More Hodge-Podge Household (Part 3)

Christmas used to seem like such a magical time of year to me. My birthday is 5 days before Christmas, and somehow I thought that all the fuss was about me. Sort of!

When we were kids, we usually put the Christmas tree up on or around my birthday. And every year I would say to my sister,"I get to put the star on the tree this year because it's my birthday." After a few years of that she finally caught on and said,"It's your birthday every year!" Well, duh!

I actually loved having my birthday near Christmas. As if Santa Claus coming wasn't exciting enough, having the birthday recognition was pretty cool, too. People used to say they felt sorry for me, but don't worry, I made sure everyone remembered my birthday. "Only 10 more days til my birthday, only 9 more days til my birthday, etc."

A little over 9 years ago, I found out I was expecting a baby, you guessed it, at Christmastime. A bit of a birthday and Christmas present all rolled into one little baby blanket!

Jeremy is 9 now and is in 3rd grade. He enjoys cooking and wants to be a chef someday. I love his "take-charge" attitude in the kitchen. He is not afraid of messing up. (My kitchen, that is!) He also likes animals, especially sea life (octopuses, whales, sharks, dolphins) and is the proud owner of a cute little hamster named Rolley (...short for Roly-Poly, I think.)

Jeremy has been taking piano lessons for 3-1/2 years now and is really getting quite a style of his own. He especially enjoys playing jazz. He is good at computer games, figuring out how things work and how to fix things. Definitely a gadget-type kid! That's our Jeremy. I can't believe you're 9 dude!

And now he has to remind us in the middle of all the busyness of the season to please not forget his birthday. How could I?

Joy in the Journey

As I have been working on starting this blog, the words to one of Michael Card's songs keeps coming to my mind. At times I don't think I've been very good at seeing the joy in the journey of my life. As I look back, I think many times I wanted to be somewhere else rather than where I was at the moment. Sometimes I experienced regrets and wanted to go back and do something over again. Or maybe even felt nostalgic and wished I could go back to relive a special time. Even when I had children many times I couldn't wait for them to be a certain age so that I could "get on" with life. But God in His great wisdom has given me 5 children, perhaps so I could just finally get it, that there is so much joy in the everyday tasks of life, if we just look for it.

My 5th child is now 3 months old and I get to watch my children enjoy her smallness and all her little baby ways. They all say, "Ah Mom, she's growing too fast." I am seeing them enjoy the journey of these baby days.

Many times over the past few years I have felt hopelessness instead of freedom. But God is opening my eyes to what I miss out on when I don't embrace the path he has set before me. I don't mean this to say that every moment of life is going to be a Kodak moment. Not at all. But what I am saying, is that I want to stop wishing my life away. Whatever I am going through now, whether it be special or difficult, God has allowed it for a reason. I really want to stop dragging through life, complaining about everything I don't like, and instead look for the "joy in the journey".

Joy in the Journey

There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
and freedom for those who obey.
And all those who seek it shall find it
A pardon for all who believe
Hope for the hopeless and sight for the blind.

To all who have been born of the spirit
And who share incarnation with Him
Who belong to eternity stranded in in time
and of struggling with sin.

Forget not the hope thats bid for you
and never stop counting the cost
Remember the hopelessness when you were lost.
There is a joy in the journey
There's a light we can love on the way
There is a wonder and wildness to life
and freedom for those who obey
and freedom for those who obey.

Our Hodge-Podge Household (Part 2)

I've already told you about my dear hubby. Now for the rest of the fam, which I am beginning to refer to as "the clan".

Our firstborn is Brianna, age 10. When the nurse first handed her to me after she was born, I wondered how this little person could've come from my body. Carl and I have brown hair and brown eyes, and this little gal shows up with blond hair and blue eyes. But not to worry, after I got to know her I found that she has plenty in common with me. Brianna is now in 5th grade, and she is growing into a beautiful young lady, although too fast to suit her dad and I.


Here's the run down on what B is into these days:
Loves horses, pretty girl stuff, playing the violin, baking, very competitive game-player, socializing and talking on the phone w/ friends.
She is right in the middle of being a little girl still and wanting to be "big" like Mom! She adores her new baby sister!

This year B was asked to play in a youth chamber orchestra. She spends her Sunday afternoons at rehearsals, then often has church activities afterwards. She is also working at finding her own friends and feeling comfortable with who she is.

I realize we are on the brink of adolescence, and while it's sort of a scary thought, it is actually very exciting as well. I know this time in her life will bring many opportunities for growth and maturity. My prayer for her is that she stay true to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and know that she is a precious child of God, as well as a very precious child to Mom and Dad.

I knew this was going to take more than one post. To be continued!

Who we are

My goal is (was) to post once a week, but I've already blown that out of the water. Oh well, I'm going to keep aiming for that. For all of my many readers out there (ha,ha!) you have my permission to hold me accountable.

Well anyways, back to the Hodge-Podge household. As I look at my family, I am more convinced each day that each member has been specially chosen by God to be a part of who we are. Each one holds a special place in my heart.

So please excuse me if I sound like a prejudice Mom while I brag about my kids a little. Just so you know, I also intend to interject plenty of honesty about our family life to let you know that we're pretty much just regular joes around here. By God's grace, we are 7 human beings living under one roof together, and although we have plenty of Hallmark moments, they are mingled in with plenty that are rated "R" for "aargh"!

Our Hodge-Podge Household (Part 1)

I'd like to introduce you to my family, and brag on each one in turn, of course!

My wonderful husband of 12 years is Carl. He is a plumbing and mechanical genius who recently started his own business. It keeps him busier than we'd all like, but he provides for us well. I am always amazed at him. He is also a terrific dad to our 5 children. Writing about him in this way makes me take the time to think about all that he does and why I love him so much.

1.He is always willing to do the dishes.
2.He is always willing to change a dirty diaper...well, most of the time!
3.He can make me laugh so hard sometimes, even when I don't feel like laughing!
4.He finds the time to play with the kids, even when he is dog-tired.
5.He is truly a WYSIWYG kind of guy. No pun intended. He's just himself.
6.He is a hard worker and good provider.
7.He loves me in spite of all my faults.
8.He is amazingly creative when it comes to building and designing things.
9.I love how smart he is with math and plumbing. IMO, he's one of the best in his profession in our city!
10.He always makes sure the kids save me something to eat!

Well, that's all for now. I'll post about the rest of the fam later.

Here I Finally Go!

Well, I have finally re-entered the world of blogging. This blog is more for me than anyone or anything else. I certainly don't feel that I have creativity oozing out of my pores, but I would like to have a journal to look back on and see the progress of what God is doing in my heart.

I'm calling this blog "Hodge-Podge Lodge" but if perchance anyone happens to read this, I hope you won't be disappointed if you don't find artsy-crafty ideas and themes here. More than likely you'll just find my wild ramblings about our little neck of the woods. A hodge-podge of thoughts, meditations, and maybe even some poetry, intermingled with kids, activity, and the craziness that is life with a family of 7 under one roof!

More about our family in future posts.