This past weekend the ladies from the church we attend threw a baby shower for the baby and me.  I have had many a baby shower thrown for me and my newborns but this was by far the biggest blessing of them all.  I love these ladies so much!

Everything was perfect!  There was a cute little safari theme with little monkeys,  a dessert made especially for me with my favorite ingredients, and an amazing group of loving ladies to share conversation with!  These ladies are there to share joys and struggles and to offer encouragement.  There were even the adorable little baby gifts!

BUT…….

What I loved most…..

about the day was that this baby shower was not filled with the typical baby shower games.  Those can be fun but that is really all they are.  My friend who organized the shower suggested something completely different.  Instead of playing the usual baby shower games we had a time of group prayer.  I had several prayer requests that I sent to my friend and she shared them with the ladies who attended.  It was so amazing to have such a godly group of ladies praying over me, my newborn son, and the rest of my family!

They prayed for our little Nathan, that he would grow into a strong, godly, young man.  That he would come to know the Lord at an early age and live a life honoring the Lord.  That he would be healthy.  That God would be preparing a godly wife for him even now.  They prayed for me and for my husband as we teach and train him.  That I would be patient even amidst sleepless nights.  That I would have compassion.  That I would not grow weary and that I would rely upon the Lord in the great task of being a parent.  They prayed the same things for my husband as he leads our household.  They prayed for our family with our upcoming move. They prayed for our other children, for our schooling, and for there to be a good relationship cultivated between our newest son and our oldest who has already moved out.

It was such an unbelievably sweet time of prayer!  I do not ever recall people praying for our family in such a way!  It is an amazing blessing that I will always cherish!

I think of all the gifts that we received that day the time of prayer was by far the most special, most desired, and most needed of them all!

As I thank the Lord for my new son and my entire family, I will be thanking him for the church family he has blessed us with.

Thank you Lord for each of those ladies!  Thank you Lord, that we can come before your throne in prayer!

Thank you ladies of Faith PCA Anchorage!  Thank you for showering us with prayer!!!

About a year or so ago a dear friend shared a CD with me.  She said that a friend of hers put these CDs together and thought that we would enjoy them.  The children LOVED it so we decided to purchase the rest of the catechism cds and have been enjoying them ever since.

The other day a very well known blogger posted about these very cds.  Challies posted about Songs for Saplings along with other music for children.  Challies wrote:

Songs for Saplings is James and Dana Dirksen from Porland, Oregon. They have recorded four albums, one of which follows an A,B,C format while the other three are questions and answers, much like a catechism. I suppose these albums will largely appeal to younger children. They are quiet and acoustic.

He is correct in his assessment of the cds. They are geared toward younger children. But they are beneficial for the entire family.  The catechism cds do appeal to older children more and more in the second and third cds.  There is a great variety in the style of music on each cd. You can even listen to excerpts on their website.

What I love about them is that the children (and us parents) learn the great truths presented in the Westminster Catechism which is derived directly from scripture. Each question and answer also contains the scripture that teaches the truth. This way your children are not only learning the doctrinal truth but the scriptures that proclaim that truth.

Songs for Saplings is a ministry of the Dirksen family and this is what they state on their website.

We create lively, fun songs that attempt to deliver the deepest of Biblical truth in a format that your children will love to listen to. We want them to understand who God is and what He has done, as well as what He wants your children to do and to be. We hope that you will benefit from these CDs and use them to help teach your children about our God and his great love for us.

With Christmas time approaching, what better gift could you give than the gift of music which teaches and proclaims the greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ?!

I am pleased to announce that I can offer you a 20% discount off of your order when you buy CDs from their website. This includes the “12-pack bulk pack” which a lot of people order for gift-giving. This does however exclude the 24 and 48 CD bulk packs, which are already heavily discounted.

All you need to do is enter the following code as you go through the checkout: mamaarcher
It’s really simple.

Hopefully you will find this really helpful as you order CDs this Christmas!

As you seek to grow your little saplings……

into strong oaks of righteousness…

Songs for Saplings can be a musical and fun tool for you and your family to use and enjoy!

that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
(Isaiah 61:3b)

Visit SONGS FOR SAPLINGS and order your CDs today! Order some for your friends and family too! Don’t forget to enter the discount code for your 20% off!

Please leave a comment and let me know if you plan on making a purchase and what you think of their music and ministry!

Regardless of whether you order, please tweet, email, and share on Facebook so that others can take advantage of the discount offer!

It has been a busy few days around here.  I had my 38 week appointment on Wednesday and our son was born on Thursday afternoon.  All went well and both baby and I are doing great.  I am glad that he was NOT born this past Saturday.  Our last baby turned two years old on Saturday and I wanted so much for each of the children to have their very own birthday.  Thank the Lord for granting that request.

So, the baby was born on Thursday the 11th at 3:14 pm.  He weighed in at a tiny little 7 pounds and 8 ounces and was 19 inches long.  He is beautiful and just perfect.  He is so laid back and is just as sweet as can be.

We came home from the hospital on the 13th ( my 2 year olds birthday) at about 4:30pm.  She is sick and was running a fever and had been waiting so patiently for her birthday party.  It was just a short family birthday and she felt pretty miserable.  A few hours later my hubby ended up taking her to the ER.  She has pneumonia AGAIN and an ear infection.  What a way to celebrate your birthday, huh?  She is starting to feel better.  A lady at church this morning gave her a big batch of helium balloons for her birthday.  I think that was wonderful.  It extended her birthday a bit and she was feeling better and able to enjoy it more.

As you can see it has been a bit crazy around here.

So here are a couple of photos to share with you………………….

First, here is our new son, Nathan Asher.  He’s a handsome one if I do say so myself!!!

Here is one of the birthday girl!

And a shot of them together………

I am abundantly blessed!!

I am soooo ready to have this little bundle!  I am used to delivering early by a week or two and I am hoping that will be the case this time.  I am more than ready to pop!  I wonder if after reading the list below you will agree with me.

You know it is time to have your baby when:

• You notice that people no longer look at you but at your belly.
• You have practically outgrown every maternity outfit you own.
• It takes either help or five full minutes to roll over in bed.
• You notice 80 year olds walking better and at a faster pace than yourself.
• People have been asking for two months if the baby is due any day.
• People comment about HOW big you are and that you definitely LOOK ready.
• Walking up the stairs makes you as winded as running a marathon normally would.
• After only being home  for 12 days (from a seven month deployment) your hubby says it is time for you have that baby because it seems like you have been pregnant forever!
• You use your belly not only as a table but it is a very stable table.
• You begin to believe that getting out of the bathtub should be considered an Olympic event!
• When you step on the scale you wonder why your husband’s weight is registering!
• You have at least one moment a day when you cry because you just don’t think you can carry this heavy weight even two steps longer.
• You start having the recurrent pregnancy nightmare of delivering in the car and ruining the interior of the nice vehicle.
• You begin to think you could breath fire because the heartburn is winning out over that bottle of Tums you carry everywhere with you.

MOST OF ALL:

• Because it would be so much better to hold that sweet baby in your arms, see what he looks like, caress the soft baby skin, and be able to breath once again!

The day finally came! And it came earlier than we had anticipated!  My hubby is home from Afghanistan!  All the children except our oldest (he had to work) went to the airport with me.  We waited for  a while and the children were a little restless as they waited but they did a good a job.

One lady who arrived from a different flight saw my daughter holding the sign we had specially made for our reunion.  She approached her and told her to please give her dad a big hug and kiss for her and to say thank you and that many were very proud of him.  It caused my daughter a bit of a shock.  After all who is this strange lady asking her to kiss her dad for her.  LOL  But it made me cry and I told the the lady would we tell him and thank you.

I was a little concerned about whether the youngest ( not quite two years old yet) would remember her daddy.  Skype is an amazing tool and I think it helped a lot in this regard.  One of my older daughters was taking photos so we didn’t get the shot I would have liked to have had.  It was priceless to me and I will remember it forever.  When her daddy came walking toward her, the three siblings closest in age to her went running.

She stood there in what seemed like shock with her arms outstretched for a several seconds before she could even seem to get her feet to move!  Then she went running into her daddy’s arms.  She recognized him and was so thrilled to see her daddy!

We are all so very glad to have our family back together again.  It seems a bit strange to be honest.

Hubby is adjusting to being back in the states.  He is still adjusting to the cooler weather here at home. Things like walking into a grocery store seem strange to him.  Not hearing the big guns on a regular basis and not having sand filled air seems strange to him.  He has forgotten which drawer the silverware is kept in.  But he is glad to be home and we are so glad to have him home.  He is still not sleeping well.  So pray for him. Between the time difference and his Afghanistan dreams sleep has been difficult.

He has also jumped right in at home.  He was surprised at the amount of lightbulbs that needed to be changed. (hanging my head in shame, LOL)  He has done several small repairs already.  One thing that is strange to me but also a nice break is that our youngest has changed from crying out for Momma in the middle of night to crying out for Daddy.

So, he is home and life is grand.  Blogging may be a bit sparser than usual just because we are enjoying time together as a family. Hubs gets two weeks off and we plan on enjoying every minute of it together.

“Welcome home Dear, we love you and are so very, very happy to have you home!”

Today is my husband’s birthday.  He is still in Afghanistan but should be home soon.  I miss him dearly.  I am so anxious for him to finally arrive safe and sound here at home in Alaska!  I am so very thankful for him!

I am so very proud of him too!  We found out a week or so ago that he was selected for major and should hopefully be pinning on his new rank sometime around May. He works so hard and gives so much to others!

I love you darling!  Happy birthday!  See you soon!

I am not sure about the exact details of how this all came about.  But there is a lady that my hubby has conversed with while over in Afghanistan.  She runs a support the troops group.  Most of the ladies in her circle are from Washington State plus a few others.  This is a wonderful group of Christian ladies!

She has sent my hubby several things that he has needed over in Afghanistan including a projector screen to be used in worship services.  During one of the many conversations this lady found out that we were expecting a baby and the idea of a baby shower via USPS was born.  My hubby never told me about this conversation.  He just waited until I mentioned what was going on.

One day a couple of months ago I received a package in the mail from someone that I do not know.  The package was full of handmade crocheted baby items in boy colors.  There was also a letter from the leader of this group.  She explained how she and her friends were supporting the troops at FOB Wright (where hubby is) with care packages and prayer.  She was excited to hear about the baby boy we are expecting and that she was thrilled to be able to put together this baby shower. Then she thanked me for sacrificing so much by having my hubby off to war and holding down the home front for our family.

I was stunned.  I simply could not believe it!  There were so many sweet little things in that package and I was very thankful for the generosity of the ladies in this group.   I was even more thankful that they took the time to acknowledge the sacrifice of each member of our family!  Little did I realize that everything in that package was from just that one lady!  For the last month or so I have received two or three packages a week in the mail containing cards, words of encouragement, prayers and support, blessings for our new little one, and a cute little baby gift!  All from people who do not even know us!

What an outpouring of love and gratitude!  Though it really shouldn’t, it often amazes me when people display the love of Christ so vividly especially to those they do not even know.  I will be ever grateful for the support of these dear ladies who care so very much for others!

Though the baby gifts are fun to receive I think the love and support is the greatest gift they gave!  Lord, thank you for these sweet ladies!  Bless their ministry to our troops and their families!

I remember my little preemie girl. She was born 33 weeks gestational age and weighed in at 4 pounds and 8 ounces and 17 1/2 inches long. Her little head would fit in my hubby’s hand with his fingers wrapping around her head. She seemed so small especially compared to her older brother who weighed in over 9 pounds when he was born.

Today, she is far from that tiny little one she once was. She turns 18 years old today. She has been such a blessing to us and God has grown her into a godly young woman and I am so very proud of her!

Happy birthday! We love you!!

She is finally four! She has been counting down and the day has arrived at last!  We celebrated with friends and siblings at Chucky Cheese.  She was thrilled with her gifts!  She especially likes her big doll.  Happy birthday to our sweet, spunky, curly headed little BIG girl!  We love you!!

Since daddy left about four months ago there has been a lot of television and movie watching around this house. First trimester yuckiness also added to the laziness around here, not to mention the extremely rainy summer. Sadly, the television has been on A LOT!

I have been thinking about cutting back for a long time but never had the real energy it takes to stick to my guns! All that has changed in the last two weeks. I do not know what did it but I am on a mission! I have found myself saying no just about all day long. We are far from where we should be. We still watch way to much but at least that box isn’t on all day long anymore. Even the Wii is on a break because it needs the television to be on to use it!

It has been hard. Like any addiction, it is hard to kick the habit. It takes more energy to use your imagination than it does to just sit and watch. Even though I have my 8 year old and 3 year old trying to convince me “it doesn’t rot their brain, they learn”, I am sticking to my guns! So, there have been a few tears. There has been a lot of “I’m bored!” There is still the constant asking. BUT there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My children are starting to play again. They are using their imaginations! Their toys are actually being played with! We are making progress.

The television is still on too much but we are moving ahead. Once we are in full school mode we will be cutting back even more. It is so refreshing to see my children playing, imagining, and learning rather than just sitting zombified in front of the television! It is hard but so very worth it!

Does any one else struggle with this in their home? If so, do you have any tips or tricks that made it easier?