i9sports

We knew we wanted our boys to play sports but with 4 of them it's not always easy to go to all the games and practices. So when we heard about i9sports we knew it was for us! They only have games and practices on Saturdays. Always in the same location. No traveling games and weeknight practices.

They offer a great program for kids focusing on the team spirit of working together. Winning is fun but it's not the main goal. Playing hard and following the rules and working as a team is their main idea.

Jacob & Jaron played soccer and then baseball with i9sports and we loved it!

I want to refer all my friends and family to this organization and if you put "Terri Cote's Blog" in the referral section you will get $10 off and I will too!

Thanks,
Terri

Everything is broken (AKA~my to do list)

-my towel rack
-Jaron's glasses
-my camera
-the chain to turn on my closet light
-the lid to dash compartment in our van
-my printer
-the wheels on our coffee table
-Jacob's scooter
-the door handle on the van
-the light bulbs in the dining room
-Chris's shoe
-the ties on the chair cushions
-the wire on the headphones
-the handle on Jonah's dresser drawer
-the pencil basket
-all my hair clips
-Jacob's toothbrush
-my watch battery
-oh and I think I broke my finger....

But other than that we are all doing good. I am just discouraged because my camera will not charge so I can't put pictures on here. Blogger won't let me download pictures from my cell phone either.

We've been busy with homeschooling & church. My headaches have been more frequent. Justus is taking antibiotics (which cause SEVERE diahrea) for his double ear infections that was preceeded by 3 days of steroids (which prevented him from sleeping)!!! Life has rough but we are still thankful God has provided for everything.

Headaches

I have suffered from headaches most of my life. I'm not sure what causes all of them. Some are tension headaches or sinus headaches. I have had some migraines but a lot of them are unknown. When excedrin won't work and 4 ibuprofen won't work I sleep on an icepack and pray for a mircale. I  have had CT scans and MRI's to check for anurisms but they found none. THANK GOD! I was told if I had one it would have been there since birth. I went to a chiropractor for years and it helped some. But I just can't afford it now. I've even had sinus surgery to lesson the sinus infections and try to cut back on some headaches but still I suffer....

I would say about 80% of the time I am in pain. I have learned to live with it and function normally most of the time. But then there are those times when I am in such severe pain I think I might die and I get scared. I'm not scared of dying...I'm afraid of leaving my boys without a mother. Not that I think I'm a great mom but just the thought of a child growing up without their mom breaks my heart. And those times when the pain is so severe and my husband is at work I get nervous. What if I pass out? I have taught Jacob how to call 911 and what to say and do if something happens to me. He is so smart and I have confidence he can take care of the others for a little while until someone comes. I just don't want to put my children through this. It's too much for them to worry about.

Throughout the years and pregnancies I have noticed that while taking my prenatal vitamins I didn't get as many headaches. And if I slacked off taking them for even a week the headaches would come back severely. I am sure I don't eat enough vegetables and fruits. So maybe it's a vitamin deficiency.

This weekend has been horrible. The pain has been constant for about 36 hours now. Trying to function like this is not easy. It all started when I took the boys to the park Friday after they finished their schoolwork. We wanted to get out so I packed their scooters and suprised them with a trip to the park with sidewalks through the woods. They loved it! It was getting hot and I was feeling week. I packed lunch for all of them and brought waters for everyone. After being there only about an hour I told Jacob we needed to leave because I felt like I was gonna pass out. So he {being the kindhearted child} said let me push the stroller with Justus in it up this hill to the van. We all got in and I sat there. My hands and legs still shaking. Trying to get cooled off and drinking my water. I ate the babies PB&J and waited for my body to feel normal. The dizziness wore off and we made it home. The headache started shortly after and hasn't quit yet.

I just remembered I haven't been taking my vitamins in the last week or 2 and maybe that's why.....Part of the reason is I HATE TAKING PILLS and the other reason is because the generic vitamins I bought make me want to PUKE!

So here I am blogging at 11:30pm while everyone else sleeps.....
I really need a head transplant but until then I am going to lay down on an ice pack and pray for a miracle.

Revival!

The last 3 weeks we have been in a revival at church.

~It has been amazing!~

God has changed lives

He saved 31 souls from a burning hell!

{We have gotten so much help from Him}

~The Holy Ghost was there with us every night~

We will never forget what we have experienced.

There wasn't time for watching tv or playing on the computer.

Every day revolved around "what time are we leaving for church?"

{It was nice to put all the worldly stuff aside and just worship Him.}

~Our son Jaron got saved!~

It was awesome to see some praise the Lord for their first time.

Watching the Holy Ghost work was AWESOME!

[Honestly]

It wasn't easy taking 4 boys to church every night for 3 weeks past their bedtime.

Gas prices were rising and we were running out of money.

But I would do it all over again! It was so worth it!

~I am so glad God changed my desires.~

{I serve Him because I want to, not because I "have" to.}

~That's REVIVAL!~

I'm not going to hell!!!!

Why should I worry?

One day I want to learn how to play the piano and sing this song!

~It's absolutley BEAUTIFUL~

This is how we do it...

Homeschooling the boys is great because we can create our own projects and electives. The boys do most of their main subjects on the computers but then we do other things like nature walks, art projects, music class, educational videos and more!

 
Justus wanted to be like his brother....

They painted their skateboard ramp.....that's ART

They enjoy using their skateboard ramp almost every day....that's PE

And Daddy showed Jacob how to take off a flat tire and put on the spare....that's AUTO SHOP (or something)

Thank God for allowing me to stay home with our boys and teach "Train them up in the way they should go"

Who needs Halloween?

We don 't celebrate halloween as I explained before but we do have costumes and the boys enjoy dressing up all the time for fun! So when we were watching Toy Story the other day they decided to get into character!

Jacob and Justus didn't dress up but they still had fun watching their brothers.

Eat Mor Chikin!

I took the boys to Chic Fil A for "Cow Appreciation Day". But we didn't go all out just drew some black spots on some white shirts. It got them all free happy meals! So here's a few pictures~ENJOY!

By the way I do love to support Christian companies like Chic Fil A and the stand that the owner makes by keeping his company closed on Sundays and not supporting same sex marriage. What a blessing to know there are still some Christians left out there in the corporate world.

Team Work!

I took this video last week and cannot remember why they were doing this but I had to (stand on top of the coffee table) and capture it on camera! One of those rare moments when they were all playing nice together.

~Justus has goals too~

He loves to climb on everything and one day while I was right there in the kitchen I turned around and this is how I found him! He pushed the barstool over directly under the fan and was trying to reach the chain to turn it on.

Yeah I just about had a heartattack! But after snapping a quit picture I rescued him from a nasty fall!

And once in a while I have found him playing with the little door under my oven "broiler" but never knew he was putting toys in there until I smelled that poor little kagaroo melting!!! Glad the ping pong ball wasn't melted.

Switched On Schoolhouse

I started the boys homeschooling August 1st. Jacob is doing Switched On Schoolhouse and he loves it! I am so happy with it. I joined an online class the other night to learn more about it's features. I can make Jaron's report card through the program even though he's not using the curriculum yet. He is currently doing Time4Learning online. But I just input the lessons I want him to do each day and when he completes them I insert his grades so it keeps records for me. So nice to be organized and glad to know that I can reuse the same curriculum for up to 5 children. So every year I'll buy another grade level and just pass them down as we go.

I can create my own calendar and keep up with activities we do that count as "Educational". It keeps a running total of "school days" so we make sure we are meeting the state requirements.

I am so thankful I can teach our children at home and keep them close to me and incorporate the Bible in our daily lessons. I plan on using this program for years to come and I hope you will consider it too for your children. If you have any questions please feel free to ask me. I have included an advertisment for Switched On Schoolhouse on the right side of this blog.

Modesty

I feel like as Christians it's important to be modest in the way we dress because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost and we should respect Him and ourselves.

As christian women we should not want to reveal our body to anyone except our husbands. Men and women are made differently, in that, men struggle with lust on a regular basis and women cannot understand that. We shouldn't tempt our fellow christian brothers in Christ by revealing our body to them. It's important to cover your thighs as the Bible refers to the thigh as "nakedness".

Exodus 28:42 And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:

And I beleive women should wear dresses or skirts below the knee because it is less revealing of your figure than pants. I want my body to be for my husband and noone else. I don't wish to draw attention to myself. Here is the Bible verse for this personal conviction.

Deuteronomy 22:5 The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.
I don't want to be a stumbling block for those around me.  Tempting men to look at my body is wrong and causing them to have lustful thoughts. Especially in God's house we need to remember the reason we go to church and be very careful how much skin is revealed. It can be difficult to focus on Him if your showing cleavage or your skirt is too short.

Romans 14:13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.

Matthew 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

And because we have 4 boys we are more aware than ever of how important modesty can be. We don't want our boys growing up seeing half naked women and girls walking around. We want to guard their hearts as long as possible and try to keep their minds pure and free of impure thoughts. It might sound impossible but we believe it can be done by keeping them in church at teaching them the importance of keeping their bodies sacred and pure for their spouse.

I know it won't be easy and some critics may say we're crazy for "sheltering" them but we are doing our best to "train them up in the way they should go."

Being Submissive

Being a submissive wife doesn't mean you should be mistreated in any way. There is a difference between being submissive and being controlled. We should love them despite their flaws and try to be helpful instead of critical. We need to be respectful of each others ideas and decisions and that will be easier when you really love each other. He is to be the head of the home and we should never make major decisions without discussing them first with each other. We are to serve him which simply means to "render assistance". Being submissive doesn't mean you are dumb. A great marraige requires a lot of work but if you're both fighting for the head of house than be prepared for war.

I love my husband and I love the Lord and I want to please them both. In order to do that I need to be submissive to my husband and let him be the leader in our home. He doesn't mistreat me or talk to me like I am any less. He just lets the Lord guide him so he can guide us.

The F-word

Forgiveness is what I am talking about. Do you have trouble forgiving others when they hurt you? I haven't always been able to forgive. It doesn't come natural. I remember as a child when my mother told me to say sorry I had the hardest time getting those words "I'm sorry" to come out of my mouth. 

When someone does something to hurt me I have learned that the best way to get past it and feel better is to forgive and forget. It's easier said than done but it is the best thing to do. 

The Bible says in  Matthew 6:14-15  "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

So as Christians we have to learn that forgiving each other is the only way we can stay right with God.

  Ephesians 4:32   And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

And while raising these boys, forgiveness is a daily lesson here at our house. They are in "training" and it seems as though I am too. I am learning patience and they are learning obedience and forgiveness.

It's a big job raising these handsome boys....it's not easy but it's worth it! They were given a Wii and then we bought Mario Kart with wheels for the controllers. So now they are learning to drive! At the early ages of 9, 7 & 4 they can drive! Almost. Learning to share and taking turns is a constant battle but we are working on it daily.

There are only a few things in this house that we don't share. One very important one is toothbrushes. Justus wants to use everyone's toothbrush. Now that he has learned to climb and if he can't reach something he'll get a stool. So recently when I bought My Way Crest Spin brushes toothbrushes for the 3 big boys he really wanted to play with them. They were able to decorate their own with lots of stickers that were included and used the letters to put their names on them. Now if I can just teach them to close the bathroom door when they go out it would help. Until he learns to open doorknobs!!!

Learning to forgive is hard but when you can put the past behind you and realize that we all make mistakes it is easier to be happy and your relationships will get stronger with family, friends and God.

Funny Boys

Splash ZONE!!!

 The boys had a blast in this little pool in our front yard!

They splashed and threw water up in the air with the buckets...

 Jonah had a spray bottle.

Jacob had on goggles....guess he didn't want any water in his eyes.

 The water was really cold so Justus wasn't a big fan of getting splashed so much.

 It's just been so HOT here in Georgia and this is the best way to cool off fast!

 Justus thought the leaves were chips if ya know what I mean...

 

 When it was time for nap I wrapped him up in this cute little Nemo towel and I guess he's never seen the

 movie because he pitched a fit!!!

But overall it was a fun day and I'm sure we'll refill the pool and do that many more times between now and winter.

Happy 7th Birthday Jaron!

Well I cannot believe that our son Jaron is seven years old today. On this day seven years ago God changed our lives for the better. He showed us how to truly love unconditionally, not just our child but anyone. We are all made different and seeing past the flesh to the person inside is something we all need to learn to do more.

 Jaron has taught me to have more patience and how to trust God more too. He is growing up and we are so proud of him. He still struggles with eating and gaining weight but I hope and pray that will all change. He's small for his age but smarter than most his age. He's stronger than you can imagine and fearless!

Where would we be today without Jaron, I cannot imagine if I had aborted him like the doctor suggested that day. What a horrible thing to do just because he had a cleft lip. He was growing inside me and I loved him no matter what he looked like. His heart was beating and I was feeling him kicking. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself.

Look at him now....so happy and handsome!

Help from the Father...

  

This life is not easy and we cannot do it on our own. But it can be made much easier if we let our Father guide us along the way....

 There will be a lot of uphill battles and He'll be there to help us make it through...

 You might feel like you're about to fall but He's right there every step of the way...

 And other times He lets us try on our own standing close by in case we fall....

 Once we figure things out He lets us go alone but He's always watching....

 It might get hard again and you might struggle....

 

So just call on Him and He'll be there to help you through it....

(This was Jacob's first time learning to cut the grass)

I've been busy...

...but of course you can tell that by looking at the pictures at the top of my blog.

Babysitting children in our home has always been something I did to make a little extra money...until recently when I quit.

I babysat a little girl for 2 years and her parents were so inconsistant and never communicated so I never knew what to expect. I had to let it go. The stress was not worth the little bit of money I made.

Soooo I have recently started selling things online to help make ends meet. It's been taking up a lot of my spare time (like I really have any). What I really mean is I stay up too late....I am selling things that we would normally put in a yard sale but don't feel like sitting out in this heat all day. It's easier to sell in the comforts of my air conditioning.

Sorry I haven't been blogging as much but now you know why. I have taken a few pictures and will try to post them soon.

My contacts are dried to my eyes and I need to brush my teeth and go to bed....so GOOD~NIGHT!!!

Near Death Experience!

Well after venturing out to Wal-mart with all the boys we made it back to the van and everyone got in the van safely without being run over. As I loaded the groceries my buggy was shoved into my hip. I turned to see the car beside mine with it's reverse lights on....OMGOSH she was backing up! Thank God all my boys were in the van. She felt the jolt of hitting my buggy and rolled down her back window to apologize. I made sure to let her know how upset I was by saying "I'm glad it was the buggy and not me!" She said "I saw you there but...." I said "Thank God my four boys are in the van already!" Again she apologized and as I got into my car reality sunk in. I could have been killed right there in that moment in front of my children. That would have been so awful and so traumatic. Jaron said "Mommy if she ran over you how would we get home?" I said "She would have to call 911 and the police would come"

What a horrible thing to think about...Seeing your mother being ran over. I recently read an article in the news about a 12 yr old girl accidently running over her mother and killing her. Her mom asked her to move their car forward as she stood behind it. She instructed her 12 year old to get in the driver seat and push the gas pedal. The girl accidently put it in reverse and ran over her own mom. What a horrible thing to have to live with. And she had younger siblings too. 

This world is just getting worse everyday. The Bible tells us that these are all signs that Jesus' return is getting closer. I hope you are ready to meet Him.

Terri Cote

Memories...

When we put the boys to bed I always go in and have a little talk with each of them for a min or two. Jaron told me tonight he remembers being in my belly. He said "I have a super memory!" I said "Was it dark in my belly?" and he said "Yeah it was kinda scary..."

Jacob said "I remember when I was 2 yrs old and you chase me with some yucky medicine I had to take". His memory amazes me at 9 years old he can remember so much and he'll tell you the year or sometimes the month it happened. One day he said "Remember when I was potty training and accidently pooped in my underwear and it got on the carpet!" NASTY I know but if you have kids I'm sure this happened at your house too. Be honest. How does he remember that I potty trained him when he was TWO.

These smart boys take after their daddy. He has a fantastic memory and can tell me what a preacher preached years ago at church. He remembers faces and names better than me. He remembers our countries wars and years they happened. It's really unbelievable!

I do have some memories of my own and lately I've been thinking a lot about my youth group I was in when I was in highschool. We had so much fun hanging out together and doing things as a church youth group. God is working on the youth at our church now and I am excited to see what He's gonna do. We are so happy to have found a church we feel comfortable in and God's saving people and we're staying busy in His work.

There's so much to do and so little time~before He comes back!

Hebrews 10:25

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

Terri Cote