Mobley Baby Number Five!

We are thrilled to share the exciting news with you that we are having another baby!  We are expecting to meet our little one somewhere around March 14, give or take three weeks.  Mary will be one month shy of seven.  Maggie will be four and a half.  Matthew and Jonathan will just have turned two.  The funny thing is whenever I go anywhere with my brood, I get so many comments about how busy I must be.  (Having more than two children is extremely unusual in Southern California!)  I guess life is going to get even busier!  I am looking forward to leaning upon God's all-sufficient power and grace when I find my own insufficient!

Every child is a beautiful miracle.  Certainly, each one of our children is a special, miraculous gift from God.  Yet, if it is at all possible for this child to be a greater miracle, it is!  You see, I have always had infertility issues, probably due to excessive dieting and exercising in my younger years.  It seems like most of our married life we have been trying (unsuccessfully) to conceive without the aid of interventions. I know this all sounds quite far-fetched coming from a mom of four, but it's really true!  God has used the very lowest dose of clomid to enable us to conceive Mary, Maggie, and the twinners! 

After Matthew and Jonathan were born, David and I talked about whether we wanted to have any more children.  We both really felt like we wanted to leave it up to God.  We decided to neither pursue fertility treatments nor actively prevent a conception.  We pretty much thought that meant that we would not have any more children of our own.  Obviously, we thought wrong because I am pregnant!  Not only did I not take clomid, but I was even still breastfeeding Matthew AND Jonathan!  (Matthew abandoned ship not too long after we found out I was pregnant.  Jonathan stuck it out for a bit longer and then joined his big brother.) 

Indeed, every one of babies has been a miracle, but, to us, this baby seems to be an extraordinary miracle!  I am such a mixture of emotions right now.  I am amazed that God has healed me.  I am scared at the thought of having five children so close in age.  I can't even figure out how to assign seats in the van!  I am nervous about Matthew and Jonathan's adjustment.  They are already a bit behind developmentally.  On top of that, they will have just turned two when the baby is born!  They'll still be in diapers and just hitting the terrible-twos!  Most of all, though, I am excited about this unique blessing from God and pray that David and I will do all that we can to bring this child up in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

Visiting Friends in Utah!

Another highlight of our cross-country road trip was visiting some close friends in Utah. We met at church in New Orleans and quickly became good friends.  Shortly after Matthew and Jonathan were born, they embarked on a big move to Utah (insert tear here).  I still miss our times of fellowship together but rejoice to see the work they are doing for the Lord in Utah!  Utah is definitely blessed to have them!

David and I had a wonderful visit with James and Pam. Mary and Maggie enjoyed playing with Marissa, Makayla, Madison and Malachi again (lots of Ms). The kids seemed to just pick up right where they left off even though they hadn't seen each other in nearly a year and a half! Matthew and Jonathan loved exploring their house and playing with Malachi's fancy cars and trucks! As if that weren't enough, James and Pam made us the best chicken I have ever tasted.  If you are interested in learning about smoking meat, James is the man you should talk to!

Here are a few pictures from our brief visit:

This photo is courtesy of Mary J. Mobley!  I think Malachi is running around somewhere.

Six children at one table coloring!  Malachi, Makayla, Madison, Marissa, Mary, Maggie.

Friends who color together stick together!  Madison, Marissa, Mary.

Marissa and Mary tried really, really hard to make fire.

Makayla and Mary played with Legos.

Madison and Maggie share a love for babies!

Flash, the dog, the newest addition to the Thompson family!

One last picture of the kids over two years old together.  Smiles all around.  Madison, Malachi, Makayla, Mary, Maggie, Marissa.

Our First Week of School

Well, we successfully completed our first week of first grade this week!  I am still homeschooling, but have enrolled Mary in River Springs Charter School.  Because of that, I am required to adhere to the school's calendar and keep attendance!  Yikes!  I even had to come up with a PLAN for the year.  OK, I would have done that anyways, but now I feel some greater obligation to actually follow it!

I am thrilled to be involved with River Springs.  Although the school's administrative offices are located in Temecula, there is a learning center in nearby Costa Mesa. They offer many classes at the learning center.  Mary will be taking Passport to the World.  She will be able to learn about the customs, dress and food in different cultures around the world.  Another benefit of the charter school is that I will be able to meet with a credentialed teacher every 20 school days to receive feedback/suggestions on Mary's education.  Another great plus is that the charter school maintains an account of state funds for Mary, which can be used for curriculum, supplies, sports, lessons, field trips, etc.  The only restriction is that funds cannot be used for Christian materials.  We still have freedom to choose our curriculum, but if the materials are of a religious nature, we must purchase those ourselves.

We had a pretty grueling first day, which consisted of going to the park and meeting other River Springs homeschool families in the area!  (River Springs services five large counties in Southern California, but this park meeting was primarily people residing in Orange County.)  I even took the camera planning to take some pictures of our first day and came home having taken zero pictures.  Since we didn't receive any of our new school books until 3pm on Tuesday, we waited until Wednesday to begin.  We are still waiting for our science materials to arrive, but I already have lots of wiggle room in the schedule anyways:)

I plan to use the following materials with Mary this year:

Language Arts
First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind V2
McCall Crabbs Standard Test Lessons in Reading Book B
Writing With Ease V1
Spell to Write and Read (beginning in O-1)
Reading selected titles from Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Math
Saxon Math Intermediate 3

History
Story of the World V2

Science
Apologia Science Zoology 2 (Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day)

Life Skills
Horizons Health
Baking (Mary has already mastered brownies!)
Soccer
Swimming

Special Interest
Draw Write Now
English from the Roots Up  V1


I am continuing to use The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading with Maggie (although I slip in phonograms rather than following the text word for word.)  Maggie is also really interested in learning to write her letters, so I have ordered her A Reason for Handwriting.  I also plan to begin Saxon K math with Maggie this year also.  Maggie's books should arrive with Mary's science books hopefully by the end of next week.  Then, the big juggling act will really begin!!!

Wacky Wednesday!

This is just a glimpse of the wackiness I contend with day after day! Of course, I love the wackiness, just not the messiness! 

My bib is a phone!

Ha, mine is a hat!

KING OF THE LEGOS!

And the king is overthrown!

Visiting Aunt Alicia

One of the highlights of our road trip from Louisiana to California was the long-cut we took through Colorado Springs to visit my sister, Aunt Alicia! The last time we had seen each other face to face was at my grandma's funeral in Pennsylvania. And that was before any of the Mobley children were even conceived. I don't remember the exact date of my grandma's funeral, but I'm guessing it has been eight years or so. Although they had never met, the girls adore Aunt Alicia!  They love talking to her and hearing about her.  Truthfully, she is the funnest aunt on the planet. She loves gift-giving and finds great treasures for little girls, purses and lip gloss and nail polish and jewelry. It is thanks to her that we have our much played with doll house.  Needless to say, everyone was looking forward to spending time with Aunt Alicia!  The only thing that disappointed the girls was that Aunt Alicia did not have a purple car!  We had a wonderful visit at the Tafts and hope that it will not be another eight years before we can be reunited!

Aunt Alicia with Uncle Steve

Alicia and Steve have four beautiful children.  We had so much fun getting to know each of them a bit better during our brief visit!  They have certainly grown and matured a lot in the past eight years. 

This is Cousin Morgan.  She is so beautiful!  I think she could be a model. We didn't get to spend that much time with her because of our trip itinerary and her work schedule, but we enjoyed every minute we had with her!

This is Cousin Christian.  Christian just graduated from high school.  He enjoys working out with his dad every morning, drives a motorcycle and plans to follow in his dad's footsteps and go into the Air Force (via ROTC)!

This is Cousin Maddy.  Maddy is such a sweet and caring young lady.  It was so much fun to watch her play with the girls, especially!  She even let the girls sleep in her room with her (and seemed to really enjoy it!)

This is Cousin Dakota with his girlfriend.  I don't know if they planned the matching shirts, but they are certainly a beautiful couple.  Dakota is a math whiz and would like to study engineering in college.  He is pretty good at defending himself in jousting competitions as well!

Aunt Alicia bought this knight costume for Mary and offered us LOTS of hand-me-downs, too!

Maggie makes a beautiful queen, doesn't she?

Jonathan enjoyed the swing at the park, a block away from Aunt Alicia's house!  After about two straight days in the car, everyone was eager for some physical exertion!

Matthew enjoyed the swing from a lower vantage point!

I think the girls wore Maddy out!

The cat was sufficiently tortured!

Everyone had to keep their guard up with Mary around!

This picture is a bit dark, but it is the perfect illustration of how we all felt when we left:( Since then, I have been asked too many times to count when we will be able to visit Aunt Alicia again! 

I Can See Again!

Yesterday, my new glasses came in, certainly cause for an updated picture, although I really don't like to post pictures of myself!  Do I look smarter now?  Yay or nay, I am delighted to be able to read with ease again and not have to ashamedly admit to anyone (like my husband) that I can't actually read that sign that you can see so clearly.  Now, I can actually make an appointment to get my CA driver's license.  I hadn't made an appointment yet for fear that I might not actually pass the vision exam.  (I know, I know, that probably means I shouldn't have been on the road in the first place!  Fortunately, we are all still safe and sound.) Now, the only part of the driver's test that scares me is the written exam.  Driver's Ed was, ahem, too many years ago!  Time to start studying!

By the way, if you look really carefully, you will notice a purplish tint to the frames to the great delight of two little girls.  They even gave me a purple case, too!

My Olympic Heroes!

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games were spectacular!  Even our bookworm, Mary, laid aside her books to watch the events!  She now has aspirations to one day compete in the Olympics in soccer, swimming, and volleyball!  I was impressed by many of the athletes, but most notably the following:

• Gabby Douglas--I was so happy that this girl won the gold in the all-around.  She was my favorite on the women's gymnastics team from the start.  She is just so bouncy and happy:)  In the beginning, the commentators seemed to think she was somewhat of a wild card, that she would not perform well because of her nerves.  I was so delighted that she won the gold.  I saw an interview with her after she won and she gave the glory to God!  At another time, she told the reporters that she was able to keep calm by reflecting on Scripture!
• David Boudia--This diver won my heart in an interview after one of the qualifying rounds when he just barely made it.  He said that he trusted that God is sovereign and he knew everything would be alright if he made it or he didn't.  He truly looked like a different diver in the finals and won the gold.  I was thrilled for him!
• Misty and Kerri--What I love about Misty and Kerri, aside from their great skill, is their teamwork.  I love that they have been together from start to finish.  Neither woman is looking for individual glory, but they are a team from beginning to end.  I so wanted them to win the gold!
• Missy Franklin--What I admire about this teenager and her parents is her decision to train in Colorado and swim for her high school team.  To do so, I believe she has turned down advertising offers.  In an interview, she said that she knows she would not be happy away from her family and friends.  I admire her values!
• Jordan Burroughs--Normally I am not a big fan of wrestling, but I really enjoyed watching this wrestler's last two matches.  Just one word: INTENSE!
• Oscar Pistorius--Although he didn't win an individual medal, I am amazed at the obstacles that this double-amputee has overcome to make it to the Olympics in track and field.  To me, he is the shining example of one who overcomes and is not intimidated by obstacles! 

I know there are many other extraordinary Olympians who competed in London, but these are the ones that have made a lasting impression upon me!

A Quick Update

I can't believe that I have let so much time pass without an update! I wish I could offer some acceptable excuse, but the truth is I LOVE THE OLYMPICS! I always have. Although my gymnastic skills are about zilch, I have fond memories of pretending to be Mary Lou Retton as a child. (My sister was Bella firing away orders!) So, I have been glued to the television watching the Olympics. I thought I could just share a few pictures of the kids and some of the exciting things that have happened since we moved.  In stream of consciousness form:

• Matthew and Jonathan both became official toddler-waddlers!  I even bought them each a pair of shoes!
• I gave up caffeine, seriously!  No easing into it either, cold-turkey!
• We have bought produce (and the occasional pastry) from the local Farmer's Market every Saturday since we have been here.  An extra plus is that it is within walking distance from our house.  It can be kind of tricky maneuvering the double stroller through the crowds, but the food is so worth it!
• The moving company "lost" one of our bookshelves and the hutch to our desk.  Fortunately, UCI paid for insurance, so we will be compensated for the loss.
• Jonathan figured out how to open doors.  Not only the bathroom door, but the front door.  This is somewhat problematic, since our apartment is located on the second floor.
• Mary and Maggie have become fish!  They are really enjoying the pool.  Mary has turned the water wings over to Maggie who zooms around everywhere with a big smile on her face!  Mary is now perfecting the cannon ball!
• David walks to work every day and finally has office furniture.
• And, he will be interviewed tomorrow for a chemistry journal!
• Mary is officially enrolled with River Springs Charter School!  I will still be homeschooling, just under the umbrella of the school.  We will meet with an Education Specialist (a credentialed teacher) once every 20 days.  Our ES is also a Christian and seems to be tickled with Mary.  She is super-impressed with her reading abilities as well as with her performance on her math assessments.  But, I think Mary made the biggest impression when she did not want to agree to "keep trying, even when the subject is boring or difficult."  
• I went to the optometrist to get glasses.  Contacts just do not work for me in this season of life.  They should be in soon and I'll post a picture.  The girls had a lot of fun helping me choose frames and wanted me to try all the bright colors, even a pair with heart-shaped lenses.
• Matthew and Jonathan have taken to wrestling one another.
• Mary has learned to make brownies (from scratch) all by herself!
• We selected floors, counters and other things for our new house!  This was no small feat given that we are relatively budget-minded people and the first tile I found that I loved was $17 per square foot!  At our second appointment, we opted to start from scratch and change the counter, which opened up an abundance of tile choices for the budget-minded.
• I got a new vacuum because my old one broke!
• We bought our Orange County parks pass.
• I only reorganized the kitchen about three times!

  

  Jonathan

  

  Maggie

  
  

  

  Mary

  

  Matthew