Our Home will be a House of Prayer

I have been encouraged lately to take some specific actions to make our home a place where our children can encounter God. Not just through each other but for themselves. Prayer is something we have always taught and practiced with our children but I have realized that really what I need and what they need is a dependence on prayer. We need to make space for prayer. We need a routine of prayer. We need to spend more time with the Lord in our ordinary moments. As I looked around our house I noticed that we have a "space" for everything except prayer. A space to play, a learning space, a tv space and even a potty space. So, here is our prayer space.

We have curtains that can be closed for privacy, a candle that is always lit, a bible, paper, and a box full of things we are thankful for. We decoupaged a table with pages from a bible that had seen better days and a soft pillow. This place can be a space for quick prayers of patience and grace or a sacred place for those late night cries to Father.

Lord... be blessed in this space...come and meet us!

Lee Family Fall Fest

This past Friday we had the 1st annual Lee Family Fall Fest. It was the brainchild of Ethan. He planned out everything and came up with all the games and activities. We had about 25 kids and their parents for a great night of family fun.

Some of the kids watching Charlie Brown

The Bean Bag toss (Ethan built it himself)

Bucket Toss game (there was candy in each bucket)

Our little Mario

roasting hot dogs and smores

There was also pin the face on the pumpkin and a costume fashion show. At the end of the night Ethan was pleased with how the party went and we sent all the children home on a sugar high.

Family Night

It has been quite crazy around our house lately and so we decide that when Tyric has tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays we will have

"Biological Family Night." Last Thursday went good but we got a late start and really only had about 45 minutes together. So.... last night we had high hopes for a great time. Well, fixing leftovers is hard than cooking dinner and agreeing on a activity is even harder. After Julianne cried that it was "Family Night" and nobody could agree.....

We let the boys do their thing.....Wii
And the girls did their thing... ahhhh

I think we will get ice cream tomorrow night. "Family Night " might go smoother that way.

Getting Ready for Bed

This is the boys definition of getting ready to go to bed. Prayers are welcomed!

Let Me Introduce You...

To Tyric. He is stronger than any eleven year old I know. His determination can rival any Olympic athlete.He has a smile that can brighten a room. He has an appetite that keeps Kroger in business.

His life hasn't always been easy, but who's has. He doesn't always believe in himself, but he has a family that does. God has big plans for this guy... you just wait and see.
Right now it isn't easy, but nothing worth fighting for is. We will walk with you through this journey. We are humbled to watch God do His thing. Welcome home.... for now. We love you and believe in you!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

This day 4 years ago I was in the hospital gazing into your big eyes. I could have never been prepared for the deep love that I would have for you. All your parts were perfect! Especially that sweet dimple right on your chin.

You came home to a big brother and sister who adored you....

A Daddy who loved you ....

And a Mommy in awe of you!

You are a true joy.

Your are my favorite 4 year old. Happy Birthday John Mark.

We Are.....

We are a place where JOY is abundant. We are a place where differences are not a barrier but a BLESSING. We are a place where children will grow up to CHANGE the world through Christ.

This past weekend was our second preview service at Jacob's Well. We are again amazed at how God is pouring out His blessings on this place. We are now looking forward to our launch service on Oct.9th. Please pray for our new church and our family. We are trying to remain balanced in our service to the church and at home. Some days we do it better than others. I wonder sometimes if He got the right woman for this job. Lord, please equip me for the task that is before us.

After making one of the toughest decision that we have made in a long time to homeschool our kids, we hit the ground running. We didn't make the final decision until late in the summer and so a lot of work had to be done in a short amount of time. I had MANY sleepless nights as I read over countless articles, website and curriculums. I made a final decision on using Tapestry of Grace as our core curriculum. The program walks us all through history based on a biblical worldview. We start in Genesis and work our way chronologically through modern day in four year cycles.

We have had an amazing journey so far. We have enjoyed our slower paced mornings and the creative tangents that we take. There have been challenges, but they pale in comparison to the joy our family has experienced. Here are a few pictures of some of the fun things we have been learning about.

Ancient Egypt
putting on a performance about pharoes
building a zigurat
going to see huge cylinder seals
making our own cylinder seals

Things you can't learn in school:
Is this Mac and Cheese?
creative things you can do with a straw
how to feed a baby a bottle

A New Start

It has had been about a year since we last posted and things have definitely have changed around here. For starters we have begun to plant a new church called Jacob's Well. It is a church with an amazing vision for the Kingdom. I hope you will check out on our website soon to hear more about it. http://www.jacobswellmemphis.org. We are still living in the inner city and are burdened by the poverty and suffering all around us, but AMAZED by how God enters into these situations and brings Hope. The other big change in our world is that we have started to homeschool our children. We started the beginning of this year and have loved it so far. This has produced a much less stressed mom. (yes I said less stressed. More on that later) . A less stressed mom + less stressed kids = a happier home. It is going to be a wild journey and I hope to share the highlights here. One of my favorite things about having my children home is to watch them learn how to spend quiet time with the Lord. I hope you enjoy reading about our crazy lives.
julianne having her quiet time

Ethan's Memphis party cancelled due to sickness

We were planning an extraordinary birthday mission for Ethan but woke up this morning to two very sick children!!! There's always next weekend. . . .we ended up spending the day exploring our new wii. We actually had a lot of fun!

First Day of School!!!

Ethan is a second-grader!!! He has the same teacher and class as last year at the Campus School and is really getting into the swing of things. In his first week he got his first "E" ever in conduct!

Julianne is a Kindergardener at Downtown Elementary. Campus School begins in First Grade, so we started her at this amazing school in the heart of our city. She was a little nervous and clingy (even shed a few tears) when we dropped her off on her first day, but that afternoon she excitedly told us every detail about the fun that she had. She simply cannot wait to start full time next week.

We can fly!!!!!!!!

Wish Upon a Star

Small World

Tomorrowland

About to ride "It's a Small World"

Ethan flying with Peter Pan