I made scrambled eggs for the kid’s breakfast this morning and since I already had the eggs out I went ahead and mixed up cupcakes, too.  (from a cake mix)

David was ready for school so early that he was able to take a trip to the chicken coop with his sister and they came back with such a heavy, big egg that I took a picture of it, and two others as well.

Then I read David a book and the bus came and away he went.  I took my cupcakes out of the oven.

Seth started getting fussy.

I had the older kids start their schoolwork and I held Seth for a while, to relax him.

He likes the edges of his soft blue blankie.

I chatted on the phone with my sister as I mixed up frosting for the cooled cupcakes and then I got off the phone and decorated them.  They are an original creation by me.  I had the kids help me because I got tired of decorating after about half a dozen.

They are called cowpie cupcakes.  The sprinkles are cow-shaped and the mini chocolate chips represent the cowpies.  I didn’t decorate all of them though because I don’t like crunching on sprinkles when I chew.

Then I took my shower and the children finished up their schoolwork.  Caleb vanished to the basement to build legos.

I was so tired that I scooped Seth out of his playpen (where he had fallen asleep) and I went to bed with him and I read a book while he snoozed by my side.

Oh I forgot to say that I had dinner in the crockpot by 7am (it was one of those frozen dinners that I defrosted).

I took a catnap with Seth until he woke up with a smile, to find himself in bed with mama.

Later on, I decided to go out to the vehicle to get my notebook so I could do a journal page.  I took the camera with me, so I could take a picture of the weather we are having today.

I fed Seth a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and frozen berries for lunch.

While the older children ate their lunch, I sat at my desk and wrote in my journal and Seth was right with me.

I decided to tip him over and lay him on my desk so I could take a picture of his FIRST TOOTH!

He hates showing people his tooth.  I had to put the marker he was holding in my mouth to get him to hold still and look my way.

Then I got up for some reason and Seth did his climbing act so I took pictures.

First he gets on the chair and stands up on it.

Then he gets on the table.

He found some old dry cereal….a prize.

And then he gets into mischief.

Time went by and I was so bothered by all the noise my older children were making that I sent them outside and told them to stay out there for hours.  It was so calm and nice in the house after that….Caleb watched a Pooh video and I puttered around in the kitchen, cleaning.  I even changed out the curtains over the sink.

After I cleaned, I sat on the couch to rest and Seth came along.  It was at this moment that I realized something for the first time about my camera.

The light on the front of it, that shines when the camera is focused, is BLINDING!

I’ll have to cover it up with black electrical tape.

I am wearing crocs and Seth, at this moment, is flat on his tummy poking his little finger in the holes of my crocs.  I can feel his finger tip poking me in the toes.

The children are still outside.  The last time I checked they were shoveling “roads” on the pond.

The smell of dinner in the crockpot (smothered steak:  steak with garlic, onion, green peppers, and mushrooms) is making me wild with hunger.  I think it’s almost time for a taste test.

I’m happy because tonight for the first time this week we will be eating dinner all together as a family.  Yup, it’s been one of those weeks for my poor husband.

Only 4 more hours until he gets home! 

 
(pictures taken September 2009)

At just about the same time I became pregnant, our family heard the sad news that Rich’s beloved Grandma was diagnosed with bone cancer.  She is in her early 90’s (I’m sure she would not mind me saying so!) and is a gentle and loving lady, who loves her family and God so very much.

As a young bride, I was welcomed by Grandma, she made me feel like part of the family from the very beginning.  She used to come over and get me, and later baby Jacob, and we would go places together.  She calls, she writes, she LOVES SINCERELY.  Safe and warm.  At family gatherings, it’s fun to see her sit and attract us to her for a chat, with her eyes watching the rest of her loved ones as we visit, with so much joy.  Her very presence makes us better, makes us behave just that much nicer.  I laugh as I write that, but it’s true! 

Rich went through tough times as a teenager, and Grandma was always there as a guiding influence.  She is proud of Rich, I saw her face the last time he hugged her long and meaningfully, the last time we saw her, he didn’t see her face when he pulled away, but I did, she was looking up at her grandson-turned-man, trying not to cry, so many messages in her eyes….”I love you so much”….”I’m proud of you and who you are”….

She would feel uncomfortable if I made her out to look perfect, but in our eyes she’s pretty close!

Her name is Sarah Lillian.  Grace has her middle name, and our next daughter will have her first name, in honor of a lady we rise and call blessed. 

Grandma is doing well at the moment, she seems comfortable, but I ask for prayer as she finishes her life here on earth.  Her husband has been gone for over 50 years.  The first thing she said when she heard the news of her cancer was, “Now I can go home and see Clarence again.”  Beautiful.  She’s longing for home.

Oh God, if it is your will, please let her stay long enough for me to put our baby Sarah into her arms.

We are expecting a baby girl!

Her name will be Sarah Joy.

…..and He will give you the desires of your heart….

I took the children to the local library today, my favorite place to go.

Seth fell sound asleep on the drive there and continued his nap for another 20 minutes or so, surrounded by books.

I am a huge fan of Jan Brett story books right now.  I think I checked out every single one my library had on the shelf.  Her illustrations are gorgeous and so detailed.

Grace and I looked through an American Girl magazine and we thought this idea (of turning a hardware chest into a jewelry case) was really neat.  My jewelry is currently a mixture, all thrown in one square box.  I think I need something like this for myself!

Jacob picked out a stack of military type books out of the adult section, Ethan didn’t get any books out because he is still waiting his turn for The Two Towers.  I’m almost done, E!  I know I’ve been telling you that for days, but honest, I’m almost done! 

Seth woke up and Miss Grace had the couch to herself after that.  She checked out a stack of books about horses.  We found a section on WILD horses that she hadn’t noticed before…she’s really enjoying them.  There is something magical about horses running around free in nature.  She found a book that had beautiful stories and pictures in it, called Wild Horses I Have Known.

We also found an educational DVD on eggs.  How they are laid and stuff.  Appropriate, I thought, since our chickens are producing eggs for us now.

Oh, my Seth was a handful.  I just cannot believe that I AM NOW CHASING MY BABY…he runs all over the place full of mischief. 

I bought him his outfit at Gymboree yesterday for 5.99.  It has an animal and the words, “Hug Me” on the front.

I just noticed that he is sitting under a book titled TOM.  Why is this making me laugh right now?  Am I tired or something?

I had Caleb with me, too, but I didn’t keep any of the pictures I took of him.  He played with the toys and yelled at Seth, who kept going over and wrecking the train track he was trying to put together.  Caleb thinks Seth should know the rules of polite society and does not have any mercy for him whatsoever.  Caleb needs to learn the rule, “Nice people do not yell so loud in the library”.

After we spent our time at the library, I took the children to the famous blue and pink Elvis diner down the road.  Caleb burned his tongue on his hot chocolate and Seth kept trying to get out of his highchair so he could sit on the table.  I had to swap highchairs for one that had a buckle that worked.  Once the food came everyone was jolly again.  We all just needed some nourishment.

My older children all went to a friend’s house this afternoon and the highlight of my day was being able to hold a flushed-cheeked-sound-asleep-warm baby and watch TV for a little while.  I love to sniff Sethie’s head and give him kisses.

I didn’t sleep well last night but even though I was tired today I went out on a rare trip to the mall.  I took Seth and Caleb with me.  I had some gymbucks to use at the gymboree kid’s clothing store and then I treated myself to a new shirt, cardigan, and a couple accessories (including the black bracelet I’m wearing in the pictures).  I like the shirt because it has pretty beading in the front.  The shirt and cardigan are not maternity but they are roomy and long enough that I think I will still get lots of use out of them during the remaining months of pregnancy, and then I can continue to wear the pieces after the baby is born. 

It was really nice to get out of the house and spend time with my littlest boys.  Caleb talked to me a lot and I took him and Seth to Barnes and Nobles to play with the trains.  I enjoyed sipping a *cinnamon dolce latte* while they played and I also picked out a few things off the clearance table to give to Seth for his birthday.  He is my groundhog baby (born February 2) and one of the things I bought him was a book about Groundhog’s day (by Gail Gibbons).

Speaking of his birthday, yesterday he received his very first birthday gift ever, from my friend Christie.

These adorable shoes:

Jacob recorded Ethan’s guitar recital on his IPOD and we finally figured out how to get it on my blog.   I’m hoping to post more videos here on my site….now that my mom and dad have high speed internet this will be a good way for them to see their grands in action.

I hope all of you enjoy~  Love, Shanda

It was on December 12, 2006 that I wrote a poem in my journal.  I was coming out of a very hard time of constant problems going on in my church.  It was at this time that my eyes were opened to what spiritual warfare, church issues, the ugliness of pride, man-centered doctrines, legalism, and other things, look like.  I was also discovering that I had those same sinful tendencies in my own heart, which I needed to repent of, and am still battling with, to this day.  What I saw hurt me, still hurts me.  But God is always beautiful, merciful, faithful, loving, and true, and what I was learning about HIM outweighed all the pain of what I was experiencing in my church and in my heart.

I am and always will be a deep feeler.  As a result I tend to be oversensitive and over analytical.  These are areas in which my own struggle with pride appear….with the tendency to think on my SELF too much.  But, the Lord in His grace and goodness uses my sensitive nature for good–to develop a longing in my soul for a deeper relationship with Him.

The problems we go through show us our utter need for Him.  He is our lifeline, our rock, our Savior.  WE NEED HIM.  And when those needs are fulfilled, it is a feeling much deeper than can be explained in words.

So, one day I sat down with my journal during the kid’s rest time and wrote things out of my heart…..what ended up occurring was a special, refreshing time with the Lord, in which He even allowed my troubled heart to quiet down so that I could actually sleep.  I’ve had a struggle with insomnia, so it is quite encouraging when I actually drift away to dreamland………the whole experience was a gift from God and when I woke up, I wrote these words.   Maybe it will be an encouragment to my sisters in Christ today, as it serves as a reminder to me of what the Lord has done in the past, and will continue to do….shepherd my soul with His great love.

My Afternoon with God

He was with me all day
as I mothered
as I fought against my flesh
that wants to stress.

He was with me when I put the children to bed for naps.
And He met me in the livingroom
when I finally sat with a piece of pie,
a mug of hot tea, my journal,
and some books.

Write!  So I did
Pray!  So I did
I faltered–but I gave Him what was in my heart-
praise, love, worship, and questions.
Will you?  Could you?  Why?
He’ll answer all in His time.
But my love He returned-immedietly
My worship made Him smile.
And it all gave me peace.

I shut the books
and put down my pen.
I covered myself up in blankets.
I thought about Him
and a hundred other things.

My thoughts were buzzing around in my head
He stayed with me.
One by one the thoughts emptied and there was nothing left
but sleep
and Him, always Him.

He didn’t have to grant me sleep-
if He hadn’t, I would have been content.
But He didn’t take me to the edge
He took me over it, and into a refreshing rest
for my mind, body, and soul.

So I awoke refreshed
and my love for God increased,
I am His and He is mine!

“Like a Father pitieth His children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him-He remembereth that we are dust.  Psalm 103

Be STILL, and know that I am God.

“Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak”  Psalm 6:2a

“God is rich in mercies.”  Ephesians 2:4

“Oh satisfy us early with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.”  Psalm 90

On our way to Ethan’s first guitar recital!

In my childhood memories, there is always my Dad….playing his guitar.  We all loved to hear him play.  He sang, we sang, we danced.

Jacob, our firstborn, plays the violin.  It was a milestone day when we got to listen to Dad and Jacob’s first guitar and violin duets…..with Ethan always hanging about, at Grandpa’s elbow, looking longingly at the guitar.

So, at just the right time, Ethan began his journey into instrumental music by beginning classical guitar lessons, two years ago now.  My Dad’s name is Gregory, Ethan’s middle name is Gregory, so I’ve always thought of Ethan as partly my Dad’s boy……it means a lot to me to have him carry on the guitar music into our family.

We took a semester of music lessons off when Seth was born, but Ethan started up his lessons again this fall with the same teacher.  His teacher’s name is Nick and he is very good.  One of the things I really appreciate about Nick is that he teaches rhythm and theory just as much as the song itself…it’s not enough that Ethan can play a song in a recognizable way, it must be perfect in beat and rhythm, too. 

The room was FULL of people….the young guitarists (I think the oldest was a college student) and all their family members.  Rich and I sat toward the back, it was Jacob, then E, then Grace, then me with Seth or Caleb on my lap, David, and the Rich with either Seth or Caleb on his lap.  Caleb was the one who found it hard to sit still, he had a oozing bloody bandaid on his forehead and every time he twisted around to whisper “IS THIS THE LAST SONG?” I flinched away from him.  As it was, I got his blood on me.  (He had run into a desk here at home).

Seth sat still and loved hearing the audience clapping, his head would turn all around and his eyes were huge, looking at everyone clap.  Then, in a delayed reaction and often into the next person’s performance, HE would start clapping, too! 

Ethan had to wait through about 10 songs before it was his turn.  Up he went, sat down by his teacher, adjusted his book…..and they both played together;  “Jingle Bells”, “The Streets of Laredo” (our favorite), and “Good King Wenceslas”.  I was proud, and happy that Ethan wore matching socks.  And that I got out the iron and ironed his clothes for him.  (wow, am I a mom or what?!)  The music sounded perfect.

My Young Guitarist

We had a reception afterwards.  I brought along some pineapple banana bread, sliced and arranged on a white fiesta bread platter.  My children ate cookie after cookie, with ice cold punch.

Even Sethie got to eat a big big cookie.  It made his Dad very nervous, but Seth did a good job and I was ready with a napkin.

Joanna, I am wearing the shirt you gave me in this picture…and you all can see how the baby belly is coming along.  Jacob took this picture for us. 

After the recital, Rich and I took the kids to a Mexican place for dinner.  Even though they ate lots of cookies, they did a good job on their dinners.  And I was thrilled because the food was served on genuine FIESTA platters!  We had a good time together and the kids were full of conversations.  I’m glad Rich and I can still go out on nice dates, even if we do have half a dozen good lookin’ little ones in tow.  What wonderful times we are having on our family adventures. This particular afternoon was devoted to music and food, how can you get any better than that?

(PS.  I’m sitting here laughing because I found “The Streets of Laredo” on playlist.  I listened to it…had no idea what the lyrics were to the song until just now.  I must say, the tune is lovely but the story is pretty sad, to say the least (a dramatic cowboy song, a sad song of untimely death).   I added it to my site just for today so that the kids can hear it.)