(The gingerbread houses came with bright green and bright pink stickers to put on them. However, they remind me of clearance tags...LOL)

I saw these little brown foam figures that looked like gingerbread houses and gingerbread people. I had to nab them for Levi and Abram to decorate, and that way it was one more holiday decoration that I could have a keepsake that would have a sweet memory of me and my boys making them.

So I layed them all on the floor, and I opened up the tubes of glitter to begin our embelishments. I handed a tube to Levi and Abram, and I explained how they would need to make faces, buttons, windows and doors, and then I would thread them all on to the gold string and hang them along the living room valance. They were excited, and so began the creativity juices flowing.

Den was sitting in the recliner reading the newspaper while were at his feet with all the goodies spread out on the carpet. As I would giggle and compliment the little faces that were being squeezed on to the gingerbread people, Den curiously would look around his newspaper to watch the progress from time to time. I could tell that he wouldn't mind joining in, but unless he was invited or felt a need he would continue being an observer.

After a while Abram began to get frustrated with adding the glitter. He quickly hopped up and stood to the side of his dad's chair and said, "Daddy, I need help. I have a weak squeezer." Den laughed and said, "What do you mean?" Abram, just as intensely, showed him his little hand with the hard plastic glitter tube and said, "My squeezer is weak, will you squeeze the tube?" After a good chuckle, Den took the tube over. Every house and every gingerbread child had a little extra something added by Daddy-O. Abram would go find one that wasn't touched by Daddy, would bring it to him, and then would find a special place for it to dry. They were quite a pair, and I thought it's just one more thing to remember when I see this garland of gingerbread hanging for years to come.

Roman has been sick for the last several days, so we had to put off his actual birthday party for a whole week. However, I think the child it was the hardest on was Abram.

We did the theme of his first birthday party in the movie "Cars". We invited a couple of families up to join us, and they weathered a single digit blizzard to attend, and it really touched me. They didn't just show up for my oblivious one year old, but to come out and celebrate it with Den and I.

I was worried that with Roman just starting to feel good again, that he wouldn't  really get into all the festivities, but he didn't disappoint his mama.

All the crew gathered around the table, and you will notice that Levi has Roman hoisted on his shoulders. Roman's not sure what all the hub-bub is about, but he's grinning from ear to ear.

We wanted to get a picture of him alone with his cake, but he was already sampling the frosting before we could get the candle lit and sing him the song. I have to say red frosting is a MESS!! lol

Once the song had been sang, and Abram blew out his baby brother's candle, he was stripped of his shirt and given permission to plow into his own little cake. I thought he may be timid by this process, but to be honest he ate so much, with both hands, that there was nothing left behind.

The little pull string pinata came out, and once he got the hang of that all the little kids were ready to give it a yank too.

His main gift from Den and I was a little rocking horse that neighs and clippity clops. He was a little unfocused about getting on at first, but then he was ready to ride off into the sunset.

We watched the "Cars" movie, but he was more interested in playing with the younger kids around the Christmas tree. He knew a good thing when he saw it, and these pretty girls weren't going to be around forever. He's a little man after Den's own heart....*wink*

For us, one of the first things we discussed concerning our children was what we really wanted our children to learn by the time they left our home, and embarked on their own lives. The first thing was God, of course. I really wanted them to have good hearts towards the Lord. I wanted them to really be kind and loving people, and I wanted them to understand how and why we should be good. So, with this in mind, I began to character-build as soon as I deemed them old enough to understand.

When I first started out I was pretty strict, not always in a bad way, but I worried about why I was making some of the choices that I was making. So I had to reevalutae my goals and methods alot. I didn't want my kids to be obedient based on fear. I wanted them to obey because they loved me and their Dad, and they desired to do what was right. So I thought I am going to teach them love. In order to learn love you have to know love. I really believed in the beauty of the physical touch. Even though I have older boys I put my arms around them, I kiss them on the cheek, I pat their back. I recommend that you don't ever let their body language, of distance, keep you from giving this to them. The boys have gone through awkward phases where they were unsure about those touchy-feely moments, but I don't let that hurt my feelings. In fact, there have been moments where I have said, "Listen, I need a hug, so come here." In time, you will have them glide right over those uncomfortable moments, and it will become second nature again.

This was important to me, because again, I wanted them to learn love and so I had to show it. I want them to be loving to their wives and children, and of course, to their Dad and I. Den gives the boys hugs and kisses too. Sometimes he isn't always as mindful, so I will discreetly remind him,"Hey so & so may need a hug from Dad." Den is great about that, and he is showing them that a grown man shows affection in a healthy non-sexual way too.

After, or during a discipline we talk about God. Not the kind of discussion where we make them memorize scripture (it shouldn't be drudgery), but we just talk about how we know it's hard to be good, but this what the Lord thinks about obedience and disobedience. I always try to tie it into my own battles with being good too. I fully admit that I struggle to the boys, and I use that time to make them think about the what-ifs of me not doing what I am supposed to do. What kind of a house would we live in, or what kind of a life would we have? When we think about why we ALL need to be good, it takes the spotlight off of them feeling like we think they are losers, and we can talk about the daily war of being good in life, in general.

As consistent as I am about showing and giving love, which is the whole foundation for me, I am, likewise, as consistent about my discipline. Never say something you don't mean, or that you don't intend to follow through on. I will leave this post with that. Too many times a parent will get caught up in the moment of being angry, and throw out some threat or punishment that they know after a few minutes that they really don't want to do, or just won't follow through on. That is very dangerous. Take it back. Just be honest to the child and say, "You know I have been thinking about that discipline and I don't feel good about that choice. I am going to do this instead." No harm done there, as long as they know that you are going to follow through on whatever discipline you chose. I think it's fine, and maybe even good that they see you are only human, and you didn't let the moment carry you away. Just be honest enough to admit it needs readjusted, and then you follow through with something else.

To be continued............

While sitting at my computer I could hear Abram screaming at Levi. Those two boys thoroughly enjoy each other, but they also tend to fight more than the rest. Since I have been really cracking down on any and all outbursts with Abram lately, I quickly got up from my chair and walked down the hall and called out to Abram to come to me. He swiftly turned the corner of his bedroom and faces me.

Abram innocently asks,"What Mama?"

Me: "Were you hollering at your brother?"

Abram: "Yes."

Me: "Why?"

Abram: "He won't listen to me, unless I yell."

Me: "Well I have told you that you are not allowed to talk like that in this house."

Abram: "I know, you tell me that alot."

Me: "So put your nose on this wall right here, and think about it for a few minutes."

Abram quietly places his nose on the wall. All the boys are visiting with each other and Dad, and after a few minutes I decide to see if Abram has learned his lesson.

Me: "Abram, come here."

He walks over to me.

Me: "So what did you get in trouble for?"

Abram: "For yelling, but Mom it's really hard to keep my emotions under control."

Me: "I know it is, so that is why we are going to put your nose on the wall each time, so that you can think about ways to keep them in control better."

Abram: "Well I'm trying not to cry. My heart beats really fast in my body, but I try to keep my eyes really dry."

I smile.

Me: "Well that's good, but what if all of us went around screaming and yelling everytime we wanted something, or because we were unhappy? What kind of a house would this be?"

Abram thinks about it for a second, and says, "A DEAF house."

I smirk and say, "That's right a DEAF house. Do you want to live in a deaf house?"

Abram: "No way!"

Me: "Me neither, so let's not turn everyone deaf Abram, think about that before you yell next time."

Abram: "Good idea!"

My heart is so full of thankfulness. I stand amazed that I have been blessed five times over with such wonderful, healthy, and happy sons. Why God allowed me this gift I know not, nor am I worthy, or do I dare question it for too long, for I am too grateful.

You would think that after five sons I would be tired of chubby hands, drooling smiles, droopy eyes, and baby kisses, but my appetite seems to be insatiable. My little Roman is now ten months old, and walking all over the place. I wanted him to stay a baby longer by crawling, but there is something so adorable by a miniaturized child walking. He is so full of life and joy that my cup runneth over with gratitude and happiness, just by watching him.

He knows his name well, and flirts with me when I call it out. He now comes toddling over as quick as his unstable legs will carry him, so he can be held by my predictable arms. Squeezing his soft flesh in my hand has never made me weary. His laugh sounds more like a squeaky toy than a human giggle, and I know that this voice won't last forever. I realize after having four sons before him, that these gifts of time are meant to be enjoyed now. Not after the bed is made, or only for brief moments in between cleaning rooms, but NOW. For cobwebs can wait til tomorrow, for babies grow up, much to our sorrow.

I have enjoyed all of the ages that my boys have been to be perfectly honest, but this age of innocence is like looking at all the reasons why God fell completely in love with us. This unconditional love and need for me, melts my heart, no, every fiber of my being. Thank you God!

Roman enjoying his ride in the jogging stroller.

Roman smiling at an old man that walked in the bakery, when the bells jangled on the door behind him. I think he thought the man made the sound, because he toddled up to him and wrinkled up his nose, as if to say, "That was great, do it again!"

Roman, curiously looking at the large orange balls on the ground. "What in the world are these for?"

He is finally getting to man handle one. However, it was a disappointment when it didn't bounce...lol.

Trying to figure out how we are going to juggle the gas money and stuff has been a challenge. You see our 16 year old son, River, is driving now and he has volunteered to drive Isaiah to practice each day, and then, most of the time, Den picks him up when he gets off from work. This has been a life saver for me. I still have to go a couple of times a week, but overall I don't have to load up the other boys to run down the mountain to get him each and every day. I am so thankful for this, but this leads us to another issue, how to compensate River for gas.

We decided to give the older boys $20.00 a week. Now this may seem like nothing to some, but this is the number that we have established for our family. This $20.00 is for fun, but is also for necessities that come up. That gives them $80.00 to budget with during the month. We are trying to instill the value of a dollar to the boys, but this is a challenge. I keep hearing the complaint, "Wow Mom, everything is so expensive." I laugh and whole heartedly agree. I am hoping that by them having their own money to be responsible for that they will understand wants from needs. We have been giving River an additional $20.00 a week for driving Isaiah down to practice. This is to be put into the gas tank only. Plus, I should mention that River works with Den and gets paid, although once school starts in at this house that will wind down quite a bit. Schoolwork comes first.

The funny thing is that the boys all went to town to watch a movie last night, and now River has very little gas left for the day. He doesn't get paid again, by me, until tomorrow so he has to make the gas strrrreeettcchh today. So he has to sit down there at practice and wait for Isaiah to finish, and he doesn't get to go anywhere else. I felt a little sorry for him, but I stuck to my guns and said that he had to wait until tomorrow. Part of budgeting their money is figuring out the gas element too. We are still learning how to manage it all, and we are learning how far a dollar will get you, and that isn't far!!!

I am always open to better suggestions.....

A couple years ago we decided to give the boys a year at the public school in small town USA. When Isaiah first arrived he wasn't warmly received by the kids, first because all of the kids grew up together since kindergarten, and secondly it was a very small school so it wasn't easy to just blend in. However, one child, Eric, took him in. He was so good hearted. Isaiah said that Eric was amazing and had lots of friends, but his friends weren't sure about Isaiah. So in moments when the other kids were willing to close up the clique' and not give a second thought to Isaiah, Eric would tag along with Isaiah and abandon his other friends. He did this for awhile, until all the kids began to fall in love with Isaiah. Eventually, Isaiah found his own spot amongst this crowd.

We went back to homeschooling and he didn't keep in close contact with Eric, but they did play sports with one another and we saw and chatted with them frequently at the grocery store or wherever else you bump into them in such a small town. He was always a happy guy, hanging out with his Dad. He was an only child, and seemed to have one of those relationships that you dream about.

Well yesterday we went to his funeral. No, he didn't have some fast acting cancer, he committed suicide. When we got the news this last weekend, we were sure they translated the name wrong. It couldn't have been Eric. He was an outstanding student, had tons of close friends, wonderful relationship with his parents, and very intelligent. So what happened? Well no one will know for sure. There was no note, the Dad went to the feed store that day and even invited Eric to tag along to which at first he agreed and then decided to stay home and get things done around the house. Or at least this is what he told his Dad, but on his Dad's return he found him in the field, and that he had taken his own life. We don't know much more than that, except that they had been fighting about chores earlier that day.

So we sat in that lonely funeral room listening to quiet music being pumped in. We looked at all the pictures they had of him in front. It was too much for me. The ball cap, the book he was writing, the book he was in the middle of reading with his bookmark in place, and all the twinkley eyed photographs of an amazing child.

We have taken this opportunity to really visit with the boys about suicide, the effects, and the consequences. It was a day of remembering, reflecting, and confusing sorrow. Isaiah said that he can't really let his mind go there with Eric yet, he would rather think that he has just moved to a different state right now. So if that feels safe to Isaiah than that is where we will let him be, but we know, we all know that their precious only son is gone.

Driving home late last night, was so surreal. I was sitting in an 1985 GMC Truck that my 16 year old son just purchased earlier that day, and it gave me time to ponder. Where has the time gone? The cell phone must have rang at least a half a dozen times on our 2 hour journey there and back to retrieve his pride and joy. He wanted to know what I thought of it, how did it drive for me, and most importantly when would we be pulling in? I understood all of his excitement, he has lofty dreams for his first 4x4 truck. It's the beginning to all things new for him.

I turned off the truck radio, that at first was in the background, so I coud just take this hour trip home to talk with the Lord. I thanked Him for this gift for River. That it was a truck that he wanted, could afford, and it was a 4 wheel drive which is a MUST to have living where we live, in the winter. I spent this time, in the dark of the cab, talking to him about my life as a mom, wife, and a servant before him. Talking to him about my path, and the different paths that were leading off from Den and I that the boys were beginning walk upon. I felt so grateful and humbled.

When I pulled up our long dirt driveway, River was standing at the backdoor watching the white headlights pull in. Isaiah was right on his heels to check out his big brothers first set of wheels that he had purchased ALL by himself. We had spent a lot of time as a family looking over autotrader magazines and talking about the best fit living on the 20 acres, and working as an electrician, and now here was his baby.

They both circled it in the dark, hopped in, and asked if they could run it down the road and back, even though it was close to midnight. We of course, didn't deny them. Den called me outside to watch them drive off together for the first time. It was a moment for them, but also for us. We are about to embark upon trusting all that we have taught our boys about decision making, and needing to pray now more than ever that God will keep his watchful care upon them in all that they venture to do. It was a pivotal moment that all parents go through, and now we are amongst them.

!

This is the frog, the culprit in crime.

Levi and Abram retrieved it once it was tossed outside, so

I took another photo of them holding it.

Why God made me a mother of all boys I will never know until I walk through those pearly gates, because I scare quite easy, if you don't know this about me feel free to read my Salesman Post. Today I was on the phone to my friend, Cheryl, and while holding Roman I mosied into the kitchen to scavenge a little something to snack on. As I am standing there, holding the baby, I see a clean plate placed on top of my clear glass bread pan. It's been there all day, but for some reason I haven't investigated this odd placement of dishes. So while listening to Cheryl chatting I decide to put these dishes away. I lift the plate off the oblong baking dish when low and behold there is a green frog underneath that jumps out. I scream my famous "Thriller" scream, which in turn makes Roman cry out, which of course causes Cheryl's conversation to cease and ask, "What's wrong?!" I declare there is a FROG in my kitchen. She gets tickled and begans to laugh, while Roman is still leaned over my shoulder crying from a broken heart, this poor boy has so much to learn about his Mama.

The other two boys leap up with excitement to see this green springy piece of muscle that they gladly retrieve and put back in the glass container. I ask them which one brought it in, but the response is neither one. So this brings me to the conclusion that it was one of my other three. Den, River, or Isaiah, oh did I mention they are back? Okay, well now you know, THEY ARE BACK!

I guess, they must have found him this morning and decided to brighten my dull day by placing this amphibian in my clean dishes on top of my kitchen counter. Do they know their mother is a heart attack waiting to happen? Yesssssss! I am also quite sure that Den allowed the whole thing to take place with a wry grin on his face, thinking of the outcome! He is still a boy at heart! Well they will be pleased to discover tonight that it all went well as planned. 

He is now on the loose in the greenery below our deck, no frog legs for dinner tonight. There just wasn't enough meat on those miniature bones to go to the all work, but that would have been a good turn-around wouldn't it have been?  Shake them up a little bit...hehehe I just don't have the heart.....remember I am still a GIRL!

Levi Den at age 3 years old....adorable!

Levi Den at age 11.....sooo handsome!

The other day Levi asked me if I would take him and his two

brothers to the park and the lake, and I said "Sure, why not."

So off we went, and we had a great time! So much fun, and I

got some great pictures of him and the other boys being mischeivous

little boys splasing about. I was looking at this photo of him on that

day, and I ran across this photo of him at 3 and my heart just melted.

He was so cute, and is so handsome now.

I have really enjoyed my time with him the last 11 days, just him and

I. I have tried to make each day special for him and I since he

is getting older and will remember so many things. If I bought myself an iced

chai, I bought one for him as well. If I went to town, I tried to make

sure he got to tag along. They grow up so fast.

We went to buy him some sandals last night, and he is now in a 7 maybe a 7.5

in men. My eleven year old is turning into a young man, he is growing like

a weed, and he is amazing me. I am thankful for this special time I have had

with him while the two older boys have been gone. The Lord has showed me

some things that I need to work on with him, and I have gotten out my

"Plants Grown Up" book to help me teach him some beautiful ways to overcome

with the help of the Lord. It's a special transition time for him, and I am loving what

I am learning about him everyday. He is gonna be quite the man someday!

!

Having the two oldest boys gone for so long has been agonizing, yet a gift. A gift since it's given me time to get to know Levi a little better. He is the middle child, and can be easily overlooked. Not everything I have discovered this week has been grand, we have some character training to work on for sure. However, I must say though that overall we have had a great time listening to him jabber on about all sorts of stuff. It's been a blessing.

One of the things I have noticed the most is that he is going through the most clumsy stage right now. It's miraculous that the boy survives each and every day. He is eleven now, and like his brothers, this is one of the most awkward stages of their lives. Right after this they shoot up like bamboo. So maybe it's been going on for months, but I haven't noticed it with all the other hooligans around, but as of late there has been a bright glaring light on this subject.

Here is how bad it's been. He is breaking EVERYTHING! He can walk by a glass on the countertop and it will topple over and explode on the ground. I feel like I should have a recording that says, "Clean up on aisle 9 please."  He was unloading the dishwasher the other day, I was in the kitchen cooking dinner, and as he grabbed the plates the clanging that was coming from that direction made me whence, and I almost fell to my knees begging him to pllllleeeeeeease be careful.

He was emptying the kitchen trash and a picture from my wall came crashing to the ground and the glass shattered into a million pieces. I thought he was going to pass out from disbelief, and I was doing all I could to not look like I may join him on the floor.

We stopped by a pop machine on our way home from the pool today. He jumped out of the rig to extract them from the vending machine. Simple enough task right? Well on his way back to the vehicle he drops one, big shocker, and it now has a hole in it with pop squirting out the side. I just had to laugh. Of course, I take it from him, wrap a beach towel around it, and hand it back to the boy who will be doing the chug-a-lugging. Good grief, right?

Here is the icing on the cake though. I was filling up the wading pool out on the deck yesterday. All the boys were outside waiting for me, and the heat was excruciating. Levi was in the pool, Abram was standing by the edge, and Roman was in his Bumbo seat watching all the activity. The boys were whining about how long it was taking to fill it up, when this vicious, yet exciting thought came to me to just squirt them. Good, clean, innocent fun, or was it? So I took the hose and began briefly spraying the boys with it. Abram screamed like I had just poured gasoline on him and lit him on fire, which in turn made Roman cry like I had taken a piece of candy from him, and all of a sudden Levi (who had been taking it like a man) decided to jump up and run out of the pool. While his delayed reaction startled me, I was even more dumbfounded when he misjudged the edge of the plastic pool and landed face first on the deck, which in turn made him cry. So now I had three boys all bawling like I had just told them some horrible news, like their Dad just died or something.

I tried not to giggle as I lifted Levi up, picked Roman up from his Bumbo, and walked all three boys back into the house. Now that was a June Cleaver moment wasn't it? I felt like my "Mom Of The Year" Plaque had just been put on hold indefinitely. Oh my.....it still gives me the giggles!

!

We came home to the house smelling delicious. The crockpot had been cooking a chicken all day with golden onion soup draped over it. I was excited to try out a new recipe from a new cookbook I purchased from the hs convention. Everyone was starving, especially my 5 year old. He kept finding his way into the small kitchen, getting underfoot, and singing my praises about being the best cook in the world, and "Ohhh yeah....when would it be done?"

I finished making the mashed potoates, corn and creamy chicken sauce when we all sat down at the table. You would have thought it was Thanksgiving with the excitement of the food being placed on each plate. (The boys had played hard outside while I set up my yard sale at Mary's house.)

So, everyone was rating this dinner, which was rating 9 and 10 on the yummy meter, when Abram pipes up.

"Mama, Is this chicken?"

"Yep."

"Oh maaaan, this is good."

"Well good, I'm glad you like it."

"Yeah, I dont know where you found this chicken."

I laugh and say, "I had it in my freezer."

He says, "Well next time I find a dead chicken somewhere I'm bringing it home."

Dad stops eating, and says, "Now don't be bringing home any dead animals for Mom to cook Abe."

Abram responds, "Dad, don't be such a picky eater!"

thrill!

Roman has been sick as you can see by his runny little nose, but today was a day that went down as a first for him. Abram gave him a sucker. I guess Abram felt sorry for him and let him have his. This made Roman incredibly happy, of course, and when he crawled his way into my eyesight, the stickies on his face had attracted everything on the way. I'm not sure how much of that solidified sugar made its way into his mouth, it looked like he battled the sucker and the sucker won.

The look you are seeing is one of disbelief that I took the nasty hairy sucker from his super sticky hand and tossed it. You see this round ball on a stick had been dragged along the carpet in a very chubby hand, and was not appealing to look upon, let alone lick. This was then followed up with a warm washcloth to clean his soft little face, including that runny nose.

Let's just say, I didnt score any brownie points with the baby. I think he will stay clear of me next time someone generously donates a secret sucker again.

P.S. Abram and I had a little chat about such gifts....hehehe

All I could hear was "Boom" "Boom" "Boom", and "Slam" "Slam". It sounded like a herd of buffalo were running through our house. I was tucked away in my room, laying the baby down for his morning nap. I had poked my head out of my bedroom door, more than once, to remind them to settle down. The noise would die down for a few minutes, only to have it shaking the house like a freight train a few minutes later.

Exasperated, and knowing that Roman wouldn't stay asleep if I didnt calm this pack of wild boys down, I said, "Okay boys, RALLY!" They gathered round, all except River, he was sitting at the table being studious, thank goodness. I said, "Get your shoes on, because you guys are running around the house." They all moaned and groaned, but off to find their shoes they went.

I was sitting in my bedroom with the window open watching the boys laugh as they ran round and round the mulberry bush, all but Abram. Finally, Abram shows up wearing "Blues Clues" swim trunks, a blue church sweater from last year, and a pair of last year's sandals that barely fit. I guess he thought he needed to change his clothes for the occasion, and he found them in the tote labeled 4T. He steps outside, and immediately starts to cry. He is oblivious that I can see him. So I say, "Come on Abram, run, you need to blow off some steam." He starts to run while crying. I am giggling, I mean he is little and his choice of clothing is hysterical. Off he goes, and by the time he makes it around once, I say, "Okay little man, one more round and you are done." He says, "I can't go on!" I am thinking, is this the same child who won't leave his brothers alone, because he is bubbling over with so much energy? I say, "One more lap." Off he trots, but all the while I can hear him wailing!

Now mind you, our house is so small its ridiculous, and luckily we live in the country, otherwise you would have thought a mass murderer was chasing the lad.

The last lap completed for all the boys, Abram's being the shortest, the boys come in panting and out of breath. So I question, "Are you ready to settle down now?" They all respond, "Yeah, but we have decided to play war outside." "Great Idea!", I exclaim.

Glancing out the window, Abram is again running, but now its not considered a chore. The idea behind it now is to overtake one of his older brothers. Life is all about the perspective, isnt it?

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)

Once we were on the road to the campout I felt so pleased with myself, and the joy factor in the suburban, from the boys, was brimming over the top. I felt quite accomplished to have packed for 6 of us. Well, the boys were a huge help, and we made a list of all that we needed.Then the boys strategically gathered all the things that were on the list.

Now we have gone to many many campouts, but since this was the first one we were going to without the expert packer, things were a little askew in the vehicle. You see Den has it down to a science on how everything fits. The boys, on the other hand, had a different perspective, which was if you could shove, squeeze or pack it in then we were good to go. I allowed them to be in charge of this, with the small advice that biggest and heaviest items should go in first. Ohhhh.... I should have said more.

By the time I grabbed Roman, diaper bag, my purse and headed out to the vehicle I could scarcely find room for the baby. Luckily, the baby seat remains in the vehicle at all times or I am sure we would have had to strap him to the luggage rack on top.

Surprisingly, three of the 5 boys were all the way in the back row. I was a little bewildered by this, considering they had to strattle, hurdle, and climb over everything in the second row only to have to nose dive into the backseat. However, I had the inclination that none of them wanted to sit next to the baby, to have to be responsible for binky flinging recovery. You see, Roman has learned a new trick, which is you put in my pacifier, I pull it out, throw it, and you find it. He loves this game, but the playmate is less than thrilled. So, needless to say, Roman's side passengers were sleeping bags, pillows, diaper bag, and honestly I don't know what else. I do believe there was a crockpot rolling about in the second row as well though.

We had to stop at Wal-Mart to get a few lingering items, so in order for everyone to pile out of the third row, there was a lot of grunting and groaning involved, and when the door came bursting open so did some other belongings onto the paved ground below. This is when I made it clear that things were going to be moved towards the back, and a living being would actually be sitting beside the baby.

Once we got back on the road, with some sense of rhyme and reason to the seating arrangement, we turned up the tunes and off we went down the highway. Now I am a with-it mom, or I like to think so, but some music from my boys repetoire just doesnt suit me, but on this occasion I decided to pull out all the stops. We cranked up some music that got the suburban a rocking and rolling down the highway. The boys were singing at the top of their lungs, and I would smile and act like I knew the next line right along with me. It was at this time that I shot a look into my rearview mirror, to which I could see Abram had a serious look on his face, and he was trying to get my attention. So I turned down the music, to the others boys impatience, and said, "Hang on boys. Abram, what do you need honey?"

He said, "Mom, It's okay if you bump into Jesus right?"

With a puzzled look on my face I respond with, "What?"

Again, he says, " Isn't it okay to bump into Jesus? I mean God won't be mad right?"

The boys and I give each other a little sideway glance, and I say, "Ummm yeah, I guess so."

He says, "Well God can't be mad, because HE made him invisible."

I chuckle heartily and I say, " That's right baby, I wouldn't worry about it."

Isaiah laughs contagiously now and says, "That Abram!"

I give him a huge smile and say, "Okay now let's be quiet and just listen to some music okay?"

He agrees. So we crank up the music again, and I glance back in my rearview mirror and Mr. Serious is now able to relax and enjoy the music with the rest of us. There is nothing like a good old fashioned road trip with just me and my boys.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)

Abram was talking up a storm, and pointing at things for Copper to look at.

In the next moment, something caught their attention, and the conversation ceased.

Then, Abram just sat on his rock and sat in quiet contemplation, while waiting to be called to dinner.

It had been a long and active day for both. Lots of imaginary things to chase and discover. More and more, Abram and Copper are found wondering down our long dirt driveway exploring the countryside. The twosome are quite a pair. I thought about how a best friend is one that you can sit in quiet contemplation with, and its never considered an awkward moment. When snapping the photo, I tilted my head with sweet admiration of the love the two had for each other. Copper is Abram's new best exploring buddy, never saying no, or that she is too tired. She is always up for a good hike, and enduring the squeals of an excited 5 year old as he stomps around in the dirt. It doesn't get much better than that, now does it?

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)

I have received a few questions about my boys' names, but FaithfulGrace asked me to post about how I chose them, so I thought I would share.

Let's see, it started off innocent or ignorant enough, for when I was expecting my first baby I knew I wanted a unique, strong, masculine name for a son. Somehow, I just knew I was having a boy. I have never known the gender of my children before they were born, so how I knew, well I didn't really, but my heart spoke to me. When coming up with a name I wanted it to be representative of something natural or something pure, and could be related to God easily. River Pheonix was a young actor at the time and I LOVED his name. It was original, strong and somehow seemed pure to me. So River it was. I have never had any regrets, and to this day receive tons of compliments on it.

With our second pregnancy, I knew it was a boy, and I really wanted it to be a boy so that River would have a brother. Den and I were now in our 20's and we were more sure of the direction we were going in our lives, and we really wanted another boy that had a pure strong meaning. We prayed about his name, and we came up with Isaiah for the wonderful prophet Isaiah in the bible. He was an amazing voice for God, and a true inspiration of strength and faith. We also named Isaiah's middle name Storm to hold tight to River's unique name. So now we had:

River Thomas

Isaiah Storm

Then I was expecting again, and once more believed it would be a son. I wasn't sure if it was just my own thinking since I had never had a girl yet, or if the Lord was showing me. So I sought the Lord about a name, and the only name that ever came to me was a boy name. We dabbled with some, but we felt that Levi was a strong biblical name again. I remember telling my Dad about our name choice,that we had sought the Lord about it, and when I told him what it was, he got very emotional and said that he felt that this name was what the Lord showed him as well. I was surprised, and I remember my Dad telling me how he thought it was special that we were seeking the Lord about names. A week before he was born I felt that the Lord showed me beyond a shadow of a doubt it was a boy. I was sitting in church, and all consumed with this little one inside of me that was overdue. I asked the Lord to please show me what this little one was. At that time Den opened up the bible, and I glanced down quickly and my eyes fell on the verse, "and Noah had three sons." ( This too, would be our third son.) Then Den shut the book as quickly as he opened it. I was so confident, that after church I told Den about my confirmation. He said that he had been seeking the Lord in church too, and that he had opened the bible after praying and that the Lord had guided his eyes to a verse. I asked him what verse, and the verse was the same one that God showed me. In that quick moment of Den opening the bible, the Lord showed us both the same verse at the same time. We went shopping that very day for blue clothes. So when our third son was born we named him Levi Den. Den being the nickname I gave my husband when we first fell in love years ago.

River Thomas

Isaiah Storm

Levi Den

Our fourth pregnancy, I was hoping for a girl. Although, I can honestly say I have never shed a tear over having one of my boys. God has given me a wonderful heart on raising all sons. However, I thought how special it would have been to have a girl. As I was expecting, we had chosen Abigail for a daughter, but the name Abram just kept rolling around in my head. I loved the name since it was Abraham's birth name before he made the covenant with the Lord. There was something sweet and innocent about it that I loved. I wanted a girl, but again I felt a little sad about not using the name Abram. I felt that the Lord gave me this name to ease the idea of having another son. So Abram Lee was born, Lee being a family name on both sides.

River Thomas

Isaiah Storm

Levi Den

Abram Lee

When we decided that we wanted another child I had no name picked out for him. In fact we still had our girl name tucked away, Abigail, and I hoped I would be able to use it. I truly had no idea or feeling about the pregnancy for some time. Because of this I was more relaxed about picking out a name. As the pregnancy was drawing towards an end, we began to have more discussions. The boys' knew that a biblical name was a must for us. However, we were struggling with names that we loved! Titus was in the running for awhile, but somehow it wasn't calling for me. We thought of Seth, but it belonged to boy that had passed away and we didn't feel that would be good on the parent's heart. So it was Titus or Roman. Roman being a strong name and biblical. The book of Romans, if you are all wondering. lol I prayed about it, but was torn. The boys' LOVED it and thought it sounded strong and masculine. Den and I thought it sounded unique, biblical, and it blended well with our names that we had already chosen. I felt like the Lord was pleased since it was a name that everyone, all 6 of us, adored. The middle name is Ward. It is my husband's aunt's last name. She couldn't have children. So Den carries her last name as his middle name, and now so does Roman. We thought it was special to pass that name down for another generation. So even though she didn't have any children, she had two more generations carrying her last name.

So that leaves us at:

River Thomas

Isaiah Storm

Levi Den

Abram Lee

Roman Ward 

Will we have more? I doubt it, but you know the Lord works in mysterious ways. I do think that Den and I, of ourselves, would say no more, but God's will be done in our lives. I think that children are the truest blessing from the Lord, and they are like jewels in your crown. I feel blessed to have 5 gifts from God.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)

The baby chicks are on the loose. They are hopping out of their box and are ready to explore. The boys had a time of it the other day trying to get the little red one yesterday. She's quick, darts in all directions, and can slip under or behind everything. I'm not sure who got more of a workout, the boys trying to capture her or the little hen. Either way, it was a heart palpitating and exciting moment for both the chicken and the boys.

We're hoping our old hen and duck, who are best friends, will take a shine to these two babies. So far, they haven't shown any interest. Our duck and chicken are quite old now, and they have formed their own click, and you know how hard it is to break up a click. These two babies may have to be each other's only fair feathered friend.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)

How did God know, how did He see?

What was missing again, inside of me.

I thought I was done, with having the four.

How did He know I would need one more?

I guess He is wiser and full of sweet gifts

Because of myself, I forgot all the bliss

How a baby will squirm and move all about

Inside of your tummy, even more once out

I can kiss his soft, sweet skin all day

He's happy to let me as long as I stay

He looks for me when I cross the room

His eager smile can make my heart swoon

How quickly he rocks off to sleep

I pray the Lord he doth safely keep

This gift He gave, I knew not of

But again, Im indebted to His gracious love

Thank you for giving me Roman Lord.

 Written by, TrinaLeah

He inspired me when I saw him dreamily curled up in his crib.

I am so blessed, beyond words, but this is what I could come up.

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. (Titus 2:3-5)