Chilson Family

Autumn...my most favorite season.  Love the cool days with a bit of warm sunshine.  The smell of wet leaves...the feel of dry leaves crunching underfoot.  This month has been busy.  Each weekend has been filled with a youth or church activity for the teens and will continue to be that way until at least mid-October.  Then I think there is only one Saturday with nothing on the calendar until soccer and volleyball tournaments at the end of the month. We have celebrated three birthdays this month and our anniversary is the 24th.  Of course with youth activity and a grands birthday party our celebration of 33 years will have to wait until another day! I have a few pictures of cards to share... These were made for some college students in South Carolina. I try to send a card each month to keep the PO boxes dusted! :) This was a sympathy card.  The jar is stamped on the paper and then again on some clear thin plastic to make it app...

August faded away right into September with little change except turning the page of our calendar.  The temperature remained high 80's to low 90's and high humidity.  I know, not even close to some parts of our country.  But hot and humid is hot and humid no matter what.  I remember when we lived in the Verde Valley in Arizona 28 years ago, everyone said it was a much better climate because the air was so dry.  One hundred thirteen is hot with or without humidity! Daughter #6 turned 14 on the eighth.  That's my little 2 pound babe!  She is such a sweet young lady.  She has a heart for helping and does NOT like the color pink! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART! May your 14th year be a year of many celebrations! Daddy and I love you BIG! xo (If I ever get a chance to get my computer running smoothly I will post pictures!)

Today we gained another teenager!  Daughter #6 turns 13 today!  I can remember the day she came into our lives...a tiny baby weighing only 2 pounds 9 ounces!  We watched a miracle before our eyes as she continued to grow outside of the womb.  It was not without many setbacks and tears.  Today she is a healthy young lady and we are so thankful to our Lord for walking us through the days of a preterm baby!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAUGHTER! DADDY AND I LOVE YOU! XOXO 

  We usually do not babysit Granddaughter J on Wednesdays.  But her other grandma needed to switch days today.  So here are three scholars that abandoned their school work for a quick "niece" hug!  One can never get too many hugs!       

Today our Daughter #6, (11th child) turns 12!  I must say, she is a mite bit bigger than she was 12 years ago.  She was born at 28 weeks, weighing just a little over 2 pounds.  She was so tiny and frail we could just barely touch her.  No stroking, no holding, actually no stimulation! She loves horses, plaid shirts, and cowboy boots!  Not to mention "stealing" her older sister's favorite slippers and wearing them!  I can hardly wait to see what God has in store for my girl!   Happy Birthday Daughter! Daddy and I love you very much!   xoxo 

Wow!  Four post so close together!   {maybe I have too much time on my hands}   I have some birthday pictures to share !  This covers July-October for the nesters who live at home! Son #5's 16th birthday Oct. 24  Daughter #2's 20th birthday Sept. 19 Daughter #6's 11th birthday Sept. 8 Daughter # 5's 12th birthday July 28  

Yesterday Daughter #6 turned eleven.  What does a girl of eleven want?  Well, this girl wanted something that really surprised me!      Birthday Girl showing birthday card and gifts  The white package is a bag of Butterfingers. Each family member gets a package of theirfavorite candy.  (Even if we have to mail the candy and the postage cost twice as much as the candy!) Tada!  A NERF double sword! Ready for action! Each birthday person gets their choice of dessert. Daughter #6 loves eclaire cake! I was surprised she really wanted a NERF double sword.   But she does have older brothers and even the sisters like to get into the action! (She asked for a real horse and we thought this was a better, less expensive choice!) I guess you are only elven once! Maybe one day she will be the fair maiden on the horse  instead of being in the heat of the battle! 

Today Daughter #6 turns eleven.  I can hardly believe she came into this world weighing only 2 pounds 9 ounces!  She was born at 28 weeks and spent three months in the NICU.  She has grown into a healthy child and has no problems as a result of her being premature.  We are so thankful for the grace God gave us and how He grew our faith during her NICU stay and wires and monitors that came home with her!   HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAUGHTER! WE LOVE YOU!

Odd title?  Well, yes it is.  But, today would have been my grandmother's (dad's mom) 114th birthday.  She died one week before her 76th birthday in 1974.  Grandma King was the only grandparent I knew.  Daddy's father died at the age of 48; Daddy was only 11.  Mother's father died eight days before she was born teaching someone to fly an airplane in 1932.  Her mother died 15 years later from cancer. After taking Daughter #6 for an ortho appointment today, we decided to go to the cemetery to visit Mother's grave.  I know only her old, tired body rest beneath the earth, but sometimes I just need to go and "visit".  My best friend's brother and mother are buried not even a stones throw from my mom.  Our mothers were born about eight days apart, and their deaths are only seven days apart, though the date are several years different.  So I went to visit/check on my friend's family graves.  The weather has bee...

I think being a mother must be one of the hardest, but most rewarding and honoring jobs.  Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed and wonder if my training will ever make a difference.  (okay, i know it does, but sometimes you wonder what the little ol' brain is thinking when your training) During homework today, Daughter #6 was telling me about her Sunday School lesson from yesterday.  They had stars that were hanging on the dry-erase board.  The teacher had said they were going to put movie stars names on them and then talk about what they had compared to what was missing in their lives.  Daughter #6 said the class was naming off different stars and she had no idea who most of them were.  She went on to say that she was glad that we did not make a big deal over movie stars.  I asked her if she felt left out not knowing them and she said, "No." We do have a TV, we watch selected movies on DVDs, Netflix, and a few local stations we can get on our "little...

I am thankful for Daughter #6.  She was a micro preemie, born at 28 weeks, weighing 2 pounds 9 ounces.  She is truly a miracle baby.  We got to watch out of the womb what takes place in the womb.  AMAZING!!!  What an awesome God we serve!  She spent three months in the NICU.  She was on oxygen until she was 18 months, and stayed and on a heart and apnea monitor until she was two.  She was our "blue baby"--named because she was always turning blue.   {Son #3 became a respiratory therapist because he watched his baby sister being rescued so many times.  He even knew what to do when he was in the NICU with me one day when her monitor went off and she was blue.  It just came natural. The RT told him he saved his baby sister and he was a natural.  Of course the RT stepped in and checked her over to make sure she was okay.} Daughter #6 is healthy and a normal ten year old!  I love you Daugh...

The day has ended for the new ten year old in our home.  It was a good day.  Daughter #6 received a Cobra Walkie Talkie with a 16 mile range.  (Why 16 miles?  I don't know, the siblings are always within a 20-30 foot range of each other!  Maybe she wants Daddy to take it to work so she can keep in touch with him!) Daughter #6 wanted an eclaire cake for her birthday this year, so an eclaire cake it was!  I don't know why I don't make it more often, it is so simple!  I had enough mix that I made the birthday girl her own little tub! I wanted to post a couple of pictures, but I am having trouble uploading from my thumb-drive.  Maybe tomorrow! The house is quiet except for the clicking of the keyboard.  Ahhh!  I'll enjoy it.  At 5:30 tomorrow morning I will have at least 3 nesters up with me.  I enjoy the early morning to myself, but love watching the nesters up and eager to do their devotions/Bible reading and then start t...

Today marks a very important day in Daughter #6's young life!  She is officially "double digit"--ten years old!  D #6 was born exactly at 28 weeks.  She came into this world weighing 2 lbs. 9 oz. and 15 inches long.  (Her weight dropped to 1 lb. 14 oz.)  I only lasted 4 days on bedrest with preterm labor.  We spent 3 months in the NICU, 18 months on oxygen, and 2 years on a heart monitor.  By God's grace she is a healthy ten year old today, and we praise the Lord for His special gift to us .    HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY DAUGHTER #6!!!!!