June Happenings

This week we've been able to be a part of having a CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) club at our house. We haven't done a Bible club since we've moved to this house nearly four years ago. It used to be something we did almost every holiday and usually for a week during the summer. It was so neat to have this opportunity brought to us without even seeking it out. I realized how much I miss doing this and hope to make it part of our life regularly once again! Please pray for the rest of the week as the club goes on and for continued opportunities with the kids in our neighborhood.

Sarah started handing us things. I know, it's one of those small developmental things, but it is so much fun to watch her grow and learn new things (and those sweet eyes when she does it!). She also started blowing kisses which simply melts my heart. I can't believe she'll be one in only ten days! Where has the time gone?

Olivia and I were able to go out on a date for some $.49 and $.99 ice cream :) I love having that one-on-one time with the kids. It's so neat to be able to connect a little deeper with each one. I'm working on being more intentional in this area.

I've been working through the Money Saving Mom's "Makeover Your Mornings" Course this month and it has been really good to start cultivating some habits that I've been wanting to implement for a while. When I complete it, I will probably share some goals and routines I'm starting to try to put into place in my life. 

We've also really enjoyed starting to get back into the habit of going to the library and getting lots of good books. It's become a new addiction of sorts to look for good books at garage sales and thrift stores to build my library with quality books for my kiddos. I absolutely love reading aloud to them and have been enjoying many books that I never took the time to read as a kid. 

Some recent books I've been enjoying with the kids over the past school year: 

Missionary Stories with the Millers

Wisdom with the Millers

On the Alaskan Trail

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books

21 Balloons

Farmer Boy currently in the Little House series

Pilgrim's Progress

Oliver Twist 

The Story of Dr. Doolittle

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlotte's Web

Abraham Lincoln (Du'Laire)

Paddington Bear (audio)

Miss Rumphius (picture book)

And some books I've been enjoying: 

Seasons of a Mother's Heart

Evidence Not Seen (Amazing true story, missionary biography)

Green Leaf in Drought (another missionary story)

Lord, Change my Attitude Before it's too Late

It's been a good summer so far and we look forward to seeing what else the Lord has in store as we seek Him.

Landon's 7th Birthday!

Can't believe our sweet Landon is seven! So thankful for this boy. He is really starting to grow up. He's turning into a good leader and I'm so thankful that he and Olivia have really started to get along. I've been praying that they would learn to love each other and learn the treasure that they have as siblings early, before adulthood. 

Breakfast in bed - our family tradition.

 He wanted to have a Batman Lego birthday party. He decorated his own cake :)

Just a little bit excited...

 He wanted to do a science experiment, so we did the mentos/diet coke thing and the kids loved it! We also had a piniata which the kids thought was the best part :)

Here are the remains of the day. Piniata, batman masks, random toys. It was a great day. I've thought about doing blog posts about my kitchen floor pile at the end of the day... It's amazing how big it can be somedays! But it's fun to see the bits and pieces of our day in that pile. A moment to ponder all that went on.

Anyway, Landon had a great party and I'm so thankful for him. I pray he grows to love the Lord more and more and will have a heart for the lost. I pray that he would learn to be selfless and have a compassionate heart toward others. I pray he would seek the Lord and His will in His life and that he would desire to be more and more like our Savior.

Spring!

We have had a beautiful spring! We were able to go camping the beginning of this month with the homeschool group I'm a part of. This has started to become a twice a year thing and the kids love it! It's so fun when the kids start to remember things you do as a family. The anticipation builds as they look forward to whatever it is, camping in this case. It is so wonderful to get away from all the busyness and noise and enjoy God's beautiful creation. 

 Landon's favorite thing was helping build and tend to this fire. He's really growing up and it's so fun to see him mature and grow.

 These two just bummed around. James loves to have his "bear-bear" wherever he goes. It's so fun to see how he treats him like his baby. Tonight I was reading to him a look and find Thomas the train book and he was grabbing "bear bear's" hand and having him find the items with a squeaky voice (talking for bear bear). He's at such a fun stage, he loves puzzles, Thomas and our marble works set. 

Olivia buddied up with sweet Samuel. They had a great time playing together and I found them holding hands quite a few times :)

 I just liked this picture of our "cool" boy :)

 We've been trying to spend a lot of time outside. The homeschool philosophy that I've adopted is the Charlotte Mason method. A part of her philosophy is spending a lot of time outdoors, taking time to notice God's creation. We do nature study which at this point involves drawing pictures of whatever they find that is interesting and writing a few words about it. The last few days have been so much fun - lots of caterpillars, slugs, worms, birds, and watching our garden grow. I didn't realize how much fun our small backyard could be...

 It's these four that make it so much fun. I love to see the world through their eyes. I love to see their excitement over the many things I take for granted. It makes me slow down and watch that caterpillar and be amazed at the Lord's handiwork. 

 We've had a lot of rain over the last few weeks. Last week I decided to take them to the park and let them splash around in the puddles. They had a blast!

Olivia with her little "Sheila" dog. "Bumpa" (my dad) gave her this puppy when she was 18 months and she loves her. I just loved this picture because I don't know how much longer this phase will last, but I am thoroughly enjoying it right now. She says the funniest things as she is trying to figure out the world around her. 

We had a great Mother's Day together as a family. I am so thankful for our sweet mothers that the Lord has blessed us with. I know it is such a rare thing to have amazing moms like we do. They have both been such an example of selflessness, always putting others first. Their love for the Lord is evident from their lives. I am so blessed and thankful for them.

I always like to go out to the cemetery on Mother's Day. It's the closest I can be to having my five kiddos together. I remember my first Mother's Day. My arms were empty. I didn't feel like a mother, even though my heart was so full of love for my sweet firstborn. I longed to hold him and love on him. I remember singing, "Jesus Loves Me" at church and the phrase, "Let the little child come in" catching me totally off guard. I couldn't sing that phrase, it was too hard. A beautiful reminder that my little Samuel was able to go into Heaven's gates to meet his Savior. I felt so torn, so happy for him and yet aching to be with him.

Anyway, I still ache for him. For my little 8 year old. But I am so thankful. My arms are full, I never would have imagined to be where I am at today with these sweet four children that I have with me today. I know all too well, they are not mine and tomorrow is not guaranteed, so we treasure the time we have and look forward to eternity with our Savior. All things will be perfect there with our perfect Savior and our perfect home and our sweet Samuel. Cannot wait.

Menu plan for the week

A few great deals this week - remember you can price match at Wal-Mart, if I don't have the ad, just pull it up on your phone:

Warehouse Market 
Red Delicious Apples - $.49/lb

Aldi
Avocados - $.29
Strawberries - $1.29

Reasors
Oranges - .39/lb
Frozen Bird's eye steam fresh veggies - $.69
Surefine cereal $3/3
Bacon - $3.99/1.25lb

Sprouts
Blueberries 6oz - $1.25
Organic kale - $.88/ bunch
Green beans - .$98/lb
Mangos - $.48 each

Breakfasts
Oatmeal
Eggs with fruit
Yogurt with granola and fruit
Cereal
Egg Casserole
Smoothies

Lunches
Leftovers
Quesadillas with veggies
PB & J with veggies
Chicken salad

Meals
Lettuce Wraps
BBQ Ribs with Broccoli
Pizza & salad
Baked Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes 
Zuppa Toscana Soup with salad and bread
Pesto Turkey Burgers & cucumbers/carrots
Quinoa and sweet potato enchilada casserole  with guacamole and fruit salad

Snacks
Chocolate PB Apples with Coconut and Almonds
Crockpot apple sauce
Homemade Granola bars
Popcorn

Menu Planning...

Menu planning has always been such a struggle for me, I'm not sure why. I'm not the most organized person in the world. I'm not good at checklists, organization or planning in general, so menu planning just doesn't come natural to me. I am really trying to grow in these weak areas and also trying to not let guilt weigh me down when I feel like I'm failing at everything... I'm trying to remember that my sweet little ones are only little for such a small portion of their lives and tomorrow is not guaranteed to any of us. I'm trying to remember that I'm not defined by how clean or cute my house is or what we eat. I pray that I can reflect Christ to these sweet little ones and not get bogged down and stressed out when things aren't perfect. I was reading a book by Sally Clarkson the other night and it was such good reminder to find contentment and be thankful in ALL circumstances and to seek the Lord and what He wants us to learn in each situation.

With that being said, I haven't posted my menu in a while, but I love being able to link to it from my phone. I'm much more likely to stick to a plan and not eat out or eat mac and cheese when I can just click a button :) It's amazing the difference that having a menu plan for the week helps everything go a little smoother...

Breakfasts:
Eggs and smoothies x 2
Breakfast Quinoa
Baked Oatmeal
Morning Glory Muffins
Bagels, fruit and yogurt

Lunches:
Ham and cheese Hot pockets with cauliflower
PB and J with carrot sticks and cucumbers
Leftovers

Suppers:
Italian Chicken over pasta with Broccoli
Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos with salad
Hamburgers and potato Fries and salad
Honey Lime Chicken with Rice and stir-fried veggies
Enchiladas with Beans and Rice
Chicken and Rice Broccoli Casserole with salad and cucumbers

Where has the time gone?!

Where do I begin? ONE post last year? Wow... well, I guess I'll start with this past week and hope to go back and fill in some blanks.

My newest nephew was born on March 12th, Judah Nathaniel. We were thrilled to be able to go up and meet him when he was only a day old! He was so tiny and precious! We are truly praising the Lord after a very complicated pregnancy. We are very thankful for him to be here safe and sound! Here's a picture of Logan with his new baby brother.

We were also glad to spend a little time with my brother, Josh and his wife Laura before they move even further north. This will be the first time a sibling besides myself will be moving away from Iowa. A little sad for me because I’m used to going back and seeing everyone when we visit. Hopefully, we’ll be able to plan our trips so that will still work out!

It was just the kids and I who went up. Seth was directing his first Teen Retreat back at a camp the same weekend. Thankfully everything went well. It was an encouraging time for all, a challenging time as they looked into God's word and were reminded the importance of loving the Lord Jesus and each other.

We sadly got sick with a stomach bug a couple days into our trip so, it put a little bit of a damper on things. We made the best of it and had a fun time at my parents. My mom was helping Heidi at her place and my dad left to go work, so we had the place to ourselves. I figured we'd have been alone at home anyway, so it didn't really matter where we were! Sarah started to pull up. Can't believe how big she's getting so quickly. She is crawling all over, I have to figure out a solution to the whole Lego situation, if anyone has any ideas, let me know! They end up all over and she will find them...

The weather was nice after we were better, so I was able to meet up at a park with some friends. I'm so excited for spring to pretty much be here! Landon was thrilled to find a tree that he could climb, he's been wanting to for so long. It was sweet of little Roman to share the pinecones he found with Sarah :)

 And we had fun getting free DQ afterwards! I think it was James' first ice cream cone, he loved it and finished the whole thing! So thankful for so many friends and family that stay close even though we are miles away!

Eight Years!

I can't believe it's been 8 years since I married my sweetheart! It feels like yesterday I was standing with him, hand in hand and saying, "I do." I can't express how thankful I am to the Lord that He brought us together. Seth is the most selfless, loving, godly husband and I can't believe I can call him mine :)

I've been doing some reflecting over the last eight years and thought I'd share.

2006 - Got married, moved to Oklahoma, found out we were pregnant with a honeymoon baby, lost our sweet Samuel at 20 weeks.

2007 - bought our first house, found out we were pregnant with Landon, had appendectomy and thought we were going to lose him as well, but the Lord graciously spared him!

2008 - Had our precious Landon. Lost both Seth's grandpa and grandma.

2009 - Lost my grandma. Found out I had Lymes disease and began treatment

2010 - Had our first girl, Olivia!

2011 - Bought our 2nd house 

2012 - Lost Seth's sweet aunt, Donna. Had our sweet Jamesy boy

2013 - Lost another of Seth's sweet aunts, Joyce. 

Found out we were expecting again with another little girl!

2014 - We can't wait to meet this precious girl due July 4th

Not too mention all the nieces and nephews that were born and the brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws I've gained over that time! 

Eight years ago, I never would have anticipated all we would go through together and where we would be today, but I am so thankful that the Lord has our lives in His hands and we can trust Him with whatever comes our way.

September/October 2013

I have been a terrible blogger! I truly miss documenting our life on here. In an attempt to catch up, I plan to catch up two months at a time... I can't believe 7 months have gone by since I posted! Alas, here I am. 

The day after Labor Day, we began our first official homeschool year. Landon in kindergarten and Olivia in preschool. We chose Heart of Dakota as our curriculum and my sister-in-law loaned me her Sonlight read alouds. We have loved it so far! I truly enjoy the opportunity to watch the lightbulbs go off and my favorite thing to do with the kids is to snuggle down and read lots of good books. It has been hard to figure out how to keep the house clean, plan/cook meals (it feels like they are constantly hungry!), be involved in different activities and homeschool. It's a balancing act I'm trying to figure out, constantly reevaluating what to be involved and what to step back from. Praying for wisdom along the way. We are enjoying it though, and look forward to this school year.

First of all, our sweet James turned one! I can't believe how fast this first year went by. He is such a joy to us. He absolutely loves music! Whenever he hears it, he raises his hand and waves it back and forth. It doesn't matter if it's a hymn or the Wild Kratts theme song, he will get into any music. His other love is balls, he can say, "baw" and gets so excited when he finds one. Landon has a marble works set and James seems to find any stray marbles and puts them in his mouth. I can always tell when he has found one and have to squeeze his cheeks to get it loose. Thankfully he hasn't swallowed one yet! 

He had a family birthday party here in town. He was very excited about his football cake! Here he is in Iowa celebrating at one of my favorite restaurants, Hickory Park. It was fun to hear them sing to him their special birthday song and brought back many birthday memories from my childhood.

James also got his first haircut. It was bitter-sweet, he looked so much bigger after Papa was done!

The kids and I got to spend two weeks in Iowa with my family. A friend had given us a couple Monarch caterpillars to watch change into butterflies, so we brought them along too. When we got to Iowa, they had just started to go into their cocoons! There must have been an egg on one of the leaves because we found a baby caterpillar a few days after the two made their cocoons. I love this picture we got of them, at all three stages. It was such a cool thing that the kids and I were able to watch.

October was a busy month with two big weddings! First, my baby brother, the last in our family, got married to a wonderful young woman, Laura. We are thrilled to have her as part of the family! 

Landon had the privilege of being the ring bearer - a job he took very seriously :) 

There was a second wedding in October, no, not Landon and Sophie :) Chris and Stephanie! I am so happy for them and excited for this new phase of life that they are beginning together.

Then, Samuel turned 7 year old. I can't believe it's been that long since we held our sweet firstborn boy. The kids and I made a cake and we took balloons out to the cemetery and released them. We wish he was here with us, but we know that the Lord had different plans and that His ways are good. We are so blessed to have these three bundles of joy with us and know that they don't belong to us any more than sweet Samuel does. We treasure each moment the Lord blesses us with. What an eternity we have to look forward to, being with our wonderful Savior forever. No more sadness or pain, the former things being passed away! He is so good.