I Love Him...MckLinky Monday

My husband. Oh, my amazing husband!  It's so hard to feel like a post about "why I love him" will even get close to communicating my true thankfulness for him...But I'll at least make an attempt even though I know he deserves so much more than these mere words...

I love him because he is...

A Gentle Leader. That's how I've described him ever since the beginning of our engagement. He is my gentle leader...sure of where he is leading us, confident of following the Lords voice, but always so considerate of my emotions and weaknesses. So whether it's a big move, a decision to get rid of cable or a conviction to trust the Lord with my womb, he is my considerate, sweet, gentle, bold leader. Always taking into consideration my heart and circumstances!

A Compassionate Hubby. After a long day of work, most men rush home to sit on the couch, relax and let the world fade away. I never minded when Ryan used to do this, but as we started growing our family, he quickly noticed that I too had probably had a long day and could use a break! So, he started making a habit of praying on his car-ride home that he could be for me what I needed him to be. And now when he walks in the door, he always asks, "How was your day? Do you need a little break?" just about EVERY day! (And wow.  That makes me want to be a better wife every time!)

A Patient Hubby.  I think the Lord knew my husband would need to have patience as one of his top character traits!  From my neat-freak personality to my tendency to "frazzle" easily...my husband is SO VERY patient with me.  He never gets irritated when I stress over little, unimportant things, he just kindly reminds me of what really IS important.  He graciously loves me through my obsessive quirks!

An Intentional "Pastor". Ryan is truly the "pastor" of this home. He leads us in evening devotions, he gets our hearts ready for church on Sundays, and he prays over each of us at least once a day. He carefully monitors and discerns the sins we struggle with and is intentional to show us Truth. But more than this, he models it. He models for all us what it is to examine yourself, seek to become a servant and walk towards repentance when necessary. He cares about the spiritual state of our home and is actively leading us in striving for righteousness.

A Playful Daddy. The favorite part of my boys day is when daddy gets home. Within minutes everyone ends up in a "dog pile" on the floor! I'm always reminding Ryan, "please change out of your dress clothes before you start wrestling!" (Between recess and wrestling with the boys, he's always ruining his dress pants!) Here's an ooooold video to give you an example of a what takes place when Daddy comes home on his lunch break...

A Sweet Daddy. Oh, I am so glad we had a baby girl!!! My husband is the PERFECT daddy for our little Liberty. He loves her and knows that his role in her life will shape and mold what she will look for somday in a future mate. Already he is teaching our boys how to protect and care for their baby sister. Plus, he loves to hold her and show her off. He is constantly telling her how beautiful she is and praying for her that she will have a "gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's eyes".

A Careful Disciplinarian. Ryan and I share this role, but he always follows up my "serious" reprimands (usually once he's home from work, but sometimes on the phone) to make sure that we have gotten to the "heart level" with the boys. Thanks to Ryan, discipline at our house is always careful. Ryan takes time to really talk and evaluate with the boys. I often hear them ending their talks with tickles, laughter and occasionally, a sweet song that Ryan is singing over the disobedient boy. And none of them will let you forget that each "talk" always needs to end in a big, over-the-top bear hug!

A Powerful Preacher. This one is a hard one to explain. Ryan has always been an amazing preacher, but since our move to our current town and sitting under the amazing teaching of our current head pastor, his preaching has changed. He is even more spirit-filled, more discerning and more bold. Everyone who hears him says the same thing...I hear it all the time...His messages are from the Lord. They are powerful, moving, convicting, griping and always make you long for Heaven. He is a great speaker, but "eloquence" has never been his aim. There are no stories, punch lines, video clips or "fluff". Just Jesus. Just Truth. Just the Cross. Just BIBLE.

A Kind Neighbor. He's always doing things like shoveling snow off of someones driveway or buying our unemployed neighbor a brand new lawn mower after theirs has broken. He takes notice of the needs of others and responds!

A Visionary Man. He keeps our life interesting for sure! He always has new ideas, visions, plans, schemes, and missions for our family! (Why else would we be in this rural town?) I love his passion for life and his desire to discover where the Lord is working and moving...because that is where He wants to be! He is a man of INCREDIBLE dreams and I love that! You have NO IDEA how excited and blessed I feel to be at his side watching how the Lord will fulfill His will in my man!

A Fun Principal. Not only is Ryan a preacher, he's also a K-4 through 12th grade principal. And just like at home, the kids at his school LOVE him. They cheer and scream when they find out "Mr.Wheeler" is on recess duty. He loves his job as principal and it shows! He cares about the hearts of the kids and does what he can to assist parents in spurring their children on and guiding them through their school years. Plus, the kids won't let you forget...he's the best pusher when it comes to the playground swings!

(Do you see him on the far left?)

(and here on the right with K-4 through 2nd grade... )

A Non-Typical American Man.  Ryan is one of the most strong, manly men I know...but by most people's standards he is not a "normal American" ...and I LOVE that about him!  He's not a big fan of sports.  I mean, he doesn't mind watching a game here and there.  He loves to play basketball and even coaches soccer at his school.  But he is not defined by any sport or team.  I do not lose him due to "March Madness" or some fleeting play-off game.  He'll watch and enjoy, but he does not love sports.  In fact, we are very careful about athletics in our home (see his post on this HERE).

My BESTEST friend. I know people say this alot, but for us, it is no stretch of the imagination. The two of us do not have a better, closer friend than we have in one another. He knows me better than anyone else and I know the same is true about him with me. We have no secrets from one another...and though this has been hard (and even hurtful, to be honest) at times, it has only made us better friends and partners.

We love time together. That's why we lug all the kids to the grocery store for 3 items and why we don't like to work on projects without the other one by our side...we can't stand being apart! In our 7 1/2 years of marriage, we have gone to bed separately only a hand full of times (and usually it's because he's burning the midnight oil writing a sermon!) We lie in bed laughing and talking being both ridiculously silly together and shockingly serious...we usually stay up way to late!

Here is a little blurb from his blog!   This is just a part of a post he called "My Life's Work"...

"There are plenty of people writing good books, but there is only one man who God has chosen to be Dad to Trusten, Brahm, Samuel and Liberty- that's me.  

If at the end of my life I have written no books and most people in the world have no idea who Ryan Wheeler is, I will be satisfied and fulfilled to simply know that my children grew up to walk closely with the Lord.  And though I'm sure it has happened, I cannot expect my children to get there if I neglect them during these precious years for ministry and projects that seem more impactful. 

There is no greater way to impact the world and the future than by being a godly dad to as many children as God will give me.  My children are my life's work!!"

Don't Forget MckLinky Monday--All About Our Hubbys!

Just a reminder that this Monday, we all want to hear WHY YOU LOVE YOUR HUBBY!!!

So get started on writing a post all about your man and come back here Monday to link us to your post!!!

I other words, this is an opportunity to brag on our hubby's!!! This will be FUN!

(For inspiration, check out my friend Jenny's post HERE!)

Potty Training and Remodeling and Teething...OH MY!

It's May.  And since my husband is a principal at a Christian school, that means we're BUSY with graduations, open houses, spring programs, awards banquets, school board meetings...the list goes on!

So why of all months did we pick May to start two pretty major remodeling jobs in our home?  And why am I attempting to start the potty training journey with our 2.5 year old?  And why did Liberty choose now to cut two new teeth?

Well, it's probably because Chaos is our best friend :)

But also because these are all things that we've been putting off, but they just need to get done.  You see, around here, there is no such thing as a "perfect opportunity" when it comes to things like this on our "to do" list. So, we just have to do what we can when we have the energy...


With this awesome Spring weather, I guess our energy just got the best of us!  :)

So currently, I'm trying to potty train Samuel.  Although I've done this twice already with my two older boys, you wouldn't know it if you could see right now!  I'm having trouble remembering all the "tricks of the trade" so ANY advice would be greatly welcomed!

The best technique I have right now is that EVERYONE gets an M&M if Samuel uses the potty.  This really gets my older boys involved in encouraging him to potty train!

We're also refinishing our front porch.  It has badly needed it ever since we moved in almost 4 years ago, but we are just now getting around to it.  Thankfully, a few of our students used their "community work day" to come over and help my husband sand, strip, patch and caulk.

I know what you might be thinking..."you let high school kids work on your porch with power tools?"  Yes we did!  You have to understand that around here, these boys ain't no city boys!  They are farm boys, hard workers, beginning craftsmen, well-rounded in all things "construction".  They did awesome and were such a blessing!

Some of the girl students came over too and we got working on painting my cabinets in my kitchen pantry.  Sanding and painting, was the name of the game...they saved me soo much time!

Yet even with their help, we're still in the midst of both projects.  The porch is waiting for it's final coat and the cabinets are waiting to be hung. Working on things just a few spare minutes here and there is challenging, but we keep reminding ourselves it WILL get done...eventually :)  Family always comes first, and THAT pays off!

Then there is Little Miss Liberty.  The past fews days she's had a fierce fever, messy diapers, sleepless nights and the culprit is...her two top teeth!  They decided to make an appearance in the midst of all our insanity.  So for her and I that has meant little sleep, more baths and the best part of teething that I LOVE?  Lots of cuddling!

If you have any advice on potty training or soothing techniques for teething, do share!!!
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And one more thing...
For my last "MckLinky Monday" (coming up) I was inspired to have us all write about why we love our hubbys!  Recently my friend Jenny (who I lived and served with in Mexico in 2005 for a few months) wrote a blog post that I LOVED...

Her first line in her post still makes me smile; 

i love him when. ...after bathing the eldest, toweling her, and putting on warm jammies, i hear him say 'now let's put one of these thinga-ma-jiggies in your hair.'

Doesn't that just make you smile?!

You can read the rest of her post HERE!  

So now YOU get ready to blog about why YOU love YOUR HUBBY and link it up here this Monday!!!

"Not The Mothers Day I Was Expecting It To Be" (and MckLinky Monday)

I'll be honest...this Mothers Day has been a hard one for me.  I was not prepared for it...and even though I knew it was Mothers Day, I was kinda taken off guard by it.  In fact, I cried most of the morning...and not tears of joy...

My sweet husband let me sleep in, so I awoke to some VERY happy boys who had been waiting for me all morning long!

As I walked out of my bedroom, they all chimed "Happy Mothers Time Day" in rounds (still used to saying "Happy Valen-Times Day!") and greeted me with big hugs.  My heart was overjoyed!

Then I see a HUGE box sitting on our front room "coffee table" (an old chest we keep our board games in).  Again, my heart was overjoyed to see that my boys (and Liberty!) had bought me a brand new, fancy set of cookware!!!  Pots, pans, skillets...my dream come true!!!  I have been wanting a new set for a while, but haven't said anything because I know how expensive these can be!

But my hubby (have I mentioned he's the best in the world?) had noticed (see I told you he was the best!) that I needed new cookware, so he took the initiative to buy me an entire 12 piece, commercial grade set!  Wanna know my favorite thing about this gift?  They range in size from small to HUGE (so bring on the big family, Lord!!!)

Then came the best part...the hardest part... My hubby handed me a DVD with "Happy Mothers Day 2010" written on it.  We popped it in the DVD player and it was a video card!

My hubby had taped each one of the boys telling me Happy Mothers Day, what they love about me, what they like to do with me, their favorite thing about me, etc. etc.  Trusten even sang a song he wrote for me!

I bawled...seriously, bawled.  Now, if you know me, you know I cry easily...but rarely do I full-out bawl.

As I watched the amazing video he put together (with an amazing Chopin piece as the background music) I felt so completely and utterly unworthy.  It was not a good feeling.  Then the video ended with Proverbs 31:28-31...If it hadn't been for my boys (who were so thrilled to finally show me their video card) I probably would have run out of the room crying, "no, this is too much...really TOO much."  

I wasn't being modest...nor am I trying to be now, I just honestly could not handle all that they were saying.

This morning as they showered me with love and compliments, I was so very aware of all my short-comings.  I felt like a hypocrite as I watched my children talk about how and why they love me.

"I don't deserve this love!", I thought.  "How can they love me so freely when I lose my temper so often?"  "These kids deserve a mom who doesn't put herself first and grumble when things don't go her way"  The thoughts went on and on.

As the video ended, my kids ran into the dining room for what else, but DONUTS!  (My favorite!)  I walked into the kitchen with my hubby and as he hugged me, I cried some more.  He asked about my tears...knowing they were different than tears of joy.  

I explained to him that I felt unworthy and that I just know I have SO much to work on.  He just hugged me and told me I didn't have to feel worthy of it...that they just loved me...and that none of us should ever feel worthy...but that we should always be desiring to be more than we currently are.

I said "okay", smiled and headed to the dining room, but was still in turmoil.  Eating the donuts, I thought about his words, and tried to let the Truth sink in.  But I still felt so...so...guilty.  I haven't been being the mom that my boys deserve.

So we finished breakfast, took a quick picture of Liberty and I...

(can you tell my eyes are swollen from crying?)

and headed off to church.

The minute the music began, I started feeling better.  I felt the Lord...He was comforting me and sheltering me.  I knew He wanted to speak to me.  So as I wrestled with Liberty (she was really squirmy this morning!), I waited on Him to speak.

Then we started to sing,

"You amaze me.

You amaze me

and I'm overwhelmed by your great love and mercy.

You amaze me."

And that's when I realized I am nothing without His mercy.  I need it everyday.  I may not be the mom I want to me, but I will never get there without God's mercy.

I am a work in progress.  He has began a good work in me and He will faithfully complete it, but I can't expect to just sit by and watch him complete it.  I need to be actively trying to become what He wants me to be...and NEVER settle.  And that's been the problem...I think I've been settling.  That was the guilt I felt...I think I've been giving myself a few too many pats on the back, buying the lie that I've done "good enough" for the day or the week and I don't need to strive or try any more.

And what a great lie from the enemy!  I mean, what other lie would he want me to believe, than one that can get me to stop striving and to just settle.  He doesn't want me to grow anymore.  He doesn't want my kids to be blessed anymore.  He wants all of it to stop...and, what's more, He hopes to even see me loose some ground.

So more than ever, I need the Lords great mercy!!!  I need His mercy to cover over the areas where I lack...and to help me when I've taken my eyes off of Him.

Lord, you TRULY do amaze me!

Thank you that today, when I was overwhelmed by my weaknesses and by what I don't deserve, You showed me your love and mercy.  

Thank you that you reminded me to be "overhelmed" by you...and not myself.  

I need your mercy to help me take my eyes off my victories and my defeats, my accomplishments and my guilt.  

Help me, Lord, to seek your mercies in my mothering...I need you Lord so that I never feel "worthy"...but always be striving, reaching, growing.

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After church we went out to lunch, then came home to take some more pictures...

We ended up having a WONDERFUL day!  I truly am a blessed Momma!

My favorite quote of the day was Trusten when he said,

"Momma I love you too much to love you just a little bit"

And the day's not over yet!  Once the boys wake up from naps, we're having a cookout and spending the evening outside, playing!

Editing to add: My Mothers Day just got even better!  I won a giveaway over at my friend Jill's blog!  I think I'm gonna choose the framed hymn with cross!  So excited!

This post is also linked to: Momentous Monday and Mom and Me Monday

Now it's YOUR TURN!!!  Link up YOUR Mothers Day post below...(and be sure to visit the others who linked up their posts!  It's a great way to get to know some new bloggin' friends!)

Weekend Fun At The Wheeler Farm!!! (and MckLinky Monday)

Last time I posted pictures from in-laws' farm it was almost EXACTLY a year ago and there was new life on the Wheeler Farm (see HERE).  And this time, not only are my in-laws at a new home (and farm) but there is once again new life!

Missy (the boys' miniature horse) gave birth to a baby miniature horse...so in other words, it's a TINY TINY horse!  Trusten named him "Rocket Jr", so he's RJ for short!

Brahm (who usually doesn't like the animals) was in love with RJ!

Whoops...RJ is a little more brave than Brahm likes!

Trusten showed us the forts that he and Papa made last time he spent the night!

(Charlie really liked the farm too!)

Our boys love Papa and Nina's new house!  Trusten and Brahm have both worked on gardening with their "Nina"...

and Samuel just likes the bird baths!  He plays in their bird baths 90% of the time during our visits! (I'm NOT kidding)  While Liberty is learning her homemaking skills indoors :)

Papa doing what he does best...cooking his famous burgers!

(the boys are obviously ready to eat some "Papa burgers"!)

Liberty enjoyed "meeting" Papa's new horse...

And then it was time for a walk!

(the boys with their "Nina")

This is how the Wheelers make a double stroller into a triple stroller...

On our walk we saw the most beautiful sunset!  (Or course this picture doesn't do it justice at all!)

As soon as we were back from the walk, the boys gladly followed Papa to the barn to help with evening chores!

Now THAT is a fun, full day!!!

What was your weekend like?  Or just wanna share with us what your family does for fun?

Link up your post below, so we can all check out how you spend Family Time!

MckLinky Monday! Blogging...the 5 W's

Who do you blog for?
When I first started my blog, it was mainly for my family members who live in other states.

Then I started finding blogs of my high school and college friends and added them to my "blogging motivation". I wanted them to see "see me now"...my kiddos, my life...and we could keep in touch via Blogger.

Still, I didn't blog often, but was inspired by my kindred spirit to start pick-up my blogging frequency, in order to make us both feel closer to one another.  She's far away in Guatemala and here I am in Kansas.  So Blogger connects us :)  It makes us feel like we're not quite so far away from each other and we are walking our mommy-hood roads hand in hand!

Nowadays, I still blog for all those people, but I've added an additional motivator: my family.  I think it's pretty neat that I have this blog as a "visual journal" for my kids to see someday.  I want them to know what we did together, why we did things the way we do, how I learned lessons through them, etc (Just in case I won't be able to remember someday!)

What do I blog about?
(in no particular order)

My family.  Being frugal.  Cloth diapering.  My sweet hubby.  Training my littles.  Loving my littles.  Being a wife to Mr Visionary.  Recipes.  Pregnancy.  Being "QuiverFull".  Surrender.  Encouragement to moms of many littles.  Beginning homeschooling.  My struggle with vanity.  Simplifying my life.  Cleaning.  Scheduling.  Organizing.  My "Martha" dysfunction (obsessing over my house).  Stuff I make.  Managing my home.  Tips on managing all my littles.  Our new dog Charlie.  Psalm 27:4.

And Blogging :)

But I think my main theme on this blog is how I handle being a mom to 4 little kids...from cooking to how we structure our day.  I think in a way, my blog answers the #1 question I get from strangers: How do you do it?!

When do you blog?
I blog mostly at nap-time.  Usually it is with a cup of yogurt or a cup of coffee.  I usually work on one post (sometimes two) during nap-time, but rarely do I start and finish a post in one sitting.

I also blog at the dining room table in the mornings while my boys have "quiet time" at the table (coloring, looking at books, playing with lego's...)

I will sometimes "schedule" a post to automatically post during a random time on a certain day.

With the Spring weather beckoning me and my kiddos outside every morning, sometimes I blog outside while I watch my boys being boys!  (With a few necessary interruptions here and there like: tossing a ball, watching a bike trick, playing freeze tag, demonstrating a cartwheel, studying a bug that was discovered in the bushes...I LOVE SPRING!)

Where do you blog?
At the computer in our dining room...

Or with my husbands oooold laptopSitting on the couch in my living room (or laying on the floor by the plug-in...in this old house three prong adapters are hard to come by!)

On my front porch.

Every once in the while in the kitchen while I'm waiting for the oven to "ding"!

Why do you blog?
One selfish but true answer, is that I do it for me. I know that's shallow, but I just love to write...especially when it involves a computer!  I'm one of those nerds in high school who loved writing research papers and looked forward to creative writing assignments.  I think I just like the look of black words on a white background.  It makes me feel complete :)

  

Plus, for me, blogging is kinda "my thing"...my way to relax, my way to connect with other women, other Christians, other mommas, it's my indulgence I look forward to (beside chocolate).  Because, blogging makes me feel happy...I just enjoy typing and sharing  my life!

Another true but humbling answer is that I do it for my readers.  I mean, this sounds obvious, sure.  But there are certain ones of you (you know who you are!) that bless my socks off with e-mails, comments and letters about how me (little me) is spurring them on or giving them fresh ideas.  It's your stories of how God is using me that make me want to keep writing and sharing.

My last true and surprising answer is that I do it for the blogs I follow.  They inspire me.  They give me new ways of looking at things.  They encourage me as a mom.  They comfort me.  They relate with me.  And in all this, they make me want to write things that will make others feel these things from me!

Share with us your 5 W's of blogging!  Write a post about your 5 W's this week and come back here to link up below...

Samuel's After Dinner "Snack"

I've blogged before about our dinner-time woes...teaching our kids "it doesn't always have to taste good". And I've blogged about how I get my "vegetarians by chioce" to eat meat.

Well, I found out the other day that one key to a happy dinner time and a key to getting Samuel to eat his meat is the all-powerful ENCHILADA!!!

Here's the proof...I walked in on Samuel doing this the other day...And yes, I really did CHERISH this moment. I could have gotten upset, I could have complained about the mess, but instead, I grabbed the camera and cherished my sweet Samuel enjoying his momma's cooking!





My kids may not have gotten alot of my Hispanic genes in their blood, but at least we know Samuel has the Hispanic taste buds :)

This week for my "MckLinky Monday", I'm participating in...


and I'm also now linking this over to Every Precious Joy
for her "Toddler Tales Tuesday"...you should join us!!!

MckLinky Monday--Share A Favorite Healthy Recipe!

Last week, I started a new dealy bop called "MckLinky Monday" and did a "tell me about your Easter" post...since a few of you joined in, I'm gonna keep going with it!  Every week it'll be a random topic you can write about and come back and link us all to it!

So since I've been sharing how I lost 30 lbs of extra weight, I thought for this "MckLinky Monday" we could share some healthy recipes!

Here's a favorite of ours from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook...

Meatball Hoagies:

-Olive oil spray

-2 egg whites

-1/2 cup quick-cooking oats

-1/4 cup fat-free milk

-1/2 cup parsley

-1 Tablespoon minced onion

-1/2 teaspoon oregano

-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

-1 pound lean ground beef (but we usually use ground turkey because it's cheaper!)

-1 jar of sphagetti sauce

(note: Biggest Loser has a marinera recipe, but when we compared nutritional value to pre-made products like "Ragu" we noticed very little difference, so now we just use a pre-made jar and save on time!)

Preheat oven to 400*.  Lightly coat a large non-stick baking sheet with olive oil spray.

In medium bowl, mix together egg white, oats and milk with fork until well combined.  Add the parsley, onion, oregano, garlic powder, salt and crushed red pepper flakes and mix until combined.  Mix in the beef or turkey until well combined.

Make about 32 uniform meatball (each about 1 1/4" diameter--a little bigger than a ping pong ball).  Roll the balls with your hands and arrange, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet.  

Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

This makes 4 (8 meatball) servings.

Wanna know the good news?!

8 meatballs are only 194 calories!!!!!!!  With about 26 grams of protein, 5 grams of fat and 2 grams of fiber!!!

Once you have the meatballs made, we like to let them simmer in spaghetti sauce on the stove.

Then we take (healthy, wheat) hoagie bread, toast it open-faced for about 7 minutes in the 400* oven.

But you can also put the meatballs and sauce over a bed of Rozoni Healthy Harvest pasta.  Both are delicious choices!!!

So what about you?  What is a favorite healthy recipe that your family enjoys?

Link it up below!  And don't forget to also make sure you're entered for my 2 giveaways by Tuesday night!!!  Click here to do that!