Foto Friday~The INVITED...

The UN-invited guest has officially been shoved out the door! :)
We do have a new little addition that we DID invite!

My daughter has a new kitten! She gives a new meaning to 'mischievous kitten'!
But oh is she cute!
I just hope she survives our 23month old!

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Uninvited guest...

Well, we have had an uninvited guest visit this week.  I really want him to leave soon!  Boy did he leave his mark!  On the beds, carpets, towels and everything in between!  This is all I could muster to write about!  Maybe because I need some empathy or maybe just to try and look at the humorous side of things for a moment until reality sets in, again! 

Random thoughts on the stomach flu:

• I dread it more than anything with the exception my children dying
• if anyone gets sick first,  it should be me so I can fearlessly clean up all messes
• 7 kids under the age of 9 can NEVER make it to the bathroom in time
• how stink proff our bodies our with it's contents UNTILthe contents exit the body (Sorry, WAY to much information!)
• 2 bathrooms are NOT enough when multiple children need to use the bathroom when the stomach flu has hit
• Resolve carpet cleaner works well! 
• The air freshener we have, DOES NOT work well
• or maybe it is because there is no way ANY air freshener could help at this point!
• older kids think it is funny when little kids throw up, mom on the other hand, DOES NOT!
• it amazes me how everyone comes to gather around when the first one starts to 'toss his cookies'
• I THINK I would rather them ALL have it at the same time than one by one (Not totally sure on that one yet!)
• I am thankful for indoor plumbing and a washing machine!
• I thought we had way too many towels in our bathroom closets, now...thinkin' I need to stock up with some more! 
• how thankful I am that I have such a wonderful husband that helps me clean up
• how quickly I remember WHY I HATE the stomach flu (like within the first 30 seconds)
• I have to keep reminding myself that God will not give me more than I can handle!  (At this point, I am convinced He thinks I am LOTS stonger than I think I am!)
• the phrase, 'things are never as bad as they seem', is a total lie!  The flu is worse than you ever thought possible!
• my heart aches when my babies are miserable!

And last but not least...

How indestructable I feel after helping a family of 13 fight the stomach flu!  Climb Mount Everst?  No problem!  Book me a ticket!  No, in fact I will walk!  :)

Surely Things can only get better in the days to come!

The winner is....

The winner is, Taylor!  I LOVED the reason's you loved babies and some of them were the same reasons I love them so much!  You have until tomorrow morning before noon to contact me using the comment page.  Thank you!  For those of you who used my e-mail to comment, thanks for your answers!  This was fun!
 
Here was Taylor's answer:


I love how he loves me!


I know, it may sound simple and even strange... but it's so true! I've watched him ever since he was 2 months old and now he's 9 months. Now that he's older he's somewhat harder to take care of and to keep out of things. It can often make your day stressful. But in the end, it's when he wants to lay his head on my shoulder and gently pats my back while whispering, "Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba" that I feel like it's all worth it. The love that a baby grows to have for someone is what's really special to me. It's something I can treasure forever. And it's just priceless! :) It causes my heart to well up with so much love for him that I know it must overflow! And that love reminds me of the way our God loves us as his own children.
That same love is just, well... priceless!

PS. If anyone would like to BUY one of these adorable blankets, let me know!  I sell them too!

A Giveaway...

No, it is NOT the baby I am giving away! :)  It's not that HUGE of a giveaway!  It's not a t.v., jewelry, or anything big like that!

But...

Why is this baby so happy?
Because his mommy(that would be me!), made him this ADORABLE ribbon/tag blanket!
Babies LOVE them!  They love to play with the ribbon and snuggle with them too!  Mine uses his as his favorite toy AND sleeps with it keeping him quiet at times when I'm just not ready for him to be up!  Great for car seats, church, grandma's and away from home!

Would you like to win one?

Answer this Question:
What do you love most about babies?

Leave your answer on the comment page and...

...I will pick my favorite and give you the answer on my blog no sooner than 12 hours from now and no later than 24 hours!  That means by tomorrow morning, I will post the winner!
The winner will have 24 hours to respond after I announce who it is. Maybe even tonight!

The winner will recieve one of these hand-sewn ribbon blankets! You can pick boy/girl/or neutral print! Because I'm nice like that! :)
Can't wait to see your answers!

And no matter how much you beg, the baby is not included!!! :)

First Arrowsprings giveaway!

My first giveaway is on for tomorrow!  Since I have cabin fever also, I have taken up an old hobby with a new twist! I am sure if you love baby stuff or know somebody who does, you will love the item in the giveaway post!  You will have 12 hours from the time that I post the item to leave a comment and answer the question I will be asking IN your comment.  Can't wait to show you!  Babies and mommies will love it! Begin thinking what you love most about babies!  Stay tuned...

Cabin Fever

These cold, winter days can give us cabin fever.  And from the actions and activity of my my kids, we have it!  Here are some things I do to release some of their bundled up energy:

• play indoor games such as Simon Says, Bible Questions Game while they raise their hand when they have the answer, indoor basketball with a nerf ball and bucket, indoor obstacle course, etc.
• play library by setting up our books in rows and giving them a "library" card and a toy cash register for the scanner and then sit and read books with them
• play store and restaurant and have hot chocolate and cookies that we bought at the "store" and eat at the restaurant after we play
• watch home movies!  This is great for all ages!  Watching them laugh and talk about all the memories is priceless
• jump on my daughter's exercise trampoline or do exercise video WITH them
• dance to THEIR music and play follow the leader
• SIT and cut paper!  This is great for my 3, 5, and 6 year old since scissors are usually a no-no!
• bake something yummy and easy
• clean!  No joke!  They love to spray baseboards and wipe them even with just water!!  Dining room chairs too!
• take a bath and just play
• make invitaions, dress up, and have a tea-party with real food (boys love this too!)  This is a great way to also teach table manners!
• when all else fails, bundle up and let them run around outside for a short time!  :)  I have done this the past week even though the temps have been cold!  It does wonders for their energy levels. 

We are going to be able to get out this week because the temps are going to warm up.  But we have fun doing calm indoor things also!  Sometimes it takes a little more work and creativity, but it is well worth it!

PS  I have taken up a new little adventure and will be having a giveaway.  You will soon find out what that is!  It has to do with babies!  (I know, imagine that!)  So if you like baby things and want something for free, stay tuned for tomorrow's post and get a chance to win something really adorable for your little one or a little one you know!

Foto Friday- Winter Fun

We have recieved an artic blast this week that has made it even too cold to do winter outdoor activities!
This picture was LAST week when it was bearable for my kids to sled!
My oldest has been sledding for 15 winters, the next to youngest, well... this is his First!
At first, we thought he hated it at the end of the hill because he was screaming! We soon realized he did not want the ride to come to and end! He out sled all the "big" kids.
Fun memories!

Stay warm and have a GREAT weekend!

HAPPY New Year- but submit HAPPILY?

I'm not much for making New Year's resolutions.  Maybe it's because I'm scared of failure :) but for the most part, I just know that I need to seek God daily and see what He has for me daily and not focus on the long term.  Although as a whole, the long term is what I want to look back on and see that I have changed ~ for the better!  However, it usually takes me changing MY ways on a DAILY basis!  As I have looked back on the previous year I began to wonder where I am spiritually compared to where I was a year ago. 

• Am I closer to God?
• Do I look to Him more?
• Have I surrendered to Him?
• Do I seek MY way less?
• Do I spend more time with Him than I did a year ago?
• Have I reacted in my flesh less?
• Do my children see any change in me because I am seeking Him more?

As I thought about these questions, some I can answer more easily than others.  I am finding out this year, He decided I needed some work and started me out with a difficult one!  (I actually did not see that I really had much of a problem!)  But pride always cometh before every fall!  :)   he began to show me I was not happily and willingly submitting!   To my God, and my husband.  The realization of how I just might not be where I need to be in that area, broke me!   I began to sadly see how my short, quick temembered responses to my husband  hurt him,  how I would submit, but do it with a grudging heart.  The times I would say, "No, I want you to decide honey!"  But then quickly say without being asked, "MY personal opinion is..."  How often I would TELL him to make a decisoin, but how often I would really want control of his answer!  In other words to do what I wanted.  What that really was saying is I do not trust him and in return, I do not trust God!  I began to realize it is really not about what I want or what I like or what is easy!  It is about letting my husband be the leader of our home. And because he is a Godly man, I need to trust his decisions and allow him to make them without me manupulating him into doing things my way!  You see, I like to be in control!  I have certain ways that I like to do things and he just does not...well...do things the way I would do them most some of the time!  But that does not make me right!  In fact, more often than not, I have found that HIS way has turned out to be the better way!  Surprise, surprise!  (My guess is, God knew what He was doing when He made my husband the leader of our home and for me to be under his submission!)  Hmmm..... imagine that!  I am so blessed to have a man who does ask my opinion and takes to heart my take on things, BUT to allow HIM to have the final say and for him to truly know and believe that, is just plain hard sometimes!  But the blessing that has followed has been incredible!  My children used to be so confused!  How can they learn to trust their daddy if their mom does not!  How can my girls learn to trust their husbands someday and bring blessing to them, IF they don't see their own mom submitting to her husband?  How can they learn to trust and submit to their parents if they have not seen ME submit to God and know that HE can be trusted?  Submission has eternal ramifications if you choose to do it or not!  It is not always easy, but is ALWAYS best!   It will bring blessing to your entire family for the day AND the years to come!

James 4:7&8 ~ Therefore submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you!  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you

As the new year begins, I have been shown gently by my God, that I need to give in to MY ways and go HIS way!  A pretty hard but wonderful way to start off the year!  Can't wait to see what the coming year holds!