Friday, September 4, 2009

*OUR* Quiverful




Ok, so it's QuiverFul Friday. My dh reminded me that Quiverful and Friday do not both start with "F". Yes, I know honey, thanks ;)
As we start with this "Quiverful" business on Fridays, let's re-evaluate what that term means. There are probably as many definitions for Quiverful as there are Quiverful Families out there.


~Isaac~
Basically, it means you value life, babies, children, families......trying to look at these things as the Lord looks at them. Obviously, the Lord values life. We believe this means from conception (no, not from implantation - conception!). We also believe God calls children a "blessing" (well, that's a fact, it's clearly in the Bible). The part where we differ with some people is that we want to embrace the blessings from the Lord. We do not want to cut off these blessings. We do not want to turn them down. We glady accept any blessings (children) the Lord would like to bless us with.
If the Lord wants to bless us ~ I say, TAKE THE BLESSING & REJOICE!!!
(Oh, and it's NOT a competition.
Really. It's not.
ugh.)
*Now, there are also differences between us and other QF folks. We do believe there may be reasons for a women to NOT get pregant. Off the top of my head: severe health issues, mental health issues, numerous miscarriages (probably health related in some way and could definitely lead to mental health issues, i.e. depression), and possibly other reasons that I'm just not thinking of right now.


~Selah~
We would never judge anyone else. We do not know your circumstances. We do not know your past, your health, your marriage, your state of mind.....etc. We are also FULLY aware that there are QF families with one, two, or even no children. They are no less QF. The main idea is to be "open" to these blessings. The Lord opens & closes the womb....
We DO know that we are in the minority, even among Christians. I don't know all the reasons (although I can *guess* at some) and I'm really only willing to discuss these issues with someone who is searching and wants my opinion. This is one of those topics that can get REALLY heated, REALLY fast.


~Talitha~

*Also, you should know that even though we would *love* to have many more children, I'm not sure how many more my body can handle. I've had 5 c-sections (oh, if only I could go back and try something else to get my first baby to change positions....he was tranverse....but I can't) and who knows how many more I'll have. My OB (who is very well-respected in the community, with patients & with other doctors) is okay with me having more, as long as I do realize the risks. Which I do - trust me. We are not sticking our heads in the sand, we understand the possibilities. At some point, we'll have to close that door......
So for now, we have 5 sweet blessings:
Isaac ~ 8yob
Selah ~ 6yog
Talitha ~ 4yog
Elijah ~ 2yob
Micah ~ 6mob

I would still consider them all "little", at least until someone hits double digits! So life is, well, different. I don't get a lot of "extra" time. I know most people don't, but I mean, REALLY! My dh is a wonderful husband & father. He loves kids (um, hello? He's a CHILDREN'S pastor!) and is more than willing to watch the kiddos for me while I head out for a Ladies Night Out or even just so I can get a hot bath here & there. He is one smart man and realises those times are DIRECTLY related to my *sanity*. Yup, smart man~


~Elijah~
And lastly, for today, about OUR quiverful family - We are L O U D.
I don't know how else to say it. We aren't mean, we aren't screaming, we aren't without manners and common courtesy, but we're loud. I mean, hey, they're kids. Normal kids. They're not robots and I'm done trying to get them to act like it. Yes, they need to obey. Yes, they need to learn when it's appropriate to be quiet. But in our home, in their rooms, while they play with each other or with us, it's LOUD. When we're all talking together in the car, it's LOUD. If you talk to me on the phone, it's LOUD (good luck getting me on the phone, btw....as if...).


~Micah~
Personally, I like a bit of peace & quiet. I'm not a naturally LOUD, crazy, gotta be making a bunch of noise type of person. And there are times I DEMAND some silence in the house (there's that *sanity* thing again). Yet I'm learning it just comes with the territory. Honestly, you just gotta embrace the chaos. That's right,
Embrace the Chaos, baby!! I'm learning~

5 comments:

LLJ said...

Such sweet, sweet babies! Give that little Micah a little squeeze from me! I miss his huge baby smiles!
Leanne

Tereza said...

what cute babies:)...you said it all so well!!

Sheila said...

Dittos, from fellow QF Michigan Momma to six (come November!)

Jeni said...

What a lovely post Lori, I loved celebrating your babies with you...and I could feel the love and I especially loved hearing you say: we are loud, we are not robots and embrace the chaos! AMEN!

CD said...

You have such beautiful babies! I got your blog from the QF digest. I also have 5 (am currently 15 wks pregnant with #6) & my youngest's name is Micah as well! He is now 15 months!!! I agree 100% with what you wrote about being qf. Thanks for sharing your blog, I will try to come here as often as I can!