Can’t wait to share more about what we’ve been doing.  However, we’re busy adjusting to the new schedule again!

While I believe I was born with a natural love of God’s creation, I was not born with green thumbs! It seems everything they touch outside turns out beautiful! Thank you Mom and Dad for sharing your green thumbs and most of all your love of nature!

As I was sitting for a few moments mesmerized by watching the birds at the feeders, thoughts were racing through my mind. I intently watched as the birds flocked energetically to eat up the rich nutrients offered in the seed and suet. They are so hungry this time of year, you can tell in the way they look when they are feeding during the summer compared to now. I’ve been thinking about how amazing it is that some birds choose to let go and leave for the cold winter months, and some decide to “go with the flow” and tough it out. Those who stick around know things are changing around them and they know it’s going to get more challenging, they choose to puff out their fluffy feathers and bear it, never giving up their home. But honestly, I can’t blame those to choose to fly southward either. I wondered for a moment if I would “judge” either for making the wrong choice. Should they stay or go? Well, they are just doing as their Creator has programmed them, for them there’s no choice.

However for us, our lives are full of choices. Do you ever wish the Lord would just program you to do His will so you could always make the right choice?  I sure do. Alas we are given the privilege of being different from the animals, we are special, we have choices. While being programmed to make the right choices all the time may seem desirable, being special, having a closer relationship with my Creator is the most desired of all. We as human beings have been given the ability to feel and love deeply, created in His image, and given a choice, for He loves us that much.

We are told to not judge (Luke 6:37-42), yet we as human beings tend to be very quick to do so to one another. I have been a great fault with this. However, I’ve learned in recent years to reel my tongue and thoughts in on all matters. I’ve learned that I don’t have all the answers and just because I choose to do it, doesn’t mean that everyone should. I’ve learned that while my choice to homeschool seemed for years to me to be the only one, I’ve learned that it is a “calling” and not everyone is called to do it. And that’s ok.

As mothers we all desire the best for our children. We want them all to succeed and thrive and be protected from evil. I’ve always tried my best to do this for my children. But I have one child who God has called me constantly to “let go of” and hand over to Him. I’ve held on for dear life, believing that I was to fight and not give up, and truly felt I was doing right in that, until recently. The Lord has opened up my eyes and has shown me how truly different children can be and that sometimes, just sometimes, maybe holding on and fighting isn’t the best thing. Maybe true strength and love is knowing when to let go and let God. For all my children are God’s children first, and each one needs to thrive in the way God has designed them. And this may not necessarily be in the way their parents see fit. I’ve often wondered how parents could choose to homeschool only some of their children and send others to another school. However, I am now joining those ranks. Our son will be starting at a Christian private school on January 4th, and while my heart breaks, I know this is being obedient to God. I am continuing to homeschool my daughters because this works wonderfully for them, however we believe private school will work wonderfully for our son. A good friend reminded me of the story of Hannah and Samuel (1 Samuel 1), and this has brought great peace to our choice.

This photo is from this past weekend. We were on one of our many nature adventures to one of our favorite local parks (can you see the flowing creek in the background?). My sweet hubby was with us this time to take the photo. My Daddy and I share more than our good looks (), we also share a deep love of God’s creation. On our nature walks we often talk about how wonderful it’ll be walking around Heaven together with our Lord exploring His creation. When we discover new things on our walks you’d might think we were both kids again, we get so excited.

At the end of this year he will be retiring, praise the Lord, after working as a carpenter and shop foreman at the same company for over 45 years. He went to work to help support his family (his Mother and siblings) when he was only 15 years old, when his Daddy died. And he’s never stopped supporting a family since then.  I can’t wait until his retirement; there are promises of more frequent nature adventures together.

He just recently got his dream camera, equipped with a totally cool lens! So, we’ve been having fun with that. Here are some photos from our nature trek together that day.

Skipper Butterfly 

Shelf Fungus

Huge Millipede – the largest we have in Kentucky!

It curled up into an armored ball when we messed with it.

And then took right back off again.

A Buckeye tree loaded with fruit

Good thing Daddy always has is trusty pocket knife on him cause I really wanted to see one of those Buckeyes inside! 

Oh, and one last photo…my kids love to go fishing with Grandpa too; Grandpa tells me that Gabby caught this fish all on her own. My Daddy likes to tell “fish stories” too.

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This morning, I was sitting at my owner’s bedroom glass door observing the new fallen and cold winter snow that the poor outsiders have to endure.  Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small gray bird only a short distance from me.  Despite the fact that my owner keeps me well fed as is evidenced by my fluffy exterior, my carnal instincts overrode my properness and I began to flip my tail wildly and make those annoying excited cat sounds that make my face embarrassingly twitch.  And as if to mock the fact that I was aware that a pane of glass lay in between me and my desired prey, yet another small bird flew in to meanly taunt me from above.  And yet again I’m left wondering when my owner will stop feeding the little winged menaces.  She insists upon it just for her enjoyment which I do not understand in the slightest.

Conversation between Grandma and Hannah:

(After seeing my 9 yr old son have one of his hyperactive moments, which happens quite often)

Grandma:  Alex, you really are a firecracker you know!

Hannah:  No Grandma, he’s a M-80!

Conversation between Mom and Hannah during schooltime:

(Hannah had been sitting on her foot for awhile and it had fallen asleep, so she got up to walk around)

Mom:  Hannah, what are you doing?

Hannah:  My foot fell asleep, I’m trying to wake it up.

(several minutes pass and Hannah is still walking around in circles)

Mom:  Hannah why are you still walking around?

Hannah:  I guess this foots a deep sleeper.

This same witty girl has also grown deeply lately in her abilities with her artwork and poetry writing.  She was recently given a language lesson in which she had to write a descriptive paragraph about a season of her choice.  With her permission, I would love to share what made me cry when I read it:

Winter Beauty

by Hannah

A morning chill woke me up.  Just to tell me Beauty has come. The window was covered in crystals of many.  The sky was filled with diamonds, falling as if a ballerina was dancing with grace.  The birds so high can’t hide themselves.  White and brown, that’s all there is to everyone.  But the Beauty comes from the tiniest things just coming from here and there.  The Beauty of Winter is always there.

 

Mom:  Gabby, would you like dessert?

Gabby:  Mama, I chockit peas (translation=Mom, I want chocolate please.)

Mom:  You want chocolate?

Gabby:  I like chockit Mama, have chockit?  (translation:  I like chocolate Mom, can I have some?)

(Mom, opening chocolate piece)

Gabby:  Whatz dat Mama?  Dat chockit? (translation = What’s that Mom?  Is that Chocolate?

Mom:  Yes Gabby.

Gabby (in high squealy voice):  I love chockit Mama!  Tank you Mama!  Dats Chockit!  (translation=I love chocolate Mama!  Thank you Mama!  That’s Chocolate!

There for awhile, the toddler in the family was the only one spending lots of time in “time-out”.

Lately only the family cat has found herself there.

Yet another Webkinz gets enrolled at the family’s homeschool, by recruiting agent Hannah.

Despite icky behavior, we are still managing to have some sweet moments.  Here are some pictures from yesterday:

1 bored toddler with an insatiable curiosity

 + 1 desperate to entertain mother

= ticket to enter into cookie cutter heaven

Using those Cookie Cutters to Make Valentine Cookies with Big Sister

Here are pictures of some beautiful moments from today:

You can’t see it real well, but in this picture the snow is ever so gently falling (has been most of the day).  And our creek had just started freely flowing again after being frozen over.

This morning I was reading an email that was forwarded by a good friend, and the story was one that brought me to complete awe of God and spoke directly to me, just at that very moment, through the window above me, the sun broke loose for just a few minutes (the only time it has today) and landed directly upon my face.  Don’t you just love God’s warm touch.  I’d been feeling so down about myself, like I was failing God again, so I really needed that warm reminder that He still loves me and always will.