Spring has sprung on this old farm and the activity is endless.  Winter is being packed away for another year, and the breeze that always reminds me of my grandmother is blowing through every curtain in this home.  We are delighted to see new birds visiting the feeder on our front deck.  The children try to figure out what they are, while our kitty looks out the window longingly, wishing she could go play with them. J

 This is the time of year when I seem to notice, all in a sudden, how much each of my children has grown!  My first born son is no longer all little boy, for there is now a young man trying to birth from him.  He struggles between the two, and so I hope my telling him how very proud of him I am helps with this change….this new growth.  He has farm blood through and through!  He loves everything about running this farm and enjoys listening to all the farm conversation.

 My oldest daughter never ceases to amaze me!  March 23^rd it will be THREE years since she walked off of that airplane and joined our family!  There is no denying there is a young woman growing in my home.  She loves the Lord so very much.  She has been taking it upon herself to memorize scriptures, other than the ones we are memorizing as a family.  This example has led her younger siblings to do the same.  If the day here has gone well, then my husband and I are both much obliged in allowing them to sit up a bit longer in the evening to read their Bibles while snuggled in their beds. 

 My 7 year old daughter is a delight to my soul!  She loves everything about keeping the home and is so eager to help me.  Of course, she has her “moments” J but for the most part she is usually pleading with me to allow her to do a meal or care for the baby and toddlers.  She loves to tell her daddy when he arrives for dinner time that she prepared something for him ALL by herself! 

 My 5 year old is STILL the life of this household!  He is our little cowboy and is always smiling and always FULL of energy, things will NEVER be dull with him around.  He is our little giver.  He LOVES to give to others.  Each Sunday he comes to church with his coins and gives them like he is giving the world….and he is, because it is his heart he is giving from!  We have all learned to take more time to receive his “little” gifts.  We realized how hurt his little heart would become when we were just too busy to stop and accept his offerings to us.  I never want to squelch that desire in him to give of him self.

 My 2 year old will be 3 in a few weeks!  WOW, where has the time gone!?  He amazes us with his words and understanding.  He is such a little sweetheart.  I just love how thoughtful one so little can be.  He will bring me a glass of ice water (sploshing all the way! J ), offer me a hug, “read” me a story.  He and his 1 (almost 2) year old sister are INSEPARABLE!  When he leaves to “farm” with daddy she is quite unsure of what to do with herself.

 Speaking of that little 1 (almost 2) year old.  She is our FIRECRACKER!  Just when a family thinks things are quite interesting enough in their home, God adds a whole new dimension!  I LOVE IT!  She, well, as my own mother says, “is a spitting image of her mother”.  I am thinking, though, with the right training we might possibly keep her from some of the same mistakes I have made along the way J.  We call her Elli sometimes.  Little Elli is quite loved and adored here and BOY does she know it!  I literally thank Jesus every day for this little girl.  I did ask the Lord what He was doing when I found out I was pregnant with her.  Those of you who know my blog, know the story.  If you are new, feel free to read it here at Our Miracle Baby.  “Jesus, I thank you AGAIN for working all things according to YOUR will, even when we fight to understand!”

 Our precious tiny one is almost 6 weeks old now.  I am already looking at his newborn pictures wondering where that little baby went!?  He is getting so chubby and smiling all the time.  He wants for nothing in this home.  There is always someone to hold him, kiss him, cuddle him, love him!  I have to steal away to my room to get quiet moments alone with him J.  I am soaking in every moment of this time with our new baby.  I miss feeling him kicking within me, but I am loving having him in my arms!

 As I said, the farm is a bustle of activity now.  The men are busy preparing fields.  My husband hopes they can plant the corn soon.  We do need rain and keep praying for it to fall.  My son was feeling frustrated that it wasn’t raining and I reminded him that we must trust the Lord and His will…again, even when it doesn’t make sense to us.  So this is the season that we transition from daddy being home a lot to being gone more often.  He has a good cell phone now so we are enjoying being able to call him whenever we get to missing him too badly.  Thankfully he is never too far away either.

 I am keeping busy with all the things of the home and still finding much joy in it!  I cannot deny that I went through a time of feeling greatly overwhelmed a few weeks ago.  I emmursed myself in scripture and prayer and the Lord brought me through it.  I worked out a better system for managing our home and things are going much better now.  I have also started a notebook and record scriptures that I can look back on when I am feeling overwhelmed.  It is of Satan, for God is a God of peace.  If I can remember that thoughts of “I am so overhwhelmed” “There is no way I can do all of this” “I am inadequate” are ALL lies.  Recording scripture has helped me to take captivity of such thoughts (as in 2 Corinthians 10:5) and combat them with the TRUTH! 

 I have received so many questions from others that I promise I will take time to answer in bits and pieces.  I have them set aside and will get to them J.  For now, though, I must get back to the things of my home.  I have a room that desperately needs some order and some bread ingredients waiting to be thrown together for our daily bread tomorrow J.

 Blessings to all!