Outdoor work and fun

I haven't posted in awhile.  I thought I might just add some more pictures to show what's going on these past few weeks.

Pretty soon all three boys won't fit in the hammock with Dad.

Zechariah and Isaac are playing  "Revolutionary War" on the "sea". Zechariah is obviously an American ship and Michael is the Captain of the British ship. 

Yay!  America won!

Dad and boys having fun down the driveway.

You can see we play down the driveway often...notice all the trucks along the side.

"No fear Michael" racing down.

No fear Isaac....

"Here Mom."

Zechariah cutting some branches off the tree.  Future fire wood.

Isaac cutting away small branches too...

...and Michael cutting.

Hiking Practice

Last Saturday was a BEAUTIFUL sunny day, so Dad (Grant) decided we should go on a practice hike.   We piled in the boys' backpacks and the dog and away we went.  There is a beautiful place called Cascadia with an amazing waterfall!  The trail to the waterfall is only about a mile in...so it was a fairly easy trek. (2 miles total).

Little hikers, ready for action!

Isaac, Grant,(Sadie, the dog), Michael, and Zechariah.

That's Isaac (4 years old), doing a great job!

Michael is doing a good job too.  No pack for him on this trip, but he does have a small one we will try later.

Up, up, up!

We made it to the top!  See the pretty waterfall!

Hard worker, Zechariah, (6 years) is heading back down the trail.

Isaac, ready to head back down the trail.

Down, we go! 

Thank you, Lord for a wonderful family day.  What an amazing Father we have to give us sweet times on this earth to enjoy family and His beautiful creation.

"Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.  Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgements are a great deep; O LORD, You preserve man and beast."

Psalm 36:5-6

Food Fun!

Picture by Suat Eman

For the last couple of years I have begun a journey of learning more about foods and how to properly prepare them. Traditional healthy food, that usually requires some time...not time making it, but time to let it sit.  Fermenting (culturing), soaking, and sprouting all take time.

 My lastest venture is making water kefir!  We all love it!  It's a sort of bubbly sweet water that is filled with probiotics, great for digestion and a healthy gut!  You can add whatever flavor juice you want as well, to make it a treat.  I usually just add a little lemon and it's wonderful, like lemonade!  Here is a site to show how EASY it is to make! http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/04/how-to-make-water-kefir.html

As I type, I have buttermilk culturing, lentils sprouting, water kefir fermenting, and just made some yogurt (in the crockpot) that turned out perfect!

I took out a couple of big scoops, and you can see how firm it is!

Sprouted lentils for a salad I'm making for dinner, tonight. :)

All of this learning, doing, and actually having it work is another pleasure God has given me.  There is something to making food from "as close to the ground" as you can.  As a homemaker, I want to prepare the most nourishing food I can for our family.  We still go out once in a while, but this what I'm trying to implement for most of our  meals. There are some wonderful resources if any of you would like to learn more.  Two of my favorite blogsites are http://www.keeperofthehome.org/  and  http://gnowfglins.com/ . They both have great information and pictures...I like pictures! :) 

I have to say that learning and trying these new things are teaching me some important lessons. Patience and thankfulness for my food have probably been the most upfront things.  The Lord is so good to give us all the food we need daily...and how He created everything to work a certain way.  Watching how seeds sprout, to grow into more plants. How precious water is for cooking and drinking.  (Thank you Lord for the rain!) How living organisms (probiotics - good bacteria) is good for our digestive system.  The more I learn, the more I see how the Lord has made food to sustain and be used by and for our body.  From the largest things like our galaxies to the smallest things like bacteria, He is the Creator of them all and He made them work just the right way to reveal how brilliant He is!

"Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD from the heavens;

Praise Him in the heights!

Praise Him all His angels;

Praise Him, all His hosts!

Praise Him, sun and moon;

Praise Him, all starts of light!

Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heavens! 

 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created." Psalm 148:1-5

  

Newport Beach Trip

We went to the coast last Friday and Saturday to see the "Lady Washington" and "Hawaiian Chieftan".   They are two historical ships.  They were amazing!  Grandma Karen and Grandpa Charlie also came with us (for Grandma's birthday!). 

This was the boys waiting to get on the ships! (They are the two in the background.)  The sails were not up... probably due to the weather.

Here Zechariah is figuring out how the cannon works.

Isaac the "helmsman" and Zechariah the "lookout".

The ships are in the background.  If the sails would have been up it would have been even more spectacular!

 When we got on the ship, I couldn't believe how many ropes there were!  It was a lot of work to sail!

Isaac is so pleased he has control of the cannons. ;)

I wonder what this rope does?

Everyone was happy, except Michael...he didn't understand why we wouldn't let go of his hand the whole time.

Here are the older boys and Dad braving the wind and the drizzle on the beach.  Mom and Michael were relaxing in the warm hotel. :)

Michael Benjamin...3 years

Michael Benjamin has just turned 3!  This would mean, we officially have no more "babies" in the house...  Michael is probably the most advanced of all the boys because of all the interaction he has with his big brothers.  He is able to communicate amazingly!  Sometimes a little too well. :) His personality is still coming through, but what I can tell of him so far is exciting!  The words that come to mind are bold, fearless, and funny...

 He is very bold and fearless in taking down and attacking an enemy...or what he perceives as an enemy at the moment.  In his eyes, his brothers are no match for him, when he feels he has been wronged.  He doesn't seem to mind the fact that he is half their size... doesn't faze him.  I see this as a good quality if it can be bridled in the right way.  We need more men of courage....especially in  "David and Goliath" senarios.

He also has a funny side.  And it is funny...because it's not necessarily a "silly" kind of funny, but understanding what real humor is and doing it. Another great quality.  Although we do encourage maturity and a general seriousness about life and especially the things of the Lord, it is good to be able to laugh appropriately....what joy and pleasure God created in laughter.

We are enjoying our Michael, and look forward to see how the Lord uses him for His glory.

Bath time after "fun" in the mud.

P.S. For those that don't know how to get on the main page of our blog (to see previous posts) go to:

http://smithfamilyssweethome.blogspot.com/

Tree Climbing...not so high.

We all enjoy the beautiful trees here.  The boys especially love the kind that "look like" something.  Here are some pics of us exploring and climbing (not too high). 

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, not stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  But his delight is in the law of the LORD,  and in His law meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yeilds its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers." -Psalm 1:1-3

The "jail" tree.

The "ship" tree.

Standing tall.

Peek-a-boo.

Isaac, the little monkey.