Friday, January 05, 2007

This N That

Well since Zach went back to work yesterday we went back to school. It has been an easier transition than I thought it would be, but by the time we're done with lunch I am ready for a nap! It has been nice to get back into our routine again and to feel a bit productive. The ironic thing is that yesterday I puked twice- once at night and once in the morning. Go figure, the day that Zach's gone! At least for the most part you feel better afterwards, but it is so gross...sometimes I think I'd rather feel miserable all day. I am hoping it all passes soon, but tonight I'm feeling icky again. It is weird how nighttime is worse than the rest of the day, although all day long I feel sick.

Little Princess began learning about insects yesterday and it has been fun learning with her! Little Man has some Big Backyard magazines so I think I may supplement some with those and learn even more about insects! I hate bugs, but it is interesting learning about them! Little Man had fun doing some matching today and I love seeing his smile of pride when he does things right! It has been fun watching Cuddly Boy play with whatever sibling isn't doing school at the time. Today Cuddly Boy and Little Man were reading books together! Yesterday Little Princess made me a kite. It is pretty creative. I love when they do things like that out of the blue. Now she just made me a red heart! Little Man loves to draw things and one day he drew Batman and it was quite good! He'll probably be a good artist like his dad!

Have you ever read Janette Oke Love Comes Softly series? I read them a LONG time ago. They are quite good and easy reading. They are making the books (at least some of them) into movies. I had requested the movies for Christmas and got the first three. The past two nights the kids and I watched the first two. I had seen the first one before as we had rented it, so I knew what was going to happen. I still managed to cry! It has been a long time since I've read the books so I don't remember everything that happens. Last night I even cried in the second one. Sometimes it is nice to have a good girly movie to watch and cry with! The kids even enjoy watching them and they are good, clean Christian movies. It is nice to find a movie that the whole family can watch.

Today it was pretty mild out so after Zach came home we took the kids to the park. It is weird to think its January and we're playing at the park! We had some thunderstorms in the wee morning hours that I guess produced a tornado about 1/2 hour away. I tell ya, one time that thunder boomed and I must have jumped a mile and just gripped onto Cuddly Boy, who was sleeping in my arms. At least we didn't get all of the rain they were predicting. It was a beautiful, sunny day out.

The kids have been fighting over the sex of the baby lately. Today Little Man said that if its a girl he's going to kick her. I think no matter what they end up with they'll be happy. I keep trying to tell them that we're so blessed to have a baby coming into our family that it doesn't matter if its a boy or a girl. I think it is so sad that today people put so many limitations on how many children they'll have. We get so many comments, even from people at church..."I can barely handle 2" "After 2 we took care of that" etc. Whatever happened to looking into the Word that says that children are a blessing and reward? People feel so burdened by parenting nowadays and it really saddens me. It isn't always easy no matter how many children we have, but why cut off the blessings the Lord can give us? I guess they are calling it the 'Quiverfull Movement' and they even had something about it on Nightline. I mention Nancy Campbell from Above Rubies alot. She is briefly interviewed! I can't even imagine thinking that "I am done" with the children I now have. I have no idea how many more we'll be blessed with- be it 1 or 6, but I will see it as a blessing and take as many as I am rewarded. Anyway, didn't mean to get into that big spiel...


8 comments:

Amie said...

My mom got me "Love Comes Softly" for Christmas, and she said she will get me the others for my bday. I do like that series, and the Canadian West series even more.

I've know about the Quiverfull movement/mindset for several years. There a some things I agree with, and some things I don't. Of course there are actually little subsets of thinking within it.

Christine said...

I have the first 3 movies of the Jeanette Oake series, and I love them. The latest movie, the fourth one, is out at Walmart, Love's Abiding Joy. I saw it in the movie theater a few months ago and it is the best! My only advice is to have a whole box of tissues ready...especially with pregnancy hormones.
I am sorry that you are going through persecution about your family's size. I truly admire that you are holding fast to your convictions, no matter how hard it is. I used to go to a church where people would say "Is this your last?", when I was expecting my second child.It is definitely difficult when Christians give you a hard time about family size. Most are just so deceived about the blessings of children.Nancy Campbell has truly been an instrument of the Lord in so many lives! Prayers for you!

Choppzs said...

Ahhh, screw all those people, they suck anyways! lol Just tell them "Well we make such cute babies, and have such fun doing it, we figure we'll just keep going!" See what their reactions are!

Anonymous said...

I thought choppzs comment pretty funny. Hope you don't follow her suggestion in her first sentence, after the first comma that is! Still can't stop laughing. I just tell people I will take how many grandchildren I am blessed with since the lose of the last one. I do however hope there is some point that you don't go on forever and ever with the childbearing! Do you think I will be able to manage being a grandmother the older I keep getting? I will love them all no matter how many there may be.

Jamie said...

LOL Yep, I laughed at her comment too! You should read one of her latest posts...Zach and I were cracking up. Choppzs is Zach's cousin. One of the many that I have yet to meet! I like her advice though...what a great comment when people say stuff! That'll really get them thinking;) You never know how many God will bless you with, like I said. We'll take what He gives us! You are a young grandma so you can do it!!!

Risa said...

I love the "Love Comes Softly" series and have read them a few times but I have only seen the first movie. I'd like to see the rest but don't usually think about it when we are in the video store! :)

I am praying for you that you would be able to feel better ALL the time! :) I was that same way that you are with Jozie but I was going to college at the time. My friends thought it was pretty sick that I could go and throw up right before lunch and then go and eat a bowl of mashed potatos! :P I also had a night class, from 6-10 once a week. I BARELY passed that class because I was never there, I was just too sick that time of the day to go! Believe me, I feel your pain and I know what you are going through! :)

I totally agree with having as many children as you can...I love children, especially mine:)! But I also believe that there comes a time for some people where they have to make a decision as to how much they are able to actually feed all of these children. Some people have monitary constraints on their lives that limit them to how many children they can actually afford. Some people choose to give the few children that they have a better life and at the same time trying not to stretch the budget even farther to where if there were more children than they would all suffer because there isn't enough to go around.

If our family had the ability to afford more children, we would love to have them but when you homeschool 2, which is more expensive than most people realize, and pay child support for 3 (which is about half of our income), than more children aren't really possible, especially when we can't even aford to live in our own house.

Please don't take this wrong, I hope you guys can have many more children! :) I just wanted you to see things from a different perspective and hope you can understand things from a differnt point of view. I guess I don't feel any less blessed because I "only" have 2 children. There are times that I feel bummed because I know that more children in our family isn't a possibility right now or anywhere in our near future.

Jamie said...

Risa, I understand what you are saying and I did not want to come across as saying people who have X amount of children are not blessed, because ALL children are a blessing. Even people with the 'Quiverfull' mindset sometimes end up having one or two children. I'm not saying we need to live in poverty and struggle to feed our many children but sometimes people put limitations on God. We don't need the name brand clothing, brand new curriculum, etc... God can provide no matter how many children. No matter how many we have we will struggle at times financially. I understand the boat you are in and can't imagine some of the struggles you must face with not having your own home and having step-children you barely see and having so much money going out to them. I hope I am making sense in what I am saying. We don't believe in birth control and believe that with 1 or 12 children that God will provide all our needs, even if at times it is trying. I hope I make sense...

Jodie said...

hopefully you'll start to feel better in a couple more weeks - I feel so bad for you