So, we planted our garden again this spring. We planted cucumbers, tomatoes, banana peppers, basil, oregano, parsley, and beets. I decided to do the beets for the sake of A. I wanted to try our hand at it, and maybe consider doing this every year because this is one of those things we so associate with Russia. Here are the pics at our first two…they were yummy. We haven’t convinced the boys of that yet!! H has also had a birthday…we have a few pics, but his “party” will be Fri/Sat. So, we’ll have to post those later. ;o)

In His Constant Watchcare,

Joy

Another of her vocab…c-vitamin rather than vitamin C

I was thinking today as I swept the dirt from my hardwood floors about my children and other children in general and what makes some parents train their children and others not…I teach…so I see a wide variety of techniques. What is interesting to me is that typically you can tell the children whose parents are truly putting forth effort and those who are often too caught up in life. I had to wonder what makes me so determined to follow through with training when one or more of my very strong-willed children are making me feel batty. I have been known to comment to my husband…”you know what…never mind…I’m just gonna let it go and not worry anymore…” But every time just moments following…I think what are you thinking…I love them way too much to let them be on their own or to have their own way…I want them to be good people, productive citizens, and mostly…Godly people who strive to be in God’s will. Ok, so this has been in my mind over and over…but today…I guess I …well I don’t know how the thinking came to this point…but anyway…it was like a buzzer going off…this is why I have a relationship with God….God loves me the same way I love my children…but more and wouldn’t let it go.  I have often felt critical in regards to the children of Israel…and wondered why in this world the Lord continuously forgave, wouldn’t give up on them…..ding, ding, ding….its because He loved them like a Father…He couldn’t give up on them….His love for them was too great. Thus my conclusion is once again confirmed…God gives us children to teach us spiritual lessons….what a sweet one to learn.

Ever Loved,

Joy

carecul (careful)

pootaste (toothpaste)

soat (soda)

Imie Amma Jones (Indiana Jones)

We’ve realized she is so quick to retain what she hears….even when she doesn’t hear it right, though she will usually get the right number of syllables. She does this with songs too. She will fill in the spaces with nonsensical sounds so that she gets the right number of syllables. Pretty interesting.

In His Watchcare,

Joy

So…for your reading pleasure here are more of her words she uses…see if you can figure them out…

Holgone

holedoor

Still strong use of “all day week” and her other terms mentioned previously. B laughed because he knew I was not going to correct her….its just too cute. In reality, it won’t be too much longer and these sweet innocent slip-ups will be all but gone. I am soooo amazed when I look at pics from the beginning of the year. She has grown in so many ways and what a precious time this has been for us.  Now I can see all the blessings the Lord was offering me when He worked it out for her to be in my class. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world…precious, precious.

She asked me last night where she was as a baby. I told her in Russia. She then wanted to know …but where? I told her she was with the care givers there and that she was waiting for a mommy and daddy. Then, God told us about you waiting for us…and we told Him, “Oh Yes, we want to be her mommy and daddy”. We were so excited and could hardly wait  to go see you. So, we got on a plane and flew over and when we saw you we were so excited, we clapped our hands together (she thinks I always clap my hands when I’m excited) and said “Yes, yes we want her to be ours”. So then we came home and waited for them to tell us to come back for you. As soon as they said we could we flew over there so fast and picked you up and brought you right home to be our little girl. So…just like with the boys, God gave you to us to be ours too.

After telling her this she grinned real big and said “I’m so glad you are my mom and dad cause I love you so much.”

I had not really thought through any of this before…but it seems the Lord is good even in explaining this miraculous journey to a precious little girl He had made plans for even as she was being formed in the womb. Only my Savior could do this. I’m so thankful for all His provisions.

In His Constant Watchcare,

Joy

By the way…the above words were…hold on and door holder. Who could have guessed?

So H has been up to a new endeavor…just another attempt to spoil his sister rotten!! He has worked diligently to make her a swing!! The boys have been working on different types of swings…ones that she holds onto, like they do. This doesn’t always work out for her, since she doesn’t have as much upper body strength as they do. Soooo H came up with an old fashioned one…and does she like it…..I’ll let you decide!!

A often likes to use the term…”guess what”. So I was putting her down for her rest time, and she told me…”guess what Mom…when Jesus made me, I asked Him to make you my mom…cause I don’t want any other one, cause guess what…I really like you.”  My heart of couse explodes with gratitude towards her Maker for this sweet little pixie!

She has also begun to say about most things…”I don’t really like that much.” When it has to do with food, she will say…”I’m going to eat it, but I don’t really like that much.” She will sometimes say it about her clothes…right now it happens to be the bloomers I put on her when she’s wearing a dress. Clever little one to say it so gently. ;o)

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Our first day of Spring Break has seen us working on arts and crafts already…eating lunch in the tree house, planting seeds, and working on our Bean Teepee.

But I tell you…one moment of no supervision and you won’t believe what my children have done!!! Just see for yourself!!

Can you believe it???

Such sweet children!! They wanted to surpise me…they wouldn’t let me come out…I was a little worried…thus you see what I “caught”!! LOL Priceless times with my children I tell you!!

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Well….another month down! This year seems to be moving so very quickly! My oldest will soon be in Middle school!! My middle child will be in his last year of elementary and my baby will be in K5!!! 

Our new funny that A is saying…C was quoting…”put your hands up in the air…and wave ‘em like you just don’t care…” to which A mimics…”put your hands in the air like you don’t got care…”  Too funny!

The exciting news is…we are heading into our Spring Break!! Yay. I thought I’d post a couple of pictures to give you an idea of what my week will look like!!! Enjoy…

Oh that I had had two big brothers that played with me and spoiled me like they do her when I was little!!

In His Watchcare,

Joy

Thought I’d throw in a pic from today. ;o)

In His Watchcare,

Joy

So here I am again…astounded that it has been since January that I last posted. So, I guess this is really my norm now. ;o)

I wanted to put in a few things that little miss is saying…

Chick-a-lay, tometimes, all-day-week, zactly…

She is hilarious, and there are soooo many funny things she says, and I always think…I need to write that down, and then of course I forget until she says it again.

The other day I had gone to Target and was looking at some shoes…so here we are in the women’s shoes, and I’m taking shoes down to try on and I look down, and little miss has already pulled a pair down, taken off her shoes, and has some huge high heels on her feet. She asks me laughing…”you like my shoes??”  Then she starts prancing around…too cute!!

I must have said something about cleaning, and she informs me…”You and Daddy, and me, we clean the house, but the boys make a mess!” I had to laugh again.

Tonight she was too cute. I was finishing up making supper, and I turned around and she was carrying the fruit bowls to the table for us, all on her own. She was so very proud of herself.

She is in my class at school. We have a card system, when she is on yellow, she is so excited. Her comment to me is often, “when I stay on yellow it makes your heart soo happy, huh momma?”

She most times will refer to her brothers as “my boys”. B and I called them “the boys” for so long, it was hard to break the habit…so typically it is “the boys and A”. She has picked it up and carried it on as her own. Over Valentine’s day, they stayed with my parents. She told them at bed time, “I want to sleep with my boys.” Mom took the sweetest picture of my three little peas all snuggled up in the bed.

 C, my oldest had a loose tooth…he decided to be creative and use his bow and arrow to pull his tooth…it worked!! My dad had the best time with it. He could hardly wait to take his pics to school to show everyone. It has been neat to see him come out of his shell this year and really blossom with his personality. He is beginning to realize his personal likes and dislikes. His new thing is being bold enough to wear pink. His brother gives him a hard time, but he tells him…”I’m man enough to wear it.” Just recently he got new tennis shoes…they had to be nike, and they needed to be loud…we compromised on gray, with a yellow swoosh, and neon green shoe laces. (with an aside of neon pink/green socks!!) Yes, he actually wore the neon pink socks…

Hunter is working hard on his trumpet…beaming when he gets accalaides. He played for his class during music this past week. He loves to help out with the younger children at school, and adores helping his sister, though she is not always appreciative of his efforts!! He is my tender, sweet talker…we were watching tv the other day with some horses running. I said, “There are not too many things more beautiful than running horses.” His comment was…”uh huh…you!”  Well…how did I rate that kind of sweetness??

I’m so thankful for these beautiful children the Lord has given us…we are blessed beyond measure.

In His Watchcare,

Joy