Six Little Arrows

Art Museum

2012-01-27T13:37:00.004-05:00

We made a trip to a local western art museum this past weekend. Joshua, Noah and Joseph are really into cowboys, Roy Rogers, and everything western right now. We were very impressed with the museum. It was huge and very well laid out and they had a hands-on area for children, which was great! We definitely plan to go back.

This life-sized horse was a favorite! See the little heads waiting their turn? :)

Flash photography was not allowed except in the childrens' area, so this picture is a little dark.

Making some food at the chuck wagon.

They even had a rocking chair...perfect for Mamas and babies!

Sweet Baby

2012-01-23T16:37:00.003-05:00

Peter is 3 weeks old today. He's such a sweet and easy baby! He is a big eater and is about to grow out of his newborn clothes and diapers. He has little rolls on his chicken legs now. :) Peter usually wakes up to eat twice at night and eats every 2-3 hours during the day with some cluster feeding in the evenings. He is so quiet and content! If he's full and dry, then he's happy. He does not cry very often, and when he does he'll usually quiet down as soon as I pick him up.

I am feeling so much better than I was! My headache is completely gone and the dizziness is almost gone. Being outside makes me slightly dizzy for some reason, but I was able to drive for the first time last Thursday and had no problems at all. I'm thankful to be feeling better. There's nothing like feeling awful to make you grateful for good health!

The other children are adjusting really well to having Peter here. Joseph had a hard time for the first couple of weeks, but it was due to me being in bed and unavailable. Once I was up and was able to establish a semi-normal routine during the day, he was his old self again. He loves his new brother! If Peter cries, Joseph gets agitated and runs to me yelling "Peeetaaa". :)

We were blessed to have Audrey stay with us for almost a week. She was so helpful and we miss having her here! The children love her and she's a great role model for them, which is a huge added bonus.

The Little Boy Thou Gavest Me

2012-01-15T15:34:00.003-05:00

Dear Lord, I bring to Thee my son
Whose tender years have scarce begun.
In this wee frame I know full well
A living soul has come to dwell
Who needs Thee now at childhood's gate,
Ere he shall grow to man's estate.
I covenant through hours apart
To pray for him with fervent heart,
To teach Thy Word with winsome voice
By day and night until his choice
Be but Thy blood for sin's deep stain,
And my small son is born again.
Then onward shall I pray the more
And teach Thy precepts o'er and o'er,
That he may grow, each boyhood hour,
By Thine indwelling risen power,
Lord, some small boys with none to care
Will never hear a mother's prayer;
Prepare my son with love aflame
To reach them with Thy saving name.
And make him, Lord, a polished tool,
A learner in Thy highest school.
A mother's part seems, oh, so frail!
But Thy strong arm can never fail.
To teach, to pray, to stand are mine;
Expectantly I yield to Thee
The little boy Thou gavest me.

Louise B. Eavey

Peter's Birth Story

2012-01-12T17:19:00.000-05:00

Peter (means "rock") Edwin (after my Dad, means "rich friend")

January 2, 2012

1:13pm

7lb 3oz, 19in

Yes, he's our smallest baby yet!

My due date was this past Sunday, January 8th. I was so sure that the baby wouldn't arrive until mid-January because my pattern has been to go a week or so past my due date. I was a bit surprised when my water began leaking right when I woke up exactly a week before my due date. We started our normal Sunday morning routine and went to church hoping that labor would begin on its own. We planned to head on into the hospital after church either way. If I was in active labor, I knew that I would be much more relaxed and comfortable having already made the 30-minute drive and gotten settled in. If I wasn't in active labor, then we knew that we needed to get things moving since my body takes a long time to respond to Pitocin and the hospital likes for the baby to arrive within 24 hours or so of the water breaking. When we got checked in, I was having some regular contractions, but they were weak and barely noticeable. I was 1cm, 40% effaced, and the baby was very high.

There were no midwives on call over the weekend, but I liked the doctor that was there and had seen him just a few weeks before. I was fairly certain that I wouldn't deliver until the next day though, since my Pitocin-induced labors have all been long, and it turned out that the midwife that I liked was there on Monday. They got the Pitocin cranked up slowly as usual, and not much happened. To make a long story short and skip many hours of waiting, I was checked at 3:30 in the morning and was 3-4 centimeters. I wasn't checked again until around noon (I think...it's all a bit of a blur with everything that happened!) and was 5cm. Thankfully the midwife believed me when I told her that I would go from 5 to 10cm quickly once the Pitocin really kicked in. I don't remember exactly when I got my epidural either, but I waited until I felt like I couldn't handle a whole lot more...as opposed to my previous inductions where I got it quickly since I knew that I didn't want to attempt Pitocin without an epidural. I did that once with Joshua's labor, and never, ever intend to do it again! Once I got the epidural I was able to rest and get a little bit of sleep.

So now back to noon on Monday. I was 5cm and, as I mentioned, and the midwife trusted me and was willing to let me have more time. After another hour or so I was feeling pressure and thought that I was probably fully dilated. The nurse checked me and I was! Peter was still very high, and I could tell that the midwife thought I would be pushing for a while. I told her that I've never pushed more than 3 or 4 times, and I thought that he'd be born pretty quickly. She told me to push once, said "stop pushing", and got her gown on for the delivery! I think I ended up pushing 5 times and Peter was born at 1:13pm! Thankfully I had no tearing and therefore no stitches.

That's where the drama begins. The placenta did not come on its own, and after a little while the midwife decided that it needed to come out since the uterus was starting to close up shop. She massaged my belly and applied some gentle traction on the cord, but the cord and membrane were all that came. After a little while longer she decided to go in after it. Not fun. My epidural had started to wear off before the birth, so I was about half-medicated at that point. Ouch! Anyway, she was unable to get the placenta to detach and had to get the doctor on call. In the meantime, they offered to give me a little more medication in my epidural, which I gladly accepted! The doctor got there and was able to retrieve the placenta (ouch, again!), which I was grateful for since the next step was a trip to the operating room. I was losing a lot of blood at that point. My blood pressure dropped suddenly, I started vomiting, and my pulse shot up. I'm not sure if it was from the extra medication that I got, or from losing a lot of blood, or from the pain, or a combination of everything. But it was an out-of-body experience and something I'd rather not ever go through again!

After all of that was over I felt pretty good and was on track to be discharged after 24 hours. I started to get a headache a few hours before we left the hospital, but didn't think a whole lot of it. We signed the discharge papers and literally as I was gathering up my things to leave I started to get dizzy. By the time we had made the 30-minute drive home I couldn't walk without putting most of my weight on Adam, and pretty much as soon as I got in the door I started vomiting. After a few hours of feeling awful and not being able to do anything but lay in a certain position on my right side, we called the midwife, got back in the car and made the 30-minute drive back to the hospital. We spent a ridiculous 5 hours in the ER, during which time I got an IV and two bags of fluids. They tried to give me morphine twice, but we refused it. We knew that I needed a blood patch for the spinal headache. What we didn't realize is that they don't do that in the middle of the night at this particular small hospital. The midwife very graciously "pitched a fit" and had us re-admitted to labor and delivery, for which I was very thankful. We were able to get some sleep and finally had the blood patch done around 1:00. I immediately started to feel better, and after about an hour we were able to go home.

Unfortunately, the blood patch didn't "take" and my headache and dizziness came back, though not nearly as bad as it had been. An anesthesiologist friend in our church recommended that I lay flat and stay very well hydrated for several days to try to give the spinal fluid leak a chance to heal on its own. I did that for 3 days and I'm very thankful that it seems to have worked! I have been up for a good part of today and have only had a minor headache and dizziness.

Having the spinal headache and the placenta issue was no fun, but looking back, I don't think that I would have done anything differently except pray harder that my membranes wouldn't rupture prematurely. :) I knew that spinal headaches can occur with an epidural, and statistically speaking, I was overdue for one! Peter's birth was not ideal in my opinion, but God is sovereign and His hand was on this birth just as much as any of my other births. Next time around I'm going to pray that I go into labor on my own, and if I do then my plan is to skip the epidural. If an induction is necessary next time, then I imagine I'll opt for the epidural again. In the mean time, I plan to do a little research to see if there's anything I can do or eat to help keep my water from breaking early!

I love the faces that they make when they're sleeping!

I've had a lot of time over the past week and a half to lay around and think about all I have to be thankful for. I thought I'd list a few of those things here.

1) A loving husband who works hard and takes such good care of me and our children.

2) Our home and the fact that God has blessed us with SEVEN children!!

3) A sweet, healthy newborn son to snuggle.

4) Good health, increasing strength, and the privilege and blessing of being a wife and mother.

5) Our wonderful friends and family that are taking care of us and graciously providing us with meals.

Happy Birthday...

2012-01-10T11:15:00.002-05:00

...to our wonderful, selfless, talented, hard-working, handsome husband and Papa!!!! We love you!!

Quick Update

2012-01-05T14:39:00.003-05:00

I'm very thankful to be home from the hospital a second time. I was re-admitted after 5 hours in the ER Tuesday night for severe dizziness, vomiting (and of course the dehydration that accompanies that), and a spinal headache. Thankfully none of the second hospital stay involved Peter...he's doing great! Anesthesia fixed the headache, and the dizziness/nausea is getting better as well. I'm feeling a million times better than I was, but still rather puny. It's going to take some time. Thank you all for your comments and emails! I'm going to reply to them when I am able. For now being on the computer makes me feel worse, so I'll leave it at that and update more when I feel up to it. Our pastor and his wife took charge of the other children and kept things running like a well-oiled machine for 2 days and we didn't worry about a thing! Adam is of course doing a wonderful job taking care of me and keeping up with work as well, and his parents drove from Kansas on Monday and are doing a superb job of holding down the fort otherwise. I haven't had to even think about meals or taking care of the other children, which is good since I'm not capable at the moment. We're working on getting some help lined up for next week, and my parents are coming at the end of the week, so we will be well taken care of. Thank you for your prayers!!

Peter Pictures

2012-01-03T13:10:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple pictures of our sweet baby! I wasn't sure if they'd let us go home after 24 hours since I had prolonged rupture of the membranes and they're concerned about infection, but the pediatrician was very nice and just told me to make sure he's eating well and fever-free. Peter has a heart murmur, which we'll keep our eye on, but other than that he checked out perfectly and is so quiet and sweet. I'm feeling better today, but still not wonderful. It's mostly a bad headache and a sore belly. More on that when I post Peter's birth story...hopefully in the next few days since I plan on doing a lot of sitting around and relaxing. For now we're going to bust out of here and go home and take a nap!

Baby Peter

2012-01-02T15:04:00.003-05:00

We are grateful to God for the safe arrival of Peter Edwin!!

1:13pm

7lb 3oz,

19in.

He is doing wonderfully! I had a few post-delivery complications and am not feeling stellar. Probably nothing that some food and a nap won't fix :) Photos to come when I'm feeling up to it. Thank you all so much for your prayers.

Quick Update

2012-01-02T08:35:00.002-05:00

We're still waiting on baby! I was 4cm at 3:30 this morning when I got the epidural, and I haven't been checked since then. Pitocin is nasty...epidurals are nice! I'm comfortable now and was able to rest for a couple of hours. The Pitocin is currently on 20 (max), but I'm hoping that the doctor will give the nurse orders to turn it up to 22 or 24 soon. That's what it has taken to get me to 10cm in the past, and I usually dilate pretty quickly (like from 5cm to 10cm in 30 minutes!) once they bump it up. We appreciate your prayers!

Surprise!

2012-01-01T19:38:00.002-05:00

So it turns out that I was wrong about the baby arriving mid-January. We are at the hospital now and have been since about 1:00 this afternoon. My water started leaking right as I woke up this morning, but my contractions were wimpy, at best, all morning. It turns out that I had PROM (again...pretty much a repeat of my first labor up to this point) and was 1cm, 40% effaced, and +2 when we checked it. The doctor decided to try to ripen the cervix with Cytotec in hopes of avoiding Pitocin. That has been in for about 3 hours now and there's pretty much nothing going on. They cannot start Pitocin until 4 hours after the Cytotec was inserted, so they'll get that up and running in another hour or so. I honestly don't expect to be more than 1cm since I haven't been contracting to speak of, though I'm hoping to be a little more effaced. We'll see! At this point it looks like baby will probably arrive in the middle of the night or early morning...based on how my body has responded to Pitocin in the past. We would appreciate prayers for a safe delivery and no c-section! I will update (hopefully with pictures!) when I am able.

39 Weeks

2011-12-31T12:25:00.003-05:00

Here's the 39 week belly shot! I'm pretty sure this boy is going to be big. Joseph was our biggest at 8lb 15oz. We'll see if this little guy beats that! Everything is pretty much washed, put up, and ready to go for his arrival. Now we just need a baby and a name! We haven't settled on a name yet, but we do have a list of several that we like. We'll probably just wait to see what he looks like.

I still don't expect him to be here before the middle of January, but he's more than welcome to come anytime. He's got 11 more hours if he wants us to reap the benefit of the tax credit. :) I somehow managed to lose a pound over Christmas (I'll never figure that one out!), so that puts me at 33 pounds total now. I stop counting at 40 weeks. :) I've been having plenty of contractions, but I usually do and they're not consistent. I have not been checked for dilation yet, which is fine with me. I'm not even really curious. Baby will come when he is ready!

Our Christmas in a Few Pictures

2011-12-30T11:33:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday, Noah!!

2011-12-29T07:05:00.001-05:00

Noah is 3 today!! This is ridiculously embarrassing, but for the majority of the day yesterday I thought that it was Noah's birthday. I've always had a hard time remembering whether it was December 28 or 29, and if follows so closely on the heels of the Christmas that it has tended to get a little overlooked. I don't know if it's because my pregnant self got confused or if I'm just a bad mother, but I told him that yesterday was his birthday. So he's having two birthdays this year. :)

Anyway, Happy 3rd Birthday to our sweet, mischievous, hilarious, full-of-spunk, handfull of a cowboy!

37 Weeks

2011-12-17T07:08:00.000-05:00

I'm 37 weeks already! It's funny to me to think that a lot of people have their babies by this point. I think I would go into shock if I went into labor before my due date! It's hard to believe that I only have 3 weeks to go...or 4 or 5. :)

I'm feeling great. Of course I have the normal aches and pains that come with being hugely pregnant, but I honestly think that the last few weeks before the baby arrives are my favorite part. I love being very obviously pregnant, feeling the baby move in his cramped little space, waking up in the middle of the night and realizing how funny it must look to see someone with a belly as big as mine trying to roll over, and being glad that no one can actually see me trying to roll over!

My varicose veins are really not bothering me much at all right now unless someone touches them. I have one near my knee that gets bumped by little people every once in a while, and that one annoys me the most. But I'm very thankful that I haven't had to wear those awful compression hose this time around! I've been trying to exercise, though I'm afraid I haven't been very successful. Our neighborhood is very hilly and taking a walk results in one long Braxton-Hicks contraction that makes it hard to keep going.

I've gained 30 lbs on the button, which is pretty much right on target for me. I gained 30 lbs with each of the girls and a little more with the boys. I actually gained 40lbs with Joshua, but I was 10lbs underweight when I started, so I suppose that's why. I have my usual third-trimester sugar craving. I'm trying to limit my sugar intake so that the baby isn't humongous, but it's hard! I ate 6 clementines yesterday afternoon for a snack. :) Of course that's better than cookies or ice cream, but it's still sugar and will still make the baby grow big and fat! If our babies were small at birth then I wouldn't worry about it. Since that's not the case, I'm trying to keep the sugar to a minimum.

Christmas Giveaways

2011-12-16T14:01:00.003-05:00

There is a great giveaway...or rather giveaways...going on over at The Munck's Quiver. They are giving away 11 beautiful handmade items and you can enter to win as many as you would like! Click here for more details.

Finished Object Friday

2011-12-16T09:40:00.003-05:00

I have been meaning to participate in Finished Object Friday for a couple of weeks now and have forgotten. These projects have been piling up for a few months. I just had to clarify that lest you think I sit around and crochet and sew all day long. :) I started this blanket about six months ago for our baby. I love these circular blankets! They're lots of fun to make and they are fairly easy. I can't wait to use it! I ended up not having quite enough yarn to finish this one, and when I bought a new skein it was slightly darker even though it was the same brand and same color. It is very noticeable in this picture. I don't think it's quite as bad in person. Oh well. Next time I'll be sure to buy more than I think I need to avoid the variation in colors.

I just finished this blanket last night. It is a Christmas gift for Joseph. I don't know if you remember, but he used to pull his hair out in his sleep and while he was falling asleep. A few people suggested that I give him something soft to sleep with, so I gave him a yarn blanket. He loved it and quickly began pulling on the fuzz and sucking on his finger instead of pulling out his hair and sucking his finger. It works for me! His hair has grown back in nicely. He has always loved being in his bed and he gets excited when I tell him that it's naptime. I think he must enjoy the peace and quiet. "Me time", or whatever it's called. :) Anyway, Nikki made him a blanket when he was born, and it has been very well loved. It still has plenty of life left in it, but I decided to make him another one to prolong the life of that one, and so that he would have an extra for when one is in the laundry. This is my first attempt at a rectangular blanket. The edging was a bit of a pain because the instructions were very confusing. I think I got it right though, and even if I didn't, no one will ever know! I was planning to do the whole blanket in navy blue, but Adam suggested that I do the edging in white and I really like it!

Speaking of Nikki, I made this bag for her and her new baby, Mary. The pattern was supposed to be easy, but I thought that it was rather confusing and I ended up lengthening the straps because they were so short. It was smaller than I hoped it would be too, but other than that I was happy with the way it turned out.

I also made this cute little hat for our baby. I found this free tutorial and I just couldn't resist! It's very easy and very fast and would make a great baby gift for someone if you know how to crochet.

I've already posted about my other finished objects...the hat and the hair flowers. I think that I'm all caught up now! Be sure to visit Fresh From the Chari Tree to see some other projects.

Winner!

2011-12-12T08:11:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Random.org, the winner of the hair flower giveaway is 1HappyWife! Thanks to everyone for entering!

Another Giveaway

2011-12-08T15:50:00.004-05:00

My good friend, Nikki, is giving away these beautiful snowflake ornaments on her blog! Go here to find out how to enter and to wish her a happy due-date. :) Her 4th baby is due today!

Picture Update

2011-12-08T15:25:00.000-05:00

I haven't taken many pictures lately, but here are a few that show what we've been up to for the past couple of weeks. Grandma and Grandpa in Kansas (Adam's parents) came to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a fun time and we celebrated Christmas early with them while they were here. They gave all of the boys real live cowboy shirts, which they couldn't be more thrilled about! Joshua shows his shirt to everyone who walks in the door. :)

Joseph isn't quite into the whole idea of exchanging gifts yet, but he enjoyed himself nonetheless!

We got our Christmas tree and decorated it the day after Thanksgiving.

Grandma helping Abigail put an ornament on the tree...

...and Grandpa helping Esther.

Searching for the perfect tree.

Joshua found one that he liked!

Giveaway #2

2011-12-05T06:15:00.000-05:00

Here is the second giveaway that I promised a couple of weeks ago. This is for three crocheted hair flowers - one pink, one yellow and white, and one pink and white. These would make great Christmas gifts if you don't have girls that could use them! Here are a couple pictures of Hannah (4) modeling two of them so that you can see the size.

The rules for this giveaway are the same as the last. Simply leave a comment to enter once. If you would like to enter twice, link to this giveaway on your blog or on facebook and then leave another comment letting me know that you've done so. The giveaway ends Sunday, December 11 at midnight and a winner will be posted on Monday!

Sale!

2011-11-29T09:46:00.003-05:00

Vision Forum is having a great sale now through Friday, December 2. Everything is 20-50% off, and they are offering free shipping on orders over $25 (with code NOSHIPPING)!! Feel free to use my affiliate link below or on my sidebar if you'd like. :)

Winner!

2011-11-26T15:47:00.002-05:00

The winner of the hat giveaway is Nikki R.! Thanks so much to everyone who entered!! I plan to have another giveaway next week, so be sure to come back and enter that one as well.

Giveaway!

2011-11-21T16:14:00.003-05:00

Since Thanksgiving is this week I thought I'd let you all know that I am thankful for you! I've been blogging for 5 years this month, and this is my 721st post. I originally started this blog so that I would have some sort of a record of our family's growth and day-to-day life. I also started it for out-of-town family that we don't get to see much. It didn't take long for me to really enjoy blogging just for the sake of blogging! And I have loved reading your comments and your blogs over the past 5 years!

As a small way of showing my gratefulness for my blogging friends, I am giving away a hat that I made. This is a newborn size girl hat. I realize that many of you do not have newborn girls, but you could save it or even give it as a gift if you wanted to. I will have another giveaway next week for a few hair flowers that I made. Maybe I'll make a boy hat after that. :)

I'm going to make this really simple. To be entered once, leave a comment on this post. For an extra entry, post about this giveaway on your blog or link to it on Facebook and then leave another comment letting me know that you have done so. The giveaway will end at midnight on Friday, November 25.

*The hat pictured above is not the exact hat that I am giving away. I sent the one in the picture to a friend, and the one for the giveaway is cream and blue. My camera is acting up though, and I can't seem to get a decent picture of it, so I posted the white and blue one. I used this tutorial to make the hat.

Who Said That Cleaning Wasn't Fun?!?

2011-11-19T11:13:00.003-05:00

Aquarium

2011-11-17T19:59:00.005-05:00

We enjoyed a short road trip to a local aquarium last weekend, thanks to Adam's sister and her family! We had a great time, as you can see from the pictures.

Abigail enjoyed impersonating a fish. :)

I'm not sure what Noah was impersonating!

Esther tends to be the most hands-on of all the children. She loved touching the manta rays and the sturgeon.

Just What I Needed

2011-11-08T06:44:00.001-05:00

I had a bit of a rough start to my day yesterday and was pretty short on patience before we even had breakfast cleaned up. While I was waiting for my oldest two to complete a short math assignment, I hopped on the computer to check for blog updates. I found this post on Learning to Sympathize from Leading Little Hearts Home. It was pretty much exactly what I was needing to read. There are so many issues in parenting that I find hard to balance, and sympathy is no exception. I don't want to cater to whining or foster wimpy, self-centered countenances in my children. At the same time, however, I want them to know that I care about the things that concern them, many of which are a much bigger deal to them as children than they are to me as an adult. I remember, as a child, being upset over certain things that are silly and inconsequential to me now. I'm sure that my children experience many of the same thoughts and emotions that I did at their age. Below are a few excerpts from the blog post, and you can click on the link above if you'd like to read the rest of it.

I say that I am working at cultivating sympathy, because there are times when I do not feel it naturally. And there are plenty of times when I fail to be sympathetic.

Today I failed. I asked one of the girls to water our strawberries and when I looked outside she was watering a rock. A rock. In an area that I had spent quite a bit of time weeding just a few days before. A few inches over were the strawberries- as parched as ever. But that rock... well, it was getting all the attention. And I did not feel very sympathetic.

I hollered out the back door asking what she was doing and you know- I believe she had no idea why she was doing what she was doing. She was just experimenting. Making her own waterfall. And although she needed guidance- she also could've used a little sympathy.

Just as with other good habits, practice makes progress. I see the value in choosing to be sympathetic with our children's weaknesses and being the person they can trust with their failings and hurts.

The Lord helping me, I need create a habit of sympathy.

I know that we worry about the implications of being overly sympathetic with our children- especially boys. If we sympathize with them when they are injured we fear that we will create whiny, wimpy children who run to Mama for every little offense, right? And isn't there a place to say "shake it off"? Absolutely there is.

Once we know the scenario, we might need to ask our kiddos to stop crying or shake it off. Once we know the scenario...
And I hope you realize that I am not suggesting that we should ever reward spoiled or demanding behavior or overlook disobedience. Not at all. Not ever. We cannot overlook issues and call it grace. That is not grace- it is negligence. But sympathy doesn't over look.
Sympathy is a spirit needed in times of childish foolishness; when a child is struggling with temptation; in times of injury and when a child has failed and is in need of being restored.
It is a sincere concern for our children's souls and creates a strength of character, not a wimpy character.

Instead of a child needing to demonstrate how hurt they are for an ounce of attention, we let them know we are concerned and on their team right off the bat.
When enter into their troubles and concerns, we win the opportunity to direct their hearts toward godliness and they will hear us when we let them know this is one of those times to shake it off.

We can be too hands off- ignoring what is really happening- but we cannot be too sympathetic.

Recipe

2011-11-07T06:51:00.001-05:00

We have been enjoying a variety of soups lately since we've been having some nice crisp weather. Most of what I have made are old favorites like Garlic Vegetable Soup, Taco Soup, and Chicken Noodle Soup. I want to make some Baked Potato Soup soon, but this past week I tried Italian Sausage Minestrone, which turned out the be great! Adam really liked it and all of the children gobbled it up. I paired it with Buttermilk Oatmeal Muffins the first day, and today we just had some crackers along with the leftovers. The recipe calls for Italian sausage, but I used turkey sausage instead and omitted the pasta. I love pasta, but I just didn't think that this soup needed it. Oh, and I couldn't find cannellini beans, so I substituted baby lima beans instead. I think I'll just stick with that substitution next time and not bother with the other.

I have dropped the ball over the past few months with posting my weekly meal plans. To be perfectly honest, I have changed my strategy a bit. Instead of planning a whole month at a time, I usually do two weeks worth of meals and I do not assign them to specific days. It has cut out a bit of frustration for me since school sometimes takes longer than I anticipate, which gives me less time to spend on meal preparation. This way I have a list of possibilities to choose from depending on the amount of time I have that day. I really like to make freezer meals, but until this past weekend our deep freezer was still at our old house. I had forgotten how small those over-the-refrigerator freezers are! Since we have our large freezer again, I'm going to start filling it with meals for when after the baby arrives...less than 9 weeks now! Oh, who am I kidding. It will be at least 10 weeks!

31 Weeks!

2011-11-02T10:08:00.005-04:00

Thanks to my 6yo photographer, Abigail. :)

I can't believe I'm 31 weeks already! It's hard to believe how fast the time is flying by. My pregnancies always seem to go so quickly once I hit 30 weeks, and I'm guessing that this time will be no exception since the time from Thanksgiving to New Year's goes by in a flash even when I'm not pregnant.

I've been feeling great! My varicose veins are an ever-present nuisance, but I'm thankful that they haven't bothered me too much this time around. They could certainly be a lot worse. My typical 3rd trimester massive weight gain has begun! I had gained 8 pounds at 24 weeks, and now at 30 weeks I've gained a total of 21 pounds. That would be 13 pounds in 7 weeks. :) Oh well. I'm not the least bit worried about it. I do hope to get myself into a more regular walking routine now that the weather has cooled off for good though. There are so many nice places to walk around here and the fresh air and exercise is good for all of us.

Enjoying My Children

2011-10-27T12:18:00.002-04:00

I haven't had the time or the inclination to blog lately, so I thought I'd link to a great post that I read the other day. I don't know about you, but sometimes I am tempted to dislike my children. I suppose it's really disliking a certain attitude or behavior more than disliking them personally, but either way, it's pretty much based on my selfishness and lack of patience. I found this article to be very helpful. You can read it in its entirety here if you'd like.

I find it downright heartbreaking that we have cultivated a whole generation of parents who don’t even enjoy their own children, to the degree they are glad for them to spend a large portion of the day somewhere else.
One of the reasons for not enjoying one’s children is the failure to teach them simple obedience and respect. I’ve seen children who haven’t been taught respect for their parents–I wouldn’t want to spend the day with them either. Raising obedient children is almost a lost art…and yet, it is actually quite simple! Well, the concept is simple. The tough part is making the commitment to spend the time and energy required to carry out these “simple” principles.
Oh that parents would understand who they are, what they have in their children, the vastly important work God has given them, and the privilege to carry out that work!
But as the value of children decreases, the value of the parent’s role also decreases. Obedience is only a thing hoped for, not a thing claimed by authority. And then all the parents gather together, shrug shoulders, compare notes, and console themselves by the fallen standards all around them. “Kids will be kids”, they say.
But the Lord has a different message…it is not outdated. How do you think Scripture can so boldly proclaim, “Children are a heritage of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is His REWARD. Blessed is the man whose quiver is FULL of them.”?
Does the average parent believe this? Does he equate a house full of children with “reward, happiness and blessing”? If not, he’s doing something wrong! I’m not talking about perfect children–they’re still sinners. I’m talking about children who understand authority and respond to the love and security they feel when parents establish healthy authority in the home.

Apples!

2011-10-16T18:06:00.006-04:00

We spent the day last Saturday driving up through the mountains, going to an apple festival, and picking apples. We had a great time! We have been to the orchard a few times before, but never to pick. It was so much fun, and it's amazing how much better the apples taste than the ones that I've been getting at the grocery store. They had probably 8 to 10 different varieties to choose from, and we chose Ambrosia (my favorite!), Beni Shogun (kind of like Fuji, which is my second favorite), and Pink Lady. I used some of them to can applesauce and I plan to can some more when I get a chance. I'm also hoping to bake something...maybe apple bread or muffins or something like that. Do you have any suggestions?

An Adventure

2011-10-15T07:35:00.000-04:00

Joshua, Joseph and I went on an adventure last week. My brother, Mark, is in the Marines and got his wings on Friday, so we flew to Texas for the occasion. I'm not a huge fan of flying, but we were blessed with smooth rides there and back. The boys both loved it, though something about being in the air made Joseph fill his diaper. That was interesting. Have you ever tried to change a baby in the restroom of an airplane? :)

We enjoyed spending a few days with Mark and Amanda and their three children. My parents and my other brother went as well, which made traveling a whole ton easier and more enjoyable! Here are some pictures of our trip.

Checking out one of the planes that Uncle Mark trained on.

Ciara...look at those eyes!

Running around the hangar with cousins Graeme and Cole

We went to the beach one day and Joshua loved Uncle Mark's surf board!

Jumping in the waves

Joshua reading to Graeme. Graeme had the book memorized, so if Joshua hesitated he would fill in the word. :)

Finished Object Friday

2011-10-14T09:45:00.002-04:00

I finished this little "cocoon" for the baby a few weeks ago. I think it's really cute, though I'm not sure how practical it's going to be. I wonder if the baby will like it, or if he'll try to wiggle out of it. I used this book, which has some adorable patterns! You can see more finished objects at Fresh From the Cheri Tree, and if you'd like to see what I received in the mail recently, go here to see Nikki's Finished Object Friday from two weeks ago. I can't wait to use it!! I love the colors and it's so thick and warm...perfect for a January baby.

Joseph wasn't interested in trying it on, so I used one of the girls' baby dolls instead. :)

Helpful Tool

2011-10-05T16:46:00.001-04:00

If you are a homeschooling mother, I'm sure you know how important it is to laminate some of your flash cards, vocabulary cards, etc. Maybe the resources that you use come pre-laminated, and if so, that's great! Most of mine do not, however, and I've found that laminating them is a must if I want to avoid re-purchasing them year after year. Last year I bought several rolls of laminating paper off of eBay and did the work by hand. After we moved, I was unable to find those rolls since many of our things are in storage. Adam encouraged me to look into a laminating machine. I always thought that they were ridiculously expensive, but after doing a little research I found this thermal laminator on Amazon. I bought it and a package of pouches for around $40. I was able to use Amazon gift cards that I received from Swagbucks, so my out-of-pocket expense was around $15. I have been very pleased with it and I wish I had bought it a long time ago! The machine is so easy to use and yields a very nice product.

The rolls of paper that I used last year protected the cards from being torn, but they were flimsy and did not protect them so well from being bent. The sheets that are used with the thermal laminator are much stiffer and more durable, and something about the machine makes the colors on the cards really stand out. It is also fast! I spent hours last year laminating things and being frustrated with the fact that some of them had air bubbles no matter how careful I was. The time that this machine has saved me is enough in and of itself to make the expense more than worthwhile. I recommend this product very highly!

Our School Year

2011-09-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

Joseph amuses himself by pulling everything out of one of the school cabinets and hiding in it.

I thought I'd give a quick overview of what we are using for school this year. It's been a while since I did a post like this, and we have changed a good bit since then. We are very pleased with what we are using now, and we plan to stick with it! Joshua and Abigail are in 2nd grade this year and Esther is in 1st grade. Abigail and Esther are technically "ahead" of where they would be if they went to school, but they were both ready and are doing wonderfully. Formal kindergarten is not required in Georgia, and at this point we really pretty much ignore it. The younger children pick up so much from listening to the older children do school, and they seem to be ready for 1st grade around age 5. Of course all children are different and some of them may not be ready at that point. That is perfectly fine, and we'll just accommodate as we go.

Scripture Memory: We are still using the Scripture memory method that my friend, Jennifer, shared with me. We just finished Proverbs 6:16-19. I chose a short passage in hopes that Noah would pick up on it. He did pretty well, but he's not quite ready to recite things himself yet. We'll just keep plugging along and he'll get it soon.

Catechism: We are memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism using these CDs. This is a wonderful way to memorize! Each question is a short song with a simple melody and guitar accompaniment. I wondered if the children would have trouble reciting the questions and answers after learning to sing them, but that has not been a problem at all. Catechizing our children is very important to us and is something that we also work on during our evening family worship times. Of course they will be able to grasp more and more of the meanings as they get older, but having your 4, 5, 6, and 7 year-olds recite the questions and answers is wonderful. They will always remember them and we pray that God will increase their understanding and insight as they grow in Him. Here is one of the questions that we have worked on recently.

Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery?
God, having out of his mere good pleasure, from all eternity, elected some to everlasting life,did enter into a covenant of grace to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.

Spell to Write and Read: We have used this from the beginning and it is working very well for us. It really helps that my mom has tutored with this program and knows it inside and out. If I have any questions or need advice, I just have to pick up the phone and call her! After using it for a couple of years now, I feel like I have a good handle on it. It is very logical and focuses on spelling. As the children learn to spell, they learn to read. They may end up reading a little later than if we were using another program, but they end up having a great understanding of why words are spelled the way they are. (For example, the word "like" is spelled with a "k" and not a "c" because "c" says /s/ before e, i, or y. Bam. There you have it. No more guessing!) It makes a lot of sense out of the English language. Joshua has really taken off with reading in the past few months. It was a chore to him before, but now he wants to read everything and he is trying to teach Hannah . :) Abigail started reading well a long time ago and is reading long chapter books on her own now. Esther just started reading and I'm amazed at how well she is doing with this program! Of course, it helps that she has been observing Joshua and Abigail for quite a while now.

Esther was so excited to get 100% on her 3rd spelling quiz!

Cursive First: We use this for beginning handwriting. It's great and I'm sold on children learning to write cursive before manuscript. More on that here. Hannah will be starting Cursive First shortly. She just turned 4, but she has great pencil control and she is constantly begging me to give her more school to do (besides her tracing books and a few other things that I give her to do)! I bought the I Can Write books (which are very inexpensive) this year, as well as the Classically Cursive books. Classically Cursive books are a little more expensive, but you can actually make unlimited photocopies of them and they are great for giving children extra handwriting practice. There are four books (Bible Primer, Ten Commandments, Shorter Catechism, and Attributes of God) and I love the fact that they are based on Scripture.

About halfway through last year we started using Veritas Press and I love it! We do not use everything that they recommend, but we do use most of it.

Saxon Math: My mom used this when she was homeschooling and I remember enjoying it and learning a lot from it. Saxon uses a lot of review, which is great for the way that my children learn. They, like me, do not have photographic memories and a lot of review is necessary for mastery. Saxon also has a way of explaining concepts that are helpful to me as the teacher, and that also seems to click with the children.

Genesis Through Joshua: This is Veritas Press's Bible for this year. We are loving it so far! The children learn a timeline using these cards and a song on CD. They learn key events in Scripture, where in the Bible the event is found, and several important facts about each event.

Old Testament and Ancient Egypt: History goes hand-in-hand with Bible. Again, the children learn a timeline with cards and a song. Some of the Bible cards and history cards are identical, which is very interesting as they are able to see how the Bible IS history and is not a completely separate subject.

Latin: We are using Prima Latina and everyone thinks that it is great fun! I was concerned that it would be confusing for the children to learn Latin while they are still trying to learn English grammar, spelling and reading. But it hasn't been a problem at all. A few weeks ago at church Noah was walking around saying "hello" to everyone in Latin. I didn't hear him, but one lady came up to me and asked what he was trying to say. :) We were at the park last week and there were some Mexican children playing on the playground. Joshua quietly told the girls not to talk to them because they speak a different language and wouldn't understand what they were saying. Esther thought that they must speak Latin, so she went right up to them and said "Salve" (hello)! She couldn't understand why they gave her a blank stare. :)

Noah does not like to be left out! He enjoys tracing books, mazes, puzzles, and coloring.

Institute for Excellence in Writing: We haven't gotten too far into this yet, but it is supposed to be wonderful. I have heard nothing but good about it, and I do like the little bit that we have done. I'll have to give a more thorough review after we get a little farther into it.

Literature: We used Veritas Press's literature last year, but decided not to order it this year. Most of the books were more like everyday fun reading material, and a lot of the projects were just busy work. In my opinion. :) I have started watching the Teaching the Classics seminar and I believe that we will eventually use this. It basically teaches you how to study any book, and it goes hand-in-hand with Institute for Excellence in Writing. I'm not in a big hurry to get started with it though. We are reading so much with the other subjects and I honestly don't feel like we have time to add something else right now. How much do 2nd graders really need to study literature anyway? I think that just reading, and lots of it, is enough right now.

Draw Write Now (Book 1): Art is not a huge priority to us. If one of our children shows interest in it later on, then we can look into it more, but for now it's kind of extra-curricular. I like the Draw Write Now books because they are easy to teach and the children love them. They can also be used with Institute for Excellence in Writing and the children learn about different animals while they learn to draw them and write about them.

That pretty much wraps up our plan for school this year. There are also many hands-on, outdoor type learning opportunities around here...indian mounds, state parks, caves, the aquarium, mountains, etc. We are looking forward to doing lots of exploring!

Rice

2011-09-23T12:19:00.002-04:00

I learned a great rice cooking tip from my Mom a few weeks ago and thought I'd share it. I don't know about you, but I often forget to start cooking the rice so that it will be ready in time for dinner. That is partly because I use a rice cooker, which takes around an hour and a half to cook brown rice. Of course I can cook it on the stove top, which takes less time, but it is much more high maintenance that way. I'm constantly having to check to make sure the burner isn't too hot or not hot enough, or to make sure that there is still water in the pan and it's not burning to the bottom. It never turns out that well for me on the stove top either. It's dry, and it's even dryer when it's re-heated the next day.

My new favorite way to cook rice (when I forget to put it in the rice cooker) is to boil it like pasta. Put a bunch of water in a pot, add a few cups of rice, and keep it at a rolling boil with the lid off for 30 minutes. Drain the water out of the pan, cover it, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Your rice will be nice and fluffy, and better yet, will be still be soft and fluffy when you reheat the leftovers!

Godly Seed

2011-09-22T08:23:00.002-04:00

"We talk to our children when they lie down and when they rise up, we speak to them of who God is and how he relates to his world - that is how we develop a Christian worldview. It doesn't come from reading worldview books, going to worldview camps, or taking worldview classes. Our children will adopt a Christian worldview as we talk to them about God and how he relates to everything. That's how we raise up godly seed."

R.C. Sproul, Jr.

When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling

Pregnancy Update

2011-09-19T08:54:00.003-04:00

My last pregnancy update was quite awhile ago, and I had no baby belly to speak of at that point. I do now, though! I'm feeling rather large for 24 weeks. I have not been to the doctor since we moved, but I do have an appointment scheduled for next week. The practice looks promising. There are 2 doctors and 2 midwives and they appear to be fairly hands-off. It is in another city about 30 minutes from where we live, but my labors are long enough that it shouldn't be a problem when the time comes.

I have been feeling well and have thankfully had no problems with this pregnancy besides my ever present varicose veins. I have gained a total of 8 pounds. That doesn't sound like a whole lot, but it is pretty typical for me to gain most of my weight in the third trimester. I know that it's coming. :) I have 16 weeks left, but I have a feeling that they will fly by, especially once we hit Thanksgiving. The time always goes by so fast over the holidays!

The picture doesn't show off the size of my tummy very well, but I like it anyway. We went to a local state park last weekend and I was wind-blown and cold! Joseph wanted to show off his big belly too. Well, actually it was Adam that thought Joseph should pose for a belly shot. I love the "what on earth are we doing?" look on Joseph's face!

Giveaway!

2011-09-16T14:27:00.003-04:00

Laura at The Muncks Quiver is having a great giveaway! You can enter to win one of two things. The first is a cute tote bag (handmade by her daughter, Rebekah) filled with school supplies. I won one of Rebekah's bags a while back and I LOVE it! I use it as my crochet bag. I also bought two smaller tote bags from Rebekah...one of which I had monogrammed and gave to my Mom as a gift, and one of which I kept and use for coloring books/crayons when we go somewhere that might involve some down time. All of that to say that her bags are wonderful!

The second option is a beautiful pair of earrings made by Amanda. I love the little blue butterflies on these! For information on how to enter the giveaway, go here.

The Munck girls are obviously very talented, and they are hosting a giveaway on their blog as well! It's an adorable pink apron. You can go here to enter.

July in Pictures: Part 2

2011-09-12T17:59:00.003-04:00

At long last, here is the second installment (and last, since it is the middle of September) of my July in Pictures series.

We enjoyed a visit from my sweet friend, Emily, and her mother and three children! We had a great time, though I did not do a great job of taking pictures. Emily has much better pictures on her blog!

All 9 children in one picture!

Emma loving on Zion.

This little cutie is just about to be a big brother!

We took a day trip and visited my Grandmother. We always have a great time with her, and the children enjoyed exploring outside during this visit.

She has the biggest hydrangeas I think I've ever seen! I took a picture of Noah beside them so that you could see how big they are.

Great Grandma and Esther

Swinging on the swing set that I used to play on when I was their age! :)

Looking for fish in the creek.

And just because I think it's cute, here's a picture of Joseph admiring his new haircut!

16 Months and Walking

2011-09-09T10:35:00.003-04:00

Joseph decided that it was time to walk a couple of weeks ago. Joshua and Abigail both walked at 15 months, and Esther, Hannah and Noah all walked at 12 months. Joseph was pushing 16 months. :) He's a little guy...19 lbs at 15 months and still wearing 12 month clothes. He is starting to grow out of his 6-12 month pajamas though, so that is good!

Joseph is a snuggler! He loves to be in Mama's arms and he loves playing with his Papa. He tries to do everything that his older siblings do. One of his favorite activities is "cool" (school). He thinks that the wall is his place to draw though, so we have to be careful to keep all writing utensils off of the floor. :) I think he's starting to grasp that it's not acceptable. If he finds a pencil on the floor he will usually hand it to me.

I took this video of Joseph walking this morning. He's starting to lose the cute wobbliness already!

I'm Back!

2011-09-05T13:50:00.002-04:00

Well, I didn't exactly plan to take a month off of blogging. That's just how it happened. I have to admit, though, that I enjoyed the break. It has taken AT&T much longer than we anticipated to get our internet hooked up. We moved three weeks ago today and the latest story from them is that they'll have it up and running on September 15. We'll see if that happens! Meanwhile, we are able to get on the neighbor's wireless access. It is unpredictable though, and I have to use Adam's laptop. My blogger password and all of our pictures are on the desktop, which does not have internet. I just dug around and found my password this morning though, so at least I can do a little blogging here and there until everything is worked out.

The move went well and we are all settled in our new home. We have started school and are really enjoying it here so far! Our neighborhood is very quiet and we have a great backyard that the children are enjoying. Now if it would just get a little cooler!!

A lot has happened in the last month and I have several posts planned. I suppose I should also finish my second July in Pictures post since it is September! I'll work on getting all of that done as soon as I have access to my pictures. I'm looking forward to getting caught up with your blogs as well!

July in Pictures: Part 1

2011-08-08T13:46:00.006-04:00

Adam recently returned from a month-long National Guard training course in Texas. We missed him terribly and are glad that it's over! While he was gone, we tried to keep ourselves busy in an effort to pass the time quickly. Of course we did lots of packing, which we are thankfully almost through with, but we also had some fun outings and enjoyed our swimming lessons.

Uncle Brian (my brother) and cousin Andrew came for a visit over the 4th of July. Brian set off some fireworks, which was a first for our children. They really liked it, though I think the girls thought it was a little loud!

Joseph enjoyed the show from the safety of Grandma's arms.

A couple of shaggy boys got haircuts! Pardon the dirty face. He was about to take a bath, so I didn't bother to clean him up after dinner. :)

After the cut and ready for church!

We went to a childrens' museum with my parents and Uncle Brian and Andrew. I was excited because Bank of America customers get free admission to select museums on the first weekend of every month. What would normally cost us $70 for the whole family was going to be free! Well, come to find out, the children were not free because they are not card holders. I just assumed that they would be! They're not even old enough to be card holders, and it's a childrens' museum, for goodness sake! Can you tell I'm still a little annoyed? When I got home I did find the information on Bank of America's website in teeny print at the bottom of the page that says you have to be a card holder to get in free. So I guess it's really my fault, but I'm still miffed. :) We drove an hour to get there, and I wasn't going to turn around and go home, so I ended up having to pay $50 (at least I got the military discount!). It was fun, but I wouldn't pay that much to do it again. And I definitely won't take advantage of the Bank of America deal again unless Adam and I are going somewhere by ourselves.

My parents got some really good pictures (one of Noah, in particular), but I packed the CD that they gave me and don't have the slightest clue which box it is in! So I'll post my pictures for now.

Grandpa and Joseph doing the weather forecast.

Operating some sort of heavy machinery.

A 14 month-old's paradise!

Checking out the fire truck.

Hannah planting some carrots.

Esther checking out at the grocery store.

Abigail and Esther buying more groceries!

Noah filled his cart with meat. :)

Performing a little surgery with cousin Andrew.

Noah decided that it's much easier to pull things out with your hands than it is to use the instruments.

Abigail extracting a tooth.

Following in Papa's footsteps!

Posing in front of "Eddie" - the 40 ft. tall politically correct boy that was "created to represent the diversity of America in his physical appearance." Okay. He was quite an interesting creature. "You can climb his vertebrae to his brain, crawl through his heart, bounce around inside his stomach and slide out his intestines." Lovely!

Joshua seemed to really enjoy the intestine slide! :)

July in Pictures: Part 2 will be coming soon!

It's a...

2011-08-05T13:11:00.003-04:00

...Boy! We found out this morning that we are having another little man child that appears to be perfectly healthy! Adam and I both thought that it might be a girl - probably just because it's been four years since we had a girl. But this one is most definitely a boy. :) We are excited and thankful! I am 18 weeks and have gained 4 lbs so far. I don't have much of a belly to show off yet, so I'll wait to take a picture until I do. I'm ready to wear maternity clothes and look pregnant, but all but one of my maternity shirts are still ridiculously huge in the belly. Oh well. The massive weight gain and big belly will come soon enough!

In other news, I finished a baby blanket that I've been working on for awhile. It's another circular one from the same book that I used for this one. I love this color of green! This blanket will be on it's way out the door to a sweet friend once I've washed it to remove any Joseph drool (he would lay his head down and snuggle with it while I was working on it) and to make sure it's not going to fall apart. :) I don't expect it to, but I'm still pretty new to crocheting and I don't trust myself very much!

You can visit Fresh From the Cheri Tree to see more Finished Object Friday creations!

Happy Birthday, Hannah!!

2011-07-31T22:12:00.007-04:00

Today is Hannah's 4th birthday! She is such a happy, giggly little girl. Hannah is very easy to please. When Adam and I were talking about what to give her for her birthday, we both agreed that she would be ecstatic if we wrapped up a piece of notebook paper and a pencil. :) She loves being a helper and she is a good one! We had Hannah's birthday celebration yesterday after church. When I asked her what she wanted for her meal, she chose "carrots, cucumbers, turkey and pita bread". Hannah is dying to start school this year and she wants to do everything that her big siblings do. We're so very thankful for our funny little Hannah!

Encouragement

2011-07-30T15:47:00.002-04:00

I recently signed up to receive R.C Sproul Jr.'s weekly e-newsletter called The Kingdom Notes. I don't always have a chance to read it, but when I do find the time, I am never disappointed. Below is an excerpt from this week's email. I found it very challenging since I often focus more on correcting the negative than I do encouraging the positive, and also because I am frequently quick to become frustrated. I highlighted a few areas below that were especially meaningful to me.

Though it didn’t look like it would go that way, it turned out to be a good conversation. Concerned about some attitude problems, my dear wife and I sat down with our three biggest to express those concerns, to encourage repentance, to wash them with the Word. From our perspective the children were falling into a common habit among teenagers, looking to their parents as peers, and seeing their instructions as fodder for arguments. Denise and I were quick and happy to confess that our children haven’t been showing outright defiance, just a bit of cheekiness. They have been forgetting their place.

After some struggle they began to own the problem. They repented of their recent weaknesses. That, however, wasn’t the best part, nor the great turn to the good of the conversation. That happened when they, graciously, humbly, remembering their place, gently suggested that their peace and their place might be more secure were my wife and I more quick to speak encouragement into their lives. It seems our correction may be losing some of its power because it is not sufficiently seasoned with the salt of encouragement.

Our failure to speak more encouragement is likely the fruit of our own lack of gratitude. Were we grateful like we ought to be, we would be quick to speak to those for whom we are grateful. I’m mad about my children. I’m button busting proud of them. But my own sin is to focus my attention on their sin. My sin is to grumble for what is amiss rather than rejoice over what is going well.

This propensity is not limited to just me, nor just to family contexts. The gifts God has given our pastor become the norm, the baseline, what is expected. His weaknesses, on the other hand, become what we focus on, what we think we must correct. Thus we grumble more than we give thanks.

In our work the blessing of our calling becomes what is our due, while the thorns and thistles that we all have to deal with receive our attention and our focus. We think something is amiss with the world, not because we are shocked by the blessings, but surprised by the challenges. Frustration becomes our default position.

God has been so good to my dear wife and to me. We have each other. We have eight wonderful children that pepper our every day with joy. We even have older children that are able to encourage the two of us toward righteousness. There aren’t many parents that can say that about their teenagers. Better still, all of us together have a Lord who forgives us for what we forget. He forgives cheekiness from children. He forgives ingratitude in parents. He gives us peace with each other, and better still, peace with our Father in heaven.

And having forgiven us, He blesses us, with parents who love children, and children who love parents, and a good Word that corrects us all. Yes indeed, those are some fine children. Far better than we deserve.

If you are interested in signing up for The Kingdom Notes, you can go here to do so.

No Merit of My Own

2011-07-24T14:34:00.003-04:00

From John Piper and the Desiring God blog:

This is my confession:

I was born into a believing family through no merit of my own at all.

I was given a mind to think and a heart to feel through no merit of my own at all.

I was brought into the hearing of the gospel through no merit of my own at all.

My rebellion was subdued, my hardness removed, my blindness overcome, and my deadness awakened through no merit of my own at all.

Thus I became a believer in Christ through no merit of my own at all.

And so I am an heir of God with Christ through no merit of my own at all.

Now when I put forward effort to please the Lord who bought me, this is to me no merit at all, because

...it is not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

...God is working in me that which is pleasing in his sight. (Hebrews 13:21)

...he fulfills every resolve for good by his power. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)

And therefore there is no ground for boasting in myself, but only in God’s mighty grace.

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Finished Object Friday

2011-07-22T05:53:00.004-04:00

Nikki has participated in Finished Object Friday for quite a while. I've always wished that I could complete enough projects to participate, but it seems like I'm only able to get one done every few months. I decided this week that I'm just going to do it anyway and post about finished projects when I can. It's probably not the greatest time to start since we're about to move, but that's okay!

This week I made a nursing cover for a friend who is due at the end of July. She had registered for this cover, but they are so expensive to buy ($40 for a nursing cover??? Someone is making some serious money!) and so easy to make. I found a fabric that was similar to the one that she wanted. It was a very lightweight cotton though, so I had to line it to give it a little bit of body. I've never lined one before and it turned out to be fairly easy. This is the tutorial that I use for my nursing covers, although I like to make the straps and the cover itself a little wider than the tutorial says to. A little extra coverage never hurt anyone. :)

To see some more finished objects, visit Fresh From the Chari Tree!

Giveaway!

2011-07-11T09:04:00.005-04:00

Did you notice the new button on my sidebar?

My friend, Nikki (Audrey and Jacqueline's mom), has recently opened an Etsy shop. She's a wonderful seamstress and she makes the cutest childrens clothes! I bought a dress for Hannah from her a few weeks ago and I love it!

Nikki is having a giveaway for this sweet little dress.

It is available in sizes 2-6, and she can adjust the length, etc. to fit your child. You can go here for details on how to enter, and here to see what else Nikki has available!

Hair Woes

2011-07-05T15:08:00.006-04:00

We have had some hair issues in our house recently which have resulted in three fairly drastic hair cuts. A couple of years ago Adam wanted me to grow my hair out, so I did. I've had short hair for most of my life, and I personally think that it looks better short. My hair is ridiculously thin. That combined with the shocking amounts of hair that I lose postpartum leaves me looking half bald for a while! I mentioned wanting to get my hair cut a few times and I could tell that Adam didn't want me to. So I just let it grow. A few weeks ago, however, I mentioned cutting it again and he said that he thought I should. So I did! Thanks to my friend, Natalie, I have fresh, new (much cooler!) hair. Who knows though. Maybe I'll just grow it out again. What do you think? Does it looks better long...

...or short?

I want your honest opinion. I promise you won't hurt my feelings either way. I'm a bit on the fence myself, so I'd like to know what you think!

Esther got a haircut as well. Actually, she cut it herself. I figured it would happen at some point...one of our children cutting their hair. I'm sort of surprised that it hasn't happened sooner! We are not fans of removing all temptations, and the scissors live in a very accessible place in my desk drawer. The children know that they are there, and they know that they are not allowed to touch them without permission. It teaches them self control, among other things. Anyhow, Esther cut some of her hair off right at the shoulder. I managed to taper it a little and keep most of it below her shoulder, but I had to cut around 7 inches.

I think she looks cute, though I do miss the long hair.

Joseph is having hair issues as well. The little stinker pulls it out. I've only seen him do it twice, but I have discovered that he does it when he's in his bed, and he even does it in his sleep! He sucks on his left pointer finger and pulls his hair out with his right hand. He seems to just like having it in his hand. A few weeks ago at church he got hold of one of Esther's hairs and sat perfectly still and played with it for 5 minutes. As soon as he lost it, his hand went up to his head to get some more. I stopped him, but it's nearly impossible for me to break the habit since he usually does it during his nap. The other night I went in to check on him before I went to bed. He did not wake up, but he stirred ever so slightly and his hand immediately went to his hair.

Here's a shot of Joseph's bald spot.

Here he is post-haircut

Have you ever experienced this? If so, what did you do about it? Adam suggested shaving his head. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. It was upsetting enough to cut it all to 1/4 inch! He had more hair when he was born than he does now! My Mom suggested sewing a sock onto his pajama sleeve. He would be able to move his hand easily, but not pull out his hair. I think I'm going to start with that suggestion. Do you have any ideas?

Teeth

2011-07-01T14:15:00.003-04:00

Abigail just recently lost her third tooth and I realized that I never did really blog about the first two. She is the first child to lose teeth in our house, much to Joshua's consternation. :) The first one fell out onto her literature paper while we were doing school one day. There was much weeping and wailing and drama involved! Joshua and Esther walked around with their hands over their mouths and very concerned looks on their faces for a while after that.

Her second and third teeth were both kicked out of her mouth. :) Accidentally, of course. Esther kicked the first out when they were playing and Joshua kicked the second out when they were having a "big tickle" with Papa. Speaking of a big tickle, that explains why she looks all sweaty in the picture. :) I think it's really cute how she talks funny with that top tooth missing!

No Swimmies!

2011-06-28T14:46:00.003-04:00

The children are making great progress at the pool! Joshua and Esther are both swimming now, and Abigail is close. Hannah, Noah and Joseph are still a little apprehensive, but that is perfectly okay with me! My goal for them was to become more comfortable in the water, and they have. I would honestly rather not have them swimming on their own this year. I think that they need to have a good, healthy fear of the water at three, two, and 13 months!

We went to our neighbor's pool last night and I took these videos of Joshua and Esther.

Noah Funnies

2011-06-23T22:19:00.002-04:00

This little goober is something else. That look tells me that Noah is coming up with some sort of creative scheme. Just look at those eyes. You can tell he's up to something! It's interesting to watch how each of the children develop and grow and deal with their sin nature. Most of our children are on the quiet, sneaky side when it comes to rebellion and disobedience. They often try to hide their sin. This little guy is the complete opposite though. He'll look me straight in the eyes and do exactly what I told him not to do. He keeps me on my toes! It's hard not to get SO frustrated with him sometimes because he is very stubborn, but it's impossible to be frustrated with him for long. He's so incredibly cute, and he's hilarious!

Last week I was thinking about how I am more like my quiet, sneaky children. I don't like to advertise my sin. I'd rather put my unwanted food down the garbage disposal and out of sight than put it right on the top in the trash can. "Who, me? I would never do a thing like that!" I think that is why I find it harder to discipline and instruct Noah. I can deal with the lying. We have set-in-stone consequences for lying, and there are multiple Scripture verses and examples to use when helping the children understand why they are not permitted to lie. But seriously!?! Did you really just stand there and tell me that you hit your sister on the head with a wooden sword on purpose because you just felt like it??? In reality, this is quite a simple scenario. Discipline and instruction should not be hard to administer if I was thinking clearly. Instead I often find myself just standing there gawking incredulously at my 2-year-old. I suppose I should be grateful that lying is not something that Noah struggles with (yet!). But, in all honesty, I would have told a falsehood if I had been in his shoes to try to avoid the discipline. It's hard for me to wrap my mind around. Thankfully God promises to give wisdom to those who ask for it!

Now back to Noah's funnies. The boy is literally a scream. I'm sure we think he's funnier than you would because...well, he's our son! I wanted to post a couple of things he's said recently so that I don't forget them. If you don't think it's funny, just try to humor me. :)

The other day Noah was standing on the stool in the kitchen watching me make sandwiches for lunch. I told him to run upstairs and tell the other children that it was time to eat. He loves it when I give him a job to do, so he jumped down and ran towards the stairs. I guess he decided that it was too much work to actually walk up them though, because he just stood at the bottom and yelled as loud as he could, "Guys! Get your behinds down here!!"

I was feeling a little sick last week and had sat down on the couch and propped my feet up. Noah likes to attack me when I sit down, and he was climbing on the couch beside me. I could tell that he wanted to jump off, so I told him to please not jump on my legs. Without skipping a beat he gave me a ornery look and said, "You're full of bologna!" It took me a good long while to stop laughing, but I did eventually inform him that it was rude and disrespectful to say that to his Mama or any other adult. He said "Yes, ma'am" and went on his merry way. I haven't heard it come out of his mouth again, so I guess he understood!

Cloth Diapers For Sale

2011-06-21T14:10:00.004-04:00

I think most of you already know, but we are getting ready to move. Adam is going to be practicing about 3 hours from where we currently live, and we are planning to load everything up and head out sometime in August. I am working on purging/packing a little every day so as not to get overwhelmed come August. I tackled the nursery this morning. Two rooms down, twelve to go! :)

I came across some cloth diapers that I would like to sell if I can. We cloth-diapered our first four babies. When #5 came along, something had to go and those extra loads of laundry are what got axed. I've had these boxed up in the closet since then. I honestly do not remember what I paid for any of these, so if you're interested, just make me an offer! I just put this up on Facebook, so they may go quickly.

Here is what I've got:

1) 8 white-edged Chinese prefolds. Not sure of the size, but they measure 14" x 12". Maybe smalls? They're in really good condition with the exception of one, which has some obvious staining.

2) 12 blue-edged prefolds. 20" x 14"...I'm thinking maybe mediums? These are in great condition and were only used a few times.

3) 22 green-edged prefolds. 14" x 12". These are well-loved but still have a good bit of life left in them.

4) Medium white Proraps cover in great condition.

5) 5 Thirsties (or possibly Fuzzi Bunz...can't remember) inserts

6) 12 liners

Giveaway

2011-06-20T09:29:00.002-04:00

Laura at The Muncks Quiver is having a giveaway this week! You can enter to win a bottle of sunscreen and a monogrammed beach towel. Even if you don't need the sunscreen and towel, be sure to visit her blog to see pictures of their newest (and 11th!) little one...sweet little Mary Ann. :)

2011-06-16T08:32:00.005-04:00

Nikki and I recently started taking our children to swimming lessons at our friends' house. It's the perfect setup! Audrey and Jacqueline (and their mom, Nikki) are so sweet. They are wonderful with the children, and my six think they're the greatest! Joshua, Abigail, and Esther have always been very apprehensive around water, but they've gotten so much more comfortable and adventurous in the last 2 weeks.

Joshua loves being able to touch the bottom with his head above the water this year. It's given him a whole lot more confidence to get his head under and experiment a little.

Abigail is working on putting her face under without holding her nose.

Esther is the boldest. She can swim underwater for fairly long periods of time and she loves it!

Hannah likes to camp out on the steps. She got her head under and choked a little last week, which scared her, so she's kind of starting from square one again. I'm sure she'll be swimming around like a little fish before I know it!

Noah sits with me until after swimming lessons are over and then he can get in. He was pretty terrified of the pool until this past Tuesday when I got him to jump off the side and swim around with his swimmies on. He's fine as long as I'm holding onto him. :)

Here is Joseph thinking about falling into the pool. He relaxed and started enjoying the water this week too.

Then and Now

2011-06-07T10:40:00.004-04:00

We picked 15 pounds of fresh, organic blueberries at a local farm yesterday. They are SO good! I've been craving them lately and have bought some at the store, but they're pretty pricey and since I can't seem to stop eating them they're gone in no time. We plan to make some blueberry jam later this week and I may freeze some, but I have a feeling we'll be eating most of them fresh. I'm sure we'll go back to pick again in a couple of weeks!

I looked back at our pictures from blueberry picking last year and was amazed to see just how much Joseph has changed. Here is is at almost 2 months last July.

And here he is at almost 13 months now...eating blueberries out of his hat. :)

Since I didn't get any pictures of Hannah last year, here is one of her picking yesterday!

Catch-Up

2011-05-28T14:41:00.004-04:00

We have really been enjoying Adam's time off over the past few weeks. We've been on lots of walks, completed some projects, played games, read books, visited the zoo twice and have generally just had a very relaxing (and much needed) break together. I won't take the time to go into a lot of details, but here is a quick picture overview!

We picked 6 gallons of strawberries and canned strawberry jam for the first time!

This girl can pick strawberries like nobody's business! I had to work hard to fill my bucket before she filled hers.

The Strawberry Monster :)

We went for a few walk/run/picnics on the canal

We visited the zoo twice, about a week apart. The first time we were wearing jackets and shivering (strange for May in Georgia), and just a week later we were sweating and chugging water.

Esther decided that she was going to be brave and feed the giraffe. No one had wanted to do it before.

After a few incidences, Adam had to give the children a "talking to" about the importance of staying close, obeying, watching where you are going, etc. Notice the wayward child in the red shirt wandering off in the background. :)

Abigail made it all the way to the top!

Getting ready to ride the horses

Joseph had a stare-down with the turkey.

Adam's father came from Missouri for a short visit

Milking the fake cow

Joseph was a trooper, but he was hot and tired! He loves his bed and fights going to sleep anywhere else, but he finally gave it up and took a short nap in the stroller.

Three little monkeys

Riding the train

Joseph is getting to be a little more adventurous and independent, but he's still happiest in Mama's arms. :)

Playing Go Fish

Recent Projects

2011-05-22T16:09:00.003-04:00

I have completed a few sewing projects recently that I wanted to document on here. You know, so that I can make the blog into a book and when I'm an old lady I can look back and reminisce!

It took me months and months to complete the girls' Easter dresses. I just did a little bit at a time when I had the chance. I'm happy with the way they turned out! I think I may have been slightly crazy when I chose white, but so far we don't have any permanent stains on them.

I finished my first crocheted baby blanket! I used this book and I'm happy with the way it turned out. It is currently en route to some sweet friends who have a brand new baby girl. :)

I also made Mother's Day gifts this year. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of either one of them! I found the idea on Christine's blog, and I followed the instructions on this blog. I would like to make one for myself soon, and if I get around to it then I'll take a picture of that one and post it.

Happy Birthday, Esther!!

2011-05-18T17:11:00.002-04:00

Our sweet Esther is 5 years old today! As you can tell from the photo above, she was quite a chub when she was born. :) Esther is so very kindhearted and loves her siblings to pieces. She is so helpful to me, especially when it comes to caring for the younger children. Actually, sometimes she is helpful to a fault when it comes to the little ones (if that is possible!). She tries so hard to make them happy that she occasionally gets on their nerves and makes them cry. :) Esther loves to help me with chores around the house and she is thoroughly disappointed if I do school with Joshua and Abigail but not her! Happy Birthday, Esther Pie!

Happy Birthday, Joseph!!

2011-05-10T15:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was our sweet Joseph's 1st birthday! Joseph is such a happy, funny little guy who is very attached to his Mama. :) I haven't taken him to the doctor in a while, so I don't know his current stats, but he eats anything and everything that I give him! Here are a few pictures from Joseph's first year.

Joseph was our biggest baby (so far!) at 8lb 15oz.

1 day old

Brothers

Swingin' :)

He loves to eat!

The Birthday Boy!

Predictions

2011-05-09T11:48:00.001-04:00

Back when Adam started dental school nearly 4 years ago, we had 4 children and Hannah was 2 weeks old. One of Adam's friends predicted that we would be "six and pregnant" at graduation. Well, it turns out that he was right!! Baby #7 is due to arrive at the beginning of January! We are so grateful for this new little life, and we couldn't possibly be more excited!

There's a Doctor in the House!

2011-05-08T15:18:00.007-04:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Adam's graduation this past week. The whole week went by in a flash, and I am now married to a doctor. :) Adam has worked so hard for this for a very long time, and I couldn't possibly be any prouder of him! Here are some pictures from our week. We had a celebration at our house with a few friends and family on Friday night, but taking pictures didn't even cross my mind, so I don't have any from that.

It was a long couple of days for Joseph with his normal routine being thrown out the window. He was a trooper though! He and I spent some time playing just outside the auditorium during an awards ceremony on Wednesday.

Processing in during the Hooding Ceremony

I was honored that the dental school asked me to play the organ for the Hooding Ceremony. It really enjoyed doing it! I couldn't see very well, but we recorded the ceremony so that I can watch it later. If I can figure out how to do it, maybe I'll post a video of the processional later.

Being hooded!!

Some of us with Adam after the hooding ceremony. Joseph was sleeping and Noah was otherwise detained. :) The girls' dresses are the ones that I made for Easter. I have yet to blog about that experience, but sometime soon I'll try to post a close-up of them.

Dr. Adam getting ready to walk across the stage! (He's the one just to the left of the flag.)

Me trying to keep Joseph occupied during graduation. I was afraid he was going to launch that airplane in the the back of the lady's head that was sitting in front of us!

Noah decided that the graduation ceremony was the perfect time for a nap in Grandpa's lap!

So proud of Papa! This isn't the greatest family picture, but it's as good as it was going to get under the circumstances with missed naps and all that!

Us with Adam's family from Kansas and my parents.

Adam's orders in the National Guard had been to complete dental school. Mission accomplished! Having fulfilled his orders, Adam was re-appointed as a Captain in the Dental Corps. In order to accept his appointment, he had to re-affirm his oath to the Constitution and the State of Georgia. He had the privilege of being sworn in by his good friend Jeremy, who is a Naval Reserve officer.

I had the privilege of pinning on Adam's new rank and insignia!

Excited!

2011-05-02T10:25:00.002-04:00

Do you see the ticker on my sidebar? Well, it's wrong. When I made it I somehow messed up the time. I'm guessing I was supposed to change the time zone or something. Anyway, it's close enough and there are only 3 days until Adam's graduation!! We are very excited. This is going to be a fun week with lots of family, friends, food and celebrations! Here is a video I took that shows the energy level around here. After I turned the camera off I got on the mattress and jumped with them. :)

8 Years

2011-04-27T14:52:00.002-04:00

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary earlier this week! It's hard to believe that it has been 8 years. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving husband who faithfully provides for my every need - physical, spiritual, emotional, and any other kind of need that I may have!

Me with Mom and Dad just before the wedding

We have wonderful memories of the choir singing in our wedding!

Listening to the choir sing the benediction.

Maya, Austin, and Ashleigh...the cutest flower girls and ring bearer ever!

The married couple with Adam's family!

An Outing

2011-04-24T22:14:00.004-04:00

Some good friends of ours recently gave us tickets to the Symphony. Adam and I usually go with them, but they had other plans that night and gave us 4 tickets. We thought about asking other friends to go with us, but we decided to take Joshua and Abigail instead. They enjoyed the double date and the concert, and we had fun taking them!

Being silly in the car. :)

Resurrection Day

2011-04-24T21:57:00.003-04:00

This joyful Easter-tide,
Away with care and sorrow!
My Love, the Crucified,
Hath sprung to life this morrow.

Had Christ, that once was slain,
Ne’er burst His three day prison,
Our faith had been in vain;
But now hath Christ arisen,
Arisen, arisen, arisen!

My flesh in hope shall rest,
And for a season slumber;
Till trump from east to west,
Shall wake the dead in number.

Had Christ, that once was slain,
Ne’er burst His three day prison,
Our faith had been in vain;
But now hath Christ arisen,
Arisen, arisen, arisen!

Death’s flood hath lost his chill,
Since Jesus crossed the river:
Lover of souls, from ill
My passing soul deliver.

Had Christ, that once was slain,
Ne’er burst His three day prison,
Our faith had been in vain;
But now hath Christ arisen,
Arisen, arisen, arisen!

George R. Woodward, 1894

Swinging...

2011-04-22T08:22:00.002-04:00

...is more fun with a buddy. :)

Field Trip

2011-04-18T10:34:00.005-04:00

We had the privilege of touring a local dairy farm last week. It was so much fun, and we really learned a lot. The farm was beautiful and has been in the same family since the 1760's! I've never paid a whole lot of attention to the milk that we drink, but after learning about several different pasteurization methods (they use low heat pasteurization), non-homogenization, how the cows are fed, and the absence of growth antibiotics and hormones, we plan to buy our milk from this farm instead of the generic grocery store brands. The price is surprisingly low compared to the other non-grocery store milk options that I have seen in the past. This milk is not raw, which probably makes it a little cheaper. I think the fact that raw milk is all the rage right now makes it more expensive. That combined with the health risks of drinking it raw is enough to steer us clear of it! Anyhow, here are some pictures from our fun day at the farm!

A cute little 2-day-old calf

Esther loved petting the babies!

Checking out the calves

Noah was more than happy to try the chocolate milk!

We had a fun time with friends! 5 adults and 15 children representing 4 families.

Sparse

2011-04-13T12:10:00.004-04:00

Do you see the ticker on my sidebar?? There are only 21 days until Adam's graduation!!! There's a lot happening between now and then, so I will go ahead and tell you that my blog posts will probably be few and far between.

Last week was Spring break here, and we enjoyed a whole week with Adam home. We were out of town Monday and Tuesday (more on that later), and then my aunt and uncle came to visit the last half of the week. We always have a wonderful time with them! We went to the zoo with them and my parents on Friday. Unfortunately, I failed to get a good picture of Uncle Jim and Aunt Candie. I did get a few photos, but they are those awkward candid shots that I am sure they would rather I not post. I will try harder to get better pictures next time!

Round Five

2011-03-31T13:49:00.003-04:00

Potty Training, Round Five is complete!! I'm so proud of my little Bean. He picked it up very quickly. I would be lying if I said that I'm not relieved to be done with that. Potty training is not exactly my favorite part of motherhood. I was really dreading training Noah because he is a boy. It took me a year to train Joshua...partly because I think I started him too early, partly because I had no earthly idea what I was doing, and partly because Joshua is a very deliberate kind of a guy! Training the girls was an entirely different experience for me. As a matter of fact, they pretty much trained themselves by the time they turned 2.

Noah still wears a diaper or pull-up at night and during his nap, but I'm not the least bit worried about that. He wakes up dry from his nap 95% of the time, and he wakes up dry in the morning 75% of the time. I just haven't been able to motivate myself to go cold turkey and wash the bedsheets more frequently! I'm okay with that for now though. He's only 2 years and 3 months old. We'll work on naps and nighttime in another month or so.

Finally!

2011-03-24T13:16:00.004-04:00

I have, at long last, found a whole wheat bread recipe that I like that works really well for me. I don't care for dense bread, and all of the other recipes I tried were coming out very heavy. This recipe for Honey Oatmeal Bread, however, is very light and tastes wonderful! I think that using a hand mixer to beat the first few ingredients may be the secret. Anyhow, if you have been looking for a good bread recipe, I highly recommend trying this one!

The Beach

2011-03-18T12:10:00.004-04:00

Hannah...getting so big!

We went to the beach with some of my family last week. My brother, Brian and his wife invited us to join them at Holden Beach, NC. My parents were there as well and we all had a great time, though we missed my other brother and his family. It brought back memories of the good times we all had at the beach a few years ago.

Joseph was intrigued by the sand. It made me think of how much Hannah used to like sand. :)

Esther playing with cousin Andrew

Noah giving cousin Audrey some love

My crazy children running around in their bathing suits. It was in the 50's and very windy, and I still can't believe they were out there like that. My maternal instincts were telling me to make them put some warm clothes on, but they were having so much fun and didn't seem to mind, so I let them be.

Grandma was dressed more appropriately...kind of like an Eskimo! :)

Audrey is the smiley-est baby I've ever seen! All you have to do is look at here and she gives you a huge grin. :)

Posing with a soaking wet Papa!

Enjoying the waves

Aunt Alyssa, Andrew, and Audrey heading out for a walk

Abigail flying a kite with Uncle Brian

Grandpa and Grandma watching Uncle Brian in the kayak

The big boys got to have a nice long walk with Papa

Adam got all wet when he took the kayak out, and I didn't want to get too close to him. :)

Happy Birthday, Abigail!!

2011-03-16T09:51:00.004-04:00

Abigail is 6 years old today! She is such a happy girl...always bouncing around singing, whistling, or talking. She is a huge help to me and I don't know what I would do without her! She can sweep as well as I can, and she can clean a bathroom single-handedly, change a diaper, do laundry, help with the cooking, and complete a myriad of other tasks. She is always begging me for a job, and she loves it when I ask her to help me. Abigail is reading wonderfully and she usually enjoys school. :) She recently lost her first tooth (which was also the first lost tooth in our household!). She is very proud of it now, but it didn't occur without weeping, wailing, and a whole lot of drama. Drama and Abigail go hand-in-hand. :) She has been spunky and on the move since day one, and she adds so much joy and happiness to our lives! Happy Birthday, Abigail!!!

The Zoo

2011-03-07T09:58:00.004-05:00

Adam had a free day last week and we went to the zoo. Mondays are apparently a great day to go. There was not one school group there! It's really disappointing to drive into the parking lot and see a bunch of school buses, because the adult to child ratio is very low I feel like I spend the whole time counting heads to make sure all of my children are with me. It was very quiet, the weather was nice and warm, and we really enjoyed our visit!

This would make a great family photo, except that you can't see Joseph. He was asleep in the Ergo on my back, so I didn't wake him up for the picture.

There he is!

Big Brother and budding scientist. :)

Hannah...looking so grown up!

Joshua, Abigail and Esther climbed the rock wall. Abigail did wonderfully until she looked down. :) She didn't realize that she was up so high!

Esther climbed about 1/3 of the way up. She liked the pushing off and floating down more than the climbing!

Joshua climbed all the way to the top!

Baby Laughs

2011-03-02T14:32:00.003-05:00

If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will! I can't think of many sounds that are better than the sound of a belly laugh from a baby. :)

And the Winner Is...

2011-02-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

...The Munck Family!! Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway, and thanks to random.org for picking the winner. :)

Giveaway!

2011-02-24T06:19:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to be hosting this giveaway from Vision Forum! As an affiliate, they have graciously allowed me to give a "ticket" away to one of my readers for their brand new series Family Strategies: Practical Issues For Building Healthy Families. From the Vision Forum website:

Beginning March 1, every Tuesday morning for twenty weeks you will receive a link to your new downloadable message from Doug or Beall, hosted at Vision Forum’s partner website BlueBehemoth.com. To access your first download, simply create a free BlueBehemoth.com account and then follow the easy instructions in your weekly emails to download your messages at no additional charge.

Listen to the messages at your convenience on your computer, iPod, or other portable MP3 player. And, don’t worry if you miss a week due to travel. The messages will be there waiting for you.

There is a multitude of wonderful topics that will be covered, including "How to Involve the Whole Family in Family Worship", "How to Handle a Social Worker Visit", "How to Wage War on Sibling Rivalry", "How to Involve the Whole Family in Hospitality", and "How to Encourage Masculinity in Sons". There are twenty messages in all, and I am definitely looking forward to hearing them.

If you would like to enter this giveaway, leave a comment and let me know. If you would like a second entry, blog about this opportunity and leave another comment letting me know that you have done so. The giveaway will end at midnight on Sunday, February 27th, and the winner will be announced on Monday.

First Time In the Swing!

2011-02-23T06:41:00.000-05:00

I think he likes it. :)

Pancakes!

2011-02-22T06:03:00.003-05:00

It's that time of year again. IHOP's National Pancake Day is coming up a week from today. On March 1st you can get one free short stack of pancakes per customer for free! They do ask you to leave a donation for the local children's hospital or another charity. This will be our 4th year of enjoying free pancakes. If you would care to see just how much we love this tradition, click here, here and here!

Project

2011-02-16T12:48:00.004-05:00

This picture was taken after church and after a missed nap, so Joseph had no interest in smiling!

I've been working on matching smocked outfits for Noah and Joseph for a while. As a matter of fact, I started them 8 months ago! I finally finished Joseph's last week, and to be perfectly honest, I think that I will put Noah's away and finish it when Joseph grows into it. Maybe. This was my first picture smocking experience, and if I've got any sense it will be my last! I think that it is cute, but it wasn't exactly enjoyable. If it's not fun, then I don't want to do it. That's an awful motto for life in general, but when it comes to sewing I think it's a good rule for me to follow. I like to sew in part because it is relaxing and enjoyable, so if a project is going to try my patience them I'm going to avoid it!

The actual smocking took me a very long time to complete, partly because I'm not very good at it and partly because I worked on it a few minutes at a time here and there when I could. But putting the outfit together was a nightmare. The pattern was very vague and I ended up taking Joseph's outfit apart three times and re-cutting the entire thing once. But it's done, and I'm satisfied with it! To ensure that I keep my sanity, I am going to put Noah's away now and start on the girls' Easter dresses - white bishops with purple/lavender/green geometric smocking. Noah will never know that I didn't finish his matching outfit!

Speaking of matching outfits, my Mom made these beautiful dresses and hairbows for the girls in December! They were perfect for the Christmas season, but they aren't exclusively Christmas and they can wear them all winter. I love the green-checked fabric and the lace on the sleeves, and of course the smocking! Thanks, Mom!!

Happy Birthday, Joshua!

2011-02-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

Joshua turned 7 today! It is hard to believe that we have a 7 year-old. Makes me feel ancient. :) Joshua is such a sweet, sensitive boy who loves the outdoors, loves his younger siblings, and always has time for a snuggle with his Mama! Here is an assortment of pictures from the last 7 years.

Happy Birthday, Joshua!!

Nine Months!

2011-02-10T16:14:00.007-05:00

Joseph is 9 months old today! He's quite a vocal little guy. He loves to babble and laugh and let out random screams with the apparent sole purpose of amusing himself.

He does not do the traditional crawl, but he can get where he wants to go really fast. He does an army crawl/slither and seems to really enjoy it. He's a very content baby and has absolutely no interest in pulling up on things. I expect that to change in the next month or so though!

Joseph adores all of his siblings, and especially his biggest brother who always has time for a kiss and a snuggle for him.

Yet Another Reason

2011-02-05T09:08:00.003-05:00

My good friend Nikki recently posted about how Chick-fil-A is being attacked for donating food to a marriage seminar run by a group that opposes same-sex marriage. You can read an article by Michelle Malkin about it here. Now is the perfect time to support Chick-fil-A! Adam recently discovered Chick-fil-A sauce. Have you ever had it? It's amazing! We love "Chick-lay", as Noah calls it, and now we have yet another reason to support them.

Cheap Glasses

2011-02-03T11:43:00.003-05:00

I have been needing new glasses for a while, but they cost so much money that I just kept putting it off. About a month ago, two different people told me that you can get glasses online for a really good price. I did some searching and found Zenni Optical. I was able to get a new pair for $30including shipping, polycarbonate (thin) lenses, clip-on sunglasses, and an anti-reflective coating. The anti-reflective coating is something that I really wanted last time I bought glasses, but they were wanting $80 for it. I paid $4.95 with Zenni Optical! Of course the drawback to ordering glasses online is that you can't try them on. But they do have several different faces on their website that you can try the glasses on. The frames that I chose are a little too wide for my face, but for $30 a pair, I can order another and use these for backups! I would definitely recommend ordering from this company! Oh, and in case you were wondering, I did not choose the frames pictured above. :)

What Do You Think?

2011-01-25T14:36:00.004-05:00

This is my first real crocheting project.

Well...that's not entirely true. This is actually my first project, but it's pretty pitiful and I don't plan on using it. Joseph has worn it once and I don't really like it. It looks a little girly anyway, even though it's blue. I'm just chalking this one up to experience. :)

This girls' hat is supposed to be an "infant" size. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but it's almost too big for any of our girls. Is it because the yarn is kind of chunky? Or did I use the wrong size hook? Or maybe I just plain messed it up!

I'm not sure what I think about it, so I'd like your opinion. I like the feel of the yarn, and I like the ruffly brim, but it looks kind of like a night cap to me. Should I actually use it, or should it just be for play? Give me your honest opinion...you won't hurt my feelings. :)

Big Brother

2011-01-24T07:54:00.003-05:00

We had one of "those moments" the other day. The phone was ringing, the girls were arguing loudly over the crayons and coloring books, and Noah had made a mess of something (I don't recall what) that needed to be cleaned up immediately. Joseph had been playing contentedly on the floor, but in the heat of the moment he decided that he really wanted me to hold him, so he started wailing. What's a Mama to do? The phone could definitely wait...that's what answering machines are for anyway, right? I decided that the girls could wait a few minutes while I tended to Noah, and as I was headed in his direction I quickly called out to Joshua and asked him to sit with Joseph. I wasn't even sure if he had heard me. When I came back 10 minutes later, this is what I found.

Joshua had picked Joseph up, set him on the couch, and then sat down beside him and played the harmonica for him. :) Joseph loved it! He adores his biggest brother, and Joshua is very gentle and sweet with him. He is so good with the two little boys, which is a great help to me!

Snow

2011-01-19T21:05:00.005-05:00

The snow and ice that we got on Monday of last week finally disappeared yesterday! I thought for sure it would be gone after a couple of days, but it stuck around for a while. I can't say that I'm too disappointed. The snow is nice for a very short while, but I'm not really a fan of cold weather. Bring on Spring! :)

We aren't exactly prepared for snow here. Poor Hannah was wearing a 12 month coat, and Abigail doesn't even have a coat. She just had to layer. I have since found a coat for her on eBay for a reasonable price...something that I couldn't find before Christmas. The girls didn't seem to mind though!

Esther enjoyed sledding this year much more than she did last year!

Sweet little Joseph wasn't too excited about the cold and wet stuff out there. He looked awfully cute in his green suit though!

Here is Noah heading upstairs to help get the sled out of the attic.

Joshua loved being outside in the snow. He stayed out longer than anyone else and didn't mind playing out there all by himself.

Vacation

2011-01-10T16:20:00.002-05:00

We recently enjoyed a few days in the mountains with some good friends from church. We went right after Christmas, and there was lots of snow when we got there. That makes our 4th big snow (meaning that something actually stuck to the ground) in a year's time! That is pretty remarkable for Georgia.

This is the view from the back deck of our cabin. It was located at the edge of a national forest, and we couldn't see any other cabins around us. That combined with no internet, cell service, or television (not one that we watched anyway) made for a wonderfully relaxing stay.

Noah learned to crochet a little in his free time. :) I made the mistake of asking my friend, Natalie, to show me how to crochet while we were there. I think I may be hooked, though I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to make all of the fancy things that Nikki can make!

The children were all studying some deer tracks they found.

The big boys settling down for sleep...or maybe not. :)

The girls reading a bedtime story.

Noah was pretty tuckered out after his first day of exploring. He hunted down a dead chipmunk in the cabin. Lovely!

We stopped off in Atlanta to see my grandmother. She looked beautiful, as always!

Here is Joseph sporting some of Great-Grandma's famous "Love That Pink" lipstick. :)

Last One

2011-01-10T14:30:00.005-05:00

I'm sure I'm the last person on earth to post Christmas pictures, but oh well! Here they are...mostly for my sake. I want to be able to go back and look at them when I'm old. :) Which leads me to a question. Have any of you ever had your blog made into a book? If so, who did you use and were you happy with it?

We started the week off with a bang. All six of the children came down with the stomach virus within about 2 hours of each other. Four of them started throwing up at once literally 15 minutes before we were expecting a houseful of guests for a hymn-sing. Adam and I came down with it too. Thankfully it was very short-lived and we were better by Christmas, except for poor little Joseph.

Never fear though. My super-husband did almost all of the laundry. I think I may have done one load out of the 12-15 that we had over the course of 2 days.

Joshua and Abigail have been asking for their own Bibles since they started reading. They were both thrilled to receive one for Christmas! These two pictures show their personalities pretty well. Joshua is on the quiet and reserved side.

Abigail is a little more dramatic and gung-ho about everything!

Joseph was still a little under the weather, but he enjoyed opening his Christmas gifts. Notice the gift tag in the background. Adam's mother had the great idea of putting the child's picture on one side of the tag and their picture on the other so that the children would know who they were to/from. I saved all of the tags to remind myself to do that next year. I loved it!

Noah likes to "shoot dee-yah" :)

Hannah got some Yoo-hoo in her stocking.

Art

2011-01-07T09:09:00.004-05:00

Yesterday morning during school I was working on catechism with the children. Joseph and Noah were playing on the floor beside me and Noah was being unusually quiet. I was absorbed in what I was doing and didn't even notice that Noah thought he was in art class. :) Joseph didn't mind being the model...that is, until it was time to clean up. He wasn't so thrilled about his hair being pulled!

Noah is 2!

2011-01-03T20:30:00.003-05:00

Our sweet baby Noah is not a baby anymore! But he is still very sweet. :) Noah turned 2 last Wednesday. This boy loves to be outside! His absolute favorite thing to do is to ride in "Papa's truck", which he sometimes calls "my truck".

We were in the mountains for most of the week (more on that later), so we had cake and ice cream there. Last year he was scared of the candles. This year he loved them and had no trouble blowing them out.

He is a little ham. And he's full of mischief. The boy is inevitably going to hurt himself! I fully expect several ER trips involving Noah in the years to come. :)

Noah is definitely Papa's boy. If Adam goes outside to get firewood or something and leaves him inside, he completely breaks down. He loves guns, fires, vehicles, and everything related to the outdoors. He's always willing to give his Mama kisses and snuggles too though, for which I'm thankful! :)

Happy Birthday Noah Bean!

Neighborhood Owl

2010-12-29T06:56:00.000-05:00

Look what we found sitting in a tree about 20 feet from our front door. He didn't seem to be concerned about the fact that we were staring at him and taking his picture. He must be used to it.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T06:57:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
All for love's sake becamest poor.

Thou who are God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising,
Heav'n-ward by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Savior and King, we worship thee.
Frank Houghton, 1894-1972

Brothers

2010-12-22T06:15:00.000-05:00

Joshua - 2006

Noah - 2010

The World Through Joshua's Eyes

2010-12-20T06:42:00.002-05:00

Joshua loves to take pictures. He often asks for the camera, and it's fun to see what he comes up with. His shots are a little random sometimes, but they usually turn out great! Like the first picture below. It's a price tag and it's sideways. But the colors are amazing!

He gets some great candid shots.

And then there are the shots of the sisters who want their pictures taken but didn't bother to wipe the hot chocolate off of their mouths first. :)

7 Months

2010-12-18T06:33:00.000-05:00

Picture Summary

2010-12-17T09:19:00.005-05:00

I've been doing a lot of picture updates lately. Instead of blogging like a normal person, I wait a few weeks and then just post a bunch of pictures. Maybe after Christmas I'll be able to get back into real blogging again. :) For now, here are a bunch of pictures!

Noah is obsessed with pickup trucks. He asks multiple times a day to "go bye-bye Papa's truck". You can tell he is in his element here.

Joseph was excited about going to get the Christmas tree!

Drinking hot chocolate and hunting for the perfect tree

Decorating the Christmas tree is pretty exciting when you're 3 years old...

...or 5 or 6, or 30 or 31. :)

Hannah and Noah are "reading" the Bible to Joseph. Hannah has an Arabic Bible. :)

I think that Joseph is teething (and has been for about a month), though he has nothing to show for it yet. He's been generally fussy and spending lots of time attached to my hip or in the Ergo.
Abigail and Esther are constantly doting on Joseph. They're always asking to pick him up, hold him, feed him, change his diaper, etc. :) He usually loves it, though he looks a little fed up in this picture.

Hilarious!

2010-12-11T19:06:00.001-05:00

I've definitely played my fair share of wrong notes, and the orchestral reductions for Handel's Messiah are difficult to play, but this is almost unbelievable!

Giveaway

2010-12-07T16:12:00.002-05:00

There is a great giveaway going on over at The Muncks Quiver! Laura's daughters are very talented and have made some beautiful things. I think I would pick the large tote bag if I won, but all of the items are beautiful and I had a hard time deciding which one I would choose. Go here to enter yourself!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-12-06T21:48:00.003-05:00

Here is our menu for the week. There are a lot more ideas and recipes here!

Monday - Moe's (I'm thankful for Moe Mondays on days like today! It was unusually busy, and I'm used to it being a quiet and productive at-home day. I had a wedding this afternoon. I had never heard of a wedding on a Monday before, but now I can say that I've played for one!)

Tuesday - Chicken Barley Chili (I will try to post the recipe later when I have more time)

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Basil

Friday - Lasagna, Salad, Bread

Saturday - Five Hour Stew (recipe to come later)

Sunday - Leftover Stew warmed in the crock pot (lunch); Sandwiches (dinner)