Happy Birthday Elyona

Today Elyona turned 12 years old. Being at the beach made her birthday extra special. She has gotten old enough now to just want money. The things she really wants are too much for just a birthday gift so she has to save her money for the big girl stuff. We went to eat at a nice place tonight and daddy took her snorkeling earlier today. Last SUnday night we had a party so that Katerri could be here with us. She wanted a Twilight cake, so I made one. It was red velvet with black icing. Everyone had a black mouth and we all looked gothic. What happened to the nice, pink icing with rainbow sprinkles?

So much has changed with her this past year. It is really hard to think about what is to come. She has started enjoying the company of me and daddy and adults more and more. She is growing up. She enjoys e-mailing all her friends, which are mostly made up of people at least 10 years older than she. I feel like she needs to slow down. This is all happening too fast. She has traded in Winnie the Pooh for Twilight, Highlights for Pride and Prejudice, playing in the sprinklers for checking out MY facebook account (which she wants one but I am holding off for a while). 12 years old, wow. She is already dabbing on a bit of make-up, and wanting to dress "cool". Tonight at dinner she was too old to eat off the children's menu. She was thrilled, I almost cried. She wants to constantly read, see, and try new things and I am constantly saying "no" because like I said, this is just all happening to fast. I want her to be happy and enjoy life but life's pleasures from now on seems to bring with them responsibility and consequences that I want to protect her from. For example, I let her read some of Twilight and now she is a junkie. Do I remove it completely or let her dive in. We decided to just dabble with her. I read It to her leaving out those things that are unfitting for a little girl. I can handle these little ones because I know how to make them happy, they are simple. But what if when they get bigger it takes more and more of this world to make them happy. It will be part my fault because I know I have shown them a false love for this world and not enough of a true love for the One to come. 12, I guess she is getting to the point soon where her salvation will have to work itself out and that can sometimes be a scary thing to watch, especially being a mama.

But with growing up in our home, responsibility grows evermore. Elyona is always up for that challenge and passes with flying colors. Here in the next few years if any of you need a good babysitter, house cleaner, someone to do your laundry then she is your girl.



Elyona, you are a beautiful young girl. I am a bit afraid of our new adventure while you are growing into a woman but we can do it. Always remember to be strong in the Lord and seek Him diligently. Read the Word, pray, and learn how to trust in the Lord. Let Jesus become a part of all your decisions and let him make you in who you will become. Mama and Daddy will sometimes fail you and may not always make the best decisions for you. Start practicing looking beyond mama and daddy to Jesus for he will never fail you. I am so proud of who you are so far and am looking forward to what is in store.

Happy Birthday Baby,
Mama

Catching Up

Wow It has been a long time since my last post. Let me take time and just do a bit of catching up.

Judson has learned to walk, talk and be silly. He loves to dance around the room at night after bible time and make everyone laugh. He is such a funny boy. He loves to go outside, ride the lawnmower, and take a bath with John Mark (but not Jadon). He is not a little baby any more but a toddler. I am already feeling like my arms are empty but so far it's OK.

John Mark is a big boy. He loves Sesame Street and World World. Of course he has to watch those when we do school just to have something to do. Its a little difficult right now with him because he is not in school so he doesn't get much attention during the day. We try to have a date once a week so that I can spend a bit of time with just him. He loves that.

Jadon is in Kindergarden and is doing wonderful. He is very easy to teach and can do most of his work with just a little teaching. Thanks to daddy, he is a superhero fanatic. His favorite is Hulk. He is very fashion savvy. He loves to dress himself, John Mark, and Judson every morning. He lays their clothes out every night. It is so cute. He is going to start soccer this year. Fun Fun.

All the girls are doing good in school. Some are great students, others are average and must work very hard to maintain good grades. Our homeschooling has been transformed this year. We have changed to a computer based program called Switched On Schoolhouse for most subjects. Basically, the computer is the teacher and I am just the parent who encourages them in what the have to do and learn. We study for test and work on assignments together but the teaching and school requirements are initiated by the "computer school" and not me. I just do not have time to be creative enough to be wife, mother and teacher to so many grades. This has been such a blessing because I can still homeschool but so much pressure has been taken off me and put on the children. Before if they didn't get something it was because I didn't give it to them or teach it well enough. Now if they don't do well, it is because they didn't apply themselves well. They all will play soccer this season. We will have 5 playing in all, WHEW.

Eric has a different job at Honda now. Instead of working assembly which is very tiring on the body he is now working in quality. It is still hard work and more stressful but not the repetitive motions he used to do for 7 years. He come home the other day and was so excited because he didn't break a sweat that day. He works so hard for us.

I have been laying low these past few months. I found myself constantly having more to do than I had time for. I reevaluated and discovered how many things I was doing that God had not called me to. Good things, no doubt but, just not the things that God had called me to. SO, I made a list and narrowed my life down. Life is much less stressful and so much more fulfilling when I lay my head down at night with the peace that I have been working on the things God has called me to and not those things that are just life "fillers". Blogging, facebook, phone calls and such just didn't make my list. Eric, my children, my walk, hospitality, prayer, and church did. Jesus accomplished everything that the Father had given him to do, so maybe if I try to stick to the things that God has given me to do then maybe I will to.