(Really that was the name of the fair.)





Momma:  What all could you see?
Ruth:  I could see all the fair.  There were strawberries, I wanted to ride, but Daddy not let me.  I could see lights, and more rides.  I saw the moon.  I saw Momma, Britt, and Rebecca too.


Momma:  What did you eat at the fair?
Ruth:  French fries and a corn dog.  They were super good.  They were the best corn dogs ever.  Daddy got me something special - blue and pink cotton candy.  Cotton candy is different.  It is sticky, and makes sticky juice.  Daddy brought it home, and I eat it before bedtime.  Momma and Daddy shared some pretzel with me too.



Momma:  What was your favorite part?
Ruth:  Cotton Candy.
Momma:  You want to go again sometime?
Ruth: Ummm, yes!

Today I did rolling it up with the apples to make candy with the apples.  The first step was to feed Kita, and then I crushed cans.  Momma was washing dishes and her hands.  Then we were ready to cook.  Momma was cutting up some apples.  Then we pulled some stuff out.  Then I painted it with butter.  Then we sprinkled cim-m-and-m (Cinnamon) and salt (Sugar).  Then we sticked one apple in the middle and rolled it all up.  Then it was Ruth's turn.  Then they had to cook by putting them in the oven.



Daddy was super surprised.  He ate them right away at lunchtime.  I didn't eat any, cause I don't like apples.  Daddy liked them though.  Ruth liked them.  Momma liked them.  Rebecca because she's not a big girl, she didn't get to eat them.  They smelled good and they were so warm.  I liked cook them one time.  I might cook them again some time.  Ok bye, I'm going outside.

Rebecca,

It is hard to believe you are 7 months old today, little bit.  It is hard to believe that it is time for the weather to begin turning off cold again.  You still wear size 2 diapers, but I've begun pulling out the next size up in clothes.  You are a bit long for some of the 3-6 onesies, so I decided this past week to wash up the 6-9 stuff and begin pulling it out.   However, it's still really too big.  You are just long in the belly.  You can still manage to pull your feet up in your sleepers, and get them both stuck in one leg when you are trying to crawl, so we definitely don't need a bigger size in them yet.  Some of the dresses are also getting too tight, so I might be able to start using some of those soon.  You have outgrown the size 2 shoes, as they aren't long enough, but the size 3 shoes are a bit too wide to stay on well.  The others seemed to grow more steadily, and it was easy to tell when it was time to move up to the next size clothes, but you seem to do things at your own pace.  Just trying to guess at your weight, from getting on the scale with you last night, you might finally be close to 15 lbs.

You continue to be a busy girl, always on the move.  You crawl really well, and are so fast now.  You enjoy standing against the couch, my foot stool, or the little kitchen upstairs to push buttons.  You pulled yourself up for the first time last night and again this morning, and for a little while yesterday I watched you get your feet up under you to squat and try to push up to standing in the middle of the floor.  You would have your palms face down and push and then lift them up wobble there for about a second or two and topple over.  Daddy wants you to know that he liked you better before you were mobile, no need to be in a hurry to walk.  The day after we took your six month pictures you began to sit up all on your own.  I often find you after having crawled across the floor, sitting up and pulling things out of the kids bookbags, or gnawing on the things in my school bag.  You still will not raise your hands to reach for us to pick you up, but you do lift up your elbows to be perpendicular to your body, and fuss at us to come get you.  Leaving just enough room to reach under your arms to lift you up.

You have been in the pool a time or two in the last few months with us.  You don't care for it as much as bathtime.  Once you feel asleep in Daddy's arms by the time he got out in the middle of the water.  You like to doze sometimes in the bath at night too.  I guess it's just that relaxing to be with Daddy and in the water.

You did well at your first doctor's appointment and seemed to have no reaction to the shots.  I think you are almost ready to cut teeth, and perhaps you will have some by your next appointment right at 2 months from now.  I have thought a few times that you were about to cut teeth, since you would be so fussy, and your gums feel swollen, but then it would pass and be nothing.

While on that subject you started eating baby food this month.  Between 5 and 6 months old you started wanting an extra bottle of formula about 2 or 3 times a week.  I was concerned that you weren't getting enough, because I would try to feed you an extra time, and you would just scream at me like you weren't getting anything.  Britt quit nursing just shy of 7 months, and Ruth at just shy of 11, and I didn't want to fail at making it to a year this time too.  The two weeks after you turned 6 months, it increased to wanting an extra bottle every night.  So, I made the decision to go ahead and start you on food, rather than you get dependent on a bottle and reject me outright.  You were such a mess at first, and while you haven't improved much you are a little more efficient.  To start with at least half of it was getting pushed back out, with the way you roll your tongue around in your mouth while you eat.  You also want to eat with your chin on your chest making it hard to get a spoon in.  To top it all off, you grin funny, and won't open your mouth all the way up.  The rest of the day you look like a bird with that mouth open, but not when it's time to eat.  You would eat only about half a serving to start with a day.  Then I got you up to eating half a serving twice a day.  I have finally gotten you up to one serving all at once, one time a day.  That's where I intend to stay for a while.  You didn't really seem to care for the oatmeal, but you've had green beans, peas (which you really liked), pears (which you really didn't), carrots, and now a mixture that has peas, carrots, and spinach.  You've had a little trouble with your diapers since then so I've cut the cereal almost completely out, which is a pain, because it makes the food even runnier and messier.  I'm gradually upping it, since apparently it was just too much at once.

You are finally showing alot of interest in toys.  Some of your favorites are your Britt's old blue puppy that he gave you, your owl, and the singing bear, that stays in the crib, sometimes you can work it by yourself, but most of the time not.  You also have wanted a pacifier more this month, though not for sucking on, you still prefer your thumb for that, but you use it to chew on.  In fact you prefer it to all the teethers I have.

The other big change this month, is that you have really started showing an obvious preference for me.  You can be perfectly content with anyone else or even sitting in the floor by yourself, and if I walk in your line of sight you start crying for me.  It is worse in the evenings than any other time of day.  You also have begun insisting on having me nurse you to sleep.  Perhaps the most trying part is that you have begun insisting that I hold you while you nap.  One day this week, I nursed you to sleep, held you for 20 more minutes, just to be sure, and when I sat you down in your bed you woke up and SCREAMED at me.  I tried patting you, singing, the works, and you just got madder.  I went back down stairs to get some work done, thinking you might give it up.  You continued for nearly 20 more minutes before you quit and went to sleep.  On average you fuss for 15 minutes now before giving up on getting me back in the room with you.  I could probably get alot more done if I would wear you, but I hate those sling things, they never feel secure, and I don't think it's good to have you in the front carrier all day.  I would like to get an ERGO so that you are more comfortable in it, and you could lay against my back even, but I've said that for the last two as well, and they are just so expensive.

My favorite time of day continues to be first thing in the morning snuggling with you while or right after you eat, before the others get up and your last feeding of the night when the others are off to bed, and I can cuddle you uninterrupted.  We all love you very much, sweetness, and can't imagine life without you.

Love,
Momma

Tomorrow is official the first day of fall.  In light of that, I thought I would stop to take stock of all we've accomplished this summer.  I got the idea from another blog that I follow.  A lady that I ran into both on Backyard Chicken and who also is a fan of FlyLady.  I am fascinated with her post, because after many years working toward that goal, they moved out of town onto a working farm.  I've not got the goal in mind of raising hundreds of chickens for meat birds or putting up all the food we eat.  It's just more work than I want at least at this point, and as Gary knows I like my meat looking like it does at Winn Dixie, however, I'm always hoping to do a little more gardening and putting up for us.  She has really great ideas that I like storing away for future use.  Anyway, she had the great idea this year, to not only keep a "to-do-list," but also a "done list."  If I get to looking around at what all we still need to do with this house, just for winter, it could quickly get overwhelming and depressing, so I like the idea of looking back to see just how much we have accomplished this summer.

• First we moved over 500 miles with a dog and three kids one of which was 2 months old at the time.  That in and of it's self is a major accomplishment in my mind.
• Painted the living room, laundry room, two bedrooms, bathroom, landing and stairway.
• Primed all the above rooms, and 4 closets.
• Painted trim in all the above rooms and one more bedroom.
• Painted the front and back doors inside and out.
• Patched excessively (though not quiet enough) in all above rooms.
• Cleaned out, repaired, and painted a number of built in cabinets.
• Painted and repaired the clothesline.
• Cleaned 18 windows and 18 pairs of really nasty blinds, managed to salvage all but 5 saving money!
• Thanks to Mom, we found and cleaned screens for all of those windows, she patched some and I'm still needing to finish patching the rest.
• Thanks to Dad, we refinished the dining room floor and sealed it.
• He also repaired the front glass door.
• He also built a spectacular fence.
• He also installed 4 ceiling fans, a hood vent, and a sink light.
• Thanks to Dad and Gary, we have an outside water spigot.
• Thanks to Gary, my laundry room sink is hooked up (though I've yet to clean it out to be usable).
• Despite getting brand new appliances for the entire house, Gary has already repaired the fridge water line once, and we had someone come to fix the ice machine in it another time.
• Gary also refinished the girls' bed.
• Bought and organized a storage shed.
• I organized all of Gary's tools.  That was an all day job in and of itself.
• Thanks to Daddy, we have swapped out all of the 2 prong plugs that were grounded for 3 prong plugs.
• We bought, used, and have packed up an AC.
• We have put all the furniture back together, curtains hung, shelves and pictures on walls, and I have completely unpacked EVERYTHING!  My ultimate OCD with the organizing is almost satisfied.
• We have visited 8 different Primitive Baptist Churches over the summer.  Met some great new friends, and stayed up WAY late visiting.
• We visited Gettysburg on the 4th of July for the 150th anniversary of the battle.
• Camped out for Memorial Day, and had a camp fire a few times since.
• I started homeschooling the oldest two.  Both they and I are really loving it.
• The kids completed the summer reading program.
• Gary has gone crazy with the round-up, to give me a chance of getting the flowerbeds cleaned out enough to put my fall bulbs in the ground.
• I potty trained Ruth, and have Britt out of night time pull ups!  Ruth is eager to drop night time pull ups as well.  I told her to give another few months, and we'll see.

I've still got a lengthy to do list on the fridge, but stopping to think about all we've managed this summer, I'm starting to feel a little like Super Mom or something.  Lest, I get too to proud of myself, I'll go ahead and share the "gotta-get-done-before-the-weather-turns-off-fridged" list.

• Use filler stuff to keep mice out of the downstairs.
• Close up holes in basement.
• Close up holes in attic.
• Caulk.
• Take out and re-caulk the shower with water proof caulking.
• Get and install new light in bathroom, so that the heat portion actually works.
• Touch up paint and trim in bathroom.
• Finish painting front and back doors.
• Sand all doors so that they actually close.
• Get and install a back storm door for mudroom.
• Screw in the gold floor/door way thingy between dining room and kitchen.
• Hang remaining hooks in Britt's closet.
• Put down grey foam tiles in the girls' closet.
• Finish patching screens.
• Replace glass in broken out laundry room window.
• Hook up and clean out laundry room sink.
• Fix water lines.
• Hook up dishwasher.
• Clean out back bathroom to be usable.

T. Rex is no match for Rebecca.  She has been very interested in the kids dinosaurs, since they have been the toys of choice over the last several weeks.  Britt has been playing this game where he declares that she is the astroid, coming to destroy the earth and kill all the dinosaurs.  He will get her started crawling in a big circle from the living room, to dining room, to kitchen, back to living room.  He often laps her, but she is eager to keep up.  Thankfully, the stairs have not yet garnered any attention.  Sometimes though, when Britt runs off to something else, and leaves his dinosaurs behind, she gets a chance to grab them a "num-num" on them.

Yesterday, we go camping at night.  First we ate dogs.  Not hot dogs, but "sausagas dogs."  Yep they were yummy.  Daddy cooked them with a fire thing.  I don't know what kind.  It took a long time to cook very hot.  We waited and I sat with Momma and Rebecca.  Britt playing while we waited.



After supper we did marshmallows.  I sat with Daddy and he put it on that hot thing, and held it at night.  He got it to Ruth after he put it in the fire.  It was super yummy.  Me eat a whole bunch. I liked that a lot.  It was super good day, the best day ever, the most fun ever.  I want Daddy to do it again tonight.

I learned this story from Daddy and God on the way to Church.  Momma was reading and Daddy was talking about it.  Manny and I were listening about the bad king and throwing him in a den of lions and covered it up with a statue so how he couldn't escape, and those other boys wouldn't bow to it because it wasn't really God so he threw them in the fire.  I like listening to Momma read stories.
(Alot of times on Sunday morning I read a little on the way to Church.  This Sunday I read about half the book of Daniel on the way to Columbia PBC before we turned on one of our singing cds.  Britt was in the back playing with Manny and Ruth was asleep.  I wasn't sure how much he was listening, even though Gary and I were discussing it, and Gary pointed a few things out in his general direction.  However, in the lunchroom after Church, I heard Britt relaying VERY accurately the following two stories.  Today when he started to tell them to Ruth, I asked him if he wanted to blog about it and he said yes, and waited for me to go and get the camera.  He wasn't near as accurate or smooth in his retelling today.  We are having to be a little more observant about what we discuss in front of him, since he's not of the age to understand or need to know everything.  It's difficult because we talk ALOT in the car, we spend more time together in the car than anywhere.  I have a captive audience in Gary then, haha.  It's nice when he picks up and overhears something that we want him to take to heart. On another note, I have started just asking him to say the names of the Hebrew children, and I laugh myself silly, he finds a new way to pronounce them every time.)

I finished reading Ezekiel, and I also read Joel this week.  It wasn't as sad as Jeremiah, but it was still sad.  Ezekiel 33:32, might be the sadest line in the whole book, "And, lo, thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument:  for they hear thy words, but they do them not." The prophetic language was more difficult than Isaiah though.  I am trying to imagine the cherubims and their wheels, and I can't really. They are so unlike anything that otherwise exists in God's creation. I even halfway entertained the thought that perhaps all of this is symbolic and these are not literal descriptions, but I threw that idea out.  I read the beginning of the book to Gary on the way to Old Carroll the Sunday of Labor Day weekend. We debated some ideas in the car, and then while everyone was visiting, the topic came up. So I listened to Bro. Jonathan, Bro. Brian, and Gary debate it and discuss many of the spiritual lessons. They had a lot of rich stuff, too much to relate since I didn't begin to get my thoughts on "paper" earlier.  However, one illustration that Bro. Brian had I really liked and it tied in with some of the other passages that jumped out at me.

Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads. As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house. -Ezekiel 3:8-9

Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. Again, When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he is warned; also thou hast delivered thy soul. -Ezekiel 3:17-21

Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it. -Ezekiel 33:12-13

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. ... I will feed them in a good pasture, ... and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick:  -Ezekiel 34:11-16

Then will I ... cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. -Ezekiel 36:25-28

Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him;  -Joel 2:12-14

And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed. -Joel 2:25-26

Britt has been BEGGING to learn all about baby's in school.  So, I decided when I fed Rebecca lunch that I would let Britt help out a little.  I didn't intend to start her on any fruit until after we did all the vegetables, but I gave her pears today.  She's had a little trouble and alot of fussing about her diapers since we started solids, and even cutting out the cereal all week hasn't helped alot.  So, I figured we needed to break out one of the p fruits.  Pears are suppose to be really good for that, and almost all babies likes them, plus this way if she needs, I can give her some pear juice.  I may regret this when I break out the carrots next, but we'll see.
Britt absolutely loved feeding her, though I wish I had let him try yesterday with the peas, they are much thicker.  They did a pretty good job, but used a dozen napkins, before I took back over.  Rebecca seemed to think it was really funny to have Britt feeding her, because she kept grinning about it.  Of course, this now means that Gary will try to pass feeding over to Britt.  He has always HATED feeding the kids baby food.  He complains that it takes too long because they push half of it back out, and he hates the mess.

My favorite was the "pretorac" shark (prehistoric shark).  Momma is reading about prehistoric sharks this week.  We read about Ichthyosaurus.  He has large orbitals, those are eyes.  He had red skin on top, and no scales.  We know because they found red in his fossils.  He was born tail first like a whale.  We also read about Nothosaurus, he swam with his strong arms like this.  (She's is flailing both arms around over here, like a crazy person.)  The last one we are reading about this week is a mosasaur.  He swims with a strong tail.  To catch fish, he bonks em with his nose, and they can't move so he eats em, yum-um-um-um-um.  I am going to bonk Grumps with my nose and eat him up.  Yeah!  ahahahahaha.  I will share my animal crackers with him too.
I got a plesiosaur and I named him Sid.  Like Sid the"Swap" (Sloth) in "Ice Age."  Sid is a swimming dinosaur.  Momma says we will do all the plesiosauruses next week.  I liked it there, even with no grass.  I could live there.

On my corn field trip, I went to the biggest city of the Outer (United) States, New York City.  I saw dinosaurs.  I saw T. Rex and Brontosaurus but Apatosaur is his real name.  Apatosaur was a little big, he had strings to hold up his neck.  We saw footprints in the sand by Apatosaur.  I also saw Pterodactyl on the ceiling, hanging from those things. We saw a frog that had two teeth sticking out of his nose.  I liked plesiosaur.
We saw some crocodillians that we read about.  Phytosaur has two special things.  He has his nostrils, that's the holes in your nose, he has his nostrils next to his eyes on top of his head.  And he has extra long teeth in front.  We sawed Super Croc's cousins.  I wanted to see a Gharial but they didn't have any.  We also saw Rauisuchians and they ran fast and had really big eyes.
We saw things to help them dig in the sand.  They were digging for bones.  We saw the team that was digging for dinosaur bones.  We saw the dentist things, that they clean the teeth of of the alligator bones.  Then we found triceratops and lots of dinosaur bones, crocodile bones, and bug bones.  hahahaha.  No bug bones.
We found Mammoths, Mastodons, and Elephant bones.  Mammoths are the biggest and they have round (curved) tusks.  Mastodons was kinda smaller and tinier.  They had straight tusk.  Elephants were in the middle (size), and they don't have fur because they live in hot places and warm places.  Mammoths and Mastodons live in cold places.  Elephants have big ears to fan flies and cool off.  Mammoths and Mastodons have small ears so they don't freeze.  Elephants hold hands with their trunks.

















We went in the store.  I liked those toy Mammoths, so I thought I would pickeded them.  I loved him and named him Manny.  I wanted to keep him forever, for lots and lots and lots of days.  I want to play with him all day, every time I want to.  And, I like to make him walk, and pretend run, and talk.  I had to trade my money in my wallet for him.  I gave my money to Daddy.  Ruth got plesiosaur.  She cried after she traded her money, she wanted it back in her purse.  I liked it.

8-24, Kita, almost 1 year

Tomorrow Kita will be 1 year old.  It's amazing how much she has grown and filled out.  She is still a puppy in SO many ways.  The insane amount of energy she has for one thing.  She likes to chew on sticks, but doesn't bother much else.  She still grubs, but doesn't dig big holes. She still wants to wallow in your lap.  Apparently she thinks she is a 3 pound tea cup Yorkie not a 45lb Husky.

10-12, Kita, 1 month old

I have been looking into some training classes for the two of us. Gary promised me a while back that when things got to be more settled, i could plan to go to one with her one night a week.  it will let me do something i enjoy and have time awayfrom the kids. Her only really bad habit, that I've got to work on breaking her of, is her tendency to leap 6 ft in the air when you first walk up to her or when she gets excited. But I am also hoping to get some pointers on improving her stay, it is only about 3 seconds long, and her leash walking. She must think she is pulling a sled all by herself in the Iditorod anytime we try to walk.  We will probably start that October 15th.

So, as you might know, I was drug to homeschooling, kicking and screaming like a small toddler.  Ok, so it wasn't really quite that bad.  Maybe at some point I'll get around to blogging the why, but suffice it to say for now, that I never really anticipated homeschooling.  I always knew I intended to teach, I just didn't think it would be my own.  So, I wasn't gung ho about the idea at first, but week one down, I am loving it.  I can already tell that I'm going to be that crazy person, that comes up with WAY more material than is possible to be covered.  I will confess to spending an excessive amount of time in dinosaur books lately.  Not a topic I care alot about, but that I have been sucked into with great interest.  I have all these neat ideas for things to do with lesson plans, and then I have to remind myself, that Britt is only 4.  We aren't going to create a life sized model of T-Rex in the back yard any time soon.  But there is always, next year...  Seriously though, we have talked about 20 different prehistoric crocs this week, and the fact that he can pick two or three of the different types out in the book, when I absolutely slaughter, attempt to pronounce their names is amazing to me.

I spent sometime last Friday and Saturday making copies and preparing things for the kids schooling this week and decided to start simple. I'm only going to focus my time this year on math and reading.  Alot of what I plan to do with reading this year, is just to keep reading an outrageous amount of material to the kids.  They seem to like reading non-fiction as much as fiction, so that makes it easy to work in science and history.  Britt has been on a huge kick all summer asking about reptiles, and just wanting to learn alot about animals in general.  I've been relating to him everything that I can remember, when it dawned on me that we were learning science.  So, at least for the time being that's where I am going to focus on his science.  He wanted to start out with dinosaurs that live in water. So that's what we did.  This week we talked about crocodillians, and next week we are going to talk about some of the ancient sharks, maybe we will talk about plesiosaurs the week after that.  Then I guess we will see if he wants to do flying dinosaurs, or plant eating dinosaurs or meat eaters next.

He has also been chomping at the bit for a new bible verse for almost a month now.  I decided to take a break from them, and that we would plan to pick out a new one to start with this school year.  Since he is scraping with Ruth ALL THE TIME lately, I scraped my plans to continue with the end of Romans 8, and instead think I'm going to make him learn Romans 12:17-19, and have him repeat it every time he hits his sister:

Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

I'm going to try reading through Job with him as well, since he is all the time asking me about learning the Bible verses about dinosaurs.  I don't expect him to understand most of it, and that's ok, I'm not going to pretend that I understand all the Bible yet either, but I would like to get into the habit of reading it with the kids.  He loves for me to tell him different stories driving in the car, whether that is the 3 Little Pigs, or Noah's Boat, or anything else.  So, I plan to read him a little and then retell it to him like a story.

One of the surprising realizations for me this summer was to see Britt already doing early math.  He has played this game with me all summer where I tell him to go and fetch me, X number of diapers.  At some point he started bringing me a big stack instead of the number requested.  He would lay them out in the floor, count out how many he had, and then count out how many I wanted.  He would then tell me how many he had left, before putting them away.  I don't know how long this went on before I realized that we were doing math with manipulators in essence.  So initially for math, I am beginning with doing some labeling to enable him to see the math he is already doing, in a number form.  We are also playing games with the cards I made.  He calls it "Chicka, Chicka, 1,2,3 game" because it reminds him of the book and the video.  Ruth just calls it the "maff game."

I've got a dinosaur coloring book that Mother found somewhere, that I'm using for "art" and "science" as we talk about different dinosaurs.  Britt has almost no fine motor skills.  It's partially my fault, I love to do craft stuff, but I HATE doing craft stuff with the kids.  1) It's SOOOOO messy, and you know I'm a little crazy about that kind of thing.  2) The stuff typically looks junky, but you can't bear to throw it away, after all it's their little creation.  (Everyone we know should expect to start getting items in the mail, hahahahaha.)  Seriously though, Ruth colors, draw, and cuts WAY better than he does.  So, I'm working on fixing that, by giving him some time with crayons and pencils every afternoon.  He's asking for paint too, and I told him maybe for Christmas, or his birthday, or in another 5 years.  Don't give me that look, baby steps people, baby steps.

The life of Jeremiah is really amazing to me.  He is a study in faithful endurance.  His ministry continues over 40 years, about half of which he is in prison.  And best, that I can tell, no one listened to him except Baruch who penned it for him, and ministered to him at times.  There are a few times he cries out to the Lord in frustration, but to a parent who says "I'm sick of no body around here listening to me" more often than I care to admit - he's especially amazing.  Jeremiah is one of the more emotional of the prophets from what I've read so far.  He is truly moved to tears by the knowledge of what is coming, and his grief at the people's lack of repentance, lack even of the knowledge of their need to repent.

Time and time again Jeremiah tells them that judgement is coming, and yet the Lord is NOT out to "get 'em."  He cares for them.

And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.  ...and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 23:3-4)

... I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.  For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land: and I will build them, and not pull them down; and I will plant them, and not pluck them up.  And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart. (Jeremiah 24:5-7)

The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.  (Lamentations 3:21-26)

 There are also a number of really beautiful prayers and promises of how the Lord could never forget us, that we are secure in Him.

Thus saith the LORD, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The LORD of hosts is his name: If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the LORD, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever. Thus saith the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:36-37)

Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season;  Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.  As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me. (Jeremiah 33:20-22)

Because of these two things - the Lord's great care of us, and His promise that we are secure, we should study, we should follow him, we should be in such a place that the troubles and trials in this life should affect us very little because we trust Him.

Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

There are several other little gems. "...I will bring you to Zion:  And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding." (Jeremiah 3:14-15)  Isn't it really a beautiful thing when a man of God has been studying all week, asking God what it is that his flock needs to hear and the Lord blesses him on Sunday morning with just the right message.  Men according to His heart.  Pastors with a heart of God.  They don't force feed the flock, they don't over feed the flock, they don't starve the flock.  They feed with knowledge and understanding.  Reminds me too of the verse back in Isaiah 40:11 "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd:  he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."  Bro. Mike Montgomery used this verse back at Little Union's July Meeting mentioning how God is a great shepherd and that the men he places as under-shepherds are to lead in the same way.  What a blessing to the Church are such men.  What a blessing they are not only to their home Church, but to have that pastor's heart when among his people this land over.  There are several good men that have not been the pastor of my particular home Church, but who have been like a pastor in their care and guidance, in the spirit they display.  Jeremiah also gives warning to pastors in 10:21 and 23:1.

Jeremiah is also the first to tell the people to bloom where you are planted.  The Lord makes it very clear that they will not be in captivity for a short time, but for 70 long years...

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;  Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;  Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. (Jeremiah 29:4-7)

The message was clear to them, and it is likewise to us.  Where ever we find ourselves here on earth.  It is temporary.  This is not our home.  We should make the most of the opportunities we are given where ever we are given them.  Our lifespan is roughly 70, and while we aren't to be too attached to this world, we should do our best with where we are at.  The people could have sat around waiting to go home, not investing any time or anything in Babylon, after all it wasn't home, and they would be leaving it.  But that wasn't the attitude that God told them to have.  Gary and I could just tap our foot, keeping time, until we could jumps ship and move back South.  But rather we should do what we can to improve the place we stay, make the most of opportunities to come our way, and live like this is where we will be for the long haul.  It may not be, who knows, but we should do our best by it.  This is not our home, heaven is, and yet while we are here we are to invest in those people we come in contact with, do our best to improve our communities, and leave our Churches in the best possible place for those that would come after us.

And finally I found one very peculiar story related.  In Jeremiah 32, God gives Jeremiah word while he is in prison in Jerusalem, that there is a field that it is his right to buy in the process of redeeming back land, and God tells him that he wants him to redeem it.  Sure enough Jeremiah's cousin comes and tells him, about it.  Jeremiah buys it back, takes care of all the legal paperwork, and gets it filed away.  He begins to second guess himself and prays a beautiful prayer to God.  (You should go and read it if you have the time.)  In it he ascribes all power and glory to God, reminds himself of all that God has done and is able to do, and then asks the Lord if he did the right thing.  It is important to remind ourselves of all that He has done before we ask Him if He can or will do something.  The really interesting thing to me is that when Jeremiah redeems this land, not only is he in prison but the Babylonians control all those fields outside of Jerusalem, they are under siege in the city.  Additionally back in Jeremiah 16:2, he is told not to marry or have children.  After the city falls, he spends a very short amount of time with those who are left behind, before they determine to go to Egypt, and force Jeremiah to come along with him.  That is the last we hear of him.  I find it interesting that the Lord tells him to redeem a field that he will never see or get to possess, and he has no descendants that will be able to inherit it.

There is something about it nagging at the back of my mind telling me there is an important lesson here, but I'm not sure what it is.  I've been thinking on this for almost 2 weeks now, and there are only two things that come out to me.  First, we don't always understand what the Lord asks of us, we don't know why, we don't see the point or the purpose, but that shouldn't stop us from doing it.  I'm sure that Abraham was a little confused about why God wanted him to sacrifice Isaac, but he knew that very child was his promise, and didn't doubt the power of God, so he did what was asked.  Second, not everything we do will benefit us or our children, but they will be of benefit to someone, so we should seek to do our very best in every endeavor that we under take, because it will affect others for good or for bad.

Additionally there are so many things from it that are quoted and referenced in the New Testament.  So many things that our ministers often remind us from the pulpit contained in this book.  Just reading it brought alot of old messages back to mind.  It really has probably been the best read for me so far this year.

Rebecca has been eating solids for a week now.  For the last month or so we've had to give her a bottle of formula about 2 sometimes 3 evenings a week, after I would feed her.  In the last week or so before we started feeding her she was taking an extra 8 oz bottle of formula 4 or sometimes 5 nights a week.  I don't know if my production is down, if she's more like Britt and is too busy to be bothered with nursing or a combination.  We got quite a bit of formula samples for free from Enfamil again just in case, but we don't want to have to start buying it unless we have to, so even though I had considered waiting a little longer, I thought it was time to start solids.
I had debated making baby food again, like I did for Britt.  But to be honest, it was really economical when we could buy in bulk from southwestern and I could spend a couple of days cooking it all up and using the blender.  It was incredibly time consuming, and we found out the hard way, that after you feed them that, you better carry it with you everywhere, because they will not eat the store bought.  Since we can't get vegetables in bulk, and we didn't put in a garden this year, it's not that much cheaper, not enough for me to be willing to put in that kind of time investment when I'm also trying to do a little homeschooling.  I bought a couple of everything to try out with her, and maybe by that point, she'll be able to eat more table food anyway.  Despite the insane amount of chewing on EVERYTHING and drooling there are still no teeth in there, so we will see.
Last Thursday we began with oatmeal.  She had that through Sunday.  I also decided this time around instead of alternating a vegetable with a fruit, that we are going to introduce all the vegetables first.  It will probably make no difference, I mean who likes peas better than apples?  Maybe she'll do better with them than the others did.  So on Monday I started with green beans.  Tomorrow I'm going to move on to the English peas.
She's been a little more challenging than the other two were.  They were messy yes, but generally speaking they seemed to want to eat.  She will grab for the spoon, but tends to shove 99% of what she ate back out.  I'm throwing out more than she is eating.  She's gotten a little better with it this week than last, but she eats about half as much as I started the other two out with.  She definitely liked the green beans better than the oatmeal.  I'm not much of an oatmeal fan myself.  I don't know if it will just take some practice for her, or if it will just take her time to decide she wants to eat something other than from a bottle (or me).  If she doesn't improve some in the next few weeks, I may just pull out the actual solid, but mushy food, and give that a try, teeth or no teeth.

(Ruth seems to be enjoying school too.  I don't know how much she picks up when I am reading.  She likes to sit and look at the pictures, but often ends up playing with monkey or her little white bear while I read longer, more technical books with Britt.  I always let her pick one for me to read first, so that I have her attention for at least one book.  She must be listening at least some, because she told me about crocodillians.  We didn't really think that she could count higher than 5, or that she recognized any numbers by sight.  She's always quick to parrot Britt, but not offer up any answers on her own.  She sure surprised me today, when I gave her a turn playing with the math cards I made.)















I like all school.  I like playing at school best.  I play with monkey cause he loves me.  And I have a polar bear.  Math game is counting game.  It is my favorite. Me know 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6, 7, 8, 9.  Me know lot.  I don't always remember how all the numbers look.  But in the math came the circle on the bottom and circle on the top is one, and a circle in the bottom and a stick on the top is another one, and the ball on the top and the stick on the bottom is another one.  There is alot, alot of numbers.  Me read about books some dinosaurs.  Some bigger than our house that eat leaves, and some with big teeth.  We are talking about croc-and-dill-and-dinosaurs (crocodillians).  Momma say we do more water dinosaurs next week like sharks!  Me learn to use the bathroom like a big girl.  Yeah, that part of school.  I learn to close one eye like Grumps.  I color two pictures for Momma and Daddy.  Me like everything at school, especially breakfast, and lunch, and cookies, and milk.