Jonathan, my 12yo going on 20.

Where do I even start with this one?! Jonathan has done so much in the last couple of years and is really growing and maturing. I can't believe he is almost a teenager, but sometimes I think he already is one! He is definitely in that ornery teen stage, where everything has to be a joke....but in a good way. He's a good kid, he just sometimes has to be reminded that he is the kid and not the parent!

Jonathan just got elected by his fellow Boy Scouts to be the troop's Quartermaster, which is the person who takes care of the equipment, making sure it is all there and the condition it is in, etc. like whenever they go camping or someplace else. He was actually going to run for Patrol Leader but learned he wasn't ranked high enough to qualify. He was an Assistant Patrol Leader last year and really enjoyed it. I'm excited to see all that he is learing in Boy Scouts! Of course, he had to give a speech for the election, so he practiced with me and did great. It only had to be 2 minutes, so nothing major. What he WANTED to say was, "I'm Jonathan, and you should elect me because I'm awesome." Um, I didn't let him get away with that!

The troop already has several camping trips lined up and are already starting to save up and plan fund raisers for summer camp next year. I can't believe how expensive it can be, but they end up raising most of it so we don't have to pay much out of pocket. Jonathan always has a blast at all of the camps, but especially summer camp. This year they went to Tennessee, and aside from camp activities, they stayed in a hotel with a pool on the way and on the way back, stopped at a couple of different civil war reenactment places and stopped at the aquarium, which I was told was really incredible! I'm so glad he is learning so much and gaining all this experience, but I'm a little jealous that I don't get to go too! I am thankful that his daddy gets to go with him. He works so hard and deserves a break. The leaders in the Boy Scouts really don't have to do that much once all the planning and paying is done, so it was just as relaxing and fun for them as it was for the boys!

Jonathan is actually going to dance with the children at Sukkot this year! They do a big production every year, and the children (about 6-12 years old) always do a dance. I was shocked that he agreed! I was really pushing him, but ultimately I wouldn't have made him do it if he really didn't want to. He likes a girl who is also in it though, so I think that's why he agreed. LOL! He was acting embarrassed about dancing, but he is doing a great job so far!

Boy Scouts take up most of Jonathan's "spare" time, but if we could afford it and had the time, he would LOVE to be in soccer and/or basketball. He also still loves anything to do with animals and has been on a bird kick lately, reading everything he can about birds, but especially hawks. His favorite animals though are ferrets and cats. He wants to get some ferrets, cats and budgies (birds) when he builds his own "tiny house". That is another thing he is getting more serious about. He wants to earn his own money so he can buy a trailer and other supplies to build his own tiny house. He is getting more serious about it lately but hasn't really done much yet to follow through. He will soon though, as he has wanted his own room for so long. This will give him his own house that we will build (and park there for a while) right behind our house. We're looking into getting as many supplies for free as possible and already have a good start, but he wants to build it on a trailer, so we have to get that first!

And he is also saving for an iPod. I wonder which one will come first?!

Sewing on patches tip

My husband is a Cub and Boy Scout leader, so he needed the Cub Scout pack number AND the Boy Scout troop number on his shirt, in the same location. I know not too many people will have this same dilemma, but if you do, I have a wonderful and EASY solution to make this work. And this was actually my brilliant hubby's idea.

VELCRO. The stuff is amazing.

1. Choose which Velcro will best fit the patch(es) you need to sew on. You can get the kind with sticky backs or not. If you get the sticky back, you will still need to tack them down BY HAND, but it is so sticky that you may not have to do it right away. I wanted to stitch with the machine, but I also wanted them to all stay in place while tacking them down, so I chose the sticky.
2. Be sure to take off any price tags or bar codes that do not need to be on the patch, then arrange the Velcro onto the back of it.
3. Tack them down, by hand or by machine, if possible.
4. On the SHIRT, be sure you put the Velcro on OPPOSITE of how you put it on the patch. For example, if you put the teeth part onto the back of the patch, make sure you put the fuzzy part on the shirt. I actually used both on mine, so I just made sure that whatever I put on the top for the patches was on the bottom part of the shirt (see picture below).
5. Be sure to put the set you are not wearing in one of the shirt pockets, so it will always be handy and never get lost.

I tried using the machine, but it didn't work so well. I plan to redo this (and I'll replace the picture), but it will work for tonight!

It really is that easy. I'd been putting this off for so long because I thought it was going to take me forever and be difficult to line them up just right, but WOW, that was easy!

And it looks nice, right?

Sorry, ladies. Man not included. ;)

And here is another tip. Those things on the shoulders called epaulets, my husband had to switch those out too, blue for Cub Scouts and green for Boy Scouts. Again, this was his idea, and it is just so simple.

Just put one inside the other, wrong sides together, and all you need to do is flip them. So you're wearing both sets the whole time. Brilliant.

A Random Update.....

.....just because I feel like blogging, and the house is quiet right now!

Myles has been at Hobby Lobby for almost 16 years now! He got a $500 (yes, that is 5 HUNDRED dollar) gift card to spend at the store as a thank you gift. He got one at 10 years too. We always enjoy spending it, and I think we even still  have some left!

We recently bought a new camera, so I don't have many pictures to post yet, and the few I do have were taken on my cell phone. Here is one inspired by Myles. He had a minor accident.....the only thing that was damaged was the mirror. The plastic part holding it on was broken, so he used his OU duct tape and "rednecked" our van!!!!

Nothing much has changed for me. I am still enjoying life, seeking to please YHWH in all I do. I mess up, but HalleluYAH, He forgives me and teaches me and helps me mature more in Him. I have been more withdrawn from others lately, but I think it is good sometimes. I am closer to my family and my heavenly Father, so I am very happy and content right where I am.

Jonathan is so big and mature now. He hasn't "shot up" yet, but I know he's about to. He is just a few inches (4 or 5) shorter than I am now! He is going to be 12 in May. He is loving Boy Scouts, and in fact, they went camping last weekend in the COLD. Crazy boys! Myles went too, but he ended up getting a ride with someone and came back after the first night. Hehe! He admitted he couldn't take it and left Jonathan behind! Jonathan did really well though. He said he was actually "burning up" the first night in his military sleeping bag with hand/foot warmers. I guess I didn't need to worry.

Jayla is REALLY into horses now and has joined a 4-H horse club.  As soon as I finish a quilt for Myles (starting to cut it all out now), I already have everything to make her a horse quilt! Her furniture is already a dark brown, and she has a few decorative pieces already; a cowboy hat coin bank, a light switch plate with a pair of boots on it, a figurine of a girl barrel racing, etc. She got to ride "Peanut" last Tuesday night. Peanut doesn't like to go fast, in fact, you really have to work hard to get him to trot, so he was perfect for her as a beginner. She has never had a lesson, but she learned quickly how to guide him and make him go. Once she was confident that she really wasn't hurting him when she kicked his sides, she was kicking like crazy trying to go faster! That girl! She looked like she knew what she was doing after just 5 minutes or so! She was the same age as a couple of other girls, but she was the only one who couldn't reach the stirrups. She had to have help getting up and down, but she didn't seem to mind, as long as she could RIDE!

Jacob......every time I look at him and think how cute or sweet he is, he either farts or picks his nose. What a kid! I can't believe he is 7 now. He is a LEGO maniac, hoarding them all and playing with them every chance he gets. He even loads up his backpack and brings them along wherever we go. He also still loves trains (but not if they have faces), and in fact, just checked out several books on trains from the library yesterday. And Jacob sure is smart. And he is reading now! He didn't want to for the longest time, so I just never pushed it, but I know he COULD have if he wanted to. I told him that, and he laughed and said, "Yeah, I could have." That stinker! He is quite the engineer too, always building things or trying to figure out how something works. He has always been like that. His latest thing he did on his own was made some jet packs for him and his two little brothers. This may not be "genius", but I was impressed that he took a quick look at a picture (maybe 5 seconds) and declared, "I'm going to make one of those!" and then off he went! I don't have a picture of the ones he made yet, but this is what his almost looks like (this was made by an adult, so it looks more.....realistic).

Jack-Jack is getting so big! He is continuing to improve in his speech. He is still often difficult to understand, but we can understand a lot more as the weeks go by. I also noticed recently that the helix (outer rim) of his ears are plumping up! This is huge to me, as this is one of the characteristics or symptoms of his genetic disorder, and it seems to be going away! We are actually trying to HEAL him with proper diet, essential oils, prayer and other things. We don't want him to just survive, we want him to THRIVE, and I believe he can (and is). We love him just the way he is, but we want to help him be the best he can be, and he's growing, maturing and getting healthier all the time! In fact, it has been about a year since his last seizure. He even had a fever a few weeks ago, but he didn't have a seizure with it! All glory and honor to YHWH!!! Thank You, Father!!! Aside from health issues, he is talking in complete sentences almost all the time now. He absolutely loves to color and draw (always has), so he does that any chance he gets, and he's pretty good! He also still loves music, and we hear him break out in a random song quite often. He is such a joy. :)

Little Joe isn't quite so little anymore. That kid gained 2 1/2 pounds in the last 6 weeks!!! He is one week from turning 14 months old now. He weighs about 22 pounds, has 8 teeth and eats like CRAZY, still nurses (even at night!) and is about to take his first steps any moment now. He can say quite a few words too, but most of it is repeating. A few days ago, Jonathan was playing a game on the Wii and saying, "Die! Die! Die!" Joe was in his high chair eating and started saying "Die-die-die-die-die!" Too funny! He still needs Mommy quite a bit, but he is becoming more independent and just has to come "touch base" every few minutes now. Jack was never like this, and in fact, was completely the opposite, so not only is Joe my clingiest baby, but I haven't had a baby even close to this in 6 years, and the one before him was opposite. So I have been very busy for over a year now with this baby! I think I can finally see my independence in the near future. LOL! But really, this is such a short time in relation to our lives, so I'm here as long as he needs me. I love this little man!

Our homestead is coming along! We are still putting up fences and pens, but we now have two dogs, 7 chickens (still), 6 ducks and a goose. We probably won't get any more ducks now since they are mostly for pets (some lay eggs), but we do want to get lots more chickens, for eggs and meat. We also plan to get some meat and/or milk goats, and/or sheep, and/or a cow. We haven't decided yet, but we will definitely be adding more animals very soon, probably for milk first, then meat. We also want to get a guard donkey and maybe a horse or pony or miniature horse. So many decisions! I love that we are moving toward being more self-sufficient though. In fact, we already are buying most of our groceries now from co-ops and only use the grocery and health food stores for those occasional items we forget to order or run out of. I love it! So much fresh, raw, organic foods, many locally grown!

The younger three are up now, so I guess that's it for this update. Please leave me a comment and let me know how YOU are doing! I'm not good at keeping up with blogs these days, but leave the link to your blog in the comments and I'll check it out. Happy Thursday to you!