30

1. Hardworking 2. Fun 3. Great Smile 4. Great Wit 5. Calloused Hands

6. Handy 7. Playful 8. Incredibly Patient 9. Well Read 10. Well Rounded
11. Strong 12. Loves Sports 13. Loves Children 14. Loves Music 15. Makes Family a Priority
16. Good Friend 17. Funny 18. Intelligent 19. Full of Trivia Knowledge 20. Warm Hugs
21. Loves the Lord 22. Great Leader 23. Great Teacher 24. Giving 25. Loving
26. Interesting 27. Dependable 28. Faithful 29. Helpful 30. Thoughtful

The Best Husband, The Best Father, The Best Friend.
Happy Birthday.
I love you.

(30 look good on you!)

Wild at Heart

We are always very intentional to encourage and support our boys to be manly - and this Christmas was no different! We got them an indoor/outdoor tent which they immediately set up. A mock campfire came next, then moving in the sleeping bags and flashlight, and Davis getting the toy rifle in case any mountain lions came too close. We are so proud of our little men.

Merry Christmas

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,

and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them,
“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths
and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2: 9-12

"And they shall call him Immanual" (which means "God with us").
Matthew 1:23

21.22.23.24.25.

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21. The Return to the Land (Wall of Jerusalem)
"Surely I come quickly: Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:20

22. The Star
"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy." Matthew 2:10

23. Light of the World (candle)
"I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life." John 8:12

24. Angels Proclaiming the Coming of Christ
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14

25. The Birth of Jesus
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

We have rejoiced as the Christmas Story has unfolded through our daily devotions. This day was celebrate our Immanual, God with us, who came to bless and save all who worship Him at the manger.
Welcome, Jesus!!! Overwhelm us today with Your coming and Your presence!

Now is it time to share the good news.
"The shepherds told everyone" Luke 2:17.

Seven Stockings Hung

Today we had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas Eve together. We jaunted to Memphis to visit the Children's Museum and Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant, then headed home to cook up a full turkey dinner. The kids enjoyed decorating cookies for St. Nick, watching Christmas concerts on TV, setting out reindeer food for Rudolph, hanging up stockings, and watching the NORAD Santa tracker online.
They are super excited about Santa, but most importantly they know that St. Nicholas is coming to give gifts because God gave...and to celebrate Jesus' Birthday!

Tomorrow is the BIG Birthday Celebration!!!

Christmas morning, our first gift will be baby Jesus - we unwrap Jesus and place Him in the Manger. We will also finish up our Jesse Tree devotions, make a cake and have a Birthday Party for Jesus...and share a few gifts with each other!
Merry Christmas!

Givers

"We give because God gave."

We think it is important for our children to be part of the gift giving at Christmas. Each year they are so proud and excited to give away ornament creations to loved ones. It is wonderful to see the joy they have in giving at Christmas.
This season, we have been busy making LOTS of ornaments - each capturing the age and stage of our children. Gotta love those cute little hand prints and sweet drawings!!!

16.17.18.19.20.

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16. Prophecy of a Gentle Shepherd (lamb and staff)
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27

17. Prophecy of the Suffering Servant (cross)
"I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:15

18. Prophecy of the New Covenant (heart with ten commandments)
"I will put my law within them, and write it in their hearts." Jeremiah 31:33

19. Prophecy of Bethlehem (Bethlehem silhouette with star)
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

20. The Exile (fiery furnace)
"Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee." Jeremiah 1:8


We have enjoyed getting to know our Lord better as we study the prophecies foretelling His coming.
We are so thankful for our gentle Shepherd: may we be receptive to His loving arms, listen to His voice, and follow His call. We hope to always be sensitive to His presence in our lives. Christ gave Himself to us, and now we have been called to take up the cross of Christ and be servants, giving ourselves to others. God can use us, despite our weaknesses, to do glorious things.

4 Months

Christmas Day marks 4-months of age for our dear Kolpin!!!
We are enjoying this precious baby - he is such a joyful addition to our household.

Kolpin loves to talk and coo, and is always very excited to interact with others
(kicking his legs and waving his arms!).
He is so strong. He loves to show off his standing skills (with support),
is holding his head up well, has perfected the "superman", and manages to scoot all over -
we need to watch this one!
Kolpin is sleeping through the night!!!! Our babe sleeps 8-10 hours each night.

We sure do love this sweet boy, and he is definitely not hurting for attention. He is cared for by 4 protective and affectionate older siblings (who love to make Kolpin smile), and parents who can't get enough snuggles and kisses. We are all learning to take turns - but of course mama has first dibs!!!

"Me Want Cookie!"

We have an entire family of cookie monsters! But, we also have a good crew of cookie decorators. This weekend we baked and decorated over 6 dozen cookies that are quickly disappearing - "me want cookie!"
(We'll have to make more to share with Santa!)

Project Mode

project
[n. proj-ekt, -ikt; v. pruh-jekt]
a large or major undertaking, esp. one involving considerable time, money, personnel, and equipment.

mode
/moʊd/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [mohd]
a manner of acting or doing; method; way


When I (Amy) have a fast approaching deadline and a lot to accomplish, I launch into what Mike calls "project mode." I get fully focused on a project and take advantage a full night of uninterrupted work time! I am very productive and feel a huge sense of accomplishment after pulling an "all-nighter". My goal is to always finish, have my "project mode" mess cleaned up (a huge mess is always involved), and to be in bed before Mike wakes the next morning. Success!!!
I can't do this all the time, (taking care of five children on zero sleep isn't easy) , but I seem to handle little sleep very well. Every once in a while, I think it's good for me - I love working on projects and am so thrilled to be able to have time to work and complete a few special things.

Recently, I was so pleased to finish a few Christmas gifts, our 7th Christmas stocking, and few other fun things - gotta love 10 hours of work time!!!

Portrait Club

Kolpin joined the "club" and had a professional portrait taken.
( you just can't beat a $7.99 portrait package )

We can't believe how much our little man is growing...he's almost 4-months-old!

11.12.13.14.15.

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11. King David (slingshot)
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want." Psalm 23:1

12. Josiah Finds the Law (scroll)
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119: 105

13. Prophecy of the Shoot from the Stump of Jesse
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory." John 1:14

14. Prophecy of the Lion and the Lamb Resting Together
"His rest shall be glorious." Isaiah 11:10

15. Prophecy of the Prince of Peace (dove and crown)
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

We are blessed our God never forgets His promises. In the Bible, we can read how God promised the coming of a Greater King. He revealed to prophets glimpses of what is to come and characteristics of Christ. Some of His promises have come to pass, but others are still to come. The Lord promises a new Heaven and a new earth. Our Lord is faithful.

Potty Boys

We have 2 boys using the potty!

(We're excited too!)

Treading Water

I am encouraged by the truth that God wants us to experience more and that He wants the very best for us. Sometimes we may not find His best without experiencing trouble.

God has called me to be a wife and mother. He has blessed me abundantly with a loving husband and five beautiful children. My life is busy, but I have always trusted that God would not give me more than I can handle WITH His help.

However, these past 3 months transitioning from 4 to 5 children (ages 5 and under) has been a hard adjustment. I am so thankful for my children and I love my life, but I have been overwhelmed! Some days I felt as though I was treading water: doing what needs to be done, but not making much progress, not moving forward, and not finding the joy I know my God intended. As much as I tried to make it work and will myself to do everything, I was failing. I don't want to be "treading water" through these precious moments in the lives of my children. I want to be fully present and enjoy each and every thing.

Luckily my God is a faithful and patient teacher. When I got to thinking I can't do this, He lovingly reminded me "you're right, you can't, but I can!". I realized I have been so busy trying to make everything work, I cut out the most important thing...I wasn't putting God first! All the Lord requires of me is to "act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with my God" Micah 6:8. I hadn't surrendered to my Lord. I was trying to do it all myself and I was failing.

I needed to make changes so that I can fulfill the call and walk with God. God has called me to be a wife and mother, but He first called me to be in a relationship with Him. I cannot fulfill my other many roles without first seeking my Lord. I know I can rely fully on God's help and not on my own strength. Since this realization, it has felt like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have been able to relax, enjoy my time with the Lord, and find joy in my daily busyness.

I am thankful for the struggles God allowed me to experience and the powerful and humbling reminder that I need Him.

Year-End-Review 2009

2009 has been a year full of amazing blessings and answered prayers.
This past year, we have been blessed by amazing people, moved to a wonderful new Church home, added a precious baby to our growing quiver, and celebrated as our oldest made the decision to become a Child of God!

We are so thankful for God's gift of our children. Our five kids, ages 5 and under, try us daily, cause us to grow in ways we never imagined, and bring us more joy than we ever thought possible.

We run and a never-ending cycle of laundry . use 25 diapers daily .
eat 3 loafs of bread and drink 5 gallons of milk a week . have 4 kids who nap .
2 kids who are potty-training . have a bookcase devoted to used shoes awaiting pass down .
had a wonderful home birth experience . enjoyed 4 camping trips .
have 2 kids in cloth diapers . bake yummy breads weekly . read through 10 books every day .
have logged hundreds of miles running around the backyard .
managed to fit 5 car seats in our minivan .
are hitting our stride in our 2nd year of homeschooling . carry our baby around in a sling .
enjoy a family museum pass, aquarium pass, and two different zoo passes!

We have been so touched by the love, help, and support of our family and friends - Thank you!
We keenly feel God at work in our lives as He gently performs surgery on our hearts. We find many past desires departing and being replaced by a desire to follow His lead for our lives.
We can't wait to see what God has in store for 2010!

6.7.8.9.10.

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6. Jacob's Ladder (Assurance)
"Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places, whither thou goest." Genesis 28: 15

7. Joseph's Coat of Many Colors (God's Provision)
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God." Romans 8:28

8. The Ten Commandments
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119:11

9. Grape Cluster (Canaan, the Promised Land of Blessings)
"Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2

10. Sheaf of Wheat (Ruth and Boaz)
"Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." Ruth 1:16


The past 5 days of our Advent Jesse Tree devotionals have focused on chosen people to which God established a covenant, a covenant that would later be fulfilled through Christ. These people teach us powerful lessons about the assurance we can have in God and the new life He has planned for each of us.

Our mighty God grants us protection and guidance, we can trust in His plan for our lives. God has given us abundant blessings and the promise of a new life through the gift of His Son, Jesus. We are thankful God's plan of salvation reaches to include all people who trust in Him, and is not dependent on our acts. (Our Sovereign Lord delivered His people out of Egypt before He gave them the Ten Commandments.)

Pig Tails

Maegli has been giving us glimpses of "two-year-old"...it's hard to believe our baby girl will be turning 2 next month! She is at the stage where it is incredibly hard to capture a picture of her, she thinks she's pretty funny when running away.
Her darling personality is coming out now that she is walking and talking. She babbles all the time and likes to "talk" on her phone. She still receives physical therapy weekly and is thrilled to earn a sticker at the end of each session. Maegli is definitely the little mama at our house. She is a natural nurturer and has several babies that she totes around and snuggles - she will even wear mama's sling to carry her babies! She loves to pat and kiss baby Kolpin, and actually cleans up after her big brothers (she'll stack the plates and cups and put toys back in the bins!). Our sweetheart likes to pick out her own clothes (always preferring pink), combs her hair and always insists on wearing a bow. She certainly is our pretty.

*Maegli finally has enough hair for pig tails!

Giggle

When did this little boy grow up? Davis has gone from being a "bitty boy" to being our big boy.
We are so pleased to see Davis and Hendrick playing together: fighting off giants in the backyard with wooden gun and light saber, creating a tunnel house complete with a basement of toys, building ships in the bedroom with quilts and jumping into the ocean for a swim. He has always been excellent at puzzles and has expanded his precision skills to legos and k'nex. He is very impressive building with little legos! Davis loves to make his brothers laugh with knock-knock jokes and silly faces - his own giggle is infectious!
Davis continues to receive weekly speech therapy, and has physical and occupational therapy twice monthly. He wears ankle braces (to prevent his ankles from rolling), and a wrist brace (to help stretch the muscles of his right hand). He is always eager to take them off, manages to "misplace" them constantly, but is a good sport about wearing them.
His continued progress in speaking ability amazes us. We are so thankful that God is bringing Davis through his developmental challenges!

Quotes

Burke has always been a mimic (and is our movie buff)...now has fine-tuned his skills of imitation and quotes and acts out scenes from his favorite movies. Burke can sing and act the entire stretching scene from Winnie the Pooh ("When I up, down, touch the ground...."), and he is constantly quoting lines from Jungle Book and Winnie the Pooh ("C'mon Baggy, get with the beat", "Tiggers don't like honey!"). He also sings the whole "Winnie the Pooh" song and "Barenecessities" from Jungle Book.
Our precious perceptive child keeps up constantly entertained!
(I think he may have a future in the dramatic arts someday)

We are so blessed by Burke's charismatic presence in our house. When not acting like a two-year-old, he is incredibly sweet to his younger siblings and has an infectious laugh when horsing around with his older brothers. We love you Burke!

Elephants

We are so proud of our big boy, Hendrick. We are so thankful to have the opportunity to be with him all day, everyday. Hendrick is excelling with his schooling. He is flying through his math (working on sums and differences), reading like a fiend (current favorites are the "Nate the Great" series), and always has an interesting nature fact to share.
Most importantly, we are so thrilled to see the young man that is emerging from our 5-year-old. He is actively seeking the Lord, takes care of his siblings, and is eager to help to his mom. He does not like to see his siblings upset, he includes them in his imaginative play and helps them clean up messes. Now, of course, he's not always an angel, he sometimes forgets how big he is as he plows down his siblings...but, he's five!

Oh, just so you know, we don't say "butt" in our household. Hendrick will be very quick to correct you and advise you use "elephant" as a replacement. He's so polite!

1.2.3.4.5.

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1. Earth (Creation)
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Genesis 1:1

2. Apple and Serpent (First Sin)
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way." Isaiah 53:6

3. Ark and Rainbow (God's Promise)
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

4. Camel and Tent (The Call to Abram)
"In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed" Genesis 12:3

5. Ram (Isacc and the ram)
"Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" John 1:29

Our first 5 days of Jesse Tree ornament devotions reminded us of God's perfect plan, His complete faithfulness, and His overwhelming love for us. We can find comfort in the truth that even though Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, bringing condemnation for everyone, Christ's one act of righteousness can bring a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. As did Noah and Abram, we can trust God to keep His promises. We still have God's promise. We need to continue to step forward in the obedience of faith and not just cling to our existing blessings. God is faithful.

Sofa

We have had the opportunity to share our home with a friend and we have been so blessed by his presence. We know that God has a purpose in everything. He has been staying with us for a few weekends...and will hopefully be with us many more weekends. He has been a joy to have, and the kids are all smitten. We are so thankful for the people God has put in our lives. And we are thankful for our 6 ft. 8 in. friend putting-up with sleeping on our sofa :)

Like Father, Like Son...

At three-months - Kolpin bears a striking resemblance to his Father...almost 30 years ago!

Jesse Tree

What is a Jesse Tree?

Jesse trees are an old tradition based on Isaiah 11:1 - "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." - and is a way of teaching the Old Testament background for the Messiah, and showing how all of God's promises have been fulfilled. The Advent season is a wonderful time to reaffirm God's faithfulness and focus on Christ - the lessons from the Jesse Tree help do so. Each day, a special ornament is hung, and a corresponding devotional teaches the story and meaning for each ornament.

This is our second year incorporating the Jesse Tree into our Christmas Traditions. Meaningful family worship is such a blessing during the Christmas season. This year, Amy hand stitched a set of 25 original Jesse Tree ornaments to be used with our devotional book (her NICU bedside project).
Over these next 25 days, we'll share more Jesse Tree details...

Thanksgiving Trip

We were so blessed to celebrate our Thanksgiving holiday with our Church Family in Tennessee, AND our families in Cincinnati.

Wednesday night we were able to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to the Dream Center residents at Family Worship Center. Then it was off to Cincinnati to see both families and some good friends. The kids enjoyed a visit to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal where they got to see the traveling Egypt exhibit, the Holiday Train Station, and a visit with Santa. Davis wowed everyone by asking for cookies, waffles, and pancakes.

Homecoming

2 Years Ago......our son, Burke, arrived home. We are so blessed!

Hanging Out

Kolpin's favorite thing is Hanging out with Mama!
Amy made this fitted pouch carrier which is used daily at our house and beyond. The pouch keeps Kolpin close and secure where he can feel mama, smell mama, hear mama and be so snugly and warm. He'll often lay back and snooze, but recently he has enjoyed poking his head out and watching the world.

*Kolpin is Three-Months-Old*

Christmas Cheer

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Yes, we are a few days away from Thanksgiving, but we have been listening to Christmas music for the past month and now our house reflects our eagerness for Christmas. We have enjoyed decorating the tree, getting out the Christmas books, and setting up the nativity sets - all in preparation for celebrating the Birth of Jesus!
This is the biggest birthday party all year...and we wanted to get a head start!

Thankfulness

We are so incredibly blessed. Yet, we don't pause often enough to reflect on our many blessings. Thanksgiving is a perfect reminder to stop and thank God for the abundant gifts He has given. This year, the kids came up with a list and Hendrick wrote all 31 things (one for each day of November plus a bonus!) on paper to create our "Thankful Chain".

We are thankful for:

1. God 2. music 3. toys 4. our house 5. Maegli
6. Veggie Tales 7. Olive and Chaska (our dogs) 8. books 9. Kolpin
10. Daddy 11. our big table 12. Jesus died for us
13. our family 14. Mr. Jeff 15. wildlife 16. Mama 17. pencils
18. food 19. Hendrick 20. Daddy's job 21. our car
22. Davis 23. bugs 24. babies 25. Burke 26. my bed 27. Christmas
28. trains 29. homeschool 30. cookies 31. the zoo

What are you thankful for?

5:1

1 double stroller
+ 1 baby carrier
+ 1 Bible-Based Zoo Guide
+ 5 excited kids
+ 1 Mama
= a wonderful day outing to the Memphis Zoo

This mama was ready to get out of the house for the day and have a weekday adventure, so we took advantage of gorgeous weather and ventured to the zoo. We had a great trip: visiting our favorite animals, exploring the "new" Teton Trek, and having a romp on the playground. As an added bonus, all five kiddos fell asleep in the car on the way home - they were tuckered out after running all over the zoo!