Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Enjoying Fall

I can't believe we are about ready to celebrate Thanksgiving! Where has the time gone? The last couple of weeks have offered a lot of fun family activity around here.

We braved the bitter cold for some trick-or-treating. 

Livy doing some school work in the beautiful fall weather. 

We visited Guffey Acres with our church again this year. The kids were excited they all had a friend to take along with our church friends. 

Liv and her friends getting ready for a hay ride. 

Maddy and Mommy going on the tractor ride. 

Time for some apple picking! Jeff's boss owns an apple orchard and blesses us all the apples our heart desires. Nate is a great apple picker. 

Josh helps out too. Time for mom to make applesauce!

It's hunting season! Jeff has been able to take a kiddo each time he has gone out this year. Livy was the first to go. 

Here she is helping dad with the range finder. 

Josh's turn was next. 

I think we can get him dad!

This is Nate's first year going hunting with dad. He loves waiting for the big one! 

Finally, I got my chance on Sunday to go out with my hubby. I take my Kindle and enjoy the peace and quiet of reading while spending some time with my guy. 

Liv's Girls With a Purpose group (a group of home school girls doing various service projects) decorated a Christmas tree for We Care this year. Their theme was Cooking Up Christmas. They did a great job and I'm sure it will do well at the auction. 

Yesterday afternoon we enjoyed the last of the warm weather doing school outdoors. Josh is reading Little House on the Prairie for school right now. So I thought since we have access to so much wood, it would be a great learning experience to build a miniature log cabin like in his story. They were so excited to go collect the wood and have dad help them with it. 

Maddy taking a break. 

Great teamwork kiddos! It's getting there. 


Liv and Maddy taking a break. Liv is such wonderful sister.



I've been drinking my green smoothie's every morning for the last 10 months. I can't believe how much better I feel and all the energy I have since cutting out the caffeine. I continue to buy organic foods whenever possible, taking cod liver oil, coconut oil, cutting out all artificial flavors and colors, along with the least amount of preservatives possible (including what we put on our bodies: lotions, shampoos, etc). It takes baby steps,and a lot of reading, but it feels good to give our family the best and healthiest food possible. For fall I have been drinking this, a green pumpkin smoothie. Here's the recipe for you all to try.....trust me, you just might like it!

  
Green Pumpkin Smoothie
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup lowfat greek yogurt 
4 oz almond milk
1 hearty handful spinach
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds
scoop of protein powder
blend well and enjoy!


Hope you are all enjoying your fall!




Monday, October 13, 2014

Picture Time

We spent some time on Saturday taking new family, sibling and individual pictures. I was wanting to wait for the leaves to change color some more, but instead we took advantage of a beautiful warm afternoon and snapped some at my mom's place. Enjoy!

It only took 4 times to actually get on with everyone looking! That has to be a record.

Our two handsome boys.

Our two beautiful daughters.

This is the most challenging picture to take. I was hoping to get some more of them all together, but it's near to impossible to get Maddy to stand still right now. 

Olivia is becoming a beautiful young lady inside and out.  
Josh looks so much like his daddy!

Nathan is our most photogenic child. I love this one. It captures his mischievous personality!  

He loves having his picture taken. 

Miss Maddy posing pretty. 

I knew as soon as I saw this hat for her I wanted some pictures taken of her in it. 

However, it didn't stay on long. Now you can see those beautiful curls blowing in the breeze. 
Have a great week!


Friday, September 26, 2014

Recess

We are that time of the year when we are soaking up the last warm days of the year. Today we spent the afternoon enjoying some playtime at the park with several other homeschool families. It's always nice for the kids to have some time to hang out with someone other than their siblings and I get to bounce school ideas around with other moms. Our plan is to make this a monthly event as we all need a little recess now and then.

 

Josh and Nate getting some playtime with their pals.


The girls are outnumbered by the boys, but they still enjoy talking and hanging out together. Of course Maddy fits right in.

 

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Tas Philas

I think Every momma needs time to get away and relax. Not only does it give us time to unwind and reflect, but it makes us better mom's to our families. This weekend I went away some of my dearest friends to do some catching up, shopping, laughing, eating pie together in hotel beds while watching a movie, and to top it off going to a Beth Moore conference. Today Beth talked about how important and vital it is to have girlfriends in our lives. Not the number of friends we have on our social media sites, but real face to face girlfriends. I love my hubby with all my heart and can't imagine my life without him. However, I also can't imagine my life without my sweet girlfriends to share our joys and trials together. We have seen each other at our most highest and lowest parts of our lives. We have cried, laughed uncontrollable, praised God, shared secrets, and prayed through life together. Only God can orchestrate such a beautiful thing as our friendships. I pray we will continue to grow and only become closer until our final time here on Earth. You are all a blessing from above and I truly cherish you all. Love you all my sweet sisters!
 

Me and my tas phials (new Anceint Greek word I learned today for girlfriends) at the Beth Moore conference. There's nothing like worshipping and getting into the word together with your most cherished friends.

I never get tired of going to see Beth Moore speak. She is so transparent and down to earth. But also so full of knowledge and loves the Lord with all of her being. Today she spoke to 190,000 of my sisters in Christ!

Travis Contrell and the very talented worship team is always a special treat. I could listen to them all day.

If you ever get the chance to go hear her speak I highly recommend it. I promise you, you will leave filled and overflowing with then Holy Spirit burning inside you!

 

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Field Trip

It's that time of the year where we get to enjoy going on field trips. Today we went to Conner Prairie as it is Homeschool week there. We went with three other homeschool families making it a lot of of fun for the kids and myself to visit with friends we haven't seen over the summer.

All of the kids enjoying a beautiful day at Conner Prairie.

Our kiddos doing a little housekeeping at the doctor's house.
They all enlisted in the army to fight in the Civil War!

Captain Josh with his crew members Nathan and Avery!





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Monday, September 1, 2014

Hanging out at home

Just thought I'd share some pics of the kiddos hanging out at home.

Jeff taught Josh how to mow this weekend. He was excited to do it by himself.

Daddy with his two babies!

Liv is already working on taking pictures for her 4H project next year. I really liked this one of Maddy at the piano. She loves sitting with her big sister and play along.

Nate loves to shoot his bow like daddy. He's been practing, as he wants to get a big one like daddy this year!

I'm in love with this picture of the girls. They are such best buddies.

 

Have a great week!

 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

first day of school (kinda of)

It's hard to believe that summer break is already over and we are heading into a new school year. We had a great summer and made lots of memories. I was also able to give the school room a good cleaning out and redecorating during the summer with help from my hubby.
I now have for my now three full time students (and one very busy baby) to teach this year. This will be our seventh year homeschooling and every year I grow and learn right along with them. God is showing me new ways to reach their individual needs along with strengthening my faith in this season of our lives. I know there will be days of tears, doubt, and frustration. As well as days I will watch the yellow bus drive by and I will wonder to myself what it would be like to have the three of them gone all day learning from someone else. But there will also be days of laughter, acomplishing goals, building sibling and parent bonds, and learning so many new things. Jeff and I continue to pray for wisdom and guidance in their schooling, as we know that this is not a matter to be taken lightly. For this season we continue to feel that teaching them at home with us is the path God is leading us and what is best for our family. So as we dive into our year we will continue to ask God to bless everything we do along with our kiddos and of course wisdom, patience and guidance for mom.
We will continue to teach all of them using the Charlotte Mason method. I have flipped through other curriculum catalogs as they come in the mail but we truly love the CM way as it works best for our kiddos. For now, I can't see us switching to any other method. So we are off to another year of learning!




Miss Maddy was still in bed when we took our back to school pics. However she's already to learn with big sister as teacher.


For our first day we did a light load of school work in the morning. In the afternoon we surprised them by going to the beach. Another benefit to homeschooling is that when everyone else is in school, you get the entire beach to yourself!

She has really become a water baby this summer.

Liv and Josh playing in the water. 

Nate and Daddy hanging out.  

Maddy and her best buddy.

These two are inseparable!

Mommy and Maddy working on their tan. 

They will be missing this in about 5 months.

This girl loves the beach!

It's a rough life he has.

Cute little piggies!


Nate is all about birds. So when he saw so many on the beach he had to check them out.

Hopefully we can make it back there one more time before the summer is over and take some other homeschool friends with us. For now it's time to hit the books.

"Our aim in Education is to give a Full Life. -- We begin to see what we want. Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. 'Thou hast set my feet in a large room' should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking -- the strain would be too great -- but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest... The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care?" --Charlotte Mason