I just love how Summer runs to her KK and her Sis every time she gets in trouble or wants something. It's a challenge trying to train and discipline one with big siblings around to pet her, but it's worth the extra effort when I see the love these children have for each other. Not to mention, it's great practice for Caleb and Madelyn. They are as proficient at caring for the baby as I am, and I don't force them to do it; they just jump in voluntarily and love every minute of it (well, mostly...LOL).
"There was a time when we expected nothing of our children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience."
--Anatole Broyard
The only 2 commandments given directly to children in Scripture are:
"Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." Eph. 6:1-3
and
"Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord" Col. 3:20
Lord, help me to hold the standard high so that my children can be found within Your circle of blessing.
Okay, so I've been slacking on my blog through the holidays, but I've been busy doing important stuff...like playing Mario Kart, Wii boxing, pushing the Cozy Coupe, programming iPods, staying up late and getting up late, and just all around enjoying our little vacation from school. We were blessed with a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and I just praise God for the sweet times of fellowship we've been allowed to share with our family and friends during these holidays. Here are a few snapshots from these past few days.
Since we're all starving to death for honorable words of encouragement from our President...words that give tribute to our God and our great country.....I want to post this short Christmas wish from President Ronald Reagan (1981).
...."I'll just let Summer sit over here and eat an apple and watch Frosty while I clean up. That way she'll stay out of trouble and not make any more messes before I can get everything else cleaned up".....
With all the lies and chaos surrounding the current healthcare debate, it's hard to know what's going on. The commies are counting on wearing Americans out on this fight, and passing it while we're casually looking the other way. Here is a great resource to filter through all the hype and see what's really at stake for our nation. I encourage you to read through it and pass it along to everyone you know! Our life and liberty are at stake!
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people." George Washington, First Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789
Since I just can't seem to get my act together enough to send out Christmas cards through snail mail, this electronic Christmas card is for all my blogging friends. Merry Christmas!
(PLEASE NOTE: All 5 children are looking at the camera, and all 5 children are smiling. Yes, it's crooked, and I almost cut Caleb's head off, but this was about shot #100 from session #3, so I'm considering this a miracle of Christmas!)
3 of our children have inherited Jason's big, beautiful brown eyes. (Caleb and Madelyn have my changing hazel colored eyes.) Every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of one of them doing something (usually MISCHIEF!) or showing a certain expression, and suddenly it takes me back to when I was 19 and all Jason and I had to do was stare into each other's eyes!
(such a little lady!)
(thanks, Bro. Tony, for this great picture of Bubbie!) Bub's are the darkest of all...
Obviously, Jason and I don't have many (or any) carefree days now, and I miss that, but there's something so fulfilling about having a house full of little "JasonandTara's" running around, a testament of the love and joy God has placed in our lives. Sadly, Margaret Sanger (see post below) just had no idea what she was missing.
"If you were to ask anyone to name the people who have directly or indirectly caused the most deaths in the twentieth century, names such as Hitler, Stalin, and Ho Chi Minh would likely top the lists. I submit, though, that there is one person whose track record in blood leaves any one of the others in a distant second place."
"Margaret Sanger's standing as the greatest death-monger of all times is unlikely to be challenged. In fact, her numbers seem destined only to grow."
If you really want to get your blood boiling, go and research how much of YOUR tax dollars have gone to fund Planned Parenthood! I appreciate the remarks of the Congressman below:
What he says about Planned Parenthood's war against the black race is easily documented. I've never understood how black people, including our President, and also Martin Luther King (follow this link to see how he, as a stooge, accepted an award from the very people who were trying to wipe out his "race"), could lobby so hard for Planned Parenthood. If you want to know the full scope of Planned Parenthood's war on "the stocks that are most detrimental to the future of the race and the world" (HER WORDS, NOT MINE!) , I recommend a new movie put out by Life Dynamics called "Maafa 21". It is available for checking out at LMO , though it would be worth your money to purchase. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. I did allow my children to watch it (with me skipping some parts), and plan to do so again many times, but Magaret Sanger was a vile, filthy woman, and her organization's commercials, etc., are definitely inappropriate for anyone, especially innocent-minded children. Here is a short preview of the movie below:
It's time for Americans to come clean about the purpose of Planned Parenthood! It's not a noble "family planning" venture organized by compassionate citizens, it's Darwinian eugenics and killing babies!
We had a great time Wednesday morning with Bubbie and his mustache. He stood and stared into the mirror for a few seconds before nervously saying, "Mom, it's not a real mustache.......is it?" He's so funny.
Being a young man with a broad range of interests, he wanted a Davy Crockett cake and a spider man suit for his birthday. I'm afraid Davy kind of looks like he's wearing a Jedi robe, but once again, I delivered! He asks for the hardest cakes! In fact, when I showed him the finished product, he said, "But I wanted him on a horse shooting his gun!" Oh well, this is all I could come up with:
Spidey
This morning, Bub came and sat in the chair and said first thing, "Man, I loved that birthday!" I had let him and Seth "sleep together" last night (a treat on a week night for them) and he said, "Mama, me and Bubba had a ball last night. You know what's a ball? Bubba said a ball is when you do lots of fun things and don't get in trouble for it." I just love little boys!!
My little Bubbie is turning 5 years old today. The poor little fella takes a lot of teasing from all of us. He's just that kind of child that is so fun to tease! We love him and have a lot of fun with him. This week, we've been telling him that his "4's" are almost over, and life will be different! 5 years is always a big deal in our home, because that means you no longer have to take a nap! Well, Bub asked me what he was getting for his birthday, and I said, "A razor and shaving cream, of course." I explained to him that now he would grow a beard and mustache and could shave just like Daddy! Poor soul isn't too sure if I'm joking or not. He told Seth, "If I do grow a mustache, I'll shave it and nobody will know." LOL
So, I just couldn't resist the urge to tiptoe into his room and paint a mustache on my little man. I'll let you know how he reacts. You'll probably suspect an earthquake around 8:30 this morning, but don't be afraid! It's probably just our Bubbie.
but we've been busy with lots of fun and family fellowship. Here are a few highlights from our Thanksgiving week:
Summer's first ponytail!!
Summer's first year helping decorate the tree. Her baby helps her do everything.
Our toothless coon hunters
Thanksgiving morning at our house means Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, sausage balls, and gingerbread houses. Fun!
We've been passing around a cold, but our little Rosebud was petted with lots of TLC through hers.
And last, but not least, our tadpole finally has front legs! We've been raising this tadpole since May! It's had its back legs for several months, but overnight just grew the front ones. Surely we'll have a frog soon!
Here's a video of the little ones jamming out to "White Christmas". Rosebud dances kind of like Chester on Gunsmoke!
I'm so proud of how well Caleb and Madelyn did in their piano recital yesterday. I praise the Lord for their musical talent, their desire to work hard, their great instructor, and their hearts that do it for the glory of God.
Here's a short clip from yesterday. They played 4 songs each. In the clip, Caleb plays "Square Dance" and Madelyn plays "Ragtime Man". They've been taking lessons for 13 months.
The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA.
'We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.'
ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.
ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.
ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes. (This one is my pet peeve...get an education and go to work....don't expect everyone else to take care of you!)
ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in public health care.
ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you rot in jail.
ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)
ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly....)
ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!
Isn't that great??
And simply for your viewing pleasure, here is the best recitation of the original Preamble that's ever been given. Enjoy!
It's the soldier, not the reporter who has given us Freedom of the Press.
It's the soldier, not the poet, who has given us Freedom of Speech.
It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.
It's the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the Right to a Fair Trial.
It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag and whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who gives the protestor the right to burn the flag.
~Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC
My little soldier dressed as his hero, Sgt. Alvin York.
When Jason and I began our family, we were so scared and excited at the same time. We were nervous and didn't really know what we were getting into. No one does. We found parenting to be a pure joy, but the hardest thing we'd ever done. More than anything, we wanted our children to come to know our Saviour. All our decisions regarding entertainment, recreation, friends, church, and school have been centered around that one desire. We've made mistakes, and we've also made enemies and had people accuse us of being too strict and other things that I'd rather not say here. The sacrifices have been great on our part just to stand firm on the convictions that the Lord has given us on how to raise our children. Friends have come and gone. Family has come and gone. But the Lord has been true.
And as I sit here this morning, I can tell you that it has all been worth it. The Lord saved my baby girl Madelyn yesterday. It was glorious. It was real. And it was worth more than anything I've ever had to give up in order to live by my convictions.
We've never allowed our children to go into children's church. We don't allow them to go to youth groups or AWANA. We've never taught them The Roman Road (as Bro. Milby says, we don't want to go to Rome, we want to go to Calvary!). We don't believe in child evangelism "techniques" that teach children the ABCs of salvation (Admit, Believe, Confess). And we don't want them "making decisions" for Christ. Madelyn already believed in God and knew she was a sinner before she got saved. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19) You'll be no better off than the devil by ABC techniques, without the drawing power of the Holy Spirit, "No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him" (John 6:44).
We've tried to keep their hearts and minds pure and uncluttered so they could hear from the Lord. We've kept them at home with us most of the time, so that we were there to answer their questions about the Lord. We've raised them under spirit-filled preaching, and just prayed that the same Holy Spirit that drew us to salvation would grip the hearts of our children as well.
If you think I'm bragging about being a great parent, you just don't get it. I am helpless. I am nothing. I have tried to lay the groundwork, but in the end, I can't save my own child. What I'm trying to say is, AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO, I COULD NOT HELP MADELYN MAKE THAT DECISION. I have watched her struggle and cry and wrestle with God, but I couldn't do it for her. My daughter had to do personal business with her Creator. As I watched her precious little feet inch closer and closer to the aisle, I knew she was exercising that measure of faith that God has dealt to every man (Rom. 12:3). The modern church has lost confidence in the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord hasn't changed his method of salvation. He'll save your child the same way he saved you and your parents and your grandparents and your great-grandparents, etc....
It was good for our Fathers It was good for our Mothers It will take us all to heaven, And it's good enough for me!
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