A Full Season

 We've been a little lax on updates over the past few months. God has been working in mighty ways in our home, and the blog posts have not gotten done. Right now our family is learning and growing and so much of that is done hands on or in other parts of the internet. 

Our biggest news right now is that we're expecting our 11th special blessing in February! 

While not completely expected, we are so thrilled that God has given us another arrow in our quiver to teach and train in the fear of the LORD! Our other children are so excited to have a new sibling and they talk about the new baby all of the time. While the pregnancy has been normal, it's also been taxing. We're all having to work together in ways we hadn't before and all of us are growing in what it means to work hard as unto the LORD and work together for the glory of God and the good of the family. It's about 12 weeks before this little one is born and we are excited for the time to come to meet this new addition. 

With our precious gift on the way, we are in the market for a bigger van. Right now it is proving difficult to find what we need used. If you are aware of any 15 passenger vans for sale, please let us know! The way the market is with everything going on in the world we may end up needing to buy new, which is unnerving, but we know God will provide exactly what we need. 

This year God has also been working on us in building a family ministry business under our name here: The Manor Manor. While still in the beginning growing stages of this endeavor, we are reaching out and growing our email list. We will be encompassing many areas under this umbrella, including Childbirth Conversations, Psalm 127 Ministry and Emmie Beth Manor (my author site). We will continue to consult for Norwex and for essential oils as well. 

The Manor Manor will encourage and help families with discipleship all the way through life, healthy, natural living, childbirth education and beyond. Right now we're really focusing on discipleship with our Bible and Breakfast Template. We would love to have you join us on this journey by getting your Bible and Breakfast Template and joining our mailing list. If you know anyone that would benefit from what we're offering please pass the word along. We want to serve families well and prepare them for the climate change that is coming. We have Bible studies in the works for families that will be available in the next few months. We're so excited about what God is doing! 

Other ways you can support us in this would be following us:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheManorManor
https://www.facebook.com/EmmieManorNorwexConsultant
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themanor.manor/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp5zGCSuqmvvWo5-kHusWlw

We're still building these, but we would love you along for the journey!

This Saturday at 1 PM ET we are also part of a Christmas Bazaar and we would love to have you come and see the amazing Black Friday Offers that our friends will be sharing. There are some amazing products available! You can register for the Bazaar Here: https://handprintlegacy.com/christmasbazaar

Lillian is also working toward fulling launching her bakery in the new year. She has had a consistent customer this year, which has been a huge blessing for her getting practice as well as a few other customers throughout the year. We will be building her website and page in the months to come. 

Yes, life is full right now! We continue to teach and train our children at home, Jim is still working full time at Piedmont in the PACU and we're rearranging and purging our home to make our home function better for our growing family. But it is good. God is good and He is teaching us how to live in what He has called us to even though it doesn't look at all like we expected! 

Thank you for being a part of our journey! We couldn't do it without you!

Our Four Year Old Isaac

 How much time has gone by since we welcomed our 8th child into our arms, unexpectedly in 2017. Things have changed and life is full, and we are so blessed to have Isaac in our family to add to the fullness, the laughter and the fun!

Isaac is so full of energy and spends his days running, coloring, learning his letters and numbers and helping with his chores. He's always on the go and also loves to learn, which is quite a fun combination. He loves music and singing and walks around the house with his "guitar" singing "Death Was Arrested," his current favorite song. 

Isaac is spunky and spirited and does not like to be told no. He absolutely thinks he is older than he is and that he can do anything to big boys can do! He climbs and runs everywhere. If you see a blur go by, it's probably Isaac going to the next thing. He keeps us on our toes as moves from one thing to the next very quickly. Right now we're working on focusing and when he really wants to work on a project he does a great job seeing it through! 

Because he wants to be one of the big boys, Isaac is often in their room learning from them, wrestling with them and trying to do what they do. He loves hanging out with his big brothers and they teach him so much as they learn themselves. For the most part Isaac is fearless and will try just about anything (as long as there isn't a dog around!) He loves to explore outside and watches ants and roly-poly's as they work around our yard and driveway. He picks leaves and flowers to bring to his mama to brighten her day. He loves riding toys and going as fast as he can down our driveway. The kids hideout is a shelter for him. He could be outside all day and be perfectly content. 

Currently, Isaac is perfecting his letters and sounds, learning numbers, writing and drawing basics, and enjoying God's creation. He is also learning Scripture and is learning James with the rest of the family. His favorite thing to learn is songs and is always asking to sing hymns and songs we learn in corporate worship. It is such a joy to hear him sing! 

We are so blessed by Isaac in our family. He adds so much life with his gigantic smile and contagious laugh. It's such a joy to watch him grow and we pray for God to do a mighty work in his life. 

Father, we thank You for Isaac and the gift he is to our family! Thank You for such an amazing surprise and a boy who is so full of life. We pray that You will work in his heart and give him a saving faith in Jesus to be reconciled to You that he may bring You glory and live for Your Kingdom. Thank You for all that You have already done in his short life. Thank You for teaching us about Your goodness, grace and love. Thank You for teaching us about laughter and fun in the midst of fullness and chaos. Please continue to grow him and bring him to You. In Jesus Name we ask these things, Amen!

 

Our Ten Year Old Reuben

Our sweet Reuben is now double digits! It doesn't seem possible that we could have three children now in the pre-teen phase, but we are blessed to have such amazing children. 

Reuben joined our family on the outside ten years ago today! 

I can't express to you what a joy and delight Reuben is to our family! He is so mild mannered and for the most part even tempered that he just goes with the flow in spite of the chaos or fullness around him. He watches and takes it all in. He listens to what's around him. He also enjoys the stories in his own mind. Reuben loves to read and learn as well as imagine and create. He's a thinker and loves to put things together. He's quiet and caring and such a vital part of the Manor Manor.

One of the amazing things about Reuben is that he can fix anything! God has given him an incredible mind to look at something and find a solution for how to put it back together. He's become our handyman in training and regularly fixes drawers, doors, cabinets and shelves. He also practices his building skill with Legos and builds both from instructions and his own imagination. Building and putting together is probably one of his favorite things to do.

Reuben inherited creativity from his Creator. He loves to draw, color, create with origami and other paper creations. He is wanting to write a book series about heros and has been writing down ideas for these books. Creativity runs deep in his veins and it is so fun to see it emerge in many different ways. His drawings from our study of Revelation as a family were amazing and so realistic! He constantly surprises us.

Reuben also loves to read and learn. He reads books of all kinds from lift the flap from Usborne to chapter books. He has been working on The Hobbit this year as his stretch book and enjoys comparing it to the movie. Right now he's very interested in geography, Biblical studies and what firefighters do. 

We call Reuben "Muscles" because God has given him a natural strength that goes along with his natural building and fixing tendencies and preparing him well for becoming a fire fighter. He loves to climb, swing and use his muscles for fun activities. He also uses them to carry heavy objects for his mama and help when Daddy is not here to do the heavy lifting. He is eager to help and wants to help others regularly. When asked why he wants to be a fire fighter he says so he can help people.

Our Reuben is so sweet and tender. He is easily upset and doesn't like to see others hurting. This is a gift and it helps him care well for his siblings. It's amazing to see how God has given him such a heart already. He is learning Scripture and memorizing it and learning more about the God of the Universe. He also prays for missionaries and to obey. We clearly see God working in his heart and mind. Reuben is such a gift and I'm thankful everyday that God has given him to our family.

Father, thank You for our sweet Reuben. Thank You for how You're working in his life. Please continue to draw him to You and bring him to life in Jesus. Thank You for his sweet spirit and desire to help others. Make Reuben more like You even as You draw him. We pray all this in the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Our Five Year Old Malachi

Our spunky Malachi is now five! 

Our last child born in Louisville, he was a turning point in our family's story. He was not even one when we came back to GA, and now Malachi is five. Time flies so quickly the older you get and it's no exception with this little man.

Malachi is such a joy! He loves to help, loves to learn and loves to be outside. One of our favorite things is talking while we sort laundry together to put away. He enjoys helping me do this and it's a special time for us. He's also amazing at sorting clothes! Malachi is also learning to clean his room by putting things away and sweeping as well as making his bed. He will also give the older boys a hand with their chores when needed. 

Learning is at the top of his list of favorite things to do. Recently, Malachi has been excelling at learning to write while practicing phonics and numbers, color and draw. In fact, it's been amazing to see his drawings recently. He's a bit obsessed with Larry Boy and draws him over and over again. He's getting pretty good! Puzzle books are also becoming fun for him. At this stage it's more for mazes and picture puzzles, but he enjoys doing the same ones over and over again. So fun! He wants to learn to read, but is in no hurry. He enjoys being read to still and it's precious to sit and read together when he's not wanting to write and draw. 

Being outside is also a favorite of his. Malachi has become very proficient at climbing trees and climbing high. He is fearless in this and loves to explore. Watching bugs, studying leaves and plants and watching birds are his preferred forms of science. He let's James teach him about these things as James loves to teach what he knows. 

This boys is also rough and tumble. Wrestling and hugging with force are very big for Malachi. He loves to spar with his brothers and get his energy out with a good row. With the rough and tumble, Malachi is also very sweet. He loves hugs, kisses and gentle pats on the head or back. He takes care of the little ones, especially Esther. He loves being a big brother and teaching her what he knows. It's amazing watching him teach even at a young age. What a sweet thing to see! 

Recently, Malachi has really grown in prayer, Bible memory and singing. Our Bible time in the morning is so precious. Though his flesh still fights it, we see God's Word not returning void as Malachi grows in learning it. He is beginning to pick out things from our Bible reading and answer questions. He is working on memorizing James with the other children and doing well with learning it. He's also learning to pray and he just prays whatever is on his heart and he loves to pray for others, especially our full-time missionaries. Singing is his favorite. He sings all kinds of things, but hymns he sings the most often. He asks to sing "Victory in Jesus", "Holy, Holy, Holy", and "Be Thou My Vision" among others. It's such a blessing to hear him sing. 

We are so thankful for Malachi. He's added such life to our home and he is a precious gift.

Father, Thank You for Malachi and giving him to our family. It's such a blessing to have his bright and fun personality in our family and home. Please continue to grow him in love of Your Word, Prayer and singing to You. Let him know You. Save Malachi by your amazing grace and let him bring You glory and honor by living a life after you in every way. Give him passion and love for You! We pray all this in the Name of Jesus, Amen!

Esther is One!

Our Precious second daughter is one year old!

How is it even possible that it's been a year since Esther was born into our arms! Having another girl in our home is such a precious gift.

Our sweet Esther is growing so quickly! She is full of personality and adds such fun to our home. She loves to smile and laugh, to be with her brothers and sisters, and to eat. Boy can this girl eat! And she eats everything. What a blessing that is! 

She already loves to learn. Esther watches then does. She repeats everything that she hears and is already talking a LOT. She's a super fast crawler but is working on walking. Right now she enjoys looking at books and turning pages. Already she's beginning to ask what things are. She wants to know.

Esther loves to be around people, especially family. She and Lillian already have a special sister bond and it is so sweet to watch Esther follow Lillian and want to be with her. She loves her brothers too, but already she recognizes that Lillian and her are different and it's such a blessing to see this grow even with ten years age difference between them. In turn, Lillian loves to take care of Essie and make sure she has what she needs. Lillian takes Esther with her and teaches her as they go. 

She also loves to snuggle and it so sweet to have Esther come up and give you a hug. She also loves kisses and fishy lips. It's so cute to watch her make fishy lips to ask for a kiss. Esther also blows kisses when she's leaving a room or Daddy is leaving and she's in her chair. It's precious having such a sweet little girl. 

We have been so blessed by this arrow in our quiver. Esther has been such a blessing to our home. 

Father, thank You for sweet Esther and giving us another girl to fill our family. Thank You for her life. We pray that You will continue to grow her and that You will save her by Your amazing grace. Give us grace to teach her to love You and her neighbor. Make her a light for Your glory. In Jesus's Name, we ask these things. Amen!

Our Six Year Old Nehemiah

 Our sweet Nehemiah is now six! This sweet spunky boy is growing so quickly. He entered the world with a bang and he continues to add so much life to our home.

Nehemiah loves life. He loves to explore the world, learn whatever he can and be with people. Being outside is one of his favorite things to do. No matter the weather or temperature, God's creation is where he wants to be. He explores our yard, climbs trees fearlessly and takes note of everything around him. He takes it all in and learns by doing so easily. He likes to figure out the puzzle of the world.

He also loves to learn. Nehemiah has grown so much in learning and he is now reading very well and taking in whatever books he is able. He also loves to do puzzle books of all kinds. Math has been coming naturally to him these days and he is motivated to learn whatever he can. If he wants to know something he has no problem asking. He loves learning from his older siblings and is picking up on all kinds of things as he listens to them. It's amazing to see how God created his mind and it is a joy to watch him learn. Especially watching him learn Bible and memorize it. It's incredible!

Nehemiah also takes care of the little ones, even though he is not that much older or bigger than they are. He loves to play with all of the younger ones, especially Timothy. He knows he is the big brother and seeks to lead by example as they play together. He pretends to be daddy or the dog owner. He makes sure they are not hurting each other and taking care of Esther if she is playing with them. His disposition is so sweet and it makes him such an amazing leader, even at such a young age.

With all of this, he is very sensitive. He easily gets hurt by others both physically and emotionally. It makes him very compassionate and we see his name's meaning (God is my comfort and help) already coming out in his personality. We pray that he will know the deep love and comfort of God so that he can point others to God when he is caring for them. 

We are so blessed by this precious gift from God. He is such a light in our family and we are so grateful for him.

Father, thank You for Nehemiah and giving him to our family. Thank You for his precious personality that You are already using to reach others. We pray that you will save Nehemiah by Your amazing grace. Make him like Jesus, fill him with Your Holy Spirit and use him to be Your hands and feet to those around him. Please grow him in Your grace in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man as he learns and grows. Give him a deep love for You and Your Word that he may keep Your Word and point others to You. In Jesus's Name, Amen!

17 Years of Marriage

 Today marks 17 years since we said, "I do." 

17 years of adventure. 17 years of learning what it means to do life together. 17 years of learning what it means to follow God and live according to His Word. 17 years of ups and downs, smiles and tears. 17 years of life.

This year has been one of much growth. Since much of this year has been interesting in a number of ways, God has taught us even more of these things above and we have grown so much together. 

This year we have learned so much more how to pray together over everything. We're still growing in this as it's not always easy to do in the fullness of life, but we see critically how much we need to pray over everything in our life and in the lives of those around us. We need to pray for our leaders locally, nationally and globally. We need to pray for the church our local body and our family around the world. We grow everyday in what it means to truly pray.

This year we have grown in learning together. Learning Bible, learning theology, learning how to parent better, learning how to organize and plan more efficiently, learning how to grow an online business, learning how to be together and enjoy fun times. We have really loved learning about growing a ministry business together and understanding how Scripture guides us in the principles even when exact commands do not exist. We're learning how to try and keep going and not be afraid of failure. 

Year 17 has been big for us in other ways as well. A book was published, we had our tenth child (another girl!), we started working diligently on Childbirth Conversations, we have gotten coaching to help guide us as the LORD shows us His path, and begun work on The Manor Manor as our parent business for all of our endeavors. 

What an adventure God has brought us on! 

And even though it has been challenging in many ways, it has been so good as God leads the way. 

Father, thank You for the gift of marriage. Thank you for this opportunity and privilege to share the Gospel by living Your design. Thank You for all of your blessings and all of the amazing gifts You have given us. We are blessed beyond measure and we are so thankful that You have brought us to this point. Please continue to guide us in our marriage as we walk with You, teach and train our children and seek to encourage others to do the same. Thank You for your grace! In Jesus Name we pray, Amen!