picture by the amazing Jenny Rigney
I was born in Argentina and moved to the United States when I was ten years old. I grew up in a Christian home and my parents taught me how to love God, and when I was a teenager He captured my heart and loving Him became my life. I met my husband when I was a Senior in high school, and I finished college in three years so that I could marry him! It was worth it- he is so much more than I deserve. We lived in Chicago for five years and now we are back in Texas. We had four kids in 5.5 years- my youngest is now two, so we are entering the kid years… I’ve spent the last eight years pregnant or nursing my babies and now I am trying to learn to live life without a chubby baby on my hip!
We love our extended family- they help raise our kids!
We love our church- they are our family also.
We live in a cul-de-sac with our friends- our kids share backyards and bicycles.
We are part of a Classical, University-Model school- our kids are in class two days a week and I teach them at home three days.
We grow a garden every year- it’s never as good as I dream.
I love to sew, cook, read and run. I love all things creative and homemade.
Strangers frequently ask me if the kids are all mine. I guess it’s unusual… They are my bumper crop, and I am grateful that the harvest is eternal.
The Bumper Crop 
i’m so enjoying your blog…found you via ohdeedoh. we too had 4 kids in 5.5 years…and we have 3 boys and a little girl…we are working on a 5th right now 🙂
love your boys room!
Hi Emily,
I found your blog via ashleyannphotography a few months back and I’ve been enjoying it so much! It is so fun to read about families in a similar boat! You are amazing- I am really looking forward to Mondays now! 🙂
hi there! i also found your blog through ohdeedoh and love your boys room. so creative!
have a happy day!
heather
Heather,
Thanks! What an amazing story you have- enjoyed meeting you through your blog! Really, really, lovely.
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I just stumbled upon your blog somehow and wanted to say hi! I’m another Texas mommy to a bunch of silly boys. I’ve got a 6, 4, 3 and 2 month old boys and a 1.5 yr old girl. I love what you’ve done with your boys’ room… wondering if we could pull off something similar so I can have my master bedroom back =)
Aww, Texas homeschooling Momma, here too! So funny, at least a few times a week someone asks me if my babies are all mine. What a strange question, but guess it’s unusual to see so many together at one time. Clicked over from Ana’s site showcasing your incredible beds. 3 boys here, need a similar idea once the baby is old enough to bunk w/the bigger ones. So clever!!
I jumped over from Ana’s blog also. your room is fantastic, and your blog is touching, beautiful and inspiring. I’m a late in life Mom to twin boys (41) and have joyously enjoyed your postings. Health & Happiness!
Found you via a link from the ana-white.com site. Loved the Narnia cake you did, and commented on it. I, too grew up in a Christian home, as my dad was a missionary pastor. Loved the bunk beds you built for your boys and the Narnia cake. I’ll definitely be sharing this site with my wife, and following the many adventures, or misadventures (you do have 3 boys, after all), of your “bumper crop.”
I came across your site on ooh dee doh and totally fell in love with your family, they are all so adorable. Would love to keep up with your blog and follow your adventures. Awesome pictures!
I know you’ve heard it a million times but I thought you could probably bear hearing it again…what an awesome boys’ room!! You’ve a beautiful family (four kids is a beautiful number of kids for us, too!) and I love your expressed perspective of your family being such a harvest field of potential!
well, i’m here from ohdeeoh, too….and have loved looking around. you have a beautiful family, and have encouraged me to go invest in my own little harvest here today:). i’ll be back!
Loved the feature on Ohdeedoh and looking forward to adding you to my blog reader. We have a 14mo (will she ever stop nursing?) and I am 15 weeks pregnant. Every time I “meet” another mom with children this close in age, I am encouraged all over again.
I am also a midwestern native and have been here for almost four years. I just stumbled upon your blog and I look forward to learning new ideas for raising three boys and one girl. Talk to you soon.
Hi Marian,
I have ‘found’ you and your lovely family via the ohdeedoh people. Wonderful ideas, the room is fabulous ! I’m german, live in Berlin and should be studying right now but browsing the web is so much more fun 🙂 I have sent a link of your boys’ room to my crafty girlfriend in the UK, she has 4 kids (just like you, a girl, 3 boys, within 5 years) and her 3 boys share a room too and I thought your project is the perfect inspiration for her house extension !
Reading about your family and how you look at life feels warm and lovely. Your kids are great !
I wanted to share a link with you. Joel is a creative dad whose blog, work, ideas and projects I adore and I can just see you appreciating what he does so much. Have a look at http://www.madebyjoel.blogspot.com there’s plenty of wonder and delight waiting for you and the kids.
Thank you for being in my kitchen right now, it was a pleasure to have you and the kids here in Berlin.
I send all of you happiness from a foreign place.
Andrea
I have to say I am new to your blog and have been enjoying myself immensely. I had to laugh when I read that people ask you if they are all you children. You see in our circle of friends with ONLY 3 boys within 5 years we are the minority. Most of our friends had any where from 6 to 12 children, averaging 12 to 18 months apart.
Thank you very much for being so dedicated to your family and never shirking in your faith also!! It is wonderful reading about the lives of young Christian families!
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We are considering a UMS called Grace Prep in Arlington. Is there any advice you would share with someone who is new to this model? I will also have 2 children who are not school age. Do you think this is hard to balance? Final question, (I promise) do you find it necessary to haveva specific place designed just for “school”?
We are familiar with Grace Prep- they are kind of the OG UMS! We LOVE UMS, it has been a blessing to our family in so many ways. My advise is to be flexible… and get a housekeeper! Not really, but it is a lot to handle. I would definitely have a plan of what to do with the little ones during school time. The internet is full of great activities and advise about this. We do have a school room, but many families I know do not, and it is just fine! Give yourself six wekks to really figure things out! Blessings!
Hey there,
found your blog on babble.com (and love the boys room 😉 ) – what a lovely family you are !!!! Like your style of photography – follow your blog now!
Greetings from germany,
Miriam
Marian!!!!
I first saw your boys’ beds on pinterest & pinned it to my “home” board as an idea in my 3 littles’ room. This morning when I went over to your blog & started reading about how Neil put them up… Things started clicking. It’s so good to see your family, the kiddos are getting so big & adorable! We’ve moved around a few times since TX & are currently in Virginia. Just wanted to say “hi” & thanks for the inspiration for beds! Hope y’all are well.
Blessings,
Mary
Hi there!
Discovered your blog from a link on babble.com and was entranced with ingenuity of your boy’s bedroom. Very clever and out of the box thinking. I have two boys who are insane for at least 16 hours of the day and peacefully sleeping the other 8 (thank goodness!!). Since being out of work for the last 7 months, I have had the luxury of browsing the internet and seeking inspiration to create a home that feels peaceful and exciting and wonderful to live in. Hence why i stumbled upon your site. I am beginning to notice a common thread between your site and others i read. You are all from the states, do homeschooling and have a belief in God. The one thing that strikes me is the calm that seems to reign in your family and other families like yours. I’m sorry to say that I am jealous over this (sorry!) as my family always seems to be shouting at each other and running on chaos and mayhem! I’m not poo- pooing your site or others. I have deep admiration for your ability to handle four children and write a blog and create all the things that you do. I can only dream of being half as good. Sadly I i struggle with religion and am trying to find my way, which is very hard when i live with an athiest!! I believe in something but i’m just not sure what that something is but anyway i didn’t come on here to discuss religion but just to say thank you for a wonderful website and I love the things you create. It’s very inspiring and makes me want to be a better person for my boys! (hope that doesn’t sound too freaky!!).
Thanks for sharing your ideas and pictures. I shall continue to visit your site.
Best wishes
Beverly (from the UK). 😀
Hi there! So, I’ve had your hanging beds pinned for a long time, but am finally making one this weekend as we are moving our five boys (soon to be six) into the master bedroom! Also, we have other things in common…my husband and I started a Classical Christian UMS school in NM, and he is now the headmaster of the school. We love it! We love reading at our house too…and just to top it off…we have the same bedspread. Wish we could chat in person! 🙂