Wordless Wednesday: Ruffle Bum

Happy 6th Birthday Elijah!

Six years ago today, after being in labour for over 12 hours during an attempted VBAC, I lay on a hospital bed while the doctors tried desperately to find my baby’s heart beat. I remember crying and squeezing Scott’s hand, while we both prepared ourselves to be told that we had lost our baby. Just as panic really started to set in, his heart beat came back. It was alot slower than it was supposed to be- but it was there.

 

I faintly remember them rushing me down the hallway for an emergency c-section. I remember them telling me that they had to start my epidural again before they begin. I remember not caring if I was numb, and telling the doctors to just get him out! I wanted to see my baby. They finally let Scott in, and I must have asked him every 5 seconds, if everything was OK. When he didn’t answer right away, I would turn and ask my midwife, or the anaesthesiologist. I remember praying, and begging God to keep our baby safe. A few moments later, I heard Scott say, “I see his head! He’s huge!” (Turns out he wasn’t really *huge* he just had a big head!)

 

His cord had been wrapped around his chest and neck. He had marks from it being so tightly wound. We were told that my uterus was so thin, that a couple more contractions and we could have had a rupture, which would have been catastrophic for both of us. But we didn’t. God knew just what HE was doing when He scared us enough to agree to the c-section. (which I wouldn’t have- under any other circumstances)

 

Not only was our first baby boy here- he was perfect.

 

When I watch him today, I see what I imagine a 6 year old Scott to be like. Except that he has 5 sisters to torture, and a little brother as his sidekick. He is the epitome of a little brother. He kicks over doll houses, eats their food, trips them as they walk by, hides their stuff, and locks them out of their own room. He loves lego, he’s a math whiz, and he squishes bugs with his bare hands. He preaches for their “play church” services, and never forgets to pray for a prayer request he’s been given.

 

I am so thankful that God spared our son 6 years ago today. I can’t imagine our family without him!

Happy 6th Birthday Elijah!

 

 

                                                                            

                                                                            Love,

 

                                      Mom

From Our Home to Yours….

Christmas with Jesus

Blogging, had simply become a habit for me…. but then, I had a ton of Christmas shopping to do. Then, there was the basement reno that is half finished. The photos to be edited. Hats to be made and delivered in time for Christmas. Throw a husband, 7 kids, and a house full of laundry into the mix- and that is why I haven’t blogged in a week.

 

Last Friday, while I was at a bake exchange with Scott’s mom, she got a text from Nadine, telling her that her nephew Harley, had been hit by a car. Unfortunately, when he was out for a walk with his girlfriend, an impaired driver swerved and hit them while they were walking along the shoulder of the road. He passed away this weekend.

 

Please keep my husband’s family in your prayers. I know several other families who will be celebrating Christmas without a special loved one this year, and when I saw this poem- I decided that I would have to post it.

I hope it’s a blessing to someone.

 

Christmas With Jesus

I see the countless Christmas trees around the world below.
With tiny lights, like Heaven’s stars, reflecting on the snow.
The sight is so spectacular, please wipe away that tear.
For I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

_

I hear the many Christmas songs that people hold so dear.
But the sounds of music can’t compare with the Christmas choir up here.
I have no words to tell you the joy their voices bring.
For it is beyond description to hear the angels sing.

_

I know how much you miss me, I see the pain inside your heart.
But I am not so far away, we really aren’t apart.
I cannot tell you of the splendour or the peace inside this place
Can you just imagine Christmas with our Saviour, face to face?

_

I will ask him to light your spirit as I tell him of your love.
So then pray for one another as you lift your eyes above.
So be happy for me, dear ones, you know I hold you dear.
And be glad I’m spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.

_

I sent you each a special gift, from my heavenly home above.
I sent you a memory of my undying love.
After all, love is a gift more precious that pure gold.
It was always most important in the stories Jesus told.

_

Please love and keep each other, as my Father said to do.
For I can’t count the blessings or love he has for each of your.
So have a Merry Christmas and wipe away that tear.
Remember, I am spending Christmas with Jesus Christ this year.
_

-Author Unknown

 

Praying for many tonight,

Wordless Wednesday: She likes her sleep…

 

Something Only We Would Do…

Our house is pretty old, and sometimes our doors jam.

Well, last night, Scott and I locked ourselves into our bedroom.

Knob would not turn. Wouldn’t even budge… After trying for half an hour to turn the handle every which way, take the door knob off by unscrewing it- with a pair of kids’ scissors that just happened to be on my dresser, and having no luck… (most of this time I was sitting on our bed laughing at Scott) Oh, and did I mention that we were holding a candle over by the door because our room lights don’t work, and we forgot that we had a lamp? Cause we were… working by candle light that is. I almost burnt Scott’s hand several times. So when he came to the conclusion that he was going to have to break the door, or the frame to get it open- I asked if I could try first, because I’ve always wanted to try and kick a door down… so lady-like. I know… For some reason, he just gave me a strange look and ignored me. Then, he continued to try and pull the door through the frame. I almost died laughing when I saw what he did next… he got out his sword and I thought he was going to try and chop the handle right off…. thankfully, he jammed it between the door and the frame and popped it open.

“Why didn’t you do that half an hour ago!!??”

Only us…

Scott, right before he slapped me… don’t worry… I slapped him back. :)

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Check out my photo shoot from last weekend. I had a great time with these gorgeous girls, and the amazing hair and makeup artist! :) Can’t wait to get my hair done!!!

One Week Later…

Am I behind on my posting or what!?

 

I can’t believe it has been a week since my last *real* post.

 

Since then….

 

- I left my whole family and went away for two days with my mom-in-law to a Ladies’ retreat in Michigan. Scott survived. And so did the kids… :)

 

- I spent way too much money while away at said ladies’ retreat. But in my defence… it was my first time at Cracker Barrel!

 

- We went to the children’s Christmas party for Scott’s work. You already know what happened there. What I didn’t mention… was Eve standing up front doing the Macarena… *flashback to grade 7 dances*   And Elijah doing the twist… it was hilarious! He twists like an 80 year old man.. Keona and Somiya tried to make Jeddy dance… he wasn’t so into it.

- They each received toys from the Santa at the party. Keona got an MP# player. I don’t have an MP3 player… but my 9 year old does. We have since, added (at her request) “Revive Us Again” to her playlist. Jed got a keyboard, and Elijah got a remote control truck. Elijah got mad at Jed, took his keyboard, and dunked it into a bucket full of water in the laundry room. Now Jeddy has a remote control truck. And Elijah… well, he has what Keona recommended he get- a lump of coal. We are totally into the holiday spirit around here!

 

- Scott has almost completed his first semester. One more exam to go! *Praying he passes everything*

 

- We have one week of school left before Christmas break! I’m looking forward to sleeping in playing games, and doing all sorts of arts and crafts with my kids! :)

 

- Ella has learned the word “no.”  Her sisters tell her to do something and she yells, “No! No!” I come around the corner and as soon as I say, “Ella, you…” She says, “Yes, ma’am!”  She cracks me up…

 

- Eve played “Joy to the World” in church with the other violin students. I was going to take lots of pictures, but then I video taped it instead…

- I have been so busy editing other peoples’ photos that I’ve barely taken any of my own. Hopefully that will change now that I’m done taking hat orders for this year; I only have 1 more photo shoot booked for this month; Scott will be home during the days for the next few weeks! So while I’m sure that alot more has gone on in the last week or so… my brain is exhausted at the moment and I’ve already rambled long enough!

 

Looking forward to Christmas shopping this weekend! :)

Don’t ask me why I just put up a picture of a nutcracker… it was sitting on our piano, in front of the Christmas tree… and the lights made for nice bokeh…  So I took a picture- that I have no use for…

Wordless Wednesday: Work Christmas Party {Santa}

Am I a bad mother for laughing hysterically while I took this picture? 

 I think Santa was actually amused by this whole mother-laughing at terrified-daughter-crying scenario as well….

 

 

i heart faces: sweet dreams

There is nowhere sweeter for a baby to sleep, than in her mother’s arms…

 

 

Wordless Wednesday: Help Me! I’ve learned to make them at home…

  

 

                                                                                                                      Gaining weight by the bite,

I heart tooshies

Yep… you heard read it right!

 

The theme for i heart faces this week is- tooshies!

 

This one kind of stumped me. I have lots of nude, baby tooshie shots… but I don’t make a habit out of taking pictures of peoples’ behinds… :)

 

Then, I remembered how my girls love to hip-check eachother.

 

I take full responsibility. I used to send my sister flying all the time with a good hip-check when she was least expecting it!

The cutest, boniest, little tooshies around!

 

  

Beanie Babies Galore!

Friday night, I came home from dropping my girls off at a birthday party and bringing back Elijah’s BFF to find my door sitting wide open. I figured that Scott was bringing the tree in and getting it set up, but as I got closer, I realized that our neighbour was standing just inside our door. The tree was still sitting on the porch… but she was holding two clear plastic bags full of beanie babies. This sweet lady has teenage sons, and has brought us all sorts of things this past year- baseball gloves, basketball and hockey jerseys, race tracks and cars. I told her how excited the girls would be, and thanked her on my way in. As I went inside, I saw two more huge bags full of beanie babies already in the living room! She GAVE my kids over 100 beanie babies, in mint condition! (other than the two snakes which her boys must have actually played with! :) 

 When I asked Keona why it looks like her eye is swollen here- she said she was trying to make the same face as the tiger… strange little girl…

 

Tags intact, with plastic protectors…

 

I kept it a secret from the girls until Saturday morning. When I dumped the bags out on the table, they each quickly chose their favourites, and to my surprise- there were no fights!

     

   

Keona took all the cats and dogs.

Charity took all the bears.

Eve took all 3 pigs, along with the hippos and bull.

Ella claimed the Dalmatian.

The boys, took all snakes, other reptiles, amphibians and dinosaurs.

Prayer… took all the leftovers.

 

What a huge blessing that was for my kids!

 

I told Keona that she owes Aunty Sarah quite a few beanie babies… When she was about Ella’s age, while she was napping in her Auntie’s room – she decided to pull down all of Sarah’s beanie babies, and rip off each and every tag. This was back when people were collecting them, and they were worth money… Oops!

 

So a huge ‘thank you’ to our very thoughtful neighbour!

 

 

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Check out my photo shoot from Saturday, of a beautiful baby girl!

 

Purpose

A wise man once said, “Everything on purpose.” What is your purpose? Why do you bother existing? What is worth all this effort? I wonder if you can stand these questions. I wonder if you can survive this post, if not on purpose.

 

Purpose builds everything. For everything is built on a purpose. Nothing was ever built without being fuelled by purpose. No one sweats or bleeds, for a cause, unless that cause is worthy. No one battles an enemy, risking their life, or risking their chance to see that enemy’s defeat, without first deciding to do it. Is your life built and being built on purpose? Is that purpose worth your life?

 

A mother spends herself dry on purpose. There is no purpose quite so revealing on this planet as the mother’s purpose. What do you purpose for your children, mother? Are they for you; or are you for them? Or, are you and your children for a purpose?

 

We can go on through life tossed like a canoe in a hurricane, because we set out to sea without purpose. Remember what you are, little paddlers, as you gaze upon an endless horizon of open water. It is a long trip without reason to reach the destination. Yet to know that each time you press that paddle into the endless, effort-sucking strife of life, you further yourself towards your purpose, makes each stroke worthy of fullness. I cannot see shore, as yet. Nevertheless I purpose to reach it at whatever cost. Do you have a purpose that is worth crossing an ocean in a canoe for? Though we would like to fancy ourselves a little god, we are so tiny and frail as the canoe crossing the ocean.

 

So what’s your purpose? Why heed that evil alarm clock in the morning? Is your purpose worth getting up for? I watch a mother burn her candle until the early morning in effort, for a purpose. Find such a purpose. Find something worthy of you, worthy of your life.

 

Are you worthy of you? This is a deep lie of our society. “If you live for you, you will find fulfillment in your purpose.” Liars. No one ever served himself and found it worthy. No one ever spent their last breath and passed out into eternity glad they had wasted every minute away self-pleasing. Be honest, you are not worthy of that investment.

 

When all is spent from you, and you blink your last blink, inhale for the final breath, and your eyes set a gaze into the abyss of death’s unknown, you will think to yourself at the last, and maybe state to those around you as you pass, “What a waste I am. No, what a waste I was.”

 

Are you? What is your purpose?

 

Happiness is not a worthy purpose. Happiness is a result of choosing to yield to your purpose. Happiness is a reaction, not a purpose. Living life to produce a reaction is not a life lived for anything. Living life productively will produce the reaction. Therefore invest yourself in something other than yourself, and you will find the fulfillment you desired for yourself. But what is that purpose worthy of your expense, yielding such happiness?

 

You were made to love God. You cannot ever find your fulfillment on this planet until you yield yourself to its Maker. Stop running. Stop making excuses. You can distract yourself until that final breath if you so choose, but know this, until you obey His purpose, you will not fulfill yours. And until you fulfill it, you will search for fulfillment. First, you must know Him as your Saviour. There is no point to you until you decide to let Him forgive and cleanse you from the inside out. You can drink every drop of pleasure from this planet and keep yourself busy all you want, but you will not escape what you were made for. You were made for God. If you would like to know Him, let me show you how. Don’t be afraid to ask. Please.

 

But those who know Him, you were made for others. He forgave you so He can love others through you. Until you yield yourself to His purpose, you have no purpose. Suck back suburbia; if you so like, but you will never be full. Waste your days with trying if you want. Only remember the others you sacrificed for your wasting. Remember those you could have helped, had you fulfilled His purpose.

 

Purpose fills the chasm of your soul, my dear friend. Without it, without Him, we are but vain specks of dust, floating through emptiness on a bigger pile of dust. But with Him, (OH my SOUL, with Him!) is fullness of joy. He is worthy of us. God is the only worthy purpose.

 

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Rom 8:28

Falling behind…

In my blogging that is. Life has been busy. Imagine that! Christmas is in less than 1 month now, and I haven’t bought a single gift. Well, I did buy one that I hid in my closet and the boys found already… but other than that! And how I dread Christmas time parking lots… I remember being at Scarborough Town Centre once, and seeing two ladies get into a fist fight over a spot. I always park at the very back. No driving around for 20 minutes to try and save a 2 minute walk to the doors for me!

 

We’re trying to convince Scott to go to a tree farm this weekend, so that he we can cut down our own tree. I’ll have the girls ask him tomorrow. They always have better luck than I do for some reason!

 

But now- I’m going to teach my children. I was planning on a picture day today- but it’s so gloomy out. I think it will have to wait!

Now I’m just trying to come up with a fun idea to countdown the days to Christmas with the kids. Not into having 7 chocolate calendars sitting around the kitchen all month.

 

Countdown to Christmas break begins!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Happy Monday!

I find that lately, I’m actually looking forward to Monday. Not that I don’t love the weekends- because I do! Just that I don’t dread Monday. I look forward to our weeks as well.

 

The night time coughing has ceased. (I’d knock on wood- but I’m not superstitious. At all…)

Laundry is almost caught up. (As caught up as it can be with 7 kids)

We’re waiting on one last call before we can start to fix up our basement. (and turn it into a girls’ dorm)

Hat orders are flowing in. (I’m going to have to teach Keona to crochet)

I’m booking photo shoots. (Like the engagement one from Saturday)

 

God is so good to us. We have been given SO much more than we deserve.

 

Like our little El for example…

Who is seriously growing like a weed. And check out that head of hair!

It’s coming!!! :)

She has quite the pout as well. I’m told that she gets that from me…

I’m not so sure…

 

I was really looking forward to this week’s i heart faces theme- “Sunflare” but then I procrastinated… and have seen nothing but grey skies. No sun… :(

 

I did however, get to take pictures of my cousin, and her beautiful baby boy today!

I’ll post some more of him over on my photography blog. 

 

My sister spent the day with us, and I convinced her to start a blog. She has always been an awesome writer… and I can’t wait to help her get it all setup! I will be sure to blog about it when it’s up and running!

 

But now… I’m off to bed! As my boys will be up bright and early. Am I the only one who wakes up to a child standing silently at my bedside? Staring me right in the eyes when I wake up? Well, either that or… he’s downstairs attempting to open each box of crackers in the cupboard, with a pair of scissors, and eat every single last crumb before I catch him and he pleads for mercy while promising to never do it again…

 

As startling as it may be… I choose the bedside staring.

 

Jedidiah Decides to Preach for us…

 

“He flipped the chair sideways so it could be his pulpit.” Jaclyn told me. Then, after a few moments of song leading, he said he was going to preach. I guess, this is his first sermon. I think it was pretty good considering the preparation time allowed, and the enthusiasm displayed. Not a bad message either! Go Jed!

Last weekend, when Jaclyn and Jed were home on Sunday morning sick, watching church online, he asked her, “Why’s that man yellin?” Jac replied, “He’s not yelling, he’s preaching.” “Oh. Him’s preachin.” Jed replied. Apparently he was paying attention. :)

 

After close consideration, I have to wonder, who was it that taught him to preach? Elijah?…. or Keona? ;)

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.  - Psalms 127:3-5

Fix-it Friday

I love all of the colours in the leaves! Not to mention- this little girl is adorable! :)

 

Before:

After:

Indecisive…

Well, it’s late. I’m tired… and I wasn’t going to blog today- but here I am!

Usually, I notice when I hit “100 posts” or “200 posts” or even “300posts”… but last night- I posted my 400th blog post! I can’t believe it’s been that long. I only started this blog, because I had funny stories about the kids that I didn’t want to forget, and so that I could share pictures with family and friends that I don’t see that often. Besides, I was horrible at the whole baby book thing! Keona has one filled out to 6 months… the triplets have about 2 pages of one, and Elijah’s still sits on my bookshelf with only his name written in it! At first it was like work, to make myself sit down and blog every night. But now- it has become a habit…and I LOVE it! I look forward to looking back on all of this with my kids some day.

 

So, here is to post #401!

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No exciting pictures today… So much for Wordless Wednesday! I spent the day teaching, cleaning, and doing laundry. Inspite of the fact that it sounds incredibly mundane- I love my job! Wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

I did however, work on my photography blog a bit this afternoon. If you are bored, or have a moment to spare… Check it out. With the help of my girls (I love having so many girls!) I think that I’ve decided on a layout.

 

I’m at the point now, where I start to feel “lost in it all” and really wish I had a business partner. I’m not good at making all of these decisions… I can’t even decide what colour to make the font! Nevermind what “.com” to buy, or my official “business name,” or what I need to have now, and what can wait… Scott always complains about my indecisiveness… but today- it was even driving me nuts! Crazy! I know…

 

Anyone want to go into business together? :)

 

Really, Scott and I make perfect partners. If he could just take a clear picture… I mean a single picture that wasn’t totally blurry… it would be a match made in heaven.

 

So I’m starting to have my doubts and fears, about all of this becoming “official” in the new year, and really investing myself into it come spring… Right now, I just need to pray for guidance. And someone to tell me what colour to make the dumb font!…