Many an Easter has gone by without any attention to new dresses and shoes and hair bows and all the rest.  Since the day is about so much more, I tend to kind of dread coming up with all the "finery" for four girls.  But since I'm knitting Sunday sweaters for the two younger girls and Kate has been learning to sew with my mother in law, I thought new dresses were called for.  Here's the pattern and fabric I picked out this week alongside the yarn I'm using for their sweaters.  I think it has such a fun, vintage-y look and I'm so excited about it!

Ella's is the purple and yellow and Charlotte's is the teal and coral.  Now I'd better get to knitting!

(joining Ginny's yarn along)

Joining Ginny's Yarn Along, when I started this sweater several weeks ago I was really cruising along.  Then for some reason I barely touched it for a few weeks.  Yesterday I picked it up again and finished the body.  So now I just have the neck band and sleeves to do.  Then I'll start one for Ella.  I tried it on Charlotte this morning and the fit was fine, but definitely doesn't have much growing room.  So she'll get Ella's next year and then I guess I'll make Ella another one.  I'm not really reading anything right now and definitely need to get to the library, but the kids are a bit sick so that will have to wait a few days.

I always wanted to have a big family.  I used to think 5 children would make for a big family.  Then I had 5 and decided it wasn't really that many.  Now I don't even feel like 7 is that many.  Most of the time.  I'll even look around sometimes, sure that someone is missing, and see that everyone is present and accounted for.  When I talked about having a lot of children people would make comments about how much work it is, but they were referring to the physical labor.  The diapers.  The sleep deprivation.  The laundry.  The cooking.  The dishes.  And then they'd talk about how expensive it is.  True, we spend a lot on groceries.  As for the physical work, around here, everyone helps and they know that is just how it has to be.  Of course we had the years with many littles that were exhausting in a deeply physical way.  But now the kids do their own laundry, have daily chores, and clean the house on Saturday.  All of those things are easily managed. 
What nobody told me is how much time I would spend on discipline and training the hearts of these children.  They are just at the beginning of learning what it means to be a Christian.  They are learning the hard lessons of kindness and selflessness each day in this home.  When they argue and fight, asserting their position and "rights" it can get ugly.  And so I spend a lot of time talking.  Talking about what the Bible says about how we must treat eachother.  Talking about whether or not their words or actions towards a sibling were glorifying to God.  That is what is most exhausting.  All.  the.  talking.  So if there was one thing I'd like to tell a future or new mother it would be to recognize and prepare for the work of character training.  It isn't automatic.  It takes much prayer, dedication to reading scripture and talking about it with the children.  And so, when people discourage you from having many children, don't think about the diapers and the lack of sleep, the laundry and the cooking and the activities that make you busy.  Those things are manageable.  Think about the spiritual training and as you grow that baby, pray!  Pray for wisdom and for the Spirit to guide you in the wonderful, weighty task of raising your children for the Lord.