What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

Well tonight we find ourselves in a hotel room in Las Vegas! We have had a great time on our trip thus far and now we're having a bit of car trouble! Imagine that 'us on vacation with car trouble'! So we're trying to make the most of it!! We took the kids out to dinner at Hard Rock Cafe! Not exactly a totally wholesome place but fun none the less! And great food!! I'll update more as time allows!!! HAHA!!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Audiobook sites

I bought an audio series called Jonathan Park Creation Adventure for the road trip and I'm very pleased with it! It's about two christian families who go on many adventures. Along the way their faith in the Lord is on display for all to see... Great series!!

On this site I found a download of Pilgrim's Progress. They also have many other classics like: Shakespeare, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Heidi...etc The narrators and quality varies from book to book.


Each month Christianaudio.com offers a different audiobook download for free!
For May the book is Foxe's Book of Martyrs , it normally costs $17.00!

There are other freebies on this sight too here is another:
John Piper's - 'Desiring God' Prayer, Meditation, and Fasting

Free Audio Stories for Kids!

I love to read to my kids! I would love to do it more and am striving to do so! But as I'm getting ready for vacation I know I will not have much time to read outloud to them! So I went searching for some more audio books (we already own many) and I found the site Storynory. It has great classic stories narrated by Natasha Gostwick that can be downloaded for FREE.

Here are a few of the ones I'm downloading:

• The Hare and the Tortoise
• Thumbelina
• The Ugly Duckling
• The White Snake
• Rapunzel
• Rumpelstiltskin
• Snow White
• Hansel and Grettel
• The Snow Queen
• The Boy Who Cried Wolf
• Aesop's Fables
• Beauty and the Beast
• Cinderella
• Sleeping Beauty

So if you have little ones and want to make the most of driving time, instead of just throwing in one video after another, try putting one of these stories in and your children will be asking for more!! Trust me!!

~Enjoy

Wordless Wednesday

Odd Children

It's official our children are all odd! Today is Gabriel Adam's 7th birthday! So that makes our kids 9,7,5,3,and 1! Today I'm thinking back to his 'birth'day. I was 36 wks 3 dys and went in to the hospital that Saturday morning on May 11th (around 9am) after having contractions consistently all night long. When I went in I was only at a 2-3 so they had me walk a bit but didn't want to admit me necessarily since I was still a bit early. They didn't want to help it along til they knew for sure I was actually in labor. So around 10:30am they checked me again and I was up to a 4 so they called the on-call doctor (mine was out of town at her mothers, it being Mother's Day the next day) and he came and suggested they break my water. This was only my second delivery and I had an epidural with Braden that didn't fully take so I was a little apprehensive about getting another. I tried to handle the contractions on my own for a while and couldn't take it anymore. I had no idea what the pain was going to feel like and even worse didn't know how to cope with it! So I promptly asked for the epidural and couldn't feel a thing after that! Which was exactly what I wanted at that point! I really did want to have a drug-free delivery that day but wasn't prepared at all! Little did I know that God was going to give me three more opportunities after that day to have drug-free deliveries. You'll hear their stories over the next few months, as they all have summer birthdays! For today I celebrate that day just the way the Lord wanted it to be, and the life He has given my precious son!! I Love you Gabe, more than all the ducks in the world!!!

Homeschool Open House

Oh what a night!
We had our open house for homeschool students
on Friday night and it was a great success!

Here's our display. We made boards to display some
of the work the boys have done this year!

There was "Presenting Time" scheduled in to allow for each family to present something they learned in school this year! We had around 16 kids read, recite, sing etc! They all did wonderful and we are so excited to see this group grow and flourish in the years to come! We even had guests that weren't a part of the homeschool group come visit and see what we've been up to all year!

First up is Ethan! Here I'm presenting Ethan with his Kindergarten diploma He's graduating from kindergarten this year! He's really excited! (though I don't think he realizes that first grade requires much more work than K!!)










Next up is Braden! He read a writing assignment he did a while back on pillbugs. He came up with a great title... "The Cool Crustaceans"!! He was nervous but did great!! I love seeing the kids accomplish something that at first they are sure they cannot do!!







Last up for our family was Gabe! He read a penmanship story book he made on Norway! He was actually up there before Braden but decided he REALLY didn't want to do it. After Braden went Grandma turned around and said he could be the one to open the group present (good job at school present) if he would go up and read his story. Without any hesitation he said "ok" and jumped up and read his story like a pro!! It's true that sometimes you have to have just the right thing to motivate!!

Braden and Gabe were teaching the kids (& daddy)
some of the games the colonial kids used to play.

Stick Toss and Jackstraws

Kindergarten Diploma

Ethan's graduating tonight...from kindergarten that is! I found a great Homeschool Resource site that has a ton or printable charts, planners and schedules. On it I found a Kindergarten Diploma to print out for our Homeschool Recognition Night tonight! It's going to be a great night of celebrating all that the Lord has given us to learn about!

Bunches of Hoboats!

This morning as we were getting cereal out for breakfast Braden said he was going to eat "Bunches of Hoboats". He said it jokingly because that's what Madi used to call Honey Bunches of Oats! All last summer (she turned 3 in July) it was her favorite cereal but she couldn't pronounce it "berry well" (as she would say). So every morning out of her mouth would come "I want Bunches of Hoboats"!! Too funny!

Free Chicken Update!

KFC is not honoring the coupons because of high demand!

A Quiet Moment

Last night I was feeling quite frazzled! I had been busy all day and when Ben got home I felt as though I accomplished nothing. I had a couple of little errands to run. Before I left Ben suggested that I take a book with me and after I run my errands stop at Scooters, get a cup of coffee, and read in peace and quiet!! He is so sweet to me! So I sat in a quiet coffee shop and read! It was wonderful, for a whole hour I read without sticky hands slapping my pages or stopping to break up a fight. And when I returned home I found all 3 loads of laundry were folded and put away, the kitchen was clean and Ben and the kids were already to chapter 5 in John!!! What a wonderful husband I have!

Free Chicken- Not honoring internet coupons any longer

I went to KFC and they said due to the high volume of coupon requests they can no longer honor these coupons. :-( I wonder what they thought would happen when they put their promotion on Oprah! I'm not a viewer but the word sure traveled fast! They will however give you a raincheck form to fill out and mail in and they will send you 'another' coupon for the same thing with an added bonus 'free pepsi'! So you can still get a free meal it's just a little more work!!

Former Post:
Follow this link for your free 2 piece grilled chicken, 2 sides and a biscuit!! Free from the Oprah show and KFC!!! I already printed mine! You can print up to 4!!

Wordless Wednesday

John is ESV!

Our new bibles!

This Sunday our Pastor announced that as a church body we will be switching from the New American Standard Version of the bible to the English Standard Version. I have only ever had the New King James Version and never thought of getting a different version til now! The ESV is based on the KJV(so not very different) and William Tyndale's New Testament translations from the 1500's. (Braden thought that was really cool having just learned about him in school a few weeks ago) It came out in 2001 and is becoming evermore popular among respected bible scholars of today. As our Pastor stated, there are a few reasons it's gaining attention and approval:

First, it is a literal 'word-for-word' translation as opposed to 'thought-for-thought' wherein the 'translator' essentially turns into an interpreter telling you what they think it means and not just giving you the original God-breathed words. "A world class team of Christian Bible Scholars compared the ESV text against the best Greek and Hebrew manuscripts" to confirm its accuracy. Now in case you're confused about all these 'versions' and don't know which is in which category, the NASB, KJV, NKJV and also ESV are together in the category of literal 'word-for-word' translations unlike the NIV or NLV which are thought for thought'.

Second, while keeping the commitment to literal translation the ESV has great literary quality. It is easy to read as it flows nicely keeping with today's English. We can attest to this! We have been reading John from our ESV's and are enjoying it! (Again just a couple of word or sentence structure changes, not content!!)

Finally and above all, the bible is the very Word of God! Accuracy in translating it is vital. For it is THE most important book ever written! I thank God for the many faithful workers He has given over the past 500+ years that have been committed to making sure people can read His word in their own language.

The Last Curl!

Well that's it! I just cut off the last boy curl! I looked at Jake today and realized he was looking a little scraggly in his 22nd month!



It was time... but was I ready?!! This would be my last "first hair cut"!! ;-(

All my boys have had the same little curl in the back when they were babies. Cutting it is just another sign that tells me they're growing up too fast! Well I went ahead and grabbed the scissors quickly before I chickened out!

I trimmed him up a bit and it's amazing how just a little cut can change a little boy's appearance so much. He looks like such a 'big boy'!



Before & After

It may not seem like a huge difference but he looks so different now!

*As a side note, we had to bribe him with bacon to sit in the chair! He is definitely his father's son!!! Once he finished the bacon we gave him a popsicle!

Here he is sportin' the new 'do'!

"Oh 'Jakey Boy' I'm gonna miss your curl" Well at least I have it in a ziploc!