Foto Friday ~ sibling love

Nothing compares to the love of a big sister and little brother!
It is simply a joy to watch!
I always wanted to be a big sister but instead,
I get to take part in raising daughters and sons that are big sisters and little brothers to each other!

Life is good!

Enjoy the weekend!
Give somebody and unexpected hug!
It will bless their day and yours!

Geometry lesson

This is a GREAT geometry project. 
Little ones can do it too!

Get creative with the items you can use

We had marshmallows and yogurt covered raisins.

Try fruit snacks, BIG marshmallows, jelly beans or anything chewy

Use coffee filters to hold the contents because they won't roll out that way

oh, and they are VERY cheap!  :)

We used toothpicks

 You could use strait pretzels

We tried spaghetti noodles but they broke to easily

(That was also a great experiment for the little ones to learn from!)

I will never understand why kids like to eat raw shaghetti!

(That really had nothing to do with anything!)

My kids worked at this for a LONG time!

They tried many different creations
My 9 year old did this and we decided it was our favorite
 and it held up really well!

It is so fun to watch them learn while having a great time!

Be creative and think outside of the box!

They will thank you for it!

Many brothers

God must think this sweet little thing is pretty tough!
Can you imagine having 8 OLDER BROTHERS!
For now, mommy watches her like a hawk and protects her like a china doll!
I am sure the day will soon come,
when I have to let go a bit and she won't be satisfied with being attached to my hip LITERALLY!

Here are some things that are sure to happen when you are a sister of MANY brothers:

• Every toy you have is pink but hot-wheels suddenly end up in front of you hourly
• your teethers get chucked across the living room and end up behind furniture
• somehow your toys can be found outside and you know that you did not put them there because you can't even walk yet!
• if you are laying on the floor, in a matter of seconds, someone will be laying across your back
• when you are learning to crawl, you have an audience circling you and cheering you on (actually, when you are learning ANYTHING the circle happens!)
• there is always a ball being stuck in front of your face
• your mom walks in the room and you have a toy alligator in your mouth
• you get blue jammies with cars and trucks on them
• you get strange things shoved in your mouth
• you never get a full nap because either boys are yelling or your door gets opened before you are ready to be awake
• your mommy never leaves you in a room without an adult
• you hear questions about your body parts and the idea that something is missing that your brothers have and you don't (and you don't know what they mean yet)
• you do not own an outfit that does not have pink, bows or ruffles on it because your mom has not been able to dress a baby girl for over 10 years
• To you, your elastic headbands are for your hair, however, your brothers think they are giant rubberbands to shoot at each other
• everyone calls you a princess and it's not to be mean
• you have a frog put on your belly when you are 4 months old
• you get fingers jammed in your mouth that are not yours
• you start crawling at 6 months to ensure your survival
• you get picked up by somebody only 8 inches taller than you
• football games are your lullabye music
• you realize that you may never get married because everyone will be terrified to come near you someday
• your daddy is in awe of you and your cuteness
• very loud noise levels do not scare you in the least
• you have your ears pierced at 3 months and own more earrings than your mom and you are only 7 months!
• you are loved and protected by many and you realize it will always be that way

It will be so very fun watching her with all these brothers!  I can't imagine what God has in store for her!  It's gonna be good!  I'm thinking a professional boxer or something!  :)  Whatever it is, He has a plan for her and I will do all that I can to raise her up in the way that she should go! 

Just hoping she makes it to her first birthday!

More about Halloween

Because I detest this day soooooo very much, here is some more info on why we (American's) have adopted some of the traditions of Halloween and where they have derived from.  It took conviction and seeking on my part, to find these things and it has set me free!  Even bobbing for apples has a root of evil!  Please read! 

Halloween Origins and Customs

History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning.


Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished.

Read the rest HERE...

The Scariest Thing You Can Do This Time of Year

I HATE this time of year!  Well, actually I LOVE fall but the dreaded Halloween, I cannot stand!  I will not take part in it EVER and it saddens me so that others do!  We cannot make take lightly the powers of darkness.  My kids will never think trick-or-treating is fun and dressing up will not happen!  (Ok, maybe dress-up in the daily fun kind of way!  But not for Halloween!)  This is my conviction and this writing pretty much sums it up!

The Scariest Thing You Can Do This Halloween

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)
By Doug Phillips
Our country is in the grip of a fear crisis. The tension because of this fear is almost palpable. There is fear over the election, fear over the economy, and fear over hundreds of other issues ranging from the environment to terrorism.

For more, go HERE...

Foto Friday ~ An Adult

It is official!
We have another adult in our home.
Legally anyway!
Our oldest has turned 18!
I am so very proud of him!
Africa really "grew" him up!
He really was very grown up already but 6 weeks away from home for the first time in his life, half a world away, is dramatic!
(for both of us!)

I have enjoyed SO much watching him grow up!
I do however, realize that in my busyiness I may have wasted time thinking of things that really did not matter as he was growing up.
I wish I would have enjoyed his boyish ways more and worried less.
I wonder why I did not have him sit on my lap more to read stories to him before bed instead of needing more time for ME!
Why didn't I go outside and run and play with him instead of worrying about clean floors?
Why did it matter how many of his fingerprints were left on the windows?
Now, I would like to see little marks of him everywhere but his hands are busy other places
I wish I would have answered all his questions with patience instead of haste realizing that there were few years left that he would look to only me and my opinions

This week, he asked me to go to a movie and go shopping with him just because he wanted me too!
I did!
  I dropped everything I was doing,
I even went fresh out of the shower, putting my pride aside just to be with HIM!
(and he did not even care I had wet hair!)
I hope it is not to late to show him how much I love him by spending time with him whenever I can!
Now it is HIS choice when he wants to see or be with be!
It used to be he was ALWAYS with me because that was our life!
I realize that each day, is closer to him having some other woman in his life to do things with.

Until that happens, I will appreciate being with him when I can...

I have and will learn from this!
I don't want to live with any regrets!
I get it now how fast time goes and I want to savor it all.
Sometimes the days are long but the years go by soooo very fast!
I can't let time slip away so easily with my other children.
 I will ask God daily to remind me that there is only a short time with my children because I want to make sure I appreciate them while they are young.
They too will be 18 one day and it goes WAY to fast!

My son,
 I love you and I pray that you know how much you mean to me!
You are a blessing and a TRUE joy in my life!
I am so very proud of the Godly man you have become!
Continue to follow His lead wherever that may be
He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!
I know I have failed you as a perfect parent,
but God never will fail you!
Thank you for being you!

Happy Birthday!

Fallin' fun

 The final really IDEAL weather is behind us for another year
So over the weekend we took every advantage of it!
We had fun
 roastin'
 marshmallows

 S-w-ee-eet Stuff was
 sportin'
her little denim jacket while
sittin'
on grandma's lap

Big brother and little brothers
relaxin'
 on a swing with no seat!
(Good thing my 3 year old had on his boots for that!)
At least he had pants on!  He usually wears them with only his underwear on!

The boots help you swing WEEELY fast!  (That's HIS words!)

Just
swingin'
for awhile

And
 smilin'

And just plain
 lookin'
cute!

Throwin'
leaves is the best!

Well, actually

 jumpin'

 in them is the best!

I know that winter is upon us but we plan on

enjoyin'

the rest of fall while we can!

The Father's love...

All of my life I have had abandonment issues.  It started with my parents divorce and then continued throughout my life.  My sister died in a car accident years ago, my best friend moved away while we were in high school and so many other things I could write to "prove" that I should have this issue.

God tells me differently!  He WILL not leave me!  WAIT!  Is that true?  He won't EVER abandon me?  Even when I fail Him?!  Even when I do things over and over and seem to STILL struggle?!  I have always had a hard time believing that!  I can't let it penetrate to my heart!  Even now, while I am watching all of the things in our life unfold and I SEE Him working, I STILL have a very hard time grasping that He desires to be my Father and provide for me just because He loves me!  I cannot comprehend that just because I am His daughter,  I don't ever have to prove myself to Him or try to gain His approval.  You mean my hair does not have to be perfect, it doesn't matter what clothes I wear, or even how good of a mother and wife I am?!  I am in His heart just because I am me! 

I am sure that this is all part of the refining process that He is continuing to do in me.  It is so very hard for me to see that He desires good things for me!  Hard for me to understand that He would love for me to lay in His arms and comfort me!  He is for me and not against me!  So for this moment and hopefully here after, I will realize that my Heavenly Father :

 Is my encourager

Is my source of life

Will NEVER abandon me

only wants good for me

wants me to FULLY trust Him and Him alone

knows my heart and treasures it

sees me as a precious daughter

can satisfy ALL of my longings

can be trusted

can and WILL provide

gave me my precious children

WILL take care of them also

holds today AND my eternity in His hands

I have been reminded today, as I battle the thoughts of, " why do I deserve all that He has done and is doing?"  Then the humbleness and realization of the fact that I really DON'T deserve ANYTHING but He loves me and I am His child.  It has brought me to my knees in tears realizing that He is the Father I have always desired and that HE is who He says He is and that He loves me because of who I AM!  That is simply AWESOME and I am so thankful I have a Father I can rest in and loves me! 

Understand, my friend, that He is the same for you!  Just sit back and allow Him to love on you! There is nothing He wants more, than for us to soak up His love!  That is where we can fully understand His plan for us...you can be assured, that you can do nothing in yourself to deserve it!  It is just because He is God and you are His child!