The End is Near...

LOL, sounds so bad when you say it that way!! But seriously, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Dr. Wotherspoon has set an induction date for February 4. If Cadie doesn't come on her own, we have a deadline now! I am REALLY hoping we don't have to wait that long for her arrival, but I know God loves teaching me about patience, so...nothing will surprise me! While we are waiting, I finished up a couple more projects that needed done before her arrival. I took apart the infant car seat, washed it up, and put it back together. The kids and I rearranged the master bedroom and set the baby crib up. The cradle is ready to be moved into the living room. And I got Cadie's headboard and mobile made today. I am pretty happy with the way they turned out!

So, the end is near...but it's a great and exciting beginning. I don't know what the Lord has planned for the future, but for now, I am excited to see what our family of 8 will look like. Prayers for the next 12 days would be appreciated...or 10...or 5...or tonight would be awesome! ;)

Remembering this week

One year ago today, I lay on the table as Dr. Wotherspoon ran the ultrasound, praying and hoping my gut was wrong...but it wasn't to be. One year ago today...you know, I kind of expected to go into labor today, I don't know why...but I am glad I didn't. Cadie's arrival will be a joyous day, untainted by memories of grief. The day we found out we'd lost Cat here on earth will be forever marked in my heart. And yet, I am so thankful for the hope I have in my Heavenly Father that I will have all my children in my arms...one day.

Won't Be Long Now...

So Dr. Wotherspoon and I had a nice visit today. I am dilated to a 1, starting to soften, and Cadie had significantly dropped. I can't believe she's almost here! Seventeen days, and I'm not even sure she'll wait that long! I am so ready to go from this...

to this...

It's highly unlikely she'll have this much hair since all our babies are blond baldies, but you get the idea!!! I am so ready to hold her in my arms, see Cas' reaction to his baby sister, watch the big ones dote on her, see Kelly cradle her for the first time and remind me of one of the main reasons I love this man with all my heart and am so happy to share this crazy life together. My closest friends have heard me say it many a time, but there is nothing that makes my man more attractive than a baby in his arms...except maybe a dishcloth or vacuum in his hand! LOL! Seriously, though, it's a beautiful life we live. We don't always remember the truth of the matter when we are looking at the bills and trying to figure the worldly things out from our human perspective. But there is NOTHING that reminds us more of God's love for us than our love for our kids. We are surely abundantly blessed.

...SEVENTEEN DAYS!!!

Hands On Learning

My friend, Mandi, is so good for me. She reminds me that learning - the BEST kind of learning - is not found in books. I try to integrate a good combination of books and hands-on learning, but sometimes get stuck in the icky mire of record keeping and hour logging. Today, we busted out! We took off to the Discovery Center for a day of hands-on learning, and the kids had a blast!

We played on a bed of nails, and the kids tried to see the differences of laying on them, sitting on them, and standing on them (not really sure if this was a good idea, but nobody got on to us!) Castle's favorite thing was putting the scarves in the wind tunnel and catching them when they came flying out - he didn't want to leave! Then dancing in front of the heat sensing screen was pretty fun, too. The kids had been at a water exhibit just before this, and some had gotten pretty wet. So when they were all blue (cold) in some areas, it was pretty funny! We asked our buddy Cooper what he'd been eating to turn his gut blue! ;)

Chloe had a voice lesson today, so she, Cas and I had to take off and leave the boys with Mandi. I figured they would go through the whole place before we got back, but I was wrong - they stayed in the same room the entire time...the kapla block room, which is where I left them and had already spent over a half hour! The time was well spent, however. They made an amazing creation - a castle complete with bridge and wall.

"Birds-eye view"

Fortified Bridge

An "inpenetrable wall"

The builders

They worked for over 2 hours and used approximately 2,500 kapla blocks. I could sit down, write a synopsis of what skills they used, what subjects were covered, and what lessons were learned...but I'd rather just show off their creation and say, "That is awesome, guys. Great job!" Yep, school's been more than covered today! :)

A True Go Getter

Do you ever come across a child so impressive, that you just can't believe he or she is so young? Well, a young boy has entered our lives this past year, and I'm so thankful. Through him, we are getting to know his incredible family and learn about his personal journey. He has become one of Chloe's very best friends.

When I first met Noah Ridenour, I thought he was a sweet, talented kid in Chloe and Canon's theater troupe. As I began to work with him, I saw something even more. He was smart, funny, mature, and most of all, joyful. Seriously, there isn't a much better word to describe Noah. He is always smiling! During our semester working on Music Man, Jr., it didn't matter what was occurring - whether the day was hectic and I couldn't get the kids to work on choreography or stop chattering, Noah was always ready to pat me on the shoulder and tell me how much fun he was having and ask what could he do to help. I would go home exhausted, but have a smile on my face. As the semester went on, I saw Chloe and Noah begin to hang out more and more. They had a lot in common. Their mutual goofiness and sense of humor, as well as being the youngest ones in the main cast, seemed to make them bond quickly. I enjoyed their banter, and I often remarked on how happy Noah always seemed.

Then one day, Chloe and Noah realized they had a mutual friend, Gabriel. Gabe's family went to Crossway with us, but we didn't know them very well at the time. Through the mutual friendships, Gabe and Chloe became even closer friends at church, and Noah and Chloe spent more time together at Class Act. Chloe and Noah eventually convinced Gabe to come try theater with them this past semester, and the three are now practically inseparable on Fridays! 

It was through Gabe that I discovered something that gave me some true insight on Noah's joyful personality. Three years ago, Noah was diagnosed with cancer. He and his family had a hard fight, but with the help of St Jude and a lot of prayers, God healed Noah. He has talked a little about his battle with Chloe, but never in much detail. He does say he's very glad it is over, and that he LOVES his hair! :) We have never gone through such an ordeal in our family...I can't imagine what fears Noah's parents, Brian and Delaina, had to overcome, and how very much their faith must have grown through this trial...putting their son in the hands of the Savior, trusting Him completely to see them through. But I can truly say that they have come through the fire gloriously shining for Jesus Christ. Noah's confidence and joy in life is so beautiful. He is truly a light for Jesus. I'm looking forward to getting to know this family more and more as time goes on. 

Noah is a boy of many talents. He sings, he acts, he makes movies. He also enjoys making comic strips. He has a blog that he's been posting to, and he made 100 posts in 100 days this past year! Now that is commitment! I love seeing kids have an interest in something, make a goal for themselves, and achieve that goal. Here is the link to Noah's blog: https://funnyfarmcomics.wordpress.com/ I hope you enjoy his humor as much as I have, and you can see but a glimpse of how awesome this kid is. I'm proud to have him in my daughter's life, and in mine as well. 

Happy New Year!!!

So the holidays have been wonderful for the Quinns. I hope you all have had a great season and are ready for all the blessings 2015 will have in store. I know that we are!

April, Rob and the kids got here Tuesday night. We had a great time visiting from then to today. Rob even enjoyed himself...after he came to forgive me for not having coffee...sorry, cuz! ;) We packed the week full of running and celebrating. We were at Mom and Dad's for New Year's Eve, went to Ariel and Jimmy's last night, and sent the Pike's on their way about noon today. They had a 10+ hour drive ahead of them, and they were ready to hit the road. It's always hard to let them leave, but I saw Rob grab a Realtor book from the restaurant last night...one can hope they move here one day soon! :)

The kids and I took the Christmas decorations down yesterday while April and the family went to visit other family for the afternoon. Usually, this is a bittersweet day for me. I love Christmas, I've loved our new tree this year, and I enjoy all our festive decorations. But maybe it's the nesting kicking in already, I was so glad to have my living room back!! I am ready to get the cradle and swing ready for our little blessing, and she can't get here soon enough! I got all her clothes washed and put in her dresser this morning, which totally got me more excited. Her new diapers are on the way, and that will make it even more exciting! Oh, the things that thrill me, right? LOL

I sat down this afternoon to figure out lesson plans for the middle 3 for January and February. I think we will look pretty normal for January, but February could be tricky. I'm so glad we have flexible curriculum, not to mention an amazing co-op that fills in certain subjects, but having a plan in mind makes me feel better. I am looking forward to a visit to the library in the next week or so to find some independent work for the kids. But all the important lessons they will be having in the coming weeks and months are the ones about family, babies, housekeeping, and love. This is one of my favorite parts of homeschooling - that the kids get to be so hands-on and don't miss a thing with the babies. I know, they'll need breaks as much as Mama and Daddy -  and we have great friends who will make sure they do get those - but they are so excited to have Cadie here and love her that it makes all the coming chaos a minor detail. Kelly is excited, as well. This will be the first time he has ever taken FMLA. He is planning on being home with us for at least two weeks. It's going to be so much fun! We have a ton to look forward to this year, and I can't wait to share it all with the ones I love most.