Rachel's Blog

Anyone Can Sing

2012-02-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Ever seen the movie "Ratatouille"? We recently watched and thought it was hilarious.

The story follows a small rat of great talent. He has an amazing ability to cook - but his rat family tries to get him to forsake his dream of being a chef and just be a normal rat. Eventually, "Remmy" joins up with a real chef and a five star restauraunt and proves his culinary abilities.

You know the main line of the movie? "Anyone can cook".

I was thinking of renaming that line as "Anyone can sing". Hmmmm.

Have I ever told anyone that I love to sing? My family members are probably in disbelief as they read this post because they have never heard me sing. Because I can't stand to have anyone hear me. It's too embarrassing. I can only sing by myself. In private.

My stage used to be the goat shelter, and my loving audience, my herd of goats. They actually liked my singing. (In my judgement, anyway.) I would muck and sing, muck and sing. (Quite a combo.) Pearl, my dairy queen, relaxed and would almost go to sleep on the milk stand as I milked and sung, milked and sung.

However, my new stage is our living room, and my new loving audience, David, Isaac and Josh. I sing when I stay home and baby sit them. When no one else is around to hear me! And, after finishing a song, I'll ask them how I sounded. They tell me what they think. I asked Isaac this afternoon how I sounded and he said,

"Good, Rachel, I liked that."

Knowing that my singing passes the toddler test is a small comfort. They could be plugging their ears and screaming at me to stop. Apparently I'm not that bad.

However I've never had anyone else hear me sing. Because that would be way too embarrassing.

So unless I develop a highly-trained voice overnight, my singing is still a *shhhhh!* secret. That I only allow certain audiences (like my undiscriminating, forgiving, and unknowledgable little brothers).

But, hey, "anyone can sing", right? Maybe. And then again, maybe not. I've yet to record myself and actually hear how I sound.

Cute dudes

2012-02-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

Two guys of interest here.

Josh: normal, cute, likes to play with Lincoln logs and build regular old houses. Pretty easy going. Quite charming. An up-and-coming Huggies diaper model. (In my opinion.) Typical three year old. Nothing out of the ordinary. (Except his being my very special brother!)

Isaac: - patriotic-indian feather hat wearer with the hot pink sunglasses carpenter dude. Totally out of the ordinary. High energy. Capable of singing the same song with great gusto for an hour. Has an incredible imagination. Incredible tantrum thrower. Quite funny.

These guys are TOTALLY different. I love their opposite personalities!

We are busy these days gearing up for some great friends to visit us next week. Super excited about that!

My license ~ at long last

2012-02-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

I finally got my driver's license last Friday! I've had my permit for about a year and half, so I've had some good time to practice and get all my required driving hours in.

I was in absolute disbelief when my examiner said that I actually passed.

Me, pass? Really? Like, the first time?

This is the girl who flunked her permit test on the first try and went away feeling like one huge idiot. (But felt better after her younger brother did the same thing a few months later.)

This is the girl who had a really hard time memorizing which peddle was the gas peddle at first. I'm the one who, when extrememly nervous, overlooks the obvious and makes the simple very complicated. Who finds that merging onto an interstate in rush hour traffic is akin to waking up in a cold sweat after a very bad nightmare.

And yet, I passed.

It was interesting because before going in to take the road test, Dad asked if I knew how to parallel park. My chipper reply was, "Of course not - but Mom said they probably wouldn't ask me to do that, so it really doesn't matter!"

In typical Dad-fashion, we spent the next hour learning how to parallel park.

Lo and behold, the very first thing my examiner wanted me to do was to parallel park.

Go figure. (Thank you DAD!!)

So, I passed; I now have a full-fledged driver's license.

As a point of interest, the night before taking my test I looked up on Google "how to prepare for a drivers test". One guy suggested hitting the pub ahead of time to relax a little.

I didn't take that advice. :-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

2012-02-06T01:02:00.000-08:00

Today is my wonderful mom's birthday!

It's amazing to think about all the ways she has invested in my life in the last 18 years. She has always made wonderful meals, has homeschooled us from the very beginning, and has constantly been a dedicated mother.

Dad mentioned that it was Mom's "double nickel" birthday this year, so both boys have been parroting that phrase over and over in their cute little verses. It's so cute!

Happy birthday to a tremendous mom ~ I love you!

Storytime and more....

2012-02-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

I caught this picture yesterday morning and thought it was so sweet.

Dad has begun reading Isaac and Joshua a Bible story from their picture book every morning after devotions. I think it's a great habit to start......and it's so precious to see!

This morning I made gluten free chocolate chip banana muffins. They turned out very well; I was pleased with the results! This is the second time I've made them and they have been a hit both times. Click here to check out my recipes.

For those of you who didn't notice, I have started a new blog. I'd love to have you come over and take a look - just click here! And let me know what you think.

Today marks the 2nd gotcha day of Mr. Isaac Christian! I can HARDLY believe it has been that long. He really has come so far ~ and like Courtney said on her blog, he is both confident and sassy. (Emphasis on the sassy part.) Just now he yelled up the stairs at this top of his lungs,

"DAVID! Come do yours laundry!" (He loves to say "yours")

David: "I'm coming."

Isaac: "No, you not coming. Come RIGHT NOW! Mama says!"

Ahhh, I love you sweet boy.......so so SO grateful that God added you to our family.

Announcing....

2012-01-29T10:01:00.000-08:00

....the beginning of a new blog:

http://www.being-re-made.blogspot.com/

Don't panic people, I am NOT quitting this blog. I just need a place where I can share my thoughts without having to bother with pictures.

Check it out - hope to see you there!

Little Guy Photo Shoot

2012-01-26T14:09:00.000-08:00

Sigh.

I have this terrible problem. I constantly take pictures of my two favorite toddlers. I can't stop. I love it. (Although they don't, usually.) I'm thinking of renaming this blog "Isaac and Joshua's Personal Scrapbook". (Kidding.)

It may annoy you to see post after post with pictures of my two adorable little brothers....I've noticed that my posts have consisted of 95% of pictures of THEM ever since Joshua came home last March!! It's been nearly a year and maybe I've lost some blog readers due to that fact.

However. I cannot help but capture their smiling little faces......way too soon they'll be grown up boys, and this precious time in their lives will be gone. I don't want to forget how sweet they are right now! I don't want to take for granted each day I have with them. They are gifts from God, and after waiting for both of them for so long I just HAVE to take pictures of them.

And so, here we are. If anyone is still reading after that lengthy explanation, here are my sweet brothers.

We get asked ALL the time if they are twins. People are always surprised when we say that they're a year apart. :-)

Isaac is coming up on his 2nd Gotcha Day this February! I can't believe he's been home that long. He has come SO. FAR. Since we first met him. He can carry on a real conversation now! Just like a little man! It's so cute! And he trusts us - he knows what's going on and understands things like, mama is going to the store and will be right back.

And Joshua is right there with him.......the complete copy-cat of everything Isaac says or does. Poor little guy is sick right now, too ~ all croaky and weepy and coughy. Don't you just love how he's posing like a girl here? (I still think he could get a killer job being a Huggies diaper model. Maybe pullups, now that he's older.) He's our sweet one......emotional, cries at the drop of a hat, etc.

Totally sweet.

These two little surprise tag-alongs are such a blessing! I never thought I'd get to be a big sister again, TWICE!

This little four-year old is sweet too....but I'd say more sweet and spicy. That's my favorite food to get at a Chinese reseraunt, sweet and spicy chicken. And that totally describes Isaac, to the core.

Sweet in the sense that one minute he can be patting Joshua on the back and telling him that everything will be okay...and spicy in the sense that he is our little police man and will tear the house apart trying to bring justice to some offensive member of our family. David slammed the freezer door this afternoon, and Isaac was all over him for it.

"DAVID!"

Of course I asked Isaac what was wrong, and he replied, "Naughty David slam that door. BAD David!"

If you ask this little guy how he's doing, he'll always reply, "Um, just fine." Sometimes, with a little promting, it's "Um, just fine, sanks." Since he copies Isaac ALL the time, he often has difficulty expressing what he is thinking or wanting. For example, the other night, I heard him crying in his bed. I went to his room, knelt by his bed and asked him what was wrong. All I got was, "Um, nuffing." Hmmm. Nuffing wrong, eh?

Since there is constant talk of Jonathan going into the Navy Seals, the little boys have caught on to that pretty quickly. Although they like to joke and say he's going into the "Baby Seals". And this morning, Joshua woke up all sniffly from his cold and didn't feel good. Courtney was trying to comfort him, and Isaac went right up to him saying, "Don't worry Josh, it's okay. I take care of you."

Yesterday Isaac got a nasty little hangnail on his pinky finger.....so out came the nail clippers. I went ahead and trimmed the rest of his "piggies" (as we call them) and then did Josh, since he was right there too. Josh asked, "You do my two piggies, too?" I said of course I would, and then Isaac said, "Why Josh only have two piggies, not ten?"

"Because that's the way God made him, Isaac. God gave him special piggies."

"Oh!" And on the conversation went as we trimmed nails.

They sure know the difference between being rude and being polite, too. Just now, Isaac came running inside, whining, "My juice!! Where my juuuuuice?" And I replied, "Well, that's not how you ask, young man." Suddenly I heard this chipper little voice saying, "May I have my juice please, ma'am?"

*Sigh*. I love my brothers. I love taking their pictures. I love keeping track of all the funny things they say and do. I am so, so, blessed.

I Never Thought I'd See The Day.....

2012-01-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

....when I'd purchase two extra large shirts for myself. Really. Nothing wrong with that particular size.....it's just that I'm, you know, eighteen? Kind of small still?

But today, that's exactly what I did. And no I have not gained a hundred pounds overnight. These shirts fit me perfectly. I mean, like, to perfection. My exact size. And yet they are XL!

This isn't a new phenomenon either. I've seen this sizing problem for years. It's rather funny, because I never buy clothes according to size - it never fits! The small size for this particular shirt was about 2 inches wide. Hmmm, wonder why?

The size I'm supposed to be in is always grossly tight. And, that's the way it's meant to be. But....I am not exactly into the explode-out-of-your-clothing look. So I usually buy a size or two bigger, hence my XL purchase above. (And look at that great price!)

Don't be afraid to go against the tidal wave of what looks popular, friends. Seriously, just because something is a good price or what everyone else is wearing doesn't mean it's modest. I would have been having a difficult time breathing if I'd bought this shirt in my size. There's just no reason for it! Be careful as you pick your clothing ~ as you browse racks of clothing, look for modest, not necessarily popular.

There's nothing wrong with looking fashionable and modern. But be selective. Be picky and choosy.

Be modest.

I'm able to find modest clothes pretty easily ~ skirts/modest pants are easy to find, and tops of most any kind can be worn modestly with a little tweaking. Tank tops under any low-cut shirt work terrific....small jacket sweaters over sleeveless shirts are great, too. It definitely take some creative thinking! But it's not hard to do, and SO worth the effort.

Anyone else out there finding that XL clothing fits them to a tee?!

A Few of My Favorite Things

2012-01-20T10:57:00.000-08:00

Josh. Simply cutie-patootie Josh. So sweet I can hardly stand it.

Brownies - hot, and rich, and gooey. (And from scratch!) Find my recipe here.

Out-of-this-world adorableness. Seriously, how did I get such cute brothers?

Sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately.....I'm just keeping incredibly busy right now! Plus my camera batteries died. (Batteries do help when it comes to blogging!)

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!

Book Giveaway: It's Not That Complicated

2012-01-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

Sophia's Siege is hosting a book giveaway.......featuring the Botkin girls' latest book,

It's Not That Complicated!

I have not yet read this book, but hope to do so soon. Click here to enter!

Missing My Goats

2012-01-02T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well.......I haven't yet posted this, but several months ago I sold all of my goats. All of them. Cutie pie babies included. I miss 'em!

I didn't realized until after I sold them how much time they chewed up (no pun there!!) as I am now getting copious amounts of school done. (I think I'm finally seeing the light at the end of a loooong tunnel - graduation 2012 here I come!) I was laying in bed the other morning and thinking of how nice it is not to have to rush to get up to milk in the frigid morning air with numb fingers anymore.

But. I miss them. I miss their soft baaaing at night when I would go check on them before bed. I miss the way they'd cuddle up to me and snuggle their heads into my arms. I miss the way they LOVED me and STRONGLY DISLIKED everyone else. :-) The way they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who their owner was and who it wasn't.

I was looking back on pictures of when we first got goats......I was fifteen and actually, scared to death of them!! I look calm in this picture but I remember being pretty afraid of how.....big they were. And those horns......*gasp*. The fear I felt as I would run into their pen, throw them their hay, and then dash out as they came galloping towards me......well, I remember it! I got over that one within the year. :-)

Dad was the one who got me started with goats. He was the one who had dairy issues, so we turned to goat milk as an alternative.

David, now vehemenantly against goats, is actually posing with our first male goat, Jasper. He'll never admit it now but he liked the goats back then!! It was originally the boys job to take care of them. But. I soon took over.

I had so many good times with baby goats! Rosie and Clover were so cute.

I miss just sitting there and watching simple things, like the babies nursing.....thinking about how amazing it is that there's just enough milk for the number of babies a doe produces each year. Simple things like how mama always licks the babies bottoms while they nurse to keep them clean the first week of their life. And how the babies saliva is basically an anasceptic that keeps the teat free of infection.

Good memories of bottle feeding this spring......gosh that was a pain but it was pretty fun, too. Heating up milk, feeding the stinkers, wiping off wet noses, even being jumped on with less-than-clean hooves.

I spent hours out there with my little "herd".......working, of course, but also just watching. Watching floppy newborns wobble around and then collapse after a few steps for a nap. Baking in the sun. Even smelling sweet.

Heading out there in my "goat jeans" and mucking stalls......raking up pens and clipping hooves...and admiring mini baby goat hooves......:-) Singing while I "milked to the beat". David and I created two goat theme songs that we sang every morning when we milked together - they were silly but those were good times.

Even staring at pregnant bellies and wondering...prodding....guessing how many are in there?! I LOVED being able to feel the babies moving around in there. How awesome is that. I would do it almost every day when my girls were pregnant! Wondering.....is that a hoof? Or a nose? Or a tail?

Even the babies that didn't turn out...super cute. (I only ever had one "ugly duckling" and he was still pretty darn cute. :)

Waiting with high anticipation for those beginning signs of impending labor......loose ligaments, acting weird, losing their plug......and then delivering the little munchkins. And yes, there was a lot of blood. And yes, I was OKAY with that. :-) And yet I am not okay with having my blood drawn...even to the point of passing out. Weird, I know.

Missing snuggling day-old furry babies.....they're just about as cute as puppies. (Maybe even cuter in my opinion.) Missing plump udders......large jars of cold, fresh milk.....goats that know their routine and cooperate.....*sigh*

Having goats for the last few years was wonderful. A grand experience. I learned a ton. Had probably a dozen instances where I thought I'd killed one of them. :-)

For now, I'm not able to have goats; other things need to take priority at the moment. I've entered a new phase of life for now - but I hope that I can someday get back into goats!

My siblings dislike (hate would be a better word) goats; so I have ALWAYS had issues trying to convince them to pet one. However. I was searching waaaay back in the archives of Courtney's blog, and FOR THE RECORD.......here is a link to a post where Courtney actually admitted that the goats were cute.

Incredible. :-)

Goodbye 2011........Hello 2012

2011-12-30T19:00:00.000-08:00

Another year is behind us.......and another one stands before us. It's always interesting for me to think about the new year ahead - completely new. 365 more days of unknown territory yet to be explored; another chapter yet to be written; a brilliantly wrapped package waiting to be unopened.....a new saga....the sequel to 2011's best seller....

Okay, enough with the flowry language. :-) Down to business. What I really wanted to say in this post. :-)

I don't want the last day of 2011 to go by without giving it some thought. Maybe you have some goals or resolutions written out already for the new year.

I only have one this year. Yup, just one. Maybe I should have more....but for some reason this is the only one that seems to matter more than a typical to-do list. It's a resolution I pray never stops appearing on my yearly list. Here it is:

"Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other."

(Isaiah 45:22)

That's it. I desperately resolve to look to Him every day of this coming year. I need to be saved - oh, how I need it - and not just once, but daily! I need saving from my obsessions, my worries, my anxieties, my

self-focus, my distractions. In every struggle, every problem that seems un-fixable, every issue that troubles me, I resolve to look to Him. To the One Who gave His life for me.

Because He knows what He's doing......He's working everything out for my good (Rom. 8:28).

I desire to spend time with Him every day of this new year. And not because I feel obligated, or because He's probably up there tapping His toes and looking down at me with head shaking and arms crossed. No, quite the opposite - I want to be with Him because I want to be with Him. Because I really love Him.....because He first loved me. He's captivated me, won my heart. I'm in awe of Him. I want more of Him. I want my heart to beat with His. I want to be passionate about the things that He's passionate about. I want to know more about this God who loved me enough to die for me.

I have only just begun to explore the endless frontier of Him, the Saviour. In the scope of it all, I've only dipped my finger into the Niagara Falls of God's goodness and life-changing grace. I have so far to go! And yet, looking back, I've come so far. When I dig far back into the caverns of my mind.....I remember little snatches of when I was seven, then nine, where I felt Him tugging on my heart. Even as a little girl, He loved me! It's sweet to remember.

May you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve.......reflecting on the events of last year....and looking with anticipation to the possibilities of the new. :-)

"Every man's life is a fairytale written by God's fingers."

~ Hans Christian Anderson

Our Christmas Eve Service + Video

2011-12-27T12:48:00.000-08:00

Our church normally meets on Sunday evening........however since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, we had our special Christmas Eve service on Saturday night. It is always a very enjoyable time!

Some families didn't come because of other Christmas Eve family traditions! But we still had a nice group....enough for the younger children to do their Nativity play. Isaac got to carry the star down the aisle....my picture is so blurry so maybe Mr. D. can help me out with that? (hint hint!)

Joshua here sitting next to me. He didn't quite know what it was all about, but he had fun!

The A. girls sung beautifully, as usual. They always do a great job!

Some of the children singing carols together!

Lots of music was played by many different people (myself included). The R. girls plus their teacher played an amazing piano trio of the Hallelujah Chorus.....it was incredible. Good job, girls!

Even Isaac got up there to sing "Joy to the World". He didn't really sing but loved being up there! He had his hands in his pockets the whole time. It was cute.

Each family memorized Scriptures that told the Christmas story......we all took turns going up and saying our verses. Isaac got to say a line this year - you can see that in the video below.

Afterwards, everyone met in the fellowship hall for birthday cake and punch! It was a delicious and memorable time. :-)

Waiting in line for cake.............mmmmm.

This video is our family saying our verses, as well as my violin solo, Ave Maria. You can't see very well, but Mom accompanied me on the piano...thank you Mom!

Enjoy!

Christmas At Our House

2011-12-25T17:13:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration today! As usual, we rose early and opened our stockings. In years gone by I have been so excited on Christmas Eve that I can't even sleep......but this year sleeping somehow won over excitement. :-) I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep when David came in our room at 5:10 THISMORNING because he couldn't go back to sleep and was dying to open his stocking! I was a bit groggy to say the least!

Anyway. After we opened our stockings (no a.m. pictures are being disclosed for obvious reasons) we had breakfast, read the Christmas story, and then began our organized gift unwrapping! And yes, it is very organized. We open presents one at a time, so it lasts a few hours. It's nice.

David is posing by a few of the gifts. He wasn't too thrilled about the one I gave him (a tie) but I told him it was time he learns how to dress up! Men wear ties so it's about time he learned. :-)

First present of the day! Isaac was very excited.

Oh the excitment!!

David got a model plane kit from Dad.

A Winnie the Pooh figurine set!! They loved this. They have been very much into Winnie the Pooh lately so this was right up their alley.

Yup, just what she was hoping for......

....a new purse! Mom and Dad let us older children kind of pick out what we would like for Christmas ahead of time, because it's harder to surprise us with things we like at this age. This was one of the gifts Courtney and picked out a few weeks ago. She's been dying to use it!

Makeup for Mommy!! The little boys gave this to her. We were wrapping it a few days ago, and I let them see it because I figured they wouldn't have a clue what it was, thus, they couldn't spoil the surprise by telling. Boy was I wrong. As soon as they saw it, Isaac's little voice piped up "makeup!!" Then Josh chimed in and they were singing it together. I gave them a stern talking to, and I have to give them credit, they didn't say a word to Mom!

I got a sweater!! I was really looking forward to getting this.

A beautiful decorative plaque for Mom and Dad.

More Muscle Milk for Jonathan!!

Speaking of which.....I realized I have not yet anounced on my blog that Jonathan is planning on joining the Navy in the coming months! (Hence the new haircut.) He is shooting for the Navy Seals and is pretty excited about it.

A new fleece blankie for Jonathan! :-) He likes to snuggle fuzzy things (who doesn't) and his old fleece was super worn out.

It works!

A new bilfold for Dad.

Both Isaac and Joshua got a huge sticker book - hopefully this will keep them very busy and entertained!

I got both of these books......I was really hoping for them! I can't wait to read them. I've heard great things about both.

Courtney gave David this shirt- great, isn't it? He even went jogging in it this afternoon with Dad.

I gave Jonathan God's Gift To Women by Eric Ludy. I love the Ludy's books! I even got one for Christmas, shown in one of the previous photos. :-)

Courtney got me a new journal! It's really pretty. I have always been the journaling queen so they're a pretty common birthday / Christmas gift.

I can't believe how tall David is getting. Jonathan began his growing campaign several years ago and I have been dwarfed ever since.........now David is getting close to passing me up. Both guys are wearing shirts they got as gifts!

Dad gave Courtney and me this incredible gift.....Starbucks hot chocolate. Mmmmm.

Getting ready for our Christmas feast............

Dad carved the ham - it was so good!! We normally have a turkey, but this year everyone voted for a ham.

One. Full. Plate. Everything was scrumptious!

And that was our day! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Christmas Things

2011-12-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas is approaching way to rapidly for me! I can hardly believe it's tomorrow. This is such a special time of the year ~ and not because of the presents or the festivities (although that helps!), but because of the memory that a Baby was born in a manger over 2,000 years ago.

And because He was born so I could live.

What a incredible thing to think about. Sometimes it just blows my mind that He loves me. In spite of myself, He loves me. To think, God cared enough about me to send His Son, Whose purpose was to die in my place.

Wow.

More cookies.....gosh, it's a good thing I don't bake this much normally. Snickerdoodles - it was a bit odd that I would choose this recipe, as I am normally of the opinion that anything worth baking HAS to have chocolate in it. However they just sounded really good this year. This recipe comes right from my Grandma Carey, and they were so popular that the entire batch (all four dozen of them) were gone within the day!!

Ah, the cookie baking in progress. It was feeling particularly festive that day because it rained, drooped, and drizzled ALL day long. Not a speck of sunshine. The entire sky was covered in dark clouds - it was wonderful! Listened to Christmas music for probably four hours while making chocolate chip and snickerdoodles. Mmmm.

Our mountains are covered with snow this time of the year - I suppose it could be called a white Christmas! They're just beautiful. It always makes me think of powdered sugar. :-)

Last night, Christmas Eve Eve, we watched The Nativity Story for the first time. It was wonderful. I was reminded again of how incredible the Christmas story is. The three stars that came together for the first time in thousands of years to produce an incredibly bright shining star; the miracle of the virgin birth, the mystery of a King being born in a stable. The best part of the movie was that the whole thing is true!

Everything, every part of our life, every day that goes by, everything that happens, all revolves around the Baby in the manger. He's the Reason for life. He's the reason life even matters.......and thank you Lord, for that.

Hoping all of you have a blessed Christmas day tomorrow.......remembering Jesus' birth and celebrating Who He is - our Saviour!

Just Like His Sissy

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

Closed eyes for a potentially stunning picture.....

...and sometimes not very photo-genic. :-)(But he CAN take a great picture most days!)

"Winterfest"

2011-12-20T15:02:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Mom and I took the little boys to a small neighborhood Christmas festival. Of course, they couldn't bring themselves to call it that - it was officially called "Winterfest" - gotta be politically correct! Ugh.

They had a little kiddy train that Isaac and Josh got to ride on. They were SO excited about it. It was actually several golf carts strung together and extrememly decorated to look like train cars. It was pretty cute!

Waiting our turn in line for the train ride!

We sat in the caboose - and yes, it was red.

They were even giving out free cotton candy. It's been years, literally, since I've had it, and I was surprised at how.....empty it was! I forgot how once you take a bite it shrivels down into sugar granules!

First cotton candy! They both liked it.

Who can wear short sleeves and eat cotton candy a week before Christmas? We can! One of the benefits of living in a hot part of the country!

We didn't stay long, but it was a fun way to spend an afternoon!

And I Dig Into the Past

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

To pull out this lovely picture of Courtney and me, circa 2002. Right before a big choir recital in December!

At nine years old, I was in the throws of growing out my bangs! And 11 year old Courtney was wearing glasses at the time. Choir recitals were a big big deal back then - I can still remember shopping with Mom to find the perfect white blouse. :-) And I definitely remember auditioning for that solo - and NOT getting the part, either. I remember feeling like a squeaking mouse in the huge room full of people; our choir director kept telling me to sing louder, but I just couldn't!

I was supposed to sing a simple two-sentence liner from the Hansel and Grettel song:

"Sandman is here. Now let us say our evening prayer."

Obviously, he moved on to someone that was able to project their voice a bit bolder than my timid little self felt comfortable doing. :-) Looking back, I was probably whispering.

Isaac, Josh, and Special-Needs Teddy

2011-12-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

Isaac has always been one to get very upset if things aren't in order, all lined up in perfection. If something is knocked over, out of place, messed up, tears are usually the result. He's gotten a little better at being okay with the hard facts of life (i.e. a cookie will break in half when you bite into it, bath water will go down the drain when you pull the plug, etc.) however he still gets quite upset over some things! If Joshua has been placed on the naughty chair and gets off, Isaac will literally burst into tears telling him to get back on. It's pretty funny.

He got a piece of fried chicken stuck in his teeth the other day and was concerned about it. "Sumpin' stuck, Rachel," he told me. So I looked at it, and told him that we would get it out with floss after the meal. Surprisingly, he was okay with that, and a minute later anounced, "It's all gone now. May I have some more?" So I took his plate, and he added, "Not chicken. Just green beans and lettuce. I not have strong teeth." Strong teeth? When I told him I didn't understand he clarified matters by informing me that he didn't have "healthy teeth". Still don't understand that one!

He's quite emotional and QUITE strong willed. He's a fighter and has kicked, scratched, bitten and clawed to try and get his way before - my goodness he can be fiesty! Looking back, it was truly difficult when he first came home; the language barrier, adjusting him to a family vs. orphanage, helping him know there was plenty of food, being comfortable with us and knowing we wouldn't leave him.....wow has it been a journey. But I can't believe how far he's come since then. Simple things, like being able to sit in his carseat for long drives, being okay with Mom going to the store without him, feeling comfortable saying "hi" to new people, interacting with other kids, and of course his language.....things are a lot easier now! We're able to tell him what's going to happen, and he understands. He can carry on a conversation with us now - he's able to answer questions and verbalize what he's feeling or wanting. He loves "Winna Pooh" and has jokes he likes to crack. Some things, however, are going to take longer, simply because of him being a bit emotionally behind, I think. He's almost five, been here almost two years, and still needs Mom to snuggle him to sleep at night - not considered "normal" for kids of that age, right? But what's normal, anyway? For a little guy who spent the first two years of his life without a mama, I'd say the snuggle thing is perfectly normal. :-)

He has bonded to us SO. WELL. He always wants to know where everyone is; a security thing, I guess. He'll ask several times throughout the day, "Where my daddy?" We'll reassure him that Daddy's at work. If both Mom and Dad go out somewhere, he does fine but always wants to know "Where my parents?" He hates it when someone other than Mom has to put him to bed (which isn't very often!) but when Mom's gone, I'm usually the only satisfactory substitute.

His recent puzzling statement has been this. When he gets super mad about something, he'll say "Bye bye, Rachel! Bye bye Courtney! I go far, far away!!" And then he runs into another room.

Oh dear. He always gets over it, but he's done it twice - and I'm wondering what's this about? Is this just little kid stuff or actually something related to his being adopted? Jonathan told Mom he was running away when he was five - I remember that clearly! So maybe it's fine. Who knows. Other than that, he is just doing great.

Meet special needs teddy - this guy has been the perfect addition to the boy's stuffed animal collection!! It's pretty funny, because that was Jonathan's stuffed animal he got when he was born. Somehow or another, throughout the years, this bear got its' arm torn off - it's been armless for probably five years now. So the other day, Joshua the ever-inquisitive asked "Where bear arm?" Ah yes, the perfect oppertunity. Mom explained to him that the bear was born without an arm, and that's how God made him. It was pretty funny - that bear has been sitting armless for years, and now Josh has a friend that's just like him. :-)

I ♥ Scarves

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

Thank you all for your kind comments on the previous post! It was nice to see that I do have some readers. :-)

I have recently developed a fettish for scarves - I don't exactly know where it started - but I just love them! I love how they can make an outfit just a little more dressy.

Dad and I went shopping at Beall's Outlet yesterday, and I found it for $4....plus 15% off because it was a Friday. :-) We had such a great time and probably spent two hours there - I was able to get most of my Christmas shopping done! He and I are both browsers, (Mom is not) so I got to browse and browse and browse. *Sigh* It was lovely. When you browse you are able to find some very good deals. I found several things on clearance - even a large bottle of Sweet Pea Body Mist for $.90!! Courtney recently got a job there, so she lets me know if there is something seriously on sale. We were both able to get some very cute sandals for $.50 - regularly they would have been $8. I love good deals!

Anyway - I love my new scarf. :-) Here's a really neat video that provides PLENTY of new and fresh ways to wear them!

It's Looking A Lot Like Christmas! (Minus The Snow)

2011-12-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, minus the snow - I will never stop associating Christmas with snow. I miss that......however, at least we're having some chilly mornings here! We even have our heat on - just a tad! We put up our Christmas tree about a week ago, and it's as gorgeous as ever.

Okay. Well maybe it's not gorgeous. The fact is, this tree is about, um, thirty plus years old. It's the same tree we've put up every year since Courtney was born, and Mom said she put it up when she was little, too. So might that make it fourty years old? I don't know. Anyhow, it holds sentimental value, and is still holding itself together.....however I've been hinting that maybe, just maybe we should get a new one for next year. You know, start a new family tradition. :-)

Both Isaac and Joshua love playing with the little nativity scene we put up every year. Dad built the wooden shed for it when Courtney and I were really little, so it's seen many Christmases! I have such great memories of getting it out each year! Usually we just set it up and all the characters stay in the same position the entire month of December. However. This year, two pairs of hands have been VERY busy re-arranging the entire set, several times daily! We encountered a crisis a few days ago when one of the wise men was missing....however I found it later under a couch cushion. Oh, tragedy!

David was our Christmas light fixer this year! We always have to figure out which strands are no longer working, which ones need new bulbs, etc. I clearly remember being five or so, and Dad doing this job. His yearly warning about "don't step on the Christmas lights" is one I've never forgotten - now I'm the one telling the little boys that!

It's always a chaotic time, with so many people trying to figure out which branches go where. They're color coded, so we always put them in piles, and then do one row at a time.

I'm not in any of these pictures because I wasn't feeling good! I sat on the couch and took pictures of everyone else the whole time!

My beautiful mom. Thankfully she's completely recovered from her kidney stone. She feels so much better now!

The finished product - with presents underneath to boot! And notice the train - our grandparents gave us that probably ten years ago, and it still works. Isaac and Josh LOVE it and are always asking us to do it with them. They want to know who all the little figures are on the train. We've already explained "Santa Cwaz" to them; they basically know that he's a pretend man who says "Merry Christmas"!!!

It's our family tradition to have the youngest child put the star on the tree. Last year Isaac got to do it, but he's not the youngest anymore! Joshua did a great job, though I really don't think he had a clue what we were doing. :-) He had fun and says Merry Christmas all the time, but doesn't even know what that is yet! He'll soon find out!

Isaac says hi!

By way of interest.......I don't get many comments on my blog so I'm wondering how many people actually read it? I mainly keep it up for grandparents / friends - and I can't exactly blaim you because I hardly ever leave comments on blogs......but if you enjoy this blog, could you leave a comment so I have an idea of how large my audience is? Just curious!!! :-)

Preoccupied? Yep, I Am

2011-12-05T01:00:00.000-08:00

You know, it's already December fifth.....and I'm already wishing the whole season would slow down. I always want Christmas to last longer than it does; and not only because I enjoy all the fun and festivities, but because I want to take it all in. I want Christmas to be really and truly meaningful each year. I don't ever want to become so busy with activities and traditions, that I gloss over the whole point of the season. I want Christmas to be even more special with each passing year as I realize afresh the wondrous love of Jesus.

The miracle of His birth, and the incredible gift He gave me.

It's simply indescribable.

With each day that goes by this month, I want to be constantly aware of how great my Saviour is. It's really easy to get distracted with all the business of Christmas - I'm reminded of that again this year! Gift buying, decorating, baking, special events, parties, etc. It's ironic that the traditions which are supposed to remind us of the birth of Jesus can so easily distract us from that very event. I don't want to be so caught up in the "stuff" of Christmas that I lose focus and get off track. I'm learning right now, this very week, to take my gaze off of things, and put it on the Author and Finisher of my faith. HE is all that matters.

Easy to say, but oh, so difficult to put into practice. It's so natural for our sinful flesh to crave stuff. Things. Material possessions. Fads that come in one day, and walk out the next. Isn't that how it's always been? Since as early as I can remember I've always had the "if I can only get this or that" mentality. And not long after finally getting whatever I was pining after, I'd found something else I wanted.

I still have this mentality to some degree - it's part of being a sinful human. More more more, for me, me, me. It'll never stop. If I get something, I'll want something else. It's like one of those treadmill wheels for gerbils! Depending on things to satisfy me is just pointless, because it simply won't.

Needless to say, I've been realizing again this week that "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)

By His grace, I'm learning to say "no" to every little thing my flesh screams out that it wants. I am learning to refuse the impulse to buy every little thing that catches my attention. I don't need everything I want. I need Him.

So as Christmas approaches in just a few weeks, I intend to make every day count. I want to make sure that each day this month, I spend time with the One which Christmas is all about - I want to make Jesus Christ the priority of the holidays. My total and complete focuse. What I'm really excited about. Because it's very likely that what I get for Christmas this year (or give, as well) won't be around ten years from now! But my relationship with Jesus will be. And that's what I want to spend time celebrating.

Let's all be pre-occupied with Jesus Christ, this Christmas.

Remember, He is the Reason for the Season!

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we made Christmas cookies with Isaac and Joshua. We did it last year with Isaac, but this year we have Josh too, so it was twice the fun. Plus, Isaac was better able to help with the cutting out of different shapes, etc. (A little too helpful at times, actually.....)

(And no, these are not gluten free. :-)

The boys had SO. MUCH. FUN. Playing in all the flour!! I think they had more fun throwing it around than actually doing the cookies. Anytime I left the room or turned my back they had their hands in the flour bowl.

Unfortunately, Joshua figured that if he dowsed his hands in flower and then clapped them together, a nice little "poof" of flour would follow. Oh what fun for a three year old. The side affects of the little trick left him looking like he had just come out of a snowstorm. But he thought it was hilarious. After trying to "control" the whole situation and keep everything organized, I finally gave up and figured they might as well have fun in the mess! Oh well. They had fun.

He's preparing to do his flour trick here!

The whole project took several hours from start to finish - I was pretty tired of sprinkles and frosting by the end of it all!

Hope you all are having a cozy December so far!

Thanksgiving and the Latest From Here

2011-11-27T07:42:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We certainly did ~ we had over thirty people at our house and a lot of good food....a walk to the park, fun games, and delicious desserts. We don't have a lot of family, and both sets of grandparents live several states away, so instead we got together with other families from our church. It was a really blessed time!

God gave us beautiful weather for Thanksgiving! We even got rain in the evening (rare for where we live!) so that was a real treat.

Our tables were full and crowded! Paper plates, silverware, cups, and napkins came in SUPER handy. We had bowls of candy corn at each table, so after the meal, each person took one and told one thing they were thankful for.

Isaac was so excited for everyone to come. While we were waiting on the porch, he was playing jump-rope with my dog leash, (or trying to, anyway) and I was surprised to hear him say, "Rachel, put down coffee - come play with me!" It was so cute!

Unfortunately, although I had great intentions of taking tons of pictures on my camera...somehow I got seriously distracted with all the festivities and my camera sat on the desk the WHOLE time! Courtney ended up taking all the pictures from our day, so you can visit her blog to see more of our Thanksgiving.

Yesterday David was busy working on his bike - apparently his brakes weren't working. His job took a while, but Isaac and Joshua were captivated and were happily occupied "helping" him for over an hour!

Apparently it was really stuck! He got it though!

Joshua can be extremely photo-genic, but he sure was having trouble yesterday. When he gets silly he likes to put his hands over his eyes or do this goofy grin. Here, he just wasn't looking at the camera! But he's cute anyway.

I am so thankful for these boys! A year ago we were still waiting to meet Josh. And two years ago we had just gotten an update on Isaac. And now, we finally have both little guys home. I am so incredibly thankful that God blessed us with them!

I took Joshua for a walk the other day, and we were looking at a nativity scene. Thinking he knew all the figures from his Christmas book we've read over and over, I asked him who the baby was in the manger. Without missing a beat, he replied "Baby Moses!" Huh! Sounds like we have some work to do!

So that's about the latest from here. Today we're putting up the Christmas tree - I'll definitely be doing a post about that soon!

Cute Turkey Cookies

2011-11-23T13:43:00.000-08:00

Today, being "Thanksgiving Eve".....well, it was (still is, actually) a very very busy day. We're having a pretty large group of friends coming over tomorrow to celebrate with us! So today we're making pies, salads, TURKEY, etc.

So anyway, I was wondering how we could have Thanksgiving this year without making these adorable little turkey cookies? With Isaac and Joshua? They make any project fun. We got all the ingredients at the store the other day and had fun making one this afternoon together.

No, Jonathan wasn't helping to construct his very own turkey cookie. He happened to be passing by and since he seems to make a rare appearance on my blog ~ he jumped in for a pic! At this point, I don't think either Isaac or Josh knew what we were doing; they were just happy to be holding such delicious packages.

Have I ever mentioned that Isaac is the total clown of the family? He has so totally lived up to what his name means, "Laughter". He is such a funny guy! But back to the cookies.

Double-stuff oreos with chocolate frosting stuffed in the cracks and candy corn make the back of this

yum-licious creature. The chocolate frosting acts as the "glue" that holds the whole cookie together. I used five candy corns.

More glue, plus a Reese's PB cup, leveled off, to make the body. I think I would use more frosting next time, as I ended up with a pretty weak and fragile cookie. It would not have made it off the kitchen counter without falling apart. (Thankfully, it didn't need to - if you get what I mean!)

Use one whopper to make the head for this turkey.

Who ever guessed that glue could taste so good? For once, a glue that has no "DANGER, keep away from small children, toxic if swallowed" type labels. Just good old yumminess. Except, if you look at the ingredient list on the back, maybe it should have a warning label on it. Hmmm.

This is the cookie, 3/4 done. Funny how the home-made version of these cookies never quite look like the magazine picture???!!

And here it is, the finished creation! I was slightly disapointed that my little turkey friend turned out so messy. Good for eating, but I was hoping for some more impressive blog pics!! Fortunately that was ONLY my first try. We have plenty more ingredients left, as you can see from the pictures. Perhaps when I finally get the hang of it I'll post my professional picture. Meanwhile, I'll just make heavenly delicious mistakes!!

Aha! They finally got it! When I added the eyes and nose, they realized what it was actually supposed to be! Isaac was a little nervous about holding the tray....but I told him to just hold it steady and smile. He was trying to figure out how to hold the tray steady, smile, and look at the turkey and tell it to smile, too all without dropping it!

He did fine. And they both enjoyed an early turkey feast.

If I Only Had a Year

2011-11-19T15:54:00.000-08:00

I was struck with a thought last night:

What if I only had a year to live.

What if I knew that I had one year left. How would that affect the way I lived today?

I know for a fact it would change me. Think about it: you're told you have a terminal condition. The doctor says he's not sure how long you have - could be two years, maybe less. How would that change your outlook on life? How would it change the way your treat your family, the activities you participate in, the priorities you set, and most importantly, the time you spend with your Heavenly Father each day?

As soon as that thought hit me last night.....my first comeback was "oh, I'd definitely spend more time with Jesus each day!"

I am saved - washed by the blood of the Lamb - I know my destination is Heaven. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I will see Jesus face to face the moment I die......and yet, if I were to die today, I'd feel grossly unprepared. I'd wish I had spent more time at my Saviour's feet than in constant pursuit of the "urgent". I know I would wish I had done more for my King ~ not that it could earn me any favor beyond what Jesus has done for me ~ but simply to have done more to please Him. Especially the little things, the seemingly "insignificant" things that no one else sees. I'd wish I had done more for the "least of these" just to have put a smile on God's face.

"And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me."

Matthew 25:40

I would wish I had listened more carefully to that Still Small Voice......paid more rapt attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And yes, I admit it - I don't always listen and follow God's promptings. I know I would wish I had obeyed every time I felt God telling me to do something! Even the little things. Especially the little things.

I know for a fact I would lament over the time I didn't spend with Jesus. You know, the more I get to know my Saviour I realize how well don't know Him - if that makes sense. It's like, the more time I spend with Him, the more I know of Him.... the bigger and more incredible He becomes to me. I realize that what I do know about God is simply a drop in the bucket in comparison to Who He is. One of my favorite songs goes, "...the whole universe is witness to only a part of what You've done...."

There is so. Much. More. To learn about the One Who created me.

When I think about the enormous sacrifice Jesus made for me - what He's given me and what it all means - I realize that any time I spend on that which does not glorify HIM is absolutely and utterly worthless.

I know I would very much regret the time wasted on selfish pursuits, even if it *seemed* at the time like I deserved it. I think about all the time and money I've spent on clothes and makeup....oh goodness I know I would wish I had spent more time focusing on higher priorities. Clothes and makeup are fine and can be used for a good purpose - but there is a careful balance that must be struck between it and time with God. I would wish I had spent more time proclaiming Christ's reputation instead of mine.

In light of all that ~ how can I focus on myself, day after day? Self shows up all the time, in the little things. "That doesn't fit in with my plans". "That's not fair to me." "I don't like that." "I need to buy this."

What about those who don't even know where their next meal will come from - and even more importantly, who don't know Christ? What about pleasing God and living every minute for His glory?

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?"

Matthew 16:26a

So as I thought about all this.....I fell back on the age old "I have plenty of time - I'll probably live 'till I'm eighty." I found myself thinking that "only if I knew my life was really fragile and didn't have long to live would I really get serious about all this." "If a doctor told me he didn't know how much time I had left....that would be a call for serious change in my life."

The scary thing is that I don't know how much time I have left. It really could be a year. My life is fragile. I could die any time.

This is what calls for serious life change. The fact that I don't know the hour, the day, the year. My life is hanging by a thread.....and yet it's totally natural for me to live as if I'll go on forever. I think that's the perspective Satan wants us to have.....it's called apathy. Complacency. If we don't remind ourselves on a consistent basis of what life is all about, we will fall into the trap of thinking "who cares, I'll do it later". It's so incredibly easy to forget that we were made for a purpose. There is a reason we are here.

And it's not so we can have fun! We are called to live a life that pleases the One Who created us.

"And He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him Who died for them and rose again."

2 Corinthians 5:15

Wow. I am called to be a daughter of the King of Kings ~ to serve Him with every breath that I take. And I do it gladly, because it's nothing in comparison to what He's done for me. But I have to constantly remind myself that I am not my own...I have been bought with a price. Everything I have - talents, money, time, etc. - is all Christ's. He's the One Who gave it to me. If I have one year left to live, it is a gift from Him. And therefore, it is HIS time. So I want to use every bit of that time for HIM.

And who knows - maybe I really do only have one year left! Maybe I have fourty. Or sixty. However long it is...I will eventually come to the end of it. Right now sixty years seems like an eternity - but it ticks by, and pretty soon I'll be looking back at sixty years passed by. I want to use the time I have in the best way possible - to serve and glorify Jesus Christ.

Back From An Incredible Few Weeks!

2011-11-18T14:38:00.000-08:00

My blog has been....woefully silent....the last few weeks (as I promised it would be). Our family vacation to Alabama was wonderful ~ and just a week later, Courtney and I flew to California to visit some wonderful friends. We spent a whole week with them and had such a good time!

We were even able to go to Disneyland during our stay - that was incredible!

We were blessed to spend time with our friends......it was a wonderful time of fellowship and fun.

I do have a regular post forthcoming ~ so do bear with me! Just wanted to let you all know that we are back and I will hopefully be back to regular posting.

A Two Week Break

2011-10-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

We're leaving for Alabama today! Everyone is very excited and busily packing last minute things.....

Our traveling group has grown just a bit ~ now, Courtney and Jonathan are coming along as well! That means that Courtney will be updating her blog on the road, so be sure and check that out often.

As for me....this blog will be quiet for the two weeks we're gone, so I'll be back later. :-)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Since we're dealing with some food allergies in our family recently....I've been experimenting a little with different kinds of flour in baking. I started out by making chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago using rice flour. Unfortunately......the results weren't good! They tasted fine; however the crumbly factor was a huge problem.

But. I tried a little different recipe today and I got much better results. Josh and I spent the morning making cookies together, and it was a lot of fun! He was actually very good and cooperated through the whole thing, so minus him sneezing all over the tray of unbaked cookies.....we did great!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 C. rice flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 C. butter, softened

3/4 C. sugar

3/4 C. brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

3 T. applesauce

1 1/2 C. chocolate chips

Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla, applesauce, and eggs, mixing well. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375* for 9 - 11 minutes.

Although using butter GREATLY helped the cookies actually stay together, they are still prone to falling apart. However, as I made tray after tray of these this morning, I found that if I left the cookies on the cookie sheet for about 20 minutes (or more!) after baking, they stayed together much better. I think letting them cool down on the cookie sheet they were baked on helped them to kind of solidify. They're still more fragile than "normal" cookies, but this recipe is outstanding for being gluten free. :-)

The Big Four - Seven Years Ago!

2011-10-16T16:06:00.000-07:00

What happens when you run out of pictures? You dig into pictures from yeeeears gone by. So - for the humor of it, here is a picture of us "original four" in fall of 2004.

Courtney was 13, Jonathan was 9, David was 5, and I was big grown up stuff. (aka, 11.) Check out the bedgraggled hair-do on me. :-) This was back when Jonathan and I were the exact. Same. Height. For like three years in a row. And then......well, he grew way too tall! So that's why people now think I'm his "little" sister. :-)

Nebraska autumns are just gorgeous - this photo was taken on our property of 21 acres.

So what do ya'll think? Interesting, huh?

Did You Know....

2011-10-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

......that Milk Duds go very well with World History?

If you didn't, well, now you do know. I have a lot of reading to do each day in History. And I needed something to help me though it. Furthermore, did you know that it took me one and a half hours to get through both my History and this box of chocolates? The word cccchhhheeeewwwyy comes to mind. (Sadly, the word 'cavity' does, too.) And lastly did you know that I was actually saving this box for our long road trip next week? My self control was....non-existing.

Did you know that Courtney is studying away, trying to prepare for her SAT test in just a few weeks? Yep, she is. She'll be my SAT teacher when I take it next fall - gulp. The test looms before me like doomsday; I'm thinking the very word stands for "Sad And Terrible". But thankfully I don't have to start studying just yet....I have a few blissful months left before the grueling study begins!!

Did you know that this guy is cute enough to be a girl? I'm serious! He's just a doll. Like I've said before, I think he could easily make it on a Huggies Diaper cover or something. Recently he's become more aware of his "special hands". He'll point to them and say, very excitedly with the cutest little grin ever, "Joshua two special hands!!" And then we'll all clap and squeal with him and tell him how neat that is. :-) Precious!

Did you know.....oh gross!! Where did that picture come from? Well, um, since you've already seen it, did you know that Isaac is in every way a typical boy, and loves to pick his nose? If you didn't know it, well, you were better off than you are now. Less grossed-out, that is. Let me get a better picture for you.

Oops, that wasn't quite what I was looking for either. Check out the belly button. Um.....did you know that I think he's going to be a gymnist in the coming years? He's quite limber.

Okay, there we go. Much better. Did you know that this little stinker calls me "honey" now? Yep, aren't I lucky!! He heard Mom call Dad "honey" one time, and now my new title is

"honey - Rachel". It's hilarious!! Isaac cracks me up - he is such a little comedian!

Hmmm. Did you know that this is supposed to be Jonathan's school desk? Only, it doesn't seem to be in use today. The student is.......

....doing his schoolwork on the floor and trying to avoid having his picture taken. *Sigh* I've been having a difficult time getting a certain brother to let me take his picture recently. Could you all tell him to let me get a good photo of him?!!

Well, all these new facts probably weren't quite as interesting as they could have been. And....you may wish you hadn't learned some of them (aka the nose picking). But. This is real life. (For us, anyway.)

Alabama Bound ~ WooHoo!!!

2011-10-13T10:07:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I'm going on......ANOTHER TRIP!!!!

Yeah, I know. You're wondering how on earth this girl has the time to go on all these trips. But I have to say that all this vacationing we've done this year (previous Alabama trip, Florida trip, Nebraska trip, etc.) is really not typical for us. We just usually don't travel that much, because most of us are still in school!

However, for some reason, this year has been the super-exception. (Hooray for that.) Dad has TWO weeks of vacation he gets to take, so a week from today, David, Dad, and I will be heading off on a very *exciting* road trip!!

So ~ since Courtney will be staying home on this trip (and keeping her laptop with her) this blog will be...uh....silent for about two weeks. Hope you understand. For now, I'm going to be keeping rather busy getting ready for this trip! Looking very much forward to seeing this kind of scenery. :-)

Now that's what I call beautiful!!! Alabama, here we come!!

Cars, cars, and more cars

2011-10-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Picture this if you will: Just finished breakfast and chores. Morning is getting on. Seconds from sitting down for a good Chemistry lesson. Ready to get on with my day.

"Rachel, will you play with me?"

"Just ten minutes?"

Sorry, but I can't resist that pleading little voice! (Of course, once I agreed to ten minutes, that same little voice chimed in, "Fourteen minutes?")

So. School was temporarily delayed and I decided to play cars with Isaac and Joshua. Every time they beg me to come play with them, I find myself always having something else I'd rather be doing. But. I try to catch myself and remember that they won't stay little very long ~ and every day I have with them is a gift! Trying to treasure every minute of cars and camping trips around the house that I can! :-)

Here they are posing with only part of their large car collection.

Both boys were in a good mood for pictures this morning. I find they are more cooperative if you let them see the picture on the camera screen after it's been taken - they're always so excited to see!

Each boy has their own little "tray" of cars, as you can see in the picture. Sometimes they'll decide to trade and I'll overhear a nice little toddler business transaction: "May I borrow semi, Isaac?" "Yes you may, Joshua!" Other times, unfortunately, I hear the beginnings of world war three. But we're working on that.

Favorite car!

Can you guess? Yep, favorite car! And world class smile to go a long with it. I love Isaac's smile ~ it's so precious, and when I happen to see other children with repaired clefts like Isaac, I just love it! They have such a special little look that I am in love with. :-)

"Rachel, look at this!" I asked Isaac if I should take a picture of this *incredible* feat, and he heartily agreed. However I was HIGHLY warned by him not to bump it. :-)

I was again playing with my self-timer and in the process of getting a decent picture, chopped my own forehead off. I failed to realized that I am taller than both these little guys!!! But I love how Joshua looks in this one, so here it is.

Such a typical boy - drooling over a car and wearing his FAVORITE color shirt, orange!! Well, he's normally a typical boy. The times he isn't so typical would be the days where he's crazy in love with his baby doll. (You can read about that here.) Our pastor came over the other day and while Josh smiled and shook his hand.....Isaac was giggling on the sidelines, clutching his baby GIRL doll. Ahem. It was like, yes, he IS a normal boy...just dealing with some, uh, issues.....kind of embarrassing!!!! But "Baby Isaac" (his doll's name) seems to be a permanent part of our family, so we'll have to wait until he grows out of this one.

And that was my morning frivolity with the boys! They loved it!

Your Name

2011-10-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Psalm 46:1

Feelin' Sick

2011-10-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Joshua woke up this morning not feeling himself at all! After Isaac had already finished breakfast and was off playing, Josh was just sitting there, staring at his banana, looking terribly woeful. :-( Not his perky little self!

Snuggling his special fuzzy blanket. When I asked him if he wanted me to read him a story, he whispered "Yet". (He doesn't like putting the "s" on the end of "yes".) Quite a pitiful little sight!

But, I'm thinkin' being sick has it's merits.......he's gotten to watch his favorite video several times this morning. :-) I love pampering both little boys when they are sick ~ I always have to wonder how much (if any) special attention they received when they got sick in China. They get plenty here, that's for sure! Every little kid needs snuggles on the couch and ice chips to suck on when they're feeling bad! Hopefully he'll be back to his normal self tomorrow.

More of "This" and "That"

2011-10-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

Hello fall.......hello cold mornings and fuzzy bathrobes. Hello cloudy days, warm slippers, and delicious beverages like caramel hot chocolate. Mmm, yes, I purchased this very box of instant hot chocolate packages yesterday ~ and it just seemed so autumn-ish to me. I haven't even tried it but I know it's going to be highly addictive already! This is part of what gets me up early every morning. I like to get up early for my personal devotions.....but when the alarm goes off I do not instinctively spring out of bed with the Bible on my lap!!! I've found that if I know there is a cup of something yummy like hot chocolate waiting for me, I am more likely to get up, and therefore more likely to find the time for personal Bible reading. So I am loving getting 40 minutes of un-interrupted time with God in a perfectly quiet house each morning.....in my fuzzy bathrobe with a cup of steaming hot chocolate. It works.

I've noticed on several blogs that a lot of you have been to see the new movie Courageous this week! So glad people are supporting it. Part of us went last weekend to see it and it was SO GOOD! Sherwood Pictures has always made good movies but I think this one has to be their best yet. I am usually not one to cry over books or movies....but this one had me nearly balling my eyes out one minute and then laughing so hard the next! This wasn't a sad movie by any means; it was incredibly tender. There were a lot of unexpected surprises in it and I loved how they portrayed the fathers turning their hearts back to their families. If you haven't seen yet, I would highly recommend going. It was so good that I'm going back to see it a second time this weekend!

Surprisingly, Chemistry has gotten better. I am beginning to follow this guy's complicated train of thought ~ it's kind of a mind bending book....definitely a challenge....but I'm getting it now. Thankfully, Courtney has been helping me out a lot with it so that has made a big difference in my grades! Law of Mass Conservation, anyone? Does the Continuous Theory of Matter ring a bell? What about that good ol' Periodic Table of Elements? :-)

Finally, I thought this little clip would be an

appropriate note to end on. Isn't it so true?

Courtney gets a neat magazine that comes every other month called "Reminisce" ~ it's so fun to read the stories from our parents / grandparents era. I guarantee you our grandparents (and especially great grandparents!) lived with a lot less than we have now. Let's be grateful for what we have instead of griping about what we don't have. Because the blessings far outweigh the "bad", I gurantee you!

At The Park Again

2011-10-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all are getting tired of seeing park pictures. But these were just so cute that I had to share. By the way, you're not seeing me in any of these pictures because I don't go down slides. My aversion to park equipment is due to the fact that I always always always get those painful little shocks whenever I go near it. Slides, poles, railings, you name it. Plus, I'm....well, 18? So that kind of explains things. (Right?)

I seriously think Joshua could make it as a model on Chinese Huggies diapers or something. Isn't he just a stunning little guy?

I think this shirt should really say "I Will Be A Great Catch". (Emphasis on the "will be".) No doubt that he's a cutsie patootsie and totally the clown of the family.....but on the behavior side of things, he's, well.....Mr. Sassy Pants. Just warning you, future Mrs. Isaac! I'm sure he'll grow out of it. I am personally working with him to ensure that he stops biting people before he gets married. :-)

Did I just say that? *Sigh.* I admit it. Our family isn't perfect - no, far from it. When you have toddlers that start crying out the Hallelujah Chorus with angry tears running down their cheeks whenever they get in trouble.....well, we're just trying to be categorized as normal!

What My Day Was Like

2011-10-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a "normal" day for me - (whatever normal means, anyway) - and I thought it might interest you to have a peek at it. Because I know you all are incredibly interested, right? Right! So here we go.

5:10 AM - My alarm goes off. I stumble out of bed to turn it off and stumble right back in. Unfortunately today I am not feeling particularly motivated to get up (mainly because last night was a laaate night) so I sleep in another 40 minutes.

6:11 - Wake up and go for a bike ride by myself. Some days I take my dog, Willie, and go jogging; today however, I was in the mood for biking. I love taking my ipod along and enjoying the quiet morning.

7:00 - Get back home and go for a shower. This is followed by chores, breakfast, family devotions.

9:30 - Dig into school. With vigor. I'm trying to do large chunks of school work each day so I can graduate and be done with school this spring! Looking more and more like it will happen - hooray! A late graduate, but a graduate nonetheless. Class of 2012. I need to get myself a
T-shirt or something.

1:00 - Mom arrives home from Costco / allergy shot appointment. At this point we all get excited because she came home with chocolate covered raisins.....a very large tub of them. We eat our lunch and then indulge in some - I try to ignore the fact that they're not healthy and likely to give me sugar diabetes, cancer, or some other awful disease. :-(

2:30 - Courtney, Jonathan, and I go to Wal-Mart for some afternoon shopping. Jonathan went along mainly to get his "body building supplies" (protein powder and gymn shorts) while Courtney and I pretty much browsed. I passed a mirror in the clothes department and I am not feeling pretty today. Courtney and I looked at various make-up options and agree that it is woefully overpriced!!!

4:30 - We get back home and here I am on the computer, working on my blog. What I really should be doing right now is Chemistry, cleaning the house, etc.......but lo, here I am, typing away! Mainly to let all of you know that I am still alive and am back to blogging again. :-) Right now, Joshua is at my arm, saying "Come on, Rachel, play a game!" He's wanting me to play matching cards again......so this post is over!

Internet Trouble

2011-09-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I've gone this long without posting! Awful me! Actually, it's all the internet's fault. :-) Our internet is having some trouble right now, but hopefully it will get fixed sometime next week. Then I'll get back to regular posting.

Just Words Today

2011-09-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

For once, I don't have any pictures to share - I've been simply busy to take any! Since we started school a last week I've had my head swimming and have had hardly a moment to spare for blog stuff! But I do have some words to post, so here we go.

School this year has been fine so far, just complicated and time-consuming. I guess the "worst" subject so far has to be Chemistry. I just took my first chapter test, and......let's just say that I'll be taking it again in a few days. After some more study. :-)

Remember how I said Emma, our cat, was pregnant again? Well, she had her kittens two weeks ago! Just like the first time, she chose a terrible spot to have her babies - our cloth porch swing - and we were forced to relocate them to a better spot. She had six kittens, but now she has only five....we have NO idea what happened to #6! Like I've said, we have a high cat death rate around here! I'll have to post some pictures later in the week.

Isaac's language continues to explode. It's been amazing to watch how his vocabulary has developed, especially since Joshua has been here. They're constantly in competition, so if Joshua learns a word that Isaac doesn't know, you can pretty much guarantee that Isaac will have it nailed down by the end of the day! In that respect, the competition has been helpful. Now Isaac is speaking in clear, full sentences. Consider the conversation I had with him earlier today:

Isaac: "Isaac go outside! With Mama and Daddy - two parents."
Me: "You want to go outside?"
Isaac: "Yes, I like to!"
Me: "Why do you want to go outside?"
Isaac: "I need to."
Me: "Why do you need to?"
Isaac: "Because."
Me: "Because why?"
Isaac: "Because God made me that way!"

That was totally unexpected! He's such a spunky little guy and chock full of personality. Even though he's had about the worst bout of "terrible 3's" I think I've ever seen, I think he's coming out if it, bit by bit. He took us completely by surprise, when, after having a tantrum and yelling "No Mama!", he went up to Mom on his own and said "Forgive me, Mama." Wow! Somehow, we must be getting through to him!

Also, I've recently found the greatest resource - I use this primarily for my ipod, but if you don't have an ipod it's still really helpful. I enjoy listening to good Bible teachers, especially when they're going through a series, but sometimes it's hard to find a place to download or just listen to their current broadcasts. So, I found oneplace.com - and it's just what it says, One Place....the place to find all your favorite radio programs! I've been downloading a lot of Chip Ingram messages recently, specifically from his series "The Miracle of Life Change". It's been great to go through....just thought some of you might find the link helpful, too.

I'm missing the beach and my grandparents.....that vacation was so incredibly fun and I'm already wishing I could go back! But I do have a ton of pictures and lots of great memories. Thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa, for such a fun time!

That's basically it for now.....that is, unless you want to hear about my new sandals I bought at Beall's the other day on sale.....or my entrepreneurial venture of buying a 12 lb. bag of chocolates and selling them to my siblings at a profit......or how much rain we've been getting the last few days.....or how I'm needing to go do some chores right now.....or how Mom's implemented a new plan in which Jonathan and David do their own laundry.....or....well, I guess I'll save all that for another post!

Day At The Park

2011-09-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

The other day, Courtney and I took Isaac to a nearby park. The plan was to take Joshua along too......however his trip to the park was canceled after bad behavior - aka trying to stick his hand in between the slats of one of our floor fans. While it was running. Yeah, not the greatest idea....it's not like he has that many fingers to spare.....and that was his third time attempting that this week. He thinks it's a hilarious joke to do it and today Mom layed down the line with him! So he stayed home with Mom while Isaac got to go.

Isaac loved the swings - as long as someone pushed him. We tried to teach him how to pump his legs and swing by himself but I don't think he got the idea! We'll keep working on it!

I am not too old for a swing!!! It was fun to get on a swing and go super high like I used to when I was little.....for a few minutes I wished I was six again and could re-live those days when I could play my days away and let Mom and Dad take care of everything. :-) Life is certainly easier in all respects when you're under the age of about 9 or 10......gets increasingly complicated as you get older.

Ahhhh....grass. Green grass. Thank you sprinklers and fertilizer.

This post wasn't intended to be featuring Isaac after last time's post...but alas Joshua was unavailable due to behavior issues!! He is quite the dramatic when he doesn't get his way.

At this point Isaac was beginning to get hot and flushed so we didn't stay too much longer. He gets overheated pretty easily....never mind the temperature was blazing!!

I went down the slide a few times but quickly decided to stop because of all the electrical shocks I was getting from the plastic slides....something about my skirt rubbing against the plastic created some serious shocks - and they hurt! I don't know why Isaac wasn't getting shocked. Dad, as an electrical engineer maybe you have an answer for me?? Leave a comment!

Courtney and I both brought our cameras - I felt a little silly standing right next to her taking pictures of the same things, but hey, what can you do when you both have blogs and cameras!!??

My Cowboy Sweetie

2011-09-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Maybe I was just in the mood to post these. Or maybe I happened to grab my camera at the right moment. Or maybe I'm just wanting to display my little brother's incredible cuteness across the internet......(I'm unashamedly biased!!)....whatever the reason, I came up with some really nice photos that showcase Isaac's personality.

*Sigh*......my little cowboy is going to make some cowgirl a very cute little husband. Er - um - maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I guess I'm just trying to say that he is way too cute. :-)

Even though he's been here for 20 months and it feels like he's been here forever....sometimes when I see him I can't believe that I actually have another little brother, that this actually happened. We waited so long for Isaac - now that he's here I am just so thankful for all the joy and laughter he brings to our family. He really has lived up to his name (Isaac means "laughter") - not a day goes by when he doesn't crack us up in some way or another!

I love you Isaac!

This Really Bugs Me

2011-09-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

It happened - again. Someone rudely commented about Joshua's hands. And it bugs me because few seem to realize that missing a few fingers is no big deal. And many people also fail to realize that that the poor guy is only three but yet knows when people talk about his hands AND is very self-conscious about it. Now, we get a lot of really nice people that say how cute he is, and they are genuinely curious about his adoption and how he's doing now. But then, we have other people that aren't so nice. People who are, I think, genuinely curious, but just downright rude about it.

The other day, a neighbor lady who we haven't seen in years stopped by. She'd never seen Joshua or Isaac before, so she she was interested in meeting them - but in the process she noticed Joshua's hands and immediately commented on them. She grabbed his arm and started very indiscreetly examining his hands; then she started asking if the doctors could do anything about it. She was so rude! I was holding Joshua the whole time because he's still shy about meeting new people.....and this women was no exception. He very obviously did not like her and pulled back from her. The fact that she started stroking his face with her dagger hot red fingernails didn't help the matter. It was so sad, because when they came back a few hours later, he immediately hid his little hand in his pocket. People don't realize that he is very aware of when others talk about his hands.

What irritated me even further was the fact that once she was done giving Joshua the once over, she turned to Isaac and asked, "Is there anything wrong with him? Is he normal?" I was just so taken aback by her crude question that I kind of mumbled something about him having a cleft palate but he's perfect to us. I mentioned that he had surgery for it last summer, to which she replied, "Oh, well, he doesn't look bad at all!"

After some serious thinking about it, now I KNOW what I will say in the future. If anyone ever asks if anything is "wrong" with either one of my perfect little brothers, I'm simply saying "no". Because it's downright true. There is absolutely nothing wrong with either one of them. They may look slightly different than some of us, but that doesn't change the way they are on the inside - who they are as a person.

I wish I could have handled this women differently; now that I've given it some thought I wish I could re-do the whole scenario. A lot of adoptive parents get extremely offended when others ask about their child's "special needs" - as their sister I don't mind a bit, if they are polite and discreet about it. But it's when others start talking in front of Isaac and Joshua very rudely about their differences, as if they were weird or abnormal, well, that really bugs me. It frustrates me because I know Joshua especially will have to eventually deal with these kind of people on his own - what I want to do is protect him from all the rude comments he will probably get. Mom and Dad have some plans for how they are going to teach him to deal with it, but for now I want to try and head off as many "curious" people as I can......I know Joshua is self-conscious about his hands already and I guess it brings out the protective big sis in me!

Yes, I'm Here

2011-09-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were wondering, we DID make it safely home from Florida! Sorry for not posting since then....it's been crazy busy since coming home and blogging has been next to impossible this week. :-) However, I hope to resume regular posting next week. We're also starting our new year of school next week too, so this will begin to be a busy fall for us!

Anyway, just wanted to say that I have not dropped off the face of the earth; I've just been super busy!

Last Day In Florida :-(

2011-08-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately this is our LAST day in Florida - ugh! It's sad that we have to leave already!! But we have had such a wonderful time here. Today we drove to Longboat Key, where Mom used to spend her summers with Grandma and Grandpa when she was my age.

Longboat Key. It was also a beautiful beach - the waves were quite rough, I'm assuming because of the hurricane? Anyway it was nice!

This is the house right on the beach that Grandma and Grandpa used to own! Isn't it gorgeous? Anyway, the beach backs right up to it and Mom says she spent many summers there. It was SO nice....can you imagine having the beach right in your backyard??!!

A group shot - except for me, of course. The only pictures of me were awful so you'll just have to be content with these. :-)

Beach scenery is so much different than desert scenery - you know, I'm just about to pack up and move here!! Anyplace where I can walk barefoot and wade in 88* water is so much nicer than rattlesnakes, dirt, and tumbleweeds!!! But. Home sweet home is just around the corner and we'll be back in the desert tomorrow......thankfully right now is a very pretty time of the year for where we live so it's actually pretty nice right now. :-)

Palm trees are just gorgeous, don't you think??!!

Mom and I leave here early tomorrow morning and have a full day of flying, so please pray that all goes well. I'm armed with granola bars and Wheat Thins, plus my ipod full of Adventures in Odysseys as well as a good book, so I think I'm set for a looooong day of flying. :-)

Out and About

2011-08-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today we did a little shopping - mostly browsing actually! But I did get a few fun pictures. First we went to Wal-Mart to get sunscreen for the beach. I got several really cute shirts there that our Wal-Mart doesn't have back home!

Grandma and Grandpa showed us this cute little boutique. It was really quaint - lots of nice stuff but very expensive. We knew it was a little beyond our league when Mom picked up a pair of sandals that had a price tage of $200!

They had an entire wall devoted to purses, bags, etc. It almost made me dizzy just looking at all the fabrics!!

Today, after the beach, Grandpa surprised us and took us to Wendy's for lunch! It was great!

Our meal. We were wondering what the deal is with their new "fresh cut" french fries. They advertise them as being more healthy but I think it's just marketing, personally!! French fries are prettty much french fries!

We were talking over lunch about Jonathan's ability to eat three or four of Burger King's "value burgers". Grandpa wanted to show that he can eat just as much as a 16 year old and is demonstrating here that this was his sixth burger!!! He has you beat, Jonathan!!!! (Kidding, obviously!)

I decided at the last minute to get a Frosty. It was very good on a hot day!

Grandpa's being silly!! Anyway, we had a great time today and this is continuing to be a wonderful vacation. :-)

At The Beach Again

2011-08-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time at the beach yesterday that we decided to go again this morning! Grandma and Grandpa dropped Mom and me off at the beach around 9:00 AM and then they went off to get a few things done. We stayed until 11:00 and had the most relaxing time! I could really get used to this beach life! Siesta Key Beach is supposedly the #1 beach in the country...I think I agree. :-)

This was my view as I layed on my beach towel (well, Grandpa's beach towel actually). It was slightly cloudy today plus there was a slight breeze, so the weather was quite pleasant. The sand was so incredibly soft!

The water was really warm - the life guard shack had a sign up with all the current temperatures and apparently the water was 88*. That sure beats our unheated public pool back home! There were so many little kids building sand castles - I seriously was about to build my own sand castle, the sand was so luxurious!! :-)

Looking for shells! I got quite a few nice ones. I was looking for one of those big scrolly shells....but I don't think they just sit on the beach shore. :-) You probably have to go looking for them - swimming for them, that is - and I wasn't in the mood for a shark attack. (Just kidding! Actually I didn't want to get all wet because we were going to be driving home in Grandma and Grandpa's car.)

I think Mom is still really enjoying this vacation! Actually I KNOW she is! She spent many summers on the beach with Grandma and Grandpa when she was my age, so she says this brings back fond memories for her!

A few shells I grabbed. I like the ones that have lots of different colors on them - but even the white ones are an incredible testimony to God's detail in creation. It was so wonderful to just walk the beach and listen to the waves crash up on the shore. Like I said, I could really get used to this!

Florida Trip Day 3 - The Beach!

2011-08-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful outing at the Siesta Key Beach! It was great fun - it's been probably eight years since I've been to a beach! I took a lot of pictures...so this is a long post.

We got there about 9:30 in the morning. It was still fairly cool out and the beach was pretty empty; by the time we left, though, it was starting to get packed!

Grandpa said this was a stork......I don't think I've ever seen one in person before! It was just walking around in the parking lot and didn't seemed bothered that there were moving cars around him (or her).

Just gorgeous!

Heading out to the water......it was so fun to take off my sandals and walk in the soft sand! It sure beats rocks and dirt! :-)

I just loved the water - it felt so wonderful. Seeing so many little kids building sand castles totally reminded me of doing the same thing when I was little. We kept thinking that Isaac and Joshua would have had an absolute blast here at the beach!

Mom and me having a great time. This is such a fun vacation!

It was amazing to see all the birds flying over the water; there were a lot of them! They kept dipping down to grab little fish from the water.

A wave coming in - I'm telling you, it was so relaxing to just walk the beach. The sound of the water and the birds was so peaceful.....we collected a few seashells and got to see all the colorful coquinas burrowing under the sand. They were all different colors and so neat to watch!

I loved this picture. There were so many little tiny fish right along the shoreline that I assume this bird was trying to eat.

Look at all the seagulls!

A beautiful palm tree - one of about a thousand here! REAL trees are such a treat to see. We had a terrific time at the beach and may come back tomorrow!

Florida Trip - Day 2

2011-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Hello from beautiful Florida! I am so enjoying the green here - of course, back home we have lots of green right now too, but that's only because it's monsoon season, and it's all weeds anyway. :-) This here is REAL grass and AUTHENTIC trees! Amazing!

Grandma and Grandpa live in a beautiful independent living facility - the landscaping is amazing there and they have several gorgeous fountains in the pond. We went for a walk around the grounds today....there was so much green and water and flowers around every turn that I got some great pictures! It was pouring the whole time though, which was nice.

I, for one, am really enjoying this peaceful, low-key trip. We're all healthy (no plane sickness, thankfully!), and when we eat an incredible meal in the dining room there are no dishes to clean up. Now that is a real treat! Mom is really enjoying being able to sleep through the night without Isaac and Joshua waking her up. :-)

This little bird was running around the grass - there were a lot of birds around; ducks and even a heron!

It was pouring when we took our walk, but since the bridge over the pond was covered, we didn't get wet. It's amazingly humid here - I had almost forgotten what that was like!

Can you see the frog this bird is eating?

All the landscaping is beautiful. I just love all the flowers and shrubs here - we have almost none of that back home because nothing like this will grow without pampering it to death!

My incredible mom and wonderful grandparents. It is such a treat to see Grandma and Grandpa after so many years! Today we had lunch in their room - Grandpa made balogna sandwiches, which was a new experience for me. I have never tried bologna but now I have - and it was great!

This is a shot of the independent living facility. It is truly beautiful. Grandma and Grandpa have an amazing view of the fountain and pond right out their front window.

(Narnia, anyone?!)

These little ducks came swimming up under the bridge where we were standing - apparently they are used to being fed bits of food!

In Florida!

2011-08-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally made it! Mom and I took our first flight at 5:30 AM - which meant a super early morning for us. But our flights were on time and went smoothly, so that was wonderful!

I couldn't help taking pictures from the airplane window - it is always incredible to see everything from so high up. Plus, David has never been on an commercial airplane that he can remember, so here is a glimpse of what it's like, David!!

This is the scenery we left - beautiful. The mountains are incredible when you look at them from an airplane. :-)

We ran into some weather on the way to Florida, and ended up going around several thunder storms. It made for some great cloud pictures!

Whoohoo...landing in Florida! Look at all that green!

And look at the water!!!!

Well we're here and safe and sound....had a great meal and now time for an early bedtime. We're exhausted and are looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Hopefully I will post a bit tomorrow!!

No posts right now, sorry!

2011-08-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the complete lack of new posts the past few days - I'm really at a loss as to what I should post because the main excitement is my upcoming Florida trip this weekend! Once I start the trip there will be plenty of good pictures to share...but for now I'm going to have to have a quiet blog because I simply don't know what to say. :-)

So, bear with me - be patient please! Right now I am just counting the days until we leave - and packing. This trip will be so much fun! But of course I know as soon as it starts it will just whiz by way too fast...so I might as well enjoy this anticipation while it's here. :-)

Summer Days

2011-08-16T01:00:00.000-07:00

This has been a great summer so far - busy as usual, but great! I wanted to share with you what has been going on around here lately.

Jonathan got a new stud horse that he's training. I got to take pictures of the first time he rode it - he only sat on him for about five minutes, to start slow, but he'll be riding him probably within a couple days.

It's interesting to watch - when Jonathan gets on a horse that's never been ridden before, he takes it gradually. One foot in the stirrup....

....and he's on! Even though I want safety at ALL costs.....I'll admit I was hoping for just a little bit of bucking action to make some neat pictures. But. Thankfully that didn't happen. :-)

*Jonathan says - "This is my new AQHA/NRHA futurity prospect stud colt. He's got Doc Salono, Hollywood Heat, Hollywood Dun It (Five millon dollar NRHA producer) Doc Olena, all ON his face papers. He is also double-bred Gunsmoke five generations back."

Me again - I just love the cornfields to the north of us! They are just across the road and I get to look at them out my bedroom window. I love going for evening walks by myself as often as I can; watching the sun fade behind the mountains, plus the waving corn and grass, well....it's just gorgeous! I always see javelina or coyote hoofprints, but rarely do I run into any (thankfully).

You know, Dad almost never appears on my blog....I DO have a father, he's right here!!! I just don't get pictures of him very often because he's usually at work. But this evening he was drinking some hot tea in the kitchen and I got a great picture.

The two cuties. They look so happy and harmonius together - but don't let that fool you! Isaac has really become a bully to Joshua when no one else is around. And Joshua's just a wimp, to boot. If we leave them in the same room alone, usually we hear screams from Joshua within about five minutes - he doesn't even try to defend himself!! Last night Isaac decided to bite Joshua's leg - he was so upset, poor guy. So Isaac faced an evening with no cream cheese brownies (fresh from the oven) and a little meeting with Dad. :-)

As I said the other day, Emma is pregnant again. Once in a while, her remaining kitten Ellie still nurses from her - but she's almost as big as her mama these days, so it does look pretty funny! Here she is trying to get a snack!

Lastly - a disgusting tarantula. They're actually totally harmless, but they're big and fuzzy and mean looking so I can't stand them. They usually come out on our porch during monsoon season, so we've had quite a few lately. This time David relocated it to our field. Yuck!

Romance and Relationships, Part 3

2011-08-15T01:00:00.000-07:00

So we're supposed to honor our future husbands by faithfully waiting. By keeping our hearts pure so that we can give all of ourselves to them. But there are other things we can do, too - we can pray for our future husbands. And no, this is not one of those "busywork" activities meant to keep us from finding Mr. Right. Quite the opposite, actually! Two amazing things happen when we habitually pray for our husbands.

Whoa, back up a minute......first let's clarify something. When I say to "pray for your future husband" I do not mean a "Oh Lord, I'm getting desperate, please send him!" kind of prayer. No no no. That kind of a heart attitude will only leave us discontent and anxious. What I meant was actively praying for his strength, for the development of his character, for the growth of his relationship with Jesus, for his development into an honorable young man. That kind of prayer is not only effective, but it's downright romantic. Just think of how he'll feel when you finally meet, knowing that you've been praying for him all these years.

Okay, so back to the amazing things that happen when we pray this way: First, when we focus on asking God to grow our future husband into a man after His own heart, we are turning our eyes from the other potentially appealing guys in our lives and instead, focusing on waiting for our future husband whom we assume we have not yet met. Just saying, "God, I don't know who he is yet, but You do - could you please work on him right now? Could you prepare him to be a Godly husband for me?" That's admitting that we are not in charge of our romance - God is. That's saying that we're committed enough to pray for the man we haven't even met yet. That's keeping our hearts pure and guarded by not praying for a specific man we know, but for one we don't know yet.

Second - praying for our future husbands right now is laying the foundation for a truly committed marriage. If we are already in the habit of praying for God to grant our husband wisdom, courage, valor, and manly passion for the Word of God, how much more so after marriage! What an incredible way to stay true and faithful to our husbands, both before and after marriage.

I need to interject here and just say plainly, I'm concerned about my future husband's character. I desperately want him to be on fire for God and totally in love with His Word. That's what I'm praying for.

The guy that has that kind of character will be praying that I have the same character.

Gulp.

This isn't a one-sided deal, here! If we want our future husbands to be passionate about pursuing God, that follows that they will want us to be passionate about pursuing God, too. And that means we probably have some work to do. (Or at least some maintenance.)

One of my favorite qoutes goes, "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek Him in order to find her."

I want to be the kind of wife - both before and after marriage - that points my future husband directly to Christ. When he (whoever "he" is) sees me, I want him to see more and more of Christ, and less of me. I want to have the kind of relationship that is totally Christ - centered!

In closing.......there is a lot more I could say on the subject, but two things come to mind as I end this series. First, if we want lasting romance that is pure and authentic, that starts now. Second, while we faithfully wait, we need to be praying for our future husbands; and meanwhile preparing ourselves. And thirdly, we can't become so obsessed with preparing for marriage, praying for it, thinking about it, and hoping for it, that we lose sight of our main purpose for even being here in the first place - to love and serve our incredible Creator. To bring Him glory in all we do. It's like we need to periodically step back, put away all our distractions, and gain a fresh perspective on everything. God's perspective.

I want to share a really moving song I found that totally captures what I want in my marriage, if the Lord allows it!

And that concludes this three part series. I wanted to share my perspective on romance and relationships - I hope it has encouraged you, challenged you, and been a help to you!!

Pregnant. Again.

2011-08-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Emma, who we call our "teenage mother", is pregnant yet again. She just had her babies a few months ago, and now she's at it again! Her little tummy is starting to bulge with kitties on both sides. Poor thing - must be rough to have so many babies so often!

We did finally pare down our kitten population - one got run over, two hit the road (and I do mean literally!), and we gave away three. Now we just have one kitten left - and no doubt she'll be having kitties of her own soon!

Romance and Relationships, Part 2

2011-08-13T01:00:00.000-07:00

One thing I just love about the whole concept of waiting for your future husband is that, even though you have absolutely no idea who he is yet (at least I don't....), you can actively honor him right now today. This very moment, I can honor my future husband - I can be faithful to him right now.

How?

By waiting. By saving all my "firsts" for him. (By the way, there are dozens of "firsts" that will be so special....but they would take too long to list!)

I can do for him what I pray he's doing for me ~ faithfully waiting.

Consider this exerpt from Josh Harris's book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye:

____________________________________________________________

"It was finally here....Anna's wedding day....this was the moment for which she had waited so long. He gently took her hand, and they turned towards the altar.

But as the minister began to lead Anna and David through their vows, the unthinkable happened. A girl stood up in the middle of the congregation, walked quitely to the altar, and took David's other hand. Another girl approached hand stood next to teh first, followed by another. Soon, a chain of six girls stood by him as he repated his vows to Anna.

Anna felt her lip quiver as tears welled up in her eyes. "Is this some kind of joke?" she whispered to David.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Anna," he said, staring at the floor.

"Who are these girls, David? What is going on?" she gasped.

"They're girls from my past," he answered sadly. "Anna, they don't mean anything to me now....but I've given part of my heart to each of them.

"I thought your heart was mine," she said.

"It is, it is," he pleaded. "Everything that's left is yours."

A tear rolled down Anna's cheek. Then she woke up.

_______________________________________________________________

Everything that's left - which isn't much after having a long line of girlfriends prior to Anna. It's a fact; whenever a girl gets romantically involved with a guy, fireworks happen. Something happens inside you......as you spend more time with him, you begin confiding in him, thinking about him, dreaming about him, you call him every night, and he calls you...you tell him anything important that's been happening in your life, you go out for coffee together...

Basically, you treat him just as you would a husband (and we're not even talking about the physical stuff). Emotionally, you get connected to him and suddenly he's like family - maybe even more than family. You depend on him.

And then, the inevitable "break up" happens. You sense the distancing, and finally he just calls off the whole relationship. And then you see him arm in arm with someone else.

Now that's painful.

And you know what this strongly resembles? It's like pretend divorce - but no legal stuff involved.

And guess what; at the end of the day, when the relationship is over and you're left with a terrible wound, he's taken a part of you that you will never get back. Do this about 5 times, and when you finally get to the real guy, the authentic prince charming, you're a battered and broken mess. What's more, the freshness of love just isn't there anymore. So, your poor husband is left with, well, whatever's left of your heart.

This whole process is ugly, ugly, ugly and painful, painful, painful. I for one don't want to even remotely get caught up in it.

So back to the original question: how can we honor our future husbands before we've even met them? The most important is by waiting for him. And this means not just avoiding the typical boyfriend/girlfriend relationships, but it also means guarding your heart. This is perhaps the more difficult side of things. Because it's unseen; your heart is where your thoughts, feelings, and emotions reside. It's a secret place that no one but God sees.

Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

My heart is so precious; it's what I will give in entirety to my husband on my wedding day. Pure, spotless, fresh, and new. That's why it's so important to carefully guard it now, while we're waiting. And believe me when I say I'm not "above" any of this; guarding my heart is a challenge and a constant struggle! It includes your thought life, the way you view other young men, even the way you dress.

Everything starts in the heart. Like it or not, we women are vulnerable. We're more emotional. We're the "touchy feely" ones. So keeping and guarding our hearts is going to be a struggle, but one we must be vigilant about! We need to be diligent about keeping our minds on pure things....we've got to give careful attention to what we let our minds dwell on. Additionally, always consider any young man you meet to be someone else's future husband. The guy that catches your eye at church? He's promised! Automatically assume that he is already married or soon to be. When we view young men this way, it helps form boundaries, even if it's in our minds alone.

As for clothes, we really need to start considering why we're wearing what we're wearing. Is it because it's more revealing? Because you know he will see you wearing it?

Friends, this whole issue of honoring your husband before you even meet him is such a deep one, and of such vital importance! There is so much heartache involved in the typical dating relationship, there are so many girls getting hurt because of it. But there is something much, much better out there. There is an alternative to the cheap romance we see all around us! True love - the kind that's authentic and real - IS possible. I assure you that there ARE young men out there that are on this same path of faithfully waiting. They are few and far between, but the number is steadily growing.

But remember that the next incredible, pure, awe-inspiring romance starts with you. Just like at a baseball game, when the next batter is up, the whole croud watches with anticipation. You're up - you're at the plate!

What will you do?

*Stay tuned for Part 3!*

Romance and Relationships, Part 1

2011-08-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

I think every girl dreams of getting married someday....I do.

I'll be honest - I want to fall in love. I want a strong, handsome guy who is romantic and everything masculine to come and totally sweep me off my feet.

This desire isn't exactly a new one.....I think just about every girl dreams of something like that. I believe this is a God-given desire that is meant to be fulfilled, in most cases. Of course, God's plan is going to be different for each individual, but it is the norm for most people to marry. God created us to have feelings like that. He is the Author of romance - He knows our desires!

Just one problem here - I'm not married. (I'm only 18 - a little young yet, I know!) Generally speaking though, most girls my age already have a special guy that they hang out with. Most of them aren't married yet, but they're already knee-deep into romance and relationships. I'm not. Believe it or not, this is a deliberate choice I've made.

But....why?

I'm trusting that if God wants me married, He already has the perfect guy picked out for me and is preparing him even now. In fact, if God's plan for me includes marriage, I am relieved! Because that means that my future husband...exists. He's out there somewhere. I don't have to worry about "finding a guy" because my guy has already been located. And God has already planned out when we'll meet.

Just knowing that my romantic future is in God's hands makes everything so much easier. I don't have to worry about catching eyes, turning heads, flirting, etc. That would be way rushing ahead of God's plan because that's presuming that it's up to me to find a husband.

Guess what - it's not! And diving into the pool of secular dating will only leave me with a broken heart and a lot of wasted time. It's a system that has already proven to be a failure. I don't need to try it because I already know where it ends up. Wouldn't it be an awful travesty to be running around from guy to guy, basically asking "Are you the one?" when God already has your husband "picked out", so to speak?

Marriage is not a guessing game - I don't have to go "try out" a set of guys until I stumble upon one that suits my tastes. Most everyone does this though, and most everyone ends up with at least one or two "break-ups" before finding Mr. Right. I don't want to go through all that heartache. And God didn't intend for us to, either.

Believe it or not, God is not anti-romance and anti-relationships. God is the Author of romance....and because of this, I know that He is far better equipped to play matchmaker than I am! Because He can see ahead and knows the best guy for me. If He has planned marriage in my future, that means He's known about this plan since I was born. Which follows that He has also known my future husband since he was born, too.

That's why I'm not too worried.

So in the meantime, I wait. I trust God to bring about His perfect plan for me in His perfect time. Because I know how special marriage is, I'm willing to wait for it. And let me be clear in saying that I'm waiting for a pure relationship. I'm waiting for a guy.....who's been waiting for me. I'm waiting for a guy who's never had any kind of romantic entanglements. A guy who hasn't had four girls prior to meeting me.

Maybe you're thinking that's way too high of a standard; a little on the pie-in-the-sky optimistic side, right? Guys are just guys - you can't actually expect them to wait, can you?

I can honestly say that these kind of young men DO exist. There are guys out there that have chosen the same path of passionately seeking God and waiting for his one sweetheart. And when these kinds of marriages occur, it's the most awe-inspiring, romantic thing ever. Because it's pure. Untarnished. New. Special.

How romantic is that?!

That's not just romantic, that's an example of incredible faithfulness. Faithfulness to your one and only spouse before you even get to the altar. Before you even meet each other!

So how do you do that? How do you actually stay faithful and honor your future husband before you've even met him?

*Stay tuned for Part 2!*

Evening On the Farm

2011-08-07T16:46:00.000-07:00

Personal Photo Shoot

2011-08-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

Let me explain.

I love photography - now I'm NOT saying I'm any good at it, mind you....I know of several people who are true photographers and actually know what they're doing.....but still, I like putting my eye to the camera and trying out different angles and lighting. It's fun. And now that I have my own camera, well, I have much more flexibility about what I can do!

Like I was saying. I love photography. And since it's been nearly two years since our last official photo shoot, I begged Courtney to come out and do another one with me! But ~ she was busy for the evening, so I decided to head out myself. And brave the mosquitoes and snakes in a tiered skirt and knee high pond boots. Ahem.

So, here are the results of my personal photo shoot.

(I'm telling you, the self-timer setting on my camera is a wonderous miracle. Without it I'd be lost!)

About this time the lighting was just about perfect.

Believe me, I would much rather have been taking photos of one of my siblings....I got a little worn out flying between my camera and my "spot". But it worked. Maybe tomorrow I'll do a photo shoot of one of my brothers....or maybe my parents! They don't get on my blog nearly enough.

So, there you have it. I like doing one of these photo sessions about once a year, because it gives me new options for sending updated pictures to penpals, updating my profile picture, updated pictures for the grandparents' photo frames, etc.

Because The Grass Is Always Greener On the Other Side

2011-08-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

In this case, it was!! You can see that it's pretty grass-less on her side of the pen - I guess she did have reason to be envious of the other side!

We've had an enormous ammount of rain in recent weeks and things have really "greened" up around here. It's just gorgeous......secluded.....quiet....breathtakingly beautiful....*sigh*

And, as you can see, our electric fence was NOT on.....:-)

Finding JOY Unspeakable

2011-08-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking alot about joy recently......how it's so easy to allow your circumstances dictate how you feel, and what you think.

How it's so easy to allow our joy to be dependant on where we are in life - what activities we're involved in, where we live, the friends we have (or don't have), what we are or hope to be - all of this can so easily creep in and take over as the official "joy thermometer".

I'll be honest and say, this has been a real struggle for me in recent months. It can seem almost.....natural for my circumstances to dictate how happy I am.

But you know, this kind of an attitude is just plain un-Biblical. It's so wrong ~ because it's so untrue. I know I'm not alone in having a tainted perspective like this sometimes....it's a lie that Satan loves to throw at everyone.

"Once you get this or that....then you'll be happy."

"If you lived here or there.......then you'd be happy."

"If you looked like that........then you'd be happy."

This way of thinking just doesn't work. Basing our joy on our circumstances is downright foolish, because our circumstances are constantly changing. Life doesn't ever stay the same; people in our lives will come and go, jobs come and go, we move, we age, things change.

That's why it's so vitally important to anchor ourselves to the One Who never changes....the One is always the same and will never leave us. The One who knows me even better than I know myself.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Hebrews 13:8

Things don't last. Things change. And "things" don't satisfy the longing that was meant to be satisfied by Jesus. It's so incredibly easy to get entangled with "stuff" - clothes, projects, money, appearance, what we're doing, (or what we wish we could be doing).

But we must never lose sight of the fact that we were meant for something greater than what our flesh screams for. We're meant to find fulfillment in Jesus - the ONLY One who can truly satisfy! And friends, He does, I've experienced it. I know Him, and the more I know Him the more I'm convinced that temporary pleasures are utterly worthless in comparison to a relationship with my Redeemer and Savior.

"Be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5b

God has done so much for me - when I think of what He's done in my life it just astounds me! I've been so privileged......and yet, if everything was suddenly pulled out from under me, if I no longer had everything I hold dear, if suddenly all my comforts were gone - where would I be? If the unthinkable happened, would I still be able to find joy? It's so easy to have "propped up faith" - faith that stands as long as there's plenty of fun stuff and a good comfort zone that holds it up. It's faith that does okay as long as it has everything we want tacked on to it.

But this isn't true faith - or true joy. We find complete joy when we abandon all these temporary things for the pursuit of Christ.....it's when we let go of all these "things" that we start to really gain something that will satisfy. Joy is no longer living for ourselves, but for Him Who died for us and rose again. (2 Corinthians 5:15)

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me."

Philippians 4:11 - 13

Go after the things that really matter - don't get distracted! No matter how "bad" your life may seem, no matter where you are, or what you wish you had, remember that Jesus is all that counts. These things that seem so important to us now pale in comparison to what will count for eternity.

Grocery Shopping

2011-07-30T01:00:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, this sounds like another boring post.........but bear with me!! Shopping in a town with a population of 4,000 CAN be interesting if you try! :-) Dad is coming home from work today, so we decided to get what we needed for a nice meal this afternoon.

The little boys are always SO excited to go shopping. At Dollar General they get teddy grahams or M&Ms and Safeway is string cheese. What fun!

Here is Mr. Self Righteous. He has become quite the Holier-Than-Thou older brother these days. If you lived with us you would hear the phrase "Naughty Joshua" being spoken, well, quite often. (Actually, he pronounces it "Naughty Washua". He hasn't quite gotten the "J" down yet.)

Safeway......our exhilerating destination! Normally I run over to Beall's while Mom is in Safeway (it' just across the parking lot - and Fridays are 15% off!!) but today I decided to come along for pictures.

This shopping trip was a big excitement for the boys because they got to sit in the car basket. A rare treat because ~~it's a pain the neck to heave through the narrow aisles~~ it's reserved for special occasions only. They were thrilled to ride in it! Don't they look so cute together? We get asked a lot if they are twins.

You can see how we are ~~hogging up the entire aisle~~ having a great time!

Me posing in front of the many lovely laundry detergent options.

Oh dear, the epitomy of a boring blog post!! What we bought!! At least you can see that we're eating healthy. Strawberries, bagels, and sweet potatoes. Oh, and bathroom wipes too. I'm making pies this afternoon so we needed a lot of them. (Uh, alot of strawberries that is, not bathroom wipes.)

And that concluded our grocery shopping!

How CAN you resist..

2011-07-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

.....a face like this? My goodness it's hard!! He certainly has his, uh, moments.....

Like when he tried flushing his briefs down the toilet. And then, after the aforementioned experiement failed, reached in and grabbed them and left a nice trail of puddles down the hall.

Uh-huh, yes. Think wet potty seat. Think wet floor. Think sopping britches. Think giggling 3-year old.

And wow can he throw a fit. He really is quite the dramatic. Eyes shut, face contorted into a pained expression that reflects torture of the worst kind. Screaming and kicking of the legs. Yes, yes, that's my sweet Joshua!!

But then, a tearful smile, a quiet prayer, and a big hug from the cutest three year old EVER. All done fussing. A deep breath and back to playing cars.

What a sweet brother I have!! I am so thankful for him!!

A Typical Day....

2011-07-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

The other day mid afternoon, I went around and took pictures of what everyone was doing!! May not be...uh...the most interesting post you've ever seen, but what's a girl to do when she's hit a writer's block. (Or would that be blogger's block? I don't know.)

Mom was in the middle of frying up chicken for dinner.

And little Mr. in-a-bad-mood-but-peeping-over-the-counter was watching closely. Because, as usual, he was hoping to get a test taste of something. But no he did NOT get a test taste of raw chicken! His language continues to develop - I think having Joshua here has really sped up his vocabulary. They are in constant competition with each other and if Joshua learns a word that Isaac can't say....well, he learns it very quickly!! Always has to be the top dog!

And what was our van doing that day? Getting cleaned and purged of gum wrappers, wipes, used paper napkins, parts of long forgotten toys, teddy graham crumbs, hair clips, etc.

Here is David, the van-purger. He always does an excellent job and today was no exception!! He did a great job!

What more can I say about this handsome brother of mine........words fail me!! I'll let the picture speak for itself!

Ugh - words fail me for this picture too. Obviously I was having a bad hair day or something.....anyway I was in the middle of practicing piano. I've been working on some hymn arrangements as well as some classical pieces.

Jonathan was unavailable for pictures and Dad was at work....and Courtney was in Nebraska!! So you only get a partial peek into our typical day. :-)

Snake!

2011-07-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we had an interesting "surprise" last night. It was 9:30, we had just finished watcing an Andy Griffith episode (The New Doctor), everyone had just turned out the lights.....and then I got this idea to check the back stoop. I often check it for snakes at night but haven't found one there yet. It just seems like the perfect place for a snake to sleep. Well, last night I was finally right - I looked out, and there was a snake!

It slithered underneath our stoop so we decided to leave it until morning, when we could "take care if it." (Note - we do NOT practice re-location of snakes around here - we practice our hoe chopping skills instead.) If you get what I mean, hehe.

This was a big one. Gross gross gross! Some people I know would look at that and say "Aw, how cute!", but I have NEVER been a fan of reptiles, no matter how big or small. Just like I'm not into horny toads, or mice, or rats, or tarantulas, or anything like that. I prefer larger animals about waist high with horns and fur and hooves and udders and....can you guess what I'm talking about?! :-)

This morning after devotions we finally took a look at the snake. It wasn't a rattlesnake (thank heavens) but it wasn't a bull snake either....not exactly sure what kind it was. Jonathan thought maye a King snake? Well, whatever it was, I'm glad it's dead. The dearly departed's correct species does NOT matter any more.

We took this oppertunity to show the little boys the danger of snakes. Isaac saw some last year but Joshua has never seen one. We talked about how dangerous they were and how they could bite and that's why all little boys must stay on the porch...etc!!! Joshua kept saying "Ew snake hurt Joshua." I think we got the message across!

They were still in their PJ's and looking awfully cute......though it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to get them both looking at the camera at the same time! Isaac kept telling Joshua to smile.

Well....quite an interesting tid-bit for Sunday morning, huh? It's never boring around here!