Filled With The Spirit.

So as many of you can imagine, there are many days that I feel like I am just running on fumes. I have definately felt like I am getting into a more normal routine with 4 boys, but there seems to just be so much potential for things to get thrown off, quickly and drastically many times. So, the question would be, what do I do about this, Lord? Well, I love how faithful He is to send us little (well, actually big) lessons along the way, just when we need them! This has been one of those weeks when I have REALLY needed one, and again, He is faithful!!! I was reading a devotional this morning about Ephesians 5:18. A lot of it I had read before but as I got about 2/3 of the way through it, BAM, He hit me! John tells us in chapter 7 that "out of his inermost being will flow rivers of living water". It went on to say that is the strengthening within us that is sufficiant for any situation! I love it how God reminded me with one small verse that it is not me raising these 4 sweet boys on my own, I could NEVER do that! It is Him within me and giving me strength, moment by moment! Prayer without ceasing, I believe, is dipping from that living well within us that He has placed there for us to dip into. I also loved this prayer that the devotional ended with, something I think I'll memorize, along with the scriptures to go with it!

"Father, I pray that You will teach me to draw upon the well of water within, to know that every demand made upon me is a demand made upon You, and that you are prepared, ready, to live Your life through me in every situation and thus manifest Your grace."

How awsome is that, to know that He is alive in me, ready to face every situation I face, and give me the grace and strength I need to face it. Father, I pray you give me the strength to BELIEVE this and have faith in You that You WILL do this for me daily!

Boys, Underwear, Rolly Pollies...Oh My!!!

So we went outside the other day to pull in the trash cans and check the mail and lo and behold, the boys looked down and there were rolly pollies all over our driveway. Of course they are boys and of course they love 'bugs' so they went crazy...in their underwear and all. I didn't have the heart to squelch their excitement just to try and avoid any embarasment that is was already 2 in the afternoon and my children were not dressed yet. Oh well, we had fun! :-)
Searching for as many rolly pollies as possible.
Corbin's!
Callen's!
That's a LOT of rolly pollies crawling around in 3 little boys hands...they thought that was sooooo cool!I don't know if you can tell but Corbin is crying in this picture because he thought it would be cool to roll his on the ground and when he did, Callen and Cade thought that was so cool that they found a bunch more rolly pollies right in front of them! :-)

Our own little Twilight Series...we've got Fangs!

So for those of you who don't know or just might not remember, all of my boys have gotten their teeth out of order. Most babies will get their bottom two middle teeth first and then the top two middle teeth next. Oh no, not ours! :-) They get the bottom two middle ones first and then it's all up in the air from there! It's always been kinda funny and lots of people have noticed over the years and mentioned how cute and funny it is, but Cohen takes the cake for sure!!! Folks, he has full blown fangs!!! Yep, for a while I was wondering if we somehow got a baby vampire slipped to us in the hospital...just kidding! I knew it wouldn't last for long though so I've been trying to get a good picture of his "fangs" for days before the middle ones started to come in. We did finally get a few but boy did he make us work for them!!! When I didn't have the camera in hand he would laugh and smile with his teeth shining brightly...so I'd run for the camera and then, bam, closed was the mouth, usually not to reopen...until later when I had put the camera down again. Little booger. So here is a progression of the pics I did get. Enjoy!
Sweet little bottom teeth!
"Mommy, please don't make me take more pictures!"Our first pic of them, not a very happy face though. I was not going to give up yet!
There we go, almost there!At Last! My sweet little boy with "fangs"! :-)

Skin and Bones!

That's about all that's left of our sweet Cade after being so sick this past week! He's never been a really fat little toddler but no doubt he has had his share of chub here and there. Now, after not eating for a straight 72 hours and then only eating a little for another 2-3 days, he is SOOOO skinny! When I pick him up I can feel every sweet little bone in his back, shoulders and arms. I'm curious as to how much actual weight he lost but of course the battery in our scale had just died a few days before he got sick. I'm anxious to get a battery so I can see the results. Poor little thing, I'm gonna have to chub him up again! :-) Of course he doesn't even know or care that something is different! Praise God he is back to his cheerful, smiling self! Making us all laugh!!! He basically did not move from the couch for 3 straight days unless I picked him up and moved him...and he slept for most of that time. It was so sad! :-( I don't know if you can tell in this picture, this was only two days into him being sick and his ribs and shoulder bones were already sticking out more than normal...imagine 2 more days of not eating!

The Prayer of a Child...

So we sat down this afternoon all together for dinner for the first time in over a week, since the boys have been so sick. I usually start out by asking who wants to pray. It was all 3 today so I told them we would go in the order that they were sitting starting with...

Cade..."Dear God, tank u poor my pehhhnds (friends), and Jesus, and my poooood (food), and my pehhhnds...(pause)...AMEN!" (all said in the sweetest little Texan accent!!!) then...

Corbin..."Dear God, thank you for this great day, thank you for this food, thank you for our friends and that we get to go to church to learn more about You, thank you for Jesus, He's so great, thank you for the stories You put in the Bible that are true...they are awsome, I really like going to church to praise You and learn more about You, it's so fun! We love you God. Amen! (at this point I had tears in my eyes, it was the most authentic and precious prayer!) then...

Callen..."Dear God, thank you for this food, I hope we eat all our food and have a snack, I hope we get to play with our friends and I hope I see God and Jesus at church. In Jesus Name, Amen." (and he looks up at me with the sweetest little smile! He's been trying to teach Cade that at the end of the prayer "you're supposed to say 'in Jesus name' before you say 'amen'". I told him that he didn't do that when he was little either.)

I love the moments like these that God gives us with our children and I pray I will cherish and remember them forever!!!