Christmas 08

We had a wonderful Christmas. Grayson's parents were here with us.

Sisters

Jack with one of his gifts.

My girl is getting so grownup!

Here is the Christmas table, minus a few dishes. Kate made the turkey again this year and it was wonderful.

Jude is ready and waiting!

So is Grandpa

It is just so hard to patient with all those good smells in the air!

Grayson documenting the day

A Glimpse into our Life.....

Rockin' Mary

Great Sermon - DO NOT WORRY!

This is a wonderful sermon on why it is a sin to worry. I found it so helpful!

My Stair Step Kids

It is kid measuring time at the Longs. Right now they are 30, 40, 50, and 60 inches. We thought that was funny and deserved a picture. We are having trouble with our camera, so this is not the best quality, but just had to document. Won't be this way for long. Kate already claims she has grown another inch.

Jude was not cooperating!

Go Vikings!

Jude the communicator part 2

Jude loves sign language. We've had a hard time getting him to "perform" on camera and show off the different signs he knows, but we got a few of them.

I Love This Song!

This is such a great song. Check out the video! Here are the words.



Carried to the table

by Leeland -



Wounded and forsaken I was shattered by the fall

Broken and forgotten Feeling lost and all alone

Summoned by the King Into the Master's courts

Lifted by the Savior And cradled in His arms



I was carried to the table

Seated where I don't belong

Carried to the table

Swept away by His love

And I don't see my brokenness anymore

When I'm seated at the table of the Lord

I'm carried to the table The table of the Lord



Fighting thoughts of fear

And wondering why He called my name

Am I good enough to share this cup

This world has left me lame

Even in my weakness

The Savior called my name

In His Holy presence

I'm healed and unashamed

You carried me, my God

You carried me

A GREAT quote by Charles Spurgeon

True repentance has a distinct and constant reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you repent of sin without looking to Christ, away with your repentance. If you are so lamenting your sin as to forget the Savior, you have a need to begin all this work over again.Whenever we repent of sin, we must have one eye upon sin and another upon the cross; or, better still, let us have both eyes upon Christ, seeing our sin punished in him, and by no means let us look at sin except as we look at Jesus. A man may hate sin just as a murder hates the gallows but this does not prove repentance. If I hate sin because of the punishment, I have not repented of sin; I merely regret that God is just. But if I can see sin as an offense against Jesus Christ, and loathe myself because I have wounded him, then I have a true brokenness of heart. If I see the Savior and believe that those thorns upon his head were put there by my sinful words; if I believe that those wounds in his heart were made by my heart-sins; if I believe that those wounds inhis feet were made by my wandering steps, and that the wounds in hishands were made by my sinful deeds, then I repent after a right fashion. Only under the cross can you repent. Repentance elsewhere is remorse, which clings to the sin and only dreads the punishment. Letus then seek, under God, to have a hatred of sin caused by a sight ofChrist's love"

Must See Video

This video does a good job showing Obama's record on abortion. Check it out! We must make an informed vote!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4B3O9uUc-4&feature=related

George Washington's Rules of Civility

Jack has been using George Washington's Rules of Civility for his copywork for school. If you have not read these, they are very worth the time. Some of them are so funny and a few are very antiquated, but mostly, they still apply today in many ways. I was struck by how nearly everyone of these "not-so-common courtesies" would help us to be less self-focused, more thoughtful and self-disciplined. Here are a few examples.

Be not hasty to believe flying Reports to the Disparagement of any.

............

Be not froward but friendly and Courteous; the first to Salute hear and answer & be not Pensive when it's a time to Converse.

................

Just 2 of the 110 "rules". Many of them are just so funny. We have had many laughs over these next ones:

Show Nothing to your Friend that may affright him.

..................

Cleanse not your teeth with the table cloth napkin, fork, or knife; but if others do it, let it be done without a peep to them.

.....................

When in Company, put not your Hands to any Part of the Body, not usually Discovered.

A Few More Pictures

It is taking me forever to get these pictures posted. Still more from our time in Sandestin. Our camera was on the fritz, so Kate took all of these. You can check out her blog for more pics and memories.

We absolutely LOVED taking family bike rides all over the resort. The trails were great,

the scenery was lovely

We would ride the bikes to the little village and then walk around, eat, sightsee.

The kids had several pools to choose from and never tired of swimming

The trams were another hit. To ride around without seat belts, what joy!

We had fun at this 50's style diner. The kids got to see a jukebox for the first time :-)

Jack - one cool dude!

The milkshakes were yummy!

Jude thought it was quite a treat to ride on the luggage rack. He loved being on the go and would bring me his shoes when we had been in the room too long for his liking.

This time of year, the resort was very quiet. Our hotel was nearly empty ( or so it seemed) I loved this lobby. It was so serene. It had an amazing veranda and I would sit out there at night . The sound of the waves, the endless expanse of sky and sea, the cool breeze, peace and quiet (!!!) what better way to end a day? Aaaahhhhh!

We spent 3 days swimming,biking, sightseeing, eating, enjoying sunsets and best of all, time with family. I couldn't ask for anything more.

It was hard to get back to "the real world" Thankfully life is rich whether we are on vacation or just going about our everyday business.

"Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits" Psalm 68:9

All this excitement can wear a little guy out....

More Sandestin

The boogie boards were a blast!

The view from our balcony. It overlooked the gulf rather than the ocean.

The perfect ending to a great day.

Sandestin, Florida. Aaahhh!

I LOVE the ocean. I love everything about it. Well, maybe not the sharks, jellyfish, sting rays - this list could go on and on. But aside from the possiblity of being eaten alive, oh boy, this post is taking an ugly turn. Back to the subject of the beautiful, peaceful ocean. I just love it. So our 3 day stay in Sandestin, Fl. was just perfect. The beaches are amazing. The weather could not have been better. The resort was lovely. It was perfect.

Visual Journals

O.K. You HAVE to check out these lovely journal/scrapbooks. What a great idea. I am anxious to start one and to have the kids make one as well. I am going to incorporate more journaling into our schooling, so this is just perfect.

Jude the communicator.

Jude really wants to communicate with us. He thinks he does. I guess he is.

Good Link

Just wanted to post this link for for a clip from the GMA interview with Steven Curtis Chapman
There is also a link to the "Cinderella" video on this site.

The Climber

We left a step ladder out and made Jude's day. He was so proud! Yikes!

Mix a Pancake

Kate and her friend, AmyJo taught Mary this rhyme:

"Mix a pancake,

Stir a pancake,

Pop it in the pan;

Fry the pancake;

Toss the pancake,

Catch it if you can."

Today we were in the Health Food Store and Mary spotted a pancake mix. She grabbed it, held it up, and recited the poem. Once we arrived home, I HAD to video her. We made our own "Pancake Mix " box since we didn't buy the one from the store. ;-)

Jude the "Not -So-Tough"

Jude is such a little rough and tough little guy. His favorite past time seems to be running into things with his "walker" - which has become more of a weapon of mass destruction now that Mr. Speedy doesn't actually need it to walk. Ever since he first learned to scoot, he has LOVED to bat things across the floor as hard as he could, chase after them & repeat the process. Of course, throwing things is also great fun. As you might imagine, being "gentle" does not come naturally to this little toughy, but we are working on it. A lot. There is much of this kind of talk in our home: "Ouch, ouch! Gentle Jude , gentle! " as I uncurl his pinching fingers and demonstrate the right way. He loves noise. Listening to it and making it. He was my first baby to not be at all frightened by fireworks. I hope he grows up to be brave and fearless, but in the meantime,we are working on being gentle! That being said, it warmed my heart to see him take a break from
banging his toys against the tile floor (switching them out to find the one that makes the most noise , of course) to be sweet with Mary's baby doll!

Jackson Recites

We are beginning a new school coop which will involve "Public Speaking" and "Logic". For the public speaking portion, all the children had to either recite something or do a demonstration of some sort, a current event etc. This was Jack's choice. It is in two parts to make the videos easier to download.

Siblings Can Be Fun...

More Mary

Mary LOVES the kitten. The kitten is not so sure....

Mary has been obsessed with "Hush Little Baby" lately. She asks me to rock her "like a baby" and sing it before bed. I wonder how much longer I will be able to do that!

Horay for Tomato Staking!

I have been reading "Raising Godly Tomatoes" . I had read through the website years ago and was thrilled when Elizabeth compiled the great wisdom from the website into a book. Very helpful! Mary has been my "strong-willed child" but "tomato staking" is making a difference!