How did I miss this cute shot of the chubbiness?

I LOVE the Target polka dot diapers and how cute they look on the chubbiness! This picture was left on my camera and How did I not see this? I adore every roll, crease and dimple on our little Thatcher. As he is getting mobile, I realize he will soon lose all this chubbiness but I am enjoying kissing his little chubby thighs until then. And.....Oh how those chubby hands make me smile, especially when he pats my face and puts his little chubby hand in mine and then grins.These are moments I don't ever take for granted and I enjoy his tender moments he shares with me, this little guy makes me feel so special.

Thatcher,
  When I Look into your bright blue eyes...I see an old soul. I feel you have seen this world once before and have so much to share with me. The way you look at people and watch their every move, you have seen all these things, I am sure of it. I often wonder what you are thinking and what you want to tell me, but I do feel you speak to me with your heart. I enjoy the quiet moments in the middle of the night,When we dance in the dim light as I sing to you and lull you back to sleep. Your little eyes get heavy and slowly close and you drift off to sleep in my arms, I lay you in your crib knowing I have comforted you and that warms my heart.You are such a LOVING little guy. May you always know that you are LOVED by the two hearts that created you out of pure LOVE and your maker up above!
Momma

I am so very thankful.

I am so very thankful for the friends that I have. Yesterday and today I had a friend who took two of my children to school and picked them up so that I wouldn't have to take my sweet, not feeling so good baby out. Today I also had my neighbor friend take my little Jack to preschool so I could tend to the baby's needs as well. My neighbor friend and I also called each other to check on each other during our tornado warning to make sure we each had all the things we needed for our families. Each time I hear a friend lend a caring, kind word or help me out when I am struggling it makes me realize again just how BLESSED I truly am. I truly enjoy helping my friends out in time of need and I LOVE surprising them with little things to brighten their days. We have had family call and check on us this week and family dropping things off at the door when we needed something, and didn't have the energy to drive to the store. We appreciate each and every gesture that was made to help us through this week (because it has been a very rough one indeed). We LOVE you all so very much! :) 
Now, as soon as everyone is back to fully good, strong stomachs....I intend on making a delicious banana nut bread ( I found a delicious sounding recipe on another blog ;))  I LOVE reading other momma's blogs!

It's Official...

So the stomach virus has officially hit the whole house. First Ty, then Jack, then Quentin, then me...(the momma) then daddy and now Thatcher...plus grandma has it.  We have been feeling quite yucky and have had some major clean ups this week. But ...Daddy and I have been tag teaming to get it under control...We have lots of Lysol, gatorade and crackers. We have washed everyone's bedding in HOT to get rid of the germs. Last night Jack regressed and it hit him again and the little Thatch has been letting us know he is just NOT happy about this.  My poor family! Hopefully we are better soon, How I so miss the outside air and the energy I had before all of this hit our home so quickly and unexpectedly! Hopefully....Soon we are all better and things can get back to normal!! I miss NORMAL

Ty's Feel Better Prayer

Tonight Ty said his prayer of thanking Jesus for his family and then said a seperate "feel better prayer" for him and Jack....Did I mention Jack and Ty now both have the Flu? This is how his sweet prayer went that I want to always remember...Because it made me and daddy giggle.

Dear Jesus,
Please help me and Jack feel better, Tell us what foods to eat and please let us throw up in our buckets tonight!
Amen

THIS....I am NOT! With HIM ... I have Grace!

I don't claim to be perfect...perfection is only in God, I don't claim to "know-it-all" for I would never be open minded to learn the greatest things of Life. I try to be good at what I do, but I do fail...I am human. Through my weaknesses God shows me where he strengthens me most and that is where I see his continuance to work in me. As a mother, I LOVE my babies to no end but disciplining them is where my guilt takes over....Although God's word says " A refusal to correct is a refusal to LOVE; LOVE your children by disciplining them."  Proverbs 13:24 (msg)  So, in his word I have learned discipline is LOVE ...He works through me at all angles of my life. He shows me.. what I would never see on my own and LOVES me in all my faults and has forgiven me for my sins. I use to pick up the phone for advice from a friend or family member...Now I drop to my knees with folded hands, knowing the true and solid answer comes solely from him! He is my GOD and he reigns. My children are learning as they watch us, as their parents to put God first....They ask with enthusiasm to say grace at dinnertime and before bed our 5 year old Thanks Jesus for all the family members he has. My 8 year old is now reading the bible and these are the things that mean most to me in our family. These are the moments that take my breath away. When we are in church during the sermon...when my husbands hands turn the pages of his bible to read along...that is what makes my heart flutter and LOVE him so much more! GOD is LOVE and he has shown me time and time again that without him....I cannot do anything correctly but with him ALL things are possible!! Enjoy each day and all his creations!

Pumpkin cake!!!

I want to share my favorite cake recipe for the fall holidays....this recipe was given to me by a friend as a muffin recipe...I have tweaked it a bit and turned it into a cake recipe. It is delicious especially with a cup of coffee and my babies all LOVE it!!

Pumpkin cake

• 1 box of spice cake
• 1 1/3 cups of water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Large eggs
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1 cup of plain applesauce
• 1 jar of cream cheese icing

Follow directions according to spice cake box ( adding vegetable oil, water and eggs) then additionally add 1 cup of canned pumpkin and one cup of plain applesauce and mix. Take a 13x9 glass baking dish and coat with thin layer of vegetable oil, adding sugar to the dish ...sugar coat the pan ( the oil will make the sugar stick). Pour in cake mix when mixed well into the sugar coated baking dish. bake at 350 degrees for one hour.  Let it cool for one hour then icing with cream cheese icing....For festiveness I add fun sprinkles!!! ENJOY and don't forget the coffee! Let me know your opinions ;)

Pajama Day!

Well, since Thatch has an ear infection, Ty has the Flu and I woke up with a sore throat...and the kids are all off school today... It's an official pajama Day for us! We woke up at 8 and basically been piddling around and got nothing accomplished. We haven't had a day like this in a while and ohhh how I love my pajamas! I spent my morning with a cup of coffee and in God's word as the children fought over who got to play ds, I simply let them figure that fight out on their own and the ds ended up on a shelf because it was a problem! I snuggled with the chubbiness of a great smelling 7 month old whom I love to sniff after a wonderful bath. There is nothing better than the smell of a baby covered in burt's bees baby soap and lotion! Today will be a day of little accomplishment, a day I can just enjoy my babies in the chaos of a "not so perfectly clean house" and we can feel a litttle ill together. We will be comfortable in our warm jammies..so today is a Great day!

The FLU??

I bundled Thatcher up in this stroller today...when I say bundled I mean severely overdressed and blankets with the fur, and walked to pick up Jack from preschool. On the way home, I got the call...."Ty threw up today Mrs. Zerges"...I turned around ( we were 3 steps away from being home) and walked back up to school to walk Ty home from school. My poor guy was covered in "the nastiness of Flu puke". As soon as we walked in the front door, before I could say "RUN" I heard it hit the carpet and refused to open my eyes. Thatch still buckled safely in his stroller ( that I just found out was recalled by the way...can cause strangulation...Thanks Graco) and Jack barely had his coat off as he begged for a snack... There I was in a warzone of panic....Lysol?!? Pukey carpet....and Ty running through the puke to get to the bathroom.....OHHHH Yeah this was the beginning of a yucky day!! I have been slowly pushing pedialyte and crackers and toast....But the pediatrician said he has the Flu.... and wait for it....( Oh our flu shot appointments were scheduled for tonight ) Yup, this is the type of day we had...I hope it doesn't spread through the family! I hope noone else's family has this nasty virus!! I pray the baby doesn't get it...But until it's over, I GOT THE LYSOL!!!! BATTLE of the FLU here we come!

A proud momma of a very sweet 8 year old

Quentin has been saving every penny handed to him, he gets a bi-weekly allowance and any birthday or holiday money has all been saved so perfectly in his wallet. Sunday evening, he came to me and said " Mom, I want a bible of my own like you and daddy". I told him that the Bible is the most important book you will ever have and that it is our manual to life from our creator. I explained to him, that only if he chooses to study it and apply it...did I really agree he should buy one. I didn't think the most important book of his life should be purchased to just collect dust! So yesterday, after school Q and I went to starbucks and picked out the perfect bible for him. He chose it carefully, it is a superhero bible ( Jesus has a superman's cape on...I thought that was so adorable) , and as we checked out he also chose a bookmark that said God is my Hero on it and a cross necklace. I was so proud of him and as I am currently doing the 31 day proverbs challenge, he decided to start at proverbs. What a sweet boy with a BIG heart! That is my son, my 8 year old is amazing!!!

Sorry, I have been slacking in the blog department...Jack's allergies have been unbelievably uncomfortable for him and Thatcher after 2 weeks of up all night...we discovered has a ear infection ( teething as well). So, yes momma has been busy and extremely tired!! I will soon be trying to put forth more effort to my little blog :)

Our past weekend....

Over the weekend, my parents took the older two boys to stay with them. So we were parents of two children for a day. We had this silly guy (Jack) and Mr. Chubbs (Thatcher). It seems at some point in my blog all of my kids pants ended up on their heads except Quentin's! I guess it is a theme in this house ( why....hmmm i don't know) Because they are boys??? And...that's what boys do?!?

This is a very tired Jack, after a long trip to Quentin's football game in Dayton. On the way back....all of the kids fell asleep.....(the 2 that we currently had) :)

This was the toy that Jack has been begging for ...for weeks now. A buzz with wings! His little friend has a buzz with wings, so he just had to have it! On a search, we went for the buzz with wings which we tracked down at the local walmart. He really LOVED the buzz until his brothers came home from mamaw and papaw's with new toys...then buzz was totally forgotten. He wanted the new toys the boy's brought home. Ty took over buzz and by Tuesday....Buzz was broken by Jack! So that's our story of this past weekend. Poor Buzz! He made it a whole 2 1/2 days before he was broken. Nothing a little super glue can't fix!

The chubbiness is 7 months old today

I Love to snuggle all little Thatcher's chubbiness! Lately he wants to try out his new crawling technique and he is constantly preoccupied with a certain "sophie toy", so he doesn't have time for his momma's cuddles and snuggle time! It makes me sad that at the young age of 7 months I have to fight for kisses. I do sneak kisses during the day. He is now at the stage that even the 2 minutes it takes to change a diaper is too long for him to be off his belly and away from play time...so he is now flipping over and crawling away in a very fast motion. So, mom's as I am sure you know...I have one hand on baby, one on the diaper and its a whala bam kinda job!! So to sum it up...Thatcher has hit his active phase! I miss the stage where he just sat and let me LOVE on him :) I am LOVING on him anyways...active or not! WE LOVE you Thatcher....Happy 7 months!!!
Momma

100th post!

Sorry, I have missed a week of posting.  Our lives have been a little busy, with football, soccer, church, bible studies, classes, and as we are going through this busy time...I realized yesterday I haven't shown any love to this little blog!  I realized the other day that my next post would be my 100th post!! Very exciting for me! So, I have been contemplating on what is the right post for this exciting moment.
This morning, I was in the car and there was a website that was mentioned and I felt the need to explore it. When I did, I stumbled across a daily devotion on relationships that I felt was spoken to me by God.
It pertains to children and I want to share it: http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/search/label/Relationships

This is something that is going to become a staple in our home...I even wrote it on a notecard and will be placing it on our refrigerator!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Our children watch us, and then act in our footsteps, so we need to watch how we speak, how we LOVE, and how we handle confrontation and our convictions! These little ears in our home hear everything and speak what they have heard spoken!

 Be careful little ears what you hear and (be careful little eyes what you see! The Lord is up above and he is shining down with LOVE! O be careful little eyes what you see! ( casting crowns))

Happy 100th Post!!!