Life on Oak Hill

2011-11-12T06:28:00.000-08:00

2011-11-12T05:54:00.000-08:00

2011-08-28T21:18:00.001-07:00

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20th anniversary all day get away

2011-08-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

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2011-08-28T21:13:00.001-07:00

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Robots are in the process of being created for hours each day by Miss Lily

2011-08-28T21:11:00.001-07:00

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2011-08-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Its great to be blogging again but this will be short....I think. Just noticed it has been since Jan. ..wow. Maybe I will just have to start from there. While I was in Mo. a little secret came out that I was pregnant. I didn't want to tell everyone due to the act that I had a miscarriage the previous year and was a bit concerned. By the middle of Jan. I was sure I was miscarrying because of a low progesterone level. It was only within a week of recovery that I received a phone call from Kenny in which he expressed a burden for his niece which led to another phone call to Mo. Michelle lived with us until July and then moved to Phoenix where she is now settled. I will say God did great things in all of us through these months. In May, Joshua graduated from high school and Fred and Betty along withKenny's 2 aunts flew in for a visit. Cousin Danika Houk's wedding was the beautiful occasion that brought so many together. Sarah and Joe were the flower girl and ring bearer.
A few days ago the Bairds headed back to Mo. With their little April. They left her with for two weeks so they could get a little time to spend with each other. It was a long trip both ways for them but I am so glad we had this opportunity. One day April will be in our care....
More later.

Hangin on the front porch enjoying the breeze

2011-08-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

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Spending time with John boy. He is the pleasantest company one could find.

2011-08-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

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2011-08-28T20:17:00.000-07:00

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Trip to Missouri

2011-01-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Missouri was a busy but purposeful trip. We left here three days before Christmas and headed to Kingsville, Mo. which is nearly 13 hours away. The kids always do well on road trips and this trip was as pleasant as our others full of the "ABC" game and even counting Hawks on the way down to Spfld. (counted 400 by the way) Poor Joseph didn't really get what we were doing and after 3 hours said, "I am tired of talking about birds". ha ha The Martins have a farm in the rolling countryside which enabled us to have some down time. The kids rode horses and occassionally played in the snow which quickly melted within an hour of coming down. Granny and Grandpa Martin always have delicious food and we stuffed ourselves way to often. Christmas Eve the Kenny's siblings and nieces and nephews came over for dinner and a lively game of Bingo. This game was a creative way to disperse the gifts. Christmas day was spent at Vicki's house and it didn't seem long after we were packing to head to Spfld. Sunday morning after Josh returned with Grandpa Martin so he could sing and play his guitar at their church. We had many good encouraging conversations and Kenny and I were both filled with gratitude at the heritage our kids have of those who truly love the Lord.
We spent Sunday evening at Mark and Susan's. We felt so welcomed and had such a great meal and relaxing time.Conversation was lively and the enjoyment of eachothers company was evident. Afterward we headed to my brother's house who had just recently in the last few months moved to Spfld. Benny and Angie have a spacious place and with the immediate excitement and encouragement of "little Ben" the kids were cheering and running in circles. Little Ben loves people and his hugs for everyone almost got me teary eyed. We immediately got ready Monday morning to go out and visit George and Edith Baird since it is so important to keep our ties strong since we will one day be taking full responsibility for their special needs daughter. April is a 17 year old girl with fetal alcohol syndrome which has caused physical (she is the size of a 7 year old) and mental disabilites. We ended up spending the morning with this family and even more of their extended family whom Kenny has known since childhood. The afternoon we met Melanie and Jeremy Cumulotti along with another niece Michelle, and nephew Jesse. We met at a bounce house for the kids and were able to meat our grand nephew and niece, Arianna and Israel.
The evening was spent with Ben and Angie and their two boys at their very comfortable home in Springfield. The next morning Kenny took Josh and Paul to meet some friends who own a small 4 seater plane. This would be their second time flying but their first memory of being in the air. The rest of the family said their goodbyes to Ben and Angie, loaded up and drove a mile down the road to the home of Brian and Tina Shaw's. These are great friends we have known since we were very young. With their five children and our six the house was bursting with fun and actiivty. In the evening we had a short visit with Mark and Julie (Kenny's sister and her husband) and then later we were able to spend a few hours with Deborah and Glen. Six of their kids came along so that made the kid count 17- all running around at the Shaw's home.Tina and Brian showed no signs of stress which was unbelievable. Of course, their big toy room in their finished basement kept the noise level under control which enabled all of us adults to have some much needed time to catch up. Deb, Ethan, Michael, and even Josh gave us some musical entertainment.
The last day Brian, his son Isaac, Kenny, and our two oldest boys headed over to the shooting range. And from what I understand had an exciting time shooting a variety of Brian's guns. On their return, Kenny and I soon left with our six kids
to meet the Calhouns, a family of 9, for the first time. Only Kenny and I knew the husband of the family from our old school days. We immediately enjoyed the fellowship and were again entertained by guitar playing and singing from their oldest and ours. The kids played football and ate lunch together. The biggest surprise was the fact that we just happen to know their best friends who live north of us here in Tennessee whom the Calhouns knew when both families lived in California. How odd is that? When we heard them mention Paul and Gina Suarez, Josh was a bit taken back since he had spent a week at the Suarez's house last year.
I think we have met new lifelong friends.
Thursday morning we again were able to see some extended family of the Shaw's. Yvonne, her two daughters, and Naomi stopped in for a short hello and goodbye. Headed home and didn't pull up our driveway until 1:00 am (this was partly due to a downtown Nashville run around time so we could hear the "roar" of the stadium as a football game was going on and also due to a sweet plea from Joe-"I want to see the towers")We came home to a very sick German Shepherd who possibly was struggling with the Parvo virus. She had destroyed our beds and a few pieces of furniture. You can imagine how happy we were to have to change bedding and find alternate sleeping arrangements for half of the family. We thought Lacy was on her death bed as she didn't eat or hardly move for a few days. Slowly she has recovered and even though she is skinny, she is now playing and all in all behaving much more normal. So after the washing, washing, scrubbing, and more washing things are finally caught up around here.
I am so thankful for the many awesome people who we have built relationships with over the years. There were many people we wanted to see but we just couldn't possibly make the time for. Maybe our next trip we can meet more people all at once at a park for somewhat of a reunion if the weather permits.

2010-11-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

good times...Lisa flew down to visit Priscilla with plans to drive back with her so she could spend some time here in Tn. while Nathan was training in California. Plans were changed because Nathan was expected back within the week. Not knowing this I called Lisa declaring in a joking manner that we were going to just jump in the car and come for the weekend. When she told me that she was stuck there and may have to rent a car to come home aannnndddd that she would love for us to come get her..then I began to consider seriously going. It didn't take long to decide. Kezzi and I took Sarah and Lily with us and by 6 the next morning we were beginning our trek. The girls were very patient (except for an occassional "are we there yet" from Sarah) thanks to movies playing in the car. Kezzi drove the entire way wanting to prove that she could actually do it (with the help of full throttles and coffee. smile)
We arrived as the sun was setting and found her little apartment overlooking the ocean charming. They had the sliding doors open so we could hear the waves as we ate Priscilla's spaghetti. Lisa sat with the sleepy girls while Pris, Kezzi and I went for a walk on the beach. On our return we watched some old episodes of Gilmore Girls which I found very witty..and found myself ready to watch the "rest of the story".
My daughters woke up before sunrise. We had breakfast and took a three hour walk between 9 and 12. We enjoyed having the freedom of going nowhere. We took our time to explore a little more than usual since we were not occupied with swimming and playing in the waves. The fisherman, birds, jellyfish, shells, sand dunes, and sky were all a little more taken in due to the chilly air. There was something about this that made our walk a little more intriguing. On the return route I noticed an elderly lady shoveling sand like a 35yr. old. Since a shovel is one of my best friends I was drawn to approach her and offer her a little break. ( I love meeting new people especially those older and wiser) Found out she was a 79 yr. old wife and mother of 6 from Pennsylvania. While this muscular lady had my attention the girls got wetter than they had planned which led to "oh well, they are already soaked...let them have fun" We visited and dug for about an hour. There have already been homes that have had to be moved or destroyed because of the shore's deterioration and she was digging a trench to redirect the water. Amazing.
Had lunch at a local Sushi bar then a little shopping afterwards. A walk on the pier followed then back to the house for a little break..back down the steps to the shore for evening pictures in the purple light that only can be found on the beach during the sunset. Lovely weekend.
Kenny also had a weekend away in Pigeon Forge to discuss with his co-workers the business and future plans. He, being at the top of a mountain ski resort, called as I was walking the beach...we both were soaking up the relaxation but yes..missing eachother. I am thankful that after nearly 20 years he is my favorite person to be with and that not only do I love him but "like him" but of course we realistically do not always feel this way...but it's awesome when it comes back and comes back deeper.
It is always nice to come home to your family and the boys did a great job taking care of eachother. Joshua made lasagna Sunday so we all had a great meal after traveling all day. Joe was glad to see me but couldn't explain the huge bump on his forehead and another egg size lump on the back of his head...one was a wall collision but the other bump has an unknown origin. lol
A few days before our trips Kenny took Joshua up to Covenant College. www.covenantcollege.com It is situated on Lookout Mtn. near Chattanooga. Joshua is sold on going for many reasons..(Priscilla's #1 fan is going to want to follow in her footsteps..ha ha). It is a small college with an excellent reputation. We hope they accept him and that the finances are taken care off through scholarships. The golf coach has welcomed him in to joining the golf program but whether that means he will be on the varsity team right away is unkown. I was very thankful that Kenny took the time and loved being just as excited as Joshua. They even had a celebration dinner. ha ha. So glad we are raising these kids together. I say out loud and behind closed doors that Kenny is an amazing father.
Thursday my dear friend Julie Costner had her 4th child..little Simeon..with the great midwife that delivered Joseph and Sarah. Julie herself has attended many births and has future plans to be certified. Her nursing background has really helped her get a head start.
Saturday, the 20th, I attended the wedding Stacie and Mitch, Stacie is Sam's mom and Levi's widow, was I keep Sam on Thursdays and hope to always have a relationship with this amazing kid who gets along with Joe and Sarah unbelievably well.
I like to keep things running smooth around here and when that doesn't happen I can really get ugly in my frustration. I see the looks on my kid's faces and know they feel hurt. Working on this right now and feeling the "Pruning".
I am the vine and my father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that doesn't bear fruit he takes away but every branch that bears fruit He prunes so that it may bear more fruit. John 15:1-2

Bearing fruit...what is fruit? Fruits of the spirit....love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control...

If we have some of these fruits in our lives than be ready for a pruning so that we can have more fruit. This sounds fine until we really feel the pruning. Pride is sooo stinkin strong..but I don't really want to stay the same..or do I? It is the process that helps us let go...because we really do want to be free.

Season of Joy

2010-11-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

this is what I found on arriving home from the concert...in the middle of a rainstorm

Candice, bringing our puppies to her little Judah

Joe has resorted to using Sarah's hair in my absence while sucking his finger-pathetic

Kenny hates this dog...what is he doing?

wanted everyone who doesn't know Lily well to see what her bad attitude face looks like

Lacy takes a quick cool bath after chasing our goats in their water

Lily spends hours with our puppies

Sarah was enthralled with climbing this tree.

Good news for us..Kenny passed his Fire suppression tests in Nashville and he is already busy with work.We are very excited about the opportunities in this business for our family.He is able to plan his own schedule and take days off when needed. Because this business is a government necessity, it is not affected by the slowing economy.
The beautiful fall weather continues. Sunday, the whole family went to hang out at a local park. After the boys had their fill of football with Kenny, I talked them into a game of duck, duck, goose for the little ones. They finally agreed which led to more laughter than we expected (especially when Kenny started to get competitive even with this toddler activity ha ha) I have to say I havn't had that much fun in a long time. There is something awesome about the whole family doing something together that gives me a feeling like no other. To be honest, though, it isn't quite the same feeling I had when Isaac was here. There is still and always will be a hole.
Another deep joy is to watch Joshua begin to get a little bit bolder. It is almost like a feeling I had when he was born..to see the actual baby developed after nine months. I know he has a long road ahead with many trials and temptations but I am seeing growth and maturity in some areas that gives my heart a thrill.
We were so blessed to attend two concerts this past week. Tuesday, Lisa, my mom, Candice my sister-in-law, and my daughter Lily went to see an Irish Rhythm dance performance that was world class. On Friday Kenny and I took the older boys to see an amazing and talented Phil Keaggy who is now near 60. His talent has been around for decades and it is still incredible.
Now we are dealing with a bit of the stomach flu but it seems short lived. Joe was quite upset about it and wanted to go to the doctor. He said "the sick is hurting me" and "sometimes we have to kill 'the sick' " so funny. I realized my toddler is on his way to becoming a little boy.
November will bring the wedding of Stacie , Sam's mom, which will occur on the 20th. This is a happy yet sobering occasion for the Roche family. Mitch, Stacie's fiance, really seems to love her and Sam. Thanksgiving will be spent with Becky and clayton Houk's family and then probably a weekend dinner with the Roches. The Ectors and Lenzs will be spending time with other family.
We are planning a Christmas trip to Mo. if all goes as planned. The only bummer is that Dana and Russell will be out of town. We will still be busy with many other family and friends and it is the only time to take a vacation since Josh is in school (by the way he has done well with his grades.100% in calculus is something to be proud of) He is looking into going to Covenant College in Lookout Mtn, near Chattanooga.
Thankful for the sweet times and even learning to be thankful for what seems like difficulties. The difficulties are leading to His glory.

Golf Awards and Prayer for a little one

2010-10-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Just a few shots of John and Paul with their medals for taking first place in their golf league. The boys had a good time going out on Monday Nights the past few months to compete. Their experience paid off and they played well. Kenny really enjoys taking them to these events.
Joshua has had fall break this week so our homeschool has also been a little half-hearted. Monday Joshua was invited by a kid at school to try out for a part in his Christian band. They ended up calling Hope to come over and it was decided to combine all of their talent into one new band. It sounds like a great opportunity. I spent yesterday reorganizing the girls and Kenny and my closets. Last night Kenny and I drove to Cleveland where we met Judah and Candice and their sweet two kids for a late dinner. Little 3 month old Bella is the best baby! Today I took the younger boys and rode with Julie to visit a friend and relative of hers that has boys ages 4,7, and 9. They all played great as we didn't hear any complaints from them the entire day. We shared a spice cake and ginger cookies with a pumpkin cream spread with our coffee. Another refreshing time.
I was connected through FB with a young couple going through a heartwrenching experience..please if you have time go to www.matthewsstory.com and pray for this family. I spent time reading and before long I was crying and praying. They are an amazing couple. all for now...the house has suffered these last few days..

Just one October weekend

2010-10-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Women hanging out...so what if we don't sew anymore...there's tons to do..

We have had such a nice weekend with beautiful weather. We had a full day of school Friday and then spent the evening playing kickball followed by bonfire where we roasted hotdogs and made smores at a friend's place in the mountains. There were kids running everywhere and they all had a nice time (Lily loved petting their horses) Kenny wasn't able to go with us as he was working in Knoxville. Saturday morning I took Josh to a friend's house as they were going to head to Chatanooga for the day and on the way home I made a surprise stop at my neighbor and friend's home to have an early morning cup of coffee. I knew I would be greeted like one of the family and I was right as they served me a pumpkin waffle while in their jammas. Julie's mom and dad have an apartment in her basement and Peggy ("Nana") is a joy to hang out with. Peggy and I decided to take Elijah and John to the huge church garage sale down the road. Hope offered to come play with the younger kids so Paul could spend the day with the Ectors. We had great success at the sale since we arrived at the perfect time for the closing bargains.I noticed a bright colored pink comforter and curtain set for Julie's daughter's room and we bought it with plans to take it home and redecorate her room. My mom had worked so hard on preparations for this sale the last 6 weeks and the results were well worth the time.
Shortly after I arrived at my house I found Sarah with freshly painted nails and glittery eyes thanks to Hope. During the morning Lily had taken the guinea pig out of the cage and left it in the school room. I heard a distressed call from John and discovered a wet limp guinea pig on the stairs. Lacy, our german shepherd, had decided to play with it. I don't know how I could've forgotten what she did to our baby chicks but it never crossed my mind to be aware of this danger. Forty bucks down the drain and a sad little girl! Sarah seemed to recover fairly quickly though and we headed over to our neighbors to begin decorating. We spent the whole afternoon working on two little girls rooms followed by a remake of her living room. Nana made gourmet pizza and set a fall place setting for us on the front deck for all of us ladies (including Lily whom they treat so kind).Toward the evening Julie chuckled as she mentioned that we had one woman cooking, one cleaning, and one decorating.Having others in our lives really helps!! These are the times when I realize that as a society we have lost something precious that used to be an everyday norm. Women were not nearly as restless taking care of their homes and children as they are now.Good friends can really lighten our loads..sometimes they come only through being a friend yourself or just praying that God would bring the right friends into your life.

I have seen that boredom comes from a lack of fellowship, hobbies, outdoor time, serving others together as a family and yes..good books.(we can educate ourselves in any area of choice with decisive passion) It's not all about slaving away over laundry, cooking, and housework. It has helped having the kids have their responsibilities and even regular date nights with your love of your life. These are just some practical aspects that have almost disappeared from American homes.
I am so glad to have had our mothers, great books written on the subject and other great examples that have offered help. In homemaking we may not feel the immediate rewards or even at times we may feel totally unappreciated..But as our example of serving others imprints itself on our children's minds I have seen that as they grow older they realize the stability of steady good meals, a joyful face about the home, and a love between parents really was wonderful.(makes me appreciate all our parents gave as I write this) Now of course, these things are dear to my heart but I don't ever want to give an impression that this lifestyle is a must for everyone. Many cannot be at home with their kids and God works in the busiest of childhoods. His mercy is there in complete broken situations and He forms amazing adults that have come from a childhood full of suffering. I just want to encourage those to keep with it if they are stay-at-home moms. There have been difficult winters where I thought I would loose my mind at times but God has given wisdom when asked for on ideas on keeping life full of purpose and meaning.
Now back to our daily diary...Kenny is glad to be back and we stayed up late talking with the older two boys. This morning he has prepared a dish he enjoyed at a co-worker's home after just the two of us went to the grocery store to collect the ingredients. A cajun shrimp boil -we just finished this meal and all of our mouths are burning. In fact I just pointed out to Kenny that our youngest was licking the half wooden wall to relieve his Hot mouth..gross.(another one of those things you don't think to tell your kids...don't lick the walls, Joseph!)
Now three sons and a husband are off to the golf course while two little ones take a nap.Things are actually quiet around year....I'm taking it in.

Fall Festival and Sarah's B-day

2010-10-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

Sarah and the cupcakes she helped make

with aunt lisa

just a close-up of the painted cedar- I love how it turned out

the kids were a bit freaked out by the turtle

Hope with Abel singing her heart out

Sarah talking her head off to Grandma and Grandpa like always

Lily was loving this and gave a rare natural smile

We enjoyed the Pumpkin Town Festival in downtown Athens where Hope and Abel had two 1/2 hour slots to perform a few of the dozens of songs Hope has written. It is always a pleasure to hear her and Abel is really coming along on the drums after only six months. The kids also enjoyed the dancers and another band of the hillbilly sort. The big two seater wagon really made the day pleasant (thanks to mom and Bernie)
Sarah is at a great age for a birthday party and her squeals had us all smiling. The new guinea pig has been an added friend eventhough she bought it into her bed this morning..(yuck) We are so blessed to have family and friends so close by but we miss the big Houk and Martin families in Mo. and Phoenix..sad. Thanks to all the grandparents who faithfully send birthday money to all six of the kids. We hope this large family doesn't overwhelm you as far as keeping up with them all.
Today was a beautiful fall day and we took the time to take a blanket and lay it out in the grass under the vivid blue sky. Sarah and her friend Faith began a weaving
project for art class. (a gift from the Costners-thanks) John was sprawled out with a good book. Eventhough the house was getting a bit messy I looked around and told myself to remember all that had been accomplished..to remember that the atmosphere in our home is the most important aspect of our family life..Do I choose peace and joy or stress and chaos? So to any other moms of large families...just let it go somedays! There is always tomorrow's work! Smile and enjoy your family!!!

2010-10-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Life around here is always busy and full of love. How can it be any different when little ones are running around? The younger ones spend a good part of the day snuggling with the puppies on our front porch. John has Annalise and Elijah popping in and out on a regular basis. Lily has her new school room with Jungle Book playing every time she can sneak away. Paul is enjoying spending time with the Hall family with his good friend Will and he does quite a bit with his cousins. Today, he is at the fall fest with them downtown. Josh is spending the day with a friend and the friend's dad who are on their way up to a beautiful course in Crossville. Kenny is studying for a test he will take in Nashville next week. I am planning for Sarah's 5th birthday party tomorrow and will spend part of the day finishing the paint job I started on the exterior of our home. (took a break after the front was finished since it was so hot). Life is hectic yet I wouldn't want it any other way right now. I have been learning to be content with what gets done and begin again tomorrow trying to remember the important thing is that we are "letting our light shine before men so that they may see our good works and glorify their Father in heaven". This can only be done by walking in the Holy Spirit. Come, Lord Jesus...there is nothing else that matters!!
I so want others to be set free! I want our life to show there is a freedom and peace when you are in Christ. Something real others can see! It starts with our own relationship with God one on one and then our family and friends and then strangers.I love the chance to share this Faith...I look for open doors wherever I can since being a bulldozer isn't God's way. God opens the hearts...but I remember that faith comes by hearing..and others must hear the words of God to even be pricked enough to be moved!Others have to know that God loves them and is itimately involved in their lives. This awesome God cares about the smallest of his creatures. It just makes sense to follow HIm. Riches, fame, and glory are meaningless...we are all on our way to the grave.
I was watching people exit the grocery store the other day..most of whom were elderly. I mentioned to Kenny that the curse was about us every day. I mean, come on, we will all deteriorate. Can't the world see this? or do we institutionalize our old folks to the point where our society forgets? If we can't see that our spirit and soul needs redemption then could we possibly see our bodies do? Can we not fear God? He has obviously caused our days to be numbered. If the Father has made a way for our spirit, soul, and body to be made new then why won't we accept this awesome gift!? Everyone's life has it's hardships. Why not live in peace during these times? God's ways bring joy not boredom. Joy in the middle of hell. I am excited about serving HIm for the rest of my days..It is exciting to see HIm at work in all that is around and especially exciting to see HIm bring light and salvation into someone's life! Way more exciting than possessing any material good or even a personal achievement which obviously have proven generation after generation to bring no lasting satisfaction.
These are the words to a song that Hope and Josh wrote together:

I have given up fool's gold
My possessions I have sold
For a tresure not short-lived
I will follow for You give..
Lasting JOy..Lasting JOy

YOu are the lasting jOY..lasting joy

I have taken up my cross
and I'll count it all as lost
and thou at times I can't go on
I'll keep the faith and carry on
Lasting joy..lasting JOy

.

FALL

2010-10-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Changes have taken place that I never saw coming. Things are finally settling down enough for me to take some time to record in our online diary the exciting yet exhausting events.
The first was Kenny's desire to start a new career. He is now in the process of setting up a fire protection business and will be certified to maintain fire systems in restaurants, school, hospitals, and any business that is required by the govt. to have inspections.We have set up an office and built a supply room for this purpose. He believes this will be a great business to grow old with.
The next event was a shocker! We sent Joshua to public school for his senior year.The purpose being to see if there was a possible golf or academic scholarship to be had.So far so good. He will be going to the state level competition near Nashville this Tuesday and Wednesday. He is also doing well as far as grades and just heard he is top of his class in Calculus. I think he is seriously considering some type of major in Math. Engineering is a possibility. Another purpose was to allow him some type of transition year. Being homeschooled he has not had to deal with constant cultural differences being- aggressive girls, filthy talk, drugs, and so on. Of course every human being has to deal with their sin nature that we are automatically born with but it has been nice keeping our family in a "raised in a family not an institutional environment" and I believe in homeschooling more than ever but what is the point of training them at home if they as an adult cannot deal with all the glitter and lies of the world. Our goal has always been that our kids would be salt and that we would be a light and city on a hill. How boring to hide away trying to run from the world when we have the power in Christ to shake up and encourage the hopeless. With all that said..there is a time in everyone's life when a believer should be equipped enough to be in the offensive. I pray and hope Joshua is in this place but even if he proves not to be, I pray he will come to see his deeper need for God. Whatever the course, Kenny and I both felt seperately and simultaneously that this was the path for him.
Our other kids have activities also. Paul is taking physical Science, American History, and Algebra 1 in a co-0p setting. Paul and John are also playing golf and have both taken first place in their league. Kenny enjoys getting out with them several times a week. He knows he is blessed to have his sons love the sport he loves but has made it clear that he will support them in whatever interest they seek.
Lily is doing well and has had only one seizure in the last few months. The two little ones are happy and thriving. Sarah has a few girls come over for art and she and jOhn are part of a nature study class. The books we read are a joy in our lives and school is a source of pleasure not pain. I think Josh has realized this now more than ever and he has expressed thankfulness for all the "good books".
We visited a new church in Cleveland today as we have been unsure about where to go regularly.. but it has been an adventure and the kids say they are glad to have been around many different believers. Even I enjoy keeping up with several different groups of people here and there. After all, the body of Christ is worldwide. I do think it's important to have those who are really like family though and for this reason it is good to keep up fellowship. We really liked today...very casual and modern worship but all that matters is we are where we are supposed to be..we shall see.

2010-09-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

Isaac left us 14 years ago -Sept. 27, 1996
He is never forgotten especially as the smell of fall permeates the air. He would have been 18 years old -an actual adult. Death has a sting...but I am so glad for the true victory we have in the Creator's plan through Jesus Christ (our redeemer!) Isaac was a beautiful boy inside and out...the words he sang in the backseat- "Mercy and Truth come out of you ....you are an awesome God" at three years old still amaze me. I have never had a three year old with this depth since.-something to ponder-If you will say a prayer for those you know who have recently had a child pass on and Believe your prayers are heard and matter they will make a difference in the strength and comfort a parent will have. Thanks.

Little Ones

2010-09-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

What a sweet time with the little ones this week. I am just finishing up a art lesson with 3-5 year olds (had a couple of the kid's cousins over today). Our little friend is also here for our regular art class. The mood was set with a liitle background music from Bach. and a quick talk about some works found in A Child's Book of Art-selected by Lucy Micklethwait. With Charlotte Mason's suggestions in use the kid's really get involved. We finger painted and then did some brush work afterward. Even little 3 year old Sam patiently sat focused on his picture. Now I hear dinosaur growls throughout the house but the rowdiness is well earned.
I also had an exceptional time with a group of 8 and under Monday during our Nature Study class. Lisa has divided the class into 2 groups putting me in charge of the younger kids. How alive the children became when they were set free to explore in somewhat of a guided fashion. We tore apart a rotting log (found all kinds of nasty little termites), discovered what lighting can do, and one of the students was curious about the possibility of a nest in a hollow tree and sure enough there was one there. This led to the lifting of nearly 10 children up above our shoulders to look. The greatest part was sitting silently as a group in the middle of the woods (our back yard) and watching , listening for all the wonder. The kids were talkative and involved. As we thanked the Lord together for His beauty I felt like this was one of the best homeschool moments I have had. I reminded John this week of what an UNBORING God we serve....JUST LOOK AROUND! and then realize the power and creativity we have when we possess Him!

2010-06-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Love the summer...

2010-06-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

I miss my camera..I havn't blogged much thanks to Kenneth who accidentally dropped my less than a year old camera. So sad. We have been so busy with school, animals, friends, family, and sports that it has been a challenge to keep up with the blogging. I enjoy the fact though that blogging is a diary for me while facebook is more or less a passing thought.
Wanted to share some of Lily's fish that make me smile and think of summer. Lily is still obsessed with her paint program on our computer as she is now occupied with pirates, dragons, vicious fish, and an occasional elephant family. I adore her love of life right now and hope this joyful season lasts in her life. This nearly 15 year old girl sure brings lots of character to our family. Just last night while Josh was watching the Celtics beat the Lakers she decided to give him a good kick in the back. Joshua handles her love of fighting maturely as he starts to get up and block her continual punches. She giggles and kicks, giggles and punches, and then walks away when she has had enough. She loves Joshua for this very reason and will occasionally say, "Oh, I miss Josh"
they love to trash talk each other also..What a brother! ha ha. She needs this in her life. she has also benefited from the love and prayers of all of our friends and family out there..thanks!
I am full of love and thankfulness to the Lord for so many many many things..the love I feel from His people..the love of the man I have shared these past 19 years with...the love of God shown through his Spirit in me and also through all that He has made....the simple joy of collecting the flowers and vegetables from the garden...the summer rain and summer vacation! It is good to focus on the great things ...grieve for the pain of others...yet come back to focusing on "whatsoever is right". I am blessed with the knowledge of Him and with experiencing His loving power to forgive and be thankful! It is the greatest daily gift I know of right now!

Hawaii

2010-02-09T18:24:00.000-08:00

Years ago Kenny would tell me that he would like to go to Hawaii someday...and He would then proceed to say "We will go"....and okay..disbelief ran through my mind..with a ton of kids, who can go to Hawaii?...But it happened...I am so grateful

Day one: Arrived and picked up our red convertible which was a surprise for the guys. found our resort on the ocean and unpacked..left right after watching a beautiful sunset over the water for authentic hawaiian food as suggested by a native we met on the plane..

Day 2: Kenny and I woke at 4 in the morning (9:00 our time) and went for a walk..came back and made Kona coffee. Left with Lisa and Ford around 5:00 for the Volcanic National Park an hour and a half away on the southeast end of the island. Stopped at a fruit stand along the way and enjoyed meeting an eccentric local. Before touring the park we went on an a half hour tour of a Rain forest at the local nature center. Went back to view a smoking volcano in the distance while looking at a massive crater. Walked on a short hike through a lava tunnel and enjoyed the sounds of a beautiful native red bird that feasted on the flowers of the towering trees overhead.
Headed to Acaca falls with the top down and what a shock to see the overgrown gigantic species of ferns, banyan, and multitudes of other species of trees, plants, and flowers. took a short scenic route overlooking a beautiful bay area near by a famous smoothie joint which grows their own fruit on the premises... Sat under banana trees while eating fresh guacamole and smoothies.
Arrived at the falls..beautiful..weather was fabulous.
Drove around to the north and then east and came upon incredible panoramic views of the Pacific and were especially surprised to approach desert like (quite like the Australian outback) tundra with unusual hills here and there..We experience what we have heard and that is there are 11 out of the 13 world climate zones right there on the Big Island.

Day 3: Woke early once again and ended up downtown to check out some of the shops while sucking down more incredible Kona coffee. Ate breakfast (lunch for Us) at a windowless restaurant on the beach.(even the airport was an open-air structure)
Headed South to tour a coffee farm and purchase fresh beans.
The most exciting part of this day was taking a boat tour along the rocky coast to a place rated #14 in the world to Snorkel. This colorful coral reef held more than a dozen brilliant tropical fish. As Kenny and I held hands as we swam it was definitely an experience we will never forget. As we landed on shore we noticed a beautiful green sea turtle just resting on the sand. Heading to the car we saw a mongoose run for cover but ended up quite close to see this odd mammal.
Went to get take-out and brought it back to our room as we enjoyed a delicious meal and wine on our front balcony for another soothing sunset.

Day 4:Headed out at about 4:30 a.m. and drove directly north to a well-known overlook where we watched the sunrise...and what a view! One of the grandest I have ever beheld. On top of the view we saw a whale's massive bulge as it moved through the water in the distance. Decided to hike down to the black sand beach below and it was well worth it when we noticed a marshy fresh water inlet surrounded by mountains and filled with beautiful white cranes and ducks. After many pictures we headed to another coffee shop and waited for the most recommended restaurant to open.
The food at this place was well worth the wait and held up to the marks it had been known to receive. Amazing coconut based sauces!
Spent the warm afternoon at Hapuna beach (top 10 in world) and the sand and water were immaculate. Besides Ford's shoulder being injured, the wave riding experience was the most fun and powerful experience I have had.

Day 5:Time to prepare to check out by 11:00...but still had the day to roam until our plane left at 9PM. Decided to shop for the kids and all the relatives and friends who helped out taking care of them. Kona has some great shops. Had lunch and headed up to the tallest peak on the island which has occasional snow and a Observatory (place to view the stars) which is supposed to be one of the world's best....too cold and barren..(another climate zone) Drove back to the beach for an evening walk where we ventured out on the rocky shore. Ford went a little to far out as a wave drenched his traveling outfit...poor guy. the evening came to a close as we headed over to the Sheraton's veranda to watch the feeding of the Manta Rays (never got a good look at them)...to the airport where a huge slow moving line caught many passengers in surprise as they and we missed our flight.(up to 40 people) We caught the flight at midnight and had a loooonnng ride home..BUT SO WORTH IT!!

Having a School room

2010-02-08T19:49:00.000-08:00

The business has moved out..and their new building is spectacular. Their new design is much better and now I am enjoying our space once again. The only difference is I have decided to use this room for a playroom/schoolroom since the older boys will be moving into the addition soon. I love remodeling and it looks like the new tool set/cordless drill that was given to me at Christmas will not remain untouched under my bed. These pictures are not really accurate any longer since we have now given this room to the older boys til their new room is finished (the loft was a little chilly) but it will be back to this cheerful open room soon along with a few maps, a time line, and a larger table with chairs.

Joseph's 3rd birthday

2010-02-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

I'm way overdue on this update so I thought I would start where I left off.(If I can remember that far back) Joseph turned three on the 11th of December. He is an absolute doll and keeps us laughing. I enjoy still having a little one fit in my lap to snuggle and he is a definite cuddler as he wraps his face up in my hair. He had a fun party as he constantly pulled the trigger on his new noisy machine gun. Thanks to all the grandparents for your gifts in the mail. I decided to make sure I don't slack making his birthday special just because it is so close to Christmas but it was a definite temptation.
Joseph's newest funny answer to the question..."Do you have to go potty" was "No, it's not coming out".
And yesterday morning I climbed in his bed with him and fell back asleep, Sarah found me and fell asleep also. When Joe woke up he whispered.."Hey Mommy, Sarah is sleeping in my bed" "I know", I said then he proceeded, "Can I pet her?"
He does love his sister and I am soo grateful for their relationship.

Sad News

2009-12-01T16:20:00.000-08:00

Our tiny baby is no more...and I was not prepared for the loss. Just like I was so surprised when Lily was born with a disability I was shocked when I started to miscarry. It's not that I don't expect to deal with hardships in my life but having seven healthy pregnancies keeps me in the mode of expecting my 8th to be just fine. Even when Lisa asked me several times if I had felt sick yet and I answered "no", I just kept believing I would be sick any day now. (they say nausea is a good sign of a good implantation) There are many causes: a hormone imbalance and older age can be just a few of the factors. The baby boy soon to be three that is sitting on my lap right now is one of the reminders that God is good...even in sorrow..even in loss...I am my Maker's and I surrender to him. Anger is not a temptation for me..but sometimes a little pity arises though I know many many women who have experienced many miscarriages and some have no children...I will count my blessings. Yet grief is good...It can be good..it is humbling...it can also open a door in our hearts ..a door for receiving the guests of love and comfort. So I am okay...I am amazed at the body of Christ where true friendships exist..

Kezzi's Wedding

2009-11-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

Keziah and Aaron Haag- November 20th- we had a small wedding and potluck to celebrate Kezzi and Aaron's union. The food was plentiful and there was almost no stress in planning. We all had a good time and I think everything turned out well. Congratulations..Kezzi and Aaron!!
Hope played the keyboard..
Kezzi and Lisa before the wedding
Kenny and me at the wedding

Grandpa Lenz performed the ceremony at Double Springs Baptist
the growing Ector family..with two son-in-laws added Sarah decided her pet bunny would enjoy a fast adventure bus ride.
There is a favorite local second hand store that is only open one day a week..I call it the "Tuesday store" and anyone who knows me has to listen to my "find of the week". It has been so much fun for me to be able to save so much money while still finding quality brand name items for my large family. I have found mostly clothing but many household items including this four post bed frame ($75.00) and new comforter and pillow bedding group for $15.00 (new in Belk's packaging for $225.00)...and yes I am unashamedly the type of person who likes to brag about her deals...(I have lost all desire for social standing in this world..ha ha) I have purchased like- new shoes for the entire family, furniture, home-decor, wet-suits for fishing and surfing, baby furniture, kitchen items, toys, and many other odd items. I hate to shop at malls or any other trendy store when I can go to one place and have a blast..there is always something new every week since they continually have items dropped off. The prices are better than garage sales and the brands are more durable than Wal-Marts...so if any of you mom's want to stay home and still be able to supply your family with unique and stylish items ..give me a call for directions.

Pregnancy, Remodeling, and Upcoming Events

2009-11-15T05:14:00.000-08:00

for some reason these two activities don't belong being done at the same time

Joe made us laugh by bringing Kenny "pickles" to sniff and eat.

Hope and Danika working in the office with the beautiful Japanese Maple at it's peak

The four boys in our Write Shop class. Don't they look motivated.

Sarah..my nature girl....after her mother's heart.

the view from the barn and garden.
Our puppy Lacy is part of the family now
Lily's new haircut in the brown kitchen

Life has been full of excitement lately and I don't think it's going to let up any in the next few months. I am very thankful for all the blessings in my life. There are so many.

I found out a few weeks ago that I am expecting my 8th baby. We were shocked and I cried a bit. I am pleased now...I just needed a little encouragement and boy did I receive it. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful things said. (my love language is definitely words -as long as they are genuine) I am due July 3rd which is a great time for a homeschooling mom. The kids have all had wonderful attitudes..comments like.."It's great"..."I wouldn't mind another baby"...have been soothing balm to my emotions.
Kezzi's wedding is this coming Friday. She will have a short ceremony and dinner at my mom's church. I will make sure we post a lot of pictures.
The office and shop will be moving out of my house in the days following. I have already been preparing by decluttering and painting. The office will be recarpeted and painted and made into a school room/play room. I will have my little den back and then we will begin on the mud room followed by the huge job of building walls out in the "shop" for the boys bedroom and rec room.
A few weeks into December we are planning a trip to Hawaii with Lisa and Ford. A layover in Phoenix will enable us to visit with many members of Kenny's family. I am so excited even though leaving Joe and Sarah that long may break my heart.
These are the events I am anticipating but in the middle of this I have been deeply saddened and concerned about the socialism that is permeating our country...by the indifference and lack of passion for Jesus in our people....by the reactions of my own emotions when I feel pressed....and I know there is a work to be done in me, in the church, in this country, and in this world... And it will be done...".I AM" IS AT WORK.....I am always excited about knowing that we have eternal purpose and hope...I want to be sharing this hope with others so that peace can enter their hearts.

2009-10-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Admirable Works. We needed these products this year.

After years of producing science and history notebooks I thought it would be necessary to try something a little formal. Write Shop has taken a lot of discipline and close observance to instructions but well worth the time. The first few assignments are simply description paragraphs but I have been pleased with their creativity. I can only show Paul's work as Joshua's wasn't on this computer. I will post one here.

My Conch Shell by Paul Houk age 12

Last night I found a beautiful conch shell at the beach. The main structure is shaped like a diamond. Sticking out on the side is a study lip that has a wide opening which leads into the mysterious shell. If I place my ear up to the large opening, I can hear the moaning sea. The blush pink inside spirals up to a small hole on top while the rough tan outside has dull spikes that start at the middle, which also spiral up to the top. As the spikes spiral up, they get smaller I am lucky to own this remarkable conch shell.

This next paragraph is just a first revision:

Dynamite Comes in Small Packages by Paul Houk

I have taken a liking to our aggressive pygmy goat called Swade. Swade’s coarse black and white hair, including his stalwart appearance, fits his demeanor perfectly. Bearded and little, he is rather inconsistent with his attitude. He can be emphatically frisky, yet cantankerous at other times. This hoofed creature has a small set of horns that he uses often, nearly as much as his voice, which greets me with a loud quavering bleat. If any other goat attempts to munch Swade’s victuals he will dismiss it with a swift, though sound, butt with his little head. This mammal can be a curious fellow, and will consume practically anything. I enjoy playing with this stout miniature goat.

Lisa is our much appreciated editor but at least we just run our papers next door and her boys are in this with us. No complaints so far from my guys. We will give a report again at the end of the year.

Above are the spine books for our 20th century history. We include as many biographies and even fictional stories (based on events in that period) as possible. I usually read the spine out loud just because I am all about history now. I won't read their science out loud because I just don't have the passion. So if your curious about how our year is going or you might be looking for reviews on homeschool products yourself... well.. here ya go.

Food Fights, Hay Rides and Pink Ponies

2009-10-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

birthday girl- she also received a pet bunny that she carries everywhere
with dad, grandpa Lenz, Julie, Savannah, Joe, Jordan, and Aunt Lisa
She loves her grandma Lenz
it doesn't take a pro to decorate a cake for a 4 year old. As long as it was pink.
John and Abel with a miniature donkey. Maybe this should be our next addition to the petting zoo.
annalise in the corn
goofy
Paul with the baby pot bellied pigs (we may get one soon)
Abel and Paul with the magnets

the pumpkin patch

Our friend Ben
on the hay ride
4 yrs old at mayfield dairy
Sarah's birthday breakfast
baby Judah 7 months
Lily in her new bathing suit wrap
after the fight

Two birthdays were celebrated this past month or so. Lily turned 14 on September 5th. I
wanted to do something unique for Lily and Candace had a great idea- "Let's have a huge food fight in the back yard". She definitely liked it especially when someone gave her a pan of cold gravy left over from dinner. Instead of flinging it with the ladle, she decided to throw the whole pan followed by the ladle at Michael. I just wish I would have helped her a little more instead of running from the syrup that was blown out of an air compressed can, followed by a onslaught of flour. We combined all the birthday money from the grandparents, and with a little more added, we purchased her an ipod. She is still a music lover with a brain full of diverse songs.

The last of September was Hope's 17th birthday party celebrated with a family dinner at Lisa and Ford's. She is still very active in music and is training for a performance in Florida this coming January. Joshua and Hope sang together recently at The Feast of Tabernacles meetings held by our friends not to far from our house. They are improving all the time.

It took about 4 days of going through bags of winter clothes brought down from the attic. The piles in the living room were something to see. (and they were almost all you could see in the entire room) But once again we are all well supplied for the season ahead thanks to shopping all through the year and putting it away. I like being surprised at what I find.

We had a visit from Granny and Grandpa Martin on their way down to Florida. We were stricken with a flu bug the very day they came for dinner which passed to them a few days after they arrived on their vacation. It was horrible but short lived. What are the chances? We hope they were still able to enjoy their time. I was so distracted that I forgot to take pictures.

Finally Sarah's birthday arrived and after a pink pony pancake we met with a couple of special needs kids and their families for a hayride out at Mayfield dairy. It was on a rare, warm sunny day. You can tell from the pictures that the we all enjoyed ourselves.
The evening was spent enjoying a very excited, now 4 year old, whose age and personality makes pink pony parties very fun.

Rainy Day thoughts

2009-09-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

"Reading a book is like watching a movie for 3 hours or more and no one cares",said Paul today after finishing his first two literature books in one and a half weeks. I said "yep, I don't care how much you read cause it's a lot better for your brain and reading is more exciting because you have much more understanding of how people think and feel." The truth is I have forced my two older boys to stop reading when I realized they were frying their brains. I knew they needed outdoor time or some other activity. So far I have read Nory Ryan to everyone and Farmer Boy to John. Paul has read George Mueller, the Good Master, and now he is reading Kidnapped. Joshua just finished The Pearl and is starting another. We just started school. They are crazy. John is happy to read as long as it's not too difficult so I challenge him only slightly. The evenings are usually spent playing tennis or golf or visiting with friends and family. I don't even know when they have time to read except I often find the light on late or a book in their hand when they are supposed to be working on a core subject like Science or whatever. Paul's comment really blessed me especially when I realized that he has been molded by the experiences and testimonies of so many others. It's especially important when they read true stories that portray the hurt and pain of bad choices. If they could only believe the truth about sin. If I could only believe the truth. Grace sets us free to see clear. It certainly is a daily realization. I just pray all this reading and education leads them to the love and grace of our Lord and not an arrogant, puffed up, prideful attitude.
I finally attended my mom's women prayer group at her/our church. All the ladies were 60 and up and I was so honored. Honestly. They are all amazing, still faithful and each has their life story. I am a genuine nut about being interested in people's stories. I could look at any picture album and be glued for the next half hour wondering about it all. Is anyone out there like that? My mom had a documentary scheduled but she knew nothing of what it was about. Well ironically it was about a couple whose 4 year old little girl was accidentally ran over by an older man who was a friend of the family. We all cried because of the forgiveness and love of this true story. My Aunt, who attended this meeting, is here from Michigan and I just have been thoroughly enjoying her and especially thrilled to know she is now a changed by grace Christian. She is a pleasure to be around. In fact all of my mom's sisters and their husbands have come to know the Lord and WOW!! I can hardly keep myself from tearing up now from the excitement I feel that we will all inherit this earth together someday. God has truly been working. It is so good to see victory when casualties are falling all around into darkness and despair. We never give up!!!
Don't assume our families are safe from attack. We can rest in him at the same time we put on our armour and intercede for those we love. Our marriages are the first thing Satan wants to destroy. The kids crumble. I hate the lies of the enemy! Everyone blames someone else. Let's walk in His light and pray for others instead of blaming. I guess I feel a little passion tonight. I am totally preaching to myself again. He says "I am the Vine, you are the branches. Abide in me. Bear fruit. The branches that don't bear fruit will be cut off. Apart from me you can do nothing" I know it's not a direct quote but almost. Help us God to be doers of your Words.

A zillion pictures of our Vacation

2009-09-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

Sarah twirling on the beach in the fancy skirt she wanted to wear over her clothes day and night.

A view of the cottages we stayed.It was convenient to call for a golf cart to take us to and from the beach.

It's sure helps having a dad to keep the older ones occupied and a mom to stay with the little ones to make sure they get their naps and a little play dough, bubbles, and sidewalk chalk time.

The guys (Joseph included) spent a lot of time practicing on the short carpet in the living room of the cottage.

All the boys. We have big medium and small and one in between those.

Last night at the beach

A natural smile from Lily

Kenny wearing his shell necklace.

I enjoyed watching everyone playing together and relaxing. I was thankful that our 16 year old still seems to think its cool to hang with his family.

Me at the state park after a little walk on the trails wearing my shell necklace that Kenny made.

Joshua and Kenny chasing birds near the pier at the state park.The boys played tennis and golf and rode the waves with their dad.

Just a cute giggle I had to capture. Joshua covered his face with sand and left only a small hole for his mouth to breathe.

John and Sarah at the campsite

Our makeshift camp site. We used the back of our car for sleeping also.

Lily was thrilled with this dragon roller coaster ride. She noticed the fair nearby the first night and continued to bug us til we took her. Everyone rode something of their own choice

John would not give up drawing even on vacation.

Kenny buries Joseph the first night at the beach.

Taking a walk. What a crowd we have now!

Joshua and Paul hoping for "the big one". (I mean a wave and not hoping for a big shark since a lady warned us about an approximate 8 foot shark she spotted in the breakers near her small daughter that was playing right next to the boys)

John on arrival.

We are so thankful for the week we had away. The first four nights we stayed in a beautiful

three bedroom cottage and the next three we spent at the state park camping. It was interesting experiencing the two extremes. The weather wasn't very nice at first but there were breaks of sunshine and warm temperatures here and there enabling us to do everything we had planned. Lily, Sarah, and Paul were sick for 24 hours but at least it was chilly that day.

The camping trip was spontaneous. We were driving south when we passed the state park. We decided to take a look which led to my pleading. I was tired of being indoors with sick kids and was ready for a little adventure. And believe me it's an adventure to go camping when you didn't bring any camping supplies with you on the trip. I got my way and we headed to Wal-mart for a cheap tent, flash light, extra blankets, air rafts, lots of food to cook over the fire, smores, and of course a coffee percolator. We really did enjoy the fires and being outdoors but we hated the sandy clothes , occasional cold showers, and the hard ground. We had a love/hate relationship with a pack of fat raccoons who raided our coolers every night. Kenny wasn't to happy to find our leftover delicious grilled rib-eye steaks stolen in the morning. The tinfoil wrapping with the leftover vegetables was a few feet into the woods. We actually all woke up in the middle of the night because of the ruckus they made. Joshua shone the light on one that was on top of the picnic table and he just stared back at us and then continued to chomp away. There were about 6 more around the table!! They were really sort of cute! There was a pier for walking and pigeon catching (the boys actually caught pigeons several times) and many trails for walking. All in all we had a nice vacation.

On the way home we stopped in Knoxville for the labor day fireworks called "Booms day". We met up with the Ectors and were awed again at this unusual, spectacular display. Lily wouldn't have us miss it.

Now we are back into the swing of things. Tennis lessons, chemistry and Algebra classes,keeping everyone working at home and still planning the year ahead are just some of the activities I have been involved with. Everyone is saying they are glad to be back to school. So far so good.

Summer Update

2009-08-29T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's not fall yet and I am pulling out all the energy for the last of the summer activities . The last to be our vacation to the ocean. We have finally posted some unorganized pictures of our summer projects and happenings. We are so blessed!

I finally have a place for chickens after living here for 7 years! Inside of the chicken house -made in the corner of our little barn. It needs roosting bars and laying boxes.

entrance of chicken house with installed old sliding door for a picture window. Soon to be painted red with white shutters. With a little help, I worked for a week or so in the afternoons to complete this project. I felt accomplished!

Sarah-the master duck catcher with arched cattle panels behind her for the outdoor chicken run.

Kenny's idea- a puppy for John-we all love her

Joshua 16 years old

Kenny and John after a tennis match

Joshua, Hope, and Aaron- 4th of July playing music at our friend's house

4th of July - Joshua and Luke with Grandma Lenz

In trouble again ....mom's make-up

Paul's 12th birthday breakfast

goat pen

Lily with Suede

John ,seconds after we gave him this birthday present

We are packing the car and heading out early for Myrtle Beach. We will start school on our return. Josh is taking his Chemistry and Algebra 2 from tutors. One lady is a homeschool mom college math teacher and the other took two years of Chemistry in college. They both love these subjects and their passion is contagious. I am so thankful to know these women and feel honored for the opportunity for Josh. We celebrated Joshua's 16th birthday yesterday ....AMAZING! and Lily will have her 14th this Saturday. The kids are anxious to take this vacation and I hope to make an extra effort to notice all the little things about them that I have missed lately in my busyness.
Our little farm is now established and our german shepherd Lacy has found a loving home in spite of her messes. This intelligent dog has found a place in my heart already. She always seems to be clean and smell nice which has encouraged more affection from me. I released all five of our ducks down at the lake at the bottom of our property because the goats were always into their food no matter what contraption I tried to build to keep them out. Sarah is truly in love with the baby ducks. We saw Priscilla off to college last week and Danika has taken over the office with a little help here and there. The shop should be finished in October sometime and we will see big changes around here. I truly have not minded the people in and out but I am sure I will relish a calm cozy winter.
Paul has begun his 8 week Monday night golf tournament and the sport has become a favorite of not only his but Joshua and of course Kenny's also. I am starting to play more often. (if you can't beat them join em)It dawned on me recently (and it has already started happening) that wherever there are people than there is a chance to show God's love. My eyes were opened to the opportunities we may have as a family out there on the golf course. The boys are already well known and have made several acquaintances with the old and young fellers out there on the course. It is so beautiful out there that I can understand the stress relief that it has provided for my Kenny. I have a much happier husband.
I keep up with world events and marvel at all that is going on. Sometimes I feel things to deeply. I heard about a 12 year old boy being pulled under by the strong currents and lost yesterday. I just hugged Paul and cried. Maybe I am a little nervous going to the beach but I was really feeling for the parents and I realized I have been on Paul's case a little to much lately. He is going through a forgetful, out in space , stage. PUBERTY!! ugh.
Life is heavy but we keep on loving everywhere we go! Right!?

Lots to say... to tired to say it all.

2009-07-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy that I have just been to tired to blog at night. We had relatives here for the 4th of July, I helped with a fund-raiser f0r Levi's family the next weekend, put fencing around our back yard the following weekend so we could give John his german shepherd puppy for his birthday, and this weekend we are getting the two pygmy goats, three ducks, and 10 chicks all settled into their new home. The extra fencing we had motivated me to finally get the petting zoo in operation. The kids are really enjoying the animals and I am too if not more so. We celebrated John and Paul's birthdays this last week and now I am a bit tired. We will post more pictures of all the happenings around here later. I put these family pictures up for all the grandparents to see. We will be sending the actual photos your way soon. Miss you all.

Spider

2009-06-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

After a trip to dump a bucket into the compost pile John came in and was squirting dishwashing detergent into the dishwasher as I noticed a black widow crawling up his back on top of his white t-shirt. I quickly but silently took my dishrag and killed it. He was a little shook up after I told him what I had just killed. They can deliver a nasty bite.

Beautiful June

2009-06-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

We have had this pair of rarely seen Scarlet Tanagers hanging out in our yard. The male continually and deliberately runs into our windows. I am looking into this strange behavior. It may be attacking his reflection in order to protect his female? We are enjoying seeing the male up so close and the female was even hanging out in the Japanese Maple right outside our window.The look exactly like the birds in the image above. They are very beautiful.

June 8-Shop is up and running. Work is coming in and we are blessed to see this after only two weeks since the fire.

June 11-I just finished rocking 2 1/2 year old Joseph to sleep after his bath in a silent house. It was nice. John is being given a drawing lesson by Pris and the older boys are with Kenny. The first few hours of calm in over a week gave me a chance to think about the younger mom I was in those simpler days of watching the children run around content with their toys and outdoor time. I guess I am missing those days a little. I know it shouldn't be that way but to be honest it is such a scary transition time with my older ones. They are looking for their life, their purpose, and their desires to be met. If "there is no greater joy than to know that my children are walking in truth" than there can be no greater sorrow than to know that they are not walking in truth.

Of course we enjoy watching them grow and we want nothing more than to see them mature and make good decisions on their own. But I know they will make mistakes like the rest of us. Learning to trust- that is one of the keys. We are endeavoring to not be naive parents so we can know how to pray for and guide our kids. This is serious business -this parenting thing.

June-20 We took the kids out to Fort Loudoun see at http://fortloudoun.com/ ( a restored fort from the French and Indian War) yesterday in the 97 degree heat. They tolerated it quite well especially since we took some time to swim at the end of the day. Later in the evening Joshua, Hope, and Priscilla did a great job performing at a local downtown coffee shop. I especially love when they sing their own songs that they have written. It 's amazing to hear the lyrics that come out of Hope's heart. I am blessed! Go to www.myspace.com/hopeector and listen for yourselves.

The older boys went to jump off waterfalls, Kenny is golfing, and Lily and I are enjoying listening to music. I hurt my neck somehow and I am having a hard time turning it. I have never been to a chiropractor but this pain might push me to do so. The cause may be from straining it while working outdoors. I have excitedly started 4-5 different projects-building an entrance arbor, starting the greenhouse, digging in steps on the hill, digging out a decorative fish pond, and a chicken house and coop. I just had the vision and wanted to start it all at once. I guess I will have to rest since this pain is making me feel sick.
On another note. I want more of our Father right now. I want to see the Lord move in my life and those around me. HE is truly the satisfier of our soul and I want to know Him in a personal way because religion is tiring but His spirit is like water to our souls. I get tired of distractions that pull me away from what is important. People are important, prayer, and walking in peace.
Just wanted to remind myself of that today. Let's remember to keep praying for eachother!!

Big Fire

2009-06-04T19:01:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (almost a week now) the sign company owned by our brother-in-law caught on fire and is now considered a total loss. While they were drying letters at the end of the day Kenny and my nephew in-law saw smoke and by the time they approached the area it was to late. After calling 911, they grabbed the computers and then found it impossible to save anything else but a plotter. (I'll post pictures later-our camera and cell phone were lost in the fire)
Meanwhile at home, we hear a few fire trucks but we are now hidden by trees from any view down below that I didn't bother to look out to see where they may be going. Joseph even said, "Hey mom, what's that sound?". "Fire trucks, Joe." 15 minutes later my neighbor and friend calls my phone and yells "Lori, did you know that the shop is on fire?" Fear struck me since I hadn't heard from Kenny so I jumped in the car and immediately tore down there. It crossed my mind that an explosion could have taken place and the neighbors might have called 911. I wondered if Kenny was okay. Even after I saw his beautiful form outside the building I couldn't help shaking. I couldn't believe the fire was out of control. Somehow Kenny and I both seemed to still have some kind of idea that he could conquer the beginning of a fire but the hose wasn't going to cut it as our nephew tried. They were amazed at how fast the huge place filled with black smoke and toxic fumes. There were about 10-12 fire trucks on the scene and they used 15,000 gallons of water out of the nearby pond/lake.
Ford and Lisa were on their way home from a vacation in Colorado and we were just sick at the thought of what they were about to face. They were and have been amazing about the whole thing. Even though they have insurance the amount of work in setting up temporarily and the stress of keeping clients is incredible. They are setting up shop in our carport which is now a closed in wired shop with machines all set up with production almost on its way. The office (our old bedroom we were already moving out of) is connected to the shop by our transformed plotter -room breezeway.It has turned out to be a nice set up. It hasn't been easy but it has been neat seeing everyone ( and I mean from 10 years old and up) buzzing around here as hard and fast as anyone can go. Taking our meals together has been one fun aspect of it all. Grandma and Grandpa have done an amazing amount of work pressure washing, painting, cleaning, cooking dinner several times for all of us and even helping me catch up on my laundry. Thanks to everyone for your work and prayers.

Scattered News

2009-05-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Been so long that there is no way I could stick to a subject or even find a suitable title. I always feel revived in the Spring and it is definitely beautiful but my family is still going through the reality of my brother's death and that is painful to watch and feel. Please continue to pray for Stacie and the family.
Well, we have had a busy spring with John playing soccer and Paul playing on a travel baseball team again. They did well. We took a weekend to go camping with Kenny's sister and husband and their 3 kids in Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. It was great to see them and we even survived a 6 hour severe lightning and rain storm the first night. I realized I liked camping more than I thought I would. The hard work in preparing pays off when everyone is relaxing around the campfire and eating Smores. The kids will always remember.
Joshua is working and schooling off and on. He is hanging out on Friday nights with some great kids. They started their own Bible study and He is liking it. Music is very important to him and he just purchased another guitar. He is taking part in the music his cousin Hope writes and they sound beautiful together. He is also running and lifting weights a few times a week with some encouraging young married men .
Kenny is working and playing ball with the boys. When I say ball I mean all kinds of ball- basketball, golf, football and oh yeah, does frisbee count as ball.? He keeps the boys busy several nights a week. This gives me time to do what I love and that is to work out in the yard or garden. I am stranger than most when I realize that I actually enjoy having a shovel or wheelbarrow in my hands. I love this kind of exercise. This week the garden is really looking spiffy. (can gardens be spiffy?) The younger kids run around outside till almost dark and then we go in for baths. We sleep well.

We are attending a new church where the whole family really listens and enjoys the speaker. We don't really care where we go as long as we are in God's will.
This week we have an 18 year old friend of the family coming to stay with us for a few weeks from Mo. We will enjoy showing him the beautiful sights and I'm sure he'll love joining the guys in their activities.

So much is going on with our friends and family. So many people hurting. Hope we are salt and light to these loved ones. ONLY IN HIM

Life

2009-03-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

Nephew Ben, our Joseph, and Levi's Sam

Lily's new bird

The Boston Terrier-A gift from my brother Judah- we love him. Formerly Scooter now Goob

Baby Judah Samuel- one day old

baby Cousin Joseph James (Ben's # 2)with our Joseph Peter

John with another new pet

I can't believe it has taken this long for me to blog again. I think I have been extra tired at night. So much has happened since January. On the 29th of January my brother, Levi died suddenly from a blood vessel eruption in his heart while talking to my Dad late one night around a bonfire just after he arrived home from work. At only 31 his widow and the rest of us were shocked. His little two year old Sam will still remain close by as his mom has choosen to stay here in TN. Levi is buried just across the road from where I live. During the month of January our family had spent time with Levi in Bible study and worship together. My boys were able to throw a football around and play games with my funniest and easy-going brother. His funeral was meaningful as people full of faith shared their songs and memories. My dad shared how he felt honored to be there in the beginning and the end. (He delivered Levi at home) Please keep praying for my family as daily life has brought the constant reminder of his absence.

A nephew was born two weeks before Levi passed away and another nephew was born just a few weeks ago. New life brings an awe of the power of life and death and I cannot express how I feel about the mystery of it all.

Early December

2009-01-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

Lily's hair is so ridiculously curly that I just had to blog about it. This picture was taken just after her hair had dried. By the way, she is doing much better and we havn't seen any seizures in about a month. We would like her to be off of Dilantin if possible. Thanks for praying. She is an amazing girl and is faced with a bit more boredom since she quit drawing as much. We are all trying to take time each day to do some activity with her after school.

Candace and Michael are here to help with the work load at the shop. I was so tickled and so were the girls when she came over one evening to play. Snuggling and reading to the girls meant a lot. The simplest things in life and the loving things we do for the "least of these"(Matthew 20) are really the greatest joy givers not only for others but for ourselves.

Joseph and John on Joe's birthday

The first half of December we celebrated Joseph's 2nd birthday. He is a unique character, one that leaves me puzzled at times. We are loving this age especially when he is just sitting still with a handful of my hair sucking his finger. We are not so fond of this age when the curiousity takes control of his being , which has led to mayonaise covering himself and the floor surrounding him, a hop in the tub fully dressed (including his dirty diaper which led to the contents floating in the water) with at least a 1/2 gallon of water on the floor, a tea party hosted by Joe himself as he filled up Sarah's plastic tea pot with toilet water and spilled it on the carpet of her bedroom floor, Lily's cassette tape bin dumped and tape pulled out, marker art work on the doors, toys and soggy cereal thrown into the bird cage, Grandma's decorative pebbles thrown into her toilet, our toilet clogged with who knows what, and.... should I stop here? I know what some of you are thinking....... What is wrong with his mother and why has she not trained this kid?, she definitely knows better...... Well I am much more occupied than I used to be but this guy does his mischief with lightning speed. Have you seen Dash from the movie the Incredibles?.. well it's just that he is usually up to no good the minute he is out of our sight. "Go check on Joe, where is Joseph?, what is that noise?," -These words are the neverending sounds coming forth from my mouth! Some of the things he gets into are definite no no's that have already been ingrained into him but do you think to tell your kid "'Don't pull the mayo jar off the counter or Don't throw things into the bird cage? Lately my motto has been .. "No Joe, it's not a toy. Not a toy, Joe." But everything that isn't a toy is so interesting to him.His cuteness and his repeating of all he hears is counteracting his naughtiness and we are still enjoying this crazy but tiresome kid.

A Little Bragging on Josh

2008-12-07T12:39:00.000-08:00

I don't brag on Josh enough, in fact, I don't give him enough breaks sometimes. I wanted to tell a little more about his life. Joshua saved and bought this drum set in Missouri while we were on vacation. It has been a loud but valuable asset to the musical activity in our home. My favorite sound is Joshua's voice as he plays his guitar. He has now saved enough to buy an electric acoustic guitar. We are all thankful for his seemingly effortless ability to improve. He might disagree and say he practices but I am clueless when it comes to musical ability. Joshua works part time for his Uncle's business doing office work such as bidding jobs, dealing with clients over the phone, E-mails, etc. He is very fortunate to have this opportunity and I know the confidence and skills he is acquiring are priceless. He takes great care of the kids and house when Kenny and I are away. He is also blessed with a love for reading and is serious about his education. Golfing (and improving in the sport) with Kenny and Paul is also a huge part of his life. Because high school homeschoolers don't seem to have team sports opportunities in this area we have let him work out at a boxing gym with some great guys a few times a week. But most importantly he seems to have a love for his family and Creator so..... I couldn't ask for a better son!!! (sometimes I don't hesitate to send constant correction to the kids and while that can be good, I know they need to be told all the good and how much they are appreciated so I am announcing to all that we are grateful for what God has given us. God spared his life on that sad day when his brother went on to eternity. At three years old he became an even more precious gift to us. We told him then and we tell him now ..... You are here with a purpose.

Joshua and Hope hang out often and play music and sing together. Hope is a talented, God-fearing friend and cousin and we are grateful she lives right next door. I am looking forward to the day when many others will have the opportunity to hear the songs she has written.

I ask friends and family to pray for our teens as they are up against so many lies being yelled out to them in every direction. I don't hope for perfect teens, nor expect it but I hope they can through the power of God in their lives ....Do Hard Things.... like the book Josh just read by the Harris twins. They can rise above low expectations not for the purpose of their own glory but to the encouragement and uplifting of others. How can others know of the love of God unless we are confident in showing it? Josh just told me today of his disgust when he sees Christians come across like they are better than others. While we should never be ashamed of the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, others need to see that it's only through our allowing Him to live in us. Our pride is smellier than blatant sin. Jesus seemed to portray this as he dealt with others. Lord, humble us and help us to glory only in the cross......Let our Christianity be relational (as my friend Tina says) and not religious. Anyway, please pray for Josh as he will be seeking direction in the next few years.

Just a note: Lily has had a tough week with close to 200 seizures in 5 days. Her seizing was worse at night and they would come in clusters of 10 or so. She is better now and on a third med. She is glad to be sleeping better and she handles it so well but please pray this does not become a common week in her life. So far this only has happened twice before. Both times she was hospitalized but this time it was manageable at home since we had all the meds we needed. Thanks for praying. She is amazing.

Fun with John

2008-12-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

All our boys are ramping lately especially now that they have a track around the lake. I will post pictures of that later.

This is my favorite picture of the day. John was laughing so hard as he threw leaves into my face. His laughter was contagious.

John enjoying making huge bubbles. Taking the day to play was good for me and even better for John. The weather was perfect and I told Kenny it was one of the best days I have had with the younger kids all year. I am so glad to still have young ones who get so much satisfaction out of the simplest things like blowing bubbles and playing in the leaves. It is so nice to have a way like blogging to keep record of the good times.

For whatever the reason we have a surplus of hickory nuts and acorns. My mom had a bowl of hickory nuts sitting on her counter one day and I thought they were delicious so I started to help her dig the meat out of the intricate shell and before long I became addicted to the picking. They taste similiar to walnuts yet sweeter. Yes, I am a picker. You either hate it or love it. Before long I was collecting my own stash and not feeling one bit guilty about robbing the squirrels ( we have zillions of acorns this year). If I woke in the middle of the night I started digging at the nuts and soon I had enough to make a whole chocolate cream square dessert for Thanksgiving. I only had one complaint of a tiny piece of shell in the whole thing! Was it worth it? I don't know, it was fun eating something I didn't have to grow or buy.

Good Stuff

2008-12-06T20:36:00.001-08:00

If you are a parent then go here....http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=2861 This is a good reminder and heartbreaking to see the ill effects on relationships everywhere! Let's not just go with the flow and fall into the trap.

2008-11-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Lily is a good sister to little Joe

Sarah and John attacking the mom

Japanese Maple is beautiful no matter what season we are in.

Fall has been a bright and cheery season for us here in Tennessee. The most brilliant colors seemed to last just a couple of weeks and I am glad we took advantage of a few of these nice days and just played. When the chores seem endless indoors and the stress is mounting, we need to run away to the woods and fields where we will feel energized and on our return home we will be ready and able to tackle those jobs a little more light heartedly!! Try it!

October 10th

2008-11-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

Grandma helping Sarah

Sarah Faith

Birthday Breakfast

It's hard to believe our baby girl is already 3! She had her special breakfast including a pancake man , an idea I read in the Little House Books. Evening time brought on the typical cake and ice cream party with neighbors and family. She is on the rowdy side so she had a ball with the golf club set and punching bag from Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks to all the out-of-state grandparents for making her day special.

A trip to Middle Tennesee

2008-10-16T19:40:00.001-07:00

burning bush - noticed on the hike

" best way to hike", says Joe

Joshua and Priscilla

the waterfall was just a trickle due to the drought

a big tickle

Paul in front of the beautiful bridge at the state park in Crossville

We had a nice weekend break a few weeks back designed for hiking and relaxing. My sister and husband are wonderful enough to invite us on some mini-vacations even though we live next door. On the way we stopped to hike down to a 100 ft waterfall,which seemed like a trickle because of the drought but it was still a unique sight to see. The rest of the time was spent playing basketball at the community center or swimming.

September 27...12 years ago

2008-09-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Isaac was often called "little Kenny" by family. Here they are together on Monte the old 27 year old horse.

Isaac and Hope sharing a rare Coke at a special get together.

Isaac finds Hope a hat. In so many of our pictures he is wearing a bright blue one that was his favorite

It's sad but worth mentioning that Isaac died on his cousin Hope's birthday. They were only 3 months apart and great friends. Lisa mentioned how amazing it is that every year on the anniversary of his death we think of Hope by celebrating her life. Her name "Hope" was no coincidence.

Isaac, age 3 in front of the horse farm we lived on during the last 2 years of his life

October of 93. Isaac was 16 months and Josh was just 6 weeks old

As most of you know, our oldest son passed away at the age of four in a car accident as we traveled from Springfield, Mo.( our home then) to Tennessee for a visit. I wanted to share a very precious time of our lives by posting a few pictures and comments. Isaac had something that our other children have never seemed to portray at the age of three and four. He had a very tender heart toward spiritual matters that comforts us to this day. Making up his own songs in the back seat with the words..."You are an awesome God. Mercy and Truth come out of you" at three years old shocked us when we had never sang such a song to him before. He was also beautiful.. wouldn't you agree? After his death, we had a true experience with the awesome grace of God and really felt as if we were carried through those first few months as the well known poem "footprints" states. There are times now I will wonder...How do we function and live normally when such a hole remains in our hearts? It's because our heavenly Father helps us as we believe the truth He says!! Yet it still hurts and we miss him so much. Eternal life....now that is a wonderful thought. Looking forward to seeing all of creation set free!!

This year we will be on a weekend getaway celebrating Hope's birthday but keeping a candle lit for our sweet, smiley, Isaac. (I don't remember having a picture of him where he is not smiling)

Life for Now

2008-09-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

Finished.... much better

In trouble for making another mess

Can you see the "stinker"' in his smirk

John twirling Sarah in a dance to Joshua's morning guitar playing

John climbing the wall at the YMCA

Lily did great until she needed to get down. I tried to help her but only found myself landed on.

Last Friday night Lisa, her girls, me, and my girls took the evening to go visit Priscilla who went away to college this fall. We had such a nice time in the city. I really enjoyed noticing the new architectural developments going on around me and appreciating the old buildings also. Downtown Chattanooga is really marvelous. The pedestrian bridge is lit up at night and is full of families and even an occasional musician here and there with their cases open for cash donations. The park near the bridge has the most perfect fescue that calls to your bare feet. People are playing Frisbee and football while others let their little ones run around in the fountains. Pris had to work on a drawing assignment for a bit but she was able to have coffee at the little shop in the historic district. We sure miss her and Candace both. On the way home we all sang together. Lily gets more from times like that than I’m sure we can imagine. Sisters and nieces can make very dear friends.
Kenny was also able to take me on a date Saturday. Golfing, dinner, and then a little drive. It was very refreshing. Kenny is trying to teach me how to golf. It is extremely difficult to hit that tiny ball with a little club head straight and far and controlled. I don’t know how much time I will be willing to give toward seemingly a difficult sport but for now it’s once a week. At first I had the attitude that it was a meaningless waste of time but I feel I was too presumptuous in judging. The fresh air does wonders and the beauty of all that green is good for the eyes. We come home in a much better mental state to deal with stress and the hard work it takes to keep things running smoothly. We are spending time with family(sometimes friends) and able to communicate much more with each other than we would sitting in front of the electronic devices that so tempt our time.

The weather is turning cooler, especially in the mornings so I took the lunch outside today. John carried the blanket and straightened it out very nicely and then ran off to find the “secret” patch of wild muscadines ( a fruit resembling a large grape). The boys got up early to get their schoolwork done so they could go golfing with Grandpa today so I just had the four younger ones. I think I am concluding that John’s age is one of my favorite stages and I want to soak up this time of reading out loud together even though he still prefers to be engaged in some competitive activity. When he heard we would be racing for candy at the YMCA PE classes you should have seen his raised eyebrows and wiggly body as the teacher explained. Sarah wants me to consider her doing school when she is at the table writing or sitting with a book somewhere. “Look Mom, I do school” I think she has a wonderful mind already. As we were picnicking on the edge of the field overlooking the view she said the grasses were dancing ( and they really were nodding and swaying) which was followed by telling me to “look at all the mountains, over there and over there and over there” as she pointed in three different directions. Next, she brought me acorns and asked me how many. She imitated the calls of the crows and hawks that flew overhead and on the way home picked the wild flowers she saw. Full of wonder and the love of life is Sarah. Joseph is changing from mama’s boy already. When Kenny comes in the door and sits down Joseph will mosey on over and proceed to head bang him or punch him to start a little wrestling match. It seems he thinks it’s funny to get hurt a little because he always goes back for more. He also likes to bring Kenny books and show him all the animals he knows.
The truth is I want to spend more time ministering to others but not at the cost of leaving my kids to movies, video games, boredom, or others knowing them more than I do. Right now it seems like God has me in a place of pressing in to walking in the truths I do know with the ones closest to me. That always seems to be the most difficult, does it not? I truly want opportunities of reaching out to others as a family. He has definitely brought those about in his timing. It’s not about earning approval. It’s about living a purposeful, meaningful, obedient life that I have to trust the Lord for. I just try to jump ahead instead of patiently waiting for God. So many times he reminds me…… Hello. You have a daughter that needs more of you desperately!!! Quit looking out there when I have already given you those to minister to! Your Husband, kids, parents, siblings and friends! Be a light! There I go again …Preaching to myself.

Two Teenagers Already!

2008-09-05T21:15:00.000-07:00

A new "white cabinet" look

13 candles

Paul puts on the necklace he made her

Lily doing what she loves most.

Lily gets to work the controls

Her breakfast plate smiley face

John and Sarah helped pick and arrange her flowers

The "I wan Apple" kid

The "men " of the family carrying the picnic supplies

A view of the Tennessee valley

It's been incredible to watch the kids grow. Joshua seems like another adult walking around the house. At 15 he can just about run things. We enjoy all the summer birthdays- eating meals together with family and throwing in a kick ball game now and then. We started celebrating Lily's day a little early by taking her to Boomsday, a huge fireworks show in Knoxville. It really is something to see so this year we had others join us and they were not disappointed. This event draws about 325,000 people, but we found a great church parking lot that has ,what we heard , the best and closest view. We have also enjoyed taking a day to visit the nearby mountains for a picnic and dip in what we think is the most beautiful lake we have ever seen. We started school and WOW!!! it is going to be a busy year. We have nature study class at the park on one afternoon with a half dozen families and Physical Education at the YMCA on another afternoon.One night a week we play frisbee and tennis. We are trying to get Lily involved with music and horses as well. Paul is playing in a golf league once a week and enjoying the competition. Joshua is working several afternoons after he puts in a heavy school day including Biology with the labs, Geometry, Format Writing, Spanish 1, and the other basics. The other kids have a full day also and I can't help but read aloud to them when it comes to history (this is generally because we read a lot of historical fiction) I am reading the Little House series to John and Lily not to mention their history and science readings . Lily seems to be able to get a lot of what I am saying and John is begging for more. The kid's attitudes make things easier but I still feel totally overwhelmed some days. You see, I do have this one busy little man who likes to get away with a lot when mom is busy. I try to let go and enjoy this time and overlook the messes. I just had to take a picture of the apple mess. He found an overlooked bag of apples on the table after we arrived home from the grocery store and decided it would be fun to take a bite out of EVERY ONE and spit the pieces out everywhere. He just looked at me upon discovery and said, "I wan apple" I am sure things have been worse since I have been occupied in between subjects, nap times and late at night sanding, priming, and painting our kitchen cabinets but it has been worth it. The kitchen, being my main dwelling place, needed to be a brighter more cheerful place.

Today, Lily's birthday (which is the day before one of her grandma's birthdays. Happy Birthday Grandma!) was really a precious day. I decided to take Kenny's advice and have more relaxed fun with the kids so therefore we just did whatever Lily wanted. We have a special breakfast tradition with flowers and candles followed by a few presents. Then we painted together around the table, played a video game, watched Prince of Egypt twice, made bead necklaces, made cakes, and then she couldn't stand it any longer. She had to get back to her computer art. She truly is a junkie. In the evening, we had friends and family over for the cake of her choice. She did something so wonderful today that I wish I could add to the blog. As we were drawing and painting we had some music on that she just couldn't sit still for so she jumped up and gave me the best dance show I had ever seen from her. I will try to put it on here soon. Lily has had zero seizures since we went up on her topomax which has been about a month now.

So what can I say. Sure life gets hectic. We get stressed and rude to each other at times. I even have days where I cry from not feeling adequate enough. But I try to remember the truth. I try to remember gratefulness is the way out. GOD'S LOVE IS HERE! So what more can I need.

July and August Update

2008-09-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

The problem with not blogging for a few months is the time it takes to choose what to update all of our friends and family about. I am thankful for the good memories that we have stored up of this summer. Things are really going very well. I will try to comment about a random picture here and there. I hope it doesn't seem too incomplete.

Have to show this green that used to be brown and rocky........
Thanks to mom and Bernie's hard work while we were in Mo. we now have a back lawn.

His addiction is still strong but it's cute

John's birthday was the 24th of July, just two days after Paul's. He was excited about the sling shot and four square ball he was able to buy with the Grandparent's funds. Thanks long distance grandparents!! I don't have any good pictures of Paul's B-day but we had a great day at Dollywood together. Lisa and I took the four older boys for their birthdays. I rode the roller coasters with them almost a dozen times.

Lily dressed up for a friend's fairy tale birthday party. She loved it.

And little humpty dumpty sat on his wall.....he didn't like his outfit as much as Lily and Sarah liked theirs.

Need to Catch Up

2008-08-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

Lily still prefers to use the computer mouse to draw all sorts of creatures. She is really nuts about anything that looks scary. She gets a bit carried away and we have had to tone her down a bit. We don't want to extingush her love of drawing so we do this very carefully. Her birthday was today and we had a wonderful day of doing whatever Lily wanted to do .....

Missouri Trip part 2

2008-07-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

An old fashioned 4th celebration with balloon fight, games for the kids, fireworks, homemade ice cream, and a ton of food. Thanks to the S and T families.

April, a very special lifelong friend of ours

Lily and Sarah having a great 4th

cousins Collin and William

Lily and her sweet cousin Brianna
Collin, John, and David
Friends-Tina and Emily

Lily and Joshua with cousins Isaac and Christian
Candace and John

The last part of our trip was spent in Southern Mo. where we visited with a large amount of relatives and friends. Just the nieces and nephews on Kenny's side number about 25 in the area. They are all growing up so fast. I just hate being so far away from them all. Kenny's sister and brother in law gave up their HUGE (personal joke) master bedroom for us and fed us like we were royalty. We had a big get together on the fourth and there were a zillion rowdy boys running around shooting of fireworks. The next day we went to some dear friend's house for another 4th celebration where we visited with friends we hadn't seen in 6 years. Many of these people Kenny grew up with and I met when I was in my teens. One very special girl who was our former neighbor and friend will always be a part of our lives. It was definitely a 4th of July every kid would dream of with cook outs, homemade ice cream, water balloon fight, scavenger hunt, and lots of fireworks. I think the boys were excited to come back home and set up a drum set they bought in Mo which our sweet friends, who by the way spoiled us in many ways, allowed us to store in their home for a few days. Joshua found a beautiful set of drums and now we have a little extra noise around the house.

Here in MO.

2008-06-29T17:56:00.000-07:00

Papa's Garden
(his big tomatoes sell first at the market)

Granny posed the little ones

Sarah and their Doberman Pincher, Ace

Granny Z and the kids

Fishing on the paddle boat

We left Thursday for our 10 day visit to Missouri where we lived 11 of our 17 years of marriage and birthed 5 of our 7 children. Needless to say, we have a lot of roots here and many fond memories, especially of our little Isaac whose grave we will also be visited in a few days. We are staying near KC,MO for the first few days and then heading to Spfld. Our first night we arrived to attend our Granny's 65th birthday party where we were able to see many relatives whom we havn't seen in years. Yesterday we had a family gathering at Kenny's sisters where the kids swam and stuffed themselves full. Today we have enjoyed the farm where Granny and Papa keep cattle, horses, chickens, a pond full of fish, and a huge garden. We have been eating potatoes, onions, zucchini, green beans, eggs, steaks, and salsa all produced here on the farm. Delicious!! The sky is bigger here in Mo. and I am enjoying the countryside especially since I have begun to read The Little House series for the third time to the kids. The Ingalls' first prairie cabin is quite close to this area. Tommorow the guys will go golf and I will enjoy another relaxing day paddling the little boat around the pond and maybe take another early morning walk by myself enjoying the colors the sunrise brings to this farm on the rolling prairie.

Good Friends

2008-06-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Trying to take time for a weekly lake visit.

Visit from Mom and Dad

2008-05-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa, who flew in from far away Phoenix, left a few days ago after spending a couple of days with us. I wish all the Grandparents lived nearby because they all have so much to offer the younger generation. I always enjoy hearing how they see the kids in comparison in remembering little Kenny. It makes me love Kenny and the little ones all the more. We spent most of our time at home since they had so much more traveling to do and it is really the best place to be if one wants to catch up with another. We did take dinner over to Kenny's Aunt and Uncle who live nearby because this Aunt and Uncle have a very special relationship with his mom and dad. The Aunt is his Mom's sister and the Uncle is his Dad's brother! His Aunt is so young that she is the same age as one of his sisters. His mom was the oldest of 10. She had 8 herself. I remember the days when we first married and they still had four teens living at home. We would sit around the table drinking a pot of coffee at their home laughing and talking till the wee hours of the morning. (talking about important issues was and still is this side of the family's favorite pastime) The young married couples would pop in and out and even crash for the weekends. We all miss those days. But now I see how good it is that they have some kind of rest from the constant activity. I know they still feel for and pray for all of their grandkids like always. We feel blessed to have them make the long trip to come see us.
I met a lady, who was ooohing and aahing the children, in the grocery store today. She ended up telling me how she was one of 16. She said they "always knew how to have a good time without pushing buttons" and she said she "taught children that praying was just talking to God like you would talk to her". She and I both got a little teary eyed as we talked about how insecure things are for most kids these days. I just feel so frustrated that we lock our old people and our young up in institutions all day when they could touch our society in so many ways. Like John Gatto , author of Dumbing us Down says, " we are not reminded of our past or think of our future" when we live like this. We live in networks and not communities. I wish I could have heard all the stories this elderly woman had stored up inside.

The Obedience of Faith -RISING ABOVE

2008-05-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

....NOW TO HIM THAT IS OF POWER TO ESTABLISH YOU BY THE GOOD NEWS AND THE PREACHING OF JESUS CHRIST AND BY THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MYSTERY WHICH WAS KEPT SECRET .... BUT NOW IS MADE KNOWN AND BY THE SCRIPTURES OF THE PROPHETS....AND BY THE COMMANDMENT OF THE EVERLASTING GOD IS MADE KNOWN TO ALL NATIONS FOR THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH: TO GOD ONLY WISE, BE GLORY THROUGH JESUS CHRIST FOR EVER. AMEN

Rise above the turbulence

OBEDIENCE OF FAITH
Sometimes I get so busy that I don't take the time to think enough, pray enough, or to just be still. Whether it's my inherited nature or a restless heart I know the command to "Be still and know that I am God" therefore it must be a key to walking in peace. Well I have been thinking about several points. The first is how most of our disobedience or failures or even temptations derive from believing lies. If I truly believed what the truth was about how God sees something or what he says about something then my faith would be followed by action -by obedience. One of the problems is Satan still gets to us today just like he did in the beginning and that is he LIES. We start to believe that God is not really there loving us, or we think that sin has something to offer our hurting soul, or that the eternal rewards are not really worth enduring this life of suffering, or that laying down our lives for others means we will be forgotten, or that loving the unlovely or having mercy on others will only humiliate us, or we better take control and look out for ourselves. How many times has the sin that has entangled us begun with a deceiving thought?

Another thought is - if we know God's love and ways are better than what the world has to offer then how can that truth be made known to those who are so lost? I know God is the one who draws but it says "how beautiful are the feet that bring good news" As followers I know we need to be living proof that his ways are awesome, his presence is satisfying, and His love is really in our hearts. People need to come to the Lord because He is better than what they know now and not out of fear or guilt (even thought he will use both) but the relationship based on love is truly the most fulfilling. Let us get our focus off of our own problems and look around at those who need to see HIM alive on this earth. LET'S LIVE THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH ---LET FAITH MOTIVATE US TO OBEY!!!!!! FAITH TO BELIEVE THAT GOD IS TRULY LOVE.. I am having fun preaching at myself. --ha

The Boys

2008-05-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

John is just a good kid. At least he has a very tolerant and tolerable temperment. He hardly ever needs correction. I am wondering if his struggles will be more evident later on but for now he is a joy. He just finished his second year of soccer and he is still as fast as ever. Mom to Cherubs , who by the way does a great job,coached his team. John loved every minute of it.

Paul has been busy playing in weekend baseball tournaments this spring. He is sitting in front of a beautiful mountain creek that we visited this past weekend. We lean on Paul quite a bit to help with the little ones and they both adore him.

Joseph has been a bit more serious lately and is determined to not let his dominant big sister dominate him. He snubbed me when I returned from the hospital and it took me a few days to win him back. Hmm... he may be the "hold a grudge" type.

Josh is a real pleasure to listen to as he has been teaching himself to play the guitar. He also runs the house for us whenever we are sick or on a date. He is almost done with his Freshman year and has applied himself well. He plays golf and tennis and football with friends and family and likes to encourage Paul in baseball until he begins his own season in June. He keeps us laughing with his mimicking skills. He also is busy at work with Kenny and his Uncle in the office several times a week.

The Girls

2008-05-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Sarah loving the outdoors
Lily - happy to be free this past weekend

This crazy girl came waltzing out of the barn and through the yard with her arms full. She managed to open the cage door and scoop them both up.
Sleeping as only sisters can

Lily's Struggle

2008-05-13T19:31:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone for loving and praying for this wonderful girl of ours. She is amazing! Her ability to cope calls for strength and faith from all of us. We only had to spend a day and a half at the Children's hospital to get her seizures under control. Lisa at Shadybrookacres (link to the right) posted a few more details than I will. We are just happy to have not seen her have any more seizures after nearly 100 in 24 hours. (These can be described as clonic seizures that are usually lasting near a minute). It was tough but we had hope that she would come out of it soon since she had trouble similiar to this a few years ago. It made me remember the people I met during Lily's brain surgery 9 years ago who had to live with much more heartache and trouble with their children's seizures than we generally do. There are times in all of our lives where we can just call on God's name and trust Him. Anyway she has been seizure free since Friday night.

Thank you to mom to cherubs and three other friends for sending meals and of course mom and Lisa are always willing to stop everything to help. Thanks also to my loving nieces who love the babies!!

Last month's Field Trip

2008-04-28T19:28:00.001-07:00

Sarah

John swinging his sword

Joshua in front of the fall

The first sight

The water logged brown bat

We took a little drive with 4 other families to a lake with a nearby trail to a waterfall hoping for a nice spring nature walk. Shortly after we arrived we noticed what we thought was a bird land in the water. It managed to alight again and we noticed it looked like a bat, which it was, and we saw it land in some leaves a little ways off. As we got closer we noticed it laying on the ground with wings outstretched (apparently to dry them) and allowing Kezzi to poke at it a bit. Finally it climbed up a small pine to nearly eye level and posed this wonderful pose for me to take. Isn't he/she awesome!

Socialization

2008-04-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

READ THIS!!!! GO TO BECK'S BOUNTY ON THE CHOICES OF LINKS TO THE RIGHT AND READ HER POST ON SOCIALIZATION. WELL SAID.

God Doesn't Have Grandkids

2008-04-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

Kenny reading to Sarah

All six

We have been going through Romans these past few weeks. It contains so many riches for us to take hold of. One of the points we have been revisiting is our own individual walk with the Lord and the individual faith we all need to have. We can’t ride our parent’s faith and have the peace and relationship with God that we need. I think the boys understand. The time we share reading and talking is so precious and I know the Spirit is touching their hearts because there is so much power in God’s words. I can see it on their faces. What a battle each of us has. Last night I was reading some articles from nogreaterjoy.org and came across the title ..God Doesn’t Have any Grandchildren.. Pearl wrote about the homeschool movement and what it has produced. They were some of the veterans of the movement. Now their five children are married preparing to homeschool their grandchildren. The point of this article was to open our eyes to the tragic results of families living in a state of “kick-back, take it easy, the battle is over” lethargic attitude. Sometimes we parents think that because we are saved and raising our children in a protected Christian environment that the battle is won and our kids are safe.

Quote “ But are they safe? Only if evil is external, environmental, bad influences, or stupidity. But please believe me Christian parent: sin is closer than that. Like an undetected and undiagnosed disease, every child is infected with a killer within, just waiting for the right passion to multiply itself and metastasize into a lethal plague that swells the flesh to grotesque proportions and eats the spirit until it shrivels in fear and guilt. Every new generation is lost and undone as Adam was the day after he sinned. Every child is born with a propensity to indulge the flesh, and soon develops a mind to promote self before virtue. Training and environment will certainly enable the child to grow up with the ability to regulate passion, to act in a cultured and disciplined manner, but no amount of external training or influence is going to change the soul of Adam’s race. THAT TAKES NEW BIRTH, WHICH IS SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FROM RELIGION, AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH APPLYING CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES……….Good kids, well- trained kids must be born again, otherwise their righteousness will be just like that of the Scribes and Pharisees, outwardly beautiful, but inwardly full of dead man’s bones (Matthew 23: 27-28)….. I am writing this article out of my concern for the next generation. I see an increasing trend toward pleasure-centered lives, unconcern for the Spirit’s leading, and doctrinal indifference.
……Christian parents and homeschool parents are more relaxed now, put-of-guard by the success of their lifestyles. ….but depravity cannot be long contained by social customs and good manners.

He goes on to say that historically , third generation Christians are generally religious, but lost.

(of course there are exceptions)
Then he says---
“I’ve likely alarmed you, and you are now asking, “What can I do to guarantee that my children (or my grandchildren) become real, born-again Christians?” Go back and walk in the old paths with them.”Thus saith the LORD, stand ye in the ways, and see , and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls” Jeremiah 6:16. First and foremost, you must become a Spirit-filled believer, daily rejoicing in the blessings of God, giving praise and honor to him in the presence of your children. You must manifest the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-23). Your children must see your compassion and justice. They must see your abhorrence for sin. ….Don’t raise your children to live in a make-believe world…. Teach them the TRUTH. Instill a Biblical reality. You cannot expect one or two hours at church each week to feed their spirits any more than you would trust two meals per week to feed their bodies…..Give them one hour of TV per day followed by one hour of Bible teaching or vice versa then expect the TV worldview to win, It is a better communicator than you are. Recount the truths of God in your conversation all day long. Deliberately cause them to know the Bible from beginning to end. This is not indoctrination. This is acquaintance with the greatest source of philosophical and moral truth the world has ever seen. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:15, 16)

Sometimes I read articles like this out loud to my boys and I can tell they appreciate me “getting real”. I think they long for real answers to life. Stories of people’s lives being rescued from the pit and my own stories of how God has brought me out of my pits helps them to know He is there for them. Even if some of us have never been in the clutches of drugs, alcohol, sexual sin, or the other more noticeable outward sins, we have all struggled, and the sins of the religious Pharisees were seemingly more rebuked by Christ than any others and without His grace we would be and are in the pit. Anyway God forbid that we forget HE is the great physician who came for the sick. God help us to not to raise prideful, self-righteous kids but kids who know that they need a healer and savior like all of us.
When I was first married to my husband I was a first generation home schooler but had newly come to the Lord in my teens and My mother in-law had a story to tell that I never forgot. She said as she was praying for her kids, she cried, “Lord, keep the world from my kids” The Lord reminded her saying (not directly quoting her) “They are born with the world in them and I have to take it out of them” That was a reminder to her that each child was to have their own battle. All 8 of them are believers. What was the biggest impression my husband has that has stuck with him growing up??......Reading of the Scriptures in his home.

I have been encouraged again to not hurrry through our time together in the morning. The kids never seem to be anxious about finishing this time so I have relaxed and realized that it is the most important part of their training. As Joshua plays his guitar and we sing together I am thankful we can worship together in this way but we talked today about when it comes to really worshiping in"spirit and truth" like Jesus mentioned to that Samaritan woman then we give our lives as that living sacrifice of worship. That's where true joy is. I have heard over and over that

"more is caught than taught" and we parents need to call upon him and live in true joy.

Searching for More Snow and so on....

2008-03-11T18:37:00.001-07:00

Kenny helping Lily...... 2 hours from home ......but we found more snow
Paul was a little reckless as he ramped over a log
worn out

Hot chocolate after the first snow excursion
little Joe in his first snow
Joshua and Kenny in front of a mountain stream

Hope Kenny on the "search" for mountain snow

John is realizing there is enough for a ride
Joshua, Hope, and Kezzi
On Oak Hill. Up and down the worn path of our front yard.
Paul as more snow began to fall
Snow ball fight
Okay, I know I went a little overboard in posting pictures. But hey! We havn't had the opportunity to sled down our oak hill for six years...

We woke up Saturday morning to the most snow we have had in 6 years. The kids went out without breakfast because we all knew it wouldn't last long. About noon it was just about green when Kenny decided "Let's go sled in the mountains!" Well it took us a while to find what we were looking for but by 9:00 at night we found a great spot. With headlights shining in the crevice of two mountains on the side of a winding road our older kids and their cousins had a great time. Kenny will do more and spend more time with them than I ever dreamed off.And thanks to Aunt Lisa keeping the little ones I was able to enjoy the beautiful ride.

As for other news- My mom and step dad arrived home after two weeks in Florida. We sure missed them. Paul and John have already started their spring sports. Paul is on a special team that will just play weekend tournaments. He had to go out and get sponsers yesterday for the expenses. He was able to get friends, family, and businesses in town to sponser him per foot in a "homerun derby". I was so proud of how he overcame his nervousness and fear. By the end of our outing he was walking into businesses asking for the owner! He raised all he needed to in just a few hours. Tonight he hit a 167 footer and he is all set. John is still the fastest and littlest guy on his team, but fast doesn't mean he will have good control of the soccer ball, so, we shall see. He was so excited about his first practice that he kept counting the days. Joshua is still improving on the guitar and taking an art class with his cousin Hope once a week. He will also start baseball in a few months.

We had a little scare with all of the California homeschool mess but it looks like Arnold is going to come through.Thank the Lord for our freedom. I just couldn't imagine giving birth to these incredible children and then someone forcing me to send them away all day to be indoctrinated.The way I see it is : to forbid us to homeschool would be worse than forbidding us to attend church because we have church almost every day of our homeschool. We have a more heart to heart time than we do at church when we are all talking, singing, reading, and praying together in our living room. We are much more able to know our own children this way. And the more we take the time and the more we seek then He is faithful to teach us. I look forward to watching the Lord continue to work in their hearts. God's ways are attractive and powerful especially when we parents can truly exhibit the joy in the journey. To often we fail but the children ultimately have to keep their eyes on Jesus Christ alone.

Just Finding New Adventures

2008-03-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

I find Paul like this all the time. Joe is definitely his baby.Joseph still loves his "fuzzy"(lamb's wool)

14 months now
Being silly with mom
Sneaking the toothpaste
Holding the pliers for Dad as he installs the dishwasher
With John above the Hiwassee River

Joseph. Just as John put it yesterday _"Mom, Joseph ,being little, is fun." He sure is loved.

Girl Time

2008-03-05T18:15:00.000-08:00

Sarah has become very interested in princess dresses since she has been spending time with her friend Gabrielle.

Sarah
She drank her tea with a spoon -Jordan is in the background
Lily has the perfect "fancy hairdo"
More true to her nature- a little tom boyish

Last weekend Kenny and the boys went to stay with a friend and coworker to get some football and a little x-box playtime in exchange of his wife and two daughters coming to our house. My neighbor Julie also came to stay and we had a ball. We enjoyed a small tea party for the girls along with hotwings and chocolate cake for the ladies (Julie was good enough to make us a salad). We watched a few "girl movies" including part of the best all time Pride and Prejudice which is the older 5 hour one. Saturday turned out to be so beautiful so we took off for the Hiwassee River. We just read today in Romans how "the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead: so that they are without excuse." I have always loved being outdoors just to be in the presence of all He has created. It is so amazing how hard the enemy has tried to distort the origin of his creation so that they can run away from the fact that they are "without excuse". We have really enjoyed Kent Hovind's creation science DVDs. They are a great resource for helping atheists come back to the truth.

The Goat (aka as Spencer or Goatie)

2008-02-20T20:08:00.001-08:00

The awkward walk

A new hang out place--the barn

After Lily fed the baby his bottle she carried him into the living room from the front porch without me noticing. He was fast asleep with her and John and I let the fact that he was indoors slide until he woke up.

Preparing the little barn for the petting zoo. I will post a finished picture later.

The first night the goat was home we brought him inside since he was used to being in the house and bottle fed even in the middle of the night. Thankfully we never had to get up or maybe I just wasn't willing. The diaper was a must but he had a hard time keeping it on so the inside thing was short lived. I thought it was hilarious when they had all the animals gathered in their bedroom.
Our friends and neighbors are getting in on it

Paul with Spencer the first night home.

It's comical how much this little creature has helped with the dreary winter days. He makes the cutest little noises and cries for his bottle if we are 15 minutes off schedule. I bought him from the same farm that the rabbits came from. I was hoping for a female but his twin sister died and all that she had was this irresistable "stinky" male. Well, he doesn't stink yet but male goats are known for their scent when they become adults. Neutering him might help- so we shall see. The lady actually kept him in her house and bottle fed him since the day he was born. He came from animal lovers but definite Tennessee hillbillys that didn't mind the mess. I let him come in the first night as long as he had one of Joe's diapers on. He walked a little funny in it so I cut a hole for his tale but it still bothered him so out he went. He sleeps in a dog cage in the mud room at night but spends the days figuring out how to get out of the barn so he can sleep on the front porch. He has suceeded in escaping which they are notorious for and waits for any opportunity to bolt in any door that opens. The kids have actually liked tackling him in a gentle sort of way.The fencing will soon be complete and then we will buy some other creatures to keep him company when my kids are busy. The extra work has been worth the entertainment and the lessons in responsibility for the kids. We have been here six years and it's time for a little farm and garden.

Family Fun

2008-02-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

Behind Grandpa you will notice a white putting hole that Kenny cut out a few months ago. It has offered hours of entertainment in our living room. It is usually concealed under our coffee table, but when company comes, especially my dad, the golfer, we offer quite a surprise. They play the equivalent of HORSE in basketball. Our carpet seems to be just as great as a putting green. With all the smiles how can the woman of the house complain. The only complaining that night came from the golfers when the little terrors would rush through with their baby doll strollers. (but it was to cute for them to really object to strongly)

Novi and Sarah with Lily's bunny. She is careful to hold it this way because it nibbles a bit on her arm which has upset her greatly. "bunny bites you" she says.

Sarah had a sweet time when her Grandparents, new Uncle Nate, and Aunt Lizzi came over for dinner one night and brought cousin Novianna. Novi is also two years old and the they really hit it off.

where have we been

2008-02-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

Eveyone is growing ...growing...

This was December,2007.

Random Pictures and comments

2008-01-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

We started reading this book out loud at the beginning of the school year and I am inspired!!! His writing style is as beautiful as it is unusual and the older boys don't want me to ever skip this reading. I am holding off on reading this to the younger kids until they mature a little and have a good foundation of Biblical miracles vs. fairy tales. Hans Christian Anderson's worldview is godly though and we have all been provoked to think deeper through his parables. What a treat this book has been and of course it came from the "giver of books" which is my sister, Lisa.

Today we were back on our routine. This is just a great time of reading together with John and Lily on the cozy couch with our cat,dog, and baby brother. Lily is reading better and better!!

A very dear friend of mine since our move to Tn. with her first daughter after bearing 4 sons.She is now expecting # 6. The Lord, football loving boys, and homeschooling are just some of the common bonds between us. We just had dinner together recently while the boys played football under a street light.

Lily playing in a "dragon fight" with another father of six on New Year's Eve. She has completely become infatuated with dragons (dinosaurs with large teeth that breathe fire) lately. Now she is drawing dragons constantly. Tonight at Wal-Mart she went crazy over dragon material that Kenny let her buy to make a scarf for her head. She was squealing with delight. My sweet Lily into dragons! Strange! Elephants were much more appealing!! ha ha

Purple-streaked hair on New Year's Eve with good friends

Lily received two baby bunnies that she completely adores. Sarah mauls them some but Lily has learned to be quite gentle.

Look who is walking. Joseph turned a year Dec. 11 He has become Priscilla's baby. (who by the way has become a finalist for receiving an art scholarship at a really great college)

Kezzi painted this for me as a Christmas gift. She is really blossoming into an incredible painter.

I Know! It's amazing that they all can draw and paint.

Kenny made this sand blasted sign to be installed at the bottom of my mom and step-dad's driveway. He is really blossoming into an incredible sign-maker. just kidding. but not really.

As you can tell I am back to my common way of posting a zillion pictures. Kenny bought me a new digital camera.

Christmas Time

2007-12-21T20:04:00.000-08:00

My favorite part of the holidays is the overnight stay at my mom and step-dad's from Christmas Eve til Christmas night. We have carried on this tradition for the past 5 years and I believe it is well worth preserving. I don't care about gift exchanging. My children really have more than they need but the memories of meals, games, and conversations are what touches all of us. After all, relationships are the most important aspect of our life. Anyway here is a overview of our time: Christmas Eve is a more formal celebration with family pictures, nice candle-lit dinner (Grandpa always makes his meatballs and Grandma has desserts galore), White Elephant Game, and then late-night talks and games. This year we are trying something new and that is performances of music, dance, or recitation from the children. Joshua is practicing a song on his guitar, Paul and John are reciting Scripture, and Lily will sing a solo. Oh, and Joseph will take a spectacular 5-8 steps from person to person while everyone cheers. Next, we will all awake to children pestering us to hurry downstairs while we exchange gifts. Each person has drawn a name a month or so ago and will now present that person with their gift. We start from youngest to oldest so that each person will get their moment in the spotlight. The best part of Christmas day is staying in our pajamas and eating all the left overs from the night before. It won't be quite the same without Candace this year but they are coming soon for a visit. Anyways, the kids are so excited they can hardly contain themselves.

Sarah enjoyed Joe's birthday so much that a few mornings later she climbed in bed with us and I opened my eyes to see her face right in mine with a little plea of "Mommy, Pease have birfday. Peasse have cake." What an adorable age!
This week we have still continued on with school as next week will be our Christmas break. We did have a couple of breaks. One day we decorated ginger bread cookies at a friend's house and another friend invited us out for the afternoon. I have really been pushing myself to keep consistent with my schedule with John and Lily. Lily's progress continues to inch along and John has needed a little more time than the older boys to catch on. During the school day our little Sarah is in the middle of it all. I can't call it naughtiness but just wanting to be involved-which can be good if we find creative ways to bring her in. It seems I have never been so pressed and needed. I know I am in the pinnacle of the physical demands of mothering and by next year the younger two will be much more independent. I couldn't wish for time to go any quicker for they are all so tender hearted right now. The emotional, physical, and spiritual changes that are taking place in the older ones are a lot to handle also. One of the nice things about the oldest is he has become a responsible baby sitter and tonight Kenny and I just arrived back from a nice dinner date. Through it all life is beautiful as we press through into finding that place in Christ where we all belong. GRACE - GRACE - WHAT AN AWESOME GIFT FROM GOD THAT WE GIVE TO ONE ANOTHER!! There is a joy in the journey-Michael Card. (you can listen to this song-go to michaelcard.com )
Through the new year we pray you realize His grace is enough for you!!!

Subjects of Passion

2007-12-13T20:33:00.000-08:00

Wow! So many amazing things happening in our nation. What a war there is between creationists and evolutionists, pro-life vs murder of the unborn, involved parents vs. apathy, and many other important issues like taxes, foreign policy etc. We had a great time discussing what we have learned recently about the ideals of some of the candidates. Huckabee looks pretty good. Check him out. I used to believe that these were issues for the world to deal with and that the "spiritual" ones had more important issues at hand. Have I changed! The reasons vary but I believe that these battles are really spiritual battles taking place in the hearts of our people all around us. My step-dad suggested we all take the initiative to research certain issues and then get together to inform one another. We all liked the challenge.I may not be able to do much but pray and spread a little passion (especially to my children)in this stage of my life but that is okay because it is good for all of us to be informed. It will be interesting to see what happens in our country over the next few years. Whatever the case, trusting in God is not an option, it's the only way. There are so many subjects that I want to explore. My favorites have been early child training, homeschooling, and marriage. God's ways are such a blessing. The best I can do on this little blog is recommend all the wonderful people who have studied the Bible on these subjects resulting in some very helpful books. My favorites are listed below
Child Training
To Train Up a Child- Michael Pearl
Sheperding a Child's Heart-Tedd Tripp
Marriage
Created to be His Helpmeet-Debbi Pearl
Marriage Covenant-Derek Prince
Homeschooling
Charlotte Mason's Companion-Karen Andreola
Homeschooling the Wholehearted Child
Relationships
Joshua Harris' books (Kissed dating Goodbye, Boy Meets Girl, and Not even a Hint)
The Purity Principle-Randy Alcorn
Passion and Purity-Elisabeth Elliot

I guess it would be appropiate to continue on with another subject of passion for me and that would be....our baby who just turned one. Go to Lisa's blog for pictures at Shadybrook Acres. I am really missing our camera to use for the everyday meaningful images of the kids like Joe taking his first steps and Sarah's over-active antics. We are enjoying this cozy season of more family time. The weather has been great this week and John has been excited about learning to ride a two wheeler. Lily is getting more active with others as I pull her away from her constant obsession with drawing. I felt like she has needed a little more balance. Many more tales of our busy life could be told but I seem to slack when there isn't a picture to take the place as forerunner.

Autumn Pleasures

2007-11-21T20:02:00.000-08:00

The month of October went by quickly. The younger kids had a virus that kept us in the house for a few weeks. This included a fever with sores in their mouth. The 10th brought the celebration of sweet Sarah's second birthday. Grandparents,cousins, and Auntie and Uncle all came for dinner and cake. She loved the singing and candles.

Joshua has brought music into the house with his new guitar. He is a fast learner and a good singer. He has also been busy working a few afternoons a week.

At the end of October our niece eloped instead of going through with the big wedding planned for this month. We were a bit disappointed but all is well that ends well.
Now we are spending cozy nights drinking hot chocolate after the boys spend the afternoons building a new fort and clearing out our backyard for a football and soccer area. I attempted to start practicing hitting golf balls so that my husband and I can enjoy a hobby together. It’s very difficult but he has improved since he began a few years ago so I have hope. He plays often in a select shot tournament here and has even won a few times. Besides taking the boys with him often, he has had opportunities to play with my dad and brothers. Maybe someday I will join him.

Granny and Papa come for a Visit

2007-11-21T19:32:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice visit with Granny and Papa at the end of September. They bought us early Christmas presents including boxes of canned goods from their garden. I began using them immediately which reminded me of our canning days back on the farm in Mo. I sure miss that place. I have recently set my desires on having a farm again. Maybe a green house and a few animals. The babies are growing and a farm seems possible again.
Well, Grandpa had a day of golf with the guys and even a little baseball throwing while the boys used their new radar gun to see who could throw the fastest. The competition spirit definitely runs in the family. We also entertained them with boxing matches and with a little singing from Josh and Lily. Granny was true to her character as she rocked the baby and read to Sarah. We hope we can see them soon again and would love to have them as often as they can come.

Vacation Pictures (minus the vacationers)

2007-10-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Even though we returned from South Carolina nearly a month ago I have just now been able to get back to blogging again. The first and foremost reason being I left my camera near the pool and it disappeared. We were so sad to have lost all of the images of our fun-filled week. I didn't want to continue on with the events of our lives until I could cover our vacation. So.... here are some scenery pictures of the places and things we experienced thanks to google!!! It has taken so long because of some mishaps in uploading the pictures.
We stayed in a cottage like the one above only this was a large 4 bedroom, 3 bath, full kitchen etc. It was great to be able to cook and take care of the meals for all 16 of us. Yes, I know it's funny that we take vacations with our next door neighbors but I guess that shows we have to be getting along well enough.lol Anyway we took turns cooking and spent most of the days either at the beach or the many pools and hot tubs that the resort had to offer. The one big outing was taking a tour to watch the dolphins follow the shrimp boats. Then as we viewed marine life from a net that was thrown on board from the shrimp boat, the boys were able to purchase a few creatures(an eel, small shark, & manta ray) that they preserved in jars themselves (mason jars & alcohol). The dolphins were visible even throughout a thunder storm involving lightning that shook us up a little as we were on the water holding on to metal rails. The experience will be one the kids will never forget.
Kenny and the boys spent most of their time in the waves while the little ones preferred the sand and lazy river ride. A few of the pools sat above the beach giving us a beautiful view. Thanks to the porta-crib, Joseph and Sarah took several naps right on the beach. Ford, Lisa, Kenny, and I were able to sneak away for a quiet dinner of fresh seafood at a nearby restaurant. Since we don't watch regular tv at home, the golf channel, discovery, animal planet, and TLC were quite an attraction for our family.
Kenny and I stayed one day later than our relatives and on the way home we took a little trip further south to Charleston, SC. All I can say is Wow! I think it is the most beautiful city I have ever visited. The historic neighborhood behind Rainbow Row (the picture above is rainbow row) was a big hit with all of us. We spent a few hours just walking and reading the dates of construction. One marker declared that George Washington had been entertained in that home in 1791. I couldn't find pictures of the quiet, shady neighborhood with their beautiful court yards behind their ornate gates. Most of these places were built in the early 1700's. We visited Battery Park where Fort Sumter was visible in the distance. Further on we played in a unique pineapple fountain which led to more walking so we could all dry off. As we crossed the spectacular bridge we were in view of the battleship(forgot the name)so we drove around and stopped at the entrance. The kids had never seen anything quite so huge. We were to late to take a tour so we settled for a picnic dinner at a nearby picnic table. John declared the mosquitoes had planned to all attack us there. It was unbearable so we made it quick and headed home.
We are so thankful to have had a whole week away and the only complaint we have is loosing a much used camera!!!

News about my niece

2007-08-28T20:58:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-22T20:16:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

" 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

2007-08-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

"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.

2007-08-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Digging in the Mud

2007-07-14T14:23:00.000-07:00

Kenny in track hoe

The hole immediately began to fill with water

Eventually the hole will be connected to the pond

One tractor for digging --the other for moving the dirt

I am having a very lazy weekend while the sick kids rest but Kenny, on the other hand, is working day and night. He has been spending the late afternoons until dark working the huge backhoe tractor digging a pond on our relative's land. (which joins our own land). These are a few pictures of their progress which has been slower than planned due to the tractors breaking down every other day or so. It's working out for the best since they needed time to move the huge mounds of dirt so the backhoe can have continual access to the pit. The pit began filling with water immediately and is now already 6 ft. deep after 3 days. In fact, the kids that are well and old enough are swimming in the mud hole while I write. I tried to make Kenny laugh one evening as I decided to excitedly yell "A lake! A lake!" as I ran toward the hole and got in. I couldn't help but get in with caution and timidity and that ruined the rowdy effect I wanted to impress him with. If you know Kenny than you know what I mean. Anyway I guess I have to settle for the mere chuckle he let out and let a real crazy person like Candace perform those stunts. I even lost my shoe in the ordeal... oh well . By next summer there may be a sandy beach and walkway around the pond if all goes as planned.

I have had Lisa's three youngest while she is in Mo. and Ford has been occupied with the lake.Three of my kids and one of hers have some type of sore throat and fever virus that has lasted at least two days. We have stayed inside vegging out most of the time which is good after so much running around. One of the movies we watched, The Sin Eater, was incredibly touching. If you havn't seen it- please do!!! Left us praising God for our Saviour and crying a bit too. The pain is always intense when we watch someone else go through the passing of their child. But I won't give anymore away about the movie which by the way is a new release. It's good to see more films like this being produced. (Michael Landon Jr. produced this one.) Be blessed!

Nature Journaling-the Most Natural Way to Learn

2007-07-11T16:47:00.000-07:00

We wanted to post some of our nature journaling pages in hopes of encouraging you to start your own notebook. It doesn't matter what age you are or where you live. If you can't draw or paint (maybe you could just try) then photographing (my mom does this) could be sufficient to help you remember the names and characteristics of whatever you choose to observe. Try! It seems we come away in more awe of our Creator as we continue to marvel at the millions of different species of insects or plants and animals. We at least can learn about the creatures and plants in our current surroundings.

Anyone who has a humming bird feeder can be caught up with these dainty incredible creatures.

Paul ,age 6 at the time, combined his copy work with this page

Lily just started her notebook and if you notice -along with the fly there is an elephant shape.

This page included a bark rubbing

We even got the boys to do a page on wild flowers.

The black widow was much more exciting as we actually found her web.

My nephews caught one of these and placed it in their aquarium for observation-they are suprisingly vicious toward other insects especially their own mate. (they eat them after mating)

Mom (me) even has her own book and these were just some of the twenty different species of mushrooms we collected on our property.

Sometimes we label all the parts

_The practice of Nature Journaling is one of my favorite activities that the whole family

can enjoy. It doesn't matter if you homeschool or not. We started it in 2002 when the boys were only 9 & 5 years old. Now we have over 100 pages combined of creatures, plants, and whatever catches our fancy. As long as God made it, it qualifies. I have looked back and chuckled to see how the kids have matured with their art and writing. This nature journaling was a part of Charlotte Mason's students education over a hundred years ago. It's simple: Go for a walk. Look around. Draw something you see or find. Identify it. Make some notes or add a poem or scripture. Not only do we identify these things but we practice our drawing and writing skills right along with getting some exercise in the fresh air. We have met with another family for the past five years to keep up the practice. My dear friend, the mother of four sons, denied her prissy nature on one outing as she scooped up a blob of slimy frog eggs. She has been transformed. Ha Ha. Anyway each of our children have their own notebook which will make a nice field guide through the years. Any questions? Just E-mail me and I would love to share more about it.

Joseph Update

2007-07-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

Joseph-7 months is now sitting up

Lily's elephant of the week

2007-07-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

The 4th

2007-07-06T12:47:00.000-07:00

Sarah jumping on her Kezzi

July 4th -the cousins

Getting ready to take dad to the airport (notice John itching with a smile)

Pris, Kezzi, and Hope with baby Joseph

It's fourth of July weekend and Kenny is in Mo. We will pick him up Sunday. Missing him. We enjoyed the fireworks at the park even though the babies were a little unsure of the what those big booms and colors were all about. One was comforted by her silky blanket the other by his lamb's wool and as long as they could suck their thumb and fingers they dealt with their fear quite sucessfully. After a few minutes I could feel Sarah's tense little body relax a little. Joseph didn't cry but the worried expression was new to me. It was actually kind of cute.

Had a family over for lunch today. It is nice to have the energy to have company over for meals again. They are good friends of ours with 4 children that match an age of our kids and they have a ball together.

- The only difficult part about this weekend is knowing John is so miserable. Somewhere he walked through a tick and chigger nest which was probably the field on the way to his buddy's house. I have never seen him so distressed. He is so tolerant and laid back that I knew by the look on his face when he told me he couldn't stop itching that I needed to check. Sure enough he has almost 150 little red bites. It's the worst I have ever seen and this land has never been a problem like our last 5 acres in Mo. Wer'e taking care of him.

- This month we will have two birthdays in the family to look forward to. John will be 6 and Paul -10. We don't have any out of town plans so I think I will focus on planning out next school year and finishing those projects. Please keep Lily in your prayers -for me also - to discipline myself to keep her on a routine. Happy Independence Weekend!!

Baseball's Over so......The Loft

2007-07-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

Joshua pitching in his last game of the season

the 150 degree, full of insulation attic where Kenny and Josh are laying the floor for the loft

Cut a hole in ceiling. Build ladder. Kids love it.

The hole from above. Unfinished walls but they were in a hurry to sleep up top.

Put in an attic fan. Now it is cool. Just have to finish ceiling then texture walls and ceiling before painting.

Joshua's baseball season is finished as of Thursday the 28th. I know he enjoyed himself because he is talking about next year already. He played 2nd base, center field, and pitched once in a while. He did not know any of his teammates at the start but that has never stopped Josh from getting involved. He is fairly confident when meeting new people. Some of the guys expressed admiration of his homeschooled life and I try to remind him how good he has it. He has been able to have the freedom to work at Sign Reflections here and there, golf, swim with friends, and learn right along with Kenny whatever is being done at the moment. All along he can keep up with his studies so he doesn't loose it all by next year. He started Algebra last year so that he wouldn't have to rush through it in his 9th year.
As for an update on the rest of the kids-Paul is right there along with Josh in his activities. Lily is on the verge of being put on a routine by me. We think it will help her right now. She would spend most of her time drawing if left alone. Drawing is great but she needs more scheduled summer activities. John just finished up two weeks of swimming lessons and yes, he is now a swimmer. Thanks to Julie who took him every day along with her son. She's the same friend who took him to soccer often. Sarah is talking more and more and just seems to run everywhere she goes spending a portion of her day dragging around a very tolerable small cat of ours. Sneaking outside has been an occasional problem. Joseph is now sitting up at 6 1/2 months. He had his first meal of real food last night. Just potatoes but he was diving with mouth open at the spoon.
Kenny is flying to K.C. Missouri for his sister's wedding on the fourth. He will just be gone for three days but we will miss having him there with us for the fireworks. I am glad he has the opportunity to see family though. I am trying to finish a few good books, plan the next school year, finish a wall in my bedroom and the ceiling in the den, and keep up the never ending laundry. In the meantime we did something outrageous this weekend---

It's crazy how Kenny can have an idea and in a matter of a week the project is on its way. We spent the weekend cutting a hole in the older boy's room ceiling, putting in a floor and a couple of walls and an attic fan and Wallah! - we now have a sleeping loft. The boys are sleeping up there tonight with a temporary rug and unpainted walls but they don't care. They now have the floor space of their original room for whatever. I was glad Kenny thought of expanding in such a creative way. Joshua and Paul are such a help now that I don't have to do much but hang around and make sure coffee and meals are available. So right now Kenny is working on the ladder and the boys are making their beds. The kid's were laughing that next thing we'll have a little downstairs room for the little boys because there is a strange block little room under the house that just has a little water in it. Maybe in a few years we will do something with it?! For now we have plenty of projects.

Our Weekend in Brevard

2007-06-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

The slide at Sliding Rock State Park- we did this the 1st day. It's ice cold. Kenny and I sat out on this one.

The Toy Store

Kenny tries to keep him happy with substitute doll hair-works for a while but he knows the real thing -the mom hair

Lori(me)holding baby Joe who is hair happy

High Falls- To the left, behind the trees is an incredible sliding rock. It was shallow and warm. The whole family except the babies went again and again. No fee. No lines. We will be back.

Drinking Coffee and hanging at the cabin in Brevard, N.C,

Lisa- the biggest toy freak of them all-She confesses she would rather buy toys and books than anything. Interested in a great line of toys?-Check out PlayMobil

Pris and Candace stretching a ???

Pris the Pirate

Lily in front of the famous toy store-O.P. Taylors

-We had a marvelous time at a little cabin in Brevard over the weekend. One of the excursions that has been traditional for all who visit this cabin is to spend a few hours at the toy store downtown. It is full of interesting quality toys. Lisa is just as motivated as her kids to make the stop. The only sad thing is her baby is now 6 and doesn't seem to "get into" toys as much as her former little ones. (She is 6 going on 20) I didn't load the picture of the biggest kid of all and that was of Kenny getting on a Monster Pogo stick and just about knocking a showcase over. He only tried a few times before he realized it was a bad idea even though the kids would have never forgot that one. We at least end up buying something every time so that the employees don't seem to mind us hanging out and trying on all the hats and popping all the guns...etc. Lily always finds the elephants, John likes the swords, Sarah runs from one thing to the next, and Joseph enjoyed sitting with Kenny holding on to a doll's hair while sucking his finger. He is a hair lover.

Another activity we do is visit Sliding Rock State Park and let the kids plunge into icy water after waiting in line for the slide. They loved it until we found High Falls. The best part of the weekend was sliding down High falls. There was an area at the base of the fall that was climbable and slideable. We spent half the day but next time we want to make an entire day of it. I felt so young again as I joined my nieces and went down three times. I will try to post more pictures later. I had so many thoughts on the new heaven and earth this weekend and I am more convinced than ever we will enjoy this beautiful earth forever without all the corruption. The old will pass away.(Just reading Rev. 5 and was excitedly reminding the children that all those purchased by his blood from all nations will reign with him) It's a good reminder and a vision we should carry through life's trials. They can't be compared to the glory to come. Sober- yes, because times are tough. We have found ourselves just surviving at times. But there are still times when we say "All this.. and heaven too!" His creation is evidence of all his power and glory. Check out Heaven by Randy Alcorn. I would love to hear what any of you think.

He does a good job talking about the present heaven and the future heaven to come.

2007-06-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

Lily's art picture of the week.

14 kids in a Big Van ...A Day Outdoors

2007-06-15T20:45:00.001-07:00

Joshua and his cousins jumping at the Ocoee Olympic headquarters.

The boy-loving chicken fights.

Collin was delighted with the Salamanders so much so he didn't even mind the peanut butter on his face left from lunch.

Deborah and all of the eight children overlooking Parksville Lake

We had a summer vacation at home this week. This just means no school work allowing the kids to see what it may feel like to wonder- "What do I do now?" Wednesday we finally talked Deborah into getting out to the mountains one last time before they moved back to Mo. We took the day with Kenny's sister and her 8 children to go to a nearby lake and not so nearby river all in one day. So, we loaded 14 children 13 and under in a 15 passenger van and left at 8:30 a.m. It was a beautiful day and I know the children had a great time though they may have suffered mild sunburns. There is so many beautiful sights in this area. I have the mind to keep uploading pictures of them in hopes of enticing the onlookers to come for a visit. You see, I had more than one motive for starting this blog! We do miss all of you.

Over the Hill &Thru the Woods to Grandma and Grandpa's we go...

2007-06-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

2005- The TN grandkids ( they have 5 more in MI)

Grandma serves Lemonade

We never tire of the view

The old logging road to their house

-When my mom and step-dad made the decision to retire in Tennessee instead of Florida they didn't know they would have 13 grandchildren instead of 7 living next door. They moved here in 2000 and our family came in 2002. A home came up for sale behind my sister's 14 acres that we had no intention on buying until we came for a visit and had a "knowing" that it was the right thing to do. I'll never forget the happy surprised scream my mom let out when we suddenly told her we were moving next door. All of our homes are hidden from each others preventing us from calling each other ,wondering," where were you at so late?"( we were just kidding about that the other day) It's impossible to avoid any irritation which will commonly arise between family members but even when we have a little scuffle it's just another opportunity to show grace and love toward each other in the end. It takes sensitivity from each of us to know how to read each other.

-Grandma and Grandpa sure know how to spoil us with something to drink and goodies for all ages. Besides enjoying the home they work so hard at keeping exceptionally comfortable for all of us, one of the most pleasant experiences is enjoying the spectacular view out back of Starr Mountain where the Hiawassee River runs through.

- It is amazing that all the sets of Grandparents are believers and the kids have an incredible heritage. All of the sets of grandparents have settled at least close to some of their children. These days it's not likely everyone will stay in the same state but I like this forgotten tradition of connecting acreage. We were not trying to keep any traditions of the past (when many had to practice staying close out of necessity ) but we can still see how beneficial we can really be to one another and It suits us fine.

The Dad-A Tribute

2007-06-07T04:11:00.000-07:00

I know I am overdoing the pictures, but I couldn't help it. As I looked through our pictures to find shots of Kenny doing things with the kids I was filled with thankfulness of all the happy memories we will have of the T-I-M-E he has spent with the kids. I even had to leave out all the pictures of forts and swingsets, teeter totters, sandboxes, and basketball hoops he has built.I guess this will end up being a Father's Day tribute. So for all these pictures, well, they speak for themselves. And it does say whatsoever is..... excellent and worthy of praise, dwell on these things. (Philipians 4:8) I can't praise him enough for the relationship he has built with our kids by simply spending time and having good times together. What a man! ( and a pretty good looking one too)

1996- Playing in the sand with 3yr. old Joshua

1997-wrestling with his kids and his nieces and nephews

2002-fishing with 5 year old Paul

2003-Hiking with 2 yr. old John Isaac

2002-feeding Seaguls at the beach with Josh and Paul

2005- Making Sarah smile with the smile she only had for Dad

2000-Making snowflakes and Dad decides to wear one

1999-Swinging 4yr. old Lily at the lake

2007- On the floor with 1yr. old Sarah
Repeatable Quotes:

-This is how you can tell a father. He is a man who will play with you even though he has friends his own age to play with

-You know how a kid spells love? He spells it T-I-M-E

-My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard. Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass." "We're not raising grass,"my dad would reply, "we're raising boys."

-The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.

-One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.

-Need to know something? Ask your dad. He knows. And on the off chance he doesn't know, he'll make up something pretty good.

-A dad without coffee is like a tv without a remote

-Your children need your presence more than your presents.

-It's easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

-Only love can be divided endlessly and still not diminish.

-Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.

-Fathers should not get too discouraged if their sons reject their advice. It will not be wasted; years later the sons will offer it to their own offspring.

-When you teach your son, you teach your son's son.

from: Wit and Wisdom of Fathers

Enough Time

2007-06-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

Busy.....yet I know there is enough time in each day to do God's will. So... I learn to relax and be sensitive to do the important things I know need to be done. I have to remember that with 2 under 2, I can only accomplish so much extra-curricular activities. We did take the time to go on a weekend trip to Gaitlinburg with just Joseph. It is important to have a weekend together here and there. It was nice that we didn't worry about the kids at all because they seemed so eager to sleep over their cousins' house (even though they see them almost every day) Sarah did miss us the first night in spite of the fact that Kezzi was kind enough to come back to our house so Sarah could sleep in her own bed. Kezzi always seems to be able to give a little extra when it comes to Sarah. Saturday night, Uncle Ford was going to take all the kids to the rodeo but they voted for tennis and ice cream instead. Grandma and Grandpa kept the girls on Sunday and even ventured to take active Sarah to church with them. They packed all the toys they could hoping to keep her occupied but she surprised them when she fell asleep in Grandpa's arms. They thought that was humorous since they had warned their friends about her rowdiness. Anyway they always do a great job keeping the kids. As for Kenny and me, we were able to have some time away and we appreciated slowing down a little.
-Paul had his last game tonight, and Joshua is starting his baseball season which will last the month of June with three games a week. We are doing a half a day of school through the summer but we take off when we take day trips to the lake or creek. Tomorrow, we plan to go with three other families for an afternoon hike and swim. Busy- but that's okay, at least we are never bored.

Having a Ball with the Fireball

2007-05-28T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sarah is the most energetic child we have. Stillness = Sleeping. On the move, on the run, full of fire, and decisive about her desires. Maybe it's best she came when we were a little older forcing me to keep active. When Joseph was new she wore me out and everyone needed to help but now I am running along beside her with the same spirit of zest for activity and people. She loves books, animals, outdoors, being silly, and truthfully like most children enjoys anything life has to offer thats good. Eating markers, sticks, playdough, and the like is what she considers the good gifts. There is an early morning quiet beauty as she shuffles into our room with her beloved silky blanket (kee-kee), climbs in bed, and falls back to sleep all snuggled next to me. All of our toddlers have done this and I'm glad those times are not over. We and our extended family are having a ball.

- We have a big training job ahead and we know these can be great attributes in her as she learns self control. My mom says Sarah reminds her of me. She says she was thankful there were positive opportunities given for the release of my enthusiasm (ex: sports, choir, drama, public speaking, babysitting, drawing etc.) It's funny now when I look back on my childhood that I was involved in any activity our private school offered. Thankful my mom was able to put us in a better school than the public school at the time, I was full of the love of life. We may have to prayerfully keep Sarah busy with similiar activities and homeschooling may help give her extra time for the things she loves.