Cute and you know it!!!!!!

Spring Fever? Yes!!!!

We have been managing to get some schoolwork done this week but everyone is trying hard to call fishing "nature studies"....me included. It has been absolutely beautiful weather! What a great blessing from God. Here are some fishing and fun outdoor pictures.

Happy Birthday Cole!!!

Today is Cole's 10th birthday. He informed me last week that he has asked me to make this cake for the past two years. I don't remember him asking, and I can't imagine why I wouldn't have already made it because it was extremely easy: ) Richard and I took Cole last night to pick a new bike and today we celebrated our sweet and funny Cole. We have alot to celebrate spiritually because of Cole this year as well. I won't tell all his business, but God is very good to our family in so many ways.

NapTime!!!!

My favorite new hobby is snapping pictures of Jessie while she's catching some zzzzzz's.
She usually plays and does her thing until about 1:00 and then I say, "You're laying here Jessie."
Then she lays down and sleeps(heehee) Just plain old cuteness!! She sleeps right in the living room with everyone else all around her. Every few minutes someone goes by and kisses her head and says, "awwww, look at Jessie". We all know we are very blessed by her tiny sweetness.

A sweet pair....

I've been asked before if having a big family is a hindrance in the sense that everyone might not get the love and attention they need...... Honestly, I can see why someone might ask that. Until experiencing it all first hand I wondered the same thing myself.

Every person in my house was needed for the sake of the other people.

I love this. Jessie eating crackers and Cason pretending to be sad because he wants a cracker too: ) And then Miss Jessie having mercy on him. She shares!!!!

Let us not grow weary.....

Galatians 6:9 . . . And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Here are the youngest Brown's with me in Target last week.

If you know me at all, you know that I do not have extremely naturally calm children.(they are funny though---that comes sooo naturally)

If you know me really well, you know I've struggled just a wee bit adjusting to having eight and figuring out how to manage it all. Over the last month or so, Richard and I have been focusing on developing self control in these precious people. We are requiring lots more "just sit down" time and have drastically reduced their "free roam around time" here in our house. I started this really out of an attempt to get basic things done here at home and it has worked. School and everything has gone so much better. As an added benefit(actually I think this might be even more important for our testimony) I've noticed calmer hearts and better behaviour when we go out places. It's been a pleasant surprise. I didn't even go into Target wondering if the training would pay off (seriously we started this just as a survival technique at home) but was surprised as I sat there all by myself with the younger children and suddenly noticed we were having a quiet lunch with nice conversation. I truly am thankful for my children and am blessed that God has helped me figure out a way to enjoy them more. More than anything, I want them to give God glory with their precious little lives.