Category: Uncategorized

Wow. What a gorgeous week we are having. This sunshine is fabulous. The kids got hot and sweaty trying to do school outside, so we pulled out our handy-dandy water buckets. I’ve posted about this a few times…THE best gift Gran gave the kiddos!! You hook up this blue disc to the end of the hose and each kid has a bucket that, when pushed down onto the blue disc, fills up with water. So, the water only flows out of the hose when the buckets are being pushed down on the blue disc. As they’ve gotten older, the water play gets a bit more aggressive. If you are a mom of toddlers, try to find this toy!!!

We had some family time out in the woods, and I had such a nice time. It was great to be with each other and away from our every day routine and responsibilities. The kids played so well out there. Josh did the cooking and made coffee each morning. It was great! The only little obstacle was the bathroom….it was 150 yards up a hill and was easy to get to during the day. In the middle of the night, however, I just did not want to go by myself. 😁

Here are some pictures from our fun camping trip:

We got all set up and then Molly and I went to check out the “Comfort Station.” Not bad. Not great either.

We went for a long walk…

We had a really nice view at our site. We thought it would be a good idea to try out the percolator so that the morning would go smoothly. Coffee is an important part of my morning.

Molly and Mack waded out a bit too far in the water and basically just ended up swimming!

Ruby played her heart out and ended up snoozing by the fire.

What’s camping without s’mores??

The tent was nice and spacious…the kids slept great out there! And there was room for our (Josh and mine) blow up mattresses!

We read this book while we sat around the fire. It was such an amazing book! I highly recommend any family to read it together. It’s a true story set in the Philippines and recounts how a village of Balangaos came to learn about Jesus and how the New Testament was translated into their language. We loved it.

We are already looking forward to another camping trip! I enjoyed the family time so much. Thankful that we are making such great memories together.

This past Friday we went to RedTop Mountain to let the kids ride bikes while Josh and I walked. We were trying out a new trail, and let’s just say it didn’t go well. After about thirty minutes, we went back to the regular trail we were all used to. All in all we walked well over an hour and a half. We were all tired and enjoyed a quick dinner and calm night.
Saturday was fun and full, as was Sunday. We celebrated a sweet couple in our class that is about to welcome their first baby into the world!

Matt and Lydia….sweet, godly couple.

Today we have done school and laundry, which is what I do most of my life. 😁 It’s been a good day.

These are all the books we are supposed to be reading!

These are the flash cards Mack is supposed to be learning!

Here’s what they’d rather be doing:

We’ve done work and play today…about to hunker down inside and pray that these storms heading our way won’t be bad!!!

In order for everyone to keep breathing today, I made the decision to leave the house this afternoon. 😁 Let’s just say we’ve had quite a bit of togetherness. Some people are feeling smothered. So out we went….after we did our school work and had a snack, that is.

We went to Wills Park for a long walk and some play time.

We stopped by The Home School Hangout to buy some books for next year. We found Dutch Blitz, a card game the kids have grown to love.

And now we’re home watching Brady Bunch episodes, making muffins and waiting for sewing class. Hopefully our little outing will help us go from foe…

…and back to friends!

We try to have rice and beans once a week around here. Not only does it make meal planning simple, it’s a great reminder to pray for those around the world in poverty….who would love to have beans and rice. It also helps us as we pray for our sponsor child with New Missions. He is able to eat rice and beans often because of the work God is doing in Haiti through New Missions. We’re grateful to be a tiny part financially, and we are even more grateful to be able to pray for him, his family and all the workers with New Missions.
So, what’s for dinner at your house? How do you try and help your family be thankful for all you have while being mindful of those who don’t have….and then work towards being a part of the solution?

Josh was driving the kids down the road today when Molly decided to tell them that when she has a baby, she is going to name her “Treasure.”

Josh asked her what she would do if her husband didn’t like that name….she said she’d tell him, “Too bad.”
Mack piped up and said he would name his first kid “Mack.” Josh asked him what he would do if his wife didn’t like that…he said, “I would just tell her that life is full of disappointments. Get over it.”
Because he knows all about life being full of disappointments….yeah, right.

As I’m typing this, we are driving up I-75. The sun is shining brightly for the first time since Friday. Our weekend in south GA was wet and cold for Easter, but we still managed to have a great time. Thank you, PawPaw, for all the fun. Here are some pictures:

And here are the cousins we didn’t get to see this weekend…looking good before they went to church to celebrate Jesus:

“Christ drank the cup of bitterness, sorrow, cursing. Having emptied it, He filled it with joy, sweetness, and blessing. When we take the cup, let us never forget the cost at which He so filled it for us.” G. Campbell Morgan

PSALM 116:12-13 What shall I render to The Lord for all His benefits toward me? I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of The Lord.

Let’s just say it’s no small thing that Mack just finished his last 1st grade test in Math!! I’ll order his 2nd grade book soon. Until then, we will do the happy dance for his accomplishment!