Hey, Remember Me? :)

     It has been so long since I've blogged that I thought some of you would think I had given it up entirely!  Let's just say that this morning was the first morning in some time that I stood in my clean kitchen, realized that the boys were playing happily, Baby Girl was napping, and there were no chores screaming for my attention.  (The chores always yell, but you can ignore them sometimes, haha!)  So, here I am, sneaking a few minutes to update you on our crazy life, and maybe give some words of encouragement for yours!

     School ended with a bang!  We had a great awards night, giving encouragement and recognition to all the students for their hard work.  First-Born managed to squeak out taking home the award for Highest PACE average, but he was given a run for his money by another student and Middle Biscuit.  They were all within a very small percentage of difference between them, and it was down to the last few grades to see who would come out on top.  We told him he would have to work extra-hard next year if he wants to hold onto the title!  Both the older boys played their recital pieces in front of their biggest audience yet (probably over 70 people were there that night!) and did really well.  Middle Biscuit was a true performer, playing his piece with a hastily bandaged finger from a paper cut he received right before he was supposed to go on stage!  A little trooper!

     Since school let out, we have been trying to prioritize "family recovery time."  Many things got put on the back burner in the last few weeks of end-of-year chaos.  So, we have been spending time working as a family, having fun together, and re-visiting some training issues that had been let slide in the busy schedule.  We had been seeing some behavior issues cropping up, and we knew it was simply because the consistency of training was lacking due to Mom and Dad's busy-ness.  The home has been recovering as we spend time nipping negative things in the bud, rather than letting them flower into full-grown "weeds."

     I have been enjoying spending lots of one-on-one time with Baby Girl.  I had tons of mom-guilt about having to head right back to work as soon as I was able to.  This was the only baby that I haven't been able to be at home full-time with, and it was tough, let me tell you!  She seems to have done fine though, and we are making up for it now!  :)

     One sad note this summer is that due to the recent decision made by BSA, our family will no longer be participating in Cub Scouting.  We came to this hard decision after much time spent praying and discussing the ramifications of this decision.  I know it will be hard for some to understand, but sometimes the right choice for your family is not always the easy choice.  We will miss our Scouting adventures, and we plan to keep in contact with our new friends made through our local Scouting chapter.

     This leads me into a topic Hubby and I have spent much time discussing this summer.  It came up partially due to the decision concerning Scouting we had to make, but also it's been something we have been dealing with in other areas of our life as well.  It is the idea of the importance of making hedges around your family.  Not walls, because as Christians, we are called to minister to the world around us.  It is difficult to see and minister to the needs of others from a fortress!  Hedges give protection, but still allow others to see your testimony, and allow you to minister as you are called.  But the hedges have to be maintained, which is the difficult part.  With walls, you can just build them up, and then stay behind them.  Hedges require a balance of "pruning" and allowance for growth.  Cut them all back, and you are left unprotected from the elements of the world.  Grow them too high, and they become isolating from the people you are called to minister to.  Striking this balance is a daily challenge for us.  Not only as a family, but also as a Believer.  So, I encourage you to give some thought to the idea of "hedges" in your life.  Are yours too low, allowing too many negative things to enter and cause problems in your family?  Are they too high, keeping you from sharing Christ's love with those around you?  Are they thick enough to act as a filter through which you can catch problems as they creep in?  Give your "landscaping" a check...prune or fertilize as needed!


     Well, this post is getting long enough, so I will wrap it up for now.  Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  Hope to write more frequently, but we all know about "best laid plans" don't we?  :)

Messy Cribs and Little Oxen

     It's been over a month since I last blogged...and I can tell you exactly where the time went!  It went to the busy-ness that is our lives...school, home, boys, and baby!  I literally have had no time to sit down and write a blog post, but I have been working on one in my head off and on for about a month.  I ran across a verse that came at a good time for me.  (Isn't it "strange" how God sends us what we need exactly when we need it?) :)

     Anyway, the verse is found in Proverbs.  (An excellent place to find pick-me-ups, and great advice!)  Proverbs 14:4--"Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox."  Now, you may be wondering, "How can a verse about, umm, cows be encouraging to me?"  Well, I was feeling slightly overwhelmed in my life.  I had just started back to school, I was still getting up with the newbie during the night, and the household chores were falling behind because I was too tired when I came home from working all day to try and tackle them.  It was all I could do to get supper on the table and collapse into bed to get up and do it all again the next day.

     I was sitting in the nursery at church, feeding the baby, and I was reading from Proverbs on my phone.  (See, technology can be a good thing!)  I get to verse four, and I guess I had a small epiphany. As I was thinking about all the things at home, undone, and all the things I had to do in the upcoming week (not exactly a spiritual mindset for worship...) I realized something.  Why were there loads of laundry sitting around?  Why had the bathrooms not seen a sponge or cleaner in over a week?  Because I have a family, that's why.

     A family given to me by a loving Heavenly Father Who knew exactly what I needed and also what I could handle.  Yes, my house could be spotless.  Yes, I could have non-sticky placemats on the table and neatly folded towels in all the bathrooms.  But what would I have to give up to have that?  My "crib" would be clean, but I would have no "oxen."

     Now, don't get all upset that I'm comparing my little people to cows.  (Although, there are days....)  But in those times, cows were a blessing from the Lord and they came with certain responsibilities--and mess.  My family is also a gift from the Lord--one that comes with responsibilities and messes!  You can't have one without the other.  The verse goes on to say "...but much increase is by the strength of the ox."  This part can apply as well.  The little "calves" God gives us will be big "oxen" one day.  It is part of our job as "wrangler" to not only keep them fed and safe, but to train them to be strong in the Lord.  Their spiritual strength will be to our increase in eternity.  God will look at what we have done with the "calves" He has given us and He will reward us accordingly. 

     So, it's okay if the "crib" is messy.  (A struggle for my OCD soul...)  Because it's messy because God has blessed us with little hands to hold, little heads to fill with a knowledge of Him, and little hearts to guide into an understanding of His Word and will.  And what are a few loads of laundry, sticky walls, and toy-strewn floors compared with that? 

    I hope this reminder about the important things helps you face your challenges this week.  It has helped me to be more willing to focus on the important rather than the urgent. Love your messy "crib"--it's there because of the blessings God has given you!  :)

Our Newest Arrival!

    Whew!  February has flown by in our house!  I looked back at my last post, and realized it has been a month since I last looked in on my poor little blog!  Of course, this may be somewhat understandable since we have recently welcome our newest family member, our little Baby Girl!!  She finally made her appearance on Feb. 4th, much to the excitement of everyone--and much to the relief of Mommy!

     Her arrival was uneventful, which is always a blessing.  She was the biggest baby in our house, showing up at 8 pounds, 14 ounces, and 21 inches long!  But like someone commented, "She will need to be big with three big brothers to deal with!"  Mommy was thankful that all the "hard work" (aka labor!) was quick--2 hours & 41 minutes from start to finish!  

Here she is!  After first bath...about two hours old! :)

     After we were settled in our room, the brothers and grandparents came for a visit.  Stitch was nearly beside himself with excitement!  He had been waiting so long to meet his little sister!  he was somewhat disappointed when he found out he had to go home, and Little Sister had to stay for another whole day!  The bigger brothers took a token look, and then found the window that looked out over the city--which was much more interesting than a baby!  I mean, you could see planes flying and all the cars on the interstate--what's a baby compared to that! :)  We did manage to get a picture though...after much convincing!

  

     We are settling into a routine here at home pretty well.  Thankfully, Little Sister is a fairly decent sleeper, and doesn't wake Mommy up ten times a night!  She is a pretty good baby, and only has a little "fussy time" in the evening.  Stitch is still trying to convince me that he needs to stay home with me every day, instead of going to school.  We have reached a compromise where he has to go to school in the morning, but he can come home after lunch.  He is enjoying his extra time with Mommy and Little Sister!

     Thank you to all my readers for your prayers and good wishes at this exciting time in our lives.  I will try to be a little more regular with posting, but no promises...because how could you not want to sit and look at this face all day?! :)