Hot Hot Hot!!!

    Well it is another day filled with kids! I am exhausted already and I still have 5 hours with the twins. It is extremely hot and muggy out or we would go outside longer and wear them out for their naps. We went out a couple hours ago and stayed out for about 45 min. and that was enough! We all came in drenched in sweat! I haven't done anything productive, the house is a total weck, and the older kids are struggling to focus to finish up this years homeschooling. I believe Tenderheart only has ten days left and Darling about twenty. YAY!!!! Thank you God for gettin' us this far... I never thought we would make it. What a tough year for us homeschooling, pregnancy, surgery, and everyday turmoil. Can't wait to see what the future holds... whatever it is I know we can make it with God's help. Off to wrestle swords away from some way too busy and energetic boys!!

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Stomach Virus Takes on Saltzmans!

    The stomach virus has come a callin' at our house yet again! I cannot believe how many times we have had this since late last year. I think this has gone through this family about five times!! Two kids are down (Darling and Hoss) and three to go and probably Mr Railroad and I too. Uughh!! You would think with homeschooling we would be less prone to get all of these germs, but we manage to find them and then it slowly works its way through the house til we have all had it and if we are lucky it doesn't start all over again. 

I am praying that the lil' twins don't get it... I feel so bad that they just happen to be here on the day we start getting sick. I am guessing I will spend the rest of the day and maybe tomorrow cleaning up throw-up and washing laundry filled with- you don't wanna know. I have even put a pull-up on Darling (although she is nine) trying to help her out. She gets really upset about it. It is sooo bad that they can't control it and poor Darling is super pale and peaked looking. Little Hoss is passed out on the couch. He looks so cute and horrible at the same time. 

    Please say a prayer for our sicklys and hopefully this will be a quick illness. This is the one time I don't want the kids to share!!

Storm of the Century

    Last night after we got home from Tenderheart's first ball practice we started watching the weather hearing about possible 100 mph winds headed our way. We hurriedly ate and got all the kids jammies on and headed for the basement for a campout of sorts. The kids were excited to be able to sleep downstairs with us (the boys bedrooms are all upstairs) little did we know there would not be that much sleep going on. 

   

The wind began to blow along with torrents of rain that scared even me and I am not usually affected by storms. We were of course also in line for some hail and possible tornadoes too. It rained and rained and blew and blew along with constant lightning and it didn't let up til around two this morning!! I could hear branches breaking off the trees in our yard and the lightning sounded like it was right outside our window.

crazy... this is really close to our house

Thank goodness the kids were able to sleep through some of it once they got so exhausted they just couldn't stay up anymore. Of course our t.v. wouldn't work (when the power was on) because the wind was so strong the satellite wouldn't work. I was huddled down with my cell trying to see the 1 inch square radar that it showed on weather bug to tell if it was on its way out yet praying the whole time that my battery wouldn't die and leave me stranded with no electronics which were the only thing keeping me going. I was facebooking others who were also hiding out in their basements.

used to be a shed here

my aunts house

Finally it let up and I got a few hours of sleep before I had to get up and clean for another twin day. The yard looks like we have been in a war zone. Thankfully my husband thought to chain up the trampoline to a tree, but it is covered in debris and branches. We have a lot of cleaning up to do outside now too. Some of the fences for the cows were knocked down and some of our family has every tree in their yard blown over!! Well off to work I go... cleaning inside and out- hopefully my kiddos and the twins aren't much of a hindrance today :)

Welcome Spring!

    I am so excited for this great weather. The kids being cooped up inside is just a recipe for disaster... all that pent up energy must come out and you never know when or where it is going to happen. Wild Thing has been extra challenging on these rainy days looking for ANYTHING to keep him outta trouble. Yesterday he got into all of my office supplies making an "airplane" I am now out of staples and tape! He was occupied however for at least thirty minutes which in my world is a long time. Darling and Tenderheart managed to only get half their homework done since we were also spring cleaning and I was occupied trying to work my way to the floors of the boys' room.