O Christmas Tree...O Christmas Tree

how lovely were your branches! Well...it's over. Not over in the sense that we don't still celebrate the birth and life of our Savior...but all the festivities are put away until next Christmas season. I have the after Christmas blues. 8-( It was a wonderful Christmas. Lots of fun memories. Fun game nights with songs about worms and dirty Christian talk. Productive shopping date nights of picking out fun things to bestow upon our babies. Awesome sing alongs full of fun with new wonderful friends. A funtastical Christmas Eve night with fun new memories.

I must stop to tell you a funny story. We got home from Christmas Eve at my Nanny's house at about 10:00pm. We let the kids open one of their "presents" from Nanna (always pajamas because it is her tradition to give all the kids and grandbabies jammies for Christmas Eve). We read the Christmas story and put the kids to bed around 11. By 12:00am we started setting out presents and putting together the goods. At about 12:30 I heard the pitter patter of little feet coming down the hallway. It was my little Isaiah. Andrew was sitting in the floor assembling the Jumpoline we had gotten Isaiah. It is a very colorful, triangular shaped trampoline that plays music while you jump. Isaiah's eyes lit up and he was no longer interested in sleep. So, for the next couple of hours that little rascal jumped and played with all his Christmas. It was great. He finally crashed about 2:30. It was fun to have him up and get to see him all by himself enjoying Christmas. He was a little bit of a booger to wake up Christmas morning. The other kids were ready to go and he just wanted to stay asleep.

The babies are so much fun Christmas morning. I have to brag and say that I have been so incredibly proud of their respect of what Christmas really is all about. There hasn't been a prayer time when they didn't thank God for the birth of their Savior, and they have been very mindful of talking about Jesus and what He means to them. Well, Gabriel has had some interesting things to say. His answer to what Christmas is all about has been presents and God. So we have a little work to do. What are you gonna do, he's 5. We had a great Christmas day...very relaxing. We let the kids play all morning, and then that afternoon we walked and let the kids ride their bikes down to my moms for Christmas dinner. There we gorged ourselves with yummy goodness and played Wii for hours. Ahhh...I love the holidays.

Now all we have left in 2008 is New Years. I gotta be honest, New Years is just not my thing. We don't want to leave the kids that night, and there aren't a lot of places to take the kids on New Years Eve. So I'm not sure how we will ring in the new year. My goodness, am I the only person who cannot believe that it is 2009 already. My life is flying by so fast. It seems like just yesterday I was saying "I do" to the man of my dreams and thinking about what it would be like when we had so many babies. Now here we are, madly in love and four babies later. I pray all the time that God will just let me savor the moments. There are times when I look around and beg God to just let me remember this moment. Let is sink in deep within my memory so when I am 80 years old I will sit and think of what my babies looked like and smelled like at these precious moments. The way they sounded laughing and the hysterical things they say that make me just want to eat them up.

Well, now that I am crying, I will end. I love you all. Merry Christmas(just a few days late) and Happy New Year to all you people whom I love so dearly. I enjoy my family and friends so much. I thank God for blessing me with such and amazing family and sweet wonderful friends. I love you! 8-)

Feliz Navidad

Things have been so crazy in the last month. I feel like November didn't actually happen. 8-)

Mexico was awesome. I really had a very hard time leaving. The kids are precious and Johnny and Paulina (the parents of the home) were so incredible. They are such a tremendous example of what it really means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I just wanted to stay there and serve them. Truly...that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to cook their meals and clean their houses so that all they had to do was continue loving on those kids. There were 19 children ranging in ages from 22 months to 18 years old. There were 3 elderly people and a 22 year old young man who grew up in the home and now works for Johnny so that he can still live there. In case you can't add let me help you out...that is 23 people that Johnny and Paulina have to keep living. They cook their meals, provide for their needs, and still manage to love on and play with them. Two of these children are almost 2 year old little girls. That in and of itself is a huge challenge, and it's not like these children don't come in with challenges to begin with. They come from homes that are unfit and quite often abusive in ways that most of us can't even stand to hear stories of. So there task in loving isn't often easy. It's hard to gain the trust of a child who has seen nothing but evil in their life, but that is what Johnny and Paulina do everyday. They gain the love and trust of sweet precious children by showing them the love of Jesus...even when that love is hard to give. We had the opportunity to witness patience, discipleship, the training of a child in the way they should go at it's finest. They are taking these children to church. They are praying with and over these children. They are speaking blessings into their lives daily. They are having regular Bible study with these kids. They are combating the enemy's desire to steal these precious babies lives that have not all been claimed. Please join with us in praying for this large 8-) amazing family. A large percentage of these kids will go back into abusive homes. The majority of them are not eligible for adoption. The ones that don't go back into the home they came from will spend their youth in children's homes. It is my prayer that if they can't be adopted into Christian homes that they would be able to remain with Johnny and Paulina. It is also our prayer that God would send someone to work along side them in taking care of this home. They are in need of assistance. The job is too big for two people. I am going to attempt to list all of the kids and adults by name in this post. It would be awesome if you could join with us in praying for the people of Casa Hogar. There is no doubt that God's hand is there. It is an amazing place.

The Family of Casa Hogar
Johnny and Paulina
Claudia 2
Brenda 6
Martin 7
Selena 2
Monse 5
Juan 11
Lizeth 12
Miguel 16
Karla 17
Juanita 18
Leslie 6
Cinthia 10
Jose 11
Ana 11
Kevin 9
Rogelio 14
Rafael 7
Jose Miguel 6
Cesar 18
Josue 22
Domingo really old 8-)
Magdalene really old 8-)
Ava really old 8-)

I would love to blog more about Casa Hogar. I want to tell you all about the place they live, their routines, their resources, and all about their unique personalities. There are so many cool things God is doing right now. It's exciting! For now we will celebrate Christmas and all the joy and hope that it brings. This truly is my favorite time of year. Jesus...just to say His name wells up something big inside of me. 8-) He is exciting!

heading for the border...

I know it's been forever since I last posted and I am so sorry. I know you've all been on the edge of your seat with anticipation for when I would post again. The truth is that I believe I may be the only one who reads this blog. I use it as a diary of sorts. 8-)

My heart is sad...my heart is sad for the choice that our country made on election day. If I felt they had made their choice out of some sort of conviction then the blow might be easier to bare, but I don't believe that is the case. I believe the majority of our nation voted for a man based on the color of his skin. Please...don't misunderstand, that fact that for the first time in history we have an African-American president is an exciting and amazing milestone for our nation. The problem lies in the character of the man...not in the color of his skin. There are plenty of amazing people (black and white) who would have been a thousand times better for this job. A man who's character is such that he can support the brutal murder of innocent unborn babies is not the man I want making decisions for my family. So where do we go from here...I'm just gonna pray. If God can change Paul's heart...Paul, a man who's life's work was killing and persecuting Christian's, then God is certainly capable of moving in the heart of Barack Obama. So if he is indeed going to be the president of the United States of America, then we will just unite together in praying that he surrenders and chooses to walk a path of righteousness. My God is big and He's mighty and He's faithful and He is ready to move when we call upon His name. My God is also a gentleman...He doesn't force Himself on any of us. He has given us a choice...and He says that we have not because we ask not. So will you all please join with me in fervently praying for the heart of our soon to be president and the heart of our nation.

Also...while we are on the subject of prayer 8-) My family (Andrew, me, Nathaniel, Madelyne, Gabriel, Isaiah, and my sister Abbey) and the Hager family (Bo, Holli, Shelton, Megan, Caroline, Garrett, and their unborn baby girl 8-) will be heading to a place called Morelos, Mexico. We will leave this Friday. The trip there should take around 22 hours. We will spend a week there at a house called Casa Hogar. It is a safe house for children who have been abandoned or removed from unfit homes. The children range in ages from infants to 18 years old. Our mission while we are there is for Andrew to set up computers in a school house that was recently completed there, Bo will be doing some building and plumbing projects, and Holli, myself, and the kids will be loving on the children and helping the house parents in any way we can. These children are desperate for the love of Jesus, and I want desperately for us to succeed in demonstrating that love next week. So will you please pray, and ask your friends to pray that God blesses this trip. Please pray that we are faithful in demonstrating His love. Please pray that God would break down the language barrier and that we are able to communicate with these children in ways only God can facilitate. Please pray that we are useful and productive in helping with their needs. And please pray for safe travel. We appreciate any and all prayers. I am excited!

Now that I have written a book I will let you all go...or let myself go. If you are reading this I want to you to know that I love you! 8-)

Oh where oh where has my sanity gone...

oh where oh where could it be? Since the beginning of this school year I have lost my mind. Having 3 kids to teach is a whole new ball game. Gabe says that he has decided he isn't going to do kindergarten. He's just going to go back to being 4. 4 is the most fun he says. If only we could stay 4 years old. Anyway, he has started kindergarten and challenges me every day as a mom and a teacher. I use the title "teacher" loosely. 8-) Isaiah, the baby, can't stand that the other kids are getting my attention during school hours so he has to be right in the middle of us all. My only hope is that some of the knowledge is seeping in and by the time he starts kindergarten he will already know everything and my job will be easier. 8-) That's assuming we all make it that far. Right now in this moment as Gabe is watching an "educational" dvd, Madelyne is dancing with the mop in the kitchen while reciting her spelling words, Isaiah is pulling every piece of tupperware we own out of the cabinet, and Nathaniel (bless his sweet heart) is sitting at the table diligently working on his language seatwork, I am just praying we make it through the day. 8-) No matter my sanity God is awesome, and I am so thankful to Him for my many, many, many, many blessings. Even if they are the wildest craziest blessings a mommy could have. 8-)

hanging with the homies...

We had a funtastical night hanging out at the Hager's house with the Heaps and the Carringers. It never fails that when we all get together there are many moments of hysteria. 8-) We decided we need a quote board to document the random phrases that are born out of an evening together. I would share them with you now, but i can't remember them correctly as it is midnight and I am exhausted. I am just feeling really blessed right now and I wanted to share that with you. It's been a warm and fuzzy day. The kind of day where I look around and see my beautiful babies and my sweet husband and feel so much peace and gratitude for the way God has blessed me. He has given me the best husband in the world, beautiful healthy babies, amazing friends that i adore, and so much more. I need to get my booty in the bed. I have to be up early to get all my blessings ready for church. Why can't church begin about 1 or 2 hours later than it does now. I think church should start at about 11:00. We could start at 11:00, break for church wide lunch and fellowship, and then reconvene for more worship. I like that plan. 8-)Someone form a committee and get right on that.

9/11

I headed to the store this morning with all my babies and as we were driving down the road we passed a flag that was flying at half mass. Nathaniel asked why that flag wasn't flying high in the sky, and that is when it all came rushing back. The most vivid memories of where we were and what we were doing when the phone rang and my mom said I needed to turn on the television. Nathaniel was only 20 months old then. He was sitting in the floor watching Blues Clues. Andrew was getting ready to go, but he wasn't going to work that day because he had been summoned for jury duty. He never left the house. All trials were canceled and all federal buildings were locked down because no one knew what was going on or who might be in danger. Instead we sat in front of the TV for hours in horror. It just kept getting worse and more surreal as the minutes past. I was 8 months pregnant and fear gripped me for the pure evil people in the world are capable of. For every sight of heroism was the gut wrenching reality that heroes are needed because of the evil that exists. On 9/11 as I sat awake at 2:00 in the morning praying that God would give me some peace, even just enough that I could sleep, He gave me one of the most amazing promises of my life. He took me to the book of Isaiah, and through scripture He began to reassure me of how He had already redeemed all that is broken. He showed me how He had claimed my children. He even spoke to me about the purposes He had for my first born son. Here is where I start to cry and it takes my breath away to type these words. God gave me these promises on September 11, 2001 as I cried out to Him in fear. One year ago today, on September 11, 2007 my first born son gave His life to Jesus on the anniversary of that terrible day, and He made that decision in the very house that God had given me these promises 6 years before. That was an AMAZING day! I realized how God is the Master Conductor, orchestrating the events of the lives given to Him in submission with our free will. Isn't it amazing that when God spoke to me that horrible night He was already seeing the glorious day that would take place 6 years later. He has redeemed the lost! He has seen and healed the broken. He will not leave us or forsake us.

So this morning when the babies pointed out to me the flags flying low in the sky and all the memories came flooding back we pulled over on the side of the road, and I told them all about 9/11. I told them about the families who are still grieving the loss of people they loved . I can't fathom the pain. So...we do the only thing we can do and that is to lift them up to our Heavenly Father and pray for peace.

convictions galore

For the last couple of weeks God has been sifting and churning within me so many things that He desires to change, fine tune, be rid of altogether, and for me to surrender to Him. He has shown me things He wants me to do, things He wants me to hand over to Him, and things He adores in me. God is moving. I love it when God moves because I feel honored that He loves me enough to not allow me to become complacent. I never want to just be. The stinky part is that when God starts moving Satan fights harder to have the control. To put it mildly there has been a battle. I have been so aware of every way and situation that I am not being the woman that God wants me to be. I believe God is showing me these things. God wants me to surrender in these ways, but Satan seeks to shame me into believing that I can't be the wife, mommy, and child of God that Jesus says that I am. Well, here is a news flash for Satan...GET LOST! I am writing this in case there is just one person who reads this blog and might possibly struggle in the area of what kind of person you are. Cause you see...we all make mistakes, but we have a couple of ways to deal with that. We can sit in the lie that we can't get past this and we aren't "good christians" or "good mommies" or "good wives", or we can claim that Jesus has redeemed it all and every moment we have the opportunity to choose to walk in His ways. We are forgiven. We are loved. We are God's beautiful children whom He adores. Don't dwell on where you've messed up. Dwell in the redemptive power of our Savior and know that right now we CAN choose to live the ways God chooses for us to live. Live in the love that is our God. Maybe for some of you this makes no sense, but if any of this feels familiar to you then it is my prayer that you would rebuke the enemy and fall safely into the comforting arms of our loving Father with whom "there is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus". Romans 8:1 8-)

making the point...

It drives my hubby CRAZY when I argue politics. Not with him, because he doesn't argue politics with anybody. Plus, we agree on pretty much everything praise the Lord. 8-) He says that arguing politics is pointless because it is not productive. He says it's not as if you are actually going to change someones mind. He says that you should just be proactive in helping what you believe and let that be the change you make. I have a hard time with that. I tend to be an argumentative person. When I speak to someone that believes in something that I think is INSANE I want to tell them why they are wrong. That doesn't usually go over so well thus making my husbands point that arguing politics is useless. Unfortunately the majority of the people in my life that I don't see eye to eye with are close family members. So here's the deal...I absolutely cannot support anything that Barack Obama does because he sees nothing wrong with killing babies. Now, lots of people believe that this is not a major issue and that it doesn't effect our country thus not making it important to them. Well, get over yourself. The fact of the matter is that when even one child loses their life then it's an issue that should be taken VERY SERIOUSLY, but it's not just one child that loses their life.

In the United states approximately 1.37 million abortions are performed every year. There are roughly 3,700 babies that lose their lives EVERY DAY!
Throughout the world there are about 42 million abortions performed in a year, and an estimated 115,000 babies that lose their lives every single day.

This is NOT alright. This is a disgusting tragedy that should effect every person of every political party, of every race, of every religion, of every nationality. You see, it's not just about an issue. It's about humanity. It's about respecting life. So as far as political candidates this is the issue that I look at more than any other because this speaks volumes about character. If you don't mind the brutal murder of helpless, innocent babies then what else do you just not really care about. How is it that you would be in the best interest of the children in our country when you won't even give them the opportunity to LIVE.

suped up slumber party...

So any of you who thought slumber parties were just for the young you need to spend some time with me. Holli and I had a slumber party last night with the teenage girls in our Family Group. Family Groups are small groups that meet off campus twice a month for Bible Study and discipleship. Holli and I lead the Senior High junior and senior girls and I love it. They are so fabulous! We have some who graduated this year and to send them off we had a slumber party at Opryland Hotel. It was so much fun! The girls were awesome! They were even awesome while they were pushing me into the swimming pool in MY JAMMIES! The good news is that I love to swim and I don't care what I swim in so I just stayed in the pool and enjoyed myself. Of course they posted some not so flattering pics of me getting out of the pool and facebook, and for this they will pay. 8-) Oh yeah...it's payback time baby. We ate too much, talked a lot, tortured the people in the hotel, discussed major life issues and where they were in their walks with Christ, we walked a couple of miles around the hotel, took some fabulous pics of the girls being silly, and finally at about 4:00am everyone was asleep.

So God is good and He took care of my hubby and my babies while I was away for the night. I like slumber parties.

In other news, praise God for Sarah Palin. I am feeling a lot better about election day!

correction

In my previous post I said the best thing about our trip was the marshmallow bed. That was not true. The BEST thing about our trip was that I got to have lunch with the greatest most amazing husband in the whole world EVERY SINGLE DAY! I miss him today. He is doing an amazing job and I love him with all my hearts and circles. 8-)

home, home on the range

Well we are home and back into the swing of life. It was a fun trip. Andrew worked his buns off, but the kids and I had a great time. 8-) We played at the pool all day and relaxed in the hotel. The best part was my big marshmallow bed. The best bed there ever was! I have never in my life slept on a mattress that wonderful before. I meant to look and see what kind of mattress it was, but I forgot. It was a king sized bed. We used to have a king, but we went to a queen because it seemed more intimate. 8-) Anyway, the bed had about 10 down pillows on it and a big fluffy down comforter. All the bedding was white so when you were on the bed it felt like laying a big fluffy marshmallow. The drapes in the room were heavy so when they were drawn you couldn't even tell it was daytime outside. I could have slept for days in that place. 8-) I miss the marshmallow. We didn't sleep all week I promise. It was just a nice break from the routine. The babies did awesome in the car. I don't think we had even one fight on the way there or on the way back. Isaiah was a trooper in his car seat. He just watched his movies and looked at books. 8-) They were great! I am very proud of them. Because of their great behavior Daddy won't be afraid to take another road trip. 8-) We will actually be heading back to South Carolina again at the end of September for more training, and again in October to my most favorite place in the world...THE BEACH! YAY!

So the only stinky thing about being gone it that I really miss seeing friends/family, and I REALLY missed being at church. I miss worship. Not that we can't worship where ever we are, but there is something powerful about standing in a room with other believers singing praises to our AWESOME GOD. I love it. It is nourishing to my soul even. That is a very intimate time with God for me. I missed having that this past week. God and I have a date this week for some serious time of worship with my brothers and sisters in Christ. We will be worshiping HIM of course. 8-)

fair, fish, and fairwell

Well we had the most fun at the fair Friday night. Although I must say there are some seriously interesting (and by interesting I mean horrifying) characters in this town. I would pass people and wonder what in the world could possibly be going through there heads to think it is okay to wear that in public. Anyway, all that aside, the weather was perfect, the fair food was disgustingly wonderful, and the kids had "the best night of their lives". Of course they say that every single time we do anything. We can be grocery shopping and one of them will inevitably spring with "this is the best night of my life". I love their love for life. I aspire to live like that. I want to always be having the best time of my life. 8-) It really was wonderful. MaddieBelle just absolutely had to play the fish game because she needed to win a fish since we currently don't have a pet. Here's the deal. Madelyne plays the fish game every year at the fair, and every year she wins a fish only to have it die a few short weeks after we bring it home. Then she is devastated because she has lost her best friend. Madelyne played the fish game last night, and Madelyne won yet another fish. So, we are praying that "fluffy" hangs on longer than a few weeks.

So, I am off to finish packing. We leave after church in the morning and I am only about half way finished tossing our junk into the many suitcases it requires to take this family anywhere. I am not a very meticulous packer. I just grab a bunch of stuff and maybe I get all we need, and maybe I don't. If I leave anything out it will just make the adventure more fun. It can be like roughing it. That's about as close to roughing it as I like to come. 8-)

The power of the pink...

So I have never been like a big Olympics watcher or anything. I would catch it here and there, but this year, oh this year is different. I don't know what it is but I can't miss it. Swimming and Gymnastics have consumed my evenings for the last week. I don't know if any of you caught women's gymnastics last night, but it was FANTASTIC! Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson of team USA took the gold and the silver medals. Nastia taking gold and Shawn taking silver. Now, many people believe that Nastia won the gold based on her tremendous skills as a gymnast. She nailed every routine. Stuck every landing. She was graceful and strong. This is not however what won her the gold in my opinion. While every other girl wore leotards in shades of red (some in white and blue), Nastia chose to be set apart. She wore PINK, and this is why she won the gold. 8-) I'm telling you, it's the perfect color. Of course her flipping and flopping and spinning and sticking probably didn't hurt anything, but i believe the pink sealed the deal. Oh yeah, and Shawn Johnson did pretty good too. Had she of worn pink then maybe they could have awarded 2 gold medals. 8-) Andrew says he would rather come in second because silver is prettier than gold.

Of course Michael Phelps did awesome. What a freak. Seriously, I think he has gills. I almost don't want to like him, but you just can't help it. He's just likeable...with his big ears and his mommy in the stands. Who doesn't like a guy that brings his mom and sisters to the Olympics with him.

Oh well, enough about the Olympics. Crayola crayons, the 24 count pack, are on sale at Walmart for 22 cents a box. I don't normally shop at Walmart because it gets on my nerves with it's bigness and all the bad stuff you hear about how they manufacture their goods, but come on people 22 CENTS! I bought like 50 boxes. 8-) I am a sucker for a deal.

Calling all bloggers...

This is a notice to all my sweet friends who always have the most wonderful posts on their blogs for me to read everyday. You guys are slackin. I have checked my normal blogs that I enjoy reading everyday for the last couple of days and have there been any new posts? No, there hasn't been any new posts. It's like all of the people who normally make time in their days to journal about what's going on in their lives have gotten too busy for blogging. What about me? What about my entertainment.? There are a couple of blogs that haven't been posted on in weeks! How do I know if you are still alive? How do I know if you are happy or sad? Picking up the phone and calling people...well that would just be too logical. So...here it is. I'm gonna need you people to stop taking care of your kids and teaching school and cleaning your houses and going to work and whatever else it is you people do other than entertaining me...and start blogging! I'm only posting this because I love you all. Thank you, and happy blogging. 8-)

By the way...I'd like to send a shout out to my amazing hubby who I love and adore. I am praising God for the man that you are and I am so thankful that God blessed me with you. 8-)

Here, there, and everywhere...

Let the traveling begin. YAY! Andrew called a little while ago to tell me that we would be packing up and heading for Greenville, SC Sunday night. What is in Greenville you ask...well I will tell you. 8-) Oracle training. What is Oracle training? Well, I don't really know, but I do know that my husband needs it very badly in order to not lose his mind at his job. He is a database administrator (don't exactly know what that means either). I call him...the computer guy. Anyway...he is brilliant. I can say that because I am his wife and biggest fan. I am very proud of him. His company recently purchased another company that runs off a different system and if he doesn't learn how to work the thing then he's gonna go postal. So...we are off to training. Well, the kids and I are off to a week of adventure in a new place while Andrew goes to training during the day. Greenville is very close to where Andrew's family lives, so we will take some time to go and visit grandmothers and aunts and uncles...oh my. 8-) That will be good. They haven't seen the babies in about a year. I love to go on adventures. When I was growing up my mom and dad would just randomly pack us up and we would take off on an adventure. We didn't so much plan vacations. We just got the bug and went. I loved it. So this week it's Greenville, SC. On Sept. 22 we will head to Gatlinburg for a couple of days. Sept. 29th we head back to Greenville for another week of training and adventure. October 11th we will be heading for Charleston, SC to enjoy the beach...my favorite place to be in the whole wide world. Then around November 5th our family along with the Hager family will be heading for Morelos, Mexico. We will be doing a lot of homeschooling on the road this fall. 8-) I am very excited. What's also fun is that when the traveling ends the holidays begin. Another of my favorite pastimes. Thanksgiving and Christmas! YAY!

Alright, for any of you who made it to the end of this blog...congrats. I tend to ramble when I'm excited. Sorry. 8-) I'm off to clean the kitchen so that I can mess it up again cooking dinner.

Oh...one more thing. The WILSON COUNTY FAIR starts on Friday. I LOVE going to the fair. It's so exciting! K...love to all!

drink our splash french fries!

Ok, so I do not want to be rude or disrespectful to any people or nation, but they started it. For anyone that caught last nights mens relay you will get this. The French team was talking smack. Saying things like that they whole reason they were at the Olympics was to smash the Americans. It was AWESOME! The American team swam like was no tomorrow. Perfection! Just when it looked like the French team was going to take the gold the last American swimmer (I'm terrible with names...other that Michael Phelps of course) came from slightly behind and won my .08 of a second! It was insane. I am usually not like an Olympics junkie or anything, but this year is turning out to be fabulous entertainment. Plus, I really love swimming. So all that smack talk and who's national anthem was playing at the medal ceremony? USA! Anyway...that's enough of that. I don't want to be obnoxious. 8-)

Well, rather than blogging I need to be gearing up for school. The babies have things they need to be doing to prepare for this next school year. Lots of reading for sure. I will be teaching 3rd grade, 1st grade, and kindergarten this year. I feel nuts already. They are all attending HCA's co-op which will be nice. A chance for them to get some social interaction. I try to keep them in the loop with friends and social activities. That's as much for me as it is for them. 8-) I don't want to turn them into those freaky little homeschool kids who don't know how to interact with the rest of the world. No offense to the freaky kids. I just feel like hanging with their buds is something they are really missing out on by homeschooling. God and I have had many conversations over this very matter. He said I still have to homeschool this year. 8-) I really do enjoy it even though I joke a lot about being crazy. It's hard, but it's also rewarding in many ways.

So, that's all for now. I hope you all are having a fantastic week. I pray that school is getting off to a fabulous start for all those who have babies starting school. I know it's hard. I remember sending Nathaniel to kindergarten and thinking I wasn't going to make without him home. It get's easier. Just don't let them see you cry the second day. It's fine the first day, but after that we have to be big girls. 8-) I love you all!

ready for bed...

I'm about to go and put my babies to bed. I'm procrastinating because while bedtime can be a sweet time...it can also be a frustrating and exhausting time. Andrew is laying on the couch watching Myth Busters...I do not like this show. Tired...that's me tonight. Wishing the routine were done and the house were quiet. No more drinks. No more potty. No more questions. Just for tonight. Then, when morning comes and I am energized once again, all will be fun again. I will laugh at the questions and revel in the noise that is my babies. 8-) I wonder if God is ever ready for me to go to bed?

Inspired

I was reading the blog of a fabulous chic from church who just so inspires me. The kind of girl that you just want to know and call friend, you know what I mean. Anyway...I was thinking about the ways that she inspires me, and I began to think of all the other fabulous people God has been so gracious to allow me to know and love. God is so AWESOME! My incredible hubby who still can give me chills with one look. Then there are my fantastical children...don't even get me started there. And I totally don't mean that in a prideful way because the ways they are fabulous have nothing to do with me. Each one of them are so unique and they teach me something new everyday! From the oldest to the youngest I could just follow them around and watch them all day. 8-) Family and friends...each person so beautiful and every one of them with different strengths, all amazing in their own way. Seriously...I know God didn't put all of these people on the earth solely for my entertainment, but I am just so thankful to have them all in my life. I wish that I could make a big long list of people I want to tell how amazing they are, but I don't have all day to blog...so I won't. 8-) I am just in awe at God's creations this morning. I love all you people!

The sweetest smell in the world...

The best smell in the whole world...a newborn baby. I believe that Heaven will smell like newborn babies. Still to this day, the oldest being 8 & 1/2 years old, after my babies have had a bath and are getting ready for bed I like to inhale them. They always smell delicious, but ever so often I will catch the scent of my sweet tiny babies. The best place to sniff and kiss...right at the nape of the neck. It's the softest, sweetest kisses ever. I spent some time with my newest little friend Owen yesterday at the hospital. Not as much time as I wanted to of course. Other people wanted to hold him, and of course his mommy needed him and he needed her. 8-) Not to mention the exhaustion you could see all over her. She needed to rest. He is so precious. The first thing I said this morning was that I wanted to smell Owen. Andrew called me a baby sniffer. I can be crazy Aunt Whitney...the baby sniffer. I like that title. Anyway...he is just perfect. His mommy and daddy are very blessed, and he is very blessed to have them. 8-) I am praying that their transition into this season of their lives will be seamless and a beautiful testimony of their faith in our perfect, unfailing God.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN

So my newest littlest friend will be making his way into the world very shortly as his mommy is at the hospital laboring to deliver him now. Labor...the word doesn't even do it justice. The work involved in bringing life into this world should be given a much more descriptive term. Something that would express the pain and intensity of the task you know. Labor is what they should call pregnancy. Although...I always felt great throughout my pregnancies. I loved being pregnant. I love having babies. I love kids. I love love. 8-) Anyway...I am very proud of Trisha. She is going to be an amazing mommy and I am looking forward to loving on my sweet new friend.

birthdays galore...

This is an insane month of birthdays. I love birthdays. I love to celebrate. Today is Micah's, my oldest brother, birthday. I am the oldest of all my brothers and sisters, not that I am old by any means. 8-) Micah is the oldest of the boys. He is 24 today. I so totally remember when he was born. I was 5 years old. Yes, that means I will be 29 in just 2 days. They brought Micah home from the hospital on my birthday. I think that is the day I became a mommy. I have been mothering anyone who would let me for 24 years. 8-) Somehow he and I both have oldest child personalities. Maybe because I was a little older when he was born. Maybe because he is the oldest boy. Maybe because I always acted more like his mother than his sister so he felt like an oldest child. I have had so much fun with my brothers and sisters. I enjoy them immensely. I don't always like the choices they make. I pray always that they would choose life, but I can't choose for them. They are all incredible beautiful people with amazing personalities. Each of them very different, but somehow we are all very alike. Here's the rundown...there is me 29, Micah 24, Caleb 21, Haley 19, and Abbey is the baby at 16. I am excited about being 29. I can't imagine it will be a lot different from 28. Here's the thing. All that I have ever wanted to be in my whole life is a wife and mommy. So no matter where we are in life I have the joy of being what I wanted to be. Maybe to the world it's not that great of an accomplishment, and status according to the world is certainly not something I am achieving. 8-) To some my job doesn't even count. I can't imagine a greater blessing in life than watching my babies grow. We went to the zoo yesterday and I watched my hubby with the babies and I was in awe of how blessed I am. It is the most beautiful thing in the world to see who they are and how they interact with the world around them. Even when my littlest baby was throwing a fit at dinner I knew I am truly blessed. Now doing my job well is a whole different story. There are days when i cry out to God in desperation for the ability to love my children well. Because my problem isn't how much I love them. I love them with everything that I have. The thing that concerns me is getting that love across in the way God wants me too. I could tell my children all day long that I love them and it may mean nothing. I have to show them love in the way they receive it. It feels that there is no room for mistakes here. I had a friend who once said that instead of putting away money for her kids education she was going to put away money for their counseling fund. 8-) Thankfully God is way bigger than me and He is a beautiful God of redemption.

Other birthdays we will be celebrating this month...our good friends Justin Heap (26), Jacob Carringer(25),and hopefully for Trisha's sake sweet baby Owen will be making his debut this month.

quiet time

So it has been a hard week to be mommy. I feel like possibly I am losing my mind. I don't really know what's different this week, but I feel the crazy taking over. I don't seem to have a quiet moment at ANY time of the day. The kids are getting up when I do and not going to bed before I do so literally I am needed and used ALL DAY LONG! Yesterday they were all especially rambunctious and loud. I refereed the disputes and all out battles all day long. Last night at church as I stood upstairs trying to have a conversation I could hear my children all the way down stairs. Don't get me wrong...there are precious moments mixed in with the madness, but I think it's time for mommy's day off. Date night. That's what I need. Actually, the kids are probably thinking they could use a break from me. 8-)

Aside from my madness...I am very excited that tomorrow is the 4th of July! I love it! I love the feel of summer holidays. Well, I love ANY holiday. The parties, family time, delicious food, and I get to SOCIALIZE! We are going to grill out and then go to providence and check out the fire works. FIRE WORKS! So beautiful and exciting! The babies are very excited as well. They like to party as much as mommy does. Daddy, well daddy's good as long as the kids are having fun and there is good food around. 8-)

the beach

I am desperate to be heading to the beach. Everyone I know is either at the beach or will be very soon. We are going to the beach, but not until October. That is when Andrew and his family do the beach thing. We will be heading to Charleston, SC. That is on the Atlantic side for those of you who are geographically challenged like myself. I actually am a Gulf of Mexico kind of girl myself. You see, the Atlantic has brown, more compact sand while the Gulf has white, soft sand. I also prefer to go when it's blazing hot. Ohhh ye--ah! I like to lay in the sand until I can't stand it anymore and then dive in the ocean to cool off. Oh well, it will be fun no matter what. Andrew and the kids love Charleston and I love them so it makes it a blast. The beach there is wider and it has these giant tidal pools the kids can play in and catch crabs. They have fantastic time, and I love watching them fall in love with God's creation. The ocean is a tremendous wonder and it is sooo... romantic. Ok, I should stop. This is making my desperation to be there unbearable.

In other news...VBS ended and we all made it through alive. 8-) On one day we had over 500 children on campus plus 200 workers. It was madness. To top off all things mad...1 of my babies got sick 2 days before it ended to be followed by another one of my babies the day after it ended. Fun days at the Maxwell house. Praise God we all made it through and everyone is currently well. VBS was a success.

Well, that's all I have to share for now. I know it was riveting and you are wondering how one person can be so engaging but duty calls. Dinner doesn't cook itself you know. 8-)

BVS

We began Vacation Bible School at church this morning, or BVS as Madelyne and Gabriel call it. I realized once I started talking to a room full of 5th and 6th graders that perhaps my voice isn't commanding enough for this older group of kids. I am used to the little ones. I've never taught kids older than 2nd grade, and it is a whole new ball game. These kids don't respond to sweet talk. Anyway, it's exhausting but the atmosphere is really exciting. I love it when all the people come together to serve. I love wearing matching shirts and being on the same team. I love the songs and motions. I love a sanctuary full of children praising God at the same time. VBS is awesome. The only thing I don't like is having to have my kids dressed and at church at 8:00 in the morning for a whole week. It's a whole week of Sunday mornings and Sunday mornings are not our proudest moments. Everyone is grouchy. It's seems harder to get going. I think Satan knows where we're going and he isn't going to let it be easy to get there. So, we pray against him and press on because I know that when we get there my babies are going to grow and learn more about God and just how much He loves them. They love VBS. Andrew is teaching again this year which makes it that much more awesome because we get to experience everything as a family. Today was Wave 1 and the truth we learned...God is real.

ugh.....blogging

I stink at blogging. So here we go again. I will try to keep up one more time. I read other peoples blogs and it's so much fun. Whatever.

So, Andrew went to Mexico for a week. Mission trip. He fell in love with some precious children, and came home with a lot of conflicts about life. All in all, he and God had an awesome week, and now we wrestle with where we are and what it means to truly follow Jesus. Having him gone for a week was sooo......hard. It would have been easier if I could have at least talked to him, but there was no communication with the exception of a text he was able to send on our anniversary. Yes, he was gone on our 9th anniversary AND fathers day. It is hard to believe we've been married 9 years. In one sense I feel like he has just always been a part of my life, and then another part of me feels like we just got married yesterday. I love him! I feel truly blessed by our marriage. He is still fun and exciting to me. I love loving him. 8-)

I just realized how long it has been since I last posted on this thing. My family is growing tremendously. I need to post pics on here, but I don't know how. HA! That would be how computer savvy I am. Sad really. My husband is a computer genius and I can't figure out how to use my blog.

uhhhhh.......

I can't blog....I never know what to write. I've read a lot of blogs in my day and it seems that everyone has something really deep or interesting to write about. Not me. Let me share with you the events of my day.

I woke up. I made pancakes for my babies. Nathaniel said he knows why they call them pancakes. Because they are like cake in a pan. Brilliant observation, I know. I cleaned the kitchen. Exciting to say the least. Then we started school. Nathaniel first, and then Madelyne. Madelyne did read a pretty long story today. That really was exciting. She's in kindergarten, and the fact that she can read is still really new and exciting to her. After every sentence she looks at me and waits for my thunderous applause. 8-) Then, I got Isaiah down for his nap. That lasted all of about 30 minutes. Then came lunch, more school, more cleaning....do you see where I'm going with this? I don't really know what part of any of that would be interesting to read in a blog. I had no deep insights while loading the dishwasher. There was no great revelations in changing Isaiah's diaper. Don't get me wrong, God has been amazing to me all day long. I've enjoyed watching His handiwork in my children. But what in the world am I supposed to blog about. Gabriel did have some interesting insight into why I should let him eat more pancakes for lunch. He said that the syrup would help his body stick together, and then he won't fall apart. His logic was so convincing that I did indeed let him eat more pancakes for lunch. 8-)

By the way, my vote for American Idol, David Archuleta all the way.......8-).

Super Intellectual Witty Banter......

I read a blog written by a gentleman whose purpose in blogging is to disprove God. He's an athiest. I would give you the name of the blog, but no. 8-) He commented that if he could get even one Christian to doubt what they believe then he would be successful in his ventures. Here is what I don't get. If he doesn't believe at all that God exist, then why is he investing so much time in who God is? In my experience, the few true athiest I have met don't really invest any time in God because they DON'T BELIEVE HE EXIST! Not that I have met a whole lot of true athiest. Most people who say they don't believe in God have been burned by the church or someone claiming to be a Christ follower. Anyway, the blog was chocked full of really "deep" way "intellectual" totally confusing picking apart of everything that a Christ follower might stand for or believe. I recently had a conversation with someone about what is known as "fashionable doubt". It has become trendy to doubt God and to disclaim faith. Here's what I think. The world has gotten TOO BIG FOR IT'S BRITCHES. Everyone is too smart for there own good. We have become so smart that we're stupid. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! Even Christ followers are trying to prove God. Don't get me wrong. QUESTION EVERYTHING! SEEK ANSWERS FOR YOURSELF. DON'T LET ANYBODY SPOON FEED YOU WHAT YOU BELIEVE. I believe it's necessary for everyone to discover God on their own. Otherwise their relationship with God isn't PERSONAL. The thing is that I believe that there is only ONE TRUE GOD, and HE IS EVERYTHING! I can't however prove to you in a logical way WHY HE IS ALL THAT HE IS! If I could do that then I would be God, and let me assure you that I am not. But it's not my job as a follower of Christ to prove to you who He is. He is perfectly capable of doing that on His own. I can share with you what I believe based on personal testimony. I can love you in the way that He has shown me how. I can pray for you fervently that you may find God where you are right now. I think it is necessary to speak TRUTH. It isn't necessary to argue FAITH! Arguing FAITH always brings about the opposite effect that we as Christ followers should desire. Arguing drives people away. You will never prove God by arguing with anyone. You can only show them God by loving them right where they are. THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO AGREE WITH THEM, and it drives me crazy when people who claim to be Christ followers wimp out and say that they CAN'T say that Jesus ISN'T the ONE AND ONLY WAY simply because they don't want to offend anyone. That too is a bunch of POO because their not standing up for Jesus has NOTHING to do with not wanting to offend and EVERYTHING to do with not wanting to be unpopular. SELFISH! WIMPY! STAND UP! BE PROUD OF THE ONE WHO DIED FOR YOU! But please, if you are a follower of Jesus, don't fight to prove who He is. Let the Holy Spirit speak into the lives of God doubters and you share when HE wants you to. He isn't insecure in His Godliness. He doesn't look in the mirror and wonder who He is. Just demonstrate who God is by loving people in His name, sharing truth, and accepting that along with faith and perseverance will come PERSECUTION. The Bible says it's so. When they beat Jesus and mocked Him for claiming that He is the Son of God He never argued once. Could He have proven Himself? I feel quite certain of it. God doesn't just want us to believe He exist. Satan himself believes that God exists. God wants us to LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS, ALL OUR SOULS, AND ALL OUR MINDS. (Matt. 22:37)

Anyway, that was long and I do apologize for the ranting. I at least hope that it makes sense. If it doesn't I have at least purged my mind of the madness. 8-)

All My Love,
OriginsPink.

There's no going back......

I was reminiscing yesterday. Thinking about that past 8 years of my life. Getting married. My sweet babies and what it was like to look at each one of them for the very first time. I thought about God, and the journey I have been on with Him. About 5 years ago we began speed walking. 8-) I have been a born again Christian for 23 years, but it wasn't until about 5 years ago that God became my EVERYTHING. A few years ago I was involved in a small group that changed my walk with Him COMPLETELY. God taught me how to be intimate. He showed me what true fellowship looked like. He showed me what a real Godly woman looks like, and what can happen when a group of them sit in a room and truly seek Him. You see, I had always thought that a Godly woman was a woman that really followed the rules, and always got it right. All these years I had been so discouraged because I was always messing up. As it turns out, Godly woman mess up sometimes too. A Godly woman is one that loves God with all her heart, soul, and mind, and who's desire is to be truly intimate with Almighty God. I sat in the midst of some of the Godliest women I have ever known. We laughed a lot, we cried a lot, we shared the most intimate details of our lives, and in the living room of a tiny apartment opened up to us by a Godly woman desiring true fellowship and prayer with other believers, God moved. After about a year, our group changed. God called some of us to different things, but in looking back on that time in my life I began to get sad, and to grieve the fact that it is over. I miss it. I miss those women. I miss our conversations. I miss the power of God moving is that small little living room. For a few minutes I wished I could be back in that place in that time of my life, but then God showed me that there is no going back. He never wants us to move backwards. He calls us to move forward. To go deeper, and that always means moving. Sometimes I get so caught up in holding on to what I know or to the things of the past that I forget that the only thing I should be holding on to is God and where He is calling me now. However, my memories are precious, and the time I spent with the "Thursday Night Girls" was priceless. I am just pray that God allows me to experience such a time as that again.