Here's J-Dog kickin' it around the house... what a blessing this boy has been!

We are so thankful for sisters in our house.

There is something so special about fathers and daughters. The way Josh interacts with our girls is so different than what they receive from hanging around with me. I have imposed some type of rule that I will teach our children to have excellent manners and therfore always exhibit them myself. We sip tea each afternoon in lieu of snack time and I lecture about sitting up straight and pleasant table conversation. Last night I began to wonder if it was all for nothing. Josh is so fun, so spontaneous and thank goodness that he is nothing like me because then our kids would probably go insane. We were enjoying the fun of a Papa Murphy's pizza around the dinner table when everyone began to belch on their Pepsi and giggle, followed by fart noise after fake fart noise. The kids and Josh were in stitches and for moment I wrinkled my forehead and gave Josh a deathglare. I caught a glimpse of the ugliness of my bad attitude and then I decided to pull a 180 and follow Josh's lead. I wanted to have some fun too and I let out the BIGGEST fart noise of the whole night to the delight of my children and husband. By following the lead of their daddy our girls will know how to have fun, and live in a home full of laughter! They will also see that their mama loves their daddy and that fart noises and all, we are a team. Seeing the way Josh wrestles, listens, plays dress up and just plain loves on our girls is priceless. I received a letter from my own dad this year on my birthday that was so beautiful and so intimate... he knows me and loves me and embraced what it meant to be the picture of God in my life at a young age. I realized that even as a married woman, a parent myself now, I long for the words I receive from my dad. They build me up, they encourage me and breathe life into my identity. The words and affection and interactions dads shower on their daughters are forming their very persons, their futures and will ultimately benefit generations. I am so thankful that Josh doesn't get tempted to hide behind pretense like me. I am so thankful that he is silly and fun and real with our girls. I am so thankful that he is present and not hidden from them. He amazes me with his love for our children. And about the whole manners thing... well, at least we still have tea time.

The Housewife 2000
Okay, so its the New Year....2007 and this picture was supposed to be the 2000 model. Where is my waterproof furniture and and sqeaky clean hose thingy? We do have a leather sofa, but I just don't think this method will fly around here. The promise of something new and clean is very appealing to me. I am constantly trying to find a "system" that I can put into action that will forever keep my home sparkling and new inventions that will help keep my kids' hair shiny and their teeth bright. (Anybody ever tried baby oil on a tangle, works like a charm!) I long for my carpet and hardwoods to be free of the moth ball, lint, pine needle junk that seems to collect every day. This weekend we were in an uproar around here... furniture was being rearranged, closets being emptied, garbage flying out the back door by the bag. It was a lot of work, but the process was one of rejuvenation. We were making way for the new, creating a fresh start. As this new year brings a bit of breezy fresh air and the hope of all things new, we are reminded of God's promise to us, the one that says HE has brought us the ultimate new, fresh, squeaky clean feeling I am seeking each January 1st.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am so thankful for this reminder. I don't have to work as hard as I think I do to polish up my heart or home or to measure up. I am taken in the arms of Christ, found in him... and new. When this word of God seeps in to my being I can relax a bit and live with floor lint and the clutter, remembering that what I am offer today through Christ is enough. I am enough for him. I still feel a little jipped about the lacking technology of the promised housewife 2000, but I am thankful for the reminder of who I am today as I scrub away around here. I am thankful that God is the one doing a great work in my heart and that when I give myself wholly to him, I can truly rest.... and have lots more time to clean :)

Kindergarten For All!
Here is Halle in late October, during a field trip to a local pumkin patch and petting zoo. Looking at this photo I am amazed that she is my little girl, she looks so grown up... wasn't she just learning to walk, talk and sing the ABC's? We are about to head into the second trimester of our first year of homeschooling, I thought I should reflect here about what the fall has looked like for us.
Undoubtedly, we are challenged as parents and teachers, growing ourselves as we live life along side our children. It is an amazing process for us, a 'kindergarten' year for us as well as for Halle as we lay a foundation for education in our home, discovering what works within our family culture and what we can do without. The basic ingredient of the fall has truly been joy. We are loving what it means to connect with our kids, to create a life that is rich and full in our home and where we can simply enjoy eachother as we pursue God's word and knowledge with purpose. The blessings of this choice and this life as home educators has surpassed our understanding thus far. There is a perfect peace in what we are doing and as parents, Josh and I have never felt more fulfilled. Honestly, we were so scared to begin this endevor... were we qualified enough? Did we have what it takes to teach? Was our home the best place for Halle to experience lessons and education in specific subjects rather than just discipleship and fun and yummy food? How would Maia and Jones react and come along to Kindergarten? Would I burn out? Would we all have braids and be wearing plaid jumpers by May? Our minds were reeling... but we stepped out in faith, believing that God had called us to this work and He has met us and drawn close to our hearts and to our children's hearts. We are on this journey now and loving it!
So, after studying lots of art, music, poetry, literature, trees, American history, reading, math, handwriting and character traits this fall, we are off and running. Our first trimester lasted 12 weeks and concluded the last week of November. We will begin school again on January 3rd after having spent the month of December baking, making gifts, visiting friends and celebrating Jesus's birth. I am antzy to begin, the kind of squirmy, ready to run a marathon feeling I get in late August when my spirit is longing for routine and order and a bit of 'normal.' Thank you for reading and supporting us on this journey. Now that I am becoming more technically savvy, I will hopefully be able to document more of our life together on this blog each week, instead of in three month stretches! I'll end this post by encouraging you to receive the promise of being 'heirs together in the grace of life' with your family. Spend sometime asking Jesus what that looks like for you... it is certainly likely to look very different from our family. Maybe discovering what that is is a little scary, it was for us... but such beauty comes from a life lived by faith and where our unique gifts and abilities are being used. Be blessed in how the Lord has created you, fulfilling the work he created in advance for you to do. We'd love to hear your story.

Here'sour cutie Christmas card! Merry Christmas!

Josh and Kristen

Halle Judea
Halle is our helper, our child blessed to be a blessing to others through organizing, arranging and creating. She loves art and singing and ballet and has a flair for storytelling. She is extrememley sensitive and observant and we say she's our 'deep waters' girl.

Maia Necia
Maia is our passionate extrovert. She is so full of life and cuddles and loves. We often find her changing her baby doll's diapers or 'nursing.' She keeps us all on our toes with her big personality and breakdancing.

Jones Young

Jones is the new man about the house. He is incredibly sweet and easy as far as babies go. He is never lacking a smile or giggle for his big sisters and is obsessed with his Johnny Jumper. We are exciting to have another man to balance things out around here and are learning all about the life of a young warrior by watching him.