I did a load of laundry for Jesus on Tuesday.

We have this homeless friend, "Aunt Debi" that we've become friends with over the past year. She first met us when Emma was watering our rocks and she comments on that to this day! The kids love to say hi and give her hugs. We see Debi and her husband a few times a week. Tuesday morning she knocked on our screen door. After a little chit chat, she said she always wanted to see inside our house. With a little hesitation, I invited her in (Desi wasn't home). We showed her around the first floor and backyard. The kids were coloring at the table and talking to her and Hope asked if she was homeless. She said yes, but she has friends and family like us. Hope told her that when it rains again, she can sit on our porch to stay dry. Debi turned away from the table, put her hands to her face and started crying. I gave her a hug. She was overcome with emotion at how sweet we were. Debi is a great lady...probably in her late 50's or so, she keeps herself clean, doesn't abuse drugs or alcohol and has a job. When she saw our washer and dryer, she asked if I wouldn't mind if she could wash her favorite blanket. We proceeded to start a load for her. She came back later that day to pick it up and we gave her some of the cookies we made. She was so excited and told us she wasn't gonna share...they were all hers! All this to say, I must admit I was a bit uncomfortable to invite her in, but I felt a peace about it. The passage in Matthew 25 came to my mind, "For I was hungry, and you gave me meat: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison and you came to me....And the King shall answer and say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." Therefore, I did laundry for Jesus!

Living in the city, it seems there is an innumerable amount of homeless begging for money, ect... My heart gets hardened to them sometimes, thinking they are taking advantage of people...using the money to get high, or drunk. I don't want to be like that. I remember something my dad told me. He gives as unto the Lord, cheerfully and feels that those he gives to are accountable to God for what they do with the gift. So, if I can bless Aunt Debi by doing a load of laundry for her and letting my kids give her hugs and cookies, well, I am gonna do it.

1 John 3:17 But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and closes his heart of compassion against him, how does the love of God remain in him?
~Rose

Can You Tell Them Apart?

My hair is a giveaway, but doesn't Levi look like Owen?! I can tell his hair is getting lighter too! What a cutie :)
~Rose
p.s. top pic taken Sept 2006 bottom pic taken Nov 2002!

3 Months Old Already?

Today marks Levi's 3rd month breathing oxygen. This past month, we moved him into Owen's room. A week after that we moved him into the crib at night. I splurged for my last baby and bought a new mattress pad/cover and 2 new blue checked flannel sheets. I think babies prefer the softer sheets on their cheeks (my babies all slept on their tummies and Levi does too). Levi has been sleeping through the night pretty regularly for the past month. Sometimes he gets up a little too early for me (like 5:55 this am) so I feed him and put him back down, go back to bed and pray fervently! God answered my prayers this morning and Levi slept till 10ish! He's getting less cranky and smiles a lot after he's been fed.




Being home with our kids is such a blessing, but some days do seem very long. How is it that the past three months have flown by so quickly? I am enjoying Levi so much, especially when he's happy!
~Rose

Emma Bear

Maybe this will help explain her nick-name a little bit!

~Rose

Levi & Bedhead

I usually use this rocking chair to feed Levi, and sometimes set him down after so I can get a few things done. Bedhead LOVES this chair. Last week he jumped up as soon as I got up. The boys looked so cute together that I grabbed the camera. Got some good shots!
~Rose

APC last Sunday

These are a few pics from last Sunday. Every week, a basketball game gets started after lunch. I thought it was time to take some pics. The young'uns gave the older'uns a run for their money. Bruce showed off his sporty high-top shoes, but I don't think they helped his game. Sabrina and JR are too good! The girls all love Levi, but I think Bernice is his favorite.
~Rose

Adventures at Red Rocks...

Every Wednesday, Hope's 1st grade curriculum calls for Exploration day. On this day we don't do the usually pencil/paper work, but do more reading, science experiments and try to go on an outing to enjoy God's creation. So, last Wednesday we went to Red Rocks for lunch! It was a short 20 minute drive. We brought our food and ate on row 63. It was amazing (our first visit, except for Desi) and beautiful! We could see Denver pretty well and even DIA. The clouds were so pretty, like a watercolor painting. The kids loved climbing up and down the stairs. There were all sorts of people there, including some that were exercising-talk about a good work out! We met the cowboy in the black hat (in the shot from the stage looking up). He was kind enough to take the pic of me and the kids. He was a stage hand at an Eagles concert there in 1975! He went on and on about what a great venue Red Rocks is because the audience is so close to the musicians. I plan on going to a concert there as soon as possible! There is a fun museum with pics of past performers. Notice the pic of one of the first musical groups to perform in 1910-for some reason it's interesting to be in a place so old (which isn't really that old compared to some places). Notice the model of Red Rocks with Owen's head at the bottom...that will give those of you who haven't been a good idea of the set up. There is a 1.3 mile hike nearby that we'll do when the kids are older (some steep parts). I am sure we'll be back again soon!
~Rose
p.s. click on a picture to see it larger

Owen's Prayers

So, Owen likes to pray for sick people. Don't really know why, but every night I put him to bed (Desi and I switch off, girls room and boys room, songs and prayers before bed) I ask Owen, so who do you want to pray for tonight? And it never fails, he wants to pray for someone who is sick. So, tonight he prays for the Arby family that God would help them not get sick. Don't know who they are, but Owen prayed for them tonight! He's too cute! He got a sword at the dollar store last week and decided that tonight would be a good night to sleep with it shoved down his jammies. We'll see if it's still there in the morning. I personally don't think that would be very comfy, but that's just me!
~Rose

Can it be true? Such beauty in the midst of a city?!

This past Monday was a free day at the Denver Botanic Gardens. We went after Emma's nap so Desi could go with us. It's been maybe 9 months or so since we've been there and it seems no matter what time of year the gardens are glorious. We love the children's garden. Notice the "tent" tree that Hope is peeking out of. There are 2 butterfly chairs in there on a nice little wooden deck...how cool would that be to have in your backyard? The gardens are divided like many around the world, Japanese, rose garden, ect... The great thing about Denver's gardens are all the little "secret" side paths that the kids get to explore, while the parents and stroller can stay on the cement paths. I'd love to visit all the botanic gardens that I can in my lifetime. I've been to the Buchart Gardens in Victoria, Canada twice (thanks to my folks and Desi) and the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Virgina (thanks Dori!). God is such an amazing artist and I am blessed to see His handiwork!
Click on pictures to see them bigger!
~Rose

School Is Fun!

We're working on sorting and classifying this week with Hope and discovered that Owen and Emma wanted in on the action as well! Buttons can be really fun to play with :)

For science this week, we're learning about the seasons, what they are and why we have them. This is a picture Hope drew of the 4 seasons. It's nice that we really do get 4 distinct seasons here.

-Rose

Grandma And The Bear!

Well, after my mom heard about our church meeting at Lair O' The Bear, she wanted to go. We get together with my folks every other Saturday for lunch. Today after lunch at my parents house, we drove up past Morrison (Red Rocks) and Idledale back to Lair O' The Bear for a short hike. We did the Bruin Bluff Trail which was a little over a mile long. The kids were not as excited (their friends Abby, Luke and Ezra weren't there) but they did pretty well. Notice Levi's smile over my mom's shoulder! We also saw a couple of fly fishermen and watched for awhile. It was such a fun time! Colorado is so BEAUTIFUL...and to have all this within 30 minutes of our house...what a blessing! The leaves are starting to change color -you better get out here to visit us soon!
~Rose

My Little Kitchen Helper!

I keep Levi's bouncy seat (it's so old...but all four kids used it and loved it) on the kitchen counter. That way Levi can watch me cook and do dishes. He fell asleep the other day and I couldn't resist snapping a shot. Look at those thighs :)

~Rose

Do Ants Like Honey Soaked Bread?

Last week, Hope learned about "things close to the ground" for science. We read about all sorts of critters and got to choose an experiment to do. We covered a bit of bread with honey and put it on an ant hill at the corner of our street. This first picture is right after we put the bread down. It was late afternoon and the ants swarmed around it. The kids loved watching the ants pick pieces of the bread off and carry them down into the hill.

One fun part of homeschooling...they went swimming in the afternoon after finishing some writing :)

This was the bread the next morning...notice all the dirt that the ants dragged onto it...sticky feet! They moved much slower in the morning.

This is the drawing Hope did in her nature notebook. Notice the queen ant and all the forager ants collectong the bread! She's such a cutie!

-Rose