Rehab: Tea Cart

I love to be creative when I get the opportunity. It is one of the ways I can distress. I bought this little beauty off of Craigslist for $50. It is an antique tea cart and was not in the best of conditions. Its wheels were about to fall off and was covered in cobwebs and dust. I painted it with my own DIY chalk paint, distressed the edges and then put a coat of Polycrylic on it for protection. Marcus reattached the wheels more securely and now I have a new piece for the dining room.



Toddlerhood

 

Long gone are the days where she fears her surroundings. There was a time where she would stay in the exact place we put her and never move. I feel comfortable giving her the "toddler" label now. She is definitely comfortable exploring anything and everything. 



Lottie's likes

Lottie has been home for three months and we are still learning so much about her. She does not speak English yet, so we are learning what she likes by her smiles and body language. I hope to document some of her favorite things since she has been home. She is such a different girl since coming home. We hope she learns that she loves so many more things.

 Food (yogurt)

 

 musical toys

 



 bath time

 

 ball

 

 books

 

 her cup

 





 her fingers

 



food

 



 her sunglasses (she is light sensitive)

 

 the fan

 

FOOD :-)



Abe Graduates

 

 This guy!!!! Our Abie Doo graduated from Kindergarten. To say that we are proud of this young man, is such an understatement. Abe has overcome a lot and is still striving to achieve so many things. Abe has a different learning style than the first three of our school ages kids. He has grown me as a parent and a teacher in immeasurable ways. He is a very emotional child...or in our family, we like to say BIG FEELINGS. He has some very big feelings. The typical classroom setting does not prove as successful for Abe as other learning environments. He is a very kinesthetic learning. If he can move, he can learn. Abe's teacher taught in the public school system for many years before coming to Faith Homeschool Tutorial. I spoke with her on a number of occasions about how we could encourage Abe to be a successful student. I bet he grew her as a teacher as much as he did me. We are a very blessed family to have the privilege to homeschool our children. I know it has given Abe room to grow and discover as a child to love learning. Congratulations, Abe!
 

Abe and his teacher, Mrs. Leigh, and the director of the tutorial program, Mrs. Ramona

Abe and his buddy, Micah.



AWANA

Our kids have attended the AWANA program at Hillcrest Baptist Church for many years. AWANA stands for Approved Workman Are Not Ashamed, derived from 2 Timothy 2:15. It is an evangelism and discipleship program for children where they focus of Bible literacy and scripture memorization. It was started in 1941 in Chicago, by Art Rorheim and meets weekly throughout the school year, incorporating fun theme nights and activities throughout the year. Some of their favorite themes nights are: Red Carpet Night, Trauma Night, Beach Night, Double Points Night and Store Night. They also love the AWANA Derby. They each are given a car to decorate and race at the event. Our kids work very hard with only minimal assistance from us. Their creativity is peaked as they compete for the Speed trophy and the Design trophy. AWANA has spread worldwide and we currently sponsor a club in Tanzania.

 

The AWANA program is a priority for our family. All of our children complete their handbooks each year with the help of us, as parents. We incorporate it into our homeschool work on a weekly basis. We have seen fruit through our children as they memorize the Word and know the gospel. It has furthered their love of reading the Bible and they get to hang out with other kids each week studying God's word. And, THEY LOVE IT!!

 





 

 





 

 Eli and Jace have been buddies for years. They started in AWANA Cubbies, at the ages of 3 and 4. They have continued through the program and this was Jace's final year. He earned his Timothy award, the highest honor of the elementary clubs. Congrats, Jace!!

 

Jace and Eli during their first AWANA awards ceremony.


Mother's Day

Does it get any better than this? Sure it does, in about 7 more weeks when I get to become a mother all over again. There is nothing that stretches me, sends me to my knees, that I enjoy, that brings me laughter, that warms my heart, that frustrates me or humbles me more than being a mother.

Thank You, Father, for your indescribable gifts. 

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Lottie's Dedication

Mother's Day holds a tradition at our church. Babies get dedicated. Seems like every other year we are standing before the congregation with another child that we vow to bring up in the admonition of the Lord. Dedication is not baptism. It is a simple ceremony where we as parents acknowledge that these little ones are not really our own, but the Lord's. Our church also takes part, promising to support and encourage us as parents in the daunting endeavor of raising children. Lottie is special and the Lord has great plans for her. We love her and are so thankful God placed her into our family.