I can breathe- I think

Sometimes...

 

It seems as if the air has been sucked out of me

Not always a "bad" thing!

Just sometimes that realization of motherhood

 

Like...

 

~When your oldest son is getting married

and you realize that you are no longer the only "woman" in his life

 

~When you go with your daughter to try on bridesmaid dresses

and all of the sudden it hits you that WAY too soon, SHE will be the one looking for a wedding dress!

 

~When you go to your son's room and look at the mess

and you realize that you should have complained less in the previous years because now, there will be no mess from him in your home anymore and it is something you knew would happen but one time it seemed so far away and you NEVER dreamed you would miss it but you already do

 

~When you know that family plans may not always include ALL of your children anymore

 

~When you realize that once the first one leaves home, it's just the beginning of the next one, and the next one and so on...

 

~When you pick up your "baby" and you realize she is really not a baby anymore

 

~When you think of your age and remember when your parents were that age you thought they were SOOOOO old!

 

~When you realize that your years as a grandma are possibly closer than you ever thought possible!

 

 

I am going through a new phase in my life.  Sometimes I get confused because I have SO many little ones to still focus on and the realization what is about to take place in my life in about a month, hits me like a ton of bricks.  No time to really just sit and think about how I am going to have to let go of my oldest boy, it has just crept up on me!  I can give him advice, but what he does with it now, is up to him.  In some ways there is freedom in that and other ways, I want to tell him what to do knowing that I still have more years on him!  If I could just sit with him on the couch and stroke his hair and chat.

 

Then I am reminded that wherever this journey of motherhood has ever lead me, God's grace has ALWAYS seen me through. 

 

Tears?

Yes!

Many!!!

 

However, I know that God has ALWAYS kept me and He too will keep my son and in this new territory of his journey! 

 

Knowing that, I can rest knowing although this is uncharted territory for me, God has already gone before me! 

 

Then I take a deep breath and the air fills my lungs and realize,

 

I can breath again...

 

stronger and better than ever!

 

 

 



                                                                                                                                                               

What little girls do...

It's been about 10 years since I have had a chance to watch a little girl mother a baby doll. 

Oh how I have missed it! 

Our baby of the house is SO into dolls and caring for them and she is just shy of 18 months! 

 It is so very precious! 

 Sunday morning before church, she was in her room putting her baby "nigh nigh" then wiping her nose and putting a blanket over her. 

For some reason she thought the blankie was to go over the doll's face but hey...you gotta start somewhere! 

 I have come to find out through the years, this nurturing for little girls is inborn and such a joy to watch! 

 I just had to share our morning with you, I know you will be saying, "Awwww, how cute!" 

 It would be impossible to think any different!  Enjoy!

Mommy with the REAL baby!

She spy's HER baby

She is in love

 Yes...kisses

 Putting on the final blankie

 "Mommy, are you sure that it goes on her tummy?"

 She thinks it goes over her face

Ending it with a final kiss!

It's just what little girl's do!

 



How do you know....

I have been taking note lately just how amazingly awestruck I am with my life with MANY boys!  Day after day, I find myself shaking my head in disbelief at the things I hear, say and do with all the "activity" from testosterone floating, jumping, and hitting me in the face!  (Pun intended!) 

I really have discovered that I must learn to laugh at it all because if I did not, I might go find a hole and just lay there for a few years in panic!

So......
How do you know when you have many boys in your home?
Here are some clues:

• there are baggies of bullet casings all over your home, car, and possibly your bed
• you find yourself on the phone with the plumber asking him what will happen when a stick of butter is lodged in your toilet and if it's ok to flush
• all broken electronics end up being taken apart and then pounded with a hammer after all the screws and pieces are dissected
• you look out your front door and someone is flinging an earthworm around like a lasso because it stretches when you do that...and then you might be asked if that is funny
• you hear giggling from the shower and RUN to get there knowing something is not right if something is THAT funny and then find out they have discovered that if toilet paper is wet and you throw it, it will stick to the ceiling, walls, and yes...mom!
• a closet shelf becomes a new climbing adventure and the contents of the shelf remain on the floor
•  you have a variety of boys underwear to pick from and no longer know which ones are truly yours and you really don't care if they are yours or your brothers you are just thankful there are clean ones to put on
• actually, you really don't care much about the clean part either
• your brother will be first to speak up on all your your failures and mistakes but you can't remember a thing that you did wrong!
• food is used to eat but also LOTS of fun to throw!
• when you break any 10 of your fingers, mom no longer takes you to the doctor...she just buddy tapes it and tells you to go run and play
• the oldest brother was potty-trained at the age of 2, your youngest one is 3 and mom is just not worried how and when it will happen
• when you are the baby sister, all you have to do is stand and scream and everyone either runs from you or runs TO you depending on the situation
• you find yourself ducking and flinching because there are things flying through the air many times a day
• you begin to think NFL players are part of the family because their names are brought up as much as cousins are
• neighbors look in your yard and just assume that any extra boys in the yard are yours too
• you find yourself wondering why you even have a toilet in your home...they never use it and if they do...their aim is so bad that you have to clean the floor  multiple times a day
• you start wishing they would just go outside and go relieve themselves because it would save on cleaner
• by the end of the day, mom has an entire dandelion bouquet on the kitchen window sill
• mom walks into church after all the boys with the fire alarm going off and while everyone is frantically running around trying to figure out what has happened, mom begins to quickly put the pieces together that one of her innocent little ones has set it off and must admit and apologize to one of the elders!
• The next week, 2 of the boys are standing at the alarm with their hands on it looking at you with a smile on their faces pretending they are going to pull it...you run towards them lunging in fear and they run
• you spend MANY more hours than you normally would on your knees knowing it is the only way you can survive the next day!

I would not trade my life for ANYTHING and although my many boys have increased my grey hairs immensely, it is worth it all!  The other day we were at our local bowling alley and I could not figure out why 4 of the boys were digging in their pockets and intently staring at a certain game.  Eventually the 10 year old came running over to inform me that they put their quarters together to try and win mom a necklace!  My heart skipped a beat knowing they wanted to use their hard earned (or stolen money from their sister's billfolds), to get mom a gift!  I smiled and told all of them thank you but please next time, save their money and make me a card!  It blessed my heart and I realized that someday, this will all be a memory and I will look back and laugh and then cry because I will miss it!

Boys are somethin' and they do keep me on my knees but I think that is where God wants me anyway and what a joy to be given such a gift as He has given me in my boys to get me to that place of surrender! 

I'm so thankful for my boys!  (And my girls too!) 


 

This is my life!

Boys will be boys! 

AHHHHHHHH!!!!! 

I told the boys the other day that they could play in the sprinkler, soooooo I look out and the pond that we are GOING to fill in was being used as this....

My first reaction was GET OUT!!!!

I turned around and thought,

"Why not?  This is what being a kid is all about!  Let them do it!"

(I talk to myself often!)

So I did!

And I don't regret it!

(Well, the clean up of the clogged drain and disgusting bathtub AFTER they hosed off outside FIRST, did put a small damper on my "fun" decision!)

They won't remember the filthy tub or the plunging

This is what they will remember!

I'm learning to let go and let boys be boys!

(But once in the mud pond was enough!)

:)

Sand soap and noodles on the wall

Our home is overflowing with boys!  7 boys 11 years and younger to be exact!  Yes, we have 4 girls but my boys are leaving their mark/marks all over!  I say and do some things during the day that when I sit down at night I CANNOT believe I have done and said!  Here are a few:

• "NO!!!  PLEASE stop throwing your wet pull-up against the dresser!  Now go pick up all the pieces!"
• Speaking of pull-ups, it is NOT fun to cleaning up the contents of them after they have gone through the wash cycle in the washing machine!
• "Why do you have your brother's pants down?"
• Speaking of pants down, I have now changed a diaper in every place imaginable!  From the living room floor to a car floor and I have even changed one while they are sitting up in a stroller! (Although I don't recommend it!)
• While we are on that subject, I NEVER understand why I don't just wash a pair of boy's underwear when I am in doubt if they are dirty!  Smelling them first is just not the best idea! 
• "NO you cannot ride on that dog!"
• "Get your feet out of your baby's sister's face!  She does NOT want to kiss your toes!"
• Speaking of toes, I will never figure out how we are always looking for a "pair" of shoes as we are racing out the door and usually the match is not even located in the home when it is found! It's usually outside, in the car, a mud puddle or possibly hanging on the basketball rim!
• "No, I don't know what will happen if you throw that spaghetti noodle up to the ceiling fan!  No, I don't WANT to know!  Yes, you might think it would be fun but I don't!"
• It is always a mystery to me how a boy can be in a shower for a VERY long time and get out with knees, ankles and face still caked with dirt!
• Speaking of showering, how is it that I can shower for months, possibly years, and the shower curtain NEVER falls down, but when 2 brother's are in together, the curtain falls EVERY time!
• There are times when I have bought a brand new bottle of shampoo only to find it totally empty the next day with a HUGE soap scum ring up to the top of the tub!  Gives a new meaning to bubble bath!
• I have picked up the bar of soap at the bottom of the tub and start to soap off only to realize that it was COVERED in sand!!  Good for exfoliating I guess!
• "It is not kind to tell that man that his hair is messed up and a good thing he does not have much!"
• "We DO NOT hold each other down until they scream!  Why?  Because it is just not nice!"
• I am soooo thankful I do have 7 boys around!  We have on occasion, bats in our house and they are ALWAYS willing to slay them for me with a tennis racket!  For that I am VERY thankful!
• "Why is there underwear in the ceiling light?"
• "Get off the garage roof and get that ladder back NOW!!!"

There are days, I wonder if I will make it through!  I have learned to ask myself MANY times, will they be doing this 10 years from now and does it really matter?  (I have also come to find that I don't always like the answer!)  Lol!  My guess is some of these things they might still be doing 10 years from now!  *sigh*  So for now, I must take a deep breath and learn to laugh it away and remind myself that someday, I WILL miss this!  Life with little boys is always an adventure but I LOVE seeing their little innocent ways and how they bring me flowers (weeds)  just because they want to see me smile!  I hope they do grow up and call me "blessed" some day!  It will be worth the sand soap and noodles on the walls!

It's Official...

We have 4 teenagers in our home!

Our latest addition to the grouping is:

fun
beautiful
smart
helpful
inquisitive
generous
thoughtful
compassionate
considerate

I have LOVED watching her grow from a little girl into an amazing young lady!

It will be so much fun to watch her grow into a woman of God in the coming years!

Happy Birthday our sweet girl! 

We love you!

Big bro...little sis

These are my two bookends

They are both beginning their lives but in different ways

Both learning independancy and freedom in new ways

There is a bond with them

Big brother walks in the room he reaches for little sister with a smile on his face.

Little sister reaches for big brother with a HUGE grin on her face.

It is a bitter-sweet time in motherhood

Wanting to hold on to both as tight as I can

Also knowing that in letting go,

 they can truly find themselves and who they are going to be in Christ.

I have the best of both worlds!

An adult "child" AND a baby "child" in my home

I wonder what the future holds for them?

Do you hear what I hear?

Sometimes I am AMAZED at the things I hear during the day!  Sentences that stun me, surprise me, mortify me and most of the time make me laugh!  I know, all mother's can say that and that comforts me!  Because if my kids were the only ones that think and do things as children do, I might crawl in a hole and never come out.  (Or at least never let my family leave the confines of our own four walls!)  I thought I would share some things my ears heard or some things that happened over the holidays and make you giggle or gross you out!  Can't predict how they will effect you!

~ "OKAY guys, QUIT running the remote control car through the cookie dough!"
~ My 16 year old informed me one morning that she woke up to a bare hieny staring at her and her 3 year old brother saying, "Wipe me PEEEASSSEEE!"  (She could not push the snooze button after that alarm!)
~ My 8 year old says to his uncle, "Well, I guess I liked the paintable birdhouse, but I REALLY wanted lego's for Christmas!" (I TRY to teach my children to be thankful! UGH!)
~ "Mom, the Christmas tree fell towards the wall and is crooked now!"
~ After my 8 year old had been complaining of a sudden headache,  2 hours later, my 10 year old informed us that while they were playing football outside, that possibly after his brother hit his head on the side walk, he MAY have fallen over after he got up and laid on the ground for a while.  But the 10 year old was sure his brother was faking it! Needless to say, the 8 year old had a major concussion!
~ "Oh no mom!  The tennis racked went through the french door window!"
~ I walked into our kitchen one night after all the kids went to bed and literally about broke my neck from slipping on my kitchen floor COVERED in the tiny cookie sprinkles.  I am STILL finding them a week later!
~ "I think I ate so much at Grandma's, I might have to stay in bed in the morning!"
~ About 2 hours after opening Christmas presents,  9 year old says, "I'm bored!"
~ "But mommy, I can't seep tonight!  I have WAAAYYYY to many pesants to open tomorrow!"
~ I'm not an angry person, but one more twisty tie to undo, and I may have to throw something!
~ "Why do we have to change the year mom, I like the old one!"
~ "Mommy, why do people believe in Santa?  He is just not real!  Well, he may be nice, but he lies to everyone!"
~ If I have to watch one more football game, I may have to throw something else!  (In a house FULL of boys, that is something I guess I better just start enjoying!) 
~ On New Year's Day, My husband said, "Honey, I am taking the kids to the park!"  (They did not even need coats!)
~ "How many days until Christmas?"  (That was yesterday!)
~The neighbors witnessed me tossing the Christmas tree off the porch at 4pm on Christmas Day!  (I love Christmas but when it's over, I like it to be over!)

There were MANY more, but  these were some of the classics!  Share some of your favorite things you heard come from your children's mouths!  I would love to laugh at somebody else's children!  You know, for the feeling of motherhood kinship! :)

Foto Friday~ Fishin' for raisins

My 2 year old decided to finish up his brother's cereal
(See the milk trail?)
Needless to say,
the raisins were gone but it took a while for him to master it with his spoon!
I love the perserverance a two-year old has!
Well...
sometimes anyway!

Have a beautiful weekend!

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!

Flowers from God

Years ago, we were going through a REALLY hard time.  I had one of those times where I kept praying and nothing seemed to be happening.  Months of waiting.  Have you ever been there?  I may have even been having a pity party for myself.  (I know hard to believe!)  I used to do that quite often!  Okay, I'm humble!  I have still been known to do that time to time!  Anyway, I asked for God to show me that He had not forgotten me!  Just something to hang on to.  My faith in God was strong but I needed something tangible!  I continued with my day, went to bed with no sign but kept believing.  The next morning, I went to my back door to go do laundry and I looked down, and there was a bouquet of BEAUTIFUL fresh picked flowers!  I kneeled down on the floor and wept.  I still to this day have NO clue who set them there.  I am convinced that an angel of the Lord put them there.  I knew EXACTLY what it meant!  God knew I needed to "see" Him and He revealed His love to me in such an obvious way.

The next week, was a week of blessing.  We began to see answers in our lives that were SO God!  The flowers were the beginning of His promise to take care of me!  Well, since then God has revealed His love to me through flowers.  I know, it sounds strange but it is SO true!  God has USED people to give me flowers but everytime I receive flowers, God reveals Himself in great ways!  One time it was a lilac bush!  That was an amazing time of praise in my life.  After one of my miscarriages, the hospital brought me one white rose.  I knew it was God reminding me He had not forgotten me!  4 weeks later, I was pregnant again already!  There are many other times that He has poured out His love on me through flowers. 

Usually these flowers come from the most unusual places.  Not my husband, or anyone expected.  Neighbors and even strangers have given them to me!  Oh and the best ones are the ones picked from from my sweet children's hands!  Always at the most unexpected time!  Okay, to tell you why I have gone in such detail to tell you about my Heavenly Father bringing me flowers!

The week before my birthday, I received a bouquet of flowers!  My children know of my Father's love affair with me and how He always "brings" me flowers to display His love for me.  I layed them on the table and my daughter walked by, and said, "MOM, God gave you flowers!  Something good must be coming!"

I had really not thought about it yet, but looked at her and said, "Oh thank you for reminding me, I wonder what is coming!"  Well, the next week was the "blessing" over me that God gave my husband and EVERYDAY since my birthday (that is 8 days), God has given us a blessing of money.  Mind you, we have NEVER once asked for money!  People who know us, have prayed and things have even been revealed to others that we are not sure how they know but God has USED others to bring blessing to us.   This week alone, we have received over $2000!  Oh and do I thank them for their obedience!  Don't ever dismiss what God may have you do for others!  He will use it in a mighty way!  We also had a water bill that kept reading $0 so my husband called and the next month, the same thing!  Finally, our local water works came because I guess our meter had broke.  They fixed it and my husband went to pay the bill that was 2 days from getting shut off from the 2 months before when the meter DID work!  He assumed they would prorate it from the months before and God had blessed us so much that we could actually catch up.  He talked to them, showed them the bill, and they said they could not just "make up" a bill and we did not have to pay for the 2 months previous!  Another blessing! 

Well, I have another HUGE story that is in the works, of God's faithfulness.  I can't get into it now because I feel I need to wait until it is complete, but I am giving you my word, that you WILL hear about it!  Remember, we are losing our home in 4 weeks and we are wondering where God is going to do to direct us!  That is all I will say!

Please be mindful of the little things in your life that God may be trying to show you He is there!  I know He uses flowers for me!  Ask Him to show you what His reminder is for you!  I GUARANTEE you He will show you something He does just for you!  He LOVES to give His children good gifts!  You ARE one of His children!  By the way, ON my birthday morning, I received this...

Just wait until you hear what He has done for us after this beautiful flower display!

  

Foto Friday~ not sure what to call this!

It's amazing what brothers find to do with their siblings!

I'm not sure why this poor sweet baby was tormented in this way!

I guess with 8 brothers, she better get used to it!

So far, she has seemed to survive just fine!

Hopefully the love from us will give her the ability to survive THESE sort of situations!

Have a weekend filled with love!