Somehow the years have kept moving us all along. Seasons passing. I turn around and the baby just finished preschool (at home of course). The oldest is finishing 9th grade. What? How am I here already? Where was I all the days between their birth and now? Five beautiful births. 10 years of my life producing eternal beings. I was present, and involved and hugging and loving and training, and laughing, and crying. Yes, crying...I am an emotional being.

     I am not the mother of babies anymore. I am that middle aged mom with older kids. Not older, like college, and marriage. Older...in the sense that my "baby" will enter kindergarten next year. There are no more diapers, no more little ones on the hip, no more car seats, and midnight feedings. No more maternity clothes, and pack and plays and snuggles in the rocker. No more mid day naps with nursing babes. All that is gone.

Time is spent training in a different way now. Training in the life skills that will be needed to be an adult. Lots of talks, and walking out a life they can model and hopefully learn and glean from.

      Days are filled with all manner of school, youth group, cross-fit, more school, more talks, listening to their dreams and desires for the future. I try to keep the little ones little, while helping the olders grow up and learn more responsibility as they blossom with education, and new job opportunities.

     Help is the word a mother needs every day. Not necessarily in the physical realm...by now I should have that under control...but help from on High. Guidance and direction from the Creator of these precious beings, who have been entrusted to me. Help in how to love deeply, yet course correct, and say no when the situation arises. Help to be an example in how to be a proverbs 31 woman that my girls will desire to be, and a loving wife and mother that my sons will desire in a wife one day.

     Mother's Day is every day. From becoming a new mom, to a mom of many, to a mom of older ones...and eventually to a mom who says good bye as her babies leave the nest. I know I am not there quite yet, but let me turn around and I will be. The days will be done. My job complete.

     So, to all the mothers out there, each on our own journey with our babies (young or old), depend on Him with all your might. He will see us through. Through the changes of the seasons, when you don't want to let that phase go... it will be ok. He is there all the while giving strength when you may not even know it. Enjoy the ride. Every good and perfect gift is from the Father of Lights. The gift of motherhood and all things children...be blessed.

It's been a while unfortunately since I have written. Life has been moving right along with ups and downs, highs and lows, ebbs a flows. I have felt so often that I wanted to write. I felt that I wanted to share, but just couldn't. But here I am now. I will not look back and try to catch up or fill in the gaps, and the missing posts. I am going to move forward. That is our family motto..."Keep moving forward!"

~Ivy Joy watching big brother practice piano~

~Angelic, fun, Ivy Joy~

It's a new year-twenty days into this new year- and I am looking forward to all God has in store for my little family. I want to continue to do my best to mold and shape and form our children's growing hearts. Time moves forward and what my little ones needed last January has changed in what they need this January.

~My precious boy and his lego menorah~

~enjoying climbing trees, and all that is, being nine~

Some things they will always need from Mommy and Daddy, but we are always observing the changes in our children, and what they need today. The joy they continue to give is overwhelming sometimes. I feel so thankful for the busy days.

~My oldest. Dare I say, she is a tween.~

 I feel thankful to hear their conversations of silly stories, made up jokes, compliments to each other, grand adventures they will, one day, take together. I feel responsible to teach them in their studies and in the way of the Lord. It's a weighty yet heavenly job.




Everyone is tucked in for the night. The house is quiet, as my Love is still at work. Will be home soon. It was a good day. Lots of hugs, stories, baths, haircuts, school work, piano practice, meals prepped and eaten and cleaned up. Lots of diaper changing. Lots of living.

It's Important

This week in our homeschool curriculum, our memory verse reads,

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is the first and greatest commandment." Matthew 22:37b-38

 

It's a powerful verse and as we work to memorize it daily, I know (as with all the verses we study) the words are sinking into my children's hearts and they keep it with them and ponder it.

 

So much, that tonight, as I was tucking my boys in, I was praying for them, and as I kissed them and pulled the covers up just so under their arms and chest... I finished my prayer and told them that I loved them with 'all my heart'. Very matter of fact, my sweet Elijah said, "But mamma, you can't love us with all your heart, because you are supposed to love God with all your heart!" Wow. These kids have a way. :)

 

I said," yes, that's true. If we love him with all our heart, how do we have room for others". He said, "we must just have to love God with all our heart, and others just a little".

 



 



 

I won't write how I stumbled over my words and tried to answer him- how we can love the Lord with all our heart and still love others. I just told him that the bible is awesome and mysterious and complex and we need to spend lots of time studying it and pondering it and to thank Jesus that He gave us his Holy Spirit to help guide us and give us wisdom in all things.

 

As I sit late tonight, opening the Word, I was directed back to Matthew 22 and our bible verse...

There was a cross reference that led me to Deuteronomy 6:5-9

 

It reads: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

 

Today, I have been challenged with the question, "Do I love the Lord my God with all my heart and mind and soul?" Is it the first and greatest commandment to me? Do I love my husband more, my kids more, my coffee more, my house and garden more? My family more? My knitting, my projects, my phone, my facebook, my pinterest? Just asking myself some tough questions? Do I have these commandments bound on my hands and my heart?

 

So, I am challenged by His word once again. I am challenged to have an answer for my children, when they daily ask difficult questions. I want to be an example to them of what true Christianity is...not just talk about it.

 

What do they see me do? How do they see me act? Do I show them the first and greatest commandment? I am going to try... With the help of Holy Spirit...

 

Be challenged today as well. Ask yourself tough questions. Holy Spirit will be there to shine light and give wisdom.

 

In Him~

 

Dear daughter~

I love sharing moments that girls love to share... The fun of making hot tea,

playing dress up in Mamma's clothes, learning to cook, knitting, dancing, 

playing with each other's hair, painting toenails.

It is such a great responsibility...

A joyful task to raise a daughter. 

May I be a  good example.

May I lead and  show you how a lady should be..

Strong, yet graceful. 

Diligent and tender. 

Let me learn from you, and you from me. 

Thank Heaven for Little girls..

I love hearing you call my name.

I love having you near by...

I love hugging you, and holding your hands. 

My three beautiful daughters, so precious, so different, so dear. 

I love you!

The Long Winter~

I love reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to my children. They are so rich with stories that tell of the way life used to be. So many things can be gleaned from the books. Most evenings, before I put the kids to bed we gather together in the living room, and I'll read a chapter, or two, or three! I loved something I read recently, and wanted to share it here.

"Anybody knew that no two men were alike. You could measure cloth with a yardstick, or distance by miles, but you could not lump men together and measure them by any rule. Brains and character did not depend on anything but the man himself. Some men did not have the sense at sixty that some had at sixteen. And Almonzo considered that he was as good, any day, as any man twenty-one years old."

Almonzo Wilder in The Long Winter

A day in a year~

~February 4~

~February 5~

6 months old

~February 6,7~

no photo

~February 8~

a cutie for the bake sale

~February 9~

no photo

~February 10~

lunch at an outdoor cafe with this cutie

~February 11~

diaper changing time

~February 12~

no photo~

~February 13~

Ethan's creation

~February 14~

Precious Valentines

~February 15~

no photo

~February 16~

Emma turns 4!

~February 17~

Squirrel tried out the taste of an 

avocado seed from our compost bin

~February 18~

Hot Chamomile tea

~February 19~

herbal/garlic ear oil

A Day in a Year~

January 21
Final meal of Daniel's fast
(yellow split pea soup with roasted brussel sprouts over avocado)

January 22
First grade

January 23
Little chef~
made these for Daddy,
completely by himself,
except for the in and out of oven part.

January 24
Aloe

January 25
Cold Saturday Morning at the outdoor market

January 26
sweet boy

January 27
the boy and his peach tree

January 28
Polar vortex~day 1

January 29
polar vortex~day 2

 January 30
Sunshine

January 31
Ivy's toy

February 1
Sleepy love

February 2
precious Ivy Joy~5 months
beautiful blanket made by Auntie A

February 3
sorting colors,
making necklaces,
and sharing hugs
with Emma~
she is not the baby anymore...
and will soon be four