big family life

It was not a failure, though I thought it was at the time.

Failure stings when it's something that means the world to you. It stings like getting stung by a HIVE OF…

9 years ago

REAL life starts again tomorrow. Oh, yes, the kids are going back to school!

We just finished the longest Christmas vacation ever. 3 weeks!!! Full weeks!! It was a blast.  It was genuinely fun…

9 years ago

This Christmas: 1st Year at Home, 1st Non Disaster Story

This might have been the easiest Christmas in 14 years of April and Alan family Christmases. We only had to…

9 years ago

Our Top 10 Stories from 2016: The Drama Year

Christmas is over, and boy, was it a good one. In the photo above, all 4 boys were watching the…

9 years ago

“Get help when you need it” is my new motto.

Y'all know it was a rough year for me, physically. Thankfully, everything turned out to be mostly okay. I just…

9 years ago

Navigating Preschool Life: A Mom’s Expectation Makeover

Daniel's adorable drawing of Grandaddy. Don't worry. Those things under his nose are supposed to be Grandaddy's mustache. I came…

9 years ago

An Unexpected Blessing and Friend

Something special happened to me this week. We have been on such an emotional roller coaster this year, and we've…

9 years ago

Life, According to Daniel, age 5

There are 7 kids in my living room right now, watching Zootopia. And JD's asleep upstairs, so only 3 of…

9 years ago

Exciting News, Dirt Angels, and Checking on Daniel

I'm sitting by the bathroom, making sure JD does not splash while he takes his bath. I can hear some…

9 years ago

I believe in humility, in acknowledging that I don’t have all the answers.

Is the Christmas stress beginning to set in for any of you? I can feel it. Christmas is more of…

10 years ago