December 23, 2009

Merry Christmas

I wont be able to blog till sometime after the Christmas holiday because it is getting really busy around here. I wanted to take the time to wish all my bloggy friends a very Merry Christmas!

December 21, 2009

Snow!

Last Friday we had a little  well 8 inches I think of snow come our way. But my kids just couldnt wait to get out in it and play. So they went out while it was coming down and had so much fun, they didnt last long out there too cold they said. I love to watch the snow fall, I think it is just so pretty!




December 4, 2009

Christmas Party!

So as I told you we went to the assisted living home and had a great time there with the ladies. One of the dear ladies was in the hospital, one wasnt feeling to good (she did come eat with us but didnt feel like doing anything else) and one of the other ladies doesnt come out of her room. But one thing that really stuck out to me about these ladies was they told me several times you didnt have to bring all this you could have just come. They didnt care about the gifts, party or crafts, All they wanted was a visit from us. And yet they would ask the kids what they wanted for Christmas and offered to help with the party. This day was for them, we wanted to do for them and in turn they still wanted to help us. Such a blessing to spend some time with them! So as promised some pictures from our day!


Making Christmas cards for the Baskets.





Putting the Baskets together.





Finished baskets!





Enjoying some snacks.











Working on Crafts.



Pictures with a few of the ladies!









December 2, 2009

Christmas Project

Our homeschool group that we are a part of decided this year we would do for others at Christmas. We thought this would be a great lesson for the kids to do for others and take some of the focus off of getting gifts.

We are going to a home (not a nursing home but a home with ladies who cant stay by themselves) and are taking some Christmas fun to them for a while. We are heading there tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it. We are fixing baskets for each lady and each child is making a card for them to go into the baskets as well.

I thought instead of doing our Christmas party with the kids before we went, what about taking the Christmas party to the ladies and include them. Everyone thought this would be a great idea. I think this will be something great to include them in. We also are going to do 2 crafts with them and this will be something not only the ladies would do but also the kids with them.

So check back on Friday for pictures of our Christmas fun!

November 6, 2009

Proud Aunt

Thought I would brag on my niece a little bit today. I am so very proud of her. She is a junior in high school and is doing so good. She is in rotc, which she absolutely loves. Yesterday they went to fly planes and this week she was chosen to do the drill team competitions. She said she wanted to be a pilot when she gets out of school, air force, air medic flight or something like that. She plays soccer and her academic grades are really good. Last year she was inducted in beta club and last night I had the honor of attending her induction into National Honor Society. The candles in the picture each have a meaning to: white candle represents eternal light of knowledge, blue candle represents scholarship, green candle represents service, purple candle represents leadership and the red candle represents character. I told her she gets her brains from me...haha. She is so excited to be chosen, and oh how proud we are of her.


October 27, 2009

Family Time

This past Saturday we decided to head up to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get away for a little while. We took my grandma and my mom with us. One of the things I love about fall is seeing the change of the leaves. It was beautiful up there! We stopped at this little area and took some pictures, had a picnic and hung out there for a bit before heading back. The kids really enjoyed it and we just had some great family time together.

October 22, 2009

Blessings

To start this post off I wanted to Thank God for all he has done for me. I want to thank him first for dying on the cross for my sins so that I could be saved. I thank him for my family, my church and my great friends. I thank him for the husband and two children he sent to me. I thank him for my health. I thank him for always providing for our needs. I thank him for the opportunity to be home with these kids and to be able to teach them not only the regular school work but more about the bible.

About two weeks ago Bryanna was working on a project and was asked what she would thank our pastor for and this sweet child spoke up and said "Well the first thing that comes to my mind is for preaching the gospel so we can learn about God". I thought how about that a 10 year old realizes how blessed she is about having the true gospel being preached to her. Sometimes I wonder at her age is she really paying attention and listening. I see her notes but still is she understanding? We often times will ask her what the message was about and believe or not she can tell you a lot that was said. This makes me so proud.

We took off this morning and went to the Chinqua Penn Trail and walked. We just took our time and had a good time together and talked about a lot of things. During our walk I was so blessed by something BW said to me. We were walking along the trail and he put his hands together and looked up at me and said "mommy, can I tell God thank you for making this, because I really like it". So there walking the trail my 4 year old son started to tell God thank you for making that for him. This was one of those moments that you wanted to cry not because you were upset but because you were blessed to see such a little child understand Gods work and that it is him that blesses us so much. It blessed my heart but also convicted me because I know I fall short of thanking God for all his blessings that he gives me. Sometimes kids help to open our eyes to things we may not even see.
Can you think of something that your child has said that has blessed your heart tremendously or convicted you of?

October 14, 2009

What Pumpkin Treat Are You?




You Are Pumpkin Pie



You are old fashioned and traditional. You prefer the old classics to newfangled traditions.

You believe that some of the best things in life have been forgotten. Luckily, you still remember them.



You are nostalgic for a simpler era, even possibly a time before you were born.

You love old movies, music, and fashions. You find the past to be a rich and interesting time.


October 7, 2009

First Homeschool Meeting this Year

We had our first homeschool meeting last week and had a great time. We were able to be outside and enjoy the fall weather. The kids played outside, had a snack and even decorated pumpkins. Actually BW didnt want to leave. I am so thankful to be a part of this group, the parents are great and the kids have so much fun playing with the other kids.

BW playing on the playground

Working on our pumpkins

The finished pumpkins! BW's pumpkin is the whiter colored one and Bryanna's is the one right beside of BW's with the cute little lips. I think they all did a great job and had a lot of fun doing them.

September 4, 2009

Sweet, Sweet Video

I have been wanting to get this up for a while now. A few months back my husband surprised me with this little video he put together. He just doesnt realize how much I will cherish this. Hope you enjoy it.

August 10, 2009

First History Project

I know this is late getting up but this was Bryanna's first history project. We were talking about a shield of faith and she had to make her own. I also thought BW might like to make a shield as well and I just let him draw what he wanted to on his, he said it was a snowman. Not sure why he chose this drawing.



July 20, 2009

School just ahead

First off let me say we have been very busy this month. We have been getting things ready to start school, have went on vacation, had a family reunion, started a new bible study at church(which by the way is great, Thanks Michelle for doing this) and even got to enjoy the most beautiful wedding. But school is just ahead, thats right we are planning on starting back on Monday, July 27th. I cant believe it is here and now I question do I have it all together to be able to start so soon. But I know with God all things are possible. I am a little nervous not only is my little girl starting 5th grade but BW is starting his preschool program too! He is excited, thinks he is a very big boy now. He will be like sissy. All this new curriculum we are trying this year has a lot of hands on activities, which we are looking forward to. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer break and I will keep you guys posted about our school year.

June 10, 2009

Great Recipe

I found this recipe over at abbysweets.blogspot.com and let me just say it is absolutely delish!

Cinnamon Roll Cake




Yellow Cake Mix
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 cup sour cream

Mix by hand and pour in 13 x 9 greased baking pan.

1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Mix and pour over cake batter. Swirl into batter with knife.

Bake @ 325 for 40 minutes. Let cake cool 10 – 15 minutes before icing.

Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tbsp milk

Pour over warm cake

May 26, 2009

Homeschool Conference

I went to the homeschool conference on Friday, dragged my mom with me so I wouldn't be by myself. Thank goodness I did, it was just a little overwhelming(sp?) Let me start by saying we parked at the fairgrounds and was going to take the shuttle bus to the convention center,I was expecting to see a little short bus. Not so, we got there and the shuttle bus was like a greyhound bus. Yes this big. Get to the conference and go to the book fair...as soon as I walked in I was like oh my gosh where do I start. 98 vendors to go through and let me say we were there for 5 hours and only attended the book fair, no workshops. I had every intention on going to some of the vendor workshops but no time. I had so much fun and came home with all of our curriculum for next year except for science. And I will definitely be going back next year. So here is how it all plays out for next year:

BW: Heart of Dakota-Little Hands to Heaven

Bryanna: Heart of Dakota-Preparing Hearts for His Glory(History/Bible)
Rod and Staff (English)
Math U See
I also bought a Charlottes Web Study Guide that we will start for reading at the first of the school year.

May 8, 2009

Mothers Day and....

It has been a while since I posted but we have been really busy. School is officially over and I have been searching for all new curriculum for next year. I think I have pretty much narrowed it down to a couple of things. Getting excited about the new school year starting. On the other hand Mothers Day is Sunday and it will be a year since my dad passed away. What a mothers day to have right? I well all of my family has had a hard week knowing this is coming up. Wow the time has passed so fast, but sometimes I still think he will be home for the weekend from work. Sometimes it still does not even seem real. I miss him so badly, but at the same time I remember the early morning phone call I got from my mom the last night my dad was home and he was yelling cause he was in so much pain, and it feels so good to know he is not in pain anymore. I wouldn't take him back in that shape that is for sure. I think one of the best parts is knowing that I will see him again in heaven. And through all that dad went through one thing that sticks in my head that he said to us was GOD IS GOOD! And how true is that. Bryan asked me what I wanted for Mothers Day and all I could say was I dont know. I am having a hard time with this so I ask that each of you to please pray for me and my family especially my mom as this is weighing hard on her as well. Let me just say something about my mom. I am sure we all think we have the best mom in the world. But my mom is just awesome. I love her dearly and couldnt have asked for a better mom to have. She is such a strong, caring, compassionate and loving lady. So to my mom and each of you ladies I wish you all a Happy Mothers Day!




April 15, 2009

Chick fil-A

I seen this over at Savvy Little Women and thought it was funny, so I thought I would share it with you.

April 14, 2009

An Update.....Well, Rambling

Well we have gotten testing out of the way and Bryanna did really well. Bryanna really liked the way she was tested and how things went. We will definitely be using Greg again. I was very proud of her and you know after she tested I felt like I had accomplished something this year. Sometimes you feel like are they learning anything? But this test really helps you see how they are doing. My sister also had a procedure done on her heart and they are 95% sure that they have fixed her problem and hopefully she will not have anymore issues there. God is so good to us. So now we have about 16 days left of school and might I add they will be lazy days. We are not doing much, there are a few things I want to finish up and we are going to incorporate some fun things as well. There is a homeschool conference coming up and I am very excited about that. I hope to get all of the kids curriculum picked out. BW will be starting a preschool curriculum in the fall. He is showing interest in school, thank goodness. I am just trying to figure out how I am going to school 2 kids. But it will all work out.

April 2, 2009

Corduroy

BW has shown a lot of interest in reading lately, so recently we read "Corduroy" and "A Pocket for Corduroy". Bryanna is really to old to read little books like these but I try to involve them in the some of the same things. After the first book we made these Corduroy bears and added the green overalls and buttons. It wasn't until we read "A Pocket for Corduroy" when we added his little purple pocket and the piece of paper with his name on it. The kids had a great time with this. Crafts are just so much fun to do and the kids enjoy them so much.

BW's Corduroy is on the left, Bryanna's is on the right.

March 26, 2009

Whats going on at the Kennedy house?

So what has been going on at our house. Lets see where to begin. Well we had an unexpected death within our family. The kids and I have all been sick with some awful stuff. BW pulled a muscle in his neck. We have been busy helping my mom the past couple of months doing some work on her house. And most importantly we have been trying to do as much school work as possible.

School has been going really good. BW is showing more interest in wanting to do school work too. This is making life as a teacher much easier. We have testing coming up in 13 days, yes 13 days. I am a little nervous being our first year, I just hope we have covered everything that we need to at this point. I am also starting to check out curriculum for next year. Thinking of checking out some new curriculum for next year. Also trying to figure out where I want to start with BW. He will be 5 in November, not in Kindergarten according to the public schools. But I am thinking of starting him in to some more in depth preschool and start working on reading with him. Reading he is showing a lot of interest in. As for Bryanna I think she needs a different Math one that is more hands on maybe if I can find this. The Language Arts that I used this year was good but I didnt feel as if there was enough grammar work for her. As for history, science, and bible I am thinking of trying something new. I like to try new things. Maybe when I make my decision that will be another post.

I have some difficult upcoming days ahead for me. First, on the day she will be tested will be one year since we found out about dad having cancer. A month and 3 days later will be 1 year since he passed away. God has blessed us so much in the past year even with my dads passing. It has been so hard and sometimes it seems as if he is still working out of town and he will be home on Friday and then he is not there. But one thing is for sure I know exactly where he is and that is heaven with his Lord and Savior. One thing my dad said that I remember always is he said "God is good" and how right is he!!

This is a lot of different subjects, hopefully you didnt get lost in the whole post.

March 7, 2009

Bubba's New Haircut


We took Bubba to be groomed today and we were so excited with how he looked when we picked him up. She put this cute little St. Patrick's Day bandanna.

March 2, 2009

A Giveaway!!!!!!!!!



The Farm Chicks are hosting a giveaway. Head over there and sign up for this yourself!!

February 2, 2009

Doctor Visits

Last Thursday the kids had their annual appointments to the doctor. They have grown so much, BW is now ready for a booster seat and he was so excited. Everything seem to check out well. The only thing we have to move further with is Bryannas eyes. The eye test they did on her showed that she would need glasses for distance as well as reading. I thought, it hadnt been a year yet since she got the reading glasses, but we have made an appointment with the eye doctor for the 10th.

Also we can keep Bryanna off of the asthma medicines unless she starts showing signs of a cold and then she would have to go back on them. The other thing we have to watch is how her breathing does when she does a lot of playing if this seems bad she will have to go back on the meds as well.

When I looked at their growing charts and seen how much they have grown since they were babies it makes me want to cry. BW has pretty much stayed at the top of his chart and Bryanna started way down on the chart, a mere 3 lbs 5 oz when we brought her home and now at the top of her chart. We just have so much to be thankful for and I thank God for my children and for allowing me to be home with them and teach them.

January 26, 2009

Moms Birthday

I am about a week in posting this but I wanted to tell all my bloggy friends what we did for moms birthday. Moms birthday was on the 16th, let me back up and say my dads birthday was on the 12th, so this was an extremely hard week for us especially my mom. Anyway my brother, my sister and I got together and talked about what we wanted to do for her birthday. We wanted to do something special for her. So my brother who lives 2 hours away said he would rather us come down there. I called my mom and said "Mom I want to go see Ricky and I dont know how to get there so you will have to go with me." And guess what it worked. My sister and grandma and the kids went on down about lunch time that Saturday and mom and I left later. We got there and my sisters vehicle was hidden and I made her go in the house first and boy was she surprised. We had dinner and cake and ice cream and a good time of fellowship together. It made her feel so good and she had a wonderful time. Before we left we took some pictures with her so I thought I would post some of them today.



mom and my grandma


mom and all her beautiful grandchildren


Me and mom