A Gracefull Place

My daughters, the farmgirls, are hosting a blog giveaway this week and the next four weeks.  Each week will be something different, make by each of my oldest four daughters!  Believe me–all four prizes are very neat and sweet!    You’ll love them!

So head on over there and read the rules and comment if you want to enter!   The first on is up here:  Embroidered Cloth Journal Giveaway and will be open through Saturday, September 12.  The winner will be announced sometime Sunday, then the next giveaway announced next Monday!

Have fun!

It’s been one year since my daughters, Seven Sisters, started their blog!

They have a BIG surprise, and even more surprises—you might want to head over there and take a look! 

Happy Blogoversary, Farmgirls!

You’re 12 now and probably don’t want to be called Anna-Pie anymore, but you will always be my sweet little Anna-Pie, no matter how old you are! 

Our sweet little girl who God has healed–here you are when you were just 15 months old and had ITP….

And here with your "bumper buddy" (and your Sissy!)….

We are so glad you are completely healed today, glory to God!

You are becoming a very lovely young lady!  You are such a diligent worker and a good organizer (even if you delegate a little too much, sometimes!   )

Sixteen years ago today God gave us a special gift,

a little girl very much like her mother;

a sweet and "spicey" little girl that would teach us

how to rely on Him for child-training wisdom,

and not the experts!

I am so very grateful He did,

because I have learned how to guide the heart

without sacrificing the relationship,

nor breaking the will

of a Godly strong-willed young woman

who loves her God, her family, her piano

LIFE

with everything she’s got!

I love you, my Spicey-Girl!

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY CASSIA!!!

If you’d like to stop by the girls’ blog and

wish her a "Happy Birthday",

click here!

I’ve ruined my two year old son.

My girls are having a few friends over, and to avoid any problems, all the girls and Noah are getting to sleep in the makeshift "bunkhouse"–the living room!  There are mattresses in there and couch cushions made up to make a nice comfy wall-to-wall sleeping area!

After we watched a movie last night (One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing–corny but funny!) , Isaiah (who was going to go up into his crib) rolled over by Noah and said something that sounded like "bigger".  I interpreted it to mean, "Hey, I’m bigger now!  I can sleep down here, too, right?!"  Well, I repeated "bigger", but he said the word again like I didn’t understand him.

Finally, I got it!

He was saying, "Pikshur!"

He knows we always run to get the camera when the boys are doing something cute!

I was already on the floor, so I just rolled over and laughed until I cried!!!!  (My daughters’ friends already know I’m a nutcase, but I definitely confirmed it then!!!   )

Of course I had to oblige him!

Here is his "pikshur"!

Hope it brought a smile to your day!

Blessings!

Did you ever wonder what it would be like to be named Noah, be a little boy, and hear about "Noah’s Ark"?  From the time our little guy understood "Noah’s Ark", it became "Mine Ark"!   Makes sense to a 3 year old, right?!

Well, he’s four now, and starting to understand that someone else can have the same name, and the old guy in the Bible story pictures isn’t necessarily him! 

We recently had this conversation as he was lying down before his nap.  (I really can spell!  I am writing it phonetically as he really talks! Think "Linus" with his cute nasally voice–minus the "s" sound!)

Noah:  "Ho, Mommy," (remember, he can’t say his "s" sound?  And he starts talking to me this way a lot–"so, Mommy" only it’s "Ho, Mommy"!)   "Ih the ark going to go in our ocean?" 

Me: (Not sure what "our ocean" is, but playing along…)  "No, but it did go in the water.  It wasn’t really the ocean yet."

Noah:  (after thinking about it a minute) "Ho, Mommy, will it go in our ocean neckt time?"

Me: "Well, I don’t think there will be a next time, but if there is, then yes, it will go in our ocean."

Noah: (thinking a little bit more)  "Then Daddy can build anodder ark, and we can put giraffe in it and elephant and tiger and monkey and goat and all de animal!  And Daddy and Mommy and Jehhica and Leah and Honanah (Susannah) and Cahhia and Anna and Bekah and Charihha and me and Ihaiah and Pooh!"  He smiles.  "And Noah can go in it, too!"

Me:  "You mean the Bible Noah?"

Noah nods and smiles!  "And me, too!"

So, (or "Ho"!), there you have it.

The new version of Noah’s Ark, according to Noah! 

Today is my oldest daughter’s 22nd birthday!   Where did the time go?   If I had a scanner, I’d put in some OLD pictures! LOL!!  Maybe I can get some with the digital later.

Jessica is my right hand girl (well, one of them!   ), but don’t let her sweet, servant-hearted demeanor and ready smile deceive you—she was quite the firecracker when she was younger!  We could tell all kinds of "Jessica stories"!  (My husband used to entertain a lady at work with daily "Jessica stories"!!!)  I was going to send her to Dr. Dobson so he could rewrite his book on The Strong Willed Child–I was convinced he’d never seen one THIS "strong-willed"!!!

Thankfully, we kept at our training (and kept at it, and kept at it….) to where she is a lovely, lovely young woman today!   As I think of where I was at 22, she is eons ahead of me!!!

I jokingly tell her, "When I grow up, I want to be like you!"   

And for 22 years, we have celebrated her birthday on her day as a family, usually having her party then, too.   She loves having her birthday this time of year, but we haven’t been to a candlelight Christmas Eve service since 1985!     And at that one, I was bawling my heart out because I wanted a child so desperately!   How like the Lord to give me, exactly one year later, a beautiful blessing!

I know I speak for all of us (but they can blog about it themselves if they want!), that we all love her VERY MUCH and are so happy and grateful to have her in our family!

Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with Jessica!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESSICA!!!

May you have a blessed and wonderful day!  (It’s already been fun, doing a quick "Christmas run" together!!!    )

Jessica and Leah–best friends and sisters!

I lovey you!

We’re friends!!

Love,

Mommy-Dear

A few beautiful pictures of my lovely pianist daughters playing an inspiring duet of "For the Beauty of the Earth" (maybe someday I’ll get a digital video camera so you can hear it!).

Flying fingers……

Sisterly harmony! 

Just a short "post"–but I wanted to share these sweet pictures with you!

Blessings!

I don’t usually post twice in one day, but I wanted to post a happy birthday to my sweet little guy!  He’s two today!   It’s so hard to believe–where DOES the time go?!  

I am so grateful God gave us another boy so Noah could have a buddy!  (Plus, we’re glad Noah has someone to share the limelight with….we were getting worried that that boy’s head was getting too big for him!   I mean you can imagine after 7 sisters, how much attention he got, right?!    )

We actually celebrated on Sunday with the grandmas.   So here are some pictures of our little cutie that keeps us smiling!  (He and his brother are TMFP status–The Most Favored Prince!)

The cake was good–spatula lickin’ good!

Look at that smile!  (Actually, both of them!)

He really was quite good at unwrapping!

He has this "cock your head" smile he does for the camera now!

Here he is posing with his warm nigh-nights from Grandma R.!

Daddy getting a small car detangled from all the packaging!

(With LOTS of supervisors! )

The tractor is a hit with BOTH boys…it’s hard to get Noah to

give Isaiah’s own present back to him! 

This isn’t from his birthday, but it’s a good shot!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!  We love you!

Today is another one of those "bittersweet" days.

50 years ago today, my dad and mom were married.    They had decided to get married when he was home on a quick leave.  They called around to invite family and friends, and really had quite a good turnout!   After a very short honeymoom, they went back to Boston where Dad was stationed while in the Navy.   I have their wedding album–Dad looks pretty spiffy in his Navy duds, and my mom the starry-eyed 19 year old girl in love with her sailor!   (In her size 5 dress cut down to a size 1 that was still too big–she had an 18 inch waist!  And so did I–when I was 12!!!   )

But there is no party, no open house, no pictures in the paper…..because Dad passed away almost a year ago.  

It’s tough, these firsts.   I called Mom today and wished her a happy anniversary–after all, it is STILL her anniversary.  We miss Dad, but due to his condition before he went Home to be with Jesus, we wouldn’t wish him back.  

So I write this entry as a tribute to the couple that gave me life and raised me, that are a major part of who I am.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Dad and Mom.

I love you.

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