So yeah, it's been awhile...but with a new year comes reflections, goals and regrets, right?!  A regret of mine is not continuing to write about my daily life.  The little moments that if not written down or taken note of, will slip away as fast as they take place.  My children are growing, our life is changing and I dont' want to miss the steps that got us here, and that will keep us where we are going. So here I am again.
First let me start by saying God is good!  We are blessed, and I am grateful.  Life at this moment is chugging right along.  I stopped homeschooling my kids a year ago about this time and they are jumping right into the school flow.  I was chatting with them just the other day about how nervous I was their first day.  I miss them being home, but am glad that I know longer hold the key to their education.  I am enjoying the last year I will have a child at home with me all day everyday.  Sophie is 4.5 and will start kindergarten next year.  Wow, times flies like I said!
Khloe at the moment is into Percy jackson, animals, SINGING, playing guitar and tennis.  Caleb is playing every sport we put him in, but unfortunately would rather spend his time, playing mine craft or Five Nights at Freddies. He Does enjoy riding scooters, skateboards and being outside.  Sophie likes wearing princess shoes, holding stuffed animals and getting fake tattoos.
We had our first Christmas in our new home.  It was magical!  I really decked the halls for the occasion.  Kyan is still at ORU and I am still his partner in crime.  Roxy's face has turned gray, and we got a puppy Smokey who is currently 5 months old.
Life is good, no wait it's wonderful!

ps.  we got snow a few days after Christmas!

Summer Trip to Alaska

This summer we traveled as a family to my husbands hometown for a Celebration of Life for his Father!

 We traveled a LONG way :)

This was my view from the plane, my beautiful family!

In order to get to the island he grew up on you need to take a short ferry ride...how cool right?  It was COLD!

My nieces and nephews, with my kiddos. Aren't they cute?!

Ketchikan, AK

The Family!

A beautiful walk down by the docks.

Kyan with two of the 3, the 3rd was sleeping...

Playing around with fish faces at Tongass

A wonderful dinner with friends and family.  Celebrating a life well-lived of someone we all love so dearly!

Keevin with his cutie Olivia, cooking the crabs!

My DUDES!

Creek Street playing tourist

I LOVE this country and flag and the things it stand for!

Trolly ride up Cape fox

Got lucky chasing down this eagle that snatched a red snapper up right in front of our faces!!

Alaska is beautiful!  We had a great trip, wonderful weather, all the kids had a great time and we are so blessed with great friends and family.  More to come on this amazing trip!

Feed a Squirrel...CHECK!

Khloe LOVES animals!  I told her  a couple stories about when I was younger growing up we had squirrels in PA that were very friendly. If you held out food to them they would come a take it right from your hand.  One even got stuck on my Mom's leg one time.  It took the food and decided to perch on her leg to finish the snack :)  We finally found a sweet young squirrel that did just that for a small piece of Starbucks bread.

Khloe was so excited that the squirrel actually came close enough to take the food!

Even though basketball is over recruiting isn't!  The hubs is still traveling a lot, so it's never fun when he leaves.  We miss him from the moment he leaves until the second he walks back through the door.

But spring is in the air and May around the corner! We have two awesome family trips planned and a few other things between!

How He Rolls (I can. I will. Watch me)

Psalm 60:12

With God's help we will do mighty things!

2 Thessalonians 3:3

The Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you!

Chronicles 15:7

Be strong and corgeous. for your work will be rewarded.

"I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  I will advise you and watch over you."

Proverbs 16;3

Commit your actions to the Lord and your plans will succeed.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not grow faint.

My boy is 6 years old and a gift from God!  I am so proud he is my son, and feel so blessed that God choose me to be this boys Momma!!  He is funny and goofy, silly and spontaneous!  He is kind, he is good, he is caring!  He is an absolute blessing to his family and we love him SO MUCH!

CJ feeling the rhythm at the herb and plant festival

Conquering fear

Learning to shake it off and get back up

Finishing the race!

Mother's day tea at school, he was such a gentlemen!

(and he made my hat)

I can. I will. Watch me!

Undaunted- Daring to do what God calls you to do

I just finished a Bible Study with a group of girlfriends from church.  It was Undaunted by Christine Caine.  Christine is an amazing women with an amazing story of redemption, God's rescue, and hope in her own life.  A major part of her ministry is the A21 Campaign, in where she began a group in Eastern Europe rescuing young women, children and others from human trafficking. 

http://www.thea21campaign.org/

The things Christine and the A21 Campaign are doing in our world today are renegade.  They are at times impossible, dangerous, heart breaking, and grueling, but when called by God Christine stands and lives Undaunted in the pursuit of what God has called her to do!  Her story is inspiring and "awakening".

I challenge you to read this book and do the study and not live your life more aware of God's call on your own life.  We are all here with purpose...

To know God and make Him known!

Here is me, with my copy of this book.  

I love Jesus most of all.  I love my church and the relationships God has brought me through there. I believe my number 1 ministry at this phase of my life is my family, and I am SO THANKFUL to God for blessing me with them!

A girlfriend of mine in the study (on the right) was on a business trip and ran into CHRISTINE CAINE! Whaaa??? It was amazing!  What a God given opportunity to thank her for the work she is doing, and how much we are enjoying the Bible study. 

I encourage you to pray for Christine and her ministry.  To learn more or how to support the A21 Campaign follow this link 

http://www.thea21campaign.org/

What We've Been up To

 The amigos are growing up before my eyes. Somedays, most days I want to freeze time or live the same day over at least a couple times, to make sure I catch everything little detail of their lives.  I do my best to take photos because photos jog memories, and memories are moments I can't let slip away.  I want to remember our everyday lives just as much as big events or vacations or birthdays.

For instance I was waiting outside a friends house and turned around and this is what I saw!  This is my 8 year old, I can't believe my own eyes.  Her beauty is literally breathtaking and her calm, quiet spirit is just as captivating if not more.

And why not throw in a few pics of the littles meeting their first clown at a friends birthday party and getting their faces painted into a skeleton, a princess and a tiger!

Need I say more about this picture??

Headed home from the Circus (birthday party) with these three animals!

Owl Puke Science Kit

If your kids are anything like my kids they love words like, PUKE, poop, tinkle, barf, GAK, the list really could go on forever!!  AND if your kids are anything like my kids they love animals and just about anything that has to do with them.  SO...when I busted out this little kit of Owl Puke they basically went berserk!!! This kit was purchased off of amazon for about 10$.  It came with an amazing book about all-things-owl, and then the most exciting part the PELLET.. or PUKE!

 I had my littles follow the Scientific Method.  Our Question- What do you think owls eat? They came up with a Hypothesis- berries, bugs and small animals.    We then gathered our Materials- The kit, the book to read about Owls, a little dusting brush, bone separation chart, pencil and paper. Then the Procedure- I gently broke apart the pellet into 3 pieces.  We each took our pellet and broke it up to find inside the bones of animals the owl could not digest. The bones were in sort of a ball of grey packed dust, which we soon found out was most likely rodent hair mixed with mucus from the owls stomach...GAK!  We then came up with our Conclusion- By looking at what we found in the owl puke we now know that owls eat small rodents, moles, rats, field mice and other small birds.  We know now that owls have two stomachs to digest their food and they always swallow their food whole.  The parts of the food that the owls can not digest get sent back to stomach number 1 where mucus forms them into this pellet, the owls then GAK and the small ball of indigestible parts are removed from the owls body...COOL!!!

 Some of the bigger pieces we found in the pellet. Jaw bones with teeth, front and back leg bones, ribs and a SKULL...Khloe unveiled that one!

 Owl Pellet Project

We then went to google for one. more. thing.  To identify the skull of this animal.  My Mom was here visiting during this and we concluded from pictures (the first image taken from the computer, the second image out find) that the skull in our pellet was most likely that of a RAT!

Have to say it was a fun, hands-on, experiment and everyone seemed to enjoy it!