Sunday Scripture

"It is more blessed to give than to receive."  Acts 20:35

I have had a "Mom's day out" today because my sister and I decided to treat my mom and my Aunt Debbie to a day out.  I will post more on that soon, for now, I'm just enjoying my family.  I feel extremely blessed to be able to treat them to some much needed time to themselves since they care for my uncle tirelessly without complaint.  Our whole family is immeasurably blessed.  For my birthday weekend, I wanted to bless my Aunt Debbie and I hope that I did! 

Date Night!

I had an impromptu date night with my hubby tonight, and it was awesome!  (tonight meaning Thursday, it's still Thursday to my night-owl self!).  We have been (well, really HE has been) working every night faithfully to get our swing set (or "sing set" as Carson calls it-so cute!) done.  I have been the tool fetcher, parts holder, kid distracter, etc. etc. through the process!   It has been quite the job, and we were both excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel tonight.  He got home and worked on it and put the finishing touches on-the roof, attached the sliding board, and a few other minor things.  It is done!  Except for the stuff I bought extra- like the fireman pole!  I don't know how we are going to figure that thing out!  It was spur of the moment, but I asked him if he wanted to go out if we could get a sitter.  Dumb question-of course he did!  Ha!  I had it in the back of my mind all day because he worked SO hard on the swing set, and was on call for two weeks straight for work before jumping into this big project.  My mom was gracious enough to come at a moment's notice and watch the kiddos.  I LOVE when my mom babysits.  Here's why- I came home to three bathed and PJ'ed kids, and ALL of my laundry folded and dishes done.  It helps me SO much.  I had already vacuumed the whole house today and cleaned the kids' rooms, so now we are going into the weekend nice and clean.  I love that!  Anyway, I obviously had too much caffeine at dinner- I'm rambling!  Dustin and I took our time getting showers and then headed out to dinner.  One of our favorite Mexican restaurants just reopened this week after having burned down months ago.  We got there at 7:30, and it was swamped.  We decided to head to Walmart and get what we needed there first and come back.  We strolled through the store at a leisurely pace, which was nice all by itself.  I am usually pushing a cart full of kids and going so fast I could qualify for a Nascar race to try to get done before someone has a meltdown.  I didn't even have to park by the cart return tonight!  It really is the little things that make us happy, isn't it?  We got the random things we needed- a Woody Halloween costume for Carson, supplies for me to make Henry's costume- a cow, safety pins, zip ties, some random tool-y items Dustin wanted to reinforce the swing set, and when we got home I realized he bought a mouse in distress animal call.  Talk about random things!  I think the mouse is for predator hunting maybe??  We headed back to the restaurant and had a nice dinner- we ate slow and enjoyed talking.  It's funny how you mostly talk about the kids when you aren't with them.  I miss them like crazy when they aren't with us, but I end up feeling SO refreshed after a date night.  Our waitress asked when we were bringing the kids in, she asked if we were coming Sunday.  That was our usual day because kids ate free.  I don't know if they are still running that deal or not.  It felt tacky to ask!  Ha!  I will find out though.  :-)  On a side note, it seems like we always get seated by the funniest people who are funny but aren't trying to be funny at all.  It ends up causing lots of laughs and makes for an interesting time.  We also talked about expanding our flock (of chickens, not children!) and adding a cow or two.  A girl can dream!  :-)  Anyway, it was an awesome night and we both commented it felt like when we were dating.  I think maybe because it was a much later date than we usually go on anymore.  We used to be night owls when we were dating and kept late/random hours!  I recommend regular date nights to everyone.  It's just important for your sanity!
Oh, and as I was laying in bed with Emilynn as she was falling asleep, she kept saying she wanted to go to the Mexican restaurant.  She finally said, "It's a real shame you won't take me to the Mexican restaurant."  A real shame!  She's hilarious.  We NEVER know what she'll say.  I love that girl, she keeps me on my toes for sure! 

Happy Birthday Big Nanny!

My grandma, whom the kids call "Big Nanny" has a birthday today!  I won't reveal her age.  :-)  The kids are SO excited about her party tonight and I am really excited about the gift we got her!  It's hard to find a gift for someone who has everything.  I will post about it later- she does read this blog sometimes! 
For now, we have to run to dance first, then head to her house to party!  I've had my green beans cooking all afternoon with a good 'ole ham hock.  There's nothing better than that.  :-) 
I was actually due to be born today, but I was 5 days late.  If you know me, you'll appreciate the irony in that!  It was definitely a sight into the future-ha! 

Happy Birthday Big Nanny! 

Our Vacation: Part 4

When we were just in the planning stages of our trip, my mom said she wanted to do the dolphin watch tour.  I really didn't have a feeling about it either way, I just decided to play it by ear.  When we got there and checked into them, the price didn't bother me at all.  What I was concerned about was the length of the trip- it was 2 1/2 hours!  I wasn't sure how the kids would do for that long, and honestly what would you do if they threw a fit or hated it or worse- got sick?  It's not like you could turn back.  I talked myself out of going.  Then, the kids kind of got excited hearing us talk about it, so we decided to book it and give it a try.  Actually, the twins and I went with my Mom and step-dad.  Dustin volunteered to keep Henry at the house and let him get his regular nap.  He is not a fan of boats, and 2 1/2 hours was definitely too long for Henry.  We went on Friday during our trip, but we booked it on Wednesday.  The boats are fairly small, so they book up fast (in case you're considering going on it.)  Here's a few pictures from the dolphin watch. 

Honestly, the dolphins were really, really close to our boat and I could have gotten so many good pictures.  However, the boat was moving and the dolphins were moving and I could not for the life of me get a good picture.  I finally got fed up and put the camera up!  It was frustrating.  You can see above there were a couple dolphins together.  Apparently, they are very social creatures and like to play together!  It was really cute to watch. 

 

I almost caught this guy!  I got this either before or after it jumped up.  Urrghh, it was very frustrating! 

 

To make things more fun for the kids, the marine biologist on the boat got all the kids to come forward and "help" her with a few things.  The kids got to help measure the temperature of the water, the speed of the wind, the temperature of the air, and some other stuff I've forgotten.  Everyone got to help, even my little guys!  Oh, and when they were getting started she asked who had really neat handwriting and both my kids' hands shot up!  They couldn't even write at that point!  (Now they each know the first letter of their names-yep, I'm a proud Momma!)  We all got tickled at them. 

 

Another interesting thing was that the dolphins pretty much stay in shallow water.  We actually were in about 3 1/2 feet of water!  I didn't realize that about them. 

 

The tour was nice, although the kids were a bit restless towards the end.  I don't know if I'd do it again for a while, maybe when they are a bit older.  I don't regret doing it, it's just not something I would do each time I went to the beach.  I would maybe alternate with other activities you wouldn't necessarily do each year either.  ? 

 

There were a few things we did that I don't have pictures of, sadly.  I did forget my camera on occasion.  I really wish I had it at the amusement park we visited because Carson had so much fun there.  It was priceless to see him so happy and having such a good time.  He is normally such a reserved kid.  My mom and I also drove go-carts, which probably would have warranted a Kodak moment.  :-) 

 

We also went to the pier, which is fairly new and really nice!  We all enjoyed that a lot. 

 

One day, we took the twins to tie-dye t-shirts during Henry's naptime.  That was a lot of fun!  My sister Abbey had recommended the place and we decided to check it out.  The twins had a ball making their own shirts.  Carson did his in all tractor colors- green for John Deere, blue for New Holland, red for Case, yellow for John Deere, and orange for Kubota.  Emilynn made hers girly with pink, purple, and teal.  You did them yourself and then left them for them to wash and dry.   We went back in 24 hours to pick them up and the kids were SO proud of their shirts!  They still LOVE to wear them and wear them all the time.  We will definitely make that a beach tradition!  I'm so thankful Abbey told me about it, because honestly I probably would have never stopped at the place!  It was very tiny and just a little hole in the wall kind of place. 

 

All in all, we had a great vacation!  I would go back tomorrow if I could!!! 

 

 

Monday Musings

• We began our BIG swing set project yesterday!  It went great actually.  I was fearing the worst, but it was a calm, laid-back day.  No one got frustrated (well, too much), and it was actually filled with lots of laughs.  I have to say, if you've never attempted to put one of these monsters together, it's not for the faint of heart!  The bag of screws and bolts alone was HUGE.  It had to weight at least 10 pounds, and was the size of a 2-gallon Ziploc bag.  Then you move on to the lumber, and our yard ended up looking like a mini lumber yard.  Dustin was our leader, with my step-dad-Papa Blake and me as the "adult helpers" as we were called in the instructions.  My grandpa ended up doing a lot of smaller projects on the side, which helped tremendously.  He put together the swings, glider, and ladder while we worked on the main stuff.  I have to say, it was impressive what he was able to do because the set of instructions he had to work with were written in either Spanish, French, or Dutch maybe?   We had the only English set ourselves.  I'd say we are a bit past halfway through, and will work on it each night this week.  The kids are over the top excited, for sure! 
• Our chickens are doing great and laying well.  Carson's self-appointed job is to let them out each morning and collect eggs.  He comes to get me the minute he's awake and wants to get dressed so he can check on the chickens.  I have to get some pictures because if you've never watched a chicken take a dust bath, you are missing out!  It is hilarious and very entertaining, if I must say so myself.  (Spoken by the crazy chicken lady!)
• I began exercising again this morning.  I have been trying to get back into working out for some time, but I keep getting sidelined for one reason or another.  The Y has been a problem with Henry not wanting to stay in the kids area.  I can't depend on working out there because I don't know how long I'll get to work out before they have to come get me.  I decided I'd get up and walk each morning from 5:30-6:30 before my hubby leaves for work.  Well, I am not normally up that early and didn't realize, it's really dark then.  I'm sorry but I can't walk in the dark up my driveway.  It's just too scary.  Sooo....I decided today I would walk WITH the kids.  I got us all up and ready, and headed to get the double jogger out.  Well, the tires were flat.  I swear the devil doesn't want me to exercise!  I decided I'd just pump them up.  I cut on the air compressor (can you believe I figured that out?) and was going to do it myself, but couldn't get the attachment on the end.  Darn.  I had to regroup, and decided to call Dustin's uncle Rawhide and see if he was close.  He was and he came and got us ready to roll!  Literally!  I was going to wear Henry, but hasn't been worn in a while and didn't want to stay still in the carrier.  I ended up jamming all 3 kids in a double jogger and off we went.  I have to say- that was a workout!  I was pushing like 110 pounds of kids.  I was worn out when we were done.  I hope to add longer time each day and I think I'll lose all the weight I want to lose in no time flat!  Kidding.....but I think it will be a great workout for sure! 

Sunday Scripture

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  1Thessalonians 5:16-18

I think there is much wisdom to be gained from these verses.  Am I joyful always?  Nope, not hardly.  I will work on being joyful, even when the laundry is over my head and spaghetti o's are stuck to the floor.  I think it is hard to give thanks in all circumstances, such as when we are sick or going through a great trial.  I will have to keep this scripture close and work on it continuously!  I will also remember to give myself grace when I slip up and fail to do these things.  It is easy to not forgive ourselves and be mad at ourselves when God forgives.  I've found he forgives me much more easily than I forgive myself! 

Have a joyful week!  :-) 

A Laid Back Kind Of Week

This week has been so low-key.  It has been really, really nice.  We have stayed home most all of the week, except for dance class on Wednesday.  We probably should have gone to the Y, or done more visiting, but I think we just needed the down time.  Since I've been home all week, you'd probably think the house is clean and chores are caught up.  We kind of took a little break from that too!  I have about 3 loads of laundry to finish catching up, some clothes are on the table waiting to be put away.  I can't tell you how much laundry we go through in a week.  I seriously can't even count!  At least 1-2 loads a day, for sure.  Dishes are caught up, but not all put away.  There are approximately 300 Megablocks in the living room- thank you Tori & Mary for those as a gift!  :-)  Kidding, we LOVE building stuff with blocks, which is why they are out right now.  I feel refreshed and recharged, and hope to get back into the swing of things next week.  I still sometimes battle being tired, even though my surgery was back in July.  I was very, very anemic apparently (my doctor and I decided this after my procedure).  I really do feel way better than I have in a long time and have so much more energy with the kids.  It's off subject but I would recommend the ablation surgery to anyone.  I should probably do another follow up post- I'll add that to my to-do list!  Speaking of posts, you'd think I'd of blogged more this week too, but nope!  I didn't do that either!  Ha! 
Next week I hope to get back into the swing of blogging, swimming (lessons start back Oct. 2, so the kids need to practice!), cleaning, going to the library, etc. etc.  It was nice for a little hiatus from all of that this week though.  We did continue on with our preschool work this week, it's going really well so far.  I will also post about that later!  :-) 
Oh, and my mom and I drove my car to Walmart with a trailer attached to pick up the kids' swing set.  It was interesting to say the least, and full of some laughs.  I made my mom drive!  We are hoping to put together the set this weekend if the weather cooperates!  I can't wait!  I am dreading how long it will probably take though.  I'll have to time the boys!  Hehe. 

It's fixed!

I fixed my technical problems!  Yay!  It only took me an hour.  I'm so computer illiterate sometimes! 

Monday Musings

• I have hit something on my computer, and it has changed the set up of my blog posts. Urrghhh..I am so electronically challenged sometimes! It messed up my Sunday Scripture post, and now I can't get them to look right. Bear with me until I can have one of my younger sisters fix it!
• Our chickens are doing great! We are enjoying them so much! We let them out in the yard for the first time yesterday and they were fine. I worry about them running away or something getting them. The first day went well and eased my fears a bit, but the risk is always there. We got them back up with ease around 6 pm, and all was well. We have one super-friendly girl we've named "Sweetie Pie". She lets me pick her up and rub her. The kids pet her and she's so sweet. Hence the name! I even picked up her in the yard while she was walking around, she is super-tame. I am finding out chickens make great pets! The eggs are a bonus too. I told Dustin I was going to order myself a shirt that says "Crazy Chicken Lady". Ha!
• Soccer is going well. The twins each had 2 goals on Saturday (I think!). It's kind of hard to keep up and entertain Henry at the same time. I am not counting the goal my daughter made by stopping the ball, picking it up, and throwing it in the net. We may need to work on a few of the basics still! We also had pictures Saturday- I cringe when it's picture time. To me picture time=money! It's true. It doesn't help that I'm THAT MOM that has to have the pictures. And I have two kids the same age. Double the money! Oh well, they are only little once. I could not believe some kids didn't even get individual pictures. I guess some people just plain can't afford them. I just really try to plan ahead for things like that (I've learned from dance) because I DO want the pics! This time I just ordered the CDs of the pictures. It was the cheaper route and I can just print 4X6 or 5X7s for everyone for pennies a print. It seemed the most cost effective way, and also I didn't have to think too much about what I needed for whom on an early Saturday morning. :-)
• Our local arts & crafts festival was this weekend and I look forward to it each year. It's where we picked up trash, but we also went and shopped a little. I love handmade stuff. I really do. I shop on Etsy all the time. I just recently bought reusable snack/sandwich bags for the kids. Anyway, check out Etsy, I'm surprised so many people have never heard of it. www.etsy.com The arts & crafts festival also has tractors, which Carson loves. There is a petting zoo which all my kids love. There is something for everyone to do/see. I bought some handmade soaps for Henry's eczema. I used to get handmade goat's milk soap, but can't get in touch with the lady anymore for some reason. I was glad to find a new source of natural soap! I also got him a cute quilt for his birthday, it's a John Deere kid's pattern. He will love it. The kids got pop guns, and the twins also got little bow & arrows, which they are enjoying shooting and claim they are going hunting with Daddy.
•  I think this week is going to be slower and calmer than last week. No birthdays to celebrate. We don't have a soccer game, just practice. My sister Madison MAY have a volleyball game, but I can't remember right now. We just have dance, and we may go to the YMCA to swim. Our private swimming lessons begin again on October 2nd. Maybe I'll see my dining room table this week, it's covered in clean clothes right now. Or maybe I'll finally mop the kitchen floor. You know, so we won't stick to it when we walk. Just keeping it real! Or maybe I'm the only one that happens to! :-)
• Our swing set is finally in. I hope to go pick it up in the next day or two. I think we may have a "swing set putting together" party on Sunday, but we'll see. I am so excited for the kids!

Sunday Scripture

I almost forgot to post my Sunday Scripture!  It's been a crazy week!  I also almost forgot to file my mom's unemployment weekly claim.  She would have HURT me!  I have been so scatterbrained the past week, I have no idea why. Mommy brain to the max!

Here is my weekly scripture, and it's kind of in line with last week's.  We are talking about serving around here.  It seemed fitting since we had our trash pick-up job I mentioned previously yesterday.  The kids were all excited because I talked it up all day.  We got there and they promptly hopped on the hayride instead of helping with trash.  It was cool because I was kind of worried about the 2 hour time slot.  After about an hour of walking around and a visit to the petting zoo, they joined my sister and I for our trash gig.  Luckily my sister Madison had offered to help with the kids while Amanda and I did our trash job, in case the kids weren't cooperative.  It really helped they had that hour to see the sights, then they could focus on the task at hand.  I put gloves on 3 sets of little hands-Carson's, Emilynn's, & Hunter's.  That is no easy task I tell you!  They don't quite understand how to put just one finger per slot.  Anyway, they got trash bags and quickly got to work.  I don't think you'd find more enthusiastic trash picker-uppers on the planet!  It was like Christmas when they found a piece of "glitter" as my kids call litter.  I have to say, they were the cutest little things walking around picking up trash.  I'm not even a teeny bit biased y'all!  :-)  More importantly, they learned to serve others and they did it joyfully.  I can't even tell you how important they felt and I have to say, I always try to include my kids in whatever things I'm doing because they ARE a very important part of our family and they ARE able to help.  I need their help.  They do age-appropriate chores and they can do quite a bit.  (more on chores later).  My point is, I think it's important to let kids help, even when it might seem easier (and almost always faster) to do it yourself.  I even took all 3 of my kids with me the week I had to clean our church.  Our church has volunteers clean the church.  I signed up for nursery (or so I thought), but apparently had Mommy-brain again and accidentally signed up to clean the church.  I had a serious moment of panic when it was brought to my attention what I had done! I had to do it, and I didn't have a sitter so I took them with me. It worked out okay, Emilynn helped entertain Henry in the nursery while Carson helped me clean. I think we ALL felt a sense of accomplishment after that! Believe me, I read sign up sheets carefully after that! Anyway, I think it's so important to teach our kids to serve, and teach them early so it's second nature. Kids of any age can do SOMETHING! Here is my scripture-another of my favorite. We actually have a plaque of this in our home.

  Joshua 24:15 "But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the god of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." 

Who do you serve? Do you serve the Lord, or worldly things? 

Our "buggy"

Here is our beloved "buggy".  I'm not sure why we call it a buggy, but that's what we call it around here.  It is actually a Kubota RTV.  It is hands-down the best money we ever spent!  We both say it all the time.  We ride on it just about every single day, and it's been great to use on the farm to check on the cows.  We've even helped Papa with hay on it.  We also just ride all the trails in our woods that Dustin and his Uncle cut out.  We are working on more trails too.  We have had it since April (I think) and we have almost 100 hours on it!  Yep, we ride it that much.  I ride the kids on it a lot during the day, and we ride at night as a family too.  I love that it has seat belts for the kids, and I put a car seat in it for Henry when I'm riding the kids by myself to keep him safe and secure.  It is 4 wheel drive, which we use pretty often.  We cross our creek in it, so sometimes you have to use 4WD.  I may have also pulled Dustin on the lawnmower out of spot he was stuck in.  I give him a hard time about that!  Ha!  Every member of our family loves our buggy!  Henry will come running when he hears it.  We had wanted one of these for several years now, rather than getting a new four-wheeler.  Dustin was looking at old trucks online and was going to buy one, but he never found one that suited him.  I asked him why we didn't use the money towards our buggy instead, and so we did!  Money well spent!   Amanda and Wayne and Meme and Poppy all have golf carts, so we keep saying we're all going to get together and ride.  Yep, we're country around these parts!  :-) 

Where were you?

I was in a college class when the events of September 11, 2001 unfolded.  I will never forget that day, as none of our country will.  It sometimes seems like the more time that has passed since a tragedy, the more desensitized we can become to it.  I will pray for all the families affected by this awful event today, and I hope you will too.  We may have moved on, but the families who lost loved ones that day still miss them each and every minute of every day.  It serves as a reminder that the course of our lives can change forever in an instant. 

We will never forget. 

Monday Musings

• It's a Monday post on Tuesday again, are we seeing a pattern here?  Yep, I'm a slacker I guess.  Yesterday was busy but we didn't have to go anywhere until 5:30.  We were just busy with school and house stuff I guess, plus I had to bathe everyone.   Normally Dustin does baths for the kids at night, but yesterday I decided to do them during the day so we could get to a volleyball game before my Uncle's birthday party.  Dustin had planned to do them after work.  Anyway, we were busy all day but you wouldn't know it by looking at our house, it's kind of messy.  I'm not worrying about it too much, I'll get to it when I can. 
• We have chickens!  Wahoo!  My dad surprised me by calling last Monday and saying he was bringing our coop/pen to the house.  I had no idea he would get it so soon!   We got five hens last Thursday, and three more on Sunday.  The five hens are our "city girls" because they came from a home close to the city.  The three others are the "country girls" and they are much more friendly!  The country chickens have let me pick them up, pet them, the kids have petted them.  The city ones are a bit more standoff-ish but I have petted them a bit.  I hope they are all really tame to us soon.  As we've been running around collecting our flock, I would see all these "chicken people" grabbing the birds up to hold, pet, love on them.  I wondered when/if we would get to that point.  I had chickens growing up, but we only petted them.  We never really picked them up or anything.  Well, we are already "crazy chicken people"-ha!  The kids are in love with them.  They go right in the pen with me and are not fearful at all.  They are far more scared of dogs than the chickens and cows.  Weird.  We have gotten a little over a dozen eggs since Friday!  Hooray!  I guess happy chickens are laying chickens!  We are definitely trying to pamper our "girls".  We did not get a rooster and have no plans to get one, although Carson really wants one to "wake us up" as he says.  I will try to take pics of them and post soon.  I have a lot of posts planned, but we all know how the best made plans can turn out.  Oh, and Dustin is not that keen on the chickens.  He says that they are the kids and my project.  I don't think he likes them all that much, but maybe they'll grow on him like our cat did? 
• We are in our second week of preschool and it's going great.  The kids are eager and excited each day to do schoolwork.  I will post more in depth on what we're using. 
• I still have vacation pics to post.  Maybe one day! 
• We had our first soccer game Saturday.  The kids did great, better than I had expected for sure.  They were tired by game time because they had 30 minutes of practice first, then a long wait for opening ceremonies.  It will be interesting to see what Saturday brings, since it will be a regular practice, then game. 
• It's birthday week in our family!  This one week of the year is the busiest for birthdays.  My Uncle Dale had a birthday yesterday, my grandpa has a birthday today, and my cousin's birthday is Thursday.  We have a separate dinner for each person, you do NOT combine birthdays in our family.  It's a big rule!  If you even think about it, you have my grandma to answer to!  Last week my sister Madison had a birthday, and on the 25th my grandma has her birthday.  I may or may not have a birthday on the last day of the month....??? 

Sunday Scripture

I am going to try to post scriptures each Sunday.  This will help keep me delving into my Bible! 

This week's verse is my absolute favorite verse in the whole Bible. 

It is Proverbs 3:27. 

"Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act."

I first discovered this verse on an overseas adoption website where I was a prayer warrior for some time.  I was assigned a child to pray for each day.  It was a moving experience, and that verse was on the website's home page.  It just struck a cord with me because it says SO much in one verse about how we should live our lives.  I think about how many ways and times each week and each day when it is in my power to act.  Do I act?  Nope, not always.  Many times I do.  Many times I am just too busy, too tired, too whatever.  Many times we are just too comfortable where we are to step out in faith and act.  Maybe we worry about what others will think of us.  Will they think we've lost our minds?  Will they be angry?  My husband felt moved to give a very expensive coat to a homeless man a couple of winters ago.  He was worried all the way home I would be angry with him.  The opposite was true, I was never more proud of him.  We have more coats than we need, that is for sure.  We have more of a lot of things than we need.  I want our children to grow up with a servant's heart and a giving spirit.  The only way to show this is by example.  Wow.  I need to really think about that each and every day.  Are they seeing me help others or worry about getting the newest, latest, and greatest thing? 

Our family is considering sponsoring a child through Compassion International.  I am excited about this possibility because we can actually correspond with the child and have a way to SHOW the children what we are doing.  I am praying about it and hope to sign up soon.  It is only $38 per month, which I know if I'm honest with myself, we can easily spare.  You can even choose the child, which I think is probably the hardest part, because I want to choose them all. 

As the children grow and have a better understanding of things, I will continue to look for ways they can help serve others alongside us.  The twins and I are supposed to pick up trash next week for our local arts & crafts festival.  Our church does this to raise money for missions.  I decided to try taking them with me because they really love helping and I think they are ready for this type of task.  It will be simple and I know they will be so proud to help. 

We can even serve him by picking up trash!  Shouldn't we take care of the Earth he created?  I guess my point is that there are opportunities to serve and show God to others everywhere.  I hope to be more intentional about this each and every day.  I feel blessed to have my children who are seeing the Earth and opportunities through "fresh" eyes.  They see cars on the side of the road and wonder if someone needs help where I normally just whiz on by headed to the next thing.  They see an older person in Walmart who needs a pat on the hand or a friendly word, when maybe I would have walked on by thinking about what's next on my list.  They see trash someone threw down and ask to pick it up, when I'm so used to it I don't even see it anymore.  They are really showing ME how to serve each day, instead of me showing them.  Amazing how God works like that, isn't it? 

Preschool!

We officially started preschool this week!  It was a great first week and boy, I think I am learning as much as the kids!  I have not had one minute to spare this week and I've gone to bed early most nights!  It's a good tired though.  I had kind of dreaded this week not because we were starting preschool, but because we were starting preschool, had two swimming lessons, dance began again on Wednesday night, we have our first soccer game tomorrow, and in case all that wasn't enough I decided to go pick up our chickens this week too.  'Cause I just wasn't busy enough!  Haha! 
It actually all went great and I'll probably wonder what to do with myself next week when we aren't QUITE as busy. 

So, what's going on with us for preschool you may wonder.  Well, we are doing a 3-year old homeschool preschool curriculum this year.  We have chosen homeschool for this year for several reasons.  For one thing, the twins are only 3.  They will not be 4 until December, so they are past the cut-off day for all of the 4 year old preschool programs.  There are 3 year old programs out there, but they are all private and expensive.   In an effort to save money, Dustin and I talked at length and decided we would try homeschool for this year.  We are saving about $7,000 in tuition alone for 2 kids, plus gas money to take them back and forth.  That's no small amount!  Of course I used some money to buy materials for our homeschool, but not $7,000 that's for sure!  I can't say much about gas costs, because we do use a lot of gas since we live in a rural area and are always doing something! 
Are we going to do homeschool next year or send them to preschool somewhere?  We are not sure.  Neither Dustin nor I went to preschool and we turned out okay (in our humble opinions!).   It's funny because when you mention you are homeschooling, people ask such interesting questions.  I've been asked more than once how they will get into college if we homeschool.  Ummm...seriously folks?  They are THREE!  I have 15 years to figure that out, I will have to get back to you on that one!  I know it can be done, but as for the specifics, I am not sure.   I am more into ABC's right now.  I think we will take it one year at a time at this point!  Another reason we have chosen homeschool, at least for now, is because while I DO feel our kids need to begin learning the basics, I don't feel like they need to be in school all day.  So much school time seems to be spent in recess, nap/rest time, snack time, lunch time, gym, library, and all the other extra activities being offered.  Actual instruction time doesn't seem to be that much.  I'm not saying kids aren't learning a lot, but a lot of time is spent doing other things. 
I guess what I'm really saying is, we aren't ready to let them go yet!  

I will say that I've been really nervous about how it would go, would the kids listen to me, would we be able to manage with Henry running around, would they really learn anything, etc. etc. 
I was pleasantly surprised!  I have loved it so far!  I honestly am shocked because for some reason I thought it would be a struggle or fight each day, but the kids are eager to learn and wake up asking to "do their school".  We began on Tuesday, and we have completed four days of work in three days.  We doubled up today because we did not get to do our work yesterday.  We got our chickens yesterday and were very busy with that.  I considered it a "field trip" day because boy was it educational for many different reasons.  :-)  We will also probably do a few things tomorrow afternoon that I want to get done this week.  I didn't realize how much I would like that aspect of homeschooling as well, the flexibility.  We've done our work in morning and afternoon and both worked out just fine.  We are able to fit it in where we have a free block of time.  I am thoroughly enjoying watching the kids learn things and feel proud of themselves when they do something well.  They go around singing little songs we are learning, and can repeat their Bible story.  I am very proud of them and am looking forward to watching them grow, learn, and mature! 

We are beginning yet another journey, and I hope to share the ups and downs here.  I will try to post pictures as well when I can. 

I will share more on our curriculum soon, and what we've spent to homeschool two kids so far. 

Tomorrow brings our first soccer game-I hope that goes well too! 
I am not done blogging our vacation and some other things we've done this summer.  My to-do list is never ending and I guess that's a good thing! 

Monday Musings

• I am so thankful that it's Labor Day and Daddy has an extra day off with us!  Yay!  The kids LOVE spending time with Daddy. 
• We FINALLY made it to Sunday School yesterday!  Another yay!  I've been wanting to get back to Sunday School for a long time, and finally I think we figured out how best to do it.  I got ready early and took the twins to Sunday School.  Dustin and Henry met us at church because neither one of them likes going to Sunday School.  I keep hoping one day Dustin will join the adults class.  I am in a young women's class which I love.  Henry would be in the same class as the twins, and he cries when I leave him.  I hate having to leave him twice (for Sunday School and church), so I think we'll try this way till he matures a bit more.  I had volunteered for nursery today, which was quite an adventure!  I had 6 kids and it got a bit wild, but we made it!  :-)   I ended up covered with cupcake icing before I left, but a good time was had by all the kids (I think!). 
• I ordered the kids' swing set.  I am really excited about it and can't wait to get it put together.  We also ordered the fire pole, and a telescope and ship wheel for Henry to have mounted at the bottom.  Dustin prompted me to go ahead and order it after Emilynn begged to go to a playground yesterday and play.  I think it will be a great addition to our yard!  :-)  I guess I'll have to fire up the grill and have an all-day gathering of all hands on deck to put it together.  I want to get it put together BEFORE hunting season starts or there will be no hope for it until January! 
• We went to eat Mexican after church, and I have to say, Henry is adorable eating his own chips & salsa now!  He's so funny, he will dip his chips and look so proud of himself!  He may also eat scoops of just salsa....the boy is ours for sure!   The "chip guy" knows to bring an extra cup of salsa so Henry can have his own.  I'm the only family member willing to share with him.  He also eats an order of beans, on his own.  Let's just say his church clothes immediately go in the wash when we get home each week.  I love our little family traditions!  I hope when our Mexican Restaurant that burned down re-opens soon kids can still eat free on Sundays, that will make me happy too!  :-)  I miss those cheap meals!  Oh well, the other restaurant has $3.95 lunch specials, which is what the kids get anyway.  I guess it all evens out. 
• I also ordered Henry a Puddle Jumper to try at the Y.  Have I mentioned how much we LOVE Puddle Jumpers?  They are THE best kids' flotation device ever.  I'm pretty sure my sister Alyssa used to have one, that's about when they started.  They are Coast Guard approved when they are actually on the child.  You can't just have them on the boat, but if they are wearing them, it's cool.  I like knowing they are an approved life saving device, and not inflatable like the water wings.  My kids play rough and those could potentially pop or lose air I imagine.  Anyway, Amazon has some great deals on Puddle Jumpers right now, I got Henry's for just $17.  The cheapest one I saw was $15.95 (after I ordered the $17 one!).  The price depends on the designs.   I paid much more for Carson & Emilynn's- like $25-$30 each in Bass Pro Shop and Target, so Amazon's prices are great!   Check them out!  :-)  Oh, and since we're talking saving money, Walmart has their beach towels on sale too.  We got a couple new ones because the kids wanted character ones.  They were only $7 for Jake and the Never Land Pirates and Doc McStuffins.  The generic ones are even cheaper, some as low as $3.  I stocked up last year as well since I knew we'd need them for the beach.  If you swim year round like we do, it's a good buy! 
• We got our soccer schedule over the weekend.  We have games or practice every Saturday until November.  Emilynn's doing great with it.  Carson is hit or miss, as usual.  I told Dustin I wasn't signing him up for anything else!  Not until he asks and is truly interested.  He did ask to play soccer, but once we get there is shy and only goes out there a couple times to kick the ball.  It's frustrating for me, because he enjoys it once he's out there.  It's just getting him out there.  It will be a long two months.  I won't let him quit, since he's already committed himself.  That was always our rule growing up, you don't quit once you start. 
• Dance starts back up this week.  Emilynn's been asking to go and one day told me, "You haven't been taking me to dance!".  She's also asked if dance is still closed.  I think she'll be glad to get back into it!  I am glad it's a later time this year, 6:15-7:15 on Wednesdays.  We used to be Thursdays at 5:15 and it was a big rush to get there.  Now we can hopefully have dinner first.  Also, she has a new teacher this time.  I don't know how Emmy will handle that, she's had the same teacher for two years, so she considers Ms. Robin HER teacher.  Her new teacher is great though, so I'm sure she'll win her over eventually.  At the end of last dance season, Emilynn told me she loved Ms. Robin because she's "sparkly".  I don't know what that meant but I thought it was sweet. 

We are geared up for another busy week!  We have swim lessons, dance class, and our first soccer game!  We are also starting preschool tomorrow- more on that tomorrow! 

Ephesians

I haven't started my B90 plan to read the Bible in 90 days.  Mainly because I don't want to start it and not finish it, and I haven't seemed ready to commit just yet.  Anyway, I think I mentioned I'm copying scripture for now.  For some reason, I kept being led to Ephesians.  I read an article in a magazine based on Ephesians, and then on a favorite t.v. show a person had on an Ephesians shirt.  Then I realized our friend's company is based on an Ephesians scripture- I had forgotten that until I went to put my Torture the Devil shirt on the other day.  It was like a sign I was being pointed to that particular book of the Bible.  It's funny how God sends signs like that sometimes! 
Since it's Sunday, I just thought I'd mention this small book of the Bible that is packed with great encouragement and wisdom! 

Some of my favorite verses have been:

Ephesians 5:1-2
              "You are God's children who he loves, so try to be like him. Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a offering and sacrifice to God." 

Ephesians 5:15-16, 20
              "So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely.  Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times.  Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 6:10-11
           "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil's evil tricks." 


Enjoy your Sabbath day!  I hope you get refreshed for a new week!