Christmas Wonder
Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year. For our family it’s a full month of celebrations. The wonder of Christmas comes in many forms: gifts, surprises, songs, stories, games, traditions and even magical elves and a jolly dude in a red suit. But the true wonder of Christmas cannot be lost amidst the celebration. The fact that God left Heaven to become a human baby, is indeed miraculous. Miracle on top of miracle reveals God’s relentless love for mankind as He embraced humanity...
Read MoreThe Art of Saying No
My daughter turned 16 years old this year, and I was faced with the worst part of parenting so far, teaching your child to drive. I was blindsided by how much I would hate it. At first, I thought of the new found freedom we would have from not having to drive her to all her events. But the second she got in the driver’s seat, the freedom of carpooling was the last thing on my mind. It’s terrifying. Then all I could think about was that I have to do this six more times. This got me...
Read MoreSplinters and Sprains
Some of you are facing the darkest times of your life: the death of a loved one, financial ruin, crippling sickness, and a myriad of other things that I cannot truly understand. This blog is not for you. There are others who have waded through the same waters you are in that could perhaps offer words of solace, but anyone who has not walked that road with you could only offer trivial encouragement. This blog is for the rest of us, who are facing things like: traffic, strep throat, cranky...
Read MoreYou Won
One the best parts of being a parent is seeing the newness of the world through the eyes of your child as he experiences things for the first time. The coldness of snow, the sight of a plane in the sky, the sound of the ocean waves, the taste of a cookie, and the look of wonder in your child’s eyes at the marvels of this world. Obviously, as our children grow, the things they discover change. For us, since we have a baby and teenagers, we are discovering more than the simple joys of sugar;...
Read MoreIt’s Not About Me
My daughter recently took her PSAT test and thus the college letters have begun to arrive in our mailbox beckoning her to schools across the country. She’s fifteen. I have two and a half more years with her before she spreads her wings and flies out of our nest. I’m not going to lie; the idea makes me want to throw up. I’m holding on to these “family years” with a death grip, but I know my time is fleeting. These fifteen years have undeniably been the best of my life. Exhausting, frustrating...
Read MoreSix in a Row
There are times in my life when I’ve been disappointed, not destroyed, not beaten, just disappointed. I’m ashamed to admit it but a few of those times have been at the ultra sounds of our children. We had a girl first and then a few boys to follow, six to be exact. When we found out I was expecting our seventh child, I told Ken I didn’t want to find to the gender. I hated that feeling of disappointment at the ultra sound and just wanted to be surprised. The whole time I was pregnant I...
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