"The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?"
— Charlotte Mason (School Education: Developing a Curriculum)

How quickly they do grow up. Though the days sometimes seem long, the years are so very short!

Our precious baby girl, "baby S", aka. "Boo-Bear" was born on August 21, 2007 and is not much of a baby any longer! She is our long-awaited, dreamed about, hoped for and Faith-promised miracle baby, a special gift from our Heavenly Father, such an answer to years of prayer.

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"T" ~ aka. Tab, Taba, Pookie-Princess, or My Darling Gazelle, our graceful warrior (Hebrew meaning of her name)~

T is my dancing girl, an imaginative and artistic equestrian who loves Jesus, and her family. She loves cats, birds and is obsessed with all things horse-related and has been since she was two years old. She looks just like I did as a child, except that she has her Daddy's big brown eyes, and she tans like an Indian (comes from the Cherokee blood on her Dad's side too). She's inherited both of her parents' artistic bents, and my book-wormish ways and love for writing. I'll often find her lounging in her room writing in one of her journals.

She diligently grooms and works at training our dog, which she showed for the first time this last summer. She was blessed to have taken three years of horse riding lessons. She loves animals and would like to be a large animal veterinarian one day, and "have a ranch and train horses". She says she may have a family and teach her own children one day, but she "mostly wants to be a missionary, and might not even get married". She's extremely giving, and an affectionate encourager. She's also quite industrious~ daily practicing her violin, drawing, painting, weaving, crocheting or sewing something for someone. She also enjoys cooking and baking, and spends a LOT of time in the kitchen with me.

She's quite determined to keep up with her big brother, and usually does. Though she prefers playing rugged and tough, catching frogs and snakes, climbing trees, building forts, target-shooting and playing air soft gun wars with the boys, she will also paint her nails with her girlfriends (though she takes it off as soon as she can, ie; they leave or she comes home.*laughing*). She'll indulge her girl-friends in playing dolls, but would much rather play with her Breyer or Schleich horse collections. On occasion, she will even dawn a dress for the day, or a special outing, and request that her hair be "put up" extravagantly... like a true princess, but usually, she prefers jeans and a t-shirt.

Tabitha has a blog where every now and then she publishes some of her writings here: Samson & Me

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"N" ~ aka. Bubby, Bubba, Bub & Sugarbear, our first-fruits blessing and offering back to the LORD!~

N is our first born, a naturalist who enjoys outdoors exploration, and "Adventure!", as well as being home - often exclaiming "There's just nothing like coming home!". Yeah, he's a homebody, like his Mama! *laughing* He loves Adonai and has blessed our heart over the years as we've witnessed his ever-growing, genuine love for reading his favorite book, the Bible! I'll often find him snuggled up with it on the couch, exclaiming, "I just can't help it! This is so interesting!", or "Hey Mom, listen to this..." as he proceeds to expound upon some item or story of interest he's just read and is musing over.

He enjoys learning history, and read a LOT of great literature, loves historic documentaries and movies, as well as any and all nature and cooking shows, enjoys playing the guitar, science experiments and he's also becoming a great cook... and loves to eat, a LOT. He dreams of being a husband and father someday, and maybe an architect, biologist, engineer, policeman, or fireman, but says most likely, he'll be an archaeologist or a Marine... or might just teach history. He also loves animals, takes wonderful care of our 110# German Shepherd doggie, Samson, and will always have a great affinity for the pony, Frost-Man, that he rode, trained on, bonded with and competed on as a boy.

He's a very logical thinker, with a bent for philosophy. Though he tends to see things in black and white, he's very sensitive to others, and has his Daddy's soft-heartedness. He has a strong sense of justice, and a keen desire to "help other people"... often praying for God to "help all those people in difficult times and difficult places". He enjoys target-shooting, having air-soft gun wars with his friends, woodworking, had a blast in his hip-hop dance class (to Christian/praise music, before we moved) and hopes to get a nice off-road dirt bike one day soon and looks forward to going camping with the whole family, and hunting with his Dad.

Chris and I are just so very proud of the handsome, thoughtful and Yah-loving young man that our son is growing into. What a joy to be his Mother, and what a blessing it is to have a son that we so thoroughly enjoy spending time with, and who so cares for his family. I've woken up many mornings to him cooking breakfast, or quietly snuggled up, reading storybooks to one or both of his sisters. How I adore my *Sugarbear*.

We love him, he truly is "a double portion gift from God" (the Hebrew meaning of his name).

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And, you may read about our heavenly blessing, and first vas-reversal baby, Judah Carmen, who went straight from the womb~ to heaven, here; life, loss & love

It's been too long since I just sat down, and wrote out my blessings from the Lord... especially those found in my dear husband.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

~James 1.17

101 + Reasons I LOVE my husband, Christopher Steven...

1. He saw past my imperfections, and married me over 11 14! years ago now... after only knowing me for 3 months!
2. He's told me that he's still glad he married me. He never remembers his dreams, but one day did, and told me it was a horrible dream in which he'd felt such dread because he'd lost me, and felt so alone without me... I needed to hear that.
3. He REALLY loves our kids...
4. He likes to play Scrabble, and Boggle, even beats me (sometimes)...
5. He has taught our kids to play Backgammon, Chess, and plays with them regularly...
6. He's taller than me, and has the deepest dark brown eyes I've ever seen.
7. He loves to stay up late playing cards with friends.
8. He can fix anything, and make anything... from designing and building a house - to jewelry and drawings for our kids.
9. He likes to watch Little House on the Prairie and Jane Austen movies with me.
10. He loves the Lord Jesus, and has made the Word of God our home's bedrock.
11. He bought a $1,000,000 life insurance policy on himself to insure that I could always be a SAHM, and homeschool our kids if something ever happened to him...and having had my Dad get killed in a car wreck when I was only 14yo, and seeing my Mom struggle to support my 4 siblings and I, this means alot to me... He encourages other men to do the same.
12. He's as much a homeschooling zealot as I am!
13. He's teaching me and the kids how to shoot and handle guns, and a bow and arrow. He plans to take Nathan hunting soon.
14. He bought me a German Shepherd pup, twice.
15. He loves me, and teases me ALOT.
16. He wrestles with our kids.
17. He reads the Bible with us all.
18. He leads our family in prayer and worship.
19. He dreams big, and then plans to make things happen.
20. He continues to TRUST God when things don't happen as he'd planned...
21. He believes in my dreams, usually more than I do myself, and continually urges me to pursue my interests.
22. He helped me to quit smoking before we were married.
23. He loves antiques, old barns, log cabins and long road trips (so do I).
24. He wants to live further out in the country, and learn the lost arts of homesteading... (but we'll skip 4 a.m. milkings!)
25. He likes to read and keep up with geo-politics.
26. He's passionate about what he believes in.
27. He believes in freedom.
28. He knows the Civil War was really about alot more than slavery, and identifies with the South, the Confederacy.
29. He's humble.
30. He doesn't mind having cereal, or sandwiches for dinner if I'm busy. He'll even offer to "get it myself" and has cooked up some great meals himself... so nice sometimes.
31. He's a talented artist.
32. He had the vision to move us to TN, and after years of waiting, got us here.
33. Regardless of how financially trying some years have been for us, he's never considered pressuring me to go to work outside of our home, though he's supported me the couple of times I tried it.
34. He loves to give sacrificially, and does so with genuine good will.
35. He cries...
36. He laughs, alot!
37. As soon as I let on that I want something, anything, he's scouting before I know it...
38. He's got the gift of thrift, like me.
39. He loves the outdoors.
40. He takes evening walks alone, to pray...
41. He likes to go camping.
42. He makes me (a total homebody) get out of the house...
43. He forgives people...
44. He invited my brother J (who is hard to be around) to go on a long road trip with him during his last visit... his idea, very considerate.
45. He's supported me when I've needed him most.
46. He loves my family like his own.
47. He gave me the sweetest Mom, Dad and Grandmother.
48. He's written me love poems before we met, and since we've been together.
49. He's made me cards... he picks out cards for me with our children.
50. Once, when we were seperated for 2 months due to a move (he was getting work and a place to live, we joke that he was "preparing a place for us"), he sent the cutest postcards to the kids, full of picture messages they could "read", and called us every night.
51. He's a man of integrity. He's had a hard time as a salesman, because he's so honest, and other competitors would outsell him by lying... he had customers regretfully come back to him and say they wished they'd have listened to him... He's rightfully named his new business "Integrity Contracting".
52. His hands are strong, and gentle.
53. He cracks my back for me, and gives me massages.
54. He likes my hair long.
55. He doesn't mind my buying ALOT of books, and even makes bookshelves for me (us).
56. He reads storybooks to our children, and tucks them in with lullabies.
57. He likes to hear what I think, and tell me what he thinks.
58. He doesn't mind if we disagree...
59. When he realizes he's been wrong, he repents, even to our children.
60. He's growing in so many wonderful ways...
61. He loves children, and not just our own.
62. He loves, and I believe would die for TRUTH.
63. His fave movies are Braveheart, Clear and Present Danger and the Patriot .
64. He listens to a variety of musical styles.
65. He works hard, and is teaching our son to do the same.
66. He believes that God's first ministry for a man is to his wife and children.
67. He trusts me enough to hand me the reigns as to researching and choosing our homeschooling/academic direction each year.
68. He's taught our children, by example, to respect and prefer others.
69. He chose to not have cable t.v. in our house, for all the right reasons.
70. He's a faithful friend.
71. He puts up with me.
72. He helps me with my gardening, even bought us a tiller this summer.
73. He's a man of vision... and he inspires me, and moves me.
74. He tried to save a baby raccoon we found while hiking one day. It was all eaten up with ants, and suffering terribly - we brought it home, and cleaned it up... it died while he was at the pet shop buying kitten formula, but our kids will never forget that he tried. He also saved 3 baby (pinky) squirrels that fell out of a tree he felled at work one day. Nathan was with him at work that day, and so excited to save them... they did live.
75. He loves learning history as much as I do... we're all learning it together.
76. He's been a Royal Rangers leader at our church.
77. He's sensitive to the Spirit, and openly lays hands upon, and prays for people as he is so led. He believes in and operates in the giftings of the Spirit.
78. He abhors and resists hype, doublespeak, fallacious thinking and propaganda.
79. He's embraced the Biblical holidays, and enjoys learning more about them, and celebrating these Feasts as a family, and with friends...
80. He's not afraid of being different... he challenges others with his strong convictions. He befriends whomever the Lord sends to him.
81. He knows what it's like to be fatherless... we both look to our Lord as Father.
82. He's idealistic, but not legalistic.
83. He works on our vehicles, and lawnmower, and has fixed them over and over again...
84. He remodeled and built onto our first house, having me help where I could (mostly painting and landscaping)... I'm continually amazed at what he can DO.
85. When he was in the US Air Force, he was black-balled and ridiculed by his comrades, for his Christian faith, yet his steadfastness never wavered. That's when I met him.
86. He saved most of his paychecks while in the USAF, for when he would marry someday, to have a nest egg to start out with. We needed that $, such discipline and forethought.
87. He supports my endeavors to start healthy habits. He bought a water distiller for us, and plans to did buy me a grain mill. He bought me a kitchen-aid mixer for Mother's Day, and teases me every time I use it that I'm spoiled rotten... I am!
88. He would never lord over me... he is my companion and friend. He is balanced and Biblical in his understanding of our positions and identity in Christ.
89. He is my head, my leader, my prince, my Knight, sent by my Lord, my protector in the flesh. He gives of himself to serve me and our children. He loves me with decided commitment... he's forgiven me much, without telling me about it.
90. He hugs and kisses our son and daughter. He tells T she's beautiful.
91. He's never given up on me.
92. He's patient, and teaches our children many things that I could not.
93. He's teaching them woodworking. They've made bird houses, extravagant rubber band guns, and pinewood derby cars, among other things.
94. He bathed our 90 lb. pup, and our ferrets today while I sat here blogging...;)
95. He looks so cute with his glasses on.
96. He bought me the MOST beautiful white gold anniversary band with Ani l'dodi v'dodi li (Hebrew for "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.", from the Song of Songs 6.3) inscribed into it, for our 10 yr. wedding anniversary...and we really couldn't afford it...;) He's always pointing out things to me that he knows I'd like, when we're brousing flea markets and antique shops...
97. He has this habit of helping people, and always is on the lookout for others, watches the classified ads for deals on items that he knows our friends may be looking for... he gets a kick out of blessing people.
98. He's let our kids sleep in our room, and bed even, whenever they've felt they needed to (which is more often than not).
99. He likes to lead us in taking communion together, at home, as a family.
100. He likes to stay up late with me, just reading together, or eating ice cream and watching a good movie...
101. He has more than once pulled over on the side of the road to pick me wildflowers, quite to my delighted surprise.
(Okay, I can't stop, I just keep thinking of things now!!)

102. He's turned around, and pulled over to help strangers stranded on the road numerous times.
103. When we've argued, and he's been angry and left to cool off, he's always returned. And we always make up...
104. He's pig headedly stubborn not easily intimidated, and doesn't give up easily.
105. In seasons of desperation and despair, he's turned to our Lord with prayer and fasting.
106. He takes every opportunity to give the Lord all the credit for every success he's had.
107. He often opens in prayer with the words, "Lord, we know that we are NOTHING without you, and we NEED you..."
108. He thinks before he talks.
109. He doesn't throw around compliments loosely... so when he compliments me, I know that he means it, and my heart skips a beat.
110. He's told me that I'm doing a good job with our kids, and that I'm a good Mother... and somehow makes me believe it.
111. I'm better because of him... and I want to be a better wife to him. He deserves the best.
112. I will enjoy growing old with him.
113. He makes me laugh when I don't feel like laughing, which can be maddening.
114. He keeps me from taking myself, or anyone else, too seriously.
115. He arranged a wonderful surprise birthday party for me on my 28th... had all our friends in on it. It was so much fun! No one else had ever done that for me before...
116. He's in my dreams a lot... just there, strong and safe.
117. I've learned that I can always trust him more than anyone else in the world.
118. He's a good judge of character.
119. He values my insights and opinions on matters, and always consults me over important issues, or decisions that need to be made.
120. He loves to talk and talk and talk, when he's ready. I'm learning to wait.
121. He'll spontaneously suggest that we drop everything and just go for a day-long drive - and we do, looking and dreaming and reminiscing together, with good tunes on the radio, and our kids (who've become accustomed to roadtrips) in the back.
122. We're at home when we're together.
123. He rented a little log cabin out on a remote 30 acres in the Smoky Mtns. for a long wknd., to celebrate my 29th b-day, and we brought the kids. It had a library, and we bought fudge in Gatlinburg, hiked, played checkers and read... The rest of the world disappeared that weekend, while we were in a corner of heaven together. He gave me a card in which he'd written to me of his thankfulness for my putting him and the kids first. I still have it. I will never forget that wknd. when we slept in a loft, with the window open and the babbling of the brook beneath us calling our hearts to TN. I can still hear the wind in the trees, which sounded like rushing water... he's given me the greatest gifts.
124. He's given me our children... even had a vasectomy reversal to enable our last ones.

125. He works harder than anyone I know, and he's always provided for us.

126. Our children adore him.

127. He's as hooked on Lost as I am.

128. When I was pregnant, he'd surprise me with mexican pizzas from Taco Bell, just because he knows how much I love them.

129. He'll juice a lemon for my water without my asking him to.

130. He likes to get in the kitchen and help me cook our big weekend breakfasts brunches.

131. When the need was there, and I felt led to ask him, he didn't hesitate to open our home to my youngest brother for a couple of years. Bringing a teenager into your home changes the dynamics of your entire life, trust me. It wasn't always easy, but Chris never questioned whether it was the right thing to do. He and Daniel have a special bond now.

132. He actually took the time to make a splint and wrap for my favorite hen, Pertelote's, broken leg, after she accidentally got stuck under the tractor coop while it was being moved. Then, he even set her up with her own little private roosting area and pen to be safe while she healed, which she did, amazingly. Oh, it was hilariously pitiful! You should have seen her hopping around on her leg tied to a stick for awhile.