I Choose Joy! Counting 1,000 Gifts (16-50)

16. Tacky glue

17. Gemma snores as she is in a cozy ball on her bed this cold winter day.

18. Homemade powdered sugar.

19. My husbands sense of humor.

20. My sister Molly's visit.

21. The smell of pork roast cooking in the crock pot.

22. Jonah's eagerness to "bunk: in with his brothers on the floor to make room for his cousins.

23. Light weight, wind stopping, breathable running jacket.

24. Gluten free, corn free, egg free, and  dairy free puppy chow!

25. Fruit smoothies for breaky.

26. Fog that just touches the roof of the car as we drive under it.

27. A great uncle that was always positive about everything and everyone. He was such a good role model for humility.

28. An amazing relationship with my sisters and their families.

29. Cousins that love to play legos!

30. Breathtaking orange moon to fill the night sky.

31. Popcorn with lots of butter and salt!

32. Stickers!

33. Our young Jacobs belly laughs!

34. When we have a sick kiddo that he gets the vomit in the pale.

35. Rainy days to water the plants in before the cold winter sets in.

36. Couches in the kitchen.

37. Recordings of the Christmas program from church so we can listen and enjoy it again the next day at home.

38. Christmas music on the radio.

39. Husbands help with sick kids.

40. Fevers that are down.

41. Hearing my moms smile over the phone.

42. Being able to connect with Aussie friends through facebook. I miss them and am happy to see photos and keep up with what they are doing.

43. Being able to stay home with the kids full time.

44.Twinkling Christmas lights throughout the house.

45. Daily advent projects in an attempt to prepare our hearts for a Savior.

46. 3 eager boys to help with any task you give them.

47. Smiles so big they show dimples.

48. Construction equipment across the street for the boys to watch.

49. Our oldest singing the 10 commandments.

50. Text messaging.

I Choose Joy! Counting 1,000 Gifts (1-15)

I have had the book 1,000 gifts (by Ann VosKamp) rolling around in my head and heart for some time now. This morning as I ran, it really resonated with me. I have a choice every day, to be thankful and joy-filled or not to. I Choose Joy! It is not possible to have feelings of joy and gratitude at the same time feeling discontentment. One way to keep the feeling of joy is to journal all the things we are thankful for on a daily (even minute by minute) basis. I am going to attempt to work my way to 1,000 gifts.

1. Crisp early morning runs.

2. Ponds that look like a giant mirror, reflecting Gods beauty.

3. Christmas lights to guide my run.

4. Snuggling under the down comforter with my boys in the early morning hours.

5. Crumb-free floors.

6. Warm winter days when we can still ride our bike to the park.

7. The surprise of my husband coming home from work early!

8. Our middle sons natural scent as he snuggles in with me for a hug and kiss.

9. Piano music filling the house first thing in the morning.

10. Our youngest fulfilled "flute" music.

11. The dogs happy dance as she sees you coming.

12. Memory work on Character Qualities recited and put into action by our oldest.

13. The chance to build the Great Wall of China out of FloraCraft Styrofoam with our 1st grader. I love homeschooling!

14. The happy sounds of tent builders in the next room.

15.The generosity of those supporting mission work.

How has God blessed you today?

Family Camp = Family Fun!

The anticipation has been building all summer for our first annual trip to Trout Lake Family Camp. We just returned from several days of fun and excitement. Trout Lake did not disappoint. Who could ask for more than family worship, rock climbing, zip line, archery, swimming, flying squirrel, rockets, leap of faith, carnival, sharking, black light dodge-ball, and the list goes on.... Family camp was awesome.

Here is a peak into the last few days of awesome. I should warn you in advance. It was very hard to narrow the pictures to a few favorites from a couple hundred. There were just to many things to be able to include them all, but here is a few highlights.

Rocket Building...

 Rocket Launching....

LOVE THIS PART .... Is this right up our alley or what?!

 And the overall winner, with a launch of about 100 yards is..... Jacob!

And this was just some of the fun. We also had archery,

zip line,

Chris is 2nd from the right.

Loves it!

and flying squirrel, which involves 9 people in a harness.

8 are hooked up as the "horses" running in 1 direction 
9th person runs in the opposite direction.

 

the effect is the single person is lifted 40 feet in the air, an adrenaline rush, and lots of giggles!

 Chris really liked this one!

Leap of faith is a climb to the top of a 20 foot pole, balance on top and jump to the bar. Much harder than it looks, but lots of fun! This is a favorite of mine. I am pretty sure Chris enjoyed it as well.

Ready, Set

Jump!

The kids had plenty to do as well. Family rock climb which is a big hit with Noah and Jacob!

 

Water Sports

Our guys are the first couple on the left (their left). Great friends are the first couple on the right. This equals fun!

Tango!

We left feeling closer to God, to each other, and yep a little sore. All in all it was totally awesome and we cannot wait to return!

Of course it would not be a family photo without some silly faces!

I Am Extreme!

About a year ago I was in a discussion with a couple people when the bomb was dropped. They told me that I am extreme. WHAT? ME? I did not take it as a compliment, and I am sure that they did not mean it as one. I will not go into the details of why it came up but the words, "you are so extreme" have been rolling around in my head on and off since.  Today, for the first time I have a sense of peace about it and even an excitement. So friends, I tell you with a smile on my face, the cat is out of the bag, I am extreme and great with it!

I read the definition and find that extreme is 1. beyond the ordinary or average 2. farthest from the center or middle. Some of the synonyms are words like greatest, highest; ultimate, extravagant, uncompromising. Wow! Wish I would have looked at it in this light a year ago.

Let me bare my heart and tell you you some things that I am extreme about....

I am extremely greatful when I think about the fact that "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

I am extremely humbled that Jesus died on the cross for a sinner like me.

I am extremely in love with my husband/best friend and thankful for all that he does and for our marriage.

I am extremely in in awe of our wonderful kids. I am thankful that God has trusted us to raise them and teach them. I am extreme about their education and feel so blessed that I get to teach them again this coming year.

I am extremely picky about what our kids eat. Especially after dealing with the trials of what food can do for our behavior, learning, fitness, energy level and general health.

I am extremely blessed to have such amazing sisters, parents, and family.

I am extremely thankful for dear friends. There are some amazing people in our lives and I am great full for each and every one of them.

I am extreme black and white or uncompromising with things like faith and human life. The farthest from center or middle.

I have extremely high standards.

My heart is extremely compassionate for orphans and children in need.

When I reflect on this I am not sure that I am extreme enough in the areas of life that really matter for eternity. You see it is a complement to be passionate and unwavering about things that really matter.

Are you extreme?

 

Cannonball Dive!

The boys cannot get enough of summer! Swimming, boating, biking, baseball, anything outside. I am so thankful for kids that love the outdoors and activity as much as Chris and I do.

The Great Outdoors!

Our family loves many things, but one of our favorites is time outside. Add together time outside with great friends, fishing, bike rides, the nature center, and swimming and you have the perfect weekend!  Although we camped pretty close to home the adventure was wonderful.

The boys were excited to have all weekend to spend time with their friends.

 Time to go fishing! Don't go without me!

Bike ride with the crew to the nature center.

  Caleb and Noah with antlers.

Jonah wanted to try antlers as well, but all he could find was hooves. Silly Guy!

 Time to head back to camp for an evening of games and a campfire.

It was a little crazy with 3 kids, 2 adults, and 2 dogs in our tent! We would not have it any other way. I wish we would have thought to get a family photo as it was Chocos last camping trip. But we have lots of memories to reflect on. Thanks Jeff, Amy and family for such a great weekend. Looking forward to many more outings like this!

Llamas!

What could be more fun than a field trip to the llama farm? One of the many exciting things about school is the field trips. In May we took a trip with a few other families to the llama farm. It was wonderful.
We started the almost 4 hour visit with an educational time. There were so many things that I/kids did not know about llamas.
The educational section was followed by the much anticipated trail walk. Each child got to walk a llama, and this was no short walk. Even super dad got in on the fun!

Noah enjoyed walking Tootsie...

Jacob is a kind of animal whisper. He walked several, but in the end had the most fun with Mocha.

Walking the obstacle course

Sweet Jonah! He is 2 years old going on 16. There is not much that gets by him. He is one tuff cookie. Mariah did not want to walk, but Jonah did not give her much of an option. It struck me as funny to see an 6+ foot tall animal getting handled our the little man.

Say Cheese!

After our walk the kids were able to see a llama getting sheared, see the yarn after it is cleaned, make a project, and groom the llamas.

Lastly our 3 boys helped put all the llamas back out to pasture for the farmer. All in all the outing was educational, fun and engaging. Our family would definitely give it 2 thumbs up!