Football

Judah’s reaction when he found out we wouldn’t be able to enjoy Thursday Night Football, because we don’t subscribe to the NFL Network.

What a football day!

I am fickle when it comes to football.  I am not loyal to any team…I am loyal to certain players….until they do something I don’t like.

This season, I am a fan of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, Danny Woodhead and the Patriots, Tim Tebow and the Broncos, Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers….

In seasons past, I have cheered for Brett Favre and his various teams.  Then, Brett Favre got creepy, so I stopped rooting for him.  See?…fickle.

Tim Tebow and the Broncos entertained me quite well today!  Wow.  What a game!  Is anyone with me here??

Wow.

Teen Mania

This article on  has captured my attention over the last couple of days.

Here is a video of the documentary: Mind Over Mania

When I was 20, I spent 2 months in Kenya on a Teen Mania missions trip.

I had some major issues with Teen Mania.  And, I felt all alone for the entire summer...I struggled through with just my Bible and my journal...working out some pretty major stuff....stuff that I'd been needing to work out for quite some time, and that summer was the point when God forced me to study His Word and get to the Truth of many matters.

I watched the documentary last night, and I think it paints Teen Mania in a truthful light.  One thing I take issue with is that MSNBC likely DID approach Ron Luce under false pretenses.  And, I feel bad for Ron....because he seemed so upbeat about sharing information with the network, and I'm sure he felt betrayed when he saw the show aired last weekend.

There's so much I could say and share about my experience and how I saw the same problems that the girls expressed in their recovery meeting.  But, rather than do that, I just want to reflect on the reality that my experience with Teen Mania had overall good results.

God used an organization run by confused people, guided by false doctrine, and corrupted by greed and power to further my relationship with Himself.  The following areas were challenged and developed in a way that no other experience could have been the catalyst to do:

•   My faith in Scripture ALONE as the foundation for all truth.
• My confidence in Christ as the only One whom I am to be pleasing. 
• An assurance that God sent me to Kenya for the sole purpose of being the object of His blessings.

I am heartbroken that so many, according to the documentary, did not leave their Teen Mania experience with anything more than heartbreak, anxiety, and a seeming assurance of Christian hypocrisy.

So...I'm praying for them.
And I'm proud of them for going public.  

A Joyous Day!

October 27, 2011

2:00 pm

We welcomed Asher Joseph to our family!

He weighed 8 lbs, 2oz. and was 21" long.

We're in love!

Dinosaurs and Antelope

Amos has his heart set on discovering some dinosaur bones.  Here, he's digging away in the back yard, telling me that we need to have a whole bunch of kids, so that the whole family can help him in his dinosaur bones pursuits. :)

On another, pretty unrelated, animal note: The nice family who provided the adorable kitties...They have a very friendly baby antelope on their property also.  She was abandoned at a young age, and this family nursed her to health...and now she follows them around everywhere.  And she followed us around while we were there too.  It was sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I think.  So...I'm sharing with you. :)

A Worthwhile Purchase

My parents went in with us this year on a birthday gift for all the kids.

My mom and dad wanted to get a jungle gym.  I liked that idea too, but it was a bit more expensive, and I was afraid it might require more maintenance.  So, we decided on the trampoline.

I am so glad we did.  The kids love it.  I often say, "Go outside, and jump on the trampoline!", and I don't think they have once complained about the idea.

That's pretty great.

Our new additionS!

We are semi-patiently awaiting our new addition.

But, while we wait....we've adopted a few "babies" into our family.

DUCKS

See bottom left of photo.

Meet Meriwether, Drake, Dricoll, and Periwinkle.

We got them from a friend, and they've been pretty entertaining.  We're told that the 2 females will start laying eggs at some point, and I'm excited to see how we like them.

The second night we had them home, we decided to try out their free-range-ness.  They tried to waddle their ways back to their previous owners' house.  Morgan had to "herd" them back.  Thankfully, ducks are easy to round up....who knew?

They were ready to be free range a few days later, and they haven't wandered once...they're pretty easy.

KITTIES

Meet Temptleton and Charlotte.

They are adorable in my opinion.  Last winter we acquired a couple of kitties...and that experience ended in a tragic fashion.  I've known that I wanted to try the cat thing again...and this has been our best opportunity.  

I think I'm a cat person.  They are just so dang cute.

Baby Steps

I uploaded and edited photos tonight.

Now, I'm uploading them to Flickr....this takes a while, and I need to go to bed, so I shall wait to post any new pictures to the blog.

I had a nice Saturday.  We spent the whole day together as a family...sometimes doing nothing, sometimes doing "stuff".  It was energizing for me... I feel "up".

Goodnight. :)

Friday Night

I blog in my head often....  I do not blog on my blog nearly as often.

Part of the reason for my procrastination is that I want to include relevant, edited photos in every post.  It turns out, I'm not so much in the season of life which allows for a lot of photo editing.

So...no photos in this post.  Stepping outside my comfort zone.

Our new baby is due to arrive 4 weeks from today.  I've been feeling less than super great for the last couple of weeks.  It's hard to tell if I'm ill or if I'm displaying the symptoms expected when there is a quickly growing bundle of joy in my belly.  I'm anxious to meet him/her....

I will share more later.  I do have some pretty great pictures to upload, edit, and post.  Pictures of all of our farm animals, of the kids, of the beautiful autumn we've had here in Wyoming, and the nearly finished mini-barn that my handy husband has invested the last several months in.  I have some exciting updates and some personal thoughts and ponderings as well.

Things are going well though...

Will post again soon.

Amos is 5!

5 is such a milestone, isn't it?  Since we homeschool, he has technically been a kindergarten student for at least 6 months already.  But, there is something about that magical coming-of-school-age.

My Amos is so precious.  His smile is genuine and contagious.  I think he might be the most photogenic of all of my children.  I wish I could capture his laugh as easily as his smile.  It, likewise, is from the heart and catchy.

He is smart.  He focuses so well on school work.  He has an outstanding memory.   And, he loves history above all other school subjects.  One day, I told him we didn't have to do history because we had finished all of our history for the week, and he started to cry.

He also loves dinosaurs.  Our local college has a geological museum.  I took the kids there about 9 months ago, and Amos has been begging to return ever since.  I have put it off....but I thought it would be fun to go on his birthday.  I bought him this plush blue dinosaur at the museum store.

Then, we had Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousin over for dinner, cake, and presents.  We also had our neighbors over...they're like family too. :)

Birthdays are fun.  I'm sad that he's not 4 anymore, but I'm proud of the 5 year old that he has become!

Our Grocery Bill is About to.....

PLUMMET!!

As of today, we have fresh laid eggs in the back yard!

Happiness

This photo makes me happy.

Our baby is really turning into a Daddy's Boy.  It warms my heart to hear him call out "DahhhhDeeee!"

Homeschool Curriculum

I mentioned a couple months ago that I would post some information about our homeschool curriculum.

I have finally fulfilled this promise. :)

I provided a complete list (with photos) that can be accessed by clicking on the tab labeled "Our Homeschool Curriculum" at the top of the page.

Check it out if you'd like. :)