Anibella's Heart ♥

Please pray for our precious baby girl.......

 
because we just found out this morning that our sweet little Anibella has an "Atrial Septal Defect".

ASD is a hole in the part of the septum that separates the atria (the upper chambers of the heart).  It is a congenital heart defect which means that a baby is born with it.  A congenital heart defect changes the normal flow of blood through the heart. The heart has two sides that are separated by an inner wall called the septum.  With each heartbeat, the right side of the heart receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs.  The left side of the heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body.  The septum prevents mixing of blood between the two sides of the heart.  This kind of heart defect allows oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium to flow across the atrial septum into the right atrium instead of flowing down to the left ventricle as it should. This means that oxygen-rich blood can mix with the oxygen-poor blood, causing the oxygen-rich blood to be pumped to the lungs a second time.  This is inefficient because oxygen-rich blood gets pumped back to the lungs, where it has just been, instead of going to the body.

Here is a diagram showing what a normal heart looks like & what a heart with ASD looks like.

 

Figure A shows the normal anatomy and blood flow of the interior of the heart. Figure B shows a heart with an Atrial Septal Defect, which allows oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium to mix with oxygen-poor blood from the right atrium.  

An ASD can be small or large. Small ASD's allow only a little blood to flow from one atrium to the other. Small ASD's don't affect the way the heart works and therefore don't need any special treatment. Many small ASD's close on their own as the heart grows during childhood.  Medium to large ASD's allow more blood to leak from one atrium to the other and they are less likely to close on their own. Most children with ASD's have no symptoms, even if they have a large ASD.  If an ASD does not close on it's own, cardiac catheterization or open heart surgery may be required to repair it.  We are praying that Anibella's will heal completely on it's own!   


We were told, very briefly, over the phone this morning that Anibella's ASD is small but our Pediatrician didn't tell us the size.  Anibella's heart is tiny because she is only 9 months old so saying the hole is "small" doesn't tell us much.  I have called my Pediatrician's office to request more information & we will be learning as much as we can about it.  We are hoping & praying, earnestly & with all of our hearts, that the hole in our sweet baby's heart will heal quickly & on it's own without needing medical intervention.  


SO.......I've been asked, "How are you doing?".  Well, this is how I'm doing.......my heart is sad, fearful, disappointed & confused.  I certainly did not expect to hear that my sweet baby, who I adore & passionately love with every fiber of my being, has a hole in her heart!  No parent ever wants to or expects to hear that!  BUT.......I know my God is good!  I know my God is worthy to be trusted!  I know my God loves & adores my sweet little Anibella Hope Palmer more than I could ever imagine!  I have cried many tears & my heart has cried out to God!  When I am tempted to fear, doubt & worry, I think of the words that my kind, loving, amazing God breathed from the beginning of time & they comfort me. 

Psalm 43:5, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God."
 
Psalm 9:10, "And those who know your name put their turst in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you."

Psalm 62:8, "Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us."
 
Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Thank you for your love & care!  It means more to us than you could ever know & we are so grateful!  Please continue to pray for our sweet baby!  We are trusting & resting in God & praying for Him to come to our aid.  He is good & worthy of our praise.  My heart is fearful but my Father knows & cares for every detail & I am so grateful!  He has given us our precious little Anibella ♥ & we are so very grateful for her & all that God has done for us!   

4 week recipe rotation

4 week Recipe Rotation

I love to cook but my true passion (besides God!) is my family!  I love seeing them happy & one of the easiest ways to do that is to feed them delicious (& healthy) food!  I get that warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart when my Hubby & our girlies like what Mommy has made & when we are all eating together!  Family dinner is a very special thing in our family & we all look forward to being together at the end of the day!  I have always felt this way  but I cherish our family dinners even more so now because for the last 3 years my Hubby's regular work hours brought him home around 8 pm every night.  Our girlies & I made the best of the situation & we loved our time together but we reeeeeeally missed having Daddy there!  According to them, even though, "we love you very much Mommy, it just isn't the same without Daddy!"  : )  I am SO incredibly grateful to God that my Hubby now has a job that brings him home to us in time to have family dinner together every night of the week!  YAY!  So, because I love my family so much & I really enjoy cooking good food for them, I wanted a way to make it easier & more of a joy!  I can't tell you how many times I have stood in front of my pantry frantically saying to myself, "What should I make for dinner?!  UGH, why didn't I start this sooner!?".......at FIVE o'clock!  YIKES!  Not the best way to plan & certainly not the best way to bless my family & honor God in my call to be the keeper & organizer of my home!   I think I have finally found a way to be organized & bless my family in my meal planning.  Hopefully, this will also help us to be more prepared so we can be more flexible & spontaneous in our hospitality & caring for others too!

There are certainly many ways to do this but I'm going to try this method for the next month & see how we like it.  I decided to have a different theme for every night of the week & then I chose 4 meals that we already like or new ones that I think we will like for each theme.  This was an extremely easy way to end up with an entire month's worth of meals! I printed each recipe out onto card stock with the recipe on the front & every ingredient I will need to buy for that meal, including condiments, on the back of the card & then I laminated it.  Since I will be using this set of recipes for the next month & will rotate them again in the future, it was worth the little bit of extra work to me.  I put all 4 (you can do as many ahead of time as you would like!) of the Monday cards in the Monday section of my recipe file & so on for the rest of the week.  I put them in the order that I think I want to use them keeping in mind that if Monday's recipe has a lot of ingredients & might be a little more expensive, I will choose a more simple & inexpensive recipe for Tuesday & so on.  I picked a good mix of simple vs complicated & inexpensive vs expensive for the week.  After I'm done preparing that nights' meal, I will rotate that recipe card to the back of that section.  So, if I make "Beef & broccoli stir-fry" on the first Monday of the month, I will then rotate it to the back of the Monday section so that the next time I look in my Monday section to plan for grocery shopping & then again when I go to prepare dinner the next Monday, the next recipe which is "Asian chicken tenders & pot stickers or spring rolls", will be right in front & ready to use!  Having all of my Monday recipes together (& so on) will keep me organized & it gives me the flexibility to chose another recipe from that section if I decide I don't want to make what is "next" on that night.  I'm sure there will be nights that we just spontaneously decide that we want what we are "supposed" to have 3 nights from then & I will have plenty to choose from!  Although some of the recipes in each category are very similar, we will only be having one from each category every week.  So, even though Scoopie & Taco casserole are almost the same thing, it will be at least a week or more in between the two & at least a month until we make that exact recipe again.  Hopefully, this will be a total blessing to our family!

I have started a rotation to involve my 3 older girls in making dinner.  Gratefully, they are so excited & really love to be in the kitchen with me!  I'm going to let my little Ava help when there are things that she can do because even though she just turned 3, she asks to help Mommy in the kitchen all the time!  Also, since my little Anibella is completely mobile now, she gets curious & wonders what's so exciting about being in the kitchen!  She follows Mommy & her sissies into the kitchen & stands up to hold onto my leg to try to see what we're all doing!  It's so cute & I think she wants to learn to cook like all of her sissies too!  : )  (Hopefully that old saying about too many cooks spoiling the food won't apply here because there are always a bunch of us in there!) I have already taught my big girls to make one of their favorite meals so I have organized it so that their favorite meal falls on the night that they help make dinner.  Here is how that will work.......

Sunday ~  Amy
Monday ~  Abby
Tuesday ~  Amy     
Wednesday ~  Ashley
Thursday ~ Miss Becca (babysitter)
Friday ~ Abby
Saturday ~ Ashley


Monday ~ Oriental

 Beef & broccoli stir-fry

• 1 & ½ pound beef flank steak
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• Soy sauce
• Fresh garlic
• Grated gingerroot
• Hoisin sauce
• Cornstarch
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Peanut or veggie oil 

 Asian chicken tenders & pot stickers or spring rolls

• Boneless & skinless chicken breast 1 pound/about 3 breasts
• Soy sauce
• Honey
• Ground ginger
• Garlic powder
• Progresso PANKO crispy breadcrumbs
• Sweet & sour sauce
• Frozen potstickers or spring rolls
• rice

 Sweet & sour chicken stir-fry

• Bisquick
• Pepper
• Eggs
• Veggie oil
• Carrots
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 onion
• 1 can pineapple chunks
• Sweet & sour sauce
• rice

Asian chicken & noodles

• Boneless & skinless chicken breast
• 8 ounces Fettuccine noodles
• 16 ounces frozen or 5 cups fresh stir fry veggies
• Mushrooms
• Hoisin sauce 

Tuesday ~ Italian

Lazy lasagna

• Rotini noodles
• 16 ounce Ricotta cheese
• 16 ounce Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Spaghetti sauce
• Loaf of Italian bread
• Fresh garlic
• butter

Spaghetti & meat sauce/meat balls & garlic bread

• Spaghetti noodles
• Spaghetti sauce
• Diced tomatoes
• Tomato paste
• Parmesan cheese
• Ground beef OR frozen meatballs
• Loaf of Italian bread
• Fresh garlic
• butter

Pizza

• Pizza dough
• Spaghetti sauce
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Pepperoni
• Black olives
• mushrooms

Ravioli & meatballs in Alfredo sauce

• Frozen ravioli
• Frozen meatballs
• Alfredo sauce
• Loaf of Italian bread
• Fresh garlic
• butter

Wednesday ~ Crock pot

Shredded chicken & rice

• Boneless & skinless chicken breast
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 box chicken stock
• Rice

 Beef stew

• 1 pound beef stew meat
• 1 medium onion
• 1 bag baby carrots
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 12 small red potatoes
• Stew seasoning packet

Potato cheesy soup

• 1 bag (32 ounce) bag of southern-style hash browns
• 1 box chicken stock
• Flour
• Milk
• Shredded American cheese 1 cup
• Shredded Cheddar cheese 1 cup
• Bacon bits
• Sour cream

Tortilla soup

• 1 pound boneless & skinless chicken breast
• Onion
• Diced tomato
• Fresh garlic
• Cilantro
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Chicken stock
• Avocado
• Corn tortillas

Thursday ~ Kid Food (with Miss Becca/Daddy & Mommy on date) 

Chicken nuggets & French fries

• Chicken nuggets
• Frozen French fries

Frozen pizza & tater-tots

• Frozen pizza
• Tater-tots

Mac & cheese & hot dogs

• Mac & cheese
• Milk
• Butter
• Hot dogs
• Mustard
• Ketchup

Cheese quesadillas on the griddle & rice

• Soft tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Rice

Friday ~ Mexican

Tacos/Scoopie

• Ground beef
• Taco seasoning
• Rice
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Tomatoes
• Salsa
• Black olives
• Black beans
• Soft tortillas or taco shells
• Tortilla chips
• Cilantro

Mexican chicken & rice

• Boneless & skinless chicken breast
• Taco seasoning
• Rice
• Sour cream
• Sliced Monterey jack cheese
• Salsa
• Black olives
• Cilantro

Taco casserole

• Ground beef
• Bag of tortilla chips
• Taco seasoning
• Taco sauce
• Rice
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Black olives
• Black beans
• Cilantro

Chicken Enchiladas

• Boneless & skinless chicken breast
• Red enchilada sauce 
• Rice
• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Tomatoes
• Salsa
• Black olives
• Black beans
• Soft tortillas   
• Cilantro

Saturday ~ American

Tater-tot casserole

• Ground beef
• Cream of mushroom soup
• Tater-tots
• Shredded cheese

Homemade chicken pot pie

• Boneless & skinless chicken breast
• Pie crust
• Frozen veggies
• Potatoes
• Milk
• Flour
• Butter

Baked Potatoes & broccoli & corn on the cob

• Baking potatoes
• Sour cream
• Butter
• Bacon bits
• Broccoli
• Corn on the cob

Hamburgers & French fries

• Ground beef
• Beef seasoning
• Hamburger buns
• Lettuce
• Tomato
• Pickles
• Mustard
• Ketchup
• Mayonnaise
• Frozen French fries
• (Charcoal)

Sunday ~ Breakfast

Chocolate Chip Pancakes & sausage & eggs

• Pancake mix
• Chocolate chips
• Link sausage
• Eggs
• Milk
• butter

Breakfast Scramblers or Burritos

• Eggs
• Soft tortillas
• Bacon or sausage or hot dogs
• Shredded cheese
• Tater-tots
• Milk

Belgian Waffles with strawberries & whipped cream & bacon

• Waffle mix
• Frozen strawberries
• Sugar
• Frozen or canned whipped cream
• Bacon or sausage

Sausage pigs in a blanket & scrambled eggs & hash browns

• Link sausage
• Crescent rolls
• Eggs
• Milk
• Hash browns

So, go enjoy your amazing Hubby & the precious little ones that God has given you!  Remember, your organizational tools are supposed to help make your life easier & be a blessing to you!  They are not a set of rules to make you more anxious or make things more difficult!  If what you are doing isn't working, try something new!  The point is to do what is best for you & your family!  Happy meal planning, family loving & homemaking!  : )

Stick Bug

"I'm the only stick with eyeballs!"  Slim on "A Bug's Life"

My girls love Stick Bugs because of the adorable character, Slim, on the 1998 Disney/Pixar movie, "A Bug's Life" & just because they are really cool & interesting too!  They were super excited to see that "Slim" had come to visit us at our house the other day!

I thought I would take the opportunity to make this into a little science lesson.  We looked our new little friend up here, on National Geographic & found a few fun facts about the "Stick Bug"!  National Geographic says, "As its name suggests, the stick insect resembles the twigs among which it lives, providing it with one of the most efficient natural camouflages on Earth. It and the equally inconspicuous leaf insect comprise the Phasmida order, of which there are approximately 3,000 species."  The "Stick Bug" is an herbivore & has an average life span of 3 years in the wild!  That seems like a long time for a bug to live!  "They range in size from the tiny, half-inch-long (11.6-millimeter-long) Timema cristinae of North America, to the formidable 13-inch-long (328-millimeter-long) Phobaeticus kirbyiof Borneo. This giant measures over 21 inches (55 centimeters) with its legs outstretched, (YIIIIIIIKES!!!!!!!  My words!) making it one of the world’s longest insects. Females are normally larger than males."  The one we saw was about 4 inches long!  Another cool fact is that these insects are, "part of the Phasmida order, the name of which is derived from a Greek word meaning “apparition"."             

We really enjoyed this awesome creature & we were, once again, reminded how creative & amazing God is!  He made a bug that perfectly mimics a stick!  How awesome He is!

I also think that Disney/Pixar has some pretty amazing animators!  What a fun job they have.......ALMOST as fun as me!

My sweet little Ava Grace's 3rd Birthday!

My sweet little Ava Grace is THREE!!! She is such a precious little girl & she absolutely melts her Mommy's heart!  Ava just has a genuinely sweet, happy & gentle disposition & she is such a joy to our family! She is a little girl that you just want to be with & have in your life & we are so grateful to God for her!  Ava loves to cuddle with Daddy & Mommy & all 4 of her Sissies.  We are so amazed that God chose to give our Ava to US!  After losing 5 precious little babies in a row, we found out that we were expecting our sweet Ava baby on Christmas Day! We almost lost her to 5th Disease when I was 5 months pregnant but God spared her precious little life & gave her to us as a perfectly healthy little gift! My entire pregnancy with Ava was so emotional & sweet anyway but because of losing our other babies, I was so aware of what a precious gift our babies were! God helped me work through a lot of fear at the beginning of Ava's pregnancy because I was always worried I would lose her too. When our whole family got 5th Disease at 5 months pregnant I had to see a Maternal/Fetal Specialist every Friday for 4 months so they could watch Ava closely. Every week I had a 4D Ultrasound & a Fetal Doppler & every week I laid on the table praying so earnestly for God to protect our sweet baby & keep her safe! Because of the 5th Disease we could have lost our sweet Ava at any time because of a heart defect, spontaneous late-term miscarriage, severe anemia or "fetal hydrops" which is when the baby retains too much fluid. I was on my knees like never before praying & seeking God to protect our baby girl! By God's amazing grace, our Ava was born absolutely & completely healthy! When she was born we were so grateful to God that she was healthy & I cried & cried & cried! There was gratitude to God overflowing from my heart that He had protected our baby girl! We decided that Ava's middle name should be "Grace" because of God's amazing grace in healing & protecting her in my tummy! Ava was born on Wednesday, August 10th, 2007 at 7:40 pm. She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces & she was 19 1/2 inches long. She had soft, fuzzy, light brown hair & sweet, beautiful little blue eyes that melted my heart the instant I looked into them! I was so deeply in love with my Ava from the first moment she was put onto my tummy & into my arms! Ava is sweet, silly, giggly, funny, happy, content, SO lovable & such a grateful little girl! Almost every day my Ava thanks me for something without any prompting. One day I was cleaning up from lunch & she said, "Mommy, thank you for washing my plate, I so grateful you doing dat for me!". Another time she said, "Aw, thank you for makin' my dinner Mommy, you such a sweet Mommy!" Another time I was cooking & Ava said, "Mommy, you doin' such a good job! GOOD JOB Mommy, I SO proud of you!" : ) One night, just last week, Daddy was washing Ava up after dinner & she squeezed his arm & said, "You an amazing Fa-ter (Father) Daddy, I love you so much my amazing Fa-ter!". Anytime one of her Sissies helps her do something she will go cuddle with her & she says, "Thank you Sissy, you my best sweet friend & I love you!". Ava can ALWAYS be found loving on her baby Sissy, Anibella! She loves to rub Anibella's soft, fuzzy hair & she says, "I love you Anibella Boo Boo Baby! You my best sweet baby Sissy!" Talk about heart M-E-L-T-I-N-G!!!!!!! Ava is always being loved on & Mommy-ed by her 3 big sisters!  She never complains & is so sweet to them.  They all love to cuddle with Ava & help her learn to do "big girl" things!  I'm so grateful for the sweet example Ava's big sissies have set for her because she is just as sweet, cuddly & nurturing with her baby sissy too!  We are just so grateful to God for our little Ava Grace & we love her SO very much! Happy 3rd Birthday our sweet Ava Gracie Goo!

My sweet Anibella!

My sweet little Anibella Hope turned NINE months old on Wednesday the 28th!  She is such a sweet & lovable baby & wow, she just really melts my heart!  Anibella had her routine, 9 month, well baby check up the same day.  I'm grateful to God that all of my girls have been healthy & we have never had anything to be concerned about at any of their check ups but my sweet baby's check up this time was different.  I was already anxious about it because I knew that Anibella was still very tiny & I could hardly wait to find out how much she weighed!  At her 6 month check up, Anibella weighed 14 pounds & 1 ounce.  That put her right about the 10th percentile which was pretty normal for our girls at her age.  All of our girls have been petite & usually start catching up around 2 or 3 years old. Over the next few months we continued to exclusively nurse & I was nursing Anibella whenever she seemed even remotely hungry to help her gain!  At around 8 & 1/2 months I started getting worried because she was still so tiny yet she was pulling up & cruising!  SO, I weighed her at home & realized that she was still only about 14 & 1/2 pounds.  OH MY!  My heart sunk!  I called our Pediatrician & she told me to start feeding her anything & everything she would eat PLUS nursing as much as possible PLUS formula if she would take it.  I called my good friend whose baby girl was tiny too to get advice on what I could feed Anibella.  Out of the many things she told me, our favorite is instant oatmeal in the little packets mixed with a jar of baby food peaches or apples once it is cooked.  My sweet baby LOVES it!  Actually, the brown sugar oatmeal mixed with peaches kinda tastes like peach cobbler & it's actually pretty yummy!  SO, I have to say, I usually would not be giving my little baby flavored, sugary oatmeal but at this point, we are doing everything we can to help our sweetie gain weight!  I was very diligent to feed Anibella 3 meals a day plus snacks PLUS nurse her as much as she wanted!  She is SUCH a sweet & enduring baby & happily ate every time I fed her!  : )  I thought I could tell that Anibella was gaining but couldn't tell for sure down to the ounce.  I had been hoping & praying & praying & hoping that she was well over 16 pounds but I was also really TRYING not to obsess over it!  Well, at her check up she weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces, which puts her in the 3rd percentile.  I almost cried.  I bit my lip, picked my sweet, beautiful, precious little baby up off of the scale & hugged her tight.  Trying hard not to cry, I whispered "I love you so much my Bellie Buggs!"  in her ear just because I was sad & wanted her to know how special she is to me!  We were put into the room to wait & I just prayed for my sweet baby!  When our doctor came in she went through all of the things I can do to help her gain, all of which we are already doing!  She wants us to come back in a month to check Anibella's weight again.  I am hoping & praying, again, that God helps my baby girl to gain as much as possible!  So, my heart was already heavy about that when she told me to put Anibella on the table to check her out.  She was doing all of the routine things that I've seen done a hundred times & then she listened to my baby's heart.  I was looking into Anibella's sweet little trusting blue eyes & holding her hand when her doctor cocked her head sideways, listened a little harder, pulled back & with a surprised look on her face said, "Have I heard a murmur before?"  I was shocked but managed to get out, "No!"  She listened again & said, "Yes, yes, I'm definitely hearing something that we need to get checked out!"  "Anibella needs to have an EKG!"  I, literally, felt like I was going to pass out.  It took my breath away.  I looked down at my sweet little baby girl sitting there on the table in just her diaper with her soft, blonde curly hair, her sweet, trusting blue eyes looking up at her Mama & her little hands holding on tightly to mine & I felt my head swirling & my heart about to panic.  "Jesus, help me!" I thought.  "What is going on, what is wrong with my Anibella?!"  THEN, she told me that my sweet baby had thrush in her mouth & in her diaper area.  We both had thrush when Anibella was a few months old but I felt like the loser Mommy of the century for not noticing it this time!  I knew she had a little diaper rash but I didn't even see the white patches in her sweet little mouth!  How could I have not noticed when we spend all day together & I am either nursing or feeding her food all day?  I felt terrible & I just prayed that she wasn't feeling yucky because of it!  Her doctor asked if she had been fussy because thrush usually makes babies not feel good.  Anibella is such a sweet & happy baby & she didn't act any differently than usual!  THEN she proceeded to say......."Hmm, I'm a little concerned why Anibella has thrush at 9 months old.  Usually this is seen in little babies." & once again, my heart started to panic!  I immediately worried about Anibella's immune system & wondered why she would have thrush at her age!   So, now my heart was really having a hard time trusting God.  I know my good, kind, gracious & loving God is sovereign!  I know He loves us, cares for us & gave the greatest gift for us!  I know that He loves my sweet Anibella WAY more than I do (although it's hard to imagine anyone loving her more than I do but I know He does!) & I know that He cares about every detail of her precious little life!  Still, hearing that my precious little Anibella might have a problem with her little heart, knowing that she needs to gain weight & that she has thrush.......I was having a really hard time.  My sweet baby was asleep in her car seat on the way home & my big girls were all home with our sitter.  It was quiet & I was all alone with my thoughts.  All I wanted to do was stop the Suburban, get my baby out of her car seat, hug her, cry my eyes out & call out to God to heal & protect my baby!  I had to start talking to myself  BIG TIME, instead of listening to my fearful, anxious heart!  That's where I still am today.  Trying to trust God one day at a time, trying to put away those fearful, anxious thoughts & all of the "what if's".  I'm trying to remember that God gives me abundantly enough grace for today, not for tomorrow, not for the day we go for my Anibella's EKG, not for when we hear what the Pediatric Cardiologist says & not for all of my fears!  He is giving me enough grace for now, for today & I need to grab it, apprehend & be grateful for it!  SO, I am hugging & cuddling all 5 of my sweet baby girls tighter & appreciating them even more!  I'm so grateful to God for all of my baby girls & praying earnestly for my littlest baby love!  I will share the results of my Anibella's EKG as soon as I we know.  Please pray for our sweet baby girl! 

My "Grateful" List

I read a post on another Mommy's blog recently & I can't even remember where to give her credit (sorry!)!  It just really impacted me so I wanted to do it for what applies to my life!  She said to remember that someone, somewhere, wants what I have!  Someone would be so grateful for what I have even if what I have doesn't meet my selfish expectations & even when I don't recognize how blessed I am!  It was such a fresh reminder to be grateful to God for every blessing & to even try to see that God can be working & trying to help us grow in the things we don't understand!  It's hard sometimes but so good for me to keep my heart & mind focused on gratefulness for all that God has done for me & given to me! 

• When I'm hoping for a full night of sleep & my sweet baby wakes to nurse at 3 am.......I am grateful that she is a healthy baby girl with an awesome appetite who nurses wonderfully & doesn't have to eat from a feeding tube in her tummy! 

• When I am hot & really wishing I could turn our air down & make it cooler in our home.......I am grateful that we have safe & comfortable shelter & that we are much cooler than if we had to live outside!  

• When I finish putting away all the laundry just for another pile to appear.......I am grateful that my Husband & 5 little girls have so many clothes to wear that keep them cool in the summer & warm in the winter & that they even happen to be nice & cute clothes & not rags! AND.....even MORE grateful that I have my sweet family who put all that laundry on their cute little bodies that I love so very much!  

 

• When I grumble in my heart about having to iron my Husband's work clothes.......I am grateful that he has a wonderful job & a healthy, strong body to provide for our family!

• When the air in my Suburban takes longer than I would like to cool down.......I am grateful that we have transportation that is safe, comfortable & big enough so that all 7 of us can ride together!

• When I wish I could feed my family more healthy or organic foods.......I am grateful that we (almost) always have a full fridge & pantry & most importantly.......5 full little tummies (& 2 big also!)!

• When I get angry because I tripped over my Husband's big ole' shoes again.......I am so grateful that I have my amazing Hubby & best friend who WEARS those big shoes!  (Did you know that you actually can love something like a pair of dumb ole' shoes you always trip over?  It's possible when you imagine your lovie man wearing them as he works so incredibly hard for your family!)  : ) 

• When I have to vacuum (or have my big girls do it!) up Goldfishy crumbs several times a day.......I am grateful that I have a sweet little toddler with a healthy appetite who loves to eat them & (usually!) sweetly asks for "fishy crackers pease Mama?" & usually makes that mess by trying to "share" with all of her sissies & her baby dolls! 

• When I get discouraged about my weight & wonder if my tummy will ever be flat again.......I look at my 5 beautiful babies who grew, snuggled tight, in my tummy for 9 months each ( for a total of  45 months or 3.75 years!)  : )  & realize that all of my hard work is SO very worth it!  

• When I see how worn out some of our toys are & wish I could surprise my girls with new things.......I am so grateful that the reason our most loved baby doll, "Caleekee" (my sweet firstborn named her that at 13 months old & that has been her name ever since!) & our little baby push toys are so worn is because they  have been hugged, squeezed, toted around, pushed, sat on & loved by my 5 sweet little girls!   

• When I see that my big girls' jeans will need to become cut-off clam-diggers by necessity only three months after buying them.......I am grateful that they are healthy, growing children!  

• When we're out at a store & people ask "Are they ALL yours!?" as if they feel sad for me  (not always ~ most people are very sweet & happy for me!).......I am so grateful that God has allowed me to truly enjoy Mommy-hood, that He has given me such a sweet & passionate love for my children & that I can joyfully answer & walk away smiling & thanking God for how very blessed I really am!  

• When I'm discouraged that I'm not the Wife & Mommy that I want to be.......I am grateful that God is working in my heart & teaching me new things every day & that I have an extremely patient & enduring Hubby & little girls who all happen to love me so unconditionally!

• When I just finish mopping the kitchen floor & return to see sweet little footprints where I hoped to see nothing but clean.......I am grateful for who those precious little feet belong to & realize that keeping a tidy & comfy home FOR the twelve little (& big!) feet that I love is the very reason that I clean!  

• When I am giving in to the sin of selfish ambition & I wonder if my "gifts" are being used or "noticed".......I am grateful that God helps me to remember that the gifts I'm cultivating right now are the ones that really matter!  What I am doing will affect 5 sweet little girls & 1 awesome man's lives forever!  I am grateful that God helps me ~ NOT always ~ but sometimes to.......tell my girls about Jesus, joyfully change my sweet baby's 7th diaper that day, take my sweet little newly potty-trained toddler to the potty as many times as necessary, have real big-girl conversations with my sweet big girls, show my girls I love their Daddy, kiss owie's, apply "NEW-sporin" & Dora Band-aids with gentleness, tell my girls about Jesus, be a chef to 5 very hungry little people & one very big one, be a laundress, stain removal extraordinaire & iron-er to (what feels like) the masses, tell my girls about Jesus,  wash the pb & j off my hands, diaper cream off my shirt & glitter gel off of my face so that I can remember how to woo & romance my Hubby, teach my girls to read, write, spell, do math & have godly character, remind my girls how to love their sissy, tell my girls about Jesus, show my girls I love their Daddy, pray for their little hearts like I've never prayed before & depend on God every moment of every day for everything AND.......oh, yeah.......tell my girls about Jesus!

Last but not least, this is the absolute most important thing!

• When I am tempted to think that I NEED anything at all.......I am grateful, with all my heart I'm grateful, that my greatest need has been taken care of!  My sweet & precious Savior Jesus died on the cross for ME!  He died for this wretched sinner!  He took my sin upon Himself, bore the punishment I could never bare, endured agony on the cross, in His perfect, sinless body, on that tree, for me!  He made me clean & pure & brought me into sweet fellowship with my God!  So often my heart is tempted to think that I need, but I am so grateful that He has given me everything I could ever need!  AND.......God has been so amazingly kind, gracious, generous & loving & given me way more than I could've ever asked or imagined when He gave me my amazing Hubby & 5 precious baby girls!  God is SO good!  I am so grateful! 

My Baby Love! Yes.....she's wearing BLUE!

I love that our girls love & really enjoy each other.  I realize what a gift from God this is & I am so very grateful!  The other day my sweet little budding photographer Amy (10 years old!) asked if she could do a little "photo shoot" with her precious little baby sissy Anibella!  It was so sweet & really melted my heart!  Amy dressed Anibella, did her hair & took her into our front school room where there is lots of awesome natural light! I let them have time alone together but I could hear them giggling, Anibella's sweet little baby voice cooing & baby-talking & Amy encouraging her in the sweetest little voice!  Of course, my girlies have their sisterly moments but I am so grateful for how much all 5 of them love each other!  See y'all, we DO wear colors beSIDES pink!  : )  Here are just a few of the adorable & quite amazing pictures that Amy & Anibella did together!  : )  I just have to say how much I LOVE my sweet baby & how much she just melts my heart into a sappy, gooey but very happy mess!

 

This one cracks me up because it looks like Anibella is thinking, "Are we done yet?  I wonder if she's still there!?  Ha ha!  She is SO adorable!