Consider this...

We do not celebrate Christmas and there are many reasons for that. The bible has given specific dates for the biblical feasts and festivals- specific days and times, but it never states that on December 25th we should celebrate the birth of Jesus. Our family celebrates His birth during the Feast of Tabernacles- a time when God dwelled with the people. So to us, it makes sense to celebrate our Savior, Immanuel (God is with us), during this festival which occurs in the fall. The history and origins of Christmas are interesting, but you can research that on your own if you feel led to do so.
Another reason we choose not to celebrate Christmas is because of all the massive, unnecessary consumerism revolving around this holiday. Did you hear about the Wal-Mart employee that was trampled to death on Black Friday? Was that good deal on that one item really worth his life? Does Messiah want us rushing around stressing ourselves and our families out all in the name of presents?... material items that have no eternal significance... So for all of my friends that celebrate Jesus on Christmas I just have one thing for you to consider...

"Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action" -WJ Cameron

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There are so many things that I love about it: getting together with family and sharing a beautiful meal together, the changing leaves and the sound that they make under my feet, the smell of fires burning in chimneys, the crisp cool air, throwing the football around... I could go on and on. It is true that I love these things very much, but I feel that Thanksgiving means so much more to me this year. I started thinking about what Thanksgiving means; I looked it up in the dictionary and it says thanksgiving is the ACT of giving thanks, and EXPRESSION of gratitude. When I was a child I was taught that Thanksgiving was a time to reflect upon and recall all of the things I was thankful for. I still think of Thanksgiving as a time to count my blessings... but this year I am realizing that Thanksgiving is more than just thinking about all the things I am thankful for; thanksgiving is an action. Well, what does this mean? Does it mean to verbally express how thankful I am to God, my husband, children, family, and friends? Does it mean doing things to show them how much I appreciate them? These things, no doubt, are very important.
However, I think thanksgiving is even more than that. I was listening to the radio the other day and I heard a man say something very unexpected. He said "Thankfulness comes from within our hearts and it isn't dependent on outside circumstances." This man was right. It is quite easy to be thankful when everything is going great in our lives- we are healthy, well-fed, have clean water to drink, and a warm roof to live under- and on top of those basic needs we have clothes, transportation, family and friends that love and support us, and so many freedoms in this country that we take for granted... but what if all of these things were stripped away? What if Matt lost his job, or our house burned down, or our health declined, etc.? Would we still be thankful? What I have realized is that thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart. Especially when faced with adversity, the true attitude of our heart comes out. This kind of thankfulness reminds me of the story of Job and how everything that meant the most to him on this earth was taken away from him yet he never turned his heart away from God. That is amazing to me. He was able to face adversity with praise and thanksgiving in his heart. Having a good heart attitude is hard work and requires constant attention and effort. So as I go through the rest of this year I want to remember to continuously examine the attitude of my heart and make the conscious choice to be thankful in ALL situations and circumstances.

Constant Companions

These pictures display what my kids are usually busy doing while I am trying to cook dinner or do the dishes. They want to be at my feet getting out every dish and kitchen appliance that they can get their hands on! I often times will find toys in the cabinets when I go to reach for a mixing bowl, pot or pan!

No matter where I go in the house my children are never too far behind. Every now and then I would find myself getting bothered by this constant companionship. I have a very type A personality and I tend to get overly focused on completing a task. The problem with this is that I sometimes end up pushing my children to the background in the name of being productive. I'll get them busy doing some chores or try to get them interested in a toy or an activity so that I can get stuff done...but where is the companionship in all of this, the Deut. 6?
I think it is important for them to see me doing chores around the house and I think they need to do their part to contribute as well. I also think it is good for children to be able to occupy and entertain themselves for short spurts of time. The problem occurs when there isn't a proper balance between work and moments of engagement. If I see that my children are happily engaged in something then I will be tempted to just keep going with my work around the house and before I know it an hour or two might pass. The crazy thing is that there is always something to be done around the house. I could be working on it all day long, but the next day it would be the same and the next and the next. I often think of Ecclesiastes when I think of house work. A lot of times I feel it is all in vain because the minute I do dishes the sink is full again and the minute I fold the last piece of laundry the basket is full. Though it is good and necessary for these things to be done and I obviously understand the purpose behind them, I sometimes wonder can the dishes and the laundry just wait? I am positive they will still be there tomorrow in an even greater quantity...but in the big picture it might be more important for me to just sit down and read a book to Elijah or do a puzzle with Caleb or roll a ball around on the floor with Jonas. Even more than that I should involve them in the preparing and cooking of meals and letting them help me do the dishes or sweep the floor- which I sometimes don't let them do because I have a certain way I like to do things...but it would be so much more beneficial to them if I could just let go of some of my perfectionism and just let them accompany me in these daily tasks. I have come to the conclusion that they are better of by my side rather than being left to themselves. That way I can really live out Deut. 6 and I can teach them God's truth and wisdom as we walk though this life TOGETHER.

Faithful in a little

"When you are faithful in a little, more will be given you."

I have heard this quote before, but I was reminded of it as I was sitting in a Spell to Write and Read training seminar. The trainer posted this quote on her power point because she knew that all of us homeschooling mothers would be feeling overwhelmed by the massive amount of information that she was presenting to us. We were all sitting there trying to figure out how to process and implement all that we were learning and she reminded us that we won't be able to have it all figured out before we start the program, we just have to take the first step of faith and learn how to use the program as we go. She was just there helping us a gain a firm foundation in the principles and concepts behind the program but she wanted to remind us that if we remain devoted and faithful to doing a little each day, then each day we would gain more understanding of how the program operates and in the end it would prove itself to be fruitful.
Well, I took more away from that seminar than simply learning how to teach my child how to spell, write and read. The more I thought about that quote, I realized it could be applied to almost every area of my life. Truth be told, I am not a very disciplined person and I have to work very hard to stick to a task and see it to fruition. On the other hand, I am very good at procrastinating and being distracted...and then I get overwhelmed feeling like nothing ever gets accomplished! I want to have a nice, clean house and cook delicious, healthy meals everyday, plan awesome activities for our homeschool, exercise daily, and be an energetic, enthusiastic, optimistic wife and mother...but unfortunately I haven't yet figured out how to be and do all of those things at the same time! But what I came to realize is that if I can just remain true, devoted, and faithful in just one area of my life then all of these other things would more than likely be given to me. That one area is my relationship with the Father. I often times find myself struggling trying to accomplish things in my own power and not fully relying on God, but I just know that God wants my whole heart and not just a half-hearted prayer before I go to sleep at night. He wants my first fruits and I know that if I can remain faithful and devoted to Him that He will give me the energy and wisdom to accomplish all of the other tasks in my day.


"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?
And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
-Matthew 6:24-33 NASB

"O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who hope in the Lord."
-Psalm 31:23-24

Bits of wisdom from Charlotte Mason

On page 231 of her book Towards a Philosophy of Education, Miss Mason says that we should communicate to our children the beauty and truth of mathematics. They should understand that it is a "great thing to be brought into the presence of a law, of a whole system of laws, that exist without our concurrence,-that two straight lines cannot enclose a space is a fact which we can perceive, state, and act upon but cannot in any wise alter..." and this "should give to children the sense of limitation which is wholesome for all of us, and inspire that sursum corda which we should hear in all natural law."
Sursum Corda is the name of a particular versicle (a response exchange, whereby there is a short verse the minister recites and given response for the congregation's reply). Sursum Corda is the 'lift up your hearts' versicle. So Sursum Corda refers to the portion of the service when the minister says to the church "Lift up your hearts" and the congregation responds "We lift them to the Lord."
Miss Mason is pointing out that all natural law is God's law, and is part of God's voice to us. Whenever we learn of one of God's natural laws, whether it be that two and two make four and never three or five, or that apples fall down and not up, or that all things reproduce after their own kind, or that a blade of grass produces food from sunlight in a process we now call photosynthesis- it should be to us as though that natural law were the voice of God (which it is) saying to us "Lift up your hearts" and we should feel our hearts naturally, gratefully, and willingly responding to the voice of God in affirmation- "We lift them up to the Lord."
- excerpt from an article in the Charlotte Mason Educational Review written by Wendi Capehart

Out of all of the many styles, approaches and philosophies on education I find myself identifying most strongly with the ideas of Charlotte Mason. It took me a while to come to this conclusion...and I will explain more of the process of coming to this conclusion over time. There is so much wisdoms and practical goodness that comes from Charlotte Mason.
My degree is in elementary education and I started out homeschooling the same way that I was taught as a kid and the same way that I was taught to teach when I was in my teaching program. But finally, and I say this with much enthusiasm, for the first time since we decided we were going to homeschool (which was before we even got married and had children) I feel myself pulling away from my training towards public education and I feel a tremendous amount of freedom in that. I feel like I have gained this new confidence and peace in the understanding that one of the greatest things about homeschooling is that I don't have to do it like the public school... and in fact, I can do it better! I am not saying this in an arrogant way; I can say that because I know my children better than any teacher in the public school ever could. I know their strengths, weaknesses, passions, frustrations etc. I can move at a pace that is comfortable for them, whether it be fast or slow. There are a million reasons why homeschooling is great, but perhaps the biggest reason of all is that I get to spend time walking and talking with my children. I get to know and understand their hearts. I get to disciple them and train them up in the way that they should go...and for that I feel so blessed.
Last year I started "Kindergarten" with Elijah and he is bent towards math so I focused a lot on math and probably pushed him too hard. Ultimately I ended up with a frustrated child that dreaded "school". So I had to take a step back a re-evaluate the situation. Just because a child might be good at something doesn't mean that it is good to push them to the point that they no longer enjoy it. I just hope I didn't do too much permanent damage in my first year of homeschooling! I'm just hoping that he won't remember all my mistakes because he is, after all, only 5 years old...but he is also like his father- the "rain man"-...so maybe I should just hope that he would be forgiving instead.
Anyways- math has been the toughest subject for me to choose a curriculum for because I find myself debating over should I go with a program that emphasizes mental math, or one that is real hands-on, or one that goes right along with the scope and sequence of the public school??? After a lot of thought and research I have decided to go with the mental math curriculum. It does not follow a traditional approach, but it teaches the child how to "think" mathematically and logically. Charlotte Mason takes the purpose of math to an even higher level- when she basically says that all natural law is God's law- God is revealing a little bit about Himself to us through these natural laws. That made so much sense to me. So hopefully this year we can start with a clean slate and maybe this time I will have a better sense of my goals and priorities for our homeschool.

Fourth of July

When I was thinking about the 4th of July, I realized it involves a lot of things that start with F... family, food, fun, the flag, and fireworks! I love Independence Day. It's one of my favorite american holidays. We usually do the same thing every year, but I just love it! We started off the day by going downtown for the parade. It was just a small parade, but the kids really liked the fire trucks and old cars and clowns (which I am not particularly fond of...kind of scary). Then we went home and gave them naps so they could stay up late and watch the fireworks. When they woke up we grilled out with my in-laws, my niece who was visiting from Charlotte, and my friend Adria. We let the kids swim for a while in Nana's pool and then it started to rain! I was hoping that it would stop before it was time for fire works...and thankfully it did or the kids would have been disappointed and up until midnight after that long nap that they had! We were trying to think of good places to watch the fireworks- a place that wasn't too crowded and where the traffic wouldn't be ridiculous...and my friend Adria came up with the perfect plan...the top of the parking deck at UNCG! It was less than a mile from where they were setting off the fireworks and it ended up being this secret, fabulous place. I don't know why other people haven't thought of it, but there were probably only a handful of other people who had the same idea. We had an amazing view of the fireworks and the kids loved it...even baby Jonas was saying "wow"! It was really cute.

Hair today, gone tomorrow!

"Funny" things are always happening at the Vaughn house. This particular incident involved hair- my hair to be exact! For the past 3 years I have been trying to grow my hair out and it was getting pretty long...about half way down my back. I usually get the urge to cut it once it gets a few inches past my shoulders, but I was doing really good this time about being patient and letting it grow.
Well, I have resolved to do most of my computer stuff at night so that I can stay focused on the kids during the day, but on this particular day I had to be on the computer for a brief 5-10 minutes. I am attending a homeschool curriculum workshop in August and the one for July filled up so quickly that the organizer told me that I needed to hurry up and fill out the registration form before the class was full. So here I am frantically trying to fill out the form on the computer and I hear this little voice behind me say "Mama, I cut you's hair"!!!! What????? It was Caleb, my 2 year old. He snuck up on me like a ninja and cut my hair! I didn't even hear him do it! So I grabbed my hair to access the damage and I pulled out a good sized chunk, so I ran to the mirror and sure enough he cut a top layer piece in the back all the way up to my chin! So much for growing out my hair! I don't even know how he even got the scissors in the first place because I usually have those on a high shelf where the kids can't reach them...so that is still a mystery.
Thankfully I didn't have to get it all chopped off. I went to a great salon Jade Aveda(which we can't really afford), but I figured they were so good that they might be able to salvage my hair some how and they did! I only had to have 2 inches taken off the bottom and then she put in some additional layers on the top to blend in where Caleb cut it. So when it was all said and done, I actually ended up with a pretty decent hair cut!

Determined!

I am determined to post at least one blog entry before the end of June. How did it go by so fast? Summer is supposed to be slow...but not this summer! So much has happened this month. Matt finished his first semester of teaching highschool history! That was a very big deal because he works at a poverty-impacted school that had such low test scores about 3 years ago that the state threatened to shut it down. So the big focus of the administration was raising the test scores and they were putting a lot of pressure on Matt to "get results". He went into that school with energy, excitement and determination and this year Dudley's History department broke the school record for having the highest test scores that have ever been achieved at Dudley H.S.! I am so proud of Matt and the other teachers on his team and of course all the students! Now, I could get on a soap box about testing because I am not a very big fan...but those results do bring a sense of achievement and success, especially since there were days when Matt came home wondering if he was getting through to his students...but obviously something got through to them!
Now we are enjoying one of the great benefits of teaching- Summer's off! We have loved having Matt at home, but unfortunately it will be very short-lived. He still has 2 more summer classes to take before his Master's degree will be complete! He starts classes on Thursday.
However, summer school is not the biggest time consumer of the summer! The number one project for this summer is our new house. We closed on it almost 2 weeks ago and it has been non-stop demolition ever since we got the keys. We ripped up the floor, tore down the walls, completely demolished one bathroom, and the list goes on and on. Right now it looks very scary. I am just hoping that we can put all back together again before August, because that is when we have to move out of our current rental home! I think Matt is having a lot of fun just demolishing things and so are the boys! I can't believe I (as OCD as I am) let the boys actually enter that bathroom that probably had multiple forms of deadly bacteria and bust up that nasty tile with a sledgehammer. They loved it. I'm just glad to see it go, because that bathroom was just plain gross!
So we are pressed for time and have more projects than hours in the day! Oh, and the entire HVAC system has to be replaced, which we will be forever grateful for Matt's dad, Wayne, who is an HVAC man and has dedicated himself to be our indentured servant for that project! So I have a feeling that this is going to be a MAJOR learning process for us. As we began peeling back the layers in this house we have come across a few surprises, but I think so far we aren't too overwhelmed. At least Matt isn't...and I am trying to tell myself that I'm not. I am determined to stay optimistic about the process.
I am determined about a lot of things lately. I must admit that I have been in a little bit of a funk for the past 2 months with my morning sickness and other pregnancy issues like tiredness and headaches, but I have reached the point where I am actually annoying myself, so I am determined to just suck it up and stop complaining. I am determined to go to bed early, (which I'm not doing very good at). I'm determined to smile and laugh more. I'm determined to be more diligent in seeking God. I'm determined to get off my rear-end and do the dishes (just not tonight). I'm determined to read a book that doesn't involve parenting, homeschooling, childbirth, or marriage. I'm just determined. I don't know how long it will last, but maybe I'll just be determined to stay determined.

An unexpected affirmation

For the past week I have felt very strongly that I needed to read Psalm 37. So I have been reading it over and over again each day wondering what it is that God wants me to hear. Well, today a very funny thing happened. In the middle of lunch (a very crazy time at my house) a lady called and asked for Mrs. Cox? I told her that we lived in a rental home and that was the name of one of the previous tenants (I only know this because we still get her mail sometimes). And she said, well may I speak with you? I was thinking- ok what is this lady going to try and sell me? But instead she said "I am calling today to encourage you to read your bible and I want to read you some verses out of Psalm 37"! I was very excited and I told her I had been reading Psalm 37 all week. These are the verses she wanted to share with me:

"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret, it leads only to evildoing, for evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more. And you will look carefully for his place, and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land, and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity" Psalm 37:7-11

Even after she read that I was waiting for her to ask me to make a donation of some kind, but she never did. I never even caught her name. She just said she wanted to encourage me to continue reading my bible daily. I guess I know now what God wanted me to hear. The Father works in very interesting ways sometimes.

This is just an additional part of the Psalm that I love:
"The steps of man are established by the Lord; And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Or his descendants begging bread. All day long he is gracious and lends; and his descendants are a blessing." Psalm 37:23-26

Discipling our children

"Jesus didn't meet with his disciples once a week for Bible study and then say, "I'll see you next week!" He gave his disciples his whole life. He lived with them, slept with them, traveled with them, and lived out a life of godly maturity before their eyes. Having the personality of the God who created the universe living with them every moment for three years gave them an understanding of his ways that nothing else could do. They observed him in the private times of friendship and eating and sharing and being exhausted and buying and preparing food as well as in public ministry- teaching, healing, worshiping, confronting, encouraging. There was perfect integrity between the words he spoke and the life he lived. Thus his disciples could learn what righteousness looked like in all situations.
In the same way, our children will learn righteousness best by seeing it lived out in every possible way in our lives, moment by moment, in the context of normal life. As we teach our children to do unto others as we would have them do unto us, they need to see it lived out in our lives so that they will know what it means...the first principle of reaching our children, then, is that we have to make the TIME to be with them. And we need to be diligent to practice what we preach!...
Jesus talked to his disciples about the Scriptures and their meaning, he talked to them of God and his ways and laws, and he talked to them of the future. In their time together, he covered every possible subject from faith to humility to prejudice to forgiveness, adultery, murder, love, food, and morality. Our children, too, need consistent, systematic instruction and teaching about God'd Word and ways."
-Sally Clarkson The Mission of Motherhood

I have been thinking about discipleship a lot lately and as I was reading in my Sally Clarkson book this morning I found that what she says goes right along with what has been on my mind and heart for a long time now. These days it is so easy to get ourselves and our children overly involved in activities outside the home... Bible studies, sunday school, VBS, awana and various other church activities, along with sports, music, dance, co-ops, play groups and other extracurricular activities can take over our lives to the point where families are never together. I am not saying these things are bad and that we shouldn't participate in them, but the more time our kids spend involved in all these extra activities, the less time we have to disciple our children...but we need to make sure we are leaving enough time in our days to really walk and talk the Scriptures with our children (Deut.6).
Ultimately we, as parents, are the ones who are going to be held accountable for providing them with a solid foundation in scripture and instilling God's words and ways in their heart, soul and mind.
Also, I have discovered, it is just as easy to be distracted by activities within the home as without. Just because I don't have my kids in 100 extra-curricular activities doesn't mean that I am using my time with them wisely. There have been times when I am sitting on the floor playing with my children, but my mind is not there with them... I find that I am running down the "to-do" list in my head...or I will get so caught up in household chores and meal preparation that I will not leave my task to tend to an argument between the children. In those moments I am ignoring the opportunity to disciple them. More than anything children want our time and our heart. They want to feel that we really love them and are interested in them...they want to know that we are listening when to them when they are expressing their thoughts and ideas. They don't want that empty nod of the head and "uh-huh, that's good"... they recognize when we are only half-heartedly giving ourselves to them.

The other thing that has been heavy on my heart is walking the walk- being a living example for my children. It is not enough to simply read the scriptures to them and go to church- we must be living a life that lines up with the Word. I have found in talking to several people and just through observing many different families- hypocrisy is the number one reason that people turn away from their faith in God and the number one reason why children who are brought up in "christian" homes abandon the way they were raised as they come into adulthood. They see believers and their very own parents saying one thing and then doing another. They see their parents giving lip service to God but they don't see the fruit of a genuine relationship with the Father. This will only breed bitterness in the heart of our children. However, none of us will be capable of constantly walking as Messiah did- we will make many mistakes, but I think we should live in a way that our children know that that is our goal- to have a closer walk with Him and then be willing to humble ourselves before God and our children when we do make mistakes. If any of you know Micheal and Debbie Pearl- they have ministry called No Greater Joy and we have enjoyed several of their books (though, like anything some things need to be filtered), but they have a book called Jumping Ship, which is a collection of a series of articles that they published in their monthly magazine. I believe you can read back articles on their website www.nogreaterjoy.org. These articles explore some of the reasons that kids "jump ship" as they get older and what can be done to prevent that from happening in our own homes. It talks a lot about hypocrisy and child-training, but most of all it talks about winning the hearts of our children and creating an atmosphere of joy in our homes. It does no good if we discipline and train our children but don't have joy in our homes. They may be outwardly obedient, but their hearts will still be rebellious. I believe wholeheartedly that we need train our children up and discipline them when necessary, but we also need to express the great joy that comes from having a relationship with the Father.

As I think about all these things, I can't help but think about how much being a parent is forcing me to be a better person...(though there are moments when parenting has brought out the worst in me!) But overall, having these little eyeballs constantly watching me- observing and copying my behavior, attitude, language etc. It is an excellent source of accountability for me. So I am as determined as ever to put my words and faith into action in my daily walk. I want to slow down, and not become so overly involved in other activities that my heart and mind become distracted from my true purpose- which is training and discipling my children.

Expecting Baby #4

Yes, it is true. I am pregnant with our fourth child. We feel extremely blessed that God is multiplying our family! We do not share the common view with the world that we cannot "afford" to have more than 2.2 children and we don't think they are an inconvenient drain on our time, space and energy. In fact, we feel to total opposite. Our children are live-giving. Observing their natural curiousity about the world and seeing the joy they find in the small things is like a breath of fresh air to me. I learn so much about living from my kids...they are quick to forgive, and they love so completely. I love that they aren't weighed down with scepticism and they always see the best in people. It is no wonder that God wants us to be like children. I know we have the parental responsibility of training our children up in the way that they should go, but often times I feel they are the ones training me how to be a better person.
With all that being said, I have been neglecting my poor blog for so long because I have the worst all-day baby sickness with this child. It is particularly bad in the evening, so after the kids go to sleep I just curl up in the fetal position and watch the ceiling fan trying to do all I can to not throw-up. That is my little bit of complaining- but I know this too shall pass. I just can't wait to meet this new sweet baby...but I'll just have to be patient until December!

Buying our first house!

We are in the middle of the very exciting process of buying and owning our very first home! We truly had no intentions of staying in Greensboro. We actually had our eyes set on some place in the country...but God had a different plan. Matt's sister is a teacher and works with a lady that told her about a program in Guilford County called Good Neighbor Next Door. It is a program that is only offered in Greensboro and Charlotte and they are homes that are offered to teachers, firefighters, cops, and emt workers for HALF of the listing price. Yes, it is true and it is not a scam because it is through HUD (housing and urban development), which is a government program. This is how it works- every week they list 1-5 properties under this program and the potential buyer only has 5 days to look at the house and decide if they want to place a bid on it. If no one places a bid on it within that 5 day period then it goes on the regular market for the full price. At first we were thinking that most of the homes would be in the ghetto and a lot of them actually aren't in very good neighborhoods...but occasionally there are incredible deals to be found. We stumbled upon one of those amazing, almost too good to be true homes. It is in a very nice, quiet neighborhood with really good schools (for resale purposes). It is a solid brick ranch home on 1/2 acre property- it only needs minor repairs and we are purchasing it for less than 70,000! It is 3 BR, 2 BA and it needs major cosmetic work...but for that price who can complain? We have to commit to living in it for 3 years but after that we can resale it for whatever price we can get... and the homes in that neighborhood are going for between 140,000-180,000! So we are hoping that by the time it is all said and done we will be able to have all our student loans paid off and be able to put a down payment on something else! It's our "get out of debt quick" plan! We are supposed to close on it at the end of May and then we are going to spend all summer renovating it. It is very exciting because I have never fully been able to make a house look the way I want it to look because we have always rented...so this will be a fun project for me. We'll see if I have the same excitement when I'm knee deep in work! If anyone knows any firefighters, teachers, policemen, or emt in the Charlotte or Greensboro area you should tell them about this awesome program.
I want to share a little of the heart and thought process behind the purchase of this home. As Matt and I were praying about this house before we placed a bid on it we both felt as if God was trying to settle us. It has always been the big joke with our friends that we are not able to commit to one place for very long. We have moved 7 times in less than 7 years! In the past we have had a tendency to be discontent with where we are and were always searching for a better place to live or a better job etc. We both came to the realization that we will never find that perfect place or destination until we are in the Kingdom with our Heavenly Father. Searching for that kind of perfect place on earth is all in vain. He was calling us to take our minds off of our earthly desires and start seeking the eternal. While we prayed about the house we both felt a peace about staying in Greensboro. I think this is mostly because God wants to plant us in one place so that we will seek Him fully and wholeheartedly without the distraction of "where are we going to go next?". I think this is the beginning of a great journey for the Vaughn family and I am really looking forward to seeing how God is going to work on us and how He will use us in this town.

A tribute to the 'fro!

Matt started growing his hair out this winter simply out of curiousity but I liked to joke with him that he was trying to rock the 'fro so that he could fit in at the inner city school where he works. His students were trying to convince him to get some corn rows and the thought of dreads briefly went through his head...but once the weather got warm he just couldn't take it any more so he just had to shave it all off! When he went back to school the next day all the kids were afraid that he was going to start going military on them! ha. The whole time he was growing it out I begged him to let me run a pick through it and he was not at all amused with that idea, but he did put on a 70's shirt and let me pick it out one time before he shaved it off. It was a sweet 'fro...sad to see it go.

Baby Jo-Jo and the vultures!

Little baby Jonas is growing up so fast! I felt like Elijah's babyhood lasted forever, but each child after him has grown up just a little quicker...but I'll TRY not to get too sentimental over it. He has changed tremendously in the past month. His hair is getting longer,curlier,and redder each day! He also has 4 big teeth with 2 more on the way. From the moment he was born he has lived up to his name...because he is just such a peaceful little dove. He is so good natured and sweet. My heart swells just thinking about how sweet he is. The boys continue to love him even more every day too. Jonas thinks that Elijah is the funniest person in the world- they seem to have a special connection. They other day we were heading out the door to go to dinner at a friend's house and Caleb had a scab that opened and it was bleeding quite a bit. Well, while Matt and I were taking care of his hand we heard Jonas wake up from his nap and he started to cry because no one was coming to get him, but all of a sudden he stopped crying and we were relieved by that- thinking he had calmed himself down. Then in walks Elijah carrying Jonas! He had gotten him out of his crib all by himself! Elijah then went on to explain to us how he got Jonas out...and thankfully no one got hurt! Jonas was just glad that someone finally came and got him out of his crib! Caleb loves to play peek-a-boo with Jo-Jo, which is a game that they both like. Caleb is very good about sharing his toys with Jonas and he also loves to help me give Jonas a bath. From the time Jonas was born I have referred to the older two as "the vultures". I don't mean this in a bad way, but as you can see from the picture, as soon as I set Jonas down they swoop in to smother him with hugs and kisses. All you can see is their big heads and just the very tip of his little red head. I am glad they love him so much, but they don't really understand the concept of "giving him space". I think I must say those words 100 times a day, but that's ok- it's a learning process!

Passover and Redemption

Most of you know, but some may not, that we keep the biblical feasts and festivals. My very favorite feast is Passover. It is the perfect picture of what Yeshua did for us on the cross. So, this Passover we got together with our home church (6 families with a total of 18 kids!) and a few other families and friends and had a seder at our dear friends, the Kniseley's, home. We had the best time. For those of you who have never attended a seder, they usually last a long time. So we were there for about 8 hours. One activity that was a lot of fun was each family was given 2 chapters from Exodus and each family acted out their chapters! We got chapters 1 and 2. Caleb got to be baby Moses! He was so cute. Elijah was the big Moses and Matt was Pharoah. I had a more complicated role (being the only girl in the family)... I had to be Moses' mother, Pharoah's daughter and Zipporah!
Passover is my favorite feast for several reasons, but the most important one is that it is a perfect picture of our redemption through Yeshua, our Messiah. In a traditional seder there are what is called the "four cups". The first cup that we drink out of is the cup of sanctification(to be set apart), the second is the cup of deliverance, the third cup is the cup of redemption, and the fourth cup is the cup of hope. In a traditional Jewish seder there is a cloth with four pockets and the matzah(unleavened bread) is placed in the middle pocket and it is broken in half at the beginning of the ceremony and half is placed back inside the cloth and the other half is set aside for the afikoman. After drinking the second cup and eating the meal the afikoman is hidden and the children get to search for it and once it is found it is broken for each person to have a piece and at the same time the third cup of redemption is filled.
For believers the breaking of the afikoman and the drinking of the third cup of redemption is the most important part of the Passover meal, for it points directly to our Saviour. Most christians call it the "Last Supper", but Jesus was sharing the Passover meal with the disciples. In Mark 14:12-17 it says "And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples said to Him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover? And He sent two of His disciples and said to them, "Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says, Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?' And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready for us there. And the disciples went out, and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover. And when it was evening He came with the twelve."
Then in Matthew 26:26-28 it says "And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread and after a blessing He broke it and gave it to them and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks He gave it to them, saying "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many of forgiveness of sins." In these verses Jesus was breaking the Passover unleavened bread and telling the disciples to drink of the third cup of redemption and was telling them that it represents His redeeming blood... that He was going to die for the sins of the world for the sake of redemption. We most commonly recognize these verses from communion, but when Messiah tells us to do these things in rememberance of Him, I believe He is talking about keeping the Passover feast. Don't get me wrong, we can break bread and remember Him any time we join together to worship, but I also think that He specifically wants us to keep the Passover feast because it is the perfect reflection of what He did for us on the cross.
Again he mentions the cup of redemption in Matt. 26:39 "And He went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt" and v.42 "He went away again a second time and prayed, saying "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done." He knew He had to die in order for us to have redemption! I just want to praise Him for that sacrifice.
So as many jewish people are celebrating the story of their deliverance from the bondage and slavery that they experienced in Egypt, the believer in Yeshua, our Messiah, can celebrate that through redeeming blood of the Lamb, God passes over our sins and we are saved and set free from our bondage and slavery to sin.

I just want to end this reflection on Passover with a few other verses.

"But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our wellbeing fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each one has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgement He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth." Isaiah 54:5-9 ...and "By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, and He will bear their iniquities. Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the booty with the stron; because He poured out Himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the transgressors" Isaiah 54:11-12

"John answered them saying, I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie. These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:26-29

"And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing" and every created thing which is in heaven and on earth and under the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him wo sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and dominion forever and ever" Revelation 5:11-13

A glimpse inside the Vaughn kitchen

My friend Anna went grocery shopping the other day and posted some of the food items that she buys for her family. She was interested in knowing what other people were eating, so I thought I would give a glimpse into our kitchen. We love ethnic food- mexican, thai and indian are our very favorites. Mostly we eat these ethnic foods because they are healthy yet inexpensive. I included my tribute to Goya! When we were on a tighter budget you would have thought we were mexican. Our weekly menu would look like this: fajitas, tacos, burritoes, tostadas, enchiladas, quesadillas etc. Ha. We love food with spice. My absolute favorite spice in the world is curry. I love the way it fills our house with such a delicious aroma. We also eat a ton of rice, cous-cous, lentils etc. There's so much you can do with those three items. I always buy a ton of produce, but it never lasts an entire week at our house. My kids devour fruit and veggies. Elijah is going to turn orange from eating so many carrots and Caleb's favorite veggies are orange and red peppers. They are major fruitaholics and I have a really hard time keeping enough fruit in the house. I try to mostly buy the produce that is in season locally, but every now and then I will splurge and buy some grapes or strawberries- but they are so expensive and they will literally be gone in 2 days- so that is a rare treat. Strawberry season will be here soon and I know that I will be able to buy a bucket full for the same price I can get a small package at the grocery store, so I will just wait. I am really looking forward to our garden this summer and the fabulous farmers market. My 2 favorite things about warm weather are picking fresh strawberries that melt in my mouth and making garden fresh tomato sandwiches. Yum. I am also determined to join a CSA (community supported ag.) this year. There are several CSA's in Greensboro and I just need to pick one to join. Another goal of mine this year is to try and figure out how to buy and store food in bulk. I think we could save a lot of money that way, but if any of you have any tips for keeping and storing bulk items I would love some feedback, because we don't have a lot of storage space in our house. One thing I have yet to figure out is our food budget. Every week I go over our budget, yet at the end of every week our cupboards are empty. My kids eat constantly- all day long. Sometimes I feel like they just need feeding tubes! I know they are just growing boys...and I know I say this all the time...our dream and goal is to one day own enough land to have a small family farm, but I am starting to think it will be a necessity to keep up with their growing appetites!

In a small town

Last weekend we had the joy of visiting our good friends Aaron and Jenny in the small town (if you can call it that) of Laurel Fork, VA. Laurel Fork has a gas station,a produce stand and a fire station. That is it. Our friends live on 22 acres of beautiful rolling land. It was such a welcome relief to my ears to be away from all the noise pollution that we live with in the city. It was beautiful weather when we got there and me and Jenny put a blanket out in the grass and just laid there under the big sky there talking while the kids played. It was so nice and peaceful. Our kids had the best time playing together. Aaron owns a landscaping business and he had a big dirt pile that the kids played in for hours with their toy trucks. I never knew dirt could be so entertaining! He also had a huge pile of landscaping debris about 10 ft. high and he made a big bonfire- which my kids really enjoyed. The men kept the kids while me and Jenny had a night out on the town. We went to play bingo at the community center to raise money for a gym that they want to add on to the existing building. Jenny said it took them about 15 years to raise the money to build their new community center that opened last year and she thinks it will take another 15 to raise money for the gym! Ha. It was real sweet. We were probably the only people under the age of 60. I had a great time. The people were so nice, welcoming, and down to earth. It was very refreshing. We also got to see Jenny's father's house that he just got done building with his own two hands. He is a master carpenter and he built this amazing 3-story log cabin with very little outside help. He notched and dovetailed every log. He custom made all the cabinets, put in the hardwood floor, did all the bathrooms and all the electrical work etc. I was so amazed at the work of one man's hands. Jenny's mother made all the curtains and her sisters made awesome artwork to hang in the cabin- so now I understand where Jenny gets it. I call her the homesteader extraordinaire because she always puts in huge garden and cans all her produce. She will climb tall trees and gather grapes to make homemade grape juice (we actually had some and it was delicious). She is just very efficient and provides and prepares well for her family, which I really admire. She is getting ready to have her 3rd homebirth and we share the same midwife, so I am very excited about their new arrival. What a beautiful family!

A day at the zoo

Matt is off for spring break and we have been enjoying some precious time together. Today we took the kids to the zoo. We have a membership and I love that we are just a short drive away. Everytime we go to the zoo the kids have a new favorite animal that they want to see. One time it was lions, then elephants...but for some reason this time Elijah really wanted to see the bears. The bears usually aren't very active, so I wasn't expecting much... But today the polar bear was so funny. He came right up to the glass and pressed his face and big paws against it and put on a little show. He was playing with his water toys and diving and rolling around in the water! We were so excited. That was definitely the highlight of the day.

The battle is the Lord's

As I was driving this morning a song came on the radio called The battle is the Lord's by Yolanda Adams. I have heard this song several times before and it's one of my favorite gospel songs. One thing that most people don't know about me is that I love gospel. I will put it on when I am doing chores around the house and it just lifts me up and helps me praise God and have a good attitude while I do my work. A lot of times I'll be singing and dancing and "having church" while I am working and Matt and the boys think it is real funny...but that's ok. I know I can't sing or dance that well, but I can praise God! Ha.

The point I'm trying to get to is that God placed someone on my heart this morning when I heard this song. It is my sister-in-law, Teresa. Through the years I have been married to Matt I feel that our friendship just keeps growing and I am so blessed to have her in my life. She is married to a great guy named James who lives in Nigeria. They have been married for over 2 years now and the U.S. government has already approved his visa, but the Nigerian government denied his visa. So as of right now he is unable to come to America and join this family that is waiting for him. I know that this must be disheartening for Teresa, but she is strong and our family is strong. We will continue to pray for God's will in the situation and I pray that Teresa will be reminded daily that this battle is not yours- it's the LORD'S. This goes for anyone else that is struggling out there. We all struggle at times, I know I do. But God is faithful. He hears our prayers. He knows our innermost thoughts. He is our comforter, our rock, our shelter, our protection, our strong fortress, and our shield. Praise God!

Don't Get Me Wrong!

Please don't get me wrong about what I wrote about the mission of motherhood. I was not trying to complain and I definitely do not view my children as a burden. What I was trying to do is give examples of how easy it is to slip into the world's mindset and how I, as a believer, am trying to daily transform my mind and heart to align with God's word.

This past weekend we went to our first war reenactment. It was the Revolutionary War Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Before the reenactment they had a little village set up with people dressed in the time period clothing and performing various tasks. Elijah was particularly fascinated with the cordwainer (shoe maker), which we learned was different from a cobbler (shoe mender). I just always thought a cobbler made shoes...but anyways we watched him make a sheath for a tomahawk. They also had woodcrafters, potters, seamstresses and fabric merchants, bag makers, weapon makers, etc. We also entered the encampment and talked to one of the reenactors who gave us a detailed tour of all the weaponry and let the kids hold some cannonballs, which they loved of course. The actual reenactment was great. We had great seats on a hill so we were able to look down at the battle. I had to reassure Elijah that the soldiers weren't really dead, but they sure did put on a good show! I almost believed they were dead! Caleb just picked daisies the whole time. ha. It was very exciting and we will definitely be attending more of these in the future.

"On March 15, 1781. the largest, most hotly-contested battle of the Revolutionary War's

Southern Campaign was fought at the small North Carolina backcounty hamlet of Guilford Courthouse. Major General Nathanael Greene, defending the ground at Guilford Courthouse with an army of almost 4,500 American militia and Continentals, was tactically defeated by a smaller British army of about 1,900 veteran regulars and German allies commanded by Lord Charles Cornwallis. After 2 1/2 hours of intense and often brutal fighting, Cornwallis forced his opponent to withdraw from the field. Greene's retreat preserved the strength of his army, but Cornwallis's frail victory was won at the cost of over 25% of his army.

Guilford Courthouse proved to be the highwater mark of British military operations in the Revolutionary War. Weakened in his campaign against Greene, Cornwallis abandoned the Carolinas hoping for success in Virginia. At Yorktown, seven months after his victory at Guilford Courthouse, Lord Cornwallis would surrender to the combined American and French forces under General George Washington." - taken from www.nps.gov/guco

Mission of Motherhood

I have started reading a book called The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity by Sally Clarkson and I must say that this book is convicting me in so many ways. I don't usually read many mothering books because I have found that there aren't too many good ones out there. I find most of them cheesy and fluffy or they make me feel like if I am not the perfect Proverbs 31 woman then I am not adequately doing my job as a mother...but this book is none of the above. It came highly recommended to me from several sources and I am so glad that I decided to read it.
Psalm 127 has always been a favorite in our family. It says "Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate."
I have read those verses many, many times. God says children are a blessing, a reward, and a gift. And even though I would definitely agree with God, I realized that I do not always treat my children as such. In her book Sally talks about straying from God's perspective on children and she says a "... consequence of straying from God's plan for children is that they come to be regarded as a burden, the often-inconvenient by-products of sex. When the mission and reason for having children is lost, they easily come to be seen as a time drain, a monetary expense, a career impediment, and a curtailer of personal freedom." I don't think that I have ever thought of my kids quite so harshly, but in moments of selfishness I have sometimes thought that they are inconvenient. For example, when I am grocery shopping with 3 kids- I often think that I could be much more productive and efficient if I was by myself or there are some days when I have had about all I can handle of making the toy animals dialogue between each other and I get tired of having endless conversations with people under the age of 5. Sometimes I just want to have a normal adult conversation. My kids follow me like little ducklings around the house- they go wherever I go and most of the time this does not bother me, but there are times when I just want to take a shower or go to the bathroom in peace. There are times when I want to get in the car and drive away for a few minutes so I can think my own thoughts without being interrupted; and I sometimes find it frustrating when I clean the house and the very next day all my work gets undone by little hands. So, in reading this book I have come to realize that there are times when my perspective on children is closer to the world's perspective rather than God's.

I have been thinking a lot about why God considers children to be a blessing, a reward and a gift. The most important reason I can think of is that God teaches us about our relationship with Him through our relationships with our children and spouses. I don't think I fully understood my relationship with God until I got married and had children. God expresses Himself through relationships, which is why all through the bible he uses the child/parent bride/bridegroom analogies when he teaches us about how we are to relate to Him. Now that I am a parent I completely understand how frustrated He is when we are disobedient and how glad He is when we are obedient. I understand through my marriage how God desires intimacy and He wants us to seek Him and long for Him. And I understand through my husband and my children how badly God wants our hearts. God blesses us with marriage and children because they are a reflection of our relationship with Him. So, I have decided that I need to daily and prayerfully surrender my selfishness and give myself wholeheartedly to my family. I want my heart to be aligned with God's perspective on children and marriage, not the world's.

A visit with Uncle Seb

Last month I got a membership for our family to the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. We have been several times already and are looking forward to taking advantage of going to some of the reciprocal museums through our museum passport program. The first trip I decided to take was to see my brother. He lives about a mile away from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh. I had no clue what to expect but I was shocked and amazed when we got there and I saw how big it was. We spent a good 5 hours there and probably only saw 1/3 of what the museum had to offer...and it is free to the public! We had so much fun. The kids spent most of their time in a hands-on, interactive discovery room for younger children. We probably could have spent the whole day just in that room. They had about 12 animal costumes with masks for them to try on (which they loved of course)...and they became these animals and were creeping and crawling all over the room, which was really funny to watch. Then they had these "discovery drawers" and each drawer has a theme...for exm. one drawer is about animal coverings and it had several different animal furs and they had to try and figure out which animal belonged to which fur- others had animal bones, feathers, animal tracks, etc. and they had about 25 or more different drawers. One of my favorite things that we saw was this huge bee colony under a big, clear glass wall and we could watch the bees busy at work and observe all the different stages of the growth and development of the bee from larvae to adulthood. It was fascinating. Then we went to a show called "meet the animals" and we got to meet and touch 4 animals from Africa: a hedgehog, snake, lizard, and a disgusting hissing cockroach. We loved it so much that I am going to try and go there at least once a month. We will have to go several more times just to see the whole thing! It's always good spending time with my brother. I enjoy his company immensely and the kids love him so much and think the world of him. He is such a good uncle and I am glad he was able to slip away from the Ph.D world of academia and spend some time exploring the museum with us.

Marvelous Matthew!

I just realized that February is over and I only made one post on my blog. However, it is with good reason. Matt has been working like a dog on the computer almost every night for the past two months. As most of you already know, Matt is only 2 summer classes away from completing his Master's Degree in Secondary Ed. He was supposed to be doing his student teaching this semester, but he took the braver route and took a teaching position instead. He is teaching World and US History at Dudley Highschool in Greensboro. He was offered the position in December and he started in the middle of January. We were both very excited about this opportunity, but I don't think either one of us realized what he was in for. I guess it is the life of a first year teacher, but Matt hasn't had a moment to rest since he started the job. He goes to meetings early in the morning, teaches all day, tutors after school, comes home to eat dinner and play with the kids for a couple of hours before we put them to bed and then he works all night until midnight or later and gets up and does it all over again. He doesn't complain and he gets it all done, but sometimes I worry that he's burning the candle at both ends. I think the planning and having to know the content for 2 different subjects is just a lot of work...and then there is the added pressure being placed on him to get a certain percentage of his students to pass the EOC for his US History class. I am so proud of how he is handling it all.
For those of you that know Matt, you know that he is very calm, stable, sensible, rational, not easily overwhelmed... (which is almost the complete antithesis of me!) He is the source of strength and stability in our family. I appreciate that he took the harder road for us. He didn't have to, but he recognizes his responsibilities as a provider and I respect him so much for that. He put us before himself. That is his heart and that is why I love him.

Still Technologically Challenged!

Well, I thought I was making big improvements when I learned how to attach things to an email and when I learned how to create this blog or when I learned how to make a slideshow and post it to my blog...but today I just realized I am still very technologically challenged! I decided a while back when I got a comment from a random guy in Brazil (he didn't say anything inappropriate) that I should up the security on my blog and moderate the comments just to make sure that everything met my approval before being posted. When I did this I wasn't sure how I was going to be notified about comments, but I thought maybe I would get informed through an email or something. Well, tonight I was going to create a new post when I realized there was a section called "moderate comments" in big blue letters right in front of my face and I never realized it. I found 2 months worth of comments...So I apologize to all of you who have been making comments- I truly appreciate your feedback and encouragement...I guess I still have a lot to learn about technology!

An Unexpected Snow!

Sometimes God blesses us in the most unexpected ways. On Wednesday night I put the kids to sleep and I decided that I was going to rent a movie. Well, when I opened the door to step outside I was looking down at the porch and when I lifted my eyes to the sky my heart felt a rush of excitement. It was snowing! I am not talking about flurries; these snowflakes were big and beautiful. I was so excited that I ran back in the house to tell Matt. We haven't seen a good snow since we left Boone almost 2 years ago, so we were thrilled! I rented a movie and curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and kept the window shades open so that I could watch the snow. As I was watching the snow falling down I was reminded of the awesomeness of God; how He can cover a man-made city with the work of His hands and all of sudden it looks beautiful and natural. This snow couldn't have come at a better time. This has been a challenging week and it was a real blessing to be surprised by something so pure and good.
Then the next morning we couldn't wait for the kids to wake up so that we could show them the big surprise. It was so great seeing the look on their faces! We ate breakfast in a hurry and went outside to play. Elijah insisted on wearing his cowboy boots, which I thought was so funny! The first thing he did was lay on the ground and make a snow angel. Caleb was being hilarious too. I was making snowballs and he was picking them up and eating them. He called the "snow apples". Then we attempted to make a snowman. It was harder than I thought it would be, especially since Caleb kept knocking it over as I was building it. Then me and the boys had a big snowball fight and wrestled around in the snow until it was time to go in for lunch. By lunchtime it became very warm outside and our poor snowman was completely melted by evening. The snow couldn't have come at a better time. This has been a challenging week and it was a real blessing to be surprised by something so pure and good.

The Business of Being Born

The Business of Being Born Cont.

The Business of Being Born is a new documentary by Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake. Please go to the official website for more detailed information. It is http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/ . On this website you will find a section that provides dates and times of several community screenings. I am going to the one at Guilford College this weekend. I urge every woman who is pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant to watch this film. I strongly believe in and support midwives and natural childbirth. The majority of women in this country do not know their rights and options in the area of childbirth. It is so important to become educated and informed in this area; because everyday women are being robbed of the beautiful, empowering, spiritual process of labor and childbirth in the name of money, convenience, fear, etc. I have very personal feelings about this subject because when I had Elijah I was very naive and uninformed. I had him in the hospital with the end result being a c-section. When I got pregnant the second time the doctors told me I would be an automatic repeat cesarean! I knew they were wrong. I knew I could have a baby naturally and I did! Since then I have had 2 natural births at home with a midwife. I am so thankful that I became educated in this area and chose not to blindly follow the advice of the so-called experts... if I did I would have missed out on what has proven to be the two most amazing experiences of my life.

Oh, the beautiful mountains!

We went to Boone last weekend and it was so great to be back in the mountains. Our dear friends, the Moshers, let us stay in their adorable guest cabin and we were able to enjoy a peaceful retreat before Matt starts his new job. We had forgotten what it was like to be in the still and quiet of the country, without sirens and all the other busy sounds of the city. I could actually hear the wind blowing through the trees and see the stars in the sky in the absence of street lights. I always feel God's presence so strongly in the mountains; I suppose it is because I can actually see more of His creation and I am reminded of what an awesome Creator He is. I was born and raised in the mountains so I sometimes feel overwhelmed and bombarded with all the concrete and commercialism that I am surrounded with in Greensboro. I have to remind myself to be content where I am...but moving on...

We had a great time visiting with our friends. I went to my very first ASU basketball game, which is kind of pathetic considering that I graduated from App. and we lived in Boone for 3 years after college. Then we got to visit sweet little Westminster Presbyterian where we used to eat spaghetti on Wednesday nights. It was good seeing all the families in that church again. Then Matt and the Mosher guys played hockey for several hours on the coldest day of the year...it was 18 degrees or something ridiculous like that. Me, Sue and the girls curled up on the couch and watched Sense and Sensibility and drank tea while the younger kids played. Elijah was so excited to have a playmate his age. At one point he said, "Me and Rachel are playing and playing and we are only stopping at mealtimes", which was pretty much true. We went on a trip down memory lane and drove past all of our old homes. Elijah wanted to go see his favorite park ever in Valle Crucis. Then the boys shot guns and built a bonfire. Oh, the absolute highlight of the trip for me was figuring out the name and lyrics of a song that was running through my head the whole time we were at the beach over the holidays. It was a song we used to sing at Westminster and for the life of me I could not remember it. If you know me, you know that I will drive myself crazy trying to remember something. Matt and I searched about 2 hours for it on the internet with no luck at all. When I mentioned it to the Moshers, Callie knew the song I was talking about. That brought great relief to my mind! It is such a lovely song, so I decided to post the lyrics.

"In Christ Alone" In In Christ alone my hope is found; He is my light, my strength, my song; This cornerstone, this solid ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My comforter, my all in all— Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe! This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save. Till on that cross as Jesus died, The wrath of God was satisfied; For ev'ry sin on Him was laid— Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain; Then bursting forth in glorious day, Up from the grave He rose again! And as He stands in victory, Sin's curse has lost its grip on me; For I am His and He is mine— Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death— This is the pow'r of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home— Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.