Busy, Busy, Busy?

     Couldn't imagine why I haven't had extra time to blog?  lol  Life with 5 kids seems pretty normal now.  We have been blessed with another exceptionally great baby!  But between taking care of the kids, home schooling, family time, pastoring, sickness, & the holidays...it has definitely been busy, busy, busy!  I hope to post our fall & Christmas pictures soon!

Taught By Our Children's Prayers

     Ever noticed how children pray?  How they have such thankful hearts, they don't ask for much, & never are compelled to "explain" things to God?  Who is teaching who here?  I'm thinking that we can learn alot from our children's prayers!
     I have noticed lately how innocent my children's prayers are.  They amaze me.  They never worry.  They just know God is God & answers as He wills.  They never explain how important it is.  They never beg.  They just simply ask.  I am purposing in my heart to quit "explaining" to God why I need Him to do whatever the need is.  He knows more about the situation than I do.  He's big enough to handle it all without me carrying the load.  He knows what's best, & we should take comfort because He is in control!

Giddy Little Girls

     Having our 3 oldest girls has been a tremendous blessing for us!  They are giggly & sweet.  They help us out around the house the best they can.  We haven't hardly figured out what to do with these 2 boys yet!  lol  Just last night we were on the way home & it blessed my heart to hear them singing church songs (that's about the only songs they know).  The notes are off key & the words aren't always right, but one thing is for sure~it comes from their heart.  It sounds so sweet!  I am thankful that we do not waste our time watching DVDs in our vehicles as so many others we pass on the roads do.  We tend to spend alot of our time driving to & from place to place.  We enjoy hearing them sing & talk to us.  Many times we practice quoting scriptures that they are learning in school, Sunday school, or just learning as a family.  Spending that time together as a family is truly a blessing!  :)

Baby #5 Has Arrived!

Graham Jack

7 lbs. 5 oz. & 20 in.

September 26, 2012 at 7:18 pm



Clay's 1st Haircut

Clay screamed & was scared to death! 

Nathan held him while cousin Woody cut off his baby curls!  :(

But aren't I a handsome big boy now?  ;)

 

Kaley Mariah Turns 10!

    

     Our oldest child Kaley Mariah just celebrated her 10th birthday.  The Lord blessed us with her almost 11 months after we were married.  Some say that is just too soon, but we wouldn't change that for a minute!  She has been wanting to have a slumber party for years...patiently waiting until we thought she was old enough.  She invited 5 of her closest friends.  All 5 came!  They are all very sweet girls.  I was so impressed at their immature innocence in playing card games, board games, Wii games, & even playing restaurant, etc...being so polite & kind.  They were a blessing to keep, even if we stayed up over half of the night!  :)

     She also received great presents from both sides of the family.  My parents bought her a Kindle Fire.  The kids have really enjoyed it.  Nathan's parents gave her money & his mama took her shopping with it.  She had such a fun day with her Mamaw.  Our families are such a blessing!  Also, special thanks to EE once again for a beautiful cake!  :) 

We Heart Our Church!

     So have I ever mentioned that we love, love, love our church?  I thought so!  ;)  We began pastoring Aimwell Calvary Holiness Church in Vidalia, GA in March.  We were very unsure of ourselves & happy with our home church...not looking for anything else.  Yet, God in His wisdom had other plans for us.  He always knows best.  Now we couldn't imagine being anywhere else in the world.  It has truly been the most amazing 6 months of our lives.  God has showed himself so real to our family. 
     The 1st Sunday in September, Aimwell honored us with a Pastor Appreciation & Baby Shower.  Lots of special family & friends came.  We are both humbled & ever so grateful for everyone's presence & presents.  We feel an overwhelming amount of support & love from our church family.  The gifts were just WAY too much! 
     The next day was Labor Day, so we celebrated with a church cookout at our house.  We enjoyed every minute of being together!  We had a blast!  We love our church!  I just don't know who had more fun...the adults or the kids?  lol  Be thankful I love you because I'm not posting the embarrassing photos/videos!

 

Raegan Amily Turns 3!

     Our baby daughter Raegan just recently celebrated her 3rd birthday Dora style!  She loves everything Dora!  "EE," my Aunt Ethel Ann, made her a beautiful cake & cupcakes.  Raegan even wore her Dora dress.  She was so excited!  She loves birthdays~especially hers!

Church Youth Trip

     Our hearts have always been turned toward children & youth.  Since we began pastoring about 6 months ago, we have been planning our 1st church trip.  After several meetings, generous donations, & a coca-cola fundraiser, the trip became reality!  Destination:  Atlanta, GA

     We had such a great time!  The children were all extrememly good!  We enjoyed every minute of making wonderful memories with our new church family!

A Peek Inside Our Home

     Since baby #5 has been on it's way, we have know for a while that we had to swap bedrooms for the kids around.  With that brings about some redecorating & work to do.  The girls needed the largest bedroom to fit 2 full sized beds in there.  After a long hunt, I finally found 1 that resembled their other antique bed at a store in our area.  Then, we bought a little bit of fabric, paint, decorations, & went to work.  My mama sewed the quilts on the end of the beds, pillow shams, & dust ruffle.  The results:

     For the boy's room, we used all of our existing furniture & the fabrics & picture from my sister's twin's rooms.  The room was already striped yellow.  All we basically did was order their vinyl names from wordsanywhere.com & rearrange.  My mother in law made the beautiful baby car seat cover and her mother stitched the quilt at the foot of the bed when Clay was born.  :)  

The meek little hallway with the $30 flea market find is used for the kid's linen storage.  I used cheap picture frames, candles, mirror & pictures:

     The kid's bathroom is still WAY girly.  I had just redone it before we Clay.  It will have to be the next room to make a change as the boys grow.  Any ideas for a quick fix?

     Our Den:

The Playroom is right off the Den.  This use to be the back screened porch.  If I ever build a house, this would NOT be located in a visible area from the main part of the house.  This is always the messiest & loudest room in the house!  I guess as time passes it will evolve from mostly girl toys to the boys...

Our Master Bedroom with the Master Bath off the side:

Dining Room & Kitchen:



     Our house has been a work in progress ever since we married almost 11 years ago.  We live in a trailer on the family farm that is almost as old as us.  The rooms are small & make for careful planning & organizing for our growing family.  All of our furniture is either hand-me-downs or bought at antique flea markets.  Mama usually sews all of my curtains & bedding & helps with the decorating, too.  We buy most decorations at TJMaxx, similar discount stores, or flea markets.  Alot of the material we buy comes from clearance tables or sheets.  I love to use inexpensive picture frames to decorate with since it's both personal & cheap to develop them at Walmart.  The only room not pictured is the school room since it was included in a previous post & the tiny laundry room since it is not decorated at all.  I hope you've enjoyed the tour of our humble abode.  Come visit sometime!  :)    

Just An Update

     Sorry I haven't blogged in a while!!!  August had been VERY busy for us...the end of watermelons, getting ready for baby (5 weeks to go), swapping the girl's & boy's rooms around to accomodate our growing family (which called for shopping, painting, & redecorating), Youth Goup trip to Atlanta, Raegan's birthday yesterday.  Pictures soon will follow!  :)

Hilton Head Island

     We had a blast at Hilton Head Island!  We ate at great restaurants, loved the Westin Resort, & had fun in the water & sand!  The little ones really enjoyed themselves, too!  :)  Wonderful getaway!

Watermelons & Lemonade

    
     Watermelon season here is about to end.  The last melons are being harvested & shipped off into semi trucks heading all across the country (sometimes even Canada).  The kids usually want to pick & sell a few times a year.  We always try to do this when things slow down & Nathan has the extra time.  This year we set up a Watermelon & Lemonade stand at my parent's house.  My sister's twin boys helped out.  The kids really enjoyed it.  They also made them some extra cash.  It is a wonderful blessing that they have no clue about being without or the money.  They just enjoy the fun together!

2nd Class? Not For Me!

     Has this ever happened to you?  You were having a perfectly normal, wonderful day until you are catching the brunt of someone's opinion.  I guess some people just feel "led" to let you know that you are not doing things the way they think you should.  Everyone has an opinion, and I respect that.  Guess what?  I have some very strong ones too!  :)  I just usually don't go around pointing them out...
     Anyways, I am well aware of the fact that I am not dumb.  I was at the top of my graduating class.  I earned several scholarships from having the highest SAT test score.  I do realize that I am capable of enrolling into college & finishing a major money making degree.  I choose not to.  I am blessed to be an American & make my own decisions.
     Instead, I choose to stay home with my children (night & day).  I choose to home school.  I choose to teach them with all of my heart to love God.  I choose to be here.  I want this!  I believe the Lord honors & blesses our home for following His ways.  We have never done without.
     Some consider this as living below my God given intelligence, maybe even 2nd class.  Not me!  I consider this an honor.  I don't want anyone else raising my children.  I am thankful for the resources & ability to teach them.  I love being with them!  Motherhood is not a task I take lightly.  I do desire to give it my best!  Thank you Lord for the strength & courage you give me to stand firm & not back up to popular belief.
 

Calvary Holiness Youth Camp 2012

     This is one of the highlights of every year!!!  Thanks to Uncle ZT & Aunt Sandi, we got to stay again this year on the grounds using their camper.  The kids LOVE the VBS classes, games, choir, skits, playground full of kids, train rides, snow cones, & usually poop out during the evening services.   :)  We love Calvary Holiness Youth Camp! 

Cake Art

My Kaley & Marianna & niece Hope

The girls had a great time taking a cake class from Cake Art in Dublin!  We also went by the mall & ate Japanese!  It was a fun day for all of us!  :)

Home Sweet Home

     We have worked really hard in our yard this year.  My Aunt Ethel Ann helped us with landscaping ideas.  She also has a Day Lily farm & you can see her beautiful pictures on Facebook under Day Lilies at Deepwood Gardens.       

     My kids spotted these flowers beside the road while we were out raking pine straw for the flower beds.  Gladiolas are Nathan's favorite flowers, so he turned us around & went to cut them for me!  We surely enjoyed them for days! :)