We have enjoyed our summer. A little school, a lot of fun, busy days, and quiet moments.

On the work front, Charles has recently been filling in as interim COO, and has been doubly busy in recent weeks. The transition out of that role has begun, so another few weeks we should be back to a normal level of busy.

This fall we will enjoy a few extra curricular classes, and mostly lots of time at home, which is just the way I like it. We started school this past Monday and have had a few really good, productive, bonding days already. I absolutely love homeschooling these kids of mine!


Just a couple little pictures into our day . . .

With the summer comes the occasional fly in the house. Yesterday Nathan said, "I know what that fly is thinking!" And I had to pull out the camera to recapture his thoughts on a fly's thoughts:




We also have chicken eggs hatching in a few days, hopefully. That has been amazing to watch and learn about as well.

And, today we didn't get right back into school after lunch because I walked back into the kitchen to discover this:


(Sorry, forgot to flip this)


 . . . And, I figured we could put off a little formal learning to enjoy some informal fun. We still got everything done, just a little later than usual.

I love getting back into the routine of full day school again.

This was too precious not to share:

Yesterday and today I had some treasured conversations with my 3 year old son.

As he climbed around on my lap and feet during his sister's gymnastics class, he suddenly looked at me and said, "Can we pray for God to safe me?"

"What do you mean, Kiddo? You want to ask Him to keep you safe?"

"No, to safe me."

"To save you?"

"Yeah, so He'll pull me up to the sky when I die."

Wow, that came out of no where. We talked a bit, and then he wandered off to some other topic.



Today, again, he spontaneously asked me, "Mom, I want to pray now so that God will pull me up to the sky." I had too quickly forgotten the previous day's conversation and thought he wanted God to make him fly. After a little clarification I realized that his heart had a much more serious goal in mind.


We talked about his naughtiness and God's love and sacrifice. Obviously words like substitutionary atonement and justification did not enter the conversation, but those deep topics wove in and out of our questions and answers.


I asked if he had ever been naughty. He said, "Yes, when I pinched Faith." Yeah, he nailed that one, no explanation needed there. I explained that God was never naughty, and He can't let naughty people into heaven to live with Him forever.


He knew what I meant. He said he wanted to go though. And I let him in on a precious secret. He could go, God wants him there! God still had to punish someone though for his sins.


Nathan pipes up, "So, He decided to punish Himself for my naughties?"


"Why do you say that?"


"Well, Jesus died on the cross for my sins." A phrase that rolls so quickly off a Sunday Schooled tongue even at the tender age of three, but this time he savored the words as he fit them into our present conversation.


"So, what should you do now?"

"I think you should pray for me."

"Sorry, sweetheart, this is a prayer that you must say for yourself."

We talked about what he needed to understand and express to God in prayer, and boiled it down to three things:

- Tell God you know you are naughty
- Tell God you know He punished Jesus in your place when He died and rose again (he said, "turned back into a normal person.")
- Tell God you want Him to be in charge of your life now.


He prayed. In his own sweet, innocent words, He prayed. He acknowledged in that precious way that only a child can that he needed forgiveness. He prayed longer than he ever has for a meal or bedtime. He thanked God for all He had done for him, and thanked Him for promising to pull him up to the sky. After 'Amen' he gave me a big hug and said he was glad that he would be in heaven with me and Daddy forever, and get to see God and talk to Him for real.


That wasn't the end. It is only the beginning. Less than two hours later he argued with his sister, and I pulled him aside and reminded him that he said God was in charge now. He knew. He kept his hands to himself, for now.


I know many more conversations will follow, many questions, much growth. But, for now, I revel in the experience, and the tiny heart seeking real truth.


In other less significant news, Charles is helping me start a new website to compile resources for area homeschoolers. We are trying to track down as many support groups, co-ops, and field trip ideas that we can in the Chicagoland area. It is exciting to see it all come together, but it is also a LOT of work. Check it out if you get a chance, and if you know any homeschoolers in the Chicago area I would love if you shared the site with them, The Chicagoland Homeschool Network.

Aside from that, life is plugging along fairly peacefully right now. Enjoying the arrival of spring, finally, and the developing humor of our little ones.

If you hadn't heard, Flynn and Kristen ahd a little boy on May 1st, Presten. He's amazing, of course!

Paige and Faith spent the week at the Tulip Festival in Holland, Michigan with my parents and had a great time, but most of all enjoyed staying in the motorhome and playing board games.  That's my girls.