Come on over!!!

Friend and family alike, come join me over at my new blog, www.wallacefamilyhomeschool.blogspot.com

I will still post to this blog from time to time, but I wanted to have a homeschool only dedicated blog. The new blog will be a journal for mainly myself to reflect upon, but also for whomever stumbles upon my page. I hope to bring encouragement and insight to other parents, homeschooling or not. Oh, and post some cool pictures of our happenings, trips, nature walks, etc.

Thanks!

Kim Celebrates 6 months of Chemo, now she's done

Hop on over to http://poppy-petal-designs.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-post-will-remain-at-top-please.html and leave Kim a comment, and keep here in your prayers. She just finished up 6 months of chemo, and is giving away blog candy to one special crafter!!! Thanks!

Lori's Birthday Candy

Hey ladies, want some free craft supplies? Hop on over to http://scrapinglori.blogspot.com/ and follow the instructions to be entered to win some lovely stuff!!!

Independence Day 2009

We started the day off making homemade donuts!!! YUMMY!!!

Then we went to the annual Freedom Fest held here on Nellis. They have tons of food (the free food is a long wait, so we opted out of the long line), various vendors, and a kids zone with fun inflatables and such.

We ended the night watching fireworks from the comfort of our front yard!!

Attention Homeschool Moms!!

Hi Ladies!! Tammy over at Three different directions, http://www.threedifferentdirections.com/2009/07/busy-body-book-organizer-review.html, has a nice giveaway!! Check out her blog and enter to win a nice planner tailored just for the busy homeschool mom. :o)

I will be posting some new pictures and happenings soon...

Shannon

Most Recent Stampin' Projects

About 3 weeks ago, I got back into the stampin' mood!!! Hooray!!! The first card shown in the classic black and white colors I made for my boys preschool teachers. I used SU black and naturals card stock. The stamp set I used is Fresh Cuts, and the ribbon is SU black gingham. Oh, and the naturals cardstock was cut with my Big Shot using the Top Note die. :o)








The second card I made for my friend Julie S. for her birthday!! I used the pre-cut card stock from the SU Fresh Cuts promotion from last year, along with the summer designer paper (forget the name of it...from summer '08), really red ribbon and ink.

Thanks for stopping by today!!

Papa

We had an exciting visitor a couple weeks ago!! Papa (Shannon's dad) came to visit us for a few days. The boys LOVE Papa!!! It had been nearly a year since we had last seen him, so it was really nice to spend quality time. Actually, it's been a year since we've had any family in town, so the few times we have visitors, we cherish it a lot.

Pictured to the left is Papa with his grandsons at Spring Mountain Ranch, NV. We took him out to see Red Rock Canyon as well.

When we were out at Red Rock Canyon, driving the scenic 13 mile route, we stopped at the summit. There was this cool, 2-person scooter thing you can rent. I decided to take a picture of the boys next to it, since we've never seen anything quite like it!

Ethan's Snaggle Tooth II

Well, it has happened again....Ethan lost tooth #2 on 20 Jun 2009!!! Another reminder that our little boy is growing up so fast!! :o(

He's such a trooper about it, unlike myself (Shannon) as a child. There's no blood or tears. He just...pulls it out, no big deal. This time instead of being in the car, he decided to pull it about 10 minutes after we tucked the boys into bed. Talk about strange places to pull a tooth; first the car, and then in his bed!! All I can remember as a child was being in my parent's bathroom, crying and being assisted by my dad, needle nose pliers in hand!! Yep, I said it, my dad pulled my teeth out with needle nose pliers! LOL

Slippin' and a Slidin'

Josh and I decided to buy the boys a good 'ol fashioned Slip 'n Slide...and was it worth every dollar spent! They spent 2 hours out there the first day, and had a BLAST!!!

Evan, being our go and get 'em type of boy was sliding like crazy!!!! What a ham he is at just 3 years old!

Ethan is pictured to the left, and Evan to the right.

Ethan's Snaggle Tooth!!!

Well, today was THE day...Ethan became a big boy and lost hist first tooth! In the car, nonetheless!!! I was up at the elementary school here on base picking up the girl I watch before and after school, and Ethan decided that pulling it in the car sounded good. No blood, no tears, and no pain!!!

He is SO proud of his tooth! He wanted me to take tons of pictures with him and his tooth--so cute!!! His tooth is under his pillow (or should be, though I doubt it is now), awaiting the Tooth Fairy! He doesn't seemed convinced that she is real, and had about 50 questions to ask about her that ranged from, "Does she have a job, a phone, a TV, etc." Silly boy!!!

Josh's Promotion

October 2007, Josh was promoted to Technical Sergeant. WOW, and I'm now just posting this? Well, a few reasons. One, I haven't been blogging until recently. Never have been a blogger, but I'm getting better. :o) Two, we couldn't take a camera into the promotion ceremony, so we had to rely on the professional photographer who was there. We received photo print copies, so I had to scan them in, and just ran across them today!

So here you go! What do you think? Does he make me look super short or what? Or do I make him look super tall? That's the question of the day.

And then there's the family photo...well, we had extremely squirmy boys that day, and they were NOT taking "nice" photos that day. Hence the sloppy family photo! Oh well, it's quite funny now that I look back on it, and I'm sure it will be even funnier in years to come!

Have a blessed week!

Uncle Keith

My Uncle Keith passed away one year ago today. He was only 56, and had battled cancer way back in the 70's, and then again in the late 90's. He was my Dad's oldest brother. He was my favorite uncle, and he will be missed!


I'll never forget Christmas of 2005, he had just bought his awesome Porsche 911, and was taking those who were brave enough for rides! We reached over 125MPH, and that was enough for me! But it was fun, and a memory that won't be forgotten.

OLD Stampin' Projects!!

I am NOT a consistent blogger! :o) However, I have the blogging bug today, and I'm taking yet another trip down memory lane. So here it goes: old stampin' projects that date back some 2 years ago to a few months ago. One of these days I will post some new projects, but I seem to make cards or other gifts and mail them out...but NOT take pics of them. UGH!!!

I'm also sewing some now, so once I actually finish something, I will post that too. I also am about a year overdue on finishing a scrapbook for my sister and brother-in-law. Sorry guys!! I'm not very organized, but it will get done. :o) Once that's complete and they receive it, I will post pics. It's a wedding scrapbook. I'm not a scrapbooker, and wish that I were, but I get started on a page and then get discouraged, and ultimately quit. I need some inspiration to get that book done!!!

Enjoy the pics. :o)

Old School Ranch Pics

Well, we finally got our PC that has all of our OLD photos back up and running, so I though I'd take a trip down memory lane.

Approximately two years ago, we took a trip out to Spring Mountain Ranch, the same place I blogged about a couple days ago. I remember that day like it was yesterday!! We hadn't been out here quite a year, and the desert landscape was getting...for lack of better words, depressing. I did some research and decided we needed to head out in the Red Rock Canyon area. We saw signs for Spring Mountain Ranch, and we though, hum...sounds quaint and nice. We were blown away when we got there! If you live in the Vegas area, or visit and want to get away from the heat and lack of green foliage, SMR is the place to be. As I have written before, green meadows, trees over 400 years old, a BEAUTIFUL ranch home, tons of history and more adorn this peaceful getaway--all for $5!! Take a picnic lunch with you and plenty to drink...oh, and a cozy blanket to lie out on the lush grass. It's a nice escape from the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas.

While out there, go inside the old ranch house and take a gander. It's pretty cool to see the inside and imagine what is was like to live out there. While inside, they offer a free movie (like 8 minutes long) on the history of the ranch. It's very interesting, and includes the history of the Paiute Indians, who first established the area.

There are several hiking trails around the area, and you just might see a few critters out there! Nothing scary, a lizard or two, beautiful wild flowers, and trees one won't normally see in the immediate Vegas area. The climate is much milder as well, though there will be days around 100 degrees in the mid-summer, it's typically 10 degrees cooler out there because it's at elevation 3800 ft. above sea level. In my opinion, 10 degrees cooler sounds awesome!!!


Well, I hope you enjoy these "old school ranch pics." Ethan is around 4 and Evan is a little over a year old. Ahhh...how cute they were (and still are), and how TIME FLIES!!!!

For more information, visit: http://parks.nv.gov/smr.htm

Have an abundantly blessed weekend! :o)

A Ranch Kinda Day

Well today the boys both had a dental appointment in Summerlin (far west Vegas), so after their checkups we drove out past Red Rock Canyon to a hidden treasure called Spring Mountain Ranch. Josh and I took the boys out there 2 years ago, and we've never been back until today--well, just the boys and I. I tell you, one would never know they were like 12 miles away from Vegas. SMR is paradise in the midst of desert terrain. There is a grass prairie, streams, tons of huge trees, wild burros, horses, a beautiful ranch house from the 1940's, and hiking trails. I felt so at peace out there, and wandered off into dreamland, imagining that we lived in that ranch house and the boys had tons of land to play on and roam freely. Anyway, it was just a dream! Sometimes it's fun to imagine what could never be!! Well, you never know, but I know that we'll never live out there since it is a Nevada State Park now, and won't be on the market in this lifetime!

My friend Andrea met us out there with her son Brayden and took some pictures with her fancy professional camera...hence the terrific photo of the boys! Thanks so much Andrea!!

I am exhausted from a long day of hiking, sun, and chasing after boys! G'night!

Prayerful

Hi friends, how does this day find you? Exhausted, prayerful, blessed, stressed, happy, sad? Not coincidentally (since today is National Day of Prayer in America), I've found this week to be bountiful with prayer. I've had some issues of my own to work on, like being more patient and seeking God's will over my own. Thankfully He doesn't give up on my stubborn self!

I'd like to ask that you guys keep a sweet lady I was acquainted with here at Nellis through Chapel and Mommy group. Her name is Tina, and her hubby Kenny is active duty Air Force. They have a son who is 4, and had a precious baby Gabi who passed away this week. She was just shy of her 5 month birthday, and she never woke up from napping. I think at this point it can be assumed SIDS was the cause of her passing. I cannot fathom anything much worse than losing a precious baby. What heartache and pain they must feel. It's times like this that I sit back and analyze my impatience with Ethan and Evan, and realize that I only have them for a short time and then they will be grown up, or who knows...maybe with the Lord. Each day is a ticking clock full of potential. How did we use this time? Did we enjoy what's most important or did we flub it away on nonsense? I'm ready to get rid of the nonsense in my life and focus on what God has blessed me with--my family and friends!

I hope this finds you prayerful, blessed, and hopeful!

**I included a pic of the boys at Red Rock Canyon this past Friday. We took and mommy and boys trip to go hike in God's creation!!! As always, a fun but tiring time followed by a trip to Whole Foods!

Happy Mother's Day to all the momma's out there!!!

A Poopy Kind of Day Plus Some Blog Candy!! Oh My!!

Well, today was a poopy kind of day. LITERALLY!!! But let me explain how we got there. It all begins with me giving up caffeine 3 weeks ago today!!! I knew it needed to be done, and it was God convicting me to do so (for health reasons), so away went anything with caffeine, except the occasional chocolate binge! Anyway, we've always eaten very healthy, but I'm always striving for ways to eat even healthier. The boys (around that same time I gave up caffeine) found my old Juiceman Jr. machine from like ten years ago. They begged me to use it, so I washed it up, fired it up...and what do you know, it worked!! We've been juicing (as we call it) daily, a concoction of about 7-10 carrots, 3-4 apples, and a pinch of ginger: Carrot Apple Ginger Juice. YUMMY!!! Well, apparently it upset little Evan's tummy quite a bit, and he decided to do his business on his little potty versus the big potty. He missed, got some on the floor, and it was gross. When I went to dump the poop in the big potty, it splashed back up and landed on my head (well, some remnants, not turds!!)!!! I was quite disgusted, had to re-wash my already clean hair, and change my shirt. Well, that about sums up today. It wasn't poopy the rest of the day, just this morning. Oh, BTW, stop by http://passionforcrafts.blogspot.com/ and visit Debbie, leave her some love, and enter for a chance to win some amazing blog candy. It will make your day non-poopy!!! Blessings:o)

Praise God, for We are Blessed!

I've been MIA for several weeks. I must say that 2009 has been an up/down sort of year for myself, and especially for some of my close friends. My burdens and worries are minuscule as compared to those who have been through so much more. Let's back track to February 4th, when beautiful Mia Amore Adamis was born to my good friend Rachael. BTW, please check out www.theadamisfamily.blogspot.com to keep up with them and Mia's progress. Anyway, those two weeks after Mia was born were so emotionally draining. I could only imagine if I felt so emotionally spent, how Rachael and Robert and their family must have felt, not knowing if baby Mia was going to make it. But God is good and gracious, and He kept all of us strong, and most importantly, He has strengthened baby Mia!! Praise God!!

About six weeks ago, some major chaos occurred at Ethan's school. He was having some major anxiety about going to school, and I didn't know what to do. The administration got involved (a bot too much might I add) and didn't stay within their legal boundaries. Josh and I made the call to pull him from public school and homeschool our boys. More on that in a bit. In the midst of all of this, I took him to the pediatrician because he had uncontrollable head-shaking (no doubt caused by undue stress from school). The doc ordered an MRI to rule out a condition she wouldn't tell me about, and to rule out a brain tumor. Of course, this was very worrisome for me. But for the first time in my life, I almost completely leaned on God for understanding and wisdom. After seeing what my friends had been through with baby Mia...not being able to take her home nor do the normal things that parents with "normal" healthy babies get to do...well, it puts a lot into perspective. I told God that I left it in His hands. That if Ethan indeed had a tumor or something severely wrong, I was blessed with almost 7 years of joy with him, and that was more than some parents ever get with their kids. Now this wasn't easy for me, but it gave me a sense of utter peace and calmness I cannot explain. I think there will be stories for years to come on how baby Mia has touched many lived, brought many to Christ...and anything else that God could do through His glorious works.

Anyhow, back to the newest events to unfold. So I withdrew Ethan a couple days before spring break, we headed out to Southern California for a break and spent time with close friends. We are taking it easy around here, not pressing the whole homeschooling schedule as of yet. Just taking it one day at a time. We will officially start our school year around the end of August/beginning of September. I am SOOOO excited about being my boy's teacher!! I am using My Father's World, www.mfwbooks.com for our curriculum. I will be supplementing with Math-U-See, which is an awesome math program just for homeschooling, www.mathusee.com to check out their products and sample demo videos. And there's the ever famous questions,"How ever will you socialize your boys?" Well, we aren't going to hole up and avoid the world!! We are joining at least one or two home school groups and will meet at least once a week. We have church, friends, possibly AWANA next year, sports, swim lessons, and hopefully Cub Scouts. Um, I do think they will get socialized quite a bit more. Besides, not to be snooty or rude, but I don't want my boys to conform to the pattern of this world as I did when I was in school. I want them to live for God and experience the joy that I have in my relationship with Christ. Though it can be done with kids in public school, there's a greater chance that they will be better equipped with a solid Christian-based home school environment.

Anyway, that is the latest with our family. I will hopefully post some updated pics in the next few days. May God bless you this and every day!!!

Wendy's Blog Candy

Hop on over and meet Wendy @ Paper Therapy. She's generously giving away some lovely paper crafting things. http://papertherapy-wendy.blogspot.com/

Have a blessed weekend!

YUMMY Blog Candy!

Hey stampin' ladies, Melissa http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com is giving away some amazing blog candy just for stopping by and saying hi, becoming a follower of her blog, and linking her to your blog!!!!!! Go show her some love!

Hope everyone is having a blessed week. It's been a rough one around here, but amazingly today was a much better day.

Lookin' Up to Him,
Shannon

Blog Candy

Hey stamping friends...check out http://scrapinglori.blogspot.com

She is a lovely Christian stamper! Check out her blog and leave her some love...you just might win the wonderful bundle of goodies she is giving away!!

Bonnie Springs & Mickey D's

Yesterday was a wonderful day!! We took a family excursion out to Bonnie Springs, an old western themed town in the beautiful Red Rock Canyon area. For my out-of-towners, RRC is a recreation area west of Las Vegas. Though living in "Sin City" may not be the greatest, God has provided an abundance of recreational areas to enjoy. When I drive out to this area, I thank God for making such wonders to enjoy!


Anyway, once at Bonnie Springs, you pay $20/car for entry, though there wasn't anyone there to take payment. This puzzled us, and I felt guilty for meandering around without paying, but no one seemed to care. Anyway, more on that later.

So, we walked in and fed the ducks and swans at the pond area. Then on we went to the petting zoo. The petting zoo area was full of all different types of animals, from pot-bellied pigs to wolves!! It is smelly and at times crowded, but would one expect a petting zoo to smell like roses? Anyway, our boys enjoyed the animals, and most of the animals (not contained in cages) were friendly and wanted to be petted and fed. Note: bring plenty of pocket change in the form of quarters to purchase feed for the animals. We then meandered around some more and looked at the other petting zoo area where some horses and longhorn steers were.

Then it was off to ride the train. This is were payment time finally arrived. The train conductor (it's not a full-sized train) then asked for our tickets. I told him we didn't have a ticket, and could we pay him. Alas, someone who could take payment and give us tickets for entry! We enjoyed the 10 minute (give or take) train ride, and saw beautiful views of the canyons. Evan seemed to really enjoy the ride, and the smile on his face made this very evident.

Then is was off to the old western town part of Bonnie Springs. We took a gander here and there, looking in at the shops scattered throughout. Of course, there was an American-Indian themed store adorned with nothing other than...you guessed it, wind chimes! For those that have met Ethan for little more than 5 minutes, you know the kids loves his wind chimes! We made our way to the very end of the town, where there was a saloon with an 1800's melodrama. The boys weren't interested, as they prefer to explore, so it was off to see all of the different sites. One place they loved was the "lean to the side" house. It was kind of like one of those fun houses at a carnival that throws your equilibrium off!! We walked through there like 2 times--the boys loved it!!

Then the absolute highlight of the trip occurred!! Josh and the boys wanted to check out the old-fashioned fire truck (though not sure why it was there...don't think they had those back in horse drawn carriage days). Right by the truck was the school house and a merry-go-round. Josh and I commented on how you never see those on playgrounds anymore. And I guess what happened next is why. So at this point it's just Ethan and Evan on the MGR and I'm pushing it ever so carefully so they don't get too dizzy. An older kid (he was well-intentioned) came up and offered to push the kids. At this point there was like 5 kids on the MGR, and they were going SUPER fast! Ethan and Evan has been on there longer than all of the other kids, and I knew it was TOO long. Evan starts to get a sick look on his face, almost as if he was getting ready to pass out. His head started to wobble and then he went face down. I of course freaked out and stopped the MGR and got him off ASAP!!! He was disoriented for a couple of minutes, but then was up and running again fast. Needless to say, I was a bit worried and nervous, but Josh reassured me he was going to live. LOL Thank the Lord Evan didn't get sick to his stomach and projectile vomit all over everyone!! What a sight that would have been!

We ended our old western town excursion with being temporarily locked in jail for having unruly boys!! Just kidding! We thought it would be fun to pose in the jail and take a family portrait.

We then drove back into town, had lunch at McDonald's (this is a big deal as we eat fast food maybe 10 times per year, and that's if we're on a road trip, otherwise it's like 5 times a year). I have to say that my quarter pounder with cheese, fries and Dr. Pepper were delicious!

Yesterday was a blessed day, a time of family. These are the days that I live for, and the days I will treasure for years to come.

Until next post (which I hope is sooner than later), I hope you are abundantly blessed by God! Take care. :o)

Please pray at 1:02 PST 18 Feb 09

Friends,

Please take the time to stop and pray for Mia Amore Adamis at 1:02 PST. If you know anyone else who is willing to stop and pray, please let them know. For more info, please go to www.theadamisfamily.blogspot.com

Trusting the Lord...Shannon

Prayers for Dear Friends

Hi there friends-

I know it's been a long time since my last post, and for that I am sorry! We are all doing really well, and I am so very thankful to God for my two amazingly wonderful sons, and my loving husband. 2009 thus far has treated us well. No new news to report, but hey, no news is good news, right?

There are some of you aware of the Adamis family. For those of you who aren't, please visit www.theadamisfamily.blogspot.com They are dear friends of mine, going through what no one should have to endure. Somehow God will see them through this most difficult of times. Please continue for renewed strength, and if you wish pop over to their blog and leave a comment of encouragement. They need every prayer that is possible!

Thank you and God bless...Shannon

Something I read

I read this today on Facebook. A Christian singer, Tammy Trent had posted this as encouragement. This is 100% how I feel as a follower of Jesus Christ.


"When I say, 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting I'm clean livin'. I'm whispering I was lost and now I'm found and forgiven. When I say, 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride. I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide. When I say, 'I'm a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong. I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on. When I say, 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success. I'm admitting I have failed and need Jesus to clean my mess. When I say, 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect. My flaws are far too visible but Jesus believes I am worth it. When I say, 'I'm a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain. I have my share of heartaches so I call upon His Name. When I say, 'I'm a Christian' I'm not holier than thou. I'm just a simple sinner who received Christ's good grace, some how."

Have a blessed week!