Gardening - Part 2: Rocks...Lots and Lots of Rocks.

Introducing to you, the long, rectangular garden bed next to the pool. Before this weekend, it was full of 3 tall palm trees, 1 shorter palm tree (as can be seen in the first photo below), a hibiscus plant and LOTS of grass and other assorted weeds. Oh, can I mention that is full of something else too? It is full of ROCKS!!! The first time we weeded this flower bed, we noticed that it was really difficult digging in the majority of the soil. We kept hitting rocks. After awhile, we realized that there was quite a deep layer of river rock all underneath the 2-3 inches of soil that we could see on top of the bed.

Apparently, the bed was filled at one time with decorative rock. Then, large bark chips were laid on top of the rock to help camouflage it. Later, a layer of thin landscaping plastic and a few inches of dirt were spread on top of that with a few plants thrown in for good measure. Most of the new plants that were there when we bought the house almost 2 years ago died within a couple months of us moving in. The one hibiscus that survived (okay, the Mexican heather survived, but I transplanted that to line my courtyard last summer) has not gotten any taller. The poor plants didn't have a chance to let their roots go deep.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. - Mark 4:6 (NIV)

Last weekend, we began working on removing the rock again. After two solid days of digging, not even 1/4 of the garden is complete. The task begins to feel daunting, and the end seems to be nowhere in sight. However, what good lessons in perseverance and patience can be gleaned from this task. We also have been talking about the parable of the sower and why rocky soil is not ideal for plant growth. The people who tried to hide the rocks, who tried to make the garden bed look like something that it was not may not be ones I would currently vote "person of the year," but my Heavenly Father is teaching me lessons through this tedious task. I wonder what else He has in store? :)

See those last two trees where my man and my firstborn are? That small section is what we spent 2 days laboring over. Oh, and Rob is pulling up the landscaping timber--the edging is going to get a major face-lift! :)

I love this kid! My firstborn and I had some great conversations while picking up rocks together over the weekend. (See the timber in the foreground? That is no longer there.)

Where is the rock going? Rob and I pulled the waist-high grass (most of it was dead due to Rob's dumping the remainder of a bottle of Roundup on it), laid down landscaping cloth and started dumping the rock pulled up out of the garden on top of it. The area around the AC looks much nicer now!

Rock Cycle.

The boys holding their foil "rock" packets over the candle flame to convert the metamorphic rock into an igneous rock.

Little man is standing on the top board to change his sedimentary rock into a metamorphic rock (him standing on the board signified the pressure that metamorphic rocks undergo). The "big" little man is lighting one of the candles for the next stage.

The packet of crayon shavings, er "sediment," was placed between 2 boards, then the boys pounded the top board with a hammer to cement the layers together to make their sedimentary rock.

D - pounding away to create his sedimentary rock.

I have to admit that projects like this make me love homeschooling even more! It is SO much fun doing an activity with my boys and then seeing the light come on for each of them as they are bettering their understanding of a given subject. In this instance, we were studying rocks and minerals. What better way to learn about the rock cycle than actually participating in an activity that illustrates a concept that seems abstract on paper.

To prepare, I shaved crayons with my dad's old Boy Scout knife--we used 4 or 5 different colors (honestly, I probably only used 4...by the time I got to the last color of crayon, I was ready to be done). The boys both gave me a few crazy looks, then looked at each other to communicate in a way that only two brothers who are best friends can only understand--"Mama is at it again...here she goes with another crazy project!" ;-) This project was surrounded by much intrigue. After all, how often do my boys see their mama break out a pocketknife to shave crayons? I would have had them do the dirty work if we would have had a regular crayon sharpener.

After I finally finished shaving crayons, we drew a 4 cm x 4 cm square onto a piece of aluminum foil, they layered crayon shavings, one color at a time, onto their square, we folded the foil into a little packet, then were off to the garage in search of a hammer and 2 boards. The hammer and boards were found in short order, then the boys took turns hammering their crayon "sediment" packets that were placed between the two boards. One of the crayon sedimentary "rocks" broke, so we could actually see the different colored layers--it was really neat to see! After they inspected their rocks, they put the packet back between the two boards and stood on it to add pressure to the "rock." We discussed what we read in The Magic School Bus: Inside The Earth about metamorphic rocks being created by heat and pressure being applied to an existing rock. Once they inspected their pressurized rocks, they were impressed by how much more compact it was.

The final step was to hold the foil packets over a candle flame to melt the "rock" and then to let it cool to form an igneous rock. We clipped clothespins to the corner of our packet so our hands were further away from the flame. There was a time where the packets also rested on the lip of the candle. Be careful with this step--if you don't have a tight seal on your foil packet, or if holes or tears have been made to the packet during the sedimentary or metamorphic rock phases, hot wax will flow out, I repeat, hot wax will flow out if you are not careful.

I hope that you enjoyed a little glimpse into one of our many fun school projects! :)

Gardening - Part 1: preparing and planting

Mmm...tomatoes

My big helper picking up rocks from the pool-side flower bed.

My little helper posing how a gardener or farmer would pose. :)

Some of the fun things that we planted

The garden after we weeded it and planted the basil. My rosemary bush has grown SO much since last year!!! The front bed is mine, the one behind it belongs to the boys this year.

Last Friday, we planted our vegetable beds. Before we could begin, we had to pull the grass and other weeds that had sprouted up in the raised beds that Rob and the boys built our first fall down here in the valley. We had to finish pulling out the dead tomato plants that the freeze killed at the end of January as well. My littlest helper stayed with me while his older brother had guitar lessons. He helped me pull weeds, cultivate the soil, plan what we were going to plant and then set the seeds and plants. The bed closest to the gate enclosing our AC unit is for the boys. My goal to get them to enjoy gardening was to give them a place of their own to plant whatever they wanted to. Sunflowers and other flowers ended up being the seeds of choice to plant in their space. They did leave me a little space to plant a heat-resistant variety of lettuce and some green onions. I planted herbs, radishes and lettuce in my area, although the radishes were really the boys' idea...hmmm...

We had a few plastic pots lying around that we planted a few things in as well. Chives and parsley were planted in a couple of them, we planted a couple of tomato plants bred for patio planting and also planted some wildflower seeds that the boys were given on their tour of the recycling center a couple of weekends ago. There are still a few pots left that are crying out to have something planted in them, although that will happen after I quit using them as buckets for putting the rock in that we are taking out of the pool-side garden bed.

After we planted the vegetable/flower garden beds along the side of the house, we moved to the pool-side garden bed. We managed to plant the daylilies that I purchased, the bluebonnets, my biggest little-man's honeysuckle vine and crape myrtle on one end. It took us a full day of digging up and carting out rock in one small section to plan the bird of paradise plant. :( That venture will take up an entire post of its own!

Starting the garden is always a lot of fun. Planning and dreaming of what you want to grow, where you want things planted and how good things will look growing and how wonderful fresh produce tastes. Honestly, it's probably my favorite part (along with the harvesting and preparing of the produce!). I think that my kids would both agree.

Things we never thought would come out of our mouths...

...until having children!

I was on the phone with my dear friend, Shannon, on my birthday when I said to David:

"You may NOT use my kitchen tongs to catch lizards!"

Honestly, you'd think that would be a no-brainer. Things that I use for food preparation shouldn't be used to pick up live animals, right? Apparently, to my boys, things can be used for multiple purposes. There's no problem when it can be washed. Unfortunately, the very idea that the kitchen tongs could have potentially touched a live, squirming lizard just grosses this mama out!

Then either yesterday at breakfast, or at dinner the night before (my memory is failing me at the moment), I had to say to Aidan:

"Take that fork out of your nose! It's used for eating your dinner, not for picking your nose."

Oh, some of the many joys of having boys. ;)

Poison ivy/oak, ticks and no hot water--oh my!

That pretty much sums up last week--we had an awesome time camping up at Goliad State Park over the last half of spring break; however, 2 days after we returned home, my littlest man was covered in bumps and was itchy all over. While we were out camping, he got into some poison ivy or poison oak (not sure which) when he and his brother were out exploring on the bank leading down to the San Antonio river or in the little wooded area behind our campsite. Aidan fell asleep on the couch by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, his cute little face swollen and covered with flesh-colored bumps. He had a red rash under his right eye, on one of his ears, on each side of his chin, on his neck, spots on his legs, arms and hands. There was no crying (on his part)--he just itched and took his plight like a little champion.

The hubster took a quick trip to Walgreens (or Walmart--one of those Wal-stores...) after we consulted with a good friend about what to use to treat it. He came home with Zanfer, or as we like to call it in our house: liquid gold. 3 treatments over a period of 3 days, and now you would almost never know that he had it!

Here he is after homeschool co-op on Friday

Now to the no hot water. When Rob got home from work last Wednesday, he saw a small water puddle out by the garage door. We didn't think much about it at first, figuring that maybe someone decided to fill up a water bottle or something with the hose that is on that side of the house. We ate dinner, got ready for Awana and then noticed on the way out the door that water was running off the step from the area where the hot water tanks are in the garage and was trailing out the garage door. He sent the boys and I on without him, and stayed behind to take care of the water mess. The tank was leaking from the inside, and needed to be replaced. However, the home warranty company's contractors were not going to be able to get it taken care of until Monday!!! Ugh. We are so thankful for friends who offered to let us take showers at their houses, even if we only took one friend up on their offer. It's such a blessing to know that our Heavenly Father has blessed us with wonderful friends. :) The hot water was fixed yesterday, so we could finally take showers at home. And, come to find out, someone had turned the water main down, so we now have more water pressure than we have had since moving into this house. It is SO wonderful! We can now run two showers at the same time, which we haven't been able to do before. Oh, the little things we get so excited about! ;-)

Ticks...David found one on his stomach yesterday and freaked out a bit about it. To his credit, he picked it off himself and killed it. However, my little hypochondriac was scared that the bump was getting larger and redder (it was shrinking, but was only red where he was scratching it, every time that he thought about what had bitten him there). Today, the bite is nearly invisible--yay! I am unsure where he picked it up. He didn't have any in his hair or back or chest when I had checked him after our hike on Saturday, and he hadn't noticed anything until yesterday. Thankfully it is now gone, and we will now be on the lookout for more!

School Views...

We just finished up a geology unit and did so many fun things with it over the last 2 weeks! We grew a crystal garden, played a game to go through the rock cycle, modeled the rock cycle with crayon shavings (will do another post about that), made a lapbook (some of the pockets and mini books were printed from this site--I found them under the Rocks In His Head lesson plans and materials). I also purchased a rock and minerals kit from Home Science Tools--the boys really enjoyed getting to do the different tests when learning how to identify the different types of rocks and minerals. We read Magic School Bus Inside the Earth and Magic School Bus: Rocky Road Trip. There are 2 more things we have to do to finish this unit: finish our volcanoes and look at coal.

A and I also made a lapbook for review on our studies about Ancient Egypt, and we are now doing spring-themed copywork for penmanship and writing practice.

Here is a look at the "board" at the end of lessons today. D's spelling words are on there (A decided to write a few of them himself). A lot happens here--I don't know how I managed without it before now! :) I'm also going to start placing a few Spanish/English flashcards up here for the boys to grab to help them with learning Spanish. For the next week or so, we will be looking at colors.

Science experiments - electricity with batteries. The boys had a blast making their circuit maze and the headlamp. We still need to make our buzzer game, make our electromagnet in addition to a couple of other lab activities. Some things require more planning and time to execute, but we all have been learning a lot (and Rob thinks I'm now ready to start changing out outlets since I am becoming quite adept at stripping wires, connecting them, etc. I may leave those sorts of fun tasks to him though).

Math. We are just finishing up the first unit in each of these books. A flew through Singapore levels 1A and 1B and is just starting out in level 2A. It is definitely more challenging for him, but he enjoys it. D is now in Singapore 3B. I have really enjoyed using Singapore and Miquon math. My only qualm with the curriculum, Singapore especially, is that there is not enough drill and practice for certain sections. We have been able to by-pass that through various math websites online where you can print worksheets for free. Math-drills.com has been my favorite go-to site for the past 3 years when we need to do a little extra drill and practice. I think the boys like it best when they get to do speed drills with Daddy, or when we get to play other games.

D at 9.

Holding the chocolate moose that Nana and I made for his birthday.

• You give amazing hugs!
• You aren't too big to snuggle.
• You are now tall enough to drive the go-carts at The Zone all by yourself (you come up to my collarbone).
• You have a great sense of humor and love to tell jokes!
  
• You love to read--you just devoured Chuck Black's Kingdom series, the first 3 Harry Potter books, are almost finished with My Side of the Mountain, and want to read through C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia for the 2nd time in less than a year.
• Your favorite colors are green and yellow.
• You love the Texas Rangers.
• You were a Minnesota Vikings fan, but have now moved your allegiance to the Seattle Seahawks (which has made your daddy proud).
• I often find you shooting hoops out in the driveway--especially when it is time for us to pile into the car to go somewhere! ;-)
• You love to play football too.
  
• You say that you hate math when people ask you about it, but I know better (you really do like it).
• You like to catch frogs (and probably soon will like to catch lizards too).
• You love to build with LEGO.
  
• I love the worship songs that you make up and now accompany yourself to with your guitar.
• I love how you love your little brother.
• I love your tender heart.
• I love how inquisitive and creative you are.
• I love YOU!
  

These are just a few things about you, my firstborn, my heart. Blessings to you over the next year. :)

Love,
Mama xoxoxoxo

Spiritual lessons from the kitchen.

You may see this picture and wonder what pancakes have to do with anything spiritually related--don't worry, there truly is a connection. :)

I have a confession to make. I am not the most patient person on the planet. There are times when I feel that God's fruit of patience is showing (and growing) in my life, but there are so many other seconds, minutes, hours, etc. where this fruit seems to be out of my reach. Especially when patience is required to wait on God and His timing.

God reminded me about how cooking pancakes requires patience while I was standing in my kitchen making pancakes a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure that I responded something like this: "Huh?' and had a blank expression on my face. Then, the Holy Spirit brought to my recollection the first few times I ever tried to make pancakes. Oh my, those pancakes of years past were so deformed and misshapen (thankfully the way they looked did not impact they way they tasted!). I'm so thankful that Rob ate my feeble attempts at what were supposed to be pancakes during our first year or so of marriage. ;-) I had no patience. I felt that it wasn't important to wait until they were mostly set with air bubbles popping on the surface before flipping them. I just wanted to get those things done so we could eat breakfast! However, cooking pancakes requires waiting. The task requires patience. It takes practice too, but they definitely require patience. For someone who likes to be in control of things to some extent, and who sometimes feels a bit overwhelmed when she has to relinquish some sense of control, patience and waiting can be a bit difficult.

The common theme that my Father in heaven has been whispering to me over the last 2 months or so is to wait upon Him. I need to be patient. I need to trust in Him. God is trustworthy, I can put my trust in him and am learning (and practicing) putting my trust in Him. I know that he has a plan for me. His word says in Jeremiah 29:11,

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

His word also says: "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for you. His love for you endures forever--and he never abandons the works of His hands!" (from Psalm 138:8).

And do you know what? He is trustworthy. I don't need to be fearful of whatever the future may bring. As long as I am walking day-by-day with God, and am submitting my dreams, plans and everything to Him it will be okay. Things will not happen in my timing, they will unfold according to His perfect and sovereign plan (of which he reminded me in Isaiah 55:8 - "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD.").

My pancake-making skills have improved dramatically over the years, and I would like to think that with the Holy Spirit's help, I have also grown more in patience. But, I know that there is still ample room for growth, as I am being shaped into the likeness of my Creator.

Word for 2011.

Over the last few years, one of my favorite bloggers/scrapbookers posts her word of the year and encourages her readers to do the same. I have chosen not to participate in the game, not to laziness, but because I have never been able to think of a word in particular that emulates what my goals are for the upcoming year. I have prayed and pondered, and have prayed and have pondered some more, and finally have a word to focus on for 2011. Discipline.

dis-ci-pline - verb.
1. to train by instruction and exercise; drill
2. to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control.

I desire to be disciplined through having a regular morning quiet time with the Lord. This is a HUGE stretch for me--I am NOT a morning person, but through discipline (and with God's and my husband's help), I can train myself to be. "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family..." Proverbs 31:15a. Rob has woken me up the last two mornings, and it has been refreshing being able to drink my coffee in a quiet house, to read my Bible without having my children squabbling in the background and actually having time to pray! When I have tried to have my quiet time at other parts of the day, I become very distracted by what the boys are doing, I'm tired, or I stay up too late and sleep in too long.

Another area I desire to be disciplined in is exercise and eating well. To not eat cookies just because they are there (oh Girl Scout cookies, you are going to be testing my self control--thank goodness I already ate the Samoas!). ;-) I want to make healthier snack choices during the day, and to watch my portion sizes, even when I'm eating my favorite things! I want to get out with the boys to ride our bikes daily for part of our homeschool P.E. I want to walk with my friend, Angie, regularly. Once I get used to waking up before Rob leaves for campus, I'd like to wake up even earlier (eek--I can hardly believe I am saying that) to add yoga, weight training, etc. to my workout regimen. This will take discipline.

Discipline is something that I also need to be intentional about creating within our homeschool. To have a regular routine. For the most part, we do well routine-wise covering our subjects, but we really need to stay focused (I need to teach the boys how to stay focused on the task at hand), and have a better routine for getting our work done. Yesterday, they really enjoyed being able to play all afternoon since we finished school and had lunch by 1. Not all days are like that, but I think that we would all do better if they were. This routine will also flow into bedtime. Having the boys be in bed by 8:30 so Rob and I can spend time together before we go to sleep.

I have my work cut out for me this year. I know that challenges are going to arise; however, by writing this here, I'm hoping that there will be an added element of accountability.

"She sets about her work vigorously, her arms are strong for her tasks." Proverbs 31:17

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27

First day of school! First day of school!!!

Posing for the 1st day of school photo out in the courtyard.

Rob letting the boys in the front door, welcoming them for their 1st day of school.

Boys walking out in the back yard on their way to the front door so we can kick off our school year.

Box day! The boys open the box with our new homeschool curriculum. It is always exciting to see the new books we will be reading and studying from--Box Day generally happens a couple of weeks or so before our official start date.

August 25 marked the official start to our new school year. Although we had been doing school off-and-on all summer long, we decided to have the official new year kick-off date be the same day that Rob started teaching classes at UTPA. To celebrate, I fixed an Italian breakfast casserole for breakfast (that truly only Rob, Aidan and I appreciated--David complained quite loudly about the fact that there were tomatoes and olives in it!), then Rob sent the boys out the back door with their backpacks so we could greet them at the front door to welcome in the new school year. We had purchased a model airplane for each of the boys that was tucked into their backpacks. My initial intent was to have them build their planes after they completed all of their schoolwork; however, they were so excited to have the planes that I allowed them to build them before we started the day's lessons. Even with building their planes, they still had their assignments for the day completed by 11:00 a.m. It was so nice to begin our year on a good note!

Last year, I read somewhere (either on a blog, or in a homeschooling newsletter that I subscribe to) about different traditions people have to kick off the new school year. Homeschooling is unique in the sense that many of us, intentionally or unintentionally, school year-round, so there is no real "first day" to prepare for like our private and public school counterparts have. So, I wanted to make the first day of what I considered our new year to be meaningful and exciting.

Sending the kids out the back door and welcoming them at the front was one of the traditions I read about and started for our family last year. This year, I added the "surprise" of the model airplanes in their backpacks to celebrate the special occasion. Next year, I will probably tweak things a bit, or will add something else as well to help make that first day special, memorable and meaningful for each of my boys.

A Happy Birthday and Celebration of Fall.

My 3 guys in Gruene, TX - 2010

Glimpse of Fall - Taken in Virginia, 2005

First off, I want to wish my husband a very happy birthday today--may your 33rd year of life bring with it many blessings and much happiness. Thank you for being such an amazing husband, my best friend, and an awesome father to our 2 boys. I love your servant's heart--how much you want to serve God and serve others. I love your sense of humor and how you bring immeasurable joy to our household each and every day. I cannot imagine my life without you, Dr. Cubmaster, Ph.D. You have enriched it more than I could have ever thought possible. God definitely knew what he was doing when he had our paths cross 11 1/2 years ago. :)

P.S. You don't look a day over 25!

Secondly, yesterday ushered in the first day of my favorite season--autumn. Sadly enough though, it's a season that I don't really get to experience where I currently live. So, I'll bring out photographs of fall scenes I have experienced in years past, bake my favorite fall treats, light fall-scented candles and will imagine the sights, smells and the feel of autumns of years past. That, and I'll excitedly wait for my trip to Boston next month--guess that the quote from the VeggieTales song The Pirates Who Don't do Anything where they sing "...and I've never been to Boston in the fall" will no longer ring true for me. ;-)

More Vacation Photos...

You know you're loved when Grams bakes your favorite pies for you! Huckleberry for me, banana cream for Robbie! Gramma Royleen baked my other favorite pie for me when we were in Idaho, peach. Yum!!!

D with the little sunfish that he caught out at Waitts Lake

Boys playing in the Puget Sound (Whidbey Island in the background)

Life is never dull with these two crazies around. :)

Family photo just outside Leavenworth, WA

Vacation in Photos, Part 1

Boys @ the Columbia River--Mt. Hood in the distance

Multnomah Falls, Oregon -- beautiful. We all hiked up to the top!

Flight Mileage: Approximately 4900 miles, round-trip
Mileage put onto the rental car driving all over the Pacific Northwest: Approximately 2400 miles
A lot of ground was covered over 3 weeks!

He's 6!

This post is a little late--considering how his birthday was 2 months ago; however, I did promise the little man that I'd do a birthday post for him this year (since I didn't get to it last year...). We had a blast at his superhero training camp themed birthday party. The guests received their felt masks upon their arrival--to protect their identities of course. Isn't that what all superheros need to learn first? :) They went through their superhero training course, received their personalized superhero capes at their "graduation ceremony," they ate lunch, they had cupcakes and helped Aidan open his presents, then they had fun splashing around in the swimming pool. It was a great birthday for a super terrific boy!

Meandering Deep in the Heart of Texas.

Nothing quite says "home" to this girl raised in wheat country like grain elevators.

Our first time experiencing the beauty of the Texas state flower - bluebonnets (and my, were they pretty!)

Bluebonnets - a view from the city park in Crawford, TX

Our recent trip up north was full of new delights and wonders, and also proved to be a bit nostalgic. We were so amazed and enthralled by the beauty of the Texas countryside around Waco and Crawford. It's quite a bit different from what we have down here in the valley. The Brazos River and the different cliffs carved from the water that we glimpsed while at the Crawford City Park or even while driving along were so beautiful and unique. The green fields and the farms, er, ranches we drove past were so peaceful. And the wildflowers were oh so beautiful (the bluebonnets were definitely my favorites)!

We drove to and around Crawford one afternoon--just wanting to see what it was like (and to see where former President and First Lady Bush lived...). When we drove into town and I caught my first glimpse of the grain elevators, it felt like I had finally arrived home. A part of me wanted to pack up my bags and move right then and there. ;-) Alas, that is not meant to be, but it was fun to imagine and I enjoyed reminiscing about my hometown, small town life, relationships and dreaming about the grain elevators that dot the landscape of my childhood stomping grounds.

The weather was beautiful--perfect for a drive, and perfect for being able to play and explore around the park. The boys enjoyed a little rock climbing and rock skipping, and also enjoyed playing on the large wooden play structure in the park. Rob and I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the park (minus the laughter and shouts from our children) and the beauty of the view there. We felt so thankful to be able to enjoy a different part of our new home state and to be able to take in the beauty it had to offer. And just maybe, when we're in that area again, and I'm feeling a bit homesick, we can stop and see the grain elevators. :-)

Pondering.

The mood around our house is a bit somber and contemplative this morning. The boys and I just finished reading Jim Elliot: One Great Purpose by Janet and Geoff Benge and have been thinking about and discussing what we have read. When I asked the D-man what his thoughts and impressions were after reading the story, I was a little floored. He told me that Jim's story taught him that he should be willing to tell others about Jesus, even if it is risky. Following God's plan is more important than doing what will keep us comfortable (that was my thought, not his). Aidan was sad that Jim Elliot and the other men died, but was happy that Jim's wife was able to go tell the Waorani (aka "remember, those people") about Jesus later.

D mentioned last night that he wants to be a missionary pilot when he grows up. He has spoken of a desire to be a pilot in the Air Force or to be a missionary (or a catcher for the Texas Rangers), but our readings lately have blossomed this desire in him. A part of me wants to cling to my baby boy, to always be looking out for his safety and comfort; however, God was speaking to me last night, reminding me of the fact that in reality my children are His. Rob and I are to raise them, to train and teach them the ways of the Lord, to love them, and nurture them, but God has an ultimate plan for each of our boys' lives and that I need to be willing to submit to His will for them. So, while I sewed into the wee hours of the morning, I prayed for them.

I read 2 Corinthians 10 and 11 the other night and was reminded of the passage where Paul boasts about his sufferings. That man went through so much--beatings, multiple shipwrecks, imprisonment, stoning, hunger, thirst, etc. but he persevered to fulfill the purpose God had given him. That purpose was to share the gospel of Christ with others. What am I willing to go through to share the gospel? Am I willing to undergo potential rejection, discomfort, etc., or will I merely be content to stay within my comfort zone, choosing not to allow my boundaries to be stretched so He can be glorified? I can say that my boundaries are being stretched currently with starting a life group at our house and having just moved to a new community (although I think a part of me was begrudgingly obedient on that account--I would have been happy to have stayed where we were if that were a possibility).

The pondering is going to continue, and my prayers will increase. We need these challenges (or at least I do) from time to time to shake us out of our complacency and to make us reevaluate and seek His will for our lives.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame.

post game fireworks - the show was amazing

The Mariners fans of the bunch (Aidan is pouting because the Mariners were losing)

One happy Texas Rangers fan before the game

We Texans like our star. :)

Our view of the field - right after warm-ups.

We were able to take a trip up to Waco and Dallas late last week and were SO excited to find out that the Seattle Mariners were in town playing the Texas Rangers at the Rangers Ballpark at Arlington. The trash talking that happened between the male members of our household before the game was very enjoyable! Three-fourths of us are Mariners fans (although I must admit that Aidan hasn't really chosen his team yet--he's more of a Mariners fan by persuasion of his parents), while the other one is a Rangers fan (his Daddy hasn't gotten him to drink the Kool-Aid yet--lol!).

The game was so much fun. A 9-year-old boy and his family sat right in front of us, and David and Aidan enjoyed getting to talk to him about the game, the players and David and Jack played the Topps Attack card game with each other too. We enjoyed getting to meet Jack and his family during the game as well. David was happy to have a bunch of Rangers fans to do victory dances with whenever they scored runs (while we Mariners fans would just wonder when our team was going to start playing ball). The Rangers ended up being the victors; however, we all had a great time together watching baseball and getting to experience the wonders and excitement of seeing a game live.

After the game, we stayed to watch the fireworks show. We were supposed to have seen one last July when we were up in Arlington for a Mariners/Rangers game; however, the game was rained out and the fireworks canceled. This was not the case this time though. The weather was perfect for the game and for the fireworks afterward, and the show did not disappoint! We had a great time together watching baseball deep in the heart of Texas.

Brotherly Love.

D wrote a paragraph about his brother for school a few weeks ago. I thought it was so sweet that it just had to be shared! Enjoy. :)

We have an 8-year-old in the house!

Okay, okay...this post is over a month late since his birthday was in February; however, the truth remains that my baby who first made me "Mama" is now 8. Where has the time gone? He has grown so much--physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. His imagination always amazes me. He has a constant hunger to learn more and reads whatever he can get his hands on. He still loves Star Wars and is always building some new Lego creation. He is in his 2nd year of homeschool and seems to still enjoy it. :) He loves music and is always whistling or singing (and now has his guitar to strum on). He loves reading his new Bible and then shares what he has read with me.

We had a small family celebration with a homemade chocolate cake. Rob took him and a friend to a UTPA basketball game and then out for ice cream, then we all went on the Starlight Safari campout with our Cub Scout pack the following weekend at the zoo. It was a fun time celebrating a terrific boy!

Happy Crafting.

Here is my latest completed project--a pair of pink knitted booties, and a pair of hand embroidered felt booties. The booties are for one of my Alpha Phi sister's new baby girl. This mama to boys really enjoys the times when she gets to work on projects that cute and girly. :) I have been dying to post photos of these cuties; however, I had to be sure that the gift was received before divulging the surprise.

The yarn for the knitted booties was one I picked up at a cute little yarn and ukulele shop in Hanalei, Kaua'i. It's a bamboo-wool blend and was really fun to work with. I love how the light catches the fibers and was impressed with how nicely it knit up. I have only ever used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn on this pattern in the past and was glad to find a second yarn that I thought made a good substitute. The most difficult part of constructing the booties is grafting the sole; however, it's a lot easier than it seems (and I am SO thankful for the ladies at Mosaic Yarn Shop in Blacksburg, VA for teaching me when I made my first pair of these booties nearly a year ago).

The felt booties were completely a last-minute project idea that I found on a craft blog I follow, and once the idea was planted firmly in my mind, there was no turning back. The "pattern" for the embroidery was what I envisioned and turned out better than I ever imagined. The ivy vine was embroidered with dark green embroidery floss, and the little forget-me-nots were a light blue color with a buttery yellow center. Anytime I work on something this small on my sewing machine, I get a little bit nervous; however, these were surprisingly easy and Heather Bailey's instructions are very clear and easy to follow.

Both of these projects were great to do when I was running very short on time and needed to fulfill that creative urge. :)