Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Jake's Favorite Book Series: Red Rock Mysteries by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry

Jake cannot put these books down!! There are 15 in the series and he is on book 14. What will we do when he is all finished?? The kids in his class love them, too. He likes the suspense in them as well as the good Christian messages. He reads at least an hour every night . . . I have to get him to stop!! (I used to have to MAKE him sit down and read 20 minutes. . . shows you they are gooood books!)

Happy Birthday, Sweet Caleb

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Caleb's (my sister's son) second birthday. Look at those blue eyes. He was in all his glory with his cousins. :) (he LOVES people!)

The cake.

The "blowing out the candles" sequence of pictures.

Waiting . . .

Getting ready to blow. . . Blowing. . .
So proud. :) Eating . . ."Happy Birthday, Caleb!! Yaaaayyy!"

The Grandmas.

The Grandpas.

Opening the presents . . .
Taking pictures of the celebrity . . .

Happy Birthday, sweet Caleb . . . we sure love you. You are a blessing to us!!

More About Flowers

How funny!! Yesterday, Caroline and I were focusing on how beautiful flowers are and how nice it was of God to create them for us. Then this morning when we opened up our devotional book, guess what it was about?! Yep! How nice it was of God to give us plants and flowers!! I LOVE when that happens! :)

"He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man."

Psalm 104:1

By the way . . . this is the devotional book Caroline and I have been using. We really like it. (It is written by Diane Cory and it is published by Legacy Press)

A Little Taste of Spring

I love winter, and you know I looooove snow, BUT . . . I have had enough of these dreary, wet days. I am officially ready for spring!! Unfortunately, it is still January. Sooooo . . . Caroline and I bought some beautiful spring flowers to cheer us up a bit. I wish you could smell this over the computer . . . it smells so wonderful. Every time I walk into the kitchen, I can smell it and it makes me happy.

These flowers were only buds when we bought them. We just got finished with our plant unit, so it has been really fun to watch them quickly grow and to identify all of their parts.

We planted this Amaryllis a couple of weeks before Christmas and it is now in full bloom. I love this flower because the parts are so identifiable.

Flowers are truly a blessing from God.
Psalm 104:13

"The earth is satisfied with the fruits of Your works."

SUPERBOWL!!

Congratulations to a former fourth grade student of mine, Jermon Bushrod. (he was in the first class I ever taught) He is number 74 on the New Orleans Saints and I am so proud of him!!

photo: the Free Lance Star

AP Photo

I can't wait to cheer for him in two weeks!!

Luke

Luke has really been enjoying going to preschool. (yay!!)And Caroline and I have really been enjoying our time to really "dig in" and get things accomplished while we are alone. :) We sure love our little Lukey, but it is much easier to get through our lessons in a one-on-one situation. :)

(I give LOTS of credit to all those moms out there who homeschool all of their children at once. . . I don't know how they do it.)

Since Luke's preschool is in Wheaton, Caroline and I have been picking a different spot each day to "have school". We load up her backpack with all of the lesson materials and we have a lot of fun. Today, we went to the Wheaton Public Library, which I think is going to be the best spot for us.

My alone time with Caroline has been a blessing and knowing that Luke is having fun with little friends is also a blessing!!

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Fast Food Breakfast: Jamba Juice's Steel Cut Oatmeal with Blackberries and Blueberries

Have you tried this?? Oh . . . . soooo good! Don't look at the sugar content or the amount of carbs . .. just enjoy this hot cup of bliss . . . seriously. It has a brown sugar crumble on the top that makes it taste like blackberry cobbler. Can't think of a better way to start the day. I'm going to try to make a healthier version of the topping.