Bump in the Night

Every once in awhile during the night there would be BUMP that was a mystery. The kids would be checked on and would all be fine but no clue of the sound. It is not unusual for us to hear animals during the night. Last night we could hear the elk bugle so we look out our window and sure enough they were in our yard (probably about 40 of them walked through over time) and one was close enough to Annalina's window to reach out and touch it! We went and got the kids up and for about and hour sat in the dark up to a window that goes just about down to the ground and the elk would walk up to the window and look in!!! Even a bull elk walked up to the window and looked in and bumped his nose to the window and we were right there! SOOOOOO cool!!! We had such a blast. Well, we may have figured out the bumps we hear . . . one of the elk made a loud bump against the house!

Babe and I thought it was so cute that after Ross heard the elk sounds he referred to it as them "yawning". The kids got to hear the elk bugle for the first time last night and that was super exciting to them.

Anyway, we had a great time enjoying the things that go BUMP in the night!

Jeremiah 17:5-8

⁵Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

⁶For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.

⁷Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

⁸For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Lord, Teach Me To Pray for kids-by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt

For weeks now the kids and I have been working through the above devotional. It has been SOOOOO good and we are days away from being finished in this study. For fun it likens you as being a special forces soldier and each day is a mission or training. A few days ago we studied the above verses in Jeremiah 17:5-8 (this training was about receiving the supplies we need from our Commander in Chief -God our Father-)and this study proved to be a great reminder and lesson of the difference in a life between those that live a life of faith dependent on God and those that rely on human strength. It touched my heart and convicted me. When we got done Gabriel said "That was good!" The lesson challenged us at the end by asking . . .

"Are you anxious in hard times (times of heat)? Or are you resting because you know that the heat can't destroy you because you are rooted by a stream and God will meet your needs? . . . How dependent are you on God? Have you sent your requisition (inquiry) to the Commander in Chief asking for the supplies for your mission? Communicate with Him and ask Him so supply your needs from his riches . . . (Lord Teach Me To Pray for kids-by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt)

One last Bible Verse

II Corinthians 1:20:

"For all the promises of God IN HIM are yea, and IN HIM Amen, unto the glory of God by us." [emphasis mine obviously:-)]

Fun at the Bike Park with Cousin C

My older brother B and his son C and my Aunt B came for a visit last week. It was so fun spending time with them. I had not seen my Aunt in about 9 years and it was so fun to catch up with her!

I wrote before about the new bike park in our area. We went twice while Cousin C was here and the kids had a blast. Cousin C is a more experienced rider than the others but we all had fun and both times were beautiful Colorado days. Yep, that is my hubby on the pink bike just having fun and giving laughs! He is definitely secure in his manliness but I had fun sending these pictures to his brother! My older brother took all these pictures while we were there.

Gabriel and Cousin C enjoyed playing monopoly. The other popular activity was building forts in the play room and have nerf gun wars. Uncle B gave them survival lessons out in the woods which was also a highlight!

"I want to be on Active Duty"

A short time back Gabriel came to our room one night after the kids had been put to bed. He was emotional and as we talked I found out he wanted to be baptized. He talked about how pastor had preached a message about baptism being the Christians uniform. Gabriel said as he went to bed he thought . . . "I'm a civilian in the army, I want to be active duty!" He wanted to put on the uniform and identify with Christ as baptism is an outward show to identifying with Christ. Gabriel was struggling he wanted to be baptized but he said "I don't like to do important things in front of people." He does not like to be the center of attention in larger groups. We talked to him and prayed with him. He decided he was ready to go forward to get baptized. The day he was baptized Gabriel was THRILLED. He told me 2 times "I am so glad I am baptized!"

I saw this week, as a mother, that my little Gabers is turning into a young man. He is listening and responding to the Holy Spirits work in his life. Also, he has been helping our church as they build our new Sanctuary. He had WAITED for the building to start and was so eager to help. He was thrilled that he got to help put the main beam in!! He got to drill the holes in the main beam. He also got to help with demolition and tightening bolts in the new foundation. I loved hearing him say "I worked with Mr. R doing . . . this and "I drilled holes and Daddy did . . . " My little boy isn't little any more. I am thankful for a church that allows the next generation to help and doesn't consider them a hindrance. They don't roll their eyes about how a kid does something and get annoyed. They love them and want them to be apart of ministry.

First Piano Recital

This was both Gabriel and Annalina's first piano recital. Gabriel has only been taking lessons for about 2 months and Annalina has had to take a few steps back since starting with this new teacher. We are grateful this teacher saw the gaps in her learning!! Mrs. W is the best piano teacher! Babe caught just the very end of one of Annalina's recital songs on tape.

Why I Love Homeschooling in 1,000 words. Well, maybe 2,000!

A picture is worth 1,000 words! :-)

O.k., there are days I feel like pulling out every hair I have on my head but it is all worth it. The kids love each other (and yes they fight too) and have a BLAST in just the small stuff. So, I may be bald early but I'll have GREAT memories and so will the kids.

Coleslaw, Cabbage, Carrot, Arrow . . . Baby #5?! and a Poem by Mommy

Carson at Casa Bonita Resteraunt in Denver celebrating the news
that a baby brother was coming!

At Casa Bonita to celebrate the news that a baby boy
would be coming to us in the spring.

We had the BEST seats in the resteraunt. We got to watch the diver up close!

Annalina at Casa Bonita Resteraunt in Denver celebrating the news
that a baby brother was coming!

August 20th we found out we were expecting a new little one! When Babe and I found out we hugged and then went to our knees to thank God for this little one and ask God for its protection. Each baby in the family, before it is born has been given a pre-birth name . . . Gabriel was "Turnip", Annalina was "Tater", Ross was "Pickle", and Carson was "Sprout". Unfortunately, this time around to many people care what the name is. Gabriel calls it "Cabbage". Annalina calls it "Carrot". And Daddy decided he would call it "Coleslaw" as a mix of the 2! Poor kid!

I have again been really sick during this pregnancy which at times can really get discouraging but I am thankful none the less.

October 12th was my first doctor checkup and he did a QUICK ultrasound just to get a glimpse of the baby and the heartbeat. I saw a little arm floating and the cute head and of course I'm in love. Most importantly I saw the heartbeat! It was a low tech ultrasound so the picture wasn't real great but it was still fun to see! A big praise from this was also that I got a GREAT doctor which had been a really big concern. If a doctor was going to be made for me it would be just like this doctor. I drove away and felt in God's hands. He knows our concerns and He watches over even the little things showing His love and care. How can I not feel blessed with a day like that!

Today is October 26th and I believe I have already felt the baby kick on 2 separate occasions in the last week or so!! Seems early but what gives it more validity is I have felt the kicks when I have been really busy and than sat down to rest which is how they usually do it. They are lulled to sleep when Mommy is working and then when you sit down the cradle isn't being rocked anymore! Needless to say, I got a KICK out of it both times! Sorry couldn't resist!

November 11th we went in for a 3D/4D ultrasound. The lady that did the ultrasound was fantastic. I have never been so comfortable during an ultrasound nor have I gotten to interact with the baby like I did in this ultrasound. The technician showed me where to push on my belly and then on a big screen on the wall we could watch how HE, YES HE reacted. He is an ACTIVE little guy. The technician commented about how active he is. I said he has to be to keep up with these 4!

I knew probably within seconds of the ultrasound starting it was a boy. Annalina commented that maybe he was hungry and he gave her a thumbs up sign which she just went crazy over. Annalina poked at him to and watched him react. Everyone fell in love. Carson was taking it all in and watching the screen. Gabriel was so excited and loved seeing the pictures. Ross also really enjoyed the whole experience. I wish I had written this post sooner because he said something so cute and now I can't remember what it was. Ugh. Babe loved it. He loved that at a stage of pregnancy where he can't feel the baby kicking and interact much yet he loved the bonding experience so early.

It wasn't like waiting for a baby after that it was like you met someone you adored and you look forward to seeing them again. Annalina had been praying for a girl but after the ultrasound and the interaction she said "I don't even want a girl anymore!" The technician really enjoyed watching how excited the kids were about this little one and she was impressed with their behavior. She complimented about the kids and said "and I see a lot of kids."

After the ultrasound we went to Casa Bonita's Resteraunt near Denver. It is an unusual Mexican Restaraunt that has a guy that dives off a cliff with fire in the restaraunt and they seated us right next to the pool area!!! It was fantastic to sit there. I went there as a kid and wanted to take the kids. I thought they would enjoy it but I was thrilled that they loved it beyond my expectations!!!

December 7th- Carson has been unsure of the whole baby thing but is slowly coming around. He picked out some PJ's for the baby the other day. He pointed at the ultrasound pics on the refrigerator and said "baby" and later when I was telling Babe about it he said "our baby".

December 16th- Another ultrasound today. But this one is the medical ultrasound. I am really looking forward to seeing our littlest little guy again . . .
. . . had the ultrasound and thankful he looks perfectly healthy!! Praise the Lord! Something funny though is that the ultrasound technician said that on one of his feet the toe next to his big toe is longer than the big toe and asked if Brian or I had that. We think it is cute we'll have a little monkey foot!

January 20th-Update on names. We think we have picked a name but what is funny is the names Ross and Carson have picked. Carson has said MANY times he wants to name the baby "Daniel Boone" which really comes out Da Boo. Ross (NOT JOKING) seriously wants to name the baby "Bunker Hill". His reasoning . . . "It's the name of a battle!"

January 25th-Carson now says to me "lay baby" and he puts his head on my stomach and cuddles with the baby. So cute. Today the older kids were gone at homeschooling group and Carson and I were praying for breakfast alone. We prayed for the baby but when I was done Carson said to me "not die" and I knew what he was talking about. I didn't specifically pray that the baby would not die which is what the kids pray. So Carson added on to the prayer that the baby would not die.

This little guy is VERY active and strong so curious to see what he looks and acts like!

I had complications with my last pregnancy and I don't take the life of this child for granted. I know my Heavenly Father could take this child home at any time but it is my prayer that we be able to keep this little one we already love. During one of my sickest times I went to bed feeling overwhelmed with my sickness and feeling discouraged but blessed. I wrote this poem. For those of you that are into grammar and the fine points of poetry you may not want to read on. This is a mother pouring out her heart not concentrating on English grammar. Prayerfully, someday this little one will be able to read this and know some of my heart.

To My Smallest Arrow
by Mommy (September 9th, 2011)

The torture is all worth it the fear, nausea, and pain.
For I know when I look into your eyes it will be nothing but gain!
You're an answer to my prayers, child of mine,
I know from God my Father you are a sign.
He gave you to me as a sign of His love.
I will carry His grace with me until I am with Him above.
When your Daddy and I found out about you we embraced
then got down on our knees to pray.
We thanked God and petitioned Him that with us you would stay.
I know some people snicker and wonder why
Why we are giving having a child another try.
You are an arrow in Daddy and Mommy's quiver the Bible says . . .
An arrow to shoot out into this godless world.
Our prayer for you is that you accept God's Son above,
And that your arrow would shoot the world evidence of HIS love.
May your arrow be ever sharp, straight, and true.
This is our only prayer and really our only hope for you!
There is no need to pray or hope for anything more,
For when you walk with God you have His grace, peace, and blessing galore.
Satan will try to distract you as in life you take aim.
He'll send people to criticize you and bring you to shame!
"How can Almighty God use a person as you?" Your response "It's not I but Christ"
Just remember that it's all about His abilities not you.
So as in life you take aim hand the bow to the Lord
And He'll use your arrow to be sharp and straight as a sword.
So you as an arrow will not go off course on your own
But be used to make His Word, the Bible, sown.
But in the meanwhile I can't wait to feel your sweet breath and to see and touch your face.
I had to write a poem to tell you that I know you are a gift of God's grace.
P.S. It's not just Mommy and Daddy that can't wait to see your face.
You have 3 amazing brothers and a loving sister
that are ecstatic and praying you home to our place!
They love you and love Jesus and we pray for them too
that all our precious arrows shoot straight and Bible true.

Can't wait to hold you! We are never ending in our prayers for you! No matter what, I know I will see you even if not on this earth.

Video of the Kids Sledding Fun

First Big Snow of the Year!!

Grandpa J helping the kids get started on the sled! Sooooooo much fun!

Grandpa J's turn to have a ride down!!

I had an absolute BLAST with the kids. I loved sledding and throwing snowballs with the kids. I loved it when I was a kid myself and it is fun sharing that joy with my little ones now.

The forecast said 2-4 inches of snow. REALLY? Ross is standing!

Our sweet snow angel. She and Gabriel and Ross LOVED the snow.

Gabers

Ross

Carson wasn't so thrilled about the bundling up and being stuck in snow.
Next year will be better when he can move around more easily.

We found something Carson likes to do in the snow . . . shovel!!

Daddy taking a turn riding down!

Blessings of My Week

1) Last week I went from flying kites with the kids or at least attempting too . . . to later on in the day watching the snow come flying down. It was beautiful but my favorite part of the snow coming down was watching the kids ECSTATIC about the snow. They were bouncing off the walls and going out on the deck to enjoy it. I told my mom when I am old and gray and my children are gone and I see the snow start to fall I want to remember what it was like when my children were small and the excitement and joy of that first snow. It warms my heart now. Oh, Ross was convinced it was time for Christmas and that we needed a tree and was it Christmas Eve? Carson was saying "Snow, white" except it didn't come out that clear!:-)
2) I had another similar joy. The kids boots and mittens for winter came in the mail! Oh, my talk about excitement. They had to wear them around the house and they played and played in the living room until they were hot and sweaty. I had found boots for Carson at Goodwill and pulled those out for him and he loved them too.
3) I had some rough days too this week. Thankfully, I have a super husband that I connect with and I become more and more thankful for with each year and a dear Christian friend that I know I am blessed to have. She is a super friend and I am so thankful for her genuiness. If you read this K thanks for being the friend you are. You're a gem.
4)Listening to Annalina sing and play on the piano a solo of "Sweet Hour of Prayer" at our church. And listening to one of our church members during praise time tell that they are thankful for our church and "piano player" as a praise. That was sweet of him. Which leads me to another praise . . . our church . . . it has already made an impact on our children by giving them opportunities and Godly preaching. The people are real people. They act real, they realize they are human and that we are human and live their lives in humility, and treat those around them with love. I LOVE OUR CHURCH!! We have looked for this for so long.
5) Seeing my dad. We had a good time with him and the kids were thrilled Grandpa was here.
6) I have a BIG blessing concerning Gabriel this week but I will wait to write about that until the event occurs!

Are they listening?

MANY, MANY years ago I was sitting in a waiting room hospital (I don't even remember why I was there but I know it wasn't waiting for someone to have a surgery! and I had no kids with me) anyway, a nurse came in and talked to a father whose kid had just been through surgery and she was telling him what the child had said. For some reason he looked at me and said something like "When your telling your kids things you think they are not listening but they really are." That has stuck with me and I have found it proved many times.

One problem I have found of recent times is devotions. When there are kids of different age ranges how do you spend your Bible study time so it is profitable to the most amount of kids. The study on prayer I have been doing recently I knew was a bit of a stretch for Ross and I just didn't know what he was grasping of it. I had doubts in my mind of . . . should I do something easier? This week I was reading a verse John 14:14 "If ye ask any thing in my name, I will do it." Ross was sitting on my lap as I was reading and when I was done he said "Does that mean if we ask in his will?" I was thrilled he has been listening and he is getting it in his head and he is putting 2 and 2 together. He understood God was not a fairy godmother granting our every wish but was a sovereign God that we must try to get to know. We have studied for many weeks on prayer and I am so happy some of it is sinking in! He is listening.


Carson has been learning to pray which has been a joy for all of us to watch! The kids enjoy reminding him to pray for a certain person etc. On Wednesdays it's just Carson, Grandma, and I in the house. We usually eat together but the kids leave EARLY Wednesday mornings (thankfully it was a week my neighbor took them which means more work done at home!) so Carson was sitting down to breakfast by himself. My mom told me to look and there was Carson head bowed, adorable hands folded, talking to to Jesus. Love it! Carson is a unique kid and is a bit more cautious than the other kids in social situations and with new people. I am THRILLED to say the least of the way he has taken to our church. He LOVES church and he LOVES the people. In fact, I could say it is probably a favorite place of his. I was so surprised at how comfortable he was sitting next to our pastor's wife during a fellowship and just eating and eating and wanting more! He loves our pastor's wife. Then he went outside and joined the games for the kids and even did the limbo stick which was adorable. That is a testament to the type of people in our church!

Up Riding with the Big Kids Now!

Some weeks back Ross and I worked at getting him up on his bike and riding on his own. Honestly, it didn't take a whole lot on my part. He was ready and very motivated. One, he wanted to ride like the big kids and two he wanted to go to McDonalds to celebrate. It is our tradition that when one of the kids can start and stop by themselves on their bikes we go to McDonalds for celebration! Ross enjoys his new skill and was out riding around with the kids. He learned just in time because the town close to us built a very large park for wheeled toys and we were there with friends for 2 1/2 hours Friday afternoon. Ross didn't get to go that time but we're hoping to take him too soon. Gabriel and Annalina had a blast. Ross had to miss out due to attitude problems. :-) We all missed him and I can't wait till he can try it out!

The Aspen Gold is Here

A place that seems to be becoming "our spot" to go.
Beautiful and relaxing!

The kids and Daddy started a shelter but have more work to go. Gabriel is anxious to get back and work on it again.

Carson excited to get out and collect Aspen leaves for a fall craft project (well, he doesn't know they are for a craft project!).

We took a mini hike before we just hung out.

I am laying in my room and can look out the window at the BEAUTIFUL Aspen that put splashes of gold over the mountains. Love it! Yesterday was a super Saturday. We took the kids to "our spot" which it seems to be coming for the kids to collect Aspen leaves for a fall art project and then to just run around and have fun. The leaves were beautiful, the weather was typical Colorado beautiful and so it was a beautiful day!

Then in the afternoon Daddy took Gabriel, Annalina, and Ross out elk scouting. They really had an adventure and found an elk leg bone with the fur still on it (they found this especially noteworthy and exciting), they also found a teepee and another shelter which others thought had been built by boy scouts. They had so much fun hiking around and exploring.