Birthday Party Fun

All of our kiddos were born in the Summer. We have 1 June and 2 Augusts. So we throw one big birthday party extravaganza in July and combine them all. Except for the first b day. That you get all by yourself.

This year the kids wanted park, swimming and cookies. No cake, no cupcakes, just cookies.

We ate, played, celebrated, talked and had lots of fun!

Happy Birthday my sweet ones!

Happy Birthday To You.

Painting Crew

Let me first say, I DO NOT LIKE PAINTING!!! I will do just about anything to avoid it. But our hall was dingy, chipped, scrapped, peeling and yuck. And guess what, I still did not want to paint it. That is until I decided it would be the best place for our timeline and wall maps. That was the motivation I needed.

We all chipped in. Yes, even Caleb and Caroline. It was a good learning experience and we enjoy things more when they are done as a family.

I did not really enjoy Caroline walking through the paint and then through my bedroom and the living room.

But our hallway looks great! Now it's ready for that timeline and those wall maps. After we get home from St Louis that is. We leave tomorrow!

Charlotte Mae, 11 Months

Could this child be any cuter? I mean honestly, it would be dangerous if she was.

Cause we would all sit around talking to her and taking pictures of everything she does and telling her how beautiful she is and how much we love her. And then nothing would ever get done cause we would have to spend all of our time ooing and awing over her.

Oh, wait. We already do that. I guess everything else can just get done later. Cause we have a cutie pie to adore!

Questions About God, the World, Truth and more (Caleb's Answers)

As a part of our family worship we have been going through the study, Who Is God? by Apologia Press. Here are some questions we asked Caleb. We will be exploring and diving into the Word about these as the study progresses.
I am so very proud of Caleb's understanding of the truth and God already for an almost 6 year old. Obviously we have much to teach and Caleb has much to learn. But then the same can be said for all of us, adult or child.

1. Does God exist? Yes

2. If yes, what is He like? Holy, Bright, Holy Spirit, God, On earth He was a man - Jesus

3. Can I have a relationship with God? Yes, pray and talk to Him.

4. Do I have a responsibility to God? Take care of His creation and love my sisters and take care of them.

5. Where did the universe come from? God

6. Has the universe always existed? No, it started at the beginning (he is referring to Genesis: in the beginning God created...)

7. Will the universe always exist? Yes

8. Where did Earth come from? God created it

9. Why does the universe have natural disasters? Meteors (and then he went on to explain how meteors break off from big rocks in space and crash into things on earth. Apparently we have some teaching to do here. But the answer was priceless.)

10. Where did we come from? God created us

11. Why are we here? God wanted us to be

12. Why do we die? Because of sin

13. What happens to us after we die? Our spirit goes to Heaven or Hell

14. What is our responsibility and relationship to the earth? Take care of it and God's in charge

15. Is there such a thing as truth? Yes

16. How can I know if something is true or not? Read the Bible and see if it is

17. Are there such things as right and wrong? Yes

18. What is right and what is wrong? Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong (we tried to get him to expand here, but he just kept insisting that right was right and wrong was wrong.)

19. Why is there so much evil in the world? Adam and Eve sinned when the Devil tempted them

20. Are there solutions to all the problems in the world? God will fix them when Jesus comes

Great Reads

So this Summer I have been blessed to find some spectacular reads. Not just okay, not just good. Spectacular I tell you! You want to read them too, I know you do.

Mission of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson

I started a blog series on this one. It would be nice if I could finish it one day, but the posts take a long time to write and I have small times to blog. We will see.

Believing God by Beth Moore

I took this one as a Bible study at my church complete with her videos that go with. AMAZING!!! This was life changing for me. If you ever have a chance take this study. Or if you feel led, please facilitate and coordinate this study at your church. You will never regret it and will grow because of it.

Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay Clarkson

This is not all about homeschool. In fact the first half of the book is about Christ centered homes, nurturing, and more. Cale (my husband who does not read, only does audio books) is reading this one. It is powerful!

Growing Up So Fast

My sweet Charlotte Mae no longer seems to be interested in these. In fact she has dropped bottles completely. She wants a cup, just like her brother and sister. Which makes sense because she she will be 1 in August. But my baby is growing up so fast. Thankfully she still wants lots of snuggles. I think I have her convinced that a cup of milk in mama's lap in the morning is the way to go. But she wants to hold it herself. A big girl at almost one. Where did the time go? Love you Charlotte Mae!

Bible Memory Verse Game

I have been reading some great and very encouraging books. One of them (now if I could only remember which one) had a wonderful idea for a Bible Memory Verse game for all ages. Preschool to Adults can do this one. YAY!

1. Write your Bible Memory verses on index cards, some or all, you chose. (have the older kiddos do this for copywork, memory practice, etc). You will need two copies of each verse. I also recommend doing this on a different day than you are going to play the game. Or write the cards in the morning and play the game in the evening. Otherwise attention spans are done with.

2. On each pair of verses make a light colored line or mark. You should not be able to see this colored mark through the index card. So for instance, Psalm 34:14 is a blue mark on both cards, Romans 10:9 is green on both cards, Colossians 3:20 is red on both cards... you get the picture.

3. Mix all of the cards together. Then lay them facing down in rows of 6x6 or 4x4 if you have mainly littles.

4. The first person flips a card over and tries to then find its match. They read the book, chapter and verse number they flip over (ex: psalm 34:13). You can do this together if they cannot read. If you get a match, then you read the entire verse (psalm 34:13 keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.) and keep the pair. If not turn cards over and next persons turn.

5. For those who cannot read they match the colored mark and mom or dad or older sibling reads book, chapter and verse number with them. If it's a colored match, then everyone reads the entire verse together.

Fun for all ages and best of all you are hiding His word in your heart as well as their's!

Sanibel Beach

Oh, Sanibel Beach, how we miss you.

The smiles you bring.

Our whole crew, together, walking on you.

The fun!

The Joy!

Exploring your offerings.

Almost as if you were letting us be a part of you.

Everywhere we look a reminder of God.

How could we not love you so.

We miss your smell, your sound, your feel.

We are so thankful God let us spend time with you this Summer.

Thank you for all the blessings God bestowed on us through you, Sanibel Beach.

We'll be back to walk your shores again.

Until then, we love you Sanibel!

Romans 7:15: No to My Flesh, Yes to the Spirit

This was a great video about teaching your children to say no to their flesh and yes to walking in the Spirit. Something we ALL struggle with. I love how Kathleen makes it so Biblical and also very straight forward on how to teach/train as parents.

Hope ya'll find it as helpful as Cale and I did.

Caroline's Interview, 3 Years Old

Our Caroline Lee turned 3 back in June. It feels like just the other day that I was on bed rest trying to keep our little one inside. She was a bit too excited to enter the world and start livin it up!

That should have been a very good indication of what her little personality would be. I feel like it was our first battle of wills, but has definitely not been our last. =)

Our Caroline is full of passion for everything she does. It doesn't matter if it's singing for the Lord, which she does often and with gusto, or playing, coloring, running, climbing or telling us a story. Everything Caroline does is with her whole heart.

Our family's verse/vision for life is, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength." This comes naturally to Caroline, who often tells us, "Who's the Rock? God!" Or tells others, "God is with you."

She also loves the rest of us with the same whole hearted devotion. This girl brings joy, smiles and sunshine to our lives.

With a personality that is so whole hearted, she also brings battles of the wills. This can be quite challenging for us as parents. But also makes us realize it is God's strength, wisdom and grace that are the most important parenting skills to have. Cale and I are convinced that God has instilled a passionate soul within her to do great things for him, full of faith and whole hearted abandonment. This is not a girl who will worry if serving Him in whatever He calls her to do will be dangerous or hard. A friend once said, "she is like a riffle, as parents ya'll just need to point her in the right direction and, BANG!"

Each year around the time of the kiddos birthdays I spend some time interviewing them with the same questions as the year before. Below are Caroline's responses.

Caroline, we pray you always Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. And that you also learn to listen to the Holy Spirit He has so graciously put inside of you. With these two combinations sweetheart you will conquer the world for Him! Praise God!

CAROLINE'S INTERVIEW, 3 YEARS OLD:

What is your name: Caroline

When is your birthday: Monday (this made me smile. no, her birthday was not Monday.)

How old are you: Three (she showed me on her fingers)

Who is your Mama: Mutter (that is what she is calling me now. Sigh. I miss being called mama, which she does as well, but Mutter is used just as much.)

What does your Mama do: Chores and Kiss

Who is your Daddy: Caleb (that is Cale's name, we just call him Cale)

What does your Daddy do: Kiss Mama

What is your favorite color: Pink, Purple and Red

What is your favorite song: She just started singing a song she made up. She does this ALL THE TIME! Really, everyday, non stop, especially in the car.

What do you want to do when you grow up: Make Lunch (no, it was not lunch time. I have no idea why she answered this way.)

Where do you want to live when you grow up: Sanibel, in my condo (when we went on vacation this summer she thought we had moved there. Caroline was very sad when she realized we still lived in Colorado. No beach and pool everyday. What a hard life our girlo has. HA!

What is your favorite food: Cookies

What is your least favorite food: Bones (no kidding, that would be anyone's I think. I have no idea where this came from.)

What is your favorite animal: Rabbits and Cows

What is your favorite thing to do: Play with toys

What do Mama and Daddy do after you go to bed: Say goodnight and go to bed and kiss

What does Daddy say: Goodnight

What does Mama say: Goodnight

Who does our family love the most: GOD! (she said this very loudly and with gusto)

Where do we go to church: On Sunday's at our church

Why do we go to church: To Learn about Jesus and friends

What is your favorite book: My Bible (she has The Beginner's Bible and reads it all the time.)

What is your favorite movie: David and Goliath and Jesus movie

What is your favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Pink and Red (with her it is all about what color the ice cream is, not how it tastes.)

Where do you like to eat: In Sanibel at my condo (this is a constant theme with her now. Sigh)

Who is your favorite person: Goliath, no he would get me. So I guess my favorite person would be God!

Who is your best friend:

SISTER! (once again loudly and with gusto)

Who is your brother: Caleb

Who is your sister: Charlotte Bear

Where did your sister come from: The Crib

Where did your brother come from: From Sanibel, I didn't want to leave him there.

Here is her interview from last year. It is sort of fun to see how her answers have changed.

WE LOVE YOU CAROLINE!!

Caroline's Thoughts

I have never met anyone who thinks the way our sweet Caroline does.

For instance, I was in the kitchen jumping up and down. Can't remember why, but Caroline comes in and tells me,

"Mutter, stop that jumping up and down. Your bottom is already split, if you keep jumping up and down you will split in half."

Hmm, well then, okay. I don't really know what else to do but smile.

Yum! Easy! You should make this!

This has been the summer of sandwiches, salads, fruit and grilling. The other day was rainy and cool and since it had been awhile since I had spent much in depth time in the kitchen I decided to throw this together. Not that it took any in depth time to make. But it was yummy and filling and went well with the Rotisserie chicken we had from the Sam's Club.

I got the recipe from Joy In My Kitchen. She always has healthy, easy, and yummy recipes to share. With lots of photos!

Cheesy Green Bean Skillet - Finding Joy in My Kitchen

1 C brown rice
2 C chicken broth
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 C water
1 T minced onion
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1 C shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 C green beans

For the rest of the recipe click here.

Caleb, Future Pilot, A Mother's Hope For Discounted Flights

On our recent trip to Sanibel Island Caleb got to sit in the cockpit of the 737 we flew on. He was quite the happy and excited little boy. Southwest is always such an enjoyable and fun airline to fly.

We have TONS of vacation photos that I need to go through. So get ready for Sanibel vacation photos galore.

Meditating On This Today

We proclaim Christ, admonishing and teaching our children with all wisdom, so that we may present all of our children whole and complete in Christ. To this end we labor as parents, struggling with all the energy Christ provides through His Spirit, which so powerfully works in us as fathers and mothers.

Colossians 1:28-29 (adapted from NIV)