Happy Birthday MaryEvelyn!

Today was my second-born daughter, MaryEvelyn's 6th birthday. We had the ROYAL PARTY for her and my oldest last Saturday night, but we always try to make the ACTUAL day of their birth something special for them.

Nathan and I started the day by lifting our sleeping birthday girl carefully out of her bed at 6:15 am and placing her between us in our bed. See, this particular child of ours is a snuggler and I couldn't think of a better way for her to wake up than snuggled in between us. It worked, she nuzzled in and woke up smiling from ear to ear.

Nathan is home for all of the children's birthdays. It is a traditions that we adopted from some friends and we like it. The kids love knowing that they have Daddy here on their special day. After all, if he weren't here, how could he fix their special request breakfast? MaryEvelyn's choice for breakfast was Daddy's yummy pancakes; only she wanted them PINK. To my surprise, her Daddy delivered. Pink pancakes taste pretty good! They tasted even better to her, because she got them served on the "YOU ARE SPECIAL" plate that we reserve for extra special occasions, like birthdays (or full days of successful potty training, LOL!).

Life doesn't COMPLETELY stop and we had some errands to run, but then we dined at the oh-so-chique, Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. The kids whirled around and buzzed every buzzer. They shot hoops and skee'd ball until they almost dropped. We had a great time.

So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY my sweet MaryEvelyn. You are a beautiful little lady that is growing up before our eyes. You are our creative sky-watcher and we LOVE how your creativity shines in everything you do. Even though we don't have room to hang the hundreds of cards you make for us in any given week, you can rest assured that they touch our hearts and can sometimes be the golden light shining through a otherwise dismal day. We love you so much and we cannot tell you in words how grateful we are that God delivered you to us. You were our surprise, but God's great and marvelous gift.

This past year, you have really begun searching for YOUR own place with the Lord. I pray that this next year will be filled with every color of the rainbow for you and that you will continue to seek your own life with Christ. He loves every inch of you and He knows the thoughts that I know you have in your heart for Him. I look forward (with HUGE crocodile tears in my eyes) to the day that you come to me with the news of finding your place with Him; safe and sound.

I love you baby. You are my sunshine.

This is how my 6 yr old thinks:

She comes into the kitchen and this is how our conversation goes:

Daughter: Mom, What does a bird in the hand is better than 3 in the bush mean?

Me: Well, it means that possessing one actual item is better than the idea of possessing three. (trying to explain it as simply as possible)

Daughter: Where does that saying come from?

Me: I suppose maybe from hunters who hunt for birds. They probably came up with the saying, because letting go of one bird that you had already caught would be silly since you aren't guaranteed to catch any one of the birds in the bush.

Daughter:WEll, if you ask me, the moral of THAT story is to take a birdcage with you when you go hunting!!!!

She cracks me up!!!!!!

New Recipes!!

I postedsome new recipes at "The Table"

The BIG Decision

Okay, so Nathan and I have talked about this until, it seems, we are blue in the face. We still don't have a finalized decision about it, but these are some conclusions we have come to regarding our children's education for next year.

If we had to narrow our reasons for homeschooling down to ONE it would be that we want them to be taught about God in every aspect and in every level of their life. We want them to know that it was God who formed the rock formations and put the stars in the sky. We want them to see God in every aspect of their life. Going to school somewhere else for 6-8 hours/day and NOT being taught about God seems like such a waste of valuable time in their lives.

So, here at home, I can do that, right? I can show them the science behind Creation and the REAL thoughts in the minds of our founding fathers when they wrote in the separation of church and sate. I can show them the science behind Noah's rainbow. I can do ALL of that. However, if I am doing all of that and yet they are NOT seeing God in ME, their MOMMY, because I am so overwhelmed and so tired, then what have I taught them?

We have three good options in mind for the kids next year. The first two would be our preference, but both of them aren't for sure in that they have situations attached that would require the Lord to make ways where there currently isn't one. Our third option is that I will continue to homeschool them. If the first two of these options don't come to fruition, then I will obediently begin next year the same way I did this year and we will begin again to pray about the next year. We have come to the stand, for us, that if God makes a way, we will take it and if He doesn't, we will take it. Clear as mud?

Anyway, I still love homeschooling and the idea of it. I am not ready to say that outside-of-the-home education is a forever choice for us. For next year, it would be our first choice.