Renewing our strength

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the Everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40: 28-31

Please join me in praying for Nattie, a fellow member of Women at Home (sidebar). She has inoperable stomach cancer, is a single mother of 2, and needs your fervent prayers.

Orlando Quick Trip

We went to visit my best friend, Valerie, in Orlando yesterday. It was a last minute thing. She has 5 children and I have 6. There were 3 additional friends over to make a house full of 14 children. (10 in the pool!) I made a little video of our little trip. I can't get it to post to Blogger, so you have to go here to see it!

Never Dream of It

Being a home schooling mother of many has its challenges. I have had a very hard time finding balance in my life since the arrival of baby Eden--who is a delight! I'm always trying to improve my approach to schooling and home life in a wise way that is pleasing to the Lord. Many times I fail miserably. Thank God for Jesus' saving grace! Girl Talk had a wonderful post a couple days ago that really encouraged and renewed me. The message was very simple, but profound. Read it here and just trust Him with the details. Our children are such gifts to us!

Bully Bully

Here are a couple pics Jamie took of Eden yesterday. He just loves her to bits! She turned 8 months old on Monday. I can't believe it. It's going too fast! She makes a cute little "bully" face frequently. He caught her doing it. Blessings!

God's plans, not ours

Check this out! I have been following their blog, too! And praying for them!

Oops, I forgot one! This one is done in "retro" color.

Girls' Day Out

Yesterday we had a girls' day. Celeste, Eden, and I spent most of the day together. Celeste had a well check and tetanus shot (she hates me now) in preparation for dual enrollment in August. A note: I don't normally do vaccinations, but tetanus is one we have decided to do. When I have time, maybe I'll do a post on this very controversial subject. We had lunch together at the mall, got our pictures done, and shopped a little. It was wonderful to spend a day with my girls!

Party On

Here are a few pictures of Celeste's party. It was a very fun time! They built the human pyramid at the Movie Gallery--ha! (Eli and Tyler were on the lower level.) Also, here is Celeste with close friend, Karyn. Life has been crazy around here, but I think I always say that. I'm in this season where I'm almost constantly overwhelmed with things. A couple of my children need to work on behavior and attitude issues. This has been weighing on me. Also, we have one going off to dual enrollment (at least part time) and I have a baby that's almost 8 months old. Life is a balancing act.

Please pray for my mother, Marilan Douglass. She has COPD and some serious mental health issues. She almost died this week and is currently on a respirator, has pneumonia, and is in the ICU. My brothers went down to see her yesterday, but because of my family responsibilities I could not go. She made a wonderful improvement yesterday (was writing notes to them on paper) which I believe is from prayer. Thanks!

Car Keys?!?

Today we are celebrating my daughter's 16th birthday! We are having a scavenger hunt and yummy bbq. There will be a dozen teenagers coming over. And my Dad is coming in from Sarasota. He's one of the drivers. It should be a fun time! Here are a few pictures of Celeste over the years and then now! I don't feel old enough to have a child driving. Wow, I guess time does fly by!

I'm struggling a bit right now. Being a mother of 6 children and home schooling can be challenging. I feel spread very thin. Please pray for me. I am having a very difficult time. Thanks...

We had some outside fun on Saturday. Stu and I got new sprinklers from Home Depot. The kids wanted to play in them...ALL the kids! They had fun and the dog (Jack Russell Terrier named Chipper) even had a good time! Here's Eden waiting for me to feed her. So cute!

Babies!

Congratulations go out to 2 of my friends. Misty had baby Simon on Friday, May 4th. He weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces. What a beautiful baby! He has 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters. Also, Stephanie had a 3rd baby girl early morning on May 5th. Her name is Elizabeth. She weighed 10 pounds, 10 ounces! Congratulations ladies! God has truly blessed your families! Now go get some sleep before those babies decide it's party time.

Psalm 128:3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

Some pictures

Pearly Whites

Okay, so I'm excited. I wake up this morning and nurse Eden. I checked in her mouth to see if there were any teeth and behold, she has one just coming in on the bottom left! She will be so cute! I'm sure the other one is not far behind. Eden is 7 1/2 months old now. I think she is ready for food...we'll try again with her. She kept puking up baby food, so I took a break for awhile. Oh, Stu just reminded me that Max lost his first tooth this week. It was his bottom left, too! Symmetry! Have a great Friday!

Life goes on

Okay, as a mother of 6 I am having a hard time keeping up with everything! School is almost out...we're wrapping up our year. We've been busy concentrating on studies. I have 2 birthday parties to throw this month. Celeste is turning 16 and Jamie is turning 13. Two big ones! I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything. Nursing the baby is time to relax, but I miss out on doing other stuff. With the price of gas going up I see us staying home more. My suburban only gets 13mpg. Ack! The price of a large family seems to go up. It's mostly in the gas and food that it's hitting us right now. It's all so depressing. And Jamie and Celeste will be gone for the summer soon...

My thoughts are out of order and jumbled today. Sorry about that!