Busy, Busy, Busy!

Wow!  Has it really been a month since I blogged last??  Seems like yesterday!

 The kids and I went to KC about 3 weeks ago and while we were there, Michael's grandfather passed away.  He lives about an hour from my parents so the kids and I opted to stay and attend the services.  We are so glad that we did.  It was so nice to spend time with all of the family.  I am very thankful to have married in to such a warm and welcoming family.

We also have been getting ready for our foster/adoption journey!  Our first homestudy is next Wednesday, April 9!  We are very excited!

We know that God is in control of this.  And that our plans are not always His plans.  We are excited to meet the kiddos that will be staying with us!

I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to those of you that have donated to us!  We have received clothes, beds, a carseat, a highchair, money, and more clothes.  Thank you so much!!

I will ask that you all pray for a few things specifically:

- There is a sibling group that has touched our hearts.  Our caseworker is inquiring about them.  They live in a different state.  They are older than what we "planned" for and there are more of them than we "planned" for.  But we would love for them to live with us.

- The kids that will be in our homes.  And their families.  That all would let Jesus take a hold of them. 

- Our family/kids.  It will be an adjustment.  We are not blind to the fact that it will be challenging.  But God is bigger than any struggles or roadblocks we might encounter.  Please pray that we will constantly remember this.

Thankful.  Blessed.

Joseph's Coat!

We are learning about Joseph and his coat of many colors this week.  What a fun week for E!!!  She got to make her own coat of many colors!

Thankful.  Blessed.

Winter Break!!

We took off a week of school last week.  (It was our county's winter break...so we decided to take a break too!)  

We had a blast!

See for yourself!  

 The Circus!!

 The Park!

 Visit with Cousins!!

 Zoo Day with friends!!!

 Playdate with friends!!

 

Learning to ride a bike with Daddy!

What a fun week!!

Thankful!  Blessed!

School this week

Enjoy this picture post of school this week.  :)

 Kumon makes these amazing books.  E has one for tracing, mazes, drawing, and cutting.  She loves them!  

 Noah's Ark!

 We got these lacing cards in the dollar spot at Target.  I think they were $3.00.  They are very durable!  She loves all of the designs!

 We use this chart to keep track of the letters we have learned.  We use it to review letter sounds.  In a few weeks we will use them to make words. 

 I love these sheets from Confessions of a Homeschooler's Letter of the Week curriculum.  It has helped E so much with her letter formation!

 

 This is also from Confession of a Homeschooler's LOTW curriculum. 

 We made a tent this week.  (We were talking about camping).  She read more this week on her own than she normally does because of her tent.  :)

 Number Order Activity

We made a tent and stars!  She used marshmallows to dip in paint to make the stars. 

Letter T!

Size sort.  :)

This has been one of my favorite E activities.  I pick a word for her to "see".  She searches for the letters she needs to "build" it.  Then she writes it.  So good for her!

BOB Books.  I cannot recommend these enough.  She is already on book 2 and can read both 1 and 2 on her own.  Next week she starts book 3. 

Finally, at the end of each week she watches some sort of a show/movie that related to our topic for the week. 

Thankful.  Blessed.

Rest

I started attending Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) last week.  Our county is starting an evening satellite course.  The curriculum this year is Matthew.  We started in Matthew 18 because we started in February instead August like everyone else.

BSF goes through a book of the bible each year with in depth teaching.  BSF has an amazing childcare program.  The kids have an amazing curriculum.  They are learning about Jesus too!  BSF is free.  You can't beat that!  

 If you are interested in learning more about BSF, click HERE.  Or if you have any questions, contact me at amypeachnelson@gmail.com.  If I do not know the answer, I will find someone who does.  :)

 

It's amazing how God give us exactly what we need right when we need it.

Many things stood out to me in our lesson this week.  But the one that stuck with me the most is:

Is His Word on my heart?   When I go through valleys, I want the first thing I think of to be Jesus.

Time on the mountain equips us for the valley.  The more I spend in God's word, the more likely I will be to rest in His arms when hard times come.

A dear friend had a hard week last week. 

This is how she responded: http://sitwithusblog.com/saturdayspotlight-2/ 

In hard times, she can rest in Jesus' arms because she knows Jesus.  She spends time with him on the mountain.  Does that mean that we don't ever get angry?  Sad?  Lonely?  Depressed?  Absolutely not.  What it means is that Jesus is there to comfort us.  Always.  

I would highly recommend sitwithusblog.com.  Four ladies got together and started a blog.  Most importantly, they love Jesus.  They talk about all kinds of things: fashion, travel, food, personal stories, etc..   It's a great daily read! 

Today I am reminded by Joanna that "God is here.  I don't have to worry or freak out because he always knows what I need.  God knows his children so well".  

Today I am thankful.  Today I am blessed.