Doings

I have been mostly home bound due to my HUGE belly issues--see Kara Faith's blog for updates on how my pregnancy is going and such. BUT life still goes on. Jamie is leaving tomorrow for St. Louis for a visit for a couple weeks. I (and we) will miss him during this Christmas holiday and I pray Kara doesn't come while he's gone. Celeste has been busy working a lot and trying to save as she is moving out in January. I can't believe I'm old enough to have a child who can move out! I will miss her and she better come visit her mom...hint, hint.

The other kids have been pretty bored with being housebound. I'm going to try to bake some cookies with them this coming week and do some things around home that will be fun. Pray for energy for me. It's really hard for me to stand too long, so that makes things limiting. I hope your family is having a wonderful Christmas season!

Christmas Greetings!

God is BIG Enough

(Baby Kara Faith @ 29 weeks)

They say that I am crazy for letting you be born,

But one look at your angel face makes crazy all the scorn.

They say we can’t afford you–that you’ll need a lot of stuff,

But your pudgy cheeks remind us that our God is big enough.

They say it’s strange–seven kids so far–and ask what’s wrong with us,

How could we know that proof of married love would cause this fuss?

God’s Word tells me He made us, so when they look at you,

I’ll tell them not to ask me why, because He made you too!

Kelly Crawford

(I found this poem on Generation Cedar.)

Stu & Nancy--12 Years Together Today

Make a Smilebox slideshow

A look back over the past year...2009 in review.

30 weeks pregnant with Kara Faith

Yay For Eden!!

Super News! Eden is now officially potty trained! Woo hoo! Currently, we have one child in diapers. I was trying to remember the last time that was the case. It must have been over 3 years ago when just Tommy was in diapers. At one point, when Joshua was born, I had 2 in diapers and 1 in pull-ups for quite some time. For the past week, Eden has been wearing underwear and had NO accidents. I declare her trained. I told her I would buy her a pack of Cinderella underwear and she says, "No, Mommy, I want Tinkerbell!" I'm hoping they make 'em.

So we have a reprieve until Kara arrives. IF we get to bring her home, then we'll have 2 in diapers again, but I won't care. Kara is doing quite well. There are periodical updates on her blog page. We go for a 3D/4D ultrasound this Monday, November 16th. I can't wait!

Some Cuteness

After bath fun with Celeste & Joshua

This is what your brothers do to you when you fall asleep at our house...

Joshua loves Eden's Bitty Baby!

Not the best day

I'm having a difficult day. I am in so much pain with my right hip it is hard to think straight let alone deal with 5 active children who are at home with me. I called my chiropractor and they don't take my insurance anymore. Boo! Now I have an appointment with someone a friend recommended. Last time I saw someone I didn't know (when I was pregnant) I was in worse pain for 3 days afterward. Nervous.

Life is just really difficult for our family right now, so we would appreciate your prayers. I don't want to complain because I know that would not honor the Lord. It's so difficult, though. I'm praying, too!

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Joshua--Looks like trouble...
Pumpkin Patch Max

Eden--pumpkin sitting

Mommy and Joshua (What a cute smile!)

Dan and Tommy--Love this one!

My Cute Tommy

Me with my 5 littlest pumpkins

Help From the Lord

I don't have any great words of wisdom right now. Life is going by at a recklessly fast pace with lots of crazy diversions. We have one unhappy teenager's car which is broken at the moment and may be quite costly. We would appreciate prayers for a reasonable bill and the ability for said teen to pay it. ;) Chauffeuring an 18 year old around isn't making this mom's life any easier. Hopefully, a lesson will be learned for all of patience and moderation.

In church on Sunday a wonderful young man, David, led worship. He read Psalm 121 and it greatly encouraged me. I thought I would include it here. Enjoy!

Psalm 121--My Help Comes From the Lord

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;

he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, he who keeps Israel

will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;

he will keep your life.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in

from this time forth and forevermore.

Eden Joy is 3!

I am still excited about having a girl after 4 boys and 15 years of waiting! I enjoy Eden every day and fondly remember her as an infant. She was and is just precious! (BTW, her picture is the one featured in my header at the top of my blog...) We'll put up more birthday pictures as we get our day rolling. I'm home with just the 3 kids 5 and under today, so don't have a lot of time to be on the computer. ;)

JOSHUA 17 months old

Today Joshua Ezekiel turned 17 months old on the 17th! He is a really cute baby and has a wonderful personality! The whole family adores him...

I caught him reading the 5 ladybug book. He's pretty attached to his "Nah" (nuk) as he calls it.
In the bath playing with his alligator--GO GATORS!

Here is Joshua making a funny face for Mommy with the camera.

Peek-a-boo!

Sweet Tiny Baby

Kara's little hand gives us the "thumbs up" today. Hop on over to her blog for a full report!

Ordinary Day

Hey, I just found one of the many missing snack cups underneath the computer desk. (I had been looking for that one.) Such is the life of a mom of many or a mom with lots of littles. It's Labor Day. No plans today. Daddy (Stu) just went outside to mow. We have a riding mower, so I think he likes it now. Hey, maybe I should grab my iPod and be the one to go do it... (Mmmm, time alone) Nah, it's getting hotter by the minute out there and I'm almost 5 months pregnant. Since Joshua is taking a nap I think opting for a bath where I can actually shave this week might be the best use of my time... I just realized that Eden needs to get cleaned up, so it looks like a shower with her is it. At least it's well before lunch!

Cute Little Pregnancy Ticker

Happy 5th Birthday, Tommy!

Tommy was born 5 years ago on August 24th. He was my last "natural birth" attended by my favorite midwife, Jane. Jane and Stuart delivered him. I remember it like it was just a little bit ago and can't believe 5 years have gone by!! Now I am homeschooling Tommy for his kindergarten year. He is a great student and really enjoys learning. That makes it easy for mom!

Hurting and Hope

Sleep is elusive. Between our puking Jack Russell and cute Eden in our bed, I am awake in the wee hours. Since Kara's diagnosis I awake at odd hours and my thoughts click on and I can't seem to turn them off. We are hurting. Hurting and wishing for things that may never be. Hurting for there have been things done and said. Sometimes I don't even know what to do with myself. I have taken it to the Lord in prayer and await His response to my grief, my sorrow, my pain. And I believe He answered with this: "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Sweet little babies,
it’s hard to understand it ‘cause we’re hurting
We are hurting
But there is healing
And we know we’re stronger people through the growing
And in knowing-
That all things work together for our good
And God works His purposes just like He said He would…
Just like He said He would… (Glory Baby by Watermark)

Diagnosis

Kara Faith, 15 weeks, 5 days

Last Wednesday, August 12th, 2009, our baby girl was diagnosed with Holoprosencephaly (HPE). We saw Dr. Richards at Shands at UF. We weren't given too much information at the time of our appointment. Dr. R drew a picture and wrote the name of it down on a piece of paper. He told us our baby would not live very long once she is born. At almost 16 weeks, her other systems looked normal on the scan, which was good. He didn't detect a cleft lip/palate on the ultrasound. He said that my pregnancy should go to term. A possible problem could be overabundance of amniotic fluid due to the baby having trouble swallowing (polyhydramnios). We ask for specific prayer that this would not happen. We will go back to Shands for another ultrasound with Dr. Richards at 22 weeks. There is so much to tell, but the past few days have been trying. We are praying for a miracle from Jesus for our daughter. If that is not His will, then we are praying that He would transform us through this situation and use our baby girl as a testimony and instrument of His grace.



I had an appointment with my favorite OB yesterday. It was not encouraging, but the ladies that I have met on the holoprosencephaly support group I joined are very supportive. Meanwhile, I'm trusting in God and am thankful for ALL the prayers we are receiving. We really feel them!

Kara Faith comes from: Kara which means "Pure" and Faith which was given to me after some prayer. God gave me the word Faith and a scripture to go along with it a couple of weeks (8/1/2009) before we knew what we were having or that we would be on this journey of faith. Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." I wrote this note, "For we do not always know where we are going, but we can trust in Him who does." Wow, God is so faithful to meet us at our need!

So, I believe that the gift of Kara Faith is going to take us on a journey of pure faith. I am thankful for a special name for my sweet little girl.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17

I will be updating about Kara as I am up to it on her blog Sweet Kara Faith.

Changed forever

I am now almost 16 weeks pregnant. Yesterday I went in to see my OB and he did an ultrasound in which we found a problem with our sweet baby. She, yes she, has a partially developed brain. The outlook is not good. I know I serve a BIG GOD and He is going to walk me/us through this. I am praying for a miracle, but barring that I am praying for His strength to guide me as I go day by day. We have an in-depth ultrasound this afternoon and will be talking with a specialist. Please pray for our sweet baby girl and our family. Thank you!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

I know I never blog anymore. I just don't know what to say... (without being too negative) I feel like one day runs into another and one is no different than the next. It's just a "get through it" and move on feeling. I am hoping I will feel better soon. Between the pregnancy and some other aches and pains I have some days are just quite difficult. I feel like I need something to look forward to, but don't know what that is. Fall? I enjoy that season. It is so hot here right now. Most days it's in the 90's. We have no tree cover, so the kids don't go outside. We're all just in the house here. I would take them swimming more, but I have no suit that fits and only the 2 older boys can swim. I don't feel too good about supervising 5 children swimming with 3 who can't swim. Right now, Dan, Max, and Tommy went to Grandpa's pool to swim. Eden is still sleeping. (I wish she could have gone, too...) Joshua needs to go down for a nap, but I don't know if I can handle the crying. We just moved him out of our room to the boys' room and he doesn't like it. He cries a lot. I wanted to have my bedroom to myself for just a few months before I have to share it indefinitely with another baby, so... I don't think I have ever been this challenged in my life. I don't feel I can say any more, but that's just the rub I'm in.

The Slacker

Oh, I am such a slacker! This summer is just dragging on and I'm just trying to get through the "yucky" feeling part of pregnancy. I really miss my 15 year old son. He's my right hand guy during this time. He will be home from St. Louis in 16 days, yay!

This week, Dan, Max, & Tom have been attending VBS. They are really enjoying it. We've had some good conversations about God and Jesus. It has been good for them to have something to do instead of sitting around the house all day. Dan asked me today, "Who created hell?" His teacher couldn't answer that question. I did tell him that I believe "hell" is eternal separation from God. At 10 years old, it is good for him to be thinking about eternal perspectives. This is going to be a big year of learning for him. I always crank it up with my 5th graders.

I have a mom's night out for church tonight. I feel pretty crummy, but am looking forward to speaking with some adults. I have been very discouraged lately. It seems there isn't much immediately to look forward to and this always really gets me down. Please pray for my attitude. Thanks!

Coming Late January 2010...

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them." Psalm 139: 13-16
Wow! Some days that is all I can say... I choose to focus on the sovereignty of God. He knew all of this, that I would be a mother to so many, before I was born. I think He must have a huge sense of humor because I am really not doing this very well. We need prayers for provision more than ever. Please bless my husband in his endeavors to support our family--especially in this downturned economy and tenuous political time. I am currently 11.5 weeks along. I don't feel too terribly bad. I really could use more help. Too bad Jamie is gone for the summer. He loves to cook and does our family cooking when I am feeling sick. This ultrasound was from my 1st appointment. It looks like Dr. M wants to do another C-Section as it would be my 3rd. Also, please pray that some would have a kind word instead of criticism as my life is more challenging than ever and I don't want to deal with strife and others' negativity right now.

Celeste is 18 today!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow **Turn off the music at the bottom of the page before watching this!

Updates

Okay, why is it that whenever I get close to someone (make a really good friend) they move away?!? This has happened to me twice in the last year and now it looks like my good friend, Charity, will be moving to Ohio. God sure does have some interesting plans for us. Sometimes I wish I could have a peek into the future, just to calm my nerves. (Although, it probably wouldn't do that!)

Recently, we've had some medical stuff around here. Eden is dealing with a staph infection. I took her in last week and it wasn't that bad, so they didn't really do anything, but it got worse over the weekend. Daddy took her to the pediatrician yesterday and she is now on antibiotics. At almost 3 years old this is only the 2nd time for meds for her. She had an ear infection when she stopped nursing at 13 months. I wish she didn't need them. I think of them as rather a pollutant to the system. (They kill all the good bacteria, too...) Dan has had hives for the last week. He went with Eden to the ped on Monday and they say it's a reaction to a virus. He is taking Zyrtec to help with symptoms. Also, Celeste got her eyes checked today and what a blessing it was that my friend, Tara, stopped by and watched the 5 youngest for me!

I am missing Jamie. He will be home in another 5.5 weeks. Celeste is going to St. Louis for a visit later in the month. I didn't realize how much Jamie helped with cleaning and the kids until he wasn't here. He is an amazing 15 yo young man!

Cuteness

Eden put these sunglasses on Joshua last night. It was so cute! He was watching Daddy mow the lawn. Chipper was there, too!
Eden was dancing and singing in the kitchen. She is doing that a lot nowadays! Tommy is in the background.

My All Star

Dan is going to Orlando for the Florida All-Star Baseball Championship tournament today. Games run through Saturday and then depending on their win record, they may play Sunday, too! Grandpa (80 years old) drove him down and will do so again tomorrow because Daddy has to work and mommy is caring for littles. I wish I could see him play! Good luck, Dan!

A Summery Sunday

We're deep into what really feels like summer, but it doesn't officially begin until June 21st, right?!? Temps here have been in the mid-90's with heat indexes of over 100. Needless to say, we are trying to keep ourselves busy indoors. We only have a couple small trees on the lot, so we venture out after 7 p.m.

Jamie left for St. Louis today. Stu, Dan, Max, & Tom drove him to the airport in Orlando. He will be gone for 8 weeks. :( I will miss his help cooking, his fun card tricks, and long hair. Dan and Max are still in baseball All Stars and have a couple games and practices this week. I will be glad when baseball season is over. It's been long this year! They have learned a lot and are both better players, but all the nights home alone are wearing on me. It's hard to drag the little babies to the park in this heat, so we just stay at home. I have a sore throat today and a runny nose. I think I've got the cold the kids have been passing around. Ick! Now I'm off to figure out something for dinner. Have a super week!

A picture thought

It's so hot that Eden even wear sunglasses at breakfast!

Summer

Ah, so it begins. It begins, with birthdays (Jamie's and mine), All-Star baseball practices and games, hot days, rain, antsy kids, Jamie leaving, homeschool planning for next year, and what to do with all this time on our hands? I'm trying to plan some fun things that are free or virtually free. The problem is the heat. We have no trees on our property, so my kids don't play outside during the day. They would be scorched in the 90+ degree heat. What I need is a good vacation, but that's not going to happen! So, any ideas appreciated!

Happy 15th Birthday, Jamie!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Turn of my music at the bottom of this page to watch this slideshow! Thanks!

The Latest

The most recent news is rain and lots of it! Due to this, the boys' baseball tournament had to be cancelled. They kept rescheduling and finally gave up. However, Dan has try-outs for All-Star team on Saturday morning. He was one of 3 pitchers for his team this year. I'm praying he makes it!

Joshua's newest thing is learning to walk. He is 13 months now and is getting more brave by the day. He took 6 steps to Max today. Joshua is very reckless as a walker and enjoys crashing at the end of his walking attempts. This child is going to get hurt!

Eden spent Saturday afternoon at the emergency room. She had a anaphalactic-type allergic reaction to something she ate. Her tongue swelled up 2.5 times normal size, she had trouble talking, and was gasping for breath. We think it was coconut oil in some gummie snacks. I'm not sure I want to do that again soon!

Jamie is out of school in 6 short days. Thus ends his first year of public school since kindergarten. He currently has a 3.83 GPA and won 2 awar ds: an academic honor for 3.5 and above, and the Most Outstanding Integrated Science Student. That's #1 in the whole 9th grade folks! I knew homeschooling him paid off! He will continue at the high school for at least one more year and then is planning on dual-enrolling in order to earn college credit while still in high school.

Celeste has been working a lot and is making plans for continuing her college education in the fall.

We have pretty much wrapped up homeschooling for the year. Max has a little more math to do. We add Tommy as a kindergartner next year. He already knows all of his letters and beginning sounds. He can print pretty well and he can count to 100.

I'm selling Thirty-One Gifts and having lots of fun with it! I'm having an eShow right now, so you can click on my name and shop! Stuart is busy with his holster/gun business, PbPrecision. And that's our update for now. June is coming!

No, Mr. President. Killing is killing no matter what we call it.

Please watch this...

John Piper addresses the sanctity of life.

Thirty-One

I have a new endeavor and I am SO excited about it!!! I am a Thirty-One consultant and can't wait to share it. In an effort to help with our family finances I am looking forward to sharing these neat products. Check out my Thirty-One website. For the best view, click on place an order to look at the neat totes, purses, lunch sacks, etc. Most can be personalized. How fun!!

Verse of the Day

Mother's Day 2009

My children on Mother's Day 2009

Celeste 17, Jamie 14, Dan 10, Max 8, Tommy 4.5, Eden 2.5, Joshua 12 months

(and our Jack Russell, Chipper--he's 11)

Celeste made me a cool flip photo album. I got a Starbuck's card, birdseed, music, & bath salts. Happy Mommy!

Wednesday--A Picture Thought

Eden says, "Look, I wearing socks!" (They're Daddy's.)

The Long Haul

Graduating our first homeschooler this past week has caused me to think on things. There are 6 dear ones behind her. Currently, my youngest will graduate high school in 2026 and I will be 57 years old. Life is an adventure. God has given me so much! I am richly blessed! At first, I think of the long road ahead. Everyone has been asking me if I am relieved after the graduation. Honestly, I cannot say that I am. I am proud of Celeste's (and my) accomplishment. I am excited for what comes next. I am contemplative. Relieved, no. Thankfully, God's grace is there every day of my life and I can do all things through Him. It is awesome to think on what great things God has for us and what the future holds. I am thinking on this verse today:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

May God's grace be evident to you today and may you lack nothing in Him.

Pictures from Graduation 2009

My Sweet Grad
Celeste with Max and Joshua

Zach, my Jamie, & James (The Cheeseballs)

Stuart & I with Celeste--Proud Parents!

Celeste with her display board

Here She Is!

Celeste Marie

Life Verse
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

High School
During her high school years, Celeste has been very busy with many interests and activities. Some of these include: piano lessons, MimeTime, Community Band, 180 Youth Group, helping out with child care, and volunteering. Celeste is an avid reader, amateur photographer, and enjoys scrap booking. When not in school, she works part-time for a local grocery store. Currently, Celeste is dual-enrolled and will complete her high school education having earned 30 college credit hours. Her family appreciates all the effort she has put into school and work for the past 2 years!

Future Plans
Celeste plans to complete her Associate of Arts degree in the next year. After this, she hopes to transfer to University of Florida or another similar university. Celeste desires to continue to develop a Pro-Life Advocacy Group and to one day become a Godly wife and mother.

Our First Homeschool Graduate

It's going to be a busy week! Next Saturday, we will graduate our 1st homeschool graduate. It has been a lot of hard work, so I am quite reflective at this point. It makes me think about our decision to homeschool and how we got here. Back in 1996-1997 I used to manage a medical office. Every day the UPS Man would come in and testify about Jesus, his church, and how much he loved his wife. Also, he began to tell me about homeschooling. At this point, Stuart & I had just gotten married and we had Celeste(6yo)and Jamie(3yo). We were starting our own family and God led us to make the decision for homeschooling. Read Deuteronomy 6:4-9. We have had challenges and made mistakes, but God has been so faithful to Celeste. She is a very hard-working young lady who is currently taking 12 credit hours at the local community college and working at a local grocery 20-25 hours per week. I don't get to see her as much as I'd like! I'm going to post her bio in the next post.

Raising Money For Adoption

My friend, Becky, who designed this blog, is adopting a second little girl from China! They are trying to raise money for this adoption, so please visit her website that has an auction-style garage sale of really cute little girls' clothing.

Chloe's Closet

They received their placement and can't wait to bring little Jada home. Please pray that this would go smoothly and they would get to love on their new daughter VERY soon!

Joshua Turned 1 Yesterday

Border Patrol Beats Baptist Pastor

This says it all...

See this eye-opening video HERE.

Some favorite baby things

Being a mother of 7 children, I have tried out quite a few baby products. I thought I would share a list of some of my favorite things.

Graco Contempo High Chair--I don't have much use for the extra tray that sits on top, because Joshua likes to pull it off and throw it. :) This is probably the best high chair we have owned!

Graco Quattro Tour Travel System--This stroller, while not light-weight, is very sturdy and has held up better than ANY full-size stroller I have owned.

Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat--Hands down, this is the absolute best car seat I have ever owned! I've had mine 3 years now and it was passed down from Tommy to Eden and then to Joshua. It is the easiest to install, is comfortable, and has a nice velcro feature for the straps when not in use.

New Avent bottles BPA-free (Finally!)

Nuk brand pacifiers

Huggies Diapers--the regular ones

Sprout Organic Baby Food by Tyler Florence--It's like you just made it!

Baby's Only Organic Formula (If you can't nurse...)--We used this for Tommy, nursed Eden, and then are now using it for Joshua.

McClaren Volo Lightweight Stroller--I bought this little baby in 2001 and have NEVER regretted it. It has been through Max, Tommy, Eden, & Joshua and is still going strong! I have owned it for 8 years! You can sling it over your shoulder. Great stroller for toddlers for travel or whatever. Highly recommend!

My SlingEZee baby sling--I have tried others that are more costly, but this is my favorite.

Graco Jump-up--I have owned this jumper for 15 years!! Can't live without it. Great for showers and computer time!

I'll stop for today... I need to go make dinner and we have a storm on the way. I think baseball may be cancelled for this evening. I have really been looking forward to the games tonight, but I can't control the weather!

Happy Birthday, Dan!

Dan turned 10 on Wednesday this week! I can't believe it's been a decade already! He is growing into a helpful young man. Dan loves to read and is quite smart with his school work. He's a great pitcher for his baseball team and I am just enjoying him this year.