Noah's Birthday

Noah is official 8 years old now!!! Here are a few pictures.....

We had a great day and I think he did too :)

Ice Skating Pictures

Here is a photo Blog of the kids first practice... We actually didn't go prepared to skate, as you can tell by their attire, but it was taking Mom way too long to fill out all those papers!! They had so much fun, despite being a bit chilly. But really once you get skating the layers peel off anyways!

Charity Ann She did really well!!!

Cayleb and Charity Ann....

Wacky Hair Noah :) He loved it!!

This one was through the glass, sorry. But can you tell he LOVED being "back on the ice??!!"

Noah and Charity Ann stuck together most of the time :) Cayleb was way to quick for them.... this time! :)

Signing off, Tifany

Ice Skating

So I asked Charity Ann this morning what she wanted to do for an extra curricular activity this year. We had been talking about some dance lessons. I mentioned to her that she could try ice skating since she could take a class at the same time as Cayleb's learn to skate class. She was really excited! She didn't know that that was even an option. I hadn't really thought about it much before this morning, but woke up with a sort of tada moment thinking, Wow, wouldn't it be easier on me if she wanted to try ice skating, instead of dance, then I would only be carting them to one place a few times a week, rather than 2 several times a week! So, I asked, and then Noah heard from her that she was going to be ice skating and he got this left out look and I asked him if he wanted to and he said Yes!! So Then I decided I better take in the contract form from Blaine Home Connections so that they could start that paper work and we could get our lessons paid for out of our stipend. When we got there at 10:15 this morning the "Home School Skate" had just started and the lady was like, we'll they can skate today as their first practice if you want? And of course the kids all said yes, even though they were in T-Shirts and a few even had shorts on! They looked pretty cute out there on the ice in their shorts, t-shirts and skates! :) I got a few pictures but will get more later. Their first class is Friday with a 3 hour practice session afterwards. They are very excited to go back, and this time Cayleb can actually take his skates with him so that he doesn't have to borrow the stinky ones. We may have to work towards purchasing skates for the other two if they are going to stick with it.

Cayleb is learning how to skate so that he can play Hockey, so he's just glad to be back on the ice :)

I am just glad that I won't be going to 2 different places 4-5 times a week!! B'Ham is getting more and more expensive to get to these days, though I did get Diesel today for under $4 a gal. I haven't been able to do that for almost a year I think!! It was a nickel away from $5 for way to long!!

Right now was are playing catch-up on the school we "missed" this morning. My extra kiddos aren't here today since today is Zoie's Birthday and her Mom was able to take the day off and treat her to some fun! We are just relaxing, and enjoying the quiet while Sarah Rose gets her nap. We have AWANA tonight so that will be plenty loud to make up for the peace right now!

Gotta Go.

Tif

Marvelous Monday :)

Yeah, I know I have used that one before, I think..... so lets see what else can we come up with for Monday....
Madd
Moody
Magnificent
Mischievous
Macho
Money
Mooselicious
Marockin
Hmmm..... Okay, I guess we'll go with magnificent this time :)

Yesterday was great. I decided to throw our schedule out the window, and instead created a lot more detailed assignment sheets for each of the kids. That way they could decide what they wanted to work on, yet still have the ability to see what they need to do. So it was fun for them to get those choices, and they could go at whatever pace they wanted to. This was a big plus for the big kids, as they didn't have to wait for me to finish up things with the younger ones before they moved on. Some got done pretty early and had free time, others worked until lunch and a few had just a little to do after lunch. We did spelling together after lunch and also our Konos fun stuff about the Music and Sound experiments unit that we are working on. I felt mush more relaxed about it, not feeling like I was holding anyone back, or pushing anyone ahead either. And it let me work with a few at a time on Math, because the most I got working on Math at one time was 4 and it was all the younger ones.

Six has been an adventure so far, but I am enjoying it and will keep it up :)

Life in general

Hello!!

I'm getting ready for another busy week. We are starting our 4th week of Homeschooling and are going strong. Last week we had a few slow days for kiddos to catch up on lost sleep and some had dentist appointments, but other than that we have been trying our best to have fun. I hope that we continue to have fun as we continue to get more and more done each day. I am hoping that we get our Math-U-See in soon, so that the kids who are waiting to start their books can start soon. In the meantime, they are having fun helping the other kids with theirs, as well as continuing to work on telling time. I am so thankful that Jesus is my strength because I know that none of this would be happening or working without Him as my strength. Some may think that that seems weak, but to me, it's my strength and courage.



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Now playing: Chris Daughtry - What About Now
via FoxyTunes

Why Jesus?

A good friend of mine who has very recently become a believer has had a lot of questions, as is normal!! I had this response for her latest round about why Jesus had to die for us, and Why we have to have eternal death for our sins among a few others.... I really hope that she does not mind me posting this response. I really would like some feedback positive or negative regarding my accuracy and things I could say better or things that you liked about what I have said......

Simple answer: Because the wages of sin is eternal death (not literal death on Earth, but it separates us from Him in eternity), we deserve death in God's eyes when we sin against Him. Jesus died in our place, for our sins, so that we could have life (eternal life.)

My answer: In the old Testament times people sacrificed perfect animals to "atone" for their sins, or to try to balance them out on a sin vs.. "please forgive me" scale. We all Sin, and God knows that we can't help it, it's our nature and he made us with free will so that we would have the choice between sinning and doing what he really wants us to do. All He really wants is for us to realize our sin, and admit it to Him and then ask for forgiveness. It's a lot like being parents, we all want our kids to grow up happy and healthy and to have good lives, but when they do something that makes us upset, i.e.: breaking a safety rule or being destructive, they make us sad and all we really want for them is to admit what they did was wrong, learn to not do it again, and then move on with their lives, right? The big thing is we want them to know that what they did was wrong. God has similar rules for us. If you want to look back at the basic 10 commandments, they are all pretty much safety and do not abuse rules.... And when we do something that goes against those teachings, God wants us to realize it, admit to Him that we were wrong and tell Him that we won't do it again. Right, just like a parent! God had profits prophecy the First coming of Jesus. He knew that the old ways of "sacrificing animals" was not going to work for long.... He knew that they only way to get our attention back to Him was to do the most drastic, horrific, and unbelievable thing that a parent could ever do. Imagine the feelings he had to have gone through as the creator of that master plan!!!! But He did it because He loves us and He wanted us to find Him again!! Jesus was His perfect Lamb, and though it seems very savage and horrifying, He knew that the only way to get His peoples attention again was to be willing to sacrifice His son in the most excruciating death possible. You are probably thinking, why do we have to have death as the wage for sin? God is perfection, and we are not. God is perfect!! We are His creation, but we cannot stand before Him unless we have been washed clean of our sins. In the old testament they sacrificed animals to atone or compensate for their sins, After Jesus, the "New Testament" was created and died for us, it became possible for us to spend eternity with God if we only accept His Son into our hearts as our personal savior. This means admitting that we have sinned against God, Asking Him for forgiveness, Accepting that Jesus has already paid the price for our sins, and lastly accepting Gods Eternal Grace to clean us of our sins. No one can enter the presence of God with out Jesus standing by their side to "vouch" for them. I other words, we need to have the "Jesus stamp" on our hands to get in the gate :) Another way to think about it is Jesus was willing to take the call to die for us. God asked Him to do it and He accepted. God didn't make him do it, he wanted to!! And, since Jesus is God, it tells us that God was willing to Die for us to redeem us of our sins!!! We do have to take responsibility for our own sins, anyone who does this has accepted Jesus as the Son of God. Any one who hasn't admitted their sins to God, hasn't. And, Jesus can only save the people that have been willing to accept Him for who he was. They have to accept the gift that he is offering. If they don't accept the gift, then he has no choice but to turn away when it is their time to approach God. It truly is a gift, too, we don't have to do ANYTHING but take it and move on. Just as any parents dream is for their children to grow up to respect them and know that they did their best for them, that is God's dream too. But a child that grows apart from Him, mocks Him their whole life, turns away when He calls them and isn't willing to accept Him dying for them, can't be a true child of God. They have to be turned away. We have our whole life to figure this out no matter how long or short.... our life is our 1,000,000,000 chances to get it right. And if we can't figure it out by then.....we won't.

You are also right about it seeming sort of "tribal" but really the tribes were not far off, their idea of God had strayed from the One True God to the idea that there must be several to have created such a beautiful world. And Sacrifices have long been our way of asking God for forgiveness. Some tribes have taken this to extremes that God never intended, i.e.: human sacrifice.

Birch Bay Konos Beginners Bash Photos!!

Sarah Rose jumping!



Noah's beautiful smile!!!



Ben say's WOW now that's a slide!!



Okay, boys..... how are we going to do this??



Mmmmmm, roasted hotdog!!



Getting the grub!



Charity Ann and Brittney, I think :)



Roasting!!



Loading up our plates :)



Happy Boys :)

Boring Blog

Just wanted to mention that I made it through another week! Whew!!

We went swimming yesterday while Jason went to Costco for me. He also gets to work today and tomorrow, first overtime in a LONG time (like 6 months or so!) Every little bit helps!

Kristy's not feeling well, I hope that she is feeling better soon!!!! You need to go to sleep at a better hour, silly.... maybe it's all these 1-2 o'clock schedules??!!

I also have been doing a little self observation. I have known since I was in the 6th grade or so that I have quite a few allergies. Most of them are ones that I really can't do anything about..... Grass, Trees, Rag Weed, Mold etc..... But I have been starting to notice a trend of headaches after I eat 2 of my food allergies Eggs and Potatoes! I was getting pretty bad headaches more and more often over the past few years.... I have been trying to narrow them down by cause so that I know how best to treat them. I know know that I get them for the obvious outdoor allergy reason, as well as by being dehydrated or waiting a little too long to eat, monthly wonders of being a woman reasons, as well as possibly food allergies. So, now that I hope that I am getting a better idea of why I get these literal pains in the neck and head, I hope that I can find good ways to treat them, not via OTC pain relievers. I have never been one to "pop pills" I hate doing that to my body. So, ultimately, I would like to find other ways to deal with them......There's not much I can do for the outdoor allergies, I won't restrict my outdoor activity unless it's smokey or while people nearby are mowing.... But I can try to take better care of myself by drinking lots of water, which I'd like to add I have been doing much better at! Eating proper meals IE: enough protein and vitamin rich veggies and whole grains has always been a goal of mine. And if I can contribute not eating my fave. baked home made french fries, and the fresh eggs that our lovely chickens lay for us..... well I will have to try :)

See, I told you it was boring!!!

A friend being refined......

I thought that perhaps my word to a friend of mine's blog might comfort someone?

Just be patient with it, time will smooth things over. But I know that patience can be torture too. Just make sure that you are putting all your trust in the one truth that you have in this life. The one that if all the mess around you just disappeared you would be held up by it. I know you know what I am talking about. God doesn't give us anything that we cannot handle, but we also have to choose not to handle the things that are too heavy. We have to put it down for a while sometimes to rest. Pray about it. Hand it over to him, give him the control and then try to sit back and listen to the quiet whispers of his presence in your life! He loves you, if nothing else makes sense, even if He doesn't make sense you have to try to have the faith to know that He is still there, even if you can't see Him or feel Him. I am praying for you, that you will find some peace within and stop tormenting yourself to be a better person. We are what God makes us and that is important to Him. I pray that He will comfort you and make you aware of His presence in your life because only He can make you pure as gold and gentle as a lamb. Refining is a terrible thing to go through, but just try to accept it and just make sure that you are refining how He wants you to :) I am Praying that His love and peace will cover you like a warm quilt on a cold winter night. That you will be able to distinguish between God's will and plans and your own Earthly ones. I am praying for you to be strong, and for wisdom for you and your family and friends. I am sorry I can't do more than that, but I did witness a miracle this week that has validated my respect for prayer and it's power.

My parents house was spared.

There was a Fire near my parents home today. I received a phone call from my Mom as she tried to prioritize what she should take with her. It was really scary trying to think of what to tell her to take.... They were evacuated a safe distance away but my Dad and Tesha's fiance stayed behind to try to get the house as ready as possible to survive the flames. Both my grandparents and parents live on the in the same houses that I grew up in and near. A lot of emotions flooded over me thinking of the possibility that they would loose everything. I can't imagine how it must have felt actually being there. I wanted so bad to be there to help and hold and comfort them. All I could do was hang on to their words over the phone and try my best to tell them what they needed to hear. I began e-mailing, calling and posting everywhere I could for people to pray for them and their homes and for the brave firefighters that were trying to save it all. That was what I could do to busy myself. I think that I contacted half of Washington state for prayer! Flames burned completely around my grandparents house, burning through the underbrush of their orchards and eucalyptus trees; and it burned almost completely around my parents house. There really was no reason that my grandparents house is still standing. The eucalyptus grove of about 5 acres is dry and full of oily leaves..... But it was spared. I give all that credit to God, because he is Awesome. There are terrible things in this world but we have to try to find the grace within. To try to see God's hand at work, even in the most devastating of circumstances. Thankfully their homes were both spared. Others haven't been so lucky and the fire is still moving east fanned my dry September winds. I keep praying that others will be spared as well and that firefighters will have the wisdom, strength and ability to put this fire out. Please pray if you read this. Thank you.

Blessed by His grace,
Tifany