Piper~ " I don't know why people think six (children) is too much. It doesn't seems like that many to me... Sometimes it doesn't feel like enough!"
I love that girl, she cracks me up!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Favorite Quote of the Week
As we were sitting down for dinner...
Piper~ " I don't know why people think six (children) is too much. It doesn't seems like that many to me... Sometimes it doesn't feel like enough!"
I love that girl, she cracks me up!
Piper~ " I don't know why people think six (children) is too much. It doesn't seems like that many to me... Sometimes it doesn't feel like enough!"
I love that girl, she cracks me up!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Why Big Families Are Easier
* This was taken from another site(MckMamma) who took it from another site(not sure:-). But when I read it I LOVED it and thought it was completely true and wanted to share.Hope you enjoy it!
Why big families are easier:
Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.
Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.
Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.
Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.
Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.
Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.
Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)
Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.
Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.
Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.
Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.
Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.
Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.
Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.
Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.
Why big families are easier:
Patience. I never have to teach patience. My children know that I can’t drop everything for them if I have a baby in my arms.
Work Ethic. My children have learned to work because there are always chores to do in a small house packed with little messy lunatics. And they all learn quickly that sometimes they have to clean up a mess even though they didn’t make it.
Humility. My children have learned it’s not always their turn. They’ve accepted they can’t always get their way because other people have to get their way sometimes. They’ve learned that some children are better at certain things than they are.
Foreign language skills. You can learn a lot of Spanish by watching ten years of Dora the Explorer that you just can’t pick up in two. And now with the Diego spin off I’m practically fluent.
Laughter. The children have learned to laugh at the insane non sequiturs of younger siblings. They’ve learned that laughing just feels better when seven people are doing it along with you.
Competition. Do I really need to go into this? Everything is a competition in big families. The children compete over who reads faster, who drinks their milk faster, who gets to the bathroom first…etc. Everything is a competition and they’re all keeping score.
Balance. The floor of the front room of my home is a minefield of toys and childhood paraphernalia. Just walking through the room requires great skill and balance. I’m absolutely convinced my two year old will be a favorite for Gold on the balance beam in the 2016 Olympics. (She might have to lay off the cookies a little but I’ll deal with that later.)
Life isn’t fair. Sometimes you just give it to the baby because you want a little quiet. Not all the time. But sometimes.
Just say “No.” Being able to say “no” may be the most undervalued skill in this world. The need to be liked is pervasive. The need to be cool even more so. Having brothers and sisters teaches children to say “no” about 143 times a day. It’s a good skill.
Praying. They learn that nothing beats praying together as a family.
Nature/Nurture. Having many children has taught me that nature has a lot more to do with who my kids are than nurture. This is helpful, especially when your children misbehave you don’t have to feel bad about it. Just say “Stupid nature!!!” and blame your spouse’s genes.
Namecalling. You can occasionally call your child by the wrong name and still not be considered a terrible parent. They know who you mean just from your tone. Sometimes if you need something done you can call the wrong name and someone will still show up. That helps.
Spying. My children have learned that they can’t get away with anything. I have spies who look a lot like them who are willing to drop the dime on them for anything. Even at school I’ve got a child in just about every grade. If they do something I’ll hear. That keeps them nervous. And I like keeping my kids a little nervous.
Friendship. The children have many friends. They’ve got girly friends, crying friends, fun loving friends, consoling friends, and crazy friends. And they all have the same last name. And they’ll be there forever for each other. No matter what.
Love. I think my children have learned to love because there are others around them to love and who love them. I honestly can think of no better way to teach children to love than siblings.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Leaving the Country Update
Whew, THAT was a long title! I really didn't know what else to call it though and as I stated in my previous post, I am tired:-). Some of you have been following along every step of the way and some have given up long ago. Well, who could blame them! We have been trying to get overseas permanently for about 7 years now:-).
Things are looking up though:-). We are scheduled to be appointed as missionaries in March. Two weeks later James will pack his stuff and say goodbye to his co-workers... then we get to the fun stuff. Crating. Oh, crating. I have spent hours thinking of what we should take and what we should leave. Have made many lists. Have lost much sleep. Okay, maybe not missed much sleep but it really feels like I could:-). I think I have it worked out and have made the "final draft" of the list. Now, we have a section of the living room marked off in order to see if the things we want to take will actually fit into the space we are allotted. Oh the joy! Really, though, this is a joy I could do without! Though I am thankful they let us take some things, I wish they would just decide and pack it for me:-). Wouldn't that be nice!
Back to the schedule. IF everything goes according to plan(how often does that really happen?) then we will leave KY in the middle of March to visit friends and family! Then, at the end of April we will be going to orientation/training for 8 weeks in Va. After that, we head out to Costa Rica for a year in language school. Then, we will finally be ready to go to Ecuador! Yes, you saw correctly... I said Ecuador. See what I mean about "plans". They have changed our job and actually we couldn't be more thrilled about it. The area we will be going to is one that we visited while we where in Ecuador almost two years ago. When we were there we both thought how we'd love to go to that area, but there was no work going on there at that time. But isn't God's timing amazing! There are so many incredible things that have fallen into place in the last few weeks that I don't have time to list them all, but perhaps one day...
Until then... be encouraged,God knows every detail of every situation you may find yourself in. He knows your worries even before you do... He also knows how things can best be worked out so that in the end He will receive the glory for it. May it be so in your life, through exciting times... and not so exciting times. May you continually give Him praise, and honor, and glory!!
~Heather
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7.17
Things are looking up though:-). We are scheduled to be appointed as missionaries in March. Two weeks later James will pack his stuff and say goodbye to his co-workers... then we get to the fun stuff. Crating. Oh, crating. I have spent hours thinking of what we should take and what we should leave. Have made many lists. Have lost much sleep. Okay, maybe not missed much sleep but it really feels like I could:-). I think I have it worked out and have made the "final draft" of the list. Now, we have a section of the living room marked off in order to see if the things we want to take will actually fit into the space we are allotted. Oh the joy! Really, though, this is a joy I could do without! Though I am thankful they let us take some things, I wish they would just decide and pack it for me:-). Wouldn't that be nice!
Back to the schedule. IF everything goes according to plan(how often does that really happen?) then we will leave KY in the middle of March to visit friends and family! Then, at the end of April we will be going to orientation/training for 8 weeks in Va. After that, we head out to Costa Rica for a year in language school. Then, we will finally be ready to go to Ecuador! Yes, you saw correctly... I said Ecuador. See what I mean about "plans". They have changed our job and actually we couldn't be more thrilled about it. The area we will be going to is one that we visited while we where in Ecuador almost two years ago. When we were there we both thought how we'd love to go to that area, but there was no work going on there at that time. But isn't God's timing amazing! There are so many incredible things that have fallen into place in the last few weeks that I don't have time to list them all, but perhaps one day...
Until then... be encouraged,God knows every detail of every situation you may find yourself in. He knows your worries even before you do... He also knows how things can best be worked out so that in the end He will receive the glory for it. May it be so in your life, through exciting times... and not so exciting times. May you continually give Him praise, and honor, and glory!!
~Heather
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High. Psalm 7.17
NB
Why must I be so behind in the updates? I really do think about updating more than once a month but then my head hits the pillow and I am OUT! I have NO good excuse... I sleep all night(most nights), not pregnant, not nursing, just tired:(. If there is anything that i don't like it's being tired. It's not fun, it drags me down. I think it is the lack of sunshine here... really, isn't that strange? I feel totally unmotivated when I don't see the sun. It's a terrible way to be... especially when you live in an area of the world where the sun does not seem to show itself often. Oh well, enough of that! Here are a few more photos from our TX trip...
It is tradition to hike the canyon down to the park and feed the ducks:-). So we did this about three times while we were in NB. Loved every minute!
That lovely tree with all of the big birds on it is part of what they call " Vulture Island"... there also happen to be a large colony of water rats living there at the park(nasty vermin). My father-in-law feeds them... they eat right out of his HAND!!! Just can't bring myself to try that!
Look at that sun shining on the water... oh, that I could see it now...:-).
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4.18
It is tradition to hike the canyon down to the park and feed the ducks:-). So we did this about three times while we were in NB. Loved every minute!
That lovely tree with all of the big birds on it is part of what they call " Vulture Island"... there also happen to be a large colony of water rats living there at the park(nasty vermin). My father-in-law feeds them... they eat right out of his HAND!!! Just can't bring myself to try that!
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. Proverbs 4.18
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