Cup Stacking Crazy!

Last Christmas we bought Connor a set of speed stacking cups. He enjoyed him for a little while and then they got put away until just a few weeks ago. He "rediscovered" them and has been addicted ever since! I am really proud of him for working so hard to figure out a way that he can do this with his little hand. We watched the training video but I told him he would have to figure it out on his own, how he could work them the best and he kept at it! He is so cute because he told me this the other day..."if you want to see it done right you have to watch Brody because he has two big hands." He wasn't upset, just very matter of fact, what a proud moment for mom! His "cycle" started at over 30 seconds and yesterday he got a new high record for him of 18.21! He wanted a set of red cups, and wanted to spend some of his money that he has saved, so we searched on the internet and found the best price we could. They came in the mail yesterday so he was excited. He even passed on his other set to Brody so now he has his own to practice with too! One day I will get one of those nifty little video recorders so I can upload live action, but for now this shot will have to do! It is fun to watch!

Am I Impotent?

You know I have to say, I am not a big vocabulary person. I don't understand why there has to be so many ways to say the same thing. Every time I have to say.."what does that mean?" I think why didn't they just say that in the first place??? However, once in a while an example comes along and I GET IT! Sometimes a certain word is used to get someones attention and I love when it is a word that everyone knows. After all, if no one knows what it is it isn't nearly as impactful! I am reading through a book called Ablaze by Pam Gillaspie and am really enjoying it so far. The front of the cover reads..."Igniting spiritual passion for life through reading God's word." The other day I came across this part and I just can't get it out of my mind! Here is a time where I love the English language and the way that a writer will use a word to do just that...make an impact.

Satan loves it when we think, for whatever reason, that we can't read our Bibles. Separated from the Word, we are impotent for the kingdom of God.

Well, if you are like me, your mind to went to one very common use for this word but immediately I got the picture! So, I looked it up in my copy of The All Nations Christian Home & School Dictionary and found this definition first...Lacking power to take action;helpless. I just love that one word to describe it...helpless. The other definition was second by the way.

So, I am working on reading through the bible with some of her suggestions which have been so helpful already. I realize there are times, chapters, and topics that I have just have not yet "tackled" so my goal is to get through those hard parts and become more empowered and avoid being impotent for the kingdom of God!

Playdates & Pigpens!

Well, it is officially spring break here in Oregon, although the weather here would never really indicate that at all! We had a brief hail storm on Sunday, and although it has warmed up, it has been cloudy and rainy off and on. Actually the whole week is supposed to be like that! Another great reason to homeschool, we are going to wait and take time off when we can enjoy nicer weather!

Today, we had some friends over from our church that are in Connor's Sunday School class. They are twins and are 6 years old so they fit right in with Connor and Brody! They talk about Issac and Isaiah all the time and their mom dropped them off today for a few hours of rowdy boy fun! Everyone was all smiles and there were no injuries or arguments so I would call it a huge success. I have forgotten how messy it can be to have friends over and they turned their room and the playroom into a pigpen within about 30 minutes, but that is half the fun, right? Then they went outside and played football and baseball, had races, and rode bikes and scooters. It was a great day and they are real nice boys. I'm glad that Connor and Brody are making some friends.

Connor and Issac really hit it off and played sports, one right after the other!

Brody and Isaiah riding bikes. I'm not sure what was up with the Home Alone face Brody has going on???

Here is all four of them playing a little baseball! Daddy came home early and they all played a football game too!

Magic of the Carousel

Downtown is a very cool attraction called...Salem Riverfront Carousel. Our boys just love going there and enjoy the ride, the beauty, the music....the magic. We usually only go during the week and rarely have seen more than a couple of other kids there, but this past weekend we went on Saturday. Daddy got the day off and he has never had the chance to go, so we took it! It was a lot more hectic, but so fun for me to see how many people really enjoy the ride. There were kids of all ages, adults and even seniors riding around in circles on a horse that takes you up and down and around and around. It is really a beautiful thing to see, the details on the horses is amazing and each one has a special name. Thanks to a Christmas gift from Aunt Lara, the boys have many more rides to enjoy through the year!

Also, Brody had an extra bonus at the gift shop! He saw this lamb a few weeks ago and wanted it, but we always like them to really think about how they spend their allowance. As I expected, he had not changed his mind! He was so excited to show daddy and see if he can buy it! Connor and Brody both earn $3 a week and they do earn it well, I think! They both put away their laundry, clean their rooms, make their beds and help take care of Jake although that is mostly Brody's job. They also have separate chores like getting the mail, wiping the bathroom counters and gathering the trash. However, those things have to be done with or without the money. I got some advice from Pa (Del) and he said that his dad told him once..."you can mow the lawn for .50 or you can mow the lawn for free." That is our attitude with chores too...they simply go along with being part of the family, but if they are done without complaining, with a glad heart, and when asked, they are given the money to save for things they want.

Connor and Brody don't ask for hardly anything. They are very content and grateful and I am so proud of them. I hope and pray that when they grow up they will build on the foundation we are laying and be responsible with their money!

Oh yah...the newest member of the flock is named Jason. I have to say, he is darn cute!

Are they worth it?

This has been a very eventful week taking care of inspections for the house, but we have had some interesting things happen of course! On Saturday, the boys and I were getting ready for a fundraising dinner at the church, running a little late, as usual for me. I let the dog out and when I went to bring him in just a minute later, (because it was pouring down rain) I realized he was gone and the side gate was open. Looking back, I realize now that there are certain situations that arise at certain times during a month, that I handle much better when eating chocolate! But, we piled quickly in the car to go hunt for the dog while I calmed down and explained to the boys the importance of shutting the gate. I apologized and told them I was just worried about Jake. We drove around the block, yelling out the windows and finally spotted him just on the next street. It was so darn cute, when Brody spotted him, he literally yelled...."He's alive!" Boy, he knew he was in trouble the second I got out of the car and I quickly put him in the back of the van. So, it ended well, but Connor and Brody realized from this experience even more how precious Jake is to them. Since we moved here and he is in the house all the time, they are real close to him. This week, they wrote him these letters....

Dear Jake,

You are a good dog. Your birthday is in two months. It will be fun. When you ran away I was scared. I am glad you were alive. Your birthday is coming up. You are going to be 11 and wait and see your present! Love, Connor

Dear Pus, (nickname :)

I am glad you are alive. win you ran away you are still on the best dog list. Love, Brody

Isn't that "win" just the cutest?

Connor and Brody are also learning some of the responsibility of having a pet. They both pick up his poop, make sure he has water, feed him dinner, and help take him for walks. So, I have to say having a dog is worth it...the shedding, the afternoon search parties in the rain, the commitment, and even the vet bills. Even though he drives me crazy sometimes, they think he is the best dog in the world!

At Home in Oregon?

Next month it will be a year already since my husband pulled away with our 5th wheel to try out a job here in Salem Oregon. It has been about 7 months since the boys and I and all our belongings followed. I have had a tough time adjusting to this move and such a big change in my life that I was so comfortable with. SO much has changed since January and I am being blessed with a new comfort level here. I think I was holding on to the chance of going back "home" in California but I have to realize that Bryan's job with K & E Excavating is going good, he is kept plenty busy and enjoys it.

In January, we decided to join the church we have been attending called Court Street Christian Church and placed membership. I thought I would NEVER find a church that felt as good to me as Yucaipa Christian Church, especially after attending for 11 years, but God has showed me otherwise as He has with so many things. Connor and Brody really liked this church from the beginning which kept bringing us back and the girl that thought I would never find a new place to worship, attended only 3 other churches and services before going there! Jesus met me there and my relationship with Him is only growing stronger.

I was devestated at the thought of leaving my charter school and the things went with it. I was scared to be on my own homeschooling, but really it has worked out for the best. I am much more relaxed, but at the same time and am continuing to meet all my goals that I set up for our school time. We are having fun, and I feel more flexible to do what we need to do. (i.e. take a semester off of formal language arts to work on Connor's writing and spend 2 weeks on 1 science lesson because it was so fun!) I have met some homeschooling moms that have already given me great support, encouragement and ideas.

I found someone to cut my hair that I really like! Again, here is another place I am real loyal. For example in the past 14 years, 2 people have had that job consistently. I realized that I just can't take enough trips to California to keep having Jessica cut it and on a referral I tried someone new and was pleasantly surprised!

I am hardly using "Lola", my GPS, to navigate the streets of Salem anymore! I thought I would NEVER learn my way around here and everything seemed so foreign and difficult. But, that too is getting easier, better and more familiar.

The big news however is that we are buying a home here! Our lease is up at the end of May, so we had to make some decisions. It really doesn't make sense to keep renting, so we got a realtor and started looking around. There is a funny history here though, because before we knew we were moving, we tried so hard to buy a new home in California. It was so obvious to me later, why God was not answering that prayer at the time. We had officially put offers on 3 houses and none of them worked out for various reasons. So, we were a little nervous, but didn't have much of a choice with the time frame we are working on. We struggled with "city versus country living" and decided to try and get a little property if we could find what we wanted in the price range that worked for us. We both thought it would be great for the boys to have a place to explore, ride dirt bikes, play football, and maybe even get Brody a real sheep one day! Now is the time to do it if we could. Well, we found a great place that is just a wonderful piece of property, 3 acres total and it has a house that needs some work, and a barn that needs a lot, but we all liked it immediately! The house is in foreclosure so we were not optimistic about how this would go, since you hear so many horror stories, especially when you are looking for a house! Let's just say that within 2 weeks of putting in our first offer, signed agreement papers are back in the hands of the seller and we are moving forward with the loan process! It is so exciting, and scary at the same time. We are really trusting God since He has proved to us over and over that His timing is perfect. The last year and half of our lives is living proof of that!

So, yes, I have to say that as I sit here at the computer tonight...

I am feeling a little more "at home" in Oregon.

Snow Forward?

I know that yesterday was daylight savings time and we got to "spring" forward, but it feels like winter here! The weather the last few days has been the strangest! We have had periods of rain, snow, hail, sleet, and full blown sunshine all in and out of the same day! It literally seems to change by the hour these last few days!

Saturday, Brod woke up with a red eye and we had to miss our Be The Church event at church which we were bummed about, but of course didn't want to risk getting anyone sick. We did use the opportunity to make our "light hut" for our Botany study that we have been SO excited about. We have created our own little greenhouse if you will and are going to attempt to sprout some seeds! I am hoping that this is one more experiment we can pull off!

We are not sure what he had, but we decided to stay home from church on Sunday too and....sh....sh...sleep in. Then we did one of the boys favorite things and went to breakfast at IHOP! Boy, were they excited! We had a great family day! Bryan had been working so much, even last Sunday, was out of town for almost a week, and coming home late every night and it was so good to "have him all the day" as Brody puts it!

Connor was excited when he got dressed and realized he had out grown another pair of pants! He really is growing fast and he walked around all day with this new attitude saying...."mom, I just feel like I'm 8." It was so cute! It could be because two of his best buds turned 8 this week and he doesn't want to be left behind!

It is so great to have it lighter later! I love this time of year and can't wait for the true signs of spring to show themselves around here! It might be a while, but that is OK, we sure will appreciate it when it gets here!

Can I read to you?

I can't believe the amazing progress that Brody has made in reading just in the last few weeks! It is just like that light went on and now he is "getting it"! He reads to Jake (our lab) every day as part of his school to give him the extra practice with his little readers! He loves to do it and he can't wait for that part every day! I don't how Jake feels but today he looked pretty attentive for a while anyway (see picture below)! What a good dog!

Besides all the reading we do in school, we always have a chapter book going, (right now it is Winnie the Pooh, I'm not a big fan, sshh!) and when I tuck him in we read a chapter in this little study bible he has. Well the other night, HE wanted to do the reading...and he did SO good! It is so cute when he is reading, he is working so hard that he actually forgets to breathe, and will stop and grab his chest and say, "wait a minute mommy, I have to breathe". I was absolutely amazed and I have to say that I felt even more thrilled when I heard my little boy figure out words on his own like; prophets, Israel, Ahab, and sacrifices! Imagine that! I had to help him with some parts, of course, but only a kid that hears about the bible would know those words!

He works hard at all his school work and is constantly telling me that he doesn't have enough work. I had to let the reins go on the handwriting and let him work ahead and then order him a new book! I had to do the same thing in math and he is halfway through the book he was going to start in the fall. His listening and comprehension skills are so good and he is strong in memorization and narration as well. I am so blessed to be with him everyday and watch him learn, what an amazing honor!

I also captured this picture of Brody and Jake today. Brody was changing Jake's fur to all different colors with these color panels, it was so funny! I couldn't believe how well Jake sat there! He must of been really tired or doped on Benadryl! Good Boy Jake!