For my birthday yesterday...

I swam at Ron's parents' house. Good idea, huh... burn calories so I could consume some of her cake and brownies.
I made some goals, and I am hoping to see some good results by my 30th birthday, if the Lord permits.
I got some birthday money that I am excited about using at the thrift store soon, or at least some of it. I have ideas about what I am looking for, so I am hoping to find those little treasures at the thrift store.
I am planning to start school with the girls soon, so I have lots of projects to finish up in the next few days.
I am still waiting for some responses to my question on my earlier post... maybe blogging is a little out of style right now, but hopefully, the right person will read this with great ideas.

I have big dreams for these children!

Faith... I don't think she realized how funny this was until she saw her sisters. I have a couple of extra pictures of Faith on here, as I was trying to get a good pic... wish she was smiling here.

Hope's little face, trying to be seen. She was too funny in that thing!

Charity... I should have told her to put her hands down, but I thought it was funny.

Another picture of Faith, looking rather serious, I know.

So, in case you were wondering, I took the girls to the Air Force Museum yesterday for about 2 1/2 hours... that was tiring... but I am trying to do some fun things with the kids before school starts up again... so we've been cramming activities and housework together.

Faith has her own room now, that is almost done being painted... it's her favorite color... PINK! It needs a door still, but she is enjoying her pretty "new" bedroom.

Yesterday, I sent off my letter of intention for homeschooling Faith. This was the first time I was required by the state to send one... preschoolers and kindergartners are not required to send one. Charity will be in pre-school, so she didn't need one. I don't know whether to be nervous or excited about school this year... she now has to have 900 hours of educational time, and has required subjects be the state. I have chosen a curriculum that has a very good reputation (I started inquiring about a good curriculum when Faith was a baby... I wanted to make an knowledgeable decision there), so I feel good about that. The hours that it is going to require every day, along with the housework and the fact I have a two year old, is making me nervous.
I sure wouldn't mind having some input from other home-schooling mothers about how they manage younger children and housework, while teaching... I would love good tips. Maybe you have some sort of organized game plan each day, or activities aligned for the younger children. Charity and Faith are happy about starting school. I am kind of excited, too. It is so fun watching the children learn to reading, write, add, subtract, learn science and history, and their Bible studies. I was VERY pleased with how much Faith learned last year. Now I will have 2 students... yay! Please, share your tips!

Yay! The best kind of news there is!!!

What joy there was for me this Sunday, when two special young men in our lives came and told me that they had gotten saved at Youth Camp this year! One was a teen we have been taking to church for a long time now... nice guy, and always polite to me... and, when I asked him about camp, he told me the beautiful news.
Later Sunday morning, my nephew, Kyle, tells me that he, too, had gotten saved!
Both of these boys got a hug from me... it was a hug-worthy piece of news!
Kyle was also excited that he had the privilege to play the drums at camp... even for Hobe Sound. Kyle has had a talent with the drums since he was a little boy... he is REALLY talented... sounds like it must be an adult playing kind of talent, but we wanted God to get that talent, not the devil. So, there he was, playing for a holiness college, that is what I am talking about there!!! He has gained some height lately, so he doesn't look like the little drummer boy so much anymore... I am so excited to see what God has planned for him... pray for these boys that went to camp this year... I know the devil would just love to discourage them or get them side-tracked.
Right now, I am a proud Aunt Sarah... who loves all 8 of her nieces and nephews out there! And, her kiddos, too, for that matter! I am just so happy, and thought I would brag to all those folks who heard the "kid" playing the drums... that is Ron's sister's boy... he's a cutie... or maybe I should say handsome now, huh?... he was cute as our Bible-bearer at our wedding, too. Ron's sister is a very sweet Christian woman and has poured her heart into seeing her kids serve the Lord... she sends them to a Christian school, and they attend our church, and there were a couple of years there that I brought Kyle's sisters with me to family camp... they were good for me those years. I remember when Ron and I first married, hearing Ron pray for his sister's children... he would say, "Please, put a hedge of razor wire around them"... now THAT is a prayer of protection, if I did ever hear one. I thought that was sweet that he loved his nephew and nieces so very much.
Praise God for the good news!

swim day and this and that...

Yesterday, the girls and I spent about the whole day at Mimi's and Papaw's. Faith and I swam maybe 6 hours in their pool. Hope "swam" maybe 3-4 hours (not sure)... was scared at first, then was having a blast by the end of the day. Charity was practically forced by me to "swim" for a couple of hours, but the deep water (at least to her) was too much, and I gave up trying to teach her... I could hardly even get her to relax... maybe another time. She enjoyed just watching Faith, Mimi, Aunt Shenna and her two girls, and I swimming... and, she enjoyed playing with the water guns, etc. I was hoping to teach them to swim this Summer. Faith is getting there (even swam a little without any floaters! That is a big deal for a 6 year old who is only about in the 5th percentile in height and barely gets her head out of the water), Hope with her floaters was kicking herself to the part of the pool she wanted to be at, so she is getting the idea, but Charity has a terrible fear of the water... not at the shallow side of the lake or in our small pool at home, but in deep water. That's okay, we'll get it. The girls have been instructed to never get near or in a pool without the presence and permission of an adult... just so you know that. Faith had so much fun, I think she would have just kept on swimming, but we had to stop at some point, you know... she LOVES, LOVES to swim!!! With floating gear on, she would stand on the ladder and leap into the pool. She also managed to choke on the water numerous times, but after heavy coughing, would continue to swim. Mind you, we had lots of help in the pool yesterday, so everyone was well supervised. Faith and I got an overdose of sun on our faces and arms. Kinda hard to burn areas that are well covered, so we got farmer's tans.
On another note...
I thought of someone else who helped majorly at our wedding... she is a friend of my mother, named Cheryl Adkins. You wouldn't believe the work she did... she was our caterer and filled in many blanks at our wedding... She did a fantastic job! She picked out our cake knowing what colors we wanted and did an excellent job, helped us get some of our wedding decor, and the food she made was delicious... couldn't have asked for a better reception.
Michael and Linda Schaub became photographers at our wedding, helped decorate, make brochures, I believe, and helped organize.
Seth and Melody Yates went shopping with me and helped me find my dress, make corsages, seed bags, favors, and was actually key to me and Ron even getting married... call them the match-makers... HA! Really, God put us together, but He had great helpers. They rescued me when I overdrew my bank account trying to buy all my wedding stuff... they gave me a loan until I could pay them back... that was humbling. I was young and trying to figure all this stuff out, and it was tricky with Ron living back in Dayton, Ohio, and I was living in New Mexico. It was for the best, cause I was strongly attracted to Ron, and might have tried to marry him in two weeks or something... at least, I had time to organize a nice wedding. If I could change one thing, I think I would have rather had my wedding at the church I had attended as a teenager and grew so much in... the 8th Street Wesleyan Alliance Church in West Portsmouth... but, we had it at a church I don't think I had ever attended... anyway, it turned out fine overall. Still remeniscing (is that how it is spelled) here, I guess.
Would you believe that I will be 29 next week... that means I will only have 1 more year to enjoy my 20s... why does that make me feel sad? Guess I am a bit of a kid at heart sometimes. Dear me, and I am turning grey already?! Whew! I sure have managed to have a busy time since I entered the 20s... graduating from college, trying nursing school, doing missions work, getting married, having 3 children, being caregiver of my hubby as he fought for his life against the big C, working with him in different ministries in our church, seen way too many people pass away... two of Ron's grandparents and one of mine and lots of family, friends, and acquaintances... life is no longer a little girl's playground all the time, working some part-time jobs here and there... not for the last few years though... my family, home, and ministries take up my energy, and starting this fun blog as a journal to be shared. It's been quite the trip, and I wonder what the last year of my 20s might bring my way. If you keep your eyes open, you can see God's fingerprints throughout the journey... I have been seeing them a little more clearly the last few days, as I have been trying to draw closer to Him and teaching my little ones from His Word... I just get excited. The devil has thrown his fiery darts and my vision gets a bit cloudy now and then, but I am seeing that praising God is helping to clear the fog.
You know you are getting old, when you wake up the morning after a big swim day, and your whole body aches! Maybe 6 hours of swimming was a bit much. It was just so fun and relaxing, I couldn't help myself.
Oh, now, we are having a fight about dolls and their carriers... grrr... nothing like a "Mom, she took my baby! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!" to ruin a fun blog moment.
Until next time... leave other people's babies alone :-)

Whew! It's over!

Wow...
with all that happened last week, all of us were exhausted!!! Poor Ron, he didn't get to sleep in like the girls and I did this morning. A much needed sleep!
Wednesday, Ron went to the viewing of his uncle (out of town) with his folks, Thursday, we travelled to my grandma's viewing, Friday was her funeral, burial, and meal, decorating for Rachel's wedding, and her rehearsal, and then Saturday, her wedding, reception, and clean-up, and then, Sunday morning, Ron and I taught CC and went to church Sunday night, although we were exhausted yet. The emotions of the week were unbelievably overwhelming. Today, is housework and getting my children's emotions and behavior back under control after a week of confusion. Everything turned out well... it 'was just too much at once. Grandma's funeral was really nice, and Rachel's wedding was pretty. All the food was mmm-mmm good.
Makes me more thankful for the people who worked so very hard on our wedding... naming a couple would be the Yates' family and Michael and Linda Schaub... I wish I could hug them all and tell them thanks all over again!!! There were others who helped, too, but those two families really stand out in my mind right now for the hours of work they sacrificed for us. I also loved Dr. Wingham's personal prayer over us at our wedding... how very meaningful it was for us. He knew us well, and prayed a knowledgeable prayer of blessing on us. Don't you love how weddings bring back those memories?! Thank you, ya'll! Now I know what it was like a little!

How do you get relief from grief???

It is past mid-night, and I am up (supposed to be cleaning house), and I keep hurting inside about my Grandma. All those memories keep popping up! I hear or see something and there comes another memory. My youngest child was singing a tune today that I think I learned from my Grandma at a VERY young age. She didn't mean to make me sad, but she must love the little tune like I did... although she doesn't know the whole song. When I broke the news to the kids, Faith immediately looked sad, and said something like, "She is the one who gave us those cups!" They had these sippy cups out... actually, they are animal-shaped cups with built in straws, and the kids love them. Faithy was right... they were from her Great-Grandma. Those pictures on my blog break my heart... I can't believe she won't be there the next time I come to visit to give me a hug, and stand on the porch when we leave, waiving and waiving at us as we go. I even miss her cough. Her name is tucked into my middle child's name... Charity Ruth Cook... Ruth was my Grandma, and the name of a fantastic woman in Scripture... two wonderful reasons to use that beautiful name. I hope Cherry will live up to the name of these servant-hearted women, as they were not all about themselves, but about others and God.
My Grandma certainly had a servant's heart. Who would have guessed she wouldn't have been there for this Thanksgiving... it is hard for me to even type this... I just can't believe she is gone. I miss you so much already, Grandma! Thanks for all you did for us... I don't think I will ever forget how special you made my birthdays as a child, with those beautifully decorated cakes, with the fantastically delicious icing! Glad you took those classes for that! Thank you for being lady-like... it is hard to find true ladies these days! Everything about you that I could see screamed LADY! You weren't flashy, show-offish, or glamorious... you were plain and beautiful! You seemed content... I like that. You will be so very missed.
I hope your having a wonderful time in Heaven, but we are having a tough time here letting go. As quickly as life goes, I guess we all could sing that little tune you taught us to keep us calm while driving home, "We're almost home, we're almost home..." This time it's the REAL home!!!
I love you, Grandma!

two funerals and a wedding

Ron's great-uncle passed away Sunday, my Grandma (pictured on the side of my blog) passed away today, and my sister is to be married Saturday.
Words cannot express how I feel about the passing of my sweet Grandma. We went to see her at the hospital the other day, and it was hard to see her so sick. Grandma always seemed to just keeping going. I feel an empty spot in my heart right now. I loved her so very much. I have wonderful memories of her making my birthday cakes, spending the past several Thanksgiving dinners (with few exceptions), her enjoying my children, and all those childhood memories of my own with her. I got this sick feeling in my stomach after receiving THE phonecall today. How can she go away?! It happened too fast! It just won't be the same without her.
Rachel is getting married this weekend and I am to be the Matron-of-Honor and Faithy is now the flower-girl... meaning a rush around to get her dress done. She now has one, and I made some adjustments to it to make it match better Rachel's wedding. Off came the pretty pink flowers and on went red and ivory ribbons... thank you to Sister Manley, who tracked me down yesterday at the thrift store to give me this dress and gave me permission to alter it to fit the wedding. Now, I need to finish my dress.
My house is messy because we are giving Faith her own room; therefore, the computer room is having a major transformation into a 6 year old's bedroom... hope it will help with the over-crowded situation where all three girls had been sharing a room.
I am almost finished with my MIL's throw quilt... FINALLY!!!
I can't seem to get everything done. My heart is so broken right now, it is hard to feel motivated to do some of it.
I still need to send in my letter of intention to the school board to show that I am homeschooling Faith during her 1st grade year.
I can't seem to get past this grief feeling... maybe I will go get some coffee... maybe that'll help.
It is pouring down rain and thundering... my kids are hungry... and, I don't feel like taking care of them... okay, that sounds bad... I am going to go now, and make them something to eat.
Just cause I am greiving doesn't mean I won't have to make food for my youngsters, who are also sad (especially, Faith), about their great-grandma.

Happy 6th Birthday, Faith Ann Cook!

Six years ago, my world changed forever when into my world came a gorgious 9lb 8oz baby girl we named Faith. Faithy brings great pride and joy to our family. She is lovable, full of energy, has a very strong personality, is helpful, is extremely bright, loves music (has since she was a baby), and is determined to learn new things. Her struggles are bouts of pain... has struggled with this for several years. Knee pain is one of the tops, bringing tears and begging for relief... awaking her sometimes in the night, although recently it has been before she even gets to bed. She also has issues with her neck and stomach. I have talked to the pediatrician many times about the knee pain, but I plan to address it again tomorrow at her 6 year physical, and ask for testing. She is very active, and loves to play. does not get sick often, and has no symptoms of a bad immune system, so I have my guesses.

Later today, we plan to have cake as a family and present to her the long desired "real violin"... she has prayed for this instrument, dreamed several times about it, and loooonged for it. I believe we have a teacher for her now, too! I know next to nothing about violins. Hers looks so tiny. It is a 1/10. Faith is short of stature :-) She doesn't look 6, but she her smarts make up for the lack of height. Anyway, that is why her violin is the size that a 4 year old would probably use.

Faith is so beautiful. She doesn't look like me... yeah for her! She looks like Ron's side. She has great interest in the spiritual... she asks tough questions, and it seems her understanding is opening right before our eyes. My dream is that she will grow to be Godly woman described in the Bible. That is gonna take some serious prayer and training.


I am incredibly happy that God is allowing me to raise this fantastic child... I love the age she is in right now... so much fun!

I love you so much, Faith!

Pictures below

Scroll down for pictures of the children singing at camp!

Sorry...

The previous post's videos are dark... remember that my camera is shattered, and I am unable to see what I am doing, so I don't know what it looks like until I put it in my computer. Hope you enjoyed them anyway.

"The Real World"

This is slightly embarrassing, but I did not know some of these things until I was an adult... some of them I learned while helping in a Christian school and others from AiG. You see, as I had gone to the government's public school system, I had been brainwashed in the beliefs of people who want to explain the world without God, but as I see it now, the Bible IS the history book that shows how our world was created and the evidence is everywhere! I am excited about studying these truths with my children. The girls have been learning this at home and it was reinforced at camp. I am THRILLED with the loads of info in my children's minds and God's world... the REAL world. I have no desire for them to believe satan's lies, I want them to live in God's REAL WORLD, with great anticipation, looking forward to His glorious return.

The one video, Faith and I are having a discussion about dragons. When she was at someone's house a while back, they showed my children a video (I was out on a date with hubby, I think), and it had a "dragon" on it with wings... hence the idea that dragons have wings. Faith is very dramatic when she is talking, so ENJOY!

I am hoping to get some videos of what she learned in some of her other classes in kindergarten on here. I think the family members out there who rarely get to see my children might enjoy it, and also, it might show some folk how very effective homeshooling can be. It has been a trip teaching my first child how to read, write, add, subtract, count to 100 by 1s, 5s, and 10s, teaching her about different cultures, catachisism, tell time, and many other things... not to mention the lessons here and there about washing dishes, vacuuming, cleaning house, and a tiny bit of cooking... then there is piano... and, jump roping, bicycling, roller blading, swimming, and playing well with other children... everyday is learning, even without the books. I am sooooo excited that God gave me little Faithy. She has matured so much and is so lovable. I just love her so much... and, next year, Charity starts pre-school... and, she has had an advantage, because she has learned much by being with her big sister... so, some of the stuff she already knows. Hope still isn't potty-trained, so that will be her big to-do... she has been rapidly improving in her verbal skills. I had been concerned for her in that area, but I think she is catching up fast.

I am praying that Jesus would help me to raise them the way He would if He were the One physically doing it. That is going to help me to be more consistant, gentle, and persistant on their complete obedience in attitude and swiftness in action, and making sure my priorities are straight.

Stay tuned for more pics and videos in the near future, Lord willing.