Budding musician

Rainy Days

My idea of a perfect day includes rain and a good book. M & H had a perfect day today. They each had their own spots where they cuddled up and spent the afternoon reading.H's spot was on the piano bench (turned over) lined with pillows. H is reading her first sad book...... I wept while I was reading it.... I'm curious to she how she responds to the ending.M just plopped down on my bed and read an entire "Boxcar Children" book.

However, when you are five (and two)and reading isn't enjoyable yet, you must find other rainy day activities, like playing in the mud. I tried to sneak a few shots with out getting noticed, but I only got one and then the cheesy grin came in.

When E saw me with my camera, she immediately said "CHEESE". Go figure.

Hope all enjoyed this wonderful day as much as I did, even if I did several loads of laundry and had to give the girls, yet another, bath. (They got one last night after playing in the sand.... I think between the two of them there was at least a whole cup of sand in their hair.) (Oh and they have had to get baths after the watercolor days too! They just can't resist the occasional squirt at each other.)

It that the JORDAN???

We have some friends that have recently given their lives to Jesus. K and I have been discipling them in preparation for their upcoming marriage (May 2nd). Their testimony is amazing and maybe one day I will have hours to share it with you.



However, until then, they wanted to get baptized together, before they were married. So Last night we had a Baptism BBQ down at the creek. It was lots of fun!! We can't wait to see what God does in their lives once they are united in HIM!!

Color fun

Once again it is time for our fun Liquid Watercolor idea..... well it's not "ours" but this is our version of it. (they are on sale till tomorrow..... $1.00 a bottle!)

Gather up some water bottles. I got these at the dollar tree, they work great! (They also make great water guns and are easier on the fingers for extended hours of water fun.) Fill em up with water and then add some liquid watercolor. The first day we did this I added more color so the colors were brighter. Hang a sheet up outside, and then let them go to town!! This sheet is on it's second time to be used as a canvas, it washed out great the first time!

For those of you who are interested we have used LW to color rice and we add it to shaving cream for a fun colored activity.

This is our science project as we study stems..... we didn't use LW, we used food coloring, but the results are cool!! The one darker flower spent time in both the red and the blue. Homeschooling is SO much fun!!

Easter Morning

M didn't want to get a dress that was to "girly". This purple was a good compromise.

H Picked out her own dress..... I think she would have preferred the pink one.... but they didn't have it in her size. But she quickly and joyfully embraced the blue one. That's my girl!

S was lucky to find the pink in her size. What a pretty princess.

E is still at that age where she is still happy with hand-me-downs. This seer-sucker was one of several that we had to choose from. I Love this age!

Here are my pretty maids all in a row. The grass was wet from the night shower that we received. So we had to be creative in taking these pictures on the back "porch".

The Past Few Days........

Takin' a ride in the canoe with Daddy. One of the joys of living near a river. Kent's dream location.

His other passion.......... gardening. He has found a fellow gardener in the neighborhood. They have been working hard to get the garden prepared. There will be a bountiful harvest this summer!

Daddies helpers.

New Life.....

Waiting at the soccer field, watching Daddy play.

"Support" Ministry

We have slowly begun the process of "raising support" for our move to Uganda. We have had several people ask why our church doesn't support us themselves, there are many answers to this question.

The first practical one is that there just aren't enough people for support the number of missionaries we (as a church) have on the field. When you as a church have over 200 missionaries out on the field, and only 2500 people in your congregation..... well it just isn't possible. When 2500 CHURCHES support 200 missionaries, well then you CAN fully fund missionaries.

Second.... we want the prayer! If your church is sending in the mission money every month to support the missionaries.... then you become disconnected from them. However if you personally know those missionaries, and you are personally writing a check each month, then you are thinking about them and praying for them far more often.

Third, it is biblical. The priests were supported, Paul was supported, even Jesus was supported. Paul's thought was that is was not for HIS benefit that the people gave, but for theirs. "so that it could be accredited to their account" We, like Paul, know what it is to have plenty and we know what it is to have needs. It is an opportunity for people to be blessed..... it is more blessed to give than to receive.

On another biblical note.... we are all called to different roles. WE (the Foresters) have been called to be the feet that shares the good news (technically we ALL have) but some are the hands that work to send the feet to those that haven't heard.

14How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10:14-15

We don't want to just go, we want to be sent!

In addition to all this, we get to minister and encourage those that we are meeting with. I was sharing with a friend tonight how almost every "meeting" we have had so far has always ended in ministry or in some kind of "challenge" or "spurring on", and I am able to minister to SO many by sharing HOW God is providing.

Two weeks ago I told another friend that I didn't know how HOW God would take care of our rent this month, I just knew that he WOULD. Today, being the 3rd, she asked me. She wanted to hear about how God was moving in our finances. And I was able to tell her that rent we paid. GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!

Ministry can place ANYWHERE. even in a "support raising" presentation.

LORD, guide us in every conversation that we have. May you use us to bless, challenge and help all those that we are able to in this season. We don't want to wait until we get to Uganda to do "ministry", we want to minister HERE and NOW. Open the doors, allow people to see that their gifts are given to You and that You are our provider.

Innocent Answers

We are adding some extra math lessons in with our current Singapore math, simply because we need the extra practice on basic stuff. Singapore is great about jumping quickly to word problems, but they are not as good at drilling multiplication and addition facts. ANYHOW that being said.... H was working on her new math lesson. She came to the only Word Problem on the whole lesson it said:

Jessica and Maria picked three bushels of apples on Friday afternoon and four bushels on Saturday Morning. How many bushels of apples did Jessica and Maria pick? _______
Why?_________________


Her answer: 7
Why: they like apples

I thought is was too cute not to share. In case it has been too long since you have done school, the why answer should have been : 3+4=7. And yes I did explain to her what "Why" meant and hopefully she will remember it next time they ask.

I laughed so much I cried!! I love my sweet innocent H!! She is a beautiful young lady and an eager learner.

Take a COLD shower....

OK Now I am not one to usually resort to things of this nature, but I have reached the end of my potty training rope. The light at the end of the tunnel is WAY to bright for me to slow down and wait.

E has gone.... um ..... #2 ;) in the potty, several times unassisted. So when she started "going" in her panties I got really frustrated. I can't tell you the number of times I had to change her panties this last week because she wouldn't go in the potty.

Now if I knew that she was still learning how to "listen to her body" I would have A LOT more grace.... BUT we have been working on this since August as you can see in this post dated on the 29th. So I pulled out the COLD shower trick.

I had a friend that had to resort to it with her potty trainee, and I think it worked. This weekend after the 100th poopy panty change I said "next time you poop in your panties you will get a cold shower."

So the next day when we were at home and she pooped in her panties...... She got a cold shower.

The next few times she remembered and took the time to got and sit to take care of business. When her "deposit" had been made in the proper location, she came out and proudly exclaimed...


"I no get a cold shower!!"


I thought she got the point. Apparently not. A few days later we were back to the "old way" of doing things. So she got her second COLD shower.

So far, today has been Poopy panty free!!! And she told her daddy the same thing today that she told me ......


"I no get a COLD shower!!!"



It may seem cruel, but it is getting results and really it's not a shower...... I just use COLD water to rinse her hiney off and then wrap her up in a big fluffy towel. She is only in the water for oh.... 2 min max.

If any one has better training ideas, I would love to hear them!!!

My first time

This weekend I tried something for the very first time.... I know that when I reveal it to you MOST of you will be extremely shocked. Are you ready...... Drum roll please......











This weekend.............................










I had my very first..........................



































Drink of .................................

Yes, yes ..... I know you can't believe it. I never really liked the taste growing up, Which is strange considering my mom is a pepper-a-holic. Every morning she just doesn't wake up until she has poured herself a cold, bubbling mug of Diet Dr. Pepper. Living in Waco puts us with in minuets of the Dr. Pepper museum, at which she purchased an official Dr. Pepper Mug.

I decided that if I could grow to like spinach and shrimp, then maybe I could learn to love Dr. Pepper too. However I would love to shed a few extra pounds, so I didn't really try Dr. Pepper, I thought since I wouldn't know the difference I could start out with the diet and save myself some frustration in the long run.

I'm not sure I can say I am totally changed, I will have a hard time giving up my diet Cherry Cokes from Sonic..... but at least now I can have some variety!

Texas Traditions

In Texas, especially east Texas, almost every family has the tradition of snapping pictures of their darling little ones among the beautiful blankets of bluebonnets. We are no different. We have pictures of M when she was 18 months old sitting in a patch of wildflowers on Hwy 84 on our way to Fredricksburg.

Well the tradition continues.... I have been looking for a good patch of flowers for a while, but all the REALLY good ones are on the medians of major hwys and interstates. I love my children and I want to keep them for the NEXT set of Blue Bonnet pictures, so I decided to pass on busy thoroughfares. ;)

These pictures aren't in a big beautiful patch, but there were enough to get the idea, and they were conveniently taken right across the street from our house, where there is no threat of 18 wheelers, or any other number of wheels.

It was great!! I could focus on one smile at a time. M was in her PJ's while I was doing E. and They could run in and out of the house as needed, with out endangering their lives! ;) We still haven't mastered group pictures yet. So for now this is my way of putting them all on one picture.

HAPPY SPRING

SISTERS

Last week I went to get the girls up and this is what I found:
Now H always wants to sleep with someone.... especially when she is in one of her "needy" moods. But M on the other hand NEVER wants to sleep with anyone. However it was M that was in H's bed. I know that I have said it before, (You can read about it here)but I love having all girls!! I never had a sister, I had an AWESOME best friend, but weekend sleep overs just aren't the same as having a roommate.

We hear the girls talking every night..... and it makes me SOOOOOO happy that they are developing deep relationships. I want them to be close...... Two sets of peas in two little pods.

LORD, deepen their relationship. Unite their hearts together. May they always put each one another first. May their friend ship last their LIFETIME!!!