Change is Happening!

You know how God gives you the desires of your heart? Well, He sure does! As most of you know, we have had our house on the market for well over a year now. Our contract is about to go up with our agent. Our contingent contract went up on the house we really liked, and we desperately needed to know what direction we should go in. We prayed about it, talked it over just about every other night. Should we refinance, keep it on the market, take it off until the market gets better, etc. We just had no answer for this home and what we should do. Then that also posed another question. What to do with Carly and Chloe and school? I did not want to keep the house on the market during the school year, because I didn't want to get them started in one school and then have to take them out mid year. We also were toying with the idea of homeschooling them. I am a certified teacher letting my license get dusty! But with that, you get all these other feelings pulling at your heart. Will they miss out on life by not going to school? Will it be too much for me? Should I just take the easy way out and put them in school? Will I have enough time for Harper and Finley? Do I trust myself to give them everything they need to succeed? These thoughts run through my head daily. Still praying daily for direction in this area as well. But low and behold, God answered this prayer in a way I NEVER thought!! On our 9 year wedding anniversary, I took a little life changing test - POSITIVE!! OH MY!!! ANOTHER BABY?!?!!? 5 kids 5 and under!! As this was a shocking surprise, wonderful, but still shocking, it seems that everything that has been questionable, became quite clear!! The day before we found out we decided to lower the price of the house again. And this just confirmed that we need to get out!! No ifs ands or buts about it. Home school??? Well, why in the world would I want to totally disrupt everything in one year? So yes, home school it is. I think moving (hopefully) and a new baby means I need to spend every second with my babies! Is this going to be hard? You bet. Am I nervous? More than you know. But what gives me peace and strength is that I know God had this in His plans from the get go and my secret desires would soon all pan out. Matt is all on board with homeschooling too. And everyone asks what his reaction to this surprise was - he laughed. He laughed alot and was very excited. I will confess, my initial reaction was I cried. I did not want a van that beeped when I backed up!! It took alot for me to mentally prepare myself that Finley was our last - the Finale!! But now I have to get myself all geared up for this journey again. But as the week has gone by, I have seen the pieces of our life puzzle coming together so nicely and I am rather excited now! What a great way to answer prayers, with the birth of another special baby. Now I did go into the van with a booster and tried shoving it in lots of ways, and I think it should work - phew!! Carly and Chloe are just going to have to learn some Mary Lou Retton skills by hurtling themselves into the way back, but I think they are perfectly capable. 5 car/booster seats - WOW!! Let the journey begin!!

Luke 6:40 - "A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher." Hmmm - what kind of teacher do I want my children being like? Some woman I don't know and don't know her heart, or their own Mother?

Deuteronomy 6:5-7 - "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." How could I do this if I didn't have them daily? Every situation is a learning experience. Just the other day I was getting all the kids in the car and this man from CVS came and unloaded my buggy and brought all my goods to my car. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart for coming to help me in this awful heat and he took my buggy and went into the store. Carly was watching and asked, "Mom, why did that man help you?" I told him that he saw that I was busy putting them all in the car and he wanted to help Mommy. "You mean he was serving you right Mommy?" Exactly!!! She is getting what it means to have a servant's heart. She did this the other day too when I sliced my thumb with a knife. She ran and got a bandaid and told me she was serving me. That is just enough to make my heart want to burst open!

Is homeschooling permant? NO! I am fully commited to this first year and will see how each year after that goes. I am confident until 2nd grade, and then they start getting bigger and I am just not sure what will happen. I highly doubt I would do middle and high school - that is just plain scary!! But for now, I want to build them up to be strong little women so they can go and be Jesus to others!

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good . . . to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB)