Time to hit the books, 1st day of school!

Yes, that time of the year is here again and my kids are leaping for joy(yeah right).  I actually was excited and once we got all their books out they too, got a little excited.  The newness, the fresh start, the smell of the textbooks....ok, getting a little carried away.

This year, Robbie is in 8th grade, Nate is in 7th, Maggie is in 5th, and Gracie is in 4th.  Hard to believe!! This is our 6th year of homeschool!!! Where has the time gone, seriously!

So I had to commemorate our first day with some pics.

This is what it looks like getting pics sometimes most of the time!

                                                                         Take I

Take II

Take III

Take VIII (I just skipped to the final pic)

Lots more pics coming up of our vacation!

I love this kid!

 Nate has not played baseball for years....probably since 1st or 2nd grade.  He just really didn't have the desire.  This year he really wanted to play and I was the delinquent one that missed sign ups.  So, with him pleading for me to help him get on a team I signed him up late.  Only to find out there was a waiting list......ugh.....I felt like the world's worse mom.  He had wanted to play and reminded me but it just slipped right out of my ADD brain.  So, needless to say, I apologized to him for my forgetfulness. He, of course, "no problem mom".

We got a call to say they had some drop-outs and that he would be placed on a team!  We were thrilled,(I was redeemed)!  We thanked God for giving Nate this chance to play!

Nate practiced and practiced, a couple runs to the batting cages and playing in the back yard and he felt ready to go!

He had a great year! He was hands down the most handsome catcher or player for that matter in the league!(I know....but I'm his mom, it's my blog and I can say that;)

The team lost every game but one.....but they had heart! For example, the last game(mind you they only won once)they were losing by many runs and were getting ready to be pulled from the game because of the mercy rule. His team was in the outfield and after many scores that inning the pitcher caught a fly ball and the boys all ran in and slapped him and high-fived each other.  I seriously almost cried( I know....but I'm his mom and I'm a sap).  These boys had heart! They were not down because of some mercy rule, they were excited because somebody actually caught a fly ball...which was not a usual occurence on this team.  Okay, back to why I was crying, how cool is it that they still were pumped even after a blow-out season and 6 games called because of the mercy rule. These kids were in the game for the right reason and despite the scores and losses they were still fist pumping each other, their attitudes spoke volumes.

 Nate was one of the driving forces on the team and made this momma very proud by being the team encourager.  His coach pulled Bob aside and spoke so kindly about Nate and what a nice young man he was.  This boy melts my heart, his love for Jesus shines through Him and he is such a joy!  He loves to have heart to heart discussions, tends to see things as black or white(but we're working on this).  The one night I was driving him to his game I looked over and he had a necklace with a wooden fish on it that read JESUS!  I said, "are you wearing that during the game" he said "Yeah, mom".  I love his boldness, what a blessing he is to our family!

Creation Museum and Homeschool Convention

Finally, getting back into the groove around here....ahhhh! We had a great time away with Megan and Greg this past weekend! We learned many new ideas and were inspired and encouraged to keep homeschooling. Friday night at the convention we got to hear Tim Hawkins....who, I think is hilarious on you tube, but that doesn't even come close to being live. The guy is naturally funny, you can just tell. He and his wife homeschool their 4 children and so he wrote a special homeschool song for the conference. I hope to find it on you tube soon!

After the conference, we headed to the Creation Museum which was just a couple miles down the road. This was our first time there, Meg and Greg had been there before, and how incredibly refreshing to walk through a museum where God's handiwork is acknowledged! Scientific evidence and facts and answers to questions are all backed up by God's Word. It was so amazing and I have learned so much. It made me realize how deep I want to teach my kids about the beginning of creation in order for them to understand why we believe the entire bible. The beginning is so crucial for them to fully comprehend so they have the foundation for the rest.

Here are some startling quotes posted around the museum:

"In the Garden Of Eden, the serpent questioned God's warning about death. He asked the first woman, "Did God really say.....?" The elevation of human reason above God's Word is the essence of every attack on God's Word."

"Scripture abandoned in culture leads to Relative morality, hopelessness, and meaninglessness."

"A minority of born-again adults 44% and even fewer teens 9% are certain of the existence of Absolute Truth."

"Only 1 in 3 teens say they will continue to participate in church life once they are living on their own."

"As dark as things appear, God's Word gives us the foundation to rebuild.

The place to start is......at the beginning, six thousand years ago.

My heart is overwhelmed and so thankful for this man's vision, Ken Ham and his passion to educate and "go and tell the world" is inspiring to me, you can't help but feel this way. He answered a call by God....one that wasn't easy, one that has put threats on his life and those around him, even bomb threats on the museum. But we serve an Almighty Creator and because of that there is no need to fear! I am so thankful for his faithfulness, because it has impacted me and my prayer is it will to those around me. Praise the Lord! "Go ye and tell the world..."

Ken Ham address (http:/www.answersingenesis.org/) Get educated!

Here are some pics of our weekend:)

they had a little..little petting zoo

we need to be educated so we can educate our children!

yes there were dinosaurs on the ark and they weren't all huges sizes...most were about waist high.

Tim Hawkins!!!!!!!!!! :) twinkies were something he throws at the end of a show. I caught one!

3 rows off the stage!

My love!

Greg and Meg:)