Our House

And here we are again hitting on an ever lingering subject: our house. People have been asking what is going on, so I figured I would write an update. Well as of the moment, the house is not on the market anymore. Our realtor changed companies, so we took it off and was going to put it back on with him, but we aren't sure that is the best bet for us. Quite honestly, we are very settled in here with all our babies, and I am very happy with this house, so I am in no rush. I do enjoy not having to go up stairs and that everything happens where I am! One big factor to a move now is school. I don't want to move the girls out of their class once they are in Kindergarten, so I am thinking of only keeping it on the market until school starts and then taking it off again. Have we found where we want to move? No! We stopped looking, because we have had no one looking here, so we don't want to get our hopes up. There are a few houses I found on MLS that we liked, but have not checked them out yet. I do know that we are looking for more LAND!! We live on .4 of an acre now (I think) which is a good bit of land, but I want more space between houses. I am kind of over the neighborhood thing. We had great neighbors, but things have changed in the past year and I am so fed up with situations around here. We have renters next door and they are the most inconsiderate people on the planet!! I mean, we have 4 kids 4 and under (one of which is an infant) and I have had more sleepless nights because of the immature boys next door. Who in the world tows a car at 1:30 am??!! That was last night's endeavor. I was brutally woken by big chains slamming onto a trailer coupled with the loudest male voices I have ever heard!!! Police are getting to know the end of our street very well! And the revolving door that they have makes me uneasy about who is next door! There is a different car in the driveway EVERY morning! So I don't feel as secure as I once did in my own house. And Miss Cindy, if you still read my blog, we love you to pieces and hate that these boys turned out this way (Miss Cindy owns the house and she is wonderful)! Anyways, they are not the only annoyance, but I am grateful in a way that the boys moved in, now I do know with out a doubt that land is not something that we will compromise on!! So that is the house situation. Sure wish I had more of a "plan," but we are just waiting for God to show us his plan (that is why I have stepped back - I know his is so much better than mine)!

Making My Mark

After an inspiring sermon this Sunday, http://www.viddler.com/explore/kennhucks/videos/56, I was left with the task of how I was going to leave "my mark in 2010 (MMX)." Alot of times I leave feeling, how in the world am I going to touch lives when I am a stay at home mom. I mean, there are a lot of days that I don't even leave this house!! So this morning the Holy Spirit showed me exactly how I was to accomplish this:




This is Carly reading from my Bible. The story: I was needing to send my Mom a little message today to make her smile. I sat down at the table, took out my Bible, and explained to the kids what I was doing. I found what I needed, left my Bible on the table and then proceeded to go about my morning duties. I came back into the kitchen later on and found Carly looking in my Bible. She told me she was looking for something to help Grandma. How awesome!! My daughter knew exactly where to look for answers. This is how I am to make my mark! My mark is not out in the work force, but rather, here in my home teaching my children everything about the Bible and its teachings. I have 4 children who need to be lead in the right path and it is my responsibility to guide them. Yes we take them to church, we pray with them, we tell them all about serving and helping others, but they need to see it - all the time!! Do my children usually see me reading my Bible - NO!! I do this at naptime when it is quiet and I can concentrate. I know that I cannot have quiet time while they are all awake, but just showing them that I went to my Bible today to look for answers and inspiration was all that they needed. My Children need that constant model of how to have faith! It blesses me so much to hear and see my children expressing what they have learned. Last week the girls went back to dance class after Christmas break. During dinner the weekend before, we were talking about going to dance and they were concerned about Juliet. She was sick the week before the break and she was not in class. Carly made all of stop eating because she needed to pray for her!!! Yes, my 4 year old had the faith and the courage to stop everything to lift up her little friend. What a blessing! A few days ago, Harper just couldn't let Christmas go. He was wrapping up toys in blankets and they were all having a birthday party for Jesus. Well, they needed someone to play the part of Jesus. And I was nominated. They brought me presents and sang happy birthday to Jesus. Harper went the entire day and the next day calling me Jesus! (I think he realized that it softened me up a whole lot and he didn't get in trouble as much)! But he was right! I am to be Jesus in everything that I do, so him calling me Jesus really kept me on my toes and made me think about how I show Jesus through my actions. Therefore, I am challenging myself to make my mark in 2010 on my children. I will strive to show them how to live out a life of faith and pure trust in the Lord. I love these children and I have a whole lot to teach them and my mark is a lot more important for me to make than I initially thought!

Happy New Year!

I cannot believe it is already 2010!!! The start of a new decade! At the end of this decade, we will have teenagers! There is going to be alot happening within the next decade, and I am sure we will have to hold on tight for this crazy ride. But, lets just focus on this next year. Hmmm - there is going to be a lot happening. The worst thing that keeps plaguing my mind, is the start of school for my girls! I have been dreading this year since 2005 - yes, when they were born. And now, come August, I will have to say good bye to my first babies! Sniff, sniff - alright enough of that (there will be lots of blogging about this!) This year, we will be experiencing all of our little Finley's firsts. Her first crawl, sitting by herself, first steps, first words, first foods, and first birthday. It is so exciting to celebrate all of these things with a baby! Let's see... my friend Sarah will have a baby and my sister will have her wedding. Maybe there will be a move for us (that is if this crazy market takes an upswing)! Resolutions?? I don't really love making resolutions, because they are so hard to keep. Goals? One thing that I really started working on last year is grocery shopping. I have been trying really hard to cut our grocery bill in half. So, my goal is to continue this weekly and get better at that. The main goal I have is to be Jesus! Now to completely understand this goal, you would have to listen to Pastor Kenn's sermons because he has been preaching this for a while now. But I am to be Jesus to everyone and everyone should see Jesus through me. I am to be holy and blameless. Holiness means "to be set apart to the service of God." It means to be different in character but also implies action. "There is a way in which holiness means us to be different, and then to act differently." - I need to be Jesus in both character and action. Daily I will have these goals. Daily I need to remember that I am to be Jesus to everyone around me. Even though some days I do not even leave this house - I am to be Jesus to my children and teach them how to be Jesus to others. This is a big goal, but I am up for the challenge! I hope everyone has a terrific New Year - I know this will be a great year!

Toodles Rachel and Paul

My sister, Rachel, and Paul left yesterday and are headed to Australia! What an amazing adventure!! They are actually still flying (I think)! I am very excited for them to spend 6 months "down under" - I would love to do something like that! Anyways, if you look to the left, there is a link to their blog that she will be updating while they are there. There is also a link to their wedding website too. So check in and see what is happening with them.