Celebrating Life!

McKenzie has had two baby showers this month!  Both days ended up being beautiful and lots of sweet friends and family showered her with wonderful baby things!

 

 

                                                                      (Sisters)

Her first shower was hosted by some of McKenzie's  friends in another town.

 

                                                                      Madeline

McKenzie with her childhood friend Rebecca.  They are both expecting their first babies this summer!

This is the mother of one of McKenzie's childhood friends.  Always so sweet to be with some of our "old" friends.

Her second shower was hosted by her sisters and one of Daniel's cousins.  It was held at our home and the weather was perfect!

 McKenzie told us when she had her wedding showers that if she ever had a baby shower she wanted an ice cream bar.  That is what she had!  :)

 

She has been blessed tremendously and has most everything she needs.  Now just waiting these last few weeks for the arrival of the sweet little baby!

Fireplace Makeover

When we bought our home eleven years ago one of the things Marc loved.... I did not. :o)  The house is a Southern Living plan and the couple that built it did a few changes.  This massive fireplace is one of those changes.

 

It has always been so huge and dark!  I have wanted to paint it the whole time we have lived here, and this spring I finally took the plunge!

 

I decided against painting it a solid white.  I liked the whitewashed look better.  Our house is in the country and looks like an old farmhouse.  I try to keep with that look when we make updates.

 

 

 

 

Wish I had done it a long time ago!  I have lots more projects I hope to get done this summer, but at least this one can be crossed off my list!

Weary...

Yesterday I went full speed from the moment my feet hit the floor until my head hit the pillow last night.  I got up at 7:00 packed lunches for Matthew and Marc, and got them sent off.  I mopped the floors, started laundry and baked pumpkin muffins.  By this time the rest of the household was stirring.  I threw my running clothes on and hit the road. 

Nine miles later I was in the shower and getting ready to take Mariah to an orthodontist appointment.  We would have been on time except we heard the horses going crazy and looked out to see them running everywhere.  Not sure why they were so excited, but one of them got into some wire and had it tangled on her leg.  The girls ran outside to get it untangled and stalled the horse because she had a cut on it. (Thank goodness it didn't require getting a vet this time!  We have plans next month to tear down all wire fencing and put up wooden.) 

I flew into the parking lot, dropped Mariah off 12 minutes late, and then headed to my dad's house to take some goat's milk to him.  When I got there I realized I hadn't changed his sheets in a while so I stripped his bed and washed a load of clothes.  I put new sheets on, scrubbed his bathroom down and gathered his trash.  I ran out the door to go pick Mariah back up.

After I picked her up I had to make an egg delivery and then I headed back home.

Once I got home I started schooling Malachi. (Yes, we are doing "summer school".  That is a post in itself.) I got supper started, laundry finished up and then Madeline, Macheus and I hit the road again.

                                                   (Girlhood is such a sweet time.)
We drove thirty minutes away to a larger town nearby to do some shopping.  We rushed through that and had to get home in time to do night chores before dark.

We got the goats milked, baby goats fed, horses put up and fed, everyone watered and finally came in a little after dark.

When Matthew got home from work we had our family Bible time and visited a little while. (Somewhere in there the boys got baths and were in the bed.) 
After that I did some online banking, checked on my library account and spent a few "brainless" minutes on Facebook. :o)

(My favorite picture of Myles this week.)

 

Then I finally headed to bed........

 

only to get up today and do it all again.

"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

~Goodnight

Every spring the state home school conference is my "shot in the arm" to keep on keeping on!  I started going when McKenzie was six years old!  I went with friends my first year and it was so inspirational that I took Marc the next year.  It is always a highlight of our spring.  This year we planned on going together until he found out that Steve Farrar was holding a men's conference a few hours from us.  He loaded up with Matthew, Malachi and some friends and went to that.  I needed some buddies to tag along with me, so McKenzie, Madeline and Macheus  joined me this year!

 

We had a ball together!  We packed our lunch and took off really early. 

 

We were so excited to get to meet "Miss Patty Cake" in person!  Matthew and Madeline loved her when they were little!  Macheus has watched some of her movies, but now he likes them even better.  She was such a sweet lady, and so good with little ones.

A highlight for all of us was getting to hear Ken Ham!  I think we went to every one of his sessions! :o)  Madeline was able to talk to him after one of the sessions and shared with him how difficult it has been to be in a secular college, but how thankful she is for his resources that she has read over the years.  She definitely has a solid foundation and AIG has been a big part of that!

Here we go again!  I have taught Saxon Math from 1st to 5th grade with all of my kiddos.  Starting up with Myles in Saxon 1 this fall!

My sister shared Explode The Code with me a couple of years ago.  They have been great with my "slower to read" child.  It gives them some independent work, and they gain confidence with their reading. He went from hardly being able to read anything to devouring chapter books this year!

 

Getting some "Miss Patty Cake" love.

He cried so hard when we would take him away from her booth. :o)

                                                        :o)

 

Dinner break at Chipolte!

 

Madeline is reading good books to help counteract the evolutionist garbage in her college textbooks.
She has even been able to share some of her stuff with her professor.

 

The hotel had an indoor pool that the kids got to enjoy that evening and the next morning.  Me?  I just wanted to sleep! :o)

 

 

By Saturday evening we were pooped.  You listen to so many good speakers and then you get to the point that you just can't take anything else in. 

 

 

I got all of my curriculum for next year and bought lots of other good books and educational "stuff".  I'm winding down our current school year and looking forward to a break this summer!

I'm very thankful for the privilege to teach my children at home.  It is not always easy and some days it is downright hard!  Having two grown children though, I can say it is well worth the sacrifice!

"You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise." Deuteronomy 11:!9

My boys...

 This evening Marc took the girls to their piano lessons and I took the boys swimming.  Matthew met us there for a little while before he had to go to work.

One of the things that I love about having a big family and having all ages is that you realize how fast they grow up.  It is almost like you get a "second chance" to slow down and soak up all of the details of their childhood. 

I guess with my first two or three children I had more time to do the "extras".  We did play groups, park day, story time at the library and lots of other things that I don't have time for now.  However, I do think I appreciate little things with my younger ones that I didn't know to appreciate with my older ones.

When Matthew left for work I told the boys to dry off so we could run to the lawn and garden center to grab some things before we went home.  My van is in the shop so we loaded up in the pick-up truck and headed to the store. The boys started talking about how old grandpa was.

Malachi:  "I hope grandpa lives to be 120 years old!"
Myles:  "I hope he lives 50 more years!"
Malachi: "I think thirty more years is more realistic than fifty more Myles. He would be 140!" (Nine year old logic. :o)
I love listening to their conversations. :o)

In the van they don't sit next to each other (which makes for a quieter ride!)  They were lined up on the back bench of the pick-up truck this evening, therefore they couldn't keep their hands to themselves.  Malachi said, "I'm the oldest and y'all need to listen to me! Mama is driving and you are going to make her nerves shot!"

I was loading up my dirt and mulch in the parking lot and Malachi said,  "I wish you would let me load that for you.  I do have muscles you know!"  I backed off and let him load it up for me.  He has a big brother that is a good role model for him. (Except when it comes to keeping a clean room!)

A very sleepy Macheus patiently waiting for mommy to get her plants.

I sure am thankful for the seven people that call me "Mama".