Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

Few people in the world enjoy and embrace life as much as our Jonathan.

He is a mover and a shaker. Always doing something.....always making something......always ready to be involved in whatever you are doing. And if you are not doing anything, he will have a few suggestions. ;) Whatever his two biggest brothers are doing is what he wants to be do. He loves to play basketball and he is quite athletic. He loves to sing and he loves to laugh. Making friends comes as easily as breathing.

What an amazing gift from God he has been. Just the fact that he is alive is a miracle. The doctors at one time pronounced him dead before he was born. But he is here. And he is ours. And we are so blessed to spend each day molding this life for God. Happy Birthday, Jonathan! You make nine years old look like the best age ever!

5 Things

John Deere pants, Thomas the Tank shirt and pirate costume pieces....me thinks my cute Jonathan is having an identity crisis. ;)



Paula issued a challenge. It was to list 5 little known facts about yourself. I read that last week and thought it would be fun to do, but I must admit that it was much harder than I had anticipated. I actually had to think! (I am still on summer vacation, you know! LOL)

So if you are interested, here we go...

1.) I have broken both my arms. Thankfully, not at the same time! I was in third or fourth grade and broke my right arm roller skating at a friend's house. Though it was a painful experience I was excited to finally have my "lefts & rights" figured out as I had struggled mastering which one was which. A few years later I broke my other arm (Don't you wish you knew how??) and have struggled with my lefts and rights ever since. Ugh!

2.) I hate to drive. I have my driver's license. I have driven all over Chicago in my younger days. I have driven back and forth to college which is over a thousand miles away. But I am a very content passenger. I like to observe the world around me. And I am a multi-tasker--not a good thing when you are driving! I drive so rarely that when someone from the church sees me driving for the first time they give me a shocked look and ask if I have my license. By the way, this is perfect for a harmonious marriage. My husband LOVES to drive!

3.) My Grandma left me alone with my then favorite pie--pumpkin--when I was about 8 years old. She handed me a spoon and told me to have a great time.

I did.

And I did not care for pumpkin pie for a long time after that.... ;)

4.) I had a birthday party for my Raggedy Ann doll. I was probably about 6 years old when I announced one day to my Mom that it was Raggedy Ann's birthday. And could we give her a party? I could tell my Mom thought it was silly, but it meant a great deal to me. Sooooo, Mom called Grandma. Grandma immediately realized I was right and got busy making sure there was cake and presents and she came right over to celebrate this special occasion. I will never forget it. I love you, Bramma!!

And 5.) My dad walked me down the aisle on crutches on my wedding day. He broke his leg ice skating a few weeks before my big day. He was in a lot of pain, but still sweetly took me down the aisle...probably because he was looking forward to giving me away! (Just kidding!! I am wonderful and he knows it!)

And that is all for now....(because I know how to count, Paula! I love you!!)

Hope your weekend is wonderful! Mine has started out perfectly with a sweet lady named Sue trusting Christ as her Saviour today. If you do not know for sure that you have a home in Heaven, please read more here. Heaven is the gift God wants you to have.

I have enjoyed having you visit!

Thanks for stopping by,

My Sunday

I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:1-5


I love this passage of Scripture so much and thought I would share it with you...

It has been a wonderful day and weekend as I have puttered around my home and blog and have cared for my children. Weekends are always busy for my husband. They are usually busy for me, too, but God slowed me down these past two days.

I discovered spellcheck on my blog and I am sooooo thankful--but am frustrated that I did not know about it much sooner! :(

Some of my children promoted to new Sunday School classes this morning and it was delightful to listen to their excitement. One teacher even came last night to pay a visit. Praise God for giving us such godly influences in the lives of our children.

I especially enjoy living on the church property on days like today. People have trickled in and out all day so I have enjoyed fellowshipping with many of our wonderful church family. We have one of our adult Sunday School classes that meets in our kitchen so I even got to go to Sunday School ;)

I believe I broke my toe this morning. I don't remember ever doing that before. The funny thing is that my older boys have complained of toes hurting. They have been playing a lot of sports lately so minor injuries are the norm. But I showed them my dark purple toe so their complaints are done. Wish I could claim something as glamorous as a sports injury, but I can't! Just rushing around trying to take care of my sick baby.

Jonathan has this new thing he enjoys doing. After he uses the restroom, he has been taught to wash his hands. He spends a looooooong time doing this as the fun of playing in soap and water are a thrill to him. (Soap and water are cheap and his hands get clean-doesn't bother me!) His hands are really cold when he is done and he likes to sneak up on me when I am sitting at my desk and put his wet, cold hands on my cheeks. Makes me jump every time! But today....I was puttering around the house and heard Jonathan calling me. I went to check on him. He was in the bathroom and he could not get out because his hands were too wet! He wouldn't dry them off because he wanted to jump me, but they were too slippery to turn the door handle. I got a chuckle out of that. ;)

Joshua is still running a fever, but the medicine has it livable. We miss seeing him running all over the house and we are praying he feels better real quick. Speaking of little ones, please pray for Samuel. His parents would appreciate it.


Thanks for stopping by,

Two Days Without Rain!

And we are tickled pink about it! (Aren't these guys too cute?)



My roses are blooming...



There are toys in the yard...



And basketball is being played!



Jack got more birthday money...and so they match again! This time we got some variety in their matching.



Jonathan



Jack



Joshua



Jonathan has been quickly outgrowing what he affectionately calls his "cow blanket." Last night was chilly. I went to check on him before I went to bed and he was curled up in a ball, but his feet were still sticking out. (It is meant for babies.) I covered him with additional blankets and decided to strike a deal with him the next day. With Daddy's permission, I told him today I would buy him a new blanket in exchange. There was a new blanket he REALLY wanted and so he agreed. I have now retired the good old cow blanket to storage. (I am NOT a pack rat, but some things you just have to keep.) He went to sleep fine tonight, so hopefully the transition is easy. ;) I will have to post pictures of the new blanket sometime.



We had a baby shower for a dear sweet friend, Denise. Several of you know her. What a great gal! Little Kylee is so blessed! Lots of laughter and games-food and fun-gifts and a sweet baby girl...All in all, a very enjoyable evening.




And if you want to "meet" the cute kids you see on my blog then check out my sidebar. I had a good time adding a description of each today.

Thanks for stopping by,

Hello Again!

We have had busy and productive days. I have missed connecting with family and friends here for the last several days. We have done so much-for God, as a family, with friends...and we have enjoyed it all.

Ricky has needed a suit for sometime. He has long since outgrown any suits in the house and I have not come across any for him. Grandma (my wonderful Mom!) has decided to make it her mission that all her grandsons have suits to wear. That is a big committment as nine of her twelve grandchildren are boys. Ricky is thrilled to be in a suit. And, I might add, he looks very handsome in it!


Jonathan's wonderful Sunday School teacher had a "green" party. Due to several different sets of circumstances, Jonathan was the only child from the class who could come. This flexible teacher went ahead and started getting any children she could get so Jonathan could still have a great time. And he had a terrific afternoon. I am so thankful for this great lady's influence on my little guy.



The children are thrilled to see some of their closest friends who are home from India for the summer. We are enjoying our time with them immensely.


Tonight some of our friends came over and we helped celebrate their youngest child's birthday. We had a great time-especially the children.





I have several people I need to get back with...

Margaret, we got the package today. Thank you! We are looking forward to the cookies... ;)

Amy, we LOVED the e-mail you sent. Thank you so much for sharing it. We have chuckled all day!

Mom, thanks for the suit! Thank you for seeing a need and filling it. I strive to be so much like you!

I am honored you visited. I would love to hear from you.

And as I have said before...

Thanks for stopping by,

Lots of Pictures

Here are many pictures from our day. I narrowed them down quite a bit, but do not mind putting alot of pictures here because I know that Grandmas love pictures. ;)

And, Marisa, there is a note for you at the end...

First of all, there is a new lawn mower! My men are grateful! We love having a nice yard and my husband takes a lot of pride in keeping our lawn kept up nicely. It has been a bit of a challenge to do that the last few weeks. The lawn mower came last night and he was on it first thing this morning. It has several great new features, but our personal favorite is the cup holder. (So high tech!)

I enjoyed watching my handsome husband on the new machine.



My very thoughtful Mother sent the children a kite a few weeks ago. We had been wanting one, but had not invested in one. Only God knew of our want...and sent it through my Mom. I love how God provides needs AND many wants. The weather and wind were perfect today and the kids had a great time with their new toy. Thanks, Mom, for the fun package! I love you!








Did you want my help??

Are you sure? I am pretty handy with this stuff...

Jonathan spent most of the "kite time" oblivious to the rest of us. He was lost in his own four year old world. He sang and talked, ran and crawled, stared at things that only he saw. He was content and happy. I found such joy as I watched him just soaking in the world around him.





Our turkeys stayed away all morning because of all the action around our yard. I missed them. They made an appearance tonight and fed about four feet from the house. They saw me in the window taking their picture, but did not let that bother them too much. I know I post a lot of these...but I saw that "bad" picture on Michelle's blog and had to try to remedy that! Just kidding! I am married to a hunter. I need to enjoy my turkeys in pictures now and in the oven later. (Sorry, Mom!)

To end my day my kitchen table became a battle zone. With all these boys in the house, this is a common occurrence.


With Daddy and five sons, Rachel and I are very protected. :D


Bramma, your comment came through! I was excited to find it this morning. I am glad you were able to figure it out. I love you!

Marisa, I was thrilled to hear from you! You are on my "all time favorite people list". (Did you know I had one?) I am excited you have a blog and I looked at it today. I would have left you a comment, but it would not let me. I do not know if you have enabled commenting on your blog? Post lots of pics...I will be checking your blog often! ;) I love you!

And to all of you who looked at this very long picture post-
Thanks for stopping by,