschooling while a little 1 year old keeps taking the gate down and making his way to find us while getting sidetracked in whatever he can mess up.  A 3 year old who is screaming for cake that was left over from yesterday and refusing to get off the computer so his sibling can do their schoolwork.  Trying to rush for dinner because we have a cub scout committee meeting at 6 followed by my older boys having their Boy Scout meeting.  Now I sit here typing this realizing I still have dishes to wash, looks like a bedroom that I need to straighten out and a smell from my garbage that reminds me I need to get a move on potty training my 3 year old!   Most importantly though is the sights and sounds of a family, a large family that is making memories and making this a home that we will all remember.

Debbie G!

Back to my Blogging World!  Sadly I could not sign into my old blog so I have to start new.  New is good I guess, I have so much to say and so much to go over that has happened since I last blogged about 2 years ago!  I might be the only person that even reads this blog but that is OK.  I love re-reading my post and seeing all the memories I have shared with my family.  I joked with the kids that when I am gone they will cherish this blog!  Well as of today I officially have 7 kids here on Earth and one "Angel baby"

My oldest is now 21 years followed by daughter 16, daughter 13, son 11, son 10, on 3 and son 1.  I also gave birth to my 8th (6th son) on February 2, 2016 at 20 weeks.  I will defiantly give more info on all my kids later down my blog.  Oh I get the question am I done....of course I am....I am defiantly ready for the next chapter of my life to begin!  Even though I am in no hurry, I cant wait for my kids to start their own families.  What a joy just thinking of that time in our lives!

Now I need to figure out how to use all these new features and such so I can get this blog up and running for all who wants to follow me to enjoy! 

Ok so this is the best pic I got.....A little crooked and blurry but it will do!  

Blessings

Debbie G!