Build Me a Son

Build me a son, whose heart will be 

clear, whose goals will be high,

a son who will master himself before 

he seeks to master other men, one who 

will learn to laugh, yet never forget to weep, 

one who will reach into the future, 

yet never forget the past.

The Knox Clan

As of May 2013

For those that aren't familiar with my side of the family or those that haven't seen us in so long you can't tell who's who...

from the left you have my little brother Tim with his family seated in front (Nathan, wife Nicole holding Abigail, and Micah). Mom and dad are next to Tim with mom holding Tim's youngest, Judah. Matt and Megan are in front of dad with their kids (Chloe, Cooper, Colbie and Caleb). Andy and Diana with their kids Tyler and Tiffany and then you have my crew on the right.

It's now August and Tim and Nicole are days away from meeting their newest little one =)

Where to begin...

I know I said this, like, 2 posts ago but...so much has happened! First, I totally didn't mention that my oldest turned 9 back in January. He's such a great kid. Really growing into a responsible young man who I am very proud of.

Katie was next. Turning 6 in May. Such a girly girl. Forget the bats and ball gloves. Give this girl loves anything with sparkle. She loves nail polish, make-up, twirly dresses and jewelry.

Then Levi =) He turned 8 last month. And he's getting so tall. And because of losing a tooth early and having no room for the adult tooth to come in(and I mean NO ROOM) he'll be getting braces next month. They'll stay for about 9 months.

We ended the school year with the decision that we would not re-enroll the kids in public school. Aaron's work schedule is such that he only saw the kids for about 10 minutes before school and on the weekends. Well, that was just not working for us. So, now we're a homeschooling family. We got started about 3 weeks ago and very slowly are getting the hang of things. I have some wonderful friends and a sister-in-law that homeschool and were very open about their journey. I received some great advice to help make the adjustment a little less harsh. It's going very well. I'm really excited to see how our year ends =)

I also ran my 3rd 5k with my brother, Andy. No pics this year. And I did my 2nd Warrior Dash. This year I Dashed with Andy and my nephew Tyler. I do have pictures of that but Aaron put them in a new program I don't know how to get to =/ I knocked 11 minutes off my time from last year and will be going back for more next May. And I'll get pics up when I can find them.

We also had our annual Knox Clan reunion over Memorial Day week. Again...the family pic is in that new photo program. Although, the picture will be missing a tiny person. Tim and Nicole are DAYS from welcoming their 5th. Another boy. I'll share his name after he gets here =)

On Father's Day we celebrated Katie and Levi being baptized!! Aaron's dad did this for us(as he did Ethan) and it was AWE-SOME!

And just because I didn't think I had enough going on...I got a puppy. A mini-dachshund we named Lola. She is a hoot!! She plays so hard and then crashes for a few hours. Sleeps great at night and the kids LOVE her. How cute is she?!?!

So, as you see, we've had our hands full. And it's only just beginning. And right now, I feel so very blessed.

Changing Me

First off, I cannot believe that this is my 100th post!! Seems like just yesterday I was giving in to a friends request to start a blog so she could keep up with me. And as hit and miss as I've been, I have enjoyed blogging =)

This post is more for me than for anything else. And as the title says, it's all about changing me. Aaron is working second shift right now. That means Monday-Friday he leaves for work before the kids get home from school and doesn't get home until after 11pm. He can usually change one day a week so he's home in the evening. That still leaves 4 days a week when it's just me and the kids. I know what kind of mom I want to be. What kind of mom I dream to be. However, when one is tired and feels like a single parent most of the week and the kids fight and are disobedient, it's really hard to be that mom. So, Monday(it's now Thursday) I dropped the kids off at school. It was raining and I was in a fantastic mood. On the way home from the school I had a conversation with the Lord. I made sure he knew what my goals were for the evenings to come. How I didn't want to get irritated with my kids and to find a positive way to handle their fighting. Monday evening went GREAT! I stayed calm and didn't raise my voice at all. I told the kids what I was working toward and asked them to help by behaving and getting along. They seemed to understand that it's hard for me with their dad gone. Tuesday was also really good. We played cards and had a great time until bed time. Yesterday....Still ok, but not what I wanted. I could feel myself getting irritated and fighting my feelings. I've learned that if I turn up my praise and worship music and pray in the moment it really helps. I don't want to be that mom that yells because her kids are being loud, or jumping around the house. I want to be loud and jump with them. Something happened at the end of last year, a tragedy in Connecticut, that has helped me deal with my kids. I just remind myself that there are parents out there who would love the noise and fighting and a reason to discipline their child. But they can't. I have the opportunity to change myself and be the mom I know I can be. To live in the moment and let my kids be kids. To have fun with them now because they're growing up so fast. To have a calm and gentle spirit because I don't want them to remember a mom that was always telling them to stop and be quiet and "what were you thinking". I am learning about self-control and to think before I speak. I'm in a study right now and one of the things that keeps coming up is that the mom is the center of the home. Who do my kids go to to tattle even if dad is right next to them? Me. When they get hurt? Me. When they do something they're proud of? Me. Not to say they WON'T go to their dad, but they come to me most. It's in our nature to nurture and I need to nurture ALL THE TIME. God is teaching me through some very special people that I am not alone in this struggle. But If we're going to homeschool next year then I need to get a handle on my attitude NOW. I mean, look at these faces...

Don't they deserve the best from a mom that loves them the most? I never want them to have reason to doubt that they are getting that. My best.

'Her children rise up and call her blessed'   Psa. 31:28

So Much....

Seems like so much has happened since Sept. For starters, Ethan had a bike wreck and broke a finger. Also had 4 stitches in that same finger. This brought about ortho appt's.

I also became an aunt again in Sept. Caleb Janzen Knox was born to Matt and Megan on the 11th.

Oct. started out with Aaron having a bike wreck and breaking his collar bone. He hit a pothole and 'superman'-ed over his handle bars hitting the pavement with the back of his shoulder and head(his helmet cracked). He was out of work for 6 weeks. This brought about ortho appt's.

The top pic is the road rash on the back of the shoulder he landed on. The other is his broken helmet. He hadn't been wearing one until about 2 weeks before this.

Nov. started with Katie having her second set of tubes put in. And Dec. started with her mouth connecting with Evan's head and losing a tooth that wasn't loose.

 Aaron's g-ma died in Jan. and Ethan turned 9.

We're also making some improvement's to our house. We've had a new roof put on and a new privacy fence put up just last week. Next on the list is painting the siding.

OH! And we've decided to homeschool next year and we're ALL excited =)

My "baby' turned 3!!

That's right! Evan had a birthday yesterday. My youngest is now 3 years old. It feels a little strange to be so excited that all my kids are getting older and no more are going to be added(unless the Lord tells us to adopt at some point). As the kids get older they get to be more and more fun =) Evan is no different. Oh, wait, he's a lot different! He is the most inquisitive kid we have. Bugs make him stop where he is, even if they're dead. He has to check them out and look them over. He's adventurous, curious, playful and loving. He shares well and is so sweet. We've been diaper free in this house since January and loving it. He knows his colors and can count to 12. And he rids Levi's scooter just as good as Levi. He's a little too coordinated for his own good and that scares me a bit =) He loves books and wrestling with the boys. He's still on the small side(can wear 12 month shorts) but makes up for his size with attitude. He's an awesome kid...and he's mine!

I have Dashed and I have Conquered!

Ok, I know it's been a long time since my last post. And quite a bit has happened. But I'm going to focus on 2 things for now.

In June I ran the Warrior Dash with my brother, Matt. It's a 3 mile run with 8-12 obstacles(I think we had 10). My goal was to do my best, have fun and not kill myself. I finished that run in 50.47 minutes. I was beyond proud of myself. I climbed walls, walked planks suspended over muddy water, ran though hanging tires, crawled under barbed wire and leaped over fire. It was more fun than I expected and such a rush.

Matt and I before the run. Still clean and smelling nice =)

                                                           
                                                              Leaping over fire!

Yes, that is muddy water I'm sludging through while trying not to get caught on the barbed wire above my head.

My sister-in-law, Megan(Matt's wife), was kind enough to snap some photo's of us at the end. This is my finish.  

                             Me and Matt along with one of his buddies, Tanner. We rocked it!

                                     After the run. We're gross and we stink. But we had fun!


So, the very next day Matt talked me into signing up for a run called Conquer the Gauntlet. It's a brand new race put together by folks here in the great state of Oklahoma. The difference between the Dash and the Gauntlet is this...The Gauntlet is a 4 mile run with 30 obstacles. Sounded like a run only crazy people or those with something to prove would sign up for. But I was still on a high from the Dash so I paid my money and locked myself in for the run in August. I ran more in the heat of the day to prep my body for the hot August temps. It was rough and I was not enjoying myself. But I had a goal...To run the Gauntlet in 1 hour and 10 minutes. The day before the run I changed my goal. I just wanted to do my best and have fun. Matt is a faster runner than me so I picked out another chick and stayed with her. Matt ran on ahead as my new friend, Tracy, and I trudged through mud, climbed over cargo nets, tried to climb over some very high walls, attempted to cross monkey bars that were angled, crawled through tunnels that were nasty and about 3 obstacles that included barbed wire. But, I crossed that finish line with a time of 49.45 minutes. I bested myself =) And the weather was AWESOME! It even rained on us. I have bruised legs, sore muscles and a touch of poison ivy and I'm looking forward to next year. I might even run it twice.

                                                                    The before

                                                       Let's get this party started!!

                                      Running through the vat of mud heading for the finish line...

                                                             ....So glad to be done

                                      Our shoes. Believe it or not, mine washed up  pretty good.

                                                                       The after

After all was said and done, I'm proud of myself and looking forward to my next crazy run. What an adventure!