Foto Friday ~ Remind me...

I am going to miss these days! 

in about 8 years,

 I will have 6 teenage boys living under one roof, MINE!

 

Sometimes, the days can seem so long

 

BUT...

 

the years are going by SO VERY fast!

I will miss boys giggling and looking out of a bird watch area

pretending it is a hideout...

 Moments of seeing big brother and little sister enjoying watching the world go by

just because

nothing else is filling their time and that it is enough for the day

I love knowing that for now...

A hiking trail and the great outdoors is all we have to do

if we want to...

Yes.,.

I'm going to miss this someday!

 

God...

please help me to enjoy today and savor these sweet, precious times

and not hurry my days.

 

I know that it is YOU who has been so gracious to me and

to even fathom that you would trust me with all these beautiful gifts is to great for me to comprehend...

I know I fail and I gripe and complain sometimes because it is so hard to put "self" last and I have moments of wondering if I can do it another day! 

 

 Then I am rememeber you did it for me to the point of death

and it reminds me that I CAN'T do it alone you and you don't intend for me to!

 

I ask that you carry me when I can't take

one more spill,

 more bad attitudes,

 another load of laundry,

kids arguing AGAIN,

another meal to make

 and I could go on and on and on...

 but you gently remind me that you already know my short-comings

and love me anyway.

 

Remind me that there is nothing I can't do without you!

...Even raise 12 kids!

 

I thank you for all of these moments and I ask you to help me day in and moment by moment to appreciate these times because it all goes WAY to fast!

Someday I WILL miss this but remind me TODAY...

To thank you for the privilege of being a mom to all of these blessings and to savor their growing up and consider it a joy not a burden!

 

Amen! 

 

 

Foto Friday ~ annual "Turning Hearts" picnic

Over Labor Day, we went to the annual "Turning Hearts" picnic at the Bontrager's home. It is to remind us the purpose God has for families...to have our hearts towards our homes. Father's leading, loving and sharing the love of Christ with thier children so they can go out and spread the Word of Christ with others. A Godly heritage to pass on to the next generation. Mother's learning how to encourage, support and share also in the responsibility. It is FILLED with big families and kids EVERYWHERE!

The Bates family from "United Bates of America" show on TLC, were the guest speakers. They were also there last year and once again, Gil Bates did an amazing job reminding us that our job at home cultivating our children's hearts is more important than ANY other job we will ever do.

Besides the Bates, who have 19 children, we won a prize for having the largest family there! (However, there was a family there who had 11 and we gave them our CD because we are nice like that!) :) My HUGE complaint and ONLY complaint was the heat! It was pushing 100 degrees and humid! I made it hour by hour and after my kids kept telling me I could make it, I made it 7 whole hours! :) I don't regret it a bit! Here are a few pictures to share our day! If you are ever in good ol' Iowa next year, I HIGHLY suggest you come to the picnic!

First view of a cow

Stare down

sitting by the rural "sky scraper"

(my 4 year old said it was a "weally talllll sky squayper)

Yes, the cows were the hit of the day for our boys

Farmer wanna be's!

I myself, prefer the Bates Family over cows

enjoyin the show

new friends

great friends

using a leaf blower to inflate the bounce house

(quite a creative idea in my opinion!)

We did locate some of our "old" friends also

ice cream was a HUGE hit of the day

yep...watching the cows still!

more friends and ice cream

boys playing football

And just plain FUN!

 

Malachai 4:6

And He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...

 

Prayer walk

This group covered our city in prayer on Saturday

We walked over 3 miles!
Some prayed out loud and some just walked quietly in sweet communion with their Savior

Prayer changes things!  We are asking for the oppression to leaveand the lost to be saved!  We believe it WILL happen!  Where two or more are gathered, He promises to be in the midst of them!

ALL ages contributed!  My bookend daughters made it to the end
together!

My little guy made it the ENTIRE way walking with those sweet little legs!  He helped me sing "This Little Light of Mine", "Jesus Loves Me", and MANY more!

It was an amazing time of togetherness!  My heart was touched! I can't wait to see what God does during our annual Campmeeting Revival this week!  We are expecting AMAZING things and lives
to be changed FOREVER!

Have a GREAT week!

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!)

:)

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!

Turning Hearts Labor Day picnic

It's a new thing, Hearts that are at home and not saturated in the world around them.  Well not really new!  But today in this culture, we have lost all sense of a biblical pattern in our homes.  Even Christians!   Inch by inch, we have suffered the lack of true bible based living.  It starts with small, subtle decisions and before we know it, (or don't know it) we are so far gone, that we don't know how to get back.  The scary part is, some don't even know they are living a luke-warm life.  It has become the norm!  (I'm one that used to be in that category!)

There is a big calling by God to bring families back to where we need to be.  Well, actually, it's always been His plan to have it His way.  But somewhere down the line between feminism and mega churches, we have gotten lost!  But  He is calling us back to live our lives totally surrendered, with NO compromise, to Christ in every area!  Income, children, marriage, schooling, churching, and just plain living!  No more compromise!  No more just coasting through and being desensitized to the truth!  Easy?  NO!  Where do we start?  The one true thing there is left in this world, the BIBLE!  What a great joy to see families surrendering their lives and making a decision to go the opposite direction of the culture and seek their heavenly Father's face! 

We took part, this past Labor Day, in a beautiful display of people desiring to bring families back to truth!  Hundreds of people took part!  The Bates family, from Knoxville, Tennesee (friends of the Duggar family), were the guest speakers.  We had hayrides, looked at cattle (we are city folk so that is an amazing thing for 7 boys!), played games, ate, and learned more about how to seek God in a world that is lost and how to bring others to this joyful way of living, family style!  A life surrendered to the living God and living it out so other's see His glory!  How cool is that!

 Cooler than 2 city boys watching the cows do what ever they do!

 Cooler than even playing football with over a hundred kids!

 And believe it or not, cooler than The Bates Family with their 18 children :)

This is my little guy on the hay ride

 Hangin' out on the fence watching the cows get milked

(remember, we are city people!  Not sure if that is the correct wording!)

we got to touch home-grown gourds

And can't forget this sweet little thing to remind us what family is all about!

Please make sure you are Turning YOUR hearts towards Home!  God will do amazing things when you step out in faith and trust Him!