Knitting for the Homeless

We have been blessed to be able to join a Bright Lights / Bright Knights group in our area where the girls and boys study separately how to grow in their walk with Christ.  We decided on a project of knitting or sewing scarves for the homeless.  We spent our Thursday morning knitting while listening to our historical fiction cassettes and CD’s.  We finished Mandie and the Secret Tunnel and then listened to A Hundred Dresses.  Here are the oldest 4 knitting.

Knitting for the Homeless

Nature Center

Today we went to the Nature Center and Katie suggested a photo of all the kids on a bench in the sun.  Here they are!

Nature Center

Nathan is up on Two Feet!

Here’s the link.  I’m going to re-do the video because I messed up and held the camera vertically - then the quality gets mesed up from rotating it.  I’m sure my husband could do a better job!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlNstRUWlOQ

Clutter

I know everyone has some clutter.  I become quite desensitized to it, especially during football season when Mark isn’t around much to see it and I’m way to busy to even think about tackling it.  But now, 2 weeks post-season, Mark is seeing it and well, so am I.  I determined to try to begin yesterday.  We got home from CBS (Community Bible Study) and finished our math and language arts and began with clothes.  I am so blessed that my children have clothes to wear.  I will rejoice as Pollyanna and say, “I am so GLAD they are clothed!”  But, really, their drawers need to close.  And, really, they need to be able to see the clothing they have.  Otherwise, the stuff on the bottom, no matter how wonderful it is, never gets seen.  So, we went through 6 dressers and 2 closets (not quite done with the 2nd closet) and we filled about 6 garbage bags of stuff to leave our home!  It’s wonderful!  I have a LONG way to go in decluttering the rest of the house, but we are started and we will take a little at a time.  I am hoping that by Christmas, we will have a much simpler home.  And we need to, because I’m sure we will be blessed with more stuff for Christmas!

Checklist Challenge

Autumn at Greenfield Village

I like lists.  I like to make them and I especially like to cross out the things that I accomplish.  You might think that the challenge of my checklist is getting everything done.  Really, although that is a challenge, that’s not my real checklist challenge.  My challenge is to really enjoy the things that need to get done, not just check them off.

Yesterday we went to Greenfield Village.  We spent about 2.5 hours there and saw many houses.  I really enjoyed the Model T ride.  I enjoyed looking at the leaves on the ground with the kids.  I love the look on Emily’s face on the Carosel.  I love how excited Katie and Abbie were to learn that our horses pulling the carriage were named Kate and Rose (Rose is Abbie’s middle name).  

We are listening to the audiobook Pollyanna.  Wow, is she great!  I want to be like her.  I want to be able to find something to be glad about even when it’s hard.  I want to treasure every moment I can.

I have a very long to do list everyday.  Today it began like this: 

Quiet time with the Lord, 20 minutes of workout, Bible study lesson, lessons ready for the kids, nurse Nathan who woke up early and put him in playpen, shower, help Emily get dressed, encourage older ones to have quiet time, make breakfast while older kids take showers, round up kids for breakfast, eat with kids and have devotions at table, give 3 haircuts while others do chores and start lessons, get Yakobe started on English, help others with math, get the door to welcome in the additional 3 year old I am watching, help little ones playing in basement with their chalk, nurse Nathan and get him to nap - nope he needs to be changed - Ugh - he needs a bath, run downstairs check on everyone, get Abbie to run the bath, bathe Nathan, Oh, Emily is screaming, run downstairs with naked baby.. “OK, let her have the block she wants…”, dress Nathan and put him to sleep…what time is it…. only 10:30am?????? 

Life is full!  My hands are full!  God is good!

Marie

Referral Anniversary - 1 year!

7 weeks old

8 weeks old

5 months

13.5 months

Today is the day one year ago when Mark was checking email after church one Sunday and I came down to see what he was doing.  He covered the computer screen and said something like, “Don’t peek” and then pulled his hand away.  I saw an email from our agency and was immediately excited.  Mark then clicked to the picture of our son, Nathan Abenezar!  I jumped up on the chair and screamed.  Then I ran around the house!  Really!  Here is the photo we saw, the first photo from a traveling family, his skinny little body at 5 months old and a recent photo!

So Many Little People, So Few Me

Me With My Precious Kids on My Birthday

It’s kinda exciting in a way when there’s nothing left of me - because I get to see God step in and amazingly sustain me.  It’s hard not to feel like I’m falling short because, well, I am.  Thankfully, God knows how much I can handle and though he stretches me constantly, He is sufficient.

This morning was a great morning - I got to cuddle with Yakobe while Sam played guitar for our praise and worship time before devotions.  I have been praying for opportunity to bond with him.  It’s very hard because neither he or I are the touchy feely type. 

I look back at the weeks that I have been unable to blog and find many moments to treasure:

Laying in the backyard with Thomas and Emily finding shapes in the clouds, pushing little ones on the swings, singing with the children, walking around Greenfield Village and the kids diligently filling out their notebook pages on the way home - comparing Colonial life to late 1800’s.  I see them working together to run the turntable…I see Sam crawling into Yakobe’s bed to chat before sleep.  Yakobe trying to finish a math book in one day…Katie getting competitive to work harder in hers…Reading “Tommy the Cowboy”, watching Shirley Temple in “The Little Colonel”…listening to “Caddie Woodlawn” and “Sarah Plain and Tall” on audio book in the van… Abbie and Katie playing Polly Pockets on the porch for hours on end!  I hear Thomas say, “Mommy, can you read me a story” before bed when I always make one up for him.  I hear Emily say, “Mommy, let’s make snails out of playdough - a mommy, a daddy, Sam, Abbie, Katie, Yakobe, Thomas, Emily and Nathan” …That’s a lot of snails!  I remember cuddling and nursing Nathan - which is a miracle in itself.  ….and just being together

Some days are harder than others - honestly there are many moments where I daydream of time with just my husband (usually far away like in Florida on the beach - I can dream can’t I?).  I count down the weeks until football season is over.  I miss him.

Last Wednesday we had the football team over for dinner.  The children all pitched in and helped clean up and cook with me.  They really are a blessing.  Don’t get me wrong - it’s not all a bowl full of cherries…  There is bickering and whining and tattling and hitting.  There is ungratefulness and laziness and I definitely don’t respond how I should all the time.  When I vent to Mark and ask for his perspective, he lovingly says, “Are you doing your best?”  And really, as much as I can, I think I am.  I long to do better, I self- evaluate probably too much.  But, God is good and encourages me to press on.

I pray that I would always see moments to treasure each child.  I pray that each would grow up to serve our awesome Savior.  I pray that many would see and know that our God is incredible and that they would want to know Him too.

Here are some photos….

Running the Turntable at Greenfield Village

Resting at Greenfield Village

Emily and Katie Playing "Old Ladies" in the Bath

Tom as Old Man in the Bath

Emily at Her Birthday Breakfast

Playing Playdough Before Bed

Fun in the Mud Box

Apple Picking Fun

Editing the photo got me late for my morning shower!  Today is the first day of Community Bible Study - so not much more to say - we had a blast apple picking - lots of apples this year to pick - We’re back to full time school and it’s going well - I think we’ve settled into a very busy routine - now to incorporate the keeping up with the house into it…hmmm…

Apple Picking 2009

I Dreamed This Day….

Pastor Jim and Carole Pray for Our Family

Nathan is One!

Happy 1st Birthday!

Nathan or “Ahbenny” as he is often affectionately called, celebrated his birthday yesterday with a huge accomplishment!  He is crawling!  So amazing - three months ago he couldn’t hold his head up, now his chubby little self can crawl!  Soon, I’ll be chasing him…Oh my!  Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeBy2FOCdvs

All else is well here, just busy with Mark back to football coaching… and it will be for the next three months.  We didn’t end up starting school yet - thinking about doing M,W,F next week - we’ll see….  We have been doing Math all summer and we’ve started a great devotion book called Character Sketches from Training for Triumph - great curriculum stuff!  You can google Training for Triumph and check all their stuff out!

Marie