Most of you know about our latest arrival, but I'm just now getting around to posting photos. Just in case you didn't hear all the stats: Jerrod Blake Self was born September 7 at 6:10 A.M. weighing in at 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. We are having a blast--howbeit a chaotic one--with a new baby in the house.

We are counting down in the Self family for two important events of 2008! The first one is SCHOOL STARTING! Yay! We are excited howbeit a bit overwhelmed. Tuesday, August 26 is our first official day. We have lesson plans and schedules laid out, but the house is still a mess from remodeling and lazy summer days. So, we have plenty to do between now and Tuesday.

The next countdown is for the arrival of our newest family member. We have finally decided to go ahead with Jerrod Blake, so thanks for all the suggestions. He will be named after his two uncles--my brother and my husband's brother. The doctor tells me I will probably not go full term and any time after next week is fine with her. We are hoping for Labor Day weekend (fitting, huh?) since my husband has more time off around that day. However, God knows just when to send them.

In case you didn't know about it, I wanted to alert everyone to a great contest for an Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Planner giveaway. Here's a note from Denice, who has it on her blog:

I just wanted to let all of you wonderful ladies know that you have a
chance to receive the new Homeschool Planner.

I have just written a review of The Homeschool Planner that is put out
by The Old Schoolhouse magazine. They have have generously offered
this planner free to whoever wins my contest. There are three ways to
be entered into the contest, which ends next Tues., Aug. 19th. So
please go to my blog below to read all the details!!!

I KNOW you will love this planner! It will certainly be a blessing to
your school year! It's the best I've ever had!

Blessings!
Denice
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/BackAtTheRanch

Be sure to check it out!

Jennifer

We are enjoying our summer immensely although Jessica and I are already getting the "itch" to start school again. I can't wait to go schoolbook shopping next month!

We have all entered the summer reading program at the library. Jessica's already over 40 books and Jeffery's over 20 (poor guy has to wait for someone to read to him). They each won a prize already, although Mom and Dad haven't won anything yet. Jessica loves Magic Schoolbus books right now and Jeffery likes Bob the Builder and Clifford. Jeff and I have been reading some of T. Davis Bunn's books for fiction. I've read some non-fiction by Kevin Leman most recently. Jury's still out on his ideas....

Part of the summer reading program is the special programs they do. The kids have seen a magician/card thrower (in the Guinness Book of World Records) and a juggler.  Next week is a mad scientist. Jeffery tried his hand (or I should say "head") at juggling only he started with one Rubiks cube. After he stopped crying and we cleaned up the blood, he thought is was really cool that a Rubiks cube becomes a round ball when broken. Did you know that those come apart in individual little colored squares?

We are STILL doing the potty training thing. Today was interesting when Jeffery stood up on his chair at lunch, looked down at his leaking monster truck underwear, and solemnly said, "I have that little feeling". The "feeling" we had talked about was when he felt like he was GOING to potty, but at least he recognized it--even if it was a little late. He has done really well, with only one other accident besides that one.

My little sister just celebrated her one month anniversary yesterday. They are really happy, and they had a beautiful wedding. When I get my pictures uploaded on the computer, I will put some on the blog. The kids were adorable (in my totally unbiased opinion!). Joanna was gorgeous as always. It was a very nice ceremony and reception.

I just had to let you know about a few goodies I read this month. I finished Ted Dekker's Lost Books series. A little out there and weird like Dekker always is but awesome underlying message! I can't wait for Sinner to come out (due out in Sept. or Oct.) to cap off the whole series.

On the totally opposite end of the spectrum , I FINALLY got "Passionate Housewives Desperate for God" by Stacey McDonald and Jenny Chancey. I knew I'd love it, and I wasn't disappointed. I didn't love it just because it told me what I wanted to hear, though. It was upfront and honest about the truth, yet so hopeful and encouraging. At one point in the book, I just broke down and cried.

I know I probably read a few others, but those are the ones that jumped out at me and stuck with me. I'm in the middle of a old book right now written for parents. I copied some great quotes from the first chapter, but the following chapter was a little disappointing. I'll keep reading and let you know next time.

Yes, you all guessed it! We are adding another little Self sometime in September. The ultrasound was on Monday and we got a few 3D pictures this time so we could see some of his facial features. Yes, I said "his". Much to our surprise, we are having another boy. We all expected a girl for some reason. I'm glad we decided to find out or I would have been calling our poor little guy "she" up until delivery. :-) Yes, I know ultrasounds can be wrong, but we have a pretty definite picture of the evidence.  Most importantly, everything looks good with the baby's health. Jeff's looking forward to having another driver and Jessica and I are looking forward to future "girls' nights" with just the two of us while the guys are off doing their "guy things". Jeffery is just glad he got his wish for a "brudder". His biggest goal for our baby is to carry it out and put it on the four wheeler as soon as he's born. Our only problem is we do not have a boy's name picked out. As you know, we are all Js, and that narrows it down quite a bit. Feel free to put your vote in the comment box. I think I've looked at all the baby names sites on the web, and nothing is really clicking yet.

Only 3 more days of school and the "official" work of kindergarten will be over for our first homeschooler. She has done really well despite my bumblings, and I'm excited for next year even though it will be a bigger challenge. Much to my carefully concealed delight, Jessica is getting much more interested in the piano. I left some books on her level sitting on the piano and she picked them up and started playing out of them. She picks out songs she likes by ear. We're even working on a trio with Jeffery for the spring recital. Now, THAT should be interesting! :-) Speaking of Jeffery, we're trying potty training again. Hope it sticks this time.

I know I haven't been keeping up with the latest on our reading lists. With my Borders Rewards from e-rewards, I got a free book so I got Book 3 of the Lost Books (Ted Dekker), Renegade, for Jeff. He's already read it, and I will read it as soon as I'm done with my current book. I am reading "Created to Be His Helpmeet" again by Debi Pearl. It is always convicting even when I think I'm doing a great job on my marriage. It is not for the faint of heart since she is very blunt, and of course I don't agree with everything, but I would highly recommend it for every woman that is married or thinking about getting married and especially for one that is thinking of getting un-married. I also have "Passionate Housewives..." on order, so I'm hoping I come up with a great coupon between now and the time it comes in, 'cause I can't wait to read it. Jessica's reading the first book of the Mandie series. Those were my favorite books as a child, so I'm glad she's getting interested in them. Jeffery's favorite right now is "Three Billy Goats Gruff". Everyone in our family and extended family groans when they see him bringing it to them to read. We're a little tired of "trip-trapping" and trolls.

Life is full of bittersweet moments:those times that are special but are so fleeting and characterized by mixed emotions. Some I've had lately.....enjoying the mother-daughter banquet with my now 6-year-old who sits like a little lady (most of the time) and is finally gaining interest in table manners, lying sick in bed while my precious husband cleaned up a puke mess and calmed the scared child back to sleep, watching my 2yo son playing his inkpen trumpet beside his daddy on the front seat of the church, hearing my baby sister's excited wedding and first home plans and trying not to think of her not being around much longer, seeing my third little son rubbing his eyes with little fists in my womb and being told that everything looks great. I could go on and on, and so could you. Let's enjoy each moment! They pass so quickly.

I received this link on my homeschool group and thought I'd share. Encouragement for all of us "non-conventional" schoolers.

http://www.raisingsmallsouls.com/wp-content/themes/179/aschool012008.html

Hello everyone!

I cannot believe it has been so long since I've updated this blog. Time has flown by. Since March hit, it seems like we are rushing from one big event to another. We had a nice Easter and even took time to color eggs--twice. Well, once was with Memaw, but the kids loved it. Then I had a bridal shower for my sister. My little sister will be getting married and moving far away in just a little over a month!  I'm happy for her, but I'm sure going to miss her. This month we had revival services for a week during which the kids got strep throat, so we missed a few services. Exciting news for Jessica was losing her two bottom teeth--my baby is growing up! She will be six next week. We are looking forward to a short vacation the next week. Only 13 days of school left and we will officially be out of our first official year of school--wow, just typing that makes it look official.

I've saved the best news for last to see who really reads my blog.  I'm bad at lurking and reading but not commenting on others' blogs, so I can't say much to you. Anyway, somewhere on this page, there is a clue to the biggest current news of the Self family. Kind of like finding the toothpick in Taste of Home (my favorite cooking magazine!) except it shouldn't be that tiny. Let me know when you spot it!

Jennifer

For those of you who don't know, I just wanted to announce that my new writing blog, though managed by a very html-challenged person, is up and running. Please stop by and visit and don't be afraid to be ruthless in your comments. I'm up for tough editors!

www.homeschoolblogger.com/breathingsofmyheart

I didn't keep up with my husband's reading this month. I think he read one of the fiction books I read, but other than that, he's just been keeping busy with other things.

Jessica has discovered the Ramona books by Beverly Clearly. She read Ramona the Pest and has started on Ramona and Her Mother.

We are reading Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne as a family along with the loads from the kids' bookshelves and school-related reading.

I ended up having to take most of my "to-read" books back to the library last month, but I did finish The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. Although we don't follow the classical approach exclusively, I did get some insight from the book and may use their recommended reading lists. I also re-read Reb Bradley's Child Training Tips. Very needed as my blind spots have been creeping in again. Other than that, most of my reading has been fictional/recreational this month. I guess I needed a break from deep thinking for awhile.  I did read Ted Dekker's Chosen and Infidel. I read Lori Wick's White Chocolate Moments (a birthday gift from my sister) and Brandilyn Collins' Web of Lies (any arachnaphobiacs out there?).

As always the KJV Bible is a big part of our lives and our reading. Jessica's favorite book is Job. She was asking me about baptism today, and decided that she wanted to wait until she was older and wasn't afraid to duck her head under water in Memaw's pool!  We've been memorizing Psalm 100 in Bible class. I've been enjoying Carolyn Mahaney's mp3 downloads on To Teach What is Good. I think I have two more to go.

I guess I got a little off the subject of reading. I don't have a to read list yet, but I'll let you know what I actually got to at the end of March.

I love Valentine's Day! I don't give in to all the commercialism, but I do like to celebrate love especially since I'm a Christian and have experienced the ultimate love of Calvary. I also like to celebrate romantic love since marrying the most wonderful man in the world 8 1/2 years ago. Now that we have children, we get the whole family involved most years. Here's what we did today---it all revolved around food:

The kids and I had heart shaped pancakes for breakfast. I was going to make them pink, but I found out too late that all the red food coloring was gone from Christmas time. I made our favorite Veggie Chicken Wraps for lunch--both for us and for my sweetie's lunch box. Jeff brought roses home for Jessica. She remembered that he got her some flowers last Valentine's Day and asked me last night, "Do you think Daddy is going to get me anything for Valentine's Day?" Jeff and I had already made plans for a special date for us on Saturday night, but he went ahead and brought the roses for her. She loved it! I think he started a tradition. I had piano lessons tonight, but afterwards, we grilled steaks with an awesome new marinade from Taste of Home magazine.We used china and red napkins tied with pink gingham ribbon. After clean up, we piled in the car and went to Coldstone's for ice cream. I got my free birthday one and had coupons for the kids', so it wasn't a total splurge.  Jeffery fell asleep on the way home, and I have to get Jessica to bed soon, too.

Before I go, I've been tagged by homekeepingheart so here goes:

Here are the rules:

(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1. I automatically edit when I read something. Too bad it doesn't work for my own writing!

2. I try to think of the next three things I have to do to keep me focused. On a good day, it goes like this: I'm going to do a load of laundry, make some phone calls and do Bible with the kids. On a bad day, it's more like this: I'm going to lift the covers off of myself. Then I'm going to put my feet on the floor. Then I'm going to hit the snooze button on my alarm clock.

3. I hate unloading the dishwasher. Sometimes I will do a sinkful of dishes by hand just to escape the inevitable putting away a whole load at a time.

4. I like to do crossword puzzles, but if no pencil is available, I will skip even the most tempting Monday edition puzzle. I simply cannot do them in ink.

5. I can't sleep well unless I have my nightly bath and the book I'm currently reading. A bit of chocolate is a nice touch, too.

6. I love holidays, birthdays and special occasions and usually celebrate them in little ways for at least a week-Christmas is a whole month of course.

O.K. I tag : 

EEEEMommy
trustingdaily
JacqueDixonSoulRestES
youngmommy
jenn4him
WisdomBuilders

I think this is funny, but it is sarcastic. Don't take it too seriously! :-)

http://www.secular-homeschooling.com/001/bitter_homeschooler.html

Books are very important to any homeschool family and we are no exception. I have decided to  post our reading list from last month and what we hope to read next month. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is all I can remember right now. It should go without saying that the Bible is the only infallible Book, so no other book can be recommended 100% for perfect content and that that is our first Book on the reading list.

Besides all the favorites from the kids' bookshelves and school reading, we are reading Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred A. Martin together as a family.

Jeff has been reading repair manuals for his Ipod repair business, but he has done some recreational reading as well. He read/listened to the complete Ted Dekker trilogy again and read the two new Lost Books by Dekker as well, Chosen and Infidel.

Jennifer usually prefers non-fiction but has done some recreational fiction reading as well. It has been awhile since I've read the Ted Dekker trilogy, so in anticipation of reading the new Lost Books, I re-read it. Wow! It always grips me anew with the horror of evil, the depths of sacrifice and love Christ went through for us, and the depth of love and sacrifice He expects us to have for the Bride He is still wooing. Of course, Dekker keeps one's interest, but the spiritual lessons I gleaned were so simple yet so profound. I rarely read books over, but Dekker is an exception.

My other recent reads--the ones that really taught me:

Parenting - Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp (again a re-read, but oh so needed!)

Frugality - The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn (yes, I am reading straight through the whole thing--I've learned a lot and discarded some)

Here is my To Read/Currently Reading List:

Meal Planning and Hospitality - If Teacups Could Talk by Emilie Barnes

Keeping the Home - Houseworks by Cynthia Townley Ewer

Homeschooling - The Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer

Parenting - Sacred Parenting by Gary L. Thomas

Recreational - Chosen by Ted Dekker and Infidel by Ted Dekker

I'll let you know how it goes!

By the way, a question for you veteran parent/homeschoolers along the line of books:

Is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (the Illustrated Classic Edition) too graphic or violent for preschoolers? I have a copy that was given to me and wondered about family reading time. Please feel free to give me honest opinions. If I've read this book, I remember very little about it! I will read it first before sharing, but I'd still like your opinions.

When people find out we homeschool our children, about 75% of them keep their opinions to themselves. Those of you who do homeschool know how controversial this topic can be! Of the other 25%, some do give their opinions and others just ask questions.

"Were you or your husband homeschooled?" Nnoooo.....

"Did you have a bad experience in school as a child?" Not really....

"Does anyone in your church homeschool?" Nope.

"Does your family want you to homeschool?" Ha, ha. No comment.

Five years ago, I would have laughed if anyone had suggested that I would homeschool my children. I grew up with the idea that private, Christian schools are superior in training academically and spiritually and getting into a good college is the ultimate goal of education. I did get a good education that way--at least as far as my grades went. I saw homeschooling families as "weird", "antisocial", "educationally inferior" or at least "nerdy and geeky--the kids no one likes to be around even if they do have PhD.s at age 15". You know the stereotypes. My husband was more open to the idea, although he had great reservations. He had attended a private, Christian school and a public school and wasn't satisified with his experiences in either. He learns new skills better than anyone I know, but he has always hated school.

The lack of quality education, safety and false religion in public schools and the exorbitant costs of private schools in our area led us to rethink our prejudices. I can't remember when we made the decision, and I haven't necessarily committed for life (though I'm leaning that way), but here are some of the reasons we homeschool. They are by no means the only ones, but just a few that I can list after a half a year of "official" homeschooling. Consequently, when I started homeschooling, I realized that this is just an extension of what I've been doing since we brought my firstborn home from the hospital.

• The absolute hilarity of seeing my 5 and 2 year olds practicing their fire escape when we studied fire safety. I will forever remember my two year old carefully inching his way down the stairs, covering his nose and mouth with his hands, only to get distracted with his toys once he hit the living room.
• The flexibility. We have had the death of a close family member, impromptu trips and family field trips this year without skipping a beat in our learning (or our workbook schedule--I still have a bit of "traditional education" in me!).
• Seeing my anti-homeschool, math whiz brother painstakingly teaching my daughter the shapes she didn't know (all those geometry shapes that end in -on). The lesson stuck because when I showed her a stop sign a few days later  in hopes of having her recognize the blend "st-", she answered with a bored expression, "That's an octagon."
• The wonder in my two-year-old's eyes when we studied magnetism and he saw a magnet pick up a paper clip for the first time.
• Giving my 5-year-old the beginning readers and finding out she already knew how to read before I even had a chance to teach her!
• The two-for-one phenomenon. It's hit me several times. The first was when my 2-year-old started singing the alphabet song by himself after a week or two of school. One of the most recent was when he supplied the correct phrase for his sister when she stumbled in the 23rd Psalm.
• One more that just cracks me up--in answer to the anti-social question that is often raised to homeschooling parents. We were visiting my in-laws church, and my husband and I were talking to the pastor in the vestibule after the service. The pastor loves little boys and tipped my 2yo son's head back and beeped his nose playfully. My son did not cower behind me, he simply turned around and faced the pastor and respectfully and articulately said, "I don't like that very well." Thankfully the pastor didn't take offense, and I'm a little bit glad that my son knows how to stand up for himself. He's sure had a lot of practice with his big sister!

I told you that I would introduce us to you little by little through this blog. Although our testimonies are the most important thing we have to share, it might interest those of you that don't know how our home began. It is truly a miracle when God brings two people together in marriage and blesses them with children. So this is how it started....

I was running late for the YES weekend. It could have been much worse. Sherilyn, my friend that was picking me up, had hit a deer on the way to get me. However, her car was driveable and she was unhurt, so we made it in around 10:00 that night.

Y.E.S. was an acronym for Youth Evangelizing Souls. A good friend of mine named Tonya Shockley had the inspiration for a group of Christian teens visiting a church and community for one weekend a quarter and taking over. We usually got in on Friday night and prepared brochures to pass out in the community inviting them to the host church. The next morning, we would start with a brief devotional, then two by two would go into the community and invite people to church and witness to them when the opportunity presented itself. That night we would hold a singspiration and testimony service which all the youth participated in. The next day, we would take charge of everything from the Sunday School teachers to the morning worship.

Jeff was going to be at the YES weekend for the first time unbeknownst to me. He had just gotten saved about 4 months earlier and in the back of his mind was the thought that he wanted the Lord to provide him with a wife. He says now that he had given up on that until my friend and I got there.  I guess when he saw me, he started to rethink that. :-) I noticed that there was a new guy there, but he seemed kind of shy--at least that was my first impression.

Over the next 5 months, we saw each other at youth retreats  occasionally (he lived almost 3 hours away from me), and when my friend couldn't make it to YES weekends, he and his sister were the next closest to meet me and ride together to the meeting. We began dating after a myriad of events, and were engaged exactly a year after our meeting (we're still big on special dates and anniversaries). We got married a long 15 months later and the Self Household was established.

A little over 2 years later we were blessed with our first child and a little over 3 years after that with our second. God is so good!

I just thought I'd take a break in these few days before Christmas and post a couple funnies for homeschooling families. You may have seen these before, but they might bring you a laugh anyway. Hey, no comments about stereotypes--I know each family is unique, but these made me chuckle.

A cute video of a homeschooling family:

http://www.doublesharpevideo.com/HomeSchool2/Homeschool2.html

And this I found at  http://fryfamilyministries.com :

• You come to school in your PJ's.
• Your biology lab consists of assisting in your sibling's birth.
• Your stacks of books to check out is taller than the librarian.
• Your PE comes from chasing little toddlers around.
• Your school bus is a 9 passenger van.
• You consider school work after lunch to be cruel and unusual punishment.
• Your father has ever told the check-out lady at Wal-mart, "We're on a field trip."
• Your social life is viewed by some to be one rung lower than that of a Benedictine monk.
• Your teacher has ever written your report card on a napkin.
• You have to move dirty laundry off your desk before you can start school.
• The signatures on your diploma all end with the same last name.
• Everyone else in the world is referred to as "Non-homies."
• Your Mother's wardrobe consists primarily of denim jumpers.
• Your first real date is on your honeymoon.
• The word 'homework' sounds like an foreign language.
• Your yearbook is also your babybook.
• A snow day means that you shovel the driveway after you finish your school work.
• You enjoy the pastime of watching public school kids walk home from school.
• You have to look at the clock to see if you can call your public school friends yet.
• You think that public-school-kid is an insult of the highest degree.
• Health class consists of eating breakfast.
• You have to decide what year you want to graduate.
• You are always late but just call it "homeschooler time."
• You can remember nearly every single day you went to public school.
• The teacher can kiss the principal, and no one thinks it's unusual.
• You get to school and the teacher asks you if you've done all your chores.
• You are one of the best people in the world! :)

How sweet the sound!

That saved a wretch like me

I once was lost, but now I'm found

Was blind, but now I see!

If you get nothing else from this blog, we sincerely hope that you see that Jesus is the most important Person in our lives. We could never begin to recount all the reasons we serve Him or all the things that He has done for us, but I would like to share our testimonies with you.

I was raised in a Christian home and never remember a time I did not want to be a Christian. My father is a pastor and ministry was important to our family. I always loved going to church and learning about the Bible. I credit that to my parents who felt that getting their children to Heaven was the main goal  in parenting. Ironically, it wasn't until I was 12 years old that I really gave my life to the Lord. I remember lying in bed one night, feeling so convicted. I hadn't done any of the "big" sins (yes, I know they are all the same in God's eyes!) at that age, but I felt as if I were going to drop right into Hell. My "little" sins were enough to keep me from Heaven and a relationship with the Savior. It was later that week in a revival meeting at our church (more about that in a future blog), that my church family gathered around me and prayed with me until I confessed and repented of my sins and was born into God's family. God has done so much in my life since then, but a few other events stand out in my mind as major turning points that led me to His plan for me today. At the age of 16, I believed that future plans must involve either a special "call" from God or a career. I never felt like the Lord wanted me to go to the mission field and I had no desire to get married, so I decided to move onto the career path. I got the best grades possible. I was actually upset if someone in the class got a higher grade than I did. My goal was to be the valedictorian so that my chances of getting into a good college were better. My plans were to become a college-level music teacher. About that time, I met my husband. By the end of my junior year of high school, I knew that God's will for me was to marry. Since I loved my husband, I didn't have one bit of problem marrying him 3 weeks to the day after my high school graduation. However, there was still the issue of calling or career. My husband asked me not to work outside the home so that he could be our sole provider. I agreed, though at times I chafed at his request. About 4 months after our marriage, God began to show me that I was ruled by myself instead of Him. I was saved and not living in sin, yet I had not made Him supreme Lord of every area of my life. Early one morning after my husband left for work, I prayed and asked Him to take over completely. I confessed out all those traits of my sinful nature that kept me from giving all to Him and surrendered every area of my life to Him. That submission led me to a deeper understanding of submission to my husband when a group of Godly ladies gently explained God's Word to me in this area. My daughter was born about 2 1/2 years after our marriage. I loved her, but kept up my lifestyle which sadly was not very home-centered. I cooked out of boxes and spent most of my days away from home even though I still did not work outside the home. Slowly, the Lord began to show me that I did have a calling and I wasn't embracing it as I should. In His sweet way, He opened the truths of Titus 2 to me. My calling is the calling of every married woman whether she is married to the President, a pastor or a FedEx driver! I am to fulfill the mandates of Titus 2:4 and 5 thereby bringing others to Christ through my example as I love my husband and children the way God wants me to. Since I have learned that truth, I am endeavoring to grow more and more in His love and Word. It is such a joy to serve Him!

Jeff grew up with a Christian mother who took him to church, but his father did not become a Christian until after he left home. Although he attended church with his mother, he didn't give his life to Christ until he was 20 years old. The Lord began dealing with him while he was dating a girl that wasn't a Christian either. The conviction of the Holy Spirit rested on him to the degree that he would be driving down the road listening to unGodly music and just start throwing tapes out the window. He was miserable, but he knew that if he were to commit to following Christ that God would ask Him to give up the girl he was dating. Finally, he was driving his mother home after church one night and was visibly upset. His mother gently suggested that he go back to the church and find someone to pray with him. He did, and that very night the Lord saved him! He did follow Christ's will and told the girl that night that he had gotten saved and he wouldn't be dating her anymore (she understood salvation having grown up in a Christian home, but was rebellious in her lifestyle). Four months later, he and I met, so I'm so glad he minded the Lord that night and responded to the Spirit's calling on his life. But that's another story....

Thanks for stopping by to visit! To try to introduce our family and home and lifestyle in one blog entry would be too overwhelming. Besides, we are constantly changing and growing. So, I will give you a general overview of us in this entry and attempt in future entries to give you clearer glimpses into our everyday lives.

Jeff is the head of our home and, in my opinion, the most handsome and wonderful man that has ever lived or will ever live on the face of this earth.  He loves being with his family and takes great care of us in every area from spiritual to financial. He loves the Lord and is active in our church. He provides for our family as a FedEx contractor. His other interests are gaming and his four-wheeler.

Jennifer is the keeper of our home. Besides my (yeah, you guessed it--I'm the writer of the blog!) home duties, I homeschool, teach piano lessons, do phone work to help my husband's load a bit and do freelance writing once in a while. I play the piano at church on Sunday mornings. I love tea rooms, reading books about anything that interests me at the time (which varies greatly!) and the career of being a wife and mother.

Jessica is our first born and is 5 years old. She just started kindergarten this year, so she is our "guinea pig" in the homeschooling journey. She loves books and doll babies and playing the computer. She is our strong-willed child, which though it has its challenges, is a trait we want to harness for the Lord. We enjoy her so much and never cease to be amazed at her desire to learn.

Jeffery is 2 years old and a constant whirlwind of activity. He's all boy---loves his trucks and motorcycles. He also loves books and loves to learn. I'm thinking he's going to be the "hands on" learner as he's always tinkering with things. He has his stubborn streak, which, again, we hope to harness for the Lord and His work. He makes us laugh often through the day with his funny sayings and faces.

Although we have been teaching and training our children from birth, we began this year "official" schooling using the Bob Jones curriculum. We enjoy playing together, taking nature walks together, climbing through the Amazone tunnels together, singing together, reading together and in general, just being together.

In the next entries, I'll try to give you a little of the details of our beginnings and where we're headed.