A Favorite Hymn

Jesus Paid It All

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

 
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

She's a Harris

Pres just got her second major boo boo. A few days ago she got one from a frisbee that Caleb had, and yesterday, she crawled and took a tumble down our patio stairs, onto the concrete. I watched the whole thing in slow motion. It almost cost her a trip to the ER but she literally only cried one minute and the pediatrician confirmed we didn't need to take her. 

Tough Girl :)

Her ONE year pictures are in just a few days and I doubt this will be gone, but after all it will give her character and be a reminder how scraped up and tough she is! 

No cavities

Cohen had a great appointment at the Dentist! They suspected no cavities, so they just did a cleaning. They also praised him for brushing so well at home, which he does! (I still go behind him though). He did such a great job sitting still!

Sundays in our house

I just love Sunday afternoons, they are either spent playing outside if the weather is nice and watching Daddy mow the grass (or mowing the grass with daddy) or doing this, with Daddy :)

See the Oreos, I told yall these boys love to eat Oreos together

This is always so helpful for me because I spend this time preparing school for the week or just hanging with sweet P :)

Impromptu Visit

Papa Denning and Nonnie made a surprise visit on Friday to visit with us a few hours, we loved seeing them!

Duke was also happy to see them!

"wow, you have your hands full!"

Today at Walmart, 3 children in tow I had 3 people, in one shopping trip say, "Wow! You have your hands full!" If by that you mean I have my hands full of little hands that hold mine with unconditional love, yes they are full. If by that you mean despite the rough days or stressful moments I cherish every "handful" of moments I have with them, yes they are full. 

God has given me these three beautiful children, they are a gift, a precious, sweet gift when I once had claimed I didn't want any, and in three years, He gave us three. He knew what I wanted, yet gave me what He planned instead, His plan was so much better. My hands are full, but full of love.

 

Our "handful" last May : )

{When people say this, I usually just smile and say "yeah I do"}

Throwback Thursday

April 2010

Zach and Cohen enjoying Oreos and milk on the couch.

{They still do this, except now Caleb is there with them, and Presley is standing there begging for some too!}

My helper in the kitchen

(disclaimer: no i don't leave her alone on the counter, I set her up there with me while preparing for dinner, she loves it) :)

Gravel Pile

5 feet of gravel = FUN

 

Cohen, the songwriter

Cohen has been doing great practicing his guitar 15 minutes a day. He says he is going to play in the band in church one day. Today I asked him to make up a song and sing it for me. This is what he came up with! This is 100% on his own (I'm glad the choir CD's and coming to "big church" to sing are his only musical influences!)

11 Common Hindrances to Homeschooling

I have considered/worried/prayed about each one of these sometime in the past 4 1/2 years that we have thought about homeschooling. I love this article from Denise Bloom (www.deniseinbloom.com)

 11 Common Hindrances To Homeschooling

1. I am not a good enough mother.
That is a lie. The truth is that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.  Bottom line, you are good enough-with God’s help. If any of use were already good enough on our own we wouldn’t need the Lord to guide us.  We wouldn’t need to rely on Him.  We all have real emotions as mothers, and have strengths and weaknesses.  So does every teacher out there! But I do believe, that if you have the conviction and calling to homeschool, that with God’s help and good resources you can homeschool your kids.
2. I am not patient enough. 
None of us are patient enough! No homeschool mom or any mom will tell you that she is patient all the time with her kids.  We all need God to help us and we pray for strength and patience.  There are days I want to pull my hair out and I am inpatient with my kids.  There are sick days and hormonal days.  There are tired days and strong-willed days.  But all of those hard days and trying moments are quickly overshadowed by the best parts of homeschooling.  The nurturing, exploring, praying, and delight of learning that comes with homeschooling and brings such pleasure, that it makes those hard days worth it in the end.
3. I am not organized enough.
Homeschooling makes you organized.  What this looks like for some families will be different then for others.  You do not have to have it all figured out and have all your ducks in a row to start homeschooling. You will not have a perfectly clean house.  You just start, and as you move along, you grow into this lifestyle of home educating that will be organized in the way your family needs. It won’t be perfect and that is okay!
4. I don’t know enough to teach my kids.
There is no way any one person can know everything they need to teach their kids.  If you think about a classroom at school, that person is teaching to one grade level or to certain subjects they have been trained in.  But we as homeschool families learn right along with our kids. We will have our strengths and weaknesses.  It is a blast to re-learn the things we forgot from our school days.  We don’t have to know it all!  We can research and learn and there are a myriad of resources available to help us.  There has never been such a wonderful time as now for homeschooling with all that is available. You can do it!
6. My kids won’t get enough social interaction
This is the number one thing that most people worry about when deciding to home educate.  I have never had anyone tell me my kids were weird and unsociable.  You are the model, and if you have your kids in social settings with you and they learn from you, then they will know how to be social.  You can find wonderful ways to get your kids the social interaction they need, but you might be surprised at who they want to spend the most time with! More on this later…
7. I can’t afford  to homeschool
Money is always a concern. If the mom stays home to educate and you have to live on one income it can be challenging.  I have seen God provide for families ( for us) in ways that they they never thought would happen.  When we are called to do something, doesn’t God always provide?  The same can happen for you.  Begin to trust God, and see what will come about.
8. My kids will drive me crazy
Yes they will! But they will also become wonderful companions and you will have the pleasure of seeing their beautiful minds open up and delight in learning. God will stretch you and grow you as a mother in this area–trust me!
9. I couldn’t be with my kids all day long
This is a challenge if you aren’t used to it.  It is something you grow in to.  If you have your kids in school now it takes some time to “un-school”.  One thing to know is that as your kids are homeschooled they won’t need to be “entertained” all the time.  Homeschooling truly does become a lifestyle even more than a way to learn and teach. You all relax in it, and your home will soon have a rhythm that won’t seem contrived.   But there is no doubt that moms who are home all day with their kids do need breaks.  Make sure you schedule them!
10. Will my kids fall behind of those in school?
More than likely they will be the opposite. Your kids will actually be ahead in most cases. The lovely part of homeschooling is that your kids will never know if they are behind or ahead.  Home educating is a wonderful option if  you have a child who is falling behind and needs more attention, or if you have a child who is gifted and is being held back by a classroom setting.  You will be surprised at what you can do with your kids in the time you have with them, and they can thrive in the loving relaxation of home whether behind or ahead.
11. My family members doesn’t support homeschooling
This is a tough one.  If you have a spouse or family members who don’t support homeschooling then I would begin to pray.  I would educate yourself and those around you the best you can.  This is a subject I will address in a future post all on it’s own. I have some suggestions.  I will tell you my own journey and how God brought my husband and I together in unity on the idea of homeschooling.

Free Range

The chickens are on the loose now :) 

I feel comforted knowing

 

that they have TWO loved ones protecting them!

11 Months

In just a few weeks you will be ONE YEAR OLD!

you are standing!

almost walking..

You are clingy

and snugly

and very curious,

you love to say ma ma ma ma

 and you are just so cute :)

Soccer

Cohen,

 You have completed your first season of a sport and did it with joy and faithfulness! Way to go!

{He is currently napping with his trophy}

Spring {feels like summer} is here!

We don't waste a moment to be outside when the weather is nice!

The boys play in the water hose, naked,

 

Or take a "dip" when too hot.

Or just get as muddy as possible,

 

  or use their imagination,

or take a rest because naps are skipped.

We eat breakfast and lunch outside,

and look for bugs

and catch bugs,

 

and Presley, she just soaks it all in watching her brothers and going for wagon rides :)

 

This is how we will spend the next few months!

Blue eyes

Love our blue eyed girl :)

Fasionable?

The other morning at the table I was telling the boys what we were going to be doing that day (kroger, bank, library, etc. nothing exciting) Awhile later Caleb wanted me to come to his room, I went, and there I found that he had laid out his clothes for the day! How cute! He did pick pj bottoms, a pj top and his pumas. He only forgot underwear and socks but I thought it was pretty impressive! :)

Yes, I let him wear it, it was just a few errands and his effort was just priceless. So if you see us out and my the boys clothing looks questionable, rest assured, they dressed themselves. not me :) 

Plans for the tree fort!

The tree house/fort plan to be built this summer! I know the kids are going to love it!

Chick update

It's been one week since the chicks have moved to the coop. I am still keeping them in their little home until they are a little bigger to start roaming, but they seem to love it and enjoy playing in there! And all 5 are still alive! Yay!

I wish I could have gotten a picture of "Chicken Tender" but he runs everytime I try, but he is black and has furry feet! So cute! 

Classical conversations

Fall curriculum came in the mail today! So excited! Who would have thought opening a package of school books would be this exciting! :)

The face of Caleb

This is the face Caleb makes, a lot! If you ask him a question, ask him to do something, or when he first wakes up, its his grumpy face! I just love it though :).