Basketball!!!

The boys have been playing basketball with i9sports and they LOVE IT! It's only on Saturdays and they are learning so much about the game. It's fun to see the out there with all the other kids having fun.

Field Trip to INK

We stayed out New Years Eve entirely too late. Enjoying fireworks and a bonfire with family we didn't get home and in the bed until 11:30pm. But our boys are usually in the bed by 8pm so waking up new years day was later than usual. We wanted to take the boys on a field trip somewhere indoors because it rained all day. I had a reminder email about INK~Interactive Neighborhood for Kids giving homeschool families 1/2 price on the 1st tuesday of the month. So we mustered up the energy and packed our lunches for our first "field trip".

Come to find out there was a mistake in the email reminder. It's actually homeschoolers 1/2 price day on the second Tuesday of every month!!! But the lady was nice enough to give us the discount anyway.

{Christmas} Happy Birthday Jesus!

We had a great Christmas! We all got more than we deserve. I have been too busy to blog. I did get a new camera and cell phone so here are the pictures we got of the boys opening gifts.

Sewing

So one day I was looking in my closet and saw a piece of green material someone gave me a few months ago. That was it~I knew it would make a good skirt~so I got out my sewing machine right then and made one!

{That started my skirt making adventure that I cannot seem to quit}

I have been making and altering skirts for a couple weeks now and I love it!

My mom cleaned out her closet of all the clothes she can no longer wear so I decided to give them all away  to girls at church that needed them.

She gave me an orange one that matches our youth shirts so know I'm on a mission to find some orange material to make more for all the girls at church.

I wonder if I could sell them in an online store? I would never ask anyone at church for money but I might think about making other things to sell online.
I really need to figure out how to make money on this blog. I read so many others that do but I just don't know where to start. I wish someone would help me learn to advertise.
Or I could sew things and try to sell them on here. I don't know....any suggestions???

Giving Thanks!

I have so much to be thankful for~here's a few things:

• my husband
• our 4 boys~Jacob, Jaron, Jonah & Justus
• our house
• plenty of clothes
• food to eat
• our church
• Jesus dying on the cross & raising from the dead
• the King James Bible
• privilege to homeschool our children
• all my friends
• God's grace & mercy & forgiveness
• all our family members
• a working vehicle
• gospel music
• Heaven~no more headaches
• heat & A/C to keep us comfortable
• a hot shower
• eternal security
• our military
• natural remedies
• a comfortable bed
• generous friends & family

I am sure after I click "publish" I will think of more things I should have added....but these are some of the things I can think of while fighting a terrible headache. We had a great day with my mother & step-dad. His brother & wife too. I cooked apple pie from scratch, mashed potatoes & green beans. They made turkey, sweet potatoes, deviled eggs, stuffing, brownies, banana pudding, green bean casserole & rolls. It was all so good and we probably ate too much! I think my headache is from this cough/congestion I've had for almost a month. Might see if I can go to the doctor tomorrow. It's probably progressed into a full blown sinus infection now. So please pray for me to feel better soon! And hope you all had a happy thanksgiving!!! {May God Bless You}

Library Books!!!

 I have been trying to take the boys to the library once a week to check out books and educational videos. They love learning about animals and math. They are all so smart but it seems math comes easiest to all of them. So we usually check out our maximum 50 items! Jacob and Jaron both love to read and I think Jonah can almost read too! He read the front of a magazine in walmart one day. Jonah loves to look at books and occassionally will sit still long enough to let me read to him. The other day at the library that had "Kids & Kritters". A lady came from the humane society and brought an animal. She read a few books then took out a baby goat to let the boys all pet it.

Justus is saying a few words but not much! He does a lot of squealing and screaming to get what he wants. He will be 2 years old Dec. 1st and it'll be time to start potty training {yeah} I'm so excited! Potty training isn't easy but it's nice to not have to buy diapers. These are cell phone pictures and I finally figured out how to convert them and get them on the blog. I am so sleepy and need to get in the bed. Lots to do in the morning before Thanksgiving dinner. {Goodnight}

Coupons

A while back I signed up all of us to recieve Zaxby's coupons online. So every year on our birthdays we get coupons for free food and on Mother's Day and Father's Day we got cookie coupons. And even though we don't celebrate Halloween we did appreciate the coupons for free food from them. So {since I dreamed Zaxbys} dinner was free tonight and that is about the only good thing that came out of Halloween.

I try to use coupons whenever I can. Raising for boys can get expensive and they are growing fast and eating more all the time. I try to buy generic everything and only buy what necessary. No extras. Coupons have been lifesavers at times and I am so thankful for them.

My camera is still not working and I am sad to say I cannot put my cell phone pictures on here. We have all been sick coughing and stuff but hopefully it will all go away soon.

~[Set Apart]~

So as you know we do not celebrate Halloween in our family. There are many reasons and here are some of the Bible verses that back up our decision.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

So we don't watch scary things on tv or dress up in scary costumes.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

When we claim to be "Christians" we are saying we are "christ-like". And in order to be Christ-like we need to obey the Bible. Not just parts we want to pick out. We apply the whole Bible to our whole lives and when we do that it convicts our hearts about the things in our lives that shouldn't be there.

Don't get me wrong~we are not perfect by any means but we are trying daily to live "Christ-like".  We fail Him every day and make mistakes but He knows the desires of our hearts. Christians are supposed to be "Set Apart" from the world, not behaving just like them.

~Happily Humbled~

We are not rich by any means, but God has given us a home and 4 children. He has taken care of all our needs. Most of the time all our bills are paid and we barely have enough for groceries and gas. We pinch pennies living from one paycheck to the next.

But I am happy to say that being broke keeps us humble and forces us to trust in God for everything. There are times when our faith gets weak and we wonder how or when God will take care of our needs, but then He always shows up right on time every time! We are so thankful that He hears our prayers and uses His people to do His work.

Here just a few of the verses in the Bible that talk about being humble:

Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

{Candid Camera}

Being a mother means I put my children before myself and there are lots of times I am behind the camera taking more pictures of them than me. I avoid the camera because I don't always have my hair fixed or make-up on. We do take some but not many. I want to share some of these precious memories. (Just try to look past the messy hair.) I want my boys to have pictures of me holding them and loving on them, having fun with them and taking care of them. They don't notice the weight gained or the messy hair & no makeup. They love me unconditionally for who I am and nothing more.

 Just after Jaron's first surgery in the hotel room.

Listening & Talking to baby Justus in my belly.

I'm not comfortable with my body after having babies and don't usually post any pictures of myself. But my children don't care what I look like and I wanted to take a moment and post this for them. One day they'll read this blog hopefully {and I may or may not be alive} but they will have all these pictures to remember me.

{Sacrifice}

There are a lot of ways we can sacrifice. Some people sacrifice their time, money, food, comfort and much more. God sacrificed His Son Jesus so we can go to heaven.

Being a mother is also form of sacrifice. Before I was a mother I only had to worry about myself. Always thinking of myself and taking care of myself. But when I became a mother my child came first. I put his needs before my own. Every waking moment is devoted to making sure our boys are clean, fed and happy.

So because we have 4 children now there is little time for myself. I rarely ever think of my needs or wants. In fact, I feel guilty if I do take time to myself or buy something for myself. God changed my hearts desires when I became a mother. He taught me to sacrifice myself for my children and my husband. Always putting their needs before my own.

I usually get about 15 minutes in the morning to take a shower and dry my hair. And when getting ready to go somewhere I take about 15 minutes to do my hair and get dressed. I always put my make-up on in the car on the way in about 10 minutes. And after they are all settled and in the bed, that is when I blog, facebook, read other blogs and my Bible for about 2 hours. So all total I take about 2 hrs & 45 minutes for ME.

My love for music and singing has been put on the back burner so I can take care of my boys. I don't get to participate in as many things as I would like to sometimes. But I have learned to accept that. And one day when they are all grown I know I will miss these moments so I try to enjoy them and sing for the Lord when I get the opportunity.

Most of the time I am ok with it. I am content in my role as a wife and mother. But I have to be honest, there are times when I feel like "I deserve more". Maybe it's the devil trying to discourage me. But I do have bad days just like everyone else~ when I want to quit or crawl in a corner and cry. I think we all have those days as mothers. Most of the time it's when I am at my weakest with a severe headache. The devil knows my weakness and he gets in my head, trying to bring me down. I have learned to recognize these times and try to pray and remember to breath and get past those moments.

Being a mother is a daily struggle. We sacrifice ourselves for our family. And I believe that God sees our hearts and knows our thoughts. I believe God will reward the mothers that gave their lives for their children. We might not feel like much here on earth. We might not get much recognition for all our hard work but God knows all and He sees all.

 Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."

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.