Run the Race in Such a Way as to Get the Prize

A New Blog

Happy Anniversary!

Today is our 14th wedding anniversary!

My, how time flies!

Our most recent photo together.  We took this on our hunting trip 2 weekends ago.

Took this one on my birthday this year.

Took this one about 2 years ago.

Realized we don't have many pictures of the two of us together. That's gonna hafta change!

Summer in Review

I think this has been one of our busiest summers ever!  At least it has seemed like it.

We started getting our goat herd in the spring which meant milking twice a day, which makes every day seem busy until it becomes a natural part of the routine.  We also got a new assortment of chicks that have since grown and started laying eggs.

The kids showed the goats in May and won ribbons and had a blast. (I posted about this already.)

Stinkin' little Ella broke her leg which was a huge nuisance trying to keep a splint on for almost 2 months. But she is better now. (also posted earlier)

The end of May we took a trip to Redding Ca with Eric and Misha. We attended the Hem of His Garment healing conference put on by Bethel church and our worlds have not been the same since!  I left there having learned a lesson I never expected and am still trying to grasp. I learned how we are all created as individuals by God and that just as we tend to put Him in a box we also put ourselves in one.  And most of the time that box is based on others opinions.  So I am breaking out of my "box" and going to be who God created me to be with all of my quirks, talents, abilities, and dreams and not let anyone tell me I'm wrong when He says I'm right! 

We started attending the Meridian Vineyard church soon after coming home from Redding and have continued to grow in Christ and learn and grow and grow and learn and grow..... Also have made some amazing friends!

In June the kids attended VBS at Vineyard and learned some amazing forms of worship. They taught them how to "soak" in the Lord (they already knew this from us but it was awesome for someone else to teach them too and see their peers participating). Journaling was another... and I can't remember what else at the moment but it was an amazing experience for them and I am so grateful to the people who organized it and taught them.

On top of that we took another trip to Redding in July for the Children's Supernatural School of Worship. This just took them deeper into the things they learned at VBS. It was great that they were familiar with so much already and not afraid to dive into what they were learning. They did so many amazing things that week it could take me a few pages to list it all so I will just sum it up the best I can.  They saw their friends healed of various things as they prayed for them. They soaked more. They learned about flagging and brought home flags. They got a didgeridoo, bowron drum, cashakas, drum sticks, and shofars.  They learned about so many different forms of worship and postures of praise.They focused on a specific country every day, learned to pray for those countries and about some of their customs. Wow, I could keep going- this should be a post all by itself! What was I thinking?!

Moving on...

Came home from that and a week later Colby and Makiah went back with the youth group to Jesus Culture. This was another amazing time in the Lord! This is a conference for teenagers and young adults that is turning them into a revivalist generation!

They get home and a week later we throw a birthday party for Isaiah who turned 9! Had a total of 28 kids here! Crazy fun!

So as far as pictures go, I don't have anything between Isaiah's birthday and the women's conference so the first couple weeks of August must have been quiet.  Although I do remember one crazy day that seemed like everything that could go wrong did.....

Once again we headed back to Redding for a women's conference. This time is was me, Misha, Mom and Pam. We had a blast. Can't even begin to put it into words!  The conference was amazing. Again learned so many valuable lessons and that God loves me so much! I knew this but it never hurts to have new revelation on it .  While we were in our hotel room we busted some moves- which to my dismay found out I don't have any dancing skills. But boy is it fun to let loose and be silly!  Misha and I got real crazy and got our noses pierced!  This is crazy for me if you know me very well-don't laugh.  A life long dream  for us both which we discovered about each other after having known each other for 14 years! We also sang a lot- another skill I don't have. But man was it fun! The Lord has given me wings and I am learning how to use them.

yes I know I'm short

We got home and a week later threw another birthday party for Josiah who turned 11! How can my kids be getting so old?! I feel like they are catching up to me!  Not as many kids at this birthday party but still a house full!

One sad bit that happened is our sweet Angus died. He was our great dane or some people liked to call him our mini horse. He is missed very much!

Colby started school at the Vineyard Meridian Supernatural School of Ministry on September 15. He attends 4 days a week in the afternoon. He is loving it! He has turned into the mighty man of God that God created him to be! And he's not done yet! Talk about bold. He has been given amazing gifts of prophecy and healing and teaching just to name a few. God is moving like never before!  Look out world!

We are still home schooling. Started in August but really got in a good routine after Colby started his school. We are all excited about this school year and the things God is doing! I will tell more about school in another post- could go on a while if I don't.

That sums up the summer! (I think)

HAPPY 11TH BIRTHDAY JOSIAH!!!

Today Josiah turns 11. Oh man, how time flies!

We started the morning with what seems to have turned into the traditional birthday breakfast for the kids. Then he got to open a couple presents. He gets to open the rest this evening. This Saturday is his birthday party with friends.

I just can't believe he is 11 already!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ISAIAH!!!

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY ISAIAH!!!

Completely

A song I love!

I'm in love with God &

God's in love with me

This is who I am &

This is who I'll be &

That settles it......

Completely

What freedom there is when we know who we are in Christ!

Independence Day

Every year (for the last 3 years) everyone on our street gets together for our own Independence day parade.  Every year it gets bigger and better. This year we made sure to decorate our ATV's, lawn mower and tractor!  

It has been such a fun tradition that has brought this neighborhood together. And we have our neighbor Lena to thank for it.  She started the tradition. She got her citizenship a few years ago and really appreciates her freedom that we take for granted.  We all meet at her house to start and end there with the pledge of allegiance, prayer and refreshments.

Here are a few pics from the parade:

Makiah took these pictures and I am so thankful she did!  I took some great ones and then realized when I got home there was no card in my camera- so no pictures! So bummed!

There were a lot more people in the parade but they were behind Makiah and all her pictures are in front of her.

Here is one of Makiah and some of her friends being goofy at the God and Country Festival:

It was a fun and busy week for us!  And now we rest a little and then prepare to leave for Redding again on Saturday!  We are taking the kids to the Childrens School of Supernatural  Worship at Bethel- can't wait!

FREEDOM!

Jesus has freed me from:

breast cancer, thyroid disease, bad health....

the bondage of religion

other peoples ideas of who I am or who I should be!

He said "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:10)-how awesome it that?!

FREEDOM!

Following Christ isn't a set of rules and regulations that keep him and us in a "box". 

It should be FREEDOM like we have never known before!

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. 2 Cor. 3:17

One last thing:

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11

With FREEDOM in Christ comes JOY!

JOY like nothing else can bring!

FREEDOM!

Goat Show

The kids got their first opportunity to show their goats memorial weekend. They had so much fun they can't wait to do it again!

Isaiah showing his goat Isabella

Guess she wanted to try on his hat.

This is Josiah's goat - Quigley.

Here he is showing Quigley.

Makiah with her goat Jasmine. She won reserve grand champion! Quite the model!

Makiah showing Jasmine.

A spoiled goat!

Colby showing someone's goat.  I got to show one too, they were short handed when they showed the bucks.

I love this picture of my boys!

Isaiah won 3rd in showmanship.

Josiah won 4th in showmanship.

Both boys showing.

We had such a busy weekend with the show. The next Tuesday we left for a conference in Redding California with Eric and Misha. (The kids didn't go with us.) We got back this past Sunday and now  the kids are spending this next week with Grandpa and Grandma Peters.  A busy summer already!

Time for an update!

 We are on a new adventure with dairy goats.  We have 5 now. Three milking does and 2 doe kids. And of course we still have little Ruth our pygmy who thinks she is one of the dogs and is just a pet.

This picture shows three of the goats. Cinnamon is the mini-Nubian (with the floppy ears). Coco is the large one behind Cinnamon. She is a mini-LaMancha. And Cheyenne is the little one, also a mini-LaMancha. That is Isaiah hugging Cinnamon. They are the sweetest goats!

Isaiah is a milking pro! Here he is milking Coco.

Makiah is in the kennel with Cheyenne and Jasmine. She is holding Jasmine. They are both mini-LaManchas. They are small enough to squeeze out of the fence so they have to stay in the kennel until they are a little bigger. We also have another mini-Nubian named Isabella. I did not get a picture of her yet and I forgot Ruth.  We are showing Isabella this weekend. It will be our first experience showing an animal. Should be fun.

If you look through the swings of the play set you will see the tent in the goat pasture. In the next picture you will see what was in the tent.

They said she had only been in there for about 20 minutes.

We also have chicks that have been moved from the garage to the coop finally.  Four are older hens and are laying and the rest (I lost track of how many) are chicks and if they are hens will start laying in the fall. If they are roosters they may end up in the freezer.

This is when they were still tiny. We have a great variety of breeds.

Getting bigger here.

Recently it was Colby's birthday and the poor guy had to share it with me because it fell on mothers day this year. The kids love to have fun with any holiday that includes gifts and cake. They did a great job of making it special for both of us! They made us wear blind folds and take turns opening our gifts and Makiah made a cute cake for us. We spent the rest of the day planting strawberries and blueberries and watching movies.

Colby got me a gift for mothers day that he forgot to take out of his truck. The truck had to be used for work one day so it was sitting in the parking lot at the shop. Colby realized this when he got up Sunday morning so he made up a "treasure hunt" for me to find it. It took a while to figure out but soon we were all headed to the shop in our pajamas. We were about there when we realized we did not bring the key to open the gate so when we got there we had to crawl under the fence. Boy was this an adventure. I did get under the fence and into the truck to get my gift  and then it was back under the fence again to head home. I bet we were a curious looking bunch!

Here we are opening our gifts.

And of course a picture of the kids on this day.

We did a "science experiment" with diet coke and mentos. The only good reason to buy either of them in my opinion. The kids got a kick out of it!

Easter passed since the last time I posted so here are two pictures of that day. I didn't take a lot that day. It was so fun though. My family came over and we pretty much ate all day. It was very relaxing.

This is in my kitchen getting ready for Easter breakfast.

And here are the kids waiting to go find eggs.

OK not the most exciting Easter pictures but it was a day to remember.

Ella turned 1 in April so we celebrated by taking a birthday cake to Eric's house when we went over there to soak.

This is Ella on her birthday.

It was a good excuse for cake!

Then not long after that she broke her leg. The vet did not have pink tape.

The kids having fun with dad.

Isaiah looks scared. Believe me he is not!

And last but not least - pictures at Monster Jam.

They are all wearing their "ear glasses" as Ayden calls them.

Isaiah was sick this day but determined he was ok to go to the monster truck show.

School is going well. The plan for now is to take our summer break in July. We are still going strong. We plan to take more field trips now with the nice weather. I am sure to have more pictures to post soon!

I hope you enjoyed this update!

Steelhead fishing

Colby took the kids steelhead fishing in March for "spring break".  They had a lot of fun!  Josiah and Isaiah came home with fish but not Colby or Makiah. Maybe next year!

This is what was in camp when they came back one day:

Big Horn sheep

They saw tons of wildlife on this trip. The Big Horn sheep were all over where they camped and fish - I am told. I stayed home and got some alone time to get some things done.

The race feels like it's all uphill lately.

I just have to remember:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of  your faith develops perseverance.   James 1:2,3

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Want a priceless gift made by yours truly?

Got this idea from my sister in law's blog and I think it is a fun idea.

Here's how it'll work...The first three people to comment on this post will get something made by me! My choice--but just for you.

This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did, will win a marvelous homemade gift by me! Let the games begin! Oh, and I have to be able to contact you with mailing information! I promise it will be something good! Good Luck to all!

Happy Valentines Day!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   John 3:16

We love because He first loved us.   1 John 4:19

School Update

We have been working hard at the regular subjects- reading, writing and math. And all the kids are doing very well at all of it!  They even enjoy it most of the time. And as long as we keep Isaiah away from sugar we get a lot accomplished!

We have been learning about mammals in science. Today we went over rodents, marsupials and egg layers. We all love animals so this is a fun topic.

We talked about Columbus and a few other explorer/geographers in history today. They know their continents and oceans pretty well. Makiah knows these and the boys are now starting to care what it is all about.

Also, we are studying the regions of the United States. We started in the New England region and are learning some basics about every state in the region and any major bodies of water or events that took/take place there.

We are not involved with the co-op this term, which nobody seems to mind. It was great to try but I think it was most beneficial for me. I got to get out and talk with other home schooling moms and share ideas. The kids had fun with it but it's just not critical for them.  Also, the classes offered this time around did not fit our needs and so we stay home and learn on our own again on Mondays.

A whole lotta catching up!

It has taken me way to long to update my blog!  So get ready!

Here are a few pictures of some of the stuff we have done in the past month.

Makiah had a slumber party for her birthday sooooo I got the wild idea to have one of my own! I invited my mom and my sisters in-law for a full night of fattening food and comfy jammies. We had chocolate fondue. I was trying to put the melted chocolate in my fondue fountain when the thing went haywire and flung chocolate all over me, ruined my favorite sweat shirt but everyone got a good laugh! We stayed up until 4 or 5 a.m. if I remember right!  (the masks were just a bonus)

Here is Isaiah drinking his hot cocoa on the front porch, taking a break from playing in the snow. This was our first real good snow fall of the year (back in December).

We went to Dad and Moms to open gifts the week before Christmas because they were going out of town for Christmas. Here are the boys with their new radios.

Mom made the grandkids all pajamas for Christmas. Here are the boys modeling theirs!

Christmas morning. As always the kids get spoiled and end up with way to much stuff but they have a ton of fun!

Makiah shooting at clay pigeons with her birthday present.

And here are Isaiah and Josiah also at the shooting range. We had a lot of fun out there that day!

This is Isaiah snow boarding on his home made snow board. He took the wheels off of his skate board and made it so he had places to put his feet so he wouldn't just slide off or get pulled off the board.  He finally got it all ready just before the snow all melted. He has been able to use it since then because it has snowed off and on. We have a hill on the back of the property they snow board or sled down.

And now I must go make dinner!  I have lots more to catch up on but that will have to wait for another day.

A Sheepish Tale

Makiah, Josiah and Isaiah were in the Christmas play for church. Makiah was a shepherd, Josiah was the lead angel and Isaiah was a sheep (a silly black sheep). It was really cute. They did their best performances ever. Last year the boys did not have speaking roles. The play was not very long so no one had many lines but Josiah did very well! Makiah of course did well, it is in her blood. And Isaiah is a pro at saying baaah!  Josiah came up out of the fire to say "behold I bring you good news..." (you know the rest). Isaiah was a silly sheep who stole shoes and dressed up as a wolf. Makiah was one of three shepherds. She got to be a very girly shepherd and had pink bows on her sheep even!

I wish I had more pictures of the performance but I forgot to take my camera! This was taken with my phone. I did video tape it.

Chair Games

Last Sunday we had my family over for dinner. Everyone was hanging out in our family room and sitting on these chairs that have wheels. We have a concrete floor in the family room so it did not take long before the games started!  Crack the whip was the most fun! Here are some pictures of the event!

We will be planning another get together soon for any who missed out on the fun!

A cute picture!

I just had to show this picture I took of Ella and Colby!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAKIAH!!!

Today Makiah turns 12!

She is now old enough to hunt big game so guess what she got for her birthday!

She also got a sweater she really wanted.

And a nutritious birthday breakfast!