from our house to yours, merry christmas~

At this time of year, it is difficult for us to see Jesus other than as a little baby. We of course, know why He came, but we usually focus on His death on the cross at another time of year. But we must never forget that He came to die.

Those soft baby hands fashioned by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb were made to have two great nails hammered through them. Those little chubby feet were made to walk up a hill and be nailed to a cross. The sacred head was made to wear a crown of thorns. His tender body wrapped in swaddling clothes would be pierced by a spear to reveal a broken heart. The death of Christ was no accident; He was born to die.

Jesus died to remove the curse so we could regain dominion. But to do that, He had to come as a man. Even though in doing so He temporarily became lower than angels, He accomplished something no angel could: restoration.

The first and foremost reason for the Incarnation is that Christ might taste death on behalf of every man and woman. He came to die in our place, to be our substitute. God had two options: Either let us die and pay for our own sins, or allow a substitute to take our punishment and die in our place. He mercifully chose the latter.

It is vital that we affirm the fact of Christ’s substitutionary death because modern liberal theology claims Jesus died merely as an example, like a martyr dying for some cause. But in reality He died as a substitute for you and me. As a result He freed us to live for and with God. Rejoice that the Creator of angels, the Lord of hosts, was willing to become lower than His creation for our sakes.

-John MacArthur 

We are called to look forward to Christ's return, not this time as that sweet baby, nor as the humble sacrifice.  It is sad that many have attempted to "outsmart" God and pin a date on their calendars.  I love that my children look forward to Christmas each year, but may we even more so look eagerly to the day when our awesome Savior will come as Warrior- on a white horse, with a white robe dipped in blood (Rev. 19).

***

Our family is thankful for each of you that have touched our lives, and once again we reflect on a year that brings us one year closer to His return.

Adam continues on with his seminary studies and, Lord willing, will gain his MDiv either at the end of spring semester 2013 or by the end of that calendar year.  Sights are set on PhD work, and we're praying about where God would have him study for that.  He was ordained this spring at our church, so now has the official pastor title!  I'm so excited for him.  He is still overseeing the Adult Education at church and youth pastor to a great group of kids.  This fall he has also put his actuary hat back on to do some consulting work at his former company on Fridays and Saturdays.  I am so thankful for a godly leader in our family who loves the Lord more than anything else.

I have been teaching 5 class blocks at homeschool co-op this year: American Art, Home Ec (to 2 different age groups), Home Skills (elementary age class), and PE (co-leading with another mom).  I'm also doing my best to volunteer at school each week helping with copies and folders, and also working with the PTO's tri-annual breakfast.  I savor the opportunity to put my baking hat on and make cinnamon rolls for a big crowd!  It has been a blessing to be a part of 2 wonderful education communities and get to know some amazing moms and kids in the process.  I also have a small group of middle school girls in youth group and continue to teach preschool children's Sunday school on even months at church.  We had a neat birthday party for Jesus after learning about the shepherds being "invited" by the angels to come and meet the birthday boy. :)

Caroline is nearly finished with her first semester of 7th grade and turned 13 last week!  We were so full of joy that she made the decision to make her profession of faith public this summer and was baptized as a believer and follower of Jesus.  She is studying through "The Story" in devotions at home.  Online school is going pretty well so far.  One of the biggest challenges is merging online time with also being in the homeschool co-op to have fun electives and friend time.  Caroline continues to greatly enjoy art, and has invested in some nice watercolor sets to make beautiful sunset pictures.  She entered an art contest through school and I'm hoping we can get some entries in the state fair this year, too.  Her pride and joy are her 2 babies, Casey and Chloe (cats) and she dotes on them constantly. 

Will loves 5th grade and is looking forward to his class field trip to Charleston in the spring.  He gets to spend most afternoons with his best friend from school since he hangs out with us until his mom gets through with work.  They are pretty much inseparable and we're truly thankful for a great, likeminded friend for him.  Will received a special honor this year since he received a perfect score on his standardized test (the English/Language portion), and continually puts us all to shame with his impeccable grammar.  Will is joining a program through Duke University this year to hone in on his academic strengths as he moves forward in school, and he'll have some unique opportunities to participate in contests and other advanced academic testing to give him an edge in middle and high school- SAT's here we come!  He and the younger boys just started their basketball season, and he will get to be on his buddy's team again this year- they just can't seem to get enough of each other!

Xander just turned 9 and has begun his division facts at school.  He loves math, lunch and recess.  His class is all boys this year, and his teacher spoils him with great prizes to spend his school bucks on!  :)  Xander enjoyed the mining field trip at school this fall where they bring a truck and the kids go in and dig for gems.  Xander continues to be a great SPARK of energy in our household, and his audio volume seems to grow with age!  He is looking forward to getting his bedroom painted soon, as he and Ray's room is the last to get color.  Maybe during Christmas break?....

Ray continues his roll as our chill little dude and is rolling right through first grade.  He told me recently that he doesn't smile much at school, but mostly because he's just thinking a lot.  He also reports that he likes winking at his teacher and gives her lots of hugs.  (our ladies man)  He is quite anxious for the next Magic Tree House title to be released so he can see where Jack and Annie are off to next.  Ray has been taking the true meaning of Christmas quite seriously, and Adam has noticed his bedtime prayers to be quite fervent in that.  He has also wrote several "books" (first grade style) about the subject in school, so I'm not sure how much Santa joy he has killed off so far! :)   

We had a wonderful visit with family in Kentucky over Thanksgiving, and a great visit with Adam's mom in October.  The weather here is wonderfully warm for December, and we'll be staying in the Carolinas to enjoy it this season!  We hope to head over to ChristmasTown -McAdenville in the coming week or so, and have a list of Christmas break activities to work on- including "holiday homework" (cue the moaning children). 

Merry Christmas to you all, our Savior has indeed come to save!

 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
(John 14:27-28 ESV)

forest is growing- or at least going

We are so excited for our HOA approval to plant the trees right where we requested, so we  spent some time planting our neat little dwarf peach trees.  We planted 2 so they will pollinate, even though they are a slightly different variety.

 The boys were a great help, especially sorting the stones (big AND small) out of the tough clay soil, digging and scooping, and mixing nice dark earth in with the clay when we put the trees in.

E-man is Wilsonator's best bud who hangs out with us after school every day.  He was the biggest help of all, as I'm sure my kids would be for his mom if they were over working at their house. ;)

In the first few days of November we hope to get 2 dwarf plum trees in next to the peach trees, and our mini forest will be complete- at least for this phase in fall of 2011.  I need to hurry along before the ground starts to get really hard from morning frosts.  I also have about 40 daffodil bulbs that I need to tuck into the dirt, too.  Another job for Super-boys coming up!

the fast track of fall~

We really had a wonderful time with Grandma_Carlann here last week! This photo is from a nearby farmer's market where Grandma treated the kids to their yearly pumpkin on a drizzly day last week. She is having knee surgery tomorrow, so will spend her 50th wedding anniversary (Thursday) recovering from that- boo! :( Some highlights of our week were heading up to the Mt_Airy, NC area with Grandma and also Adam's nephew for a visit to Andy.Griffith's stomping grounds and inspiration for his show. Adam was in the pulpit on Sunday while our pastor was away on a family vacation, and Sis and I had a "girls only lunch" on Monday with Grandma at Olive.Garden. This past week was fall break from homeschool co-op, so I got a break from teaching my classes and Caroline got a break to spend more time on her other classes and with her Grandma.


I'm so excited that our HOA president called tonight to let me know that everything I requested was APPROVED! I just have to make sure I plant it just like I mapped out for them, and need to call the digging people to make sure I'm not planting in the direct path of wires or pipes underground.


We are also putting plans together to head to Louisville, Kentucky for Thanksgiving with family for once in MANY years! The kids love their Kentucky cousins and we love the fellowship of my sweet uncle and aunt. Maybe even more family can join in? :) We are hoping to catch the Creation Museum and also take a tour of Southern_Seminary while there, as Adam may obtain his PhD from that institution in coming years.


A nice fall rain has settled in today, perfect to soften our clay soil and prepare it for some good ol' DIGGING for my trees- YAY! :)

end of August already?

It is hard to believe that September is upon us! We agree with many out there, that this seems the fastest summer ever to occur.

The picture above was a quick moment capturing one of the many lovely adventures in Nebraska over the month of July. We treasure the memory of each day there- the 4-wheeler rides with Crampaw Steve, Ashland shopping and museum with Grammy, a beautiful 50th anniversary party for the Johnson Grandparents (Adam's parents), bringing the KITTIES to Nebraska- they traveled quite well, I might add!

It was a neat adventure for the group of students who traveled with us to spend a week doing missions in Lincoln. They even got to come out to the Frahm farm to walk beans and fix a pivot tire!

We got 2 opportunities to spend time on a lake with a boat and a really fun tube. Once in Schuyler with Adam's neice and her family, once in Kentucky with my side of the family. Will ended up with a concussion from the 2nd lake experience! Thankfully, football is not a sport planned for his future (his choice)...this is his 2nd concussion in 12 months.

The kids LOVED the cousin time- we invaded Andy & Anna's on several occasions, as well as lots of fun time with the Johnson side cousins as we prepared for Grandpa & Grandma's party.

So now we are in the middle of our 3rd week of school! The kids all began the week of August 16th. Since Rayzer is bumped up this year, we have all the kids on their "odd" year- 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grade.

Adam began his fall classes this past week, and on Tuesdays he is spending the day ON CAMPUS in Wake Forest (a 3 hour drive there). He is excited for the opportunity to take a campus class at the seminary he will be graduating from, but it definitely is a jaunt from that quick 30 minute commute to south Charlotte when we first moved here to attend the seminary there!

I am teaching LOTS and LOTS of Home Economics this school year in the Homeschool Co-op, and I'm truly excited about it- for several reasons. First, I get to use IHCC's Girls of Grace curriculum again! (I call it "Growing in Grace" since I have a few young men in my 3rd-5th grade group). We are weaving etiquette into this semester, and may even have a guest speaker come in to talk to us about southern cotillions. We will finish the semester at Christmastime with a formal dinner (well, lunch at school) with a properly set table and all the manners to go with it- let's hope!

I'm also teaching American Art and co-leading a PE class for the middle school range. The classeds have been great so far, and I think Sis is enjoying the ones she's in. Most of her school is coming from Connections_Academy, which is also a super transition for her/us this year.

Oh- one more thing...I just wanted to say I have THE BEST guy ever! He organized sitters for all 4 kids for a few days and whisked me away to the outer banks (NC- pre hurrican Irene) before the busy school year started, but after we got back from NE. This photo is our FIRST trip to the ocean withouth the stress of keeping 4 jolly children from drowning. We had a fabulously relaxing time, and hope that little place is still standing so we can visit again next year!

peaceful, pictureless weekend~

Ever had a weekend where you felt the need to crawl in a hole for awhile? :)

We had a really fun week with our church's VBS this past week, and thankful for the 170-ish kids that got to hear the good news and have some great fellowship. Sis and I were in charge of crafts for the elementary age group, and I have 3 (2nd degree!) glue gun burns on my fingers to show for it. I have no doubts that my daughter could do this job PERFECTLY without me even being present. She's just amazing with her hands and crafty mind!

Adam stepped in to help with leading a crew of kids since we were short staffed this year- lots of our church families had made vacation plans that fell during VBS week, so Adam had a neat opportunity of getting to know his group really well (even though 2 of them were his youngest 2 sons- haha).

All of this made for long, exhausting days. VBS started at 6 each night, and workers needed to be there at 5:45. We live over 15 minutes from church, and our drive includes a stint of interstate travel and a really crowded one-route-only way to get to our church, so we need to leave up to 30 minutes to be sure to arrive on time. Sis and I spent a great part of each day with final prep on each craft session timing the average for completing. We ate dinner each "night" at 4:30, as we brought a guest friend from school and had to get everyone's food in them and dishes in the sink by 5:00 so we could be loaded and ready to pull out of the drive no later than 5:20.

The way our church does it, there are mixed crews from upcoming 1st graders through upcoming 6th graders in the SAME crew- so this poses a few challenges in hitting the kids where they're at. Making a craft that ALL of them will enjoy is- yes- impossible, but we found it has worked pretty well to shoot in the middle. They also have to be able to complete the craft entirely each session and take it with them right away- each night. That's 5 different types of crafts for 1st-6th grade to be completed in no more than 20 minutes. THANKFULLY, we also encourage older to help the younger in this environment, so it really does end up working ok if we have kids willing to work together.

After cleaning up and a little prep for the next day, we were home by around 9:30 each evening. Then start over the next day. Sunday was our first day, and Thursday (June 30) was our last day.

By Friday, as has been the case with VBS in Nebraska in the mornings, we were pretty (delighted with the week, but...) fried. :)

Our sweet neighborhood community had their holiday weekend picnic on Saturday night, but we opted to drop off our table and bean bag game and recoup. The same thing tonight- on the 4th of July. There were places we could go and celebrate, but we are so glad for some down time- especially with some VERY busy weeks ahead.

Adam has seminary class in Wake Forest coming up this week and we're then gearing up for that 22+ hour drive to our favorite summer spot! YAY!

Oh- and my camera is malfunctioning...so I can't even capture our restful weekend in photos (all this uneventfulness, you know!) I ordered new parts, but they likely will arrive while we are away (argh). Sis's school books will also be delivered while we are away, so the BRIGHT SIDE is that we'll have lots of goodies to go through when we get home.

AND we get to be a small part of VBS at IHCC again this year...but this one won't exhaust us- I'm thinking we'll be totally blessed. I promise we'll be out of our hole by then!

summer official

Rayzer, our current resident calendar brain, was delighted to realize we have "officially" reached summer as of yesterday.

We are currently in the thick of swimming lessons, which we now take one-on-one lessons from a dear friend at church in her neighborhood's pool. We do 1x weekly for 4 weeks and they each get a solid 1/2 hour by themselves. I feel it's much more cost effective than the "Y" lessons we've taken out here before- the kids barely got 8-10 minutes of personal time to work with a teacher and several times one of their teachers didn't even show up. We have other friends who live in this neighborhood also, so it allows us to stay and swim after lessons are over as their guests- yay! :)
(y'all are not going to BELIEVE how tall Sis is getting...and she likes to wear platform flip-flops which make it even more intimidating!!)
Father's Day fun: we got Daddy a little portable grill and a rare treat- STEAK to cook on it (rare in more ways than one! haha) Sundays are always busy since we have youth group in the afternoon/evening for over 4 hours and serving and worship in the morning. I'm glad Adam was able to come home for a couple of hours and have a steak with the fam. :)
Another item of note for calendar boy- Adam has instructed him that his bicycle riding lessons will happen "every day" in the summer. The kids are not totally fond of bicycle lessons because it's scary and they fall down sometimes. Rayzer has been probing his mother incessantly to learn just EXACTLY how many days we are going to count as summer- is it by the official calendar, or until school starts, or (when can I stop having bicycle lessons!?)

He's going to be soooo happy when he finally gets the hang of it. Especially since Adam took him off this tiny bike (in photo) and upgraded him to the larger one Xanman uses regularly. Rayzer is leaps and bounds taller than all our other kids at his age, so it makes good sense.
Sis is my handiwork diva! When the boys were at camp in early June, she helped paint 4 areas (including our master bedroom) and also slapped on the black goodness to our entryway bench. I've been meaning to do this for over a year.

THIS WEEK- Wilsonator is pressing me to get his room painted before Adam & Sis get back from camp. We may try to tackle it tonight. I feel a Nintendo/Mario theme coming on, but I told him we'd have to cut those decorative items from scrap wood in the garage, as I will NOT be painting them on the wall. (I learned after our last house that as soon as we go to all that work, we'll have to prepare to move and paint RIGHT over it about as quickly as it went up!)

sum summah

Ok -so I don't have any photos to post just now, but I have several on my camera that I'll attempt to sit still long enough to share soon!

Promotion Sunday was just this week, so we now have ourselves a 1st grader, 3rd grader, 5th grader, and 7th grader! The kids are always excited to refer to their upcoming grade level once they move up in Sunday school classes.

The boys were out on June 2, and June 3 I took Sis and lil' miss Chloe up to Gastonia, NC for an inexpensive (but well done) spay procedure. I'm happy to report that Chloe is doing quite well, and Sis took the cone off this morning. Sis cried most of the way home in fear that Chloe would turn into a bitter and unloving cat (it didn't help that Chloe hissed all the way home because of the pain and the bumpy ride in her kennel). Chloe is "saying" hello to her momma throughout the day, purring even more than a normal day when she wasn't in heat, and just as curious as ever.

This week so far has been filled with a challenge Sis and I put on ourselves: attempt to empty every can of paint possible in the "to-do" shelf! We've finished painting our upstairs hallway, master bedroom, and tonight we're finishing up the downstairs hallway. Tomorrow I'm going to comission my girl to paint our little entryway bench (black, of course).

dragging toward the finish line~

We are finding it e x t r e m e l y difficult to get going in the mornings lately- is it summer yet?!

Our boys are out on June 2, and that day can't come soon enough! This morning I only got one lunch made and out the door. The others I brought later when I came for a volunteer appreciation lunch at school and tossed them into Xan's classroom for him and for delivery to his older brother.

Wilsonator is waking up several times in the night and wandering around. I think he needs a good dose of long summer days running around outside and completely exhausting hiimself of his boyhood energy- it does wonders!

Rayzer was bummed that he'd forgotten his last show-and-tell opportunity today. He had been given one of those "Ind.ianaJones" whips that makes the sounds and was dying to show it to his classmates. I think it was best that it was forgotten at home. Don't those things count aa a weapon? Dr. Jones definitely used his as one.

Xandino has lost a small handful of teeth in the last week and loves taunting me (a.k.a the tooth fairy) to put any loose change under the pillow that he can nickel and dime away on candy. What he doesn't fully realize is that his dentist appointment is right around the corner and fillings with our insurance are $100 a pop...he better be brushing WELL!

The boys all had their music & dance festival performaces last Friday, so all we have left now is field day (Monday) and awards days on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Sis has been practicing putting her kitty, Chloe in a cone/collar so she'll be fully adjusted after her surgery next week. Sis raised the rest of the money she needed for the spay at our neighborhood garage sale last weekend, and we'll be celebrating the end of school by heading an hour north to a really inexpensive spay-neuter clinic. As of now we're planning a family day trip and maybe load up the bikes to hit the trails there in Gastonia, NC.

Adam and I are glad to have a busy semester over for his classes. We've got a load of fun activities going for the youth this summer- including a missions trip to Nebraska for any who can come! We'll be heading for NE a week early to help with some projects in Lincoln with local Southern Baptists there, then Adam will drive them home and fly back to spend the rest of the time with family & friends.

trails, bridges, girls~

I've been made fully aware that we only have 14 actual school days left- yay! The boys have their last day on June 2, and Sis will be finished with everything by the following week.

Thursday, I got to go along with Xan's class to the Greenway_area where there are great hiking trails, old cabins, and this exciting suspension bridge:

(Xan informs me that his friend who is happily waving is NOT his girlfriend, but that she did try to kiss him at school once this year. She is a sweetheart and her momma is one of the first grade teachers. She equally told me on a number of occasions that day that there are also several boys in love with her, so I guess she and Xan both have a dilemma.)

I went with Wilsonator's class on this same trip 2 years ago, so it was fun to be able to go along again this time! Xan's teacher has 2 horses that are stabled here, so it was fun to see which ones were hers out of the dozens there. The kids were delighted that the teachers brough plenty of carrots so they could serve a tasty snack to their new friends!

Happy Trails!

the great charge and the high call

What a wonderful moment to have these godly people praying over us as Adam begins his journey as a pastor. From this Sunday:

You can find our pastor's sermon from Sunday (from 1st service..the ordination took place during 2nd service).
The Great Charge (you'll find it dated from this Sunday)

While this Mother's Day I didn't have an opportunity to get photos with my 4 beautiful blessings that prove my "mama" title and high calling from the Lord, I was able to nab a picture with the beautiful mothers from my husband's family who flew all the way here to spend this weekend with our family and rejoice in what God has done and is doing.
We took a lovely evening hike on the River.Walk here in town on Sunday evening. It was a lovely time with these precious women, and all too short!

full speed ahead~

It's gonna be a crazy ride this week! I got to start of this Monday doing a favorite activity that doesn't come around often- taking photos of other people's adorable kids! This is one of my favorites from this morning:
The oldest pictured is a dear friend of Sis's, and we had the fam' back over for lunch after pictures since Sis stayed home to get school work done. The photo shoot was for some Mother's_Day pictures to give the Grandmas. I know how much my Moms & Grandmas love photos, and these kids were super fun! Gave the best ones all a quick edit and hopefully there will be one that's frame-worthy.

Tomorrow is our last Tuesday at the homeschool_co-op, so we're having a big cleanup party after classes are out. It will be the last day of my middleschool math enrichment (yay!) and the last day of my Historical Art & Music class (boo- I will miss it!)- for which we have the rest of our end-of-year presentations. The kids are doing a great job with their reports and some are even playing music that goes with a composer they studied.

Wednesday is the last night for the elementary kids at church until next fall. Out here we do an RA-Royal Ambassador(for boys) program and GA(GirlsInAction). The boys will get their awards. Thursday, then, is our FINAL co-op day and we'll have a picnic at the end of a shortened school day to celebrate.

The kids are especially looking forward to Friday- FREEDAY@CAROWINDS for youth pastor families in SC!!!! Yes, we're skippin' school and gladly doing so. ☺

Adam's mom & sisters will arrive at the airport around midnight, and we'll be leaving by 6:30 Saturday morning to head for our day in Charleston.

Oh, and after Sunday- you can call my husband 'Pastor Adam'. ☺ And if you're in the area, we're serving a tasty Mexi-style lunch after church to celebrate!

april's end~

Some days, I'm compelled to grab the camera when there are certain activities that I know are fleeting and will soon be gone for my children- like this:

Stuffed animal play-acting will soon be THE silliest idea ever imagined, as is currently the thought of the oldest offspring in the house. My "baby" boys had these things hopping all over the house on this particular day, and it did my heart a great deal of good.


Sis received a special gift from our wonderful church secretary this week. We see the secretary several times per week since Sis goes to school on our church grounds 2 days per week, and chooses to do her study hall time down in the church office area. The secretary often finds ways to spoil up our kids real good, and this sassy fashion statement was no exception! ☺

The purse has a cat engraved in the front of it, and while I'm not sure she's put BOTH Chloe and Casey in at the same time, it looks quite fashionable with just one, don't you think?


Well, Adam & Sis took off this morning to head to WkForest, NC for a seminary class and an opportunity for Sis to spend a night with a dear friend who loves animals as much as she does. The boys and I are holding up the fort, and decided to ask E-man to spend the night, because there just aren't enough boys around already.
There was an outdoor movie night at school tonight, so we took it in. The boys were delighted to be rewarded with a can of MT._Dew after helping clean up with the PTO at 10:00pm. Those WERE immediately confiscated and are currently being held hostage until tomorrow at lunch. ☺

One more week until our Nebraska visitors arrive!

a rather curious voicemail~

Lately, on Thursdays after I teach a morning grammar class at Sis's homeschool co-op, I pop over to Ft. Mill HS to go to an FCA Bible Study that Adam is leading there. Apparently, I was on the phone or text with him and missed a call from a number that isn't in my list of numbers.

The number is from a local area code, so I figured it was a repairman (maybe the dishwasher guy...finally?!) or doctor's office or something. Well, the mysterious number did leave a voicemail, so I listened to it as I got ready to head out to the high school.

It started with about a minute of mumbly shuffling, so right away I assumed my number had been dialed by mistake. Shortly after that minute was through, I heard a rather angry male voice scolding what apparently was a group of foolish schoolchildren who did not go outside during the dual earthquake-fire drill. He asked someone to "shed some light on the subject".

Something was mentioned about a story regarding water on someone's pants causing the holdup for getting out the door, and another excuse had to do with the door itself being blocked by student traffic. This part was quite muffled, as the child doing the explaining was a distance from the phone-in-pocket.

Then the male voice returned with "Well, was the water on the pants a good story? I sure hope so because it's the LAST ONE you would HEAR if this had been real today!"

I spent the next few hours pretty confused about what conversation I had the opportunity to accidentally eavesdrop on. I listened to the message a few more times but really couldn't make heads or tails through someone's pocket.

However, all was put to rest when I picked the male children (remember, we have 4 after school each day with Wilsonator's friend 'E-man' staying with us until 5:30). I asked Mr. Wilson if they happened to have a fire drill today.

"Uh, yes. Did you get 'the phone call'?" (um- I was SUPPOSED to get that phone call?)

So the 4th grade dudes filled me in, and they continued to reveal that the people at the front of the line stopped to tell a story and blocked the doorway, allowing my sweet boys in the back to burn and be covered in cinderblocks from the earthquake-fire.

Eeeesh.

The swishing sound was their concerned teacher marching the lot of them down to the principal's office. I happened to be the last parent that he'd called, and my phone was busy, so he accidentally didn't hang up and the rest went to my voicemail.

E-man's mom and I decided that NEXT time, we'd like to see them in the principal's office again...but only for pushing all the chatty children and themselves out the door while screaming at the top of their lungs that this is an EMERGENCY for goodness sakes!!!!

the end.

*oh, and don't worry-we're laughing about it now, however I'm not sure we should be! ☺

Risen Indeed~

"Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken ev'ry barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come."
-Charlotte Elliot

What a blessing it was to be teaching the 4 & 5's class on Easter and going through the whole story, only to resound in a loud shout from a dozen tiny voices- "He's Alive!" Christ died, and then overcame...and He did it all for love- for us.

In the late afternoon on Saturday, we finally got around to dipping a few eggs. It's funny to see how the kids perceive this activity as they get older. Sis still GREATLY enjoys it, being so crafty and all. The older boys, I think, are still nostalgic about it, but finding that getting to the end of their portion is a welcome relief. Rayzer made sure ALL of his were his favorite color, which proved difficult since red egg dye ultimately results in a rather blazing pink...but we humored him and convinced him that they were "red enough".


We enjoyed a lovely Easter afternoon in the sunny Carolinas with dinner at our friends from church. They have a really neat front porch swing that I think we all could've passed the day away on.

However, we couldn't be in the swing all day- there were kites to be flown! We weren't sure there would be enough breeze, but it turned out there was PLENTY. Sis's kite (as well as one of our friends' children) took off from the spool and met with the heavens somewhere. Thankfully we brought a couple of extras so not all was lost. This tradition was bittersweet this year, as it was a tradition of Great-Gma J who passed this winter. We have every intention of remembering her in this special way each year.

Beautiful day, Beatiful Savior. Happy spring!

meowy birthday to you~

Some very special family members will turn one year old next Saturday, and we celebrated this momentous occasion with a full blown birthday bash. Sis said the kitties wouldn't have it any other way.
The guest list included 3 of Sis's closest SC friends who love her kitties almost as much as she does. They came bearing gifts of toys, treats and the like. As you can see, Chloe is most delighted with her Scrunch 'n Punch.

Eventually it was time to blow out the candle in the tray of F.ancy_Feast. While both kitties are seated in the chair of honor, only one decides to wake up and stretch and see what all the fuss is about.
Oh, on second thought, maybe sleeping is still the wiser choice?
Well, the smell of birthday chicken mush (er, fancy gourmet cat food from a can) finally took over.
Then outdoors for a stroll in the beautiful evening air. Chloe enjoys walking on the leash with Sis- she likes it just for a quick while and then is ready to go back in. Casey, on the other hand, will kindly allow you to drag him across the ground for as long as you like, but truly prefers to ride like a king in the umbrella stroller. He also wouldn't mind if you fed him treats while parading him around the neighborhood.
Such a rough life! Next on the agenda for these sweetpeas is probably moving forward with having Chloe spayed. Casey had his 'procedure' last fall, and once Sis has saved up enough, it will be Chloe's turn. Adam has allowed for Chloe to have a litter of kittens first (we'd give all of them away), but as much as Sis would love to see grandkittens come into the world, she knows it comes with a hefty price in shots and maintenance- and also would be required to give them all away. We'll see what the future holds!

movin' on up

Mr. Rayzer Jayzer has really loved being at school this year. He missed the cutoff to begin traditional kindergarten by 2 days, and the district wouldn't budge. (we understand, as this opens a can of worms for everyone wishing to get their kids into school/free daycare for all sorts of reasons) Thankfully, our school received permission to open up a full day k-4 program that runs the same schedule as the upper grades. We have lower enrollment at our school this year, so an extra classroom for these kids was not a problem. Also, our principal was kind enough to allow our little dude in without the lengthy registration process since our family has been a part of the school for a few years now. He has had a fabulous k-4 teacher and assistant, and we love them dearly. He's also been moving to a regular kindergarten room for reading groups each day, and he loves the greater challenge of material (and also getting to be in a group with our next door neighbor!).

A few weeks ago, I asked to meet with his k-4 teacher and the kindergarten teacher he has reading groups with. I wanted to discuss next year and throw around some ideas to keep him challenged and excited about learning. We were all very excited that Rayzer was given permission to complete the last quarter of school in the kindergarten room, then move on to 1st grade in the fall. He is very driven academically, and loves all the challenge that his older siblings send his way. We have a fine group of 1st grade teachers, and I'm so glad we've gotten to know most all of them well.

Rayzer has been most delighted that he does not have to take rest time anymore (he needed it at the beginning of the year, but after Christmas break, he decided is was more fun to try to be sneaky during rest time than to actually rest). He is also excited that he gets to have lunch in the cafeteria now with the older children, since the k-4 class had their lunches in their room. They are working on money in math, and he now gets to be with his neighbor friend the whole day! God has been so good in providing this opportunity!

modern conveniences

Since the motor in our dishwasher has been dying a slow death, the machine has recently been converted into a drying rack for handwashed dishes. Rayzer has been most eager to be my assistant, and even small fights have broken out recently over who GETS TO HELP wash the dishes. Don't worry- it's one of those novelties that is quickly wearing off.

Just another one of those things we take for granted, but I'm also reminded of an article my sweet mother-in-law sent me awhile back about how the ladies of the family used to gather around the sink after a meal and unload all their emotions through the suds, soggy hands, and towels together. I think Sis and I could really benefit from this...and yet there she goes grabbing a paper plate again.

well hello there

If there is a face of the earth, I've apparently climbed back on the blogland version of it. We'll see how this goes. (yes, I'm like all the rest who have to give some sort of excuse-feel free to insert thy reproofs accordingly) The boys just began there last 9 week quarter of school for the year. They're ALMOST starting to count down the days to summer. However, they all have enjoyed this school year a great deal. No lack for drama- to be sure, but it is already full of great memories. In the past 2 weeks, we've had a show-and-tell item (borrowed from another brother without permission) get stolen, and (thankfully) returned. Now there are 5 of us in the family wearing corrective lenses, and our little dude was pleased as potatoes that he has been allowed to complete the last 9 weeks as a bonafide kindergarten student (which means he can move on to 1st grade next fall). Sis and I have traveled the roller coaster of our first year as teacher and student (and student and teacher in many respects, if you know what I mean). We are truly thankful for God's direction in taking this venture on in the middle school years, and are convinced that it has definitely been the right thing for our family. We spend Tuesdays and Thursdays in a homeschool co-op, so she has classes and neat friends to hang out with through the week. The fabulous field trips and homeschool connections here are an added bonus, as we got to attend an Anne Frank play a few weeks ago, go ice skating, and are hoping to hit one of the zoos this Friday. I see an art gallery trip ahead sometime in May (one in downtown Charlotte has an original N.Rockwell- you've gotta come see it, Grammy!)

Having 2 kitties in the house has been, well, interesting. Sis adopted them at the start of her school year last August, and they will turn 1 at the end of this month. They are a delightful brother and sister pair, and I fully realize now why Mom insisted that "pets are for outside". *sigh*

Well, I may be backtracking for awhile on here, but it's just as well to forge ahead. Our wonderful Lord has much in store, so thanks for stopping by either way!

on loan~

I do believe I'd nearly forgotten how to log into this blog! Ah...life. Just a quick, current snippet:


We started summer learning classes today, so the pace doesn't seem to slow over the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. We're studying botany in light of God's marvelous work in creation, and the kids are excited to begin some sprouts (let's see if they actually eat them at the end of the week!)

snow day 2010~

our little adventure with what was left for snow in the trees this morning: