Joilamb

Pumping Eggs

2008-12-20T11:25:00.003-05:00

My husband asked me to participate in a contest that Abraham Piper has going on. The challenge is to write a 22 word story for or about children. So, here is my story...

When speaking one morning about my desire to get backyard chickens, my daughter asked for clarification saying, "You mean that pump eggs?"

A new book by Dr. R.C. Sproul

2008-12-16T15:52:00.005-05:00

I thank the LORD for R.C. Sproul. In my mind, he is like a godly grandfather who gives sound advice, and wisdom. I was first introduced to Dr. Sproul back in 2002 when I was studying eschatology. His book, The Last Days According to Jesus, has forever impacted me. During a time of turmoil in my mind in regards to understanding eschatology, Dr. Sproul's teaching helped me to understand many things that were previously so strange and obscure. Of course, as for many families, he had a major impact on our family's understanding of reformed theology. Dr. Sproul explains complicated things so well, and he is a wonderful person to learn from. My husband and I have collectively read a number of his books, and listened to a countless number of his teachings.

I think that Dr. Sproul is most unique in the way that he explains theology to children. It is amazing to me that a man who teaches theology (which can be a hard thing for many to understand) explains it so well to little children. Our family has owned Dr. Sproul's children's books for years. The first that we ever owned was The Priest with Dirty Clothes. I still remember the Christmas that our then 3 year old daughter received that from us a gift. She was so excited. It was her favorite book for a long time. She asked my husband and me to read that book to her so many times. She would even ask visitors to our home to read it to her. A few years ago, she asked for The Lightlings as a Christmas present. I didn't think we were going to be able to get it for her. I went to a local Presbyterian bookstore to get it that year, and they were out. But in the LORD's Providence, He provided for her as I was getting the children buckled in the car. As we were buckling, a lady came to the store to return a copy. The lady that worked at the store ran out to our van to tell me that it had been returned. It was so wonderful seeing God's Providence. That book proved to be a favorite for her as well. By that time, she could read herself, and she read it over and over many times.

I believe that Dr. Sproul has once again written a book that explains theological truths in a wonderful way. His book The Prince's Poison Cup does just that. The Prince's Poison Cup is about a little girl who wants to understand why her medicine tastes so bad if it is good for her. She asks her grandfather this question, and he tells her the story of a Prince who once drank something that tasted really bad, and in fact was even poisonous, but was done for a really good reason.

This book is very appealing story wise and visually. Dr. Sproul is such a good storyteller, and he has indeed done a great job with this book as well. The book's illustrator, Justin Gerard did an excellent job. He also illustrated Dr. Sproul's book, The Lightlings. The pictures are captivating, and certainly hold the attention of children. My two year old was immediately drawn to the pictures which of course held her attention to listen to the story (important for very little ones).

I think this book is going to be another family favorite in the Bradley household. I look forward to reading this story many times to my children. I would highly recommend this book if someone is looking for a good Christmas present to a child of any age.

Fair Day for the Bradleys

2008-09-24T23:07:00.011-04:00

We went to the fair on Tuesday. The children have been counting down the days. Shane even took off so we could all go as a family. Honestly, I don't think I would have taken all 5 to the fair without him. That would be TOO hard!!

We had a fun time. The fair had free admission and parking between the hours of 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., so that was a plus. I think it was probably the best time to go.

My oldest, Sweet Pea, entered some art work and some arts and crafts for the fair. She won first place for a pillow that she entered. I entered a knit hat, as well as baby pictures of two of my children. The photograph of my youngest won an Honorable mention. It was nice for us to win some prizes. We're happy.

We really enjoyed the animals. I think our favorite animal at the fair was a camel. The camel that was at the fair was really cute. Shane and I have been watching Lawrence of Arabia for the past few days. We both thought it was so cool that they rode on camels. We talked about how cool it would be to ride one. We had no idea that we would see a real camel at the fair. Now, after seeing the cute camel, Shane said that he wants to get one. He said that I'll have goats, and he'll have camels. Can you even keep camels in Tennessee? Does it get too cold for them? Us and our crazy dreams. My children liked the Little Buckaroo Barn. It had a milking simulator. My children really got into that. Sweet Pea said that she was practicing for the milking contest at the International Goat Days Festival. There was also a combine harvester for the children to sit in and watch a video about harvesting. We ended up spending a lot of time there.

Of course we let the children ride a few rides. I was too chicken to ride on anything, but Shane rode a couple of big kid rides with Sweet Pea.

Overall, we had a fun day. The fair is not going to be in Memphis next year, so I am not sure if we will travel the extra miles to go next year. We'll see.

Encouraging words in an unexpected place

2008-06-10T21:53:00.002-04:00

I took the children to Dollar Tree yesterday to let them pick out some balloons and gifts as a part of my Aunt Brenda's belated birthday gift. Now, going anywhere with my five children ages 7 and under is a feat, but I think that I am finally getting used to it. I've been mommy to 5 for five months now. But we made it in, found our gifts and balloons, and proceeded to check out.

Well, the young man who was running the cash register at the store was probably about 19 or 20. He had a very cheerful attitude, and said to me, “Are all these beautiful children yours?” I said, “Yes”. He then said to me, “Is this all you have or do you have more?” I responded, “This is all I have, so far”. His response was very surprising. He said, “So far? That's what I like to hear”. As I was leaving he said to me, “God bless you for having all these beautiful children”.

I walked away so surprised. It was great to not get the typical, “You've got your hands full!!” I was in shock for a while. Hearing encouraging words from a young man at the dollar store was the last place I would have expected, but it was very refreshing. I thank the LORD for pleasant surprises in unexpected places.

Sip and See

2008-03-28T23:01:00.006-04:00

Our church held a delightful Sip and See for me and the baby. We were blessed with so many diapers. It will be a while before we will need to purchase diapers for the baby. We were also blessed with a new carseat and many other special gifts. Here are a few pictures.

My Aunt Brenda and my mother-in-law, Dianne

Mom, myself, and my firstborn

One of the many packages of diapers we were blessed with

The baby slept the entire time

Family Update

2008-03-09T22:40:00.003-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. My wonderful husband posted the announcement of our daughter. I guess it is time for me to post an update on our family.

Life as a mother of five ages seven and under, has not been as hard as I expected. Now, I admit, I have my hard days. I think it is especially hard since we homeschool, but I have to give praise to God for sustaining me, and helping me through each day.

We joined the church that we have been visiting for a while. It is wonderful to have a home church again. We joined the Sunday that I returned after the birth of our daughter. A few weeks ago, the church had a sweet Sip and See for us. I will post about it later.

Our children are all doing well. My oldest is really enjoying reading. She recently read Where the Red Fern Grows, and really enjoyed it. She also read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in one day. I am so thankful that my little girl enjoys reading. It is hard to keep enough books available for her. My second born has not officially started school, but she is very interested in learning. She comes to me almost daily asking to do homeschool. Just last week, she found a book and copied the title of it onto a piece of paper. All of her own accord. She did such a good job. My son is growing well as well as our two baby girls.

I will end this post with some pictures.

My second born with the baby.

Me with all the kiddos.

New Edition

2007-12-28T18:24:00.000-05:00

Please join me in welcoming our newest edition to the outside world. We now have a beautiful baby girl. She was born on 12/28/2007 at 08:43. She weighed in at 6 lbs 6 oz and was 19.5 in.
Sincerely,

The Bradleys

Bradley Baby Shower

2007-11-05T12:11:00.000-05:00

This past Friday, my dear friend, Anna Batts hosted a baby shower for my friend Melissa and myself. We had a really good time. It was great to be with loving friends who enjoy celebrating with me, as we anticipate the birth of our 5th child. Here are some pictures.

Myself and Jenee

Myself and Melissa. Melissa is due the first of March.

My sister Jan, Neressa, Myself (with the girls attatched to me), Anna, Amy, and Leslie, who is getting married this Friday!!

Aunt Brenda (or Bone as my kids call her) and my 4 year-old daughter.

The guests working on a shower game. Everyone was to write a poem to the expecting mothers. The poems were very sweet.

I am so thankful that my friend Anna put forth the effort to host a baby shower for us. I know that in our society, the 5th baby is not celebrated the same way that the 1st is celebrated. So, I am grateful for any happiness that is passed towards us concerning our pregnancy. I thank the LORD for friends who are happy for me as we wait for the birth of our precious new one. Just 10 more weeks!!

Vision Forum Contest Part II

2007-11-02T07:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I have a chance to win again, so we shall see. Kim at Life in a Shoe, is sponsoring another Vision Forum contest. This time the prize is worth $250. Here is a link to the contest. I changed most of my wish list this time. Maybe I can get some Christmas presents for the children. We shall see...

Here is my second wish list:

Passionate Housewives $16
Strength and Dignity for Daughters $10
Raising Maidens of Virtue $20
Children and the Dominion Mandate $10
Suffer the Children $10
Fidelia $89
My First Baby Doll $42
Lion and Cross Set $35
Sergeant York and the Great War $16

Total: $248

Random pictures

2007-11-01T15:55:00.000-05:00

These are some random pictures that I thought I would share.

A Sunday morning before worship

The baby looks like my mother on this picture. I miss my mother, but I see her everyday in my children.

Brother and sister. It's hard to believe that they are only 15 months apart. My 4-year-old is SO tall!!
A picture of our new van, since it was hard to see it in the other post.

Vision Forum giveaway

2007-10-25T22:44:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite catalogs is the Vision Forum catalog. It can be hard for me to get it in the mail, because I usually want to purchase the entire catalog!! Well, Kim at Life in a Shoe which has become one of my favorite blogs, is hosting a Vision Forum giveaway. So, maybe I can get some of the things that I would like to have. Here is a link to the contest.

Here is my wish list:

Passionate housewives $16
Strength and Dignity for Daughters $10
Raising Maidens of Virtue $20
Sergeant York and the Great War $16
The Hunt for Beowulf $25
Children and the Dominion Mandate $10
Martin Rattler: Adventures of a Boy in the Forests of Brazil $22
Poems for Patriarchs $20
Suffer the Children $10

Total $149

Hi-Yo Silver

2007-10-15T00:50:00.000-04:00

him guest writing for her:

We recently got a new vehicle. We had been looking for a new van for some time. In January, we would have been to big as a family to fit in one car. Our Honda van has six seats, and the back four chairs have been full for sometime now.

I've been talking about this for years, and I am really excited that we finally achieved this milestone. We've got a new to us Ford Econoline 350 Super Wagon. It is Silver in color, and even has running boards. Now we have got six empty seats (at least until January).

For those of you who don't know that's a van on top of a 1 ton truck chasis. It's got a big ole 5.6L engine. I plan to set something up in the desert like Ford does on their commercials. You know speed past some steel doors that slam together and then stop before running off into the Grand Canyon or something (the kids will love it).

Anyway, Joi thought we should name this thing, so we've batted a few names around. We are kind of stuck on Excalibur, but that's not real easy to get out there. Feel free to give us some suggestions. Here's a pic of us all with the new van. I know it's not real impressive because you don't see her girth, but believe me... she's huge.

Goat Days 2007

2007-09-10T23:39:00.000-04:00

The Bradley Family went back to the International Goat Days Festival in Millington this year. It is a family tradition for us. I think I actually enjoyed this year more than any other year we have gone. We all had a great time.

I won't bore you with all the details of the Goat Days Festival, since I have posted about it previously, but I thought I would share some pictures from our visit this year.

Bradley Kids in their western gear.

My second born feeding a goat. This was a very big step for her. She is afraid of all animals.

My oldest feeding a goat.

The baby. Notice that she has on cowboy boots, too.

Sisters

The following photos were a part of the milking contest. All three of these brothers won prizes. They were excellent milkers. Their mom told me that they milk twice a day, every day.

We could not leave without pony rides. The children have been looking forward to the pony rides for a long time. I think they probably like that better than everything else at Goat Days.

My nephew enjoyed the pony ride as well.

This is a picture of the Bradleys on their way to Silver Dollar City. Shane always tells the kids as they ride in the stagecoach each year, that they are going to visit Silver Dollar City. When they got back I asked Shane, "Did you all go to Silver Dollar Silly, I mean Silver Dollar City?" My sister-in-law, Sonja, said, "Silver Dollar Silly was more like it".

The baby waved to welcome them back.

Our trip to Savannah, TN

2007-08-22T16:23:00.000-04:00

Our family had the privilege of traveling to Savannah, TN to visit our good friends, Charlie and Jackie Agnew, and their son, TJ. The Agnews moved to Georgia in 2004, so, we only see them on rare occasion. Upon learning that they would be in Savannah for a few days to visit family, we decided it would be a great time to travel to Savannah to see them. We've been wanting to go for a while. Jackie's mom gave us an open invitation to visit her and to bring the children to see the farm. We had a wonderful time. I have posted some pictures of our visit.

The Agnew Family

My daughter discovered this swing at Jackie's parent's farm. We could hardly get her off of it.

Bradley Family Picture

This is my country girl enjoying Turkey Creek. She was the only one of my children who got in the water.

We stayed at the Pickwick Landing Inn while in Savannah. The lake is beautiful. This is a picture of my girls standing by the lake.

My two handsome men walking by the lake.

We also visited Shiloh National Military Park. Shane and I have both desired to visit this Civil War battle ground for a while. We are very glad that we did. Unbeknownst to us, there were some Civil War reenactors at the park. That made the visit to the park even more interesting.

We had a very wonderful time visiting our friends and learning a little about history. We are thankful for the sweet fellowship that the LORD blessed us with.

Conversations with two-year-olds

2007-07-06T23:09:00.000-04:00

A conversation between myself and my two-year-old son after I found an item that needs to be returned to my mother-in-law's house...

Me: We need to take this back to Nana's house.
Son: You're a smart mommy.
Me: You're a cute son.
Son: You're a cute mommy.

That little conversation brightened my day.

Update

2007-06-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

I posted about a recent visit we had with some families, but you'll have to scroll down.

Our baby's first birthday

2007-06-22T21:32:00.000-04:00

Tuesday we celebrated our baby's first birthday. Here are some pictures of our celebration.

Shane presents the cake.

She puts her finger in the frosting.

Her first taste of cake.

How the GA in Memphis blessed us

2007-06-22T20:29:00.001-04:00

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America took place in Memphis, TN this year. I was looking forward to hearing Dr. R.C. Sproul speak. He was one of the speakers. But, that did not work out. In fact, the Bradley Family did not have the chance to attend any of the meetings or worship services of the GA. But we were blessed by it anyway.

We were blessed because we had the wonderful opportunity of having fellowship with like-minded families. The George Family was in Memphis for the GA. Nathan Clark George sang during the GA. We were able to have dinner with them as well as my friend Jenee's family, the night before the GA began.

Nathan Clark George is a talented singer-songwriter. He and his family live in a motorhome, and travel together as Nathan sings various places across the country. His music is very unique. It is written from a very strong theological viewpoint, yet is very easy to listen to. I don't know if I should compare him to other musicians, but his music kind of reminds me of a younger Michael Card. His music also reminds me of Over the Rhine. I guess it is the piano, and guitar in some songs. If you get the chance, please check out his music.

We were blessed to have time with his sweet family. His wife Patsy is very kind. We had a lot in common to talk about. Patsy even recognized the Prairie Muffin Manifesto that I have a copy of hanging in my kitchen. Most people wonder what in the world it is if they happen so see it. She recognized it!! I really enjoyed the conversations we had. The George children were very sweet as well. My children enjoyed spending the time with them. The time was made even better because my friend Jenee and her family were able to join us. We had a great time visiting. The house was full of children. We had our four, Jenee had her four (well 3 and one teenager), and the Georges had their four. It was loud at times but it was certainly a joyful noise. So, even though we did not attend any meetings for the GA, we were blessed tremendously by it being in Memphis.

The only thing I would say negative about the visit, is that it was too short. I hope the LORD blesses us with the opportunity to visit again.

The children waiting for the arrival of our guests

A picture of our families together
Jenee's family on the left, the George Family in the middle, the Bradley Family on the right

Family vacation 2007

2007-06-10T21:51:00.000-04:00

We returned last week from a wonderful family vacation. The Bradley Family took a trip to North Carolina. Our main reason for traveling was to attend the American Vision Worldview Super Conference. We also stopped to visit Dollywood, the Smoky Mountains, and the Biltmore.

Dollywood was fun. Shane decided that he wanted everyone to dress similarly, so everyone, including the baby had on their western attire. I was the only one without a western shirt, but I tried to match with a red shirt and a jean skirt. Shane and the children even wore red bandannas. The children enjoyed all the rides. I think their favorite part was getting their souvenir cowboy hats and guns. I even got a cowboy hat. I decided it would be good to keep the sun out of my face.

The next day, we took a detour through the Great Smoky Mountains. I heard about a hiking trail that was supposed to be fairly easy. It was paved and said to be okay for strollers and wheelchairs. It was also slightly over a mile long, so I did not think much of it. I soon found out that it was not what I expected. It was pretty steep, and scary at some points. But we persevered and made it to the top destination, Laurel Falls. It was pretty. But that was the last hike we took together during that trip. We also took an auto tour though a part of the forest. It apparently was once a community within the mountains. It was very beautiful. We stopped at one point and visited a house that was once home to a family on 13. It was hard to imagine that many people living in such a small space. I had Shane take some pictures of me and the kids in the doorway of the home. Our oldest wanted to pretend it was our home and the other tourists were our guests. We continued our trip through the park and went on to the Ridgecrest Conference center to get ready for the start of the conference the next day.

Some pictures of us at our "house". It is really hard to believe that 11 children were raised in this house.
In Tennessee

In North Carolina

Shane and some of the kiddos by a creek in the mountains

We had a wonderful time at the conference and learned many things. It was also neat to be among many like-minded families. It was nice to not feel awkward with a large family, and it was also nice being at a conference where children were welcomed.

My favorite speaker was Voddie Baucham. He is actually one of the main reasons why we attended the conference. He is a very powerful speaker. Shane and I were very encouraged as we listened to this large African American preacher exhort us in homeschooling our children, and raising them deliberately in a Christian culture, in the nurture and admonition of the LORD. Shane told me that night that attending the conference was worth it, just to hear Voddie speak.
There were also many other good speakers. Some were Jonathan Sarfati of Creation on the Web, Hank Hanegraaf of CRI, and Bill Jack of Worldview Academy.

I did not get the chance to listen to all of the speakers. That was expected since some of the speakers were scheduled to speak after 9:00 p.m. But I am looking forward to hearing the CDs and watching the DVDs from the conference.

We met some sweet families at the conference. I think we are planning on attending the conference next year, and a number of the families said that they were planning on attending next year, too. It will be nice to see the families again. It will be like a small reunion.

On our way back home, we stopped at the Biltmore. Our oldest was very impressed with the house. She said that she wanted us to buy it, and have everyone we know to move in with us. My second born, who is three, described the Biltmore to my Aunt Brenda as a house with “a lot of rooms, and a lot of bathrooms.”

We made it back home last Monday afternoon. It is nice to be back home, and get back into our routine, but it was nice having Shane with us everyday for two weeks. I pray that one day the LORD will bless us so that Shane can work from home and be with us everyday.

Art show

2007-05-19T23:23:00.001-04:00

Today, the children had an art show. My friend Theresa has been teaching my oldest for her kindergarten and first grade years. This year, Theresa also taught some of the siblings of her students, so the art show was an entire family affair. I thought I would post a few pictures from the show.

This is a picture of my oldest standing by some of her art work.

My oldest is usually pretty introverted, but artwork is a way that she expresses herself really well. She spoke to everyone about her artwork today and described her drawings and paintings. I was very proud of her.

This is my second born (she's 3) standing by some of her art work.

I didn't get a picture with my third born (the 2 year old) by any of his art work, but I thought I would post a picture of him anyway.

The baby did not take art class this year, so she didn't have anything to display, but here is a picture of her playing in the grass.

My sister was being artistic in another way. She's been taking Classical guitar lessons, so she played a little music for the attendees of the art show. I thought I would add this one, too.

We had such a good time with everyone. Most of the family came out to support the kids, and that was a blessing. My Dad, Shane's parents, my Aunt Brenda (or Bone as the kids call her), Shane's sisters Sonja and Selina, and my siblings Jan and Michael were all there. Our nephew didn't get to make it, but hopefully, he'll be there next year. It is wonderful to have the support of family.

The joy of the LORD!!

2007-04-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday, the kids and I were studying Nehemiah during our morning Bible time. We were saying, "The joy of the LORD is your strength!" We would hold up our arms, as if showing our muscles, while saying "strength". The kids were doing a good job and enthusiastically saying the scripture. Then I turned and saw my nine month old. She decided to participate, too. I had to get some pictures.

She is so cute!!

Easter Sunday

2007-04-13T15:52:00.000-04:00

The Bradleys had a nice Easter Sunday. We went to morning worship, and then spent the afternoon with my dad, sister, brother and aunt. Here are a few pictures.

Sweet sisters

An "artsy" picture taken by my sister.

Huntin' time

Precious Times

2007-04-10T08:50:00.000-04:00

Thursday night as we were having family worship, thankfulness filled my heart. I was sitting and watching my husband teach and lead our family as we worshiped the LORD. It was such a sweet sight. My son was sitting in the chair with Shane, as Shane read from the Bible, and two of my girls were sitting on the couch with me, one on my lap, and one cuddled next to me (the baby was asleep in the bed). Ten years ago, I would have never thought that I would be experiencing something so sweet. I would have never imagined me dear husband leading our family in worship.

When Shane and I were dating, neither one of us had even heard of family worship. When we were first married, we would pray together each night, but that was about the extent of our time together with the LORD (besides church).

Family worship is relatively new in our family. It's been going on at the Bradley household for about two or three years. It is such a sweet time. Now, each night, if it's getting a bit late, one of the kids will ask, “Are we going to have family worship?” You cannot say no to that!

The LORD has been so gracious to us by bringing us where we are in our lives. I just would have never thought that we would have such sweet times as a family, worshiping the LORD. It's so touching to hear a 6, 3 and 2 year-old sing the Doxology, or to hear them participate in saying the Beatitudes.

I thank the LORD for blessing us with these moments, and these precious times.

A long overdue update

2007-03-03T23:49:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess it is time for me to finally post a message. It's been so long since I have written anything. It gets kind of hard with all of my little ones to have the time to post.

There hasn't been too much going on at the Bradley Household. We had a nice Christmas visiting with my Grandmommie, Aunt Jackie, and Aunt Jeanne who came to visit from California, Florida, and Connecticut. It was very nice to see them.

Our oldest had a breakthrough this week. She did two significant things. The first being that she handed the lady at Sam's the receipt at the door and also told her goodbye. That is a really big deal for her, since she is so shy. The other thing was that she is no longer afraid of our dog, Clover. She has been afraid of her, basically since she was a baby. I think the reasons are that Clover is a fairly big dog, as well as a hyper dog. This Monday, as I was about to let Clover out, my oldest asked if she could, instead. I thought that I would of course allow her, since she was desiring to do that. She let the dog out, and asked if she could play outside with her, too. Ever since then, she has had no problems with Clover. I am so thankful. Now, she can help me in caring for the dog!!

This past Tuesday, I attended a Charlotte Mason homeschool support group. It was the first meeting of this group, which my friend, Jenee started. It was a very good meeting, very encouraging and informative. I am glad that the LORD sent Jenee and her family to Memphis. I think she has a lot to offer the homeschooling community here in Memphis. She has been doing it for a while. As far as I know, the group that she started is the first of it's kind here in Memphis. I wonder if anything like it would have been started without her being here. I'm thankful for Jenee. She has been a blessing to me.

I am currently learning to be content. I have had times of learning to be content at various times throughout my life. Currently the issue is a change of address for the Bradley Family. Shane and I long to have land as well as a bigger house. I have been looking on and off for a while. It can get very discouraging. The prices here seem to keep going up and up. I think we may end up being here at this house for a while. It may be a long time before we get some land. Well, this has caused us to think about changing our living arrangements here at our current house. I have been asking Shane about making part of the garage into a school room. Shane has talked about expanding our dining room and kitchen, and moving our laundry area. We are also planning on a garden. We might as well do what we can here in suburban Memphis. We purchased the book, All New Square Foot Gardening this afternoon. Shane is about half-way through. Hopefully we will have a garden this year. I also asked Shane about having some backyard chickens. I have run into two people recently who have had chickens in their backyards.

Well, this evening when I asked Shane about the chickens, a cute little conversation occurred between my daughter and myself.

I said to Shane, “We could have four, one for each child.”
Daughter number two (who is three years old) said, “What?”
I replied, “A chicken.”
She asked, “What's a chicken?”
“You don't know what a chicken is?”
She replied, “That pumps eggs?”

Hopefully we will have some fresh vegetables, and some fresh “pumped” eggs this summer!!

Birthday celebrations

2006-11-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

We have had a week-long celebration in our household. Our son turned two on the 14th of November, Shane turned 31 on the 17th of November, and I turned 31 on the 21st of November. It has been nice having a week of celebration.

Our son's birthday was fun. I did not plan a big birthday party this year. We decided we would celebrate here at home with our immediate family, and whoever wanted to stop by, could. Our birthday tradition for the children's birthday in our household, is to take the child to get their picture taken at the mall, let the kids ride the carousel, and then take the birthday child to the restaurant of their choice. Since our son is only 2, we kind of decided for him, but I think he was satisfied with our decision. We ate at one of our family's favorite Mexican restaurants here in Memphis, La Hacienda. My husband's parents surprised us and met us at the mall, so they were able to join us for lunch. That made the time especially nice.

That evening, we were surprised by Gram and Gramps, Shane's grandparents. They dropped by to visit our son and to bring him a gift. My son was very glad to see them.

After their departure, my Aunt Brenda (or Bone, according to my children), my brother, my sister, and my dad came by as well to give the birthday boy his birthday greetings. I think everything worked out well as everyone dropped by throughout the day. We were able to enjoy our company better.

To end the night, my son had his first real haircut. I asked Shane previously to please wait until his second birthday, before cutting our son's hair. I have enjoyed his loose curls. Now he has a buzzed haircut, though it is growing really fast. He went from being my little baby boy to my big boy. He looks so different with his hair cut short, but he looks really cute.

We celebrated Shane's birthday by having a special dinner. I cooked pot roast, which is one of his favorite things to eat. We also had a cake with Shaggy and Scooby decorated on the cake. Shane's nickname is Shaggy, so my children loved seeing a cake with Shaggy. My dad, sister, brother and Aunt Brenda came over as well. It was nice to have them celebrate with us.

Shane and I went out on the weekend between our birthdays. We had dinner at Ronnie Grisanti's. I think I had best eggplant parmigiana I have ever eaten. We enjoyed uninterrupted conversation and some good food.

I had a pleasant birthday. I received many sweet phone calls and cards from friends and family. My sweet husband brought dinner home and an ice cream cake. I had an icecream cake once, while growing up and have wanted one ever since, so I thought it was very thoughtful of him to get one for me. My dad, sister and brother also dropped by to give me a gift and a greeting.

Overall, I think we had a good week of celebration. It's interesting having a family with three birthdays in one week, but it's really fun as well.

Remembering Mommy

2006-11-11T23:51:00.000-05:00

Mommy died 7 years ago this past week. I tried not to think about it too much. Every time I wrote the date down, November 8, or every time my little girl asked me what the date was for a work assignment, my heart dropped a little. I try not to think about her death too much. It was a really hard time for me. It was hard visiting the hospital daily, and seeing my mother in the state she was in. I really never thought that she would die there in the hospital. I remember the thought crossing my mind, but I didn't dwell on it. When she actually passed away, it was hard to believe for a while. My mother actually died. She actually died. It was like a dream. Actually, most of the time surrounding her death, before and after was like a dream.

It did make eternity much more real for me. I never thought about heaven as much as I did during that time. It was weird thinking that my mother was in our presence one moment, and ushered into the presence of God the next moment.

Fall has always been a wonderful time of the year for me. I love the fall. It is my favorite season, but since Mommy passed away, it now makes fall bittersweet. I still enjoy it, and look forward to it, but the change in the seasons also brings back to mind the emotions I felt during the time that my mother passed away.

My mother was 46 when she died.

Shane and I found out that we were expecting our first baby a month after my mother died. She never met any of her grandchildren. My children never met their grandmother. That has been a hard thing for me, but I am thankful for God's providence. He is sovereign.

Our Nashville Trip

2006-10-03T23:49:00.000-04:00

I know that in my last post, I mentioned that my family and I were going to Nashville, but I never wrote an entry about it. So, here it is.

Our main purpose for going to Nashville was to visit the Egypt at the Frist exhibit. Shane and I noticed the exhibit during our last trip to Nashville for the Over the Rhine show. We planned then to come back with the whole family to see the exhibit, since our oldest is studying ancient history.

We left Memphis later than expected, and arrived at our hotel sometime after 8:00 p.m. We actually made it all the way to Nashville without one potty break!!!! I could not believe it, but it was great. I hate stopping at public bathrooms.

After a night of rest, and a good complimentary breakfast, we headed to the Frist Building to see Egypt at the Frist. One good thing about the exhibit was free admission for children 18 and under. Free admission is always good for a large family. It also helped us not feel so bad about the exhibit. We were a bit disappointed because the exhibit was short, at least much shorter than we expected. Shane and I are used to the Wonders Exhibits of Memphis. The ones that we have been to have been very large exhibits. This exhibit in Nashville was not big at all. That was disappointing, but it was still good for our oldest to see artifacts from Ancient Egypt. She enjoyed it.

We headed to Opry Mills for lunch. We had lunch at the Aquarium Restaurant. It was great for the children to observe the sea creatures. Our oldest really liked the sting rays and the large fish. It was good for her to see them because we studied sting rays the following week. I also shopped for some dresses for our youngest daughter, who is now three months old. She is growing out of her clothes very quickly. I found some really cute western dresses on sale. We rested back at the hotel, and prepared for the Lord's Day.

While Shane and I were at the Generations Conference in May, we had the priviledge of meeting the Carpenter Family, of Franklin Springs Family Media. We decided it would be great to worship with their chuch while we were in Nashville. They worship with a delightful group of families in the Franklin area. We enjoyed the worship service. It is a family-integrated fellowship. It was nice to worship with many families. After worship, there was a sweet little girl who was giving loaves of bread to all the families that were there for worship. I later learned from her mother that this sweet little girl had been baking loaves of bread, herself. It was so sweet. We were invited by a family to have lunch at their home, but Shane decided it would be best for us to get a quick lunch so we could head back home. The people there were very kind.

We had lunch at a little Mexican restuarant in Franklin, TN. That was my first time to visit Franklin. I have often heard many nice things about that town. It was so cute. Now, I can see why people like it so much.

After lunch, we headed home. We made it back to Memphis in good time. We were blessed to see a really pretty rainbow on the way home. It was a nice ending to a nice little trip.

Fun Weekends

2006-09-11T14:53:00.000-04:00

Our family has had some interesting weekends lately. Labor Day weekend, we had a yard sale with my Aunt Brenda and my younger brother. It was such a fun time. I enjoyed being able to have a very relaxed time sitting outside with my husband, children, brother and aunt. The Lord blessed us with some great weather for the sale as well. It was a great change from the normal scorching hot weather that we have been experiencing. We did not make too much money, but we did have great family time. It was worth it to me.

That Sunday we went to the home place of my husband's maternal great-grandmother. Every year, the Hadley family gets together the Sunday before Labor Day for a little family reunion. We had a good time of fellowship and conversation. During the afternoon, the ladies were sitting outside under a tree involved in conversation. The topic of age came up and I was asked my age. I proceeded to say that I was thirty, and my great aunts in-law (is that a real term?) all said that they could not even remember when they were thirty. Well, my mother-in-law's Aunt Margie said she only wished that she knew what she knows now when she was thirty. When asked what she would do differently, she said that she would have a career for a while, marry a rich man, have about five children, and then be a stay-at-home mom. She said she believed that it was very important for mothers to stay at home with their children and that many of the problems that we have in society are because children don't have their mothers taking care of them. The conversation did not go too much further, something was said about Dr. Phil, I don't remember what, I was still pondering on Aunt Margie's statement. While I don't agree with everything she said, I think it is very significant that she would acknowledge the importance of motherhood and the importance of a mother caring for her own children, in her later years.

Monday, Labor Day, the children were so excited because Shane was home for the day. We really did not have any plans for the day. We thought about going shopping, but had no confirmed plans. Well, that morning, we were invited by my dad to go fishing with him at Herb Parsons Lake. When my oldest daughter found out about the invitation, she was so excited. It was hard for us to keep her and my second daughter calm. In addition to my dad, my brother, sister and my aunt were all present. We had a good time with my family. My two oldest girls were able to ride in my dad's boat as well as a rented pontoon boat. They had so much fun. It is such fun to watch my children have fun. I was able to get a really cute picture of Shane and my oldest three children.

Well, this past weekend, we went to the International Goat Days Festival in Millington, TN. We had a great time. I have been very interested in goats for the past few years. I currently do not have the opportunity to have goats since we live in the city, but the Goat Days Festival gives me the chance to be around goats, learn a little about them each year, and also provides a wonderful day of activity for my family. My favorite thing to watch is the milking contest. My husband's favorite activity is the anvil shoot. My children's is the pony ride. This was the first time for my middle daughter and son to ride on a pony. They had a great time. They were looking forward to the pony rides all week. Shane and I invited our friends, the Arnolds to attend the festival with us. They spent the afternoon with us as well, which added to the great time that we had.

We are looking forward to this upcoming weekend. We are taking a trip to Nashville as a family. Hopefully, I will be able to blog about that this time next week.

Shepherding

2006-07-15T11:58:00.000-04:00

Shane just passed our room in the hallway. He was surrounded by all the children that can walk and had our youngest in his arms, as they made their way back to the livingroom. Shane looked at me, and smiled. (I am actually in the bed because I am having some body aches.)

He said "I feel like you babe."

Our oldest said, "What do you mean, Daddy?"

Shane said, "I'm shepherding."

I laughed and thought about that for a moment. I thought about how wonderful it is that during large portions of the day, my children are following me around the house. At first, I thought that it was not so good, due to my selfish flesh. I then realized that it is really great that my children want to be with me, and want to follow me around the house. I finally thought about the seriousness of it. This is such an important and short time in their lives. I truly am shepherding my children.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 says, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

So, there are my "walk by the way" opportunities, the times that the children are following me around the house. I pray that I will make the most of those opportunities.

A new arrow for Shane's quiver

2006-06-22T19:30:00.000-04:00

The Lord has blessed us with another child. Our little one was born the day after Father's Day. I was hoping that the baby would be born on Father's Day, but the next day was great for me. I am now trying to recuperate, and get back to normal. Shane has been off for the past two weeks and will go back to work on Monday. It will be my first day with all four by myself. I remember the day that Shane went back to work after our first was born, and I was nervous. Now, less than six years later, he is going back to work while we have four at home. I pray that the Lord will give me guidance as I seek to raise these children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Waiting

2006-06-15T19:53:00.000-04:00

Now, I am at the waiting time of my pregnancy. This is a pretty hard time during pregnancies for me. I was talking to my friend Theresa yesterday, and I think she put my feelings into words. She said that I am waiting, and all I can think about is delivering the baby, so time seems to slow down. It has seemed to slow down. I have two more weeks until my due date, but that seems like such a long time from now.

All three of my other children have been born before their due date, so of course I assume that this baby will be born before his or her due date. I am actually hoping for a Father's Day baby. I thought that would be the best present for Shane for Father's Day. It would certainly be great for me. I long to hold my baby, and to see my baby.

So, please pray for me, that the Lord would give me patience and contentment as I wait and hope for the baby to come soon.

Babymoon?

2006-06-04T17:07:00.000-04:00

Shane and I took a trip to Nashville this past Friday. One of my favorite bands, Over the Rhine, performed at the Exit/In. I have been looking forward to this trip for a very long time. We stayed at the Embassy Suites hotel that is located less than a mile away from the show. Needless to say, it was a very enjoyable little trip.

The Lord blessed us tremendously. There were lots of little things, that made the trip very special. I knew that my friend Tess would be in Nashville for the show as well. She called me last week and told me that she was going to be there with her sister Anna and her friend Grace. She also said that she was going to be staying at the same hotel as us. I really did not expect to see Tess at the hotel because Embassy Suites are so huge, but I ran into her within minutes of our arrival. So, that was a great start. We were all downstairs for the Manager's Reception.

While Shane and I were downstairs, a lovely family of 9 walked past us, and as the wife saw me, she stopped what she was doing and expressed her happiness for us that we were expecting. I told her that she and her husband have the family that Shane and I desire. She blessed us by saying may the Lord bless us with many children. I think only one other person in my life has said that to me. It was such an encouragement. She and her husband told us that they were in town for a homeschooling conference. Cynthia, (that was her name), was very encouraging to me. I told her that I had been praying that I would be able to meet other moms with large families. I have had the desire to gain wisdom from others who are in my shoes, or are where I hope to be in the future, meaning they have been blessed with many children. She gave me her e-mail address and said that she would be expecting an e-mail from me.

As we arrived at the show, we found absolutely no parking near the facility, so Shane dropped me off and said that he would go and look for a parking spot. As I was waiting outside for Shane, I looked in the window, and noticed that most of the people inside were standing. I then asked one of the young men working there if it was standing room only. He told me that there were a few seats, but they were all taken. I asked him if it was okay for me to bring my own chair in since I was expecting. Shane and I brought a folding chair with us on the trip, just in case I needed a seat at the show. Well, this young man said that I could have his chair. He said that his sister was saving a seat for him. So, when Shane finally arrived, he arrived without the chair. Apparently, he forgot it in the car. But the young man told me who his sister was, and she gave me the chair she was holding and gave Shane her chair. It was so sweet. It is so nice to experience young men nowadays expressing gentlemanly qualities. It really blessed me.

The show was great. A band named Hem opened for Over the Rhine. I enjoyed their music. It actually reminded me of Over the Rhine. We were only able to hear about three songs from them, since we arrived late. Over the Rhine's set was really good. They performed a few new songs, as well as some from their last CD. I think the only disappointing thing was that the show seemed very short. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed myself, and the time I had to spend with my husband.

I am thankful that I had the chance to take a little trip. It was good to have a date before our next is born. I think that will probably be our last date for a while, but I don't mind, since we have a lot of excitement coming our way in the form of a new person very soon.

A friend of mine told me that she read an article that said that our trip was a babymoon. A babymoon is supposed to be a trip that you take right before the baby is born. So, I guess we had a babymoon. Now, if only the baby will hurry up and come.

Trip to the Zoo

2006-05-24T18:19:00.000-04:00

Well, the kids and I took a trip to the zoo today with my Aunt Brenda (or Bone as my kids call her). It was some endeavor. I think the hardest part of the trip was the heat, the heat of Memphis, and the heat I am experiencing anyway since I am expecting. I am glad that my husband Shane and I have a membership to the zoo. Having a membership allows me to not feel obligated to see EVERYTHING at the zoo. I can go for a little while, see a few animals, and leave. I can just come back and see something else next time, Lord willing. We went to see the polar bears and sea lions. After that, my Aunt Brenda took the kids to ride on the little train. It was time to go after that. I was SO hot, and pushing a double stroller did not help any.

I think this may be my last trip to the zoo for a while. I don't know if I can handle it in this weather. Plus, I only have 5 more weeks until my due date, so I know that I will definitely not being going for a while after the baby is born. Shane can take the kids, though.

I am thankful for a trip with the kids, though. It is hard getting out with all three of them. I am thankful that my Aunt Brenda suggested a trip to the zoo today. We all had a lot of fun.

A very interesting book.

2006-05-17T11:36:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago, my family and I were preparing to leave for the Highlands Study Center Generations conference. We had a wonderful time. We were encouraged by the wonderful teaching. We were reminded how important it is to honor our parents, even though we may have many conflicting ideas. We were also reminded of the importance of teaching our children to honor us. I think one of the main things I left thinking about, is that we show our parents honor when we teach our children to love the Lord.

We also enjoyed being around so many wonderful, large families. I especially enjoyed meeting the Serven Clan. They were a blessing just to watch. We stayed at the hotel with the family, and had the opportunity to see them interact with each other. It was so wonderful to observe them. We were able to speak with Mrs. Serven, and she was very encouraging to our small, but growing family.

Not only were my husband and I looking forward to the teaching and fellowship with other families, we were also looking forward to being able to purchase books from Vision Forum Ministries and The Highlands Study Center. We knew in advance that we would probably want to buy a lot of books while we were there. Boy, were were right.

We purchased so many books, but still did not get all that we wanted. One of the books that we purchased was Ten P's in a Pod, by Arnold Pent III. I was able to read a little bit of it during our trip, but read the bulk of it this past weekend. It was a very interesting book. The book is about a family of 8 children who travel with their parents across the country taking the gospel. I think the main thing that encouraged me about the book was the emphasis on the importance of scripture in the lives of kids. I have been really convicted about making God's Word so much more a part of our daily lives. Most of the children in the family were able to quote books of the Bible. There is even a story about a six-year-old brother being able to quote the entire book of Jonah, all because he read it to himself every day for 30 minutes.

I hope and pray that we will make the scripture even more important in the lives of our kids. I will be encouraging my five-year-old to read the Bible much more, and I will be reading more to my younger ones.

My first post

2006-05-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

Well, I have had the desire to start a blog for a while. Here it is. I will probably not be posting much since I am a wife and homeschooling mom, with three and another on the way. I will be posting about things I am learning, as well as information about my family. Thank you for visiting.