Christmas

I love the way we celebrate Christmas each year. It's simple. We don't do the whole "family" thing, with too many get together's, too much food, and too much time wasted on small talk. I don't know.....does that sound shallow? I like knowing that Christmas is just for us, alone. This is one holiday I don't want to share. I like the house to get messy, us to be in pj's all day, and everybody happy, enjoying each other. I like the simplicity of that. Now, that does not mean we won't ever share it. Maybe we will have a Christmas PJ Day at our house. That is as far as I am willing to go. We will give you Thanksgiving, July4th, and Easter; Christmas is ours.

Big Daddy's Birthday

Well, it's big daddy's birthday. Boy is he getting old! So grateful that we are sharing our lives together. We love him so much!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We had a special cake make just for him and celebrated at home, together.

Girlz Night!!

Out of the blue, we sort of planned a girlz night. I had so much fun with the ladies going out to a restaurant for chips N dip. That day I also got their hair done so they were feeling pretty cute! After eating, I took them to get their nails painted. There is this great place in Owasso that does childrens nails for only $4. After that, I took them out for ice cream. All in all, it was a great day and Shad and I decided we need to make a point to do that on a regular basis.

Shad and collin went to baseball practice and then to Mcdonalds to eat and play. Is is normal to be this in love with your family? Praise God for everything he has blessed us with.........most of all His LOVE.

Exciting News

I have exciting news!!! Shad and I finally decided to let go of the part time job I have. I will be a full time homschooling mom, devoted to being a homemaker 100%. It sounds so old fashioned when I say it outloud. It brings me such joy. I don't know how else to explain it. The Lord knows what brings us peace and joy and true happiness and I love what He has planned for me!

Homeschool update "Week 6"

Things are going so much better this time around than when we first tried. I pulled the kids out of school during the middle of the year of kindergarten and first grade the first time. Last year, Brin was on the way and I scared myself out of doing it so we chose public school for the year. This time, I think having the summer off was a real help. Everybody was excited to get going! It is exactly what I hoped for my family. I get to spend more time with the children and know them more intimately; what they think, why, what they love and don't love, etc. Also, it is really important to me to teach them about the bible and not leave that for the church to do. There is so much I learn and gain from teaching them. It's great!

Everybody is happy, healthy, well, working together, and enjoying life!

Brin's 1st Birthday

Wow, I cannot believe it has already been a year. She is such a blessing. Shad and I often look at each other and wonder, "Are we supposed to be this in love?" It hurts. Yes, it makes me want more children. We don't know if that is actually in our future but what God chooses is so good. God said to be fruitful and multiply. It is so good. Being a parent is hard but twisted with joy and blessing. Brin can say "Hi" and jabbers a lot. The cutest thing is how she sings all the time. I know that sounds unreal but she softly sings often. It is sweet. Maybe she will be a musical artist one day. I want for her whatever God has for her. He will bless her the way He has blessed me so mostly I want to teach her about our Father and His love.

In the pictures, you will see the story of cake. Enjoy!

Homeschool First Day!!

Ok, so I am pleasantly surprised so far. I didn't overly obcess this year. I didn't buy too much, overly plan, or spend weeks ahead of time in my planner. It was great. I opened up my curriculum the week before school and started putting it together and making copies as needed. The first day of school, we ALL looked at the lesson plan together and decided how we wanted to do things. Notebook, binder, folders, and all the stuff was decided after we looked at everything together.

This is how I know this is the right thing. It was natural and felt right. There was peace. Anyway, the kids are super excited to help make some of the decisions on how we do things. I am pleasantly surprised at the low level of anxiety and stress. I guess I thought they might not be as excited as they are. Makes my job a lot easier. I hope I can say the same thing six weeks from now.

Learning Curve

Okay so I am learning how to cut the grocery bill. It has been a thorn in our side for a long time. We don't know how to shop. I have already learned so much from all the fellow bloggers out there and hope to continue to learn more. Check out the blogs and find the sales.....it's worth it. If I do things right,..............at the end of the year we should be out of our tax debt and half way out of credit card debt. Praise GOD!! I have to got to "work it" for the family of 6.