It's Been 3 months!!

Time flies by and I didn't even realize that 3 months had gone by without a single post.  I'd like to say it's because nothing exciting has happened by that's not true.  Life has been super busy with sports for the kids, packing for moving, and me being sick almost all of those 3 months!  We are moving in less than a month and are kind of excited.  We're just moving down the street but it's going to be a brand new house, so that's exciting.  It is only a rental property so I won't be doing too much extra to be making it my own home. (Other than window coverings and wall things and perhaps some new furniture items???  That will depend on what hubby decides:)  I have been super sick this winter...3 bouts of bronchitis, stomach flu, inner ear infection and strep.  I have decided that I cannot volunteer in my child's class too often anymore.  It was always 2 days after volunteering that I got sick.  I was helping out every week so I rarely had a chance to get better before I was sick again!  Now since I've been out of school for a few weeks, I'm not sick anymore.  I guess it'll only be special occasions and lots of vitamins before I help out again:)

My Walk With God

Praise the Lord for what He is doing in the hearts of believers!  Our small group has been studying the walk of the first disciples.  How encouraging! To think that they were the most unlikely of the bunch, in fact Timothy was one of the chosen ones and he was an outcast to the people at that time because his mother had him with someone other than her race.  He was chosen...among other unlikely people.  I am so encouraged that God does not need my perfection but how he longs to have throne in my life and do what he does best; transform hearts.
In my personal growth reading, I have been using the Daily Bread as well as reading "Flying Closer to the Flame" by Charles Swindoll.  The funniest thing is that this book goes along with our Bible Study material.  I love how God organizes those things!  I had nothing to do with that...after all I go to the thrift store to pick up my reading material for the winter.  Usually I choose a not-so-easy to read book although this one is a fairly easy read.  It just has a lot of content so reading it over time gives me the best results.
My spiritual goal is to put God in the place that he deserves and also learn to trust Him more fully!

Short and Sweet Vacation

My sister and her hubby live in South Dakota.  It's kind of in the hub of all the tourist attractions of the area.  We have had a lot of fun with this.  Almost every time we go out there, we try and see something.  This particular picture was taken at Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  The boys are all old enough that we could take the 1.5 mile hike around the base of the tower.  They sure had a good time!  They were running all over rocks and boulders while the adults stayed on the path.  It's really hard to tire them out:)  The problem with this for Wes is that the elevation is so high that he has trouble with his breathing and heart rate so we have to be a bit careful.  We had such a fun time exploring and visiting.  The 2 days were just too short!  We also visited the Air and Space Museum as well as Flag Mountain.
The boys really enjoyed the different types of planes and history at the museum.  Flag mountain was super steep and I almost freaked out.  The boys thrived!!  Aahh!!

I Love the Scripture

Here's why:  This past week Curtis had his tonsillectomy and I was busy.  Running to get him freezies, popsicles, ice cream, slurpees etc....you get the point all the while trying to keep this sugared kid calm so the bleeding doesn't start!  Needless to say, there was hardly any spare time, and so my Bible collected some dust.  By the end of the week I was feeling dry!  I knew I only had a few moments and so I quickly tried to memorize a verse from Psalm 143:8.  It says,"In the morning I will seek your word for my soul rests in you. Show me the way I should go for I have put my trust in you."  At Women of Faith this past weekend, I was challenged to memorize this verse.  As I was reading this verse over and over, it really came to life!  I love how I am asking God to take me where He wants me to go rather than me having Him tag along!

Recent Happenings...

Isn't it funny how life has a way of getting away on you.  Here I am blogging after 5 months and it feels like much longer.  Here's a quick update on the last few months.  I have been working, a lot.  In fact for awhile I was working 3 part time jobs and so the parenting was left up to Wes.  It was an experience.  I think it was good for me.  I will likely never take Wes for granted as far as how hard he works for our family.  Currently I am working one permanent part time job and another one only as a substitute.  I am enjoying this pace a lot more.

This year my oldest son hit Junior High.  WOW!  I am getting old...aahh!  Even still, I am really enjoying the different dynamics that brings.  We have sporting events to attend and a lot of new topics to discuss.  I love having the spiritual discussions with my kids.  Youth is definitely the starter of these conversations.  Sam said, how come the youth leader always tries to stump us with questions?  I am thrilled at that.  I am also hoping that this makes my son realize that he has to walk his own walk of faith.  That transition is one I pray happens with all my kids!  I do not want them to have a stagnant faith.

As you notice, the picture on the top is us practicing volleyball with Sam.  The picture is dark because i had to use my kids camera!  Mine is broken!  It happened in the last month somewhere.  I used it in summer and hauled it out last week just to find it won't take pictures anymore.  It's a battery issue but I do realize it is 6 years old and probably feels exhausted:)  I will have to buy a new one shortly.  There are just so many to choose from that I have no idea what to buy.  I know that my next camera needs to snap pictures faster than this one.  I guess most cameras will have been improved since 6 years ago so maybe I won't have to look specifically for that feature.

Updates on the Kids...

Sam:  He's matured a whole lot these past few months.  His understanding of life is getting bigger and long-term consequences seem to be a bit more real.  He broke a jar of banana peppers yesterday (in the fridge).  I was fortunate to have to leave at that time so Dad got to clean it up:)  He is enjoying school and is really looking forward to earning money together with his younger brother by mowing lawns for others. 

Lucas: Well he is definitely a Grade 4 student.  He is starting to challenge the Bible because a Science book wouldn't lie would it???  I have a love/hate relationship with this age group.  I love it because they are becoming quite a bit more independent but are also quite obnoxious and in your face.  For example:  If I am ever talking to anyone about anything, he always buts in and corrects me or just adds his own version of the story.  Now that I am not a first time Mom, I realize that with correction, this too shall pass.  I am so excited!  Academically, Lucas shines!  He is a great speller and fantastic at numbers.  He is super excited to be switching schools this next year.

Curtis:  Well he's actually been a little annoying lately.  I think maybe it's a part of growing up or just that he's strong-willed.  He has been challenging everything I say and always waits till I tell him what his punishment will be before he listens.  Sometimes I have to deliver!  Other than that, he is reading where he needs to be, finally!!  He is learning about 15 spelling words per week and doing fairly well at that.  Curtis' favorite part about school is friends.  He is a social butterfly and has tons of friends!  My favorite part about Curtis is how much he loves to play.  He went into his room the other and says, "oh boy, I haven't played with this or this or this in a long time.  Mom are we home tomorrow that I can just play with these things?" 

1,2,3...

Well the census is fast approaching again!  It seems like we just filled out those papers.  This year I will take a different approach to this.  I got myself a job counting people:)  There is some class time involved so I can learn what I am supposed to do.  I am excited to get some more experience to put down on my resume!  As to what this job entails I have yet to find out.  I guess that will make the month of May super busy!  Thankfully my hubby is very good at taking care of things while I am occupied elsewhere. 
I am thrilled to be doing something new and will be anticipating a nice pay check with which I hope to put away for either vacationing or camping or both!