Spring has sprung...finally!

I have not been very good at updating my blog, but I'm going to try to be better.  Most of you keep up with us on Facebook, but after next week, I will be deactivating my account.  This is where you can keep up! :)

Well, as most of you know, we are expecting baby #3 in July.  We are all very excited for this new life!  After Tucker's delivery, I have been watched very closely by my doctor and so far everything is going beautifully.  God is so amazing!

We are getting closer to the end of our first year homeschooling, and it has been a wonderful year!  We have thoroughly enjoyed watching Paige grow and learn so many new things.  She will be completing her first year in Sparks and will finish her first book.  She is so proud of her accomplishment.

Tucker is growing like a weed and has changed so much in the last few months.  After several appointments with specialists, he is no longer considered behind due to prematurity!  Such a blessing.  He is talking more and more and loves playing with his sister.  They have become such good friends!  

We are looking forward to our actual spring and summer this year, playing outside and planting a garden.  Colorado is beautiful in the summer! :)  We are excited for new adventures and what the Lord has in store for us!

Harvest fun!

Growing up we did not "celebrate" Halloween.  We never really carved pumpkins or went trick or treating.  We always went to the church Harvest Party.  I loved it, even well into my high school years! Since we've had kids, we have been surrounded by lots of our friends who really get into the holiday.  I just can't.  I know, I know, I'm a Halloween Scrooge, but I would rather celebrate fall and harvest...Thanksgiving!  It's one of my favorite times of year (next to Christmas).  We do let the kids dress up.  The base has a base-wide trick or treating time that we will probably participate in, which will only be a walk around our block.  We don't need that much candy. :)

This year, we decided to get pumpkins for the kids and carve them.  I guess I've caved a little.  Paige wanted a traditional face on the pumpkin, but I wanted them to be cheery...not scary.  So this is what we got...

Jason and I picked the Angry Bird (one of our favorite iPhone games), Paige chose Tinkerbell, of course.  And Tucker didn't get to pick...he's just always Superman! :)

It was a fun time with the kids and they loved digging into the center to help get the seeds out.  Those are my favorite part and that is partly why I wanted to get pumpkins this year. hehe.

Happy Fall!

We are back home and settling in after lots of traveling!  After 7 weeks in Arizona, the kids and I took a trip to Nebraska to visit my nephews while my sister, her hubby, my brother and his wife all went to Texas for a conference.  It was great spending time with them!

We came back from Nebraska and a week later my parents came for a visit!!  It was so fun having them stay with us.  We did lots of shopping and made a trip to Denver to Ikea. :)
After they left, we took a trip up to Black Forest to Wishing Star Farm for their Pumpkin festival!  It was a beautiful day to be there...nice and crisp.  They had hay rides, pony rides, train rides, a giant tarp trampoline, hay climbs, slide, rubber duck water races, a petting zoo and, of course, PUMPKINS!

We are looking forward to the holiday season and more visits from friends and family!  Happy Fall everyone!

Homeschooling begins...for all of us!

This week marked a big milestone for Paige and myself.  We began homeschooling!  I can't believe that she is already 5 and now in Kindergarten.  Since she was born, Jason and I had decided that I would stay home and we would homeschool, but while in Arizona and all of her friends started school and rode the bus and were gone all day, I admit, I felt like maybe we weren't doing the right thing.  But I soon realized we had when someone told me that she needed to be in the "system" so she could "socialize".  I thought to myself, really?

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" 

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

This is what I want for my kids.  I am in no way knocking people who have their kids in in school...this is just about me and my family.  I know what God wants for us and homeschooling is right for us!  I am so thankful to be able to stay home and teach our children and get to watch their learning unfold daily.

"Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." 

 Proverbs 22:6

I have heard Paige sing those words in the car and they never made as much sense to me until this week when we started school.  She watches us constantly and we are her examples and her "teachers" of Christ.  What we teach her about Him will stick with her forever!  That's HUGE!  I think of the examples that I had from my own parents and even though I didn't always make the right choices, they had instilled those morals in me and I found my way back to Christ because of what I was taught.  We are not only teaching Paige about Christ, we are learning more about Him every day!  We are all so excited for this new adventure for our family.  God has blessed us in so many ways! 

A visit to Arizona!

July was a big month for us!  It's hard to believe that Tucker is now 1!  What a year it has been!  He is doing so well and changing every day!  He's our little firecracker! :)

After learning of my Grandma's death (my dad's mom), the kids and I decided to go to Arizona to help with all of the things related to that.  It turned out to be a 7 week trip!  Jason is coming later for 2 1/2 weeks.  

Since we have been here, the kids have gotten to experience a number of things, but their favorite so far is going to the farm that some friends own and where some other friends have their chickens.  We have gone several times to collect eggs and feed.  We have even gotten to milk a cow!  Paige got to ride a horse (as did Tucker).

 Paige making friends with a Jersey cow!

 "Annie Mae" - the Jersey cow

 Skimming the milk

 Trying to figure out what the brown stuff is...

 She LOVES the chickens...and they are so friendly!

We have now ventured into August.  Paige is now 5!!  Where has the time gone?  She is now in Kindergarten this year and will be going to school at home!  We are so excited for this year.  She has also started Sparks while we are in Arizona and will continue AWANA in Colorado!  Jason is coming in the next week and we will be having her birthday party with all of her friends and family!

 We will be in Arizona until September and are anxious to get back home, but are loving the time with family and friends!  We are excited about the upcoming homeschool year with Paige and are so blessed to be able to homeschool her!  God is so good!!

Easter 2012

HE HAS RISEN!!  HE HAS RISEN INDEED!!  We are so thankful for what our Savior did for us on the cross and that we can celebrate his resurrection!  Happy Easter!

Old Colorado City/Cave of the Winds

We took a drive to visit Old Colorado City!  The town is beautiful but because the weather was so nice, there were so many people and NO parking so we just had to drive through downtown.  We will go back for more pictures :).  We found a park that was just as beautiful.  We walked down by the creek and watched squirrels jumping from tree to tree.  It was a great time!

Right up the road from the park was Manitou Springs and Cave of the Winds.  We decided to take the steep drive up to the cave.  Once we got there we were told young kids and babies were not allowed in the cave due to the unstable footing so we just stood on the balcony of the restaraunt and enjoyed the view! :)

 Yes, those are people on that contraption!  They are wearing harnesses and you climb all over it!

Garden of the Gods

We had some warm weather (80s) and decided to get out and see some of the moutains!  We hadn't been to Garden of the Gods, so we made that our day's adventure! :)

 The beautiful view of Pikes Peak

 "Kissing Camels"