Life continues on...

Katie-girl suggested s'mores...
Dad liked her idea...

...so he bought a fire pit that she put together. =)

Yummy....

Well, it was quite a bummer to put our dog down; now it is just the normal every day habits that we have to adjust to...
like...
never leaving the front door open so she can't get out...
or glancing at the bedroom window to see if she is "giving me away" to the littles as I sneak off to a store...
or coming home after being gone all day---and no longer having Asia greet us at the door. *sigh*

but our lives continue on...and we are entering a very busy month for us.

May 3 TJ's birthday (14)
May 13 Grandpa's birthday, and end-of-the-year State Testing.
May 14 Bryson's birthday (3)
May 22 Nick's graduation

and

hopefully by the end of May we will actually be moving into our own house?
Well, not our "own" house, but a house (rental) where we can unpack our things and call it home.

Dear mother-in-law Michele is moving along with us. I am praying to find a house that will fulfill all our humble needs...

like...

*more than 2 bedrooms ;^)
*a main floor bedroom for Grandma M. Understandably, she is not a fan of stairs, yet houses w/ 5 bedrooms usually have stairs.
*more than 1 bathroom (oh super please!)
*enough space to have a "school area"
*a fenced yard, preferrably. =)

God's provision of our homes have been vastly different in past years...

2001: Back when we had 4 children we lived in a wee tiny quaint house (800 sq ft) with a BIG yard...
2002: then we bought a large home (1800 sq feet) on a decent lot...
2003: (followed by a very l-o-n-g lay off, in which we lost the house)
2004: where we then moved into a small 4 bedroom townhouse (1100 sq ft) w/ 5 kids...
2007: followed by an offer from a friend to move into their house (2000 sq ft) w/ a pool and a hot tub w/ our 6 children (woo hoo)
2009: job expansion led us out of our home town to big city... where we first lived with dear m.i.l. & s.i.l. in a modest 3 bedroom house (yes, all 9 of us) until their house sold...
2010: then we were welcomed into my parents' home until we knew our next step, which is also a 3 bedroom home (yes, with all 10 of us).

Thus, the journey continues...

wish us luck, and throw a prayer our way, would ya?

My Happiness.... is being interrupted...

Our lovely 'pit' is not doing so well...

*sigh*

We will need to put her down soon...

very

very

soon.

Asia has been the very best nanny-dog ever;

she has served her family very faithfully, with love & protection...


Most of our children don't ever remember not having her with us...

Asia is 12, and she has walked Nick through all his school years...

and it will be incredibly hard to say "good-bye". :(

l.i.f.e Academy...

Our first quarter is over. It seem to go by so fast! We now get to enjoy 2 weeks off.

I think I am acutely aware of how fast the year is going because I have a senior student. What a wonderful journey it has been. I will post of details at a later date.

First quarter successes:

Field Trips:
Woodland Park Zoo
Seattle Science Center
Fruit picking at a farm in Oregon

Library every Wednesday:
This is working out well. It is a small library, Thank goodness, as I get overwhelmed in big fancy ones with my littles in tow. =) I do have a habitual habit of always having some type of fee; I am pretty proud that I have not lost a book/movie/magazine as of yet. Little guy has ripped one page, but I figure for having 5 kids learning from home, that isn't too bad a track record??

We established our new routine using the Robinson Curriculum along with keeping it organized Workbox style. It is working out well for us. Less chaotic, more focused. I am needing to find more focused time w/ my kindergartener. Preschool-ish activities are going well alongside littlest brother, but dear Andrew, in his offbeat way is skirting around his quality lessons in reading and language skills.

Extra-curricular:
*Katie-girl is doing ballet twice a week. Cool part is that she helps as an assistant in two little tyke ballet classes, and barters her payment for the lessons. She LOVES helping little kids.
Campfire also began. Lucky for us, Aunt Chanelle (my husband's sister) is the camp leader. She is amazing with kids!

*Nick is out (again) with a soccer related injury. Let's see...Hip out of alignment, broken wrist...now it is a bruised bone in the shin. This is not something to play around with, unless one enjoys the thought of a potential broken bone. We are hoping he will be back in play in a few weeks.

*TJ is patiently waiting for dad to take him fishing...soon, very soon....

A Funeral:
My dear Grandpa passed away recently. The funeral was last week-end. It is rather an event of mixed feelings. We know he is with the Good Lord; Halelujah! Yet the heart aches at the loss. The family had a Celebration of Life...which was fantastic...family, food, fun... but it left me pondering at how quickly life goes by, and how we should celebrate daily the gift of life.

Fall Break:
We are headed to Oregon for a week to visit some friends. Daddy has been staying with these friends for several months now. Lucky for us, Daddy gets to take a vacation with us next week to the Coast for a whole week! We are thrilled!

Future posts:
1. We wrapped up our Summer Nature Studies
2. Interesting Garden Adventure

3. Our Curriculum plans for the fall months.
4. A church-less family in a Godly home
5. Victories in personal struggles.
(if I am brave enough to open the door to this topic)
6. Preparing for the holidays~
Embracing the Moments.

Until next time...
May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
Galations 13:14

PITBULLS

How does that word make you feel? It amazes me the stereo-type these dogs endure. Can this breed of dog be dangerous? absolutely Can other dogs be dangerous? absolutely (but I will stick to the topic I am sharing... pitbulls). In our state, someone is trying to pass a bill to ban this breed. To own one would cost you a fine of over $6,000 and a significant amount of jail time...fortunately for us, I think this has been turned down.

A HISTORY LESSON: Bull Dogs were believed to be used by butchers to chase and catch a bull by the nose, thus the name. These dogs were known for their jaw strength, as to "let go" of the bull before the butcher could kill it would lead to the death of the dog. Then in the early 1700's they began the sport of "bullbaiting". This is the sport of killing a bull for entertainment purposes, as it would be tied to a pole as a bull dog would be allowed to "attack" it. As this cruel sport declined, the entertainment of dog fights increased, thus wanting to create a stronger dog. They cross-produced the bull dog and terrier to create the Pit Dog (dogs who fight in a pit). Despite thier mannerisms in the pit, the PITBULL was a good companion and good with children. During this particular era, it was not uncommon for an injured dog (from a fight) to ride home w/ the baby in a pram (carriage). The pitbull became popular in America in the 1800's as the perfect watch dog. , specifically as a "nanny". This dog is very loyal, and would protect the children, whom were left outside to play while dad hunted, and mom cooked, cleaned, etc...This breed has a high pain tolerance which is great for babies and toddlers who may tug an ear, or pull a tail as they toddle and lose their balance.
Famous pits...
"Jack" the family dog from Little House on the Prarie
Helen Keller's companion
"Petey" on The Little Rascals
...and many other celebrities could be listed, including presidents, as owners of these beloved dogs.
Now, don't get me wrong, as there can be a problem with these dogs, but this problematic issue is with the owners, not the dog. These dogs require LOTS of attention, are eager to please, and will insist on being part of the family. To own one for a "bad" image enhancement, or for dog fights, or to just neglect in your back yard is wrong.

Meet ASIA; our Stafford-
shire Terrier
(aka Pitbull) She will be 10 yrs old this summer. We have had her for her entire life. Bad habits: barks too much, begs at the table, gets on my furniture, does not get along well with other animals, specifically larger (intimidating) dogs. Personally, I call her a 'social reject' when it comes to her canine peers. Quirky fears: spray bottles, sneezes, and smoke alarms.

Good habits: incredibly patient w/ children, bar none! If a baby wants to pet her, she will lay submissively. If a small child were to come up to her food dish while eating, she will stop eating, turn her head away from the child, and stand like a statue. She loves attention, endlessly...

She has been in 1 fight before. Yes, she initiated it. I was pregnant at the time, outside with several of our small children. She got out, and charged a German Shephard that was running around loose near us. The fight was on, it was awful, snarling, foaming mouths every where, and when it was all said and done, ASIA never actually bit the other dog. She would not back down, and would aggressively use her body in attack mode, but, I believe due to the training she has received from us, never bit once. On the other hand, she endured several bite wounds. This same German Shephard attacked 2 other dogs in our neighborhood over the summer...ASIA may have initiated it, but just maybe she sensed something that we were not aware of?

Asia loves when Fred plays rough w/ her! She gets all snarly, loud, and foamy at the mouth....
blech! He has a blast messing w/ her, the boys love it too, and us girls (Katie & I) are not so amused. But at the end of the day, she is a lovely and affectionate pet.

All in all, we are glad ASIA is a part of our family!

references:

http://www.bordpol.com/History.html

http://www.times-standard.com/opinion/ci_6993026

http://www.bulldoginformation.com/bull-baiting.html