An old picture which sparked some thoughts!

This is a picture from around 8 years ago of five of my six children. Tim, second from left, is playing Don't Wake Up Daddy with Emily, Checkers with Beth, Othello with Jason, and Chess with Jeffrey simultaneously!! I just thought it was a precious picture and wanted to share it with you.
Thinking about this picture, I was reminded of last Saturday when a lady asked me, "What do you grow?" She probably meant in our garden, but I said what popped in my mind first: "Children!" It has been my privilege to have and raise children and spend more time with them than most parents get to, because of homeschooling them. I love each one of them so much and as 3 John 1:4 says, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth."
Growing children is a lot like growing a garden.
You have to prepare the soil.
You have to plant good things.
You have to weed out the bad things.
You have to wait for a harvest.
You have joy along the way as you see the growth.
Randy, Tim, Jeffrey, Beth, Jason, and Emily: You bring me joy! I love you all!

Planting the garden finally!

We finally got the garden planted last evening, May 20. This is the latest date, I believe, that we have ever planted. This spring has been cool and wet, with our last snow after Mothers' Day. We were waiting until the frost possibility was finally past. We planted 13 tomato plants, lettuce, zucchini, spaghetti squash, green beans, marigolds around the edges of the garden, and some other flowers in pots. This is the first time we have ever planted the garden without Rowen, but he was at a Historical Board Meeting. He has been having some back pain again, so we wanted to spare him the trouble. Today he has gotten the pond/water feature going, and spaded the part of the garden pictured on the right edge of this first picture, so I hope he doesn't hurt his back with that!

The girls planting tomatoes

Janet making the bean rows

Beth planting green beans

Emily planting some flowers

Jason cutting the milk jugs for covering the tomatoes

Jeffrey was taking pictures, writing thank you notes, and answering the phone for us.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

We were color coordinated with our red wall for church on May 16!

Jeffrey's graduation party May 14, 2010

After a pretty nice day, rain started about 4 pm! We were wondering if people would still come, but they did! Sixty-eight people came to congratulate Jeffrey on his graduation. At times, it was crowded and crazy, but everybody had a good time.
Jeffrey and his cakes. On two laptops, we had a slide show with pictures of Jeffrey throughout his life. People seemed to enjoy looking at the pictures.

The food table

We appreciated people driving all the way from Colorado Springs, through rain and slowed traffic, to celebrate with us!

Ben got wet coming in!

Judy Hunt and Janet

Jeffrey greeted each person and gave them a thank you card for their input into his life.

Jeffrey getting a bite, Janet cutting the cakes

Maloria McAteer, Lois (? last name), Barbara Sloan

Sunshine and Brett Gearhart, Barbara Sloan, Lois, Timmy Lucas

Uncle Alvin and Katherine Gafford

Ross and Maria Nichols greeting Johnnie Ullmann

Beth and Esther Mendez

Judy Hunt, Steve and Paula Grzenia

Jeffrey visiting with Sunshine Gearhart

Ross and Maria Nichols and Jim Lutey

Paula Grzenia and Nancy Johnson

It was rainy and the parking was full!


Jeffrey playing his Mountain Dulcimer for Drs. Matt and Cara Brown

Quinten Kaus, Ben, Marlene, and Kassie Reynolds

Kelly, LeighAnna, and Randy Kaus, Dr. Matt Brown, Marlene and Ben Reynolds, Dr. Cara Brown and Lincoln Brown

Kelly Kaus, Nicole and Ethan Hinkle

Manoj, Anjali, Christy Manoharan

Janet and Ardie Briggs

Sarah and Kwani Mendez, Rosie and Carrie Lucas, Faith Brown, Sammy and Timmy Lucas, Josias, Crystal Lucas, Judy Hunt

Jason, Harry and Quinten Kaus, Michael Durkee

Eladio, Carmen, and Sherolyn Cruz, Esther Mendez, Beth, Steve Cunningham, Rowen, Tonya Sickler

Kelly Kaus and Janet

The Red Wall in our Living Room

I'm sure one or two people have been holding their breath waiting for a finished picture of our red wall! Well, here it is!! Drum roll....

Here is the opposite wall, with the nice mirror and swag that our dear friends, the Kauses, gave to us. We like it here because it reflects the red wall! The swag looks perfect with the other colors in the room!

This reflective picture not only shows the swag, but in the mirror, you can see the new curtain on the deck door.

For those of you who have never visited us in person, you should know that these framed pictures hold the likenesses of our children back in the early 2000s with their names and the meanings of their names on them.

Jeffrey's Graduation May 13, 2010

It was a wonderful service, with two of our favorite songs sung: Be Thou My Vision, and To God Be the Glory, and two of our favorite heroes speaking: Colorado Senator Kevin Lundberg and Eric Ludy!
We were blessed by God's presence and His truth! Though our married sons could not come, we were honored by the Kaus family, Cruz family, Steve and Grace Cary, and Esther Mendez coming especially for our family. Thank the Lord for our 3rd homeschool graduate!

Senator Lundberg speaking

Eric Ludy speaking


Jeffrey receiving his diploma from Senator Lundberg

Turning the tassels

The graduates with CHESS administrators and speakers

Jeffrey with his proud parents

Jeffrey with his younger siblings

The Johnstown Albertsons

Emily and Jeffrey

Jason and Jeffrey

Beth and Jeffrey

Quinten, Harry, and LeighAnna Kaus with Jeffrey