3rd Grade Field Trip to San Diego

The third grade at NCS takes an annual optional field trip to SD to participate in the Floating Lab. Its a boat that goes out and grabs things from the bottom of the bay and then the kids get to inspect them under microscopes as well as feel and touch them.  It's pretty neat. 

So, Justin took the three boys over to SD for the floating lab trip.  They had a blast. They spent time at the beach, did the boat, went to the Aquarium, and then the last day the Zoo.  Since they had to return that day early, the didn't get much time at the zoo, but they had fun none-the-less.  

When it's just the 3 of them they get along and play nicely together.  Its a nice break from the small kids and time with dad.  

It's a nice tradition to begin since they will all eventually go through 3rd grade! 

Look how cute they are!

Letter to Cole

Well Buddy it's another year down and now you are 9. Halfway through growing up in our home and on your way to being a young man.  I can't hardly believe it (I know I say that all the time, it's a mom thing.) It's true though, time seems to fly and now I've blinked and you're a 9 year old cutie pie.  Can I still call you that or does it embarrass you? I think you don't mind really...You're sweet that way, still full of hugs and kisses and snuggles for your dad and I. How'd we get so lucky.

Growing up is hard...emotions, expectations, correction, limits, trust, responsibility, and so much more. Especially being the oldest of 6.  Whoa...I never had to do that.  I really can't tell you I relate.  What I do know is God made you to be the oldest in this crazy family.  He called you and appointed you to this role and place in our family.  Both to sharpen you and give you special leadership role.  It can be both hard and a beautiful think to watch.

You often selflessly love your siblings, sacrificing for them, giving them your time and attention when you'd probably rather be doing something else.  I catch glimpses of God's amazing love and servant-hood at time when I watch you. Of course, as with anyone, those moments can also be clouded with bickering, selfishness, and competition between you and them, but as we are fleshly beings your dad and I understand that.  That is what we are here for...to guide you and show you the way.  I suppose the most important thing is that we do that and that you, my son, listen and grow when you can.

The mark of a great leader is the ability to see where change needs to happen, take action to make those changes and celebrate God's mercy and love for you as you do so! Not perfection but growth.  Not perfection but change. Not perfection but effort, love, grace, and humility.

You're a pretty incredible little guy...well not so little anymore.  You wow me so often and humble me too. I pray fervently that the next 9 years are full of as much adventure and fun as these past 9 years have been and I pray God protects your heart and eyes, shows you His way, and that you choose Him above all things.

I'm going to blink and you'll be grown.  My influence on your life will become small as your forge your own way. So, while we travel the road together I hope we can grow you into a responsible, hard working, loving, kind, servant leader who walks on God's path.  I admit, I don't fully know how to do that.  I will make mistakes and for that I'm sorry. But, I love you and we serve a good God.  He is faithful to us as we pray and knows what we need before we utter it.  Let's be praying together for your future.  I know God has good things for you, even if sometimes the path seems rocky.

I Love You Cole.  With all I am! I'm proud to be your mom.

Love,
Mom

The Champions

Cole's baseball team, the Cowboys, pulled out the most amazing series of AAA Championship baseball games.  They came into the championship tournament in the middle.  Just an average team with an average win-loss streak.  They lost the first game, sadly, putting them into the losers bracket.  Agh, so scary.  One more loss and they were out.  But...can you believe it, they pulled out a winning streak that ended with them taking the whole damn thing! They WON! They WON! It was the most incredible series of games.  I can't even sum it all up it was so awesome.
Cole had been struggling with hitting some.  He has a great eye but sometimes hard times putting the bat to the ball.  He had the chance to practice some at the neighbors house.  That was awesome.  They all came ready to play.  It was the most incredible game.  We were all so proud of them.

Who Are My Children-Cole

Cole is 8 already and time if flying by. I feel like I was just holding my first born son at the birthing center after my first introduction to what laboring to give life to a child was all about.  He is everything he was inside my tummy and everything we prayed he would be.
He is strong.  This strength comes in many forms as he gets older.  Both strong-willed and also bravely loving and strong enough to go against the grain when appropriate. We prayed all those years ago while he was rolling in my womb that G-d would grow in him a leadership quality.  A resilient passion for serving Jesus and the strength to do so.

Now, as a young man, I see in him the wrestling that comes with this calling on his life.  The wrestling between flesh and service to Jesus.  He has a strength both physically and spiritually that one day will be used to glorify the kingdom of G-d.
He is witty and sarcastic.  His humor often catches me off guard and I find myself surprised by the connections and relationships he makes that facilitates his humor.
He is playful, helpful, observant, loyal, compassionate, and eager.
He HATES Milk.  He LOVES Chinese food, Teryaki Chicken to be exact about it.

He LOVES to read but prefers not to have to write, but he has nice handwriting.
He HATES to have to erase his work when he makes a mistake. It's best in his eyes just to NOT make a mistake but if you do, erasing it is just too much work. Agh.
He LOVES to play things he's good at and is not interested in things he's not as good at. But, he will usually try anything once.
I've CONVINCED him, Praise the Lord, that I know almost everything and even though he doubts me at first, I can always remind him that I KNOW and he agrees! It's awesome. I wonder how long this will last?
He LOVES babies and is always great with baby brothers and sisters.

He DOES NOT LOVE it when toddlers bother his stuff and get into his things.
He has a CRAZY cowlick in his hair making it impossible to cut his hair anywhere but a barber shop.
His feet USUALLY stink...although that seems to be getting better with age...or my nose has grown accustomed to it. I'm sure it's the latter and that is GROSS.
He is ALWAYS humming...or at least it seems that way.  I hear this constant noise and I'm pretty sure it's Cole humming...but now that I think about it...maybe it's just my life with boys.
He is VERY responsible and trustworthy if he's not with the twins.  Throw the twins into the mix and there is a competition for who is in charge along with a battle for justice and fairness.
He has GREAT insight into people and circumstances and is always observant and aware of his surroundings.
He LOVES to play with weapons. This started at 3 and has yet to make an exit. I'm cool with it.
He HATES hiking. He says he hates hiking.  But, then when we go hiking he seems happy and jovial. So...I guess I'm still working this one out.
He THRIVES on being challenged, but not too hard that will result in tears. Success is key so learning to fail is something we are working on.
He has AMAZING freckles on his nose. Just a dash for some character and a side dish to his dimples.
He almost always cries when he doesn't understand something.
He always laughs at "BOY stuff" i.e. farting, pooping, burping, tackling, and more.
He WILL pee his pants if he laughs too hard.
He can't hear if he is watching T.V.--I think this is a boy problem in general but I'm just saying I say his name about 10 times before he hears me if he's watching television.
He catches on to things QUICKLY and is capable of so many things.  Hopefully he will choose to do All Things for the Glory of G-d as he grows into a man.
Aside from my husband, he's really a rock for me.  Helpful, motivated, loving, compliant (most of the time) and although he can struggle like everyone else with whining and complaining and tries to avoid helping sometimes, he's really such an awesome gift to me. G-d knew exactly what our family needed when He gave us Cole first and although we are all still finding out way with our first born son, he is an incredible kid.

Mickey Ears and Princess Dresses

My amazingly generous parents took Cole and Brynn to Disneyland at the end of February.  They've been taking the kids to Disneyland since Cole was 3.  This was Cole's second trip but Brynn's first time to the Happiest Place on Earth! 

They spent the first day in Chinatown looking at goodies and eating some Chinese food.  Cole's favorite type of food.  

The second day they went to California Adventure and had a great time.  There weren't too many people and the lines weren't too long.  My dad was able to take Cole on some of the scarier rides while Brynn and my mom spent time together.  

The third day they went to Disneyland and at 10:00am Brynn had an appointment at the Bippity Boppity Boutique to have a makeover and meet the Princesses.  It was such a special thing my mom did for her.  She had a wonderful time.  

They had a great day of Fast passes and riding rides.  Cole LOVED Space Mountain.  Brynn loved the Princesses and the parades.  It was just such a cool time for both of them and something I'm so grateful for...my parents willingness to take them places and invest in memories.  

Thanks again mom and dad.  We love you!

Ringing in the "Sandy" New Year

Justin and my dad took the three older boys to the Dunes for New Years while the little kids and I stayed here to enjoy some time together.  While the boys were off riding in the sand, my mom and I took the kids to Jambo Park (thanks to her purchase of a coupon).  They had a great time riding the rides and playing on the playground and eating a frosty from Wendy's on the way home.  The boys spent their time riding in their RZR 170 and mastering the bowls.

It was only their second trip our with the Razor and I'm amazed and how fast they have learned to drive and drive fast.  It makes my heart happy to have them enjoy riding out there.  I also think it was awesome of my husband and  my dad to take them out for a boys trip.  It makes for such awesome memories and something for them to look forward to.

Justin is always good about taking some pictures for me while they go do their adventures.  I'm thankful for that.  I don't want to miss out on even a second of their memories.

Sending the Twins to Northwest Christian School

We would like to send the twins, with Cole, to Northwest Christian in 2014.

We have spent the first two months of school working on reading, math, money, time, writing, sentence structure, punctuation, verbs, nouns, bible lessons, memory verses, and so much more in between.  We have been considering transitioning the boys to NCS next year but I wanted to get a little further along in their skills to make sure when they transition they wouldn't be behind.  I DO NOT want little boys coming home defeated and frustrated.  That is just no way to live! I also wanted to be sure the Lord wanted us to make that move.

I think we are making excellent progress and although at times they seem to need reminding and prompting to remember things we went over, they have done remarkably well.  They are a whole year younger than Cole was in first grade.  Cole was 7, the twins are 6.  This makes a huge difference, along with their personalities, in their desire to learn, their ability, their interest.  Until recently I can say for a fact, Trace had little to no interest in learning to read.  And that is okay.  But, I wanted to encourage them to have more interest if we were going to consider them attending NCS.

I am not 100% sure as to the Lords wishes, but I do know we must take steps, in prayer, in order to find answers. Justin and I are stepping out in faith, considering it will cost about $16,000 to send all 3 boys to NCS.  The good news, after these three attend school, the 4th, 5th, and 6th ones are free! Wahooo.  But, raising, through tax credits, $16,000 will still be the LORDS total provision for our family and confirm we should be sending them there.  It is not an easy task to raise the money.  It takes planning, applications, letters, posts, swallowing one's pride :) and faith. We are acting in faith and allowing God to provide for the boys to attend school.

So, we are again partnering with AZTO.org, sending out letters, posting this to the blog, and sharing through social media the opportunity to designate your Arizona Tax Dollars towards Cole, Brody and Trace attending Northwest Christian in 2014/2015.

It might seem like a long time from now, but we have managed to get ahead of the fundraising curve.  Last year we were able to raise full tuition for Cole to attend school.  Praise the Lord, isn't HE good?!

By sending out letters now, we make the opportunity for our friends and family much more sweeter.

If you donate prior to December 31, 2013, you can claim your donation on BOTH your federal and state tax return.  The federal would be for donating towards a 501(c)3 and the state is for your state tax liability dollar-for-dollar credit.

If, for some reason, you would rather wait until 2014 to make a donation you can actually make a donation up until April 14, 2014 in order for it to be applied to your 2013 state liability tax filing.

Our family would be so BLESSED if you would partner with us by designating your Arizona State Tax Liability towards our boys attending Northwest Christian School.  It is a dollar-for-dollar credit so you will not lose anything by making this possible for our kids.

Please prayerfully consider making this donation on our behalf.  We are confident God plans to do great, amazing things through each of our readers who visit our blog and receive our letters.

If you have any questions, please contact us. We'd be happy to explain some things or direct you to where your answers can be found.

We are so thankful we live in a place where we can be intentional with our children's education. Second to homeschooling, which is incredible and absolutely what we recommend, Christian school is the only choice we would make.  We, as their parents, believe they should be in a place that honors Christ, puts Him first and into all aspects of education, and shows our children the righteous path. Thank you in advance for your consideration to help our family.

You can download the letter and donation form HERE!

If you desire to give but do not live in Arizona, we would certainly accept your donation, which cannot be applied towards your taxes and would simply come from the goodness of your heart, towards their tuition. You can contact me for more information about this type of donation as it cannot be made through AZTO.

Letter to Cole

Motherhood is hard...just plain and simple.  We bring our own baggage into the experience that then mesh with our hopes and dreams for our children and somehow they get all marbled together while we learn to raise boys into men.

None of it is going how I thought it would go when this sweet, amazing, precious, G-d designed person came out of my swollen womb, taking his first breath of life and whispering G-d's name with his voice.  Motherhood has been an evolving and glorious experience that I couldn't even begin to describe.

What I can describe (whether I, and certainly not without the Lord,  am able to bring it to life for him) is what I desire and feel for my son.  Since he turned 8 in July, I wanted to write a letter to him.  When he was small I would journal for him.  Writing with a pen and paper is quickly a thing of the past.  So, here we are 8 years later and I'd like to write him a birthday letter.

In many ways I will fall short of all the things I had envision, planned, or thought I wanted to do for him and with him as a mother (I way underestimated sin nature and the battle of the flesh), there is no QUESTION how much I love him.  With each season we go through I learn more about him and he learns more about who G-d wants him to be.  We are both rolling with the waves on this one and each coming out better in the end (at least that is my hope and prayer and trust the Lord will be faithful).

Dear Cole,

I Love You!  Nothing could ever change that.  I knew I was destined to be a mother and I knew G-d had something special for me, but I did not nor could I imagine the true depth of love motherhood has to offer.  It has opened my heart in ways I never expected. Love is also constantly moving and growing and flowing as you grow and we approach this thing together.

You are quite an amazing young man.  There is just no one else like you.  So smart, quick witted, observant, passionate, capable, helpful, energetic, funny...I could go on and on.  There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.  I have watched you forge your own way in so many things.  You move me and I'm inspired by you .

My prayer for you is of a softer nature.  I prayed when you were being knit in my womb that you would be a leader, a friend, and a follower of Christ.  G-d has gifted you with so many strong qualities. The prayer for your life is that you would take those strong character traits and allow the Lord to fashion them into love, gentleness, generosity, caring, and a commitment to put others first.  G-d has a plan and a purpose for your life and although at times it get confusing with the battle or flesh and spirit, I know the Lord has his hand on your life.

I know, at times, I don't help you find the truth about your life and who you are called to be.  Things around here can be crazy and demanding of all of us.  You are so incredible to handle being the oldest of six children.  I can sometimes get short tempered, have high expectations (only because I know you can do it and I want you to be a solid man), focus on things that don't matter, and I can be too tired to give you what you need.  I am sorry.  Please forgive me.  It is not my desire and I am working on the things I need to improve in order to be the mother G-d wants me to be.

This is why it is so important that you get your identity from the Lord.  I may be the vessel G-d has chosen to raise you up but the true example for your life is Him.  I am human and I will fall short from time to time but together we can look to the Lord to find our way.

Cole, love G-d and love others.  Be courageous as you are and learn to be tender and gentle in spirit when the time is right.  Show your dedication the Lord by your service to others.  Think of yourself second and try to make righteous decisions that would please the Father.

I will always be here son.  You are a light in my life. I will always be your mom. I will be your biggest fan.  I will reflect to you what you need to see in yourself as you grow so someday I can simply enjoy who you've become.

I enjoy watching you grow.  Even when things are in an off kind of phase and things seem harder than we'd like them to be.  You amaze me and blow me away daily.  You truly don't see your potential the way I do, because life is lived in the moment for you. Don't let the moments be missed opportunities.

Be proud of who G-d made you but humble enough to see an opportunity to improve.  Find your passion, what your calling in is life, the passion G-d has implanted into your heart.  You are truly a special guy, and my favorite oldest son.

Love,
Mom XO
Your one and only mom who you can always come home to. I Love You!

Pictures Please, Say Cheese!

I just LOVE our family pictures and somehow our photographer, who is all of 23 years old, manages to capture some adorable moments of our crazy family.

There are several guarantees I can expect when it's family picture time: 1. someone will be stubborn and try to not smile (and I don't mean the baby). 2. someone will be tired.  3. I will break a sweat.  4. Everyone wants to sit or be held by Justin.  5.Someone (or a couple) of kids will oversleep their nap on this day and we will have to wake them.  6. I will struggle to decide what everyone will wear and inevitably leave it up to chance that it all comes together, after buying some of us new clothes to make it all work (and I'm not a great accessorize-r). 7. Bribery will ensue...you smile...YOU WIN SOMETHING! 8. Encouraging manipulation might occur: "if you smile we can send these pictures to grandma and grandpa and they will love them soooo much!" 9. Everyone will be done taking pictures before me. I will want to catch every single possible angle and everyone else will be ready to go! 10.He (the photographer) will manage to get at least a dozen perfect pictures in the chaos.

I don't know how he does it, but his lighting in impeccable, timing is great, and in a flash of a second (ha, like that little pun), he gets all their personalities.

I always tell them I'm not too worried about getting the baby smiling, it's hard to get your typical size family to smile...6 kids is darn near impossible.  But, we got lucky and in so many pictures the baby was at least looking at him and the camera and although we didn't quite catch his amazing little smile, we did get is precious little face.  Then, the photographers girl friend managed to put him to sleep mid-shoot, so we had a few snaps with him sleeping.  So precious to me.  His little feet and his little face.

I had to load in all my Favorites, because they are just awesome.  As the kids get bigger I am just amazed to see them grow.  And, although, on some days it is difficult to remember how incredible they are over the noise, tired whines, and bickering, they truly are MY GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT.

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Family Pictures 2013 - slideshow

You can also view it here.

Father Son Campout with Cole

Cole went with Justin to Legacy Adventure Camp.  It was his turn.  They had a great time throwing hatchets, shooting arrows, starting fires, hiking by the lake, geo caching, and making notebooks.  One on One time with Cole is always so good. He thrives on it.  It is challenging I'm sure to be the oldest of 6 kids.  This quick time away is refreshing for them all.  

It is a fun tradition we've started and the kids love it.  Next up is Brynn then the twins again.  They run enough camps each year for everyone to get a turn to go with Daddy!

Justin said Cole cried when it was Justin's turn to share with him in front of the group.  My tenderhearted, tough exterior boy! Sure love him.