Cuteness

Training and discipline is such hard work but oh so necessary. I've noticed that my babies have all started displaying a strong will of their own around six to nine months. Of course I see traces of, "I want what I want" from the get go but a defiant. "I'll do it anyway" attitude has typically taken center stage with them around six to nine months. With our first baby it was hard for me to REALLY believe that she was being disobedient. I remember times where I wrestled with, "Does she really understand?" Well, I have since learned that YES they do understand. With our first I made a good attempt at teaching obedience early on, however, I know the Lord is teaching me as time goes on. Now with number four it is soooo obvious that she KNOWS when she is doing wrong. She tries to sneak and watch to see if I am noticing or if she can get away with it, and then she puts on the cuteness act when she gets caught. Hmmm, I have to admit the cuteness act is tempting to cave into, and it does not help that her siblings think these scenarios are hysterical. They fully see through these cute little antics. They are well exercised in them themselves. ;) I must not do that though.
The other day I was playing the piano while Abbie Joy was playing on the floor. The stairs, which she knows are a no no, looked so appealing to her. I could see her crawling towards them and looking over at me to see if I would notice. I called her away, and she decided to just glare back at me with her BIG eyes and HUGE smile. It did not help that I had actually taken the time to dress her up extra cute with hair bow and all. So, she sits there just smiling at me with her little chubby hands perched up on the first step. I stare back and tell her, NO NO." After a minute she builds up the courage to perch one knee up all the while just looking like an angel. The struggle in me was something like, "I know I need to deal with this and teach her obedience" versus "Oh My GOODNESS! She is sooo cute; I just have to laugh." I knew what to do and thankfully did the right thing, but I couldn't help thinking about how hard it can be as parents for us to faithfully teach and train our children. It is always easier to laugh things off, be too lazy to get up, just want our kids to like us, etc. I thought about how my children are a gift entrusted to me by their Creator. He expects me to be a faithful steward of what He has entrusted me with. He will not think it is cute or funny if I, as their mommy, do not teach them obedience. If they are not obedient to their earthly authorities how will they know how to be obedient to their Father God? Sometimes the training takes so much time and energy, and I want to just grow lax. That, however, is neglecting the work God has called me to do. You see, I do not think the Lord gave me my children just for my enjoyment or to make me happy. They absolutely do give me great joy and much happiness, but the deeper issue is that the Lord has called me to give my life to train them to walk in His ways. This is my calling in life. The question is will I be found faithful. I have often heard it said that to him who has been given much much is required. Only through daily dependence upon Jesus can I be found faithful of the gifts entrusted to my care. I hope one day to say that "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."
-3 John 1:4

A Home Maker in Training

My sweet Lauren is blossoming into a young lady and developing her home making skills. She has recently become a big fan of frying tortillas. She loves to stand at the stove and watch them bubble up and then flip them over. It is a huge help to her Mama and gives me joy to see her learning to take care of a home and family. Unfortunately many girls in this generation are not learning how to manage a home. They may participate in five outside activities but do not have time to learn how to care for a family. One of my big goals for my girls is that they learn the almost lost art of homemaking. I myself still have much to learn on the subject of running a home efficiently, so with God's help Lauren and I are learning together.

Presidents Puzzle

This morning we worked a puzzle of all of the presidents of the United States. We have a song we sing at Classical Conversations that goes through all of the presidents. We were singing the song to help us along with the puzzle. It was super cute to see that when I stopped singing, in the middle of the song, Annagrace just kept right on going with the next few presidents. She absorbs so much just by hearing what I am teaching her older siblings. That is one of the beauties of home schooling. It gives the little bitties a big head start. People ask me when we start home schooling, but my answer is that we are home schooling from birth. Abbie Joy sat in on much practice with our history time line, latin memorization, etc. when she was an infant. It is not always easy, but it is wonderful living, learning and growing as a family.

Definitely Time!

O.k. fourth babies do not always get the leisurely baths that the others got, however, wouldn't you say it is time??? This girl loves to eat and loves to enjoy herself while eating!!! She usually does get a nightly dip in the tub out of necessity!

A Long Work in Progress

We have been working on a major job around our house. After over four years of little ones making our carpet less than sanitary, we are finally laying laminate floors. My wonderful husband has been working very diligently for weeks on this project. Gabriel has been his assistant some of the time in the prep work pulling up nails and tac board. I am posting a before picture of the family room and later will post some after pictures. Basically Matt is redoing the flooring throughout all of the house with the exception of the stairs and the wet areas. It is a very l-o-n-g project, and I am incredibly thankful to Matt for his hard work for our family.

New Curriculum

Some weeks back I received our order of home schooling books for this year. The UPS man delivered a HUGE box, and it felt like christmas as I poured over our new books. We are trying a new program called My Father's World this year. I have been hearing about it for years with rave reviews. After hearing the author speak on a cd Matt and I both felt we should give this curriculum a try. The curriculum is a combination of different approaches i.e. classical, literature based, Charlotte Mason, chronological, etc. I will be doing a study of Geography with all the children and then a first grade program with just Gabriel. His study will be wrapped around an overview of the Bible while making sure his foundations in phonics and writing are solid. I am very encouraged about this program and excited to get it started. Hopefully I can blog about some of what we are learning. The children and I will be taking an imaginary trip around the world learning about different cultures and missions work being done in various parts of the world. Part of the program involves reading missionary biographies set in some of the countries we study. As usual I am sure Mama will be learning right along with the children. That is one of the beauties of home schooling.

Abbie Joy Nine Months

Sniff, Sniff. My Little Abigail is nine months old today. She is growing up so quickly. We will be celebrating her first birthday before I know it. She is an absolute delight to our family. She is so funny how she tries to be like the older children. Whenever they get loud she just starts squealing/babbling to fit in with all the noise. So far her words are Mama and Ba-ba for her bottle. She is cruising a little bit holding onto things. Notice the cute diaper she is wearing? I NEVER thought I would do cloth diapers, but never say never!!! There are some seriously CUTE cloth diapers out that are a breeze to use. They are definitely not your Mama's cloth diapers. These things have snaps and can be tossed into the wash with little work involved. Maybe I'll post about my cloth diaper system later. Sometimes we use them and sometimes we don't. I love that they are chemical free on her skin and save money. Not to mention they are super cute. Well, I better get back to work while the little angel is sleeping. ;)

The Funny Things They Say...............

Yesterday Lauren and Annagrace said funny things I need to document so I don't forget. Having four children I tend to forget a lot of those funny moments, so I need to be blogging them so I can look back and remember. :)
Lauren was working in the kitchen and noticed a roll of paper towels that had chili peppers on it. Being the perceptive girl that she is she asked me why I had bought towels with chilis on them. You see, she knows her Mama typically gravitates to towels with flowers, tea cups, coffee mugs, bistro tables, etc. I told her that the roll was a part of a package, and that is why I had towels with chili peppers. Well, her response was, "I'm not so sure they are cute." I thought that was hysterical. The paper towels were not cute. Maybe she is developing her Mama's taste.

Secondly, I was pushing Annagrace and Abigail in the stroller last night. I told Annagrace that I had been missing her and praying for her while she was away at her Grandmother's. She thought about that and then said that she did not want to go in the clouds and look for Jesus. I guess my words about prayer made her think about Jesus. She knows He is in heaven, and so that is what was clicking in her little mind. It made me think about how important it is that I am teaching her truth so that she is processing things and building a solid foundation for her faith to rest upon. I guess she is slowly piecing things about God together in her little mind and this is where her development is at this stage. I pray for her that she will come to a fuller understanding and receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Well, after making our own laundry soap I decided to make some homemade dishwashing detergent. Here is the recipe I used:

One and one half cups of Borax

One and one half cups of Baking Soda

One half a cup of Salt

I just poured it into a dispenser and shook it up real good. The Borax is toxic if ingested, but so are other detergents. Just keep it away from little explorers. ;) Also, it is recommended that you scrub the food off the dishes before washing, but we always do that anyways.

Ruth

Our Homemade Laundry Soap

The children and I decided to try the homemade laundry soap the Duggar Family makes. We are spending quite a bit on laundry detergent and decided it would be fun to give this a try!!! I will post the directions as seen on the Duggar website. I also found many different variations online. You can even watch people making the soap on Youtube. We did make one mistake that we will change next time. We used baking soda instead of washing soda. There is a difference, but our detergent is still working. I have not been able to find washing soda anywhere. It is by Arm and Hammer, but I think I may have to order it online. We used the pink zote bar, and Lauren loved the color and getting to grate it. I was a little nervous about trying this with all four children, but we ended up creating a fun memory. We have kept our detergent in a five gallon bucket and use a ladle to scoop it out. You can water it down more as described below. I also put a little bit of peppermint essential oil in ours.
So here are the directions I got from the Duggar's website:


TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can normally be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4 Cups hot tap water
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup Washing Soda
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

Flag Waving Americans

My mom bought the kids these matching shirts for the fourth of July. We had fun going to the Aquarium downtown and meeting Matt's sister, her husband and children. The kids enjoyed our ride on the ferris wheel and the train. Afterwards we came back to Katy and watched fire works being set off near Katy Mills Mall.

Abbie Joy Eight Months

Sweet Abbie Joy turned eight months on the eleventh. She is crawling, pulling up on her legs, making more vocal sounds, and waving. She says Mama and Hi and is playing with her siblings more than ever. They think she is so funny. This morning they were trying to teach her how to play hide and seek. This baby is growing up faster than the rest; she just wants to be one of the bunch. We adore her.

Abbie Joy's Dedication

I am late in posting this, but I still want to put it on the blog. On Mother's Day Matt and I participated in the baby dedication service at our church. It was a time for us to commit to raising Abbie Joy in the ways of the Lord. Our pastor read the following verse over her:
Zephaniah 3:17(NIV) The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

I Know Who Holds My Hand

Last night I was talking to Lauren about something that we are praying about as a family. She began to ask me questions about what if things don't work out the way she wants and why did God close a door that looked like it might be the answer we have been praying for. She had a lot of what ifs in the conversation. I began to tell her that I don't have the answers, but right now we have to trust that God's plan is best and keep praying. That is when a chorus came back to my mind from my childhood. Once again I am thankful for the rich heritage of learning hymns as a child. I could not remember all the words but was able to get a little bit of it out singing what I could remember. Well, this morning I found the song online and am encouraged that even though we don't have the big picture view right now we do know that our Lord is holding our hands, and He knows about all of our tomorrows.

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
words and music by Ira Stanphill

I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from it's sunshine,
For it's skies may turn to gray.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Ev'ry step is getting brighter,
As the golden stairs I climb;
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter;
Ev'ry cloud is silver lined.
There the sun is always shining,
There no tear will dim the eyes,
At the ending of the rainbow,
Where the mountains touch the sky.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the One Who feeds the sparrow,
Is the One Who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.

Refrain
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know Who holds tomorrow,
And I know Who holds my hand.

Abbie Joy Seven Months

I'm late on posting Abbie Joy's seven month photo, but here are a few I took on June eleventh. She is growing so fast. She is getting around by rolling and scooting around and just starting to crawl.

My Three Fishies

Well, I've spent less time blogging lately, and a big part of the reason is that I've spent five days a week for the last month taking Lauren, Gabriel, and Annagrace to swim lessons at the Housoton Swim Club. It has been a big time commitment, but I am very happy with how well they are doing. It brings joy to me to know that they are becoming stronger swimmers as I want them to be as safe as possible in water settings. They have worked hard and made a lot of progress. BTW I highly recommend the Houston Swim Club. This is our third spring with them, and we have always been pleased.

Kindergarten Graduation

I don't know how it is possible, but my little man has graduated from kindergarten. Our church has a ceremony for all the kindergarten grads each year. It is a special time to celebrate their accomplishment in finishing their first year of schooling. It is the time when they leave the church preschool department and go to the grade school department. Gabriel received a special graduation bear.
We listen to many cds as part of our schooling, and one has a song I tell Gabriel is my song for him. It is called A Man of God. It goes like this:

I don't care if you play football or play in the band,
I don't care if you're a doctor or a garbage man,
It doesn't matter if you're good in school or great at art,
There's just one thing I care with all my heart;

That you grow up to be a man of God,
That you use His Word as a measuring rod,
That you love your neighbor as yourself,
That you do not trust in this world's wealth,
That you grow up to be a man of God.

I don't care if you're a loner or have lots of friends,
I don't care if your clothes are new or they have lots of mends,
It doesn't matter if you're tall and thin, or short and round,
There's just one important thing that I have found;

That you grow up to be a man of God,
That you use His Word as a measuring rod,
That you love your neighbor as yourself, That you do not trust in this world's wealth, That you grow up to be a man of God.

I think that is the sweetest little song, and it certainly is my prayer for Gabriel. Above all else I want my son to grow up into a man of God.

Happy Half Birthday, Abbie Joy!

How can Abbie Joy be six months already??? My baby is growing up too fast. Some of the fun things she is doing..........

Rolling around the floor
Sitting up
Using her hands well
Chuckling really loud
Smiling from ear to ear
Getting real snuggly when she is tired
Saying Mama

Here are some Pictures of her. Notice we have a sitting up picture now. :)




Here is something a friend sent on an email group. I really love this:


Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.



Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried..
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .



May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life

Disturbing Demographics

Be Fruitful and Multiply

Before you read this post please check out the new You Tube video, Demographics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-3X5hIFXYU Now that you have watched the video don't those statistics astound you? They certainly were shocking to me. Basically couples around the world have been on a steady decline in the numbers of children they are having. Some groups of people, such as Muslims, have done the opposite. I won't restate what the video states so clearly; my point here is just to give encouragement to christian couples that it is a very worthy calling to raise up godly seed to carry Christ's name into future generations. Whether raising one child or ten we should all realize the awesome responsibility we have been entrusted with. These children are the future. The world is quickly changing, and these children need to be equipped to stand boldly for Christ. It is imperative that they be trained to be sharp arrows that we shoot out into the world to make a difference for Christ's kingdom. They won't become equipped, sharp arrows on their own. That is where our parental work and sacrifice come to play.
When you see the statistics as stated in the video it can be disheartening. We can think thoughts such as, "What difference can our little family make?" I believe we can make a huge impact when we are intentional. In the above picture you can see a recent trip our family took to the zoo with Matt's sister and her children along with Matt's brother, his wife and their children. Look at all the children that have been born in the last eight years just from our three families. There were nine children! What if all of those children are faithful to the work of the Lord? Then there will be nine ambassadors for Christ!
Also, Matt and I were thinking about our own family. We have four children. What if all of our children had four children. Then we would have sixteen grandchildren! Those sixteen grandchildren plus our four children would be twenty descendants from Matt and me. Do you see this vision of generational faithfulness I'm talking about?
I fully recognize that God does not call everyone to have large families, however, as a whole I believe our culture has devalued children. Our culture looks at them as burdens rather than blessings. Our culture values luxuries and comforts above the "inconveniences" of children. When we go back to Scripture we are reminded that,

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are children born in one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. - Psalm 127:3


Matt and I feel blessed to have our four children. More and more I realize that while they are a LOT of hard work they are also my heartbeat, my passion, and my ministry. We thank the Lord that He has given us four arrows to one day shoot out into this world to make a difference for Him. May we be found faithful.

What a Great Reminder!!!

I read this quote today and just had to share it.

As we walk this road of motherhood, our children will find innumerable ways to offend us and to seemingly focus intently on thwarting our best efforts to disciple and nurture them. Yet when we walk in love, freely giving our lives to our children (and husbands), they are able to see and wholeheartedly respond to us and the God who makes us who we are. We walk in love by pouring our sympathy on their small hurts, our encouragement on their accomplishments, our comforts in their trials, and our unfailing belief in the unique ways God has designed their personalities and abilities so that He can use them for His glory. Every day, every minute, we should be letting love determine our attitudes, words and actions toward our children.

Determining to “walk in love” with our children also frees us from the fear that they may someday fail in life. And they will fail, no matter how perfect we are, because they are human. And we will fail, too, because we are fallen. God does not ask us to be in perfect control of our children and their lives. He only asks us to emulate His model of daily, lived love for His own disciples.

–from The Mom Walk by Sally Clarkson

Look Who Is a Happy Five Month Old!!!

Abbie Joy turned Five Months last Saturday. I love this picture, because she looks like she is very proud of her birthday. :) I absolutely cannot put into words what a blessing she is to our family. When I think back and remember that there were times after Lauren and Gabriel when I was not sure if we could handle more children, it just blows my mind to think of what we would have missed had we not had a third and a fourth child. I think the Lord grows us gradually into His purposes for us. At that time I had only grown enough for the two, but I am so thankful that the Lord has been faithful to teach me and gently guide me as we have added each new little life to our family.
Abbie Joy has the most adorable smile and the sweetest demeanor. She will often snuggle up to me and just rest so contentedly. She truly is a joy spot in my life, so I guess we picked the right name for her. There are many moments when the four children overwhelm us, however, the overall big picture is that we have been incredibly blessed. We are so thankful that the Lord has entrusted these children into our care. We pray that we will be found faithful.


Here is a quote that expresses my heart and passion for the job I do at home with our children.

"The most important occupation on the earth for a woman is to be a real mother to her children. It does not have much glory in it; there is a lot of grit and grime. But there is no greater place of ministry, position, or power than that of a mother."

That being said, I know that I am unable to be the mother I aspire to be apart from the Lord. Sometimes instead of praying for strength for the day I find myself praying for strength for the next moment. :) My encouragement is that "He Who has called me is faithful." To Him be the glory.

Ruth

We Hope Your Easter Was Blessed

Here is a picture of our family before church yesterday.  We seldom take pictures with all of us together because it is not an easy task.  :)  

  We had an encouraging day at church and enjoyed having Lauren and Gabriel worship with us.  They normally go to their own classes, but yesterday we all went to the service together.  It was sweet to see Lauren trying to sing along even on songs that she did not know.  She also drew me a picture  that said, "Happy Easter; He is risen."  In synopsis our pastor reminded us that we have hope in any trial because He has risen!  

Royal Acadamy of Ballet Exam

Lauren and her friend Ella

Lauren's ballet school goes by the syllabus from the Royal Academy of Dance. Part of this program is taking a spring exam. We have been working hard with extra practices over the past month. It is amazing to see how much progress the girls make as they work really hard for the exam. It is a good time of sharpening skills.

Lauren and Mama with flowers Mama gave her


Lauren in character dance attire. The roots of ballet stem from the character dancing in the royal courts in France in days long ago. Lauren is wearing a character skirt and shoes.

The Sweet Encouragement of Friends!

The Sweet Encouragement of Friends!










My friend, Ely, knows that I am trying to get my feet off the ground in the blogging world. :) She wanted to send me encouragement and so she gave me this blog award. How encouraging this was to me. Thank you, Ely! It is a sweet reminder of how the Lord has designed his people to edify and build each other up. Ely, I love your blog too!!! Here is a link to her wonderful blog:

http://hiswonderfulworks.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-award.html

Ruth

Upwards Basketball with Coach Daddy

















Gabriel started his first sport a few weeks ago, and last Saturday was his first game. His daddy is his coach. It was precious to see them hold hands and pray before they started the game. Each week they have practice which includes a little Bible study and a memory verse to memorize. I got to go see Gabriel play, and my favorite move was when he came to the side lines and said, "I love you, Mama." Precious!!! Well, the first game was lost but boy were they cute!

The Little Things

Valentine Roses From Matt

Sister Kisses

I came across this quote the other day and it really resonated with me.
"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things."
So, here are some of the "little things" in my life that one day
will be remembered
as the "BIG THINGS."

Baby Funniness
Baby Toes
Crafts
Flowers for Mama