Double Birthday!

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Last year I shared my birthday for the very first time in 30 years. I thought having a baby was the best gift ever on my birthday so I didn't think for one minute about sharing that day. I imagined her and me going out to dinner when she's older every year, making special memories and hugging and kissing each other all day long.

Really, it was just God teaching me another lesson is selflessness. He did it because I am so consumed with myself sometimes that I forget to focus on others and Him.

I LOVE birthdays for my kids. My mom was great at birthdays and I want my kiddos to love me as much as I love her so I have to do birthdays up right. I do special cakes, and balloons and streamers and special cereal and meals and "free day from chores" pass and pick whatever-the-heck you want today and we will probably do it. I love it and I take extra effort and time to make those little ones know they are special to us and even more special to Jesus.

Justin doesn't get into the birthday scene for the kids, except in attendance, but he does do a pretty spectacular job for me on my birthday. He gets breakfast, does dishes, gets kids ready, and anything else I could hope or dream of. I love my birthday and Mother's Day because my husband becomes Super-Man and I become Super Lazy!

Not so for this new birthday routine. We invited friends and family over, we needed groceries and food prepped. My house needed to be picked up and some areas cleaned. Penelope doesn't know what is going on now, but in a few years she will and she will look forward to this being her special day, not mine.

All that being said...it was a great day. Justin and I tag-teamed it in the morning for our church routine. I helped get lunch ready, but he cleaned it all up while I sat on the computer and had coffee. He took the kiddos to McDonald's so I didn't have to make dinner and I could have a few minutes of quiet. We went for a family bike ride and I ate WAY too much Dairy Queen cake.

Every year after this it will be less about me and more about her. That is why God made me a parent...so I could learn to focus less on myself and more on God and others. I guess only those who need a swift kick in the pants are lucky enough to share their birthday and their spoil time!

Each year, Lord willing, I hope to take a picture of us two! Here is our first two years. 

Mom Thought: Life is not made for me and my wants. Until we head home to Heaven we will be learning to put others needs before our own. Children are a great at helping us with this!

We had a baby...I was tired...and two years went by...

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I think that about covers it. Life has been a blur in the life of 5 kids 7 and under. We wake up, eat, wash mounds of laundry, scrub hands, feet and buns, we eat, we read, we train and correct, we eat again, we play, we smile, some one is always crying, and then we fall into a sandy bed with toddler underwear sneaking around our ankles.

My Mom, who is my voice of reason and wisdom, told me you have a baby fog until they are 6 weeks. Uhhhh Mom... lets be real...maybe for baby number 1 and 2, but anything after that I would say baby fog hangs on until about a year...or maybe FOR-EV-ER. 

One year old baby is sitting on my lap right now whimpering about how bad her teeth hurt. She will probably whimper about it at 2:00 a.m. too...BABY FOG. Abba coughed so hard she threw up in her bed three times yesterday…Baby Fog.

Somehow, by our Lord and Savior’s AMAZING grace, two boys made it through second grade, we are all growing in godliness, kids sickies healed, little ones started to use the potty, babies walked and church functions where attended. It really… was all miraculous!

Here is our highlight reel for the last two years:

One of the sweetest peanuts ever was born. Thank you Jesus! Penelope Krista Bartlett born on my birthday.

 We camped...I can't  remember anything except that my amazing in-laws came with us because we physically could not watch all our own kids.

 I tried to work out and then took a picture of it so that I could remember it.

My sisters had a few kids too!

 We had amazing Halloween costumes..

Our sweet little ones got older... and I cried when I noticed it.

We remodeled our house and I got an island that seats 7 out of the deal. One of my life dreams! Party house!

We bowled and the kids were cute.

The little ones became big helpers and more responsible and it was fun to see.

We looked around and wondered how we had five kids already. We were so young and good-looking still...clearly. We thanked our parents for our good genes.

I had a birthday party where I made cakes and little girls smile, but didn't brush the birthday girl's hair.

 We went on dates, fell more in love, worked harder on our marriage and started to gross the kids out when we kissed...which is WAY more fun then I ever imagined!

Fits and Failures

Pin It We started another book club/ bible study last week. I am absolutely, head-over-heels, in love with these ladies. We laughed so hard about jean jumpers and homeschooling and still managed to shared some serious mothering/wife struggles. It is the perfect blend. This is why I have to tell my husband not to worry if it is midnight and I am still not home.

Our book for the week "Give them Grace" by Elyse Fitzpatrick is resonating so deeply with me. I am a doer by nature. I like to get the job done, see results and check it off my list. I want to do that with my children too. Fed. Check. Clothed. Check. Taught about Jesus. Check. Verse memorized. Check. Going to Heaven. Check. Okay, now I can take a deep breath and relax. I did what I was supposed too.

However, as I read this book I am reminded why God gave us these beautiful children, to point them to the unmerited love of our Savior.  There is nothing I can do or they can do that would deserve this love. My job is to simply tell them the story of Jesus' love for us and pray with all my strength they will be drawn into it like I am.

The fits and disobedience are not a result of the good (or bad job) that I am doing, but a sign of their need to know Christ. A cry to experience his love and need to know Him and please Him. When I read this verse I could truly rest: "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the (boy or girl) who takes refuge in him!" (Ps. 34:8). I point my children to Christ. That is my job and my calling as a mother and daughter of the King. No amount of disobedience or bad days can change the promises of our Lord.

  Everyday is an opportunity to share the Story.

A picture of Abigail having a fit in her crib. A reminder that I sin and have fits and God continues to offer me his love and grace. Thank you Jesus.

The View From My Window

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I love looking out the window over my kitchen sink. My mom had a window over her kitchen sink in the house we grew up in that looked right into our backyard.

Mine does too.

I find myself there quite a bit looking over my little ones playing, or fighting, or surviving out there. Today I was remembering my mom shouting from that window. I know, I can hardly believe she yelled either. I seem to have blocked out all unhappy childhood memories and can only remember my mother as a saintly lady who raised six kids.

However, I can remember our backyard...

"Stop slapping each other"

"Laura, don't hit your sister with the tether ball... or put it around her neck"

"Don't come in this house like that"

"Julia, Krista does not want to play circus with you again."

"Give everyone a turn threw the sprinkler and where is Alisa's swimsuit?"

"The doors are locked and your not coming in unless it is an EMERGENCY (A.K.A bleeding)"

Hmmmm.... sounds quite similar to my shouting through the window.

Today as I was watching and thinking... I watched the boys share, Abigail come in and out of the sandbox and then wander off to something else. The hose get turned on, the hammock get turned over (with a few kiddos on it), the yard being FULL. Even though this full house seems too crowded at times, today I was thankful for the noise and the playing and the punishing.

That noise and these kiddos are forcing me to be less selfish and more patient. They are helping me to chose joy even on the days that I don't feel like it. Now when I look at the window I can be reminded of this journey to holiness.

Corn is READY!

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I went for a leisurely walk through the garden last night... and noticed the corn was quite large. YUP... it was ready and so we dropped everything and picked it. It turned out to be our entertainment for the night. We brought some to the neighbors, ate it, husked it, flossed it out of our teeth and got it ready to freeze this morning. 
I love and hate doing corn. I love it because it is easy to freeze and beautiful, but I hate corn because you have it stuck to you instantly and your house is trashed with the first swipe of a knife. Soooo... I started at 6:00 this morning and was done before breakfast. I needed to avoid the heavy morning traffic.

I had some great helpers...

 Amazingly cute

 Ummm... mom can you get some floss for me? These baby teeth are killing me.

One of our piles

All of the kids husked corn..even Abigail got two completely husked. She is a huge asset to the team.

They got paid in corn.

My recipe for freezing came from my Aunt Carol. It is so easy now all of my sisters use it too.

16 C. corn

5 C. Ice cold water

1/3 - 1/2 C. Sugar

2 T. Salt

I used 1 cup of lukewarm water and dissolved the sugar and salt into it and let it sit for a while. Then I added 4 cups of ice cold water. I just used my sauce pot to mix it together because it is BIG, but don't be deceived... there is NO COOKING that needs to happen.

Then I scooped two cups into quart bags (another tip: use name brand so they don't leak in your freezer...soooo sticky). I flatten them so they store better and then freeze them. One batch makes about 8 bags and you need about 32-40 corn to make a batch (depending on the size).

Yea! My garden came through... even if it did get neglected a bit! Hey, it was a baby year. That is all that needs to be said. It is a miracle there is anything that survived.

Green Beans and a Day Overdue

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I found green beans in our garden today. 

For some reason the first veggies are always a little bit like Christmas morning to me. I wandered the rows this morning and my heart was bursting with love for my hubby. He has planted, watered, hoed, weeded, and cared for our garden this year and he has never done that before. It has always been my baby, but since I am trying to have another baby this summer he vowed to make the garden happen on his own.

It looks better then any garden I have ever tended... that is just the way he rolls. Perfectionist. It does my heart so much good.

I thought I would post a picture of these little beauties instead of myself and 40 weeks pregnant. The beans are definitely better looking today.


Julia came and got my kids this morning. She didn't call. She swooped in grabbed the kids and loaded them up before I could fight with her about it. Now... I have no option but to clean my whole house and hope it puts me into labor.

Hopefully the next post will include pictures of our new little one...

Abigail Grace Bartlett

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OUR NEWEST

It has almost been a week since Abigail was born and I am just getting around to putting up some pictures. She was born 2/8/11 at 2:34 in the afternoon. She weighed 7lbs and 8oz and was 21 1/2" long. She was the biggest and the longest of all our babies and definitely the hardest to deliver. We found out almost 5 weeks ago she was breech and even though she was covered in much prayer she never flipped and decide to come into the world upside-down. We delivered her at home with a midwife. This was our first time having a homebirth and everything went better then we could have ever imagined.
The boys love her. They ask about her when they wake up from their naps and take turns holding her and getting her a pipe when she cries. Our home seems filled to the brim with joy as our new family of five fills every corner.
The adjustment has been very interesting. I lost quite a bit of blood after the delivery and my hemoglobin level dropped well below what was average. I have been babied by my mom for the last week and this week I am continuing to take it easy as my boys go to their grandparents and cousins houses for a few days. Abigail and I are already enjoying some special mom and me moments.
We have learned quite a bit with this new little one, most of all to trust our Saviour and be grateful every moment for our health and the health of our beautiful children.

A day away with my hubby

Pin It Justin and I are quite different in many ways... one being, he is sporadic and I am not. He often gets big ideas and wants to do them right way, whereas I want to plan it, stew over it, then analyze it and probably end up coming to the conclusion that we shouldn't do it... for some reason. Thank the good Lord that I have realized this pattern, in our three short years of marriage, and begun see a idea coming and roll with it.
Saturday Justin got one of those ideas and decided we needed to go away for the night and spend some time together before he gets even busier. So... we headed to Traverse City for the night and had a blast just hanging out with each other. We ended up with a beautiful room on the bay, went out for a nice dinner, played games, snuggled and slept in, went shopping, and just enjoyed the fact that God so wisely gave us to each other. I will always smile when I think of this weekend and the fun memories that we made. Thanks babe. You are so fun and my life would be quite boring without you!

We became addicted to Yahtzee

Justin rolled four Yahtzee's in one game... he will never forget it

A perfect spot for some prego pics. 11 weeks to go.