Party of EIGHT?!!!

17 1/2 years ago my husband and I began the most amazing journey. We promised before God, family and friends our blessed marriage vows and we set out toward California with everything we owned that could fit in our "new to us" Chevy Lumina.  The entire country awaited us. Our honeymoon was driving from Maine to California where my husband's newest duty station was in El Toro, California.

We've done some amazing things together, we've seen the Grand Canyon, hiked to the TOP of Yosemite Falls, been to Niagara Falls (twice now), and as we have been blessed with children we have toured the gator filled Everglades of Florida by airboat, hiked through the Diamond Caverns in Kentucky and many other amazing trips.


We didn't set out to have this many children. My husband wanted three, I kind of wanted four, because my mom had four.

God blessed us with two amazing little boys just as we were embarking on a huge adventure into home ownership! With the help of family and friends we built our own home where we currently reside.

We started out with just a two bedroom cape with an unfinished upstairs.

In the early fall of 1999 I was running a little daycare out of my home and I came down severally ill. It turned out I had a severally infected appendix and I had to have emergency surgery, which saved my life. I had a few complications with the recovery due to infection but I survived the ordeal and my hubby chalked that one up to our "in sickness and in health" vow. He stuck by me, changing my bandages and cleaning out a severally infected wound in the middle of the night that had burst open, while I hung my head out the bathroom window!

About a year after my surgery we began talking about wanting to "try" for a girl. We knew it would have to be okay either way if we had a boy too but we decided to try again to conceive. This time was much different. I didn't get pregnant right away like I did with my other pregnancies. We waited over a year before finally consulting with a fertility specialist who ran all kinds of tests and determined I just might need a little "boost" in my hormone levels so my doctor put me on clomid. After three failed cycles of clomid, we opted for one more cycle with a stronger medication that was injectable. This also failed. I left the fertility clinic devastated. Weren't they supposed to just "order me up a baby" because I had a problem needing fixing, like with my appendix?! But modern medicine could not "fix" me so right then and there I decided to lay it all out before the Lord and let Him lead our family. The next month I found I was pregnant...all on my OWN! Without the help of fertility drugs, I had conceived another blessing from God and I didn't care if it was a boy or girl, this was my gift from God!

One meaning of my son's name means, "much wanted" for he truly was. We found out we were having another boy, a third son, and my husband felt we were complete. No little girls would ever run around in little princess dresses or have tea parties in our house. We were raising boys and that's how it was going to be. After having two c-sections and an appendectomy the thought of a third c-section scared me so much that I reluctantly agreed to have my tubes tied during the delivery of my third son. It was final. It was complete. Three boys! Who could ask for more?! My husband was so proud and I remember he even high-fived the doctor, "tied, cut and burned!"

But as I looked over at my precious little son in the cradle in the hospital something inside me began to question. "Had I done the right thing?" I didn't have any Christian people in my life telling me it was WRONG to have a tubal ligation. I was pratically a martyr for having had THREE c-sections so I was kind of entitled, right?
Two weeks later at my infant son's check-up I had already regretted my decision to go ahead with a tubal ligation. I asked the doctor how to get it reversed. He informed me that what I had done was PERMANENT and that I needed to give it some time. I would heal and move on. Yes, the procedure IS reversable BUT with only about a 60% chance of success. I was heart broken.
Over the next two years I researched alternative methods of conception including IVF. Every thought about IVF lead me away from God's design for children and marriage. Making babies in petri dishes and then discarding or freezing the "left overs"? What kind of world was I walking into? That just didn't seem right!Ultimately, through much prayer and discussion my husband leaned over one night and said to me, "I think we should take our savings and get your tubes fixed." You could have knocked me over with a feather!
I wasn't looking forward to having the tubal reversal as it was not going to be just a laproscopic procedure. It entailed a full c-section scar, "hip-to-hip", hospital stay and then I got to come home with no baby.
The recovery was painful but I continued to pray that God would heal my brokeness and bless us with another child. But I soon realized that this journey we were on was less and less about us having another baby and more and more about learning about who GOD is and what HE had planned for our lives.

Nine months after my surgery my husband was involved in a head on collision while on patrol. A lady turned right in front of  him and my husband had to be life-flighted to the nearest hospital. As my husband clung to life I was on the phone calling all my prayer warriors and the Christian school where my children were attending asking for prayer. Anne Angell (that's her REAL name) prayed right there on the phone with me that my husband would be okay. The accident was horrible and so many things COULD have happened, but God truly spared my husband's life that day.
While my husband was out of work for the next 6 months we had quite a bit of time to reevaluate our lives and the direction we were headed. Three months after the accident I found out I was PREGNANT! The tubal reversal had worked and we were being blessed after such a horrible accident! We were so excited...we told EVERYBODY! Then about a week after finding out I was pregnant I miscarried. We were devastated! How could God take this precious life from us after having suffered so much? My husband was barely out of his wheel chair and now a miscarriage?! I wanted to just crawl into a hole and die!
Thr truth is God IS good all the time and He had the perfect timing in His hands. After my miscarriage I searched the web for anything on overcoming miscarriage, and I came to the web site "Above Rubies", http://www.aboverubies.org/. They were advertising a book titled, "Be Fruitful and Multiply: What the Bible Says About Having Children".
This book transformed my thinking and really brought me back to God's Word and His truths about children. How did GOD feel about us having kids? Maybe the more important question was, "how did God feel about us trying to PREVENT children?" I learned all about birth control methods and what we have done to our bodies to prevent children. I had no idea that when I was using the birth control pill I was using an abortificient drug. In other words, if I DID become pregnant my body would not be able to support the fetus so I would abort it as though nothing had happened. I would never know how many children I may have lost due to using these drugs! When I explained all of these new truths God was showing me to my husband he slowly began to come around and agreed with me. We had never been walking in step with God and His design for our lives. We were just doing what every other family was doing around us.
But we are called to be so much more! God loves us so much and He wants so much for our lives! To be blessed by God may look different than what man sees as a blessing. We decided to take a leap of faith and stand on God's word and believe that God really would like to see us have more children, IF He was ready to move and heal and forgive us for our selfish ways. We would embrace the three beautiful boys God had already given us and mourn the loss of life we would never get to hold and know this side of heaven, but we would move on and heal and trust God in our lives.

A few months later, we had some close friends from our church who had already begun homeschooling invite us to go on their field trip to Plymouth Plantation. We thought that homeschooling was nice for them but hadn't really considered homeschooling for our family. 

It was an incredible day! We had so much fun seeing our homeschooling friends learning hands on and had the chance to really get to know one special friend, Tammy Gisel. She is my rock. :)

She is the one who cemented the idea of homeschooling into our hearts! I went home and bought about $100 worth of homeschooling books on Amazon.com. I needed to educate myself as to what I was really getting not just myself but our entire family into! My two older boys begged me to homeschool them, but I was still reluctant. I was basically going to have to GIVE UP MY life for these kids. Was I really willing to do that? (It all sounds so silly to me now, but I really thought these things!) Because what I could never have realized that in my "giving up" my life for my kids to homeschool them and train them in the ways of the Lord, I was actually GAINING so much more. The scripture found in Matthew 10:39 spoke volumes to me, "whoever finds their life will lose it, whoever loses their life for my sake will find it."

So we began homeschooling after Christmas in 2006.  And just like the Pilgrims had set out and landed at Plymouth Rock to start a new life in unchartered territory we began the amazing journey of homeschooling!We were allowed to still keep the kids in their extra curricular activities at the Christian school. In doing so we also helped the school develop a homeschooling partnership with the school so other homeschooled children could come in and enjoy what our kids were already a part of. The program is going into it's 5th year now and the homeschoolers continue to be a blessing to the Christian school.

It was while we were on this new homeschooling journey, getting to know our kids more fully that I conceived once again.

 God blessed us with a precious little girl. All the desires of my heart were fullfilled! Here she is with her Daddy viewing the very helicopter that helped save my husband's life. We named her Madeline Elizabeth after Mary Magdeline and my mother-in-law whose name means "God is my oath". Only 18 months later we conceived AGAIN, another girl!

We were now doubly blessed! We named our second daughter Isabella (an Italian form of Elizabeth) and Gloria (after my grandmother which means glory-to give God the glory!) She was born around Christmas time which is extra special since "Gloria-in-excelsis Deo" is a favorite tune this time of year.

Which leads me to last week...

Our family is about to get bigger! We found out I am now pregnant with our 6th child. We are very excited and our praying for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby! I am due January 27th!

So as you can see, this pregnancy isn't really about me, it's about God and what God has done and is doing and continues to do in and through our lives. We continue to look to our Heavenly Father to sustain us through the hurts and the blessings. We praise Him even when it hurts to pray, we praise Him in the good and the "bad", because we know He is working it all out for His higher purposes.

I wouldn't trade any of these precious faces for anything in the world. They are each so unique and wonderful.

God only knew these two hearts so young and in love nearly 20 years ago had so much adventure waiting for them!

We look forward to meeting our newest addition to the family to see what God has been "knitting together in my womb"! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

  

Westward Bound!

Our oldest son was given an amazing opportunity to travel across America with his Grandmother and Great-grandparents this Spring.

We thought it would be a great way for our son to see America and learn some history hands-on all while getting to know his family better.

They are hoping to spot some buffalo.

As well as view the Grand Teton Mountains!

We also thought it would be a great chance for him to spread his wings a bit before graduating from our humble homeschool!

I have been so excited for my son to take this trip! We've been helping him make plans for more than a month and I had not shed ONE tear over his leaving us UNTIL I found this picture yesterday! This picture was taken of him when he was only 15 months old at an air show. Here he was so little, but up in this big airplane looking out on the big wide world, seeing things from a perspective that I could not see (since I was on the ground taking the picture!) And it hit me, my son is leaving me and he's headed off to see the big wide world-without me!
As a homeschooling mom, I have taken back my children from the hands of a school allowing ME the pleasure of those little daily "aha" moments. It's the daily living and learning that we have so come to cherish. In church yesterday, the lady behind me leaned in and whispered something like, "your children are all so amazing! I love to watch how they all help each other. Even the youngest boy helps with the baby. There aren't a lot of families that really love each other like that, and it's so clear they all love each other very much. I'm sure it's not like that every day, but it's probably most days, huh?"

I was blown away by her words. All I could say was, "thank you, yes, we have some days like that, but most days are great! Yes, there's a lot of love to go around!"

Here he is having some last minute silly time with his sisters!

With that said, one might begin to understand the empty feeling we are all having now that Brandon has begun his trip! But we are not saying "goodbye", just "have a safe trip!", because "goodbye" hurts way too much and I've had my share of goodbyes this side of Heaven.

Here they are all together one last time before Brandon left.
We just bought two laptop cameras, so we're hoping to skype while he's away. That should make it easier all around. He told me yesterday that he's glad he has a camera to skype with, "at least I'll be a able to SEE you now", he said. I think that means he's going to miss me too. :o)

I realize every day how blessed I am to have been given this precious boy from God. I am so blessed to be his mom these last 15 years. He is truly a gift and a blessing and we pray God blesses his trip as he makes some amazing memories!

Have a safe trip Brandon! We can't wait to hear all about your adventures out west!

Spring Homeschooling days...Salamander Races!

What a wonderful Monday we had homeschooling. We went outside to take advantage of the warming weather and my son asked if he could look for salamanders. I said, "sure". He ended up finding about 7 salamanders! When it was time to come inside for more school work and lunch what were we to do with all the salamanders? Why not have a salamander race?!

My son grabbed some chalk and wrote START on the pavement. Those wiggly little creatures didn't really want to comply with the rules however,  and they began to wriggle in the wrong direction!

What a fun way to wrap up our homeschooling morning! Later, we did a science experiment outdoors on evaporation. We poured water on the pavement and drew a line around the wet puddle. In an hour we were to come back and check on our evaporating puddle-and it was gone! I love seeing my kids get excited about learning. We're nearly done with Language Arts seatwork for 2nd grade so we are having fun diving into more science experiments that had been put on the back burner through the winter months.
It's nice to have this extra time with my kids and I realize I am giving them not just the gift of time with mom and dad but the gift of time with their siblings.

I told my husband that it's days like this when I feel like I was robbed. Robbed of many special moments with my kids we could have spent, when we were all in different places during the day. He agreed and thought we were doing the best thing for our family. We have difficult days when we lose sight of God's plan and stop focusing on heart issues and the whys of why we homeschool our kids, but we have many, many great days. Lots of "aha!" moments that I cherish.
I'm looking forward to the next salamander race! What are you looking forward to?!

And The Winner Is...

And the winner of my drawing for a free book, "Ethan Finds A Frog" is...drum roll please....Sabrina! Congratulations Sabrina! May you have many wonderful moments with your boys reading this cute little book!
Thank you to all for checking out my blog and participating in my fun drawing! I look forward to doing more give aways in the future as we walk this journey of homeschooling and LIFE! Have a blessed day!
Jen

Back Yard Adventuring Give Away!

A warm Spring breeze blew across our frozen back yard a day or so ago and it got me itching for all the fun things we enjoy doing outside when the snow is gone. Like the hours upon hours my boys have enjoyed swimming at "Dobsee" or my youngest son and his cousin going frog catchin'!

So that is why I am giving away a copy of  Ethan Finds A Frog, by Guy Melcher Coffin. He is a creative artist from Portland, Maine and I was given two copies of this book by his mother a few months ago. We have so enjoyed this beautiful hardcover book! It has nicely rhyming text that tells a cute story about a boy who finds a frog and wants to keep him. I was very impressed by the writing. So many children's books these days have no rhyme to their writing and seem as though they were scribbled out in order to get to the printer. This book has heart and a great message and is also by a local Maine artist! Just leave a post below and your name will be entered into a drawing to receive this book for free! I know you and your child will enjoy this book as much as we have! Good luck!

Only One Way

My son was finishing up his maze from Diana Waring's Ancient Civilizations Elementary Pack and explained, "I did it, Mom. See, there's only one way to finish the maze. Just like to God, there's only one way to Heaven-thru Jesus." I love this kid! I love how he weaves real life examples into his spiritual life.

 "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Valentine's With Hieroglyphics!

We have really enjoyed our study of Egypt particularly since so much of the news lately has been about Egypt's current revolution. I love studying history along side current events. It makes learning so much more relevant. So today I decided we would take our art class and finish up our study of hieroglyphics and make Valentine cards, hieroglyphic style!
We started with a basic recipe from Diana Waring's, Ancient Civilizations, book.

One cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt, 1 TB oil, 2 tsp. cream of tartar, 1 cup of dark tea water or use food coloring with water to color. Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat until thick. Form this mixture into a ball, caution, the dough will be very hot. Kneed for several minutes to make a uniform consistency, then roll into rectangles of 1/4 inch thickness. We used toothpicks to make the hieroglyphic symbols!

How could you not love a Valentine like this one?! This is my third son with his hieroglyphic letter. It says, "Hug me". How sweet!

Here are the rest of the Valentine's cards. Two say "I love you", one says, "Hug me", and another wasn't really a Valentine but more of a fun word-"Basketball", my son's current sport!
 We also studied God's great love for His people as He brought them up out of Egypt and finally into the Promised Land. Being that this was a holiday for "Love" it was a great way to emphasize that we only love because God first loved us. God's love is so merciful and patient, and we talked about how we can show these same qualities with our family and friends.
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:4-6

We had a great time making these. I hope the kids won't forget this Valentine, bringing history and holiday together!