Acting

Sunday we had a special youth Sunday. We let the kids take special part in the services. Andrew led the singing, Joshua presented the Sunday School devotional, and Ruth helped teach the preschool Sunday school class. They all did a good job.

The kids did a good job on their skit Sunday. I didn't get a picture of our actors. They were Ruth as Mercy, Hannah as Grace, Joshua as Brother, and Andrew as Burden. The skit was based on the passage in Romans 12: 19-20.

Throughout the whole skit Brother and Burden were being mean to Mercy and Grace, but Mercy and Grace always responded with kindness. In the first scene Mercy and Grace are watching a movie. Brother and Burden come in and snatch the remote from their hand and push the girls off the couch. Then the girls decide they will bake cookies now and watch their movie later.
After a brief trip offstage they come back in with a plate of cookies. They offer some to the boys and they all go offstage.

In scene two, the girls are playing with their dolls on the floor. The boys come in and purposely trip over one of the dolls complaining about the dolls. They then start tossing one of the dolls back and forth over Grace's head while she tries to catch it. Mercy catches it and hands it to Grace. She then asks them if they want to play with them. The boys tell Mercy that she's no fun and that she's too nice. She then asks them if they want her to be mean to them. Which they decide that they don't. She then explains how she tries to treat others the way she wants to be treated, just like she learned at church. She doesn't want them to be mean to her, so she won't be mean to them. The boys then leave the stage looking guilty and hopefully having learned a lesson. It ends with Grace giving Mercy a big hug and telling her that she is nice.

All the kids did their parts very well.


This picture is of Hannah, Ruth, and Joshua with their light sabers and Hannah in her Bibleman costume. They have been working on their own Bibleman skits. They are really having fun acting.

Romans 12:19-21
(19) Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (20) Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. (21) Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

Happy Birthday for Hannah!

Hannah had a birthday a few days ago.

The morning of Hannah's birthday she came to our room and knocked on our door and asked, "Am I four today?" She had a hard time believing it, because she was not as big as Ruth when she woke up.


She told us a few months ago that she wanted a Banana cake for her birthday. Scott baked and decorated this cake. He used a yellow cake mix and chopped bananas into it. Then he iced it with white icing and put Bananas on the icing. Then he topped it off with the first strawberry off our strawberry plants. Then I put the four candles on it. She really liked her cake.

Now you may be wandering if you follow my Dad's blogs why he has a birthday picture of her with a different cake. That was on the same day but different location. We had her first small birthday party at home and then another small birthday party at Memaw's and Daddy Jim's house.

This is Hannah in her new BibleMan costume. She now wants to be BibleMan when she grows up. We bought her a BibleMan DVD set. She had been begging us for a BibleMan light saber for over a month. We found some light sabers and were even able to find her a BibleMan costume which was marked down because it is a seasonal item. When Joshua heard that we found one of the two last BibleMan costumes left until October, he said, "God must have provided Hannah a BibleMan costume because he knew she wanted one."

I love this picture of the kids with their light sabers. Even Jonathan was in the mood. We bought him a foam squirter to use as a light saber. We figured it was softer than the plastic light sabers and it still extended like theirs. He loves to get involved with their play. He tries to be just like them. Tonight after our devotion time, Jonathan put on Hannah's mask upside down and started walking around with his arms in funny positions showing off. We think he was trying to be BibleMan too.

Then the highlight of Hannah's birthday was her getting a whole vitamin at bedtime. We had told her months ago that when she turned four she would get a whole vitamin. She has been looking forward to that for a long time. She feels so big and grown up now.

Over all it was a very good day. On our way back home we stopped by Uncle Justin and Aunt Sarah's house. (Aunt Sarah is my sister.) My sister served us a very good dinner and we enjoyed getting to visit with them. The kids really liked all the animals they have.

Next time we go to visit them, Uncle Justin is going to have to teach us all how to fish. I took the children to a Fishery about a year ago and even in a stocked pond we still didn't catch anything. I still don't know what we were doing wrong.

Now we are back home. Tomorrow I will try to post about our special Fifth Sunday Services we had today. All the kids participated and it went very well. So check back soon.

Surprise!

I was right. The kids' big surprise for me was that they cleaned the girls' room. It looked pretty good. Only thing that would have made it better was if they had made their beds. So tomorrow I plan to work with them on it a bit. I'm going to try to help them keep their room nice.

Tomorrow Joshua thinks they should clean his room next. So I'm going to allow them to work on it in the morning. However the afternoon will be for Homeschool lessons. They will be having to double up tomorrow afternoon to make up for the lessons they didn't get done today. But I felt it was worth missing some lessons for their big surprise.

Hannah will be having a birthday soon. I plan on blogging some more before we visit family for her birthday. Keep checking back for more pictures.

Planting Weeds

The other day Joshua and Hannah came into the house with this wild flower they had uprooted. They wanted me to plant it in a pot inside the house. I explained that those kind of flowers really do better outside. Joshua was real excited and asked, "So can I plant it in my garden."

Scott and I just smiled at each other as I agreed and assured him that it will probably grow pretty well outside. After he and Hannah ran back outside to plant their flower, Scott and I both had thought of the same Bible passage about the Wheat and the Tares. Tares being weeds. In that passage it's talking about how an enemy had gone into the garden and planted the weeds among the plants. However Joshua is planting the weed in his own garden. Hmm... Well, at least it is a pretty weed and may grow better than some of the other plants he has out there.

Matthew 13:24-30
(24) Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
(25) But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
(26) But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
(27) So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
(28) He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
(29) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
(30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Scott loves to tell me, "Now that would make a good blog!" So here it is.

Right now I am waiting on the kids to finish working on my surprise. I came into the kitchen earlier today and Hannah announced, "We have a surprise for you, Mom!" Her older sibblings immediately started shushing her. So I smiled and told her that she was doing really well not telling me. They told me that I would need to go to my room while they finished my surprise. So I told them I would come in here and blog.

It was suppose to only take them a few minutes but it has actually been quite a while. I think their surprise is they are cleaning their rooms. Don't tell them I guessed it. I plan on smiling and being really surprised. I think now they would have liked to done their homeschool work first instead of working on their "surprise". Joshua just came to check on me and to tell me that it is sometimes really hard. I asked if they needed any help with it, and he gave a weary, "No we've got it. We're almost done, I think." Their rooms aren't really all that big, but they have a lot of stuff and could really use help organizing it. To bad it has to be a surprise, I may check on them in a little bit to see if I can help. Maybe we could turn it into a surprise for Daddy.

I'll probably post a picture of the "surprise" in my next blog.

Donkey Business

I wasn't sure how many people had heard about the possibility of us getting a donkey, and wasn't sure whether to even blog about it. Scott went to get some eggs at our friends' house and met a man there that was looking to buy a pony from them. He told Scott about two donkeys that he was wanting to sell for a real low price. Scott was real interested and was picturing the kids riding the donkeys around the yard. They were supposed to be miniature donkeys but turned out being a little taller. So the man was wanting to buy a pony and sell the donkeys.

That was Thursday. Scott was wanting to at least go look at them and see how they reacted to the kids. We couldn't see them on Friday, so Scott did a lot of Donkey research. I even called my sister to find out if her husband had any experience raising donkeys. He thought that it was a good deal, and that they would take them off our hands if we bought them and it didn't work out. So I decided maybe it would be okay to get them.

The owner called us this morning telling that he had picked up the pony and was on his way home, so we could come out and see the donkeys this morning. We loaded up in the car and was on our way over there, when the man called back and told that his wife didn't want to sell the donkeys. So we turned around and went back home. So I guess we're not donkey crazy after all. I had my camera, but we didn't even look at them. Now we're just thinking about maybe getting some Chickens, at least they lay eggs.

And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the donkey with a staff.

And the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

And Balaam said unto the donkey, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.

And the donkey said unto Balaam, Am not I thine donkey, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?

And he said, Nay.

Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine donkey these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the donkey saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
(Numbers 22:27-33)

Horse Crazy...

I walked out the back door the other day and had to take this picture. Ruth's feet are touching the ground on that horse. I call this horse crazy. It's been a little over a week since she's ridden a real horse, so I guess she is taking a ride on the toy horse. Jonathan is her riding partner here. His feet are touching the ground too.

This is more like it. Jonathan is the size I remember Joshua being when he got this horse for his second Birthday 8 years ago. Ruth wasn't quite born yet. It's amazing how fast they've grown. Joshua and Ruth used to be Hannah and Jonathan's size. Where does the time go?

Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children:
(Ephesians 5:1)

Great, Grandparents

We took a couple of days of spring break and got to visit with all of my grandparents. I took some really good pictures of the kids with them. This first picture is of the kids with Daddy Jim, my maternal grandfather. I got to hear about an owl he and his brothers kept as a pet when they were kids. I guess they used to get to keep the animals they would catch as boys. All I know is his mother had to be pretty patient.

This second picture is of the kids with Memaw, my maternal grandmother. I have so many good memories over at Memaw and Daddy Jim's house. I remember going there and playing with my cousins when I was little. I remember singing in their family room when we were teenagers. Daddy Jim sang bass and Memaw sang Alto. That was how I learned to sing harmony listening to my family singing the different parts. We had a lot of fun singing different hymns in that small family room.

This third picture is of Mamaw, my paternal grandmother with the kids. She still works in her garden and helps my dad and his brothers with construction work on my dad's house. Seeing my daughters' rose bush always makes me think of Mamaw's roses.

This is a picture of Papaw, my late paternal grandfather. This, the latest picture I have of him was taken after the birth of Jonathan in 2007. I felt like I should put his picture in here as well, since he was a great grandfather too.

My grandparents are all such a wonderful blessing. I appreciate how they raised my parents to love the Lord and to walk in his ways. It was by their examples that my parents were able to raise me and my brother and sister to do the same. Now it is a wonderful thing to see my own children wanting to follow the Lord as well. That's how it is suppose to be though, one generation teaching the next generations to do what is right.

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
(Proverbs 17:6)

How does your garden grow?

The children have started themselves a garden. They each have their own little section, which they help dig, plant, water, and weed. They have in their gardens, marigolds, corn, squash, tomatoes, potatoes, and sunflower seeds. This has been a great learning experience for them, and I include it as extracurricular in their homeschooling. Of course I don't call it schooling with them, they just see it as outside fun, but they are definitely learning whether they realize it or not.

In this first picture, Joshua is holding a worm he found. He has really good eyes for those types of things, I would have never seen it but as he was shoveling the dirt, he stopped. I asked him what was wrong and he said "I found an earthworm!" He had to watch for a few seconds before continuing to dig.

Ruth saw these blossoms on our lemon tree. She also found a bug and wouldn't go close to the blossom until Joshua removed it. I decided removing insects from plant leaves was a good job for Joshua. Although I think Hannah might like helping him at times.

Hannah and Ruth have a flower garden. The center attraction being "Hannah's" Roses. Ruth has other items she's planted so we let Hannah claim the roses. Each morning since we've planted them, Hannah has come into the kitchen announcing that another of her roses is big now. We clipped a couple to put in a vase inside. Plants that grow fast are great for younger children.

And last but not least, Jonathan loves to help with digging. He saw everyone else getting to use the shovels. Scott let him have a turn with the smaller sharp shooter shovel. He loves to be like his brother and sisters.

Scott even has his section of the yard for gardening. His garden is a little more practical. He has a box of strawberries, different herbs and spices, some tomatoes, potatoes, squash, and bell pepper. He also has two fig bushes, two blueberry bushes, two pear trees, and a lemon tree. I'm sure there are some others that I'm missing.

As far as my garden grows, I consider my family my garden. Everything I do with and for my children is helping them to grow and mature into well nourished little plants. The more they learn and grow the better fruit they will bare. I love my little garden.

But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.
(2 Peter 3:18)

A Flat Tire...

I walked out the door to see Scott pulling the jack out from the shed we have behind the house. We were about to go into town but we had a flat tire. I had the camera planning to take some pictures of the kids at the park but we had to go to a tire place. So instead of taking pictures of the kids at the park, I took a picture of Jonathan "helping" change a flat tire.

There are people in this world that would get upset, if this had happened to them. But we see these things that happen to us as opportunities from God. Maybe the people at the tire place needed to meet Scott. Maybe one of the kids could have been hurt at the park. We may never know what all the purposes are, but God knows and he is taking care of us.

They didn't find the leak in the tire, even after airing it up and testing it with water and soap. Scott thinks that when the air was added to it, it may have closed the leak up for a while. So we may have another flat tire in a few days. Maybe the people at the tire place need another visit.

Life isn't a card game that things just happen to us by chance. God has a reason for everything. He is so good to take care of us. Knowing this makes life worth living. We know we are here for a purpose. Even a flat tire can't stop us from fulfilling His purposes.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28)

I Forgot!

Poor Jonathan had the best surprise look so he gets his picture put on here for my forgetfulness.

The time changed today! Why do they make the time change be on a Saturday night? Thankfully Scott automatically goes to the church about an hour early anyway, but I was late.

I woke up at 8:30 this morning. Scott fixed breakfast while I put some clothes in the dryer to dewrinkle. I sat down to eat a quick bite looking at the clock in the kitchen thinking, "Hey, I actually have time for breakfast this morning." I don't always manage to get breakfast Sundays. I usually get myself dressed and find clothes for Jonathan while the kids are eating.

So I'm sitting at the table with a bite of pancake in my mouth, when Scott asks me from the living room, "Why does this clock say 10:00? Was the time change this weekend?"

I panicked, just a little. I hurried the kids to get their shoes on. I still had to get dressed, and I had to get Jonathan dressed. But I made it to church only a half hour late. Which if the time hadn't changed, means I would have been there about an half hour early. I had actually planned to be at the church 10 minutes early. Everyone was good humored about it, so I didn't feel too bad. Now, I know that I can get everyone ready for church in just an hour if I have too.

At least we didn't lose any sleep over the time change.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Writing for Children

This picture shows a common sight around our house, the kids reading. I'm so glad that they have finally gotten that joy of reading. The better they read the more they will be able to learn on their own.

Scott and I took our kids to the Keepers of the Faith meeting today. Joshua's group is actually called the Contenders of the Faith. I went to the girls class and watched them make flower arrangements. Scott got to help the boys make bird houses. Everyone had a lot of fun.

I stayed up late last night working on my assignment for the Institute of Children's Literature. I was so tired last night that nothing sounded good. I was afraid that I would never get the story to turn out well. Then Scott suggested I get some sleep and work on it some more today.

He was right. I got some sleep and worked on it a little before we left for the Keepers of the Faith meeting. When we got back home, the kids were all wanting to play outside and Scott was working in the garden. I got the story finished! It's such a good feeling when you finally get it done. Especially when you have someone read it and they react to it, exactly how you expect. Now that my story is finished, I'm going to print it and try it out on my best critics, my young'uns.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
(1 Corinthians 15:58)

Dog Ears

This morning Hannah showed me her doll and told me that it was a boy doll. I told her that I thought it was a girl doll because of her dog ears. Hannah said that it was a boy with dog ears. Which I told her that boys don't wear dog ears. She then informed me that dogs are boys. I, of course corrected her by telling her that some dogs were girls, too. At that moment I didn't catch the logic she was actually trying to impart to me.

She told me, "Well, Ms. Lauwa has a horse and it's a boy, and it has dog ears. Well, actually it has horsey ears, but it looks like doggy ears."

Then I understood her meaning. Since boy dogs have dog ears, why can't boy people have dog ears too? I'm not sure how that argument would hold up in a Logic and Argumentation class in Seminary but it works for her. It's hard to argue with a 3 year old.

Fun on a Ranch

Scott and the kids had a good day over at the neighbors' ranch. They all got to ride Jinglebob. Scott even rode the horse. They all had fun and came home all excited about it. Scott brought me some of the pictures they took. I thought this posed picture of the kids and Scott was cute. They not only rode horses but they helped plant potatoes and cleaned out a horse trailer while they were there. They really had fun.

Jonathan was taking a nap, so I decided to stay home with him and get some work done while he slept.

Below I have a video of Ruth riding JingleBob. She is really getting good at riding. I'm already looking forward to our next visit over there.