2013 was another big year. Some things off the top of my head that were really fun were sledding at Lakeview park and building a snow fort and snow man during our super cold two weeks of winter.
We also helped celebrate Brooke’s birthday and made some new friends at our “mustache party.”
Kiera was a beautiful flower girl at Rachel and Matthew Phipps wedding.
AND we had a wonderful Easter.
I love my kids.
That picture of the Easter dress reminds me how LONG AGO my newest CD started. I know that I had been working on the music side of it for months before getting the pictures taken and that the pictures were taken before I was pregnant. It is now the end of the year and it is all finally completed. Phew! A whole year of work paid off. Praise the Lord for his goodness and all the people involved.
I love when the kids go on dates with their dad. Every Monday he takes one of them with him to lunch, but it is a VERY special occasion when Rick is able to do something (besides writing books or studying) on the weeknights or weekends. Here, Kiera got to go shooting with daddy for the first time. Something I hope to continue as they get older.
She turned seven this year and it is hard to believe that her eighth birthday seems not so far away. She had a lot of fun losing her teeth. What is it with kids and the disgusting things they do with loose teeth? Kiera is a sweet girl. She does very well at her school and really is so nice to her mommy. She is full of the spirit of adventure and curiosity and her mischievousness is the cause of many upsets amongst the siblings. She is good natured about it, but I do hope we can help her figure out how God will use that as she grows.
This was a horrible moment when Silas and I flipped over his toddler bike. His face healed from this bike accident within a week (back in April) and I still haven’t gained full mobility in my pinky from spraining it during that fall. That really shows the difference in what age does for you.
He turned two this year. He got a gun and candy for his birthday.
I love this picture because it reminds me of HOW MUCH Silas loves his daddy. Don’t get me wrong, he loves his momma too, but it is just not the same. Silas really is a smart kid. He reminds me a lot of Kiera at that age. He is VERY observant and not only can speak well, he remembers words it seems after the first time he hears them. It always makes me pleased but nervous when we have a quick learner. Where much is given, much is required. I just pray for God’s grace to teach them all HE desires.
The kids love playing in the car out in the front of the house. We just have to remember to turn off the windshield wipers, lights and everything else they turn on before they leave.
I am thankful for my wonder mother-in-law. She is always supportive and respectful of how we raise our children, and she’s a great dresser too.
Rick and I started trying to make it a priority to go out on dates this year. Our first date was shooting. It was fun.
What would the year be like without all of the home school field trips? I think this one was my favorite. A trip to a dairy farm and getting to see all the baby cows.
The kids LOVE Master Club and they LOVE when it is done because it means awards and most of all Master Club Carnival.
This is a picture of pastor handing Lily her certificates. We all kind of feel this way when pastor comes up to us, I think. Um …. what do I say?
Bah! Someone told me the kids weren’t wearing their vests, but it was the next age group. Oh well. They still look cute.
This is Lalo and Phoenix. They are our neighbor boys who came to Master Club with us each week. Lalo got saved and we are still praying for Phoenix. Master Club is A LOT of work for a parent, but it is worth it when there are opportunities for evangelism involved.
Master Club Carnival
That just so happened to be our 10th Anniversary Weekend.
We went Rock Climbing.
For my birthday / anniversary Rick let me do some things to the house.
This is gma’s demolition of the weirdly placed closet in our family room. She was really good at it.
Before and after pictures.
We finished up just in time for company. Scott and Joy came for a visit this year and we took family pictures. This picture was during one of our many shopping trips and typifies to me how we all felt about the countless hours of shopping for coordinating clothes.
BUT it was worth it and the pictures came out great.
It really was a wonderful week. That was the week I found out we were pregnant. THAT sure was a surprise!
We always enjoy the 4th of July. We go to a big breakfast and then a parade and end the evening with some form of fireworks. Next year I think we will skip the parade and get our own candy though. Parades aren’t that good any more.
To be able to go out on dates we started trading Fridays with the Rasmussens. They have four girls near our kids ages and we figured it wouldn’t be too overwhelming for either of us. This is one of the nights they came over. We put up a tent. They went home and our family started out sleeping in the tent. I was pregnant and went back in the house. Someone peed. Someone wimped out. Rick and Lily endured to the end of the chilly night.
Wow! Is it only August? Well, we have had a BIG year and a lot of good memories. This year we had a family “stay-cation” during the our church’s 2013 Preacher’s School. It was a really good balance between the adult fellowship and encouragement Rick and I needed with a lot of family time with the kids.
We went on a long bike ride around the Boise Greenbelt and enjoyed playing in part of the Boise River runoff.
We went to the Boise Zoo.
We went to Eagle Island and gma helped them make a river that ran into the “great pond.”
We went to the Discovery Center with Gma and the Chavers.
This is a room of mirrors.
We finished off the week with Charlotte’s 4th B-day. She is our sunshine girl. She will do anything for a good time. (We are praying about that one.) She is picking up a lot during her “pre-school” time and is very proud of her own progress. Super cute. I am very thankful for her because she lightens up the serious mood that the rest of us bring. She is just like her daddy and gets along with everyone and doesn’t really have an agenda besides being silly.
Lily got to be a flower girl in her first wedding (Karin and Nathan Garcia). She was so pretty.
Well, the summer was over and my handsome hubby started his second year of teaching Bible Institute. I remember him saying, “I don’t know what I’ll be teaching, but I think I’ll be good so long as it isn’t anything like Manuscript Evidence.” And very shortly thereafter he got the call to teach “Manuscript Evidence.” I’m really proud of him. It requires about 12 – 15 hours of studying each week, but he has risen to the challenge of this topic that he started out knowing very little about and now he is enjoying it and doing well.
With a new year of school comes a new year of home school activities. This was our Oregon Trail pioneer day. Kiera dressed up like a prairie girl (except the flip flops).
What would fall be without pumpkins? The Webbers had a huge plot of pumpkins that they graciously shared with us. It was a fun day.
FINALLY! The CD’s were done and we had some on hand.
Gma got married on Nov. 11th. (I think). She married Ed, her long time friend that she met while taking care of his wife during her last years of Alzheimers. He got saved after Joyce died and Gma and Ed kept having lunch every week and he became a part of our life. 6 years after she met him she surprised us on a Wednesday and said, “Guess what I did today? I got married.” Ed is a good guy and we are glad they are happy.
More Homeschool Activities.
Show and tell.
Kiera brought her Kirsten Amercan Girl Book Collection
Lily brought her “My Life” doll, Olivia.
Even Charlotte and Silas got in on the crafts that day.
Lily turned six, and that is a year we decide to go all out and have a big birthday bash. She did not care about “princesses” she was a cowgirl. Growing up in Idaho.
We all spend the week of Thanksgiving with the flu, but Gma Schworer brought over some food and gingerbread houses. We had a great time.
Then the kids had their annual “Home school Skate.” They were supposed to dress up Christmassy. Thankfully they all had red shirts. That was Christmassy enough for me. We had the big dress rehearsal for the “Annie” play that night, so it was a BIG DAY! You know, people who say that homeschool kids are not socialized have obviously not been around churches like ours. HA!
We finished our biggest event with the “Annie” production at our church’s Christian school. Kiera and Lily got to be in it only because I spent so much time practicing the piano part that Mrs. Garcia had some grace and let the girls sing all the songs they learned at home. They were part of the “orphan choir” and they were very grateful and excited.
We started off the year with a nice big snow storm and now nearing the end of the year we woke up with below zero temperatures and just enough snow in which to play. I just sat and watched, made hot cocoa and did the laundry. Daddy was much more fun than I. He ALSO could bend over and reach the snow without falling over.
Ahhh, yes, I did forget about the annual Master Club Christmas pageant. Kiera and Lily were angels and Charlotte was a sheep. Silas and I missed it because we were home with the flu. They were still really cute though.
Just figured I’d do a quick “before and after” of us to show the “progress of a year.” I am 33 three weeks pregnant here. Rick is doing well at keeping off the pregnancy weight. I think he has even lost some since Easter … or maybe I am just making him look skinny. HA!
We really have SO many more pictures and events that happened this year. Silas and I were looking through them while we were sick and after about 30 minutes we got bored and we had only gotten through August. Hope we didn’t bore you. :/
What is happening this next year? Rick is planning on finishing the second book in the “Thy Kingdom Come” series and we are planning on having Colton. In the midst of all the busy-ness, our greatest prayer is that we will be soul winners and please God in all we do.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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