The Dahls 7 (Our Story)

NYR ORGANIC

2011-10-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

NYR ORGANIC

This is so neat!!! I have become a representative for this FANTASTIC organic company based out of England!! They are two years new to the USA and all the products they sell are certified!!! From skin care to Aromatherapy, to gorgeous git box sets for Christmas, to a brand new line of certified organic make-up coming out in February!!! I cant wait!!!

Be on the look out because we are going to use a portion of our proceeds to help adoptions coming up very soon!!! I have such a heart for adoption-since I was also adopted, this has added such meaning in giving back-so I am really looking forward posting more on this!
I will post more information soon and I hope you will prayerfully consider your participation as well-if you feel God is leading you too!

You can begin to take a look at the website if you would like to contribute, or simply if you have an interest in contributing to adoptions...please feel free to email me, or comment!

I will gladly give you more information!!!
Thanks to you all-looking forward to partnering in giving with you!!!

us.nyrorganic.com/shop/erika

We're Back!! 2011!!

2011-10-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all our readers....maybe old, new, and ones who probably had given up on reading because I hadn't posted anything new! So sorry!Wow, life has been so incredibly full and has simply taken a huge turn...I should say. We are parents who are growing and learning, as well as having kids who are growing and learning...well? I guess I should just get started on updating!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious...

2010-09-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

In Panera...
Nana and Ava chatting away...

Here we are-we have arrived at the Belk Theater...

Truly you can't watch Mary Poppins without beginning to clap or tap your feet!
What a delightful time my Mom, Ava, Kayla and I had going to see Mary Poppins the play!
Our night began with a fast meal at Panera for dinner and a surprise for miss Ava! All of us new what we were going to see accept Ava...she really wanted to be surprised-I thought that was such a 'mature' request...she did not want to know at all.
We finished dinner and got there in time for our show to begin at 8.
We revealed the surprise to miss Ava when we arrived. I don't think she new quite what to expect...although we ALL enjoyed it tremendously! It was such a fun girls night out-poor Izzy had to go with Daddy and the boys because we knew she wouldn't sit through the whole thing.
So she went off for Cold Stone Ice Cream! :)

Here is a snippet from one of our favorite scenes from Mary Poppins and a few pictures.
We were also able to get tickets for cheap through Carolinatix.com.

What a blessing and.......well?

It was just totally...

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious... !!!!

Enjoy and may this inspire you to tap along or maybe go see it yourself!

Phew...!!

2010-09-06T13:49:00.000-07:00

What A long week ahead!

As you can tell I have been playing with templates on my blog. I have enjoyed it tremendously, learning how to use and navigate Html . I find it fascinating and time consuming...but I did it!
We are heading into another full week of schooling, Kayla has a couple of social events on the
calendar with her school, our local town's County Fair, and MAYBE Mary Poppins' the show!!!

So LOTS of pictures and fun coming up after a few weeks of adjusting. The kiddos have truly handled the many changes that have taken place with school and all the waiting for decisions to be made by Dad and Mom regarding school, job, etc. These kids have really been troopers through it all even when it was difficult!
Way to Go kiddos!!!!
Can't wait to post!!! :)
Oh By the way-I will also be posting pictures of our time in Cancun, Mexico this summer!
We had a Grand time! I see I have some of you who read our blog from Mexico! Muchos Gracias!
I hope you enjoy these pictures, just as much as we enjoyed taking them! I was able to learn some more Spanish while down there, but I have a goal for myself this year, and that is to learn Spanish, and become fluent over the next year...I am Nicaraguan/Hispanic so I must learn it! :) My daughter Kayla says, "I'll bet I'll know Spanish better before you...!" She is taking a class in School. She may be right-but we shall see-the challenge is on!

Gracias amigos por leer nuestro blog!

1st Day of School Pics...

2010-08-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

School Days Have Begun!

I love his lunch-box...
1st day!!

Kayla from behind on her first day-waiting for instruction...

waiting patiently with little 'sis' who wants
to be a big girl too and go to school...

Kayla's 1st day of school posing

Our Wonderful Kiddos!

To HomeSchool or not to Homeschool, Now that Is REALLY the Question!!

2010-08-31T08:30:00.001-07:00

As the above title stated-To Homeschool or not to Homeschool...that is the question; and boy has it been the ultimate question over the past couple of months. Towards the beginning of summer my husband and I began to really consider putting the kids in school this year instead of me Homeschooling. It became one of the hottest topics in our family conversations over the summer. "What school did I get into, what school should we apply for, what grade?"
Last year we had placed our daughter Ava in pre-school which was the best decision at the time. We had considered that with Ava's outgoing, social, personality, that we ought to put her into something where it would be 'fulfilling' for her. I knew I couldn't provide her with all the things that the pre-school would offer. She really did well in it! Of course there were days that were more difficult...so we just took those days off and she spent them at home with me-when she needed Mommy-though they weren't many.

So experiencing 'school' from that perspective, we thought it would be a good idea to try and see if we should apply to some Charter Schools in the area; along with Liberty Prep School a private school where the kids are taught 3 days out of the week, and 2 days at home with their parents.
So we applied to both schools. All of them got into Liberty Prep-yay!!! Yet, we couldn't afford all kiddos to go sadly-although we tried. The boys and Ava got into Mountain Island Charter School too. Decisions, Decisions....
The boys ended up going to Mountain Island, the girls to Liberty. At this point we were thinking-OK-lets try this. No logistics were worked out yet, ie. carpooling, getting to and from both schools, etc.
To throw another curve ball into the mix, Stefan may be getting a job in Greensboro...we still aren't sure. So we were wondering should we continue sending them to school or should we not? These have been a hard lessons for all of us...to have persevere without knowing the exact plan. I am one that likes to know what is happening, what is the plan? Which is another reason for us wanting to send our kids to school. Things are already planned out...we don't have to do much-just assist-fill in the gaps academically; and spiritually teach our children.
I began to really like that idea!!
So began the school year...girls off to Liberty and boys off to Mountain Island. Working out the logistics became reality. Although sometimes the logistics weren't always worked out. This taught me patience and perseverance to figure things out and not give up, lets see how this can work.
We began the day arising at 6am. and heading out by 8:00. Stefan would take the boys while I took the girls. The schools were in opposite directions, (45-65) minutes apart depending on traffic. As I began to learn the 'secrets' of how to arrive at the girls school on time, I began to have trouble with getting to the boys. Their school was a lot bigger-more people-longer lines-and it's also a new school. They were trying to iron out all their kinks too.
I recall one day last week when I panicked-I knew I wasn't going to make in time to pick up the girls, so I called my Mom, 'help'!! So graciously and kindly she quickly jumped to the task of picking them up...thanks Mom!
Carpools were trying to form, but didn't quite work based on all of our goings and comings...

As for the boys...I mistakenly placed the boys in grades that they were not prepared for which was probably going to be fine...but they weren't ready. Yet, I wanted them to feel and be successful their first year-at least to some degree. Little did I know how difficult it was going to be for one of them-going into a large school, new people, and a grade that was too advanced. This also was a little unexpected...
Stefan, the kids and I, were preparing for 'this new adventure' when things just didn't turn out as expected. I spent the first 2 full days down at the school working with the teachers again, as well as one of my sons-graciously, understandably, and holding things loosely...wanting what was best for the kids. After weighing and considering things such as, not placing them in proper grade level, cost of traveling around in addition to the total cost of school 'stuff'...after the 3rd day of trial...Stefan had decided to call it off for the boys. Although it was a fast decision...we knew this was what the Lord for them. They felt completely at peace when this decision was made. Although for me as the Mom and a Homeschooling Mom...I had mixed feelings. I of course want what is best for them and us, but I was enjoying the freedom of knowing they were being active during the day, being taught...(while I could go to the store or get stuff done around the house), make their special snack when they got home; being ready to hug them when they walk through the door, help with time management-homework etc. and learning how to be responsible; be ready to volunteer at the schools, but most of all spiritually...recognizing God's Truth in their lives and how to be a shining light in the world despite people who would make fun of you, or kids who act differently than our kids, etc. I know we didn't experience much of that yet...but a tad...and it was definitely worth it for all of us. I am sure we will have more opportunities.
Our girls are doing fantastic in school also-just in a different way. Kayla has really stepped up to the plate in getting her HW finished/completed even if its in the wee hrs of the night. She is studying hard, persevering even when she doesn't understand Math concepts. She is showing a side of determination/and responsibility that is phenomenal! Gooo Kayla!!!
Ava, is of course our old school pro...she has the most experience under her belt...lol, She is a trooper and a GREAT Kindergartner.

So begins the new adventure of Homeschooling once again...and having kids in school....
Both are challenging and yet exciting.
Will we one day send all of our kids back to school? Maybe...we will certainly consider it again...as for now...one step at a time, one decision at a time, and lastly,
one year at a time...

Carson's 10th Frisbee Golf Birthday Party!!

2010-08-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Carson!!! Can't believe he is 10!
My baby boy is 10! If you look back over on right side of the blog you can go to archives and see pictures of him from the past or you can click here..he looked so different. How they do change!

For Carson's birthday we (he) decided that he wanted a Frisbee Golf party which was so simple and easy to do! We just went to one of our favorite parks and set up camp...bought $1 Frisbee's, candy, pizzas/drinks, and a birthday cake...the boys were thrilled to just hang out and have some fun.
Carson was so thrilled to have a birthday party this year...
he said, "this was the best birthday party ever!"
Although it was easy and simple-it reminded me that it's the simple things in life that can make such a difference.

Sweet Friends...

Buster The New Addition...

2010-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Interesting enough we had 3 cats...2 of which disappeared quite suddenly over the spring...we think coyotes could have been a good guess of what might had happened to them. Oh it was sad...we will never know for sure though...
Though gratefully our kitty Midnight is the only survivor.
The poor kids were saddened and stunned by the whole thing, especially Kayla. It was one of her cats that disappeared. So we decided to get another cat for Kayla and a playmate for Mids...
It's been a good experience so far for the family and Midnight...

so introducing Buster the kitten...!
(I think the picking out of names for cats in our family is quite funny, we always end up with funny names...)

Not only that Kayla, who's in charge of Buster and owner, is learning what its like to care for a baby-somewhat...;)
She is doing well...training the cat and making sure he uses the litter box?

A day in the car...;)

2010-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

A day in the car while waiting for the boys to finish their Science classes....Kayla was home...so we girls just decided to start snapping away to kill time...;)

2010 Baseball Season is here! Carson Jay...At Bat!

2010-05-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

I love his face...he is focusing soooo hard!

DSC_5358 (1 photo), by Erika Dahl

2010-05-02T18:21:00.001-07:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

DSC_5357 (1 photo), by Erika Dahl

2010-05-02T18:20:00.001-07:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Excited about Continuing On....

2010-05-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well Hello!

Thanks Lindsay you are so sweet for your comment...I am sure I have lost many readers due to my lack of "attention" to blogging. I must say there are seasons for such things :). Yet, I desire to begin again and try to keep good record of our lives. Our kids are growing up way to fast, and time seems to be flying. I realize, now that Kayla is 13; we don't have much time left. I often question am I living and making the most that I can out of the moments I have left with my kiddos at home? Or am I wasting it away? Or am thinking so deeply about it, that I am not taking action, or am I overwhelmed by the task at hand...? Oh, how these questions entered my mind and heart lately...
The kids aren't little any more....or at least the 3 older ones...;) they are growing and beginning to have thoughts of their own, as well as developing beliefs about God on their own...wow!
It's a different season of life!
Yet, it's a good one...as parents we still have such authority, impact in their lives...thankfully!!! Yet, times I forget that, I get caught up in the various tasks of life...that I am trying to manage and get lost so easily in them, where I must remember...they are growing up...not only must I be sensitive, patient in listening to them, not always correcting at times, encouraging them, broadening their horizons as much as I can; but most of all...teaching them about who God is in their lives, and how He needs to be the center of all they do...
Like I said Wow-what a task! But God doesn't leave us alone to do it all by ourselves...thank the Lord! ;)
He is soooo faithful....to bring us back to Him....to stay strong in teaching and training our children....Christ leads us as mothers in such a gentle way...His love for all us and our family as whole is amazing!

GREETINGS!!!!!!

2010-04-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

LOL!!!....

Greetings to the world!
Well? I have taken a long break from blogging...I don't think I have time for blogging-:)!
I finally got into my blogger page, thankfully remembered my password; and reset our web address.
Shall I continue blogging? We have TONS going on!!!

hmmm.....

The Dahls 7 Blog...Under Construction (We Are Still Here!)

2010-01-23T20:30:00.001-08:00

It's been a LOOOONG While! (I know) I have missed blogging and recording the happenings of life. So I have committed to begin 2010 brand new!
So 2010 news coming soon! ;)

OFF TO GET OUR TREE!

2009-12-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

Well we are off to buy a real Christmas tree this year! Last year we did have an artificial one but when we stored it, mice got into it, or should I say they made the poor tree into their bedding. Yuck!

So we had to throw it out. Instead Stefan said we should just go ahead and purchase a real tree this year! Fun, Fun!
Then it's off to Dunkin Donuts for a sprinkled treat, but for me i have to resort to plain old black coffee. Yet, its the simple things like having fun traditions like this with the family that make it all worth it! :) You know for some reason it took me a while longer to get into the Christmas mood. God is kind to allow us these moments to really reflect on His goodness...I can so easily get stressed out with the planning/thinking that goes into the Christmas season. God in His kindness is reminding me of what He desires for us as a family for this season, and maybe not seasons to come, but this one. I am taking one Christmas at a time...:)

Our Little Girl Is Growing Up...

2009-11-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today Kayla had a friend over to spend the night, actually I would say they are best friends. What a joy it has been to watch their friendship flourish! The Lord has been so kind to bless her with such a good friend. Today the girls had asked if they could go together to the movies...(without Mom)...hmmm.
What do I say to that? This was a "big girl" request, one that did not take me by surprise at all-but immediately flooded back memories of being almost 13 (a teenager) and the exciting opportunities that were at hand. Not at all concerned with the agenda of the day, which I guess there really wasn't one...that helped. Yet, I calmly said, "let me talk to Dad and see what he thinks." Once Stefan and I were able to chat about it-I asked him-immediately he thought it was a fine idea. He had some suggestions and laid out an excellent plan so that all involved would have fun either way!
It worked out great! Not only of course did Kayla's friend check with her parents-we all agreed it would be fine. What a fantastic time the girls had while the rest of us ate a nice lunch together (very near to the theater). Then we all went shopping just a tad in the music store nearby...so this helped us to kill some time while waiting for the girls to finish their movie.
Oh by the way...Kayla also asked "Dad can have some money?"
Oh yes, here it comes I thought!!
Though I was smiling quite big!
What a joy to watch our little girlie grow up!!

This is not a great picture of the two together but they are in the same photo...this photo was taken when they both planned together the girlfriends wedding reception...I must get a good picture of them together!

Thank Heaven For Little Girls...Thank Heaven They Are My Babies!

2009-11-02T16:16:00.000-08:00

I took these pictures for the sake of a Gap add...where you can submit your child's picture and whoever wins gets a bunch of prizes and gets to be posted as one of Gaps little models...and no i have not submitted anything yet...
So here are some recent photos of my wonderful girls!

PLEASE be in prayer for Bill...BILL DEGENNARO

2009-10-16T14:44:00.000-07:00

My cousin Bill, who is the same age as I, is currently in a coma. There is a HUGE prayer chain that has been formed thanks to Facebook. It has been amazing to see the prayers that have been offered to the heavens on behalf of my cousin. How we are praying for him to be healed miraculously. Below is a synopsis that my cousin Jim, Bill's brother has put together, so that people are informed of what happened.

Bill DeGennaro wasn't expected to make it home from the hospital when he was born back in '77. Of course the Docs who said that didn't quite realize the warrior spirit in the babe. Bill grew up in Adelphi, Md. He attended St. Mark's, High Point High School, and the University of Maryland. Within a week of 9/11/2001, Bill joined the US Navy with the goal of joining the elite SEAL teams. Failure was never an option. From 2002-2008, Bill was an operator in SEAL Team 3. Bill was released from active duty in 2008. Bill continued to work in Afghanistan as he truly believed in the mission there.

On 10/8/2009 in Bagram, Afghanistan while working on a detail that was training Afghanis to be self-sufficient, Bill DeGennaro was found choking on his own vomit from a stress induced seizure. He is now in a coma in the ICU at Lundstuhl Army Hospital, and will be transported to the DC area in the coming days. Bill's status is very much up in the air. His brain and lungs show substantial damage. However, a full recovery is quite possible with God’s grace.

This page is dedicated to Bill, his life and times, and to giving all his friends and family a place to share how we are storming heaven and earth with prayers and positive mojo with the same warrior tenacity that Bill will when his recovery is in his own hands. Feel free to share anything positive for or about Bill.

God Bless. I'll see all of you at the party we throw when Bill gets up and walks out of the hospital on his own power!

LOVE YOU BILL! In faith and MANY prayers!!

Are YOU still there??

2009-10-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

My poor blog fans...My poor,poor fans...
how i am sorry i have not posted-i am guilty of neglecting my poor blog...if you are still a fan and still reading-thank you. How life seems to be taking me on a roll, not enough time to post (or so it seems). So many things going on not knowing what to post. I do have a few things, that i would like to post about. First being my cousin Bill who has been in a coma for the past week. Second is my trip to Charleston, SC. What a wonderful time I had with my Mom!! How I would love to go again! I will I am sure. Stefan wants to go with me next time!! Fun, fun!! I believe next year we are going to Georgia, Paula Dean's restaurant, what's the city-it has totally slipped my mind :). Can anyone remind me? Anyway...on with the posting.

Ava's First Day of School!!

2009-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Ava's first Day at School!! She loved it and did a great job...:)
(sniff, sniff)

Here is Nana peaking in to make sure Ava was OK!!

(I love this picture!!)
Thank you Mom for going with me!!

Pressing On...

2009-09-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

We have ~~enjoyed~~ loved doing Classical. It has definitely been a new experience this year. Our Kayla Bay is in Challenge A which is 7^th grade. Her teacher is fantastic, very gracious; you really know she wants the best for all the kids. Her work load is A LOT and challenging for the both of us. Yet, it is stretching us to become more diligent in our school work and me with my days at home. Kayla is doing very well learning to adjust! The Lord is blessing us tremendously, allowing all of us to make friendships that are very encouraging and that point us to what is really important (Christ), and also how to balance Home-School with everyday life. It is so neat to be a part of a group of Moms who are walking along and experiencing the same things/feelings you are as a Home-School. This has been such an aid in teaching them Classical. No matter, what I know all the kids are really going to bear fruit this year, academically but more importantly spiritually, and good character. As I stated previously in my “Growing Pains” post-I am learning to balance what the Lord has called me to. One of those things being a Home-School Mom to various ages of children. There have been times lately where I have thought-can I really do this? At times I have wanted to just send them to school. For now/today…we believe that in this season God has called us to HS. This may change one day/maybe next year, maybe not ? We shall see.

God’s grace is there to help me through. The is Lord is at work in all of us.

We are learning not to fear academics, learning boldness, learning how not fear man, doing the best we can even if we have a bad week where we didn’t get all of our work done, learning how to be faithful at home-where its been easy for us to slack back over the past years of Home-schooling.

God knows the exact areas where we really need to be stretched! He is good!

As for the boys-I do have more of a handle on what they need to do because we did the same things last year.

Carson is doing well. Though he isn’t used to the intensity of the work he has to do in Grammar-that's OK. We are working on that together and his teacher is FANTASTIC! We LOVE her! She is so encouraging to him-she wrote him a letter encouraging him and Carson was so blessed by that. It made him feel soo much better!

As for Gavin-he is doing great too! He learns very well in a teacher taught kind of setting. He learns quickly which is great because for him, I can leave him to listen and participate in class and he is fine. So that is a help so I can work with the other kids. We also work together on presentations and grammar too.

We are grateful for this time spent as a family and looking forward to seeing what God has for us in the future!

We must Press on!

Ava's Orientation-Our Pre-School Girl!

2009-09-04T13:52:00.000-07:00

Well...
One of my Baby Girlie's, is approaching her first year ever
of going to a Preschool!

Please note everyone: we have never had any of our kids go to a school-we have only Home-Schooled. (for Home-Schooling has worked out great for us as a family).

This is a First!

So how am I feeling?

I am feeling great about it! It's a good thing.
I have such a peace about it...I know that this is God's will for Ava!
I look at Ava and know that the Lord has uniquely placed her to be the 4th child and yet has given her a character that I know will do well in the environment of being involved in a classroom setting.
Even if her character wasn't as such; just knowing that this is God's will for her-is a comfort.
I believe she is going to do well.
We went to Orientation the other day, she was able to meet her teacher and a couple classmates.
My Mom kindly and graciously drove us...what a momentous occasion in our baby's life!

MISS AVA MAY!!

Our Big 4 yr.old Girl!!

Miss Izzy...
Maybe someday!

Miss Ava's Cubby-where she puts her book bag and lunch box!

Miss Anne her teacher...

Growing Pains...but Good Growing pains

2009-09-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, life has been so full of....well....LIFE!
(a big sigh)
Thank you all for your sweet comments on the pictures in my prior post-thank you, thank you :)
I really enjoy taking pictures of life's happenings!

As For Quick update:
It's funny how life takes so many different turns.
The Lord has been at work in our life as a family, (He always is), though I have been so much more aware of His hand in the circumstances of life.
I am being stretched beyond what I ever could have imagined! I think our whole family is!
Growing pains of teenage-hood; homeschooling; training our 5 kids-biblically, growing spiritually; organizing our home, investing and prioritizing our marriage; serving in our church; having fun while doing all that, and lastly finding time for myself (which I am thinking is very high on my list now so that I have the energy to invest). I find it interesting...when I read Proverbs 31, this example of a Godly woman had, how many maid servants?
Yes, I realize that I am the only maid servant in this house.
(Accept Kayla is a Great help-I might add!)
So Lord how do I do all this-how do I balance all these things on my plate?
Those have been the areas in which the Lord is working and pruning me in.
He has been soo faithful to bring me through the frustration and trials of learning and growing. Yet, all that to say, I may share at some point the different things God is revealing...
Though...for now
on to the next post...

Miss Ava's Orientation Day!

Some Sweet Photos

2009-08-12T17:46:00.001-07:00

For some reason they seem to be blurry on here...if you click on it it shouldn't be...
strange...

OK so this picture is of Ava kissing a frog...

Cat Scratch Fever

2009-08-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

ISabel has been Fever Free all day!! Praise the Lord!

Cat Scratch Fever...
It all began 3 weeks and one day and one night ago.
Isabel was struck with a 104.5 fever on a Saturday night. It was pretty high around the clock for 2 1/2 weeks straight. I was popping in IB prophen and Tylenol. After the first few days into the virus we took her in to the doctors. We were told to wait it out and see if the fevers would go away.
By that Thursday they weren't gone. So we took her in again. So they did further testing-red and white blood cell count. Thankfully that was normal and clear!
Once again we were sent back home thinking this was viral-still keeping watch.
Fevers were still high and around the clock.
Thankfully too Isabel was responding well to the Meds. It was as if she was totally fine when she was on the them-just when the fever hit it took a lot out of her.
Though more waiting...
One evening as Stefan and I were sitting in the living room; Stefan was quietly praying for her and specifically asking the Lord to make things clear for us. Well, not even 5 minutes later, our kitty Oreo came around Isabel and began to play with her hair. All of the sudden Stefan said, "Cat Scratch Fever!!" I turned and, "What?" He said, " I bet you that what it is!"
"What's that?" I say.
He quickly got up and began researching the symptoms online. He said, "yup, symptoms match pretty well."
So he called a friend of ours who is a doctor-"thanks Heather!", and asked her. She also looked it up, and said that seemed to be a good guess.
So we went back to the doctors to be tested for it-which is a blood test. Our doctor was pretty certain that all this was viral.
We continued on giving Isabel Meds, while the fevers seemed to be lowering and becoming less frequent. We had her prayed for constantly!!!
This past Monday we actually and finally received the results of all the blood tests they did.
It wasn't Lyme Disease, Mono...etc...other blood testing they did.

It was
CAT SCRATCH FEVER
So Stefan was right...that was the Lord!!! The Lord made it clear and answered our prayers!

Isabel is now on Anti biotics now and doesn't really have anymore fevers. At the most 99.0.
So we are so grateful to our Lord for revealing the answer and walking us through this really difficult trial of the unknown.
God is so faithful...
One of the areas that I know for a fact for me is laying down my children before the Lord. Completely handing them over to God, knowing that He loves them more than I ever could.
IT was so hard for me not to worry...many phone calls and questions were made to ask for prayer, encouragement to trust in God and not freak out.
Again I was holding onto to Christ with all I had and yet, God in His mercy and kindness, was always there walking through this with us.

Praise God and to Him be the glory for her healing!!!

Missing My Boys...Go Orioles!!!

2009-07-30T09:01:00.001-07:00

Today the boys are on their way to Maryland with Nana. They are going to see an Orioles/Boston Red Socks game. This is a Birthday gift for the boys. What a treat for them! They were counting down the minutes on Wednesday. They will be staying with our friend Mimi and will return on Sunday...
I miss my boys but I am so amazed at how peaceful-less crazy-my household is...with just the girls. Boys have so much going on in their brains...
Kayla just walked into the room, "I'm bored" We don't know what to do now without all the action!!

I miss my baby boys..they are a

blessing! What a fun time I KNOW they will have.

Have a Great time my sweet boys!
GO ORIOLES!!

Cant wait for some pictures! :)

Ava's very first Loose Tooth

2009-07-29T09:06:00.001-07:00

AVA HAS HER FIRST LOOSE TOOTH!!!
Hurray she is so excited!! her eyes got real big when we discovered it...

(I need to get a picture of her!! Will do today!)

Our Little School Girl...

2009-07-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

OK...so today Marks the day of our very first child going off to Preschool this year!
She is officially registered!!

The Lord has kindly provided a way for us to send our dearest Ava off to preschool...
(sniff, sniff)
Actually we are really excited for her and so is she!

She will be attending a school near by that I have heard great reviews for. She will be attending 2-3 days in the am per week.
As a homeschooling Mom I am so excited about this...it's interesting because I never thought I would be in a place emotionally to want to send my child off to school. I know-it's only preschool but still it is school.
I love the fact that the principals they value are in line with what Stefan and I would believe to be right. So this does make it a lot easier.
I only wish all schools would have these values...

We are excited and she will begin in September!!
Then it's back to Homeschooling her...so we believe as of now!!

At least she will have the ABC's and 123's under her belt!

PHEW!!! :)

A Girlfriend's Wedding Reception...

2009-07-28T06:04:00.001-07:00

A couple of weekends ago, Kayla and her friend Kendel decided that they would like to have a wedding reception for their friends. Where they could come dress up as brides, or flower girls, or just in a dress. What a sweet time for these girls and such memories! Kendel and Kayla did most of the planning themselves, food, decorations, etc. The Mommy's were of course the chauffeur's. It was one busy week for the girls...
Kayla had a couple of the girls spend the night before so they could rise early and prep. It was my first time as well having a group of young girls in my home...It was such fun I must say to host these girls-teenage years-oh yes!! :)
What a delightful time these girls had and were, developing relationships, having a blast being girls-entering teenage hood, and lastly still enjoying the fun of dressing up and having an actual reception!!!

I love it!!!

Bride and Groom bottles of Sparkling Cider...

The Program-which Kendel
(Kayla's friend orchestrated the party)

The table

The bouquets of flowers for each girl...
(these were actually from the dollar store)

oops..these are my flowers...

The party favors...each girl received a glass to take home with little duds in each...
again the Dollar store!!

Now this was so cool!! My Mom helped Kayla make this cake which was RED VELVET
and fondant...
Brown and Blue were the theme colors.

Now for the action...

A Sweet time, Sweet Friendships!!

Thank You for Your Encouragement Regarding Izzy...Day 9

2009-07-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

Day 9 of the Fevers...

Once we give the IB Profen and Tylenol (alternating)-we seem to be back to normal...it's just when the fevers hit. She is getting pretty tired of taking the meds...more like frustration.
So thank you for your prayers and Lindsey thank you for your encouragement.

I pray that one day soon we too will all wake up and this totally gone!!

In faith...!

First Off-Isabel's Fevers...

2009-07-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

On a major note, for the past week we have been walking through a faith building experience (for me mostly). Isabel has been having Fevers of about 103.5 for the past week. Last Tuesday we took her into the Doctor', found out it was a viral infection. Then on Friday took her back again, they did all the necessary testing, which was extremely difficult for me. I struggle greatly with fear when it comes to the health of my kids and or/anyone in my family/myself included. This fear has become worse over the years. Yet, God is at work and walking me through this situation, ultimately for His glory and my good! Growing pains...
YET-Praise God-all the blood-test results came back normal that she had on Friday.
Again we were told this was a virus.
We are waiting for the urine tests to back, we should get those results today.
Lastly, a friend of mine who is a doctor took a look at her and told me that she was doing great-despite the fevers-that everything else about her looked fine. So in hope again-I trust the input that the Lord has placed in my life...it gives me hope and encouragement to persevere in trusting in the Lord for the health of my baby, yes, but ultimately trusting in the Lord for who He is, in the Truth of His Word, and what He says He can do! I'm learning, slowly, but I am learning!!
God is kind and good!

Please if you think of it to be praying for the fevers to go away completely!
One last thing...
As Stefan has also encouraged me, he said, "You know, when Kayla was little you would have just thought this would have been her teeth coming in."
(Meaning Stefan remembers teething very well, where as for me? Well...)

Low and Behold I have been aware of and watching; she has two molars coming in at the same time...!?
As a Mom of 5, I should have a sense and a good memory-right? Oh so wrong...I think as each child entered the world, I distributed several of my braincells among them.
all worth it though!!!!

If I recall correctly-teething can be pretty bad and YES, I do believe fevers can accompany that...every kid is different and I don't remember any of my kids having that high of a fever with teething, though I have heard of it happening.

So maybe all of this is because of her teeth???

We shall see!!

I CANT BELIEVE I GOT IN!!

2009-07-27T07:05:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to remember my password for this blog and I couldn't get into it!!
So sorry everyone for the Long wait to post. We have been VERY busy-life has been extremely full. I really am looking forward to posting more about what's been going on. So expect quite a few posts this week...that is if anyone is still reading. I hope to also play around a little bit by adding new things to the blog.
So stay tuned!

Fun Shots of The Littlins'

2009-06-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Waiting for Daddy to buy his shoes...

Waiting for Daddy to look at cars...
real cars or should I say trucks...

Having fun in the McD's ladies room...

waiting for shoes again...

Isabel See's, Isabel Does...

2009-06-23T08:20:00.000-07:00

I tell ya, life just flies by!
All the Chillins are getting bigger and growing!!
Isabel being the youngest loves to mimic her older sister now. So anything Ava says or does, so does Izzy.

Here are the girlies...as you can tell...Isabel loves to be a big girl!!

Dancing For Jesus!

2009-06-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

Well, I must say, how I just LOVE these moments when my kids experience their first "recital" or "performance"...whether its dance, or playing baseball or soccer...
Yet, the message of this particular "recital" was different, Dancing For Jesus. Worship dance is something I have always enjoyed watching but this particular group seemed to emphasize the importance of what dancing for Jesus and the Gospel is all about.
The message was so clear and the entire recital was just wonderful!
Ava began her lessons at Kingdoms Feet a half year ago or a little more.
They combine ballet, worship dance; and tap all in the same class/lesson.
Ava just loves the classes and her teacher as well. I was really pleased and blessed to have her in such a class that represents the Gospel so well, and also points all of the students, no matter what their ages, and what class they are in, to the point that they are only dancing for Jesus not their parents/family/friends. They are to give their all for the Lord!!
And it is so well organized and run!

As part of the recital....a little girl was represented there that was such an inspiration to everyone! What an example of what "performing for Jesus" really means.
This little girl has cancer. She has undergone many treatments with Duke. I believe she is around the age of 8 not much older....She wanted to dance so bad for the Lord that she was determined to make it back in time for the rehearsal and recital. The amount of difficulties this young girl has been through, yet she wanted to return in time so she could dance for Jesus, and she DID!
What an inspiration that was to everyone who watched her...

So here is our little Ava girl...
Dancing for Jesus!!!!

on her way to rehearsal

waiting patiently for the curtain call...

here she is dancing-
I couldn't get a real good close up shot of her...so disappointing!
but she is in there!

afterwords receiving her bouquet of flowers...

Ava thanking her delightful teacher!!

All the chillins' together on the special day!

Our beautiful little Ava May was sooo delighted to dance...
especially when she learned that she was dancing for JESUS!

Reed Gold Mine Adventure...

2009-05-22T19:05:00.001-07:00

Reed Gold Mine...
Today we went on a really fun field trip! Reed Gold Mine is located in the Concord area of NC. It is only about 30minutes away. I have been thinking of taking the kids for several months now especially because it's free, accept the panning for gold part. The last time we visited I had Carson in a stroller!! That was...7 years ago!!
We had a great time-just the kiddos and I together.
I packed their lunch and water bottles and off we went...(I didn't forget the diapers!!)

Well, we got there and we laid our blanket and food out...
only to behold....

THIS...!!!!!!

GREAT!!!

persistent and hungry ducklings...

Here is Kayla trying to eat her lunch in peace...

It just aint workin'...

The ducks kept on coming!!!!

Not only were there hungry ducks,
then there were spiders!!

and....baby ducklings!!!

So then we decided to eat standing up...
and I got a few pics in the meantime.

Here are the kiddos in the museum...

Entrance to the Mine!

Panning for gold!

Ava is panning with Mommy!

Ava found the first pieces of gold in her pan!!
worth 3 hot dogs-maybe?

Kayla trading some green for gold!!!

Isabel playing in the water...

Momma and her boys!

Lastly we ended up saying good-by not only to the Reed Gold Mine...
but to you know who...

It was a GRAND day of fun!!!!!

DRAKE Our New Dog-Baby # 6

2009-05-06T04:46:00.000-07:00

So not only to add onto our already busy lives, we got a dog! Yes a dog!
No not a sweet little tiny lap dog that doesn't nip...
but a really big dog who is almost the size of me...:)

When I told my sister in law about it she thought I was crazy...lol...
I told her that I think somehow I survive on being a little crazy...

So not only do we have 3 cats...
Sammy. Midnight . and Oreo...
now we have Drake the Alaskan Husky...pure bred...

He is really a good dog! He is 1 1/2 yrs. old already crate and house trained.
He gets along so well with other dogs...and the kids...
He is just so big that we have to train him not to pounce on us.
He can be very territorial about food and toys...so we have to train that out of him too. Honestly he forces us to exercise and go out when we wouldn't do otherwise. God is good and kind that he is helping us to get to know Drake as well as training him to be a good family dog.

Early Bird!!

2009-05-06T04:17:00.000-07:00

Well for the past 3 days I have been rising consistently at 5:30 am and meeting a friend at the Gym...what GREAT accountability this is!
This has been a real turn for me. I have not gotten up this early and out the door-I don't think ever...
It's been exciting and I feel so refreshed/energized; and tired! I know my body will get used to it so I am persevering.
Consistency is a hard thing for me to practice; I believe rising this early is something the Lord would have me practice in this season of life.

On a funny note...Isabel seems to rise now when I do...so I just put her in bed with Stef and head out.
I think it's her "baby sensor" that Mommy is awake...

The Dahl Family Returns...Picture Set 1...

2009-05-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

OK, so to start off with here is Isabel...
One day during my wedding planning, I had to go meet with
the pastor of the church where the wedding took place. The pastor being such a kind and gentle man said it was fine for Ava and Isabel to frolic about the sanctuary, while he and I talk.
So they did...
When all of the sudden I turn around , and low and behold, Isabel is smearing this bright red lipstick on her little face!

I quickly gasp at the sight while thinking, "Where in the world, did she get that lipstick?"
(though we have plenty at home)...
I knew the girls didn't bring any with them...

Quickly we figured out,
a lady from the church had left her lipstick behind in the pew...

Oh yes; to only end up in the hands of miss Izzy!!

A very funny sight indeed!

(Isabel in the bathroom where I quickly rushed her!)

2009-04-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

So what have I been doing lately? I have become a wedding planner! Oh yes!!!
It's definitely time consuming, of course especially, when it is only a few days away.
I must say it's been very fun. Thankfully it was a short engagement! :)
I am truly happy for the couple that is getting married-and I am glad to be a part of it...

For now I am on my way to go and purchase clothing for Kayla and I. We get to dress up...very fun for us. It's been a while since we have purchased anything real dressy.

The kids and I went to Duke Energy on a field trip yesterday for Earth Day, I have a few pictures to post. So stay tuned!!

Still Alive and Still Blogging!

2009-04-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings-once again!
Yes, we are still here and I am still blogging...
So much is going on right now so its been a little difficult for me to blog.
I know I need to update and I will...:)

So please to all of our readers...i will be back to post more pictures and updates!
For now, I must go clean house...and straighten up...we have guests this afternoon.

Blessings and will return shortly!

The Dahls 7 Blog Is Official!!

2009-03-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

To Let all of you know I have made "The Dahls 7" blog official!
Thanks to Katherine's help from "raising 5"-Thank you Katherine for your help:),
we are now official!
Yup, we now own the The Dahls 7 blog.
Here is our new website address!
Instead of our address being www.ncdahls.blogspot, it is now...

www.thedahls7.com

If you just go to Dashboard, Settings, then Publishing on blogger, you can buy your own domain.

Warm Winter Days...

2009-03-13T11:02:00.001-07:00

The Princess Party

2009-03-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

First Off...This past Wednesday we had a marvelous time at the Tea House in Cornelius.
I made a reservation for Ava's 4th birthday! We invited Ava's best friend Gigi to go with us. Both girls wore their princess dress up clothes and were able to visit with Snow White and Cinderella. Ava did a great job being such a, lady, princess I mean. (both girls did a great job!)
It has paid off to have all those tea times together at home.
Kayla, my Mom and I all went along (we were called the Queens of course). We thought the service was great and the girls who played the princesses did a really good job! It made us want to go back to Disney!!
It was really a sweet evening and well worth it!!
So here is the story of two little princesses!

The princesses arriving in the carriage

Princesses arriving at the tea house

Being greeted by their friend Snow White

Finally seated at the dining table...

My oldest Princess-
no she was not bored at all-just pretending to be so

What excitement!!

Such a lady...

Posing with Cinderella

The princesses played a lovely round of Disney BINGO

Queen Nana was helping...

While waiting for their food, Cinderella and Snow White painted on their hands rainbows and flowers

The delectable Chocolate cake...

Taking some last pictures before the clock strikes midnight...

Quickly they hurried for it was raining and their carriage was about to pull up...

WAIT!!
One Last peak...

My dear little princess approaching the carriage...

and No one lost their slippers...

THE END

NC's Amazing Snow!

2009-03-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Last night we began to watch snow fall and accumulate! 1ft. of snow approx.
Carson and Ava were spending the night and day at my Mom's house, so we have no pictures of them in the snow:(.

What a cold baby...

Kayla thought it would be fun to take Midnight for a walk in the snow.
Poor midnight-said "uh, uh". So she brought her in.

FINALLY AN UPDATE!

2009-02-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

That is if I can get a breather...
(As I am typing-Ava is arguing with Kayla-blaming Kayla I should say-that Kayla ate all the cookies)...hang on I must correct this....

OK-Ava asked forgiveness for blaming and being rude...

All is well.

I have to say-life has been very busy!! Is there never a moment when I don't hear the word,
"mommy". I love that word-yes-but its been said so much lately. Isabel is now getting to the age where she is a part of "the action". Life is full!!!

For the past few weeks we have had dentist appts., doctors appts., illnesses, no school due to illness...etc.

This past week I went off of my Anti-Depressant medication. It has been a walk of faith for me. I felt like the Lord was opening a door for me to stop. I am excited to see more of how the Lord is going to work! I have been doing well with this so far. I have had much encouragement. So please if you think of me to be praying that I can go without these meds.! Thank you!
If you would like to read more about why I was on these meds, click here. It's amazing how much I have learned about depression and meds. as a Christian-how to look at it from a biblical perspective. God is so kind!

Now as for the children-yes the children...

Here are some pictures of what we have been doing lately...

This is Ava holding tubes of Kayla's blood at one of our doctors appts.
The nurse let her hold them after Kayla had her blood drawn. Ava was not grossed out the least little bit. She wanted to see up close and even hold the blood!
Hmm...I think she may be the nurse of the family!! :)

Girls just want to have good fun!

Ava and Isabel's first dentist visit...

My Aunt Dorothy gave Isabel these dress-ups.

(Isabel is getting so big!)

The boys wanted to have a camp out in the back yard. They did! Stefan told them that he bet they would come inside the house before morning. Yup they sure did!!
My pictures weren't very good-but I think they show enough...

So Whats Been Going On?

2009-02-19T06:07:00.000-08:00

How I have missed blogging!! Life is getting busier and busier by the minute.
I have lots of updates and pictures to post this afternoon. The kids have some friends they are getting together with this afternoon so I will have some time to play on my blog!
Stay tuned...

A Day In Mayberry...

2009-02-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

Eating at the Snappy Diner...

Busy eating LOTS of candy!!

Floyd's Barber shop! If you ever go there make sure to check to see if our
family picture is on the "wall of fame". The Barber, who looks like floyd, took our picture and said he would hang it up on the wall with all the MANY sightseers before us!!

My baby's in jail!!

A new Barney Fife???

Miss Sheriff Ava...

Lounging on the Taylor's porch with gun in hand...

(A totally immature but who cares, lets be crazy girls moment...)

Miss Sheriff Izzy...

On our way to the fishing pond with Andy Griffith and Opie...

Even Nana went too!!

The kids, my Mom and I all had a great time visiting Mt. Airy, NC, the place where Andy Griffith grew up, last Saturday.
The last time I was there with the kids was when Carson was a baby, I remember he had a baby blow-out all over the car!! Poor baby!! Mimi was with us and we were laughing soo hard.
OK...anyway...this time there were no stinky and messy poops in the car-
all was well and we had a great time!!

FireProof’s, The Love Dare…

2009-02-06T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well…Yes, Stefan and I are going through this book that was introduced in the new movie Fireproof. By the way, It’s not what I would call “just another ’devotional’ book for husbands and wives", to go through together. It really breaks down the biblical meaning of unconditional love and walks you through practical ways of applying it with this 40 day challenge.

I saw the movie for the first time with Kayla and my Mom. I was really moved by the way God’s truth was presented in the movie. We loved Facing the Giants, it was well done too. Yet, this just seemed to hit home in my spirit to want to change in the many ways that I am not respectful or loving towards my husband. I am not one that really takes what a movie is portraying and walk away desiring to apply it immediately to my life. Though I may enjoy the message or content of the movie in general, and walk away thinking about it some. This was different. I believe the Lord was really using this movie to convict and challenge me to really seek to apply change in my life and marriage.
So I went out and bought roses for my husband, yes roses, (they were a great price at Aldi’s and beautiful). He actually liked them! Along with the roses I bought 2 copies of The Love Dare book-one for him and one for me, along with the Fireproof movie, because he had not seen it yet. I set them out on a little table in our room with a nice lit candle next to it. Long after Stefan arrived home and all was quiet in the house, I told him about the book and movie. I asked if he would please watch it, for the movie would give him a description of the book and how to use it. His response was sure and out of curiosity. So he watched the movie that night on his own. He was very moved and convicted as well, he said. He was really excited and looking forward to begin the book!!

So the next day we both began to go to work on this 40 day journey! Honestly, this is the first time walking through a book on our own, based on a decision that we made together and we are both loving it. It's fun learning how to really show love to your spouse. This book gives you time to exercise biblical principles but I am also seeing what it looks like to really apply God's Word in my marriage. Though we are only on day 4, this is teaching us how to make loving one another truly a part of our marriage-not just "changing" but where loving each other unconditionally becomes a habit and a part of our lives. So even more proof that this is the Lord at work:)!

I have to say Stefan is definitely more on top of reading through-I don't mean hurry like-but he is ready for that next chapter. He loves the challenge! He is reading his chapter way before me during the day! So he surprises me with the daily application that was encouraged in the book. It’s neat!!

It has been a real eye opener for both of us so far. It’s neat to see when the Lord is at work at the same time in the both if us, doing similar things in our hearts. Hearts are being united.
I highly recommend this book-I know all of us have things we can grow and change in our marriages. Good book!

I write this post to remind myself of God at work, for the accountability, and we ask for prayer for God’s grace as we seek to change.

Stefan and I are determined to apply, grow from, and finish this 40 day challenge together. I have faith we will!!

On A Schedule/Classical Conversations

2009-01-30T10:37:00.000-08:00

Over the past week we have been working so very hard on scheduling and sticking to it! Because of God's grace I have been following the schedule. We have also become involved with Classical Conversations this week which we just LOVE and this program has helped a lot in keeping this schedule!! Classical Conversations is the core of our weekly studies for homeschool. What an answer to prayer!
If you go to the website it has a better and more in depth description of what Classical Conversations is about. It is a supplemental academics program that uses the classical model style of teaching academics and it's one day a week.
The first day we went to visit I knew this what was missing in our homeschool. It truly is "the missing link". I have heard other parents say this...and I must agree.

The kids began last Wednesday. Both Carson and Gavin have presentations this week on Ulysses S. Grant and James Buchanan. All elementary and middle school students must do a presentation weekly or at least every other week-depending on how many students there are in the class.
So we are gearing up to make sure we are ready for it this next week.

We are truly grateful to the Lord for providing such a wonderful program!!

A time To Focus...

2009-01-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of weeks my posting has become sporatic, I know. I do miss it. Although, the Lord has been convicting me that the priorities He has placed in my life take precedence. I LOVE to mess around here on the blog but the task that the Lord has given: being a wife to Stefan and mother to 5 chillin's has taken priority! Which it should-this is right!
We have been sooo busy lately...
Teaching and training our kids, managing our lives, setting goals, getting things done to the house, all have taken much of our time.

Whoo!!

Yet!!!!!

OK....

Tonight, was the official come back of our wonderful FNF nights!!!!! (See previous FNF posts) I have actually placed this special Family night on our calendar!!! No getting out of it!!!

Tonight we had a Karaoke night!
We all enjoyed singing whatever choice of song. It was hysterical-we should of taped it...
Because this was our first FNF attempt this year we weren't quite prepared with camera and all..

I know, I know...we must bring this back-FNF nights are such highlights to family bonding for us!!!
Though sadly, we had to quickly end the fun due to some emergency errands that needed to be run!!!

FNF (Family Night Fridays) are coming back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's Snowing???

2009-01-20T06:18:00.000-08:00

So after the many warm winter days in NC, we woke up to a light blanket of snow.
So I quickly grabbed the cam this morning!

Getting Ready to go outside!

Carsy looks like he is all ready to go skiing-almost.

Isabel's first reaction to "white stuff" on the ground.
"Should I go?"

She finally decides to go outside

Red noses after just a few minutes of playtime in the snow.

One Busy Family

2009-01-14T06:16:00.000-08:00

We have been extremely busy this week with ongoing activities as a family.
Life seems to be getting very very full!!
I will post more soon on life's happenings!

OK So I Turn ?? Today!

2009-01-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry I will not post my age on this blog...if you want to know how old I am you will have to ask me personally.
Though, I am still young.
As Gavin told me this morning,
"Mom you don't have wrinkles yet", while gazing closely at my face as if to confirm this statement.

Yes, I am the birthday girl today!
It was so funny I totally forgot it was my Birthday this week until Kayla reminded me.

This morning the kids woke me up with their big smiling faces and big kisses. Kayla made some whole wheat muffins and coffee and brought it to me in bed!! I loved it! Breakfast in bed is one of those things that I told the kids 'for this is a great birthday present' !!

Carson's gift to me was that he let me play, in bed, his diji Star Wars game
(which is a hand held game system). This was an honor you know.

Lets see...Oh!
Ava said she was going to give me a blue, (because blue is one my favorite colors), sponge for my birthday. She is very excited about that!

Gavin, got Carson ready for school this morning all by himself. Not only did Gavin wake Carson up, he got him dressed and fed him breakfast.

Isabel gave me her routine snuggles and thumb sucking.

The kids did a great job this morning blessing their Momma!!!

P.S.
( Thank you to all my FaceBook friends for the sweet "Happy Birthday's")

Ava's New Ballet Class!

2009-01-08T06:07:00.001-08:00

Ava has joined a new ballet/dance class. She is doing this with a church that has a dance ministry called "Kingdoms Feet". I like it a lot.
She is doing a combo of ballet and tap. So this past Monday was her first class.
It's something that she can do that is just for her-without the other kids.
She participated well and she loved it!

Here she is already for her first class!

Skipping with the teacher...

Doing her dance exercises!

The little ballet/tap girl.
She now loves to tap around the house in her new tap shoes.

Realizing God's Faithfulness...2009

2009-01-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been so aware of how powerful God is in my life and how faithful.
He is always there with us through EVERY situation, and He delights in blessing His children with answered prayer!!
As a matter of fact we have already faced trials this year-yes in just a short amount time within the year 2009!
Just as a few examples:

#1-
Just a few days ago our cat became real sick and throwing up blood. Of course I have never encountered any type of illness with an animal like this before. So we took him to the vet and was told that we would have to spend between $300 and $400 to have him x-ray ed and tested. I told our veterinarian that we were not able to put out anything financially so I asked her 'what were some home remedies I could do'. Of course-"Sammy" our cat looked and was acting pretty bad. My thought was surely we have to have him put down. I kept an eye on him that day we came home from the vet, and thought let me give him some milk-because he wasn't eating or drinking any water. So I did...he drank some at first...then an hour or two later I gave him some more. Slowly I began to see improvement. Literally the next day, after feeding him milk, he began to act totally normal! For the kids and I this was a joyous moment! Wow! God healed Sammy (without having to put a single penny out!). How cool is that? The kids are very relieved so we praised the Lord together for that answered prayer!

#2

Financially we have been really tight.
Yet the Lord has been faithful to provide in different ways for us. Yet this is an ongoing trial
of faith for us...we are grateful to the Lord that He always gives us what we need. Not what we "think" we need.

#3

Learning to trust in the Lord for where God is leading us and has us.
As some already know, we have switched churches. The Lord placed on Stefan's heart to on a church plant here in Charlotte, with "New Frontier's" churches.
We have been really challenged in many different areas already. It was difficult to face that transition but God is and has been faithful. We are both stepping out and serving in areas that were hard for us before, that I would have called "dormant" in our lives. They are now awakening and the Lord is revealing gifts in both of us, like for me (singing/leading songs during worship)-I have missed singing and now that is a place of serving once again for me. Stefan is learning and growing more in leadership, all around.
It is exciting to see God unfold these things. More to come I am sure that I will share. And we are enjoying getting to know new people, developing new friendships, and still keeping in touch with friends!

All in all these are a few things that we have been facing as this new year began. Learning how to walk in Faith in every circumstance!! It's not easy and I know this will be an ongoing lesson.
Yet our unchanging God, is always faithful to us!! Praise God!!

Gavin's Picture!

2009-01-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Mr. Gav!
I felt so bad the picture I downloaded did not work before that is why he wasn't in there.
So here is a post totally devoted to him.

Pictures!!

2009-01-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry Everyone-I apologize for leaving the "Yucky" post for you to glare at.
Not the most pleasant story to be rereading-I know.

Though it is now time to post some pictures!

We had Liz Shea take some pictures of us over the weekend. It is always fun to do photo shoots with her-she makes it so much fun. We didn't have as many this time around due to cold weather. As you can tell some of "us" are smiling or not smiling, or crying, or we just plain have big blue lips. It was still fun though!

Yuck!!!

2009-01-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

I had to post this so I'd remember.
I just rescued Isabel from the tub, who was fully clothed with a stinky poopy diaper.
Prior to this lovely incident, I decided to let the water run to fill the tub. When of course I go into the bathroom to discover, a naked Ava in the tub, but a fully clothed-diapered Isabel, both girls floating in a sea of poop water. Yea...
Both girls also have these adorable animal mitten washcloths-one being a frog and one a duck.
So as I am quickly trying to drain the mucky water, Ava responds,

"My froggy is really freaked out Mommy!"

Don't worry-they are now in a tub of lovely, lavender soapy water...ahhhhh...

The joys of motherhood!!

ReFormatting the Blog and Pictures Are In!!

2009-01-02T12:32:00.000-08:00

I have been having lots of fun reformatting our blog to the 3 column.
I am still in the process of adding widgets and pictures. Please bear with me-
I'll have it finished soon! Thanks!!

The pictures are in too!!!! So I will post them asap!!

OK It's Official!!!!

2008-12-31T21:01:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I thought I'd try to log in just in time!!!

2009....

kids are still awake accept Ava and Izzy.

So we spontaneously allowed the older 3 stay up and they did...they are wide awake!!

So...

Happy 2009 People!!!

Happy New Year People!!

2008-12-31T18:30:00.000-08:00

More countdown widgets here

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Tonight is not a very "partying" kind of night for us. Although we were invited to go out with some other couples we weren't able to to make it. Although Stefan said that next year he would go out together-just him and I. So maybe will we will plan it.

We did go to I HOP for dinner with my Mom, that was real nice.

Over the past week, we have been re organizing our whole house, getting rid of junk, reorganizing the bedrooms-spring cleaning in a sense. It feels great to get it done.
The Lord has been teaching me a lot about being content.
We live in a small house-only 3 bedrooms. This has not been easy for me and has taken a lot of work by the HS to help me not to complain. Having 3 bedrooms and 5 kids isn't real easy. Yet I am soo grateful that we have 2 acres of land-what a blessing!!
Hopefully one day, the Lord will provide a larger home for us-in His timing.
For now I am trying to wholeheartedly embrace the idea of consolidating and getting rid of stuff we just don't need. It's been teaching and stretching me to master organization and managing my home in a way that serves my family and others. "Not my cup of tea. Help!!" Though it must be practiced!
God is always after our hearts, huh?
This lesson has taken years but I am finally seeing growth, slowly, but thankfully I am growing!

So what a way to begin the new year!! My mind has been focused on trying to embrace what the Lord is teaching me!
I must keep one step ahead, if not a couple of steps ahead, of my family.
Planning and learning to be faithful with what God has given me whether spiritually or materially.
That is a major thing that I believe the Lord has been preparing for me to embrace and prioritize this year. I am excited to see more of how He is going to teach me.

~I praise the Lord that His mercy's are new every morning~

I pray that you will also experience and know the fullness of the Lord's love and grace in your lives ten fold this new year!!
Blessings everyone!!

Christmas Morning/Christmas Day...

2008-12-28T20:41:00.001-08:00

I pray you all had a blessed Christmas season this year!!

You know, I didn't do real well this year taking pictures of our family and time together. I felt like there was just so much to do I just couldn't snap all the time. Oh nuts! I forgot to get a picture of the birthday cake Ava and Kayla made for Jesus...and we sang too Him too!
It was fun but no pics.

Anyway, here are the few that I got...

The kids were up at 7:00 and waited until 7:30 to wake Daddy and Mommy.
Note: Any waking of the parents before 7:00 is uncalled for.
Here they are awake accept poor Izzy who still wanted to sleep.

Opening gifts

Whoops!!! Wrong gift for Stefan!!

There we go...that's better...

mmmm...Isabel already trying to eat her gingerbread cookie, wrapper and all...

Our only family photo!
(We are getting our pictures done 'professionally' this weekend, we were just a tad delayed.
So those will be posted on here in about a week so stay tuned!)

The chillins'!!
I praise God for the blessed time of celebrating Christ's birth with our family and friends.

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!

2008-12-25T12:11:00.000-08:00

Blessings!! Have a Merry Christmas Everyone!

From the Dahl Fam...

This Chrismas Season...

2008-12-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Trees, Christmas gifts, candy canes, decorating, the mad rush to shop for the perfect last minute gifts, Holly, Jingle Bells, Advent calendars, Christmas pictures and cards, and family gatherings.

I am sobered by the stories of families who are truly walking through major trials this Christmas season. For many, this Christmas season is so much more difficult for them.
How I am so grateful for the health of my children, that the true Gospel of Christ is ever present in our home, and that the peace of Christ resides. Yet, we have our own share of struggles as a family, we are blessed that nothing major is at hand.
These families who are struggling this season, have truly been an inspiration to me. Could I walk through their sorrow as they have so heroically exemplified? I cannot comprehend their sorrow. Their sorrow is the very thing I would fear for my own life.
Yet, God and His Gospel is the only way they are able to cope. I know they must feel such an emptiness at times, anger, confusion, a longing. It is Christ's Gospel and grace that is ever present in their lives and bringing them healing.
It is their situation and example that truly can point us to and remind us of what Christmas is truly about.
Because Jesus came to earth as a baby and died for our sins on the cross, we are able to receive and rejoice in Christ's resurrection, it is His gift of salvation to us!!

May the stories that you come in contact with, those who are truly suffering on this earth, who are sharing in Christs sufferings, be an inspiration to you to revel more in the Gospel.

Philippians 3:7-10

"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death."

Isabel and Mommy's Day Out...

2008-12-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful Mommy's day, with just Izzy and I. As the day progressed I didn't quite follow what I had in mind. I went to get my hair cut and Izzy got hers cut too. Then we went to the mall for some girl time. It was so sweet to have Isabel all to myself. She was very quiet at times and then there were times when she would point at something and babble to me. I could hold her and cuddle her without being interrupted by a mess to clean up or having to answer to, "Mommy".
Not that I am complaining about messes and always answering to, "Mommy, Mommy", but I really treasure it when I am alone with each of my kids.
It makes it all the more special that this kind of occasion doesn't happen all the time.

Here are some pictures of Isabel...and her special day with Mommy...

My first haircut

"I was doing real well too..."

until...

"The lady found some food in my hair-Mommy didn't wash my hair!"
"OWWW!"

"It hurts!"

"The lady gave me lots of lollipops when it was all done
because she felt bad she pulled my hair."
"Now I'm happy..."
(sniff...sniff)

"Mommy took me to the mall and she ate lunch. I didn't, I wasn't hungry.
I wanted to go on the merry-go-round but she wouldn't let me.
So we went here..."

"I kind of liked it...but I wasn't so sure.
Mommy put me on this thing and so I watched the other kids
play."

and I watched...

"Mommy took my picture and then we went home,
because I wasn't doing anything."

"I had a fun day with my Mommy!!"

NO KIDS-accept ONE!!!

2008-12-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

YUP!!! Today is a day for just "Mommy"!!!!
Thanks to my Mom who has kindly taken my 4 kids for the day. She is going to bake cookies with them and do a lovely craft!!! I am so excited today!!! All by myself-with Izzy of course!!
So Izzy also gets Mommy all to herself!
So what am I going to do? Well??? I have to go through my long list of ideas and PRAY!! What would be the best use of time here.
I am going for a trim. I think am going to try to spend the day cleaning and organizing a schedule for the kids school next year-Christmas shopping? Tomorrow!!!!

So we shall see!!!

Thank you Mom for this moment to take a breather-it's so needed and such a blessing!!!
Love You and have lots of fun baking and making memories with the chillins'!!!

Carson's New Do...

2008-12-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

This style took a lot of hairspray!

The Kids Ginger Bread Train

2008-12-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

I thought it would fun to have the kids do a Ginger Bread Train this year! This was the first year where I actually did one of these with them. It was fun, but of course all the candy had disappeared quite quickly...

Isabel after her chocolate binge

A train in the process...

Our first Ginger Bread train is finished and not eaten!!

How To Talk To Girls...

2008-12-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

So I come across this you tube (How To Talk To Girls by Alec Greven-)
on Joshua Harris' blog.
( author of 'I kissed Dating Good-by')
You can scroll down and see what he says about this.
This is a 9yr. old kid literally wrote this book on advising "guys" on how to talk to girls and his philosophy on how "life is hard-get over it and move on".
Having a 10 yr. old myself-hmmm...-couldn't quite picture it-I wonder how he learned all this info.?
AND no we are not buying this book for our boys!

Here is what Joshua Harris said, "I've had several friends email me about How to Talk to Girls, a book written by a 9-year-old named Alec Greven. My friends have either expressed concerned that this book will be a rival to my book or they've encouraged me to contact Alec and try to set up a joint speaking tour. I'm open to a tour, but I'd be scared of being stampeded by thousands of Alec's pre-teen groupies. I am hoping, however, that some people, after reading Alec's advise and getting burned out on hundreds of crushes, will then be open to reading my book. Okay, so maybe that is unlikely. I will say that I'm thinking about buying this book for a few guys I know in their late-twenties. The advice about not being too hyper and not waving their arms like a crazy person could really help them out with the ladies. And I'm indebted to Alec for arming me with a response for all the guys who have blamed me and my book for making it hard for them to get dates: "Life is hard, move on." Thanks, Alec.

"I love you more"

2008-12-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

Ava came up to me tonight, "Mommy I love you". Lately, Gavin too has been very affectionate and giving me lots of hugs, kisses, and saying, "Mommy I love you".

My response?

"Oh honey, thank you...but I love you more!"

Their response?

"I love you more!"

My response again?

"I love you more!!"

Their response again?
"I love you more than infinity"

on and on again...until we begin to laugh.

"I will always love you, honey...no matter what,
and I love you more!"

Stefan and His Sleeping Diagnoses

2008-12-13T05:42:00.001-08:00

Over the past few years Stefan has been struggling with not sleeping well. It has become a lot worse.
So last night Stefan went for a sleeping evaluation to see of he has sleep apnea. While the kids and I had a fun camp-out in Daddy and Mommy's room, Stefan was taking his sleep test. He came home this morning with a diagnoses of having it. The doctor said prior to him going in for the test, that he was 100% sure he had it. After he went in, they hooked him up to wire sensors and an oxygen mask. He watched some TV and then went to sleep. He woke up so much more refreshed, and he woke up very easily which is a blessing!! So now he has to go back to the doctors to get his final diagnoses from him. We are encouraged and we are hoping this will help his body get back on a healthy track.

He Is...

2008-12-12T05:53:00.000-08:00

I got this off of another website, I thought it is a powerful way of looking at who God is throughout all generations. These words are lyrics taken from songwriters Aaron Jeoffrey, a father-son duo.
Very neat!

Lord, YOU have been our refuge in every generation. Psalm 90:1

He Is

In Genesis, He's the breath of life
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He's our high priest
In Numbers, the fire by night
Deuteronomy, He's Israel's Guide
Joshua, He's salvation's choice
Judges, He's Israel's Guard
In Ruth, the kinsmen's redeemer
1st and 2nd Samuel, our trusted prophet
In Kings and Chronicles He is Sovereign
In Ezra, He's the true and faithful scribe
In Nehemiah, the re-builder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage
In Job, the timeless redeemer
In Psalms He is our morning song
In Proverbs, He is our wisdom
Ecclesiastes, He's the time and season
In Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream
In Isaiah He is Prince of Peace
In Jeremiah, the weeping prophet
Lamentations, the cry for Israel
Ezekiel, the call from sin
Daniel, the stranger in the fire
Hosea, the forever faithful
Joel, the spirit's power
Amos, the strong-arms that carry
Obadiah, the Lord our Savior
Jonah, the great missionary
Micah, the promise of peace
Nahum, our strength and shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's brings revival
In Haggai He restores that which was lost
IN Zachariah, He's our fountain
And in Malachi, He's the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
AND THAT'S JUST THE OLD TESTAMENT

In Matthew Mark Luke and John, He is God and Messiah
In the spirit filled book of Acts, He is the reigning fire from Heaven
In Romans, He is the grace of God
Corinthians, the power of love
Galatians, freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our glorious treasure
Philippians, the servant's heart
Colossians, He's God and the trinity
Thessalonians, our calling King
In Timothy, Titus and Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful pastor
In Hebrews, the everlasting courage
In James, the one who heals the sick
In 1st and 2nd Peter, our faithful shepherd
In John and Jude, He's the lover coming for His bride

AND in the Revelation, in the very end, when it's all over, said and done, when time is NO MORE. He is and will always be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Prince of Peace, son of Man, Lamb of God, The Great I am, Alpha and Omega, God and Savior He is Jesus Christ the Lord HE IS EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED!

He is everything that we need and He is our refuge in every generation!

The Kids First Little Christmas Pageant

2008-12-11T12:59:00.001-08:00

Over the past several months the kids have been taking these Co op classes for school. I know I have talked about the classes before in previous posts. These classes include subjects like history/geography, writing, music, drama, and arts and crafts. At the end of every quarter the kids put on a little program to show what they have been learning.
So this was the Christmas play.

Below are some pictures and 2 short videos that I taped. I was trying to maneuver the camera while also figuring out another video camera. So you will see some jiggling of my camera. Very Sorry!
It is bearable though...I only taped the segments that the kids are in.
Carson is a Wiseman in the yellow crown, while both Kayla and Gavin are narrators.

Lastly they sang some songs. Ava though-my goodness...sadly she didn't want to participate in her part of the singing. Lets just say, Ava was having a tough moment.

I love and enjoy that all my kids are now at ages where I can begin to focus on just watching them have a grand ole time doing fun things like this. Not having a baby to nurse, not having to console a crying baby and walk out because it's too loud all the time. Wonderful moments!!
Not only is it lots of fun to watch all your kids enjoy doing something like this, but it's really fun to participate with them!!

Ava trying overcome her tough moment...

the full cast...

Carson the Wiseman...

Eating the yummy snacks!!

Gavin, Carson, and Kayla enjoying their craft time and friends

The videos...

Our 5 Little Elves

2008-12-10T08:34:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

RICE EVERYWHERE!!

2008-12-09T16:50:00.001-08:00

So I let the little girls play with some rice...
and.....
this is of course what happened! Rice, Rice everywhere-in the dining area that is.
I like to let Ava play with dry rice at times. So I will give her measuring cups, and a pan, so she can play cooking with it. Well, needless to say, Isabel thought this would be fun too and began to fling rice as far as her little hands could throw. Yet, Mom stayed as calm as a cucumber. Ava as a matter of fact took the broom and began to sweep the gigantic mess all by herself!! What a HUGE helper she was!! For this I gave her much praise and the rest of the family sang the "We're proud of you" song to her. Which she quite delighted herself in as you can tell by the pictures below. Thankfully we got most of it cleaned up before Daddy arrived home!

Note Ava has her shoes on this picture. This is what she told Mommy,
"Mommy I need to put on my shoes so I don't get 'rices' on my feet."
And so she did...

Tea Time!

2008-12-09T08:32:00.001-08:00

The Kids and I have been enjoying tea time lately, either in the mornings or afternoons. We put on a pot of water in our red tea kettle and wait to hear the blustering, steaming, whistle! Then we get out the little sugar cubes, tea bags, and lemons, (if we have them). Then prep the table with Kayla's delicate tea mugs and saucers. Lastly, we gather around our table and graciously chat as we sip our tea. OK...maybe it's not that "perfect" but we do laugh a lot, and we do practice our manners!!
It has been fun to see that tea time means a lot to them and making tea time a memory during our days at home.

Some Discovery Place Fun!!

2008-12-05T12:54:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving week we went to Discovery Place and that was a fun outing for the kids.

We don't visit there often but every once in a blue moon is fun. Though soon there will be a Discovery Place right down the road from us. That will be neat!

all cozy and ready to go...

waiting for the elevator

Ava and Isabel played in the little kid section...

I took the big kids to the big kids section

then we all went upstairs to see more hands on activities

Everyone got a chance to touch the humongous cobra...

AWW.......

2008-12-03T18:11:00.001-08:00

"the falling asleep in the highchair during dinner shot"

her first time ever...

awwwwwwww....
I have to say, it's so funny everytime any one of my babies have fallen asleep in the highchair,
I quickly take a picture, say "awww...", scoop them up, and place them all cozy like in their beds. I just can't let them stay there in the chair-it looks too uncomfortable for the little babies...

A Sense Of Accomplishment!!

2008-12-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Today has been a great day of accomplishment. The Lord helped me to persevere in some areas regarding school. The kids have been involved with a Co op writing class since September. They are doing a writing curriculum called, "IEW Excellence In Writing' (a method for teaching strong writing skills). I had found it to be extremely confusing when the kids first began to take this class. They actually staggered behind because of my lack of understanding and had been unable to follow the homework instructions. So I went to the "teacher" and asked if I could borrow the DVD's that came with the curriculum. She kindly allowed to me view them. So last night I stayed up until 1pm., reviewing the DVD's!! Guess what? I reviewed all 4 in a few hours and was finally able to grasp the concept of this method. Whew! This was such a wonderful feeling! Not only that, but I was able to teach the kids all that I had learned today in their schooling. So now thankfully they are caught up and they understand this method of writing. Their brains were extremely tired though, and so was mine!! I said to them, "See? We worked very hard and now look, doesn't it feel good that we are on top of things, your ahead in your work, and we understand the class?" I was sooo grateful that the Lord used this opportunity to show both the kids and I, that when we put in the hard work, there are going to be rewards! Now they are ready to march into class tomorrow-homework done, notebooks orderly, and book bags ready by the front door!

What a milestone of victory for this homeschooling Mom!!
Woohoo-(sigh)!!

Ending My Day...

2008-12-02T17:34:00.000-08:00

As I am seeking to end my day, it is Not quiet and still. At 8:35pm. I sit while Ava, Kayla, and Isabel are still awake-in bed...but awake! My 3yr. old, 1yr. old, and 12yr. old.!
I had plans tonight to have all the kids in bed at a decent hour tonight-which I did, but did not succeed fully. So why aren't they asleep?
Well, yes, I have my reasons...one being Isabel woke up after what I would call, "what should have been her afternoon nap", Ava...was screaming her head off because she is afraid of the dark, while Kayla is still awake because she is the oldest and has the privilege to stay up a tad longer than all the others. So???
I sit and post a little while everyone is trying to settle down in their beds...Sometimes though you have these great plans in place, yet they just don't seem to work out-but that is OK!! After praying and comforting it comes to that point where sometimes you must just roll with the punches, and this is one of them!
So I must wait a bit before things get real quiet once again...

Though quickly I did want to share...
I was encouraged by this devotional today and I end with these scriptures and notes in mind tonight...

Today’s Treasure: “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).

You and I need nothing on this earth like more of the Holy Spirit. Do we need to love an unlovely person? Do we need extra patience? Could we use a little peace in the midst of chaos? Do we need to show an extra measure of kindness? Could anyone stand a little more faithfulness to God? Could anyone use a strong does of self-discipline? How about a heaping soulful of joy? Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. They all come with the fullness of the Holy Spirit! You see, we don’t just need more patience. We need more of the Holy Spirit filling us and anointing us!

Now before anybody starts writing me letters, let me go on to explain. I realize the Holy Spirit is a person. When He comes into a believer’s life at salvation, He moves in personally. We believers have the Spirit, but the infinite Spirit of God continues to pour Himself into our lives. Any given day I may enjoy a greater portion of His Spirit from on high.

Does anyone need deep insight from God’s Word? An added measure of understanding? Anyone need the eyes of her heart enlightened to know the hope of her calling? Does anyone want to fulfill God’s eternal purposes for her life and think with the mind of Christ instead of the misleading mind of mortal flesh? All of these come with “more” of the Holy Spirit! (See 1 Corinthians 2.)

Child of God, don’t just absorb this truth! Get up and celebrate it! God gives His Spirit without measure! He has all that you need. Or more properly stated, He is that all you need. Our fulfillment and greatest joy are in the flooding of the Holy Spirit of God in our lives. He is how we understand God’s Word and will for our lives!

Here’s a good one: Could anyone use a sharper memory? Beloved, I could! Take a look at John 14:26. “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send you in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

The Holy Spirit is the blessed Reminder. Have you ever noticed we have a very sharp memory about destructive things, but a far duller memory over instructive things? We need more of the Holy Spirit! Recently I had to memorize lines for a Christmas pageant at our church. I had never done anything like that, and I was a nervous wreck. Because I knew John 14:26, instead of just asking God to help me with my lines, I asked Him to fill me with more of His Holy Spirit so the blessed Reminder would manifest Himself to me—and He did! He is your key to memorizing Scripture or retaining anything biblical. Take Him up on it!

What do you need most from the Holy Spirit? Are you actively praying for more of Him toward that end? Luke 11:13 implies that if we want the Holy Spirit to invade more and more of our lives, God wants us to ask Him for it!

Holy Spirit, I do need more of you in my life. Please invade every part of me with ever-increasing measure. Energize my speech, thought patterns, and actions. Please show me where I’m quenching Your Spirit and hindering Your work. Remind me to pray for more and more of You. In the holy name of Jesus, Amen.

Classic Books Read To You Online...

2008-12-01T19:37:00.000-08:00

I came across this really neat website where this lady, Kathy Kinney (Mrs P), reads various kids classic stories. Very neat!!
I even sat down to listen to her read...
great for sitting your kids down for a quiet moment...
no ads on the site and it's free too!!
www.mrsp.com

(Now for some reason when she reads Sleeping Beauty she talks about her first kiss-hmmm...its not graphic but just the idea...I skipped that part!!)

Our Thanksgiving...

2008-12-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

We had a really busy week of family and friends in town. It was a full but a wonderful Thanksgiving. For some reason I was more contemplative about those that God has placed in my life. I desire to be more grateful for family and friends and treasure them even more.
It's so easy for me to take family and friends for granted because of my own selfishness or selfish desires. Good relationships are not to take the place of God in our lives, but they truly are such a blessing from Him.

I have also been thinking a lot about traditions and which ones mean the most to my family-especially to Stefan and the kids. I am loving the fact that the Lord has given me the role of building traditions in our family. I am seeing that as the kids are getting older these homemade traditions mean so much more to them, than when they were real little. Usually we would just do whatever then, but now it is a little different...and I know things may change in upcoming years. But for now it is simply a joy to develop them and know that they are treasured.

I pray that your families also enjoyed the traditions of Thanksgiving or simply just the time spent together as family and friends were treasured.

Mimi (a forever friend of our family)
who had a lovely visit for Thanksgiving!
Right Mimi??
Thanks for coming to see us!!

Ava about to dig into the delicious 'pie'...no...I mean

"the whip cream"!!

Nana and Izzy...and more whip cream!

Papa and Isabel...Isabel just loved sitting with Papa!!

Mamma and Carsy

Everyone rested and some napped after the major feast of course!!!

Poor Bella, she was so upset that Ava took upon herself as the big sister to comfort her tiny sister!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU!!

2008-11-27T07:58:00.000-08:00

As I type we are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade which has always been a tradition that I loved as a child! So now-the tradition has been passed on!
We begin our morning with a homey breakfast meal and at 9am everyone sits around the fire and watches the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (with the exception that Mommy must clean the kitchen) but that's Ok. I like to peep my head in and out to watch too while I am cleaning.
This year the Macy's parade is pretty good! So it's been fun!!!
This afternoon we are off to my Moms house to celebrate Thanksgiving with Stefan's family, and Mimi (a long time friend)!

So from our Thanksgiving family table, to yours!
We wish you all a very blessed Thanksgiving!!

We Are Decorating For Christmas Already!!

2008-11-26T07:14:00.001-08:00

Well our Christmas Decorating is done finally!!
The Kids really wanted to get ready for Christmas early this year. I must admit-I love having my decorations up before Thanksgiving. I used to be one of those people who would drive by houses that were already decorated for Christmas and think, "Why so early?"
Well, now I have become an early decorator for the Holidays. It's actually kind of fun and it has taken a load off my mind to have it all done. Having a large family, decorating early helps, so I can totally enjoy the holidays, traditions, family, and friends. I am excited!!
Here are a few pictures I took on my camera phone of us decorating!!

(some are a little blurry-sorry)

Getting the ornaments out and ready for the tree...

Decorating the tree!

Eating Candy Canes-mmmm...

Here is Kayla moving the tree to a different spot,
I didn't like the way it was placed originally...

Izzy all wrapped up like a present on the floor ready for her nap

The kids hanging up lights in their rooms.
As a tradition-The kids are allowed to decorate their rooms however they would
like with the decorations that we have.

Cozy cats. They still haven't left their cozy spot-they slept there all night!

The finished product!!!