From the Desks of Isaiah, Elijah and Hahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnnah

So much learning so little time to post it all....We have been so busy it seems this past month. Every night seemed to have some commitment or other. We have a few weeks of "rest" before it all starts again. But I wanted to post just a few fun pics of some stuff we've been doing in school.

Isaiah and Elijah are doing life science this year. This particular unit focused on how to use a microscope. With thanks to MP3 we bought a really nice one for them to use this year.

Isaiah found a "critter" outside and is taking a better look. They have learned how to mount a dry,wet, stained, and a hit fixed slide.

The all important onion skin.

Staining it to see it better.

Heat fix of active yeast.

Elijah taking a turn.

Elijah finished the Viking unit. He made a really awesome lapbook which I haven't taken a picture of, maybe next time, but this is Elijah with Viking rune letters.

Looks pretty good buddy!

Hannah is keeps raising the bar of what is considered acceptable activities for her to do during school. She wants to do hands on stuff.

This is colored salt in cute little shakers I got at Michael's (the even read "Shake it")

With a little glue she knew exactly what to do! Super fun, a little messy but nothing a good sweep couldn't clean up.

Annual Stoney Ridge Farm Adventure

When you relocate your family to an entirely different region of the country,thousands of miles from family and age old traditions, you wonder if you'll ever have new ones, in your new home. Well traditions take time....this is our 3rd fall in Washington. And although NOTHING compares to a New England....MAINE fall, it's still amazingly beautiful here (and like I have said, after fall comes winter and I am all set with a Maine winter) Anyway back to traditions, we have been here for 3 falls and each time we have visited Stoney Ridge Farm. For our Mainer friends, it's sort of like Treworgy's. But it's become our own little thing we do. The first year Hannah was 2 weeks old and my family was here. Last year, we went with friends, the same friends we went with this year. The day was PERFECT, SUNNY, WARM, and BEAUTIFUL.

This is very Washington to me. Flowers in a rain boot.

PUMPKINS

Our Friends Melinda and Ryan HA HA!

Hannah and her puppy...imagine that.

The five of us

Daddy can I please have a puppy. She loved this little miniature pony. She was not afraid at all. I let her pet him, and then saw a large sign that said "Do not put fingers inside the cage" OPPS

Here Pony I love you so much I will let you see my puppy.

Apple cider donuts....so yummy

Lots of friends and lots of boys!

Melinda and I picking some WASHINGTON apples...you haven't had an apple until you have had a WASHINGTON apple.

I want to sit on every pumpkin

Give me a ride back Daddy!

I LOVE our new family traditions that are forming here. Miss the old ones, but embracing the new!

Happy 12th Anniversary

12 years today!

Let me start by saying that I LOVE my husband. I can't believe all the Lord has done for us in 12 years. I could write for days.

Our love story is nothing short than the Creator of the Universe supernaturally stepping in and invading our lives to start, write and is still writing our love story. If you don't know us or haven't heard the awesome story,I will tell you. But I want to share more about how He is working in our lives today....because I truly believe He is just as invested in us today as he was 12 years ago!

Anyone who tells you their marriage is perfect is LYING! Peter and I do not have the perfect marriage contrary to what people may want think. We are real. We are sinners. We don't have it all together. That being said I have to confess in saying that I am married to the most wonderful man. The Lord has really opened my eyes to this more in the past month. He has been showing me so many parts of Peter that I have yet to discover and fall in love with. At first I felt ashamed, thinking "I've been married to this man for 12 years, I should know all there is to know" But God has been revealing to me that this is an awesome and exciting thing, because as Peter grows in Jesus, and becomes more like Him, I can't help but fall in love all over again.

I often look back at the two weeks of our engagement and our wedding and think "Oh you were in a dream world where you thought as long you are in love with Jesus your marriage would be great" I think I have let the lies of the enemy take up home in my heart because I started to believe if our marriage wasn't perfect then we were failures. And as long as Jesus was in the mix somewhere we would have to settle for that. But What God has been showing me this past month is that, the world I refereed to as a "dream" world was actually reality . That's really His desire for marriage.It is for us to be so in love with JESUS and desiring to more like Him, we can't help but fall more deeply in love with our spouse. He wants to do things even greater than how our love story started in our lives. I think we are finally at a place where we can allow Him to bring that to pass.

I guess the point is when you look for the Jesus in your spouse and find Him in the way he gives to others, in how he steps out to minister to people, when he teaches your children the Word of God, when he is quick to forgive, when he is tender, when he puts your needs before his own, it's so very sweet to fall in love again.

So Happy Anniversary Peter, I love you....I love all that God is doing in your life. It's an honor to be your wife and to be allowed to watch God's plan for our lives unfold. I am so thankful that He handpicked YOU for me.

Happy 11th Birthday to Isaiah

There is no way that he is 11 right? He is! Our first baby is 11!! Where has the time gone? I said last year that the first 10 years of his life went by in a blink of an eye and I have a feeling the next 10 will go by in half a blink.

Isaiah likes to tease me and say in 10 years I'll be....21, in 7 years I'll be 18, in just 5 years I'll be 16. I don't think I like how he can fast forward so quickly. That I do remember about being young, you just want to grow up. WHY??

I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with Isaiah. Peter and I had been married a little over 3 months. I felt so tired and just not quite myself. I will be honest telling you that I cried a lot when the test turned positive, and not so much tears of joy as tears of fear! I was scared to have a baby, to be a mom. And I will be totally honest with you again....I still have that fear. Not fear of having a baby (been there done that) but of being a mom. I sometimes fumble through hard lessons with Isaiah,trying to guide him in truth, but falling so short of perfection it scares me. I gently remind Isaiah that "I'm new at this" I am not always sure how to be a mom to an 11 year old boy.

Our prayer for Isaiah this year is that he continues to grow in his personal relationship with Jesus. That Jesus would increase and Isaiah would decrease. That the things of the world would loose their appeal. That his thirst for the Word of God would increase. That he would encounter the true and living God and a new, fresh and very personal way. (And if you are reading this feel free to pray that for ME as well)

Happy Birthday Isaiah. You are a joy in our lives, our precious gift from the Lord. (we always tell Isaiah he was our first anniversary gift since he was born the day before our one year anniversary) We are so proud of you and know God has awesome plans for you!

Isaiah's 11th birthday!!

We have entered into a world unknown....the world of an 11 year old boy. For anyone who knows me knows I love to throw big parties for my kids. But I thought that once it's their 11th birthday it might be a good year to stop the themes. This was perfect timing for Isaiah who said he just wanted friends over for pizza and to play the wii. So that's the party he got. Very low key as far as prep...but a house full of boys not so low key! Isaiah even asked if I could hang out upstairs during his party....what am I that uncool already? The party was a hit and his friends even let me play the wii with them. I can't believe he'll be 11 in 5 days! It seems like I am in someone else's life...I can't be old enough to have an 11 year old!A table fit for a pack and I do mean pack of hungry boys (this isn't even including the pizza)

These boys can EAT~

What do you get an 11 year old boy who is soooo over toys? MONEY!

Ok guys smile nice for the camera....

Ok now let's see you how you really are....

Happy 2nd Birthday Hannah Elizabeth

No words I write on this blog could express how blessed we are to have our Hannah. She is the source of so much joy in our lives. She has grown so much in every way this passed year. I thought I would share with you top ten amazing things that make Hannah, Hannah.

10. She has the cutest little giggle and it's sometimes very mischievous.

9. She loves her spotted puppy. He is her BFF. He gets much love and is usually very dirty. She brings him to bed each night and snuggles him super close.

8. She loves chili, only the middle of the Oreo cookies (good thing they make double stuffed)and she loves to drink out of juice boxes (or maybe she just likes to play with the straws)

7. She insists on doing "work" when the boys are schooling. She has recently decided that a coloring book do not constitute a workbook and refuses to use them when the boys are working. So I need to get some old used workbooks for her. But I am pretty sure she will be smart enough to figure out they are used.

6. She loves to try to put off bedtime by asking if she can watch a "show" Her shows of choice are Strawberry Shortcake, Kipper, Blues Clues, Curious George and Toy Story"

5. She does not enjoy going to church. She cries when we pull into the parking lot. This is not any reflection of the awesome ladies in the nursery but rather her complete attachment to mom. She has just moved up to the 2-3 year old room so we're hoping that she might settle in and enjoy it.

4. She LOVES and I mean LOVES to dance. "Dance Dance Dance" she will order when she hears music. And I must say the girl has rhythm and some moves.

3.She loves her "Yay Yay" and "Jah" translation "Isaiah and Elijah" She loves any attention they give her and just loves when they wake up and come downstairs in the morning.

2. Her favorite time of the day is when Daddy comes home. She literally squeals in delight "My Daddy My Daddy." And runs,and wraps herself around him. It would melt anyone's heart and I am pretty sure Peter turns to mush every night.

1. She is loved by so many and she is above and beyond what we had ever imagined her to be.

Happy Birthday Hannah! We love you. We our so thankful hat God put you in our family. May you grow in the knowledge of Him and His love and grace all the days of your life.

Pawty Time!

First you know it's a good party when you only took a handful of pictures. It was such a blast I picked up the camera twice and handed it off. So This is what I got, but I think you'll get the idea. So Hannah LOVES puppies. She loves real one and stuffed ones. But she has ONE favorite and it's a little Dalmatian that my mom sent her for Christmas last year. She has loved him, and loved him and it shows. So of course this year she had to a puppy pawty!

Just seeing the number 2 makes me sad. She's growing up TOO fast.

Her birthday banner

Adopt a pup station. All the kids picked out a puppy, got a certificate and a doggie bag full of treats

Inside the bag, puppy vitamins (gummy snacks) puppy chow (coco puffs) Dog biscuits (sugar cookies)

Dog bowls full of treats

Paw print cookies, made with a junior mint and 4 brown m & m's

Super fun puppy balloons.

This was so fun, balloon garland. It was bright and Hannah loved it. On the table are little puppy pictures that the kids colored.
Pupcakes, with the frosting is Oreo cookie, Hannah's favorite cookie. Aren't the toppers cute!

OH YUMMY

We practiced blowing out the candles before the party but she went right in with her fingers, I blew them our so fast.

Hannah's BFF

Her little "boy" friend

More guests

Present time. She loved the cards "oh a card" she said when she pulled each on out. I tried to open one for her and ripped the envelope in a way that was not pleasing to her, and she was very upset. "OH NO" she said. So I let her open them. It took a long time, but I thought it was sweet she appreciated the cards as well (just like her mom)

Her favorite gift from mom and dad....a Fur Real Puppy. She loves it. Although her trusted pup still made the cut at bedtime.
And for dinner....Hannah's favorite...Grammie's Chili!

We have AMAZING friends who have been like adopted family to Hannah. They have been there for her, loving her and filling in the gap where our families can't be here. We are so blessed to have these people in our lives,to love our kids and to invest in their lives. Thank you friends for coming out and celebrating with us.