A Time For Every Season....

 Gabe had his first day of preschool yesterday. Gabe was very shy, then his teacher commented on his cool lunchbox and he went right in. He then snuck back out to give brother and sister a big hug and kiss. I love this boy of mine!  Gabe was missed! I missed his humor and crazy antics. So did his brother and sister!  Drew met his teacher on Tuesday - his first day of Venture is on Thursday. His teacher. Mrs. Ness,  is from Oregon! Drew also has a Science, Spanish, Bible and Drama teacher which he will visit throughout his Thursday's. Such fun - I'm excited for Drew. His first science class unit is on insects! One cool plus - there is a Starbucks next door! A match made in heaven!

Drew asked me this morning as we were driving Gabe to his first day of Pre-school, "Momma - Is heaven falling out of the sky? "What?" I exclaimed "Heaven, momma, its falling!" I looked over and right in front of us the clouds had thinned and the sun's rays were shining through the clouds and it looked glorious. The sky was picture perfect for "something like heaven" to fall right through. The Son in all His Majesty was bringing joy to our morning drive. The heaven falling conversation lead segment into how everyday we should  be living in Advent of Jesus' return to earth. He will descend with all Glory - coming with all the saints to  bring his children home! I hope I'm alive on that day, but either way I know I won't miss it! As I'm working through Revelation in my quiet time I am just in Awe! I've spent 2 weeks just on chapter 1. I am in awe of Jesus - Revelation is the only book to reveal Christ in fu...

I never had a brother, never knew what life was like to have older siblings. I am so blessed that God gave me little  Gabe - exuberant and full of life. Gabe and Abby have a bond that is inseparable! They have been soul mates from the moment Abby and Gabe met - at 7 days old. Gabe loved to hold his sister, where as Drew was too busy. Gabe always told me when she cried or brought me diapers to change her. Even now, Gabe always has to know where Abby is, if we're in the store and she is trailing behind he has a melt down if  I get too far ahead of her. Gabe will always run back to her and grab her hand - pulling her so fast that she falls over! I love this little man and his divine love for his sister. What a blessed mother I am to have children who are best friends. My dear  Gabe, What a blessing you are to me! Tonight I watched you listen so closely to your older brother talk, then look over and  help Abby with her food. You are the only one of my 3 ...

Little Abby looks so cute in pigtails -too bad she takes them out when I'm not looking - every time! I snapped this picture on Sunday and when I was editing noticed that Gabe is growing up - even with PB&J on his face! Loved this funny picture of Gabe and his sissy. Gabe just adores Abby - I love that! Sniff - the book club gals just left - we had such a great group of ladies and we all learned so much about becoming the mothers God designed us to be. Our book, Mission To Motherhood has ended and summer is now officially over on my calendar. I'm sad that my special girl nights are over for a while. I was so encouraged by all their insights and struggles and honesty. Sometimes you just need other mom's who are right there in the battle with you - they help you not feel so alone. I'll miss these special ladies nights - but I'm so glad I get to see them all during the week! Next big thing on my "to do list" of fun adventure...

Drew the crazy 1st Grader! In Texas, today was the first day of school for most children. There were buses on the roads, children anxious to get out of the heat, and teachers nervous to meet their new children. In our  home my husband was back to work and the boys Nana was blessed to teach 19 First Graders!  It was an exciting day! We have been back in "school" for a few weeks, but I thought it would be fun to share what our school actually looked like today. We have a lot of random times with regular stops for reading and writing. Gabe - my Preschooler! Momma woke up and hit the gym, then did a little quiet study of her own before all the family woke up. She drank a nice warm cup of bold Kona coffee and enjoyed the scents of a lavender candle. John headed off to work  and the little pitter patters of feet about 8:00 am broke the silence and a new day began! We had breakfast and Bible time and then today was cleaning day! Every other Monday we try ...

As I was headed  home from the gym this morning I listened to KCBI radio pray for our children's first day back at school (Thank you!). They prayed against jitters and bullies and energy for teachers. I stopped at a stop sign and it hit me - my son is a 1st grader, but he isn't going to a traditional 1st grade and I can't imagine my life any other way? I turned off the radio and just listened to the silence, the peace as my soul rejoiced. I always thought that homeschooling would be hard, it wasn't my gift and a million other fears I've struggled with over the last year plagued me. But today, the Lord gentle confirmed to me that we're right where God wants our family. This school at home life is  best for us. It is worth it. I never knew if I would get to this place? I always thought that sending my kids away to school seemed unnatural, yet when I would have a rough day,  I would dream about how much free time I would have if my children went off to ...

On Tuesday we evacuated the house and went with a friend to look for fossils. I thought is would be a great opportunity to jump into our 2011-2012 Nature Journal. Funny thing  was that thanks to the rainstorm from last week, the creek was now full of water - which made it all the more fun! So, here is a sample of what our nature journal's consist of. First, Every good nature study begins with a tree to climb!   Then you go exploring and see what kind of critters you can find. Then you do some more exploring using your senses: What do I see? What do I hear?   Of course you have to get wet! Everyone participates! Then we pretend we are beavers and make a beaver dam and search for fossils and turtles. Then we go home and read about the critters we discovered - like a brown turtle and some shells. Then we draw a picture about something we saw in nature - like a lizard (which we read about today...

I just love it when my kids want to learn! I actually told John that "they won't stop learning, they keep asking to do phonics or math or writing, or nature journals or Cheetah facts.  Who are these children and what happened in the last  few weeks?" I know it is a phase soon to pass, but for now I'm trying to fill their little minds with all the information they can process. Here are a few things we "accidentally" did this summer to encourage their recent hump in learning: 1. We took some great week long breaks this summer and just played - with Lego's and blocks and read books and played outside (when it wasn't over 100!). Not that we don't normally, but this summer we had huge gaps of time to just do "nothing." The boys became rather bored and were forced to create their own fun - with blankets and pillows and friends next door.  The time the boys spent "playing" actually opened their minds to retain more in...

John arrived home safely on Saturday! He is oh so very tired and his car battery is dead from all this heat, but he is home and smiling! Oh, John had a wonderful time in Vietnam. He has so many adventures to share, some are still coming since he has  been very tired the past two days. Overall John was super pleased with the conference, he was inspired and in awe of the love the parents and administrators have for these special children. The only things lacking is knowledge, which he and his team so graciously offered. Over the  two weeks they established many relationships and encouraged so many caregivers. I asked John what stood out to him the most and he said it was the teaching he was able to do. The Vietnamese were so attentive, writing down every word he said - very humbling. His talk took on a life of its own each time he presented, the beginning talk was very "to the text" but as he talked with more people the more...

Today I hit the bottom - I reached the end of my patience and it was so embarrassing. It was one of those times when I knew it was coming - it had been creeping up for the last 4 days and I just wasn't sure what to do about it.  I just needed time to  breath, think without kids, spend some quality time talking to my sweet husband and maybe throw in a nap? So my story begins two weeks ago when my sweet, loving husband left for an adventure in Vietnam. He arrived home Saturday and I was so excited to finally get him home. I had cleaned the house, done all the laundry and dishes and was excited to get my love tank filled with some quality time. After all, I'd had 12 days of caring for kids and the house and very few adult conversations. To say I was running on fumes would be an understatement. After 1 hour in traffic, an extra 15 mile detour, I finally arrived at the airport and picked up my man! John was very tired and feeling a little sick from 24 hours of travel. He di...

Its too hot to even step foot outside, the kids are cranky and tired of being indoors. So, in order to keep Abby happy while I made dinner, she enjoyed some cool water time in the sink -- kitchen sink! She really enjoyed the ice creak scoop. tongs, and pouring water from cup to cup. Funny how much fun a little water on a hot day can bring - I'm especially grateful that it gave me 45 minutes of peace to cook dinner!

I was asked by our team a few weeks back if, "my husband is the same man today that he was when I married him?" Without any hesitation I replied "Nope, not even close."  God has done a number on this man,  I wish I could claim even an ounce of credit, but truly is wasn't until I backed off and dealt with my own ugly sin that God moved in to work on his heart.  I am a blessed, so blessed woman to be married to such a man. He was awesome on the day we said "I do!" I truly couldn't have imagined him any better. God did a spiritual work in his life and worked on his heart. God worked on his holiness. God worked on my holiness. God changed us both to look more like Himself.  I remember a time early in our marriage when things were not so holy and my own sin got in the way of God's workmanship. At the bottom I looked up and read 1 Peter 3:4 " let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and qui...