When praying for my home, I always ask the Lord to make my home a sanctuary. When I think of a sanctuary, I think of reverence, peace and a place where people talk a little quieter than usual and display honor.

In Junior high and High School I went through a process every single year to be a part of different levels of UIL Choirs. My sophomore year, after making it through the first rounds, I was a part of an All Region Choir. There was something so amazing about singing The Requiem Of Psalms by John Rutter in an actual Sanctuary. In high school, our performances were always in an auditorium, so to sing an actual classical piece inside of a sanctuary was breathtaking. I was only sixteen but even then, I appreciated the sound, the acoustics and the way the piece of music flowed so sweetly. The day of the concert, we practiced all day long. We knew when to take a breath, when to stagger our breathing as a whole, when to crescendo and when to decrescendo. After practicing the piece over and over again, the song fit all of us perfectly. Our families finally arrived, along with our friends and we sang inside the sanctuary. It was beautiful, it was soothing, it was perfect and my spirit soaked up every moment of that experience.

Classical music is something I really enjoy. I love all kinds of music so it's something I have to be in the mood for. Each one of my children remind me of the my taste in music. Josiah loves the guitar. In fact, some would say that he is destined to be a musician. It is all he thinks about and he is rarely seen without his guitar. Even now I am praying over that gift. I know God has great plans for him musically so when I am riding in the car with Josiah, I tend to tune the radio to country or I pop in a George Strait, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, Johnny Cash or Miranda Lambert CD. When Josiah was a baby and suffering from severe colic, I would sing to him almost all day long. I would also play music very loud all day long. Music soothed him. The dryer, the swing, the bouncer, a drive in the car, etc. would not work. Instead, music was the ONLY thing that seemed to calm him. Today at four years old, he can spend time in his room alone and be totally content as long as he has his Rascal Flatts cd playing in his very own cd player. Josiah makes you want to put on your boots and head to Billy Bob's. I love that about him.

Ava Beth is a music lover too. She is not as interested in playing the guitar so much, she prefers dancing. Dancing With The Stars and American Idol will stop her in her tracks! She is a two year old that will sit and watch those shows and not be distracted one bit. She has more fire and spunk in her than I have in my little toe! Give her an audience and she will grab a brush and use it as her microphone (I have always had a love affair with my brush too-it makes a great microphone)! Give her a leotard and tutu and watch out, this little girl is gonna twirl and spin like you have never seen! She's playful, carefree, LOUD and so much fun to be around. A car ride with her demands Christina Aguilera's "Aint No Other Man" or Kelly Clarkson's "Since You been Gone" and don't forget a little Beyonce! The spirit in Ava Beth reminds me all the time to have fun and enjoy the gift of being able to crank up the stereo and sing and dance like no one was watching. Of course, these girls, Mommy and Ava Beth, love an audience too!

When I was pregnant with Ezekiel, I had so much peace. I felt a release of so many things and really felt as though I was becoming more and more comfortable with being me. My friend Tiffany used to tell me that when she would think of Ezekiel, she felt peace and that he would bring peace to my life and to our home. I felt pretty when I was pregnant with him, confident and a little more compliant in my relationships. Peace was something I truly did feel. He was born only a little over two weeks ago and I can already tell that my friend Tiffany was right. Ezekiel exudes peace. Since having him, I can't really breeze in and out of the house like I did with two kids. Not yet. The weather has been crazy here. Snowing, raining, sleeting and cold so I have not been able to leave that much. My trips out with three children are short right now. I am trying to set myself up for success and long outings would not be good at this point in time. Needless to say we have been home a lot, which is usually very difficult for me. But being home with Ezekiel has been calming, soothing and relaxing. Instead of looking forward to shopping and running errands, I have enjoyed my afternoons when all is quiet and it's just me and Zeke sitting together. He may be sleeping or I may be feeding him, but it's quiet and calm. Every afternoon I look forward to my pot of coffee I make and drinking it from my favorite coffee cup. I enjoy my afternoon baths with him beside the tub in his Moses basket. It's during those afternoon hours, that I feel that my home is a Sanctuary. Today I feel as if Ezekiel had to be here, in all of our lives, before this home would become just that.

My baby boy brings such a softness to this home. I long to listen to Brahms Lullaby or music from Randall Bass or John Rutter. I wouldn't mind singing a few songs in Latin and hearing the beautiful sounds of voices in a crisp, cool sanctuary bouncing off of one another, yet sounding like one voice. These afternoons make me talk a little quieter, move a little slower and enjoy the precious moments I have with my newborn.

I do not know what the future holds as far as me having more children. I would like one more but my husband is not on board. But today I am so thankful for this baby boy, for all three of my children and what each of them bring to my life.

For my home is a sanctuary and my spirit is soaking up every moment.