Makings of a butterfly

Jon Kent and Zoey have both been learning about butterflies.  Each of their classes got several caterpillars and they have watched them grow and make chrysalis and finally turn into butterflies.  They both got to let theirs goes today at school.  They have really enjoyed watching it all happened and telling us every day what was going on with their butterflies.

In Zoey's class the teacher asked for us to make butterflies with our children using whatever we wanted.  Colors, scarp pieces of paper, etc.  So, while I was trying to go to sleep one night I was thinking about how we would do Zoey's butterfly.  I wanted her to be able to do the decorating and making it her own, but also wanted it to be something that didn't look like anyone else's and be something that she could be proud of.  So I brainstormed and came up with the following idea.  It's very easy to do and doesn't take long at all.

Cut out two identical butterfly shapes out of wax paper.

Get some crayons that you don't mind cutting up.

Take some scissors and shave the crayon.

Find a beautiful little girl to sprinkle the butterfly with the crayon shavings.

Get two dishtowels or any towels and place the butterfly (with both pieces of wax paper sandwiching the crayon shavings) underneath.

Get an iron (background mess is optional) and iron the top dishtowel making sure to iron the whole butterfly underneath.

Tada!!!

She was proud!

So was I!!

A week of YUCK.

Last week was Spring Break around here.  The kids and I packed up and went to Alabama for some R&R and some major spoiling.  My daddy and I went shopping (yes.. I was spoiled, too) for the whole day.  He was kind enough to buy Zoey most of her spring/summer clothes that she was in need of.  We had a good day just talking, shopping, eating and laughing.  While I was with my daddy the kids were fishing, playing at the park and getting to do a little shopping of their own (toy shopping that is).  My daddy and I got a lot of time to talk about things and sit out on his front porch and just enjoy the weather.  I tried to help him pick out paint colors, new furniture and new layout for his living room.  I am not sure how much help I was though.  I got to have lunch one day with my life long best friend.  It was good to catch up with her.  Nathan got to have a small "family" party while we were in town.  We just went out to eat a local steak house and had cupcakes.  He was thrilled though and loved the spotlight.  He got a open a few presents the main one being a new bike from my daddy.  Now Nathan has his very own bicycle.  He was pretty happy.  Sadly.. that's where all the happiness ends....

Wednesday morning (the day we had planned to come home) I get a call from Kent's grandmother telling me that Nathan was throwing up and had been for most of the night.  She said that he just fell asleep and would call me when he woke up.  So I get all my stuff packed up and loaded and tell my daddy good-bye.  I head over to get the kids and get their stuff loaded.  We day our good-byes and off we go.  I am hoping and praying that we would be able to make it home with little puking.  We get about 20 miles into Georgia and Nathan pukes.  I pull the car over and do as much damage control as I can.  I get us back on the road and we go for a little way and run into a traffic jam of some sort.  So I go off course and trying to go around it by taking some back roads.  About the time I am finding us back to the interstate Nate throws up again.  And Zoey and Jon Kent declare they are hungry. (How they could be hungry and witnessing their brother's vomit is still beyond me).  So I find a McDonld's and drive thru.  I get them some Happy Meals and tell them to hurry up and eat while I find us back to the interstate.. Nate throws up.  Clean him up.. get to a gas station to throw away some trash and wait for the older two to finish eating.  I get back on the road and we are finally on the interstate again.. Start heading home and mud flap (I think) goes flying in the road in front of me and I can't surve to miss it because I have cars on either side of me so I run over it.  Get on down the road a little bit and my tire pressure light goes off.  I take the next exit and get to a gas station.  Thankfully I was in a good area when all this happened.  I call Kent, crying (I had about all I could take by this point) and he tells me to call AAA.  I do.  They call in a wrecker place to change my tire (no, I don't know how to change a tire..)  I tell Kent that their is a Midas right up the road (all the wrecker service would do is change my tire to my spare and send me on my way).  So Kent tells me to air up the tire and head that way.  So I do.. praying the whole way that we just make it.  Thankfully.. we do.  Get there, tell the guys what's up and they immediately get my car lifted and check my tire.  Totally loss.  A nail or something went in the wall and out and ripped an unpatchable hole in my tire.  Great.  They say it will cost $125 to change it.  Lovely.  The guy then tells me they don't have any Good Year tires and wanted to make sure it was OK to sure another one.  I told him I didn't care what kind of tire he put on there as long as it got me back to South Carolina.  He laughed.  I didn't.  So while we were there Nate had to potty.  It wasn't pretty.  We'll leave it at that.  The guys get my tire fixed and we are on our way.  Nate tried to nap.. but woke up about every 15 minutes crying or throwing up.  By the time we got home (6 hours.. when it should have taken us 4) we were all done.  Nate recovered well though.  By Friday he was just about back to normal.  Sadly around 4:30 Saturday morning Zoey wakes me up throwing up in her bed.  It was just awesome.  She is still a little weak. but her fever is gone and she hadn't thrown up since Saturday.

I am hoping we are done with that mess.  It has been a full week of yuck.  I am hoping to get some cleaning and disinfecting done tomorrow.



PS: If you find any typos.. please send them to: Iamtootiredtocare@needmoresleep.com  Thanks!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Nathan!

12:50pm on April 7, 2008, I welcomed my last baby into the world.  Nathan Tyler was born weighing 8 pound and 3 ounces.  He had light brown hair and blue eyes.  He completed the O'ville family.

In three years Nathan has added so much to our family.  He is a fighter and a lover.  He loves to get dirty and play hard.  He looks up to his big brother and loves to annoy his big sister.  Nathan is stubborn and sweet.  Just when you think you have him figured out he goes and changes things up.

I am so thankful that God blessed us with him three years ago.

PS: I have no idea why the picture is sideways... just turn your head and take a gander at my now 3 year old. :)

Waiting on His promises

During my quiet time I am studying the different women of the Bible.  I got a book of devotionals and such from a sweet lady at my church right after I graduated high school.  I've started and stopped this book several times.  I always come back to it, because it's fascinating to study these women and to see what role they had.  It's also refreshing to be able to relate to them somehow and to learn from them.

Right now I am currently reading about Sarah (Abraham's wife- Gen 17).  For most people they know Sarah as the woman who didn't have a child until she was 90 years old.  Many women who have fertility issues can relate to her and take hope from her experience.

As you start reading in Genesis 17 you will read about a woman who heard from God Himself that she was going to have a child.  And she laughed.  She thought it was absurd that she would have a child well past her child bearing years.  Instead of waiting for God to give her a child she took matters into her own hands.  She had one of her maid servants sleep with her husband and become pregnant.  Her maid servant (Hagar) had a son named Ishmael.  Sarah was never happy about the results of her husband having a child with her maid servant.  And there was always a conflict between Issac (the child that Sarah and Abraham would have) and Ishmael.  A conflict that still carries on to this very day.

Sarah was promised a child, but instead of waiting on God's timing she took matters into her own hands.  Because of her taking control of the situation we have and will continue to have conflict in the middle east and beyond between these two groups.  How much different would the world be today had Sarah quietly waited on God to fulfill His promise?

This got me thinking.. Am I the same way? Do I do things out of God's timing?  Yes.. I do.  Far too often.  What possible harmful choices am I making for myself?  My family?

Sometimes we as Christians think that if we just quietly sit back and let God do things at His pace that we are being lazy or less than worthy.  But the Bible tells us to be patient and quietly wait on God (Psalms 27:14, 130:5; Isaiah 30:18; Micah 7:7)

When we push past God we are only going to make a mess of things.  But if we would just sit quietly, listening to God, we will get to receive His perfect promises.

Zoo trip

Jon Kent's kindergarten class went to the zoo this past Thursday.  It was the perfect day for a trip to the zoo.  Not hot, not cold.  The sun was shining and all the kids were excited.  We had the whole day to walk and look and explore.  I was in charge of 3 kids (one of course being Jon Kent).  So I just took them and we followed the path.  We got to see every animal they wanted to see and then some.  We also had a blast feeding a few along the way.  It was a really good day.  Jon Kent told me it was his "most favoritest day EVER!"

Something New is Happening!

Not too long ago I prayed that God would just give me something to be a part of and to see my work impact others.  To have something to call my own and give Him the glory for.  So, a few weeks ago a friend from my childhood just posted something on Facebook asking if anyone blogged.  Thinking she just wanted some advice about how to start a blog or what have you I told her I did and have been for over 8 years now.  She asked if I would like to have some details about a website she was starting up.  I told her sure.  And as it all started to come together I was asked to be a regular blogger.  I will be writing about wife and mommy stuff.  It's a conservative website geared to not debate or drag anyone through the mud.  It's there to encourage and challenge young conservative women who seem to be over looked.  It's still in it's very early stages, but I wanted to let everyone know so that you could follow along if you'd like.  We also have a Facebook page as well, so if you would like you can "like" that as well.  The website is www.proudcuda.com.  And the Facebook page is the same.  Just search it out.  Let us know what you think!

Weekend with my brother and family

My brother, sister-in-law and two nephews were in town this weekend.  We had a good time.  They got in late Friday night after my kids had already gone to bed.  Jon Wesley (my oldest nephew) went straight to bed.  I think the ride from Alabama wore him out.  I finally got to hold Aarron again.  I hadn't held him since the day he was born.  He was so sweet and just chilled out with his Auntie Em.  We didn't get in the bed until well after midnight.  Saturday we went to a local park that has walking trails and bike trails and ponds.  The ponds have turtles and little alligators in them.  The kids had a good time running all around and finding the turtles.  This time we finally got to see an alligator.  We actually saw three.  It was pretty neat and the kids got a kick out of it.  After running around there, we headed over to Chick-fil-a for some lunch and more playing for the kids.  By the time we got home, Nathan was asking for a nap.  So while he took a nap everyone else played outside or in the playroom.  Once Nathan got up from his nap we took the kids to the local neighborhood park.  They played for a good bit and one of Zoey's friends from school was there.  After playing for a while we headed back to the house to grill out for supper.  The kids all went down fairly easily for bed. No surprise there.  The adults got to chat and watch some basketball.  We also turned on the XBOX kinect and my brother cut a rug with the dance game.  It was seriously, SERIOUSLY the funniest thing ever.  I laughed so hard.  I slept good that night.  Sunday we went to church.  Everyone got to meet my brother and all said he looked just like my daddy.  And that I couldn't not claim him as my brother because we did favor a lot.  Still not sure how to take that.. ;o)  We relaxed and napped in the afternoon time while the kids were all napping.  Then we ordered pizza and just hung around.  After the kids went to bed we had some seriously funny times.  I haven't laughed that hard and much in a long time.  My brother was on a roll, that is for sure.  This morning they all left around 9am or so.  They are already back home.  We had a good time and I am glad they got to finally come for a visit.  I am counting down the days until I get to go "home" for spring break and see them all again.