Baby # 6 Arrives

381. Our Baby #6 has arrived!  We thought we were having a boy but God, in knowing exactly what our family needed, has blessed our family with a sweet baby girl, Patience Ann.  Thank You, Father, for the gift of allowing me to carry, deliver, and now hold our sweet baby #6, Patience Ann!

Rejoicing in the Waiting

Real life reasons I'm rejoicing as I wait for Baby #6...

380. Seeing God provide food even during "lean" times... and knowing that our lean times don't even begin to compare to that of the vast majority in the world.

379. Being led to step out in faith and end our relationship with health insurance and joining with a ministry that supports believers with genuine health bills!  And receiving confirmations that only You could provide!

378. Life springing up in our side garden though we planted dangerously early and prior to heavy downpours!  You are so the Giver of life!

377. Singing hymns with the children as Daddy leads us in Family Worship Time.

376. Being forced to wait on the Lord - as I do not know the day or hour when I will go in to labor.  What a gift to be put in a position of having to wait on my Savior's perfecrt timing!  Oh, may I wait with joy as I trust Him to continue His faithfulness to me.

375. Getting a bunch of quality Christian biographies from PaperbackSwap (for FREE!)

374. Reading a Sojourner Truth biography and getting a more accurate picture of the rich, rich faith legacy of Black people who were slaves and the incredible effect she had on our country!  And the kids and Papa are enjoying me reading out loud!

373. Receiving a book from a friend that is truly encouraging my soul and blessing my marriage and family!

372. The gift of Scripture of memory.  You truly will work in the most pathetic of individuals to allow Your Word to direct, prune, shape, and nourish Your people.  And I am that pathetic one!

371. Hubby has no more night meetings until the 3rd week of April!

370. Taking my last 1/2 gallon jar of tomato sauce out of the freezer for dinner tonight!  So thankful for the blessing of a garden and seeds that YOU alone make grow!

369. Seeing the fruit of praying together as hubby and wifey re: some parenting challenges and seeing the Lord answer prayer in an undeniable way!  His Word

368.  Kadin joining the ranks of the newest WhitneyKiddos to begin "formal" teaching!

367. Still feeling great (the best I've felt in any of my pregnancies) and enjoying home schooling the kiddos.

366. Made it to the month of April so we ready for our first home birth experience!

He is so LAVISH!

365. Jars of fresh, homemade tomato sauce in the freezer.  A few bags of frozen whole tomatoes from our garden.  Kale is still coming in.  A great big pumpkin on our dining room table.  Zucchini puree in the freezer.  And so much more!  Thank You for this harvest, Lord.

364. A full-size van!  Paid in cash, low mileage, plenty of space, and You even allowed us to sell our minivan in 24 hours to put a little bit more back in to savings!  Glory to You, O my King!

God, You are lavish in Your gifts to us.  How undeserved we are.  Thank You, great is Your faithfulness!

Another Life

363. Life is a gift.  And carrying a life inside me is a gift as well.  Thank You, Lord, for another life.  May this life be for Your glory alone.  Oh, I thank You for the plans you have for WhitneyKiddos #6!!!!!

Outside our Bedroom Window

362. Oh, Lord, how I LOVE the color that Spring brings!  Thank You for what's outside our bedroom window this morning:

God's Sustaining Power

361. Thank You, Father, for your sustaining power.  With five sick kiddos and one recovering hubby, all I can say right now is... THANK YOU.  You have and are sustaining me... and you're sustaining my sick kiddos and my hubby too.  We've made it through diarrhea, terrible coughs, constant runny noses, a double hernia repair, and our basement getting a partial makeover.  Though none of these things are yet finished, I know You are God and that You are the One who sustains us and grants grace.  Yes, I'm trusting You to continue pouring out that power to sustain me as we walk through the healing and completion stages.

Tulips

360. I've never been a flower-kinda gal. But, every once in a while, I LOVE getting flowers! Yesterday was one of those days. My Pops surprised me with these:

How could I not enjoy these? How could I not enjoy a gift from the King and my prince? Thank You, Lord, for tulips and my husband.

Alive!

359. Because of the Holy Spirit's prompting, I shared my testimony with the kids this evening. We were in the middle of reading The Big Picture Story Bible (which we would HIGHLY recommend) in the part where Jesus raises Lazurus to life when I shared my story of when/where/how God saved me from my sin. What a SWEET moment I don't want to forget!

Joshua was having a tough time understanding how sin leads to death and so I just shared how I was hellbound when Jesus intervened and the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to my sin and need for God. I shared how I couldn't get to God on my own but that Jesus was THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. I told them that day 13 years ago next month was the best day of my life for had that day not happened, my sin would not be covered and I'd still be lost in my sin.

O I praise You, Great and Alighty God for Your saving power & sustaining power! May our kiddos receive the most precious gift, salvation.

358. I didn't kill my keifer! And it is actually growing! You are so kind, Lord! I just knew it would not be alive after I neglected it over the weekend but truly You can make all things ALIVE!

Protection

356. Experience our 2nd earthquake. Praise God, we're all safe!

355. Hubby got a flat tire while driving on 294 this evening. Lord, thank You for protecting him and providing all the nec'y conditions and equiptment so that he was able to put the spare on and make it to his meeting on time. You are good!

Fridays are Special Blessings

354. Siblings. I LOVE watching my kiddos play together. Today they were building with the pillows, blocks, legos, and using their big cars and trucks. They really have a good time using their imagination.

353. A friend was available to chat today when I needed someone to remind of God's Word.

352. Our new healthy living is going well!

351. Though the weekend is just beginning, I think we'll be UNDER budget for groceries this week!

350. Raquel came today. We've got clean bathrooms and a clean kitchen floor! And I was able to run to the store for a hot minute.

349. This is my 100th post on this blog. I think I'll go and reread some of the entries to remind myself just how good God has been to me.

348. Daddy's home. No meeting tonight! Whew! What a week it has been!

347. Autumn Glory is FOUR MONTHS OLD already! Ooooo and she's so adorable! Thank You, Lord, for her precious smile that melts my heart even during those 3am feedings. I've said it many times before, this has been the easiest transition we've had with a baby. Whether it's her being "an easy" baby or me having a very different perspective, the Lord has certainly blessed us with her.

Teaching, Dinner, Papa-son, & Cards

346. Wisdom 356 is going well. Ummm... or should I simply say J and S have good brains and learn despite me. I love teaching them! It's so neat how they memorize Scripture SO easily!

345. No complaints at dinner this evening. What a miracle! It was odd but so welcomed to have everyone actually eat. We did have a minor argument over who was going to pray but having my kids WANT to pray is a good thing!

344. Papa-son went to Trader Joe's before his meeting for me to stock up on some essentials and save me from having to go this weekend. Oh, Pops, you are GOOOOOD to me!

343. Played a card game with Joshua after the others went to bed. What fun! Of course, after we played I realized I taught him the wrong way to play. Guess I should read (and not skim) the directions next time!

Jammies, Cookies, Fellowhip

342. Kadin came into our room as I was feeding Autumn and asked me to zip his jammies. I did and he was so excited about his jammies he squealed and ran away all giddy and smiling! Oh, what sweet joy there can be over little things as warm jammies! Thank You for allowing me that moment, Lord.

341. Made cookies for a fellowship meeting this evening while trying to make dinner and they did not turn out as I had envisioned. I wasn't going to bring them they were so not good. But God actually worked a miracle as they were eaten! In fact, one guy loved them and took the extra home with him! Thank You, Lord, for Your hand on those cookies!

340. Fellowship. Experiencing true biblical fellowship, where you are transparent and other point you to the only One who can save and change you, is a gift.

New...

339. New chances. Yes, Your grace is available to me. Though I mess up in just about every area, you always provide for me and grant me more opportunties to trust You and learn from my mistakes and sin.

338. A new blog to hopefully focus my efforts and record God's faithfulness.

337. A new year, a new month, a new week... opportunties to grow in trusting God and in seeing God at work!

A Rare Moment of Silence

336. A rare moment of silence. Well, the dryer is running with my FINAL load of laundry. Yes, praise to God for no dirty laundry in the basement. Ah, that is amazing and purely a gift from God in our season. All 5 kiddos are napping... or at least on their beds... and quiet. Yes, a rare but wonderful rare moment of silence. I do hear the rain outside though... and the cars going by. But a rare quiet. No stinky diapers to change. No arguments over crayons. No spilled water. No screaming of anyone in anger. And in this rare moment of silence I hear You loud and clear. You are telling me, reminding me of what You've told me before... You deserve the glory. You have granted me the gift of children. You have allowed me to marry the husband I have. You alone are responsible for this brief reprieve from life's drudgery. So, my God and King, I thank You for this moment of quiet and realize that the quiet's good... but the noise of a house full of kiddos and a crazy husband is FAR better!

Good thing because kiddo #1 just came out of his room and is standing beside me saying, "Mommy, I napped." Of course, he didn't nap for I just closed his bedroom door 10 minutes ago!

October Thanks

335. My hubby planned the best bday for my 35th! What a wonderful man God has graciously allowed me to marry! And every year actually gets BETTER! He planned these surprise meals with people to bless me. The title was something like, "Finding Joy in the midst of Dirty Diapers and Drug Deals." The first meal was with a couple we knew back in Chicago shortly after we got married. They were a couple we were greatly encouraged and spurred on by. It was incredible meeting up with them again! The 2nd meal was with our pastor and his family. What was so neat about that time was it was almost exactly 3 years since we first had a meal with them on the our first Sunday visiting the church before we moved from MD. Autumn was in the hospital on the morning of what was to be our 3rd meal so perhaps we'll have another opportunity to get with that couple and their kids. But, Lord, I don't need any more. My husband has gone all out by organizing these events. Thank You for him and all he does and is!

334. Papa mowed the garden and the pumpkin patch. It's all pretty much gone. But what a fun experience! We ended up with 14 pumpkins! Not bad for a $1.49 pack of seeds! We had one little marconi pepper, a good amount of tomatoes, lots of zucchini, and some lettuce. The carrots, onion, and corn were a bust. But it was a great treat to watch the kiddos as they observed changes in the garden. Thank You, Lord, for the harvest. And thank You for my husband's excitement in thinking about next year. Yes, he already got the kids to help him plant tulip bulbs for the spring!

333. Our kiddos have a Papa who loves them so much that he installed a swing in our schoolroom! Yes, it looks crazy, I'm sure. But the kiddos LOVE it as they swing from the schoolroom to the foyer! Thank You, Lord, for giving my kiddos a father who adores them so much that he is not concerned with what's "normal." And how wonderful it is hearing the kids giggle as they play with Daddy!

332. Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to give birth to Autumn naturally. Though the labor was more intense due to the amount of time it took, it was a "better" delivery in that my recovery has been so easy. Lord, You are so kind to me.

331. I went shopping this afternoon and Joshua decided to come along. I went to Alid and then the Super Walmart. It was so nice having him with me. I love so many of his qualities... his attention to detail, his love for God's beautiful creation, his giddiness and excitement over so many things I would normally overlook, his desire to be near me at all times, his constant questioning and desire to know and understand... and more. Thank You, Lord, for Joshua Caleb and for creating him as you have. I adore my biggest boy!

330. Raquel, a genuine mother's helper! If you're local and are reading this you know who this young lady is. Wow! I am amazed that she comes WEEKLY (thanks to her mom from driving her every week!) to clean our dirty bathrooms and kitchen and allows me time to go grocery shopping without the whole gang or late at night. Lord, I pray You would help Raquel see how much she blesses me. May she feel and be assured of Your great pleasure in how she serves our family.

329. Our church family providing meals for us has been SO nice. I love to cook and always think it's unnecessary for others to provide meals for us. But, I am so thankful to all the wives in our church have done extra work and spent extra money to bless us by providing a meal. What a tremendous help!

328. Papa-bear was able to work from home the week Autumn was born and then take the next week off. We had a great time together, just the seven of us. Tomorrow will be an adjustment for all of us. But we are so very thankful to the Gift-giver for granting us this unique time together.

327. Autumn Glory is home with us and is no longer jaundice.

Autumn Glory

326. Autumn Glory... born Monday, October 5th at 3:14pm. Soooo much to say but I'd rather just enjoy this special new season. Hopefully I'll remember enough to document it all for later. Lord God, thank You for creating little Autumn Glory, for knitting her together in my womb, for granting me the privilege to carry her in my body and then to give birth to her not even a week ago. Thank You for granting a safe delivery, easy recovery for me, and for sustaining our littlest girls' life. Thank You that You are sustaining her and allowing her to grow and allowed her to come home from the NICU. We trust You to fulfill Your plans for her life which will be for Your glory and her good!

Big Gifts that are Too Big to Ignore

I am bummed I haven't been updating this blog. There have been SOOOOO many gifts to remember... And prone to forget I am. Lord, here are just a few to share...

325. Thank You, Father, for granting me a free copy of the book Revolution in World Missions. I think that book will become one of my top ten as I am being greatly challenged and provoked to live more for You by being bolder in doing what I can to share the Gospel with the world. In fact, thank You for helping me to see my neighbors as those You bled and died on the Cross for. That picture helped me deliver some of our garden tomatoes to Javier and to now pray for him. Would You grant another opportunity and help me to seize it when I see it!

324. Cloth diapering is actually going well! Surprisingly it is not that big of a deal. But, I will need more to realistically fully do it with two kids. Yet, I praise You and thank You for allowing me the finances to get some diapers to try it out and also a willing hubby that supports my stinky ideas that will hopefully save us MUCH!

323. William attended a Men's Retreat on Saturday and was so blessed by his response to my question of how it went: "Excellent! It was an outstanding Men's Retreat!" Lord, oh to see You at work in my hubby is just electrifying! Thank You for this retreat and how You will and are already working in the lives of the men of our church. I have no doubt the wives will benefit from that time investment!

322. Lord, I am loving my new Bosch mixer! I can almost see a day when I won't need to run out to the store and get bread for lunch! What a tremendous difference in the texture and even taste of the bread with this machine! And our homemade pizza is DELICIOUS! We'll have to get a pizza stone one day to make it even more authentic!

321. SSR Time! We started another idea of Papa's that he got from a radio program he heard over the summer. We are calling it SSR which stands for Special Sabbath Rest. Basically, it is our way of making Sundays a day that is different from every other day by having a special time (30 minutes for our current season) in the afternoon to do something that allows us to REST in Him. We've explained it to the kids as a time similar to our morning Quiet Times but special because it can involve something we don't get to in our morning QT like reading a book about God, journalling about what He's done, having an extended time of prayer, listening to something that can grow our affections to for Savior, etc.

320. Our Family Worship Time led by and spearheaded by our own Papa is a great hit! I love that William has decided to read through Psalms, have a time of prayer, and then worship time. The kids are now at the age of being capable of actively participating. In fact, even Kadin shared his prayer request - for help staying in his bed at nighttime. Lord, thank You for these precious times as a little family. Thank You that William is being led to continue growing in his parenting and training of our kiddos. Thank You for our kiddos response to these times. May this be a sweet memory they have of growing up, us reading Your Word, praying, and singing songs to You... constantly.

319. Paloma has made it through TWO Sundays without me being called to get her!

318. I officially have a "Mother's Helper!" And not just any old mother's helper! I have the best, dare I say, most sought after 17-year old in our area to help me in any way I need it. Raquel already knows the kids b/c she's been serving us by babysitting for us every care group not at our home. We had our first day of her helping last week and I walked in with our groceries to a mopped floor and all dishes washed AND put away! I actually cried a bit I was so overwhelmed. Lord, You alone know just how meaningful this service is to me. May Raquel (and her parents!) be blessed for their great kindness.

317. Received an ENORMOUS deep freezer from the Dancas a couple nights ago. Wow! When I emptied our current side by side freezer contents into it is maybe filled it an eighth full! It's so big I can't reach the very bottom! Your gifts are so much more than we can imagine!

316. Baby #5 had an irregular heartbeat about a month or more ago but it doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. So grateful for Norreen (the midwife) and her calm yet swift response. Thank You that I can go to a midwife opposed to a doctor as that better suits our needs/desires. You are kind to grant us this, Lord!

More Gifts from the Giver

315. Another Paperbackswap credit

314. Lots of movement from Baby #5

313. Another day ended exhausted but thankful

312. Children dirty from good play

311. Three new windows

310. Good memories of childhood

309. News of babies being knit together in the womb

308. Children fed

307. A husband sharing temptations so that I can pray for more specifically

306. Tears shed over my transgression and His undeserved forgiveness

305. Swollen pregnant hands and feet

304. Prayers answered

303. Faith-building and sacrificial giving

302. Rolls made by scratch and a son excited to partake

301. Folded towels and sheets by a friend

Gifts My Eyes Have Seen Recently

Lord, it is easy to see misery when my focus is on self. But when I open my eyes to see as You see, my view changes drastically! Thank You, Father, for these visible gifts and the greatest gift that can never be taken away!

300. A friend struggling in her faith attending church and being cared for by God's people.

299. Children excitedly eating a treat of ice cream.

298. A mother shedding tears of joy over having all of her grown children worshipping God together in church. Lord, may I be that blessed!

297. Distant relatives enjoying the gift of family.

296. A grandfather sitting cross-legged on the carpet playing with his grandson Hamilton.

295. A husband, my Papa-son, diligently teaching our kiddos about God.

Joshua Prays

294. My four-year old Joshua prayed for me yesterday morning at the breakfast table after seeing me not able to hold back my tears. I was sharing with William some struggles and respond to one of William's questions by saying, "I just can't see clearly" meaning my situation. Well, my smart, attentive, and compassionate Joshua said, "Mommy, I can pray for you." And this is what he prayed:

"Jesus, help Mommy's eyes to feel better so that she can see clearly. Help her not to be angry."

The other night when William had a meeting he prayed,

"Jesus, help Daddy and Mommy to know how to train us, me, Joshua, Saraina, Kadin, and Paloma. Help them to know how to teach us."

Wow! Wow! I am humbled. I am so thankful for You, Lord. That Your would allow me to have a child who even at the age of four prays for me. Bless him. Use him mightily for Your kingdom and glory!