my birthday

Chip had to go out of town on my birthday to a place in AR that I wanted to visit. So, the kids and I piled in his truck and went with him. Before we left he gave me an orchid plant for my bathroom. I have always wanted one of these. He made a mental note a few weeks ago when I subtly commented on it at Lowes.


The first day while Chip was at his meeting we all napped and then the kids swam in the pool at the hotel.


The next day Chip had some paper work to finish with a Fire Marshall. He was so great. He invited us all in to his office while they worked. Then he showed us around a botanical garden and new museum being built in North AR. He even snapped this family picture for us. It was a great little getaway.

answered prayers

Before we moved to AR and before we moved into our house I prayed for friends for Chip and I and the kids. I prayed for friends from Godly families for the kids. I prayed for people on our street that know God and need God. He has done all of this and more! This is Ella finishing preschool for the year and with her good friend Gracey who just bought a house about 5 minutes from us. They are a sweet family with a son around Streed's age.

Classical Conversations

I am thinking about changing co-ops for next year. Below tells about our new option. Classical Conversations (CC) (below is copied from their website)

It’s a Mission
The purpose of education is to know God and to make Him known.
Our purpose is to lead the home-centered education movement by equipping parents and students with the classical tools of learning needed to discover the order and beauty of God’s creation and to inspire others to do the same.

We believe parents are their children’s primary teachers not because parents know everything but because each child is uniquely (and wonderfully!) made and because the people who know and love a child best are the ones most motivated to help that child succeed.

We empower and support parents not only through our Classical Conversations Communities across the country but also through our specially designed C3 online community, Parent Practicums, academic retreats, and our Certified Instructor Program. All of these services ultimately equip parents to educate their children with the classical tools of learning and a biblical worldview so that they might impact the world for God’s glory.

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i am seriously contemplating doing this. i was going to do Classical Conversations in Baton Rouge. for some reason when we moved it never crossed my mind to see if it existed anywhere nearby. randomly the other day i googled "classical conversations", found the website and a campus 30 minutes from my house. i was ecstatic. i still am it just rearranges most of "my plans" for next year. currently we are part of a classical christian co-op. however, there are lots of things i like about CC. one being it is national and been around for about 14 years. secondly, we have friends in other states doing it so we would all be studying the same exact things which would be really fun. anyway, i wanted to share this because it is occupying what is left of my brain!

post i promised

So in January my mom found out her cancer had come back. She also had some severe back pain so the docs were afraid it had spread. After numerous tests they found a compression fracture in her spine. As they repaired it they biopsied the area and found that there was cancer in that compressed vertebrae. They were able to repair the vertebrae and administer a strong and concentrated dose of radiation to that portion of her spine. She continues to have back pain but does go to work a few hours here and there. She is currently pretty weak and taking it easy. The chemo combined with the radiation combined with working a few days last week wiped her out. This is a picture of her with the kids when we visited in March. If you know her at all you can tell she has lost quite a bit of weight. It is mainly due to not wanting to eat because of the back pain. She has not had much sickness associated with the chemo but she has little desire for food. Prayers for strength and healing are coveted.

back track

As I was doing the baseball post I noticed a lot of pictures in my March folder that I had never posted. (reason to follow in the next post--which i realize will appear above this one :) )

Some sweet families we have met through Streed's co-op invited us to a picnic on day. Here are some of my favorite pics from that day.

the boys were able to take off their shoes and walk a little ways in a creek!


all three kids looking at the same time!


sweet legs in cowboy boots on the swing. i gotta chronicle these things. he may not always be a little cowboy. but i do have a sneaky suspicion he may!

spring baseball

Streed started some preseason tournaments in March. His season officially starts with Opening Ceremonies this weekend. To say he loves it would be an understatement. We are all having fun watching and getting to know the other kids and their parents.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!


This was his first hit. Chip calls it an out since he got out at first. But, he struggled hitting so much at the beginning of the season that, as his Mama, it's a hit!


With his coach. This is Chip's friend that we met soon after moving to AR last spring. His son and Streed were on the same t-ball team. He was getting a pep talk to "see the ball, hit the ball!"


Sweet Streed!


Coach of the year! I followed Nate as he wandered from the stands to climb on the fence. And this is what I found. Chip hanging out in left field on his phone. He saw me take a picture and thought, "I feel a blog comin' on!"


Here are our great coaches. They were bumbed as we lost 8-6 in the preseason tournament. They were definitely more upset than the kids!

today

I was praying a few minutes ago as I finished my bible study for my mom's group at church. In my prayer I thanked God for bringing me to Arkansas. Then I was taken aback by what I just said. I had to stop, open my eyes and think about that statement. Then I realized what I meant. I see my need for Him more here than I did in Louisiana. I was comfortable there. Life was easy. Even if Chip was doing this job in LA I would have had so much help. Here, not so much. I am alone in a lot of ways and that is when you see God more, at least I have. He has given us some great people and a great church and great neighbors. But, I am still alone in a lot of ways, mainly in day to day life. My best friends here live at least 30 minutes away. I met a few of them while we were in Little Rock. Even that is God's sanctification in me. It would be easier in a lot of ways if we were closer to those people. But, He does not choose easy for us always, we don't always thrive when it's easy. So, I finished my prayer time and immediately started singing...

Sustainer, Comforter, Consuming Flame
Companion, Redeemer, Above every Name
Hope for tomorrow, Joy of TODAY,
Father my Daddy, Master and THE WAY!

clarification

Amy: spring is trying to come out. we get a few little teasers here and there. it has been freezing and rainy the past few days. i am counting on april and may being nice!

Jenny: streed and ella took these pictures for me upon my asking. you know how it is.

march 1

Ahhh! That is a happy Ahhh! It is kind of like a sigh. I love spring. There is nothing like a cold dreary winter to make you love spring. You really do appreciate what you do not have. And of course I love having 4 distinct seasons. Summer was hot and winter was cold here, but, the fall was so nice and despite the pollen and the depression of the move, the spring was nice too. I love seeing the trees beginning to bud and the days getting longer. I probably should take some vitamin D next winter because the sunshine really does seem to affect my mood. There is also more interaction with people when the days are warmer. The neighbors all congregage in our cul-de-sac which I love. And while the boys and men threw the football one of the moms came and kept me company while I unloaded and re-loaded the dishwasher.
PICTURES:
The days start and end cool here but mid-day is so nice. We did some school outside today. I can't do a lot because Streed gets distracted but we did read about Martin Luther while soaking in the sun. Then Ella was feeling left out and needed some duck kisses.

Starting my day with Mom's N More helps too!

earthquake!

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/28/arkansas.quake/

last night i fell asleep on the couch watching to see if and when a tornado was coming. i was awakened to a strange rumbling sound. i sat still for a minute then got up and looked out the window to see if it was a tornado (smart). i went into our room and asked if chip felt anything. he did not. then a few minutes later a lot of our friends in the area started popping up on facebook asking if anyone else felt that. so strange. shortly there after chip found out that about 50 miles from us was a 4.7 scale earthquake.