Sisters at the lake

Girls just wanna have fun in the water!

I love watching these sisters play in the lake!

Father, thank you for the free and joyful relationship between these two sisters right now; the innocence, the delight they have in each other; the laughter and the fun.  May these many hours of shared happiness create a deep and lasting love for each other in their hearts.  If conflict should arise between them when they are grown, please Lord remind them of these things that they share, and give them love for each other that carries them through difficult days.  Amen.

please pray for the Orban family

A prayer request for family tonight:

Please pray for this family

My sister's husband- Jiquirria is his nephew.  He drowned this past weekend.  He was only 12.




God, please comfort the Orban family, and all those who knew and loved this little boy.  Comfort all of us, as tragedy reminds us that we are in a world that is crumbling- a world that needs salvation and redemption.  Have mercy, Lord, and give us eyes to see Your grace, to receive it in Your Word and Your Son.  Comfort us with Mercy Himself, Jesus, who has died and rose for us all.  Keep us safe in Him, and sustain us until that day when tragedy and tears are past.  Amen.

Age 8 is great

God, thank you for my beautiful 8 year old daughter!

Thank you for her capable hands that so eagerly hold her baby brother;

Thank you for her nurturing heart, her willingness to play and teach, 

and her joy in new responsibilities!

Thank you for her growing faith towards You and love for those around her!

May her time at home be a time of sunshine and nourishment for this little flower!

Bless and protect her big heart as it grows, Lord!

Valentines day dinner prep!

Today I am getting ready for our traditional family valentines dinner. This year, Daddy is going to let the older boys "help" him prepare the fancy dinner for the princesses of the house!

I love looking at pictures from Last year, and the year before. Our days are numbered for this kind of valentines day, but we will enjoy it while it lasts!

God, thank you for these dear children! As we celebrate Valentines day with them today, we ask Your blessing on them! If it is Your will for them to marry someday, we pray that you would provide for each of them a spouse who blesses them, who will join with them to create a home that springs out of Your love and is filled with it. Thank you for these Valentines days before dating, when relationships are simple, when they are glad to celebrate with just their family. Let the girls always remember that love is like what they received from their daddy when then were little. Let our imperfect example point the boys and the girls toward You, the giver of Life and Love, as we see in Jesus. Amen.

serving the multitude

Solomon's words (1 Kings 3:7-9) resonated with me today, as I consider the enormity of the task of motherhood, how often I fail at it, and how utterly unequipped I am for it. (My modifications in italics)

And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant a mother ...although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. (It feels that way!) Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?

These dear children are Your people, Lord, and you have made me their mother though I do not have what they need. Because of the grace You have shown to me in Jesus, I am bold to ask for what I do not deserve: Let me borrow it all from you. Loan me your patience, energy, strength, compassion, wisdom and love, that your dear children may have what they need from me. In His name, Amen.

Isaiah 26:17-19

Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth
so were we because of you, O Lord;
we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind.
We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen.

Your dead shall live;
their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Isaiah 26:17-19

Heavenly Father,
Apart from you we can do nothing- we know this because we have tried, and we have either failed completely, or watched our "accomplishments" topple over in the wind. All our works are filthy rags, yet in your mercy you forgive us and graft us to the vine that bears lasting fruit, your Son. When we are discouraged by the trials of this world, comfort us and uphold us, and preserve us until that day that we see these words fufilled before our eyes. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Tending

"I'll finish our book in a minute, honey. I need to tend to Peter."

I use the verb "tend " all the time to refer to the baby of the house. I hear crying or fussing, and I rush off to "tend," to meet whatever need it is that needs meeting. I tell the other children I must "tend," because as I go pick up the baby I do not know if he needs changing or feeding or cuddling or what. Hang on a minute big kids, mommy needs to "tend!"

I remember when Eldon was little and needed tending to, and Aggie was sick and needed so much tending to, and the others tended to each other as much as possible. I remember the day I was cooking dinner and talking to baby Eldon and dosing up the epilepsy meds, when Marcus pulled on my leg and demanded with big sad eyes, "Mommy! Tend to me!"

I like the verb "tend," and have begun to use it in my prayers. I miss my family, more than usual during the holiday season, and I hate not knowing what is going on with everyone. I have friends back home that are going through some hard times and I wish I was there to help them through. There are some in our church family who suffer, and I don't know what to pray or how to help them. So I use that wonderful verb that covers it all- I pray that Jesus tends to them. He knows whatever needs there are that need meeting, and He is also able to meet them.

Jesus, please tend to those I love in Michigan. Tend to my mother and father and sister and family; tend to my dear in-laws and my extended family. Tend to those who are rejoicing for I know not what, for those who bear sadness and trials that I do not see. Tend to those who miss loved ones like I do, tend to those who suffer both near and far. Jesus Our Good Shepherd, tend to us. Amen.

A belly shot for Gretchen!

OK Gretchen, here is my belly shot for you! After I went to the doctor yesterday and stepped on the scale, I said "NO WONDER I have so many aches and pains!" I'm packing it on quickly, but that's pretty normal for me at this stage. The baby is doing great, so that's what really matters, right? Pass the potatoes!


At least the baby is healthy! I try to tell myself that when I accidentally bump into things (several times a day). I really am much skinnier in my mind than in reality!

I am also very grateful there are no cameras in my house, especially when I am trying to get out of bed. A friend of mine compared it to being a bug stuck on its back, flailing appendages in the air! That sounds about right to me!

My favorite moments are those times I snuggle one of the kids to sleep. They finally start snoring away, so I know it is OK to leave. I lay there another few minutes, mentally going over my body trying to guess which muscles will actually work when I call on them. I come up with an elaborate strategy and finally get up the nerve to give it a try. Muscles contract and pull, arms and legs flail, I stifle a yelp, and end up on the floor. After a deep breath, I check on the child who is usually still sleeping. I then gingerly crawl out of the room and thank God that my husband wasn't watching.