Laundry Magic

My mom introduced me to a wonderful stain remover. Its called GOOP. Dave has been using this hand cleaner for a long time to clean up after working on the car. I never realized how wonderful it works on other things as well! We've gotten marker off of our new couches with it and I have removed tons of stains from the kids clothes. Everything from spaghetti sauce to blood.

BEFORE

AFTER

I think that I may have missed a few spots on the bottom, but if you look at the collar you can see a big difference. (There is a gold design that runs through the pink - its not dirt.)

The way that I use it is to rub a little GOOP into the stain with a toothbrush then let it set for 10 or 15 minutes before throwing it in the washer with the rest of the laundry. I have been keeping a watch out for something to take out stains the kids' clothes and I think I have finally found it!

Advent Time!

Every year since I was a kid my family has made an advent wreath. My siblings and I would go out and cut evergreens and we would wrap them around a wire form to create the wreath, and then we would decorate it with berries and miniature gifts.
My mom was so creative in her preparation of the advent season! Each of the four candles would have a different name, and she would have a short devotional and and several verses to go along with whatever the candle's name was. We each had our own advent "book" that she had put together. It was filled with all sorts of Christmas songs and was covered by some sort of Christmas themed picture that we all sat around and colored on the first Sunday of the advent season.
My family has always been somewhat musical, so the songs in the book included the lyrics and the music so that we could all follow along and sing in four part harmony. We sang the traditional carols like Angels We Have Heard on High, Joy to The World, and We Three Kings as well as some songs that are probably not so familiar. Songs like Infant Lowly, Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella, and Pat-a-Pan. We had so much fun singing these songs together! It was a wonderful time of "togetherness" for our family, and is a memory that we all cherish.
We have continued the tradition of the advent wreath with our own children. A few things are different due to the ages of the kids like cutting live greens and singing in four part harmony, but as they get older I hope to incorporate these parts of my own memories into our tradition.
For now, we have fun learning the names of all of the candles and singing the songs that all of the kids know by memory. We still have advent books that we all sit around and color together and the kids that can read (that would be 6 of them) enjoy looking through the songs and finding their favorite ones.
One of the reasons that I like this tradition is that it gives us an excuse during the busy holiday season to sit around the table together and enjoy just being a family.
Here are some pictures of this years first Advent Sunday.

Another Field Trip

We took another field trip this week. We went to Washington D.C. and visited the Museum of Natural History. They post a lot of evolution, but the exhibits themselves are a wonderful reminder of the awesome power of our Creator.

Chrissy and Mark have been studying birds

in Science with my Mom.

Of course the boys loved the dinosaurs!

All the kids enjoyed the elephant in the

center of the museum.

My personal favorite was the mammal exhibit. As you

can see, they are very creative in the way that they display

the animals!

My little princess

On Saturday I took Amanda and Alyssa to a "princess tea party" given in honor of one of Amanda's friends. What a fun time! There was a room full of little girls all dressed up as princesses and all feeling the part! They got to use real make up, decorate crowns and little wands, make necklaces and bracelets and of course drink tea! I had such a great time watching my girls make memories with their friends and acting all "grown up"!

Daddy's Little Girl!

Birthday time again

In our family, no matter what time of year it is, there is usually a birthday looming just around the corner! We have birthdays within our immediate family 7 months out of the 12 and 11 out of 12 months in our extended family. The fun never ends!
This month we celebrated Nathan's 6th birthday. Due to my health, we had to do things a bit differently, but had a wonderful celebration none the less! We spent the day at my mom's house so that she could help out with the kids and so that she could join in the fun. My job was to watch everyone have fun and to take pictures, and Dave took care of picking up the presents, the decorations (Nathan chose Chicken Little) and the ice cream cake.
In the morning when we got to my parent's house, we found that my dad had raked up a ton of leaves into a huge pile. If you have ever been to Beachmont you can imagine the amount of leaves! The kids had a great time jumping in the leaves before lunch and then after lunch the 6 older kids spent a couple of hours taking part in the home school fitness program.
Dinner was one of Nathan's favorites - pineapple pizza! After dinner we went into the living room to watch Nathan open his presents. The kids helped him put together some of his gifts and they played for a little while before we went back to the kitchen to have birthday cake. After cake we were all ready to go home and go to bed!
A bit about Nathan - he loves to play with transformers, trains and turtles. He enjoys jumping on the trampoline, riding his bike and has discovered a new favorite thing to do - playing baseball with Gramps! He is getting ready to lose his second and third teeth. Nathan loves to worship during our family prayer time.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATHAN!

My rose

It is so wonderful to watch my kids blossoming slowly into who they will one day fully be as adults. They still have a loooong way to go, but it is still heart warming (and sometimes amusing) to watch them growing up into who God wants them to be.
This week I have watched my children serving myself as well as each other very unselfishly. It is a quality that I hope each one will develop and have as one of the stronger qualities in their lives. I have also watched them learn how to show compassion to others as well as showing their love in tangible ways.
Earlier last week on the day that I was to come home from the hospital my oldest son Jim was out and about with my dad. He asked my dad if they could stop at the store so that he could buy something for me. He used his very own money and bought me a single rose. It was one of the most beautiful roses that I have ever received - not just because of its natural beauty, but because it was chosen with great care by my son in order that he could show the great love that he has for me.
I am certain that girls are the farthest thing from his mind right now - but if he is already buying flowers for the one woman in his life at the age of eleven, then one day, he's going to sweep some fortunate girl off her feet! What a lucky girl!

Glimpses of Heaven

Many times throughout the Bible we read the accounts of different people getting glimpses of what the "perfect" world will be like. Glimpses of what life will be like after the return of our glorious Savior. Little glimpses of heaven: For example, when Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit at the sound of Mary's voice and she felt her baby leap with in her for the first time. I'm sure that Mary must have had a glimpse of heaven when she looked into the face of her little baby and realized that she was touching the face of God. Those who were present when John baptized Jesus and the heavens opened and the dove descended must have been amazed at their little glimpse of what was to come! I can imagine that those who were healed by Jesus - especially the blind - were certain that they were seeing a glimpse of heaven when they could see for the first time, hear their first noises, take their first steps.
I can think of many times over the course of my life that I am sure that I have had a little glimpse of what heaven must be like. Some things we see with our eyes, like watching the sunrise or the sunset with its many array of colors; or seeing the flowers blooming in the spring or the leaves changing colors in the fall.
Other things you not only see with your eyes, but you can feel in your heart that you have just gotten a glimpse of the beauty of heaven. Knowing in your heart for the first time that you are really truly in love; being awakened in the morning by your husband's kiss; feeling your baby move within you for the first time; sweet kisses from your children; heart felt prayers coming from the lips of your children.
This past week, I miscarried our 9th child. This past week, I also was given more glimpses of what heaven must be like than I have had in a life time. Seeing the compassion my children had for each other and the comforting glances and hugs that they gave to each other; being served unselfishly by my husband as well as my children and parents; being served by our church family in our time of need; experiencing God's grace in a greater way than ever before; knowing God's mercies are new every morning; seeing the incredible gift of creation as I held our son for the first and last time. Truly I have been blessed by these wonderful glimpses into what heaven must surely be like!
As I anticipate the glorious coming of our King and the home that He is now preparing for His children, I am now even more excited because I know that He will continually give me these glimpses of how wonderful heaven is going to be and that until He is ready for us, these glimpses that He is giving me are really a bit of heaven here on earth.

An Important Part of Homeschooling

I love all the many benefits that there are in home schooling! For instance, the flexible schedule that you can have, working at your kids pace instead of trying to keep up or having to go a slower pace than needed. You can focus on your child's weak points and spend one on one time working out specific problems.
One of my favorite benefits of home schooling would definitely be the field trips! Ever since we started schooling our kids at home, we have visited some wonderful places. This year has been no exception.
For the past few years, we have started out our school year with a bang by taking a trip to ocean city with my parents. We find some neat places along the way where we can learn a bit about the history of our state and then we hit Thrashers French Fries for a yummy lunch, play on the beach for a little while and then head home.
This year was no exception. We had to go on our trip a little later than usual since my parents were gone for 5 weeks touring America coast to coast for their 40th anniversary, but we still got to start our year off with a bang! (Boy those fries are good!)
While we were waiting for my parents to return from their trip across the country, we managed to take a trip to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. We went during the public school systems second week in school. This early in the year, they weren't scheduling any field trips so we basically had the zoo all to ourselves!
Last week we took a trip to two different places. The first place was definitely geared toward my younger children. Clark's Elioak Farm is a neat little place that originally started out as a children's petting zoo, featuring farm animals. It now has a new attraction. Do any of you remember The Enchanted Forest? It was a children's park that was based around Mother Goose's nursery rhymes. I went there as a child and have many wonderful memories there. Unfortunately, back in 1989 I think, there was a huge fire at the park and they never reopened after that. This little farm has managed to collect the remnants from the Enchanted Forest and are restoring them and placing them around their farm. I was able to watch my kids enjoy some of the same memories I had as a child.
After a picnic lunch at Centennial Park, we headed out to Washington Monument National Park. This is where the first monument ever built to George Washington is still located. You can take a small hike up the mountain and actually go up inside the monument and see a fantastic view of Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia from the top.
I am looking forward to our field trips throughout this year and encourage all you home school moms to take advantage of the benefits of schooling at home and take those field trips! Not only is it educational, it gives you a wonderful break from the daily routine and time to make some memories with your kids!

Starting off our year at Ocean City, MD



The kids had their first camel rides at the MD Zoo.


Clark's Elioak Farm brought memories from The Enchanted Forest.

Washington Monument State Park

Back to the Blog...

I can't believe how long it has been since I posted a blog! This year has been unusual for our family to say the least! The changes that came along with having a husband that was running for sheriff as well as the busy schedule that we hold in the summer made it necessary to put blogging on the back burner for awhile! I have managed to keep up with reading other blogs and have been encouraged with some of the writing that has been going on!

Since it has been so long since I have posted, I thought I would list some of the changes that have taken place in our family over the past year.

1. Instead of playing house and other "normal" make believe games, my kids now hold fundraisers and mock elections.
2. Before the primary election, at least one of the kids needed to be wearing a "Tritt for Sheriff" t-shirt when we left the house for any errands.
3. My husband's t-shirt drawer is packed to overflowing with political shirts - not just his own!
4. Most of my kids know more about who is running for what in this coming election than I do!
5. On a more serious note - Julia, our oldest, turned 12 years old in August. She now attends Teen Bible Study at Beachmont and has a job with a friend of ours as a "mother's helper".
6. Two of our kids, Jim and Christiana, were baptized this summer.
7. We are back to a regular school schedule again. (Thank goodness!)

My baby is 1 today!

I can't believe that it's already been a year since I gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Alyssa. Tonight we had our traditional first birthday party that begins with hot dogs and macaroni (A Tritt staple) and ended with a birthday cake all for Alyssa! We had a great time celebrating together and thanking God for this little blessing!
Since I have already posted a blog about Alyssa a while ago, I'll just post some pictures of her party.

Psalms 22

I was reading in Psalms 22 this morning. After reading this verse, God brought to my mind all of the many pregnant ladies within our church as well as those who have recently given birth.
"You are He Who took me out of the womb; You made me hope and trust when I was on my mother's breasts. I was cast upon You from my very birth; from my mother's womb You are my God." (Amplified Version)
What a glorious verse to claim for our little ones! How wonderful it is to know that even as they are laying in our arms feeding, they are learning to trust and hope in our wonderful Saviour! Our prayers for our children's salvation should never stop, but I am so thankful that God has seen fit to begin a work in our children's hearts even before they can understand the things we are saying to them. What a loving Father we have!

Two special people

I wanted to post a blog about two very special people. These two people have touched so many lives by the way that they live their lives. The steadfast commitment that they have toward God and to each other is an incredible testimony to anyone that has the privilege of knowing them.
The man is one who could be compared to David - a man after God's own heart. He unselfishly gives of himself over and over. He is one of the most humble servants that I know. He constantly looks for ways to bless others in his actions, his speech and in his prayers.
The woman is one of those Titus 2 "older godly women" that every younger woman longs to have mentor them. She lives out the role model of Proverbs 31 and is truly worth much more than rubies! Her love for the Lord and for her husband is manifested in the way that she so willingly serves all who come to their home no matter what her own circumstance may be.
This couple is very special to me, because they have not only helped me to grow in my walk with the Lord, but they have shaped me into the person that I am today. These two people are my parents.
What a blessing to have such a godly heritage to pass on to my children! The help that I have received from them spiritually as well as physically is priceless. They have supported our desire for a big family from the start and have always been faithful to come along side us in training our children in the things of the Lord.
Last week my parents celebrated 40 years of marriage. All 4 of their children were able to be with them and take them out to their favorite restaurant - Steak & Ale. We had a wonderful time together and I know that I speak for all of my siblings when I say that we are very grateful to my parents for being faithful to raise and train us in the way we should go.
Thanks Dad & Mom! I love you both!

Wonderful Vacation

Our family just got back from a much needed vacation to Outer Banks, NC. The week could not have been more beautiful. It was warm and sunny every day until the day we left. We spent hours at the beach swimming, hunting ghost crabs, digging in the sand and looking for shells. We also had access to a swimming pool and play ground where the staff had organized games throughout the week. (Julia won a medal by playing soccer!)
We celebrated my birthday while we were down there, and Dave gave me a certificate to visit the nearby day spa. Wow! What a treat! That was a first for me. I felt quite pampered!
I must say that one of favorite things down there was my quiet times. I had a hammock style porch swing just outside of my bedroom where I could see the ocean. This is where I sat to spend time with the Lord.
We are so grateful for this time away together. We had such a wonderful time!

Trying out the boogie boards!

Digging in the sand. (I think Dave had the most fun here!)

My Cuties!

Mending and commending

It is so easy to find Scriptures in the Bible to tell us how important it is to correct our children.

"Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction will drive it far from him."
"He who spare the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him."
"Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;"
"The rod of correction imparts wisdom;"

These are just a few of the verses in Proverbs that encourage us to discipline our children. There are many more that talk about children being foolish to despise correction and children being wise to heed their parents instruction.
We get so caught up in "mending the ways" of our children, that I think we sometimes forget the importance of commending the ways of our children. Proverbs 3:27 says, "Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act."
Our children need to be encouraged when they do something right! How good do we feel when someone commends us for something that we did? Maybe our husbands came home and commented on the clean house. I love it when my kids comment on the supper I've made or when they thank me for something that I did for them.
We should be quick to do the same for our children. I had the chance to do that for Julia this week. Ever since Christmas, she has been sleeping on a cot mattress. She has a bed, but we've not been able to get the mattress yet. We have actually gone out several times to pick one up, but each time, something happened to prevent us from bringing one home. She has never once complained! I am so proud of the way she has responded to each of these times. She will just smile and say, "Don't worry about it, Mom. We'll get one later."
Yesterday I told her how proud I was of her Godly response. I could tell by the look on her face that it meant a lot to her for me to say that.
When we have corrected our kids over and over again for some particular attitude or action and it seems like they will never get it right, we should make sure that we commend them when they do get it right, and even more importantly, we need to commend them for other positive traits that we see in their lives.
If children always hear correction and never hear commendation, they will grow up being depressed and feeling like a failure! I want to encourage them to live their lives as unto the Lord, knowing that He is working in their lives to create a beautiful work of art!

So God We Trust In You

This is a letter that was sent out to our friends and family concerning my brother Russ.

I wanted to give you all an update on Russ. Some of you may not be aware, but he had surgery on his thyroid yesterday (Monday). He had a biopsy done on his thyroid and a nodule on his thyroid a couple of weeks ago and the doctor said there were suspicious cells and that at least half of his thyroid would have to be removed. The doctor also said that while he was under he would do a better biopsy to find out more information. Well - yesterday the biopsy showed that he had malignant cancer and he'd have to remove the entire thyroid. At this point, it appears as though he was able to remove the cancerous part but Russ will have to go through radiation therapy in 4-6 weeks (which falls right about during Mini Session/Session 1). From now on, he will have to always take thyroid "replacement" medication.

I am so astounded by the goodness of the Lord. A few weeks ago, before we were aware he had this problem, Russ was rushed to the hospital with what was believed to be meningitis. As it turns out, he did not have meningitis, but as a result of all the tests he went through at that time, the doctors found the nodule on his thyroid. Had he not gone into the hospital thinking he had meningitis, the doctor let us know yesterday that by the time Russ had symptoms of this cancer, it would have spread and would not be as easy to remove.

He's not exactly out of the woods yet. Because it was malignant, there's always gonna be a chance it could reappear somewhere in his body - therefore, he'll have to get regular bloodwork/tests done to see if there's any evidence of cancer. This morning tests show that his calcium levels are pretty low and they are working on regulating that.
Please keep Russ in your prayers. More important than anything is that God is exalted and honored and this is Russ's prayer. Notes/emails of encouragement to him and my parents would be cool.

This was written by my sister, but is what our whole family is feeling right now. Over the last 6 months, we have had several people who have been close to our family pass away or have been diagnosed with cancer. We don't understand the ways of our God, but we do know that "He who promised is FAITHFUL."

In times like these, all we can do is get on our knees and praise the Lord for His goodness.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform:
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up His bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour:
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own Interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

So God, we trust in You!
O God we trust in You.
When tears are great
and comforts few
we hope in mercies ever new
we trust in you!

From Worship God Live
Words by William Cowper
Additional words and music by Bob Kauflin

Marks of love

On Friday, my three year old son Matthew came to me with a little magic marker that his fitness teachers had given him. He said, "Mommy, I love you!" Of course I quickly replied, "I love you too, Matt!"
He then asked, "Mommy, since I love you, can I mark you with my new marker? I want to mark everyone that I love!"
Today, I still bear his mark of love.
I am reminded of another's Son, who, because He loved us so much, He wanted to "leave His mark" on us. The mark of Christ lasts far longer than any marker, for it marks us deep below the skin - to our very souls!
Today and forever I will bear His mark of love!

Who's helping who?

I had an incredible thought. God is not here to help me train my children. It's really the other way around! I am here to help God. This is a Master/Apprentice relationship. Although He is in control and I am here to assist Him, I still need His help to fumble through the task that He has assigned to me.
When situations arise that I've never dealt with before or have tried to handle and failed, He is there to offer me His hand. All I have to do is take hold and He will guide me through this life giving me the knowledge that He possesses.
Something that I have always seemed to struggle with is having patience. I remember that as a senior counselor at camp we would fill out an end of the year questionnaires. One of the questions was what do you think God has been teaching you this summer? My answer was always patience!
I Timothy 1:16 says "I was shown mercy so that in me...Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life."
Oh that I might have unlimited patience! That seems so hard to come by when your kids keep doing the same thing over and over again, or when you just put the finishing touches on your recently cleaned house only to turn around for two seconds and it's once again resembling the aftermath of a tornado! This is just one of those areas that I will have to rely on the Masters teachings and trust that He will perfect this work in me that He started.
So, the next time I start to cry out to God for His help, maybe instead I should try asking Him what I can do to help Him raise my unruly bunch of warriors in training!

My Personal Retreat

Welcome to my weekend get away!
I have felt God impressing upon my heart for some time now that I needed to have a personal retreat.
I will confess to you that my quiet times have not been what they should be and I knew that I needed to get alone with God and find out what He would have for me.
For all you moms of nursing babies, you know what a struggle those early mornings can be after being up several times to feed a hungry baby! This, along with Amanda having trouble staying in her own bed at night, seemed to give me a valid excuse for not rising early enough to get my time alone with the Lord.
I would try to snatch little moments throughout the day with the Lord, and was successful to some degree, but 10 minutes doesn't go very far when I think of all that God has called me to do as a wife and a mother!
So, all that being said, my husband was gracious enough to give me a full 24 hours away from the business of life to get alone with the Lord. What a blessing it was! Not only did I spend hours worshipping, seeking God, confessing, and listening to the Spirit, I got a good night's sleep as well! (Come to find out, Alyssa slept through the night while I was gone - that had to be God!)
God revealed many things to me during this time. He showed me areas of my life that I had failed my children, yet was faithful to show me how I could improve in those areas. He showed me ways to approach problem areas in my children's' hearts that I had previously been struggling with.
He also showed me that my quiet times are precious to Him and that if I would submit my tiredness to Him and be faithful to meet with Him, that He would bless this area of my life. That doesn't mean that the kids will always sleep through the night or that it would always be easy to jump right out of bed every morning, it simply means that He will be faithful to meet me every morning and that His grace will always be sufficient to get me through the day.
I really struggled with this. Not only was God prompting me to wake up before the kids, I knew that He wanted me to wake up even before my husband. Proverbs 31 says that the virtuous woman rises while it is still dark to get food for her household. Note that this does not just say for her children. The household definitely includes the husband!
So last night, in obedience to my Lord, I set my alarm to go off at 5:00 a.m. This morning, Alyssa woke up at 4:49 to be fed. The first time all night. God is so faithful!

Into his court she humbly came
fearful in knowing this could be her last hour.
For when she called out his name
her very life would be in his power.

Honor and admiration filled her heart.
This was the one who could bring her life!
This king had loved her from the start
and had proudly called her his wife.

Slowly she approached his throne in awe.
Trembling in fear her heart began to race.
Thirty days had passed since her name he did call.
Would he welcome her or from her turn his face?

As she humbly stepped into the inner court
the love and joy on his face he did not hide.
She had found favor with the one she adored!
The rod was lifted and she was welcome to be at his side!

Into Your courts I humbly come,
resting in the peace that You have given.
I call out Your name and to You I run
for to You my heart has been driven.

Honor and admiration fills my heart.
You have given me the gift of life!
You, my King, loved me from the start
and have accepted me, a mortal, as your wife!

I approach the throne of grace in awe.
The joy I find in You causes my heart to race.
For day by day my name You will call
and from me You will never turn Your face.

As I step into Your inner court,
the quiet place where only You and I abide,
I find favor with the One I Adore
and I am gladly drawn to Your side!

Like Queen Esther of long ago, I desire the presence of a powerful King. The difference is that I can approach my King with confidence, knowing that He will always be waiting with open arms.
The Bible says that Esther hadn't been called into the king's presence for 30 days! What a privilege to not only be called into God's presence daily, but I have the joy of continual communion with Him throughout the day!

The End is Near!

The end of school, that is! Yep, the Tritts are almost finished. We have just about 4 weeks left until we are finished with this year's schooling. This is a bit earlier than usual, but we didn't take our usual October vacation in 2005. We are planning to go away right after we finish school this year.
For the past several years, we have ended our school year at O.C. Maryland - sort of an end of the school year celebration. Since we are going elsewhere after school, we decided to take our O.C. trip a bit early. We turned it into a field trip - Mark and Chrissy are studying Maryland history, so we visited several counties in Maryland throughout the day.
We left last Thursday morning at 6:00 along with my parents and headed down to the beach! I thought I would share a few of our pictures from our day.

Seeing wild ponies at Assateague Island.

Enjoying the very cold water!

Building sand castle with Dad.

Beautiful Beach Babies!

Visiting my mom's childhood home.

Pretending to be a sloth at the Salisbury Zoo.

Your only as old as you feel!

The other day I was talking to my kids about being old and they were quick to inform me that you're not old until you are 72. Why 72? I have no idea, but at least I have a ways to go before they dub me "old"!
Our conversation after that went something like this:
Me: I guess if you're not old until you turn 72, then Grammy and Gramps aren't old yet, are they?!
Julia: Nope - not yet.
Me: But they look older than me right? Do you think that Grammy looks older than me?
Jim: Just a little bit.
Me: What about Gramps?
Julia: He looks older most of the time.
Me: What about Aunt Dyan? (Dave's older sister)
Julia: She looks younger.
Me: Aunt Debbie? (Dave's younger sister)
Jim: She looks a lot younger!
(I am going to leave out the next few questions in order to protect myself from those parties who might get offended!)
Me: What about Dad? Does he look older? (we are about 6 months apart in age)
Jim: Well, sometimes Daddy looks older..... But he never acts like it!

I guess I should take that as a compliment!
Despite what it may look like by the way this conversation went, I really have no problem growing old - as long as my husband grows old along with me!

Reasons to Have a Big Family

20. Counter global depopulation.
19. Never worry about who will take care of you when you get old.
18. More hands to help.
17. Never a dull moment.
16. Built in baby sitters.
15. No leftovers.
14. You can use all your favorite baby names.
13. Always somebody there to blame it on.
12. Wholesale shopping.
11. You always have someone to talk to.
10. No matter the size, it'll fit somebody.
9. Never fear insanity from too much quiet.
8. Lots of tax deductions.
7. Birthday parties all year long.
6. Have your own sports team.
5. Have your own cheering squad.
4. Group rates.
3. You can always find your car in a parking lot.
2. Get your own row at church.

The # 1 reason to have a big family....

"CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM THE LORD ...BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE QUIVER IS FULL..."

Between many our are sorrows divided and our joys multiplied.

Precious Gift

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to the hospital to meet the first born son of some friends. What a joy it was to see the love so evident in these parents' eyes as they gazed down at their precious little one!
As I talked to the mom about the whole labor experience, I was amazed anew at what a wonderful gift we mothers have. God has blessed us as women with the gift of bringing life into this world. I know that ultimately God is the giver of life, but He has chosen our mortal bodies to be a sanctuary for these new little lives that He is growing.
True, it does not come without sacrifice. We must endure the months of morning sickness (some worse than others), the agonizing pain of stepping on the scale each month, the swelling of not only our tummies, but often other body parts as well, hot flashes, struggling to find a comfy position to sleep in the last few weeks, and of course all the pains that come along with labor and delivery!
But ~ what about the many joys that we experience while carrying our children? Remember when you realized for the first time that you were pregnant? What about telling your husband that he was going to be a father or your parents that they were going to be grandparents? How about the first time that you heard your babies heart beating or the first time that you felt them move? The bond that grows between a mother and a baby for those 9 months are so strong, that we are willing to go through the pains of delivering our baby just so that we can see them face to face, hold them close and to tell them how much we love them!
We face many trials along the long road of motherhood. Pretty soon our little "angels" begin to grow and on some days they seem a little bit more like demons and we realize that being a mom means facing sanctification everyday! We have to endure potty training, terrible twos, embarrassing moments in public before your kids learn what tact is, sibling rivalry, and let's not even get into the whole adolescent/puberty thing!
Oh Lord, let us not grow weary in the work that God has called us to! The daily process of sanctification is yet another way that God blesses us as mothers. We must go through the Refiner's fire in order to come forth as pure gold! What better way to become a refined piece of pure gold than by being a mother! Not only do we get to enjoy bringing a new life in to this world, we get to watch this little life flourish and grow in the grace of our Lord Jesus!

Stronger Unity

In this day and age, it is easy to lose sight of those things which are so important to living a Godly life. When Dave and I got married, I would always get up with him and we would pray together before he left for work. He was in the USAF at the time, so his hours were pretty random. Sometimes he would have to leave the house as early as 4 am, and other times he would be at home until noon! Either way, I was faithful in getting up and spending time with him before he left. (This was really not that hard to do. I usually went back to bed after he was gone! Ahhh, the easy life before kids!)
After a while, those times started getting fewer and fewer. I think it had something to do with having more and more kids. Whatever the reason, we got out of the habit of our mornings spent together before God.
We still had our own personal quiet times, we began having family worship and Bible times, and have always been faithful to pray with the kids before bed, but times spent with God as a couple were not as frequent as they should have been.
A few weeks ago, I was talking to a very Godly woman, and she told me about something that she and her husband have been doing for years. Each night before bed, they spend time praying together. Not necessarily a long time every night, but they are faithful to end their day together in communion with their Heavenly Father. Even if her husband is out of town or knows that he will be home late, he calls her and they pray over the phone before she goes to bed. She said that this has had a wonderful impact on their marriage.
At our last care group ladies meeting, I felt that God would have me challenge the ladies of our group to begin to pray each night with their husbands, ending their day together before God. Up until then, I had not been practicing this myself, and I knew that in order to not become a hypocrite, I would also need to take up the challenge!
So far, we have not missed a night praying together. I will confess that I am not always 100% alert for these times, but Dave has been faithful in leading us, and I feel like we are on our way to making the unity of our marriage even stronger!
The Bible says that we are not to let the sun go down on our anger. I think that it is so easy to fail here particularly within a marriage. I know that Dave and I don't like to have disagreements in front of the kids, so we usually save our complaints until after they are asleep. This puts us at a risk of being upset at each other just as we are getting ready to go to bed. You know, it's almost impossible to go to sleep angry with the person that you are praying with just before you go to sleep!
So...I want to issue a challenge to all the wives reading this. Begin to pray each night with your husbands before you go to bed. This is a wonderful way to build up the unity between you and your husband. I would love to hear from those who are willing to take me up on this challenge!
"A threefold cord is not quickly broken".

New Mercies Everyday

I have discovered this week that I most definitely was not called to be a nurse! Every member of my family (excepting myself) has been struck down with the flu this week. I feel like Nurse Jane Fuzzy Wuzzy from Uncle Wiggly! I've been running back and forth between the bedrooms and the couches taking temperatures, giving out medicine, covering cold bodies up and giving out endless cups of juice!
Our house has turned into a regular infirmary! I have all my medicine charts laid out along with all the labeled medicine cups and drinks. I move from person to person checking their condition and asking them if they need anything.

Each morning I wake up expecting to feel rotten. I tell myself, "I just know I'm next on the list!" Not so! God has been faithful in showing me that His mercies are truly new every morning. So far, I have woken up fairly refreshed and ready for another day of nursing my family back to health. My energy level is nothing short of a miracle! After several nights of getting up to tend the "sickies" at all hours, what else could explain this but an extraordinary God working an "ordinary" miracle?
I believe that God has given something special to those He has called to motherhood. Call it what you will, but it's made up of patience, endurance, an extra reserve of energy, discernment, and a huge dose of grace! If you think back to when Jesus was dying on the cross, even in one of His weakest moments He was looking out for His own mother. He saw her distress and even before she asked for His help, He told John to take care of her. (John 19:26-27)
We mothers can take this picture from long ago and apply it to our own lives. We can be confident that even before we ask for His help, Jesus will be looking out for our well being and give us what ever it is that we need to make it through every single day, whether it be strength, patience, energy, grace or His mercies which are new every single day!