Feb 18

We have taken a vacation to see Brian’s family in Florida. It is a long drive, but not too terribly long. (8 hours) We have a pretty nice mini-van and we had a DVD player installed, so the kids were happy enough. The drive was rough for us because we had not gotten enough sleep the night before, and driving is fatiguing in itself.

We are here now, and that is what counts. We are going to be here all week. This will be our first week long family vacation. It is also the first time that Nathan has been to his grandparent’s house, and the first time that he has ever seen the ocean. That is going to be a lot of fun for all of us. It will not be warm enough here to go swimming, obviously, but I do not think that it will deter us from taking a trip to the beach. (It should be around 70 degrees by Tuesday!)

We are really enjoying being here. I love Brian’s family, and they tolerate me pretty well too. I like having help with the kids (besides just Brian and me). I don’t mind having them without help other than Brian, but it is easier to enjoy them when there are other adults that are taking responsibility for some of their needs.  I took a nap today. The kids took naps today. That was nice to be able to do.

I plan on coming back in a little while and writing more about the joys of having five children at home. It is a little bit harder when we are at someone else’s house and without our normal home routine. I also plan to come back and add a few pictures of the kids to the online family photo album. (*If you have not seen that yet, please check it out, it is wonderful!*)

Feb 12

Never thought it was possible to be so excited about something.

MY RING IS HERE!! YAY!! I am so in love. *sigh*

My ring, on my hand!
Feb 7

I am soooo excited…I should have it by Valentine’s day!!!

My Beautiful Ring!!
Feb 6
 
I knew it was true love during the first hours of contact with you. No one else on the planet could possibly make me feel so alive inside just by talking about the mundane and every day happenings of our boring little lives. I read things that you had written, and even before we met I wanted nothing more than to hold you and kiss you and tell you that everything was going to be ok.

Once we had talked through the first night I knew that I would not have a life if it was going to be without you. How could I? What other man that I have ever known knows so much about OSC? I thought that I was the only person that looked to OSC with such reverence. No, not alone…you did too.

The day that I laid my eyes upon you I was unable to take a full breath. I was unable to make my heart beat in a steady rhythm the way it had in the days before. From the moment that I met you there was a scream welled up just inside my throat. I wanted to scream to everyone that I saw that, “THIS IS THE ONE!! THIS IS THE MAN THAT I WILL LOVE FOR ALL MY LIFETIME!!” I went home to jump on my bed. (I haven’t jumped on the bed since I was a small child)
I have heard it said that you can see forever in the eyes of the person that you love. I know that is true, because when I look into your eyes I see not only my forever, but your’s intertwined together with my own. We were born to be one with each other.

Not too terribly long from now, we will be husband and wife. Two souls bound together, forever. I have never been so happy, I have never felt so safe, so loved. We already have our home together made, we have our children blended together as a cohesive family unit. We lack nothing in our lives together.

My love for you is pure. There is no sin that you could commit that I could not instantly forgive and simultaneously forget. I will love you forever, and even that will not be long enough.

Though we have not made our vows in front of a government or religious official, I, in my heart have made my vows to you.

I vow to love you until the end of time. I swear that you will be the only man in my life for all time. I promise to love, honor, and obey you until I draw the last breath in my body. I swear to you that I will make every effort to be, not only a good wife to you, but a good mother to our children. I will put all of you first, for the best interest of our beautiful family. All of this, I vow before God.

I Love You Always & Forever.

Feb 5

I saw this today and thought it was great. Thought that I would repost it here

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING
THROUGH THE DESERT.

DURING SOME POINT OF THE
JOURNEY THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT AND ONE FRIEND
SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE
IN THE FACE.

THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED
WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING,
WROTE IN THE SAND:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE.

THEY KEPT ON WALKING,
UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED
TO TAKE A BATH .

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN
SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING,
BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:
TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE.

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED
AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, “AFTER I HURT YOU,
YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW,
YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?”

THE OTHER FRIEND REPLIED
“WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN
IN SAND WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.
BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES
SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE
WHERE NO WIND
CAN EVER ERASE IT.”

LEARN TO WRITE
YOUR HURTS IN
THE SAND AND TO
CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS and BLESSINGS IN STONE.

Jan 25

Brian put song lyrics on his myspace for me. I had never heard the song before, but the lyrics were amazing and romantic. I finally heard the song last night and I was absolutely entranced by it. I woke up this morning and he had left a copy of the CD on my laptop. I have listened to the song a million times today and so far it hasn’t gotten old.

Love in itself is an amazing thing, but a love that is as what he and I have for each other is overwhelming and powerful as well as amazing. Every love song reminds us of each other, and this one in particular speaks volumes about how we feel every day.

 Check it out if you have a chance. Marc Broussard’s Where You Are off of his Carencro album.

Jan 22

Parenting is a daily struggle. Should it be? I am not one to complain about my kids too terribly much, but the past couple of days I have been ready to scream. We have one child that insists on not obeying the rules. Not just our rules either. This one doesn’t obey school rules, or rules at home.

 

I started to think that I was doing something wrong, and then Brian sent me a link for an article/essay to read. It made me feel a LOT better.

Orson Scott Card on parenting.

OSC is a brilliant writer, but only because he is such a brilliant mind. His thought process never ceases to amaze me.

Jan 18

YAY! Brian has gotten my site up and running!! (He is the wonderfully ultimate supreme head of our family, so how could he not have gotten my page up and running in such a speedy amount of time?)

 

Please visit my business site at http://www.stanaland.org/valerie and also you can access the same site from http://valerie.stanaland.org.

 

Jan 17

I went for my first interview in months this afternoon. I was a little anxious about it, but I think that it went well. (Aside from the fact that I had a very onion filled lunch and forgot to gargle with a little mouthwash before leaving!)

 I hope that this is the kickoff job for my accounting career. I hope to have at least five clients before the end of March, and from there I can get the experience that I will need to take my CPA at the end of my Bachelor’s degree.

 

This time next year I plan on having my very own accounting business running out of the house and this will be my busy time tax wise. Keep me in mind!! (And watch for my business website to get off the ground in the next few weeks… http://valerie.stanaland.org )

 

Jan 10

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Changes ahead…

 

January 10, 2007 by Valerie.
Look for changes in the way our homepage is laid out. We are looking to add pages to advertise for and inform those interested in my home bookkeeping/accounting business.
I look forward to being able to work from home, help out with household expenses and still be able to be an involved parent. I know that being at home when our flocks gets here makes all the difference in the world, but I am also aware of the fact that we have plans for our future and we need to get a bigger nest egg.
Thanks to everyone,
Valerie & Brian
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Tooth Fairy’s a-coming

 

December 29, 2006 by brian.
Brendon lost one of his front teeth. Pictures to follow…
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Santa Clause came to town and left the mess for me to clean up…

 

December 28, 2006 by Valerie.
I have been looking forward to Christmas for months and months. I have shopped and wrapped and decorated for a solid month in preperation for one day. I am totally in love with my family. I have wanted nothing more than to see their eyes light up and the smiles on their little faces. I actually got to a point where I hated the thought of shopping.
This was the most amazing and beautiful Christmas EVER!! We had all of our family here for Christmas and that only made things here better. Having six children here was amazing. (Even though we already have five here)

Brian smiled so much his face stuck. He has such an amazing smile, so this is ok with me. I was also full of smiles, but smiling was a little overshadowed by the fact that my throat was so sore I was eating tylenol and advil like it was candy. Having everyone here also made us all realize how large our famly really is. Aaaahhhh…..isn’t life wonderful?

Now that Santa has left town we are swimming in boxes and packages and packaging from all of the wonderful things that Santa brought. I seem to recall telling Santa Clause that our kids already had so many things they didn’t have room for them, but Santa Clause wasn’t seemingly able to stop shopping.
So now here I sit. My kitchen has recovered from all the food that passed through it for so many days. We are still eating leftovers, but they are not of monster proportion anymore. I have taken down the ornaments and lights from the tree, by tomorrow I will have the lights off of the house. Because of the fact that our tree has been used for so many years, I will have to go tomorrow and buy a new rubbermaid container to put it away in. I will reclaim my living room and things will go back to normal.
The next holiday that I plan to be festive about is Valentine’s day. (You can’t be as in love as I am and NOT be festive on St. Valentine’s day!!)
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Battlestar’s “New Crew”

 

December 26, 2006 by brian.
You have to check out this video for Battlestar Galactica.
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Father and son

 

December 14, 2006 by brian.
Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker were having one of their little father and son chats, lightsabers drawn and sparks flying.
Vader pinned Luke against a bulkhead and glared into his face, “I know what you’re getting for Christmas, Luke,” he said, “Ohhh, yes! I know!”
Luke fought himself free and jumped to a higher platform just out of Vader’s reach, “How do you know!?” Luke yelled at him, “How do you know what I’m getting for Christmas!?”
Darth Vader shot Luke an icey glare, “I felt your presents.”
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What I learned in science

 

December 11, 2006 by brian.
Answers of children to questions on a science exam…
Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.
Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.
Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?
A: Keep it in the cow.
Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.
Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.
Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.
Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.
Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? (e.g.,
abdomen.)
A: The body is consisted into three parts – the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels, A, E, I, O, and U.
Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.
Q: What does “varicose” mean?
A: Nearby.
Q: Give the meaning of the term “Caesarean Section”
A: The Caesarean Section is a district in Rome
Q: What does the word “benign” mean?’
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.
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Whiners put an end to a GREAT marketing idea

 

December 8, 2006 by Valerie.
I was recently watching the news and saw a story on an amazing marketing idea that was about to begin in the San Francisco area. During the story, the reporter was already getting the opinion of the whiners and cryers. There is always SOMEONE who “speaks for the masses” that is going to whine and cry and rain on someone else’s parade. (The masses being the homeless who sleep in bus stop shelters)

Now, granted, I do not ride busses. I might never have had the opportunity to smell fresh chocolate chip cookies while waiting for a bus. However, there are millions of people that could have had that opportunity and now it has been taken away because of the bunny huggers of the world.
How the whiners killed a great idea- CNN.com
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Giving Thanks

 

November 25, 2006 by Valerie.
The holiday season is here. That was never more apparant than it was on this past Thursday. We cooked for two days to get ready for everyone to come to our house for dinner. After we filled our tummies we sat around and watched movies and almost all of us napped a little bit.
Our first movie choice was “Elf”, and everyone laughed and cut up while it was on. We then decided to put in a movie for the kids, and we all settled in and watched contently as we dozed off.
The entire day was filled with so much love that it was overwhelming. The kids went almost the entire day and didn’t bicker or fight. For most of the day, Brian was never out of reach. I never took ten steps without a hug or a kiss. **AAAAhhhhh** I was so relaxed at the end of the day I was sure that I would sleep like a baby.
As I looked around me on Thursday I realized that I have so much to be thankful for. I have the most beautiful family that loves and adores me as much as I love and adore them. I have a beautiful house that, though it might rarely be completely clean, is the perfect size for our not so little family. I have truly awesome and true friends that are there for the bad, just as much as the good. I am no longer wandering lost through this world alone, or feeling alone rather. I finally have my true partner. I have stability and peace of mind and nothing in this world could make me more thankful.
Santa Clause is coming a month from now and I am sure that this holiday season is going to be the most wonderful I have ever had, and I hope that I can make it just as special for my family. *Tomorrow, we DECORATE!!* YAY!
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Happy Feet

 

November 18, 2006 by brian.
We saw Happy Feet last last night. Very funny movie.
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Welcome…

 

November 16, 2006 by brian.
Guess I should start this thing.  And I will try to come back and update often but I know it’s going to be Valerie who does most of the writing on here.
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