For those of you who live in the desert...I'm sorry. I know that there must be many good reasons why one would live in this vast no-man's land but as for me and my house...
We are on the first leg of our trip across the U.S. I would post pictures but there is not much to see. Between California and Texas there is nothing more than brown desert. Pictures will come soon though as we work our way toward friends and good times.
In the meantime, I wanted to fill you in on what we are doing during those long hours in the car. I have specific goals this trip that I have been thinking and praying about.
I foresee this as the last trip I will be taking with the family unit God has seen fit to give me this past year and a half. For one, Goose will be off this fall learning, living, and breathing Air Force.
I am thrilled to have this opportunity to enjoy my kids and build more memories.
While driving we are working on getting through Gileskirk-American Culture curriculum. Gileskirk is a humanities program presented by Franklin Classical School with the lectures given by Dr. George Grant. I also want to work on taking notes while listening to lectures with the older kids.
Miss M is working on her Bible Bee (www.biblebee.org) memorization. We are all excited that she has taken on this monumental task. Pretty soon we will all be quizzing
her about many Bible facts.
We are also working on character flaws that I see in our family. For instance, all of us have a tendancy to speak before thinking. I am the worst! I jump to conclusions higher than the rest and then repeatedly have to repent for my hasty comments. We also tend to say no to everything rather than listen, think, and then speak the appropriate answer.
I like deliberate parenting. Parenting that looks to the future good of a child's character rather than taking temporary peace in the now. I have a three year old...I know the endless questions and discipling that goes on. I could easily just say no to everything and tell her to be quiet or I can take time to answer and help her understand her little world.
The other area that I want to work on while on the road with my kids is getting reaquainted with them. The past year has seen some craziness as you can well imagine. I have few responsibilities of home getting in the way of my kids on this trip. I can just get out there and have fun. I put aside all my deep thinking books for the next six weeks and instead picked up six great read alouds that I hope will make the history of this country come alive. I plan on swimming, hiking, walking, kicking a soccer ball around, practicing volleyball manuevers, and anything else that my kids are interested in.
Today as I was hitting a volleyball back and forth with Daisy I was struck by how much I love my family. It is a fairly new family identity that has been growing over the past year and a half. This is no longer the Lazy D Ranch family but rather another unit that I have not yet put a moniker to. I will admit that I have seen myself change as well...I am doing things that I never thought I would do and accomplishing tasks that I didn't think that I liked doing in the first place.
So, when I flipped my thirteen year old daughter off my shoulders in the pool today I saw how big of a change has taken place in my life. When I sing Dancing Queen at the top of my lungs with my girls while driving along Route 66 I realize the incredible difference a year can make.
I am living with no regrets and enjoying every minute of the life God has ordained for me.
Now that, my friend, is an amazing gift!
~Heather
We are on the first leg of our trip across the U.S. I would post pictures but there is not much to see. Between California and Texas there is nothing more than brown desert. Pictures will come soon though as we work our way toward friends and good times.
In the meantime, I wanted to fill you in on what we are doing during those long hours in the car. I have specific goals this trip that I have been thinking and praying about.
I foresee this as the last trip I will be taking with the family unit God has seen fit to give me this past year and a half. For one, Goose will be off this fall learning, living, and breathing Air Force.
I am thrilled to have this opportunity to enjoy my kids and build more memories.
While driving we are working on getting through Gileskirk-American Culture curriculum. Gileskirk is a humanities program presented by Franklin Classical School with the lectures given by Dr. George Grant. I also want to work on taking notes while listening to lectures with the older kids.
Miss M is working on her Bible Bee (www.biblebee.org) memorization. We are all excited that she has taken on this monumental task. Pretty soon we will all be quizzing
her about many Bible facts.
We are also working on character flaws that I see in our family. For instance, all of us have a tendancy to speak before thinking. I am the worst! I jump to conclusions higher than the rest and then repeatedly have to repent for my hasty comments. We also tend to say no to everything rather than listen, think, and then speak the appropriate answer.
I like deliberate parenting. Parenting that looks to the future good of a child's character rather than taking temporary peace in the now. I have a three year old...I know the endless questions and discipling that goes on. I could easily just say no to everything and tell her to be quiet or I can take time to answer and help her understand her little world.
The other area that I want to work on while on the road with my kids is getting reaquainted with them. The past year has seen some craziness as you can well imagine. I have few responsibilities of home getting in the way of my kids on this trip. I can just get out there and have fun. I put aside all my deep thinking books for the next six weeks and instead picked up six great read alouds that I hope will make the history of this country come alive. I plan on swimming, hiking, walking, kicking a soccer ball around, practicing volleyball manuevers, and anything else that my kids are interested in.
Today as I was hitting a volleyball back and forth with Daisy I was struck by how much I love my family. It is a fairly new family identity that has been growing over the past year and a half. This is no longer the Lazy D Ranch family but rather another unit that I have not yet put a moniker to. I will admit that I have seen myself change as well...I am doing things that I never thought I would do and accomplishing tasks that I didn't think that I liked doing in the first place.
So, when I flipped my thirteen year old daughter off my shoulders in the pool today I saw how big of a change has taken place in my life. When I sing Dancing Queen at the top of my lungs with my girls while driving along Route 66 I realize the incredible difference a year can make.
I am living with no regrets and enjoying every minute of the life God has ordained for me.
Now that, my friend, is an amazing gift!
~Heather
9 comments:
I really like singing Dancing Queen too :)
It is amazing what God can do in such a short time as a year, and how long a year can feel.
your beautiful........all of you!
and loved!
Heather: Enjoy your trip. Sounds like a lot of fun. God bless the Davis clan. I love pictures. Can't wait to see them.
Hey, do you have trouble viewing all of your pictures on Blogger? I'm having difficulty with viewing all the pictures on some of my favorite Blogger blogs from my computer. I can see them on my husbands. Thanks. Lisa
Heather, you amaze me! You are a model for what God can do with a surrendered life. Rich blessings to you on your trip...
Missing you guys already, but have a TERRIFIC time! I can't wait to see pictures. God bless your journey.
Amazing Gifts are God's spesh-ee-ality. :^D Glad you are having a great time with your kids. You'll have to tell us which read-alouds you are doing. I've been a read-aloud slacker lately and need some new motivation.
=)
Great post! Life brings so many changes that make us realize what really matters to us in this life. Sometimes it's harder than we want, but our God is so good and He's always there to hold our hand.
We are soooo excited about seeing y'all next week! I can't believe how quickly this year has passed and that it's already that time of year again! Safe travels and see you VERY soon!!! :)
God speed!
May God bless this vision He has given you for this trip!
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