Vacation

This is where I hope to visit. Someday. I look forward to the time I can enjoy such a site in person. Until then, I will imagine it and anticipate Spring's arrival. I will enjoy all the wonderful moments of Fall and Winter, but will often think of the gifts Spring brings with her. God's designs of the seasons is wonderful. Spring is the best of them all... well, for me at least.

Hello Again!

Nine months I have been gone from the blogging world. I have read MANY blogs. Kept up with yours and discovered some new ones, like this, this and this one too. My family has been VERY busy as well. During the time of my last entry I was homeschooling... now my children are all enrolled in a great charter school.
I was on the board for that charter school over the last year. I resigned in September. As the school year drew close, it was abundantly clear my position on the board would take from my family more than I could benefit the school.
We went on a great family vacation over the summer. We visited my in-laws in Greeley, Colorado and did many fabulous things. I hope to do some fun catch up posts to document the fun we had.
After arriving home from vacation all efforts were centered on preparing my children for school and working EXTREMELY hard to get the new charter school up and started. How exhausting that was!
Then my girls began school. What a day of mixed emotions. After homeschooling for six years it was hard to leave them, but at the same time, I knew this was an answer to prayer. I had prayed for years for a school to be available to my kids that would teach in a manner different than the traditional public school. Charters always intrigued me. This charter focuses on the classical model of education. I LOVE this model. When I home schooled this model was incorporated in our history and literature. It was hard to think of my kids attending any school that would not provide that richness in learning. Then, ta-da, there it was! And my kids get to go! Wow!
Now, I am able to spend more focused time in my ministry at church. This has been wonderful. I am getting to know the families in a much different way because of the time I have. I am able to follow through on things that have had to sit for far too long. My list is still long but it is coming together.
I do help in each of my kids classes. I forgot to mention that my oldest girl (Manda) has a teacher that I have known for 17 years and she has watched Manda grow up (Manda was the bell ringer in her wedding even! Hannah and my niece were the flower girls). Hannah has a teacher that I was already familiar with and she has really enjoyed her class. Jenna's teacher is the mother of Manda's teacher. Jenna's teacher has been a dear friend and mentor for many years in my life. Now I leave my youngest in her care each day. I leave knowing Jenna is loved and cared for as well as taught. Can you see God's hand in all of this? I can. I praise Him daily for His care of my children!
So that is a bit of where I have been. Yes, most of this has focused on the new school. That is because over the last year, it has used most of every spare minute I had. Now that that chapter has closed, I want to be back! Enjoy some pictures of my dear family over the last year.

Easter 2009

Manda's 11th Birthday

Manda, Grandma and Auntie Sis' birthday dinner at PF Chang's

April Fool's (colored milk surprise)

Denver Zoo!

Summer bon-fire sleep over at a dear friends home.

Kid's Bowl Free family fun night out.

Kid's Bowl Free family fun night out, again.

Blog? What Blog? Oh, my Blog?

To the tune of "Where Has My Little Dog Gone":

Where oh where has that Raggedy gal been?
Where oh where can she be?
With her schedule booked and her family needs,
The Raggedy gal has not been!

Now it takes two hands...

Jenna is six. If you ask her how old she is, she has to hold up two hands to show her age. Oh my. My youngest is now six!

This is Jenna:

J - jumping, joyful, jolly

E - energetic, enthusiastic, early riser

N - noisy, noodle lover

N - nice, in charge

A - active, asks lots of questions!

God is so good. He blessed us with such a wonderful child. She brings us so many smiles and laughter. She is a joy in our lives. I pray that God would continue to call her to Him. That she would forever be in love with her Savior and seek Him in every step of her life.

I love you Jennica Lynn! Happy Birthday!

Yes. She can be still. sometimes. once. in. a. while.

Photo Meme

Okay, I guess I have been hi-jacked by my favorite thing , my calendar. I have been very busy and the blog has taken a back seat to family time, work needs, and NCA items. So this seemed a simple task for today. I have missed blogging and look forward to many posts in the near(ish) future.

If you want to play along, here are the rules:1. Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer2. Select the 4th picture in the folder3. Explain the picture4. Tag 4 people to do the same. NO CHEATING! (no cropping, editing, etc...). If you want to play, join in the fun! (Most of you have done it already, if not TAG, your it!)

Won't Amanda love that this was the picture? This was in 2006 after her first skiing trip with her dad. She was drinking the hot cocoa dad promised her for a good job on the mountain. Amanda now loves to ski. If her dad wasn't so very busy he would have her up the hill more often.

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S

C- Cookies, Candy, Cocoa, all the things I am afraid of eating too much of!

H- Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas? I celebrate Christmas & say Merry Christmas.

R- Relatives, lots and lots of relatives... Whether they come to visit or you go to see them... Could be good or could be...? For me it is a treat!

I- Itchy dry skin always hits me near Christmas. Tragic!

S- Songs. I love Christmas songs, but please not 24 hours a day from Thanksgiving Day! I especially love the children singing.

T- Tree, goes up the Saturday after Thanksgiving and comes down New Year's Day.

M- Money gets spent so easily this time of the year! In one hand and out the other. I am so glad for an "Allocated Spending Plan"!

A- Aromas. The smells of Christmas are amazing. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cider, pine, and my newest favorite, Snowberry from Scentsy, yum!

S- Savior. God came as a baby, to save me from my wretchedness. I love Christmas because even in the midst of all the C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A, there is an "S", a baby who grew to be a man, perfect without sin, God in the flesh who came to redeem, even me!

I hope you all had a Christmas that was memorable and meaningful, especially in regards to the joy and hope given to all of us in the person of Jesus Christ!

(My computer is being upgraded and I am using Scott's laptop, so no pics at this time, sorry!)

Black Friday

4:45 a.m., great sales, some money, and a few of my favorite women (my mom, sis, and 2 sis in laws). Need I say more?

The Loot - believe me the kids wish they knew what was in the bags!