Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Reading/Language Arts Suggestions Anyone?
To my homeschool readers and friends...could you tell me what reading/Language Arts program you use and if you LOVE it. I am trying to decide what I might use next year and just like to know if someone has something they LOVE!:) Thanks!!
Friday, March 21, 2008
"Wet With the Flu"
Well the last few days...24 hours really...have been action packed to say the least! On Tuesday, we received 8+ inches of rain. As we have now found out, the windows here have the potential to leak. The ones in our apartment did, along with about 40 others in the building. I really didn't think that this was such a big deal, but yesterday the moisture levels of the walls were measured and were high. So, to make a long explanation short, we were in need of some fans to dry out the walls. Industrial fans. We have 5 of these huge, noisy fans in our little apartment and one HUGE dehumidifier. :)
With the size of our family and # of fans we needed, we were offered to be put up in a hotel room until the apartment is dried out. We accepted and so last night we stayed at a hotel. Getting ready to go was a big adventure to me. I hadn't been feeling well all day, Brent was working until 9, we came home to all of the fans after our trip to the grocery store...so I had all of this stuff to put away... and I had 4 kids to pack for and at the same time 4 hungry kids to feed too! :) I called in reinforcements. My friend Jill came and played at the kitchen table (since there was no where else to go) with the kids while I packed and organized. This was a BIG help!
Brent arrived home about 9:30PM. Kids were in PJ's, bags were packed, sippies were full, Abby was fed, pack-n-play was folded so we loaded up the cart and then the car and were off. FYI: As I sit here typing it sounds like a small plane in our living room...you know when they start up the propellers/engine?? By the time we unloaded everything and got eveyone settled down and in there beds it was midnight. And boy was I tired!! Drew and Sam had one full bed and lizzy, Brent and I had the king sized one together. Abby had her pack-n-play.
My boys are always early risers. It doesn't matter what time they go to bed, they get up early. Well, they rose around 7:30 this morning (which for them is sleeping in:)) and lets just say I was not quite ready to be up...but once they were awake so were Abby and Lizzy. My boys were SO excited to be staying in a motel, so they grabbed a bagel we had brought with and headed back for bed to watch cartoons. Brent and I thought we would try to get the girls to go back to sleep. But before we knew it Lizzy threw up all over the bed. Yep, curdled milk...so cuddling with the girls/sleeping/relaxing was over in an instant...she has since thrown up/dry heaved about 12 more times....poor thing! I am pretty sure that I have the same thing, although I have not thrown up...just achey and tired.
So 8 hours after we settled in our hotel room, we began packing it all up again. We decided that fans and equipment and HOME would be a better place to have the stomach flu. Although, sincerely it is a challenge having this LOAD noise continually and being unable to get away from it. Lizzy has pretty much slept the entire day...between her times of getting sick.
So how are we? Pretty good actually. We are tired and weary and as I said I am not feeling well, but hanging in there! You could pray for our strength and for the rest of our family to stay well! I know one day we will say "Remember when we lived in that tiny apartment with 4 Kids and the fans and the stomach flu...". Excitement adds to memory...so I am going to say we've been given another good story.:)
And on this Good Friday I am thankful. I thankful to be here, I am thankful for the children I have been given to care for, I am thankful for my family, I am thankful that we have a home, food, pedialyte, friends, fans that can fix this problem, comfy beds and showers to wash off with!! I am also overwhelmed.
I am overwhelmed at the sacrifice that Jesus made. It is too much for me to fathom sometimes, that by faith in Jesus Christ my sins, all of my sins, have been washed white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) I do not deserve it and I could not earn it...it is by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8) Grace sets you free. Thank you Jesus for paying the price for sin, so that all people from every nation, every tribe and every tongue may have the chance to be forgiven. (Rev 5:9) In Romans 3:23 the bible tells us that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We are ALL in need of a Savior...his name is Jesus.
If you are reading this and have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior...in the words of Chuck Swindoll..."What in the world are you waiting for?"
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed."
With the size of our family and # of fans we needed, we were offered to be put up in a hotel room until the apartment is dried out. We accepted and so last night we stayed at a hotel. Getting ready to go was a big adventure to me. I hadn't been feeling well all day, Brent was working until 9, we came home to all of the fans after our trip to the grocery store...so I had all of this stuff to put away... and I had 4 kids to pack for and at the same time 4 hungry kids to feed too! :) I called in reinforcements. My friend Jill came and played at the kitchen table (since there was no where else to go) with the kids while I packed and organized. This was a BIG help!
Brent arrived home about 9:30PM. Kids were in PJ's, bags were packed, sippies were full, Abby was fed, pack-n-play was folded so we loaded up the cart and then the car and were off. FYI: As I sit here typing it sounds like a small plane in our living room...you know when they start up the propellers/engine?? By the time we unloaded everything and got eveyone settled down and in there beds it was midnight. And boy was I tired!! Drew and Sam had one full bed and lizzy, Brent and I had the king sized one together. Abby had her pack-n-play.
My boys are always early risers. It doesn't matter what time they go to bed, they get up early. Well, they rose around 7:30 this morning (which for them is sleeping in:)) and lets just say I was not quite ready to be up...but once they were awake so were Abby and Lizzy. My boys were SO excited to be staying in a motel, so they grabbed a bagel we had brought with and headed back for bed to watch cartoons. Brent and I thought we would try to get the girls to go back to sleep. But before we knew it Lizzy threw up all over the bed. Yep, curdled milk...so cuddling with the girls/sleeping/relaxing was over in an instant...she has since thrown up/dry heaved about 12 more times....poor thing! I am pretty sure that I have the same thing, although I have not thrown up...just achey and tired.
So 8 hours after we settled in our hotel room, we began packing it all up again. We decided that fans and equipment and HOME would be a better place to have the stomach flu. Although, sincerely it is a challenge having this LOAD noise continually and being unable to get away from it. Lizzy has pretty much slept the entire day...between her times of getting sick.
So how are we? Pretty good actually. We are tired and weary and as I said I am not feeling well, but hanging in there! You could pray for our strength and for the rest of our family to stay well! I know one day we will say "Remember when we lived in that tiny apartment with 4 Kids and the fans and the stomach flu...". Excitement adds to memory...so I am going to say we've been given another good story.:)
And on this Good Friday I am thankful. I thankful to be here, I am thankful for the children I have been given to care for, I am thankful for my family, I am thankful that we have a home, food, pedialyte, friends, fans that can fix this problem, comfy beds and showers to wash off with!! I am also overwhelmed.
I am overwhelmed at the sacrifice that Jesus made. It is too much for me to fathom sometimes, that by faith in Jesus Christ my sins, all of my sins, have been washed white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) I do not deserve it and I could not earn it...it is by grace through faith. (Ephesians 2:8) Grace sets you free. Thank you Jesus for paying the price for sin, so that all people from every nation, every tribe and every tongue may have the chance to be forgiven. (Rev 5:9) In Romans 3:23 the bible tells us that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". We are ALL in need of a Savior...his name is Jesus.
If you are reading this and have not yet trusted Christ as your Savior...in the words of Chuck Swindoll..."What in the world are you waiting for?"
"But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed."
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Easter Egg Hunt
Today I ventured out on my own with the 4 kiddos, Brent worked 8-8 (and we missed him!)so he missed out on the big adventure. My friend, Rhonda, invited the families from our home school group out to her house for the afternoon to have an Easter Egg Hunt. Yea!! Her family lives about 30 miles from where we do. They have a beautiful home on about 5 acres of land...the front yard has a great little pond. It was a beautiful day for it too...70's and sunny...a little breezy, but great!! We had a pot luck lunch, the kids fished in their pond, we played Hot Potato with an Easter Bunny and had a massive Easter Egg hunt. There were about 250+ eggs hidden all over the yard and 16 kids to find them. It was a blast! I am still so amazed at how the Lord brought these people into our lives just 1 week after we moved here. We feel so blessed to be able to be a part of this "8 family Home school Coop". If any of you happen to read this...thank you for helping our family to feel at home here!:) And thanks to all of those who prayed for us in these big transitions! God is SO faithful!
Zoo Fun
Yesterday we spent part of a beautiful afternoon at the Zoo! It was mid-80's and sunny!! We had a picnic lunch at home and after the girls napped we headed to the zoo. My mom and dad gave our family a pass, so we can go anytime without feeling like we have to commit a whole day to it (thanks again:))! On our way home, we ate at the McDonald's right near the zoo. It is decorated with fun animals and this was a BIG treat to the kiddos (as their mom does not like eating here, so it doesn't happen very often:))! Here are some pictures of the fun we had...as you will be able to see, Lizzy came dangerously close to swimming with the elephant statue...she was her usual busy-Lizzy!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
"I want my daddy"
This week on campus is WEC (World Evangelism Conference). There are
a number of representatives here from a wide array of mission organizations. They offer a fun week for the kids too, so Drew and Sam have been attending the activities for their ages. Yesterday they learned about China and today Zambia...it has been fun for them!
After I picked up the boys yesterday, we walked over to the dining hall to eat. We were all sitting eating and Lizzy was her usual busy self...(she had already been up several times and knocked a full glass of water all over the table and her chair) when she came behind her chair and pulled on it. Well, when she did this it went flying backwards and she was pinned under it. Yikes! She screamed, oh did she scream! I gently picked her up and just held her and hugged her. I wanted to say matter of factly, "That's why we stay sitting", but I did not, at least not right then (I did say it before the whole seen was over though...I just couldn't not I guess!?). I held her and she screamed. It DID have to hurt, because she had sort of a carpet burn on her forehead and a "goose egg" on the back of her head.
As I was holding her, I was thinking about how much I need this when I am sad or hurt. Someone just to hold me, without saying anything, and let me cry. And as I was thinking this, Lizzy's crying and occasional scream now became a screech of "I want my daddy", more crying, then "I WANT my daddy!!", more crying/screeching, then full throttle "I WANT DADDY!!" I thought through this, isn't that so true. When I am sad, scared, hurt I want "my daddy" too. My heavenly Father who knows, cares, comforts and has never ending grace for whatever moment I may face. It IS truly amazing. And so I was crying with Lizzy in the middle of a busy dining hall...absolutely loving the moment and the profound way the Lord was making the truth of his grace through Jesus Christ, his constant care, his "shoulder" for me to cry on or cry out to so very clear through the sadness and pain of my sweet, busy, Lizzy Joy (who, by the way, usually always wants her mama).
The next thing Lizzy said...and this made me start laughing...when she realized daddy wasn't coming...she said, "I want Sammy!" And he came and gave her a hug AND gave up his Hershey chocolate bar...she was fully recovered after this!
Psalm 10 :17
"You hear O Lord the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry."
Psalm 34:18-19
"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
Monday, March 3, 2008
Flag Football
Drew is learning the game of football! He wanted to play, and so we signed him up with a friend of ours who is coaching. He actually ended up on a team of 1st-4th graders, so he is on the younger and smaller end (thank goodness its flag and not tackle). And he has never played football or watched much, so he has a lot of learning to do! We learned that people take footabll pretty serious here...even if it is just Flag Football! He is having a blast and so that is the main thing. We all enjoy watching and so does he...even when he is on the field:-) Here are some pictures of the fun he's been having...
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