A Christmas Tree Story

For the past couple of years, Matt's parents have been so kind and have bought us a real Christmas tree. This year the snow kept me and the boys at home on the day we would usually go with Matt's mom to get the Christmas tree. We tentatively planned to go once the snow was cleared enough to drive up and down the driveway, but Joshua and I were getting impatient. We wanted our tree up and we wanted to decorate it on the day we were planning! I guess you could say i have a bit of OCD and when plans get changed it's hard on me. With all of the snow we've had, the trees are not use to the weight and many of the weaker ones tend to fall down during snow storms here. There was one particular pine tree that had fallen over and unto the road. It was only slightly blocking the road half fallen over, so no one had yet bothered to take care of it. When our Christmas tree plans got changed i instantly thought of the pine tree down the road. It was about 20+ feet tall and VERY green. Last night Joshua kept going on and on about how he wanted a Christmas tree and asking when we were going to get one. The snow had melted enough that night to be able to go up and down the driveway (well at least for me, matt had been fine driving up and down, but i do not like driving on the cliff when it's snowy!). I decided that we were going to go load up and drive down and cut that tree and bring it up... 8pm at night, in the rain. Joshua and I got into the durango and went down the hill and started to work on cutting the tree all the way down and the cutting off just the top part. As much as i would have liked to put the WHOLE tree in the house, it was much taller then our house when all was said and done. We got it cut up loaded into the truck and then we headed back up to home and brought it in. The look on Matt's face was sceptical... like he thought the kids wouldn't like it. As soon as we brought it in Daniel was jumping up and down and Elijah was saying "WOW, it's a tree." We trimmed the branches back and put it into the tree stand. It took only one string of lights to cover. It is most certainly a "charlie brown" tree. My boys didn't care. They dug through the box of ornaments and joyfully started hanging them on the tree. Matt and I just sat back and watched. This is the first year that all of the kids really got into it and it was just such a huge blessing to see them so excited. Matt told me about the times that he went down to Mexico and how the kids were always so happy, and they didn't have much. He thought that our kids wouldn't want a tree that wasn't full and beautiful to the average person. I think it was a learning experience for Matt in that the kids don't need expensive "perfect" things to make them happy... that if we teach them to be thankful no matter what they have and that we make the event fun, then it's not going to matter if the Christmas tree was picked out at a Christmas tree farm for 40 bucks or hauled out of our woods for free. That was just a cool part of the night.
I've been thinking about this tree that we have sitting in our living room. It was growing in a forest on a hill with a beautiful view, and I'm sure with it's height it was starting to outgrow the alders around it. It has seen it's share of summers, autumns and winter storms. This last winter storm brought it down and it's life of fighting and growing came to an end. It was sadly waiting to be moved from the road and then just thrown back into the woods so that cars could pass by freely. But not it has a new purpose. To bring joy to a small family. To remind us of hope and eternal life in Jesus. This tree reminds me of rebirth. It reminds me that the Lord brings new life through circumstances that seem like they are the end. Even though it's not full of branchs and standing straight.. it's one of the most beautiful trees to me. It may only display lights and ornaments for the next month, but it's still a warming and reminding thought for me to think about rebirth in Christ, even through imperfection.
So without further ado... a glimpse of our tree! This was taken with Matt's laptop built in camera and it's terrible! But you'll be able to see it!

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope that this thanksgiving brings joy and reflection of the past years and anticipation and hope of the year to come.
This year I am thankful for many things and feeling extreamly blessed! And i look forward to a year with a new perspective and hopefully a little more joy and thankfullness then i had last year.
What are you thankful for this year?

Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas time. The season of winter approaching, celebrating the birth of Jesus and all the it involves. Once we had children i really wanted to make Christmas special and to emphasize that we are are celebrating the birth of Christ. Last year I found the book
"My birthday, Jesus Birthday" Written by Holly Davis. Holly compares a child's birthday to Jesus birthday and makes it very easy for a child to relate to Jesus. We read the book on Christmas Eve and after dinner we have a birthday cake for Jesus and sing happy birthday. I think it really helps the kids keep perspective and I like celebrating that Jesus was born and walked among us on earth and just the magnitude of that very thing. Also, i think Jesus likes birthdays and I know He likes being celebrated!
This year I've had friends and acquaintances talk about celebrating the season of advent. I remember advent celebrations at my church (though we really only celebrated it on the first Sunday) and the memories that it brought and how it started the Christmas season. So after being inspired by others (thank you Missy) I've done a bit of reading and talking with Matt and we've found a way to celebrate advent with the kids that we know that they will enjoy. I've never heard of it until now, but we are going to do a Jesse Tree, though with our own little twist. We are going to do most of the stories that are typical to the tradition, but we are going to trade out some of the stories for ones that are a little more familiar to the children. We will read the story for the day and talk about it and after each story we are going to put a Christmas ornament that corresponds with the story on our tree. I like going through the Bible and the leading up the birth of Christ right before Christmas and just remembering just how very much we need a saviour and just how special this season is. It's not about santa,music, presents, sweets or family (though those things and not necessarily bad) ... it's about a wicked and deprived world, needing a saviour and God in His almighty grace gave up His throne to sanctify us and redeem us and send His son to earth. That is what this season is about... it's about hope and expectation and our deep and desperate need for a God who loves and desires an intimate relationship with us. My only prayer is that my children will grow up with the true value and meaning of the christmas season.

What kind of Christmas traditions do you have and how do you celebrate Jesus' Birth?

But i thought your kids where going to school...

So I'm sure you may be a little confused at my recent posts on homeschooling, because in fact my two older boys are attending "school" outside of the home. Well let me explain for you. We are still homeschooling, but our boys educations are being supplemented elsewhere. Joshua is currently attending a christian preschool a couple hours a week, and Daniel works with speech therapist and special needs teachers a couple hours a week. The reason being for Joshua to be in the preschool is that he hasn't had the opportunity to spend time with "typical" peers very much. Though Joshua is not severe by any means in the autism community, he still is behind socially and is learning how to interact with his peers. We have seen nothing but good come from his having play time at the preschool and it has helped him open up and be more social towards people he does not know. In no way do i expect him to gain any sort of education other than that of making friends, because most of what they are teaching in the preschool he already knows. It's been great to see him make friends and form relationships with children that i feel comfortable with and know their parents. It has also been a great joy and help to me to meet other moms with children similar to my children's age and i have been greatly encouraged by them. After the term of preschool is over i am going to try and find activities for Joshua to do with other children so that he can stay connected with friends... maybe swimming lessons since he loves the water so much, at this point I'm not sure, but i really like being able to choose positive interactions for him.
For Daniel the speech therapy is actually offered through the local public school here. As much as i am not a big fan of the public school system, i really like Daniel's special needs teachers. I've known them and worked with them now for about 3 years. They know my standards and what i expect and how very much i love my children and want the best for them and they have been very good at working with me and making Daniel's education the very best that we can. They know that i home school my children and they have seen the fruits of my labor and they respect me for the work that i do, so it's a good relationship. Daniel spends 2 hours a week with them getting intense speech therapy (which sounds really boring, but it's actually quite fun and involves a lot of playing and noise making). He always comes away from his time with them happy, more "talkative" and ready to play more with me and his brothers. I've prayed and prayed over these "school" situations and i feel the Lord's peace and leading in the boys having the extra supplement of this kind of schooling right now. It's neat to see also that through them I am able to witness to others. Just by loving them, caring for them and being who Christ calls me to be, others have seen Jesus through my actions and that really is my ultimate goal.
I'm sure as each year comes and brings it's own unique challenges we will fine tune the boys schooling, but first and foremost my boys education will always be structured around God and who they are in Christ.

Learning lately

I am REALLY enjoying the book that I am reading on homeschooling. It is called "A Charlotte Mason companion- Personal reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning" written by Karen Andreola. Karen goes over her studies of Charlotte Mason's method for homeschooling and shares her experiences homeschooling her children by the method that Charlotte lays out. If you are considering homeschooling i highly recommend this book! Anyway here are a few quotes from the book that have really stood out to me. Some are things that i totally agree with or like the concept or was challenged by. Anyway... All of the following is written by Karen Andreola who often quotes Charlotte.

Making lots of money is not identical with success, and a person who succeeds at making lots of money but has not the moral attributes, cultural niceties, educational background, or self-knowledge to use his wealth wisely will find his life empty indeed. Every person must achieve his own kind of success, and such success is far more important than how much money he makes. pg.23

We, as persons, are not enlightened by means of multiple-choice tests or grades, but rather by the other people in our lives that we come to know, admire and love. We are educated by our friendships and by our intimacies. For instance, think how the actions of someone you admire influence your behaviour. Similarly, think also of how a boy's interest is sparked by a hobby he loves, and to which he devotes all his time and trouble. Whether it be gardening, keeping house, or governing a state, love of work-like love of people-teaches things that no school, no system, can. pg 23

A child should be true to himself, aware of his weaknesses of character, admit when he is cross, selfish, clumsy, lacking of self control. etc. But also he should understand that because he is a child of God, his soul is precious and he can attempt great things for God because so many beautiful possibilities are available to him. pg. 32

The first step in intimacy is recognition. we don't measure a child's education solely by his progress in the three "R's," but by the number of living and growing things he knows by look, name and habitat. pg.34

Unless our method of education allows children the opportunity to establish relations with many different things, a gallon of teaching will result in only an ounce of learning. pg.34

A teacher's business is to indicate, stimulate, direct, and constrain to the acquirement of knowledge. The less the parents and teachers "talk-in" and expound their rations of knowledge and thought to the children they are education, the better for the children... Children must be allowed to ruminate, must be left alone with their own thoughts. pg. 35

It should not be "How much has our child covered?" but "How much does he care?" and "About how many things does he care?" pg.37

Charlotte uses a child's curiosity and trains him to develop good habits. She sets before the child the kinds of activities and books he will readily "take to," the kinds of things he needs to grow in character and intellect. And then she guides him to work like a busy beaver to acquire knowledge from these things and make it his personal possession. What she does promote is self education. pg 41

Our business is to give him mind stuff. Both quantity and quality are essential. pg.43

One third of education is atmosphere pg.49

A child draws inspiration from the casual life around him. pg.51

We are living in a career-minded, materialistic culture that depreciates the role of the mother. But the fact is that a mother is the irreplaceable foundation of a home. pg.51

We may not reach our ideals, but it is our fervent, faithful reaching towards them that matter greatly. pg. 51

Never be angry when the children are cross, and never add a harsh word of reproof when a child is still sore under what it feels to be an injustice. This is often difficult to do because it is our natural response to control his temper with a stronger one of our own. Yet I recommend you work against any tendency to overpower the child in this instance. Gently draw the belligerent's mind to the fact that he is feeling unhappy, that this is merely the natural result of saying unkind things; and that, as it would not be fair to make everyone else unhappy too, he must for other people's sakes go away from the room, or leave the game till he can be pleasant. pg. 58

Never force a child to sacrifice for another family member, but merely suggest to the child that here is a way to give up self, and do a kind and lovely action. pg. 61

There is no moral teacher better than a parable. pg 61

Show emotions without being emotional (mood swings). pg. 66

The trick is not how well we make "subjects" relate to each other but rather how well a child relates to the subjects. pg 67

Charlotte advises the mother to first acquire her own habit of training her children so that having children in the house with her all day is not a problem, but a pleasure." pg. 69

What rules the World

They say a man is mighty,
He governs land and sea,
He wields a mighty scepter
O'er lesser powers that be;
But a mightier power and stronger
Man from his throne has hurled,
For the hand that rocks the cradle
Is the hand that rules the world.
-William Ross Wallace

Today

-Enjoyed some quiet time in front of a warm fire after spending a wonderful couple of days with my sister and nieces.

-Looking forward to picking up my mom tomorrow to spend the weekend with her

-I wish it would snow to kick off the upcoming holiday season

- after not drinking coffee for 2 weeks, i find that i really don't need it or care for it as much as i thought i did.

-and last but not least....My little boy turned 2! Happy birthday Elijah!!!!!!

The gentle art of learning

If you walked this journey as a friend with me for a while you know that i was home schooled as a child and I've always loved the idea, but not sure if i would implement it with my children. One of the main reasons being my husband is not 100 percent sold on the idea just yet. He does think that it's a great idea, i think that we just need to find a happy medium of what he considers schooling (sitting and doing workbooks) and what i consider is schooling (experiencing the world hands on and learning about things more naturally). I've recently ordered this book and I'm excited to be joining a group of other home school mommas in studying it together. I still have much to learn about home school and my boys are still very young, but i really feel that it's the best path for them right now,at least for the bulk of their education. Because of the boys special needs we definitely have to have a very open perspective on education and that there are some things that are just to hard to do on ones own with such a limited amount of time (like an education to teach speech therapy), but the bulk of their education i believe can come from home. I'm excited but nervous for this upcoming journey and the challenges it holds, but i feel confident right now that this is the best solution for my children. If you have never heard of the Charlotte Mason homeschooling method and you are interested in homeschooling, i encourage you to do some research on her schooling methods. I'm not through everything so i can't tell you if i 100 percent agree or not, but so far i like what I have seen.

numbers and boys

Tonight i have 5 little boys in my house. 3 of my own and 2 are my very good friends. Ages: 5, 5, 4, 2, and soon to be 2 on thursday! I've always wanted 5 children... more specifically 3 boys and 2 girls.
So this is a conversation that Matt and I had earlier this evening...

"Honey, it'll be like you always wanted, 5 kids"

"yeah but i didn't want 5 boys, i wanted 3 boys and two girls"

"well you know if we would of had 5 kids we would of ended up with all boys anyway"


You know...I think he's probably right...

but honestly.. i'm LOVING having 5 little boys in the house tonight

You never let go

I'm sure you may have already heard this song, but it has brought so much encouragement to me over the past few weeks and i hope that you can take the time to listen. I chose a video that has the lyrics so if you've never heard the song before, you can read along with the lyrics. I pray that you can find encouragement tonight, in whatever valley or mountaintop you may be on and know that the Lord will never let go of you...