Happy Birthday Ray Ray

Well Sunday was number 3's 8th birthday. We started the day out going to church. When we got home we had a big meal planned but the electricity was out so we couldn't use the oven. She was a real trouper about this and didn't even complain. About 5 minutes later the electric was back on and we could get started with the meal. God took care of that for us. As always he was there to see us through even with the little things. After the meal we opened up gifts and had cake and then watched a movies that she had picked. Alvin and the chipmunks, that is the one and only time I will be watching that one.

I have had some time to think about what this child means to me and how precious the last eight years have been with her. I think about how her Dad and I were so settled and determined that two children were enough and we would be able to give them everything they needed and wanted. Just as we had decided to make the appointment for my husband to go in and have surgery to make this decision final we had a little curve ball thrown our way. That was the best thing that could have ever happened to our family. Nine months later we were blessed with our 3rd little girl and who would have known that this would be the beginning of a new life for us. This was when our faith really began to grow and when we began to see our children as such a blessing. I think about how God knew what he was doing even though at the time we couldn't see it he was slowly changing our hearts and desires. Now as I sit here and write this I am expecting baby #7 and am so elated that God has trusted us with so many of his blessings. Our 3rd child was more than we could ever expect. She was the child that God gave us at time when we really needed her, but we thought she needed us.

My little Ray Ray you have been such a blessing to our family. You always have a smile on your face that is grinning from ear to ear. I sometimes think it is the face of God smiling at me saying ," See I am right here with all of you." Happy Birthday little girl. And thank you God for letting us have her in our lives, she is truly a blessing!!!!

The Disappearing Five Year Old

Every night we have the same routine in our house after dinner. All the children know what to do and each one pitches in to help to get the kitchen cleaned up in a timely manner. Lately we have noticed that when everything is cleaned up the five year old is no where to be found. Everyone is busy cleaning and clearing that we seem to never notice this disappearing act until everything is finished. We seem to always find her in the bathroom doing her daily deed. I tell her how convenient that you always have to do this right after dinner. We have been trying to pay more attention and make sure she is doing what she is supposed to be doing but sometimes she is very sneaky and we don't even notice she is gone.

So the other night it was kitchen cleanup and we were almost finished when I said to everyone,"Where did number four go." We couldn't find her and one of the sisters said she was in the bathroom which is where she is most of the time. Well we were all wrong number five found her hiding in a little ball under the table where no one could see her. Well things are being done differently now. No one does any of their chores until number four is visible and accounted for. We will see how this works.

A Post About Nothing

Well I am sitting here at the computer at 2:00a.m. trying to figure out why I am not in my cozy bed. Oh yeah I remember it's because I have an almost two year old who decided to wake up and cry for about 20 minutes. It seems like lately when I get woke up I just can't get back to sleep. So I decided to come downstairs and actually post something since it has been over a week. Then I sat here for almost thirty minutes and could not think of anything to write (But I'm sure you have already figured that out.)

My parents arrived last week and the girls have been really enjoying spending time with their Grandparents. I have suddenly popped out and I guess it is because I am hungry all the time and constantly eating. Which is what I am going to do as soon as I finish this post.The weather is beginning to warm up and we are finally able to go outside. Other than that things are the same here and I have figured out I will not post at this time of night again because I really have nothing to say. I will be back again with something a little more interesting, but right now the kitchen is calling me.

"I'm Right Here Momma"

Yesterday I was sitting in the bath thinking to myself, I really haven't felt this baby move yet. I know everything is O.K. I am just getting excited about this child growing inside of me. I do a lot of my praying in the bath because it seems to be the only time I have to myself. So yesterday as I was praying I asked God to let me feel the baby move. I thought to myself after I had prayed this I know the baby has to be a certain size and maybe it is just not big enough yet. So I went on with my day and didn't really think about this again.

So last night I had put all the children to bed and was laying on the couch watching T.V., and guess what? I felt it. It was not just a little flutter or anything it was distinctive movement and it
went on for about 5 minutes. I had a mixture of emotions flood through me at that instant. Happiness and excitement for this new little life, a little sadness remembering that I never got to feel baby Charlie kick and move around, and very thankful that I have a Heavenly Father who really cares about me and knows what I need when I need it. I felt like last night God was saying to me, "Susan I am always here and nothing is too little for you to ask me, just come and sit at my feet and I will listen."

So since last night my newest little bundle has been letting me know, " Momma I'm right here growing big and strong." I guess we have passed another milestone and what a glorious one this was.

Picking Your Nose

O.k. first of all I am not even sure if I should be blogging about this because I don't want to embarrasses my 9 year old but it was so cute that it is something I want to remember and share with her when she is an adult.

So this is what happened. The other day it was quiet time and my two older ones were playing Wheel of Fortune. I sat on the couch and watched them play this game and laugh and act like they were the best of friends. My husband and I have really been trying to focus on having the siblings be each others best friends because we have told them that they will always have each other no matter what. And who doesn't desire to have a friend who loves you unconditionally. So as they were playing the game the nine year old kept picking her nose. I told her, "You need to quit picking your nose or you will never find a husband and you won't have any friends."

This was her response and it was very matter of fact:
Nine year old: "Mom I already have friends."

Mom: "Oh, well who are they?

Nine Year old: " E of course, and she doesn't care because she picks her nose too."
By the way E is the 11 year old.

I sat there with nothing to say but thought to myself I am so glad that these two have become each others friends, and also nose picking buddies. We must be doing something right because they definitely love each other for their good and bad qualities. I guess I better start praying harder for that man out their to be a nose picking man.

A Broken Man

My husband came home the other night at about 10:30p.m. and I looked at him and all I saw was a broken man. I could tell the minute he walked in the door that something was wrong. He shared with me that he is tired of working like a crazy man and never getting to see his kids. Let me take you back to a change that happened in our life a little over a year ago. He has been a truck driver for a little over ten years and we have always been blessed with him only being gone for one night at a time. Well about a year ago he was offered position in management. We thought this would be great for our family because he would be home every night. We knew it was going to be a significant pay cut but we knew that God would provide and that we would just cut back. Well it has now been a year and Daddy seems to never be home.

So this week I realized as he sat on the couch and shared all of hurts that have come with this job all I could do was listen and love him. There had been many nights when I was mad because he wasn't home and on those nights I should have been in prayer lifting up my husband instead of bringing him down. I realized this night that he is a man who loves God with all his heart and wants what is best for his family. We don't know where we are going from here. We are praying about what God wants us to do and we know that he will make the path very clear to us. I guess the reason why I right this is just a reminder to all of us that our husbands go out everyday into a very hostile world. I believe that God told me the other night that we need to be praying every day for our husbands. I know I was not doing that but I have begun and I will not stop.
Have a great weekend and remember let's lift up our husbands this week as they go out into the world to provide for our families.

Trusting God

Yesterday I was having a conversation with a dear friend of mine and we began to talk about trusting God. How many of us truly trust God and don't doubt Him? I think there are fewer than we think. We say we trust him but then we see an unexpected bill come in and we say to ourselves God I thought you were going to take care of me. Or you or a loved one has a sickness and you don't see the healing manifest that day so you say to yourself God I thought you said you would heal me.

Well as we were talking yesterday I realized that I want to be a person who trusts God at all times and I don't want to doubt him. I want Him to be the one in charge of every area of my life. Sometimes I felt like I was demanding things of Him and I don't want to be that way anymore. He is my Father and He knows what is best for me. I have a love in my heart for Him that I have not felt for a long time. I just want to crawl up in His lap and let Him take care of me.

I know that speaking the Word of God is very powerful, but I want to speak it to Glorify Him and not to get something from Him. He has given me everything I could ever dream of. I am promised a life with Him for eternity. I guess what I am trying to say is that I want to surrender myself completely to Him and stop trying to figure out how He is going to make it all work. With that said I feel much closer to my Lord knowing that He is in control and not I. Thank you all for letting me share and ramble on.