JUst reading a friends new BLOG

It made me want to begin blogging again!!! I love it . . . but finding time to do it is another story!!! SOON FRIENDS!!!

Back in School

We started school . . . good news and bad news . . . good news because we need the structure to get things done and keep this house running like a well oiled machine!!! . . . bad news because my house gets neglected and things are usually a little more hectic!!

This year I will be teaching 6th grade, 4th grade, and Kindergarten, as well as entertaining a 2 year old and her almost one year old brother!! We all take turns entertaining the Littles (the youngest 2), but the Bigs (the oldest 3) want to get their work done!!! Isn't that the dilemma of every homeschool family that has more than one child?? I am trying to enjoy our days and remember they are only little for a short while (thank goodness) and this stage will make way for a new one!!

I have switched to Singapore Math from Math U See, which I have been using for 6 years. I have had 2 math teacher friends, plus another K teacher friend who uses Singapore and highly recommends it!! My two BIGGEST Bigs are reluctant mathematicians!! So I thought we would try something new!! I am also switching to Explode The Code to teach Carter to read!! He can't wait to learn to read like the other Bigs!! I am using Wordly Wise 3000 for Vocabulary. I have never used it before but I have read rave reviews on it!! We are using IEW for Writing, Sonlight for History, and Apologia's Astronomy for Science. We have been using these for a few years now!

I am looking forward to a year filled with fun and excitement!! I hope we all survive!! I am pretty sure we will!!

**Thanks for indulging me while I referred to my children as "The Littles" and "The Bigs". Camden just read the book, "The Littles" so I couldn't resist!! It was fun and I think I have decided to do it from now on!!

Sunday Fun

Today we went to visit some our GA friends, the H Family. They were in FL visiting some family and they invited us to join them for church and lunch after ward! The kids had a blast and didn't want to come home! That is the sure sign of a great visit!

I wish I had my camera because there was a live oak tree with spanish in the yard that was enormous!! (It looked sort of like this pic, but better) In fact there was an 87 year old family member of the H family who told us that when he was a boy he played and climbed on that tree. I hope I get to visit again!! I want pictures of that tree!!

I just love the H Family!! Theh have left their mark on me! They are the pastors of the church we attended in GA. From the beginning when visiting their church for the first time, I knew they were different. It was so evident in their dealings with people, the church atmosphere, and the culture of that body of believers. I have been to a lot of churches all over the country. I have eaten meals with a lot of ministers. I have had some of them come visit me when I had a baby. But the H Family is the most sincere bunch I have ever had the privilege to fellowship with!! They are REAL and their love for Jesus and other people is REAL!! I am so blessed to be able to call them friends!!

. . . . tomorrow . . . more unpacking!!

The Twists and Turns of Life

It is has been WAYYYYYY too long since I updated my blog!! I am sorry about that!! Since my last post I have been pretty busy!! Let's see if I can sum it all up quickly!!

Moved to GA-LOVE THE SOUTH-had baby #5 Creed Joseph-unpacked and homeschooled-found an amazing church with amazing people-made some amazing friends-Carley turns 11-Hubby begins to get into teaching at the college level-Hubby gets a job offer back in FL (literally 4months after we get there)-it snows on Christmas day-Hubby accepts the job in FL-family is making adjustments to the idea of leaving our niche in the south-Caydence turns 2-Camden turns 9- Carter turns 5-we pack our house-cry our tears-say ours "see ya laters"-move back to FL-unpack . . .




. . . And that is where we pick back up!! I skipped a few details because they are boring and overrated!! We are now living in FL again and loving it!! We have been here about 2 weeks now. Hubby is working at Trinity College and is already excited about the possibilities!! He is the Program Director of the Management and Ethics degree. He is thrilled and feels like he is a very good fit for this college. He is also working on the final semesters of his Phd. His goal is to be finished with everything in 2 years!! If anyone can do it, I know he can! He is stressed about some aspects, but I have faith that the God who brought him this far will see him through to the end!

The children have been troopers through all of the chaos! Their emotions are up and down. The Lord has been their strength through it all and they will gladly tell you all about it!!


While in GA Carley, made lots of friends-good friends!! There were girls her age everywhere! They all seemed to be into dancing and singing so they got along great!! They were always making up a dance to a song or acting out a skit!! She played basketball for the first time ever and she also played softball and took dance. She has a passion to worship God with her dance. Carley also loves reading and writing. Right now she is into The Lord of the Rings Books. She is constantly learning something new about the characters and the symbolism within the literature (and movies). She is looking forward to seeing some of her Wesley Chapel girlfriends at VBS in a few weeks.

Camden is into all kinds of things too! While in GA, he played soccer and excelled at goalie. He played basketball, his favorite sport and his team went undefeated in the league. He even tried dancing with the dance team at church. He did a great job too, but I think he decided he wanted to stick with sports!! Camden is very sanguine, meaning he is a people person and he always has to be having FUN!!!! He made some great friends in GA too and got to do lots of sleepovers. That was a highlight for him! Now he is glad to be off of school for a while!! When it starts back up again it will have to be FUN!!! (on my to do list . . . make life FUN for Camden!!)

Carter has grown into such a sweet boy! You may know him and remember that when he was two, we wondered if he was going to live through those years!! It seemed he was never going to learn to comply with the family culture. He has a very strong personality, which God will use to glorify Him!! In GA Carter had a friend that had the same birthdate as he does, so that was an instant bond for the 2 of them. One friend had him over to spend the night and they slept in their homemade fort!!! So fun!! Carter starts Kindergarten this school year!! He can't wait to be "in school" like the older children!!

Caydence is now 2 . . . need I say more!!! Her name means "the beat of movement as in dancing or marching". This is so true for our Caydence because she definitely "marches to the beat of her own drum!!!" She keeps me on my toes!! She loves to "help" Creed, her baby brother. Really she is torturing him!! I know she loves him deep down!! She is starting to play dress up and pretend to be a princess. She has a "princess club" and only the most professional princesses are admitted. She is hilarious and she loves music! I am going to post a video of her singing Jesus Loves Me. It is super cute!


Creed Joseph is our newest baby boy! He was born on Sept 16 at 5:55AM. (Six weeks after we moved to GA) He was 8lb 14oz and was 23 1/2 inches long!! He has been a joy since the day he arrived. He is always happy and smiling and like his sister, Caydence, Creed loves music. Creed means, "a confession of faith" and we have learned so much over the past 3 years; most of which was spent unemployed for our family. FAITH has been the key element that has sustained us. Creed is a great reminder of that faith!! His smile and his energy are such a blessing!!

As for me, well . . . these children are my life!! I love every minute of the chaos! I spend most of my time cleaning up spills, doing laundry, changing diapers, picking up the same toys 20 times per day, etc. There isn't anything else I would rather be doing with my time!! I have been given the opportunity to mentor and discipline the children that have been entrusted to me for this season. I am so blessed!

I have managed to find myself involved in some wonderful life giving relationships with some wonderful women of God! They must really love me because they always seem to welcome me and my chaos. I am so very blessed to be living in such a place of opportunity in all areas of life!!!

I am planning to blog more about . . . well . . . whatever!! I am just so thankful that whatever twists and turns in life are around the corner, I can be sure that I am loved unconditionally by my Heavenly Father!!

First Things First

Why do I worry? Why do I second guess Him? Why do I even give in to the temptation to try and figure it all out myself?? When will I ever learn?? Trust . . .

After Shannon and I got home from our initial visit to GA and the whole job interview, we decided that there was a lot to pray about in the whole transition!! We made a list of our most important concerns and began to pray for them daily and meditate on the Lord, knowing that He would provide answers!! Within only a few days our most important concern was taken care of!! We needed renters for our home in FL so that we could get a home in FL with the assurance that the expenses here would be taken care of!! DONE!! Our next concern was to find a home that would be a good fit for our family!! We wanted to make sure the home would feel like HOME right away!! We didn't want to have to go in and do a lot of cleaning or fixing things in order to make it HOME!!! DONE!!! We went to GA to look at a few homes and we found one that we think will be a PERFECT fit for us!! It is HUGE and had a great big back yard!! We are excited to make the move!! Our next concern . . . the one that would keep me awake at night . . . where will our precious baby make his entrance into the world?? FL or GA?? About a week after the job was offered to Shannon I found a midwife in rural N GA!! WHO KNEW?? I couldn't believe it!!! What a HUGE blessing!! Now baby Creed will definitely have a exciting birth in a new place!!

Those were the biggest concerns on our list and they are all taken care of!! There are more, but I have no reason to worry!! It will all be taken care of!! The Lord is Jehovah Jirah, my provider!! I have a WONDERFUL Heavenly Father watching out for my family and I. He know what we need and WHEN we need it!! I pray that I will always remember how He has provided our every need and even some wonderful things we didn't really NEED!! Thanks you, Lord, for making beauty from ashes!!