I have mentioned once or twice before that I'm a bit of an obsessive planner.  It's my personality, that I like to have things organized and planned out, and detailed.  I like to do list, mostly because I love checking off things, and having proof that despite the fact that I am home all day and don't feel like I have accomplished meaningful things, that I have indeed been busy working.


When it comes to school though, I HAVE to do some planning.  First, I have found if I don't make some plans, we aren't that productive.  there is always something that needs doing on the Church website or something that needs cleaning and if I don't make plans and prioritize school, it won't happen.  Second, as I've mentioned before PA is kinda of an intensive state with the homeschooling regulations.  We still don't have to legally file, because Britt isn't 8, but I have been able to take the last two years and tweak what I think school is, and how to keep up with school without the government getting in my way.  I feel like if I keep adjusting things, by the time I do need to file, we'll have a pretty great system in place.  Of course the added bonus for us right now, is that if we move states for a new job and need to file, I've already got the paperwork to show what we've been doing, if I were to need it.




So, this year for our 3rd year homeschooling, I am using yet another new planner.  This time I think I might have actually found something that really works for us, at least for now.  I decided to get the Erin Condren Teacher Planner this year.  Since it isn't actually made for homeschooling, and since I wasn't sure if I could justify the price, I got online on a Facebook group back in January, and managed to get a copy off a lady that was selling an extra she had, for $40.  I thought for that price, I could tweak and experiment with it, and see if it would work for us.  And a month and a half into our school year I am loving it.


First, let me tell you what didn't work for me in last year's book.  1) It wasn't made well.  After a year of use, well really way before then, the weak plastic coil wasn't holding up, pages were tearing out, and the covers were seriously beat up.  2) No pockets or page protectors of any kind.  That meant I was paper clipping EVERYTHING into the book, and once again, that didn't help my coil and cover problems.  3) Too many pages that weren't useful for me.  I found most of the end of the book extras just not work able for me, there was semester planning, and monthly goals, and the 180 checkmark boxes, and curriculum planning pages.  I think off all that I used one of the curriculum planning pages right before CHAP convention, to make notes for purchases this year.  I just couldn't think of a good way to repurpose them either.  4) It was so boring looking.  I know this sounds crazy, but it's hard to be motivated to do school the end of Feb, beginning of March, when it's bitter cold outside, and you've been grinding away at the daily stuff for a good five months, and the book just didn't help.


 So now, I can share why I am liking my EC Planner so much better this year.  1) These things are made SO well.  I mean seriously.  Those coils are amazing, stuff doesn't come out, the pages that have tabs are reinforced, they don't come out.  The covers, are interchangeable just like the regular life planners, but they are made really well, heavy duty lamination.  The cover I used on my LP since last Oct, finally started to show some wear in May, so I swapped it out.  This planner I've been carrying around since January when I started working on it, and it still looks pristine.  2)  Their is a pocket and page protectors.  Ok, so there aren't any page protectors in mine, but you get 1-3 when you order one on the website, depending on how many you want.  This year (again not on mine) they have redone the folders so they are suppose to be even more sturdy.  My folder in my LP is starting to tear, I keep alot of bills stuffed in one side and coupons in the other side, so this one might show some wear, but it's so nice to have one.  3) It is so colorful, and bright, with happy quotes and patterns.  It makes me want to do lesson planning.  Even better it makes me want to pull it out and see what's on the plan for today.




Now here's the only catch, to be really useful for a homeschooler, you are going to need to get creative with some of the pages, that are really geared toward the public elementary school teacher.  I didn't mind doing this, because I feel like for the most part, it's easy to do.  The pages are mostly set up that you just change a few headings and wa-la.  Plus again it gave me the chance to be crafty and have a little decorating fun.  And since these serve as a record for our year, it's kinda like our school scrapbook, and I don't mind a little decoration.  I don't have the first page in mine, the lady before had her personal info and passwords on it so she tore it out.  I took the Helpful Hints for the substitute page, and turned it into our title page.  With our school name and such over the top, and then on the sides, I added some of my EC labels that I use for color coding appointments and such.  I wrote down what the kids most were interested in learning/doing for school this year on those. I will probably write their favorite part of the year at the end on the bottom lines.  The Birthday pages - I covered Birthdays with Field Trips, added some cute washi, and have a nice place to record all those fun out of the house things we do.  I used the year planning pages, but more on how in a later post.  (Next year I might would swap the two, since with more than two kids, I need more room to yearly plan, and I don't need quite as many lines for field trips.)  The attendance pages, became fantastic book logs, and I can even check them off when we are done and they go back into the library bag to be turned in.  I didn't have anywhere near enough of these last year, and they were so messy.  These are very neat, but since the kids are reading more, I'm taking some of the blank graph paper that follows them and making some extra book list, just in case.  I have a couple pages for science, and for history, lots for independent reading and just books for fun. I also used some graph paper to plan out our garden, which we do along with school each summer.  I again reversed the order for the lesson plan pages, but this year I printed my own labels, because that made everything much neater.  (I got a bonus 52 weeks of plans in mine, because the lady before me had added weeks to it, before deciding to sell it.  I HOPE Erin Condren will added in more weeks next year for those of us who find ourselves schooling mostly year round.)



I have also used the student checklist as chore charts for the kids (I'll have to write more on that in another post too.)  The notes pages have been great.  I know they have been changed up some this year, so I'm not sure how I would like that.  I use the one at the end of each month to note month goals and accomplishments, like the sight words we have worked, an evaluation of how the month went, and any monthly notes I need to reference for adjustments.  I have more room than I need so I am also using them to glue in art work from the kids, pictures of things we have done or places we have gone.  And occasionally my own stress relief artwork.  These are super important to me.  The notes at the end of the book, I used as a space to do some goal setting in general in each important area (either by the law, or things I felt essential).  These were really great to help me rough out my objectives for the year, before I typed them up all official for our paperwork, and before I sat down to try to do my yearly planning.  As for the monthly spreads, they are at the front, I've just come to accept that's the way they are with teacher planners, and they have an odd lay out (this year they went to a more normal looking layout), but I have really enjoyed decorating them, noting big events outside of the house, and logging our days/hours on them.
















Now, could I have done all of the remakes with a cheaper planner?  Maybe?  I can say that watching the videos and looking through pictures of how other EC fans have used their planners to homeschool, gave me a ton of great ideas.  I like the heavy paper and better coil of the EC, and of course the bright colors are inspiring as well.  Ultimately I think that for alot of other planners out there, it would have required alot more work, and that while I changed some headings and decorated uptop, the page lines and set up where more conducive to changes, than alot of other planners.  I also could have made my own the way I wanted, but the paper wouldn't have been as good, the ink would have cost me a fortune and I really don't have the time for that project.  Next year, I think I will again buy an EC.  I might get one in May when they clearance out the previous year's version, or I might wait and see if they will have an option for 52 weeks of lesson plans in the 2016-2017 edition.  However, I'm pretty sure I've found lesson planner peace with this set up.

This week we have once again started potty training with Rebecca.  We tried it back at the end of spring, but didn't really have any luck.  This week though Daddy decided we were going to try again.  Mostly because we were down to 5 pull ups, and he didn't want to buy more. haha.  Monday and Tuesday were terrible with no success, but on Wednesday we only had one accident.  Thursday was been a mixed bag, but then today, at the library, she actually told me that she needed to go to the bathroom.  That was a very nice change.  So maybe she's getting the idea.

Our biggest problem is that this child is fiercely independent.  It's incredibly difficult to do things she doesn't want to do, and stopping her day to go to the bathroom, is one of those things that she really doesn't want to do.  As a result, we've spent alot of time singing on the frog potty.  Enjoy.

So I'm definitely feeling movement now. I thought I might have felt movement, July 5 and 12. See on Sunday evenings, we typically go stretch out on our bed, flip on the AC and I read aloud to Gary, while the kids have popcorn and a movie in the living room. Since I was still those two times I thought I might be feeling movement. But at just shy of 15 and 16 weeks, I thought it might be early. I know though that I've been feeling movement from the baby this week. Since I've not had the crazy morning sickness it's made it feel a little more real. This baby (and maybe it's just because it's early) isn't as active as the others were, I feel some rolling, but not much else. The baby also seems to prefer my left side, as that is where I usually feel some movement shifting around.

Since I'm having trouble seeing my toes and my belly button is pretty flat, I decided on Sunday it was time for a belly picture. I was 17 weeks and 4 days. Of course I was pleasantly surprised that I don't look that big in them. I'm still hovering around the weight I was when I got pregnant, I'm up a pound, and since apparently weight fluctuates up to 2 lbs a day, that's not really anything.  I'm still tired off and on, but I'm mostly back to my normal self now.  My headaches have mostly gone away too, so I've not been sick since my last report.  Now mostly, any tiredness and headaches are straight up a result of the heat.  We've not had too much heat this summer, but occasionally when it's warm, and I'm somewhere and the air isn't moving much like up at the YMCA for swim lessons I get light headed and feel wore out.  We are really looking forward to our ultrasound coming up in a little more than three weeks.

1. Princesses always keep them dresses clean.
2. Princesses always, always, never ever try to throw away or hide their food somewhere.
3. Princesses doesn't too big of a mess in them room.
4. Princesses doesn't walk through places that are really slippery with mud, because they could slip and get them dress muddy.
5. Princesses always listen to the King.
6. Princesses always dance alot.

I is the Meridia kind of princess, I do whatever I like to do.  She is brave and does whatever her wants to.  I like princess because they like to dance like me.  I twirl like them, not like other kinds of dancers.  Sophie is a princess too, and Snow White is, and Belle.  All princesses really like to dance, and I am a princess that likes to dance.

Two of my grown up teeth, are trying to come in at the bottom.  They are coming in way behind my baby teeth though.  One might be up top too.  I feel excited about grown up teeth, but I wasn't very excited that my baby teeth might need to be pushed out.  Today I went to the dentist, while I was waiting I was going to play wii, but it wasn't working.  The dentist said the teeth would move up and push the baby teeth out.  He called them shark teeth.  I didn't get anything from the treasure box though, since they didn't do anything.  Instead Daddy took me to McDonalds, and I got an oreo blizzard for being so good at the dentist, and I even got something like orange coke in my cup.  I got to make some new friends there too - Cooper and his sister.  I can't wait to loose my teeth, maybe I'll lose three at once, and get three dollars from the tooth fairy.

(Don't know how well you can tell, but they are not coming in in his gum, but just behind it, toward his tongue.  They are nearly all the way in judging from the back of them.  Hopefully after today's visit we won't need to pull them, though I'm not sure if he will lose the baby teeth since they are already nearly in and so far back.  Odds are that he will need braces now, but I'm glad it wasn't something we had to pay for today. -EDMC)

After having a little time for the numbness and shock to wear off, we have regrouped from the reeling news that Gary's position has been eliminated.  It is disappointing to have a job that we hoped to be with for the next 30 years just dry up and disappear.  While still getting a slightly alarmed feeling whenever Gary unexpectedly came home at unexpected times, I had pretty much found a state of normal in our routines.  We have lived in this house for 2 years and 2 months, longer than any place we've been in our married lives, and I have learned my way around.  I haven't made many friends, I'm just not that good at the social thing, outside of Church people I guess, but I have made a few good friends.

I suppose for me the biggest disappointment is that I had begun to dream again about the possibilities of living in this area for the next 30 years.  We have nearly paid off all the debt but our student loans, and while we were still 2-5 years away from looking for our own home, we've had some fun driving around and looking at places for sale, or land and talking about what we might would build.  We had decided rather than be 15 mins north of work we'd rather be 15-20 minutes South, so that we could be closer to Halifax where most of the kids friends are, and be 30 mins or so closer to town, co-op, and Church.

I am frustrated too, in that we tried to be so diligent this year with our finances and planning when to have another child, only to be out of work and pregnant again.  I don't know of anything that I would have done differently, but it's frustrating to attempt to be responsible and it not work out much better.  It just goes to prove despite my OCD, micro managing, and planner obsessed personality, job security is always an illusion.  Self-sufficiency is pretty much the same.

I hurt most though, for Gary who works so hard and never complains, who I know it absolutely killed to have to come and tell me this news again.  I think he's about have prefered anything to having to tell me.

I am a bit sad for the kids.  Britt remembers a few things about Indiana and Florida, Ruth only remembers their fun hiding hole/play space in Indiana.  This is really the only home that they know.  When we told the kids on Thursday, the first thing Ruth said, is that she didn't want to leave our house with her purple room and her bed.  I suppose the worst part of telling Britt was him realizing that it meant no "fiddle lessons" with one of his best friend's mom, we had hoped to let him start in August.  Even since telling them that we probably won't stay in the immediate area, they are talking about playing t-ball together for the Gratz Grizzlies in the spring.

They will survive though, they are resilient little people, and I'm trying to not let our daily routine look much different.  They still have to complete morning chores before they get to eat breakfast, though Daddy does more for their breakfast than I did.  We still have tried to start school by 10 in the morning.  The routine of homeschooling has helped, even though this has just happened.  They have some structure to their days, and I still have a reason to be busy during my mornings.  When they have their free time in the afternoons I sit down with Gary and work on reactivating all the old search engines, and start weeding through likely job positions.

We have done all the initial leg work, contacting the old recruiter, filing for the unemployment that Gary has paid in over the last two years.  Several big ag companies are looking to hire right now.  Southern States Co-op for one is hiring about 50 new positions, we are trying to find the best matches, as we learned last time, that applying for too many positions with one company made them toss you out for all the positions.  Because you didn't seem to have depth in any one area, and you reeked of desperation.  But hey, we were pretty desperate.  haha.

In ways, while still supremely disappointing, this feels a little old hat.  I mean we've been down this road twice before, and if it had to happen again, we've never been this financially secure.  We have a little savings, we've nearly paid off all the old unemployment debt, and we don't plan to use debt to live on this time.  We think unemployment will give us just enough to scrape by on when coupled with our savings, and hope that this time, with the economy back on an upswing, this will be really short lived.  To be honest in some ways, it's not as scary this time.  Gary says I've gotten pretty good at stretching our budget, and it makes me feel alot better to know that he has that confidence in me.

Ultimately though, I haven't panicked this time, don't get me wrong, I am concerned, and it was a shock that we didn't see coming.  But we have learned throughout the past that God will provide.  After all He always has.  Very often through His people who gave us help when we didn't expect it and when they didn't even know how much it was needed.  We don't believe that "all things work together for good" that God caused this and is planning something even better from it. We know those verses in Romans 8 refer to God predestinating, calling, justifying, and glorifying His people - their eternal security. That no matter what happens in this life our eternal home is secure because of all that work on His part. However, we also believe in the Providence of God. That He doesn't just work all those things to our eternal security, but that He also cares about us here, and that He is able to provide for our daily needs. We have every confidence that He will lead us to where He wants us next, and will help us to know which job is right for us.

Overall we are trying to remain positive. We have long felt that the Lord wanted us at Old Carroll and while we might be wrong, we aren't feeling that our time is up there yet. We've often wondered why He put us in PA only to drive 2 1/2 to Church. Perhaps this is our chance to find a job closer to them. I have often lamented the overbearing homeschool law here in PA, and a state like Virginia would be much more homeschool friendly. We have never had the opportunity in our married life to live close to my family, perhaps this is a chance to find a job closer to them. We felt at peace in leaving Little Union and South Florida, though we didn't especially want to go, perhaps this is a chance to once again be closer to them. Britt said, "Maybe God will let us go to Texas for the next job!" He is so obsessed with that state. Maybe he is right though. We have no idea where the next job will be but are trying to focus on the excitement of a new adventure. Life isn't over, we just experienced a huge bend in the road that we didn't see before.

If I had an elephant I would name him Col. Haute, like in Jungle Book. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/feb/12/my-bright-idea-elephants-australia

Did you know Bison almost went extinct, but there more now, but they are still endangered of going extinct in the wild?  They live on the other grasslands, the plains.  They got hunted by people.  They eat the grass to make it shorter, then other animals eat what is left.  While Bisons run, they dig their hooves in the dirt.  That lets new grass grow.  Did you know that there are birds also called cowbirds?  They stand close to the bison as they can, to pick off bugs.  But they have to stay on their toes, because they could get stepped on by the bisons hooves or get trampled.  Did you know that other animals have to move out of the way of Bison, they move in big herds and they trample.

If I had a bison I would name him Raging Bolt. http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2011/12/american-buffalo-are-not-actually-buffalo/

We are going to the safari ride to see the Bisons at Lake Tobias on Friday if we get all of our school work done this week.

 Dear Rebecca,

Happy late Valentine's Day!  We love you very much.  You have changed the most of all of our children in the past year.  You have become very self reliant.  As always you favorite word is not just no, but NO in the largest caps we could find, underlined with 5 exclamation points behind it.  In fact I think you like no so much, that when you answer a question with yes you don't often say it, but just shake your head yes.  You can cry or get your feelings hurt at a moments notice.

One of my favorite parts of my day, when I come home for lunch, or from work is that you are so excited to see me that you come running hollering Daddy, Daddy and hug my kneecaps.  You have a way of just tilting your head to the side and smiling even when you are guilty and wrong.  Of all our three children, you are the most independent and resilient.  While you do still enjoy playing with Britt and Ruth, you are continue to play in your own world, do your own thing.  You tend to want to do things your own way, even if that is the hard way.  You really enjoy trying to do things for yourself whether that's taking off your own pull up or insisting that no one else can buckle you in the carseat, that you have to.  In some ways you are stubborn, you don't want to switch from diapers to just using the bathroom, which we both know you can do.  You don't share very well, particularly the rocking horse.  You take advantage of still being the baby that you win arguments and take things that they had.


Since last time I wrote your vocabulary was basically one word.  You have definitely expanded it though it is still sometimes difficult to understand what you say.  When it comes to eating you still pretty much eat all sorts of things, especially fruit.  You complain about eating a few items, but will when you are forced to.  You now are able to get some clothes and partially dress yourself.  You sleep in the big bed with Britt and Ruth.  You still prefer sleeping with your blanket and taggie.  While you love taggie, and Bro. Jonathan, there are some things you cannot stand.  You hate to have dirty hands, any kind of bug or insect, and get really upset when something happens to the good guys in the movies.  You were just hollering and wanting us to fix it when the "train of thought" crashed in the movie "Inside Out."

Valentine's Pictures from 2/17/2015

One of the most important things in life is honesty - being truthful to one another.  Where you do what you are suppose to and if you say you will do something you do it.  Honesty is more than just being correct or right, it's the action of doing the right thing, helping others, and being truthful when it's easy to lie.  Being honest takes a long term commitment.  You can quickly lose others trust with dishonesty.  We love you Rebecca and hope that you grow in knowledge, that you reach certain important milestones this year, like being potty trained, and are excited about the new changes coming this year in our lives.

I love you,
Daddy

I'm starting to sport a baby bump, and Gary noticed two nights ago that my belly button is starting to stick out a little.  I feel like I'm really big to only be 15 weeks along, but I've only gained 2 lbs so far. Since I weighed in at 147 lbs.  I should have taken a picture yesterday when I was dressed up to go to town, but I haven't taken a one yet.

Yesterday was my appointment with the midwives.  At my first appointment I met one who had three kids was a bit older and had been delivering babies for 30 years, but was newest to the practice.  This time I met a younger lady, who was really great with the kids.  She was very apologetic, the office staff goofed up and left me sitting in the waiting room for over an hour.  She let the kids work the doppler.  She told Britt to squeeze the gel so it looked like a Hershey kiss.  Ruth got to turn on and hold the speaker box, and then she showed Britt where to put the microphone part.  All while she held Rebecca up next to me on the table.  They were so excited to hear the heartbeat which was nice and fast.  I'm measuring a little on the large size, but everything looks good.

I've had almost no morning sickness this time.  I counted up in my planner and I've only been sick 7 of times and all 3 of the days that I actually threw up were on days that I had unbearable headaches.  It's been really nice to have basically no sickness, let alone not that all day, every day nausea that is only somewhat relieved by actually throwing up.  The trade off has been incredible exhaustion.  When the kids were gone, I took a nap almost every afternoon, since they have come back I've got to laid down a few days when Ruth and Rebecca have laid down at the same time, while Britt has reading time or plays Mario or MathBlasters.  I feel like it should have let up by now, I'm well out of the first trimester, where tiredness is suppose to be more of a big deal.  The midwife yesterday suggested that I take Vitamin B Complex when I get up and again at lunch to help give me a pick me up, till I'm feeling more myself.  So I may start that again.

Gary won't be able around his work schedule to go for an ultrasound until the last week of August, so they scheduled my next appointment to be that week as well, 6 weeks out.

Dear Ruthie,

Daddy loves you very much.  In one month's time you will be 5, though at times you seem to be older than that.  You are very independent in eating, doing chores like putting away your dishes when you are done and dressing yourself top to bottom.  But you remain dependent on Monkey.

You've gone through your first year of school.  And have just started again on your second year.  Technically you would still be considered kindergarten, but you and Momma seem to think that you are ready to dive deeper into reading and basic math skills like adding.  So, you have just started 1st grade.  It seems like you are doing very well, particularly with reading.  Momma says you catch on very fast, and you have almost caught up to Britt.  We still need to work on your speech skills, as it is still sometimes difficult to understand what you are trying to tell us.  You have alot of new things coming up this year, particularly with school.  You did alot of simple kindergarten work last year, this year you are going to work more on reading and math, and history for the first time.

You do your daily and weekly chores as you ought to.  Seems like Momma has given you more chores as you've gotten older.  You fold towels where you didn't before, and she now has you in charge of putting up recycling where it belongs.  We are starting to allow you to earn money each week, as long as you get your chore chart complete.  We hope this will be a way to keep you interested first of all in your jobs, but also so that you learn how to use money and save money.  You can buy things on your own now.  Right now we try to teach you not only basic instructions but to learn to save, give, and spend your money wisely.  Whether it's a particular item you want to save money to get, or something you see and like.


In general everything has changed and you've improved since our last letter.  You handle so many of your own jobs now, cleaning up your rooms, getting dressed every day, folding your pajamas and putting them away.  You seem to do things all on your own, without us telling you or instructing you in everything.  One of the few things that haven't changed is that you are overly attached to Monkey.  Which I think you are attached to WAY too much.  Of course you accidently left Monkey at the Cook's house on Sunday.  So you've had to go this entire week without her.  Which should hopefully teach you, after a week of no Monkey business, to keep Monkey in the car and not forget her overnight.

2-17, Valentine's Pictures

We love you, Monkey,
Daddy

All photos 7/8/2015

This leads me into what I hope you learn this year.  We really want to focus on giving.  You have now learned that most everything we have has a cost to buy it and to maintain it.  You understand that the food we buy at a restaurant or the groceries we get cost a lot of money.  And while it’s important for you to do your chores and daily things like clean your room and make your bed among many other things.  We want you to learn to use money, one for the basic math but also for the skills to live on your own one day.  When you start making your own money, you have to train yourself to give.  It’s not an easy thing to learn.  In fact you have to work at it.  It’s not easy to just give.  Many times you want to give one amount, and if you aren’t careful you’ll give less.  Right now, it’s not so much how much you give, but the intent behind it.  You should want to give it cheerfully, honestly, self-sacrificingly.  I found it is difficult to just give, even Daddy has to work on it, on a regular basis.  But the Lord instructs us to be a cheerful giver.  The Lord doesn’t give us a baseline or percentage, but he gives us great examples.  First He shows us Jesus Christ, who gave ALL of Himself.  But, also there are many other stories in the Bible, one lady gave two mites, all she had, and the Lord said she gave the most because she gave of all she had.  But, giving isn’t just monetary.  It also means commitment and time.  A great example is how your momma, gives of herself to teach you, Ruth, and Rebecca to read and write and school on a daily basis.  How she makes sure she has plans and exciting things to learn that peak your interest and things that are a necessity.  I know sometimes the math is tedious and a lot of work, but it is important to give your best effort.  What Momma shows is more than just giving it is charity – it is giving with love.  She does all this for you because she loves you and wants the best for you.  So this is a lesson you don’t learn just one time, but that you do on a daily basis – it is important to give of yourself.  The best reason is because we love you.

My Dearest Gary Britt,

Happy Anniversary!  8 years ago we got married, today we are expecting baby #4.  Time really seems to fly.  The last year (two really) have been really good years for us.  We have enjoyed a wonderful Church home, with no big problems.  We have enjoyed the same house, a record amount of time in one place for us.  We have enjoyed some stability, with a good job, and getting our finances in order, another first for us.  In a lot of ways I have felt like we can plan and dream again.  It is still hard to do, because I know security is an illusion, but I feel like we CAN.  We can dream about more kids, a larger car, no debt, our own home, being closer to Church and town, all the adventures we want to take the kids on.  We can even talk about retirement now, and what all we'd love to do.  These things are so new.

In other ways we have grown to be comfortable with one another, like a pair of perfectly broke in bluejeans.  We can sit in our chairs at the end of the night, you playing Frozen Bejeweled on the ipad while you watch some game, and me working on lesson plans or scrolling through facebook.  But you still surprise me too in so many ways, of course you say I'm so easy to surprise and everything makes me happy.  But you decided to take me golfing with you for the first time, just us two while the kids were gone, and I actually had a lot of fun watching you and driving/riding in that golf cart (you really can't drive one).  It's a real blessing to have someone who loves me at my best and my worst.  Who is understanding when I don't even understand what's going on with my moods.  Someone that I want to please and help, but someone for whom I don't have to put on pretenses or try to be someone I'm not.  I don't have to filter me with you, and that is something that is unique to us.  I don't have that level of trust and comfort with anyone else.

Your level of dedication to this family, working hard without complaint never ceases to amaze me.  You don't manage all the little things, you mostly leave the workings of bedtime and the intricacies of our homeschool resources and scheduling up to me.  But you do everything that makes the rest possible working all day, long work weeks and then coming home and feeding us all.  It leaves me free to handle everything else.  I don't say it enough, but I appreciate that you literally handle the two biggest things in our household.

I also never tire of watching you with the kids.  When you and Britt wrestle, when you let Ruth be supper helper, when you and Rebecca stretch out with taggie in your recliner and watch the Ray's game at night.  I wonder what new favorites I will love with this next baby (who will not be named Basil or Gary Britt the III).  I find that despite having grown comfortable together, it doesn't dull the love I feel for you.  It is really amazing that God has given us this gift of marriage, this ability to both become comfortably one over the years and yet still have a fire that keeps life exciting.  I pray we have many more such years together.

I love you,
~your dani~

We are super excited to announce (and of course surprise everyone we know) with the news that today we are 10 weeks pregnant. We printed out this picture and put it in a little gift back with some sweets from Hershey and gave them to our parents when they were up for Britt's baptism this past weekend. It's got to be one of the funnest ways that we have announced a pregnancy. I love announcing babies, so MUCH fun.

Today, Britt asked for a home with Old Carroll Primitive Baptist Church, and was joyfully received.  His baptism has been set for the 5th Weekend in May, so that hopeful any family who wants to come will be able to make plans to be with us.

He is only 6, a little young, and as his mother I had some reservations.  Britt has for a very long time asked questions that are not typical for his age.  I have always tried to answer them to the best of my ability in a way that he would understand.  I can recall a day driving down the road back in the fall, when out of the blue when he asked me what the Resurrection would be like, and how we could be ourselves, without having sin in our bodies.  I can recall laying in his bed one night tucking him after saying prayer when he asked, me to explain exactly what "dead in trespasses and sin meant."  I can remember after explaining it to him, asking him to tell me some sins he has commited to see if he understood, and his little quivering voice answering "lying and hitting my sister."  I can remember the first time that he connected what God had actually saved us from - Hell, an eternity without him.  He has asked questions with no easy answers like why we can't hear God with our actual ears, and wanting me to tell him just how we are suppose to hear in our heart, so that he didn't miss anything.

Despite all that, I was still reluctant when 3 weeks ago he mentioned joining the Church.  2 Sundays ago, when he asked if he was old enough to join I told him to wait and we'd talk together with Bro. Jonathan after Church was over.  He knew all the answers, but he should, I've been talking about this with him for as long as I can remember.  I was hesitant, because we don't believe in infant baptism.  We believe in a believer's baptism on a confession of faith.  As his mother I wasn't sure if it was a head knowledge he had or a heart desire to join.


I asked him to wait, and witness the baptism last Sunday of Sister Savanna, and that after we talked some more he could decide.  I wanted to be sure that he understood that this isn't something you do on a whim once, but a life time commitment.  I read the Church Covenant to him, and we talked about the things that he was promising to do, we talked about how from now on he had to think first of what God would think of what he was wanting to say and do.  After all this, I asked him to listen in his heart for what He wanted him to do.  His response has continually been, "I feel God deep inside my heart, and know this is time."  As his mother, the best I can do is give him what knowledge I can and judge his actions, I can't see into his heart.  Based on the evidence we had, I told him that if that was what God wanted him to do.  He could ask Bro. Jonathan and the Church, Sunday during handshake.

This morning, he picked out some "handsome clothes" and told Ruth today was the day he was going to ask to be baptized.  At Old Carroll, we actually have two handshakes one before preaching and one after.  Apparently Britt actually asked during the first handshake, and Bro. Jonathan told him to ask again after preaching. (haha)  He did, and when asked questions before the Church he made eye contact and answered loudly, something he never does.  He was so happy when everyone went through the handshake.

We never know what the future will hold, if our children, or siblings, or friends, or even our parents will remain faithful to the Church, following Christ even during the hardships of life, but the first step that I saw from my son today was beautiful, and stirred more emotion in me than I would have thought possible.  The best thing any of us can do is to follow Him, and I am so grateful for his heartfelt desire, and pray that he will remember today, and always seek to follow Christ no matter what life throws his way.