Overheard while miss Meri Ellis was taking piano this morning...

"Just play the song one more time Mrs. Logan and I will dance for you again!"

I do believe she thinks I have hired her own private musician to come and play so she can dance!! The girl is funny!!

She and Dale learned about quarter notes today and they both did great.

But she likes to dance more than play the piano!!

E

He earned his vest! YAY Dale! He memorized his first verse, and I love his version better than NIV! It is
John 3:16
For God loved the world so so much that he sent His one and only Son, that WHOEVER believes Him will not PERISH but will have EVERLASTING, forever and ever LIFE.
John 3:16
Notice we use the reference at the beginning and end like any good Nav would!!

Love, E

SO BIG news around here. Dale is reading. I am so excited to see him "getting it"! We still have a long way to go, don't we all, but he is blending and can read the simple first readers. And guess who he picks to read to? Merideth! And she is a willing participant. Wow, my friend said that this would be so rewarding and it is!

On another note...see Merideth...SUCKING her fingers! Pray we can find a way to help her quit! While it was sweet and cute about 2 years ago...it it time to stop! She does only do it when really tired or in a "new" situation and is nervous.

Love both these babies and love these milestones!! YAY DALE!!

Love, E

I got the new Creative Needle tonight and I cannot wait to sew. I wish someone lived closer and we could sew and watch a movie....

I also found a section with homeschool magazines! YAY! I will pass it on when done...

I better go to bed even though I want to call a certain friend that is just finishing lunch! Love you!!

E

Take the Quiz here!

I really enjoy Jane Austen. I really really love the movies. Sad I know especially since I have a degree in Literature. Pride and Prejudiced is my favorite. I really enjoy watching it while sewing with a certain friend!
Is this quiz accurate? I took one once about "which friend I am", well, it turns out I am Ross!??

Have a great day!

Just some fun photos from Ice Cream tonight. the kids are great. We are enjoying school. Almost to the reading part WOW! Anyway this will be short I need to lesson plan!!

E

To the far left are the proud parents of a precious baby boy. Next to Darrell and Krista is a group photo of our small group, we were gathered around for a baptism. We have a great "family" small group that we get to meet with every week in our home. We have awesome leadership and the group has really bonded. It is so awesome to celebrate this joyful news with them...Below is an email Donna, who is part of leadership sent.

Hey Family Group!!
Tonight we are THRILLED to let you know we have a new member!! Earlier today I received an email from Krista that they had gotten their approval letter for adoption through Christian Homes, and that the average wait would be 6-9 months, possibly sooner or later.. Then at 7 p.m. Elizabeth called me with the news that Darrell and Krista HAVE A LITTLE BOY. He was born Aug. 8th and they will be picking him up on Monday!!!!! He weighed 5 pounds 7 ounces at birth and now weighs 9 pounds, olive skin, and sandy-colored hair. Name is still pending....
Because of this wonderful news we are going to have a family group baby shower for them during our regular meeting time Sunday evening!!!! They will have selections at Target, but I am not sure how soon they will be registered. Duane and I ran to their house a few minutes ago to give them hugs and they weren't home, so they may have been at Target registering!!!!!!
Thank you God for blessing Darrell and Krista with this precious little boy!! Finally, the long, long wait is over!!!

See you all Sunday evening....
Duane and Donna

Kinda neat to have some GREAT news on here!!!

Here is a link to Krista's blog if you want to read more about them. She has not updated her blog yet, I think she may have a lot going on!!

http://www.fauveladoption.blogspot.com/

Love to all, E

So not a whole lot going on here...Just some random thoughts.

Stephen and I were talking a few days ago about marriage. A friend of mine told me about a couple that once went to our church and how they are getting divorced. I cried. Literally. I think I surprised my friend. I know I surprised myself. It made me sad. Made me MAD. Made me wonder. Wonder why some christian marriages work...why some don't. So back to what Stephen and I were talking about. Statistically 49% of all marriages end in divorce and the rate is HIGHER in churches. Why? My friend S and I were talking about how it is a choice. A choice to stay, to love, to honor. Some days I DO NOT WANT TO. I don't want to stay, I don't want to love, I don't want to honor. And then I remember the promise and God's promise and I know I will. Because God is bigger than divorce or yucky marriages. He is so much bigger than that. It makes me sad and wonder what those people, and they seemed to have it together in a Godly sort of way, thought was so much bigger than all of that. By the way we are fine, Satan just likes to hang out here sometimes. We kicked him out by the way. Our marriage is Gods and it is going to honor Him.

Sorry if that was too honest for some of you...life is real around here.

Well I better take advantage of my kids snoring and get the two handed stuff done...E

So piano lessons are going really well. Merideth did excellent and I hear Mrs. Logan telling Dale he is being "meticulous". I am not sure what is going on...staying in here! Merideth was playing scales and working with Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse...So CUTE!

Well we are done with the lesson for today. Dale did great. Amazing how a little discipline on my part and things go so much better. Now if I can get into a better sleep schedule and get up at least an hour before the kids I will be rockin' it here!

Pray for my sweet friend C she is making some big decisions. I miss her.

Okay well I better finish up a few things before Dale is done with lessons.

Love, E

To the left is the motorcycle I wish we DID NOT OWN! Below is sweet Merideth and Blake....







So we are trying so hard to get on a better school schedule....the hardest thing for me in home schooling is just doing it...
That means having the discipline to sit down, get started and FINISH. If, for example, I get on the computer or heaven forbid the phone I don't have the discipline to only do those things for a few minutes...it is a terrible cycle. So with that being said I am not going to answer the phone or get email (etc) until 10AM. Now that does not mean to not call me, I will hear the message and if we are done or/and especially if it is an emergency I will answer it. So enough of that...

Piano starts in the morning, for the 2nd time! The first week I was sick, last week the kids were. So hopefully we will be able to start in the morning. The lessons begin at 9am. We are looking forward to them.

So Stephen bought a motorcycle...I was SO NOT HAPPY. But I do love him so with that please pray for his safety on the blasted thing.
They say a lot of how you are raised stays with you and the DO NOT RIDE a motorcycle has!! Thanks Daddy!

Okay so this post was really random...sorry! One more thing...
I made the potatoes, crash something, from Pioneer Woman Cooks. I have to say, and it is hard, I didn't like them. I know shocker! I have really enjoyed all her other recipes but I think this one really needs a lot of salt and I didn't season enough. (I did use the rosemary S.)

Okay well thank you and good bye!
Love, E

Stephen just got an email from a friend...
it read...

"Brendon won his fight this morning."

Now those of you reading this and those of you who know me realize what this means...

I cannot imagine the emotional, physical, raw pain his precious Mother has going on right now...BUT...did you read it...HE WON! Imagine the rejoicing in HEAVEN....

I am going to wrap my arms around another 5 year old I know....
and count my many (selfish) blessings....

Oh I love homeschooling! The photo of just Dale is him holding up the number of trees we have in our yard. We are studying about leaves, which led to trees and so we went outside to count how many trees we have...you know math! Anyway then because of all the rain we HAD to jump in puddles...It has been a fun day.

I really don't know how people send their kids to school....really! I have been taking a little girl to school for her parents. She is Brendon's sister. I seriously don't know how "those" people get up early, feed, dress, make sure all the stuff is in the bag and then head out the door. I just have to say you must me much more organized than me!!

Oh and I am enjoying the experience of taking Amelia to school. I kinda wondered how it would be to go to kindergarten on the first day of school...you know the excitement of it all for the parent and the child..well I got to do it! It further concretes the decision Stephen and I have made to home school. It is hard to leave those little ones there not knowing what all is taught and presented to them. I also know now that home schooling is not for everyone, I really never have had that conviction. I just know it is for us. Dale and Merideth have already had breakfast, and done school today...now for some errands! And since it is "l" week we are going to the library!

Have a great day!
E

So I am feeling a little better and am "trying" to get caught up on the election news. Here are a few articles that I found and thought you might find interesting as well. I just have to say that we need to be careful as to how we "judge" others. I am still behind McCain/Palin...probably more so now than before...



Dobson says he'll vote for McCain-Palin
Via my former colleague, Time's Michael Scherer, I see that Focus on the Family head James Dobson announced on Friday that he will vote for John McCain.

That the influential evangelical leader would eventually come around, despite his longtime skepticism about McCain, is no surprise. But the timing of the announcement, coming as quickly as it did after the news that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be McCain's running mate, seems to indicate just how successful McCain was at appealing to the social conservative wing of his party by making this choice, and just how politically astute a move this may turn out to be for the presumptive Republican nominee.

― Alex Koppelman

Second article....

Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family issued the following statement:

"In the 32-year history of Focus on the Family, we have offered prayer, counseling and resource assistance to tens of thousands of parents and children in the same situation the Palins are now facing. We have always encouraged the parents to love and support their children and always advised the girls to see their pregnancies through, even though there will of course be challenges along the way. That is what the Palins are doing, and they should be commended once again for not just talking about their pro-life and pro-family values, but living them out even in the midst of trying circumstances.

"Being a Christian does not mean you're perfect. Nor does it mean your children are perfect. But it does mean there is forgiveness and restoration when we confess our imperfections to the Lord. I've been the beneficiary of that forgiveness and restoration in my own life countless times, as I'm sure the Palins have.

"The media are already trying to spin this as evidence Gov. Palin is a 'hypocrite,' but all it really means is that she and her family are human. They are in my prayers and those of millions of Americans."


...here is another article....

Noting that he has become very concerned about the prospects of the very liberal Barack Obama winning the presidency, he told Prager, "So I’ve been moving in John McCain’s direction."
After hearing of the Palin nomination, he said, "But I can tell you that if I had to go into the studio, I mean the voting booth today, I would pull that [McCain] lever.
Said Prager, "Well, if you’re very excited given your previous reservations then I have to believe, and certainly based on the handful of calls I’ve been able to take the first hour before my 'Happiness Hour,' people were so excited, palpably excited. Jim Dobson, I got to tell you… if your base is energized then that is the biggest nightmare that the left has."
Dobson replied: "I was just with about 300, maybe 400 people in a large auditorium, and they put Sarah Palin’s speech on the screen and we sat there and watched. I’m telling you it was electric. These were conservatives, you know. They were mostly Christian, but not all of them were. I mean to tell you, it set that crowd on fire. If that’s any indication, I think we are going to see some things."

I think that more than anything we just need to pray for our country and that whoever the next leader is that they seek God's face as they lead our country.

Okay so out I am going to rest now...dental surgery is so NOT FUN!!
Love, E