A Time for Accountability

The other day Noah came home and shared with me that a student in his class had written on his shirt with permanent marker. I believe it was to be a joke, not sure exactly how it happened. I didn't put too much thought into it, it was unfortunate because Noah really liked that shirt, but I bought it at the goodwill (there's a reason I refuse to pay full price for clothes for 7 kids!!) and hardly paid anything for it. Also, the mark on his shirt was small and hardly noticeable. I explained to Noah these things happen and while I don't want him doing things like that, reminded him it was just a shirt and it wasn't a big deal. 

A couple days later Noah shares with me that the friend who wrote on his shirt was very upset because his mom was going to make him take his own money to give to us to replace the shirt. I was very impressed with this. Not too often do you see parents actually holding their kids accountable for their actions. But while I was very impressed and appreciated the gesture I felt it was my duty to fill the mom in on just how little I paid for the shirt, how small the damage was, and that really no harm had been done. She responded with her own letter but also included was a letter to Noah from his friend apologizing for writing on his shirt. This meant so much more to me than if they had given us $50 and here's why. 

This mom took seriously the fact that her son had ruined something that belonged to someone else. Yes, we all realize the child was not trying to be mean but regardless of the motive, the parent understood the importance of teaching the child we don't write on other peoples property. Then she took measures to make sure the child fully understood the consequence of his actions by making him pay for the damage with his own money...money I am sure he was sad to part with because if he's anything like my boys he was saving that for some really cool toy or game! The point is the child was held responsible for his actions. This was not a parent who was going to blame something or someone else but instead put the responsibility right where it belonged. As a parent who is striving to do the same I was so appreciative of this because really I feel we see too little of this in the world today. Everything seems to always be someone else's fault. 

We went through a period where one of our kids was writing with pencils and crayons on the bedroom walls. Once we pinpointed who the culprit was and got them to confess, their response was, "well so and so left them in my room". Okay, yes, "so and so" was supposed to put them away in the proper place, not leave them on the floor of the bedroom but that does not mean you are not responsible for the writing on the wall! Said artist was 3, almost 4 at the time and Ben and I were sure this child knew better because we had taught all of them that we only draw on paper. In the end the one who did the damage spent an hour washing and scrubbing the walls to get as much off as they could and did in fact learn not to draw on walls anymore. And of course, we reiterated where the proper place for pencils and crayons is!

To conclude the shirt incident, everyone was left happy. The student was happy because he got to keep his hard earned money. Both moms were happy because there was understanding and accountability and Noah is happy because I'm still going to let him wear the shirt! If only all conflicts and incidents could be resolved so amicably! 

A Time for DIY Resurrection Eggs

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: ~John 11:25

With Easter just a few short days away I thought I would share with you how I made my own set of "resurrection eggs". This is the activity we will be doing with our Good News Club kids on Friday. Each of them will make their own set to take home and share with their friends and family. This is a fun, interactive way to share the Easter story with young and old alike.

To get started you will need an empty egg carton and 12 plastic easter eggs. Take a permanent marker and give each egg a number starting with 1 and finishing with 12. Next you need to decide which verses you will use to tell your story. There are different versions of resurrection eggs, each with small differences. I will give you the list of verses that I used for each egg and which object I chose to put inside the egg to represent what the verse is speaking of. You can tweak your set however you see fit. I needed enough supplies to make 21 sets so some objects that others use were not going to work for me because it was either too costly or I couldn't find enough of that object, in the size needed to fit inside an easter egg.

Egg 1: Matt. 21: 8-9

This is talking about the triumphal entry. I could not find donkeys to place in the eggs so I instead put a large leaf in the egg to represent the palm branch. 

Egg 2: Matt. 26:14-16

This is talking about what was given  to Judas to betray Jesus. I used two real dimes to put inside the egg but you could use plastic silver play money too.

Egg 3: Matt. 26:26-28

This is talking about the last supper Jesus had with his disciples. I used a sponge and cut it into small squares to represent bread. It actually looks a lot like bread. I suppose you could use a cracker and just replace it every year. Some sets use small goblets but I couldn't find any. 

Egg 4: Matt. 36-38

This is talking about when Jesus was praying in the garden before he was arrested. I put a small fake flower in the egg to represent the garden. Some sets use praying hands but I was not able to find that either.

Egg 5: Matt. 27:2

This is talking about Jesus being bound and handed over to Pilot. I used twine to represent this (about a 6" piece). 

Egg 6: Matt 26:75

This is talking about Peter's denial of Christ three times before the rooster crowed. I used a computer image of a rooster. I cut them into small squares.

Egg 7: Matt. 27:26

This is talking about Jesus being beaten. I used leather string to represent the whip. 

Egg 8: Matt 27:28-30

This is talking about Jesus being mocked by the soldiers. Most sets use a crown of thorns for this egg but I could not find anything that would work so I cut up a red t-shirt and put strips of red fabric in the egg to represent the scarlet robe they put on him. 

Egg 9: John 19: 17-18

This is talking about the cross Jesus was nailed to when he was crucified. I used a small wooden cross to put in the egg but many sets use a cross made from nails. 

Egg 10: John 19:32-34

This is talking about Jesus' side being pierced. I could not find small spears like most sets use so I used a toothpick to represent the spear. I had to cut them in half to make it fit in the egg.

Egg 11: Matt 27:59-60

This is talking about Jesus being laid in a tomb made out of rock. I used fake rocks (used for flower arrangements, etc.) and put one in each egg. I would have used real rocks but ours are currently all under snow. 

Egg 12: Matt. 28:2-6

This is talking about the resurrection of Christ. This egg is empty to represent the empty tomb. 

Once you have all the verses printed out and all your objects ready to place inside the eggs here is what you want to do. Print out your verses with the reference, label the verses 1-12 so you know which verse goes in which egg, identify which object is in the corresponding egg and what it represents. I typed out the full verse for this so when you are telling the story the verses are right there for you. Here is an example of what one strip of paper looks like:

#4 Flower represents Jesus praying in the garden before he was arrested. Matt 26: 36-38

 “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.”

Once it's printed you will cut each verse into strips and place the strip of paper in it's corresponding egg along with the object. You can paint your egg carton and decorate it if you want but you don't have to. We won't have time to do that part at Good News Club but I will encourage the kids to do so at home. 

This was a little time consuming because of all the steps and planning that goes into it but so worth it. You can buy these sets for about $10-15 but I was able to make each one for just under $1 because the majority of the items I had here at home. The only things I had to buy were the plastic eggs, one bunch of artificial flowers that had 25 buds on it (I paid $0.69 for it) and a branch of leaves that had more leaves than I needed on it for the same price. I love the idea of these sets and what a great way it is to teach our kids how to learn the Easter story and also to retell it. 

A Time to Look Back- My Struggle with Colic

Who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ~II Cor. 1:4

I remember when I had my first baby like it was yesterday. There are some of my kids whose infant days are a blur to me but I don't think anyone ever stops seeing clearly the days when they were taking care of their first baby. Some people have really great experiences with their first baby. Ours was not so wonderful. I went into labor on moving day, 5 weeks early from complications with toxemia and having been on strict bed rest in the hospital for a week. It was a difficult delivery. Noah was in NICU for 10 days with jaundice. When we were finally released we immediately drove 3 hours south to our new home where we knew not a soul, had not one familiar face to bring a meal or even stop by. The next day Ben started his new job and I was left alone with a colicky baby who seemed to never sleep and ate in hour intervals because of his premature belly not being able to eat too much at each feeding. IT.WAS.AWFUL.  We had started out in our marriage thinking 4 kids was a good number, totally cocky and totally clueless as to just how hard raising a child could be. By the time Noah was 5 months and not really over the colic Ben had firmly said, "NO MORE". I convinced him we needed one more because we didn't want an only child. So we agreed we would do this horrible thing called having a baby one more time but then we were done! 
I remember during those days people not understanding how hard it was for us. I remember people telling me it was normal that my baby cried ALL THE TIME. I remember spending 3-4 hours a day standing and rocking my baby in the football hold while he relentlessly cried and nothing could sooth him. I remember so many days sitting on the couch crying because I felt so lost and like a failure. I was more tired than I ever knew I could be and did not enjoy being a mom at all. I didn't understand the moms who only had flowery and wonderful things to say about motherhood and that "magical experience" they all talked about never made it to my front door. And that made me feel like a down right horrible person. 
It's always interesting to me to meet other moms who have had a colicky baby because all one has to say is, "my baby was colicky" and you know EXACTLY what that means. Unless you have had a colicky baby you cannot understand just how hard it is. People can try, people can think they "get it" but unless you have walked that road you just wouldn't understand. Like when I said to a friend a long time ago that I never used to understand how a mom could shake her baby until I had a colicky baby. She looked at me like I was psychotic because she didn't get it. Not that I ever came close to shaking my baby....but I get where those woman are at mentally to be able to do that. Because mentally I was a wreck. I would go to sleep at night and even if the baby wasn't crying I still heard him crying. I couldn't get away from the crying. I used to have to put him in his crib sometimes during his "fussy time" and  go in the basement and turn the dryer on for 20 mins. or so just so I could get away from the sound. And I still have residual effects from it. I have not had another baby that I would say was colicky but our 3rd was definitely on the fussy side and every time he would start crying I would get stomach aches because the stress of Noah's colic caused me to have severe stomach pain when he cried. And that still happens when one of my babies cries and I can't make them stop. It's awful. 

Why am I telling you this? Because I know I am not the only mom who has ever felt this way. Because I know how important it is for other moms dealing with colic to know they are not alone. Because I know there will be women who have similar thoughts and feelings someday and maybe they will read this and it will help them. Help them to know that the feelings they have don't make them a bad person. Help them to know that it does get better. 

Now that I have had more kids I know that not all babies cry all the time. Now I know that many babies are happy, smiley, cooing kind of babies who take 3-4 naps a day and who eat every 3-4 hours. I know this now because I've had babies like that. Now that I can look back I know that it does get better. Babies don't stay colicky forever and now I know that I can have more kids who aren't colicky and actually enjoy the baby stage.  When I look back I am so thankful for where I am today and for the trust that I learned to have in God, that he could get us through some difficult times. Now I know He will continue to do so regardless of what life brings us. Now when I look back I can be thankful for those trials because I am able to have compassion on moms who are in similar situations because I was there, and I know exactly what it's like.

A Time for a Vacation: Part II

Well we are back from San Diego and I am just so thankful for what a fun and relaxing time it was. Can you imagine looking out your window and seeing that view every day?! I'm not saying that's what I did. Our view was a take out taco stand, not quite as romantic. But someone get's to look at this everyday! 

One of the things I was most thankful for about this trip that I did not mention in the last blog post was the fact that we were going to San Diego. My sister has lived there for several years now and if I am lucky I see her once a year. Ben could have gotten sent to several different locations but San Diego just happened to be where he was needed and I was so thankful. My sister and I have always talked about me going out to visit her but I never thought it would actually happen. A trip to San Diego isn't exactly in our budget so I can't express how much I have thanked God for allowing this trip to happen, and at very little cost to us. 

My sister took 2 days off from work (unpaid I should add!) to spend time with me while Ben was at work. If she had not done that I would not have seen nearly as much as I did since I was on foot and I'm not the most adventurous person on my own. The first place she took me to was Lego Land. I'm not exactly a fan of legos but the boys like playing with legos and I knew they would enjoy seeing all the sculptures made out of them. It's about $100 a person to get into this place, so likely not something we'll ever be doing as a family unless we are willing to spend $1,000 to do it! My sister, being a local, knew about a shopping pass we could get, which would allow us to get in and see the park for free. The catch is that we only had 1hr to do it...if we didn't get back to the gate in 1hr they were charging us $150!!! So we zoomed through that place like crazy ladies taking pictures and getting a few things for the kids at the gift shop. It was worth it because the kids LOVED the pictures I took. She then drove me around the coast, took me to places like Little Italy and the Old Town, took me to lunch at some of her favorite places, we did a little shopping, went to Point Loma to see the view and the lighthouse. She took me to the ocean so I could put my feet in the pacific ocean for the first time! She drove me downtown and showed me Petco Stadium (we were there out of season so couldn't go to a game), and showed me the new library they are building....I don't think Maine has a building that big anywhere...and that's just a library! 

On the weekend Ben was with us so we saved the stuff he wanted to do for then. We went to the zoo, which I am glad I did but really wasn't that impressed with. I did get to see the panda though. We also took a drive up to the mountains...we had planned to take a hike but we couldn't find it and it was super cold that day! That is one thing that surprised me...how cold I was when I was there. The days weren't too bad with the sun out. I was still in long sleeves and jeans but it was warm. The nights though were another story. Still better than Maine but not what I was expecting. One of the highlights of my trip was on Sunday we went to Pastor David Jeremiah's church. You might not know who I am talking about but he is a well known Pastor and is on the radio and television and has written several books. When I was newly saved he was the first preacher I started listening to on the radio on my way into work. I have just always enjoyed his preaching so I was really excited to get to go to his church. This was also my first time ever attending such a large church. It was a cool experience for sure, and big churches have their place but I am a small town girl and I really love my small town church! I got to meet him and shake his hand....that was so cool! I'm really not a star struck person at all. I could see someone famous on the street and really not care. This man is just someone who has taught me a lot through his preaching and it was a real honor to be at his church and meet him. 

And God works in really cool ways. As I was standing in line, waiting to meet Dr. Jeremiah, I noticed the man in front of me and felt like I knew him from somewhere but could not place him. Finally it hit me...this was the man that was sitting next to Ben on the plane ride to San Diego. We had talked to him a little and learned he was from Boston and would only be in CA for the weekend. When he was out of the line Ben went over to talk to him and sure enough it was the same guy and he remembered us too. Imagine that! This church has 2 services a day where thousands attend each service...it has a huge campus and we just happen to end up in line right behind the person we sat with on the plane. I thought that was really cool! 

It was really such a great vacation for us and we are incredibly thankful to my sister for planning so many things for us to do and for setting so much of her time aside to be with us. It was a really fun time, we got to try all sorts of new things. It really felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity...because lets face it, I don't know how we could ever afford to fly a family of 9 to CA and then pay for everything once we're there. I am continually amazed by Gods over abundance of blessing in our lives and this trip was no different. I came back refreshed and rested and ready to get back to reality...and what a reality it is!

A Time for a Vacation!!

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will 

give you rest. ~Matt 11:28

Do you ever just sit back in amazement at how God worked out a situation or how he provided for a need or even how he cares about our wants too? It is so easy to take things for granted, especially the little, everyday things. It's usually in the big stuff that we step back and say, "wow, I can't believe God did that". I know I'm guilty of taking things for granted everyday, even though I try hard not to. One thing that I am so thankful for right now is how God opened so many doors and made provision in so many ways for Ben and I to have a vacation, just the two of us.

We love our kids and we love to spend time with our kids but, we are always with our kids. Any time we get alone is precious because it does not happen often. There are not a whole lot of people lining up to watch 6 kids so even finding a few hours alone out of the house is rare! When the opportunity for this trip came up and we first started talking about it I honestly did not let myself get excited because I just thought there is no way this can all work out. It was before Tess was even born that Ben came home and said that sometime this winter he would have to head out to San Diego to....do something work related. I swear I listen when he talks about work but I retain so little, haha! I was very overwhelmed at the thought of being alone for a week after just having had a baby, in the winter, for him to take this trip. Then I asked if this was a trip where it made sense for me to come with him. He really loved that idea so the wheels started turning on how we could make it work. One great thing about this particular trip is Ben could pretty much choose any week he wanted (another blessing!) so we had some flexibility with dates.

We had our doubts that any one person would feel capable of taking all 5 kids. At the time we planned to take Tess with us. And we were right. So the daunting task before us was finding enough willing people to take a few each. I prayed so hard that if this was God's will he would make it clear and show us who to ask for child care. And he provided in an amazing way. It was settled that Will & Jena would be with Ben's parents and Alex & Lianne would take Noah, Owen, and Gabe. All 5 would be up in the county so we had to make plans to take extra time off to get them all there and back. An 8hr car ride one way isn't exactly something you can do in a day with kids. Then our beautiful and lovely Tess was born and it was made clear early on that she was not the traveling sort of baby. Like Gabe, Tess hates her car seat, therefore hates the car for any extended period of time. Our trip would require a lot of traveling. Not only do we drive 8hrs to drop the kids off but we have that 8hr drive back, a 2hr bus ride to Boston and a flight to California...and then do it all in reverse not to mention any traveling and sightseeing we'll do once in California. So I prayed and prayed about what to do. I Even told Ben we should cancel the trip because I just didn't think this would work out well with having Tess. Then a good friend of mine in passing mentioned she'd take Tess if I needed. I didn't take it seriously at first but prayed about it for a week. After having a peace that I should ask her again about it I did. She told me that she had been praying that I would ask her to watch Tess because she really wanted to do this for me. So with tears running down my face I accepted her offer and began getting really excited! So Tess will be staying with my friend Anita and I can't even tell you how at peace with that I am. She told me yesterday she won't be taking her eyes off of Tess and I know she won't and that Tess will be in great hands...what a blessing! 

Not only has God provided for childcare but he has also provided financially. This trip is basically at no cost to us...how amazing is that! The only expense we have is my plane ticket, which we got an amazing deal on and any shopping/sightseeing we want to do. Ben's flight, our meals, hotel and rental car are all paid for by his work. With the cutbacks they have been making at the Shipyard recently we were not sure this trip would happen because they have cancelled some travel. Any trainings, conferences or travel that is not specific to a project is cancelled...if I am understanding it all right. Ben's travel is project oversight....he manages a few people at the detachment out there and is checking in on what they're doing and getting familiar first hand with what they are working on. Again, Praise God! 

So it is safe to say that the whole family is very excited about the coming two weeks. The older boys are thrilled to be staying with "Aunt" Lianne & "Uncle" Alex. They have some big plans like ice fishing and winter blitz. They cannot wait!! Keep them in your prayers that everyone would be safe and pray for Lianne, she is pregnant and they have 2 boys of their own. I had no idea she was pregnant when I asked them to watch the kids but she knew she was and said yes anyway. Will & Jena will be with Oma & Pepere and they talk about it everyday. They both ask me every morning if today is the day we are going. They love spending time with Oma & Pepere and I know they are in great hands & will be spoiled rotten! Pray for Dan & Shelley. And pray for Anita and Tess. Tess is doing well at night but I am praying she will sleep well being at a new place. She is generally a very easy baby so I pray she continues that way for Anita. Anita also has 3 children of her own so it was very kind of her to offer this! And pray for Ben and I that it would be a relaxing time and that we'd have great weather and that I would feel well. Morning sickness isn't fun but thankfully it's subsided for the most part. I only have days here and there now so I am praying that remains the case while we are out there. We are so, so thankful for this opportunity to actually do something just the two of us...especially with a new baby coming in the fall. God knew we were going to need this time of rest and refreshment and I cannot express just how thankful I feel to be able to do this. This is one thing I am NOT taking for granted!

A Time For Church

"...not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." ~Heb. 10:25

I am asked often how we manage to faithfully attend church with so many little ones. We attend Sunday School, morning service and evening service on Sundays as well as our mid-week prayer meeting.  Many will say, "I only have 1 or 2 and I can't get there, I don't know how you do it". So I thought I'd share how we make it so that we are able to attend regularly. If you don't go to church and have no interest in going then this post isn't for you. But to those of you who do want to attend church faithfully but maybe are struggling with doing so, this post might be a help to you.

The first thing I would say to those people who ask how we get everyone there is that it has to be a PRIORITY. Not going to church is not an option for us unless someone is sick. People make time for the things they really want to do so if church is something you really want to do then your mindset has to be that nothing will get in the way of you getting there. For us Sunday is for church and our kids know this. They have never known anything different. Any sport or activity that meets on a Sunday is not an option in our family. We keep church a priority even when we are on vacation. And I will tell you that we have met some wonderful people across the country because of this. Basically if you wake up on Sunday not sure if you are going to church or not, then you probably won't get there. There are too many other things that will pull you away. And also...our kids DO NOT decide if we go or not. They never have the option of staying home. EVER. Unless they are sick, of course. Thankfully we have kids that are sad when they can't go...for now anyway! 

The next thing that needs to happen is you have to be ORGANIZED! I start getting ready for church on Saturday. I usually make sure they have clean church pants in the morning so that if they don't I can do a load in the afternoon and have them ready for Sunday. This rarely happens but lately it's happening more often that not! At night when we are putting everyone to bed I take out their clothes for Sunday and lay it out so that when they wake up the ones that can dress themselves know what to put on and can be ready. This takes 10 mins so I can't ever say, "I'm too tired to do this". What's 10 more mins??! I also pack the diaper bag the night before. This has really helped me to not forget anything because in the craziness of the morning it's easy to forget something. I've forgotten a bottle for the baby before! Thankfully we live 2 mins from church but I still don't want this happening on a regular basis. 

An important part of getting anywhere and getting there on time is to WAKE UP ON TIME. Set an alarm, set two if you have to. We don't look at Sunday's as a day for sleeping in, even though for us getting up at 6 is sleeping in. I wake up early so I can get my shower in and start getting ready before everyone else wakes up at 7. We make the kids get up, they aren't allowed to stay in bed as long as they want...not that this is a problem because I don't have sleepers yet. They're all up at that time anyway. Ben gets up at this time too and HELPS. I stress that because there are so many husbands that don't help on Sunday mornings and I am so thankful that I do have help because it makes getting out the door so much easier and manageable. He usually gets them all breakfast while I finish getting myself ready. Then I start getting the girls dressed while he helps the boys that need help. Then Ben has time after that to get himself ready and practice on the piano before church while I make sure everyone has brushed their teeth, washed faces & hands, and do the girl's hair. 

Then there's Prayer Meeting. Ours is on Weds. nights at 7pm. This is a very challenging service to get to with little kids. If you attend a church and you have young families who faithfully attend this service please encourage them and let them know how thankful you are they come because it's not easy to get to. If there is one church service Satan loves to convince me I'm better off not being at it's this one. It's mid-week so there are work and school schedules to factor in, dinner to have and clean up, homework to do with kids. By 7:00 I'm wiped and looking for any excuse to stay home. I have to purpose in my heart to be there otherwise there are too many things that would keep me away. Currently there are two things that keep us from attending prayer meeting. Sickness and no nursery coverage. We are the only family that attends that needs the nursery so if for some reason there isn't anyone to cover it, I stay home. One way I have found helps ensure I attend this service is to avoid scheduling things on a Weds. if at all possible. This goes for Dr. appts., play dates, and any extra curricular activities. Sometimes having something on a Weds. can't be helped but it's not the norm. This helps me get a nap in that afternoon so I'm not so tired when 7:00 rolls around. I also try to plan a very easy, simple to put together meal (like leftovers) or a crock pot meal on Weds.
   *Just as a side note for prayer meeting. When Noah started kindergarten I was worried that him being up till 8:30-9 would be too hard on him so I did keep him home from prayer meeting for a few weeks till he adjusted to his school schedule. Then we attended regularly and he was fine. I have not found that I needed to do this with Owen or Gabe. The kids adjust perfectly well and maybe it means on Thurs. they take a short nap before dinner but that has happened maybe one or twice. I say that only because it's so easy to make excuses to not be there and using our kids as the excuse is the best and easiest one! I can't stress how strongly I feel it's important for our kids to know that prayer meeting is not something we do when it's convenient but it's something our family sees as a priority.

And lastly, BE INVOLVED in your church. Don't just be a bench warmer, but be an active participant. There are so many ways you can serve in the church and often times having a commitment helps to keep you coming. When you go to church make it a point to say hello to people and find out how they are doing. Form connections with people in your church. Ben and I both serve in different ways in our church and yet there are times when we have needed to say no to things. What you are involved in will depend a lot on what season of life you are in. Our church is in great need of church cleaners but that is an area that right now, with so many little ones, is not something we can be involved with. Just because the heart is willing doesn't necessarily mean you are meant to serve in that capacity. Be wise in how you choose your commitments so you don't burn out and not want to attend. 

There is nothing profound about how me make it to church. These are all things we all know but maybe just need to be reminded of. If Ben and I didn't have a strong belief that it is important for us to be involved in the local church then there's no way we'd be there. It's just too hard with so many kids and Satan makes it too easy to form excuses. If you take nothing else away from this just remember it is all about what you "purpose in your heart" to do. You have to be decided that this is what is important to you and your family. That's where you need to start. Once you are there, then hopefully some of the ways we make it manageable will help you make it manageable for your family too!

A Time for Irish Twins

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. ~Psalm 127:3

Never in a million years did I think I would be writing this post. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. I was already overwhelmed with adjusting to having a new baby in the house and dealing with some medical issues, never mind finding out I was pregnant. I am one who usually is very antsy to tell people we are welcoming a new life into our family. This time has been very different. Mainly because I can honestly say I was not excited for a long time and I knew that I was not emotionally strong enough to handle any negative comments or criticism or even the jokes. I needed time to come to terms with the news and to be ready to face whatever people have to say, the good and the bad. In a perfect world I wouldn't care what people think, and most of the time I don't but for some reason I just knew there would be many who would have their opinions and I wasn't ready to deal with them. I am not sure I am ready now but I have to face it sometime! :) 

We were really done after Tess was born, I had already given away some baby things. You know what they say about that don't you....apparently there's some truth to it! Before Tess was born I was very open to the possibility of having more. But her delivery and recovery afterwards led to some serious medical issues for me, to the point that my OB strongly advised taking measures to make sure I didn't have another pregnancy. Strokes are scary and when you almost have one, you listen to your Dr. Appointments were made for more permanent measures to be taken, precautions were taken at home, but before I could see the Dr. I found out I was pregnant...taking a test they advised I take before they do anything, to be on the "safe side". When I saw positive I cried. I was in shock. I am so incredibly thankful for Ben. He is always cool and steady and can usually keep me calm and focused on what is true. He was so encouraging and has continued to be. I know a lot of women will read this and be angry because I was upset and not happy right away. I really am not trying to be ungrateful or insensitive. But I have to ask those women to put themselves in my shoes. If you had just delivered your 6th baby six weeks prior and found out you were pregnant again with your 7th would you be super excited? I think you might shed a few tears too because there is just no explaining how overwhelming that feels. It was like I couldn't breath for weeks. I couldn't think about it without crying or having anxiety about how I would handle it. I am passed that now, thankfully. I honestly see this baby as an incredible gift from the Lord, like all the others have been, and I am excited to meet him/her. I still have moments of anxiety when I look to the future but I mostly try to focus on today and take it one minute at a time. 

This baby is due Sept. 14 and Tess will turn 1 on Oct. 18 so they are considered Irish twins because they will be born within a 12 month period. Based on the due date they will be 11 months apart. That's pretty cool I guess...I think I'll find it cooler once I've "been there done that" because I know it will be challenging while we're going through it. Before this our closest babies were Gabe & Will. They are 14 months apart and I cried then too but we got through that. I should say GOD got us through that. Honestly without my faith in God and a trust that He is in control of all of this I don't think I could face it. He has always faithfully given us what we need each day to raise this family and He will continue to do it.  We are being refined and drawn closer to Him through it and I am happily surrendering to his plan even though it has been so much different than mine was! Our plan was never to have 7 kids in 9 years but God has seen fit to allow that so we are just going with the flow.

 We are also trusting him with my health, which to date has been great. I will have the gestational diabetes to contend with as I always do but so far my blood pressure is where it should be. We are so thankful for that and thankful for the awesome care and attention my OB is giving me, they've been so great! We are also so thankful for our faithful prayer warriors. The few who we told in the beginning because we needed prayer (I did really, Ben has been remarkably okay from the beginning). Your love and support these past weeks have meant so much to us. We are so blessed with such an amazing support system...you are our family away from home! Now that the rest of you know, the praying friends reading this, if you would keep us in your prayers for the duration of the pregnancy it would mean so much.
Oh and by the way...for those of you on facebook...I had no idea I was pregnant when I stated that my goal for 2013 was to not have a baby! I found out 3 days later! God has a sense of humor! :)