Saturday Mornings

Gluten-free pancakes made every Saturday morning by one of our two Ladybugs...PRICELESS!!

30 Day Thanksgiving Challenge

Day 1: Thank You, Lord, for saving me from a life filled with sin and shame and making me a new creation in Christ Jesus my Lord!

Day 2: VERY thankful for the doctors who have been so good with Azaryah. Our little man had a seizure this morning and rushed by ambulance to the children's hospital. For most of the day, he was not able to recognize us but this evening he is back to himself. We are currently waiting on the meningitis results from the spinal tap. Some concerns about the CT scan but the MRI showed all was NORMAL! Azaryah will stay overnight with more tests in the morning. VERY SCARY day but we have been reminded many times that God is in control and I am SOOO thankful that HE is :)

Day 3: We are so thankful that Azaryah's spinal tap came back clear...No bacterial or viral meningitis. Azaryah has been on "seizure watch" through the night but he has not had any more seizures since yesterday morning. The doctors and nurses are taking great care of him and have scheduled more tests this morning but they have told us that we may never know exactly what cause the seizure(s). We are resting in the truth that God alone knows exactly what is happening in Azaryah's brain and HE is the Great Physician.

Day 4: We are so thankful for people who love us and pray for us and for a God who hears our prayers and answers according to His perfect will. Yesterday, Azaryah was in intense pain and unable to stand, lie down, or put any weight on his legs. Last night, we finally got him in a comfortable position and he was able to sleep all night. This morning, he awoke with NO PAIN! He was even able to stand up and walk around a little bit. The doctors are noticing something when he tries to walk a straight line and his left leg is having spasms...Still waiting on them to decide if the MRI is necessary. Overall, Azaryah is showing HUGE improvements and is acting even more like our Azaryah :)

Day 5: We are so thankful that Azaryah was released last night from the hospital. Sunday morning, he did have an "episode" but the doctors and nurses rushed in the room and took wonderful care of him! They kept him all day for observation but felt he could be released last night. He slept well and woke this morning with a smile on that sweet face and is already playing! Azaryah told the doctors and nurses that he will miss them and that he would visit them again, but next time he would not be sick! AMEN, Little Man :)

Day 6: I am thankful that God's Word says, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." (Romans 13:1) May God's will be done in our nation this election day and always!

Day 7: I am so thankful that we can praise the Lord even when we do not understand His decisions. "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you are meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect,  that you may perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 4:1-4. God is good all the time!

Day 8: I am so thankful that God's forgiveness completely covers all my sin! "As far as the east is from the west, so far does HE remove our transgressions from us." Psalm 103:12

Day 9: I am so thankful that God fully equips us to do everything HE has called us to do. Left the house yesterday morning at 7:30 with all four kiddos and made it to 6 different doctor's appointments...ON TIME and was back home by naptime! WHEW! And that was a MUCH needed naptime :)

Day 10: I am thankful that I am able to be a wife and a mommy. Truly two of the greatest joys in my life :)

Day 11: I am thankful for our church family. It is a blessing to study God's Word and worship with some of the most precious people we know!

Day 11 addition: I am so thankful for the men and women who have and are serving our country! I am blessed to be married to a Veteran! We appreciate all of your service and the freedom that comes from your dedication and selfless sacrifices!

Day 12: I am so thankful that the Lord chose Glen to be my husband. God's blessings have been poured out upon me and our children through Glen's love for the Lord, devotion to our family, and his example of Godly leadership as the head of our family. I Love My Man!

Day 13: I am thankful for the four precious children that the Lord has given Glen and I. Each one is unique, each one is a gift from the Lord, and God uses each one of them to teach me more about Himself. It is truly a blessing to be called "Mommy" :)

Day 14: I am thankful for my Daddy and Mama.  God blessed me beyond measure when HE allowed me to be born into their families. God has used both of them to reveal Himself to me, teach me, mold me, love me, and certainly showed me unconditional love through them. This may be hard to believe but I was a VERY DIFFICULT baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, and even an adult!! :) I love you, Daddy and Mama with all my heart...You are a gift to me and my family.

Day 14 addition: I am thankful for the braces that God provided for Corbyn and that he was able to get them removed today. We have one very happy boy!!

Day 15: I am thankful for Glen's parents. God graciously gave me a father and mother-in-law who welcomed me into their family and loves me and our family selfLESSly. Although, Glen's dad went to be with the Lord 5 years ago, he is tucked securely in our hearts. Glen's mother is a blessing we are still able to enjoy and we are so thankful for that! We love you, Nana V :)

Day 16: I am thankful for my sister.   She is one of the funniest ladybugs I know. She is creative, compassionate, loving, and a wonderful mother, sister and friend. She has always stood by me and even when we do not see eye-to-eye she loves me unconditionally. My life would not be the same without her! Sisters are truly "Forever Friends." I love you, Sis!!

Day 17: I am thankful for Date Nights and a hubby who plans them :)

Day 18: I am thankful for God's promises to provide for His children and that HE is faithful to do so. Thank you, Lord, for our warm home, comfy beds, closets with clothes, and a kitchen with food. Thank you, also, for a place for the kiddos to play and for the toys that are spread out all over the place :)

Day 19: I am thankful for the precious group of Ladybugs who study God's Word with me on Sunday mornings and for the precious group of Ladybugs who study with me on Monday nights! SWEET Sisters-in-Christ!

Day 20: God's timing and sovereignty over every detail of our lives truly amazes me! Last night, our van was running fine...I traveled 45 miles to church, had Bible study with a sweet group of Ladybugs, drove another 45 miles to get home...As soon as I took my exit (about 2 miles from our home), the van's transmission went completely out. God allowed it to coast to a safe spot where I waited on my hubby and the tow truck. As I sat there, I was able to praise the Lord that HE allows events in my life so that I can see Him work! So today, I am thankful that God has given me "eyes to see" Him at work in ALL the details of my life :)

Day 21: I am so thankful for those precious friends in my life who speak truth to me (even when my flesh wants them to tell me what I want to hear), hold me accountable, and love me unconditionally!

Day 22: I am thankful that we are spending a quiet Thanksgiving here at home. The girls and I are going to attempt to recreate our favorite Thanksgiving meal entirely gluten-free while the guys enjoy some time together doing "manly" things :) HaPpY HaPpY Thanksgiving, All...

Day 23: I am thankful for quiet moments to reflect upon God's Word and for a husband who continually reflects Christ in his service to our family, his selfless hours of work both at the office and around our home, the training that he gives to our boys, and the example he is for our girls (I truly pray they marry someone with the exact same character as their Daddy!).

Day 24: I am so thankful for day filled with decorating, Christmas movies and music, and family fun!

Day 25: I am thankful for insurance! We received Azaryah's hospital bills yesterday and Glen and I were both praising the Lord that all of his services were covered at 100%!! That is a HUGE blessing!

Day 26: I am thankful for peaceful days at home being able to focus on lessons and chores.

Day 27: I am thankful for my entire family. Each person in my extended family has impacted my life in wonderful ways and I am so blessed to have such loving uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, and four godly grandparents who are now with Jesus. They certainly left a legacy of faith for me to walk in :)

Day 28: I am thankful for the gluten-free foods that are now available at Walmart! It sure makes my life easier and the cost of feeding our family is becoming more affordable!

Day 29: I am thankful for fieldtrips! They truly do enhance what we are learning and we get to spend time with sweet friends :)

Day 30: I am thankful for all the posts this month giving praise and thanksgiving to the Lord! God has used many of your posts to enhance my praise and thanksgiving. God is worthy of all our praise and HE is so gracious to allow us to enjoy the abundant overflow of His glory!

One Room School House Fieldtrip

This is one of our very favorite fieldtrips!  We go back in time to 1912 and have school at the One Room School House.  The teacher is a former teacher from the one room school and she transports the students back in time.  They wear penifoils and suspenders, put their lunch in a pail (homemade bread, ham slice, hard-boiled eggs, a slice of cheese, and a piece of fruit), write on slates, read from primers, and play games at recess.  The day begins at 9:00 and ends around 1:00.  The children had grade appropriate assignments in math, reading, history, spelling, and penmanship.  They even got to write with a quill and ink.

The Class Picture...Miss Ream, Miss Alderman, Corbyn, Adeline, Karoline, Keziah, Eden, Azaryah, Crandall, Josephine, Kenda, Lillian, and Lexi - November 29, 1912

Corbyn's Braces are Off...

 Before...

After...My Handsome Baby Boy!!

Azaryah's Hospital Stay

Poor Little Guy!  Our trip to see family last weekend did not go exactly as we had planned.  Our Little Man had some seizures and spent the weekend in the hospital.  All is well now and he is back to his energetic self!

Azaryah enjoyed the gluten-free food the hospital provided.  He was spoiled with mac-n-cheese, chicken nuggets, waffles, and a host of yummy snacks.

Although he was not able to leave the hospital for a few days, he had LOTS of visitors :)

Harvest Fun

A Lion, A Ninja, A Pirate, and a Cheerleader...The kiddos had a blast putting together their own costumes from costumes we already had.  They are always in some sort of costume on any given day!  I love their creativitiy.

We all enjoyed the Dowlings hanging out with us on Wednesday night. Friends are a gift from the Lord!!

Bert and Mary Poppins...TOOOO cute!!

21st Anniversary Trip

My Man took me to the Plaza for three days to celebrate our 21st anniversary!  He treated me to a delicious meal at one of our favorite places the first night, the dinner theatre the next night, shopping a couple of days but most of all just being alone with him was a real treat!  Thank You, Lord, for Glen and for blessing our marriage. 

Precious Start to Each Day

One of the most precious parts of our day is having our devotion during breakfast.  So sweet to watch Corbyn lead his siblings in the Joseph study.  Azaryah sits quietly and listens and even offers answers from time to time.  Moments that I will treasure forever!!

New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia, Gettysburg, and Hershey 2012

There are FAR TOO MANY pictures for me to post...All together, I took over 800 pictures of our entire trip.  The Lord was so gracious to have allowed us to travel safely, hang out for an entire week with our dear friends the Houses, see lots of historical sites, enjoy beautiful weather, and take our children to several places we had always hoped to go.

Our trip began on Friday, September 14th.  We traveled for two days to get to New Jersey.  We were able to take the children through 9 states, 4 of which they had never been in.  On Sunday, the Houses took us into New York City!!  What a fabulous day!!  We began by stopping on the Jersey side to see Manhattan.  We saw Jersey City, Ellis Island, and the Twin Towers Memorial on the Jersey side.  Then we drove into Manhatten where we walked through Battery Park, rode the Ferry across to Stanton Island passing the Statue of Liberty.  After that, we walked through Ground Zero, explored the Subway, drove through Little Italy, Soho, Chinatown, ate at Katz's Deli, went to Rockerfeller Plaza, went to the Top of the Rock, walked around and shopped on 5th Avenue, and hung out in Times Square after dark looking at all the lights and people watching.

Monday, we enjoyed a restful day.  Susan and I took the kiddos to a beautiful park where they played, climbed trees, explored waterfalls, and enjoyed climbing around on the rocks.

Tuesday, Susan and I head out to Chester to walk around the shops and a treat at a local coffee shop.  That evening, Glen took the big boys to the new Batman movie and Susan and I took the younger ones to the mall to shop.

Wednesday, Robert and Susan to us all to Philadephia, PA.  We stopped at Washington's Crossing, saw the Liberty Bell, toured the Senate, Congress, and stood in the room where the Declaration of Independance was signed.  We also stood in the spot where the first peaceful tranferance of power happened between Washington and Adams.  We walked through historical streets, saw the United States Mint, Benjamin Franklin's home where he penned the Declaration of Independance, Betsy Ross' house, and run up the steps to the Museum where Rocky was filmed.   We ate dinner at Tony Luke's.

Thursday, we enjoyed a day at the house so the kiddos could play together.

Friday, Susan took all of us to the Jersey Shore.  We had a BLAST playing in the water, building sand castles, a picnic lunch, and walking along the Broadwalk.  The waves were huge and the kiddos loved playing for several hours before we headed back to the Houses' for a yummy dinner.

Saturday, we headed out on our two day journey home.  We stopped in Hershey, PA for a quick look around the Hershey Musuem and then off to Gettysburg, PA where we took a bus tour through the Battlefields.  It was a LONG day but so worth it!! 

Sunday, we arrived home late.  It was a great trip but it was nice to be back home again.

Happy 16th Birthday, Corbyn!!

I cannot believe that my Baby Boy has now turned 16 years old.  It seems like yesterday that I gave birth to him.  Corbyn is such a blessing to our family.  He is a young man of character and he loves the Lord with all his heart.  Corbyn is intelligent, creative, caring, considerate, responsible, and so much fun to be around.  He truly is a delight and I am honored to be his Mommy!

Corbyn's day began with Breakfast in Bed prepared by all three of his siblings.  Eden, Keziah, and Azaryah LOVE serving their Big Brother!! It is precious to see their heart's desire is to bless him.

Here are a few pictures of Corbyn playing his guitar...This is one of his greatest joys and his Daddy and I LOVE to sit and listen to him play and sing!!

Azaryah wanted to buy a gift for his brother...He picked it out himself and bought it with his own money.  It was so cute watching Azaryah as Corbyn opened the gift!!  Corbyn LOVES his Lego set!!

Corbyn got a set of wheels for his birthday!!  He has wanted a "cool" skateboard for several months. 

 His sisters picked out and bought the pads for him...They want to make sure he is safe :)

Some money to spend in New York City!  Part of Corbyn's celebration will be our trip to New Jersey to see some of his best buddies.  While we are there, we will head into NYC to shop, sight-see, and enjoy the Big Apple!!

The cake was a group effort.  The kiddos and I made a gluten-free carrot cake with homemade icing.  Glen to the decorative icing and wrote on the cake.  Such a good Daddy!!

Hope he likes it!!!

 HaPpY HaPpY Birthday, My Love!!  We sure love you!!

Sleepovers Are The BEST!!

Kentucky Trip 2012

Every summer, we have the blessing of heading to Kentucky to visit friends and family.  This year, our first stop was in Louisville, KY to visit with Nana V for the week.  Of course, I took TONS of pictures but or the sake of space, I have tried to narrow the pictures down to just a few.  Our visit wtih Nana V included slumber parties and a gift box from Nana V...Can you tell by the kiddos' faces that they were THRILLED?!?!

Nana V took us to the Louisville Slugger Museum to see how they make the bats.  We spent the entire day in downtown Louisville.  We even got to eat at on of our favorite places...The Old Speghatti Factory...And YES!!  They serve Gluten-free pastas!!  WHOO HOO!!

 Nana also planned a day of Indoor Racing for Corbyn and a day at Puzzles for the younger ones.

 Me and Vilma...I truly am blessed to have such a precious Mother-In-Law!!  I LOVE HER!!!

The last day in Louisville, Uncle Dan and Aunt Deb hosted a family cookout.  It was SOOO fun to hang out all day with all of them.  Thank you, Missy, for taking the picture for us!!

The second week we were in Kentucky, we stayed at my parents.  Nana and Pawpaw had lots of fun activities planned as well.  One of the best things is being able to worship with them!!

Jason and Annette spend that weekend at Mama and Daddy's as well.  Annette's two boys got to hang out too!!  Aunt Chelle loves you Austin Jacomb and Noahie Noahie!!

This trip, I had the pure joy of running into several friends from high school.  Tammy was also in town that same week so she and her daugther, Taegan, came to my parents one evening to visit!! It was WONDERFUL seeing one of my best friends again!!

Can you tell by this picture that the kiddos, Uncle Jason, and Pawpaw had a blast playing swords?!?!  Silly Bunch!!

No trip to London, KY is complete without at least one lunch at Weaver's...Daddy painted the door for them a few months ago.

Of course, Nana and Pawpaw take the kiddos swimming every summer.  And of course, that trip includes at least one ice cream!!

Nana and Pawpaw's library is SOOO cool.  The children always look forward to going and joining in on the summer program activities.

Nana and Pawpaw save all their change from one summer to the next so that the children can have some "fun money" while we are visiting.  This year, they each were able to buy games from Game Stop.  Thank you, Nana and Pawpaw!!

Our trip ended with four days at Annette's.  She and I always have a Day Out when we are together.  This year, we went to downtown Bardstown to shop, eat, and walk around.

 Annette and her hat...

 Me and my hat...

 Saying "Good-bye" is so hard!!

Back Home...Safe and Sound!!  The children were THRILLED to see their Daddy again and I was VERY happy to be back in My Man's arms again :)

Thank You, Lord, for a great trip!!