Jamey is 6!

Time flies faster and faster. I cannot believe my little Jamey is 6 years old. My first born is growing up so quickly and I sometimes would love for life to slow down for just a moment. But that's not the way the world works. Jamey has grown so much this year and it is exciting to see him becoming a young man, though I'm not yet ready for it (though are mama's ever ready for it?).

So what can I tell you about Jamey. He is fun and energetic and loves to get up early to start the day. He loves school, I mean really loves school. If we are off that day he hates it. If we have to miss a subject because of other things he hates it. He just wants to learn all the time. God made him to learn, think and create. Jamey's favorite hobby is drawing and coloring. I'm excited to see what happens with his art as he learns more and grows. He is also really enjoying is music class and learning to play the piano. He definitely reminds me of myself, though, when it comes to practicing, and praying he will grow in wanting to practice more instead of just doing the minimum.

Jamey is already asking deep questions about God, the Bible and Truth. This is so wonderful and God's grace in his life. We continue to pray that God will work in his heart and save Jamey. We have seen God's grace in Jamey's life as he grows in his role as big brother. He loves his siblings and takes care of them well. He is so excited about having another baby. God has really given him a heart for his family at such a young age, a huge blessing. He has such a sweet spirit. Jamey also loves his daddy and spending time with him. He wants to be just like him.

It's fun watching Jamey come into his own, learning how to order and ask for what he wants, learn how to clean and keep things in order, learning how to be a part of a family and just learning about life. I'm so thankful for his sweet spirit and inquisitive mind. God has blessed our family tremendously with this wonderful little (or not so little) boy. I'm so excited to see what God does with Jamey during his life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMEY! So thankful for you.

Missionary Stories with the Millers by Mildred A. Martin

This book was part of our homeschool curriculum this year, and it was such a fun book to read with the kids. There are stories about missionaries all over the world and we got to hear how God has done miraculous things for His people. I love hearing the ways God works and it was great reading this book as a family during our school time. What a great way to share how great God is and talk about what God does as well as learn about different cultures at the same time. I absolutely recommend this book!

5 Stars without hesitation.

Felicity Saves the Day

I read this book with Lillian, and it was quite interesting. I appreciated the dilemma that Felicity is in where it was difficult to say what the right thing to do is. It was good to talk through with Lillian what God tells us in His word and how to seek His counsel when situations are not so cut and dry. I do think the title is a little misleading, but for a 10-year-old girl, how she acts could be considered saving the day. Though not my favorite in this series, it was still a good one to think and talk through.

I would give it 4 stars

31 Years On Earth

My 31st year on earth was a little chaotic, with a lot going on in my life. The best thing God has been teaching me this year is to be who He has made me to be and to focus on Him and His view of me, not what others think of me or how they view me. So for my birthday post this year I'm sharing a little of who I am.

Most importantly, I am God's daughter, and if you know nothing else about me, that's OK, but He is teaching me that is the only identity that matters. Though I am a messed up horrible sinner, He has saved me by His Son. He loves me, cares for me and takes care of me like no one possibly can. I love telling people about Jesus and God's great love for us!

If you are interested, here is a little more about me.

I'm married to Jim and have been for 10 1/2 years.
I am the mother to 6 precious gifts: Jamey, Lillian, Reuben, Gabriel, Samuel, and baby boy (whose name we're working on for June). I love having a big family!
Starting in 2009 I have been pregnant on my birthday except for 2013, after having Gabriel the previous November.
I am a writer. I love to write and am in the process of editing my first novel to hopefully self publish soon. I'm also thinking of other book to write, such as other novels, a book on things God has taught me, and childbirth.
Keeping a journal is very therapeutic and helps me see what God is doing.
I love giving birth and talking about birth. I think everyone who is having a baby should be educated to the best of their ability on the subject.
I'm opinionated.
I really enjoy watching movies in the theatre. (I hate how much prices have gone up.)
I'm a TV-aholic.
I am rediscovering the joy of reading. I really like the classics.
I really like homeschooling my kids, though I never thought I would do this.
I like being around people, though I do much better in small groups.
I love to dance! I will try just about any style. I really enjoy swing, square and contra.
I like card and board games.
I really like ice cream.
I enjoy learning new languages and culture.
I love traveling.
I love the mountains, not the beach.
Disney World is an adults playground, no matter how they advertise it, and I love it. (I wish it was much cheaper.)
I love to sing and music really moves me.
I like using cloth products as opposed to paper generally speaking.
I'm not super girly, but I do enjoy wearing skirts and looking nice.
I hate make-up, but like painting my toenails fun colors.
I love pictures and like having them up around the house.
I'm OCD and a perfectionist. I desire for things to be organized, but usually fail miserably.
I carry a bag of some kind, usually a backpack, almost everywhere I go.
I am a deep person and really like to know people and have people know me.

Obviously this is not everything about me, but these are things I've been thinking about. I know there are more, but I don't want to bore you. Anyways, here's to being who God created me in my redeemed form and knowing He loves me no matter what.

It Could Always Be Worse

This was one of the books for Jamey's curriculum and it was really cute. It is a really good yet simple perspective on how bad things can be. It's easy for kids to understand and good for conversation.

4.5 stars

Happy Birthday, Felicity!

This book was fun to read to Lillian. It deals with responsibility and incorporates an element of history into the story line. There is also an element of family tension along with forgiveness. It was neat to see how much they were able to pack into this short book that opened up some discussion with my girl.

4 stars for this book

'A' Is For Alibi by Sue Grafton

This book was all over the place for me. The story line was really interesting and it took me awhile to figure out the "who done it", which I always appreciate it. Though I'm not sure this was Grafton's intent when writing this book, I found it an interesting portrait of feminism in 80s California. 

The down side of this book was the language. I was told it was very accurate for the culture, but as a writer, I feel like it went a little overboard. I also found some of the descriptions unnecessary and cumbersome, though beautiful at times. The writing style was just a bit weird for me I think. I also was really annoyed with the sex because of the involvement with someone in the investigation and her calling it "making love" when it was anything but. 

The ending was interesting and suspenseful, but was not enough to make up for the other. I cannot recommend this book, though it was an interesting story. And sadly, I will not likely read another one, at least not for a long time. 

I can only give this book 3 stars due to the problems mentioned.