Anniston Janelle is 1!

What would our life be like without our sweet Annie? I found out I was pregnant with Anniston 
when Wyatt was barely 7 months old. This was even a bigger shock due to him getting over colic the month before. I felt somewhat normal for one month, only to find out I was pregnant.

Oh, but the joy she brings to our life! Yes, she has that Herron personality.....loud, rowdy, temper, and oh so cute! I love watching Kayla and Wyatt hug and kiss on her. I love how much she loves her daddy, Papa and Granma, and all her aunts and uncles. (Yes, especially Janelle!) I am so grateful to God that he is in control and not us. He knew we all needed the baby girl!

Surprise!

I know it has been a while since I last posted, but we have been busy trying to wrap our minds around our latest news. I found out earlier this week that I am pregnant with my fourth! This comes as a total shock to both PJ and I, but we are slowly getting used to the idea and God is helping us to realize that this child is a gift from Him, regardless of whether it was planned!

I had always wanted four children, PJ was content with the three we have for now, but apparently God wanted us to have four quicker then we planned. :-) So, by the grace of God, another little Herron will make an appearance sometime late
March. Kayla will be 6 1/2, Wyatt will be barely 3, and Annie will be 20 months. Lord help me!

Here is a quote my friend Megan put on her blog when she found out about her fourth pregnancy. I have read it before, but it is a wonderful reminder.


From Stepping Heavenward.

“I shall now have one mouth the more to fill, and two feet more to shoe;
more disturbed nights, more laborious days,
and less leisure for visiting, reading, music and drawing.
This is one side of the story to be sure, but I look at the other.
Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss;
here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery.
Here is a soul to train for God, and the body in which it dwells is worthy of all it will cost,
since it is the abode of a kingly tenant.
I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all,
to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name,
I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation, my other darlings had left me.
Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart,
welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her life-long prayers!
Oh, how rich I am, how truly, how wondrously blest!”
Elizabeth Prentiss | Stepping Heavenward

The Price is Right

I do not watch The Price is Right often, but I used to love it. I just came across this article today.

I will post something for real sometime soon. Life is crazy right now.  :-)

Pictures

Just wanted to let those of you, who care, know that there are pictures from 4th of July and Kayla's 6th birthday at our picture blog.

Happy Birthday Kayla!

My baby girl is 6 years old tomorrow! (Thursday the 19th). I cannot believe I am the mother of a six-year-old little girl.

I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. I went into the hospital sometime after 5am because of heavy bleeding. I was scared that something was wrong, but I heard later, my mom was even more afraid then I was! They checked me, but I was not in active labor. Apparently, a blood vessel had burst or something. Since I was five days late already, and they did not know really why I was bleeding, my midwife broke my water around 8am. Five hours and twenty minutes later, Kayla Sheree came into this world.

She had her daddy's dark hair and his side of the families eye color. She weighed 8lbs 8oz and was 19 inches. She was so fat! I remember just being in shock that I had a baby. She was such a good baby, but only liked to sleep in her carseat or swing.

She has brought so much joy into my life. God has used her to change my perspective on so many things. From homeschooling, to realizing my parents were right about pretty much everything, to me wanting my life/job to be raising her. She is growing up so fast. She talks constantly, wants to know why about everything, is a wonderful big sister, smart, absolutely gorgeous, fun and has a smile on her face almost constantly.

Thank you Lord for giving me my baby girl. Protect her as she grows Lord. I pray that she will continue to want to know more about You and will live her life to glorify You. Thank you for entrusting her to PJ and I and help us to raise her to be God fearing, to love the church, and to serve you. Please help us to be examples to her of what that looks like. Bless these wonderful childhood years she has and I pray she looks back on them with fond memories. Soften her heart towards the Gospel, Lord, this next year. I am a truly blessed woman! Amen

I Have Now Been Tagged

I got tagged by Janelle at Reformed-TULIP-Charismatic-Girl. The rule is that I must list 5 reasons why I love Christ. After that, I must tag 5 other bloggers. So here it goes.

1.  I love Christ because He elected me!  Why He chose me, I will never know, but how grateful I am!!    "though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls"  Romans 9:11

2.  I love Christ because He chose to give me the parents I have. I do not understand the love of Christ to give me the undeserved gift of the most loving, forgiving, wise, and fun parents in the world. They have sacrificed their life in more ways then I can explain for me and my siblings. I love them so much!!

3.  I love Christ because he uses all the circumstances in my life, whether I think they are "good" or "bad", to help me grow, help me to become smaller and Him to become bigger, and to help me trust in Him. He gives me favor even when I do not pursue Him.

4.  I love Christ because He forgives me over and over and over.    "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace"  Eph 1:7

5.  I love Christ because He gave me a wonderful husband who loves me and his family so much. A husband who is committed to me, loyal to me, and puts up with my randomness and annoyances and calls them cute. A husband who gave me three of the most beautiful children in all the world and who I cannot wait to get to know even better over our lifetime.

Here is who I want to tag:

Erin at My Family/My Life

Tammy at The Griffith Family

Meghann Roberts at Four!

Megan Russell at Russell Life
(BTW Megs, I did not even know you came here till I saw your comment on my last post. Congratulations on your news!! I tried to comment on your blog, but it would not let me for some reason. Email me. We got a new computer and it did not save your address.)

Kathy at Laffy Kathy

Contentment

Why is it that I so easily lose sight of the joy and privilege I have of staying home with my children? Well, I actually know it is because of my sin, but it concerns me when I get to a place of discontentment. Usually I know this is happening when I find myself getting frustrated or angry with them. Or, thinking that I "need" a break. And even having thoughts of what I could be doing, the money I could be making, and the recognition I desire from others about what I do (especially my husband).

It is hard when I get up every day to the same exact thing I did the day before. Annie wakes up, I feed her, Kayla wakes up after her, Wyatt wakes up last (mostly because it took him SO long to actually go to sleep the night before). I feed the older two. I put Annie down for her morning nap, try to get cleaning done while disciplining the kids for arguing, fighting, hitting, biting etc. etc. etc. I try to find fun things for them to do to keep them occupied and keep me from putting them in front of the TV. Annie wakes up, feed them lunch. Clean up and down for afternoon naps. After that I make any phone calls and emails. Kids wake up, start dinner, eat dinner, bathe kids and start the bedtime routine. Nowadays, that process with Wyatt seems never ending. Kids are down, spend some time with PJ, go to bed and start the same thing over again in the morning.

There are times I wish away this season of my life. The day Kayla can babysit her siblings, so I can go to the store by myself, or have a normal date night (without worrying and feeling like we cannot go anywhere because Wyatt might not go to bed!). The day they will occupy themselves and not want me to play with them all time time. Oh, and of course when I can actually drive somewhere without stopping to discipline for screaming in the car seat, or climbing out of the car seat.

The problem with all of this is that I am wishing away the time of have with my children. I cannot wait to put Wyatt to bed, but actually, I love it when he wakes up in the morning! He comes down stairs and does the same thing. "Hi mama. Time to wake up?? Kiss!" I love going into Annie's room to see her jumping up and down in her crib and laughing showing her adorable dimples. Watching six-year-old Kayla change her baby sisters diaper, or feed her lunch, or even just kiss on her.

Although I can be so discontent, would I trade what I am doing for anything else? No. But, I want to LOVE what I am doing. I want to have an eternal perspective about what I am doing. I want to remember that it is the greatest possible job I could have. I would not trade being able to watch my baby learn to walk for any job in the world. Or, sharing the gospel with my daughter and showing her how to be a wife and mother. Or missing out on the crazy things Wyatt says. (Yesterday he asked of we could go to Jesus's house. I said no baby, Jesus is in heaven. So, he asked if we could go to Chuckee Cheeses house) I get to teach my children to read, about how Jesus died for their sins, how to add and count to 20.

I pray that each day I will not take for granted, that I will not wish I was somewhere else, and I will thank God for how he has blessed me by allowing me to be at home with my kids. May all of us find joy in whatever season of life we are in, and not wish it away, because no matter what you are doing right now, we will all look back on this time as the season God has us in. May we not regret how we used it.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Dumbing down....even board games

I found an article in the Boston Globe about toy-maker Hasbro introducing “express” versions of Monopoly, Sorry, and Scrabble that will only take about 20 minutes to play. “Busy lives” and “shorter attention spans” the article said.

Has it come down to children’s lives being too busy, and their attention spans too short, to participate in a full game of Monopoly, Sorry, or Scrabble. I personally loved the memories of the hours spent playing those game and many others including Clue, Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders etc. Instead of speeding up games (or dumbing them down) could we not use board games to teach children focus and patience?

I know some of you are thinking, good grief, not a big deal. I personally think this is just another sign of what our societies family life has come to. I wonder if those same people, who are going to buy the express games, have time to sit and watch a movie? Jake, Joey, Janelle? When is the last time you asked mom and dad if they wanted to sit at the dining room table and play scrabble instead of watching or going to a movie? Do you have enough time in your lives to do that?

I understand there are times that you cannot finish an entire board game. But, spend the extra money to buy express games? Why not just declare a winner? Oh, never mind, that might hurt the child's self-esteem if they lose.

Sports

I have a random question. If or when you have kids, do you plan on them playing sports? Why or why not? If you think they will, what sports? Why?