The reason for our busy month!!

New Placements!

This last month was really busy here at the Hensley house- we were trying to adjust to new routines and keep everyone happy. Our household now consists of a 13 1/2 year old, 9 (almost 10 year old), 7 year old, 5 year old and a 4 year old. And shall I say I now understand the necessity of a schedule! I always thought I had one before but looking back now, it was a very flexible one. Nowadays, if I don't stick to a schedule, it's a zoo around here! Dinner has to be ready by 6 pm or I have a major meltdown on my hands. Bedtime requires a sergeant to make sure everyone does everything necessary to get ready for bed in a reasonable amount of time. And that's no joke!

School is in full swing with all the kids in school at some time during the day. Jared goes to preschool on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays for a couple of hours. One child is in afternoon kindergarten everyday. I go to work while she is in school and leave Jared with a babysitter. Kaitlyn just started up violin lessons again and is begging me to buy her a blue violin. Caleb never has homework even though he is an eigth grader. (He has study hall 8th hour so he is able to finish all his homework during that time.) So the first thing I hear from him every day after school is "Can I go to a friend's house?"

I spent a couple of Tuesdays up at ISU cosmetology department learning how to take care of the girls hair. They don't have relaxers so styling has been a challenge! I really appreciate the instructor taking the time to help me out. I learned quite a lot about curly hair- it needs lots of moisturizers and it's a pain to brush!

I am in the process of creating a chart for everyone so they know what chores they have and can earn rewards for doing their part to help out around the house. I'll let you know more about it when it's done!

15th Anniversary!

Somewhere in all the busy-ness of the last couple of weeks, Eric and I celebrated our 15th anniversary (on August 20th). It came and went and my good intentions amounted to nothing. I had visions of snapping a picture of Eric and me and posting it on the blog documenting this milestone but somehow life had other plans for us (we were busy preparing for the arrival of Destiny and Raivyn). Nevertheless, I have a whole year to celebrate our 15 years together so I figured...better late than never, right?

Over the years we have grown as a couple and individually. I always thought it was so sweet to hear other "much older" couples say that they love each other more now than the day they met. Now I truly understand what they mean and it makes me look forward to the future because I love what we have now! To think it could get better than this amazes me!

15 random things I love about us:
1. Anything said after 10 pm doesn't count.
2. How when we're dealing with unruly kids, we step in to relieve the other when we see their stress levels rising.
3. That we serve the Lord with all our might, mind, might and strength and support each other in our callings.
4. That we both know sign language! I never thought it would be so crucial in our communication with each other. We mostly speak but there are some pretty hilarious moments whenI repeat what I hear back and realize I heard something completely different. Sign language sure helps clarify what I didn't hear.
5. We are never afraid to say "I love you" often- to each other and to our children.
6. We laugh often. That is so important in a healthy relationship and it helps to keep us sane. Though I do wish it would burn more calories- we'd both be pretty skinny by now!
7. He laughs and gently teases me about my crazy, semi-OCD compulsions (light switches, purses, cleaning, etc.). If I use middle school translation for this kind of behavior, I know it means he likes me. ;-)
8. That we're quick to forgive each other.
9. We support each other in our hobbies and interests. He supports and encourages me in scrapbooking and in other hobbies I enjoy- including blogging. (Though reading books does sometime annoy him because it doesn't include him... and I tend to be glued to the books once I really get into it.)
10. He sends me sweet text messages during the day. It lets me know he still remembers me when I'm not in his sight. :o)
11. We both help to keep the house clean (though there's only so much we can do with 5 kids underfoot). I'm so glad he's not one of those men that believes that only women do the dishes and cleaning.
12. We set goals and work to achieve them.
13. That we are there for each other- through the heartache, joy, frustration, disappointments, excitements, etc. We've had our fair share of them!
14. That we'd rather be together rather than off doing things alone. It sure makes grocery shopping more enjoyable! (I remember we couldn't wait until Caleb turned 12! Whoo-hoo!)
15. And last but not least- we make such a great team. Nothing is done without consulting each other and discussing the pros and cons of a decision. We respect each other's opinions.