Sunday Snapshot: {the bigger boys}

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Last set of school pictures. I *think*. I might try to work Tallula and Poppy in somehow. Anyway. Here are the bigger boys. The bigger-than-the-younger-boys but younger-than-their-biggest-brother boys. Asher first. Aaaaahhhh. Nothing more challenging fun than a 13 year old boy. Mom: What is your favorite thing about 7th grade? Asher: Sleeping in sometimes. When I don't get out of bed the first time someone wakes me up and no one notices for a while. Mom: What's your least favorite thing about 7th grade? Asher: Having to do more school work than … [Read more...]

first day of school :: round two

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As I mentioned last week, I missed an opportunity to get pictures of my kids on the first day of school. And - as much as I'd intended to get pictures of them every. single. day. - the rest of that first week was basically an ugly blur. They'd come home in the afternoons with backpacks loaded with papers to sign, flyers to read, assignments, projects and papers to complete. So today, one week and one day after the official start of school, I finally took pictures. Since I knew outside wasn't going to work (been there, tried that) I figured I'd just have a go … [Read more...]

homeschooling :: one week in

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I've been asked often in the last week, "How is homeschool going?" My response? It's going. Actually, it's going a lot better than I'd anticipated. I think it's even going better than Asher had anticipated. Because after last year, and the fact we hobbled and limped, broken and bruised across the finish line of 6th grade some time late this summer, we were not expecting this year to be great. We both knew we needed to up our game a notch (or a few notches in my case) and neither of us is a big fan of extra work. But so far, so good. And so, I thought … [Read more...]

that time of year

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Less than a week until school starts. Shepherd is going into kindergarten. Jude is going into 1st grade. Isabelle into 2nd. Sophie into 3rd. Dalton into 5th. And Asher into 7th. At home. Yes, I'll be starting a second year of homeschooling Asher. A statement, just a few years ago, I thought I'd never, ever make. We're not continuing to homeschool because we had such great success with it last year. I mean, Asher had great success in that he loved it. Loved being home. Loved being finally rid of his constant stomach aches. But I? Fell a bit, … [Read more...]

Sunday Snapshot: {the beach}

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Oh my. Be forewarned, there are a ton of pictures below. It was our singular "vacation" of the year, if you want to call it a vacation. What it was was one wondrous day at the beach. And so, I took a lot of pictures. It was also Poppy's first time to the beach. She wasn't so sure how she felt about it. It was Tallula's first time to the beach, too. Initially she had some anxiety over the waves coming in and then rushing back out. But soon she decided this was a pretty cool place to be. And so did all the … [Read more...]

our other neighbors

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I've shared with y'all about our next door neighbors. We love 'em. Recently we've been able to spend some time hanging out with our other neighbors. And, well... they're pretty awesome, too. He's a horse-lover. She's got a coop full of chickens. They both love Jesus. And they have a lake. In their back yard. Their back yard being approximately 500 acres. We've started a Bible study at their house, once a week. Kids invited. Honestly, anyone brave kind enough to invite a family of 13 over weekly is pretty incredible in my … [Read more...]

favorite photo friday

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This was one I took for my last Sunday Snapshot post. But I didn't post it, because it just didn't seem to fit. It's a softer side of Asher. And although he might not be one of his favorites, it's one of mine. For more Friday favorites, visit my friend Lisa's blog, The Long Road to China. … [Read more...]

Sunday Snapshot: {thirteen}

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I missed Sunday Snapshot this week. And even though the linky expired two days ago, I'm still gonna post it. Better late than never, right? Because I just have to share the cuteness of my just-turned-thirteen-year-old. In all his adorable, goofy, boyishness. This last year has brought about some pretty big changes for him. Homeschool. Daniel Plan. Buzz cut. All, thankfully, good changes. Just my boy going and getting all grown up on me. Happy Birthday, Asher. We love you something fierce. These were shot with … [Read more...]

daniel plan: 4 months later

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Told y'all I'd keep you updated. Today marks 4 months. 4 months since Chris, Asher and I, along with our entire church, went on the Daniel Fast. Asher - days before we started the fast Not gonna lie, those first days were hard. No coffee, no sugar, no preservatives. Pretty much no nothin'. But God showed up in a huge way, and we all managed to finish out the three weeks without killing ourselves or each other. Asher - 2 weeks in After the 21 day fast, Asher and I decided to start the Daniel Plan - a modification of the fast. And we started … [Read more...]

it must be…

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Monday morning. After getting up at 5:30, this is what Asher - and his trusty homeschooling sidekick, Seamus - looked like 2 hours later. Good thing he has a teacher that can appreciate the value of a nap. … [Read more...]