We spent a great day with my parents on their boat, just relaxing and enjoying the perfect summer evening.
Josiah air surfing and having such a great time doing it! There isn't too much that's better than seeing my children smile so big because life is great! : )
A fish that didn't get away from this good fisher boy.
Brothers just hanging out together and enjoying the scenery!We had one more day to complete for school that we saved for a field trip. The Keeslar family did it last year also, and we missed it, so I wanted to get the children to it this year. Time for shearing the sheep. So, come along as we fed the goats, and watched sheep get cooled off for summer. Very interesting and the children were quite fascinated by it.
The children have been learning about the Fruit of the Spirit throughout the school year, and so we chose to make that the theme of our "end of the year grandparent's party". Usually, we invite the grandparents and have a quaint little party. This year we decided to invite some neighbors and some other family and our good friends.
As everyone arrived we made introductions and guests set up their chairs infront of our make shift stage. With storms stirring in the west, we decided to cut the visiting short and get to the snacks and program, so we wouldn't get rained out.
Everyone enjoyed mingling, snacking, and anticipating this year's program.
The children started out by singing a song about the Fruit of the Spirit. Then they each had 3 Scriptures that they had memorized that were about each of the Fruit. As they said their verse/verses they held a sign up that said which word they were elaborating with more Scripture on. 
We've had a book from the library that I've always said, "When the children get big enough, I'd like them to do that as a play". Well, I decided that this was the year. The book is called "One Dark Night" and is about a mouse, mole and bear. It's a great story and the children already had masks that I printed from Jan Brett's website, so that completed their costume. Very simple, but I think everyone could tell who or what they were. As Jonathon read the story, the children acted it out and said only the lines where the animal says it in the book. 
Josiah was a hungry bear who stomped around being angry.
After the play, they came out and while Jonathon played his guitar, they sang a song that I put together that talked about the book and showed how the animals did or did not show the Fruit of the Spirit. This was a middle of the week thing when I realized that they needed just one more things because it was going to be just a tad short. Jonathon put music to my words and we added a great ending to their program. I do have to throw in here that a program isn't great without a good laugh, and Benaiah provided us with that. His part was an owl and all he had to do was say, "Whoo, whoo". When I raised him above the curtain, he threw his mask and said, "HI!" to the audience. Of course everyone laughed, and it added that special touch. 
The children had brown bags with apple butter and pumpkin bread or muffins that they clipped shut with clothes pins that had, hand-painted by the children, ceramic apples on them to give to their guests as an appreciation for them coming to their program.
Aunt MaryAnn and Charissa Morgan from New York.
Our new neighbor from California, Sharon.
Our other special neighbors, Ruth and Ernie.
Grandma Linda, Aunt Mandi, and Aunt Hazel.
Grandpa Dan and Grandma Deborah.
The Brothers Clan- Phil, Casie, Zeky, Elli, Amalyah, and baby to be.
And Great Grandpa Murphy who enjoys his great grandchildren.With needing some vacation time just the two of us, we planned a little mini vacation to Cumberland Falls Kentucky. Our first day, upon arrival, was sunny and really quite warm. We checked in to the Lodge and then checked out the area and did some hiking by the falls. Was really quite beautiful and the surroundings were so relaxing. 
The bees are out and doing their job.
There was even a small beach area that we were surprised by. Who needs Florida? Okay, it wasn't near as warm, but we got the beach feeling anyways. : ) 
A small water fall came out of the rock above and trickled down through the beach. My landing from jumping over it was quite lovely.
With the spring feasts approaching, I often times feel like I am unprepared for how I should truly be to celebrate them with the right heart attitude. So, since I stayed home from church with the boys today, I thought it was a good time to do some studying and begin the preparing process.
So many times things in the Scriptures line up perfectly. Why wouldn't they with a master author who knows all things from the beginning of times, to the end. The first thing that I find fascinating is that there are 7 Feasts of the Lord. The number 7 means "perfection" or "completion". The 7 Feasts are definitely complete. My little review here will not show the entire completeness and perfectness in the feasts, but is what the Lord blessed me with this evening.
Let's start with Passover as it is the feast that will be coming up next and is the first in the spring feasts that we look forward to. A couple Scriptures from the Old and New Testament that talk about Passover are Exodus 12:11-14, Leviticus 23:6, and Matthew 26:17-30. I especially like the one in Matthew as it shows that Jesus too kept this feast. Passover is to be a memorial. We are to remember the deliverance of God's people physically from Egypt and the spiritual deliverance of God's people through Jesus the Messiah.
Next is a seven day long feast, Feast of Unleavened Bread. Leviticus 23:6 and Matthew 26:17 are good referrences. As Passover approaches, we rid our home of all the leaven which represents sin in our life. As we become aware of the sin in our life, we spend the week of Unleavened Bread drawing nearer to the Lord, while separating ourselves from the sin.
First Fruits is the next feast that we observe, which is also Resurrection Day. Read Leviticus 23:10 and 1 Corinthians 15:20. All of the spring feasts go together nicely as was His plan I'm sure. Before Jesus died, he told the disciples that he would send a Comforter. So, after he resurrected, do you think the disciples were looking for that One that Jesus promised He would send to them?
Which takes us to Pentecost (also called the Feast of Weeks), the time when His Spirit, the Comforter He spoke of earlier, would come to bring us help along this journey. Exodus 34:22 and Acts 2:1 speak of this feast. And John 16:7 talks about the Comforter that He says He will send.
Beginning the fall feasts is the Feast of Trumpets. Leviticus 23:24 talks about keeping this feast and observing it and Revelation speaks of when the final trumpet will blow. Hallelujah for that day!!!
The next feast is not as much of a celebratory feast as most of them. The Day of Atonement reminds us of how the sacrifices of burnt offerings were not enough to atone for sin. You can read about it in Leviticus 23:27-28. I found it interesting that in Hebrews 9:13&14 it talks about the change in the priesthood. "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unlcean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spririt offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Because of God's sacrifice of Jesus, we no longer need to offer the burnt offerings that were done under the Levitical priesthood.
The Feast of Tabernacles is another long celebration of 8 days, from Sabbath to Sabbath. This one is truly amazing in all of it's perfectness. In Leviticus23:34-44 you can read about this feast. In verse 37 God says that these are "the feasts of the Lord" (not the feasts of the jews) and in verse 1 and verse 44. They are to be statutes that are kept forever, for generations (31 & 41- some say that this is only for Israel, but it talks about the strangers or foreigners keeping them as well. Guess we would fit the "stranger" or "foreigner"category). That is why we keep them, because they are HIS feasts, His appointed times, His seasons for us. Nothing that man created but straight from the Omnipotent God! Now come along with me for this perfect plan....
It doesn't say it definitively in the Scriptures, but when considering the events that took place around the time of Jesus' birth, it seems that it was definitely more likely to have happened during the Feast of Tabernacles. Here is a link to some very interesting details to the likelihood of this.
So, upon my studying and reading tonight, I wonder how one could believe in the Trinity (God, Jesus, and the Spirit all being one) and not believe that what God spoke from the beginning of time was what He still means even today. Jesus walked what God established from the beginning and aren't we to walk as Jesus did? Sometimes I do question what I believe now because it's so different than the average Christian. But I don't want to be an average christian who believes what people say. I want to be one who searches out the Scriptures with all my heart til I find what is consistent throughout it and believe what HE said. I love when I hear His voice challenging me to dig deeper and gain more understanding. And I do love realizing that there were things that I was wrong in and that there are things that I am still wrong in, but the desire to learn and grow in His Word, is exciting.
As the spring feasts approach, I want to be ready to celebrate as I should and as He requires of me. It does take effort, denying myself, having an open mind other than preconceived ideas and clinging to His Truth. But if that's what He wants, that's what I want.
Diella was doing something. I'm not sure what because I didn't see her. I just turned around to a girl holding a box of cereal, looking rather nervous in the face, with cereal all over the floor. Jonathon said that he got cereal on him and even caught some in his hand, and when she looked at him as if she were in trouble, he popped the cereal that was in his hand, into his mouth. 
So, the cleaning was a group effort. Diella sucked it up while the others ate it. I know, the 5 second rule was way up, but they just couldn't stand the thought of wasting it all and were hungry. : ) How can one be mad at a time like that? Maybe if they would have all ran off and ignored the mess, but they were all frantically eating and cleaning it up. Haha! Love my kiddos!
Last weekend we had a lovely Celebration for a friend from church. It was a vintage Cute as a Button party and turned out quite cute indeed. I posted some pictures here, but if you would like to see all the details from the Celebration, check out our CLB CeLeBrations! blog.
If you haven't checked out the other blog that I am involved in, you really should. It is in it's beginning stages, but it has turned into quite a fun project for me and a friend. CLB CeLeBrations! will hopefully continue to grow and provide fun and unique ideas to help others Celebrate events in life.
This event was for my friend's Daughter, Amalyah. She just turned 2 and had a great time enjoying the milk and cookies at her celebration.
We made pom poms to hang from the ceiling, the cookies, and Casie even did up the two trays in the middle from Dollar Store bargains. But, you can read all about that on the CLB CeLeBrations! blog.
Casie and I after all of our quick work getting ready and waiting for the guests.
Amalyah dipping her cookies. So cute!
The children decorated cookies to take home.
Here are Benaiah's cookies. He didn't have 2 whole cookies to take home since he took bites out even before he started decorating them. What a boy!!!
Laura and Amalyah!
Amalyah and Benaiah. 
