An Adventurous Beach Day

So we didn't plan on this being our last beach day. We had planned on having one more but when we got to the park the road was closed which meant we would have to make the trek on foot to the beach. We decided to hike the dunes and thus started our great adventure. We first had to hike through some woods to get to the dunes.
Josh showed the kids some snake grass and how you can break it apart.
We then came to this creek. Now my first reaction was, "There is no way I'm crossing that with the baby attached to my front in the carrier." Josh went across and mentioned it was a little slippery due to the clay at the bottom. Liah fell with her first step in but thankfully she thought it was funny. Blake made his way across very carefully and so did I. It was a miracle that I didn't fall. Josh didn't mention just how slippery it was. We then got to hike up this STEEP dune that I thought I was never going to get up. Hannah was holding on for dear life to the straps of the Bjorn. Every two steps you would take you would slide down one.
We did make it to the top though.
The kids had a great time. It was a great adventure to them.

Here is a great shot of the results of the creek mishap. Thankfully Nature Bright even gets out clay stains.
We sat on the dune while the kids ran up and down. I should say ran and fell down the dunes.
Here they are making one of the many ascents up.
As we were walking back we got to see a beautiful sunset.
Blake wasn't to happy that we were walking back on the road. He wanted to go back the way we came and go through the creek again. Mommy wasn't feeling that adventurous though. We went to Oink's for ice cream on the way home. It was a great last Beach Day in 2008.

My Day so Far

So these are a couple of highlights of my day today:
1.)Was up four times last night with the girls. They were kind to not be up at the same time and went in five minute apart intervals. Just enough time to "just Doze" off.
2.)Served Breakfast
3.) Changed a diaper.
4.) Cleaned up an accident. Liah didn't run fast enough to the bathroom. This rarely happens.
5.) Gave Liah a bath. This was not in the plan but since she had urine all over it was necessary.
6.) Explained to a 7 year old that we don't always get to do fun things and headed him back to his desk to finish his subtraction problems.
7.) Did school with Liah and more with Blake.
8.)Put the baby down for a nap and jumped in the shower.
9.) Read books, books, and more books to Liah to keep her occupied while Blake finished his morning school work.
10.) Lunch
11.) Changed a diaper.
12.) Went for a walk....where Blake swallowed a bug and was spitting the last half and Liah fell and (barely) skinned her knee but she thought it may need a hospital visit.
13.) Liah asked for a green pepper for a snack. It looked not the freshest but smelled fine so she ate it.
14.) 20 minutes later was cleaning vomit off my foyer floor and the bottom of the stairs. So I guess the pepper wasn't good. Ooops! Liah is fine but the stairs may be another story. Josh is adamant about re carpeting the stairs instead of hardwood. You think this may change his mind? Probably not.
15.) Afternoon School. Well we're not quite finished. Blake has to do Music but I was hoping to get rid of my headache before he starts playing his recorder. What in the world was I thinking teaching him how to play the recorder?

I wonder what will happen after 3pm?

Season Changes and Resistence

Yesterday was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. The day wasn't beautiful because of the weather but because of the things that were to be. Josh and I went out for a couple of hours and did some prayer evangelism. There were four of us altogether and so we split up into two's and headed out in separate directions. Josh and I were to go West and South. Now prayer evangelism is where you go out and pray for the neighborhoods and people around you and if the Lord leads and opportunities present you take advantage of them. Now Josh is all about the sharing and I personally was all about the praying that day so we made a good team. We had walked for about 45 minutes and hadn't seen a soul.:) But then the Lord worked and we had the opportunity to minister to a lady who was taking care of her grown daughter who was basically at the level of a newborn. She shared with us all her trials in her everyday life. On top of everything her husband is one of the many RV workers laid off and the burden of that was also heavy on her heart. We prayed with her and invited her family to church where we could pray corporately for healing for her daughter. Hopefully we will see them soon. It was a great and uplifting day of ministry. The other two also had many opportunities to share as well.

Now I know we are entering a new season in ministry and it's exciting and scary all at the same time. I'll be sharing in the near future about the lesson in obedience I've learned in the last couple of months. Even though I know that I know that I know that this is what the Lord has for us right now and even though I can already see the blessing from it, I feel like I still struggle on a weekly basis of wanting to go back to that comfort zone. I feel like an Israelite wandering in the desert after seeing the amazing things that God did so I could have freedom but then complaining about the not so important. It's so easy for us to have faith when we can see Gods miracles but oh what little time passes before we forget. The song Painting Pictures of Egypt has meant so much to me lately and hopefully I will get a chance to upload it in the near future. My favorite part is the line "I am caught between the promise and the things I know." and also "If it comes to quick I may not appreciate it. Is that the reason behind all this time and sand?" So on a daily basis I have to take my fears, anxieties , and feelings of loneliness(although I know this is just the enemy since I'm still around those friends I love so much quite often) to the Cross so I can remain on this road of obedience.

Our Best Employees

I wanted to introduce some of our best employees here at D.L.

First we have Hannah. She is a natural born supervisor. Although she is not allowed to sit to close to the computer as she's known to unexpectedly spit up.
"UM, Are you sure that's the best way to do things?"
We also have Liah who is always ready to keep minutes during an international conference call. Yes, D.L. likes things done in crayon.

So there are two of our best employees. The guy you see always on the computer isn't that bad either.

Edible Art

In Art we have been studying about faces. The project was to imitate Giuseppe Arcimboldo's painting "Summer". They suggested cutting out pictures of vegetables but I thought it would be more fun to use actual vegetables. This also took care of one of the side dishes for dinner that night.

Blake had a great time with this project and I love that his looks as though he has a beard and is older.
The "vegetable kid" had a hard time focusing on this project and kept eating her medium a.k.a broccoli. She was also very concerned about where the dip was.
She did finally finish though after many taste tests.

What do you think....

....is this a little to dressed up for a trip to the library?

VICTORY!!!

Last week Blake finally mastered a two-wheel bike. This has been a very long and frustrating process. His bike was a tad to big so a friend brought over a smaller one and in 20 minutes he was riding and in an hour he was flying around our cudesac. We live in the worst neighborhood when it comes to learning how to ride a bike. There is a hill wherever you go!

Bring on the Solids!!!

Tonight at Shabbat meal Hannah tasted her first solid foods. It was some whole wheat rice cereal that she gobbled up in no time. She did have this puzzled look on her face when we passed out the oatmeal raisin cookies for dessert and she didn't get to partake.

A New Experience

Yesterday was our first day of the homeschool co-op. The kids had a great time and can't wait to go back next Friday. I was completely exhausted!!!

The Ostrom Academy

So there are many things going on in a school day at The Ostrom Academy.

We are practicing our reading, writing, and math facts. We are studying the book of Revelation and reading through Psalms. We are learning about maps, our body, how to read music, and Spanish. We are learning about great artists and imitating their work along with composers.
Some are reviewing their alphabet and numbers and are so close to learning how to read in addition to some of the above mentioned activities.
While still some are learning to coo at themselves in a mirror and how to knock over a tower of stacking cups. Also learning what every toy possible tastes like and which ones are the best for chewing on is another important lesson that is close to being mastered.

You will never find a school quite like The Ostrom Academy. I've heard of others but they have their own specialties and focuses that aren't quite the same but yet are perfect for those students who attend there.

And as you can see in the top picture we here at the Ostrom Academy sometimes have pajama days. These are perfect for those rainy-can't go-outside sort of days and actually brings joy when we hear the rain hitting the windows as we wake up.

On the Rock We've Built Our House

BEACH DAY 9/2/08--- Made by Liah and Mommy with help from Blake

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell----and great was its fall. Matthew 7:24-27

5 Months

H---Happy most of the time.
A---Always wants to be held by mommy. Aren't you to young to have separation anxiety?
N---Naps easily.
N---Never will refuse to eat. "Hey mom, when do the solids start?"
A---Attentive to whatever brother and sister are doing. "I can't wait until I can play too."
H---Has an obsession with chewing on things, especially her hands. Drool, drool, drool!!!

The Bumbo Princess upon her Throne

Girls ONLY!!!

So last Thursday morning Blake, Josh, my dad, and brother in-law Bob headed up to Green Bay for the Packer game. Of course Blake always loves going to games but he seemed even more excited this time since it was just "The Guys". Liah was just as excited for two days of "GIRLS ONLY!!!" She got to plan out the two days and we had such a great time.
First we cleaned up the house quick and then Aunt Francie came over to drop off a late birthday present for Liah.

Then it was off for a game of tennis. Liah is getting quite good for a 4 year old. We got a lot of exercise running after all those balls.
The tennis outfit Liah is wearing was part of that late birthday present.
We read lots of library books over and over and over and over. I'm pretty sure I have a couple of them memorized. So if I ever need to recite "The Very Busy Spider" I'm in luck. We then took showers and Hannah had a bath and headed out for dinner.
Hacienda was the pick and we ate enough chips for a good couple of weeks.
Hannah was so good and enjoyed our evening just as much as Liah did. For dessert we went to the South Bend Chocolate Cafe. I think this was what Liah was most excited about. She knows that mommy comes here every other week to meet friends for a Bible Study so I think she felt as though this was a very adult thing to do. We enjoyed walking around looking at everything chocolate imaginable and then Liah picked a couple of chocolate covered pretzels and then got to play in the play place. She also picked out a pez dispenser for herself and one for Blake. We then went home and got in PJ's and then Liah got to fall asleep in Mommy's bed watching Finding Nemo.
The next morning we got up and made princess crowns.

We then got ready and went to lunch with Aunt Kayla at Applebee's and then did some shopping. We walked around DSW and looked at every pair of shoes they had and then headed to Old Navy and Target. Later that afternoon the boys came back and we got to hear all about the game. I can't wait for our next "GIRLS ONLY" day.

First Day of School

August 25th has been circled on our calendar all summer. The First Day of School!!! We had a great first day followed by a great week. We headed to the library later that afternoon and as a super special treat Daddy joined us.
Blake is officially a second grader. Woo hoo!!!
Liah enjoyed her first day as a 4 year old preschooler.

Last Summer Outing

So one of our last summer outings was a trip back to Blueberry Ranch for some more picking with friends. We had a great time and then headed to a park for lunch and some more fun.

Liah absolutely loves picking blueberries and is determined to fill that bucket.
Owen absolutely loved eating the blueberries and was absolutely determined to fill that belly.
Here is the end of our day. Time for another school year. I want to dig out a picture from a couple of years ago and compare how much everyone has grown. It truly is amazing!

Please Lord give us good health.

This has been the prayer in the Ostrom house for the last couple of weeks. Blake and myself have been fighting off a nasty little stomach bug for a couple of weeks now. I think Blake is finally 100% and I'm on my way there. I'm hoping by Wednesday I will be completely back to normal. I thought we were on the mend and then Josh came home Friday from work not feeling well. The same thing, only it was the "man" version so maybe a little worst. So now we're praying hard that we are done with the stomach bugs. I also had to take Hannah in for a couple of abscesses on her gums. Now don't ask me how a baby with no teeth gets abscesses but she did. She is now on antibiotics as a precaution and she goes to see a dentist on Wednesday to find out exactly what they are and hopefully what is causing them. Also this weekend my grandpa had a heart attack and now we wait for a couple of days before he has bypass surgery.

We started school today. Things went well and I'll post more along with pics. soon.

So needless to say that all of our prayers include, "LORD GIVE US GOOD HEALTH!".

For You are the Rock in which I stand

In You, O Lord, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed;
In Your righteousness deliver me.
Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be to me a rock of strength,
A stronghold to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name's sake You will lead me
and guide me.
You will pull me out of the net which
they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.
Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of Truth
Psalm 31:1-5

EVIDENCE

So here is the evidence that my children are addicted to the Olympics. This picture was taken at 12:15am on Monday night. Well I guess it's actually Tuesday morning. Now the kids had been asleep and around 11:30pm Blake had to go to the bathroom and then heard me downstairs watching and begged to join me and about thirty minutes later Liah also awoke needing to go potty and then joined us. Praise the Lord we aren't starting school until the Olympics are over!

We Are Addicted!!!

We are the Ostrom Family and we are addicted to the Olympics. The excitement leading up to 08-08-08 in our house was great. I think we are all sleep deprived due to our addiction. It used to just be me who was so into the Olympics but Josh caught the bug and our kids as well. Maybe it's because when I was younger and a competitive swimmer of course the Olympics was the ultimate. Maybe it's because I can relate when I see someone miss a medal because of less than a hundredth of a second. I can remember being 9 years old and missing qualifying for State by .02. I remember I swam that event 8 times in the final week of qualifying and also remember having to miss two days of school following because of sheer exhaustion. It was devastating and was my first time of great disappointment in the sport. I wish I could say that was the last but there were many along with great accomplishments in the following years. Those years taught me great discipline and perseverance. I also attribute my high pain tolerance to swimming with bad shoulders for so many years. Something that comes in handy during childbirth.:)

Liah can't watch the gymnastics without trying to mimic everything she sees on the TV. I can already see that drive in her eyes. Whether it's a sport, music, art, or whatever they choose I hope all of my children can find that one thing that they can enjoy as much as I enjoyed my time in swimming. Earlier today I overheard Liah talking to Daddy and she was telling him that all the athletes' mommies had signed them up for the Olympics and when she gets older she wants to sign up too. If only it were that easy my love. I

What is everybody laughing at?

Do I have something on my face?

Who is Excited....

Who is so excited it is another Beach Day?

ME,ME,ME!!!!!!!

And who wishes mommy would put down the camera and feed me already?
MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

Blue

Blue is one of my favorite colors and is so calming to me. Blue and Brown is my new combination that I just love. Blake's room is done in blue and I'm planning on the exercise room being a pale, crisp blue as well when I get a chance to redo it. Josh and I just read that an exercise room in blue makes you workout harder than normal. We'll see!

Blake's dresser that I just refinished for him and his rocking chair that is getting a tad too small for him.
Bags of fresh picked blueberries ready for pies, pancakes, muffins, and the freezer. That is what we don't eat first. Our family has a serious blueberry addiction.
A "Dory" fish swimming on the kids bathroom wall

Our brand new powder blue sheets that have a home on our new mattress.
Some organizing containers on my desk.
And my favorite boy on a walk on the trails behind our house.