The Voice of Truth

After talking on the phone with an old friend about how Keegan was doing I started thinking over the emergency situation we faced last week. I started thinking about the "what ifs". What if I had been outside, what if I had called him to come inside for the night earlier, what if I had said yes to watching a. movie after supper instead of no. What if...at times I feel responsible, like if I should have been watching him closer maybe the accident wouldn't have happened. But then again, I can't be right beside him all the time. And I can't keep him in a bubble. So instead of fretting over something I can't change, I prayed. I prayed that God would give me peace. That I would be confident knowing that He knows my heart. He knows I diligently watch and care for my children. And that when I cannot be fully present beside them, He's there. An amazing thing happened after I prayed. I had been listening to the Christian radio station and a song by Casting Crowns came on. The song is entitled "The Voice of Truth". These were words I needed to hear. The chorus says this, "the voice of truth tells me a different story. The voice of truth says do not be afraid. The voice of truth says this is for My glory.". So I won't be afraid, I won't blame myself, and I will believe that all of this is for God's glory!

The Fall

So Keegan once again proved himself to be a risk taker. After doing a crazy stunt on his bike he ended up in the hospital for 2 nights. Our precious son had a severe concussion, a burst ear drum, a basal skull fracture and 2 stitches. This fall has made him bed ridden for the last week. This experience has been very Traumatic and stressful for the whole family. Keegan will be fine. He will recover. But it will take time. We have definitely seen God's hand in Keegan's life, and ours this past week. From kind doctors and nurses, to loving family and friends. Keegan has had thoughtful visitors who bring him gifts and love. He has also received surprises in the mail. We have had many e-mails and phone calls. Once again we are overwhelmed with the blessing of family and friends who love Keegan and us. We praise God for these things, and for the very fact that Keegan will be fine.

The Whine

Wow, I do not get along with the whine. The whine that comes from my sweet children's mouths. All 6 of them have cute little faces, and when they are sleeping, they look so innocent. But that's the trouble, when they don't get enough sleep they get really whiny. And when there are 6 of them, that's a lot of whining. To be honest a couple of them have, what seems to be, naturally whiny voices. And a couple of them are too little to have developed the skill. But man, I do not get along with the whine. I try. I try to stop it. But it seems to be a loosing battle. I need a good method to stop the problem. But maybe the only thing that will stop the problem is age and time. Until then, I will pray for patience, and a cure.

Summertime!

Celebrating life. That is what we talked about last night in our ladies bible study. Celebrating every day, I'm thinking that's a very good way to live each day. Our days are numbered and I have been considering what people will remember me by. So I am going to intentionally celebrate each day. Here's what I can celebrate today: ~ hearing Sally (Aliah), Peter (Josh) and Keegan play house in the front yard~ ~ watching Brendan teach Josh to ride a 2 wheeler~ ~hearing Hudson talk and repeat words and call Claire "bear bear"~ ~ snuggling with the sweetest little bundle of beautiful babyness~ ~sitting on the deck, in the sun, with a delicious coffee without being interrupted for 10 minutes~ ~ learning to rest, be thankful and soak in fellowship with my Lord~. Life is sweet. Life is busy. In the midst of it all, I am going to learn to celebrate it each day.

Proverbs 17:17 a and b

"A friend loves at all times." 17a This half of the verse is a very well known proverb. It makes me feel warm and happy. Thinking about all the friends I have been blessed with, and how loved they make me feel. The encouragement I receive from them. The way they make me feel so special. They are truly blessings from the Lord. Friends. So needed. So wonderful. So blessed. 17b says "a brother is born for a time of adversity." This got me thinking about sibling rivalry again. The bible clearly states that brothers (and sisters) are born for a time ~for a time~ of adversity, or another definition, trouble. I think God intended for there to be trouble among siblings to get them ready for adulthood, when they are surrounded by people they don't necessarily enjoy being around. If they get used to dealing with their siblings who cause adversity, in a respectable, loving way, they will hopefully live in community with their neighbors and coworkers as adults. The verse say ~for a time~ because isn't the beautiful thing about siblings that you become good friends when you are older. I remember not always getting along with my brothers when we were younger, but now now we are older and love them dearly. The time of adversity is short. Here's to my newest ray of hope in my dealings with my young children. The sibling rivalry will soon end, and they will enjoy each other as friends. So now I will direct them towards loving each other and making good memories they will cherish as adults.

A quote I read that made me think.

Have your heart right with Christ, and He will visit you often, And so turn weekdays into Sundays, meals into sacraments, homes in to temples and earth into heaven. ~Charles Spurgeon

Date Night Kid Edition

The newest Z initiative is a date with each child alone once a month with one parent. The child gets to pick a free activity to do with either mom or dad. They can go swimming, or biking, or fishing (with dad of course, moms more of a biker) or whatever they can come up with We worked out a schedule so that Bryan and take turns with each child. Tonight was the first night. It was my turn with Keegan. We had FUN. He choose to bike down the trails. It was great to go with him alone. We also said that the child could pick a special treat at the end of the night. Keegan picked ice cream. A boy after my own heartOur hope is to make each child feel special and loved. They are all one of a kind and worth treasuring.

Siblings

Today started out rough. Our two boys in the middle seem to have it out for each other all the time (well most of the time). Sounds familiar right? Sibling rivalry, that's what the experts call it. I call it frustrating, tiring and a little annoying. Well today I got frustrated and shouted. I felt bad. I am suppose to be their loving mom who guides them gently. This got me thinking, one of the reasons children are placed in a family is to be trained and raised so that when they are grown they can live effectively in community. Our family is a starting community in which they learn to accept each other for who they are. Even when they don't get along, they need to learn how to like each other. In communities each person has a role, and ideally, each person is respected. So here's to living in community. Here's to accepting each other as God created us. Here's to giving and receiving grace when we fail. Here's to another fresh start, and accepting the fact that we may need to start fresh many, many more times in the days to come. Here's to the power of prayer and the strength of God to raise and train all these siblings.

Contentedness

Philippians 4:11 "I have learned to be content in every situation." This is what I have been reminding myself lately. When the dishes pile up, I will be content with the 6 hungry children I can feed. When the house feels upside down, I will be content with my creative kids. When people make rude comments about how many children I have, I will be content living fully in God's will for me. Being content in the small daily stuff is where it's at. Being thankful in the small stuff is what brings pure joy. It's the dailyness of life that provides the choice to be content. Philippians 4:11 is what I am reminding myself of this week.

Blog Title

Have you ever noticed my blog title? 4 boys and 2 girls. When I started this blog our family consisted of 3 little boys and 1 sweet baby girl, and a mom and a dad. Hence the 4 boys and 2 girls. Well time went on and we were blessed by another son. My cousin in law jokingly said that we needed another daughter to make the title of my blog come true. I did not want this. But God had other plans. A little less than 3 months ago we were blessed beyond measure with our 6 th child, a girl. So now this mom and dad have 4 boys and 2 girls. Wow. 6 incredible blessings. I honestly never thought I would be blessed beyond measure like this. We have more children than we ever thought we would. And we definitely have more JOY than we ever thought we would as well. This is the verse that encourages me regarding our family. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.". I am truly thankful that the Lord's ways are different than my own. So my blog title, little did I know 4 years ago that it would be the perfect title today!!