Camping and Beau Turns 2

Beau turned 2 while we spent the weekend and Easter up in Stoneman Lake Camping with the Morton's and Pappa.

A little weekend getaway with the motorhome and the kiddos was a nice treat.  At one point a couple came through with some horses and gave the kids that wanted to a ride.  It was a nice little gift.  

My little one is now 2 and I can't believe it.  He's just the most precious little guy.  Still nursing but as independent as ever.  

It was VERY chilly, bone cold at times.  I can't believe we made it through the weekend. At one point I thought we would freeze and head home.  But, the sun came out and it was much better.  We did an easter egg hunt up there for the kids.  I love these little camping trips with the family. 

It is a lot of work but the memories we make mean everything to me!

Beau Turns 1

My precious, blonde headed little boy turned 1 on April 5, 2014 and I can hardly stand it.  I wrestle with the idea that this is my last one year old birthday, my last sweet baby turning 1, walking, baby talking and smirking his way into my heart.  G-d really knew how special Beau would be to us and how precious he is as our last little guy.  He makes all things right in the world and has a special place in our family.  

It's been a quick year of watching him grow.  Seeing him take his first breath in our bedroom, watching him learn to laugh and roll over, then seeing him take his first steps at only 10 months old...whew time flies.  He's such a joy and a sweet baby.  He LOVES music.  Always kicks in with a dance move when he hears the music come on.  He LOVES daddy. He LOVES water and he LOVES mommy! He's a lover for sure. 

We just had a handful of friends over as an excuse to hang out and eat birthday cake. I cut out a portion of the cake for him to do a little cake smashing but he wasn't into it.  He was not sure what to think about the frosting on his hands and was tentative to even touch it.  His precious little skin and his belly rolls sitting there staring at his cake...agh swoon! I love him. 

Happy Birthday sweet Beau, we love you!

6 Months of Pure Butterball Love

My precious little Beau Everett MacIsaac is 6 months and time is flying by. I literally feel like I just had him.  But, then I remember the whole summer has gone by and we are months into school already.  Wow, where does the time go?

He is too precious to me. Such a great, even tempered little man.  He is now sitting up (mostly without falling or lumping over), but he can almost crawl, rolls all over the house and can put himself into sitting position, even though he still lumps over sometimes!

He is happy most of the time and really pretty easy to please.  He laughs, smiles, and grabs everything.  I just love his auburn hair and his sweet blue eyes.

He's been teething since he was 2 months old but still no teeth! Adorable dimples and lip smacking jibber jabber.  All around perfect.

He loves his brothers and his sister and finds their crazy most entertaining!

Update on Beau

G-d has been so gracious to us with Beau's little accident.  All is well and he is doing great.  No signs of a fall or a skull fracture from the outside and he is developing right on schedule for his milestones and age.  (Milestones are just a guideline any how, but he is meeting them just fine).

He does have a follow up appointment in September.  I'm confident it will prove to be just a precautionary measure as everything with Beau seems great.

We did, on the other hand, receive his medical bills in the mail. We are currently uninsured.  We have chosen this route, it is not a cause of some catastrophic issue.  There isn't a good plan choice through Justin's employer for our type of family and our preferred healthcare methods. For a family the plan premium and the amount we would spend before we would reach our deductible would be thousands of dollars. And, there is no coverage for "real" healthcare such as oils, chiropractic care, naturopathic Dr.'s, etc.  The only thing the coverage is good for is Physician visits and prescriptions, both of which we hardly ever, as in maybe 2x a year, do. 

We don't vaccinate or do well check ups with the kids.  And, due to our weekly chiropractic care and management of regular illness such as coughs, colds, and fevers with Essential Oils, and natural remedies, my children NEVER see a Dr. and are hardly ever sick.  We do have a friend who is a Naturopathic Dr., and he can see us and call in prescriptions for us when the need arises, such as when a few of us came down with Strep.  Even without insurance and using Walgreen's W card, the prescription was only $5 cash paying.  

To top it all off, because of Obamacare the plan Justin's company offers does in fact offer the abortion pill and cover abortive measures such as birth control, etc.  At this time, I don't desire to participate with this CRAZY Obamacare stuff going on.

So, as you can see health insurance just doesn't make sense on a month-to-month basis.  Instead, we've been considering Samaritan Ministries and have budgeted the amount it would cost our family to participate and have had that available since we have not yet signed up.  To my knowledge, Samaritan Ministries does qualify as an Obamacare exemption.  The plan is to go this route soon.

All that being said, unfortunately we didn't sign up for Samaritan Ministries right after Beau was born and therefore we are uninsured.  So, the medical bills have come and they are NICE.  Not really nice but I'm being sarcastic.  Apparently Southwest Ambulance, which we used to transport from Mendy's Place to another hospital for him to monitored, doesn't negotiate price. I have received an assortment of separate bills from separate Dr.'s all of which their names I do not recognize nor can I substantiate that I actually saw them. These can be negotiated some.  Then, the big one...the overnight stay at the hospital.  At this time they are stating they gave us a 50% discount already for being cash paying, yet the invoice has no record of that anywhere.  Due the discount already given, they are not offering a negotiate rate (at this time anyhow). 

I know God has a way.  I don't like the system of billing they have. Had I been a pro I would have written down every name of every Dr. that came and stood at the foot of the bed for a total of 5 minutes and possibly denied their presence.  I never consented to a barrage of visitors and cannot make sense still out of why they all had to come ask the same questions without actually offering any services.  

We'll work it out.  It has been a lesson learned about a lot of things.  There isn't too much cost in the world to keep my baby safe from harm. That is TRUE.  Not having insurance can be both GREAT and NOT-So-GREAT at times.  We've still spent less than we would have with Justin's insurance plan, which is crazy.  All in all, it is going to be okay and Beau is doing great (I wouldn't necessarily say from anything they provided, but they were at least watching just in case. We all know it was the Lord who protected him), and this too will pass.  

I think Samaritan Ministries is on our horizon sooner than I'd expected.  I'll have to start the application and get going on that.  Cole is insured now through school, which is great.  I'm thankful for that.  G-d is good!

Prayers for the Children

I've been working diligently on putting together prayers for the kids, which will be printed on canvas and hung in their rooms.  My friend and mentor talked with me about the power of praying your child's name.  In scripture G-d put a special significance on names, often re-naming people, and we see the power of their name in regards to situations, outcomes, and much more.  I knew this of course, to a degree, when choosing names for the children, but I eventually let my preference for a name override the power of the meaning.

 So, Justin and I decided to choose a biblical person in which we would pray over them their strengths and against their weaknesses.  The goal was to try and find biblical men and women who closely resembled that child in temperament, ability, characteristics, and more.  Then I compiled a list of qualities about each biblical person and typed a short description of who they were.  From that I put together a prayer for each of the kids. It actually was so encouraging and enlightening to see how G-d uses mere humans to do his powerful work. Each of the characters I've chosen has both positive and negative qualities.  Each of them G-d used for mighty purposes and they exemplify certain attributes of a Godly man or woman.

 I've typed 4 so far I still have Westin and Beau to do.  I might wait on theirs, I can't decide. I want to see more of who G-d created each of them to be and try and pair them up accordingly.  I ordered 12x12 canvases for each of the 4, using a Buy One Get One from Easy Canvas Prints  with Free Shipping.  I'm so very excited to see how they turned out and hang them in their rooms.  Most importantly I'm excited to pray these special prayers over my sweet children.  I am confident G-d hears our prayers and honors them in His way.  My goal is to raise children who love and honor Him and I pray this is just one of the paths in which to cover them with blessings and protection.

Cole--King David

Father, I pray for Cole to be like King David. A boy who defeated a Giant and a man who was called as King over your people.  Build in him a Noble Leader and a passionate, unashamed worshiper of you, which will lead to an intimacy  with you above all things.I pray he would be your Beloved, Father, that he would be a man after your heart, anointed by the spirit, found in your presence, protective, dedicated and selfless.Drive in him a repentant heart, a humble fear of you, and a desire to walk a narrow path. Refine him in your fire.Place in his heart a devotion and faithfulness to God, even when life take place in the desert or a cave. Place in him a tenderness and strength, a warrior mindset to wage war for Christ. Help him to serve people and rule as a leader who shows both compassion and wisdom.Father keep him from a wandering heart, a love of worldly belongings just as David plundered his victims and served his fleshly desires. In all instances,use his sin for your own Glory, making straight his crooked paths and drawing him nearer to you in those times.

King David was:

The biblical King David of Israel was known for his diverse skills as both a warrior and a writer of psalms. David was the eighth and youngest son of Jesse from the kingly tribe of Judah, also known as God' Chosen People. The name David means "beloved". David's life went from the desert, the palace, the cave the kingdom. He was a passionate, unashamed worshiper of God. God had David anointed to succeed Saul and "The Spirit of The Lord came upon David from that day forward."  David was skilled enough to slay a Lion and a Bear but tenderhearted and repentant enough to write Psalms. He was a keeper of Sheep; sacrificial, protective, dedicated. David grew in stature, favor and respect among the people (Israelites) and God.  David, in obedience to God, showed mercy to Saul so God's plan could be fulfilled.  He became a Noble leader of the people, fulfilling God's long-suffered plan.  David stood in God's presence at the foot of the Ark and fulfilled God's covenant and promise with Abraham.  He was utterly devoted and Faithful to God.  David was the Father of Bathsheba's son Solomon, known to be one of the wisest men in biblical history.  God used David's sin for His Glory. 

Brody--John the Baptist 

Father, I pray for Brody to emulate Joshua.  To be faithfully obedient to God, a mighty leader, and a servant leader.  Give him the strength to reveal, through his example, the path to salvation and abundant blessings. Give him the strength to be an attentive student, mindful of all you have for him to learn and do.  Give him courage to stand for your truth and to follow your desires for his life, that others may draw nearer to you because of him. Father, bless him with responsibility and a vast trust in you as he carries out those responsibilities for your Glory. Help him not to worry or have concern but to faithfully follow you, always trusting in your miraculous works and doing so with joy. Remind him daily to consult you concerning his ways.  Remind him of your faithfulness and supernatural provision.  Allow him to be a mighty example of dependence upon the Lord to those around him. Do not let him forget where his blessings come from and to always give you praise. Shower him with abundant humility and wisdom. 

Joshua was: 

Faithfully obedient to God. Joshua's name means, "the Lord is Salvation." This name selection was the first indicator that Joshua was a "type," or picture, of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Joshua was a godly leader bearing much favor from God as the Israelites entered the land He has given them. Some Bible scholars view Joshua as an Old Testament representation, or foreshadowing, of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. What Moses(who represented the law) was unable to do, Joshua (Yeshua) achieved when he successfully led the people of God out of the desert to conquer their enemies and enter the Promised Land. His accomplishments point to the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross—the defeat of God's enemy, Satan, the setting free of all believers from captivity to sin, and the opening of the way into the "Promised Land" of eternity. Joshua was also an attentive student. Joshua showed tremendous courage, despite the huge responsibility assigned to him. He was a brilliant military commander. Joshua prospered because he trusted God with every aspect of his life. Before battle, Joshua always consulted God.Obedience, faith, and dependence on God made Joshua one of Israel's strongest leaders. He provided a bold example for us to follow.

Trace--Judah

Father, I pray Trace can become a man as Judah was.  That like Judah, he can be fierce as a lion; focused, determined, and a skilled warrior.  May a soft, tenderhearted, service oriented side compliment his powerful, lion-like nature.  Call him out among men, to stand for you, leading with grace and a noble spirit.  Bless him father, as you did Judah, giving him a birthright as your son and an heir in your kingdom. Preserve his life and his family as they serve you all their days. Help him to take responsibility in the good times and the bad.  Help him to see the err of his ways and to not allow his fleshly desires to consume him.  Aide him in confronting his sin, just as Judah did, and use it for your glory.  Give him self control, swift thinking, powerful leadership, and victory over the enemy. Give him the strength to take risks for Christ, sacrificing himself for others, and exhibiting Godly justice in circumstances around him.   Help him keep his earthly appetites in submission to you and to joyfully, full of Praise, live a life in service to the King, royal and noble in his character. Fill him with devotion to you. Give him a lasting legacy.

Judah Was:

Judah was a natural leader, standing out among Jacob's sons receiving the first real blessing from Jacob.  He becomes the birthright of the land and the line of Christ.  Judah was able to take responsibility when wrong, the mark of a real man. Judah is also fierce, described like a lion, having his hand on the necks of his enemy's.  The name Judah means "to Praise".  Judah was a clear thinker, swiftly taking righteous action in pressured circumstances and achieving victory over his enemies.  Judah is fierce and willing to risks for God's victory.  He is also sacrificial, offering his life over that of his brother Benjamin, a picture of what the coming Messiah would do for us at the cross. Judah is the center of the royal line that would lead to the Christ, the King.  Judah is wild and earthy yet civilized and tempered swiftly offering justice.  Although Judah, at times, found it difficult to control is fleshly appetites he exhibited character and devotion to God, giving Praise to Him.

Brynn--Hannah

Father, create in Brynn a heart and faith like that of Hannah.  Give her a powerful sense of prayer and trust in you and to do without ceasing.  Help her to find her hope in you and your provision and to put away the expectations and harshness of the world. Draw her to her knees and create in her heart a desire to know and serve only you. Bring to her a faithful husband. Bless her womb abundantly with the gift of children.  Show her the way to be a Godly mother, raising her children to also love and serve you all their days.Give her your wisdom, patience, and humility.  Make her tenderhearted, sacrificial, and an enduring example to those around her. Use her strong personality to be persistent for righteousness and bold for your love.Just as Hannah did, Lord, help her to never give up. Give her the strength to press on in the faith and praise you in everything, being loyal, showing mercy and spreading kindness to all people.

Hannah Was: 

Hannah is one of the most poignant characters in the Old Testament. Like several other women in the Bible, she was barren. Hannah believed in God's presence and power so much she prayed without for a child. She prayed so deeply Eli believed her to be possessed, but as she explained her praying, Eli spoke a blessing over her and Hannah's womb was opened. She gave birth to Samuel, which means "God Hears". She was a woman of her word, and remembered her promise to God, so she gave her son Samuel back to the Lord's service.  Because of her faithfulness and integrity God again blessed Hannah again with 5 more children. Her faithfulness and love of the Father allowed for her son Samuel to become a great man in biblical history, acting as Israels last Judge, first Prophet and counselor to King Saul and David.  Hannah was persistent, patient, loving, tenderhearted, and a sacrificial mother. She was devout in her prayers and humble towards God and others. Hannah teaches us to never give up, pray without ceasing, remember your promises to God, and to praise him for his kindness and love. Hannah also teaches us to show mercy and kindness to those who tease and put us down, trusting God for his greater plans.

Swimming Championships 2013

UPDATE: here is a cute little video of Brynn swimming breastroke for the first time. Chicken-Star-Rocket is how they teach the little ones to do that stroke.  Well, as you can see that is exactly what she is doing! 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwZ-6QUd7BBdYk1LT0JGVjJUeTQ/edit?usp=sharing

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Swim season has come and is now gone. Whew...that went fast.  I LOVE to be busy and taking the kids to and from swimming and watching them swim in swim meets is SO FUN. 

They all did so great this season.  Improving in every stroke, even Brynn!  I just love watching them have team camaraderie and this year was even more fun because CC and Sam along with Molly and Megan were able to join us.  That made practices and swim meets even more exciting as they were able to cheer on their friends and their friends cheered them on.

Cole, Brody and Trace were able to qualify for a preliminary swim at Championships.  That in and of itself is exciting.  Brody qualified in both freestyle and butterfly. Trace qualified in freestyle.  Cole qualified in Backstroke and Butterfly. 

Once they all swam in the Semifinals swim meet Brody was 9th out of about 40 which earned him a spot as an alternate in butterfly. Cole also qualified in Butterfly and was an alternate in Backstroke. 

Now it is important to know, Cole would want me to tell you, his two BEST strokes are butterfly and backstroke and he was thrilled to have made finals in butterfly but slightly disappointed to be just an alternate in backstroke.   But, he did in fact place 9th against about 40 swimmers which were the top 40 out of about 80 in his age group.  Not everyone got to swim in semifinals and to make it to finals, top 8, or even as an alternate means he was swimming in the top 10 out of the whole Desert Swim League. Pretty awesome if you ask me!

He (Cole) ended up placing 8th in the final race in butterfly.  It took some explaining for him to understand how awesome that was. We are so proud of all of them for working so hard and performing so well.  Week after week swimming their best and swimming strokes that are very challenging as well. 

And for the 3rd year in a row, Bellair Barracudas won the Desert Swim League championship!

Anyhow here are some great pictures of the season! It was a family and friends affair!

One of the best things that we've be given through swimming has been meeting Stefan and his family.  He helps to coach the swim team while swimming himself with the older kids.  He's a wonderful young man who loves Jesus and has taken my kids under his wing and shared his life with them. In that, Justin and I have been blessed to meet his family and they have taken us under their wing and we have learned so much from them.  

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