A week in pictures

If momma doesn't feel well.....

.....life carries on! Ok, a tiny bump in the road. Mom woke up sick today. I think it is just a general bug...achey, tired...feel like I got hit by something. Anyway, it has been a great morning. The up front work of the schedule that we have in place is so worth it and today it has proven so even more. I am basically useless today as far as "normal" school is concerned. Yet, as I sit here, Wesley is working on his phonics and Isabel is doing math. Wes has had a few questions and Isabel has stopped what she is doing to answer him. So, despite a day of being under the weather...life and school are moving on.
 I am so thankful. Fruit.

Will You meet us here?

Yes, this a very old song....but the kids and I just love it. They dance in the playroom and watch the video and it is awesome to hear them sing every word. Last night we were watching it again and I realized how pertinent it was to EVERYDAY! We studied Abram a few weeks back and I was struck by how he built an altar to the Lord every time he heard from Him. What if I lived like that?

The kids and I decided we would start our mornings with this song. It fully encompasses what we want from our days. We want The Lord to meet us in this place, we want to praise his name alone....ALL DAY and in all things! These are the things we want our day to revolve around, seeing and praising God in all of our moments.  These are the things eternal.

Pallet Party

Yall love to sleep together! What can I say? Dad and I always joke that all we need is a 2 bedroom house with a Master bedroom and another big room with lots of floor space. EVERY NIGHT, all 4 of you make a giant pallet on the floor of the smallest room in the house.....and yall love it. I dont want this to wear off. I love that yall want to be near each other. It blesses my heart.

O For Grace To Trust Him More

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 
	and to take him at his word; 
	just to rest upon his promise, 
	and to know, "Thus saith the Lord." 

	Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! 
	How I've proved him o'er and o'er! 
	Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 
	O for grace to trust him more! 

	O how sweet to trust in Jesus, 
	just to trust his cleansing blood; 
	and in simple faith to plunge me 
	neath the healing, cleansing flood! 
	

	Yes, 'tis sweet to trust in Jesus, 
	just from sin and self to cease; 
	just from Jesus simply taking 
	life and rest, and joy and peace. 
	

	I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, 
	precious Jesus, Savior, friend; 
	and I know that thou art with me, 
	wilt be with me to the end. 

A prayer for Gospel Parenting

The Following is a prayer by S Smith from The Gospel Coalition.
 Humble reminder.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Ps. 127:1–3

Heavenly Father, it is a liberating joy to address you today as the architect and builder of your own house—including the household of faith and our children’s place in your family. No one loves our children more than you. No one has a greater investment in their future than you. No one can teach us to parent them like you.

As I look back over the years of my pragmatic parenting, I’m saddened, for there have been consequences. But I’m also gladdened, for you’ve always been faithful to your covenant love, even when I was overbearing and under-believing. The move from parenting by grit to parenting by grace has been a fitful, but fruitful journey. Take me deeper; take me further.

You’ve rescued me from parental “laboring in vain”—assuming a burden you never intended parents to bear. Father, only you can reveal the glory and grace of Jesus to our children. Only you can give anyone a new heart. You’ve called us to parent as an act of worship—to parent “as unto you,” not as a way of saving face, making a name for ourselves, or proving our worthiness of your love.

Oh, the arrogant pride of thinking that by our “good parenting” we can take credit for what you alone can graciously do in the lives of our children. Oh, the arrogant unbelief of assuming that by our “bad parenting” we’ve forever limited what you’ll be able to accomplish in the future.

Oh, the undue pressure our children must feel when we parent more out of fear than faith; more out of rules than relationship; more out of and pride than patience; more out of comparison than covenant; more out of threats than theology. Forgive us. Free us. Focus us.

Father, since our children and grandchildren are your inheritance, teach us how to care for them as humble stewards, not as anxious owners. More than anything else, show us how to parent and grandparent in a way that best reveals the unsearchable riches of Jesus in the gospel. We want the gospel to be beautiful and believable to our children.

Give us quick repentances and observable kindnesses. Grant us confidence that you can redeem our past parental failures. Convict us quickly and surely when we don’t relate to your covenant children, “in line with the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14). So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ faithful and powerful name.

Presenting....

Today in History we learned more about Creation! What the garden was like, where people speculate it was located etc.

At the end of the lesson the kids "created" their own animal and named it like Adam did!
Without further adieu, let me introduce you to.....

SMOOTHARINA

SLITHER

SLIVERY

"Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals."

Genesis 2:19-20

   

Lest I forget

Early Morning Joy Hunt

Devotion, Workout, Shower and made bed....ALL BEFORE ANYONE IS AWAKE!!

A dog who is my shadow....and thinks I am his REAL momma

i love you :)

A cardinal on the fence post outside of the kitchen window

Hungry baby....and muffins to feed him.


"Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy" 1 Peter 1:8

Mid Mornin' Break

We were up and at 'em early this morning... .as usual. Our morning school work was a breeze (still mostly review) so we we were done with it fairly early. I could tell there was some energy that needed spendin' so we took the golf cart down to the park.

          There was some treasure huntin'.....

          Some dirt diggin.....

Some rock skippin.....

and a whole lot of fun bein' had!

We came home, had some lunch with dad and started our new 

HISTORY curriculum! 

At the end of the lesson we made Creation Lapbooks. They were a hit!

 The Lord has done great things for us. We are glad! 

Psalm 126:3

It was good

We finished our first week of school, and it was good. Thanks to God, there were not too many bumps or grumbles.  We really enjoyed our time with one another. We loved being at the same table and learning together. Our schedule seems to be working well. We still have to add history to our day next week, but I think it will be a seamless addition. The kids are looking for ward to PE starting in a few weeks and the 2 middle boys are starting soccer this week!   I took a few random pictures to document our first 5 days ....

This is an entry in Isabel's prayer journal that OBVIOUSLY warmed my heart. I didnt want to forget it.

Isabel

I read this prayer for daughters on A Holy Experience. What more could I pray for her than this? I pray that I never forget that it is ALL that matters, because it is.

"Father who breathed into this daughter…

I pray for this girl being formed into eternity….

May the wind always be in her hair

May the sky always be wide with hope above her

And may all the hills be an exhilaration

the trials but a trail,

all the stones but stairs to God.

God, clothe this girl in a gown of grace
Grace, the only dress that makes beautiful,
the style of Your spirit.

Nourish her on the comfort food of the Word,
Word, that makes her crave more of Christ,
have hunger pangs for Him.

Enclose her in communion with You
You, Love who makes her love, who folds her heart into a roof
that absorbs storms for souls,
that makes her tongue speak only the words that make  souls stronger.

May her vocation in this world simply be translation

Translating every enemy into esteemed guest
Translating every countenance into the face of Christ
Translating every burden into blessing

When it’s hard to be patient… make her willing to suffer
When it’s ridiculous to be thankful … make her see all is grace
When it’s radical to forgive … make her live the foundation of our faith
And when it’s time to work… make her a holy wonder.

May she be bread and feed many with her life and her laughter
May she be thread and mend brokeness and knit hearts
May she be dead to all ladders & never go higher , only lower, to the lonely, the least & the longing
Her led of the Spirit to lead many to the Cross
that leads to the tomb wildly empty.

Oh, and raise me, Lord, from the deadness of my own sins to love this beautiful girl like You do…

In the name of Christ who rose

and appeared first

to one of His daughters…

Amen…

Praying for intentionality

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."   Psalm 90:12

Baby Love

My baby is seeming not to be such a baby anymore. He brings us so much joy and laughter. One of our favorite things he is doing right now is using the word "we" where he is supposed to use "our". He refers to our house as "we house".

He LOVES to be read to and I am thinking(and hoping)
 that he is going to love to read.

He and Justin are very close. I am soooo thankful for their relationship. He refers to him as his best friend....

He is learning so much  just by sitting in with the big kids and listening. He learned this entire verse(2 Timothy 3:16-17) in 3 days just by sitting with us in our morning Bible study.

I want to freeze time... I love my baby so much where he is right now.

Cultivating Kindness

We made the decision to have Isabel teach Justin a half hour of pre school daily. In prayerfully considering what things we want to sow into our kids, this stood out as a must do. I pray that it is a time of learning to be patient (from both parties) and a time of bonding for the two of them. I have already found Isabel making lists during her quiet time of things she wants to do with her "student"!

They are off to a good start!

This brings tears

These are a few of my favorite things...

I didn't know until recently how much I loved piano music. It brings a peaceful, centered feeling to our home.  
A reminder that God is in this place.
 Here is my favorite.

Another of my simple pleasures is my apron. It serves as a reminder of who I am in this home, and what my attitude should reflect.

"Whatever you do ,work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

Do Everything ...

New Beginnings

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19

Such is today. We started our first day in our new homeschooling year. My four little monkeys are getting so big and I feel so blessed to not miss a moment of it. We memorialized our day with cinnamon rolls for breakfast, surprise notes from dad and first day of school pictures. I let the kids pick their own outfits.

 I am not responsible for the mixing of plaids :) 

It was a blessed morning. 

Isabel (8)

Wesley (6)

Justin (4)

Eli (2)