Friday, February 15, 2013

A Happy Valentine's Day Indeed

I hope anyone who reads this had a wonderful Valentine's (or even Anti-Valentine's) Day. Our Valentine's Day started out with my girls waking up to their alarm clock, which is a new thing we are trying. They came and got me up, thanking me for the Valentine's I got for them. Then we went downstairs for breakfast and to get their lessons done before their party. They had asked to throw a party for their homeschool friends. They love throwing parties. Their lessons were done quickly, easily, and without complaint! Then we finished prepping the house for our party.

The party went so well, I forgot to take pictures! There were craft centers for the kids, set up by the moms. I did home made clay. One mom did bead bracelets and flowers. Another did wire/twine hearts with yarn wrapped around them. One mom brought a mural for the kids to color together and another brought bingo. The kids had a blast doing the activities. Then they got to pass out their cards and have some snacks. It seemed to be a great success, which makes me very happy, of course.

After the party, the girls and I cleaned up the house. An easy job, since I'd managed to get the house clean and organized the 2 days before the party and then my friends helped clean up some before they left. With a clean house, happy kids, and free time, my girls and I got to sit down and play our first game of Apples to Apples: Bible Edition, which my oldest had gotten with her toys r us gift card from Christmas.

The whole afternoon/evening was one of the most peaceful and pleasant we've had in a long time and I couldn't help but continually praise God for such blessings.

I even had time to read some of Anne of Green Gables to the kids before getting them settled into bed. Although, I did have to discipline my older son about stealing, after he took my oldest's Valentine chocolate and ate half of it while the girls and I were busy with the story. He shared it with his little brother. Then I took the opportunity, after getting him to bed, to share with my daughter how sweets and flowers will disappear, but love is forever. The the love I have for her comes from God's love for her. I've taught my children that no matter how many children I have, no matter how many people I love, I will always love each of them with my whole heart. I may love them each differently, because they are each different, but I love them all equally too. Because with each child I have, God grows a new heart within my spirit just for that child and fills it with love just for them. That God also has that and that is how He is able to love us all, individually. This brought peace to her broken heart and she and her sister went to bed.

My dad could've ended wonderfully, right there, but it didn't. My husband got home from work around 10 and checked on our sheep, as he always does. He came in and told me he thought tonight was the night for another of our sheep. She had clear stringy stuff hanging from her. We sat and talked for a little bit and how he planned to stay up all night to be there if it were the night. At 10:30 he headed back out to check on her again. He just had a strong feeling. Then I got a text. She was licking a lamb clean! I jumped out of bed, ran to my daughters' room and whispered loudly "We have a lamb!" and ran down the stairs to throw on my boots and coat. My younger daughter excitedly joined me and we rushed out to the barn. There she was, mama and baby. She was very attentive to her lamb. We whispered back and forth excitedly and with my husband. About 15 minutes later I noticed her bow her front end. My husband thought she was trying to let the lamb nurse. I had remembered that, that was one of the signs of labor. After doing this another 3 or 4 times, she went and laid down. I turned to my husband and said something like "Either she is trying to nurse her lamb or... she is having another." He flashed his light at her rear and sure enough, there was another head making it's way out. It took maybe a minute for that baby to come out all the way. Thankfully my husband was there and ready to step in. Mama got back up, almost like she had no idea she'd had a 2nd, and began licking the first lamb clean again. My husband gently picked up the 2nd lamb in towel and brought it to mama's face and set it down. She began sniffing it and then started licking away at it. Before my daughter and I headed back in the house the 1st was up and nursing. My husband stayed up at least half the night making sure to check on them often. Things were so much better for mama and lambs this time around. Today the lambs are doing wonderfully and so is their mama. I told my daughter how awesome it was that they were born on Valentine's Day. The day we remember what it means to love others and to show others that we love them. That Jesus, the lamb of God, did just that when He chose to come to Earth, live and die as a man, and to take our sins upon his own shoulders to pay our debts for us. We have 3 more pregnant ewes. We aren't sure when each of them got pregnant, because our ram is in with them. My daughter and I are hoping that one will give birth on Easter. I was hoping to add some photos, but will have to wait until tomorrow.

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