Oh, Another Trip to Braces"ville"!

Well we find ourselves at Braces"ville" once again. To read about our first journey go here.

On Tuesday Joshua got his braces on. He is slowly adjusting to a mouth full of metal. Joshua chose Carolina blue for his bands. I am so thankful that we can do this for our boys and can't wait to see the end results. I am praying that we won't have to take a third trip to Braces"ville"... we will just have to wait and see.

He Got it!

Joshua received some mail today.

You know he's been watching the mailbox, like a hawk, for days now.

 And today was the day. His license came!

A Valentines I Won't Soon Forget

Valentines Day is a great day to give a little extra attention to the ones you love. And there's no better way to say I LOVE YOU than with CHOCOLATE!!!

We discovered a new store (well not really new... just new to us), that sells wonderful German chocolate. I thought these chocolate Hippos were funny. Perfect for Joshua.

These are some kind of chocolate covered cookie cones. They looked really yummy. Since they didn't have nuts in them and were not chewy or sticky they would be just right for Seth. Orthodontist approved! ;o)

And for Noah, chocolate covered sunflower seeds. One of his favorites. We have had these before from Trader Joe's. Another yummy choice!

Mike received some German mint chocolate squares. I also got him some of this coffee that's made  in Italy. He has been eying it for a while now.

What happened next was the scariest thing that has happened to me ever!...

 

Take a close look at the picture above... do you see it? Yep, that's my van leaving my street...

 

And this one was right before that when it was going by my house...

And here its leaving my driveway...

Okay... do you see it now? Someone is in MY van getting ready to drive away!!!!

Can you make them out now?...

Yea, you guessed it, it's Joshua. He got his drivers license on Friday. This is the first time he is going out alone.   

He was not happy about me taking all these pictures. He will get over it soon enough! Not only is he going out without me or his daddy, he is taking his brothers with him. Mike had arranged for the boys to go to a friends house for the evening so we could have some alone time. He stopped at Whole Foods on the way home and grabbed dinner so I wouldn't have to cook. It was great! I didn't have to do a thing. He also gave me a present which was a DVD copy of my favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice. We had a relaxing dinner while watching Mr. Darcy win Lizzie's heart AGAIN! It was most agreeable!

What We've Been Up To...

Wow! I can't believe its February already. After the hustle and bustle of Christmas we have finally settled back into somewhat of a normal routine again. The past month has been filled with many good things like...

 

Training our new puppy, Phinehas. He has been a great addition to our family. As you can see even our first born (canine), Mordecai, has grown to love him too. Don't let the above photo fool you though... Mordecai is still the top dog around here and he's not about to let some little scrappy puppy come in and steal his place. He reminds Phinehas of this quite often!

In January, Joshua and Seth started attending Civil Air Patrol meetings. (You can check out their website here.)They have decided to join CAP and I am so excited. CAP is like military for kids. They teach leadership skills along with many other important skills. The boys go to a meeting once a week and practice drills, learn new skills, have PT (physical training). They will be entering as cadet airman basic, but have the opportunity to move up the ranks by passing written and PT tests. As they progress ranks they have more and more leadership responsibilities.

CAP is actually affiliated with the Air-force and can in some situations be sent on real life missions. If they so desire they can start learning to fly at age 14. The CAP cadets run the local air-show that comes to town once a year. They plan and run everything! Adults are there to supervise and for safety reasons, but the cadets pretty much do it all.

The boys have already had the opportunity to take a class on first aid and blood born pathogens. They are going to learn soooo much. I wish we had discovered this years ago. The boys have officially joined and are waiting to receive their id numbers. They have purchased their BDU'S (battle dress uniform) and are learning how to wear them and how to press them. This is no joke...the pockets have to be pressed completely flat and the coat and pants should have no wrinkles.

Joshua wouldn't let me get a picture of him ironing... so this is what I got. He was being silly. Along with signing up for CAP Joshua has decided to take some classes at our local community college. They have a program specifically designed for homeschoolers that want to earn some dual enrollment credits before they graduate high school. He has taken the placement test and is looking into the EMS program. We are still waiting to hear when he can actually begin classes. We found out that through CAP he can earn credits also for EMS training. They have an EMS division within CAP. I know the skills and knowledge they obtain through CAP will help them now and in the future.

Sometimes as moms we can worry about our children who seem to have not found their direction, but then it just happens. The Lord brings it all together. One of our favorite verses in the bible is... And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) Now that doesn't mean that we wont have bad things happen to us or that we only experience GOOD things. What it does mean is that we can have confidence that whatever IS happening to us is in God's hand and He is working ALL of it for our ultimate good. Our number one goal is to live a life that brings glory to Him no matter what we are going through. So we continue to draw near to Him and trust His plan for our lives.

Joshua's 16th Party

It was a lot of fun celebrating your 16th birthday.



Again you wanted Cinna-Bons cinnamon rolls for your cake. They are oh so yummy!



You were surrounded by some of your very best friends... Lucas, Levi, Andrew, and Nate.



Look at all those candles.



Wonder what you're wishing for? After "cake" everyone went out for a nice friendly game of air-soft in the dark. What you didn't know was that your mom had planned a surprise attack.



I gave each of your friends a can of whip cream and told them to attack you.



Looks like it was a successful mission.



You were completely covered and so you thought you would be nice and share some with your mom... you came and gave me a big hug and rubbed it all over my head.

let me just tell you that stuff is hard to get out of your hair.



After we ALL cleaned up it was time to open your gifts. Look at that greasy hair from the whip cream.

You had a great celebration. I can't believe you're 16 now, but more than that I can't believe what a fine young man you have grown into. Your dad and I are so proud of you and we love the way you make us laugh... it's hard to stay irritated at you for very long and I think you know it too! We love you buddy!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

Happy, happy 16th birthday! I can't believe what I just typed. 16??? Where does the time go?

Just the other day we were bringing you home from the hospital.



Just the other day you were 6months old, content sitting in your swing with your up-side-down paci.

okay... i am so NOT going to make it through this post without crying!




Just the other day, you were 11 months old, and loving life at how fast you could crawl, get into the laundry, and scatter it all around the room.



Just the other day you were 1, giggling with the goats at the petting zoo.

i loved those cute little bells on your shoes!




Just the other day you were 2, thrilled to be at one of the best places in the world... Bapa and Granma's house, hanging out with your best bud Gibby.



Just the other day you weren't much taller than the couch and you thought it made a nice pillow.



Just the other day, you knew life didn't get any better than riding on a real train for the first time while slurping down a Hi-C juice box.



Just the other day, you thought there wasn't anything greater than sliding into your little pool while wearing your favorite goggles.



Just the other day, you were 3 and oh so proud of your new soccer trophy.



Just the other day, you were 7 and busily building leaf piles with yours brothers and then jumping into them.



Just the other day, you turned 16 and your mother realized that she had ONLY two sweet years left and that you had grown into a young man.

told you i would make it through with out crying

Look Who's Drivin'!

He did it! Yesterday Joshua got his learners permit. He was so excited he wanted to drive home from the DMV. Even though he had never driven the van, he was just eager to drive... and I was okay with that.

Really!

okay, maybe i was a little nervous with him driving me and his brothers in our new van for the first time... whatwasithinking!!!

No, really he did great! Mark this down as another "proud mama moment". I still can't believe I'm old enough to have a kid driving.

I sure hope his enthusiasm for wanting to drive lasts... I could get us to being chauffeured around for awhile. Keep up the good work! We are proud of you!

Happy Birthday Joshua!

This past week our oldest, Joshua, turned 15 yrs old. I can hardly believe it myself!

He had a party with a few of his closest friends. One of them thought it would be funny to put the candles on the cake backwards.

This is what you get when you let your 15 year old boy decorate his own cake!...



...And an 11 year old boy in charge of decorations... n-i-i-i-c-e!!!

You know... the cake and decorations are great, but those things don't really matter all that much. The thing that matters the most is WHO they are becoming. God has blessed me with fantastic boys! Are they always polite? NO! Are they always thoughtful? NO! They are no different than you and me... we all have our things don't we? Growing and learning is a process that never ends no matter how old you get.

Joshua is a very fine young man. I know his heart, his character, and his love for the Lord. It is amazing to me to see how much he has grown spiritually. His daddy and I are very proud of the commitments he has made to the Lord. We know the Lord has great plans for you, Joshua and we can't wait to see how God uses you in the future to bring Him glory.

Who couldn't love a face like that!!!

Noche De Ocho

Tonight the eighth graders had a celebration dinner at church. They were celebrating the move from middle school to high school. The girls had to wear dresses and the guys had to wear a shirt and tie.

My little boy has really grown into a nice young man. (Who doesn't like his picture taken... he takes after his mother on that one!)

I love to see him dressed up like this... Doesn't he look so handsome? (girls younger than 20 need not answer!)

Joshua... I am so proud of you... you represent well... I LOVE YOU... mom.

~♥~

Mock Trial

Well, as we come to the end of another school year, it's nice to look back at all we have learned. Challenge B was "challenging" but Joshua is glad he was able to be a part of the class. Although he was stretched beyond comfort and at times felt like he was being put into the fire, the experiences and knowledge gained shine like little golden nuggets. Lord, I pray that we never waste the opportunities you give us to learn more about you and the world you created. Thank you for blessing the work of our hands. (and minds!)

One of the things Joshua got to experience this year was participating in a Mock Trial. The class spent 15 weeks working on the trial. They each were assigned a part (character) in the trial. It was a murder case and the wife of the deceased was the main suspect. The trial was held at a court house with a judge (who is a defense attorney in real life) and a small panel of jurors. All the local Challenge B classes compete against each other. Joshua was a defense attorney. He had to do the opening statement and a cross examination of one of the witnesses. Even though their class lost in the first round, it was amazing to see the kids actually conducting a trial! The judge said he was blown away by what he saw and that if this was the future of the judicial system then we would be in great hands. He also said that he was seriously going to consider home schooling as an option for his children. WOW!

Click here to see some pictures.

Look at that tired face... It was about 10:30 by the time we got home. (the trial lasted about 3hrs!) Then I suddenly realized that I didn't have any pictures of Joshua by himself. He was not very happy with me about having to take more pictures (especially because he had already changed clothes!)... but he did manage to squeeze out a few last smiles!!! (well, with some coaxing) :0)

2009 Goals

For the past few years, at the beginning of a new year, I take time to set a few goals for the year. I started this after reading a book that was talking about how important it is to have goals. The Author said, "If you aim at nothing you will hit your target every time." That really got me to thinking, "What am I aiming at? Where does God want me aiming?" So, this is how I make sure I'm not aiming at nothing. I begin with prayer and ask God to show me the things I need to work on then I take three index cards and on one side of each card I write one goal. Then on the other side I write the steps of how I can achieve that goal. So for example the main goal could be... to live a more Christ centered life.(That would go on one side of the index card) Then on the other side of the index card I would flesh out how I will live a more Christ centered life. This is kind of how it looks...

1. Spend more time in the word...

a. get up 15mins earlier to read the bible
b. get involved in a bible study

I keep these index cards in my bible to review periodically. At the beginning of the next year I look back at my goals and see the areas that still need some work but, best of all I see the goals I did accomplish that year.

One of my goals this year is to read at least 12 books. This may not sound like a huge goal, but between homeschooling and taking care of my family this is a good challenge for me. I plan to read at least 15mins a day. My 12 book goal does not include the books I read to the boys. Most days we read a chapter a day after lunch, while snuggling on the couch. (That is my favorite part of homeschooling!) So...I thought I would write a review of the books when I finish them. The first book is....

I really liked this book. It talks about how important it is to bless those we love and equally important to receive a blessing from those who love us. The unconditional love and approval that come with the blessing shapes our self-esteem and emotional well-being. There are chapters on what happens when we don't receive the blessing and how we can make sure our loved ones receive the blessing from us. In the back of the book there are ideas for ceremonies of "Blessings" that can be done for your parents, a spouse, or a child. I wish I had read this book about a year ago. It would have helped with the planning of the celebration we had when Joshua turned 13. He invited a few friends over for a sleep over. At one point during the evening we gathered the boys together and Mike gave a short speech and read some scriptures. We went around the room and had everyone say some words of affirmation to Joshua. Then we presented Joshua with his gift. We gave him a purity ring.(We had discussed this prior to the event and he wanted to make a commitment to purity.) It is a woman's wedding band. He will wear it until he puts it on his brides finger. (If she wants to use it as her band, of course!) It ended up being a very special night. We plan to do this again with Seth and Noah when they turn 13.

Joshua receiving his ring.