E's Surprise!!

This morning I bundled up the kids, it's not that cold just wet, and sent them outside to play in the snow. We got another inch or so in the night and it's beautiful out there. I put E in her purple snow suit, boots and gloves and sent her out. I worked in the kitchen for a bit, feed Baby R some oatmeal, then went and sat in our bed, where I could hear the kids outside, to nurse her. Papa borrowed a western from Grandma F and as there is nothing else to read in the house that I've not read at least once before I grabbed it and set down to nurse. A few minutes later I heard E scream. High pitched 'I'm hurt' scream. My 1st thought was that she'd fallen off the porch. She did this legs 1st this summer and scared herself silly. Baby R was beside me on the bed, screaming mad at being interrupted, and I was to the front door before I could think. There she was standing at the bottom of the stairs her hands by her face. Nothing was bleeding or bruised or anything that I could see. When I looked closely though she was WET. Her face was soaked in line down the middle. The front of her snowsuit was wet as well in a line down the front. It took me about 30 seconds to figure out what had happened. The weather warmed up a bit this morning and the snow on our tin roof was warming up and falling off. She must have been standing under the drip line and got a dump of wet melting snow right on her face. It hit her face, slid down her neck and all the way through her snow suit to her legs. Because it was so warm out, just wet, I'd not put pants on her and she got cold wet snow from the top of her head, her hair was wet, all the way to her boots. She had a shirt on and it was soaked down the front as well. I laughed so hard. Poor kid. What a surprise!!! I opened her suit and got as much of it as I could but most of it was water by then. Then I gave her a little talk about walking around the drip line but it didn't take long though and she was done outside. Baby R was playing happily with my book cover when I got back to the bed and when I picked her up to finish nursing I could tell she'd forgiven me.

Baby R watching her siblings and the snow falling.

J's snow angel.

SNOW!!!

We got our 1st snow fall of the year today. When I last looked it was still falling. I wasn't sure how long it was going to last so we bundled everyone up, even Baby R, and headed outside. The kids made snow angels and played for about half an hour. Here they are on our 'redneck' trampoline. Works great when you have little kids. Can be raised or lowered at will. L did have gloves on when I sent him out but he shed them as he normally does. He dislikes gloves and would rather have cold hands. Then we came inside and did a tradition I started last year. Watch a Christmas cartoon and eat lunch. Great way to greet the winter!! It's been snowing most of the day on and off and now we have about 2 inches. This snow will probably stay as it is late for our 1st snow. 6 days late.

The 2 kittens after milking this morning. When I went in to get the camera, I may have to start carrying it during chores:), they were both balenced on the edge of the bucket drinking milk. I always milk in to the plastic pig bucket so I don't really care if they drink out of it. They can't climb the stainless bucket :) This morning both of them looked hard at my hand before running for cover and the black and white one tried to climb the bucket while I was milking.

Here is a J funny for you!!

Last Sunday during Church J had a battle with himself. After lunch he told Papa about it. J is 4 and we have often told him that there is a good person and a bad person inside of him and that he needs to work at bringing the good person out into his life. Here is what he told Papa "When I was sitting in Church the bad boy wanted to wiggle and play, so I flicked myself on the head and told him to go away!!" It must have worked as he was quite good during Church.

Why we do not 'do' the easter bunny, santa cause, or the tooth fairy.

Well it's rather simple actually. Our job here on earth as Christian parents is to teach our children about Christ. First and foremost. It's not to make enough money so that we can send them to the best christian schools or to find them a great mentor so that they can learn to be like Christ though another person. Those things are good things. But they are NOT our principle job as parents who love Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with him. Our job is to teach, preach and LIVE the example that Christ left us. Not that we are perfect as He is perfect but with Him living in us He helps us to do our very best. God isn't finished with any of us yet, and won't be until the 2nd coming of Christ. Therefore we do not believe that teaching our children about imaginary 'people' who steal in to our homes in the dead of the night (to leave presents or not). Have you seen God?? You may have seen his works or his hand moving in areas of you life. But the Bible tells us that NO ONE has seen God. Have you ever seen the tooth fairy??? No?? What about the easter bunny?? Now keep in mind. We do celebrate Easter, when Christ died and rose from the dead. We do celebrate Christmas as Christ's Birthday. We do have gifts and trees and lights and all that other fun jazz. But we do not 'do' santa. And we will not. Our children know about santa of course, it would be very hard to keep him from them as he is pasted everywhere for several months. And they know about saint nick. The wonderful man who started the tradition. But they also know that there is no such thing as santa and that saint nick is a story that happened a long time ago. They also know that other kids are told, by their parents that santa, the tooth fairy and the easter bunny are real. But we've chosen not to lie to our children. That's what it is. You can paint a pretty picture around it and make it all fun. But your lying to them. And if you lie to them about the easter bunny, santa claus and the tooth fairy why do you think they will believe you when you tell them about the One True God who loves them and died on a horrible cross and rose on the 3rd day for THEM. They've never seen the real santa (everyone knows those men in suits aren't him.), they've never seen the tooth fairy or the easter bunny. They'll never see God either, not unless they're alive for the 2nd coming or dead. And believing in Him after their dead will do them no good. They need to repent and believe in Him here on earth. There will be no 'changing your mind' when your dead!! Even if they do believe you when you tell them about God maybe they'll believe He is like the easter bunny, santa, and the tooth fairy... and they'll out grow Him as well with out ever having that life changing belief in Jesus. There is only 1 person who is invisible, who loves them and brings them wonderful gifts and He is not found in stores a Christmas wearing a funny hat and shaking bells. Or in some far away fairy land where they 'somehow' know when you've lost a tooth and fly into your home, your very room, and leave you money under your pillow. Or in some hopped up huge bunny world where they make eggs of all colors all year then hide them for you to find one morning. He is here on this earth. The Bible says He is everywhere and He knows everything. And the fact that He loves us should make us grateful that He is here and He does know everything. Because someone who loves us does the BEST for us. Not the worst. And that is why we do not lie to our children. Because we love them and we believe we are doing what is best for them. Even if they feel left out (which they don't) or even if it makes them oddballs or even if it means they come to believe in The One True God and go though tribulations their entire lives!! That is my greatest wish for my children and as a Jesus loving parent that is my calling, my job.

The Neat thing I saw this Morning.

I was just finishing up my morning chores, I do all my chores before the kids wake up, and was walking back to the house from where the pigs are when I heard a funny sound. It sounded like a VW car horn, you know a little Beep Bleep. Sort of. I couldn't place it. It repeated it's self over and over and finally I looked up where the noise was coming from and there, flying over our place, were 20 white swans. 2 different groups but a full 20 in total. I had time to count them twice as they flew over me. I've lived here most of my life and I've never seen that before. Never 20. Usually in groups of 2 or at most 4. I have seen swans grouped together on a field or lake in large numbers but never flying. They call to each other the same way geese do. They also switch up to rest and take turns in the front like geese do. But instead of a honking goose noise they sort of go Beep Bleeepeep. I believe they are trumpeter swans as I looked them up in my bird book and the only other swans we have a lot, the Tundra, of make more of a cooing sound. Now if only I took my camera on chores!! What a picture I could have gotten!!! Beautiful!!

J on our 'big trip'. He'll be 5 in January.