I'm a Mommy!

My youngest little boy is at a very funny stage where everything he says makes us laugh!Sometimes he really does bring tears to our eyes. This age is by far my favorite because of how his little personality is really coming out, and he's becoming his own person. He loves to joke and say things that he knows is not true just to get us picking at him. He told me the other day, in his sweetest, sneakiest little voice, "you're not a girl!"  Well, of course I had to rebute this statement! :)  I then asked him, "well, if I'm not a girl then what am I??"  He says in his "for-real" sweet voice, "you're a mommy."

Out of all the titles in this world I could have, "Mommy" is by far my favorite! As women we can wear many hats and take on many titles:  wife, daughter, neice, granddaughter, mother, friend, teacher, cook, housekeeper, etc...................  but there is something special about being called a Mommy. That title is personal and intimate. Any female is capable of carrying a child, but it takes someone really dedicated to become a mommy. Laying all selfish desires, and worldly wants down. I can't be focused on what's best for ME, and what I want anymore...their needs are greater than mine. I have been given this responsiblity by the Lord to raise these children the best way I know how, with His guidance. Of course, Eric is my partner in raising these boys, but being their mom is not a job I take lightly. I desire to teach them first and foremost the ways of the Lord, and the rest follows. Some days being a mommy is not easy, and I know that harder days are probably to come, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." --Deut. 6:5-7

This is why I'm home with them...to teach them!  I don't want the world views to overshadow their way of thinking. Yes, I believe they need to have a clear reality of the world, but the ways of the Lord should be on their hearts & minds so that they can distinguish the difference and make Godly choices.  This is my prayer for them!

I enjoy being their Mommy and all that goes along with it...playing cars, watching endless baseball games, kissing boo-boos, retrieving splinters, snotty-dirty kisses, and accepting that we will NEVER have a family dinner without someone passing gas or burping! :)
I pray that when they are grown they will look back on these days with fond memories. My desire is for them to "rise up and call me blessed" (Prov. 31:28) not for my own boasting, but just to know I've done my job and done it well.

Side Note:
I have to share that God is good! He provides in ways and through people that amaze me. He is ALWAYS right on time! We have been praying as a family for God's provisions financially, and He is showing my boys that He does answer prayers! I have to ask for His forgiveness for my doubt and unbelief. As soon as I really start to wonder where He is, He shows up and reminds me that it's all in His timing, and I'm impatient! :)  I'm thankful that He loves me anyway, despite all my imperfections.

Caleb turned 7!

We have begun the second month of the new year, and I'm just now posting about Caleb's birthday! With it being just 3 days before Christmas it does seem to go by really quickly, and fine details are usually left out. We did have a family party at home with a "Star Wars" theme...he got things he wanted and some great surprises, but most of all we enjoyed celebrating him as the great gift he is to us!

He is such a fun kid!  He makes us laugh with his funny sense of humor, and then frustrates us with his stubborness. :)  He likes things done a certain way, and doesn't get in a hurry about ANYTHING! He is definitely kin to my PawPaw and brother! Nothing stresses them out and they can take a lot, but make them mad or say something about their family, and you better watch out!  He has that kind of temper, too!  Loves and laughs a lot and with his whole heart! He reminds me to slow down and not get in a hurry about things...just take things as they come.

~Opening gifts...no, he didn't get a massager! I like reusing boxes to disguise their gifts, so they can't guess what it is!

Of course, little brother has to help! :)

Ready to make a wish!

Happy 7th Birthday, Caleb!!

New Year Start-Up

The New Year has started, but I haven't. Lack of motivation, laziness, frustration, or the good ol' just don't want to's!  I'm not sure which of those it is, or if it's even any of those reasons, but this year is starting off slow for us. Maybe that's good thing, maybe that means the whole year will be slow and laid back. :)

We have all had the head cold junk, which makes you feel terrible, so we haven't even started school back yet! We WILL start Monday...we HAVE to start Monday! In an attempt to get myself more organized with our school stuff, I have gotten one thing accomplished...I moved our school stuff out of a cabinet taking up room in the house, to a more organized area. This is the ONE "closet" area that is all mine in our house, and what does it hold?? Bills, computer, school books, bills, markers, paper, bills, shredder, and did I mention bills!?! :) 

Notice how everything is labeled and in a particular place?  Now if I will just keep it this way! :)

Place for bills & paper. Grading scale & calendar

Messages, to-do lists, etc.

So, I guess I have gotten a little accomplished. Now to move on to another area in the house!

It's funny to me how there's always something to clean, organize, or throw out!



Like Buzz & Woody

My sweet, funny boy!

Sometimes I get to spend time with each child seperately, which is really important, and today it was with Jacob. The other two were spending some much needed time with their Daddy! (Today is Caleb's birthday, and he wanted to go squirrel hunting...so that was Daddy's area of interest! Another post to come about his bday.) I had some Christmas shopping to finish and also had to get food for a birthday party! I had to face the dreaded store of Wal-Mart AND Sam's...which I might add were not as bad as they could have been, but still more people that I like to deal with! Jacob was SOOO good! Funny how they each behave better when they're by themselves. :) He sat in the buggy, held my list, talked the entire time, sang Christmas songs, and wish everybody we passed a Merry Christmas! A lady behind us in the checkout line commented how happy he seemed singing his songs, and I replied to her, "well, we're trying to spread some Christmas cheer since no one else in the store seemed to be enjoying themselves."

Side note: I don't really understand why we do all that we do during this time of year if we're not going to enjoy it. Why buy people gifts, go to parties/family gatherings, fix food, bake goodies, etc. if you can't do it with a cheerful attitude?? 2 Corinthians 9:7 says, "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

So, as hard as it was to smile and be happy amongest all the people in the stores, we did and tried to do it with the right attitude. With Jacob though, it's easy to laugh...he says and does the funniest things, and also the sweetest! As I was buckeling him in his car seat he looked at me with the sweetest expression on his face and said, "Mommy, you're my best friend." (YES, the tears started flowing!) I asked him, "I thought the boys were your best friends?" And then he said another tear jerker, "your my favorite!" I just sat there and cried! That was some of the most precious words I could ever hear. For those that really know Jacob know how sweet and rotten he can be all at the same time....this was a sweet moment! :) I just thought how blessed I am to have 3 handsome little boys that really do love me back. It makes all the hard times and long days of being home with them all worth it when you hear your child say those sweet things to you! I really do love being their mom and being able to spend time with them. Jacob loves to play Buzz and Woody,(he says he's Buzz Light--LOL--and I'm Woody) so I've been telling him that were best friends like Buzz and Woody! Then he'll shoot me with his pretend light beam! :) I love the adventures we have with 3 boys in the house!
I pray that the Lord will always keep us close and remind me daily to just have fun with them and enjoy these precious moments. I'm their mother, but I can also be their good friend "Woody"!

Christmas Fun!



Yes, there can be fun this time of year despite all the hustle and bustle! We finished up with our school last Wed., then ended the week with time with our great co-op Group 4:9! Our group Christmas party was Friday night with a homemade ornament exchange between the kids, so we had to work on our creations. I love decorating with snowmen, so I gave the boys that idea and they made their own versions of a snowman.

L to R:  Caleb's Nighttime Snowman, Jacob's tile job (didn't he do good!?!) :), Noah's "Grinch Man"



I also had a little time with just Jacob this past Sunday morning. The boys were riding the van with Eric to pick up some kids for church, so we were on our own. Since he is still small I can dress him all cute, and he can't refuse, yet! After wetting down and fixing his hair, he went to the mirror and said, "I handsome!"  He is such a mess!



Don't you love the sweater vest and the cheesy grin!?! 

We have also made some flour/salt ornaments. We ended up not using any of them, but they were fun to make!

Shopping is tomorrow...I'll let you know how it goes! LOL

Half way to adulthood...what?!?!

It crossed my mind this past Saturday (Dec. 3rd) that my firstborn, Noah, was half way to being an adult! How did this happen? Where has time gone? We celebrated his 9th birthday with just a family party at home. No matter what we do, he is always happy and eager to have his birthday. We have been counting down the days for the past month or more. :)





Noah with his guitar cake.

I think back over the last nine years and how quickly they have gone. Noah being my first, of course was special. I remember the whole timeline of events from finding out I was pregnant, the look on Eric's face, telling our families, the pregnancy ups & downs, to the delivery. I remember how I felt when I finally got to hold him for the first time. His smell, his little wrinkled face. He has brought us so much joy throughout the last nine years. I know the next nine will probably be more challenging. Teenagers and their problems are harder to deal with than bottle weening and potty training! I pray for God's guidance through the next years, but for now we'll just enjoy him being nine!

He had me make his cake. Bless his heart, after I made a pirate ship cake for his 5th birthday, he now thinks I can make good cakes. :) I do enjoy experimenting with them, but don't think anyone but my children would appreciate my handiwork!

The green part is cake, the yellow and white parts are rice crispy treats. It was really yummy!

Blowing out the candles!

Opening Presents

Thankful to Homeschool

One of biggest questions people have when they find out that we homeschool is:  What about your kids making friends and being in activities?  

Well, that question has really weighed heavy on my heart and mind. They have had a few friends along the way, at church, on a ball team, but most of those relationships have been temporary. We have been fairly active in our local homeschool association for a couple of years now, and for one main reason was for my kids to meet other kids. Through that group we have met some great people, but there again we would see these people on occasion. My friend, Crystal (who also homeschools her girls) and I have wanted to form a small co-op group of our own for a while now, but things just never seemed to work out. For about 2 years now we have been praying about a group.

To make a long story short, we have now formed a group with a total of 6 moms and 14 kids!  We are SO EXCITED about this group of people. We have started doing activities and classes together just within the last month.  I just LOVE IT when the Lord works things out like this! We all just seem to really click with each other. No one person is carrying the load by themselves...we all work together great! Our husbands have even been able to meet, and it just seems like we've all known each other forever. We chose to name our co-op, Group 4:9, from Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he does not have another to help him."  I pray that's what we do, lift each other up!

This week we were studying the real meaning of Thanksgiving, and we really learned A LOT! Each family made their own replicas of the Mayflower that we shared with each other during class. The boys decided they wanted theirs made from cake, so we did the Mayflower out of rice crispies and set it on a cake body of water. They really did do a lot of it on their own, and I helped some. I mostly did the baking and shaping..they did the icing, sails, and design. Here they are icing up the ship. :)

They enjoyed getting chocolate icing all over their hands!

Here is our completed Mayflower!



After our great lessons about the 1st Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful feast!
Check out our Group 4:9 blog:  www.2rbetterthan1.blogspot.com  (also linked on this blog) for more great pictures and info.
I am thankful for this group and how the Lord has given my boys and myself new friends, and YES now they get to socialize!!  HA! :) I wouldn't trade this time with my boys for anything! 
Do we have bad days?--You bet so!
Are there days I wish they were in public school?--Definitely YES!
Would it be nice to get paid for a job that I have to put so much time into?--That would be a great plus!
Would I like missing learning with them and spending these years with them?--DEFINITELY NOT!!

I am thankful, most of all, that the Lord has always provided a way for me to stay at home with our boys. It's not for everyone, and I realize that most families need two incomes (which we could use right now!) but I always go back to the calling I've felt on my life. I

know that God has called me to be a wife and mother, which includes homeschooling our kids. This was decided before we had children...actually, I believe before we were even married. SO, on our hardest days I have to remind myself of these things. And, on the great days, like when we're with our Group 4:9, or going on a great field trip, or just sitting on the couch reading together, that's when I say, "thank you Lord for this time!"

I AM thankful to be homeschooling our boys!

Who wouldn't want to spend time with these 3!?!