THE BIRTHDAY FUN CONTINUES!

Our birthday celebrations for November continued.  We celebrated John Robert’s 11^th birthday with his requested meal after spending the day at Kissimmee State Park with friends.  Both of the bigger kiddos miss going into the woods since Uncle Bill passed away and we can’t go to the K Rocker anymore.  That’s why this year’s celebrations were so special for us.  Not only did we get to head to a beautiful Florida ranch, but we got to hang out in the woods too.

This year I also rubbed off on Daddy more, he HAD to give the birthday boy his gift early.  John Robert’s gift this year was totally Daddy’s doing and he was so excited he couldn’t wait!  The birthday boy has now been outfitted with his own tool belt and the start of a collection of tools.  I think that Robert had a twofold purpose with this gift.  First I think he was tired of John Robert using his tools.  Second and most of all, I think he wants to help start our children off with what they will need as they grow and prepare to leave our home.  No matter what his reasons behind it, Robert did all the shopping and planning for this year’s birthday gift.  Both Daddy and John Robert were thrilled with results.  AND, after only one weekend of tool ownership, some simple repairs have been completed by a very happy John Robert!



While this wasn’t the year of “BIG” parties and fan fare, it was still the time of year to celebrate the joy that is our big kiddos.  Now it’s time to plan for a very spectacular Mickey Mouse birthday for our soon to be 3 year old man!

FALL PUMPKIN FUN!

This year we are adding to our schooling adventures some.  I am trying to introduce a fun theme and unit for at least a week at a time.  This past week we did a fun fall unit on pumpkins.  All the kiddos had a good time, measuring, seeding, and enjoying the math and science experiments that came from playing with our pumpkins.

More than the fun we had playing with the pumpkins, I loved hearing the kiddos describe their day to Daddy.  Ethan talked about how he had to count the seeds (imagine that), but lost count at 40 million.  John Robert talked about trying to carve his pumpkin and have it fall apart.  Cole talked about his pumpkin splashing all over John Robert and getting him wet.  Maggie, who didn’t want to have anything to do with this, chatted about the fun she had helping Cole carve his pumpkin. 

For the study itself, I pieced together different unit ideas that you can check out off my Pintrest board.  Don’t forget to visit Teachers Pay Teachers and check out all their awesome resources.  All in all we had a lot of fun working with pumpkins and can’t wait to do it all again next year

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

November is the start of our crazy busy birthday and holiday celebrations.  This year we started off with a BANG!  We had one of our best birthday weekends in a long time.

First of all, can I just say that I don’t look like I’m old enough to have a 14 year old daughter!  HA!!  Alas, I do have a beautiful 14 year old daughter.

  We decided to do a dual birthday celebration for the big kiddos this year.  Our wonderful friends were gracious enough to let us crash at their ranch.  We invited about 24 people, 22 showed up.  We played at the cow pens, ate, played some more, and then roasted marshmallows around the camp fire.  Then we came home and let Maggie celebrate her birthday in her favorite way….time to watch the Gator Game!  AND, it was made even better because the Gator’s won!

The tables that were set up for us!

My crew at the cow pens.

The whole gang at the cow pens!

We had two cakes and 24 cupcakes!  Yep, it was some kind of good!

The guests enjoyed a yummy meal!!!

And yes, mama is here too!

Sitting on the hay bales around the fire....

This is the month for celebrating!  Next weekend is our big celebration for John Robert.  Did I mention that I am not old enough to have an almost 11 year old son?  Then the kiddos get to use their big birthday gifts, Gator game tickets!  Yep, these crazy kiddos of mine are going to the SWAMP!  What a blessing it is to have friends that love our children!!  My kiddos are awesome.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN SAMUEL!

Today two years ago my world was forever rocked when we learned that our fifth baby and fourth son was no longer with us here on earth but was Heaven born.  There have been a lot of changes in our lives since then.  We have welcomed another son whom we love and adore.  We have seen time pass and children get older and more responsible.  We have been blessed abundantly by God as we continue to walk the path that He has called us to walk. We have also struggled as we continue to walk the path that God has asked us to walk.  In spite of the hardships and changes, one constant remains the same; we have never forgotten Samuel.

Samuel would have been born sometime in April which would have made him almost two.  The other day when Ethan and I were alone he asked me if I ever thought of Samuel.  He told me that he thinks of him from time to time. He said that he can see him as a two year old who wasn’t mean like Cole is, but who was sweet. 

“He’d have blonde hair Mama, and he’d have Daddy’s shaped head and feet.  He’d get into all my toys like Cole does.” Then he said the words that cut my heart to the core and made me so thankful to be driving so he couldn’t see my tears. “I miss him a lot Mama and think of him when I’m in my bed.  Do you miss him too?”

Yes, my precious son, I miss your baby brother daily.  I miss seeing the little boy he would have been or the man he would have become.  I miss walking the floor with him in my arms.  I miss snuggles, kisses, laughter, tears, and the joy that would have been Samuel.  I have peace and can pen this without tears in my eyes because I know that my son is resting in the arms of Christ today, but I still miss him.

Today is the anniversary of the day that my world was turned upside down.  Today is the anniversary of the day that I had to give back one of the most important things in the world to me, my son.  Today I mourn him and remember him.  Today I can also find joy in his life.  I find joy knowing that I will hold my son one day.  I find joy knowing that my son is waiting on me.  I find joy knowing that my children miss him and remember him as well. 

HAPPY 2^nd HEAVEN BORN BIRTHDAY SAMUEL!  WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU!

DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND

I have heard noted apologist, author, and speaker Dr. Ravi Zacharias say that you can tell a lot about a culture by the music it listens to.  I believe that there is a lot of truth in this, music is a reflection of culture and the soul of what a society truly believes.  When I was younger, Aaron Tippin sang a song that defines this point to me perfectly with an issue our immediate family is facing.  The song is simply titled “You’ve Got to Stand for Something” and is a reflection of something that I firmly believe in. 

The idea of drawing a line in the sand or taking a stand is not something new. It is an idea that has been impacting and changing societies and culture throughout history.  There comes a time in every person’s life when they must choose what they want to stand for.  This is a highly personal decision, but it also has the potential to impact lives for generations to come.  Knowing this, it is important to investigate and make a stand on things that matter.  This is not an easy task, and it can be hard to do especially when the very people who should respond in love and kindness choose to hurt and betray.  In spite of this response, once the line is drawn, it should not be crossed.

Our lives have reached the point where a line has to be drawn in the sand and it has to be pronounced and adhered to.  Our children are watching us in this situation.  They are watching how we respond to comments, listening to us explain our thoughts about the issue, and more importantly watching those around us as we take this stand.  Our line has been drawn, and we will not be crossing it.

So where do we draw the line on some key issues?  There are some simple things that we do not tolerate and there are profound things we don’t tolerate.  We don’t tolerate lying.  We don’t tolerate disrespect.  We don’t tolerate abuse be it physical or verbal.  We don’t tolerate drunkenness, drug abuse, or addictive behaviors.  We don’t tolerate adultery.  We have drawn our lines in the sand and we have decided to stand firm against these issues.  We will not back down, be unkind or unloving to those battling issues, but we won’t tolerate blatant flaunting and disrespect for who we are and what we believe either. 

You’ve got to stand for something or you will indeed fall for anything.  Drawing a line in the sand, taking a stand and sticking with something is not always easy.  Following your personal convictions and teaching them to your children so that they can impact generations is not an easy task.  But standing firm is always worth it, always, even when it is hard. 

RECLAIMING JOY

I have a confession to make.  I am not always the BEST mommy in the world.  Here lately it seems like even being a mediocre mommy is a struggle.  I am struggling with a lot right now, nothing overly specific, but life in general can be challenging.  So, I have done the only thing that I can do, I’ve taken it to the throne room and prayed, confessed, and prayed some more.  The end result is that I know that I need to change the way that I do some things.  In short, I need to purpose to get my joy back.

You see, if I am being totally honest, I am not always joyful.   My house is cluttered and messier than I like and can tolerate.  The meals that I prepare aren’t always what I want to eat.  I am not always content in my surroundings and with what I have.  I often grumble and complain instead of building others up.  More often than not I let the cares of this world impact my emotions and responses to my children.  I have an idea of perfection and I feel judged by others constantly.  I live trapped in my world of insecurities and don’t purpose to listen or believe what God through Christ is telling me.

  In spite of myself, God is working through me.  He has been encouraging me in my quiet time, reminding me of who I am in Him, where my worth comes from, and what I need is not more stuff but more Christ!  I don’t need to be perfect, I need to be a real and honest person and that is what makes me the BEST mommy in town, the mama that I strive to be. 

Part of being real is admitting my joy has been lacking.  Life happens, and it can be hard. In all honesty, I haven’t had much joy since Samuel died almost two years ago.  I have had abundant blessings, but I have still struggled with the why’s and why me’s that can come with life.  Through prayer I have seen my need for a deeper fellowship and a more intimate walk with Christ.  I have also been give a renewed zeal for the kiddo’s school and a desire to “take back” my life and my home one step at a time.  Little changes have been made, and I can already see a difference.  More than seeing the difference, I can feel the difference.

I am far from perfect.  I have yearly, monthly, weekly, daily, hour by hour, and moment by moment struggles.  The struggles are real.  The challenges are real.  The good news is that my God is even bigger and more than willing to renew and refresh me when I sit at His feet and enjoy His fellowship.  When I do this, I am not so frazzled not so short, and more apt to sing and dance joyfully!

I know that I will continue to have struggles.  I will continue to feel frazzled by the ebb and flow of life.  I will continue to battle the doubts that plague me, but more than that I will continue to grow as I am challenged, stretched, and perfected by my Creator who is molding me into the BEST MOMMY IN TOWN!  For me right now, that is enough.