Just Some Remmit Cuteness!

Swinging in the Word ~ A Sweet Eli Moment

I love my oldest boy. He blesses my heart and renews my own spirit so often. He is my mini Matt and I love that some lovely young girl will have a husband some day just like my very own. Let's just pray he doesn't have such a spirited wife as myself! HA HA!


I caught him swinging and studying his verses one afternoon. It was one of those sweet Eli moments that captured my heart and squeezed.




I love you Man-Man!

Life and Death

Now in a perfect world, or rather, my perfect world, my children would not know of death. My children do not live in a world that affords them that joy, Eden is closed off to them. We live in a world that can often dissapoint and sadden us. What is spectacular to me in my walk with Christ is this; I can find the good in all things, given the time. ;)


God has shown me again and again how even the "crappiest" situation is used by him. Sometimes now when I am going through a moment of burden I hear him say to me, "Wait, see what I will do, don't lose hope!"


Today for example, the boys were outside playing on this beautiful saturday. They found a dead bird. Both boys were so upset! They love birds and we have studied them in depth in our homeschool for sometime now. I know Remy sat kneeled low to the ground pondering this poor little bird for some time. I allowed it. He says it is a goldfinch, I haven't looked, I just can't. Daddy can clean him away when he is home this evening. It was enough to see my sweet boys faces, the lips curved down, a bit of the light in their eyes dim, shoulders slumped. It was sad, people, sad.


All you can do as a human being is allow your loved one to hurt, to just feel the pain. You can't quicken this process. You can't make it better. You can only sit and listen if need be or just sit in the silence and know they know you are there. We human beings are not made to console the way God can. I was reminded of this today.


I firmly believe as of late that God allows things to happen that will bring about what he wants, his will. I felt inadequate to console my boys. But it wasn't for me. It was for the LORD! He wanted to console and teach my boys.


I held our daily Bible time and something magical that God does everytime in our family happened. God spoke to my boys and loved them. He had that intimate moment he so desired to have with my boys. The thing he orchestrated happened with such ease and stealth! It may seem small to some. My heart is all a pitter patter over it. The one I love the most, God, really, really, really, is in love with MY CHILDREN! It is amazing!


This verse came up!


Jonah 2:9
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.


Now the study was over the fact that GOD is the only one with power over life and death. SEE, I told you! Through this study we talked about the fact that God has raised Jesus from the dead in order to save our soul for eternity. We also talked about the miracles Jesus preformed while he walked here on this earth.


It was after our time together that Remy came up to me and said, "Mommy all of this reminds me of that poor little bird." I told him, yes, it did me, too. The conversation continued to include that he was okay now. God had been there, that little bird didn't perish on accident, it was time, and God knew it. It was God's power. That little bird did not go alone. God was with him.


PEOPLE! My heart is so full. God's timing is so perfect. But I realized today in a big way, yea I always knew, but today I KNOW! God loves my children as much as he tells me he loves me! To think of the love that goes with them everywhere! Oh God, thankyou! It is truly better than the time I realized years ago that YOU loved me, really loved me!

God consoled my children in a moment! The light came back to Remy's eyes and his heart was light! If God loved that bird enough to be with him in the end, the same would stand for him!

So! Be on the lookout for those precious moments! Witness God spending time with your child. It will just MELT YOU into a warm and gooey mush!

Finishing up Abraham & Joseph and Empanaditas

We had a really good weekend. On Saturday the kids had some friends over to swim. And I didn't get photos because I was one of the wild and crazy kiddos. *blush*

Sunday daddy was off of work and we had the weekly shopping trip to do. I am pretty excited about some of the things I have planned to make and eat for dinner. Dinner, or as some would correct me, supper is fun for me. I love to prepare it and eat it. :) I have been taking photos of meals lately, but I run out of time to post them. And then Matthew clears my memory card so I can take more photos. *laugh*

A few weeks ago we had our annual used book fair with our local homeschool group. We went and I found a few things. We spent $7.

I am excited about reading the REAL wizard of Oz story. We read a little bit of it in a reader Eli had in 2nd grade. We all looked at each other with shock! It was so good and so much better. The used book we bought was from someone who used it for sonlight in kinder. And it make me think of my friend Heather who uses Sonlight with her children. :)

We also got:

*Little house on the Prairie comprehension questions

*bedtime bible

*book about a bunny

*folk medicine

*2 abeka K books

I always like to go to this because I can walk around and see what everyone is using. And it is funny how when I see a friend's booth I know for sure it is theirs by what is on it. The neat homeschool moms are indeed the neat teachers. :)

We had our map work today. It shows Abraham's journey from Ur to Canaan, and Joseph from Canaan to Egypt.

Remy's:

Eli's:

I am noticing Eli's work becoming neater and more thought out everyday. His growth is just so visual for his father and I.

Eli read a book about Joseph and Abraham to Remy today. I have taken to allowing this special time between them lately. Eli reads just as well, if not better than I do now. And Remy loves to cuddle next to him and hear the story. He aspires to being a good reader like everyone in his family. And he works hard at it. This reading time also allows for free conversation between them without me and Eli is passing on knowledge which is good for him to learn so he can pass on this giving of knowledge to his family and learn leadership skills in a family context.

They liked this map in the back of the Joseph book. It is neat to Eli to be able to look at things and know them because he has studied it. :)

We had our snack time. Remy found these Indiana Jones PopTarts at Target on Sunday. I think PopTarts are gross and unnatural...but what do I know...

Remy and Eli did this with shells while I was on the phone at some point.

The kids finished up reptiles and moved on to birds today.

Remy colored his bird like a "parrot". And Elijah said his was a Cardinal, but a Cardinal would be taller than the picture was and it would have more of a mockingbird shape instead of the sparrowish shape on the picture.

UH - Okay! *laugh*

I didn't know he had been paying that much attention to the birds lately. I love it.

Eli has been BEGGING for Empanaditas lately. So here for your viewing pleasure is the process by which I make them. They are quick and kid friendly. We make them vegetarian but you could easily make them for the meat eater.

Start with a couple of green onions.

Cut them up into small Slices and cook them with your "meat" in some olive oil. I didn't have my usual "meat" so I used Fantastic's boxed kind. If you use crumbles or real meat add a package of taco seasoning.

It will look like this when done.

Transfer it to a bowl and add a 1/2 cup of cheese, 2-4 TBS. of salsa, and as much cilantro as you want. Matthew hates cilantro, I love it. *Hee hee*

Next you take JUMBO biscuits in a can and roll them out on light flour into 6 inch circles.

Add some of your "meat" mixture.

Have a small bowl of water within reach and use it to close and crimp the edges with a fork.

Now they are Ready for the oven. Cook them according to the biscuit package in temp and time.

They are done!

I always serve with a salad as they need something fresh to go with them.

Now watch them become invisible!

It was a great day...I thought I would leave you with a ready for bedtime Remy. :)

Rain Rocks

Today the mad scientists were full of energy and just ready to take on the day. We awoke and attended the local homeschooling used book sale. I got some neat deals...but more on that in another post. :)

We then came home, ate some Taco Bell for lunch and daddy left us for work.

Eli read some of his book and Remy started on his lessons. I drew a very bad image of a cake with words around the cake that I knew he would know. This was just for fun. As he read a word I circled it and then he could decorate the cake. :) WOW! He loved it! Funny how the things I use that cost NOTHING and are so SIMPLE are the things he LOVES!

He then went through his math and phonics paper. He did some copywork and number work. And then he made his disciples puppets. I read three sections from the bible and we acted them out. You know, the one about fisher's of men, and walking on water. ;) When daddy came home he was very excited to tell him about it and he did a GRAND job of telling the story with his puppets to daddy. Gotta love daddy show and tell time each night!

Eli has been looking and drooling over a science project in a book for DAYS! If you know him you know that he collects rocks and crystals. He can't enough of them. And at the library he usually has a crystal book or two in his stack to bring home.

First he put flour in the pan and collected the rain drops. Let me tell you he was more than thrilled that it was finally raining so he could do this.

It leaves these little droplets of water on top of the flour.

Then you shift them...

And bake them in a 350 degree oven until they are hard.

And that is how one little boy can save and preserve the raindrops of today...for tomorrow.

And until tomorrow...the scientists need rest. ;)