Kids, kids, everywhere...

Today has been such a great day! The sound of children laughing and playing just fills my heart with joy. Granted, it's noisy, but it's a precious noise. Today, we've had four additional kids over for the afternoon. Yes.....4 + 4 = 8 kids....ranging in age from 7-13. Two 7 year olds, a 9 year old, a 10 year old, two 11 year olds, a 12 year old and a 13 year old and it's been great.

They've played on the Wii and the XBOX. They've played Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader, hide and seek and freeze tag. Now they're playing Duck, Duck, Goose. They've run and jumped and hid and tagged and then screamed in delight. And it's been great.

They'll be going home shortly, but it will all start over again tomorrow. Only this time we're adding the adults.....three families...all as close as we can be, just hanging out and spending time together...celebrating the end of one great year and anticipating the beginning of the next.

The only thing missing is Matt, Missy and Levi. They're out of town. Bummer.

God is good. For He has provided for us some wonderful friends. Friends that we really enjoy spending time with. Who have kids who really enjoy spending time together.

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow.

Home...safe and sound

We've made it home. After spending a couple of days with family....chilling, shopping and just hanging out...we drove home yesterday. Picture this.....two adults, four kids, four car size pillows, two blankets, a laptop computer with an Air card, a portable DVD player, five ipods, a Nintendo DS, a PSP, an electronics box with chargers and cables, a food box and a coffee thermos in an Envoy pulling a UHaul trailer filled with a full size bed, 15 boxes of books, Christmas presents (including an XBOX 360 with two Guitar Hero guitars, random mish-mash, suitcases and winter coats making the trek from Oklahoma City to Atlanta, GA...only able to drive 68 miles per hour.

What normally would take 12 1/2 hours (driving an average of 78 mph) took 15. But the kids were great, save for Trey and his moments of whining about why should fly everywhere we go...or at least rent an RV.

We spent Christmas Eve with Joe's mom, sister, and her two kids and son-in-law. It was a very nice time. Christmas Day was spent with my parents with lunch with Joe's dad, his wife and Joe's 90 year old grandmother.

The kids made a haul...as usual. They get to share the XBOX 360--as the family gift. They each then got one special gift that defines each of them. Daniel got his Papasan Chair, Trey--his guitar. Josh was told his new drum kit was on layaway and he would be helping pay it off and Julia got the portable DVD player because of her love of movies.

I did well, too. I was able to enjoy an IPOD itouch. Very cool.

I love Christmas. It's a wonderful time with family, but more than that, it's a celebration of the birth of a Savior. That precious Baby Jesus, born over 2,000 years ago, would grow up, become a man and give Himself up on a cross....taking our sins and placing them on His back because we could not pay for our sins ourselves. Only a perfect, Holy Lord could do it. And because of His love for us....He did. Now, provided we've accepted this Gift, can live eternally in Heaven with God. What an awesome reality!

Where has the time gone?

Ok..ok...I know it's been awhile. 10+ months to be exact, but when you've got four kids, two dogs, three cats and several fish....not to mention being a wife and house-manager, it's hard to sit down and blog with regularity.

What have we been up to, you ask? Well, here it is...in short:

Daniel: In 7th grade. Still playing the French Horn. Is doing well in school. Sings in the Middle School Choir at Church. Loves to read. Is a black belt in karate. And the scariest fact of all........he turned 13 on the 21st. Holy Cow!

Trey: Now in 6th grade. Plays the piano, the saxophone and now the guitar. Plays baseball at the county league and basketball at the church. Is doing well in school. Sings in the Middle School Choir at Church. Loves to play computer games. Is very good at Guitar Hero. Loves to give his mother hugs and tell her he loves her. Is a black belt in karate. And turned 12 the end of November.

Josh: In 5th grade. Plays the drums and is quite good at it. Plays baseball at the county league. Is doing well in school (when he feels like doing the work). Sings in the Children's Choir at Church. Loves to play computer games. Is taller than both of his older brothers. Loves to give his mother hugs and tell her he loves her. Is a black belt in karate. And is 10 years old.

Julia: In 3rd grade. Plays the piano. Takes ballet, jazz and tap. Is a cheerleader with an Upward Cheerleading league. Will begin testing for her black belt in karate in March. Is doing well in school, but needs to work on multiplication facts memorization. Sings in the Children's Choir at Church. Loves to watch movies and is a High School Musical freak-a-zoid. She turned 9 on December 16.

And the best part is......all of my children know the Lord....have professed Him as their Savior and have been baptized. What a wonderful legacy we, as parents, can pass on to our children. My prayer will always be that they continue to pass the love of Jesus on to their children.

We are doing well. Life is busy...as it is for everyone, but my going back to work has made it much busier. I began substitute teaching last year and to be honest....it has brought me more joy than I expected. I was scared to death when I started, but the moment I walked into that 6th grade classroom last year....I was hooked. So hooked am I that I will be taking the state's Teacher Certification Exam in two weeks....in Special Education. I love middle school kids and I love working with kids who need a little more help....a little more love....and a little more encouragement. Whether it's learning disabilities or emotional or behavioral disorders....it doesn't matter. I'm nervous but I truly feel that God has given me a love for middle school kids that I need to respond to.

Joe is doing well, too. He loves his job and his job loves him. He is also working with a new unit in the Navy which has him very busy, too. We fully believe that God has answered our prayers for Joe to 'love' going to work and for him to be productive.

That's about it...in a nutshell.

I pray all of you had a wonderful Christmas and will have a safe and Happy New Year! May God bless each and every one of you.

Undeniable grief

I am not the most sentimental person in the world. It's not that I'm hard-hearted....it's just that 'things' don't necessarily make me or break me, so to speak. My Joshua, on the other hand, is sentimental. He is sensitive and caring. He loves flowers, puppies, kittens and babies. He is very soft-hearted and wears his emotions on his sleeve.

So, I wasn't too terribly surprised at his reaction to what happened in the fishtank while we were at church. We bought the fish on Monday night and since then....every chance we've had, we've sat in front of the tank marvelling at how they interact with each other, calling them by the names the kids gave them and just enjoying the serenity and calmness having fish brings to the house. This morning, one of Daniel's fish--Moonbow--our black molly, died. We're not sure of the cause.....he was swimming around, seemingly fine, then was still.....then finally died. Daniel was OK with the outcome. Joe and I had already set the kids up for the fact that the fish may die in their new environment....there are no guarantees with tropical fish.

But tonight, when we got home from church, Daniel called us over to the tank and what we saw was very difficult to watch. Now, please understand, we know it's just a fish. No biggie there, but this was just sad. One of Josh's fish had part of his under-fin chewed off. We're not sure if one of the larger fish got a hold of it, or if he caught it on something, but it was hard watching him try and swim. He could move in a straight line, but he twisted like a corkscrew. Very sad.

We watched him try and swim for about 20 minutes, then he gave up....laying on the gravel and seemingly trying to catch his breath. He tried swimming again....this time only for a couple of minutes, then he gave up again. He did this two or three more times, finally just stopping and laying down.

What came next is something this blog cannot do justice. Once my Josh realized what was happening to 'Pearl,' he broke down into these gut-wrenching sobs. Unspeakable grief over the loss of his fish. He cried for a long time and at one point when he thought Pearl had finally died, came running into my room almost hysterical. It's hard to sit here and type this without tears coming to my eyes. My boy was so heartbroken and there wasn't a thing I could do about it.

He wanted to stay up until his fish died completely, but I assured him he needed his sleep, so off he went, asking me to wake him when Pearl dies. I tried waking him, but he was content staying in bed.

Pearl and Moonbow are now resting comfortably in a Ziploc bag in the cabinet and tomorrow we'll take them back to Petsmart as they have a two-week money back guarantee, in case of death.

Hopefully, we'll be able to find a fish for Josh that he can learn to 'love' as much as he did Pearl.

What an angel. I love my little man.

The Greatest Show on Earth

This week is Winter Break, and because we don't want the kids sitting around all week playing mindless video games, we thought it would be fun to do some things together. A couple of months ago, we bought circus tickets to congratulate the kids on their great semester report cards and today was the day we picked to go. And what a day it was!!



Technically, I wasn't supposed to take pictures, but I just couldn't resist. The tigers, elephants, acrobats and the motorcycle guys in the big sphere were just way too awesome to 'not' take their picture. I thought Josh was going to come out of his seat he was having so much fun.

I have to admit--the acrobats were probably my favorite part of the show. I can't imagine being able to swing high above the ground with no net---a harness, yes, but no net. Unbelievable. My stomach was doing flips just watching them! The boys loved the motorcycles in the sphere. Julia loved the horses and the 'cute guy with long hair.' The lady with the trained cats was pretty fascinating, too. Not the big African white tigers....but common housecats. Running around on cue...jumping into her arms on cue...walking a tightrope (ok...he took a couple of steps, then slipped and shimmied his way to the other end) on cue. It was pretty impressive.
Everything was great, although I was a little disappointed there was no human cannonball or high wire act.

But I'll get over it.



From there we headed to Spaghetti Factory for a great meal and a little entertainment on the side. The boys were standing back to back to see who was taller when Daniel bumped Josh. It just so happened Josh was standing right on the edge of the stairs and when he waved his arms to catch his balance he knocked over the water pitcher.....(Splash!!!) It was pretty funny.

Here's a picture of the mess he made.


We got home and grabbed the dogs and headed back out again--the day was not yet done. Last Thursday Joe and Julia picked out the stuff for a fish tank. Joe and I put it together and we let the water settle over the weekend. We checked the water today and it tested as 'acceptable' for tropical fish. So, off to Petsmart we went. Well, Joe and the kids went to Petsmart. I went to Ulta.

We now have four kids, three cats, two dogs and eight fish.

And two parents who have gone off the deep end.

Dodgeball Tournament

Why didn't they have this kind of stuff when I was growing up?

I loved dodgeball as a kid. I hated PE, but I loved dodgeball and I was pretty good at it, too. I couldn't necessarily throw that hard, but I could catch someone else's throw....almost every time. My kids love dodgeball, too and today Trey got to take part in a county-wide all-school dodgeball tournament. He was so excited.

I had him at the school by 7:50 this morning, then headed up to church for a Women's rally. Thankfully I knew several of the parents there and was comfortable leaving Trey for the morning while I went and helped lead in Worship and enjoyed learning about a new ministry the church is birthing. The tournament was over by 1:30....I got to the school at 2:00 and learned that my little man's team.....the Average Joe's.....won the tournament for their age group---4th-8th grade. Yes, Trey's team---mostly 5th and 6th graders beat the 8th graders and took the honors of (drumroll, please)..........

DODGEBALL CHAMPION!!!!!

Pretty sweet.

So, on Friday night, at the High School basketball game, his team will be honored and will receive their 1st place medals....in front of everyone.

Too funny!!

Our day ended with an awesome dinner at the Spaghetti Factory, then at the Fabulous Fox Theatre where we sang and danced to the Theater of the Stars performance of High School Musical and it was fantastic. Two thumbs up from this mama!! Beth and Michelle gave it a resounding "Hooray" too. The girls loved it. (I think my ears started to bleed from the screaming.) My Josh thought it was great. Trey---well, let's just say he was a little disappointed that the dance moves from the movie weren't performed on stage. And the fact that the songs were changed a little bit bothered him, too, but that's alright. He'll get over it, I'm sure.

After all, he's the dodgeball champion.

What is a Name?

Well, I finally decided on a name. Like all moms in this world, I wear many hats. I am a wife, a mom, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a teacher, a board member, a volunteer, a student, a fan...but mostly I am a Child of the King.

But one title I can no longer claim---a hat I can no longer wear---is Single Wife......and it's a crown I'm thrilled to turn back in. Joe has been home for a little over a month now and it's been great. But all this time, I was trying to figure out what to call myself, or, more so, my blog. Lots of things came to mind, but only one really seemed to be 'right.'

And that's 'JPV.' That's pretty much who I am. My email addy begins with 'jpv' and a lot of people call me 'jpv.'

So, JPV it is.

Kinda boring, but I am what I am.

And I am 'JPV.'

Shameless brag

This blog has allowed a different side of me to come out. Normally, in social settings, I don't offer up little tidbits about my family. I figure if someone wants to know something...whether it's how we're doing, what's been going on, or even just idle chit-chat about the kids, they'll ask. But blogging gives me the opportunity to 'talk' about what's going on....what the kids are up to.....and to give a little glimpse into the lives of the PV's, without wondering if anyone really cares.

Throughout the life of this blog, you all have seen how busy our lives can be. Running kids to karate, ballet, music lessons and church takes up almost all of our evenings, leaving not enough time for family dinners or movie nights. Joe and I decided that keeping our kids busy and giving them access to different types of extra-curriculars would give them a jump-start on life and to allow the Lord to reveal their gifts and talents to them.

Here's a rundown of what we do throughout the week:

Monday: Piano (Trey and Julia)

French Horn (Daniel)

Tuesday: Karate (Julia)

Saxophone (Trey)

Master's Club (Advanced Karate--Daniel, Trey and Joshua)

Wednesday: Weekly Wednesday church activities

Thursday: Karate (Julia)

Master's Club (Boys)

Friday: Ballet (Julia)

Once or twice a month we have to throw in an orthodontist appointment and I believe all children should have a chance to watch mindless TV (Hannah Montana, Suite Life of Zack and Cody), play video games and play outside. We protect our Friday nights and Saturdays for family movies and special times together. This would, seemingly, leave little or no time for school or homework.

Oh, but fret not. Not this mama. I've always told my kids that their A #1 job was school and homework. Everything else, besides their relationship with the Lord and their family, comes in a distant second.

On Tuesday, report cards came home. This is the day, four times a year, that I literally wait by the door in anticipation. I look forward to seeing how well they've done and reading the comments by their teachers. This Tuesday was no different and I'm thrilled to offer this shameless brag.

Four kids. Four report cards. 25 different letter grades.

24 A+'s, A's, and A-'s........1 B+.

The B+ was in Math. No biggie. And the child that got the B+ loves Math, so I'm not too concerned. The grade will come up. I was and am so proud of my kids. Lots of stuff going on. Middle School. Dealing with their dad being gone. And they've come out shining like gold.

Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow!

Back in the swing of things

Thank goodness! While I love Christmas and all of the fun involved, I love the kids going back to school that much more. Don't get me wrong, I have fabulous children and I love spending time with them, but not having school, karate, ballet, music lessons, and regular Wednesday night activities has caused me to lose track of what day it is.

It's Thursday, so that means tonight is karate night. Tomorrow is Friday. Ballet night.

Our schedule has returned...bringing with it, in all its busyness, my serenity.

And now that Joe is home from Active Duty, the title of this blog is no longer valid. Let the renaming begin!!! I thought about just taking off the 'Single' and calling it 'Wifery,' but that sounds kinda goofy. Then I thought about another title I have--Mom. Thus, calling the blog 'Quadruple Mommery,' but that sounds too much like Quadruple Mammary and since the two mammaries I do have don't amount to one decent-sized one, I don't think that's a good idea, either.

So, what to call myself. I just don't know. SAHM of 4? atlphly? jpv? Joe's wife? DTJJ's mom? If any of you has any ideas, I'm open to hearing them.

Have a great week!