Psalm 23:1~ (sort of..)

We have begun teaching our sweet 5 yo the 23rd Psalm this week.

Tonight he very proudly began reciting...

"The Lord is my chef; I shall not want.."

Of course, who else would prepare a table ;o). I love the way little minds work.. I love teaching our children about the Shepherd. Child-like faith is precious to behold.

Lord, thank you for these precious blessings who you use to teach me about YOU.

Wordless Wednesday~

Life With Boys~

Yesterday at church I was standing in the perpetually long line for the ladies restroom..

Someone at the back of the line asked "So Renee. How many children do you and Jim have now..??"

I took a deep breath and said, "Eleven."

As I feared... the restroom gasped in unison...

Then the next question..."How many boys and how many girls...???"

Seven boys.. and well at that point... it's always just all over. "Seven boys???"

Yes, seven boys. It makes me gasp too.

It does sound like a lot..O.K. it is a lot.. but they are so sweet, and fun, and loud, and helpful, and loud, and so loving, and, hysterically funny.., and I confess there are times I look at Jim and ask "Do we have no common sense?" and then he tells me about the Baja Dune Buggy Car that he saw at the store which would be so fun...and I think "Common sense left the building a long time ago...."And I would not have it any other way :o)

We are SO blessed. TRULY , TRULY blessed, and each day I am thankful to be the wife and Mama of this household...They will all be grown and gone far too soon, and I am trying to savor each moment...even the loud ones.



Our Sweet 5 yo came in for an early morning snuggle and chat today...

He said: "Mama, when I am 7 I am going to buy an IPod."

Me: "Oh, really?"

Him: "Yes, I have twenty dollars saved, so by the time I am 7.. I will have enough.

Me: "Wow, that's awesome. Keep working hard and keep saving your money."

Him: " I think I want a blue one."

Me: "Not orange?"

Him: "No. BLUE....Ummm.. Mama???

Yes: What's an Ipod?

:o)

This afternoon as I was putting our 3 year old son for a nap ..

3 yo: Mama, when I grow up I am going to be a firefighter. I am going to put water on people's homes, and make the fire all gone. Jesus will be so proud of me. And you .. You can make me dinner :o)



It is the boys' job to sweep the floors after every meal. Lately as they sweep they have begun to have jam sessions on their brooms. Here they are with their "guitar brooms"..


I don't think I have ever gotten airborne while doing my chores. I might need to try that...
Ooops guitar broom to the head.Phew! It looks like everything will be o.k...



And Mom, I must say I tell them the wise words you gave us every day..

The trouble with trouble is... It starts out as fun...

Mark 12:33~

Mark 12:33 To love him (God) with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Saturday Evening is get ready for church evening....

Tonight the girls asked me to roll their hair.

Eben and Joel were mesmerized by this process of adding curls to one's hair. They quickly jumped in to help.

They are so eager to try anything new, and they are so eager to be a blessing.. I love the Ghanaian way ..that is how they say it. "Please, let me be a blessing to you. " They frequently admonish each other "Please, do .... it blesses Mummy""

We ended up with a whole crew of hair stylists and a precious memory..


Our children teach me so much. May I be so willing to try something new, and may I seek to be a blessing to those around me.

Galatians 5:13~

Let us serve one another in love.. Galatians 5:13

Tonight I was putting the Little Ones to bed when 4 of the older children came giggling up the stairs. It was the sort of giggle that makes a Mom think "Hmmm.. I should investigate this."

I continued on with our routine..story time, song time, prayer time, kissy time all the while aware that "something" was going on.

As they would file past the door there would be a smile.. a giggle.. a wave..

When the last little one was tucked I went to see what the children were up to.

Imagine my surprise to find them cleaning the bathrooms from top to bottom. They were having a wonderful time and giddy over their surprise.

What a blessing!

Happy Valentine's Day!~

Happy Valentine's Day!

We hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Thank you Mimi for the wonderful Valentine's and stickers! We opened them over lunch. They made our day very special. We love and miss you!

We had a quiet err o.k. not really quiet..but a lovely candlelight dinner for 13. It was an evening of love and much laughter. We couldn't ask for anything more.

We tried to include everyone's favorite dish.. Here is our 5 yo with his mashed potatoes. Oh, how he loves his mashed potatoes. He said they were almost as good as Aunt Deboo's..high praise :o) that made me smile.
Here is the "Buffet" and our sons explaining to their brother why it is fun to eat by candlelight. Apparently, the thrill is lost on children who have lived most of their lives without electricity. They thought it was so odd, but the spicy chicken wings and rice more than made up for our weirdness.
Thank you Jesus for your love , and the blessings you have showered upon us!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!
We love you ALL!

Colossians 1:16~

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16

Zoo Day!

The kiddies and I had a wonderful day at the zoo yesterday. It was so much fun to see the sights through Eben and Joel's eyes as they saw their first elephants, and giraffes, squirrel monkeys, and many more animals....

It was such a great reminder to see what an awesome and creative God we serve. Nothing is too hard for Him who can create such wonders!!!!

Eben and Joel absolutely loved it. Eben's favorite animals were the zebras and Joel was taken with the giraffes. We are all just fascinated by the squirrel monkeys. They are just so cute and fun.

Eben and Joel laughed and laughed when they saw the goats at the petting zoo..

"They are so fat!" " Their stom-achs are so *BIG*!" "Goats in Ghana have small stom-ach. In America they have big, big stom-achs".

It was a blessed day, and we were blessed with many memories to treasure. Thanks be to the Lord! ~

I still haven't been able to get a really good picture of all 11 children together. I take pictures all the time, but for some reason I never think to take a group shot unless we are on our way out the door...

This leads to hurried shots, and blocked faces..and little ones making weird faces..

Then there are times I simply cut a family member out of the shot..unintentionally of course.

Then there are moments when one simply does not want their picture taken...I find this picture so amusing...
The older three (and Baby Girl)

The Oldest Son...Smiling and giving me the shoulder to indicate that *someone* is not cooperating..

The Other two smiling dutifully...

Daughter #2...Smiling, but silently pleading with the Little Resistor..

Daughter #3 Smiling dutifully and fully accessorized as always..

Poor Joel..has a deer in the headlights expression..
Older 5 yo..wondering if anyone is going to get the Little Resistor in line..

Younger 5 yo blinded by the sun..but smiling dutifully..
The 3 yo is a man of action. He's trying to coax the Little Resistor into the line-up..

The Little Resistor contemplating what he should do...He's a Cute Little Resistor :o)
We'll keep trying :o)

Matthew 10:42~

42"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42

A drink of water..a blanket for an Ethiopian newborn...

If the Lord leads you please go and visit Mary as she hosts a "Party" on her Blog to raise money to give blankets to impoverished Ethiopian Mothers who often leave the hospital with nothing for their little babies.

We are so blessed to have the luxury of choosing from a myriad of outfits and blankets to bring our little ones home in. It's hard to imagine not having anything to wrap up a new babe to protect them from the elements.

Mary is a Mom to 10. She is an adoptive Mom also with 2 sons from Korea and 4 daughters from Ethiopia.

Mary's Mom, Dad, and sister will be traveling to volunteer at Soddo Hospital this summer.

Our 5 yo son is from Soddo, so this area holds a special place in our hearts.

Also, Mary's Sister.. Sophie was used mightily by God to save our little Wee Babe's life. She has cared for all three of our Ethiopian sons while they were in orphanages. We are so excited to see how God is going to use her again .

So, if God leads you HERE IS HOW TO GET TO THE PARTY