Ironic

As my mind goes down memory lane lately I remember having a friend from church come over and talk about going to Oregon and Washington and how much she liked everyone there. Since I was from California and my family only took vacations to Oklahoma or Arkansas to see family. We hardly ever took trips for spiritual reasons, most of our family trips were for fun or for family. And even though these are precious trips in my mind. I would like to teach my kids that the brethren is our family and take trips to different assemblies so they can have many friends. A lot of my friends now are some of those kids this friend was talking about, actually I ended up marrying one of them....hehehe how ironic is that. We lived on the same coast line, went to the same church and yet never met till years later.

Another thing that is so ironic is when I was about 18, I was in Colorado and we were seeing some dear friends of ours. And we all went to Taco Bell to visit, I was visiting with a friend and giving him a senior picture and this crazy guy came up and asked if he could have one and I said sure, I signed the picture and gave it to him. Years later when I met the man of my dreams and we were visiting he looked in his wallet and he had a senior picture of me in it. This just amazes me how almost 2 years later I would meet that crazy guy and end up marrying him. I feel as if the Lord had us planned for each other from the beginning we just had to wait for each other to be ready.

I was always scared of getting married young, I had so many friends who did and I thought that was what you did in the faith. And for some reason I ran from it. If a guy showed to much interest, I lost interest real quick. When my dad died I think that made me even more that way. I went through a rebellious stage, or should I say selfish stage. I thank you Lee for having patience and waiting on me to grow up.

Farm Days

I have had so much time at home lately, that my mind has been working overtime. I am sure you gals can tell since I keep posting. Yesterday I was looking through pictures and it amazed how much my kids have grown. Then it made me look back on my life and how quickly it has gone by. I was remembering being a child and growing up on the farm.

This farm was actually a grape vineyard in California. My grandpa had several acres that had grape vineyards for making raisins. He also gave all his girls a acre of land to live on. So we grew up as a very close family. My cousins were like siblings, we all lived on this dirt road one house after another. Or should I say trailer houses. The memories of the farm are so precious to me, I remember being a little kid and sleeping outside under the stars. Walking on the hot gravel with bare feet. Catching croddads in the ditches.

I remember going across the field to Grandma and Grandpas and swimming in the pool, I must say this was a huge pool and us kids loved it. Every summer we all would go down and clean it out and get it ready for the summer. I remember one year one of grandpas cows got in it. Ohh what a mess! I remember watching grandma milk the goats. So many memories that are so dear to my heart.

I remember every sunday everyone from church coming over and eating dinner, playing baseball in one of the empty fields, making homemade ice cream with the old crank ice cream machine. My dad would make me sit on it with a towel while he cranked the wheel. I want my kids to have some of these memories.

I remember watching my dad build my mom a house with his bare hands. It took him a year to do it. But it was made by him and that makes it special. Whenever I go to the old farm land it makes me sad now. I see the house he built with other people owning it and living there. When my grandpa died the girls sold the farm land. Through the years everyone sold the acre except one of my aunts. So at least I have a reason to go see her and go down memory lane in my mind.

Time is just a blink of a eye. It seems like yesterday I was playing on that farm with all of my cousins and feeling free as a bird. Oh to be a child and have no worries in life.

MEMORY LANE

I was looking through some of my pictures and going down memory lane. As I look at these pictures it just amazes me how much my babies have grown. I am hoping that I can find some of the pictures of the older two kids when they were little. I am sure I have some on cd's somewhere. When we had our flood in the basement it ruined all the pictures I had ready to scrap book and never got to. Luckily I did get some done in the scrap books so its not a total loss. And if I get desperate I will be calling family members for copies...... But since most of my stuff is already packed it might be awhile till I get it done.

Elisha and Stormie


Samuel: it seems like yesterday you born.


Elisha and Stormie, were has the time gone?


This is my favorite picture of Samuel and Scooby our dog. Scooby loved to kiss and lick his snotty nose. Lee's mom hates it.

HOMESCHOOLING

I have decided that I need to post on what I have learned as a home school mom. I decided to start homeschooling when Elisha was 4 years old and Stormie was 2 years old. As I reflect on how I did, I realize that I thought I had to do everything so perfect. I had my kitchen all set up to teach them. I had the bulletin boards all over the walls. It would of been so much more fun if I would of been so much more relaxed. I wanted to be the best I could and this stressed me out. I remember thinking I was going to lose my mind. Only if I would of relaxed a little. I totally was not thinking of how young they were. The best times were the times me and Michelle would do things together with the kids. I miss those days!! It seems like yesterday then I look at our kids and the time has flown by. Thank you Michelle for being there for me during my times of distress and the times of joyfulness. Those memories of our kids together will always be precious.







I was so stressed out from teaching preschool that I decided to put Elisha in Kindergarten. I think this actually made it worse. So half way through the year I went ahead and pulled him and decided to home school. I remember teaching him to read and how stressed I was about it. I called my sister in law Chantel for some advice and she told me to find something he liked like calvin and hobes. This was the best advice ever, my little boy loved these comics and would look at them for hours. And I must say with that and the hooked on phonics program we were successful. He is the best reader now. He would read all the time if I will let him. The only problem is we don't live close to a good library and books are expensive when you read one a day. No joke he read the Harry Potter book in 3 days.

Through the years I have found myself more lad back with my kids and there schooling. Almost to much at times. There has been times that I was just praying I have done enough. We live a busy life at times and things would get behind. This last year we decided on the computer schooling " Switched on School House" by Alpha Omega. I have really loved this program my daughter has finished all her subject except (history, and science). Elisha is almost done with his he has finished two subjects totally. We also do math-u-see and I just decided to do some Shirley English also. The Shirley is more for me I have never been that great at language and I wanted to have something for us all to do together. We are starting from the beginning and doing it together to better ourselves. I hope I can keep up with it. Since Stormie has finished her computer mostly we have been working on her handwriting. I have decided to make her copy information out of a book about weather. This will help her handwriting, spelling, and even get some science information in her head. When I was a kid if I wrote things down I always remembered them better. I am hoping this works for her.

The greatest joy to me as a home school is knowing that I taught my kids to read, write, math, all the other things in between. My children have become excellent readers and both excel at math. This gives me a great accomplishment as a MOM....

I might not be perfect but I hope they look back on this and realize that I took the time and taught them.






On another note my baby Samuel has been dry for awhile now. And has started going to the bathroom on his own. He just went and did his job in the toilet. I am so thrilled, I just hope he keeps up the good work. We are finally on the right track for potty training.

EARLY

I am not usually a early morning riser, but I just can't seem to sleep. My mind has so many thoughts rolling thru it. So many questions about how things are going to work out for us and this move. I have seen so many things just fall into place. I knew that we had so many things to get done before this move could happen. I believe with all my heart that the Lord is in this and that he will work things out. But it still is hard to visualize the future. I am hoping and praying for the best, I am just human and have to think everything apart.

We have lived in Oklahoma for 11 wonderful years and I have made some wonderful friends here. This place is my comfort zone, and now it is time to leave that comfort zone and start again. Time to make new friends, who I believe will be just as dear to me. It is time to start our business over in a new state, and I believe this scares me the most. When we first started it here, we had some hard times back then. And now our bills are way more than they were back then.

My mind wanders on what we will need to make it. How much can we afford for rent? This little brain could bore you forever of my worries, but I want to have complete faith in God. He has never left us without a home, food for the table, clothing for our backs. So I know things will be alright, I just still have to worry. I am a woman what else can I do?


On another note I was watching t.v. the other day and saw this recipe for " EDIBLE PLAY DOUGH" so here it is.....

equal parts of PEANUT BUTTER, HONEY, POWDER SUGAR.

Now I have not tried this yet. But it does sound fun for little kids who have a tendency to put things in there mouth. I wanted to write this down before I forgot so later on I can look back and find it.

To the love of my life...

Well it's late and I can't sleep. I keep thinking of all the things we have been through together and all that you mean to me. So I'll put it here and tomorrow when you wake up you'll know that I love you more each day. I love how you give of yourself without thought of anything in return to me and all of your friends. I see the days when your not feeling well and yet you still are willing to drop whatever is going on to help a friend or run an errand for me. I love our "story " of how God brought us together and how our love grows the longer we are together. I love how you sacrifice your own needs, wants and sometimes sanity for our children.... and me. I was remembering when we went to hawaii for our 10th and we didn't even need to plan anything we just enjoyed each others company and drove and visited, just like we do here. It caused me to see that we don't need a special place for us to love one another, the special place is when we are together. You help me in every aspect of my life and I would not be the man that I am without you. I love how God seen me long ago and knew that it would be you to hold my hand from here into eternity.... you are a true helpmate and the love of my life..I love you.


Lee

FISHING

Saturday was a very eventful day for our little family. We had decided that we wanted to do something with our kids. So we decided on a fishing day. Bro. John has a beautiful pond by their house and we called to see if we could bring the kids and do some fishing. We woke up in the morning and started to get around when all the sudden my cell phone rings. It was a lady interested in our house. So we got the house clean so they could come and see it before we went fishing. They seemed real interested in it. She said they were going out of town for the weekend but when they get back they were going to go and talk to the bank. She didn't make a offer though she seemed to just want it. I don't have my hopes up, I am just waiting for the end of the week to come and see if they contact us again. So my fingers are crossed and I am praying the Lords will be done. After they left we took the kids to fish. It was a nice experience for the kids and they enjoyed themselves tremendously. I was a little wore out by the end of the day.





Elisha casting his pole.




Lee and John enjoying the peace.





Daddy showing Samuel the ropes of fishing.




Samuel showing us how big he is.




Stormie posing for the camera.





Elisha fishing his heart out.





Stormie learning to cast her new pole.