~[Set Apart]~

So as you know we do not celebrate Halloween in our family. There are many reasons and here are some of the Bible verses that back up our decision.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

So we don't watch scary things on tv or dress up in scary costumes.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

When we claim to be "Christians" we are saying we are "christ-like". And in order to be Christ-like we need to obey the Bible. Not just parts we want to pick out. We apply the whole Bible to our whole lives and when we do that it convicts our hearts about the things in our lives that shouldn't be there.

Don't get me wrong~we are not perfect by any means but we are trying daily to live "Christ-like".  We fail Him every day and make mistakes but He knows the desires of our hearts. Christians are supposed to be "Set Apart" from the world, not behaving just like them.

~Happily Humbled~

We are not rich by any means, but God has given us a home and 4 children. He has taken care of all our needs. Most of the time all our bills are paid and we barely have enough for groceries and gas. We pinch pennies living from one paycheck to the next.

But I am happy to say that being broke keeps us humble and forces us to trust in God for everything. There are times when our faith gets weak and we wonder how or when God will take care of our needs, but then He always shows up right on time every time! We are so thankful that He hears our prayers and uses His people to do His work.

Here just a few of the verses in the Bible that talk about being humble:

Proverbs 16:19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.

Matthew 23:12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
 1 Peter 5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

{Candid Camera}

Being a mother means I put my children before myself and there are lots of times I am behind the camera taking more pictures of them than me. I avoid the camera because I don't always have my hair fixed or make-up on. We do take some but not many. I want to share some of these precious memories. (Just try to look past the messy hair.) I want my boys to have pictures of me holding them and loving on them, having fun with them and taking care of them. They don't notice the weight gained or the messy hair & no makeup. They love me unconditionally for who I am and nothing more.

 Just after Jaron's first surgery in the hotel room.









Listening & Talking to baby Justus in my belly.










I'm not comfortable with my body after having babies and don't usually post any pictures of myself. But my children don't care what I look like and I wanted to take a moment and post this for them. One day they'll read this blog hopefully {and I may or may not be alive} but they will have all these pictures to remember me.


{Sacrifice}

There are a lot of ways we can sacrifice. Some people sacrifice their time, money, food, comfort and much more. God sacrificed His Son Jesus so we can go to heaven.

Being a mother is also form of sacrifice. Before I was a mother I only had to worry about myself. Always thinking of myself and taking care of myself. But when I became a mother my child came first. I put his needs before my own. Every waking moment is devoted to making sure our boys are clean, fed and happy.

So because we have 4 children now there is little time for myself. I rarely ever think of my needs or wants. In fact, I feel guilty if I do take time to myself or buy something for myself. God changed my hearts desires when I became a mother. He taught me to sacrifice myself for my children and my husband. Always putting their needs before my own.

I usually get about 15 minutes in the morning to take a shower and dry my hair. And when getting ready to go somewhere I take about 15 minutes to do my hair and get dressed. I always put my make-up on in the car on the way in about 10 minutes. And after they are all settled and in the bed, that is when I blog, facebook, read other blogs and my Bible for about 2 hours. So all total I take about 2 hrs & 45 minutes for ME.

My love for music and singing has been put on the back burner so I can take care of my boys. I don't get to participate in as many things as I would like to sometimes. But I have learned to accept that. And one day when they are all grown I know I will miss these moments so I try to enjoy them and sing for the Lord when I get the opportunity.

Most of the time I am ok with it. I am content in my role as a wife and mother. But I have to be honest, there are times when I feel like "I deserve more". Maybe it's the devil trying to discourage me. But I do have bad days just like everyone else~ when I want to quit or crawl in a corner and cry. I think we all have those days as mothers. Most of the time it's when I am at my weakest with a severe headache. The devil knows my weakness and he gets in my head, trying to bring me down. I have learned to recognize these times and try to pray and remember to breath and get past those moments.

Being a mother is a daily struggle. We sacrifice ourselves for our family. And I believe that God sees our hearts and knows our thoughts. I believe God will reward the mothers that gave their lives for their children. We might not feel like much here on earth. We might not get much recognition for all our hard work but God knows all and He sees all.

 Philippians 4:11 "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."


i9sports


We knew we wanted our boys to play sports but with 4 of them it's not always easy to go to all the games and practices. So when we heard about i9sports we knew it was for us! They only have games and practices on Saturdays. Always in the same location. No traveling games and weeknight practices.

They offer a great program for kids focusing on the team spirit of working together. Winning is fun but it's not the main goal. Playing hard and following the rules and working as a team is their main idea.

Jacob & Jaron played soccer and then baseball with i9sports and we loved it!

I want to refer all my friends and family to this organization and if you put "Terri Cote's Blog" in the referral section you will get $10 off and I will too!

Thanks,
Terri

Everything is broken (AKA~my to do list)

-my towel rack
-Jaron's glasses
-my camera
-the chain to turn on my closet light
-the lid to dash compartment in our van
-my printer
-the wheels on our coffee table
-Jacob's scooter
-the door handle on the van
-the light bulbs in the dining room
-Chris's shoe
-the ties on the chair cushions
-the wire on the headphones
-the handle on Jonah's dresser drawer
-the pencil basket
-all my hair clips
-Jacob's toothbrush
-my watch battery
-oh and I think I broke my finger....

But other than that we are all doing good. I am just discouraged because my camera will not charge so I can't put pictures on here. Blogger won't let me download pictures from my cell phone either.

We've been busy with homeschooling & church. My headaches have been more frequent. Justus is taking antibiotics (which cause SEVERE diahrea) for his double ear infections that was preceeded by 3 days of steroids (which prevented him from sleeping)!!! Life has rough but we are still thankful God has provided for everything.