Grandma's in Newark, TX

Monday morning we packed and headed out to take the 5-1/2 hour drive to visit my mother.  I have to admit I was a little nervous because I had never driven that far before.  I was in good company though and surprisingly the kids did well. 

On the drive there we listened to Sir Malcom and the Missing Prince by Lamplighter Theatre. We thoroughly enjoyed the audio.  It was about a prince who had proven himself an unworthy heir to the throne.  To learn how this unworthy heir becomes a bold, courageous and humble man you will need to purchase it at http://www.lamplighterpublishing.com/.  Others that we have listened to and recommend are Charlie's Choice,  The Captive, and The Hedge of Thorns.



Lauren with the kid.

                      If you feed chickens oyster shells it helps harden their eggs.  The chicken that laid this egg had eaten to many oyster shells.

 This is a Golden Sex Link chicken.

Hannah's favorite bunny.

 We found Lexi laying outside the chicken/duck coop just admiring the view.  She loved watching them.

These were the cutest chicks and ducklings.  We learned after they hatch you need to keep them between 90-95 degrees and not to handle them to much.  That was hard because all the kids wanted to do was hold these fluffy babies.

Another picture of the kids with the kid.

Grandma rocking Lexi.

Papa Joe, Grandma, Hannah, Lauren, and Micah.

The kids had a wonderful time visiting with grandma and loving on all her animals, and eating lots of sweets.

While on our mini vacation the Lord brought to my attention some areas of my life that I need to work on.  I am a task oriented person and it's not a bad trait, but like all things too much of anything can be harmful.  I am guilty of letting the completion of my daily tasks become more important than enjoying the everyday moments with my children.  One of the many different echoes my kids often hear is, "We need to get this done so we can start on our next "xxxx" on the list or of our curriculum."  I'm always rushing to get everything done.  What I realized is the tasks will be there tomorrow, but that moment we may never share again.

I am going to hug and kiss my kids, sit and admire the person they are becoming, encourage them and remind them that they are beautifully and uniquely designed by God, enjoy learning with them MORE.  Who cares if we get it all done that day.  I need to make the most of our time and all that we do together.  I want them to remember us enjoying life together, not rushing through it to get to the next thing.