31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids

I recently came across a pamphlet in our churches prayer room with the same title as this blog. I thought it would be a great idea to type out the virtues and pray one for each day of the month for Madalyn. I would encourage y'all to do the same. Of course, you can switch them up or add things that you think might be more beneficial. I would love to hear if anyone ends up doing this or has any other ideas. Also, if you would like the Word Document instead of cutting and pasting, let me know and I can email it to you.

31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Kids
1. Salvation – “Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory” (Isaiah 45:8; 2 Timothy 2:10)

2. Growth in Grace – “I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)

3. Love – “Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them” (Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:2)

4. Honesty and Integrity – “May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection” (Psalm 25:21)

5. Self-control – “Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be alert and self-controlled in all they do” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6. Love for God’s Word – “May my children grow to find Your Word more precious than much pure gold and sweeter than honey from the comb” (Psalm 19:10)

7. Justice – “God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do” (Psalm 11:7; Micah 6:8)

8. Mercy – “May my children always be merciful, just as their Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36)

9. Respect (for self, others, authority) – “Father, grant that my children may show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands” (1 Peter 2:17)

10. Biblical Self-esteem – “Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:10)

11. Faithfulness – “Let love and faithfulness never leave my children, but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts” (Proverbs 3:3)

12. Courage – “May my children always be strong and courageous in their character and in their actions” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

13. Purity – “Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let that purity of heart be shown in their actions” (Psalm 51:10)

14. Kindness – “Lord, may my children always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

15. Generosity – “Grant that my children may be generous and willing to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age” (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

16. Peace-loving – “Father, let my children make every effort to do what leads to peace” (Romans 14:19)

17. Joy – “May my children be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6)

18. Perseverance – “Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to run with perseverance the race marked out for them” (Hebrews 12:1)

19. Humility – “God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility” (Titus 3:2)

20. Compassion – “Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion” (Colossians 3:12)

21. Responsibility – “Grant that my children may learn responsibility, for each one should carry his own load” (Galatians 6:5)

22. Contentment – “Father, teach my children the secret of being content in any and every situation, through Him who gives them strength” (Philippians 4:12-13)

23. Faith – “I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children’s hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them” (Luke 17:5-6; Hebrews 11:1-40)

24. A Servant’s Heart – “God, please help my children develop servant’s hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, as if they were serving the Lord, not men” (Ephesians 6:7)

25. Hope – “May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13)

26. Willingness and Ability to Work – “Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work as it with all their heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23)

27. Passion for God – “Lord, please instill in my children a soul that ‘followeth hard after thee’, one that clings passionately to You” (Psalm 63:8)

28. Self-discipline – “Father, I pray that my children may acquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair” (Proverbs 1:3)

29. Prayerfulness – “Grant, Lord, that my children’s lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18)

30. Gratitude – “Help my children to live lives that are always overflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20; Colossians 2:7)

31. A Heart for Missions – “Lord, please help my children to develop a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples” (Psalm 96:3)

Heartburn...AAAHHHHH!!!!

the one symptom that i have to complain about during this pregnancy is heartburn!

i suffered from it before the pregnancy and it has only gotten worse. i have been trying really hard not to take anything for it, but have resulted to taking some chewables here and there. i also drink milk and stay elevated to help. also, not eating big meals helps. sometimes though, i have no idea what brings it on, but it sucks. so, today i looked up some home remedies that i am going to try. i thought i would share them with you and ask if you have any home remedies that you could recommend. here goes...

almonds - they help with acidity...eat a handful when you have heartburn. i will also add that they are a good source of "good" fat and protein for the baby.

bananas - the source says to eat one a day to help with acidity and heartburn. i will probably not do this one because of constipation

natural apple cider vinegar and raw honey - 2 tsp of each in a glass of water. drink before meals

baking soda - add a pinch to some water and drink it

mustard - take one teaspoon if you have heartburn or indigestion

bubble gum - chew to help the acidity disappear

calcium also helps to fight the heartburn - yogurt or ice cream

also, don't skip meals - no large gaps between meals. sit upright after eating. sleep elevated. take a walk after you eat to help with digestion.

NOTE: while i was typing (suffering from heartburn), i ate a handful of almonds. no more heartburn. we will see how long it lasts. :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been trying to think about things to post on here that would be of interest to y'all. In my quest to think of something profound to post, I realized that although nothing profound has happened in the last week, I have been BUSY!

So, all y'all are going to get is a run-down of my week, sort of...

Friday was spent making a blanket, finishing our Christmas cards (minus the return labels and stamps) and attending a birthday party for some sweet 13 year-old girls that we know. Their parents are actually the first people we met in El Dorado. The blanket was part of their gift. They had a "dance" party complete with a DJ and shirts their mom made to commemorate the event.

Saturday, Ryan worked and I did stuff around the house, including finishing the Christmas cards. Overall I had a pretty lazy day. (I was pooped from that party! I have realized I am no longer 13!) Saturday night, Ryan and I went to Home Depot to get a few things (not before us locking the door, thinking the other one had the keys, and having to break in to our own house to get our keys. This also led to us buying a couple more items at Home Depot while we were there.) We came back home and watched the Heisman presentation, almost knowing that Colt McCoy wasn't going to win, but having hope that he might...we were sad, but not shocked at Bradford's win.

Sunday morning we went to church. I love our church! The people are wonderful, the message was great, and the music is always amazing. Plus, they have it decorated so beautifully for Christmas. I will have to get a picture so y'all can all see. That afternoon we fixed our door (see Saturday night) and Ryan poured some concrete (we are closing off some of our yard with a fence so our dogs have more room to run). Ryan went hunting and I went to church for an Orchestra concert - it was AWESOME! I recorded it to share with my family because I knew it was going to be so good!

Monday...I went to the Post Office, went to the bank, cleaned around the house, tried a new recipe (it was ok), worked out...that is all I can remember. Monday is kind of a blur.

Tuesday was my super busy day, and I am kind of paying for it this morning. I left the house around 10 (after some house work), went downtown to get Christmas gifts for the twins i mentioned and their sister, then I went to Wal-Mart for some shopping until it was time to take Ryan his lunch. I then went to the church for my prayer time. Went to JCPenny, the hardware store, a cute little store we have here called Especially For You (to get another present), and to the grocery store. I got home around 4:30, cleaned the kitchen, checked the mail, and started supper (homemade Tomato Basil soup...it was yummy). When Ryan got home, we ate and headed back to Wal-Mart for a few more things I didn't have time to get my previous trip. By the time we got home I was ready for bed. I had been on my feet so much, I didn't realize how necessary it is for me to take a break and relax for 10 minutes every few hours. Growing a baby takes it out of you!

This brings us to today...I woke up at 7 and read for a while. Fell back to sleep until my momma called. Felt the urge to blog, and now I am going to eat and get ready for the day (at 10:30!).

One more thing I didn't mention...I have been trying to register online for the baby...we were going to only register at Babies 'R Us, but since the closest one to us is in the Woodlands, we decided to register at Wal-Mart too since we have one in town. Our computer is so slow, that it takes forever, so I have given up until we come to Houston over Christmas. I am going to attempt to do some registering in person while we are there.

I apologize if this was a bore (and LONG!) and that I didn't have anything profound to blog about. I will try harder. :)

Happy Wednesday!

Sweet Friend!

I just had to share a picture of what my precious sister friend Emily sent Ryan and me for baby Madalyn. Y'all, I think this is one of the cutest things I have ever seen!

I love my sweet friend!

Praise the LORD!!!

Y'all, I have a HUGE praise!

Here's the story -

Ryan and I found out about 3 weeks ago that while our OB doctor takes our insurance, the hospital here in town does not. The doctor's office took full responsibility for the mix-up, but it didn't make the news any easier. I really love my doctor and the hospital is 5 minutes away.

I started looking around and found that I would have to drive 45 miles to the nearest doctor/hospital that takes our insurance! I was not happy, but I had come to terms with the fact that this is how it was going to be.

When Ryan and I went to the doctor before Thanksgiving I told our doctor about the mix-up. She told me to give her a week and that she would call the hospital and talk with the CFO about them not taking our insurance. (apparently she has a lot of patients that have our same insurance).

I got a call this morning from the doctor's office letting me know that they were working on something with our insurance company and that I needed to call the hospital. I called this morning and left a message, then I called again this afternoon, and GUESS WHAT Y'ALL???!!!

The hospital is going to take our insurance!!!

I cannot tell you how excited I am! I give God all the GLORY! He did it and I am so thankful to Him for it!!!

Love y'all!

Pregnancy Update

For those of you that don't know...we found out on July 30th that we were expecting our first baby. We went to the doctor the next Monday (August 4th) for the "real" test.



I have had a pretty uneventful pregnancy (praise the LORD), with only minor nausea, a few headaches, and some slight emotional craziness.


Ryan and I had our first ultrasound the Monday before Thanksgiving (November 24th) and we found out we are having a girl! We have decided to name her Madalyn Suzanne!


We are so excited and cannot wait to meet her at the beginning of April! We love her so much already. As soon as I can figure out how to scan and post pictures of the ultrasound I will.


Here is the most recent belly picture (taken December 7th - 5 months along)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's Christmas!

I have to say that this is the best time of the year! I love the lights, the poinsettias, the great food, getting to spend more time with friends and family, and most of all, having the honor of celebrating the birth of Jesus!

Here are a few pictures of the house decorations.

Our fireplace

Our fireplace with our little tree

All lit up

Our little tree with our nativity scene and Mary and Joseph on their way to Bethlehem.

Welcome to our Blog!

Welcome to the new Sauer Family blog! This blog will include some of "Ryan's Rants" and "Meredith's Musings" and it will have general updates on the goings-on of our family.

We hope you enjoy getting to know us and our family. Since we are awaiting the arrival of Madalyn Suzanne (coming in April!), this blog will be a great way for me to journal about the pregnancy and post some oh so precious pictures of our sweet baby girl!

We love you all!