News about my niece

shadybrookacres.blogspot.com Check out her story.Congratulations Candace !!!!!You have waited on the Lord all these years and I am full of awe and praise for God at what He does in His perfect time. Joshua has been very encouraged by this story and we are glad there are young men out there hanging on, walking each day, and anticipating God's blessings. Our family loves and respects Michael very much. There's a song to the Lord that says, "We never get used to what you do, we never get used to watching you!" When I hear it , I just think back , shake my head , let the tears well up, and lift my heart as I laugh with thankfulness at His faithfulness.

First Week of School

We have begun the daily school life and I think we are going to like the books we have chosen. For the boys I am using Story of the World , George Washington's World, plus This Country of Ours for History. Josh is finishing his Apologia General Science before he starts Biology. Paul is finishing The story of Inventions and then he is doing Apologia Astronomy for Science. Lily and John have a dozen science books and a few dozen picture book biographies we will work through. I am so happy to report that Lily has retained all she learned last year as far as reading skills. What an improvement!! John is also taking off and I can say even though the older boys were reading at 4-5, I am confident we made the right decision of waiting until this year to begin formal reading lessons at age 6. We will be going through the book of Daniel, Jonah, Micah, and Proverbs this year for Bible. Joshua is reading Robert Frost's poetry and Paul is reading The Book of Verses for Children . (Helen Farris' Book of Poems is our favorite but we have worn it out) Our term composer has been Mozart. The art compilations by Currier & Ives I thought would be a good choice while we get into American History. (This is our second cycle of early American History.) Joshua's Literature will include some historical fiction such as Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Sharra but the classics Pride and Prejudice, Great Expectations, etc. will also be added. Paul's reading list came from Sonlight's four year. He devoured the first two weeks readings in two days of reading in his free time. We are using Learning Language Arts through Literature for Paul and Joshua will be studying Grammar and do a little more creative writing now that he has had experience and enjoyed so many great authors. We'll see how it all goes. When I get up on time and stay on track then we have very rewarding days( I have to avoid the phone and any other distractions). I would love to share how we schedule work for any who might be looking for a simpler way. Sorry to bore those who are not interested but this is such a big part of our life that I just couldn't help it.

Great Summer Fun in a Long Stretch of Heat

Paul swinging high. Joshua is below.

Julie's family is out in the canoe while Lily just roams

John was a little scared but he did it.

Joshua's stunts sometimes cause me stress

(he thinks he broke his tailbone)

Even though the lake was put on hold by the state environmentalists (wet lands need a special permit) , the 3 families surrounding us have been daily entertained. The boys swing from the rope, John jumps in the deep end, I take Sarah on canoe rides, and as of last night there are two kayaks being paddled around. Lily just roams all over the place with her floaties on. There are big piles of dirt everywhere but the lake is spring fed and stays amazingly clear. It has been refreshing in this record breaking heat wave. The drought is supposed to be the worst recorded in over 100 years.

Our family started school this week and things are going smooth. My favorite part is reading together as a family. Our History, Science, Bible, and occasionally Literature are usually studied together.The Apologia Zoology, Astronomy, Botany, and General Science books have inspired a love of study that I thought was dormant in me. I have always loved History but now I am just as interested in these other subjects. What a difference when books are well written by those who have a passion for the subject instead of the regurgitated dry text book styles. It can change any one's attitude about education. Could it be that God actually blesses us with the wonders of His World and the wonder of His Hand through time? Could it be considered nourishment to the mind, spirit, and soul? YES!!! It doesn't matter how old we are. If we practice reading or listening to great minds and repeat it to someone-it actually stays with us. Narration is the key. Anyway, I would love to share more about our daily routine later.

Our busy girl

" Eat the dog food I stuffed in your mouth or else"

Billy "the squirrel" is our little chihuahua mix of two years now-the best pet a family could ever have. He tolerates all of Sarah's torture, doesn't yipe or act nervous, and is completely friendly to any other animal or human. He was found on the road by my mom. We asked around the neighborhood and when no one claimed him we took him in as our first indoor pet. The funny thing was a few weeks before he arrived I had just mentioned to Kenny (and talked him into)having a small dog because I thought Lily could use a little companion. Now the boys take turns letting him snuggle with them. He was heaven sent.

Sarah discovered Kenny's silk ties in our closet and now carries them around as her "tee-tee"s

One day she had about three wrapped around her neck.

Exciting Events

"Let's see how this tastes"

"If I can only make it to the end of the rug"

Lily is learning to sew

.....and help make meals


The heat is becoming unbearable but with AC and a trip to the lake we have nothing to complain about. This week’s news is as follows:
- Joseph is an official scooter.
- Lily has a new web page called eLilyphants.com created by a new friend who we met just a few days ago. He became inspired by her art and being an artist himself, surprised us with a beautiful gift. We are beyond grateful and hope to share her story and art with one and all. Just go to http://www.elilyphants.com/ This is only the first stage of this site but I couldn't help let you all view it now. We have to add more pictures and text.
-Kenny’s maternal grandfather passed away this past week. He was the father of 10 children with his mom being the oldest. Our prayers of peace and comfort go out to his mom and all the aunts and uncles.

Sarah having a little summertime fun

Joe is inlove with his lamb's wool

Paul - the deep sleeper sleeps under the stars. I thought it was funny that the boys wanted to sleep directly on the ground. They were spread out all over the front yard hill.

Though a little dark you can see the project has expanded quite a bit.

They are becoming good friends. She calls him gohnny.

6th birthday. He tries on a few of his gifts.

Sarah is wondering what this is all about. John just wanted swords for his birthday. He eats, drinks, and breathes swords.

Is it really August? We have a lot of school scheduling to finish before three weeks. A trip to Myrtle Beach is scheduled for the 8th of September. In the meantime we have been cooling off in the half-dug lake which is now put on hold for a while. The kids have a canoe they go about in and even I have sat on the muddy beach area with imaginations of the future sand that will be at my feet. Though muddy and unfinished it has provided great summer entertainment. The muddy tubs and clothes I definitely could do without. We had a new family come over for lunch last week from the church we just visited and whether we revisit the church or not we have made new friends.
- John and Paul's birthday were celebrated with a new birthday breakfast idea that we plan to make a tradition. (they seem to really like traditions and routines sometimes) A breakfast of their choice with special dishes, candle, and whatever comes to mind decor along with the gift is placed on the table before they wake. It seems to start their day knowing they are loved and appreciated. We still do the cake and birthday dinner later but the breakfast puts a definite smile on their face first thing.
- We spent this past weekend searching for an 8 passenger vehicle for our family of 8. We ended up with a Ford Expedition that sits 9. We are really enjoying the comfort we have now when everyone is together. Nothing else new besides the daily yearning in our hearts for the Lord's purpose, presence, and work to be seen in our lives. Even when we can't always see we trust He is working.