Our Exciting Announcement

We are so thrilled to announce that we will be welcoming our first grand baby in March of 2014.  We are so excited, and so thankful to God for His good gifts!

We found out during Celeste's "Happy 18th" birthday party.  It was quite humorous.  Cheyenne called me into our powder bath to ask me if I could see a line!  Indeed I did.  So one by one, family members and close friends filed into the bathroom to "quietly" hear the news.  It was a hoot.  We were all celebrating in this tiny bathroom, and laughing about the humor of the situation, all while the party was going on.  It was a great day!  And Celeste couldn't think of a better birthday gift to receive than the news of becoming an auntie!  We are so excited!

 

 

Praise God, from Whom all Blessings Flow!!!

 

 

Celeste's Graduation

On June 1st, we had the privilege of celebrating the graduation of our sweet daughter, Celeste.  This was our second home school graduation, which looked much differently than the first, but was just as special and lovely.  Our oldest daughter is a pianist, so we celebrated her graduation in conjunction with her senior recital.  Therefore, it was a bit more formal.

Celeste wanted something more simple and relaxed at home.  Since missions were her focus over the last two years, we incorporated a slide show into the program so that she could share her travels to Africa with friends and family.  It was a lovely day, and it was so special to honor Celeste and all her hard work.

(Most of the photos were taken before the graduation began, so we don't have many pics of all the fun.  We got sorta busy then.)

Celeste made a collage of her favorite childhood photos and quotes.  Our oldest daughter, Cheyenne, set up this lovely table for guests to peruse as they walked in.

We enjoyed fresh fruit with a delicious fruit dip, mini quiches, and Spicy Texas Hummus with Blue Corn Tortilla chips.

The Sweet and Savory Meatballs were delish!  Celeste made the cute food signs for an added fun, decorative touch .

You can't go wrong with a lovely relish tray full of fresh veggies.

My friend Lisa from The Pennington Point posted these cute Graduation Cap Pops on her blog some time ago.  We just knew we had to make them.  Ours didn't turn out quite as clean and tidy as hers, but they were still cute and the kids loved them!

Celeste saw this cake in a cake magazine, and had complete confidence in her mama that I could make one just like it.  : )  I always enjoy making my babies special cakes.  She loved this one!

The Fruit Water was both pretty and refreshing.  Everyone seemed to like it.

I ordered these super cute graduation water bottle labels, along with some other fun graduation decorations, from Oriental Trading.  Aren't they great?

A few of Celeste's sweet friends.

 

My wonderful, sappy husband just can't get through a presentation with his girls without getting weepy.  I love this man!

 

Our 2013 graduate!

We placed a photo and matting on the table so that guests could sign it for Celeste.  A sweet memento from this special day.

 

Our awesome friend, Geoff, provided us with a huge screen and projector for Celeste's slide show.  It was perfect.  She narrated each photo and shared stories about favorite moments from her missions trip. 

 

On a funny note, about an hour before guests were due to arrive, our beloved family table came crashing to the floor.  As we were moving the table, the legs buckled.  They just don't make things like they used to, huh?  Thankfully, nothing was on the table at the time, but we did have to rig it so that we could still use it.  Notice in the pic above that we have a long sheet draped to the floor.  This was to cover the broken legs underneath.  lol  We were SO grateful to find out that we could order new legs from the vendor.  Table is now good as new! 

 

 

It was a wonderful day, and we look forward to what God has planned for Celeste's future.  We are so blessed to be the parents of this incredible young lady, and know that with God's strength and grace, she will be a light wherever He leads her!

 

*Many thanks to our wonderful neighbor, Kari, for taking the photos.

Amelia Turns Two

Happy Birthday, Amelia

Our sweet neighbor brings a Thankful Birthday Tree for each birthday.  Everyone writes something special about the birthday kid on the leaves, and then hangs the leaves on the tree.  Here is Amelia with our wonderful neighbor, Kari!

I made her a pink cake, and with the extra batter, made cupcakes.

Enjoying her new Peter Rabbit Touchy Feely book.  Lookin' good with her "hairband" hair.

Loving on her PeeWee Pillow Pet, while sporting her new Tutu and Wings.

Mommy got a sweet kiss from the birthday girl!

Blowing out the candles!

 

 

It was a special day celebrating Amelia's 2nd birthday with the family!  Amelia is such a gift and we're so thankful for her!

 

 

Just Because... A Couple of Photos

Our sweet Grace is 11 weeks old!  But here she is at 10 weeks.  I can't get enough of those cheeks!
 

 

 

 

Our spunky Genevieve turned 5 this month!  Such a big girl!

 

A Heart for Africa

 

Written by my amazing 17 year old daughter, Celeste (pictured above)

 

Dear Family and Friends,

I am so excited to share with you that God has given me the amazing opportunity to go back to Africa!!! I will once again have the privilege of loving on and caring for the children. In March, I will be traveling to Uganda to show the love of God to orphans. I will travel specifically to Kampala to stay and work with Return Ministries, a home for over 300 children.  The team will then travel outside of Kampala to the surrounding Villages and minister to the impoverished families and children that are located there. On the last full day in Uganda, the team will go to My Father's House in Kampala to work with the children there. My Father’s House is a school that serves Kampala and has about 400 children from the surrounding community that attend there.

 

Why do I want to do this again? Last year, as you know, I went on an incredible, life-changing trip to Ethiopia and Uganda! God showed me many things about ministering to other cultures, and what it looks likes to "care for the orphans" on a very personal level, and I must go back! My heart is to serve the sweet children in Africa who have touched my heart deeply in so many ways.

 

I want to tell them about God and how much He loves them. I want them to know that they are loved, even by people in the far reaches of the world. I also want to tangibly meet basic and physical needs. There's nothing more rewarding, and heartbreaking, than feeding a hungry child. Or providing a refrigerator to a woman caring for 14 orphans who didn't previously have one. Or giving a thirsty child a clean drink of water.  In addition, I look forward to visiting the schools, to play with and love on the children, and of course, snuggle babies!

Here's the challenging part (again! lol). Because the team leaves at the end of March, I must have $2000 raised by the 60 day mark. Well, the 60 day mark is Jan 15th. Yes, less than a week to raise $2000 (I have almost reached $1000 so far). That sounds really unlikely, but I know that all things are possible with God. And you all showed that abundantly the last time! So stepping out in faith, and with my parents blessing, I registered for this trip. I'm excited to also be traveling with my same team leader, Faith Sims, who quickly became both my second mom and friend. I look forward to this trip with more confidence and less nervousness because I will be with her.

Here's how you can help. Will you consider sponsoring me? Once I reach $2000, and my airline tickets are purchased, I will work very hard to raise the additional money through fundraisers. The total cost of the trip is from $3400-$3600. I am prepared to work diligently to raise the money. But because time is very short, I must raise $2000 quickly. Even small donations add up and help.

To Donate:

Go to the Visiting Orphans Donate page.  In the "Fund Category", scroll down and click on my trip, called "Sims team March/April Uganda”. Then enter the amount you wish to donate. Next, you will be asked if you'd like to donate toward a specific team member. Click the bubble that says "Team Member or Ministry Name" and enter my name, Celeste Sabo. And then simply enter your billing info. This would be the quickest way to make my initial goal of $2000 by the 15th.  

I also ask you to pray. This will be my second big trip away, and there will be a lot more to learn. But I am ready. Please pray for the team, for travel safety, and especially for the people we meet, that they would feel loved and needs would be met. Please pray that I would be able to raise the money needed to go.

If you have any questions for me, you can reach me via my moms Contact Tab above.

Thank you so much!

With Love,

Celeste 

Our Family Photo Plight (and a Giveaway)

I don't know about you, but trying to get a family photo is an exhausting job. Even the thought of it overwhelms me!

There are clothes to gather, hair to fix, poses and locations to consider. Then, there's trying to get everyone to smile, get the little ones to be still, and get the baby to not spit up all over her outfit!  Sometimes it's all just too much!

The proof of my plight hangs on our wall in the family room. Our last family photo was taken SIX years ago. Oh, the shame of it all!  We've had FOUR children since then!  Thankfully, we did get a wonderful photo of our nine children at my daughter's wedding.  (Somehow, we missed the photo that includes mom and dad!)  But now, with sweet baby Grace here, we're behind again!

After being inspired by some of my bloggy friends and Shutterfly, I've decided to take the plunge again. I've realized that I don't have to go to the ends of the earth to get a family photo. We  don't all have to have coordinating outfits or a pricey photographer.

No siree, Bob!

I am simply going to drag my kids, with my trusty inexpensive camera, out to our walking trails and get some shots in front of the beautiful oak tree, or on the rustic bridge, or in front of the pond. I'm just going to DO IT!  We'll make do with what we have, and not make it bigger than it needs to be!

What's important is capturing the NOW of our family!

We're much better at getting candid shots of life.  Well, sometimes.  Maybe.  Anyhoo, Shutterfly has a wonderful video showcasing many ideas for a great family photo as well as candid shots.  So, even if you don't get that whole family photo you hoped for, you can 'collage' your candid shots onto a beautiful card.

Are you inspired to get out there and take a family photo?  If not, I've got a great Giveaway to really motivate you!  I am giving away a $50 Shutterfly credit.  How's that for inspiration?

There are several ways to enter.  Begin below.  The Giveaway ends December 14th.  Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to also enter Shutterfly's Cardworthy Sweepstakes, which runs through the 9th, so hurry!


*This is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.

26 Weeks: I'm Still Here

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.   My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139: 13-16

Baby

Hello, third trimester!  I am loving this stage of pregnancy.  The baby is moving so much and getting soooo big.  In fact, I'm measuring nearly three weeks ahead.  Yowzers!  And if I were to go into labor now, God forbid, the baby would have an excellent chance of survival.  I always tend to breathe a sigh of relief when I reach about 25-26 weeks for that very reason.  I've never had any reason to worry, but you just never know. 

Mommy

Oh wow!  I feel like I'm all over the map.  For the most part, I feel good.  But every so often, mild feelings of depression will strike.  I've never experienced this before.  I've had my share of other hormonal issues during pregnancy.....especially as I've gotten older, but none that I would classify as depression.  Thankfully, it's mild....I say mild because I can recognize that it's not real, and remind myself that it is a temporary feeling.  Nonetheless, it's no fun at all when I'm feeling blue.  For example, I was at Chuck E. Cheese recently for a birthday party.  I was talking with a friend about life in general and began to get weepy!  WHAT?  Who gets weepy at Chuck E. Cheese?  It's a happy place for crying out loud!  There's no crying at Chuck E. Cheese!!!  Will somebody please return the normal, much less emotional Candace please?  Sheesh!

I notice it strikes more when I'm tired, so I really need to ensure a good night's rest, and make a point of laying down at some point during the day. 

In other, less dramatic news, we're transitioning from a full summer into a full school year, so I've been busy working out schedules, gathering information for potential colleges with my daughter, making sure we have all our school material and supplies, and just getting organized in general.  I want to have as much taken care of, and be well on our way into the school year before baby arrives in 14 short weeks!  YAY!

Well, since I actually put on real clothes and brushed my hair, I thought I'd take advantage of the rare moment and get a 26 week pic.  Trust me...you don't want to see my "everyday" look!  ; )
 

It's been a while...I'd love to hear how your pregnancy is going!  If you're not pregnant, I would love to know how you're doing too!  :)

A Girl Got on a Plane...

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Two Weeks in Africa.....

Tomorrow, my 16 year old daughter, Celeste, will embark on a journey of a lifetime.  She will travel half way around the world to serve and visit orphans in two incredible countries....Ethiopia and Uganda. 

She is traveling with an organization called Visiting Orphans.  They travel to thirteen different countries to fulfill the biblical mandate given in James 1:27 of "visiting orphans" in their distress. 

On this particular trip, Celeste will have the blessing of visiting several orphanages in both countries.  She can't wait to go and love on these children, knowing full well that she will be the one blessed by them!  She will also visit the Fistula Hospital in Addis.  This is pretty exciting because before we even knew about this trip, our family had watched A Walk to Beautiful, a documentary about women who suffer from the medical condition, Fistula.  This hospital was built specifically to treat the condition.  It's a beautiful story, one I highly recommend watching. 

Sisters (Celeste on left)

Celeste and the team will also go to Amazima, the ministry Katie Davis began at the age of 18.  Amazima feeds over 1,600 orphaned and vulnerable children of the Masese community a lunch meal Monday through Friday, and also operate a school for the local children to attend for free.  This is another exciting aspect of the trip.  Again, before we knew about this trip, a friend had recommended a book to us called Kisses from Katie.  We watched this YouTube video and were amazed by this young woman with so much love and compassion.  It was through our visit to the Amazima website that we learned of Visiting Orphans, which led to finding this trip, which included visiting some of the very places we had already been studying as a family.  God had clearly gone before us, and opened this door for Celeste!

The team will be very busy, serving in a different location nearly every day.  I will try to give regular updates on my Facebook page if you would like to keep up with her travels.

I found this video on YouTube of another team that went to Uganda.  I don't know if they were with Visiting Orphans or another organization, but Celeste will visit several of the places in this video.



If you wouldn't mind, please keep our daughter, the team, and the people they will encounter in your prayers.  For Celeste, this will be her first trip away from home by herself.  She's nervous, but even more excited about all they will do and see! 

If you would like to know more about any of these organizations, please visit their sites.  There, you also have the opportunity to sponsor a child and change a life.

Have you or any of your children gone on a mission trip?  Where?  Please share your experience.

Thankful Thursday: My Sweet Progeny

I am so thankful for these nine wonderful blessings.  Being a mom to these kids is an incredible privilege.  But it's also hard work.  Anything worth doing requires hard work....but with the Lord's help....He equips us for the task.

We were able to get pictures of the kids on Christmas morning before heading out to church. Sadly, they ALL turned out blurry to some degree. We realized the flash was not going off, but since the camera was set to auto, we figured there was plenty of light, thus, the flash was not needed. Upon further investigation, the flash was not working at all. 

Sooo...a little blurry in parts, but still thought I'd share!


Here's one with the wonderful Daddy...

This photo is special because my mom made these sweet dresses.  She made them for our two oldest girls years ago, and they've been handed down to each of the younger girls every Christmas since. 

We had a wonderful Christmas, celebrating the incarnation of our precious Savior. We worshipped with our churh family, opened gifts, ate yummy food, and enjoyed the blessing of being together!

What are you thankful for?  Share here or head on over to The Marathon Mom to link up too!

Practicing the Fruit of the Spirit

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"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23

I wish that I could say that exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit comes naturally to our family. That we show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control all day long with smiles on our faces.

Unfortunately, that's not the case. We are imperfect, sinful  people.  Some days, it's much easier to display anything but the fruits.  And if we allow habits of ungodliness to take root, that becomes the norm.  But since we love God, desire to serve Him faithfully, and teach our children how to live godly lives, we must do our best to exhibit these fruits and make that the norm for our lives. And if you're like our family, that takes practice.

There are many fun ways to incorporate practicing the Fruits in your home, but when I stumbled upon this one over at Smockity, I thought this would be a fun way to encourage Fruit in our home. And not just for the kids...but for Mom and Dad too!

First, I printed this template and wrote all the fruits inside the grapes.  Then, I printed it onto colorful paper, put a name on each one, and hung them on the wall in the family room.

Next, we all went over each fruit and made sure that the younger ones knew what each one meant and what it looks like in every day life.  For example, when they sit quietly at the table, waiting for their meal, they're showing patience.  Or when an older sibling helps a younger one, they're showing kindness.  When they sit quietly in church, they're showing self-control, etc. 

When a family member sees someone else displaying a fruit, they get a sticker to place over that fruit.  And once we fill up all the fruits, we'll do something special as a family. 

The kids were very excited about doing this, and it really motivated them to "practice" these fruits.  Plus, they had a fun goal to work toward.  Everyday, I had kids coming to me and telling me how someone showed a particular fruit.  It was wonderful!  The kids were encouraging one another...and making a concerted effort to show the fruits throughout the day. 

Conversely, when someone was impatient, or not sharing, or speaking unkind words, all I had to ask was, "How can you show a fruit of the spirit in this situation?"  And the tone would change.  In most cases, a gentle reminder was enough to get back on track.  Likewise, we also gave the children permission to respectfully remind us when we were not displaying the fruits.  And they did.  ;-) 

Well, as you can see in the photo above, we've completed all the charts.  We gave the kids several choices of family activities and took a vote.  It looks like we'll be having "Make-your-own-Sundae Night" with all the fixings soon.

It's amazing how "practicing" the fruits can change the dynamics of your day and keep us focused on Christ.  We plan on printing more of these and starting over again.  I'll also be looking into other fun ways for our family to practice the fruits.

It's your turn.....and I need more ideas!  How do you teach the Fruit of the Spirit to your children.  How do you incorporate "practice" into your day?  Share here in the comments.

Reader Question: Christmas Gifts

First, I'd like to say that I LOVE when my readers contact me with questions. I typically respond privately to my readers, but I thought it would be fun to answer some of the questions here.  'Cause you all want to know, right?  ;-)

So here is my first official "reader's question" post regarding Christmas gifts.

Question: "With nine children, how do afford to buy gifts for all of them?  Do you limit the number of gifts or have a budget per child?  Would love to know how you make this work?

This is a great question and one that I've been asked several times over the years.

The answer to this varies from year to year, however.  It all depends on how much we were able to put away that year.  Our goal is to give each kid three gifts, but some years it may be one or two gifts per child, and more shared gifts (like a big set of Lincoln Logs for the boys or art supplies for the little girls).  There is significance in the number of gifts we give.  It represents the three gifts the kings presented to Jesus.  This not only serves as a good way to point our children to Christ, but it helps us resist the temptation to buy more than we need to.

We do set a budget per child, allotting more for our older kids.  We ask the kids to write a list of desired gifts, and then we choose according to what the budget will allow.

As a fun tradition, we give one gift on Christmas Eve.  It's always the same and the kids love it.  They each get a new pajama set to wear that night.  There's something so sweet about all the kids coming down in their new, warm and cozy PJ's Christmas morning!  The jammies don't count toward their three gifts.

In a family of eleven, and one income, Christmas can become an overwhelming time if we let it.  We love giving our children gifts, but our main purpose for celebrating Christmas is Christ.  Remembering this helps us to not get caught up in the commercialism of Christmas, which can be easy to do sometimes.  And our limited budget demands that we be smart about our purchases.

Is there something you want to know about large family living in general, or about our family specifically?  You can click the "contact tab" above, or "like" Sacred Mommyhood on Facebook and post your question there.

It's your turn!  What is your method for buying your children Christmas gifts?  Set number of gifts?  Set budget?  Please share in the comments below!

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Thankful Thursday: Clifford Breaks Down

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Last week, we had an exciting adventure at the Walmart gas station.  Our van, "Clifford", broke down.  At the pump. 

At first, it wasn't a big deal.  I thought for sure it was something minor that my older girls and I could fix.  After 30 minutes of trying to diagnose the problem, we didn't know what was wrong.  At this point, we knew we needed to move the van away from the pump in the event Clifford was going to spend the night at the gas station.

My future son-in-law had come to help, and one man pumping gas next to us jumped in to try and help as well.  All we had to do was move this 15 passenger van to a parking spot.  Just so happens, we were at the ONLY pump in the gas station that was in direct line to a parking space.  Thank you, Jesus, for directing me to that pump!

Just as we were about to push the van into the spot, approximately 50 ft away, a car pulls into it.  I immediately ran to the gentleman and kindly asked him if he would park elsewhere so that we could push the big red van into his spot.  Without hesitation, he moved his car....and we pushed Clifford safely into the spot.

By this time, the man who was already helping us had diagnosed the problem as a bad fuel pump.  I knew that we would not be able to fix the fuel pump in the parking lot, so at this point, we just needed to get home.  A friend had already been called to come and get us, and was on her way.

Before our friend had arrived, the man I had asked to move his car, drove over to us and asked if we needed help.  We told him that it was probably the fuel pump and that we wouldn't be able to do anything until the next day.  It was just getting dark by then.  The man, Frank, asked to take a look.  He suggested that it could just be the fuel filter..and that if it was, he would change it for us right there in the parking lot.  He got on the phone with Auto Zone, where he used to work, to see if they had the part in stock.  They did.  Frank took off to his home to get some tools and the part.  What a nice man!

Our friend, Bethany, had come by, picked up most of the kids and took them home.  The kids did great and had a wonderful opportunity to practice patience.  They were tired, bored, and hungry...it was well past dinner time for them and they had been sitting for nearly two hours.  I was so glad when they were able to get home!

Frank returned, changed out the filter, but it wasn't the filter after all.  How sweet of him it was to check the less expensive possibility first...and do it for us.  Well, then...if that wasn't sweet enough, Frank gets back on the phone with Auto Zone to inquire about a fuel pump.  They have one in stock.  I told Frank that I would need to talk with my husband (who was at work) to find out if he would be able to fix a fuel pump on his own.  Greg is the one who fixes most things on our vehicles, but I knew he had never fixed a fuel pump, mainly because you have to drop the entire gas tank.  A BIG job on a BIG van!

So Frank says, "I'm off tomorrow and can fix it for you, free of charge!"  Say WHA???  Who IS this guy and why does he want to spend his day off fixing a total stranger's HUGE RED VAN? 

On a side note, when Frank got into our van to try and turn it over, before the kids were hauled home, he looked back at all the kids and asked, "Are they part of a daycare?"  I literally laughed out loud!

Back to the story!  We were so humbled over Frank's kindness.  And sure enough, the next day, he and Nathan (my future son-in-law), both spent their day off under Clifford.  For about five hours.  In the Walmart gas station.  In one little parking spot.  Isn't that incredible? 

There are so many more details about this story that I would love to share, but just don't have the time to get it all down right now.  Let's just say that God orchestrated this whole occurrence in such a unique way, and involved several  people.  Only God can do such an amazing thing.

We are SO thankful for Frank and Nathan, and all the others who helped over those two days.  As much as I did not like the fact that our van broke down, and with a costly repair, I couldn't help but marvel at how God worked in such a way to weave a beautiful tapestry of kindness, generosity, and grace.  I had no choice but to praise Him!

On another side note....we found out that Frank goes to the same church where my OB doctor attends.  Small world! :)

Please share what are you thankful for? 

This post is linked up to The Marathon Mom.

Donut Tradition Lives On....Maybe

Early this morning, Daddy surprised the kids with donuts!  Some of you may remember that we used to have a fun donut tradition. 

Back when Greg was an on-the-truck-Fire-Fighter (he is a Fire Inspector now), he worked 24 hour shifts (24 on, 24 off...7am to7am).  Every other Friday was "Payday Friday" and he happened to be off on payday Fridays.  The beloved tradition was that he would stop at Krispy Kreme on his way home from work, specifically on "payday Fridays". 

It's something we did for years.  And it's something our kids looked forward to and loved very much.  Sadly, the Krispy Kreme closed and our tradition came to a screeching halt.  Yes....there was always the grocery store, but buying donuts from the grocery store just wasn't quite the same.  In addition, Greg no longer works the 24 on, 24 off shifts, which means he works on "Payday Fridays".  : (

So for those of you who haven't read about how much our kids love donuts....or the story about the devastating day we realized Krispy Kreme was shut down, you gotta go back and read them.  These were written about five years ago, back when my blog was called Sabo Family Dynamics.  It was primarily a family blog that I kept out of the mainstream public.  But since I went public and have new readers (hi, new friends!), I'd love for you to read some of my older stuff.  :)

As far as this morning, well, a new donut shop opened up about 8 miles down the road.  But of course, it's Saturday and not Friday.  I suppose we could begin our tradition again, but "Day-after-payday-Friday" doesn't quite have the same ring.  And 8 miles down the road isn't on Daddy's way home (because he's already home).  So, I think we'll just make it an occasional fun surprise like we did this morning.  :) 

It was neat to see the looks on their faces when Daddy unexpectedly walked in the door with those iconic boxes.  They all thought he was still sleeping.  Sneaky...and so fun!

Does your family have a special tradition that would be utterly sad to see come to a sudden stop?

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A Busy Week

We have had a wonderful week of fellowship with our sweet friends.  We have enjoyed late night talks and early morning cups of coffee.  I've enjoyed runs with Dan, and talks about the faithfulness of God with Lori and Dan.  It has been such a blessing having them here and we're so privileged to have hosted them.  In a few days they'll be heading to VA to visit Dan's family...and then they head back to Costa Rica.  We will miss them dearly!

Aside from enjoying company, we've also had other things going on along with normal, crazy life, which is usually busy enough.  Here are a few snippets of what we've been up to and why I haven't blogged in a week.  :)

Wedding:  We've had a couple of wedding related appointments.  Saturday, all the bridesmaids went to Cheyenne's dress fitting.  It. fit. perfectly!  No alterations needed!  Woohoo!  The only thing we need to do is the bustling.  She looked incredibly beautiful!  After the fitting, we all went out for lunch at Panera.  Yum! 

Then, on Sunday afternoon, we met with my wonderful friend, Hollie, who is graciously making the wedding cake.  We had a "cake meeting" to discuss all the details and finalize a cake design.  I know Hollie will do an incredible job and I can't wait to see the final masterpiece. :)  If you get a chance, head on over to Hollie's Food for Missions blog and check it out!

All the other details are coming along.  We have the invitations in hand.  Cheyenne made return address labels and put them on, as well as stuffed the envelopes.  All we have to do is address them.  We have the wedding dress, of course.  Now we just have to protect it form the elements of the Sabo household.  lol  Sunday after church, we picked up Celeste's Maid of Honor dress and my niece's bridesmaid dress.  We reserved most of the linens, and will only add more as RSVP's trickle in.  We have the venue reserved.  We have most of the centerpieces purchased for assembling.  Most of the groomsmen have been measured for their tuxes.  We have a few friends who have offered to sponsor desserts for the wedding, or other things.  Isn't that awesome?  Whew....I think that's it so far.  Things are progressing so I am feeling less overwhelmed with wedding details. 

House Hunting:  No...not for us, but for my other best friend, Stacey.  They Cambrons are moving back to Texas from Colorado Springs and I have had the honor of looking at homes for my sweet friend.  As she has found homes online, I've gone to look at them in person to report back to her the details.  It's been fun...and I can't wait to have the Cambrons back in Texas!  YAY!

Painting:  I finally painted a room in our home.  I started with the master bedroom.  It looks FABULOUS!  I have never been so pleased with a color before.  It's called Weeping Willow.  It's a muted, sage-y, very earthy green.  It's peaceful and tranquil and I just LOVE it!  My older girls moved all the furniture and took off the hardware and got everything prepped and ready.  Then, Dan, the girls, and I painted.  We did it all in the two hour rest time that all the little ones were down.  It was perfect!  Team work got the job done FAST!  I've still got to get up a few pictures on the wall and then I'll post pictures.

Church:  Since Greg is a deacon, we've had a few deacon related responsibilities that have kept us busy too.  Our church just had our annual family retreat and then we celebrated Pastor Appreciation Month to honor our wonderful pastor.  It's a privilege to serve along side my husband, helping him with various tasks while he serves his church family.

Chicken Pox:  We exposed our four youngest kids to the Chicken Pox yesterday evening.  We're hoping within the next couple of weeks that we'll see spots.  We've chosen not to give our children the vaccine, so it's very important that they get the Chicken Pox as children to gain lifetime immunity.  So here's praying....   Oh, and if you live in San Antonio and need to expose your children, contact me and I'll let you know if we're successful!  :)

I think that about covers our week.  It's been busy, but wonderful!  Hope you all have a great rest of the week...and check back for more posts.  I have about four that are nearly ready for posting. :)

Company's Coming

I'm SO excited about who is coming to stay with us for several days. One of my best friends of twelve years, Lori, and her sweet husband, Dan, are making a trip to Texas from Costa Rica, and arrive TONIGHT! They serve as missionaries there, and they're coming back to visit family and friends.

They blog about their mission work in Costa Rica over at Dan and Lori's Journey.  They have three wonderful children, and are expecting their fourth child in January.  We are very excited to see them, and I personally can't wait to see her sweet baby belly.

Today, I will be heading to the store to pick up a few foods that Lori has been craving, but cannot get in Paso Marcos.  We will also be sharing a few of our favorite meals that we used to eat together all the time.  You know, those meals that somehow became special to that friendship, even though the meals themselves weren't all that special.  It was the time spent sharing those meals together that was special.  For Lori and I, it was Chili Dogs (I craved them during one of my pregnancies) and Wing Stop.  lol  Not exactly girlie food, but it's what we loved, and can't wait to eat together while she's here!  ;-)

I pray that their time back in Texas would be a blessing and that God would keep them safe during their travels and their time spent here. :)

Home Depot Savings

I finally picked up paint to get started on my bedroom. We moved into our home for just over three years ago, and have been staring at the "builders off white" walls ever since. But with so much going on, I haven't had the time or energy to think about paint colors, let alone actually doing the painting.

My sweet daughter gave me a gift card for our anniversary. I was so glad to have had a coupon to reduce the cost of my purchase. I still don't have much time, but getting the gift card gave me that spark of desire to at least tackle our master bedroom.

Do you have any upcoming projects? Would a coupon be helpful? Would tips and guides be helpful? Sign up for the Home Depot newsletter and begin receiving special deals and offers, How-To's, Garden Club, and much more.

Click on photo above or click here to sign up.


*If you sign up, I'll make a bit of money....money helps to feed nine children.  ;-)

Happy Birthday Chloe

It was just a short time ago that she was this tiny little baby....

Now, she's a lovely, seven year old little lady...

She's sweet, funny, kind, and helpful...

She loves all things arts and crafts, she loves to read, and she isn't afraid to get dirty!

Happy Birthday, to our sweet Chloe. We love you so much and hope that this special day brings you joy! You are so special and we're so thankful that God created you, for you were fearfully and wonderfully made!  (Psalm 139:14)

We love you, Bunny!

Sweet Amelia

Our precious Amelia is six months old.  How can this be?

I often find myself taking in moments that I don't want to forget, purposefully committing them to memory so that I will remember them forever...even the smallest of details.   A couple of weeks ago, the kids were playing outside like usual.  It was a lovey day...a bit cooler, so I took her out in the walker to enjoy the fresh air.  We stayed on the porch so she could cruise around freely and watch the kids play.  She loved it so much.  There was a slight breeze that she seemed to enjoy on her face.  She giggled and smiled as she watch the older kids play.  It was sweet. 

There have already been more days like that one, but I want to remember that day.  There was nothing especially significant about it...we just went outside like we always do.  But it was one of those small details that struck me as a moment I wanted to remember forever.

Amelia is sitting up and just about to take off crawling.  She's scooting and just getting the hang of the arm/leg coordination for full blown crawling. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for for her to be completely mobile.  ;-)

She's very smiley and has a sweet disposition.  She's determined.  If she sees something she wants, she won't give up until she's rolled, scooted, or army crawled her way there.  It's amazing how early you catch glimpses of a child's personality.

What a miracle...to be entrusted with such a gift.  Thank you, Father!