{Thanksgiving Weekend}

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Max is sick so he and I are lounging around the house this morning hoping that rest = recuperation. The poor guy was up all night last night coughing. Reactive airway disease is the pits - side effect of being born a few weeks too early. 

The hubs took the younger two to Wal-Mart this morning to get a new tire. Yep. We need another new tire. This one is for the car though. I had to grab this pic of Jack in his adorable penguin hat and new coat from Grandma before he left... that wild boy melts my heart (in related news... I cropped the toy gun he is holding in his hands out of the picture...)

Not sure what the rest of our weekend will look like now that we have a sicky, but I am still thankful for the family time and the chance to just be together as a family. I am thinking tonight is the night to pop Elf in the DVD player and get this Christmas season started right.

To catch up a little I thought I would add in a little list of things I am thankful for...

• A long weekend with the hubs at home. Lots of time just the 5 of us (plus our furry babies of course)  has been wonderful.
• Christmas music on the radio... it makes me smile.
• Online shopping... I might manage to avoid actually having to go into a store to buy any of my gifts this year... yay for avoiding long lines and crowded parking lots!
• Lots of moving and shaking from Baby #4. I think he and Jack tie for most active baby in the womb so far... start praying for me now, Friends! 
• Fireplaces and coffee on super chilly days.
• A hubs that takes care of our family so well and works hard to get things done for us.

Enjoy your weekend!

month of {gratitude} day 19 & 20

Wow, Thanksgiving is sure sneaking up on me this year! I can't believe we are only two days away! But with that, I also need to do two days of gratitude to catch up! So here we go...

I am grateful for God's provision. I feel like we have had a lot of random/unexpected/really not fun expenses come up lately. But, God has totally provided for those ahead of time and I am so thankful for that. It is such a humbling reminder that God does not owe us a single thing and yet he loves us so much that he chooses to make sure that we are cared for.

I am also grateful for my daughter, Sophie! In my world of boys (I am going to have 3 sons soon... oh my goodness doesn't that sound crazy?) I am so thankful for my little ray of girliness. Sophie is by far one of the most girly girls I have ever met. And trust me, it is not something I have tried to accomplish. If anything, I try to tone down all of the pink and dresses and baby dolls... but it is to no avail! She is just such a blessing to our family though because in the midst of all the sword fights, wrestling matches, and building pretend explosives out of Legos, there is this precious and feminine little girl who I think helps to mellow everyone out a little. She is still in the middle of every game her brothers play but she brings her own "element" to them. Aliens find an ally in a princess or Batman has to deal with Catwoman who also has 5 daughters that need to get home for nap time and be fed their bottles. I am so thankful that God knew just what our family needed and gave us our sweet, Sophie Nichole!

month of {gratitude} day 18

Today I am so thankful for our church and I was reminded why in a major way today. Tonight was our church's annual Night of Thanks and Vision Dinner. Since we started attending Peine Ridge Church in January of this year it was our first chance to attend. It was so neat. We had the opportunity to hear about all that God had done in our church in 2012 which was awesome and such an encouragement. We also got to hear about what our pastors have planned for 2013 and pray together as a church.

Last year in January when we set out to find a church we were feeling desperate. We had tried several churches and the last thing we wanted to do was to be "church hoppers". But, we also knew that we wanted to attend a church that was teaching the Bible correctly... and the whole thing. We also wanted more than a place to just show up on Sunday mornings. We were looking for a church family. And that is hard to come by these days.

The first Sunday we walked into Peine Ridge it was so different from any church we had tried in our entire married lives... people came up and said "hi" to us... We got invited to join a Peine Family (small group) by everyone we chatted with, and a family invited us out to lunch after church and one of the pastors asked us to come to his home for dinner later that week. After years of never being noticed at a church, I cried when we got home. Really good tears.

But, we still had to really think and pray about it. Because although everyone was so nice, Peine Ridge was different than any church we had been to before, and we wanted to make sure we were doing the right thing. Peine Ridge believes in more simplicity and less programs... so there wasn't a long list of ways for me to get involved and do things outside of serving and joining a Peine Family and that made me a little nervous if I would be able to be connect with people. It is also a "family integrated" church which was a completely new idea to me. Families are always together at Peine Ridge. Kids are in the service, with us in small group, and well... kids are everywhere. They want church to be a place where families can be together and parents can be discipling their own children. I thought it was awesome but it was a complete change from our last church where there was childcare for everything and they made it clear that children were to not be in the service because of the distraction.

But, within a few weeks we knew that Peine Ridge was where we are supposed to be and last night only confirmed that. I could never list all of the things we love about our church. I am so thankful that we found a place to not only be a part of a community that is wonderful but we found a place where God is working and we get to be a part of that. Hearing stories last night about what God is doing through Peine Ridge not only in our own church and the people there, but in the community, in St. Louis, and even across the world in Indonesia was beyond encouraging and exciting. I am so thankful to God for bringing us to this church and for using it in our lives.

month of {gratitude} day 17

Today I am so thankful that we had a Saturday with our whole little family under one roof and absolutely no plans. It has been nothing short of glorious! I made waffles this morning, we lounged around in our p.j.s, playing and reading books, made a quick trip to the store, and then back home for more family time. Tonight after dinner I am making us a special snack and we are going to introduce our children to one of our favorite movies! A day like this has been so good for this mama's heart! Just what I needed! Thank you, Lord!

month of {gratitude} day 16

Today I am thankful that my husband is coming home! And I am so thankful to God for getting me through this week so faithfully. I really was dreading it. But, it really wasn't too bad and the week went by super fast.

A week ago I heard a sermon on the radio about praying the Lord's prayer and asking God daily to meet our daily needs. It was such a good reminder. I think I tend to pray for patience (and I want it eternally!) or for things in the future. But, I was really inspired to start praying God to meet my daily needs that very day. So, this week while Nick was away everyday I prayed that God would meet my needs that day by giving me the kindness, patience, wisdom, and energy I needed to get through just THAT day! He delivered and I am so thankful. He is so faithful and this week has shown me how much we need to be depending on Him every single day.

P.S. I forgot to include this link in my post earlier today so I thought I would just include it here. Jamie Martin over at Simple Homeschool wrote a post about how she is using teaching her children to bake in her homeschool. In the post she talks about creating a binder for each kids with "adult skills" such as cooking, baking, cleaning, etc. and as the kiddos learn new skills it is added to their binder. I LOVE this idea so much! Check out Teaching Kids to Bake here to read the whole post!

month of {gratitude} day 15

Today's gratitude might sound a little silly to some people... but it isn't any less true! Today I am so thankful for resources like Pinterest and a few great food blogs that make meal planning and cooking for my family so much easier! Meal planning can be a little overwhelming for me sometimes, but online resources like these have been a huge game changer for me! 

I have worked my entire married life to attempt to overcome a bad fast food habit. There is just something so easy about grabbing quick (fairly inexpensive) food and being able to throw all of the trash away... a family with full tummies and the kitchen is still all sparkly, how do you compete with that?? 

BUT... I know that it is so terrible for my family health wise and that it really isn't as easy on the wallet as it appears at first glance. So, I have really tried to make sure we are eating at home most of the time and success in that area for me has meant that I have to have a meal plan. I think I have tried every possible method out there. But, I always come back to the old pen and paper... write out one to two weeks of meals method. It is so easy now that I can just scroll through Pinterest and pick out a handful of meals with the recipes only a click away to make a quick grocery list! 

I tell ya, me and Pinterest... love at first sight! Are there any super practical things you are grateful for today?

month of {gratitude} catch up day!

I am behind on my gratitude posts! Eek! I have been single mommin' it these past few days while the hubs is out of town so blogging has taken a bit of a backseat! So, I will just list a few things I am grateful for in bullet point form! 

• wonderful friends and family who have helped out while Nick is gone
• God meeting my daily needs by providing me with patience, gentleness, and kindness towards my children when I know I couldn't do those things on my own
• quiet mornings with candlelight, music, and hot coffee to spend time alone with the Lord and prepare for the day ahead
• a husband who goes to a conference but acts like he is on a mission trip and uses the opportunity to share the love of Christ with people he comes across on the streets
• Friend2Friend this semester- today was our last meeting but I have been really grateful this semester for my kiddos teachers, my class and the people in it, and the guarantee of drinking a cup of coffee among adults every week while there are no children yelling in the background
• God's provision for us financially over the past month when unexpected things have come up
• a Savior who should have left me where I was but instead chose to save me and continues to pursue me and work in my life...

Psalm 40:1-3

I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock 

and gave me a firm place to stand.

He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see sand fear 

and put their trust in the Lord.

month of {gratitude} day 9, 10, & 11

Yesterday my parents watched the kiddos so the hubs and I could have some date time before he goes out of town for a conference for a week. The day did not go as planned! On the way to my parents we realized we had an almost flat tire. So, after dropping off the kiddos we headed to Wal-Mart and found out we had to have the tire replaced. So, we wandered around Wal-Mart and chatted and had a nice time anyway. As soon as they were done we were starving and wanted to have lunch so we decided to head to O'Fallon to get some lunch. When we were almost to the restaurant we realized there was a really loud noise coming from our car. We pulled over and realized our brand new tire was completely flat!! It had been punctured! So, we had to put on the spare and drive to another Wal-Mart to have the tire replaced. Of course since it was a puncture and not their fault we had to pay for a second BRAND NEW TIRE! Two new tires... for the same spot! And then this Wal-Mart was busy and understaffed so it took a looooong time to get the new tire.

I am not going to lie... I was cranky! This was NOT how I intended to spend my relaxing date day with my husband. But, Nick kept a good attitude and tried to make our Wal-Mart time fun. He is just amazing. He also reminded me that because of some other circumstances recently we had the money easily to replace the tires when normally that would be a big strain on our budget!

We ended our date with a quick lunch (at almost 3 o'clock) before we had to go pick up the kids... But, oh my goodness, I am so thankful for my amazing husband. He makes the worst circumstances fun and has such a great attitude. So today, I am so thankful for him!

I wrote a little about our marriage a few weeks back but today I must just share how grateful I am for my husband!

My husband is an amazing father and husband. And one of the things I love most about him is his heart towards being a husband and father. He really struggled (and he will be the first to admit it) in his role as a husband and father at first. I think he just didn't really know what it looked like practically to be a loving and Godly husband and father. But, one of the things I love most about my husband is that he has always been so willing to learn and to try. He read books, asked questions, watched other families, and has just thrown himself into being an amazing dad and husband. I feel like God has worked in huge ways in my husband's life and he is a different man today than the one I married (and I really liked him when we got married! But, he is even more awesome today).

My husband loves our family so much. He loves each of us sacrificially and gives so much to us. He works hard at his job to provide for us and is always thinking about our future and our family when it comes to his job. I love his dedication to raising up Godly children for the Lord. He encourages me so much in homeschooling and is great at thinking long range for our family when I can only see the short term. After a long day at work he comes home and gives our family 110% until his head hits the pillow. He encourages me to take time away when I need a break and never makes me feel guilty for not getting everything done around the house... but instead is always asking what he can do to help.

God truly blessed me when he gave me Nick as my husband. I am thankful everyday for him. But, today, I can't help but feel overwhelmed.

month of {gratitude} day 8

I am so thankful for the friends that God has put in my life during this season. I am so blessed to have so many like minded women who I get to share life with. Friendships can be hard as an adult but God has really been gracious to me in this area. I am especially thankful right now for some fellow homeschooling mamas who help me feel a little less crazy... and are willing to drink lots of cups of coffee and pour over the scriptures with me in order for us all to stay sane!

month of {gratitude} day 7

I have to say it, last night was very disappointing. I was really hoping that Romney would win the election. Like really. But, today, I wake up still {grateful}. Not necessarily for our government... but for the one who holds it in the palm of His hand. Things might not go the way I want them to in the next four years (or ever) and our country could face some serious problems. But, my hope wasn't in our country and government before and it isn't now. My hope is in Jesus. Everything of this world will fade away, weather it is good or bad. At the end of it all I know that I will still spend a glorious eternity with Christ which was not affected one iota by last night's election.

When I think about the Bible, I think of all that was done under unjust and unfair governments and recognize that God works through bad governments. He always has and he will continue to. We can still sleep at night knowing that God is sovereign over all things and he will not leave or forsake those who love Him and put their hope in Him. He is our King and our Priest and he is the only one that is good.

Our mission as Christians has not changed and for that I am also grateful. And my prayer for all of us who follow Christ today is from 1 Timothy:

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

month of {gratitude} day 6

I know I say this a lot but I am so thankful to be a stay at home mom. I am thankful to have a husband who is so supportive of me staying home and dedicating all of my energy to bringing up our crew. I love that I get to be the one to witness all of their "firsts" (which is especially cool to see now that we are homeschooling". I love that when my kiddos are having an "off" day they can take their nap when they need to or cuddle up with mom all day. We have so much flexibility. And I love that I can take care of our home and daily household stuff  and Nick is able to focus on his job. And I get to hang out with awesome people all day everyday...

a month of {gratitude} day 5

I am so thankful for my parents. I really won the lottery when it comes to parents. They are fun, not too hard on the eyes, and oh so helpful. And have I mentioned that they are the best grandparents in the whole world? My kiddos are seriously OBSESSED with their grandparents. And I don't blame them, they are fun grandparents. I am so thankful to get to spend so much time with my parents and that my kiddos have such a special relationship with them. What a huge blessing.

a month of {gratitude} day 4

Okay, today I am grateful for something I never thought I would be... our pets. I am not naturally an animal person. I don't gush over other people's pets or look at cute cat pictures on the internet for hours... I never thought we would have any pets. Well, almost a year ago Max started begging for a puppy and since I grew up always having dogs I gave in. Then last week we rescued our little cat from a parking lot..

I still wouldn't call myself a "pet person", but I am very thankful for our pets. Scout and Whiskers (even in the short week we have had him) really bring a lot of joy and love to our family. The kiddos love having them around and honestly, I do too. They really do add a lot of fun and snuggles to our family and I am thankful for them!

a month of {gratitude} day 3

Today I am so thankful for the one on one time I get with my kiddos. Nick and I have tried to be even more intentional lately about making sure each of us gets time one on one with our kids. We used to do it a little less often because I think we felt we had to plan big special things or go somewhere "just for fun". And then we realized that our kids get just as excited about running to the grocery store with just one of us or going to get the oil on the car changed. Awesome!

Last night I wanted to run to Target last night so after dinner I asked Max if he wanted to go with me. His eyes lit up and he said, "I have been wanting us to go on a special date!" It was so sweet how talkative he was in the car. He usually spends most of his time in the car talking to his sister so with Mom as the only option I got his full attention. I loved hearing what was on his heart. At one point he was telling me all about how he loves to serve God and wants to always help people... and he plans on doing that as an adult by becoming a legendary super ninja (how much fun are 6 year olds!?) Since he was so talkative in the car and I wanted to hear more I had us stop off in the Starbucks in Target and enjoy some hot chocolate/lattes and sit and chat awhile longer. Then I got my shopping done and afterwards I let him peruse the toy aisle at his own pace. He probably spent over 30 minutes just looking at things. (We avoid toy aisles and toy stores like the plague around here so this was a TREAT!)

We got home kinda late so Jack was already in bed and Soph was on her way up. We decided to let Max stay up and play a board game with us. It was so sweet to get such special time with my favorite 6 year old yesterday. I love spending time with all of my kiddos but I also love getting them all by themselves and hearing their hearts and getting to see them for just who they are.

I am so thankful to God for creating each of my children as complete individuals. All three of them (and no doubt #4 will not be the exception) are so different. It is awesome! So thankful for time to get to just enjoy their uniqueness every once in awhile.

a month of {gratitude} day 2

Today I am feeling so thankful to be expecting our fourth child. I have always wanted to be a mom and always thought it would be awesome to have a big family. I feel so grateful that God would choose to bless me to be the mom of all of these kiddos. I am so excited for this new little guy to get here. There is that little saying that love isn't divided it is multiplied, and although it is a little hokey, it is true. With each baby our home is filled with even more love and fun. God really meant it when he said that children are a {BLESSING} from Him. Nothing could be more true.


Psalm 127:3-5 (ESV)
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
    the fruit of the womb a reward.
 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
    are the children[a] of one's youth.
Blessed is the man
    who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame
    when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

a month of {gratitude}

I love the month of November. Thanksgiving is one of my very favorite holidays. My mom makes amazing food and I love hanging out with my family. I usually put my Christmas decorations up the week before Thanksgiving because to me, Christmas decorations sort of represent the whole season from Thanksgiving to Christmas (and I say do what YOU enjoy!).

My favorite part of November is how it really gives me the opportunity to reflect on what I am thankful for. Personally, I don't do my Christmas shopping in November (especially not on Black Friday! Seriously, who came up with spending the entire day fighting crowds and consuming right after the day you are supposed to celebrate what you are thankful for?). I don't like to use November as a season of buying, spending money, and stressing over what to get for people who already have everything they could possibly need! I really like to use it to focus on thankfulness  gratitude, and to prepare my heart for the holiday season and what it is really about. For me, I find after a month focused on how God has blessed me so richly it ia easy to want to bless others all through the month of December!

So, this November here on Life With the Little R's I am going to try to post something I am grateful for everyday! So without further ado...

Day 1:
I am so thankful for the the Bible, God's Word. My very dear friend Crystal was over this morning and we were digging into James 2 together and I felt overwhelmed with how blessed we are to have the very words of God available to us for encouragement, instruction, reproof, and blessing. I take this blessing for granted so often. I am quick when I am having a bad day or a hard time to turn to a friend, the phone, the computer, or another book to find answers or help. But, I don't have to. We are so blessed and privileged to have the Bible. And it is a blessing and a privilege that should not be taken for granted. There are still people in countries all over the world who do not have access to a Bible and only dream about having one of their own. I don't know about you but I have about 10 in my house... So today I am thankful for the Bible!

And if you feel compelled to share the blessing of a Bible with those who don't have access to them check out the amazing ministry of Brother Andrew and find out how you can help those without access to Bibles and the persecuted church.