Being Still and Knowing He is God

  Busy Busy Busy....

That just seems to be the norm for an every day average family. We hear it all the time you say "How are things going?" The answer? We are just so busy lately and can't find the time. I know our family has been caught up in that. Having a growing family the kids want to try new things and join sports and dance and gymnastics etc... After praying and talking to Tyler we decided that it would be best for Faith to choose one activity, instead of doing both gymnastics and dance. That was hard because she did nothing wrong, it wasn't because we couldn't afford it. Our kids getting to be able to do an extra activity is exactly that...extra! Meaning something they enjoy doing. We realized we don't want them to get caught up in being in everything because, what is the purpose? Yes we all do something we love extra on the side but here is the thing is that extra letting you be still? Are you doing nothing and content? We live in society that says the more stuff you do the happier you'll be. Now it was our fault be cause we started Faith in letting her do both and we told her to choose and explained to her this very reason. She was such a champ and understood our whole reasoning  that was one extra thing that took from our family time and her time. I read a book called "Weird" by Craig Groeschel, a fantastic read I highly recommend it. He says" We're afraid that if we don't just run non stop and try everything this world has to offer we're going to miss out on something." That's just it you are missing out!! You're missing out on the stillness and know that he is God moments. Don't put so much on your plate that you forget those moments and take in his pure goodness. 


 Psalms 46:10  "Be still and know that I am God"

Averee is 6

       Well there was another Birthday Averee turned 6 on the 14th. It was a special day. She got to celebrate with snow:) Not the typical April kind of day you would think, but she played and had fun anyway. Averee is 6 and it is so hard to believe because I remember her birth like it was yesterday being the Mom for the second time you kind of feel like a pro like I can do this again. I remember looking at her, like she looks nothing like me and she is so cute. What a special little girl she is growing up to be. Averee is the most kindest loving child and would give you the shoes off her feet if you told her you didn't have any. She has taught her Dad and I about unconditional love watching her the way she is with our expanding family. She is the funniest girl and I am thankful to be her Mommy. Avo is a one of kind little girl and at 6 is in love with Jesus and knows he is the maker and loves her so....For that I am so Grateful..

Special Birthday..

 Well our little man Tyler is now 6 years old. His birthday was April 5th. We had a great day started out by a yummy breakfast and playing all day until family came for his party. At the breakfast table that morning the conversation went like this" Tyler what kind of birthday party's do you have? Tyler replying back to Averee " I have never had a birthday party.  Averee looked at me with such shock and sadness but we made no big deal about it. We just told him about what was going to happen that night.


 He was going to have a cake his favorite dinner and some people were coming over. If it were me I would of wanted to invite everyone I knew to celebrate this day to see how far he has come and how well he is doing. I couldn't do that to him though way to overwhelming. Never experiencing a birthday party before that would of been way to much for him.

 So it was simple and small he didn't understand the opening of gifts, while people were watching and he was so shy and said" Mommy what do I do"? I said " I will just help you open them and you get to enjoy what you received from people" It was a slow process but I took it all in seeing this little guy who has been through so much get to enjoy a moment just for him!! I even cried when his sisters made him birthday cards and they wrote they loved him and they were so excited.  He had a great day he is a big 6 year old and I thank God he was in our home to spend his birthday...

Beauftiful girls..

 I have been wanting to write this post for a long time. Just really haven't had the time... Funny I know, Mom of five finds hours upon hours to write in blog.. Well today is a pretty day and kids are playing and are happy.

  I have been thinking a lot lately of how fast time goes by especially with having kids. Its like you blink and they are walking and talking and ruling the world in their own way. This brings me to my next thought raising girls.
 We live in a day and age where the world says " you are only as beautiful as you look" That does not go far in my book with girls out there who have the most selfless hearts and willingness to serve Christ, but that isn't beautiful. Being super skinny, wearing name brands, not eating a lot, focusing on always working on you, exercising, surgery's, that's what beautiful is!! It almost makes me so sad knowing my three girls are growing up in a world that tells them that.

 I want my girls to be confident in them selves and with there walk with Christ even if that means they don't blend in with the crowd. My three little girls who will grow up to be someones wife, friend, Mother I want them to know what is most important! That is to not live this life for yourself but to live it serving others. I see how much pressure woman have on there looks and there body its almost shameful what that can do to a poor little girls self esteem. You're only as good as you look! That is what we live in a hollow place with outward appearance most important. If the that woman or girl who just was told that one time God thinks your beautiful and he is what matters. Wow can you think of what a change that would be if half of Girls, and Woman only cared what God thought about them, than what the world does?  Anybody can be breathtaking on the outside but a takes a selfless woman to be breathtaking on the inside also. Remember Mommies your daughters see how much you fret on looks and your weight  they are sponges and soon will think that is whats important!  Without Christ every woman has insecurities. Let him truly be the judge in how you look.
                      "How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!" 
                                               Songs Of Songs 4:1

If you are able to please read the book Kisses from Katie... Truly an inspiring book from such a young girl who is living the mission with selflessness.  Katie Davis is a beautiful Girl.. 

  

Bonding with Love...

  It has been a while since I have blogged about the crew. It has been a crazy road that's for sure getting to see what works and doesn't work for the family. It has been 4 months since the boys came with us and Wow it has gone by super fast it feels like. Little Ty has seriously done a 180 he is truly a new little man. From coming to us scared and some habits and a yuck yucky blanket that he would chew on. To now not even asking for his blanket to experiencing life the way it should be that he isn't used to. He is a sweet boy who calls me Mommy and you know what? That is the sweetest words coming from him, from calling me Michelle then now to Mommy there are no words to explain it.

       Faith is doing well I can't believe she is going to be 9 years old the time flies by. As I sit here in tears writing about her I think she was my first baby who is now grown to helping me take care of all the other babies. Oh how I love her so!! She is my calming ground she is the second little Mommy in the house that's for sure:)

  Averee she is getting to be such the comedian She say's things off the top her head and I think I can't even respond to that because inside I am laughing so hard. She is finding her place that's for sure with having new siblings and where her voice fits in. I sometimes struggle with guilt about that for her already being the middle child but she is finding her way in a good balance. She is the first one to want to make the baby stop crying and help him that's for sure.


    Lola well her name says it all. Since getting the boys the world hasn't stopped in her eyes. If she has something she want's you to hear, see or say! She will let you know. Someone told me one time She is like a 17 year old migit...lol She is my Lola and I love to hear her say "I love my Bubba's" aka, the boys.


Now for the little Man..... He is now 5 months old and only 9 pounds he has come a long way since bringing him home at 4 pounds. His weight is now at a stand still and we are waiting for Madera's children hospital to call for hopefully a surgery date. We found out he has Pyloric Stynosis. Its a muscle that is opening and closing around his stomach. So when he eats sometimes it can make it through, other times not. Which causes him to vomit it all back up through the nose the whole bit. Now for the weird part only 3 out 1,000 babies get this and we have had 2. Our other baby that we had Elijah he had it also. Crazy right? What are the odds. So now we are just waiting.to hear what happens next. This little guy has been through so much the day he started growing he has had things in his system that no one could ever fathom. This thing that is in his system is a black selfless thing that sucks the life out of you. I know because I see what it is doing to their Mother. This thing causes him to scream non stop to the point where you have to put him in another room to cry it out and wait til he falls asleep. It causes him to be so stiff that any kind of loving touch or soft gentle kiss makes him flinch or scream. He doesn't want you to hold him and cuddle him because that's too much touch and stimulation  for him. I purchased an ergo baby carrier and that has been a God send. He hates it at first and he will fall asleep on my chest I can feel his cheeks with the sound of him sucking his pacifier. When he is like this I cherish it because I want nothing more than to bond with him Mommy to son and let him feel love and hear my heart beating. I have had him since the day he came from the hospital and held his tiny little fingers and kissed his tiny little face not know what was ahead. You hear people say things for babies like him but you don't know for yourself what your getting into. What's the hardest thing is none of this is his fault I remind my self and kids of this daily when we he has crying spurts for hours on end. We have all learned how to cope with it and it has made us closer in all of us helping in those times. I don't take my healthy children for granted that's for sure. Seeing how I have had 3 healthy easy babies and never dealing with any of this. I am grateful he is with us and no where else so the times he is screaming or just not happy at least he is in our care and home and we are the ones to be blessed enough to help him through it. I don't know when this will pass, it is day to day. I pray for him that he gets better. He started smiling one month ago exactly he is now focusing on your face when you talk to him. He has a moment for the day when he smiles and is calm. I wanted to share his pictures with you. I wanted to capture these moments to remind my self in the hard ones. He is my precious little man and I am going to love him through the hardest times even when I feel like I can't.

 Now for Ty and I this has been the hardest thing we have ever done. Someone very dear to me said "The first six months will rock your world" Well its a rock'n and we are getting through it with each other I don't know what I would do with out him and his support he is an amazing man and I couldn't see doing this with anyone else. Honestly we're a circus but a Christ centered Circus and we do this for Him and Him alone.

Friends Forever.....

       

  I am writing about the middles in our family. Tyler and Averee, now they are both five and only nine days apart. When Tyler first came with us it was a transition for everyone including Tyler. 

It hit most for Averee

a boy coming to live in the home who is the same exact age as her. Now that says I am going to check you out and watch everything you do. Oh boy did she! The two were like cats and dogs trying to figure each other out. Averee always micromanaging Tyler and Tyler being very in tolerant of Averee. Well what a 180 there has been in our house. These two are inseparable they are always playing and if you want to know where the other one is "oh" they're with each other. They both sit in the back of the car and let me tell you what a blessing it is to hear Tyler laugh it is the sweetest thing to my ear. Averee is always doing something that he thinks is hilarious. They have a built in best friend. Now everyday is not perfect and they have there moments but I have to say they reached that level that they truly have grown to love each other as brother and sister and friends. They love unconditionally don't care where the other one came from just that they love the other one just because..  Last thing they get in trouble together also just like today for instance they wanted me to see their new trick. Well they went on Tyler's bed and Averee put Tyler on her back and said "they were like Rio the bird and Tyler didn't know how to fly so she was helping him!!" Yes they jumped off the bed with Tyler still on Averee's back... It was all I could do to not scream..

Loving Others....

 Well it has been a while since I last blogged. We are a busy family now going from 5 to 7 overnight. Things have changed for us that's for sure, some good some hard. We are growing each day with each other learning something new each day and seeing God's work at hand we these little boys. Our girls are doing well, they love their new siblings and they all act like it that's for sure. The bossiness and telling on each other that's the same.They love these boys as their own brothers and haven't blinked twice to show it. Good and bad..lol  Ty and I are getting the grips of managing ship with 5 little people. Without going on for detail to detail I will share just what has been going on here at the Napier casa. Thanksgiving was wonderful having the boys to share it with. Tyler is in school with Averee they are in the same class and are doing well with that. It's weird having two 5 year olds 9 days apart. He adjusted so good to school. He learned to ride a bike for the first time and now can all by himself that was so great to watch. He is learning to adjust to this life he has never experienced anything like it. This Christmas we felt so blessed to have him with us to experience with him all the things he has never done or had. He is a sweet boy and is so smart, sometimes I think for reasons he shouldn't have to be. The baby is doing great growing and just needs a little help with sleeping....... He is very precious though. My kiddos want to hold him every second they can and there a lot of little dirty hands around here. Now that being said these are all new changes and we are getting by learning how to deal with every new one we come across. We already get the looks from people thinking we are crazy but we knew that would happen. I have to tell you what amazing God we serve because he has been here in it this whole time getting us through in the hardest times. When we noticed things are not like they used to be and we get out of our comfort zone. Having this chaos of a circus in our family is definitely different. I originally said in this process we would not take a baby older than one. Well that was not what God had planned for us. When I told my girlfriend that we are getting a five year old, I thought how crazy it is because that's not we thought we would of wanted, and her words stuck with me like glue!! She said  "Well he doesn't want you either... he wants his mom." Boy was she right and I needed to hear that from then on I asked God to change my heart and let me be open to this journey we are about to go on. This little guy has taught me so much already about how life isn't about being in your comfort zone its getting out of it to really love on others... Yeah sure its fine to bring in a baby and love on them because they don't speak or do annoying things that they have been raised with. Older kids talk back and tell you how they are feeling and bringing that into your life is change because sometimes you have to hear what has happened to them and to know it breaks you DOWN!! Children shouldn't have to know or live like that. God tells us to love on the orphans but not by our standards or what we want to do. You love God and love others all the way. Now the other part of this journey is their Mom. We are feeling very compelled that this just isn't about these boys it's loving it's their Mom also. Yeah sure if you knew the things that went on any normal person would say forget it. But that's just it we were not called to be normal we were called to be different. There Mom needs love and God in her life and how else will she see it if we choose to just forget her. She needs so much prayer. I ask that you would pray for her. She leads a very sad life with a lot of bad decisions along the way. She needs the love and stability just as much as her boys do.

This circus that's going on in our lives right now I will tell you I love every minute of it. I can honestly say all my life that I have never felt "accomplished" because I didn't finish college and no college degree to speak of. This greater calling God has me in to be a Mother not only to my own biological kids but to other children from God is what I know I am supposed to be doing. Loving God and Loving others and being Mom.. I cry as I write this because saying it out loud is a huge moment for me at 29 I am doing what God has called me to do and for that I am over abundantly blessed.  So as the start of this new year we will see what God has in store for our family. I challenge those of you who read this "How can you love others who you don't think deserve it? Well, God does!!!

                                                                Micah 6:8 
                                                              Do justice, Love mercy, walk humbly with our God.

 Very first day meeting each other<3  Col 3;12

                                                                           Much Love, Michelle.