A month in time...

Can it really be May 24th? Time has just flown by. Maybe it went by so quick because I haven't had adequate sleep every night and I've been in a state of recovery.

• Baby is one month old now. She had me worried for a couple weeks because she wouln't latch on right the first week and my milk supply went down. Her weight went down too. We finally got the latch under control (and not a moment too soon because she had me in so much pain I just about wanted to quit doing this) but she began to gain weight and I began to heal. I pumped a little and have been taking Fenugreek (an herb that is suppose to help build your milk supply up.)
  
• My little 5 1/2 yr. old graduated Kindergarten Saturday. She was so excited.

• We have resumed school this past week and can say I didn't get much done but the essentials which are Math and Language Arts. We did go to the Aquarium one day and to Dollywood another day. Overall, our fieldtrips went well since baby nursed and slept most of the day. (Though I couldn't have done any of that without my husband.)


• The exciting part of homeschooling for me has begun. The Curriculum Sales! I've got a milk crate full of books to sell and have started shopping for some of my things for this coming year. I've decided to switch our math in 1st -3rd grade. So I'll be shopping for what I think will be Rod and Staff Arithmetic. I'm also looking for Rod and Staff English for 3rd and 5th grade. Our big regional used curriculum sale is Saturday and I can't wait! (I know..I know... you're so excited for me, but I've always like the beginning of the school year and teaching the stuff is not half as fun as looking for it and having great aspirations about teaching it.)
  
• My husband's garden is doing good. He planted lots of tomatoes from seed, cabbage, corn, potatoes, red peppers, beets, onions, and squash.

Considering he had a kidney stone a week and a half before I delivered, our lawnmover died, our weed eater is dying, his work vehicle is sick and he hasn't found time to fix it, and we finally got the pool open -this is a great accomplishment. I think the trick is to plant potatoes. They make your garden look good.

I feel somewhat tired but it is really good to have my body back. I've been thinking that maybe this summer I can finish some of the things I wanted to get done before I got pregnant. -Like paint the dining room and finish our kitchen trim.

Oh, it's good to dream and plan during times like these. Even if sometimes it can't or doesn't get done.

You never know ... it might.

Did I happen to mention that giving birth brings forth pain?

It does.

It also brings lack of sleep.

Nursing woes..."Why won't she latch on right?"....

Beautiful looks from the children as they hold their new baby sister.

Emotions of one minute of chaos and another of peace.

The realization that if we can keep the bathrooms clean, the laundry moving along, the children fed, and the baby nursed that we have been successful afterall.

One day I'll miss days like these, but right now I just need to lay down for a bit. (That's hard to do around here.)

Baby #6 has Arrived!

She's here and she's so so precious!

Our baby #6 has arrived! She was born April 23rd at 8:36 am. She weighed 8lbs 1 oz. and is 20 1/2 inches long. We are very thankful for our sixth little gift from God, a safe delivery, and the joys she brings to our growing family!

Now we're going to take a 3 week break from school while we adjust. :o)

The Bunny Family's Beginnings

I crosstitched this picture around 1995-1996. Yesterday was my 17th year Anniversary.

We didn't do anything fancy,(We're not very fancy folks.) except that we have now converted our 1995 Windstar Van into an 8 passenger vehicle. That's right, it was a 7 passenger, but now it will carry safely all six children.

Friday we found a nice back row seat that matches in color our interior seats and through my beloved's many talents (one being that he can weld) has clicked in the 3 seater seat into the spot where the two seater seat use to be. He switched the bottom metal pieces and now we can seat all the children. He's my hero! We can now postpone purchasing a full size van for a couple of years. All for less than $100!!! This is why it pays to have your spouse be your very best friend.

Little did I know that one of my neighbors would one day call us the bunny family. Some of my neighbors have just recently started noticing I'm pregnant. How could they miss it??

I didn't have any children back when I crosstitched that picture. To be honest, I would never have dreamed of having what I have now. But I was starting to feel like children were so sweet and cute and that perhaps I might want to get one of those one day. We even treated some of our friend's kids to places like the Aquarium and Chucky Cheese.

Eventually, he got me a lab mix puppy.

Six months later, God blessed us with Baby #1.

Two years later, with Baby #2.





Two an a half years later with Baby #3.


23 months later with Baby #4.



And 22 months later with Baby #5.

I can't wait for Baby #6 - She should arrive anytime now!

Two weeks left..

Can we say waddle? Yup, I'm waddling. It seems this baby has taken over my body, but the good news is that there's only 2 weeks left of this. And not a moment too soon, because any longer and I won't look like I'm carrying twins. I'll look like I'm carrying triplets. So what are some pregnancy points for me to remember:

• Eat when you're hungry, even if you're nauseous.


• Think positive, you shall see your waist and toes again.


• Walk slow. Walking fast does nothing but bring on contractions


• Dinners should be fuss free, quick and easy. Not tenderloin specials where everyone and everything needs your assistance.


• Looking through your container stored baby clothes is nostalgic (especially after 2 girls), but a real motivator to get you to get ready if you do it at about 38 weeks along.


• Don't' sit too long, don't stand too long, and for Pete's sake don't go to Dollywood anytime soon no matter how tempting! Go to your friend's house instead and sit on her sofa..maybe she'll treat you to a nice hot cup of cocoa. :O)


• Oh, yeah, don't do crazy field trips like going to the water treatment plant during the first trimester.


• If your handheld doesn't work, get a new one asap. Rushing down the stairs to answer the phone can be dangerous.

Did I miss anything?

Innocent Mix-ups

Here's another amusing memory for the books-

While practicing violin, the 8yr. old noticed his piece called Ode the Joy was written by Beethoven. He was pretty pleased with himself when he exclaimed,

"Oh, isn't he the one who said -
Romeo, Romeo let down your hair?"

At least I know he has been exposed to the Fine Arts of Literature and Music.

Laughter makes good medicine..

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 35. As I sat there doing school with my boys I thought I'd read a little of the Best of Barbara Johnson. Here's a few things that made me ponder and made me laugh:

• "A smile is a wrinkle that shouldn't be removed."
• "You have to face the music before you can lead the band."
• "Life is what happens after you make other plans." (Boy, isn't that true?)
• "Age is not important, unless you're cheese."
• "God don't make no junk."
• "There's nothing like a little experience to upset a theory." (So true... so very, very true...)
• "The people who tell you never to let little things worry you have never tried sleeping in the same room with a mosquito." (I was really cracking up after I read this!)
• "Things are looking up...I'm now only two weeks behind."
• (A little boy's prayer) "Dear God, take care of my family, take care of the whole world. And please, God, take care of Yourself, or we're all sunk."

Of Detergent and Determination

Some may climb Mount Everest in search of thrills galore,
But I scale peaks that rival it just past my laundry door:
Slopes of socks and underwear, sheer cliffs of shirts and pants-
Oh, yes, I live in mortal fear of a laundry avalanche!

Hope these brought a smile to your face as they did to mine. It was the start to a very nice day.

Sincerely,

Celebrating a very Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday. The children were so excited they made sure to let him know.

They waited anxiously, undecided whether to turn the lights on or off for their surprise.

They really wanted to have a hot dog roast with lots of ketchup, chips, cake and marshmallows over a patio fire, but I finally convinced them that it was too cold for the outdoors.

They helped set the table, and dinner was set and ready as he walked through the door. Instead of the roast, we had Jalapeno Chicken over rice, biscuits and dessert!

10yr. old played the piano and we all sang Happy Birthday. Then he blew out his candle and we all sat down for dinner.

Daddy loves banana pudding so I made him a banana cream trifle. (Same thing ,except I made the cake in a larger pan than normal, added peanutbutter chips and chocolate chips. When cooled, I cut it into small cubes and replaced this for the vanilla wafers. )

I think he was surprised and touched by it all.

The Hiding Place

Tonight we had dinner while we listened to Focus on the Family's Radio Theater The Hiding Place. This audio was based on the true story of Corrie TenBoom. I read the book when I was about 19 yrs. old. As I listened to the plot unfold and Gemany take over Holland, Corrie's words rang through my mind.
"I lied Papa. It was intentional, not just a mistake, and what bothers me so much is that it was so easy for me to do."
The story makes it obvious that she was not a liar. My mind went back to when I was 19 and thought about her predicaments. Would I have lied to the Nazis?

How easy is it to be dishonest with others if one is dishonest at all? A person might find fault with Corrie TenBoom, but to read the book and see if you're not touched by her testimony, her character and tenderness of heart would be a better option. Perhaps she was being put through the fire and made to burn off all the impurities.
I have a poem (it could be a song) I copied on the inside cover of my Bible, it seems now a long time ago, written by Amie Johnson Flint.
It goes like this:

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater.
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.
To added affliction, He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
And our strength hath failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
The Father's full giving is only begun.
His love has no limit, His grace has no measure.
His power has no boundary known unto men.
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth and giveth and giveth again.

God alone knows our heart. I guess Corrie's words stuck with me because I'm drawn by her innocense and her concern that she so easily out of fear lied. When we can easily deceive or flat out lie or sin, and not be bothered-the question to ask is why? Why is it not bothering me? Is my heart in such a state that it will not cry out to God? Will it not cry out to the Saviour, to heal me, to cleanse me, to help me? To rescue me from me?

Maybe it is time for me to check from the library Corrie TenBoom's book The Hiding Place. It's been so long since I read it that I need to be reminded again.

What we did for Christmas-2008

Monday, I prepared 2 loaves of pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. I also made a new recipe called Braided Sausage and Cheese Bread. I made two loaves of that too. This was all in preparation to go out of town. We drove about 5-6 hours to the Creation Museum in Kentucky (20 min. or so from Cincinnati, Ohio) It really took us a little longer to get there because as we entered the suburbs of Cincinnati, they had just had an ice storm come through and traffic was at a crawl or even stopped. So Tuesday we didn't make the Museum but did make ourselves comfortable at the Clarion compliments of a very good price from Priceline.


Above is a picture of a dinosaur in the Garden of Eden. If God created all land animals than the dinosaurs were there too.

Adam is naming all the animals:On Wednesday, we made our way to this outstanding museum which was packed because as a gift to the community and anyone who wished to come, admission price was free on Christmas Eve. By the way, this was all made possible by Answers Through Genesis.

Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.(Picture above)

Adam and Eve after they sinned and God covered them with skins. A reminder of the verse that tells us that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. (Picture below)

This is real science at work! The children enjoyed seeing all the different dinosaurs. It was nice to present it to them in a truthful form with a correct timeline in mind. Not millions and millions of years ago!

The next pictures are small scale models of Noah's ark. The second picture shows the earth almost drowned by the water. Those are people on the rocks or tips of the mountains.

There were a lot of theaters with very moving, thought provoking 10- 30 min. shows about dragons, dinosaurs, Noah's flood, and human reasoning(evolution) and how it contradicts science and the Bible.It even showed informaton on the Scopes Trial and America's slow departure from Bible truths that have made schools what they are today. It included a 2 hour tour through creation, the fall, the flood, and finally the last Adam, Christ and God's redemptive plan. The planetarium had a beautiful star presentation about the star that led the wise men. There were also live Nativity characters you could talk to.

As I watched God's beautiful story unfold in such a well presented and public place, I was reminded how much I love the gospel story. If you ever get a chance to visit, it will be time well spent.

Christmas was again a reminder of my Saviour. A memory to the children of why He came to earth.

We ended the day on Thursday, with an evening dinner with my parents at our home.

Hope Your Christmas was also a soul moving reminder of why we need Him.

May your New Year be filled with thoughts of Him and so much more...

A Thanksgiving prayer with thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving!
As I was thinking about what to post, my son mentioned that I should post on Thanksgiving.
So I will. I'll tell about what happened the other day.

We usually pray to thank God for our food before every meal. Sometimes if we forget, somewhere in between. The 3yr. old has at times totally dominated the "Who would like to pray?" She always seems to. Her prayer goes something like this:

(In baby talk, of course)
"God, thank you for our food, Mommy, 1yr. old, 7yr. old, Daddy, 5yr, old, 9yr. old, our house, our clothes, Lobo the dog,my toys.............and for everything!"
(Whew!)

She gets quite upset when she can't say the prayer, but so do some of the others since she wants to do all breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The other day I asked the 7yr. old to pray. This was his prayer:

"God, thank you for the food and for all that you have blessed us with this year. Amen."

I didn't say anything, but I was touched. Touched because he didn't pray in a hurry or from repetition. He meant it. God has blessed us this year. The funny thing is that there isn't as much to go around this year as there has been other years. Yet, God has provided abundantly for us this year. I was touched because my boy saw the provision of God.

He didn't mind that we haven't been able to go out to eat as much as before. He didn't mind that we're eating baked potatoes in place of potato chips for lunch with our sandwich. He counted it a blessing when he realized that God had provided him with a coat when I couldn't find the liner to the coat we did have, and needed a coat. He's appreciated the more frequent desserts I make because Daddy isn't buying the Little Debbie snacks, and I could go on and on.

I was so touched to see that He could see beyond what he can't have, and be thankful for what He does.

When we told the children about the baby that is on the way, they were so excited. The 7yr. old couldn't believe God would give us another baby.

So for Thanksgiving this year, I'm thankful for many things. But I'm very grateful for all my children, who daily show me that God is so good. I'm also thankful for my partner in all this.
I was thinking about him yesterday. He isn't eloquant or polished. He isn't refined. Though there are all kinds of men out there and probably some like him or better, non could match his noble and tender heart. With all his faults and mine, God has blessed us with a beautiful family.

Hope your Thanksgiving is full of good food, good memories, and God.

Clippings

Clip..Clip..Clip..Clip..Clip....100+ clips. Can you guess what all the clipping is?

Funny thing is I have never been clipping and had someone reading Hank the CowDog while it was going on.

"Hey, Mom. That's getting close to the quick."

"What are you doing now?"

"Ouch"

"Are you almost done?"

Hank the Cowdog must have been good because he was laughing every once in a while.

My Bag of Apples

It's funny how little things spur on memories.
Today, it was a big bag of apples that did it. This is not the first bag of apples I've received this week. My neighbor gave me another bag earlier this week. I very gratefully received them and counted it as God's provision. You see, it takes seven apples to go along with lunch. (5 for the children, and 2 for my husband and I.) If I happen to be short on other fruits that week, then we might have apples everyday and that could be- say five days. So 5x7 is 35 apples.
God's provision for us is so amazing! He knows exactly what we need and does not forget His children.

So my mind went back in time, to a time when I was 19.
My husband and I had been married maybe a year. God seems to show himself at different times and in different ways. This particular time He seemed to want to specifically let me know that He was there. You see, I had checked a book out of the library called How to Clean Everything and I was really impressed by all the ideas and good information. I really wished I didn't have to take it back. We all need all the help we can get and I definitely needed some.

I took it back, and resume my week by going back to the piano lessons I had started that year. I guess I must have been waiting on the piano teacher that day because I began to look at her bookcase and read the various titles of books she had shelved there. Would you believe she happened to have the very same book I checked out of the library? When she returned back into the room I mentioned to her how I had just checked that book out of the library and how that I thought it was a really good book. She pulled it out of the shelf and gave it to me! She said she wanted me to have it as a gift. After lessons, I could not remove the thought from my mind that it had been God who gave that book to me. He was the only person that knew how much I had wanted to keep that book. This has always been a very humbling and yet sweet experience for me. He knows the desires of our heart and chose that day to bless me.

I really didn't have much of an earthly father and couldn't tell you much about him, but oh- can I tell you about my Heavenly Father....there aren't enough words to tell you about Him.

By the way, I still have the book on my bookshelf. A reminder of God's provision.

Fear

Do you recognize fear? That feeling that rises from your insides and clutters your thoughts? It seems to slowly close your airways and makes you want to run. But fear isn't only the scary feeling that you might get from reading something like Frank Peretti's books. No, fear can be much more.

Let me share briefly some of them with you. I won't go into detail with some since this was part of my life and personal at that.
But I remember fear..... hiding in utility closets of apartment buildings waiting for someone I was terribly afraid of to leave the vicinity. The only problem was that there were also rats that liked to visit those utility closets and I sure didn't want to be there if one stopped by. I'm still afraid of rats!
I remember fear coming home with a D on a science test and knowing that Mom was not going to be happy. She meant well and made me keep good grades.
Fear when I thought I was so sick I was going to die, and reading medical books did not help the situation!
Fear when I laid down at night and it was just my brother and I and Mom wasn't there for the evening. I still remember listening to noises outside and holding on to my younger brother's hand for comfort.
Feeling fear when I went into labor with any and all of my children.
As I first tried to homeschool and felt so sick pregnant with my third. Failure is not a pretty thought.

Feeling Fear......have you felt it? And yet God sweetly reminds us of who He is and why we shouldn't fear. Why He's the one that led the children of Israel out of Egypt. The One who cleansed and made me whole. The One who helped Job and the three Hebrew children. The One who won my love. The One who knows....

He told Joshua and the Israelites, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee wherever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)
He also tells them in another place in scripture to "quit ye like men, and fight."

Fear tends to make us so like man. It makes us want to quit and run. God, who is for us, says the opposite, "Stand, Fight, Keep Going."

He reminds us of His love and wonderful works, and how that He can deliver. This gives us a back bone that says, "I will press on because my Redeemer liveth!" Because He Liveth!

I wrote this post because I needed to hear it- to read it. Perhaps more than you'll ever know. I had been thinking about fearing. It just so happened our 9yr. old listened to part of one of Frank Peretti's books on tape and he got scared. (Though Christian Fiction, this isn't really appropriate for children.)
The subject of fear seemed to come back over and over in my mind.
And so did...... the greatness of God.

Cherries and Paint...

OK, I know I didn't have anything planned this summer except for the Summer Reading Program at the library and lots of swimming in our back yard. I haven't blogged much lately because I've been too busy either going on walks with my hubby and the kids or figuring out how I'm going to decorate the boys' bedroom.

We probably wouldn't have gone on so many walks but we happen to find a cherry tree, 4 to be exact. We stopped to gaze at the oodles and doodles of cherries on the tree, had a few (we were at the cemetery -so the dead people didn't mind), and Jimmy said,
"Call the Cemetery tomorrow and ask them if we can pick the cherries."
They said yes, so we went picking. The children had a grand time! They picked, played, picked some more, rode their bikes, ate some cherries, got a little sticky, and picked some more. In total I think we picked about 8-9 quarts of cherries.
Want to know how to pit cherries?
Have lots of little boys and girls! :O) Give them a straw. Have them put the straw right through the middle of the cherry, and the pit will come out on the other side. Our 7 yr. old was pretty proficient at this. But since we don't have any plans of moving, and the cemetery isn't going anywhere either, we bought a cherry pitter that pits a wee bit faster. Besides, I've been wanting a fruit tree for my birthday, Mother's day, Valentine's Day, whatever day and the folks around here are a little behind on this specific present, so hopefully this experience will get them thinking.

So what else has delayed my blogging? Well, I got the decorating bug. Mind you that I'm not very talented in the area of decorating. I could give you the excuse that I've been too busy having children, wiping fingerprints, potty training, and reading books to them to decorated in detail. And I just have, but truly I just haven't done too much decorating besides matching a few items and hanging up a few nice picture frames.
I decided to paint the boys' room a brown mustard yellow. I'm going to stencil some horse shoes, sheriff's stars, maybe a few other items around in a border sort of way in burgundy or blue. Then I'm going to stencil in black, cowboy sayings like, "Rope Up a Star, Partner!" ,"Fly Like the Wind!... Wish I knew some other inspiring western sayings. If you happen to know any and think of one, drop me a comment a let me know.
I've even lost my mind and decided to make these curtains I've envisioned in my mind in either blue or burgundy.
After I'm done with this, I hope to move on to the dining room. I can't waste much time. Summer is quickly moving along and you never know, the Lord might send another baby. So you see I feel an urgency in getting my project done. I painted their bedroom last night and need to do some trim work and run a 2ND coat. Maybe, after my creation is done, I'll post some pictures. In the meantime, the colors will keep running through my mind.
Oh, sometimes I think I've forgotten my artistic abilities!

Playtime Reminders

7 yr. old says
"I'm going to ride my bike. Let's pretend it's my horse. OK?"
"The Piggies are coming! The Piggies are coming!" (Can you hear the giggles?)
"The British are coming! The British are coming!"
All this is going on while I'm trying to make dinner, and I can see and hear most of it out our kitchen bay window. Minutes later, the girls have the baby in a wagon sucking on lollipops as the carriage boy pulls them along.

These are those kind of moments that you want to hold onto forever. Minutes that you don't want to pass away. It must be their smiles that have captured my heart. Something about their innocence and not so, that brings tenderness to their cry.
-But I'm getting sidetracked here because my blog tonight was suppose to be about playtime. What was it that I was thinking about concerning playtime? I was thinking about how that their thoughts pour out into their play. Can you tell mine had been thinking about the Revolutionary War? We read an early reader today called Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride. It was a very good book. The pictures were just right for all of them and even the 4 yr. old was caught up in the story. We have really enjoyed this time period in history. From the bravery and humble heart of George Washington to the unbelievable betrayal of Benedict Arnold. And it thrills my heart to think it is pouring out into their playtime.

There are many lessons to be learned from children, and I have only begun to scratch the surface on some of them. Playtime....a very good reminder of what our children are digesting.

Dear Journal Letter # 5(vacation and rollercoasters)

Dear Journal,

It seems I have reached a happy pace in blogland. Perhaps this hobby has finally had a chance to cool off in my one-track mind.

We decided not to go to Washington D.C. and opted out for season tickets to Dollywood. D.C wouldn't have been as fun for the little ones and from what I hear, included lots of walking. Perhaps, we'll catch it another year when my little ones get more out of it.

We took advantage of the nice weather recently and went to Dollywood for the first time. It has been at least 20 years since I've been to an Amusement Park! There are several advantages to homeschooling and one of them is that you can go to places like this when other children aren't there to make it crowded. That almost doesn't sound nice, but it's the truth. We rode some of the rides twice in a row without even getting off because there were hardly no lines. Everything was great and we had a lot of fun except for one thing, - when I rode the roller coasters.
I must have experienced amnesia and forgot about the last roller coaster ride 10 yrs. prior at one of those little carnivals that come to town and park in a huge parking lot. It obviously was a little roller coaster but it looped upside down 9 times!!! I got off that thing thanking God I didn't lose my cookies! So what was I thinking getting on the first roller coaster? It must have been one of those moments when you want to feel young again- not to mention, I thought it only went upside down once. It turned out to go upside down 3 times. I knew I was about to regret this when I got to the gate to wait for the ride to load and read a sign that mentioned the roller coaster was only about one minute long. All I can say is that I had to breathe through the upside down loops and wished one minute wasn't so long.

The next roller coaster ride I rode on is probably the reason God appreciates us humans. It reminded me of the fun I had riding something that looked similar to it in Six Flags when I was 14 or so. I got on this ride thinking this was definitely going to be a positive experience. It wasn't. Not only was it not pleasant, I thought the G-forces had caused me to be in several car crashes and my emotions were about to cause some unnatural phenomena to occur. If the thing would have lasted 15 more seconds at the speed it was going, I would have lost it completely! When the ride was done, though I looked normal on the outside, the inside felt like jello and the best I can do to describe it is the way I feel after delivering a baby. How in the name of common sense can people get a thrill from those things is beyond me now. I must have outgrown them. No sooner were we off that contraption of death than my lower back began to hurt. My nerves were shot for an hour or two afterwards, and if you think 5 children is stressful at times, you wouldn't have doubted it looking at me shortly after that. I was not the picture of peace and tranquility. Thankfully, it was the last ride and we were ready to go home.

After all the trauma I went through, the next morning I woke up sore from the experience. But all we could do was reminisce at the fun we had. So we're hoping to go back soon and catch a few of the rides we missed, and ride the ones we enjoyed!

Sincerely Young at Heart and Still in-tact in Body,

Linda

Together...

OK, here I am blogging. Today is my 16Th Year Anniversary. I'm writing this while my husband listens to talk radio over the Internet. It's about 11:30pm. They're talking about Obama and something about the love for the flag. He likes politics and keeps me informed.

We've done a lot of things together in the last 16 years. We've made pumpkin pie together. We've gardened and canned together. We've scraped wallpaper together. We've had 5 children together. We've cried together and laughed together, and even done crazy stunts while driving together. We've ministered together,and moved across the country together....and there are so many more memories we've made together.

As I reflect on my life with this man that I've come to love beyond infatuation, I can truly say he is just what the doctor ordered for me.

I married him at 18. I didn't even have my driver's license. I flunked the driver's test twice and was about to quit.
"Oh, no you don't. You head back in there and make another appointment to take that driver's test."
So I did.
I took piano lessons for several years and when it was time to finally put it to work I told him I couldn't.
"Yes, you can."
And I did. I wasn't very good but I played when it was needed.

Over and over he has been a provider of more than my basic needs. He has been a true friend. The kind that didn't let me have my way and act like a spoiled, selfish wife. (at least not for long) Marriage works out the kinks in a person's character. Jesus brings us back together.

Though we are imperfect, this bond of ours is strong. It was made that way in conflict and in sweet reconciliation. Thereby, making us one. We are at times beloved enemies and best partners in this walk of life. And for that I am so thankful.

He's 1 today!!

He is One year old today. One.

He's got only two teeth. Two

He has taken three steps. Three

He has four siblings. Four

He has five little fingers on each one of his hands. Five

Without him there are only six of us. Six

But seven is the number that he made to complete us. Seven

Happy Birthday!!

Communication

It seems time is going by faster now days and I catch myself in moments with my children that endear my heart. I'm a very sociable person and so therefore talking comes easy for me. This isn't always the best mode of communication since to be good at communicating one has to be a good listener. Is this really accurate?
Maybe I should rephrase my statement to say that to be good at communicating one has to pay equal attention to the other person.

I remember the days when I didn't have any children. Thoughts would go through my mind about parents I knew with little ones and how they interacted with the children on a day to day basis. I have found some parents don't interact a lot with their children. You can't be too hard though. Raising children doesn't come with a manual that says, "Take the time to talk to your children, specially while they're young. If you do, not only will you help their vocabulary, but you'll develop an intimate relationship."

So we have conversations around here. Some are short, others are about subjects that they wouldn't ask a stranger. Some are while I'm laying on my back on the floor keeping my 4yr. old company while we wait for I don't remember what...we wait for a lot of things around here.

"Did you know people put earrings in their belly, and sometimes on their lips?"
4yr. looks at me in shock and disbelieve.
"They really do?"
"Yes, and even on their noses and sometimes in their tongue!"
She looks at my earlobes.
"Did it hurt when they put a hole in your ear Mommy?"
I proceed to explain to her how they numbed it with ice when I was about her age, and then stuck a fiery red needle into it. You can kind of tell that I'm partial to not marring the body, can't you?
"I think it hurt, I can't remember now. But if you think about it, I would say that it hurt."
I'm watching her at this moment and in my heart I'm kind of amused at her innocence. She's really thinking in her mind about whether this kind of vanity is worth the pain. I think the conversation ended shortly after that. It was brief but one on one.

I want them to ask me questions. If I don't know the answer, then I'll tell them so. I want them to come to me and tell me that they've started hearing the birds singing. That they can draw a little person on the chalkboard now. That they absolutely love P.E class, or that they had a terrible day.

Listening and paying attention go hand in hand. I say this now because we've been learning a little about sign language from some DVDs called Signing Time! that we checked out from the library. These are great DVDs. My kids have retained so many words already. But I've noticed we have to pay attention to each other to enjoy this new way of communicating. It's reconfirmed within my mind the importance of our little conversations.