Countdown!

The time is approaching once again for school to start "officially". We have done some school throughout the summer, but since last Monday, we have begun doing school each morning, so that when 'the real deal' begins at the end of the month and we have longer days, we all won't be dying, screaming, or in flat out distress! :-)
I have to say that we don't ever really stop learning. And what is most important to Brad and I is not math, spelling, or grammar. Though those are important, what is most important to us is that our daughters love the Lord and know how to love one another, how to happily serve one another and how to love others as we love ourselves. To think of others first before thinking of our own selves, our own wants, or our own needs. Another important "subject" in the Mehmen home is that our daughters know how to manage a household, how to cook, how to clean, how to take care of the laundry, grocery shopping, and the like.
My point of this post was to encourage you to start reading with your children, to your children, but also for yourself. Learning. Choose to be life long learners with your children, teaching them that learning is fun, and that we'll always be learning! We'll NEVER know it all! Not ever. Gaining wisdom and knowledge for our self so that we may also share that knowledge with others and be a blessing to those in whom we've shared that knowledge with. We will SURELY not gain even one ounce of wisdom from the television. Please, turn the TV off with me, and read with me. I have posted at the top of the blog (did you notice?) the books that I have read or are currently going through. It would be great to have good discussions with you and read through a book with you! Would you join me?
If you are not seeing books added to the list at least once a month, you need to be checking up on me, and seeing what's up!
Love always! The Mehmens

Harsh Reality

Truth be told, we all need to start living in the Truth more, and living in world less! Living in what we are "told" to do by society less, the so called "professionals" less, and our government less. Way Less. Extremely less. Living in the way that God wants us to live... MORE. A lot more. Extremely more! We like sheep are being led straight to slaughter. We really need to start thinking with our brain a little more, listening to Him a little closer, watching whats going on around us more carefully. Being on guard to NOT be among the flock that is being led astray.

I for one know that up until this past year, I always went with the flow, did what I was told to do (by the professionals), and didn't seem to question much of anything. I praise God that He is opening my eyes to the Truths that I find in His Word as well from like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. I praise God for them and for their wisdom, and for their boldness to say what needs to be said!

A must read. It's long, it's disturbing, and it's hard, and down right hard to swallow, but a MUST read!
http://www.voddiebaucham.org/vbm/Blog/Entries/2010/7/26_The_Continuing_Collapse_June_July_2010.html

**Sorry, this link is not working for some reason. No worries, please click on the link on your right titled "The Continuing Collapse" under 'Check these websites out'.**

Family Fun

Does your family movie nights look like ours? Is it really this simple to have this much fun??

Thanks Home Alone!

Do they consist of your children falling onto the floor, literately rolling on the floor laughing before getting back up and into the chair that they fell out of?

Welcome to Family Fun Night at the Mehmens!

Where has summer gone?

As I look at the calender today, and mark on it when we'll be starting school back up, I stopped to ponder, "Where has summer gone?" If my memory serves me correctly, (which it doesn't always) the month of June was filled with rain, rain, and more rain. On top of the rain, we spent the whole month of June driving Courtney back and forth to drivers training. That was fun! (not really) Praise the Lord that that came to an end on July 2nd. 4 weeks long~ Since when does drivers training last a month? I must be getting old. Brad and I celebrated this glorious day by going out to dinner with the money we would have had to spend on gasoline! :-)

We had our first camping trip in May with 6 families. Let me clarify the numbers with you; 12 adults and 27 children. We like to multiply! (ok, so a couple of us brought some extra kids, but only 4 extra!) Three of the moms that were on that trip were 9 months pregnant! So, we now have 30 children within the same group! We are also all homeschooling families. We had such a great time, as well as the kids. We hope to get in at least 2 more trips in before school starts. Isn't that pathetic? Only 3 camping trips through the whole summer? Our family will be taking a family vacation this year if it is the last thing we do! We haven't taken a family vacation together for probably 8 years! I think it's time.

Our spring/summer has included a trip out to CA to visit my side of the family, a camping trip, welcoming 3 new lives into this world, and lots of dinners with friends at our house, or theirs. Brad has been working hard on a play set for the girls. Just about done with that! It has 2 different levels so far! Went with some friends to their cabin on a lake, and had a great time. Took the girls tubing for the first time. They had a blast! I think mom was more scared than they were. We've gotten some school in, but not as much as I would have liked to. Learning multiplication and division has turned into a fun experience all thanks to a tip from a friend, so I hope to have 3 of my 4 knowing multiplication and division backwards and forwards before school starts back up, and really, in a very fun way. Taylor has been my experimental monkey, and so she will now continue her drills with Brooke, and then they will be teaching Ashley! Hurray for a one house school room!

We have also planted a garden! We are all so excited. Learning how to tend to your garden, plant, water (though God has been doing all of the watering!) and picking the weeds. Everything has popped up, and so now the waiting game until it's time to harvest. I have always wanted to plant a garden, and it's been really fun doing so. I just pray that things actually grow, because having a garden is an expensive hobby. Especially if there is no fruit from it! Wouldn't that be a bummer. We planted tomato plants, cabbage, peppers, bell peppers as well as hot peppers for salsa, cilantro, basil, 3 different kinds of beans, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, lettuce, okra & carrots. We'll see what we get! I am sure hoping for a successful turnout!

I have the blessing of being able to stay at home with my children, teaching them the way that they should go, learning life & education together, teaching & learning from one another, keeping the house together, teaching the girls how to clean a home, how to cook meals, how do laundry, how to make grocery lists, and so forth. It truly is a blessing and I have my Lord and Savior and my husband to thank for that. For God providing a job for Brad, and for him to be such a hard worker! We are truly blessed.

Well, I have posted some pictures of our summer so far. I will try to post more sooner than later. I know it's been a while, but sometimes, you just don't have the time. Really people, prioritize! Do I have them in the wrong order? HA HA I don't think so.

Love to you all!

Spring is Here!

Hello hello hello! It's OFFICIALLY spring and we are ALL thrilled! Not only because it is spring but also because we have a beautiful new home with a beautiful new backyard! (as seen above)And it also happens to back up into a great park! We have been so blessed this past year and are so very thankful. So, here we are on this day, giving thanks for His many blessings and His faithfulness with joyful hearts.

We're back to a normal routine, with our house (mostly) in order since I don't know when. With the move, spring fever, and our trip out to CA, things have been in a little disarray! So our "normal routine", if there is such a thing, is finally helping settle everyone down into our new home.

"The Move" went great. Great friends with helping hands always make things more enjoyable since moving isn't that fun to begin with, as well as cuts the time and trips in half! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all our dear friends for all of your help!

Took a quick trip out to CA with the four youngest girls. It was short but sweet, being able to spend time with my family. I love seeing how "home" has changed and how it has stayed the same. I enjoyed seeing my family and family friends, although, I have decided that when I do go out for a visit next, I need to also make visiting my CA friends more of a priority as well. We either don't make the time to connect, or are still about 9 driving hours away from them! So, FRIENDS, let's make a plan or something the next we come out to meet half way or go camping somewhere in the middle or something!

Well this is going to be it for now! I will try write again hopefully soon! I am thinking maybe once a month with a little more on special occasions or something. Not too much else to tell on a more frequent basis!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Me & the gang!

BTW, Our oldest is missing from these photo's for she was not with us. Will put more pix of everyone next time!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2010!

Lets see; in my last entry I told you what Brad & I have been up to. So this time I will try and recap what they girls have been doing this past year. Unfortunately this may prove to be some-what difficult since I don't believe I can remember everything from this past year. It kinda scares me because I can't tell if it's because I've been too busy or because I'm gettin' way too old.
(Lets hope its because of the first one).

Courtney is in the 10th grade and will be turning 16 on the 29th of January. She enjoys reading, drawing, sketching, writing and photography. She is very gifted in the artistic area. She began dance lessons this year and I think she likes it as well. Christmas break was over a couple of days ago, and she said she wanted to go back to school looking some-what different; so she asked for a haircut. Bangs, straight across the forehead is what she asked for, and so she got it. We both agreed that we liked her side bang better. She hopes to get her driving permit in the next week or two. That's scary! Just ask my dad!

Brooke's in the 5th grade and will be 11 this year. Where does the time go? She is becoming quite the young lady. She will soon be as tall as Courtney. (Courtney is in denial about it). Brooke's interests are playing with her Christmas dolls, her horses, her barn and her sister's depending on the day. She also loves to play the Wii with her Daddy and to color.

Taylor is in the 3rd grade and will be 9 in February. Taylor is quite the attentive one. She cooks, cleans, and always wants to help me in whatever I'm doing. She will be ready to run and maintain her own home soon! She will definitely hit the floor running! Taylor also likes playing with her horses, dolls and likes coloring.

Ashley is in the 1st grade and will be 7 in April. Ashley's smile lights up the room and her laughter fills the house. Literally! Sometimes I needto ask her to stop laughing. I am laughing right now just thinking about it, but sometimes it's just too much! She likes playing with other things, but her first resort is always coloring. Or tracing pictures that she will color later.

Katrina, our baby, is going to be 5 in February. Its very different not having any actual babies in the house! (She refuses to be called that anymore). Courtney tells me that I spoil her-but what baby isn't? :) Katrina is learning to read and can write almost all of her letters. She knows all of her sounds and now we're working on blending them together. She's getting so big! Katrina loves to play with her sisters, but she also likes to go and play by herself. She enjoys playing with her barbies, her farm animals, her bunny and her dolls.

All of our girls are growing up so fast. Of course I don't feel any older, but I come to the realization that I am. (And Courtney's constant teasing of seeing gray hairs). When I look upon our children and see how big they're getting I can see it. We have been blessed and I look forward to the challenges of 2010 will bring in hopes that we will respond rightly and honor God by our actions, words and deeds! May He bless you richly in 2010!

(*publishing & writing by Courtney)

Merry Christmas from the Mehmen's 2009!

Another year has flown by; another year older, another year wiser, and hopefully stronger through the challenges of the years past. It has been quite a while since we've put out a Christmas letter so I thought I would attempt this one. Now, since the date today is the 15th, ok, 20th, it is highly unlikely that you will receive this by Christmas! What is the purpose of a Christmas letter anyway? I enjoy reading Christmas letters to read about friends/family's busy year, what the year has brought them, the fun times, the "special" memories, and of course the family photo's so that I can see everyone and how they have grown! (Well, the younger ones anyhow... the older ones are just sweet to see with their children.) I don't care for the pictures of just the kids, and not the parents because it is normally the parents that I know, not so much the children, and so I want to see my friends, with their families, so if you are receiving this, note to self, *send Stephanie a picture of the "grown-ups" with the kids!* So, back to the purpose of a Christmas letter... this year, I thought it ought to be about how Jesus has worked in our lives this past year and share with you the blessings He has bestowed upon our family, and share different reasons why we are so excited to celebrate this Christmas season. I pray that during this Christmas season, you will give glory to God for sending His perfect son to this imperfect world full of sin, to live among us, to be treated as we are treated...sometimes fairly, sometimes unjustly, to be beaten, spat upon, found guilty although innocent and crucified. For us. For my sin. For your sin. I know that Christmas is a celebration of Jesus birth not death, although, God already knew as well as Jesus what the miraculous game plan was, and what His future beheld, yet He choose to descend to this unworthy earth anyway. Praise God! What a perfect example of the depth of HIS love that He has for us. There is nothing that He would not do for us this year, next year, or any other year to come.

Our year has been full of ups and downs. The ups have been blessed with a wonderful husband who loves me with all his heart, and has been blessed with a wonderful job that fits his skills and talents best. He has been employed there for over a year now, and has the opportunity to work overtime when so many have no job at all. We have been blessed with 5 healthy and happy daughters. Fortunately I have been blessed to be able to stay at home with our daughters and disciple them as well as educate them. We have been blessed with a place to lay our heads, a heater to keep us warm, food in the cupboards to keep our tummies full, and a show so that we can bathe with hot water to boot! What a bonus! I think of all of the things that others do not have here in Iowa, or anywhere in the US, as well as in other countries that may not have any of the things that we are blessed with and I am thankful. We are truly blessed. We have been blessed with wonderful and supportive friends/family to encourage us on despite our times of despair. The downs have been trying, although wonderful for us to see what God had in mind for us, which we were not aware of. Sometimes these things are difficult because you have a plan, your on a path, and you are mentally prepared for the journey. HA! So you think! So, when He reveals to you what HIS plan is for you and it doesn't match up to what your plan was, then it really throws you for a loop. Your handy little navigator, or GPS doesn't help at all! On the contrary, it really confuses you! So, with that admission, we have had much clarity presented to us this year, which of course by Gods grace has been yet another blessing to our family. I cannot list all of the reasons why our family is excited to celebrate this Christmas season, for there is not enough room to list them all. I pray that our Christmas letter has been enjoyable for you to read, as yours are to us. What a blessing you all are to our family!

Sending all our love to you and your family and wishing you a very blessed Christmas. Until next time, at the end of another year that has flown by.... take care of one another.

Love the Mehmen Family