Do Hard Things!!!!!

My dear, sweet niece, Abigail (almost 15) was reading the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations.

She was really inspired by the book. It was written by Alex and Brett Harris, the younger brothers of Joshua Harris who wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye. In the book, they talk about how society has such low expectations for teenagers and that if a teenager isn't doing "bad" things such as drinking, etc. then they are considered "good kids". They challenge teenagers to take risks, set higher goals for themselves, take on challenges, get out of their comfort zones, etc.

It is honestly a good book for anyone to read, not just teenagers. I have been inspired to "do hard things" too! (Of course my husband reminded me that I'm already doing a hard thing by homeschooling my children, which is true. :o)) But I do want to set the bar a little higher for myself and encourage my children to work harder at what they do, such as their school work, piano, chores.

One of the verses mentioned in the book is Proverbs 24:16 "For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again." I love that! I had a flop the other night while trying to make something called "dinner in a loaf". I was so excited about trying something new. Unfortunately I forgot to add the yeast to the bread dough, so it didn't rise. I'm blaming it on my sister, Kellie, because I was talking to her on the phone at the time. :o) But because of Proverbs 24:16, I didn't get too discouraged. I will attempt "dinner in a loaf" again and hopefully won't forget the yeast! :o)

I'm not finished with the book yet, but it has given me a new perspective. I have begun doing crunches every day, which is NOT something I enjoy but definitely need to do. I am also trying to make more of an effort to teach more Spanish to my children. Doing hard things will be a commonly used phrase during school times when they are struggling with a new concept. It has already helped! I also use this: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." They're probably tired of that one!

I included 2 pictures of the first day of school, which was a couple of weeks ago. The easle behind Clayton has been one of the best purchases I have ever made. We use it all the time. One side is a dry erase board and the other side is a chalk board. .........well, I better go do some hard things........like laundry!

We love field trips!

We went on 2 fun field trips last week, with our homeschool group. The first was to a small airport. We learned about the different parts of a plane, as well as the forces that affect a plane's ability to fly: gravity, lift, thrust, and drag. My kids are anxious to go on an airplane ride now.

The second trip was to an art museum. We saw a really cute movie called "Linnea in Monet's Garden". I love things that will pique a child's interest in art and make it fun for them. We don't have a lot of art books, but one we do have and have read over and over is "Katie Meets the Impressionists" by James Mayhew. We have a couple of other "Katie" books by Mayhew that tell fun stories about famous works of art. It was really neat to see a few paintings by Claude Monet. I love impressionist paintings. I think my favorite artist might be Edgar Degas. He painted ballerinas a lot. I'm sure my ballerina nieces would love his paintings! Field trips are such a fun way to learn something new, and also a great way to create a real interest in various subjects.

Please pray for Mariah!

Please pray for my niece, Mariah. She was kicked in the abdomen last Saturday by a horse. She came home from the hospital today (Tuesday). Her spleen was lacerated by the kick and she has been closely watched for internal bleeding. She has been in a lot of pain. She will have to have limited activity for the next couple of months (that's right, MONTHS) to allow her spleen to heal. That's a lot to ask for a 6 year old with lots of energy and personality. Please also pray for her mother, my sister, who is 8 months pregnant and will really have her hands full keeping Mariah busy. I had to include the 2nd picture from the top. She was literally digging through the presents at Grandma's house last Christmas.

We went to my parent's house last week to celebrate Carrington's birthday with her cousins. The kids had a great time swimming and playing. I've never seen so many waves in my parent's pool! When I went to pick up the cookie cakes that we ordered for the party, they had not been decorated with flipflops like I had requested. So I brought them home and Carrington and Abigail put flipflops on them. One of the cakes fell out of the truck when I opened the door. It landed upside down in the container but the lid stayed on, so at least it was still edible! My car battery died the day that we were supposed to go to my parent's house, so I had to drive my husband's truck. One of my nephews, Gabe, requested that I take them for a drive, in the back of the truck, around the neighborhood. So I drove around while they whooped and hollered. I was feeling a bit red neckish, but they had fun! :o) And of course Carrington and I both held Lily Kate every time we could get our hands on her! She is so sweet and cute! After looking at these pictures, I've decided I need some photography classes! Maybe someday soon......

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARRINGTON

My baby girl turned 10 today! It has been a crazy last 2 days and not how I had planned Carrington's birthday to be. My Mom was put in the hospital for Congestive Heart Failure over the weekend. We went to see her in the hospital to talk to her doctors and try to help out a little bit. We got back home in time to go out to eat for Carrington's birthday dinner. She chose Appleby's.

I am SOOOOO thankful to have her! My Bible verse for Carrington is Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." When I was pregnant I was really hoping for a little girl and God gave me my heart's desire. When I was younger, I wasn't sure that I would be able to have children at all, so I was thrilled beyond description when I found out that I was pregnant with her. I was on medication while pregnant that made me nauseated 24/7 for the first trimester, but she was worth all the sickness!

Her name means defender of the faith and it fits her very well. Carrington has strong convictions and I am so thankful that she is honest and trustworthy. I don't have to worry about her going against our rules when we are not around.

I pray that Carrington will always love Jesus and see God working in her life and the lives of those around her.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl! We love you!