Family Game Night

We have adopted Monday nights as our family game nights. Tonight was our fourth go at it! I love it so much and look forward to Monday nights. It has been such a great teaching tool for good sportsmanship, respecting others and just good 'ole fashion fun. Tonight we played Yahtzee Junior.
For the past year or so, I've had this yearning that another baby was needed in our family. It could be that a few people around me are having babies. It could be that at least every other year for the last 7 years, I've either been pregnant, or had a newborn. It could just be that I LOVE being pregnant and I love babies! But we made the choice along time ago that 3 was enough for us.. for various reasons. My main prayer has been for contentment and I've received it! (Thanks, God!) It's been so great to focus on the next stage of my life. To think about family vacations, to play family game night without a little person needing to be fed, to think about heading out to the beach for the day, without packing up the whole house. I love that my kids are so close in age, and that we are now ready to move on to bigger, more fun things as a family. I love our little family so very much!

God's presence

There are moments in time when I feel God's presence so powerfully. Tonight was one of those times. I've had a long weekend and the last thing on our long three days was to attend service tonight. My body ached, my kid's were whiny and I could find any excuse why not to go. Needless to say, we just went. It is at those times that God really shows his face and boy was His face bright tonight!
I'm very much a worship girl. I love singing, although I'm not very good at it! I feel closest to God when I'm singing to him. Tonight was no exception. I felt like it was just me and God. He was there and He LOVED that I was singing to Him... I could feel it!
I think about the Throne of God and how amazing that will be to enter his presence and sing amongst all the angels. WOW! It may be like 10 times the feeling that I experienced tonight.
God is powerful and I am so glad I have chosen to follow Him!

Strolling through time

I received a double stroller after the birth of Avery, nearly five years ago. We refer to this stroller as our jogging stroller or Disneyland stroller. This stroller has seen many walks around the blocks with two babies seated inside. Avery took her first walk when she was about 8 weeks old. Mason sat next to her, at the age of 2. Those babies grew as we took more walks around the block and more trips to Disneyland. When the third baby was born, we had to be creative because Mason was not yet old enough to keep up with Mommy on her walks or to walk the whole day at Disneyland. Jackson could usually be found strapped to my back or when he could sit up, we would squish all three in the two-man stroller. That stroller has been though a lot in the last 5 years. Many spills of apple juice and fruit snacks stuck to the seats. Fish crackers and cheese-its can be found in the basket underneath. 

As I took this stroller for a walk this afternoon, I thought back to my babies and how they have grown. Avery, 2 months shy of her 5th birthday sat next to Jackson, age 3 1/2. Their bodies took up most of the stroller tonight. I felt blessed as I looked at them and remembered their bald baby heads, sucking on their paci's and clutching their blankies. They have grown so much. God gave me a small gift tonight. He allowed me to slow down and remember how incredibly lucky I am to have three healthy beautiful children. I was reminded that time goes by so quick and this stroller will one day not be needed in our house. One of my goals this year is to savor every moment because those moments will soon be distant memories. 

The funny things kids do

I'm trying to keep a positive attitude daily, no matter what my three little angels throw at me. Really concentrating on this has helped put things into perspective and it's working! Those moments that I find myself ready to yell or sometimes even yelling, I catch myself and take a deep breath. I've even just walked away, which really confuses my kids when I leave the room in mid yell. But this has helped my attitude toward life, my kids, my work, homeschooling, the house, etc. etc.
While working on this aspect of my personality it has allowed me to really enjoy the little things through out the day. Instead of getting mad that the 2 year old is screaming and hitting me, I can just laugh. Or when the 6 year old says he can't wait to be a grown up where he never has to do school or eat his food and can sit on the couch and watch cartoons all day... I again can just smile!
Today my kids have been saying the silliest things. Mason was reading to Avery and Jack today, something that we've added to our daily schedule to allow Mason to work on his reading skills and to give me a few minutes to unload the dishwasher. After the story was over they came running into the kitchen telling me they needed deodorant. I guess the book they were reading was really into hygiene. So I obliged and we all took a field trip into mommy and daddy's bathroom. Mason made it very clear that only he and Jack could use Daddy's deodarant and Avery must use Mommy's. Jack must have asked a question about the point of this whole thing, when Mason looked at him quite annoying and said, "Jack we use deodarnt so that our elbows smell good!" I guess we need to do a anatomy lesson so that he doesn't go around thinking that his arm pits are his elbows!
Avery and Jack were playing teacher-student outside today. I went out to check on them and noticed that some of our reading books were out there with them. I started in on the lecture that inside toys need to stay inside, when Jack looked at me and said, "We really need these books because we are texting our friends with them." Okay, so I know that doesn't make any sense, but in a 2 year old's mind he was "texting."
I feel blessed on days like today, where I can really take time to reflect on things that are happening in my day, instead of being to rushed that I take these things for granted.

Defending my decsions

I'm reading this book right now called, "I saw the Angel in the Marble." It is a book written by a homeschooling family and it is amazing. While reading this book, it is giving me the confirmation that my heart has needed that we are doing the right thing. 

You know, when you make a decision that is against the grain, you feel like you have to defend or apologize for making this decision. I am tired of this. This is my family and I am not going to explain this anymore. I think our decision to homeschool is the best decision for the way we want to raise our family. I'm not sure why I have a hard time talking to non-homeschooling families about this. I think its because we are on opposite sides of the fence and I don't want to offend them.

I know homeschooling is not for every family. I'm happy that God has put this on mine and Allen's hearts. I'm happy that we have obeyed.  

Four eyes & sibling love

Mason and Avery had their 6 and 4 year old check ups this week. Everything went off with out a hitch. Both are healthy and developing very well. Avery had to get two shots. When she found this out, the tears and pleading began. As the nurse entered the room, the screams and shouts got louder. I held her down and the nurse held her legs. This method of giving immunizations tends to tug at my heart strings. I have a hard time watching my baby girl plead for them to stop, while I am helping hold her down. We are a pro-immunization family, I just wish there was another way to give them. As I am singing in her ear, I hear some other screaming coming from the side of the room. I look up to find tears streaming down Mason's face and him yelling at the nurse to stop hurting his sister. WOW! The love of siblings is something wonderful.

The doctor recommended Mason to get his eyes checked since he didn't do to well on the office exam. I already had an eye appointment on Friday, so I just brought him along. He did so well! I was so proud of the respect that he displayed to the doctor. The one down fall is that he can't see at all. Even some of the big letters he was calling different names. Poor kid has thought the way he was seeing is the normal way. He will now wear glasses. This is a whole different world for me. Something else to remember to bring along. I'm sure it will be an adjustment for us all. I pray that he won't get teased and that he is confident in his new look. 

Shelter my little seedlings

I get a daily devotional sent to my email that pertains to homeschooling families. Todays really hit home. It has to do with sheltering and the fact that that, even in the Christian environment, is looked at negatively. I can't tell you how many times I second guess my decision to not let my kids watch a certain show or say certain words. This article really affirmed to me that it is my JOB to do these things. Crazy as some of them might be... Allen and I will be the ones to slowly bring in outside influences into their lives. Our choice to homeschool develops from this "gradual philosophy." We will gradually let them go out into the world and when they are ready they will be worldchangers for Christ. It's like having a mini army in our home! So exciting.

Here's the article...

Learning how to be in the world but not of it is difficult for Christians-young or old. The unbelieving community sees us as trying to live "holier than thou," but sometimes we must allow God to sanctify us by removing ourselves from the temptations that would lead us into sin. God even commands us to run away (flee) from idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14) "and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11). However, Jesus also gave us the example of reaching the lost by meeting them in their homes and on the streets. Finding the balance between loving the lost and not getting caught in sin takes discernment and wisdom that comes from studying God's Word, prayer, and listening to the Holy Spirit.

So how much do you shelter your children from the evil in the world without quenching the redemptive work of Christ? After all, as Christians, we are to be salt and light. My answer to that question came one day while gardening. The Master Gardener showed me that if I transplanted my seedlings that had been started inside the house into the outside garden too soon, they would die from the exposure to the elements. However, if I moved them at the right time and carefully nurtured the seedlings for a time with extra protection and fertilizer, they would grow into strong, healthy plants that would not only resist bugs, heat, and hail, but also produce an abundance of fruit. Don't let anyone's "sheltering" argument convince you to transplant your precious homeschooling seedlings too early!

Oh how I love this..... I'm excited for the opportunity to grow my seedlings into healthy plants and then let them go into the world.