large family comebacks from a fellow blogger.....

Please enjoy this amusing read from http://blogginbridget.blogspot.com/2007/12/large-families-faq-with-come-backs.html
Large Families FAQ with Come Backs.

1) You have your hands full!

Yes, happily so!
Yes, and my heart too.
Don't say anything, just look puzzled at your hands. (This does obviously
not work if you are carrying a baby :-)
Yes, but I would rather have my hands full than empty!


2) Are they all yours?

No, I just went to Rent-a-Brat.
No, this is not all of them, my oldest is at home with the triplets. HEHE!
No, actually two are the mailman's and I am not sure whose is that one.....
No, I picked up a couple extra in the produce aisle.
Gee, I never heard that question before!
Of course they're all mine. Do you think I take five (or fill in your
number) kids shopping for fun?
No..........I have two more at home! (When it fits)
Yes, and they're such good kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (the kids love that one!)
Of course they are..wait..who is that one? Hes not ours.....oh,yeah, 5 , I
forgot I had him.
I don't know. How many do you count?
Yes. But if you have any you don't want, I'll gladly take them, too .
No. I've been an avid collector for years and just picked these up in the
food court!
Yes, at least that's what I tell my husband.
Yes, we just enjoy sex soooooo much!
Why do you want to know?
Well, not today.
We are trying to get into the Guiness Book of World Records of (add whatever
here) most kids, largest family living in one house, etc.
Yes, I always want just one more.
Check back in nine months and you'll see for yourself.


3) Don't you know what causes that?

No, please tell me!
Of course, don't you?
Yes, we do know what causes that and we like it very much, thank you.
Oh yes, we finally figured it out and we now keep the tooth brushes in
seperate glasses!
Oh yes, I now wash my husband's underwear seperately.
Oh yes, having a great sex life!
Water or sex but I don't want to give up either.
Smile brightly and say with enthusiasm "Yes and we like it!"
You bet I do......love, love, love ( & sex, sex, sex.....hehehe.......)
Yes,and as you only have two kids obviously you dont do it much.
Yes, and it is something I am very good at...
Of course, and the Lord has greatly blessed us!
A strong husband/wife relationship, big hearts, and the Lord's blessing.


4) Are you going to get fixed?

Nope, I am not broken!
Why do you want to know?
Huh, we thought everything was working fine for us!?!
We didn't know anything was broken.
Don't you only fix things that aren't working properly?
Well as you can see be the size of OUR family everything is in working
order. :)(You have to say this last one with the kinda "I'm not to bright so
your question seems kinda foolish don't you think?" attitude.


5) I can't believe how you do it, I cannot even handle my two!

Yes, if I had kids like you, I wouldn't have any more either!
Yes, you don't strike me as the type who could handle more kids than that.
I do it like most people, in bed and after the kids are sleeping.
I put knobs on the kids. Makes them easier to handle.
Everyone has 24 hours in a day, it is just how you use it...nt
With lots of patience, patience, patience
go and look at them while they're sleeping. This reminds me of what sweet
children of God they are and keeps me going!
Oh, I just do it. Wake up in the morning, do what you have to do all day, go
to bed when it's done.
Pick your battles carefully. It helps to have selective sight and hearing!
Don't sweat the small stuff.
(this is a good one for chat rooms) Oh, straight jackets and handcuffs!


6) Are you planning to have any more?

I've been wondering about this and maybe you can explain it to me: I always
thought you had to plan NOT to have more.
Before we were married we planned on having 2, but I didn't know that my
husband couldn't count!
We didn't plan the first five, I don't think we'll plan the next five,
either.



7) I hope you aren't planning to have anymore?!?



You mean, I just figured out what I'm really, really good at, and you're
telling me to stop doing it?
Talk to God about it... it's up to Him.
Well, we do have room in our Yukon for 1 more. LOL!!!!!
OK, I won't plan my next one. Surprises can be fun!
Yup we are going to keep going till we get an ugly one.



8) Haven't you heard of birth control?



Yes, and I thank God it doesn't always work!
Yes, I've heard of it, I hope you are using it!
(for dad) Yes, but I just can't find a rubber that will fit me!
Yes, that's great stuff for people with ugly kids!
Oh yes, we do know what birth control is; it's for people who don't want
children.


9) Don't you have a television?

Yes, but we only get X-rated channels
Yes! Did you know there are 28 porn channels in this area?
No, we have much better things to do at night!
Yes 4 of them. Why?



10) How can you afford having so many?

Lifestyles are expensive not kids.
We're not on welfare, in huge amounts of debt, and no, my husband is not a
doctor or lawyer. We just budget well.
I figure you spend what you make, you may as well spend it on more.
" You don't know my financial backer!" (God, of course)
I'm still not sure how we do it...but it works!


11) I am glad it is you and not me!

Yes, me too!
My kids are glad it's me and not you too! ;-)
Oh me too! I love being a mother! and smile real BIG!


12) Do you get any time for yourselves?


Obviously we get a little time to ourselves, or we wouldn't have five kids.


13) Did you give birth to all of them?

Yes, I gave birth to them all. Do you really believe the stork dropped them
off?



14) When people just keep staring at your family....

Yes, they all are mine!
No, we don't try to overpopulate the earth, just to outnumber the idiots!

Unsuspecting

The trouble with fear is that it lies in wait... at the edges of your consciousness ... waiting to creep in. Often it doesn't do it all at once. Sometimes its like a flood trying to sweep you downstream with all the other debris. I despise fear
And I know the One who commands it to flee.... and yet when nighttime comes... and sleep is scarce... it lurks in the shadows.
LORD... help me to be the overcomer. Help me to find peace amidst the chaos. Remind me that You are still the one in control .... because as the fog rolls in it is sometimes hard to see.

season of change.... again

well... its almost here. February. and still I am pretty absent from the bloggy world. but soooooooo many changes are upon us. We are buying a house. Have I mentioned that? And certainly not where we THOUGHT we would buy a house. Its a house back in the desert.

and this is the view from our back yard.
it is exciting..
and scary...
and not somewhere I ever thought we would would "retire" from the USMC. not in my wildest dreams. but we close on the house this week and the shift is happening. We are busy decluttering and packing and sorting....and in an amazing way it all feels very right. Like it's where we belong. But in so many ways and on so many levels that doesn't make any sense.
And we have loved our time here.... beach side and days filled with cotton candy sunsets. Strolling the wharf and spending time with dear friends....

and I for one will miss it.

but its ok this time. I know we can come back and visit. Its just a short 2 hour drive west from where we are going.

and changes are coming. a big move.. a baby at the end of the month, a scheduled c-section and last but not least my hubby retiring from the USMC. crazy changes. exciting changes. maybe even a bit unnerving changes.

but we will keep looking upward counting on God to direct our steps as He always has.

Aaron's story

October 27, 2009 at 10:27am Aaron came into this world.

I wanted to have a vbac but after 41 weeks and a 24 hour pitosin drip it didn't appear that this little guy had any intention of gracing us with his presence. so we headed in for c-section #3. At first it seemed fine. Baby was taken out. He appeared to be healthy. after showing him to me they whisked him and frank off to the nursery...

that's when things seemed to go dreadfully wrong.

I remember moving to a different gurney and then wheeled down another hallway
and then I was lightheaded and woozy.. and I heard my Dr say something about losing too much blood too fast... we have to open her back up... and the last memory I have is praying..."Lord, just let me see my baby.. if you don't want me to have more children then let me know somehow"

I wouldn't meet Aaron for another 6-7 hours. Little did I know that my very life was in the balance as I hemoragged. and the very 1st words the nurse uttered to me was ... "welcome back, they managed to save all your girl parts" and I have been told that at that point I insisted they hook me up to a breast pump cuz I was absolutely certain my little guy would be beyond starving.

We had a rough start... but we both made it. We struggled with nursing, but this mama cannot be dissuaded. After months of pumping he finally latched on and nursed like a trooper until a month before his 2nd birthday. He even met my dad before my dad passed away... I honestly expected him to be our last little one.

but this past spring we found out we were expecting again. The Dr's looked for something to be wrong. but even the placenta despite multiple c-sections was placed perfectly. And while we are not attempting a vbac we are praying for a smooth and uneventful birth story.

Some girls dream of princes on white horses...

But not me.
When I was a kid I spent time dreaming of going to marineland in niagra falls, Canada. We lived a little more than 2 hours away... and from the time I was little I was completely smitten with orcas, and bottle nose dolphins, and sea lions. My favorite show was flipper and I spent hours dreaming of swimming with those amazing mammals & In southern California it seems everyone wants to go to Disney ... but not me. I mean I am sure it would be fun. But. I still dream of sitting by the blue pool watching the whales swim smelling the salty air. Sitting in the splash zone.... listening to the otters, & seals as the bark and play, touching the starfish in the tidal pools, feeding the bat rays.

My dream takes us to Seaworld SD and I am beside myself with anticipation!

When love came down.

Lately I have been hearing mixed messages about Jesus.

Some would say.... well we ALL are saved. God is a good God He doesn't want anyone in hell. And while part of that IS true God is a good God and he most certainly doesn't desire to send people to hell ... He does. When we don't choose Him. The only way to Him is through His one and only Son, Jesus.

Recently I heard a pastor teach on the 7 major world religions. On the chart he handed out he said that 33% of the world is Christian. But in that 33% he included many different nonchristian believers. People groups that do not believe that Jesus is the one and only way to heaven. I do think that in that liberalism.... in that "religious tolerance" the truth is watered down too much and that the Gospel is not preached in a way that leads anyone to the saviour.

But the opposite is also true.

I have dear friends that are Messianic in their faith... that observe the Sabbath and follow the rules in the Torah claiming the law is the only way. I think this is equally dangerous. Being too bound by the law, and entangled in the chains of legalism they teach that Christmas is an abomination. But sadly at a time of tear when many seek the saviour - they are pushing them away from the Jesus who paid the ultimate sacrifice and took their place killed as a common criminal for their sin. Are they so far removed from the day they received their own salvation that they can no longer remember the redemption that was inly available by grace. That whether they trim a tree or debate when the birth of Jesus actually took place upon the Hebraic calendar doesn't really matter at all. It is the birth of Jesus that is important not the debates. As those debates could lead unbelievers further and further from how great Gods love is.

Do we celebrate Christmas? Well we do. But hopefully like many other Bible believing Christian families we do it differently. We go to church on Christmas eve. We try not to get sucked into the vortex of greed and commercialism. We try to live within our means. Not purchasing needlessly on credit buying things we cannot afford. Trying to teach our children that black Friday... in itself is not evil.... but the greed associated with it is. We teach that Santa was a real man... the history and truth... and that all good gifts are from God. We don't pretend to deceive them that they will find laptops, ans ipods under the tree... as those things fade. We exchange 3 gifts. Some of which are handmade... a representation that the baby in the manger was brought 3 gifts by the Magi. We teach the truth of His birth. That the babe in a manger was probably not born in December but that this is when we celebrate His birth as Christians. We bake cookies and take them to neighbors as a gesture of kindness. We do.much like this throughout the year but we do make an extra effort at Christmas and pray a bit more fervently that they also would come to know and love Jesus.

Unlike my very liberal friends we serve Jesus with our lives - where often you cannot tell whether or not they are believers. The profess christ with their mouth and yet deny  Him with their actions. My other friends abide by the letter of the law. The law Jesus came to complete because noone could achieve it. They measure how they love Jesus by how strictly they follow the law.

But I don't think that is the answer either
I think when Jesus is your 1st love you live your life seeking after Him. Reading His word. Abiding in His desires. But all the time being aware that you are saved by grace... and you want everyone you know to experience that grace and love Jesus like you do.... drawing them to the saviour not repelling them from Him.

May you share the truth of the saviour this holiday with friends, family, and those you just meet. Making them ask you - what is different about your life. Take time to keep Jesus at the center of this holiday. Bring someone a warm meal, a plate of cookies, a gift for their children but most importantly invite them to church and introduce them.to your 1st love - and maybe if you can't say that Jesus is your 1st love... its time to let Him be that.

OverRuled. the movie

If you are a parent...
If you ever want to be or plan to be a parent....
Please, set aside 35 minutes and watch this short film put out by parentalrights.org