It's blueberry season!

And we LOVE fresh blueberries! So much that we picked over 12 pounds this morning! We had such a great time . . . here, let me show you . . .

Now isn't that just DELICIOUS!

Words that made me think . . .

I recently read these words on another homeschool mom's blog . . . they were yet another reminder for me to be PURPOSEFUL in everything I do with my children. They are mine but for a short time and I need to carefully steward every moment that I have with them.

Find Your Wings

by Mark Harris

It's only for a moment

You are mine to hold

The plans that heaven has for you

Will all too soon unfold

So many different prayers I'll pray

For all that you might do

But most of all I want to know

You're walking in the truth

And if I never told you

I want you to know

That as I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind

That leads you through your days

And may conviction keep your strong

Guide you on your way

May there be many moments

That make your life so sweet

Oh but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings

It's not living

If you don't reach for the sky

I'll have tears as you take off

But I'll cheer as you fly

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams

And that faith gives you the courage

To dare to do great things

I'm here for you whatever this life brings

So let my love give you roots

And help you find your wings

Lord God, help me to see my children every moment of every day as the precious gifts from You that they are . . . help me to see my job as a mother to help them grow to be secure in Your love for them and confident to use the gifts and abilities that You have given them to serve those in the world around them. I don't want to waste even a moment of the time that You have entrusted to me in raising my children -- help me, Lord, I pray.

It's been a while since my last post . . .

. . . because we've had a very busy week! Lael went to summer camp at Twin Pines (http://www.twimpines.org/) for the first time last week -- she was there from Wednesday evening to Saturday morning! It was a big step for her (and for her mommy and daddy), but she had a wonderful time. Three other little girls from our church attended with her, which made it all the more fun for her. She loved swimming in the pool, riding the paddleboats, seeing the animals at the nature center and learning more about Jesus.

While she was gone, Jaden had special times with Mommy and Daddy, including a camp-out on the living room floor with Daddy, special art projects with Mommy and movie nights. In spite of all the fun, Jaden definitely missed his best friend and was VERY glad to have Lael home again!


Then on Saturday, Nana and Papa arrived from Massachusetts for a weekend visit! We were up to see them at Christmas time, but we haven't seen them since . . . and their last trip down here was last summer right after we moved. So, we packed our time full of shopping, reading stories, eating yummy food and making lots of memories! Sunday night we went to a special outdoor church service with a Christian ventriloquist -- his ministry is called Ryan and Friends ( http://ryanandfriends.com/ )! He had us laughing alot, and he had our daddy up front helping to tell the story of David and Goliath! That was pretty cool (at least Lael and Jaden thought it was cool . . . I'm not sure that Daddy felt the same way)!


All in all, last week was great -- now this week I need to really get planning for our upcoming school year. Back-to-school time will be here before we know it!

Wordless Wednesday!

Our wonderful anniversary get-away!

Last week, my wonderful husband took me to a beautiful bed and breakfast in Lancaster County to celebrate our ninth anniversary . . . we had such a great time!

Twin Pine Manor Bed and Breakfast

View of the front of the house taken from the gazebo

View of Lancaster County farms from the rooftop deck

The back of the bed and breakfast

Brent enjoying the beautiful piano

The rooms are all unique and utterly gorgeous . . . you can check them out at their website if you want. (We stayed in the Victorian room.) The grounds are spectacular . . . I was captivated by all the amazing flowers -- probably because I don't do so well at growing them myself! The food was just delicious -- both at Twin Pine Manor as well as the various restaurants we visited during our stay!

We listened to the tape of our wedding, looked at a scrapbook of our engagement, wedding day and honeymoon, and savored the memories. But the best part about our time away was the time we had to reflect on the past nine years of marriage and look forward with anticipation to what God has in store for us in the future.

I love you, Brent . . . thanks for a wonderful get-away! I look forward to next time!

I did it!

I'm a "published" homeschool unit author! I submitted two literature-based units to Homeschool Share for consideration . . . and both were published! I'm so excited (in case you couldn't tell) . . . you can check them out if you'd like! One of the units I did was for preschoolers and focuses on helping them to learn basic concepts like colors, numbers and shapes . . . all through play -- which is the best way to learn! http://www.homeschoolshare.com/ellen_stoll_walsh.php
The other unit was based on one of our family favorites: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. It has a lot of weather vocabulary, which made it a great springboard for a unit: http://www.homeschoolshare.com/cloudy_with_a_chance_of_meatballs.php

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Reflections on July 10, 1999

July 10, 1999 . . . a day that changed my life forever! It was the day I became Mrs. Brent Martin -- one of the happiest, most longed for and prayed for days in my life!

It's hard to believe that we are on the eve of our tenth year of marriage, yet it's even harder to remember what life was like when we were single. Being married to Brent is such a gift, and every day I'm more and more thankful that I am so privileged to walk through this life with him.

I remember sitting alone in my apartment on East New Street after our rehearsal dinner nine years ago, spending time with God and just thinking and praying, so excited for what the future was going to hold, so looking forward to not having to say "goodbye" any more, but just "good night". I was going to be a wife -- not that I had a clue what that would be like, but I was looking forward to the adventure!

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect -- a celebration of our God and His awesome work at bringing the two of us together. We led worship together at our wedding, received words of exhortation from our pastor as well as two of our mentors . . . I even surprised Brent by singing a song to him! It was an amazing day that so reflected us!

It's fun to reminisce . . . but I know that the best is yet to come! Thank you, God, for the precious gift of our marriage, and I pray that we will continue to walk together in love as we raise our children in You and seek to touch those around us with Your love!

Homeschooling Virtual Seminar

Here's a great opportunity to get ready for the upcoming homeschooling year with a mini-conference you can attend from the comfort of your home!

What is it? Let's Get Organized for the New School Year Virtual Seminar!
When is it? THIS WEEKEND--July 11-12
Who runs it? It is organized by Cindy Rushton (www.cindyrushton.com) . . . she has an incredible heart for homeschooling and a passion to pour into homeschooling families.

I "attended" an event that Cindy put together back in May. . . the Ultimate Homeschool Expo, and it was just AMAZING! I was so very blessed! I was encouraged in practical issues regarding home management, homeschooling, organization, parenting, and simply my own personal relationship with God and how that should permeate everything I do, especially homeschooling my precious gifts from God.

Another really cool thing about these virtual seminars is that you can attend "live" but your ticket also enables you to access the seminars afterwards and download them to your computer or iPod. That's what I have done with the Ultimate Homeschool Expo . . . I've been listening to different seminars on my iPod while I'm at the gym or running errands. (My husband has enjoyed them as well.) The cost is very reasonable, especially when you factor in gas prices and child care if you were to attend a traditional conference or seminar.

If you are interested in more information on Cindy's seminar this weekend, you can get it here:

http://www.cindyrushton.com/LGO2008.html I know that she will have great things for all who participate (and some freebies and downloads as well)!

Happy 4th of July!

We had fun celebrating the 4th of July . . . and fun getting ready for it! We decided to make t-shirts in honor of our nation's birthday.

To begin, we used artist tape and star stickers to prepare the t-shirts for painting. Lael and Jaden each decided where they wanted their stars and stripes to be. Mommy helped with the stripes, and the kids placed their stars themselves.

Then it was time to paint . . . we used sponge brushes and fabric paint.

It took a while to cover all the desired areas with paint!

Then we had to WAIT . . . and WAIT . . . and WAIT . . . and WAIT SOME MORE . . . for 24 HOURS so that the paint could thoroughly dry before we could unveil the finished product.

However, in the end, the wait was worth it! What do you think?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

Keeping busy . . .

Yes, there's always something going on here . . .

From building forts and having adventures

to climbing trees (with Daddy's help)!

Life is good!

What a year this has been!

Here we are . . . Easter 2007, waiting for the adventure to begin!

One year ago today, Brent preached his first sermon as a senior pastor at our new church! Looking back, we had NO idea what we were doing . . . but we knew that God had called us and we were going to obey!

Today I had two thoughts simultaneously: "I can't believe it's already been a year" and "I can't believe it's only been a year". The time has flown by so quickly that it hardly seems possible that a whole year has passed. At the same time, we are so much at home here that it feels like we've been here a whole lot longer than a year!

To all who have prayed for us, encouraged us and cheered us on this past year, "thank you" does not begin to express our appreciation for your investment into our lives. Though the road is sometimes rough and our path at times rocky, we know that we are in the hands of our loving heavenly Father, and we'd never choose to be anywhere else! We are truly blessed and humbled that God is choosing to use us to make a difference for Him!

Easter 2008 . . . one year later! God is so good!

Our week at Vacation Bible School

We were invited to attend Vacation Bible School being held at another church in our denomination, and since our church doesn't have a VBS, we went. What a fun week! (Mommy even got to hang out and join in on the fun.)

The theme for the VBS was "Amazon Expedition" and we spent the week in the rainforest (one of our favorite places)! The Bible lessons took a look at the 7 C's of history -- using the Bible as our history book. What are the 7 C's? I'm so glad you asked! They are:

• Creation
• Corruption (the fall - Adam and Eve)
• Catastrophe (the flood - Noah and the ark)
• Confusion (the Tower of Babel)
• Christ
• Cross
• Consummation (Christ's ultimate return)

Pretty impressive, right? Here's something more impressive - Lael and Jaden know all of these, they can SING about them, and they know what they mean! (yes, that's a mommy brag!)

The curriculum for this VBS was put out by Answers in Genesis (http://www.answersingenesis.org/) and it was so well done! I believe it's so important to give our kids answers to the questions that our culture will ask them so they are better equipped to give a reason for the hope within them. I'm looking forward to checking out more of their resources to help me better teach my children.

We had so much fun at VBS - crafts, snacks, classroom time, skits and contests! Each night they also had a Creature Feature, with some live creatures visiting VBS (a thrill for my animal-loving daughter). We saw a ball python, bearded dragon lizards, a cockatiel, geckos and parakeets. Lael and Jaden both held the bearded dragon, although Jaden quickly returned the lizard when it scratched his neck! All in all, it was a great week . . . check it out yourself!

Let's go to the park!

We've been enjoying the wonderful summer weather so much. And we love the park system in our city! Even after living here for a year, we are still discovering new parks to explore! Here are some of our latest outdoor adventures . . .

Father's Day fun!

Here's Daddy with his children on Father's Day!

We love you so much Daddy!

Jaden says, "I love you, you're special and you're precious!"

Lael says, "There isn't a better daddy in the whole wide world than you!"

Brent, you are such a wonderful daddy to our children. I thought I knew what loving you was all about when we got married, but seeing you as a father showed me parts of you I would have never known any other way. Thanks for being committed to our family, for lovingly leading us in the ways of the Lord. I thank God for you!

Just what have we been up to?

Great question! I feel like the past few weeks have been uncharacteristically busy for us, probably because they have been! But it's been good stuff and we've been having fun! Here's my attempt to play "catch up" . . .

• June 1st was Children's Sunday at church with an "around-the-world" theme. Lael dressed up like a Spanish senorita, while Jaden wore his hat from Africa and carried an ethnic instrument. The congregation surprised us with a "welcome back" cake -- as we begin our second year of ministry at our wonderful church home!
  

• We had an AWESOME Community Fun Day at our church on June 8th! Despite the 95 degree temperatures, we had almost 300 people from the community come out to participate in a day of food, fun and ministry. About 20 people gave their lives to the Lord, and several have been attending our church since then!

• We had fun blessing Daddy for Father's Day -- he received a new cordless drill (which he really wanted)! The kids also helped me design photo collages of each of them with Daddy along with special messages in their own words -- for him to take to his office. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of the third part of his gift . . . a DVD of The Barefoot Executive (we love old Disney movies here)!


• In school this month we've been working on our insect unit as well as finishing up what I wanted to complete for this year. Of course, learning is always happening, whether we're officially "doing school" or not, but we're planning to take the month of July off for some visiting with friends, trips to the pool, summer camp and time with grandparents.


• We love the park system in our city! We could literally go to a different park every day of the week and not visit the same one twice! So park trips and picnics have been some of our favorite family fun activities lately. (Check back for park and fish hatchery photos soon!)

Even though our days have been busy, we've been trying to take time to just be a family . . . to enjoy these precious days while our children are still young because we know that time passes all too quickly. Our best times are definitely TOGETHER times, no matter what we are doing!

Reflections on discipleship

I've been very contemplative lately . . . it amazes me how quickly time is passing. My children are growing up right before my eyes, and if I'm not careful, I'll miss it. It's so easy to have misplaced priorities, placing importance on things that, in light of eternity, don't matter at all.

I've been challenged about the importance of discipleship -- my pastor-husband has been preaching about it at church the past two weeks and a conference I attended in May had discipleship as its main thrust.

In the midst of all that, the Holy Spirit reminded me that my primary disciples are the little ones that live under my roof, that I need to be PURPOSEFUL (there's that word again) in how I mentor them and help them to grow to follow Jesus. They need to be able to follow my example as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Like my husband said in his message yesterday, discipleship is often inconvenient. It is time-intensive and requires sacrifice. It isn't a one-time event or a class. It's not simply reading my kids a Bible story and making sure we pray before we eat. It's a lifestyle of pouring into them what God has poured into me.

It happens while we're sitting on the couch cuddling, driving in the car, grocery shopping, playing at the park . . . just going about life. As I PURPOSE to invest into them, my prayer is that they will be continually transformed by the power of God at work in their little lives. And as one of the conference speakers reminded me, transformed people will leave behind transformed places!

I read this poem today and it touched me -- probably because of all that God is speaking to me right now about the importance of really investing into my children. That happens by purposing to connect with them, valuing what's important to them and taking the time to really listen.

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less, and know to care more.

Id take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I'd build self-esteem first, and the new house later.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.

~~Diane Loomans

Bike riding fun!

Before Daddy left for his conference on Tuesday, he took the kids out in the alley behind our house for some bike riding (there's no one out there at 10 in the morning!) It was Jaden's first time riding a two-wheeler as he was just blessed with one . . . given to him by a couple from our church -- thank you, Tom and Carol! Both children had so much fun riding together -- I think we've found a new family activity (maybe Mommy and Daddy will have to get bikes too)

One of the things God is challenging me to do in 2008 is to be more PURPOSEFUL -- to know why I'm doing what I'm doing and to make sure what I'm doing is what I'm supposed to be doing.

In my visiting to other blogs, I came across this article about being PURPOSEFUL in praying for your children . . . I really liked what the author shared and want to incorporate some of his thoughts into my prayer time for my children. Here's the link in case you want to check out the article in its entirety -- http://www.bobhostetler.com/writing/bestof001.html

31 Ways to Pray for Your Children by Bob Hostetler

Following is the list I have developed, complete with brief suggestions for prayer from Scripture. Feel free to duplicate it--or improve upon it--to help you pray specifically and purposefully for your children to experience and evidence:

1 salvation "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Isaiah 45:8, 2 Timothy 2:10).

2 growth in grace "I pray that they may 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ'" (2 Peter 3:18).

3 love "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to 'live a life of love,' through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Ephesians 5:2, Galatians 5:22).

4 honesty and integrity " May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Psalm 25:21, NLT).

5 self-control " Father, help my children not to be like many others around them, but let them be 'alert and self-controlled' in all they do" (1 Thessalonians 5:6)

6 a love for God's Word " May my children grow to find your Word 'more precious than gold, than much pure gold; [and] sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb'" (Psalm 19:10).

7 justice " God, help my children to love justice as you do and to 'act justly' in all they do" (Psalm 11:7, Micah 6:8).

8 mercy " May my children always 'be merciful, as [their] Father is merciful'" (Luke 6:36).

9 respect (for self, others, authority) " Father, grant that my children may 'show proper respect to everyone,' as your Word commands" (1 Peter 2:17a).

10 strong, Biblical self-esteem " Help my children develop a strong self-esteem that is rooted in the realization that they are 'God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus'" (Ephesians 2:10).

11 faithfulness "' Let love and faithfulness never leave [my children],' but bind these twin virtues around their necks and write them on the tablet of their hearts" (Proverbs 3:3).

12 courage "May my children always 'Be strong and courageous' in their character and in their actions" (Deuteronomy 31:6).

13 purity "'Create in [them] a pure heart, O God,' and let their purity of heart be shown in their actions" (Psalm 51:10).

14 kindness "Lord, may my children 'always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else'" (1 Thessalonians 5:15).

15 generosity "Grant that my children may 'be generous and willing to share [and so] lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age'" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

16 peace, peaceability "Father, let my children 'make every effort to do what leads to peace'" (Romans 14:19).

17 joy " May my children be filled 'with the joy given by the Holy Spirit'" (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

18 perseverance " Lord, teach my children perseverance in all they do, and help them especially to 'run with perseverance the race marked out for [them]'" (Hebrews 12:1).

19 humility " God, please cultivate in my children the ability to 'show true humility toward all'" (Titus 3:2).

20 compassion " Lord, please clothe my children with the virtue of compassion" (Colossians 3:12).

21 responsibility " Grant that my children may learn responsibility, 'for each one should carry his own load'" (Galatians 6:5).

22 contentment " Father, teach my children 'the secret of being content in any and every situation. . . . through him who gives [them] strength'" (Philippians 4:12-13).

23 faith " I pray that faith will find root and grow in my children's hearts, that by faith they may gain what has been promised to them" (Luke 17:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-40).

24 a servant heart " God, please help my children develop servant hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly, 'as to the Lord, and not to men'" (Ephesians 6:7, KJV).

25 hope " May the God of hope grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13).

26 the willingness and ability to work hard " Teach my children, Lord, to value work and to work hard at everything they do, 'as working for the Lord, not for men'" (Colossians 3:23).

27 a passion for God " Lord, please instill in my children a soul that "followeth hard after thee," a heart that clings passionately to you (Psalm 63:8, KJV).

28 self-discipline " Father, I pray that my children may develop self-discipline, that they may acquire 'a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair'" (Proverbs 1:3).

29 prayerfulness " Grant, Lord, that my children's lives may be marked by prayerfulness, that they may learn to 'pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Ephesians 6:18).

30 gratitude " Help my children to live lives that are always 'overflowing with thankfulness,' 'always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ'" (Colossians 2:7, Ephesians 5:20).

31 a heart for missions " Lord, please help my children to develop a heart for missions, a desire to see your glory declared among the nations, your marvelous deeds among all peoples" (Psalm 96:3).

At the end of this list of things to pray over one's children, the author shared that he not only prayed these things for his children in his personal prayer time each day, but he would also pray it over them when he prayed with them at bedtime. Over time, he began to hear them praying for the same character qualities to be developed in them that he was praying about. His commitment to PURPOSEFUL prayer changed not only his own prayer life, but also that of his children. This is such an encouragement and challenge to me as I desire to PURPOSEFULLY parent my children and see them grow up to pursue God passionately.

Just a FEW of the animals we saw at the zoo!