Prayers for Our Children

I ran across this several years ago, and put it in my Bible so that I could pray specifically for my children.  I thought I would share them with you, since many of my readers also have children dear to their hearts.

That Jesus will call them and no one will hinder them from coming.
"Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.  The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.' And he laid his hands on them and went away."  Matthew 19:13-15

That they will respond in faith to Jesus' faithful, persistent call.
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."  2 Peter 3:9

That they will experience sanctification through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit and will increasingly desire to fulfill the greatest commandments.
"And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"  Matthew 22:37-39

That they will not be unequally yoked in intimate relationships, especially marriage.
"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?"  2 Corinthians 6:14

That their thoughts will be pure.
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."  Philippians 4:8

That their hearts will be stirred to give generously to the Lord's work.
"All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord."  Exodus 35:29

That when the time is right, they will GO!
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"  Matthew 28:18-20

Countryside & Covered Bridges

Out of our several days visiting Pennsylvania, Mark and I both agree that our {most} favorite activity was taking our long drives through the countryside, through the beautiful farmland, in search for {a few of the many} covered bridges.  The directions were great, as long as you were good at counting which tree to turn by, because many roads had no names.  There were a few times that we second-guessed our navigation skills, but we had no schedule to keep, no specific amount of time we were to finish our drive.  We just drove slowly, took in all of the breath-taking views of the countryside, and enjoyed our time together.  It was perfect.

It was amazing to see all of the farms from a distance away.  I loved to try to count the {many} silos within one area.  And, of course, I loved seeing all of the {red} barns!

We saw several buggies on our drive.  I thought it was neat to see how the vehicle traffic was not bothered by the buggies.  No one was in such a rush that they would even consider being rude.  To be from the South, I must say, we need to work on that politeness on the roads...

The pulley system was used frequently for clothes-lines.  What I thought was interesting was how far away the pulley system would go...often from the house to a {very} distant barn with clothes covering the lines.  And, of course, it was neat to see all of the farm animals at the side of the roads.

The several days of harsh rainfall {the week before we arrived} made it hard  for the harvesting to be completed, but we did see a few working in their fields.

This lady and young child were harvesting their family's corn crop with the help of a team of 3 horses.  I can't imagine driving one of these things alone!  But their precision showed that this was normal life for these...

One of the many breath-taking views as we weaved our way through the twists and turns of the countryside.

Here is the first of several covered bridges that we found on our drive.

The beauty and architecture of these old bridges were stunning!  This is definitely something you don't often find on your normal drives anymore...

You can't see it in this picture because we weren't up high enough, but each time we passed over the rivers, you could see a perfect mirrored-image of the turning foilage.  If I were an artist, it would probably be my pick for a painting.  It was absolutely stunning!

There were many things to see and do in the area, this was {by far} my favorite.  I think I could have spent every day driving through the beautifully scenic countryside and old covered bridges.  These are just a {few} of our favorite views...

Wordless Wednesday

Views from our Bed & Breakfast...

For our stay in Pennsylvania, we stayed at the beautiful Westwynd Farms.  I have always been very hesitant to even consider a bed & breakfast...fearing a lack of privacy, despising the old "country" decor that most B&B are great at using, and being completely uncomfortable with feeling the need to hold multiple conversations with complete strangers.  I'm odd...I know.  But, when I saw the pictures of this B&B, I quickly changed my mind, and decided to try my {first} bed & breakfast.

Was it a pleasant experience?  Pleasant isn't a good enough word for this B&B.  The farm was absolutely stunning to see, especially at sunset.  The room was modern with a hint of a foreign flair...very inviting...romantic...and relaxing...all in one.  The people were exactly what I wanted...very helpful when I needed insights, directions, or suggestions, but  not pushy, and extremely friendly no matter what time of day it was, but never in a nagging way.  We were free to wander about the 32 acre farm however we saw fit, and we did!  It was a perfect place for our perfect 5 year anniversary trip. 

Here is the back view of the B&B

Here is some of the furniture/decor from our room, "In Our Time"

Their large barn, housing their many horses, goat, and cats

a view of a section of the beautiful acreage on the farm

one of their many beautiful horses

A picture of Mark with his new best friend ;)

Okay, so there is a little humor behind that last picture of Mark and the goat.  This was taken on our last morning at the B&B.  This was the first time we had seen the goat outside of it's pen, and the goat followed us around as we took a morning walk.  We thought that was funny...until we started to leave the barn area.  The poor goat was attached...she refused to let us leave her.  We would try to walk away from the barn area, and she would run in front of us, using her head to hold us back.  I would walk around again, followed by Mark, and she would again run in front of us, get on her hind legs, and again try to keep us from walking away.  In her final attempt, she actually grabbed Mark's shirt sleeve, and I thought he'd have a huge hole from it {but he didn't}.  The stable-hand saw our predicament, and came to our rescue.  We later found out that the goat had just lost her mate a week earlier.  Obviously, she fell in love with Mark as the replacement ;)

Now finally, I could not finish this post about our wonderful B&B without mentioning my favorite part of this place...

The FOOD!!

I knew our breakfast was included, but I did not realize how delicious or filling the homemade breakfasts would be.  Each morning, we would first enjoy a nice cup of hot tea (or coffee) and juice, followed by a type of fruit dish (baked pears, spiced peaches, and fruit bites were my favorite), then a type of homemade bread (all of which were delicious, but the cranberry scones being my favorite), and finished with our "main course" (omelets, quiche, pumpkin pancakes with cider syrup being a few favorites).  We had no need for lunch much of the time because of our filling breakfast, though we did find room to eat it anyway, just much later in the day.

And, if that weren't enough, we had a table {full} of cookies, cakes, candies, and any dessert imaginable...available to us {every} time we walked in or out of the B&B.  No wonder I came back wearing tighter clothing!

All I can say is...if you plan to visit the Hershey/Harrisburg/Lancaster area in the future, look no further than Westwynd Farms to accomodate your every need and desire.  {Too bad I don't get paid for advertising... ;) just kidding.}

Home Sweet Home

Our vacation {fin-a-lly} came, and went even faster!  I'm now working harder than ever to get our household back to normal, or at least as normal as we can be.  There are piles of clothes to be washed and put away, empty pantry shelves, messy rooms, and tons of pictures to go through, with two children that are super-glued to my legs!  But, even though the preparation work (remember all of that crazy packing I had to do??) and the post-vacation work is long, and tiring, I wouldn't take one second of it back!  We had a wonderful time...and so did the kids! 

I know you want to know more about our trip, and see pictures, and I will get to it all, I promise.  But I'll have to go little by little...not one {long} post.  So, keep your eyes out for multiple posts over the next days.  But also remember how tall my mountain of "to-do's" are...in other words, forgive me if I'm slow ;)

Here are a couple of pictures to get you started...two of our views from our amazing bed and breakfast.

This is their small barn and field for their horses. 

I guess I really am a country girl at heart...I just love the red barns and white fences!

And, here are a few of the {many} gorgeous flowers grown around the B&B.

Many more pictures and stories to come...

Changes

I know what you're thinking... "Marsha, you are leaving in T-minus 6 hours...why are you blogging instead of packing all that you have left?"  And, I have no good answer.  Packing has been {extremely} challenging this time, for some reason...perhaps because I am packing for the kids to be without me for several days...or perhaps because I am packing for us to be in two totally different weather climates all within the same trip!  Either way, it has been easier to ignore the fact that I'm not packed, and do something more enjoyable for the moment...even if it is a {short} one! 

I honestly don't have much to say for this post, though.  We're heading out today, as soon as Mark is home from work.  And we are all {very} excited!!  We have a couple of days with my family, and then Mark and I fly out very early Sunday morning to begin our "5th honeymoon" in the beautifully fall-colored, quite cold {for us Mobilians} weather, and exciting fun and relaxation!  Please pray for all of our travelling safety, and also for health safety.  We would rather come home with 4 healthy, non-swine flu-infected family members :)  We're taking all the proactive steps we can.  The rest is in God's hands!

Now, for my final "part" of this post today...the whole reason it is entitled "Changes"...I've changed to a new commenting system, DISQUS.  I like using it so much more than the normal commenting system with Blogger.  But it is change.  It will take some getting used to.  But we're going to try it out...see what you think, and comment to let me know.  We can always go back to the "old" way, if need be later on.  But first...you have to TRY it!  :) 

Enjoy the "quietness" of my blog while we're gone...you'll get bombarded with pictures and stories when we return!!!

Grins

This week is going to be crazy busy!  We're scrambling to get the kids packed with everything they could possibly need while staying with Mimi and family for several days... We're trying to find warm clothes for us to wear on our "honeymoon" trip to Pennsylvania... We're attempting to get all of those {small} details taken care of befor leaving this Thursday, and there are a lot of them.  To say the very least, we're going to be busy. 

But we are so excited to get to leave on Thursday!  We'll have a couple of days with the family, and then Mark and I are "leaving on a jet plane..." (sorry, I couldn't resist breaking out in song for that one).  The truth is, we are {very} overdue for a vacation.  We are both worn out in so many areas of life.  We've been pulled in a million different directions for the last months, and we are in need of a break from our {normal} life.  We are both thrilled to be able to get away. 

We've never been anywhere {minus the hospital when we were giving birth to Austin} without our kids.  So, I'm sure that will be difficult to do, especially for me, but I know we all need it.  And, I am not worried about the kids.  Katie has been talking about this {special} trip for months!!  She is thrilled to get to "play and sleep with Mimi while you go on baycation" :) 

We're excited...

We're making lists...

We're packing our things...

We're heading out on Thursday...

We're crazy busy!

Forgive me for the lack of posts for the next two weeks.  I promise I will make up for it when we return from our trip.  We'll have some beautiful  pictures to share, I'm sure!  But for now...enjoy my favorite new site...Austin's GRIN!!

Isn't that the most precious thing you've ever laid eyes on?  {That was a rhetorical question, we all know there is nothing cuter than this sweet grin!}

Fire!

This week is National Fire Prevention Week.  Did you know that?  Because it was Fire Prevention Week, I decided to incorporate that into our homeschooling lessons this week, and I thought I'd share with you a few of our activities.

Katie enjoyed reading (and being read) many books about firemen, firetrucks, and firedogs.  She also enjoyed watching Firefighter George and the Fire Trucks throughout the week.  {Side note:  if you are looking for a real life movie about firemen for young children, I certainly recommend this one!  It was completely on a child's level, but it was extremely educational and fun.  Katie loved watching it and learning all about firemen!!}

To finish off our week, Katie made a special "Thank you" card, and we made a batch of cookies for the local fire department.  We met up with a few of our friends, and were able to get permission to visit the local fire department.  The kids were so excited to get to see real firemen and fire trucks! 

The firemen volunteered to suit-up in their gear to show the kids what they wear to a fire, and the kids watched in amazement. 

Katie watched intently as the firemen put their headgear on...

As they where putting on the gear, their fire alarm sounded for a fire call, so we all watched in amazement as they all suited up with lightening speed, and drove off to their emergency!

Obviously, our field trip to the fire department didn't go exactly as planned, but the kids were able to see exactly what a fireman does first hand.  As the truck pulled out, waved to the firemen who so kindly showed us around.  We all gathered to say a prayer for our local firemen as they do the job that we are so thankful for. 

Since our trip was cut short, we took the kids to play at the park for a few minutes, and then finished our trip by having lunch at Firehouse Subs, where each child came home wearing their own fireman's hat!  We had a great time and hope to have a future opportunity to show the kids even more about fire safety and firemen!

Feeding Wild Animals

Have you ever pondered on the regulations put out specifically banning the feeding of wild animals?  Have you ever stopped to wonder the reasoning behind those regulation?  Maybe you already know the reasoning, but me being the not-so-into-wild-animals type of girl, I really hadn't thought about it before.  So...I took a look.  Obviously there are health reasons for the animals, as far as what they should and shouldn't eat, food supply and demand, etc., but the biggest reason is for safety.  Wild animals who are fed, like it, and {who would have thought it} come back for more!  When they come back for more, they end up intentionally or unintentionally causing harm to humans.

Okay, so I'm sure you are wondering where in the world I'm going with this off-the-wall post, right?  No, I'm not going to become a wildlife rescuer or a zoo keeper.  But, as I was looking over my day, I couldn't help but parallel to this subject.  You see, today has been one of those days.  Katie has {intentionally or not} pushed every single button she could find to push on my "you're driving me crazy" part.  If I said do step A, she immediately refused and went to step Z.  If I said no, she took it as a yes, and kept right on going.  You know those days, right?  {I hope I'm not the only mom that deals with this from time to time.}  Anyway...it did not take very long for Katie to kindle my anger today.  I quickly found myself on edge about everything.  I snapped much more often than I would ever snap.  I disciplined more than I care to recall.  And I gritted my teeth and held back screams and yells in amounts that is embarrassing to think about.  And, you guessed it, she kept pushing those buttons, but now with more enthusiasm.  As if her new job for today was to see how angry she could make Mommy...how far did she have to push before Mommy fell off the edge.

All evening, I kept questioning myself...Have I not been consistent enough in disciplining?  Have I not disciplined the right way?  {Plus a million other questions.}  But, you know, I took a step back and realized that today, I could have disciplined to my heart's content to no avail.  I was feeding a wild animal...I was feeding a stubborn 2-year-old with frantic, frustrating, and angry actions, which any normal 2 year old would think was absolutely hilarious!  Now, as you know, hindsight is always 20-20...so, what should I have done?  Exactly what God's word tells us..."be angry and sin not", "be slow to anger", etc.  Or, in essence, "DON'T FEED WILD ANIMALS". 

 I think God brought this illustration to my mind to give me a quick "reminder" each time I see or think of the phrase "Don't Feed Wild Animals".  Hopefully from now on, I will remember these spiritual, but also practical truths before my day ends as a full day of battling with my child...and having to apologize for all of the anger I felt and showed throughout my day.  Maybe it can be a reminder for you, too...that is, if you ever feel this way :)

Can't Do It All!

I read this article written by Deborah Weuhler for the Old Schoolhouse Magazine newsletter today. It applied to me more lately than I care to admit, so I wanted to share it with you all. I hope it encourages and challenges you as it has me.

If you do not receive the Old Schoolhouse Magazine newsletter, you can sign up to receive it free by clicking here.


Mercy Every Minute, by Deborah Weuhler

It was a terrible start to the week. By Monday morning at 10:00 am, I was in tears. I can't do all of this. I can't be everything to everyone. The sheer magnitude of my work load was depressing me. Why can't I be like all those other homeschool moms who have everything in order: a place for every Johnny, and every Johnny in his place? Why do I have to always struggle with being over committed on top of having more than one difficult child? What is wrong with this picture? I have lost my first love of homeschooling, and it's only October! I was quickly letting depression settle in.



When I felt like retreating into a shell, I did the opposite and I called on all the prayer warriors I knew and took their advice, be it physical or spiritual. Here is some of the advice I received:


One friend reminded me that Jesus was under a constant barrage of needs to be met, but only did what the Father told Him to do. I don't know why I think I can do it all--I really can't. I need to be more like Jesus and only do what my Father tells me to do. Jesus went away from the crowds to a quiet place to rest and be with His Father. I need to do the same, if only in my heart of hearts.


Another friend reminded me of the Psalm that says better is one day in the courts of the Lord than a thousand elsewhere. Why do I wander so often to spend that thousand elsewhere? If I were truly dwelling in His presence in the daily routines, the daily routines would not have the stress and frustration attached to them. I could then truly serve the Lord with gladness.


My sister said that when she is overwhelmed, she gets books on tape or educational movies for the kids and then catches up on her other tasks. Getting caught up on what's stacking up helps alleviate the frustration of watching more pile up while you are homeschooling. I went right out to my local library and the kids have had great incentive to get their schoolwork and chores done.


Not only were my spirits lifted by my friends, I also had several people contact me with greater needs than mine. I was able to come alongside and strengthen them and really pray for them. There is nothing like the lifting up of weary arms in the midst of battle while strengthening your own heart.

Pajamas, Shoes, & Teeth!

With our {very} rough week with Austin this last week, our "normal" routines were completely turned upside-down.  Homeschooling was often shortened or even put on hold for a "sick day week"...meals were never planned and often not cooked...beds were unmade...rules were not strictly adhered to...and pajamas were worn most of the time.  Last week, I spent the majority of my time holding and comforting Austin, while also trying to push any kind of liquid into his little system as often as I could...and cleaning/disinfecting {constantly}. 

So, here is my precious {and pitifully sick} little boy during a very select few "happy" moments...sporting his pajamas, enjoying his "shoe fettish", and showing off his new teeth!

This time, he found Katie's {pink} Dora shoes on the wrong foot...

And then he decides he needs to wear Mommy's flip-flops, too...

The first {playful} Austin I saw after 5 days of sickness. 

I love that sweet grin he has!!

The view I saw {every time} Daddy walked into the house this week.

And last {but certainly not least}...Our sweet boy's two newest teeth!

The {happy} highlights from my last week...Pajamas, Shoes, and Teeth!

Not Me! Monday

I have not spent the majority of this past week (5 days and counting) cleaning up after Austin and his terrible stomach virus. 

Before Austin's virus started, I did not begin cleaning his nose {which made him cry} and saw that he had done THIS to his gums earlier in the day...

I am not sad to say that I have no idea how he split open his gum...even though he wasn't more than a few feet away from me all day long.  Since this picture, his gum completely split where you see the dark purple/red color.  It doesn't seem to bother him anymore, but it sure looks gross...even for a Mom {since they are supposed to have tough stomachs when it comes to their baby's boo-boo's}!

I am not physically and emotionally drained right now, frequently fighting to hold back a monsoon of tears.

I am not tired of deep cleaning, only to have Austin throw up again...

I'm not sad that I've had to miss so much this week...including a Sunday School outing, and church!

I'm not praying {very} hard that:

1. 
   
   No one else (especially Katie) gets this terrible virus!
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Austin doesn't relapse into vomiting anymore, so we can soon get over this and get back to normal.
   
3. 
   
   He gets well quick enough for me to not have to miss our Mission Conference this week, because I have been very excited about going to it each night
   
   
   

I am not trying to get Katie's invitations designed/created/printed, so I can mail them out next week. 

And, last but certainly not least, I am not desperately looking forward to our 5th Honeymoon Trip coming up in less than two weeks!  BOY!  Do I have a lot to do this week!!!