Sweet Success!

We are excited to say that on September 16th, Buhl Academy completed our 1st Quarter (9weeks) of school!  Our whole family celebrated at Krispy Kreme for breakfast on Saturday the 17th. 

 I'm very proud of my girls for working so hard this Quarter!

For every "A" on your Report Card, you receive a free donut from Krispy Kreme (up to a maximum of 6 per child).  

What sweet success! 

Our 2nd Quarter of school is well underway.  Please remember to pray for Buhl Academy.  Our desire is for our children to receive a good Biblical worldview education, but most of all that our children grow up to love and serve the LORD. Pray that through Homeschooling we will glorify Him in all we say and do!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the LORD, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the LORD as a reward.  It is the LORD Christ you are serving.

Colossians 3:23-24

The Bread of Life

This is how excited my four blessings get when we do crafts and recipes together! 

(Yes, we were all still in our pajamas for Buhl Academy that day...and most every day for school!)

I can't say enough how much we are enjoying Adventures in My Father's World.  It is a one-year program for 2nd or 3rd graders, but our whole family is truly benefiting from it.  Besides having a Biblical worldview, the curriculum includes recipes for things that were made in the time period we are studying.  We couldn't wait to try the recipe for Easy Yeast Bread during the week we were studying Jesus being the Bread of Life.  The girls wanted me to take pictures so we could share it on our family blog.  Here are the ingredients needed to make this super easy bread:

1 packet of yeast (or 1 T.)
1 cup warm water
1 T. honey
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
3 cups flour (whole wheat flour recommended; may use white flour)

1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2.  Spray a bread pan with cooking spray.

3.  In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water with honey.  Let it stand for one minute.

4.  Add oil, salt, and flour and stir.  It will be thick.

5.  Let it stand for 5 minutes.
6.  Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes.

7.  Shape it into a loaf and put it in the pan. 

8.  Put in oven for 20 minutes to rise.  (Turn OFF the oven as soon as you put the bread in the oven.)

9.  After 20 minutes, leave the bread in the oven.  Do not open the oven, but set oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Our yummy bread!

The girls enjoyed a piece as they finished up school for the day:

..."I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty."

John 6:35

Buhl Girls' Birthday Weekend!

I love how my girls and I all have Birthdays within a few months of each other.  We decided this year to celebrate our Birthdays all together in one weekend instead of doing individual parties, and we had the BEST time!  We traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to spend the night and visit the American Girl store!
God has truly blessed me with three four precious daughters!  (We're so excited that Josey will be born in 2 months!) 

Lily turned 8 years old on AUGUST 7th:

I turned 35 on SEPTEMBER 11th:

Maddy will turn 7 years old on OCTOBER 27th:

Katy will turn 5 years old on NOVEMBER 20th:

We made it even more special by inviting my parents to celebrate our weekend with us.  They drove down from Stephens City, VA.  The kids were so excited to spend 4 days with them!:

We spent the night at the Residence Inn right across the street from the North Point Mall where the American Girl store is located.  The hotel lobby is decorated with the American Girl theme! 

The hotel serves a free hot buffet breakfast and since we had a party of 8, they put us in a special room where they show American Girl movies.  The kids watched part of Felicity while they ate their breakfast-such a treat!

My two sweet, handsome boys are a huge blessing to me too!  I don't know what I'd do without them!

My family of six...almost 7!

The long-awaited American Girl store!

Taking a peek in the window...

Lily LOVES books...she reads constantly so this part of the store was a dream come true for her!

Lily and her doll, Julie:

Katy's expressions are the cutest!  She's so dramatic!

Katy wanted to get Kanani as her American Girl doll:

She was SO excited to pull Kanani off of the shelf:

I love this..staring at her new friend:

Maddy really wanted the grand piano, but settled for a picture with it instead:

Maddy picked out these beautiful pajamas for Laney:

The mini dolls are so cute!

For their Birthdays, we gave each of the girls spending money and so did my parents.  Here are our sweeties with their purchases: 

Yes, even Parker has a pink American Girl bag!  He is so sweet to the girls, always getting excited for them about things they like.  We let him pick out an American Girl pet.  He chose the beagle, Grace, who is Kit Kittredge's pet.  He was so proud!

To finish off our Birthday weekend, we celebrated at the Cheesecake Factory!  I ordered the Red Velvet cheesecake:

It was DELICIOUS!!!

We all enjoyed a wonderful weekend celebrating together and are praising God for all of His many blessings He has given our family! 

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you

and be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face toward you

and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

29 Weeks and Counting...

I got another sneak peek at our baby girl today at my Doctor's appointment.  She is continuing to grow and they think she weighs ~2lb. 13oz. right now.  We weren't able to get a 3D shot today because she had her face pushed right up against my uterus.  She's already getting squished and we've got about 10 weeks to go! 
I did find out today that I was wrong in assuming no news was good news.  I actually failed the one hour
Glucose Tolerance Test 2 weeks ago, so I will be doing the 3 hour test this Friday, September 9th.  Please pray for God's will.  I am trusting in Him and that He will continue to take care of Josey and me. 
When I shared the news with the kids, the girls were very concerned and worried.  How sweet the LORD is to provide us with life lessons that enable us to share God's promises with our children!  The girls and I have been studying the names of Jesus during school time, and this week we are learning that Jesus is our Rock.  Our verse is:  Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.(Matthew 7:24)  I was able to share with the girls once again how wonderful it is that we serve a God who alone can give us peace and safety when we build our life upon Him.  We can praise Him for allowing us to pour out our prayers and hearts to Him daily, and that He is strong enough to take care of our every need!  He is good and He is faithful!

Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from Him. 
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken. 
My salvation and glory depend on God;
my strong rock, my refuge, is in God. 
Trust in Him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before Him.
God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:5-8

6 Months Pregnant!

I am a little behind blogging on my pregnancy and Josey's progress!  I truly don't know where the month of August went to! 

Here are some pictures of my baby bump taken by the sweetest 8 year old I know-our Lily!

How far along?: 28 1/2 weeks

Total weight gain?: 18 lbs

Symptoms?: Starting to tire a lot easier by late afternoon and have actually taken a couple of short naps recently which is NOT like me at all!  I am so thankful that we still enforce Quiet Time in the afternoons several times a week in our home with all 4 of our children.  It is a huge blessing for all of us as we all need a little break and time of refreshing!  Also, I'm having more Charlie Horse leg cramps while I'm sleeping at night, along with getting up 3-4 times to use the bathroom!

How big is baby?: ~15-16 inches and ~2 1/2 pounds

Gender?: Girl!

Name?: Josey Hope
*Josey means "God increases"
 Hope means "expectation or belief"

Maternity clothes?: Yes!

Stretch marks?: No-very blessed to not have any at all...yet!

Belly Button?: In right now....barely! It popped out with Katy and Parker!

Sleep?: I am sleeping well, just getting up to use the bathroom.

Energy?: Still have lots of energy in the morning, but losing it by late afternoon!

Exercise?: Does taking care of 4 kids count? :)

Movement?: Most movement is in the late evening when I am finally still.

Food cravings?: Not really craving anything right now, just very thirsty all the time!

What I'm looking forward to?: Holding and loving my baby girl!

Preparations?: We just sold a bunch of things at Picky Chick Consignment Sale and hoping to order bunk beds for the girls' room and bedding for baby Josey!

Labor Signs?: None

Best Moment this week?: Hearing each one of my children separately tell me that they can't wait for baby Josey to be here!  She is going to be very loved for sure!

Here are some ultrasound pictures from my last Dr. appointment that was on August 24th:

 Sweet profile!

Tiny foot!

I am getting spoiled by the Ultrasound Technician.  She is getting some great 3D pictures every time.  Parker carried around this picture for days just staring at it!

So far, she is continuing to grow and her weight and height appear to be just about average ~48%.  This is wonderful news!  Her heart is beating strong and the four chambers look healthy.  Praise the Lord! 
I passed my first Glucose Test and will now be going for appointments every 2 weeks for awhile.  They are still going to keep a close eye on Josey because of her 2 vessel cord which means we'll get a sneak peek at her every visit. 
Thank you for praying for our growing family!

Love this verse that Katy and Parker are learning for AWANA. It's short and sweet, but means so very much!:
...God is love.
1John 4:8