Our Week in Peoria

We have had a wonderful time staying at the McDonald home this past week. It has been a time of lively conversation, a broken bone and lot of blood, a trip to Joann's and to get the air conditioning looked at, instrument playing and singing, good food, and friendship building.

To hear how the children enjoyed the week, you can visit their blogs: Justin, Jesica, and Ashly. Tiffany also took some great pictures and you can view them HERE and Here.

Here are some of our pictures from the week:

Grace, Cara, Abigail, Ashly, Mathias, and William eating lunch

Trying to catch chickens

Picking blackberries

Taking a walk and getting rocks in our shoes

Sara and William getting ready for the photo shoot

Jesi and Jessica playing their violins at Minerals Springs Park in Pekin

Coloring after breakfast

Melissa and Sara. Sara really like Melissa.

Enjoying our ice cream!

This is the road Josiah was bicycling down. He lost control and tried to brake. This bike has only hand brakes and his bike at home has pedal brakes.

These are the brush and branches that Josiah rode over and through. He stopped before landing in the lake. If he reached the lake, Justin right behind him and would have jumped in to help him.

Here is his "Illini Orange" cast signed by the Ryken's and McDonald's. He is learning to eat with his left hand pretty well. Overall, he is doing well, even though he still has some pain. We are just thankful that he wasn't hurt worse.

First Broken Bone

Here we are, 15 years into parenting, and we have our first broken bone that needs to be casted.

We are staying at the McDolald's thia week while James and Stacy are gone. Their son and Josiah were riding bikes, having a grand time. Josiah lost control and went in a gulley , through sticks and branches. He ended up with some scratches, a few bruises, and a compression fracture of his right radius.

Technically this is his second bone he has broken. The first was when he was 2 years old. We were staying with my parents and Josiah dropped a 16 lb. barebell weight on this big toe. That resulted in the tip of the bone being chipped.


Today's broken bone was more that that and will require a cast for about 4-6 weeks. e'l findout for sure when the orthopedic surgeon views the x-rays and casts it later this week.\

Here is a couple pictures of Josiah. The first one doesn't show the cuts and bruising on his face too well, but they are there....and on his chest, legs, arms..


...

Homeshooling encouragement

I follow several blogs thanks to Google Reader. This morning, one of my favorite blogs, Delighting in His Richness had a link to Generation Cedar and this blog post

I know some of my readers aren't homeschoolers and others are unsupportive of homeschooling. That's ok. Homeschooling more often than not is frowned upon. Who is their right mind would choose to stay home, with their children no less, ALL DAY, and teach them, when the children could be sent to a school for 6-8 hours and the mom have all that free time or a job? I would. Homeschooling is not just our children getting an education, but is a conviction that God has placed on our hearts and we desire to follow God wherever he may lead us - no matter the road that may lay before us. As Daniel likes to put it we are raising an Army ready to defend God's Word.

Just like the author of Delighting in His Richness I want to quote a paragraph:

"Home school mothers are the heart of a traditionalist revolution that is driving life back into the homes. To these women, and the men blessed to be married to them, homes are no longer assets or places to share a microwave dinner at the end of an exhausting day of separation. Spreading like some beneficial virus, men and women are returning basic educational, economic, and social functions to home where they have always belonged. "

Please read the read of the post and be encouraged!

And then there were......

TEETH!

Yes, our dear little Sara has teeth and all the crankiness that goes with it!

Thankfully there are teething tablets.

Way to go Sara!

School Time Again..

Yes, it is getting to be that time of year again - Back-to-School. The sales fliers are advertising all the latest in back to school clothing and school supplies. Schedules and classroom assignments are in the mail. "I'm bored!" is commonly heard in homes everywhere.

This time of year also involves interesting conversations with store clerks, friends, and neighbors - especially with those who do not know that our children do not attend the traditional brick and mortar school.

Once such conversation happened to me this weekend. This was the first time I met this woman and we had the usual "get-to-know-eachother" conversation. She learned we were moving and started asking about changing schools in the middle of the year. The look of surprise was (and always is) priceless when I told her that we home-educate. She then did a quick survey of how many were going to be school aged (6 - if you count Mathias as preschool age). Her jaw dropped and the questions started coming.

With brick and mortar schools being the norm, it is hard for people to understand home-education. Is it legal? Why would parents CHOOSE to stay home all day and teach their children? Wouldn't it be better to send them to school where there are qualified teachers? Think of all the free time you would have! Do you have any free time? What about socialization? How do you do with all those children and all the subjects? What about curriculum? The questions go on and on.

God is good. Just when I'm trying to battle through and explain the answers to people, He puts in my inbox an email. "The Odds Against Homeschooling" This article from crosswalk.com answers a lot of these questions. Here are some other articles that delve into the why and hows of home education.

Reviving our vision

Homes Schooling Today articles

http://www.hslda.org/

This Little Light of Mine... (excellent list of resources on Home education at the end of this blog post - Thanks, Stacy, for putting this list together!)

"Why do we Hate Homeschoolers"

Ultimately we can't do it on our own. No man or woman possesses the strength to run a home, be a helpmeet to her husband, school a handful or more of children while taking care of babies, and keep her sanity - all at the same time! It just isn't humanly possible! That is why we need to rely on God's strength - daily - to help us through.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

There it is in a nutshell. Trust Him and He will direct our paths.

THE TEACHER
by: Leslie Pinckney Hill (1880-1960)

LORD, who am I to teach the way

To little children day by day,

So prone myself to go astray?

I teach them KNOWLEDGE, but I know

How faint they flicker and how low

The candles of my knowledge glow.

I teach them POWER to will and do,

But only now to learn anew

My own great weakness through and through.

I teach them LOVE for all mankind

And all God's creatures, but I find

My love comes lagging far behind.

Lord, if their guide I still must be,

Oh let the little children see

The teacher leaning hard on Thee.

Safe Guarding Our Daughters?

**Author's Note: This post is not recommended for children or young people to read without parental permission**

HPV (human papillomavirus):
the most common sexually transmitted infection that infects the skin and mucous membranes. There are more than 40 HPV types that can infect the genital areas of men and women. HPV types are often referred to as "low-risk" (wart-causing) or "high-risk" (cancer-causing), based on whether they put a person at risk for cancer. In 90% of cases, the body's immune system clears the HPV infection naturally within two years. This is true of both high-risk and low-risk types.

Genital warts: Warts may appear within weeks or months after sexual contact with an infected person. Or, they may not appear at all. If left untreated, genital warts may go away, remain unchanged, or increase in size or number. They will not turn into cancer.

Cervical cancer does not have symptoms until it is quite advanced. For this reason, it is important for women to get screened regularly for cervical cancer (PAP smears)

Other less common HPV-related cancers, may not have signs or symptoms until they are advanced.

In order to combat certain types of HPV, Merck (a big pharma company) came up with a new vaccine called Gardasil. Gardasil was designed to protect our daughters, as early as age 9. Age 9?? Here is a statement from the Gardasil website:

"GARDASIL is the only cervical cancer vaccine that helps protect against 4 types of human papillomavirus (HPV): 2 types that cause 70% of cervical cancer cases, and 2 more types that cause 90% of genital warts cases. GARDASIL is for girls and young women ages 9 to 26.

Anyone who is allergic to the ingredients of GARDASIL should not receive the vaccine. GARDASIL is not for women who are pregnant. GARDASIL does not treat cervical cancer or genital warts.

GARDASIL may not fully protect everyone, and does not prevent all types of cervical cancer, so it's important to continue routine cervical cancer screenings. GARDASIL will not protect against diseases caused by other HPV types or against diseases not caused by HPV.

The side effects include pain, swelling, itching, and redness at the injection site, fever, nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and fainting. GARDASIL is given as 3 injections over 6 months.

Only a doctor or healthcare professional can decide if GARDASIL is right for you or your daughter." (my emphasis added)

With all the diseases for which we have vaccines, what's the big deal of adding another one to the immunization schedule, especially if it can help prevent cancer? It is a big deal. Reports are beginning to come out that this vaccine isn't as safe as it claims to be (side effects), such as these articles from Dr. Mercola, nbc4.com, newsinferno.com, and cbsnews.

When it comes to vaccines, our family is very cautious. We have seen firsthand how the minor side effects, listed in the vaccine package inserts, can become major and alter child's life forever. Before you give Gardasil, or any other vaccine, to your child, please do your homework and weigh all the pros and cons. Don't just assume that because your Dr. or Merck says Gardasil is a good preventative, that it is good for your daughters. YOU ARE THE PARENT! YOU make the decisions!

Here are some websites that give more information on the vaccines which are given to American children.

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/default.htm
http://www.909shot.com/

http://www.whale.to/vaccines.html
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm
http://poisonevercure.150m.com/abortion_industry_contributes.htm
http://www.mercola.com/article/vaccines/legally_avoid_shots.htm

So, if we aren't going to vaccinate our daughters, what can we do? Teach them a life style of healthy living and most importantly God's way of living. Teach them that sex before marriage is wrong and goes against God's plan for marriage. He designed the sexual relationship to bring a deep intimacy to the marriage relationship. Let's commit to teaching our children to honor the marriage bed and abstain from premarital sexual relations, instead of relying on pharmaceutical companies to protect them.

"These things command and teach. Let no one despise your youth,

but be an example to the believers in word,

in conduct, in love, in spirit,^] in faith, in purity.

Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine."

1 Timothy 4:11-13

Mathias turns 4!

Here it is July 30th and I haven't blogged about Mathias's birthday!

It started out as a typical Saturday - the children asking for donuts. Since it was a special day Daddy said "yes".

"Can we have Krispy Kremes?"

Daddy once again answered "yes". So off we were for our morning sugar rush. I will have to admit I love these donuts. Expecially the warm ones they hand you as samples when you are standing in line.

In the afternoon Grandpa and Grandma came over and we went to the Sugar Grove Corn Boil. This is a village festival with food, rides, crafts, and LOTS of corn on the cob. Everyone got to pick the one ride they wanted to go on. Grandpa went with Ashly and Jesi on the Tilt-A-Whirl, Mathias, Cara and Josiah, went on a NASCAR ride, and Justin, Grandma, and I went on the bumper cars. Daniel didn't go on a ride (horrible "nightmares" from rides a few years ago) and Sara's ride was in her stroller.

When we got home, we started dinner and opened gifts. Mathias received a lot of Knight from Playmobile, plus a watch, clothes, sticker book, money, back pillow, and whiffle balls.

Josiah reading the cards

Sara going after the clown that spins and sings "Happy Birthday"

Mathias and his new back pillow. Looks comfy!

Hot Wheels and "sword" (carpenter) jeans

Then it was time for his favorite dinner: chicken crescents, mashed potatoes, and cooked glazed carrots. To top it all off there were chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting and oreos crushed on top.

We are so blessed to have Mathias in our family. He can be a bit mischeivious, but at the same time so sweet and gentle. He loves being a big brother and loves learning about God.

(Thanks, David, for the great picture!)

We love you Mathias!

Cara's Quilt

For each of the older children I have made an afghan. I then realized I really didn't enjoy the feel of yarn, or the process of knitting or crocheting. So about 3 years ago I took up quilting. I love the feel of fabric and the look of old quilts. Spending hours in a quilt shop is something I could easily do! Cara was the first child I made a quilt for. She picked out all the different materials - bright, cheery colors for my bright,smiley, cheery daughter. I normally use my sewing machine to piece the top, but like to hand quilt for an antique look. Cara's quilt was just taking too long, so I decided to finish it with machine quilting. 2 years later it is finally finished!

Cara having her first picnic with Evangeline and Zoe on her new quilt .

Someday He'll Make it Plain

The last 2 weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions. A family came through and had basically narrowed all their choices of homes down to ours. They requested tax and utility bills, so we thought an offer was forthcoming. However, it was not meant to be. We were all devastated and aren't sure what to do. Do we make some upgrades that people have commented on? Do we lower the price again? Do we move to Central IL and find a place to rent until this home is sold?

I believe the hardest part of these last 6 or so months is "why". Why has God provided Daniel a job 2 hours from here? Why did He provide a church over 2 hours from here? Why aren't we moving when He has provided all these things? We do not know the answers to these and many other questions. We do know that God is good, ALL the time, and that he will move us when His timing is perfect.

I have a dear friend who know just how to encourage us. Janet sent this post by John Piper "Why God Doesn't Fully Explain Pain" (Janet's family is going through a difficult trial right now also. Please pray for her family.)

Why God Doesn't Fully Explain Pain
July 14, 2008
By: John Piper
Category: Commentary

One of the reasons God rarely gives micro reasons for his painful Providences, but regularly gives magnificent macro reasons, is that there are too many micro reasons for us to manage, namely, millions and millions and millions and millions and millions.

God says things like:

• These bad things happened to you because I intend to work it together for your good (Romans 8).
• These happened so that you would rely more on God who raises the dead (2 Corinthians 1).
• This happened so that the gold and silver of your faith would be refined (1 Peter1).
• This thorn is so that the power of Christ would be magnified in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12).
  

But we can always object that there are other easier ways for God to accomplish those things. We want to know more specifics: Why now? Why this much? Why this often? Why this way? Why these people?

The problem is, we would have to be God to grasp all that God is doing in our problems. In fact, pushing too hard for more detailed explanations from God is a kind of demand that we be God.

Think of this, you are a blacksmith making horseshoes. You are hammering on a white hot shoe and it ricochets off and hits you in the leg and burns you. In your haste to tend to your leg you let the shoe alone unfinished. You wonder why God let this happen. You were singing a hymn and doing his will.

Your helper, not knowing the horseshoe was unfinished gathered it up and put it with the others.

Later there was an invasion of your country by a hostile army with a powerful cavalry. They came through your town and demanded that you supply them with food and with shoes for their horses. You comply.

Their commander has his horse shoed by his own smith using the stolen horseshoes, and the unfinished shoe with the thin weak spot is put on the commander’s horse.

In the decisive battle against the loyal troops defending your homeland the enemy commander is leading the final charge. The weak shoe snaps and catches on a root and causes his horse to fall. He crashes to the ground and his own soldiers, galloping at full speed, trample him to death.

This causes such a confusion that the defenders are able to rout the enemy and the country is saved.

Now you might say, well, it would sure help me trust God if he informed me of these events so that I would know why the horseshoe ricocheted and burned my leg. Well maybe it would help you. Maybe not.

God cannot make plain all he is doing, because there are millions and millions and millions and millions of effects of every event in your life, the good and the bad. God guides them all. They all have micro purposes and macro purposes. He cannot tell you all of them because your brain can’t hold all of them.

Trust does not demand more than God has told us. And he has given us immeasurably precious promises that he is in control of all things and only does good to his children. And he has given us a very thick book where we can read story after story after story about how he rules for the good of his people.

Let’s trust him and not ask for what our brains cannot contain.

Another family that is going through a similar ordeal as us, sent us the words to this hymn today. May it bless your heart as it has done mine.

SOME DAY HE’LL MAKE IT PLAIN

I do not know why oft ’round me

My hopes all shattered seem to be;

God’s perfect plan I cannot see,

But some day I’ll understand.

(Refrain) Some day He’ll make it plain to me,

Some day when I His face shall see;

Some day from tears I shall be free,

For some day I shall understand.

I cannot tell the depth of love,

Which moves the Father’s heart above;

My faith to test, my love to prove,

But some day I’ll understand.

(Refrain)

Tho’ trials come thro’ passing days,

My life will still be filled with praise;

For God will lead thro’ darkened ways,

But some day I’ll understand.

(Refrain)

Words: Ly­dia S. Leech, 1911

Sara is 5 months old

Today our sweet Sara is 5 months old.

In the last 5 months Sara has learned many things. It never ceases to amaze us the amount of skills that a baby learns in the first 12 months of life. So far Sara has learned how to nurse, smile, laugh, hold her head up, push up on her arms, suck on her hands, play with toys, roll front to back and back to front, and more recently - SIT!

We love you, Sara!

4th of July Picnic

Our 4th of July weekend was spent down in Peoria (Weekends in Peoria are sounding too familiar! We need to move soon!) The weekend started with a Providence picnic at the Sanford's home. There was volleyball, Ultimate (frisbee), jumping on the trampoline, swinging, horseshoes, food, fellowship, singing, and fireworks.

(back l-r) Susanna, Ashly, Melissa, Sierra, Sarah

(front l-r) Jesi, Lena, Jessica, Emily

volleyball

Moms in charge of the "jumpoline"

Cara and Mathias enjoying the day

Sara is all worn out

Ashton and Peter playing "Amazing Grace"

Ashton reading the "Declaration of Independence"

Pastor McDonald reading a sermon

FIREWORKS!

After the picnic a few families decided to campout. We brought our camper, but only had 5 of us in it! Josiah slept in the house with the younger Sanford boys, Jesi and Ashly slept in the Sanford's tent for girls, and Justin slept in the Sanford's tent for boys. Unfortunately the children had more sleep that us. Sara did not sleep well and kept Daniel and me awake.

The next day the adults hung out on the back porch and in the living room just talking. What a blessing it is to fellowship with Bob and Katherine. Our families are so similar and we had lots to share. The children and young people played more Ultimate, volleyball, and softball. We closed out the day with Family Worship and singing. What a relaxing weekend. Thank you, Sanford's, for opening your home to us. We were blessed!

Life....

Life has been eventful as of late. We've been on the go, yet waiting to sell our home. That is why there haven't been many updates here. So I will try to give a brief synopsis with some pictures.

House: We have a buyer who is interested. The family is relocating from Kansas. The husband is in Kansas this weekend showing pictures of the 3 houses he looked at to his wife. From there they will probably come back and look and then make a decision. So we wait some more and pray, pray, pray.

Children: The children are all doing well. School is pretty much finished for the year and the planning for next year has begun. Everyone is enjoying the nice weather and their friends. Sara is now almost 5 months old and is such a fun baby. She is now rolling, so no more leaving her alone on the bed! She is also teething with LOTS of drooling!

Sara with her Thingamapet MP3 player. Yes, our 4 month old has an MP3 player that is a stuffed animal.

Church: We are still driving 2+ hours to church on Sunday. Friendships are being formed with the families and we look forward to worshipping with them, despite the long drive. Justin and Jesica also have other young people with whom to play their violin and cello.

Jesi and Jessica on the violin with Justin accompanying

Work: Daniel is still driving to Bloomington about 3 days a week. This is beginning to wear on him, but I still think it is bettter than having to drive through all the construction on I-88.

Family activities: Last weekend we spent the whole weekend in the Peoria area. We were able to swim and enjoy family time. The girls and I also attended the Passionate Housewive Tea hosted by Family Reformation Ministries. This weekend we willing be attending the church picnic and campout at the Sandord's. We will be spending the whole weekend at there and are looking forward to the fellowship!

Cara, Sara, and Mom at the tea

Ashly and Jesi with the other young ladies from Providence