Firewood used to cook with. This is a kitchen.
Spending time with friends.
We taught them the game of American Football.
The students pump water from their well by walking up and down on the levers.
The Shwedagon Pagoda
In this photo, a large moth rests upon the nose of the statue. The idol cannot reach up to brush it off because it has no power to save.
Joshua, Drew, Boaz and Micah pose for the camera.
From time to time, I have heard, “You shouldn’t shelter your children. They need to be exposed to the things of the world, otherwise they’re not going to be prepared when they get older.” Some look at being exposed to sin the same way we do about getting colds when you are young. It’s good to get sick as a child so you can build up your immune system, therefore, it’s good to be exposed to sin so you’ll be stronger when you reach adulthood. I’ve even heard people who have strayed from the Lord say, “I’m glad I went through that. It’s made me stronger.”
On the other hand, I’ve watched parents shelter their children from everything they perceive to be worldly such as movies, TV and eating products with sugar in it. They insist on raising their children in a “sterile” environment, totally free from the corruption of the world.
Well, instead of responding to these views, I thought I’d give everyone else a chance to comment. So . . . according to the Word of God, should we or shouldn’t we as parents shelter our children? I’m really interested in what you see God saying in His Word, and I hope there will be comments on both sides of this issue.
About a week ago my sister and her kids came down to our parents house for a 2 day visit with us. We had so much fun. It really brought back some sweet childhood memories of playing in the woods. I love my neices and nephews. This post is specifically about Sydney. When I think of Sydney I think of a servant. She is always looking for ways to help. She even loves to do the laundry! Yikes! 
She is also very intentional about protecting her brothers and sisters from getting hurt. Abbi loves time with Sydney. They are only 7 months apart. We love you Syd! I hope to post more cousin pictures soon. 
When someone is sick, just had a baby, or is in need of a meal our favorite thing to fix is chicken pot pie!!! We write special messages in the crust! When our 3rd child was born our dear friend Sheila brought us these delicious chicken pot pies. She was so kind to share the recipe with me and it is now a family favorite. 
We were so excited when Nikki made us these really cute aprons!!! We have used them a lot and love them. They are reversible too! Thanks Nikki!
Katie came over the other night and we made pizza. And YES, we just had to wear our Aprons. Thanks Ann for the yummy crust. Ummm, it took us a while to get the crust spread out. Maybe if we allowed the dough to get to room temperature and used a rolling pin it would have helped??!!
Adoniram and Asher are quickly becoming buddies! Asher has 4 bigger brothers and Adoniram has 3. Soon they will be out there with the BIG boys playing football…. which opens doors for some great teaching opportunities!
I had the privilege to take pictures for the Tyson family. What a beautiful family! We had so much fun! It had rained most of the week, and it was very cloudy the day of the photo shoot. I was so thankful that the sun starting peeking out of the clouds just as we started taking pictures! 
With all patience, Adoniram endures as Esther sings, “The itsy ditsy spider climbed up Adoniram’s leg . . .” Being a gentleman, he doesn’t want to crush his sister’s spirit. But how should he break it to her that it’s the “Itsy BITSY spider” and not “Ditsy?” Already, he is learning relationships are never easy.
Earlier this week Micah was assigned to watch Adoniram while Mom got some things taken care of. He wasn’t in a good mood and continued to cry until Micah pulled out his old guitar and began playing one of his favorite tunes. Immediately Adoniram set into “chill” mode as he began to absorb and appreciate the essence of the selection.
I believe I may have interrupted the session prematurely by taking this shot, but fortunately, they were able to resume once the paparazzi had left.
Rilynn did a wonderful job at her first photo shoot! It was so much fun trying different poses with her! Her daddy is a football coach so we decided to use a football for one of these poses! I just loved holding her! Thanks so much for letting me photograph your sweet Rilynn!:) 
Rilynn’s parents are divided when it comes to football teams!:0 This sweet hairbow is interchangeable. So, we took different pictures using both colors to make each of them happy! I will try to post both team colors in a later post! This bow was made by Graceful Girls! The picture below has blocks made by Pat and Jacque Schaaf. I LOVE these blocks! They are beautiful and very unique!!! Thanks Pat and Jacque!
My favorite time of the day is early morning. When I say early, I mean about 6:00. The house is quiet and it is my time to read, pray, and enjoy a hot cup of coffee.:) This does not always happen. Lately, I have been getting up too late and my mornings actually end up looking like this…
7:00 am
7:04 am
7:10 am
It is so important for me to make this time a priority. I desperately need this time with my Savior. I need to be reminded of the Gospel every morning. It is so refreshing when I look to the Gospel, see my sin, repent of this sin and realize I am forgiven. I also need this time to talk to my Savior. I need His Spirit everyday to help me live a life that is focused on Him and not on myself. I praise Him for being so patient with me.
By the way, mornings that I do get up late (and with a newborn this can be quite often) can be viewed as an opportunity to teach my children about the Gospel.
