The Mangum Family

Introducing Mr. Seth Alexander Mangum

2012-01-06T09:00:00.001-05:00

Family picture before meeting our sweet Seth.

Introducing Mr. Seth Alexander

7 lbs. 14 oz.

18 1/2" long

Born at 8:04 am on January 5, 2012

The kiddo's meeting their brother for the first time.

My boys

Daddy giving Seth his first bath.

Cleaned up, fed, wide awake, and happy to be here!

We have so much to be thankful for this morning. Our family has been struggling with sinus infections for the last month. The week before surgery Martie started getting worse. Last Sunday he went to urgent care to get meds. The day before we came to the hospital I was already having some early labor symptoms and Martie was terribly sick. The antibiotics made him sick and he was not getting any relief. Needless to say we were frustrated at the timing. We asked many people to pray for us, and God was faithful to answer those requests. The next morning we both woke up and felt great! Martie didn't have any sinus pressure and the other symptoms were completely gone! Truly a miracle.

Everything went great with surgery. We've had wonderful nurses. Seth was/is completely healthy. He didn't require any extra oxygen, lights, or anything. It was perfect. He rode with me in the bed back to our room, and he nursed like a champ. I am healing well, just dealing with the normal post surgery symptoms.

Thanks to everyone who has prayed for us.

Last 24 hours... my thoughts

2012-01-04T10:46:00.001-05:00

Well this time tomorrow I will be holding our new son.

God is good!

Not only because He has blessed us with another child. He is good in all things! This baby is just another reason I praise Him. There are a million emotions running through me right now. (anticipation, excitement, joy, sadness...) I want to truly enjoy these last 24 hours with my baby safe inside me. What comfort it brings me to feel those kicks and turns. Sure I've done my share of complaining this pregnancy. It is not easy. Oh, but the blessing. It's amazing how quickly you forget all the bad or uncomfortable moments.

God is good!

I don't always understand why God does the things He does. Why did He bless me with 6 children? Why are there women that can't have babies? Why are there women who have difficulty staying pregnant? I don't know. It breaks my heart to think of those friends. BUT, I don't question God. His plans, His purposes are perfect. I know that He is the creator of life, and only He is in control of opening and closing the womb. That brings me peace.

God is good!

I have a lot of anxiety about tomorrow. This will be my 5th C-section. Those details are for a later blog. I hate surgery. However, God has used my deliveries to show me that I am NOT in control. I can honestly say when I'm in surgery it's the one time in my life that I feel completely helpless. I don't have anything to do with anything going on. I am completely in the hands of others. For someone who struggles with control issues (sin) this is very difficult. Most women would blame Eve about now, however I can relate to her struggles (sin). Who am I to say that I would not have fed the fruit to my husband? Whatever happens tomorrow morning, no matter the complications or lack of complications...

God is good!

I will miss this feeling. Yep, all those things I've complained about, I'll miss them. The first time you see that precious baby on the ultrasound, the heart beating, the flutters, when you can see hands, toes, a face on the ultrasound, the forceful kicks that keep you up... I am always amazed to see the different stages of pregnancy. It brings true meaning to the verse: Psalm 139:13-14 "For Youformed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works..."

God You are good!!! (and my soul knows it well)

When I became a Christian (in my 20's), God completely changed my view on children. I no longer believe the world's lies that children are a nuisance, they hold you back from your own hopes/dreams, you can't have more than 2 or 3, you have to have super powers to have more than 2 or 3... God has given us each one of our children to raise for His glory. My children are not "my" children. He has loaned them to me for a very important purpose. He enables me to teach them, to train them, to love them... He uses them to sanctify me. My "hopes/dreams" are different now. I am thankful that my life doesn't stop here on this earth, this is merely the race. My reward is Jesus, my eternity is with Him! Then I will rest, I will worship, I will truly live! "I'll stand by what I said and I'll say it again, I don't want to raise successful children. Because --- raising God-honoring adults who will set the world on fire for Christ is just so much more rewarding." -Lysa TerKeurst I love that quote, and I believe it! I know that's strange, but if my kids grow up to become famous, rich, successful but don't know Christ then I have failed. I pray that whatever path my children pursue they realize that is their ministry. God has them where they are for a reason. I pray my children love Jesus more than anything in this world. I hope they too can ignore what the world tells them and do crazy, radical things for God.

I know this post is very random and does not flow in thought. But remember, I am having a baby tomorrow. Today I can still use that as an excuse for being totally random. ;-)

Today I am going to enjoy these last hours of bringing another little blessing into this world. Tomorrow I am going to pray for everything I need to raise another Mangum baby for His glory.

Psalm 94:19 "When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul."

Psalm 40:¹ I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me andheard my cry. 2He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.
³ He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear And will trust in the LORD.

Baking with some of the children

2011-12-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

Warning this will be a picture overload. Tabitha helped me "try" to recreate Martie's nanny's "apple jacks." (basically fried apple pies) They look better than they tasted. I'll have to try these a couple times. The other little kiddo's joined us for decorating sugar cookies.

Day 9, 10, and 11 of Advent

2011-12-11T00:05:00.000-05:00

Our study of advent has continued I just don't have time to blog about it every night. In the last 3 days we've read Genesis 37:31-33 and Genesis 50:15-20 (The story of Joseph and his coat) We talked about forgiveness and even named one person we could forgive.

We also read Deuteronomy 5:1-22. This is the story of the Ten Commandments. We talked about God giving us these commandments and our inability to keep them. This of course led into the discussion of Jesus and His purpose for coming to this earth. Which was to save us from our inability to be perfect and keep all the Lord's commandments. He came and took the punishment that we deserved. We then went around and talked about he hardest commandment for each person to keep. The next day we tried to keep that one.

Everyone holding up ten fingers for the ten commandments!

Ethan hanging Joseph's coat ornament

Andrew hanging the ten commandment ornament

Night 11 we read the story of Ruth. We talked about the blessing of being a part of God's family. The children were challenged to write a "thank you" note to someone in our church family. We'll see the results of those "notes" in the morning.

Tabitha was excited about hanging the "Ruth" ornament since she had the same name.

Day 8 of Advent

2011-12-06T23:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight we read Genesis 28:10-22. This was the story of Jacob's ladder. The ladder was later compared to Jesus. We have no way to heaven but by the rungs of Christ.

Taylor hung our ornament tonight which was a ladder.

The children drew pictures of a ladder. They are going to put these in their pockets tomorrow and pull them out every once in awhile. This is to remind them that God is with them where ever they go.

Interruption of my normal happy posts about Christmas

2011-12-06T11:55:00.001-05:00

So, it's that time of year again were I get totally stressed out. Yep, Christmas! Why do I get stressed out:

The expectations that are placed on you by your children, family, church...
The lack of funds to carry out these expectations.
The lack of joy that is truly to be celebrated on Christmas day. Sure we're filled with happy emotions, but we're not overwhelmed by the fact that Christ was BORN! Which means we have a Savior to trust in for eternal life.
The feeding into our already overindulged society and teaching our children to be just that.
The ungratefulness of children if they don't receive just what they wanted, forget the fact that some people just don't have the money.
The debt that people go into just so they don't see the children have ungrateful attitudes. Instead of teaching them contentment.

Okay, I could go on I'm sure but I won't. I have to admit, I'm guilty of all of these. My husband refuses to go in debt. (which I agree, and I don't overstep that) However I struggle because I like to buy for people. I love the excitement of my little ones as they rip open the paper to see that "perfect" gift. I love giving to my parents, my husbands parents, nephews, nieces, extended family....

Then there's an even bigger issue this Christmas. One which I am totally torn on. Christmas day is on Sunday. My husband really wants to worship corporately with the church. (however he knows that probably no one will come) Understandably people want to be with their families on Christmas day. I'm sure many will worship the Lord in their own homes. (many/most will not) The scriptures point us to gather corporately for worship. So do we make exceptions for holidays, like Christmas. Why are the churches filled on Easter when we celebrate the Lord's death and resurrection, but no one wants to attend when we celebrate His birth? These are just questions that I'm pondering. I am totally open for correction or explanation.

Every year I try to think of a creative way to celebrate Christmas. (with less gifts and more worship) However, I'm fighting "Goliath" on this one. I don't know anyone close to me that celebrates Christmas in a totally radical way. (less spending, less going, more sitting, more reflecting, more celebrating...)

As I am fighting my own desires to spend money (that we don't have), I am praying that my heart would be more directed at the Lord. I'm praying that He would help me to be content with not being able to give. I'm praying for my children's hearts as we approach this season when we're supposed to be celebrating the coming of our Lord and not the "season of giving/receiving." (although the world has tricked us into the latter) Praying for ways to help my children enjoy and look forward to Christmas without the anticipation or expectation of gifts. I'll let you know if I have some amazing revelation. ;-)

Day 6 & 7 of Advent

2011-12-05T23:31:00.001-05:00

Sorry about the lack of blogging. BUT, we have been crazy busy. When I say busy, I mean we haven't stopped all weekend.

As you can tell, it wore our children out!

Saturday, we went to look at a guitar for Taylor (which we didn't get), Joanns fabrics (for me to make a new nursing bib), then we spent the rest of the evening at the church. We decorated the "Crismon tree." You can google it if you're unfamiliar but interested. ;-) We also decorated the float for the Christmas parade on Sunday. The Williams family blessed us by bringing us a super yummy dinner Saturday night.

Taylor and Rachel gearing up for the parade on Sunday.

Sunday started early and ended late. We changed the service up a bit. We met at 10:30 am instead of 11. We ate brunch together, read scripture, and had a devotional. Then we loaded up the float for the annual "Parkwood Christmas Parade." This was the only parade in Durham this year. It was an awesome opportunity for us.

We gave out hundreds of copies of the Gospel of John comic book to the children. We also gave out tons of candy and sang worship music. The highlight of the day was Mr. Boushell making up his own song as we waited for our turn to get going. We had a blast with everyone on the float.

After the parade we had a table set up at the fire station. We gave away free apple cider and Starbucks coffee. We then headed back to the church to finish cleaning off the float. We ended up staying there with the Iraggi's and Jacob S. and eating leftovers for dinner (which helped with the clean up). We enjoyed the time after the craziness to just hang out with our brothers and sister in Christ. We love those guys! Stephanie ended up taking Taylor to the grocery store for me after all that and they picked up our Christmas cards. She is a total blessing!

Needless to say, we did our Advent for Sunday and Monday tonight. (Monday night) Martie read Genesis 21:1-7 and Genesis 22:1-14. The first reading was when God promised Abraham and Sarah a baby. (even in their old age) The second reading was when God tested Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Both of these passages pointed us to Jesus, who God promised to send to us, and was ultimately THE sacrifice for our sins.

The ornaments we put on were of a cradle for the promise of a son and a lamb for the sacrifice. Just as God provided a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice we talked about ways God has provided for us. Martie told how God provided a trailor for us to carry all our leaves away, and he also provided 2 big boys (Ethan & Andrew) to help load all those leaves. (Just like Isaac helped carry the wood for his dad). God provided diapers and frozen meals for me today. The CC moms in Taylor's class all brought in these gifts of love for our family. The kids all came up with things like, God provided us with dinner, a house, a brother...

On a side note I went to the doctor today. Baby is doing great and we are scheduled to meet our little guy in person on January 5th!

Day 4 & 5 Advent

2011-12-03T23:26:00.000-05:00

Day 4 of Advent (Friday night)

We read Genesis 6:5-8. In this passage we saw that every man was wicked and that everything they thought about was evil. God was "sorry he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." But there was one man that pleased the Lord, and his name was Noah. God goes on to destroy the earth, but saves Noah and his family. Noah trusted the Lord and obeyed God's instructions.We were challenged to do one thing just to please God. The children chose a variety of things like doing their chores without being asked, pray, and help mommy... Tabitha put the ornament on the tree tonight. It is a picture of an ark. Sorry about the lack of pictures for day 4 and the late post. I was not feeling well and was in bed by 9:00 that night.

Day 5 of Advent

We chose to have our advent time during the day today. We had a busy day planned and Martie had to go to a wake tonight. We read Genesis 12:1-7. God instructs Abram to go from his country. Abram, his wife Sarai, and nephew Lot obeyed and set out from Harran. They set out for the land of Canaan. God promised to bless Abram and make him a great nation. Through Abram's promised family, God sent the biggest blessing of all the earth, Jesus, the baby that would one day crush Satan and free us from the disease of sin.

Tomorrow we are in our community Christmas parade. We talked with the children and told them that we were going out and trusting God tomorrow by serving people and giving out the gospel of John to children. That was the advent challenge for today, but we traded with tomorrow (Sunday). Tomorrows advent activity is to try and have a smile on our face all day and make at least 3 people laugh. We are joy-filled people, because we've been given the Son! It was neat to see the children talking about making people laugh and it's amazing how contagious a simple smile really is.

It was Carissa's turn to put the ornament on today. It was a picture of a tent and a camel to represent Abram and his family leaving their country.

Carissa just placed the ornament on the limb.

But she was quite happy with herself after she did it. I love her little smile, it lights up her whole face.

Trying again to put the ribbon around the limb.

Success! (with Mommy's help) ;-)

Day 3 of Advent

2011-12-01T22:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight started off with a bit of silliness. Our kids all decided they wanted to put on toboggans and gloves.

My dad and stepmom were able to join us tonight. Every Thursday is "Wright night." We try to eat at their house or they eat at ours. This is very special especially for the little ones. They look forward to seeing Nana, Papa, AND Aunt Alley each Thursday evening.

Today's reading was from Genesis 3:1-21. These verses describe the fall. The serpent tricks Eve, she eats the fruit and then gives it to Adam. The Lord questions them and then tells them their punishment. Just a few short chapters into the Bible and the whole story seems to fall apart. We were separated from God because of our sin. He being the loving and merciful God that He is calls to us in our sin, seeks us when we are lost and finds us when we hide.

Our activity of the night was to sing songs to the Lord. We chose The First Noel, Away in a Manger, and Silent Night. *Fun Times* (even if we didn't sound that great)

Carissa loves to hold a hymnal and sing along.

Andrew's turn to place the ornament. Tonight's ornament was a snake. This represents the serpent found in the scripture that we read.

Day 2 of Advent

2011-11-30T22:28:00.001-05:00

Tonight the Newtons joined us for our Advent discussion. Martie read Genesis 1:24-31. This is the account of creation. We had to close our eyes and ears and imagine nothingness everywhere. Amazingly the children were all quiet for those few seconds. We read on how the Trinity (God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), all full of affection, knelt down and kissed warm life into us with the breath of His love. Prov. 8:31 says, "But it was the affection of God that made all of His children."

Ethan had the privilege of hanging the ornament tonight.

The ornament was a picture of the Earth. A simple reminder of how the Creator of all things, loved and created us. We were challenged to discuss things we could create out of love. Of course we received all kinds of silly answers. Like when Andrew said he could create a Christmas tree for Tabitha's room. (which she thought was super cool) There were a few serious ideas that encouraged and challenged me. It was a perfect night for the Newton's to join us. They also blessed us with dinner and gifts for the baby. We were able to make the connection that Mrs. Newton made us dinner out of her love.

Day 1 of Advent

2011-11-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

We are decorating a "Jesse Tree" for Advent this year. We started tonight. I got the idea from a blog that a friend recommended. This is the link: http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/11/free-jesse-tree-advent-family-devotional/
Since deciding on this Advent project, I've discovered that many of my friends are doing the same one! I will try to blog what we're doing each day, but I can't promise consistency. ;-)

This is the notebook that I put together with each day. Our ornaments are to the left. We'll cut one out a day to hang on our "Jesse Tree." Tonight's devotional was:

Isaiah 11:1-2

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;

from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him

the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,

the Spirit of counsel and might,

the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord.

The commentary on that verse tells us that one bite from the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and our "tree of life" fell. We've lived our whole lives like stumps, cut off from God. Out of our fallenness, springs our only hope, a fragile shoot. Out of the last forgotten son of Jesse, comes this branch. He is the one that will wear the crown of thorns and die on a cross and become that ladder for us back to God. Jesus will go to impossible lengths to rescue us. So today we started Advent, the season of waiting. But, we know "new life is stirring."

Our project was to plant wheat or grass seeds, later to be used as Jesus' manger. Each child put in some grass seeds and talked about things they did today that showed acts of kindness and love. We are excited to see new things grow as we anticipate Love and New Life coming in the form of a baby.

Andrew putting his seed in. He said that he helped mommy today at the grocery store. (boy did he) ;)

Tabitha said she cleaned up the house. (I would say more like under the homeschool table and picked up her shoes) BUT she did show love by obeying.

Carissa prayed today, that's how she showed love. :-)

Ethan put the laundry in the laundry room and helped clean the table after dinner.

Taylor helped with the little kids at swim practice and she took treats to one of her coaches.

I know it looks like a pie, but it is a bowl of dirt with our children's grass seeds.

Taylor hanging the first ornament.

A stump with a branch growing from it.

Our "Jesse Tree."

Watering the seeds before evening chores and bedtime.

Updating the blog

2011-11-20T23:15:00.001-05:00

Well, you all know now that I'm not a great blogger. Actually I pretty much stink at it. I have hopes though. One day I'll be an awesome blogger, a talented photographer, an efficient couponer, I'll sew all my children's costumes, bows, dresses... one day.... one day.... I do look up to the mom's out there who seem to "do it all." I just have to be real and say out loud, "I can't." So, that's why you might get a blog post from me at random times during the year.

I'll start by giving you bullet point things that have happened since my last post. (which was August)

We bought a house. A much bigger house where we can fill our rooms with "blessings." (children not stuff) ;-)
We are still in the same place with the adoption process, which is waiting on Social Services.
Taylor turned 14! I can't believe I will have a child in high school next year. I really can't believe we've been homeschooling Taylor for 6 years now! I am excited but nervous about homeschooling during the high school years.
School is going great for all the children. We've had some adjustments in the new house. Carissa dropped her morning naps right before the move. So I've had to reorganize schedules a bit.
Pregnancy is going well. I have truly been blessed with all my pregnancies. So far all "normal" checkups.
I will be having this new baby boy sometime the first of January. I'm pretty sure my hubby will be a much better blogger about this exciting time.
Church is going well. We had some bumps in the road, but we have pressed on through the trials and God has been very gracious to us. We are at a pivotal time in the ministry at PBC. Martie and some other faithful men of the church have rewritten the constitution and bylaws. I am excited to see how the Lord is going to use the new structure of the body for His glory.
We served our neighbors on Halloween night. Martie set out a tent and we gave away tracks, coffee, cider, and lots and lots of candy. We're hoping to continue to serve and get to know the people living around us. I'm excited about the opportunities.

That's all I can think of right now. We are excited about the upcoming holidays. I am looking for different ideas and ways to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are currently reading Pilgrim Voices and I plan on starting Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Treehouse) this week. Every year I search out neat ways to celebrate Advent, but in that too I fail. Maybe this will be the year. We shall see. I do see lot's of baking, decorating, reading, and teaching in our future.

Well, until the next blog.....Grace and Peace to you!

Happy 5th birthday!!!

2011-08-02T08:35:00.000-04:00

So many thoughts come to my mind when I think of my sweet boy Andrew. It brings tears to my eyes to think of all the ways he is a blessing to our family. So I decided to write a few things that either describe him or things that I love about him:

His crazy dance parties!
Him singing, "oh my darling."
His very silly dance moves.
How much he LOVES babies.
The way he looks up to his big brother.
The boy can tend to a garden better than me.
He is the hardest working child I've ever met!
However, he is the slowest child I've ever met when it comes to chores. ;)
He is one awesome cuddler.
He can climb...anything....especially a tree!
He likes any kind of bug or worm, and not afraid to touch them.
He and Tabitha like to plot out things together.
He is very willing to share.
He loves to pray. For anyone and everyone. He doesn't forget. (even you Wilbaldas)
His excitement about life.
He is a happy boy.
He loves for his big sister Taylor to sing, "You are my sunshine" to him.
He is truly the slowest child EVER to get in the car and buckle up. TRULY, if we're late it's probably because we're waiting on Andrew to get his shoes on or buckle up his seat belt. :) Even that makes me smile.
He loves to be my helper.
I love our special times together. (grocery shopping, washing dishes, working in the garden)

Andrew Chase Mangum you are a blessing to our family! We thank God for each day of the last five years with you! We pray that you would take all these attributes and do something crazy (as only you could) for Jesus!!!

The Lord's promise...

2011-07-17T01:14:00.002-04:00

Today, for me, has been one of those days where you wish someone could physically come beside you to help hold you up. We have had so many exciting things happening in our life lately. So many blessings. But the Lord has ways of keeping me humble and depending on Him for everything. So it has been a bad day. Plain and simple.

As I was thinking through some things I started singing the song, Better is one day in your courts. Then I opened the Scriptures and started reading my bible reading plan. I'm reading in 1 Chr. and Psalms. Well God in all His goodness planned for me to be at Psalm 84. I love how the Spirit works.

Psalm 84:10-12

"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the man who trusts in You!"

I love this!!! His is a sun and shield! He gives grace and glory! He doesn't withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly!

I am blessed because I trust in this Lord! I am so thankful that He is the one that has come beside me to lift me up and encourage me through His word.

The Journey @ Parkwood Baptist Church (by: Martie)

2011-07-08T13:39:00.000-04:00

The Journey @ Parkwood Baptist Church

My journey at PBC began in a strange and unforeseen way. My family and I had left one church where I served as a youth pastor and were in transition. I didn’t necessarily want to jump right into a ministry position considering I was attending SEBTS and working a part-time job to help support the family. My love for the Lord was strong as was my desire to serve Him. We heard about PBC through a good friend of ours who had talked with the church about possibly becoming the pastor. Upon hearing about this opportunity we began attending PBC.

The first Sunday my family attended PBC we discovered six individuals in the pews all of who were in their mid sixties and older. There was in addition to these six individual the pastor who was part-time and the pianist. Upon arrival with our two children some of the members graciously took Ethan and Taylor downstairs to share a Bible story and do a craft with them.

As we sat in the service and many after that, it was easy to realize that this church had very little to offer anyone. From my perspective the building was in disrepair, the music was lacking, the preaching wasn’t great, the Bibles in the pews were falling apart, and so many other things. Though PBC did not look hopeful by any stretch of the imagination, God did something miraculous inside of me. I remember sitting in the pew one Sunday thinking deeply about PBC when suddenly God put His finger on a particular sin in my life.

The sin I had fallen into was the sin of consumerism. You see during the transition phase my family had visited several churches in Durham. I had been looking for a church that first and foremost had good solid biblical preaching, a great music ministry, a dynamic children’s ministry, were passionate to reach the lost and so many other factors. PBC was the exact opposite of what in my consumeristic mindset was looking for. On that day God caused me to look inward and I was impressed with this thought: You have been going to churches with a “what’s in it for me” attitude, when in reality I should be approaching churches with a “what can I do to help” attitude.

After that day my mind was made up, I would no longer go to a church asking what can you offer me, but rather, considering the gifts God has given me, how can I best serve God and His people and see His mission accomplished. I then began to look at PBC through the lens of potential. These facilities might be falling apart, but what great potential; these Bibles might be falling apart, but we can get some new ones; etc.

Through some unfortunate circumstances my good friend became the pastor and then left after only three months of serving. This was due to many factors I will not go into here. When my pastor friend left, my wife and I began praying about what to do next. Upon much prayer, we both were convinced that the Lord had called us to PBC to serve and so we decided to remain.

The next several weeks were filled with uncertainty. Who will preach, what is my friend going to think of us staying, what is the Lord’s plan for PBC? A week or so after my pastor friend left the church asked me to fill the pulpit until we could find an interim pastor. At that time I was working two other jobs and was enrolled in school full-time. In spite of my busy schedule, I agreed, thinking it would only be for a week or two.

To my surprise, at the next business meeting, the church asked me to serve as the interim pastor while they formed a committee to search for a new pastor. After much time in prayer, my wife and I agreed this was the right decision. The search committee was formed and the hunt for a pastor was futile. There were not many men interested in coming to such a small church with so little to offer. Those who did apply the committee did not think they would be a good fit. The eventually asked me to submit a resume to be their pastor.

My wife and I began to pray, think deeply about this opportunity, and seek wisdom from others. In the end we concluded that we were convinced that God had called me to pastor, he had gifted me with the necessary gifts, and had put an open door in front of us. Although this came about through some very unusual circumstances, we were convinced this was what God wanted and had even planned. I was later unanimously voted in as the pastor of PBC.

My initial plan was two-fold. I was going to love the people and preach the word. I decided that loving the people was crucial. The people at PBC had gone through a lot through the years. There seemed to be very little confidence and trust in pastors. My plan was to win the people over by demonstrating a sacrificial love for them. Considering, what I perceived as a lack of solid biblical teaching in the past, I was going to immerse myself in the Scriptures and attempt, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to faithfully exposit the Word, verse by verse and word by word.

Early in my first year I studied Matthew 9 and 10. In those passages the Lord shared with His disciples that the harvest was plentiful, but the workers were few. This was something I could identify with at PBC. We had very few people who could dedicate their lives to reaching the harvest. I began to pray, as the Lord instructed, that He, the Lord of the harvest, would send workers. The Lord has answered this prayer from time to time in some amazing ways.

Other than to pray I sought to change very little in the first couple of years of leading PBC. I, to some degree, naively believed that all I had to do was faithfully preach the Word and change would naturally happen. In hindsight I realize I failed to paint a clear picture and effectively lead the church to see where God wanted the church to go, what God wanted the church to look like, how the church was going to reach our community, and what changes would be necessary to be the church God desired us to be.

After discovering this, I began to teach through 1^st and 2^nd Timothy in order to show the church what God wanted us to focus on and how we should organize ourselves to accomplish His purposes. I shared with the church that I believed the Scriptures clearly demonstrated that an Elder-led church government was how the Lord wanted His church to organize. The church eventually agreed and charged a committee to change our current Constitution and By-laws to reflect this. The church is currently in the midst of these changes and well on our way to making the necessary structural changes.

The Lord has just recently revived my desire to pray Matthew 9 and 10. I again am praying that God would both raise up from among the church and send workers from elsewhere. My desire is that God would raise up and send people whose love for Jesus is unwavering and their passion to know Him and to make Him know enables them to sacrifice everything to see His Kingdom advance.

What is the vision for PBC? Where are we headed and how are we going to get there? These questions cannot be easily answered. In reality we know that the Lord Jesus could return tomorrow and all of our plans would be pointless, but at the same time we need to recognize the Lord has given us a mission to accomplish and we need to be busy seeking to be faithful to His mission.

The mission of PBC is to make disciples of Jesus by going into the world, beginning in our community and expanding to the ends of the earth, and declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit, baptizing and gathering these disciples into the church, and teaching them to obey Jesus Christ that they will worship Him now and eternally to the glory of God the Father.

We will best accomplish this mission as we gather in small groups beginning this fall. These small groups are going to focus on intentional discipleship. As families in the church gather together they will immerse themselves in the Scriptures learning what it means to love and obey Jesus Christ. In these small groups the church will be encouraged to use their God-given gifts, talents, and treasures to both build-up the church and to reach their community and the nations.

This vision in a sense is a recovery of the mission PBC had in the beginning. PBC started out as a church plant that met in homes, shopping centers and in various places. In the beginning the members of PBC were convinced the Lord had sent them to make an impact on this community for God’s sake.

My prayer is that God would send workers, not to the end that He would grow a large church in Parkwood, but rather we would be faithful in making disciples who would GO! They would go and plant churches in Durham, in other parts of the US, and among the places where the good news that Jesus Christ has come, died and rose again has not been heard.

So, the answers to my prayers have yet to be seen. Who will join us on this journey? How many will be willing to give up their consumeristic mindset, like I was enabled to, and sacrifice to the Lord everything. Jesus is infinitely worthy of all that we could give, so why don’t you join us on this journey with the Lord?

Happy July 4th!

2011-07-04T20:58:00.003-04:00

For the last 4 years our church has had the privilege of helping out with our community 4th of July celebration. The first year Martie and I were new to Parkwood Baptist, and we decided to take some freeze pops and pass them out to the children. We were looking for ways to get involved in the community. The next year we asked if we could rent a snow cone machine and pass out free snow cones. We did that a couple of years. Then last year the association asked us if we could pretty much run the whole thing.

The association provides the bounce house, games, cotton candy, decorations... We provide the snow cone machine and the people to help set up, run things, and clean up. This has been one of the most awesome things we have done to "reach" and serve our community. We also bring out our PA system and sing.

I love our neighborhood. It still has that close community feel. Over the years we have come to know the people living around us very well. This is definitely our mission field. I thank God for putting us here, I pray that He will use us to reach many people.

Here are a few of the pictures from our morning. By the way, if you live anywhere near South Durham I highly recommend coming next year! You can tell by the pictures that my kids love the celebration!

UPDATED-for sale... and wanting to buy

2011-06-27T08:31:00.007-04:00

So we've had several friends and family ask us what we're needing so you all can help us keep a look out. So friends, here is the list....finally. ;)

*Update* The things in yellow are the things we don't need anymore or we decided not to sell. We changed our minds about the boys room. We're going to keep their bunk beds. (especially since they have mattresses and bedding) We will figure out another bed when our adoption is closer. We need to save as much as possible in order to purchase other things that are needed sooner.

We are also selling our 2004 SEL Ford Freestar Van, please pass this listing on to people that might be interested. Thank you all for your help!!!
http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2468509180.html

What we have to sell:

"My beloved" Purple work bench chair: (I know it's not worth much to anyone else but me) asking $20.00
Red Metal bunk bed (full on bottom and twin on top) asking $200
Duo glider double stroller (This is very used, still in good condition. A friend gave us a nicer one)- Will take best offer
Eddie Bauer single Stroller-will take best offer

What we're looking to buy:

2 sets of twin over twin bunk beds
Tall dresser with about 5 drawers
Dining room table (we found one that we like and will fit our family. This may be something we have to pay full price for) http://www.roomstore.com/casual-dining-room-furniture/casual-dining/collections/hancock/170796.aspx
"Formal" living room furniture (This is something else we may pay full price for)
Dressers for Taylor's room
3 twin mattresses!!! (1 for Taylor, 2 for the girls room, and 4 for the boys room. The 2 sets of bunk beds will go into the boys room)
Some kind of storage cabinets for our homeschool stuff (I know this is vague, sorry I don't know exactly what this is going to look like.
Bedding for the girls room (2 twin) My mother inlaw bought these. :D
Bedding for the boys room (4 twin)
1 36" bathroom vanity
1 30" bathroom vanity
Lights for each of the vanities.
Faux wood blinds (lots, so if you see them on sale please let me know) :)

There are a lot more odds and ends. Thank you all for keeping a look out for any of this. I'm so tired of looking at Craigslist so I appreciate you all helping us. I will update the list as we need more or we find some of the above items.

update

2011-06-27T08:18:00.002-04:00

I feel like I have so much to update. I just haven't had time to sit and blog lately. So in the last few weeks the church has agreed to give Martie a pretty significant raise. They wanted us to be able to buy a house. This has been such a blessing to us. So we are in the process of purchasing a home that is about 3/4 of a mile away. It was a forclosure so it needs lot's of work. The guy that we are purchasing it from is fixing it to our desires. Basically this has blessed us more than we can explain. We are going from about 1000 sq. feet 3 bedroom 1 1/2 bath to a 2600 sq. foot 6 bedrooms 2 bathroom house.

This "new" house has 3 bed. 2 bath upstairs, but has a completely unfinished full size basement. We are adding 3 more rooms and it will have a "family room" downstairs. We will use this room for our tv room and to homeschool.

We finished our adoption classes last week and the paperwork. Glory, glory!!! We are now waiting for a DSS worker to be assigned to us. I'm okay with it taking a few weeks as we are in the process of moving. I've been cleaning out everything and selling everything I can around the house. My children are starting to ask, "What's next?" hahaha I'm trying to sell the things so that we can afford to buy things for the new house. (we have a lot more house to furnish)

So if a DSS worker showed up right now they might be a little concerned. Boxes everywhere! I sold our dining room table, so we're eating off a table we borrowed from the church and metal chairs. :) Tabitha and Taylor are sleeping on a queen sized air mattress. I sold their loft bed. The boys bed is next on the for sale list!

So that's our quick update. Hopefully I can blog more frequently to keep you all posted!

education

2011-06-07T21:55:00.002-04:00

education

From the 1828 Websters Dictionary:
EDUCA'TION, n. [L. educatio.] The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties.

Modern day Websters Dictionary:

Definition of EDUCATION

a : the action or process of educating or of being educated; also : a stage of such a process b : the knowledge and development resulting from an educational process education>

: the field of study that deals mainly with methods of teaching and learning in schools

Crazy differences in the definitions, huh?

Stay tuned...

2011-05-22T01:45:00.004-04:00

March 13, 2011 marks the day that we "officially" started the process of adoption. That was the day we filled out an application with LSM. Loving Shepherd Ministries is a non-profit agency that helps narrow down the adoption options for your family. We highly recommend them. Thank you Jenn who recommended them to us.

You may know that I have wanted to adopt for as long as I can remember. Martie has always liked the "idea" of adoption, and was ready to pursue it for our family around the first of the year. He was teaching through the book of James and he got to chapter 1 verse 27, ^"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Adoption is important because it is a beautiful picture of what Christ has done for us. We were once children of wrath, but Jesus came and willingly laid down His life and poured out His blood so that we could be called sons and daughters. I love Romans 8:15, "¹⁵For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" We go to God and cry to Him as Daddy! Isn't that awesome! That's why we can call fellow Christians, brother or sister. We are the family of God if we have trusted in Him as Lord and Savior.

While moving in the adoption process we discovered that I am now pregnant with our sixth child. We were very shocked but are confident in God's Sovereignty. We know that He has called our family to adopt and so we will continue. We are trusting in Him for everything! The Lord has provided for us time and time again. My husband said something in His sermon Sunday that has stuck with me, "by faith we obey." I truly feel that's what we have done and are doing. We are just obeying our convictions and trusting in Him for the rest. We are so thankful that He has found us to be worthy to raise another child for His glory!

End of the School Year 2010-2011

2011-05-16T14:22:00.002-04:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Garden update

2011-05-03T23:17:00.003-04:00

The garden is looking good. I forgot to take a picture of the 330 gallon water tank that Martie bought. We're hoping that saves us money this summer. It was almost full after just a couple of good rains. I will have to take a picture of it. It is quite large.

We planted watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, green beans, sugar snap peas, tomatoes (many kinds), bell peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, field peas, and okra. I think that's all. The boys are a huge help this year. They both really understand when, where, and how to dig, weed, and plant. I am so proud at how hard they both have worked. Taylor hasn't helped much outside, but she will be picking, cleaning, and canning right along side of me. She would rather do the kitchen stuff. ;)

A day in the garden

2011-04-15T22:25:00.005-04:00

Martie tilled up the garden a couple of weeks ago. I've been wanting to get out and build up the rows. It has rained a lot, so it's been too wet. Well I decided to do it today before all the rain tomorrow. Hopefully we can plant at the beginning of next week. Here are some pictures from our day. (and night) Martie and Ethan finished up around 9:00 pm tonight! I'm so thankful for my hardworking boys!

It's not too dirty for pretty "GG shoes." Tabitha loves her pink shoes.

The boys really enjoyed saving the worms from getting hurt.

Can you guess which one of my children doesn't mind being barefoot in the dirt? ;)

I think our dogs were worn out too! This is how they were tonight. Both in the small dog house!

In our house...

2011-04-13T13:40:00.004-04:00

Andrew helps me with the dishes....

and this sweet girl rearranges our kitchen cabinets.

Are we crazy?

2011-03-24T22:33:00.004-04:00

As you can imagine we get asked lot's of questions. Actually I'm so used to my life that I forget that we look "different." I don't consider us having a large family when I look at some of my friends who have 6, 8, 10... But the reality is, we don't look like your average family. I'm going to try to answer some of the questions that I've been asked, or respond to the comments that I hear.

1. Do you want more? YES! We would welcome more either biologically or through adoption. When we say, "Children are a blessing from the Lord," we truly mean that. Just as you might say, "God has blessed me financially, or with my health, or with my family..." God has blessed us with children. I would never turn down or want to miss out on a blessing that God might have for me. God has trusted my husband and I with one of His greatest blessings, the responsibility to teach and train these little ones to follow Him.

2. How do you do it? The grace of God! I know that sounds very cliche', but it's true. Clinging to Him, His word, and prayer. God gives me everything I NEED. I would also say by the forgiveness of my husband and children. I make many mistakes, but hopefully they are witnessing God's grace and transforming power in my life.

3. You homeschool! Wow! Okay, that's not a question but it is the response I hear when people find out that we educate ALL our children at home. Truth is I could do a whole blog post on questions I get on this subject. In short though: yes I teach them all, no I don't have any "formal" training, yes I test them, yes it is hard teaching a 7th grader, 1st grader, Kindergartner, and Preschooler, while taking care of a nursing baby, yes I get tired, yes we keep a schedule, no we don't follow it exactly, yes I'm more concerned about their relationship and knowledge of Christ than I am with their formal education, yes I want my children to excel in there formal education, yes we will teach them all the way through high school.

So again, we feel that it is our responsibility to teach and train our children. One key verse for us is Deuteronomy 6:7 "You shall teach them diligently..when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down, and when you rise up..."

4. How can each child get the attention they need/desire? This is a good question, but one that I believe people are misconceived by. Most of the time people that ask this question don't have that many children so they only have to focus on 1, 2, or 3 children. It's not that easy to understand unless you have more. God truly multiplies our time with all of our children. Martie and I have such a unique relationship with each one of our children. I would like to answer this question in 2 ways.

First, we want each one of our children to have that special time with us. We tell each one of them that they are, "Our favorite Taylor, Ethan, Andrew, Tabitha, or Carissa." We mean it! Taylor loves it when her and Martie randomly stop at Starbucks or go on a "date." She loves baking with me. Ethan loves to cuddle. He'll crawl up in our lap and just cuddle. He likes for us to read to him and play video games with him. Andrew always sneaks in the bed with us. He likes to give me "Andrew love," when I'm running low on it. He is our helper, don't sit him in front of a television. Give him something to do. He helps me in the kitchen with dishes, dinner, setting the table. He helps daddy fix things. Tabitha, oh Tabitha. She is our comedian. She loves to make all of us laugh. She probably has the BIGGEST personality of anyone. She loves to tag along with me, is very content just sitting with me. But in the next minute she could be rolling on the ground with Daddy and the boys. Carissa, my sweet baby girl. Her special time comes every time I nurse her, when she's in her baby carrier, when I'm changing her diaper. She gets lots of kisses, cuddles, and songs.

The second way that I would answer this question is probably hard for some to understand. I think having more children means they get more attention. They live with their best friends, they don't necessarily want "alone time." We live in a country where children have anything they could want, but is that always the best for them. What is that teaching them? I don't want them to grow up with a "it's all about me" perspective. I pray that having a large family with lots of brothers and sisters helps them to be selfless. I want them to give away their last piece of candy, share their favorite toy, comfort their hurting siblings. I want them to be willing to "sell all their possessions" and follow after Jesus.

Hopefully I've answered some of your questions. I pray that God would use our family's convictions to help some of you. There are lot's of other questions that we get, maybe I'll post more at a later time.

ever want to press pause?

2011-03-23T00:06:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the "not so fun things" that happened while we were in New Mexico. A day before we left, we took Tabitha and Carissa to the doctor. Carissa's ear infection still did not clear up. (double ear infection again) Both of the girls were treated for conjunctivitis. That's right! Right before a 26-28 hour car ride. Ethan and Taylor were next to get it. So our pediatrician was nice enough to call in extra drops. So we left with 3 bottles of prescription eye drops.

I really thought it was under control. I thought Andrew, Martie, and I had escaped it. Half way through the trip my dad got it! A day after being in NM Andrew and Martie got it. Sometime in there, my brother, Melanie, Micheal, and my sister all got it!!!! I somehow escaped it all. I think it was because I was walking around with Clorox wipes and sanitizer.

We went to Melanie's dads house one night for dinner. (which was wonderful) Until Carissa screamed out and passed out in my arms! Yep, she went completely limp and passed out. She finally came to and then look very dazed. She kept trying to go back out, but we took her outside. She eventually was back to herself. We left his house right after that.

A few hours into the same 26-28 hour drive home Tabitha started throwing up! So unplanned pit stop number one. She rode with a trashcan the rest of the way. She only threw up once more. We did stop by a Walgreens. I bought something for nausea.

A couple of days after being home Andrew woke up from his sleep throwing up. He spent the following 24 hours sleeping or just laying around.

Somewhere in all this my wonderful friend Danielle experienced over 21 hours of labor. (which I was there for) I went home from that thinking I was getting sick. Only to realize I felt sick because I missed 3 "feedings" and all I ate was a bag of M&M's, a donut, and a slice of lemon pound cake. hahaha Not to mention the 2/3 cokes.

Yesterday I took the 4 little children to the library. As I was putting them all in their car seats Carissa started crying. Guess what? Yep, she passed out again! This is the scariest thing that I've experienced with one of my children. My body literally shakes all over after it has happened. I forgot to tell you that she almost passed out a second time in NM, her lips turned blue and everything. Martie took her outside and she got her breath again. She has an appointment in the morning for this. Poor baby has a doctor's appointment almost every week. Next week is the appt. with the ENT.

My hubby came home tonight from school with the chills, aching, and throwing up! I need to restock our anti-bacterial soap and hand sanitizer.

Sorry this wasn't a very encouraging blog, or maybe it was for you. You may be thanking Jesus right now that you don't have this many germs in your house. hahaha But it's times like this I wish I could say....Pause please! I need a moment. I need to get caught up on the kids school work, laundry is back out of hand, I need to reply to some emails, I need to make sure the library books are separate from the books we bought today, my floor really needs to be vacuumed, swept, and mopped, how can I make my hubby feel better, no one let Carissa cry (hahaha).... I could go on, but what I really need is Jesus! That's all I need! The other stuff will happen, I know this.

So in this moment I'm pressing pause on everything that needs me right now, only to cling to Jesus. He is my strength, my rock, my provider, my friend, and my daddy.

social club or lifestyle?

2011-03-19T10:50:00.002-04:00

I recently asked the question on fb, "How can you tell if a person is a Christian."

I got some of the expected answers, such as, "You will know them by their fruit." But what does that look like? What is this fruit that the Bible speaks of?

Another friend and I were talking about her mothers lifetime (around 50 years ago or so). She was explaining to me how committed families were then. They went to church every Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. They were intimately involved in each others lives. However this is the generation that raised children that are NOT dedicated to church. These are the same people that fill the pews today, but are not willing to change things for the sake of Christ.

Today we have people that come to the church building on Sundays, but it's too much to worship Sunday nights. Wednesday's are just too busy for prayer. We have work, the children, school.... Some can't make it on Sunday mornings because they've had a hard week, they need some "rest."

Okay, so I am on another one of my little rants. Bare with me. I hope to clear things up in the following paragraphs.

I think we have made "church" into a social club, or something else added into our already busy life. We get excited because we pull off "successful" events like Awana, VBS, carnivals. But the excitement soon wears off, and follow up is the church's main problem. Instead I think church is a lifestyle. Sure you can have events, sure you can have church socials, but if you are not living as the church everyday then your relationship with Christ can be questioned.

1 Corinthians 4:1, "Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy." That is in all areas of our life. When we go to a place of vocation, it is for Christ. (not for us or our financial gain) When we teach our children, it is for Christ, not for our popularity. When we serve our brothers and sisters, it is for Christ, not for our recognition. Our every breath, every moment here on earth is for Christ. We don't get to take a break, go on vacation, or rest from being a Christian.

This is one reason our family chooses to still go worship with the church when we are out of town. Worshiping corporately is important, sitting under the preaching and teaching of the Word of God is essential to our growth as believers. Paul states in Colossians 1:18 (in speaking of Christ) "He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything." Vs. 28-29 Paul says, "We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."

I fail, I know I do. I am not diligently seeking the Lord in all things. I do not take advantage of each moment to tell someone about the grace of God that has so freed me. I am not patient. I get anxious. However, I have convictions. My heart aches just thinking about the times that I have failed in my walk with Christ. How much more could he have used me? So it is today that I press on. I am reminding myself, "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."

I leave you with 2 Corinthians 13:5-11

⁵Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test? ⁶But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test. ⁷Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear unapproved. ⁸For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. ¹⁰For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down. ¹¹Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

Thanks and good bye

2011-03-12T09:31:00.006-05:00

Cam, Melanie, and Micheal,
Thank you so much for inviting us to "invade" your space for over a week. You all sacrificed a lot! We had so much fun with you guys. All of our children loved playing with Micheal. (and Blue) hahaha From mountain climbing, video game playing, movie watching, shopping for sling shots, I think they're all worn out. Many memories were made and that makes me so grateful. I love you all!

Thank you for letting me "play" with my new camera at your expense. hahaha I know you got tired of me, but I hope you enjoy your pictures! :)

I am so thankful that we were able to share in this moment. I am so proud of you Cam. I can't wait for the special day. Let me know if there is anything that I can do. I promise to be available when/if you need me, and to back off when you need space. :-) I am so excited to gain a sis-in-law, and nephew.

Dad and Alley,
Thank you for this gift. Alley you thought that it would be difficult to top the Carolina Basketball tickets, well I think you topped yourself. ;) We had an amazing time. This was a trip that would normally be impossible for our family to take. I love you both so much. Thank you for your patience with me and the children. ;) Thank you for the memories.

We can't wait to see you Cam, Melanie, and Micheal this summer! For now we love you, thanks, and good bye!
Love,
Martie, Heather, Taylor, Ethan, Andrew, Tabitha, and Carissa

Wednesday- day in the desert

2011-03-09T00:35:00.004-05:00

We drove about 15 minutes out of the city today, to the desert. This was confusing to Andrew because he knew that we were already in the "desert." But where we drove today is a place my brother goes to ride his 4 wheeler. You can see for miles, the clouds look as though they never end, there are very few houses, lots of cacti, and random cows. The few houses we saw were very strange. They were the size of those portable storage things. They didn't have windows or electricity. We saw one adobe home, and it had a huge hole dug beside it with a van backed down into the hole. I don't know if the person lived under ground or what. It was very interesting.

Here are the pictures from our day.

Saturday-

2011-03-06T17:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a very FULL day. We woke up around 3 am and left the house by 4am. We arrived in Alamosa, CO around 8:00. We stopped and got some breakfast and then headed to the train station. We boarded around 9:45, and left at 10:00 am.

Everyone was excited but already tired from a long morning. We had not been on the train long when my sister called us all to the back of the train. This is where my brother was waiting. I started "practicing" with my camera. Then my brother got on one knee and asked his girlfriend Melanie to marry him. It was very sweet and we are so excited for them.

We had a 3 hour ride and then we stopped in La Vita, CO. It is a very cute town. The population is less than 1000 in the winter. We played in the snow, Martie bought books (of course), the kids had homemade ice cream ($1.50 for a huge scoop), and we had a little free tour of a fort. There were 2 deer inside the fort area that were obviously not scared of people. We could almost walk up to them.

We boarded the train for the second time and headed back. On the way home the adults worked hard to listen to the Carolina/Duke game on Alley's computer. It was a long but great day.

We worshipped at Mars Hill Albuquerque today. I was so happy to spend the Lord's day with my brother and his family, my sister, and my dad. Stay tuned for pictures, it's taking too long to upload them right now. :)

Friday

2011-03-04T23:37:00.002-05:00

Today we were planning to go to the mountains, but decided to stay around town instead. We are going to Colorado tomorrow morning. It will be a long day and we wanted to go to bed early tonight. Instead we went to "Old Town." This is a block in Albuquerque right off Route 66. It was the old downtown. Then we drove down Route 66.

We plan on attending Mars Hill Albuquerque on Sunday. This is the church where Mark Driscoll preaches out of Seattle, Washington. The church here is one of their satellite churches. We drove by the theater where they meet. I am excited about worshiping with my family Sunday.

We came home and ate Spaghetti, salad, and bread. Gave all the children baths and put them to bed. As I type this everyone is asleep except Martie, Taylor, and I. I just finished some laundry and packed our lunch for tomorrow.

Tomorrow we have to leave here by 4:00 am. We are going on a scenic train ride in Colorado. It is about a 4 hour drive to get there. I am excited about this. I will have lots more to blog about tomorrow.

Thursday...

2011-03-04T09:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a relaxing day, I would call it our "adjusting" day. After a 28 hour car ride we needed a down day. Dad and I put together a meal list for the week. Then Melanie, Dad, and I went to the grocery store and Walmart. (where I showed them my mad couponing skills) hahaha Just kidding, I actually didn't have that many coupons for the things we needed.

I was happy to get out (even to the grocery store). It was late when we got here the night before, so I couldn't see anything. It is so beautiful here. Very different. I love the huge rocky mountains. We plan to go see them today. We stopped by Micheal's school to drop something off. It's really great to see where my brother and his family are living. I am so excited to be here.

Later that afternoon I needed to go back to Walmart for some foil trays. So I asked my brother to take me. It's only a couple of blocks away. I asked him jokingly at first to ride me on his motorcycle. Minutes later I was talked into hopping on. Thankfully he went very slow to keep me comfortable. It was fun spending that special time with him. I miss him.Did I mention my brother has 2 dogs. One is actually a horse. He comes up to my waist. I was nervous about this at first, but I have to say these are the most well behaved dogs I've EVER met. Very sweet. We have laughed at "Blue" the big dog so much. He is huge!!!That evening I made enchilada casserole and rice for dinner. I also made a banana pudding for dessert. Micheal fell asleep before dinner and Andrew fell asleep at the dinner table. They were wiped out. We had a great day just hanging out together, I am looking forward to the rest of the week. I need to read up on this new camera so I can get some great pictures.

The one who sits at my feet....

2011-03-03T08:44:00.002-05:00

I'm interrupting our series of posts of the vacation. This is a blog that has been on my mind. I just haven't had the time to sit and type. Vacation is that perfect time.

Carissa is officially 10 months. She has been my rather, ummm 'needy' child. She has had several sicknesses, she took forever to sleep through the night, I really had to train her on her nap schedule...So when I say needy, I really mean just different from the other children. However, they're all very different. She has required a little more of me.

She has always been a "mommy's girl." She loves her daddy, brothers, and sisters. But if mommy is in the room, she wants me. I have to confess there have been times of frustration with this. I have at times walked out of the room so that she doesn't see me, I have tiptoed by a room that she was in, I have shut doors so she can't see me... She is very content unless she see's me.

One of Carissa's favorite places is in my arms. She's also very content sitting on my lap or at my feet. She has sat at my feet while I washed dishes, got ready for church, read to the boys... It doesn't bother me now. I see it as a blessing.

God has shown me something amazing. Carissa knows who provides for her, she feels safe with me, she trusts me. Sure she can be 'content' with others or in other rooms of the house. But she is most content just sitting at my feet.

The Lord reminded me of the time that He was visiting His good friends Mary and Martha. (John 12:1-11; Luke 10:38-42) Martha was busy serving. She built up resentment to Mary, her sister, because she was sitting at Jesus' feet. Jesus quickly corrected Martha and said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

See the connection I made was this. Carissa really wants and needs me. She knows that I feed her and that makes her very content. She knows that I protect her, and that makes her very comfortable. God is my Abba (Father), I need Him. He is my source of nutrition, both physically and spiritually. I get all I need from Him. So only one thing is "necessary," sitting at His feet.

What does that look like? Remember when I walk out of the room, Carissa cries. She wants to see me. I should desire to be that close to Christ my Savior. I should cry out to Him, when I don't feel His nearness or when I've turned my own way. Carissa crawls beside me, looks for me, and is completely content with just me! Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing if we desired our Abba in that way.

However we don't always see our 'need' for God. We think that we actually can do things on our own. Our attitude at times can almost be so prideful that we think God needs us! Think about it. He needs me to raise these children to follow Him, He needs me to help my friends, He needs me to serve, to tell people about Him... Truth is He doesn't! I love Numbers 22:23-30. In these verses God uses a DONKEY to get the attention of Balaam. I am quickly reminded that the God that created everything and who can destroy everything my His very words, doesn't need me.

God loves me and He desires all of me. That's why He tells Martha, only one thing is necessary and that is "sitting" at His feet. Like Carissa with me, I need to look for Him, desire to be with Him, cry out when I don't 'see' Him. It's so easy to get distracted with other things, like Carissa is when she doesn't see me, or like Martha was with serving Him. I pray that the Lord will help me today to be more like Mary or like Carissa is with me, because only one thing is necessary.

almost there!

2011-03-02T20:31:00.003-05:00

Well it's 8:30 North Carolina time. We just crossed the Texas border. (so it's 7:30 here) It's been a long but great day! The kids have been amazing. They have colored some, played some, played eye spy, and watched one movie. (they didn't even finish that movie) I am so surprised they haven't used any of the other electronics that I came prepared with. I packed plenty of movies and the Nin. DS w/ games. They have been completely content just sitting, talking, and playing quietly. AMAZING!

We've had perfect weather. Traffic has been pretty good, except the expected times and a little construction. We expect to be at my brothers around 11:00 New Mexico time (1:00 NC time). I imagine the kids will fall asleep shortly since it is their bedtime. It will be interesting to see how they adjust to the time difference, especially Carissa.

I can't wait to update pictures, Martie took lots on the way here. Maybe tomorrow I'll get those uploaded.

... and we're off!

2011-03-02T07:55:00.002-05:00

Headed to New Mexico that is!

It has been a rough week. On Saturday night Carissa and Tabitha developed an eye infection. Carissa had been showing signs of sickness and by Saturday she was just not feeling good. Fortunately Sunday morning our doctor fit us in. Carissa had another double ear infection. The good thing is we got the antibiotics and eye drops before we left for our trip.

So Monday and Tuesday were spent washing hands, light switches, door knobs, blankets... and anything else ANYONE touched! Even though I tried very hard to keep the eye infection from the others, Taylor and Ethan caught it. Somehow Andrew, Martie, and I have stayed clear. (thank God) I was not able to get through my lists as quickly or as organized as I would have liked.

We left around 10:45 Tuesday night. I'm realizing all that I forgot. My boys new water bottles that I bought especially for this trip, a cup for Tabitha and Carissa, to leave the key for my Aunt, and most importantly the pack and play for Carissa to sleep in!!!! AAAAGGGGHHH!!! I get so frustrated when I forget things. It usually doesn't happen because I go over my list about 100 times. However this time, I have been dealing with other things and trying get everyone well before we leave.

I did remember to call the doctor and get extra eye drops for anyone else who might get this infection, kids blankets, and their favorite stuffed animal, their school lessons (and some fun stuff), and of course SNACKS! Two baskets of snacks! :)

Well, I will hopefully be updating the blog on our adventure. I'm very excited about our trip and some things we have planned. We are in Tennessee now, it's 8:00 am and the kids are awake. They just finished muffins for breakfast. We should be stopping in a little bit to refuel, get the kids out to go to the bathroom, and stretch. So far all is good. Praise the Lord!

Great date

2011-02-26T13:51:00.004-05:00

I arrived home from the gym about 6:30 pm. last night. My hubby was sitting on the couch. I wondered why he didn't race outside to help me get the children out of the van. He's always quick to help. As soon as I walked in the door, I spotted "the" package. My handsome groom had purchased the camera that we've been wanting. I really wanted it soon because we leave for New Mexico next week. I was so excited, and then I noticed something else. "Why are you wearing a tie?" I asked. "You have 30 mins. to get ready, we're going on a date," he replied. REALLY! I went through a river of emotions at this point. Excitement, curiosity, frustration (30 mins), confusion...

I quickly jumped in the shower. He gathered the children back into the van. He took them to get a movie from redbox and to get something to eat. Thirty minutes later I was ready. Earrings and all! It's rare this momma of 5 wears earrings. There's something that feels nice about dressing up.

I had a million questions. I am a detail person. Who's watching the kids, where are we going, but I took chicken out for dinner, do we have reservations... Oh silly me. Lack of faith in my ever so charming husband. (he had already put the chicken up for tonight's dinner.) By 7:15 we were off. Thanks to a special couple at our church we had a nice gift certificate that could be used at several different restaurants. Martie had chosen the nicest. Flemings at Crabree Valley Mall in Raleigh.

I really felt special as they greeted us by name. (which means he did make reservations) I was a bit overwhelmed by the menu. It's not often we get to go on a date, much less to a place like this. The atmosphere was nice, but the company was better. We had a tasty dinner and shared a delicious chocolate mousse desert. It was so nice to sit and eat a meal with no distractions. We were able to share our thoughts so openly. I am so grateful that my husband is my best friend.

We left the restaurant a little after 10. I told him that I wished we could go somewhere and take pictures. I wanted to play with the new camera. As we approached the 54/55 intersection, I was a little bummed that our evening was ending. Then he quickly turned on the side road by the Chick-fil-a. I had two thoughts. 1- he's taking the cut through to 54. 2-he's going to see if Paul is working tonight at Chick-fil-a. Then he made another quick turn in to the Courtyard Marriot. I was quick to say, "What are you doing?" Then I thought, how sweet he's going to pull over so we can talk some more, maybe he wants to pray together, or maybe we're going to play with the camera. Then he parked. Right at the front door. Again I was quick to try and figure him out, "What are you doing, where are we going, do you have a room, seriously..." He just smiled.

Apparently he had a very busy day. He had already worked out every detail of our evening. He had my sister staying with the children. My clothes were packed, along with everything I might need. (he even grabbed my makeup at the last minute) I was totally in shock, and even more so when he opened the door to our room. He had put so much thought and effort into everything. There were my favorite chocolates (Reese peanut butter cups), some bottles of coke, sparkling grape juice, rose petals everywhere, roses strategically placed.. He used the chocolates to make a heart on the bed and to write I love you on the table. Perfect, I'm telling you absolutely perfect.

We had a great breakfast the next morning and headed home. I thank God for my handsome hubby. God gave us the model for relationships, and Martie is living that model out. I am blessed. I pray that I can live up to that example too. One thing for sure, if Christ remains our first love then He will continue to direct us in our marriage, convict us, and conform us into His image.

2011-02-01T13:01:00.004-05:00

There is something so therapeutic about painting and listening to classical music. This week the children are studying the most famous impressionist Monet. This means you paint what you see and feel, maybe not so realistic. Short brush strokes and dabbing. Well, the children did there best attempt at painting some Monet pieces. I also put in our cd from the book, The Story of the Orchestra. I love that cd. They also enjoy listening.

It does take some preparation, and that can be the most difficult part. The results are well worth it. Now off to do phonics and math.

Quick snack

2011-01-29T19:25:00.002-05:00

I just thought I would share a quick treat that my kids love. They are not healthy nor allergy friendly. (sorry)

Saltine crackers
Peanut butter
Marshmallows
Sugar

Put peanut butter on each cracker, then top each cracker with one large marshmallow or several mini-marshmallows. Then sprinkle sugar over all. :) Broil just a minute or so until they are browned a little.

Cool and enjoy!
My kids are enjoying these tonight while watching Narnia.

6 years ago

2010-12-28T09:22:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's been 6 years. December 28, 2004 my first son was born. Ethan Joel Mangum. Ethan (Strong, Firm) Joel (The LORD is God) Ethan was a super easy baby. He was never fussy, slept well, and overall happy.

They took Ethan to the nursery after I had him, because I ended up having a cesarean delivery. It was hours before I could hold him or nurse him. It was a nightmare. Because of that time, none of my babies leave me after delivery now. Martie pretty much stands his ground and does not let them take our babies. (you have that choice whether or not you know it)

When I did hold him and nurse him, it was absolutely perfect. I fell even more in love. The Lord used Ethan to grow me up in the Him. (as well as He has with each one of my children) With Ethan my view for more children changed. I never imagined us with a "large" family. I also started debating whether or not I should work outside the home. I owned my own business at the time.

So what is Ethan Joel like now?
Granny used to look at him and say he's going to be a genius. Well, I would have to agree. :) Ethan is very smart. He talked in sentences very early. He asks lots of questions. You can watch him and just see his mind going. I guess you could say he is a "thinker."

He's reading very well now. He's not that excited about it, unless it's a Star-wars book or something else he's interested in. He loves math and it comes very easy to him. I remember him adding numbers before I was even doing a "formal" math with him.

He still has beautiful blue eyes. His hair has darkened up a bit, but it's still sandy blond. Pa used to say he got his eyes from him. But, he looks a lot like my brother. Either way, Martie and I always said we would love to have a blue eye, brown hair baby. We just didn't think it was possible.

Ethan is growing into a responsible little boy. He will do his chores, and do them well. He will even go beyond his chores to clean something extra. He has a little obsessive compulsion. ;) He likes perfection. Hopefully God will use that to make Ethan more like Jesus.

He can be shy. He doesn't like the attention on him. Which can be difficult. (especially with family pictures) haha It can also be difficult if someone is trying to give him a complement.

Ethan loves his brother and sisters. Every time Taylor leaves now, he cries. He just goes to his room and lets out the softest sweetest cry. (it breaks my heart) He protects his little sisters, and entertains them for me at times. I can now trust him to keep an eye on them for me, so that I can do a chore. Andrew is his best friend. As I type this, they are playing Star-wars in their room. I hear them plotting out and giggling. (sweet sound)

Ethan loves to cuddle with me. He has always loved to crawl up in my lap with covers and just sit. He will look at me at the most random times and say, "mommy I love you."

Ethan, you are my favorite Ethan in the whole wide world!!! Happy 6th Birthday son!

The 12 days of a Large family

2010-12-21T14:32:00.005-05:00

Living out our faith

2010-12-12T15:44:00.006-05:00

I hope and pray this post encourages someone to live radically for Jesus.

I am often frustrated with the lack of commitment that Christians have to corporate worship. First let me define corporate worship. This is a time where believers in Christ come together with the sole purpose of worship. (there can be a time of worship through music, prayer, preaching, communion...)

Hebrews 10:24-25 says that we should "Consider how to stimulate one another to love and goods, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Now this is a difficult subject to speak on. Especially because I am a "pastor's wife." You may say that I don't understand. I am married to someone who's whole life is serving within the church. But please give me the opportunity to appeal to your heart as a fellow believer, who has not always been a "pastor's wife."

I remember asking my husband not too long ago, "If someone is not consistently coming to worship with the church, is that a reflection of their personal worship time with the Lord?" I also wonder if we do not make it a priority to pray with the church, do we make it a priority to have personal prayer time?

Looking at the Hebrews verse above, we are commanded to come together with the church. I am confused at how I see in other countries Christian brothers and sisters walking miles in uncomfortable situations sometimes dangerous situations to gather with other believers. Yet, we here in America treat Sunday mornings or prayer services as something else on our schedule. We can come up with so many excuses. Yet there are people who would do or give anything to gather with other believers for the sake of worship.

It is mine and Martie's conviction to train our children to treasure that time with the church. Recently there was a big swim meet that was taking place on a Sunday morning. (what a temptation that was for Taylor and us) We had to stand firm that Sunday mornings were for worshiping the Lord with other believers. If we are out of town on a Sunday, we find a bible teaching church to attend.

I do not want you to be confused. Attending a worship service is not where your faith rests. Your faith should be in Christ alone. However I do believe that the time that you invest in serving your church body, worshiping with the church body, and encouraging the church is an outward sign of your faith.

James 2:14-17 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

Today was the first time in 3 weeks that I was in the service. (I had to teach one Sunday, Carissa was sick the 2nd, and I filled in for someone the 3rd) I cannot begin to tell you how I was encouraged, challenged, and refreshed to sit under the preaching and teaching of God's Word. I am reminded of my greatest purpose here on earth. Loving God with everything in me, and sharing Him with everyone else.

When I miss the service, I will listen to the sermons online. I need that instruction and training in God's word. If I want to live for Him, if I want to be faithful to Him, then I NEED that. I am a sinner, and I struggle constantly with sin. I need God and His word. I don't care HOW tired I may be, I don't care what the week looked like, I don't care what things try to distract me I NEED to gather with the church.

2 Tim. 3:16-17 reminds me "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; SO THAT the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." I thank God that I have a pastor who loves the Lord more than anything, and who loves the church, who wants to reach the nations for Jesus, and who wants to see the people of God become radical followers of Christ.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-08T22:32:00.004-05:00

Here are a few of the pictures that I talked about in my last post. :) Enjoy! (Can you guess which one of my "blessings" did NOT want to get their picture taken?)

Broken

2010-11-27T21:16:00.004-05:00

I am writing this blog and sharing my thoughts only with the hopes that it might help someone else.

I am an imperfect wife.
I am an imperfect mother.
I am an imperfect daughter.
I am an imperfect friend.
I am an imperfect teacher.
I am an imperfect cook.
I am an imperfect couponer.
I am an imperfect blogger.
I am an imperfect house-cleaner.

I procrastinate.
I am inconsistent.
I have an imperfect tongue.

I am an imperfect follower of Christ.

BUT GOD....
(that was the first thing that came to my mind when I had all those thoughts)

Ephesians 2:4-9- "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

That's it, I'm imperfect, but HE is perfect. He loves me and died for me and my imperfections. I like to appear perfect, you know, like I have is ALL together. I like to pretend, I even teach my children how to pretend.

Let's take today for a good example. We've been planning on getting our family pictures taken. Well anyone with a large family knows how difficult that can be. I have literally been praying about it for days. My mother in-law made the girls dresses, I made Tabitha a pretty bow to match, and I even got a haircut. I wanted this picture to be perfect. That's not too much to ask is it? I worked so hard to make us all look perfect, I waited until the last minute to put the picture clothes on.

Well we got ready to take our pictures and guess what, one of our "little blessings" didn't want to take his picture. Remember, all I want is ONE good picture with everyone looking and smiling. (it would also be great if we were standing straight, our clothes were not bunched up, and my hair wasn't in my face) That's not TOO much to ask is it??? I want to appear perfect.

Well the reality is, I'm not perfect. Neither is my husband and neither are my children. So for us to take a "perfect" picture is IMPOSSIBLE. That is just something I am going to have to live with. But how did I react to the imperfections? That's the real question.

I would like to tell you that I didn't let the picture fee bother me, or the nice couple that took the time to take our picture, or our extended family that was being so patient. I would like to tell you that I excused myself and my "little blessing" and addressed his heart. I would like to tell you how I reminded my "little blessing" that we are to be a blessing. I would like to tell you that I didn't get so frustrated that I could hardly smile myself.

BUT, I would be lying. I got frustrated, I spoke unkindly, I was impatient. I was so consumed with the "perfect picture", that I ignored sin. See, the root of my sin is selfishness. This day was all about me and what I wanted. When one imperfect person let me down, I reacted. Now that I have taken a step back, I am repenting. I can't wait to show you all my imperfect pictures. (hahaha)

Today, I was so concerned with a picture, that I allowed sin to enter in and take over. Not only did I allow sin to take over, I didn't see what damage I was doing to my witness. (to my children and others) Today I wanted to "play God." Well, God reminded me tonight that HE is God, and that He is working. I need to get my armor on and stop letting sin entangle me.

Ephesians 2 reminds me of who I am and my job here on this earth. Ephesians 6 reminds me that we are at war. I forget that, I avoid thinking about that. It scares me!

BUT GOD.....

1 Corinthians 1:26-31-"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; 27but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, 28and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, 29so that no man may boast before God. 30But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

Here I am Lord, broken. But trusting in You for everything.

Learning the history behind Thanksgiving...

2010-11-22T20:51:00.009-05:00

I took the children to the Eno today to do some "school" outside. My dad lives right near there, so we were blessed to have him join us. This morning I started reading Pilgrim Voices. We did geography at home. We looked at several maps and traced out the path the pilgrims traveled.

The Tee Pee was the first stop. Andrew has been begging to go. Our family loves hiking at the Eno. We then searched the area for sticks. We made a toy that children in the 17th century used to play with. Then we made a bow and arrow for Taylor, Ethan, and Andrew. They also enjoyed walking on the logs, digging up a brick, and they spotted two deer.

Then we set off for the "real" hike. Ethan was so awesome protected his mommy and sisters. He used his bow to hold back the vines for us. We stopped a couple of times and I read some more from Pilgrim Voices. I will continue to read this all week. Science was done by discussing which trees were Deciduous trees and which were Coniferous trees.

We hiked some pretty tough trails, and the kids all did wonderful. It was so beautiful. Fall is becoming my favorite season. I love all the beautiful colors of the leaves. Romans 1:20 says, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." Just looking at His creation gives me reason to worship.

We got to the end of the trail which lead back to where we started. My dad knows these trails forwards and backwards. (it's one of his favorite places) As many times as my most "graceful" child (Tabitha) fell, she didn't bleed until the very end. She tripped over a little rock and skinned up her elbow. :( I cleaned her up, put on a band-aid, and she was off again.

We had a little time left, so I had the boys collect some leaves and we did a little math. :) I was able to squeeze in all subjects and have so much fun doing so. The kids all slept well in the car on the way to the Y. Long day but so worth it. I am so thankful we were able to spend this day outside, with beautiful weather, and with my dad.

Happy 13th birthday Taylor!

2010-11-06T08:25:00.002-04:00

Wow! 13 years old! Really??? Yeap, it was exactly 13 years ago today that I had my first baby girl Taylor Alise. I was only 20 years old and totally clueless. I think that's why God granted me the most perfect labor and delivery. I remember waking up around 5-6 in the morning because my water broke. I got to the hospital and began laboring. I had a completely natural labor and she was out by 3 that afternoon. It was truly a "perfect" labor!

I checked out of the hospital the next day, right around 3. I remember being showered and packed sitting on the bed ready to go home. The nurse kept telling me, "We have to wait for the 24 hour mark." Oh wow, how things have changed for me.

The next several days/weeks were another story. Remember, I said that I didn't have a clue. I tried to nurse. But after being up almost all of one night, I cried, and asked for a bottle. Thank God I was living with my dad at the time. I remember him asking, "Did you sterilize bottles?" (Ummmm, no)

I eventually went back to school and back to work. Having Taylor, was a real wake up call. At one point I was working 3 jobs and going to hair school. It makes me so sad that I wasn't at home with her all the time. But at that time I had to do what I had to do, to support me and Taylor. I knew that I wanted to do things "right" for her, but I was still clueless. I did start taking her to church on Sundays. I remember praying earnestly in that church that God would save me, that He would change me, and that He would give me a husband.

Taylor was a huge part of my testimony. God used her to save me, I am sure of it! There is so much more I could share to prove that. I met Martie in 1999. Taylor had just turned 2. He was not "walking" with the Lord. (but he was perfect to me in every other way) I remember asking him to go to church with me. He went, reluctantly. I asked if he had a "problem" with God, and he told me no he just didn't like my church. (huge relief)

We started the search for a church together. That's how we ended up at Cresset. It was "perfect" for us. I liked the music, he liked the preaching, I felt accepted in this church. (which unfortunately was difficult as a single mom) They had a outreach thing one night and Martie and I both rededicated our lives to the Lord. We met with the pastor to marry us. During that time of appropriate "courtship," Martie read the bible and prayed like never before. God grew both of us in a major way.

We were married July 2002. Martie was an answer to a prayer. Taylor was in our wedding and even had special vows with Martie in the ceremony.

It is amazing to see all that Taylor and I went through, to where we are now. God has been so
gracious to us. I often feel so sad for Taylor because she has experienced so much change in her life. I know that God will use her testimony one day. She has grown to become a beautiful young lady. She is so caring and giving. She is not the world's typical "teenager." She is different! Praise God!

To Taylor: I love you baby girl. I learned so much from you. I continue to stand in awe of you and your walk with the Lord. I pray that He continues to mold you and shape you into the image of Christ. I pray that everything you do will be for His glory. He is using you and is going to use you in the lives of many. You are such a great sister and daughter. We are so proud of you!

failed blogger and a paper by Taylor

2010-11-03T22:20:00.003-04:00

Once again, I have failed at updating the blog. Truth is, I am too busy. I would love to update you all with the fabulous details of our everyday life. I have thoughts of blogging about our trips to the YMCA, what the children are learning with their lessons, my new sewing projects, my friends kidney transplant... There are so many things to blog about, there are just not enough hours in the day. One day, oh one day, I may blog more consistently, I may finish my children's scrapbooks, I may actually blow dry my hair again... But until then I press on with life. My priorities right now are quiet time with Jesus, teaching my children, housework, being a helper to my hubby.

So for now I leave you with a paper Taylor just recently wrote for her school work. This is a creative writing piece. She simply read the scriptures and gave her input on what she read. I thought she did a great job. More importantly I'm thankful for her ability to read and understand the scriptures.

Jesus Lives

The death of Jesus Christ was not the end, in fact there is much more to His wonderful and heroic life. One of the greatest things Jesus did was raise up on the third day so everyone could see how utterly mighty, undeniably powerful, and thoroughly pure He truly was. Sadly and helplessly there were some who did not believe until they saw Him with their own eyes, such as Thomas, who was one of the disciples. Jesus also went out to the shore where he saw other disciples. He helped them and then calmly and enjoyably feasted, which all happened before departing the earth and ascending into heaven.

After the terrible and wretched death of Jesus Christ, which many witnessed, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James went and visited His tomb. They were startled and scared when they found no body, only an empty tomb. Weeping and screaming they looked up and saw an angel of the Lord who asked, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” “Go for He has risen!” The women joyfully jumped, literally leaped, and suddenly shouted out with excitement for their Savior was alive! They quickly and frantically ran back to visit the disciples and told them what had happened! Although most did not have faith, Peter believed and he ran to see for himself. Because the Lord was no longer in the tomb, Peter worshipped wholeheartedly.

Soon after, Jesus appeared to his disciples. Pleased and excited they had now seen God, all believed except for one person, who went by the name Thomas. Thomas did not have faith and was stubborn. It did not matter how much the disciples tried to convince and scold him. “I will not truly repent, assuredly admit, or properly proclaim until I have put my hands in His side and fingers in the holes,” responded Thomas. Suddenly and surprisingly Jesus appeared before them and allowed the doubter to touch His body. From that day forward Thomas believed. Jesus, who had appeared, then announced, “Blessed are those who trust in me and have not yet seen!”

Now for the third time righteous and marvelous Jesus, who loved, appeared before the disciples. Because they were at sea, they did not know it was Him. Jesus called and asked out to them, “Have you anything to eat?” Their response was, “no.” So the Lord loudly commanded, cleverly advised, and knowingly cautioned them to throw their nets on the right side of the boat. They willingly and immediately obeyed. The believers who were astonished caught 153 fish and the net had not one rip. The followers came to shore, saw Jesus and were stunned. When God appeared to these disciples, they obeyed, so together they feasted on the fish!

Jesus who rose on the third day, died to set sinners free. He also majestically and joyfully departed the grave and ascended into heaven. Christ gave great and strong faith to those who were faithless such as Thomas. He also generously gave, diligently directed, and thoughtfully shared fish with his disciples when they were not able to catch any. The death of Jesus Christ, wonderful and heroic, was not the end. Jesus was, and is, and is to come!

Day 1 in PA:

2010-09-17T07:19:00.003-04:00

We made it to PA!!! We dropped Martie of in DC around 1:30 and we made it here around 8:30. I had to make 3 stops! That was a little frustrating. I like to get in the car and get to my destination, but when your driving it by yourself with 5 little blessings it takes a little longer.

The children were so excited to get here. The boys ran around the house until we finally made them stop. They woke up this morning around 6:40 am. The girls are all still sleeping. I did hear some funny conversations as the boys woke up. They're all camping on the floor in sleeping bags in one room. Here are the couple of things I thought were funny.

Ethan to Bill and Josiah (who both have nice new haircuts): "When was the last time your mom cut your hair? Cause' you should come to my house on Sunday and my mom can cut it very well." (by the way I never got around to cutting my own boys hair) :)

Bill: I can't wait to show you our apple tree.
Andrew: Are they ready to eat yet, I can't wait. Cause' I love them.

Now they're all sitting in the "class room", and Bill is "teaching" them. hahaha I'm sure we're going to make plenty of fun memories. They're already asking to go outside and it's only 7:30 am and they're still in their pajamas.

Plans for the day:

The children will do their lessons.
Amish Country. (my idea, of course.)
The camp where they used to live.
Maybe some shopping, I still have to find Taylor some jeans.

I'll continue to update the blog about our visit and with pictures!

What we're learning

2010-09-14T00:00:00.003-04:00

a
I have taken lot's of pictures with the hopes of updating my blog. Well, the important thing is we've been busy and I have the pictures to prove it. The bad thing is I haven't had the time to update the blog. So I figured I would just share some pictures.

The boys made shields last week after we read "The Sword in the Tree." It was very good! We were also learning about the start of feudalism. Tabitha just painted a pretty picture.

We also made butter. Andrew has been working on the 'B' sound. So I let everyone join in on his activity.

Tabitha is doing really well with her alphabet sounds and counting. She's also joining Andrew for Math. Ethan is excelling in reading, math, geography, and his memory work. He loves tracing the world everyday. Andrew has been the biggest surprise. He is doing so great! He loves his phonics worksheets, his memory work, and geography. I am seeing some big changes with his attention span.

Taylor is continuing to do great with her 7th grade studies. She's gaining great knowledge with her Bible-based writing, latin, geography, and science. I think she's actually enjoying math a little this year. hehehehe

The boys our at catechism #33. We are stopping there for now and continuing to drill for about another week. We're also memorizing Eph. 6.

That's an update from "Immersed in Truth Academy." :)

My date with Andrew

2010-09-13T23:49:00.002-04:00

I had a "little" date with my sweet Andrew last week. He had a 4 yr. old check up, so that's how we started our time together. He did so great! He obeyed the nurse. She checked his hearing, eyesight, weight... He even got his flu mist and 2 shots.

After we left the doctors office we went to Micheals. I let him pick out a treat. Wouldn't you know he really wanted to get something for everyone else. He did end up getting a marker that was $.49, a coloring bk. that was $1, and a candy bar. He was so cute eating that big candy bar. He had it all over his face by the time we got home.

The best part of the day was just sitting and talking to my sweet boy. I love spending individual time with each of my children. Andrew is so loving and really loves to put his brother and sisters before himself. I loved sitting with him at the doctor's office reading to him and discussing the pictures, walking around at the store and listening to him talk. He makes me smile. I thank God for those precious moments.

Future PA trip...

2010-09-02T00:05:00.002-04:00

We are planning another little get away. Martie is going to the "Weekender" at the church that Mark Dever preaches in Washington DC. I really wanted to take the children so we could do some museum hopping. I just love DC! However, Martie is going to be gone from early morning to late at night so he didn't want me out by myself with the children. :( (especially in DC)

I really didn't want to stay home for 5 days without him. I know I'm a wimp, but I will admit I'm a lonely wimp. hahaha So, we convinced him to let us go visit our good friends the Trunicks in PA. We will leave early on a Thursday morning and take him to DC, and the children and I will then drive to PA. We will stay with them Thursday night through Monday morning. We will then drive back to DC to pick Martie up and drive home.

I am so excited. The Trunicks moved to NC several years ago and eventually moved back up north. When we met we just connected on so many levels. Our families are very like minded and our husbands could talk for hours. They have visited us several times, but now it's time for us to see where they live, meet their friends, visit their church... Did I mention they have 4 boys and she is expecting her 5th baby. Our boys have the best time together.

Anyway, just a quick blog to share my excitement!!!!!

Busy days....

2010-08-21T08:35:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged because things at the Mangum's house have been a little crazy. We started officially teaching the children their formal lessons. We also implemented our new chore system. The morning chores are working out great, I may have to do something different for our afternoon and evening chores. Sometimes we're still doing lessons in the afternoon. (mainly Taylor)

Taylor is in Challenge A at Classical Conversations this year. This would be their 7th grade program. We are loving the curriculum. It's a lot more work, but Taylor is mastering everything so far. She is very dedicated and determined. I'm so proud of her.

The boys and I start Foundations next week. So we will all be together at CC on Thursdays. This will be great! I'm very excited about adding our memory work into the boys lessons. I love Classical Conversation's curriculum. It has worked so well for our family. I've organized all our readers and supplemental resources for the year.

Ethan is reading well. He only has 4 more books until his promised reward! I'm not big into rewarding the children with things they have to do, but for Ethan's reading I felt it was okay. He is great at reading, but it's more "work" for him. He would rather count, organize patterns, add crazy numbers... So we can already tell he's going to be our math boy. He loves to be read to, but is a little lazy when it comes to doing it on his own.

I'm reading The Core, by Leigh Bortins right now. She is the founder of CC. I am really enjoying how she breaks down each "subject," and explains how we should teach it classically. I can really say that I'm growing in my understanding of classical education and teaching the trivium. I also started a sewing class. It is every Thursday evening for 8 weeks. I'm so excited to learn how to sew. It started with a frustration in buying clothes for our daughters. I've already bought one pattern, the fabric, and everything else needed to make this adorable dress. I can't wait to start making our daughters cute, appropriate, and trendy dresses!

Martie has been busy with ministry stuff. Lot's of meetings. He's counseling a beautiful couple that is getting married this January. He's also working on a new Constitution for the church. He is preaching a series on the Gospel. He just finished 1 Tim. He's now trying to teach the church how to share the gospel. (I don't mean the "Faith method", the "Way of the Master", or any of those other methods) He's just teaching the bible, hopefully we will out of love for our Savior go out and preach the gospel to the dying world around us.

Martie is also going out of town for five days. I'm very excited for him. He's going to Washington, DC for a "Weekender" at Mark Dever's church. (Nine Marks Ministry) He has read almost all the books offered by this ministry. I'm a little nervous about being home alone with the children that long. I just love having him around, I will miss "adult conversation." We'll see how that goes. :)

That's about all that's going on at the Mangum's house. Thanks for listening to my wild rambling.

Chores

2010-08-07T22:43:00.002-04:00

We are going from this:

To this:

This first picture is a picture of these charts that I designed a long time ago. It has worked well for a season. Ethan has done great with it, Andrew well... Andrew continues to be Andrew. Anyway it was time to add Tabitha onto the chore chart system. I have been wanting to read "Managers of their Chores", but to be honest was intimidated. I was afraid of investing the time and money and then not implementing. See I have a sin issue called inconsistency. I am a chart and list kind of gal, but I don't always implement all my lists and charts.

Well I must say after reading the book and taking all the time into making these chore packs (that the children wear), we have been implementing them. So far so good! We are still in the early stages of training. The real test will be next week when we start back teaching the children their lessons full time. I am in hopes that it will make my life easier and I will have a cleaner house.

The book is wonderfully written and really lines up with our beliefs and goals for our family. One of the selling points for me was when Terri Maxwell said that she always found herself doing one thing really well, while the other things weren't getting done. That is where I am. With a large family and children at various ages I'm finding it more difficult to keep up with all the housework, teaching them their formal lessons, planning meal, clipping coupons....

Below are some pictures I snapped of the children doing some of their chores:

Ethan and Andrew helped eachother make their beds. (even when they didn't have to)

Boys beds are made, and I DIDN'T DO IT! :)

Tabitha and Ethan having their "quiet time with Jesus."

...and one last side note, Andrew is still being Andrew. He will be the one that has a more difficult time focusing on the task at hand. So just because you see this fancy system, don't think it's all fun and freeing. I still have my work cut out for me. ;)

Tests results

2010-08-06T11:32:00.003-04:00

The doctor called yesterday afternoon. Both of Carissa's tests came back normal! We are so thankful to the Lord. We can now stop the antibiotics. The picture was taken right before we left for the hospital.

Carissa update

2010-08-03T15:38:00.002-04:00

We got to Duke at 1:00 this afternoon. The receptionist then informed us that Carissa had two different appointments. (I didn't know this or expect this) Of course with me already being nervous, my eyes filled with tears. But then my sweet husband reminded me that God is Sovereign and He is GOOD! So we calmly sat down and waited.

We did not have to wait long. They called us right back. We got her undressed and then they started working with her. This was probably the hardest part. She's screaming and I can't hold her. However, praise the Lord we were able to stay with her the whole time. The test took about 10 mins. and we were done there. The doctor said there was no sign of kidney reflux! Praise the Lord.

We then went to wait for the ultrasound. (which was supposed to be at 3:30) They were able to take us back early. We only had one patient in front of us. There was about 30 mins. and a perfect time to nurse my sweet baby. By the time we went back for the ultrasound Carissa was fast asleep. (a very hard sleep) I was able to lay down and hold her the whole time. She stayed asleep. PERFECT! We don't know anything from that test. We should know by Thursday.

God was so gracious to us. Here are just a few things we are praising Him for:

The radiologist took us right back. (no wait)
They were able to move the ultrasound appt. up.
We had a 30 min. break in between appointments so Carissa was able to nurse during that time.
She slept soundly through the ultrasound appt.
There were no signs of kidney reflux.
The other 4 children were able to spend the day with Grandma and their cousins. :)

God is so good! I pray that we were a testimony to that goodness today! We will update you all as we know more. Thanks for coming along side us and petitioning our Great Lord on behalf of baby Carissa.

Carissa's tests

2010-08-02T23:53:00.002-04:00

We have to be at Duke tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Please be praying for Martie and I. We are so nervous. We know and trust the Lord for whatever the outcome. It is still difficult handing our baby over to complete strangers while they poke at her. Thank you for praying, I will update as we know more.

Nursing Bib and Hair bows

2010-08-01T19:19:00.004-04:00

I just finished making my first nursing bib. Now to pick out some pretty fabric! I'm so excited. Next I'm making the girls hair bows.Update: I just made 4 hair bows for the girls. I'm so glad I figured out how to make these. Bows are so expensive and we loose them often.

Titus Tea Party

2010-07-30T12:56:00.004-04:00

Taylor and I hosted a tea party last Friday night. We have been reading through Raising Maidens of Virtue together and got the idea. This also goes along with my Titus 2 focus. I host a woman's bible study once a month, and my goal is to teach and encourage other women as the Titus 2 woman. Often we hold a woman's bible study and don't include the younger women. How are our girls going to know how to study the bible if we don't include them? How are they going to know how to pray if we don't show them? So we combined my Titus 2 vision and our tea party.

We had about 20 ladies and young ladies. We had a wonderful time of fellowship, encouragement, and teaching. We each made a recipe book for our family. What I will be doing with my books is making one for each of my children. In their recipe book I will include some of their favorite recipes as well as short notes and scripture. For my boys I will give this to their wives when they get married.

We can't wait to host the next tea party! Below are just a few pictures from the night.

Scare with Carissa

2010-07-22T08:22:00.004-04:00

Carissa update:

We were finally able to get her 2 month check up. Poor girl has had a rough month. A week or so ago I took her to the doctor because she had a fever that spiked up to 103. She had a fever for about a week. It was low grade and not very consistent. When I took her to the doctor, I was told that under 3 months babies are not supposed to have a fever at all. Needless to say I felt like the world's worst mommy.

After giving her an exam and everything checking out the doctor decided to check her urine (which means she had to have a catheter), and do some blood tests. They checked her urine there and then sent us to the other office for blood work. The other office wasn't able to draw the blood, they couldn't find her vein, so they did a heel stick and were able to get a blood count.

Her blood count was elevated, and the doctor sent us to Duke for more blood work. This "doctor's visit" was turning into a nightmare. Somewhere in between all this I picked Martie up so he could be with me. (as I was very nervous at this point) It was so difficult watching my almost 2 month old endure all this.

They could not find anything at Duke. They sent us home saying it was a virus. Really! All this and it was a virus! We praised God that we were going home and for keeping Carissa safe. We got a phone call from the doctor the next morning. The urine culture came back positive, so she called in antibiotics.

The doctor called again on Tuesday to let us know that the bacteria was E-coli, which comes from stool. We went back to the doctor yesterday so that she could finally get her vaccinations. They have scheduled a test a Duke to check for kidney reflux. We have to be there at 1:00 on Tues., Aug. 3. So we should know more then. Until then she is on strong antibiotics until tomorrow. (Fri.) Then she will be on Amoxicillin until the test. We have to stop those antibiotics for 3 days, and then start them back up after the test. She will be on the antibiotics just to prevent another infection.

So, we are praying that everything comes back fine from the tests. Maybe this is just a random infection from stool getting inside her. I know she is tired of taking these medicines, and I don't like giving them all to her. We are very particular about what we give our children, so this is big for us.

I will update you all as we know more. Thanks for praying with us!

Free Chicken!

2010-07-09T23:06:00.005-04:00

The day started out well. We had a playdate with some of our "CC" friends at a nearby park, that had water spritzers. We were very excited to get out especially since it's been so hot. The playdate ended up being very scary.

One of the little girls fell in the equipment and cut her head. There was a lot of blood and it wouldn't stop. One of our mom's is an ER nurse and she said to call 911. Another mom and I came up with a plan to get the mom's car to her at the ER. We had some confusion with the hospital information, but eventually found them.

Our children were all very patient after being in the car for about 2 1/2 hours. :( The little girl is okay, she did get 4 internal stitches and 14 external.By the time we got home, I was exhausted. I was not planning on going to Chick-fil-a at this point. My sister stopped by and convinced me to go get free food. I did like the idea of free food and not having to cook. :) So none the less we threw together our outfits. (literally put some stuff together quickly) Martie came home and said, "I knew you would give in." hahaha

I love Carissa's little cow sleeper.

Our spots wore off on Martie. :)

Tabitha really liked being a cow!

Busy...

2010-07-08T09:38:00.003-04:00

We've been very busy lately, so I haven't had much time to blog. Below is a bullet point list of what we've been up to.

My brother was in town for a week. (He lives in NM) We went to the beach for 2 days with him, his girlfriend, and son Micheal, my dad, and my sister.
We spent the week trying to spend as much time with him as possible. This included a cookout at my moms house.
Saturday before the 4th we served the community in the Parkwood Community Celebration. This included snow-cones, cotton candy, watermelon, bounce house, and games.
4th of July we went to a friends sister's house to watch fireworks and eat homemade ice cream. (yummo!) Will have to do that again next year!
Martie did end of the year testing with Taylor.
Martie has been preaching through 1 Tim. He has been teaching on Sunday nights the Elder/Deacon model. He will be presenting new bylaws to the church Sunday.
Taylor will be in Challenge A with Classical Conversations. We had a parent meeting with her tutor. We're very excited, and can't believe we have a 7th grader!!!
Taylor is on the Parkwood Summer Swim Team. She has practice everyday and meets twice a week. Her championship meet is Saturday and we'll be done with swimming. Except the 3 little ones are getting swimming lessons in a few weeks. Stephanie that goes to our church will be teaching them.

Can you believe Carissa is 2 months old now? She is a bundle of joy. This is a picture where my aunt had her smiling so big. These days go by so quickly!

I have also been working on the children's lessons for next school year, which really starts now since we don't really take a break. The planning takes a while but is very exciting and worth all the preparation.

So that's a look into our lives lately. I hope you all are enjoying your summer "break."

Florida and the SBC

2010-06-23T11:09:00.003-04:00

We had the opportunity to go to Florida last week for the Southern Baptist Convention. We usually take advantage of these times and squeeze in a family vacation. Well since this one was in Orlando, we visited Disney's Magic Kingdom. It was a long and exhausting week, but we had a lot of fun. My sister came with us and was a huge help.

We left Sunday night around 10:30 and drove all night. We arrived into Fl. around 10:00 am. (Just in time for Martie to go to the the Pastor's conference and hear Matt Chandler) The rest of us went to Denny's to eat since we couldn't check into our hotel until 11:00. Martie stayed at the conference all day! We eventually checked into our hotel and then took naps. When I woke up Carissa and I went to the grocery store to get food for the week. I've found it is cheaper for us to stay in a hotel w/ a kitchen, than to eat out every meal. We stayed at a Residence Inn which also has free hot breakfast. I then picked Martie up and went back to the hotel to make dinner. The kids went to the pool w/ my sister while I was gone. Later that night I went with Martie back to the conference to hear David Platt.

Tuesday Martie and I were at the conference all day. Some very exciting things happened. The most important was the "Great Commission Resurgence" passed. That will have to be another post. Alley (my sister) and the children stayed at the hotel and went swimming. Martie and I went to a panel discussion during lunch. We listened to some great men who love Jesus such as Chandler, Mohler, Aiken, Platt. We came home for dinner.

Wednesday more conference. We had a portion of the afternoon off. We spent that afternoon resting up. More conference that evening. Taylor went back with us. Casting Crowns played and Tony Nolan preached. A great end to a fabulous and historic SBC.

Thursday we got up early had breakfast and went to Disney. It was HOT! My sister almost blacked out a couple of times. (and she was drinking water) I packed our lunch and lots of snacks. Shortly after lunch it started to storm. (like majorly) Thunder, lightening, rain going sideways. We sat in a restaurant lobby and waited for the storm to pass. We considered eating there for dinner until we looked at the menu and saw it was $39 a person!!! There we waited! hahaha Martie eventually ventured out to find somewhere cheaper to eat dinner. 2-3 hours later the rain lightened up. (but it was still drizzling) Fortunately we had brought the umbrella. We went to another restaurant and had chicken fingers and fries. When the storm did pass it was nice. It turned out to be a blessing. It cooled off so much, and the lines were a lot shorter. We stayed for the "electric parade" and the fireworks. It was a long but great day!

Friday we went to the "Holy Land Experience." Martie and I were expecting something very different. However, it was great! They have shows going on all the time. The acting was great. Each show was a different bible story and they always pointed it to Jesus. The whole place was very gospel centered. There was a model of the holy land. We also went through an exhibit called "The Scriptorium." This was very neat. It was filled with old writings and printings of the bible. It walked you through time from the first writings of the bible to the reformation to modern day. This was my favorite exhibit.

We left Saturday morning and drove home. The ride home was more interesting. The kids did wonderful, we had other things get in the way. Traffic at 2:30 in the afternoon, major rain, Tabitha broke out into hives, looooong lines at a fast food restaurant, gas pumps that took foooorevvvverrrr. hahaha BUT.... we made it home! (and actually in good time)

We had a great trip! We are tired, but getting back to our regular schedules. Laundry is getting caught up, the children are getting taught their lessons again, house is getting messy again. ;) Oh it's good to be home!

coming back to the heart of worship...

2010-06-08T11:19:00.003-04:00

Carissa is 5 weeks old as of yesterday. We are adjusting well. The doctor put her on medicine for reflux, and things have started to improve. I'm working on a schedule with her this week. I prefer the Babywise method, but I am flexible to my babies needs. ;) (is that an oxymoron babywise and flexible) So far so good! Her feeding times are 8, 11, 2, 5, 8 and then bedtime. She is sleeping about 6 hours in one stretch of the night. Well that's the update on Carissa.

The others are adjusting well to their sister. We've never really experienced jealousy issues with any of our children when we bring home a newborn. (I guess it normally comes later for us) I've tried to get back on a school schedule, but again I've been flexible with that. I bought the boys a workbook to work through. This has been easier for us to do right now. Taylor is having some major math marathons with daddy. Tabitha has changed so much since bringing Carissa home and since she turned 2!

Our biggest challenge has been...ummmm... let me sum it up in one word....discipline. That's right my everyday challenge. Discipline with my little ones, discipline in my quiet time, discipline with chores... I have been convicted, and I have tried and I fail. I could make up excuses, right? Most of you would say they're good excuses. I'm up at night with a newborn so I am lacking sleep. 4 of my kids are under 5 so there is some exhaustion that goes with that. The clothes and dishes out number my hands and that's a reality.

Well God has called me to a task that's much larger than me. I am right I fail, I can't do it. So what is the answer to my problem? Probably something you wouldn't expect me to say... worship. My heart has not been worshiping correctly. The first discipline I need God to help me with is quiet time. I had an opportunity to have a wonderful quiet time Sunday morning. (one of the craziest days for me as a pastors wife.) Thanks to Stephanie, a good friend, she has been coming over to help on Sunday mornings. Once she took the oldest 4 to church, I had an awesome time in prayer and the word. I really felt, for the first time in a while, that God was right there. So what was so different? Was it God? No, it was my heart and my desire to worship Him. I confessed to Him my sins, struggles, and failures. I praised Him for what He was doing in my life. I prayed for many people. It was AWESOME! I then read His word and this is one part of the scripture that jumped off the page to me: (remember I was getting ready to go worship with the church)

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3
¹^A)">Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.

²Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.

³For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a ^E)">fool through many words.

During the worship service we sang, "I'm coming back to the heart of worship." I love this song, but to me that day it was something different. That was the answer to my problem. It had not been all about Him. It had been all about me. My heart is truly rejoicing, because once again the simple but often forgotten truth... Deut. 6:13 "You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name."

In John 15, Jesus speaks of the vine and the branches. Many things have spoken to me in this verse such as abiding in Him, abiding in His love, and lastly vs. 11 brings me much comfort "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."

Well I wrote this post not to boast, but to remind you of the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. I know many of you are like me stay at home moms, or you have children and a husband to serve, you are tired. Well I hope there is some encouragement here and a gentle reminder to return to the Lord with all your heart with fasting, weeping, and mourning; rend your heart and not your garments. Return to Him because He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. (Joel 2:12-13)

Beach trip

2010-06-05T21:51:00.005-04:00

Andrew, Ethan, Tabitha, and cousin Lauryn eating watermelon. yummo!

Martie finished school for the semester last Tuesday. We decided to take a spontaneous trip to the beach with his family. We haven't been to their place in over 5 years. We left around 9:30 Thursday morning. We decided to leave early so we could go to Atlantic beach. His parent's place is on the inter-coastal waterway. I knew my kids would want to play in the sand and waves. So just Martie the kids and I enjoyed the afternoon there.

Later we met up with his parents at their place. It is way out in the country. (no cell phone service or computer) :)Our children could run and play all day with their cousins. They went fishing on Papa's boat, they rode the golf cart around and around and around..... It was actually nice to sit and not have anything to do. There were no schedules kept, NO diets kept, lots of spoiling. We have to do that more often.

Yes, this is Mountain Dew that he is drinking. Has he ever even had Mt. Dew??? I was told they didn't know how many honey buns he ate on the boat. :D No wonder he didn't eat ANY lunch! hahaha

The older I get (or the more children I have) I am learning to relax a lot more. So what if it is taking longer than I would like to get back to "normal." We made memories last weekend. Those are the times and things our children will remember.

Martie's parents are wonderful, and I loved sitting and just talking to his mother and sister. Thanks Faye, TH, Melanie, Todd, kids for a wonderful time! We can't wait to do it again. Love you all!Tabitha at the pool

The first fish Taylor has ever caught.

My little fish, Ethan!

Taylor and Tabitha swimming at the pool.

Hunters BIG catch! Nice job Hunter!

Agricultural fair

2010-05-26T15:37:00.004-04:00

Last Friday I took the "fab 5" to the agricultural fair at the State fair grounds. Martie has been extremely busy with school, so we ventured out without him. It was free admission and free parking. My kind of field trip. We had a great time tasting some of our favorite NC foods. (hushpuppies, chicken dumplings, cornbread, biscuits, apple jelly, pancakes, pound cake, bbq....)

I then let the kids ride a few rides. The ride tickets were reasonable, and since we didn't spend any money. :D Ethan got hurt on the last ride. It was the one where he was inside a bubble. (see pictures below) I didn't want him to do it, but it was time to go home and we had just enough tickets. :( I should have gone with my gut feeling. Basically he fell forward and hit his face on the side of the pool. It was very scary. Your baby being inside a bubble with a bloody nose and mouth. But, we all survived. I cleaned him up so I could see where the blood was coming from and realized it was his nose. Thankfully it was our last thing to do, so we left.

Overall it was a super fun day. I was also able to get some brochures from some farms. We've been looking into buying our beef in bulk. (you know like 1/2 cow) Anyone want to join us? They have deals if you have friends that join in and you split portions of the cow. hahaha I know this sounds funny but we are serious. We have the freezer space and it's so much healthier. Imagine that field trip. Come on kids we're going to pick up our cow.They were even patient when I had to feed Carissa.

The three middle children got to shuck the corn with this old ummm machine. I don't know what you call it. hahaha

You can see from this picture how Ethan got hurt.

.

Enjoying Chicken and Dumplings. Yummo!

Tabitha showing us her hushpuppy. hehehe

2 years ago today

2010-05-21T07:20:00.006-04:00

Two years ago today, our precious Tabitha Ruth was born!!! We are so thankful for you Tabitha. I remember being so excited to have another girl. If you were to peek in my windows, most likely you would see Tabitha in a pretty dress, her brother's hat (on backward), socks on her hands, and her brother's shoes on. She is a pretty special little girl. :) She loves to follow her brothers everywhere they go. However, she also loves to cuddle and follow mommy around. I like to say she's a "mommy's girl," but I'm sure daddy would argue she's a "daddy's girl." She is so lovable, she loves to play with her baby, she is always cleaning up behind her brothers, and loves to help mommy with everything.

Tabitha, we love you so much! Your brothers and sisters love you so much! You are a blessing to our family.

6 weeks old (on vacation)

Around 6 weeks (laying on daddy)

At the beach (1 year old)

2 years old (with new sister Carissa)

2 years old!!!
Happy Birthday baby girl!!!

Answered prayers about labor

2010-05-15T23:45:00.005-04:00

We never gave any details about the surgery, so I wanted to update you all and thank you for praying for us. We checked in the hospital Monday, May 3 at 6:30 am. For the next two hours they prepared me for surgery. (iv, listening to baby, doctor checking on me...) We were not very 'fond' of my nurse. I tried very hard to make small talk with her to get her to lighten up. Funny thing is Martie and I talked on the way to the hospital about being a "light" to the nurses and doctor. We discussed how we were the center of attention, and it was a great opportunity to show Jesus to those watching.

We went back for surgery at exactly 8:30. Surgery went great, and seemed to go faster than I remembered. I told the doctor about my concern with sickness after the surgery. I usually get VERY sick immediately following. They tried something different with me this time. (as they do every time) I was a little skeptical, but I knew many were praying. Praise God, I did not get sick! This was a blessing in so many ways. One because throwing up after your stomach has been cut open is NOT fun. Two because my nurse was not so friendly and would not let me nurse Carissa until I was "stable." In times past I've held my babies, nursed, given them to someone, thrown up, and then take them back. :) I just want my babies after I deliver. Lastly I'm thankful that I didn't get sick because we really had a weird circumstance in surgery with two of the nurses. I'm hoping Martie will blog the details. But in short it was about us taking Carissa to our room and not the nursery. I'm thankful for my husband standing his ground, but it was very awkward.

We stayed in the recovery room for a hour, and were then moved to the after care hall. We had many of the same nurses and hospital pediatricians. (whom we loved) It was nice getting to that room. That's when all the children were able to come in. Martie wrote down Carissa's name, weight, height on a piece of paper and folded it up VERY small. He handed it to one of our family members in the waiting room and called the children back. They walked in the room where Carissa and I were staring into each others eyes, and waited. Because she was wearing a yellow hat they still didn't know... boy or girl. I said come meet your sister Carissa Nicole. They all smiled and showered her with kisses. So below are some pictures from that moment.

The reason for her name. Carissa-beloved/grace; Nicole-victorious people Yes, we did have her name chosen before we got to the hospital. But we did decide the night before. :)

Thank you all for praying for us. I know that God honored your requests. I hope that we were that "light" that Jesus called us to be that day. I know that he gave us plenty of opportunities. :D

I am one blessed mama!

Carissa- one week

2010-05-11T18:54:00.004-04:00

Well its been a full week! I have to admit there's not much adjusting to do from four to five. I might think differently as Carissa gets older and school gets into full swing. I did teach them today. My mom has been here helping out so things went a lot easier. I am very tired, and I've probably done too much today but I really want things to return to normal.

We are so thankful for our friends and family who have been providing meals. It has been so helpful to not have to worry about dinner. I'm also grateful for my mom, sister, and inlaws who have all taken turns coming and helping me out. Martie went back to school today. I was very nervous, but it helped knowing my mom was here. I'm still very limited in what I can do or lift. That is probably the hardest thing to me. I want to scoop up the other children and love on them, and I physically can't. I know I need to heal, so I need to be patient.

Now here's the "good" stuff, the things you all really wanted to see... pictures!

Thankful...

2010-05-07T08:24:00.002-04:00

This is Heather. I wanted to write a short blog to let you know how thankful I am. God has blessed me so much.

First, I have the best husband a wife could ever want. A servant, a true servant. Since going to the hospital to have Carissa until now he has been consistantly "laying down his life" for me. I know he has a lot going on with work and school. However, you would not know his stress. It's the little things that I appreciate so much. He forced me to lay down and rest when I didn't want to. He knows that I need to sleep. Before bed he had my medicine with orange juice sitting beside our bed waiting for me. He offered to sleep on the side closer to Carissa so that I wouldn't hurt myself picking her up out of the bassinet. Those are just a few of the many constant ways he has practically been "laying down his life" for me. He his a man who loves and fears the Lord and I am so thankful for Him.

Second, I am so thankful for my children. Tuesday, my sister brought them to see me in the hospital. Ethan had insisted they bring our family bible. His reason was no one can read to us but daddy. When we came home from the hospital he made sure we didn't forget to bring it home. They all love Carissa so much and show it in their own little ways. I loved looking at Andrew's eyes light this morning as he looked over the bassinet at Carissa. He was trying to get her to say, "Andrew." Tabitha still refuses to say her name, but kindly refers to to Carissa as "baby." Taylor wants to hold Carissa all the time. She amazes me with her natural mothering ways. She spent Monday at the hospital with us. While there she cuddled me in the bed, gave me my food, and just took care of me. I love my children and am so thankful for them.

Third, I am thankful for my sister. While all of my family has been over the top caring for me and our other children, my sister has really amazed me. She has shown sacrificial love. Unlike most girls in their twenties she wants to be here helping me out. She slept here with our children a couple of nights while we were away, she fed them, prayed with them, and made sure they were taken care of. Martie and I didn't have a bed frame, well when we got home yesterday we had one. My sister lovingly gave us hers. I love her so much and am so thankful for her.

Lastly, I am thankful for my family and friends. God continues to bless us with amazing people in our life. Weeks before I had Carissa, some friends of ours brought us dinner and "treats" for the other children. The church and other friends of ours are bringing us meals. My mom has been here assisting Alley at times, running errands for us, washing dishes, and she cleaned our bathroom. My dad and in-laws have helped take care of the other children while we were at the hospital. My dad wants to get them sometime this weekend also. My mother in-law is coming today to help out. Martie is officiating a wedding Saturday, so he has the rehearsal tonight.

Please Pray

2010-05-06T10:15:00.003-04:00

Will you pray for Heather this morning? She has been very dizzy and nauseous. They are attributing this to the blood loss and low iron. There was some talks of maybe doing a blood transfusion, but they have decided against that for now. They have decided when she goes home to put her on a lot of Iron, with the hopes she will recover within a month. The nurse told Heather to rest for a while and see if she feels better in a couple of hours.

If she doesn't get to feeling better they will not let us go home. I am o.k. with this if she still needs recovery time, but Heather is anxious to get home and see the rest of the Fab 5. Pray that Heather will get some needed rest and for her complete recovery.

Heather and Carissa Update

2010-05-05T10:07:00.001-04:00

Carissa is doing really well. She had her hearing checked and other tests ran yesterday and all is well. She has continued to lose weight, which is something you can be praying for. When she was born she was 7lbs 11oz. After the first day she was down to 7lbs 4oz and now she is down to 7lbs even. She seems to be eating really well and Heather's milk seems to have come it this morning. We believe the reason for the weight loss is her multiple bowel movements. (I'm not going to say who she gets that from)

Heather is doing really well. She has had several things going. Her incision continued to bleed initially and they had to put a pressure bandage over it. I should have known, when a crew came in to put the bandage on, that it would be painful. Painful was an understatement. Heather yelled and cried quite a bit, even after they finished. Since then they have removed the pressure bandage and the first couple layers of skin as well. These places are beginning to scab up and are not hurting nearly as bad.

Heather was able to get a shower for the first time last night, which she thoroughly enjoyed. Sleep, who needs sleep? Heather and I actually did get some sleep last night. Heather got less than I, because she tried to take less pain medication, thanking she could do without as much in the middle of the night. Well, she was wrong and had a hard time sleeping until she was given more pain medication. Heather's incision has not healed liked they had hoped and she will have to have the staples in longer than they expected.

Carissa has done her best crying this morning. For the most part she has been amazingly quiet, but she had a rough time early this morning. She continues to eat well and is very alert.

Thanks for all your prayers. We have continued to try to honor our Lord while here in the hospital. We have faced many challenges which I'll blog about when time allows.

Why Five?

2010-05-03T23:22:00.007-04:00

This evening I have had only a few moments of silence. Between serving Heather , monitors going off, Carissa needing changing, etc I have had only a few moments of serious thought and reflection. In those brief moments I have turned to the Scriptures for wisdom, strength and hope. I have to be honest and confess that I need the encouragement that only God and His Word can provide.

Surrendering all of your life to the Lord is not always easy in a world that is opposed to the things of God. One area of surrender that seems to be at odds with what the world thinks and all to often what the church thinks is the desire to have multiple children. Why have we chosen to have multiple children? The answer is really simple, I believe the Bible is sufficient to guide all of life's decisions. Here are just a few Scriptures that I believe God was serious about when He chose to record them for us.

Genesis 1:27-28 states that God made man in His image and commanded them to be "fruitful and multiply" and "fill the earth." If you have heard me speak to this text, I believe implied in this command is to "fill the earth" with worshipers. God is passionate about His creation worshiping Him as He created them to do. If God is passionate for future generations to be raised up to worship Him, then I want to make that my passion also.

In reading Genesis30 you will discover in verse 2 that God is the one who withholds children from some and in verse 22 God opens the womb of others. When God opens the womb and blesses it to bear a child, what He has done is "endowed me with a good gift." This good gift is a child.

Probably the most notable of all of Scripture is Psalm 127. There children are described as a gift or blessing from the Lord. If that was not clear enough Solomon uses the very language of God stating that children are"fruit" of the womb and a reward.

I am often asked "are you crazy", "are you going to have more", "how many children do you want" or people state that "you are better (or more brave) than I am." One thing I want to make clear is that I do not see myself more spiritual or better than anyone else, nor do I judge people for not having larger families. Remember I also believe the Lord can close the womb just as easily as He opens it. When asked the questions above, I typically find that they are being asked out of ignorance of the Scripture. I usually respond "we want to have as many children as the Lord will give us." If the Lord wants to give us five, then I want five. If twelve children our God's plan for our family, who am I to say to God's plans are wrong?

Last night I met a mother who had just delivered her second child. I congratulated her on the birth of her baby girl. This lady shared with me that her oldest was a 5yr old boy and that she had finally gotten her girl. "Now I am finished" she exclaimed. The inevitable question was asked, what did you have. I responded that we had a baby girl and she was our fifth child. Her response was "GOOOOOOOOOD LOOOOOOOOOORD!" To this I responded, Yes He is a "good Lord." In that moment of awkwardness I wanted to rush to a mirror and see if I really looked like a four-headed creature from another planet that I was perceived to be. Instead I went on to share with the lady how God had been good to us and blessed us with this precious little one. I shared how God will supply all of our needs and will take care of us and our children. By this time my coffee was ready and she finished gathering some late night snacks.

This lady's response is for the most part normal. Why is this the norm? Why is the norm with followers of Jesus? One of the conclusions that I have come to is the "Father of Lies" is seeking to distort the God's passion and plan for generations to be raised up to worship Him. Our family is open to the Lord's guidance in planning our family. We seek to honor the Lord by being intentional in training the children the Lord gives us to be passionate for God and passionate to see all nations worship Him. Please pray for us that God would enable us to teach and train the little ones He has entrusted to us. Pray that we would continue to put the Lord first in all things and ask our Father to protect us from the enemy who's plan is to steal, kill, and destroy. Pray that we would be honor our Lord by being a light in this dark world.

Four no More!

2010-05-03T11:38:00.004-04:00

Welcome Carissa Nicole Mangum
born: 9:12am
weight: 7lbs 11oz
length: 19.5 in

Both Heather and Carissa are doing well. Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.^a
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.

Psalm 139

Coming Soon!

2010-05-03T07:11:00.003-04:00

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Things to pray for....

2010-05-02T08:12:00.003-04:00

In about 24 hours from now, we'll be meeting our newest blessing! We are very excited. I thought I would give those of you who are praying for us, things to specifically pray.

My anxiety. My trust is in the Lord, I know that He is sovereign. But I get scared just like anyone. I hate surgery, I would rather push out 10 babies, than go through this. But, this is the path God has chosen for us to have our children.
I get very sick immediately following surgery. They always put some kind of morphine mixture in my iv after they get the baby out. This medicine makes me VERY sick. Hours of vomiting. It makes it difficult to nurse and cuddle my baby.
Pray that I can hold and nurse the baby immediately. We don't let the baby go to the nursery, Martie gives our babies their first bath. They are with us constantly. This can be difficult with me getting sick and trying to nurse.
Pray for Martie. His back went out last Wednesday. Plus he has his own fears I'm sure. (although he doesn't voice those to me) :)
Taylor gets very nervous. She understands what goes into the surgery and it scares her. She also sees me very sick afterward.
Pray for all the children while we are at the hospital. Pray that they will glorify God with their words and actions. (especially since we won't be around to remind them) :)
Rejoice with us! Praise God for His sovereign will!
Lastly, pray for us to choose this babies name!!! That's right we STILL DON'T have a name. Trusting the Lord will give it to us at the right moment.

Thank you all, we will keep you updated over the next week. If you leave a comment, make sure you type your name at the end of the comment if you don't have a google account.

I need one more day of energy...

2010-05-01T13:58:00.002-04:00

I'm not feeling very good today. I actually woke up some last night from contractions. I really would like one more day with energy.... but I don't know if that's happening right now. My hubby is exhausted. I kept him up last night tossing and turning and then he had the flea market this morning.

So, I'm praying God would be gracious to me and give me one more day with energy.

A few more days....

2010-04-30T09:34:00.003-04:00

Well it's Friday!!!! I just have to wait through the weekend! I can hardly stand it. With each new blessing (baby) I get that feeling like when I was a kid waiting for Christmas morning. I'm especially glad we have a busy weekend to keep me distracted. :)

We've had a great week so far. Martie and I took the children to the museum of life and science on Wednesday. It's free from 1-5 for Durham residents. We had dinner and then rushed to prayer service, we then took an adventurous trip to Baskin Robbins for .31 scoop night. The night ended with a trip to the hospital to drop off my registration forms. Can you believe I forgot to mail those early in my pregnancy. Oh well, it's done now.

Yesterday, Taylor and I got a manicure and pedicure. (I got a gift certificate for my birthday) We then went to the Art Museum in Raleigh. (something else that was free) :) It was nice to spend that one on one time with her. The Art Museum is not somewhere we can take the little ones. We've had a very inexpensive week. hahaha Especially when you throw in triples at Harris Teeter.

I have to run to Target today to get some last minute things for the hospital bags, I want to run by Kohls (I have a $10 gift card I can spend there), and Sams club for a few things. Tomorrow we have the community flea market, and Sunday worship service. Sunday afternoon I plan on cooking a few things for the children to have while we're away, and Sunday night we have a church business meeting.

Whew! Hopefully we'll get to bed early Sunday night, and get one more night of sleep before the baby! We'll keep you all updated!!!!

One more week! (and home educating)

2010-04-26T08:24:00.003-04:00

Well the count down is on! It really hit me today. (and last night) :) I could hardly sleep from the excitement. I hope this is not what my week is going to look like. I still have much to do.

Clean boys room (cleaning out toys)
Pedicure! (I got a gift certificate for my b-day)
Pack hosp. bags (baby is all packed)
Cut coupons
Grocery store
Make a few meals for the kids to eat while I'm at the hosp.
Bake and freeze some bread.

However, the rest of my list is DONE!!! I even managed to get some school in. Below are some pics. from math with the boys. I do plan on doing a lot more school with the children this week. (since our list is a lot smaller)Yes this is math! Probably one of the boys favorite things to do. They're learning how to add money. I let them each pick out 5 toys and then I "price" them. They have to decide what to buy. It's really neat to see Ethan debating it in his head. He tries to get "more for his money." :) With Andrew it's more focusing on counting by tens and then ones.

Through all of their home educating we're still able to point the boys to Christ. The latest struggle with this activity, is Andrew tried to buy the toys that he knew Ethan wanted. Who would have thought we would have character training in the midst of math. Thank you God for that opportunity.

Taylor has been listening to Story of the World, reading, and working on Math. BUT, like I said this week we'll be doing more.

So excited!!!

2010-04-20T15:58:00.007-04:00

We bought a new van yesterday!!! We have been searching literally all over the country. Fortunately we didn't have to go far. We found just what we wanted in Highpoint, NC. Only an hour and a half away! Praise God! So we bought a 12 passenger 2006 Ford E350 XLT.

So here are some pictures of our new purchase:

So I continue to mark off my "to do" list:

Bought a van
Bought a bigger bin for Tabitha's clothes, packed them all and put them away.
Taylor and Tabitha's closet is clean! :D (now I'm discovered other areas in their room that need to be cleaned)
Organized homeschool corner
Went to the bank
Went to the doctor
The old van is cleaned out.
I'm getting the oil changed today.

Okay, there's still a lot to do. BUT... I love checking off this list!

Checking off the list.....

2010-04-19T09:01:00.002-04:00

I love making lists, and then I love checking it off! It is so rewarding. Sometimes I think I get more pleasure in organizing my tasks than actually doing them. :) So here are the things completed:

Children's schedules completed! (Each person helping even has their own sheet, color coded and all) haha
My mom gave as an old chest of drawer. (now on to washing baby's clothes)
Cleaned out Tabitha's clothes
Taylor is cleaning out their closet and it's close to being done.
laundry is pretty much caught up! *happy dance*

So here are the tasks today:

Finish Taylor and Tabitha's closet (and room)
Organize homeschool corner
Buy a bigger plastic bin for the clothes I took out of Tabitha's closet. I decided to get a bigger one and make it a 18 month-24 month bin. I'll add the 24 month clothes later.
Bank
Cars oil changed
Doctor appt.
School with children (their working w/ their math manipulative's now)
If I get all that done today, I may start taking stuff out of the attic. :D (baby clothes, carseat, basinet...)

The most dreaded tasks on my list:

CLEANING OUT THE BOYS TOYS! (I may enlist help on this one) ;)
CLEANING OUR ROOM!

2 more weeks from today!!!! I'm scheduled at 8:30 am May 3rd. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30. As much as I HATE c-sections, I love being able to plan.

Getting ready for baby!

2010-04-17T09:10:00.002-04:00

Well this post won't be too exciting. For some reason everytime I get ready to have a baby I feel the NEED to clean things that I don't normally clean. Am I concerned the baby might actually care? hahaha I don't know, but whatever it is I enjoy "getting ready for baby."

So here's my to do list for the next couple of weeks:

Clean, clean our room (for some reason is always the last to get cleaned, BUT this is where the baby will be sleeping so it has to be spotless) :)
Clean out the boys toys (it's at the point they can't clean them up themselves. That's always a sign it's time to clean out)
Go through Tabitha's clothes (putting the 18 month clothes away) :(
Taylor's and Tabitha's closet (it's small and we put a closet organizer up, but it eventually gets too crowded)
Find a chest of drawers (needing another one, there's nowhere for the baby's clothes)
Wash baby carseat (vacuum out the others)
Wash basinet
Wash some baby girls clothes and some boys clothes
Organize my homeschool corner ( this is "my" corner in the living room that has art/science stuff)
Catch up on laundry (hey there's always hope. hehehe This is my never ending job)
Cars oil changed
Clean out cars (vacuum and wash)
Pack hospital bags
Pedicure (The only time I get one is right before I go into the hospital to have a baby. Hey lot's of people will be looking at my feet) ;)
We're now looking for a bigger car, that's right our minivan will no longer fit 4 carseats and Taylor.
Create a spreadsheet of the other children's schedule while we're at the hospital.
Make and freeze a few meals for the children. (as well as bake bread)

So this is my list, I've already crossed the really important things off:

I got my hair cut and colored. (hahahahaha) Again this is not something I do on a regular basis, but for some reason when I'm about to have a baby it becomes a priority.
Eyebrows waxed
Taxes done and mailed
CC tasks are completed

So hopefully my next blog will be a list of everything else I've crossed off, and not added too.

Did I mention we STILL need some names?

The Groaning of Creation

2010-03-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

MUST WATCH!!!!!

2010-01-26T14:29:00.001-05:00

The Bible Isn’t Boring, Avatar is! – John Piper

2010-01-26T08:54:00.000-05:00

The Bible Isn’t Boring, Avatar is! – John Piper

Pretty ornaments

2009-12-12T22:46:00.004-05:00

We will have to have a new family ornament next year. :)

I love putting up the Christmas tree. I love all the special ornaments. We have several that "have special meaning." Each year I do struggle, though. I do not want to be conformed to the world. I know Christmas is one of those times that Christians tend to struggle with that. We say we love Christmas because it's about Christ's birth, but then stay so busy that there's no mention of Him.

I love what some of my friends do like read Luke 2 to their children everyday leading up to Christmas. By Christmas they pretty much have it memorized. Each year I try to think of new ways to stay Christ focused, but it is difficult. Mainly because I fail at being consistent.

This year we have some different ideas for gifts. I will have to fill you in later about those. :) We are not buying gifts for anyone this year. (except a couple for our children) This has come about for many reasons. First, we can't afford it. We refuse to go in debt to buy presents. Martie quit UPS this year, and we realized when doing our budget if we cut out on gift giving (birthdays and Christmas) we could afford it. I know that sounds awfully harsh. We look at it like this, we would rather have daddy home at night tucking the children in, no more rushing family devotion time, more time to serve others than him working to pay for more unnecessary "stuff."

Don't get me wrong we are not cold hearted, just being real. We live in a world today that insists we "keep up with the Jones'." We REFUSE to buy into that. Children here in America have way too much stuff. We don't want our children growing up to think that our love for them is measured by the stuff we buy them. I don't think gifts are bad. We love receiving gifts and giving them. However if it requires us to go in debt, we won't do it. I guess in all this rambling all I'm saying is there is a balance.

We are still trying to figure out that balance. Hopefully one day, one year, I will have it all figured out and we will have developed our own family traditions. (and I will be consistent) :)

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and you truly take the time to reflect on the reason for this season.

It's a ............

2009-12-10T14:18:00.002-05:00

We are having a healthy baby, a baby that loves to move their arms, and a......................
THUMBSUCKER!

That's about all we know about Mangum baby #5! hahahaha

That's right, we DIDN'T find out. It was very difficult for my sweet husband. He does not like surprises. My favorite part is listening to everyone's reactions. So, it's time for everyone to start their guessing.

Boy/Girl?
How big?
Look like?

Ultrasound is tomorrow!

2009-12-09T14:19:00.005-05:00

Well the "big" ultrasound is tomorrow. We could find out what we're having. I can honestly say this is the first time I haven't wanted to know. This baby is our tie breaker! There are 3 men in our house and 3 women! I can imagine that moment in the hospital when we find out. I can almost hear the drum roll. hehehe

Well, now reality. Almost everyone else around me is dying to know what this baby is. Sooooo, we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if we know or not. What are your guesses? I truly have no clue with this one.

I will say that I am sicker with this one than any of the others. :( I'm 18 1/2 weeks and still sick almost every day. On the bright side, since I have to have a c-section, I'm half way done. That does not even seem possible. I'm praying the second half of this pregnancy goes better than the first.

I haven't blogged much lately. So I'll do a quick update and give pictures. :)

Martie- quit UPS, we are truly sacrificing so that he can be home with us at night. He's still in school, working on his MDiv. The church is going great! This last year has been crazy. God is doing some really amazing things in the life of PBC. (www.pbcnc.org) The website needs work, but hopefully with all that is going on, it will be updated more.

Taylor- swimming year round with a home school team. (Durham Dolphins) I really love the coaches. They are both Christian girls who love these children, and want to show them Jesus. Taylor's doing well in school. She's very driven. (Thank God) Since I've been so sick, she's been the one pushing me.

Ethan- he's learning a lot with school. He's reading quite well. He has stiches right now. He cut his hand over the weekend on a Christmas ornament. So we took an exciting trip to the ER. He was very brave.

Andrew- well he's still Andrew. :) We were surprised it was Ethan having to go to the ER and not Andrew. hehe He loves to write his name. :) Which is spelled "A" hahaha That's the only letter he's mastered. Again, that is mostly my fault. He is the most adventurous, but at times he can be the most lovable little boy. I love when he climbs on my lap to cuddle.

Tabitha- she has changed the most. She talks ALL THE TIME! She'll *try* to say anything you tell her. It's so cute. She's trying to be adventurous like Andrew, but loves the gentleness of Ethan. She loves when Taylor takes lots of pictures of her. She is very cute saying, "CHEEEEESE."

Here are some of the things we have learning in school:
History-timeline from "Creation" to "The Act of Supremacy"
We have also read, The Golden Goblet, and some American History readers. We have also memorized 12 history sentences. They have been from the Greek/Roman gods, 7 wonders of the Ancient world, the split of the Roman Empire, to the Muslim Empire.
English- Taylor has memorized all the English Prepositions, Ethan some of them.
Latin-we are memorizing Latin Noun Declensions.
Scripture-We have memorized together Exodus 20:1-17, we also do Catechisms, and we have some bible grammar that the children have to memorize.
Science- We've memorized lot's of science facts, such as the 5 kingdoms of living things, the classification of living things, parts of an animal cell, parts of a plant cell...
Math- memorized skip counting numbers 1-15, squares, and cubes
Geography- memorized 60 countries, rivers, lakes in and around Africa, Asia, and Europe

Now on to the pictures! :)
I took these before church one Sunday.

Exciting News!

2009-09-09T23:34:00.003-04:00

We are expecting baby #5! That's right, I'm pregnant. We are so excited, and are truly blessed! The children are all excited. The bigger our family gets, the more difficult it is to keep a "secret." One of the church members stopped by tonight to check on Martie (he's had strep throat), Ethan came running to the door, "my mommy's pregnant!" hahahaha So, I guess it's out! Please pray for our family and this precious baby.

God be glorified in us!

Daddy's new 'toy'

2009-09-05T08:33:00.003-04:00

God blessed Martie with a 'new' truck. Someone gave him an 88' Ford Ranger. He LOVES it! He has been wanting a truck for a while. We're always needing one to haul off stuff. Now he has a little project. The boys have especially loved helping him take the tires off and check out the brakes. Yesterday after home schooling the children all wanted to go outside and wash this new 'toy'. I just loved watching them play in the water and clean daddy's truck. :) Here are the pics.Yes even Tabitha got in on the fun. She could not resist.

Taylor showing, just HOW dirty the truck was. :)

The boys cleaning the back. They love crawling in the back of the truck.

When you've had too much caffiene....

2009-08-02T01:46:00.004-04:00

You stay up late, thinking... it's going to be a long day tomorrow! On the positive side, I've accomplished tons! I've been shopping for the materials for science projects, I have an 'official' list of supplies to buy w/ price comparisons, I've organized our family school schedule (color coded and all) :), I have our first week lesson plans done. Hip hip hooray! Now for some pics I've been wanting to post.

A while back I meant to post a "brag post". One night Taylor asked me to please not get up before 8:00 am. hmmmm....okay! No problem! hahaha Well, for the first time in my life I woke up to breakfast in bed. That's right, bacon, eggs, pancakes, and a glass of o.j. All served on a tray with a precious note. It was not even a special holiday. Who needs special holidays when my girl shows these random acts of kindness. :) I love her. The funny part is after she served me, she crawled into bed w/ me and went fast asleep. 6:00 came too early for my sweet Taylor.I ate the food to fast to get a picture. But trust me it was quite good, and a beautiful presentation.