everly baby~

Evelyn Rose

Everly Baby

Sweet Little Evs

Some people think younger children in larger families

get left out and overlooked.

I would beg to differ.

I wonder sometimes if it's possible to be loved to death.

One would be hard pressed to find a baby more doted on than you.

You have your own personal fan club.

It's not hard to see why.

I often think that you of the most-heard phrases around here is,

"You are SO cute."

And I think your two oldest brothers say it most of all.

Early in the morning and after naptime

it is often heard,

"Is Everly awake yet?

Can I get Everly up?"

My precious, sweet girl.

My heart.

You are growing up so fast.

Nine months already.

You've now been out longer than you were in.

Today you pulled up for the first time.

I think this is a record for our family.

Two teeth, pulling up,

where has the time gone?

This Mama's heart aches while delighting in your sweetness.

Your uncle has said that by looking at you one can tell you are just nice.

I hadn't thought of it like that before,

but he is right.

You are full of sweetness and light.

You have such a purity about you.
All one has to do is look at you and smile

and your face lights up with genuine joy.
You are so happy.

My heart is full.

How can I be so blessed?

The Father only gives good gifts,

and you,

sweet Evelyn, 

are a delightful treasure.

You are so loved. 

don't blink...~

...or you will open your eyes to find your sweet, sleepy newborn baby girl is a wide-eyed, smiley, wiggly bundle of smiles.

...you will realize you missed an entire season while you were snuggling.

...you'll find that your two year old found all the preschool puzzles and has learned that it's so much fun to throw the pieces down the stairs. Repeatedly.

...that that same two year now speaks in complete sentences and has an utterly delightful stutter. And says things every day that melt your heart like, "Me loving you, Mommy. Me loving you." And you secretly smile that he is your blondie and his head is still charmingly on the um...larger side.

...your second baby princess is now six and is no longer a little girl. And that she would most definitely take issue with being called a baby princess seeing as how she is quite often found leading a pack of boys to the secret hide out in the woods and can out run just about all of them.

...your first baby princess is now a young lady, truly on the verge of womanhood. And you will be delighted to realize you really are becoming very good friends, and not enemies.

...your oldest son grew in not only stature but has attained a level of maturity that you and your husband are astounded by.

...that your almost eight year old son still likes to hold your hand in public and realizing that brings untold joy.

...your four year old son has grown amazingly tall and is, in fact, your first left-handed child and the people at the art center really are amazed at his artistic ability, and not just being nice. And you will smile because he is still your Mr. Charming.

...you are now 29 and a half and you have almost arrived at the "magical" age you always felt was truly a grown up. And that there are now quite a few mothers out there that are younger than you are. And that is an odd feeling.

...you will open your eyes and be delighted to find that boy you married (when you were just six years older than your oldest daughter) is truly your favorite person on earth to be with. Still. By far. And you still think he's pretty cute.

...but when you do blink, you will open your eyes to look around and you will know that God is good. And you are blessed. And the boundary lines have fallen for you in oh, such pleasant places.

...and if you are smart, you will close your eyes, and take it in, and write it down. And you will remember and be reminded, yet again, that He, the Giver of Good Gifts is faithful. And you will be thankful.

~O Giver of Abundant Life...may I never forget...

...

late night reflections on grace(on being thankful)~

I sit here typing with aching shoulder and two hands recently freed from holding a tired baby. My foot is bouncing up and down in an effort to lull my tiny one into dreamland. As I was holding her, wishing she would settle down so I could get back to what I was wanting to do, I looked down at her soft head snuggled in the crook of my arm, knowing all too well how soon it will pass (I've walked this road before), and once again, my heart melted. How blessed am I.

My days are filled with busy children, tired babies, dishes to wash, meals to prepare, laundry to fold, toys to pick up, schoolwork to grade, messes to wipe up, bodies to scrub, arguments to settle, and life lessons to teach. Yet through the busyness and never ending list of things to do and do again, the Father has shown me how profoundly blessed am I.

It's not easy, and it's not always fun. But what I'm doing here matters. It matters very much to seven little people whose lives would be very different if I followed the path the world often deems the more valuable one. That knowledge that He, the One who created each of those little people, would show me His way and turn my heart toward theirs, allowing me the privilege to point them to the Lover of Their Souls...how blessed am I.

I could have missed it. One different decision, be it made in selfishness or ignorance, and the course of our lives would have been different. But when we, Glen and I, started on this journey together, we vocally, together, committed our way to Him, asking and trusting Him to direct our path. We had no idea that we would be entrusted with seven souls to guide and point to the Father. To shepherd and disciple. The gravity of that is more than I can wrap my mind around, much less work out in my own strength; so I daily go to Him, trusting that He who began this good work will carry it on to completion. That His grace is sufficient and in my weakness, He can shine. His power can be made perfect. I can rest in knowing it's all Him. How blessed am I.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you,
so that in all things at all times,
having all that you need,
you will abound in every good work.

As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food
will also supply and increase your store of seed
and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness."

2 Corinthians 9:8-10
(my current life verse)

I've been learning about strength. The Father's verses mine. I am finding peace and joy in the realization that when I let it be all about Him that He can be glorified in my mothering.. For when it's done in His strength, according to His plan for my days, I do a much better job than when it's all about me. And I've been living it these past weeks. I've had a taste. When my help went home and real life returned after Grace was born, I had a choice: get overwhelmed, discouraged, and even angry at all I needed to start doing again, or be thankful. Choosing to see not the diapers and dirty floors, but the great honor and privilege I have in being a mother. A mother that is there. And embracing all that it encompasses. Not every mother has that privilege, and not every mother realizes what a gift it truly is. And I have both; circumstances that allow me to stay home, and the truth in my heart that it's the most important thing I can do with my life. And I am finding joy. Unfortunately, I have not always loved to stay home, and I have not always loved being around my children so much. But He has brought me far, taught me much, spoken to my spirit, and worked in my heart. How blessed am I.

May you be blessed,

as I have been.

of sweetie pies and snuggles~

Well, I would apologize for being scarce, but truthfully...I'm not sorry, not one little bit :o)

I've been busy, you know.

Doing what, you ask?

Well....

I've been watching as a sweet little girl discovers her world. Marveling at perfection wrapped up in the form of sweet smelling baby smells, tiny newborn diapers, and lots of snuggly pink pajamas.

Watching older brothers learn the art of comforting a baby in awkward boyish arms and older sisters swoop in at the first cry of distress.

Almost wishing for tiny baby cries to give me an excuse to snuggle down in the covers for a nap.

Delighting in a tiny body scrunching up into a yawn and a stretch that seems much too big for such a little girl.

Encouraging the use of a thumb in a hopeful attempt to avoid the paci addiction that plagues our house to this day.

And changing diapers, lots of diapers. And being reminded of that curious newborn quirk of filling a clean diaper as soon as you snap that last snap.

Rubbing my nose in super soft, jet black baby hair, anxiously awaiting the day there's enough to justify the use of a cute barette.

Delighting in the miracle of satiny baby palms wrapped around my finger, holding on for dear life.

Listening to baby breaths and tiny baby sighs.

Kissing perfectly round baby cheeks and imprinting the feel of their fulness in my heart.

Storing up memories of the size and feel of a newborn sleeping flopped over my shoulder or snuggled against me with milk running down the sides of her cheek.

Laughing at all those silly faces babies make in their sleep and wondering how I could have ever forgotten about them.

The look of a milk-drunk baby, completely satisfied and oblivious to the laughs and kisses surrounding her.

Rescuing her from well meaning three year olds and almost two year olds.

Reminding myself that "this too shall pass" and not knowing if I should be comforted or grieved...a little of both, I suppose.

Wishing I could just stop time and wondering how I'll ever deal with the days when there are no more of my own babies to hold and thinking I need to be strongly encouraging my children to have lots of children and live close by.

Being overwhelmed with gratitude that she is here, and perfect, when she came so close to being lost.

Trying really, really hard to sear this time into my memory so as to recall with perfect clarity what these days are like. Telling myself I will not forget...I will not forget...

********************

The days and weeks following the birth of our babies are probably my favorite times in life. I can't find words to describe it, but it's as if there is a bubble surrounding that time, it almost feels sacred. Of course after the birth of my first, and probably my second, it was much more difficult and felt overwhelming, but since then it's always just a time of being still, in body and spirit, and I treasure each of those times and memories.

One of the greatest benefits to me of having so many babies is how normal it begins to feel :o) With each baby I am able to relax more, take all the hormone fluctuations in stride (for the most part!), and just spend time enjoying each new little person. The laundry can wait, the blogging can wait, everything can wait. I have learned that that sweet, snuggly newborn stage is so fleeting that I just want to take it all in, store it up in my heart, and revel in it. Even now, each new day, I wish I could just re-live it. I so wish I could just stop time, right here, today, right now. It's going to pass by so fast and I can hardly stand it. I could just stay here, snuggling this tiny baby body, forever. She's already almost eleven pounds! I just need time to slow down, please...just for awhile.

********************

I am always amazed at how all of our babies look so much alike, even the boys and girls. Check out this first photo of Grace, and then the following one of Haven. It's a good thing I've labeled all our baby photos, because there are so many photos that if I hadn't labeled them, I would have no idea who it was. Especially among the boys who have passed down a lot of outfits.

Her first trip out...five days old, going to church on Saturday night.

Baby Grace and her polka dot pajamas :o)

So now you all know where I've been and what I've been doing. You also probably know why I keep having babies :o)

Birth story to follow soon...promise.

babies don't keep~

I was recently reminded of this poem when MckMama posted it. As I prepare for this sweet baby, and look forward to holding her in my arms, it was good for me to be reminded of what really matters, even now... That even though I may not physically be able to accomplish all I would like, what I am accomplishing by doing lots of sitting and snuggling is worth more than the cleanest, most organized cabinets could ever be.

Song For a Fifth Child

by Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

One thing I have learned over the last ten years, is that babies don't keep. With each baby I treasure that baby stage more and more, with each toddler I laugh more and more. It passes so quickly. I was thinking last night as I was going to sleep that these baby faces that are so familiar to me now will one day only be recalled through photographs.

Though the days are long, the years truly are short.

"...But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
~Luke 2:19

May we treasure all these days up....

i love it...2009 january~

I love it that even though Haven has been walking for probably close to six months, he still is very wobbly and when he really gets going, you can't help but cringe thinking surely he's going to run straight into something any minute. He's still a little top heavy ;o)

I love it that Noah calls Anna, "Nina." Even though he could say Anna if he wanted to.

I love it that even though Ethan is now seven, he still holds my hand.

I love it that Noah could be a genuine "Barney" kid, he can sing while smiling a huge cheesey smile with the best of them. All while swaying back and forth and nodding his head at all the appropriate moments.

I love it that I can buy any pair of roller blades at the Goodwill and bring them home knowing they will surely fit someone.

I love it when Haven takes my hand and says, "Co-, co-" (He hasn't quite gotten the "m" sound on the end yet.)

I'm wondering if Haven is going to have a permanent smiley face scar in the middle of his eyebrows even when he's an adult. But I'm really thankful we were able to take out his stitches at home so we didn't have to drag him back to the hospital again.

I love it that I have enough boys spaced and sized just right that I rarely have to store clothes in the attic. I just move them from one person's closet to another.

I love it that we've been having consistent 2-3 hour naptimes every day since Anna was born so now even my older kids just accept it as a normal part of their day. It's everyone's down time to pursue their own interests in peace and quiet. Or nap. Napping is very important sometimes ;o)

I love it that Anna knows just how to distract Haven and get him interested in something else when I need her to. Often without even asking. She is awesome with little kids and I love just watching her interact with the smaller guys.

And I love it that she is always writing a story. Always.

I love it that Caleb wanted long johns for Christmas so he could work outside in the cold.

I love it that anytime Glen is working on anything, Caleb is right there with him. And I love it that Glen welcomes all the kids to "help" him pretty much anytime he's working on anything, which is pretty much always.

I love it that last week when Glen was putting shingles on the shed he let all the kids up on the roof with him to help.

I love it that Moriah and Noah sometimes disappear upstairs for hours to play house.

I love it that for Christmas Moriah wanted puppy stuff, a scooter, a bigger kid skateboard, and roller blades. And she is always keeping an eye out for a new baseball hat.

I love it that now that Ethan is seven he says his taste buds have grown up. And I am so thankful that he has accepted the no gluten lifestyle with a very matter of fact attitude and I don't think he's complained once!

I love it that when bribed properly motivated, my four oldest kids can have the downstairs really, really clean in under thirty minutes. Vaccuming included.

I love it that Anna spent most of December teaching herself Christmas songs on the baby light up keyboard book and had NO IDEA that we were getting her a real keyboard for Christmas.

I love it that Moriah is loving school and gets out her "work" every day on her own without me having to ask her.

I love it that she has to come and kiss me goodnight twice.

I love it that when it's her day to do errands with me, she loves to count the horses we pass on the way home (47 last time) in between sounding out words and figuring out word families.

I love it that we finally figured out we can occupy play with Haven up to an hour a day in the bathtub if we divide it up between two baths and take turns watching him.

I love that Noah puts his little face up to my tummy and says, "Hi, baby Grace!"

I love it that when I take naps with Noah he still insists on cuddling up as close as possible, and on days when he's not quite ready to fall asleep, he plays with his fingers until he gets tired. So sweet.

I love it that when Haven gets tired, he grabs my hand and pulls me to his bed and points at it. Sometimes he's so happy to lay down that he laughs.

I love it that even though it's *only* 50 degrees outside, my kids think it's warm enough to play berry factory in the woods and eat lunch on the deck while wearing shorts and tshirts.

I love it that when it's cold, Haven likes us to open the door so he can stand next to it and hold his hands up by his head and shiver and say "cold, cold."

I love it that my kids shoes are almost always covered in mud. Even though it's gross, it reminds me of how thankful I am that I live somewhere where they can just go outside and be kids.

And I love it that when it's Noah's turn to pray, he starts out with the Boz prayer (Boz is a kids' video), and speed prays (read as fast as possible) "Thank you, God, as this day ends, for my family and my friends. Taking time to sit and pray, thank you, God, for this great day. In Jesus' name, Amen."

the s word~

**I've recently realized that some of my friends read these notes on Facebook. I just wanted to say really quick, that I'm not sure if you can tell through the format on Facebook, but I actually write these notes on my blog, and they post on FB as well. Sometimes the formatting comes through differently on FB, so if something looks funny, or if you just want to see the blog, the link is somewhere under my wall, or profile, or somewhere :o)

So anyway, back to the s word. Not stupid, or shutup, or especially not that other one. Those are all no, nos around here. I'm talking about him. About Santa. Now, before you remember my "halloween is evil" post and choose to read no further, hear me out. In the interest of full disclosure, I will say up front that we do not "do" Santa. But I'm not going to go completely all "Santa is evil and you're not a real Christian if you tell your kids about him" on you, so give me a few minutes. And of course I would love to hear your thoughts, so leave me a comment.

This is one of the questions I was recently asked, and I actually get asked a couple of times every year.

"Quick question. What's your take on Santa? Do y'all "do" Santa? I know you had strong feeling about halloween (understandably) so I just wondered what you thought about Santa. Just curious :)"

Good question, I'm so glad you asked ;o)

So no, we do not tell our children that Santa is real. There are really a lot of reasons why we made this decision, and this was actually one of the things we discussed before we had children. Both of us agreed we would not teach our children that Santa was real and there were basically two reasons.

First of all, Glen grew up in a home where they didn't "do" Santa. I've never actually asked his Mom why, so I'm not sure if it was because of religious/spiritual convictions, or if it was because his father was seriously ill throughout much of his childhood, causing finances to be very tight. His Dad then died when he was seven, and many years, their only Christmas came through church or friends.

My experience had been the opposite. Santa was HUGE in our house. Huge. We also lived next door to my grandmother, two great aunts, and my aunt, none of whom were married and all of whom worked. They all lived together so had lots of disposable income, as well as lots of credit cards. So we had family gifts on Christmas Eve, and Santa gifts on Christmas morning. Both times the living room was so full of presents for me and my two sisters that there was just enough room to sit and that was it. It was ridiculous. My family went out of their way to convince us he was real. We had be asleep by midnight, or (gasp!) he might not come! I was the last kid I knew to still believe in Santa. I vividly remember thinking surely my parents would not lie to me, so even though all my friends said he wasn't real, I still believed. Of course my parents always said Christmas was about Jesus, but that's not what it looked like it was about to me. It was all about him. And then, once we were older, my parents tried to incorporate Advent and actually make Jesus' coming to earth for us an integral part of our celebration, my sisters and I wanted no part of it. Advent devotionals were boring when you could be looking through catalogs and making Christmas lists.

So that's where we started. Of course, my family was not happy. They still think we've gone off the deep end, but that really comes from our lifestyle choices in general, the Santa thing just being one of many ways we are weird. And now that my sister has a baby, we are under strict orders that no one is to tell her the truth. The truth? Saying it that way sounds almost convicting, doesn't it? I'm not picking on my sister or anyone else.
We are one of very few families we know that don't do Santa, and I completely understand and respect her and her husband's desire to make Santa a fun part of Christmas for their family, so I have no intention of undermining them, or anyone else's children either. Our kids know that they are pretty much the only ones that know that know the truth, and have done a pretty good job and just keeping their lips sealed when the Santa topic comes up.

As we've grown and learned and read, we've come to a much deeper conviction regarding Santa than we started out with. My experience with Santa worship fun in Christmas would probably not have been enough to leave us with a lasting conviction to leave him out. After all, we could choose to not make receiving gifts such a huge part of Christmas, we could do it smaller. So why make the decision to yet another thing different from everyone around us? I mean, it's so much fun. Shouldn't we just lighten up? Is it really necessary to deprive our children of this childhood right? It's not a big deal. Really.

Really?
Humor me while I share a few thoughts.

First of all, what is our ultimate goal in raising our children? That they would love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, right? That they would trust Jesus to be their Savior. So every decision we make should really be viewed in light of this goal.

So how does Santa fit in?
He's just a fun tradition that really only comes up for a month or two out of each year.
Right?

In order for us to teach and disciple our children, we need to have their hearts. They need to trust us. Completely. I've never been one to put a lot of stock in the argument that our children will not trust us that Jesus is real if they find out we've lied about Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, etc. but I've heard enough reports from other parents to know that for some kids this is a real issue. I would think that if you are raising your children in an environment that makes Jesus the center of life in general, where it really is all about Him, that your children would see the difference. But it is something to think about.

So what next? I'm not going to get into the arguments Christmas being a pagan holiday. Truthfully, I've not researched it a lot, but I have done enough investigating that you can pretty much find persuasive arguments to support both sides of the controversy. I'm not discussing Christmas, just Santa. So here is some of what I've learned.

Have you ever taken the time to consider the similarities between Jesus and Santa, yet the different messages each story sends?

1. We teach our children that Santa is always watching, to see if they are bad or good. Do you want your children living to please the Lord, or being good so they can get presents? Do you want your children to be taught that Santa is all seeing, and all knowing, just like God, but later have to tell them, "Well, you know, Santa doesn't really do those things, but you should still believe that God does?"

2. With Santa, we teach them that through their behavior, they can "earn" rewards. But they better not cry, or pout, or too bad for them. I want my children to know they can never earn the reward of eternal life, they can never be good enough on their own. I want them to know that every good gift comes from the Father of Lights, and it is his gift of grace to us. We cannot be "good" enough. And again, do I want them to learn to choose obedience (goodness) because they are trying to earn a reward, or do I want it to come out of love for what Jesus did for them?

3. Did you know that Kriss Kringle is German for "little Christ Child?" Hmmm. Which leads me to make another point.

4. In teaching our children about Santa, we are essentially teaching the a gospel entirely different than the true gospel. What is the gospel? The Good News! That Jesus died that we might receive the ultimate gift, the undeserved gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. When we teach our children about Santa, are we not teaching an opposite gospel? That we will receive good gifts based on *our* ability to be good? We are teaching them that they can earn their gifts and that when they receive them, it must be because they have earned them and that they deserve them.

Galatians 1: 6-11...

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently, some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally comdemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up."

It is no secret that Satan has taken hold of so many things that were meant for good and perverted them to draw attention away from the Father and draw men's hearts away from the Lord. Not to get too "conspiracy theory" on you, but it is a valid point. I really believe Satan has found much pleasure in making the focus of Christmas on self, stuff, consumerism, you name it. And I believe that He takes particular delight when the foundational years of our children are spent teaching them a myth, causing the focus to be on gimme, gimme, gimme, when we could instill in them a thankfulness and awe toward what it really meant for God to become man and dwell among us. Even in our home, where our children don't believe in Santa but gifts are still given, from us and extended family, it is nearly impossible to really give the Lord the honor and thankfulness He deserves. I am not blaming children for being excited, it is certainly normal for them to be excited over presents, but long term, we feel that any spotlight that could have been given to Jesus is overwhelming stolen by Santa.

Our God is a jealous God. In Exodus 34:14 , God calls Himself by the actual name "Jealous." He does not want His glory usurped by another. If I teach my children to believe in Santa and all his magic, in all of his god-like qualities, am I not giving my God, my Savior's glory to another?

I truly believe Satan, in his efforts to "become like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:12-14) he has created Santa and caused the majority of the world to celebrate him, in one form or another. Whether it be St Nick (yes, I know the history of this and have taught it to the children), Kriss Kringle, or good ol Santa Claus.

If you don't believe Satan has set himself (in the idol of Santa) to be like the Most High, this numerous list of similarities will surprise you...

God the Father has hair like white wool (Revelation 1:14)

God the Father has a beard (Isaiah 50:6)

Jesus will come in a red garment (Isaiah 63:1-2)

The hour of His coming is a mystery

God comes from the North where He lives (Ezekiel 1:4, Psalm 48:2)

Jesus was a carpenter, Santa is a toy carpenter

Jesus will come just like a thief in the night, Santa comes like a thief in the night

God is omnipotent (all powerful - Revelation 19:6), Santa is all powerful, He can fly around the world and visit every single home in one night, delivering gifts to every single child (as long as their parents can afford it)

God is omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10, Ephesians 4:6, John 3:13), Santa can see and hear everything as well.

God is omniscient (knows all - Hebrews 4:13, I John 3:20), Santa knows if you've been bad or good

God is ageless and eternal (Revelation 1:8, 21:6), Santa lives forever

God is a Giver of Gifts (Ephesians 4:8)

God sits on a throne, Santa sits on a throne when our children come before him

We are to boldly go before the throne of grace for our requests (Hebrews 4:16), children are told to boldly approach Santa on his throne to present their requests.

God commands children to obey their parents, so does Santa

Jesus wants the little children to come to him (Mark 10:14), Santa (and parents) tell the little children to come to him.

God judges, Santa judges whether children have been good or bad.

God is the Everlasting Father, Santa calls himself Father Christmas

Jesus is the Christ Child, Santa calls himself Kriss Kringle (Christ child)

God is worthy of our prayers and worship, in some countries, children are taught to pray to St. Nick/Nicholas

God is the Lord of Hosts, Santa is lord over a host of elves (and in Druidic religion, elves are demons)

God says, "Ho, ho" (Zechariah 2:6, really, look it upin the KJV)

Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and the Image of God, Santa is a symbol of world peace and the image of the Christmas holiday.

Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given to you." Does Santa not say the same thing?

(credit goes to Hampshire View Baptist Deaf Church for most of this list.)

Amazing, huh? I can't help but read these and be amazed at how blatantly Satan has tried to masquerade as an angel of light, to pull the wool over our eyes, to set himself up as God in the hearts of our children. All while convincing the Church, God's people, that it's all in good fun. I know it's unpopular to not teach your children to believe in Santa, but as Christians we are expressly called to be in the world but not of it. That means doing unpopular things and taking unpopular stances sometimes. I don't want to take away fun from my children, I just view it in light of teaching them to always, always, set Christ up in their hearts as Lord. For Him to be first. For there to be no other, and for all competition to be recognized and dealt with.

Think about your experience with Santa vs your experience with God as a child. For most of us, Santa was jolly good fun, a great alternative to God, who was very powerful and kind of scary. And not only were they both watching to see if you are bad or good, but God might squash you if you are bad. (Do you not think Satan takes great delight in this?)

For a really good, in depth study, check out Santa Claus: The Great Imposter.

Another thing I think about, unrelated to faith, is the disparity between what children receive. How does little Johnny feel when his friend gets everything on his list, but all his Mom can afford Santa gives him is one or two small toys and a sweater?

It is so much not my heart to condemn, criticize, or point fingers. I hope you know that. It is my heart that we as mothers teach our children to love the Lord first of all, and most of all, and that you would be encouraged to follow the Lord even when it's hard, even when it goes against culture. Especially when it goes against the world, for that is when it is usually vital. When it really matters.

In closing, let me ask you, are you resisting this idea? Justifying it? Rationalizing it? Calling it "condemnation" so that's a good enough reason to say it's not from God? Did it make you mad? Frustrated? Do you feel judged? (Please don't feel like I'm judging you!) But if you have felt any of these things, take a minute to ask yourself why. Actually stop for a minute, and figure out why. Now, is that a good reason to throw it out without even considering it, praying about it, and talking with your husband about it? Are you willing to really listen to what God might want you to do, should He possibly be asking you to reconsider the idea of teaching your children about Santa? All I ask is that you be willing to listen to Him if He is trying to tell you something. That's all.

Here are a few Scripture to give you something to consider the Santa thing in light of...

"You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." Mark 7:8

And He said to them, "You have a fine way of setting aside the command of God in order to observe your own traditions." Mark 7:9

Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that. Mark 7:13

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human traditions and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form..." Colossians 2:9

So in our house, this is what Christmas looks like. We do a Jesse Tree. This teaches our kids a different Name of God, attribute of God, or sometimes a Bible story that points to Jesus a the Savior every day from 1 Dec to Christmas Day. They learn that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, that God using Noah was a picture of how He would one day send Jesus, why Jesus is said to come from the root of Jesse, and lots of other things. That link can explain it and they even sell the supplies if you're interested.

We keep December simple. We don't do lots of parties or outside activities. We want to be able to enjoy the Advent season, and when we are overwhelmed and consumed by outside things, the month becomes overloaded, frantic, and just plain too busy to be able to focus on Emmanuel, God With Us. God With Us. Wow.

On Christmas Eve, we get together with my family and exchange gifts. Until this year, our children were the only children on my side of the family, with lots of aunts, uncles, and grandparents waiting eagerly to lavish our deprived precious children with junk gifts. This year they have a new little cousin, and really, I would be thrilled if maybe all the gifts could go to her instead ;o) Keep in mind, these are the same family members that overloaded my sisters and me, Two, even three gifts per child would make me happy. Absolutely thrilled. We're talking at least twenty gifts per child, no joke. Times six kids. Times however many parts and pieces each gift has. If you don't hear from me until February, someone come rescue me because I am probably suffocating under a large pile of toys. I am thankful, but this is excessive. Now you know what we're up against.

Anyway, at some point, we get together with Glen's family, and we will also go to Kentucky where all my Dad's family lives. Christmas morning is just us, and each one of our kids gets a couple of small, fun gifts in their stocking, and we usually try and get to be the ones that give them the one thing they are *really* wanting.

So as you can see, they are anything but deprived. Even without Santa, it is an uphill battle to keep the focus on Jesus. I am just trusting the Lord to see our hearts and that He is big enough to work out the rest. His grace. Always.

i love it... 2008 october~

Moments I Love~

~Ever since weaning Noah last month, he still comes down in the mornings at the same time he used to nurse. Now, instead, he cuddles up as close as he can possibly get, takes my face in his hands, turns it toward himself, and goes back to sleep leaving his hands on either side of my face. If I try and turn onto my back or the other direction, he sleepily says, "Look at me, Mommy. I want to see your face."

~At night, before he goes to bed, Noah comes into my room, climbs up on the bed, and tell me to lay down with him so he can "lay his head in my arm." I lay down, and he snuggles up in the crook of my arm. When Glen scoops him up and begins to walk out of the room to take Noah to bed, Noah looks back over Glen's shoulder. I call out, "I love you, Noah." He gives a big grin and says, "I love you, Mommy!" Or sometimes it's the alternate version...."I love you, Noah." "...I love you too, Stinkie Weenie!"

~I love it when Haven is ready for a nap or bedtime and he gets his blanket and starts aimlessly walking around the house, squishing up his blanket and laying down on the floor periodically to let us know he would really prefer to be put in his bed now. And when we do head toward his bed with him, he gets all excited, even more so when the bed actually comes into view. Sometimes, he even starts laughing when we lay him down.

~I love it that Haven still takes two, two hour naps every day.

~I love it that Ethan runs over to me at least once an hour just to give me a kiss.

~I love it that Caleb comes over to me several times every day, and gives me a shy little hug. Because, you know, eight year old hunter boys don't need mommy affection anymore...

~I love it that Glen snuck cookies up to the kids the other night when he realized he'd been a little unfair earlier in taking away their dessert.

~I love it that Moriah's best friend at Bethel is a boy.

~I love it when all the kids greet Haven in the mornings like they haven't seen him in months.

~I love it that when asked why he committed a particular offense, Noah replies, "Because I want to." As if that's the perfect reasoning for everything.

~I love it that Anna wants so badly to do what's right.

~I love it that all my kids spent an entire day last week playing in the gigantic mud puddle/pond after it rained so hard. They even went "gasp" underwater under mudwater(?)

~I love it that Caleb tried to jump off the roof. That's what boys are supposed to do.

~I love it that Ethan reads anything in sight.

~I think it's pretty cool that a skunk lives in our bushes and takes walks with Glen at night.

~I love it that we finally got rid of the horrendous bunk beds.

~I love it that Ethan could play with his animals and sea creatures all day long and forget to eat. Well, maybe not forget to eat.

~I love it that Moriah used to wear dresses with pants, and I wish she still would. *sigh*

~I love it that Glen bought me orange mums for the porch.

~I love it that Friday night is movie night...for me and Glen, and the kids.

~I love it that I have boys that can squish bugs.

~I think it's pretty cool that Caleb tied his crutches to the top of his go cart so they can be rocket launchers.

~I love it that Anna has to give me three kisses every night before bed.

~I love it that when Anna was little, every night we had to sing The Rocking Song, Dear Anna, and Blue Skies and Rainbows...after we read "The Woman Who Couldn't Stand Up Straight" of course.

~I love it that Caleb used to tell Ethan, "Throw your bottle on the floor, Ethan!" and then he'd run over and drink the whole thing himself.

~I love it that when I would fix a bottle for Caleb when he was little, that Anna would want to give it to him so she could say, "Look what Anna made you, Buddy!"

~I love it that when Anna and Caleb were little, we could turn on the U2 song Beautiful Day and they would come running and Caleb would do this hilarious dance where he would punch his arms down while lifting up his knees as high as he could.

~I love it that now we can turn on Johnny Cash and our living room is instantly transformed into a dance floor.

~I love it when I walk into the room to get Haven out of bed and he starts waving and smiling his "I'm the cutest boy ever and you're my favorite person ever" smile.

~I love it that my kids play kickball using trees for bases and the well cover for home plate.

~I love it that my husband really is my best friend.

~I am thankful that the woman I admired most while growing up is now my next door neighbor.

~I love that Ethan could live in his Superman and Batman shirts all year long and not complain once.

~I love it that our church started having a Saturday night service. Now Sunday really is a family day and day of rest.

~I love it that Moriah loves ponytails and baseball hats and I love that her grin looks mischievous, even when it isn't.

~I love it that Moriah can talk Noah and Ethan into playing kitchen and house for hours.

~I love it that I can eat cookies for breakfast if I want because I'm the Mom. I'm pretty nice, though, I either share... or hide :o)

~I love it that Caleb decided to plant his pumpkin plant in the flower bed and grew two surprise pumpkins.

~I love it that my living room windows look out onto a valley with a tall hill on the other side that is currently covered in a splendid array of fall colors.

What do you love?