We are back

We came back from my Fil and Mil's house on Saturday. We had a great time, despite some sicknesses going around. Andrew didn't handle being somewhere else very well but he made it through. Summer vomited Christmas night and my Fil didn't feel well either. BUT, God is good and he blessed the time we had with them. I respect them so much, such Godly wisdom comes from that house. I am so grateful. I had not wanted to go away for Christmas because I thought it was my right to stay home but I changed my mind when I talked to a lady from my church. She said she has traveled on Christmas(traveled far too) all her married life and it is not a big deal. She said her children always loved going over to her in laws and never wanted to stay home. So, that changed my min, and my heart. On a down side, my camera isn't working so I need to get out our camcorder and use it to take pictures. My in law's computer wasn't working so I couldn't copy the pictures they took over christmas. I am hoping to get those soon. :) Today we are going over a friends house(I hope) if everyone is feeling better. I am really looking foward to it. She is so nice. She doesn't mind kids running everywhere! LOL

My new love

I got a bike for Christmas(yes I received it early) and I have fallen in love! I have had it since November. I have been riding a little in the morning-in the cold weather! If you know me, you know that I don't do well in cold weather but I love riding so much that it doesn't matter. I can't ride far yet. I am trying to build up distance little by little. And I mean little by little! LOL I want to get strong enough to pull the kids in a trailor behind the bike. We got a trailer but I don't think I could pull them up some of the hills that we have in our neighborhood so I need to work on that. I used to ride my bike all the time when I was little. I forgot how much I loved it!

Christmas with family

My Christmas with my Mom and sister went well. We had a good time opening presents and letting all the kids play. My sister had her boyfriend over with his 2 kids along with her own 3(her 4th is living with my Dad right now). We had a house full! I cooked dinner. We had a roast, salad, bread, a raw pecan pie, a raw Waldorf salad, and sweet potatoes.I *think* they enjoyed most everything. The raw dishes were a hit with the kids and most of the adults so I was happy. We will be leaving tomorrow to go to my Mil's house for Christmas with them. It should turn out well. Off to go pack some more...

Weekend before Christmas

Here we are, the beginning of the weekend before Christmas. We are going to be having Christmas with my Mom and sister this coming Sunday. I am praying that they enjoy their time here. I pray that Christ will reveal himself to us as we come together to celebrate HIS birthday. I have already felt the stress that comes along with Christmas. It seems so odd to me, that one of the most joyful days of the year should bring about dread in the hearts of those that believe in Him. Do you dread your own birthday? No way(ok, maybe if you are getting really old..LOL)! When he was born, it fulfilled God's promise to us that he would send a Savior. Not only that, but that we have a faithful God who will ALSO fulfill all that Jesus has promised. Praise God! I am so grateful that the Word of God is not something that is true in some places and questionable in others. It is THE Truth, the thing that sets the standard.

Great article on the foundation of your homeschool

http://www.generationswithvision.com/resources.aspx?p=3Gods-theory-of-education

Pics from the party

Most of the kids waiting for the cake..


The cake she has been waiting for, forever it seems.. LOL!









Close ups of my Mil and Sil's masterpiece









My Mil went to the car to get something and came back with this. It's my birthday on the 15th and she wanted to celebrate it a little. It's a teacup cake. Isn't it beautiful?












Some extra pics..









My wonderful Mil and daughter.

Charlotte

Today we are celebrating Charlottes birthday. Her birthday is Christmas day so we wanted to celebrate early. I am so thankful for her. She is so funny! This past year has been very interesting with her. She gave her heart to the Lord and has continued to grow spiritually. She memorizes bible verses without me asking/telling her to and she frequently talks to me about God. She still struggles with many things(like we all do) but I think she has the closest idea of what forgiveness is than any of the other children. She knows that she is weak and that she is a sinner in need of the Savior. I thank God for choosing to call her to him. It brings tears to my eyes that our merciful Lord has already called two of our children. I am excited to see how the coming year will unfold. May he preserve his chosen ones as he says he will. I will upload some pics of the party AND the cake! My Mil and Sil are supposed to be making a pooh bear cake-yummy!

Having fun

Despite siblings arguing and fussy children sometimes, we have a lot of fun! I am so blessed to say that I love playing with our children. They really crack me up. From playing cards and shooter with the older ones to chasing the younger ones through the house, they are so fun! I love their giggles and smiles. I love to hear them speaking to one another about God. Sure they argue and fight a lot, but they also love one another very much. Joy is not the same if you can't share it with a sibling. We have had a lot of issues with one of our children lately. They want to grow up so badly and so they make the other person miserable because that person is growing up before them. We have talked about so many different things(spending 2-3 hours a day) talking about selfishness, God, self, etc... After a really hard day with this child I walked upstairs to find that they had folded the clothes that were on my bed(I was going to have to fold them before I went to bed). They said "I was thinking about what would make your day better and I thought I would help you fold clothes". I know that some of their willingness to do this stemmed from feeling guilty about the day but it didn't matter. They had chosen to stop thinking about themselves for a moment(something we were telling them all day) and start thinking about others. I was so touched. Thank you God! It's so hard to die to self, isn't it?

Kaitlyn's 9th birthday

What can I say? My little girl celebrated her birthday today(her real birthday is Dec. 23 so she wanted to celebrate it to make it special. She got her ears pierced and was able to have a friend over this year. I also curled her hair(something she really wanted) It has been a big year for her. She had a blast and I am so thankful. She also got to go with a friend to a party for their relative's 16th b-day. The parents had made it really special(with roses, a dj, and dressing up in pretty dresses) I am so proud of her, of who she is becoming.I am so grateful to God that he is working in her life.










Everyone is waiting on the cake.






Here's her gorgeous cake that my Mil and Sil made. They are so wonderful!!!

She didn't want to look at it until it was ready. She was so excited.










And here she is...

Here is most of our stockings. I have to get some more hangers. The mailboxes at the top are something that we started this year. Everyday of Dec. they get a little something and then at christmas they will get a handmade gift from me.











Here are some pics from Thanksgiving.