Friday, April 29, 2011

Happy 4 Months!!!

IMG_3238 - Copy

My sweet little munchkin turned 4 months old yesterday and what a SWEET 4 months it has been. Weighing in at over 16 lbs, he is wonderfully healthy and doing so well. He is such a sweetheart and soooo loved by his mommy, daddy, and 2 big brothers.

Here is our Easter/4 month photoshoot….

IMG_3240

for some reason he was very upset with his Daddy…

IMG_3241

IMG_3245

IMG_3272

IMG_3275

IMG_3290

IMG_3292

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Exploration of Easter

Happy Easter World!!!!!! And what a beautiful day it was!

This is a song that we listen to that helps to keep things in perspective during the beautiful season of Easter. To my fellow believers: Please listen and read…it is a tear jerker…

Movement

For our Freeman Chapel Easter hike we visited the Beautiful Chateau Elan

IMG_3230

During this exciting time of bunnies, eggs and candy, we have been trying to focus and teach our youngsters about the true meaning of Easter. Through crafts, reading, deep discussions, and veggie tales – they seem to really ‘get it’. Of course, Elijah understands a bit more than Noah does just because of the age but as long as they are having fun, it will stick in their little brains.

IMG_3215

IMG_3227

IMG_3233    IMG_3232

IMG_3235

IMG_3214

I realized I never even downloaded our pictures from last week’s chapel hike. Therefore, I downloaded them tonight, the boys were super cute!! We visited a little park close to our house, made binoculars, went on a hike and used our binoculars for a sight scavenger hunt.  Super fun family time!!

IMG_3194

IMG_3196

IMG_3197

IMG_3201

IMG_3200  IMG_3206

Devotion Time….

IMG_3212

Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing.  ~Albert Laighton

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Job at 6!!!

photo

Just kidding – but he did enjoy an awesome ‘Daddy morning’ to Home Depot to do some building with his brother. Now he is a ‘Home Depot Worker’ walking around the house with a tape measure and helping with all of the house projects. Too cute!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Sweet Munchkin’ Milestones

Thank you Lisa for the wonderful Bumbo!! He tried it out for the first time today all while wearing the same shirt his daddy wore when he was his age…

photo (39)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is going to be great therapy for his neck =)

AND…my sweet baby rolled over for the first time today!!!!! Well, he got a little help at the very end…But this was a milestone I was afraid he was only going to be able to conquer with help from his physical therapy for the torticollis and I was worried it would take a while. He still needs help, obviously, to complete ‘the roll’ on his own.

To top it all off, I got it on video!!!!! I wanted to video tape him playing a bit in his daddy’s baby shirt, maybe catch a few smiles, etc...and lo and behold….he just pushed himself (mostly) over which is such a big deal because of his neck muscle =)

Jobe’s Play Time

I heart this sweet child…

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Our Sunday Peace

The Freemans ventured out seeking Shalom again today. Our second Sunday and what a beautiful, peaceful day it was!! We were all a bit tired from being late night party animals Saturday which meant that our day came with it’s fair share of whining and water breaks. We still had a good time and definitely came home to partake in wonderful naps =)  …..after Cracker Barrel of course….

IMG_3163

Fort Yargo was our destination today. They have an awesome historical cabin where they have folks come in and teach about how people cooked in the olden days, made fires, shelters, gardens, and even archery. Cute place…and great place to take photos!

IMG_3159   IMG_3161

Searching for roly-polies…

IMG_3164

How to build a shelter…

IMG_3166

Super cool, and beautiful, hike!!!

IMG_3171    IMG_3181

Noah chased this butterfly around for a few minutes and then stuck his finger out and the butterfly just sat there and let Noah ‘pet’ him. So cute…Noah was so excited!

IMG_3177

Stayed up toooooooo late….my little party animal was pooped!

IMG_3182

Talking about Lazarus….

IMG_3183

Not quite sure (yet) what our destination will be for next Sunday but the boys are already excited and can’t wait!!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Shalom…

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!  ~Albert Einstein

Seeking Shalom on Sunday…The Freemans are off…every Sunday that is.

photo

We have started ‘our church’ I guess you could say.

IMG_3095

And here is my confession!!! =) 

Connecting with my spirituality in a structured environment has always been a problem for me. I know it is completely different for everyone - but for me, I never enjoyed traditional church and never felt as though I was spiritually comfortable.  I never got the act of singing hymns from a hymnal where everyone sounded so monotone and awful, I hated reading as a congregation where no one even understood or listened to what they were really reading,  and did I ever really listen and take to heart any of the service??….honestly, not really.

Then, once kids were thrown into the mix – WOW! The stress of getting everyone ready Sunday morning, getting to church, and then worrying about leaving them while crying, germs, what-have-you – where was the enjoyment?? Sooooo not worth it for me. I got nothing out of it but stress and then half my Sunday was gone. I see where the community aspect comes into play. It is a great way to meet new friends, but still, not worth it if it is a stressful community. We’ve tried contemporary…which we somewhat enjoyed, but the stresses where still there.

IMG_3091

I have found in the past few years that I feel the most connected with my spirituality in my every day environment, Caglewood, alone time, in nature, and with my amazing family. I feel moved through music and freedom and LOVE the guitar strums over a campfire in my most favorite church, nature. Nature is where I feel closest to God, I feel enlightened and whole and most of all, I feel at peace.

IMG_3088

So here it is – our church! We have decided that every Sunday from here on out, weather permitting, we will be hopping in the car in our most comfortable clothes, throwing in some awesome music, driving to an outdoor hiking destination, taking in all we can from God’s amazing creation, playing, and enjoying our lives together. No structure, no monotone reading as a group – just complete FREEDOM and peaceful focus. This past Sunday we took in the beauty of Elachee…

IMG_3118

At the end of our hike, Paul will give a little devotion. My amazing husband is such a good realist when it comes to Christianity (or any religion) and portrays events that seem unbelievable in such a realistic way. He has taught me not to always look at things the way they are written and that questioning is ok and completely normal and is most definitely needed!! The biblical stories are not meant to always be taken literally. The boys think of any questions they have (nothing is off limits) and they discuss. Nobody is wrong or right – it is just a discussion. Crafts may be thrown in the mix some mornings by ‘yours truly’ =)

 

Afterwards….we head to Cracker Barrel for an awesome Sunday meal!! Oh yeah!! Some days…maybe a picnic.

 

The most perfect church service for our little family… and that is just it, our family! We get to stay together, worship together, explore together, all in peace and as a family. No rules…no judgment.

IMG_3072    IMG_3155

Friends and family are always welcome!!! And hopefully in the future we can have a group of guitars and amazing folks out searching for peace together =)

IMG_3076

A new tree growing out an old tree stump….awesome….

IMG_3098  IMG_3099

A lot of exploring and playing…

IMG_3092       IMG_3115

IMG_3082   IMG_3084

IMG_3086      IMG_3143

Fort Yargo this upcoming weekend…can’t wait!!! =)

IMG_3151