tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19931581577536623422023-06-23T10:49:44.919-04:00Living With PurposeFollow our family as we live with the purpose of serving Christ with our whole hearts.Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-71057799332185948552013-11-13T13:43:00.001-05:002013-11-13T13:43:14.785-05:00Are you calling me a weaker vessel?!1 Peter 3:7 says "Husbands, likewise, dwell with your wife with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered."<br />
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I know so many women these days that the hair on the backs of their neck stand up when they hear that the woman is a weaker vessel. Hence, the feminist movement, which with each passing day grows stronger and stronger. Its the whole "anything you can do I can do better" line of thinking. I, personally, detest the feminist movement. Now, don't quit reading yet. You may not like what I have to say, but you can take that up with God on judgement day. I am following His pattern for women and wives and honestly, I am quite thankful for it.<br />
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So, lets think. How many women love having their husband open the car door for them? Carry in the groceries? Plunge the toilet when it needs it? Fix the stove? Fix anything in the house? Mow the lawn? etc, etc. I will raise my hand. Do I do some of those things that I just listed? Of course. I love mowing the lawn. I detest plunging the toilet. It makes me feel special when he opens the car door for me. On any given trip to the grocery store, Caleb can carry about 10 more bags into the house at a time than me. Why? He's stronger. But, is being the weaker vessel just about strength? I don't think so. Remember back in 1800's how the women wore pretty dresses, and stayed inside most of the day doing housework and tending to the children? Does that sound reminiscent of God's role for the woman? To be a keeper at home and raise the kids? The woman is in a word, more frail. We are created to be gentle, to be cared for, to be loved. That does not at all give us a license to sit on the couch all day and do nothing. Because, we are supposed to be the keepers of the home. We are also supposed to be submissive to our husbands. That is truly a joy for me. I get to serve the man who goes out all day and works so that I can in turn stay home and teach the kids and keep up with the house. Being submissive means I just get to "follow orders". If women really knew how simple that was, they would love it too. I just do as Caleb says. He is not harsh or nasty or mean or a slave driver, its quite the opposite. He loves me tremendously. He asks me to pay the bills, or to do tasks here and there that are outside my normal. It is so nice to not be the one that has to make all the decisions. I just go with whatever happens! Yes, I do make some decisions. I do have freedom. I am not a woman who is forced to walk three steps behind my husband. Its quite the opposite there too. I walk hand in hand with the love of my life. I follow his lead but he keeps me by his side.<br />
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I do not agree with the women who feel like they need to bring home the bacon. I do not agree with the women who use manipulation within the home to do as they please and get their husbands to agree. I do not agree with the women who yell and scream and fight their husbands because they are not getting their way. I believe the husband has the right to say "no, this is how it is going to be" and that the woman needs to be quiet and agree regardless of what her thoughts are. Now, does this sound extreme? Yes, in this generation it does sound extreme. Do I care? Not in the least. I am following the God of the Bible. The creator of the Universe. The God who blessed me with a loving husband and 3 wonderful little boys to love. The very same God who told the apostle Peter to pen the words that the woman is the weaker vessel.<br />
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I am thankful to consider myself the weaker vessel. Thankful that God provides men with the ability to care and love and take care of women. I know their are even people that I am close to that will have a hard time swallowing this post. I ask you to please, consider and pray about the role God has set out for women. Meditate on how you are doing as a wife. Make changes if you need to. Ask your husband how he thinks you are doing and take what he says as constructive criticism and fix what you need to. You have no idea how much better your marriage will be until you have lived it in the way God intends for marriages to be lived. I hope I have not completely offended anyone. That was not my intention. I wish to merely try and awaken this generation of "God-fearing" women who think they can run the roost and that it is the way it is supposed to be. It is not. The man is head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the Church. The man is to submit to Christ and the woman is supposed to submit to the man. If it is all working properly, life will be completely grand regardless of the hard times that may come along. <br />
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<br />Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-55929987747859855952013-11-08T10:48:00.001-05:002013-11-08T10:48:22.774-05:00Don't be careful....Do you know just how hard as a mother it is to tell your sons to not be careful?! Of course, let me say, its not that I don't want them to be careful. I definitely do not desire them to get hurt, BUT I do want them to experience life and grow up to be men! You see, I married a man. Like a manly man. A butcher by trade, a taxidermist on the side, hunter, fisher, auto repair, plumber, carpenter, overall fix it kind of man. I consider myself incredibly blessed! I never would have pictured myself with this kind of man, but now I do not want my boys to grow up any other way. I don't want them to be afraid to get their hands dirty. I want them to play in the mud, pick up frogs, go fishing, shoot deer and coyotes and squirrel, gut animals, fix stuff, take things apart and put them back together, etc. And for that to happen, they have to live! They have to experience! They have to be allowed to romp and play and get dirty! So, I tell them to go play. And by go play, I really try not to add the words be careful. God has given me a great responsibility to raise Godly men in a corrupted world. So as Caleb and I embark on this task, we start first by begging God for wisdom. Then, we involve them in all sorts of play. Right now they are playing with legos, their toy story characters and wooden blocks making a city with aliens and buzz and woody saving the day. They are learning the meaning of hero and cultivating their imagination. Its a blessing to teach them. I pray we grow Godly men who want to serve the Lord and be all they can be, while still being men. To go along with being a man, I want them to know how to treat a woman, be kind, courteous, put others before themselves, be humble, not taking pride in themselves or their accomplishments or abilities but merely having confidence that they know what they are doing. I don't want them to have to depend on others to build them up. I want them to have an incredible knowledge of the scriptures and such a deep deep love for God that they will be able to make it through life with prayer and the Word of God. People may say my desires for my boys are too high. I say no, they aren't. I think that my desires are completely realistic and that with prayer and work our sons will grow up to be men. I can already see the love of God cultivating in their hearts. Knowledge and facts will come with time. Love and passion needs to be taught now. <br />
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(I am not knocking men who aren't involved in all of the outdoors getting your hands dirty sort of things, but I am saying I prefer that kind of man and I see men becoming more and more scared of getting their hands dirty. I do not want my boys to be that way. I want them to be happy to serve and help in any way they can, which includes getting their hands dirty.)<br />
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God blesses parents with the work of raising children. It is the parents obligation to do it to the best of their ability. Caleb and I are striving to do that with Donovan, Brenden and Hank. Lord willing, in 20 years, you will see men desiring to serve God. Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-60665722413748327772013-11-06T11:49:00.001-05:002013-11-06T14:44:55.822-05:00A recap of 6 years of marriage...<p dir=ltr>I was thinking this morning while making beds about what the last 6 years of my life has brought my husband and I. So I did a quick recap in my head and it brought some interesting things to light. Thought I might share them with you....</p>
<p dir=ltr>Year 1: Happy newlyweds, soon to find out we are pregnant with our first child. Like any couple we were excited about the future. I quit my job and assumed position of homemaker (which I am so blessed to be able to do) and prepared for our bundle. That same year brought deep grief to my husband and I. For two days I had been having contractions, I was full term so I knew something was happening. It was nothing major but I could tell something was going on. But, let me insert here I was also a naive first time mom who had no idea what was going on. A Saturday evening we had some friends over and as we were sitting on the couch I felt extreme movement. I know now that was the moment I lost my baby girl. But still, I just thought oh wow, she is very active. I have played the "I wonder if I could go back in time and realize what was going on if anything would change" scenario over and over in my head....you know what I have come up with? Nothing. God allowed us to enjoy a full complete 9 months with Abigail in utero and then took her home. Thats it. The end. I am so incredibly thankful for the time I had with her. I was blessed. Incredibly blessed. So the next day, was very busy I didn't even stop to notice I hadn't felt movement because I was still having contractions. My body was doing what it was supposed to. Monday morning I woke up at 5...nauseous...chills...overall grief feeling. It was the  motherly intuition that something was terribly wrong. I told Caleb we need to go to the hospital. I called my dad and told him we were headed. I told nobody that I knew my baby girl was gone. I prayed and I prayed and I prayed all the way to the hospital, up to the room through all the processing that I was wrong. They started searching for a heartbeat....they couldn't find it. I knew my fears were confirmed. My baby girl was gone. I called my mom. That was the hardest call ever. How do you tell your mom that their granddaughter whom they haven't met yet is dead? She called everyone else. Then came to me. Caleb never left my side for hours. We cried, we grieved, we prayed and thanked God for the time we had. I was swarmed with people. The next couple hours were a blur. I had a fantastic doctor and a marvelous midwife who took fantastic care of the rest. Abby was born a couole hours later. She was beautiful. Looked exactly like her brothers did. Only she was quiet. I hurt. Not physically. Just emotionally. The rest of the year caleb and I clung to each other. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Year 2: we discovered we were pregnant again. Ready or not a son was coming soon. That year also brought a division between Calebs parents and us. It was ugly, hurtful, and hard. Jeremy moved out of his parents house and into ours. We met new friends. Started working with a new congregation. Donovan was born...healthy and happy. </p>
<p dir=ltr>Year 3: we moved into full time parenthood well. Caleb and I both stepped into our roles pretty easily. I loved being a mom and caleb brought home the bacon. But this year brought a new challenge. Caleb quit his job of 7 years and took a huge cut in pay to take on a full time butcher position.  We learned to live on less. But you know what? We LOVED IT! Of course its nice to have money, but to be able to live on next to nothing brings so much of a closer bond between husband and wife....IF you are willing to give up your expensive lifestyle and depend on God to meet your needs. It was great. Still is actually.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Year 4: we were pregnant again...we welcomed Brenden into our family 9 days befor Donovan turned 2. Have I mentioned I love being a mom? I love my role. I love my family. I love my cozy little house. The rest of the year was faily uneventful.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Year 5: most of the year nothing significant happened. Then caleb and I again took a leap of faith. He quit his job again, and took on another full-time butcher job in Lafayette.  This was a great move. Not because we are making more money...its probably about the same after we pay for gas back and forth...but because he loves his job. Do you know what that means? It means he comes home happy. Tired...but happy. He gets up early to leave at 5 to work all day and come home to little boys who love to wrestle! Its great. We are depending now more than ever on God to meet our needs. We are blessed and more in love than we ever have been.</p>
<p dir=ltr>Year 6: we are pregnant again...yep its true. Entering in this time is baby Hank. I am currently cuddling with said baby. Great times. Year 6 brought love and happiness. I cannot wait to see what year 7 brings! </p>
<p dir=ltr>As I finished going through the recaps of the years in my head I realized just truly how blessed I am. I have a husband who is the head of the household, provides for our family, loves me unconditionally,  and makes it a joy to be submissive to. I have a man who I can spend the rest of my life with and always have someone to rely on. I have a man who takes control, meets situations head on, and hardly ever misses a beat. Sure he comes home exhausted...especially after working his taxidermy job in the evenings, but he still makes time for the kids and I. Have I mentioned how blessed I am? We have gone through a lot in 6 years. Starting our marriage with losing our firstborn child greatly increased our strength and resolve to grow together. Where lots of couples would not be able to handle it, Caleb and I came together stronger and more resilient. I am so happy to have the man that I do. I couldn't ask for anyone better.</p>
Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-58057211547163786252013-10-28T10:53:00.000-04:002013-10-28T10:53:05.988-04:00Golden Child SyndromeI have been thinking the past few days about what I call "golden child syndrome". You all know what it is, its that child who feels entitled to everything. But, it also adds a new dimension of the adults around the child allowing and even promoting that feeling of entitlement. You can see it most in only children, but I have been thinking about it from a higher standpoint. What about a grandparent to their grandchild? I have been perusing this idea lately and wondering the ramifications of it. I believe that a grandparent can show equality to all grandchildren but perhaps get along better with one than the other. Does this mean the grandparent should favor that grandchild over the others? Of course not! What about if the grandchildren are around more? That still does not give them liberty to show inequality. In my opinion grandchildren work just like your own children. It is very dangerous to favor one child over the other. In fact, I go so far as to hold my opinion of in no way should a parent show favor to any of their children over another. Not just dangerous, but down right wrong. Sure, one child may be more like you and easier to get along with, but do you love the others less or treat them differently? Certainly not. I am a mother of 3 young boys. Right now each of them have a different personality but I love them all the same. I may just communicate with them differently. I have dealt with the entitlement feeling in our own children. Without realizing it, our oldest came down with the feeling that he could get his way in every situation regardless of what anyone else thought. Boy, its rough to get them out of that feeling, but it makes for such a happier and more pleasant dynamic when it is gone. I say all this to caution myself more than anyone not to become jealous of the relationships that some grandparents have with only certain grandchildren. I must remember that my children are blessed and given to me by God to raise to grow up to love the Lord with all their heart. My husband and I must do what is best for our children to encourage their spiritual growth and desire to love the Lord without unhealthy influences and people that may compromise that premise. Sound confusing? sorry if that came out entirely jumbled, I just needed to get some thoughts out that are floating in my head.<br />
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As for the drawing?! Congratulations to someone who takes after my namesake! <b>Holly M</b>. has been the grand recipient of a Young Living Lavender Lip Balm. They are fantastic, I have recently tried one as well!<br />
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Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-2433949144186246692013-10-22T19:18:00.000-04:002013-10-23T15:25:53.575-04:00Everyone needs a little direction, Right?Our laptop is working again....how long it will stay working we may never know. So, while its working I thought I would take advantage of one of the things I like to do most. Write. But usually I don't have any direction to what I write about on here. This blog is not just about one thing. But I like that because it shows that I am real. My house isn't always spotless, my children aren't always well-behaved, dinner isn't always done at 5:00pm. But that is what makes me...me. I am a real person. I don't always have it all together. I love to have my house clean, I love it when my children behave and I am partial to eating dinner at 5. I strive for those things. Thankfully, I am not perfectionist. If I were, I would lose my mind and my children would grow up to be boring because they would only have 3 toys that had to be put away at all times and they would normally just sit and do nothing. But, we make messes. We mix toys. We create stuff with legos to drive our hot wheels cars through all while having a battle with army men. I mean, even as I type write now my boys are in the back bickering about who had the toy first! But I love them. To pieces. Hank blissfully sleeps unaware in his swing enjoying the movement. I ready myself to go put little boys to bed. I love my life. I love our quirks. I love our chaos at times.<br />
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This blog...its going to be us. Its going to tell about what we do...homeschool, fun stuff, child rearing, family time, housework, holidays and birthdays, essential oils....the list could go on but I won't bore you.<br />
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SO, in light of me coming back to my blog....how about a small giveaway?<br />
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<a id="rc-0f864e0" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0f864e0/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
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Tell your friends! I will announce the winner here on the 26th!!
Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-29653078947416467002013-10-10T13:21:00.001-04:002013-10-10T13:21:31.535-04:00Cloth Diaper Convert and other ramblings...Once upon a time there was a mom who just had her third baby boy. Money was tight. Diapers were expensive. So...what did they do? They took the plunge and went to cloth diapers. Thats right....I did it. I did what I said I would never do. BUT...I will say I did not do the cloth diapers that were popular in the civil war era....I did modern day cloth diapers. And guess what? I love them. Aside from the fact that it adds an extra load of laundry every other day or so, they are wonderful. They save money, they keep little Hank's bum protected and they keep my clothes clean and dry. After all, that's the purpose of diapers right?! Now, I am not going to go into the fact that I am not adding diapers to a landfill and destroying the earths ozone layer and all that jazz, because I am not that green...yet. However, since I do spend the majority of my time home with the kids, I do find them incredibly convenient. Not to mention they are quite cute and seeing my baby in a stylish diaper makes me smile. So...my advice?! Go cloth...its fun.<br />
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Now, on to other news. Donovan is doing school with me about 4 times a week. Brenden too. They love it. I am so thankful to be able to teach the boys myself...and at home. Its a wonderful feeling to see them learning and growing and I know that what they are learning is wholesome. We are in the process of teaching Donovan how to read. He is doing quite well. Brenden can count from one to eleven, knows most of his abc's and the sounds they make, can speak exceptionally well for his age and loves to color and cut and glue and paint. (but what kid doesn't?!) Brenden surprises a lot of people with the fact he can carry on a conversation with people. He loves to talk on the phone, although he also loves to push the red button which hangs up on the people he talks too...don't take it personally! Donovan teaches Brenden many things, including some I wish he wouldn't! They are two boys who are completely 100% boys. They love dirt, mud, bugs, fish, trees, anything outdoors, hot wheels cars (I think we have over 100 and still need more!), dinosaurs, wrestling, and many other boyish things. But, they are wholesome, polite, not crude, little gentlemen (most of the time). They like Thomas and Cars, Buzz and Woody, Leap Frog and Wild Kratts. I am so blessed to be their mother. I truly enjoy every minute of it!<br />
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Hank is almost 4 months old. He is getting big. He watches his brothers and I can see he is taking notes for when he gets bigger! He is almost rolling. He laughs and smiles and plays. He loves me and I love him! I am thankful for our final little boy. He is a true blessing as well.<br />
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Caleb and I are full swing into busy season. He is working his butcher job all day and his taxidermy job most evenings. He is also trying to find time to hunt in there too! Its a crazy time and we miss him, but we are thankful he works so hard to provide for our family so I can stay home with the boys.<br />
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What else is new? Well, call me crazy if you want to, but I have gotten into whats called Young Living Essential Oils. They are amazing. Did you hear the news article sometime last year about how we as parents need to be EXTREMELY cautious about the cold medicines we give our children and at what age to start it? Yeah, that bothered me. So I quit using cold medicine and just let the colds run their own course through my kids. Sure, it made for a long week, but they survived. After all, "nobody has ever died from a cold." (Name that movie quote and you will get a gold star!) BUT, back to essential oils. They are specific oils straight from various plants that heal the body all naturally. You know the odd thing? They work!! I am not saying my kids never will get sick again, (in fact I have two down today with colds) but what I am saying is that it takes a 7-10 day cold down to a 2 day cold with no harmful chemicals or medicines running through their bodies. Oh, and Caleb and I use them too. Why? Well, Caleb is allergic to dust...so after he is around it and can feel the symptoms coming on he puts some lavender oil on his nose....and within a couple minutes it was like he was never around dust. I was really impressed when I saw how that worked for him. These are totally cool and have worked tremendously for us. If you want to know more, I will try and find you the info. I am still learning myself, but so far I am really impressed. Did I mention that in the Bible, the people used oils to get well and not prescription drugs?!<br />
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Ok, moving on....I don't want to bore you and drag on so I will say goodbye for today. But please, if you want to know more about oils or even buy some to try, let me know....I sell them you know!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-60282184545809028272013-08-29T06:06:00.001-04:002013-08-29T06:07:15.435-04:00The blessings of life<p>Its a refreshing moment when I am able to sit down at 5:30am and just enjoy the quiet. Today I am sitting here thinking and thanking God for all he has abundantly blessed me with in life:<br>
-a God-fearing husband<br>
-3 wonderful little boys to enjoy while here in earth<br>
-one beautiful baby girl waiting for us in heaven<br>
-a house<br>
-2 dependable cars<br>
-a great group of friends<br>
-an incredible church to work with<br>
-food, stuff, clothing, the ability to pay bills....</p>
<p>But more than just physical blessings, God has blessed me with the opportunity to spend eternity with him in heaven if found faithful. How incredible! I am sitting here with my youngest son Hank sleeping on me, as I look at him I realize just how intricately God needs to be woven through every fiber of our lives. First and foremost in my children's lives I want them to develop a deep love for Christ that is not just based on knowing facts and principles. While I do want them to learn those things, I want them to learn a passion and desire for God. I want them to realize the grace and faithfulness of God, the love that He has for us. In my opinion, building their foundation with a healthy mixture of both love and principles will make them so much stronger and more likely to follow Christ for their entire lifetime. But you see, key to them learning this intense love and grace and faithfulness is me living it out daily to them. I must demonstrate God's love to them. I must daily exclaim to them how God has blessed us. I need to have that excitement and joy for God exuding from every fiber of my being. But, the beauty of all that is, when I am daily I'm Gods word and daily thanking God for things, it is so easy to be in awe of His love. It is a natural thing for me to exclaim to my children how great our God is that we serve. So, I am blessed in another way. I am blessed with being able to raise my boys to be God fearing, His love proclaiming, blessing declaring, teaching, leading, and serving men. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yxXFNil2-WI/Uh8dDbwAfVI/AAAAAAAACDE/EOAfr4q7LLE/s1600/20130729_173208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-yxXFNil2-WI/Uh8dDbwAfVI/AAAAAAAACDE/EOAfr4q7LLE/s640/20130729_173208.jpg"> </a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fDPAP40RDkw/Uh8dG91H2uI/AAAAAAAACDM/OFzxO39kS50/s1600/20130802_142459.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-fDPAP40RDkw/Uh8dG91H2uI/AAAAAAAACDM/OFzxO39kS50/s640/20130802_142459.jpg"> </a> </div>Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-68761677183896600972013-08-09T13:06:00.001-04:002013-08-09T13:06:01.871-04:00There comes a time....<p>It seems like there comes a time in everyone's life when they look back and reflect on the things of their life. I personally tend to not do that very often. Not because I am scared of the past, but more because I like to live in the now. However, since approximately 10pm last night I have decided to look at my past, take a rather in depth assessment of it and apply I what I find to my life now. Why? Because I want to live purposefully. I do not just want to wander through life not having a firm stance on anything. I want to know what I know and stand by it regardless of what may arise. How am I going to do this? Well, that's a good question, and honestly I don't have a good answer. I just know it needs to be done. </p>
<p>How is a mother to raise her children to be confidant if she is only partially confidant? Being that I have 3 sons, I want them to grow up to be men of God. I want them to be strong and brave, solid in their beliefs, willing to withstand the trials of life. I want them to be real men, to love their wives, to demand submission and to be leaders of their households. I want them to know God on a deep level and put Him first in their lives. For them to accomplish this, my husband and I must have the same attributes. I need to be rooted and grounded in the faith, I need to show my boys what genuine submission looks like so they can look for that in a wife someday. I do not want them to end up with a woman who manipulates or makes it hard for them to love her. </p>
<p>All this to say, I will be assessing my life and my walk with Christ and making adjustments where needed. </p>
<p>On an entirely unrelated note, I now have a 4 year old, 2 year old and 7 week old boy. God has blessed me greatly. </p>
Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-88318643009362888662013-05-29T14:15:00.002-04:002013-05-29T14:15:20.703-04:00Am I nurturing my children?It has been a long time since I last blogged. I could come up with many excuses, but I think the real reason would be a lack of direction. I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with my blog. But over the past few days I have been bombarded with thoughts and perhaps, I have found my new direction.<br />
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Yesterday I was sitting and thinking and reading a book for the brief moments that my boys took a nap at the same time. I was thinking about our soon to be expanding family and my mind went in two different directions. One, which I will not go into a lot of detail with, was learning to be content and thankful for the children that I have. The other direction, however, was thinking on how I as a mother am to love and nurture my children. (For those who don't know, I am pregnant with our fourth child, we lost our first baby girl in labor at 38 weeks, and have been blessed with two other boys and our last boy on the way. If I refer to my children as "the boys" its because that's all I have here on this earth to raise, boys!) I was thinking about how I need to show my faith more to my boys. But, maybe I need to show it more to myself as well. I mean, the idea of nurturing my children in the Lord, not just raising them in a "Christian home", is prevalent on my mind. I want to make the Bible real to them, and I want them to desire it for themselves. I don't want to force it down their throats and in turn have them turn to the world when they get older. But I realize that first, the Bible has to be real in my life. I have to be living the Bible the way I want them to live the Bible.<br />
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So, how as a parent am I to love and nurture my boys? Simply by providing them with food and shelter and toys and other material things? Of course not! Do I take the time out of my day to love on them, hug them, cuddle them, play with them, read and sing to them, even pray with them? Or am I too focused on what I need to get done to keep the house clean, food on the table, laundry caught up, and who knows what else I may place above my children? Don't get me wrong, those are important. As a wife, I am called to be a keeper of the house, but I need to balance that with training my children.<br />
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I was reading an email this morning and these few lines caught me. My mom had always told me growing up that it takes a village to raise a family. This email said "it does not take a village to raise a child- it takes a dedicated mom and dad- a family. Children need our love, but it is through our time and dedication to them that they will feel that love". I thought that was an excellent point. If I am not willing to step up as a mother and do what it takes with my husband to raise our children, then my heart is not in the right place at all. I will undoubtedly have to sacrifice many of my own desires, but the end goal and true desire in my quest for good parenting is to raise 3 God-fearing Christian men who have the desire to live for Christ regardless of the cost. It may cost me everything, but it will all be worth it. After all, God laid out the guidelines in the Bible and He will provide the strength I need to do my role with all my heart.<br />
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Devotion to my children needs to start with my devotion to God.I cannot impress upon my children's hearts what is not already on my own. How can I expect my boys to grow up and be Christian men if I am not doing my part as a mother in loving and nurturing and creating a desire within them to love God? As my boys enter into adulthood someday, I want to be able to praise God as I see them step into their new roles with hearts beating strongly for God and for His Kingdom.<br />
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I know these thoughts are a bit jumbled, but this is exactly where my heart is right now. Focused on my heart for God and desiring my boys to have even more devoted hearts.<br />
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My youngest is now up from his nap, so I am leaving this blog article and going off to spend some quality cuddle time with my little man. I hope this can be an encouragement to other mothers to stand strong and strive to live Godly lives.Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-59193664341909332092013-04-12T11:38:00.000-04:002013-04-12T11:38:24.646-04:00A call for mothers..."Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." I love this quote just because of the nuggets of truth behind it! I am not advocating letting your house fall apart so you can always be sitting and holding your child, but I am saying that your house does not have to be perfect! In my home, this is something I struggle with every once in a while. It seems like I could always find something to do, dishes, run the sweeper, laundry, organize the closet, clean out the desk, but when Donovan or Brenden says "Mommy, come play cars with me!" or "Mommy, can I sit with you for a while?" who am I to say "no buddy, I have to go do this, or that". I was thinking, when my kids are grown and come talk to me they arent going to say, "boy mom, I really wish you had color coded our homeschool supplies" or even "mom, I am glad you organized the pantry, desk, and closets when we were kids". More than likely, they are going to come back to me and say "mom, I am really glad you took time to play with me, or rock me, or color with me". I need to make sure that I have my priorities right.<br />
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I love that God has laid down the plan for me. I am to put God first, then my husband, followed by my children, all the while fulfilling my role as a wife and mother. How easy is that if I will just submit my will to God's plan? There are times when I see mothers with the "perfect mother syndrome". You know what I am talking about, the picture of the woman on the 1950's Good Housekeeping magazine when she has her hair and makeup done perfect in a pretty dress and high heels with a fresh pie in one hand and a baby on the other hip with the spotless house in the background? This picture perfect ideal is so unrealistic for the everyday woman. Or perhaps it is your reality but you spend so much time doing everything perfectly that you don't take time out to enjoy what you have. For example, a mother may be too busy cleaning and organizing to rock her baby to sleep for a nap and before she knows it the baby is 2 and doesn't want to be held at all. Maybe its more like the mother has her own schedule of how the day is going to go and when the child or children have other plans she is angry, flustered or even short tempered with her children because they are not following her "to-do" list. As mothers, we need to make sure we are fulfilling our roles and keeping the house, but we also need to be fulfilling our roles and loving and nurturing our children. <br />
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I know I have said a lot, and I have so many more thoughts about this running through my head, but I ask you to bear with me and just give consideration to what I had to say today. Look at your own life and see where your priorities are and if they need adjusted. Mostly remember to pray and ask God for guidance in your life. I daily ask God to help me keep my priorities in the right light and ask Him to use me in the lives of my children. I have a duty to teach them the love of Christ and I need to put that before making sure I alphabetized every bookshelf in our house.Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-88018661046833707682013-04-12T10:53:00.001-04:002013-04-12T10:53:05.722-04:00And the winner is....The revealing of the Child Training Bible winner.....<b>MommyErica</b>! Or better known as <b>Erica Porter</b>. Congratulations. I put all names into a totally random name generator so I held no power over who was picked as winner. Thank you so much everyone for entering and stay tuned because there will be more giveaways in the future!<br />
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Erica, email me at just5lynds@gmail.com with your address so I can start the process of getting your prize shipped out. :)<br />
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And please, just because you didn't win does not mean that you should not get one! For only $9.00 I encourage you all to purchase a <a href="http://www.childtrainingbible.com/">Child Training Bible</a>!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-29779805197280283282013-04-09T14:30:00.000-04:002013-04-09T14:30:20.509-04:00The Child Training Bible Review and Giveaway!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The picture posted above is probably the coolest parenting tool our family will ever have! I am so incredibly excited to be posting a review about it as well as host a giveaway for your own set to make a <a href="http://www.childtrainingbible.com/">Child Training Bible</a>! </div>
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I was made aware of the Child Training Bible by reading another blog post of a mother that I follow and when I went to the website I new I had to purchase a set. For only $9.00 you get an amazing guide to helping your children associate their need for discipline with various biblical passages. (The kit does not come with a Bible, post-it tabs, or highlighters...those must all be purchased separately) </div>
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When my package came in the mail I was super excited to start working on it. Keep in mind that this project will take multiple hours to put together unless you have no interruptions. I have two small children who love to be in the middle of everything I do, so I waited until bedtime or naptime to assemble my child training Bible and it took me a couple days. The journey through highlighting and tabbing verses was very beneficial for me as I read each verse to help concrete in my mind the various principles that it was trying to teach me. </div>
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The idea is that the tab color coordinates with the highlighted verse for easy reference and the key reference page is posted in the very front of your Bible. Now, you wouldn't want to use your every day Bible. We had a spare here at our house that was the right size that my husband wasn't using anymore so I chose that one and began the process! </div>
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Donovan is at the age where he soaks these principles in, and I am thrilled that I found this resource to help me while Caleb and I teach our children to love and obey. I can definitely see myself purchasing this again and maybe even purchase it as gifts for family! </div>
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Disclaimer: I purchased my set for $9.00 myself and was not forced or paid to say positive things about this product. It is just worthy of a 5-star rating from me on its own merit!</div>
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So, down to the GIVEAWAY! This giveaway will end on April 12, 2013. So, how do you enter? Well, there are multiple ways to get an entry but all require separate comments on my blog....</div>
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1. Go to <a href="http://www.childtrainingbible.com/">www.childtrainingbible.com</a> and browse the website. Come back and comment</div>
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as to why you think this would be a great tool for you in your household or</div>
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in the house of someone you know.</div>
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2. Become a follower of my blog, and leave a comment telling me that you became one. </div>
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(If you are already a follower tell me in a comment that you are already)</div>
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3. Share this entry on FB and leave a comment telling me you did so.</div>
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(Please, lets be honest about this, I am trusting you)</div>
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4. Share a tweet linking to my blog about this giveaway and comment back</div>
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5. Share on another social networking site that I haven't listed and comment back telling me which site.</div>
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Again, the giveaway will end on Friday, April 12 and the winner will be announced here on my blog. I will need to contact the winner to get their address so I can get it to Mindy of the Child Training Bible so she can ship out your prize. Good luck and if you don't win, I would highly encourage you to purchase a set for yourself or someone you know!</div>
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Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-91266779503426788672013-04-08T10:40:00.003-04:002013-04-08T10:40:55.971-04:00Busy lately?Last week was a crazy busy week. This week, Lord willing, will be much more relaxed and hopefully full of accomplishing little things here at home. For the past 4 days I have been made aware that my little guys arrival is sooner rather than later, so I am hoping for about a month to get things ready then whenever he wants to come he can come! I have closets to clean and clothes to get out and stuff to put away! Wow, my list keeps growing even as I sit here.<br />
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BUT....even though I will be doing stuff this week I am looking forward to posting in a couple days and including an AWESOME giveaway....so stay tuned. You won't want to miss it. Especially if you are a parent of younger children or someone who interacts with kids a lot. That's all I am going to say about it until I post the giveaway.<br />
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This past weekend with the weather so nice, Caleb grilled for us all three days. Friday we had some wonderful company over, Saturday we watched the final four ncaa games, and sunday we grilled lunch after services. The boys have thoroughly enjoyed playing outside all they can. I am even thankful for the rain! I love spring! Today I am cleaning up the house with the windows open and some happy music on! I am truly blessed for the life that I have. God is so good to me! Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-91344774624958890242013-04-04T20:02:00.001-04:002013-04-04T20:04:34.076-04:00I can smell it!<p>Spring is here! The kids are able to get out more and without having to wear 42 layers of clothes! Its a wonderful thing. These are just a few pictures from time spent outside a few days ago.</p>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Pardon the dirty face! Donovan didn't want in the picture.)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I look around at the world we live in and if I allow myself to, I start to worry. I worry about my children most of all. I sometimes question if Caleb and I did the right thing by having children.<br />
I mean, who would want their kids to grow up in the world we live in now? So much nastiness and ungodliness going on and I am sure it will only get worse. So, I don't think about it. But, is that the right thing to do? I can't answer that for myself. However, what I can say is that I have come up with a plan. I know that God has given me the responsibility of parenting my children. So what should I be doing the most of?<br />
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PRAYING! Pleading with God for guidance and help in raising my children to grow up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I ran across an idea the other day and decided to do it for our boys.<br />
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I searched the scriptures for a verse that I will pray for each of my children individually. Then I traced their little hands on card stock paper, wrote the verse and their names on it, laminated them and put them in my Bible where I will see them and pray that verse for them in particular every day. Not only will it keep my focus where it needs to be but it will also help me memorize more scripture!<br />
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For Donovan, Caleb and I chose Proverbs 7:1-3. For Brenden, we picked Ephesians 3:16-19, and for little Hank we chose Proverbs 1:7. After all, it is never too early to start praying for your children! Since Hank is still unborn, I drew a heart for him until I can trace his hand. <br />
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Can I encourage you to pray for your children actively too? And I would be more than happy to pray for your children too, leave me a comment or shoot me an email if you have specifics! just5lynds@gmail.comHollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-54556608419254395392013-03-29T20:14:00.000-04:002013-03-29T20:14:04.943-04:00Do everything without complaining....<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V4t1JjhkNCQ/UVYuI--N03I/AAAAAAAAB1I/fFcls7REqqM/s1600/20130103_115338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V4t1JjhkNCQ/UVYuI--N03I/AAAAAAAAB1I/fFcls7REqqM/s320/20130103_115338.jpg" width="320" /></a>While I was doing dishes the other day a thought hit me that I thought I would share. As most of you know, or will know after I tell you, I am a stay at home mother of two boys with one more little guy on the way. I would say any given day I was dishes at least 3 times if not more. I will also share with you that washing dishes is close to my least favorite household chore (folding laundry is the worst in my opinion), so my attitude when I look at a counter of dishes that needs washed is not always positive. Back to my story, the other day I was mid way through dishes, and it hit me. I sing a song to my kids a lot when they are complaining. It is just a little diddy I learned as a child, "Do everything without complaining, do everything without murmuring, so that you may become blameless and pure children of God". I know this is based on Philippians 2:14. But, I thought, how am I different from my children? How am I allowed to complain and have a sour attitude about things I don't want to do when they can't? That's when it hit me. My boys are seeing me complain. They are seeing me grumble. They are seeing me drag my feet and have a negative attitude. It is absolutely no wonder why they do it too.<br />
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So, how do I fix this? First, I pray and beg God to give me a heart that is softer. Then I write Colossians 3:17 on a 3x5 card and stick it in the window directly above my kitchen sink so I am forced to read it while I do dishes! "And whatever you do in word or deed, <i>do</i> all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." I should be thankful I have dirty dishes! After all, doesn't that mean that I was able to feed my children?<br />
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This is just a few of my thoughts from things running through my head the past few days. I am certainly not perfect, but I am striving to be with the help of Jesus.<br />
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A brief side note before I go watch a basketball game with my husband and friends. I am hoping to get more involved in blogging, especially since I am beginning to home-school Donovan and am trying many new products. I plan on writing on what I like and what I don't, and hopefully will be able to get into doing reviews on things for companies if I can. :) If I write about something that interests you or you think would interest others, please share it! ThanksHollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-44966109707924148332013-03-27T15:13:00.004-04:002013-03-27T15:13:48.646-04:00A few pictures....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I know I had been saying I will add some pictures, so I thought I would put a few up!</div>
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Brenden
all dressed up to go play in the snow....he stayed outside for about 3
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Donovan stayed out for a long time and even made a snowman with daddy!
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love my boys! Its rare that I can get them both to sit still for very long!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eating the cupcakes we made one day! It was fun, but next time I will not pick green icing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what happens when you give a boy a marker.....</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a couple months ago. They love to have fun and I am blessed to be their momma!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-22010484473475306032013-03-25T11:27:00.001-04:002013-03-25T11:27:47.232-04:00SNOW DAY!!!While on our way home last night from Crawfordsville, the snow was really coming down and the roads were getting nasty. I knew it was only to get worse, and secretly I hoped Caleb wouldn't be able to get to work the next day. How fun would a snow day with Daddy be? So when I went to bed last night I was listening for the sounds of snow plows going down the road and hoping there wouldn't be any! This morning, Caleb's alarm went off at 6am because he didn't have to be in until 8, and I looked outside to see the roads not plowed and the snow still coming down. We both went back to sleep for a bit longer and then that blessed sound happened....Caleb got a text! I sat quietly waiting for him to tell me he didn't have to go to work, and then it happened....he looked at me and shut his alarm off! We got our snow day! The plant closed for today so Caleb is home with us! He has already been out with the boys and shoveled sidewalks and built a snowman with Donovan. Now we are relaxing and watching a short movie before lunch and naps. What a great day! The boys are having fun and I am sure enjoying having Caleb home with me for a day!
In other news I am looking into a diet adjustment for our family. I hate how ridiculously expensive it is to eat super healthy, but its going to have to happen. Brenden has not been sleeping well and both kids are just sluggish these days. I would attribute it to two things....one is obviously our diet, the second is what seems like an extremely long winter in an extremely small house! These boys need to run! Thankfully the forecast at the end of the week looks great. So, how you ask are we going to change our diet? I really don't know yet, I just know it needs adjusted! I will be looking into it throughout the next few days figuring out how to adjust and add what we need and take away what we don't. (Except for my double stuff oreos after the kids go to bed....those aren't leaving my diet until Hank is born!)
I really will get pictures up soon! Have a great snow day everyone! I am off to enjoy the family!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-33510214864246089192013-03-22T21:54:00.002-04:002013-03-22T21:54:33.167-04:00Back again....How does it seem that time goes by so fast? I mean, wasn't March 1 yesterday?! It seems like it to me. In fact, I just turned my calendar from February to March yesterday! I was slightly behind! Many changes have occurred in the Lynd household lately. I suppose I should start with the fact that after like 3 years we finally got the internet back in our house. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to live without the internet! In fact, at times its quite nice to pull the "oh, we don't have internet" card, but alas, we have it now. It is nice to have it too. Especially as we embark on homeschooling and many other things that the internet is extremely helpful for. So, for my updates:
Donovan, at 3 and a half years old, is quite the little boy. He is laid back and easy going but yet knows what he wants and when he wants it. He is a good big brother and likes to help Brenden out a lot. However, he is also the classic oldest child and has trouble sharing sometimes...but who doesn't? Needless to say, we are working through that with him! He sleeps on the top bunk in their room and loves it. He is fully potty trained now, my that took a long time, but its wonderful when its done! Donovan cannot wait for spring! He wants to play outside, roll in the dirt, go fishing and do all the other things little boys do, and I can't wait till he can! I am looking forward to the warmer weather just as much as the boys!
Brenden, who is now 21 months old, is quite the handful. He is constantly on the go. I don't think he ever sits down for more than 10 minutes unless he is in his car seat or at the dinner table. He is learning and comprehending so much. It really amazes me how much he knows. He loves to copy Donovan and daddy. He does everything they do. He is talking pretty well...that is if you are around him enough to understand his words! I can understand him well and I love how much he can say. He still has some cute pronunciations of things too. He is all boy. And when I say all boy I mean every ounce of him is boy! He will be the one to watch this summer when outside! I will give him a bath and he will be clean for about 5 minutes and then, you would never know he had a bath! But, that's just how boys are! I am so thankful for him. I love how curious and fearless he is. I love the fact that he doesn't care if he is dirty or not! I just love my boys...both of them!
Caleb is working at Beutler Meats in Lafayette as well as a taxidermist in Crawfordsville on the side. He really enjoys both jobs. God truly blessed us when we got the opportunity to go to Beutler in Lafayette. We have some projects we want to work on the house this spring and Caleb is gearing up to get those going. He also can't wait to go fishing with the boys. He is looking forward to all the various aspects of raising boys. I love watching him interact with them. They wrestle and play and learn and cuddle too....he loves them and they love him too. We are lucky parents.
I am 7 months (8 if you ask me) pregnant with our third little boy. He will make his arrival sometime in May or June. When I think he will be born and when the ultrasound thinks he will be born is two different dates, so I am choosing to remain positive and hope for the earlier! He has been named Hank Cooper Lynd and we cannot wait to meet him! I get overjoyed thinking how God has blessed me with three boys. Ask anyone who knew me in middle school and high school. I always said I wanted kids, 3 in fact, and all boys. :) I just love how fun boys are and how loving and caring they can be at the same time. I melt everytime Brenden comes running to me screaming "mooooooooommmmmmy" all the way just so he can give me a big hug and kiss. And when Donovan just comes and sits and cuddles on my lap with me or wants me to lay down with him at naptime...I mean seriously, how can I resist?!
I hope to get some pictures up soon, but that's for another day...now I am off to cuddle with my man while we watch some basketball. After all, Caleb is the love of my life, I want to spend as much time as possible with him! Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-15589620295699783862012-10-17T14:38:00.001-04:002012-10-17T14:38:37.494-04:00An exciting announcement...Caleb and I are pleased to announce that we will be expecting our 4th little blessing in the spring of next year! We are both very excited. It will be so fun adding another child to our family!
I love being pregnant. Its a time when a mother is being prepared for the coming family expansion. Its also the time when the mother has got to learn to throw selfishness out the window. Motherhood is a higher calling by God. He is entrusting you to bring up this child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. My prayer is that God will use me during this pregnancy to teach myself and others more of what it means to be Christlike. I also want to continue raising my boys now in the way they need to be raised! I sure do love my family now and I can't wait to meet our new little one. Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-42029338801304289862012-04-15T15:35:00.002-04:002012-04-15T15:35:53.156-04:00April....Life has been hectic, but certainly well worth it. We have been blessed with good weather, so lots of playing outside has happened, and lots of planning home improvements. There have been many things we want to do, but are waiting on the funds to magically appear in our bank account, and many things that we are going to start doing now that don't cost.<br />
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We here in Waynetown are excitedly awaiting the arrival of our good friends who will be moving from Crawfordsville to right down the road from us! I can't wait until they get here!<br />
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On the family home front, Donovan is 2 months and a few days shy of being 3 years old! I can't believe it! He is such an incredible little boy. Caleb and I are very blessed to be his parents. We pray every day that we will be good parents and Godly examples and that he will grow up to love the Lord with all his might. Brenden will be 1 in a 2 months and a few days as well. Wow. 1 already? Can it be? He is such a happy boy. He is babbling all the time, calling for mama and dada and balls. He loves to play with Donovan and loves to crawl all over the house. His crawl is an army crawl, but I would say he is just as fast as anyone else when he really gets going! He is fun loving and always on the move, he gives great cuddles when he is in the mood too, and currently really loves his momma! I love being a momma too, it is the best feeling and job in the world.<br />
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As Caleb and I continue plugging away in our everyday lives, we are increasingly made aware of the true value of a great marriage. In a world where marriage doesn't really mean much, I have a husband who will love me til death do us part and will provide for me and the children. And I have the pleasure of spending the rest of my life with the man of my dreams. What more could a girl ask for?!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-14538566301140758252012-03-26T09:34:00.002-04:002012-03-26T09:34:36.018-04:00Overwhelming thanks....You know those days when you just look at something and are totally overwhelmed with thankfulness for everything God has blessed you with? Well, I had one of those yesterday. I saw my two boys playing together and laughing and was overcome by how much I have been blessed with. Caleb was there with me when we heard them laughing and saw them playing together, he then laughed at me because of my instant tears, but it was a moment I want forever etched in my memory. The God of the Universe has been SO good to me! I have a loving, leading. God-fearing husband and two wonderful little boys. Lord willing, they will grow up someday to be loving leading God-fearing men themselves.<br />
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This weekend has been special because Caleb had 4 days off. We got to spend lots of fun time together and also got a major house project in the works and actually well on its way to being done. Once we dig up the back yard and do some more work in the basement we will be set! I also got everything ready for D's tot school the next couple week. I am fortunate he knows the alphabet and all the sounds the letters make, so as we take that knowledge and throw it into our everyday life, I hope to jump him into basic phonetic sounds and putting a couple letters together to develop the sound. Brenden has 2 teeth and is very close to crawling. He moves even better when his big brother is romping around on the floor with him. It is so neat to see their relationship develop! I have loved the warmer weather, the boys have too. We had spent lots of time outside in the sandbox, riding bikes and taking walks. We visited the zoo last week and the weather was perfect. Donovan had such a great time, and Brenden enjoyed being outside. We saw many animals, I think this trips favorite was the dolphins, penguins, and the monkeys because those were all the most active this trip.<br />
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The rest of this week will be filled with miscellaneous tasks. I need to run errands, do some grocery shopping, and play! I am finishing up our major quarterly cleaning of the closets, rooms, drawers, rearranging and all that fun stuff. I just have a couple small areas left to do. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! We should have a pretty decent yard sale this year though! Come see for yourself whenever I choose to do it! (hopefully soon! I want this stuff gone!)<br />
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I am off to get busy. A good reminder for me today is to think about what kind of mommy I want my boys to think I am. Do I want them to think of me as a computer/phone mommy or do I want them to think of me as a Bible/praying mommy? What am I putting first in my life? My relationship with Christ or all the other junk in my life. So in light of that, if you dont see me around much for a while (online) I may end up doing some kind of technology fast of sorts.Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-50743965814968025122012-02-27T16:01:00.001-05:002012-02-27T16:01:21.830-05:00A day like today.Its a "Soul-searching" kind of day. Praying God will open my heart and show me my faults and failures so I can fix them and grow closer to Him. Really striving to do what I know is right and "practice what I preach". Thanking God that His mercies are new every morning.Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-33752609839490603072012-02-24T11:38:00.001-05:002012-02-24T11:38:05.700-05:00Am I the only normal person?Do you ever feel like you are one of the few normal people in the world? It's days like today that I have so much to say, and yet don't know how to put it into words. I am feeling so many emotions: confusion, frustration, thankfulness, more confusion, maybe a little anxiety. All of this combines to make me, well, it makes me desire a closer walk with God.<br />
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There are so many things going on around my family that doesn't affect us, but does at the same time. I mean it affects us, but the decisions are not ours to make. It is decisions others have to make and we are left to deal with those decisions and move on from them. My confusion stems from my desire to do something, but have no idea what to do. I want to talk to several people about things, but honestly, I think they would just get upset or they would cower and say there is no issue. Which then leads into my frustration because I am tired of hearing things. If you have a problem with someone, go to them. Deal with the situation. Its one thing to go to someone else for advice, its another to go to someone else just to vent or stir up strife or guilt and then never deal with the situation. My frustration leads into my thankfulness even more for a wonderful loving husband who is not only just my husband, he is also my friend. We can talk about everything and discuss things. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such a man in my life that wants to lead my family in such a Godly way. He strives to do whats best for us and he also puts up with my ramblings and talking all the time! After all those emotions, I deal with anxiety. Let me rephrase-I try not to let anxiety take hold. I am a do-er. I see things that need to get done or fixed and I want to do it right now. In situations like these where I have to sit back and wait for things to happen I tend to get a little impatient. So...how do I fix these emotions? I go to God. I cast all my cares on Him. I pray without ceasing. I read and study His Word. I depend upon Him. In the end, that's all I can do. If I am striving to live my life right and properly, other things are not important. What's it matter that I have a better relationship with some than others? That's a natural thing. Some people get along better with certain people. Perhaps it is merely the fact that both sides put out effort to have that friendship. I value my friendships and try to make them stronger. I try to put others before myself. I try to have the mentality that I would drop what I am doing to help a friend. More importantly, I REALLY try to follow through with what I say I will do. I give effort to things. I know sometimes circumstances come up, especially when small children are involved, but really people, give effort into making friends. The world does not revolve around just you.<br />
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Well, thats enough of that! On to other things...I am going to start "teaching" Donovan in a sort of preschool. I am not really going gung-ho on it though because he is not even 3 yet. But he has the desire to learn and wants to do things, so I am going to teach him! I have a preschool book or worksheets and crafts to do with him as well as a list of everyday things that I do that I can use as a learning experience for him. What do I want the goal of this to be? Well, I want to focus in more on his attention span. I want to challenge him to focus on things for a little longer than he is. I want him to learn matching, and colors, shapes and more numbers. Right now he knows all his letters, their sounds, can count to 14 and knows his basic shapes. I want to harness in on this knowledge and expand on it. I love seeing how much he enjoys learning and doing new things! I also want to work on his vocabulary. Teaching him new words, helping him enunciate. I think he talks exceptionally well for 2. I can carry on conversations with him, he talks most of the time in small full sentences, usually volunteers please, thank you and sorry on his own. Its such a joy to be his mother and I want to continue helping him grow and develop! <br />
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As I go off to do more laundry, make the beds, play with my kids, remember who we are here to serve. Do your best to serve God no matter how big or small the tasks!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1993158157753662342.post-12211060810439454572012-02-23T08:24:00.001-05:002012-02-23T08:24:48.608-05:00Early morning ramblings...I have this strangely odd desire to write a book. My hang-up is what to write about. I love to write about my thoughts and dreams. I am a really good dreamer, a semi-good follow througher, but thats about as far as it goes. This morning my kids woke up at 5 am. It wasn't the wake up and go back to sleep kind either. It was the I am awake for the day kind of awake, so after an hour of struggling to get them back to sleep, I decided to wake up and embrace the morning. There were 2 things I learned this morning. The smell of coffee certainly helps one to stay awake when every ounce of me is desiring to go back to bed, and I really enjoy the sun in the morning. I would love to be an early riser. I would love to get up a couple hours before the kids, read my Bible, have my coffee, perhaps even do some quiet household tasks, but alas, when it is dark, my mind says sleep. So perhaps, now for a couple weeks before daylight savings time kicks in again, I will be able to get up early.<br />
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You know those times in life when you are extremely reflective on the life situations of other people but hardly look at your own? I know you know what I am talking about. It could even be in a sermon...the preacher is up their talking and you feel like he is just holding a BIG sign saying "this is for so and so". Well, upon realizing I was doing that, I looked at myself and saw how much I needed to work on! For instance, my resolve to read the Bible got lost somewhere between tearing up the kitchen floor and the overwhelming sense that my life was a whole lot more busier than it really was. So, in that light, yes, I need to read and study more. There are other things that I need to work on. Perhaps my new years resolutions will actually be Springtime resolutions this year. Or perhaps I could title it Spring cleaning for the soul. There we go...that's my book title! (Just kidding! I am so not qualified to write a book.)<br />
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As I meander around many thoughts in this blog, I have to confess, its not as much for all of you readers as it is for me. Somehow by writing, it challenges me to be accountable to myself. It also allows me to get my thoughts out of my head to make room for other more important things.<br />
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Finally, today I will fold 5 loads of laundry, make 2 beds, clean up countless amounts of toys, chase Donovan yelling "to infinity and beyond" most of the time he is awake, change diapers, take d potty, make dinner and crash this evening, but I resolve to do it all with a joyful attitude regardless of the lack of sleep I got last night!Hollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11520641558060220725noreply@blogger.com0