We are Indiana bound!

sweetie

We are trying to box everything up. Time is going much too quickly! I probably won't post again until we are back in Indiana. We can't wait to finally hold baby Caleb!

Tonya

Children's Choir at Grace

Our kids sang this morning at church and did a great job. They have been doing a weekly music class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Their teacher was wonderful! She taught them several great hymns of the faith as well as some fundamentals of music. Here they are singing "All Creatures of Our God and King" and "Be Thou My Vision".

big announcement

We are moving to Indiana! Only two more weeks in the beautiful New England area surrounded by city life and then it's back to the rural countryside. Our days are filled with packing boxes and last minutes errands. We are sad to leave! It has been such a wonderful experience and we will hold our new friendships close in our hearts.

So, many of you will be seeing us quite soon and we are looking forward to deepening our relationships with you and encouraging one another to become more like Christ.

Please pray for us during the next couple of weeks that we would be patient with one another (moving is a huge undertaking in the midst of home school), that we would be diligent to use our time wisely, and that schedules would work out so that we could spend a few more hours with our precious friends from Grace Bible Church. They truly have become our family during our time here!

Tonya

praise for our baby girl

We are thanking God for His protecting Hand over Kaci today. Taj was home with the kids this morning. He gave the girls a carrot stick and Kaci got choked on a piece of hers. Taj was trying to get it dislodged but she turned purple and passed out before he could get it out. Needless to say, Taj was frantic! He was praying as Kaci passed out and was wondering what to do next. But surprisingly, after a couple of seconds, she woke up and was fine. No carrot piece to be found! We don't know if she swallowed it or if God just took care of it but we are SO thankful that she's okay.

Praise Him for keeping her safe! We would be lost without our little sweetie!

Tonya

school

We started back to school today. Everything went smoothly (it helps that I spent a lot of time getting more organized this summer.. or maybe I am finally getting the hang of home school?) Many seasoned home school moms have told me that the first 3 yrs. are the most difficult and I am looking forward to the day when I can see if that statement is true. I do know that this past year went much better than the year before.

I will try to post some photos tomorrow. It's been a busy day and this late owl is going to bed early. (Am I strange to call 10:40 early?)

Tonya

The Homemaker's Popularity Crisis

"Part and parcel of the feminist message has been 'a disdain of domesticity and a contempt for housewives'. The volume level of this hostility was particularly shrill and piercing in the early years of the women's movement. However, its echo still rings in our ears today.

Consequently, the profession of homemaking is not very popular these days. It has dropped very low on our society's chart of worthwhile contributions - if it even makes the list at all! Many women are reluctant to stay at home because of the lack of respect they receive from our culture. Homemaking is deemed a low-status job.. In fact, you get the feeling nowadays that doing anything outside of the home is more honorable than working in the home. Dorothy Patterson characterizes the current mindset in this way:

Much of the world would agree that being a housekeeper is acceptable as long as you are not caring for your own home; treating men with attentive devotion would also be right as long as the man is the boss in the office and not your husband; caring for children would even be deemed heroic service for which presidential awards could be given as long as the children are someone else's and not your own."

(taken from Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney)


Titus 2:3-5
the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teacher of good things - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

Tonya

two

oh, how I love when my babies are two. Wish they would never have to grow up! Many people say "just wait for the terrible two's" .. well, I cannot seem to find anything terrible about it! It's my favorite age.

Tonya

sin

“Sin lives in a costume; that's why it's so hard to recognize. The fact that sin looks so good is one of the things that make it so bad. In order for it to do its evil work, it must present itself as something that is anything but evil. Life in a fallen world is like attending the ultimate masquerade party. Impatient yelling wears the costume of a zeal for truth. Lust can masquerade as a love for beauty. Gossip does its evil work by living in the costume of concern and prayer. Craving for power and control wears the mask of biblical leadership. Fear of man gets dressed up as a servant heart. The pride of always being right masquerades as a love for biblical wisdom. Evil simply doesn't present itself as evil, which is part of its draw. You'll never understand sin's sleight of hand until you acknowledge that the DNA of sin is deception. Now, what this means personally is that as sinners we are all very committed and gifted self-swindlers. … We're all too skilled at looking at our own wrong and seeing good.”

Paul David Tripp,Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy (CrossWay 2008)

blueberry picking

Here are the photos from our blueberry picking. The sun was hot and we tried to stay on the back side of the bushes to keep cool. Kaci had a hard time understanding that we were wanting berries that were "blue" and not green! Mia learned that birds gorged with blueberries can have loose bowels and you better watch out. Yup, right on her arm!









Tonya

chuckles

This morning at church a lady was talking to Taj and Mia. As she was walking away, she said, "God bless you." Mia leaned over to her daddy and stated with a chuckle, "She said 'God bless you' Daddy and you didn't even sneeze!"

trivia question

Mia's trivia question:

How old does a panda bear have to be before you can tell if it is a boy or a girl?


Mia knows the answer from her science lesson, do you??

(you may not post an answer in the comments if you used the internet.. that's too easy!)

Tonya

blueberries

We went blueberry picking yesterday with some friends from church. Had a great time and the kids loved to help! I will post some photos of us picking the berries in a few days. For now, enjoy looking at our tasty treats!



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Tonya