When the beams are stretching and the wings are unfurling

Sophie had her 6th birthday! She received some special gifts and a couple of little trips to make her moments very special. Bannon and Abby created a couple of special cards that were treasured, and I'm trying to put them in a safe place to save for scrapbooks.


We made her requested dinner of chicken nuggets and French fries.


We made the cake she requested, chocolate cake and chocolate frosting.


The gift of a ....moustache :

















UNO is a new game Bannon has taught the younger crew, and Friday nights are so nice for pizza and games.











Grady is of course just playing with his Father's cards. But he's very happy to be involved!





We snapped a couple of pictures to take a moment to see and remark on the growing-into-men the boys are showing. Praying for wisdom and grace as we watch them take to wing more and more.

Thank you Father for being with us as we enjoy and also take seriously this *being a family* and what it all means as we live our lives for You.






~Cassandra

The fire warms us all by day. Oh the days are chilly! It's hard to get any of us away from this place of coziness. The books for school are pulled up, along with the computer chair, and the floor suits some of us fine as well.


The dear books and their stories are so precious to this Mom. The best parts of my day are when it's one of their turns to sit right next to me or on my lap for their story time. If Jesus Came to My House, Ox Cart Man, A Day in the Life of Sarah Morton, Benjamin Franklin, Seabird, Runaway Bunny. Then just little talks, little pictures, little projects....and I know every day I don't want to miss these times. I am so thankful I get to mother these little people. I really am


Life is busy, but it is good too. The afterglow :) of the days are found in the scattered things that represent what we did, even some of the troubles. Learning crochet, tick removing, legos everywhere, my journaling with a little bit of spaghetti sauce staining the page. A block building Sophie built, and one of Grady's cars are parked right next to it.

We took a walk through the woods just the other day and the girls gathered up some treasures, which Sophia right away began arranging into a fall arrangement. Bella pondered the leaf. It was a beautiful time.

















Watching for Daddy to come home.


We've also been watching Narnia and listening to the books on audio. For Halloween the girls wanted to be Lucy and Susan. Bella wanted to be a pink princess. Cotter was the Joker for his senior parade, and Bannon came home and joined the girls with a rat mask and hands, all in a dressy suit. Cotter took Grady down to see Poppy in a Spiderman costume.

 

 

Jake had a real time of it with his school project, building a pumpkin trebuchet. We made a little video of the final launching we did here, and all the kids enjoyed it.

The snow is flying tonight, Daddy is working on a guitar background track for Hannah who is singing in a competition tomorrow night, everyone else is tired from an early start to the day and in bed.

~Cassandra

The Best Things in Life are Free!

I finally can post some of the pictures we have taken. At the same time I write the winds blowing so very hard outside. Hurricane Sandy has hit our side of the shore and watching the news, my heart goes out to so many who are directly getting hit right now. I tried very hard to catch up with the laundry, filled our tub, 4 big buckets of water, and prepared some comfort food ahead of time. Now to wait it out and pray for all of our safety.

This year we didn't get o go apple picking. So instead, we enjoyed fun for free :)

















The kiddos have enjoyed the fact we live with lots of outdoor space to play.





Bannon celebrated 9. He's still a a deep feeler and thinker. I appreciate that about him so much.


Jake has a new pair of glasses and he looked awfully cute reading The Scarlet Letter with them on. Hannah took some pictures of him :)


Leaves, leaves, leaves. The absolute best way to play in the fall!


















And rest time still comes steadily to this little man. Here he fell fast asleep with his book Caps for Sale :)


~Cassandra

This Family's Book

Right now the little girls are going between dancing to the music on the Pandora, and back again to the table for leaf rubbings. This morning we plodded through our math and phonics workbooks for schoolwork first. I've decided to set aside the phonics work for Sophie a little, because she is gaining a lot of skill more to her ability through How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I love that homeschooling is flexible like that, tweak and fix according to what feels right for the student.

Speaking of "tweaking," even more than curriculum, is the "tweaking" in character of us all. It's amazing how "being mean" and "pushing buttons" isn't something necessarily that is caught by society or the world. Although, it sadly can be learned that way. It also can start right within a heart. Just like that *snap.* Getting to the root is a little more difficult :) but for God's help, truth, mercy and grace...

The little ones and I are in charge of getting the kindling, so we crunched through the leaves with different sized armfuls to gather and pile them up in the cellar. The geese flew overhead, and serenaded us with their call. Leaves were falling (really) right over the top of us. So happy I didn't miss that :) It's refreshing to have moments of poetry such as that, in the midst of work, valid concerns and ridiculous worries.

The little guys all love to read the blog books I have printed from the previous years. Abby referred to "a story in my Curls and Crayfish book" the other day, and I was reminded that it seems a little thing to me to put life here. But to them, it's a treasure of memories, thoughts, stories and love.

A visit to the University

Fall has been so beautiful, filled with the beautiful colors of the season. Our oldest is off to college, the three boys are in the public school, and that leaves me with the younger four at home. It has been a good time with them. Life allows the right kind of slow down to really read together, play, work and rest. It has also been a couple of seasons (including summer) where coughs are holding on, so there have been needed times to recover. Respiratory treatments, warm drinks and chicken soup have kinda been a mainstay.

As a mother, this changing life season has caused all sorts of reflections, smiles and tears. The Holy Spirit is guiding me through while I look to lean upon the Lord for guidance and provision. He doesn't leave me to hammer out wisdom in my own thinking. If I but ask, and if I don't doubt, God's presence and wisdom becomes evident. That's been a challenge to the doubting likes of my heart.  God created me, He created my husband, He created my children, He certainly knows best. I'm learning to let go all things that I am not created to carry.

Hannah shared lunch with us in the dining area where she typically eats. Dad told her stories of life at home, and she sat back picturing the stories in her head.

 

 

I then got the official tour seeing where she takes a majority of her classes. All of us here at home think her study place looks just like a castle.  It's a lovely place to be inspired.

 

 

The windows are stained glass. Jeremy and I loved taking it all in.

 

 

 

 

 

The music was truly beautiful. We enjoyed it so much and look forward to listening in again.

 

 

I have many many pictures stored up in our camera. Hopefully I will be able to share more soon.