Sharing the joy in this season of life

Standard Process Day 20

2012-01-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

Okay, so much for blogging our cleanse. I did take notes throughout the past few weeks, but I have not been sharing them here. Blogging kind of takes back seat to taking care of my family, schooling, preparing food, and just the general upkeep of life.

Saying all that, things have gone very well. I thought the beginning of the cleanse would have been much harder. I think my body was asking for it. I really didn't crave foods, I didn't have the headaches I had heard about, and my emotions seemed to just get better and better as the days went by. Yes, I was tired. What homeschooling mama of three isn't. But things where just easier to deal with. I didn't seem to have the highs and lows thorough the day.

Probably the most difficult thing on the cleanse was making sure there was foods to eat ready to go. I did great getting up with Danny and getting him out the door to work the first week. After that I slacked off and just tried to have food in the refrigerator for him to grab and take. I found it very simple to make a shake for breakfast every morning. My kids eat a ton in the morning, and by the time they are full and ready for the day it's nice to be able to just whip up a shake for myself that satisfies me and is good for me too. We balanced out the fruit in the shakes with lots of carrot juice and frozen spinach. Neither are detectable in the shakes. I also would have a lentil dish in the refrigerator at all times to simply heat up and eat. I made a thick lentil stew with a ton of vegetables. I also made a curried lentil dish that was a nice change. I made huge amounts of these so they would last several days. We could pull out a half a cup or so and have something warm and satisfying right away.

Something else that helped was flavor. Since we were limited on what we could add to food I used lots of fresh herbs: thyme, oregano, basil, along with tons of garlic and good old sea salt and cracked pepper.

As far as weight results, Dan has lost about 21 pounds. He lost pretty steady the whole three weeks. I have lost about 12 pounds. I seemed to quit loosing last week after trying to eat even less. I started thinking that my body may have been going into some sort of starvation mode and holding onto my weight. Once I started eating more again, the weight started coming back off.

We did have a cheat day. We made it through Dan's birthday with no problem, but going to Disneyland pushed us over the top. We had planned a fancy sit down meal with our cousins that was price fixed, meaning no matter what we'd ordered it would cost the same. Danny and I broke down and both had tri tip and mashed potatoes. I also had two glasses of wine and he had a long island ice tea. See, when we cheat, we cheat! Fortunately it was easy to get right back on the wagon.

So tomorrow is the last day of the official cleanse. I am hoping we stick to some of these new ways of eating. I will be adding back in meats and cheeses as well as carbs, but I think we can make wiser choices and continue portion control. I would like to continue the shakes for breakfast and maybe lunch too. It would be nice if I could continue to lose some more weight.

All in all, this was a great experience and I will do it again in the future.

Standard Process Day 1 and 2

2012-01-07T20:32:00.001-08:00

Danny and I started the Standard Process Cleanse yesterday. So far it has been going really well. We have been doing a lot of menu planning and shopping for food. The cleanse includes protein shakes, supplements to get your body rid of toxins and running better, and diet. The diet consists of lots of vegetables and fruits along with a small amount of brown rice and lentils. We are trying to eat more vegetables than fruit to keep the calories down. We have been starting out our days with the shakes. I use a green juice that we buy that is a combination of many fruits and vegetables along with frozen mixed berries, frozen spinach, fresh squeezed orange juice, and carrot juice as well as two scoops of the protein powder. The shakes are really quite tasty and very satisfying. I find them very easy to do while getting breakfast ready for the kids. I have been having the shakes for about 5 days, just to kind of get ready for the cleanse.

Yesterday, being our first official day on the cleanse, we had our shakes in the morning for breakfast. We had some carrots and apples while out on the road running around. Between trips we came home and had some brown rice with peas. For dinner Dan sautéed up some mushrooms and we had a huge salad. I never felt hungry all day. I did want to keep eating though after dinner. That is just habit for me, one I need to change. So I held fast and didn't eat anything else. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't hungry. Here's a shocker... We are each taking 30 pills a day (of supplements) along with our normal DHA and multi's that we take daily. Another thing we are trying to do is up our consumption of water. Got to have something to push all these impurities out of us.

Today started much like yesterday with our shakes. Again for lunch we were out on the road, but Dan had packed a great salad of cucumbers and tomatoes. It was delicious. When we got home from our shopping today, Food Prep began. I made an oven roasted tomato sauce that turned out amazing. I can't wait to have it. Probably tomorrow over some sautéed Portabella mushrooms. I'm also thinking it will be fantastic over spaghetti squash. So I put it in the refrigerator for future use. Danny helped me make a lentil dish with tons of vegetables. It had carrots, celery, onions, basil, oregano, bay leaves, thyme, vegetable stock, and the lentils. Seasoned up with some sea salt and pepper, it was wonderful over a bed of brown rice. I was very easy on the rice, and served a pretty small portion of lentils on top, and I was full before it was gone. Recognizing that, I put the plate down and decided I would save it for if I get hungry later this evening. It's two hours later already and I'm still full. One other thing that I experimented with tonight were kale chips. I know, sounds awful right? But they were amazing!!! I washed two big bunches of kale and cut away the stem. Then I tore it into "chip" sized bites and tossed them in a bowl with a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Actually, more than tossing them, I rubbed the oil all over them. Then I set them on two big baking sheets (without overlapping them) and baked them for 15 minutes at 375 degrees, tossing them once while they baked. Oh my goodness!! They were so crunchy and light and salty and good. The kids went crazy over them and Dan and I did too. We ate the whole batch!! Seriously, we ate two huge bunches of kale and LOVED it!! Luckily I had a feeling this might be a hit and I bought four bunches of kale, so we will have to do it again in the next couple of days.

So, all in all we are off to a great start. I am feeling pretty good, and enjoying our food, and I'm not hungry. I am hoping tomorrow we can get a little more exercise in. Maybe go to the park and play and take a walk. Maybe go up and down the ladder putting the Christmas decorations in the attic?? I am very excited to get to do this cleanse. I am hoping it's a start to some healthier living for me and my family.

(Note to say that I got most of these recipe ideas from other people who have blogged about their experience doing this cleanse. If I were a little more savvy blogging on my iPad while giving my 2 year old a bath, I would include links.) ;-)

Welcome 2012

2012-01-03T11:33:00.000-08:00

A new year has started, and with it comes promises of change. I could list all of the things I hope to "do better" or "do more" or "do less", but then there would be let down for me when not everything changed. So I start this new year trying as best I can to slow down and take every moment in. Life is full of moments not to be missed by other things getting in the way. I want to be more present in the day to day things going on around me. In doing that, I believe there will be change in many things.

So blessings to you and yours for a very happy and healthy 2012, and slow down with me and breathe in life all around.

Happy New Year!

Whoo Hooo!!

2011-12-16T16:07:00.001-08:00

I just managed to get a video off my phone, on my computer, converted to the right format, and burned onto a DVD that will... wait for it, wait for it... ACTUALLY PLAY ON OUR DVD PLAYER!!!! This is a major accomplishment, if you couldn't tell from all the caps ;-).

Emma's now practicing her dances that I took video of. Her Christmas recital is tomorrow!! Off to watch my girly <3

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-16T01:27:00.000-08:00

I love the way the house feels when it's decorated for Christmas. I love getting into those old boxes and getting out the decorations. So many of those decorations have great stories behind them. I thought I would share a few...

This tradition was started the year I was born. Grandma Butler started buying me a Reid and Barton cross every year. Each one is different and each has it's own story. I hang them on the tree each year on red ribbons. One year, before we had kids, this was all that was on our tree along with white lights and baby's breath. It was truly beautiful. This collection of crosses started a few years before I was born, and my mom was so sweet to fill in those missing years for me. She has also kept the tradition up since my Grandma was no longer able to get them for me. Year after year I am surprised at how many crosses there are on our tree.... hummm, guess what that means....

This reindeer was given to my mom by an old neighbor. It hung in our house every Christmas when I was a child. My mom passed it on to me. He has graced the back of our door since I got him. This year when the Christmas boxes came down I had three sets of little hands wanting to get into them. I made the mistake of popping Mr. Reindeer out of the box a little too fast (and maybe with a little growl - I know, bad mommy!). This made Luke scared of it, and he refused to come downstairs on his own for the first few days. Since then he has become friends with the reindeer and has enjoyed pointing them out whenever he sees one. (note to self: don't do that again!!)

Danny got me this train one Christmas after we got married. I think it's cute and the kids have always loved it. I love that he picked it out and got it for me.

Another year Danny got me this beautiful nativity. I love it! The characters expressions are so soft and lovely. I hope to treasure it always. I'm pretty sure there was no snow in Bethlehem, but the painting behind the nativity was done by Dan's Grandpa Browne and I just love the way it looks behind the nativity.

This nativity is so special to me. It's the one that was in my house growing up. I think I was 2 or 3 years old when my mom painted these characters. She let me help. Of course I don't remember, but these characters are like old friends to me. The cow has lost his horns, so has the donkey. Joseph's hand and staff are missing. There are many chips and glued heads, but I think that just adds to it. I'm sure that most of those bumps where done while me, my sister, or my brother playing out the scene of the nativity. I have this on a low shelf so my kids can touch and explore with it too.

This is our Jesse Tree. I made it two years ago, and we have really enjoyed adding the tradition of the Jesse Tree to our family during the Christmas season. It is a wonderful way to celebrate Advent - which means "coming" referring to the coming of Jesus. We read a story from the Bible every night along with a devotional and a prayer. We also add a leaf to our Jesse Tree that represents what we read about that night. This photo shows the first three days done. Day 1 was creation where we read about God creating the earth and about how Jesus was there then (John 1:1-4). Day 2 we read about the first sin and how God made a way for us to get back to Him through Jesus. Day 3 was about the flood and how we can have eternal life through Jesus. There is a lot of information on the internet about starting a Jesse Tree. Ann Voskamp has a beautiful free downloadable book. This is the book we have used the past couple years.

This is the jewel tree. Grandma Butler had this hanging in her house every Christmas. She made it long ago with costume jewelry. It has multi-colored lights that blink on it. For years I always thought it looked a bit tacky. This year however, I have a new appreciation for the jewel tree. Grandma Butler passes away last month, and having this hanging in the house is very comforting.

This cute stained glass Santa was made by a dear family friend. He found his place here in our front window the year we moved into this house and has hanged in the same spot every year since waving to all who pass by.

These are some of the items that make our couch cozy in December. I made these pillows after Zachary was born along with our family stockings. I also started a quilt, which has yet to be finished (someday...). I do however have a cute quilt made by a sweet friend from church. It has jolly Santa's on it, but I leave it out all year because this as the first quilt she ever made and was such a beautiful gift to our family.

And these are just some of the many (many) Christmas books that litter our couch most days. My kids love to read and be read to. Even Luke will sit still for most books. I got wise a few years back and packed all the Christmas books away with the Christmas decorations at the end of Christmas. It was so nice not to be reading Rudolf in July! It also made it so much fun to get them down again in December.

So those are just a few of our Christmas decorations/traditions that grace our home each year. A mix of old and new, comfortable, and uniquely ours.

Luke is 2!

2011-12-15T00:31:00.000-08:00

Luke's birthday seemed to sneak up on me this year. I suppose that is something I'm going to have to get used to. It's right after Thanksgiving, right when the Christmas season is getting started. I'm sure there will be years when he will want Christmas to wait until after his birthday, but since he doesn't have much to say about that now we started decorating before his birthday.

His birthday fell on a Friday, and since Dan has Fridays off work, we took him to Disneyland for the day. But, before we left we gave him his first gift.

This old Power Wheels quad has sat in the garage since Emma used to ride it. Zachary rode it before that, and we originally got it for a steal on Craigslist. Well, the battery had worn out and so Luke has only ever seen it sitting in the garage. Of course this didn't bother him one bit. He would climb on and pretend to be driving it while Danny would work in the garage. Well, imagine his surprise when we got a new battery for it for his birthday! We put his helmet on and put it in the backyard. Danny showed him how to use the gas peddle, and away he went. I have a feeling there will many many hours spent chasing him around the backyard on that thing!

Here he is giving a "Thumbs Up" :-)

After a few laps around the yard, it was off to Disney. We enjoyed the beautiful Christmas decorations and the time together. We started at City Hall where they gave him a birthday button. All day long people were wishing him a happy birthday. It was really fun. Right outside of City Hall, Luke took my hand and started saying, "choooo choooo". So we hit the train 1st. I was a little worried that we would end up on the train all day. Luckily he was okay with us getting off near Toon Town which included a trip to see Mickey himself. We went on several rides in Fantasyland, all the while he would point out the whale on the Storybook ride and would open his mouth wide to show us how the whale looked. I didn't realize that this would cause a problem when we got on the ride and he buried his head in Danny's chest and cried (probably thinking the whale was going to eat us). Luckily, all was fine again when we got through to the other side of the whale.

On the train with his birthday button.

I think my favorite ride of the day was It's a Small World. I love watching Luke take it all in. It's so beautifully decorated for Christmas and he seems to have so many favorite parts of that ride. I think his favorite ride is Buzz Lightyear. He kept requesting, "buzzzz buzzzz". Since it was his birthday we decided to get him a Buzz toy gun and a Buzz doll. He loves them!! Even at Disney prices, it was so worth it.

Casey Jr. with Daddy and Zachary.

The Buzz Lightyear gun was a huge hit.

We decided to watch the fireworks with the crowds on Main Street. It was so amazing. Watching the show with the castle in the foreground was magical. The best part though was after the firework show they started playing, "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas", and it started snowing. Seriously, only at Disney can this much magic happen!

We waited until the next day to open gifts. Nana and Papa came over for dinner and Nana made the most delicious cake bites for Luke's birthday cake.

All in all I would have to say he had a pretty cool birthday. He was celebrated, we felt blessed, and I, well I have a two year old... again.

Luke Riding his Quad

2011-12-14T15:09:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at a video, but since I took it and it doesn't do any good sitting in the camera, I thought I would share.

This is Luke riding his quad on his second birthday.

Bringing home the tree

2011-12-14T12:22:00.001-08:00

I have dreams of taking a hike in the forest to get our Christmas tree, but where we live in sunny California, a trip to Home Depot is usually the route to our Christmas tree. This year it was a blustery cold day, which helps when you are trying to feel Christmas-y. Danny always refuses the fresh cut they offer at the store, and comes home and trims up the tree himself. Then gives it a bath before bringing it inside.

I figured it was as good a time as any to grab the camera and take a couple photos of my growing kids. I had a hard time getting them to slow down so I could take a picture.

What a bunch of characters!!

The Desert Property

2011-11-16T13:53:00.001-08:00

We recently spent an afternoon at my grandma's desert property. We had found out there was a squatter living on the property, and without getting into long details, I'll say he's gone now and we got a beautiful afternoon at the property out of it. We sat on the porch of the old cinder block cabin and had a picnic, did some bb gun shooting, and I got my knitting out. There was rain in the forecast for later in the day, but it was amazing while we were there.

I'm not sure what will become of that place in the future, but for now it sure is a nice place to enjoy an afternoon.

Being Thankful

2011-11-10T10:35:00.001-08:00

I am posting something I am thankful for every day for the month of November on Facebook. Perhaps I will cross post here at the end of the month. But it wanted to share that I have found that it is very difficult to have a bad day while you are intentionally being thankful for the things (and people) around you.

I wanted to pass this excercise on to my kids and so we started a paper chain. I have a stack of paper strips laying out with a pen and the stapler ready for whenanyone thinks of something they are thankful for. They can write it down on a strip and add it to the chain. I am considering saving it in our Thanksgiving box to continue next year. I think it will be a great keepsake and fun decoration to pull out every year.

Why not make a Thankful Chain of your own?

Halloween

2011-11-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun Halloween this year. We were invited to a party Saturday night at our dear friends the von der Linden's house. They went all out and made their garage into a mad scientist lab. The kids had so much fun and so did the adults. There was a popcorn machine and tons of hot dogs and chili with all the fixin's. There was a sling shot area for the kids to practice their aim and a pinata. They even had black and white movies playing outside on the wall of the garage when it got dark. It was really a fun night.

Since the party was for adult too, Dan and I had to figure out what to go as. I was having a really hard time deciding until I saw some 80's paraphernalia at the local party store. It was so fun to go back in time.

Dan was thinking about being a mad scientist, but decided on dressing as a tourist. He did a great job, complete with a "First Visit to Disneyland" button. It was also great because he had the camera on him, so we got a few shots of the evening.

We carved three pumpkins Sunday evening, one for each kid. Luke loved having daddy's help making his own pumpkin. Zachary and Emma did a great job too, all by themselves.

Zachary had the great idea of dressing up as a Lego this year. We had a box and decided we would glue tuna cans to it and paint it red. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Miss Emma has been pretending to be a kitty for years, and decided she would finally get to be one. She really acted out the part (just short of spraying our front door as the neighborhood cats all seem to love doing).

As for Luke, Danny and I found an adorable doggy costume on the sale rack at Gymboree. It ended up being $8 and we couldn't leave the store without it. I wasn't sure he would want to wear it for Halloween, but I figured for $8 it would be fun for dress up. Well, I'm happy to report he loved being a puppy. He also played the part barking and lick us...

And the whole puppy and Kitty thing was pretty cute too!

Yes, we did have some fun last weekend. And now it's November.... NOVEMBER!!!! How in the world did that happen??? I am working on continuing to remind myself to slow down and enjoy each day as it comes so as not to miss any of these precious moments with this clan I love.

Birthday Post

2011-11-01T17:16:00.001-07:00

I am more than a week overdue, but I wanted to share a little from my birthday. Danny and I left all three kids overnight for the first time and it was GREAT!! My parents love having them overnight, and my mom has been waiting to get Luke overnight since... well, probably the day he was born. The kids love it too! And mommy and daddy really enjoyed it. We got a room at a beautiful hotel in Carlsbad and had dinner at a wonderful steak house. I had a great nights sleep and actually slept deep enough to dream. Ahhh, lovely. Dan took me to the outlet center the next day and we walked around eating Godiva chocolates, yum.

Honestly, I couldn't wait to get back to my babies by then and loved walking in to hugs and kisses from them all. My mom and dad were already hard at work on my birthday dinner. Dad made an amazing crab bisque and giant crab cakes and mom made fresh pasta. In lieu of a traditional birthday cake I chose whoopie pies, which were wonderful.

Feeling blessed and celebrated by family all around!

Mommy/Daughter Time

2011-10-15T10:55:00.001-07:00

Lately I have been feeling like mama is all about school and chores. Not so much fun for the mama and not so much fun for the kiddos either. We are blessed with a lot of fun things to do as a family, but often I am a bit more wrapped up in the planning and doing of it all, and don't feel like I am enjoy things in the present as I should. I am watching these three little kids grow up right before my eyes, yet occasionally I blink and one (or more) of them seem to have matured overnight into a whole new stage of childhood. Too soon these days are going to pass, I'm sure.

Well, yesterday I decided to seize the day with my little girl. I was working with my hubby installing flooring, when I mentioned to him that I felt like Emma and I needed some girl time together. Half an hour later Emma and I were on the way to Disneyland.

I can't even explain how fantastic it was to hold her hand and just go. We started at California Adventure and went on Soaring Over California, which was a first for both of us (can't do that one with baby in tow). Next we walked over to the new Little Mermaid ride and only waited 10 minutes to get on it. Emma loved it and she was loving the one on one attention she was getting from her mama (honestly I was loving it even more). Next we went to walk through and see how they make sourdough bread while sampling (yum!). We decided to head over to Disneyland next. We walked in at 5:00 and found out the park was closing at 7:00 for a Halloween party. Emma wanted to walk through the castle, so that's where we headed first. We climbed up through the castle and read the story of Sleeping Beauty. Next we started over to Splash Mountain, another ride we can't do when Luke is with us. I knew Emma would be frightened of the big drop, so I did my best to distract her from it but it didn't work. We got in line and she started asking questions. The line wait was 65 minutes, and right away I was beginning to think we were not going to make it. After waiting 2 minutes a woman walked past us and ask if we wanted her fastpasses!! We got to walk right up to the front of the line!! We also got the back seat on the log, so we got to sit together, which was perfect. It was so fun, and Emma LOVED it too!

When we got off that ride we went into the Hungry Bear to get a honey cupcake to share. Perfect snack!

Them we start walking toward Big Thunder Mountain, but i couldn't talk Emma into it so we walked on by and decided a trip to Disneyland wasn't complete without It's a Small World, so that was next. We had 10 more minutes left, so decided a trip on the monorail to Downtown Disney may beat the crowds walking down Maim Street. It was perfect! Time for dinner. We got in line at a place in Downtown Disney, but decided to skip it and head back into California Adventure to have dinner. Man was it packed!! Seams like everyone getting kicked out of Disneyland had the same idea. We ended up walking by the crowded lines at the food places and found ourselves in front of Ariel's Grotto, a restaurant you normally have to make reservations for well I'm advance, but for some reason we walked in and were surprised to find out they could get us in!! We were seated near the window where the popular World of Color show was to start just outside in 15 minutes. We had an amazing meal that just kept getting better and better with every course. We could see the water and lights outside too, not the front of the show, but it was still beautiful! What was really fun was sitting and relaxing with my girl and having great conversation over great food. It's a time I will never forget. Absolutely perfect!! But it got even better because when the check came the waitress brought two tickets to see the next World of Color show up front and center. I thought it was a mistake, but she explained it was part of our meal. So we wrapped up our amazing day under the mist of the amazing show. I tried to hold my growing girl as much as I could so she had the best view possible. My eyes teared up a bit from the magic of the whole Disney moment and the fantastic day spent with my daughter.

So here I sit at 10:40 the next morning trying to get the fresh memories down while Emma is still sleeping in her bed hopefully dreaming about our fun day. A day that will not be forgotten!

12 Years

2011-10-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

A week ago my husband and I celebrated our 12th year of marriage by taking the kids and Grandpa Noack to Catalina Island for the day. Dan and I got to enjoy a date night alone the Saturday before thanks to my parents, so we decided it would be fun to make our anniversary day a family event. We had purchased tickets on Groupon for the Catalina Flyer earlier in the summer for half price and (after much persuading) talked Grandpa Noack into joining us for a day of fun.

We decided to rent a 6 person golf cart for 3 hours. I think that is the best way to see the town of Avalon. It gives you the freedom to travel up into the hills and see gorgeous views of the harbor. We also drove over to the casino and took in the view from there while letting the kids run around. We stopped at a park and let the kids play for a while too. It was a very slow paced and relaxing day.

After we returned the golf cart we had lunch at a restaurant right on the water and had just enough time to walk back and catch the boat back to the mainland.

It was really a wonderful way to celebrate our marriage, together as a family making memories.

Bread

2011-10-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

It is suddenly that time of year again when having the oven on to bake bread is a cozy thing. The past few days have been much cooler here in southern California. We even got some rain yesterday. I love making bread during the cooler months. There is something about the rhythm of making a couple loaves every week (or more) that is so satisfying. I think it is going to be even more fun this year with the addition of our new grain mill.

I use a recipe for my whole grain bread that I found online. It is Marilyn's Famous Whole Wheat Bread Recipe, and I know why it is so famous. It is simple and DELICIOUS. I use my KitchenAid and can make two loaves at a time, but I would someday love to own a Bosch and be able to handle 5 to 6 loaves at a time. Of course, I dare not tell my husband this or I will end up with another appliance that I really don't have room for.

Even the kids love to see the wheat berries turn into beautiful flour. So far I have been purchasing my wheat berries either at Sprouts Market or at Winco. They are both under $1 per pound.

Here my Kitchenaid is hard at work kneading the dough. I love that it makes the job so easy.

I always end up finishing the kneading by hand. I love the feel of the dough, and there is something about the warmth of it that soothes the soul.

After forming the loaves, they sit in the pans for about an hour to rise. The flour is such a beautiful color that the loaves already looked cooked.

It's not until they are in the oven that you get the first reward... the smell! Ahhh... fresh baking bread. Is there a better smell? Okay, maybe newborn baby breath, but fresh baking bread smells sooo good.

We can only wait minutes after the loaves come out of the oven before we slice one open and spread the slices with butter, which instantly melts. The kids always rave that it is the best bread ever, and I do believe I agree.

Yogurt

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

I have started making yogurt, and I love it! It tastes so good, and is so good for you. The kids have been eating yogurt daily for sometime. They are used to store sweetened yogurt, but will eat my home-made yogurt if I add some jelly or honey to it. I would love to one day not buy any more yogurt and only have homemade, but so far "their's and mine" is what we do.

Here are the steps I take to making yogurt at home:

First off, the cast of characters: milk, a little yogurt from the previous batch, a thermometer, and stock pot.

I set out the ingredients to come to room temperature while I bring a large stock pot of water to a boil. I hang the pot I am using for the milk over the one that is boiling to sterilize it and to help the pot of water to boil faster.

I use the two pots as a double boiler, pour the milk in, and bring it up to 185 degrees stirring frequently. This kills any bacteria.

When the milk hits 185 degrees I take it off the heat and set it in the sink full of cool water to bring the milk down to 110 degrees.

When the milk comes down to 110 degrees, I add in yogurt (or culture) from the previous batch. I use the ratio of 2-3 tablespoons of yogurt to a half gallon of milk.

Then I pour the milk into mason jars and put them in an ice chest. I add warm water to the ice chest to keep the jars at 110 degrees for 7 hours. I check this with the thermometer and add warm water if the temperature drops. After 7 hours the yogurt should have solidified. I then take it out and let it cool and then store it in the refrigerator.

And voila... yummy, tart, fresh, yogurt. Such a morning treat with a little granola and honey on top. A terrific way to start the day!

Some great resources on making yogurt: Cultures for Health, and How to Make Your Own Yogurt

Week 4 Wrap Up

2011-09-29T15:01:00.000-07:00

We are wrapping up our study of the United States and get to go to Mexico next week. We spent all last year studying the U.S., so I for one am looking forward to moving down the road a bit. We added a couple things in this week and fine tuned some other things. I am feeling a bit relieved that we seam to be fitting in most everything during the week. I think we are getting in a groove, but I am well aware that grooves change, constantly.

Exploring Countries and Cultures

Bible: We read about the Navajo people in Windows on the World and learned some of the ways we can pray for them. We also started our study of Matthew reading about the genealogy of Jesus and discussing our family tree. We read and discussed Jesus' birth and the wise men's visit to Jesus. Zachary's weekly Bible verse is Matthew 1:23, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - Which means, "God with us." We Israel, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Iran on the map. We also read about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad in Hero Tales. Zachary has been writing the different character traits learned in Hero Tales in his notebook.

Language Arts: Zachary finished practicing his letters last week and started this week in language arts by copying his new Bible verse. On Tuesday he wrote his Bible verse by dictation. On Friday he will add two more words to his Vocabulary Notebook. Each Friday he gets two additional geography words that he illustrates and defines. Each week we go over the words from the previous weeks and add two more.

Spelling: We added in our new spelling curriculum this week. I have high hopes for it. We have chosen to use Spelling Power. I have been reading the teacher's manual and watching the DVD that comes with the program and had started to feel comfortable with the many steps involved. I kept hearing that it all sounds like a lot to absorb, but once you get started it is very simple. My Father's World suggests waiting until the third week of school to start up spelling. It gives you a chance to fold in everything more slowly, which I think is a wonderful idea. Unfortunately, the night before we were to start, I noticed something I had overlooked regarding doing this program differently if you are doing it with a student that is 8 years old or younger. It threw me in a bit of a tale spin (although it shouldn't have). I asked some questions about this on a couple homeschool boards I am on and got a few suggestions. After going over them I decided to proceed with the regular program knowing that I could always "tweak" it if something was not working out right. (Here in-lies one of the most beautiful things about educating you children at home!)

English: Continued in Primary Language Lessons. Zachary learned about ('s) which answers the question, "whose."

Math Drill: We have started a new way of drilling. I have purchased a great computer program for Zachary called Mad Dog Math. I had the pleasure of sitting in one of Julie Kotoff's workshops at the CHEA convention in July and her enthusiasm for math was contagious. She impressed on us how important math drilling is for mastering math facts. I had some trouble downloading her program and she kindly called me and helped me through the process. Zachary enjoys working on the computer, and doing math drills on the computer makes them fun. I think this program will be well worth it.

Geography: This week we worked hard on learning the states. Zachary surprised me by the end of the week with how many states he could name. We also did an exercise coloring in the states using only four colors and not having and bordering states the same color. We started at the four corners and worked out from there. It was fun and Zach got it with only one mistake that was easily corrected. We also studied our flag and the symbols behind the stars and stripes.

Science: We continued learning about forests and what kind of animals live in different areas of the forest. We worked on some tree identification using a tree guide from the library.

Read-Aloud: We have been reading Kingdom Tales. Our whole family has been enjoying it and the discussions it provokes after each chapter. The stories are fun, and they all point to our King.

I could go on and on... we have had a very full week indeed. I think I will share some photos of some additional activities this past week.

Zach and Emma working on labeling and coloring in North America on the world map.

Our World Cake!

Zach doing Rosetta Stone.

Emma working on some sorting in math for 1st grade.

Emma's completed scroll. She work several days on her printing and got to put all the pages together in a scroll.

Read other homeschoolers weekly wrap ups at Discover Their Gifts

Right Now

2011-09-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this for awhile, and I think it is good sometimes to pause and see just where you are every once in awhile. So here it goes...

Outside my window... there are three kids and a daddy throwing the football around.

I am thinking... I am glad those screams are from outside and not inside the house right now.

I am thankful for... my mom coming to play with the kids today!

From the learning room... school is almost done for the day, and I feel as if I am keeping up (so far) this year.

From the kitchen... today was yogurt making day, I have a pork roast smelling heavenly in the crock pot, and a cake just came out of the oven ;-)

I am wearing... an elastic waisted skirt and a t-shirt (summer outfit of choice!)

I am creating... in the process of planning an art project for school tomorrow which involves sand art. Wondering if will be cool enough tomorrow to do it outside?

I am going... No where today or tomorrow, and that's how this homeschool mom likes it every once in awhile.

I am reading... the Spelling Power teacher's manual. I think the "just jump in and go" advise was very wise.

I am hoping... my oldest continues his enthusiasm for this new spelling curriculum.

I am hearing... my daughter ask for help from her brother, and him helping with a happy heart (music to my ears).

Around the house... completely enjoying our newly re-organized living areas. Love that it is giving us more room to live and to school.

One of my favorite things... listening to my son share his school work with his Nana and listening to his enthusiasm.

A few plans for the rest of the week... grinding grain and making bread tomorrow, planning a date night for this weekend to celebrate my hubby and my 13th anniversary.

Thank you The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Beautiful Cloudy Morning

2011-09-26T10:55:00.001-07:00

We're enjoying a cool cloudy morning. The boys are riding their scooters and Emma and I are doing school. I know the summer weather is not gone for good, yet... but I am enjoying this glimpse into fall.

What We Did With Them Apples

2011-09-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we ate them, of course. Luke has been asking for them all day everyday this week. He loves walking around the house with one in hand. I do have to be careful though because he starts at one end of the apple and eats his way through to the other - core, stem, and all.

Being that these are fresh apples, organic even, I thought we should get them cooked up before some of them bruised and got mushy. So I got out the handy dandy apple corer/peeler/slicer that my wonderful husband bought me last year and went to work. We decided that a big apple crisp and some apple sauce was in order.

This is where we started. (Notice mom's iced coffee in the background, it's never far away!!)

Apple peeling is so fun and easy with this gadget! (Iced coffee strikes again!)

Not to mention you get these great peel ribbons that the kids love to eat (and drape around their bodies).

At the end of it we had enough cinnamon apple sauce for a couple days.

And a wonderful dish of simple apple crisp! We're out of ice cream, but I bet it will be great tonight after the kids go to bed... with an iced coffee ;-)

I'm thinking we may need to plan another apple picking trip before it gets too late.... yum!

2011 Apple Picking

2011-09-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

September has flown by here. It is a month my oldest has been looking forward to. We used to look forward to October, but we have learned that October may be a little late. Late for what, you ask? Late for apple picking.

So while apple picking may bring to mind a picture of things cooling off, the color of leaves changing, and a different smell in the air, here it is summer as usual. We are still getting 100 degree days and staying indoors as much as possible. Although we were very lucky to experience a little break in the weather last week. Friday being the coolest day. And, also lucky, Oak Glen is always a little cooler than it is in our town. So with Danny having Friday off of work we ate some yogurt for breakfast and told the kids to get in the car. It wasn't long before the older two were guessing where we were headed. And it didn't take long for Zach to guess right.

Oak Glen has gotten to be a tradition in our family. We start the trip at Snow-Line to sample apple cider and the apple varieties they have out. Then (the important part) we purchase fresh apple cider donuts. We've done this in the rain in years past, but this year the day was picture perfect and we ate our donuts under the Chestnut tree while watching the kids play tag with very cinnamon-y sticky fingers. Someday I might actually have a photo of this, but so far mama is also with sticky fingers and in the excitement of getting my hands on some of those yummy donuts, the camera usually gets left in the car... but not for long.

I do love the donuts, and I love picking apples with my family, I love the walking (running for some) around the orchards, and I love the raspberries, but one of my favorite things are the photos that come from this day each year. It is seriously difficult to take a bad picture in that gorgeous scenery. There is something about that fresh air and the trees and the kids too I suppose that just make my camera work in a way I can't make it work the rest of the year.

This year we picked both apples and raspberries at Los Rios Rancho. The big kids had so much fun running around and looking for the perfect apples. We all had a lot of fun watching Luke maneuver around the natural obstacles and look for an apple growing at his height. Of course he got some help from Danny reaching some that were higher up, but when he would find one at his height he was so proud of being able to get it all by himself. Once he got his teeth into one of those apples, we didn't see him again for the rest of the day without one in his mouth. Occasionally he would pick up a stick for awhile and walk around with it, but there was always an apple in the other hand being chewed on.

When we had filled our bag of apples, we went back for the raspberries. Again, I think Luke may have eaten more than he put in the box, but he was having so much fun no one dared stop him. And I don't think anyone could have if they had wanted too. My kids love their apples and berries and to pick them off the plant and eat them is quite the thrill.

So without further ado, here are the winning photos from this year.

Luke eating one of his many apples. See, who would tell him no?

One of the few times I caught up with him.

It's a little easier to catch up with this guy. Isn't he cute ;-)

One, Two, Three

The Boys

I love this one of my two older kiddos. And you can't hear the bickering from this distance ;-).

This one pretty much sums Ms. Emma up.

I'm sure that's not a raspberry in his mouth (ahem)... This kid is truly amazing in so many ways.

Tell me how I got this blessed!!! Seriously, who would have thought having a daughter would be so much fun?

And Mr. Bonus... he is just the cherry on top.

Yes, blessed is what I would call it.

And, by the way, I believe the next post will be, "What we did with them apples" - Stay tuned!

Underway

2011-09-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

We are starting our third week of school, and I feel we are well underway now. This week we add in Zachary's spelling curriculum as well as a few new read-alouds and we start our country study right here in the good old USA.

But first... here's a snap shot of what these two (three) have been doing the past two weeks.

Zachary, ECC - 3rd grade

Bible: Learning about why God made different languages, that the Good News of Jesus is for all mankind, we will worship with people from all parts of the world in heaven.

Language Arts: Handwriting review and geography vocabulary

English: We are continuing in Primary Language Lessons (from last year). It is a very Charlotte Mason type of lesson, which we all seem to enjoy. We are doing 3 lessons per week with some dictation sprinkled in there too.

Math: We are working on more drilling this year which I think will help with simple math facts and make math easier in the long run. We work addition math drills on Monday, subtraction on Tuesday, multiplication on Wednesday, and division on Thursday. These drills only last about 10 minutes and can be anything from flashcards to math games. We have just started a new math book with Singapore Math. We have used Singapore from the start and it seems to be working for us. Zach started level 2B last week.

Geography: The past two weeks have concentrated on learning how to read maps, what types of maps there are, and how maps differ from globes. We have learned about latitude and longitude, physical and political maps, northern and southern hemisphere, distance and scale... lets just say I've learned a lot too!!

Science: We are learning about environments and ecosystems. We've read about niches and biomes. We have also touched on the water and oxygen cycles. We started our Nature Notebooks for the year. Zach is also working in The Complete Book of Animals which has given him some simple research type worksheets so far. Zachary has also started his Astronomy class, which is out of the house on Monday afternoons. We decided this week to sign Emma up to, and we think she is going to love it (almost) as much as Zach. I will have to write more on this later. We are so blessed to be part of this group.

Music/Art: We have been listening to Wee Sing: Hello to All the Children of the World, which has introduced us to several countries. We also made paper dolls last week and decorated them from different countries.

Reading: Zachary is still in love with the Magic Tree House Books. He will read a while book in one sitting if I allow him to sit that long. I have tried to get him to branch out a bit, but have not been successful yet.

Spanish: Zachary is continuing to do Rosetta Stone. He does a very good job at it and enjoys working on the computer alone with his headset.

Read-Aloud: We started Kingdom Tales last week. At first I though it would be a bit deep for us, but we got through the first couple chapters and now I think our whole family is getting something out of the readings every night. It really is turning out to be a very good book and the discussion question at the end of each chapter gets us all talking about what we thought the chapter was about.

Zachary labeling a map for geography

Emma, 1st Grade

Bible: We have gone over how the Bible was first written in scrolls. We have started handwriting practice on sheets that we will put together as a scroll when we are done with them. Emma also made a small piece of pottery as an example of the pots they used to store scrolls in. We have been discussing the book of Proverbs and that it is a book full of wise verses written by King Solomon. We have started memorizing Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. One other thing we did last week was make a Jewish calender. It coincides with our calender so we will be able to follow both through the year.

Reading: We are reviewing three letters a day by writing them and review their sounds and what words start with their sounds. We are doing dictation where Emma will write the first letter of the words I say to her. She is also blending short vowels with the letters we are reviewing.

Math: Last week we worked on sequences and patterns. We read some books that we checked out from the library, which is something I love about our curriculum. There are so many children's books that have real life math in them and make learning math fun, and our curriculum lists the books that go along with what we are studying so we can check them out of the library when we need them. Emma also got to "play" with her pattern blocks, which she enjoys doing with Luke.

Emma has joined Zach and I for several of his geography lessons. She has also started her Nature Notebook and will be doing Astronomy for science along with some life science from 1st grade.

Emma working on patterns for math.

Luke, Pre-Pre-Pre-School ;-)

Luke is being kept very busy by his big sister who I think will have him reading way before I would. She practices his animal sounds with him and fort building. He pays more attention to her than he ever would to me, and I LOVE IT!! She is such a blessing taking care of him while I teach Zach. The two of them are fostering a relationship that is so precious and special, and I love to listen to it from our school table.

Emma including Luke in playing with her pattern blocks.

My "class", working on labeling the continents and oceans.

These first two weeks have been very full and exciting, and yet I know we are just barely getting started on this very busy year that is ahead of us. I am so excited for what is to come this year while studying our Father's World!

Yes, He Listens...

2011-09-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

My husband, that is.

You see I mentioned last winter that I might enjoy having a grain mill to grind our own grain to make bread. I enjoy the process of making bread, especially in the winter time when the weather is cooler. I also enjoy having some kitchen storage, but that is rather slim. I have already fashioned our coat closet into a pantry (because who needs a coat closet in Southern California, really). And most of the dishes I have inherited from my grandmother live in the garage (something I will remedy someday). Anyway, he wasn't thinking about storage. You see my husband has MANY gifts, but one of his best is searching Craigslist for a great deal. It's a hobby of sorts I guess you can say. One must be very careful what they say in front of him because more times than not within minutes he's on his phone finding that item for the person. I wonder if there are other husbands with this gift....

So Tuesday he called from work and said he had a surprise for me. I always love his surprises. 85% of the time they have to do with food, and the rest of the time they are something he heard me say in passing and has acquired and brought home for me. So lucky I am : ). I guess he has been looking for a grain mill for quite some time and finally found one for a terrific deal right in the town he works in. It's circa 1976... but it was a great deal...

I had a homeschool mom's night out that night, but left a bit early to run by Sprouts and buy some Red Winter Wheat Berries. Unfortunately this machine is so large and heavy I could not clean it up myself. I had to wait until Friday when he could help me. So we cleaned it out and ran some wheat through and it worked beautifully.

My beautiful new-to-me Magic Mill

Freshly milled flour and my Kitchen Aid kneading my dough

Finishing up the kneading process, because it feels so good this way!!

After rising in the pans, ready to go in the oven.

Now, was it worth it? A resounding YES!!!! There was so much more flavor in this bread than any I've made before. My family loved it and I loved making it for them. My oldest son even said it was the BEST bread ever.

And I think I agree!

Day 2

2011-09-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

We just finished another day of ECC and so far everything is going really well. Just a couple fun things to share today. We are studying John 3:16 to start the year off and today we were to make a poster with pictures of people from around the world and John 3:16 on it. I decided to change things up a bit and decorate a box with the pictures instead, turning it into a piggy bank for donations to a Bible translation ministry. Our curriculum donates to God's Word for the Nations and after learning a little more about the ministry, I think it is something the kids and I will enjoy giving to.

In geography today we talked about how hard it is to transfer what is on the globe onto a flat map. To demonstrate this we drew the world on a tangerine with a permanent marker. Then we pealed the tangerine and tried to put it together into a map. Did you know that map makers usually distort the top and bottom of the world so that it is much larger than it really is. For example, on a map Greenland can look as big as South America. If you look at it on a globe, you see that it is really far smaller. So mom is learning right along with the kiddos again today!

So here is Zachary showing our tangerine with the world drawn on it.

And here the kids are trying to piece together the peel into a flat map.

I love when things are hands on, which is just another reason I love this curriculum so much. Plus it's always nice when you get to eat school when your done learning :-).

One other thing I wanted to mention. We have made a change to the way we are doing the Bible portion of our day. We have been doing it the night before with daddy. It gives him a chance to be involved in a very important part of our school day and it also gives us a set time to study together every evening (which is something that doesn't happen enough). So far it has worked out beautifully.

1st Day of School

2011-09-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

Our 1st day of school is now behind us. I think we made a good choice starting on Labor Day, when daddy was home to help with Luke. It made the day a lot less stressful for me. Zachary did great with the added workload of being a 3rd grader. There are a couple more subjects that will be added on as the weeks progress. Emma joined us for geography and science, and she was a real trooper.

The kids did a geography pre-test to see how many countries they knew. I let them know this test was going to be given again at the end of the year so we could see how many countries we have learned about. I told them that I didn't expect them to know many countries, and truthfully I figured they would get the United States and maybe Mexico. Zachary surprised me by getting 13 countries, including the United States, Canada, Greenland, Mexico, Honduras, Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, China, Japan, Sri Lanka, Russia, and Italy. I can not take any credit for this. He loves to read and loves maps, so I think he is really going to enjoy this year and learn so much.

We had a slow start to our day and enjoyed cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We also took back-to-school photos out in the front yard like we do every year.

Zachary - 3rd Grade - Exploring Countries and Cultures

BMXer and Big Brother Extraordinaire

Emma - 1st Grade

Fashionista and Pre-Pre-Pre-School Teacher (see below)

Luke - Pre-Pre-Pre-School

Lover of all things cars and in charge of keeping mommy on her toes

Class Photo :)

Filling out Passport Applications (and coloring)

The kids filled out their passport applications today and submitted them to the passport office (mom and dad). They are being processed and the kids are expecting their passports back in a few weeks so they can start to travel to different counties and learn all about them.

We are so excited to start this exploration together in our Father's World!!!

Twas the Night Before School Began

2011-09-04T19:16:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we start our 4th year of homeschooling.

Did I just say that?

I still have a hard time believing that we are a homeschooling family.... better yet, that I am a homeschooling mama. After 4 years you would have thought that would have sunk in by now.

Tomorrow Zachary starts 3rd grade. We finally get to do My Father's World - Exploring Countries and Cultures (ECC). This is a year I have been looking forward to since we started kindergarten with My Father's World. This year we will be taking "...a trip around the world and exploring diverse cultures while learning geography and being challenged by true stories of missionaries." (from the MFW teacher's manual)

On Thursday Emma will start MFW - 1st grade. "...a complete first grade curriculum with a phonics-based reading program. Focusing on Genesis to Revelation, key Bible stories are used to develop reading and writing skills." (again from the MFW teachers manual)

Emma will be joining Zachary for quite a bit of ECC, which I think will work quite well. I hope to blog more about our school days this year.

Tonight I start by praying. Praying for me. Praying for the patience it takes to teach two children in two different grades, all while a toddler is wanting my attention. Praying for wisdom to teach what should be taught and let go of the things that will not matter in the long run. Praying for grace to be a teacher, a mom, and a wife to my husband.

I look forward to praying over each of my little students tonight while they are sleeping snugly in their beds. Praying that they have patience with me and the interruptions that happen throughout the day. Praying that they put forth their best effort. Praying that they take to heart the information that the Lord has set in this curriculum for us.

Tonight I ask that you pray with me. Because we can use all the prayer we can get ;-).

Summer Wrap Up?

2011-08-31T10:46:00.000-07:00

With school starting next week, I guess I could call this a summer wrap up. Although the weather outside says summer is here to stay. We have been enduring 100 degree temps for what seems like forever. Hiding in the air conditioned house is getting a little old. So it was nice to come across some more photos from earlier this summer to remind me we haven't been cooped up here forever.

I love this little boy of mine. He is a mama's boy through and through.

Oh... and this big boy! I am truly a blessed mama!

My hunky husband (and in the background, another sandy blessing).

Dance recital was a very busy day this year. Emma was in two different shows on one day. She did great, and it was the first year I got to be in the audience instead of back stage with her.

We took a field trip to Gilman Ranch and learned all sorts of new things. Here's Emma making rope. Luke decided he would plop right down in the dirt and watch.

They also got to try their hand at roping.

We found the BEST swimming lessons. The kids have taken swim lessons from the city for the last several years, but this year we took them from Mr. Tim who teaches in his pool. It was amazing. We got to do four weeks and I'm proud to say all three kids are swimmers now. Well, Zach and Emma are completely independent, but even Luke was kicking to the side of the pool and grabbing the edge by himself.

My big fish!

Summer wouldn't be complete without a few beach visits with the von der Lindens. We LOVE these boys and are so blessed to have them and their parents in our lives.

Ahhh... so the whole summer has not been spent held up in our house. It's not really a terrible place to be. It's filled with three loud, but cute voices all day long. The man of my dreams walks in every night happy to see us. And the air conditioning works :-).

Nope, not a bad place at all.

Six

2011-08-26T23:06:00.001-07:00

Our little girl rocks my world - every day. Being witness to her growing up is amazing. She has such a caring heart for those she loves. She is such a lover and such a girly girl. Don't get me wrong, she can hang with her brothers - both younger and older. She lights up her little brothers face like no one else can. She is such a second mommy to him and wants to teach him everything she knows. And her older brother just doesn't take everything so seriously when he spends time with her. She makes him comfortable enough to just be himself. She turns her daddy into goo. He is head over heals in love with his baby girl. And me... well, she softens my heart in the very best way. She makes me slow down and enjoy life more. She reminds me what life is all about.

And some how six years have slipped by since she so quickly arrived in our lives. Six beautiful years. I love you my Emma Dawn!

Math Review

2011-08-17T15:24:00.001-07:00

We have not started the official school year yet, but Zach has been doing math, english, and spelling through his few weeks off. I recently used a gift certificate I got a year ago to a teacher's resource store on some math manipulatives. We love Singapore math, and it is working great for both student and teacher, but as we start learning multiplication and division I am finding that 'fingers' are not all we need. I found these Unifix cubes (great fun for my Lego loving boy) and got them out today to explain dividing by twos. Talk about seeing the light bulb go on! He is having so much fun "showing" me each problem on his worksheet.

I also got a pair of dice which we used to make an addition worksheet. Throw the dice and add up the numbers. I think I will be getting a few more dice next time I am there.

The other game I got was a "war" card game with addition and subtraction problems on the cards. We had so much fun playing with those last week. I am going to have to keep an eye out for multiplication and division ones too.

Math was not a subject I enjoyed in school. I wonder if that is because I got in my head that I just wasn't good at it? Looking at it now, I love to solve things, and solving number problems shouldn't be that different.

So... here's to breaking that mold and trying the best I can to make even math fun for my kiddos. Did I just say 'math' and 'fun' in the same sentence? Yes... I think I did ;-)

More Summer Highlights

2011-08-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

My parents decided to travel cross country this summer and so it was up to us to keep their house company ;). It just so happens their house is a few blocks walk to the beach (yes, I know what you're thinking, "poor us!"). We spent several weekends and a couple weeks down there and really enjoyed some great beach weather and a slower pace of life. Someday....

Anyway, here are some of the highlights:

Sunset walks on the pier

Sunset ukulele sessions on the patio.

Happy kids on the beach.

Happy boy on the beach.

Happy feet on the beach.

Yes, we enjoyed the beach, the house, and the time away from the 100+ temps at home, but if Nana and Papa leave for that long again they have to take a couple grandkids with them ;).

Summer Highlights

2011-08-16T15:18:00.001-07:00

Since School is right around the corner, I thought it would be nice to highlight some of our summer fun this year.

Our family has spread out a bit around the country over the past few years, and so it is so special when we are together. We enjoyed a visit from my brother and his family very early this summer. It was so fun to have the cousins together for a couple days. My parents treated us to a trip to the Scripps Aquarium.

I love this photo of Papa and Luke together. Luke has quite a thing for his Papa, which I think is not only very cute, but very good for both of their hearts.

Just after we said goodbye to my brother, my sister came for a visit. (Next time some better planning needs to go into timing!!) Dawny tries to make it out twice a year for a couple weeks at a time, and we sure enjoy it. This year our parents treated us to a very special long weekend on a houseboat on Lake Havasu! Such a treat! It was so fun to all be together all weekend long. We all had a great time in the water and on the boat. Papa was Captain and Chef (and did a wonderful job at both!). Mom rented a 2 person kayak and two stand up paddle boards for us to play around on. We found a lovely little beach in a cove and beached the boat there for the weekend.

Co-Captain Emma on the top deck

Zach enjoying a lazy float

Danny getting lucky

Mom and Dad relaxing on the top deck

Lukey loving on Aunt Dawny

Perhaps my favorite photo of the weekend. From mom's camera. Enjoying the sunset.

Yes, great summer memories!

Harvest Crusade

2011-08-14T23:20:00.001-07:00

Tonight we attended the Harvest Crusade at Angels Stadium in Anaheim. I have been wanting to go to one for years and never made it. Last night I was able to watch it live on-line for awhile, but it was nothing like being there. The music was great, the message was awesome, but nothing compared to watching thousands of people fill the ball field and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

God is Awesome!

It's Summertime

2011-08-14T10:30:00.001-07:00

We are celebrating a bit of summer these days. Zachary just wrapped up his 2nd grade curriculum, and Emma is almost done. Zach asked to start ECC as soon as he closed the last book on Adventures, but I told him a couple weeks off is in order. It's really been too hot to play outside, and unfortunately we've had some sick days too. I really think we are all looking forward to getting back to school again. There is something about the rhythm of the school days that are just comfortable for us. I know I am more than a little nervous to start this year. 3rd grade seems like a huge jump in work from 2nd. Add to that a 1st grader that is learning to read, and a toddler that has a 20 second attention span. Yes, it is going to be an interesting year. As far as extra curricular activities this year... by the grace of God Emma's two dance classes ended up being back to back on the same day. We have Zach signed up for an astronomy class on Monday afternoons. I hope to take the younger two to the library while he is in class. Everything looks great on paper. I think it's about time to give it a go.

Well... maybe one more week off ;-). There is a bit more organizing I would like to do around the house and we have a very special family coming to visit later this week. A few more "summer memories" before we dive into another great year of learning together.

Pumpkin Boy

2010-11-04T22:15:00.001-07:00

Luke enjoyed watching the kids carve pumpkins. Lucky for him, I carved his. He did manage to "carve" up the lid a bit with his new teeth.

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Oh Lordy!

2010-10-14T21:36:00.001-07:00

My little monster is at it again. I don't know how we get any school done with him around. He is into everything these days. This gate worked great for the other two kids at his age. It kept them off the stairs. Oh, but not Lukey. To him it is merely a small obsticle in his way to make it upstairs on his own. He easily works his way between the gate and the wall and considers himself home-free, only glancing over his shoulder to see if I'm onto him. And then of course if he does see me, he only speeds up as fast as he can, laughing all the way.

Yes, I have my hands full with this one. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

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A Special Morning

2010-10-13T23:38:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite ways to spend the morning in Oceanside is to walk down to the donut store and get breakfast to eat at the beach. A few weeks ago we did just that while my sister visited. We were also lucky enough to watch dolphins surfing in the waves and playing. I think one of my favorite shots of the morning, though, is the one of my mom and Luke sitting there on the rock. Luke taking it ALL in, and mom taking HIM all in. What lucky kids I have to have such a wonderful Nana! <3

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Angel Baby

2010-10-05T23:35:00.001-07:00

So does this photo prove he really is a little angel baby? He really is just amazing!

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In the Kitchen

2010-10-04T16:18:00.001-07:00

Much in the way of food happens when Aunt Dawn visits. There are the In & Out Burger visits that must occur, BJ's Pizza, and (lucky for me) Ruths Chris steakhouse. Of all these very happy food experiences, this one was one of my favorites this trip (well, not really, nothing could have been better than my date to Ruths Chris with my sister, ummm).

Watching my sister and mom in the kitchen while my older two kids came in and out and "helped" and I wrangled the little one, was really memorable. You see, my sister does nothing half way. It was decided that she should make cannelloni for a family dinner at our parents house. Of course this meant pesto from scratch, fresh made pasta, and kicked up sauce too. This was a four hour ordeal, and worth every minute. Going the extra yard and making fresh pasta makes this dish amazing. She does the same thing for her lasagna, which she made on her last trip out here. I had an extra dish of it stored in the freezer which I waited to eat until I missed her so, and then it was like having her here in the house again. She really is an amazing cook, which is just wasted on that island of hers (sorry Rich, but there are many more mouths in California to enjoy her cooking) :). Anyway, as my mom and sister worked away in the kitchen I ran in and out taste-testing and snapping photos, to which they never complained (thanks girls!!). There's just something about us Wilson's, we have so many memories in the kitchen we might as well have a few of them on film. Anyway, thanks for obliging!

My parents have a beautiful kitchen. They designed and built their house around it (I did say how we have so many memories in the kitchen, right?). It has a gorgeous view of the ocean. Yes, perfect indeed. Mom zipped up the pasta dough and pesto. Pasta is something that our family has been making for years. It's the easiest of recipes, just not so easy (or clean) to do with the littles running around, so I don't do it very often. In our family, it's kind of a right of passage to be the one to turn the handle on the pasta machine. Zach and Emma both took turns, while Nana patiently held the dough.

Dawn made the filling, mom made salad. Lots was happening in the kitchen that day. Perhaps a bottle of wine got opened???

Dawn (again, ever so patiently) rolled each cannelloni and let the kids take turns cutting the dough.

Here are the cannelloni in the pan (one of many pans) waiting for a drenching in yummy sauce.

And the finished product... So tender and cheesy and yummy. We did bring left-overs home and some did go into my freezer. Only, this time I could not wait and ate them the day after Aunt Dawny left. Yes, I love a good food memory!!

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A Little Sand Time

2010-09-30T18:01:00.001-07:00

This week we had a fun-filled fieldtrip to the Ocean Institute in Dana Point. The subject was on tide pools and the kids really loved it. I loved that my sister met us there and seemed to enjoy herself just as much as I did. I love it when she visits us. I have always loved her very much, but I find after every visit I enjoy our time together even more.

After the field trip we decided to head to the beach to see the tide pools, but it was high tide so we were out of luck. I did take out my trusty phone and took a couple shots that will help remind me of the time we spent together that day. Ahhh, the seashore. Is there anything better?

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The Simple Woman's Day Book - 2

2010-09-17T12:55:00.000-07:00

This may not happen every week, but it is a fun way to snapshot the goings on around here... (from the The Simple Woman's Day Book at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/.

Outside my window... The weather has shown small signs of change. A bit cooler (The A/C isn't going on until the afternoon) and a few trees are slowly changing color (as little as they do here in Southern California). I do love the fall and welcome the first day next week.

I am thinking... We are off to a pretty good start this school year. We are really enjoying our curriculum and getting it all done, although it is taking longer than usual with a 9 month old underfoot and teaching 2 grades.

I am thankful for... My sister who is flying in tomorrow. She tries to come home twice a year and we love her visits. She has lived in St. Thomas the past several years (insert *sigh*) and I miss her terribly, but I'm so proud of her individuality and the all-around person she has become.

From the learning room... The learning room is taking over our home, but maybe that is how it is suppose to be?? Learning really happens at all times and everywhere. Although it would be nice to eat at the dining table every now and then.

From the kitchen... Apples, Apples, Apples... we went apple picking last Sunday and I have made apple butter (for the first time) and a new recipe for a delicious apple cake so far with them. I also have some apple muffins on the brain. I made granola for the first time yesterday, and found a new breakfast favorite: Greek yogurt with apple butter and granola : ). Yum!

I am wearing... shorts and a nursing tank (easy access for said 9 month old, who is teething and wants momma 24/7).

I am creating... Spanish flashcards for our vocabulary words this week. I also helped the kids make the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria for school, which we sailed this morning. Man, would I love a scrapbook day, but these days have been more filled with school crafts than momma crafts. Fall is coming, so hopefully that will bring on knitting very soon : ).

I am going... to enjoy this whole day at home (I hope).

I am reading... A Charlotte Mason Companion, Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola. I guess I can't really say I'm reading it. It's more like, I open it to an interesting looking page and read until I get my first interruption (usually half a page) and set it back down.

I am hoping... I can get school back on track for the day after this little lunch break (ah-hem).

I am hearing... Two big kids playing happily with each other up in their rooms, and an absent baby who just went on a bank run with daddy.

Around the house... Still trying to organize school in a way that will make it easier to do. I also need to find a way to organize our photos before they make it into the scrapbooks. Another thing on the to-do list is to baby proof the downstairs better so we don't have as many interruptions while schooling to get the baby out of mischief.

One of my favorite things... Our current three day weekends with my husband. He has had a 10 hour a day/4 days a week work schedule for about a year, and we LOVE all the time that gives us with him. He works so hard for it and for us.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Organizing, playing with Aunt Dawny, meeting with my grandparents financial guru, spanish class/community center/library, dinner at my parents, celebrate the first day of fall...

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Nature Study

2010-09-13T22:33:00.001-07:00

I am so excited about our nature studies this year. I had started doing them randomly last year, but this year our curriculum has them scheduled in so I hope to be more regular at it. They are scheduled to be done at the end of the school day on Fridays so that you end your week enjoying our Father's World. This last week our Friday did not lend itself to nature study time, but on Sunday we more than made up for it. We drove up to Oak Glen to go apple picking, which is one of my favorite times of the year. While taking a break from our picking we laid a blanket under an apple tree and set the kids up with their nature notebooks and colored pencils. It was perfect! I just asked them to draw anything that they saw. Emma drew a beautiful apple tree. Zachary drew the view in the distance of the mountains and valley below. It really was an ideal moment in my week, and I hope to think of it often as things get trying this week. I think the Lord gives momma's times like these to get them through the rough days.

I was also excited to get to use my new book, Handbook of Nature Studies. There were several pages devoted to apple trees and I had the chance to read a bit to the kids on the way up the mountain. I see us using this book for reference for many years.

Maybe the best part of the day came when we arrived home. While driving into the driveway my wonderful husband commented on how glad he is that I am teaching our kids. He is my biggest support, and he has no idea how important it is for me to hear those word from him. Oh, I love him so :).

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Science Science Science

2010-09-09T17:22:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that last year science got put on the back (Bunsen) burner, sort of speak. I could give several excuses, but none of them are very good, so I will spare you. I plan to do better this year.

With 4/5ths of the first week of second grade under our belt (ah-hem) we have done pretty well, and even have an experiment under our belts.

Emma's learning about leaves this week, so on our walk at the park last night we collected leaves and today made a book of leaf rubbings. My favorite part was getting to use our new book, Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock to identify the leaves. I can tell we are going to get a lot of use out of this huge amazing book.

Zach is learning the basics of what science is and what scientists do. We did an experiment today to see what would happen if you drop an egg in regular water, or in salt water. I won't ruin it for you. Either try it yourself, or some take a look at his new science notebook where he will be recording his experiments this year :-). I will tell you though, that Aunt Dawny says she floats rather well at that island she is on ;-).

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Another Busy Day

2010-09-07T22:56:00.001-07:00

We had another busy day today. It started with a visit with grandpa in the hospital. Three kids at the hospital for three hours. They were all so well behaved, I am such a proud mama. Most of the time when I need them to behave in situations like these, they do. The cutest part was the two older ones cheering on grandpa with the PT when they got him up to walk. Grandpa was actually discharged today, which is wonderful. Thankfully my cousin was able to come and take him home, which let us head home to complete our second day of 2nd grade. We also got through another day of K. The day was also full of diaper washing, lunches, homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes, general baby wrangling, and etc,etc... I was blessed to be able to run out for the first homeschool mom's night out of the year tonight. I am always so encouraged by other moms that are walking this same path beside me.

Yes, it was another busy day in our Father's World. Although, my day ends with a smile as I get to end it with this little sleepy angel. Good night ;-)

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First Day of 2nd Grade

2010-09-07T00:08:00.001-07:00

Today was the official start of 2nd grade in our home. Since it was Labor Day, Dan was home which gave me an extra set of hands to hold Luke so I could school with less interruptions. It went really well, and I know we are both going to enjoy this year (both Zach and I). We were able to do Emma's day of kindergarten too, which was incorporated easier than I thought. Now, as for tomorrow, I'm not sure if we will remain this lucky. Things run a lot easier without a babies "help", and Dan is back at work tomorrow. I know we are in for a challenging school year, but I am also confident that it will be full of God's blessings and very rewarding.

On another note, my grandpa fell early Sunday morning in his apartment at his assisted living facility. After the day in the ER we found out nothing was broken (praise the Lord), but his lungs were not clear and he had signs of infection. He is very battered and bruised from the fall, and at 84 years old, he just doesn't heal as quickly as he used to. Unfortunatley, we are finding that he has other very serious health complications that are now in the Lords hands. We are happy he is comfortable right now and he is in pretty good spirits (with the exception of wanting to go home). I am so blessed that my cousin, Christie, is such an amazing woman. Between her and I we are able to handle the coordination of his care and needs along with trying to keep him company. These are the times when you realize just how much family means.

I ask for prayer for my grandfather, that he remains comfortable and that he is able to heal quickly. I also ask for prayer for our families right now while taking this extra care for grandpa is something that is very close to our hearts, it also is a bit taxing on our families and on our normal schedules.

With the exception of my Papa Sam, who we lost just 2 short years ago, I am blessed to have all of my grandparents in my life. My life has been so enriched by these amazing Godly people. I have had nothing but love from them all my life. My husband, who never knew any of his grandparents, has adopted mine as his own. He really loves them all and is such a wonderful example to me of showing respect and love to those who have gone before us.

Yes, I am a very blessed woman indeed.

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2nd Grade? Really?

2010-09-03T23:38:00.001-07:00

The end is in sight. The end of 1st grade that is. Zachary has one more day, and I plan on doing it tomorrow. We started 1st grade the begining of January, after having our third child the begining of December. We took a couple weeks off here and there, when we've needed it, but pretty much schooled right through summer. It has worked out very well. I was able to start Emma in kindergarten while still flowing through first with Zach. Now that Emma is starting to flow in kindergarten, I can concentrate on a new curriculum with Zach. The Lord has been so good to us. His timing is so perfect!

I am very excited to start 2nd grade with Zach. We are in love with our curriculum, My Father's World. This year we will be studying US History, the many names of Jesus, Singapore math, language arts, spelling by sound and structure, an art program called I Can Do All Things, music study, and a spanish class once a week with friends. I'm sure I am leaving something out. It is going to be a full year with all of this being new and teaching kindergarten too, all while keeping a baby happy. It really is amazing being able to stay home with my kids and be their teacher. Zachary has been a joy to watch grow and learn for over 7 years, and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to teach him at home.

Now, will someone just please tell me how these years are going by so quickly. How in the world can I be the mother of a boy in the 2nd grade?

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5 Years

2010-08-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

Zachary welcoming his sister home from the hospital

When I found out I was pregnant with a little girl, I honestly wondered what life would be like with a daughter. Zachary would be 2 years old when she was born. We were so in love with him. He had made us a "family". "Boy stuff" came easily to me (dirt, sand, trucks, bikes, ...) , Zachary was so laid back and easy going. What were we in for with a girl?

Emma at the BMX track for practice

Well, I had no idea. It was not as difficult to get used to as I thought. Emma Dawn came into this world quickly (and by "quickly" I mean, any faster and she would have been born in the hospital parking lot). Emma is an amazing little girl. She can be more of a girly girl that I have ever been one moment, then jump on her BMX bike and keep up with her big brother. She lives in a sort of a fantasy world, that I'm so privileged to get glimpses into. She is soft-hearted and kind. She has an amazing love for Jesus, and we were so lucky to get to hear her ask the Lord into her heart when she was three years old. She has taught me so much, and I'm sure my lessons are only beginning. Speaking of lessons, she has just started kindergarten a few weeks ago and she has been a joy to teach already. She so eagerly wants to learn and do well. Perhaps one of the best things about having a little girl is that I have gotten to watch my husbands heart grow even more. Oh, the love this girl has for her daddy is incredible!!

Buried in the sand at the beach

Mt. Laguna, modeling for the camera

I'm so happy to celebrate this day with her. Her 5th year of life. I am so blessed that the Lord sent her to us to raise for Him. She enriches my life so much. I am one lucky lady to be the mama of Emma Dawn.

My beautiful kindergartner on the 1st day of school

His Gummy Smile

2010-08-24T23:51:00.001-07:00

I had to take a few photos today of my babes gummy smile because he just might wake up in the morning with a small pearly tooth. I can not say that I am looking forward to it. I love his little gums. It's a part of him that still says to me, "Yes, I am still your baby". I know he will always be my baby, but this is just another milestone in his growth, and I just don't want that "growth" happening too quickly. I would, however, like this uncomfortable time for him to be over. I just can't imagine the pain of cutting a tooth and then having a new sharp edge in your mouth to try and get used to. Awww yes, growing pains are hard on the babies and the mamas.

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The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-08-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

This is a new idea I got from The Simple Woman at http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/. I think I will find it a fun way to snapshot what is going on in my life.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... I am blessed to see the only tree we have on our property gently blowing in the breeze.

I am thinking... Feeling lonely is not always a bad thing.

I am thankful for... My amazing husband who takes great strides to help me, daily.

From the learning room... School was (thankfully) done everyday this week, which included a field trip Thursday to the aquarium. I have been given hope at teaching two children for the first time this year.

From the kitchen... I cooked (or we ate left-overs) everyday this week (so far). This is something I strive to do more often. Eating out has become a bad habit out of my laziness to not plan meals ahead.

I am wearing... Let me just say, "Thank you Lord for elastic and cotton" I've been in my comfy clothes all day and plan to stay that way!

I am creating... For today my creating comes in the form of this blog.

I am going... No where today, and that's just the way I like it : ).

I am reading... Lessons at Blackberry Inn by Karen Andreola. After finishing her Pocketful of Pinecones last week I couldn't wait to start the sequel. Terrific read for this homeschooling mama.

I am hoping... Dan does okay with all three kids on his trip to OC for the evening.

I am hearing... Only the typing of my fingers and the A/C going on and off. Quiet is so rare.

Around the house... Trying and succeeding at keeping up with household clutter, although that is always a work in progress.

One of my favorite things... The completion of a school day well done. One where my kids are left with wanting more and all are brains are happily stimulated.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I'm looking forward to spending the afternoon tomorrow at an end of summer party, followed by a Sunday with no real plans. I also want to continue to practice being calm and patient with myself and my family.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This photo of my family was taken a week ago today. We said good bye to our dog Jack (on the right) that day. He had been our first boy and we got to love on him for almost 12 years. It was a sad day, but also a good day. Sad to say goodbye to a trusted friend. Good that our family got to experience this life and loss together.

New Wool Soakers

2010-08-18T23:36:00.001-07:00

My wonderfully creative mother knitted Luke another pair of wool soakers. We use wool soakers for overnight to keep our bedding dry after a long night. I purchased his first pair, and love them. Wool is very absorbent and we have had great luck with it stopping leaks. I asked mom to knit him a pair and she did, super quick too. I had considered taking it on, but was worried that they would not be done until he was potty trained. Well, the first pair she finished turned out great, but she underestimated the chunk of her grandson. They work, but, lets just say the more coverage the better. So she made a second pair, and they are perfect! So cute too in his camo colors. The leg cuffs are long enough, and the waist goes up high enough... they are perfect. Such a lucky little boy.

So my latest request, a long pair for winter ;). We are so lucky to have such a talented Nana.

Oh, and by the way, ignore the fact that the cute baby is playing in the dirty diaper pail while mommy tries to snap the perfect photo.

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<3'n School

2010-08-17T22:59:00.001-07:00

Today was a good school day. We have lots of fun with school, but if I'm being honest, some days are much better than others. Today was good.

Today began the first "real" unit of kindergarten for Emma. She did really well, just as I expected. I also managed to get Zach's whole school day in as well as his reading time and some extra math practice. In the middle of our day we managed a trip to the library. Usually a trip mid-day would throw the whole day off, but we managed to stay on track today. By no way was it a perfect day, but I am rejoicing in just getting done what needed to get done. God is good, and I believe He is using this time to teach me how to teach two grade levels, keep an 8 month old happy, keep house (whatever that means), keep commitments, try and work, etc... I am a work in progress, and I am learning how to let go of my fears and just trust that God will meet me where I am and get me through what NEEDS to be done. I have no control of anything, so I might as well just hand it all on over to the Lord.

Any how, the above photos are from today and yesterday. Zach has been working on fractions this week. Today I got out the measuring cups and let him play with water. "How many 1/4 cups will fit into a cup?" Oh yes, we had fun. That was followed up by cutting up and apple for snack into 1/2, then 1/4's, then 1/8ths. Yes, fractions can be fun and yummy.

The other photo was yesterday. We put together Emma's "Creation Book" that she had made the first 7 days of kindergarten. Zach decided to get his out and compare them. That was fun for all of us. It was really fun to hear Zach be able to read it to us and see the progress he has made the last couple years.

Yes, we have fun homeschooling. It is not all great, but I am so happy that this is what we have decided to do. And I am happy the Lord continues to meet me right where I need Him and continue to teach me too.

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sleeping baby

2010-08-16T00:07:00.001-07:00

I don't think I can over do the sleeping baby shots. They are so stinking cute when they are sleeping. I'm sure I will look back on them years from now and think about what a great sleeper Luke was (yeah, right). There is just something so peaceful about their little baby breath all hot and humid on you. Their relaxed face. The sweat on their head. It is so hard not to touch them. Play with their little round feet. Stroke their chubby cheeks.

As I type this (on an insanely small phone) my baby is fast asleep across my lap, snoring his little baby snores. Off to a precious dreamland I cannot even imagine. What could he possibly be dreaming about? He knows so little. I suppose he could be dreaming about his big sister stopping to spend some time with him at a game of peak-a-boo. Or his brother running by with some toy that's "not for the baby" but looks like so much fun. Or the doggy that now gets to be in the house and is starting to look like more and more fun, and less and less scary. Maybe he is dreaming of daddy and the way he gathers him up and holds him so strong and securely. The way he takes him outside and shows him the moon. Or maybe, just maybe he is dreaming of being on mama's cozy legs, cradled perfectly, warm and full of good milk, so happy to finally be in bed for the night. Is this a glimpse of that perfect peace that surpasses all understanding? Possibly.

All I know is when I see this little angel sleeping and there is a camera close by, I am going to take my chances at the shutter waking him up because someday seeing these photos will bring me right back to where I am right now. A very blessed mama.

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Pocketful of Pinecones

2010-08-13T16:08:00.001-07:00

I recently became brave enough to start reading a "real" book. Reading anything besides picture books and books from our curriculum these days is pure leisure, and leisure just does not happen often these days. If it does, it usually consists of sleep. Anyway, I thought since this books chapters are only two or three pages, at best, I would give it a go. I am so glad I did!

Pocketful of Pinecones, written by Karen Andreola, is a wonderful book that tell about nature study in a very fun way. She writes this book as a fictional diary of sorts that goes through a whole year, season by season. The diary is written by a mother in 1935 who decides to homeschool her two children. She writes about her days and her learning how to teach her children. From the back of the book, "Woven into the story are more than 100 examples of what to look for on a naturewalk, Latin names for the living things observed by the characters, study questions, nature poems and verses... , a supplement containing selected quotations by Miss Charlotte Mason, an annotated list of books with a nature theme - both fiction and non-fiction." It sounds like a lot to take in, but it has been such a wonderful encouraging read for me, not only as a teacher, but as a mother and a wife.

I am nearing the end of this book, which is a milestone with three kids underfoot. I have enjoyed it so much that I would be sad that I am nearing the end, except that when I ordered it from Christianbooks.com, it had such wonderful reviews that I also order the sequel, "Blackberry Inn". So I look forward to another wonderful book to come. And just imagine... two complete books under my belt! Amazing ;-).

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Luke on the Uke

2010-08-12T23:17:00.001-07:00

Dan has been trying to play uke with the big kids a couple times a week. They are starting to pick up on a couple chords and getting good at strumming. I am hoping one of them learn to play I'm Yours, which I have had in my head for weeks (and sounds great on the uke).

Last night Luke tried his hand at the uke. He was actually strumming a little, but mostly he was just plain adorable. I'm a little bias, but he is darn cute!

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School Days

2010-08-11T13:00:00.001-07:00

We have been schooling through summer with Zachary taking a couple weeks off here and there. He started 1st grade in January and it looks like he will complete it early September.

Emma started kindergarten last week. She has been so excited to start, I couldn't hold her off another week. Our K curriculum starts off gently by teaching creation the first 10 days. It's perfect because I feel like I have training wheels on while I learn to teach two grades at once.

I had hoped to go to the CHEA conference again this year, mostly for encouragement as a mother and teacher. But the conference fell on Zachary's birthday weekend and we made other plans. Although I missed the conference I have been listening to many podcasts and reading a book called Pocket Full of Pinecones by Karen Andreola and this has been refueling my batteries for the upcoming year. We are excited to continue our journey of homeschooling this year, and so thankful that the Lord has led us to this path.

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Corny Baby

2010-08-10T11:55:00.001-07:00

He may be a little young to eat corn on the cob. He probably should have a few teeth first, but this kept our little man so happy at Joe's Crab Shack. And you have to admit, he is adorable!!

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Valentines Photos

2010-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

These are a bit late to my blog, but I wanted to get them here...

We've been going to a beautiful baby store in Redlands lately to purchase cloth diapers called Kissui. We happened to be there one day when Patrice Gaspard-Nelson was doing a fundraiser for the people of Haiti. For a $5 donation she would take valentines photos and give you an 8x10. Well, this mama is a bit slow at getting #3 to a professional photographer, so I thought I'd try it out. It was a rainy day and she was taking photos just outside the shop. My babe was sleeping, but she had me lay him on a little rug she had on a door step to an empty shop next door. The results were amazing!!

I'm so happy I asked her to take another of my three kids. It too turned out beautiful.

I am so happy with these results and happy to have been at the right place at the right time.

This moment...

2010-02-26T14:35:00.001-08:00

A moment I want to savor...Sleepy Happy Baby in his favorite spot wrapped to mama.

5 Things I'm Thankful For

2010-02-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick list of 5 things I'm thankful for right now...

These three precious children

This playful man.

These chunky hands.

Our beautiful rainy weather this month.

These kids and their mamas.

Just 5 of the many things I have to be thankful for.

A New BMX'er

2010-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

We have a new BMX'er in the house. Emma tried her hand at our local BMX track last week and loved it. She did an awesome job too. She only fell once, and got right up and tried again. She really surprised me.

I stood at the gate with her (with Luke in his wrap) and held her bike until the gate dropped and then let go... which was not easy for this mama. Here I stood at the top of this huge hill letting go of my four year old baby girl on a dirt bike (with all sorts of safety gear on) to peddle around a dirt track that is raced on by professional BMX riders. Dan stood at the bottom of the first hill so he could assist her in getting up the next one. She only needed a little push and then she continued around the track with Daddy running after her and assisting on the bigger hills. Yes, Dan got quite the workout!! By the end of the night there were only two hills she needed help getting up. AND by the end of the night I could tell she was hooked and we had another BMX'er in the family.

This is not a bad thing : )!!!!

On the Needles

2010-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have a very long boring project on the needles right now. I've been working on it for several months. It promises to be very cute once it is done, but in the mean time it's basically one stitch over and over and over.... get the point? Actually it has been a great project right now, since I am still learning how to breastfeed and knit at the same time. I don't have to worry about counting stitches too!

The pattern is the Twirly Skirt by Barefootknit. It is a free pattern on their website. It is so cute in the picture I had to start it up for my little girl.

I broke my rule about starting another project while one is still going, but who am I to stay within my own rules. I have a dear friend who has a baby due next month. His little feet just needed the baby booties from Knitting for Baby. Of course I gifted them before I shot a photo, but maybe I can get one when they are on his sweet little feet. : )

Fluff

2010-02-23T12:20:00.000-08:00

I promised more on the cloth diapering, and here's where we are so far...

I'm in love!! I've found cloth diapering to be surprisingly easy, and it feels so good to be putting cloth on my babe instead of paper/plastic. But, best of all, the cloth diapers I've used so far laugh at my babe's explosive poops!! "Not getting by me", the cloth diaper says to the poo. Seriously though, it's been really amazing.

I've been experimenting with two different diapers so far: the Bumgenius 3.0 One Size Diaper and the Gro Baby diaper. Both of these diapers are adjustable to fit an infant, baby, or toddler. I like them both, for different reasons.

First, the Bumgenius. It is a pocket diaper, meaning the soaker pad is in an "envelope" in the diaper. Each time you change a diaper you must wash the shell and the soaker pad. I am amazed at how long my babe can wear this diaper with two soaker pads (which come with the diaper) in it. He goes through the night with no leaks. With a disposible, we would change him at 5:00 am or wake up with a wet baby next to us (which meant a wet me, wet sheets, wet baby jammies, bath for us all, and way too much laundry). He has also throughly tested this diaper with breastfed baby poo, which has the tendency to get everywhere. My babe has a way of shooting it right up and out the back of his disposables. The Bumgenius has always held it in, even when soaked from an all-nighter. Amazing! This diaper is a little bulky, which doesn't really bother me.

As for the Gro Baby diaper, we use that more during the day and when we go out on the town. The difference with the Gro Baby is that it has it's soaker snaped into the shell, and lays on top of the shell. When changing the baby you can unsnap the soaker and toss it into the diaper pail and re-use the shell. I've found that the shell does get a little wet, so I usually rotate between two shells during the day, leaving the one just used on the diaper table to dry for the next changing. The soaker rarely holds in the explosive baby poops, although the shell always does. If we have a poop, I just toss both the soaker and the shell into the diaper pail.

I'm a newby at all of this, but I am finding it very doable and actually enjoying it. We have collected 5 cloth diapers all together so far, plus 4 extra soakers for the Gro Baby. This usually gets us through a whole day. Obviously I need to purchase more so we can go a few days between washings. From a cost standpoint I am curious to try the good old fashion flat diapers that my mom used with the plastic pants when me and my sib's were little. There are all sorts of new covers you can use with these that make them easier too. To get more information on all this I recently joined a cloth diapering group. I am also looking forward to a cloth diapering 101 class this week. (Are you amazed there is so much info on cloth diapering? I certainly am!!) I figure after this class I should have enough information to purchase several more diapers.

So, after thinking I knew it all now that I am on my third little one, I find there are still many things to learn... even in the diapering world. But Ohhhh my, he is so worth it : )!

Soap Nuts

2010-02-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

I have been researching the cloth diaper world (more on that soon) and have been looking for an alternative to regular laundry detergent. Something without the harsh chemicals and detergents that will make cloth diapers less absorbent. I think I have found a great solution.

Soap Nuts.

Straight from their web site, here are just some of the things that are so great about them:

They are simply a dried fruit — 100% totally natural.
They are organically grown and are free of harsh chemicals, so they are incredibly gentle. (This makes them especially great for those with sensitive skin — including babies and those that suffer from allergies, eczema, and psoriasis).
They’re totally biodegradeable, so they’re better for the environment than regular detergent.
They’re antimicrobial, so they’re even good for septic and greywater systems.
They are low-sudsing — exactly what you need for HE (or high-efficiency) washers.

{me again}... Perfect for those cloth diapers, the delicate baby clothes, the kids grubby play clothes, and the hubby's greasy work jeans.

The Soap Nut itself has no noticeable odor to me, but since I love the scent of lavender, I ordered the lavender oil with it and used just a few drops on the soap nut bag. For just $14.99 I ordered the Soap Nut starter kit which included a 100 gram bag of soap nuts (enough for 40 loads), a one ounce bottle of scented oil of your choice, and three wash bags. I'm planning on keeping two for myself and sharing the third (with a few nuts) with my mom, who I think will love this product.

I was a little skeptical at the ease of use of this product. I simple plunked three Soap Nuts in the little bag, closed and tied it, then dabbed it with a couple drops of lavender oil and plopped it in the laundry. You can use hot or warm water, and since the soap nuts don't release their saponin (the cleaning agent) in cold water, you don't have to fish them out for the rinse cycle.

You just take the bag out of your laundry before transferring it to the dryer and use the same soap nuts for you next three or four loads. My laundry feels so clean and fresh, I'm really sold on this product.

Hey, anything that makes the chore of laundry a little easier and perhaps a bit enjoyable, is good with me.

We Love 1st Grade

2010-02-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

Yes we do! We are sticking to our same curriculum that we used for kindergarten, My Fathers World. I'm still so happy we found it. It is perfect for our family and the planning being done for us is perfect for this mama.

We started 1st grade over Christmas break (well Dan's Christmas break). We had finished K about 3 weeks before Luke was born and I decided to just wait on 1st until after Christmas was over. It really worked out perfect, just as all things do when God is involved : ).

This year in first grade Zachary will be learning so many things, and Emma and I are excited to go on the journey with him.

The whole year in Bible is based in Proverbs. Zach learns a verse a week, and copies the verse on the second day. He is getting much better at using lower-case letters instead of just resorting to upper-case as he did so often before we started school. He is learning sentence structure through copying his verses (capitals, periods, commas, etc.). Later in the year, as he is reading more, he will be reading a Bible reader on his own (so exciting!!) and then keeping a Bible notebook by writing about what he read and illustrating it. I imagine this will make quite a keepsake.

Zach is also diving into phonics, which is opening up his world of reading. He learns a new phonic rule every day and practices marking the words and reading them. This will lead him to the Bible reader soon.

We learn a new science concept every week. This week is rain. We check out many books from the library every week on our subject and read them throughout the week to enforce learning while having fun (this is also a part of school which is easy to do while nursing an infant).

Math is done very gently, or so it seemed at first. It really is quite full. We do our calendar everyday and talk about the number of the day. We put the number of the day on a number line. We add coins to his coin jar and count them, trading for larger coins when he can. We add beans to a bean cup everyday and when he gets ten, they get glued to a stick to teach him his 10's and 1's. He writes equations using these concepts for the number of the day. Each week we also learn a new concept (counting, comparing, adding, geometry, time, money, etc...). We also check books out from the library that enforce these concepts in a fun and practical way. (By the way, all the books from the library are suggested in the curriculum. Another great thing for this mama!! I just go on-line and reserve them and swing by the library and pick them up. So sweet!)

We also are doing a drawing program. This is also gentle and fun, and great for me too. This will help when we get to the Bible notebook for his illustrations. Do you know any adults that say they are a good artist? This program helps you learn to "see" what you create as your own original - no negativity.

So we are schooling Monday through Friday, with Wednesday being our Exploration Day. This means we use this day to do hands on "stuff" on our science concept for the week. We get outside and explore God's world. We sketch in our notebooks in the yard. We don't do any structured math or reading that day, but we do usually "play" with our pattern animals which teaches reasoning and math (but, shhh don't tell him). We also are learning art appreciation that day in two awesome books that are teaching us to look deeper and differently at some awesome paintings of both portraits and landscapes. And lastly we are doing music appreciation by learning about a different instrument each week.

Sounds exhausting, doesn't it? But it's not. It's really quite do-able, even with a four year old wanting to tag along and a baby nursing alongside. We get it all done in an hour or so each day, and if we skip a day, we've made it up on the weekends.

I still can't believe that I am homeschooling my children. I had never even thought of or considered homeschooling before Zachary was 3 or 4. I never knew anyone that was homeschooled. I find it odd that this is what we feel called to do. I really want a God- centered Christian education for my kids and I would have to have a full-time job out of the house in order to be able to afford a Christian school for them. I want to be the one raising my kids, not strangers. We do have to sacrifice a great deal by having me home, but it is so worth it. I am startled by stories from friends about what goes on in their kids public classrooms, and I am so thankful for this option to be the educator of these children that God in-trusted us with. God is so good, and he has a reason for everything that He does. I wrote recently on Facebook that if He leads you to something, He will see you through it. Yes, God is good. [I didn't even notice that I stepped up on my soapbox, I'll get down now. Please know that I am completely aware that every family is different. What is right for our family, may not be right for another family, and that is great.]

We start every school day in prayer. Zachary leads it. He often prays for family or friends that his little (huge) heart leads him to. Can I ask you to pray for us too? Pray that we are persistent and have the endurance that it takes to learn and to teach. Pray that what we do is pleasing to the Lord, first and foremost.

I need to have my camera more handy during school, but below are some photos of the end of Zach's kindergarten years. (I can't wait to do it again with Emma and then Luke!!)

This was our penguin week.

Zach's 100th day of school. He got to count out and eat 100 pieces of trail-mix.

Yes, we often school in our jammies : ).

I guess we do have a 1st grade photo. Multi-tasking mama/teacher. Nothing is better than school on the couch. Don't you wish you were taught this way? I sure do!

Well It's About Time...

2010-02-02T11:41:00.000-08:00

It has been nearly 3 months since my last post. To say I've been a bit busy would be putting it mildly. I figure it is time to introduce our newest addition to the blog world. (He is two months old today!)

Luke Samuel Noack was born on December 2, 2009 weighing in at 8 lbs., 7 oz.

He is a big healthy beautiful baby, and already we can not imagine life without him. I will admit that adjusting to three kiddos has been much more difficult for me than the adjustment to two. I'm not sure exactly why since the other two are such awesome helpers, but so it is.

With this birth brought Aunt Dawny from St. Thomas to help out for two weeks. It was lovely, and I would recommend never having a baby without an Aunt Dawny (or really good substitute) around. She cooked, she cleaned, she did laundry, she showered love and attention on Zachary and Emma, and she danced the most wonderful dances with baby Luke. He fell in love right away. It was hard to let her go, but I know the trade winds will blow her this way again soon. Besides, now she knows the sweet smell of new baby. It is impossible to get that out of your system. (Today just happens to be Aunt Dawny's birthday... happy happy to you sister!)

Soon after Dawn's return to the island came Christmas and a two week break from work for Danny. Ahhh, more wonderful help with the kids. He is the most awesome husband and daddy that exists. We trudged along together, sleeplessly feeding and loving on the kids.

Christmas was kind of a blur in some ways and in other ways it was full of sweet memories. What a wonderful time to grow our family, during the remembering of the birth of our Jesus. We implemented a new tradition, a Jesse Tree, and enjoyed it so much that our prayer time in the evenings has now turned into devotions too. Unfortunately, Dan and the three kids where sick through the holidays, so we spent them quietly at home which turned out to be a blessing. Nana, Papa, and Nana Sue came out for Christmas morning and brought brunch with them. After that we settled in for a quiet afternoon snuggling Luke and watching the kids play with their new toys. Pretty perfect on all accounts.

I'm trying my best to get into a rhythm with the three kids at home on my own. January flew by, but we are keeping up well with school. Zachary started 1st grade over the Christmas holiday and we are truly loving it. There will be more on that soon, but I have already gone on more than I should have here today. I haven't started back with work yet. I am not sure exactly how I am going to incorporate that into our days yet, but I will have to figure that out soon. For now I will just continue getting by one day at a time with a baby wrapped to me and two wonderful kids to teach and learn from.

Natural Progression

2009-11-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

It's time to get the camera out and document these last few weeks before I am a mother of 3 children. I didn't take enough pregnancy photos with Emma and Zachary, and I said I would take more this go around. Of course life happens, the days rush past, and the camera sits dormant way too often.

I thought today I would post a progression of sorts.

This is me 29 years old and pregnant with Zach at 6 1/2 months. It was all so new and exciting.

This is me 2 years later pregnant with Emma just days before I gave birth to her. I had no idea what I was in for, or how fast she would enter the world.

And... at 36, me 8 months pregnant with Luke. It's still new and exciting. I still have no idea what to expect. I am sure it's going to be a fun ride though.

Busy with the Needles

2009-11-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

Call it nesting, but I've really been enjoying knitting lately. I thought I would post some photos of recently finished projects. You will see most have a theme...

These booties and hat came from a book titled, "Knitting for Baby"

These mittens are a free pattern I found online here.

This is a vest that my mom made for Luke. I found the pattern online before I knew if he was to be a girl or a boy. I sent it to my mom and called her the day we found out so she could get started. (Sorry I don't remember where I found the pattern) I love the bunny buttons she used for the shoulder.

Also knitted by my mom in a beautiful scalloped pattern.

This last project was started last spring (found here). I couldn't get myself to knit throughout the HOT summer, so it just got finished. My first sweater... and it's all for me. I love how it only has two buttons and swings open. Perfect for the pregnancy belly. I used a beautiful 100% cotton that is very soft, although it sheds on everything right now. I am hoping that will go away once it's worn a few times. The only thing left is to find just the right buttons for it. I saved that for my treat once it was completed.

I have a scarf on the needles now in the most beautiful shade of orange. Very much a "Cheeto" orange. Hopefully the weather will cool off some this fall so I can actually wear it.

I'm so looking forward to a cool weather baby and being able to cozy him up in all these fun knits.

Dad's latest garage sale find

2009-10-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

I wasn't told about this little purchase before they came home, but I'm glad because I probably wouldn't have gone for it and that would have meant missing out on a lot of fun. Dan found a used kids set of drums at a neighbors garage sale, and they followed him home (at least it wasn't a car, I hate when they follow him home!).

Lately the kids favorite thing to do is to go out into the garage and put Air 1 on the radio and drum along. They close both the garage door and the laundry room door that leads to the garage. It's just enough of a buffer that I don't go crazy, but I can hear where they are and what they're up to. It actually works out really good. The best part is hearing the singing over the beat : ).

Can you see the concentration??

Looking closely at these photos, I can find many more of Dan's garage sale finds in the background. Well, it's his garage... my office doesn't look much better ; ).

It's Official...

2009-10-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

We are now a State of California recognized Private School. Today we filed our first Private School Affidavit for the 2009 - 2010 school year. This is our second year homeschooling, but in the State of California it is not necessary to file unless you have students that are between the ages of six and eighteen years old. So today we became the Inspired Learning Academy with a student enrollment of one, although we have hopes of growing our enrollment to at least three in the years to come ; ). I can now add "Site Administrator", "Teacher", and "Custodian of Records" to my bag of tricks. Danny is our official "Principal". Pretty funny isn't it!!

I can't express how good it feels to have the freedom in our country to educate our own children in the ways we feel led by the Lord. My prayer is that this freedom is never compromised.

11 Awesome Years

2009-10-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

Danny and I just celebrated eleven years of marriage last weekend. I have been so blessed the past eleven years to get to grow and spend my time with my love. He is truly a special gift to me. Not an anniversary or birthday pass without him doing something special (or out of the ordinary) for me. Our past anniversaries have included planning surprise picnics at our wedding location (including kids, kites, and beach toys!!); taking me to Starbucks after secretly calling the pastor who married us and having him and his wife meet us there; a two night get-away at a beach hotel in Carlsbad; the list goes on...

This year was a little different in that I'm not too comfortable these days, which is probably making me a little difficult to live with. Dan surprised me once again by getting a reservation at Bolsa Chica State Beach. We (he, did I mention how uncomfortable I've been) packed up the camper and off we went for a one night excursion with our two kiddos. The weather was beautiful, the food was yummy, and spending that time as a family was priceless. BUT... the best part (for me) was Danny showing me once again just how much he loves me...

My love packed the lazy boy for me. The lazy boy is the only way I've been able to sleep for the past 4 weeks. So when we got to the beach and put down the back door (right on the boardwalk) there I sat watching my family play in the sand while I knitted lazily in my comfy chair. Ahhh, now that's love : ).

11 Awesome Years!!

Can't wait to meet Luke.

My view of my feet in the sand.

Perfect Beach Day

2009-09-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

We recently had a beach day that felt too rushed and, well, just not quite as relaxing as a beach day should be. So, last week me and the kids decided to have a re-do. It was a success! Just what we had been needing (at least, just what this mama had been needing). It was a perfect low tide. The water was very warm and inviting. It was clearer than I ever remember our local ocean being. The kids were very happy just playing in the sand and making up games (as you can see, the sand does not bother my little ones!!).

My mom and I altered between sitting in our chairs under the beach umbrella relaxing and swimming with the kids.

Yes, a very good day indeed!

A 4 Year Olds Birthday!!

2009-09-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Emma's birthday was last Tuesday and Danny took the day off work to spend with us. We had a wonderful day together, and it all started with the unveiling of Emma's new fish tank...

Then she donned her birthday crown (pattern in this book) and we went out for pancakes and to Petsmart to pick out a new friend. It wasn't a difficult choice. She found a white goldfish with red on her head and "Dorothy" came home with us. Since then "Dorothy" has changed to "Emily" and is sometimes "Goldy". She doesn't seem to care that her name keeps changing, and she seems to enjoy her new home on Emma's dresser.

Here's the birthday girl with big brother laughing it up.

Zach proudly made Emma her birthday present this year. She wanted a ribbon on a stick, just like in dance class. Zach and I couldn't find one, so we went to Joanns and got a dowel and he picked some ribbon. He painted the dowel pink and purple, and then covered it in glitter. I hot glue gunned the ribbon to it. It was (and is) a huge hit. And it's so special that he made it for her. She keeps having dance recitals around the house and making up new dances with her beautiful pink ribbon.

It was really a great day followed by a fun evening at John's Incredible Pizza where Aunt Teri and Casey met up with us. Emma's birthday continued through Saturday with a dinner and cupcakes at Nana's house for her and Uncle Joe's birthday.

I'm so proud of my 4 year old. She is such a sweet little girl, and I am so blessed that the Lord picked our family for her. She is such a gentle soul, always ready to give love to her family (esspecially her big brother).

I love you Emma Lulu!!!

Summer Time

2009-08-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

So it's been since the end of June since I've last posted on my blog... time does fly.

The pregnancy is going fine, especially now that the sickness part seems to be over. I've found a new doctor that takes our new health insurance, and I feel like I'm settling down and starting to relax a bit. We have named our new baby Luke, and although he does not yet have a middle name, quite a few have been suggested. John seems to be popular, but too predictable for me. Warm was thought of over the weekend. Can you imagine... Luke Warm Noack? No, that won't do. And then there was Ingood (suggested by Uncle Phil) Ah um... Luke Ingood... can you even imagine? Well, at least he is doing good and growing like crazy. Of course that means I'm as big as an elephant and moving as slow as a turtle. Yeah, it's all good.

So our summer has been moving along. I thought I'd share a few photos from the past couple of months.

Zach playing in the sprinklers in the backyard.

End of swim lessons. Both kids did great his year. We only did one session this summer. Two weeks of standing next to a pool in 100 degree heat was enough for this pregnant mama.

Fireworks from our front yard on the 4th of July.

Zach's birthday in Silent Valley camping. This year he got a very cool telescope.

After a fun hot day camping we relaxed in the trailer and watched a movie.

Emma performed in her 2nd big dance recital. This was her dress rehearsal for 'Old Straw Hat'.

Here she is on stage doing 'Tinkerbell' (she's on the right).

And here she is dancing in 'Old Straw Hat' (on the right again).

A lazy Sunday afternoon in Oak Glen after a yummy brunch with Aunt Teri and Dino. The kids love to feed the deer.

Pony rides in Oak Glen.

We have really been staying indoors a lot this summer. The weather man keep saying that it has been the coolest summer in a long time, but they just can't convince this pregnant lady! We had hoped to do more school through the summer, but have really started strong the past few weeks.

We studied penguins one week.

The kids painted pictures of penguins in the snow.

Last weekend was spent with our good friends, the von der Lindens. We stayed at their house for a night and spend a wonderful day at the beach. Here are Zach and Noah playing on the slip and slide. This provided hours of entertainment!

And here is Emma, sipping her first soda. She's had small sips of rootbeer from me, but this is her official 1st soda. I held out till she was almost 4!!

Zachary boogie boarding!

Emma loves it too!!

So there's some of our summer in snapshots. Of course summer is not yet over, although we have been watching the neighborhood kids walk to and from school already. I'm sure there will be plenty of more fun, warm, and perfect beach days in out near future.

It's a ...

2009-06-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

BOY!!! Another beautiful boy.

We had an ultrasound last week and both kids sat anxiously waiting the verdict... when the doctor proclaimed, "it's a boy" Zachary started cheering and Emma's bottom lip came out with disappointment. Well, someone was going to be disappointed. Dan and I were quick to console her with the idea that she would be our "only princess" and a lot of advantages come with that : ). I also told her it was her job to call Nana and share the news... which gave us a brief smile.

She's coming around now. Over the weekend she gave up her toddler bed (we need the mattress) and got a new bedroom set with a twin canopy bed (thank you Craigslist!!). Her and Zach have had lots of fun playing pretend in her "new" room.

As for me... I'm continuing to feel better as the weeks go on. Now that we know that we have another little boy on the way, things are starting to feel more "real". I mean, just look at these babies...

(our first bouncing baby boy, Zachary. Those amazing eyes work on me just as well today as they did almost 6 years ago)

(the forever reigning princess, Emma. Those lips are just as beautiful and kissable now as they were almost 4 years ago)

We get another little miracle at the end of this journey : ).

How I organized K this year

2009-06-19T16:15:00.000-07:00

This post is a long time in coming. I don't feel "qualified" to give advise on homeschooling, but I've always been an organizer. I have my messy piles around (all over right now), but I do enjoy planning and organizing. This has been our first year homeschooling, and I have a ton to learn... but I thought that someone may glean an idea or two from how we set up our school this year. So here it goes...

I'm writing this to a My Father's World user (since this all we know), and again it's for teaching only Kindergarten (again... this is all we know, so far!!).

This is our "School Cabinet". It was a Target buy, years ago, and perfect for all our supplies. I outfitted it with drawers (also from Target). The bottom cabinets hold all of our arts & craft supplies. There are bins for colored pencils, one for paints, one for glue - tape - glue sticks. One compartment on the very bottom holds the boxes of extras that came in the deluxe package (ant hill, butterfly garden). In the top of the cabinet we store our "daily" stuff. Drawers that hold our Cuisenaire Rods and Rods Alphabet book, textured letters, preschool bins that came with the MFW preschool package, a roll of the ever handy contact paper, and my "teacher's file boxes". At the very top of the cabinet are horizontal paper holders which house our construction paper. Really my "go to" item daily is just the one green lidded file box in the top cabinet. Here it is:

In it are two hanging files. One of which houses the things we use sporatically: Blend ladder chart, Bingo game cards, extra calendar pages, etc. The other hanging folder houses the manila folder for the unit with all the worksheets in it, our 100's chart and calendar page, Lucy's awesome Kindergarten Daily Schedule (from the MFW-K Yahoo group), and my Teacher's Manual. In the front of the box are our jars with our 1's and 10's sticks in them, our flashcards, a ziplock with the textured letters we've learned to date, and teacher's pencils, stapler, eraser, etc. (stuff I use everyday). This box is all we need for school most days. We've gone for camping trips where all I need to do is grab this box, and we are good to go. I store the other unit manila folders in an additional box, pictured here...

The folders are put in order of the curriculum and as I find things that I can use for that unit I just stick it in the appropriate folder. If we happen to have books around the house that go with that unit, they go in here too. I've torn out all the worksheets and also put them in the right folders. I put sticky notes in the folders several weeks before the ant and butterfly unit so I remember to order the critters. I also put in notes about special things we may have done for that unit that may come in handy in two years when we repeat K with my daughter.

When we get to the end of a unit, I simply take the 100's chart, calendar page, and my Teacher's Manual out of the current unit's manila folder, and I file that folder back into this box. Then I take the next unit's folder out of this box, and put in in my "school" box : ). Easy peasy!!

My kids each have a box of their own too. They are the same as my box, but in it are their school supplies (pencils, dry erase board, their badges for the week). When it's time for school, I just tell them to get their school boxes and the three of us sit at the dining room table and go to it. By the way, my daughter (3 years old) has coloring books, and some MFW preschool items in her box, as well as some age appropriate worksheets to keep her busy when I need one-on-one time with my son.

I've noticed some posts on the MFW board asking what mommies do with all the worksheets once they are completed. What is working for us is a large 3", 3 ring binder with page protectors. (You'll see this in our cabinet next to my file boxes. At the end of each unit I put the worksheets for that unit into his "K Binder". My son loves to show this off to people, and it's a great reminder to me of how far he's come this year. As for the "stuff" (art projects, etc.) that don't fit into page protectors, I either put it in the pocket in the front of the binder, keep it on display around the house, or it goes into his school box (for now).

One other important part of our school day is our "book basket". Quite literally a basket... Not required in Kindergarten, but this is where we house the books we've found around the house that have to do with our current unit. The "bag" in the basket houses the books we've checked out from the library on our unit. A cozy corner that I can send my kindergartner to when my 3 year old needs one-on-one time with her "school".

I hope this helps someone. More than anything, I pray that other mommies that are using MFWK for the first time are as blessed as I've been this year. I would love to hear other ideas too that may be helpful, as well as ideas for years to come...

Thanks for reading - Amy

Mooo, Neigh...

2009-06-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

We are almost done with our horse unit. It's been a quiet one, but another great time in our Father's World. I do have a couple photos to share from our last unit, Cow. We made butter. We put some whipping cream into a jar and shook, shook, shook... until it became butter. Then we enjoyed some on crackers.

We have quite a bit more kindergarten to go before we finish, so we will be schooling through the summer months. It works for us though. The kids really don't know what a "summer" is (except that it's way too hot most weeks to even go outside). Danny and I are looking forward to the CHEA conference next month. I'm so excited he is going with me this year. I will really need his extra encouragement next year to make it through... with a first grader, a preschooler, and an infant arriving half way through the school year.

In the mean time, I'm starting to feel human again... just getting over the terrible "morning" sickness of the past 3+ months. We are looking forward to upcoming birthdays, camping, graduation parties, and a dance recital... all lots of fun : ). Throw in a few beach days, and it's starting to look like a great summer to me!

Announcing....

2009-05-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've been around these parts. In fact, it's been a while since I've been anywhere. I've been sooo sick lately. Much thanks to our family, our Church family, friends, and especially to my understanding and ever-so-patient hubby for helping me so much the past several weeks.

So here it is....

Baby Noack - at 11 weeks happy and healthy. We even got a little dance on the screen for big brother and big sister at the doctors office. Our due date is early December, which will make Christmas so special (crazy) this year ; ).

Thank you to everyone for your prayers after our miscarriage last year. God does answer prayer, and with Him... ALL things are possible.

Blessings, Amy

Water and Insects

2009-04-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

What do they have in common? Well, they were our last two units in Kindergarten.

Our water unit was really fun. Probably my favorite to date. Our character verse was "Jesus gives my spirit living water to drink". The week was broken down into a day for liquid, a day for solid, a day for gas, and a day for dissolving and evaporation. Toward the beginning of the week we set out two jars with the same amount of water in each. One was covered and one was not. Then we checked the jars each day to watch the evaporation. On the liquid day we poured water into several different shaped pitchers to see that liquid takes on the shape of what it is in. At the end of the day we put that water into the fridge to use for our "solid" day. We saw that the ice the next day didn't change shape when poured into a pitcher. Then we put some ice in the refrigerator and some outside to see which would melt first. On our gas day we measured out water in a pan on the stove and let it boil for a while. We observed the steam (evaporation) and then measured it later to see that it really did evaporate. We had a really fun week of learning, and we even used our "hand" octopuses from the week before for a mural of the ocean.

Our next week was Insects (which may be the kids favorite so far). We had an ant farm a few weeks back. It didn't last too long, but it was fun to watch the ants. I'm happy to say I have no amusing stories of any escapes.

We spent a day studying ants, a day on lady bugs, and a day on bees.

Aunt Teri sent the kids a lady bug land. We sent away for the larvae, and wouldn't you know, they arrived right on our lady bug day! We are having fun watching them grow and we are looking forward to setting them free in our garden once they turn into lady bugs.

Here Danny is releasing the larvae into the lady bug land. I imagine they had quite a trip in the mail and really love their new digs.

Here are my little scientists observing the larvae and making sure they are all moving. We were worried about a few at first, then read that the larvae molt, so the curled up ones we saw where actually old skins of the ones that were doing just what they were suppose to do.

Here is the larvae a couple days ago. They have grow much more... I'm so happy we don't have a snake unit (this year anyway!).

Just one more thing before I step away from the computer for the day... We went to Apple Valley last week to visit Grandma Butler's desert property. We met my cousin Christie and her family up there for a picnic. On the way home we decided to take a side trip to peak at Silverwood Lake. This is as close as we got, but it made for an impromptu photo shoot.

I'm so blessed!!

I hope to post soon about how we have set up our "little" school this year, and some of the things I've done to try and keep me organized.

Spring has Sprung

2009-04-02T16:12:00.000-07:00

The weather lately has been beautiful. Upper 70's, even a few day's of 80's. The windows are open, the breeze is blowing, and the kids are spending tons of time outside (Praise the Lord!!). I've been very busy with typing assignments for work. I've been working on my laptop down stairs in the family room where I can be within ear shot of the constant chaos outside. Plus I'm close to the kitchen, so I can throw food out to them occasionally.

A friend at MOPs brought me a tomato plant that her talented husband grew from seed. It's a small yellow pearl variety. I took it only because this year I have a small planter in the back that has a drip system set up that is on the sprinkler timers. I've started and killed many gardens over the past several years. Anyway, getting in the swing of things we went to that local gardening place and bought two other tomatoes, a Big Boy and another cherry tomato vaierty (Emma eats them like candy). We also got a 6-pack of strawberries (which our dog Jack keeps eating), some basil, mint (summer mojitos!!), a bell pepper, and some sweet peas. Not too much, but enough that it will be fun to watch them grow and get a little harvest this year.

Tending this fun planter sparked an art day. I've been wanting to implement more drawing into my kids school days. They draw all the time, but it is usually inside. I had purchased two sketch pads for them and some new colored pencils. I sat them both up outside in front of our new garden to draw what ever they wanted to, and here's what we got...

Emma's drawing is an orange sunflower in a lavender pot sitting in the dirt.
Zach drew a tomato bush, daddy's favorite grass bush with pink flowers and the sun.

It was really good to see them taking their time and working so hard on these drawings. They have been asking to do this everyday since then, so I guess they enjoyed it as much as I did. I really think it is important for them to love and enjoy the time making "art" no matter what or how it is done. I don't see myself as an artist, but some of my happiest times is when I'm creating things. I hope I can pass that along to my kids.

No Training Wheels on the BMX Track...

2009-04-02T16:02:00.000-07:00

...Because of this, and her obsession to do everything her brother does, Miss Emma had daddy take her training wheels off. Of course she was dressed in head to toe riding gear because, well, a girl has to look good, you know. She started just like Zachary did, running off the sidewalk so she could stop in the grass. She picked it up pretty fast.

And before we knew it she wanted to go out front where she could do longer rides. Monday night daddy took her to the track and she rode around out back while Zachary practiced. It won't be long now... just wait until she passes Zachary in a race. That will be quite the day!

Zachary has become quite fond of the scooter that Aunt Teri got for him. He loves to make up "free-style" tricks for it, and show them off. Check out the air time here!! ...and I'm not talking just about the hair : ).

MOPs Day

2009-03-10T15:06:00.001-07:00

I really enjoy my Tuesday mornings. Tuesday's are MOPs days. A day I get to feel pampered in the midst of being a mommy. I only wish I had known about MOPs when I first became a mommy. The love and support at MOPs priceless.

Now, being a bit of a more "seasoned" mommy, I also love to see the newer mommies at work. The ones who get to bring their newborns in with them because the are still nursing. Watching those precious relationships between mommy and baby feels like stealing a glimpse of something so extraordinary. Oh, and the nursing relationship between precious baby and mommy - so special. This is probably the most missed part of having a baby for me. I loved nursing. It certainly did not come easy to me and Zachary. We both had quite the learning curve, but we got past it and he nursed exclusively for 6 months and then continued up until 13 - 14 months. Emma, on the other hand, came out knowing exactly how to nurse. She was a pro from the start (and still is a pro eater). Yes, Emma and her coveted "mommy milk"...

Just watch, and don't worry, there is no nudity here:

I had to add this one more video. Okay, now I'm done with the family movies... for now.

So tomorrow is Wednesday. Another favorite day, for tomorrow is Emma's dance day and who couldn't love watching that : )

2009-03-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

I can already tell that this video thing is going to be fun... I just found this on my hard drive, and while I have posted it mostly for the sake for Nana, perhaps others with enjoy seeing how quickly these little boogers grow up. I can hardly remember these two so small. This video shows a small glimpse of the future friendship these two have kindled.

Happy Monday

2009-03-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to try adding video to my blog, so here's my first attempt at it.

This is last Monday's practice session at the track. I was not able to make it, but Dan took the kids over. He took this on his phone, hence the quality, but Emma's cheering is great. Oh yeah, and that kid on the bike, he is pretty fantastic too!!!

Happy Monday to you.

Big and Small, God made them all.

2009-02-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

That was Zachary's character verse for the last unit we completed in kindergarten. We had a whole unit on dinosaurs and it proved to be one of our most fun yet. We took school outside one day and measured 110 feet to see how long a blue whale was. Then we compared it to 100 feet, which is how long one of the largest dinosaurs were. The kids each chose two dinosaurs to learn a bit more on and made stuffed dinosaurs using paper bags and crinkled paper for stuffing. Then they painted their dinosaurs.

We have moved on to "O" - Octopus and we are learning that "Even the Octopus praises the Lord". This unit is going quickly and after it comes "W" - Water then "I" Insect. We have already started our Ant Farm for the Insect unit. It sits in our kitchen, and we all enjoy seeing what the ants are up to. They are busy little guys, and I'm sure there will be more news on them later (hopefully no news of an escape!!).

Zachary is turning out to be quite the student, and he is enjoying learning to read. I think it is even more fun for me to see his excitement at sounding out words. He is so amazing, but I'm sure all mamas think that of there little ones. The other day during school, I called an Ox a Yak. He, of course, corrected me and I told him, "I'm sorry, I forgot". To which he said "You shouldn't forget, your a school teacher". I guess I have a lot to learn too.

Last weekend was quite busy. Friday night I went to a moms night out. The mommy that was hosting has a five year old and wanted to keep him busy, so I brought Zach along. That left Emma and daddy to have an evening together. He took her to "Chuck-a-cheeses" (which is how she says it - adorable) and they had a fun "date-night". She has been begging to go there and I'm just glad he caved in because I really can't handle the noise level in that place.

On Saturday Emma and I were invited to a baby shower, which left Zach and daddy to go ride the quad and go to the shop for a little male bonding time. Emma and I had a little extra time to get ready for the shower, so I put her hair up in hot rollers. She loved it. The only problem was, when it was time to take them out she didn't want to. She was sure that the rollers were very pretty and that was how she should go to the party... Well, I prevailed. She was so cute with her curls.

Half way through the baby shower she came up to me with a secret and asked when was the shower going to start. I was a bit confused until I realized she thought that the new mama was actually going to be showering. She didn't seem too disappointed in my explanation that we where showering the new mama with baby gifts instead of water : ).

I've been in a knitting craze lately. I really enjoy the act of knitting and the relaxation it provides. It is also a great way to spend the hour a week at the dance studio and the hours at the BMX track (not to mention it's a great way to keep my eyes off the road while Dan is driving). I will have to take some photos of my latest completed projects and post them soon. Here's a photo Emma took at the BMX track for me...

Not the "best" photo, but it sums up a great night in this mommy's world.

Emma's First Ride

2009-02-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

We took the kids out Sunday to ride near our house. It would have been great to be in Glamis, but for this weekend, this would have to do. Besides, we could practically see our home from where we went ...and the cop didn't ticket us, he only said we would have to leave... opps. Well, we where done by then anyway. Next time we will have to fine a spot further out.

Emma has been wanting to try out the quad, and to my surprise, her feet touched the pegs (which is my prerequisite). So after Zachary had his fill we let Emma take a spin. Dan turned the governor waaaay down and ran beside her, which, by the way, is much easier not being in sand (of course I wouldn't know this since I was perched in my chair praying). She did very well, I'd say. I'm sure we will have to get another bike soon. Of course it will have to be pink...

I'm Married to a 40 Year Old!

2009-01-19T16:42:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure exactly how that happened. Well, I mean, I know how it happened... but the time has gone so fast. When I met Danny he was 25. A gorgeous, tanned, muscular, salt-water-sprinkled 25. And really... it was love at first sight. He was unlike anyone I had ever dated. He and I had so much fun together. We have come so far!! He has come so far!!

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such a blessed life. Dan is the perfect partner for me. My other half. He really does complete me. He always has the strength to step in where I leave off. To go the extra mile when I am weak. He never ceases to surprise me. Not a birthday, anniversary, or holiday goes by where he doesn't have something up his sleeve. He truly amazes me.

The gorgeous man that I met 15 years ago was not half the man that I have in my life now. Why is this? Because Dan now has Jesus at the helm in our family. Dan's obvious love for our Lord far surpasses any attraction that took my breath away 15 years ago. Dan is God's gift to me, and to anyone who has the joy of calling him "friend".

Happy Birthday Baby!! All my love.

Danny at Lake Powell, about two weeks into dating me.

Danny in his element - Carlsbad 11/2007

Ojai waterfall

Just one of His loves... riding

Did you know Dan pole vaulted in high school?

Yes, he was always cool.

Danny at 6 month, yes, and he was always cute!

10 Things I'm Loving Right Now

2009-01-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

I keep seeing this done on other blogs, and it always warms my soul... so here I go:

1. The memory of this afternoon at my parents house when I sat for awhile with my Nana with the warm afternoon sun shining in the window. She hand hemmed a pair of pants in record time while I knit. I know, next time I need a picture of us together...but this is the memory.

2. An even stronger understanding of what the best gift of Christmas is. The story of Christ's birth was never as real to me as it was after reading Intimate Moments with the Savior - Learning to Love by Ken Gire. Awesome!!!

3. Knowing that I can try to make Toffee again, even if it's not Christmas. I made 4, yes 4 batches in December and not one of them turn out right. I finally figured out the culprit...my candy thermometer is broken. Man, that's a lot of burnt butter in the garbage!!

4. Sorry to any vegetarians out there, but come on...this is perfection. Prime rib made by my dad for a family dinner.

5. Do you see how cute these leg warmers are on Ms. Emma!! They were originally wrist warmers for me from a free pattern found here. But a cold rainy day at dance class, and they are now hers. I just bought more yarn yesterday to make me a new pair.

6. The lavender I put in my knitting bag. Every time I pull something out of there...ummm. And the fact that when my kids smell it they know it's lavender : ).

7. All the Christmas "stuff" is finally in boxes ready for Dan to put in the attic tomorrow. And I even remembered the Christmas books so we are not reading Rudolf in August!!

8. This picture of me and my mom. Her and dad came up to visit us while we were camping last week. I just don't have enough photos of mom and me. (see blog dated October 22, 2008)

9. I love this photo of Dan relaxing while we are camping, mostly because it's so rare. I don't believe he got to sit for more than 10 minutes the whole time. Those kids keep him busy.

10. That my boy has been hounding me to teach him to embroider for months (yes, I said embroider). He did a great job, and he loved it!!

So that's what I'm loving right now... How about you?

Happy New Year

2009-01-07T16:53:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful New Year. We celebrated up at Silent Valley. We celebrated EST New Year, that's Eastern Standard Time. We were in bed by 9:00 : ). Dan had the week off between Christmas and New Year so we headed up for an extended camping trip. It was cold, but we had beautiful days. My parents came up and spent an afternoon with us, and we spent another day further up the mountain playing in the snow. It's so nice to have such a fun family camp ground so close to our home. Dan's parents have been members there since 1988, and we really appreciate being able to get in on their membership.

Here's Hairy the Snowman (iceman is more like it)

We lucked out and found a piece of plastic that made a great sled.

Zachary is turning out to be quite the photographer.

We had a wonderful week together as a family (doggies too). A little relaxing, a little reading, a little knitting (I finished two hats, my first ones), a lot of watching the kids on their bikes. We really were not ready to leave, even after 5 nights in the trailer, but life does go on. This week brought back work, school, dance classes, BMX, Bible study... Yes, the new 2009 calendar is already filling up.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-16T22:13:00.000-08:00

We felt bad leaving out photos in this years Christmas cards, so hopefully some friends and family make it over here for a quick catch up. We keep this blog to record our days together, so please feel free to stop by anytime and catch up. We love getting comments : ).

This past year has been a fun one. Having a 3 and 5 year old is never boring. Emma started dance in February and fell in love instantly. She is taking a combo class and learning tap and ballet. She had her first recital in July and took to being on stage like a fish to water. In fact, we have yet to get her off the stage. She also performed at our local fair during the summer and really enjoyed that too. She is quite the thinker and talker. She really is a 13 year old stuck in a 3 year old body. The things she comes up with just boggle us sometimes. She has a true love for the Lord, and it is precious to witness. She has so much faith at 3, not yet tainted by the world. I'm learning so much from her.

Zachary has been a light in our life since the day he was born. Every day with him is a true gift. He is the most thoughtful 5 year old boy I've ever known (yes, I'm bias... but really). I started homeschooling him last spring. I found an awesome curriculum that made me courageous enough to make me believe I could teach him. You can look back in our blogs for some fun school days. We have started out very slowly, but are starting to pick up the pace. Of course, we could not leave Emma out, she's been doing a preschool curriculum. Zachary started racing BMX (bicycle motorcross) in October. We have a great track near our house and he is over there a couple times a week for practice and races. He is really enjoying it... so much so that Dan has joined him. He races with the "old men", the cruiser class. I am hoping it turns out to be a fun activity for the two of them for many years to come. Emma and I sure enjoy rooting them on.

Dan is still working out in San Jacinto welding and fabricating for Saddleback Valley Iron. He has recently changed his schedule to working four 10 hour days and taking Friday through Sunday off. We LOVE it!! It is so nice to have him home. He still enjoys getting out in the ocean and put aside the long board for a change and got a short board this year. We are still praying that the Lord will see us closer to the sea one day.

I am still blessed to be working from home. It's been a very busy year, praise God, the economy has not effected my work yet. Between teaching, working, being mama, and wife... I am pretty busy. I did take up knitting this summer and still love scrapbooking (my paper therapy!!). The kids and I joined a MOP's (Mother's of Preschoolers) group this year, and it has been so nice to get out with other mommies.

As a family we have done a lot of camping this year in our toy hauler. Most toy haulers haul motorcycles and dune buggies... ours hauls surfboards and bicycles for now. Zachary still has his quad. Now that the weather has cooled down we hope to use it more. Hopefully 2009 sees more sand/dirt. We took quite a few trips to the beach last summer, Doheny, San Clemente, Bolsa Chica and we have enjoyed using Dick and Mari's membership at Silent Valley in Idyllwild.

Well, there's much more in our past blogs. We would like to wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

In His Grip,
The Noack Family

Zach and Emma, sporting beautiful sweaters by Nana - December 2008

Camping Halloween at the BMX Track (Track or Treat)

"Team Noack" on the track

Zachary, tearing it up... fully padded.

Can't wait to get her training wheels off!

The Noack Family, Oak Glen Apple Picking - October 2008

Family Games

2008-12-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

I've got to know, what honest mom or dad out there can say that they have the patience it takes to get through a whole game of Shoots and Ladders? I mean really, don't you just cringe when you get the shoot and you think the game is just never going to end. Or, how about Candyland, and the only thing holding you back from the end of the game is your three year old that just wants a "pink" card. Or worse... the Memory game. Why doesn't a five year old understand that if you pick up the same cards every turn, you will never get a match!!

Well, welcome to our new family favorite... Jenga. It's a game that's been in our closet since before we had kids. I just figured the kids would use them as blocks, but it's really been a fun game for our family. Now, to be honest, I thought it would be a short game since once the tower topples over, the game is done. Wouldn't you know that my dear lovely children have some kind of supernatural gift with gravity and can dance and yell around that tower, and unlike Jericho, the walls don't come down. Honestly, look at this last tower we made:

And look at how calm and tranquil we are when we play it:

(Yes, that's Dan in the background just as amazed as I was that that tower does not go down)

Got to love Family game night!!

School Continues

2008-12-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

We are picking up the pace this year in school. I'm starting to feel the groove. Both of the kids are still enjoying homeschooling and ask to do it everyday. Unfortunately many days sneak by without any formal school getting done... but I'm learning too.

Our last unit in Kindergarten was N-n-n-nest. We learned all about animal homes and how God takes care of us. The kids and I learned how awesome it is that a bird can make it's own nest. They both have made several nests, in hopes that a bird would move in. I think they have figured out that the birds are thankful to find material for their own nests from the ones the kids make.

In preschool we have been concentrating on the letter "B" and learning the story of Noah and the "B"oat. We've had some fun finger plays and acted out Noah filling up the ark. One day we discussed what things float and what things sink. We did an experiment to find out for ourselves. We went to our "lab" (the bathroom, that day) and filled up the sink. Then we found objects around the house and yard to experiment with. We sorted the objects into "float" and "sink" bowl. Man, I love this school stuff. The conversations that come up are so fun. I can't imagine sending these two off to school at this age and missing out on all that fun.

Last week we also learned how to make "friendship tea". We plan on making it our Christmas gift for the kids Sunday school and dance teachers, as well as for some family. Here's how to make it:

Friendship Tea
1/2 cup instant ice tea powder
1 cup instant lemonade powder
1 cup Tang
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix together, package and give out. To serve, put 1 - 2 teaspoons into a mug of hot water and stir. Don't use too much, or a sugar high will result!!

The kids loved the smell of the cloves which reminded me of studding oranges with whole cloves when I was young, so we did that too. Boy the house smelled great that day... and for many days after.

Where Have I Been??

2008-12-11T14:22:00.001-08:00

One may think that I have dropped off the end of the earth, but that's not the case. The last time I blogged was October 22nd, my birthday. On October 23rd we found out I was pregnant. Yeah, wow. We had just started trying, and lets just say we hit a home run right out of the box. Well, we had three days of silly smiles on our faces. We had fun telling our families the great news and sharing the news with our kids. But... three days later I started cramping and spotting. I was able to get in to see a doctor, and after a couple days of blood test I was told I had miscarried. It was quite a shock. I have had two very "textbook" pregnancies. My doctor said that my hcg level (which is the hormone detected in pregnancy) was not rising quick enough. Well, to make a VERY long story shorter, I continued having blood tests done for several weeks only to find that my hcg levels continued to rise, but at a very slow rate. I had hope that this pregnancy may still be viable. I found an excellent website about misdiagnosed miscarriages and found lots of support there from women who had been and were going through similar situations. Just last week my hcg level has started to go down. I'm sure this is not a viable pregnancy now, and the healing can begin.

These last several weeks have been such a physical and emotional roller coaster. Most days have been okay, but I did have my share of very difficult days. If nothing else comes from this season in my life, I have certainly gained more faith in my Lord. I know He is the Great Creator and the Master of the Universe. If He can orchestrate the Heavens, well then He can certainly take care of me.

The following is the chorus to a song called Bring the Rain, by Mercy Me. This song got me through some very tough days.

Give me joy, give me peace, give the chance to be free, give me anything that brings You glory. And I know there'll be days when this life brings me pain, but if that's what it takes to praise you, Jesus bring the rain.

Yes, the rain did come, but as I sit here in my office with my two miracles napping in their rooms, I see a beautiful day outside with plenty of sunshine.

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-10-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

Silly title...and so hard to type. Yes today is my birthday and I proudly turn 25, I mean 35.

Yes 35 years today I was born to a very happy 19 year old mommy. A mommy who wanted a baby so badly. A mommy who has dedicated her life from that day to her children. Even now, with all three of us out of the "nest" she still manages to put us first.

Yes, a very happy mommy and a VERY Blessed baby...

Dancing at the Fair

2008-10-21T17:00:00.001-07:00

Emma performed two weeks ago at the Southern California Fair in Perris. She performed the same two dances she did at her recital last July. This time Nana and Nana Sue drove out for the show. Emma did a wonderful job and had absolutely no problems going on stage.

Tap dance - Baby Bumble Bee (Emma is on the left)

Ballet - Getting Ready for the Ball (Emma on the right)

We stayed for some rides after the show.

...and checked out some livestock. My Nana says this was her favorite part, watching Emma and her little friend holding hands and looking at the pigs. They both still have their tiaras on from their last dance. Easily titled "the two princesses and the pigs"... too cute.

Proud Teacher - Proud Mom

2008-10-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to sharing a couple photos from a school day not too long ago.

Emma concentrating on stitching a lower case "a"

Zachary working on his weekly drawing page. Such an imagination!!

Finger painting apples on trees made from their hand tracings

Apple Picking - Part Two

2008-10-21T16:26:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago we returned to Oak Glen to go apple picking with Danny. He had missed our previous adventure this year since we went on a weekday. Boy was it crowded up there. We hit stopped traffic before we even got to Riley's Farm. We slowly ventured down the highway to Snowline only to find the line for apple cider donuts wrapped clear around the building! We decided to make due with apple tasting and an apple cider donut mix to take home. Then we drove on back to Los Rios Ranchos to pick apples. This time we got a 1/2 bushel box and picked away.

Zach and Dan with our 1/2 bushel box

Emma getting help with the high ones

Zachary's 1st attempt with mommy's camera (pretty good eh)

Emma and I hugging a redwood (we think)

NBA jump for that perfect apple

We really had a wonderful time. After picking apples we went across the road and the kids went on the pony rides and we got some lunch. It was nice to be out in the cool fall weather for the day. This is a family trip I would highly recommend to anyone in the area.

2008-10-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

It seems some days are so hard to get through, while other days just seem to fall into place. It's been a very busy past month for me. Work alone has averaged over 40 hours a week. Add that to my mommy job, housekeeping (or lack thereof), teaching, being a wife, helping my grandparents, and other responsibilities... let's just say life has been chaotic.

I've been looking forward to this Thursday that had a void of anything to do on my "calendar". Well, today I was blessed with a day that felt more in order. By "in order" I mean I feel like I've had some successes. Today they were:

Schooling Kindergarten;
Working (still on the deadline);
Reading to Emma before nap (of course she didn't sleep, but she did stay in her room for over an hour);
Starting our next Little House book, The Long Winter, with Zach (he's been asking for at least two week, poor kid);
Sewing two skirts for Emma (something she's been asking for for over two weeks);
One and a half loads of laundry;
One load of dishes; and
blogging :).

My hubby just got home to start his weekend (loving his new 10 hour days/4 days a week!!), and he's mowing the lawn, yippee! And... I went grocery shopping earlier this week and have carne asada marinading in the fridge with avocados on the counter just waiting to be made into guacamole!! We are looking forward to a stay-at-home family weekend.

Here are Emma's new skirts. The butterfly one is made out of a soft flannel. I see tights and boots in it's future! She picked both the butterflies and the ladybug fabric (regular cotton). I still have one more to make out of the cutest strawberry fabric I found. I got the pattern free on-line here. I love the ribbon detail at the bottom hem of the skirts. I consider myself a beginning sewer, and I was able to make these two skirt in under two-hours (between faxes, phone calls, etc).

These are our new birthday crowns I made for the kids this year. I got this idea from my favorite blogger/author, Amanda Soule (aka, Soule Mama). She has an awesome book out called The Creative Family, which I love love love!! You can find her blog here. These "crowns" are made of wool felt and embroidered with the kids initials and some other fun stuff. There is elastic in the back, so hopefully they will last several years.

One more thing to share today... a passage that healed my heart yesterday:

From the end of the earth I will cry to You when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever, I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. - Psalm 61:2-4

Here's to the weekend!! Blessing!