Lasting a Lifetime

     So far this New Year has been full of new!  Along with new goals, we have new ideas!  Here we have family time ALL the time.  Church and home school are alot of what we do.  I am so thankful of all our togetherness but recently realized we do not have much one on one time. 
     Nathan and I have started going out alone again after 10 years of marriage.  His idea for that has turned out great.  He's so good to me!  He even bought me a dozen roses yesterday when he ran into the store for diapers!  Even the kids are so excited when we go out!  They love spending time with others playing and having fun.  We are going to try this at least every other week.  It's been alot of fun and nice to eat without cooking or feeding someone else.  We also can't wait to be the kids again like it's been forever!  ;)
     Another thing we are currently implementing is one on one time with each older child.  A friend of mine encourages this as a way of becoming close with each individual child.  Nathan and I have always made an effort to pray and read with them together daily as a family, but one on one time seems harder to come by with our growing family!  The babies get TONS of attention from everyone daily.  Nathan regularly takes the girls hunting and fishing (sometimes as much as 5 or 6 times a week).  I, on the other hand, have my schedule full with everyone all at once!  Now once a week I am going to town alone and rotating turns with Kaley and Marianna.  This way we can talk without being interrupted, go eat, and/or do something special just between the two of us!  I have found even when it was just grocery shopping and errands, they loved it!  They love helping and feeling important as they are.  Little things are so important to them.  I am looking for this to open up a whole new relationship between the girls and I as they hit the teen years.
     I am so thankful for my marriage and our children that the Lord has blessed our lives with.  I want to keep all of those blessings close to my heart and guard them with prayer.  Nathan and I have a close relationship and want the same as a family.  I dream alot about them getting older...who they'll be, what they'll do...and I want all of their decisions to be based on God's plan and include us.  I desire to have a close relationship with each one (and their families that they choose).  I want them to be welcome at our house at all times and am willing to rearrange schedules and budgets to include every holiday, birthday, and family vacations.  They are all so special and we cannot take back time once it's past.  I am so thankful for the time I have now to kindle relationships with those I love that will last a lifetime!  

Re-planning Our Resolutions

     I read where New Year's Resolutions usually don't last until the end of the month.  One of my main goals this year was to encourage our family to live healthier through diet and exercise.  I'll have to admit that old habits are hard to break!  We are still using the reward charts.  All of us have around 40 stickers.  The pace at which we earn them is beginning to
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                                                                               N quite a bit though!  Sometimes it's so easy to go through a drive thru and eat junk or not exercise because life is so fast paced and busy!  So I've come up with a plan to spice things up a bit!  I'm going to go to town and buy Kaley and Marianna 2 gifts.  I plan to wrap them and place them on top of the refrigerator.  They will have a name and a star value.  One gift will have a name for 60 stars and one will have a name for 80 stars.  Then when every family member receives 100 stars, we will pick something to do together as a family.  This will also reinforce Marianna's counting skills as she has learned the "80 Family" in her Kindergarten studies.  I am hoping that a surprise just out of reach will be the push everyone needs to forge ahead in this New Year!  

I Heart Homeschooling!!!

Our School Room

     Homeschooling is a blast!  Guess what?  We even do school work!!!  ;)  Our school room is one of my favorite rooms in the house.  We use the Abeka DVD program.  This curriculum is pretty intense.  Kaley has recently been doing pre-algebra equations at only 9 years old.  I have been blessed thus far with very studious girls.  Even if that were not the case, it allows for as much practice as needed and one on one attention.  We work at our own pace according to our family schedule.  Yes, you may see us in town eating lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, but what you don't see is us testing at 5:00 in the afternoon or finishing up an Animal Science Notebook on Saturday.  This is the beauty of it-flexibility!  By law we are required to finish 180 days of school each year.  We do more than that actually.  We complete all 170 lessons that come with our curriculum plus make a big deal out of holidays and unit studies.  Awesome field trips are also a must!  We are a part of CCCHE, a local home school group, consisting of about 60 families from our area.  We meet once a month and do many activities as a group.  Watching my children learn to read sitting beside me in the recliner brings an indescribable joy to my heart.  I love being with them all during the day and not missing out on that part of their lives.  I couldn't imagine them being gone about 40 hours a week and only being here in the late afternoons.  A friend recommended this video to watch, and it is so funny because it is so true!  It is also sad that people do think this way... 

          

My Boys!

     Camouflage is just a way of life here.  I keep reminding Nathan that Clay may not like to hunt.  He only thinks that is weird.  I always hunted with my daddy and family and he with his also.  Nathan's parents bought Clay this outfit and even the matching camo boots.  She took this snapshot of them in the edge of the yard and emailed it to us.  Thanks Mamaw & Papaw! 

When The Serving Gets Tough

When chaos abounds...

When the kids are so needy...

When he's gone too much...

When there's 2 kids in dirty diapers... 

When I clean up one meal to start the next...

When the laundry baskets won't hold it all...

When I just cleaned and now it's worse...
When money is too tight... 

When the bills never quit coming...

When family contantly drives us nuts...

When I never have a moment to myself...

When God seems so far away...

Marshall Hall sings it so well! 

"There Is Nothing Greater Than Grace"

So When The Serving Gets Tough...

The Tough Keep Serving!!!

Meet the Kiddos

This is our oldest, Kaley Mariah.  She turned 9 in September.  Hyper would be the very first word to come to mind in describing her.  She's active and never seems to run out of energy.  She's also a caring and giving child.  She never wants to hurt anyone's feelings.  She is somewhat of a perfectionist which is sometimes good and sometimes not.  Her #1 goal in life is striving to please God.  She is extremely knowledgeable in the scriptures.  It's so unreal to me how many she can recite.  I won't take all the credit for that.  Most are learned through her home school curriculum.  She is my rock and oftentimes my lifesaver, a willing worker.  She's her Daddy's and Papa's sidekick when it comes to hunting and fishing.  Her Meme and I have also introduced her to the world of shopping! 

This our second child, Marianna Jewel.  She'll soon be 6 in March.  Her motto in life seems to be, "If all else fails, twirl!"  She is very laid back and easy going.  Nothing seems to ruffle her feathers.  She is definitely not a worker but will be glad to sit in your lap and soak up the love!  She is our most loving.  She loves babies and animals.  Her wish is that we'd have tons!  To my surprise, she enjoys learning and does very well in her school work.  She too has showed an interest in learning about God.  She's always playing and can entertain herself or any willing participant for hours on end.  She too loves the great outdoors.  Hunting and fishing both seem to be her knack.  On the other hand, she is always concerned about how "cute" she looks.

Raegan Amily is our baby girl.  She's both quiet and sweet.  Carrying around a baby doll is almost a must for her.  She loves to be held and listen to books.  She also has a silly side and makes funny faces.  Her feelings are carried around on her shoulders.  Being brave is just not her thing either.  You can't help but love her!  She's our little trouper-pulling through surgery at just 6 months old to repair an absence of skull on the very top of her skull.  You would never know it because even the scar hides under her hair.  She sticks close by Mama's side.  She is always full of love and laughter!

Mr. Clay Walker is our only little boy.  We will celebrate his 1st birthday in March.  He is a sweet, cuddly baby.  We love him dearly.  He is always full of smiles and love!  He is sure to be doted on and spoiled.  One day he's sure to wonder how anyone survives without a house that's full of sisters like he has!  He is very active and extremely busy...working so hard trying to walk and plunder!  He has this family by the heart strings! 

Then & Now

We met at a small town football game.  I was only 15, and he was 17.  We were just like any other teenagers...happy go lucky.  Falling in love just happened.  We didn't know what would lie ahead of us but somehow knew it was right.  We gave our hearts to the Lord while we were dating.  That's the real difference.  Young love is real and can last!  Jesus was the real reason it's all worked out.  He put the pieces together.  It was all just like a dream.  We married the following October after I finished high school.  It's funny now how young yet certain we were.  I can remember the excitement as we left heading towards our honeymoon destination.  We talked about how now we could "do what we want to do" without checking with anyone to see if it was okay.  lol  Lesson learned-Your parents never quit caring, and always treat you like their little kids.  Now, over 10 years has passed with countless lessons learned and 4 kids in tow.  I'd like to think we are still young as I'm headed into my 30's at rapid speed!  This isn't everyone's dream, but that's okay.  It doesn't have to be.  It's ours, and that's all that matters between us.  We are just two hearts, one dream and wouldn't trade it for anything!  Life is not always perfect.  Even Cinderella had obstacles to overcome, but in the end it was happily ever after!  Heaven is awaiting, and we are on this journey together. 

True love - when being together for eternity

just doesn't seem long enough.

In His Service,

Laurie