November Blessings

During the month of thankfulness, I should have so much to be thankful for, but my brain is at a loss and I did not write as I went through the month. It has been a challenging month, but I know I can remember quite a few things to be thankful for. So here it goes.

1. Learning to have deep conversations
2. Celebrating new life with friends
3. The Sholtes family
4. Finding out we're having another baby
5. Being due the day after my sister :)
6. Being able to go to Georgia for a week
7. Visiting with the Kalath family
8. Mamaliga cu brunza!
9. Celebrating Gabriel's 2nd Birthday
10. Visiting with the Elrod family
11. Meeting baby Lily
12. My kids loving to play with their cousins
13. Thanksgiving with my family
14. Good visit with family
15. Watching "Winning London"
16. Getting to go to the closing session of Sojourn Network Conference
17. The Cheong family
18. Learning more and more to rely fully on God to be my everything
19. Time to rest and sleep
20. God's continual provision 

November Evaluation

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes, usually for strength or wisdom sporadically throughout the day
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Not at all 
• Memorize verses with the kids - Did not learn anything new in November
• Memorize Proverbs 31:10-31 and Romans 1 (I hope to add more to it, but this is where I want to start)- I have made Proverbs 31:10-31 part of Lillian's school curriculum for this year and have  most of it memorized generally still need to get it in solidly. 

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a month- Still going on 1 a week and I think this is our new goal
• Go on a night away once this year- Yes, went overnight to Lexington for our 10th anniversary, and planning to go away a few days at the end of December
• Read 3 books together this year- We did no reading together but SOM work this month
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday afternoon- Still improving, but mostly

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- Not at all
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- Missed a couple due to weather
• Take kids to Science Center or Zoo at least once a month- No and this will not happen the rest of the year
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Did not write in any this month, have catching up to do
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- I did not even try to work on this. Clearly this was a little over ambitious for this year. Maybe in 2015

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- Nope
• Keep up with my calendar- I wrote most everything on my calendar,that's about as far as it went
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this, though this mostly meant being present with Jim this month

Ministry

• Continue to host Women's Prayer once a month- Yes
• Have at least 4 Childbirth Conversation classes this year- This may have been too, lofty of a goal. I do not see getting another one in this year as it stands right now.
• Start Childbirth Conversation blog- Yes! It is finally launched. You can check it out here

Personal

• Read a book a month aside from Class material- I'm reading a lot between reading with Jim, school with the kids and by myself, so we finished some books with school, but I did not personally finish anything this month
• Journal 5 days a week- I think I wrote maybe 3 days
• Write (books) 3 days a week- No writing
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- No editing
• Complete Childbirth Conversation book- Did not work on this at all
• Plan for next novel and write in November- I don't think I will be doing this. There is just too much going on.
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 and begin Level 2- Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Yes!
• Blog 3 days a week- Obviously I blogged 0 days in November

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- Still not getting this in. Would love to, but still working on family priorities
• Maintain weight until birth- 
• Lose weight after giving birth- This goal is on hold until after I give birth again! Now I'm back to the above goal

What can I say about November? I barely remember it. It was really hard physically, emotionally and spiritually. Most days were spent in long hard conversations with little sleep. I had little time with God, but He continued to sustain me. All of my goals went out the window as I sought to care for my Jim and help him wrestle through truth, the most important task I have been given in this life. God has shown me how good He is, even in the middle of challenges. He has even chosen to bless us with another child. My God is amazing and continues to show me His goodness and greatness everyday. Without Him, I would be lost.

How was November for you?

Gabriel is 2!

On November 28th our 4th turned 2! It's hard to believe 2 years have passed since Gabriel joined our family, as so much has happened. Gabriel has grown so much in 2 years. Recently he has become so verbal, talking and crying to be heard. He loves his siblings and wants attention from everyone. It's so much fun watching him wrestle with his brothers. Jamey loves to tickle him and make him laugh. Gabriel has a contagious smile and laugh. He gives a big cheese smile when we pull out the camera. He loves to explore and be outside. Running is so much better than walking. This year he got to move into a crib in the room with the older boys, which he loves. It is such a blessing watching him grow closer to his brothers. Though he does have the role of annoying little brother down pat when he really wants to bother them. :)
Gabriel is rough and tumble, but also very sensitive. He loves hugs and snuggles. When he gets hurt he wants his Daddy. He loves his Daddy. He also loves to snuggle with Mama. It's so much fun rocking with my sweet little boy.
Gabriel loves to learn as long as he is moving around. (Such a boy :) ) He really likes to sing, dance and clap. I think we have a real music lover on our hands. Anytime he hears music he pays attention. He is beginning to like to color and read books. He really wants to write. It is so fun watching Gabriel learn and grow.
Gabriel loves to eat and eats just about anything you put in front of him. He could eat all the time, and it sometimes feels like he does. It was such a blessing to celebrate his birthday with family on Thanksgiving day. We are so thankful for Gabriel's life in our lives!

Father, thank you for giving Gabriel to our family. He is such a blessing! I pray You will save him by Your grace and make him into a mighty man of Yours. Give Gabriel a deep love for You, Your word and Your ways. May he love You with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.

October Blessings

October has flown by and I have not kept up with our blessings as well as I would like. There have been so many in everyday life that I want to record, but when I get the chance to write I battle to remember everything! (Can I get an amen on that?) So here is what I can remember from this month. I'm also listing some that I had forgotten from last month

1. Getting to meet Jim for lunch during his on campus time for his modular class
2. Seeing God move in Jim's heart
3. Laughter of children in the back of a car during a road trip
4. Watching Jamey grow as the oldest
5. Seeing friendships beginning to form between our kids
6. God consistently drawing me out of a thought life that is damaging
7. God digging out lies that I believe and bringing me to life and freedom in Christ
8. Dedicating Samuel to the Lord
9. Getting to go to our first Redeem Marriage event
10. Going to the Word and Words conference
11. Growing in my love for the Lord
12. Desiring more than ever to know the love of God and teach it to my kids
13. God's love for us
14. Sam turning 6 months old
15. Celebrating Sara's birthday
16. Working on my books
17. God using hard things to draw us closer to Him and each other
18. Celebrating new life with friends
19. God's mercy and grace being poured out on us
20. Jamey telling me he wants to obey
21. All of our kids learning to play together well
22. The kids asking to go outside and play
23. Jim and I growing in love for each other 
24. Jim and I communicating better
25. Reading more again 

October Evaluation

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Yes! 
• Memorize verses with the kids - Still doing this every week of school
• Memorize Proverbs 31:10-31 and Romans 1 (I hope to add more to it, but this is where I want to start)- I have made Proverbs 31:10-31 part of Lillian's school curriculum for this year and have  most of it memorized generally still need to get it in solidly. Sort of looked at Ephesians 1

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a month- Still going on 1 a week and I think this is our new goal
• Go on a night away once this year- Yes, went overnight to Lexington for our 10th anniversary
• Read 3 books together this year- We have been reading lots of stuff for school of missions, but have not completed another book together yet. We started a book that we will hopefully get through next month.
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday afternoon- Still improving, but mostly

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- We are still improving on this, but we are getting closer to this goal. Right now we are really evaluating what we want our days and weeks to look like with new rhythms
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- Missed a couple due to weather
• Take kids to Science Center or Zoo at least once a month- No and this will not happen the rest of the year
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Worked on these this month
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- I did not even try to work on this. Clearly this was a little over ambitious for this year. Maybe in 2015

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- Still are not doing well with this. Hope to improve as we work out new rhythms
• Keep up with my calendar- Did fairly well with this overall, still room for improvement
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this. God has been really working on me and helping me to do better in this area

Ministry

• Continue to host Women's Prayer once a month- Yes
• Have at least 4 Childbirth Conversation classes this year- This may have been too, lofty of a goal. I do not see getting another one in this year as it stands right now.
• Start Childbirth Conversation blog- Yes! It is finally launched. You can check it out here

Personal

• Read a book a month aside from Class material- I'm reading a lot between reading with Jim, school with the kids and by myself, so we finished some books with school, and this month I finished "A Love That Multiplies"
• Journal 5 days a week- I think I averaged this this month
• Write (books) 3 days a week- Worked on writing a couple of days. We are seeking the best way to get this into our new rhythms
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- Did a little editing one day
• Complete Childbirth Conversation book- Did not work on this at all
• Plan for next novel and write in November- I don't think I will be doing this. There is just too much going on.
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 and begin Level 2- Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Were not able to meet this month but planning to meet tomorrow!
• Blog 3 days a week- I don't think I quite reached this, but wrote more than I thought I would

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- Still not getting this in. Would love to, but still working on family priorities
• Maintain weight until birth- 
• Lose weight after giving birth- I joined Weight Watchers and I am down almost 15 lbs! 

October has flown by in so many ways, and yet some days were like molasses. I did not get as much done in October as I would have liked, but a couple of weeks ended up far more challenging in other ways that I had anticipated. One thing God is continuing to teach me throughout all of this is He knows what priorities should be at the top and when other things come into play and we must listen to Him to know how our days should go. God is good and continues to teach me a lot as I fail to reach goals, but learn how to live the life He has given me to live.

How was your October?

Felicity Learns A Lesson

I read Felicity Learns A Lesson with Lillian as part of our homeschool day. I enjoyed this book far better than the first for several reasons. As Lillian and I study the Proverbs 31 woman, there were many things in this book to talk through that related to this passage such as taking care of a home and doing good to your husband and family. It was also good to talk through trusting God and obeying His commands and how to respectfully disagree with authority. We also enjoyed the end with historical note about school during that time period. It is a fun way to learn history in fiction.

I would give this book 4 stars.

A Love That Multiplies

This second book by the Duggar's I was really excited to read. As a whole it was an interesting book, much of it not being surprising since I have watched some of their show. It begins with the story of Josie's birth, which I had seen. It is well written and sounds much like they talk. Since the first 2 section of the book was more retelling, it was not very interesting to me, but would likely be for someone who is unfamiliar with their story.

I really appreciate their emphasis on prayer and their love of Scripture. There is a lot in their lifestyle I could get behind and even follow. I enjoyed the chapters on homeschooling, marriage, Jim Bob's hobby, and Michelle's heart for moms. Some of the tips they gave are very useful and I need to go back and read again. (I really need to read it again and write down things I like.) They clearly love Jesus and desire to please Him.

There were several things I did not like about the book. I was very saddened by their emphasis on effort and little to none on grace. Though many of their ideals seem good, there appears to be a lot of legalistic tendencies, which I either fall hard for and buck fully. I struggle with reading things like this as I battle this balance. I was also saddened as I read their chapter on dating. It seemed from what they said, I would never have been allowed to marry Jim. I may be reading too much into what they wrote, but that is the impression I got. I see so much of separating themselves from the world that I do not know how to read things.

I think I would like to read it again to wrestle through some things and write down what I think is good and appropriate. Because of the mixed things I saw, I would only give it 3 stars, but I would still recommend people reading it.

Sam at 6 Months!

Sam turned 6 months old this week! I cannot believe it has already been 6 months but in other ways it's not hard to believe at all. It has been a roller coaster since Samuel joined our family, but we are so thankful he is here, as his life reminds us everyday that God hears his people, He gives us strength and He is the giver of all life.

Sam has been welcomed into the family by all his siblings. Jamey dotes on him the most, playing with him, comforting him and making him laugh. He is always telling people about our new baby, even though Sam is 6 months old. All of them seek to help him and play with him. Reuben is really beginning to grow into the big brother roll, giving Sam a bottle and lots of kisses. Gabriel is still trying to figure out how to be a big brother and usually prefers to sit on him, but for an almost 2 year old it is affection. Lillian does whatever she sees Jim, Jamey or me doing. She loves him, but is still not venturing out on her own in this.

Samuel is so big now. He is moving by rolling and scooting and is very close to crawling. In the past week he has started on solid food trying avocado, bananas and green beans. He likes to feed himself, we discovered today. He loves to play with toys and has come to really enjoy playing in the exerscauser. Sam has become very verbal and greets us in the morning with a string of "da-da"s and blowing raspberries. He likes to be out and about and being with people. We are so blessed by him.

I am so thankful for Sam everyday! Father, thank you for giving Samuel to our family to raise and set out into the world. I pray You will save him by Your grace and shower him with Your love. Remind Sam daily that You hear the prayers of Your people and give them strength and life. Make Sam Yours! In Jesus Name, Amen!

*Thanks to Becca for the pictures

Cross-Cultural Connections by Duane Elmer

Jim and I read this book for School of Missions, and I am so thankful that it was part of the curriculum. This book has a wealth of knowledge and is very good at making you think about yourself and where you stand on issues. It is practical as well as Biblical and all around informational in helping people to understand those that are different. It even helped Jim and I talk through something that we had not considered before. I also really appreciate that it asks to you look at what you consider right, wrong and different. It is a great book for self evaluation in many areas that you may not have considered previously. Whether you plan to live in another culture or if you simply want to engage other people well, this book will help you in understanding yourself and other. I am so thankful this book was recommended to us and I readily recommend it to others. Read this book!

I give this book 5 stars. 

Check out the book here.

Dedicating Sam to the Lord!

"Now this is the commandment - the statutes and the rules - that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son's son, by keeping all His statutes and His commandments which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. ...

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently, to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:1-2, 4-9

Today we dedicated our 5th child, Samuel Hezekiah, to the Lord. I love doing this every time, but this time was a little different for me. I've known these words and sought to do them, but have really wrestled for so many reasons. Recently, God has really been teaching me what it means to love Him with all of my heart and all of my soul and all of my might, and I desire more than ever before to pass this along to my children. I know I am far from loving God as I should, but I pray that I will grow more in this everyday and that as I grow in loving God I will love my children better and they will experience the love of God and come to know Jesus. 

I am so blessed that God has chosen me as His child and that He has blessed me with 5 children. I do NOT deserve this at all, which I know more now than I have ever known before. Only in Christ can I hope to be what I need to be to mother these children that He has given to us. 

Thank You, Father, for blessing me with Jamey, Lillian, Reuben, Gabriel and Samuel. These children are Yours that You have loaned to me for a little while to teach and train diligently in Your ways. Help me to teach them, train them, discipline them as you are teaching, training and disciplining me. Father, save them by Your grace. In Jesus name, Amen!

Homer Price

This book was also a read aloud in our Core B curriculum this year. Though the stories in it are fun, it was not my favorite. The writing style was odd to me and the chapters were a bit long. What I did like about this book was seeing a different time in story. Written in the 1940s, it is fun to get a glimpse of how small town America ran back then. Jamey enjoyed it some but did not talk about it much after it was read. I think it's a good book for boys in a lot of ways, though girls may appreciate it as well.

I would give this book 3 stars.

Little Pear

Little Pear was one of our read alouds in our Core B curriculum. It is a fun, whimsical book telling the adventures of Little Pear, a 5-year-old Chinese boy. It is a good book for teaching lessons to children and to also see adventure in others. The writing style was not bad but also not my favorite. I enjoyed hearing about children in another culture and being reminded that children are generally the same all over the world. Jamey seemed to enjoy the stories in the book and enjoyed talking about a couple of them later on.

I personally would give this book 3 stars, but Jamey would likely give it 4 or 5.

He Said ?

There is a really catchy song out on Christian radio called "He Said" by Group 1 Crew. The first two lines of the chorus says:

"I won't give you more, more than you can take

And I might let you bend, but I won't let you break"

This sounds so nice, but where is it in the Bible? In the middle of hard times this is what we want to believe, but the reality is that God will give us far more than what we can take.

Why? 

To show us that we cannot do it! To show us how much we need Him! If we can take it on our own, why in the world would we need God?

And God will absolutely break us.

Why?

So that He can mend us and make us new. He is the potter. Sometimes the potter has to completely destroy what is already there so that He can make a new vessel that is usable.

Jesus said, "Come to me all who are weary." Those who are weary are the ones who have been given more than they can take and recognize that they need Jesus to give them rest. This doesn't mean life will all of a sudden be easy. In fact, quite the opposite is true. When we surrender our lives to Jesus life gets so much harder, because now we have a huge target on our backs for Satan to aim at. Hard things will continue to come, but we have Jesus to help us, shelter us, help us to take what is thrown at us and hold us together.

We will be given much more than we can take. God will break us. But He does it so that we will be more like Jesus.

September Blessings

September has flown by and I did not keep track of my blessings as I should have. Believe me when I say there are far more than what is on this list. Here are the highlights I can remember.

1. Reuben turning 3!
2. Family trip to St. Louis
3. Seeing God's grace all over our lives
4. Seeing Jamey grow in knowledge of God
5. Reuben and Gabriel loving to learn more
6. Lillian growing in doing house work
7. My kids wanting to read, work and play more than watch TV
8. Seeing our marriage grow
9. Jim and I reading together often
10. Lots of communication
11. Starting School of Missions 
12. Jamey and Lillian liking to clean dishes
13. Samuel growing and rolling
14. Learning more about God
15. Learning to really hear God's voice
16. Our CG multiplying
17. Having Brothers and Sisters to walk through life with us
18. God teaching me in everything

September Evaluation

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Yes! God is still giving me a passion to devour the Word!
• Memorize verses with the kids - We are through Psalm 1 in school. Starting on more verses.
• Memorize Proverbs 31:10-31 and Romans 1 (I hope to add more to it, but this is where I want to start)- I have made Proverbs 31:10-31 part of Lillian's school curriculum for this year and have  most of it memorized generally still need to get it in solidly. Sort of looked at Ephesians 1

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a month- Still going on 1 a week and I think this is our new goal
• Go on a night away once this year- Yes, went overnight to Lexington for our 10th anniversary
• Read 3 books together this year- We have been reading lots of stuff for school of missions, but have not completed another book together yet
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday afternoon- Still improving, but mostly

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- Some, but not a lot. Right now Jim and I are working on making our marriage 1st priority, so this will come later
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- Yes
• Take kids to Science Center or Zoo at least once a month- We did this in St. Louis this month
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Got behind on this this month, but will be writing in most of them this week
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- Did nothing with this during Auust, not sure this one will happen, currently not at the top of the priority list, though I hope to get it accomplished sooner rather than later

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- We have cleaned but not keeping a schedule yet, hoping to get a chore chart going soon
• Keep up with my calendar- Did fairly well with this overall, still room for improvement
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this. God has been really working on me and helping me to do better in this area

Ministry

• Continue to host Women's Prayer once a month- Yes
• Have at least 4 Childbirth Conversation classes this year- This may have been too, lofty of a goal. As of right now I might get 1 more in this year
• Start Childbirth Conversation blog- Yes! It is finally launched. You can check it out here

Personal

• Read a book a month aside from Class material- I'm reading a lot between reading with Jim, school with the kids and by myself, so we finished some books with school, but I personally have not completed any this month
• Journal 5 days a week- The past 2 weeks I did not write as often as I should have. By God's grace I will get back into this next month
• Write (books) 3 days a week- Did not get any writing done
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- Did a little editing one day
• Complete Childbirth Conversation book- Did not work on this at all
• Plan for next novel and write in November- I don't think I will be doing this. There is just too much going on.
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 and begin Level 2- Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Had a good meeting for editing!
• Blog 3 days a week- I actually averaged this early in the month. Surprised by that!

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- Still not getting this in. Would love to, but still working on family priorities
• Maintain weight until birth- 
• Lose weight after giving birth- I joined Weight Watchers and I am down almost 10 lbs! 

Where did September go? It was such a busy month for us. We are really working on our family and seeking God's priorities for our life. This month Jim and I spent a lot of time together as well as with our kids. We've started School of Missions, we went on vacation to St. Louis, had school for both Jim and the kids, I really would like to redo my goals at this point, but with only 3 months left in the year I will keep what I have and work on them as God allows. I'm thankful for a year where many of my goals are falling through so that I can experience God's grace and learn more about Him and what He has for me. God is good!

How was your September?

St. Louis

Last week our family was able to take a few days and go to St. Louis, MO for a short vacation. It has been years since I have been there, but it was the first trip for everyone else. Jim has been wanting to go since we moved to Louisville, especially to see the baseball stadium. (Baseball is his favorite sport, in case you wanted to know.) We got up early on Monday and drove west.

Our first stop, the Gateway Arch. It was overcast when we arrived and cool. Perfect weather for looking around outside. As soon as we went into the museum, the sky fell and it poured rain! Getting in was a mess as we had to have everything examined including taking everyone and everything out of the stroller. It was packed full. The kids enjoyed looking at all of the things set up in the museum that showed the westward expansion of our country. Once we knew we could check into the hotel, we left to get everyone settled. We stayed in O'Fallon, IL and the hotel was nice for the right price. :)

In the evening Jim and I went out for our weekly date. We tried a local Mexican restaurant, then took the public transportation to an interesting area of the city. I really liked their public system and it worked well. We walked around this area of St. Louis and got some ice cream. We met a guy who is working on a comic book and shared some of his work with us. We had a good small conversation and got a drawing of his villain for a couple of dollars. The guy was a really good artist and I hope that God will bless his efforts to publish his comic book. As a writer I could identify with him and the struggle to get it done.

On the ride back to the hotel I examined the picture of the villain and really appreciated it. Why? First of all it was intricate and well done. But more than that, I appreciated how the villain was portrayed. Upon first glance there was nothing about this character that screamed villain. And is that not how Satan is? He parades as an angel of light and makes evil look good. Let me know if you want to see the drawing!

Tuesday was full! In the morning we went to the Science Center and Planetarium. It free to go in and look around! There was so much to see in this there and it was very interactive. The Jim, Becca and the kids had fun building 2 different arches. They had a dinosaur lab with figures and a small "dig site". There were also 2 very large animatronic dinosaurs that scared the little ones. My favorite was a game that explained genetics. It was so good for kids of all ages.

We all took a much needed rest in the afternoon! In the evening Jim, Mom, Jamey, Lillian and me prepared for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. (No we have not become Cardinals fans. We will be die hard Braves fans until the day we die. :) Jim wanted to see the stadium.) We took the public transportation to the game, which was fun for the kids. They really enjoyed riding on the train. It was a good game. We met some interesting people. We enjoyed stadium food and some Dippin' Dots. (I love Dippin' Dots!) Lillian was getting into the game and cheering when everyone else did. Best of all, it was perfect weather for a baseball game. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Wednesday was also very full! We went to the St. Louis Zoo, which was also free! It was huge and full of lots of fun animals. The kids loved looking at them and watching the animals play. There were many animals that we had studied in science or other reading books that Jamey would identify and talk about. It was so neat watching Reuben and Gabriel get into the animals this time. Gabriel loved walking around like a big boy.
In the morning it was raining, so we spent a lot of time running from one shelter to another, but that gave us the opportunity to look longer at the information and for the kids to learn more. They had a really cool bug house with lots of creepy crawlies. All of the kids liked this. I personally liked the butterfly house. Apparently the average lifespan of a butterfly is 2 weeks! That's crazy. The kids really liked looking for different kinds of butterflies and comparing them to the chart the zoo provided. It was such a fun day.

We took the kids back to the hotel while my parents and sister went to the free art museum. It was nice to just sit back and relax for a little bit. Jim and I talked while the kids watched a movie. We ate Subway in the room then Jim and I ran to a scrapbook store that was just down the road. That place was sweet! They had so many papers and stickers and lots of unique things for making books. I also learned about using binders for scrapbooking and decided to get one to give it a try. It was nice to have someone explain it to me.

After the kids went to sleep, Jim and I got to go play in the pool for a little bit. It was so weird to be able to walk across the whole pool. We had fun racing and just goofing off in the water. We also got to sit in the hot tub. So nice after 2 days of walking!

Thursday we packed up, but went to the City Museum before hitting the road. That place was really cool! It's $12 a person, but worth every penny. Everything there is made from something else and it is really just a big indoor playground in a warehouse. The kids loved it. Jim went up in the playground with them. It was a lot of fun. They have a kids train, which the 3 older ones really liked. Sam and I got to go down a couple of slides. I hope we will be able to go back there one day. We should have scheduled a whole day for it. At lunch time we had to head back. We ate lunch in the car and headed on.
We really enjoyed St. Louis and hope to go back one day. All of the fun free stuff to do helps so much. It is such a family friendly city. I was also impressed that every place had a nursing room where I could pump! That made the trip so much better for me. :) If you are looking for a great city for a family vacation that is reasonably priced, St. Louis is that city.

Don't Be A Haman

I can hear you now, "What do you mean don't be a Haman? I don't hate the Jews or any group and want to see them all killed." I'm not saying you do. But, today as I was reading Esther 5 I noticed the downfall of Haman that led him to this extreme desire to kill a whole people group.

"Then Haman went out that day glad and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate and that he did not stand up or tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai. Haman controlled himself, however, went to his house and sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh. Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, and the number of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had promoted him above the princes and servants of the king. Haman also said, 'Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king. Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.'" ~Esther 5:9-13 

Do you see it? Haman tells his wife and friends about all that he has been blessed with but then turns around and says, "all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate." Haman was wealthy, had the best position in the land aside from the king, many sons and had been invited to a banquet with the king and queen only. He was living the "good life" but was not satisfied because Mordecai did not fear him and would not bow before him. Seriously, 1 man caused him that much distress!

But really, isn't this all of us? We can show and tell all of the many blessings we have been given and yet get focused on that one thing we want and cannot have.

We all have our Mordecai, whether it be money, having a spouse or kids, a house, clothes, etc. We are always wanting for more when we seek things. Only in Christ can we have everything we could ever need or want. So instead of focusing on what we do not have, let's focus on what we do have, the gift of salvation and life because of Jesus death.

What is your Mordecai? Let's keep each other accountable to focus on Jesus and not our Mordecais.

Charlotte's Web

This is one of the read alouds we read to the kids during the first month of school. It was a cute story of friendship, help and sacrifice. Generally speaking it is not a bad book. Personally, I did not like the writing style of the book. My kids really seemed to enjoy it, though, and I would be glad to read it to my kids again in the future. The vocabulary in it is incredible and great for Jamey who loves to read and learn new words. I also appreciated the ending because I like realistic stories that have sad endings.

I would give the book 3 stars, though I think my kids might give it 4 or 5. :)

Medicate on God's Law

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night." Psalm 1:2

We have been memorizing Psalm 1 again as a family with our homeschool curriculum. Our precious daughter, when saying verse 2 says, "and on His law he medicates day and night." After hearing her say this, I realized it is very accurate. The righteous person meditates on God's law and it is a medication to the soul. Why? Because the law shows us our sin, leading us to Christ and repentance bringing life to our souls. When we are at a loss, the law points us to the Truth. God's law is perfect and it shows us the way to life. Medication is made to heal. God's law heals as it points us to Christ. Medicate on God's law. It is the best thing you can do.

Archaeologists Dig For Clues

This book is interesting in that it describes how archaeologists work. Overall it is not a bad basic information book. I personally do not agree with the dating, but this would not keep me from using this book again. It's a fun beginning kids book. I would give this book 3 stars.

Reuben's 3rd Birthday

It's hard to believe our middle child is 3 years old today! Time keeps on flying by as we go through life. We have been so blessed by our sweet Reuben as his rough and tumble play meets sweet snuggler. He reminds me so much of Jim in his personality and look. I love the way he is himself. He is beginning to try to do what the older 2 kids are doing, but at the same time content to be who he is.
This year, especially the last few months, Reuben has really blossomed. He is communicating more, answering questions and really desiring to learn. We officially started pre-school with him during our homeschool time and he is loving it. He is quickly picking up letter sounds, numbers and colors as well as growing his vocabulary. It is so fun to watch him grow. He loves to be outside and play. This is probably his favorite thing to do. He also loves to swing when we are at the playground. Reuben is an observer. He pays attention to everything and takes it all in. That is also fun to see. Really, he is just a fun kid. I love this little boy and I am so thankful that God gave Reuben to our family.

Happy Birthday, Reuben! You are so loved!

Prince Caspian

We have been reading through The Chronicles of Narnia with our kids for fun. This is the 4th book, and at this point the 2nd worst in my opinion. The story line was interesting, but did not seem to be as well written as some of the others. My kids did seem to enjoy it probably more than I did, so as a read aloud for kids it is really good. It is mild so not a lot of extra explanation is necessary. It is also fun to talk through and see the allegorical themes of following God even when others do not, and trusting in what you cannot see. Those two things struck me the most. The subtle themes are the redeeming qualities of this book. I give it 3 stars.

An Hour of Prayer

This last week our family began School of Missions at our church. From the start I knew it would be a huge blessing! One of the things they talked about was goals for getting in healthy rhythms for spiritual growth. One of those things was taking an hour each week to pray for the lost and the work God is doing around the world. Hosting women's prayer once a month has really helped with that, but this challenged me to be even more intentional about bringing the world before God. I need to get back into writing down specific world requests to go along with the requests I continually refer to from our workers overseas and set aside certain times each week to pray about those things in particular. I had that in my schedule at one time, but have gotten out of the practice badly with the chaos in our house the last few months.

Will you join me? If you live in Louisville, come to women's prayer once a month. What other time can you set aside to pray for the lost? Let's grow in prayer together!

Usborne Peoples of the World

This book is part of the history/geography/culture curriculum for Core B with Sonlight. Overall I enjoyed this books pictures and fun facts about different ways of living life. The down side to this book was the poor explanation of Christianity, which is definitely more cultural Christianity than an actual relationship with Christ. This is to be expected from this type of publishing, so I will still use this book again with the younger ones, changing those things I know to be inaccurate. I give it 3 stars

Meet Felicity

I believe I read this book as an elementary aged girl, and enjoyed reading it to Lillian as part of her read alouds this year. It was good to talk through what Felicity was doing and discuss what we can learn from her. It is also fun to hear how they spoke and look at the culture from that time period. There are some things that may be a little intense for some kids, but overall I found it very mild and it did not upset my sensitive 4 year old. I give it 4 stars.

August Blessings

August has been a busy month and fairly good overall. God has been blessing us in so many ways and we are so grateful to be His people.

1. Jim and I growing closer
2. Jamey reading to Samuel
3. Gabriel holding hands to pray and saying Amen
4. Reuben sleeping in his big boy bed
5. Getting through the school week with little TV during the day
6. Starting a new school year
7. All 4 kids seeking to learn
8. All 4 kids asking to go outside and play together without being asked
9. Sam rolling and becoming more interactive
10. Reuben joining Jamey and Lillian in acting out movies
11. God continually growing me
12. A wonderful church community
13. Our family getting to know Leandro better
14. Lillian learning to fold our diaper inserts
15. Taking all 5 kids to the park by myself just because they asked to
16. Jamey and Lillian learning to hand wash dishes
    
17. Laura Brandt
18. Shannon Robinette
19. Ashley Matthews
20. God moving and changing our hearts
21. Becoming more cohesive as a family
22. Desiring to want to be together
23. God's grace and mercy
24. Lillian asking to wear skirts more
25. Getting up around 6 am most days
26. Sam using the Exersaucer
    

August Evaluation

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Yes! God is still giving me a passion to devour the Word!
• Memorize verses with the kids - Started Psalm 1 review with the school year
• Memorize Proverbs 31:10-31 and Romans 1 (I hope to add more to it, but this is where I want to start)- I have made Proverbs 31:10-31 part of Lillian's school curriculum for this year and have  most of it memorized generally still need to get it in solidly. Also working on Ephesians 1 with our church

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a month- Still going on 1 a week and I think this is our new goal
• Go on a night away once this year- Yes, went overnight to Lexington for our 10th anniversary
• Read 3 books together this year- We finished "A Praying Life" and are working on books for School of Missions together and plan to start "Proof" soon
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday afternoon- Still improving, but mostly

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- Some, but not a lot. Right now Jim and I are working on making our marriage 1st priority, so this will come later
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- Yes
• Take kids to Science Center or Zoo at least once a month- Nope
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Wrote in Sam's and Jamey's this month
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- Did nothing with this during Auust, not sure this one will happen, currently not at the top of the priority list, though I hope to get it accomplished sooner rather than later

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- Started thinking about this more and seeking how to improve this for our family
• Keep up with my calendar- Did fairly well with this overall, still room for improvement
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this. God has been really working on me and helping me to do better in this area

Ministry

• Continue to host Women's Prayer once a month- Yes
• Have at least 4 Childbirth Conversation classes this year- This may have been too, lofty of a goal. As of right now I might get 1 more in this year
• Start Childbirth Conversation blog- Yes! It is finally launched. You can check it out here

Personal

• Read a book a month aside from Class material- I'm reading a lot between reading with Jim, school with the kids and by myself, though I only completed "A Praying Life" with Jim this month.
• Journal 5 days a week- Yes! By God's grace I have written at least this if not more
• Write (books) 3 days a week- I got in an average of 1 day a week I think, maybe a little more
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- Did a little editing one day
• Complete Childbirth Conversation book- Did not work on this at all
• Plan for next novel and write in November- Did not get any planning done this month
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 and begin Level 2- Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- After changing meeting time, we were able to meet in August! So thankful for this group
• Blog 3 days a week- Not at all. I've wanted to, but still working on how to prioritize our time better. Lots of prayer for this would be appreciated.

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- Still not getting this in. Would love to, but still working on family priorities
• Maintain weight until birth- 
• Lose weight after giving birth- I joined Weight Watchers this month and am already losing! I think I've lost 4-5 lbs already! 

August was super busy! We started school with the kids, Jim started school, and this weekend we started School of Missions at Sojourn as a family. It has been wonderful getting back into a semi-normal routine and finding new rhythms. Jim and I are still seeking what this really needs to look like as a family so that our walk with God stays first, our marriage comes second, our children third and everything else after (hence why some of my goals have not been met or even worked on). We desire for our family to walk with the Lord first and foremost, and we are really being challenged by this as we have struggled to do this the past few years. God is moving and it is a blessing, but still quite a challenge. Please pray for our family as the Spirit leads so that we will be exactly what God wants us to be.

What was your August like? 

Turning Off the TV

Since starting school with the kids 3 weeks ago, we have determined to keep the TV off as much as possible during the week. Three weeks later, I am pleased to say that, by God's grace, it has been off more than it has been on! Jim and I are rediscovering our love for reading, I am writing more, the kids are reading or drawing or playing outside more. We are just getting more productive things done. On top of that we are also enjoying being together as a family. We read books together, play together and are starting to teach the older two games. Their current favorite is "Go Fish!"

More than this Jim and I are communicating more! That has been such a blessing. Occasionally we will have a movie night, but generally speaking after we put the kids to bed we are either reading together or talking about what we are thinking/feeling/learning/etc. The whole feel of our house is changing. We really desire to have a more God centered home, and I believe turning off the TV more has helped tremendously with that.

What's more is I generally don't miss it. I am a TVaholic! Seriously, I love TV way too much. But I have realized these last few weeks that what I really enjoy is not having to think. Lately I have had so much on my mind that I am tempted to escape into media, but instead I have been praying, writing in my journal or working on my books and really facing life headlong instead of escaping. In this I am discovering how much I really love my husband and kids and how blessed I really am.

God is doing an incredible work in our home. I pray that it continues! As we continue to grow I hope to write more on here and Childbirth Conversations as these have taken a backseat as Jim and I seek together what we need to be doing. I know I need to be writing after my other priorities as done, but I am still seeking what that looks like.

What would happen in your home if you turned off your TV more? If you already don't watch it, don't start! It's hard to break. :)

A Praying Life by Paul E. Miller

Jim and I read this book together and we both found it extremely encouraging and helpful. Miller begins with discussing why we do not pray and how life can keep us from communing with God. I loved the examples he gave from his own life in how we can seek God in the "big" things and in the everyday. Since I love to pray, it was useful to see areas where I fail to pray, especially in everyday events. I can already see God using what we learned in this book to grow my prayer life. At the end of the book, Miller gives some practical ways to document prayer or have concentrated prayer times. I am excited to make prayer cards and begin implementing them, not only by myself, but hopefully as a family as well.

I personally believe everyone should read this book. I am quite sure I will read it again, especially as I know times will come when prayer will be hard. This book is a 5 star rating as it is Biblically sound and is Gospel focused.

The Scariest Prayer Every Christian Should Pray

I'm not sure if it was in a sermon or if it was simply part of a discussion, maybe at community group, but I have been reminded recently of the scariest prayer every Christian should pray. It is simply this.

Jesus make me more like you.

This should be the desire of everyone who follows Christ. Scripture tells us we are meant to become more like Jesus.

"For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might become the firstborn of many brothers." 

~Romans 8:29

So why then is this scary? Because it is a prayer God will answer and most likely it will be a painful process. Why is it painful? Because to be more like Christ we must die to ourselves and join in Christ's sufferings. This will look different for everyone, but God will do whatever it takes to make us more like Jesus. Jesus loved without being loved. He gave freely and generously. He healed but always reached out for peoples souls. He communed with God and did exactly what He gave Jesus to do. He denied Himself and became a servant and gave His life as a ransom for many.

As Christ followers we are called to live like Jesus, and that is not easy. We can never be perfect, but because of the Holy Spirit living in us we can live more like Christ everyday. This means He will weed sin out of our hearts. He will put us in positions to practice living like Him. None of this is easy. But it is what is best for us.

Are you willing to pray this prayer?

Understanding the Word of God

Last Sunday we had a great sermon that Jim called very basic hermenuetics, or how we study the Bible. We are commanded to study Scripture so that we can know God more, but in order to study the Scripture we must understand it. Understanding encompasses 3 major things: Translation, Explanation and Application.

Translation: This is vial for the Word of God to be understood. It must be written in a way that people understand. There are different translations, some word for word and others thought for thought and some that are in the middle. All are good for Bible study and should be considered at different times depending on how you are studying. Different translations will deepen your study. Get a translation you understand.

Explanation: Break down the text you are reading. Look at historical and cultural contexts to help you understand what is going on in the texts. Be clear in your explanations. If you don't understand, ask someone to help you!

Application: Take what you study and apply it to your life. Rearrange your life so that you are a doer of the Word! When you read a text ask yourself, What difference does this make in my life? Work it out with the Holy Spirit and in community.

When we understand we must respond. This is taking application to the next level. When God stirs His Word in us, we must respond.

Reverence: This is the posture of our heart. It is God's grace when we long for conviction. We cannot be reverent if we are cynical. They cannot coexist. Seek to revere God's Word.

Attentiveness: We need to have our ears bent towards God's Word, ready to hear. The chief sin of this generation is distraction. We always have something to distract us. Are you being attentive to hear God's Word daily?

Worship: The goal of hearing God's Word is to worship God. We need to ask God to fill  with a desire for Him, to be completely satisfied by Him. Only Christ can satisfy us and all of the Scriptures point to Christ. Are you worshiping God and being completely satisfied in Christ?

How is your understanding of God's Word?

First Week Of School

This week was our first week of the new school year. We took a month off that went by so fast, but I don't think fast enough for the kids. I'm thankful for a new school year and to see our kids starting to feel settled again.

This year Jamey is doing Sonlight with a combination of Core B with 1st grade Math, 2nd great Language Arts and Science A. (We ended up not doing science last year because of how it went so we are doing it this year.) Lillian is doing Sonlight P4/5, which includes all of her subjects. Reuben and Gabriel are doing the Brightly Beaming Baby resources I found online when I first started schooling Jamey 3 years ago. We are doing the Preparatory Curriculum with them and they really liked it this week.

It's so crazy having 4 of them in school, but I'm thankful that they are all wanting to learn. I hope it will continue to go well. This week was smooth as we took the week easy to see what the days might look like. Everyday we were done with all formal schooling by 11 am! Most days it was earlier than that. I'm so thankful Jim has really taken initiative with school again this year and is helping so much. Right now our school morning look like this:

All together: Bible, Catechism, Scripture Memory and Prayer
Reuben and Gabriel's curriculum- working on shapes, letters, numbers, vocabulary and coloring. They then play either outside or in the living room
Jamey and Lillian listen to a chapter from Jamey's curriculum
Lillian with me does her work book "Developing the Early Learner" (highly recommend these books), read aloud story, Science or Culture
Jamey with Jim does language arts, math and science

I have been extremely pleased at how this has gone. This week Jamey will start a music class on Wednesdays, which I am excited about. We also are beginning to teach Jamey and Lillian things in the kitchen and cleaning. We will also add language study as well, once we see what Jim's class time requirements will be.

It looks like it is going to be a good school year with breaks throughout, instead of any long breaks. That is an exciting and hopefully will work well.

July Evaluation

Spiritual

• Spend at least 10 minutes praying daily- Yes
• Spend at least 10 minutes reading and reflecting on the Bible daily- Yes! God has given me a passion to devour the Word!
• Memorize verses with the kids - We are not learning anything new currently
• Memorize Proverbs 31:10-31 and Romans 1 (I hope to add more to it, but this is where I want to start)- I read over Proverbs 31:10-31 and have 10-16 down

Marriage

• Go out for a date once a month- We have been on at least 1 a week! 
• Go on a night away once this year- Yes, went overnight to Lexington for our 10th anniversary
• Read 3 books together this year- We are currently working on our 2nd book together this year, "A Praying Life"
• Discuss plan weekly on Sunday afternoon- Still improving, but mostly

Kids

• Spend 30 minutes of one on one time with each child every week- Some, but not a lot. Right now Jim and I are working on making our marriage 1st priority, so this will come later
• Go to playgroup each Tuesday- Yes
• Take kids to Science Center or Zoo at least once a month- Nope
• Write in individual journals at least 3 times this year- Wrote in Sam's
• Finish Jamey's 1st year Scrapbook- Did nothing with this during July, not sure this one will happen

Homemaking

• Keep up with cleaning schedule- Did not do this 
• Keep up with my calendar- Did fairly well with this overall, still room for improvement
• Being fully present when with my family- Getting better at this. God has been really working on me and helping me to do better in this area

Ministry

• Continue to host Women's Prayer once a month- Yes
• Have at least 4 Childbirth Conversation classes this year- This may have been too, lofty of a goal. As of right now I might get 1 more in this year
• Start Childbirth Conversation blog- Yes! It is finally launched. You can check it out here

Personal

• Read a book a month aside from Class material- Yes! This month I read "To Walk or Stay"
• Journal 5 days a week- I might have averaged this, but a couple weeks I only wrote twice
• Write (books) 3 days a week- Nope
• Edit novel to prepare for publishing and research publishing options- Did a little editing one day
• Complete Childbirth Conversation book- Did not work on this at all
• Plan for next novel and write in November- Did not get any planning done this month
• Finish Rosetta Stone Russian level 1 and begin Level 2- Have not worked on this
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- July was too crazy and it did not happen
• Blog 3 days a week- Not at all. I've wanted to, but my thoughts are really scattered in the busyness. Got a few down last week, but still wrestling with what all to write

Health

• Go to water aerobics once a week- Unable to do this this month, hoping to start back soon
• Maintain weight until birth- Gained more than I wanted, but less than previous pregnancies!
• Lose weight after giving birth- Beginning to lose the weight, but not being super active about it at the moment

July went by fast! Much faster than I was expecting. Perhaps that's because June crawled. Either way, I'm still boggled that it is already over. It has been all over the place as God seeks to guide us and grow us more in the image of Christ, growing our marriage, our kids, and our responsibilities. God has been good to us in all of it as He guides us both gently and harshly. I am so thankful that He is my God, even as I wrestle with Him about who He is. Clearly a lot of my goals are not being met and likely will not be this year. But honestly, I'm OK with that because I'm closer to God, to Jim, to my kids and my local Body.

How was your July?