Praying today for those facing loss

Dear friends,

Would you join me in praying for those facing loss?  I know that includes so many of us - in many different situations.

This in on my heart - though I've debated posting it at all.  It seems a little selfish to ask as it isn't a huge or urgent request.  I've been praying and trying to find where God wants me in the midst of some of my own pain.  I want to learn.  I want to walk the path that He has called me to - and to do it with joy and contentment.  Sometimes its hard.

Today (Oct 7th) was the due date of our little that was born into heaven.  It's been a hard loss for me for a number of reasons.  Though I only carried this little one here for about 10 weeks, I still carry this sweet child in my heart.  I know that there are many others here who have faced this loss and other loss related to children.  Many far worse.  Tonight I was working on a quilt square for a gal that has lost her son.  It was an opportunity to pray for this precious family facing a loss that I can't even imagine.

I'm feeling more at peace, though I still miss this baby.  I've been praying.  I want to be in God's will and not get stuck in feeling sad or hopeless or envious.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves me and is working things out for good.  I know that doesn't mean a life without pain and heartache. 

As I've been praying today, my heart has been turned to the many people that are hurting, grieving.  I know so many that have faced such great heartache.  I'm praying today for those who have experienced loss - that you would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are loved so deeply by a loving Father.

A friend reminded me of the truths in Psalm 23.  Some of the things that really resonated with my heart are that the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He does fully meet my needs and I'm thankful for that.  He restoreth my soul.  This is a sweet promise.  Thank you Lord!

Please pray with me.

Blessings,

Leslie

September Catch-up Post

Just wanted to combine some of the things that have been going on around here or I'll never get caught up.  lol  Catching up seems like something I'm trying to do in so many areas of my life.  I feel like my head is flying in a million directions - and yet I do want to simplify.  It must not seem like it, though much of our business is not my choice.  I am thankful for the opportunities we have and seek to make the most of them.  Here's a look at our past month (with the exception of one more birthday that will get it's own post, along with a birthday party).

Sports.  Christopher is playing football.  Contact.  *sigh*  It's not the sport that I thought one of my children would be playing, but he really enjoys it!  It's been fun seeing his interest in the sport both on and off of the field.  I'm learning a lot too.  He has been working hard and it shows.  He is number 22.

It's been hard to get good action shots where you can tell who is who in the photos. 

Eliana getting some help from Isaiah as they explore the park.

Rebecca is playing soccer.  She has been doing this for many years now (since she was 4).  We debated joining a more competitive league, but the time commitment (and driving distances) was just too much for now.  She has remained in a city league.  She is enjoying the game and it's fun to watch her play.

Science.  We do a weekly science lab with friends.  Christopher and his friend Dillon have been doing science labs for years now - this is their 4th.  They are doing Chemistry this year.  This wasn't my strong suit in school, but Christopher likes science and thankfully hasn't needed too much of my help.  Honestly trying to figure out those formulas - yikes!  I can see why I was not a science major!

Rebecca has started a general science course with her friend Hanna.  She wasn't sure she was going to like it - in fact, she didn't want to do it.  She reluctantly went into the year, but after a couple of weeks has found that it is a lot of fun!  I credit some of that to the course and the labwork.  We are using Rainbow Science.

The hands-on lab experiments really make the learning fun - and it helps you to understand more clearly the concepts being explained.  Rebecca is learning about "force". 

Elections.  We have started a study on the elections.  We are using a combination of things - websites, books and a lapbook study.  When we decided on this topic of study months ago, there was no way to know just how interesting it was going to get!  My oldest two have read/watched the debates and many other items of interest.  We also enjoyed the game Hail to the Chief with our friends.

One of the projects suggested on a website was to hold a primary or caucus.  Christopher had planned to do this for dessert one night, but some early snacking (of the desserts!) interupted his plans.  Rebecca chose to have a primary to determine breakfast.  She set up a voting booth (in the bathroom) along with the ballots and the choices.

She helped make a grocery list and then the following morning cooked the winning choice.  (It was a surprise win as she didn't announce it until it was ready to eat.)  The following morning she cooked the second runner-up as it was a close race.  :-)  It was a treat for all of us!

Learner's Permit.  After looking for - and not finding - one of the documents needed to get the permit, we started the process of replacing it.  Waiting and waiting - and then finally success!  Yes, we have another driver at our house!  :-)  Thankfully the permit doesn't affect the insurance rates.  Yikes!

We celebrated with a plate of doughnuts - his choice.  I did put a car on top for fun. 

Little Mended Hearts Picnic - This is an annual event sponsored by the Triangle group.  We went last year and were happy to be invited back again this year.  The event is fun for all of us.  It's held at a nearby park and is attended by some of the Duke cardiology staff as well as families (like us). 

There were firefighters there as well as Sparky the firedog.  The boys enjoyed this!  Below, Joshua is with Sparky and Isaiah is in the firetruck.

There was also a face painter who does amazing work (see Rebecca's face) and a man blowing up balloons.  Check out Daniel's fun hat!

We ate a great lunch and enjoyed music throughout the event.  Eliana especially enjoyed the music.

Rebecca was able to sell more of her bracelets.  I need to update our numbers at some point.  I'm not sure where she is at this point.  I know it's over $7000 total though.

That's all for now.  More later.  Hope you've enjoyed the pictures!

Blessings,

Leslie

Beach - Retropost

We went to the beach the second week in September.  We debated about going as this was the time that several hurricanes were forming and we didn't want to be on the coast in the midst of any of that weather.  We did however want to go and spend time with our friends that have moved to VA.  We did this last year and looked forward to doing it again.

We were blessed to have beautiful weather all week!  It was overcast on some days, but that can be a nice thing at the beach.

We arrived shortly after a storm and found that many things had washed up on the beach.  We saw quite a few sea urchins.  

We also saw sunglasses and even a live starfish.  Surprisingly, no  jellyfish though.  Isaiah found a really large crab which we tried to get a photo of - but it was blurry due to being partly in the water.  The children spent a lot of time hunting for shells and found some beautiful ones.  Daniel loves to find shells and has learned the names of the ones that he finds most often - auger and olive.  Rebecca even found a shark's tooth, lightning whelk and a dried urchin shell.

We spent one day down at our friend's pool.  There was a large slide, and fountains in the pool.  It was a fun day.

This is Joshua coming down the slide.

Mostly, we just hung out on the beach.  We like to build sandcastles, play in the water, play football and hunt for shells.  Oh, and walk down the beach.  One of our favorite spots in where the ocean comes in to form a river.  It's a mild spot in terms of the tide and a great place for the younger ones to play.  It's also been a great spot for finding shells. 

Doesn't she just look pleased with herself?

Rebecca is buried up to her knees if you are wondering about her height compared to Christopher.  lol

This is taken in the "river" - Isaiah giving Eliana a ride. 

I love pictures from the back - there is just something so sweet about them.  This is Daniel, my little shell collector.

Love his beautiful smile!

Eliana loved it all - the sand, the water, the freedom.  We had a wonderful week!  I'm thankful we had this time to spend together as a family.  We are truly blessed in so many ways.

Blessings,

Leslie

Plans for Keepers of the Faith

I've tried starting a blog about our Keepers Group.  We'll see how that goes.  I thought it might be helpful for those just wanting that information.  I'm not sure if I'll still post about it here or not?  Any thoughts?  Here's a link to the other blog and the post I just put up there as well. 

Keepers Blog

We've made our plans for the upcoming year.  For our group we just meet once per month as our busy (and conflicting) schedules just don't permit meeting more often.  Here's what we have planned.

Sept - Herbs.  We'll be planting and learning about herbs.

Oct - Card making.  I'll be teaching this one and am looking forward to it.  Since it isn't one of the activities in the manual, I'll be coming up with my own requirements.  I'm hoping that the timing will be good in allowing the girls to make cards to send or to give for Christmas.

Nov - Pie-baking.  Yum!  Just in time for the holidays!  We're hoping too that this will be something the girls want to practice on and bring to future meetings to share.

Dec - Part 2 of herbs.  Taking the herbs we've grown and learning how to use them - in cooking, sachets and more.

Jan - Storytelling.  Learning more about the art of storytelling and how to put it into practice by telling a variety of stories to both family and friends.  We'll so some sharing/ storytelling at future meetings.

Feb -  Dollmaking,  Learning how to paint and embroider a face.  Learning how to make jointed legs/arms.  Learning how to make different types of hair.

Mar - Part 2 of dollmaking.  The girls will have chosen the specifics of their doll and will start making it.

Apr & May - We are holding open for a couple of options.  Either adding another class or recreational activity (I'm lobbying for badmitton) or finishing up projects we've already started.

We are looking forward to a fun year!

Blessings,

Leslie

Happy Birthday Joshua!

I'm late in posting - no surprise there - but wanted to share a little bit about one of my favorite people.  My sweet son Joshua.  He recently turned 9 - halfway to manhood.  How can that be?

I remember well longing for a third child - and praying for a long, long time.  God waited to answer - and His gift was a sweet one.  Our precious son Joshua.  He was born on his grandmother's birthday.  He was also born right on his due date.  He was my biggest baby at almost 9 and a half pounds.  He was also my easiest and best birth.  My mom was there with us at his birth.  We had music playing and it was a very sweet time.  (It went thankfully quickly after getting to the hospital.  I thought our timing was perfect, though my mom thought we cut it a little too close!  lol )

Joshua arrived with blond hair, blue eyes and very pale skin.  Not what I expected since both Roger and I have dark hair.  The eyes come from both sets of grandads.  ;-)

Joshua has always been sweet and sensitive (not that he is perfect by any stretch!).  He remembers things and asks questions that have been surprising to me given his age. 

He loves to read - and frequently has his nose in a book!  He loves the Redwall series and Jules Verne is one of his favorite authors.  He also loves to play outside - to hike, run, play games and use his imagination!  Joshua enjoys baseball, kickball and cops and robbers.  He really just likes to have fun!

Joshua is creative and enjoys drawing.  He likes a wide variety of foods and especially likes condiments like Texas Pete and mustard.  He likes being silly and playing with his siblings.

He recently told us that he wants to get baptized.  He asked Jesus into his heart several years ago and continues to grow in his faith.  I'm excited that he wants to make this profession of faith. 

I thank God for giving us this precious boy to love and to raise 9 years ago.  He has blessed our life with laughter, joy, happiness and more.  I pray for him to continue to grow in his love for God.  I pray that He would walk the path that God has for him. 

Thank you God for Joshua!

I love you sweetie!

Mommy

Baby Signing Time

I know I've mentioned it before - but wanted to share again - we love Baby Signing Times DVDs!!!  Here's why:

1.  It's helped all of us to learn a lot of signs.  (Yes, all of us.  *grin*)

2.  It's so cute to see Eliana signing along with the DVDs.

3.  The music is catchy and fun - and helps you to remember the signs.

4.  There are young children in the movies demonstrating the signs which is helpful to see the variety of ways that there can be in signing.  The important thing is really that you understand your child!

We have both of the Baby DVDs and a few of the older ones too.  The Baby ones are really just perfect for Eliana.  Well, I was thrilled to find out recently that 2 more are coming out!!!  Yippee!  Here is more info for those that might be interested.

Baby Signing Time 3

Baby Signing Times 4

We are also very excited to have Rachel, Alex and Leah from Signing Times at our Buddy Walk this year.  It's Oct 12 for anyone that might be interested.  I'll post more details later, but would love to send info to anyone interested in coming.  It is a lot of fun for the whole family!

Blessings,

Leslie

 

Transportation Museum on Sept 5th

This is another "retropost" until I get caught up.  lol  This was another great field trip to go with our Mailing May/trains study.  We visited the North Carolina Transportatin Museum for their homeschool days.  This is one of our state historic sites - which we love!!!  (And we've visited all of them with our "NC History Group"!)  We were joined by 3 families for a beautiful, fun and full day! 

We began in the morning by being split into 6 groups.  We rotated through various stations learning about cars, riding on a turntable, learning the difference between diesel, electric and steam engines, hearing about rail transportation, air transportation and also about dug-out canoes.  Each station had a different interpreter to share information with us.  We also had worksheets which the children could complete as they learned things at the various stations.

This is our group riding on the turntable.  You can see the roundhouse behind us.

 

Listening to an interpreter inside the roundhouse - which was huge!  This roundhouse was part of the "Spencer Shops" which was the site for many train repairs during the early 1900s. 

Learning about how dug-out canoes were made (fire) and then getting inside of it.  (Isaiah even brought some of the soot home with him - on his white shirt of course.  lol) 

My two beautiful girls.  Eliana likes to walk around as much as she can - and explore wherever she can.  Rebecca is great about helping to keep up with our little curious one. 

We then had an hour for a picnic lunch before boarding the train for a ride around the site.  Daniel and I sat in the very back - in a row that was all by itself and at least 15 feet from the rest of the rows.  Not sure why those 2 seats were there and at first he was not buying it.  They were the last seats though and it was fun.  He even took some pictures from the window of the train.  Here's a photo we took of ourselves. 

After our ride, we explored the very large museum.  It's all part of an old roundhouse that was used to repair trains in the early 1900s.  It's an amazing building! 

There was even a mail car like the one in our story, Mailing May.

We didn't get any rain until our ride home for which we were very thankful. 

As I reflect on this day, I'm reminded of how much for which I have to give thanks.  I'm also reminded that it isn't just in the times of blessing that I am called to be thankful. 

I'm thankful that I'm able to go on fun trips like this with my family - and also for friends that can go with us!  I'm thankful that God has blessed us with good health and a flexible schedule.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn in a fun and hands-on way and to make great memories.

Thank you God!

Blessings,

Leslie

Praise and a few short notes

We've had a busy couple of weeks and more that I want to share.

Our computer is fixed - yeah Roger!!!  I'm so glad he knows so much about computers and can fix things when they aren't working!  :-)

We had a wonderful time at the beach last week.  The weather was perfect and we were able to spend some time with friends.  We also met some other homeschoolers while we were there which was fun.  I have pictures to post - hopefully soon.

I still want to post about a couple of field trips - one to the Transportation Museum and another to a local nature center.  I'm thankful for the opportunity to go on field trips.  I think it's a great way to have a hands-on learning experience.

We celebrated a birthday this week.  Joshua is 9 years old.  Halfway to manhood.  How can that be?!  My sweet baby boy.  I remember the day he joined us so very well.  I'll write more about him and what a precious gift he is and has been to our family.  I'll share some pictures too!

I thought I'd share one story though about Eliana on Joshua's birthday - this is the praise.  One of our birthday traditions has been to allow the birthday child to pick where we'll eat.  Joshua picked Golden Corral - great pick for everyone!  As we were leaving, Roger was packing some food for Eliana.  I told him I thought she would do well there, but he brought some baby food just in case.  She had feeding therapy earlier in the day and did great there!  She ate a graham cracker by herself.  Self-feeding is NOT a skill she has learned or is even remotely good at doing.  Both her OT and I were thrilled!

Anyway, back to dinner.  I walked around and selected a few things I thought she could/would eat.  Not a great variety - but we're still learning, here.  This is what I put on her plate. 

*Mac 'n cheese

*Peas

*Spaghetti (this is a new favorite and one of her first "real" meals)

*Green beans

*Pears (not to keen on these)

*Banana pudding

*Ice cream

She ate her whole dinner from the buffet line!!!  In fact, she did MUCH better than Daniel did in terms of variety (not that this is a huge accomplishment, lol).  Way to go Eliana!  I think we may be turning the corner soon in her eating and I'm very excited.  Just a year ago, we were feeding her through a tube and just trying to get her to learn to take a bottle orally. 

Thank you God for teaching me patience, for teaching me to go slowly, for showing me that a different path can also be a good one filled with blessings.

We have a busy week-end planned with sports (soccer - twice & football) and a birthday party.  Will write more when I'm able to.  I hope you each have a blessed week-end!

Love,

Leslie

Reminders

So many things are reminders - but maybe it's really that I just haven't forgotten.  This "should" be an exciting time - when I'd be counting down the days.  It's less than a month until my "due" date that isn't any more.  I think about it every day.  It's one of those things though that feels so alone. 

It's not really "proper" to talk about it, is it?  It is certainly a subject that makes many people uncomfortable.  I remember one of my children being told not to mention it after my first miscarriage.  Yet, so many have experienced it.  Why does it feel so lonely?

I received something in the mail this week.  A note from a company congratulating me on my upcoming birth.  A guide to labor and the hospital.  The promise of a gift when I got there.  It made me cry.

Sometimes I feel like such a drag even mentioning that its still hard.  I feel like I should have gotten over it by now.  It can make me feel like I have no faith, that I'm weak or untrusting.  (I know I am weak and I'm continually trying to trust.)  I know that in the grand scheme of life that this is small compared to so many other things.  I also know that God cares about all of the details of our life .   

I've been talking about it with God.  Just yesterday at our field trip, one sweet friend came up to me and asked me about the approaching date.  I was honestly surprised and touched that she remembered.  I shared with her that it was hard and that it often felt really lonely.  She gave me a small gift to show me that she was thinking of me.  What a gift of God's love this sweet friend's remembrance was to me.  I had cried out to Him and He heard me. 

I'm not sure why I'm posting this.  I'd love your prayers.  Sometimes, my heart just hurts.  I keep telling myself to be happy with the children that I do have.  It's not that though.   I'm very happy with the children that I have.  I just feel like I could love more.  I know that I'm blessed - beyond what I ever could have expected.   

I'm still grieving this loss, this child.  I so want to hold and love this little one.  I know that the approach of the due date will just bring sad feelings.  It is something else to learn from, to lean on God and to hope in Him.

Reminders.  I know that God is good.  I know that He loves me.  I know that our little one is safe in His arms.  I know that no matter what happens, God has a plan for my life.  I remind myself of these truths often - maybe someone reading needs a reminder too.  It is easy to listen to the lies and whispers from the enemy.  I am seeking to hear God.  God is a voice of truth - of hope - of love.  He loves you - cares about you and every detail of your life.

Love,

Leslie

Post Office Field Trip - Sept 4th

I'm dating this a few days early to try to squeeze in a couple of posts before writing about what we are currently up to.  On Sept 4th, we went on a field trip with our FIAR (Five in a Row) group.  It was a great tie-in with our study of Mailing May.  (The story is about a little girl that is mailed to visit her grandmother.  It is a true story too!)

The childen wrote letters and were able to hand cancel them before they were posted.  We toured the back and learned about the postal system, how things are handled and delivered, looked at the inside of a mail truck and talked with a postman.  It was a fun morning all the way around.  Here are a few photos of our day.

Afterwards, we visited a nearby park to picnic and play.  It was a beautiful day and a fun way to spend time with friends.  :-)

Blessings,

Leslie