Blogging Dilemma

So as you've noticed, I'm still not keeping up with this blog!  A big part of this is due to the fact that the computer I need to use to upload pictures is in Nathan's office...not very convenient.  Another excuse reason is now that the kids are home for summer vacation I don't have as much time to be on the computer (which is totally fine with me!).  Now I've been struggling with a completely unrelated dilemma.  The internet can be a wonderful thing and a great resource for all kinds of information.  It's also a great way to keep in touch with people you may not otherwise be able to connect with.  I love seeing pictures of family and friends and I love sharing our lives with others as well.  But the internet can also be used in ways that are harmful and hurtful to others.  So here's the deal.  I've been weighing the pros and cons of blogging and so far I haven't been able to come to a final conclusion.  However, Nathan is strongly encouraging me not to give into fear and to keep blogging (and his vote carries heavy weight).  So I guess I'll get back to you on that.  For today I'll just tell you about a few things that we've been doing.

• The pool opened so summer swimming has officially begun!
• T-ball games.  And more t-ball games!  I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoy watching t-ball!  It's great fun and I love how it's an activity we can be involved in as a family.
• We have our garden planted and are working on keeping the weeds under control.
• Quiet time.  This is something I started many years ago when the kids were little (okay, they're still little, but this was when they were even smaller).  After lunch I assign each child their own "spot" where they can read or play quietly without bothering anybody else...including mommy!  This is so necessary for ALL of us!
• Besides the verses we work on with daddy we've started a verse of the week.  I put up a verse in the dining room where we can see it often and we're going to work on not only memorizing it but also trying to put it into practice (James 1:22).  This week's verse is Proverbs 15:1  "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."  I think we're going to need more verses like this one!

A final thought:
"You can't define my worth...my identity is found in Christ." 
-Lecrae

Easter (a little late)

Easter didn't turn out quite like we had planned. I woke the kids up early on Easter morning to get ready for our sunrise service. They did a good job getting dressed quickly (especially for that hour of the morning) and I was getting ready to fix Keziah's hair when she got sick. For a brief moment I could feel the disappointment sweep over me but God spoke to my heart and helped me let go of any expectations I had for the day. After all, the whole point of the day was to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. I can do that anywhere. Even at home with a sick daughter. So even though the day wasn't what I had planned, it was still beautiful in so many ways.

I quickly snapped a few pictures before the rest of the family went to church. Next year I want to try an idea from a friend of mine who took pictures of her kids the week prior to Easter. That makes so much sense!

Isaac

Josiah

Titus

Tirzah

Keziah and mom at home (unfortunately I didn't get a picture of her when she was all dressed up.)

After church we had Isaac take some pictures of Nathan and I. A family picture just wasn't going to happen this Easter.

I am so thankful for the hope we have in Jesus. It's such a crazy, mixed-up, sinful world we live in and I know I wouldn't survive if it were not for Him and His sacrifice for me. He is our only hope!

Our Wrestlers

Yep, it's that time of year again. The time when the pee wee wrestling sheet comes home and we ask the boys if they'd like to wrestle (while I cringe inside hoping they say no!). Of course their answer was a resounding YES! They think it's great. I'm not sure if it's because I grew up in a house full of girls or if it's because I don't know enough about the "sport" (I say that loosely) but I don't get it. Why is it fun to be smashed around on a mat, sometimes to the point of tears? For me it's like seeing a car accident. I really don't want to watch but I can't seem to look away either. Any other sport I love it when it's my child's turn. Like in t-ball. I love watching them bat, or catch, or run, or whatever. Basketball. I like basketball. I like watching my child work with their teammates to score or defend their basket. Wrestling, however, is quite different. Whenever I see that one of my boys is on the mat I get a sinking feeling and think, "Oh no, it's their turn." And then I hold my breath and peek around from whomever I'm hiding behind hoping that they don't get hurt. I'm really not a good wrestling mom! After each tournament I breath a big sigh of relief that no one was seriously injured (there have been minor ones).

I didn't get very good pictures from the Arapahoe tournament. Partly because our boys were on opposite ends of the gym and I was going back and forth a lot. Also it was partly because I did a lot of hiding behind people. Seriously, I just can't watch! So I'm just posting pictures of them when it was all over with. We were just going to do the one meet but are going to another one on Friday to meet up with some friends who couldn't come to the one in Arapahoe. Don't get me wrong, I cheer for our boys, but I can't tell you how glad I'll be when it's over!

Oh, and I can't forget the cakes. Keziah wanted to do something nice for the boys so she make them "Good Job" cakes. Of course the boys were quite pleased!

Bird Watching

We have enjoyed bird watching for a long time now. When we moved to this house I loved that we had a perfect place to set up our bird feeders that was nice and close to the house. Our feathered friends provide us with much entertainment. I was pleased to learn that finches of all kinds really enjoy black sunflower seed as much as the cardinals do. We have had flocks of finches (goldfinches especially) this winter. They are so cute!

Rodeo

This past weekend the kids had Friday off so we took a quick trip to see my parents. I brought my camera, but didn't take any pictures. Go figure! We celebrated my mom's birthday (a little early), enjoyed the beautiful weather and just spent some time relaxing. As always, it was so nice to be together. The kids enjoy spending time with their cousins and I love watching them play. The picture below was taken by my brother-in-law at Christmas-time, but this is a common activity when we go to my parents. All of the kids like pony rides but Isaac likes to try to make them buck. I have to watch through my fingers! When my family was all together at Christmas all of the kids worked together to come up with their own rodeo. They were so creative and it turned out so well.

I can't tell you how grateful I am for my family. It's really hard for me not to have my family closer. But the Lord keeps graciously reminding me that I've been called to follow Him, wherever that might be. My obedience to Him is of utmost importance. He knows how special my family is to me but He wants to be first. Though it's very hard He has been so good. I'm grateful for my husband and five kiddos who love me and keep me on my toes. I'm thankful that distance has helped me appreciate my family even more. I'm also thankful that God has used this time of distance to help me grow in my dependence upon Him. I need Him so desperately! He has taught me so much. Growing in this one area has helped to prepare me for harder situations that I've been going through. I'm learning that how I respond to these trials, large or small, is so important. If I resist and dig in my heals and fight it, things just get worse. But if I ask the Lord to give me a teachable heart and draw me closer to Him He is so wonderful and things go much more smoothly. Not that it makes the situation go away but it gets my eyes on Jesus and off of myself.

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him."

James 1:12

Sweet Saturdays

Sometimes I focus too much on all of the negative things going on around me and it can become very depressing. Even overwhelming. I know God is there but sometimes it's hard for me to see that...until He shows me that there are so many small things to be thankful for. I tend to miss so many blessings God has sitting right in front of me because I am so focused on all of the negative things. So, here are a few of the things I saw today that warmed my heart and reminded me that God is near.

My morning cup of coffee, along with an extra cup my sweet 3-year old made for me. :)

Token day. A day the kids look forward to.

Five little people that I'm so thankful for! Since we haven't had much snow since before Christmas they were anxious to get outside today!

What blessings are you missing? Just look around. I'm sure there are many close-by!

Trying Again

It's been awhile. We got a new computer so now I am able to upload pictures again!

I've been thinking about what my purpose is with this blog. It started out as a way to share what's going on with our family through pictures with friends and family who live near and far. I was also hoping that I could encourage those who read to be amazed by the grace of God in their own lives. I feel like I've been lacking in the latter and so hope to try again. God has shown me time and time again of my desperate need for Him. He truly is my only hope. So I would still like to share with my readers (whoever you are) some pictures of what our family is up to, but I'm hoping to include even more testimonies of how we are amazed by grace (the title of the blog) and hopefully encourage you while I'm at it.

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31 [This includes blogging. :) ]

A picture of a "home date" we had a few weeks ago. With five young kiddos we don't get out by ourselves much. So we improvise. It was actually quite nice!

I'm Still Here!

I really enjoy blogging but my blog keeps giving me trouble! Once I get one problem figured out another one comes. Out of nowhere. So now I'm trying to figure out why my pictures won't load anymore. I've had several I was going to post but I can't get it to work. I'll keep trying. Hopefully soon there will be new pictures!

"Can You Take My Picture?" Pt. 2

Who am I kidding. I'm just as guilty! ;)

I made these cupcakes and had to take a picture because I thought they turned out so cute.

I suppose that's the point of having a camera, right?

Can You Take a Picture of This?

I have lost count of how many times the kids ask me to take pictures of them or of something they have made. Here is a small sampling of "Mom, can you take a picture of this?" pictures:

Pets & Glasses

In an earlier post I said I would tell you about our latest predicament. Well, here it is. We had a kitty wander to our house and she didn't seem to have a home. The kids loved to play with her and she seemed to like hanging out at our house (I wonder why...hee, hee!). After awhile I felt bad for the poor thing and started feeding it. The worst thing about this was that mama was starting to get attached to kitty. We've asked around and we only had one lead and that person said if it is their cat they don't want it back...they have more where that came from. So Nathan said we should put an ad in the paper and if no one claims kitty I guess we'll keep her. Yay! I'm not sure who is more excited, the kids or their mama. :)

So now we're trying to encourage Junior and Grace (kitty) to be friends.

Right before school started we found out that Titus needed glasses. It took almost a month for them to get here but he finally has them. He looks so handsome in them!

So far he's doing really well adjusting to wearing glasses. Of course they get all smudged, but that's to be expected. He said that he can see "more better" so that's good!

I just stuck this last picture in because I thought it was so cute!

Canning

Canning always makes me think of my mother. When I was a young girl watching her, she seemed to do this task with great ease. She ended up with many beautiful jars of green beans, tomatoes, jam and who knows what else. Now being on the other side of things I realize what a big job and hard work canning is! However, I still think that this winter it will all be worth it!

Fresh fall apples are the best. I've made applesauce and apple butter. I love the smell of the kitchen as the apple butter simmers. This has been my lovely assistant. :)

Most of the apples I've used came from my parent's trees. One of our little apple trees didn't do too bad this year. We actually got a partial box full.

One must-have tool for me is the apple peeler. This saves so much time (not to mention wrists!).

Next up...this big box of pears!

Quiet

My blog has been quiet for a couple of weeks but that has not been true of our house. Two weeks ago the kids took turns getting sick (how nice) for the entire week. I was so glad when they were all feeling better and we could get the living room back to normal. Last week breezed right by. I can't even really tell you why, but it seemed like such a busy week.

Labor day we spent with my parents in the town where I spent some of my growing up years. It was fun to show my kids where I learned to ride my bike. For a time we lived in the same town with both sets of grandparents. We also walked around and looked at both of their old houses. The town also has a big parade every Labor day. The floats are still the best. They put a lot of effort into them. We also got in on a little bit of the rodeo. That was a blast! It was actually a junior rodeo and Isaac was sitting on the edge of his seat. He so badly wished he could get out there too. I was content to have him in the bleachers with the rest of us!

Here are a few pictures of what's been going on...

I celebrated another birthday...
The kids have been having a blast being cowboys and cowgirls...

And, of course, football season has officially kicked off!

Soon I hope to blog about our latest predicament. Hope you had a great weekend!

Last Friday we decided we wanted to do something fun before school started. I've said this before, but I am so thankful that it really doesn't take much to entertain our kids! They really enjoy museums, so that's what we did. We've driven by this museum several times for a few years and have never visited it. The kids thought it was great! It was fun looking at all of the old military vehicles and pictures.

There were also a couple of things that we could play on. Like this tank...

And this helicopter...

I'm not sure who had more fun...the kids or the parents!

This is now on the list of museums to visit again!

First Day of School

Another school year has snuck upon us. Every summer seems to go so quickly but this one went by especially fast. Even though we had all of the school supplies and the kids were "ready" for the first day of school, I wasn't ready to send them. I really enjoy having my kids around and it's hard for this mama to adjust to having her kids gone all day. But ready or not today was the first day of school.

Four kids eager to begin their day. Keziah is in 4th grade.

Isaac is in 3rd grade.

Josiah is in 2nd grade.

And Titus started Kindergarten.

Oh, and Tirzah didn't want to be left out. I think she's about ready for college!

No really, I'm thankful that I have a few years left with her at home. It was a tough day. After I took pictures we all held hands on the front porch and prayed and then Nathan walked the older kids to school. Tirzah and I stood on the porch and waved. I was trying to hold my tears to a minimum. When I took Tirzah back in the house she burst into tears, which made me burst into tears!

After a few minutes she realized that I was crying too and gave me a puzzled look.

Then we both laughed and were ready to move on with our day.

The kids seemed to do well on the first day. When they came home we had snacks, played with play-dough and talked about their day.

My heart aches at the thought of how quickly they are growing, yet I trust my God to take care of us. His ways are higher than mine. May I remember to do this throughout the year.