Ten on Friday

1.  We are rolling right along with school.  I am trying to decide if I want a new math curriculum for my little "can't sit still" boy.  I love Math-U-See but I feel like it is unnecessary torture for the six-year-old in the house!

2.  When I came in from walking this morning, all my little bike-riding companions were sitting at the table working on their school work!  Wow!  What a blessing!

3.  Ryan is gone for ten days on a detail to the Valley.  Things are so quiet with him gone....but OH I LOVE THE ROUTINE!  So far, we have had four days that actually kept to a schedule (well mostly anyway)!  And, I love that the kids love to eat like me....our dinners have consisted of:  yogourt and granola, creamed rice and broccoli, and boiled eggs and toast...love it!

4.  But, in leu of #3, I do miss Ryan and can't wait until he comes home again!

5.  One of our hens is "broody" so we may be having some baby chicks in about 16 days! 

6.  The kids started an art class this week that they absolutely loved!  It is geared toward homeschoolers so it is from 2-4 in the afternoons...which is perfect for us!  I was a bit worried about how Benjamin would do in a classroom-like setting with a "real" teacher, but he did great!

7.  Boden had a blow out diaper while we were getting ice cream after the art class and guess who had forgotten the diapers?   Who decides what to do in these situations?

  8.  Tomorrow we are celebrating Sarah's 10th birthday with our family!  10!!  I can't believe it.  She has been so laid back about this birthday, only reminding me about a thousand times that she is "almost 10, Mom."  Wow!  I am planning on taking her on a Mommy and Me night out somewhere.  I was thinking to a nice hotel somewhere special but she wants to go camping!  That's my girl!  So, maybe to the state park where there are some awesome bike trails.....I think she would love that!  
 
9.  Maya has already planned her 10 year trip with me too.  She wants to go shopping or to Hawaii.  She says I can decide which.  uhhhhh.....Hawaii!!! 
 
10.  Our cat went on a walk with us yesterday which I just find rather hilarious!  :)

Living Like a Queen

It seems as if everyday I am given more and more opportunities to humble myself.  When I encounter a situation that stirs in me immediate defensiveness, I recognize that as a warning alarm.  The decision I next make will either exalt my own self-pride or give me the opportunity--indeed the profound blessing-- of laying down my own life and picking up the crown that holds kindness and love.   To humble myself is to be exalted by my Father, the King of Kings!  A blessed opportunity indeed!. 

Change

When Ryan cut down the half-dying tree that stood sadly like an aging sentinel at the corner of our house, I was afraid the birds that lived and played there would be forced to move on and find new homes.  They have.  But alas, I see them now, flitting around the bushes and shrubs in my wilderness garden on the opposite side of the house.  They seem to hold no grudges and sing and play just as merrily as before, trusting God to care for them no less then when the tree was their home.