Hard Lessons

If you've ever been in a less than ideal situation, you've probably wondered why God just doesn't fix it. This can range from anything to financial struggles to the illness or loss of a loved one. Of course, my head always tells me that He knows what's best and is waiting to give us the best until it's the best time. But sometimes my heart says, no, screams "But you are all powerful, so why can't you just fix it all?". The answer of course, is that He can. So why doesn't He?

I've been going through the Bible study "Missing Pieces" by Jennifer Rothschild. She addressed the above dilemma and answered it this way: "God possesses both ultimate power and ultimate authority. The choice to not exercise power does not mean one is powerless. It means sometimes one who has power chooses to withhold it for a greater purpose." A little later, she addresses her own struggle in accepting God's authority and power regarding her blindness, "I'm fully confident God cares about me and could heal my blindness, but even though He has the power to, He doesn't choose to show it in the way I sometimes hope . . . Does that mean He doesn't care? I think it means He cares enough to allow me to struggle and find a deeper understanding of and connection to His heart. If I plead for His power, then I must accept His authority that comes along with it. His power may be capable of healing my eyes and filling in your missing pieces, but His authority may not deem it best. [We] need to respectfully trust His authority as much as [we] trust His power. For it is the companionship of those two attributes that allows suffering and at the same time disallows punishment for our sin. Unless we take God just as He is in His wholeness, we will never find hope in our own brokenness."

Truth for Today

Clinging to His Word today . . .

"looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted."

- Hebrews 12:2, 3

Christmas Truth

"And there, in the stable, amongst the chickens and the donkeys and the cows, in the quiet of the night, God gave the world his wonderful gift. The baby that would change the world was born. His baby Son. Mary and Joseph wrapped him up to keep him warm. They made a soft bed of straw and used the animals' feeding trough as his cradle. And they gazed in wonder at God's Great Gift, wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger. Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel" - which means "God has come to live with us." Because, of course, he had."

 

- The Jesus Storybook Bible

by Sally Lloyd-Jones

 

I can't say enough about this children's Bible. While not quite simple enough for a two year old, I'm giving it to my three year old for Christmas. It's the only gift I have yet to wrap - I'm having too much fun reading through it myself! While most children's Bibles tell the stories of the Bible, this Bible relates every story to the gospel, the greatest story of all. It is beautifully written, it is captivating. It's simple elegance has moved me to tears many times. For a last minute gift for a child, Amazon has the best price I've found, a fraction of what some bookstores are asking for it. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Jesus-Storybook-Bible-Whispers/dp/0310708257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355365770&sr=8-1&keywords=jesus+storybook+bible. I also can't thank my dear friend Meredith enough for sharing this book with me! Definitely a favorite!

Free Christmas Printable

Daily migraines on top of exhaustion have been a constant for a few weeks now, and I apologize for the lack of posts. I'm praying the headaches end soon because they are certainly no fun with three children who like to run around the house screaming all day! Anyway, just wanted to share with you a free printable for Christmas. Just follow this link to download and print this great 8x10! I printed mine and already have it framed!

Again, this is not my creation, I just found it at http://adventuresofabettycrockerwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-scripture-word-tree-printable.html

Charlie Brown's Gingerbread House

We all know about Charlie's Brown's Christmas tree, and I'm pretty sure if he made a gingerbread house, it would look very much like ours. I realized we had graham crackers, icing left over from a birthday, and marshmallows from Lauren's food therapy, so we went to town! The experience was had, a mess was made, and pictures were taken. (The colored rows are completely Megan's doing. I wonder how early you can diagnose OCD . . . )

Christmas Truth

I find it so easy to be discontent during the holidays. I constantly see toys, books, puzzles, and games at great deals. I see gorgeous Christmas decorations, crafts, and all kinds of good stuff. I am in a constant battle with myself to remember that my kids already have quite a few presents each, and that getting them hundreds of toys would harm, rather than help, them. I have to remember that decorations and my crafting abilities - or lack thereof - are not what make my house a home. More importantly I have to remember that even though I say Christ is all that matters at Christmas, my discontentedness tells a different story. Christmas is not about toys, spoiling your children, the size of your tree, or how beautifully your house is decorated. It's about love. It's about our Creator loving us so much that He sent his son to earth to die so that we can live. Can you imagine sending your newborn baby away, knowing that he will suffer a terrible death because you are sending him? Go hold a newborn and imagine. Heart breaking, isn't it? That's love. That's Christmas.

NOEL

As promised, here is my complete "NOEL" Christmas display, complete with "snowy" pinecone trees for my BirchHeart snowmen. (Pinecones were a few from a huge bag that only cost $2 after store sale plus coupons and I already had the paint.) When I asked my husband what he thought - always a mistake - he said he didn't like it. When I finally got a reason out of him, his response was that it looks to "Hobby Lobby-ish". Well, I guess I'll take that as a compliment!

Prayer

Prayer is a powerful thing because we serve a powerful God. That's why I'm asking everyone I know to pray for a friend from college, Amy, and her husband Matt. She was almost 25 weeks pregnant when she found out her baby had passed away and had to deliver his body. We who have not experienced such grief can not imagine how difficult this must be, so the only thing we can do is pray. God answers prayers. You can read his story on Amy's blog, here, and see his announcement as well.

 

"Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven."

- Psalm 107:28 - 30

Thanksgiving

I've been so busy spending time with family, dealing with daily migraines, and having the hubby home for a week that I haven't been on the computer very much. Tonight is the first evening in over a week that I haven't had a migraine or horrible headache and I am taking advantage of it! I've been wanting to do this all week - my "thankful" list. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you took the time to thank God for all the blessings you have in your life! I am thankful for . . .

• Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ tops the list. My eternity in Heaven and my daily life would not be possible without Him.
• My husband is next. Over the past four years, I've seen him go to work every day, come home more exhausted than when he left, and still selflessly help take care of the house, kids, and me. I am beyond blessed!
• Our sweet Megan. I couldn't have asked for a sweeter little girl. Every day, her actions remind me that I could be kinder, more gentle, more loving. I love getting all the hugs, kisses, and snuggles she sends my way!
• Lauren girl is my crazy one and I wouldn't trade her for the world. I love her for all her passion and orneriness. She keeps us laughing all day long and I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for her.
• Baby Michael. He's the happiest baby you'll ever meet and I am having the most fun with a 10 month old I've ever had. (Don't tell the girls!) He is all boy, needing to explore and get into everything! I love getting kisses from him and he thinks I'm the funniest person in the world.
• Munchkin #4 has already wedged his/her way into my heart. I can already picture a sweet little face, chubby toes and tiny fingers. I think surprise blessings are the best kind!
• My parents, grandparents, and in-laws are all so special to us. We wouldn't be where we are without them. Their love, their urging us in the right direction, and now their love for our children are all things for which I'm extremely grateful.

This list could go on and on including many friends and family members, all who could have their own individual reason listed. But this will have to do. Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Card Pictures

My goal for this week is to take some Christmas-card-worthy photos of the kids, and I've been looking for ideas. I loved finding some good and not so good examples! (Some bad ones really got me laughing - I feel for those moms. Been there, done that, still doing that!)

 

What I would love to have, and what I've tried in the past to achieve:

What I will most likely end up with, based on past experience:

 

Magnetic Nativity

Thanks to good old Pinterest, I have a list of things I want to do with the kids this Christmas. When I saw these free printables, I got very excited and immediately decided I wanted to print them on magnetic sheets and pop them on the refrigerator at Christmas. This link will take you the blog post where I found them. (This lady is a graphic design genius/stay-at-home mom with very different religious opinions than me.) If you scroll down to the very bottom of her post, she provides links to download the PDF's which you can then print and use to your heart's desire. You'll notice the downloads look different than the images she shows in the post and don't contain all the images. I was very confused at first, but the images she shows are much smaller than the images you get in the PDF downloads. If you're stuck on using the extra images, just right click on the image and save it to your computer. That works too! I decided to go with the downloads since they're a better size for toddlers. There are so many things you can do with these: you could make magnets, mod podge them onto wooden blocks, print on cardstock and glue to popsicle sticks, make finger puppets, the ideas are endless! I already ordered some magnetic sheets from Amazon, printed and cut everything! Of course, I had to see how it looked on the frig and I am so very excited to share with my children the most important true story in the world.

FAQ - Gender

I have never been this tired in my life. Never. Ok, maybe back when I had mono in college. Maybe. But it's close. This is by far, the most I've felt the 'exhausted' symptom of pregnancy. I guess having three kids will do that to ya'! By the time the kids are in bed, I have no ability to form a complete thought, let alone a sentence. So I thought I'd share the answer to the most asked question I've been receiving lately: are you hoping for a boy or a girl?

Ultimately, I want a healthy baby, preferably human. After that, for selfish reasons, a girl sounds really nice. Girl clothes are about 1,000 times more cute and fun to put on your baby. However, I'm really hoping for a boy. My Michael could really use a brother! The poor boy chases a pink princess ball and chews on a purple teapot, for crying out loud! Another reason I'm hoping for a boy is the name we have chosen for a boy: Clayton Mitchell. Mitchell is my dad's name, and Clayton was my grandfather's name. Grandpa just passed away at the end of last year. His picture belongs in the dictionary next to the word "Grandpa", for he embodied all that the title is supposed to be. Always smiling, always loving, always willing to give hugs, dance with us, and join in the tea parties. I felt safe in his arms, loved beyond measure in his hugs, and I will never see a Werther's caramel without thinking of him. I would love nothing more than to honor him and his memory by giving his name to a baby boy.

Of course, in the end, it doesn't matter a bit, but that's my answer. :)

Today's Prayer

I hope that at the end of every day, I can earnestly pray the following in regards to my children:

"I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them."

- John 17:26

Truth for Today

Discouraging Thought: I do not deserve this baby.

Encouraging Truth: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from
          the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
          - James 1:17

Loving Instruction: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace . . . "
          - Hebrews 4:16a

Our Reward: ". . . that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
          - Hebrews 4:16b

 Yesterday and today have been rough ones. All three munchkins and myself have pretty bad colds. Thanks to me being pregnant and nauseated, it has wiped me out completely! Sadly, it doesn't seem to be making the kids want to sleep 24/7 like it does me, so they're just extra whiny, clingy, and cranky. On top of that they've started sleeping 1.5 hours less a night than normal thanks to the time change. Mix all that up and you get one very tired and grumpy Mama. Impatience, frustration, and harsh words have been prominently displayed. I've asked God and my children to forgive me. (My oldest said I hadn't been bad and that she still loved me. God knew I needed to hear that!) But with all that said, every time I felt myself at the breaking point, this discouraging thought kept popping in my head: "If I find out at Thursday's ultrasound that this baby has stopped growing and went home to be with Jesus, I won't be surprised." I'm sure to some (especially men) this sounds absolutely crazy - "ludicrous" is the exact word used by my husband. But crazy or not, that's what my head has been saying all day. I know God doesn't work that way. I know my husband doesn't think I'm a horrible mother. I know that God has a perfect plan, and it's really not about deserving anything. We are but dust, and ultimately, deserve nothing but hell. But we have a loving, truly loving, Heavenly Father who likes to give us gifts and who has washed our sins with His blood. His love never changes. Even my "bad mom days" can't stop my Jesus from loving me.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38 - 39

New Year's Resolutions

Yes, it's weird to be thinking about New Year's resolutions in November. However, we just rented and watched "New Year's Eve". I will warn you - horrible movie! Bad acting, horrible story line, you name it. Anyway, it made me think of what I would put on a resolution list. I really couldn't think of anything - until the kids woke up from their naps. If you've never heard what a house with three under three sounds like, close your eyes and imagine the very definition of 'loud'. Toys being banged against just about anything, one child singing at the top of her lungs, another yelling happily, and most likely the last one screaming bloody murder at something done to him or her by a sibling. So even when it's not unhappy noise, our house is always loud. My resolution would not be to change that. I like our 'loud'. To me, it sounds like fun, family, love, and childhood. What I would change? My volume. I realized that even when I'm not getting after the kids or unhappy at all, I still can get pretty loud. Most of the time the reason I raise my voice is just to be heard. But I'm realizing that's just making me raise my voice, oh, about 90% of the day. Then I realized it's kind of hard to differentiate between a 'voice raised to be heard' and my stern voice. So I am resolving, right now in November, to quiet my voice. Trust me - this house doesn't need any adult voices adding to our wonderful loud. I'm also hoping that if I quiet my voice, my heart, and those of my children, will be quieted when I do have to discipline and use my serious tone. What would you resolve as a Mommy?