Update

OK here are lots of updated photos from the last 3 months. We have a trip to the zoo, the kids science fair projects , zoo again, coloring Easter eggs and then another trip to the zoo. (Can you tell we like the zoo and are enjoying the nice weather?) Don't worry there will not be to many more trips outdoors now until the fall. Sigh :(  #priceoflivinginthedesert
Just be aware there are LOTS of photos, it may take awhile to load the page. :)
Enjoy!

Time flies

My how time flies. It was ten years ago to the day that Mike and I found out we were going to parents for the first time. It was was about this time ( 6 pm-ish) that I think we were both still staring at dinner in a complete daze. Our lives were about to change.

For you see we had been told about a year before, that it would be impossible for us to conceive naturally. Obviously God had other plans. Three other plans to be exact. :)

Tim @ 9 years old

As I sit here tonight, I have my youngest on my lap trying to see what I am doing, my middle child is not feeling so hot; she is sprawled out on the couch. My son is laying on the floor playing with the dog. I am amazingly blessed to have such awesome kids. I am even more blessed to have a wonderfully, awesome husband to help me raise the kids. However, I realize how much my cup overflows when I think about how God granted my hearts desire. I had wanted to be a mother for so long. I had almost given up... But God knew.
He had plans. I will write more on all that later... For now just let me say God is good. Be patient. It really is God's timing. Really.

Tim @ 3 months old

I'm baaaacckkkk!

Ok I know all of last year I said I was going to blog more. I seriously had no idea how busy/crazy life was gonna get. Heh

However, it has been laid upon my hear that once again I need to start blogging. Not sure why and in what form it will take... Although I suspect it will be a little different than my facebook posts. I do play nice on FB, and I love it FB, but sometimes I really do find myself biting my tongue. I may let loose on here a bit more... LOL. This should be interesting. I am beginning to find my voice in this chaotic life, and although I know there are thousand other bloggers out there, I need to let loose too. :)
I will still blog and post pictures about family and my life too, I do still have some people (you know who you are...lol) that are still not on Facebook, so I am hoping to get a good mix going.
First thing first let me update the kids photos.

This last year has been amazing in so many ways... The kids are doing great. Tim did well in Archery, and is looking forward to starting back up in the fall. We are trying to save up to get him his own bow, and he is looking to compete competitively this next year. He has made some really great friends, and has been busy with his lego building. School for him is going well. People ask what grade he is in, and I have to stop and think. As a homeschooler, we do things a bit differently, so although technically he will be in 4th grade, he is reading at a 6th grade level and doing Math at a 4th grade level. Writing is one area we are still working on. I am hoping that once he learns to type it will be a bit easier... his brain moves faster than his hand, so he struggles a bit to get things on paper.
Alexa had a great year as well. We started a program called Keepers of the Faith, but had to drop it due scheduling. But we had made some really great friends, who also had scheduling issues, soooo we started our own co-op. We have three families and 5 girls that meet once a week. It has been fun. The girls have learned to cook, sew, make a budget and several other skills. We are planning on continuing this in the fall as well. She is technically going into 3rd grade, but is reading at a 5/6th grade level, she is on target for Math, and writing. Science is a weak point, so we may take some time this summer to work on that.
Erika, is the one who has shown the most growth school wise. She is 4, but we are planning on starting her on Kinder material in the fall. She can write pretty well, and she can read a few short words, but her understanding of things amazing me on a daily basis. Most of that comes from trying to keep up with her brother and sister. She also joined in the Keepers program this last year, and we also added a preschool co-op that we started with several families at our church.
Mike is doing great!! He has been with his current company 12 years, although they did get bought out recently, but it looks like things are settling down after the buyout. He has had lots of opportunities to teach both adult and youth Bible study at our church and he has been teaching a Greek class for almost a year now. They are almost done. Not sure what I will do with my Friday nights once I have him free again... LOL. He is, however, already looking to the future, as he has more people interested in another Greek class, and one of his students wants to move on to the next level. Lots of opportunities. I am amazed by him all the time. Almost eighteen years together and I am more in love now than every day before.
I am soooo amazingly blessed by my family and my cup truly overflows. (Even on the days they drive my crazy... LOL)
As for me, I am busy with life. I am park day coordinator for our homeschool group, and there are all kinds of activities going on in any given week. I cook for my hubby class on Fridays (to be fair, there are two students at the moment, so it does not add much to the food budget). We are now in prep mode for VBS at our church, which we are heading up. I keep thinking life will slow down... not sure when. July is pretty light right now, but I know my calendar tends to fill up fast. LOL. We will start back to school  in August and I know we are trying to plan a vacation of some sort in the next two months.
Wow, just writing all that out, is making me tired, and a bit hungry. It is dinner time here and then I am off for a time out with some friends, sans hubby and kids. ;)
Thanks for stopping by and I will post again soon... more pics to come too. :) Thanks!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Sorry I have not been in touch, things pretty much exploded in the month of August and we are soooooo busy now. I did art classes over the summer and between that and the occasional schooling (LOL), swimming, soccer camp and some day trips here and there, it was crazy. Now we are back into school full swing, including starting Erika on preschool/kinder material. I am in leadership for our homeschool group, so that adds to my load, and this is the first year we are going different directions with the kids. Tim is taking Archery lessons (he loves it!!) and both girls are in a program called Keepers of the Faith, which teaches them homemaking skills. They are learning how to cook this month, so my kitchen constantly looks like a tornado went through it. We are also doing a co-op class with some friends, swapping out teaching Art and Science every 2 weeks. All this with one car (yuck), but we are hoping after taxes next year to buy a cheapie one that we can pay off. Just something for Mike to take to and from work. That is the plan on our end anyway. Heh.
Mike is good. He has been at his current company for over 11 years and is doing well. He is also teaching a Geek language class out of our house once a week. I am good, like I said, just busy. In between being busy we are active in our church and it seems like each weekend I spend trying to get caught up on laundry and cleaning, and now that we have a bigger place we entertain a lot. Whew. It's all good though :) Anyway that is the quick version of our summer.
Hope you all are doing well, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Anyway, posting some randoms pics from our summer, enjoy!