Thursday, May 31, 2007

Sprinklers, Swimsuits, and Such

Cousins...no...actually uncle, nephew, and aunt!
Stage of the fake smiles!








I found out that a hose, sprinkler, and some buckets can keep 3 kids under age 5 occupied for hours. Ha!




Monday, May 28, 2007

Hike at the Park

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork." Psalm 19:1


"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." Psalm 36:7


Illinois Christian Home Educators Convention!

Justin and I had the privilege of attending the ICHE Convention this past weekend. Wow! Our vision was renewed, we were refreshed, encouraged, and inspired by the ministry we heard and the people we visited with. We both came away with a stronger conviction about home education and the reasons to make such a decision. The keynote speakers this year were Voddie Baucham, Kevin Swanson, and Mike Farris. All were outstanding and spoke the truth about home discipleship, the laws and legal issues surrounding homeschooling, and worldview...among other topics.

Here is an overview written by Mr. Dave Johnson from one of V. Baucham's keynotes:

What is a Worldview by Voddie Baucham
Here is a summary of yesterday's workshop by Voddie Baucham What is a Worldview?


Have you ever wondered why the American church looks so much like the world? In his first presentation, Voddie Baucham answered that question for us in clear and unequivocal terms. Less than 10% of American Christians have a biblical worldview and only 51% of pastors have a biblical worldview. But in order to affect a remedy, it is imperative that we understand what a worldview really is and how it relates to education.

Pastor Baucham explained that our worldview is the "big picture," the true basis of all our decisions. It is those ground floor assumptions about truth and reality we base our lives on. A person's worldview doesn't need to be put into words, it is obvious from watching their life.

A worldview functions like three common items. It is the eyeglasses through which we view life. It is a map with which we navigate. It is a jigsaw puzzle picture we use to make sense of the puzzle pieces life hands us. An incorrect worldview, like wearing the wrong prescription glasses, means we cannot not properly focus. Using the wrong map causes us to miss the guiding landmarks we need, and not having the correct puzzle picture means that life's events are deemed meaningless and incomprehensible.

Pastor Baucham turned to the scriptures to underline the importance of educating the mind. Matthew 22:37, Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 10:3-6, and others teach us that Christianity is an intellectual faith and we need to understand these concepts and use them to battle false worldviews. He also explained that the hard sciences are founded on Christian faith and urged home educators to seriously pursue studies in those subjects.

A worldview is formed wherever a person spends most of their time. Public school students spend over 14,000 hours of their life at school. The de facto worldview of the public school system in secular humanism, as its proponents openly declare. It's most basic elements are an atheistic view of God, a consideration of mankind as merely a product of mindless evolution, a belief that truth is relative, knowledge is materialistic and naturalistic, and ethics are only a cultural phenomenon. Since this worldview dominates the media, politics, education, and even the church, it is easy to understand why 75 to 88 percent of evangelical youth have abandoned their faith by the end of their freshman year of college.

Pastor Bauchman challenged home educators to fight this trend. He noted that the most important factors in determining whether a child will remain in the faith as an adult are where, when and how the child is educated, and who was his discipler-teacher. Our mission, as home educators, is much larger and more important than teaching academics and preparing our children for a career. We are building a generation of right-thinking Christians truly enabled and impassioned to impact our communities, our nation, and our world for Jesus Christ.

David Johnson
May 25th, 2007

Saturday, May 19, 2007

COMMENTS!!

OK, WELL, COMMENT AWAY NOW! I JUST CHANGED THE "RULES" TO MY BLOG, AND YOU CAN NOW COMMENT EVEN IF YOU DON'T PERSONALLY HAVE A BLOG. :)

For the Bride....











We're now officially 27 days to the wedding day! Since time is closing in, the girls and I decided to schedule in a "girl's night out" Because of the hurried scheduling, we weren't able to extend the invite to as many as we wanted to be there, but I'm sure we'll be able to throw one more luncheon before Krista's married.




Krista and Brenna





Wedding coordinator/organizer/consultant/manager and Mother of the Bride, ahem, I mean Leah and Mom






There's more pictures to add...the dessert stop: Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe'. Stay tuned! Nothing like girls getting their chocolate fix! :)







Park Adventures!

This week included several excursions to local parks with picnic basket in tow, thanks to the beautiful weather we've been having! Isaac, Eva, and Samuel wholeheartedly spend their energy running from one slide to another. Swings are Samuel's playground activity of choice. Yesterday, we met some friends at the park, the lack of a camera, the attempt to have a conversation w/ my friend, and trying to keep an eye on 3 busy children (plus 4 of hers!) made picture taking low priority. Next time!



























Friday, May 18, 2007

Last Sunday~ Mother's Day Lunch

My Boys~
Thanks to my sisters' gracious help, we pulled off Mother's Day lunch at my house! Everyone's contributions were delic! And I know Mom and Grandma enjoyed it too! The only disappointment was that Grandma Annette and my mother-in-law, Janeen couldn't be with us. So to my own Mom, Janeen, my Grandma's, and every mom who happens to glance at this blog...Happy Mother's Day!

Our beautiful extended backyard! The boys and the football!
























Three generations of mothers!







Samuel is spoiled by his aunts and uncles!






















































Happy Mother's Day!!

TO: MOMMY!

There's nothing like getting a couple new maternity shirts to boost one's spirits and say "Happy Mother's Day" Justin did a great job shopping!





P.S. Samuel loves to mow the grass and wear ear protection! Love the hair. :)
Some would gather money
Along the path of life.
Some would gather roses
And rest from worldly strife,
But I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin;
I would seek a golden curl
And a freckled, toothless grin.
For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day,
And the roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way,
But oh, the laughing children
As I cross the Sunset Sea
And the gates swing wide to heaven
I can take them in with me.
-Anonymous

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Happy Birthday!!

Delicious!!


Strawberry and Hot Fudge Milkshakes...our favorites!


My Helper/Snitcher!



Guilty?! Samuel is eating "cake" (actually ice cream :)




Birthday Dinner. Daddy: "Do you like my hat??? " Samuel: "I DO hat!" (from Go Dog Go!)
~~Happy 31st Birthday Justin~~