Disney part of our Florida Vacation!!

This past week we spent time in Florida!! This is our first true vacation (other than camping trips). My parents (Papa and Gigi) were able to go with us!! Them being able to go was such a blessing!! Along with the kids first plane ride, this was also Carl's first time. They all did a great job! No fussing from babies at all and Bear really enjoyed flying! 

When we finally got through the line at Magic Kingdom they gave us all 1st Visit buttons!!!

Dumbo ride is a must for the kiddos. 

Castle with Walt Disney in front. They also had a super fun concert on the stage at the castle!!

We were so blessed to be able to stay in a beautiful house while we were there. We had a pool and game room that the kids utilized everyday!! Such a wonderful place to be when we had a hot fun day at Disney. 

We loved Animal Kingdom!! 

In front of the Life Tree there at Animal Kingdom. Papa and Gigi was such an added blessing for us the week we were in Florida! 

Kids with Mickey and Minnie! They were excited but still made them nervous to see the characters they have seen in a movie.

We also really enjoyed Epcot! We were there during their Food and Wine festival. So neat seeing all the different types of food from the different countries. The boys and sis road the Test Track ride...Yes, they waited in line for almost 2 hours. Gigi and I entertained babies while babies entertained the crowd. Gigi and I decided that no matter where you are from or what language you speak EVERYONE knows how to play and talk to a baby!

Stopped off in Mexico! We had some darling kids in sombreros and had some tasty tacos!! 

Tried to get a group picture everywhere we went. It was very hot this day...

Big kids after our hot day at Epcot. They really enjoyed all the different cultures they saw. They weren't brave on the food items however. 

Our last Disney stop was Hollywood Studios. 

BL has always liked the movie Cars. So, he was very excited when he saw Lightning McQueen and Mater. He is a guy who doesn't get too excited over much anything but we could tell he was very excited for them!

General Army Soldier from Toy Story. This guy made them very nervous for some reason. Although, they did stand for a picture. 

Group in front of New York. The other end of the street was San Fransisco. The props there were amazing!

BL and his daddy are MAJOR fans of Star Wars!!  There was a whole section for Star Wars there at Hollywood Studios.

Sis joins in almost everything that her brother likes and does.

This is just our Disney part of our vacation. Not sure how to say how much fun we had together! Disney is one thing that I think everyone should experience. I would really like to go again when the babies are older. It would be easier and even more fun when they get to 40" tall.

Many Blessings To YOU!!

Trust and Obey

Continuing with our unit today we are doing teachers and ministers. BL wrote adjectives that describe each of those professions. When Bear was working on her tools of the trade page. She wanted to put the work boot on the teacher side! Just thought how true is that! Although, her brother convinced her otherwise.. Since we began school till this time now. I would say she is officially an expert in cutting and pasting. Mainly excited about the cutting part! 

With our new curriculum we are using. Reading goes right along with it. I was doing sight words and that seemed to be way more work than just diving in. So, we are diving in head first!! Her and her brothers learning styles on reading are SO different. 

Working on his new vocabulary words. 

My mom (Gigi) gave us this really cool National Geographic US Atlas along with a book on presidents. These kids are eating it up!! She gave it to us at the PERFECT time. We are working our way though the states and capitals. Starting with the Northeast. 

Connecticut is first on our Geography lessons. This book is really great! Gives lots and lots of information about each state. And they loved finding all the nursery farms on the map. Along with learning about the Northeast we are also learning about Colonial Times. They have both discovered they wouldn't have wanted to attend school in those times.

HOLY MOLY!! We are in full fledged packing/cleaning mode at our humble abode! Packing 6 is a chore...along with getting everything situated for my sister (Nanna) to come over. I know the kids are excited. I would almost bet that us adults are WAY more excited!! 

Just to share what is on my heart for a second. LOVE. Love has been on my heart. Love in such a direct way. I want to love as God loves. I love my family to the fullest. I can honestly say that is about the extent of my love. So, I have decided that in order to truly love and show love (even in the check out line at walmart) I need to TRUST and OBEY God. Those are two things that work hand in hand. I am learning to fully rely upon Christ. As I read in my Bible almost always it has dealt with love. I do believe that is God yelling at me "Look how much I love you!!" I should be showing this to everyone who I come in contact with or even those I don't and they are just watching. I totally deserve hell and he LOVES me so much. 

"He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever, he does not treat as as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his LOVE for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

Psalm 103:8-12

Since I am a follower of God, I must model his forgiveness and LOVE to those. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

I have taken a step back and really looked at my values and priorities. What is truly important and what is truly in need. In order to know what these are I need to totally LEAN on Christ, acknowledge that he knows best and he will guide me. I am seeking what Christ is wanting from me as Jesus states in Matthew 6:33. When I worry about things, it just is showing God I don't trust him. So many things have been effecting and interfering in my life that put God behind it all. 

I know that we go through growing pains and roller coaster in our walk. I am so grateful that God LOVES me and is so gracious and caring that he always brings me back to Him. How we often take salvation for granted. How we often forget. I love being asked about my salvation.

In 1886 Daniel Towner was a song leader and was asking people how they had been saved. Several stood up and spoke of their salvation. But then a young man rose and said, "I am not quite sure, but I am going to trust, and I am going to obey." That night Towner wrote the hymn "Trust and Obey".

Many Blessings To YOU!!

Meet the Dentist

Today we did dentist. I wasn't going to do dentist, however, since the kids just went to the dentist, it is still fresh in their memory. And it gives us an excuse to eat marshmallows!! 

We rolled a die and what number they rolled is how many teeth they filled in with marshmallows. 

They started with the incisors first and worked their way pack to their molars. Along with this we discovered what teeth we use for different types of food. 

Bear started a new curriculum this week! Can't give a review yet being we are on week one. 

Started with letter A. She knows all her letters and their sounds. We are currently working on putting them together and making a word. And that adding letter(s) to -an makes lots of words!! 

After school was finished the babies were still sleeping. So while I ironed the kids tackled Yahtzee!! 

For the record the Christian station on iTunes is awesome!!! 

Many Blessings To YOU!!

To Serve and Protect

Today we went to take a tour of our local police department. 

We are studying community workers. Our PD is recently remodeled. It is such a nice place inside. Last time I was there was grade school and we took a tour... It is a whole lot nicer now. We are so blessed to live in a wonderful town. Low crime rate and the officers are truly here to protect and serve. 

This has reminded me how God is there to protect and defend those who have come to Him. I just sometime totally get overwhelmed by this thought! I love love LOVE my kids with every bone in my body. But this still is just a small amount of love God has for His people. 

In school and through college I always felt like I needed to defend in behalf of Christ. And I would get worked up about it and really would shake me to the core when a person and I wouldn't meet eye to eye about Christ. I have recently be told through a sermon that I need to stop being so defensive because they aren't attacking me and my belief in Christ. But actually attacking Christ. If I would have come to the conclusion of giving this reigns to Christ and it being said or done HIS way and not MY way it would have gone so much more smooth. I wonder how many people I totally ran off due to not allowing Christ to handle this through me. It is all pure selfishness. 

Lots of rambling going on (I know). However. I have decided that in order for me to live the life that God who is graciously giving,me I need to keep my mouth shut sometimes. God has so much grace for love for me I need to be showing this to everyone I come in contact with. Sounds super simple.. But the mouth thing is not a simple task for me. 

This is part if a hymn called Grace in its highest definition is --

 It is this grace which in our spirit is,

 There energizing, working out God’s will.

This grace, which is the living Christ Himself,

 Is what we need and must experience;

 Lord, may we know this grace and by it live, 

Thyself increasingly as grace to sense. 

I know this has been a huge leap from police station with the kids. However, it is what I have been learning. 

Many Blessings To YOU!!!

Fall Fog

This morning as I was drinking my coffee and looking out our front window, I noticed how foggy it was. Fog can really hinder your vision. Reminded me that we sometimes get "fog" in front of us to where we cannot see what Christ is showing us. 

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. Hebrews 1:3

We know that the sun is bright to where we cannot look upon it. That is just a slight glimps of what God is (on the brightness scale). He sent Jesus to give us a glimps of himself. They are of each other and perfect. God gave His son so that he was able to forgive all of our sins. My sins. 

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:8-11

Besides reminding myself that Christ gets all the glory and honor for everything in my life, we are trying to show our kids that Christ gets all of it.

So in the midst of the fog. We shouldn't allow our sight to be hindered with Christ working daily in our lives. 

We are one day closer to our Disney trip!!

Princess working on some prepositional alphabet stamping! This girl loves to stamp! Not sure why I didn't think about this earlier. 

Learning our states and capitols. Starting with the northeast region. Today was Connecticut. 

Art day!! Used their hands to make trees. Then they stamped fall leaf colored leaves using their fingers. 

She decided to shed the princess dress so she didn't get paint on it. 

Birds eye view! 

They got their Mickey Mouse ears today. Everywhere I read people advised you to purchase them before so you're not waiting in line for hours. 

Again. They don't believe in clothing... We really do have clothes for the kids. Just cannot keep it on them! You would also assume I have less laundry.. Not the case. 

Many Blessings To YOU!!!

Be still...

Some times we are so busy being busy... We are constantly wondering what's happening next or where we are going next. That is a question we hear from our children everyday and several times a day... My husband and I have told them this weekend during our adventures we need to not worry what is happening next on the agenda. How can we get all we are to receive from God when we have already moved to the next thing before starting the previous item. 

We all have a calendar of course and what we do at certain days and times. I am challenged to stay in what and where we are to truly soak it all in before moving on. 

Today we totally went in a whim and did school a little different than normal or what I had planned. 

We walked to our park down the street with LOTS of trees. We have been working on Autumn themed unit the last week and continuing this week. Today we did leaf rubbings! 

They each found some leaves they wanted to work with. 

We packed up the supplies we needed for this and enjoyed the beautiful weather this morning. 

Along with the couple leaf rubbings we were doing, she brought home a huge pile of leaves as well! 

Leaves here aren't in full changing mode. But look at that!! They are working at it! Just check out their red stems!! 

Finished our leaf rubbings and headed back to the house to finish school! 

What comes next!?!

Stamping the beginning letter of the word. Super fun!!!! We will be doing this again! She had a blast! 

Working on spelling words! Think this guy is ready for his spelling and vocabulary test!! 

Many Blessings To You!!!

Weekend Adventures

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your souls and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Deuteronomy 6:5-7

This weekend we went to the zoo! I love spending time together as a family! One of my favorite things to do. I also love that every adventure that we take we can point the adventure to God. Great to see kids eagerly looking around at all of the creation that The Lord has made. Like the Bible, God's creation provides so many opportunities for object lessons and teaching. It is our duty as parents to guide our children to these and show them through everything we do to give God the glory and honor!

Bear LOVES LOVES LLOOOVVESS peacocks. She is slightly obsessed with them actually. When I was pregnant with the babies..she was pregnant with FIVE peacock chicks.

Baby Love had no part in touching the animals..that's just not his "thing". Bear, ate it up!! Outdoors, nature, animals, and anything to be in this category she loves. 

Hubby and kids in the Jungle part of the zoo. They were reading about the bats that were hanging above them. 

Bubbers usually will always offer his silly faces! He is full of emotions. ALL the emotions are off the chart for him... 

Itty Bitty's personality is calming down as the time goes. She is ALWAYS happy, however, when I choose to snap a picture she goes somber! Both the babies really enjoyed being outdoors this weekend! 

Giraffe. They're so beautiful. My mom's favorite animal! 

Also, in our hometown there was a B-25 that flew into town for the day. This was pretty cool! They allowed you to climb all through the thing. It was also a super fun adventure!

Peeking through the window at me! The GUN is hiding BL's face! Yikes. Lol 

Disney World is quickly approaching us!! We made autograph books as well this weekend!!

Hope that you had a very blessed weekend!

Many Blessings To YOU!!!