A Peaceful Confirmation

The thought recently settled in my heart.
"This baby inside me pleases God. "
You may think this is a strange thought but it brings peace to my heart. I hear so many 
"Are All those your children?"
"One, Two, Three, Four,....."
"How do you do it, with all those children?"
Blah, Blah, Blah...."I even had a man laughingly tell me he would commit suicide if he had that many children!


But the voice of God isn't saying this. There is a sweet restful peace within my heart. A reassurance of God's approval. A loving thought of this precious gift entrusted to us by God. 

Summer Happenings (Dear Journal Letters)

Dear Journal,

Summer seems to be flying by! We haven't done much except for swim in our pool and go to the library summer reading program shows every Wednesday.
We've been out of school since early June but I have spent a lot of thought since then on our new school year coming up. We switched math for 1st -3rd grade so I've been making sure I have everything needed.
The children are bored and I feel like sometimes I'm a constant referree, especially for the two older boys.
The boys were able to go flying a week or two ago with the EAA Young Eagles program. Each had a chance to fly for about 20 minutes in a small airplane and talk to the pilot, ask questions, etc. It was a great experience for them. (I don't think we could afford them that experience anytime soon.)
They don't realize how good they have it. God has blessed them so much. July 20th they will be attending a history camp full of boy fun and living history from Creation to present. (And this a gift from a good friend.)

All this living causes me- no forces me to alter my life. I see a constant need during summer break from school to manage my time and space better and yet I have trouble with this.
So many thoughts this summer, so little time...

Sincerely,

The Bunny Family's Beginnings

I crosstitched this picture around 1995-1996. Yesterday was my 17th year Anniversary.

We didn't do anything fancy,(We're not very fancy folks.) except that we have now converted our 1995 Windstar Van into an 8 passenger vehicle. That's right, it was a 7 passenger, but now it will carry safely all six children.

Friday we found a nice back row seat that matches in color our interior seats and through my beloved's many talents (one being that he can weld) has clicked in the 3 seater seat into the spot where the two seater seat use to be. He switched the bottom metal pieces and now we can seat all the children. He's my hero! We can now postpone purchasing a full size van for a couple of years. All for less than $100!!! This is why it pays to have your spouse be your very best friend.

Little did I know that one of my neighbors would one day call us the bunny family. Some of my neighbors have just recently started noticing I'm pregnant. How could they miss it??

I didn't have any children back when I crosstitched that picture. To be honest, I would never have dreamed of having what I have now. But I was starting to feel like children were so sweet and cute and that perhaps I might want to get one of those one day. We even treated some of our friend's kids to places like the Aquarium and Chucky Cheese.

Eventually, he got me a lab mix puppy.

Six months later, God blessed us with Baby #1.

Two years later, with Baby #2.





Two an a half years later with Baby #3.


23 months later with Baby #4.



And 22 months later with Baby #5.

I can't wait for Baby #6 - She should arrive anytime now!

According to my friend..I'm not into ♥'s this Valentine Season. (Our Week in Review)

I can't believe how quickly this week has gone by! Maybe I was productive, because I don't have a dry load of laundry waiting for me to fold and put away right now.

Around the House: We did the basics. While school is in session around here, that's about all we get done. (Specially, if I'm pregnant.)
Today, I had a prenatal visit and the glucouse test. I got to see the baby in the 4D ultrasound. She's got chubby cheeks and weighs 3lbs. 10 oz. according to the ultrasound measurements. I've gained about 25lbs. Could this be why I'm seemingly hungry every few hours?
I had enough bread to get me by till this weekend. I should be making bread this Saturday.

School: 5 yr. old-

• In Math this week we have been working on simple addition, and decimal street. She's getting better at recognizing the difference between the units(ones) and the tens. Also, worked on the hundreds.
• In reading, she has been reading from her HOP reader and reviewing her phonograms. Her new sounds this week are: ew, tch, oy, oi, ph. We review all her sounds almost every day and she's starting to pick them out in words she notices around and about.
• For music this week, she has began to teach herself Rocky Top and continues to practice the other songs she can play by ear. She also made up her own little song that she plays with different complimenting notes, hands together.

8 yr. old-

• In Math, we are learning to skip count by 12's learning to calculate inches by feet. Working on subtraction facts/addition. In Math U See, working on Magic Squares and area. Reviewed random skip counting from multiplication 2's-10's.
• L.A. Reviewed past memorized poems, four types of sentences. Worked on direct and indirect quotations, narration/dictation, adjectives.
• In music, didn't practice too much and picked a different song for a Fiddle Competition.

10 yr. old-

• We did much better this week because I got my act together and corrected each math lesson that day and so he made corrections that same day. Introduced multiple-digit multiplication (ex. 23x42=).
• L.A we are working on newspapers. Pulled out our handy dandy typewritter. Would you believe the ink still worked? It did. And they typed away. They have been playing with it and decided they would be reporters. We're covering research on Ben Franklin and Peter Zenger's involvement in the printing of newspapers. Worked on odd verbs. Copied poem to a poem format, typed, and printed out to mail to River of Words Poetry Contest. Worked on vocabulary definitions and their parts in speech. Also worked on contractions and possesive pronouns, which he has trouble on.
• In Music, he also didn't practice much this week and needs to spend good practice time to prepare well for recital. (I'm not sure why they didn't practice much?? Maybe it was the weather. It was just so nice outside.)

In Science and Social Studies-(Dear friend says I should post pictures and tell you how I'm not into hearts but more into brains.)

We began our study about the brain this week. We read about the five senses, traced the brain and labeled it, and dissected a cow's brain. We also disscussed which parts do what and a few things that hinder us from solving problems.

Here's a few of their speculations during our dissection: (Which involved me cutting the brain in half and showing them the two hemispheres. Letting them touch the cerebrum, cerebellum, and medula. They were to take notice of the different texture for the 3 different parts.)

"Is that what our brain really looks like?"
"Is it really that soft?"

I was amazed at how little a cow's brain is. Also the cerebellum is small and it took me a while to recognize it since I was looking for something about half the size of the cerebrum. Instead it was about 1/5 of the size of the cerebrum. I thought this would be a really queazy project, but it turned out that it didn't bother me any more than dealing with the liver, gizzards, stew meat from a turkey or beef cut.

Was it worth it? Definitely. The children were amazed and the safety issue of how important it is for them to care for their head really hit home. This is one memory that won't be forgotten. Sadly, I couldn't get any pictures because I was having trouble charging my camera.

Well, there you have it. A whole week in review. I forgot to mention that our Bible lesson covered Achan's sin and Israel's battle with the city of Ai. God isn't mocked, and sin seriously separates us from Him. Perhaps our study wanted us to think a little more on premeditated sin. What do you think?

Hope you have a very nice Happy Valentine's Day. ♥♥♥

A Big Thought on Music and Prose

Here's a little bit of something to chew on....

"Lord, what music hast thou provided for thy saints in heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on earth....."

~Walton

The Sounds of Music

I live in a world full of sounds of music to my ears.
The melodies come quickly releasing feelings I can hear.
It is the sound that keeps me thinking,
The melodious waves that capture more than just a tune.
It is as if my brain is drawn upon the moving words.
As if my heart can hear beyond its orchestrated chords.

I see it now, reflected more within my offspring
For she hears it too.
The echoes float within her,
And desperately escape her soul.
Perhaps, if harnessed better,
Hers will produce a wonderful work.
One that will glorify God and cause Him to say,
“It is good.”


This is dedicated to my first daughter.

With Love,

Shakespeare

8 yr. old asks 10 yr. old, as we hurriedly walk down the hall at church, trying to get to the sanctuary on time.
"Do you know why Shakespeare was so intense?"

This (a bit) stressed mother wonders, "Why?"

He responds with, "Because he drank too much coffee."

I thought I'd better get that down before I forget.

Revisiting Samuel

Tonight my 8 yr. old asked me a question.
He asked, "How do you know it is God talking to you about getting saved? What if I only want to get saved because I don't want to go to hell, but it's me and not God speaking to me?"

This is a deep question. It's deep because I don't know all the answers to it. And the answers I have may not be the ones needed. It's deep because I truly want the children to go to God looking for the Saviour. I also don't want to get in the way. I could jump at the opportunity, but it would be I jumping and not him. I want it to be their moment with God. Their decision. Their act of faith and their start of a relationship with Almighty God. If God is visiting his heart, then God is dealing with him and therefore knows better than I how to deal with him as an individual.

He wanted to talk about God, salvation, and about his soul. So we talked.

This has been our prayer over the years. That their heart would be tender to hear God. That they would begin to seek the Saviour because they begin to sense the need for Him. That there would be a concern for their soul.

Samuel was a child when God visited Him. He didn't recognize the voice of God.
I have tender thoughts about this account. Perhaps because it is such a beautiful picture of the grace and love of God.
Eli, who was not in the will of God, directed Samuel to go back and lay down, but he told him that if he was called again he should answer, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." God called again, and Samuel answered.

He and I took a little, private time to pray tonight. I prayed out loud for God to keep his heart tender to his dealings. And that if He was drawing him to get saved, that God would give him assurance and faith to believe in Him and trust Him.
He prayed that God would help him and he prayed that God would let him know whether it was His calling to Him he was sensing through out his day. My heart wanted to pour buckets of tears out to think of God's faithfulness to deal with my children, but I saved them.

Maybe God will keep calling, and my son will answer. This is what I'm going to pray about tonight. Those tears a better spent alone with God.

Celebrating a very Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my hubby's birthday. The children were so excited they made sure to let him know.

They waited anxiously, undecided whether to turn the lights on or off for their surprise.

They really wanted to have a hot dog roast with lots of ketchup, chips, cake and marshmallows over a patio fire, but I finally convinced them that it was too cold for the outdoors.

They helped set the table, and dinner was set and ready as he walked through the door. Instead of the roast, we had Jalapeno Chicken over rice, biscuits and dessert!

10yr. old played the piano and we all sang Happy Birthday. Then he blew out his candle and we all sat down for dinner.

Daddy loves banana pudding so I made him a banana cream trifle. (Same thing ,except I made the cake in a larger pan than normal, added peanutbutter chips and chocolate chips. When cooled, I cut it into small cubes and replaced this for the vanilla wafers. )

I think he was surprised and touched by it all.

Who was that pesky thief?

It seems someone has stolen my 9yr. old's bike! The children have been leaving their bikes out in the front lawn lately and yesterday when he went to go ride it before we went out, it was gone.
I know how shocked he felt. When we lived in a big city many years ago, before we had children, someone stole our van, not once-but twice! When I was a little older than my son, I had what I thought was a good friend, steal something of value from me. Turns out I found it among her things a couple weeks later.

Satan is like that. He tries to steal our joy, and he tries to steal our peace. He tries to take something that doesn't rightfully belong to him for all the wrong reasons.
Our son went looking for his bike yesterday but didn't see it anywhere. Sometimes we look for our joy but it seems no where to be found. I've always felt that if someone stole from me, perhaps they needed it more than I did. Though, that doesn't replace the wheels of a bike, van, or something of value. It does bring you to see that God knows who the pesky thief was. He knows their heart and motives. He knows the enemy of our soul, too. He knows when he is out on the prowl.

Should we hold on tight to our earthly possessions so the thief won't take any more? I think you should be a good steward of what God has given you and take care of them.(That's why the rest of the kids put their bikes in the backyard after that.) Should we fret that the enemy is getting under our skin trying to steal our joy? Scripture tells us to take our cares to Jesus who cares for us. He tells us to be still and wait on God. He reminds us that it is He who will make us strong. We are no match for the enemy, and who does he think is in charge around here anyway? Does he not know that there is not one hair on your head that falls that God doesn't know about? Scripture tells us that we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) So he is just a tool in the Master's hand. A tool he plans to use to sharpen our focus, strengthen our heart, and brings us closer to His care.

So next time you feel like a thief is lurking around. Take guard -and tell the Master.

By the way, after I read this to my sons, the 9yr.old reminded me that their Daddy told them it is every sparrow that falls that God knows about, and that He knows every hair on your head.
So I stand to be corrected, I think. ♥♥

A little something about the Christmas spirit.

Christmas will soon be here and the retail stores make sure to have a jolly Christmas spirit. The thought of how to approach Christmas was never something I really dwelled on very much until I had children.

How does one present Christmas to them? Should we continue the tradition of Santa Claus the fairytale, the theme that Christmas is a happy one if one gets several presents, and perhaps that one should have good will to all during this festive season? I'm not being sarcastic. I'm serious.
These are questions I started to seriously consider. How was I to raise them to honor God during this holiday and yet build wonderful thoughts and memories about what Christmas really meant?

I started out with the easiest one for me. I ditched Santa right from the start. As a matter of fact, my kids call him Jingle Bells because the little ones forget his well-known name to this day. (Though we have respect for the original man called Nicholas.) I decided he was not going to get one ounce of glory from us, since he had nothing to do with salvation.

The others have not been so easy to deal with though. The hardest would have to be the great emphasis on presents. God the Father gave His utmost gift to us by letting His Son become man for us that He would save us. Jesus gave His life willingly. He forgave willingly. He gave up His home on high willingly. I've often thought that when they get older, I would like to begin taking them to places like orphanages/children's homes or soup kitchens to help on or during the Christmas season. I want them to see that Jesus came to serve, not to be served. That Christmas if celebrated correctly should be a time to demostrate His love through us. All this said, we've kept the gifts to a minimum of 1-3 presents per child, some years slightly more and some years less. We try to get them something they like and something they need. This is hard to do sometimes because I think of the nice things that I could give them. But it grieves my heart to think that they'll grow up and leave Jesus on the side as a religious afterthought compared to Santa, presents, etc.

Christmas music plays in our home any time of the year. It really does. It could be April or September and you might just hear it were you to call me or visit. During this time, the children love to take the manger out and position the pieces just as if they were setting up the stage for that great day long ago. We listen to Adventures in Odyssey's episodes about Christmas. We go and visit churches that have excellent Christmas plays about the birth of Christ. One year the children participated in the Best Christmas Pageant Ever production in our town. I want them to remember us remembering Jesus. I want them to desire Him like the faithful did long ago in that little town of Bethlehem. I want them to look for and find the Messiah . To seek Him out. I want them to see what I see and hear what I hear, and many others like me. To look into the eyes of the Saviour, and forever be changed.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. Let this be your guide in making Christmas a wonderful season to remember.

Clippings

Clip..Clip..Clip..Clip..Clip....100+ clips. Can you guess what all the clipping is?

Funny thing is I have never been clipping and had someone reading Hank the CowDog while it was going on.

"Hey, Mom. That's getting close to the quick."

"What are you doing now?"

"Ouch"

"Are you almost done?"

Hank the Cowdog must have been good because he was laughing every once in a while.

Dear Journal Letter (cheese...violin, math)

Dear Journal,

I thought I'd write personally today. My mind has been in a lot of places but lately I've had it stuck between the pages of a book about cheese. How I get myself involved in these things I'll never know, but the desire to learn to make cheese has surfaced off and on for a few months now. You would think with all I have to get done and all I don't get accomplished that I would stick to the task at hand, but nooooo...not me. The thought of trying something so pioneering just thrills me sometimes and then there are other times when it makes my head spin. Then it hit me today at co-op as we were learning to weave like the Navajo Indians, "What are you thinking trying to learn to make cheese when you haven't even worked on your crocheting since when, August??" My mind reasons this out by interrupting and saying, "Hello...if I always waited till everything was complete, I'd never go anywhere or do anything."


My 7 yr. old has a nice Christmas Beginner Group performance at the Mall in December. He just started playing the violin in April and is doing good except for:

• His practice time is short(about 15-20 min.)


• He's been practicing playing most of the C sharps like C naturals, and doesn't practice pulling the bow out far enough.


• One more thing, he hasn't been playing the 1/2 notes long enough. He's been playing them like quarter notes.

With all this said, it has come time for me to step in and make sure that he practices a little better by being present and attentive during his practice sessions. It took two consecutive (1hr)sessions to make a lot of progress so far. While I was making dinner, he mentioned how he should probably quit because he couldn't imagine spending that much time every practice.

"Think about it hard and let me know by Thursday. You can let your teacher know then." (gulp..)

Practice took 40 minutes last night. He paid close attention to the C sharps and the half notes so they didn't have to be repeated as much. Half way thru, he was giddy with joy that he had improved so much. At the end of the session, he told me he couldn't quit now. All I could do is be proud.

Math has been going really well at our house. I just love that Saxon 54. I'm sure it's not for everyone, but I really like it. It has done a great job helping me teach the 9yr. old and I love the progress we have made. Maybe it is because we do a very untraditional program like Miquon at the beginning. Maybe it's because I floundered around remembering math with my first son and things are just falling into place now. I'm not sure, but all I can say is that we seem to have found some happy ground that is very stable and secure in Saxon's middle school series. Not to mention, how much Math U See has helped us round out the Miquon progress and move smoothly along with the others right behind. I now have good feelings about what I'm going to do with the others.

Well Journal, I must bid you farewell. I need to get ready to make dinner. I would like to make Chicken and Dumplings tonight.





Linda

More Conversations...

9yr. old walked into the kitchen as he was taking a 3-5 minute break into piano practice....

"I've been thinking about what John saw in Revelation."

Now, I can't quite sent him trotting off to continue practice when he says this, can I?

"Those streets of gold were made of such pure gold. Why we wouldn't really understand how pure they are. They don't have any minerals mixed in with it or anything! And another thing, if God makes His streets of gold then He must not think gold is very important. I mean we use tar to make our streets!"

This is the mind of a child. He has been thinking about Heaven and what John saw. Perhaps he'll catch a vision of that glorious place. Perhaps, he'll remember the words of Christ as he warned about not setting our affections on things below but on things above. Maybe, he'll get a deep desire to go there.

It seems that Christ knew that it would be easy to set our affections on things below. I was walking through the grocery store the other day and the thought crossed my mind about another depression. How would we handle such a thing? It wouldn't be easy for anyone, but it would be much harder for those whose affections were on things below. It would be much harder on those who lived at one time very well off. It would be an adjustment to all, but those that don't have much, don't have much to miss. Those that are rich and do not live in moderation would have a lot to get use to.

My little boy's vision of Heaven.... I hope it grows and that the Spirit of God nourishes it.
A vision of Heaven will cause us to want to be pilgrims, looking for a city whose builder and maker is God.

Remember Monday.

We started school on Monday. If it wasn't because 9yr. old took almost an hour doing math, because a grieving relative stopped by, and we had to go to P.E. class when we were already behind schedule we would have done pretty good. By the time the day was over I felt like I had been clearly brought back to the reality of homeschooling several children. Summer break is definitely over and it was blissfully sweet.

Take note of homeschooling hazards:
Delays, Interruptions - be it the phone or visitors, and too many activities.

One good thing from our school was our Bible lesson though. We take our Bible lessons from the Weaver curriculum. Sometimes I can say these are way too deep and more than I want to keeping it simple, but it has also been a good source to stir the fire and many good lessons have come forth from our Bible time.

Monday was just that.

We have covered all the way to the children of Israel receiving the law and some of their wanderings in the wilderness. We are beginning again at the passing of leadership to Joshua and so we reviewed a little....

Why did the children of Israel not enter the promise land? They didn't enter because of unbelief. Unbelief led them to forget God.

They forgot God!
They forgot He was there when they murmured and sinned. They forgot that He cared. They forgot all the wonderful things He had done for them. They woke up in the morning and didn't think about God. They went through their day and he wasn't on their mind. They lived year in and year out and He was just part of their heritage. The law.

Today we reviewed and God so lovingly had a simple child's book make the point.
One of the lines to a song within the pages said,

It's a long time that I'll love you,
Never, Never go away.

Can you hear God's heart?

I sang this song to them and then the words just came....
(Do you know why I think they forgot God?
Because they didn't love Him. There was no love to keep Him in their heart. )

"I love you so much. How could I ever forget you? I couldn't.
I love God too and I can't forget Him either, but if I stop loving Him, then I'll forget Him and you will too. He'll become an afterthought.
I'll forget all the wonderful things He has done for me."

I don't ever want to forget God.

The womb, a cry, and Hannah.

I've been thinking about Hannah today. You know the Hannah I'm talking about don't you? Hannah from the Bible, the mother of Samuel the prophet.

Her womb was closed up and she could not conceive. This greatly bothered Hannah and when they went to the temple she cried out to God. This wasn't quiet crying. It couldn't have been. Eli the priest wouldn't have thought she was drunk and making a spectacle of herself in the temple if it was quiet and unnoticeable.

She was crying!
There are different kinds of crying for me. There's the kind that comes from a sad story or a movie like "Mother of Mine." There's the kind that is mixed with laughter from doing something so accidental as to run into a guy wire and messing up your front bumper. And then there's the kind that reaches into your soul and cries from sorrow. Cries and the tears just run, cries and your heart voicelessly reaches out.. . Hannah cried, and God heard her.

Her womb was open.
Does God give us children as gifts, as arrows? Does He open the womb for some and keep other women's wombs closed? He is the Giver of Life. Was it their lack of scientific knowledge that led the women of Hannah's day to believe that God had closed their womb? Or was is perhaps a closer knowledge to truth and faith that openly disclosed this info? To have a womb that won't give forth fruit- I think this is why many a woman today will opt for adoption.

When God answered her prayer her womb became fruitful. It became a womb that gave forth little Samuel. What fruit has come forth from my womb? Will any of the children have a heart like Samuel? Will they cry out, "Speak my Lord, for thy servant heareth," even in their lack of knowing His voice.
Will they cry out?

Little fingers, little toes

Planned ahead by the Master.

Useful vessels here below-

Oh, to be a Mother.

Looking thru the Eyes of a Girl...

I've had many thoughts this week.

There's a new book on my sidebar called NEW FOUND LAND by Allan Wolf. To be self sufficient is a great thing. One that many couldn't fathom. But so is having present conveniences. These people back in Lewis & Clark's day knew what the word work meant. I know very little of that kind of life when it comes to work, yet these people knew so much more about survival, of excellence, of life.

There's excitement in our household as we prepare to go camping. We're going tent camping with family at a mountain about 2hrs away, and then going blueberry picking the next day.

5yr old asks, "Are there bears out there in the woods?"

"There could be." I reply.

"Do bears eat meat?"

"Yes."

"I don't know that I want to go camping on the mountain."

"Are there snakes out there?"

3yr. old says, "I don't like snakes."

The Lowlights and the Highlights..small view into God's view

Yesterday and the day before's lowlights:

• Wiped up several pee spills from the 3yr. old who has been potty trained for over a year now,but is boycotting going to the potty by herself from either fear of ants she encountered last year while we were remodeling our bathroom, or just plain stubbornness.
• Wiped up lots of salt and pepper from 1 yr. old who can't seem to stay off the table or out of mischief.
• Patched up living room chair which 3 yr. old punctured hole in with only the Lord knows what.
• Propped up radio antenna which 7yr. old accidentally broke off.
• 3yr old's elbow popped out of joint again.(2nd time)

The highlights:

• I had enough Chocolate Malt-a-Meal w/marshmallows for everyone to have a bowl for breakfast. (six bowls)
• We went to the Library's Summer Reading Program and watched the Mad Scientist perform some neat experiments to show gravity, centrifugal force, and what you can do with dry ice.
• Cleared hallway where I had several bins of clothes waiting to be taken downstairs to the basement.
• I had fresh pineapple brought back by a friend from Hawaii, 1/4 c. of sweetened condensed milk(I loved this stuff when I was little.) And later, a cup of Butter Pecan Ice Cream.
• I got my bread done for the next week in a half. (five loaves)
• 3yr. old's elbow is OK now.
• Best of all, today is my 3rd born's birthday. She's 5 today.

So what did I glean from all this?

Well, I was not a happy camper when I saw the hole on the furniture. I didn't enjoy one bit watching the 3yr. old just stand there and pee all over the kitchen floor, and I definitely was having a frustrating day with all the wipe ups I had to keep up with from the 1 yr. old. I mentioned the highlights because I don't want to be ungrateful for all my blessings throughout the days. Then it hit me.

As I went over my frustration and disappointment, I stepped back and viewed the children for what they are. Children. Left to themselves, they are helpless.

This must be how God looks at us. We are at times disobedient, stubborn, fearful, destructive and yet he loves us for what we are. His creation, some even His own. He has sympathy/empathy, tender mercies, and wants the best for us.

I had a much better day today. I think it was because I was looking at them through a different view.

More about Posterity

We had a family photo taken yesterday evening! This was truly a step forward for us because we haven't had an official photo(as in a studio sitting) since the 9 yr. old was 2. I have to say I can't wait to get my pictures and give them to our family and good friends. I've looked at the proof they give you with a pick up date I don't know how many times. I look at it and think, "That's my family." I can't express the feelings that well up within me as I think of my posterity. I've thought of the children being 17, 15, 13, 11, 9..... About them calling me Momma, Mommy, Mom.. Of them running up and down the stairs as the years come and go. About them filling up my house and loving their home. God has been so gracious to give us an appreciation and understanding for what a family is to represent. He has been so kind to bring many joys along with strength in the effort of raising the children.

A few days ago, as I was listening to my girls play in their bedroom while I checked emails, I noticed the rough tone the very soon to be 5yr. old used as she played Mommy.
She was definitely being a mean Mommy. The thought that went through my mind was,
"Am I mean spirited when I correct her? Has she learned roughness from me?"
I must admit that I can be hard in correction and there have been many a days when I have apologized to the children for not being patient or kind.
I want them to be gentle in their spirit.

Parenting really isn't for cowards though, because there have been days when I would have rather let them get by with things, but deep inside I know they need discipline, guidance, training, love, time, companionship, forgiveness, mercy, grace..... All these things from a couple who didn't get an instruction manual except the Bible and had no idea what God has had in store for them. But God has seen fit to place them in our care and for that I am so humbled and thankful.

Looking at the proof once again brings a huge smile to my face, perhaps because it is mixed with all kinds of other emotions. But I wouldn't take any of them back for all the time in the world.

Curriculum latest, school is over, and birthday news.

The school year is over for us and so are the curriculum sales in this area. I have sold and bought and have been getting a few things I didn't find. I must say this is my favorite time of year and as we drew to a close, my children rewarded me with the question,
"Since school is over can we still read and talk about our history?"

Today I signed them up for the Library Summer reading program. Our library has a wonderful reading program with special guests each week to perform, read, encourage, and delight. We are sure to visit every week this summer.

In other news...2yr. old turned 3. My baby is growing up!! The sun is taking its toll on her and she's quickly going to pass me up in shades of tan. She looks like me, which is odd because they tend to look more like their daddy. The resemblance gives me a weird feeling.

So what kind of goodies did I get for the coming year:

*For Instruction in Righteousness

*Saxon 54 (for the 4Th grader)

*Learning At Home by Ann Ward Pre K- Kindergarten (I use to have this but I sold it, and now I think I'll use it again and found it for an outstanding price!)

*All the Miquon I'll need for child #3 and child #4 (thanks to my friend who kept an eye out for me)

*Story of the World Vol 2 (for our library)

...and several other things.

I'll be starting Weaver Vol. 3 . This is a real accomplishment for me because it seemed like something that would take forever to get to. Time is flying and my two boys have finished well and will begin next school calendar as a 2ND grader and a 4Th grader, not to mention my little 5yr. old who will start Kindergarten.
I can say from my heart that I have enjoyed homeschooling the children. It has been an adventure for all of us that I have not regretted. Now, all I have to do is weather the summer months. We're not going to do much. :o)

Playtime Reminders

7 yr. old says
"I'm going to ride my bike. Let's pretend it's my horse. OK?"
"The Piggies are coming! The Piggies are coming!" (Can you hear the giggles?)
"The British are coming! The British are coming!"
All this is going on while I'm trying to make dinner, and I can see and hear most of it out our kitchen bay window. Minutes later, the girls have the baby in a wagon sucking on lollipops as the carriage boy pulls them along.

These are those kind of moments that you want to hold onto forever. Minutes that you don't want to pass away. It must be their smiles that have captured my heart. Something about their innocence and not so, that brings tenderness to their cry.
-But I'm getting sidetracked here because my blog tonight was suppose to be about playtime. What was it that I was thinking about concerning playtime? I was thinking about how that their thoughts pour out into their play. Can you tell mine had been thinking about the Revolutionary War? We read an early reader today called Sybil Ludington's Midnight Ride. It was a very good book. The pictures were just right for all of them and even the 4 yr. old was caught up in the story. We have really enjoyed this time period in history. From the bravery and humble heart of George Washington to the unbelievable betrayal of Benedict Arnold. And it thrills my heart to think it is pouring out into their playtime.

There are many lessons to be learned from children, and I have only begun to scratch the surface on some of them. Playtime....a very good reminder of what our children are digesting.