Good morning! 

Liberty’s Kids is on the History channel.

Jacob is frying bacon.  He says that because it’s the 4th of July that we have to have a BIG breakfast.

I am so thankful for my country~

Happy Birthday America!

“The men who won in the Revolution and made this country take its place among the nations of the earth did it because they had in them courage, resolution, integrity, unbending will, and common sense.”

~Theodore Roosevelt

I’ve spent much of the day flopping down on my bed. . .or my hammock. . .or the couch.  Very tired today.  I was awake at 5, up and eating a bowl of cereal at 5:30.  Rich and I went on a short power walk.  At about 8 this morning, I was down at the stream with Caleb for awhile.  He was playing in the water with his rubber ducky.  Once in a while he would lose hold of it and off it would go down the stream and he would say, “Oh!  My duckie, my duckie!!” and go after it.  He was funny, as usual.

Anyway.  After that it was about 9am and I was so hungry again I had 2 fried eggs and half a bagel.  That was that, I had zilch energy after that point in the day.

(By the way, I’ve been eating a lot.  (for two) Like 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners every day.  **groan** I am so hungry and only like 8 weeks pregnant!  Does the baby really need THAT much extra food??)

Hungry and also tired.  **yawn** 

Rich was home today from work and he said my body shut down and went on vacation because I knew he was home and could take care of things. 

Around about 4 we did all go to the library for their book sale.  It was something we had already planned on doing.  And I when we got home I looked through the books I picked for myself.  Does anyone else like Ideals?  It’s a magazine-sized soft cover book filled with pictures, quotes, and poetry.  Perfect for my personality.  I love those sorts of things.  I bought 4 “Ideals” today for one dollar.

Here is a quote I found that I really liked:

“Beauty is a great thing, but beauty of garment, house, and furniture are tawdry ornaments compared with domestic love.  All the elegance in the world will not make a home; and I would give more for a spoonful of real heart-love than for whole shiploads of furniture and the gorgeousness all the upholstereres in the world can gather.

~Oliver Wendell Holmes

Isn’t that the truth?

It’s nice and cool this morning.  I just waved Rich down the road. . .we got to sit together on the porch this morning before he had to leave for work.  I read my Bible and we watched the birds and squirrels having their morning exercise.  We saw a bright red cardinal, which sang to us it’s morning praise, and a cat bird which perched near us, a small frisky red squirrel performing daring feats in the trees.  Rich walked the dog, like he does every morning.  The construction workers are already here, and are hammering away on the garage. 

I am happy and feeling refreshed because of a good night’s sleep.  I am a morning person, for sure.

Last night Rich had to go to Costco and he took all the kids with him!!!  I got to stay here and read a book.  I did NOTHING but read and it was very relaxing.  I had ordered an LM Montgomery journal (Vol. 1) off of ebay and it came yesterday so I dove right into that.  Rich came home with a lot of snacks for me.  I get queasy if I don’t keep food in my stomach so I’m very thankful for the things he brought home~dried fruit, little packs of crackers, granola bars, etc.

When he got home he put the kids to bed and we watched a Columbo mystery on netflix while munching on dried fruit.

I got up this morning and realized that I never put the leftover spaghetti and meatballs away after dinner.  It’s all wasted.  I hate wasting food. . . . .Rich forgave me though. 

I just read all the comments from yesterday’s post.  They were all wonderful but I feel like I need to say once again that THE QUESTIONS ARE NOT FROM ME.  They are questions that are messaged to me from women through xanga and I post them ~ I leave off names so we can have privacy.  Sorry for the confusion.  I’ll have to make that more clear next Monday, which reminds me, if anyone can think of an edifying question please send it my way.

So, here are some random pictures from the last few weeks~

I don’t know what I was thinking. . . .I left Caleb alone to paint and this is what I came back to.  He said he was covered “in chocolate”.  I still think he’s handsome, even with brown paint on his face.  And arms.  Hands.  Shirt.

My one and only girl usually does whatever her brothers do.  One thing she has no desire to do is FISH.  She just quietly stands and watches.  I haven’t seen her even touch a pole. ~

The 3 older children and I went for a walk a week ago.  The woods are a place of refuge for me.  My eyes actually relax from what I see.  I love how HUGE the woods are ~ with the tall tall trees, but also how small it is ~ with an entire world of small creatures and plants under our feet.  The air is different in the forest, the smells are different.  It’s a peaceful place.

I love to see the dappled sunlight.  The darkness of the trees and the brightness of the sun shining through.~

The convenient trail has been made by mountain bikers

~we usually all find a good walking stick~

We enjoy coming across mushrooms. . . .I’ve taught the kids, without even trying, to get excited about them.  Rich and I walked with the children on Sunday and Ethan found all different kinds.  Small, dark brown ones, and one that had a white stem and a red top.  I found some the other day that were tiny and completely red~ as red as a wild strawberry.  I wished I had a mushroom book!  I would never ever eat any of them, but it would be neat to identify them all.

The underneath is so lovely and cream-colored, and delicate. . . .

The boys walk and talk together “along the way”. . .as I hope they do, all through life.  Sometimes they even walk so close that E will put his hand on Jacob’s back for a moment as they talk.  Just a moment, they don’t even notice, but I do.  “I ponder those moments in my heart.”  The brotherly love between these two boys is such a blessing to me.  They were born just a year and 2 months apart and have been together ever since.

Jacob was impressed with how tall the grass was.  He took a piece home with him to show his Dad.  It shrunk as it dried.

Grace in motion. . . . . .

I say ~ she’s as cute as a button!  Do you know, she’s the only one in our family with those brown eyes?  She gets them from her Grandma (Rich’s mom). 

She is a HAPPY GIRL.

Last but not least, for my bird loving friends~

 A nest of fat baby birds   I was thrilled to discover this.  I believe they are Baltimore Orioles~

The next time I visited the nest, they were all gone.

I hope you enjoyed the random photos and the walk in the woods.  Remember to take time today to meditate on the BIGNESS of our God.  Look at the things He has created!  If you picked one creature to study it would give you enough to praise God all day long! 

Love and Hugs to you my dear friends~ Shanda

Thank you thank you thank you for all the well-wishes for our new baby.  I read through all the comments from you sweet people and I was so encouraged!  I can’t even express how grateful I am for all of you who have formed a friendship with me here and leave me so many sweet words.  One of my favorite Proverbs reads “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb. . .” and it is so true.  My spirit is often refreshed when I come here ~ I do enjoy blogging and it has been such a rewarding experience.  I get to keep up with my long-distance friends and family ~ and also meet new friends along the way.  May God bless you all.  You show me His love with your care.

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I had some problems with xanga this weekend but things seem to be working now, so here are the pictures that I wanted to share from yesterday.

I took this first one in the morning.  Rich and I drank our coffee out on the porch and after a while, the children woke up and joined us.  We love Saturday mornings, Rich told me that it’s his favorite time of the whole week.  He was gone for three days this week, traveling, so I know he felt good to be HOME.

This weekend was extra special because my mom and dad came.  We had such a nice time talking and showing them the changes that we have made around our place.  We had a nice lunch~we grilled meat and made a nice fresh potato salad (my Aunt Colleen’s recipe ~ which is the best).

8 medium potatoes
4 eggs
1/2 package Italian dressing mix
1-2 cups mayonnaise
1 tsp onion flakes
salt and pepper to taste

~Peel and cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes, place in large pot.  Add eggs and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Drain, remove eggs and peel them.  Cool potatoes and eggs.  Once cool add in 1/2 of the package of Italian dressing mix, 1 cup of mayo, onion and salt and pepper.  Mix together, add more mayo and/or seasoning to taste.

My Mom and Dad:  ~Cindy and Greg~

My dad took this picture of Rich and me.  I still can’t believe I have a new baby growing in my tummy.  I’ve been a little misty eyed about it today. . . .especially when Grace came downstairs holding a couple of her baby dresses.  “If it’s a girl, we can let her wear these”.  *sigh* Sometimes 8 months seems so long, but I know I need them all to get ready!  My emotions are up and down ~ up in the mornings, down at night.  My husband needs prayer!  LOL

By the way, we are naming her Lydia May if she’s a girl.  (we have the right to change our minds, though!)

Still not sure of a boy’s name. . . . . . .

This is what our garage looks like.  It’s still not done, but it’s coming along so nicely! 

I sat in my hammock with Grace while Rich mowed the yard.  He always always has Caleb with him when he mows.  Caleb loves it~hopefully it will remain as a special memory for him always~

Waving to mama~

~That was our Saturday.  Full and sweet and I went to bed early.~

There was a crane here yesterday, and the construction crew lifted the walls and roof of the garage in place.  I invited my friend Kathy over, she has 4 children, so that they could watch with us.  I took plenty of pictures but I’ll have to post them some other day.

After a while, Kathy and I went back in the house.  She was sitting in Rich’s recliner, reading, and I was in the kitchen.  I happened to glance out the window just in time to see Davy-do climbing up on the porch railing with Rich’s big blue and white umbrella, which was open.  “DON’T EVEN TELL ME” I said, and Kathy and I ran out to the porch just in time to watch David leap from the railing and to the ground below.  I wasn’t fearing for his life, but I was afraid he would land wrong.  Imagine if you had David standing straight and tall, and other David standing on his shoulders. . .that would be the height that he jumped.  The thing was, he didn’t even hesitate!  He jumped, landed in a shrub, and got up absolutely thrilled with himself.  I asked him what he would have done if he had a stick go in his bottom, he looked at me like I was crazy.  Of course that would not happen to HIM.  He mentioned trying to jump from the landing in the house, which is a much greater distance. . . .I said to him, “no way”. .with fear in my heart, what WILL this boy do next?

Then, later in the day, he found a small gingerbread man cookie cutter.  Do you know the story of the Gingerbread boy?  A little old woman bakes him in the oven, and when she takes him out he jumps down and runs away.  The whole story is about the various animals that he runs away from. . and he eventually is consumed by a fox.  David LOVES that story and when he found the cookie cutter he simply HAD to make gingerbread men for himself.  I wasn’t able to make him any dough so he took matters into his own hands.  He found some tortilla wraps from the bread drawer and sat on the kitchen floor.  He placed the cookie cutter on the wrap and then get up and STOMP STOMP STOMP until he got it through the **tough** tortilla wrap.  He had to wear his sandels in order to do that.  He managed to make about 5 of them and then I promised that I would make him dough. . “in the morning”. . . .

So, right now, he is sitting cross-legged on the kitchen table, carefully and quietly decorating his gingerbread men with sprinkles.  Yes, Davy and I mixed up a giant fiesta bowl of sugar cookie dough and the kids each cut out one tray of cookies (we will save the rest of the dough for another day). 

David will be the type of man who just has to take risks in order to feel alive.  He will probably climb mountains, fly airplanes, and hang-glide.  And I’ll have to let him.  That’s the scary part!  In the meantime, while he is only five, I have to try to keep him from maiming himself with his “ideas”. . . . . .

David, when he was three.

He’s like trying to keep track of. . .I don’t know. . something slippery.  You think you have a hold on him, and the next thing you know, he’s gone and you’re looking for him.  If we go for a walk, I have to keep my eye on him the whole time or he leaves and sneaks back to the house.  He’s the kind of boy that drives you crazy, but when he looks at you with all that fun and charm shining in his eyes, you just can’t help but give him a squeeze.

Every night, when I tuck him into bed, he talks my ear off ~and the things he says to me shock me into laughter.  He had to tell me all about his poopie yesterday.  I’m sorry, I won’t get into details, but he sure did (go into details, that is).  He ended up pausing dramatically at the end of his monologue and saying soberly, “Mom.  I think I’m SICK.”  I thought I was, too, but I didn’t tell him that.  I just said, “Yes, you probably are.  We better get you to bed right away.”  LOL

So, I just now got up to help him get a drink of milk and he gave me a big hug.  (He loves to hug me)  I squealed and said, “I’ll tell you what, you are COVERED in flour!!”  “That’s because I’m going to be a baker when I grow up” he said.  Boy, he sure is proud of his cookies.  He’s going to just eat one, and save the rest for a party.

“I sure was a busy baker!” he sighed, brushing the flour of his clothes, all content-like.

These pictures were all taken last week.  The rainbows appeared last Thursday or Friday, I can’t remember exactly. 

I haven’t been able to blog much this week because I have not been my normal self.  There are several reasons for this:

1.  Rich has been away on a 3 day business trip.  I’m not myself when he’s out of town.  He will be back tonight.

2.  I’m PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I’m not my normal self when I am pregnant (who is?).  I am so very happy but I am also in that weepy and exhausted stage.  I’m not exactly crying over everything, but my emotions are pretty wild at the moment.  Rich told the kids Monday night at the dinner table and they are all so happy.  My four boys all want another brother, and Grace insists it WILL be a girl.  My due date is Feb. 12, my own birthday~The children and I are all trying to come up with the perfect names (needs 5 letters and be from the Bible) but Rich would rather make conversation about what 8-passenger vehicle we should buy.  Is that funny, or what?

3.  On Monday, during my first prenatal appointment, my doctor “found something” she wanted further testing on.  I’m not myself when I think there might something wrong with me!  I have been a nervous wreck waiting for that appointment.  Yes, I have faith that God has me in his hands and that He knows what is best for me, but that still didn’t keep me from walking around like a zombie, praying constantly and crying now and then. . .. . ..now, for the good news. . . .my test was yesterday and it came back clear and fine.  God was merciful to me, I did not have to wait for the results, I was told right in the office that all is well.  My sister was with me, and she was the rock I needed to get through the whole experience.  After my appointment we went downtown for ice cream sundaes and at them outside at the picnic tables, laughing and talking like only sisters can do.   

To the very few people that I told about all this~ THANK YOU~ for lifting me up in prayer.  My joy in the Lord is full and overwhelming at the moment.  The other day I was weak from worry, today I am weak with relief.  Sinking down on my knees in weakness has been a comfort to me~as I prayed to my Father above.  I have felt with certainty His pity and mercy these past few days. 

“I will praise thee O Lord my God, with all my heart:  and I will glorify thy name forevermore.  For great is thy mercy toward me.”

Psalm 86:12,13a