Fun New Stages

I love that now at random times I can feel a "brrrring" truck running up and down my leg...

Yesterday I gave myself permission to lay on the floor with Melia and help her work on her "adult" paint by number, and listen to her tell me all about everything... So much better than trying to organize the Christmas chaos.

And Kiera can get orange juice all by herself... unfortunately without asking... :-)

When Mommy's away...

Daddy gets down to business.
Serious SnowBunny Business :-)

Welcome Baby Alden!!!

Mark and Alden

Annie and Alden

THRILLED auntie and cousins :-)

Oops, I did it again.... *grin!*

Heh Heh Heh....

Don't remember the first time? Click HERE and scroll down... :-)

For Husbands: From the Duggars

This is a great list, plus super cute... you'll see when you get to number one...

Jim Bob Duggar's Tips for a Healthy Marriage

Mwuhaahhahhahaa

I found it! The sock monkey's lair! :-)

Relief

I finally finished our Genesis 1 class! And on time! I got really behind (like 2 months) because of the tremendous amount of stuff I didn't understand very well.... like quantum physics (oi!)... and if I don't understand well enough to explain it to anyone, then I don't like answering the essay questions halfway... you can see the spiral! But I buckled down and got 11 weeks done in 3! And finished the final last night. Just in time for Christmas!

Whew! Now I might actually get our Christmas cards completed!

Hog Hollow, Pics Part One

We went on Saturday to get our Christmas tree at Hog Hollow Farm, and boy, did we have a great time! Enjoy the pictures!

For Isaac, it was ALL about the snow. Who cares about that cute little tree? I have snow on my gloves! And Mommy is letting me eat it!!!

He also was beyond cute in his little get-up...

Kiera lost it because she couldn't cut down the tree!

Isaac thought this was a great game :-)

Weeeee!!!!!

It's just my size!

The Smithite girls...

Apparently, We Aren't the Only Ones...

We aren't the only ones enjoying the warmth emanating from our pellet stove.... :-)

Isaac's First G U N

Gabe found these at a Big R near where he was hunting this fall. He bought two boxes, which equals four guns! They've literally turned Isaac into a dog. He brings you a gun, loads it for you, then waits (im)patiently for you to shoot it, and runs to fetch the arrows? bullets? shooters? He then brings them back and loads it again... and again... and again. You have to hide the guns if you don't want to be stuck playing fetch all day! :-)

This, in my opinion, was a GREAT buy!

Why I Laugh When They Ask....

"You have a doberman? How does she do with your kids?"

Kiera and Ziva

I thought if you could only see the wealth of love, you'd understand. :-)

Although, Isaac did chase her tonight with a wooden spoon. How did she respond? By hiding next to Daddy... She knows who's boss!

Kiera, Workin' Hard

Because shoveling snow off the porch is SOO much fun! :-)

My Grandpa Elliott Memories and Jokes

You know how they often allow people to share memories at services? Well, as much as I would like to, I know that I can't do that because I would feel strong until I got up there, and then I'd look out over the sea of faces that share such a love for the person we're celebrating... and that would be the end of my strength. But I thought I'd list a few of my personal thoughts here, memories and jokes...

In my personal memorial basket, I included some vegetables and a jar of sweet relish. The vegetables were a remembrance of being one of those crazy Elliott kids who won't eat their vegetables... But I'm trying to now, Grandpa, really. The other part is something I cannot change. I cannot eat sweet relish. It gags me (same with Miracle Whip or sweet pickles). I included it because a funny memory I have is one time when I was little, Grandpa prepared my hamburger for me. He put sweet relish on it, and you know, once you put it on, you can't take it off. He made me eat it, but when I tried to swallow that first bite, I gagged and threw up all over the plate. :-) I think he believed me after that.

I also chose to carry Coke to the table, because although it was called "Peanuts and Pepsi time," I always remember drinking Coke and thinking that was pretty odd. :-)

A couple funny things I was thinking about...
It's a shame that Grandpa Elliott didn't get to know Melia better. She'd have given him enough material for his repertoire of blond jokes to last until she grew up!

About Grandpa in Heaven.... he's probably giving the angels a hard time about "being blonde..."

When we were growing up, we always sold things for school fundraisers and asked for sponsorships for 4-H. I would go up to Grandpa, give him the whole shpeal (is that even a word?) only to have him tell me that I had to ask Grandma 'cause she had the checkbook. I remember thinking "Can't you just say yes and tell her to write me a check?" :-) Anyways, I was considering when the Lord will ask him if he's been responsible with that which he'd been given, and Grandpa will shrug his shoulders and say to the Lord, "I dunno. You'll have to wait until Leota gets here, 'cause she's got the checkbook!" :-)

Another thing is I always remember Grandpa getting frustrated with me for not picking all the berries. I'd only pick the biggest, prettiest ones. After all, I didn't understand why you'd want to pick such little, puny ones. I'd obviously never made raspberry jam :-) Now I know sometimes those little ones have the best flavor!

In my yard I have some grafted fruit trees. I will be joyful when I have a variety of fruits harvested from the same tree because I remember being amazed at his variety of plums, all on one tree!

Pepsi and peanuts with Jesus

Tears fell today as my heart began saying goodbye to my grandpa. My mind said goodbye months ago as he was diagnosed with Alzheimers and stopped recognizing us. But now to know he's whole again is a sigh of relief through the sadness.

Melia has such a tender heart. She ran to her bed and cried when we told her. Her grief breaks my own heart so much more.

Melia's Many Observations

Melia: I sure hope winter doesn't last to long, because I REALLY don't like winter.
Me: Don't you like the snow?
Melia: Yes, I like the snow. What I don't like is falling down in the snow. I get so freezing cold when I do that.
My thought? Sounds like a personal problem!! :-)


Melia: The wind blew hard last night? I hope the bridge is ok!
(Kiera then explains to her that the bridge has big things under it that hold it up. :-)


Melia: What's the name of the person in charge of the whole world?
Me: There isn't one person in charge of the whole world.
Melia: You mean there's only Jesus?
Yep. You got it right, hon!

Tuna Fish

It cracks me up that Isaac doesn't really like tuna fish. Gabe does NOT like tuna fish, or anything that comes from water. But the girls love it, so it's one of my "go-to" lunches when Gabe is not home. Today Melia asked for "you know, that fish that we really like, but Daddy doesn't like very much? Can we have that today?" :-) Isaac is eating it, but the first bite came right back out. It took a little convincing....

Mrs. Choate

Melia: Dear Jesus, please help Mrs Choate to get better. Please just fix her blood and make her back to the way she was.


Please be praying for our dear Mrs. Choate- she's the girls' Sunday School teacher, and today she was flown to Harborview to be seen by a neurosurgeon due to "spilled blood" on her brain. Thank you.

11*9*10

Nov.9: I am thankful for the body of Christ. That we are supposed to be edifying to one another, lifting each other up when we each need it. And boy, do I need it! I tend to keep my issues to myself and a very small group of friends, but when asked how I can be prayed for- I can't keep the tears from flowing! Mommyhood is hard. It just is. Add life in, and it can darn near be overwhelming. Thankfully, God has given some the incredible gift of encouragement to be a blessing to others. I am thankful for those people.

A New Milestone

Melia definitely has a loose tooth! She's been saying she did for a while, but I couldn't really feel it until now :-) Now, to get that next set fixed on Wednesday. Last Wednesday she had the worst set of cavities fixed. It was a VERY large check to write, but the good thing is that she didn't have to have a mini-root canal. That saved us a bit. But I have to write another one this Wednesday... Ouch. It's one of those parenting mistakes that's really costing us, but at least it can be fixed.

(If you don't know what I mean, last spring when we took her in and thought she was on our insurance, we found out she wasn't, and got an estimate on what it was going to cost us then... well, now it was even worse because we tried to wait until she was on the insurance, plus trying to find a better deal. Ugh.)

11*8*10

Nov 8: I am thankful for the gift of teaching. I count myself blessed to have had the opportunity to sit under a number of different Bible teachers, and I appreciate each of their different ways of showing others the magnificence of Scripture. I know that the Spirit opens our ears to what He has for us, but He also works through those teaching. Those who are humble and willing to decrease, that He may increase.

11*7*10

Nov 7: I am thankful that while the details of God's plan are possibly infinite, the basic understanding can be grasped by the youngest of minds. When we read the Bible or talk about God and Jesus, the questions and truths that emit from the mouths of my children amaze me.

Just the other night we were reading about Adam and Eve, and the Fall, and Melia asks, "Why didn't God just forgive Adam and Eve?" What a great question! And the answers, when understood, are applicable to our whole lives.

And yesterday, painting at the rental, we're listening to John being read aloud on MP3... It gets to chapter 8 where Jesus is talking to the Pharisees, and in verse 25, they ask "who art thou?" I hear Kiera whisper under her voice..."Jesus..."

What a sweet sweet sound- the name of my Savior and King, uttered and claimed from the lips of my daughter...

11*6*10

Nov 6: I am so thankful that the Lord somehow endows us parents with unending patience. Even when it means putting the child in a crib, and shutting the door. Today was a terrible day. I'm not sure what the problem was, lack of sleep, too much mucous clogging his breathing passages, or what... but Isaac was UNhappy. Meaning - only happy when he's hitting the cat, digging in the fireplace soot, or in the bathtub. The rest of the time, screaming screaming screaming. So, he spent a lot of time in his crib. And I'm thankful that God has allowed me to recognize that this doesn't make me a bad mom. Actually, it's the opposite. Because too much screaming gets to every single one of us, and then we might do something we'd really regret later. So, when I get him out, he gets love. And he gets love as I am putting him back down, 5 minutes later. :-)

Have you ever wondered at the profoundness of parental lessons from God's perspective? Not that He ever runs out of patience, but I bet sometimes He turns a deaf ear to our screaming about our situations that we've made for ourselves and our lack of blessings and why we "just don't think He's really serious" about something in His word. Thankfully, He's always waiting for us to stop screaming and start listening... the Faithful Father, patiently waiting for us to walk with Him instead of floundering about on our own. :-)

Look what I made!

I made skirts for Kiera and I out of jeans that had worn out spots on them. Nifty huh? :-)

It amuses me (kind of) that every time I get out my sewing machine, I need my resident mechanical mind, aka Gabe, to help me relearn how to use it....

11*5*10

Nov 5: I am grateful for God's creativity! I am awed beyond belief when I wonder at the precise design of His creation. From the stars in the sky to the brilliant colors which exist where no one witnesses them, from the grandest whale to the microscopic machines which make life possible... Along the same lines, I am so thankful that He has called me by name, that I may recognize that He alone is Creator, and that I am not an accident.

11*4*10

Nov.4: I am thankful that life is not about me. It's all about Him. He wants me to be conformed to His image so that others can see Him in my life. As humbling as it is, I find comfort in the fact that everything I am clouds or blocks His light shining through me, but as I see His will and listen to Him, the light will shine brighter and the window of my life will become more transparent. I am thankful that for all my mistakes, He is greater still.

11*3*10

Nov. 3: I am thankful for all the godly examples in my life. From my pastor and his wife, to mentoring couples we've known for years, to family members on both sides, I know we are TRULY blessed to have those who can help us to examine our perspectives, learn from what God is saying, and humble ourselves when the situation calls for it! I'm thankful for the storms I've witnessed in lives near to me- for the opportunity to pray for God's will, not my own. To see miracles that have no other explanations.

11*2*10

Nov. 2: I am thankful for the Word. It truly is alive, teaching and molding me through its pages. I love how I can read a story I've "known" nearly all my life, and yet He still uses it to teach me a fresh word, a new understanding. I appreciate my freedom to own several copies and different translations with no fear of persecution. I love the technology of our day; the blueletterbible.com where I can search for further knowledge and understanding, having esword on Gabe's phone- all the ways we can have immediate access to the most important book we own.

Thankful it's November? 11*1*10

Can anyone else NOT believe it's November? Last year I chose not to do the thankful thing because I was afraid I would sound redundant, but this year I feel like doing it would be helpful to my overwhelmed feelings day in and day out. So here goes:

Nov 1: I am so thankful for my Father God. He continues to amaze me at how He gives wisdom when I am at the end of myself, turning to Him to whom I should have turned first. He is Faithful to meet us where we are, to show us the way through the storms step by step.

Ooohh... and yet as I wrote this I was inspired to write 30 days of how thankful I am for God in my life... This will be good, and it will definitely require further inspiration! Even though He is Infinite... my mind is not! What a great idea- Thank you Lord!

Fundraiser for our Homeschool Co-op: Deadline NOV 3

We do a gift card fundraiser to help cover our insurance and rent at our little co-op.

How it works:
1. You order your gift cards.
2. You send me a check along with the ending printout page of what you ordered.
3. The co-op purchases these cards at a discounted rate, allowing them to keep the difference.

I hope you will consider what purchases you will be making this holiday season and consider pre-purchasing gift cards to cover that expense. There is a huge variety of brands available- go to shopwithscrip.com to take a gander! Visa is also included; it's located under "specialty retailers."

To enroll/order:
Go to shopwithscrip.com and click on the green box on the left hand side that says "Family Sign Up!"
Enter your information.
On the next page, enter our enrollment code "C3936L9223618"
Go through the ordering process. Print out the ending page with your total and send it to me along with a check for the total amount.

November 3rd is our deadline, so as long as you order by the end of that day (Wednesday) and let me know that your check is in the mail, I'll include your order. I'd really appreciate all the help we can get! Thank you!!

***Another way you can support us is to enroll with your Safeway club card at escrip.com. Our organization name is Columbia Christian Homeschool Co-op. It's very easy, and all you have to do is use your club card when you shop! Thanks!

Reformation Day Fun!

Us girls, all dolled up :-) Do I look like a servant girl?
Our little ladies, plus Esther

Now, isn't that just darling?

Gabe's trying to show our Dan and Lindsey what Isaac was doing in his professional picture in the back room- crossing his eyes while examing his sucker!.. And Isaac, chewing on his "gold" coin.

Peeking? Who me?

Melia, being quizzed on her knowledge of Biblical relics...

Kiera with our friends, (l-r) Grace, Abby, (K) and Chase

Isaac discovering the JOY of Tootsie Pops! (and that gal in the back? She MADE that dress!!!)

Isaac participating in "Calvin's Recommendations to the Council"

Gabe caught this shot... I witnessed her a different time nailing that arrow to the wall! That's so fun because she prayed last night that she would do good at the bow & arrow game!! :-)

Most of the kids who came dressed up!

And, for the record, Kiera was NOT A PIRATE! (Her own emphasis!) By the end of the night she would admit that she was a princess pirate. But not a pirate princess :-) I told her Daddy was the Dread Pirate Roberts, and she was his little princess!

Hungry Monkey

Tonight I returned from a 30 second trip to the bathroom to dump shampoo on the girls' heads, only to find an Isaac Monkey on top of the table spooning himself seconds of the potatoes that had not yet been cleared. He looked at me, picked up an empty cup, and indicated that he would like some water with his potatoes.

yikes.

Oh, yea, and he didn't eat any of the roast that went with those potatoes... "uh oh!"

A situation that left me with my mouth open (in my head anyway)

Tonight at work, I'm sitting in the break room enjoying my dinner. Next to me sits a new gal that I have not met. I don't even know her name. We're watching the news, which is doing a special report on heroin and some kid is telling his story.

All of the sudden, she gasps, "Oh no, they kicked him out of school for getting caught doing heroin? I don't think that's a good idea. Then he's just out on the street. He needs to be in school."

What???!!

And yes, I have many responses to that :-) but I wanted to see if any of you had some you'd like to share...! *grin!*

SP Conference, Part Five

During the last leg of the day, we had the priviledge of listening to Steven Meyer of the Discovery Institute. Dr. Meyer is one of the leading individuals presenting the case for intelligent design, and this is what he showed us tonight. He shared his testimony, why he has pursued forming a "rigorous scientific argument" in favor of intelligent design, and the situation when the person (I can't remember his name) responsible for the content of the Smithsonian's publication allowed Dr. Meyer's article into the magazine. He was literally put through the ringer for even allowing an article that didn't support evolution into the journal- nevermind that the article was well written, accurate, and worth considering, which was his opinion. This man was later vindicated by a government agency for this abuse. His entire story is in Ben Stein's movie "EXpelled."
Dr. Meyer also gave us several of the examples he's used to exemplify ID- the nanotechnology that exists inside each of our cells, the motors that govern our cellular functions. The nail in the evolutionary coffin is that no one can explain the origin of information. Life does NOT happen without the information, and information had to be in place prior to, not evolving later. Even in the smallest of single cell organisms, these tiny machines with 20+ moving parts could not have evolved. One thing that was funny to me was that when he would put pictures of these miniature motors on the screen, you could see the recognition in the faces of the crowd. Not mine! All I see is a picture with lots of different parts. Just an example of how non-mechanically I think :-)

For the final presentation of the night, Joseph Farah (founder of Worldnetdaily.com) inspired us to stand strong to our convictions. Biblical convictions in particular. He started out by saying that he had a great talk all written out, just to listen to Alan Keyes present it the night before! :-) He then went on to tell us about the Tea Party movement, and how the masses are jumping on board in waves, but also how some groups are trying to limit what it is standing for... ie. economic change instead of a sweeping return to constitutional rights and freedoms. Then he shared the beginning of what I thought was one of the most convicting portions of the whole conference. He began with sharing what had happended earlier this summer with WorldnetDaily and Ann Coulter... ending with a list of conservative leaders who are bending on the issue of same-sex marriage. The point is that if you claim Christianity, if you stand by God's law, if you want to reflect Biblical morality... you better not be compromising on the issue of homosexuality. God could not have been more clear on His position regarding this sin. It is punishable by death, it is called "wicked," "perversion," "unnatural," "penalty...." (Genesis, Leviticus, Romans, Jude, 1 Corinthians) There is no "gray area." Marriage is defined by Christ Himself as between a man and woman. We can justify whatever we want- we've become very good at it. But if we take on the name of Christ as Christians, and then try to explain away what God has made very clear... we'd better be prepared to reap the consequences of our hypocrital testimony, from both God and the world.

How's that for controversial? :-) And please note- I have people I know and love who are gay. But when the time comes for me to stand on the Word, I pray for courage and strength and love towards all who disagree. We are called to be NOT of this world...

Interesting Phenomenon

Does anyone else experience this with kids?

They are saying something one way, but when you say it the same way, they recognize that you are saying it wrong, but can't recognize when they say it wrong.

For example: When Kiera says "East Wenatchee," she always says "East Wenatchee, settle west." I do not know where the "settle west" came from, other than saying our street name, then Northwest. Anyway, we were giggling with her tonight, and she says "Repeat after me! 'East'... 'Wenatchee'... "settle'.... NO! "settle-west" Melia and I said "saddle," "settle," "south..." everything we could think of, but could not figure out what she is trying to say! And everything we say, she says is wrong! She thinks it's hilarious of course, but it's like trying to get her to say her "K's" and "G's." She can't make the proper tongue movements in the back of her throat to produce the correct sound.

(Plus, if you know of the right tongue exercises we need, please let me know. I've tried googling "tongue exercises," but all the ones I found were for the front of the tongue, not the back. Thanks!)

Add on: Plus, when I said "East Wenatchee, Washington," she cracked up laughing! So that definitely wasn't what she was saying! :-)

He is soo....Help me! What's the word?

Tonight, after setting Isaac down on the floor to run around in his pj's, I hear Kiera yelling at him from the bathroom. She's on the pot, doing her business, and he's standing in the hall watching her. After she yells at him, he then enhances his position, leaning over a bit and staring her down. (He does this when he's listening to us, or watching us, or... anything, really. But he's serisous, whatever he's doing!) Here's what it sounds like:

Kiera: ISAAC! OOUUUUTTTT! ISAAC! OUT! ISAAC! OOUUTTT!

As I'm discussing with her that he's not actually in the bathroom, and besides, if she's wants her privacy, she needs to shut the door..... I look down and he steps closer to the door.... then, very deliberately, sticks one big toe onto the bathroom floor.

I think, "Oh dear, he's already toeing the line with his big sister... and she is sooo in for it..."

SP Conference, Part Four

We ran up to Hudson's Hamburgers for lunch (famous burger joint, but it gets really crowded!) and then stopped back by the hotel to rest up. After lunch, Steve Elwart spoke on Cyber Security and Terrorism. Because of another friend, we'd heard alot of what he had to say about personal security online. Basically, nothing you do anywhere online is completely secure. It can be hacked, the only question is how long will it take. For us, the new and interesting part was in discussing international cyber securities. Did you know that Israel shut down Iran's nuclear thingymabob? And left a calling card? :-) Don't think I heard that one in the news... but everybody was expecting them to do something... Did you know that nearly everything (not sure what wouldn't be...) in our national infrastructure can be shut down with a bug? Dams, electricity, water, traffic... the stuff of movies is eerily accurate. Remember a few years ago when a HUGE chunk of the Northeast was blacked-out? That was a mistake, but it gives an example of how scary things could get. And they knew the grid was coming back up. In the case of an attack- it could take a tragically long time. Did you know that deep sea oil rigs are not anchored to the sea floor? They are balanced using computers. One mistake can send a rig crashing... and end up with a similar disaster as that we've seen the past months in the Gulf. Anyway- lots of details, with a basic point. Do NOT let yourself consider us "safe." We have many enemies, and since we have a serious future coming up (read- energy + credit crisis) with many players involved, who knows who will decide to push the first "key."

Chuck Missler rattled my brain next... literally. I had a hard time staying awake, simply because I got completely lost very quickly (and I have listened to this stuff at least 3 times before!). He jumped into the known errors in astronomy, which of course are still being taught in colleges around the country today. Then he slid into quantum mechanics... "non-locality"... plasma.. zero point energy.... Truthfully? I understood most of what he said. I even could tie it together. But could I get it? No. It's fascinating, but I can't recall most of it to tell you about. However, Gabe loved it :-) So ask him! My summary? God is awesome. The creation is awesome. I cannot begin to comprehend how it works. But I certainly appreciate it's... complexity. :-)

SP Conference, Part Three

Saturday morning started off with worship (all the sessions did), after which came Dan Stolebarger who is the executive director of KI. He blessed us with the Aaronic blessing, delving into the deeper and much sweeter meaning behind each phrase. Did you know "Shalom" means more than just "peace?" It means "wishing you the peace experienced by Adam in the garden, walking with God, before the fall." Doesn't that just knock your socks off?

Then came John Loeffler- we ended up purchasing several of his CDs to listen to from his radio broadcast "Steel on Steel" because we so enjoyed his "no bull" speaking style! He really delved into some problems we face as Christians: clashing worldviews, and how our schools and colleges were so smoothly taken over by secular humanists earlier in the 20th century, and how we (Gen's X,Y, and Millenial) have been taught to think dialectically instead of didactically. This rang throughout my conscience like a bell, as I have been wondering for years why I was a 4.0 student in high school and college, yet in the real world I struggle with thinking clearly in an argument, trying to explain truth (because truth is RELATIVE, right?!!) or to think critically and solve a problem on my own. I do best in regurgitating what I've been told- and that drives me nuts. It's like my classic experience in Humanism 101- when I was asked "why do I believe that it's ok to defend my family when the Bible clearly teaches not to murder?" And I couldn't come up with a single thing to say. Ask me to fix anything around the house, and if I haven't done it before I get completely lost before I even begin.

Walking away from John Loeffler's session, Gabe and I felt challenged to do several things. First, we need to learn more about and teach worldviews- it's paramount to individuals being able to stand up for our Christian morals and truths in a world where nearly everything is subjective. Second, we want to find something to help us in making sure that we teach our kids in the right way (since that's why we knew we wanted to homeschool in the first place! we just didn't know exactly why), and I believe this is difficult because if that's all I've ever known, how will I know how to do it differently?

Here's a quote from the Steel on Steel website doing a better explanation of what I am trying to say. "This (dialectically vs didactically) means they are taught there are no absolute facts or morals and a thought process based on feeling and collective thinking has been substituted for individuality and logical, rational thought. History has been revised to match politically-correct guidelines and the basis for belief in one's culture destroyed."

Now, please note this is regarding how our public education system has been compromised, and is not regarding the teachers who give their all to be the best educators they can be. There are fabulous teachers- I know! I had some! But as great as those great teachers were, they could neither individually nor corporately change the outcome of my education. That outcome is where we saw the dramatic difference between ourselves (Gabe and I) compared to our friends who were homeschooled (and could argue the socks off of us!) :-), and where we want to make the difference in our kids' education.

Oh yeah, and something else he said that just had us rolling with laughter. He was commenting on how folks are flocking to the Republican party like crazy, but unfortunately the picture is them running from the blood dripping fangs of Lucifer into the extended ruby red smile of Beelzebub. Hilarious!-loved it!

SP Conference, Part Two

I often found myself reduced to tears for many different reasons this weekend. Sometimes it was from that validation of what God had already been speaking to me. Other times, it was profound moments that I was humbled to be allowed to witness. Moments such as an older man brought to tears by the worship, sitting down with his head in his hands, shaking with tears, and his wife with her arms around him. Or the crooked elderly gentleman sitting in the back; no words sang from his mouth, but his eyes were closed and his arms were gently raised as high as they would go, glorifying his King. Or the portly fellow in front of us who looked as if he couldn't move very quickly if he wanted to, but his body quivered and shook with a dance of joy and worship. The Lord has a way with each of us, making us into much more than we can ever imagine.

Home Again- Notes from Strategic Perspectives Confernece

I so wanted to post last night and the night before about what we were attending, but I know I have to be safe about posting that we aren't home! But now we are, and I can share.

I love this weekend. Every year it is such a rejuvenating experience! First off, the getting away with Gabe is so great :-) Second, the teaching is beyond fabulous, and I really really love when the Lord validates what He has been saying to my heart!

Friday night started with Ben Courson, a 23 year old author/teaching pastor who speaks regularly in front of a crowd of 1000-1500 young adults. He spoke on how our generations (x,y, and Millenials) have, for a variety of reasons, been taught and/or raised without the fear of God, even though we seem to have a great grasp on how much He loves us. I loved this because I felt exactly that way as God was maturing me- how I knew all about Him, but I had NO IDEA what it even meant to FEAR Him! John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commandments.

Second on Friday night was Alan Keyes. I had heard his name before, and was somewhat familiar with his resume, but had never heard him speak. When he started, I actually had the naughty thought "This man was a candidate for the 2000 Republican Presidential nomination?" His voice was quiet, introspective, and thoughtful. Not minutes later, I was blown away by his presence as he quickly got rolling into one of the most edifying and accurate! political speeches I've heard! One of my biggest pet peeves about politics is that I can't believe a single word that I hear. But from this man came truth and perspective that is uncommon among any realm of politics. I felt encouraged to vote with GOD's principles, and not those of our world. To have faith in what HE can do when we OBEY and follow His Word! One of my most favorite notes I took was this: (not exact, as I was desperately trying to keep up!) "It is better to live under the rule of sinners who acknowledge the Truth that condemns their sin than to live under those who would condemn that Truth." Wow! What's the point? For Christians to stand up and 1- VOTE! We have no right to complain one iota if we did not participate in the political process. 2- If you don't see it, BE IT! We are all disgusted by the "choose the lesser of two evils" options, so if God lays it on your heart- Be the better option! 3- READ the Word and understand what God has to say about government, military, social programs, and education! Understand why our founding fathers made this country into what they did, based upon Christian morals and beliefs, and vote to return it to a place of freedom, not socialistic opression.

More later... Saturday was overflowing with more amazing teaching and enlightenment!

Broken Tooth

Well, Linda B, I think you and Gabe now have a sympathetic experience. He broke his tooth eating a Subway sandwich! He filed it down so it's not so sharp, but pieces kept breaking off in the sink! And the filler stuff we bought at the local Walgreens wouldn't stick! Ouch! But he does say that it won't keep him from enjoying his coffee in the morning! Especially since we'll sure need the caffeine to keep our brains absorbent and soaking up all the lessons the Lord has for us this weekend! (Prayers for pain relief appreciated! :-)

Happy Birthday Gramps!

Melia colored this picture for Gramps (aka Grandpa Bryant) since she was sick and couldn't go to his birthday dinner. We sent it to his printer so he'd get it at home :-)
And I must say, Gramps said he'd go to dinner as long as no one sang to him, so when that waitress came out with the candle and sang "Happy Birthday," we were all shocked! But the look on his face was Awesome! (Someone was gonna get in trouble for that one!) But the waitress confessed that she knew because of the birthday cards that Melia made and sent with me for him :-) SO FUNNY!

Little Turkey

This evening, we were eating some grapes. I washed them and tried them out first, exclaiming "Wooh!" The girls asked, "what does that mean?" I said, "It makes your tongue say 'Whoo!'"

Melia tries one and says, "Umm... I think the right word is sweet...."

Hmph. Fine then. sweet. :-)

Experiment (Odd Typing/misspellings on purpose)

So, Gabe and I have been talking. He came up with the idea of leaving an unloaded G u n in the middle of the room, and seeing what happened. (Our goal is to teach a fear/respect of fire arms)

Earlier this week, we were in the kitchen and he sent Kiera on a menial task to her room. I wondered what was going on, especially when he chuckled. Then he sent Melia to put something away. She trots through the living room, almost to her bedroom, then jumps around and screams, "AAhhh! G U N! Daddy- G U N!" I could not control my laughter, as she had passed it by 10 feet before the red light in her head went off :-) So funny, as this is just how she is. On top of whatever, but may be running a little late!

And, for the record, Kiera saw it and gave it a wide berth, but didn't follow through on the "Tell Daddy or Mommy right away if you see a g u n" rule. Good exercise though. I appreciate Gabe taking the time to follow through on those rules, especially when I just want them all locked up and out of sight- he does a better job of training in this regard than I do!

Works of Art

Somehow I came up with the idea to take pictures of many of the girls creations, instead of trying to save all of them. I am pleased with this; I can save their creativity without completely breaking their hearts when things have to "disappear." Plus, I get to share them here! :-)

These two are Kiera's. I think they are of the waterslides, because that's what Melia was painting.

Who do you think painted this one?? :-)

Daddy...


This one is Melia at the waterslides.

And, a sunflower, of course.

Fun, huh? Melia is currently coloring me a book, with the first page a picture of her "picking flowers for my wedding." Love it. LOVE IT!