Dear Abbi

everything is just so much more exciting with a baby in the house

2011-10-29T16:18:00.003-04:00

For example: today is the first snow of the "season." I refrain from writing "winter" there because winter is almost a full TWO months away, but let's not dwell on that.

Joey went tearing into Emma's room to greet her this morning. I heard his sing-songy voice crooning, "Happy First Snow to You" to her smiling, little awake self!

Then the girls brought out all manner of coats and mittens and scarves and boots and deposited them in the middle of the kitchen floor, where Gracie proceeded to agonize over the perfect winter accessories for Emma...selecting just the right gloves and hat for her first snow excursion.

Emma did not end up needing many winter accessories because her first snow experience only lasted a few minutes. But she was overjoyed about the adventure...she kept smiling and laughing! I think the kids had visions of putting her in the baby sled and taking her down the sledding hill. :)

The snow-bear is now napping peacefully, there is a hearty dinner cooking on the stovetop and wet snow clothes are dripping dry after several uses today. We still have power and the hope of a few more weeks of autumn before the real winter season sets. My heart is content and thankful and filled with some sweet memories of Emma's first snow.

today I am thankful for...

2011-10-18T15:52:00.001-04:00

{a determined builder}

{a happy, strolling baby}

{little lunch-makers}

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psalm 68:19

Lessons from Newborn Days

2011-10-01T16:29:00.002-04:00

Lessons from Newborn Days...

The October issue of Grace & Honor is available to read here. If you have some time, check out all of the wonderful articles!

whenever Emma wears this sweet onesie...

2011-09-22T15:28:00.005-04:00

...the kids like to recite this sweet poem to her.

Holding Hands

by Lenore M. Link

Elephants walking
Along the trails
Are holding hands
By holding tails.
Trunks and tails
Are handy things
When elephants walk
In circus rings.
Elephants work
And elephants play
And elephants walk
And feel so gay.
And when they walk-
It never fails
They're holding hands
By holding tails.

life is happy

2011-09-09T17:06:00.003-04:00

It's very difficult to be too serious or unhappy in this home.

Because at any moment you might look over and see a goofball vacuuming with a Bumbo on his head.

(I guess it was easier to wear it, rather than pick it up and vacuum underneath of it.)

right where it belongs

2011-09-08T18:02:00.001-04:00

Little Miss Emma Kate loves her daddy! Her heart belongs to him. Which is right where a little girl's heart belongs!

embrace the rain

2011-08-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41:13

About a month ago, our grass was so yellow and dry that it was painful to walk on with barefeet. And then August turned out to be a very wet month capped off with heavy winds and rain from Hurricane Irene. Today is peaceful and gorgeous. Just about a picture-perfect day.

Life can be a lot like the weather. One day, brilliant sunshine, smooth sailing. The next, lashing winds and drenching downpours. And then blue skies and puffy clouds on the following day.

We started school a month ago, and while we've had some hairy moments juggling school and the baby, it has gone very well...all praise to the Lord! We helped celebrate the glorious wedding of some dear friends this month, took a few summer day trips, and just lived this wonderful, simple, happy thing we call our life. Most days, everything goes very well. But then there are those days when the dark clouds roll in and threaten to rain all over our parade.

I'm glad that on the sunny days and the gray ones the LORD has my hand in His and is always there to help me! Embrace the rain knowing Who is in control and always brings the sunshine again!

Emma & Robby

2011-08-25T17:44:00.005-04:00

Emma's buddy came over a few weeks ago...

At first she wasn't sure of this new boy, although he seemed excited. Looks like he was doing a little "leaning." :)

But then she started warming up to him.

And a most delightful time was had by both babies.

There may have even been some hand-holding going on.

Emma was thrilled to have her friend over for the evening.

The End.

four months

2011-08-20T15:10:00.004-04:00

Sometimes we think she looks like Gracie...

Gracie

Emma

And sometimes we think she looks like Joey...

Joey

Emma

And sometimes, she even reminds us of Lily, who was born before the purchase of our first digital camera. :)

And all of the time we are thankful for this sweet, little sugar lump who lights up our home! Happy four months, baby girl!

a little Monday morning sugar

2011-08-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

Look who sat up for Bible Time?

2011-08-05T23:59:00.002-04:00

She even folded her hands in prayer. :)

Her "people" were just delighted with this new arrangement.

And The Emster, herself, was pretty tickled about it, too!

Goodness, do we all just adore this little face!

in no particular order

2011-07-25T15:52:00.010-04:00

How can it be the last week of July already?

This little lady turned 3 months old...

These children are enjoying VBS!

We're having fun playing dress-up with the baby.

There has been some cleaning...

...biking,

...running,

...and general silliness in these parts.

We participated in our Homeschool Rally a month ago.

This dude had fun at his first Christian soccer camp.

(I think his little cleats and shin guards are so cute!)

These girls are learning a lot at their summer art class.

The Man-Child turned 8 this week!

(He loved the Lego cake despite the fact that his mother remembered the baking powder, but forgot to put the baking soda in the cake recipe, there was so much food coloring in the icing that it tasted like medicine, and those marshmallows on top were a beast to ice. We are teaching his Sunday School class this month, and his whole class liked it too. Yeah, brick-cake, red icing, and marshmallows. It's a good thing they're young!)

His little mystery-loving heart loved the clues he had to decode to search for his presents.

It's been one jolly after another in these parts! And right now we are enjoying a drenching downpour after a few weeks of sweltering heat and no rain. Our grass is crunchy. But we're soaking up as much summer as we can! How about you?

summer days

2011-07-16T17:27:00.004-04:00

It was blazing hot earlier this week. The kids occupied themselves with your typical, calm, serene summer activites. Like....

"Barn dancing" in the family room. Gracie provided the music on the harmonica.

While the other two provided the "entertainment."

When that got boring, they headed outside to beat the heat with the sprinkler. And like typical American children, they ran through the sprinkler spray, giggling and smiling.

Scratch that. They put the sprinker upside-down on the treehouse floor and made themselves a "pool" in the sandbox.

Looks refreshing doesn't it? :)

At least the popsicles afterwards were a "typical" summertime treat.

I love these crazy kids! We are SO enjoying our summer!

mother-son bonding

2011-07-08T23:43:00.003-04:00

One of the ways I bond with my son: over ice cream.

And I really capture his heart when we pull into the Turkey Hill store (where they have ALL of the flavors) and I let him pick out some "sports" flavors and then a selection for each family member.

Mother-son bonding at its best. :)

happy 4th

2011-07-05T12:45:00.005-04:00

Happy 4th, everyone! Or I guess I should say, Happy 5th! :) What a crazy week we had last week. Joey went to soccer camp every day...a first for us. He had a blast and has a tan and much blonder hair to prove it. We had our Homeschool Rally at church, a park play date, a fun shopping trip, Lily's summer art class, plus a few other "happenings."

Then on Friday, Scott took off work, hired our nephew for the day, and together they put up the last of the crown molding. Yay! It's finished, our garage is cleaned up, and it looks SO nice! There is some caulking and touch-up for him to finish, but I am so pleased that all of the wood is up and out of the garage. I can't believe they got it all done, it was such a big job.

Saturday we cleaned up and did the typical Saturday stuff: lawn, laundry, prepare for Sunday.

And then on Sunday night after church we had some friends over for dessert and to watch our town's fireworks display. We just stayed here and watched from our street this year...there were too many babies and no one really felt like braving the crowds. The fireworks were great! The only thing I really missed was the "history" that they read before the show. Every year someone reads a portion of the Declaration of Independence, a lesser known writing of one of the signers of the Declaration, and then all of the names of the signers. It's really special, and definitely sings to my history-loving heart. Plus there is patriotic music and a general "small-town" feeling to a really great show.

But we discovered that you can really see quite a bit from our street and we had fun with our friends afterwards. It was a late night for the baby, but she was an angel and slept ELEVEN hours that night! Which, of course, made for a very pleasant Monday for me. :) We did some more "around the house" stuff yesterday, had a little cook-out, and Scott did some fireworks in our very quiet street last night... just us six.

It truly was a happy 4th. How was yours?

something's missing

2011-06-25T15:04:00.003-04:00

Gracie lost her first tooth about a month ago. I believe it was the very day that my computer died (with all of Emma's photos on it), we raced around to get to swimming only to have the class cancelled due to a thunderstorm just as my kids were getting into the pool, and the weekend we were planning my oldest baby's 10th birthday party. Those "minor" details coupled with post-partum hormones and rocking another sweet, sweet baby and not being able to believe that she too will grow up and turn 10 one day made me a weepy basket case when Gracie lost her tooth. I confess that I didn't react with enthusiasm and the typical "Wow, what a big girl you are becoming" speech. I cried, instead.

But now that a month has passed, I really am excited that this sweet girl is growing up! She has stepped into her "big sister" role quite nicely. And that makes my heart happy.

But, I am secretly hoping that she keeps that adorable space in her mouth for just a wee bit longer. :)

two months

2011-06-23T21:05:00.002-04:00

Little Sister turned two months old this week. It seems like just yesterday that another treasure was added to our household.

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3,4

Emma, you are a special gift to us! One that we get to open up every day and enjoy again and again! You are our fourth, little gem. Daddy's thoughts when he first laid eyes on you were, "She looks like one of ours!" And you really do. Every day, sometimes several times a day, I see a little bit of one of your siblings in you. And yet, no matter how much you look like "one of ours" you are your own person, and we revel in your uniqueness! A marvellous work fashioned fearfully and wonderfully by a good God!

We love you, sweet girl!

out of a job

2011-06-18T23:31:00.004-04:00

My Man finds himself out of a job this summer. The lawnmowing job, that is. Our Man-Child has taken over that duty and despite the consternation written on his face in these photos, he really loves his new job!

Joey, you are a blessing to our family. I am surprised often by your enthusiasm and determined spirit. You are a breath of fresh air during the day when Daddy is gone and you are the only man in the house.

The way you tackle jobs is an encouragement to me and an example to the girls. I know where you get your "I can handle it" attitude towards tough jobs. You watch your Daddy approach work with the same spirit, and it makes me smile to see you blossoming into a great man, just like him.

Always remember that your Daddy and Mommy are always right behind you. Watching you, loving you and praying for you, Little Man.

they're symbiotic

2011-06-16T16:58:00.004-04:00

long time, no blog

2011-06-08T16:11:00.003-04:00

Oh look! I haven't posted for weeks and what was left on the top of my blog all that time? My dirty laundry! I apologize to those of you who visited over the last few weeks and repetitively saw my dirty laundry! I didn't mean to leave it up there for so long. My computer abruptly died on me a few weeks ago, hence the lack of blogging recently. But now after much trial and tribulation, I *think* I might once more be among the number of computer-owners.

I've missed blogging. More specifically, I have missed playing with my pictures. And my, my have there been an abundance of them lately. I uploaded 1,200+ new photos last night onto my new computer. But with such cute subject-matter, how can I not accumulate photos so fast?

A lot has been going on in our household over the last few weeks. We've hit a few milestones, had a few celebrations, and loved on this wee one quite a bit! Speaking of her, I feel like she has completely changed since I last blogged about her. She turned one month old while I was "gone" and now sleeps through the night, bats at toys, smiles constantly, and continues to plump up in a most delightful way! We love her to bits and hopefully I will have some time to post about her and her siblings very soon. I've missed y'all!

the problem with yard work and children

2011-05-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

The problem with yard work and children is that only one of them gets cleaned up. And it's usually not the children.

These used to be white socks. The pair on the left were some of Gracie's white, lace church socks. Oh well. I am thankful to have a husband who gets the kids up early and takes them to Work Day at church to give me an extra hour of sleep. I just need to remember to lay their clothes out the night before. And remember to not include any white articles of clothing. :)

when your name is emma...

2011-05-19T07:00:00.003-04:00

When your name is Emma, and your mama likes Jane Austen, she might just while away the last few weeks of your pregnancy learning to play "your" music on the piano.

And her little literary-loving heart might be inclined to purchase a darling, little ornament made from a vintage copy of Jane Austen's Emma.

Which would arrive in this adorable little, linen bag. And when the seller learns that the ornament is to be hung in the nursery of a new, little baby girl named Emma, she might offer to change the ribbon color to pink for your mama.

And because she is such a generous seller, she might include an extra, little gift all wrapped up so vintagey and cute with a wax seal and string.

And it might be tied up in a sweet, little pink bag. And your mama and sisters might squeal multiple times as they open all of these little goodies.

And it might just be a cute necklace made out of the same old book.

And it might include your name on one side...

And Mr. Knightley's on the other. (You'll understand about this when you get bigger.) And then your big sister might begin negotiating to wear this necklace to the hospital when she comes to see you for the first time. And your mama will say, "Yes." And before she realizes it, your mama might be third in line to wear that little necklace. And she will think it's just so sweet. Because, after all, she has a brand-new baby girl named Emma.

his emmie

2011-05-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

May I gush about my Man-child and his new baby sister for a few minutes? He simply adores her. It is one of the most precious things ever to this mommy. He is so gentle and careful with her. Her nursery is right across the hall from his room and he loves being the first one in her room every morning.

He talks to her and kisses her head. Then he kisses her cheek and tells me how nice it was. And then a few minutes later, he does the same thing and gives me the same report. And he repeats that many times throughout the day.

Since the day she came home from the hospital, he has referred to her as "his Emmie." It's his own little pet name for her, and it melts my heart to hear him croon in a high voice, "Hello, Emmie!"

He sings to her and talks to her to calm her when she's fussy. He changes her diaper trash without complaining. And one day when she is old enough to understand, I just know she will realize how blessed she is to have such a wonderful big brother.

a little bit of sugar to brighten this Tuesday

2011-05-17T09:10:00.000-04:00

things found in a big family

2011-05-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

{a playful spirit}

{a lot of action}

{the ability to multi-task...and sleep through noise}

{a sense of humor}

{and best of all, a lot of love}

{5 days}

2011-05-15T07:00:00.001-04:00

When Emma was five days old, one of my dear friends came over and took some beautiful pictures of her. They have turned into some of my favorite images of all time. I hope you enjoy them!

emma's first three weeks {in her own words}

2011-05-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm three weeks old now, so I thought I would let you know what life has been like for me on the outside.

I have a loving family. A lot of them came to meet me in the hospital. I slept through most of my time there, but Mommy and Daddy say it was a nice time.

This is my Auntie Katina and cousin Sophia. They came to see me in the hospital and Auntie crocheted a beautiful flower hat for me to wear. But my head was too tiny, so my bear wore it instead. Auntie is having fun finding cute, little new or like-new smocked dresses for me to wear. My closet is filling up! Mommy smocked me my first homemade dress, but I will let her tell you about that some other time.

Daddy and Mommy took me home a little early and we all really liked getting away from the noise and interruptions of the hospital.

Mommy gets teary every time she looks at this picture, because it reminds her of how nice it was to bring me home from the hospital. I really like this new house of mine!

We had some more visitors once we got home from the hospital. I was happy that my Uncle John and Aunt Sherry from Ohio were in town so I could meet them when I was brand new! I can't wait until they give me a little cousin to play with. :)

Auntie Michelle and cousin Maria came to visit me too! They brought treats for everyone in the house and some more cute dresses for me. Tsk, tsk, whatever am I going to do with such a lovely wardrobe?

On my first Easter, I went to Pop-pop and Mimi's house for the first time. I think I am really going to like that place in the future!

{in my Easter dress}

My first week home from the hospital was sweet and wonderful! Daddy stayed home with us all week, friends and loved ones brought us yummy food, and the big kids began loving on me immediately!
They like to dress me up in all sorts of cute hats and headbands and play toys with me. Lily takes pictures of me and Mommy enjoys finding photographic evidence of all of the funny things they do with me...like bringing me lots of "friends" to play with.

Gracie picks flowers for me.

And Lily made a potholder just for me! Mommy uses it as a coaster in my nursery.

My big sisters and I have matching nightgowns. They told me they have been waiting months to have all three girls matching together.

My umbilical cord fell off earlier this week and I was able to get my first bath! The big kids had been telling me how much I would love it, so I was pretty excited about the event. There were five spectators there and it turned out to be just as much fun as I was expecting! And Mommy was so busy that all she got was a blurry, albeit cute, picture of my first bath.

I've been a pretty, busy girl. In my short three weeks, I've been to the park twice, been shopping with Mommy and Auntie, slept through piano lessons twice, been to swimming class a few times, met all sorts of wonderful people at church several times and taken more trips to the car dealership than Mommy wishes to count. :) Mommy says this is what it is like to be a family of six: fun and loving, but BUSY!

Lily and Daddy got very sick the week after I was born. They weren't able to hold me and kiss me for a few days and that just about broke their hearts. Mommy had the battery die in our car at critical moments, and also had the terrifying experience of brake failure while driving with her four precious ones in the van. Yes, my first three weeks have been action-packed! But I normally sleep through everything. I'm pretty laid-back like that.

Mommy says that she loves this new life and wouldn't trade it for the world! And she seems pleased to see me in the middle of the night, so I think I'll keep up my pattern so I still get to see her smiling face at least once or twice in the night. :)

I have a pretty good life!

in the arms of her daddy

2011-05-13T19:20:00.006-04:00

I can't think of a better place for a little girl to be. Daddy's strong arms wrapped around a child remind me of one of my favorite verses...

The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms:

Deuteronomy 33:27

the best thing to have for a baby

2011-05-06T21:09:00.004-04:00

Ten years ago, when I was nine months pregnant with our first child, our friends and loved ones threw a beautiful baby shower for me to help me prepare for our little dearie. We received all sorts of lovely gifts including many different gadgets and gizmos that I needed in order to care for our baby.

But what nobody told me is that one of these is all that I needed: an almost-ten-year old. Too bad I couldn't have scanned one of these onto my baby registry back then. I could have really used one when I was a newbie mom.

She sure is a big help to me. And Emma seems to really like her too.

And the almost-eight-year old brother version is a wonderful second choice. I would've taken one of these back then too. I didn't have either of these with my first three babies.

It's too bad. Because the big siblings have been one of the best things about having the fourth child.

{sweet dreams}

2011-05-05T14:37:00.000-04:00

Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome...

2011-04-29T13:31:00.003-04:00

Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss;

...here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery.

Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worth all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation, my other darlings had left me.

Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her life-long prayers!

-Elizabeth Prentiss - from Stepping Heavenward

where the pretty things are {emma's nursery}

2011-04-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

As soon as we found out we were expecting our fourth child, I got excited about getting to decorate a nursery again! We had been using our fourth bedroom as a playroom since we moved into this house, so it started as a blank slate. When we found out we were expecting a little girl, I chose a soothing gray/pink/white color palette. Rather than go super shabby-chic/cottage which is kindof what I have going on in the big girls' room, I wanted something a little more *elegant.*

We still had all of the nursery furniture that we used for all three children. I found that little table on clearance at Marshall's because I have always wanted to have a spot to set stuff while I sit in the glider with the baby.

There's the dresser that Scott refinished. Hanging a huge mirror behind it made it look bigger, because it looked pretty small in her room when we first moved it in.

I have some plans for the wall above the changing table, but I have to wait until I have some photos of the baby to incorporate into what I want to do there. So for now, this space is unfinished.

While perusing the internet, I saw some pretty flower mobiles and knew that I wanted to do something similar over the crib. Then I stumbled upon this tutorial and after two trips to Hobby Lobby to get enough roses to cover the wreath frame, I finished it!

That is her verse embroidery that I did after we chose her name. Again, I am a very beginner embroiderer (is that a word?) and really don't have a clue about embroidery work, but I kindof like the vintage/imperfect look of it. And now I want to embroider things for every room of the house. :)

Oh dear, what ever will she wear on her head?

The Eiffel Tower is actually her first piggy bank. The big kids think it's the coolest thing in the nursery!

I got the silver shoe at Hobby Lobby because I wanted to inject some vintage silver items into the room...plus it compliments the gray/pink/white theme so nicely.

We are way too practical to replace the ceiling fan with a crystal chandelier, though I think it would look absolutely darling in here. So I squealed out loud when I found this crystal chandelier wall-hanging at Hobby Lobby! It goes perfectly, and no rewiring and lack of summer ventilation is required. :)

There are still some more things I want to do in here. But for now, we all like how it turned out. ....

And we think it's the perfect place ...

...to admire...

...our sleeping princess.

whole {emma's name}

2011-04-27T07:00:00.005-04:00

{Emma Kathleen}

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly;
and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thessalonians 5:23

Scott and I were too busy to even begin to discuss baby names until after our twenty-week ultrasound when we found out that we were expecting another little girl. Emma is a name that we have loved for ten years since we were expecting Lily. In fact, we came close to naming her Emma all of the way up to an hour after she was born! And we both knew that we really wanted to use Scott's mom's name, Kathleen.

But we wanted to be really sure of the name and it's meaning. When I first looked up the meaning of Emma which is "whole, universal" something clicked right away for me. The idea of preserving our children whole and blameless is one that we have been discussing and praying about quite a bit lately. Since our oldest is on the verge of the tween/teen years, we are already beginning to deal with issues and have conversations about this very topic.

As parents, there is nothing that we want more for our children than that they be preserved and presented to the Lord whole and blameless at His coming. That they might be used of Him in a mighty, pure, and complete way. The meaning of Emma's name and the verse that the Lord kept bringing to us fit in with that perfectly!

So it didn't take long for us to settle on Emma Kathleen for our fourth blessing! And as a bonus, she gets the adorable Emma-Kate as her own nick-name. :)

you make me smile

2011-04-26T19:28:00.002-04:00

We are home and enjoying being a family of six! Emma is doing well and getting a little more plump each day. We are each smitten with her and can't seem to get enough of her! I have so many things to say and lots of pictures to share, but I have been too busy loving on my sweet girl to get around to it. So for now I will share about Emma's name and nursery...I had started those posts before her birth. And hopefully soon I can share some more recent photos. We think our littlest sweetheart is pretty cute. :)

May I introduce...

2011-04-22T07:19:00.005-04:00

{Emma Kathleen}

April 21, 2011

12:46pm

6lbs 14oz

19in

We all think our sweet, little Emma Kate is pretty special! Our hearts are full of praise to the Lord for a timely, speedy, and healthy birth of our fourth blessing! God has been very gracious to us!

baby book guilt?

2011-04-14T07:00:00.001-04:00

Baby book guilt. Does anyone else have it?

I grew up thinking that baby books were those cute, little books that were only partially filled out and kindof forgotten on the shelf.

Until...

I got married and inherited my husband's baby book. My mother-in-law filled it out meticulously. It is the most well-completed thing I have ever seen. Seriously, she filled it out better than most people complete their tax paperwork. I know the exact date that each and every baby tooth erupted in my husband's sweet, little baby gums! Her handwriting is perfect and the carefulness that she used to record everything is just darling.

What makes it most special of all is that I never had the chance to meet Scott's mom. Sadly, she passed away when my husband was in high school...long before we met. I have just a few things that belonged to his mom, but of those items, his baby book is definitely my favorite because it speaks so much about her. Her neat, little secretary handwriting on each page and the care she showed to record everything just so, speaks volumes of the mother that I am told she was to her children. It's almost like a little letter to me about what her son was like as a baby and I treasure it because I can't pick up the phone now and ask her, "Did Scott do ____ when he was little?" or "What was Scott like as a toddler?"

So now I have baby book guilt. When I would look at my children's incomplete baby books, I would think about how much I treasure my husband's and tell myself that I need to get those baby books (mostly) completed if it's the last thing I do. And somehow during each pregnancy, I go on a rampage and get "caught up" on the big kids' baby books before the new baby comes and it's time to start another one! And because my big kids are all older now, I can pretty much say that their books are finished (or almost as finished as they will ever be) and I already bought a new one for the baby to take to the hospital and get the prints of her sweet, little feet stamped inside!

Plus, I came across this Big Sibling Book and knew right away that it would be the perfect project for Lily and let me tell you, I think I am delegating the task of "updating the baby book" to her because she had all of the beginning pages of her book completed within 48 hours of the book arriving on our doorstep! It really is very precious!

So one day our fourth child will have her big sister to thank when she is able to look back and name the date that each tooth erupted in her sweet, baby gums. :)

saturday morning devotions

2011-04-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

I love this sight, bed-heads and all. :)

a little reminder

2011-04-12T07:00:00.002-04:00

I've been a little crazy with the crafting and projects this pregnancy. Scott keeps saying, "I don't ever remember this many projects..." :) But I think I've reached the point of no return this week. My clutziness and tiredness have caught up with my compulsion to do projects and I think I'm calling it quits until after the baby comes. Tonight was the end... I attempted to use my sewing machine and after the third failed attempt of doing something that I have done several times in the past, I decided to be finished. (Or at least I'm telling myself that tonight...) :)

Another good example of my preggo brain was when I threw in a load of dirty towels over the weekend and couldn't understand how there could be SO much room left in the washer...so I kept loading in more and more towels still questioning HOW it could all-of-the-sudden hold so many items. Then I closed the door and tried to find the drawer to add the detergent (I have front-loaders). And sadly, it wasn't until THEN that I realized I had loaded the dirty laundry into the dryer!! I just keep singing to myself, "Oh where, oh where has my little brain gone?..." :)

Anyhow, I thought I would try to post about a few projects, and one of these days maybe post some pictures of the nursery...it really is the sweetest room in the house!

This is a little embroidery that I did for my girls' after I embroidered our verse for the baby. I picked up the frame at Hobby Lobby and finally got it put together and into their room. I really have no idea how to embroider, it's definitely far from perfect, but I hope that it's a nice reminder to them of the source of true beauty!

By the way, the April edition of Grace & Honor has been up on the website for a little bit. It is packed full of wonderful updates and articles and I hope you will enjoy it!

sweet, little poem

2011-04-11T13:36:00.002-04:00

I Am Not Alone

Running errands and talking on the phone,

I am pleasantly reminded that I am not alone.

Little tiny hands, a precious rounded knee

Pushing and twisting that no one can see.

Oh sweet child kicking up your heels,

It is our little secret that only I can feel.

I look forward to your birth,

When I can kiss your skin,

But for now I will just smile,

As I feel you play within.

As excited as we are to meet our new baby, I am enjoying every little moment I have with this sweet one on the inside. Expecting a baby is an amazing gift and the Creator did an awesome work when He made our bodies to produce little miracles!

hot date

2011-04-11T07:00:00.001-04:00

She did her own hair for the occasion.

He's had a hot date every weekend for the last three weeks.

Fortunately for him, there are plenty of women around here to take out on dates. :)

my lily

2011-04-09T14:55:00.005-04:00

The Lily

by William Blake

The modest Rose puts forth a thorn,

The humble Sheep a threat'ning horn:

While the Lily white shall in love delight,

Nor a thorn nor a threat stain her beauty bright.

there's a baby in there

2011-04-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who might think I don't look all that pregnant...

...think again!

I can assure you that there really is a baby in there! And since I'm full-term now, I thought it might be time to have my little photographer-girl take some actual belly pics.

When I look at this picture, I see...

2011-04-03T16:56:00.004-04:00

...a little girl. A very creative little girl. One who likes to cut paper into tiny pieces and use markers and glitter and stickers daily. And frequently leaves paper scraps and markers all over the house. She became a Hole Punch Artist this week when she discovered the fascinating, modern tool that we know as the hole puncher. We were each surprised one morning with "a little cheese" which she made out of yellow construction paper and the hole puncher. Very messy, but very creative.

...a little boy. One obsessed with knights and sword-fighting. Our home is filled with the sounds of the Man-child's "Ching, Ching, Ching..." as he swashbuckles all over the place. Yesterday he spent several hours literally galloping from one end of the yard to the other with a shower curtain rod "jousting" with his foes. And frequently winning, I might add. Very noisy, but very imaginative.

...a little-ish, but quickly becoming a tallish girl. Very verbal, sensitive and generous. One who would give you the shirt off her back if you wanted it. A girl who writes story after story and never runs out of ideas. One who is constantly humming a tune. Sometimes over and over and over again...but there is always a song in her heart. A very mature girl, but not too grown up to play dolls with her sister and imaginary Lego stories with her brother. Very intense, but very thoughtful.

...my Man. A strong, wonderful, hard-working man. Not just in the office, but at home too. A man who has worked hard on projects that he enjoys, but he also knows are important to me. On weekends, taking vacation days, tirelessly, to get those projects done for us. And he still makes one-on-one time to spend with each of us, especially before the baby comes.

And that's what I see today, when I look at this picture.

{nesting}

2011-04-01T07:00:00.002-04:00

Here are a few things that an almost nine-months-pregnant mama should not be trusted to do:

finish her own sentences, much less string sentences and paragraphs together to form a legible article

give her family their haircuts...unfortunately for me, my fingers fared even worse than their hair

homeschool her children...or even give competent answers to their questions most of the time

and on most days: operate a motor vehicle... I'm just sayin', I think I might be considered a menace to the road these days :)

Oh the klutzy last few days of pregnancy! But I have to report that we are enjoying the final countdown until we hold our little sweetie! It's less than a month now, and we are counting days rather than weeks, which is SO exciting! The first thing my Joey does every morning is climb into bed with me to feel the baby doing her morning gymnastics. :) And Lily likes feeling her so much that she said quietly the other day, "As much as I want to see the baby, I think I'm going to be just a little sad when you aren't pregnant anymore." Which of course made me cry, because I always feel the same way! Ah, the hormones of pregnancy...and how my big girl is growing up!!

Speaking of that, Scott took her out on a date the other day. And rather than choose the typical fast food place with a playland, like the average child does, she chose Panera as her date spot and got all dressed up for the occasion. And when Scott teared up during his prayer before their meal, she gave him the "Daddy, why are you crying?" look. She was complimented several times by strangers while they were out on her jacket, hair, grown-up appearance, and the cashier kept looking to her for their order, rather than Scott. He said he felt like he had an adult with him. Thankfully, she did request they stop at Chick-fil-a to share a milkshake for dessert, and Scott purposely requested two straws so they would have to share one cup with their heads all close. :) Oh dear, what is he going to do when they grow up??

{my little nest: one blue, three pink}

Even though it feels like we are muddling through the days and weeks (which are flying by) I look back at the last few weeks and marvel at all the Lord allowed us to accomplish:

We crossed "homeschool portfolio and evaluation" off of our list last week (yay!)

We got a few more home projects done...more are in progress :)

We went on our last family daytrip before the baby comes which was such a refreshing day for all of us

Next year's curriculum is ordered, sorted, and put away

We had our new piano tuned for the first time...it sounds so nice!

I went through the kids' warm-weather clothes to figure out what they need and what they outgrew, and we are fairly well-set for the next season now

We did our first loads of "baby laundry" and one of these days I need to pull a bag out of the basement and pack for the hospital (what are you supposed to pack in there, anyhow?? I can't remember!)

We kept on track with school, piano, swimming and the regular household "stuff" and celebrated 12 years of marriage and the first day of spring! God is so good!

The kids wanted to make the cute, little n0-bake nest cookies (pictured above) to take into their Master Club classes. I thought they were appropriate given the spring season, my current "nesting" stage, and the fact that they are learning so many wonderful things about God's creation of flying creatures and their nests in science lately. (Seriously, did you know that the average bald eagle's nest weighs as much as a car? I didn't either until they told me!)

I am so thankful for the sweet, little nest that God has given me! I don't deserve it and am so grateful for the little souls that He has placed within it!

good prayers

2011-03-30T12:21:00.003-04:00

I just finished a neat, little biography on the life of E.M. Bounds. It was part-biography, part-historical timeline of the Civil War, part-commentary on prayer....and all very enlightening. Here is a little excerpt on prayer that particularly caught my attention. How often are my prayers a mere, faint jangling in the throne room of Heaven? I hope this excerpt is a blessing and a challenge to you, as it was to me...

"Good prayers," says an old divine, "never come weeping home. I am sure I shall receive either what I ask, or what I should ask. Prayer pulls the rope below, and the great bell rings above in the ears of God. Some scarcely stir the bell, for they pray so languidly; others give but an occasional pull at the rope; but he who wins with heaven is the man who grasps the rope boldly and pulls continuously with all his might."

That is the best kind of bell ringing -- ringing the bells of heaven -- making a sensation in the world celestial, and pulling the power down upon the world terrestrial. Reader, do you know how to handle the bell rope, to pull it vigorously and constantly? We know some that do. Hell trembles when they seize the rope.

-- E.M. Bounds

{a dozen}

2011-03-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

Today marks a dozen years of wedded bliss for my darling and me. I can't even begin to express how thankful I am that God made me for this man.

He completes me in so many areas. Where I'm dramatic and emotional (hard to believe, isn't it?!), he's steady and calm. I can't remember him ever raising his voice in anger.

He loves me and the kids completely. Spending time with us is one of his top priorities in life.

He is an awesome provider. In a few weeks, it will be a decade since I last received a paycheck with my name on it (a fact which I love).

He's methodical and thorough. My man is a thinker with a capital "T." He is a man of principal and integrity. But he leads with kindness. I told someone recently that Scott is the most understanding man I have ever met, and it's true. He "thinks no evil and hopes all things" about others.

After a dozen years of marriage, we understand each other more deeply, we can predict what each other is thinking, we laugh out loud at the same comics, we have the same life-goals.

And it doesn't hurt that my Man is cute and likes to do home projects, either. :)

Happy Anniversary, to my One and Only!

my littlest helper

2011-03-11T07:00:00.001-05:00

My littlest helper is now big enough to stand on a stool and peel and slice cucumbers all by herself! When did she get enough for such things? Of course, when you can use a pink vegetable peeler, the job is all that much more fun! And when you get to use a fancy crinkle cutter (because I don't think she's ready for my sharp knives yet), what could be better?

I'm still trying to figure out how my baby girl could be old enough to have acquired such skills. But at least she still says, "I'm wich in Anopoly!" ("I'm rich in Monopoly!") when she's totally creaming her daddy and siblings at Monopoly. And at least I have a few more weeks to call her "my baby." I'll take it.

little homemaker-in-training

2011-03-09T07:00:00.004-05:00

This sweet girl LOVES to do projects! Maybe that is one of the reasons why I have been so into the crafting lately...because I have no choice. The kids, they love to craft...the girls especially. And now with the realization that I am about to have three daughters, I am beginning to embrace my new reality. :)

Anyhow, back in January I decided to embroider the baby's Scripture verse. I think it was technically my first embroidery project, if you don't count the elementary samplers I did when I was this girl's age. But I did spend years of my younger life cross-stitching, and last year, I tried smocking, so I guess it's all related. My sweet girl wanted to get in on the act, and after making a few free-hand sampler-type projects, I found free, pretty monogram templates on the internet, and she made her initial, just using a basic stitch, nothing fancy.

I thought it turned out so cute! I used the idea of turning it into an "adventure bag" found here (I used the machine, though) and she adores it and has already started another one! She likes to carry this one around filled with her treasures, or notes for friends and family. And it makes me smile to think that she is growing up and learning all sorts of homemaking skills!

{This post is linked to Raising Homemakers.}

I can't wait...

2011-03-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

I can't wait...

...to hear your first cry

...to feel the weight of your wriggly, little body lying on my chest for the first time

...to drink in your sweet newborn scent

...to kiss your fuzzy, little head

...to see your daddy hold you for the first time and pray over you

...to try to figure out which one of your siblings you look most like

...to kiss the sweet, little toes that have been kicking me from the inside all of these months

...to get to know you...your cry, your preferences, your favorite positions, everything that makes you unique

...to see Lily, Joey, and Gracie cuddle you for the first time!

...to bring you home and be a family of six

...to fall in love with you in person!

Only a few more weeks, sweet baby...

projecty, projecty

2011-03-06T16:00:00.003-05:00

Over the last few months I have been nesting like the crazy, pregnant mama that I am and have been working on lots of projects. I guess it's a good time of the year to do such things, when cooped up in the house.

I made a few table runners and dresser scarfs for our bedroom and at various other unphotographed locations.

I've been *slightly* crazy about making flowers ...on hairclips, pins, pillows...it might be a small obsession.

Scott has been busy on the project-front also. He installed crown molding in several rooms, plus did some picture frame wainscoting in our foyer and dining room. It really adds a lot of character to those areas, and I think he did a great job on it!

Being the literary girl that I am, I thought this idea for a book page wreath was cool, (another tutorial here) so I made one from a book that I will never read again.

And I thought while I was doing it, "Only a crazy, pregnant woman spends two hours of her life ripping out book pages, curling them up and hot gluing them!" But I like how it turned out, so it was two hours well-spent, I guess. :)

I also might be slightly obsessed with ruffles. I made the baby's crib skirt...

And here are the nursery curtains. These were store-bought...but ruffly nonetheless. (My Man's awesome crown molding also shown.)

Back to the flower-obsession... displayed on a pillow I made for the nursery...

And on an embroidery that I did back in January of the Scripture verse we chose for the baby.

I made a tulle/tutu-esque fringey thing to attach to the girls' bed canopy. There are lots of tutorials out there for them. Much better than the ball fringe I had on there before. Plus I was able to repurpose the white ball fringe on the pink chenille pillow shams that I made for their bed.

{Someone likes to look at herself.}

I made some pink minky covers for our changing table... partly because it was much less-expensive to make them, and partly because I couldn't find flat changing pad covers...everything fits the contoured changing pads. {I used this tutorial.}

And then I used the leftover minky to make some burpies with super-soft damask flannel. Because heaven-forbid the baby deposit her spit-up on old white cloth diapers like all of the other three children did. :)

I used some leftover chenille too. {Tutorial here.}

This was a fun project that I dreamed up and Scott did by himself... (He wouldn't let me paint since I'm pregnant.)

The dresser that we used in the nursery for our first three babies was needing another coat of paint after ten years.

So I bought a wooden applique at Home Depot for the front of it, and he painted the whole thing pale pink (hard to tell in my poorly-lit photo) and then finished it off with new crystal knobs! I'm in love with it!

It makes me giggle to think that this dresser was handed down to Scott when he was a bachelor...from an elderly bachelor man. The bachelors' dresser...all girlified years later!

So there you have some proof that I have been a nesting fool. (I apologize for the poor lighting in the majority of my photos.) If only I enjoyed cleaning my home as much as I enjoy making it pretty. :) I'm trying to work on the spring-cleaning thing...or the regular, weekly cleaning thing...it's just a slow process. :)

{This post is linked to Tatertots and Jello's weekend wrapup.}

{timing}

2011-02-28T22:42:00.006-05:00

Things have been moving at break-neck speed around these parts...on some days. And then there are other days that seem to drag on. We are all doing well... keeping on with school, projects and baby-baking. :) I have about 7ish weeks left until we get to meet our sweet baby face-to-face! I've been thinking a lot about timing lately.

I was down with bronchitis for most of the month of February. That was definitely not in my timing, but it was in the Lord's plan for me. We hunkered down and cut out the non-essentials during the month. The kids pressed on with school, and I was surprised to count up our days last week and discover that we passed the 150 day mark already! Ssshh, don't tell the kids, but I think they will have more than their required days by May 1st!

As of tonight, I am again van-less. Both of our cars needed to be inspected in February. And our van still doesn't have her 2012 sticker, rendering me without wheels for the third time in a week. Again, not my timing, but totally within the Lord's will.

One of the big items hanging over my head on the "bucket list" to be done before the baby comes was purchase a piano. Lily and Joey began taking piano lessons over a year ago using a keyboard that is set-up in the former playroom-turned-nursery. Obviously, that room needs to be vacated shortly. But a piano is one of the few things that you can't just add to your Amazon cart with a few clicks and have delivered to your door. :) And between sickness, winter, projects, and Scott's schedule, piano shopping just kept getting pushed off. I was starting to get a little worried about it. But this last week, the Lord directed us to the perfect piano for us, and we finalized everything on Saturday morning. The kids are SO excited, and so are we!

No sooner did we get home from the music store and this girl started her piano practice for the day, and the middle C key broke out of the keyboard! Coincidence? I think not. The Lord certainly does have a sense of humor. Scott was able to superglue it back in so they can continue practicing until our new piano is delivered this Friday...yay! Once again, the Lord's timing is always best.

And I'm sure the same thing can be said for all of the things that we would like to accomplish between now and baby-day. God's timing is always best and I am so glad that I can trust in Him!

Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts

shall be established.

--Proverbs 16:3

How do you make it through the long, cold winter?

2011-01-31T19:12:00.005-05:00

I guess the same way you eat an elephant...one bite or day at a time. Or at least that has been our modus operandi lately. :) The kids are doing very well with keeping on track with school this January. Even with all of the snow, they've been staying on task and getting their work done, and I'm so pleased with them! We like starting our school year early and being finished early. So last summer, I decided to start earlier than ever, so we would be finished by May 1st. This proved to be a very wise move when we later found out that we were expecting a baby in the spring. We haven't taken any true snow days yet, but they are happy that they will definitely be finished by May 1st!

Our winter hasn't been entirely devoid of joys, either. They got to ride an elephant a few weeks ago. :)

And they spun themselves silly on a few questionably-safe rides at a little indoor fair.

Speaking of snow, this little girl is almost zero help in the snow shoveling department. But she is enormously handy in the snow-eating, snow angel-making, hot chocolate-drinking, and leaving-melting-snow-on-the-kitchen-floor departments.

My man-child, on the other hand, has been a powerhouse when it comes to shoveling. This picture was taken back when there was a lot less snow on the ground. This afternoon, I found what I think was the very last kid-shovel available in the entire valley, because he used his other one so much he wore through it. In other news, I had to set up an appointment today to start this guy at the orthodontist. (That would be child #2 who needs orthodontia...blah!) But he's pretty helpful when it comes to taking out the trash and shoveling snow, so I think we'll keep him. :)

Other than keeping up with the kids, school, and snow, I have been doing projects like a deranged, pregnant girl! One of these days I will have to take pictures of some of our projects so that in a few months, when I'm sitting on the sofa, totally unproductive, and doing nothing but loving on a wiggly, queaky, fuzzy newborn, I will be able to remember what I did for the first few months of the year. :) So how has your January been?

By the way, did you see the cute, little baby ticker in my sidebar? I like to check it to see how many days until my due date...I'm down to the double digits...yay!

I love it when I upload photos from Lily's camera...

2011-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

...and I find photos of unrecognizable things and unrecallable events.

For instance...when did they do this?

...and did these spoons go through the cycle like this?

I am also noticing with her latest batch of pictures that she is beginning to master the self-portrait.

Oh that girl!

I'm not sure what I like most...

2011-01-17T20:15:00.003-05:00

how pleased he is with his latest creation
that he positioned the astronauts with their hands in the air in an obvious show of male triumph
his adorable dimple peeking out over the shuttle {be still my heart}
how he quizzes me on NASA facts on a daily basis
or everything else about him?

I'm a smitten-mama. So thankful today for my man-child.

Christmas {projects}

2011-01-06T07:00:00.002-05:00

Scott had off the week in between Christmas and New Year's. And because I am a crazy-nesting woman and because we both like house projects, we spent the whole week on projects!

The girls and I did some baking.

We all spent an afternoon at Home Depot, fun, fun.

I got to go out with my sister for a shopping day...SO much fun! It is so exciting to see little baby things piling up around here. :) And to be making such progress on the nursery and other decorating projects that I have been putting off.

Plus, since some of the rooms in the house were torn apart, I actually spring-cleaned two rooms. Now only...uh...six+ to go. Haha.

Lily made a huge batch of pancakes. I can't believe she is big enough to help with this, but my what a help she is! The problem with making a six-batch of pancakes is that you have to stand in front of the stove all day flipping them. Not so if you have a nine-year old. :) She loved it and did a good job, too!

The boys put up some crown molding in a few rooms AND painted the baby's room!

We are so thankful for helping hands!

Christmas {Joy}

2011-01-05T07:03:00.005-05:00

“. . . for it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.”

-– Charles Dickens

These three sweeties blessed my heart on Christmas morning as they sat there waiting to give me their presents!

We had such a lovely Christmas this year, my heart just about burst! The whole month leading up to it was filled with so many blessings! Time with family, special times at church, sweet times at home, it was such a joyous month. Unfortunately, I came down with a cold a few days before Christmas, so it was extra-lovely to just spend Christmas day at home, lazing around, playing with new toys and games and just hanging out together. I love these people and can't believe that at this time next year, there is going to be another one!

Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.

What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?

Psalm 116:5,12

Christmas {visitor}

2011-01-05T07:02:00.002-05:00

Scott's dad spent the week before Christmas with us. To say that it was a special visit would be an understatement. He suffered a life-threatening health crisis this summer. During his two-month rehabilitation, we weren't sure if he would ever return to normal.

We praise the Lord that He is the great Physician and Restorer and my father-in-law's health is now better than it has been in several years! And he is hopefully on the path to doing even better!

We had a nice week with him: a few day trips, a lights tour, bedtime stories, family meals, but mostly just being with him. We are so thankful.

This is how we all feel about Granddaddy being "back." :)

Christmas {birthdays}

2011-01-05T07:00:00.002-05:00

A sweet friend turned 40.

The party was fun, the babies were cute, the food was good. :)

And then we had a little party here for my sister-in-law who also has a birthday a week before Christmas.

(There might be a ham living at our house. Not sure if you could tell.)

Christmas {card}

2011-01-04T14:00:00.000-05:00

Lovely Leaves Story Christmas 5x7 folded card

Create unique Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

I thought I would share our Christmas card this year, since I blogged earlier about how much I like Shutterfly. :)

Plus, bloggers who embed their card projects, can earn a $25 credit from Shutterfly, check it out!

Christmas {chocolates}

2011-01-04T13:01:00.001-05:00

I feel the same way when I hear the sirens letting us know that the firemen are coming around to give us free chocolates from our favorite, local chocolatier. :)

Christmas {concert}

2011-01-04T13:00:00.001-05:00

The majority of us participated in our church's Christmas concert this year. Lily and Joey sang in the Master Club choir and Scott and I sang in the adult choir. It was fun to do this together!

Christmas {camp-out}

2011-01-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

Lots of fun!

Christmas {song}

2011-01-04T07:01:00.001-05:00

Hey, look! It's my favorite, little singing group. :)

Christmas {recital}...or...Christmas {sugar}

2011-01-03T21:56:00.004-05:00

Lily and Joey participated in their piano recital in December. Though they may have been slightly more excited about the sugar.

Oh yeah. The kids spent the better part of December amped up on sugar and Christmas. :)

Christmas {adventure}

2011-01-03T21:38:00.004-05:00

In December, I took the girls to see a live performance of The Nutcracker ballet! (The boys stayed home and bonded over pizza and a model airplane.)

The adventure was fantastic! They loved just being in the grand symphony hall!

The score for The Nutcracker is particularly "animated," and it was amazing to see all of the unique, little instruments the live orchestra used to make different sounds! The girls LOVED the show!

And to cap it all off, afterwards, they played in the box seats and pretended to be grand ladies attending a concert. What could be better?

Christmas {spontaneity}

2011-01-03T21:14:00.005-05:00

Joey is prone to spontaneous expressions of affection

when presents are imminent.

Girls always reciprocate.

Goodness, do these three make me smile. :)

Christmas peace

2010-12-16T12:22:00.003-05:00

This makes my heart sing.

And this too.

I love it when the house is still and I go looking for the cause and find my little readers. These are definitely moments of Christmas peace. :)

{little precious}

2010-12-10T19:21:00.006-05:00

{ For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. }

{ I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. }

{ My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, }

{ and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. }

{ Thine eyes did see my substance, }

{ yet being unperfect; }

{ and in thy book all my members were written, }

{ which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. }

{ How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! Psalm 139:13-17 }

We were able to see our little sweetie again on Monday! Baby is cute as a button, appears healthy, measures perfectly, and is a very wiggly little GIRL! Scott and I feel very much like the psalmist must have felt when he penned these words...

{ Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: Psalm 40:5 }

We're all pretty excited about a little more sugar and spice! We didn't care either way, and this is the first time we have found out the gender of our baby prior to the birth. Joey is happy to have another cookie-baker in the house, and the girls are tickled pink about a baby sister. Our hearts are so thankful for another precious miracle! Truly...

{ The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, Proverbs 10:22 }

{so much}

2010-12-04T21:55:00.025-05:00

So much has happened in the last few months. I have been savoring so many moments.

My brother got married in October (how is it possible that it has almost been two months since their wedding?!). The ceremony was just beautiful and we had a really great time the whole week we were in Ohio!

My little dude was a ringbearer along with his cousin.

My sister made the "hunting" groom's cake for John. As the mother of the bride said, "There isn't a man in this room that doesn't LOVE that cake!"

And she did a great job on the real wedding cake too!

We even got to meet up and have lunch with some sweet friends while we were out there!

Later that month, we had some fun at the pumpkin patch with the cousins.

Vast quantities of ice cream have been consumed, of late. Especially by this mama. This was pumpkin soft serve to cap off our pumpkin patch day. It left a lasting impression.

This little lady turned five in October.

To celebrate her birthday, my sister and I took the girls to New York City!

The American Girl store was ridiculously adorable!!

The girls LOVED walking around NYC almost as much as their mothers did. :) Katina and I are planning a shopping/Broadway show trip next!

{Isaiah 33:6}

Kit loved NYC too. :)

As if that wasn't enough, we had a family birthday party for the four birthdays we collectively have in October and November.

These little ladies made these adorable flowerpot desserts (and had fun with the face paints too!).

We said good-bye to some of our dear, dear friends in November. :(

The kids helped me make 84+ quarts of applesauce. I am so thankful for my helpers! (photo courtesy of Lily)

We hosted Thanksgiving again in our home this year. I say it every year, but I think this was my favorite Thanksgiving yet. We had such a nice time... the food was good, there was a lot of family, chatter, kids, laughter, desserts... It was just perfect.

Plus, some of this white stuff began falling for the first time this season on the morning of Thanksgiving. It made for a beautiful memory of the day.

And now we are in full-fledged Christmas-mode around here.

The kids are crafting up a storm.

We're still plodding on with homeschool (all praise to the Lord!) and keeping up with things like our monthly Pizza Hut Book It! lunches...

...and swimming lessons.

All of the while, the Creator has been fashioning a sweet, little one in my womb. And I am reminded of his/her presence by gentle wiggles and flips throughout the day. It seems impossible that I am halfway through this pregnancy already. Christmas is such a special time to be expecting a child. Like Mary, I find myself often keeping things and pondering them in my heart. This little baby is already bringing us so much joy and anticipation!

I hope you all are enjoying this wondrous season in which we can especially celebrate the coming of our Lord to this earth! May we all take some time to focus on Him this month!

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2010-11-08T18:29:00.003-05:00

For the last several years, I have ordered all of our Christmas cards from Shutterfly. Their selection is superior and their quality is great! We've tried folded cards and flat cards and been delighted with both of them!

One year, I used one of their folded card designs and received more compliments on that card than any other year! I liked that I could type our Christmas letter directly into the inside of the card, rather than printing it out separately! And now you can even personalize the inside of the card with pictures too!

It seems like every year they expand their line of Christmas cards to include more and more pretty designs!

This is a cute design with a Biblical message, which is hard to find...

And so is this one...

And this one!

Check out their complete line of Christmas cards, they're all cute!

We've used Shutterfly for other photo gifts too. Like calendars, mugs, and photobooks. Not to mention countless prints orders. And each time I've been pleased with the results and their super-fast shipping times! I like that calendars can not only be personalized with photos, but also special dates and reminders can be typed straight into the calendar! My father-in-law especially appreciates this feature when I make him one every year for Christmas. :) Also, their collection of birth announcements is ADORABLE! I have a feeling I'll be checking it out again in a few months!

Bloggers can apply here to receive 50 free cards. Check out all of the details if you want to participate!

keep on running

2010-10-29T23:05:00.009-04:00

Life has been so full lately, I can't even begin to keep my blog updated. Thanks for all of your well wishes regarding our new, little blessing! We are really excited and glad that we now have less than six months until we get to hold our new baby! I'm almost 15 weeks along, and starting to feel a bit better. It may take a few more weeks until I feel back to normal, but that's par for the course for me anyway.

Although I'm not sure I'll be totally back to "normal." I cried on the phone with a Kohl's associate last week, I tear up during almost every, single song service at church, and I call people by someone else's name...so it may be another year or two until I'm back to "normal"...or maybe I never was normal to start. :)

I have so many thoughts swirling through this brain of mine...and so many things I want to record here. So I guess I'll start with our race. Lily and I ran our first 5k together a few weeks ago. I can't begin to share how much running has influenced my life. My husband practically majored in cross country in college, and has always enjoyed the sport. For years, he has rambled on to me about the advantages of running and all of the spiritual applications, and since I've taken up running, I get it. I really, really understand what he means.

Running has impacted my spiritual life in some unbelievable ways. There are so many Scripture passages that deal with running the Christian life as a race that come alive to a runner, in ways that I never realized before. When I'm out running, listening to godly music, breathing in fresh air, it's just the Lord and me, and it's amazing...so indicative of what the Christian life is all about...putting one foot in front of the other, depending on God, looking to the finish line. I could go on and on, but I will stop. Especially because Pennsylvania's good running weather is coming to a close. :(

Anyhow, back to the race... Lily and I ran the Women's 5k Classic to benefit breast cancer awareness. My grandmother is a 28 year survivor, so the cause is special to us. And it was also a lot of fun as it was all women and all pink. :)

We had a lot of fun at the health expo the day before the race.

We got all kinds of goodies and got to see ice cream being made and sample it, of course. :)

On the big day, the whole family came along to watch and cheer us on!

And we did it!! Lily has her daddy's running legs and has been running around our neighborhood this year. She logged over 75 miles this summer, and I was really proud of her because she didn't stop once during the race! And that was without any actual training for a 3.1 mile race.

The weather turned out to be really nice, and I'm so glad I ran with my girlie! Originally, I was going to enter so I could run and make some good time and have someone else run/walk with Lily, but then I changed my mind and decided that we were going to enter as a mother/daughter team and stick with each other the whole time. I'm so glad that I did! We had a great time together and it was so fun to run with THIS girl!

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Hebrews 12:1-3

There is a Goal at the end of the Christian life! And we need to keep our eyes on Him even when we're weary and tempted to faint! What amazing truths are wrapped up in just these three verses alone!

In the case of our run, there was a sweet goal after it was all over...and it was pink, made of dark chocolate and benefiting a worthy cause...how can one resist? :)

This will be me in a few months...

2010-10-12T13:30:00.000-04:00

...because of this sweet, little soul...

We're all ecstatic about it! :)

where were we?

2010-09-21T22:44:00.015-04:00

Wow, I guess things have been crazy around here with the start of school and I haven't kept up with this thing very well.

It appears that I didn't blog...

...that we went to different parks every Friday of the summer, and the kids LOVED it! The park with a creek to swim in was their particular favorite.

...that Home Depot delivered what Gracie called "a big chunk of sticks"...

...and that some very dear friends of ours turned the "sticks" into a beautiful deck for us! They worked so hard...it was sweltering during the "deck week."

...and Joey tried to take the credit for all of the work each night after they left.

...and now all the kids want to do is run around on our pretty deck and eat every meal out there. Which is fine with me because it keeps the kitchen cleaner. :)

....I guess I didn't blog that a snake came to visit us. Twice. And he was cherished by all of the children on the street. :)

...and I didn't talk about how much the kids enjoyed VBS this year. It was all Pioneers & Prairie Dogs this time.

...and I failed to mention that Lily got her expansion appliance and braces off! Yay!

...Nor did I blog that we had a little birthday party here for my sister...

...it was a hoot!

...I guess I didn't comment on how cute I think my husband is. :)

...or how much fun it was to have our first party on the deck!

...I never posted photos of Lily's finished bunting project...

...or of my messy living room/office. Which is always the very last place to get straightened up before company comes. This was about 8 minutes before Katina's party. Just keepin' it real.

...I didn't mention how much I love, love, LOVE hearing my son read aloud. I think it's my current most favorite thing!

...or how Lily made up her own Lego "facebook." :)

...or that Scott took off work and took us on a little daytrip thanks to some free tickets.

Yeah, I guess I forgot to mention those things, didn't I? :) So how is your September?

my man-child with his "Empire State Building"

2010-08-27T15:22:00.001-04:00

But... oh no! Here comes Grace-zilla to destroy the city!

girls roadtrip

2010-08-24T22:53:00.009-04:00

My mom, sister and I went on a little roadtrip last weekend to attend the bridal shower of my soon-to-be sister-in-law! We took along my handsome nephew, Levi, so I guess technically it wasn't a "girls" roadtrip.

We figured since it was going to be just us girls and only one baby that we should make it a special weekend, so we stayed at this quaint bed & breakfast.

Of course we had to put Mr. Levi on one of the many rocking horses.

Despite encountering roadwork FIVE times on the way out there, we had an incredible time! Honestly, as much as I was looking forward to our travels, I had a very hard time leaving my husband and children. I'm not normally the one that goes away (maybe that's why?).

Anyhow, a really killer stop at TJMaxx on the way out there gave us a chance to stretch our legs after all of that roadwork and also helped to set the tone for the weekend. :)

We had a great time going out to eat with John and Sherry, seeing their house...

...climbing in my brother's boat, (planning next summer's camping/boating trip) ...

...playing with Duke, talking about wedding stuff, hearing all of the details... weddings are SO much fun!

I wish I had gotten more photos...everything was such a whirlwind that I forgot to take group shots. But I'm sure we'll be making up for it at the wedding!

We had a few free hours before the shower started, so we headed over to Hobby Lobby (somewhere we have never been before) and OH. MY. I just about got lost in that store and never came out! It was SO AWESOME!! I spent the majority of my time in the fabric department. I walked around for the longest time with a bolt of pinched taffeta in a gorgeous petal pink color in my cart. Everytime someone stopped me and told me what a beautiful fabric it was I mentally added another yard to my order. :) I would post pics, but it's much too dark right now to get a shot of it. Suffice it to say, it's so exquisite I could eat it off of an ice cream cone. (Is that wrong? That anything I think is cute, I liken to food?)

And then the shower! The shower was wonderful! It was so great to meet all of Sherry's family and friends for the first time. The food was yummy, the gifts were plenteous. Sherry got some beautiful things!

And the desserts! Oh dear, the desserts! There was cake...

and cupcakes...

...and cake...

and mini desserts, and mini cream puffs (not pictured, but very much eaten!)...

...and did I mention that there was cake?!

The shower really could not have been more lovely!

I spent the majority of my non-driving "car time" going through several decorating magazines that I never seem to get time to look through at home. We chatted about all sorts of decorating ideas, it was very inspiring!

Basically, our weekend was the quintessential "girls getaway"...it involved: a charming location, desserts, family, wedding talk, shopping, decorating, getting dressed up for a fun event, chatting, and loving on a cute baby!

Thankfully, we made wonderful time on our return trip. I was SO ready to see my people by the time we pulled into our neighborhood! I missed them a bunch! I'm glad that next time, we all get to make the trip together.

We're pretty tuckered out from all of the merriment. :)

{inside and out}

2010-08-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

{inside}

{outside}

Either way, baby Joshua was a lot of fun to photograph! He and his mommy are both adorable. :)

my sister

2010-08-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

My sister turned 30 a week ago. Her husband offered to take a vacation day and sent her out shopping with her sister for the day. Heehee, I love her birthday. :)

We made a record nineteen stops during our marathon shopping trip. We started at the "mothership" aka Marshall's and made our way to Goodwill, Target, the mall, Michael's, Jo-Ann, a few drug stores and various other places in the process. It was so awesome! We bargain-shopped till we dropped! We haven't been able to shop together, without kids, for ages.

The best part of the day was that through a Divine appointment, Katina was able to reconnect with someone who wanted to start a Bible study a year ago. She had the wrong phone number at the time, and wasn't able to stay in contact. The Lord "just so happened" to have them meet while standing in a long checkout at the end of the day. How cool!

This was a day that I won't soon forget...lots of fun sister memories made! Katina and I have more fun together than should be allowed. :)

first baseball game

2010-08-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

We took the kids to an Iron Pigs game a few weeks ago. It was their first baseball game (mine too) and they enjoyed it...all three and a half hours of it.

Well, I should clarify that Joey enjoyed it the most. He liked being there with his buddies too.

The girls enjoyed the lights and action. Iron Pigs games are really a lot of fun...there are all sorts of "extras" that they do besides just the game.

Daddy bought ice cream cones during the seventh inning. It was so humid that night that Grace and I had trouble keeping up with her melting waffle cone of cookie dough ice cream. For the majority of the cone's life, our faces were smooshed against each other to keep it from melting all over us. But it was very delightful and sweet in a sticky, drippy kind of way.

As usual, Gracie was our enthusiastic cheerleader.

Fun memories were made of a hot, summer night spent with friends!

little Proverbs 31 lady

2010-08-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

Lily learned how to use the sewing machine recently. She has done such a good job and LOVES it! I chose a basic pennant bunting project to teach her. I wanted a project that required straight lines, taught the basics, and it wouldn't matter if the stitches weren't perfect. Ripping out stitches is not something anyone wants to do when they're learning. Ripping out stitches is not something anyone wants to do ever. Or at least I don't. :)

She caught on quickly, knows how to operate it all by herself, and begs me to sew often. I love how she is almost incapable of concentrating on a project and keeping her tongue in her mouth at the same time. She's just like her daddy. Who tells me that she reminds him more of his mother every day. I love that. And I love this girl who is quickly turning into a young lady.

a quiet afternoon all by myself involves...

2010-08-18T07:00:00.002-04:00

{a little bit of this}

{and some of this, naturally}

{cleaning up this}

{some of these}

{and a little bit of quality time with these}

{aahh, bliss}

cadence

2010-08-16T15:57:00.008-04:00

We've been back in full-time school mode for a little bit now, and I have to admit that I love the cadence of life when we do school.

It's busier
It's more work
It fries my brain by 3pm every day
It means I can't waste time on the computer
It prevents me from spending excess time on other projects
It means I have to be more disciplined with daily schedule, meal planning, errands, household tasks. But...

It is wonderful
It makes my heart sing
It causes tears to spring up in my eyes and thanks to come to my lips for the precious lives within our home that I get to spend all day, every day with
It makes the kids desire some quiet time every day
It means that they build an "Indian fort" with the couch cushions and play together quietly every afternoon as soon as school is over (they miss playing with each other when they have to merely sit near one another working on school) :)
It fits our family like a glove
It feels like we've "come home" to our "real life"
We wouldn't have it any other way

And the best part is: we started school, but we still have a few months of nice weather, nay even a month more of hot summer to enjoy being outside in the afternoon, having breakfast outside and doing schoolwork on the deck, going for afternoon walks and bike rides. I love this life!

Today this poem showed up in my inbox. (I'm subscribed to a daily classic poem because I'm a word nerd like that). When I was in school, I memorized the last three stanzas, but maybe under a different title (?) because I didn't initially recognize the title when it showed up in the email. Anyhow, the poem reminds us that we're not here to just "get through life" and mindlessly live, flitting from one pursuit to the next. But that we are to actively pursue the tasks that God has given, realizing that others are watching and learning from us. May the Lord richly bless our school year and teach, not just the children, but the parents also, some new things this year!

Psalm of Life

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou are, to dust thou returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sand of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us then be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

in a haiku mood

2010-07-31T07:00:00.001-04:00

I've been feeling a little haikuish lately. I'm sure I'm breaking all kinds of haiku rules with my feeble attempts at haiku, but here is what has been rumbling around in my brain lately...

Doors flying open
They stay that way all day
Good-bye my A/C

Frozen chocolate cake
Why do you torment me so?
Crumbs on the counter

Bright stars in the sky
Water the garden in peace
I love summer nights

Questions abounding
From morning until sunset
Mama's brain collapsed

Sandals, crocs, flip-flops
They block the steps and doorways
Children play outside

Birthday Dude

2010-07-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

My Man-Child is 7. The number of perfection. And I think he is perfect. He's cool, laid-back, and deliberate. He's the first child awake every morning. Like his daddy, he sees no reason for conversation in the early mornings. Most mornings, he comes downstairs right away, hangs out with Scott while he reads his Bible, and they two, don't utter a single word for at least a half of an hour.

Joey likes to read and play with Legos, animals, weapons, and his sisters. He has always had sensitive ears like Scott, which means that he dislikes loud noises like barking dogs, fireworks, and noisy toys. And it also means that he picks out fine sounds that the rest of us never even notice. Things like quiet musical instruments, hushed voices, and certain subtle noises and tones. It makes him great at imitating sounds, voices, barking chihuahuas, and he can play a mean "mouth trumpet."

Joey is our thinker. He sits and ponders things for long periods of time. Sometimes I call this "spacing out" but my husband informs me that it's a highly-tuned form of meditation.

He lost another front tooth a few days ago which made his adorable lisp even more pronounced. I love it. He proudly displays the "big, old, ugly hole" in his top gum much to the girls' chagrin.

Our boy is a lefty. He writes with his left hand, scooters with his left foot, but eats with his right hand, swings a baseball bat from his right shoulder, and is fairly ambidextrous with everything else.

It's hard to believe that our smart, enthusiastic, and determined son has been deeply-rooted in our hearts and lives for seven, whole years. But it's true. We love you, dude.

first soccer game

2010-07-29T07:00:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we went to our first "real" soccer game with some friends. It just so happened to be the weekend of the final World Cup game. And it also happened to be the final game in the regular season for this NPSL team. And we also happened to be watching the #1 and #2 teams of the league playing against one another to see who would advance to the play-offs. So... it was a pretty exciting game!

The kids were excited! Gracie "caught" one of the little soccer balls that they threw out into the stands.

We all enjoyed the game, but Gracie was wildly entertained by the thunder sticks, as you can see. We tried to keep her out of swinging distance of any heads. She made a most vivacious cheerleader. :)

In the last two minutes, due to some dramatic plays, FC Sonic (our local team) won the game and advanced to the play-offs. Which they subsequently won and now they are going to the Final Four! This was our kids' first "professional" sporting event and we all had a blast!

VBS crafts x 3

2010-07-28T07:00:00.001-04:00

Prairie dog sock puppets... in case you couldn't tell. :) We made them, then they played with them.

VBS week is always a lot of work and excitement!

And this year all three of my children are in attendance. How did that happen?

My kids are each other's best friends. They spend hours every day playing together. It warms my heart that they really like each other.

what happens when your brother gets handcuffs for his birthday

2010-07-27T15:50:00.000-04:00

It was only a matter of time.

another cow day

2010-07-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

We participated in Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a once again this year. Whereby free food may be obtained by dressing like a cow. Of course we are not above such things, so spots, ears and bells were donned. :)

I think we have a pretty cute, little herd. :)

And here is my nephew, Mr. Levi as the World's Cutest Baby Calf!

summer park days

2010-07-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

Lots

of

FUN!

Gracie, I love you dearly...

2010-07-22T07:00:00.002-04:00

...even though you can't stay out of the sprinklers while we water the lawn on these incredibly hot summer days.

And I love you despite the fact that somehow you get coated with mulch in the process.

And I love you even though you complain that it feels like there are "bugs sticking to me" and insist on needing a THIRD outfit-change-of-the-day.

I just love you, silly girl. :)

summer road trip

2010-07-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, the kids and I took advantage of some $10 homeschool tickets at Sight & Sound Theaters and saw a production called the Psalms of David, which we enjoyed.

On the way out, we stopped at our favorite homeschool store, where Joey purchased a boy-toy with his hard-earned money that was burning a hole in his pocket. (No pictures because Mama was rushed after ~~drooling over~~ looking at the books.)

After the show, we stopped at one of the girls' favorite, little places. It might be a favorite of mine, too, but I'll never tell.

Wherein some holding, cooing, cradling, oohing, aaahing, sniffing, and general baby-doll-drooling may have taken place also.

It was a fun day. :)

a fun, little project

2010-07-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

before

during

after

library time

2010-07-19T10:53:00.004-04:00

Just mommy and Gracie while the big kids have their piano lesson.

(How on earth can she sit with her legs in the "M" position like that??)

I love music in our house

2010-07-08T07:00:00.001-04:00

Our youth pastor and his wife brought the youth group over last weekend for a Singspiration. We had food, singing, Bible study, dessert and some fireworks. It was a lot of fun and we all really enjoyed having the teens at our house!

our 4th

2010-07-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Our 4th of July consisted of a lovely church picnic sandwiched in between great morning and afternoon services...

A special flag cake...

...made by these two cuties!

That was cream cheese icing. It tasted even better than it looks. :)

We hung out, flew a kite, enjoyed some fireworks set off by daddy.

And then we headed down to our little village's fireworks display. And we may live in a tiny village, but this village knows how to do a spectacular fireworks show! One of my favorite parts of the display is the mini history lesson that is given over the loud speakers just before it begins. As a great lover of history, it's so inspiring! Each year, a story of one of the lesser-known signers of the Declaration of Independence is read, and I'm brought to tears each time as I think of the great sacrifice that so many "unknown" people have made for our country. And then they read off each of the names of the signers and the state that they were from. It's a really awesome tradition, and one that I look forward to each July 4th.

Plus the pyrotechnics are incredible! Especially for a little village. We were sitting so close that ash was literally raining on us...it was awesome! Ash was in our hair, stuck to our faces, all over our blanket...so cool! We were that close! Firework carnage was lying all around us, too. Joey brought some of the schrapnel home to add to his treasures. :) I have no good pictures of this part of our 4th, because I have no clue how to take photos of fireworks yet.

It was a lovely weekend! And the best part was that we woke up Monday morning, and my Man had the day off! A whole day, all of us together, with no festivities...awesome!

I hope you had a lovely Independence Day weekend! Happy July!

cousin fun

2010-07-06T19:10:00.004-04:00

do you want to see the fingerprint of God?

2010-06-28T15:40:00.007-04:00

I mentioned recently that my family bought me a new bike for Mother's Day and how much fun I have been having going on bike rides with the kids. And then the Lord provided a bike trailer for us for the low, low price of $10 at a yard sale. I failed to mention that awhile back, our kind neighbors gave us a like-new 20" bike for Joey and also a bike rack for the back of our van which enabled us to take our bikes with us when we went camping. You could say that we have had quite a few bike blessings in the last two months.

Throughout this time, my low-maintainence Man has remained rather ambivalent about getting a bike for himself. He rides my bike when he wants to go on a bike ride with the kids, but when I would ask him if he wanted a bike for his birthday or Father's Day, he always responded with, "No, I don't need one, I'll just ride yours, I'm fine."

On Saturday, when the kids got the brainchild that we could take a bike ride all of the way to our favorite, little park, (which would make a lovely family outing, if only we all had bikes) he turned to me and said, "That's it. I need a bike." Which was all of the green light that I needed to get the man a bike so we could all ride together.

Saturday night, I checked out some prices online, searched Craigslist, and scouted out the Sunday sales fliers and decided upon a bike that is on sale this week at Target. The kids and I are going to be at Target this week, and they were thrilled with the idea of picking up a bike for daddy as a "surprise." I also looked online for bike trailer couplers so that we could easily switch out the bike trailer between his bike and mine. I found it a little ironic that I was preparing to spend $10 on a little coupler for the bike trailer, when I only paid that for the trailer, itself. While I was doing my research, I prayed and asked God to direct me to the bike He wanted for us, and if "perchance" He wanted to provide one on Craigslist or elsewhere, would He please make that clear? Then I turned off the computer and put the issue out of my mind.

I guess I could title this post "Bike Blessing #27." :) You can probably guess where this is going. On the way home from church last night, just as we were turning the corner onto our block, Lily (our little Eagle-eye) shouted out, "Free bike!!"

There, just around the corner from our house, our neighbors were getting rid of a men's bike. It works fine, but the gentlemen hurt his back, and never rides it anymore.

They are ecstatic to see how GOD provided a bike for daddy! He hears and answers the silly, little prayers we pray for trivial things! God didn't have to give us a bike for free. We could have gone out and purchased a brand-new one. But I am totally convinced that He did this to remind us how much He loves us and cares for us. To show us and the children that nothing is too small for Him and that He even cares about the little things in life, not just the big things!

The kids were so crazy-excited that we decided to quickly change and take a "victory lap" around our neighborhood after we gave thanks to God together in our driveway. Just as we were about to leave, I remembered that the only thing we were missing is another trailer coupler, which I could easily go online and order.

Until...

I looked down at the rear wheel of Scott's new bike. And saw this...

The exact coupler that we need, already attached.

And that, my friends, is the fingerprint of God. :) HE is amazing!

spending time in nature...

2010-06-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's one of our favorite things to do.

Proverbs 31-in-the-making

2010-06-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

She seeketh wool, and flax,

and worketh willingly with her hands.

--Proverbs 31:13

song for dad

2010-06-21T13:36:00.004-04:00

On Father's Day, the young men of our church sang a special song for their dads! Joey was able to be a part of that, and all of the boys did a GREAT job! Joey is second from the left in the middle row, surrounded by three of his boy cousins. :) The song was so sweet, it brought tears to my eyes. Not just because of the great dads that all of these boys have, but also because I was thinking about the potential that God has given each of these fine, young men! God is so good to entrust us with such gifts to raise for His glory!

And Happy Father's Day to my wonderful dad and awesome husband...the two best men in my life! I love you both!!

(Thanks, Selena, for taking the video and posting it!)

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

--Proverbs 17:6

enjoy

2010-06-21T07:00:00.001-04:00

When was the last time you enjoyed something like this? :)

This is the day which the LORD hath made;

we will rejoice and be glad in it.

--Psalm 118:24