Kristy Dorminy

I think this picture is hilariously cute of my neice, Rennison.  Perfect smile for Halloween!  Mwaa-ha-ha-ha…….

WARNING: This post is liable to be random. Hang with me or not…just thought I should issue the warning.

FALL. I love this season. The leaves on the trees are fabulous! The food opportunities are abundantly YUMMY. Pumpkin anything, apple anything, soups and breads and all things dessert. Obviously, I am not a picky person in regards to food. Ruby and I are learning a lot about apples in her school work. We checked out a lot of books on apples, too. We did a cute, cute thing the other day—you read a story about a little boy whose mom sent him to find a red house with no doors, no windows and a star inside. He looked and looked and finally decided it must be an apple! But how in the world do you know there is a star inside? You cut it down the middle of the apple (opposite way that you normally would) and there is a cute little star where the seeds sit. Very neat. Ruby is learning to read very well. I am so proud of her.
Molly is learning to use the computer better. She goes onto a spelling site and types in words, then listens to a lady spell them and use them in a sentence. Very smart girl!
Mack is talking non-stop and is into everything. He randomly chooses to sit on the potty for pooping. I think we still have a long way to go in that area. But, still, overall this Fall has included some great learning moments in the Dorminy house.

Ruby asks phenomenal questions about God, Heaven, and sin.  I personally believe that she gets it and has prayed and asked God to save her.  It happened one day at the kitchen table.  It was amazing because it was all her.  She asked me some questions that were prompted by Molly wondering about the soldiers who killed Jesus.  Were they in Heaven now?  Did they feel bad about hurting Jesus?  I talked about their hearts and our hearts and what we believe.  We talked about the two thieves on the cross.  Anyway, Ruby said, “I believe that, Mama.  I believe all of that about Jesus and dying on the cross for my sins.  I believe it.”  She said it with great conviction and enthusiasm.  I was a little bit caught off guard and prayed for the right response.  I told her that was great and asked her if she had ever told God that she believed.  She said, “Well, no, but I’m gonna pray right now.  Molly, I’m gonna pray.”  And she did.  It was amazing.  We finished our lunch.  I told Josh about it, and he is talking with her even more.  She definitely shows remorse and sadness when she disobeys or says something hurtful to me or Molly or Mack.  Good stuff.

I am learning and growing in lots of areas, too. Learning how to keep Molly and Mack entertained and out of our hair while we home school. Learning to stay calm when my efforts of keeping M & M entertained don’t work. Learning some things about couponing (thanks, Mary). Learning that Josh and I can make a yummy baked potato soup, learning a new grocery store, learning how to get to the local TARGET (this is important, people), learning how to keep up with cleaning this house…or rather, learning that I can barely keep up with keeping the house completely clean and when I do it takes ALL day, learning that Mack loves Monster Inc movie and the girls have very fond affection for the Berenstain Bears, and  there is oh so much more I could blab about.
On a more serious note, I am learning that all those people who told me that the baby stage just flies by and to enjoy every minute of it and that these are the best days of your life (while I looked at them like, HUH???!!!!!!!!!), were actually very right. I am learning that I am a complainer extraordinaire and need to stop, I am learning that I think too much of what others think of my service or church work, I am learning that keeping my “spiritual blinders” on is harder than I could have imagined….and so much more.  I am thankful for these times when, through the study of The Word and prayer and service, I learn more and more about where I am and where God wants me.  He isn’t frustrated with me for not being somewhere else, but is so patient and so faithful and so available to me.  It’s good, very good, to be in a place where I can see my areas of weaknesses AND see how the Lord has provided me with all I need to be victorious in those areas.

In the area of complaining, I think I feel like if I just did all that I do without saying SOMETHING about it all, then no one would appreciate me or help me.  That is just not true!  God sees me, right here in my house with every single thing I do or don’t do.  He knows.  He is the ultimate Encourager, ultimate Helper, ultimate Friend.  I am missing it in this area and want to do better.  Mainly, keeping my mouth shut.  Then, praying that the Lord will help my heart to deal appropriately with my negative thoughts…even to the point where they occur MUCH less frequently or—wonder of wonders–never happen.  Hmmmmmm…..

Ephesians 6:6 seems to be the verse for me these days…..”not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is slave or free.”

MY MASTER by Christy Nockels is my song lately.  If you haven’t heard it, find it on i-tunes and buy  her whole album!  Here are the lyrics:

The day You heard my plea,
You looked right through me
You saw the pit I was in
And You came and pulled me out…

You set my feet upon a rock
And put a new song in my mouth
Then You called me Your own
And I’m never turning back

I love my Master, I will not go free…
I take Your name and live in liberty
My life is Yours forever
I’ll serve You faithfully
I love my Master, I will not go free…

You’re a love I’ve never known
And Your faithfulness has shown
No matter what I’m about
You always find me out

And You lovingly remain
Age to age the same
And for all of my days
I will tell of Your ways..Your mighty ways…

Covenant Keeper
You are, You are
Merciful, Kindness
You are, You are
Passionate Father
You are, You are
Lifeblood redeemer
You are…

Written by Christy Nockels
© 2009 worshiptogether.com Songs / sixsteps Music (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing) (ASCAP)

Mack woke up from his nap very, very happy.  I love it when that happens.  It is much better than the alternative–lots of whining and crying from the top of the stairs saying, “I can’t!!  Come get me.  I can’t!”  He asked for a snack, and I let him pick something out of the bowl of junk we have in our pantry.  He picked out some NERDS.  We both enjoyed some, and I took a picture of the moment.  NERDS take me back to middle school, big bangs, playing M.A.S.H. and so much more….

And an  update on the shirt…after one wash it wasn’t clean, so I bought some spray-n-wash, scrubbed it, rubbed with Clorox and washed.  It still wasn’t white, so I dumped a lot of clorox on the stained place (the whole front of the shirt) and washed again.  It is now clean.  My whole laundry room smells like CLOROX now, and I don’t mind.  I am just glad the shirt is white again.

I always thought those commercials with the mom trying to figure out how to get the stains out of her kid’s shirts were a bit of an exaggeration.  I don’t think that anymore.

Wow.  Fun day at school with extended recess= lots and lots of stain stick applied all over this white shirt.  🙂  I think I will only buy navy shirts when Mack starts school.

Ruby- “For all have sinned and bon jour for the glory of God.”  Romans 3:23

Me- “It is actually, ‘FALL SHORT’ of the glory of God.”

Ruby- Like this?  (she falls to the floor then walks like she is short)

Me- “No.  Like, you don’t do and can’t do everything perfect to meet God’s standards.”

Ruby- “Like this?”  (she falls to the floor then walks like she is short, again)

Me- “Let’s talk about this when your Daddy gets home.”

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Molly is climbing through a fence to try and get in where horses are…horses that I don’t know, she doesn’t know and could get upset with her in their territory….

Me- “Molly, get back on this side of the fence or I will whip your tail.” (said half-jokingly)

Molly- “I don’t have a tail!”  (laughing and laughing)

Mack- “Me have tail?”  (as he looks behind him)

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Molly- “I’m in the hospital and I am having a this bear, but it is really a baby.”

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Molly- “Daddy, lay down so I can give you a shot.”

Josh- “OK.”

Molly-“This shot is in your face.”

Josh- “My face?  Goodness.”

Molly- “Now I am going to give you a shot on your feet.”

Josh- “My goodness, Molly, you pick horrible places to give shots.”

Weird.

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After hearing a lot of talking and laughing, Josh went upstairs to tell the girls to settle down.  He had to go back up there a little while later because of the noise.  He turned their CD player down and told them to not turn it up, stay in bed and go to sleep.  As soon as he closed the door he heard Ruby tell Molly, “Go turn it up just a little bit.”  He opened the  door and Molly said, “Ruby told me to!!!”  Josh got on to them, turned off the CD player completely and left the room.  They got mad about it.  He stood there at the door and heard Molly say something like, “I don’t like Daddy” a couple of times.  He waited a minute, then went back in and gave them hugs and kisses and told them that he loved them no matter how mad they ever got at him.

Molly’s reply was, “Daddy.  Tell Mama I love her and want her to get me dressed in the morning.”

You would have thought she wasn’t paying him any attention.  BUT, this morning at breakfast Molly asked me if she got up in the night.  I told her no, but that Daddy did have to go up to her room because of all of the noise she and Ruby were making.  Then, she said, “Yeah, Daddy said he loved us even if we don’t like him.  Even if we say we don’t like him, he still loves us.”  She was listening and even remembered it this morning.  If the four and five year old stage is like this, I wonder what the fourteen and fifteen year old stage will be like!

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If nothing else, there was a ton of riding here this weekend.  Riding bikes with training wheels, bikes without training wheels, pink scooters, blue hot wheels, pink hot wheels, bikes without pedals or training wheels and even riding over toes and into one another.  They all had fun!  Jud couldn’t wait to show us what a big boy he is riding his new bike without training wheels.  He did so great and even inspired Ruby to try it!

I love this picture…notice the “professional” biker in the background.

Look at cute Aunt Cacy helping Jud get started.

Above you see Mack running from Kaybeth….just kidding…though Kaybeth is quite the fiesty booger.  Saturday morning we heard some crying, which is not rare, but after a little while of hearing it, I looked out the window to see who was crying and why.  Mack got rammed by Kaybeth with her bike.  He walked away crying, she lifted her bike and walked over to him and rammed him again.  Aunt Cacy stepped in swiftly and firmly.  I couldn’t help but giggle because this sweet little girl doesn’t strike you as fiesty, but she is!  I hear that she and Vance have a love/hate relationship.  I could see that being the case with Mack and her if they lived closer.  She is a sweet girl, too.  She just likes to shake things up a bit.

Ruby had fun riding without training wheels.  She did great!  Josh helped her get started.

Molly was on the “strider,” the bike with no pedals or training wheels…great for getting ready to ride a bike!

Kaybeth and Ruby with the community apple.  I should have taken a picture of each kid with the apple….

That night we ate lasagna, gave everyone a shower, then read a few books and watched a movie.

The next morning we all got up early, got ready and went to ULTA for some make-up, Kirklands for a few items for the house, and then to eat Mexican at a place called “Dos Margaritas.”  Now, I am not a drinker and never have been, but IF I WAS OR EVER HAD BEEN, dos margaritas would have been in order.  Shopping and five children five years and under do NOT mix.  The restaurant experience was actually very good with all the kids.  Everyone was hungry, so they ate good and didn’t cause a scene.  I almost did though.  A little piece of a chip got stuck in my throat.  It was horrible and ruined my whole eating experience!  Every time I swallowed it felt like a knife was going down my throat.  Cacy made fun and offered some suggestions like, “Eat something bigger to push it down” as she put a piece of a chicken nugget in my face.  “It looks horrible, but it is actually really good,”  she said.  Finally, the chip went down and all was well.  I was glad that the waiter didn’t have to perform any type of maneuver on me.  We came home after that and the kids played and played and played…..

I had a very fun time with Cacy, Jud and Kaybeth.  I am so glad she took the long drive alone with her kids.  That is not easy, but all of us had fun seeing them.

Today it is raining.  I love it!  We will be here all day, homeschooling, cleaning, and being sure to work in a nap!  Monday, Monday……..la, la, lalalala….

We had sooo much fun with Aunt Cacy, Jud and Kaybeth this weekend.  I am so happy that they decided to come visit us.  I have much more to say about the weekend and lots of pictures, so I will post them when I have more time.  For now I will show you our new furniture in the living room (thanks dad and mom!).  Josh picked it up on Friday.  Cacy helped me figure out the best place for it all.  I really, really like it.

We let the kids eat the cupcakes outside.  Far away from the furniture!  🙂

Kaybeth, Mack, Molly, Jud, and Ruby

We had such a wonderful time at Ruby’s class field trip!  The kids only see each other two days a week, so getting to see each other on a day besides Tuesday or Friday is a treat!  And they didn’t have to wear their uniform either.  Ruby kept saying to her friends, “Hey, look at my boots.”  She can’t wear her boots to Kindergarten because of the heel.  ANYWAY, they were perfect for tromping around in the Pumpkin Patch.  Molly wore hers, too, of course!

We drove down the long driveway to Berry Patch Farms early this morning.  The kids were so excited….

Getting closer…..

We saw a turkey, a calf, some goats, and lots of pumpkins!

Here comes Mrs. Honaker!!!!  What a cute little Kindergarten teacher!

Ruby met up with Ashlyn right away.  Molly stayed close by both of them.  Ruby did a good job of including Molly.  I mean, she can always improve a little in this area, but she is learning to be a good Big Sister.

Ruby and Ashlyn

I made my kids each get a photo at the beginning in case it didn’t work out to get any more pictures.  (I ended up with lots of pictures though!)  Most of the pictures are of Mack because he stayed with me the whole time.  The girls galloped and ran and played with their friends.  I did round them up a few times for pictures….as you will see.

Ruby, 5 years old

Molly, 4 years old

Mack, 2 years old

The wagon ride was fun and bumpy and some parts were stinky.  🙂

Mack and Lincoln…Sunday School buddies

Mack found a pumpkin very soon after we got off the tractor ride.  He would pick one up, look at it, then throw it like a baseball.

And we finally made it to the actual pumpkin patch!  It was a beautiful day.

All eyes were on the tractor.

One class shot….I wasn’t in charge of getting this one, thank goodness!

And then we got on the tractor to head back and have some apple cider, of which Ruby and Molly had to announce, “Mama, I do NOT like this.”  Lovely.

The girls and I made some brownies and cookies to share with everyone on the field trip.  Yummy!  The kids played on a swingset and ran all around.

Mack stayed close to the tractor.

And proof that these kids have a Mama!  There’s always evidence that I exist and am involved in their lives, but here you see an actual picture of me.  (Thanks, Charity!)

What an incredibly fun day.  I love seeing Ruby with her school friends.  She seems to be very confident and comfortable in her skin.  She also seems to be a leader.  I reminded her once to be sure and include everyone, and she seemed to be mindful of that.  Mrs. Honaker and I talked about how she is doing in school, and she said that Ruby is doing great!  She said she behaves well, too.  That’s good!  I am so proud of little Ruby, who is not as little as she used to be.  Kindergarten is so much fun.

Molly has been trying to memorize her Cubbies verse.  She says, “I am filthy and wonderfully made.”  Instead of “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  It is hilarious.  And true.

These are older pictures, but I could take a picture on any given day and usually find a filthy kid!  And a fearfully and wonderfully made one, too.

The Fall season is so nice!  I love, love, love all of the smells and colors and fun activities and yummy food!  And all of the great coffee flavors are so fun to drink in the perfect weather.  School starting goes along with Fall.  We have been in school for almost two months now, but are just now really getting into the swing of things.  I am learning not to yell so much at Molly and Mack for their nearly constant interruptions.  I put a little more effort into getting them started on their own project.  It works for Molly, but it does NOT work for Mack.  One day he’ll get it.  One day.

We’ve been baking for our neighbors, teachers, and friends in HP for our missions project.

Molly and Mack doing whatever it is that they do while Ruby and I try to do some school.

Ruby and the word families activity

She did a great job!

I made up the above sentence…..

Ruby coloring doggies that have matching letter buddies.

We have a field trip tomorrow to a pumpkin patch, and I am really looking forward to it.  I hope I remember my camera!  Ruby says they get to color a small pumpkin, take a hayride and more!  She is very excited about being with all of her friends tomorrow.  I just pray for Mack to stay with me, for Molly not to have a meltdown, and that no one falls of the wagon ride.  If all of that comes true it will have been a fantastic day.  I will keep you posted!