Mountain trip - Part 2

We woke up in the morning and got ready to hit the trails up in the Mariposa Grove. I was so excited to hike through the woods and experience Gods Creation :)

We saw a tree that had fallen.

We saw the Grizzly Giant which is the oldest and second largest tree in the grove.
Saw the Bachelor and Three Graces - A group of four trees, three of them growing very close together, with a fourth a little more distant.

Then we got to walk through the California tree.

We made it to the Faithful Couple ( A rare case in which two trees grew so close together that their trunks have fused together at the base.) before it was time to head back. Haven was getting a little to tired.

We saw some great wildlife along the way. We saw a total of 5 male deer with their antlers and 4 females. Simply amazing.

We stopped to take some fun pictures in nature as well.





We had our lunch on a parking curb - train style :)


Must have been a great day :)

Mountain trip part1

When I took the kids to Yosemite back in the summer I noticed a few spots along the way that I wanted to visit. One was The Sugar Pine Railroad, the other was staying at Tenaya Lodge and I also wanted to take the kids to see the Mariposa Big Trees - the grove of Giant Sequoias.

I thought a trip to the Mountains would be a great way to kick off the fall season. So we headed to Sugar Pine Railroad first.

The kids each picked out a stuffed Wolfy to be their companion.

We watched as they pulled the Steam Train out and hooked it up.


Then it was All Aboard. We enjoyed our ride.



We stayed the night at Tenaya Lodge.


And ended our night with some tasty drinks by the fire. :)

Gymnastics

Haven has started back up at gymnastics. It really makes my heart happy to see her do something she loves :)

Chores

Justus, after emptying his piggy bank to buy a stuffed Angry Bird, has decided he wants to make some money. So he asked Neil about ways to do that and Neil explained that he would have to do things around the house to help me out. Justus first response was to list off things he already did but we quickly informed him it had to be above and beyond what was expected of him on a regular basis.

I decided the best place to start was the baseboards. It could easily be sectioned off into rooms as to not be overwhelming. It was something Haven could do also. It was something I never do and it was at their level and I wouldnt need to worry about them breaking anything :)

So for $.50 a room they cleaned baseboards.

Justus also pulls the trash cans up from the curb at $.25 a can.

I thought this was a great start to their working career!

By the way....

Naps are a thing of the past in our household. It has been this way for the past couple of weeks.

Here are the kids pretending to be news reporters:

How Great God is

Sometimes God just goes out of His way to make me feel loved. Sometimes I just need to rest in His promise and have faith for what He has in store for me. These past few months have been such a testimony for both of these.

Before school started I was concerned because I had not heard super great things about our neighborhood school. I really wanted for Justus to have a great year and I wasnt so sure about our school. I also could name at least two other schools I wish Justus could go to.

But God knew.

As I wrestled with these thoughts I was reminded that God had provided our house. I 100% believe and know that God put us here. I had prayed for at least 2 years for a house before He gave us this one. We are in a FABULOUS spot. I LOVE our neighbors. I feel safe and it is everything I wanted my house to be.

About two weeks before school started I really relied on this - that God had put us here for a reason. That I needed to trust Him and look for what He had planned.

He also was going out of His way to show me His love. Through words from friends, contacts at school and other encouraging ways, He was showing Himself to me.

Then school started. The first day was great. By about the 3rd day it was evident that Justus was having unexpected struggles.

But God knew.

He knew Justus would have this struggle. He knew I would have this struggle. Lets face it, Justus' struggles are mine - how to parent him through all this.

God knew.

He knew I needed to be reminded how important being on my knees for my kids is. He knew He had picked out just the perfect teacher for Justus - at the perfect school. This teacher is amazing. She has worked seamlessly with me to find what is best for Justus. I cannot even begin to say how much I appreciate how perfectly she has handled all this.

God knew.

And He gave her to me. And later I found out that she is a Christian and she is praying for Justus.

So now we are taking each day at a time. Justus has been doing soooooooo much better. I think he has found his rhythm.

God takes such good care of me. He is Great..... He always is!

Tooth Fairy visit

Last night the Tooth Fairy got to visit our house for the first time! J has had a loose tooth for quite some time. In fact, when we were last at the dentist in July, the dentist showed me his xray and said he would loose it very soon.

So Justus has just been working on that tooth, getting really loose until it was just hanging on by a thread.

While I was at the store, Justus was having a hard time with how loose it was and it was bugging him. Neil told him he could pull it out. Justus wondered if it would hurt and Neil said only for a second.

So Neil pulled it out.

The Tooth Fairy come and left 4 quarters in exchange for the tooth. :)

Before:

After: