o u r . g r o w i n g . f a m i l y

{ Every Season }

2012-01-21T21:51:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite songs ministers to my heart each and every season along the way.

Summer. Autumn. Winter. Spring.

{ a m a z i n g g r a c e }

Recreating our family into His likeness.

Two years ago we were called. We packed up and moved. We were about to become a family of five.

Our little people grew.

And grew.

And grew.

Two years later and after much { recreating }, we have been called. We are packing up and moving, home.

My husband wrote the details of our update.
From Mark:
God is up to great things and it is a blessing to be a part of His plan. As many of you know, Lisa and I have been wrestling with our future and role at Bay Area for some time. I wanted to write and let you know that through careful prayer and consideration, we have decided to resign and accept another position. My last official full day of work at BACC will be on Sunday, February 5th.
As I write this we have mixed emotions. Our time at BACC has been filled with tears and laughter, joy and struggle. We have encountered some of the hardest situations as well as some of the most rewarding in our ministry life. Lisa and I thank God for the time we have had at Bay Area. Although not what we anticipated or expected, we know that the Lord called us to BACC for such a time as this. We are grateful that we have been able to serve and lead in so many ways over the past couple of years. Everything from leading the church through a sabbatical, praying, leading worship, scrubbing floors, leading staff meetings, serving in VBS, serving the body, cooking, HR, serving missional communities, finances and more, we have had an amazing time! Most importantly we have been blessed to have the opportunity to love and be loved by all of you.
As we depart from Bay Area, know that we are saddened to not be with and serve with you on a regular basis. We plan to be moving back to our home in Carroll County, MD soon and serving in the church were we came from, Uniontown Bible Church. We are very excited to be back in our community and serving there. We know that whether we are here or there, we will continue to serve Jesus passionately.

The Anderes Family

New Year

2012-01-19T20:44:00.000-05:00

Well, actually Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Poor Blog. { aka. Mommy's journal of sorts }
Poor Belated Christmas Cards.

Rich in quality family time.
Rich in love with my husband.
Rich in educating, teaching and training our little people each day.
Rich in relationships.
Rich in embracing each season as it comes.
Oh so rich in God's amazing grace.

{ front }

{back}

May your 2012 be RICH!

Nativity

2012-01-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

The boys drew their nativity scenes. It was sweet to see baby Jesus through their eyes.

As we prepared our hearts for this grand { birthday } celebration we prayed that your homes were full of hope ~ the hope that only Jesus brings!

Luke 2:11
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.

Egg

2012-01-11T15:33:00.001-05:00

E E E Egg

S s s s s n a k e

2011-11-29T15:48:00.002-05:00

Daddy found a snake skin while cleaning out the garage a couple of weeks ago. I saved it for our s sound lessons. It came in handy today as we worked with our sssssnake craft. The boys had a blast and exclaimed, "we love reading!"

We then headed on a last minute play-date to an indoor swim center. That was convenient for pe/health (swim safety) and ssssswim.

Some days are more enjoyable than others. This would be one of them.

With a sssssuper thankful heart,

My Body

2011-11-17T20:15:00.005-05:00

The boys have been working on a science project at school. For the past six weeks they have been coloring and cutting parts of their body in preparation for today's final assembly. They had a blast and came home very proud of their hard work!

We enjoyed the past twelve weeks of {{ CC }} Classical Conversations . We will miss our tutors, our classes and our friends while we are on winter break. We look forward to going back in the new year.

Psalm 139:13-18

For you created my inmost being;

   you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you
   when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
   were written in your book
   before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
   How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
   they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
   I am still with you.

The boys have enjoyed the Squishy Human Body that we got in anticipation of this science project. We pulled it out this evening to experience a hands on time with the parts that we attached to their outlines today.

I added an image of Ella Bella this evening. She has a low grade fever. She had a busted ear drum two weeks ago then she had a virus. Now our poor baby girl is cutting her forth molar. She is super clingy, but I must say I am enjoying the extra snuggles!

Blessed.

I feel so very incredibly blessed.

Only because of His amazing grace,

Fall

2011-11-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

Our days have been full of all things "school."

We are enjoying this first year of kindergarten. This fall has been full. Our daily devotions have been the greatest encouragement and learning together is a treasured time. Some days are awesome and some days are difficult (some can be very difficult).

We are wrapping up our first half of our CC memory work and preparing for a winter break from our Thursday morning school times. We will keep our daily routine going while we wait for it to start back in January.

The boys had a blast building a leaf fort with Papa this week.

And they enjoyed making Thanksgiving Turkeys with Mee-Maw. These are treasured memories that are easy to make while we homeschool. I am ever grateful for the past couple of months!

I miss blogging and will see what the face of our blog looks like as the year progresses. I still love the idea that it serves as a pictorial journal for me to look back on, but then there is Facebook for a quick easy pictorial post... {{ contemplation }}

I will get to posts when and if I can.

Thanks for popping in.

S I X

2011-11-16T15:42:00.000-05:00

Jackson is six.
Well he has been six for a while (September) and I found this as a draft. Oops. Septmeber was a whirlwind and each month since seems to follow in suit.

I will attempt to catch up here and there.

We celebrated Jackson's sixth with a Raven's Football party and our trip to Williamsburg. We had a blast.

Jackson Mark
Ephesians 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Daddy and I pray that you will grow into a mighty man of God, each and every day!

You are incredibly thoughtful, generous, creative, full of truth and grace and an amazing gift to our family. As we take this 'life' journey together we are thankful that the Lord's provision was to add YOU ~ six years ago.

Love,
Daddy and Mommy

B-B-Butter

2011-10-01T21:20:00.000-04:00

Our Phonics Museum curriculum had us making b-b-butter this week.

We had a blast and it sure was yummy!

We had a sick little one so we laid low much of this week. Thankfully the fever has passed and we are on the upswing!

Still MIA

2011-09-29T20:06:00.001-04:00

I know, I am still MIA.

Our home has become a busy place with three 6 and under and our new homeschool/fall routine. My fall Bible study has started and Awana has kicked off for the kiddos.

We have had a lot of celebrations going on as well. First, my birthday came and went then we enjoyed a special family date night for our tenth anniversary. We headed to Williamsburg for a four day field trip and happily celebrated Jackson's sixth birthday while we were away. Isabella stayed home with MeeMaw and Papa. She had a fun time and when we got home she was saying Mommy (Mah-EEE). That was sweet to come home to. I thought it sounded like mine but later that night realized it was mommy.

Mark and I thoroughly enjoyed a getaway this past weekend. It was nice to have some Mark & Lisa time to pray together, to relax together, to walk the cute town near Deep Creek, to celebrate with a date night to Dutch's Daughter (with a gift card) and to realize how grateful we are for the past ten years. We are thankful that Mom Mom and D took our kiddos and Mee Maw and Papa were so generous with their lake house. We think this should be an annual anniversary trip!

Here is a glimpse into our homeschool life.
Class in our jammies.

Jumping Rope.

Our trip to The Great Wolf Lodge.

Sweet Sister. Little sister ARE the coolest!
Isabella loves to write while we are having school. She will dance to our songs, climb on the desk adn chairs and play while we all learn together. It is such a sweet time!

I will try to share a few more posts...remember this serves as my visual journal! I am thankful for this option during this super busy season of life.

Thanks for stopping by despite my long breaks in between posts.

M. I. A.

2011-08-06T22:03:00.003-04:00

I have been M.I.A. from the blog and there are many reasons why. Three of them are pictured below.

We are preparing for our first official homeschool year. We will report to the county for Jackson and his upcoming 2011-2012 kindergarten school year. That felt so far away when he was born (2005) and poof, here it is. We are super excited about our journey. Christian will participate in the K-4 program while Jackson will be in the K-5. The boys are looking forward to the start of school.

We will participate in a community called Classical Conversations. If you click the link there is a wonderful explanation on page 2/3 of the mission, the model and the method.

The mission is to know God and make Him known.
The model is to combine a biblical worldview and classical tools.
The method is to equip parents and encourage students.

We have friends who exposed us and will be participating with us. We will meet with our community once a week. The children will be in a tutor led classroom with up to 8/9 other students. They will get a chance to learn their new material, participate in a fine arts lesson, participate in a science project and share in their own student presentation (much like show-n-tell for the younger children). We will do the rest of our work at home.

We are going to pray through our decision as each year approaches and take this journey year by year.

I recently attended a CC parent practicum and I left very encouraged about our upcoming school year.

Isabella is growing like a weed. She is trying to talk more and more. She is running all over. She has a new attitude that has surfaced in the past couple of weeks and she continues to brighten our lives. Each of our family members stop what they are doing to love on her often. She is one super spoiled baby sister. Except for this new "tude", we enjoy spoiling her with our love. There is a possibility that the new attitude is linked to weaning and teething combined. I hope so. Sweet girl! Precious baby girl!

Isabella on MeeMaw and Papa's boat in July.

Christian is having fun with his brother and sister each day. He loves being the best middle son. He tells me I am the best middle mom. It makes me smile. He enjoys to read, play and create with Legos, dress-up for a lot of pretend play, swim, watch movies and cook. He is an amazing with his cuddles. We love to snuggle with him. He fills our days with life! So much life! Life to the full!

Jackson is also having fun with his brother and sister each day. He is a deep thinker with incredible creativity. He goes from mailman, to chef, to police officer, to architect, to artist ~ all within hours of each other. The most popular is still the police officer. The one he got for Christmas is still going strong. He has heart for justice and compassion for others. He likes to cook, draw, color, write, read, run and swim (without swim bubbles). He fills our days with wonder! So much wonder!

Christian and Jackson on MeeMaw and Papa's boat in July.

Our family is made full with each one of our sweet blessings. We are so very grateful.

We have our tenth anniversary sandwiched between two birthdays, the start of school and a four day school field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. The calendar is super full. Our lives are super full. And it is all because of God's amazing grace!

I hope to update more often. My time to journal through the seasons is special to me. I have missed it!!

Romans 15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

For His Glory

2011-06-07T10:49:00.000-04:00

I came across this incredible song last night. It has refreshed my soul in a huge way! There is a battle going on, in my mind, between the reality of sin & death and victory in Jesus & His resurrection.

The Armor of God is explained in Galatians 6:10-18. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Revelation 22:20
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Embracing Accusation - Shane & Shane

And then I watched this sincere testimony of a believer who wrestled with the reality of darkness and the profound glory that Jesus wins (and has won) over all! Glory to God! This is such a sweet encouragement to my soul. I hope it is to yours as well.

Oh, come Lord Jesus. Come soon!

O N E

2011-05-19T14:56:00.000-04:00

Isabella's dedication and first birthday were this past weekend.

She is cute and sweet and so much fun
Our little Ella Bella has turned one!

~ Isabella Catherine ~

Psalm 104:33 says, "I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."

Our prayer is that Isabella will sing to the LORD all the days of her life. She has brought us great joy this year and we are so very blessed.

We love you sweet baby girl.
Happy Happy Happy Birthday!

george

2011-05-02T23:20:00.000-04:00

Jackson is "reading" Curious George while George gets ready to sleep on his new top bunk.

I am one blessed Mommy!!!

bunkbed

2011-05-02T23:18:00.000-04:00

Christian is painting the bunk bed that Daddy made with the boys. They wanted something for their Curious George stuffed animals to sleep in.

ride

2011-04-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Jax went on a little Easter ride. Over and over again. He was zooming down MomMom and D's hill out front of their house. I loved it when his tie would flip up in the wind!

...And a cell picture of a camera preview. I know, I know.
I am a crazy busy mom. =)
They have me on the ride of my life!

Our three precious gifts.

moving

2011-04-29T14:28:00.001-04:00

Isabella is on the move. She is taking 4-10 steps here and there. She normally stops after 4.

Here she is in MeeMaw and Papa's kitchen with a pie plate.

We love our sweet Ella Bella.

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The Wonderful Cross

2011-04-22T15:12:00.000-04:00

Today I am remembering the incredible, amazing, selfless, grace-filled sacrifice that was made on the cross...the wonderful cross. ♥

1 Corinthians 1:18 ♥ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

And a reminder from a friend...Forsaken for us for the glory of HIS name!

Humbled. Thankful. Bitter-sweet Day!

late night

2011-04-20T20:33:00.001-04:00

Just some late night baking with my boy =)

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F r a y e d

2011-04-12T21:06:00.001-04:00

These are a couple of towels from our wedding.

We are coming up on our ten year anniversary at the end of the summer.

When I met a sweet friend of mine, nine years ago, my towels were brand new. They were fresh, fluffy and vibrant in color. This friend had been married for about seven years. Her towels were fraying, dull in color and much flatter than mine. I remember chatting about this very detail. ~ Marrying Mark had given me a new appreciation for detail!

Before I had children, this friend and I spent many hours at the side of her bathtub chatting about the Lord, life, marriage, family, parenting and friendship. We wrapped her little-bitty sweeties in her frayed towels and snuggled them before bed. Went spent hours chatting as she taught me so much about putting first things first, about respecting your husband and about the flexibility needed to parent well. She often listened. I often spoke. She became one of my very best friends, my mentor, a valued treasure in my life.

Life has looked different for us this past year. She and I no longer live one mile from each other and almost all of her children shower themselves. I have three of my own little-bitty sweeties to sit next to the tub with and my towels are frayed.

It snuck up on me. The towels went from brand new to frayed in . . . 10 years flat. Oh wait. Maybe it did not sneak up on me but it sure felt like it. We have traveled through many different seasons over the past ten years and my "frayed towel" friend has truly blessed me...more than she may ever know! My marriage and my parenting has benefited in ways that only the Lord could have ordained.

I now drive over an hour to spend endless hours with my sweet friend. My kids still call her aunt Cathy and distance has not changed our friendship! I am grateful.

Thank you Cathy W. ~ (aka. Aunt Cathy)

I often praise God for you and the reminder of what a frayed towel represents.

I have been surrounded, in abundance, with many sweet and AMAZING girlfriends who have all blessed me more than they will ever know. I am moved to a place of humble thankfulness as I type. Thank you, Lord!

Here is to . . . frayed towels and girlfriends.

Share More Than You'll Ever Know by Watermark

brothers

2011-03-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

What can I say? She has brothers. Boy do they love each other. Feeling grateful!!

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Family Game Time

2011-03-27T22:53:00.001-04:00

The boys loved daddy's new game...Toy Story Operation. We got so loud and had loads of laughs.

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sweet

2011-03-09T21:05:00.000-05:00

Sweet smiles with Great Grandma!

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Valentine

2011-02-18T22:24:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed a valentine craft on the 14th. I enjoyed watching both boys take different approaches to their artwork. It was a sweet day in our home. Daddy surprised me with a gorgeous hydrangea bloom. It was perfect and so thoughtful.

We just had a stomach bug come through. I hope it is done and feel super guilty since I started the mess this go round. Everyone pitched in and took great care of us.

1 John 4:19
We love because He first loved us.

With Love,

homemade boats

2011-02-12T17:24:00.002-05:00

Creativity continues...

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