Blog Fog

I'm In A Blog Fog

What is that exactly? Well, you know.......you think of something to post, but once you sit down to compose the post, what you thought was a full brain of great thoughts are now but a mere fog! Can you hear my virtual scream??? Yes, my lack of new posts is mainly due to a very foggy (and pregnant) brain. Ohhhh, how I love to blame my plight on pregnancy. It's really my only excuse, you know!

Throughout my day, ideas will fly into my brain and I think, "Cool! I'll blog about this!" But by the time I HAVE the time to sit down and actually blog about it, not only does it not seem as exciting anymore, but I can't even write well enough to MAKE it exciting. Or important. Or funny. You get the picture.

So for now, I may have to rely on old pictures or other people's posts just to keep this blog alive until the dense fog lifts. So, until then......

Ya see? I can't even think of a closing line!

I couldn't have said it better myself........thanks Jess!

Questions to Consider

Have you ever wondered...

*what life would have been like during your growing up years if 1/5th of the population hadn't been aborted?

*if one of those aborted people would have been your best friend? A co-worker? A pastor in the church down the road? A plumber in your community? The Mayor? A special-ed teacher?

*if our economy would be stronger now with 20% more people contributing ideas, work, taxes, and energy, had they not been aborted?

*how the average Nazi lived with the knowledge that millions were dying in their midst, and then stopped to realize that we're no different?

*if we might end up like the aborted nations of Russia and almost every European nation, with dwindling populations and the death of our culture and nation around the corner?

What would happen if every Christian...

*committed to love and serve pregnant women and their children, no matter the circumstance?

*gave sacrificially of their time and money to support crisis pregnancy clinics and stand as a silent protester and potential counselor for those women walking into baby killing centers?

*publicly loved and welcomed even "the least of these" (those deemed less desirable because of handicaps, learning difficulties, or family situation)?

Everyone knows it's a baby. Just like the Germans who could smell the smoke near the killing centers in WWII, the murder of our brothers and sisters is unthinkable and yet undeniable.

As I type this, my ten-month old son is grizzling as he falls asleep... and I can't help but weep as I think of those babies who will never exercise their lungs with a good healthy cry. Those who have their skin seared by salt solution, administered by a doctor who swore to protect life. Those who have their limbs ripped from their tender bodies in the one place they ought to be completely safe and protected. Those who could have grown up to be your friends, or mine... those who could have grown up.

As I type this, I think of my friends who have had abortions... and I hurt for them. I don't want to increase their pain, but even more, I want to stop other women from ever feeling the pain of having had an abortion, if it is at all within my power.

As I type this, I want to cry out, "Oh, Christian women, be a light in your community! Find ways to ACT on behalf of the unborn among us!"

And merciful Father, give each of us a burning passion to see your glory reflected in each and every individual created by Your wise and sovereign hand. Give us a desire to love the unborn and their mothers with the love that You have... love that bears all things, is kind, shares the truth, and never fails. Help us to rejoice over life, in every shape and form!

Oh, that we would view each birth and new life with the joy that John Powell describes as he for the first time witnessed a baby being delivered:

It was as if my mind were saying, 'Cannot compute! Cannot compute!" What I was witnessing was too big, too beautiful, too sacred to fit easily into my mind...

God had waited from all eternity for that moment of birth. And now, He would show His little boy the adoring face of the mother that had carried him so lovingly. He would show that little boy the magnificent stars He had strung in the sky. He would introduce him to the music of lullabies and the softness of his mother's arms, the gentleness of his father's hands. The "I" of God had been saying to the "Thou" of that small baby: "With an everlasting love I have loved you. This is why with lovingkindness I created you" (from the prophecy of Jeremiah, 31:3).

Cannot compute. Cannot compute. The miracle of life.

HT: Jennifer

The BEST Day of His Life

Today, our seven year old son, Seth, gets to go to the Monster Truck Jam. It's his friend Zach's birthday, so a whole group of boys are going. Not only are they going to the Jam, but they're going to have a tail gate party in the parking lot, then they're going to the pit party where they'll see the trucks and drivers up close! Oh man, every boy's dream, right? I've kept it a secret for several days, and finally let the cat out of the bag yesterday afternoon. So, last night when Seth came to say goodnight, this was our conversation:

Seth: "I think tomorrow will be the BEST day of my life!"
Me: "Well, I'm excited for you.....now get to bed because you'll have a late night tomorrow."
Seth: "Will I get to stay up until midnight?"
Me: "Probably not midnight, but pretty late!"

Seth: With a HUGE grin on his face, he heads upstairs. I wonder if he slept at all!

So, this morning he's up at the crack of dawn. He's all ready to go even though he's not being picked up until 2:00pm. He's completely dressed, with shoes, jacket, AND a backpack.

Seth: "See? I'm all ready!"
Me: "I see that. Good job. I'm not sure you'll need a back pack, though."

Seth: "Well......I have my binoculars in it so I can see everything really well."
Me: "Oh, good thinking. Okay, you can take the back pack."

So now it's breakfast time. Greg's making pancakes when Seth declares, "I'm not really hungry so I'll just have one."
Me: "Just one? You'll still be hungry!"

Seth: "I'm saving room for cake!"

The boy's been cracking us up all morning! He is going to have a great time! Thank you, Steph, for making this possibly the BEST day of Seth's life! ;-)

She's One Today!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Genevieve. It's hard to believe she's been apart of our lives for one full year. She has blessed us beyond measure!

Two months.......


Three and a half months.........

Five months.......

Eight months........

Nine months.........

Eleven months.......

Almost there.......to one year........

Happy Birthday baby girl. We love you more than words can express!

Later today, I'll be taking her one year picture. I'll try to get it posted. If you want to read about her exciting entrance into the world, click here and here.

Pics of Kids

Watchful Waiting.....

I believe this was the night we were having our church Reformation celebration. The kids were eagerly awaiting our church family's arrival. They all just happened to be in age/height order. I thought it was so cute, so had to run and get the camera.


Okay.....this one was planned, of course. This is Christmas Eve. They each get to open one gift, always jammies. So, here's what the kids look like from the front! ;-) Genevieve (almost 1), Ethan (2), Chloe (4), Sophia (6), Seth (7), Celeste (13), and Cheyenne (16).


Wishing you all a very Happy New Year.......

Our Babies

From our home to yours......have a blessed New Year!

Family Readings

Family Readings

Something I really cherish about our family is the time we spend reading aloud together. We try to choose books that will appeal to all ages, but this is not always easy, as two year olds just aren't interested sometimes. But we certainly try! We've read anything from "adventure" such as God's Smuggler, to "family growth" books such as Family Driven Faith, to even simple things like Character Building stories.

Currently, we are reading our yearly Advent book, Tabitha's Travels. This is the third book of a series. The first two are Jotham's Journey and Bartholomew's Passage. This happens to be our sixth year of reading these Advent books and we just love them. Sometimes we'll pile on the couch for our reading and other times we'll sit around the table sipping hot cocoa. But tonight was a beauty! Our neighbor had given us a bag of Hubba Bubba suckers, so we decided to save them especially for reading time. We sat around the table and let the kids go to town on their suckers. It was the most peacefully quiet reading yet!!!

Once we have finished our Advent book, we'll begin our new book, 10 P's in a Pod. I'm really excited about this one because I've heard and read many great reviews.......we can't wait!

If your family already reads together often, then you know how special it is (most of the time...lol)! If not, I would encourage you to pick a great book and start reading to the family! You'll love it and your children will too!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

There are some things that are worth the time and effort to save money, and there are other things that are worth the money to save time. Make sense?

Well, making our own laundry detergent has proven to be one of our best money savers over the last two to three years. And we only have to invest about 15-20 minutes of our time every three to four months.

Not bad, eh?

Not only is this a great way to save money, but this detergent is also safe for HE washers, because of the low suds ingredients.

I'll give the recipe in a small batch so that you can try it without wasting too much if you don't like it!

But you'll like! You WILL!!

Homemade Powder Laundry Detergent

1 Fels Naptha Laundry Bar (or Zote)  I buy this at Walmart in the laundry aisle.

1/2 cup Borax

1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda...it must say Super Washing Soda.....it's usually located right next to the Borax but not all stores carry this....you may have to shop around. If you live in Texas, HEB carries it.)

If you just bought one bar and one box each of these, it will cost you only about $5 and depending on family size will last three to six months. Although, you'll need about three bars of Fels Naptha or Zote to go through your entire boxes of powders.

Directions

Grate bar. If you have a food processor with a cheese grater attachment, use it! Before we had this, we had to grate the bar by hand on a box grater.

In a processor or blender, combine 1 cup of grated bar, 1/2 cup Borax, and 1/2 cup of Washing Soda. Process or blend until you get a fine powder consistency. It's best to do this in small batches to get a fine powder. Repeat this until you run out of your grated bar. If you've bought several bars....well, keep on goin'! Store in an air tight container.

Use

For small to medium loads, use 1 tablespoon. Seriously! This is why it lasts so long!

For large or heavily soiled loads, use 2 tablespoons. It's that simple! Then, fabric soften as desired!

A side note: I've heard people say that they didn't like the ZOTE because it has a waxy texture, whereas the Fels Naptha has a flaky texture.  I personally don't have a problem with Zote. My clothes get clean and they smell good.  However, since my Walmart now sells Fels Naptha, I buy that.

My little girls love that ZOTE is pink! ;-)  Try both and see what you like best. Let me know what you think!

*Update:  We still make our detergent most of the time, but occasionally, we buy the big bucket from Sams, which is also economical. 

Christmas Quote

Joys of the Incarnation

"Most sensible people say that adults cannot be expected to appreciate Christmas as much as children appreciate it. But I am not sure that even sensible people are always right; and this has been my principle reason for deciding to be silly -- a decision that is now irrevocable. It may be because I am silly, but I rather think that, relatively to the rest of the year, I enjoy Christmas more than I did when I was a child. My faith demands that such be the case. The more mature I become the more I need to embrace the joys of the incarnation. The more mature I become, the more I need to be but a child".

~ G.K. Chesterton

ht: Kristen S.

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING


We've been very busy this morning finishing up the last of the cooking. My sweet girls did some of the baking last night......Chey baked her Deep Dish Apple Pie and Celeste made the cornbread for the dressing. Now, the rolls are rising and I'll get started on the dressing. We're not cooking the whole feast this year since we're celebrating with our good friends again, so our cooking load is light.....well.....if you consider making 80 homemade rolls a light load! ;-)

We're looking forward to giving our Lord many thanks and praise, and the sweet fellowship we'll enjoy with our friends. May you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Just Haven't Felt Like It

Just Haven't Felt Like..........

.......blogging lately. You know when you don't feel good, you don't feel like doing a whole lot. I haven't forgotten about my blog......in fact, I'm always thinking of things to post, but as you can see I'm a slacker.

I hesitate to say that I think I may be starting to feel better. I still feel icky most of the time, but it seems like I'm having more good moments. If my last seven pregnancies are any indication of when I will feel better, well, we're looking at another five to nine weeks. Let's just hope this one is different!

Don't give up on me......I'll be back soon!

Voting

Murphy's Law-Voting Lines

What happens when you take a dad, a pregnant sick mom with vomit bag in tow, seven children (five of them seven and under), lots of snacks and drinks to keep them quiet, strollers, diaper bags, and a boat load of patience all in preparation to stand in line for one to two hours?

NO LINE AT ALL!

Yep, that's right. If you ever want to ensure not having to wait in line, go overboard in your preparations and expect the worst! Obviously, we were overjoyed to find that there was no line at all. Perhaps it was the time we arrived or the number of early voters, but no matter the reason, it was a relief for this sick Mama!

Since the people working the tables were not busy, all eyes were on us as we entered the building with our progeny in tow. We got the kids all settled into a corner with snacks and Greg and I approached the tables. Forget about, "May I see your ID?" or "Can I have your name?" Nope! We were greeted with wide eyes, shifting quickly from us to the kids and back to us, and the ever famous question........drumroll please........"Are they ALL yours?" Yes!

So, we voted. The kids did a fabulous job of behaving for the whole five minutes they had to wait and we were out of there. Not so fast. On our way out, we were snagged by a reporter who was admittedly enamored with our family and just HAD to ask us some questions. We obliged! With a few giggles coming from behind us, we politely answered his simple questions. Wow, who'd have thought our voting day would have been so easy and somewhat exciting! ;-)

So now it's waiting............in a few short hours we will know who will be in office next year. May we all be in fervent prayer and may we all rest in God's Sovereignty and trust His outcome!

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

UPDATE: Greg just found the article from the reporter. It's called "Nine voters" Start a Rush (that's us)! Click here to read it! Too funny!

Pregnancy Update

Pregnancy Update

Well, I've hit the nine week mark now and if morning sickness is ANY indication of a healthy pregnancy, than I can assure you......this baby is HEALTHY!!!! This pregnancy has already been more difficult and challenging than the last one, but God has been faithful to get me through each day......even when each day feels twice as long!

My mind is all over the map. One moment I'm thanking God for this new blessing in our family and the next I'm wondering why we keep doing this! ;-) I can think of so many things I'd rather be going through than enduring nausea daily. I'd rather go through natural labor ten times IN A ROW that feel nauseated. I'd rather have a broken leg.......I'd rather have my wisdoms surgically removed again.......I'd rather go to the dentist......I think you get the point. Nausea is the worst part of pregnancy. It's not that I don't want to be pregnant........on the contrary......I love being pregnant.....just not the first four to five months. But as I'm reminded daily, when this is all over, I'll have received a blessing that makes hugging my garbage can all worth it!

Okay, enough complaining......now the good stuff! It's amazing to see God at work in our lives! Just when I think God has forsaken me and I'm doomed to a life of throwing up, He reminds me that He's right here beside me and that He cares for me. Whether it's a moment of feeling good, a meal brought by a friend, prayers, or a phone call from a fellow sicky, He reminds me of His love and His faithfulness.

So, I'll leave you with a sweet quote I stumbled upon:

Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of Mother's Love.-- Maureen Hawkins

Reformation Day

"It was 491 years ago today that Martin Luther nailed his world-changing 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg church. These theses included rebukes to ungodly fear and superstition. Five hundred years ago, sometime near October 31, a baby named John Calvin was conceived who would dedicate his life to eradicating an ungodly fear of superstitious beliefs and proclaiming the gospel of grace. His emphasis on reformation, revival, and the sufficiency of Scripture had such far-reaching implications for nations like the United States that he has been described by Christian and secular scholars alike as the true founding father of America. The Reformers did something that was very scary to the world of their day. They stood against all forms of dark superstitions which grip the minds and souls of men. It was their emphasis on the fear of the Lord and the wisdom of Holy Scripture that was used of God to liberate untold numbers of men and women."

So, in honor of celebrating the German Reformation, I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Martin Luther:

"Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen."

Sophia's Birthday

Sophia's Birthday


It's hard to believe that our little Sophia is now six years old. We had a fun family celebration, giving thanks for this sweet girl. Sophia is full of life and can brighten a room with her smile and big green eyes. She's a fast talker and pretty quick witted. She makes us laugh often with the things she comes up with, especially her conversations with her big brother Seth. She's also our child that loves math and will ask to do extra pages......even on the weekends. She also loves anything princess (surprise), just like all the other little girls she knows. Sophia loves to color and put together puzzles......I'll often find her in the school room by herself just quietly working on something! She's our Beauty!

Here are a few pics from her birthday! Sophia chose this Hat cake out of my favorite cake book. No close-ups this time, as I struggled to even get the cake done while feeling so sick. It was cute, but not close-up worthy! ;-)
Now the real fun begins......PRESENTS!

We thought this Toss Across game would be fun for the kids.....we were right......we could hardly get them to stop playing.......

Of course, there's always the necessities..........

A cute shirt from Gramie...........

Sophia asked for her own Bible.......the younger kids have been sharing the older girls' old Bibles, but she wanted one to call her own. We got her this Children's Bible (ESV), but it is a real Bible which was important to us..........she loves it!!!

We ended our evening with a family game of Toss Across. The kids loved it when Daddy and I went head to head. (I beat him, by the way!) ;-) This morning, the kids were already asking if they could pull the game out and play some more........I think it's a hit!
So, that was the last birthday of the year! We're so thankful for Sophia and the joy she brings to our family! Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

For Moms

What you do in your house is worth as much as if you did it up in heaven for our Lord God. We should accustom ourselves to think of our position and work as sacred and well-pleasing to God, not on account of the position and work, but on account of the word and faith from which the obedience and the work flow. —Martin Luther
You gotta love Martin Luther! This was especially encouraging to me today as I struggled to accomplish many things while feeling so sick! I hope it's an encouragement to you as well, sick or not! ;-)

Happy Birthday Sophia

Happy Birthday Sophia!

Thank you, Father, for six wonderful years with our little beauty!

Hopefully, I'll be able to post celebration pics a little later........so come on back!

Slow Fade

Slow Fade

Our sermon today was from Genesis 19: 30-38. Although Scripture refers to Lot as a righteous man, we're reminded of how easy it can be to slip into a life of sin and not realize how it took root! As our pastor exhorted, we must guard ourselves against sin. It can creep in slowly and gain a foothold in our lives if we're not careful. While driving home, and discussing the sermon, we were reminded of these lyrics.......thought they were quite fitting!

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Hope you're having a restful Lord's Day!

Walk For Life

Walk For Life

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:13-16

The Agape Pregnancy Help Center will be hosting our annual Walk For Life Fundraiser this Saturday in San Antonio. Please join us in our efforts to save the lives of precious babies by raising the necessary funds to keep our centers open. There are several ways in which to offer support. You can walk, run or crawl along with us, you can sponsor me as I walk for life, or you can simply donate to the Agape Pregnancy Center online. If you'd like to walk or donate, visit www.agapeprolife.org to get a sponsor form or to donate. If you'd so graciously like to sponsor me, email me at gsabo1@sbcglobal.net with your donation amount, your name, address and phone number.

Whether we want to think about it or not, the fact is, millions of babies are being killed each year due to abortion and we can't sit idly by and ignore it. Here are some of the ugly statistics:

UNITED STATES

Number of abortions per year: 1.37 Million (1996)Number of abortions per day: Approximately 3,700

Who's having abortions (age)? 52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%.

Who's having abortions (race)? While white women obtain 60% of all abortions, their abortion rate is well below that of minority women. Black women are more than 3 times as likely as white women to have an abortion, and Hispanic women are roughly 2 times as likely.

Who's having abortions (marital status)? 64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%.

Who's having abortions (religion)? Women identifying themselves as Protestants obtain 37.4% of all abortions in the U.S.; Catholic women account for 31.3%, Jewish women account for 1.3%, and women with no religious affiliation obtain 23.7% of all abortions. 18% of all abortions are performed on women who identify themselves as "Born-again/Evangelical".

Who's having abortions (income)? Women with family incomes less than $15,000 obtain 28.7% of all abortions; Women with family incomes between $15,000 and $29,999 obtain 19.5%; Women with family incomes between $30,000 and $59,999 obtain 38.0%; Women with family incomes over $60,000 obtain 13.8%.

Why women have abortions: 1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).

At what gestational ages are abortions performed: 52% of all abortions occur before the 9th week of pregnancy, 25% happen between the 9th & 10th week, 12% happen between the 11th and 12th week, 6% happen between the 13th & 15th week, 4% happen between the 16th & 20th week, and 1% of all abortions (16,450/yr.) happen after the 20th week of pregnancy.

Likelihood of abortion: An estimated 43% of all women will have at least 1 abortion by the time they are 45 years old. 47% of all abortions are performed on women who have had at least one previous abortion.

Abortion coverage: 48% of all abortion facilities provide services after the 12th week of pregnancy. 9 in 10 managed care plans routinely cover abortion or provide limited coverage.

About 14% of all abortions in the United States are paid for with public funds, virtually all of which are state funds. 16 states (CA, CT, HI, ED, IL, MA , MD, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NM, NY, OR, VT, WA and WV) pay for abortions for some poor women.
Statistical resource: http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html

Other resources: http://www.all.org/imnew.php , http://www.lovelife139.blogspot.com/ , http://www.nrlc.org/ .

A Change of Heart

Our Journey to Many Children


I am no stranger to large families. My mother is the sixth of fourteen children, my dad is the oldest of five, and I am the second of four. Even the generations before, there were many children in our family line. I grew up surrounded by lots of family and LOVED the chaos of family gatherings and reunions. My husband, however, is an only child, and so is his mother. You'd think that I was already signed up to have many children and that my husband would lean towards one or two. Well, that wasn't the case....


When Greg and I were engaged, I don't think we necessarily talked about a specific number of children, but I knew my husband was in the "I want 20 camp"......I just laughed, as in "yeah right"! Three months after we were married, we found out that we were expecting our first child. We were thrilled. Until.....I began death-like morning sickness! I was so sick for seven months. Continuous vomitting, dehydration, etc. After this, I KNEW I would not be in a hurry to do it again. Our daughter was born and we were very happy first-time parents. Yet, the memories of how sick I was haunted me. About two years later, I began feeling suspiciously sick and took a test. It was positive. Although I welcomed the "idea" of another baby, I was terrified of going through such agony again. And how would I do it now with a toddler? And to make matters worse, we were moving back to the states from England in just a few months. How am I going to handle a major move, plane rides, and a toddler?


The morning sickness intensified and I just took it one day at a time. Our little two year old spent most of her days watching children's videos and I cringed each time she said she was hungry. It was difficult to get up and prepare food. Greg was working 24 hour shifts, so when he was at work, he was gone ALL DAY!


It came time to move. I left England a month before Greg so that I could spend more time with my family before heading to our next base. I was four months pregnant, still sick, and was now going to travel back to the states with our daughter, by myself. UGH! Sixteen hours and three plane changes later, I made it home. Barely! That night, my dad offered to go get me something to eat and food actually sounded good. The next morning, I woke up and felt great! God was good and faithful and allowed morning sickness to last only four months instead of seven! Our second daughter was born and we were the honored parents of two little girls. I was content.


I think I immediately felt like two was enough for us, although I knew my husband wanted more. He never pressured or asked, but I knew his heart welcomed more children. As time went on and the girls got bigger, I began to enjoy the independence and the freedoms of having children out of baby stage. I also began planning my future which included finishing school and possibly a career in the future. I had all kinds of ambitions, goals and aspirations. And now that the girls were getting older, I could finally work toward these goals. By this time, we were moving again. Greg was getting out of the Air Force and we were moving back home. As soon as we were settled, I enrolled in school. Oddly enough, it was during this period of life that I began to question all of my reasons for only wanting two children. This was strange to me! I loved school, I loved the girls being older and I was set on being able to afford to send these girls to college. How would we afford more children? And, do I want to go through morning sickness again?

Nonetheless, my heart was being pulled in another direction. I questioned why I only wanted to have two children when I have a wonderful husband who wants more? Was God not faithful in getting me through morning sickness? Will He not provide for more children? Is pursuing a career what I really want to do? And is it God's plan for all of our children to even attend college? All these questions ate at my core until finally it was clear! God had turned my heart to welcome more children. Greg was elated!


We were living in CA at the time and getting ready to move back to Texas. We agreed that as soon as we got back to Texas we would try for another baby. The first thing we did when we arrived was shop for a hospital. Once we picked our place of birth (which didn't end up being the one we chose), and upon a friend's recommendation of a fertility book, we began charting and trying. ;-) To our amazement, two months later we were pregnant with our third child.

Yep, sick again. I survived and we welcomed our third child, a son, SIX years later! Seven months later, to our SHOCK, we were pregnant again! Fortunately, my good friend was pregnant too, so it made it a little less scary. Sick again, still nursing baby #3, survived again and welcomed our fourth child, another girl.


Okay, at this point, I'm not sure what our "plan" is now. We still hadn't come to the point of welcoming "any and all" children, but we weren't saying we were done either. So what we did was continue to chart. I would chart until I felt "ready" to be pregnant again. By now, I knew that God would get me through morning sickness, we knew He would continue to provide, and we were thankful for our four children.

Our fourth child was about 13 months old when we "put the charts away". Soon after, we were pregnant again. Yep, sick again and now living in a tiny rental home. Five kids, three very small bedrooms, no problem. Our fifth, another girl, was born and we were thrilled!


God continued to do a work in both of us concerning our view of children and what scripture says about children. Over and over, scripture calls children a blessing, a heritage! Although I think most people would have agreed that our quiver was certainly full and probably overflowing, we weren't content with that. Don't get me wrong, we were content with our five children, just not content with deciding five was "it".

During this time, I was at a HOPE meeting (our home school group), when a dear friend , the wonderful woman who leads our studies, shared with us her journey to having nine children. As a matter of fact, it looked (the age gap) and sounded a lot like ours. She shared of how Hannah, the mother of Samuel, prayed fervently for a child. She went on to say that she realized there were ONLY examples of women in the Bible praying FOR children! There is not one example that God gives us of a woman (or man) praying NOT to have children. Yet, we see in the Bible that there were many varied sizes of families! And being that we know modern birth control did not exist (although we know the story of Onan "spilling his seed", and God was not pleased), we can assume that God was in control of family sizes! This, in conjunction with God's Word referring to children as blessings, arrows and a heritage, was HUGE for me. God used my sweet friend's own story to continue writing ours! Thankfully, my husband shared the same conviction and we went on to have two more children. No charting, no worrying, just freedom. You see, for us it really is freedom. Since we welcome any child God is willing to entrust us with, there are no worries about getting pregnant. We just enjoy our love for one another and welcome "the fruits of our passion", as my husband so sweetly puts it! ;-)


We don't know what the future holds, but we do know we built our six bedroom home with the hopes of filling every bedroom with children. Yeah, I know, crazy huh? Definitely God! I thank Him almost daily for changing my heart, for my husband's loving patience, for friends who share a similar conviction, and for seven beautiful blessings.

If you know me, you know that I am NO supermom. I struggle daily just like every other mom does. I have days when I want to string these little blessings up by their toes or run away to a tropical island. But this I know......God is faithful, God has provided for our every need and then some, God has helped me not to fear morning sickness....too much, and God has freed me from the worldview ideals I held all those years ago. We couldn't be happier. There's nothing I'd rather be doing than raising and growing our heritage.


So, to end this story, I would like to happily announce the blessing of our eighth child......to arrive in June!

 Also, congratulations to Tiffany, Shannon, Janelle, Blair, and Stephanie G. who are also expecting in June! And to Stephanie C. who is due in May! Soli Deo Gloria!

UPDATE:  On April 20, 2015, we welcomed our 11th child....another precious girl.  We now have 8 girls and 3 boys.  I am 42 years old, so we'll see what God has in store for the future.  :)