Our First Snow!

I have no picture for the microscopic snowflakes that fell down today, but they were there and very exciting!  Nothing stayed on the ground.  It snowed for about 10 minutes or so.

I do have some more pictures of my studious children....  they've finished week 4 of homeschooling!

This is a great book!

Is it going to explode?

Indoor recess!

A baby sleigh!

How did we both get in here?

Fall is Here and Gone

The Last Rose of Summer...

 I saw this last rose a few days ago and couldn't believe it!  It really did have all its petals before I took this photo but someones little fingers took a grab first! 

Daytime Moon

I took this photo of the trees and moon last week and today those same trees have no leaves left on their branches!  Fall was beautiful but very quick!

Playing on the gravel pile...

Playing in the leaves...

Working on the drainage field....

Escaping the wild animal...

 The black wild beast in this picture is, of course, nothing but hound dog but it made a great title for the picture!  ha ha  This grouping of saplings is one of my daughter's favorite places to "hang out."  One of the joys of living out of town is that my children like to hang out with us and their surroundings, better known as the birch wood and black spruce forest.  I thoroughly enjoy living out of town.  There's a peace and quiet away from all the hub of the city.  We are studying history and how civilization began and have found it all very interesting.  I'm so thankful that I have been given a great foundation on which to build.  Knowing our origin's and the reason we live allows us to see things as they really are. 

If you believe the Bible, man was intelligent from the start.  If you believe in evolution, man came from animal and grew into intelligence....   So, what's the difference?  Does the origin of man really matter?  Yes, it does, because it's a base for the growth of science.  If you believe that the universe was created by one God who has all authority and power and is very orderly in all He accomplishes, you will seek out to make sense of and order your life.  Science uses facts to explain the natural world.  As a Christian I encourage my children to ask why and I believe the science world is fascinating and wonderful because it proves the existence of an orderly God who knew what He was doing when He designed it! 

However, if you believe in evolution, you believe that the entire natural word has come into existence by a random order with no meaning.  You won't seek to make sense of it, you will seek your own hearts desire with no particular rhyme or reason, just a senseless, random life wandering about with no apparent purpose other than to please your self. 

How did I get onto this rabbit trail, I have no idea... perhaps I muse because I have spent too much of my life wandering and not enough of it learning God's truth and learning how to the apply that truth into my daily life and the lives of my children.  Just in case the word brainwashing comes to mind, let us first acknowledge the truth of the power of media and advertising and examine our own lives for true evidence of any brainwashing going on...

School Daze



Our backyard and pathway through the forest....

Enjoying the fall leaves...

Painting on the front deck...

Our sweet little "Belle"

Doing a science experiment with Daddy!

Doing a science experiment on Daddy!

I'm a school boy too!

Let me help you adjust your tie...

The days are slipping by incredibly fast!  We are really enjoying the fall colors.  They seem so brilliant, almost fluorescent against the blue sky.  Trying to home school has been stretching all our tolerance levels to the limit!  Our home is rarely a quiet place.  It is always bustling with creativity and projects whether it be work or play or school.   Rest is a highly sought after commodity.  Peace abounds amidst the whirlwind of children.  I have no idea how it exists but it does.  The moment it ceases are the moments I am trying to have my own way or the moments I forget that I am here to serve my family in love.  Servant hood does not sound very modern and exciting but it's the only way to true fulfillment, contentment, peace and happiness.  We can really only serve one of two masters.  I choose the Lord Jesus Christ, yes, even in this 21st Century.

Backyard Moose Sighting and Other Fall Colors

Can you find me?  My legs blend right in!

Morning sun rise over the outhouse...

Pre-washing the potatoes in a wheelbarrow...

The dog wants to help too!

Yesterday we dug more potatoes and got gold digging fever.  The dog joined in to and there was dirt flying everywhere!  We thought we might be able to train our hound to dig potatoes for a living and make himself useful other than barking an entire afternoon at the big bad moose in the bushes....

It was pretty exciting to see moose walking around in the trees.  There were two of them and the kids were worried that they would knock over their recently built wig wams.  I was worried about having let them play out there just yesterday!   But why worry about yesterday when there's enough in today?  Speaking of worries, we finished our first week of school today.  There were moments of fun and moments of, what are we doing!!!  The only difference between this school year and last school year, besides year two curriculum is that this year we have running water, a kitchen, a place to bathe and a place to do laundry and everyone has their own bedroom!  This is a huge plus compared with last year!  The drawback is that now baby only takes one nap instead of two, so it requires juggling of many activities and five active little souls and all the meals and chores between to get it all done.  For those of you that ask about prayer requests, this is number one as we begin to re learn discipline with our time and energy.  I want my children to be well educated in the truth and well disciplined in the mind and body.  I want them to love the Lord with all their heart, soul and mind and love their neighbors, starting with each other as neighbors.  I want them to have a firm foundation built on the work of Jesus Christ in their lives.  Beyond this, the sky's the limit!  We've come so far and have learned so many things and yet there is so much more.... we need the wisdom and self discipline to know how much is enough and what things are worthy of our time and attention.  Living in this year, 2011, is wonderful but overwhelming.  The amount of stuff one can be involved in and the amount of information that can be learned is mind boggling!

Outhouse Relocation

A little practice digging...

Your chin is wiggling Daddy!

Nudging the old water holding tank into position

Bombs away!

Towing the original house to the new location

Finished at last... well almost... not to sturdy yet, better get some jacks and concrete blocks...

Look at the concentration in her face!

Campfire Roast

These are monster mallows!

Hard job, tending the fire, but someone's gotta do it!

Picnic dinner from the deck...

Is this deck gonna hold?

Helping mama make smore's

We had a long and busy weekend digging a new hole for the outhouse....  real fun with an excavator, that is...  One of the draw backs about having an outhouse is that it is such a deterrent to entertaining!  You sure know who your real friends are when you have an outhouse!  We also put in a new grey water drainage ditch and gravel pit for soaking it all up.  The house has a working shower now as well as the kitchen sink and washing machine drainage.  We're really feeling pretty modern...  most of the time.  I'll post some great pictures of the adventures of excavating next...

Enjoying the Fall Colors

Whatcha got?

I'm gonna get you down there in the bushes, Daddy!

Don't fall off!

Listen to your father and you will be wise...

We went for a walk down the bike path again and are enjoying the last of the color... we know it will soon be white, white, and more white!  In this parting shot I am standing in my potato patch, trying to capture the beauty of the yellow leaves but just couldn't do it. 

Wigwams in the Woods and other Freetime Activties

The forest never stops giving...

This is the one I built!

I just need to add one more branch...

The kids went out one afternoon to the backyard, or better known as the forest, to construct their own village.  I just finished reading, "The Tanglewoods' Secret," by Patricia St. John, out loud to the children.  In the book, the siblings had built a wigwam in the forest.  One day they found a stubborn young boy inside their fort of sticks and couldn't get him to come out.  We laughed and cried through the book.  O.K.  I cried.  It was a great read and very well written. 

Is this really a teeter totter?

Yes, it's a teeter totter!  While burying some wire for the dog's fence, my son found this concrete yellow curb in the brush!  Whoever put it there, I'll never know!  That four wheeler came in handy for pulling it right out!  Slap on a 2X4 and you've got a mini teeter totter.    The dog thought we'd pulled out a giant bone just for him... do you see him gnawing?

When I first suggested making a teeter totter out of it, my husband looked at me like I was crazy and said, out of that?!  That would be dangerous, it's way too heavy!  I couldn't stop laughing.  We all laughed as we realized that we think so differently.

Playmates, at last! 

Our two youngest children are finding each other's company pleasant at last!  They have begun to realize that being friends is much funner than being selfish.  Although, in the very next moment they could forget and give in to the, "Me, Me, Me Bear."  "He will catch you, and snatch you and tell you not to share, so Be Ye Ware of the Me, Me, Me Bear!" 

We enjoy the moments of play and sweetness and correct the moments of selfishness and life is good, and we are blessed to partake of God's good wisdom found in the Bible for training up children. 

Look at all these twigs!

Squeeze on a little hot glue...

 The girls have been making twig doll furniture for their doll house as well as little curtains and decorations.  They have been very industrious in this way and very creative.  Their dolls aren't out shopping and trying on clothes in their spare time.  Their dolls go hike in the woods and explore the beach and take in people in need and provide for their food, clothing, and shelter sort of needs.  I love it!  I love hearing them act out in play what is important in life.  It blesses me beyond measure to know that they are learning so much more than I realize.  It blesses me and scares me all at the same time... we can't re-do parenting but we can change and grow as we walk with Christ.  Praise God for his mercy and grace in our lives!

Just in case, people think I'm against shopping.... I took my oldest daughter out shopping two days ago and had a wonderful time.  We went to "Once Upon A Child," to purchase P.J.'s and T-shirts for the two littlest members of our family as well as some thick cotton tights and a tub of giant blocks for playtime. 

Then it was off to Barnes and Nobles for a birthday book and notepad for relatives and a decaf coffee with whip cream in a special cup with a hot sleeve!  This was the high light of our outing as my daughter carried it around like a trophy!  We walked down the side walk and popped into a shoe store to just take a peek.  My daughter spilled some coffee on her hand and arm and on one of their leather seats.  I calmly told her that I had a tissue just for the occasion and we cleaned everything up together, not batting an eyelash at our little mishap.  We decided we didn't need any shoes but could appreciate the artistic flare and leave them all there as we headed for the last store, "Old Navy." 

We breezed through the isles, appreciating the soft fabric.  We both found the music annoying to the point we could hardly think and had a good laugh over that one.  We grabbed some cotton shirts and leggings and headed for the grocery store because we knew our time was spent and wanted to get home to cooking dinner and enjoying family.   We spent a very pleasant afternoon together enjoying each other's company. 

I just now realized that the first true stop of that afternoon was the hospital.  I took my daughter to have an ultrasound and E.K.G done of her heart.  She'd had a continued fast heart rate and problem's breathing earlier in the week and the week previous.  We're not sure what caused it.  We'll hear back later next week from the Doctor.  There's nothing we can do to change some results.  What will be, will be but what we can change is our attitude. 

We can set aside fears, disappointments, regrets and bitterness and truly find joy in the small moments of daily life.  I choose life and I choose to enjoy every moment, even the difficult ones because I know I'm here for eternity and so are all those that belong to Jesus Christ. 

Thank you God for giving us all the gift of life whether we all acknowledge it or not!

Four Wheeling Around



Can't wait to get my license, Dad!!!

I love this picture of my oldest daughter with her Daddy!  She's ready for the wild ride, He's cautious and careful and the two make a great team!  Each child has a special and unique relationship with their Daddy and Mommy.  We relate as a family, we relate as friends, we relate as co-heirs of eternal life, bonded equally in Christ Jesus, we relate as a team, we relate in a student/teacher way, we relate on so many levels and we are so thankful for this relationship business that God has put us in called FAMILY!

Time to break out the gas masks!

 

Faster, Daddy, faster!

My dream of ownership has finally come true!

Is the baby going to be safe?

I was finally talked into taking a little spin on the four wheeler too... I figured it wouldn't be dangerous as the baby would be riding too...