Concerts and Homeschooling!

The last week has been wild, but we have also had many adventures along the way! Last Sunday, Dave had planned to join the youth group as they ventured to Colorado Springs for the Rock and Worship Road Show. The featured artists were: Mercy Me, Lecrae, Rend Collective Experiment, Disciple, Hawk Nelson, and Tenth Avenue North. I planned to stay home and watch the kids while finishing some last minute homework. During Sunday School, two hours before they planned to leave, I decided I wanted to go. I was uneasy about the kids riding the school bus, but put my hesitations aside in the hope that we could spend some family time together. Well, we had a great time and even ended up in VIP seating thanks to a mom of one of the youth. The kids had a great time; Jaxon fell asleep during Lecrae (a rapper) and stayed asleep for 2 hours! We got some amazing pictures and really just enjoyed being around the youth group.

I had the day off on Monday for President's Day and did housework and reorganizing all day. Tuesday was back to the old grind. I was more tired at work than I have ever been in my life! And the worst part is that I work 10 hour days! I survived, and Wednesday was a drag too. Yesterday both of the kids woke up with runny noses, coughs and sore throats. I took them to school, but after an hour I decided to take them to the clinic. When we got there, we found out that their medicaid (through their mother) was terminated January 31st. So we headed to the grocery store and got allergy medicine. After they took a very very long nap, I got the kids up and we did our first homeschool lesson. We learned counting to ten and writing the numbers. We also started our vowels with "Big A little a, A says a as in apple A says a a a". They had so much fun and took turns drawing on our chalk board door. When Dave got home, they proudly showed their daddy their accomplishments. After learning time, we did some yoga (Amelia is demonstrating Warrior 1 in the picture) and some dancing.

Jaxon has reached a point in life where he may be taking quite a few more showers than baths. Even though we have stressed it multiple times...in multiple ways, our happy little 2 year old still finds joy in pooping in the tubby. After pouring bleach in our tub several times in the past week, we decided he will have to stick to showers for a while :) On March 2nd, both children will be going to the local preschool to get evaluated in their development. I am looking forward to knowing where they are and what I need to work on with them. Dave and I decided to make our dining room into a homeschool room, since we never eat in it (or at home for that matter) and we never have friends over that actually sit down and eat. Teens lol.

I am constantly working on something. I am up to my eyebrows in homework as this is our last week of ECE 101. I wish this was the end of it, but we have yet another class to take starting the day this class ends. Though I've really struggled balancing all my responsibilities, I am hopeful that I will get a decent grade. It seems like the kids take up 100% of my time, and there's little or no room for me, or Dave and I. Last week I made up for lost time by staying up late, which made me suffer terribly at work. I am grateful to God that Dave, Jaxon and I will have health, dental, vision and life insurance on March 1st. I am rejoicing in this, because if i don't I will just get more stressed out. Dave will be getting contacts (YAY), several teeth pulled and then some blood tests and a physical. I won't even start to detail what I need done. Jaxon will be going to the allergist, the dentist, and probably a vision/hearing test. It really feels good to be able to provide insurance for my family. Some might think this is over the top, but I was planning on getting insurance for Remington (full coverage $50 a month w/$100 deductible). I thought it was a good idea since he need surgery soon, but Dave said no :(

This weekend should be exciting as we will be going to a birthday party and I will be leading the worship team at church. I will also be working on some more homeschooling with the kids. On March 4th, our church will be having a huge youth rally. David will be sharing a song he wrote (rap of course), a Christian rendition of "I Need A Doctor" by Dr. Dre and Eminem (it should be noted that this was my idea :)). He will also be sharing his testimony at the event.

Today is Friday and I am off work (since I work four tens), so I am working on housework, and will probably make a trip out of town for a few things. Please keep us in your hearts and prayers. Thanks for reading.

Elizabeth Rose

A Word From the West!

It has been months since I last wrote! So much has happened and I've tried to keep everyone updated with facebook. It's hard to go into detail without people thinking your life is an open book. In a way, our life is an open book, in the best of ways!

When we first got to Kit Carson, we realized that the Internet was quite accurate. There is not much here! For the first 3 months, we lived in an upstairs apartment above an antique store. It was quite cozy and it only grew cramped once we picked up the kids and brought them back in November. Next door to us (literally 100ft) was the post office, bank. hardware store, grocery store, med clinic and liquor store. Oh and the one gas station within 30 miles that usually has no attendant. Our street, you guessed it, Main street, looks almost like one of those streets in the old western movies! After our trek to Michigan in December, we came home to Colorado and moved into a house across the street. It's much larger (so is the rent) and there is lots of space for all six of us to be comfortable. That would be Dave, Me, Amelia, Jaxon, Remington and Molly. There is a fenced yard for the kids and the dogs, and a large upstairs the kids have all to themselves. Oh my gosh there's even a laundry room with a washer and dryer! The kitchen is huge, the dining room is nice, and the bedrooms are sizable.

The reason we moved out here was to help Scott Nymann in his ministry at the Church of the Redeemed. The church is here in Kit Carson and we can almost see is from our house. Dave is currently the lead usher and greeter, he has been cleaning the church and cooking breakfast every Sunday morning before the service. He has also been counseling several individuals in the community. He is the head pm cook at our local restaurant (one of two within 20 miles). I am singing on the worship team and doing some photography here and there for the church website. We are also taking a marriage class every Sunday night. This weekend Dave will be going to a huge christian concert in Colorado Springs (hour and a half from us, we've been there once lol). Dave and I also host a community group every other Wednesday night at out house. The most recent group hosted 14 people. We had an awesome time in learning and fellowship. Within the next few weeks, Dave and I will also be reaching out to a lot of the local teens. We have grown to absolutely love our church family and we look forward to every event we are involved in. The church is growing in strength, numbers and influence and we are honored to be a part of it.

I have been teaching at a local childcare center since November. I am in the "Younger Toddlers" room as the lead teachers. I haven't had a ton of experience working with children around 18 months, but I have actually really grown to like them! When we have Jaxon and Amelia, they come to "school" with me, and they really enjoy their time learning and playing with friends. It works perfectly because I do not feel comfortable leaving them with a sitter. I am also going to college through my work which has been a job in itself. It seems like we barely spend any time at home anymore. We work opposite shifts most days, so we don't get to see each other much. We are so grateful to have found jobs soon after we arrived, especially in such a rural area.

Our fur children are doing well and love the new house. I was thrilled that I was able to bring Molly to Colorado. We did leave her at a friends house down the road until we moved into the house, but it's just nice to have her around. After lleaving her in the care of some friends, Molly became insanely fat. I have determined she is either pregnant (several dogs dug into her pen while we were gone) or full of worms, which I have been treating her for with tobacco (cam highly recommended from several reputable sources). In December, David bought me a Akc great dane puppy for Christmas that we named "Remington's Shotgun Hospitality" after a painting done by Frederick Remington. The painting displays a cowboy with a covered wagon travelin though the prairie. At his evening bonfire, he is entertaining a group of three indians, who are singing, all wrapped in blankets. It reminds me of dave and I moving here and reaching out to the locals. We are hoping to get his umbelical hermia removed and start him on the road to being a certified stud. He is growing so big at 6 months old and towers over the children. I am grateful that he is an excellent protector and playmate for our family. 

I have been over my head in work (10 hr shifts), college studies, our children, church activites and just daily life and home upkeep. Through it all, I am grateful to the Lord for His kindness and mercy that is fresh and new every time the alarm clock goes off at 6  (4am if Dave is working an am shift :s)every morning.

When I first examined the children's new upstairs bedroom, I was a bit uneasy about the children having to share a room. Since they are different genders, and they are realizing it more every day, I felt it appropriate to separate them somehow, while also keeping them in the same room. On that note, I headed off to Walmart in search of shower curtains and long curtain rods to make their own sleeping areas. I added pictures to give you an idea of how it worked out. :) They love it! They have their own space to sleep, and the room still has tons of room to play.

Jaxon is fully potty trained except for a pull up at night. He's talking a TON which is so fun and really cuts down on the temper tantrums. He is such a silly  and smart little boy and I just love everything about him. When we are out and about, he says "hi" to everyone and says "I'm Jaxon James" which I ususally have to clarify as he can't quite enunciate yet. He loves playing with the dogs and yes, he is still obsessed with Thomas the Train. Darn that train and it's expensive toys and accessories.

Amelia is still my bright blonde little lady. She is always busy playing dress up and "parents". She is so smart and I'm looking forward to teaching her how to tie her shoes and read in the next few weeks. It seems like when she comes back from her mom's there is always some behavior problem we have to work through. By the time we work through it all, it's time for the kids to go back to her. One day at a time, I just hope to be a small influence before she leaves us for good to attend kindergarten in Texas. Though we will miss her, there is nothing we can do since she is not related to David by blood. Either way, I rejoice with her in her daily accomplishments and successes. Both of the children love going to church, which is something we hope will follow them into adulthood.

Even though we have been so busy, I have decided to make my blogs a priority, since writing is something have a constant longing to do. I have a blog for my own personal devotionals and writings, as well as one for my classroom and the ideas I implement in my teaching. Feel free to check them out :)

www.mrsspparksroom.blogspot.com

www.mrssparksheartandhome.blogspot.com