Where are you when I need you?

It's amazing how much time can go by. This blog was supposed to serve a good purpose of keeping family and friends updated on what's going on. I think I have found face-to-face time worth more of my TIME than  sitting in front of the computer. However, time tends to go by and face-to-face can certainly lessen. So, after coming across a few fun posts I thought I would give this the ole college try once again. I love my family. I love and value the life God has given me. I think of how fast time is slipping by. If you had the fun of looking at our All About Baby website, pictures of the boys are there and I think Lily too when she was really little. One of Chloe may be on there as well but there are lots of pictures of the boys from a very young age saved there. I love that site. Here is a link if you want to go down memory lane a bit:

http://brackettboys.aboutmybaby.com/

I'm tempted just to use that site but they keep wanting to make it a pay-for site and free is so much nicer when you have four kids, one income, and one in braces... and two in baseball, and two in ballet, and sliding glass doors that break suddenly, and flu takes over the household and tamiflu is not cheap even with insurance... am I whining?

How can I complain at all with such sweet cherubs, some hairy even, living in this house? :) Chloe (3) relaxing with Hans. She loves to hug this dog. She climbs all over him and around him and under him. He is so patient and tolerant of it. Doesn't seem to mind it a bit.  He's so old I wonder if he thinks of her like a puppy. We sure are lucky to have him to love on. Kids need pets- but don't quote me on that down the road.

Here is Lily running around Lake Baldwin. A stranger caught this picture and walked over and sent it to me. A sweet lady with a knack for using her iPhone camera! I was grateful to get it and would love to have it put on canvas or note cards or something. This was such a beautiful Florida day- full sunshine, warm outside and cool in the shade. Two of my arrows, enjoying the simple things. Life is composed of moments like these.

The Life of a Three-Year-Old through I-Phone Pics

My three-year-old Lily got a hold of my I-phone the other day. I only knew this because I noticed a ton (like 50) of random pictures in the photo files. I started to erase them- slightly annoyed-  but then actually stopped to take a look. She got quite a few amazing shots- shots that made me think about what she sees from her vantage point. Many shots made me smile. At the time she was eating a snack at the table in the afternoon by herself. Hence, why she had time with my phone. Good thing she didn't call Sochi! 

Mi-ladies tutu.

A view of the ceiling from her seat.

She must enjoy art!

School book pile-

The edge of the table-

More of her tutu-

Nice X!

Her brothers dirty socks-

Worthy of two shots to capture the full evidence-

A view between the chair rails but right at her sight level- love it

 Gotta have more tutu! Legging knee perspective-

And more books!

And spaghetti-o's- these are Aunt Annie's though! 

I think I ate a full ton of these growing up.

Love the tiara and purse in the background-

I hope you enjoyed the peek into the world and vantage point of the sweetest three-year-old I know!

Only The Lonely....

How can anyone feel lonely in 2013? I mean it is the year of social media. You can be in contact with many people instantly through Facebook alone not to mention Twitter and email. And yet isn't it interesting that people seem more lonely than ever? Because the touch of the electronic is no substitute for the human touch. Looking into someones eyes as you share your soul cannot ever replace looking into a computer screen. Seeing in the eyes reflection the understanding, the confirmation, the affirmation or the correction you may be seeking.

A dear kindred spirit of a friend recently forwarded me a post on I Take Joy, a blog by Sally Clarkson, that talked about lonliness and friendship and mentoring. That same day another post on A Holy Experience was titled, "When you are weary of vanilla christianity."

I wonder dear hearts if that is not where true lonliness resides? For those of you who do not have a relationship with Christ, you have a loneliness inside only He can ease. For those of you who do have a relationship with Christ, I wonder if your loneliness (like mine) comes from the desire for friends who are tired of vanilla christianity too? A desire for the conversation to start with Christ and for that common thread to weave throughout the time and not just the latest on such and such TV show.

When you are home with four children and especially when one is a baby you are tethered quite close to home. I try to relish the time quite frankly because having four I know all too quickly the baby will soon be toddling, and then running and then wanting their toes polished or to ride around the block all by themself. That being said though, gosh, anyone needs time with a true friend. A true friend in Christ.

I have one such friend that is moving soon. As Anne, in Anne of  Green Gables desires, this friend is a true bosom friend. We met at a homeschool convention when I had two children and she had two children. Our kids played and we each had our third child very close together. My fourth came along and we moved across town and life got busy and I missed my bosom friend. Now she is moving to Ohio!  I envision many late night calls.

Before she moves though, we have lots of early morning Starbucks or Panera coffee dates to attend to. Or as it has turned out late nights noshing and chatting on my couch!

Ann I will miss you but know you have a great adventure awaiting you :) I can't wait to come and see your old stomping grounds and my phone will always be on and waiting in the meantime. Love you friend :)

You have been the sprinkles on the vanilla christianity in my life !

Forward!

It's now 2013 and I was not quite ready for 2012 to end. It was so much fun and involved so much change!

We moved to a new house with more room for our growing quiver.

We had our first new years eve here one year ago amidst the moving boxes. Okay so this picture is of the fireworks we used to celebrate 2012 but it works!

We added a new baby, Chloe, to our family.

We got to travel some.

We homeschooled this year without a co-op group.

I was not teaching BSF this year, which was a huge change for our family- sorry no picture.

 Chloe was baptized.

 It's fun to look back and be reminded of all the blessings for the year. It's also hard not to look back at all the things that I coulda, shoulda, woulda done and did not do. However, as I was feeling like a colossal failure last night in every area God reminded me that I am not a failure. I cannot be a failure so long as I am a child of His because He has already won the victory! My focus needs to be on persevering and finishing this great race called life. I'm too young to wallow in the pit. There is lots of LIFE yet to live.

One of my favorite blogs is A Holy Experience and her post yesterday was about basically the same thing and something she shared really spoke to me. The idea of Forward! She gave a great analogy regarding her daughter Hope. Hope was at a piano recital and during her piece missed several notes but she finished. Her teacher told her in a nutshell that instead of concentrating on all the notes that she got wrong she moved forward to the next bar and kept going. I too can choose to not look back at my perceived 2012 misses but instead fall forward and move on to today. There is no reason not to.

So my motto for 2013 is Forward! My goal will be to focus on each new day as it comes with it's fresh slate. God's mercies are new every morning.

Blueprints for Character Training

 

 

"There is no doubt that parenting is a blessing from God. Children themselves, no matter how they arrive in our arms, are gifts from the Lord.  Psalm 127 is an encouragement, “Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.’

 

Since our children are a reward, character training is an area where we can decide how we will use our precious time parenting. The bible gives a solid biblical principle imploring parents to train up their children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22) and this should involve a deliberate blueprint or plan for training in the area of character....." please continue reading my first published article here found in Becoming Magazine! You can also check out the Becoming Magazine website here for more information on this new online magazine! The founder and editor, Shannon Basso, is a mother of three arrows and has been fired by God with a mission to pull fellow Christians out of mediocrity and into an alive relationship with Christ! I know you will enjoy her site as much as I do!

Freeze Frame!

After typing the title I realized that it is an '80's song...but in writing this post my goal was to capture a moment in time. Days are busy ladies- can I get an Amen! My head often feels like it is spinning and turning with all the things I have to do: laundry, dishes, diapers, boo-boos, mail, bills, meals x3, homeschooling, toddler play, infant time, doctors visits, swim practice, baseball practice, boy scouts, church meetings, etc. etc. I could go on but you have your own list and get my point. Life can be exhausting and I do not even have trouble saying no to the extras. With four kids you don't have much extra space for extras- and yet even a few things can fill up your schedule. By the time the weekend rolls around I'm tired- heck by 9:00 PM Monday through Sunday I'm tired and sometimes fatigue starts to rob my joy. So slowing down to glimpse the chaos through a different lens can be oh so helpful.

 Lily's frequent stair parties.

 Out to dinner for first time since Chloe's birth- whoo hoo!,

 Family birthday celebrations-

 Mamaw time-

 Lily redecorating time-

 We are studying Ancient Egypt and Jay was dressing up. He jumped out at me while I was on the phone with Orlando Health- slight distraction, especially since the first time he jumped out his "skirt" popped off and he was standing there in his whitie tighties with a mask and plastic dagger. You can't help but laugh- eased the moment as Orlando Health was calling to make sure we got our labor and delivery bill- "Um, yes we received it. It's not due for a month right?" "Oh, yes, we just wanted to make sure you got it." I guess the 10k they charged my insurance and received wasn't enough for a super easy, non-complicated delivery and one night stay. That bill was separate from the others we received from the anesthesiologist and in house pediatricians- but we're not annoyed... oh no....wow. So I welcomed the funny distraction.

 Ben likes cowboys and after coloring a few in his book he dressed up!

 I drew  this Egyptian Coffin for the boys and they had fun coloring it-

Celebrating Chase's grandma's 93rd birthday and someone gave Lily a huge piece of cake, which she gladly gobbled down. She has my sweet tooth- poor thing! Jana loved watching her eat!

 Banging on the same piano her Mamaw practiced on as a girl!

 Chloe picture time! She turns four months tomorrow!

 Lego masterpieces- Mom, take a picture so we can send it to Lego Club Magazine!

 Kitchen party- Lily moved another rug to lay her blankie down.

 Enjoying fun with cousins.

 Vacation time- Lily looks like one of the Lollipop Guild from Wizard of Oz.. she wishes to welcome you to Munchkin Land...

 Daddy time with Chloe!

Outside in Beaufort, South Carolina- lots of bubbles and mosquito's!

 Jay loving a pony ride! His teenage guide was less than thrilled :)

This pony was named Starbucks and kept stopping and refusing to move- poor thing missed his double shot of espresso!

More Egyptian work- Jay does fabulous drawings, he is talented!

It's good for the soul and misty brain to be reminded of how blessed I truly am with these arrows and their daddy.  I hope that regardless of your circumstances you will admit the same. There is so much beauty within our homes but also outside around us. Take some time to slow down and enjoy it. Life moves quickly, we know we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, children won't wait to grow up- they do it, darn it, whether we choose to relish it or not. When we feel burdened or weighed down or tired the remedy is found in Scripture!

So I leave you with this verse:

Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise

his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his

benefits-

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the

pit

and crowns you with love

and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with

good things

so that your youth is renewed

like the eagle's.

 

 

I can breathe a little easier after reading that- how about you?