I need Thee every hour...

listening to Keith Green Radio on Pandora today. Like his kind of music or not, this guy was ON FIRE for the Lord.
I need that encouragement today. I need Him (Jesus Christ, not Keith) every hour.

Reading the Word, sometimes it doesn't make sense or I wonder how it can apply to my life today...and then He delivers.
Invest the time.

Pray for this little chicky. She is not feeling well today. This is a pic from a few weeks  ago but this is what she's doing right now. So much for getting caught up on math and phonics today, ya know?? (choose joy)

Pulled this card out today. It's been on my dresser since Lori sent it to me over a month ago.
Thank you for remembering our boy, Lori. It means so much to me and I know you know this.
Today, Jack Oliver would've been 2 and a half. How different our lives would be!
I will miss him every day that I walk on earth.
Happy 2.5 birthday, sweet wild haired boy.

This is how sad and lonely  his grave looks right now. Forest Lawn posted a sign back in October that they were actually going to clean up Babyland, so gitchyo stuff cleaned up. I do every fall anyways. It's pretty messy out there, some stuff has been out there as long as Jack's shell has and longer. kinda sad and seemingly forgotten. I know it's not. I know Baby Jack next to our Jack's family comes out and Eniah's momma, and Brycen's momma, probably Michael's too. I never see anyone but you know.

hi.

So much for blogging every other day, huh?? Hard to believe that the last weekend of 2013 has come and gone. It was an eventful weekend. Piper spent the night with us on Friday night (love that sweet little girl!!) and Molly went to Aunt Beck's for a slumber party with Nora and Phebe, who will be here for one more week. From what I hear, those 3 got along well. ;)

Saturday! We went ICE SKATING (I didn't), for which I shall blog about later. I need to go get my pix off of FB, along with the Young Christmas pics that I said I'd get last week. From there, Charlie and Duncan came to spend the night and shoot each other's eyeballs out (with air soft guns no less, and yes, they were wearing protection and from what I also hear, boys like to get shot...what?) with Will and Ethan, and occasionally Levi. We have been trying to encourage Levi's sense of boyhood adventure by getting him a bb gun for Christmas. You'll shoot your eye out, kid.

and they did try to.

We took the boys to church with us yesterday and then they came back home with us for the afternoon. to shoot their eye balls out some more.

I worked on NYE hats for a party we are going to tomorrow night. how fun is THAT?? well, I'll try to blog about that later on too.

Since I will be home for the day, maybe later today even.

As I stated above, Jack would be 2.5 today. So weird to think of that. In some ways, it is pretty fresh. In other ways, it seems to have happened in another life or time. or to someone else. He will forever be a part of our family and I will always say his name. I've been dreaming of his birth a lot lately. I think I blogged that the other day...it's sad that my boy didn't make it. he was so perfect, whole, even healthy. Darn that knot.

for real.

I'm so thankful for that time, for the presence of the Lord that I believe came into our home. He's always been with us, never left us but until I actually "wanted", "invited", truly realized my need for HIM, I was grasping at straws....

So yeah, I'd never wish this scenario on anyone. Unless it meant LIFE to them. even then, I'd pray for some other way.     Who knows where my family would've ended up. The presence of the Lord is a very real thing in our lives. Each one of our lives. The peace that only comes from HIM is present in our lives. Look up. don't look at the darkness around you, and lemme tell you....these are some seriously DARK days. (Save me from this present darkness)


Matthew 5:14
Ye are the Light of the World. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

The first chapter of the book of John.
IS AWESOME. read it.


Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth.
For the tiny heart whose blood would save us
Whose fragile fingers would heal us
Thank You.

Blessed be Your name

Merry Christmas and a very JOYous 2014 to you!!

Present passage

The best of friends and the worst of enemies. Frenemies. yeah, that's it.

Mom and Dad with their grand kiddies. If I remember correctly, Duncan is posing like a super model because he had a scratch on his nose. or was it a zit? funny kid.

so somehow, Mel ends up in most of Tom's pics (whose pictures these are, thank you very much my brother). Will and Duncan.

So glad we got to celebrate Christmas with Phebe, Andy's daughter, this year. She will be 8 in January. Such a spunky cutie.

Pretty ladies

This is where she was tossing the wrapping paper into the air. I think. 

Love my family. 

Molly, sniffing and loving her new handmade American Girl bunk bed. Uncle Scott built these, one for each of his lovelies, one for Molly, one for Phebe. It is honestly the cutest thing ever. Beck made the mattresses, quilts and pillows. adorable!!

My entire side of the family, even Jack the Bear...who is hiding behind Gramma's head.  

My poor poor blog.
So neglected.
Shall I make it a New Year's resolution to blog at least every other day? I think so.

In all seriousness, I'm sitting here, finding it rather hard to believe that it is now the 27th day of December...the days leading up to Christmas are such a whirlwind...as much as I try to keep my schedule "quieter"...to no avail...kapow!! annnnnd, here we are, two days after the big day. never ceases to amaze me.

In these quiet moments of post Christmas days (or is it daze??), I can thank the Lord for how He always gets me through stuff...how He provides comfort, relief, joy, peace...and it's in these days that I vow to make the following Christmas a little more Christ-centered and a little less commercial. I do believe we keep it pretty low key...

On Christmas Eve, we drove over to NickNat's house for the afternoon/evening festivities. My mother in law and Natalie put out an impressive spread of roast, potatoes, carrots, Beef House rolls (oh. my. goshhhhh), casseroles, desserts...followed by a game or two, and then presents!! It was a really nice day and a blessed time.

We got home after 1 a.m., did our annual Christmas jammies, cookies out for make-believe  Santa and then I wrapped pressies till almost 4. Needless to say, I hadn't done much leading up to then. I slack. Another resolution for 2014?? less slacking on all fronts. hahaha. these words may come back to haunt me.

I love that my kids aren't up at 7 am to open presents but it leads me to think a few thoughts....the main one being that they know the presents are just not worthy of getting out of bed (haha. I know my kids do not think this)...we aren't the kinds of people that get big things...I think we do that stuff throughout the year, actually. Like a bike or guitar or something big that they want. Also, money is tight when you have five kids....and frivolously buying things just to buy them is not what we do. I read or heard of many people through Facebook that spent ridiculous amounts of money on their kids.

Our kids just want us to spend time with them. Being available is a priceless gift. Living life with them and learning together is a priceless gift that I hope David and I have done for our kids. We are far from perfect in this area. not even close....so thankful for each one of them and the ways that I learn from them.

Back to Christmas...shooooo-eeeeeeeee (sorry, Molly has just spent some time outside with E, shooting her new bow and arrows and she smells like a giant worm! bleh)...after we spent our time together, opening gifts, eating the annual frittata, cleaning up...we got ready for the trek up to Beck and Scott's house for lunch, pictures and presents. Mom made a mean batch of traditional Christmas lasagna, we opened presents and then proceeded to take the fam pix you see above. It's cool that my brother and his kids (minus Phebe, who lives in FL with her mom) live here now. A lovely day indeed!

It has become a tradition over the years, to attend a Christmas movie...last year, The Hobbit, this year The Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug...awesome movie. Ethan stayed home with Molly and Levi, since he'd seen it already...(and can I say what a guy? He watched Barbie: A Pony Tale with Molly and Despicable Me 2 with them. He is amazing with kids). I was quite glad that Moll and Levi weren't there because I find the Orcs and the gigantic dragon slightly frightening. They would've been skeered. (and we were in the second row)....

I'm rambling now. I am not feeling particularly super great. I feel like I have a Hobbit sitting on my head and a rumbly in my tumbly.

Tonight, Piper will be coming to spend the night, sweet girl. Molly is heading to Beck's house for a girl cousin slumber party with Nora and Phebe. Should be interesting. :/  :)

I will try to get some pix of the Young side up, as they are all in my phone still. (I have become lousy about taking pix consistently, as someone else always is.)

Hope you enjoy this glimpse into Christmas 2013. (glad I survived yet another holiday)

a crazy picturepalooza!

Apparently, I stole his heart. LOL!

This was the 10/31 birthday boy!! right before he had a haircut.

this is my good friend, Christie, throwing a hot dog at my head. Look closely.

here...a close up. funnnnny!

Lela, Christie and I.

Carl, Valley Girl and Audrey Hepburn

These pics of Will are just a taste of the senior pix that Natalie of NRS Photography took on 10/26-10/27.

Sunday, 11/10/13 walk thru Bloomington. Such a beautiful day.

Leave her there. haha. kiddin'

Riding up the glass elevator at the Fountain Square Mall in B-town

Everything is all Christmas-y. 

a cool pic of a statute and the moon

this window...love

this portapotty....LMBO

my children and I.          love

This building...the Showers something or other...is so cool! There is also a very cool Antique mall we need to go to...3 levels. Kellie??? it's on 7th. let's go!

this is the look that reminds me of her dad. and I love her lil ruby red lips.
she may be my favorite living child. ;)

what. a. guy. this face of pure joy just makes my heart burst. 

Will's new 'do and the beautiful Mel.

my adorable nieces, Piper and Nora. ahhh...too. grown. up!
love these little ladies.

and to all a good night. just kiddin'
this was taken really late one morning, when she would NOT wake up.

I'm here...I'm here.
Why is it so tricky to blog anymore?? I mean, I have a perfectly good laptop in my bedroom that I can blog on...perfectly amazing photos to work with and yet, I'm at a loss.

Probably because I struggle with knowing just what to say. I have so many thoughts, questions, encouragements and yet, I second guess myself, I doubt that people will want to hear it or be ok with it.

Can I just say though, that the Lord is working and amazing and I'm so thankful for the church we are a part of??? I don't know much but I do know (no, this is not the intro to that Aaron Neville, Linda Ronstandt song) that spending time in God's Word and in prayer everyday is definitely helping me to grow and grow up. Still have a long way to go but there's more to Bible time than just knowing what it says...you've got to LIVE IT. We all know people that can quote Scripture forward and backward and then live like crap. that's a principle that I hadn't really grabbed onto fully...and so I thank Him.

Our pastor, Steve Schellin, presented an AMAZING sermon on the tiny book of Jude this morning. Wow. If you can, go to Southland.org and look for the links on the weekly sermons. It may take a few days for today's to show up but check back...it's SO good. Every week, it's sincerely as if the Lord deals with something I struggle with/need to hear.

The best part of todays' message was that the world views us as Haters if we don't agree with their views, that God's Word is "out of date", "not applicable", we've evolved...it's hard not to succumb to culture but this book encourages us to stay strong, stay close, focused on the ONE Who is able to keep us from falling, presenting us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding JOY...

don't sew seeds of discord...point others to Christ.
I could go on. See?

Worship was cool...I just wanted to stand and weep. I want everyone to know Christ. to really know Him...not just about Him. To realize all that He's done for us. It makes me want to shout from my roof. We sang On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand...man...what a song! All OTHER GROUND IS SINKING SAND, baby!

All

Other

Ground

IS

SINKING

SAND

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Hope you know that I only share these things because I want this same love for Christ for YOU. yeah, it truly took the loss of my son for me to wake the heck up to see just how blessed I am.

turn your eyes upon Jesus
look full in His wonderful face
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of His glory and grace.

life is precious.
and short.

Happy Birthday to one of the nicest fellas around

though a cool picture, this expression is odd.

just no words will adequately describe what this does to my heart.

This was that time in the autumn of 2011 when I just let them do things like this.

such a cute kid

back when they were "friends". I am blessed with exceptionally adorable kids.

I just can't even believe he's so grown up.

these pictures remind me of my hypervigilance in the days following Tiny's birth.
The first scare was spina bifida occulta. False alarm but still. I remember when the midwife spoke her concerns, I just came unglued.  Thankfully, he only had the hairy tuft at the base of his spine and NOT the spina bifida. Then, he had the whole circumcision/heart scare, which was only Levi responding poorly to anesthetic. Geez. He has been a barrel of fun since but I remember fondly, gazing at him and just wanting to protect him from everything (myself included).
And to think, he was my last living son.  (Beck, I see a bit of Nora in this pic)

such a pouty mouth
A little raggamuffin cutie pie

Umm, I'm just not sure I'm ready to be the big brother.

oh, I love baby boys in stripes and overalls, with little rolled up tongues. chubby legs. ohhh.

So, #4 is ELEVEN today. Levi Taylor Young wasn't due till November 7th. He had other plans...and still does to this day.

I can honestly say he was my easiest and fastest labor and delivery. Seven pounds and three ounces of mewing baby boy. He was somewhat lethargic when he came out but eventually got around to crying. He's always been a squeaker boy. Just really laid back and seemingly non-chalant. He is so tender, caring and friendly. Thoughtful, quiet, avoids working on school at almost all costs, and one of my favorite people.

Today, we've been home all day, anticipating supposed severe thunderstorms and such. We hadn't planned to trick or treat but it's been postponed. He asked for some very specific things on his day...

1.) Spaghetti with salad and garlic bread
2.) Balloons
3.) A movie, and we plan to go see Monsters University in the theatre one more time.
4.) Cake

And since we got him that snazzy bike at the beginning of the month, I'm all clear to NOT buy him anything else (though I did buckle and buy him a set of lights for his snazzy new wheels).

David is currently out of town in my hometown, staying with my awesome relatives (thanks Uncle Frank and Aunt Nan, for putting them up), so I'm guessing we will have to, get to celebrate once more when Father David arrives home safe and sound.

Until then, I'm outta here. Sorry for never getting around to updating the harvest party post...I may do that later on.

Peace out.