My friend Amber has a need right now, so I'm trying to help in any way I can. Please just click on this link and read about her and her high-risk pregnancy, give what you can and SHARE so that others can help too. Thanks so much!

Amber's GoFundMe page


.

Friends

Since leaving Facebook, I feel like we really don't have any friends to speak of. Sure, there are a few random texts from people I haven't heard from in a while, and it's always great to hear from them, but aside from my husband, my mom and one friend who I've known since before FB, I don't hear from people very often.

I know they are busy, but I also know that when you are on Facebook and plan your events, advertise your work and keep in touch with *most* friends through it, then there really isn't life outside of Facebook! Which is one of the main reasons I left. It sucked up my whole life, and I was determined to rebuild my life apart from social media. (There are a few other reasons I left too, though.)

But we long for fellowship with other like-minded believers. No one remembers to invite us to events anymore since we're no longer on FB.

I'm so glad Passover is here (we are observing tomorrow night). We have just been practicing Passover together as a family for the last few years, so it won't be a social event for us, but I LOVE YHWH's feast days! We learn something new every year, and as our children are mostly still young, there is so much to teach them.

We are planning to stay home for Sukkot this year, which I have mixed feelings about, but after last year, I am looking forward to it. Not sure who we'll invite yet, but probably at least one other family, maybe 3 or 4.

We are also looking forward to a short vacation coming up soon where we will get to see a few of our friends and family in Texas! We were without a family vehicle for a year and a half, and we now have an awesome Suburban that we are going to put to good use.....to visit our friends in real life, face to face! We may even be visiting a friend we met through Facebook that we have not yet met in person (been there, done that, and they are the BEST!).

So, I guess what I'm trying to get at is....this is a new phase in life for us. We feel isolated against our will, but I know it's only temporary, and it has been good in some ways. Right now we're trying to figure out how to reach out to others while also making decisions for our future. Big decisions. We live very simple lives, but we do have big dreams! Last year was SUPER HARD for us, but this year has already been better and is looking up! Praise Abba for His many blessings, and that we can still see His hand in the bad times. El Shaddai reigns! \o/

November

I am determined to get caught up on photos!!! So here's November in pictures. :)

Jayla lost another tooth. This one has been loose for a while, and it is the first one she pulled completely on her own!

Some dear friends gave me a baby shower just before Joe arrived! What fun!

The dirty diaper game! Too funny!

Jacob and Jack LOVE trains. They had a close-up view one day while Jayla was in dance class!

Jacob turned 6 on the 10th!

This lady at CiCi's gave him a dollar and a balloon. :) He talks to anyone and everyone, so he just melted her heart and she wanted to do something for him. I don't think she even spoke English very well!

His main/big gift was GeoTrax. He doesn't like "trains with faces" anymore, so we got TWO TUBS of these (about 5 sets) for a great price, and he LOVES them!

Homeschool Thanksgiving & Talent show dinner

 

Jayla and Jack! Haha!!

The chicks are growing fast!

2010 Homeschool Olympics - pictures!

It's always fun seeing old friends at this annual event! I never seem to think about it at the right time, but I wish I would have taken more pictures of the kids with their friends!

Jayla just can't hold baby M enough! She is about 4 months old and is such a sweetie!

And now there is another new baby, about 2 weeks old, and Jayla will get to hold her on Sunday! :)

I'm sure these two will be great friends!

This is probably the "biggest" shot I got, meaning, with the most people. I need to plan my shots ahead next time!

And here's my cutie close up, messy mouth and all! :)

And guess who is playing in our tent.......

These two silly boys! This is Jacob (left) and "Lion Cub" from Zimms Zoo. They have been good friends for a while now, and boy do they have fun together! :)

I know some of our friends got some pictures of my kids, so I'm hoping to be able to add a few more later. Until then, I will continue to try to catch up on other posts! *sigh*

My personal testimony

I was a sinner (Rom. 3:23), I placed my faith in God who saved me through His grace (Eph. 2:8-9), and now I am dying to myself and living for Him daily (Luke 9:23)!

I do not really remember much of my life before I committed it to Christ at the age of 5. All you really need to know is that I was a sinner, just like everyone else in this world. I realized that I needed a Savior, not for "fire insurance", but because He loved me and wanted me to be with Him for all eternity, praising His name forever! (1 Peter 3:8-9)

I lived a pretty typical "good Christian" life and never got into big trouble with anyone. God definitely had His hand of protection on me concerning things of this world, such as drugs, sex, and anything that comes along with hanging around the wrong crowds (the influence of the world). Even though I saw these things in the Christian school I attended and in church youth groups as well, I recognized that it was not God's plan that was messed up but the heart of individuals who were not seeking His will. They were only seeking selfish desires. I was not immune to selfish desires, but mine were more along the lines of wanting to just hang out with friends regardless of other priorities, not taking care of my body as well as I should and things like that. Still bad. Still selfish. Still sin.

And I still struggle with these things. Not that they are "easier" to deal with now, but as an adult and as I have grown in Christ, I recognize the importance of putting selfish desires of any kind to rest and trust that God will take care of my wants if they are HIS desires. I have learned to pray that my desires become His desires, and it works!

The greatest time of growth for me personally has been in the last 3+ years. I met a family who holds weekly meetings in their home. I learned a lot about how the New Testament Church was structured, and I was faced with some biblical doctrine I had not ever heard before, or in some cases, had even argued against before. My first reaction was to run away, thinking it was false doctrine. I was challenged, and through trials come growth! James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I have also learned to pray for wisdom, believing God will give it to me (James 1:5-6, the very next verses), and what a difference this truly makes!

So as I was challenged, I continued to ask God for wisdom. The teacher at these bible studies, the elder of this house church, taught in a way that made us look for the answers ourselves straight from God's word (2 Timothy 2:15). He asked questions and was constantly giving Scripture passages to look up, many of these things I had read over my whole life but never noticed before! After having been in church since the first Sunday after I was born, I honestly felt completely dumb every time I walked through the door of this house. But that was a good thing because I had become teachable!

After a few months, some concerned friends and family were getting to me. I started having doubts about whether these doctrines that were being taught were really biblical or if this was some kind of cult, as the average life-long denominational Christian seemed to believe. So I backed off for a while. I stopped meeting with this group of believers, but I was still challenged and still hungry for the word! Over the next couple of years I thought of this family and the others who attended quite often. I would occasionally call or email, but they had come to believe that I was like most other Christians and was not open to any more teaching. They thought I had gone back to the denomination and was no longer teachable.

Not so! Quite the contrary, actually. As I was continually challenged by family and friends, I only saw confirmation again and again that some of the doctrines I had held onto most of my life were indeed false! Instead of listening to the doctrines of men, I was now listening to the Word of God, and I could see much more clearly that so much of what I believed was wrong! And it was important to get it right!

As a result of me being challenged and growing through it all, I am now burdened to challenge others. I do not always come across well in written form, but I am overcome with love for God and for my Christian brothers and sisters, for everyone to get the doctrines of the bible right. God desires unity, so I do not believe it is okay to just "agree to disagree". (Eph. 4:3, Rom. 15:5-6, Phil. 2:2) 1 Cor. 10:10-13 says, "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" There is so much in the bible about being in unity. We are all part of one body, the body of Christ. I do not have all the right answers, but I definitely have better answers now than I did 3 years ago, because they come from the bible, not from denominational doctrine.

Through being challenged in a denominational church earlier this year, I have learned that by adopting a creed, a statement of faith, catechisms, etc. I was putting God in a box and did not feel the need or desire to learn outside of those things. I have also learned that if those things are truly based on Scripture, then I do not need to rely on man's own interpretation of Scripture....I have my own copy of God's word and the Holy Spirit to interpret for me! I think that is why there is so much division in the Church right now. Everyone wants to believe something different, and instead of just simply studying the bible together, they refer to a written outline, a man-made set of beliefs. No wonder there is so much confusion in the Church, and we know confusion does not come from God! (1 Cor. 14:33)

I pray that all who read this testimony of how God is working in my life will be challenged in their own walk, to seek the Truth of God's holy word and not rely on man-made doctrine. May God get the glory. For only He is worthy. I am merely a vessel used for His purpose, to give glory, honor and praise to the Creator of all things! It is my prayer that I will be used to show others how they can do the same. God bless!

Fun at Zimms Zoo!!!

We had such a fun day today! We haven't really gone out much lately, so when my friend over at Zimms Zoo invited us over, I jumped right at the invitation! She had invited us to swim, but it was rainy this morning. She called to tell me that we could still swim if it stopped raining but the girls were planning a tea party and the boys could play with Legos if it didn't let up. So, I just sort of settled on the tea party and Lego idea since it wasn't very hot.

By the time we finally got over there though, it was bright and sunny and starting to get pretty warm! All the girls immediately started serving food and making tea for their party. They were so cute! They had made fancy cucumber sandwiches, shortbread cookies, cantaloupe balls and some marinated tomatoes with mozzarella cheese. Jayla and "Parrot" were all dressed up, ready for their fancy tea time together. :)


The boys were so excited to play with Legos, and "Brown Bear" has a TON of them! His personal collection is nearly as big as our homeschool group's Lego Club collection! They made some boats and then were ready to test them out in the pool. (Christy has some really great pictures of the older boys flipping into the water that I will add on here when I get them!)





So we had fun watching them swim for quite a while, then went back in for a little more Lego/tea party/Wii fun and some more chatting. It was nearly FIVE HOURS before we left, and I had no idea! I guess time really does fly when you're having fun!
Oh, and how could I forget to mention this beautiful little girl?! Koala is about 6 months old now and really lights up the room! She is so, SO CUTE! :)


Another great thing about our visit today is that I got to see two other friends who I have not seen in quite a while. A single man (Rocky) from the church we used to attend came over as well as Mrs. Troop, both of whom I have not seen in over two years! I only saw Mrs. Troop for a couple of minutes, but it was still good to see her. I have missed her a lot! She is so sweet and easy to talk to. Lots of wisdom! Her kids are all adorable too.

Rocky.....silly guy!
Thanks again for having us over, Zimms! I'm sure your house is a lot more fun than mine, but we'll definitely have to return the favor soon! And Jayla kept begging me to let her spend the night soon, so we'll have to have a couple of your girls over for that sometime too! :) Fun times!

Memories

I posted this on my Facebook status and thought I'd put it here too, just for fun. I will check everyone's blog to see if you do it too so I can comment on yours! If you're on my list on Facebook, feel free to comment there and I'll do the same! Here it is:

If you read this, even if we don't speak often, post a comment with a memory of you and me. It can be anything you want, either good or bad. When you're finished, post this paragraph on your own status and you'll be surprised at what people remember about you....

Fun at the park

Chrys bought us some pizza last night and we met at the park. We had lots of fun, even though Jack got squished a couple of times.....he kept going back for more! Here are a few pics.