Quote of the Week

It is true ... there are excellent truths in [other writings], but yet they are far short of [the Scriptures]. Those may comfort against outward trouble, but not against inward fears; they may rejoice the mind, but cannot quiet the conscience; they may kindle some flashy sparkles of joy, but they cannot warm the soul with a lasting fire of solid consolations.

Charles Spurgeon

We Did It! Wednesday

Becky at Holiday in the Sun is the fabulous host of "We Did It! Wednesday." "We Did It! Wednesday" is all about quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren, and sharing ideas of fun things to do together!! You can click on over to Becky and see what others are doing to pick up a few ideas.

A friend of mine recently took her children to their local Children's Museum, which sparked a memory that we hadn't visited ours in a very long time. It moved to it's new, larger location last fall, so everything old seemed new again.

AJ explains the law of gravity to his younger siblings...

And masters the climbing wall in no time flat...

Avery is the creative genius of the family and was in her element with the arts and crafts...

Aiden loved painting too...

Sigourney just ran from one station to the next, to the next, overwhelmed by all the fun activities!

"Is there gluten in any of these items I've selected? Mommy will make me put them back if there is!..."

And who lets their daughter out in public with this much eye make-up anyway?

Washington State beaches are wonderful for driftwood and skipping rocks, but nice sand is a rarity. This is a real treat...

Even Lydia got in on the action (wearing her new favorite outfit from a little girl we love who lives very far away).

"Look at all this cool stuff for babies just learning to sit up...and can you tell I'm still working on those bottom teeth?"

I'm not great with inviting messes into the house, so this was a wonderful opportunity for painting and crafting especially. Their ideas, their supplies, their mess, it's a beautiful thing! And because we homeschool, we were able to go on a weekday morning and practically had the place to ourselves.

Yearly memberships are a bargain for families the size of ours -- it's almost as reasonable to go for a year as it is to go once when you calculate the per visit cost per-person. We upgraded to an annual pass so we can go back again and again. The kids gleefully shared the details of their morning with Daddy when he got home from work and said, "Dad, we can go anytime we want because now it's free!"

Next lesson: economics.

Quote of the Week

I'm so thankful that a very special friend (who sometimes fears she has a rampant ego, so I want to make sure she is properly noted) helped me understand this on an even deeper level this past week. What blessing; what freedom. I picked it as the quote of the week for both of us.

Our present enjoyment of God's grace is apt to be checked by the memory of yesterday's sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them in order to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual culture for the future. God reminds us of the past lest we get into a shallow security in the present.

Oswald Chambers

How Old Am I?

Sigourney had her hair cut today. After we got home from the salon, I wanted to take a picture. My precious fourth child DID NOT want to pose for the standard "cheese." She is having a birthday next month; can you guess how old she will be?

Some say it starts with 'Terrible"...

We don't believe in the 'Terribles,' but moments like these suggest why many do...

Of course, she had no objection to posing when she looked like this (we're all for color coordination around here, check out the matching eye hue)...

Because, after all, she wanted to demonstrate how eating a PB&J rice cake is really done...

The mommy of this soon-to-be whatever-year-old, was reminded that she should be careful when making a quick run for the bathroom while said child is eating lunch. Mommy might come back to find something that looks like this (who really likes rice cakes anyway? Fingers work just fine thankyouverymuch)...

But the hair is cute.

Quote of the Week

Afflictions, though they seem severe, in mercy oft are sent.

Charles Spurgeon

Shiners and Teething Tablets...

...That pretty much sums it up around here...and it's only 7:47 am!

Siggy fell off my bed this morning and hit the end table on her way to the floor...just perfectly apparently, because she came up sporting this...

I'm sure it will be even more colorful this afternoon.

Lydia hasn't slept more than two hours straight for nearly a week, but now that everyone else is up and running (and I do mean running in the very literal sense of the word), she's been sound asleep for a full two hours and 15 minutes. And shows no signs of waking. Oh, sleep on, precious baby...

Of course, it might be because of this...

And because that seems to have worked so well, I'm thinking of giving everyone else some of this...

I'm only kidding (I think!), but it's days like today when even the coffee stands in the Seattle area are spread too far apart. "One on every corner" is simply not enough...I think one at the end of my driveway would prove quite useful!

I'm just super-thankful that this is our memory verse for the week...

...I'm off to face the rest of the day now...

Davy Crockett and Popcorn

Yesterday was Little Man's 3rd birthday. But, shhhh!, if he finds out I just called him Little Man, he'll emphatically state "I'm not little, I'm BIG!" It has become very important for him to distance himself from his "little" sisters and join the "big" pack on top. Aiden is definitely confident in who he is.

He's Davy Crockett (and all boy...notice the goose-egg on his forehead).

For the past year, if we (or anyone else for that matter) ask Aiden his name, he summons a mischievous grin and lowers his voice a few octaves: "I'm Davy Crockett." It doesn't matter if it's the grocery clerk, his pediatrician, or a new friend. He is not Aiden. He's Davy Crockett. And he's not little. He's big.

For his birthday, we went to the store to get donuts for breakfast and Davy Crockett took a ride on the bulldozer out front. It was a special treat; I don't think he's ever ridden one of those money-sucking contraptions before!

And his birthday dinner? Steak, fries, oranges and popcorn. All his requests, of course. See the look on his face? It says, "I can't believe Mom gave in and let me have all these treats for dinner! The funniest part is that the rest of my family has to eat them too because it's MY day!"

This is a boy who loves the spotlight.

Davy Crockett, you bring much joy and laughter to our home. We are so thankful for you and can't wait to see what the coming year holds.

Quote of the Week

Then she heard the Shepherd saying, "I bring my people into Egypt that they, too, may be threshed and ground into the finest powder and may become bread corn for the use of others. But remember, though bread corn is bruised, no one threshes it forever; only until the bruised and broken grain is ready for its highest use."

Hannah Hurnard, Hinds' Feet on High Places

Testimony Friday

Next week is Aiden's third birthday, so it seems appropriate to share the testimony of his beginnings today. All of our kids have a unique story, but Aiden was our miracle baby. In more ways than one.

Our marriage had crumbled to pieces in the summer of 2005. Three weeks after Steve and I separated, the little white stick revealed our third bundle of joy was on his way. I felt God had given me a rainbow in the midst of the storm: "Hang on. I'm not finished. There is still a family here."

I knew something was wrong when I went in for my routine 20-week ultrasound and after an hour the technician wouldn't say anything. I was soon informed that Aiden (who we didn't know was Aiden yet!) had some sort of growth on his right lung and I'd need to see a specialist.

We discovered that he had a congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation (CCAM), which is a benign mass of abnormal lung tissue, in the lower lobe of his right lung. It was expected to grow at a rapid pace between weeks 20 and 28 of my pregnancy and could ultimately result in squeezing his little heart into failure.

God used this crisis to nudge Steve and I toward reconciliation. We were both in individual counseling and it became apparent that it was time to start working on our marriage. God had given us this baby and there was no reason I needed to walk the road of uncertainty alone.

We faced the possibility of in-utero surgery and talked to doctors in San Francisco and Denver about our options in case this became necessary. If we didn't have to intervene before he was delivered, his birth would potentially be traumatic and we certainly faced surgery post-delivery.

I went to the specialist twice a week for the next 8 weeks for ultrasounds and stress tests to monitor the CCAM's growth and to make sure our little buddy was hanging in there. For two of those weeks tensions ran high as the mass was growing too quickly and Aiden was developing hydrops.

God intervened. By the 28th week it appeared the CCAM had indeed stopped growing and it seemed like we were in the clear. Relief.

But two weeks later I went into pre-term labor and began to dilate. We needed to keep that baby safe and warm for at least another six weeks so his lungs would have as much time as possible to develop. I was put on bed rest and sent home to do nothing but lay flat on my back for 23 hours a day!

God had been doing a great work in our hearts toward one another. Together with our counselors, Steve and I had been praying that God would show us His perfect timing for reconciliation. It became apparent that this mommy of two preschoolers was going to need some help. And I had help. He was my husband. Steve moved home and we began the process of becoming a family again.

God is so good. With Steve by my side in the delivery room, Aiden entered the world just two weeks early, screaming like a banshee. There was much concern that his lung would not retain oxygen and that he wouldn't be able to support himself. We had a team of specialists standing by and an ambulance waiting to transport him to Children's Hospital, but the volume of his screams indicated his lungs were obviously working! It was the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

He was taken to the NICU for all of two hours for a thorough checking out. There was shock and amazement among the staff as they kept trying to find something wrong. He was strong and stable. A CT scan showed that the mass was still there, but it wasn't threatening his life.

He underwent surgery to remove the bottom third of his lung when we was three months old. He sailed through beautifully and a week later we were sent home with our precious baby boy.

As God would so amazingly orchestrate, the lungs regenerate themselves for the first eight years of a child's life. Aiden was given a clean bill of health by his surgeon last summer and by the time he is in second grade, a radiologist who doesn't know what he's looking at will never know he was missing part of a vital organ!

We've always prayed about our children's names. When I first suspected I was pregnant I felt God whisper that our baby would be named Aiden. It means "fiery" and I just didn't think that was something I wanted to tag a little boy with, but "Aiden" prevailed and he has certainly lived up to his name.

He doesn't let anything get him down. He is funny, enthusiastic and passionate about life. He has been lovingly nicknamed "the reverend" because he has a heart to pray for anything and everything all the time. He teaches us so much.

I can't help but imagine that during those months, as God was uniquely knitting him together, our little fireball was aware of and impressed by the power of the Almighty, forming a special bond with his Creator. A Creator who, as is so often the case with our Mighty God, was doing much more than forming the life of a child. He was also transforming the hearts of that child's parents and restoring his family.

The Will of God

Happy Thursday! Thank you for your prayers and love this week. I have been strengthened and encouraged at critical times and I know it's the intercession and prayers of the saints that have carried me.

I am reminded of the story of Joshua and the Israelites defeating the Amalekites in Exodus 17:

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner. (v. 8-15)

When Moses didn't have the strength to lift up his own hands, his friends and co-laborers in the battle came to his aid and gave their support and the battle was won!

I was reading Pamela's blog the other day and loved this poem. Hers is one I wish I could force (with love and a smile of course!) everyone to follow, but since I can't, I just pilfer material occasionally. Be blessed today as you are a blessing to me.

The Will of God

The will of God will never take you
Where the grace of God cannot keep you
Where the arms of God cannot support you
Where the riches of God cannot supply your needs
Where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you
Where the army of God cannot protect you
Where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you
Where the love of God cannot enfold you
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you
Where the peace of God cannot calm your fears
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you.

The will of God will never take you
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears
Where the Word of God cannot feed you
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.

Everything happens for a purpose
We may not see the wisdom of it all now,
but trust and believe in the Lord
that everything is for the best.

Author Unknown

We Did It! Wednesday

Becky at Holiday in the Sun is the fabulous host of "We Did It! Wednesday." "We Did It! Wednesday" is all about quality one-on-one time with our children and grandchildren, and sharing ideas of fun things to do together!! You can click on over to Becky and see what others are doing and pick up a few ideas.

If you've read my recent posts, you know we have been in desperate need of crazy fun at our house, so when the kids asked if they could build a fort last Friday afternoon, I thought yep! that's exactly what we'll do. And we did it!

Personal insight: this goes completely contrary to my "need for control" nature. Our house is residence to five kids under the age of seven, and extra chaos is not usually something I am open to having more of. During the day we co-exist with pillow trampoline piles, block towers, arts and crafts centers, Lego super-structures, baby doll hospitals and car parades in seemingly every corner of the house. Having a picked up living room in the evening helps preserve my sanity.

A Friday night fort was a big step...but I closed my eyes and took the plunge. Did I mention that was last Friday?!?! Each morning the kids begged for one more day. After all, what good is a fort if you can't play in it? And play they have. For five days and nights this lovely fort has been the focal point in our house. It has been made and remade many, many times and we're pretty sure we now have the perfect model.

Even the stuffed animals were considered...

The most amazing part to me is that the kids have actually slept. Really well. Maybe we're on to something. Except for the aforementioned sanity factor, bedrooms could be highly overrated! (Note: Aiden's "Davy Crockett" hat because every fort needs a real pioneer).

As with most excitement in life, all good things must come to an end, so our fort is being disassembled this morning. But you know what? It's been really fun. It was just what we needed. And I haven't gone crazy!

Protection

I can't even begin to describe the freedom that comes with honesty. Maybe I'm the only one who struggles with this, but when the hard times hit, I somehow believe that isolation will protect me and I'll be better off dealing with it alone.

I believe this is how Satan lies. He wants me to believe I am the only one. I am the only one who doubts. I am the only one who fears. I am the only one who struggles, who gets angry, who fails. Who sins.

So I put on my protective armour and think no one knows and the lie self-perpetuates. But when I shut down and withdraw I am not self-protecting. I am self-destructing.

But oh, how I sense the arms of Jesus when I open up and make myself vulnerable! The stories I hear of struggles not too dissimilar to mine, that I would otherwise never have known. We all have different issues. Yours may not be the same as mine, but they're just as big to you as mine are to me. And I draw such strength in knowing that others are walking the road with me or have been healed and are victorious.

It truly is in our weakness that He is made strong. He is the only one who can penetrate the walls of self-protection I erect. He is the only one who can speak truth through the negative thoughts in my mind. He is the only one who can reach out and take my hand and lead me forward when all I want to do is retreat. He is the only one who loves me enough to get past my very rejection of Him and love me through to wholeness.

He is the only one who can truly protect me.

I am praying that He will solidify this thought in my heart so I can write more about it in the coming days. Because I am now certain that I am not the only one.

Getting Real

For me, one of the most difficult things about blogging is being "real." I had this conversation with a blogging friend a week or so ago and it's been bouncing around in my brain. I can't get rid of it. And now it's being put to the test.

It's easy to put my best foot forward in cyber-world. I am totally together when I come to you via Blogger. My make-up is perfectly applied, my wardrobe is impeccable, and I don't carry a single ounce of baby-weight. I never snap at my husband, get impatient with my children, or fail go to God with my "stuff." I am wonder-woman. After all, it's my blog, and I can be anyone I want to be.

Well, it's time for me to get real. Sorry friends, but the bubble's gonna burst today. If this makes you uncomfortable, you should probably stop reading.

Because the truth is, as I type this I'm not lookin' so pretty. I cried my make-up off in church this morning and never bothered to re-apply, I'm wearing the same jeans I wear just about every day because they're the only ones that (sort of) fit, and well, after five babies, there's just no way this old body is ever going to look like I wish it would. And that's just the outside.

My heart has been looking much worse. I've spent way too much time being angry at my husband for just about everything under the sun, my children have been the unfortunate recipients of my short-tempered outbursts, and God? Well, I put Him on the shelf and told Him to stay there while I thought I was getting everything figured out. What a mess.

My name is Sara Somma and I've been in the pit of post partum depression. I didn't blog last week because I was afraid it would show. I couldn't suck up enough strength to think of something cheery to write about, so I just bagged it.

I've struggled with PPD after each child. It has historically hit right around this same time...between the fourth and fifth month. I've heard it gets worse with each pregnancy, but I was absolutely convinced that I was going to lick it this time.

Steve and I believe God directed us to leave the baby-count in His court. There's a story behind how we got here, but it's not important today. For us, it was simply a matter of obedience.

And hey, when we choose obedience, isn't God supposed to make it easy? I was sure that for me this would mean the PPD would pass me by after Lydia's arrival. I'd be delivered! I mean, if I was allowing Him to do His will in my life, surely He wouldn't let me suffer. But He did and I have.

Maybe I'm the only one who thinks like this. That when I'm following God, He will spare me all pain and anguish. That life will be sweet and easy because I'm doing it His way. That somehow for me it will be different than it was for many of my Biblical heroes.

Noah was mocked by his friends. Abraham was called to sacrifice his son. Moses spent 40 years in the wilderness. Job lost everything. Ruth left her people. Mary carried an "illegitimate" child. Paul was beheaded. And yet, with each of these, and many, many more God received the glory of their final story.

I don't claim to be on par with any of these greats, but God is showing me that in the trials I can trust Him. And there will be trials. In fact, sometimes it seems they will never end. I am learning that even when I'm following Him life will not be easy. But He will see me through and He will provide what I need. He has and He does and He will continue.

On Saturday afternoon, as I sat with a dear mentor and friend (well, actually she was sitting and I was laying in bed with the covers over my head telling her to go away, but that doesn't sound as nice), I was lovingly reminded that I have a story to tell. Post partum or not, God has done amazing things for me.

It would be easy to keep this a cheery, happy, everything-is-perfect-with-my-life blog. Putting on the mask and a smile is second nature for me, but it's something I desperately want to change. Please don't get me wrong. I'm not knocking anyone and I love cheery blogs! But that's not how God is directing me for now. Believe me, I wish He was!

Oh, I'll still include pictures of the kids and focus on the fun parts of our lives, but I will also begin to share my testimony. A little at a time. I'm thinking on Fridays. Some current, some catching up on how we've gotten this far. To give God the glory. He has done great things. And I am certain He's not finished.

I was almost knocked out last week. My blog went silent and I didn't think I'd be able to pick it up again. I believe in the spiritual realm and I have an Enemy who wants me quiet. Well, I'm calling his bluff. And I'm putting it in print.

We'll see where God leads and I hope you'll stay with me.