Our 1st Field Trip!

Today I took Jay and Bee on our very first field trip to Tanaka Farms. :) It was so awesome. I wanted to stay on the wagon for another tour. It was nice that they let us try so many fresh veggies. :) I learned a few things myself. The difference between a fruit and vegetable is that Fruits have seeds on the insides and Vegetables you can eat every part of it, the leaves the roots and the veggie. I personally really enjoyed their carrots. They were so sweet!! Bee tried some Maui Onions, raw and all!! He loved them! What a suprise! There's just something about organic fruits and vegetables... they just taste so much better! I hope to go again!! It was lots and lots of fun for us all!! I am inspired to garden now... Which have been a family dream of ours. Now that we have a backyard we can!! YAY!!

Picking strawberries!!

Enjoying raw onions. :)

Brotherly Love!

My Three Musketeers!! Such Sweetness!!

Eddie

Eddie growing and looking might handsome!!

Freebies for Tax Day April 15

took this off Yahoo

-- FREE COFFEE AND TREATS

CINNABON: Get two free bite-sized cupcakes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at participating mall locations as part of "Tax Day Bites!" Flavors include Chocolate Passion, 24-Carrot Cake, Vanilla Bliss and Cinnacake Classic.

MAGGIEMOO'S: Get one free slice of ice cream pizza -- ice cream with red frosting to look like sauce and white chocolate to look like cheese -- at participating locations from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.

STARBUCKS: Get free brewed coffee all day Thursday if you bring your own mug, a promotion the cafe chain says is friendly to the environment as well as taxpayers.

-- DISCOUNTED MEALS

BOSTON MARKET: For a "last-minute tax break" -- one free meal for each one you buy Thursday through Sunday -- show this coupon: http://bit.ly/d1YlRO

IHOP: Expanding on the tax deduction parents get for kids, the restaurant chain is offering free dinner for one child age 12 or younger with each adult meal purchased 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. all month long.

MCCORMICK & SCHMICK'S: The seafood restaurant is offering $10.40 dinner and drink specials in the bar on Thursday -- a nod to the 1040 tax form. Bar guests who come in April 15 also receive a $10.40 gift certificate for a later visit. And professional tax preparers, who may have to work right until the midnight deadline Thursday, get their freebie Friday: dessert on the house plus a $10.40 certificate if they show a business card.

P.F. CHANG'S: Get 15 percent off food purchases for dine-in or take-out, excluding alcohol and happy hour food and beverages.

-- STRESS RELIEF

HYDROMASSAGE: Get a free massage Thursday through Sunday at participating locations. The mall-based massage chain suggests calling ahead to book an appointment. Find a location at http://www.hydromassage.com/taxday.

Life is GOOD!!

Life is GOOD!! I'm loving on all my boys!! They're the greatest!! Life feels so sweet right now. I have two big boys who help mom out a lot. They toss diapers, find pacifiers, and play with Baby E.

Jay and Bee is adjusting well. Enjoying the roll of big brother again, and Bee is loving on the Baby. The big brothers look out for their third musketeer.

We've finally got back on the horse with Homeschooling. And so far it is going well. :P I'm enjoying the challenge of juggling a baby and the boys' schooling. It's definitely been an adventure.

Well looks like my blogging time is cut short due to baby tears. :)

New baby.

I've been quite busy the past few weeks. We've had our newest arrival join the Cole clan. :) We've all been adjusting to his presence. It's been such a joy having him around. Eddie was named after both my husband's dad and my dad. He now carries both of our Dad's names. He was 20 in and 6 lbs. and 13 oz. He's already grown in two weeks of being born. He grew two more inches and was 7 lbs. and 10 oz. at his 2 week appointment.

Homeschooling has been put on hold for a few weeks while we figure out a plan. I've been hoping to continue homeschooling all of them but my husband is worried that I cant handle all three of them. I'm not sure if I can or not but I do hope to be able to balance all three children.

WE ARE BLESSED!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year!!

Looks like we're off to a fantastic New Year!!! :)

Our family moved out of our apt and into a sweet little home. We are now closer to both parents and the biggest bonus is that we have a BACKYARD! I've never known the blessings of having a backyard till now. I can actually clean without any disturbance from my little ones. We are sill in the process of unpacking boxes but I'm not going to push it too hard. It was a difficult move for us since it was during the holidays and because I'm pregnant right now. I'm excited to see how this year will be.

Our little one is still in the belly. :) Trying to cordinate with my best friend to plan a little shower. We pray that our "Sweet Pea" will be healthy and as lovely as his brothers. :)

I hope your 2009 was as blessed as ours and that 2010 will only be better. :) Keep holding on to God and your faith! Blessings from our family to yours!

Turkey Season!!

OoOoOo it's the Holiday Season!!! I love this time of year. :) Fall gives me thoughts of warm coziness, hot coco, and family. There's just so much fun to be had.

We've been learning about the First Thanksgiving. There was so much to learn and a nice thing about homeschooling is that we're all learning together. Jay and Bee like telling other family members what they've learned. I enjoy them telling everyone for the fact that I can tell that they really do grasp the subject. They are such intelligent cookies!! :) Makes a mama proud.
I've just really enjoyed getting to know them. They're just so much fun to hang out with.

Seems like everyone is always asking if the boys are in school since they are around the age where they would normally start. They either ask me or ask the boys. I am hesitant to reply since I don't want any funny looks or silly comments, especially in front of the boys. Today they were asked that question, "Are you in school yet?" Jay replied proudly, "Yes! We're Homeschooling!" :) There was no fuss about it. an d that was the end of that. :)

I look to the future and wonder what God has in store for my boys. :) Something great I know!! but what?? They have such a love for God already. We talk to Him on a daily basis and about Him. He is the center of our lives. I want them to grow and have God be the center of theirs. To have faith like my children is my goal. Jay and Bee have no fear and such strong faith in Jesus. :) I only pray that as a mom I can continue to build them up as Strong Mighty Men for God!

Fall

Wow it's been a while since I've last posted something. We've just been so busy with homeschooling and being pregnant. With October coming to an end we've got lots and lots to do.

Just yesterday we were hanging out with our Park friends. A nice little Halloween bash at the park. We had a nice potluck and some trick or treating. Had such a nice fun day at the park seeing old friends and making new ones. The only bad thing was the weather. It was way too hot for me. I was in jeans and sweating like a little piggy. :P Jay and Bee enjoyed all their little goodies that they received.

Here's a pic of Bee playing with some faux vampire teeth. :)

Jay and Bee are both excited about being big brothers. Bee likes to blow raspberries on my belly. He also likes to yell at his unborn brother telling him to, "WAKE UP!" hehe :) Some mornings I get woken up by them lifting my shirt to try to listen to what the baby is doing. They are going to be good big brothers. I can see them smothering him with hugs and kisses. :) Jay likes to take part in being Daddy's little reporter... He wont let me have any coffee. He's going to tell on me if I drink any. :D I think its so funny and cute. So now I can only have hot coco in the mornings.

Homeschooling- It's been going so well. We are starting to read already and learning so much. I've started the boys on lapbooking. A creative way to do unit studies. They are really learning from it. I'm having fun using all my scrapbooking toys. We read Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss. Broke it down and extrapolated whatever material we could and put it in a lapbook. We had fun coloring apples and counting. Made a graph and learned the parts of an apple. We made some sequence cards showing how an apple tree grows. This was our first lapbook and its worked so well for all of us. I think we will continue to make lapbooks since we're all benefiting from it so much. :)

We are blessed!! God has blessed us abundantly!! I'm so thankful for all that we've been given. I hope to not grumble when times are not the best because I know that our situation is better than most. :) Have an awesome Fall season!! :)

Tired

It's been difficult keeping up with these postings... I've been so tired lately. I'm always so exhausted with each pregnancy. I cant wait till the time comes to find out if we're having a boy or girl. :) May God bless us with a little princess.

Life's been boring since I have little energy to go out. My mornings are normally better than my evenings. Even as I type this I'm drowsy, trying to fight off sleep till a little later.

Tomorrow is going to be my anniversary with my hubby :) 5 whole years. :) Doesn't feel that long but it has been. I wonder if my hubby remembered?? I guess we will find out tomorrow..

So until tomorrow then :P

Obs Drs.... Natural Birth

As you know I'm prego with my third baby. I've been so busy lately trying to find an Ob that would be willing to just sit on his butt and wait for this baby to come naturally. I've been fighting an up hill battle. It's been so difficult trying to figure out names of Obs for natural birth.

My hubby and I have been discussing a lot about how this birth would turn out. I was wanting a homebirth and by some miracle in the insurance world I had gotten it covered as in-network. My husband, wont allow me to have a homebirth due to the fact that I've had two previous c-sections. I understand his worry for me and the baby. I figured my hands were tied and I'd be force to have another c-section but there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.

So here I am dilligently searching for a Ob that's open minded enough to really consider what I want. I've been online for hours on end searching for VBAC friendly Obs in the area. Hopefully in doing my part, educating myself and knowing the ins and outs will help me get what I want.

God willing this will all come together.

Christianity and Homeschooling

Well as you all know I'm a Jesus follower who has decided to homeschool... I see so many people with scrunched up faces when I tell them I'm homeschooling as if I have a huge wart on my face. I guess I still need to get use to the negativity that comes with this new found territory. I must say that I believe that homeschooling is a calling for our family. We have prayed and fasted over this. This decision was made between husband, wife and God.

God calls us to, "train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 I think training not only pertains to Godliness but academics as well.

God also warns us of being in the wrong crowds. "He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm." Proverbs 13:20 How are we as parents suppose to protect our children from the wrong crowds when we aren't there to see it? In a public school setting we find out too late. Even in preschool Jay's teacher couldn't tell me who he accidentally tripped over because of some rule they had. (I understand that it was an accident but what else can they hide from a parent?) What else won't they tell me till it's too late??

Titus 2 talks about how we are to teach each other. No just mother or father teaching but the older generation teaching the younger ones.

The first communities that was established was what?? Adam and Eve... A family! Where did teaching begin? God teaching his children the Laws and then in the FAMILY.

I understand that people dont want to go down this road but who is better to train your children than their own mother and father? Is a stranger to know your child better than you? I know in this society we think of ACADEMICS before we think of GODLINESS. But it is better to train them up for Heaven than for Harvard!

How is it that children who are homeschooled socially inept? I think that is a falicy! Homeschooled children are not only schooled at home but in every environment possible. They find that learning is not only in a building that is paid by taxes and government funds but everywhere. Because learning is everywhere they interact and socialize with a varity of people. So to say a homeschooled child is socially inept is wrong. It's only that way if you want it to be.

I just had to vent it out...

Pregzilla!!

I found this awesome shirt!! I just fell in love with it!! I just felt that my personality shows through... hehe.

I've been looking at prego mags. and baby things lately. I've come to the conclusion that babies really don't need all the things advertised. The need diapers, clothes, milk, and mama! The other frilly stuff sure does make life a lot easier but not a necessity.

I'm excited about our new arrival!! I cant wait to find out if it will be a boy or girl. Either way we will be happy but we sure are hoping for a princess to enter into our lives.

So many people in my family are concerned about money... and the family about to extend to 5. How will we make it? My answer is the Lord will make it possible. We prayed and took time to think out this decision of adding to our family. I have no doubt that the right decision was made. Financially, we will survive, and make it through. God's name is Yahweh Yireh: My Lord My Provider! All I can say is that I have FAITH!! So the people who are concerned just know that I'm in God's hands. I TRUST HIM!!!

Have Faith!!

Bun In the Oven!!

The Cole Family has another bun cooking in the oven. It's going to be ready some time in Feb. Jay and Bee are excited about the new baby. Some how they think that the baby will come out my mouth when it's time. HEHE I couldn't help but laugh at that. I'm not sure on how to tell them where babies come from. Any ideas on telling them?? I want to tell them the truth but I don't want to be so blunt about it.

Today Jay, Bee, and I went to grab some free corndogs at Hot Dog on a Stick. Yummy!! I think it was extra yummy for the fact that it was free!! I also got some walking in. We walked around the mall and stop at my fav. store, Not Of This World and Motherhood. I like them both. Picked up a pair of maternity jeans since I don't own a pair I thought I would be worth it. I Love Jeans. I wear them all the time. To any kind of event. You can alway dress up or dress down with jeans. They are very multi-functional.

I started having cravings early. I crave fresh fruit!! My other symptoms are minor... I have a little nausuea but snacking helps ease it. A sensative nose, sore boobies and extream fatigue. Today I took a nap for 3 hours. And later at about 9 I'll be ready for bed and wake early. Take a nap round noon. It's just a cycle. But I enjoy it and can't wait till this little one comes!!

Time to think of names for this munchkin...l.

Smart Cookies!!

I started today with some "quiet time" with the Lord at Starbucks. (It's not so quiet there. Trust me) I shouldn't begin my day with out giving time and devotion to the King of Kings. I need more discipline when it comes to that. Depending on the season and what's going on I get side tracked and forget or put it off. But on the days that I do give Him my time... No matter what may happen I'm not phased. I have comfort in knowing that my God is with me ALWAYS! If God is with me who can be against me??

Well, I had a relaxing day of going to park day, doing laundry and hanging out with with my family. The boys and I had gone to the park to hang out with some of our fellow homeschoolers. It was awesome as always. I haven't been to the park in months!! I was so busy with school and other things that my babies had no playtime with friends... SORRY!! Got home did the gi-mung-us pile of laundry and spent some time with my boys.

Jay, my BRIGHT son shocked me today... I started to look up some curriculum and found that Explode the Code has a website. They allow you to do a demo of their online curriculum. I started to play it with Bee, when Jay comes in the room and wants to play. We start to play and as we pass each level it gets harder. We start with which picture has the same sound as A? Acing every level we completed. We pass a few levels and it asks for the student to spell the word. Jay and I would work together sounding out the picture and spell the word. He was spelling FAN, CAP, MAT and so on!! I was so excited!! He did so well on his own. All mommy did was break the word down for him.

Mommy's got TWO smart cookies!! (They're pretty yummy too) I'm a proud MAMA!

What next?

I've passed all my classes!! Now is the time to PARTY! Although I have and "ISSUE" with one of them, my specialized interpreting class. Looks like there's been an error on my grade! I'm like all up tight bout it right now. It's all I can think about. I've worked so hard and I got a C which should be a B or an A. My professor forgot to add one of my test scores so instead of inputting my 86 pts. I received a big fat ZERO. My only problem is will my professor be in either today or even next week?? He has a tendency to take off on vacation and not come back to school stuff till it's time for school to start. I'm in a jam.. What do I do?? I want the grade that I worked for.

I know I should track my professor down and tell him. :) I know he'd either be at home or in Las Vegas with a new "Vegas Wife." (Inside Joke) I'm going to miss my professor! Having him 4 times a week to now nothing. I've been seeing him more than my hubby in the past few months.

Wow it's all over. It's such a bitter sweet moment right now. I'm excited that I'm through it but what do I do now?? How am I going to use this new gained knowledge?? I've work hard for the past few years juggling both a family and school. I know I'm at a cross-roads.

Just which way do I turn?

IT'S OVER!!

It's finally over!! I'm finished with school!! Now that's if I passed all my classes, which I believe I have. What more can I ask for? I'm in heaven right now knowing that it's over. But I guess I'll officially find out next week if I passed all my classes. I'm like jumping up and down inside and I wanna hoot and holler!! But I keep myself composed. :) I just have the hugest grin right now. It's just nice that the pressure is done with.

Homeschool Methods

I've been thinking lately of how to homeschool the Boys. They are so intelligent and I'm blown away at the way the can talk like a grown up as young as they are. I personally have a love for curriculum and I enjoy the unschooling method as well. They have such a curious nature that they ask some darn good questions that just stump me. I'm always needing to tell them that I'll have to research that and get back to them.

I think that we will go for the eclectic homeschooling method. A little bit of everything. I just like it all. I think that's where we'll start and we'll have to re-evaluate later. All I know is that I want to find a way to learn that best suits them as an individual. My goals are geared towards training them to be Godly Men, life skills and academics. And in that order.

(P.S. I've finally added the pic of our tie-dyed shirts on the Disney!! post.)

Superstar Jay!!

Jay had a performance at school today. He was singing and dancing. It was all so cute!! I'm so proud of him. Apparently we didn't get the memo that we were suppose to wear a white shirt and jeans. OOpps. I had him in a striped blue and green shirt at first and khaki pants. I decided for Jay and Bee to switch shirts so that Jay wouldn't stand out as much.

Jay seems to have a passion for music right now. Any ideas to help encourage him at this age? I mean I don't want to limit him because he's suppose to be in Pre-K but I don't want to overwhelm him either.

Blew It!!

One of my classes has a group project and I've totally blew it. I forgot about our study group that was today. I should have planned it better but I forgot. I think I'm going to be in trouble when I see them tomorrow. :( Afraid to face the wrath of my group... Hopefully they'll be kind. It kinda sucks since last semester we had a similar project and we had 4 weeks to study and practice. This semester its only 2 weeks. Which is why I think they'll ring my neck for sure. I guess I'll have to plead for forgiveness.

Life in The Cole Household is doing well. We've been truly blessed with great family and friends, and in many other areas in our life. It seems like life is perfect here. Although we sure do miss my sister in law. She's out doing God's work in Africa. I can't tell you how proud we are of her and her step out in faith to do what God has called her to do. (If you read this COCO WE LOVE YOU!!)

Bee and Jay stayed over at my parents last night. They had a grand ol' time. Staying up late watching movies and playing with Ong and Ba-Ba (My Daddy and Mommy). My parents are savoring the time they have with them since they're off on vaction for 4 weeks. They're going with my Older Brother to Vietnam. I'll sure miss them lots!! I wonder... HOUSE PARTY??? hehe Just kidding....