The heart of a 5 year old

So this is the heart of my 5 year old daughter. She wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love so that someone who doesn't have hair will now have hair..

This is her journey......This is what her hair looked like prior to donation....

And can I pls plug my salon!! Headlines For Hair in Encinitas...April Cox....She cut my daughters hair for free because she was donating it. They gave her full salon treatment too!!!

This is her waiting for her hot chocolate!! She was allowed the full salon treatment!! Uh, I think we may be in trouble now....lol.

The pre-cut discussion

The first cut!!!!

The shampoo!! You know this is the BEST part...She just laughed and thought it was funny.

Lets get started

The blow dry and style.....

Her new hair style and her donation to Locks of Love!!

Again...the heart of a 5 yr old. She thinks her haircut resembles Willie Wonka....lol...(Johnny Depp). She is going to grow her hair out again and donate again!! She loves her new doo and we are so proud of her!! This, is the heart of the Father, at work in a child.

~~L~~

Homeschool Mishap

So this happened about 2 weeks ago, or maybe more, my memory isn't serving me well with dates right now.



So school was underway and it has been one of those days....other homeschooling moms must know these days. I am talking about the days when you are armed and prepared to, at any indiscretion that occurs, administer discipline. The whole "shes looking at me" and "dont sit next to me" and " I dont want to do my work" drama.

Ok, so to be honest, I probably spent more of my efforts correcting the behavior of ALL 3 of my children then actually teaching. It was one of those days where you want to just toss in the rag and say..."OK no more school today." But they weren't going to win this time. Oh no, we had work to get done and we were going to get it done even if we had to fight the whole way through. I don't usually recommend this attitude when approaching teaching. It is supposed to be a "fun learning environment." And usually I say pick your battles but I was bound to accomplish the days work!! (and win this fight..lol)

So you can imagine how excited and relieved I was when it was time to BREAK for lunch. I think we all breathed a big sigh of relief. Finally a minute to collect myself, pray and repent, and get through that last stretch.

I cant even remember what I was preparing for lunch but I know for sure I was shooing them all outside....Go, Get on out...or something of that nature. I do remember I was preparing something on the stove because this is where the "Incident" took place. In my haste to get the children out of the house and my hair, I turned on the wrong burner. See we have a flat stove and the way school works is that as we complete a subject I shift the material back over to where it is stored to be put away. Well a lot of that time that means is spends some time on the stove....can you guess where I am going with this.....

So I turn around to get a pan washed out to use and I smell something....."what in the world? Where is that coming from? Hmmm...our neighbor must be burning their trash again." This is what I was thinking looking out my kitchen window. I turn to put the pan on the stove and its our school books on fire!!! Ok thankfully no visible falmes just a bunch of smoke. One book was absolutely smoking and that smell, the one I thought was my neighbors trash burning, well it was coming form my house....lol. I drop the pan and run to the stove, all of aboute 2 steps...Im sure I was running though, and throw everything off onto the floor....mind you the kids hadn't quit made it outside yet...Oh I was making Mac n' Cheese....that's what I was making...So I am sure it was a sight to be seen.

So anyway the kids start freaking out thinking the whole house is on fire....I can laugh now...but sure wasnt then.

So I turn the stove off and look....and its a teachers manual....ugh!!! So now I own it because I cant turn it in without the back cover and some pages with burns on them..It would figure ya know.

I am just thankful that it was laminated because otherwise it would have been a bigger deal. it took a minute to get through all that to get to the paper. Im am fairly certain that if there had been some random papers betweent the book and the stove, we would've seen flames. Thanks goes to my husband for scrapping off all the burned material left on the stove..



In retrospect, I probably should've tossed in the towel, but we did complete all our work for that day, even with a small mishap.
~~L~~

And so it continues...

Tooth #4 is ready to come out.
Well, if you ask my son, he may have a different story. We made our 6 month check up visit to the dentist and he saw the missing tooth and was all excited that HE, the dentist, didn't have to pull it. I knew there was a "but" coming though.
See I had already taken a peak inside my sons mouth and saw that loose tooth #4 already had the adult tooth pushing through behind it. This is the problem we had with the first two teeth that were pulled.
So here comes the but.....
The dentist said that he has until Thursday, 1 week, to have it out or it will have to be pulled.....
Those of you who have been keeping tabs.....can probably feel what's coming next....
A job for dad!!!!
Well not so fast!!! The dentist almost came to my sons rescue,almost...he said dad had to be very careful when pulling a tooth with fishing string......hmmmm....wonder why. He said that the tissue is very soft but dad can give it a shot. You could see my son sit up in his chair excited for a split second and then sit back down. So of course who steps up to the plate??.....Dad said "Don't worry about it mom, I got it all under control."
Aren't those famous last words....haha.
Well the tooth hasn't come out yet but D-Day is fast approaching. So my son has three choices...
A. He pulls it
B. The Dentist pulls it
C. Dad pulls it

I am not sure what is going to happen. All I know is that it must be done by Thursday!!
I will keep you posted....
~~L~~

Surgery

Well it looks as though we will be taking our Lovebug in to have a minor surgery. She has a swollen adenoid right behind her nose. An adenoid a lymhnod. It's the same thing when you have a sore throat and you feel swollen around your neck, except hers is behind her nose. This seems to complicate her breathing. She always says to me," Mommy I can't sneeze!" She means breath but says sneeze...so cute.

So the Dr says its not a complicated surgery. She should be done w/i 20 min. That I am grateful of! We dont have to worry about scars because they will be going in through her nose, YAY!!

The really good news is the benefits outweigh the risks 10/1. It is our prayer that she will be able to breath better. Her snoring will stop and she will sleep through the night. See she still wakes up at least once every night because she is thirsty. When she breaths through her mouth her throat gets dry which causes her to wake up, poor girl. So this is not only affecting her breathing but her sleep as well.



pls keep her in your prayers as we approach her surgery. We do not have a surgery date yet but it should be scheduled w/i the next 2 weeks.



Thanks in advance!!! :0) I will post an update as we approach



~~L~~

Our Newest Additions!!!!

So not only did we just aquire chickens but we now have new born baby Boar Goats!!!

This is a pic of either the boy or the girl, not sure which one I captured, just after birth...Ok not right after birth because we were at the mall getting daddy a new pair of shoes...but as soon as we pulled up my dear friends daughter came running..."We have babies!!!!!"

Sorry the pic is a little blury. Well with my phone costing a whopping $35, you cant exactly expect National Geograpic style pictures. Althought, it would be pretty sweet if you could...lol..for only $35.

We do not yet have names picked out and are welcoming all suggestions...

There is a lot of life on the property these days, tons of fun!!!

I am off to bed because I have had a headache going on 3 days now, ugh!! Pls pray it will go away!!

Oh, we are on watch for the next baby goats...With in the next 24 hrs we should have more life here on the compound....lol There is also a 3rd that is pregnant but not quite showing signs just yet that she is ready.

Anyhow, I will keep all updated....

We have CHICKS!!!!

So for the past few weeks there has been a man, we will call him Tom because that's his name, who has been building a chicken coop in the old horse barn.


I do not know much about chickens, except I like to eat them....shhh...I am whispering because I don't want them to hear....see they aren't too far from my house. From what I hear, they announce that when they are laying an egg...so this should be interesting...look for future posts on that.

But here are some pics of the hens that we will be getting eggs from ...

This is their little 2x2x2 where they will be taking care of business!! Shh, don't tell anyone, they are ladies ya know

Here are my girls helping out our dear friend get the coop ready ....

Did I mention that our dear friend also brought home 3 day old chicks, that will one day replace the laying hens we have now....apparently they are only deemed worthy for a short amount of time....shame...out with the old and in with the new youngins'

Just after this pic my princess was initiated into the "pooped on" club. A mad dash she made to the house to wash her hands....laughing all the way but not singing Jingle Bells...

They are super cute

This can only mean that there are going to be hilarious future posts on Chickens, egg collecting, rounding them up, etc...
Stay Tuned....I will find out how to use this for homeschooling some how!!!

Monster Truck Jam 2009

Our annual Monster Truck Extravaganza has come and gone.
This year we were excited because we were able to get pit passes. This meant that we would have to leave our house at 1pm. The show didnt even start until 7pm. So this was going to be a long day.
The kids were excited to get to see all the Monster Trucks up close. Here are some of the cool things we saw when we went to the pit party....not really a party, not sure why they called it that...We saw the tow truck from the movie Cars...

Grandpa and the kids in front of Grave Digger

Now this truck makes my husband look a little bit tiny....lol

More to come on this post...I have to get school started.....

To Be Continued......

When I say I'm a Christian

When I say I'm a Christian... ~*~By Maya Angelou~*~

When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin."I'm whispering "I was lost,"Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I am a Christian"I don't speak of this with pride.I'm confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not trying to be strong.I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not bragging of success.I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not claiming to be perfect,My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian"I still feel the sting of pain,I have my share of heartaches So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"I'm not holier than thou,I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow.


~~~I love this poem!! I think it just really encompasses the truth of what being a child of God is.
We are not perfect, in fact less then perfect in ALL ways!! But God grace is sufficient! Amen!!

Be encouraged reader!! You can have this very grace and mercy and love too!! All you have to do is receive Jesus as your Savior and repent(confess) the things you have done wrong...i.e. relying on yourself instead of God to make the way.

You will be washed clean and made new!! YAY!! (that means all of your sins, or things you have done wrong, will be forgiven)

If you are reading this post, and dont know Who this Jesus is, let me know. He is our wonderful maker, our Messiah and I would love to share with you all of the things God has done in our lives..

May God bless YOU, Beloved Reader!! I pray you find His grace.
~~L~~

Email Comedy!!

A dear friend emailed this to me!! STOP SENDING THESE CHAIN EMAILS PLS!!!

Read on and have a good laugh......read the whole thing ....its funny!!

Just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing. ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer. AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan .I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician . . Oh, by the way..... A German scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

It is Finished!

I titled this post straight out of the horses mouth, the pun was absolutely intended. That is what the pic text said when I opened it. And, this is what I saw...

IT IS FINISHED!! (says my husband)

So if you have been reading along faithfully, and I am certain you are, you will know exactly what this signifies...My husband the Conqueror! He didn't use dental floss this time, instead he used the more trusted fishing line....He hooked him...lol. I was at a bible study when it happened, which is why I think it happened.

Let me explain....

See, I so gently suggested that this not ever happen again., EVER!!!

So, when the cats away, the mice will play. I look at it this way...My dear husband is an opportunist...and the opportunity presented itself.....Why would he simply let it slip by...

So in the midst of my bible study, my phone starts vibrating....hmm, do I look?? Of course I do because I know that all 3 kids are at home with my husband....He is completely capable mind you. I trust him to death but he is an opportunist, remember...

I flip open my phone and start crackin up!!! The picture is titled "IT IS FINISHED."

I was dying!! I tryed to stay composed, I mean after all, I was at a bible study! We were having a heated discussion about the Message and if its translation is relevant....and Michaela was all fired up. I wouldnt dare draw attn to this. (j/k I am totally laughing)

So I texted him back and said "job well done."

Now the funny part...

My son, not to be trumped by my husband, strikes up a deal with his dear old dad. (I wonder where he gets it from...lol)

Out of the whole tooth pulling episode my son managed to score a brand new set of English Darts. For those of you who don't know, those are the plastic ones.

He also scored $5 from the tooth fairy!! Snap!

So when you look at the post below this one, you will understand now, that it is from my husband...again done wile I was out.

I cant help but be proud of them both!!

~~L~~

haha mama

Daddy pulled the tooth out.passage complete!go chargers!!!!! next year????
Love Daddy(AKA)the bad guy!

Zambia

This is Loveness

This is Nora

This is Rabino

These are just 3 of the orphans that will be moving into the Orphanage in June.

There will be 4 houses completed when we go out in July. We are soooo excited!!

We bought our tickets and received an AMAZING deal on them.

They were about $2500 when my husband went in July and we were able to find them for only $1600!! Praise the Lord. What a blessing.

We are still in need of funding as our trip will still be costly. Since we are both going this time, we have to raise enough funds to get us both there.

Our goal is 10,000. That will cover our cost to go and allow us to give a big donation to the ministry to further the construction of the orphanage.

Here are some more pics for your enjoyment...

This is my husband standing next to the brick press..they, the Zambians, use this machine to make their bricks to build their buildings..

This is their well where they retrieve their water... Pls, let this be a reminder not to take running water for granted!! Imagine if you had to do this a few times a day.

These are our friends who are going with us. They went in July also. So this will be their 2nd trip also. They were getting ready to go in and preach at a Zambian church!!

We have other goals regarding Zambia and if you are interested, hit me up.

Look for future posts about Zambia. It seems this is where the Lord would have our time focused.

~~L~~

The season has come to an end!

So the Chargers lost...bummer.
We can only hope that we can do better next year. I can elaborate with all kinds of football rhetoric but whats the point?
We lost. That's the bottom line.

So I suppose I will cheer for the Steelers now, begrudgingly.

So for all of you Charger fans....that jumped off the bandwagon when they started to loose this season, then jumped back on when they started to win again......Stay with your team!! You are either a committed fan or not. Being a fan is not a part time job. You are a fan when they lose, when they win, and in the off season. So wear your jersey proud and don't be a bandwagon fan!

~~L~~

GO CHARGERS!!!

Ok so we, I mean the Chargers, will be playing our 2nd playoff game with the Steelers today.....I am so excited to watch the game! If they play anything like they did last week, which was awesome, we should fare well.
Last week the game was super good!! I don't know if anyone can stop our Offense!!
The family and I are going to my dads to watch the game. A little bit of Mexican food, some good 'ol American football, and some quality family time...
Priceless............

So Go Chargers!!!
I know this post was short but we have to get ready for church...
Take care today and wish the Chargers luck!!!

~~L~~

Can you imagine??

So, quickly before I go to bed, I had to share this crazy moment in our day today!!


So let me preface this by saying that my son had his first 2 teeth pulled out by the dentist. See, his adult teeth had already pushed through and the dentist said that we couldn't wait any longer. His baby teeth werent even budging. THEY MUST COME OUT!


So he was devastated. Are you kidding me...all the other kids got to pull out their teeth all by themselves. He was not happy....one of his best friends had his knocked out during football practice and him having his FIRST 2 teeth pulled, was not that cool.


So I struck up a last minute conversation with the dentist. It was do or die. I said listen.....He is going to be devastated if he doesn't get to pull out his first tooth. His dentist was sooo cool. He said he would get it loose enough for him to reach up and grab it. I was like Praise God!! It wasnt the same though, ya know. Remember when you pulled out your first tooth?

Ok so now that I have brought you current to today's happenings......His 3rd tooth is very loose and almost out. I mean he is sooo excited that he isn't going to have to go to the dentist this time. As soon as this was announced I could see out of the corner of my eye my husbands little thought bubble....you know the one the cartoons have... in it, I see this flash of fireworks...."UH OH" I say to myself. This means that he has got an idea on how to solve my dear 8 year olds present condition...

This is my husbands great idea!!!!

In case you weren't able to make out the horror on my sons face....my husband is about to pull his tooth out with DENTAL FLOSS!!! Are you kidding me...who does that. I could've sworn it was only a wives tale. Something people talked about but never was really true.
Poor thing was like "Mom...do I really have to do this? Help me!!"
My son confidently said, "It's like a right of passage...don't take this from me."
So with one swift yank and a pop on the head......out comes the tooth, right?.....WRONG!!!! Blood, spit and saliva, tears.....yes, all of those but no tooth. Poor thing. I felt so bad. So my husband not to be defeated says, "It's ok we will try again tomorrow!"
My son was like "I don't even like you right now dad. I don't let people I don't like pull out my teeth with dental floss." It was hilarious!
My heart welled up because I know it hurt but I was laughing too. Poor guy!
I can tell you this much, the tooth will come out on my sons own accord, with NO help from his daddy!!

Aww....Kids! My day would've not been the same w/o them.

Heeaapppyy New year!!!

So on New Years, when everyone else was out, we were holding a fundraiser for our next trip to Zambia, Africa!!

I should've had a camera but could only capture some of our nonsense with my cheap camera phone. So I apologize for the blurriness in some of the pics.

So once we were finished with the fundraiser we took to the streets, sober mind you, with our party hats and blow horns....This is Robert outside of church

Oh, I forgot to share with you one of our crafts, that no one did. So Michaela and I made one ourselves.....Meet Joe Snow...

He is clearly a snowman built atop pf a cupcake....

The above pic is of my partner in crime.....say CHEESE!!

We didnt end up raising a ton of money but we think there may have been a divine appt that was intended instead. We met a gentleman there who has a heart for Africa and wants to help us. He has very high contacts with a ton of money, he says. So keep that in your prayers if you can.

This was Michaela hiding behind the palm frawn, not Chewbaca...

I had some other pics but they weren't very clear.

I can say that we had a great time. It was awesome to be out doing Gods work!!

I will be doing a Zambia post soon....So stay tuned...

God Bless....
~~L~~