VBS

Well, it's been over a week now, so I guess it's time for a new post! :-) Soccer ended on Saturday with a special day of soccer games and activities. It was extremely hot and humid, but we kept the kids cool by squirting them with water and making them drink a lot of water. A fire truck came and sprayed all the kids down, which they all enjoyed! Now that we don't have to rush out to the soccer field every night, we have our evenings free! Soccer was great for the kids, but it is kind of nice now to have a more relaxed schedule.

Grant and Katie are attending VBS this week at our church. They are both excited that friends from the homeschool co-op are in each of their classes. Yesterday they played for an hour with their friends while the moms talked! :-) So, we planned a picnic and playtime at a park for today after VBS. That way the kids can keep playing and we can keep talking! :-)

In Christ Alone

Whenever I hear this song, it touches something deep in my spirit and I get chills. It just really says it all. So, here it is:

In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

A Visit From Grandma

My Mom came from Arizona for a visit and we just took her to the airport and said good-bye last night. It was fun having her here and we were all sad to see her go. The kids had so much fun with Grandma here! She listened to all their chatter, played games with them and took them to the toy department for a shopping spree! We all wish she didn't live so far away!!!

Dance Recital

Grant and Katie danced in their dance recital last night and again this afternoon. The rehearsal was Friday night, so they have performed their dances three times now. It was fun to watch all of the dance numbers and especially fun for Dave and I when Grant and Katie danced. God blessed us with the gift of dance classes this year through Katie winning a year of free dance classes in a drawing. (And, boys dance for free at this studio.) What a blessing! We think it was a geat experience for our kids.

California Wedding

Grant, the candlelighter.


Beautiful flower girls.


The wedding party.


Grant and Katie.


Katie and Daddy dancing at the reception.


This is the lovely bride, Misty, and I at her wedding reception. God has given her a wonderful, godly husband in Reid. It was such a joy to celebrate with them!

We're back!

We just got back from California last night. Our flight arrived at midnight, so we slept late today and we're all still pretty tired. But we had such a fun time!

We left last Thursday afternoon. The kids were so excited about the trip and had been anticipating it for what probably seemed like forever to them! :-) When we got to the place where we parked our car while we were gone,(about a 25 minute drive from home), Grant said in wide-eyed wonder, "Are we in San Diego now?" Dave and I laughed so hard!

It was fun to fly together as a family and the kids did very well on the flight. We arrived in San Diego around 6:00pm, checked into our hotel and went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. (We all LOVE Mexican food! :-)) By the way, we got a GREAT deal on a nice hotel through priceline. I would highly recommend doing the "choose your own price" option. It worked out great for us.

The next two days were filled with wedding activities. Grant took his job as candlelighter very seriously and he did a great job. Katie and the other little flower girl became instant friends and had a blast together. They did a great job, also. After the wedding the two little girls were playing (and sitting and rolling) in the rose petals, so they both got red stains on their white dresses. That happened after the photos were taken, so it was okay! :-) It was a beautiful wedding and it was very meaningful for all of us to be involved in helping the couple celebrate their wedding day.

On Sunday we spent some time at the beach, which was so fun and so relaxing. We also visited Coronado and Seaport Village, which is an old haunt for me. That evening we had dinner with some friends who are currently living by Mission Beach, which is another old haunt for me! :-) It was nice to be back in San Diego and really great to catch up with old friends. This friend, Michelle, was a high school student when I first met her many years ago when I worked in San Diego. Now she and her husband and two kids are foreign missionaries home on furlough. We had a wonderful evening with them.

The San Diego Zoo was our last stop on Monday before heading home that evening. We enjoyed the zoo, but we were all a bit "fried" from all our fun in the sun and late night fellowship with friends! As we watched San Diego get smaller and smaller out of the plane window, Grant cried and Katie turned to me and said, "Mommy, when I grow up I'm going to live in San Diego!" :-)

We're still here!

We are just chugging along with most of the same things I wrote about in the last post... Katie and Grant are enjoying soccer and they are just about ready for their big dance recital coming up soon! We finally got all of the wedding clothes pulled together and are looking forward to our dear friend's wedding celebration, also coming up soon! :-)

We recently got some new neighbors and it turned out to be a bonanza for the kids! The new family has four kids all close to my kids' ages, so Grant and Kate are having a blast getting to know them. Anytime we are home they want to go play with the new neighbors! :-) The new kids are adorable and very nice. I'm happy for my kids to have more friends in the neighborhood. :-)

Busy

Wow, I haven't posted in quite awhile! This has been such a busy time. We are just doing all the normal things, plus...

Soccer has started, which means I am out at the soccer field four nights a week.

The kids are preparing for their dance recital and still have dance classes twice a week, (one night each kid).

We decided to re-arrange our "office/schoolroom," which involved putting up more shelves and re-organizing all the books...a BIG job!

I have been getting the kids outfitted for the wedding they're in this summer. We found an adorable flower-girl dress for Katie. It is all white and has a tulle skirt. She looks like a princess in it. :-) I am still looking for Grant's candlelighter outfit.

So, that is what we've been up to... Not too exciting, but keeping us busy!

Art Class

A couple of weeks ago, Grant and Kate had the privilege of attending an art class taught by Barry Stebbing of How Great Thou Art Publications. I had heard Mr. Stebbing speak at our local homeschool conference and really appreciated his perspective of helping people see God as an Artist and to give them skills to glorify Him through art.

Mr. Stebbing and his wife, Saundra, have been travelling around the country to teach art to home schoolers. The classes have about 100 in attendance and are comprised of kids of all ages. They meet for two and a half hours, three days in a row. It was a fantastic experience for my kids! They both have been applying some of the things they learned from Mr. Stebbing and have more of an awareness of the beauty and colors all around them.

Tooth Out, Photos Taken, Carpets Clean

Well, the tooth FINALLY came out! Kate was brushing her teeth and grabbed for the spot of white that flew out of her mouth before it could be lost down the drain. She got a hefty haul from the tooth fairy next morn. ;-)

Today I had to take both Grant and Kate for their dance photos. Kate was first, with three changes of costume. Oh, it was quite a sight...little girls hopping and spinning around in various colors of tutus and sequins, as well as a few boys in more boyish looks. We finally got her in and out of all the costumes with the right shoes, bows, pants, tutus for each dance and she and I were both pretty pooped when it was finally all over! So, naturally, we took some "girl time" and went to Panera for lunch! We love Panera!:-)

When I went back to the dance studio later for Grant's photos, there were less people milling around and everything just seemed much calmer. He only had one costume to change into for his hip-hop dance and then we were out of there!

While I was running the kids to and from their dance photo sessions, my husband took on the task of moving all the furniture, renting a carpet cleaner and cleaning all the carpets in the house! Wow! By the time Grant and I got home, he was moving most of the furniture back into place. It's like magic--when I left the carpets were dirty and when I came home they were clean! :-)

So, that was our Saturday. We got things done that needed to be done and we're glad it's over! But, we also had fun along the way.

Nanny McPhee

This isn't really about the movie, Nanny McPhee, it's about my daughter whose loose tooth makes her look like Nanny McPhee! This tooth is hanging by a thread, but she will not pull it out or let anyone else pull it out! So, we call her "Nanny McPhee" and she laughs and sticks out her one big loose tooth until I crack up. She loves to make us laugh! Maybe I could sneak into her room when she is sleeping and pull it out...naah. I'll let Nanny McPhee pull it out (or let it fall out!) in her own sweet time. And I'm sure I'll be laughing a lot until that tooth finally does come out! :-)

Happy Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

We hosted a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt the day before Easter. After everyone gathered in our driveway, Dave explained the rules, said, "go!" and they were off! When all the eggs were found, everyone moved to the garage. The kids sat on a piece of carpet and their parents sat in chairs behind them. I was able to share the Easter story and the gospel using the Resurrection Eggs. It was a great way to connect with neighbors and also share what we believe in a very non-threatening way since it was aimed at the kids. We had donuts, coffee and juice for snacks after the story. Everyone received a DVD of The Story Of Jesus For Children as a special Easter present. Hopefully, they will be watched and will help many kids and their families come to know Jesus personally.

April 7th ~ Grant's Birthday

Grant turned 8! Wow, it seems impossible that my little boy is getting so big! We had a family party to celebrate. We are so thankful that God "granted" our request for a child with this wonderful son of ours!!! Grant received a lot of Star Wars Lego sets, which he was thrilled about and knee, elbow and wrist pads so he can ride his skateboard. How can I have a kid old enough for skateboarding? Time sure flies! Happy Birthday, Grant!

Two Funerals In One Week

The kids and I flew out to join Dave for his father's funeral. It was a very quick trip ~ we got in on Sunday night, the funeral was on Monday and we flew back home on Tuesday. The service was a celebration of Bill's life. It was full of hope because of Bill's faith in Jesus.

Dave had to stay and take care of some details before flying home a couple of days after the kids and I. The day after he got home we all piled in the car and drove five hours to join my side of the family for my grandfather's funeral on Saturday.

My grandfather died three days after Dave's dad died. He would have been 90 years old later this month. So many happy childhood memories came flooding back to me as we reminisced about my grandpa's life. He was a "feisty" character who loved to tease his grandkids and he was a wonderful grandpa. I loved him and miss him.

We are back home now and back to our normal routine, but we are still processing the events of the last couple of weeks...reflecting on family relationships, life and death.

Hope and victory

Last Thursday, my father-in-law,Bill, fell and broke his neck. Over the last several days my husband and his siblings talked to doctors to determine the extent of the damage to his spinal cord. They discovered that he was paralyzed from the neck down, unable to move anything other than his face and neck muscles.

It was incredibly difficult for my husband and his siblings to see their dad in this condition. However, being able to see their dad and communicate their love to him was a gift the Lord gave them before taking their father home this morning. Dave's dad passed from this life to the next with his four children at his bedside.

Dave commented that the Lord has been so sweet to him and his family throughout this ordeal. How much hope we have at the end of our days when we know the Author of life, the One who has victory over death!

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
ICorinthians 15:55

"How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
ICorinthians 15:57

Just For Fun

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Co-op

Today our homeschool co-op met and in our Five In A Row class we read Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. Even though most of the kids were familiar with the story, they seemed to really enjoy hearing it read and a few couldn't help finishing some of the lines with me. :-) After we read the story and discussed Paris, the Eiffel tower, what an appendix is, etc., we took a walk around the church in "two straight lines" and "smiled at the good, frowned at the bad," etc., just like the girls in the story. After learning some French words and painting a picture in a similar style to the pictures in the book, the kids had to head off to their next class. The time went by quickly and we had a lot of fun! :-)

March

Wow, I can't believe it is March already! We have just been clicking along with our normal routines and February just flew by! Grant and Katie have each recently gone to a friend's birthday party and Katie is going to another one on Sunday. It's just one party after another around here! :-)

Valentine's Day

The kids certainly got their fair share of sugar and fun on Valentine's Day! Our homeschool co-op hosted a potluck lunch and Valentine's Day party yesterday. The kids each had to sign over 60 valentines for the valentine exchange, which took up most of our writing time during school the day before! At the party they got to decorate a bag for their valentines and frost and decorate heart-shaped cookies. The moms got to visit while the kids played games and that was the highlight for me! :-)

We came home from the party all sugared up and then had to turn around a few hours later and head back to church for AWANA. I am Katie's Sparky group leader, so I couldn't very well stay home. It was a great night, though. I always think I want to stay home instead of going out to AWANA in the evening, but once I get there, I end up really enjoying the kids and am glad I went.

Dave and I usually celebrate Valentine's Day with a late, quiet dinner at home once the kids have gone to bed. Since we had AWANA last night, we will have our candlelit dinner tonight! :-)