It beginning to look alot like Christmas!

I decided to go out and try for a Christmas card photo one afternoon.  It was actually quite cold and windy but the moment I mentioned outside to the kids there was no going back.  They were so good to work with but getting all four to look, smile and hold still for more than a milisecond was not possible.  But I still like the photos anyway.  They were outside which they LOVE and were laughing and hugging almost the whole time and that was worth the work it took to get them out there.  I also think it is such a representation of how are family is right now.  We try to work together but get sidetracked easily, we are happy but not always at the same time and often someone is a little out of focus and sometimes were are just watching one another with wonder.  So this is us... minus my husband and I of course but someone has to take the picture and someone has to provide for the family so this is where we were at this particular afternoon.

I also love watching my kids together when they are having fun.  It makes my heart hope they will always be close.  Early this week I had to go to GF to get groceries, Christmas presents and bring Julia to her 18 mo appointment.  On Mondays, my mother-in-law has some combination of 2 or 3 of the kids so I thought I would get a bunch of stuff done on this trip.  No, not so much.  My father-in-law was recovering from surgery on his foot and my mother-in-law did feel so well this past weekend so I was on my own.  Jay volunteer to have one of the kids be with him at work and while he made root beer with his family that day so Bekah was taken care of.  It ended up that my mom had an MRI sceduled at the same time as Julia's appointment so she was dropped off at my parents that morning and picked up by me at the hospital just in time for her appointment which worked out really well.  So Jack, Hannah and I headed off for GF.  These are the times I feel like we have fun together, adventures together and I hope that I will be able to do it with all four of them at the same time someday!  But let me tell you even though all went well, I was exhausted.  My main moment of panic was when we were in Macy's.  I, (not even thinking about my children copying my every move) noticed their Yearly crystal ornament ($75 value) hanging with 5 or 6 others on a metal display tree and cupped it in my hand for a better view.   Wrong move, seconds later Jack was about to do the same.  And even though he seemed to be approaching them with care, all I could do was quickly multiply 75 x6 and I didn't like the figure that popped into my mind and jumped to stop him as I didn't want the tree to topple over!  There was no disasters, little whining and really no major melt downs but it did take a lot out of me.  However it was so fun to see the fun the kids had together.  We looked at Christmas stuff in stores, spotted Santa and sang our own version of Jingle Bells in the isles of Target and it was a great Christmas time memory in the making.  Oh how I love these kids and hope they are learning to love the season that celebrates our Saviors birth!  So I will leave you with these photos in anticipation of the official Christmas photo and also a question of what family traditions are you forming for your family?  I want my children to remember our Christmas seasons so fondly.  I'm trying to come with my own.

Photography

I have really never dreamed of being a photographer of humans.  Animals and landscapes, maybe... but really never people.  But now that I have a decent camera and lens, I really wanted to take pictures for people for fun.  Meaning, if they have no expectations for perfect pictures and I have no expectation of payment it would be fun.  So I had the opportunity to take pictures of some friends.  While it was fun and a great learning experience it was stressful.  I really felt the need to capture perfect moments in time.  I did capture some but they were blurry or dark beyond editing repair.  Wow what a gift professional photographers have in their responsibility to capture these moments perfectly.  I love this challenge.  I want to learn, improve and continue to serve others in this way.  I am having fun taking pictures of my own children and family and hope the tradition started by my dad (recording family life through film) will continue with me!  Any photo tips for me?  Like in the above pic... I wish I had paid attention to getting the entire rocking chair and her feet in the frame... maybe next time.  Let's talk and learn from eachother!

Julia... my challenge.

How interesting that I "started" this post many months ago but didn't really write anything.  I know for sure that I had no idea what was coming.  To say she is a challenge can be an understatement but to say she is a blessing is the truest statement I can say.

This is something I started writing for her about 8 months ago...
You are my baby. What can I say as you approach 9 months old? I really don't know where the time has gone. You came as a huge surprise; one that was accompanied with tears. Tears of fear, anticipation and eventually joy. You came with a delivery that I can not possibly ever truly explain and with your delivery I didn't know what to think about having another daughter. I think for me, daughters are scary. I don't think I am yet the woman I or God wants me to completely be so how am I to form three little girls into godly women? But you are so happy and engaging. You love people and their faces... from afar. You are a mamas girl which I admit challenges me more than anyone can imagine. I love you so deeply and cannot imagine our family without you. At 9 months you are crawling, clapping, pulling yourself up on your knees and wanting any type of "real" food you can get you hands on.

The above paragraph brings tears to my eyes!  Julia is the first child I am going to write about as a contribution to my legacy files.  When I suspected I was pregnant with her I was scared and frustrated.  Scared that I wouldn't be able to handle 4 children and frustrated that my husband and I hadn't thought about trying to prevent pregnancy.  Afterall, we want 4 to 5 children and maybe more so why prevent it until we are there?  But with 7 month old twin girls and a 2 year old boy, the spacing seemed too close.  I cried!  As the preganancy went along, and I knew we had family support, the joy of having another child came.  It came slowly but as her birth approached my children got older, I felt like I had more energy and the anticipation of meeting my child was wonderful.  I also knew I had Emily (a cousin-like relative of my husband) coming to help with the three older children and the house for the summer.  (More on Emily later-what a blessing she is to our whole family).

We she was born there was a period of a few minutes we did not know if she was a boy or a girl.  On the way to the hospital though, my husband and I had settled on a first name for a girl because "you know this baby really could be a girl".  Julia-I loved the name.  It was so beautiful and timeless.  And when they said she was a girl.... I wanted her to be a boy.  This is not said to hurt her; just reality.  But at the same time, I knew my Julia was here and I wanted to meet her.  God had given me a good pregnancy and birth and God had given me HER.  Another girl to love, discipline and form into a godly woman.  I hope we are great friends when she is older because she has a great spirit!  From the moment I held her in my arms I knew she was meant to be here, be a girl and be mine.  I praise God for that.

What can I say about our Julia?
She is a smiler.  She can capture an audience with one smile a shoulder shrug and crickled nose.
She is the child who can capture a stranger's whole world.  I mean this literally.  People will just stop, stare, comment but will not leave.  I will finally leave an encounter with someone and they will just keep staring.  Seriously it's weird.  But they love her.  She has presense!
She is a talker.  She will be 17 months in 1 week and she speaks in sentences.  Ex.  What's that?  Whose that?  Looking at a picture of herself, "That's Julia, Mommy", and Hannah, where are you?
And she can get around.  Up, down, climbing... no problem.
She is helpful.  Bringing each person the right pair of shoes or whatever she my find; she gives it to the right person.
She wants her mommy; there is no question.  And papa Clarence is not far behind.
She has volume.  You never have to wonder if she just said something.
She love apples and m&ms.
She wears size 3 diapers, 12-18 month clothes and size 4 shoe.
She LOVES being outside!
She is a hugger.
She can sing most of Jesus Loves Me, God Made Me and Deep and Wide
...No lie, I think she just said "candy" as I picked her up out of her crib this morning; she wanted more than we would give her last night!
And we think she will change the world; prayerfully to the glory of God.

I love my life with Julia in it.  She has challenged me for the good.  Patience is a neccessity. And blessing abound.  I cannot wait to see all you will become.

A house in order Part 1

This is a literal and figurative sense.  We really have been able to get our house in a little more order this past week.  And the challenge continues this week.  Last Monday  I FINALLY got my carpets cleaned!  I have thought it would be a good goal to get my carpets cleaned every year to year and a half... now I'm quite sure it has been at least 3.  Gross... at least for our family.  I have let my kids eat in the living room and of course for all get togethers we have, we have people eating meals in rooms with carpet plus a dog, that sheds and toddlers that are potty training... need I say more, no!  So dog is out of living room area, only snacks that vacuum up and water are permitted in living room (exception of parties... although children will need to eat in kitchen then too) and potty training, well we will just hope transition out of pull ups goes well.
So anyway this was just the jump start I needed.  Everything out and as little as possible back in!  Our computer made a move to the basement and the kids now have a little space to call their own.  I did not put as many toys back in the room and they play much more intentionally and even are better at picking up.  This is huge for us.  We have 4 children 4 and under and playing well together or alone seems to always pose a challenge.  It makes me wonder how any more children will fit in but I think we need to realize that more children does not have to mean more stuff!
I have gotten rid of loads of stuff either to the garbage, garage sale bag or give away bag and it feels empowering.  It clears my mind and I can function better.  I can take better care of my spiritual life, family and my self!  I love it.  My husband loves it too.  We plan to start shifting some responsibilities around as well so this could be big.  I feel like we are on the verge of something big; just really refocusing ourselves and it's good.  God has began a good work in us.... and will be faithful to complete it.  I know this work began long ago but we feel like this is a new season for us.  There may be more babies to come but it seems like a least all the children won't be babies at the same time anymore!

Friends (cont)

Making time for friends and cultivating relationships has been heavy on my heart lately. My heart's cry was encouraged to know it was on to something when I read one of my favorite blogs the other day (http://www.kellehampton.com/) and at my weekly Bible study on Tuesday morning. Kelle wrote her Hallmark post on friends, which was such an insightful read for me as my heart had been stirring and mind had been rolling through thoughts and feelings of my friends. But at my Beth Moore Bible Study, the video message she presented touch my soul.  She spoke on how we need to be good traveling partners (http://www.lifeway.com/Product/stepping-up-a-journey-through-the-psalms-of-ascent-video-sessions-M00000129#).

One of the Bible verses I came across was... Exodus 33:11a "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend."  This made me start thinking.  Negatively at first in regards to people who don't bring their complaints directly to a person.  They just write a facebook status or blog post about it or talk to someone else about it.  How many times have I done this myself... shame on me.  Perhaps more conflicts would be easily resolved if we just talked directly and only to the person with whom we have the problem.... but I'm getting away from my point.

Friends talk face to face!  And while I love facebook and blogs as much as the next person; I love my true friend more.  They are part of me.  Last Wednesday felt like the perfect time to put my thoughts into practice.  I went to visit a friend.  She used to live close and even attend the same church however since they moved (almost 4 years ago), other than emails, facebook messages, occasional phone calls and Christmas cards, they only time we see her and her family is when they came or were passing through.  So I packed up all four kids (ages 1, 2 1/2, 2 1/2 and 4) and headed out for a road trip.  It was a great adventure.  It was exactly what my heart needed.  I  loved the visit more than you can imagine and I think it touched her too.  We made effort to go to them, to see their new home, to play in their yard.  What a blessing.

We plan to do this again tomorrow except with different friends.  I want to make the effort; to go (even if traveling an hour or two can be hard with so many small children), to spend time in their life.  I cannot wait. We have pizza, pumpkin carving and pumpkin patches and visits to the mall planned.  I love these women and their families... they are family to me!

So love your friends.  Make real time for them.  Love on them.  Talk FACE to FACE with them and your hearts will bond!

Where I began.

Mom & Me, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

What is my heritage... my mom, my dad, my grandparents. So many people. Some love or loved God and others maybe don't or didn't but God gave them all to me and I love the piece of them that is in me.
My grandparents and parents are or were(meaning they are in heaven now) followers of Christ. How awesome is that. That doesn't mean there were not struggles. There were many... financial difficulties, divorce and remarriage, miscarriages, untimely deaths, unplanned pregnancies, etc. These struggles formed us but do not define us. I think we have let many of these thing define us instead of leading us to a new place of grace and healing. I know many of my childhood memories were formed and saturated with these struggles but I want to let them go and have them be steps to bring me closer to God.
My parents were Christians when they got married and are still married today after 45 years of marriage. Praise the Lord! My brother is 9 years older than me so the road to my mom's pregnancy was long and much anticipated. I know I was prayed for long before I was conceived... what a great heritage. I know I was an answer to prayer; why is that hard to admit. I have been told that at different times in my life but I don't think I've let in sink in. I'm not being proud; I want to be secure in God's plan for my life and to know that prayer were uttered for me before I was born is amazing! God has a plan for everyone of us and we are an answer to someone's prayer. We may not even know whose prayer we are answer too yet but one day we will even if it's not on this side of heaven.
I have always known in my head that I was loved but I didn't always and still don't always let it get to my heart.
So our heritage is rich even if our past isn't perfect and our future has so many riches yet to come if we as followers of Christ. Thank you mom and dad for being my most immediate heritage that I can be thankful for!

Treasuring our heritage...and leaving a legacy.

It's me!, a photo by janelleh1 on Flickr.

I don't know what this is exactly about but I think it's about healing and overcoming, happiness and joy. I want to treasure where I've been good or bad and I want to be happy and joyful over where I am and where I'm going.
This is me. God's creation; a person created to glorify Him. It all begins and ends with him. Everything is about him. So how does that effect my life? I should consume all that I am. I want to be mindful of this and have it be the legacy I leave.
I want to journal about this in different aspects of my life. It hit me last night, this experience could be healing and helpful in my life.
I want to be a better woman of God, a better wife and a better mother, daughter, sister and friend. I am going to dwell here for a while and explore my mind, memories and dreams. I want to be mindful of everything I do, everything I say and everyone I influence. I think it will change me; I want it to change me.
I not a horrible person. But I think there are parts of me that can be horrible if not filtered through the grace God extends to me every moment. So lets begin...