Miss Isabella Blessing trying her hand at being a cowgirl.

 Home school adventures! We built a vinegar/baking soda volcano because we were studying about Mars which we learned has the biggest volcano in the galaxy. We had such a good time!

 We couldn't decide what color the lava would be on Mars, so we tried them all.

 Levi holding a snake at Agriculture Days at the Linn County Fair. May 2011 The snake quickly squirmed it's way up Levi's body and surprised him, thus the look on his face!

 We also got to pet a baby alligator. We were all surprised by what the skin felt like. It was like touching a rock. So neat!

 Liberty holding a baby chick.

Shayna learning to ride her bike without training wheels. She did so good. Hardly needed any help. She just took off and started riding down the sidewalk!

Walking the Line

As my children get older and begin to discover their own unique identity and personality I find that I am constantly "walking the line." I truly and deeply desire for each of my children to become the individual that God has called them to be, but I am discovering the challenges of seeing this practically play out in day to day life. My personality is I LOVE to be organized, have everything always clean and straightened, and you can never plan too far ahead. Since becoming a mother and especially after homeschooling I have learned to be okay with clutter and milk spilled on the just cleaned floor (to a point). I try to embrace spontaneity and remind myself of the blessing my children are. I want to enjoy them now while they are this age, because this season will all too quickly be behind me.

I recently had a "conversation" with one of the kids about an issue. I was interpreting their behavior has disrespectful and sassy, when it was actually an attempt to be funny. Humor is definitely this child's calling and I feel the Lord has created them for joy. Well, during this "conversation" their spirit was crushed and they didn't want to be funny anymore, and I realized I blew it! I had steam-rolled this child's individuality and God-given calling.(not that their didn't need to be some direction given about appropriate humor)  I am walking a line, on one side of this line is the freedom to be, and on the other side is the responsibility to guide and correct. I feel like I error most on the side of correcting too much and I am focusing more on giving my children the freedom to explore and discover who they are, with encouragement and guidance.

So Jesus, please help me to walk this line with grace. Let me see my children through Your eyes.