Zebbie's 4th Birthday

I can't believe it. Zeb just turned 4 years old. We had a little party for him here at our house and he had a blast. I thought you might enjoy this:

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Our Christmas Greeting...

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Reflections

I don't know what it is about the holiday season, but it has always put me in a pensive mood and made me think of memories I long ago filed away. Maybe because my heart is more focused now than at any other time on how much Jesus sacrificed to show me how precious I am to Him.

I love quotes. I have a collection of them I have gathered throughout my life. They are things I've read somewhere that struck a resonant chord within me and I identified with the writer or the feeling they've captured. I came across one around Thanksgiving that I had filed away and I found it fit the person I want to be so well that I used it on a plaque for my wall.

"Best of all is to preserve everything in a pure, still heart, and let there be for every pulse a thanksgiving, and for every breath a song." -Konrad von Gesner

He truly is the whole reason we celebrate this wonderful season. We would be no where good without His love and tender compassion. I love when it says in Psalms,

"As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverance, worship and awe]. For He knows our frame, He[earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust." (Ps. 103:13-14)

May you be blessed this Holiday Season (and every other season of your life) and I pray you will remember the times when the God of Heaven reached down and touched your life for your good and know that it was simply because He loves you so dearly.

A Homeschooling Update

Well, after nearly all of the first semester of schooling here at home, we have all come to a monumental decision.....we are not meant to be a homeschooling family.

I am a little disappointed that this isn't working out. Some would probably say I haven't given it enough time, but I have to admit that I am just not cut out for schooling all of my kids at the same time. The past three and a half months have been the most stressful and tension-filled time our family has ever experienced. After lots of thought and talk and tears and yelling and frustration and exasperation and much crying out for God's help and patience, Adam and I felt like it was wise to put the kids back in regular public school, which we did a couple of weeks ago. The atmoshpere in our home has changed dramatically ever since.

I had to let go of the unrealistic expectations I had of how homeschooling would be. I had a picture in my head of what I thought it would be like and reality was vastly different!

While the whole experience was very trying and full of frustration, it wasn't all horrible. I learned a lot about how my kids think and learn. They are all so individual and so remarkable. I also saw more of a reflection of myself in my kids than I ever wanted to. My son, Mr. Meticulous, is more like me than I had ever realized. We think and learn very similarly, and while in some ways it's helped me understand him better, it has also been the source of an impressive amount of frustration and clashing with each other.

So I am retiring my desire to be the ultimate homeschooling mother of 4, choosing instead to focus again on the things that matter most like the spiritual education of my children's hearts.

Thanks for all of your prayers. I am quite sure they are the sole reason I actually still have an entire head full of hair today!

(I love my kids, but I can't wait for Monday!......)