Naptime...

What would I do without this time? This is my devotional time, time to sit in silence, to reflect on my day. While I put each child down, I pray long, silent prayers for them. I pray as they drift off to sleep. I pray for their hearts, their future wives and husband. I pray for their purity. I pray for their faith, their strength, their health, their wisdom and their salvation. I can raise them to love the Lord. I can show them what a love- filled marriage looks and sounds like. I can take them to church, read the Holy Word to them, and pray with them, but I cannot force my faith in God on them when they are older. So, I will model now. I will guide now. I will pray without ceasing, for there will come a day when they are on their own and they will make their own choices. I want those choices to be bathed in their mother's prayer, prayer that often ends on my knees and with tears. I have been blessed with healthy, whole, intelligent and lovely babies. I don't have to pray by a hospital bedside, begging for life, begging for healing. I pray prayers of thanksgiving, thanking God for this simple and beautiful life. We have had our need for begging prayer. There have been broken bones, stitches, hurt feelings, and frustration, but we have been blessed with peace in our family. There may be a day when darkness comes and I will pray then as well. I will never stop praying for these little lives that are a part of me, part of this miracle, life.

Ella Week 19

Ella Week 18

Spring Resolutions

No, not a New Year resolution, but spring. The sun is calling me outside, but the children nap. I would love to throw on my running shoes and run....run too fast like I did on Saturday. It felt so good to get out and run, I went way to fast, ran out of steam and ended up sore, but it was ALL worth it. I will never claim to love running. I can't even say I like it. I thought my husband's obsession with it, would motivate me. I dream of days when something just switches in my mind and body and I race like a horse, not losing my breath or stamina. That has never happened. I ran a half marathon when I was 14 weeks pregnant. HUGE accomplishment. I took it SLOW, very slow and I enjoyed every minute of it. So...my spring resolution is stop beating myself up for my dis-like of running, but still get out there (or down there on the treadmill) and do it. I'll beg my hubbie to give me outside running time, but not until he has ran his marathon on April 30th. He has improved so much this year through a new training program and I can't wait to see him reach his goal.

Here's to resolutions, even if we aren't that good at them!

Ella Week 17

This is my favorite so far!!! In the words of Eli and Papa: "I love you little Sugar Plum."

Ella Week 16