Christmas Is Coming!

Hello my friends. Just a quick update, and probably the last until the craziness of Christmas is past. This time of year is so special with little ones in the house. Since having children we are motivated to establish family traditions that make the true meaning of Christmas a focus. I have to be careful with traditions, because the danger with me is that the traditions become the focus and then we end up serving the tradition and not the reason for the tradition. (I think the Pharisees had this problem too.) So we have kept it simple around here. Every Sunday morning in December we light one candle on our Advent Wreath as we eat breakfast and we talk about Jesus, the one who brought light to our darkness by coming to earth. We also each get three presents for Christmas. This really keeps Christmas shopping/spending under control and most importantly, it helps us to remember that Jesus received three gifts too and He is our greatest gift.

Speaking of gifts, wow isn't it so fun and frustrating at the same time to buy for everyone on your list? I struggle most with teenagers. Kids are easy, any little toy or book is usually very appreciated. Adults are usually so happy with a homemade gift. But teenagers, they are really tough. $5 or $10 doesn't buy much for them and I wonder if they think homemade is hokey. We have enough teenagers on our list that we HAVE to keep the cost down. I saw an idea that I'm going to try this year, I'll let you know how it goes over. My first attempt is in the photo here. What teenager doesn't love Soda and Candy?

Well our big Christmas Drama is less than a week away. Becca and I are directing it this year and the kids are doing GREAT! One of the young people at our church adapted the play from the book, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. It is really cute and funny. We are also looking forward to the annual church Christmas party tonight. This is a fun time of games and Christmas cookies. The kids really love it that the games are adult and kid interactive. It's a time that no matter your age you're a kid again for one night.

Thursday night we are headed to Michigan to spend some time with Dad, Mom, Grandma, and big brother Doug's family. Mom has promised us snow. I'm not that into winter, but it seems in Southern Illinois we get a lot of cold rain and not much snow. Now, if it's going to be cold, I vote for cold and pretty. If not, than just give me 80 degrees and be done with it. :) But I digress. We will be back home in IL. for Christmas Eve which we will spend with Matt's family. Then Christmas day we are home for our family Christmas. So busy busy busy.

Well, I should close. Thank you all for the gift that you are in our lives. You encourage us to stay close to Jesus and we are thankful for your prayers. May your Christmas be blessed with the Joy of abiding in our Savior.

Jingle Bells

The Mellado Conservatory Students playing Jingle Bells. Even Micah got in on this one.

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Beautiful Music

Hey, I'm trying to learn how to upload videos to my blog. Here's my first attempt.

This video is of the String Ensemble from Josiah's Christmas Recital. These are the more advanced students, ranging from age 11 to 17. LaRae and Rachelle (Laura's girls) are in this group.

A Heart full of Thanks and other stuff.

There are so many many things for which to be thankful, I am truly blessed. This post will be an eclectic update of the past few weeks and an expression of my heart of thankfulness.

1. Recital.
Josiah’s first recital of the year was at the end of October. Every year there are 4 recitals. Two solo and two group, this was a “solo recital”. Josiah played Twinkle Variation 2 (for those Suzuki people out there). All the children did so well. Recitals are a time of encouragement for everyone. It is so nice to hear beautiful music from the older students, it helps the younger ones and their parents realize that all the hard work and diligence will one day pay off.

2. Youth Challenge.
So nice to be with dear friends again. It was also nice to sing with Brent and Jani again too. Obviously, we don’t sound like we used to when we practiced hours on end. However, it just feels so good to join our voices together. I still think that the special blending we feel has more to do with our history and love for each other than the quality of our voices.

3. Creation Museum.
So cool. We had such a nice time. I would heartily suggest visiting on a week day though. Check out Tara’s blog archives for a really great review of the museum

4. Party.
Matt and Dan (a dear friend) are the “babies” of our church. Among all the adults in our church, Matt and Dan are the youngest, (aside from our dear Miss Jo) and this fall they both will or have turned 30! So Carma and I, being the “older women” in their lives had a little party for them. We surprised Dan and Matt with a Roller Palace party, complete with Sam’s CD, Roller Skates, Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes, and noise makers. The real children of the church really enjoyed the party too. What fun!

5. Thanksgiving Week
Well, we’ve made a turkey, a thankful wreath and Cyclops. I know Cyclops doesn’t seem to fit, but we studied the Ancient Greeks last week and Cyclops was quite fascinating to Josiah. We also stole Kayla’s idea and read the Pumpkin Patch Parable book and carved pumpkins. I know it’s kind of late, but if you wait until after Halloween the pumpkins are really cheap. The truth be told, I carved the pumpkins though. Go figure, our boys will play in the mud and hold snakes, but nothing doing when it comes to pulling out the slimy stickiness of a pumpkin. And they say women are a mystery.

It’s been a good week and I’ve done some perspective evaluating too. Here is a short list of things for which I am thankful.

• My relationship with Jesus. How truly blessed I am to know Him and be known by Him.
  
• My family. What a joy to have such a wonderful husband and two healthy happy boys. Not to mention, extended family that we enjoy and love.
  
• My Church Family. I am so blessed to have such a beautiful unified church family. We pursue His truth together as we learn more of what it means to be members of the Family of God.


• My Friends. I am so thankful for all of my dear friends who have known me in my yuckier times and still love me. So thankful for your consistent faithful friendship.
  
• My possessions. I’ve lived long enough to realize that no matter what our annual income may be here in the USA we are rich compared to most people in the world.
• The opportunity I have to stay home with and educate our boys. Sometimes I can feel so overwhelmed with my daily task. I can be so focused on how far we have to go in training and educating that I forget to see how much is being accomplished. I am so blessed to have been entrusted with these precious little souls. While it is scary, it is a privilege. I am so blessed to be the one who gets to see their eyes light up when they read or watch them glow when they add numbers correctly. I get to be the one who explains the history of the world and see them begin to understand the tragedy of a life lived without God. What a bonding experience to learn and grow together. I realize that not everyone has this privilege and I am so thankful that I do.

Woo Hoo

Well, woo hoo for DSL.....FINALLY! Friday turned into Monday, which turned into Wednesday. Funny how that happens with AT & T. But you will hear me complain no more than that. I can look at pictures on my computer. I can hear music via the Internet. I can even watch the goofy videos my dear friend Brent produces. I will confess I have already watched one archived Hobe Sound Bible Church service. It's interesting how fast church goes when you can FF through the prelims and through particularly long special songs. :) All this from the two minutes I've had since the instillation of High Speed on Wednesday evening. Sadly no matter how fast my computer gets, my life is always faster. Therefore, I will have to close for now. Let's see....tomorrow... oh yes, can't do it tomorrow. Hmmmm.....Saturday, nope Saturday is full. Sunday? Good heavens, that's my only afternoon nap day of the week! Well, I guess I'll catch my blog up next week. We are going to be taking it very easy in school next week. I'm thinking reading pilgrim books and making turkey crafts. So perhaps while the boys are gluing wiggly eyes on something, I'll take the time to chat with you my dear readers.

By the way, who knew Baited breath was spelled Bated? OK, of course Tara knew, but did anyone else? Wow, I just always had this image of a fishing pole with tempting bait. Thus, BAITED breath. Now I'm not sure what to think of Bated Breath. Perhaps this is the beginnings of a mid-life crisis. Until then, I'm off to buy a sports car and large gold chain necklace.

I Shall Return

Dearest of Friends;

I shall return. We are in the process of getting high speed internet. (a woo hoo was heard by all) Therefore, the computer is a bit "tied up" at the moment. Not to mention, I've just been too busy to post. For a lovely update on part of our weekend in the Cincy area check out Tara's Blog on my friends links.

OK so that's all. Just wanted to let you know that I am indeed alive and will post soon, I promise. (As if you're waiting with baited breath)

Much Love to all.
Juwah

Wacky Weekend

What a busy weekend. Here is a brief photo journal of the fun. I'll post more later, it's a busy Monday as well, so this will suffice for now.

Here are the Pampered Girls from the Friday night Pampered Chef party. I so wish you all could have joined us, we had such a nice time.

Brent was here for a few days, it was so nice to be with him again. On Saturday morning we went to Indy to meet Jani and brush up on some old songs and learn a couple new songs. It was so good to be with Brent and Jani again. So nice to sing with them again as well. We all wished we had more time and more opportunity to practise before Youth Challenge, but alas it is not to be. The above photo is of Brent in Waiting..... (as if there are not a thousand young ladies dieing to "fill in the photo.)

Below is Jani, Baby B, and I.

Saturday night when I got home from Indy, our family went out to the Gilley's for Indian Tacos. So yummy! Most of our church family was in attendace and some camp friends as well. A great time was had by all. (sorry, I forgot my camera.) Well, we need to get school finished and the Fall Solo Recital is tonight, so lots to do. Hope all is well with you.

Hey, here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure. Ok, more for Nanny's viewing pleasure.

But before that, I just wanted to let all my fair readers know that I am hosting a Pampered Chef party this Friday night at 7pm. IF you live close enough, you are welcome to come. IF you don't, and need anything from the Pampered Chef line of products you are welcome to check out the website and order at www.pamperedchef.biz/woffskitchen be sure to put my name in as your hostess.

Challah Bread and Hallah Cloth. The bread is pretty and yummy, but much more salty than we are accustomed to. Next time I make it we will use half the salt recommended.

The boys eating the Challah and holding the 10 commandments that they made. We also gave them skull caps to wear. (Don't ask what we used for skull caps.

Some of the boy's friends at the parade. Those fire trucks were loud!

Siah waiting for the candy to be tossed his direction.

Micah enjoying the parade, even the fire trucks. (notice the ear plugs) And yes, I know the Bob the Builder hat is too small, but he thinks it's cool!

Quotable Quotes:

Micah

"I need some almonds to help my rememory."

"I just fell on my big fat bottom!"

When Matt laid down beside him one morning, Micah said, "there are too much people in my bed!"

Josiah

"Oh Mommy, I just love to hug you cause you're so soft and squishy."

"I went to tricky school and now I'm gonna trick you."

"Mommy, Micah just destroyed my train tracks!" (drama anyone?) :)

A Myriad of Thoughts

Ok so my mind has been going as usual. I normally don't write my rambling mind, but tonight I'm feeling crazy.

* On motherhood.....servanthood.
I must confess, before children I never really thought of myself as an impatient person. If someone was annoying or "pushed my buttons" I could usually let it go pretty easily. No biggie right, silly to stress over the small stuff, I can't change people. Then I had kiddos. I've discovered that when these little ones, as much as I love them, get annoying or "push my buttons" I can't just ignore it. I have to deal with it, cause I'm responsible to mold their character. I realized a while back where the impatience comes from, and it's source is not exactly something of which I'm proud. You see I understand that most of the time when I feel impatient it's because I'M being interrupted or inconvenienced. I have an agenda for the day and these little people keep interrupting ME with their behavior. The idea that I am to be a servant to all as a follower of Christ means more than just a servant to strangers. That while I sing Make Me a Servant on Sunday, it means on Monday when there is a great battle over who had what first or when the potty is covered with...well, you know, cause somebody didn't keep their legs together AGAIN, that is when I am called to be a servant. Jesus help me to take up the basin and the towel not just for a world in need, which at times is an easier task, but to take them up daily for two little guys who need to see you in my life.
* On Aging.
I've noticed as I get older that I tend to be more emotional in some areas, less in others. Less in the sensitive feelings and more in the sadness of sin and thankfulness to God. The other day I was driving alone (a rare occasion) and was listening to the news. A report on ANOTHER child abuse case came over the airwaves. I literally became ill. I had to stop listening and pull my thoughts in another direction lest I lose my lunch. It never ceases to amazing me how devalued children are in our culture. How a mother can hold her kicking, clawing, babies under water until they die is just beyond my scope of understanding. A bigger mind boggeler is that somehow the mother becomes the victim. Now I have compassion on women who suffer from Post pardom. I think most of us Mom's have an idea of how that can feel, perhaps not to furthest extent, but an inkling none the less. So when I hear about young Mom's who in times of high stress, screaming baby, little sleep and no help, shaking their baby to death, well, I am horrified, but I can feel compassion. But in my opinion that is a world apart from what we've been hearing in the news the last few years. And it seems, everyone is a victim, except for the children. God help us.
*On Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur.
If you are a faithful reader you will know the boys and I have been studying ancient history. Two weeks ago we "crossed" the Red Sea and are now at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Therefore the last few weeks we have been learning about some of the High Holy Days of the Jewish people. Very enlightening. When God gave the 10 Commandments to Moses, it was like He was trying to establish a basis for relationship again with His creation(they had most likely been worship idols the last few hundred years). He is a holy God and He wants a holy people. So He gave Moses a set of laws to let the Jews know how their relationship would work. He would love and protect they would honor and obey. Unfortunately, as human nature turns out, they began to worship the law and not the Law Giver. So God sent His son. In Jesus they would see relationship, understand what God expected from them and what He wanted for them. But not just for them, for us, for the world.
As the Jews celebrate Rosh Hashannah they not only welcome a new year they also review their lives and hope that they have somehow been "good" enough to make it into the "book of life". They have 8 days to do good deeds and beg God's forgiveness for their sins over the past year and then on Yom Kippur the books are closed, their fates are sealed. What God offered in Jesus is the blood sacrifice that not only covers our sin if we ask, but He offered an example in a life lived sinless. A life not bogged down in the sin/good deed cycle. But a life full, alive and in love with the Creator. So Thankful!
*On Friends and Free Tickets
We had a really fun surprise on Friday! Becca called and said she had 4 FREE tickets for a Steven Curtis Chapman Concert. WOO HOO! So we sattled up our horses and off we went. I so enjoyed the fun, uplifting concert. Call me a heathen, but I don't go to concerts with any other expectation than to just enjoy good clean christian entertainment. But, I left with that and a whole lot more. The words to so many of SCC's songs so ministered to my heart. Songs that encouraged me to be a servant, to live like Jesus and to Dive into (ie trust) Him completely.

And so I will leave you with that, such as it is. Perhaps I will later post a photo album of some of life's happenings here. So good to be on this journey of life with good friends like you.

7 Things

1. I hate to fold and put laundry away, unless I have a good book to listen to while I'm doing it.

2. I spent the night in the Berlin airport, because we couldn't find a hotel in which to stay. (the rest of our team slept comfortably in a hostel, while we went looking for somewhere 'better" to stay. ) Lesson learned.

3. I'm actually shy. Really I am. With people I already know, I have few inhibitions. But when it comes to meeting new people and making conversation, it is a shear act of discipline that my father insisted I learn. (I'm glad he did.)

4. I don't have a favorite color.

5. I have a "sun gland". Really, I read about people who get bummed in the winter and in extended days of no sun. They have a gland in their forehead that actually needs sun or they don't produce enough endorphins (happy hormones). OK , so I'm self diagnosing. You can bet when I start feeling blue, I go sit out in the sun for a few minutes and everything seems less blue. Placebo? Who knows, but it works.

6. I'm almost done..... I didn't read the Chronicles of Narnia until I was out of college. Isn't that terribly sad? A whole childhood void of Narnia. You can bet it won't happen to my kids. :)

7. I once had a Brownswager (sp?) fight with a good friend. The clean up was wretched.

Sorry I have to add #8 because I don't want to be outdone by Jenny.

8. I once sang with the Fullers. In church, just me, David and Francis. I think Kim played, but didn't sing...Just me..

For Mom

This post is dedicated to my dear Mother. She has been missing my updating this blog and called today to tell me so. So just to warn you, this blog will be very grandma-info centered and will probably be pretty boring for most of you. Please don't feel obligated to comment. I have started a draft of a review of D.Q. so I'll try to get that finished and posted as time allows. Tonight though, my supper is not settling well and I can't sleep, so instead of tackling D.Q. late at night and with a queezy tummy, I think I'll just write a newsy blog.
The beautiful quilt you see in these pictures is the one Mom made for Micah while she was here visiting. (I still haven't painted his room to match it.) She also made a pillow sham and curtains to match. Not to mention, place mats and kitchen/dinning room curtains for me. She's amazing. So how many of you would like my mom to come visit? It was so nice to have her, I just hope she'll come back after we worked her so hard.

We just recently started rehearsals at church for the upcoming Christmas Play. I am co-directing it this year with the help of my dear friend Becca. A young lady in our church adapted a play from the book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It is a funny book with a good message. I know it seems early to be thinking about Christmas Plays, but the play is pretty extensive for the ages of most of the children involved.

Tomorrow ends our 3 week study of Ancient Egypt. I can't say I'm sorry to see the Pharaohs go. We've really enjoyed studying about the Three Kingdoms and the Nile and Mummification, but I was glad to see the plagues coming and I'm ready to cross the Red Sea. We took a week off of working in our Math-U-See book to make lapbooks about Seasons and the Calendar. We learned the Months of the year with hand motions as memory prompts. Ms. Jo taught us a cool song that helped us learn the days of the week too. For Science we have been reading from a Christian Liberty Nature Reader. While I read, Micah listens and Josiah "takes notes" in his note book. He loves to show Daddy his drawings when he gets home and tells him all about the creatures we have studied. Writing is coming along well too. I decided to just go ahead and start Josiah out with cursive. I toyed around for awhile about which way to go, but finally decided to just give cursive a try and if it seemed too tedious we'd try manuscript. So far so good. Reading is exciting, it's so fun to watch Josiah reading on his own. One night I hung "helper words" all over the house. The next day Josiah was so excited he said, "Daddy, I woke up and I saw helper words scattered all over the house!" Micah wants to be right in on everything too, albeit some facts get a bit misconstrued. The other day I was quizzing the boys about Egypt. I said, What is the name of the river that runs through Egypt? Micah replied, "The Nile Delta!"

Matt started building a fort for the boys made from some of the old logs we still had lying in the wood. I must admit, it looks pretty cool so far. We actually did some school out there today.

Well, I think I'm ready to try to head back to bed. Please forgive my late night ramblings.

I guess I have made up for posting twice in one week by not posting for two weeks. Hello my friends, I've missed you. Life is life and so no time to get to blogging. In fact, you will probably find my blogs of late to be more photo albums. It takes less time to post a picture than to come up with something clever and engaging about which to write. So enjoy these photos of our adobe brick making adventure.

We headed out in our woods and down to the creek to collect sand and clay for our adobe mixer. It was quite a job pushing the wagon back up the hill once it had two 5 gallon buckets half full of heavy clay and sand. We used an old inflatable swimming pool as a place to mix our adobe. We added sand and straw to our wet clay mixture and then stomped/mixed it all with our bare feet. This was great fun for the boys. But wow, what a work out for Mommy's legs! We talked about all the work the Descendants of Noah had to do to make enough adobe to build a Ziggurat. BTW, it is believed that the Ancient Egyptians built their homes and Villas of adobe and then just white washed the walls. As we have studied early civilizations the last few weeks. I have been amazed at how advanced they really were. Who knows though, they were not too far removed from Adam and Eve so perhaps they used more of their brains and had better genetics then we do today.

Last week Matt and I celebrated our 7th anniversary. I will spare you all the personal squishies, but I will say I am one blessed woman to have found such a wonderful man. I never dreamed how great a relationship with another person could be. Now don't get me wrong, our relationship did not just magically happen, but all the effort we have put in to making a good relationship has been well worth it. Of course our primary focus and goal is to have a closer relationship with Jesus, as a family and as individuals, and that only serves to draw us closer to each other. I have so enjoyed seeing your wedding photos on your anniversaries, but I don't have a scanner here at home. Perhaps, I can beg a scan off a friend and post wedding photos later.

Well, I've got two boys waiting to make Egyptian style bread, so I should close. Pray for me. :)

Pictures

Just a note: I did respond to a few comments on the previous post, so please feel free to keep the flow of that conversation going. (Jody, I have a question for you there.)

We went over to the Mill today to see Daddy while he was on break.
The boys with a few big Ash Logs. (I know we're weird, but we think trees are cool)

Here are the boys painting the Ziggurat. You can tell their getting ready to dance.
Here is the finished Ziggurat. (Well, we haven't installed the disco globe yet.)

disclaimer: It is NEVER safe to climb on a log pile. The boys know this and understand that they only climb on logs when we give them permission, and are present. Log piles can be very dangerous due to the logs rolling and people being pinned, crushed or trapped beneath them.

D.Q. and the like

Last night was the second meeting of the D.Q. Book Club. The name is not terribly original and was a contrivance of my own design. The problem with this name is that we will one day finish D.Q. Then we will be working on Pilgrim's Progress. Now it may take you a moment, but with little thought you will realize that my application of the initials of the book we are reading to the name the club soon becomes a problem. Until then, fair readers, we shall remain the D.Q. club.

This Monday Josiah started Violin lessons again. He was happily joined by his birthday buddy, "Little Guy", who is beginning lessons himself this year. I too, am starting violin lessons, however my teacher is a 4 year old. A dear friend of our family, hereafter referred to as Super Keith, at one time played the Violin himself. Alas, I am loathed to say, many years ago Super Keith's thumb suffered a fate worse than death. While Super Keith could have continued mastering the Violin, thumbless though he be, (after all he is Super) he heard the higher calling of tree disassembly, and he lay his instrument down. Sad, but true. Then again, I am benefiting from his sorry fate. (Super Keith is letting me borrow his Violin) Practise for Josiah has been less than exciting, but now we practise together. While I understand that it will be no time before he passes me up completely, he really enjoys playing together and "teaching me" how to play.

School is going well. We are all learning so much. Did you know that the Tower of Babel may have been a Ziggurat? Ziggurat's were used by the Babylonian peoples as temples to their false gods. No wonder God was so hacked at the descendants of Noah for building the crazy thing. Anyway, we plan on "building" a Ziggurat this afternoon. I'll post a picture later.

I must run and get the kiddos down for their naps. Have a happy day!

The Lost has come home.

Hola my friends. I have missed you. We have been home from camp a little over a week, but alas, there have been mounds of laundry to deal with upon our homecoming. We also started "school" this week, and have been busy counting, reading and learning more about our beginnings. In fact, today we went outside and measured the length of Noah's Ark. That my gentle readers, was quite an eye opening experience, even for Mommy. It is not hard to believe Noah got 2 kinds of every animal on that baby! Hardly anything like the "cute" pictures we see of Noah's Ark. No wonder it took so long to build.

We had a wonderful time at Mode Camp. The boys especially were thrilled to be there. There is just nothing like cramming your whole family into a small cabin and living "rough" for a few days. Not to mention, they had constant contact with buddies and Miss. Jo to help them, "Search for Truth." This photo is of the boys after we got home. Notice they still have their "Quest for Truth" hats on. They have worn these almost every day, and their magnifying glasses are never too far out of reach. The adults had a great time too, by the way. Our primary speaker was Rick Hutchison and he did such a great job. We also enjoyed the music and fellowship of Matt and Joy Barnett. But as wonderful as Church Camp is, it is so nice to be back home again. (does anybody hear John Denver singing?)

We had our first meeting of the Well Educated Mind Book Club last night. We discussed the first 5 chapters of Don Quixote. It is a very funny book, in an insane sort of way. I will try to post a review of every 5 -10 chapters upon the request of Tara and Jenny.

We have also had another Parenting Class since we returned home. It is always so refreshing, encouraging, and inspiring to meet together. We also got to meet baby Olivia, she was precious.

Another joy we have had upon coming home, is Papa and Nanny coming for a visit. Papa could only stay one night, but Nanny is here to visit for a couple weeks. We are really enjoying her company. She is working on a quilt for Micah's bed. I'll be sure to post pictures of that when it is done.

I hear the mellifluous sounds of my family laughing and playing, thus signifying Daddy's arrival home, so I must close. (There ladies, I was able to use a D. Q. word in my blog. )

I'm Back...for a minute!

Well, it has been way too long since I've posted anything, or even had a chance to keep up with all your blogs. I am relearning the meaning of busy this month. Here is a brief discombobulated list of what's been going on the last couple of weeks.

Well besides the fact that I am a Mom of a Pre-schooler and a toddler, and they are boys to boot. I also, have 3 jobs outside our home that the boys go with me to do. This month we are very heavily involved in getting our church camp grounds ready for camp. At the same time our church is in the middle of a remodeling project that we have helped out with on occasion. Then we have had the privilege of having Savannah come visit, Brent come visit(photos and bragging on that to come) and have even gotten the chance to be with Dennis and Cathy some. All of which we enjoyed immensely. I also have helped out a friend for a few days as she was out of town and needed some help at her business. Then another friend had an appendectomy and we were able to be with her some through that. I also am attempting to write a script for the annual drama our young people put on at the end of our camp meeting. (By the way, condensing and rewriting Bunyan's, Pilgrim's Progress is a bit of a challenge.) Now mind you I am not complaining, because we loved being with and helping out the people and organizations that are dear to us, but I'm just laying out my case for why I haven't had a chance to blog in a while. Am I excused? Good, because I'm leaving this Friday for our church camp and won't be able to blog again for over a week.

Hello

I hope all of you had a nice Independence Day. We did. The fireworks in town were rained out though, so tonight is the big night for that. Last night on Adventures in Odyssey, they did an Imagination Station Flash Back to The War of 1812, when the British burned down the capitol buildings. Today Josiah asked if we could go to Washington tonight and help rebuild the White House. Patriotism is alive and well in this house. :)

Last weekend, Savannah got to come stay with us again. We really enjoyed having her. Here is a picture of the kids Sunday after church. Are the Thomas genes strong, or what?

My Mom mentioned to me on the phone last night how much she enjoyed my blog. Not because I'm a great writer or anything noble like that, but because she gets to see photos of the boys and read stories about them that help her get to know them, even from far away. So if you will excuse me, at the end of this post I'm going to share a few quotes for my mom. Feel free to just skip this part, since it will be highly grandparent centered.

The other night I was praying with Josiah, normally Matt tucks him in and does this, but for some reason I was doing it this night. I finished the prayer and Josiah said, "that can't be it, it was too short." I said, "You may pray longer if you want." He than proceeds to get all squishy and said, "Dear Jesus, thank you for my Mommy. She's just so sweet and kind and gentle. And even when she's not, I always forgive her cuz she's so sweet and I just love her so much. " Then he puts his head up against mine and says "ahhhh" I had to bury my head in the covers to keep him from seeing me laugh.

The boys were staying for a few hours with a family from our church. When we went to pick the boys up, Anna, the oldest daughter still living at home, told us that as they sat down to supper Josiah said, "oh, I like this, it's good for me cuz it helps me get the yuckies out." then he looked over at her and said, "I said yuckies, cuz it's not polite to say poo-poo at the table."

On Grass, Frog Spawn, and Lapbooks

Here I sit at 10 o'clock in the morning thinking that I really need to go put that exercise video in and get rid of those 10lbs still hanging on from my Micah pregnancy. Instead though, I'm sipping a Mt.Dew and listening to my boys set up the trap for robbers in the kitchen. (you'll never convince me that boys are not born with the natural tendency to preserve and protect their territory) This week has been the usual busy, but not terribly eventful kind. SO here is an update of the mundane that I love.

Grass: It is growing!! Matt even said we might mow this weekend. Lots of weeds have sprung up with the new grass, but my green hubby assures me that this is normal and can be remedied. The back yard is still pretty much dirt/dust/mud, but who cares, we have a front yard!! Speaking of back yards, I will share a very disturbing story from our back yard. Well...maybe two. First. Two nights ago we finally got rain. We took the tarp off our pool, so it wouldn't sink beneath the weight of the rain. Late that night we could hear the frogs. This is not uncommon in the woods (we have a creek running through part of our land). I mentioned to Matt how close the frogs sounded this night. The next morning to my disgust, I found FROG SPAWN in our pool. I have to admit I was slightly tempted to leave some, for there were hundreds, just so the boys could watch them turn to tadpoles. Then again, I think it can take close to a year for a frog to mature into it's happy singing-spawning final state. Anyway, I scooped the mess out of the pool and sent them to their demise. Then wouldn't you know it, last night the little boogers (frogs) were singing their heads off again. I flipped on the light and caught them red...well actually green handed. Matt promptly went out and scooped them from the pool. Imagine having your pool used as a breeding grounds... I feel violated!

Big Man: The next disturbing story comes from the very overactive imagination of our 2 year old. We were sitting at dinner the other night and Micah says, "The man came through the landscape and he got on our trampoline. " I said, " what?" He said this again several times. I said, " what man, did you know him? Was he a big man or a big boy?" I was freaking out. Then Micah said, "He jumped on the trampoline and then he rode Siah's tricycle." Now I'm starting to think maybe we are making things up. Then I asked, "Did you know the man?" Micah said, "no, he was a big man, and he held my hand in the pool on my shark!" Ok, so I'm totally relieved by now. I asked, "did you dream this?" Micah said, " yes."

I let the boys play outside alone, but rarely does more than 5 minutes go by that I do not check up on them. So either this big man who jumps on trampolines, rides tricycles and plays with sharks is really fast, or he is a Micah creation. He exists in that little two year old mind along with the little people who live on Micah's CD player and are often eaten by the big green frog.

Lapbooks: Yesterday we spent the day with our neighbor girls. It was a rainy day, so we decided to do an indoor project. We made Lapbooks.

These are so much fun to make. We used file folders to make Lapbooks we could take to Church Camp in a month or so. The girls are older so they made Lapbooks to use to take notes during services. My boys made lapbooks to keep them busy during services. We had a great time. (Sorry the photo is blurry, after several attempts to take a still photo of two boys I gave up.)

Well, there is more I could share about my week, but I hear you yawning so I will spare you the details.

Below you will find a photo of the inside of the lapbooks.

Tributes

This weekend was a busy one, so I did not have a chance to post anything about Father's Day. So here is my typically late- for- everything Father's Day Post.

When I think of the two most important men in my life(My husband and my Dad) several words come to mind, I'd like to share just a few of them with you.

Matt

Servant-Leader: This is the definition of what Matt is to our family. While he is a capable loving leader, he serves us continually. After working himself silly all day, he comes home ready and willing to serve. He is consistently pointing us to Jesus simply by the way he takes up the "basin and towel".

Thoughtful: The first thing that attracted me to Matt was his thoughtfulness of others. Not just me, but everyone. He is always thinking ahead of how he can be helpful. He sees all people as precious, because Jesus pronounced us all precious by giving his life for all.

Vulnerable: I am always amazed at how willing Matt is to become vulnerable. I was raised to very openly speak on any topic, no topic was sacred, but vulnerable we were not. Matt, is willing to open himself. Many times when my first instinct is to close up and "protect" myself, Matt pushes through that wall. I am so touched by how much he cares for my own lost loved ones. He steps beyond where I would be naturally comfortable and speaks to them from his heart, because he cares for them so much he's willing to "feel silly or uncomfortable" .

AMAZING: I know it seems squishy and romantic to say this, and as most of you know, I am not one that is heavy on the squishy side of things. When I say I think Matt is amazing I really mean it. I still am blown away that I managed to marry a man like Matt. There is no 50/50 in our marriage. We both try to give 100%. If the trash needs to go out and Matt's not home, I get it, but if a diaper needs to be changed and he's the one holding the baby, he does it. He is just a way above average Dad. When he gets home from work, after talking with me a few minutes he is all about his boys. He is continually teaching, training, and discipling them. I hear ladies say that their husbands are "babysitting" the kids and I think WHAT? Matt and I are partners in training our little guys and it's been that way from the day we found out I was pregnant, he's not just a helper that gives me a break occasionally and will start being involved with the boys once their old enough to do "guy stuff", he is a full-time Daddy. (And is practically worshipped for it)

Goofy: Matt makes us laugh. He does the goofiest things just for our entertainment. Life is never dull in our house.

Hard Working: Matt is one of the hardest workers I know. He never stops. After a long day at work, he will come home and meet our needs and work on his "honey do" list and yet, always finds time to help a friend who may need a hand. He lives out his values. He could be making more money elsewhere, but that's not really what we value. He sees the value of working in an environment that encourages his values. He looks ahead to the future and knows that eventually the boys will be able to be more involved at work with Dad. He sees that being loyal to an employer and a business is so important in his own life and a great example to our boys. He gets to be with us at lunch and sometimes the boys and I will even meet him at work while he's on break. We appreciate how hard he works and how well he provides.

Happy Father's Day Babe, we love you and appreciate the spirit of Christ that you live out for us everyday.

Dad

Secure: I never questioned for a minute that my Dad loved me and that he would keep me safe. My Dad is a truck driver so he had to be away from home often, I remember when storms would come and we'd be heading to the basement, the only thought in my head was, "If Daddy were here this would be OK.

Cherished: I always felt like I was very special to my Dad. I can't remember a Valentine's Day that I didn't get flowers from him. (I still do to this day)

Loyalty: My Dad's friends and family could always count on him in their toughest times. In times when other friends would walk away, or people were awkward and weren't sure how to be there, my Dad was there. Giving whatever support was needed.

Smart: My Dad always underestimates himself in this area. I have learned through my study of learning styles that there are different kinds of intelligence. Just because someone doesn't enjoy the "status quo" style of education in America doesn't mean they are not intelligent. (although, Dad wasn't too shabby even in this area) Dad has the ability to see and understand and remember things. He blows my mind sometimes with his intelligence.

Intuitive: I still am amazed that my Dad can read character so well. He is rarely wrong in his judgements of others. My brothers and I have talked often of the times Dad would warn us of someone not being trustworthy or give his approval on someone and almost every time he was right.

Fun: In the summers one of my brother's and I often got to go with Dad in the truck. It was so fun. Now I admit there were long hours of boredom, but if we had the chance Dad would take us somewhere fun on the trip. I still remember dragging him on a water ride at Busch Gardens over and over again.

My Dad spent Father's Day alone on the road, he's done that many times, tis the nature of his job. But I wanted him to know that I love him and appreciate all the sacrifices he has made for me through the years.


This Weekend with Uncle Dennis & Aunt Cathy!



Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cathy with the two most important boys in my life. And Grandma Helen with the boys

This weekend we spent the weekend with Matt's Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cathy. We drove to their place with Matt's Grandma Helen on Friday afternoon and we had such a nice time. Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cathy have been like a second set of parents to Matt as he was growing up. Now they are another set of Grandparents to our boys. The boys think they are great! Thanks Uncle Dennis and Aunt Cathy for your gracious hospitality, we love you!

Summer Fun

Summer FUNThe pool is still a big hit! The whole family has been enjoying it this week. Yesterday, when Daddy came home for lunch he surprised the boys by jumping in with them for a few minutes. "Moments made eternity" is the phrase that comes to mind, not that the pool is that big of deal, but the fact that Daddy took time out of his very busy day to stop and have fun with them.
The other day as I was out watering the seed & straw, I noticed the boys running around
on the porch. Josiah yelled something about a snack, but I couldn't understand all he said. I did the thing mothers of very verbal children often do, I said something like "really or OK." When I came back up on the porch I saw a table set up with the following items on it for the "snack": chocolate frosting, 4 bottles of water, butter, ham, cheese, english muffins, & yogurt. The boys were in the process of bringing chairs out for us to sit on. I was shocked at how quickly they had emptied the frig and set up our "snack". I adjusted the snack contents a little and then we enjoyed a snack.

Last week Josiah started his Summer Violin Lessons. He will only
be taking 4 lessons this summer so Micah has been coming with us. Mondays are special days since the boys enjoy getting to watch videos on the way to lesson and then getting to have lunch at McDonalds. Not to mention, they get to be with some of their friends before and after lessons, so that is a real treat.

As promised, here is a little blurb on chore charts. My dear friend just got home from a Home Educators Convention. She was sharing some of the great ideas she got there. She mentioned chore charts, which is not a new concept by any stretch, but it refreshed the idea for me. I searched the Internet for a printable chore chart that would be free and fun, I found several, but none that fit our needs. Since we have pre-readers I needed something with pictures. I got the idea to take photos of tasks the boys do and print them at Wally World. You can go to the Kodak Kiosk and print 9 little photos on a 4 x 6 for $.28 a copy. I went to a web-site and printed a chore chart, and then cut it apart to make a chore chart with photos.(I can replace the chore section weekly.) The boys have certain chores that must be accomplished before they can go out and play. This saves me "nagging" to get things done. I just say, "are your chores done, so you can go out and play?" It doesn't take much time at all, once they get started (since chores for little ones our boy's age, aren't too intense), however, it does ensure that we get things done that are important, teaches them to be workers, and makes the household run more smoothly. Not to mention, the boys LOVE marking things off their charts. If they have a completed chart at the end of the week they get to choose to go on a date alone with Mommy or Daddy. This reward also gets alone, quality time for each boy with either Matt or I. BTW, our "dates" are nothing terribly time consuming or expensive. This week Josiah wants to go to the wood shop with Matt and start on a project. Other options are going out for ice cream, going to the park, or for a walk.

Well, I need to run. The boys are up from their naps now and I need to start dinner. I hope you all are enjoying your summer as well.

Little Things

Well it has been a very full week! Nothing over-the-top, just busy. Last night we took Matt's mom and her husband out for dinner for Mother's Day. I know we are a bit late, but she works at Wal-Mart now and is a busy woman. We had a nice time. She, in typical Grandma fashion, came bestowing gifts. She picked up a kid's swimming pool for the boys on sale at Wally World (it's nice to have a Wally World Employee in the fam.) I spent a good deal of this afternoon filling and setting up the crazy thing. It's one of those 980 gallon kind that you have to level the ground add sand etc... The boys will love it, and I'm sure I lost 980 lbs out there in the hot sun setting it up. (do I hear moans of compassion and sighs of "what an amazing woman that Julia is?) OK, it wasn't that big of deal, but I felt like quite the martyr setting it up. :) The boys and I will try it out when they get up from their naps. (Go ahead laugh, I am getting in the kiddie pool!)

Another, real chart topper this week has been the spreading of top soil, planting of grass seed and spreading of straw. Not a big deal you say? Oh I beg to differ. I can't tell you the joy that floods my heart as I gaze out upon the straw in our soon-to-be-front yard. We are the kind of people who get ill if we have a lot of debt. (seriously, my stomach actually hurts if our debt to income ratio gets a little out of whack.) So we do things slowly. We just bought our first pieces of new furniture last year. Until then, we had been living perfectly fine with hand me down and yard sale furniture. You can't know the joy a couch will bring you, when you've been using a couch cover to hide tweed. It is the same with a yard. For a year now we have been living with mud and dirt. In Illinois we either have too much rain or not enough, it seems. So we were either tracking through mud or swimming in dust. So Monday night at 11pm Matt and I finished spreading straw on our front lawn and down the driveway sides. I am one excited Momma! I spent an hour and a half watering it this morning. I am considering blaring classical music out the windows to encourage it's healthy development, it can't hurt right?

I got an idea from a friend this week concerning chore charts. I have been surprised at how excited Josiah gets to "mark things off" his chore chart. I'll have to post more on that later. Well, that's all for now. Nap time is almost over, I hear the pool calling. (Don't laugh!)

Memorial Day

I hope all of you had a nice Holiday Weekend. I used to feel a little guilty for having fun on Memorial Day. After all, the holiday is about remembering those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom. Then I heard a Mother of a Soldier in Iraq say that her son told her that he was over there fighting so that she could enjoy life. Her spin on this was, that by enjoying life and our free, relatively care-free lives (compared to those who worry about being bombed at the grocery store) we are honoring those who fought to make sure we could live this way. If there is truth in that, we really were honoring the fallen on Monday. Monday was spent catching up on things, then Monday night we enjoyed a cookout at a friend's house. We had such a nice time, with games, food, and great conversation. We truly are a blessed people.

Before I close I thought I'd share a "Silly Siah" Moment: The other day, I put the boys in the car to go to our cleaning job. When I got in, I remembered something that was in the house that I needed. I jumped out of the car to go get what I needed. As I walked behind the car, the thought crossed my mind of what would happen if the car backed over me. (those of you with vivid imaginations understand these kinds of thoughts, the rest of you think I'm sick.) Anyway, I thought about how awful it would be for the boys to be stuck in the garage not knowing what to do, if I got hurt. So when I got back in the car I started telling Josiah that if Mommy ever got hurt or seemed like she was asleep and he couldn't wake me up he should go to the phone and dial 911 and tell the people who answer that I was hurt. I thought that was enough for him to take in for one day, so I told him I would teach him our address the next day, because that would help the lady at 911. He said, "we're in the car with nothing to do, why don't we use this time to learn it?" I laughed and said, "OK!" We went over it several times then I asked him, "Now Siah if Mommy gets hurt and you ask me if you should call 911 and I say yes or if I don't answer what do you do?" He did pretty well telling me the steps he would go through. I was surprised at how much he retained so I said, "You are really smart to remember all that!" and he took his index finger and made circle motions around his temples and said, "do you know how I'm so smart?" and I said, "no, how?" and he said, "Well, I eat a lot of Smarties and they get up in my brain and make me smart!" He was serious and still is convinced that Smarties are smart-pills. I may have to use Smarties in the future for getting other parental instruction to stick. :)

Papa & Nanny - oh what fun!

Well, we made the LOOOOOONG trip to Michigan. Once we get there it is worth the effort, but oh, how we dread the drive. We went to Matt's niece, Savannah's kindergarten graduation on Thursday night.(see photo). We decided to leave after her graduation. (we figured the kiddos would sleep all the way up.) Savannah is Matt's brother Greg's daughter and she got to come with us to Michigan. Greg is in the National Guard and had duty this weekend, so we got to keep Savannah. The boys were so excited that Savannah got to go to Papa and Nanny's house with them.

We only got about 10 minutes down the road, and Micah started coughing, got choked and vomited. (very nice in a car with 5 people.) Fortunately, we were only a mile from the exit that "Issac & Becca" live on so we called to see if we could stop by and clean up. What wonderfully gracious friends to let us barge in at 11pm and bathe Micah and lend us a fresh car seat and cleaning supplies. They are dear friends, and our heroes that night.

We got to MI Friday morning and Matt and I spent the day trying to recover from an "all-nighter". (this was much easier to do in college) Saturday morning, Mom, Savannah and I went shopping. When we got home Dad and our family went kite flying. It is amazing how much fun you can have with $1 kites.

Savannah enjoyed chasing her kite's tail while Aunt Julia flew it. But nothing doing for the boys, they wanted to pilot their own crafts. It brought back so many memories. I spent many hours as a kid chasing down fallen kites. My Dad always made special tails for the kites and parachute "men" to send up the kite line. As always, Dad was faithful to create a "parachute" to send up our kite lines this time too. (it doesn't work so well with $1 kites) :)

Daddy & Siah

Too Fun!

That evening we went back to Dad and Mom's and played with Nanny in the yard and ordered pizza. For 6, 4, and 2 year olds it doesn't get any better than that. (not too bad at 34 either!)

I realize as I get older, that I appreciate my parent's more with each passing year. They didn't do everything perfectly. In fact, I can see many things in my own life that are the result of lack of training. However, I never doubt that they did the best they could for us. I know they have regrets, because they're not afraid to tell us what they wish they could go back and change. In the end, that's what makes me admire them so much. We all are bound to make mistakes, but my parents are big enough to not excuse their mistakes, but own them, and that makes them good parents. They haven't stopped parenting us, by their admission of mess ups, they continue to train me to not make the same mistakes and they keep me humble. I know as hard as I am trying right now to train our boys to be the best they can be, to give them the tools they will need to be prepared for whatever God has for them, I know in spite of all that, I am missing some stuff. I don't know what it is, but they will, once they are adults. I hope and pray they will know that we, like our parents, did the best we could and they will stand on our shoulders, learn from our mistakes and give their kids something even better. (I really didn't mean to get all serious, I just want to honor my folks)

Well, we're home now. It feels good to be in our own beds, back to routine. (Can you believe I ever traveled full-time?) I hear Micah waking from his nap, so I suppose I should close this post and sit him on the potty. (No accidents today....yet!) :)