Weekly Rewind 12/28/08-1/3/09

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and The Father by Him."

Colossians 3:17

It is hard to believe that another brand new year is upon us. My mind is overloaded with thoughts of all that I know needs to be done, learned, mastered, etc. this year. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to accomplish even the planning, so what a comfort it is to know that God will give me the direction and wisdom I need to know what His priorities are for us in these days ahead. As for this past week, it's been a combination of sickness, laughter, joy, disappointment, and an entire host of other emotions, but, as always, there has never been a moment when we couldn't thank God for something. His goodness to us is beyond measure.

~We've continued our Christmas celebration with "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Instead of receiving all of their gifts on Christmas Day, the children have enjoyed a gift each day this week, most of which have been family gifts. We LOVE playing games together, and the children have enjoyed receiving quite a few this week, including Pictionary (which they are REALLY good at! Reaches Up and Whistler have amazed us with their ability to adapt to the adult version of this game. It is cute, though, when they tell us they just don't know what a word means...or draw a nose instead of "noise." :))

Another game we've enjoyed is Farkle. Our friends, the Heckendorns, who are known for their natural ability to have a great time, introduced us to this game. So, when I found a version of this game that came with individual components for up to six people to play, I couldn't resist. It's the "Let's Have a Farkle Party" version, and it's one of our favorites.

The children also received an audio version of Chuck Black's Kingdom Series. This is a wonderful allegorical series, and we've been so impressed with the audio. We've also treated them to dinner out as well as to a movie called "Pendragon," which was produced by a Christian family and was actually pretty good.

It's been delightful to see them excited about what gift the new day will bring and to see the gratitude displayed whether the gift is an individual one or a group one. Thank You, Lord, for these wonderful times together as a family and for the blessing of thankful children. Help us remember that You have blessed us so abundantly. Help us to model thankfulness in all things to our children.

~Most of us have been sick in one form or another this week. I just didn't want a repeat of last January's illness (which was quite hard on the Littles), and God has been merciful in healing us quickly. Little Bit, especially, was quite sick for a couple days with a high fever and other symptoms, and God answered our prayers that we wouldn't have to take her in to the doctor. Last night she was back to her old self....busy, mischievous, and simply adorable. Thank You, Lord, for those times of sickness which remind us to be even more thankful for the gift of good health.

~I confess....I potty-train much later than most Mamas do. That being said, after having done it five times now, I like my method, despite often having to hear disparaging comments from other who prefer to start training much earlier. ( I never understand that one....I've never asked them to change my child's diaper or to wait to train their own children. In fact, I was encouraged to hear Marilyn Boyer, a mother of 14, write of how she waits until the children are older, too, preferring to spend that time discipling them.) Anyway, after a couple previous attempts that showed me it wasn't the best time, I decided to potty-train Boo over this Christmas break. I was a bit worried about my being able to be consistent with the many activities of the holidays, but I just have to thank the Lord, that this was the easiest thing I've done these past couple weeks. Boo is a champ...no accidents...no stress...no power struggles, and she racked up quite a lot of M&Ms! I wasn't chained to the timer every 15 minutes, and it was simply a joy. Considering some of the other disappointments we've had this week, this was such a blessing from the Lord. Go Boo!! Thank You, Lord, for those moments of joy in the midst of trying times, those moments that help us remember Your ever-constant presence and Your compassion for the smallest details of our lives.

~I'm almost 33 weeks now! My doctor's visit yesterday went well, and Next Girl is doing fine. It's hard to believe that we can now say, God-willing, we'll meet this precious gift from Him next month. Because Whistler was our last cold-weather baby, this little girl will actually need some new clothes, and I'm feeling the pressure of buying those clothes sooner than later when I walk in the store and see all of the SPRING clothing already out! February 17th is still the date we're looking at for the c-section, and that is only a little more than 6 weeks away! Thank You, Lord, for all of the blessings of this pregnancy and for the anticipation of meeting Next Girl.

~I'm sure some of you are wondering about my nose, and I'm so appreciative of your many prayers over this past month. (Yes, it's already been a month since my surgery.) I'll go into more detail in another post, but I will say that this week brought disappointment and sadness and frustration. I saw the doctor last Tuesday, and I'll return again next Wednesday. At this point, I see myself wearing this bandage for a long time and possibly having to see a plastic surgeon. I was hoping to have this adventure finished before Next Girl arrived, but I'll just have to wait on the Lord and see what He has planned. Please continue to pray for healing. Thank You, Lord, that You are working all things together for my good, that You may be glorified. Thank You for the comfort found only in resting in Your Sovereign Hand.

**Please pray for my Mom who is scheduled to have knee surgery on January 14th. Pray that this operation would relieve her of the great pain she's in and that there would be no infections or complications from the surgery. Thank you so much!

Love,

Queen Mom for the Poff Clan