Hard to Believe

It's hard to believe another year has almost come and gone. So much has happened in our lives this past year - the two most important things being that both Lily and Maggie accepted Christ into their lives. And even though some people may think that's sweet and great, what they don't know is the amount of prayer that went into them both making that decision. I remember my mom telling me last year that her mom prayed for the salvation of not only her grandchildren, but her great-grandchildren. Before they were even thought of. I didn't get to meet that grandmother - she died of breast cancer even before my parents were married. But I know she would be proud. And I cannot wait to have the privilege of meeting that awesome woman when I arrive in heaven. But not only did she pray, so did my parents and so did Marc and I. Before they were even born. And from the time I held them for the first time in my arms. So, all three of my girls have accepted Christ. Now we're praying for Cole. That he would accept Him at a young age. But not only that - that he would have the desire and passion to want to obey and serve his Creator. I know it'll be a few years before he will understand - so I'll continue to pray.

We also had another awesome "miracle" in our home this year. The birth of our very first son! I've always had good pregnancies - great pregnancies, actually. And this one, after the first few months, continued on in the same way. No, I didn't have morning sickness. But there were a few times that I thought I was going to lose this baby. I won't go into details but I do remember one day specifically begging God that if He was going to take Cole, to please do it soon. I remember crying but having such a peace knowing that Cole would be with Him. For those of you who don't know...Marc and I had a really hard time conceiving Cole. With the girls, I could just think the word "pregnant" and I was. But with Cole, it was a completely different story. After 15 months of trying, I finally broke and just had a conversation with God. I laid it all in His very capable hands. I was done trying. Didn't want to try anymore. And if He wanted me to have another child, He would make it happen. Three weeks later I told Marc that I was expecting! I learned much in that time. Had some great conversations with God while we were trying for our fourth child. And it all came down to me just saying, "I can't do it anymore. I give it all to You". We were shocked when we found out that we were having a boy. We don't know anything about boys. What do you do with them? But now I can't imagine not having this beautiful little man as a part of our family. He's perfect in every way. And I am so thankful that God allowed Marc and I to have the honor of taking care of him.

School has been very busy for me this year. Seems like I'm always going somewhere, learning new music, recording more things...but I'm enjoying it. Tired...but enjoying it. I have some great kids this year. And I'm getting to know them all better. Some of them go to the same church as I do, so it makes it easy to bring up Pastor's message during class time. The last few weeks have been unusually busy for me. I've had around 10 concerts in the last 3 weeks. That's a lot! A lot of playing the same music over and over...a lot of being away from home in the evenings(Marc had to take care of them during that time from dinner time usually to bed time and after - thanks babe!!!)...a lot of being away during the day and having to have Marc's mom come and watch the kids for me ( I really do appreciate it, Sandy!!!). And now that it's over, I am really glad it's done! =) I love working with the music teacher (Mrs. G). She's a lot of fun and has so much energy. But she allows me to be a mom...to say "I can't come in today - my kid is sick"...or "I just can't come in today"...and she's o.k. with it. I am thankful for this job that just dropped into my lap.

Homeschooling as also gone well this year. Emma's in second grade and just doing wonderfully. She LOVES to read. I don't know of too many second graders that read the kinds of books she does, but she loves it and I'm happy with that. She's quite busy...has about 7 subjects that she does a day. It usually takes her about 4 to 4 1/2 hours. It's not too bad. Lily is doing well. She started kindergarten in the fall and loves school, too. She's learning how to write her letters better and also her numbers. She LOVES math - can't get enough of it. She's also learning how to read and doing beautifully with it. There are times when we're reading together and she sounds out a word and then laughs because it's funny. She cracks me up! Maggie is doing some pre-k things. She's recognizing letters and numbers and has projects to do with them every week. She's also learning how to write.

Marc and I celebrated 9 years of marriage in August. The time really did go by fast (at least I think it did...Marc may think otherwise=) ). We are continuing to get to know one another. Not on a surface level, but much deeper. God knew what He was doing when He brought Marc into my life. I couldn't imagine my life with anyone else. Marc is a great husband, daddy and provider and he has allowed me to stay home with my children. I couldn't ask for more.

Very recently my grandmother passed away. She did not have a relationship with Jesus. But I was able to share my faith with her. She was not an easy woman to get to know. In fact, she was quite the opposite. She pushed away some of her children and their spouses and most of her grandchildren. A very stubborn woman and set in her ways. I would like to think that there was a reason God gave her my father to take care of. My father who LOVES Christ, adores his wife, loves his children...why would He give that kind of man to a woman who refused to believe? I don't know. But quite a few years ago I decided that I needed to have some kind of relationship with my grandmother. So, while I was in college, I wrote her a letter telling her how much I loved her and also shared my faith with her. I waited for what seemed like forever before calling her and asking her what she thought. And she very politely told me that it was very sweet of me for being concerned for her, but she was just going to continue on in her own way. Earlier I stated that she was a very stubborn woman. Well, so am I. I inherited that trait from her - you can just ask my parents! =) So, no matter what she did or said, I was going to love her. I was afraid that she would be alone and just didn't want that. So, in my mind, I did it for her. Because she needed it. Little did I realize - years later - that I needed it. I called her every year on her birthday and after she answered the phone and I told her it was me, she said "I've been looking forward to your phone call. I knew you would never forget.". And I never did. The phone calls just started out for her birthday, but then it went on to other random days in the year and holidays, too. It was always hard to know where you stood with grandma - whether she liked you or not. But I know she loved me. She told me...on many different occasions. And grandma never said anything that she didn't mean. So, as I can't rejoice in the fact that she is in heaven (unless she made a last minute decision), I can rejoice that she gave birth to one of the most important men in my life who taught me about Christ and His love.

To end this lengthy post, here are a few pictures of my children all decked out in their Christmas outfits. But before I sign off, I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

I forgot...

...and I can't believe I did!! A few weeks ago I asked Lily if she wanted to go grocery shopping with me. It was a Sunday afternoon. One of those GORGEOUS Sunday afternoons. She wanted to go and on the way up to South Bend, she started asking me a ton of questions about Jesus. Why He did certain things...why He died on the cross...and pretty much why He didn't strike all the people dead just before the great flood (she LOVES the story of Noah). I tried to answer her questions as best as I could and I could see the little wheels turning in her head. Then she asked about dying. What would happen to her? I told her that if she had a relationship with Jesus, then she would go to heaven and live with Him. But if she didn't, then that's not where she would go and I just left it at that. A long time ago, Marc and I decided that we weren't going to scare them into asking Jesus into their hearts. Yes, they would learn about hell and about how awful it is, but not for the purposes of scaring them into salvation. Anyway, she got quiet for a little bit and then in a very soft voice said, "Mommy, when I die, I want to go to heaven and live there.". By this time I was already in the Kroger parking lot. We talked a little more and I answered her questions as well as I could, and this little sweet, loving, ornery girl asked Jesus into her heart! I was so PROUD! I always thought, "O.K., my job is to teach them about Christ so that way they will accept Him and then that's it. Well, not really, but you know what I mean. But after Emma asked Christ into her life, I realized that my job is now so much greater. Now I have to mold these little minds and hearts and teach them as much as I can about Him. You know....this is one job that I don't mind doing at all!

Cole Laughing

Cole has been laughing for about a month now, but never like this. Marc took this video yesterday afternoon while I was gone. This was my surprise when I got home. I LOVED it! I hope it puts a smile on your face today!

Boo!

We had a great time trick-or-treating this year. Even though it was cold out and we didn't go to nearly the amount of homes that we have in the past, the girls still had a great time going to a few select places. They each picked out their own costumes this year with the exception of Cole. Here are just a few pictures showing you how cute they were.

Emma's been very much in the Harry Potter series. She's read the first book through 6 times and has seen the first two movies. As if you couldn't tell, she's "Hermione Granger".

Lily loved this costume when we first saw it on the internet. And there was no question who she wanted to be - "Strawberry Shortcake" - pink hair and all!

Maggie went back and forth and finally decided on "Raggedy Ann". I LOVED this costume and she now wears it almost every day!

My happy little man - a Tootsie Roll! Everyone loved this costume. I thought he looked pretty cute!!!

Hope you all had a very Happy Halloween!

Truly Amazing

We had a few experiences in our home this week that I would really rather not ever have happen again. The first happened this past Tuesday. Cole had woken up early and he was a little fussy. His belly had been bothering him and since there was nothing I could do for him, I decided to let him cry it out for just a little bit. So, I quickly jumped in the shower and got myself ready for the day. It didn't take me that long, maybe 20 minutes. After I was done, I turned on the monitor and could hear him breathing. He had fallen back asleep. I started my day and then got the girls up and ready. Finally, I went in to wake Cole up at his normal time. I had gotten to his closed door and I could hear him crying inside, so I hurried in to get him. I noticed as soon as I opened the door that his cry was muffled. When I got to his crib, I saw what no mother would want to see. Somehow he had rolled over onto his back (he's been doing this for quite awhile now), scooted his body to the head of the crib, turned around and scooted back down to the end. In this process, his head got underneath his blanket. Normally I wouldn't be overly concerned, but his blanket had gotten wrapped tightly around his head! I don't know how that happened, but I immediately was in panic mode. I ripped that blanket off his head, scooped him up in my arms and we cried together. Under the blanket was about a foot circle of sweat and tears. I don't know how long he had been like that but when I took the blanket off his head, he was struggling to take in full breaths. It was hot under there. His entire head was covered in sweat and dripping down his face. His hair was slicked back. It was amazing that this little guy didn't suffocate. I've heard of babies dying for unknown reasons in their cribs. God totally had His hand on my son for that to not have happened to him.

Then, last night after I got home from the gym, we were putting the girls to bed. I tucked in Lily and Maggie and then was heading down to Emma's room to pray with her and say goodnight. I picked Cole up off from the living room floor to take him down with me. About 1/3 of the way down, my left ankle buckled and we fell down the stairs together. Amazingly enough, Cole never hit the stairs or the wall. He stayed in my arms the whole time. The only time he cried was when I was screaming to Marc to come and get him. God, again, had His hand on my son. The second time in two days. He truly is amazing!!! And I am thanking Him daily for protecting Cole.

Kercher's Apple Orchard

A few days ago we took the kids to Kercher's Apple Orchard in Goshen. It was for a field trip for our homeschool group and we had a great time. Thankfully the rain stopped in time for the adventure. It was muddy, but it was warming up and the kids all had a great time. Each person was able to pick three apples and one gourd. The kids were also given coloring books and everyone had apple cider (which was AMAZING)!!! Anyway, here are some pictures from this great day!

The view around the orchard! It was gorgeous!!!

(Unfortunately it was still hazy out from the rain)

Posing in the corn maze.

Walking through the corn maze.

Daddy and his son.

Emma picking her Red Delicious apple.

Lily picking her Red Delicious apple.

Maggie picking her Golden Delicious apple.

We had a great time and we're looking forward to doing it again next year.

Miscellaneous

So much has happened in the last few weeks around our home. Nothing major, but it just seems that we're always on the go. So, to sit down and spend some time on the computer is a luxury at the moment. I am babysitting for some friends, but the kids are all sitting down and watching "Wallace and Gromit". On a side note, if you want a cute movie that will make you laugh, you've gotta watch these. My kids love them and I think Marc and I love them as much as they do. O.K. On to the next thing.

Last weekend Marc and I were able to get away for a few hours without the kids. It's been a long time since we've been on a date. I know it's so important to date your spouse after you get married, but it's so hard when you have more than two children. Not because they're not well-behaved (they generally are) but because it's hard to find someone to watch 4 kids. And on top of that, it's hard not to pay out the nose for a sitter. So, it had been at least 5 years since our last date. Some good friends of ours watched the kids for us last Saturday night. We're going to take turns with them. They watch our kids one month and then we watch theirs the next. No calls to check on how they're doing...just enjoying our time together. And that's just what we did. We laughed and had a great time together. We missed each other. I brought my camera to take pictures and never did. Just was too caught up in the moment. I remembered some of the reasons that I married this man. And I would do it all over again.

I LOVE this man!

I had taken this picture of Cole and my dad when we were in NY for a big family visit. I love this picture of the two of them. I love my dad - so much so that Cole has his middle name. And I adore my son.

We had another first in our house last week. Lily lost her first tooth! It started getting loose on Tuesday and by Thursday she had pulled it out on her own! She was SO proud of herself.

We had to go out and buy the girls new winter jackets a few weeks ago. Maggie's came with and orange hat and she wanted to pose. Check out that ornery grin.

Mags and me. She wanted her picture taken with mom.

So did Lil.

They harvested all the beans last week. The girls love that time of year because they get to go for rides in the combine. Unfortunately I couldn't go and take pictures of them because I had to stay inside with Cole as he was napping. Hopefully next year he'll be able to go for a ride, too!

My son is growing so fast! Even though he only weighs 13 lbs., the doctor said it was o.k. to start him on baby food. So, the above picture is of him with his first taste of cereal. He really enjoyed it. The lower picture is of his first taste of squash. That took a little more of getting used to, but he loves it now! It's so hard to believe Cole's over 18 weeks old now. He's such a good baby. Only cries when he's tired, hungry or has a nasty diaper. He sleeps 12 hours at night and takes a 4 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon. He smiles all the time!

So, that's what we've been up to lately. Busy? Yes. I do wish it would slow down a little. But since it's not, I'll just have to enjoy what I can at this very moment. And right now I'm going to go and enjoy watching "Strawberry Shortcake" with my girls!

In Love

Lately I've been singing "You Are My Sunshine" to Cole. It seems as if all my children, from the moment they were born, have been in love with music. It's soothing, relaxing, etc. But they all love it. So, when I started singing this song to Cole, he would smile, coo, try to giggle, make noises (I think it's his "joyful" noise). Now in this video, you will see him smile. He didn't really do any of the other things. It's funny, whenever I get the video camera in front of him, he becomes really timid. I know that's pretty common, but I wanted to show you his reaction. Of course, the singing isn't the greatest. I started a little too high for my voice and it's just not the best. But I wanted you to see what I see in this little boy. Pure love. Maybe not necessarily for music, but for his mom. You can see it in his eyes. I've been really busy these last few nights and Marc has had all the kids. Cole was a little fussy during one of these times and Marc decided to sit down and turn on this video so Cole could hear my singing. He said it was amazing - Cole knew it was me right away and stopped fussing. He knew my voice and tried to find the sound. Kind of how it states in John 10:27 - "My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow Me.". Am I just like Cole? Do I know the voice of my Savior and do I do whatever I can to find Him and follow Him? Sometimes I do, but there are times that I ignore that voice. I know that time will be coming with Cole - a time when he hears me call to him and he decides not to follow. But right now I'm relishing in the time that he does try to find me all the time. Maybe that's a little bit of how Christ feels when I decide to follow him. Like a proud, loving parent.

Vacation

It seems like it's been so long since I've blogged. And it has, really, been awhile. Recently we took a vacation to New York. I've missed being home so much! But the most awesome thing about it was that both my brothers and their families could be there at the same time. This is the first time in almost 2 years that we've all been together. So, it was great! Now, I'm not saying that every moment was perfect. Of course there were personality clashes, disobedience from the kids, but it was great nontheless. The kids played so well together. They just enjoyed being around each other. This was also the first time that my brothers were able to see Cole. So, he made a huge hit! Anyway, here are some pictures from our week at home.

This is what I woke up to in the van on our way. We left at 3 AM Saturday morning to start out our trip. This picture doesn't do it justice, but it was so cloudy and this little patch of sun was shining through giving the area around us that glowing look. I love that look. I always thought that this showed where heaven was. A beautiful brightness and glow among the darkness.

My handsome man doing most of the driving.

All the grandkids (minus Cole and my nephew Ben) sang at my parents church on Sunday morning. They all wanted Mimi up there to sing with them, so she did. They sang "This is the Day" and "God is so Good" accompanied by my dad on guitar.

Mimi and Kate - I just LOVE this picture!

My brother, Brett, and his son, Jack. Jack just adores his daddy!

My gorgeous man again! I just can't seem to get enough of this guy! =)

My brother, Dan.

My dad and my grandmother (his mom). I haven't seen her in such a long time. I do love my grandma.

My dad with his dad and stepmom (my grandma, too). When my grandfather first saw me when we were home, he stood up, kissed my cheek, hugged me, and then asked me who I was! It's been a few years since I've seen him and with the black hair I have now, he didn't recognize me. That's o.k. I thought it was so funny! And I just adore my grandfather!!

All the most important men in my life (excluding my husband and my son).

From left to right - Dan, Dad, Grandpa, Brett

I think they're a handsome group!!!

It was just gorgeous while we were in NY. So much so that the kids were able to go in the river and ride around in the kayaks. I wish I would have gotten more pictures. These aren't the greatest. Also, my brothers and I were able to go kayaking, too. Didn't get any pictures of us either. Oh well. My brother got some videos that I'll have to post when I get them.

More kayaking kids - and dogs, too. Yes, my parents have miniature daschunds, and they go kayaking and biking with my parents.

Dan

Brett

Marc

My sister-in-law Melissa and my nephew Ben. I just love these two!

On our last day in NY, we took the girls to the marina close by. They had so much fun looking at the boats and wandering around on the rocks. Here are a few pictures of our excursion there.

Marc wanted me to take some pictures of the rocks. We thought they looked pretty cool!

Lily

Maggie

Emma

I didn't take too many pictures of Cole last week. I don't know why, it just didn't happen. I would have loved to have gotten some pictures of him on the rocks, but being that he's so small still, that didn't work. Maybe soon. But for now, this picture of him roughing it will have to suffice.

The girls looking at the boats. They loved every minute of it!

It was so nice being with everyone, but also great to be back in our own beds! We miss everyone so much and we're looking forward to maybe doing this again next year. So, for now...

We miss you...

Papa

Mimi

Uncle Dan

Aunt Missy

Alex

Kate

Ben

Uncle Brett

Aunt Em

Jack

Baby to be

Grandma LePage

Grandpa Winters

Grandma Winters

...and love you, too!