Today I am thankful for my Heavenly Father and His unfailing provision. Even when we mere humans have no idea of the outcome of a situation, God's hand is in every minute detail. I am constantly blown away by how much more he loves my family than I ever could. As mothers, we have a fierce love and sense of protection toward our children. But a still small voice has reminded me this week - "Ammy, they are mine." How humbling. How amazing. And how relieving. Thank you, Father, for loving me and my children more than I will ever understand.

We're Baaaack!!

I know, it's been a while. Too long, in fact. We've just had a lot going on, and emotions have been crazy. And as my mom has always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!" :D
We have had a busy 2010 so far, and I thought I'd catch you all up in one fell swoop!
School is going well, we've had many milestones hit this semester. I'm proud of all the kids, and all they have succeeded in this year so far.
Connor has his multiplication tables mastered and is doing great at his cursive writing. In fact, Stephanie and Shelley saw his recent bible verse on the fridge this weekend and told him how nice it looked. It made him very happy, and me too!
Chloe enjoys all of her subjects and does very well at all of them. But I think my favorite thing to do with her through the week is listen to her read. She has such a beautiful voice, she knows how to express herself so well. I love her intonation and expression, and I know it's a gift that she will use for a very long time.
Canon is reading!! Canon is adding!! Canon is skip counting by 2's and 10's!! Seriously, is this the child I was so hesitant to begin formal schooling with last fall? Yes, there are still the occasional days when he has no interest in doing any bookwork. But for the most part, and on most days, he absolutely eats it up. I'm so proud of him.
Co-op is still one of the highlights of our week. I know I look forward to it as much, if not more, than the kids most weeks. I love being with my sisters in this rollercoaster homeschool life and sharing our needs and blessings with one another. The spring musical, "Parablelooza" is almost upon us, and Chloe and Connor will both be in it this year. They are both very excited about it.
There has been a lot going on at Evergreen this year. But through it all, I know the Lord is in control. We are all learning to trust in Him, and waiting on His timing. Through all of the turmoil, we are becoming a closer family. The children's wing is truly on fire! We are seeing amazing growth in the kids, and I'm so thankful to be a part of it.
We had a great turnout for the Valentine's banquet and talent show, "Evergreen's Got Talent". Chloe performed her first worship dance to "Who Am I?" by Casting Crowns. Kelly and I are so proud that she wants to worship the Father with her talents. Connor, on the other hand, does NOT share his sister's love of the stage! So he brought some of his artwork and hung it up for people to look at. I love that he's found something he enjoys, and he is getting to be a very good artist. I see so much of me in him when he is sitting at the table poring over his drawings.
Now one of the biggest milestones of the year so far: Caleb turned 2 on the 3rd. I can't believe how big he is getting. Time has really flown, and it really is bittersweet. He is no longer a little baby, but a full fledged toddler - with all of the attitude to go along with that title! Honestly, though, he is such a joy to me, and brings a smile to my face all the time.
I'm glad to be back to my world of blogging. Thanks for reading, and I'll talk to you again very soon.

Back to normal??

Today was such a great day. We had our last day of winter break, and what a perfect day it was for that! Snow like we haven't had in ages - but the temperature was dangerously low. I think the high was 14 today. But that's not enough to scare the Quinn kids! We bundled up everyone, even the baby, and hit the powder! We started up the four wheelers. Connor rigged up a sled out of an old crib mattress that I "wasn't using anyway!" according to him! It was a blast. We only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was a lot of fun. Hot chocolate and cheese chowder was definitely called for on a day like this. We watched tv, played Wii, got out the art set, played knights and gymnastics. It was so much fun. Now it's back to normal tomorrow...
Co-op starts tomorrow!! Yay!! I know a lot of people are dreading it, but I just can't wait. I have such a great time with the kids, and I have an amazing bunch of friends that just light up my life. They make me laugh, they share my sorrows when I have them, they lift me up in prayer, and so many other blessings. These ladies know what I'm going through in this crazy, hectic, homeschooling journey, and they are there to encourage me - and I, them.
We'll start our schooling back up on Wednesday, and I am pretty excited. I hope to get the kids pumped about being a little more independent. I plan on letting Connor start a research project about whatever topic suits him. I'm going to let Chloe continue with her knitting/crocheting lessons with Nana. I hope to have a little more one-on-one time with Canon. I am going to encourage the older two to meet the challenge Pastor Rian gave them about studying their bibles for 10 minutes a day, all by themselves...and I hope it works out that I may get to as well!
My prayers for the rest of the school years are these: that Chloe's love of reading and language continues to grow. That Connor FINDS a true love of books - he looks at it as a chore and avoids recreational reading like the plague. That Canon stays excited about learning and continues to make progress. That I can give Caleb the attention he needs when he needs it, and that he doesn't feel left out when I'm working on school with the big ones.
A new semester, a new year, a new decade, a new journey. I pray that you all may see the glorious hand of God in your life in 2010.