A New Day

Bill's Wedding

2009-10-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from my father-in-laws wedding on September 26th. The wedding went really well and hopefully I will have more pictures to share soon. Emilie and Grace were flower girls. Eli and cousin Boston were the ring barers. They all looked SO sweet. Eli was in top form that night, opening doors for the girls and I, offering to get us snacks and water. He made this Mama proud. Emilie and Grace did great and loved every minute. Boston did so good too. He walked down the aisle like such a gentleman. Aaron did awesome at the reception. He was Bill's best man so he gave a toast at cake cutting time. I just happened to be changing a diaper at the exact time Aaron's toast was delivered. EEERG! I had really wanted to hear him and be a support but Reshma gave me the word for word replay and Aaron did so good. I was very proud of him. Doesn't he look handsome in this picture too. No wonder we are having our fifth child. ;)
This picture of Emilie shows how big she is getting. I just love that girl and that man!

Wow, it's been awhile!

2009-10-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Let's see.......since my last post here is a quick list of all that has happened.

-our baby Anderson became a one year old and is now 15.5 mths old
-We have a new baby cooking in the over (6.5 mths pregnant)
-Grace became a Kindergartner
-We sold our house
-We moved into my father-in-laws house
-Eli turned 7
-Grace turned 5
-I turned 32
-Emilie hasn't had her birthday yet but she will be NINE is January and she is turning the corner into becoming a young lady. It's just there in the way she moves, talks, and loves coffee( I am serious!) It is a rare treat.

We are doing really well considering all the changes. God has provided for us in amazing ways. Grace is really enjoying kindergarten. She is just so happy and cheerful at the end of the day. Her teacher Mrs. Morris is very gifted. Emilie and Eli are both enjoying their teachers and friends. I am excited to be working in the classroom every Thursday. My sweet Mother has offered to meet me at Portland Christian Elementary every Thursday and watch Anderson for the day so that I can help in all three classrooms throughout the day. This was very important to me since I will not be able to help the second part of the year. Our third boy is due January 20th but my mid-wife says I should just be ready after Christmas. So, we shall see.

I am sad that I can not put any pictures on my blog right now but hopefully I will be able to soon.
I miss my blog friends. Hmmmm, I wonder who will be the first to check my blog after such a loooooooong time?

Oh my goodness how precious time is!

Nerners!

2009-03-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read the title right. Nerners is our nickname for Anderson....poor little guy. Aaron came up with this when he was talking to Andy during the first few days of his life. It stuck and so now he is lovingly referred to as Nerners by us all. Some of his other nicknames include- Master Chubbers (Grace made this one up), Anernon(Me), baby Nerns, brother(Eli), and a variety of short lived nicknames that come and go. I thought I would post some updated pictures of Anderson since our computor can post things again thanks to Aaron's friend Paul. He was a God sent, really. Anderson has been such a blessing to our family. He has an easy going temperament and he is very intense. His personality is similar to Eli's when he was a baby. Although there are differences. He likes to bang on things and hear the sounds. I think he may be our loudest child so far. He is very much into the touch and feel of things.
Here are a few pictures and two videos.

This picture is of Anderson at 3.5 months old.

These next two pictures were taken just this last week.
Anderson loves to just sit and kick his feet when he is excited

Emilie my sweetheart!

2009-02-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

I stole this picture from Katy's blog since I still can't download anything.

Emilie had a birthday last week on Jan. 30th. She is now 8 years old. We had a combined family birthday party a week early to celebrate Emilie's and her cousin Sophia's birthday.Sophia turned 4 on Jan. 29th. On Emilie's actual birthday she, Grace, Tyler, Esther, and myself all went to the mall to get Emilie's ears pierced and have a girls night out. Then we came back to our house for a sleepover. The girls had a great time and so did I. It was easy to have fun with such sweet girls around. Esther continually asked me how she could help in many situations and Tyler was a funny, hilarious, giddy, chatter box. Grace loved being with the big girls and Emilie was skipping though the mall with contentment. It was just good old fashion fun!

Emilie at 8 years old amazes me. I am SO very proud of her. Emilie is wise beyond her years and continually blows me away with how quietly confident yet so very humble she is. Parents and kids at school have commented on how quiet Emilie is and they almost seem worried about her. I was too,at first. However, the more I ask, learn, and observe the more I have come to realize that Emilie speaks when there is a need and she is very thoughtful about what she says. I am thankful for that. She is not frazzled by little things people say or do. She most of the time just assumes the best and moves on. She prefers quiet over loud, which is why she doesn't run around all over the playground at recess most of the time. Her teacher was concerned that Emilie was feeling left out but as I questioned Emilie I found that she didn't feel left out at all. She actually preferred the quiet down time. I am thankful that she can determine her needs and take care of herself. She is not top in her class in every subject but I really don't care about that. I think as we grow, wisdom trumps knowledge anyway. Now we all have areas that are being molded and shaped and Emilie is no exception but, I kid you not, I watch and learn from this girl much of the time. Thank you Jesus for Em!

Favorite kid saying of the week
Tonight I was serving dinner from the stove and delivering the plates to each person one at a time. This is what tenderhearted Eli said....
"Mom, you are really nice. It's really nice that you serve everyone else first and you always get your food last."
Aaron confirmed and said he agreed.

Oh my goodness, did that make my heart smile or what! We mothers make a lot of sacrifices that don't get noticed but when they do, what a paycheck!

2009-01-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

This entry was posted on a blog that I check occasionally. I liked it so much that I copied and pasted it onto mine. It was originally posted by a missionary who just returned to Africa.

Be content with your house, even if it isn't how you want it. Be content with your car, and your yard and your furniture. Be content if things don't match or they are a little outdated. Be content with your situation. Be content with simple food and living simply. Be content with little and don't think you need more. Be content with bad teachers, difficult bosses or discouraging news. More than just content, be thankful and joy-filled and gracious. Be content to be content. Be content so that you don't need anything to be content so that you can be content. Be content with things are hard. Be content with things are good. Be content to live in whatever circumstances you find yourself. Be content so you don't need anything more to be content. Being content is not an excuse for laziness or procrastination, but not being content is not justification for greed, self-indulgence, ignorance and just living the American dream.

Please, for your sake, be content. That is my hope and my pleading from the bottom of my heart for you that you will be content. Enjoy the blessings that God gives, but in them, be content.
Philip. 4:11
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

Kids, they make me laugh!

2009-01-19T22:25:00.000-08:00

Grace, Anderson, and I were on our way to pick up Eli and Emilie from school the other day and this is what Grace said to me as we are waiting at the stop light. This came out of the blue.

Grace
Grace: " Mommy, how do we go up?"
Me: "Hmmm, what do you mean?"
Grace:" You know, how do we go up?"
Me: "Are you asking me how we float up to heaven?"
Grace: "No Mommy, look at that sign up there. It's telling you to go up!"
(She pointed to a big sign up ahead that was pointing straight but through the eyes of a child it is pointing up. Which, in actuality it is.)
I wonder how long she sat there dreaming up how our car would go up.

Emilie
Me: " So Em, do you think you want to get your ears pierced for your birthday?"
Emilie: "Yes, I do."
Me: " How do you feel about it? "
Emilie: " Well, I am not really nervous about it hurting. I am scared that they might accidentally hit my nose or something like that." ( She says this calm and very matter-of-factly.)

I take a second to try and figure out what she means. It hits me and I can't help but giggle. You see, I have been telling Emilie that her ears will be pierced with a ear piercing gun.

Me: "Emilie have you been thinking this whole time that someone was going to stand and point a gun at your ears and shoot?
Emilie: "Yes, I guess so."

We both had a good laugh!

I just can't believe that she was still willing to go through with it.

I love you my girls! Thanks for showing how adult communication can be pretty poor at times.

I wish I could post pictures of my girls. EEEEERRRRGGGGG!

Missing the snow!

2008-12-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

I miss the snow. Yes, I said it. I miss the snow. I really enjoyed being trapped with my husband and kids. I felt so free to spend time with each of them. I knew we couldn't go anywhere so I wasn't trying to think of something I needed to do. All our commitments were canceled, including church, and it was nice. We live on a hill so we have a choice of three hills to go down and all of them were pretty bad for a long time. The first day that I could get out and drive with the kids, I found myself not wanting to go. I could be getting a little lazy, I don't know, but I think I am just not a huge fan of the hustle and bustle of life. Life is short and I just don't want it to zip by without getting a chance to soak it up.

Three things I learned during the snow storm
1) I have a long ways to go on perfecting my wifely skills.
2) I have a long way to go on perfecting my mothering skills.
3) Neighbors become family when no one can go anywhere.

Kid sayings of the week

Grace:"Mommy I like these build-a-bear shoes because I can put them on my dog easy."
Me: "Oh, good."
Grace:" It's because of the scarecrow." ( She proceeded to show me how she could undo the VELCRO shoes.)

Emilie:"Mommy, can I get a band aid for my cut?"
Me: "Sure."
Emilie goes to get a band aid and comes back into the room. I am busy with something and not really looking at her while she is talking.
Emilie: "Hey, Mom these band aids are kind of weird, they don't have that little soft spot."
I looked up to see her about to put a Breathright strip across her cut. I stopped her before she stuck in on.

Little House

2008-12-21T22:39:00.000-08:00

Our power went out tonight from 4p.m. until 8:45, it was a lot of fun. We got out the candles and flashlights. Aaron already had a fire going in the fireplace so that was good. We got our games and craft books and had a great time. Aaron put a blanket over the entry to our downstairs living room and it was nice and toasty in there. Our neighbors told us that PGE said it may take awhile to get the power on again so we got all our bedding out and planned on a slumber party. The kids were loving it. At one point the lights came back on and we all simultaneously gave a disappointed sigh.Then to our delight, the power went out again for another couple hours. At around 7:30 our neighbor Debbie came over to visit and get warm. She stayed to hear Aaron tell us all a bedtime story. Aaron is a great story teller and we all enjoyed it. When the power came back on Debbie headed home and the girls chose to sleep in their beds. Eli wanted to still have a slubber party so I laid with him until he fell asleep. Tonight felt like we lived during the Little House on the Prairie times. It was wonderful......for a night!

Update!

2008-12-16T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have to title all my blogs as "Update" since it takes me so long between blogs.

Oh my goodness can you believe it. I am actually posting a blog. I want to explain my last post. What happened was that I had typed the title and then I accidentally pushed enter. Only the title got posted and then my computer froze up. I gave up and went to bed. I didn't remember until a week later.
Anyway, it was my intention to write a bit about the death of my sister Gretta and how we were all doing. I thought about just skipping this subject altogether but that would not be real and it would not be an honest representation of how life is going right now. The short of things is that we all miss Gretta terribly and Christmas will not be without a strong ache in our hearts. Some days are full of joy and fun. Some days are full of tears. That is just the nature of mourning the loss of someone you love. Because Gretta's death was so sudden and so unexpected it is hard for my heart and mind to fully except what has happened. I know it is just a process that God and time will heal. Kevin and the girls are hanging in there. I am sure Christmas is going to be tough. For those of you who do not know, my mom has moved into there house and is helping with the girls and around the house. My plan is to visit over there at least once per week and twice is even better. I try to call every other day to keep in touch. Zoie and Sydney want me to bring Anderson over so they can cuddle him. He has been such a source of comfort for the girls. Whenever we have arrived in the past month Sydney or Zoie have picked him up right away and pretty much taken turns holding and kissing him. He has been a good source of laughter too. I know God is using him to help me heal too. I wish I could post a recent picture but I cannot post pictures on this computer. Our old computer broke and we are borrowing this one. (It is so hard to not be able to post pictures. Errrg!) Anderson will be six months on Christmas Eve, can you believe it? I can't! He is such a sweet happy baby. We are just loving him!

As far as life in general, we are finally all healthy. Let's see, Eli got the stomach flu about a week and a half ago. Grace got it 3 days later. Emilie got it 2 days after Grace. Anderson got a very mild case a day after Emilie. Then I got it. Aaron got it this last Saturday night and NOW we are all healthy. I am loving the snow and so hope the kids get the rest of the week off. I LOVE having them all home. We are all really looking forward to Christmas break. Now that Aaron works at Portland Christian he gets 2 weeks off also. Yeah!!!! This is just what the Dr. ordered. I am going to leave you with two funny things the kids said this last week.

GRACE
Grace "Mommy, did you get sick last night?"
Me "Yes, I did."
Grace "Did you throw up?"
Me "Yes, I did."
Grace "What color was it?"

ELI
Eli said this in the car on the way home from school. I was looking forward watching the road and he was talking to me.
Eli "Mom, is my wee wee the smallest?"
Me "What?!"
Eli "Is my wee wee the smallest?"
My mind is going crazy thinking of crazy thoughts like, who in the world is he comparing his wee wee with. Oh my goodness! I came to a stop light and turned around.
Me "Eli, what are talking about?"
Eli held up his hand and wiggled his PINKY. "You know mom, my wee wee. It's the smallest one."
I was laughing so hard I started crying.

Thank you God for such wonderful kids that make me laugh and bring joy to my heart!!!!

My sister Gretta!

2008-11-18T21:08:00.001-08:00

Learning and growing!

2008-09-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been an entire month since I last did a post. Just as many of you are experiencing in one way or another, school is in full swing. Wow, is this a new world for us! In some ways I am enjoying the new schedule. I am naturally not a very scheduled person but now I am forced to be. Every day I am so blessed that Aaron takes Emilie and Eli to school. This came straight from the hand of God, as I am sure He knows how very hard it is for me to get anywhere exactly on time. Every morning there is a slight ache in my heart as I say good bye to Em and Eli. Remember, this is the first year I have had any of my kids away from me. I treasure after school time and weekends. Honestly, the transition has gone quite well. I do miss the kids but I have seen great things happening in them. Emilie is learning to be more responsible in remembering things and getting homework done. She is almost always happy and cheerful after school. She really looks forward to art, music, and computer class. She is really enjoying it. Eli has made many friends and is some what of a leader according to his computer teacher. He comes home exhausted because he is always giving 110%. Grace, Anderson, and I are starting to get into a rhythm of sorts. Although, as I now remember, having a baby makes life a little unpredictable. I am having to readjust my expectations of myself and that can be hard. As in most of our lives, not everything is easy shmeasy, but I am needing to focus on the positive things in life right now and what better way than to blog about them. My prayer for the kids and Aaron and I has been that the joy of the Lord would be our strength. I miss you my friends!!!!

Oh, I forgot to mention that our computor when out so we are using an old modom that Kari lent to us. The very big bummer right now is that I cannot put any pictures on. I think this is one reason why I haven't blogged lately. Pictures are half the fun. So, for probably quite awhile you may just have to suffer through my wordy blogs.

Update

2008-08-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

This is an e-mail I sent out to some friends and family that haven't heard from us in awhile. I just went ahead and copied it so that I didn't have to write things twice. This e-mail talks about some life changes that have happened and will be happening soon. :)

Hello friends and family,
Aaron and I have not done a wonderful job of keeping up with some of you so I thought I would send out a quick update. God has been moving in our lives and directing us to his purpose. About 2 years ago Aaron decided that is was time to finish his college degree. He started out fairly slow but with work, family time, class, and homework he was very busy. Well, life got a bit more busy when we found out in the fall of 2007 that we were going to have another child. We decided to have Aaron double up on his college classed so that he could be finished when the baby arrived. By God's grace, that was a wonderful decision. It was very hard work for all of us but we made it and Aaron graduated this last spring. A few weeks later we added a member to our family. Anderson Landeen Lewis was born on June 24th 2008. He is now 2mths old and we are all in love with him. The kids are able to really enjoy him as they are all old enough to participate in helping and holding. In case some of you don't remember, Emilie is 7yrs old, Elijah is 6 yrs. old, and Grace is 4 yrs. old. Anderson has just been such a blessing to our family. But by God's grace the blessings did not stop there. The day after we returned from the hospital Aaron received an out-of-the-blue phone call from Portland Christian High School. They wanted to offer him a job as Athletic Director of the Jr. and Senior High School. Wow, were we blown off our feet. This as been a job that Aaron has dreamed of for years. This is also a job that requires a college degree, which Aaron just received a few weeks prior. God is so good! So, this means some life changes for us. For the past 2 years I have been homeschooling the kids and that is about to change. Emilie and Eli will be starting at Portland Christian this coming Fall. This will be a big change for me and it will not be easy, but we know that this is were God wants our children and we are so excited to make P.C. our ministry and our home away from home. We also intend to move some time within the next 8 months. We would like to be close to P.C. as Aaron will be working many nights attending games and doing whatever needs to be done. We plan on going to the games and making them family events. We also need to simplify life as our finances will be changing. We are O.K. with the change, however, because we really believe that this is were God wants us.
Before Lisa, Aaron's mom, past away suddenly 2.5 years ago she would gently and without pressure encourage Aaron to some day go back and finish his degree. She saw God's vision for Aaron and I am thankful for the seed she planted in him. The past 2.5 years have been the hardest we have ever experienced as a couple and family. It feels good to have a vision and plant our feet where God is directing. So, there is our update. I would love to hear from any of you and catch up. I have attached a picture of Anderson at 8 weeks and a picture of the whole family just a few hours after Anderson was born. I would love to hear from you. love Anna

Funny Anderson

2008-08-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

I am Emilie the biggest sister. My baby brother Anderson is funny. One time he went potty on Grace. He makes himself look tough. His cheeks are chubby. He grunts a lot. He toots and burps very loud. Those are the funny things he does. Good Bye!

4 weeks!

2008-07-22T23:51:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that our little Andy is already 4 weeks today? I can not! Time has flown by. The short story is that we are all doing very well and enjoying Anderson. We are getting back into the swing of life. Every day there is many to care for. Most days are very rewarding. Some days are very overwhelming. Every day is a blessing!!!! Here are some pictures of sweet Anderson within the past few days.

Anderson snuggling with Daddy! Such a safe place!

He likes baths! Yeah!

My little man

He's a bundle!

Overjoyed!

2008-06-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

Anderson Landeen Lewis
Born -June 24th, 2008

Overjoyed- This is the first word that I thought of when thinking of a title for this blog. Our newest addition to the family is adding so much joy to our lives already! He is such a blessing from God! The short story is that the birth went smooth and lasted about 5.5 hrs. He weighed 6.6lbs and is 19.5 inches long. The kids are in love with him and doing well with the transition. Here are some pictures of us enjoying this sweet boy. The first picture was stolen off of Katy Lewis' blog.:)

Psalms 103

2008-06-18T21:40:00.000-07:00

The kids and I were reading in Psalms tonight and I was so encouraged by this chapter. Just sit back, read, and be encouraged by these refreshing truths of God. He is patient and slow to anger. Wow, what an example for me as a mom to follow and to remember daily!
Thank you God for who You are and for these words of refreshment! Forgive me when I forget to praise You.

Psalms 103
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children-

18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Inducement date!

2008-06-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

This last Friday I went in for my 37 week prenatal appointment and my mid-wife presented me with an option. She told me that she will be going to Africa in about 2 weeks and would cry if she didn't get to deliver Anderson. Well, I wouldn't want her tears on my hands of course, so I agreed to an inducement date. Actually, I feel the same way she does. Michelle has delivered our three other children and I would really like to have her deliver our fourth. She is someone that I strongly desire to come to know the Lord. I love her, I really do! So, the date is set! I go in on June 24th in the evening ( for any men reading you may want to stop here!) to get that gel put on my cervix. This may or may not send me into labor. If it does not, I will be induced in the morning on Wed. the 25th. This is only 10 days away! We are so excited about this new addition to our family. I am just filled with thankfulness for this little man God has blessed us with. The kids are ready and excited. This boy could still possibly come before the planned date, however. I have had a lot of contractions today but nothing that has stayed consistent. There is a large part of me that enjoys the thrill of being surprised about the birth date. I like the whole, " Honey, I think it's time!" thing. We shall see. There is a lot to be said about getting to plan for a babysitter, Aaron getting work off, and I can prepare our home. I feel a little selfish that I am doing a post about myself on Father's Day but Aaron said he didn't really want me to post about him. He gets a little embarrassed about all that mushy stuff. Technically, however, this post would not be possible without Aaron, if you know what I mean. :)

A treat for my feet!

2008-06-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I was treated to a pre-delivery pedicure and manicure by my sweet sister-in-law Heather. I had mentioned in my previous blog that this day was coming up. It was a great morning and afternoon. Heather, Aunt Vickie, (Aaron and Heather's Aunt) and I had a great time together. We sat, relaxed, and talked while receiving some wonderful pampering. As much as I enjoyed the pedicure and manicure, the best part for me was the company! I had decided ahead of time that I was going to do something a little funky with my nails since I am in my last month of pregnancy and I just wanted to have some fun with it. My first thought was to do have them put poka (sp?) dots on my nails but Aunt Vickie came up with a better idea. So, she picked the colors and I went with a multi-colored theme. Aaron was reminded of M&M's when he saw the colors. Boston, ( my nephew, Heathers son) had a great time naming all the colors that he saw. He especially liked the green, as he named it at least three times more often than it actually appeared on my nails. He is so cute, he cracks me up! After our nails were done were started getting hungry. I think Aunt Vickie could have waited a little longer to eat but she was being sensitive to the two pregnant Mama's. Heather treated me to a lunch and it was very yummy. I am craving the salad right now. It was so nice to get away, have great conversation, and just have fun! Thank you Heather for that special day! I only hope this nail polish stays on until I deliver. I just know that Anderson will appreciate the beautiful array of colors! :) Oh, I should mention, the name we have picked for our soon to arrive son is Anderson Landeen Lewis! We will probably call him Andy for short.

Heather and I ( too bad you can't really see our pregnant bellies)

Sister-in-laws

2008-05-30T22:34:00.000-07:00

I just love both my sister-in-laws. This last Wednesday my sister-in-law Heidi came over with her carpet cleaner and cleaned the carpet in our dining room, living room, hallway, and stairs. What a servant heart! She worked for 3 hours straight. Take a look at that cute Mama of four below. Heidi, you have really blessed me. Thank you for showing love and helping us out! It will be so nice to come home to clean carpet after the baby is born. Grace was Heidi's little helper. She sprayed the spots on the stairs with Folex. (very good spot cleaner!) Grace loves to be a helper. She was so proud of herself.

Yes, my title did say sister-in-laws. You see, my other sister-in-law Heather is blessing me also. Coming up in one week, she is taking me to get a pedicure and out to lunch. She wanted do this to give me a little pampering and she is 6 months pregnant herself. I could not ask for more. Thank you Heather for showing your love to me! I think my feet could really use some attention but I am not sure. I can't really see them anymore. :)

5 weeks until my due date!!!!!

Happy Birthday Elijah!

2008-05-22T08:52:00.001-07:00

Eli is now 6!

Monday, May 19th was Eli's sixth birthday. Yes, Eli and Graces birthday's are just 2 days apart.
This has been a fun filled week for us. We celebrated Grace's birthday on Saturday. Sunday we went to church and then off to celebrate Dominick's ( Eli 2nd cousin) birthday. Thank you Tyler and Kari for the fun day of playing in the sun and eating not 1 but 2 meals with you guys. This worked out perfectly as Eli fell asleep very quickly Sunday night due to so much wonderful outdoor play. This left time for the girls and I to get ready for his family party.
Eli woke up happy and calm. He just had a sweet smile on his face most of the day. He said he would like to be captain for the day. So, Captain Eli is was. I asked him how he wanted to spend the day and he said he wanted to stay home. This was music to my ears as I am just 6 weeks away from my due date and the last couple days had worn me out. I smiled and said, " Eli that is a great idea." In my head I was saying, " Thank you Lord!" We had a fun day at home just relaxing and playing together. We did puzzles and had a water balloon fight. Thankfully it was a nice afternoon and we were able to go outside. Eli had mentioned wanting to do a water balloon fight on his birthday. Oh, by the way, never buy water balloons at the Dollar Store. The kept breaking before we even had them filled. Thankfully, I found a half used bag of water balloons from last year. Aaron and the kids had a great time together. I was the water balloon filler, picture taker, and audience. I didn't think it would be wise to be running around throwing water balloon at 34 weeks pregnant. Especially since my hip as been popping out of place occasionally. (ouch!) It was so nice to have Aaron home the whole day to celebrate with us!

Eli is such a blessing to this family. It is exciting to see him grow in the Lord and grow into a sweet young boy!
We are so proud of you Elijah!

I had a few pictures of the day to share but blogger is not working.:(

Happy Birthday Grace!

2008-05-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Today Grace turned 4!

It was such a great day! The celebration really started last night. With the help of Emilie and Eli we started preparing for Grace's family birthday celebration. This is a tradition I started years ago with Emilie. She would get to stay up and help me bake, decorate, wrap presents or whatever needed to be done. Now that Eli is old enough, he was able to get in on the fun. I have really enjoyed this tradition because it gives me some special time with the two children not celebrating a birthday and it get the kids thinking about each other and ways they can bring joy to one another. It has really worked. Both Emilie and Eli were coming up with great ideas of how to make things special for Grace. It is so fun to think about what excites each child and unique things that will make them feel the love we all have for them. For Grace, it was that she got to be Queen for the day. Being the 3rd child means that she often goes along with what everyone else is doing and is happy and delighted to get most things as hand-me-downs. Of coarse, this is just part of where God has placed her in the family and it is all good. However, it is nice to sometimes have a day that is all your own and my goodness did Grace enjoy it. She asked me at least 5 or 6 times throughout the day, " Mommy, is it STILL my birthday?" When I replied, "Yes Grace, it is STILL your birthday!" she would get the biggest smile across her face. It made me giggle each time she asked. Below are some pictures of Grace's day as Queen! Another cute thing she asked me last night was, "Mommy, when I wake up tomorrow are all my clothes not going to fit me anymore?" I love the way little minds think!

This is what Grace woke up to this morning. All the kids had so much fun playing in it today.
They wanted to sleep in it together tonight and the funny thing is, Eli is the only one asleep in the princess castle right now. The girls went into their beds. :)

Grace waiting to blow out her candle and eat her birthday
cinnamon roll.

Grace making a silly face at Eli while he and Emilie throw
confetti at her.

Happy Birthday to God's little Princess!

So Proud!

2008-05-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am so proud of Aaron. This last Saturday he achieved his hard earned goal of getting his bachelors degree. We are excited
to see what the Lord has in store!
I love you honey. I was proud of you before and I am still proud!

Thank you Heather and Aunt Vickie for all your hard work on the party celebration.
You really helped make the day special.

One of the speakers at the graduation ceremony spoke of dreams and of how so many dreams are never achieved on account of fear. We may have fear of others, fear of failure, or fear of not being good enough. I don't know about you but I can relate to all of these. It is easy to let too many voices creep into our heads instead of the One voice that matters. One of my favorite songs is "Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns . The lyrics are below.

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I'm in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He's holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy, you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, "Do not be afraid!"
The voice of truth says, "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they'd have had the strength to stand

But the giant's calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. "Boy you'll never win!"
"You'll never win!"

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don't seem so high
From on top of them lookin' down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

Change!

2008-05-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my friends, family, fans, and to the hundreds of others who check this blog. HEE HEE! I am in a weird mood right now. Anyway, a few major changes have occurred since I last updated my blog and instead of going into detail right now, I will just list the changes. I may go into detail later on.

Changes
1)We are NOT moving this year
2) We will be homeschooling another year

Things remaining the same
1)Aaron is graduating this Saturday
2)Baby boy is still due July 4th (8 weeks to go)

I am excited about homeschooling another year. It will be fun to have the kids around with the baby and not be rushing out the door. I am fairly certain that the kids would have been tardy just about every day anyway. :) I prayed all through the process of decision making that God would make His will clear to us and well, He did!

Below I have posted a picture of me( taken today) at 32 weeks. Eli likes to use the camera so I let him take the picture. It's a little fuzzy but it was worth it. After that I have posted a picture of each child just because I love them.

Another Break

2008-03-27T13:18:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I will be taking another break from blogging. I am actually not sure if I am going to continue. I guess I am just simplifying life! This announcement is mostly for me so that I will stop feeling guilty about not writing. We are all doing well and continuing on our goals. Aaron just had nasal surgery and should be able to taste and smell again soon. The kids are wonderful and I am doing well! If I pick up blogging again I will e-mail you and let you know. I will continue to enjoy reading all your blogs.:) Love to you all. Anna

Life update = a full plate!

2008-03-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

We have entered one of the fullest seasons of our lives. Right now Aaron is going to school and working full time. We decided to have him double up on his classes so that he could be done in time for our new baby boy's arrival. He has been working so hard and has been getting amazing grades. He has continued to work full time so we can keep eating and having a home to live in. :) What a man! So, in May Aaron will be graduating and we are getting so excited for him to reach this goal he has been working so hard at. We have both needed to pitch in and carry a bigger load this year. To add to this excitement, we are getting our house ready to sale. Through much prayer we have decided to send our kids to school next year. Emilie and Eli will be going to Good Shepherd school. This is the school that is connected with our church. We are at peace with this decision and feel that this is what is best for this coming year. We have home- schooled the last two years, so this will be a BIG change for our family. The thought of not having them with me all day is so hard for me but we are taking things a year at a time. We are planning to move very close to the school so that we can have less time in the car and more time together. I also want to be very involved and I just can't stand the thought of being far away from where they are. This means, that within the next 5.5 months Aaron will be graduating ( but he will be taking classes through July), we will be putting our house up for sale, having a baby :), finding and moving to a new house, and transitioning with the kids to a new way of schooling. Now, I have to admit, when I write this out it looks impossible. There have been days that I fail miserably on trusting the Lord and you know what, everybody in my home pays dearly for my attitude problems. When I allow fear to overwhelm me that is when I fall apart. But when I remember the truth of God's word, and chose to believe it with my whole heart, my heart is at rest. God sees 5 months from now and he sees 5 years from now, so worrying will not add one single day to my life. I have to repeat these truths to myself because at times I am overwhelmed. I find, however, that when doubt or fear come pushing through like a semi-truck I often hear the Holy Spirit's still small voice say, "Trust Me!" Then there are other times when I feel a gentle kick within me or I hear the kids playing together so lovingly and I am reminded of God's amazing grace and love for me. Do you need a reminder of that today. If you do, here it is....God loves you! Seek Him with all your heart. He is the author of everyday of your life so let go of tomorrow and follow His will today.

I could use prayer for strength and that I can be a joyful wife and mother throughout the next few months.

"Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure," Psalms 16:9

I love friends

2008-02-28T17:49:00.000-08:00

My sweet daughter Emilie asked if she could write on my blog for her computer time tonight. So here she is....
I love Tyler, Essy, Grace, Timber, Sydney, Eli, Mom, Dad, Macy, Brianna, Sophia, Papa, Great Grandpa, Great Grandma Shirley, Grandma, Auntie Reshma, Auntie Heather, and all my other Aunties. If I didn't get your name please tell me. Speaking of love kisses are slobbery and hugs are nice. The End in love, Emilie

Pregnant Blogger Brain

2008-02-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

I have a horrible case of pregnant brain. Not only do I forget things instantly right now like; peoples names that I have known for years, things I am suppose to get for the kids, that eggs are cooking on the stove, that Grace is waiting for me to get her some toilet paper, what day it is, what time it is ( I woke Aaron up an hour early for church today) , and the list goes on and on. My poor family, friends, and strangers for that matter. I never know when my pregnancy brain is going to kick in. I am sorry if I have forgotten anything that concerns any of you. I truly feel slightly disabled in this area. As an added symptom of this disease I no longer have any clue what to right on my blog. I have seriously sat down to write several time and I pause to think.........nope nothing. I guess I'll try another day. This cycle continues and thus weeks go by without a new blog entry. So, just in case you are wondering. I do have a life and God is working in it. I just can't seem to find the words and write them down. Thank goodness life is not all about me or it would be really boring. I will try to blog again soon, if I can remember.

It's a.............

2008-02-07T21:02:00.000-08:00

BOY!!!!!! And boy are we excited. Most of us were hoping for another little boy, with the exception of Grace. She really wanted a little sister. It took her a whole 1 minute (or less) to be happy about having a little baby brother, however. Emilie really likes that the family will be even now, 3 boy and 3 girls. Elijah was so cute about it. He couldn't believe it at first, he thought we all might be teasing. When we got in the car he started singing the sweetest little song about getting to have a little brother. I think this brother is going to be so good for Eli. He is really a very nurturing boy and he loves his little cousin Boston. He is excited that one day he will get to share a room with his brother, just like the girls do. Aaron was very smiley. It was cute. Now we all have to be PATIENT in waiting to meet this little guy. I wish I knew how to get an ultrasound picture on here for you all to see. He (the baby) looks healthy and my due date has stayed the same, July 4th. We got to see his little mouth opening and shutting. It almost looked like he was making fish faces. This made the kids laugh. Ultrasounds are so awesome. I love that we all got to see this boy before he was even born and still being knit together in my womb. (Proverbs 139) Some one asked for a belly picture awhile back. I will post one soon. I just haven't gotten to it yet. Up and coming posts will include some info. on moving, schooling, and masters degrees. This will keep you guessing!

4 more days!

2008-02-03T21:53:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share that in 4 days we will know the sex of baby #4 . We are all very excited. The bigger my belly gets the more I am reminded every day of God's grace and desire to bless His children.
Thank you God for every blessing and thank you for the hard times that draw us closer to you. Thank you for Your gift of salvation that is not earned by us but was paid for by You!

Happy Birthday Emilie!

2008-01-30T21:46:00.000-08:00

Emilie has brought so much joy to our lives over the past 7 years. We can truly see the light of Jesus shine through her. There has been many times that Emilie has encouraged me by her Christlike behavior. God has given her wisdom beyond her years and my heart rejoices at the years to come. Happy birthday precious Emmy.

Slumber Party!!!!

2008-01-27T23:22:00.001-08:00

Emilie is not 7 yet, but almost. We celebrated her birthday with a birthday party Friday night and had a total of 8 girls spend the night. ( this included Emilie and Grace) The party was so much fun and the girls had a great time. The slumber party went wonderful with no complication. Emilie didn't want any games or a theme, she just wanted friends to come and play, and that's just what they did. I slept with the girls down stairs and it was so fun to listen to them talk and laugh. Saturday morning we had girls playing and getting ready all over the place. Thank you to you parents who trusted your girls with us for the night. These girls are such a blessing! I truly love them all and I know Emilie feels the same way. Here is a few pictures of all the fun!
Sweet Emilie, the birthday girl
Sydney(cousin)Sophia(cousin)Macy(friend)
Patiently waiting for cake!
Sydney,Emilie, Brianna(cousin), Esther(cousin)
Grace and Macy(they were so sweet together)

Alive and well!

2008-01-10T21:36:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I am back, at least for today. :) We had a great Christmas and a fun new year. We are all healthy and excited about this new year. I am still battling a little nausea but over all I can't complain. Some older women in my bible study were talking about their daughters and daughter-in-laws that have been very sick, not to mention suffering from migraines. So, overall I know I am blessed. We as a family have much to look forward to this year. Of coarse we have the baby coming in July. We are all getting more and more excited. I know I am! Aaron is on track to graduate this May with his bachelors degree in "Business Administration." Aaron has been working so hard and has earned A's and B's in all his classes so far....mostly A's . I am so proud of him. Aaron uses his gifts from God and doesn't waste them. He sets goals and works hard to meet them. He has got determination and focus. Sometimes I wish that the unity of husband and wife could include the sharing of our gifts to one another. I could sure use a little more drive at times. Anyway, back to Aaron. :) I am amazed at how he can do his work so efficiently. I can't wait to see how God uses him after this goal is met. Who knows, maybe he will go for his masters!!!:)
The baby news is that I am now 15 weeks. I think today is the last day I can rubber band my pants. Maternity clothes here I come. Actually, I have been wearing some simply for comfort. I really don't care for pressure on my stomach when I am not feeling well. We have decided to find out the sex of the baby. The date set for this is Feb. 7th. We are all very much looking forward to this date!!! The plan is to have the ultrasound tech. write the sex on a piece of paper and put it in an envelope. Then, we will all go out to lunch and Emilie will open the envelope and read the note. I got this idea from my brother and sister-in-law. It should be fun! Aaron got me a new camera for Christmas, which was a great gift considering we were given our old camera used and it just started to "act funny". The problem is that we do not have the right attachment yet to make it easy to transfer pictures to the computer. So, I may not have pictures to share for awhile.
The kids are doing great and I have really been enjoying them. I have been asking God for renewed joy in mothering and MAN, has He blessed me with just that. I have been taking advice from some old testament stories I have been reading with the kids. Men and women were so bold with the Lord back then. God already knows what we are thinking. We might as well go ahead and speak it out loud. A verse that has been going through my head a lot during this busy and pregnant time is, " The joy of the Lord is my strength." Joy really does give me strength. Not to say that I have loads of strength right now because truthfully, I don't. Pregnancy tends to wear me out quite a bit but when I am feeling cranky and tired and I remember that verse, my spirit gets a little lift. I actually need to close up this post because I suddenly feeling very tired and getting to tired can make me feel nauseous. It is nice to be back!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Bloggers!

Time off!

2007-11-30T23:21:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you who check in on this blog know that I will be taking a break from blogging for awhile. Nighttime is the hardest for me with nausea right now so I will return when I feel a bit more lively. I am doing good and the nausea in not unbearable most of the time so don't worry. This is all part of God's gift of a new precious life. I already can't wait to meet this little person. Oh, I may have a Christmas blog to say Merry Christmas and I will still be checking in on your blogs.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving something happened that has not happened in at least 19 years. My Dad and Mom were at the same celebration with all of their children and grandchildren. I have not seen my Mom and Dad in the same room talking since I was 12 years old. This is something to be Thankful for indeed. I won't pretend that it was all really comfortable because it wasn't but it was a blessing none the less. I was proud of my Mom and Dad for how they handled themselves. Thank you God for working in ways we don't always see. I also want to thank Asa and Heidi for having us over to their house. Heidi made all the food for Aaron, me and the kids, my Dad, and her own kids and husband. That is a lot of people. She worked very hard and we women know all the preparation that goes into large meals. I am also thankful that I did not have to cook the turkey this year as raw meat is sending my stomach into a whirl right now. :)

I have to share this. I was blessed by a friend who had no idea what has been going on inside my spirit. Her obedience to the Holy Spirit was an answer to a prayer of mine the other day. I needed some reassurance of God's love and He gave it at just the right time. If you are needing a touch from the Lord ask Him for one and wait with your heart and eyes wide open. He wants to show His love for you.

John 16:24
"Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Deuteronomy 7:9
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."

Heartbeat!!!!

2007-11-23T22:37:00.001-08:00

I went to the Dr. this last week and saw the babies heartbeat. Yeah!!!! The ultrasound tech. changed my due date to July 4th. Yes, this baby may get fireworks on every birthday. But if history repeats itself, which I know there is no guarantee of, I will deliver before my due date. You see, every pregnancy they have changed my due date when I have gone in for my first ultrasound. With Emilie they changed my due date to be two weeks later than if you were to go by my cycle. I delivered about two weeks early. With Elijah they changed by due date to one week later. I delivered one week early with him. I was induced about 8 or 10 ( I can't remember) days early with Grace so it is hard to tell but I did have her about 1.5 hrs. after the inducement started. They told me I was very ready and would have had her very soon. I guess we will see. This baby my decide to surprise us and come late. So, I am 81/2 weeks now according to the July 4th due date. The kids are very excited and like to talk about the baby. Grace is so excited to be a big sister. She keeps telling me different things she is going to do with the baby when the baby comes out. Emilie and Eli are very excited too. Eli is very much hoping for a brother so he can have a boy buddy to play with. He has been so extra gentle and tender to me since we told him. He comes up and cuddles more and makes sure he doesn't bump my tummy. Emilie would like a brother so that we can have an even amount of girls and boys. She is ready to help and she would like to watch the birth. Grace has finally branched out on her own and admitted what she really wants.....a girl. Only God knows what will fit perfectly into this family. We shall see!
We have so much to be thankful for so I am not sure why I have been feeling a little down. It could be pregnancy hormones or fighting nausea or something I need to bring before the Lord that I am not aware of yet. If any of you would like to add me to your prayer list that would be great. I could use prayer for strength and long term vision. Aaron is working a new schedule once again so we are adjusting to that change and we mutually decided that He would double up on is college classes so that he could finish by June. It would be really nice to have him done with school when the baby gets here so we can just stop and enjoy. This is the way we both want it but it is hard to keep the right frame of mind when I am tired and not feeling wonderful. Aaron could use any prayer you want to give also. He will be working very hard. What I love about Aaron is that he has goals to accomplish but he makes sure that time with his family is not neglected. So, I am not worried about that. I just want to be a blessing to my husband and family no matter what I feel like. I will definitely need God's strength to accomplish that.

Blog by Emilie

2007-11-15T21:03:00.001-08:00

Emilie was having a hard time sleeping so I asked her if she wanted to do a blog. This is what she said as I typed. (unedited) She also picked the picture.

"This is Emilie. Most of the family is wanting a boy baby. When I grow up I want 2 kids. I have never gone camping. I don't want to turn 7 because I don't want to grow up. I want to live at home and not move away. Daddy got the teacher he wanted. I am learning to write cursive. We got three new Christmas trees for our front yard. We have a lot of dogs in our neighborhood. Christmas is coming up! Santa Clause isn't real. My birthday is January 30th. My favorite food is brownies. My favorite animal is bunny's. For my birthday I am going out with Grandma to do a fun thing. I go to bed at a late time." The End

Let your light shine!

2007-11-03T23:36:00.001-07:00

Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Emilie( drew face and carved) Elijah (drew face I carved) Grace (drew face I carved)

family mathematics

2007-10-31T22:32:00.000-07:00

The simply equation is.......3+1=4
Yes, we are going to be blessed with another child in June 2008!
I am only about 6 weeks so any prayers for the baby would be wonderful!
God is good!

Bunko!

2007-10-29T00:06:00.000-07:00

Last night my brother and sister-in-law had a bunko party and it was such a fun night. It is so good to laugh and just have fun with good friends and family! Thank you Ben and Heather for a great night. I have no pictures so you'll just have to trust me.:) That's all I have for now. It's bed time.

3 little words

2007-10-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Grace said something that amazed Aaron and I last night. Emilie and Eli had fallen asleep very quickly so we took the opportunity to spend a little time with just Grace. She got to get out of bed and come out to chat with Aaron and I. (we do this periodically with each child) Aaron and I were talking about something and he teased me so I teased him back and said, " I have one word for you PRIDE." (sounds mean but it was really just a tease and Aaron knew it) Well, little miss tape recorder said with a big smile, " I have one word for you, PRIDE." We laughed and gave her a little tickle. Just as we began to talk again Grace says, " I have one word for you, die to self."( this is pretty much the opposite of pride) Aaron and I looked over at her in amazement. We have not used those particular words with Grace and really nothing even close to that. I asked her where she heard that and she said she didn't know. I asked if her class at church had talked about it and she said no. (with a giggle) I asked if it was from one of her videos and she said no. (with a giggle) God used her to encourage Aaron and I. Those 3 little words keep going through my head. Thank you for the reminder Grace.

Here are a few random pictures of this past week. :)

The first three pictures are at Eli's soccer game. The girls dressed up as cheer leaders to cheer Eli on! Eli was all smiles after the game. Eli said to me the other day out of the blue, " Mom, I am so excited to play soccer today. It's not scoring the goals that is fun. I just really like to go run around and be with the kids." The last picture is of Emilie and Grace playing dress up tonight. We didn't have a bonnet for Grace so Emilie had the great idea of using Eli's baseball hat. I put a red napkin around it then tied it with a big bow. It wasn't perfect but I think it turned out O.K. Emilie is always coming up with great ideas like this.

Caterpillars

2007-10-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago Emilie and Grace both found a caterpillar out in a field by some blackberry bushes. We decided to keep them and hopefully see them make their amazing transformation into butterflies. I found out today, however, that they are actually moth caterpillars. :( Oh well, it will be cool anyway. Below is a picture of Emilie proudly showing her "new pet", which she has been taking very good care of and Grace is petting her furry caterpillar. (That girl makes me laugh!)

I was looking up some information on caterpillars tonight and these are a few pictures I couldn't help but share with you!

#1 Tiger Swallow Tail Face Caterpillar

#2 Hickory Horned Devil Caterpillar

#3 Puss Moth Caterpillar

God has a great imagination!

Pumpkin x 3 , Coach Aaron, and me!

2007-10-04T22:39:00.000-07:00

In one day I have had a piece of pumpkin pie, a pumpkin spice latte, and a piece of pumpkin bread! But, before you label me a pumpkin addict let me plead my case........

1) Pumpkin Pie
a. It was my meal not my dessert
b. It contains all four of the food groups. (eggs = protein, evaporated milk= dairy, crust = bread, and pumpkin= vegetable) :)

2) Pumpkin Spice Latte
a. It was paid for by someone else ( can't beat that)
b. I was so cold after Aaron's team played their soccer game that it was practically an emergency. :)
c. Every year I allow myself one yummy pumpkin latte. ( it's a tradition)

3) Pumpkin bread
a. I baked pumpkin bread for a team get together with Aaron's team, the Portland Christian Varsity Boys soccer.
b. After the bread was cut at the party I had to sneak the first taste to make sure it was good and didn't need to be quietly removed from the table. ( by God's grace it turned out great!)
c. If you don't eat a piece of what you bake, people might think they had better not. :)

I hope I have persuaded you to find me not guilty of becoming a pumpkin addict and I hope the scale goes easy on me too. Truthfully, the word pumpkin is making me feel a little nauseous right now so I had better move on to another sweet thing in my life, Aaron. I am so proud of Aaron. Today the kids and I went to watch the Portland Christian Varsity Boys soccer team play. This is the team that Aaron coaches and it is with a thankful, not prideful heart, that I tell you how much I love watching God use Aaron to encourage and motivate these boys. I have had more than four parents come up to me this year and tell me how much they and their sons respect and enjoy Aaron and more than a few have told me that he is the best coach they have experienced. Last year a mother told me that God used Aaron to change her sons life. Wow, that amazes me! I am so thankful that God worked on my heart this last year. Last soccer season was very difficult for me for a number of reasons and I actually told Aaron that I didn't think I could handle him coaching anymore. This year I find myself saying the exact opposite. I want Aaron to coach as many years as God allows. Aaron's coaching is now my hobby. It has been really neat to get to know some of the boy's parents and to watch our kids meet new friends. Aaron takes Eli with him to get ready for some of the games. Eli helps out where he can but mostly watches Dad teach, encourage, and pray with his team. This is one of the ways Aaron contributes to home school. He is teaching Eli how to lead and build others up. The girls get to learn how to support Daddy in what God has called him to do. Many of the parents have thanked me for sacrificing my time with Aaron but it hasn't felt like a sacrifice this year. It has been fun! It is amazing how much our attitude affects our men isn't it? And regardless of how supportive this post may sound I have much room for improvement in the building my husband up area. I think I will try to focus on encouraging Aaron this weekend. Can you think of a way you can build your husband up?

Aaron is the one in the way back with the pondering look.

Jacob

2007-09-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Last weekend the kids and I were able to go and see my nephew Jake play in a football game. He looked so grown up in his football pads that I seriously almost cried. My sister-in-law Heidi did actually cry when she first saw him in his pads and uniform. So here are some pictures of Jake during and after his game. He is number 98! This first picture is of Jake entering the game after a short break. Asa is looking on and encouraging his son.

Friendship

2007-09-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Lately God has been teaching me about true friendship. In a previous blog I had mentioned that one of my goals as a thirty year old is to love others more deeply. Isn't it funny how sometimes God gently, yet unrelentingly, makes it clear what He wants us to learn. Have you ever had an experience like mine when it seems that everywhere you turn you read about, hear a song about, hear someone speak about, and practically trip over what God is trying to teach you? Well, I have been having that kind of experience concerning the subject of friendship. It all started when I decided to get serious about teaching the kids about the fruit of the spirit. I looked on line and found a great study that had passages to study concerning each fruit. This was an adult study so I figured it would be too detailed for the kids. I decided to do the study on my own and touch on the highlights with them. The study began with the first and most important fruit of the spirit, LOVE. As I began to look up passages I would find myself reading beyond what was asked and I am so happy I did. God used this study to start my mind thinking on friendship and what the word REALLY means. It was then that the process of learning I describe earlier began and believe me it has not been subtle. Two weeks ago our church began a 3 part series on, I bet you can't guess, ...........friendship! It makes me smile just thinking about it. I smile for another reason too! All this thinking and learning about friendship has made me think of many of you, my good friends. I am so thankful for the different flavored friendships I have with all of you. I would list all of you but I am afraid this post might start to sound like a Emmy Award winning thank you speech. So, I just hope you all know how humbled and thankful I am to have each of you in my life.

Oh, and just as a side note, I never did get past the study of LOVE with the kids. This is where my problem with completing a task comes in. I think I smell another refining process coming on. :) Oh well, doesn't the Bible say that God is made strong in our weaknesses?

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protect, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Colossians 3:12-14 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Proverbs 17:17a "A friend loves at all times"

Nothing!

2007-09-09T23:01:00.001-07:00

O.k. So I really have nothing to write I just do not want my face to be the first thing that pops up on my blog anymore! So, I have sent you a few new faces to look at!!!!

Goodbye 20's- Hello 30's

2007-09-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I turned 30 on the 30th. I waved goodbye to my twenties and opened my door to my thirties. I think I am really going to like this new age. The only way I can describe it is to say that I feel comfortable being 30. It just feels nice. I have made some 30 year old resolutions and I thought I would share a few with you.

Deep

1) laugh a lot more
2) meet God every morning
3) grow in humility and wisdom
4) love others deeper
5) listen more and talk less ( to God and others)

Not so deep
1)get new trendy hair cut (done already)
2)go to bed earlier
3) learn to cook some new meals
4) eat hormonally balanced ( I know, sounds strange, but it really does help me feel better)

Thanks to all of you that wrote or called to wish me a happy birthday. I know life gets busy and I really appreciate your love.

Favorite Birthday Happenings (in no particular order)
1)Jake (my nephew) telling me I looked like a teenager with my new haircut
2) My sweet sister-in-law Heather stopping by to wish me a happy birthday
3) My thoughtful husband canceling soccer practice to be home with me on my birthday.
4) My thoughtful husband surprising me with a Star Bucks Fappuccino (this was so nice for my soar throat)
5) My kids getting along just about perfectly all day long
6) Going to dinner with my father-in-law, Nana Shirley,(Aaron's grandma), and Great Grandpa(Aaron's Grandpa).
7) Getting my hair cut
8) Listening to Eli and Emilie play from another room and hearing Eli stop mid-play and pause.....
Eli, "Sister, I love you!"
Emilie, " I love you to buddy!"
Then they picked up playing right where they left off.
Oh my goodness, I couldn't help but tear up. This was God's present to me. Thank you God!
9) Reading my very good friend Katy's blog and being blessed by her amazing encouragement.

Hero's

2007-09-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

Here they come to save the day!!!!

I've been tagged!

2007-08-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged...here's the rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (If you don’t have a blog, email me)

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Okay, here it goes....

1st fact: My high school aptitude test revealed that the job best suited for me would be a mechanic.

2nd fact: I am learning to play the guitar.(self-teaching) I love it!

3rd fact: I am almost 30!!!

4th fact: Fall is my favorite season.

5th fact: Strict schedules can easily overwhelm me.

6th fact: My sisters and brother have deemed me the first sibling to wear a Christmas sweater decorated with 3D snowflakes, trees, and sequins.

7th fact: I knew I was going to marry Aaron when we had only been dating 1 month and I was 16 yrs. old. I knew this was the man God wanted me to marry. Aaron just didn't know yet:)

8th fact: I have never broken a bone or had a surgery. (by God's grace!)

NOW I TAG RESHMA AND KAREN MARTIN

Emilie's Ballet Recital!

2007-08-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a much anticipated day in our house. Emilie was excited to put on her pretty dress and dance the dance she and two other girls have been working so hard on. They really have worked hard! The summer dance program at Grande Finale has an 8 week schedule. So, the girls had 8 practices total before their performance. Aaron, Papa Bill, Grandma Carol, the kids and I were all there to cheer Emilie on. We are so proud of her. There was a technical difficulty at the beginning of the performance and Emilie started of the dance. The music started, so Emilie started. Then the music faded and sounded strange. Emilie looked at her teacher, who told her to go back and start again. Without seeming to be fazed a bit, Emilie went right back to starting position and began again. I was amazed. Even now, at my age, I would of at least blushed, giggled, or looked around for a familiar face to comfort me. Not Emilie, she stayed focused and kept going. Don't your kids amaze you sometimes?
There is another reason the kids were anticipating this wonderful recital day. It was at OAKS PARK!!! I have never been a huge fan of Oaks Park but after seeing how much fun the kids had, I am having a change of heart. They had so much fun! Emilie grew more and more brave as the night went along. She started of feeling that the Carousal horse was going to high. At the end of the night her favorite ride was one that went at least 50 feet in the air! Eli had a blast and loved the fast kid roller coaster. Of coarse Daddy rode with him which was half the fun! Grace said she wanted to ride the kid roller coaster with Aaron and Eli. Do you think she liked it? NO!!!! She had such a look of terror on her face. The mother in me wanted to tell the man to stop the ride and let her off. Poor girl. She recovered well though and she had a great time on the other kid rides. I even broke out of my spectator role and went on the spinning boat ride. This is an odd ride for me to go on considering I get sea sick but you know what, I really liked it. I went on first with just Eli! That was so fun! Then I went again with my 3 kids and 2 of their friends. Then everyone wanted to go one more time. After the third time, I was done. My food was starting to inch toward my throat. We ended the night with a bag a cotton candy for the 3 kids to share. It was a great night!

Getting away

2007-08-10T22:17:00.001-07:00

Aaron and I had the awesome opportunity of taking a two day, two night trip to the beach to celebrate both our 10 year anniversary and my 30th birthday. Both of which are this month. We had such a wonderful time! It has been quite awhile since we have gone anywhere alone so this was a real treat. We stayed at a bed and breakfast at Newport called the Grand Victorian. I would highly suggest this bed and breakfast to any couple wanting to get away. The suite, which is what we stayed in, has a reasonable price and it includes a huge king size bed, a little TV/reading area, a small balcony that looks out to the ocean, and a large bathroom with a humongous jacuzzi tub. The owner cooked us a very big and yummy breakfast and every night she has a dessert waiting. This trip was so good for us. Aaron has been my best friend since high school and this weekend reminded me of that. Since it was my birthday weekend Aaron let me pick most of what we did or watched. I let him pick the movie because I didn't really care to much. Plus I sorta wanted to bless him in return for his sweetness to me. The down side to all of this, however, is that now we are missing each other. I guess we got a little spoiled. This was one of the best birthday presents I have every gotten! Thank you Hone!

P.S. Thank you to Katy/Ben and Heather for watching the kids for us while we were away. We were sincerely blessed through you!

Wisdom Teeth!

2007-08-01T22:54:00.001-07:00

I wonder who thought of naming our wisdom teeth, wisdom teeth? They are in the way back of our germ infested mouths and most people end up getting them taken out. I haven't noticed mine making me any wiser. In fact, they seem to cause most people discomfort. So, maybe they are called wisdom teeth because we are wise to remove them. Hmmm? Needless to say, Aaron got his wisdom teeth removed this last Monday and I can't believe how well he has done. He has had no bruising and very little swelling, if any. I'd like to say it was because of the premo care he received from me but I don't think I can take the credit. Now don't get me wrong, on Monday I was very attentive to him and made sure he was well taken care of, babied if you will. I think our men need a little babying sometimes. It makes them feel more like men. Hmmm, how do you figure that one? Anyway, I enjoyed pampering him. Aaron is a very low maintenance man so it was nice for me to serve him for the day. Tuesday was a completely different story. Aaron was up and cleaning with me and going outside with the kids. He still needed extra care and rest, and I think I made 4 milkshakes that day. ( I like making milkshakes. It takes me back to when I was 18 and worked at Baskin -Robbins with my sister-in-law Heather. Those are good memories)
Anyway, God is good! I was VERY tired today and it would have been difficult to take care of a sick hubby. But like I said, I enjoyed it!
This photo is of Aaron on the day of his surgery.
(Just in case any of you need to ice your own teeth someday or the teeth of someone you care for.....I used Grace's P.J. pants and slid cold packs into each pant leg. Then I put the pants around his head and secured it with a stretchy headband. It worked really great! This was better than the previous method which involved my pink(not cute) panties but I'll leave that story for another day.)

evil wallpaper

2007-07-20T23:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have decided that wallpaper is evil, at least when you are SUPPOSE to be taking it off. Our first house we bought had this horrible wallpaper in the bathroom that just WOULD NOT come off. I had already removed this same type of wallpaper from the kitchen and I was getting tired of this tedious task. So, my dear friends Allison and Kari came to the rescue. Both of them came over on separate occasions to help me attempt this impossible feat. After 1 1/2 hours of hard work I think we got about two feet taken off with our combined efforts and these girls work hard. Needless to say this wallpaper was evil. Thank you again Allison and Kari! I really do appreciate that you did that for me and if it weren't that you are both in your 9th month of pregnancy right now, I would possibly have called on your services again. Let me explain.....we are in the process of taking the wallpaper off our kitchen walls. Actually, we have been in the process for about 1 1/2 years now. I am serious! I have this disease called, "starting big projects and not finishing them." Is anyone else out there infected with this disease? (It doesn't seem like it from visiting your houses but I thought I would ask anyway.) The symptoms of this disease include: getting annoyed at what you want changed, suddenly deciding to change it, (usually late at night), getting very tired of doing the project, and finally, having the unnatural ability to ignore the unfinished product. Well, I have now gone full circle and I am back at the first symptom of getting annoyed at what needs to be changed. So, we are working on the wallpaper again. I think this has been on the walls since the 1970's... I am not kidding! With some good suggestions from my Dad and hard work from my husband, we have managed to get most of it off, but not all of it. There are these stubborn little pieces that are holding on for dear life. So, instead of giving up again I have decided to just start painting and what will be will be! (probably not the best tactic but it is working for us at the moment) I'll let you know how it turns out. All I ask is that next time any of you come over, don't look to closely at the walls....please! :)

These pictures are of the kids helping me paint today! Gotta love the little helpers. The glasses were for protection. ( the kid's idea)

GI Joe's and Teeter-Totters

2007-07-14T00:01:00.001-07:00

I learned today that Teeter-Totters can make a great work out.
I also learned that when you Teeter-Totter with kids your legs don't get a break.
I also learned that when you don't get a break your thighs start to burn.
I also learned that it is possible to fit a work-out in ANYWHERE.
I ALSO learned that when you are close to 30 yrs. old and Teeter-Tottering for a long time in GI Joe's, people start to stare.

I should start a Teeter-Totter work out video!!!!

Hormones

2007-07-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some questions I have asked myself in the past year

-Is it normal to have hot flashes at age 29?
-Shouldn't I have more energy than this?
-Why am I becoming completely irrational once a month? (if you know what I mean)
-Is it me or am I seeing a lot more of my scalp these days?
-Is it normal to crave sugar all day long?
-Why do my muscles ache?

I bet you can guess what the answer to these questions is.........Hormones!

So, here is a short background. I will not go into to much detail because it would take too long and probably be to much information. So, the quick version is that I am very hormonally imbalanced. After I started losing my hair so much that my husband noticed I knew something was up. I decided to go to a Naturalpathic Dr. in the hope that I would be listened to and get some real answer. My good friend Katy referred me to her Dr.s office and they had a women Dr. who deals specifically with hormone imbalances. Great! That is what I needed. So, after blood tests, urine tests, and saliva tests it turns out that I have the hormone levels of a post menopausal women. These were Dr. Chotocruze's actual words. I also am on the borderline for hypothyroid. Did you know that our hormones are very closely related to our thyroid. Normal progesterone levels are between 75 and 200 whatevers. Mine was at 31 whatevers. So, right now I am taking many natural supplement and some natural medications to try and boost my hormone, B vitamin, cortisol, magnesium, and thyroid levels. I have also been learning more about how the way we eat affects our hormones. I knew a little before but I have really enjoyed learning so much more and putting it into action. I am really trying to make changes for life in the way I eat. I have notice that when I eat very healthy. ( pretty much all whole food) I feel so much better. I have not been perfect but I am trying to find a balance that fits with who I am and who we are as a family. I have to mention too that I have noticed that when I do not start my day in the Word I have less motivation to make good choices with food and I am convinced my energy level is down. But when I start my day in the Word I eat better, have more energy, and just make better choices all around. Some of these symptoms have completely disappeared and some I am still struggling with. It can take some time to regulate everything.
So, there is the not so quick background on the hormone comment I made a few blogs ago. This was such a strange post to write and I am still not quite sure why I have written it but I want to finish with a verse that has always been a favorite of mine. "A happy heart is like good medicine" Proverbs 17:22

Family and Freedom!

2007-07-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic, fun, fulfilling day filled with family and friends on freedom day! I just wanted to see how many F's I could fit into a sentence. That really does just about say it all, however. Asa and Heidi, my brother and sister in law, had us over for a 4th of July BBQ. The kids swam for hours and had a great time! The two big kids, Aaron and Asa, got in and had a pretty good time swimming themselves. It is so great to see Dad's playing with there kids. The kids just eat it up! I love swimming too so I couldn't resist a short swim. IT WAS HOT! Heidi cooked us some great BBQ hamburgers and then it was time for fireworks. We all walked a few blocks down to my sister Gretta's house and watched fireworks with her family and friends. ( Gretta's husband is Kevin and she has 2 girls, Zoie (12) and Sydney (8 )). My sister Sarah was there also along with her two kids.(London (4) and Sophie (2)) Of course my mom (aka Grandma Carol) was there. (she loves to be with her kids and grand kids). Wow, what a group!

Thank you Asa and Heidi!
Thank you Kevin and Gretta!
Thank you God for family, friends, and the freedom to worship and serve you!

Reed and Eli taking a break from water dodge ball to pose for a picture.

Emilie and Tyler sharing a Dr. Pepper
These two are so sweet together!

Timber coming up for air. I truly think this girl
is half fish! :)

Asa napping! I think this is just a sign of how comfortable he is around us. Right?

My mom and pro Grandma, Carol, and my amazing niece Sophia

London, my sweet and funny nephew.

Zoie is holding Sophia and two of Zoie's friends sit to the right.
Zoie is so sweet to help out with her 9 younger cousins.

Grace watches amazed!

juggling!

2007-06-28T22:53:00.001-07:00

Being a mom requires mastering the art of juggling. No, we don't juggle balls or flaming torches, we juggle time. We must decide what people or events are going to fill, or not fill, our days. Today we had three event that, by the grace of God, were juggled successfully. It was a great day and every event was worth the time spent. Perhaps the biggest blessing, however, is that God gave me the energy to prepare and make it to each event without feeling tired! My progesterone pills came just in time. ( I'll explain in an upcoming post) I'm sure you can't wait.

I am going to let the pictures do the talking. All of these pictures were from today! Picture # 1 is of Grace and Emilie dressed up as princesses for a birthday party. Picture #2 is of my sweet niece Esther(She is the one in the dark blue and white dress) and all her friends who came to celebrate her turning 8. Picture # 3 is from Emilie's first ballet class of the summer! She is with her friend Ashley. Picture # 4 is of Eli scoring a goal in his soccer game. Yeah Eli!

Grace!

2007-06-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

I had the much desired opportunity and blessing to take Gracie out this morning for some Mommy/daughter time. I have been missing her! Of course she is with me everyday all day but I was still missing her. I felt that I needed some time to enjoy her without anyone or anything else pulling for my attention. We had a great time! She is such a fun loving person. We were able to go to the park, the library, and Fred Meyer. Gracie spent some of her birthday money on a new dress. This came as no surprise to me as Gracie has been very into dresses for the past 6 months. She would sleep in a dress if we let her. When Aaron and I talk about Grace we just have to smile. She is so full of joy and humor and she loves to make us laugh. To her life is an adventure. She loves lip gloss, spinny dresses (her words), tappy shoes ( her words), baths, swinging (really high), and Laura from Little House on the Prairie. In fact, there have been many days lately when Grace will ask me to put her hair into two braids and we must call her Laura. If we forget and call her Grace we are quickly, and somewhat firmly, corrected. She tends to wake up a little crabby but once she has gotten a little cuddle, and is fully awake, she is full of excitement for the new day! God has blessed her with a very optimistic outlook on life. It truly is amazing how easy going she has been even as an infant. She just tends to go with the flow. Here are a few of my favorite things she has done or said....
- "I love you like rainbows and Jesus!"
- while reading a book, " I don't want to go in there. ( into the book) I would miss you."
- giving my bum a kiss every night when I turn to leave the room. ( strange but true)
- seeing a picture of herself at one year old with short hair, " Oh yeah, Oh yeah, I know that's me when I was a boy!)
- walking past her room and seeing her kneeling at the side of her bed praying. ( I haven't shown her this)
- tonight,"Eli is awesome and Emilie is beautiful"
We love you Grace!

Thank you Daddy!

2007-06-15T01:20:00.001-07:00

Thank you for.....
*taking the girls on dates
*playing soccer, baseball, and wrestling with Eli
*taking Emilie golfing( because she showed interest)
*interacting with the kids daily and really listening to them
*working so hard to provide
*making the kids laugh
*hugging them
*kissing them
*praying with them
*treasuring them
*saying I love you daily
*being Eli's coach
*dancing with Grace
*reading books to them
*watching Little House on the Prairie with all of us

We love you Daddy!

Elijah

2007-06-08T23:06:00.001-07:00

Eli would give the shirt off his back to his sisters if they cried hard enough. He is so tender hearted. When the girls cry, he gives. He does not like to see people unhappy. He feels deeply, is very sentimental, and will often ask people if they know God. He just can't stand the thought of anyone not going to heaven. His heart is tender even though he is kind of a tough guy on the outside. Sometimes I liken him to Bam Bam from the Flinstones, he just doesn't know his own strength. It's just like Emilie says, "Eli, I think God has given you the gift of energy." She is so right. His energy level challenges me and so does his will at times but God uses Eli to refine me. I fail just like he does, so we get to be refined together. This picture was taken on his fifth birthday. He gets shy when he is given an overflow of attention. (as you can see in this picture) Oh buddy, we love you so much.
Here's a funny little conversation I had with the kids the other night. We were reading a book before bed and the book asked what the kid's favorite flower was. I was curious what Eli was going to say as he has never been very interested in flowers. Emilie answered first with, "sunflowers". Eli answered second with a very straight face and said, " daffodilies" Without knowing it he had successfully named a new flower that combined daffodils and lilies. We couldn't help it, we all started to laugh. Emilie was laughing so hard that she started crying. Grace was laughing and had no idea why. It was a moment I will treasure!

Alaska

2007-06-07T00:45:00.000-07:00

Four days ago we arrived home from a week long cruise to Alaska. We had a great time....not perfect....but great! I am not sure any vacation is without it's unexpected elements. It has taken us these last four days to recover from the vacation. It is always so strange how we come home from vacations needing a break. Has this been your experience? Well, we are all starting to get back into the groove and it is nice to be home. It is comforting to be back in our home and in our own beds. This cruise was a splurge for us to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Our real anniversary is in August but we celebrated a little early and even though there were some struggles, (ie. motion sickness, active 5 year old boy needing a place to run) I am so happy we got the opportunity to go on this cruise and I smile when I think of our time in Alaska. I am working on having more of a glass half full perspective on life because truthfully, it's the way we chose to see our circumstances that changes the adjectives used to discribe them. Love to you all!
P.S. When I figure out how to put more pictures on...I will!

Okay, I'm in!

2007-06-06T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, I have given in. I have given in to the peer pressure of blogging. I can finally admit it. This may be the cure for those evenings when I can't seem to stop talking to Aaron about every little tiny detail of my day that he so patiently tries to actively listen to. I think I have created a new form of slow torture. This may be the perfect outlet for me and it might save my husbands life! A post will be coming soon.