Christmas morning started at 5:00 a.m. for some of the kids, but they were allowed to open their stockings ONLY and not wake Mom and Dad up till 6:30. The commotion volume rose and rose till we finally got out of bed at 6:00. Gifts this year were modest, but the kids decided that their gifts were perfect. Alissa even remembered one year where too many gifts were under the tree…it took nearly 3 hours to get them all open. We were finished opening gifts by 7:30. Here are some of the year’s biggest hits:

• Erector Set from Grandma and Grandpa. (Lydia REALLY took a liking to it!)
• Kitchen toys (a bazillion of them) for the little kids. (Lydia took a liking to them, too!)
• “The Alamo” 1000 piece puzzle (about 1/4 done by now)
• Easy Bake oven for Keilah (Cynthia took a liking to that, too)
• Stratego library addition (Micah beat Alissa twice in a row!)
• Guitar for Isaiah (he’s been begging for one for a couple of years)
• Lots of other gifts

We have been sitting around all day playing the games and enjoying good food. We’re going to have a ham pretty soon. This Christmas was a little different since church was on Christmas Eve. We had two families over for church and lunch, then moved into our reflection on the birth of Christ. Christmas Day usually consists of having some friends over in the afternoon, but we didn’t get that pulled together. It has been really nice. All day has been enjoying our gifts and, more importantly, each other.

Merry Christmas!

I’m sitting on the couch while the kids are finishing up chores this Christmas Eve. There is a natural motivation to get the chores done tonight! They all want to get to bed asap…to help bring along Christmas morning.

In a few moments we will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The kids have been working on presents to Jesus. Wendy and I aren’t totally sure what they will bring. We have seen many pictures being drawn. We will be looking forward to what they want to bring to Jesus as their gifts.

This reminds me of my favorite Christmas song. Perhaps it is because I was a drummer as a boy, but I think the lyrics are incredible. Even when Audio Adrenaline sings it to hard rock, it brings tears to my eyes. The Little Drummer Boy is a profound song:

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?

The little drummer boy thought he had no gift to bring. He was just a little drummer boy. So, what did he play? He played what he was given. There was no judgment, no condemnation…just simple appreciation for the boy’s gift. Nothing but joy in displaying the gift that God gave him at the moment…

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

Giving our talents to Jesus is a tradition my parents stirred in us when we were young. I remember playing my drum for Jesus. I was perhaps 10 years old. It was loud and clumsy, off beat. My mom cried when I played it. I see why today.

The kids are almost done with their chores…I have to go. Merry Christmas!

We have some very good friends who have nine children. Shelley, the mother, and her daughter, Morgan, penned a beautiful story about the blessings of children through this storybook. Morgan, 14, has a tremendous gift in art. This mother/daughter team wrote the story of Jubilant and Jubilee, two villagers who welcomed the gift arrows from their King.

You get the idea where the story goes. Through beautiful pictures (see below for some great pictures) and a craftily told story, children–and even adults–will catch the vision for the gift of children. This is a must-have for families who share in the vision of letting God bless them with kids.

Monument Publishing printed 50 copies of this book to see how well they would sell. It is a broadening of the company’s scope, so we hope that all the copies sell very quickly. The website shows thumbnails of the book plus a slideshow of its pages. You can order today and, though it won’t get to you by Christmas, will ship within a few days Priority Mail.

Click here to order Arrows in His Hand!

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The following is our 2006 Christmas Letter. Download a PDF version here.

When life seems to have dealt you all you can take, God shakes things up to make it all the more interesting. Just wait till you hear our exciting news of 2006… Read the rest of this entry »

We just got word from The Learning Channel of the three episodes featuring large families (we are one of three). We are on prime time in January! Previews will be coming out sometime in the next couple of weeks, and we’ll post them here on our website (subscribe to our postings by clicking here). Here are the details:

“Kids By the Dozen”: A Mini-Series on Large Families

• January 15, 2007: The Arndt Family 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time
• January 22, 2007: The Heppner Family 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time
• January 29, 2007: The Jeub Family 9:00 P.M. Eastern Time
  

If you don’t have cable, get it or go to a friend’s home to watch this. Pass this information onto as many people as you can think. We want this to be a successful program that will, hopefully, lead to more programs on the love of large family living!