Christmas 2008

This year Christmas ended up being a pretty quiet time in our home.  Due to the weather, Providence's Candlelight Service was canceled.  That was a bummer for our family.  Jesica and Justin were supposed to play their instruments, and several members of the family were in the choirs.  Next year we'll try it again!

Mom and Sara

Mom and most of her girls watching a movie in bed!

On Christmas Eve we went to Ming's for Chinese food. This is usually our New Year's Eve tradition, but hope to start a new one of those this year.  After Ming's we came home, started a nice fire, and opened gifts.  Daniel and I had bought our own gifts last month.  Daniel bought Ruger 10/22 rifle.  My Kitchen Aid mixer broke, so I bought myself a new Bosch.  The children had lots of fun opening their gifts.  Justin also received a rifle and Jesica got the camera she's been wanting.  Ashly has been wanting to learn how to decorate cakes, so she received some tools to do just that.  Josiah and Mathias had a "Camo" Christmas.  Camo outfit, PJ's, communicator watches, and rifles.  Cara and Sara both received new dolls from Vision Forum.  Cara also received a toiletry bag so keep all her hair stuff in order!

Our 7 Blessings

On Christmas Day we loaded up the van and headed north.  After a 3 hour drive, we arrived at Mark (Daniel's brother) and Kristi's home.  

There we opened more gifts and ate a wonderful meal.  The children then sat and watched Wall-e with some of the adults, while the rest of us sat around, ate dessert, and enjoyed a glass of wine.  Then it was back into the van for the 3 hour ride home.

All the Ryken grandkids

The day after Christmas, my parents came down.  Their arrival was a bit delayed due to the ice, but they made it in time for dinner.  After dinner we opened a few more gifts and then sat down and played games. Sara was having a really good day and even let Grandma and Grandpa hold her!  

Soon it was time for soup and dessert!  There's nothing like a good eclair and sherbet to round out the holiday season!  Dad and Mom spent the night and after a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and scrambled eggs, got on the road.  It's so nice having family spend the night.  It gives us more time to spend together without having to watch the clock.

We took so many pictures during the holiday. Instead of showing each one here, I uploaded them to a photo album.  

Christmas 2008

Christmas Letter 2008

Here is the link to our Christmas letter - if you haven't already read it!

Christmas Letter 2008

Large Families

Being part of a large family has its blessings and frustrations.  One of the biggest frustrations is being out in public and having strangers ask you questions or just staring at your family. Some people really do want to know more about large families and how we manage everyday life.  Others though just can't understand why anyone would want lots of children.  To those strangers (and some friends and family) I dedicate this video:

Several questions were raised during this video.  Here are the Ryken Family answers:

1. "You've got your hands full"  Yes, they are and we would not have it any other way.

2. "Are you Catholic?"  No, we are not Catholic.  Just Bible believing Christians who strive to live our lives according to Scripture.

3. "How do you afford it?"  We buy in bulk, try to spend our money frugally and wisely, pass clothes down from child to child, cook most things from scratch...

4. "Are you having more?"  Well, we don't know.  We would like more, but it isn't up to us.  If the Lord has more children planned for our family, we will welcome as many as He will give us.

5.  "Are they all yours?"  We get asked this alot.  Yes, they are all ours - together.

6. "Better you than me!"  If people have such a negative view in regards to lots of children, then maybe it is "better us than you".

7.  "How do you manage?"  By prayer and the grace of God.  Every day we need to fully rely on Him for all our needs.

8.  "Do you know what causes it?"  We do, do you?  We can explain if you'd like!

9. "Twins?" No twins. Wouldn't mind having a set though. 

10. "Daycare?" Not a daycare.  Although we do drive a 15 passenger van!

11. "Wait until they are teens."  Our young adults aren't without struggle, but we actually enjoying being with them and they with us.  Our family has fun together and with other families. Therefore, we are looking forward to the next 5 someday being this age.

We view our large family as a blessing.  

Psalm 127: 3-5

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
         The fruit of the womb is a reward.
 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
         So are the children of one’s youth.
 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
         They shall not be ashamed, 
         But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

My first award!

THE LEMONADE AWARD: The concept behind this award is that the blog creators have shown an uncanny knack for silver linings and making the best of bad situations (i.e., lemonade from lemons)."

Rules: Name ten blogs that reflect this silver linings philosophy.

My daughter Jesica, awarded me this award.  Thanks, Jesi!  I pass it on to....

Heather

Rachel

Laura

Stephanie

Whitney

Carla

Christmas Letter 2008

Christmas Letter 2008

Some of you may be wondering if we dropped off the face of the earth since we didn’t get any Christmas cards or letters sent out last year.  With everything that was happening in our lives, it felt like we had!  If you are interested, our 2007 letter can be found here.

Throughout 2008 the Lord continued to bless our family and lead us along the paths He wanted us to take.  The path was not always easy, but God was our guide and by trusting in Him, we made it safely through.

2007 ended with a job interview and 2008 started with follow up interviews and a job offer.  On February 4^th, Daniel started his new employment with Symantec Corp. out of OakBrook, IL.  However, job deals with pre-sales in computer security and his only customer was/is based in Bloomington, IL.  Those of you familiar with Illinois geography know that Sugar Grove and Bloomington and about 2 hours apart.   So Daniel began to commute the 2 hours, 3 days a week, to Bloomington.

This long drive gave us a bit of concern.  Our 7^th child was due February 19^th and we were planning our first home birth.  We thought of all the “what-ifs” , but God had everything in His control.  At 11:15 pm on February 9^th, labor began.  2 hours later Sara Elizabeth Ryken was born.  

The midwife made it with 10 minutes to spare.  All the other medical persons did not make it.  Having a home birth was such a wonderful experience!  There is nothing like snuggling up to your husband and newborn in your own bed just hours after birth….

The excitement of the year did not stop there.  The first week of March we put our home on the market.  It was a hard thing to do, but we felt that the Lord was calling us to move to Central IL.  With the housing market the way it was, we knew that He was going to have to sell our home.  Showing after showing, but no bites.  Summer came and went and on a day early in September, we finally got an offer.  We accepted and 3 weeks later were moving out.

During those 6 months we kept wondering why our home wasn’t selling.  We really felt that He wanted us to move and if He did why didn't our home sell?  The reason was because our new home just wasn’t ready for us yet!  The home we bought had been on the market for almost a year, but was out of our price range.  2 weeks before our home sold, they lowered the price into the range that we could afford.  God worked everything out in His perfect timing.

We have now been in our home for almost 3 months and for the most part are happy.  We still have moments of missing our friends and neighbors, but our new church community has welcomed us with such loving and open arms.  We have been truly blessed.  If you are ever in our neighborhood, we’d love for you to stop on by. Short notice is fine too!  (Right Trish?)

The children have taken it upon themselves to grow an exceptional amount this year.  Like a friend of mine says, “they’ve aged, but I haven’t”.  If only that were true!   

Justin is now 15 and 6’2”, which makes him officially taller than Daniel.  Being 15 also means driver’s ed.  It has been a good experience so far and we are looking forward to having another driver next summer.

Jesica is 13 and as tall as Mom.  She is continuing to play the violin and do a lot of sewing.  She is currently making costume dresses for her and Ashly.  Jesica also started an etsy shop to sell her handmade items.  Please visit her account at http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6444468

Ashly is 12 and loves help Sheri in the kitchen and take care of Sara.  She also is a very avid reader and piano player.  Over the last year she has tried her hand at different crafts, but still hasn’t found her niche.

Josiah is 8 and loves to have boffer wars or sword fights with Mathias who is 4.  The two of them are such good buddies. They love to work hard along side Dad and Justin chopping and carrying wood.  They also worked hard at picking the apples on our property.

Cara (7) and Sara (10 months) we call our rhyming sisters.  Cara loves to help take care of and play with Sara.  Cara also loves to help Mom in the kitchen and always greets everyone with a hug and big smile.  Sara is crawling all over the place and loves to laugh with the rest of the family!

Daniel and Sheri have each gotten a year older and hopefully wiser!  We just love spending time with our family and the new friends we have made here in Central IL.  Home educating is going well, with Daniel taking over some teaching at night.  Daniel has been doing a lot of yard work, wood chopping, and organizing in the shed. Sheri has been trying to get the house organized and filled with our family touches.  Our home is starting to feel more like it’s ours, but it will still need some extra special touches.

Several more things happened throughout the year.  This blog is a great way to keep up with the happenings in our family. The children also have blogs (Justin, Jesica, Ashly).  Daniel and Sheri can also be found on Facebook.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

 The LORD make His face shine upon you,
      And be gracious to you;

 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you,
      And give you peace.”

Numbers 6: 24-26

 

Keeper at Home and Submission

ed. note:  I have been battling sleepless nights with Sara, so I am posting a recent post from Generation Cedar.

HOME is More Than Dirty Laundry!

Willing submission to my calling and to my husband is not hard because it is nothing more than submission to my Savior.

And his heart beat while on earth leaves us with the answer to life:

"Let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done."

"I must be about my Father's business."

"And being in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant..."

Jesus had all power and authority in Heaven and earth. He COULD do what He wanted to do. He was important, smart and ambitious. But those traits were only utilized for the Kingdom when he submitted to the will of His Father.

Identifying with Christ in this way gives us a confident, freeing starting place. My calling as a helper and comrade to my husband was God's idea, not man's.

In Genesis, the dominion mandate was given to a man and his wife. They were to fulfill God's mission together, like a well-oiled machine.

As a woman given to the calling of keeping my home, helping my husband and raising a family for the glory of God, my heart leaps with joy that I have been entrusted with such a noble task! Yes it's hard, yes, some days I cry, but the truth of the mission remains.

One of the common stereotypes of biblical womanhood is that she is enslaved at home, receiving orders barked from her husband who is "in charge".

Contrary to that idea, a woman in a biblical marriage is the "queen" or manager of her home. She is actually the one "in charge" of the numerous duties of keeping a home and her husband is free to be the man God created him to be because "the heart of her husband safely trusts her". The two are on the same page--same vision--same goals. He doesn't have to micro-manage her time because he knows she is capable, smart and eager to fulfill their mission.

One of the feminist lies is that a woman can only be truly free in a career outside her home. But the irony is that she still submits to someone (usually another man). What's worse is that the man to whom she must obey doesn't love her, doesn't have her best interests at heart and doesn't feel any motivation to protect her.

She is given to another's schedule, another's agenda and another'sorders. She helps someone else fulfill his goals, convinced she is "free".

Wouldn't I rather do this for my husband? If I'm not helping him, doesn't he then need to find another helper? He gives me much more freedom than any other boss does!

Another stereotype asserts that a keeper at home can't make money. Hogwash! Let me mention my friend, Jennie, again. She startedSensibility.com years ago and has grown quite a successful business right from home! I think Crystal Paine has figured it out too! In fact, there has never been such opportunity as now for women at home to run successful businesses, helping with the family's economy.

Education is another misunderstood area. If your domain is the home, especially if you home school, learning takes on a whole new meaning. I have never had such opportunity to read research and study than now, alongside my children!

Many feel sorry for the lack of socialization a stay-at-home mom gets. And admittedly, this can be a challenge. But when the season is right, a woman given to hospitality gets to enjoy the richness of meaningful relationships and discipleship right in her home, where the love of Christ and the aroma of friendship envelopes all those who enter her home. This kind of interaction with others is, I think, a most meaningful and successful form of evangelizing. Whether it's having families over, or just other women with whom she can share, there is a whole ministry awaiting. 

(As a side note, being a "keeper at home" doesn't mean she can never leave home! Certainly her work requires her to spend the majority of her time there, but she isn't tied to the washer ;-)

In addition to these few things, depending on her season of life, when a woman understands the art in homemaking, the ocean can't contain the opportunities at her disposal. I have friends who have catering businesses--true food artists,who not only make money but bless others with their gifts. Friends who are photographers, even setting up their own dark rooms, seamstresses who make costumes and sell or display, artists so gifted in crafts they never buy a gift, women who can design, build or remodel a whole house, musicians...the list goes on.

And let me add, I don't want any women reading to feel underachieved. I certainly don't want to suggest you have to be some supermom. That is NOT the point of this post! You know my heart. I only want to turn over some of the stereotypes and say to women that being a keeper at home doesn't mean enslavement and misery.

Far more important than these things is the work she does in teaching her children about the Lord. Right there, given as gifts from heaven, is an army of God being prepared to march out and continue the mission. On the weary days, I try to envision a family gathering when I am old. Hoping to see throngs of people around me, my children with their children with their children--the heritage of the Lord, the fruit of our labor!

Some people can't fathom *HOME* as anything more than a building with lots of dirty laundry. But it's so much more!

Farewell for Garrison

On Saturday evening, we attended a graduation/farewell party for a young man in our church.  Garrison will be leaving for the Marines next week.  We had a wonderful night of food, fellowship, dancing.  The men of the church prayed over Garrison and gave several moving charges to him.  Garrison will be missed.

Part 1 of the skit

part 2 of the skit.


Here are some photos of our family from the night.

My Sweet Mathias who is very ready to go home

Emil, Garrison, and Justin.  3 young men who commonly get mistaken for eachother.  They are also the tallest young men of the church!

Justin dancing with his Mother

Garrison and Justin - good friends who will miss each other

Josiah being a gentleman while dancing

The Providence Youth (well, not all of them, just the ones at the gathering)

Daniel and Sheri dancing.  We were tired!

In the background you can see Jesi and Dad waltzing.

Ashly and Josiah prominading

The effects of a static balloon on Sara's hair!

Mom and Sara preparing to dance.  Sara is a very good dance partner.  She laughs and giggles with all the turns.

Sheri and Mrs Riggenbach chatting.

Mathias and Daddy