40 Reasons to Love Another Child

A friend of mine sent me this a long time ago:


1. Desiring children with the man you love is as natural as breathing.

2. The experience of delivering a new life to the world is singularly exhilarating. If you fear pain, there's this lovely thing called an epidural.

3. Breastfeeding: it's not only economical, efficient, and good for the baby, but it releases hormones that relax and calm both mother and child, lulling both of you to sleep. Who wouldn't want a natural nap-inducer?

4. The world doesn't revolve around me and my daily desires.

5. Every human being has dignity and worth.

6. A child is an unbreakable bond between husband and wife. Love breeds love. And more love. And more. There's nothing more desirable than the father of your children.

7. A couple becomes a family -- the whole becomes greater than its parts.

8. Having a child is a cooperation with the sacred.

9. Children are some of the most charming little people I know: full of wonder, curiosity and innate kindness. Properly nurtured, they become equally charming adults.

10. You get to read all the favorite books of your childhood all over again.

11. Children naturally grasp the lesson that people are more important than things.

12. Children teach us the freedom that comes with self-discipline and self-sacrifice.

13. The biggest drudgery is facing no one but myself day after day.

14. I am not ideal ... why should I expect my children to be? Kids teach us the joy of unconditional love and acceptance.

15. I will inevitably disappoint my children because I am not perfect. But, along the way, I'll be able to teach them that -- while nothing on this side of heaven is perfect -- the journey and the perfection that awaits us are worth every moment of trial on earth.

16. To remain or become a self-centered, self-enclosed egotist: what horror!

17. Taking time to care for the gifts I've been given ... yes, thank you.

18. Motherhood is a vocation: fulfilling, rewarding, and full of unpredictable surprises.

19. Families: they are a reflection of the Trinity.

20. Relive childhood and all of its innocent wonder and mirth.

21. To persist in saying "me first" is a sign of immaturity.

22. A child will ignite the fond memories of your own childhood.

23. While you cannot ensure that your child will be happy 100% of the time, the desire for his happiness is a good, admirable and unselfish thing.

24. The enchantment of being with one's children outweighs any and all other difficulties.

25. If you worry about sending them off to school, homeschooling is a delightful, intellectually stimulating option.

26. Do something to change the world. Have a child. Raise a saint.

27. Revel in the simplicity of a child's unconditional love and trust.

28. Parenting will soften your hard edges and sharpen your compassion and empathy.

29. Motherhood is an insight into one's soul. It's better than analysis.

30. Success is not defined only in terms of what one does for money. To succeed as a mother is beyond worldly success.

31. When your husband becomes the father of your children, a new man appears: fiercely loving but practical and still-logical, nurturing but fiercely strong and protective. You will fall in love with him all over again.

32. The child to whom you give life may be the one to fight the culture of death and the notion of a brave new world.

33. "How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers." -- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

34. Children whittle away your time in ways that are ultimately beneficial: they have an uncanny knack for getting rid of the meaningless hobbies that used to consume you.

35. Watching a child grow into a caring, sensitive soul is a reward that cannot be measured in book sales.

36. It's an awe-inspiring thing to have a child and the experience of feeling, "I didn't think I could ever love anyone that much."

37. Already have a child? Have another. Siblings are the best birthday presents, Christmas presents, Father's Day presents, Arbor Day presents ....

38. Baby toes. Need I say more?

39. Okay, I'll say more. Watching your baby sleep: You didn't know that angels could be held in your arms.

40. Worried about money? What's worth more than a soul?

Some Answers To Your Questions....

        You can find these T-Shirt logos at cafepress.com    ......   have some fun!!

Happy #4 Josiah!

For some reason the driver for my cell phone won't download to my computer.....the same phone that holds all our pictures for little Jo's B-Day!  UGH!  So,  We promise that we'll get some pics up as soon as we get that all fixed up.

Jo had a great B-Day though!  Lots of fun and lots of family, fun, cake, and gifts.  It seems the highlight of the day for the older one's was the "authentic" Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum bag that Uncle Karl wrapped one of the gifts in, lol!  Too funny.

As soon as we can, we'll send off some pics asap   :0)

Christmas in November?

We didn't want to feel left out after looking across the street and seeing that all our neighbors were putting up their Christmas decorations, lol!

Halloween 2011

  I was not exactly on the ball this year.... we were all scrambling at the last minute to get things put together and ready to go. In a mad dash I decided to use our own ink jet printer to print off 50 kids cartoon gospel tracts to put into the treat bags....something I may reconsider for next year, it cost almost double to print it off at home compared to having it done at Staples or the church office...but still worth it in the end, they looked beautiful and way better than last year's little booklets.  The older boys were a bit behind as well, as they didn't attend to their costumes (they always make there own) until yesterday, so they were frantically scrounging for odds and ends around the house to make up a costume.  But, again, it all turned out in the end.  They found what they needed and headed out for candy-ville.   We ended up having lots of kids come by this year, yay!  Danika (our oldest) and I stayed home with little Ole and handed out the treat bags while all the boys headed out with Dad.     *I'll post a link to that cartoon tract tomorrow, because, frankly, I'm just way to tired to do it now.

Carving The Pumpkins

One Bucket of Loaded Bags

The finished pumpkin product
Yes, the barfing one is Justin & Noah's 

Dressed up and ready to go!

"The-Candy- Loot"
(a.k.a. "Not- able- to -sit -still- for- the- next - 2 -months -of -school-Loot"......ugh)

OOPS...."My Bad"

                                                 

A Little Creativity Never Hurts

Our little one's needed a little help understanding "Christ in you" and so we built a little (okay, huge) visual for them.  We printed off a bunch of fruit shaped stickers that have each fruit of the Spirit printed on them.  Then we sat back and tried to watch for when they were behaving in a way that expressed that particular fruit, and then gave them the matching sticker so they could place it on the tree.  They are loving it! Eventually we'll have to take the tree down, but for now it's working well.
Maybe we'll transfer it to their bedroom when it's full, so they can look at it...or maybe downstairs in the playroom??

Our Fruit of the Spirit Tree

Galatians 5:22-24

Amplified Bible 

But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
    Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].

After the Flowers

                                                                                                                                                                     I might be a little crazy but we really did rip out what was left of our beautiful purple flowers and replace it with a rather early display of Autumn Harvest decor.   Nathaniel and Jo loved it (of course not without first field testing the pumpkins by rolling them down the sidewalk.)  It's really a miracle that we were able to find what we did to build this little display, since we are always loosing or  breaking our decorations each year.  Last year a few decorations blew away in the hurricane force winds that seem to reach us every Fall and somehow despite my efforts to efficiently pack away what items are left, they are never found when I need them.  ( I'm sure Easter will arrive and I'll find a very tidy, well organized box of Autum Harvest decorations!)

Bright Colors & Sweet Smells

I love the Fall.  The air is sweet, the weather is cool and crisp, the colors are bright and warm, and the bugs are almost gone. We love walking downtown this time of year....okay we love walking downtown any time of the year, but it is especially beautiful right now.

I try to get the kids outside as much as possible during the Fall season, knowing that cold winter weather makes it so much harder for us to get outside. So, we are absolutely loving that October is already here and we are still enjoying such amazing weather!

This weekend we are pulling out the dying flowers from out front and building our little fall display of happy scarecrows, fall leaves & pumpkins.

Pictures Pictures Pictures!

Back from summer vacation in Penticton....so, here's a LOAD of snapshots!

Danika, Josiah, Ole
(Took 2 days for Ole to finally like the water)

Noah's "Pit"....the beginning

Noah's "Pit"....the final creation

Our little spot under one of the few coveted trees
 available for shade.

Jo loved building his own sand castles

Jason, Ole, Josiah at Tickleberry Farm...
.where they sell like 500 flavours of ice cream!

One of our evening camp fires on the beach

All the kids at Peachland Beach

Jo & Ole loved tossing rocks into the water

The older boys searched for treasures and cool
rocks while Nathaniel sailed in the tube

Nathaniel and Jason chill out on Skaha

Both the little one's playing DS in our Motel room
......too cute!

Both Jo & Nate were required to wear
life jackets 

.....And hats
It was over 30 degrees everday

All the kids at the spray park just down
from the beach

Ole....ahhh, this is the life!

A Sweet 16...But An Even Sweeter Daughter

                                                             Happy B-Day Danika!

The Oreo-Cookie-Crumble-Cool-Whip-Cake!
(Another dairy free/nut free/egg free creation...recipe to come later)

Danika received a beautiful arrangement of flowers
on her birthday from her grandma in BC

We've learned how important it is for every 16 yr old
girl to have a hair straightener  :0)

Treasures From Norway!

Our first and greatest treasure is our dear daughter Danika who is home safe and sound from Norway!!
As you've all heard of the tragedy that hit Oslo in the last couple days, so many of you have called or emailed asking if our family was okay and offered prayer for safe travels and quick returns.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  We were moved by your concern and prayer support, we love you all!
SO, here she is, our Danika, back from world travels:

We gave Danika an early B-Day gift, a
place to write down all those Norge Family Recipes!

Danika's gift to her Mama:  Authentic Russian Nesting Dolls
I haven't seen these since I was a very little girl!

Danika's gift to Noah: A Norse Horn Keepsake
He's drank from it twice already, lol!

Danika's gift to Justin: Silver plated Norwegian Spoon

The Little Boys recieved gifts as well, but I wasn't able to snap a picture of them yet. By the time we got home we were all pretty tired so they were off to bed quickly.  :0)

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

Although Danika had an awesome trip to Norway and was able to visit with many family members and we are elated to have her home, we recognize that due to the recent attacks in Norway there are families from all over the world who cannot share in the same experience of embracing their child back into their safe and loving arms.  Our hearts and prayers are with those who are suffering through this tradgedy. 

God is still GOOD.  God did not choose for this to happen, God does not control the thoughts of men but gave men free will that he may do as his own heart and mind intends, whether to do harm or to do good. The reality of this tragedy is ultimately the effects of a person(s) without God in his heart.  But the truth is this: there is no "theological answer" that will bring rest to a questioning soul.  Peace only comes from The Prince of Peace: Jesus Christ.   Go straight to the source. God is not affraid of your tough questions, He is waiting to give you the answers that you seek, answers that will give you rest and a peace that supasses all understanding.

Windows....or Chalkboards?

I have to admit, our huge front window used to irritate me....kids always pulling at the curtains, the sunshine was nice until it heated the house beyond measure, and the finger prints (umm, that's just polite for mashed food, boogers and squished bugs) were never under control.  But in a an honest moment with God, I decided to let go of all that petty stress....and that's when I heard God say, "This is not a window it's a chalkboard waiting to send a message!" 

One week after writing our first message, our neighbours held a garage sale that had many people walking by our huge front window! Cars filled with people would stop and actually take a moment to read.  Hopefully our artistic skills will get better, lol!  But in all honesty, experience has taught me that the simpler things are, the better.

Speaking of Recipes....Macaroni Madness!

I've never had a kid that didn't like pasta.....pasta with cheese especially.  But the best thing about pasta meals is its ability to stretch a dollar. Couple that with the fact that most kids will eat them, and we've got a super winner! I've always found that elbow macaroni is the most versitile, so here's a few of our frugal favorites from over the years: 

*you can throw in extra frozen veggies for more nutrition.
*amount of macaroni is whatever you want it to be  :0)
*yes, most of these feed a larger than average family...feel free to adjust accordingly

Taco Beef Macaroni
Cooked macaroni noodles
Browned Ground Beef
Taco Spice Package (or 3 tbs of homemade)
1/4cup Cheese Powder (or cheese whiz, or shredded cheddar, etc)
1/2 cup water
Mix beef with taco spice, cheese and water and simmer 3min.  Mix noodles into beef mixture.  Voila!


Cheater Mac & Cheese
Cooked macaroni noodles
2 cans tomato soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Mix tomato soup and cheese into macaroni noodles over low heat until melted through.  Voila!


Tomato Macaroni
Cooked Macaroni noodles
2cans evaporated milk
3cups shredded cheddar cheese
2tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder
pepper
1 can diced tomatoes
Bring to boil milk, cheese and spices.   Stir in tomatoes and cooked macaroni.  Voila!

Tuna Sauce Macaroni
Cooked Macaroni noodles
1 cup frozen peas-thawed
2 cans tuna
2 cans evaporated milk
1/4cup butter/margerine
1/4cup flour
1tsp onion powder
1tsp garlic powder
Melt butter in pan, wisk in flour and then milk stirring until thickened.  Stir in spices, peas and tuna. Simmer 2min.  Pour over cooked macaroni.  Voila!

Chicken Soup Macaroni
Cooked macaroni noodles
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mixed frozen vegetables-thawwed
Heat and mix soup, sour cream and veggies together.  Pour on cooked macaroni noodles.  Voila!

Hamburger Cupcakes

Here's the recipe of Noah's hamburger cupcakes, they are super fun and super easy to make!

Step One:  Bake 1 batch each of regular vanilla cupcakes and regular chocolate cupcakes.

Step Two: Cut all cupcakes in half.  Vanilla being the "bun" and chocolate being the "patty"

Step Three: Mix shredded cocount with a couple drops of green food coloring for the "lettuce"

Step Four: Mix up a bag of Yellow and a bag of Red icing sugar for the mustard and ketchup (We just bought the pre-made icing tubes....they're easier for little hands to use)

Step Five: Set a little bowl of sesame seeds to sprinkle on the "bun"

Place everything in the middle of the table and tape a picture of the finished "burger" on the wall for everyone to look at.  The older one's can just build according to the picture while mom helps the little one's.

~A Boah Boy Birthday~

Noah-Boah Boy has celebrated his 11th birthday! (Noah gives the best hugs ever, since he was little we've nicknamed him Boah, for his Boa-constrictor-like hugs...plus it rhymes good, lol)

Noah-Boah-Boy's Birthday Breakfast
Choc. Chip Pancakes with Whipped Cream!

Noah has always been our creative baker-boy too so
We decided to build Hamburger Cupcakes rather than a cake!

Here's the cupcake up close
(I'll post the recipe tomorrow...yes, it's as fun as it looks!)

After cupcakes and gifts, their dad took the two older boys out to see the new Transformers 3D movie...of course they had a blast!

Around the World in 21 Days

Okay, not the entire world,  but to Norway at least.  Our eldest, Danika is off to Norway for 21 days (along with a few other family members) to experience the picturesque beauty of the Norweigan landscape and visit with some European relatives.  We are very excited for her to have this amazing opportunity!  Her dad (Jason) was also able to visit Norway and meet that side of the family when he was young....we are looking forward to the exciting conversations about similarities and differences between visits that are a generation apart .... and hoping for LOTS of pictures!!  :0)

Men of Chivalry, Men of Honor

Thirteen is a special birthday in our house.  Thirteen is when we celebrate that child's transition from childhood into the first steps of young adult. We hold a special ceremony and take turns laying hands on that child and blessing him/her as they begin their walk on the path of seeking their own identity in
Christ. Yesterday we celebrated Justin's 13th birthday:

Jason speaks a blessing over Justin to keep God first,
family close and work hard in life. 

Me, speaking a blessing over Justin to hear God's voice,
and to always expect awesome things from and awesome God.

The Grandparents speak a blessing of love and
care over him.

Big sister Danika speaks a blessing of honor, integrity and
to walk in freedom from sin.

Younger brother Noah speaks a blessing
of prosperity and an abundant life.

Justin reads aloud his own proclamation: the Rhema Scroll.
A declaration of his intentions in life according to God's Word.

The presentation of a keepsake to honor his celebration!

Here we are afterward.  The little boys took part too,
but we forgot to snap a couple pics.