A Good Problem

I ran into a problem yesterday that literally left me in tears.  Happy tears.  My friend Alysun came by to drop off the photos she had taken soon after Esther was born.  (If you are local and want beautiful pictures for an amazing price, check out Alysun at http://www.alysunpetersphoto.com/ )  I figured that since I had new pictures I should update my blog pictures and descriptions since it still said David and I had been married for five years and Ella was a newborn. 

Here was my trouble.  As I tried to think of what to write about my girls, it went something like this~

"Lydia is the most wonderful girl I could ever imagine.  She is the sunshine of our home."  "Bethany is also the most wonderful girl I could ever imagine.  Come to think of it, so is Havilah.  And of course Ella Joy.  Esther?  Yeah, most wonderful baby I could EVER imagine.  And sunshine?  When I think of sunshine I think of Havi.  And Esther.  And Bethany.  And obviously Ella Joy." 

You see my dilemma?  If there was too much of a good thing, I would have it.  There are times that I simply can't believe how abundantly blessed I am.  Times that I feel like I can truly grasp just a glimpse of how good God is.  The tears just come. 

My girls are incredibly individual and unique.  So much that it blows me away.  But they are all so amazing I can't even begin to describe it. 

Sometimes I feel like there is no way to truly convince people that we are NOT disappointed to have all girls.  We say it all the time but people just don't really believe it.  When I look at these faces though, I can't fathom how someone could think I would wish I had someone else instead.  I think God's plans are pretty fantastic.

Life is not as pristine as it looks in these photos.  As I'm writing this Ella came out of bed stripped of       everything.  But she came down in the arms of her big sister who was laughing hysterically at her.  Remember to really see your children today.  Enjoy them.  Not for what they do, but for who the Lord made them to be.  Be blessed!  I know I am!

Little Keepers at Home

I'm finally getting to the more sketchy part of our daily schedule.  Breakfast to lunch flows very smoothly.  Not always at the assigned times, but in the assigned order.


6:00~ Mommy wakes up, makes bed, exercises, showers, time with the Lord, gets dressed, does hair and make-up.

7:00~ Breakfast helper wakes up to get a head start on their morning routine and then helps make and set the table for breakfast.
7:15~ All girls wake up, make beds, get dressed, get hair done.
7:30~ Breakfast
8:00~ Brush teeth, morning chores
8:30~ Bible
9:00~ School
11:00~ Weekly chores
12:00~ Lunch

After lunch can look very differently on most given days.  Some days we go places.  Some days Mommy is so tired we all take naps ALL afternoon!  But some days we actually stick to our afternoon schedule.  Those days are the best of all!

12:30 is our afternoon "pick up" which is basically 5-10 minutes just to pick up the main floors that may have gotten messed up between morning chores and then.

1:00 is reading time.  Ella is down for her nap by now, so we four girls snuggle up on the couch with blankets and enjoy a few peaceful chapters.  Right now we are reading "On the Banks of Plum Creek".  The girls LOVE Little House on the Prairie and are known as Mary, Laura and Baby Carrie most of the time.

1:45~ The girls head for naps, or at least lay down with a couple of books.

3:00 is Little Keepers at Home time!!!

The Keeper at Home books are put out by Keepers of the Faith.  I finally bought the book this last fall and loved many of the ideas it presented.  It focuses on four areas to teach your young daughters in:  Godly Girlhood, which includes scripture memorization, Bible reading, ministering to neighbors etc., Basic Skills, which covers everything from ABCs to card making to embroidery to pressed flowers, Homemaking, which teaches them the beginnings in areas like baking, money sense and table setting, and Nature, where they learn about birds, butterflies, flowers etc..  And I've just touched on the different sections!

Since these books were made to be filled in and used for individual children, and since I already have four daughters I decided to take the lessons and tweak them to better suit our needs.  First I went through and dropped just a couple of sections that I didn't see as very practical for us, then I added a few ideas I had (like herbs!  Go figure!).  Then I switched it all to a three-ring binder.

Each section has certain requirements that get checked off as they are completed.  When all of the requirements are completed, the page is signed by Mommy and Daddy and it is officially passed.

Bethany working on her upper and lower case alphabet.

Lydia working on her embroidery

As I've said many times before, it amazes me what our children are capable of learning when we devote some patient and careful time and instruction!  This is one of my favorite parts of the day, when I can watch my girls learn and grow into to capable young women. 

I wouldn't miss it!

One of my more brilliant additions to our Fall schedule (full schedule details to arrive next week!) has been the generous allotment of time devoted for naps.  We're all getting up earlier, we're all more tired!  On Monday, I was more than ready to catch a quick nap with the girls!  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday found me feeling much perkier and able to carry on without one.  Today however, my sleeping adjustments had caught up to me and I was counting down to nap time all day!  Unfortunately, while my middle two were as tired as I was, My oldest and my youngest really weren't buying it.

After trying very unsuccessfully to rest with a squirming eight month old, I thought of something brilliant!  "Lydia, would you quietly play with Ella while Mommy rests?".  "Sure!!!".

It was such a grand idea!  The two played happily and silently five feet away from me.  But there was a problem I hadn't counted on.  I couldn't keep my eyes off of them!  They were so precious, that I knew this was a moment I didn't want to miss!

Life is speeding by.  Some opportunities are simply too priceless to sleep through!

No Thanks "Normal"!

When spending time with my girls, one of the comments I hear the most is, " Wow! They actually enjoy being together!".  And they do.  But let me get this straight right now;  THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT!!!

I firmly believe that the loving family is one of God's greatest gifts to us.  I also believe that it is being viciously attacked by our enemy.  I believe that it is vitally important that we pray for a wise a discerning heart in all areas of life, but especially as we seek to raise our children.  Remember, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got".  If we continue to think, act and plan the way things "are always done", how can we expect to get any different results from the world around us.  Divorce, rebellion, estranged relationships are rampant.  What kind of lives are we setting our children up to live?

How do we teach our children to love each other?  Little by little by little by little, every day of each one's life.  Once again, keep careful watch for the "normal" issues that "all children" go through.  Remember, all children are selfish.  But that doesn't mean we cater to their selfishness!  It means we are careful to train it out of them. 

"Normal" issues include things like "The new baby is born so naturally the older sibling is going to go through a rough time", "I have to make sure my kids have time to themselves away from their siblings", "My children will need their own individual friends so they don't feel smothered by their siblings".  This way of thinking is a sure recipe for the classic,  "My siblings drive me crazy!  Why can't they leave me alone!  I'm always stuck with them!".  But isn't that normal?  Absolutely!  Do I want normal? NO THANK YOU!!!

Remember that our children don't come to us spiritually neutral.  They have a sin nature as real as you and me.  And while we don't look at violence, lying and stealing and say, "It's very normal and understandable", why would I say that about a selfish attitude towards their siblings.  So what do we teach them?

These are the things our girls hear multiple times every single day.  "Oh Ella, look at your big sister taking such good care of you!", "Havilah, have your sweet sister help you with your shoes.", "Remember to tell your wonderful sister thank you and give her a big love!", "Look how Ella is smiling at you!  She loves you sooooo much!", "Isn't it so wonderful that God gave you sisters to play with?", "Our girls are our most precious treasures!", "Sisters are the best buddies in the whole world!", "Won't it be fun when Ella gets bigger and you can all play together?", "Aren't you so glad you get to sleep with your sister?".  And they always respond with a resounding "YES!!!!".  And they mean it!  I just went and asked my three older girls who are sitting the couch together, " Do you girls love each other?", and they all yelled "Yes!!!!!".  "How much?" I asked.  Lydia said, "As big as our house" while Bethany and Havilah gave each other a huge hug.

This is not fake.  They really do adore each other.  Every single one.  But we live a very real life.  They do fight.  They do seek their own pleasures rather than thinking of each other.  But we strive to take each situation and not only address the wrong actions, but the selfish heart that is behind it. 

 The Bible tells us to love one another, over and over and over.  It is one of the most important things I am to teach my children.  And the blessings that come from it are limitless.

Don't let the world tell you what is "normal".  As I say over and over, God is good and His ways are good!  When we strive to do things His way, we will have bumpy days.  We will feel incredibly discouraged at times.  We will realize that we have a real enemy.  But we will also experience amazing blessings!  Blessings that will make us wonder why we would ever want to do things the way the world tells us to!  Blessings that will make us marvel even more at how good our God is!

While Daddy's Away.......

Yep. It's that time of year again. You see, we are the spoiled kind of girls around here. Our man doesn't have to go here, there and everywhere. Mostly he stays home, which is right where we like him. But every summer he packs up for a week of cabin leading at the fabulous camp my parents run. Needless to say, this is far from my favorite week of the year. Now every year previous to this, my sister Anna has come to stay with me which makes for a "Sad that my husband is gone yet having a blast with one of my best friends" type of weeks. This year however, disaster struck. Anna entered high school and went to camp as well.

Determined to still have a great time with my girls, we kissed Daddy good-bye last Saturday (Yes, I cried. I always cry!) and geared up for a week on my own with my precious little munchkins!

Now there are a few perks (very, VERY few mind you!) to being without a husband for a short period of time. At the moment I can think of one. Artichokes.

Ahhhhh the bliss! I truly, madly, deeply have a great affection for artichokes. David would rather not be bothered by them. I enjoyed it immensely.

Along with fulfilling my artichoke obsession, we had fun doing a few other things as well!

We've been harvesting our beans this week (my own beans! From my own garden! Can you believe it?!) Lydia has turned into an expert bean snapper! We've gone grocery shopping, and Goodwill shopping, and paint shopping. Slowly. Very slowly. We've also painted toes and eaten popcorn for dinner and watched The Sound of Music. Twice.

The best part of the week though, was the day we actually got to go visit camp! The camp is about two hours away so on Tuesday we packed up and drove with Uncle Andrew to go see Daddy! (And Boppa, Grandma, Boppa King, Grammie, Auntie Rachel, Auntie Anna, Uncle Benjamin, Uncle Isaac, Uncle Timothy, Uncle Peter, Uncle Matthew, Aunt Susanna and lots of friends!)

It was soooooooo good to see Daddy!

Lydia taking a shot at Goliath

Grandma gets some loves during dinner

Bethany helping Daddy and Uncle Andrew during quiz time.

It was a marvelous day. I didn't want it to end. And I really didn't want to come home without a husband! We've managed to survive though. We've even had loads of fun together. And of course we've been a little crazy. Take a look!

What in the world would posses me to attempt to paint the bathroom without my amazingly skilled and detailed husband by my side? Believe me, I'm really bad at this!

Tomorrow he comes home!!!!!!! I'm thrilled to my socks right now! I'm so thankful for my amazing man. I love being with him more than anyone else in the world! And I'm so thankful for my sweet girls and for the fabulous week we had together!

This made me feel better......

I hope it encourages you too!

Celebrating Today!

I'm feeling the need to shake off the "My children hold me back", " I can't do what I want to do", "All my friends have fabulous lives, but I'm stuck at home" mentality. I seriously want to stretch, shake my whole body and scream " My children are a blessing from the Lord! They bring heaps of joy into my life! Never would I want to trade one moment of my stinky diaper, sticky fingered, runny nosed, never ending car seat buckling life!"

In the following pictures (just snapped five minutes ago) is just a glimpse of my crazy, wild, funny, FABULOUS life with my babies.

Here we have the big girls playing doctor. Yes, Bethany dressed herself this morning. Yes, Havi is sporting her winning smile, has no pants and is sitting next to a dirty diaper.

Here's my sweet Ella. She needs a bath. She smells like sour milk, but dare I admit that I think it's kind of sweet!

Here's the peanut butter face that I kissed over and over. Hugs and kisses always make life sooooo much better ( plus I got a little protein as a bonus!).

Now the question is, can you see what a blessed woman I am, or do you feel sorry for me? If you feel sorry for me, than I feel sorry for you. I can imagine nothing more fulfilling or fun then the life God has blessed me with. Mommys, go kiss your babies!!!!!

Grocery Shopping, Here We Come!

Grocery Shopping. For some, the mention of it fills the heart with excitement. For some, drudgery. And for mommys with a few little ones, it often fills the heart with panic and depression.

When I only had my sweet Lydia, I felt like prime model of a shopping parent. Of course, what can really go wrong when you have an infant sleeping peacefully in her car seat with tiny arms that could never come close to touching anything?

When Bethany was born, I discovered the amazing secret power to successful shopping: The Aunties! Having another big person along to hold onto a little person brought much peace of mind.

When Havi was born, the auntie became a necessity! The only problem at this time was, my sisters were getting older, and with that came a much more responsibility filled life. As much as I hated to see it, they weren't available at my beck and call 24/7. ( They are still a tremendous help to me! It just takes a little more planning!)

Knowing that #4 was on the way and knowing that my help was harder to arrange, I started doing some careful considering. Why was I having these feelings of dread? What was this lie that had convinced me that I wasn't able to control my own children?

I sheepishly concluded what a bunch of bologna this all was. I am striving every day to raise obedient and self-controlled children. I love being with my children. I love watching them interact with other people. Why was I so afraid to bring them into a testing ground when I was right there to supervise the whole thing?

So we started laying the boundaries. We've done it two different ways; Ella in a front wrap with Havilah in the cart and Havilah in a back wrap with Ella in the cart. Lydia and Bethany have their set of rules. I just asked Lydia what the rules for shopping were and she said, "Don't touch anything. Don't be wild. Be friendly to people. Don't be grumpy." She missed, Don't climb on the cart and walk up by mommy so you don't get run over. Fitting since those are the two most often forgotten!

Now this might sound obnoxious to you, as if I have to be barking orders all of the time. But it's not like that at all. We simply review the "dos and don'ts" on the way to wherever we are going in a loving, fun manner. There usually have to be a few gentle reminder when we are there. There is no threatening or bribing. My girls know the importance of obedience, and also the consequences for disobedience.

Here's the key. There rarely is any middle ground. If I clearly lay the boundaries then my children are either obeying or disobeying. If my children will not obey me in public, than I have bigger problems than grocery shopping.

Once I threw out the myth of "It can't be done!", we have had a blast! I LOVE going grocery shopping with my girls! It is one of the highlights of my month .



While this arrangement has worked beautifully for us, I decided yesterday that it is about time to start training Havi on the fine arts of grocery shopping. A challenge? YES! A fear? NO WAY!!!

Signing Fun!

I was first introduced to doing sign language with babies with my sister Rachel. Rachel was very slow to talk (my parents even had her hearing tested) but she caught onto the signing quickly and easily. When Lydia was small we signed with her as well. It was fabulous to have a toddler who, even though she couldn't talk, could sign please, thank-you, more, food, drink etc..

Bethany was an early talker. By fifteen months she would ask "I get down?" every time she got down from anything (even a single step). We tried signing with her, but it went about like this: Mommy~ "Say more Bethany!" (signing "more" contagiously and perhaps obnoxiously!) Bethany~ "More!" (as clear as a bell). Since the point of signing was communication, we didn't push it.

You may remember last fall, as we were struggling to find the right gift for Bethany's third birthday. One of the ideas we had was "Signing Time". I had heard of theses videos before but had never seen them. We decided to take a chance, not that Bethany needed to learn to sign, but we thought that the girls would enjoy them and that perhaps the little ones would pick it up too. All the girls loved it!




It has been especially GREAT for Havilah who still isn't talking very much. Not only did she catch onto the signs quickly, she enjoyed it, and enjoys even more being able to communicate with us better. Here's a sample of some of her favorites!



Signing has been tons of fun for our family. And it's helped with so many "could be frustrating" moments where the little one can actually express what they are wanting or seeing without just fussing about it. I can't wait for all of us to learn some more signs!

Another Random Blessing!

I remembered today that I had failed to show off my very favorite baby gift for Ella. Soon after she was born, my blogging buddy turned real life friend and fabulous photographer, Alysun, offered to take some newborn pictures of Ella. Not only that, she came all the way out to our house to take them! I was completely thrilled!

If you are local and in need of a photographer, I whole-heartedly recommend Alysun. Not only are her prices fabulous and her photos gorgeous, she is amazing at working with kids (a mom of three herself!) and has managed to get good pictures of all of my silly girls every time she photographed us. Check out her blog at alysunpetersphotography.blogspot.com .

Thanks again Alysun for your amazing gift!!!

One Month Old

Today is Ella's one month "birthday". I can't believe how time has flown! Didn't I just come home from the hospital?

She is still the dearest little thing I've ever seen. She lets me have at least a four or five hour chunk of sleep every night and only cries if she really needs something. She also snuggles, which is a rare treat for me!

Every moment we have with her is a treasure. I'm drinking it all up!

Getting to Know Her

" Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you...." This has been my theme song for the past couple of weeks. These first few days of having a new little one join the family are always so precious. A new human being, perfectly created so uniquely and with a specific plan for their life. I think I appreciate how fast this time goes more with each one. I am doing my best to treasure this time and every moment I have with each of my children.

I have never in my life seen a baby like Ella. She is the dearest, sweetest little thing. From the very beginning she has been so easy. And I mean sooooooo easy! She eats like a pro. Her diapers are like clockwork. She burps almost as soon as you get her to your shoulder. She hardly ever spits up. She has slept for at least one four hour chunk every night except one. And she hardly ever cries. When she does cry, all she needs is to be fed, changed or held and that fixes everything. I am still in complete amazement!

She is also very alert, bright-eyed and aware of what is going on around her. People ask who she looks like. The answer is, DADDY!!! Or sometimes Uncle Timothy or Uncle Peter or Uncle Andrew or Uncle Matthew. Not sure what it is about her, but she is a King 100%! We haven't seen one ounce of Dixon coming out in her yet! As you can see, just a bit of hair. I think Bethany still holds the record of having the least though! Her eyes are piercing and indescribable. Literally. I can not tell what color they are! Sorry! No dimples. No birthmarks. But she does have something none of her sisters had.

The famous forehead wrinkles!!! Another thing she got from Daddy I guess. They absolutely crack me up. Anytime she raises her eyebrows or even looks up, wrinkles spread all over her head.
Here Ella Joy is with the other babies of the house. Don't tell the others, but she has totally laid claim to the favorite status around here. Ruth, Ammi and Leah are officially second best. So far Ella has survived having her heel poked four times to check for jaundice, her first cold ( isn't nursing a stuffed up baby the most pathetic thing?) and Havilah. She's quite the little trooper!

If you haven't been able to pick it up, I am madly in love. My heart is long gone to this sweet little girl. I cannot believe that God has given me this precious little treasure. It seems like yesterday I found out I was expecting again, and now here she is. Already such an irreplaceable part of all of our lives.

"Haven't you noticed, suddenly I'm bright and breezy? Because of all the beautiful and new, things I'm learning about you, day by day!"