Baby C is Walking and "J" Loves to Hold Her Hand

Baby C is now walking!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! We have really looked forward to this stage! J loves to hold her hand and C seems to enjoy it too. I was really glad when I started video taping that he went to hold her hand so I could have that on video! It is so cute watching her facial expression because she looks at him like "awww, you're sweet!" He gets a little gregarious but that is boys for you and notice she doesn't seem to mind! She is used to him:-) and knows he loves her.

Some of Great Uncle O's Pictures

Great Uncle O finds this face "disconcerting" as he says because he doesn't know what J is thinking.

Great Uncle O with Babe C and Baby B.

Great Uncle O and Great Aunt M drove a LONG way to come visit.

We were thankful to get to spend time with them.

Uncle O would say he didn't come to see us but the kids!:-)

"A" and Great Aunt M making lunch sandwiches together.

"A" had a great time with her Great Aunt M. They sat on the couch laughing and laughing at silly things on A's I pad. Aunt M would be laughing so hard she could hardly stand it.

Can't wait to get Aunt M's pictures because there will be a cute one of Uncle O and Big C too!

The Nurse Is In. . .

 If you have a wart in this family you know right where to go and that is to Big Sissy. The line had formed this day.

She knows the routine to take care of warts.

The day I took this picture she even had time to put duck tape on the warts.

She is a good nurse.

Ephesians 1:18b-19a

that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,20 which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead,

AMEN

Isn't wonderful to be a Christian?

Appreciated hearing this on Sunday from Pastor.

A Good Egg

A few posts back I did a little song dedication to my sweetheart so to show what a sweetheart he is I have a story. Babe left recently for a business trip and he left earlier morning. Each day Babe boils me 2 eggs and leaves them in the pot for me for when I get to them in the morning. It is so busy to try to eat earlier on in the morning. Anyway, Saturday he had gotten up to leave and fly out. When I came down I thought I wonder if he boiled the eggs ( NOT expecting that he would) but sure enough there in the pan were 2 boiled eggs ready for me to eat because that is my hubby always watching out for me. The sight of those boiled eggs made my heart happy NOT because I had food ready to eat but because he cares so much that he takes his time to do things like that.

He is a "good egg".

This Week . . . at our Home

Top video: Baby B being as adorable as it gets.
Middle video: Big C is saying his school Bible passage and doing a great job especially considering all the distraction around him!
Bottom video: Is "A" messing around with a new app on her I pad that does time laps photography. I think it is cute how she ends it.

We had a full week at our house. Babe's aunt and uncle were visiting with us and left earlier this week. I am going to wait to get the pictures they took while here to post. They are both photographers!

Last Saturday "A" got a new (to her new) used piano. Her piano teacher had found it for WAAAAAAY under its value. Her teacher felt she needed to have a piano that had the correct tone, consistent feeling in the keys, etc. Her teacher did the leg work on finding it and coordinating its delivery.  We used money we had put in "A's" account for her. We felt this was a good use of some of the money we had put away for her. She knows this is her piano and she'll take it with her when she leaves. She LOVES piano and works VERY hard at it. Her piano teacher really is impressed at the amount of consistent work she puts in. I am excited to hear her start practicing Christmas music now. She has it picked out!

Well, the man that sometimes helps with Big C at wrestling was not helping the other night and so to make sure C kept learning I stepped in to instruct him and that was interesting. I learned how you grab the chin, lace the arm under his arm reach across back and then with right knee down and left foot on floor propel yourself and opponent over. It works tremendously well and Big C did it on me. Probably not something they see at that wrestling club everyday but whatever works!! I thoroughly enjoy wrestling nights. It is an environment I feel very comfortable in. I love wrestling moms because they are no frill type people and there is no need to dress up or wear an abundance of make up. I always enjoyed playing sports.

G had 2 projects due this week. One he almost completely finished last weekend and the other he had started on but still had to do most the work for.  He got them done which is great. He got VERY EMBARRASSED this week when in Latin class the teacher photocopied his translation of a paragraph and handed it out in class and said something to the effect of "now you have a safe 'G' translation". G said he could feel his face turning red. "G" seems to have something I never really felt and that is love of his school. I didn't hate my school or anything I just didn't feel strongly about it. "G" LOVES his school and his teachers. There is another family that lives near us and their son goes to G's school and is on the swim team so we have just started the carpool thing for swim team practice which hopefully will work out well.

Babe made a major family decision this last week. In fact, a huge change for us all. I am very excited to see what God is working on in our family's lives. No, I am not going to go into this . . . we'll see how it all plays out.

Babe left for Germany and so I'll really need to be on my toes this next week.

Thoughts this week:
I watched as R and Big C were doing pushups in wrestling and hearing everyone say after each pushup "thank coach!!" there was another phrase too but it is not coming to mind. What a coach does is for their betterment and although uncomfortable and possibly painful you know it is because he wants you to succeed that he pushes you.  I thought if only to have that attitude toward discomfort/difficulties in my life to God "thank you God I know your at work.. I know you're making me stronger and of greater faith." Just a thought.

I've had lots of thoughts this week but my head doesn't hold thoughts long. I often forget them so they must not be to important!!

This stage of life is exciting. I am starting to see what it is my older kids love and that is super fun. I am seeing more and more who they are individually. It is extremely busy but I thought this week "I am at the stage that one really dreams of when younger." I am in full on Mommy mode to different stages of kiddos.

I Don't Know What Happened . . .

I don't know what happened tonight but the house was calm, quiet, I had time to do laundry at a decent time, G finished his homework by 7pm (which is almost unheard of and that is working just about from the time he gets home and stopping to eat). Baby C decided tonight she would try walking as her primary mode of transportation and she was so content (not always her strong suit). I even went out to the garage and road the stationary bike while Babe came out there on the couch and hung out!!!!! WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED!!! We seem to run on hamster wheels constantly going and going and going and for tonight it seemed to stop. I found 5 kids in G's room hanging out (the twins were in bed). What a tremendous blessing and just at the right time and completely unexpected. It just happened . . . well, orchestrated by a loving God. Thank you God for an evening of doing some catching up on laundry, hang out time for G, happy babies, time to exercise, and time for the kids to hang out. Thank you for being good to me and my family.

Out of the Mouths of Babes . . .

Big C and I were reading and discussing a book on castles, pyramids, temples, etc. for school. I was reviewing today about what we had talked about yesterday about pyramids. We talked about how the pyramids are tombs and how they believed after death they would go to an afterlife and be able to have with them in the afterlife those things that were in the tomb with them (pets, whatever else). C knows there is no afterlife the way they thought of it but that there is an eternity of heaven or hell. I said the only thing we can take with us is our soul after death. My Big C is a very soft spoken kid and does not talk a lot. Almost immediately after I said that I heard him say "and our love." I was shocked . . . how beautiful . . . and how true . . . how insightful!!!! Yes, we take our love with us. We did not carry on the conversation. I was amazed at his little mind with such big thoughts. But yes, "We love Him because He first loved us." God sent His Son to earth to die out of love for us and we Love our Heavenly Father for the love He showed us through the gift of His Son. We'll surely take that with us to Glory.

Grandma and Grandpa

My parents have invested a lot of love into my children and

for that I am grateful. I know my kids are too.

My parents love and devotion are tremendous blessings to our family.

Their love will leave a lifelong impression on them as it has me.

My mom was here for a little over a month helping me with the kids
schooling. I can tell you I already feel her absence during the school day
now that she is gone. I have been spoiled. She left though having helped get the older
kids in a great routine.

J LOVES LOVES books and Grandma read a lot to him.

"A" got a project done for school under Grandma's instruction.

"A" did a great job on her presentation to us too.

I never got a picture of "G" playing games with Grandma which is to bad because 

those two LOVE to play board games together. One night they had a very rowdy game of Scrabble!!

My mom would tell someone she is not strong but she is stronger than she thinks and the pictures above are proof . . .

I am here to say that takes strength to manage those three.  . . . Alot of it.

We were having a great time with Grandpa the short time he was here to pick my mom back up.

Big C enjoyed hanging out near him.

My Storybook Love . . .

I do not even know how to express the feeling in my heart for my husband and my thankfulness to God who somehow saw fit to give him to me. I somehow ended up with the real deal and the match that was truly made in heaven.

I am married to my best friend and the love of my life. I am overwhelmed at the love I have. I am.

This is for you Babe . . . Thank you for your Christ honoring love for me. 

You are my storybook love dream come true.

It's Started . . .

Baby C is taking careful well thought out steps. She is not walking as her main mode of transportation but that is coming!!

When I thought of the 3 youngest in the past these pictures are pretty close to what I imagined.

It is obvious that they will have a GRAND time together. They all have VERY STRONG personalities so I am sure there will be fireworks along the way but a lot of fun too.

Baby B and J seems to especially hit it off.

Baby C kept plugging her ears the other day when I would sing a silly song. Also, the other day Baby C was crying and Little J and Baby B both patted her back as she cried. Very sweet. What friends it looks like they may be.

J is becoming more and more aware of God which thrills my heart. He sings with us during devotions whole heartedly. The other day my mom and I were sitting and talking and out of the blue J talked about how God made animals and people. Later the same day I went to put him to bed and the older boys were away that sleep in the same room. He asked a question about one of them and realizing they were not going to be there when he went to bed he asked "Is God there?":-) ABSOLUTELY He is. J is also pretty careful about praying for his food now. What a blessing to see him learning about his Creator and how he loves him and takes care of him. I noticed awhile back he seemed bothered when I mentioned Jesus dying on the cross . . . so interesting for such a young boy. J is a very strong child and I would love to see that strength of spirit go into J's Heavenly Fathers business.