Joshua Nehemiah is here!

We have been adoring him and praising the Lord for his magnificent provision and protection for five days! We were induced on Saturday morning and home by the afternoon! What a blessing!

Everything is going very well. I am resting most of the time in our peaceful bedroom with the baby at my side. The family is helping and Bob is taking great care of us all!

There are many things to say about how tremendously all of our prayers were answered...but for now it is sufficient to say that we are blessed of the LORD!

Twentieth Wedding Anniversary

We lingered over a very fine dinner in downtown Virginia Beach. Then, we strolled to the chocolate shop and indulged ourselves there. The weather was outstanding and the atmosphere was summery and celebratory with outdoor music and friends gathered all around. We watched others and occasionally laughed at ourselves as we thought of the last twenty years and how our relationship began.

No one can be praised but God alone for the resilience of our marriage! He has showered us in His mercy, love and wisdom. We are blessed indeed. I'm so thankful we've beaten all the odds that were stacked against us. We truly trusted God for better than we were told we could have together. And we still do! He is faithful! And we are happily married! Praise the Lord!


My friend, Karen, loaned a comfy, dressy, maternity outfit to me. It was so daring, yet somehow proudly maternal and modest...Bob loved it. So we took pictures and made good memories!

The Next Season

We never really know what the Lord has in store for us. We know that we can trust Him and that His ways are best and His strength is sufficient. But to assume that we really know what the future holds (outisde of His Word) seems arrogant.

In our home we are always watchful for the return of Jesus. We are excited that world news and the story in the stars and planets continue to point towards the end of time, as we know it. With each new Jewish feast comes an increased enthusiasm and attention to God's promises about "the end" for us. I've even wondered if the Lord might return before our baby is born. We've learned that there is a dramatization of the Rapture in the constellations and planets on June 6 this year. Even with an induction at 38 weeks that would be before our baby is expected to be born...so we have many thoughts and ideas for discussion at our meal table. Regardless of when we are all finally together in heaven, in the meantime we intend to be busy about loving God, learning about Him, obeying His word and loving others.

My more earthly thoughts are constantly changing from enthusiasm towards accomplishing much in the days left before our baby is born and just napping until he comes. : ) I'm still swimming a couple days a week but my 60 minutes of exercise has decreased to merely 20. I'm also still working in the gardens. We have four raised beds now. They aren't big but weeding is always needed. After making a photobook for our hosts and my parents from our vacation, I've decided to not scrapbook anymore for now. I have made a few choices for the children's school books for next year, but am not even close to being finished. Kelsey says that we don't need to freeze any meals since she cooks dinner. Our afternoons at the pool are very limited by my needing to pick Kendal up from work. So, it seems like the perfect season to sleep. But I haven't taken daily naps since the first trimester when I exercised three days a week.

Kelsey, Anna, Joy, Mary and I had a lovely time at the Mother/Daughter Tea on Saturday. All the teacups and saucers our family had collected were beautiful on the tables that our friends had decorated so tastefully. I meant to take a lot of photos but time slipped away. The food, fellowship and presentations were wonderful. We were sorry that Kendal had forgotten to ask for the day off and she wasn't able to join us.

We haven't made any other big plans between now and the baby's arrival. Our twentieth wedding anniversary is Wednesday. We'd hoped to stay at the beach overnight or something special but we've decided not to try anything fancy this year. One day we'd like to take a real vacation alone. But that will be during a different season of our family's life. We are thankful for God's faithfulness to us over the last twenty years. We still have so much to learn about blessing one another as husband and wife. We've agreed to keep working at it. : )

We did find two nests of baby rabbits in our raised beds. They are about two weeks apart. So once we discovered them, the older ones started jumping out and we started chasing them! We currently have two little ones in our lettuce garden, somewhat captive. One is too little to jump out so we're "protecting" him and the other...well, he's there by force and probably won't be there the next time we go out. It is a nice compromise since nearly everyone (except me) in our family thought we should have one in the house for the next month! It was difficult to get everyone to church on time yesterday with so much bunny chasing and holding going on in the backyard. It's all a little silly since we have been going to great efforts to keep rabbits out of our gardens, and in the meantime they built burrows under spinach and strawberry plants! And now we are using our garden as a bunny pen. : ) It has been very educational to observe the mothers' methods in covering their nests, scent, etc. Of course the children were motivated to research the habits and gestation of rabbits and so forth. We can just consider all the lost time- homeschooling!

Isaac's thirteenth birthday is Saturday. My stepdad, our family friend, and Bob had a special blessing ceremony for Isaac during our vacation. My stepdad wrote on a card to remind Isaac of their time together. I hope he will always remember the words that were shared and the prayers that were prayed over him. On Saturday we'll give him gifts and enjoy dessert together.

Bob has settled on the baby's name, my bag is packed, the infant seat is in the van...now I'll just have to be patient and continue to pray against the worries that try to creep in before delivery. I very much look forward to that moment after the baby is born! It is the best! And the reality of having another family member really sinks in when we settle into our bed, in our room at home, for the first time. Precious times are ahead!

May!

Yes, I really did get nearly all of 2009's photos in a scrapbook last month. I hope to print the photos from Christmas through present day, and scrapbook those and the last three vacations before our baby is born! (you can see that Noah doesn't appreciate what I'm doing, and the ironing is being neglected in the background : )

Speaking of vacation, we spent eleven days away from home at the end of April. We started with Bob's 20th VMI reunion, then to a waterfall hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stayed overnight with my dad and stepmom and celebrated Noah's second birthday, a week in Floyd at the cabin with my mother, stepdad and the Hylton family, and finally to my sister's house in Richmond. We were so very blessed with sweet fellowship and basically smooth sailing from one destination to another. It was a logistic miracle! I was 32 weeks pregnant, unable to do the luggage shuffling that is required on our vacations, uncomfortable in the van if we traveled more than 2 hours at a time, and unable to sleep for the first two nights. However, everything else was wonderful!!! We are still in awe of God's answers to our many prayers regarding relationships and fellowshiping on our trip. God is at work in everyone's life and we are amazed at Him!

This was taken at Falling Water Cascades. The falls went on forever! I don't think we ever saw the bottom. The sound was overwhelming and so peaceful! The Bible says that God's voice sounds like mighty rushing waters...I could've stayed there forever!
This was taken at VMI at the end of the parade ground. It was so exciting to have been there together 23 years ago: while we dated, and were engaged, then to return with (nearly) NINE precious children and twenty years of marriage behind us!
Mother's Day was sweet. We sent flowers to our two beloved mothers. And our family spent the day at church, out for lunch and dessert, and playing in the yard until supper time. I really enjoyed being the honored mom for the day. It was such a beautiful day and I took photos of all the children in the yard. Bob was refinishing Kelsey's hope chest, so when he joined in the photos they became comical rather than picturesque!

I'm 34 weeks along and still feeling better than ever! This morning my chiropractor gave me more tips on how to deal with some of the sore muscles that tend to accompany these last weeks. What a blessing she has been in keeping me well nourished, educated and in the best possible health for delivering these precious ones. This time we are going to try some natural treatments for starting labor. I've been induced everytime starting with Number Three, Isaac. Pitocin and breaking the sac are okay. But I'm certain that stimulating my body naturally would be best...We'll start around week 36 and see how it goes. My doctor likes to induce women like me (who've had lots of babies) at 38 weeks. Maybe we can beat him to it.

Bob's naming the baby. This is as it should be. But it is new for us. It's usually a husband/wife, family discussion, or a spiritual insight through me. We are excited to see how God will continue to lead us into the role of husband and wife that He has for us. We're also planning to refuse another one of the hospital dictated medicines and vaccines: Vitamin K. We have found a source and proper dosing for Vitamin K given by mouth to newborns. So hopefully our baby can join the world without eyes covered in goop, needle sticks in his sweet little thigh, and other unnecessary one-size-fits-all brand of newborn techniques. Also for the first time, we are planning an eighth day circumcision. The gyn in our area who performs this procedure in his office is the local Jewish mohel. Thankfully he helps Gentiles too! This allows our baby's prothrombin levels to be at the best and Dad and Mom to be present to pray and bless our baby on this special day of dedication. Best of all, we won't be sitting around the hospital for 24 hours waiting for this procedure. Maybe we can come home right after the delivery! That would be awesome!

I do love having a pregnant belly, so I will miss it, and I hope to preserve the memory of it. I never know which one will be my last. We have an assortment of mostly unattractive photos at this point but we'll keep trying and I'm going to post some here for my personal archive. : ) Isaac, Noah and me after lunch on the parade ground at VMI.
This was taken at the falls before the big hike back UP! Kelsey and I are like-minded when it comes to walking in creeks. You can see she's already been in. I had to watch from the bank. The rocks are too slippery for a pregnant momma.
Kristy and me in the cabin kitchen. She is the daughter of the family who own the cabin in Floyd. She is a new mother and wife and is such a great learner. It has been my pleasure to share the many resources that God has sent to me over the years!

I am so thankful for the exercise that I started last year at this time. Although I am atleast 28 pounds above my starting weight I am much stronger and healthier than ever! I had determined to prepare a safe place for our "next" baby by restrengthening my abdominals and pelvic floor muscles. We used some alternative therapy called Frequence Specific Microcurrent with massage to "rezip" up that gap in my abdomen. That was followed by months of water exercise focusing on core strengthening. And I've learned to exhale when straining to lift, push, or potty. Never strain. Strengthen and use my legs more. Continue to remind my worn out muscles to do their job, my chiropractor helps alot with this. Taking care of that psoas muscle holds my back/neck in better alignment, keeps my baby's weight off of my bladder and bowel, and I feel great! I hope to professionally write all that I've learned in an article and be able to share it with everyone I know.

The Difference a Year Can Make

I am attempting (again) to get caught up in scrapbooking. For those of you who are keeping track, yes, I have said that before. I am officially a year behind. And that's not so terrible considering all the children we have and the busyness of everyday life. I do not scrapbook for fun. I scrapbook to fulfil the title of "family historian". I enjoy knowing it is done. : ) I desire for our children to have a strong sense of who they are, how much they are loved, where we've been, who we've been with and so forth. Indeed my scrapbook pages are not embellished with a lot of papers, stickers, and other more up-to-date techniques. But, I do journal on them and add colors as I am able. If I refuse to put the photos in books because I cannot make each page a work of my artistic talents, then I am being vain and somewhat selfish. So, as soon as I can get back to that table today I will do my best to lovingly describe the events of 2009 and preserve the memories in a safe place.

This morning I was working on the pages from Elliot's graduation party last year. I realized that was the beginning of a beautiful season of all of our lives, especially our older girls. They learned to square dance for the first time. We all enjoyed the pleasure of hearing the testimony of a homeschooling experience that was fruitful and beyond a human parent's capabilities. We were surrounded by friends old and new. We could see how God had grown and blessed each family so greatly. We were truly honored to be invited and share the day with such precious people. The Alexanders hit their target, as usual. They truly gave hope to all of us who are wondering how it will all work out as our children mature into adulthood. We love them and are grateful for their sacrifices made to bless their guests.

Our older girls now have their own blog and communicate with many of the young people who were at Elliot's party. It is a safe place for them to be young adults together. They love square dancing, writing letters to the other families, and watching how everyone else is living within the boundaries set by their parents. In a year, they have become very social, yet still pure of heart. What a blessing!

As I go through the year in pictures, I'm sure to be reminded of scores of blessings and special times with friends and family. Soon we'll be planning our own events and hope that we can be a blessing in the same way we've been blessed!

First Beach Day

We have been enjoying summer-like weather for a week now. The public school children have been off for their spring break. We couldn't resist joining in the celebration...Yesterday we took our first trip to the beach for 2010. We adore our mountain vacations, but living so close to the ocean does have it's advantages too. Bob and I met on this very beach, near this spot, twenty-three years ago, in June 1987. We returned here for vacation before and during our pregnancy with Kendal. When she was two months old we came back to this place and took pictures of our little family-the three of us.

My mother and father had honeymooned at Nagshead in March 1967. He and Mom really had no idea what beautiful plans God had for them and their first baby (me). Admittedly, Bob and I didn't have a clue either, at sixteen and nineteen. We have enjoyed a sort of legacy in the Outer Banks over the years. About four years ago my dad fished with some of our children on a pier a little farther south, during one of our three Butler family Nagshead vacation weeks.

Yesterday, at 8am the children and I were on our way to Nagshead and we were back home in time for late afternoon naps for the toddlers. We packed a cooler, and bought sunscreen, bottled water and two pair of water shoes on the way. The weather was spectacular and we had our choice of parking spaces on the Beach Road of the Outer Banks. We didn't bother with bathing suits. We normally don't try to swim in the ocean. (We prefer a swimming pool, no sharks, sand or jellyfish) But we love looking for shells and walking in the sand.
I suppose we do look rather odd fully dressed while others are practically nude. But this works for us: no sunburn, no sandy bottoms, less mess and trouble for Mom, and no worries over modesty. If only I could convince Noah to smile for the camera and leave his hat on the proper direction! : )
Kelsey was very sweet and patient with Noah. He looks like a little man standing beside her. He only wanted to get as close as he could to the tide so he could throw in seashells. It was a constant tug of war. Ultimately, he was soaked from othe waist down. Thankfully, we were prepared with dry pants/skirts for everyone.
They don't like having their picture taken when the sun is so bright in their eyes. But I can't resist photo op's like these.

Kendal helped Anna to find shells. At home she drilled holes and helped Anna make jewelry with them. (Very much like her mother, Kendal is always willing to use tools to get a job done. The more challenging the more interested she is.) Isaac mostly wants to throw shells, but he brought home a collection too.
Thankfully, Anna also has patience with Noah and took her turn guarding him on the beach.
Mary loved running on the beach.
Joy too!

Noah probably didn't care much about what we were doing, except that he was allowed to throw things and that made his day!We didn't really need those new water shoes for Noah. He had trouble keeping them on. So did Mary. Oh well. We did use the bathroom at Walmart so it wasn't a total waste. :) And all the folks in the Customer Service line near the bathroom got their fill of "Are those all yours?", "How many boys and girls do you have?", "When's the baby due?", "You really do have your hands full!" I was tempted to reply that we'd driven an hour just so that we could entertain them by stopping at their local Walmart on our way to the beach. I chose smiling over sarcasm. I do love older folks and all their questions. It would've been disappointing if no one had said anything. I suppose we always look like we are having own party, parade, or field trip. People can't resist asking.

My Job Title

I do believe with all of my heart that being a wife and mother is incredibly significant and vastly important. However, since there are no formal reviews, written goals, performanced based raises, vacation days or bonuses, day to day life does often wear down my enthusiasm and vision. A job title helps me to feel important. : )

When I do discover a role that is clearly mine, it can clear my head of fuzzy list of questions about my significance. Too often, Bob and I wonder who is supposed to be doing which jobs with our family and home. I enjoy learning more about my niche each year.

This week I decided that I am clearly the "resource manager" of our home. My spending habits in every area determine whether we stay within our budget and how well we live on what we have. I no longer cook all the meals but I determine what we buy, where we buy it and what we make with it. Organic, hormone free, raw dairy, and gluten free for ten is expensive! I do decide what we plant to eat and how we protect it. I don't even have to give each person his or her vitaimins everyday but I do order them and help determine who should take what and when. Supplementing is expensive! I am still the primary clothing shopper. I used to spend hours or days searching for clearance rack treasure at the mall (we walked there from our old house). That was a decade ago. It became too immodest, expensive and time consuming. Now I buy new shirts on Lands' End clearance and all the rest is found at a thrift store, sewn at home, or a hand me down from another family. I don't even keep my old clothing anymore if it makes me feel old and ugly. Any chance I am given to freshen up for a couple of dollars, I receive with joy! But we do not accumulate debt.

We have been saving all of children's clothes since Kendal and Kelsey were about six and eight. Some of it has been useful, and some I've had to give away recently. By "saving" I mean, removing stains, repairing lost buttons and tears, and packing things away with labels by size, gender and season. I do not mean that I treasure the clothing in any manner. I am too practical for that!

Likewise, I had been saving most of Daniel and Isaac's baby clothes for eight years when Noah arrived. Thankfully I had shared many of them as other families needed them. Otherwise it would've seemed like hoarding or wasting. Ultimately we bought many new things for Noah to fill in the gaps. We enjoy the older items that had been Daniel's and the new items equally. I have been diligently visiting the attic from season to season, labelling and repacking all the boy clothes he's wearing. And today, I added my newborn thrift store treasures to Noah's hand-me-downs and put them under my bed for our new son. I adore newborn clothing! I am excited about seeing our baby in them. As usual there are stains that couldn't been seen when the clothes were put away, so Oxyclean is taking care of them as I write.

These were all found at thrift stores for less than two dollars each, no stains. The photo does not show how cute and teeny they really are! />


Bob told me this week not to save Daniel's clothes for Noah anymore. I think it is because he has also seen God's provision in our life and the burden of storing earthly "treasure" in the attic. What a relief to make the spring change over for the boys this weekend and not have to find a place for those items that Daniel has outgrown! I love giving stuff away!

Anna is old enough to wear the beautiful church dresses that her Grandmother Butler purchased for Kendal and Kelsey years ago. Finally, we don't need to scour the stores for modest and reasonable dress items. But honestly it has been a huge challenge to storge such large items for so long. No matter how many times I revisit and reorganize the boxes I still don't seem to know where everything is. And shoes, oh my! I'm going to keep trying to recycle some gently used dress shoes butI must be more diligent about those labelling bags of shoes.

I have been making nearly all of the three little girls' everyday clothes since they were atleast two. They tend to be made of knit so they get stained or even worn out. I use clearance shirts and fabric, so I am spending two to ten dollars per each play dress. I enjoy making new t-shirt dresses and skirts. Now that there are three "little girls" the time required to keep it all in order is great, but well worth it. I love how they look. We add leggings or shorts underneath to accommodate the cold and outdoor playtimes. I rarely ever find anything in a thrift store that I would put on one of my little girls, except for knit shirts that can be sewn onto skirts. I love that our children nearly always look well dressed. I think it is a testimony of God's provision since most people think or say that they can't afford more children. I believe a faithful husband as the provider and a diligent wife as the manager of her home is God's way of making children "affordable".

The five girls share a bedroom, a tiny closet and two dressers. We're using more of the underbed space each year. I have to be very driven and careful. I give away everything that is not our favorite, doesn't fit well, approaches the line of immodesty or even just an unfavorable color for that child. I try to limit each child to a week's worth of clothing per season. Extreme weather items like turtlenecks, sweaters, jeans (for vacation or yardwork) are stored separately and kept to a minimum. If and when we have another daughter...well, I cannot even think about how that will work. But God knows and that'll do for me.

I've finished my first knitting project. I am pleased with it. Actually I am mostly pleased to be done since it was challenging. I hope it will be useful for our baby. I'm not saving or wasting any of our money by knitting but I do believe it is a practical skill and I wanted to master it. It's simply a labor of love for me at this time.

The finished blanket is below. Yes, those are two shades of green. That would be the consequence of not buying both sage skeins at the same time from the same lot. I was very non-comittal at the start. I hope after washing the minor color difference won't be so noticeable. Don't tell anyone but I changed the needle size and the number of rows on the border once the top border was complete.

I am quite fond of the basketweave stitching.

I started a second blanket and am now enjoying knitting. Yes, I am too busy to knit. But I make time to sit down in the evening a couple days each week to do it. Bob often talks with me or reads. I've been taking my knitting bag to various appointments so that I won't be tempted to read those horrible magazines or watch the tv that predominates most waiting rooms. I'm sure that I am quite the scene with a large belly and a knitting project in my lap. Old fashioned-looking I suppose. Oh well. Compared with what goes on "out there" I am old fashioned. : )

Jeremiah 6:16 says, "This is what the LORD says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'"
That is one of my favorite verses. Based upon it, I don't think that "old fashioned" is bad in God's eyes. I do hope to be culturally relevant enough that people will want to know about the God I serve.

The new blanket just looks like a napkin for now. The pattern is simple and amazing. So if anyone is interested in it, I can share the online link for instructions.


Due to illness Bob took only the girls to church on Easter. Kendal and Kelsey made their dresses. I made Joy's. Before our Mother/Daughter Tea I hope to make the matching ones for Anna and Mary.
Happy Springtime!

More springtime preparations

It's becoming a sad habit now. I'm only posting in order to sum up recent events. Life is so very busy lately.

We'll finally be getting a new dryer tomorrow. Our's has finally eaten it's last piece of clothing! The dryer was given to us when our older one was still working. We saved it and ultimately needed it. So, although it is too small for our family we have been thankful to have it and very glad to now replace it! We've decided to wait until our insufficient washer dies again before replacing it...

Preparing for baby. We're still without a name. Still praying and discussing. I have four packages of newborn diapers in my closet and a box near the attic door of newborn clothing. Bob came home with a load of baby gifts and cards from his co-workers. How fun! It seems premature with the due date nearly three months away. But we all enjoyed gathering around to read the cards and admire the tiny clothing. I've been visiting alot of thrift stores in search of teacups and saucers for an upcoming Mother/Daughter tea at church. While I haven't found many teacups, I have picked up several tiny baby boy sleepers. No, we didn't need them since Noah's were all new. But at $0.50-2.00 apiece, why not? I have only a row or two left of the blanket I'm knitting and I am excited to start another. The pattern I'm currently using (bastketweave) requires too much counting and I grew tired of the colors (sage and brown). So my next one will be a solid blue with a very simple pattern. If I love it I might start to make them for other people. It's a beautiful diagonal design with a border.

In the meantime, we are still working on new dresses for Easter. That leaves about three days. We started with a plan for Kendal, Kelsey, Joy and me. Since we all had leftover fabric, I've decided to make one for Anna and Mary. If it works out we'll all match in pairs. Mary's will be made of my fabric. Joy's is the same as Kendal's. Anna's will be the same as Kelsey's. I hope we will have time to take a picture so that we can remember our projects.

The garden. The new beds are built but have no dirt in them. They are for summer planting so we're in no hurry. The rabbits have been found sitting in our spinach patch, inside the raised bed. We put the plastic owl there. I hope it works! The lettuce seeds have not been as successful as they were in the fall. I've sown twice, and have less than twenty sprouts.

We freshened all the bed linens today and even bought some new ones. Thankfully we still have some Christmas giftcard money from my sister, so I didnt' have to stress over buying new sheets. I'm trying to figure how many times we'll have to change all those beds again before the baby comes...atleast the new dryer will be bigger!

I can't figure out why life seems so busy and overwhelming lately. The passing around of a sore throat and cold hasn't helped. Noah has been miserable. I hurt my foot and have been walking in pain for almost a week. Sewing projects and spring fever take time away from school and chores. Or maybe it's just that there are eight children and one pregnant mommy here all day and we are trying to keep it all together.

A friend at church gave a great testimony last week. She told me that instead of worrying over the thousands of details that mothers have bouncing around in our heads, she's been asking God to speak specifically to her regarding each one. He has! It has made her life much more simple. I need to do that more often, everyday!

We did celebrate Passover on the right evening. We did not go through the entire service but it was a very nice dinner with nearly two hours of reading and discussion and singing! The rest of our week has not felt quite as "holy" with Bob gone or late home from work. But we are grateful for the good memories. At one point we were stumped as to what we were supposed to do with certain pieces of unleavened bread that were hidden in the folds of a napkin. We'll have to do more research for next year. : ) There is a lot of detail in that celebration. Hopefully over time we'll be more familiar with it and be able to complete it.

God is good!

Spring!

Happy Spring!!!

Due to blogging negligence I'm forced to post a rough sum of the things that I don't want to forget for the last week or so. Sadly it may not be interesting to others. For that I apologize. This is my only journal for now. I haven't touched the handwritten one in months. Maybe I can work on that today.
The week in review:

One friend's eldest child was engaged this week. We are all so very excited for them! God is a faithful provider in all ways, including husbands for stay at home daughters! Praise His name!

Another friend miscarried a baby at 13 weeks. I was priviliged to be in their family's life and home during the crisis. God's people are amazing! We love this family. We are blessed to have a future hope when tragedy strikes. God is our strength.

My husband dealt wisely with some tough issues over two luncheons. He and I had spent hours talking through the issues in advance. He is a wise man and hasn't given up on learning new skills. I'm so thankful for his perseverance.

On Monday, we had fifteen other children visit or stay with us for a few hours. It was an adventure in love and endurance after only sleeping a tiny bit the night before. God blessed us with a great day! I need to remember to always make extra food and be ready to share it at a moment's notice. We had a great dinner and were able to add two more to our table at the last minute.

Kendal added some new skills and responsibilities to her (theoretical) resume and increased her work hours. Kelsey made the most tasty gluten-free tortillas. (And eventually I'll get those two papers that are due of hers) Anna is loving the new disc swing from our backyard tree. All three "little girls" have been racing through the yard in boots and skirts. It warms my heart to watch them. (Photos do not express the beauty of a joyful family on a spring day! But I will try to include some.) Joy is reading like a pro. Mary is impressing us with her bright 4 year old ideas. She's really expressing herself well. Noah makes us laugh with his struting, shooting, playing dead, and singing songs from "The Donut Man" dvds. He kicks the soccerball all over the yard. It's impressive. Isaac and Daniel have spring fever and will find a way to be outside everyday from now until December. I know they'll be asking for bike rides and turns on the scooter from here forward...

We enjoyed a demonstration of the Passover Meal at church a couple of Sundays ago. It was presented by a Messianic Jew. In fact he is a leader of the Jews for Jesus ministry. We learned the signicance of the Seder through the eyes of a Christian Jew. It was absolutely breath taking! Christ is the all sufficient Passover Lamb! We'll keep learning and enjoying the rich heritage of God's chosen people and when we can, we'll try to celebrate with them. Afterall, this is a dress rehearsal for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb we'll all be enjoying in heaven one day! I was mistaken earlier, Passover begins at sundown on March 29 this year. So we still have a few days to prepare if we want to have traditional Passover meal.

I only exercised twice, but loved it. I found a pregnancy workout DVD. It's perfect. Staying at home rather than going to the Y to swim has saved alot of time. I have many weak muscles and aches that need stretching and strengthening.

The daffodils we planted (and gave away by the thousands) are in bloom. The garden soil is warm and the lettuce is sprouting. I found spring maternity tops and bottoms at the thrift store (50% off) this week.

I love a bargain. I love spring. I love having a pregnant belly. Even if I am not sleeping as comfortably.

While reading through the bible this year (starting again in Genesis) I read some passages about the flood and the seasons. God's faithfulness is demonstrated by the return of each season, every year. Last month, when it was really cold, someone said that they didn't believe spring would ever come this year. I responded that it definitely would because God is faithful. He keeps His word!

Happy Spring! Happy Passover! We look forward to rejoicing over the Resurrection again!

Preparations

Today I tackled the raised beds and the shed. Anna and Daniel helped. I really intend to have a fruitful spring, summer and fall garden this year. We'll see how our little June baby affects those plans...

I was pleased to discover that the six modest strawberry plants from last year had multiplied into 21 in our weeded over garden. So I dug them all up and transplanted them to the fertile and well-cared for soil of a raised bed. I'll be so excited if we really have a strawberry patch worth picking. I'll deal with the squirrels and cardinals later.

We still have spinach, parsely and cilantro that survived all the snow. Our plastic would not stay on in the snow and wind, despite many great efforts by Kelsey and Daniel to pin down the "hoop houses". Today I planted some winter lettuce seeds and if they don't sprout in the next two weeks, I'll just try again. No losses.

It was a joy to see our little babe yesterday under ultrasound. That always makes everyone more excited. I'll be working a little harder on the blanket I'm knitting. Noah's making more progress with the potty and sleeps every night with Daniel. I've organized all the baby and toddler clothes again. So, we are in the preparation stage for the baby's arrival and doing well. Supposedly our baby weighs one pound and six ounces right now. That is the same weight of the Duggar's recent premature baby, Josie, at twenty-five weeks. I sure hope she gets to go home soon and that our baby comes at the right time!

I decided after twelve years of homeschooling to catalog all of our books into the computer. I have purchased many "history through literature" programs and was beginning to forget which books we already own. So this year for the first time, when I am ordering books for next fall, I will know what we have without asking the children repeatedly. I'm also having to box-up some programs to preserve them for use later. Our children love to read and most of our books are paperback and get destroyed by too much lovin'. We are blessed to have settled into a wonderful rountine with Beautiful Feet history and Teaching Textbooks math and Apologia Science. This will all make my life much easier when ordering and help keep our home a little more organized. Curriculum roulette makes a homeschool hard to keep neat. Finding a really good program for everyone is a blessing... If only every room had a built-in bookcase (and beds hidden in the walls) we'd be set! I'm also preparing for Kendal's last official year of school and praying for wisdom in choosing those books. She'll finish history, take business/personal accounting, read more literature with biblical worldview study guides, finish Chemistry and...we'll see.

I asked each child at breakfast to name their favorite thing that our family does that they hope to continue in their own family. Their responses were encouraging: homeschooling, family vacations, reading the bible, going to the library, making meals from scratch, and having one girls' room and one boys' room. I need to ask those sorts of questions more often. : ) Next we chatted alot about how Bob and I would help them with all of those things as grandparents, how we'd like to help when babies arrive or when the parents need a vacation, etc. It's really fun to imagine them all grown up and us as the blessed, white-headed grandparents of a couple dozen grandchildren.