Games! Messes! And Chicken Chases!

Mom got this work table at Goodwill for Jonah yesterday and the

 boys set it up this morning so he could play with it.

Jonah was drinking "chocolate milk" he made, which consisted of chocolate syrup

 and nothing else. After that, he continued to smear Desitin all over his face.

So, while I gave him a bath, Mom and Jackson came up with 2 surprises

 for him. One of which was to drop a puff ball from a spoon into a

 cardboard tube then into a bowl set underneath it.

 It entertained him for about 2 minutes.

The second surprise was window art. Mom, Jack, and Kate filled

 zip lock bags with paint. They then taped them to the

 window\ and "finger painted" with them. Jonah

 was soo excited to try it!

While all of this is happening, the house is an absolute pit.

 I can even prove it. Here are the pictures...

The boys like to stuff things under the carpets to make ramps for their cars.

I decided to get out of the dirty house for awhile and

 take Jonah on a walk down to the building.

I bundled him up and off we went!

Oliver accompanied us on our walk. Favorite dog ever!!

Our "pet" chicken however is not as well behaved.

It's Jack's job to make sure the chicken stays in the coop and

 when he saw that she got out, he bolted straight out the door, without shoes or a

 coat, and went right after the chicken. Jonah joined in

 to help Jackson with the chase.

It ended up getting away... they will catch you next time, chicken!

When Jonah and I finally made it down to the building,

 we walked around and looked at things for awhile,

 then we headed outside to play in the snow!

An airplane flew over us and Jonah was so excited!

He kept pointing and going, vveeeerm.

We got cold, so we started the trek back up to the house.

Jonah kept trying to get Oliver to go back to the house with us.

 After awhile he finally relented.

 I love spending time with my little man!

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.

 He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord?

 And who is the rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength

 and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of

 a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.

2 Samuel 22:31-34

Why We Home-school

A lot of people have wondered why we choose to home-school.

 So here's the story on how Mom and Dad came to

 the decision to home-school us kids.

Mom and Dad never really thought about homeschooling their kids

 until they met and became friends with a couple home-school families. Mom loved

 how their kids behaved, talked easily and respectfully with adults, and she especially

 liked how the kids all seemed to be friends with each other. Mom even named

 Landon after one of the boys she met and wanted her boy/s to be like.

Landon(7) and Isaac(4)

 Friends come and go, but family is forever, so you might

 as well get to know and cherish them the most, right?

Kate(8) Jack(4) Isaac(6)

 Mom said when Glynne was about 2 was 

when she decided she couldn't bear to send her to school.

me(8) Landon(5)

Kate(1) Landon(3)

Landon(10) Jackson(4) Isaac(6)

Isaac(5) Landon(10)

Here are (most) everyone's views on why we home-school. 

Kate- Because we get to be with family and it's fun...most of the time.

Mom- I home-school because I want to spend lots of time with my kids. Nobody

 knows my kids better than I do, and I want to be able to impart our

 values throughout the day.

Isaac- Cause it's easier. Um...and Mom and Dad

 didn't want us to go to public school.

Ally- To keep more focus on God during our growing up years.

Me- So that we don't get caught up in some things public schools teach,

 and to teach us something they don't, the most important

 subject- the love of our Savior!

Landon- Because we're taught the truth.

Glynne- Um...You're not around bad influences all day.

Dad- I didn't want to turn over my kids to total strangers

 to mold and shape each of their personalities.

I hope this gave you a little insight to the impact homeschooling can

 have on a family. May you have wisdom and joy during this next semester!

..."I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful,

 not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, 'Age should speak; advanced years

 should teach wisdom.' But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty,

 that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise,

 not only the aged who understand what is right."

 Job 32:6-9

One Month Old!

Jenna turned 1 month old today, so I set up a mini studio in

 the laundry room and took Jenna's 1 month pictures for her baby book.

We've loved having you as a part of our family, Jenna!

But as for you, continue what you have learned and have become convinced of,

 because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy

 you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you

 wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

New Year's Eve!

This year we ended up spending New Year's together as a family.

 We had lots of fun baking, playing games, and answering Bible trivia.

Kate snuck to the basement to get away from Jenna's crying while Mom and Dad

 left for a second to drop off a New Year's basket to our good friends.

Ally actually helped Glynne bake! 

 I know, I was surprised too!

They made apple chips...

And banana chips...

And pumpkin blondies. Which are technically brownies

 without chocolate...

Landon has been very busy building these train/toothpick/remote-control thingys

 he likes to do battle with. Ohh, the mind of a thirteen year old boy.

While Glynne and Ally were busy with the baking, Jenna

 decided to stop crying for a couple of pictures and

 Jack finished his fire truck puzzle. 

Glynne also made these amazing pretzels and Jack and

 I made some cheese dip to go with them.

Mom got us kids some new games for Christmas and Spot It

 is everyone's favorite. The little kids are really good at it and, Mom,

 Dad, and us older kids have a blast playing with them!

After 12:00 p.m. and yelling HAPPY NEW YEAR!, everyone headed

 off to bed except for Ally and me. I decided to stay up and write this blog while the

 fire was going and the house was quiet. Ally stayed up for awhile to

 look at Pinterest and to have some quiet sister time with me.

 Love you, Ally!

I hope this year God will bring many blessings to you

and that you will take advantage of a new year and a new start! 

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour

has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our

 salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11