31 years ago today

31 years ago today at 6:56 AM, God blessed our home with a bouncing baby boy.  He was our first son and our first child. This is the story of his birth.  I went to the doctor on March 12th for my normal visit and the doctor told me I would not be giving birth for another two weeks.  He did tell me that if I wanted to go home and drink a bottle of caster oil, it would be fine.  Being the young mother I was and not having any idea what caster oil was let alone what it would do to me...I went strait to the store and purchased me a 4 oz bottle.  Upon my arrival home, I got out my orange juice (just as I had been instructed) and began to mix "the whole bottle" into it.  Just following doctors orders.  I drank away all the while feeling like I was going to throw up. That was about 3 in the afternoon.  Well, most of you know what happened next.  By 6 I was having cramps so badly that I thought I was in labor.  I called my husband from work and we left around 10 for the hospital.  Upon arrival, I was given the great news that it was not labor at all but cramping from the Castor oil but that they would keep me for the night.  I remember morning dawning and the nurse telling my husband and my mother (who was patiently awaiting the arrival of her first grandchild) that they could go down and eat breakfast around 6 AM. The cramping had caused labor to start. She told them that it would be hours before I would give birth. I begged my husband not to leave me.  Sure enough my body chose to do things just like it has with all my subsequent births and "prepare" for birth in less than an hour.  At 6:56 AM, less than an hours after they said I would not be having a baby for hours, I gave birth to a 7 lb 10 oz baby boy.  I remember my words so clearly as he entered the world..."yuck, he is so ugly".  LOL  Words spoken by a young mother that had never heard about vernix.  All I can remember is he was covered in white "stuff" from head to toe and screaming uncontrollably.  But, I had a son!  The hours that followed will forever be instilled in my mind as I held him for the first time.  He was ours!  We were taking him home with us to start life as a family.  How blessed we were. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEREMY!

a baby in every season of life

I was thinking the other day about having babies.   My firstborn son just celebrated the birth of his first born son (his fourth child).  He will also celebrate his 31st birthday next week.   I was pondering the day I learned I was pregnant for the first time as well as the day he was born.  I was married very young and had my first child 1 year and 9 months later, one month shy of my 19th birthday.  My husband and I did not start our lives together out as born-again Christians and I will have to admit that news of my first child's impending birth was not as happy an occasion as it should have been.  Those days in my marriage were very rocky days.  God was faithful though, as He kept us together, knowing full well what His master plan was.  His birth was a much more joyous occasion.  Friday the 13th of March, was a great day for us as our first little bundle arrived at 6:56 A.M.  As I was pondering all that took place that day and the feelings that rush in as you bring a son into the world knowing full well that he will carry on your family name, I had a thought.....

It occurred to me that I have been pregnant and given birth in each of the seasons of life I have lived.  My first child came when I was a young bride at the age of 19, thus giving me a child in my teen years.  Our second child, a daughter, was born 19 months later when I was in my early 20's.  Now fast forward to my 30's  when our third child (our first reversal baby) came along (that is another story).  Three years later when I entered my 40's, we were blessed with yet another baby.  Two years later we were blessed again.  Then two years later, we were blessed again but God chose to take that baby back into His arms to await our arrival to Heaven one day.  So four seasons of life spanning over three decades God chose to bless our home with children.  How incredibly blessed we are.

jireh cooking breakfast

I had to laugh this morning when Jireh ask to cook breakfast.  She wanted to make french toast all by herself.  As she began to get out all the ingredients I could not help but giggle as my mind went back to many years  ago when we were in Bible college and living in Arlington, TX.  Jeremy (then 14) came in and ask to have a sandwich.  I told him to make himself one.  He looked at me with a puzzled look and then replied, "I don't know how".  WOW, had I really done EVERYTHING for them!  Fast forward to about the year 2000 when Jonathan was 3.  He was not even tall enough to reach the counter when we would put him on a stool and let him make his own food.  All my little kids love to cook and I am so glad.  We are not going down that "do everything for me" road again!

Jireh at age 8 can cook up quite the french toast!

the garden

We started the garden the end of April.  It is now the middle of June and most of it seems to be doing very well.  Not sure what happened to the peas.  They started out really well but don't look so well anymore.  Maybe it is too much rain.  Who knows, never grew peas before.

Then there is the broccoli that I was told would attract bugs.  So we planted it in one of the flower gardens.  It too seems to be doing well, although I have no idea when or how those broccoli stalks come out.  It has been about 50 days and all I have are big leaves.  Guess we will see about that!

Then there is the cantaloupe and watermelon and the tomatoes and lettuce.  All of which seem to be growing by leaps and bounds.  Can't wait to make all my own salsa and tomato sauce for the winter.  It is great to go out to the garden and pick your lettuce as you need it.  Awesome!

Awe, then comes the fruit of our labors.  Mmmmm good!

What do you make of this radish?  Interesting!

finally learning how to blog

Well, after a day of not doing much else but trying to figure out this blog, I think I am a little farther along than I was.  Maybe I will get better at it and be more consistant.  Who knows, it has just never been on my priority list. 

they are here

Corey and Jessica finally arrived on Tuesday.  We had Brooklyn and Claire here for a couple of days too.  It was wall to wall sleeping in this house.  Grandma took them for a swim on Thursday before the girls went home.

reese's bedding

I was able to make Reese's bedding.  It was a different kind of bedding because of the flowers.  The quilt is on it's way to being done but here are photos of the crib set and the curtains.  I love pink and green!

Excuse the guns on the wall, her daddy is in the Army!  :-)

reese adaliene duffer is born

We welcomed our 7th grandchild into the world on July 8, 2010.  She was born at 2:03 AM, was 7 pounds 2 ounces and 19.5 inches long.  She joined her two sisters Brooklyn and Claire. Well, actually, we did not welcome her...... we were away at youth camp with Jonathan.  We chose that week of camp because she was not due yet and we knew we would be able to be there for her birth.   So much for trying to plan God's business.  Hahahaha!

summer fun

What full days we seem to always have here in our home.  After all the chores were done Jonathan had a friend here for the day. It was fun to watch them be silly and act like boys!  I did the business end of the Miche Bag business and then spent some time in the sewing room doing camp clothes.  Jonathan and Michael then were taken to Park Meadows Baptist Church for a youth activity called Cola-Clash.  What a fun evening.  After such a long day of play, Jonathan was ready to get home and fall into bed. 

happy anniversary to me

Thirty-one years ago today, I married what would become the love of my life.  I was just a child bride at the age of seventeen years and two months old.  No, I was not pregnant!  I just thought I was in love.  Little did I know what love really was.  I was only a junior in high school and promised my parents that I would finish school if they allow me to marry.  I did just that.  As we have both grown closer to our Lord over the years we have automatically grown closer to one another.  I never take for granated though that the adversary is always there desiring to destroy my marriage.  It is a daily task to make sure that I have a right spirit towards my husband and home so that my marriage will be protected.  Has our marriage ever had problems?  Well of course, all things that are worth anything have their struggles but God has been faithful and always drawn us back to Himself!