We had a busy weekend. We had a garage sale Friday and Saturday. It was SO hot. It got up to 101 degrees. Ended up being too hot for a sale. It wasn't as successful as other's we'd had but still good to get rid of things.
Saturday I went with a friend to attend our friend's funeral. It was a very emotional day. If you think of it, you can be praying for the Stutzman and Reece family. Our young friend, Suzie, passed away this past week. She and her husband Ryan have two little boys Gavin, age 7 and Jesse age 5. They are the same age as Bradley and the twins. Bradley went to Kindergarten with her son, Gavin. They are a sweet family.
I spent the evening with some girlfriends. It was a good ending to an emotional day.
Sunday we decided we wanted to do something extra special with the kids since we had such a busy week and this week Tom took a Friday, Saturday and Sunday shift at job #2. So, it'll be a busy week. After church we took the kids to Corvallis to a water park. It was SO much fun!! Last time we were there the twins were babies. Bradley didn't remember ever being there before. It was a special treat. It was a wonderful day!!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Wonderful Weekend Away
Tom and I had such a nice time away this past weekend. We left on Friday for a homeschool conference - curriculum fair and came back on Saturday evening. They had some really great speakers there and we walked away feeling very encouraged! We are so thankful to be on this path and it was neat to be around so many people that have the same passion about homeschooling. It's exciting! I was amazed at how many people I ran ito there that I know. There were over 1500 people that attended. I feel like I have a new excitement and passion for this next school year. We were able to find everything we needed for next fall and after some of it comes in the mail, we'll be ready. It's fun to look at everything again. I'm excited to get started again, but am enjoying the summer break very much.
Thank you to our friends for keeping the kiddos for us. It was the first time Tom and I had been away in 3 1/2 years so it was a special treat. The kids did great and had a fun time! Hallie even took a 3 hour nap for them on Saturday. She got to sleep in their daughter's Dora bed and Dora is her favorite. Much to our surprize, they had an extra Dora bed and Dora bedding and sent it home with us. So, she was thrilled about that! We took down her other bed and Tom put her Dora bed together and the boys decided they wanted to have a slumber party in Hallie's room. So, her's a "before bed" and "after bed" picture. Oh...aren't they sweet?
Thank you to our friends for keeping the kiddos for us. It was the first time Tom and I had been away in 3 1/2 years so it was a special treat. The kids did great and had a fun time! Hallie even took a 3 hour nap for them on Saturday. She got to sleep in their daughter's Dora bed and Dora is her favorite. Much to our surprize, they had an extra Dora bed and Dora bedding and sent it home with us. So, she was thrilled about that! We took down her other bed and Tom put her Dora bed together and the boys decided they wanted to have a slumber party in Hallie's room. So, her's a "before bed" and "after bed" picture. Oh...aren't they sweet?
Love these Moments
I went in my room the other day and found Bradley reading. I love those moments. I'm so glad he likes to read. He tells me it's his favorite subject!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Bees
We had a full day today. Our libary's summer program started today and we learned about bees. The kids loved it. Bradley and Ryan even held the bees. They were males and don't sting so they thought that was pretty neat. Tyler isn't fond of bees and wasn't too sure about holding them quite yet.
Then I took the kids to the dentist. All the boys had their teeth cleaned. They did great. They love going there. Everyone's teeth looked great and it was a great day.
Now, we're off to coach pitch practice.
Happy Day!!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Armor of God
I was reminded this week how when the Lord calls us to do something, He comes along beside us and helps us find our way. When I think back before our homeschool days, I know I was somewhat overwhelmed at the thought of taking it on. It was always in my heart to 'try' but part of me knew it'd be alot of work too. I was just telling Tom last week how I felt the Lord was wanting me to search out some Character Building curriculum to add into our routine next year. I know we do alot of teaching w/o it really being planned but I really felt I was to find something that would be part of our regular schedule. We'll a couple days later I went to a used curriculum fair and wouldn't you know that the Lord placed some great things in front of me at that sale to use in our teaching. I found an actual Character Curriculum and some fun books that have to do with Character Traits and a great book for parents that I'm reading right now called "Children of Character" and it's really good! I'm finding more and more that with homeschooling it's ok if you don't know how to explain everything whether it be teaching them to read, math, science, history, anything, as long as you find the tools to help you do it. I was reassured through all of this that the Lord is walking with us as we homeschool and is putting just what we need and what He wants our kids to learn in our path. It's amazing!
Then Sunday, we were at the Dollar Store and Tom noticed there were some helmets, shields, and swords. He said, hey that would be great for teaching them about the Armor of God. So, we grabbed some for them. Yesterday I spent some time online looking for some fun ways to teach them about the Armor of God and wouldn't you know I found a whole unit study on the Armor of God. It was very age appropriate and it included a story that explained the Armor of God - where they could understand it - and it had all kind of color sheets and/or worksheets - one for each piece of Armor with the verse that went along with it printed on the page. They got to cut out different pieces of armor and glue it on a little guy, etc. It was amazing how the Lord put all that together for me. He provided the tools and all I had to do was follow through with it. The kids and I did about half of the study today and we'll finish the rest later this week. They loved it. Next they get to do a word search, crossword puzzle, unscramble the words etc all that have to to with the Armor of God.
After we finished what we worked on today I gave the kids their Armor and they had fun playing.
I put together a slide show and posted it. It should follow this post.
Enjoy....
Then Sunday, we were at the Dollar Store and Tom noticed there were some helmets, shields, and swords. He said, hey that would be great for teaching them about the Armor of God. So, we grabbed some for them. Yesterday I spent some time online looking for some fun ways to teach them about the Armor of God and wouldn't you know I found a whole unit study on the Armor of God. It was very age appropriate and it included a story that explained the Armor of God - where they could understand it - and it had all kind of color sheets and/or worksheets - one for each piece of Armor with the verse that went along with it printed on the page. They got to cut out different pieces of armor and glue it on a little guy, etc. It was amazing how the Lord put all that together for me. He provided the tools and all I had to do was follow through with it. The kids and I did about half of the study today and we'll finish the rest later this week. They loved it. Next they get to do a word search, crossword puzzle, unscramble the words etc all that have to to with the Armor of God.
After we finished what we worked on today I gave the kids their Armor and they had fun playing.
I put together a slide show and posted it. It should follow this post.
Enjoy....
Bradley's Daddy Date
Today was Bradley's turn for a Daddy date. He was very excited about it. He told me on Monday that he had three special days this week. Monday coach pitch practice, Tuesday Daddy date and Wednesday coach pitch practice. He sure is a sweet boy!!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Daddy Date
Today was Hallie's turn for her Daddy Date. She was telling me all morning, "Mommy, I'm excited for my Daddy Date today". I told her she got to decide where they went to lunch. I should have told her the options because she said, "I want to go to Chuck E Cheese". We'll seeing that Daddy is just on a lunch break they have to choose somewhere here in town. =) She told Tom she wanted to go to Quizno's. She's got her mommy's taste!
Practice with Daddy
Bradley was supposed to have coach pitch practice last night and it was cancelled. He was disappointed because he missed the first practice too because of all the kids being sick. He took it like a little trouper and looked forward to Daddy practicing with him when he got home from work that night.
I was in the house making dinner and giving the other three kids a bath and it was fun to glance out the window and see two more of my boys outside having fun. I love that picture of Daddy time.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
I Love my Family!!
I just have to say I Love My Family!! We had such a fun day together yesterday. I can't believe I forgot my camera, but still thought I'd share about it. Yesterday was the annual parade here in Lebanon and we went back and forth to whether we'd stay home and go to that or take a day trip to Eugene. We decided to go to Eugene. After the kids and I were cooped up in the house all week with all the kid's being sick, a trip away sounded really really good. =) There was a homeschool curriculum fair happening in Eugene that I was interested to see. The original plan was Tom was going to take the kids to the dollar theater in Eugene while I checked out the homeschool fair. But the more I got to thinking the more I wanted to be with them. So we decided we'd all go to everything. So, first we went to the homeschool fair and I have to say how proud I am of the kids. They did so good. I don't know why it sounds overwhelming sometimes to think about them having to come to something like that but I always walk away in awe of how well they do. Kids were welcome to come but no strollers were allowed in the book fair part - there's alot of tables set up and not a ton of room. Anyhow, they love books so they enjoyed it as much as I did. They had a nice used book fair and each of the kids managed to find books on their favorite subject - Bradley found some books about the weather, Ryan found some books about Whales and Sea Life, Tyler found some books about dinosaurs and Hallie found some Care Bear Books. It was perfect! Mommy found some great books to use for school too. It was So worth the trip. Then when we were almost done, my name was called as the winner of a drawing and I won a $10 gift certificate to any vendor's booth. So, we went back to look and find something in the vendors area. I wasn't planning to buy anything new, but I was able to find something I could use the certificate for. I found a great book about Dinosaurs - with a Biblical view. Most books on dinosaurs talk about them existing millions of years ago etc. and the kids know it's not true, but this looked like a great book that really explained about when they came into existence in the Bible. I'm excited to read it to the kids.
After the fair we went to the dollar movie and saw the Dr Seuss movie. It was so much fun. Hallie had seen it before on a Daddy date but the rest of us hadn't seen it yet. When it was over I told Bradley I had more fun watching them than the movie. He got so tickled several times through the movie and it was so fun to watch him laugh. They all thought it was really funny.
Chuck E Cheese is right next to the mall where we were so we went there for a late lunch and of course the kids had fun playing there.
We stopped by a produce store as we came back into town that we'd never noticed being there before and we bought a bunch of fruit and some veggies. We had some of the watermelon last night and it was SO Delicious!!
That was our day. By the time we got home and had some watermelon and gave the kids a bath they were very ready for bed. After a little storytime they all crashed pretty quickly.
It was a wonderful day!!
After the fair we went to the dollar movie and saw the Dr Seuss movie. It was so much fun. Hallie had seen it before on a Daddy date but the rest of us hadn't seen it yet. When it was over I told Bradley I had more fun watching them than the movie. He got so tickled several times through the movie and it was so fun to watch him laugh. They all thought it was really funny.
Chuck E Cheese is right next to the mall where we were so we went there for a late lunch and of course the kids had fun playing there.
We stopped by a produce store as we came back into town that we'd never noticed being there before and we bought a bunch of fruit and some veggies. We had some of the watermelon last night and it was SO Delicious!!
That was our day. By the time we got home and had some watermelon and gave the kids a bath they were very ready for bed. After a little storytime they all crashed pretty quickly.
It was a wonderful day!!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Prayer for our children
I found this great information on a friend of mine's blog. I had to share it. It's 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for your Children. I just love it. I printed it out and hung it up on our bathroom wall so every morning when Tom and/or I get up we can see it and remind ourselves some specific things to pray for our children. The way it's laid out with 31 thoughts, gives us one thing to pray for each day of the month. How fitting is that? We could do it over and over every month. What a blessing for our children. A great gift Grandparent's could give their Grandkids too is to also pray these things for them too. And could also be praying this for us as their parents too.
31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for your Children
1. Salvation. "Lord, let salvation spring up within mychildren, that they may obtain the salvation that is inChrist Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10).
2. Growth in grace. "I pray that my children may growin the grace and knowledge of our Lord and SaviorJesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
3. Love. "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to livea life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them"(Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2).
4. Honesty and integrity. "May integrity and honesty be theirvirtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21).
5. Self-control. "Father, help my children not to be likemany others around them, but let them be alert andself-controlled in all they do" (1 Thess. 5:6).
6. Love for God's Word. "May my children grow to find YourWord more precious than much pure gold and sweeterthan honey from the comb" (Ps. 19:10).
7. Justice. "God, help my children to love justice as You doand act justly in all they do" (Ps. 11:7, Mic. 6:8).
8. Mercy. "May my children always be merciful, just as theirFather is merciful" (Lk. 6:36).
9. Respect (for self, others, authority). "Father, grant that mychildren may show proper respect to everyone, as yourWord commands" (1 Pet. 2:17).
10. Biblical self-esteem. "Help my children develop a strong selfesteemthat is rooted in the realization that they are God'sworkmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10).
11. Faithfulness. "Let love and faithfulness never leave mychildren, but bind these twin virtues around their necksand write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Prov. 3:3).
12. Courage. "May my children always be strong and courageousin their character and in their actions" (Dt. 31:6).
13. Purity. "Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let thatpurity of heart be shown in their actions" (Ps. 51:10).
14. Kindness. "Lord, may my children always try to be kindto each other and to everyone else" (1 Thess. 5:15).15. Generosity. "Grant that my children may be generous andwilling to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves asa firm foundation for the coming age" (1 Tim. 6:18-19).
16. Peace-loving. "Father, let my children make every effortto do what leads to peace" (Rom. 14:19).
17. Joy. "May my children be filled with the joy given by theHoly Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6).
18. Perseverance. "Lord, teach my children perseverance inall they do, and help them especially to run with perseverancethe race marked out for them" (Heb. 12:1).
19. Humility. "God, please cultivate in my children the abilityto show true humility toward all" (Titus 3:2)
20. Compassion. "Lord, please clothe my children with thevirtue of compassion" (Col. 3:12).
21. Responsibility. "Grant that my children may learn responsibility,for each one should carry his own load" (Gal. 6:5).
22. Contentment. "Father, teach my children the secret ofbeing content in any and every situation, through Himwho gives them strength" (Phil. 4:12-13).
23. Faith. "I pray that faith will find root and grow in mychildren's hearts, that by faith they may gain what hasbeen promised to them" (Lk. 17:5-6, Heb. 11:1-40).
24. A servant's heart. "God, please help my children developservants' hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, asif they were serving the Lord, not men" (Eph. 6:7).
25. Hope. "May the God of hope grant that my children mayoverflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of theHoly Spirit" (Ro. 15:13).
26. Willingness and ability to work. "Teach my children, Lord,to value work and to work at it with all their heart, asworking for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23).
27. Passion for God. "Lord, please instill in my children a soulthat 'followeth hard after thee' (Ps. 63:8, KJV), one thatclings passionately to you."
28. Self-discipline. "Father, I pray that my children mayacquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what isright and just and fair" (Prov. 1:3).
29. Prayerfulness. "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives maybe marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to prayin the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayersand requests" (Eph. 6:18).
30. Gratitude. "Help my children to live lives that are alwaysoverflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanksto God the Father for everything, in the name of ourLord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20, Col. 2:7).
31. A heart for missions. "Lord, please help my children to developa desire to see your glory declared among the nations,your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Ps. 96:3).
Excerpted from Pray! Magazine issue #4. © 1998 BOB HOSTETLERTO SUBSCRIBE TO PRAY! MAGAZINE CALL 1-800-691-PRAYFor other prayer cards and resources, call 1-800-366-7788ISBN #1576839001www.praymag.com
1. Salvation. "Lord, let salvation spring up within mychildren, that they may obtain the salvation that is inChrist Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10).
2. Growth in grace. "I pray that my children may growin the grace and knowledge of our Lord and SaviorJesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).
3. Love. "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to livea life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them"(Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2).
4. Honesty and integrity. "May integrity and honesty be theirvirtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21).
5. Self-control. "Father, help my children not to be likemany others around them, but let them be alert andself-controlled in all they do" (1 Thess. 5:6).
6. Love for God's Word. "May my children grow to find YourWord more precious than much pure gold and sweeterthan honey from the comb" (Ps. 19:10).
7. Justice. "God, help my children to love justice as You doand act justly in all they do" (Ps. 11:7, Mic. 6:8).
8. Mercy. "May my children always be merciful, just as theirFather is merciful" (Lk. 6:36).
9. Respect (for self, others, authority). "Father, grant that mychildren may show proper respect to everyone, as yourWord commands" (1 Pet. 2:17).
10. Biblical self-esteem. "Help my children develop a strong selfesteemthat is rooted in the realization that they are God'sworkmanship, created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:10).
11. Faithfulness. "Let love and faithfulness never leave mychildren, but bind these twin virtues around their necksand write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Prov. 3:3).
12. Courage. "May my children always be strong and courageousin their character and in their actions" (Dt. 31:6).
13. Purity. "Create in them a pure heart, O God, and let thatpurity of heart be shown in their actions" (Ps. 51:10).
14. Kindness. "Lord, may my children always try to be kindto each other and to everyone else" (1 Thess. 5:15).15. Generosity. "Grant that my children may be generous andwilling to share, and so lay up treasure for themselves asa firm foundation for the coming age" (1 Tim. 6:18-19).
16. Peace-loving. "Father, let my children make every effortto do what leads to peace" (Rom. 14:19).
17. Joy. "May my children be filled with the joy given by theHoly Spirit" (1 Thess. 1:6).
18. Perseverance. "Lord, teach my children perseverance inall they do, and help them especially to run with perseverancethe race marked out for them" (Heb. 12:1).
19. Humility. "God, please cultivate in my children the abilityto show true humility toward all" (Titus 3:2)
20. Compassion. "Lord, please clothe my children with thevirtue of compassion" (Col. 3:12).
21. Responsibility. "Grant that my children may learn responsibility,for each one should carry his own load" (Gal. 6:5).
22. Contentment. "Father, teach my children the secret ofbeing content in any and every situation, through Himwho gives them strength" (Phil. 4:12-13).
23. Faith. "I pray that faith will find root and grow in mychildren's hearts, that by faith they may gain what hasbeen promised to them" (Lk. 17:5-6, Heb. 11:1-40).
24. A servant's heart. "God, please help my children developservants' hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, asif they were serving the Lord, not men" (Eph. 6:7).
25. Hope. "May the God of hope grant that my children mayoverflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of theHoly Spirit" (Ro. 15:13).
26. Willingness and ability to work. "Teach my children, Lord,to value work and to work at it with all their heart, asworking for the Lord, not for men" (Col. 3:23).
27. Passion for God. "Lord, please instill in my children a soulthat 'followeth hard after thee' (Ps. 63:8, KJV), one thatclings passionately to you."
28. Self-discipline. "Father, I pray that my children mayacquire a disciplined and prudent life, doing what isright and just and fair" (Prov. 1:3).
29. Prayerfulness. "Grant, Lord, that my children's lives maybe marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to prayin the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayersand requests" (Eph. 6:18).
30. Gratitude. "Help my children to live lives that are alwaysoverflowing with thankfulness and always giving thanksto God the Father for everything, in the name of ourLord Jesus Christ" (Eph. 5:20, Col. 2:7).
31. A heart for missions. "Lord, please help my children to developa desire to see your glory declared among the nations,your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Ps. 96:3).
Excerpted from Pray! Magazine issue #4. © 1998 BOB HOSTETLERTO SUBSCRIBE TO PRAY! MAGAZINE CALL 1-800-691-PRAYFor other prayer cards and resources, call 1-800-366-7788ISBN #1576839001www.praymag.com
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Let all the Children Come to Me...
The boys sing a song in their Sunday School class that says: "Let, Let, Let all the Children Come to Me, Come to Me" We'll Hallie's heard it just by staying with me for a bit to watch the boys in their class. Tonight I got her on video singing it. Too Cute!!
You can scroll down to the bottom of the page and hit the 'pause' button the music so you can hear her singing...
Special Daddy Time
Tom's been working alot lately with having two jobs now and we decided that it'd be good to set aside one day a week for one of the kids to have lunch with Daddy. Tuesday is the day we decided on. Today was Ryan's turn. As you can see by the sweet smile on his face, Ryan had a wonderful time!! Poor Hallie was heart broken. She cried and cried for Daddy when they left. Bradley being the empathic person that he is said, "Mommy, I think Hallie should have her turn next since she's having such a hard time with it". What a sweet boy he is!!
Today was Ryan and Tyler's first Tball Practice. They were VERY excited!! They did a great job and it's always very fun to watch. =)
Daddy's not going to be able to watch the boys play Tball this year because of work, so I'm going to take as much video as I can. Today I took each of the boys' first time up to bat. First is Tyler, then Ryan. Aren't they cute?? =) You can scroll down to the bottom of the screen and hit the pause button if you want to turn off the music.
A Priceless Moment
Tyler came in the family room to tell me he had a couple blisters on his feet. I gave Bradley some some lotion to give him and I went in the family room and this is the site I saw....
Monday, June 2, 2008
Pretty Girl
Hallie got up from her nap today and walked in the kitchen as I was cleaning and for some reason, she just looked older than she did when she went to bed. =) I told her I wasn't ready for her to turn 3 yet. I can't believe the time is almost here!! Just one more month!
Our lil' princess!
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