EKjourney Backup

I think that I have mentioned that we occasionally take family drives. We took one this Sunday after church. To set the stage, my camera is being fixed because the viewfinder is dirty leaving spots on my pictures. Also, whenever we are in the car and Sawyer sees something scenic, he always asks, "You wanna take a picture of this/that?" So...on our drive we were seeing a number of scenic views to which Sawyer kept asking this question and I kept saying that I would take a picture if I had my camera. Sissy begins asking the same question and then the following dialogue took place several times. Jubilee: Mommy, you no happy? Mommy, you sad? Mom: I am sad because I don't have my camera. It is being fixed. Jubilee: Mommy, Daddy save you! How cute is that!!! She has such a sweet, sensitive, and nurturing nature. She wants people to be saved and happy. On the rare occasions that we watch movies she cries if something bad happens to someone. Every night before bed she...

My, has it really been a week since I last posted? Let's see..the two older children spent the night at Grammy and Grampy's on Friday. Phil was at a football game so I had a long, quiet, lonely evening at home. We slept in until 9:00 a.m. Yes, you read that right. Evi went back to sleep and with the other two gone, the opportunity to sleep late was presented and we took full advantage!! Saturday, we ran errands - Phil in one direction and me in the other. We usually like to do errands together so we can have as much time together as possible. Phil put up part of a privacy fence - the garbage cans, potting plants, wood pile, lawn mower, etc. need privacy from being viewed from the street! He also worked on the stairs for our deck. Sunday, was a bit rainy so we were lazy. I worked on preschool plans, and puttered around. The children and Phil napped and watched a movie. Monday, there was a pleasant surprise. The high school lost power so students were sent home early an...

Because Phil and I are choosing to do things differently, I really want to have scriptural support and knowledge and to feel like I can confidently answer questions when/if they are asked. I want our lives to reflect that the choices we have made are of the Spririt and are rooted in God's word (especially when people think we are legalistic and followers of other people's conservative ideals). I found that trying to randomly read the Bible when I have time doesn't work very well for me so I get up before the children and read what I can before they wake up. Sometimes this is 10 minutes, sometimes 2. So with that backdrop... I have a spiral notebook, divided into 3 sections: 1. What is my to do list? What things should I be doing. At this point I am only writing down to do and not don't do. 2. What will win my children for Christ. I read in the Pearl's book Jumping Ship about how you need to be the better salesman because there are many other salesmen out th...

I have such a sad and heavy heart tonight. Two families that I know indirectly (the cousin of a friend, and the brother of a friend) lost their babies both due in October. One knew that their daughter would be with the Lord due to a rare condition and the other just found out that their son died because the cord wound around his neck. I was with my friend when she learned the news just hours ago. One family gave birth late this afternoon, the other is being induced as we speak. I can't imagine the anguish that both these families are feeling. I can't imagine going through labor and grieving the loss of my precious baby at the same time. Please join me in praying for these families. I will also be praying that the Lord grant me peace as I have great fear of experiencing this kind of pain and loss.

Nine p.m. has come and gone! The two older children had late naps so Phil took them to the school with him after dinner and they are still there. Phil is setting up his new computer and the children are racing up and down the halls on their scooters while Phil waits for the downloads to install. Hopefully, they will be properly worn out by the time they get home! We took two of our cats into the vet today for their booster shots. What a fiasco!!! The clinic that we currently go to doesn't accept appointments so you have to wait your turn (which turned out to be 3 hours today). We keep going back because we don't have to pay an examination fee every time we go in. Anyway, picture two cats in a huge dog carrier, 3 small children, and only one me! Long story short, the wait was so long that I decided to take the cats to my parents where they could stay in a cool house (and I could clean up the disgusting fresh cat poop that they were stepping on). The plan was to run some...

We enjoy going to the Renaissance Faire every year in Kings Valley. It is a gorgeous drive through farm lands and forests and the Faire itself is in a huge open field. There are vendors, food booths, and people in costume. They have musical groups and jousting performances. It is a great place to people watch and take a step back in time.         On our way home we stopped by one of my favorite nursuries, Dancing Oaks, where my mom was catering their annual Moonwalk (which is a garden tour with candle lighted paths, music, h'ordeurves, and dessert). Someday when the children are older and can handle a late night it would be fun to go. We had some tired children by the time we got home and both the girls have colds so we had an early bedtime for everyone!

I love goats! If we had property, I would have a goat herd. I wonder if I can keep one of these little wooly shetland goats in my yard?        

       

A day in the life of the Kelly family... Whew, it is 9:25 pm and things are finally winding down! I thought I would take a moment to recap my day in a blogger post. Then, perhaps I will take a much needed shower. If I make it that far, I may sit on the couch with a bowl of ice cream while I am waiting for Phil to come home. This morning, I got up around 7:20. Phil headed off to work and I got out my Bible and study material. I didn't get very far before two children were at the table with me blankets, books, and stuffed animals included. At least I read a few verses! The morning routine of breakfast, clean up, baby up and cared for, and everyone dressed took its usual hour and a half. All three children then played on mats with various toys while I tackled laundry - folded the existing loads, started new ones, and took tags off the used clothing that I purchased yesterday. Evi was ready for her cat nap around 10:45. (She gets really cranky around this time but will only nap ...

Daddy, "Sawyer what do you want to pray about tonight?" Sawyer, "Raccoons, dump trucks, concrete trucks, garbage trucks, tractors, backhoes, lofty hooks (mobile crane for those of you who don't watch Bob the Builder)." Jubilee, incidentally, always says, "my pray people." We had dinner over at my parents this evening with my brother, Tina, and Zell. Sawyer prayed for the meal. This usually involves thanking the Lord for our food, our meal, and then listing the people in our family several times while Sissy pipes in to pray for Evi and food. Praying has always been something that has been very uncomfortable for me to do out loud. The children ask me to pray with them every night. This has been such a wonderful stretch for my prayer life. I cherish this time to thank the Lord for the wonderful blessings that our children are. I love that they are listening to my voice thanking the Lord for them.

I am frequently made aware of modern day studies about child rearing whether it be health, discipline, new trends, or what have you. I always cringe when I think about poor Sawyer's infant experience. I was a mom without a clue and too scared to trust my own intuition so I followed all of the modern day suggestions given to me. I forced a strict schedule, tried to make him sleep through the night at a young age, forced "tummy time", and worried and fretted about so many things. I wish I could go back in time and mother him like I do Evi. Anyway, the latest study that I heard about said that infants are developing later (sitting up, crawling, and walking) due to the use of swings, bouncy seats, exercisaucers, etc. instead of being put down on the floor. Babies are not developing muscles like they should be when they are not on their tummies to play (according to this study). Here are my thoughts... If I had to make a guess, I would say cultures all over the world an...

My parents were gone this past weekend so they invited us to come over and pick raspberries, strawberries, and beans. Saturday, I packed a picnic dinner and we headed over in the evening. I picked a few quarts of raspberries and made jam. Monday, the children and I went over in the morning and picked more raspberries, a quart of late strawberries, beans, and zucchini. I will say this is a much easier task when Phil is helping with the kids!! I left Evi asleep in the car while I started on the raspberries. She woke up not 15 minutes later quite upset and I hurried to finish the row. Sawyer disappeared while I was gathering up my containers and I found him in the van, keeping Evi company until I could get there. Isn’t that cute!! Yesterday was somewhat of a weird day. It was Phil’s first official day with students. They had late start so he was in meetings in the morning. I meant to bring him breakfast muffins but I put in a tablespoon of baking soda instead of baking powder a...