Merry Christmas

Here's our cake for tomorrow!! It is made of all buttercream and the pine cones are chocolate fondant (they taste like tootsie rolls!!) I had alot of fun with this cake :)
Can't wait to celebrate tomorrow........looking forward to a great day.
Thank you Father for sending us your son.
Merry Christmas everyone!!

Christmas Eve

Today we started off the day making a nativity scene out of cut outs. The kids enjoyed that and played with the figures for awhile afterwards! It will be used tomorrow as we read the Christmas story.
Traditions around our home during the Christmas holidays continue to grow. This year the kids really wanted to have a birthday cake for Jesus....so today we are busy baking a cake and I always get excited about decorating!! Just a hint for you....I made edible pine cones!!! I LOVE them :) We'll post the picture when it is finished.
Christmas Eve we let the kids open one small present in the evening. This year the 2 older kids used their own money to buy each other a gift (the 2 younger ones are swapping gifts too). They are soooo excited to give each other what they have chosen for them.
Christmas morning we read the Christmas story, sing 'Happy Birthday to Jesus' (from the CD Peanut Butter Christmas by Ron Hamilton), they open their stockings and then their presents. We will be enjoying the afternoon with family for dinner. I don't think there will be a white Christmas here this year....the kids will just have to keep praying for some snow :)

Grace...amen

Little feet hurry to the table. Breakfast is ready and they are hungry. Before all the children are even seated, one child rushes through grace aloud so they all can eat.
"Whoa," I say to them. "Do you know who you just talked to?"
Yes, they are young, but along with learning how to pray, they need to be continually learning about who they are praying to. Grace is not just a quick prayer we rush through so we can eat. You are going before the Almighty, Holy God.
Often times, even as adults, I think we treat our Heavenly Father so casually. We do not fully grasp the concept of his Holiness, his Sovereignty. Let us never get to the point where we treat God so casual!

We're back

We headed to Alabama for the weekend to attend one of hubby's cousin's wedding. The wedding was very nice and she looked beautiful :) It was great to see all the family again. We were also able to see some friends who live just outside the city where we were staying. It was a very enjoyable evening with them and their 6 kids. Wish we lived closer! We were suppose to head up to Canada for Christmas but unfortunately that wasn't able to work out. They are having an oooh-so-white Christmas this year!!
Well, off to sip some hot chocolate in front of the fireplace....

Bridal shower

I'm off to a bridal shower tonight and here is the cake. Her colors are a silver blue with pink accents. I tried a few new things this time around. I used silver dust on the roses and played with ribbon. I ran some ribbon around the sides of the cake and made a ribbon center piece.

Eat cake

Here are 2 cakes I did over the past 2 days. I have one more on Thursday for a bridal shower. Here are some pics also of baby girl's first birthday party. What fun!

Rehersal

Here are some videos from the Christmas rehersal. We ended up video taping the whole program on our camcorder (not camera) so I don't have that to post. You can see the kids choir on my sister-in-law's page from the actual Christmas program. Here are 2 takes from the rehersal. I had to post both because the first one is so cute of our little guy swaying back and forth through the whole song. The second video is when 2 more kids showed up for practice.



This is our daughter and her friend singing their duet at rehersal. I didn't focus properly beforehand so it is a little fuzzy.

Look at me go!

...and what did she do the day before her first birthday.....yay!!!

She's ONE!

I know it gets repetative BUT....how fast has this year gone!! I can't believe she is already a year old. Thinking back to this time last year is so special, not only because God gave us another beautiful blessing in our daughter, but how He orchestrated His plan for insurance, her birth, employment for hubby. What a time of growing and learning!

Here are some pics from today. Happy Birthday baby girl!

Silent monks

Have you ever wondered how the silent monks praise and worship God? Here's their secret....
(be patient, it takes about one minute for them to get set up)

Sammy and his Shepherd

I love passing on great resources! Here is an excellent book for kids all about Psalm 23. It is taken from the sheep's point of view talking about his good shepherd. Sammy befriends a sheep not from his fold and when this stray sheep is bought by the shepherd, Sammy helps to teach and encourage this sheep to trust her new shepherd. It was really well written and the kids loved it!

Straight No Chaser

I like these guys :)

Improving

Our little one is starting to improve somewhat. This was a rough cold for her! She is beginning to nurse again slowly, she still slept upright in the swing last night, and the stuffy/congestion is beginning to break up. She has a terrible croupy cough....very deep. The other kids had a more mild version of it, and I have just a bit of a cold. Hopefully we will all improve before Sunday (and have our singing voices!)
Now to get some school done for the day......

Here we go .... again

Number 10??? Have we really had 10 colds this year? All the kids have a nasty one right now. Poor baby girl is soooo stuffed up, she is refusing to nurse. It's killing me!!! I sure hope it is due to the cold and she is not self-weaning. I'm not ready for that yet! She had to sleep upright in her swing all night, and the night before I held her most of the night (I think she had a very sore throat). I guess this means we'll at least have our colds out of the way for Christmas :)
So, hubby's off to church today alone....maybe I can grab a few more winks....

Blogging and cookies

There....I think I am finally settled on my festive blog! The added snow is such a great touch don't you think!

Today I'm making cookies for the cookie swap tomorrow. Somewhere between 144-180 cookies need to be baked! We all enjoy breakfast together at our Pastor's home (hosted by his wife) and then swap our cookies with each other. It's always an enjoyable time with the ladies from church. I better get back to baking!

Camera

I watched the first video about my new camera and wanted to give some things a try....it's going to take some practice! But I'm so excited at the results I'm getting. I want a really nice snowfall, or a beautiful place to see a sunset or something *grin* so I can try these different features! Here are a few from today....

Early Christmas

So....hubby gave me my Christmas present early.


Can you guess what it is?


I've been having so much fun with it!


Can't wait to show you more....once I get it all figured out!!!!

Never too young to praise God

Nothing sweeter than children growing up singing hymns!
(Posted by a friend on Facebook)

Stewardship Street

I was asked if we paid our kids for chores and the answer is....no and yes. Our kids have daily chores that are teaching them responsibility because they are apart of the family. These chores and not paid for. Examples are making bed, brushing teeth, cleaning up toys, vacuuming, setting/clearing off table, sweeping, folding laundry and putting away.....These are things that need to be done because you live in this house and we work together as a family unit.

Then we come to our Stewardship Street, which is from Doorposts, that is teaching our kids financial responsibility. We have finally completed it and are ready to get started!!
We have set aside some chores like cleaning/vacuuming the van, yard work, cleaning windows etc....that are 'chores' done to earn money. With the money earned, we have a chart that divides the kids earnings into percentages.
On Stewardship Street, we have a church, a missions house, a toy store, a bank, our home, and a store(for gifts). There are 2 rows ...one for our 7 year old and one for our 5 yr old. When they earn their money we divide up the earnings between all of these buildings on Stewardship Street.

We teach that it is important to give the first part of your earnings back to God....tithe.
Then it is important to give to missions....We have a specific family we will be supporting.
Our toy store is for buying whatever the kids desire.
The bank is for savings that will not be touched until they are much older.
Our home is where they will buy some living expenses...ex. if they need new crayons, pencils, doodling paper.
Then lastly we have a store to save up for birthday gifts, Christmas gifts,...gifts in general that they want to get for others.

I just love this idea and look forward to the kids getting a good grasp on the importance of being responsible with their money!

I'm thankful for....

This being the week of Thanksgiving, Pastor wanted us to write what we are thankful for from A-Z. It was actually a lot of fun! Here was my list.

Answered prayer
Ben, my husband, partner, friend , and love
Christian birthday (31 years)
Date nights with hubby
Everything chocolate
Family and friendships
God's Holy Word
Homeschooling
In-laws that love me like their own
Jesus Christ, my Saviour
Kailey, Kyle, Kaleb, Ksena my 4 beautiful blessings
Laughter from my children
Music that lifts the soul
Needs met
Opportunities to share God's love with others
Pastor and his wife
Quiet moments to talk with the Lord
Reedeming Love
Snuggling with my hubby
Trips to Canada to be with my family
Unconditional love of my heavenly Father
Vehicle that runs well
Women in my life who encourage me
Xtra hugs and kisses from my kids
Year full of God's wonderful blessings
Zero-calorie treats (oopss..that's just wishful thinking!)

Let's go fly a kite....

We've been having beautiful fall weather. I love the fall! The kids have been asking to fly kites, so Daddy found some and they spent an afternoon having fun (trying not to get tangled up with each other!)

Counting money

Here was today's lesson in money. So far he has learned about the dime and penny. We tried a couple different drills today and he did super! I was so proud of him :) I think this might finally help him understand place values (he's been struggling with that one!)
I think he is also enjoying his 'responsibility' lessons that I blogged about earlier. Today he asked me "Can I go sweep the leaves off the deck cause I want to be a responsible young man?"....so cute!

"How much do you have?" I love how he has to line them up just so....

"Give me this much."

Scripture lullabies

I bought this CD a few months after our 4th child was born. One of my 'blogging' friends wrote about it on her blog and I loved the idea of my baby drifting to sleep listening to scripture. We play this CD at EVERY nap time (for both our baby girl and 3 yr old). It is so soothing and they fall right to sleep. Check out Hidden in my Heart website or go here for a chance to win one! Here is a sample....I think you'll love it!

Helping our sons

I love posting about new curriculums I find that I LOVE! I just got Lessons in Responsibility for Boys and I've started going through it with my 5 year old. He really enjoyed his first lesson, and from looking through the table of contents and skimming through it....there are some great topics we are going to be discussing! They teach boys how to be responsible, not only to God, but to others and how to make responsible decisions on their own. He learns a verse each chapter to go along with the topic. I love the chapter about being a protector to his sister's (either older or younger!) and the chapter about being Daddy's shadow. I'm really looking forward to this one-on-one study with him. Today was learning about what it means to be responsible and how to be responsible toward God. Our verse concentrated on loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Check out other materials from Pearables!

Peek-a-boo

Cute video...11 months old.

Human Body study

Today we finally finished our human body study. It was really fun and interesting! (If you're interested in the book go here) I think the kids learned alot from it and it is something we will have to do again. Here's some pics from this morning.
Hubby is also doing well. Yesterday we caught up on sleep....we were both exhausted!

Home

Hubby is doing well and everything went smoothly. We had a safe drive to and from (2 hour drive there and back) and baby girl did well throughout the day. Hubby was 50% closed up and is breathing much better now. The next few days he will deal with some swelling in the airway but after about a week, he'll really see a difference in breathing. God gave us safety on the roads and worked all things out when our battery died (on the way home). When we left the hospital, the van didn't crank up the first time. I thought that was odd. When we stopped at a gas station we couldn't get it cranked at all. I prayed immediately that God would send the right people to help us. As soon as I did, a sheriff pulls in right beside us *smile*. Two gentlemen helped us get the van started again and we were off to get a new battery! All in all, it was a good day and we are glad to be home! Thank you for your prayers :)

Surgery

Off to hubby's surgery. Please pray all goes well today and for safety on the roads. Thank you!

Greek

I've mentioned how we are learning Kione Greek (which is bible Greek, not the language in Greece today) and we are all really enjoying it! So far we have learned the first 9 letters and I'm surprised at how much our 3 yr old is catching on. We do our lessons as a family around the table, and he is right along there with us copying the letters on paper and repeating with us.
Here he is singing the first 9 letters....

alpha, beta, gamma, delta, eplison, zeta, eta, theta, iota....

Hugs

You know those days when your kids keep coming back to you for a hug throughout the day. I guess they need that 'extra' reassurance that you are there. I had a day like that yesterday with my heavenly Father. Many times I went to Him, asking for that bit of 'extra' reassurance as I wade my way through a struggle of the day. I needed and asked Him to reveal Himself to me in a special way. And then the moment comes.....and you stop and sit and cry, thanking God for the extra hug that day that you needed. I love those moments. I am humbled that God does that for me when I need it. Such a loving Father, to take the time to give me those extra hugs of encouragement. I love you Lord.

What's in a name?

I had a good laugh today. My daughter loves coming up with names for her 'future' children. She's always asking me "Can you name a baby (insert name)....." Today she comes up to me and says "Do you like the name Polyester?" to which I replied 'no, you don't name your children after material'. She didn't understand. She replied "I don't understand what's wrong with the name Polly Esther?" hahahahaha.... Ok, I get it now, but no it still wouldn't be a good name.

Another giveaway

I know you love hearing about free things! Here is another giveaway for a beautiful hairclip. Visit A Wise Woman Builds Her Home to enter.

Pics

Here are some shots from this afternoon. Just out enjoying the beautiful sunshine!

Another giveaway

Here's another giveaway at Raising Homemakers! Enter to win a collection of paper dolls for your daughter. I know mine would have a great time with them!

My Faith Box

I entered a giveaway to receive a My Faith Box at Good Morning Girls blog. If you read the entry, 153 women entered to win and the lady who had the giveaway was so torn to only give one away as a gift, she asked her husband if she could give 2 away as a gift. The husband graciously said he wanted to give ALL the women who entered a My Faith Box! So I'm looking forward to receiving mine!! Go check it out and read about it :)

Updates

So.......seems like it's been over a week since I've been on here! Wait a minute....it has!
So how about some updates?

School - going very well! I would say this last month or so has been the best weeks of homeschooling we have enjoyed thus far. I'm really enjoying these studies with the kids and working together as a group (rather than individual time). We still do one on one time for certain subjects, but much of our work is all of us at the table together and we're having fun! Our human body study is coming along. We have added on the pancreas, bladder, reproductive organs, stomach, small intestines and large intestines. Today was the intestines topic and yes, there was much talk about poop. The kids kept giggling through the whole lesson :) In Astronomy, we are learning all about Earth (have done Mercury and Venus). We've also been really enjoying our Biblical Greek study together as a family after supper. So far the kids have learned the first 7 Greek letters and I have to say, our 5 year old has caught on the fastest of all of us!

Baby girl updates - growing as fast as ever! Starting to cruise along the furniture. Has tempted a few times to let go and just stand on her own. No walking just yet. Hard to believe in only a couple months she will have her first birthday!

Hubby is anxiously awaiting his surgery on the 9th. Neither of us ever look forward to these (although I know he enjoys breathing better!) How wonderful it would be if this were to be his last! We stopped counting after his 11th surgery.... Hubby has also been very busy with work. Since being self-employed for almost a year and a half now, it has been awesome to see God bringing in work for him.

That's all for now. Off to bed :)

Still here

Hopefully I'll have some new pics to post tomorrow. Just wanted you to know I didn't vanish :)

Examine yourself

Well worth the hour!

Bridal shower

I was a little disappointed the cake turned out so simplictic. I had bigger plans for it, but since I only had a few hours in the evening to make it, I guess it will just have to stay this way :) Her wedding colors are rose petal pink and ivory. Well, off to clean house!

Appointment

Hubby's appointment went well. Surgery is scheduled for Nov. 9th. We were hoping for sooner but they are booked solid!! He is about 45-50% blocked again. He has almost gone 9 months between surgeries this time. They are slowly getting spaced out farther and farther which is good. We still pray that one day the Lord will see fit to rid him of the stenosis completely!

Tonight I'm also making a bridal shower cake for tomorrow afternoon. Hubby's cousin will be getting married in December which is exciting! It will be great to see a bunch of family tomorrow.

So....short and sweet. Off to make cake :)