Consistent Bed Time for Children

I need to to be a little more consistent here! My sister-in-law, Dana has always been good about this!
http://www.albertmohler.com/2013/08/01/sorry-kids-back-to-school-back-to-bedtime/

http://www.sbts.edu/resources/journal-of-theology/sbjt-72-summer-2003/what-does-contraception-have-to-do-with-abortion-evangelicals-v-augustine-and-roe-v-wade/

Wow, very well put by Albert Mohler Jr.

This is probably the best I have ever heard on this topic.

http://www.sbts.edu/resources/conferences/give-me-an-answer/gmaa-spring-2002/and-baby-makes-three-contraception-reproductive-technologies-and-the-brave-new-world/

This stuff is unbelievable!

http://www.amazon.com/MaraNatha-Caramel-Almond-Spread-3Pack/dp/B007D5VO0K

Just Happy

I feel overwhelmed with happiness right now. I think I must be happier than I've ever been. Is it because my marriage is perfect? No! My children are always perfectly respectful and obedient? No! But I am getting better at just loving them as they are and not wishing to change them. I am feeling more content. I am enjoying leisurely mornings with a breakfast of turkey bacon and eggs (the smell takes Derrick and me back to our childhood with the familiar smell of our grandparent's houses of coffee and bacon) with a frappa or pancakes with jam and bacon. Spending time in God's rich Word and specifically praying about what I read is such a sweet time. The schoolyear has been wonderful with Bailey and Samantha's new Alpha Omega Switched on Schoolhouse (which Ryan had raved about Mia doing) and CLE math which I LOVE! Did I say that?! I've always hated math. With.A.Passion. I get to take a walk with the little ones, water the flowers( I love gardening and watching for new flowers to bloom and stepping back to look at the beauty. I also love showing the kids what comes of our hard work), feed the baby, and do fun Kindergarten work with Livi and Bella while the older ones do independent work. Then the young ones have "Livi Time", Cam takes a morning nap, and I work individually with the older ones. I love reading from one of my 5 or so wonderful books on a lunch break or later in the day. I am happy that I am getting better at cleaning and decluttering the house, although I do still need more growth,  energy, and discipline in this area. I am thankful that my energy is better than it was though. I'm thankful I have grown in time management,  though I could still stand to grow a little more in this area. I LOVE what I do! Taking care of the house, my husband, the kids. BUT I would never be able to do what I do without Derrick serving us daily as a very diligent and dedicated worker. Also, he has organized and set up so many things to keep the house running smoothly; things involving discipline and chores. All I have to do is keep it running. I am so thankful that God has truly used every bit of bad in my life for good. I am grateful for the life He has lovingly knit together for me. Where would I be without the Lord? I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question.  I LOVE being a wife and mother. I LOVE having babies! Truth be known I dream of having many more. I love having a toddler in the home! They are crazy, messy, very funny, and the one I currently have is fiercly affectionate. I will never forget what joy she brings with her crooked smile (because of her thumbsucking), the way she out of the blue yells out, "I love you, mom! with such force and passion, the delight in her eyes when she knows she's done something to make you happy, the crinkle in her eyes, how she wants me to tuck her in as snug as a (you never know what) in a (you never know what), the way she fumbles with her words, the cuddling, the clumsy way she drives her tricycle, how she picks me "Blue Boys" that the kids planted with Papa Jerry when he was still here, how she uses her hair as a napkin when eating pancakes drenched in syrup, the "rat's nests" I have to make for her hair, how she loves to climb that perfect size tree for her down the road, I could go on and on...I love the sweet friendships that are blossoming with the older kids, their deep questions,  what amazingly good helpers they are, when they have servant's hearts and do kind things, how they will STILL sometimes ask to sit on my lap, big as they are (and I can't refuse them because I am always thinking of the day that comes when they will never ask to do such a thing, even though it hurts my bones!), their love for learning,  getting to see the delight in their eyes when they watch a spider capture a stick bug in her web, wrap it up, and save it for later, our walks in the neighborhood, our sitting together for one of our favorite times of the day to read a good book and the Bible, how happy they get when I've made them jello with fruit and cream for dinner...I love Bella's snaggle teeth and I will dearly miss her voice when it matures.  I just want to put it in a box and save it forever. I love the way Bella lovingly calls Cameron, "Fuzz", her delicateness. How her face is like Derrick and  mine "smashed" together. How we found out at her birth she was a girl, "Isabella ain't a fella!" I love Bailey's sensitivity, the way I have always known that after a day of difficulty in Bailey and my relationship that at the end of the day I know he loves me and he knows I love him. All is forgiven. I love how affectionate he is, though he's not a "kisser-man." That he looks a lot like his dad, yet acts a lot like me! He is definitely people-oriented and has to remember to stay on task! Samantha's willingness to do the right thing and obey, her gentleness, her sense of responsibility (she got from her dad), her organized nature (again from her dad! She looks like me, acts like him!), her dreams...I love how soft and velvety Cameron is, the way he grunts at us or clicks his tongue (those are his "things." He's done them for months and loves for us to do it back and repeat for awhile), how masculine he has sounded even as a baby, his big chocolate eyes, how he can't stand for me to walk out of a room, how he smiles at me when I sing to him, how he loves the Banana Orange Medley cousin Peyton got him started on, how happy it makes him to stroll around the neighborhood,  how he is Derrick's little twin (our boys love to look like their daddy!)...I love how handsome Derrick is (Seriously. He looked even extra handsome playing football with the kids the other day), I even think his salt and pepper hair looks really good, though I don't think he's always embraced it, I love what a diligent,  responsible worker he is, how passionate he is, how he will believe in and stand for something,  even if it's not "popular," mainstream,  or what "everyone else is doing." Once he even painstakingly drew out a particular person's name on a ballot that was not an option to vote for and turned it in, rather than voting for one of the candidates on the ballot! And that's not even really his personality but he was passionate.), how he considers children to be a blessing,  not a burden, how relentless and tireless he is about his hobby of running, biking, well, and now swimming,  and how rarely that ever cuts into our time together (as I am asleep and not interested at hanging out around 4 and 5 a.m. anyway!, how he makes sure we have special family movie nights most every week, how he has supported my homeschooling, the strength he adds to our family, how he teaches the children about God as he goes about life, how wise he is with our finances, how he spoils me with nice cars, appliances..., what a "fix-it" man he is, his heart for seminary, his life-long love and pursuit of learning, his willingness to share the gospel with others (including my beloved grandpa when he was on his death bed), his preaching at loved one's funerals (precious to me), his boldness for street evangelism (that used to be WAY out of his comfort zone! So thankful for what the Lord has done in he and Ryan's lives), I could go on and on! So thankful that we have a wonderful church home and for how cozy it feels to praise and worship together as a family (making sweet and precious memories), that our church is biblically solid, that the people there encourage each other and are truly like family, so thankful for how Dana has continued to be so involved in our lives even so far away, thankful for  our almost daily phone conversations that are so precious to me, and that I get to stay caught up with the cousins, so thankful for the precious times spent with grandparents and extended family, how they bring such blessing and add so much richness to our lives. My cup runneth over.

Very Good Tomato Spinach Fettucine

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/fettuccine-tomatoes-spinach-burrata-50400000126280/

Very Good Fettucine Alfredo

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-fettuccini-alfredo