Dear Ezra,

Sweet baby Ezra!  We are so ready to meet you!  

We are excited to see what you look like, to hold you, to smell you, to hear your voice!

Your brothers are so excited to be a part of your birth and to finally see with their own eyes the little kicker that has been being formed in my belly all this time!

Your little sister just loves babies and I'm sure will be just as enthralled with you she is with every baby she sees at church, the store and in pictures.  I have a feeling she's going to spoil you!

Your daddy has been praying for you fervently.  He picked out your name before we even knew we were pregnant!

"...For the good hand of the his God was on him.  For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statues and rules in Israel." 

Ezra 7:9,10

As soon as daddy read that verse, about 9 months ago, he knew our next baby boy would be this kind of man...a modern-day "Ezra"!

Your mommy is just thrilled to finally hear the words, "here he is!" and have you placed upon my chest.  My Ezra.  My little reward.  My newest arrow.  My joy set before me.

Our hearts are ready to welcome another Wheeler Man into the world! 

And the house is ready for your arrival!

Our bedroom is rearranged

Birth pool is set up

Your first clothes are set out

 Your new little bed is ready

The birth supplies are purchased and double-checked

And the quilt mommy made you is finally complete!

And now we just wait!  We wait anxiously, but peacefully...knowing that we are waiting on the Lord...the Lord of lords who has perfect timing, unsearchable understanding and awesome wisdom.

His ways are perfect...He is bringing you to completion and will soon bring you to us!

Praise His Holy Name, Sweet Ezra!!!

Love,

Your Momma

Baby Number 5 is a....

I have so many WONDERFUL blog friends that are so faithful to follow me and comment even though I've been pretty lousy lately at keeping up with blog world!  I feel so thankful for each of you and wanted to be sure to share my exciting news with you all...

(cue drumroll!)

We're having another precious baby boy!!!

We found out a few weeks ago that the Lord is knitting another Warrior in my womb!  We are so very excited and can't wait to see his little face!

His name will be Ezra Grant and we're planning to have him right here in our home! 

We'd love if you'd join us in prayer for a healthy birth and healthy baby!

Around here, we like to keep things pretty interesting so stay tuned for part 2 of our adventure as we prepare to pack up our house and move to...well, we don't know yet, but more on that later :) 

And again, thanks so much to all my faithful blog friends, for your love, support and even the check-up e-mails some of you have sent me!  I look forward to meeting you all face-to-face some day...even if it's in heaven!!!

Am I?

As the birth of baby #5 approaches, I am growing ever-more excited, but also growing ever more curious of how adding a new little one to my current group of littles will go?

In-between my feelings of joy and eagerness, are spurts of questions that have been swirling around in my head...

Am I up for labor?

Am I ready for another baby?

Am I prepared for the changes another blessing will bring?

Am I strong enough to endure the nights of little sleep?

Am I taking enough vitamins and herbs?

Am I preparing my kids enough for the arrival of our new little one?

Am I ready for another homebirth?

Am I worrying too much?

And in the midst of all my "me-centered" questions...the Lord answers...

"I AM the I AM".  

So today I am feeling thankful that even when I feel like asking "Am I...?" I can KNOW that HE IS!

Bah Dah Bah Bah Bah...

THANKFULLY my morning sickness is tapering off!  I'm feeling better and better every day!

What a trial that was!...I usually have several "tricks" up my sleeve that help when my morning sickness kicks in...

But this time, for some reason, very little worked to cure my morning sickness.

Trust me, I've tried it all in the last 2.5 months...

~Ginger (and Ginger ale)

~Preggy pops

~Sea Bands

~Vitamin b6

~Half a Unisom at night

~Crackers before your feet touch the floor

~Laying on my back

~Eating every hour

~Sweet-tarts

~Peppermint

Thankfully, protein is what I crave...and sometimes that does help...

But when all else fails, this pregnancy, my "life-saver" has been these:

So yes, BAH DAH BAH BAH BAH...

I'm LOVIN' it!

Our Labor Day Camping Trip

Our family LOVES to camp!  Yes, even when momma is struggling through morning sickness...I was honestly hoping the fresh air would help...I think it did!

Last time we went camping (see link) I was 7 months pregnant with Liberty...(and now look at her!)

I think I've camped while pregnant with each of our kiddos...
I even remember camping when I was 7 months pregnant with this big guy...

So here we are again in our favorite camping spot...

Brats and hotdogs for dinner...

Lots of playing in the dirt and sand...

And finally time to sleep...

The nice thing about camping is that everyone works and plays so hard that bedtime is welcomed by all!

GOOD MORNING CAMPERS!!!

Wanna guess who our morning person is?

Our sweet Daddy cooked us eggs, bacon and sausage for breakfast...

We enjoyed every bite of the yummy breakfast!

Packing up is always a little sad...

This time Liberty wanted to help put the tent away...

We had such a fun time and can't wait to add one more baby to our 3 room tent next year...
and chances are, I'll be pregnant again, so as to not break tradition, of course!!! :)

This post is linked to Wednesdays Walk at Jenilee's blog.

(Liberty was NOT ready to wake up!)

My Hero

Some of my post titles take a little more time and energy to think up with than other titles do.  You see, I like my titles to be "catchy" but also true to the subject matter.  So when I get writers block in my post title, I sometimes have to conger up a lot creative brain power to find the perfect fit.

This post, however, wasn't like that.  Titling this post was "easy par-cheesy".

This post is about my hero.  My husband.  My best friend.


I've wrote a whole post about my obsession with him HERE, so I'll spare you too much mush and just tell you how wonderful he has been to me lately!

This has been a hard season for me.  I haven't struggled this much with morning sickness since my very first pregnancy.  So, need-less-to-say, having morning sickness this bad with four other kiddos in the house has been a challenge like no other.

But my sweet husband has gone out of his way to lighten my load for me.

Ryan knows that the direction he is leading our family in isn't always an easy choice (to learn more about this, I recommend this article that my friend wrote with her husband about being "quiverfull") .  Don't get me wrong, we LOVE our babies.  We LOVE the peace that comes with trusting God with my womb.  We LOVE watching how the Lord supplies all our needs when we are not "leaning on our own understanding" or "being wise in our own eyes" (Prov 3).

But must of you know, following the Lord isn't always easy.  And as my husband likes to say, "Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's not good".

So my sweet husband has recently been seeking out ways to bless me and ease some of my daily responsibilities.

Along with helping me keep up with dishes, folding laundry, bathing kids, and more, he's been going the extra mile each morning...

For the past three weeks, I've woken up to this scene:

~Cereal in bowls, waiting for milk.  Cups full of orange juice.

~Liberty's tray waiting with a banana and dry cereal.

For a momma who wakes up to 4 hungry kids with her own tummy doing cartwheels, this is such a blessing!

I'm so thankful for my servant leader!  He inspires me more and more everyday!

To top things off, the other day when I was CRAVING a chicken burrito from Chipotle, my husband went to GREAT efforts to recreate a Chipotle burrito in our kitchen with his own hands.

(The nearest Chipotle is 1 hour, 45 minutes away!)

He worked so hard and honestly, it tasted just like the real thing!!!

I couldn't ask for a better hero!!!

He leads us bravely in unpopular choices and blesses me abundantly with his servant heart.

Where He Leads, I Will Follow

After my last post, I was SO encouraged by your many comments spurring me on and telling me I'm not alone!  Thank you so much for blessing me with all your wisdom and encouragements as I talked about my recent doubts in my ability to home-school while I battle morning sickness and as I figure out our homeschooling "style" in general. 

The Lord used you all to bring me back to some basic Truths that He's been walking me towards for a while now, but I keep straying because of the distractions that are brought on by my fears and worries.

I am SO thankful for His faithfulness and steadfastness in reassuring me and showing me the way even when I get myself lost time after time!


What He's been speaking to me, actually started this summer while I was home alone, vacuuming the house.  The Lord brought me specific direction for this school year... to study the 9 fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5 by focusing on one "fruit" each month.

At that time, I took some mental notes and thought of some ways to incorporate that into my already planned out schedule...


But a few weeks later, when we found out we were pregnant, the doubts and worries, about homeschooling at all, started.  How can I home-school with so many distractions (the little kids, the morning sickness, etc)?  Will anything get accomplished this year?


The Lord spoke to me again by encouraging me to daily do what "school" I can, but focus mainly on the fruits of His  Spirit.  I was freshly excited about having my kids with me all day so that we can discuss minute by minute how to practice and live out each fruit we learn about--even if it's being taught from the living room couch!

So I did some specicif planning and decided to make the Fruits of the Spirit our main focus...

But as my morning sickness got worse and worse, the uncertainties crept back in yet again (thus, my last post).  I could hardly keep up with anything around the house and I was loosing my vision in all my doubting.  This was just not how I pictured it...I was so disappointed in myself and in my inability to "push through" and accomplish "by the books" education each day, let alone the extra effort I wanted to put into creatively presenting the Fruits of the Spirit to my kiddos.


But this weekend, He reeled me in once more and spoke to me about centering our home on the fruits of His Spirit.  (I'm SO thankful He hadn't given up on my by this point!)  I have now seen more than just His desire for my days, I have seen His vision for my days!  I am still feeling sick and tired, but I'm now full of joy and thankfulness that He was faithful to teach me and re-teach me about HIS will for this school year!

It will probably be lacking cute activities and colorful handouts for a while, but it will be rich with scripture and Truth from our own experiences in our home.


So as I look again into the first fruit of the Spirit (love) I am reminded that if I'm loving my kids in the Spirit, none of my efforts will fall short. (see more HERE).

BUT if I push a curriculum on us all, even when I'm sick and even when their hearts are needing something else, and we complete my perfectly planned school year, but I do it without Sprit-filled love, I am nothing but a "clanging symbol" and we "gain nothing" (1 Cor 13).


The Lord has now added to this vision by directing me to teach the boys a hymn each month that corresponds with the fruit we're learning. (Love-"O How I Love Jesus"; Joy-"Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"; Peace-"Peace Like a River", etc).


As I was finding each "fruit's" hymn in my "Amazing Grace" book, the Lord brought it to mind to take it beyond just the hymn, and talk about the author of the hymn, the story behind the hymn and anything else I can find!


So suddenly, my mission to teach about the fruit of the Spirit turned from "just" a spiritual lesson to now include, music and history!


Then yesterday a friend who is getting rid of some books, had set aside a stack for me to look through...and there in the midst of the books was this one:

I was so blessed by the Lord's purposeful ways to get my attention and say, "You're doing well...keep it up...and here's a little extra help..."


Now, on days I feel well, we are still following the plan to complete the original plan ("My Fathers World Kindergarten" for Trusten and "Handwriting Without Tears" for Brahm).  Thankfully though, they already know beyond what is being expected of their ages, so skipping a day here and there in our week hasn't slowed down our pace yet!


My goal right now in our homeschooling isn't my daily planner anymore (Praise God!) it's in teaching and practicing loving my boys in and by the Spirit...


And when I begin to doubt myself, I'm disciplining myself to give thanks for realizing how I was making it about me, and freshly turn my eyes to the Lord for help!


God is so faithful to quiet our storms (even the storms WE create), quiet our doubts and come to our aide...He loves to help His children!

While Mommy Is Down And Out...

I always struggle with morning sickness in my first trimester.  This time around, though, it seems to be worse than my last few pregnancies (however, my pregnancy with Trusten is still the worst, hands down)!

But don't worry about me too much, 

I've been well-entertained...

I've been serenaded by a Jedi Knight~

I've been amused by a novice gymnast~

I've been captivated by a backstage pass to watch Toby Mac's newest back-up dancers~

And the kids are having fun too!

They've been...

Lounging in their jammies...

Making new forts...

Snacking on Mommys saltines...

And bypassing potty-training...

Can it GET any better folks?!   :)

So right now in this season of morning sickness, we're doing our best to survive enjoy the laid-back pace of our life!

Liberty's New Shirt...

Do you like it?

We love it!

The Conference (Vacation Part 3)

If you haven't heard of Answers In Genesis, it's an amazing ministry devoted to proving creation and "reclaiming the foundations of our faith which are found in the Bible, from the very first verse".

Two years ago we (my sister Sarah's family and our family) went to our first "AIG" conference in Branson Missouri...Vision Forum was there along with Voddie Baucham.  It was a powerful week!

This year, many of the same families were back and it was so good to see so many familiar faces and catch up with a few friends that Sarah and I had made 2 years ago...

I even got to meet a "MOMYS" from my "QuiverFull" on-line group!  I've now met 5 MOMYS in real life, and it's always a special treat!

Including catching up with old friends, seeing how our families have grown, hearing the Word procliamed so boldy and sitting under some amazing teaching...it was a great conference!  We were encouraged, spurred on, reminded, blessed and challanged.

I love how you can go to a conference like this one, on "Defending the Faith" and get so much more out of it than just your "normal every-day preaching".  We left there even more grounded in our beliefs of homeschooling, freshly encouraged to trust God for our family size and burdened to pray even more for our nation and reach out to our lost neighbors!

Overall, with our family usually being the "odd men out" on homeschooling and desiring a big family, it was just SO good to see and hear that we're NOT alone and to be taught from the Bible on those issues!

We took our kids to the conference (everyone did--it was a family conference after all) and although the first day was a little rough (after such a looong car-ride they were restless!), they got used to it and by the second day, they were doing great and were excellent the rest of the week!

Brahm and Liberty proud of their new name tags!

We packed backpacks for each of them filled with books, a Bible, coloring books, pens, paper, matchbox cars and fruit snacks!  That kept them busy :)

Unloading the vans at the conference and getting ready to go in...

(See in the second pic how the sliding door to our van is open?  Yep...it stayed that way the whole night-we didn't know until we came back out to our vans!  Yikes! But praise the Lord nothing was stolen!)

During the sessions, it helped my children to observe the behavior of other kids their age.  There were several Amish families there and those kids are so sweet!  They sat so properly just listening the whole time with an occasional song or giggle escaping from pure joy.  Their parents would sweetly pat their leg with a smile and I heard one Amish mother say, "There is a time for everything...we'll run outside after a bit".

The Langhofer crew

(We sat in the VERY back every time...we weren't brave enough to sit in the front with all the kiddos!)

Our crew waiting to hear Voddie speak...

The first night we heard both a "State Of The Church" and "State of the Nation" sermon by Ken Ham. 

Other than that, we didn't try to make it to every session, every day...instead, we just went to hear Voddie!!!

He did his usual thing...talked about Biblical womanhood, manhood, the responsibilities of fathers in the home, the call to wives, legacy...  And he also talked about why Christians should be having more babies, about adoption, about homeschooling, etc.

Then there was Tuesday!  Tuesday was a day filled with sessions just for women.  Biblical womanhood, godly parenting, building a "one flesh" marriage...so my sister and I spent most of the day together!  We had such wonderful, uplifting coversations and just enjoyed our quiet time together!  I love my sisters--they are my best friends and role models FOR SURE! (along with my momma of course!)

Sarah and I getting ready to leave for our first "women only" session

(She's 4 years older than me, but I'm about 4 inches taller!)

My niece (and my name-sake) Isabelle Grace came with Sarah and I for the night session.

Favorite quotes from the conference:
"Once you question Genesis-and the earth being created in 6 literal days-you open up doors for ALL the Holy Scriptures to be questioned.  Genesis is our beginning...and it is literal."

"In Genesis 3:15 we read that as a result of  'the fall' there is now an enmity between woman and serpent, her offspring and his...he wants women to dread their body changing with pregnancy, he wants to scare them with the dreaded pain of childbirth...he doesn't want you to have any more babies.
Satan hates women...especially Christian women.  He hates them because of the enmity and because they bring about children that will one day praise and serve the Lord Almighty."

(Talking of careers and laziness among American boys) "Instead of teaching young men to 'find something they love and do it', teach them to 'find something to do and love it'...it's not about us!"

"The ONLY hope for victory for our nation is NOT in legislation, clever bumper stickers, letters to congressmen, it is in our Promised Redeemer-Christ our Savior."

"Abortion isn't just about life, it's about feminism."
"Today men are defined by 1-the ball field, 2-the bill fold, 3-the bedroom, and that's what our little girls are taught to desire in a partner."

"Reading self-help books is like football players taking instruction from cheerleaders.  You may feel pepped up, but for real, solid instruction, they need to listen the coach.  For us as Christians, our coach has left us a playbook...the Holy Bible.  It's all we need."

"Genesis 3:15-the two things that should bring us the most pleasure, were made to be the heaviest burdens of womanhood.  But loathe these things, instead seek the pleasure in childbirth and having our husband as our head and you will be BLESSED."

"Parents say their kids walk away from the Lord in college, but 87% of children have their first doubts about God when they are in Middle School, so we see they lost them long before college--they just didn't know it because they were already away at school."

"Your children are watching you, how you dress, what you say, even mannerisms...so live up the holiness God called us to--they are His kids after all.  Ask what He wants modeled for them?"

"When Adam and Eve sinned, they covered their private parts, but when God found them, he gave them a more sufficient covering made from animal skin.  Sisters, covering your private parts isn't enough for the Lord...he wants you clothed in righteousness, holiness and therefore, in modesty."

First blog post: The Beginning of Our Vacation...Part 1
Second blog post: Life at the Cabin: 14 people Living Together For a Week (Part 2)
Next blog post: Out and About in the City ~A CRAZY, Busy, Fun day!
Then: A Breath-taking Smokey Mountain Hike
Then: The Creation Museum
And finally: The Saddest Day--Heading Home (and another hotel adventure!)