Day 4 Part one

Friday morning, Pastor's family and our family headed to the Forty Mile Point Lighthouse (it was free!).

Forty Mile Point Light is a lighthouse in Northern Michigan, in Presque Isle County on Hammond Bay on the western shore of Lake Huron in Rogers Township, Michigan USA. Unlike many Great Lakes lighthouses, Forty Mile Point Light does not mark a significant harbor or river mouth. Rather, it was constructed with the intent that as one sailed from Mackinaw Point to the Saint Clair River, one would never be out of viewing range of a lighthouse.^[3] With no river or harbor to use for a name, the light is named on the basis that it is 40 miles (64 km) sailing distance from Mackinaw Point. (Wikipedia) 

Climbing to the top of the lighthouse was no easy feat!  The spiral stairs got narrower and steeper as you reached the top.  There were even signs saying no toddlers allowed.  The top of the lighthouse housed a $1 million dollar latern.  Looking from the top, there was a buoy out in the water that marked the shipwreck of the steamer Joseph S. Fay.  Part of the ship is grounded on the beach as well that the kids had fun walking on.  We walked to the beach where the kids enjoyed their hand at skipping rocks...and some of them just plunking big rocks in the water for the splash! 

Forty Mile Point Lighthouse

Day 3

Thursday was more of a family day for each of us.  We all met up Mackinaw City and toured a museum and some shops.  We then ate lunch in the park together and split up for the rest of the day.  Our family went to Colonial Michilimackinac which is an 18th century fort and fur trading village.  We got to see a canon being fired and a musket show.  We toured all the housing.  It was a fun afternoon.  Then we headed across the Mackinac Bridge which is the third longest suspension bridge in the world.  After supper, we all met up again to spend the evening together and had a devotional.

the canon that was fired....LOUD!

wanted out of her stroller!

Mackinac Bridge

    

Day 2

Day  2 was our first full day together.  We headed off to the apple farm where our friends mom works.  Her mom generously supplied delicious apple cider for us all and apple cider doughnuts.  Let me tell you....these were sooooo good!!  I had the apple cider cinnamon doughnut!  The apple farm not only had numerous varieties of apple trees but it had a playground and animal farm for the kids to visit.  We enjoyed the animals until baby girl got too close to the ponies....then it was game over for her!  Get me outta here!  The kids spent quite a bit of time enjoying each other's company on the playground.  Then we headed to the Marina where we looked at the boats and some actually got into the water (it was way too cold for most of us!)  Later that night we had pizza back at the cabin and then when it got really, really late we headed to the beach to watch a beautiful stars display.  The kids loved laying on the sand and counting the number of shooting stars.  It was beautiful!

most of the kids

not amused!!!

back at the cabin playing games with daddy

Day 1

We arrived Tuesday in Michigan.  I was so glad all the kids were finally over their colds that they've had (forever!)  but wouldn't you know....I had to come down with one.  Mostly just sinus stuff but my ear was clogged for most of the trip (still is) and had sinus headaches on and off.  I still managed to have a good time though despite feeling under the weather.  Day one was mostly just getting situated in the cabin, playing on the grounds (they had a playground and basketball hoop there) and getting out in the canoe and catching frogs.  The evening was sitting around the campfire roasting hotdogs and enjoying fellowship with all the families.

our cabin

catching frogs

caught a frog

We're back!

We just got back from a great vacation with friends from church.  We went with our Pastor's family and one of the elder's family.  We headed up to Michigan near Roger City to veg out in a cabin in the woods on several acres with a beautiful huge pond for canoeing and Lake Huron just minutes away.  There was a total of 14 kids all within the same age ranges and they had a blast together!!  I have so many pictures so I'll have to break up our days into different posts.  It was such a relaxing time and such great fellowship!  It was the first time we as a family have vacationed with others that weren't family....and we can't wait to do it again!!

15 years

Hubby and I have enjoyed these past 15 years together!  Today was a celebration of the beautiful relationship that hubby and I continue to share together.  God has been so very good to the both of us.  We have been blessed far beyond what we could have imagined at the beginning of our life together.  I  am so thankful for the man God has blessed me with.  I love watching him love, guide and teach our children.  I love how he shows our children the importance of the relationship he and I share together.  I appreciate the diligence and care he shows to make sure I am being spiritually fed and that my needs are being met to the best of his ability.  I love how much he makes me feel loved!  I love his determination and how hard working he is so that I can have the privilege of staying at home with our children.  I look forward to the years ahead with him.....all the memories we have yet to make together.  God is so good!
 I love you babe.  Happy Anniversary!

A letter from Fred

This has been going around and yep it brought tears to my eyes.  Thought I would share it....

Blogger

Blogger deleted my background so I've had to use their templates and I don't like any of them!  Oh well...the look of the blog might change every now and then till I'm satisfied or can figure out how to import a nice one :)

There hasn't been a whole lot new going on here....guess that is why I haven't been posting much!

Lately...

Happy birthday to my mama!  Hope you have a wonderful day today!

Yesterday we had a nice evening with one of our neighbors from South Carolina.  He was here on business, so it was great to catch up over supper and have fellowship with him.

We have been easing back into our school routine.  Not up to a full day yet but getting some stuff done.  We have 3 full time learners now so it will be another shift in planning the day to fit everything in.  What really helps us is that we do most of our subjects together as a family.  The only individual subjects are math and language.  It makes things alot easier and the kids enjoy their time together.

That's about all the updates for now!

Our future musician

Teeth everywhere

We've got teeth falling out left and right here!  Our oldest is starting to lose her molars.  One came out a few days ago and she was wiggling another one tonight.  Our boy lost his other front tooth so he's sounding  a little funny right now :)

Evolution vs. God

Ray Comfort has done it again!!  What a great presentation.  Please visit this link "Evolution vs. God" to watch this half hour presentation.  You can also buy the DVD or buy the download through Answers In Genesis here

Updates

I can not believe it is August already.  The time seems to be going by quickly.
We had a very quick weekend visit up to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday.  I'm so glad we were able to join in the celebration with him!  Since returning home, we've been straightening up preparing for our next school year.  I'm hoping this Monday we can get into the swing of things!  I already see my need for more organization.....scheduling and charting are in my very near future!!  But right now I think I need some sleep, so off to bed :)

I'm here

I have not disappeared!  I just haven't been doing a whole lot lately.  We have taken a 2 month break from school (something we have not done in the past with schooling year round).  We are all looking forward to starting school back up in August and getting back into a routine once again.  

The garden is doing well.  We have been eating fresh green beans, tomatoes, cucumber and are still waiting for the sweet potato, peppers and the onions.  We found a snake hanging out on one of the green bean leaves.  Scared all the kids but I think it is just a garter snake.  

Our 'friends' continue to visit.  The deer hasn't been coming around during the day lately but I've seen her at night.  I've also seen the raccoons as well.  One actually climbed up onto the bird feeder and was eating out of it.  This guy was big too!!  We've also had quite a few rabbits in the yard which the kids love to watch.  No new birds.  We've enjoyed the Indigo Bunting all summer and our other usual birds.  We didn't get very many goldfinch this year though.  The woodpeckers and bluejays will come visit every now and then....and we have an abundance of doves, chickadees and cardinals!  

Other than that...I guess there's nothing to update on.  Baby girl did get another tooth....finally.  Number 5.  She is just soooo different than the other 4.  They all had a mouthful before they were a year old!  We haven't moved her onto chunky solids yet cause she can't chew :)  We've also discovered she loves to wrestle with the kids....especially her big sister (3 yr old).  It is so funny to watch them.  They are all such blessings! 

Unwelcomed guests!

So, with our deer friend visiting daily....we thought it was time we bought her some real food to munch on instead of birdseed.  We bought this wildlife mix and nicely poured it out in her usual feeding spot before heading to bed.  Well, when we heard a rustle outside, hubby and I quickly headed towards the door to peek on our friend.  We didn't find our friend.  Instead we found 2 very unwelcomed guests!!  RACCOONS!  Guess that will be the last night of wildlife food we put out on the deck!!

Our friend

Birthday

Our boy is now 8 years old!  These kids are just growing up way too fast!!  I was very proud of our girl taking charge of the party this year.  Mommy wasn't feeling the greatest, so she made the cake and decorated it all by herself.  She did a great job and our birthday boy was very happy with the results!  Besides getting some fun toys and treats as presents, he also got alot of books!  He has already read (yes, in 24 hrs) 5 of his books.  This kid LOVES to read!!  Here's a few pics from yesterday.

And our deer friend has been visiting daily....right up to the house.  She doesn't startle too easily.  The kids can stand by the door and watch her as she licks birdseed off the deck.  It still startles me to turn and look out the door and see her staring back at me!!!  Here's a few pics of our friend...

The shrinking garden

We've noticed that 2 of our rather large tomato plants are getting smaller and smaller.  We've also noticed a few ends here and there that have been snapped off of the other leafy greens.  Today confirmed the culprit!!!
I walked into the kitchen and was face to face with our deer friend.  He was just feet from the door.  Wasn't even scared either.  Just looked at me :)  What a sneak.  So glad our garden is feeding the local wildlife....not!

Sonight curriculum

Recently an article was posted about Ken Ham by the cofounder of Sonlight...a popular curriculum used among Christian homeschoolers.  I'm going to sum up the article for you but I've posted the link below.
We, as Christians, need to be very careful which curriculum we choose for our children.  I'm not saying all of Sonlight's curriculum is bad but we can see the approach that Sonlight has taken when it comes to Biblical viewpoints especially about the origins of the earth.  Sonlights position is that they present different world views about how the earth is created and show that Christians can differ in what they believe......as parents you are free to teach your children which viewpoint you hold to.
 I believe the Bible is VERY clear on the origins of the earth and to suggest that Christians can differ on this viewpoint is not biblical!!  We need to be teaching our children God's absolute truth with no compromise.  We DO need to teach them what the world believes and show them through scripture why those views are wrong.  But we certainly do not need to present different world views with the idea that it is OK for Christians to differ on what they believe!!

Here is the link to the entire article
http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2013/07/03/cofounder-of-sonlight-calls-me-pope-ham/

*I can't believe the sheer disrespect and rudeness towards Ken Ham from Holzmann.  What a reflection of his character which is another reason I would never recommend Sonlight to anyone!!*

Garden and updates

We have been finally getting produce from our garden!  It's been great.  This is our first garden that has actually worked.  It's exciting to go out and see all the veggies growing, waiting for them to ripen.  So far we've been able to pick the onions and tomatoes, but our cayenne, beans and grape tomatoes will soon be ready.  Cucumbers are taking awhile to get here and I'm not sure how the sweet potato are doing.

This cold is still hanging on as well.  More of a sinus thing I guess.  Hopefully it will clear up soon.  So thankful the rest of the family didn't get anymore that some light sneezing.

We have taken quite a nice break from school.  We usually school year round but taking the month of June off was really nice!!  Need to get back into the swing of things though.  Maybe after our boys birthday!  Hard to believe we will be celebrating an 8th birthday for him on Monday!!  These kiddos need to slow down on their growing.

Hubby is still doing well surgery wise.  He is going on 17 months since his last surgery which is amazing!!!  Our God is so good!

I think that's it for the updates right now........

Toothless

I know I haven't posted in awhile.  Right at the moment I am suffering with a horrible head cold and fever.  I don't know why I got it so bad.  The kids have been sneezing but I seem to have something much worse than them.  I haven't felt this bad since I had the flu back in December!!
The only real news going on here is our boy FINALLY lost his top tooth.  This thing has been wiggly for I don't know how long.  I mean it's been months and months and months!!  I think he is finally glad it is out.

Creation Museum Updates

It's been awhile since the kids and I have been in the Creation Museum, but there have been so many new additions lately....we need to schedule our next visit soon!!  Here are some of the cool new exhibits we haven't even seen yet.....

Dr. Crawley's Insectorium  The collection of bugs and insects represents a lifetime of collecting by Dr. Crawley, who began his interest in these creatures during a merit badge project as a kid. Wherever his travels took him, he would venture out and add to his collection.

Dragon Invasion Exhibit  Regale yourself with delightful artwork and other beautiful adornments as you stroll beneath extraordinary Chinese dragons in the museum's portico. Learn about fabulous encounters with these incredible beasts from China to Africa, Europe to the Americas, and Australia to the Middle East. Discover what ancient historians have written about these creatures, and examine armaments that may have been used by valiant dragon slayers.

Museum of the Bible A new exhibit in the Creation Museum, part of an impressive traveling exhibition of rare Bible manuscripts and artifacts from the famed Green Collection.

Ziplines Travelers will trek on 20 zip lines that range from 270 feet to 900 feet in length and up to 150 feet in the air.  You will also traverse 10 sky bridges over 2 1/2 miles. 

On the move now!

Our girl is finally walking.

Garden

We planted a garden this year and with all the rain we've been having, it is really taking off.  It is an 8 ft x 8 ft frame and we have planted 2 types of tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, squash, cayenne pepper, red onion, and rosemary.  I still have other herbs I need to get planted.  We were thinking of adding on a 4 x 8 right beside it.  Not sure if it is too late now or not....we'll see.  We have a few green tomatoes already but that's it.  Looking forward to hopefully a fruitful outcome!!

and here's a pic of one of my girls today.....

Book list

I thought I would update our book list of recommendations for each age group.  Our kids LOVE to read and we have accumulated quite the stack of books.  Here are some of the kids favorites!  Click on the names to their links....

Ages 6-9
Imagination Station books.  They are geared toward grade level 1.7 and my second grader zips right through them.  We just bought the first four and he read 3 of them that night.  There are 12 in the series so guess what will be arriving in the mail soon!  The rest of them!!

The Andy series (Circle C Beginnings) by Susan K Marlow.  I've wrote about them before.  Again, these are great for a reader who is now ready to read chapter books on their own.  All about a girl and her horse.

The Cul-de-Sac kids are a great series for beginning readers.  Easy to follow and fun!  My son again zipped through the whole 24 book series in a matter of weeks.  

Mystery of Pelican Cove and The Treasure of Pelican Cove

Captive Treasure and Nix  all books through BJU Press for ages 7-10. My son loved all of them!

Ages 9-12

Rachel Yoder series by Wanda E Brunstetter.  My daughter loved these.  All about an amish girl and her family and the trouble she gets in!  She couldn't put these down!

Double Trouble series by Wanda Burnstetter.  There are 3 in the series with the 4th book soon to be released.  Set in the Amish community, these twins have quite the adventures!

Circle C Adventures (The Andy series) but more grown up.  Andy and her horse on more adventures!

Gold Town Adventures Just discovered this one (so guess what is on our next purchase list!!)  This is apart of the Andy series, but it is Andy's big brother Jem!  Looks like a great series for boys.  Book 1 and 2 are available with book 3 due to be released.

The Truth Chronicles by Tim Chaffey.  This series is written by a man that hubby works with at the Creation Museum.  Excellent books!!!  We even have a signed copy (yay!)

The Viking Quest series (ages 10-14).  My daughter again LOVED this series.  Time period fiction with Christian principles.  She wished the series was longer!!!

The Sugar Creek Gang  by Paul Huchens.  Our boy has just started this series.  He keeps telling me "these boys are just like me!"  About 36 books in the series.

Read alouds

The Jungle Doctor series by Paul White, a missionary to Tanzania writes about his adventures!  Some of the language is a bit hard for children's reading so may be best as real alouds to your children.  Also great for adults!  I believe it also comes in audio form which might be great as well!

Little Lights Books ages 4 and up.  Just found these are they look wonderful!  The true stories of people such as Corrie Ten Boom, George Muller, David Livingston, Amy Carmichael.....