And so it is decided

My husband shared the following with me and his parents today. I am so in love with this man. I can't imagine anyone who could be a better father to our children. And so, it is....

Having six kids to me is not so much about the work to raise them, and it will be work. But more about the legacy we will leave behind. The lives impacted by our children being servants of God doing his will and how powerful that will be. So this song speaks to me and confirms for me the names I’ve had in mind for a while now. I see God doing some things in me and using these little guys as a conduit for something bigger. Anyway read the Lyrics for “Beautiful Ending”

Oh, tragedy
Has taken so many
Love lost cause they all
Forgot who You were
And it scares me to think
That I would choose
My life over You
Oh, my selfish heart
Divides me from You
It tears us apart

So tell me
What is our ending?
Will it be beautiful
So beautiful?

Oh, why do I
Let myself let go
Of Hands that painted the stars
And holds tears that fall?
And the pride of my heart
Makes me forget
It's not me but You
Who makes the heart beat
I'm lost without You
And dying from me

So tell me
What is our ending?
Will it be beautiful
So beautiful?

Will my life
Find me by Your side?
Your love is beautiful
So beautiful

At the end of it all
I wanna be in Your arms
At the end of it all
I wanna be in Your arms
At the end of it all
I wanna be in Your arms
At the end of it all
I wanna be in Your arms

So tell me
What is our ending?
Will it be beautiful
So beautiful?
Will my life
Find me by Your side?
'Cause Your love is beautiful
So beautiful

This speaks to me, on a level of “I’ve failed so many times, but God is so gracious”. It also speaks of my desire to be walking with him and with you until the end. It speaks to my fears of not knowing how in the world we are going to manage this. It reassures me that it’s not all in my hands to accomplish. It asks the question, to which I know the answer is “yes”. I cant help but cry when I listen to this and look at a picture of the kids here at work. We’ve got to think about the ending, not just what’s going on now. God’s just pressing on me that he is going to do amazing things through our kids.

So here is what I’m thinking

Nathaniel – Gift of God

Nathan – Gift , El – God

So direct translation of Nathan is just “Gift”

Micah - who resembles God? Who Is Like The Lord?

Both are Prophets, both brought truth, and correction to God’s people.

Micah 7:18-20:
¹⁸ Where is another God like you,
who pardons the guilt of the remnant,
overlooking the sins of his special people?
You will not stay angry with your people forever,
because you delight in showing unfailing love.
¹⁹ Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean!
²⁰ You will show us your faithfulness and unfailing love
as you promised to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob long ago.

The story of Nathan and David in 2^nd Samuel 12. Again he brings correction, but as a friend and in a loving way. Nathan was sent from God to David for David. It reminds me that even in correction God knows how best to teach us, and reminds me I need to be better with my own correction of the kids.

I’m feeling these are the names. The longer we look the more these seem to settle. I’m keeping an open mind/ear to God, but these names are feeling much like when we named Zak. They are not so much for us to like, but for them and what they will do in their life time. I’m feeling they are going to be some outspoken boys who will hold to his word, and hold those around them accountable to God’s plan. So how do you feel about

Nathan David Vertner

Micah Robert Vertner

Mom, Dad, I’ve included you on this email so you can see how and why we’ve named our kids. As I’ve said it’s not always a biblical thing, but a God thing. Do listen to the song when you can. Pull up the lyrics, they are real. I don’t say it enough but thank you guys (mom/dad) for all you’ve done for me. As a parent now I realize what it takes out of you and while you guys are not perfect, I’m blessed to have you both.

I have the utmost peace that Shane has heard this from God, which makes me love these names all the more. And I can't wait to meet them!

New School Year

I wish I had my act together enough to have taken some pictures this morning of our first day of the new school year. There were some very cute scenes around our house today. I love the buzz of everyone wanting to "do" school. It is one of my greatest desires as a mother and a teacher that my children will always have a love to learn.

My goals this year are somewhat more ambitious than past years, but I also planned for flexibility around my own physical limitations with the end of the pregnancy and the birth and introduction of two new baby brothers. A very wise women once told me "Flexibility is great, but you need to have something to flex from."

So I set about planning for this year. I even got a set of 6 weeks worth of detailed lesson plans written out. Just enough to see how the plan works and hopefully keep us on track until the babies arrive. I am also hopeful that there will be enough self driven work to keep Noah and Hannah on task for the few weeks that we'll need to take off.

At the end of day one, I am not disappointed or surprised. It basically went as expected. A few challenges that slowed us along the way. And we didn't quite get through the whole reading lesson and never got to History, as hoped. But I am consoled... a sweet friend of mine at church, who is also a homeschooling mama with 4 kids, who are a bit older than mine told me that she was starting school this week with 1/2 days for the first 3 days as trial runs.... and now I know why! She's so wise!

So maybe the remainder of the week will be short of History, Science and Typing until we can get into a swing and we'll pick them up next week. But as I said on the school blog, we'd always appreciate your prayers for our school year. I anticipate our best year yet!

Running out of room

A common question when you are about to have your 5th & 6th children

Do you know where you are going to put them?

Will you have enough room?

All of our children have had the experience of sharing a room. Even the twins have already been womb-mates with their brother...

Our house is 1976 square feet with three bedrooms, two and a half baths and two bonus rooms on about a 1/4 of an acre. Nothing huge. Apparently, from the statistics I could find, slightly below average.

From an NPR article:

"The big house represents the atomizing of the American family," he says. "Each person not only has his or her own television -- each person has his or her own bathroom. Some of these houses are literally designed with three playrooms for two children. This way, the family members rarely have to interact. And the notion of compromise is simply out one of the very many windows these houses sport."...."I always wanted a house big enough that my kids could be in their room screaming, and my wife could be in a room screaming, and I could be somewhere else and not hear any of them," he says. "And I think I have accomplished this with this house, because this house is so big that everyone has their own space."

It might seem tempting to want to escape the noise of family, but if we can't learn to work with our family, I don't think the rest of the world will be any easier....

...and besides! I like our house. It has been our home for over 7 years, and so many memories in those 7 short years! Our house is great. Someday we might consider getting more space, but probably not any time soon.

Now, where there is a lack of space is for my two little womb-mates. The suburban lets me program my seat position for driving, so with one push of a button, it's comfortable every time.

......well, it was every time until recently.

we are running out of room - less than an inch between my belly and steering wheel

I thought you might enjoy a progression of the "double-baby-bump" over the last several months.

me (14 weeks) and Suzee, (about 12 weeks) our neighbor
15 weeks

16 weeks at Grandma and Grandpa's in Lincoln, NE

17 weeks





18 weeks with Kathi - a blogging buddy - we met by chance at the zoo!


19 weeks
20 weeks
Fathers Day - about 21 weeks


22 weeks - 4th of July

25 weeks

26 weeks with Julie C (about 30 weeks), Tracy (about 14 weeks) and me at a Girls night.
27 weeks
28 1/2 weeks with Julie C - about 32 weeks and me - out to celebrate a special friend visiting from Texas who we miss so much!

I hope this doesn't seem like vanity... maybe it is! I am amazed at the way these guys are growing and the differences in this pregnancy from the others. I just want to capture as much as can!

teaching compassion

I feel fortunate to be able to so easily teach my children compassion.

I am fortunate to have so many opportunities to teach my children compassion.

I was delighted earlier this week, on a day in which I was less than energetic, to look out my kitchen window and find all four of my children - ages 7,5,3 and 1 playing hide and seek in the front yard. They were all having a great time, and the older kids were happily including the younger.

As a mom, it brings me to think of III John 1:4

I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.

I know the truth of the gospel is to receive the love of God through Christ and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, to show that love to others. I know that Noah would prefer to find older boys to play with, and might prefer a video game, or so he thinks. But I see joy in him, and in his siblings, that they might not understand, when they get to play, including everyone and think about the joy that the other experiences before considering their own.

I saw a process of breaking away selfishness as Noah was commissioned with the responsibility of getting Zak buckled into his car seat. As I progress in my pregnancy with the twins, climbing into the 3rd row of the suburban isn't impossible, but it certainly requires more effort than it used to and I just don't have as much energy. So it has become Noah's job to get his brother buckled before securing his own seat belt.

This has taken time. It began with battles. It almost always seemed to result in Noah frustrated and Zak not buckled and me climbing back there anyway. But in time, they began to learn. Zak learned to let himself be helped and to trust someone else. Noah learned to not get frustrated with the 3 year old who is frustrated with him (most of the time). And his compassion towards his brother has increased.



I do not have everything figured out, I am sure that I will not parent my 6 children perfectly (haven't so far!). But I love this lesson that I have learned:

By giving them the responsibility of care for each other, they learn to love each other more.

if you get blog posts via email...

Just a quick note, if you get the blog posts via email, I don't think you are able to see the videos we have posted. In this case, please go to www.houseofhomer.com and you will be able to view the videos there. Sorry, I didn't realize you weren't getting a link.

kids growing gills

I grew up with a big in-ground pool in my back yard.

Summer is not summer with out a place to soak your head.

We have managed to have some kind of pool in our yard every summer that we have had a yard.

that's Noah at about 2 1/2 yrs old and my Dad on a visit after Hannah was born

Last summer we invested in a slightly larger pool. Between our porch and fence is 15 feet. We got a 14 foot round pool, 40 inches deep. GREAT BIG POOL, itty bitty little yard.




By last summer:
Noah gained confidence swimming under water



Hannah liked being in the pool - as long as she was wearing a life jacket and was close to the edge or holding a floatie



Zak wanted to be with the other kids, so he would wear the life jacket and cling to the edge or stairs, making it difficult for anyone else to get in or out of the pool.



Maggy hated life jackets, was not fond of being in the water and insisted on clinging to whatever crazy fool would put her in the pool with them. She really preferred the kiddie pool.



The first few weeks of July in Oregon were seasonable - mid 70s, maybe peeking into the 80s, one or two days in the 90s, but quickly returning to "normal temperatures". This made the pool temperature generally less than 70. I could not convince my children of this, but 70 degrees is COLD!

The last two weeks though, we have had quite the hot streak. Breaking records for having over 8 consecutive days over 90. We are very grateful for the pool (and air conditioning) during times like this. As you might assume, the pool temp went up and the amount of time in the water was greatly increased. Just as quickly as the temperatures rose, the kids confidence expanded and...

.... they have grown gills!

Zak Sings

For your viewing pleasure:

You may need to double click on the video to see it play.