This picture by the tree was taken shortly after Benjamin was saved.

Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

On March 6, 2006, young Benjamin placed his trust in Jesus Christ as his Savior. He was six years old, and his heart was tender. We believe it is God who saves, and God uses hard things, even death, to reveal His love for us. After all, he did send His only Son to die for the sins of the world. Earlier that day, the doctor told BC and I that our unborn baby (3 months in the womb) had died. Naturally, Benjamin had questions and wanted to know exactly what he needed to do in order to spend eternity with Jesus, where his baby sibling was. He prayed a prayer confessing that he was a sinner in need of a Savior, and he thanked Jesus for providing a way by dying on the cross. A sad day was definitely made sweeter! We sang the hymn, “Happy Day”, and we praised the LORD together!

On a humorous note:
Earlier that year, his brother Bradley was praying at nighttime prayers. He mentioned our family members names, but out of order. Benjamin whispered to me, “Momma, he didn’t pray in birth order!” I smiled. We certainly do not need to pray in birth order or get “saved” in birth order. Benjamin’s heart was ready before his older sister’s, and that was okay, too. We are thankful that on October 22, 2011, he was baptized.

His favorite verse: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Bradley’s special day of salvation…

This picture, also by a tree, was taken shortly after Bradley was saved. (Psalm 1:1-3)

On February 20, 2007, at the young age of five, Bradley asked Jesus into his heart and asked Him to be Lord of his life. He acknowledged that he had sinned “lots of times” and that he believed that Jesus died for him, and that His blood was the only thing that can wash away his sin. We sang the hymn, “What Can Wash Away My Sin” that day, and he was smiling big. After that, Bradley asked, “Does this mean I’m one of His men?” Praise the Lord! Yes!

Earlier that month, God used two funerals to speak to Bradley. On the previous Tuesday, we had buried his sweet great-grandmother. Then, on the Tuesday before that, we buried a young friend, Timothy Kyler, who had cancer, but most importantly, he had Jesus. His dad shared the gospel as requested by Timothy, who didn’t want any possible excuse for anyone attending his funeral not to join him in heaven. The gospel message was clearly presented and Bradley, age five, was listening. He started asking questions, and he put his trust in Jesus Christ two weeks after Timothy’s funeral.

On a humorous note:
When Bradley was four, after viewing a friend’s baptism (Prisca), he said, “Me want to go in the water with my clothes on right now!” We are thankful that he is saved, and that he was baptized on October 22, 2011.

His favorite verse: Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

I am thankful that BC could baptize our boys in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. I am also thankful that my dear friend’s girls were baptized, too. It was a beautiful morning at the lake. Due to the wind noise, the four children being baptized made their public profession of faith to those gathered around before they went into the waters.

Interestingly, this was the same date that I was baptized…many years ago. Also, this date is a favorite of ours because 23 years ago on October 22, BC and I began dating each another.

2 John 1:4 “I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.”

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Around here, the rest of the family attempts to wake up before the birthday child. The first one up gets to quietly wake up the rest of the gang. The birthday child might be awake, but their eyes remain closed, possibly fluttering a bit as they listen to the nearby “shushing”. The birthday child quickly remembers what day it is as “Happy Birthday to You” begins. (It’s an unspoken rule, but they have to remain in bed till the song is finished). Mind you, I don’t think the sound quality is super because our voices haven’t warmed up, but the thoughtfulness is always appreciated.

This was tradition, and yes, it was predictable. However, on Bradley’s birthday, I could not have predicted what my boys would do (How many times have I said that?). As I peeked into their room, I thought I saw Bradley stirring, but he was all covered up in his covers facing the wall. So, I decided to quickly sing to him, and then I would gather the others later (because it was so early…we had stayed up late the night before). Well, when I got to “Happy Birthday, dear Bradley…” he sprang out of his covers and it was Benjamin! At the same time, Bradley popped his head down from Benjamin’s top bunk! Those two had switched places! They got me good! So, I said, “Let’s do this again. I’ll go wake the girls!” And they fooled the girls as well! Each new year definitely brings more smiles!

Clothespin Hairstyles…

Find or buy some clothespins (like 60-we had some plain wooden ones, and some colorful plastic ones). Seriously, they are so inexpensive!

Then divide into two teams (or more if you need to-somewhere around five or six per team)

Give each team some clothespins. Draw names to see which team member will provide the hair. Then the team members decide on the style for the hair. The teams compete in fun to see which hairdo is the most creative, or uses the most clothespins. We separate the teams, and time them for about five minutes. Oh yeah, then take pictures!

Another game we enjoyed was Clothespin Tag.

Pass out six clothespins to each player. When the leader says “go”, each person tries to pin clothespins on six different players (on their clothing, not the hair for this one). Students must keep moving to avoid being pinned while trying to pin others at the same time (not pin them down, of course…remind the boys we are not wrestling). Before the game starts, make sure these modern-age kids know how to open the clothespins, and that they all understand that they are not to remove a clothespin once they are pinned. You may play until one player gets rid of all six and is declared the winner, or you may have everyone continue playing (even if they do not have any more pins, but they just try to avoid acquiring any more!

Finally, we have a new game that I came up with, and thought I would share with you…
Clothespin Clean-up…

Here is how it is played…
On the sides of the clothespins, Mom writes with a fine permanent marker all of the individual jobs that need to be done when your family does weekly/daily/monthly clean-up. For example:
Daily: unload dishes, load dishwasher, sweep floors, wipe off counters and table, vacuum, etc.
Weekly: clean out the fridge, dust furniture, toilets, sinks, tubs, etc.
Monthly: dust ceiling fans, dust blinds, wash windows, clean baseboards, etc.

Then, you start the timer and see who can collect the most clothespins. Grab one and stick it on your clothes, then go clean. This has really motivated my boys with clean up, too. Oh, and when you are done, have them return all of the clothespins into a baggie labeled “clothespin clean-up”, and store it with the cleaning supplies.

What about you? Do you have something different that you do with clothespins? Let me think…what else …oh, I also use them as “chip clips”.

Grace has always been very full of life and sweetness. She loves to sing and to care for her family, and she is quick to think of others. She is very gentle with children and loves to have fun and play games…that is, until someone gets hurt. Unfortunately, four out of eight times, that someone has been Grace. As I have probably mentioned before, she has had the most E.R. visits than any of our kids. Therefore, she was lovingly referred to as “Danger Girl” by an observant neighbor:)

We realized Grace was daring when she was just a baby. Because she was so tall, she managed to escape her crib at a young age.

When she was only two months old, she had two teeth already. At six months, she had eight. This was different from my first two daughters (whom Grace sometimes called “girls” when she was learning to talk). Because of her teeth, she was able to bite off things unexpectedly…like a plastic toy baby bottle of the girls, a glass ornament, and a Dorito. We had to constantly remind people not to let her “gum” anything because she was a baby with many teeth! I did many finger sweeps on her!

She was very skilled with her long hands when she was an infant. She took off a button from my blouse at church one day, and handed it to me. She did the same thing to a friend of mine. While we were eating, we always had to place our glasses pretty far from her because she could easily reach them. I remember one time when she spilled a huge glass of ice water on Daddy!

One night, I stood by the fridge and asked BC what sounded good to eat for dinner. Meanwhile, our ten-month-old Grace quickly crawled into the fridge and took out the egg carton (cracking a few). So, we decided to have eggs for dinner!

“I like food, Momma!” exclaimed our little picky eater one day. Whew!

When she was four, she lost her entire nail in the bedroom door jamb. Evidently, she was trying out a new look, as preschoolers do, and her sisters laughed at her ensemble of a swimsuit worn over her pink “footsie” pajamas. She said, “I’m telling Momma!” as she slammed the difficult door, but she forgot that her other hand was in the door jamb. The nail was off and the finger was cut to the bone (partial amputation)….and flapping. She rushed to the nearby bathroom and put it under cold water. When I came in, she calmly said, “Momma, I think I need a band-aid!” Ouch! My college first-aid class did not prepare me enough, as I panicked, called an ambulance (we only had one car at that time), and sent my other children to a neighbor’s house. This would be her first ambulance drive…wearing the interesting outfit…and her first four stitches. After that, we had what we called “an open door policy”, and doors were not to be closed by little hands.

When she was four, she asked me, “Momma, do you think I should cut off my fingers?” (as she was holding her hands out in front of her). Of course, she meant to imply that it was time for me to trim her nails!

And when she was a young toddler, she would hold her hands straight out, open her eyes wide, and round out her mouth with a silly face, and then make all of us laugh! She laughed right along with us.

Grace has always loved chewing gum. Once, when she was very small, we were shopping at Sam’s. Grace was in the front basket. I’ll never forget the moment I saw something blue in her mouth. Being surprised, I asked BC if he happened to give her some gum. We were both horrified when he said, “No”. “Oh no!…ABC gum!” (Already Been Chewed), we gasped, and I fished the nasty gum out of her mouth.

As seen below in the picture from Bradley’s Ball birthday party, the aquarium, not the pinata, would break the following month, and Grace, unfortunately, would end up with stitches. When they gave her seven stitches, she assumed it was because she was seven years old. (In her defense, she did have four stitches when she was four).

Her knee was deeply cut by a fake coin that came off (well, the boys cut it off) from a sewing embellishment which had been previously used for a pirate outfit. It was unknowingly buried under a couch cushion. Later, when Grace kind of jumped to sit on her knees on the couch, she was cut by the mysterious buried treasure. These things just seemed to happen to her.

Grace also had quite the imagination, and two imaginary pet dinosaurs when she was young. Their names were “Pee Kee” (Picky) and “Bahshe” (Bossy). They were the flying kind.


She loves monkeys. She has always wanted to get one when she grows up.

Her other love is sharks…scary, huh?

Like many girls I know, Grace has always had a fondness for shoes. The first time she went to a “Payless Shoe Store” and saw the many stacks of shoes, she was an overjoyed preschooler. She quickly told me, “When I grow up, I want to work at Payless and be a doctor!

On 9-11-01, Grace trusted in Jesus for her salvation. She asked me if all the people that died in the twin towers and airplanes went to be with Jesus. We talked about life and death; heaven and hell; sin and self, and later on she was baptized by Daddy.

She loves flowers. Whenever she spies flowers, her eyes open up like they are about to bloom (like one of those flowers that you might view with time-lapse photography on nature shows).

Here is our 14 year old beautiful young lady!

More on our sweet Grace…a.k.a. “Danger Girl” here…

water balloon incident…

Grace at age 8-if you look closely, you will notice her left pupil is larger than her right.

aquarium accident…

birth story…

One thing is for sure…God has given her extra grace when she has gone through trials. Praise His name…the One who is full of grace.

P.S. What is the most daring thing I heard that she did?…Years ago, she tried to see how many steps on the stairs of our house that she could jump down safely…but, she missed a few. Yikes! She was okay, but promised me she would never try that again!

• On her birth…Well, naturally, the day she was born…naturally. We named her Faith because I had hemorrhaged with my previous pregnancy, so we were taking a big step of faith believing God would deliver her, and deliver me also. The doctor told me she didn’t think it would happen again, but there were no guarantees. Oh, Faith looked just like a baby doll—so precious! And we had a healthy baby and Momma! Praise the LORD!



• On her second birth…The night she came into our room (about 11:00 p.m.), and awakened us by exclaiming, “I said it!” I thought she had said something bad, and I told her it would be okay, and that Jesus forgives us if we just ask Him. But she said, “No, I mean I said it. I prayed to ask Jesus to forgive my sins, and be my Savior.” She had been wrestling with this decision for awhile. It was a happy night indeed! We were thrilled to be awakened by the fact that she was awakened to her need of a Savior! It was the night before she turned seven. We were thrilled that she now would celebrate two birthdays (physical and spiritual)!
• On her common sense…At six years of age, she broke her pinkie finger with a basketball. She said she was doing the pinkie splits (she’s double jointed) with her hand on the stairs, and the basketball that she had placed on the stair above her, rolled down and dropped on her pinkie…kind of giving her permanent pinkie splits! The orthopedist said that it was so far removed from the other fingers that he needed to reset it,and he gave her a pink cast to wear! The cast was removed and the orthopedist’s instructions of “No P.E. for two weeks” seemed to also be removed from my daughter’s hearing. As soon as we had arrived home, I witnessed her perform a one-handed cartwheel.  When I quickly reminded her she wasn’t supposed to be using that hand, she said, “I know, that’s why I only did a one-handed cartwheel using my other hand.”

• On her vocabulary…One time when she was about three, we were driving down the road. I said, “Look at all those bluebonnets!”

Faith piped in “…and ‘yellow bonnets’ too!” There were also yellow flowers!


• On animals…I love to watch her play with dogs, cats, bunnies, lizards, and frogs. She loves them! I remember the time she caught a lizard and asked me if she could keep it inside. I let her keep it for a day, then we let him go.




• On her favorites…She loves her family, mysteries, sign language, sewing, crotchet, drawing, memorizing Scripture, computer games and of course, puzzles.

• On strength…She is very strong. The boys are hoping they can one day beat her at arm-wrestling!
• On her music…She is very musical. She whistles, sings harmony by ear, and plays the lap harp, recorder, and harmonica.

• On humility…She is cute, and smart. I told her when she was about three, “You sure are cute!”.

She said, “And I’m smart, too!”


• On shots…The way she took her shots so well at the doctors. One day they had to draw blood, and she was so into it. She was watching them take blood, and commented on how neat it looked. The nurse was amazed at how a three-year-old was so good for all of that. Years later, she did almost faint after a blood draw. I caught her, and she rested in the hallway of a medical building. Thankfully, a nearby nurse from a different office brought her ice. More importantly, her blood tests came back normal! I remember feeling so relieved!


li>On art…She is great at drawing, and with scissors. She used to be my human paper shredder. Of course, there was the time she cut her hair right before prayer meeting…yikes!



• She is such a super helper. She loves to clean and organize, and really sticks with a project until it’s completed. Thanks, Faith!Happy Birthday, sweet girl!


Faith with her hand-sewn quilt.

]]> http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/06/07/faith-twelve-years-old/feed/ 1 http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/05/10/more-sweet-memories-and-pictures-of-michelle/ http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/05/10/more-sweet-memories-and-pictures-of-michelle/#comments Tue, 10 May 2011 16:33:43 +0000 cc http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/?p=1809

Michelle's first cake experience.

Michelle loved baby dolls and real babies, too!
Michelle went everywhere in her red boots. She even wore them in the summertime! Daddy called you “cowgirl ballerina”.


You always sucked on those two fingers, and grabbed some of my hair with your other hand. You came out of the womb with a blister on those same sweet fingers! You are currently wearing braces largely due to this:)

When Michelle was a 6 month old baby, she would hum along when I sang her to sleep. As a young toddler, she could hear a song once and pick up on most of the lyrics, and the tune! Often, she would ask me to play “Moah’s Ark”, which is what she called “Mozart”, when she was young.


Michelle at age 3 was talking to Nonnie on the phone and she said, “I like my watch!” Paige then tells Michelle: “Tell her mine, too!” So, Michelle said, “I like sister’s watch, too!”



As dinner was coming out of the oven, patient two-year-old Michelle shouts out: “It’s ready! It’s ready! Praise the LORD!”


When Michelle was four, she asked me a cute question (around Father’s Day): “When is ‘Kid’s Day’?”
Also when Michelle was four, she was on a walk (with other people nearby) and she asked Daddy: “Master, why do you always speak in parables when a crowd is near?” (a quote from the Jesus video.)



Michelle

When Paige was five, she went to the E.R. for high fever. When she came home, Michelle wanted a “bracelet” like the one the hospital gave to Paige. Well, three days later, Michelle had a bad bike accident, and was absolutely thrilled to get her own “bracelet” and air cast. She exclaimed, “I love this!” as she pointed to the air cast!
At this age, she also enjoyed making homemade paper “Brandy” dolls (the name of her doll family). I had to smile as she pointed to one of the dolls and described, “Momma is the one with sleepy eyes!”:)




Her love for purses started at a young age!



One of her hardest birthdays...Paige (on her right) had just been diagnosed with cancer, and had eye surgery a few days before Michelle's party.





You


At two, you loved Pooh Bear. We called you “Tigger”.


These are sweet memories and precious pictures of my Michelle. I displayed some of these at her party. We shared some sweet desserts, and daddy shared more sweet thoughts, then…you guessed it, we shared some sweet tears.
]]> http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/05/10/more-sweet-memories-and-pictures-of-michelle/feed/ 1 http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/22/michelle-sweet-memories/ http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/22/michelle-sweet-memories/#comments Sat, 23 Apr 2011 02:05:40 +0000 cc http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/?p=1776


sweet michelle

Michelle is sweet sixteen, and sweet she is. I will try to make this post short and sweet as I mention a few sweet things she does. Undoubtedly, she bakes the best sweets, like apple crisp. She also relishes creating new meals for us to try. She weaves beautiful friendship bracelets to share. Sweet, right?. She even made some for Mom and Dad-super sweet! As she sings sweet harmonies with her family and choirs, many ears are blessed. Frequently, Michelle loves to take sweet shots with her cameras. She also treasures helping sweet little children. When she can, she cherishes time spent reading sweet stories. She smiles sweetly, and has endured braces for over a year now. She sews a variety of items, and she crafts sweet cards with the sweetest handwriting. She is also a super home sweet home school student. How’s that for sweet sixteen (I included sixteen “sweets”)
]]> http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/22/michelle-sweet-memories/feed/ 3 http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/20/choir-tour/ http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/20/choir-tour/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 20:28:01 +0000 cc http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/?p=1785 Recently, Paige and Michelle embarked on a new experience; They went on a choir tour without us. Thankfully, we prayed about this decision and knew they had each other and some wonderful Christian friends and chaperones on this musical journey.

Staying nearby, we were also comforted. We stayed in the Dallas area with my parents one night, and then Brad and I enjoyed a romantic stay at their hotel the following night, but we saw very little of them. Our main contact was through texting. I will let them tell all about it (hint, hint) when they decide to blog. I know I have no room to talk as I have been absent from the blogging community for a record-long time. They did have a wonderful, and safe time.

We also extremely enjoyed spending time with my parents and brother. Interestingly, we went with them to a park and attempted to fly two kites. As the string was loosening, I was struck by the fact that I was loosening the reins/string with my two daughters who were now flying solo, yet together, in that cloudy sky.

We did have the privilege of hearing them perform with the SMU choir on their Encore Youth Chorus Tour. Here is a short clip I found on youtube of the girls (Paige and Michelle) singing. Enjoy!Encore Youth Chorus w/SMU

]]> http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/20/choir-tour/feed/ 1 http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/19/paid-in-full/ http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/19/paid-in-full/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:49:22 +0000 cc http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/?p=923 I recently baby-sat for a mother of two small children (one being an infant). She needed to run to the store, and wasn’t exactly sure how easy that would be with both of them. Believe it or not, I remember those feelings, and those days. The days where shopping with even two children was always an adventure, and timing was everything, but oh-so-sweet times!

I specifically recall one adventurous time when I was shopping with Paige (my eldest), who was three years old (and I only had two children back then). We were at a Christian book store, and her hands were wanting to touch everything. One phrase I seemed to always be repeating was, “Look with your eyes, not your hands.” But ah… then came a teachable moment. Paige spied a shiny, gold-plated bookmark with words engraved on the top. She knew the letters were words and sweetly asked me what those words said. I told her, “Paid…in…full” (being a teacher, I was speaking slowly and running my fingers underneath the words).

Then, I went on to explain how salvation is a free gift to us, and how Jesus paid for it when He died on the cross. Well, in all my explaining, and poor usage of the pronoun “it”, I failed to communicate very well. My error became pretty obvious to me when I returned home and she took out her bookmark to show Daddy her free gift. Well, being the cute “free”-year-old that she was, we all had a good laugh, and then we returned it to Scripture Stall.

As we entered the store, I shared the story of our first (and last) shoplifting experience, which became quite a spirit-lifting experience! This was definitely a “happy return”. In my few experiences with returning items, I cannot remember a single time when the service desk people gave me a laugh (yes, sometimes I received service with a smile-albeit, a possible fake one). Well, audible laughter trickled out of the patient clerk who was behind the counter at Scripture Stall that day!

God’s salvation is a free gift. It cost us nothing, yet cost Him everything!

Here are the words to a favorite hymn that our choir has learned at co-op:

“Free, Free, Free”

(Author and composer unknown)

(vs. 1) Hark! sinner, hark! we have tidings so true,

Tidings of pardon and blessings for you!

God, in His word says that Christ on the tree,

Died for guilty sinners, and “Salvation is free.”

Chorus:

Hear the news, sinner, free! free! free!

Why not believe it ? ‘Tis good news for thee.

Jesus the Just One has died on the tree,

Died for guilty sinners, and “Salvation is free.”

(vs. 2) Guilty you are, yet you know very well

Jesus has suffered to save you from hell;

Tho’ now condemned, justified you may be,

Jesus paid the ransom, and “Salvation is free.”

(vs.3) Trust not in “doing,” it cannot avail.

Good resolutions and works  can but fail;

“Grace, grace alone,” is the saved sinner’s plea,

“Not of works,” the Scriptures say, “Salvation is free.”

(vs.4) Trust not in feelings, your heart is depraved.

Trust only Jesus, who now lives to save;

Tears of repentance, tho’ real they may be,

Ne’er can purchase heaven, for “Salvation is free.”

Nine years ago today, Paige was diagnosed with cancer. I continually praise the Lord Jesus Christ that he saved her from a deadly disease. I also praise the Lord for taking our eternal life-threatening disease, which is sin, and giving his life to pay for the penalty of our sin in order that we might live with the Lord Jesus, the only One who conquered death and the grave, forever.
Here is a song that I recently heard and enjoyed…
Christ Is Risen By Matt Maher

]]> http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2011/04/19/paid-in-full/feed/ 1 http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2010/11/18/im-thankful-for-the-gift-of-reading/ http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/2010/11/18/im-thankful-for-the-gift-of-reading/#comments Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:58:24 +0000 cc http://heartofamom.eightclouds.com/?p=1609 During the month of November, as a family we try to think of something that we are thankful for each day. So, today, I am thankful for the simple gift of knowing how to read, and for the endless enjoyment and edification that reading brings to the reader. I am also thankful that each one of my children knows how to read, and enjoys reading good literature. What a blessing!

Here are some recent pics of my kids taken by Heidi H. of POSH Photography:



Faith



Paige



Bradley



Benjamin



Michelle



Grace

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