December 30 to January 1

9681. Sleeping until 8 am
9682. Starting the morning with a good conversation with Rachel and Becca
9683. Becca reading Revelation to Rachel
9684. Rachel being challenged by Revelation
9685. Jim going to breakfast with Daddy
9686. Jim having good discussions with Daddy
9687. Kids eating a lot of fruit for breakfast
9688. Family getting out of here when they intended to
9689. Leaving us Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper
9690. Figuring out meal planning quickly this morning
9691. Getting a grocery list together quickly
9692. Going to the grocery store
9693. Having a plan for the day
9694. Jim having time to work on writing papers
9695. Good run at the store
9696. Going by myself
9697. Time to pray in the car
9698. Finding everything I needed
9699. Spending far less than I anticipated at the store
9700. Coupons
9701. Great customer service
9702. Being given a sample turkey and cheese slice to eat
9703. Deli lady putting paper slices between the cheese
9704. Reading about Loving others as yourself
9705. God giving immediate opportunity to love others
9706. The Holy Spirit seeking and growing my heart
9707. Taco Bell for lunch
9708. Crunch wrap supreme
9709. Reuben eating well
9710. Kids resting
9711. Reuben napping
9712. Lillian napping
9713. Time to read more of Revelation
9714. Talking to Becca about church yesterday
9715. Hearing similar things
9716. Becca beginning to recognize God's grace in her life
9717. Talking about living in grace
9718. Talking about Revelation
9719. Writing in my journal
9720. God moving in our family
9721. God moving in my heart
9722. Wrestling with God's Word
9723. Having a seeking heart
9724. Beginning to work on getting our family planning notebook together for the year
9725. God providing our planning materials for much cheaper than last year
9726. Realizing what did not work last year and making necessary adjustments
9727. Jim getting 2 papers written for his J-term class
9728. Being more consistent with discipline
9729. Finalizing plans to go out with the Whites
9730. Shannon letting us know about New Years Eve plans
9731. Being remembered by our Shannon in her planning
9732. Having a great CG
9733. Gabriel taking about 5 steps by himself without coaxing
9734. Gabriel eating a lot for lunch
9735. The printer cooperating
9736. Becca starting The Cross Centered Life
9737. Reuben giving big hugs
9738. Productive day
9739. Being able to read
9740. Living in a place where we are free to read what we want to read
9741. Living in a place where we can write what we want
9742. God's freedom
9743. Always being challenged and growing
9744. Jamey learning to throw well
9745. Watching Jim play with Jamey and Reuben
9746. Opportunity to teach Reuben
9747. Being reminded I need to be more consistent with Reuben's discipline
9748. Realizing I need to discipline Gabriel
9749. Learning how to talk to kids at different stages
9750. Introducing kids to "The Lord of the Rings"
9751. Jim making dinner
9752. Yummy Pasta with spinach, tomato and onion
9753. Mountain Dew
9754. Having a Goodreads account
9755. Getting all of my family command center calendar and papers printed out
9756. The Confident Mom doing planning for me
9757. Wonderful reminders
9758. Desiring to be more diligent this year
9759. Desiring to not waste time
9760. Thinking about what God may do
9761. Enjoying talking about planning
9762. Time to read a little
9763. Kids playing Mario Kart with Jim
9764. Becca making popcorn in her new whirly pop
9765. Sending some emails
9766. Planning for the next Childbirth Conversation class
9767. Seeing God working in preparation
9768. Finding out we can use the 930 for the class
9769. Thinking about big things that need to get done
9770. Hearing from Jackie
9771. The flexibility of homeschooling
9772. Really desiring to seek the Lord in homeschooling
9773. Being reminded that the most important thing I can teach my children is salvation through Christ
9774. Not getting hit by the person going the wrong way on Oak and Shelby
9775. God's protection
9776. Reuben's hugs and kisses
9777. Gabriel's hugs
9778. Gabriel being a good eater
9779. Gabriel starting to talk
9780. Gabriel saying yes and please at dinner
9781. Reuben saying yes very clearly in response to a question
9782. Reuben and Gabriel playing together
9783. Watching Reuben mimic Gabriel
9784. Gabriel copying what Reuben says
9785. Finding time to meet with Jackie
9786. Jamey going to bed early
9787. Jamey going to sleep quickly
9788. Hanging out
9789. Finishing a section in a book
9790. The other 3 going to bed smoothly
9791. Kids getting sleep
9792. Putting our family command center notebook together
9793. Talking with Jim about a general schedule
9794. Planning to be more purposeful this year
9795. Praying for more discipline in our home
9796. Making lists of major things that need to be done
9797. Thinking about things that I need to do every week/month
9798. Desiring to plan my days
9799. Jim desiring to plan
9800. Desiring to be more diligent in planning together
9801. Making a beginning list of books I want to read
9802. Talking about what books we might like to read together
9803. Wanting to read a variety of books
9804. Growing in my desire to read
9805. Getting the January calendar filled out
9806. Almost being ready for the new year
9807. The grace that we don't have to be 100% ready on January 1st
9808. Time to prepare for next week
9809. God's grace
9810. Growing with Jim
9811. Jim and I learning the same things together
9812. God moving us more together
9813. Playing hangman
9814. Time to relax after planning
9815. Snuggling
9816. Going to bed
9817. Waking up at 6
9818. Getting a jump start on attempting to wake early
9819. Gabriel doing well with being woke up
9820. Eating breakfast early
9821. Becca making eggs and grits
9822. Cheese grits
9823. Talking with Becca
9824. Time to pray
9825. Preparing with God for the day
9826. Reading Revelation
9827. Reading the whole Bible in a year
9828. Discussing God's Word
9829. Wrestling with how to read Revelation
9830. Thinking about God's character
9831. Realizing all of God's characteristics are equal
9832. God pushing us
9833. God's continuous grace
9834. God revealing Himself
9835. Desiring to be more like Christ
9836. Talking with my kids about God
9837. Reminding them of their need for Jesus
9838. Being reminded of my own need for Jesus
9839. Talking about what Jesus desires of us
9840. Hearing the kids talk to each other
9841. Kids beginning to voice right from wrong
9842. Asking questions
9843. Learning to ask more questions
9844. Learning to listen more
9845. Getting a few things in the mail
9846. Having more worker addresses
9847. Desiring to serve our workers better
9848. Growing in how to serve better
9849. Thinking of how to plan cards better for the year
9850. Jamey helping Gabriel learn to walk
9851. Jamey growing in being a big brother
9852. Reuben sleeping until after 8 am
9853. Enjoying a good morning together
9854. Watching Jamey and Lillian grow in learning
9855. Left overs for lunch
9856. Salad
9857. Conversation at lunch
9858. Growing in conversing
9859. Jamey following patterns in a book
9860. Hanging out as a family after lunch
9861. Gabriel napping
9862. Snuggling with Reuben and Lillian
9863. Reuben talking to me
9864. Solving the Box top mystery quickly
9865. Dark Chocolate M&Ms
9866. Figuring things out in a timely manner
9867. God always looking out for us
9868. Learning how to communicate better
9869. Desiring to communicate effectively
9870. Being reminded that all things are possible with God
9871. Having the Bible at hand
9872. God's Word being written for us
9873. Jesus being our saving grace
9874. Going on a double date with Billy and Gidget
9875. Becca keeping all our kids
9876. Good conversations
9877. Being able to explain things
9878. Finding out we are really not that different
9879. Hearing fun stories of people growing up differently
9880. The beauty of differences
9881. God using differences to grow and teach us
9882. Seeing "The Hobbit"
9883. The movie being really good
9884. The movie ending on a crazy note
9885. Something to look forward to next December
9886. Seeing Dr. Pierre with his kids
9887. All of us enjoying the movie
9888. All wondering how much we missed in the book
9889. Talking about denominational differences
9890. Learning more together
9891. Being able to teach
9892. Little Debbie cherry cordials
9893. Not getting too hungry during the movie
9894. Making plans to meet Gidget tomorrow
9895. Silas and Margo doing really well while we were out
9896. Billy letting Jim borrow a game
9897. Enjoying being together
9898. Silas saying he did not want to leave (Seriously this is huge!)
9899. All the kids having fun together
9900. Reuben taking a nap
9901. Lillian getting a nap
9902. Pizza for dinner
9903. Thinking about the next time we can all hang out
9904. Lillian going to bed early
9905. Growing friendships
9906. Having friends who are eager to learn
9907. The power of God's Word
9908. People asking questions about God's Word
9909. Having a God who knows all things
9910. Not knowing all things
9911. God giving us wisdom
9912. Jamey practicing more drawing
9913. Finding an activity to help challenge Jamey
9914. Desiring to help my kids grow into who God has made them to be
9915. Time to do December/Year End evaluation
9916. Getting all 4 kids to bed smoothly
9917. Being able to go to a New Year party with Jim
9918. Candles
9919. Beautiful lighting
9920. Meeting new people
9921. Interesting conversation
9922. Seeing most of our community group
9923. Catching up
9924. Explaining and teaching things
9925. Laughing
9926. Games
9927. Friendly competition
9928. Dancing
9929. Seeing people I do not get to see often
9930. Practicing talking in code
9931. Mountain Dew
9932. Yummy snacks
9933. Talking about God working
9934. Hearing about the Cross Conference
9935. Being reminded of how much I still need to learn God's Word
9936. Realizing how easily I take having a copy of the Bible for granted
9937. Discussing how technology is not making us smarter
9938. Being reminded that I really need to practice memorizing
9939. The freedom that we have in Christ
9940. Learning from other people
9941. Jim having fun
9942. Jim catching up with friends
9943. Sharing our lives
9944. Making it until midnight
9945. Toasting in the New Year
9946. Sparkling grape juice
9947. Discussing time to meet with Andy and Shannon
9948. Teaching Hilary basic cha-cha step
9949. Donna remembering meeting me last year
9950. Mercy
9951. Driving home safely
9952. Nothing major happening in the neighborhood
9953. Going to bed immediately
9954. Being able to get out of bed
9955. Meeting Gidget for coffee
9956. Being able to get a black and white half caff mocha
9957. Delving into Genesis
9958. Being challenged
9959. God's grace being evident everywhere
9960. Learning to see God's bigger picture
9961. Learning to trust more even when I don't understand
9962. Learning new things
9963. Discussing different ideas
9964. Working through things together
9965. Being able to say "I don't know"
9966. Learning interesting things
9967. Encouraging others in the Truth
9968. Desiring to learn more about dying to self
9969. God's grace to explain things well
9970. A 3 hour conversation feeling like barely an hour
9971. Going deep
9972. Jim getting a lot of work done
9973. God
9974. Jim
9975. Jamey
9976. Lillian
9977. Reuben
9978. Gabriel
9979. The New Baby
9980. Daddy
9981. Mom
9982. Britney
9983. Rachel
9984. Becca
9985. Having a house to live in
9986. Having central heating and air
9987. Having access to technology when I need/want it
9988. Being able to see
9989. Being able to hear
9990. God giving me spiritual eyes
9991. Faith
9992. Being able to read and write
9993. Living in a free country
9994. Sandwiches
9995. Having clean water to drink
9996. Having ice when I want it
9997. Having so many choices
9998. Salvation
9999. Growing in Thankfulness
10000. God constantly changing and growing me

Getting 10000 blessings in a year was a tedious process, but I am so thankful I did it. It has really helped me to see God working in the little everyday things and helped me to see the world through God's eyes and not my own. I would encourage you to also count your blessings. It's a great practice to get your attention off of yourself and back on God and others, making us more like Jesus!

December/End of the Year Evaluation

Spiritual

• Read through the entire Bible in a year following a chronological reading plan- By God's grace I caught up and finished the Bible today! Excited to read through it again. I cannot get enough of God's Word these days!
• Memorize a verse a week (for full disclosure I am starting with verses that I have previously memorized but have lost full memory of)- I really did not meet this goal as I had intended, but I am still working on Scripture memory with the kids and memorizing with them
• Spend 30 minutes daily concentrated on prayer and Bible reading- I did a little better this month and was back and forth all year. By God's grace I will grow more in this next year
• Continue to record daily blessings to cultivate thankfulness (Goal is 10,000 things)- Still doing this you can see this months blessings here, here, here, here and here Hoping I will get to 10,000 by tonight. 
• Praying throughout the day for specified things (still developing lists and plan for this)- I have really fallen behind in this due to laziness. I did it about half the year and am still developing a plan for it. 

Personal

• Read a book a month apart from SWI matrerial- I have been on a bit of a reading frenzy this month. I read The Secret Thoughts of and Unlikely Convert, Where's Mom? and finished What Did You Expect? I also have been reading on a few other things that I hope to finish soon
• Journal 5 days a week- I journaled more than in the last couple of months, but not this frequently. 
• Write (working on books) 5 days a week- I did not write 5 days a week, but did write a decent amount this month
• Finish my first fiction book- Yes! By God's amazing grace I finally finished my first book. I am excited to see what God does with it from here
• Write 3 blog posts a week- I didn't do that quite this month, but overall I am pleased with how I blogged this year. I am hoping to plan better for 2014
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Yes! Love this group. We only failed to meet once this year. God is so good to us.
• Have one day a month for personal retreat time to pray, read the Bible and write- Sadly no
• Complete Level 1 of Rosetta Stone Russian- I have been working on it this month, but was unable to finish for multiple reasons this year. I will complete it next year, by God's grace
• Begin working on a Christ-centered prenatal/delivery/postnatal education- Had my first class in September and starting to plan for the next as well as a book and blog. I am planning the next class for the end of January

Marriage

• Go on a date once a month- Yes! 
• Go on one overnight trip away- Done in May
• Read together for 30 minutes once a week- This did not happen this year
• Discuss and plan the week to come on Sunday afternoon- Yes

Kids

• Take each child on a "date" once a month- This did not really happen this month, or this year as I had hoped. This is an area I really hope to grow in next year
• Spend individual time with each child at home once a week (at least 20 minutes)- Sometimes
• Work on memorizing Psalm 23 with Jamey and Lillian- Yes! Both have it memorized as well as Psalm 67 with most of Proverbs 31:10-31 and Psalm 1. We are now working on verse with the school curriculum
• Finish current Pre-K curriculum with Jamey and Lillian- Plugging away with K curriculum
• Continue going to playgroup on Tuesdays- Yes
• (I need to develop more educational goals, so I guess a goal for this year will be learning to do this for next year)

Homemaking

• Begin a garden planting at least tomatoes (hoping to do more)- The garden is now dead, but it was fun to have one this year
• Try 1 new recipe a month- We tried 1 or 2 this month
• Keep up with cleaning calendar- No
• Develop general cleaning schedule- Decided to just get another cleaning calendar and will adjust it when needed

Health and Fitness

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 days a week- I did not do this or water aerobics this month. 
• Lose 30 lbs- This is on hold until May, but striving to maintain my weight in pregnancy

Ministry

• Continue hosting Women's prayer once a month- Yes, still praying for more people to pray
• Email workers once a month- I contacted some
• Send 2 encouraging notes a month- No, hoping to incorporate this next year, but not sure 

December ended up a vacation mode month. I slacked off far more than I had hoped, but God has shown me much this month. I have realized and repented of just how lazy I am and how easy it is to slip into laziness. I am tired of it as mine is done in the guise of "resting". I am looking forward to growing in discipline in the year to come.

This year has been amazing and God has blessed it so much. I really am blessed far more than I deserve, but that's what makes God amazing. He has grown me in many ways and is showing me areas where I need to continue growing. I look forward to 2014 and will be writing those goals soon!

How was your December? Your 2013?

May God bless you in the New Year!

December 23 to 29

9126. Sleeping until almost 8
9127. Being reminded I need Jesus more than sleep
9128. Working on meals for the week
9129. Working on sending 2013 Letters
9130. Getting more done than expected
9131. Jamey doing some copy work
9132. Jamey drawing
9133. Jamey and Lillian learning to play together
9134. Finding more addresses
9135. Getting a couple of emails sent
9136. Anticipating the week ahead
9137. Figuring out how to celebrate the holiday
9138. Lillian going to the grocery store with Jim
9139. Getting more stamps
9140. Stamps being available at the grocery store
9141. Minimizing stops
9142. McDonald's for lunch
9143. McDonald's sweet tea
9144. Gabriel taking a long nap
9145. Lillian sleeping
9146. Hearing from Allison
9147. Making plans with Gidget
9148. The activity of children
9149. Jamey learning to do more on his own
9150. Finishing Hebrews
9151. Realizing I need to study Hebrews more closely
9152. Reading some in Genesis
9153. Seeking to devour the Word
9154. God's graciousness with humanity
9155. Seeing God's grace and mercy in new and different ways
9156. Wrestling with things difficult to understand
9157. Seeking how to explain difficult things
9158. Remembering I do not have all of the answers
9159. Watching Reuben make shapes
9160. Reuben giving high-fives
9161. Jamey helping Jim make pancakes
9162. Pancakes for dinner
9163. Chocolate syrup
9164. Gabriel downing 3 pancakes without blinking
9165. Enjoying laughing together
9166. Lillian's funny sayings
9167. Being together as a family
9168. Jamey asking to watch "Narnia"
9169. Teaching Jamey and Lillian more about Sudoku
9170. Snuggling with my babies
9171. Getting some emails cleaned out
9172. Smooth bed time
9173. Reminding the kids of proper decorum in the early morning hours
9174. Hugs and kisses
9175. Prayer
9176. Privilege of praying for our kids
9177. Being reminded I had a free ebook I need to read and review
9178. Starting The In Between by Jeff Goins
9179. Being reminded of the need to enjoy the every day moments
9180. Desiring to be more patient and at peace with where I am
9181. God growing and changing me
9182. The challenges of everyday life
9183. Getting more letters printed
9184. Having a productive day
9185. Watching CSI: NY with Jim and Becca
9186. Being able to use Becca's laptop for most of the day
9187. Coffee
9188. Amaretto creamer
9189. Becca making strawberry banana smoothies
9190. Sharing some mac and cheese
9191. Productivity while still being low key
9192. Learning to be thankful for the technology we have
9193. Learning all of the verses to "Hark the Herald Angels Sing"
9194. Hearing the deep theology in "Hark the Harold Angels Sing"
9195. Thankful to be learning more verses of hymns
9196. Loving hymns more
9197. Growing in knowledge of God as I sing hymns and learn new songs
9198. Being able to praise God in many ways
9199. Being given God's ability to create
9200. God's amazing grace and mercy
9201. Sleep
9202. Being able to wake up and get out of bed
9203. Coffee!
9204. Huge bowl of perfect cheese grits for breakfast
9205. Talking with the kids over breakfast
9206. Having kids who really like breakfast food
9207. The kids eating breakfast well
9208. Meeting Gidget for coffee
9209. Gidget bringing donuts from Nord's
9210. Decaf black and white mocha from Sunergos
9211. Talking about lots of things
9212. Getting to know each other better
9213. God teaching me in our conversations
9214. Seeing God at work around me
9215. Margo playing well while we talked
9216. Gidget helping me with a gift
9217. Talking about getting together with everyone again
9218. Learning we have a lot in common
9219. Being reminded of how good being open and honest is
9220. Being able to talk for over 3 hours
9221. God being good in all things
9222. Learning how to see God's grace in many different things
9223. Chinese food for lunch
9224. Digging more into Genesis 2-10
9225. Reading 2 Timothy
9226. Encouragement from God's Word
9227. Good rest time
9228. Gabriel getting in 2 naps
9229. Reuben taking a good nap
9230. Time to read
9231. Feeling lots of baby movement
9232. Time to journal
9233. Clearing out some emails
9234. Time to think and pray
9235. Reflecting on God's movement
9236. Seeing God move in mighty unpredictable ways
9237. Christmas Eve service at Sojourn
9238. Seeing many Brothers and Sisters
9239. Being able to walk to the service even in the cold
9240. Opportunities to grow
9241. Opportunities to teach our kids how to deal with uncomfortable situations
9242. Kids excited about Christmas Eve
9243. Seeing Hilary
9244. Seeing Cory and Courtney
9245. Meeting Chris and Elizabeth
9246. Hearing a little bit about growing up in South Africa
9247. Finding connections
9248. Meeting new people
9249. Hearing about Jesus's birth
9250. Singing about the birth of Jesus
9251. Reflecting on the fact that Jesus was born to die
9252. Remembering that Jesus willingly left His place with the Father to live among sinful humans
9253. Seeing Mandy
9254. Seeing the Pates
9255. Being able to help Grace
9256. Grace walking home with us
9257. Wonderful Pasta for dinner
9258. Jim making dinner
9259. Having a computer Grace can use
9260. Grace having dinner with us
9261. Watching "The Nativity Story" as a family
9262. Lillian falling asleep within 10 minutes
9263. Snuggling with Lillian and Reuben
9264. Jamey falling asleep soon after starting the movie also
9265. Reuben laughing and playing
9266. Grace enjoying being with our kids
9267. Becca going with me to take Grace back to her car
9268. Becca being able to work a couple hours
9269. Blue Bell ice cream for less than $4
9270. Cookies and Cream ice cream
9271. Vanilla with real strawberries ice cream
9272. Blue Bell ice cream
9273. Getting kids in bed easily
9274. Gabriel getting to sleep early
9275. Eating ice cream
9276. Living in a country where we can worship as we are led by God
9277. Our government not being able to kill our kids because they might be a threat
9278. Being able to sympathize with the women who lost their children because of Herod's decree
9279. Wanting to hug my children a little tighter
9280. Jesus birth changing the whole world
9281. Enjoying a Christmas comedy: "Home Alone 2" with Jim
9282. Time to read more
9283. Updating a few things
9284. Becca getting to go to the 11pm service
9285. Getting sleep
9286. Waking up a little before 8
9287. Lucky Charms
9288. Getting breakfast going
9289. Laughing together
9290. Playing
9291. Reading 2 Peter
9292. Reading Jude
9293. The encouragement of the Bible
9294. Being able to write thoughts and prayers on what I read
9295. True freedom from Christ
9296. Christmas
9297. Remembering Christ's birth
9298. God's grace
9299. Time to read to the kids
9300. Snuggling with Jamey
9301. Teaching the kids Russian
9302. The kids asking to read the Russian books frequently
9303. Learning more every day
9304. Enjoying being together as a family
9305. Jamey tickling Gabriel
9306. The laughter of children
9307. Lillian teaching Reuben how to do puzzles
9308. Reuben growing in his ability to do puzzles
9309. Gabriel learning not to eat puzzles
9310. Kids being together
9311. Seeing kids growing closer to each other
9312. Becca making sandwiches for lunch
9313. Having a ham sandwich on a hoagie roll
9314. Kids loving corn puffs
9315. Kids eating sandwiches well
9316. Cookies
9317. Talking over lunch
9318. Enjoying being together
9319. Watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
9320. Kids enjoying the new movie
9321. Introducing the kids to new movies
9322. Watching "The Nativity Story" again
9323. Getting to doze for a few minutes
9324. Gabriel getting a good nap
9325. Reuben getting a good nap
9326. Jamey and Lillian resting on the sofa
9327. Time to write in my journal again
9328. Jim calling his dad
9329. Jim getting to work extra
9330. Time and a half for holidays
9331. Time to read
9332. Kids resting well
9333. Snuggling with Lillian
9334. Lillian wanting to rest with me
9335. Hearing the kids talk to each other
9336. Frozen pizzas
9337. 2 really good pizzas
9338. Having to put my hair up
9339. Putting in my contacts
9340. Desiring to be more disciplined in my sleep habits
9341. Seeking to figure out how much sleep I really need to get
9342. God's greatness
9343. Remembering that I really need Jesus for everything
9344. Having the Holy Spirit to help me fight
9345. Making a to do list
9346. Seeking to get more ordered and organized
9347. Watching the kids dance
9348. Talking some to Becca
9349. Getting kids' sheets and bedding washed today
9350. Getting beds made
9351. Gabriel's huge smile and laughter
9352. The contagious giggling
9353. Gabriel showing off his teeth
9354. Gabriel eating 2 pieces of pizza
9355. Kids eating pizza and lots of grapes
9356. Kids playing together
9357. Listening to kids act out movie scenes
9358. Lillian's repeating lines from "Despicable Me" as she ate her "cheetos"
9359. Kids seeking to make us laugh
9360. Gabriel enjoying having his teeth brushed
9361. Other kids getting good at brushing their teeth
9362. Really smooth bed time
9363. Working on prayer list for next month
9364. Getting most of the prayer list completed
9365. Hearing from lots of workers this week
9366. Seeing God at work around the world
9367. Hearing incredible stories of God's saving grace
9368. Getting my planning calendar for next year
9369. Working on getting things thought through for next year
9370. Beginning to make plans for things to come
9371. Reflecting on the blessings of the past 2 days
9372. Getting to write a short blog post
9373. God's amazing love
9374. The beauty of the Trinity
9375. Thinking about blogging for the next year
9376. Time to relax
9377. Going to sleep before 10 pm
9378. Being able to get up and going
9379. Time to pray
9380. Kids playing well this morning
9381. Kids being quiet when they got up
9382. Reuben sleeping until after 8
9383. Big bowl of cheese grits for breakfast
9384. Becca making extra grits
9385. Everyone eating breakfast together
9386. All of the kids eating well
9387. Enjoying talking together
9388. Being able to take a nice hot shower for a little bit
9389. Getting ready to work
9390. Becca being able to run errands
9391. Making a plan for the day
9392. Having a very productive morning
9393. Beginning to get things in our file cabinet
9394. Cleaning off the stairs
9395. Getting books put back on the shelf
9396. Adding new books to our collection
9397. Running out of room on our shelves
9398. Having access to a lot of books
9399. Having the ability and resources to buy books
9400. Filing all of our recent Sojourn sermon notes
9401. Kids playing with Nativity stickers
9402. Jamey doing extra school work for fun
9403. Jamey desiring to write
9404. Lillian reading for fun
9405. Reuben wanting to do work
9406. Reuben coloring and learning to do stickers
9407. Kids playing well while Jim and I organized
9408. Getting all of our towels washed
9409. Becca making lunch
9410. All the kids eating lunch well
9411. Gabriel taking a nap
9412. Getting a lot done in a little time
9413. Time to read
9414. Reading 1 John
9415. Being reminded that we are to follow God's commands showing we are in Christ
9416. God's amazing work
9417. The clarity of Scripture
9418. Learning more of the deep Truths of God
9419. Jim vacuuming the whole house
9420. Becca, Jamey and Lillian cleaning the bathrooms
9421. Having kids who like to clean
9422. Seeing more things I need to teach the kids
9423. Reuben learning to put his dishes away
9424. Reuben giving high-5s
9425. Gabriel's laughter and cheesy smile
9426. Watching Gabriel throw a ball
9427. Having a few minutes to rest
9428. Taking a brief doze
9429. Kids resting
9430. Writing about what I'm reading
9431. Time to read for fun
9432. Getting more laundry done
9433. Cleaning up the kids room
9434. Finally moving the laundry basket
9435. Jim and Becca making dinner
9436. Lillian actually sleeping
9437. Reuben taking a good nap
9438. Jamey resting well
9439. Getting a lot of reading done
9440. Rest time for all
9441. Good reminders of God's grace in my book
9442. Daddy, Mom and Rachel getting her safely
9443. Lots of excitement
9444. Reuben warming up quickly
9445. Gabriel enjoying the attention
9446. All fitting at the table
9447. Enjoyable conversation
9448. Discussing baby names
9449. Jamey saying the baby's name is Esther (though we do not know gender)
9450. Jamey not saying he will be sad if the baby is a girl
9451. God's grace evident in Jamey's life
9452. Really good corn chowder
9453. Laughter
9454. Play time
9455. Lillian taking a good nap
9456. Being full
9457. God's provision for our family
9458. Family "Christmas"
9459. All the kids getting Art sets and drawing books
9460. Family t-shirts for the museum next year
9461. Getting Just Dance 4!
9462. Bamboo cutting board with different cutting mats
9463. Lots of kitchen shears
9464. Umbrellas
9465. Kids enjoying their gifts
9466. Kids taking pictures
9467. Getting immediate use out of Just Dance 4
9468. Fun new songs to dance too
9469. Watching Jim, Rachel, Mom and the kids dance
9470. Songs I like on the game
9471. More time to read
9472. Smooth bed time
9473. Finishing What Did You Expect?
9474. Hearing greetings from friends
9475. Updating my Good Reads account
9476. Having Goodreads available to me
9477. Seeing how much I have been reading
9478. Thinking about the days blessings
9479. Watching some of the Pirates movie
9480. Sleep
9481. Getting out of bed before 6 am
9482. Kids having things to draw on this morning
9483. Mom showing the kids their drawing books
9484. Having significant amount of time to pray
9485. Reading my Bible
9486. Reading 2nd John
9487. Reading 3rd John
9488. Books from the Bible that are encouragement to persevere in the faith
9489. Lucky Charms
9490. Kids eating well
9491. Jamey helping me clean out the dishwasher
9492. Reuben and Gabriel sleeping until 8 am
9493. Gabriel inhaling his banana
9494. Doing Russian with Lillian
9495. Time to journal
9496. God moving
9497. Hanging out
9498. Low key, few plans day
9499. Being with family
9500. Yummy sandwiches
9501. Rachel and Jim making sandwiches
9502. Enjoying lunch together
9503. Stimulating conversation
9504. Talking theology
9505. Finding Daddy and I agree more on theology than I thought
9506. Encouraging each other in the faith
9507. Kids resting
9508. 3 younger ones napping
9509. Daddy reading to Jamey
9510. Daddy reading to Lillian
9511. Gabriel playing well
9512. Jim getting to nap
9513. Relaxing afternoon
9514. Learning more about seeking God's best
9515. Learning more about how to encourage others
9516. Growing in knowledge on God
9517. God opening my eyes to help me understand Scripture more
9518. Sharing what I learned from reading What Did You Expect?
9519. God's continual grace and mercy
9520. Having spiritual eyes
9521. Being blessed more than I deserve
9522. Jamey learning how to draw
9523. Jamey being able to draw a picture from the instruction book
9524. Jamey growing in different skills
9525. Jamey liking to draw
9526. Lillian trying to draw some
9527. Reuben coloring
9528. Daddy cutting up onions
9529. Rachel and I getting 4 cups of cheese shredded
9530. Getting dinner started before Jim got up
9531. Jim being able to get dinner ready quickly
9532. Daddy and Mom making guacamole to go with our black bean casserole
9533. Lillian taking a 4+ hour nap
9534. The kids all eating well
9535. Avocados (really wish I could grow these here)
9536. Kids loving avocado
9537. Jim getting out the door smoothly
9538. Jim already having food at work
9539. Going to Pie Kitchen with Daddy
9540. God working out divine appointments
9541. Not being able to find a Starbucks gift card
9542. Jordan making me a slice of cookie dough ice cream pie since there wasn't any in the freezer
9543. Meeting Jonathan and Chelsea from Sojourn
9544. Sharing a little with them
9545. Getting Chelsea's email address
9546. Really good conversation
9547. Challenging each other
9548. Seeking God's wisdom
9549. Chelsea excited to learn more about prayer for workers
9550. Eating ice cream with Daddy
9551. God's perfect timing
9552. God's amazing grace
9553. Being able to talk about sin struggles
9554. Talking about what we are learning from God
9555. Exchanging ideas
9556. Sweet Tea
9557. Jordan giving me a glass of sweet tea
9558. God's provision in the little things
9559. Praying together
9560. God changing hearts
9561. Seeing God at work in many things
9562. Talking some with Becca
9563. Finally getting to bed
9564. Being able to get up with only about 4 hours sleep
9565. Mom starting breakfast for the kids
9566. Coffee
9567. Having time to pray and read
9568. Being able to go to God when I am really struggling
9569. Lucky Charms
9570. Making it through the morning
9571. Jamey and Lillian building with magnetic blocks
9572. Jamey growing in creativity
9573. God working in Jamey
9574. God always at work
9575. Kids asking to play the dance game instead of watching something
9576. Starting Revelation
9577. Seeing a lot of warnings for the church today in Revelation
9578. Recognizing things I need to be on the alert for in my life
9579. God getting through to my head even in a fog
9580. Going to lunch with Mom
9581. Daddy, R and R taking the kids to eat and play at McDonald's
9582. Eating at Cheesecake Factory
9583. Really good salad and sandwich
9584. Getting avocado on my sandwich
9585. Mom asking me about my book
9586. Sweet Tea
9587. Getting Cheesecake to go
9588. Walking around the mall
9589. Getting exercise
9590. Being able to resist the mall
9591. Growing in dislike of mall shopping
9592. Finding potential family ornaments that have 7 people on them for next year
9593. Being reminded of how different people are
9594. Being reminded of how people learn differently
9595. Finding a maternity shirt on sale
9596. Finding a maternity shirt in a style I like
9597. Meeting another pregnant woman
9598. Being able to encourage the other woman
9599. Getting good info from her
9600. Dinner getting ready
9601. Scalloped potatoes
9602. Kids having fun at McDonald's
9603. Jim getting some sleep
9604. All eating dinner together
9605. Everyone fitting at the table
9606. Jim getting off to work
9607. Having good left overs for him to take for lunch
9608. Kids playing the dance game with Becca and Rachel
9609. Smooth bed time
9610. Kids going to sleep quickly
9611. Chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake
9612. Going to sleep before 8 pm
9613. Waking up early
9614. Waking up refreshed
9615. Time to work on a few things
9616. Time to pray before everyone got up
9617. Time to read more of Revelation
9618. Looking for understanding
9619. Learning to be OK with mystery
9620. Having a God we cannot completely comprehend
9621. God's greatness
9622. God knowing all things
9623. Trusting that God knows all things
9624. Trusting that God is in control
9625. Having a little time with just Jamey this morning
9626. Getting breakfast started
9627. Cinnamon rolls
9628. Kids eating a good breakfast
9629. Reuben sleeping until 7:30
9630. Gabriel sleeping until 7:30
9631. Jim having a good night
9632. Rain
9633. God replenishing the earth
9634. Seeing Rachel
9635. Seeing Gidget and Margo
9636. Worshiping my Lord with other believers
9637. Learning about why Jesus had to die
9638. Being reminded that we also must die
9639. Hearing great thoughts on how to go about resolutions
9640. Thinking about what I want to focus on next year
9641. Thinking about how I need to die to myself everyday
9642. Figuring out how to die to self and live for Christ everyday
9643. Hearing how great what Christ did for us is
9644. Knowing that Satan and death have been defeated
9645. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus!
9646. The idea of suffering in our lives being part of our glorification process (2 Corinthians 4:17)
9647. Jesus drawing people in love
9648. Being reminded to be careful what I love
9649. Great thoughts for the end of the year
9650. Talking to MyLee for a few minutes
9651. Finding out the Corona's are looking for a house in our area of town!
9652. Talking to Lora for a few minutes
9653. Getting out of the church building quickly
9654. Going to Olive Garden for lunch
9655. Sweet Tea
9656. Olive Garden bread sticks
9657. Olive Garden salad
9658. Lasagna
9659. Jamey and Lillian picking out their food and drink
9660. Having a good full meal
9661. Daddy and Mom buying all of us lunch
9662. Jim getting to nap
9663. Time to rest on the sofa
9664. Talking about Scripture with Rachel and Daddy
9665. Snuggling with Lillian
9666. Talking about God's character
9667. Seeking Truth together
9668. Admitting there are some things that we cannot understand on this side of Heaven
9669. Jamey sharing with Lillian
9670. Playing a game with Lillian
9671. Talking with Rachel
9672. Jim getting a good nap
9673. Hanging out
9674. Eating leftovers for dinner
9675. Really yummy mac and cheese
9676. Kids playing
9677. Staggering bed times
9678. Smooth bed time
9679. Time to talk with Jim
9680. Going to bed early

What Did You Expect?

This book, by Paul David Tripp, is an excellent look at marriage as a sanctifying gift from God. I really appreciate the honesty in the book and real examples of people who have been in the trenches and seen God work, as well as Tripp's own struggles. It challenges us to ask ourselves whose kingdom are we living for, God's or our own and how we live for God's Kingdom together. Tripp also reminds us that marriage is a daily battle of fighting sin and seeking God and His Kingdom first. Our trouble in marriage is a worship problem not an us vs them problem. When we seek to worship ourselves and see our own Kingdom we have discord. When we seek to worship God and His Kingdom we have unity. It's a commitment.

Tripp gives us 6 commitments to strive for in our marriages with the help of Christ:

1. We will give ourselves to a regular lifestyle of confession and forgiveness
2. We will make growth and change our daily agenda
3. We will work together to build a sturdy bond of trust
4. We will commit to building a relationship of love
5. We will deal with our differences with appreciation and grace
6. We will work to protect our marriage

These are great commitments to work for by God's grace to strive to live like Christ and for Christ to be reflected in our marriage.

For content I would give this book 5 stars.

Stylistically I would only give this book 3 stars as he is repetitive and I felt like things could have been arranged better. These personal preferences would not keep me from recommending this book to others as an excellent resource to help in seeking God in their marriage.

Born to Die

Last night as I was sitting at the Christmas Eve service at Sojourn, it really hit me that the purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to die. From the beginning of time when the world was created, Jesus knew He would be leaving His throne in Heaven to come to earth to save the world from their sins. There is so much in this that I cannot comprehend, but as I remember Jesus's birth this year I marvel at Him coming to die. Remember God's love for us as we celebrate Jesus's birth.

December 16 to 22

8686. Waking at 6:30
8687. Getting breakfast going
8688. Time to pray and read the Bible
8689. Finally getting caught up on my Bible reading plan!
8690. Desiring to feast on God's Word more
8691. Desiring to pray more
8692. Seeing God give us the desires of our hearts as they match His will for our lives
8693. School time
8694. Great Bible reading time
8695. Getting more regulated in discipline
8696. Seeking to be more disciplined
8697. Kids growing in listening skills
8698. Learning God's Word together
8699. Getting all of our major subjects finished
8700. Jamey growing and learning
8701. Learning how much to push him
8702. Desiring to help him continue in desiring to learn
8703. Learning to combat laziness more
8704. Being productive
8705. Lillian learning
8706. Seeing growth in Lillian
8707. Reuben growing in doing puzzles
8708. Watching Reuben learn
8709. Reuben's vocabulary growing
8710. Reuben asking frequently "What's this?"
8711. Learning how to foster curious minds
8712. Learning to overcome our tendencies
8713. Taco Bell
8714. Family lunch
8715. Good conversations
8716. Grocery store date with Jim
8717. Good rest time
8718. Jamey napping
8719. Time to read for fun
8720. Interesting discussions that come from reading different POVs
8721. Being challenged
8722. Learning to investigate all of Scripture
8723. Yummy pasta dish for dinner
8724. Family dinner
8725. Playing games together
8726. Smooth bed time
8727. Going to BYOB book club
8728. Seeing Ashley
8729. Seeing Breanne
8730. Seeing Jennifer
8731. Meeting new Sisters
8732. Seeing Melanie
8733. Finding out Melanie is also expecting
8734. Hearing about the books people are reading
8735. Being encouraged in my Childbirth Conversation book and class
8736. Ashley being willing to help me set up a more in depth blog for Childbirth Conversations
8737. Great fellowship
8738. Coffee and Hot Chocolate
8739. Great snacks
8740. Breanne's hospitality
8741. Fun conversation
8742. Sisterhood and bonding even when we didn't know each other before
8743. Learning more about homeschool co-op for next year
8744. Things to plan for next year
8745. Being able to help others plan for teaching
8746. Being able to be yourself even when your in a fighting mood
8747. Ashley blessing us with a jacket
8748. Lots of encouragement
8749. Jim having a fun evening
8750. Late night
8751. Sleeping until almost 8
8752. Really good hot breakfast
8753. Becca making breakfast
8754. Family breakfast time
8755. Getting ready for the day
8756. Family Bible time
8757. Gidget and Silas coming over before playgroup
8758. Playgroup
8759. Kids running around a lot
8760. Silas playing with Jamey and Lillian
8761. Great conversation with Gidget
8762. Discussing Genesis 1
8763. Open honest questions and dialogue
8764. Seeing Shannon, Charlotte and Juliet
8765. Seeing Caroline, Luke and Hadley
8766. Seeing Lauren and Samuel
8767. Talking about homeschool curriculum
8768. Encouragement from Sisters
8769. All of our kids playing well together
8770. Learning constantly
8771. Teaching kids to work things out together
8772. Kids playing awhile before begging for food
8773. My kids eating 2 almost whole apples
8774. Lemon Yogurt
8775. Gidget and Silas getting to stay until noon
8776. Walking
8777. Having the ability to walk
8778. Finding out more about serving our workers
8779. Good lunch time
8780. Talking at lunch
8781. Rest time
8782. Making monkey bread with Jim
8783. Time to talk while we cook
8784. Reuben napping
8785. Finishing The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert
8786. Reading a book in a couple of days
8787. Not watching TV all day
8788. Getting needed email sent
8789. Reuben's fascination with a flashlight
8790. Jamey finally falling asleep
8791. Reading my daily Bible reading
8792. God's grace abounding everywhere
8793. Working on blessings
8794. Having so many blessings to count
8795. The literalness of children
8796. Lots of baby movements
8797. God always being in control
8798. Having a God I can take my fears, doubts and questions to
8799. God being a personal God
8800. Having a house with central heating
8801. Having a warm place to go
8802. Gabriel growing
8803. Gabriel sitting up to drink his bottle
8804. Having to teach hard lessons the hard way
8805. Reuben's jabber
8806. Smiles and giggles
8807. Getting things done
8808. Getting end of year letter written
8809. Getting prints from Snapfish
8810. Productivity
8811. Getting things ready for CG Christmas party
8812. Finding Jeff Street with little difficulty
8813. Grace making it to our Christmas party
8814. Seeing everyone
8815. Fun conversations
8816. Ryan being able to come
8817. Beth Anne being able to come
8818. Grace meeting new people and being encouraged
8819. God moving among us
8820. Relatively nice game of White Elephant
8821. Jamey and Reuben playing the game
8822. Jamey getting a remote controlled helicopter from the game
8823. Great fellowship
8824. Time to pray for each other
8825. Hearing encouraging stories from others
8826. All of us being given opportunities to share the Good News of Christmas
8827. Paul being able to spend Christmas with his kids
8828. Getting cleaned up quickly
8829. Smooth bedtime for Jamey and Reuben
8830. Lots of good food
8831. Few minutes to relax
8832. Getting sleep
8833. Sleeping until almost 8 am 2 days in a row
8834. Jamey and Lillian playing well
8835. Getting up and going quickly
8836. Cereal for breakfast
8837. Getting sofa where it could be sat on by multiple people
8838. Doing Bible time with the kids
8839. The White's coming over to hang out
8840. Kids playing
8841. Reading books to the kids
8842. Getting to know Billy better
8843. Laughter
8844. Planning to go on a double date next week
8845. Silas and Margo doing well
8846. Just being
8847. Friendships growing
8848. Making plans for studying the Word
8849. Being able to give Gidget some resources
8850. Interesting conversations
8851. Becca making sandwiches for everyone
8852. Enjoying lunch together
8853. Homemade cookies
8854. Silas sitting with Jamey and Lillian
8855. Finding things in common
8856. Spending 3 hours together
8857. Fun morning
8858. Good rest time
8859. Reading and finishing Where's Mom?
8860. Reading more of What Did You Expect?
8861. Running to the book store with Jim
8862. Getting a free Red Box movie for family movie night
8863. Reading 1 Timothy (love this book too)
8864. Falling more in love with God and His Word
8865. Fighting every day
8866. Not fighting alone
8867. Chicken fried rice for dinner
8868. Nice family dinner time
8869. Gabriel eating a lot
8870. Gabriel's hugs
8871. Reuben's hugs and kisses
8872. Jamey giving hugs to his brothers
8873. Jamey desiring to help his siblings do things
8874. Seeing continual growth with all of the kids
8875. Rolling a ball with Gabriel
8876. Gabriel learning to throw
8877. Gabriel's laugh
8878. Watching "Monster University" for family movie night
8879. Sitting together on the sofa
8880. Having a sofa big enough to hold us all comfortably
8881. Snuggling with Reuben
8882. Teaching Gabriel to sit on the sofa
8883. Snuggling the Lillian
8884. Being together
8885. Lillian falling asleep in Jim's lap
8886. Precious moments
8887. Smooth bed time
8888. Watching "Chuck" with Jim and Becca
8889. Fun relaxing day
8890. Warmed monkey bread with frozen cool whip
8891. Snuggling with Jim
8892. Being reminded that God is always in control
8893. Learning to let go of control
8894. God being so big
8895. Sleep
8896. Waking up and getting out of bed quickly
8897. Time to pray at the start of the day
8898. Reading Titus
8899. Encouragement from God's Word
8900. Cheese Grits
8901. Kids playing well together before school time
8902. School
8903. Having time to get a decent amount of school work done
8904. Lillian being close to finishing her first phonics workbook
8905. Lillian beginning to write some
8906. Being the one to teach my kids to read, write and spell
8907. Reuben learning to do simple puzzles
8908. Reuben becoming more curious and asking questions
8909. Jamey starting his new handwriting book
8910. Getting back into math
8911. Jamey learning to write his numbers
8912. Gabriel starting to participate
8913. Singing together
8914. Watching all the kids learn and grow
8915. Learning to enjoy watching the kids learn and grow
8916. Great lunch time
8917. Enjoying another family day
8918. Getting a Russian lesson done
8919. Jamey participating in the lesson
8920. Jamey's initiative
8921. Seeking how to stretch Jamey
8922. Jamey wanting to spell hard words
8923. Learning so much from the kids
8924. Remembering my blessings
8925. Getting emails weeded through
8926. Good rest time
8927. Watching "Monster University" again
8928. Monster University actually being a really good movie
8929. Running a couple errands with Jim
8930. Pizza for dinner
8931. Time to talk in the car
8932. Getting a gift from Mimi
8933. Gabriel eating a whole piece of pizza
8934. Talking at dinner
8935. Playing games together
8936. Time to read for fun
8937. Growing in my desire to read
8938. Working on letters
8939. Watching Jim, the kids and Becca dance
8940. Lots of laughs
8941. Jamey and Lillian learning to play Mario Kart
8942. Enjoying family time
8943. Smooth bed time
8944. Time to relax
8945. Playing Sudoku
8946. Working my brain
8947. Time to learn
8948. Thinking about goals for next year
8949. Talking to Becca
8950. God solidifying who He is in my mind
8951. Being reminded that Jesus is all we need
8952. Jesus being our everything
8953. Finally getting to sleep
8954. Waking up at 6:30
8955. Another morning to pray before things really got going
8956. Getting the kids started with breakfast
8957. Time to read 1 Peter
8958. Being encouraged by remembering we will be like Christ in the end
8959. We will be made new!
8960. The hope a life with Christ brings
8961. Good breakfast time
8962. Remembering God works in mysterious ways
8963. Being reminded God's ways are higher than ours
8964. Good school time
8965. Getting started with school in a timely manner
8966. Seeing more progress everyday
8967. A few minutes to do Russian
8968. Jamey and Lillian both participating in Russian
8969. Reading a Russian/English book with Jamey
8970. Growing in understanding Russian
8971. Doing a lot of laundry
8972. Working together as a family
8973. Teaching Jamey, Lillian and Reuben to do household tasks
8974. Growing together
8975. Sandwiches
8976. Learning to speak the truth in love
8977. Growing in all things
8978. Gabriel having a good 1 year well appointment
8979. Having healthy children
8980. Gabriel almost being done with teething
8981. Really desiring to grow out of laziness
8982. Thinking about routines to impliment to help us remember what we need to do
8983. Realizing routines are good
8984. Having a little time to rest
8985. Stretching my brain
8986. Jamey learning to make pancakes with Jim
8987. Jamey learning math and chemistry in the kitchen
8988. Making the most of everyday opportunities
8989. Lillian and Reuben talking and laughing together
8990. Pancakes and chocolate syrup
8991. Kids scarfing down their dinner
8992. Gabriel enjoying a fourth of an apple
8993. Learning we need to decrease the amount of milk Gabriel drinks
8994. Kids playing together
8995. Jim having time to play a game with the kids before work
8996. Getting diapers folded
8997. Kids learning to fold
8998. Getting a little time to read for fun
8999. Watching kids dance
9000. Reuben dancing in more rhythm
9001. Hearing Reuben say "I did it" when he follows directions
9002. Understanding a lot of what Reuben was saying today
9003. Reuben asking for hugs and kisses
9004. Watching Gabriel snuggling with Jim
9005. Gabriel's smile and bright eyes
9006. Smooth bed time
9007. Praying for my kids
9008. Jamey praying for his siblings
9009. Listening to Reuben talk to himself and laugh
9010. Taco Bell
9011. $5 boxes
9012. Time to reflect on who God is
9013. Remembering that I have nothing to fear because God is in control
9014. Enjoying a few moments to pray and worship
9015. Being able to reflect on who God is
9016. Food!
9017. Cookies
9018. Watching "13 Going On 30"
9019. The movie being far better and cleaner than expected
9020. Hanging out
9021. Getting most of our pictures backed up
9022. Preparing to clean off the laptop in hopes it will work better
9023. Having more designated online time
9024. Seeing what Andy Surkis really looks like
9025. Being alive
9026. Getting a lot done
9027. Several late nights
9028. Having late evenings to work on things
9029. Still getting up early
9030. God helping me persevere
9031. God giving me strength
9032. Sleep
9033. Being able to doze until about 8 am
9034. Having no plans for the day
9035. Hanging out with the kids
9036. Watching the kids play together
9037. Jamey learning to share
9038. Eating breakfast together
9039. Jim having a good night
9040. Time to read my Bible
9041. Time to pray
9042. Playing with the kids
9043. Time to read for fun/education
9044. Gabriel standing up more
9045. Gabriel showing interest in walking with toys
9046. The Russian books being a big hit with the kids
9047. The 3 older ones wanting to know Russian words
9048. Reuben saying more words in English
9049. Reuben trying a couple words in Russian
9050. Learning as a family
9051. Leftovers for lunch
9052. Time to work on a few things
9053. Talking with Becca
9054. Solidifying truths
9055. God's Truth standing the test of time
9056. Jim sleeping well
9057. Time to rest
9058. Kids resting well
9059. Shrimp and peas
9060. Gabriel eating a lot
9061. Reuben eating better
9062. Having healthy children
9063. Jim being able to play a game with the kids before work
9064. Kids dancing
9065. Kids learning more about music
9066. Smooth bed time
9067. Hanging out
9068. Going to sleep early
9069. Getting up at 7
9070. Getting the kids ready for the day
9071. Cinnamon Rolls
9072. Nice temperature
9073. Jim having a good night at work
9074. Walking to church
9075. Talking as we walk
9076. Teaching as we walk
9077. Getting to church early
9078. Jamey asking to listen to the band practice
9079. Kids dancing to the music
9080. Kids being able to play while waiting for time to go to class
9081. Seeing Grace
9082. Talking to Lora
9083. Seeing Joanna
9084. Talking with Kristen
9085. Beginning to solidify plans for next Childbirth Conversation Class
9086. Seeing the Felix family
9087. Seeing David and Alba
9088. Meeting Alba's family
9089. Seeing Luke and Ann
9090. Seeing MyLee
9091. Connecting with the Body
9092. Talking to Paul
9093. Kids celebrating Jesus's birthday
9094. Jamey telling us about what he learned
9095. Nice walk home
9096. Jamey and Lillian helping with the stroller
9097. Corn Chowder for lunch
9098. Really good corn chowder
9099. Good lunch conversation
9100. Learning to include God in everything
9101. Hearing about what devotion to Jesus really looks like
9102. Being challenged in how I need to be more devoted to God
9103. Wondering what sold out devotion for Jesus would look like
9104. God's amazing grace when we fail
9105. Reading God's Word
9106. Taking a nap
9107. Kids resting
9108. Jim taking a good nap
9109. Time to talk with Charlene
9110. Seeing Jamie and Damien
9111. Learning how to get out more
9112. Learning to live in light of the Gospel
9113. Learning to live without fear
9114. Taco bell for dinner
9115. $5 boxes still there
9116. Enjoying dinner together
9117. Talking
9118. Kids being able to play outside for a little while
9119. Finding the Disney version of "Robin Hood" on Netflix
9120. Kids learning to play Mario Kart
9121. Becca going to church
9122. Time to read more for fun
9123. Turtle ice cream pie
9124. Smooth bed time
9125. Decent bed time

Where's Mom?

This book by Dorothy Kelley Patterson is a short quick read, but very encouraging. It is nothing new but a good reminder of the role women play as wives and mothers. It was most certainly an encouragement to me as a stay-at-home mom who sometimes, many times, takes that for granted. I was thankful to be reminded of the God given calling He has given to me and I would recommend it to others to be reminded of what God has called you to.