TWO GAMES DOWN…….A SEASON TO GO!

WHOO-HOO!  I survived my first two baseball games with my oldest kiddos!  Maggie had her first game this past Tuesday, but due to her sprained tendon she was benched.  BUT, she still went to the game, dressed in her uniform, and cheered her teammates on.  John Robert had his first game last night, and he played!  He did great for his first ever game.  He played in the field, batted twice (struck out once, but made it to second on his second batting attempt), and was in general, amazing. 

 

Maggie in the dugout with her hand wrapped.

Maggie cheering her teammates on!

Daddy, John Robert, Ethan, and Cole watching Maggie's team play!

John Robert waiting in the dugout to bat.

The crew waiting to see John Robert bat.  Oh, and we were eating too!

John Robert taking his first swing!

Running to second base!

 

Here are a couple of things that I have learned so far.

1.      I still don’t enjoy watching baseball.  BUT, I ADORE watching my kids play ball!  It is fun watching them!  They make me proud of their good attitudes, excellent behavior when they can’t play or strike out, and their ability to cheer their teammates along!

2.    Bring a blanket……the bleachers hurt!

3.    Bring a stroller, at least two drinks, and get lots of blow pops for Cole!

4.    Bring bug spray!!!

5.    Be prepared to have Robert tell me to sit down and NOT yell at John Robert to RUN!!!!!

6.    Ignore Robert and yell at John Robert anyway!!!!

7.    Be prepared to run after Cole after eating all the blow pops and being cooped up for so long and change at least 10 diapers from all his drinks!

8.    You need at least 10 Twizzlers to make it through the games (and that’s just for Mama).  Have $1.00 available nightly!

9.    You need to get each child a blow pop so they won’t whine about Cole  Have at least $1.00 available nightly!

10. Having your camera ready and trying to take photos through the chain link fence can be difficult!

There you have it!  We have another game for John Robert tonight and then two games for Maggie scheduled for next week and probably two for John Robert also.  Still waiting to hear when Ethan’s first game will be.  Maybe by that time, this Mama will be an old ball pro!  I doubt it, but hey, a girl can dream can’t she!

 

I AM NOT A GOOD "BALL MOM"!

There are some things that I am good at, like corralling three rambunctious boys on a rainy day or helping to squelch the teenage hormones of a girl.  Then there are some things that I am not good at, like keeping my house totally spotless or fixing a gourmet five course meal nightly.  I think that there are things that we all have strengths and weaknesses in.

There is one thing that I am NOT good at.  I am not a good “ball” mom.  To be honest, I don’t enjoy sitting at the ball field for endless hours at a time.  Baseball, (well if we are being honest, sports in general), is not my cup of tea.  I would rather be home watching a good musical, (Music Man anyone), than sitting at the ball field.  Well, I don’t usually get to sit.  I am normally running between two to three ball fields trying to watch all the kiddos at once and then chase the Cole man around the play ground and thanks to all the rain, keep him out of all the puddles. 

Maggie practicing her pitching.

John Robert warming up to bat.

Ethan practicing his fielding.

Cole hanging out at the dugout watching ball players warm up.

 

Oh don’t get me wrong.  The ball complex is awesome.  It’s clean, has four great fields, and the coaches are awesome.  The issue is me.  I don’t like ball.  BUT, I do love, adore, and think the world of my kids.  So, I will sacrifice my time, comfort, and sanity; and load up four kiddos no less than three nights a week to spend no less than two hours a night at the ball field.  WHY?  Because my kids are worth it!

So, if you need me or miss seeing us, come on out to the ball field.  Be prepared, I’ll let you chase Cole so I can sit!

BACK TO SCHOOL

It’s that time of year again!  (Or it was that time of year three weeks ago, but thanks to Hurricane Cole, I just found the chord to upload pictures from my camera! SIGH!)  What time of year?  BACK TO SCHOOL!!

Since we homeschool, we don’t really take a long summer break.  We just plod along all year taking time off here and there when we need it the most.  Normally we school 4 weeks on and then take a week off.  We also take days off as needed, like when Mama is running to the midwife or kiddos have a doctor or dentist appointment.  We are flexible like that.  BUT, September is our traditional start of a new school year.  This year, I am amazed, as always, by my children!

 

MAGGIE

Grade: 8^th

Future Goals: To go to UF (GO GATORS) to be a Veterinarian and then be a missionary to the Navajo Nation.

HISTORY / GEORGRAPHY:  Eastern Hemisphere moving into World History

LA: Queens Language Lessons & Copy Work / Winston Grammar / Wordly Wise Vocabulary

MATH:  Decimals / Fractions / Percentages moving into Pre Algebra

SCIENCE: Animal / Veterinary Science

ELECTIVES: Home Ec. and Sign Language

 

 

JOHN ROBERT

Grade: 4^th

Future Goals: To either become a master welder or a lineman.

HISTORY / GEORGRAPHY:  World History moving into Early American History

LA: Queens Language Lessons, Spelling, & Copy Work / MCP Phonics

MATH:  Introduction to Multiplication / Division moving to Two-Three Digit Multiplication / Division

SCIENCE: Animal / Veterinary Science

ELECTIVES:  Art and PE

 

 

ETHAN

 

 

Grade: 1st

Future Goals: To either become a Navy Seal or a K-9 Officer

HISTORY / GEORGRAPHY:  World History moving into Early American History

LA: Queens Language Lessons & Sonlight LA’s.

MATH:  Introduction to Math Concepts moving into Basic Addition / Subtraction

MOTOR SKILLS: KUMON cutting and pasting along with mazes

SCIENCE: Animal / Veterinary Science

ELECTIVES:  Art and

 

 

 

COLE

 

Grade: N/A

Future Goals: To eat whenever possible!

Coloring, puzzles, and destroying the house while Mama works with the other kiddos!  Favorite book is whatever you happen to be reading at the time!

 

There you have it!  All the kiddo’s workload, hopes, dreams, and desires!  YAY for back to school!  Here’s to an awesome 2013-2014!

 



 

 

 



WE WALK BY FAITH ......

Most of us are familiar with the idea that the Bible teaches that we are to walk by faith.  Actually the Bible clearly states in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that: “We walk by faith not by sight.”  This is a hard concept for most of us.  WHY?  We live in a world where our “sight” is the only thing that we think we can rely on.  If we can’t see the tangible evidence of something, we don’t believe that it is real, can actually happen, or truly exists.  BUT, as a Christ Follower, we are to walk by faith.  We are to look for things that make sense in the spiritual realm, and these things don’t always make sense here on earth.

Take, for example, our family dynamic and family size.  To most people it is not something that makes sense.  They see a large family and see the burden of monetary needs: diapers, food, clothes, child care, and the big one…COLLEGE.  They don’t see the impact that these children have the possibility of changing the world for the better.  They see an immediate problem, not the blessing that the Creator of the Universe says that these children are. We people tend to see with our eyes.  We are walking by sight.

Truthfully it is hard to walk by faith.  Oftentimes we are asked to go into unknown areas or territories that are unfamiliar.  We are asked to leave the comfort of our nice lives and go into an area that is scary, unknown, and unchartered territory.  We are asked to walk on a path not traveled, unknown, and well….it’s frightening.  Walking by faith is not for the faint of heart.

Walking by faith is not something that I have mastered, not by any stretch of the imagination.  The ability to keep my eyes focused on Christ and Christ alone is one that I fail at daily.  I get distracted by the naysayers.  I get distracted by the harsh words, criticisms, lack of faith in who I am, and what I can do.  My feelings get hurt when I hear that I don’t count, I’m not really good enough to be “family” or even a “friend”, I don’t meet expectations, I am a failure in someone’s eyes because of my life choices.  I hear this and so much more almost daily that I have to battle to stay focused to walk a straight path some days.  Walking by faith is by no stretch of the imagination easy, in all honesty it can be the one of the hardest things that we are called to do.

The Bible tells us that if we “Delight ourselves in the ways of the Lord; He will give us the desires of our heart.” (Psalm 37:4).  The Bible also tells us that we are to: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways honor Him and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Both of these verses have a lot in common with 2 Corinthians 5:7.  We are to be willing to take the first step, to walk out of our comfort zone and walk by faith.  No matter what, we are to walk.

I am trying to learn how to walk by faith.  I am purposing to honor Christ with every step that I take.  Truthfully, I fail daily.  I stumble. I fall.  I skin my knee and it breaks my heart.  BUT, I don’t stay down; I get up to walk again.  Am I perfect? NO!  BUT, I am willing to try again, keep moving, and pray that God will allow me a few of the desires of my heart as I walk the path that He has set before me.

So here I go.  I am closing my eyes, I am taking the first step, and I am praying.  I pray that the changes that my heart desires will be answered.  I am praying that my desire will match Christ’s desire for my life.  I am praying that my walk will honor God, no matter the cost to me.  I am praying that my desire and request will be blessed.  More than that, I am praying that I will have the strength to put one foot in front of the other and walk!

DO WE REALLY COUNT THE COST?

Today our sermon was based out of Acts 8, (the story of Philip ministering to the Ethiopian, verses 26-40 to be exact), and what the value of one soul means to God.  Philip was called off to a beaten path for one man, one soul to be saved.  His life was interrupted for a single man.  BUT, Philip chose obedience and went.  Oh for me to be like Philip.

Our Pastor challenged us that the greatest sin in America is self worship.  Yep, even in the church (and I am guilty of it too), the love of me is more important than anyone else.  Why else do I get aggravated when someone is driving to slow, or when a child doesn’t behave the way I wish, or when someone infringes on my “personal and quiet” time.  WHY?  Because it is all about me!  Then he asked us if we truly count the cost, the value of one life, one soul; the true value of one person.  Do we really?

After a convicting message, we gathered our brood and headed out to lunch.  Why?  Because, I didn’t want to cook.  At the restaurant someone asked us if we were “done” having children followed by my all time favorite question, “don’t you know what causes this?”  I smiled and responded that our children were gifts, intended by God.  To me this tied into what I heard this morning.  We don’t understand the value of life, the value of one soul.

After we returned home, I picked up my last magazine to be published by SALT.  There in an article written by Cindy McDermott, I found myself nodding my head yes and agreeing as she discusses their belief in having a large family, placing value in children, the value of one soul.  I could have written what she wrote word for word.  I KNOW how it feels to answer the questions, to deal with the comments, people talking, and in general the unkindness.  I know what hurt feelings can ensue.  I got it, more than that, I GET IT!  To quote her:

Assumptions have been made about us and about our beliefs (untrue assumptions).  Unkind things have been said to us and about us.  Our conviction in this area has affected how people treat us.  It is almost a type of persecution, albeit an extremely mild one………One of the primary misconceptions of our anti-birth control conviction is that people think that we care about how many children they have. That is absolutely not true. It has nothing to do with the number of children. Rather, it has to do with surrender.  Do we tell God that He can have us, everything we have, yet hang onto our fertility?  Do we tell God that He can’t possibly understand the expense or difficulty of raising children, that the decision is best left in our hands?  Do we question God’s knowledge, His love, or His power?  Are we fully committed to God, His plan and His purposes or not.  It’s not about the numbers. It’s about being a living sacrifice to God, fully surrendering everything to Him, including our fertility. (McDermott, 2013 page 17 Para 6-7)

For me this tied in perfectly to the lesson this morning.  Am I willing to surrender everything, go off the beaten path like Philip?  Am I willing to count the cost, to follow Christ all the way to the cross, to see the true value of one soul?  Oh please do not think I am claiming perfection in this area.  Indeed the opposite is true.  I get aggravated with people, yes even my children.  I get the ME syndrome and want things my way right away.  I don’t want to get out of my comfort zone.  I don’t want to tell everyone I see about the love of Christ because they might think I’m a nut.  I don’t like answering the questions about why we aren’t on birth control why don’t we watch more TV, why don’t we know what causes this.  I don’t want to, but I need to.  WHY?  It’s the value of one soul, the value of one life that matters.  I’m nothing, Christ is everything!

True surrender is hard.  The thing about me being a living sacrifice is that I have the tendency to get off the altar, daily, hourly, minute by minute because the altar is a hard place to be.  Lord, change me and help me surrender should be my daily prayer. 

No, I don’t believe we are done having children.  I believe that God will bless us with many more.  Each life is of value, even the son we never got to hold had a purpose.  No I am not there in my daily walk with Christ.  I fail daily, but I am purposing to try better.  I want to surrender; I want to see the value of life, the value of one soul.  My question is, do you?

 

Reference

McDermott, C. (2013) Thoughts and Lessons of Mine One More Time SALT

          Magazine, Farewell Issue. Pages 15-20