Nine Months in Oklahoma

We are SO homesick for humid, mosquito
infested, hurricane valley "home sweet home!!!"
But, the good news is, this one year job is
about to rap up and we hoping to be heading
HOME by next month, the kiddos can't WAIT!

Here it is, the new coker drums

are almost ready to be

tested and started up for use.

My husband and a few other men did

all the welding and building on

this frame around the coker drums.

The first lift of this huge crane.

Then the coker drums were lifted 

into place, this lift drew a crowd of people.

Then the pint house was lifted up

this was the heaviest lift of all

we watched for over two hours

along with many other people.

My husband and a few other men

waited for it to be put in place

so it could be bolted down and

secured into place, this was the

scariest part for me to watch.

For nine months the USI

crew have been preparing 

for this day, their first

complete coker drum build,

it was exciting to watch.

Field Trip to the Zoo

Ladybug finally got to go to the zoo,

she been asking for awhile now.

I met up with my sister and we took

seven kiddos for four hours...

THEY HAD A BLAST.

Homeschooling Away from Home

The kiddos are taking part of

 "National Homeschool Spirit Week"

that's every fourth week of

September that two homeschooling

moms started a few years back.

Tuesday was "Homeschool Away from Home"

so we started at the library, the boys

wanted to read more about spiders, snakes

and moths they have been seeing.

Then it was on to the Conoco plant were

their daddy works at, today the huge

crane was making a lift and my kiddos

have been waiting for this day.

Then we had a nice picnic at the park not far

from the plant, still watching the crane.

My oldest went to put his hand on a tree and

what he thought was bark FLEW AWAY,

so we chased a "camo moth" around to study.

Then we went to the Conoco Museum and

found out all kinds of info about the

refinery dating back to 1918, and the starting

business of Conoco's 127 year history.

This oil horse-drawn wagon dates late 1880.

And lastly, we went to "Standing Bear Park"

we have been here three times now,

the kiddos love to learn all about the Indians

that came over here and started a new life.

We learned so much in ONE day NOT

sitting at a table with a work book.

Six Weeks Under our Belt

The kiddos just finished SIX weeks of school, 

and here it's almost Autumn already.

North Oklahoma got their first cold snap...

brrrr, it's time to start baking. :)

Some horses got out and visited the park

and my kiddos had a blast feeding 

them carrots...so I had to go buy more

for our science project, they are growing

fast in just a little bit of water.

Mammoet crane is the world's most advanced

super heavy lift. It should make it's lift soon.

The kiddos have been so amazed by it

and the plant that my oldest had to build 

the plant and his daddy working in Lego's.

Been reflecting on fifteen years ago

my love got down on one knee at a high

school football game and asked

me to marry him..."it won't be a picnic"

was his words to me, glad I said "YES". :)

Back to School SOON

Yup, it's that time of year again for us, getting things bought and gathered
up for school next week, August 5th is are First Day of School!

 

I've started keeping a school portfolio, {don't know why I never thought of it

before when I started school?}

So this year we doing the colour "orange", so I got an orange notebook, have

some orange folders and bought the kiddos school shirts to paint on in...

ORANGE. :-)

Still sticking with each child their OWN colour, so I've added some pink

into the mix because baby girl starts this year, she can't wait!

And I made my own school planner this year, we'll see how that works out.

 

And we are still in the camper, parked in the flat lands of Oklahoma...

We bought two new items for us to haul around with us; a freezer, the

camper one is just not big enough to hold anything!!! And a Coleman

stove, it's so hot during the day {even with three ACs going} that I've

started just cooking outside if it's not raining.

Ardmore, OK Trip

Three hours south from us is Ardmore, so we took the weekend and drove
down there and went to a drive through Zoo that had some really neat
animals to see and feed right out of your car. :-)

Arbuckle Wilderness,

ladybug wanted to sit on "Bambi"

and the boys are getting attacked by a tiger.

The donkeys would just open their mouth

for us to poor food in, and I NEVER

seen turtles come running out of the water

to be fed, it was just too weird.

They wanted that camel to come to the car,

 UNTIL, daddy locked the windows and they couldn't

roll them back up so it stuck his head

in and took a big chunk out of the cup of food!!!

The kiddos got a good laugh at their daddy

and I being "strange" animals there.

We rode go-karts as well, my first time, FUN!

 

We cooled off at the motel pool.

 

Trust and Obey Through the Storms

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

~Hymn by John H. Sammis (1846-1919)~

 

 

I've been singing this song for a few weeks now, being here in Oklahoma

during the tornado season has NOT been fun or easy. I've wanted to pack

the kiddos up and go back to the South...BUT, my heart can't leave my

husband here by himself. We are a family and should stick together and

that's even through the tough times, so I've been praying a lot harder and

trusting Him to take care of our family.

 

We have our bag ready always!

We have 2 storm shelters in the RV park.

 

This is Mammatus clouds, they were neat.

 

 

 

 

When the wind gusts at 50-60 mph making the camper rock from side to side

pushing the slide outs in a few inches, water coming through the windows

and hail beating down on the roof making it hard to even hear yourself think...

that's when you are ready to be in that storm shelter with crying kiddos.

We have gone three times in the shelter to stay safe from the awful tornadoes

and thunder storms that have been sweeping through Oklahoma.

 

Praying for Oklahoma.



What a Hand FULL of Blessings

My sister had her third child a few weeks ago, so we pulled the camper to her
town and I got to help out by watching her other two children. It was tough
being in a camper with SIX kiddos for 4 days, but I enjoyed it so much and
we made a lot of memories. :-)
Before my husband and I got married we talked about children, I told him that
I wanted SIX...he didn't much like the idea, THREE was more of a number
he wanted BUT, the good Lord had other plans and He blessed us with our
precious FOUR. <3

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways;

declares the LORD.

~Isaiah 55:8~

I got my SIX kiddos for a few days.

 

My two li'l men that could pass for twins,

they are 5mths apart in age, best buds.

 

 

My baby girls, sure enjoy a splash of pink

to put a BIG smile on ones face.

 

And here is li'l sissy, she is precious.

Congratulations to my sister and her family.

 

Enough Snow to Last a Lifetime

I think after three snow falls, pipes freezing twice, sewer hoses busting,

and washer backing up in camper because of a froze pipe.....I THINK

WE HAD ENOUGH of this northern weather. ;-D 

One thing good about it, Oklahoma is almost out of drought which they

have been in for OVER two years....BUT, they still praying for MORE

snow and we do have some coming next week, so here we go again!!!

 

Our first snow back in early January

was a BLAST, got all bundled

up and played for hours.

 

Made snow angles...

 

Rolled snow balls...

 

Our second snow we had sleds

and had a blast with that.

 

We just had to watch out for

things in our way...

once you get going "look out"!

(See our camper?)

 

SO, the third time it snowed...

we didn't even go play.

But there is still piles of it in

parking lots all over town.

 

 

 

 

 

Lets take another look back

It's been tough trying to blog what we have done that y'all missed and
also what's going on now...I feel like I'm stuck in the middle. ;-)

I know some wanted to see pictures of my sisters wedding, we worked
hard, making our own dresses, baking all 60 something cupcakes
(she had a cupcake tower for her wedding cake), I borrowed wedding
decor from friends and used much to decorate, my husband and our
pastors wife cooked up some wonderful Cajun food....and others helped
here and there as was needed.

While in Oklahoma we got to play in "snow", yes for us south cajun

people snow we hardly ever get, so the kiddos had a blast making

balls stacking them up finding rocks and sticks and *whalaw* snowman!

Even lil' girl made a "snow girl" with the help from daddy. ;)

Then once we got back to cajun country it started raining and just

wouldn't STOP....so we had water standing all over the place which

made for nice mud wholes for the kiddos to get into...I was never so

sick and tired of "mud" as I was this year, they sure gave me a mess

every chance they could.

And BACK to Oklahoma we went for more work and while we where

there my wonderful Aunt took a photos of us. We went to my

hometown park and just walked around being us and she snapped as

we walked...I love the simple photos you get of children just being

"kids"!!! ;)

And while in North Oklahoma I got some awesome pictures of my

two babies...it's getting harder to snap ones of my older boys...

"oh mom, not again" but the babies are always, "look mom, take

a picture of me doing...." Enjoy them while you can, for they grow

way too fast I'm starting to find out.

"Each day of our lives we make deposits

in the memory banks of our children."

~Charles R. Swindoll~









A Month in Red Rock, Oklahoma

Been trying to save a lil' money

where I can, so hanging

the clothes out has helped a lot!

My preschooler is having

fun in school. ;)

We had a 3ft. garter snake

in the camper,

see my mighty hunters!!!

Having fun finding new

creepy crawlies...

Science at it's best...ooops...

we under a burn-ban!!!

Lil' girl likes make-up

when she's not

playing with the boys!

The Lord has been good, we have enjoyed the time we have

had so far here in OK., but please pray for RAIN...here and

TX. can't stop having forest fires...it's sad seeing all the acres

and homes burned. PLEASE LORD SEND RAIN!

Sisters are Forever

Spending time with my five sisters is always a BLESSING!

Being silly, holding big sissy!!! ;)

I'm the oldest of the girls.

We had a blast taking pictures...

Thank you Lord for my sisters.