FIAR Time!

Back to blogging about school next week. : )
I'll begin to share about our Five In A Row adventures!!

Rain + Mud Puddle = Big Smiles

Brothers

I was looking at this picture today and thinking...first, what a blessing to have someone to grow up with. And second, I do know why people always think they are twins. They are definitely "mini-Bradleys". And I would not have it any other way. I pray they will also have their dad's passion and love for Jesus and His word. : )

What the Lord is teaching me: Meekness

I don't know about you, but I find comfort in knowing that God is changing me. It's challenging at times to admit our faults, but I believe there is freedom in confronting our so called weaknesses for what they really are = SIN.

One area the Lord has been speaking to me a lot lately is meekness...or I should say...my lack of meekness. This is such a foreign concept to me. Partly because of my upbringing. I was never thought what it means to have a quiet spirit. Partly, because of the way God made me...talkative, loud, opinionated, outgoing...did I say talkative already?

But I've come to understand that cultivating meekness it doesn't have to be related to your personality. You can be a very quiet/shy person and still not have a meek spirit. Praise God for this one! That means there's hope for me!

I have been listening over and over again this past month, a series Nancy Leigh Demoss shared on her radio program Revive our Hearts last June (you can still hear the broadcast from their archives).

If this is an area of struggle for you, I really recommend the series. I was very convicted...but at the same time given hope. She quoted many passages of scripture that speak on the topic. Many I had heard before but never really pay attention to them.

One thing I finally understood is how cultivating meekness relates so much to the way I deal with others. By God's grace I believe this will be an area of growth for the rest of this year . And that I will learn finally to be slow to speak, slow to get angry and quick to listen.

Nancy shared a list of comparison, with wonderful Bible references, of what a meek woman is like and what is not. I've printed this list for reference and will continue to look and pray over some of these areas.

Here's the link to list....

Characteristics of a Meek Spirit

Throughout the series she also quoted from a book by puritan Matthew Henry. Here's some of the quotes that spoke to me the most...


“Meekness is the silent submission of the soul to the 'providence' of God concerning us.”
—Matthew Henry

Isn't this so true?! If I keep silent during a situation that I don't agree with or judge as unfair, I am submitting to God and saying..."you know what is best, Lord. I don't need to fight this one". So revealing and freeing for me! Really need to have this perspective.


“It is better by silence to yield to our brother, who is, or has been, or may be, our friend, than by angry speaking to yield to the devil, who has been, and is, and ever will be , our sworn enemy.”
—Matthew Henry

Oh my! Did you read that again? I know I had to read this one few times! When I choose to give in to my anger, I am giving in to the enemy. After all, he wants our family to be divided, he doesn't want me to be a godly mother to my kids, right? But when I choose to yield to a person in silence...I extend the grace of God to them! Oh Lord, pierce this truth in my heart!


“If God should be as angry with me for every provocation as I am with those about me, what would become of me?”
—Matthew Henry

Not much to be said about this quote. I think is spelled out pretty clear. The answer is...I would be already destroyed by His wrath. Thank you God, for your gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Help me to be kind with one another, tenderhearted and above all forgiving one another, as you, in Christ forgave me (Ephesians 4:32).

The Put On Chart

The boys and I are enjoying a study on Colossians 3:12. The resource is called "The Put On" chart and available through Doorposts. It comes with the chart, resource guide and very cute paper dolls (boy and girl dolls included). Following the "put on" phrase, the boy (or girl) has different clothing items that represent the virtues mentioned on Colossians 3:12 (compassion, kindness, patience, humility, meekness, forbearance, forgiveness and love).

Each item is a great way to remember to put on that virtue. For example, compassion is represented by gloves, forbearance is a backpack and patience is a watch.

We are taking it very slow and focusing on one weekly virtue. The is a great tool! I'm using it for my own quiet time as well. It gives examples of people in the Bible that displayed that virtue (of course, Jesus modeled all of them for us!), ideas for situations you can role-play with the dolls, scripture for memory, prayer guides and more.

We have a tendency at home to focus on those attitudes we need to correct. So this resource has been a blessing to me because it is helping us to spend time every day focusing on godly character that we can put on.

We are praying every week that the Lord will give us opportunities to practice these virtues with those around us.

I'm 8 months old!

Hello everybody!...Sarah here...updating you on what's going on in our house, since Mami it's been busy taking care of us. I'm 8 months old now! And I'm learning to do a lot of new things. My crawling has been perfected and now I am everywhere...all the time. I've also started to say 'ba-ba' and 'ga-ga'. I can wave bye-bye a little bit...if I try hard. I can also understand when my Mami signs "all done" and "eat". She's got the boys signing at me all day long. So I know very soon I'll be able to sign as well.

My favorite thing these days is to stand up and get my legs strongs. I will be walking very soon!!

I also love eating puffs and cheerios..oh and those yummy yogurt melts Mami bought me. I'm also getting good at drinking water from the sippy cup.

My room has become the new playground as you can tell by the next picture. Every morning my brothers come to my room and play with me and read me stories. We all make a big mess together but Mami doesn't mind. She loves watching us be together like this. And I love my brothers very much. They make me laugh and babble more than anyone.

New Video Clips

New clips on the video bar, so I moved it to the top.

1. Sarah saying "ba-ba"

2. Boys playing at Splash Park by our house

3. Caleb reads from the Bible

4. Noah shooting hoops in our cul-de-sac

Enjoy! ;-)

Singer in training

It's never too early so start singing lesson at our house. Here's Sarah practicing her vocal abilities with the help of Mr. Mic. She absolutely loves this microphone. Maybe it's just a girl thing but she is definitely more high pitched than the boys. So I like to call her my "little Sarah Soprano". ;-)

Happy Bloggaversary to me!

I just realized my blog is two years old!

My first reason for starting this blog was to give my family a chance to peek at our daily life since I was away from them. Little did we know, now we are away from family on both sides and so they all get a chance to see regular updates.

Second, I wanted to have a place to encourage other moms who were considering homeschooling. I never thought I could do this and so I wanted them to show that it is possible and rewarding.

Third, I wanted to have a place to openly share joys and praises. And to look back and be thankful for what the Lord is doing in our lives. Our family is far from perfect and we have many daily struggles. I am not always a patient, compassionate, gentle mom, but God has given me grace to teach my children at home and I wouldn't trade it for anything! I also have a tendency to gravitate towards the complaints of life and this blog has helped me to focus on the good and be glad about it.

So...happy blogging to me! And thank you to those who read it. I pray our stories and school activities have been a blessing to you.