A New Day.....

(Our family of "6" watching fireworks)

Last weekend was so refreshing for me. After my last post I have felt so much better . We had a great weekend. We watched fireworks with some good friends, went to a parade and got TONS of candy, and went to a fair. All blessings that helped me enjoy my family and summer a little more.

We ate some yummy treats:)

Corinn and Kiera got to ride some "big" kid rides:)

Karis got to watch

They got to stay up way past their bed times.

Oh,And I got to start my week with this little bundle of joy turning "2 Months"!

How thankful I am for a each new day:)

Great is His Faithfulness...

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23.

How thankful I am for this truth!

All my little ones are tucked away in bed as I sit here and type. I am very tired. You see today wasn't a very good day. I seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. And as the saying goes... "when Mama ain't happy, ain't no one happy." I can't tell you how many times I was impatient and irritable with my little ones today. Oh forgive me Lord! They are such precious gifts. Yes, gifts, even when they are whiny, argumentative, and loud.

Being a Mama is the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done! There are so many highs and so many lows in each day. It can be exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time. Sometimes it's hard to not let my emotions go on a roller coaster. On the days when I am more peaceful, patient and kind to my children I have chosen to not let my emotions get the best of me. I have also sought the Lord in prayer for His help. And as I've said before I'd be a mess without Him.

Tonight as I put my older two to bed I apologized once again for my impatience with them. I told them how the Lord blesses us with a new day to start fresh. And that we have hope that tomorrow could be a lot better. That made us all smile:)

A Special Bond....

I've always prayed that my girls would love each other deeply. That they would be loyal to one another.

God has been so faithful to answer my prayers!

My older two are best friends. They have so much fun playing together. And their personalities seem to go together so well. Sure they can also make each other very mad, but that is the exception. I just pray that my younger two will love each other and get along as well as Corinn and Kiera do.

It makes having them so close all worth it!

The Balancing Act....

Ever since my husband started collage ( 3 1/2 years ago) our lives have been very busy. He has a rigorous schedule that begins most days at 5 and ends at 10 (during the school year). My days aren't too far behind, beginning around 6:30 and ending when I go to sleep, or when the baby does. But somehow in all our business we have become more balanced. It seems the need for discipline and order has caused us to think through our priorities. It's been great for us in many ways. Of coarse there are times when we get certain things off balance, but we quickly try to get things back to how we'd like it to be. And we pray, we pray hard and often for the Lord's strength. Honestly without His guidance and direction it would all seem so worthless.




One of the new priorities we are going to try and establish this school year is a date night with our girls. On one Sunday each month I will take one of our older daughters out somewhere. To a park, Mcy D's, or any place we can hang out one on one (with the baby in tow) and talk. And Eric will spend time with the other one at home one on one after he puts Karis to bed. I know this will not be easy, considering the two little ones might not always cooperate. But we're going to give it a try.

We see the importance of the one on one time with several children in the family. Each one of our girls are so unique and special in their own way. I love getting to know more and more about them and showing them how much they mean to me:) I'd also love to have some time to talk through some serious life discussions for a Kindergartner and a Second Grader, or so I pray.

We had our first set of dates with each of the girls this month. It was soooo good to be alone with each of them. I took them to Starbucks and we read a book together and then talked. They both seemed to really open up to me.Eric was able to talk to them too and play checkers with Kiera (at her request:)

I pray we can stay consistent with this even admist our busy months. And someday in the near future we will add Karis and Kendra to these dates. So much to look forward to! We are so blessed.

Real Life....

Laundry

Naps

Sisters

Dishes

Books

Toys

Ni-Night

Thankful...

This little baby....

Hasn't thrown up in 2 1/2 days:)

Her cough is gone and she is all better:):):)

Thank You for praying for her!

Right Before My Eyes....

When did it happen? I mean, I know all too well how quickly time goes. But you were just my baby weren't you?

You loved to cuddle and just lay in Mommy's arms. But now you are constantly on the go. You love your cell phone and baby dolls.

You love to try new things. Nothing seems to intimidate you.

You keep me on my toes, but always with a smile:)

You will always be my baby!

It's been a Year....

One year ago today I started this blog. I had no idea then what a fun hobby this would become for me. I LOVE IT! I love to journal about our daily life and share about how the Lord blesses us and walks us through each day. It's been a great way for me to reflect on my days. (And a great way to show off my kids:):)

I've also met a few people along the way who I enjoy reading their blogs and keeping up on their lives. They're people I may never meet, this side of heaven at least. But today I thought it would be a good idea to link to them so you could meet my new friends. Since I know several of my family members and friends who never comment:) read my blog. So here are some of my favorite blogs.....

Ivey's Blog

Raising Five

The Berger Buzz

Blessed Mommy

Family Doins

Livinig to tell the Story

Living with Leukemia



And thanks so much to Happi for awarding me with the blogger reflection award:) I feel so blessed to know that you enjoy reading my little blog!:)

Daddy's Day....

Eric, Corinn and Kiera had a fun time down town today.

Their first ride on the Metra train

Their first ride on a CTA bus

Their first time to the John Hancock

The girls making a few bucks washing the windows:)

Fun at the beach

A wonderful day spent with a Wonderful Daddy:)

*update on our little Kendra.... she is doing better. She hasn't had a fever and seems happy and content most of the day. But she still has her cough and continues to throw up from it. Thanks for praying!

Prayer Request...

Over a week ago our little Kendra got a bad cold. She got it from little Karis. It has hit Kendra's body really hard. It has settled into her chest and she has a deep cough. In fact when she coughs she throws up sometimes and struggles to get phlegm up. It is scary at times because you can't tell if she is going to be able to catch her breath and she turns bright red.

We have seen a doctor and they are not too concerned because she hasn't had a fever, her lungs sound clear and her ears look good. All we can do for her is prop her head up when she sleeps, keep a vaporizer on, and use saline drops for her little noes. Her and I are very tired, being she doesn't sleep too many hours at once because the cough wakes her up.

Please pray for her to heal. She is only 6 weeks old and very tiny. It's horrible to see her sick. And her older sisters have to stay home most days because I can't take Kendra out.

She is still a happy sweet little baby. It hasn't changed her personality at all. She cries when she coughs sometimes, but stops as soon a the cough is over.

We know God hears our prayers and loves to answer them. Thank you for praying for our sweet little one. I will keep you updated.

My Girls......

My Heart

My Laughter

My Joy

My Peace

God's Guidance....

I've always wanted to be a Mama. Sure I had dreams of being an interior designer too, but deep down inside I knew that my role as a Mom some day was what I wanted most. I'm sure this has had a lot to do with my own Mother. She became a Mom at 18 and never seemed to regret that. She was a joyful Mom and a great role model.

Even though I longed so deeply to be a Mom, I had no idea what it would really be like. It's easy to look on the outside of something and think it's so much easier than it is. And that's what I did.

When our first daughter Corinn was born I was in for a rude awakening..... she was colicky. Add to this a "more natural" Doctor who never diagnosed any baby as colicky and you've got one tired and confused new Mama. I thought I just wasn't doing things right. Did I have her on the right schedule, was I eating the right things, was my milk supply ok?


But even in the midst of the exhaustion and uncertainty I was in love with this little baby girl. I was her Mama and that's exactly what I wanted to be. I had never imagined the emotions involved in that. I had become so vulnerable to this world. I was responsible for this precious little life.

Those emotions and vulnerability have drawn me to God unlike anything else. I truly have to trust Him. My daughter's lives are in His hands ultimately, which I am so grateful for. I am a sinful fallen person who tends to make a mess of things if left to myself. But I wasn't left to my self. In God's grace I am able to allow Him to guide my parenting. And I have learned that the best place for me to be as my girl's Mom is on my knees seeking wisdom and protection from the best Father of all. I'd be a mess without Him!

Dear Kendra,

Yesterday was your 1 month birthday sweetie. Time has gone so fast since you were born, yet now that I know you Kendra, I can't imagine life without you. You fit perfectly into our family.

You are such a sweet baby. So calm and easy going. You love to cuddle especially when you are sleeping. You are such a joy to hold, you just melt right in my arms.

You make the cutest baby noises. Daddy and I call them your little lamb noises because you sound like a baby lamb. We smile every time we hear them.

Your sisters LOVE you. All 3 of them! Corinn and Kiera want to make sure they hold you at least once a day. They talk about how adorable you are and what a blessing you are to us all. Karis loves to watch you and she seems to hear you cry before anyone else. She tells me, "Baby cryin.". She doesn't like to hear you cry and wants me to get you right away.
We are so grateful to the Lord that he gave us you. You have filled all of our hearts with love and joy.

Happy 1 month birthday sweetie!!!!