A Lifetime of Love

I had the opportunity to attend a Ladie's Retreat at the Wilds  last weekend with ladies from my church. This was only my second time being able to go, and I had so much fun just laughing and sharing with friends. It was a nice reminder of how blessed I am to be able to have such encouraging, supportive friends in the women from my church. I hope I was just as much of an encouragement to them as they were to me. My pastor's wife, Gretchen, was the speaker for the weekend. She taught about having "intentional faith." My favorite quote from her for the weekend was personally very challenging to me. She asked us, "Are you a practical atheist (meaning we say we have faith in God that He will work in our best interest, even in difficult times, but our actions don't match what we say) or are you practicing intentional faith?" I know for me and some of the circumstances I've experienced, I have (wrongly!) doubted God and His goodness towards me. It was re...

We took a mini- field trip this week to get some hands-on experience with some amphibians and reptiles, which Th just learned about in science. Although I do not really like those type of animals, they are a reflection of God's handiwork and part of His creation.   The kids LOVED it!!!   Inside a baby alligator's mouth- plenty of SHARP teeth!! T.G. was in love with all the animals- not scared one bit! Teagan, on the other hand, was content to just sit, eat her candy, and watch from a distance (much like her mother!) =)

We are almost at the end of the school year and our first year of homeschooling. I can honestly say this school year has passed very quickly! Here are just a few things I have learned along the way: School is to be taken seriously, but I don't need to stress myself about it If Th gets a concept, I don't need to keep going over it just because the Teacher's manual says I do. At the same time, if Th needs a little more time with a concept, I don't have to move on until he has reached mastery. Flexibility is the name of the game Some days we get started at 8am and work straight until he's finished with all of his subjects, other days we start and he works for a bit, then we take a break and bake muffins or run errands or go to the park and simply finish later on in the day. I LOVE that about homeschooling! Along with flexibility, if Th shows an interest in something that I might not have planned to study in-depth (i.e. the Gold Rush), I can go ahead and allow h...

and a beautful tree was knocked down in our yard. I am thankful it wasn't one of the enormous Oak or Pine trees in the yard as one of those would have surely killed or severely injured someone. Storms like the one last night remind me how weak we are in the sight of God. I need a reminder every now and again! =) * The heavens declare the glory of God ; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. ~Psalm 19:1

Annie, you are such a happy baby...for the most part. ;)  You are crawling everywhere and get upset when we inhibit your attempts by putting up barriers to restrict access to certain parts of the house. In fact, you got so fed up yesterday that you decided to do something about it... You are beginning to walk independently, but only 3-4 steps at a time. You prefer to walk while pushing something, although when you are really trying to get somewhere, you skip walking and simply crawl because it's faster. Secretly I am glad you are not walking yet as you are the last baby, and I want you to stay that way for a little while.  Your quest for independence also means you are trying to self-feed. You don't really care to use a fork or spoon, that's what your hands are for! Although more ends up on your face and chair than in your mouth, you have managed to gain a couple of pounds. Annie, I am so thankful for you and I think your siblings would agree, we are blessed to hav...

...to write this post to its fullest, but here's a snippet of what's been going on around here lately. Annie & Ta celebrated their birthdays by having a (small) party at our house with close friends and family. Annie is the first child (since having Ta) that I haven't been pregnant with the next child by the time the 1st birthday rolled around. Makes me a little sad...  TJ's bike was stolen from our carport the same day as his birthday (Happy Birthday, Babe!). The police were called, a report was completed, and fear set in. Fear that someone had come past both cars parked to block the entrance of the carport, INSIDE my carport & near the back door, rummaged through our stuff, decided on what to take, and managed to do so without any of us waking or dogs barking. SCARY!!!! TJ installed a motion-sensor light with the help of his dad to deter anyone considering returning for more "stuff" TJ finally finished siding around the back of the house. It lo...

Annie celebreated her 1st birthday, and Ta his 6th, last week. I have been battling a chest cold since last Saturday and haven't had the extra time nor the energy to devote to their individual birthday posts. But, they're coming...as soon as I'm feeling better and get caught up on my housework and laundry.