Micah's Birthday

Happy Birthday Micah!! 

Oh, my word. When did he grow up? Seven? Really?

Micah asked for a Thor birthday cake and once again Mamaw delivered! Yeah for Mamaw!

(Do you notice a theme? Captain America. Thor. 

Bet you can't guess what our kids are into right now.)

Thank you G-mommie for the shirt. Everyone else contributed to Micah's "bike fund." I will post pictures later after we have purchased it :)

Snow Ice Cream

We just had a huge snow storm this week which allowed Micah two extra days off from school. I sent him outside with a bowl and a scoop to gather snow before everyone when out to play in it. Once again, I already had everything in the pantry to make snow ice cream.

I simply poured a can of condensed milk into the snow and mixed.

For future reference, pour the can into an empty bowl and then add the snow. My snow to milk ratio was off and I ended up with left over snow around the edges.

Some happy customers!!

I put the left over snow ice cream in a plastic container and stuck it in the freezer. The snow ice cream keeps well and is fairly easy to scoop out and serve.

Fun With Baking Soda

Micah doesn't have school on Fridays so that makes it a fun day to do something as a family. I also have been accumulating a list of "homeschool crafts/activities." I would like to use our Fridays as days to do some of these fun activities without Micah missing out.

Our first activity was so simple, I already had everything in the pantry:
baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring. Each child was given a tray with soda in it and either a measuring spoon or a squirter (the medicine ones from the pharmacy). I would have preferred them all having squirters but I only had one and the logical choice was Bekah :)

Baking soda and vinegar create a chemical reaction which is why they are the ingredients used when you build a volcano.

Micah's

Josiah's

Beginning a new ministry

We are four weeks into our new youth group program. We picked the It's Grow Time curriculum because of its structure and materials. It is set up for a younger age group and an older age group. Our first Wed. night we had 12 children ranging from 4-14. Our second Wed. night we added 3 teenagers and 2 youngers. By our fourth Wed. night we had 20! Praise God!! We had great plans to go door knocking or fundraisers or anything else we could think of to add kids to our youth department. We began praying for our youth and our ministry. God showed us that what ever great plans we have, it is He who will provide the increase.

Now is the part where we wait patiently to see who will become a regular. If this will be our consistent group, we will divide the classes and separate the teenagers from the older children and start a new curriculum based on their age level. What an amazing problem to have!

Thank you God, for creating a willing heart in us and using us for your glory!

Random acts of kindness

I have caught the kids doing some things lately that just thrill my heart. So many of a mother's days are filled with disciplining, training, repeating the same phrases over and over again, and fixing problems. It is almost enough to bring me to tears when my children physically model some of the behaviors I so desperately what them to learn.

Micah really enjoys learning how to care for his sister. He has always been eager from the start but now he is developing initiative. 

"Mom, Anah is crying. Can I go feed her for you?"

Rebekah and Josiah both had cheese crackers for snack one day. I was completely frustrated with the mess that comes from eating bright orange crackers. I made the comment, "You need to clean up your mess" more for the purpose of showing them how messy they had been rather then them actually cleaning. Bekah looked at the floor and with an "Oh, my" ran and got the broom and delegated dust pan duty to Josiah. I was so shocked!! Obviously they needed help to complete the task but I silently thanked God for a teachable moment and helped them sweep the crumbs up.

Josiah normally gets up at 7a with Micah on school days. He headed up stairs without me. I don't know when the idea came to him to do this. It might have been when he reached the top of the stairs and looked in my room; it could have been he had a dream about it. When Micah and I came upstairs only minutes later, Josiah comes out of my room and with a smile, proudly announces, "Mommy, I made your bed." I left it just the way it was for the rest of the day. When daddy asked him if it was hard he said, "Yes. You have a big bed."