“But while in the busy household band
Your darlings still need your guiding hand,
Oh fill their lives with sweetness!”
~Anonymous
I’ve been busy since the moment I woke up this morning. I’m making myself sit for a moment and put a blog up and drink a big glass of water.
Rich was home all last week and I miss him today.
It is hard work taking care of a newborn plus six other children. I feel like there is not enough of me to go around.
But, we had our meals. I did 2 loads of laundry and hung them out on the line.
We all went outside together during Sarah’s early morning nap.
We found some blobs of jelly like pitch on a tree and thought it was neat.
We played at the playset and trampoline, I watched flips and handsprings performed by G and D.
We collected the eggs and let the rabbit out of her cage to explore.
We gave Seth a ride in the wheelbarrow.
When we came in I read some books to the little ones, and our daily Bible portion to all of us.
I nursed Sarah. Changed lots of diapers. Put Seth down for a nap.
Ordered ice cream from the Schwan’s woman for later.
The children are all resting now and I am on my way to bed, too.
I have a headache and am sooooo sleepy.
First, some pictures;
The first two are of Sarah Joy.
We had hardwood floors installed on T, F, and S. The house was in a shambles and I spent most of my time on the porch.
Sarah’s temporary bed was the chair next to me.
I left her for a while and when I came back I had to laugh because she made herself comfy by stretching out her little legs. So cute!
We all went for a short walk.
I balanced the camera on a pole to take a family picture.
The dog has a way of turning to look at us during pictures, so I threw a rock toward the camera at the last second, to make him turn around.
Rich, with a big baby on his back and a little one in his arms.
Even though it was hot and muggy, Rich is dressed like this because he cannot stand bugs.
The three corner flies are awful and they LOVE him.
I have to beg him to walk in the woods, the bugs eat him alive.
Another family picture, at the big field.
Jacob took this one of me and Sarah Joy.
I think she’s beautiful. Those nice round cheeks and the little double chin, so cute!
On our way back home, I took one last picture…of Rich surrounded by his boys.
Rich leaves tomorrow for a business trip and will be back on Friday.
Please pray for his safety as he travels.
In preparation for his absence, I got to go out for some girl-time with my sister this weekend.
We went to the bookstore and a couple stores, then out to dinner.
It was so fun! It was just the two of us, and Sarah.
We talked and laughed a lot.
I can’t tell you how thankful I am for her!
I hope all of you have a good day!
~ Shanda
“Make your home a garden of flowers,
Where joy shall bloom through childhood’s hours,
And fill young hearts with sweetness.”
Anonymous
Good to be Home 
Your boys are soon past you in height!! What a wonderful walk and how sweet of your husband to agree to it eventhough he has to dress like he is hiking at the North pole!!:):):) The quotes you use are so timely for me this morning….It’s cool out today and I am in a cleanig mood. There is nothing wrong with that but i find myself getting slightly irritated as I realize that here the kids are all underfoot!:):):) I want my home to be a blessed place and so it shall be today..not one full of irritation as I clean…but contentment with what I do accomplish WHILE I LOVE my children and NOT shove them aside.Thank you for all the lovely pics today..I enjoy reading about your lovely family life. I’ll be thinking of you as Rich travels. I have many days of holding down the fort on my own too!
I just love you Shanda. And your family. As I read through this, amid the hustle and bustle of your family life there is that “sweetness” as in the quotes you shared. It just brings tears to my eyes today as I share this little snippet of life with you.
Shanda~I will be holding you and your entire family in my prayers as Rich travels! May the week go divinely smooth and quick all at the same time! :o) May the Lord be your strength and your sustenance during the next few days!Blessings~Mendi
Amen to Mendi’s prayer!! Two or more in agreement right here on xanga! Lovely post Shanda, so full of dear things. You did a lot this morning! Loved seeing all the pictures of your family. Oh, and those two of Sarah on the chair are so sweet. Hard wood floors…Yay! Those should be serviceable and beautiful for you all. Hoping for a picture! We had tile at one house, and hardwood at another. Preferred the wood as it was much more forgiving when things dropped or kids fell. Love, Jenny
Grace, grace and more grace and peace to you, my friend! Your cup runs over!!! I pray you are able to rest today knowing that He is fathering you and caring for you through each moment. You are so loved.
Praying for Rich’s trip. I hear him on the bugs. Oh my, we’ve been getting eaten alive here! I want to say, you look fantastic!
i loVe the family shot. you’re looking so good, Shan!! and baby S. all stretched out is precious… i’m feeling the extra ache to get my own little one here and hold her! i saw a worker in Panera today with your name on her nametag. made me smile.happy new week friend.
I love your family shots, you are going to be so happy to have them one day. We hardly take family photos, and I think I’m going to start taking more of all of us together! How exciting to have new floors, I love our hardwood, it makes the house seem so cozy. I love the teeny, tiny baby on the chair, how adorable. Hope you have a great evening! =)
I’ll be praying for you and Rich. I love you, Lish
I like hardwood floors, you will have to show us pictures sometime!
Will pray for Rich & you while he is gone. You have such lovely pictures!
The family pictures are wonderful! I never realized Rich’s hair color is that light. You and Sarah Joy are beautiful and sweet together!I am so excited about your new floors! One of my very favorite things about our old house are its original hardwood floors, which Terry refinished before we moved in. I had never lived in a house with hardwood floors before. When I first saw the floors after T refinished them, I started crying, they were SO BEAUTIFUL. I enjoy them every single day, and they are better for clean air (my allergies) and to walk on, and they add so much warmth to every room.
I love the pictures of Rich with Seth on his back in the Ergo. I wish we could stop by and see your hardwood floors this summer. August just won’t be the same without our annual trip through Connecticut! I will be thinking of you this week with Rich away. As I was packing boxes this morning,I was trying to imagine you running your household, so I’m glad you did this kind of post today.
Praying for you Shanda with the added stress of “single” parenting for a bit, that God will Bless your week. Enjoyed the pictures. Your sweet little Sarah is getting those chubby little baby cheeks. Adorable!
your oldest son is as tall as you are!
What I love about your blog is that, while you share the joys and beauty of a large and busy family, you don’t make it all seem TOO perfect. There are tiny admissions of stress and tiredness and…humanness. Thanks for letting us see that side, too. Hope your week passes smoothly with daddy gone…When you add a new little one to the group, it becomes more obvious that the older ones are really growing up. They will continue to be more and more help to you and to the younger ones.
I love that last picture of you and Sarah ~ sweetness ~
So sweet..I love how she looks all curled up in the chair!I cannot wait to see the new floors! Please post pictures! When we had ourr refinished I remember having the two sofas in the kitchen..it was hilarious!
Shanda,What a beautiful post…..I love that you are so real about life. It is hard raising so many kids at a time, trying to meet all of their needs and providing care for a very needy newborn all at once! You’re doing a great job. Your family is beautiiful. The pictures tug at my heart strings and every time I pull up your blog, my kids all gather around to look at the pictures and listen to the music. They love it! Thanks so much for sharing from your heart and from your camera. You are a blessing to all who visit here. God bless you, beautiful and busy Mamma! You are such a precious person. (((hugs)))
so much sweetness here…in words and pictures.thinking of you, breathing a prayer…hugs.
i just love visiting your blog. you are an inspiration…your family is so beautiful and blessed to have you!! i’m saying a prayer for you this morning as you go thru this week without your husband…love your way~~Rb
Such “Family Friendly” shots! BTW: I’m just like Rich around the bugs! Even with long sleeves and dresses, they find skin SOMEWHERE to bite!