9 Kids Later

First time experiences with our children leave an indelible mark. Watching them grow and reach milestones brings a delight to our hearts that is unparalleled in parenting. Baby’s first time rolling over, sitting up, crawling and walking. Taking her first step, saying his first word, getting her first tooth and then later on losing that…

One of the most difficult words for me to say to my children is NO. Yet, valuable lessons can be learned when they are denied certain things. Think of this as preparing our kids for life. Sometimes it’s essential to say no in order to protect our kids. Other times circumstances prevent us from saying…

After miscarrying my baby at eleven weeks gestation, I received cards from other moms who had also lost an unborn child. I was surprised that I had never heard most of them talk about it before. It seemed that many had grieved alone in silence. Some well-meaning people made comments that cut straight to my…

Having a large family naturally has you multi-tasking. This includes keeping track of where each of your kids is and what each one is doing. It requires finding balance as you navigate schooling, chores and outside activities. Keeping charts was helpful to our family. We had a chart for the younger children listing their chores,…

When a new baby is born, we like to figure out who he or she resembles. “She’s got her father’s nose” or ” He’s got his mother’s eyes.”Have you ever thought about how character traits are passed on to our children as well as physical traits? Or how kids adopt our behaviors or mimic our…

As we scurry around searching for the perfect Christmas gifts, wrap them, decorate the tree and house, send cards and bake, do we remember to pause in God’s presence? Jesus is the greatest gift of all, but if we’re not intentional, he can get lost in the hustle and bustle of this busy season. Jesus…

When you have a large family, it is easy for one or more of the kids to feel lost in the shuffle. In order for each of our kids to have special time alone with me and/or my husband, we had “dates” with each of them on a rotating basis. Some of the things that…

I recall when our children ranged in age from seventeen years down to one year old. Wistfully, I imagined how nice it would be if they could each stay at their current age. Of course I knew that was not realistic, but inside of me, I felt a longing to hold onto this time forever.…

The week leading up to Thanksgiving and then the weeks leading up to Christmas tend to be hectic with creating menus, shopping, decorating, wrapping gifts and deep cleaning before company arrives. Excitement fills the air as we recall fond memories of past holidays and anticipate celebrating together again.  The senses are awakened by all of…

This past month brought unexpected changes. Our youngest child suddenly moved away from home. Although he’s in a safe place and is doing well, it has been an emotionally challenging adjustment for me. I think it is natural for a mom to view her youngest child as “the baby” forever. It’s hard to picture your…