Our first attempt in a while...

I took the kids to Disneyland with out the hubby. First time in probably around 1 year since I'd done that (swearing I'd never do it again). Well having and 8 year old certainly makes a difference. They let the 8 & 7 year olds ride together and then the little one and I can ride together. Made a HUGE difference in our overall "experience". (If you didn't know it already, using the word "experience" is mandatory when at Disney.)

We were working on the habit of Follwing Directions and the kids did a great job. Considering that only a few short weeks earlier, I'd lost my sweet boy more than once in the crowds, I'm happy to report that he stayed within my sight at all times. It's possible that the threat of having to ride in the stroller motivated him, but I know that he is working on it.

It was a great evening. No pictures, no autograph lines, just us on our own schedule, doing what we wanted to do. It was nice.


And as an added bonus, my sweet husband had purchased a little thermos. I put hot tea in it before we left and even 6 hours later, it was still so piping hot I had to blow it for a while before I could take a sip. That was a super nice treat on a chilly evening.

Sarah Beth's Birthday Week

Just 2 more days till my baby turns 3! Can't believe it.

In an effort to keep things simple and to use the things we currently have at home, I made this banner for her little party. It's not as elaborate as some, but it works for us.

It's scrapbook paper and bias tape. I used a punch for the little flowers and made a template for the triangles. I sewed the paper to the bais tape. Woo Hoo!

And so it begins.

We are happy to announce that we can see at least one live chicken that just may poke on through. We see a little beak and we can even hear him/her chirp. So very exciting.

Upon closer inspection, I see a second egg that the shell is beginning to crack. I'm thrilled my kids will be able to see this process live.

More updates as we get them.

The To Do List

I find that at the end of the day, I feel like I was very busy, but got nothing done. As I was scrubbing lipstick off a dalmatian, I finally realized, it wasn't the things on the to do list that is the problem. It's all the things I did that weren't on the to do list.

Maybe I should write an I Did list, but it could be potentially embarrassing with entries like

*Fished toothbrush out of toilet & sanitized

or

*Investigated where that stinky smell was coming from.

Somehow, it's always a little more tidy to see

*Laundry
*Post Office
*Bake Cake

That's not my real life. I'm OK with that. I know that when the kids are up and grown, I'll reflect on these crazy moments as the good old days. I love living the good old days!

The First of Many Salvation Army Truck Pick-Ups!

What a load off! A really big load went off with the SA truck to bless others. We got rid of 1 of 2 play structures in the backyard, multiple bags of clothes, toys, books, shoes and I'm sure there was more.

I'm scheduling the next pick up for a week from today. Hopefully my man will be able to dismantle the other play structure so that we can open up the backyard for more planting areas.

I love my husband, have I said that recently? Well, probably not here, but I do tell him so every day.

Looking forward to the continued clean-out.

p.s. We are on day 10 of our second attempt to hatch eggs. Candled the other day and 12 of the 24 look good. Keeping our fingers crossed.

I'm going to do it, I'm really going to do it!

I'm so sick of clutter. I mean really, why is it all here?

It's going to go. I'm going to bless others with it through donations to Salvation Army and our local thrift store that uses the profits to help people rehabilitate drug and alcohol additions.

Why have I held on to this stuff? It's not irreplaceable! So what if we "spent good money for ________". God can bless the socks right off of us if He chooses.

I really want to have a garage sale but the hubby is nixing that idea. I understand why - the old tax write off thing. He's right, I know he's right. Still, I'd like to get a little cash in hand. Some spending money, you know.

But this is still me trying to be in control. When I donate something, I've got to trust God to supply my needs - if I ever even need that item again.

So, we've got our first pick up scheduled for Tuesday of next week. I'll be scheduling more/dropping things off over the course of July.

Thank you God for blessing us with so much that we have no choice but to give!

Photos to come!

Today...

Today was the day we hoped to welcome our 4th baby into the world. We looked forward to those little newborn cries, snuggling that baby close to us and talking about how much she looked just like all our other babies.

We were excited to be venturing into the unknown. Nobody in either of our families has more than 3 kids. He came from 2, I came from 3, and my siblings have 2 & 3 respectively.

We were looking forward to knowing that our 4th child would be our final child, due to the fact that I have to have c-sections and I didn't really want to go through that more than 4 times.

But this was not to be. Our sweet baby is already experiencing the true Glory of the Lord. We still mourn for our loss, our hearts still ache. The reminders are everywhere.

Yesterday, I fell on my knees in prayer to the Lord to help me through this. I called on my family to pray for us and as always, God came through. I was far less emotional than I expected to be.

God's grace is sufficient for me. This means if we never have another child, God's grace is sufficient to fill that longing in my heart. I rejoice that God, the creator of every good thing, loves me as His own precious child. I'm thankful that He longs to be with me as I long to be with our sweet baby in heaven.

It's a hard thing to explain when you already have children and you still mourn this kind of loss. Why aren't they enough to keep me from grieving? Because only God is enough. He is truly the only one that can keep me joyful.

Thank you Lord that you love us all in such amazing and personal ways. You are so good to us!


Our sweet baby, Lydia Rachelle Songer, is basking in the Light of our Saviour. I so look forward to meeting you in heaven. You are truly loved.