I started Saxon K Phonics with Emily and she loves it. I can't ever give her enough worksheets to work on!! I wish Saxon came out with a supplementary huge workbook to give the kids for "busy" work. I am getting tired of printing things out! And my printer is pretty mad at me, it is very overworked right now!! Here is a page with a lot of good printables for the alphabet: The about.com family craft page.

Brittany is over at my mil's house doing a "good deed" today. She has been rather selfish lately so each day this week she is doing something for someone else. She is helping Grandma today, washing Ria's car tomorrow, doing something for Daddy on Friday, helping out at church on Saturday. We are also doing a bible study on Brotherly Kindness. I have already noticed a difference in her, just in 1 1/2 days!

We leave in just a few days for San Antonio. Kaedra goes in the hospital here in Tulsa on Friday night. If there is a bed available, I would like to stay with her. She definitely isn't going to like being in a room all by herself during the day, so I will be staying with her for that!






Shooky and Tempe are getting along great!

Saturday Sixteen #2

My Sixteen Favorite Books

1. The Bible, obviously

2. When the Day of Evil Comes by Melanie Wells (the sequel is coming out this month!!!! WOOHOO) (Christian Fiction suspense)

3. Though the Darkness Hide Thee by Susan Wise Bauer (who also happened to write my next favorite) (Christian Fiction Suspense)

4. The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and her mom Jesse Wise (homeschool, non fiction, classical education book)

5. Prayers that Avail Much 3 volume set by Germaine Copeland (Christian, non fiction, prayers)

6. Left Behind (the first one) by Jerry Jenkins (Christian fiction apocalyptic)

7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (Romance time travel - not my usual fare)

8. HTML 4.0 For Dummies - taught me how to do a web page! (non fiction, how-to)

9. Babyface : A Story of Heart and Bones by Jeanne McDermott (non fiction story of baby born with facial deformities, great book, esp for mother's who have had any kind of medical challenges with their children. However, not from a Christian perspective...I will have to write that one!!!)

10. Ancient History: From Adam to Messiah by Robin Sampson (non fiction, homeschool curriculum, but one of the best books about bible history, geography and traditions that I have ever read)

11. Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp (non fiction, child raising)

12. The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo, John Mac Arthur, and Jay E. Adams (non fiction, child raising)

13. This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (Christian Fiction, suspense)

14. Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti (Christian Fiction, suspense)

15. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub (and he won't get out) by Audrey and Don Wood (Children's fiction) Also love the Napping House by them.

16. We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Helen Oxenbury and Michael Rosen (Children's fiction)

Saturday Sixteen

Since Brandi did the Friday Fifteen (which I also had planned on doing!! GMTA)I decided to do the Saturday Sixteen! :-)

Sixteen of my favorite homeschool memories so far

1. Making a crime scene for Britty to figure out

2. Going to the zoo just for a nature walk

3. Doing the nature walk behind my mil's house

4. The day Timmy and Brittany pretended they were Da Vinci and laid under a table to paint paper on the bottom of it.

5. Farm day at the Neals when Britty was little.

6. When we made a living Nile River in a kitty litter box.

7. Miquon Math

8. Our whole Da Vinci unit study which was supposed to be 2 weeks, but ended up 8.

9. Our new curriculum, Ancient History: From Adam to the Messiah.

10. Saying the pledge of allegiance every day!

11. When we got our cheap microscope to work and we looked at everything we could find under it.

12. The different plays Britty has been in.

13. When Emily finally got the name of the "L"

14. The homeschool Aquarium day where we got the private class

15. Making the Kaleidescopes at the glass store!!!

16. Ancient Egypt night at the Neals (even though we had to leave VERY early and got there late!!!)

Wonderfully Made

My friend Melanie made me this very special video. It is such a testament of what God has done in Kaedy's life. Thank you sooooo much, Mel!!!






(she can do one with your pics, too!!! email me and I will get you her details)

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

Today is Emily's Birthday - 5 years old!!! WOW!!! She is at that REALLY fun age...Okay, I admit it, I think every age is really fun. But I really love 5 year olds because they are so eager to learn and they try to be so grown-up but they are still little kids!

Five years ago today, I was induced at Southcrest Hospital. I had a very easy and quick labor. I did have an epidural about 2 hours after being induced and then had Emily an hour later. During my labor I played gin with Michael and he beat me. (He can only beat me at gin when I am in labor!!!) When she was born, they pretty much let me have her right away. She was not a beautiful baby. She looked exactly like her Daddy. We called her mini-Michael for awhile. Around 2 years old she started losing the Daddy look and gaining more of my looks. She is very very pretty now and it is hard to see any resemblance to the mini-Michael in the early pictures.

She was colicky in the beginning and I used to dance with her to calm her down. Almost every evening during dinner time, we would dance around and sing and she would get quiet. I remember in the summer, when I was dancing outside, the neighbors would look over the wall and watch us. Soon they got used to the sight and began looking forward to seeing her out there in the evenings.

She was the apple of her Paw-Paw's eye and he lived to see her first birthday. He was having a rough year, that first year of her life, but he loved to see her and love on her.

At this point in time, she says she wants to live with Mommy and Daddy forever. (isn't she sweet????) She wants to grow up and be a princess weather girl. She does seem to have the princess part down and she HAS to check the weather every day at least two times. She is planning on marrying Jacob Zirkle (the pastor's grandson) but they are going to live with us and they are going to have lots of kids that they will homeschool. Of course, this isn't going to be at this house, but at our next house: The Farm. There she and Jacob will ride horses all the time, in between her princess and weather girl duties. (I guess she expects me to school the kids??)

Anyway, she is so much fun and such a sweetie, too. She loves to take care of people and surprise people with doing something for them. She has such a servant's heart. She loves church, loves our pastor and grasps the concepts of church better than a lot of adults I know. In fact, she is the first to pray for anyone who is sick or hurting and when she hears someone died she immediately says "Yah! Now they are in heaven!!"

Happy Birthday Peanut!!! We love you!!!

Introducing Tempest

After the death of my beloved Mercy-cat, Michael graciously told me I could get another cat whenever I wanted. That was really very sweet of him since he is not a huge cat fan. I decided I really wanted a Maine Coon. I had one before - named Shakespeare and he was such a great cat. I started looking for Maine Coons online and did not find any in shelters nearby. The closest I came was a Maine Coon/mix in Missouri. I decided I might buy one until I saw that they went for in between $500-$900. (Shakespeare was from the pound) I asked God for a Maine Coon kitten knowing that was the only, and best, way to get one. The same day, God nudged me to post on tulsafreebay that I was in search of a Maine Coon. The next morning I had a response from a sweet lady who was giving away her Maine Coon and wanted to find him a good home. She had read my blog about Mercy and thought we would be a good family!!! We went and got him later that day. His other family had called him Jersey, but we call him Tempest (Tempe for short) because of his colors - he really looks like a storm cloud. He is absolutely beautiful and very sweet and fun. I just love the temperament of Maine Coons. Our only problem with him so far is that he is much more playful at night (like 4am) then he is during the day. We need to get him on OUR schedule! LOL. He reminds me of a baby who has gotten his days and nights mixed up. He gets along fine with our dogs and our kids love him. He is cuddly, playful and beautiful, what more could we want??? Here is one of he pics his previous owner sent me when she offered him to me. We don't have our own pictures yet, mostly because I don't have my camera next to me at 4am.

Wonder by Natalie Merchant

Wonder
By Natalie Merchant
CodesAndLyrics.com

This is one of Kaedra's songs... She is a wonder of God's own creation and as far as they see they can offer no explanation (for how wonderful she is doing!)

Enjoy and think of our miracle baby!

Wonder
Natalie Merchant
Album: Tigerlily


Doctors have come from distants cities, just to see me
Stand over my bed, disbelieving what they're seeing

1-They say I must be one of the wonders
Of God's own creation
And as far as they see, they can offer
No explanation

Newspapers ask intimate questions, want confessions
They reach into my head to steal, the glory of my story
(repeat 1)

Ooo, I believe, fate, fate smiled
And destiny laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience, and with faith
She'll make her way, she'll make her way

People see me I'm a challenge to your balance
I'm over your heads how I confound you
And astound you
To know I must be one of the wonders
(rpt...1)

Ooo, I believe, fate, fate smiled
And destiny laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as she came to my mother
Know this child will not suffer
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She'll make her way, she'll make her way

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Big Projects I have going

1. Redoing my laundry room - cleaning, organizing and moving a cabinet in there.

2. Redoing my school room - making "learning centers"

3. Redoing my living room - adding more school books into it and making me a desk

4. Redoing my back porch - moving a shelf unit out there and organizing all the outside doo-dads.

5. Redoing my under-the-stairs closet - take everything out of it and put Kaedy's toys and vacuums in there.

6. Redoing my game closet - putting games in schoolroom, putting toys and photo albums into closet.

7. Redoing corner of the Den - putting hutch into den and moving out Kaedy's Kidcart and stroller.

8. Redo front porch - add some pretties to it, clean it up, plant flowers in pots and plant tree.

9. Plant mini garden (will be a salad garden) and morning glories and moon flowers

10. Redo Emily's room - (BBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGG project!) Move her clothes into her closet, get rid of a lot of toys, and just generally clean and reorganize.

11. Getting ready for a church garage sale - gathering all my cool clutter for them.

12. Redoing my web page

13. Writing a book

Wordless Wednesday

This is my ringtone

This is my ringtone, so unless I have a special ringtone designated for when you call my cell phone...I am hearing this! :-)

Glory Defined
By Building 429
CodesAndLyrics.com