Shiloh Jordan Clark

December 24, 2014

7 lbs 8 oz

21 inches long

Shiloh is such a sweet baby and we all love him to pieces.  He's an excellent eater and a decent sleeper - our nights our okay but could definitely be a lot better for sure ;-)  And he actually has hair!  The other three children were just about bald with the exception of a little blond fuzz but Shiloh has a good bit of dark hair.

I'm glad to report that Amos loves his little brother and always wants to know where he is.  And he'll normally play nearby and talk to me & pat Shiloh's head while I'm nursing him.  And he's very hands on with burping too.

Dr. Rhodes & Shiloh

 First day home and relaxing in the crib.

 Three out four handsome Clark boys.

 Amos loves Shiloh so much!!

Random

I have been so slack lately about taking photos and documenting all of our happenings.  As always, we've had a lot going on and I feel like things have been absolutely crazy since the beginning of October.  We're learning to be persistent in prayer and the Lord has definitely been providing us plenty of opportunities!  Here's a bulleted list just for the sake of documentation:

• As you'll remember Bobby went to San Diego and Amos busted his lip & my uncle died.
• Upon his return, the battery died in my van.  My van is just one year old.  Thankfully Bobby was home and was able to come and help me when I was stuck in Seneca.
• The week after the battery incident Bobby had to replace some thing clutch related in his car.  Thankfully he had received a bonus at work and the extra money covered my battery and the parts for his clutch -and what happened next.
• Bobby's 99 year old Grandmother passes away in Maryland.  We ended up buying Bobby's dad a plane ticket so he could attend the funeral.
• I failed my one hour glucose test & my blood pressure was elevated all in one visit.  I was so worried and frustrated.  So I buckled down on exercising, drinking even more water and researching herbal remedies to help with my blood sugar (cinnamon and Vitamin D by the way.) Thankfully I passed my 3 hour glucose test and my blood pressure was the best it had been the whole pregnancy.
• Then we started having air in our water.  Changing the water filter didn't solve the problem.  We had someone come look at it and he couldn't figure out what the problem was but suggested it may be the tank.  The tank definitely needed to be replaced but we still have small amounts of air in the water.  The guy is coming back today to check the pipes.
• Right about the time we started having air in the water, we awoke one morning to a freezing house.  Our heat had stopped working.  We had someone come look at it but he really couldn't figure out what the problem is.  He replaced a part, we thought it was fixed and then it happened again.  Since then we've not had a problem but it's still frustrating to have your heat stop working and no one can figure out the cause.  The last guy that came out told us to "hang tight" and sometimes it "take the whole thing going out to find the problem."  Really?  That is so very comforting.  

Please don't think I'm complaining because I'm not.  With each problem we've encountered we've learned to trust the Lord even more -and as I've said, be more persistent in praying.  Sure we've been frustrated and felt a little overwhelmed but prayer & praise banish those feelings :-)  And as always, good things happened too over the past month.

• The kids are cruising along in school and enjoying it so much.  They are especially loving Geography and ask almost daily to play the Geography game.
• Amos is talking more and more.  You can now have a complete conversation with him.
• We've decided to name our new little mister Shiloh.  We still don't have a middle name though.
• And, Shiloh will arrive on December 24th unless he plans to come earlier (which is my prayer!  I want to be home and recovered before Hannah's birthday.)
• I found out I'm getting a great niece or nephew in June 2015.  
• As I mentioned above, Bobby received a raise at work that basically covered all of the extra expenses we've incurred.  Not exactly the way we would have like to spend that money but many are the plans in a mans heart!!  
• Amos is pretty much "potty trained."  He wears underpants all day and rarely has accidents.  He does still wear pull-ups at night but that's it. 

I leave you with some pictures of my beautiful family and the knowledge that we are happy, healthy and anticipating wonderful blessings in the future.   How can you not when you're expecting a sweet baby boy to cuddle ;-)

 Amos kept trying to sit in Shiloh's car seat and I explained several times it's for his new brother.  I finished cleaning the kids room & came out to find Mario tucked in and ready for a ride!

----> Halloween '14

Trunk or Treat @ Wal Mart

Amos:  Superman

Samuel:  Night Shift (a Skylander) and he wouldn't wear his mask

Hannah:  Elsa (the most popular costume this year, of course)

Heather:  31 wks pregnant 

Bobby: {not pictured} was a disgruntled Clemson employee :-)

This is the first year Amos has really gone Trunk or Treatin'.  We normally just go to the "Fall Festival" (seriously, it's just a non-offensive way to say Halloween party) at the church we attend.  But they didn't have their party this year so the kids decided for Trunk or Treatin' at Wal Mart.  Amos would walk up, hold his bucket up, mumble "Trick or Treat!" and then stand for a minute looking into his bucket after he was given candy.  Then he'd look up expectantly like Is that all?  He was too sweet.  

Clemson Basketball

I almost forgot to post these pictures.  Earlier in the month, Bobby & I took the kids to Rock the John.  There was a magic show, introduction of the 2014-2015 men & women's basketball team, an exhibition game and more.  Afterwards we got to meet all the players and got their autographs on the free posters that we received earlier.  I thought Amos would be scared with so much noise and smoke (from the fireworks & smoke machines) but he had just as much fun as Hannah & Samuel!

My favorite family picture.

 They took some good family pictures and then things got silly...

 It's smokey because of the fireworks and smoke machines.  It took forever for it all to clear.

 Sammy was excited to meet Rod Hall.  But he was so shy that he wouldn't have his picture taken with him.

 Hannah was not shy about posing with our favorite player -Landry Nnoko.  I love the grin on her face!

Interview with a Non-Second Grader

Mr. Amos James is now two years old and his little personality is in full bloom.
He is a chatterbox who loves his older siblings, milk and Matchbox cars.
He will sit for long periods of time rolling & lining up his cars -completely entertaining himself.  Then he can spend long periods of time playing tag or hide 'n seek with Hannah.
Amos is very bossy and will push/pull you to what he wants.
Thankfully he has not lost his friendly, smiley personality and loves just about everyone -with a few minor exceptions and a few rare cases of stranger anxiety.
He does have a quick temper though and is bad to throw things when angered.  The other day he threw a wooden block at Hannah (but missed, baseball will not be his sport).  Before I could get up to spank him, he was already hugging her and kissing her head.
I love when he says "Thank you" and "You welcome."  So polite!

What is Your Favorite?

Color:  red & blue

Food:  anything pasta related -spaghetti especially

Drink:  milk

Book:  Hello World! (teaches you to say Hello in different languages -Shalom)

Movie:  Toy Story 3 & Finding Nemo

Television cartoon:  Daniel Tigers Neighborhood

Activity:  Playing with Matchbox cars

Person:  Mama of course!!  But Daddy, Hannah, Samuel, Granny, Papa & Ms. Betty are all close seconds.  And if Aunt Bonnie brings cupcakes then you can forget the rest of us completely.

Brotherly love...

 My silly monkey loves posing for the camera...

Santa's Land/Cherokee 2014

It was rainy off & on, chilly and there ended up being a parade in downtown Cherokee so I didn't get as many pictures as I normally do.  We still had a ton of fun and, as always, we're thankful to my parents for paying for everything.  My children have the best grandparents ever.

Interview with a 2nd Grader

Sammy would actually be in first grade this year if he were in public school.  Since he wanted to start a year early and has done so well we've just kept going so he's second grade.  He can read well but doesn't like to read and he really excels at Spelling.  He is more like me when it comes to math & science.  We do well enough in those areas but they're not our favorite.

Sam is really looking forward to Upward again this year.  He loves basketball -watching and playing it.  I love how athletic he is and graceful.  He'll get on the trampoline and just bounce and flip with such ease.  It's amazing to watch.  I believe he is starting to become interested in other sports so we may try some over the summer.

Sam is so helpful and sweet around the house.  He looks for ways to help us and loves entertaining Amos for us.  He's a good big brother but can "love" Amos a little too much and drive him crazy sometimes ;-)  He also loves AWANA and really works hard on learning his scriptures.  I have to help him with some of the words but otherwise he works on his own.  This week he learned Psalm 23:1-6 and practiced over and over.  We even listened to the Keith Green song to help him.  And tonight he said it perfectly!  It was a very appropriate scripture for our week.  

What is Your Favorite?

Color:  Yellow

Food:  Mashed Potatoes

Drink:  Sweet Tea

Book:  How Does a Dinosaur Say Goodnight?

Subject in School:  Spelling

Movie:  Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Activity:  Play the Wii and Upward Basketball

Person:  Amos

What do you want to be when you "grow up":  Missionary

I love this smile.

 And the blond hair and those blue eyes!!  He's too handsome!

Travel Ban

I'm about to the point of putting a ban on travel in our house.  At least until our children are grown.  Sometimes it seems as if we're living under a curse when it comes to trips.

Evidence:

-Bobby went on a business trip when Sammy was about two years old and Sammy fell off the

 trampoline and got a gash on his forehead.

-One year while on vacation my ear swelled up -like it has a tendency to do.

-The next summer Sammy ended up with a cold & fever while we were on vacation.

-Our trip to Orlando, FL brought the worst stomach bug ever to Hannah, Samuel and myself.

-Our family vacation this year saw Sammy suffer with a double ear infection.

-This year we went to visit Bobby's family at the beach in NC and Sammy ate so much that he ended

  up throwing up (first time that has ever happened to him.)

-Our second trip this year to NC, for our nephew's christening, saw Hannah with a huge red rash on

  one side of her face.

There may be more.  And we've had our fair share of good trips too.  They surely outnumber the bad but tonight all I remember is the bad & the ugly.

Anyway, to the point of this post.  Bobby left Thursday for work training in CA.  Thursday afternoon Amos somehow busted his bottom lip, the inside of his bottom lip and cut his chin right below his lip.  No one saw exactly what happened but we know it involved his metal Tonka truck, copious amounts of blood and crying -from Amos & myself.  No big deal.  I gave him some Ibuprofen and kept an eye on him.  He was still playing and eating fine, his poor lip was swollen and it looked like there were some small blisters on the inside but I figured he'd look better by the next morning.

Wrong.  Friday morning his lip looked like it had doubled in size as well as the blisters.  And they were white & grayish looking.  I ended up taking him to the doctor just to make sure no stitches or antibiotics were needed.  It was comforting to hear that it really looks worse than it is but still.

And if worrying about Amos wasn't enough - my mom's brother passed away very early Friday morning.  He was suffering with many health issues so we knew to prepare ourselves but it still doesn't make it any easier.  My mom has been very stressed and not sleeping very well.  There's only so much I can do to help since I'm home with three kids and my only reliable baby sitters are out of town on vacation.

James 1:2-4 says:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

We rejoice that my uncle had called on the name of the Lord and was saved.  We have the comfort of knowing we'll see him again one day...

The kids & I rejoice that Amos just had a busted lip and didn't need stitches... 

We're working on being joyful in our trials.  We're always working on this but we're just getting a little extra practice this time.  Just remind me of this scripture the next time I'm complaining about our travel related trials :-)

Olaf

This is what happens to roosters that flog our children (as they attempt to do their chicken chores) on a daily basis.  He was beautiful and Hannah loved him and named him Olaf.   It's a shame he was so mean.

BEFORE

 AFTER

(chicken 'n dumplings)

Interview with a 3rd Grader

I can't believe Hannah is in third grade this year!  She loves school and is really doing great.  She reads well, loves math & science and even though she dislikes spelling & language arts she does great in those areas too.  She is really going to be a genius at math like her Daddy.  I can see her mind working so much differently then mine (and Sammy's) as she solves her problems.

I'm also proud that she is once again saving her own money to buy another American Girl doll -though I'm trying hard to persuade her to buy the clothes and accessories for Rebecca instead.  I'd rather not be overrun by AG dolls but it is her own hard earned money.  She takes care of the ducks, turkeys and chickens all by herself.  It's a big job but she works hard each morning and is very thorough.

Hannah is such an artist.  She is constantly drawing, coloring, cutting, painting.  Bobby brings home scrap paper from work otherwise I think she might single-handedly destroy a rainforest.  She's really good too.  We're in the process of looking for an art class that she can take this winter but so far we've found nothing.  Her alternative choice is tumbling so she may have to do that throughout the winter and go to art camp next summer.

She still loves AWANA.  I never have to remind her to work on her scriptures.  She does it willingly and works very hard.  And she's not just memorizing to get her points, those scriptures are truly hidden in her heart and come out at the right moments.  It's sweet watching her help Sammy with his scriptures.

What is your FAVORITE:

Color:  Pink

Food:  Rice and all veggies

Drink:  Sprite

Book:  Berenstain Bear Books

Subject in School:  Language Arts

Movie:  Frozen

Activity:  Art

Person:  every one in my family

What do you want to be when you "grow up":  a teacher for 3rd grade

{Some things just never change!!  Most of these are the same answers from when she was four years old.}

Wordless Wednesday

2014-2015 Curriculum

Don't you love knowing how everyone else home schools?  Or am I the only nosey one?  Really though, I love reading blogs and talking to friends and seeing how they go about home schooling.  What curriculum do you use - or do you even use one?  What is your daily schedule like?  What books do your kids like to read.  I love getting input and new ideas.

I clearly love blog posts that share schedules and curriculums.  So I thought I would share what the C. kids are going to be doing this year and how we go about our day.  Plus I may have no memory left in a few years - with four kids and all- and this will serve as a reminder.

Once again we're using My Father's World.  I love this curriculum.  Everything the kids do -from science to geography to language arts- is based on Scripture.  This year Hannah is in 3rd grade and Samuel is 2nd.  Thankfully once your youngest child hits 2nd grade, MFW has them join the curriculum of the oldest child.  This year we're "Exploring Countries & Cultures" with Hannah and Sam doing the same work for Bible, Geography and Science.  Their Math and Language Arts are separate since they are at different levels.  This has made our lives - and school days- so much easier!  Plus MFW has a good schedule but they encourage flexibility and skipping lessons that may be too hard for your children.

Our schedule is fairly flexible and suits us perfectly.  After we wake, and remember we're not morning people, we eat breakfast then start chores.  Make beds, dishes, laundry, feed our multitude of chickens, vacuum.  You know, whatever needs to be done.  After chores we start with Bible.  This includes reading Scriptures and Hero Tales which has short stories about different people from history that really exemplified Biblical character (example: Dwight L. Moody.)  Then we move to Science and finish the morning with Geography.  We stop for lunch and a 30 to 45 minute break.  In the afternoon one child works on Math while the other works on Language Arts -they are using the same English book so we have to flip flop.  We finish with their 15 minutes of Book Basket time where they can chose any book they wish and read/look at it for 15 minutes by themselves.  We're normally done by 2:30 in the afternoon but always by 3 o'clock.  

Amos is so sweet and, other than being a bit of distraction for Sammy, is well behaved while we work.  He normally gets out his little Bible, unprompted, and sits with us during Bible time.  He loves to look at their Science and Geography books too.  He'll play with blocks or Matchbox cars while we work and in the afternoons he'll watch a movie so Hannah & Sam can concentrate on spelling without him chattering and being in the way.

So far this year is going smoothly.  The kids are working hard and have such a good attitude about their work.  My prayer is that this will continue -especially come January when we start back up with a tiny newborn!

I love when everything is organized and easy to find.  I spent the better part of an afternoon, last month, organizing the school books for this year.

Sammy is using the Complete Book of Math.  Hannah is going to be scientifically/mathematically minded like her Daddy.  She placed out of the first group of books and into the second group for Singapore Math.

The kids filled out their passport applications so they can visit the different countries this year.  They have cute little passports that we'll add country flag stickers too as we learn about a country.

You can see how this cute little guy would be a distraction.