It's What Ethan Would Have Wanted

A lot of people have wondered if we are still moving to Washington State since the tragic loss of Ethan. And to answer that--yes--we are still going forth with the move. Ethan was so excited about moving somewhere colder, with trees, and a lot of beautiful places to see. When I mean excited, I truly mean EXCITED!!! We feel it best to move on with our lives, just as it would have been if Ethan were still here with us. Some people may not understand that, and wonder how we can move and make so many changes with having such a great loss occur. Well, plain and simply...It's what Ethan would have wanted. It's also what we want as a family, and we need the change. God has great plans ahead for us in WA. :o)

In Memory of Ethan Joshua

Our oldest son, Ethan Joshua, passed away 5 Jun 10. He is missed by so many, but especially his little brother Evan, and his Mommy and Daddy. Losing a child is said to be the worst type of loss one could endure, and I do believe this to be true. It's as though a huge part of you is missing, and will never be replaced. It's only by the grace of God that we can get through this difficult time. God is amazing, as are our community of friends and family. I cannot fathom one going through such a loss, or any loss of that sort, without a personal relationship with the Lord. Am I witnessing? Why yes I am. That's what Ethan would have wanted, and I will do my best to honor his memory by being a witness and sharing my testimony. Ethan's passing was a tragedy. He was a healthy boy of 7, and what happened to us can happen to anyone--ANYONE. He drowned in a pool where adults were all around. There was plenty of supervision. It happened in the blink of an eye, and that's all it takes. The what- ifs plague our minds, but the comfort of the Lord and knowing that Ethan in safe in heaven gives us hope and comfort. I cannot describe the beautiful comfort that the Lord has given Josh and I. Because there is NO way I could have gotten through this as sane as I have without my Heavenly Father. He loves me. He loves you. He cares. He is good ALL of the time, and He knows what he is doing. It's just hard sometimes to let go and let God. It's easy to get caught up in the flesh and thinking about what could have been, when what we need to focus on is the here and now. Ethan is gone, but he isn't forgotten. We miss him every minute of everyday. If you get a chance, look up the following verses for us, and for the memory of Ethan: Proverbs 3:5, and Matthew 7:12. He exemplified both of these verses. In fact, a couple of days before he passed, out of the blue he said,"Mommy, I am going to take the straight path to God (as he pointed toward heaven)." This just warms my heart, knowing that a little boy of 7 was so in love with the Lord that he was ready to take the straight path to heaven. Are you?

So What's the Crab All About???

At this point, I hope I've gotten someone out there in cyber-space world to stop and read my blog! :o) "Why the crab pictures?," you are probably pondering at the moment. Did we go "crabbing" somewhere out in the ocean? No. Did I go to a market and take a picture of these creatures? No.

Okay, let me give you another clue. Here is a view of Mt. Rainier from Ft. Lewis, WA. Please note, I cannot take credit for these pictures. I located them on a couple of free websites on the internet...photographer unknown. Anyway, do you still have no clue? Okay, well I will let you in on what's been going on over at the Wallace household the past week or so. We received exciting news that we are moving to Washington State in either July or August! This is exciting news for us, as we are more than welcome to the idea of no longer living in the Las Vegas area. We left San Antonio exactly 4 years ago, and though we've met a lot of wonderful people and God has blessed us more than words can express...it's time to move on.

We will be in the Tacoma area, but we are unsure at this point if we will live in base, or if we will rent out in the suburbs until we find a home to purchase.

So why the crab pics? Well, we are huge fish eaters, and we are excited that we can actually go "crabbing" or whatever one calls it, once we've settled in WA. We have the huge market in Seattle at out disposal to buy some of the freshest fish ever, along with taking a day trip to Mt. Rainier. And that's just the beginning of the endless opportunities that WA will provide for our family.

We are stoked!!!

Visit Barb Over at the Handbook of Nature Study

http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/2010/01/winter-series-of-outdoor-hour.html

Please visit Barb over at the Handbook of Nature Study. Barb pours a lot of time and love into her blog, and she is a true Charlotte Mason of the 21st century. While over there, you will notice she has some lovely eBooks for sale, which can enhance your homeschooling over these chilly winter months! And if you leave her a comment on her page, you will be entered to win one of her lovely new eBooks!

Happy New Year...and Prizes??? Oh my!!!

Happy 2010, my dear friends, readers, family, etc. !! It has been too long since I last posted about any homeschool or family events. The holidays consume so much time, but that's okay because the time consumed is well worth the fond memories made. :o)

More about those memories made in a future post. I must get the first day of school, 2010 started ASAP!!!

While you're taking a break, please hop on over to the new and improved, The Homeschool Classroom, at http://hsclassroom.net and check out their new website and enter to win some awesome prizes!!! Prizes include items from Math-U-See, Winter Promise, Nintendo, and more!!

Until next post, be productive, happy, joyful, and living in a way that's pleasing to our Lord. :o)

When Mom is Feeling Yucky

I suspect there isn't one homeschooling mom who is ALWAYS healthy and feeling super every day! Well, fall is here and so is the flu and other yucky junk. Yes, I have some junk...probably just a sinus infection, but it's taking forever to get over. As one who doesn't tun to the doc to get meds, it sometimes takes me a bit longer to get back to normal the "natural" way.

With that said, I have NO motivation. I don't want to school the boys; I just want to lounge and do NOTHING!!! But I have pressed myself to carry on since we took over almost 2 weeks in September due to moving and vacation. Time off=guilt. You ever feel that way? That is you aren't schooling your children at home in your own traditional way that you've somehow fallen short on your duty as a teacher? That's me right now!

Josh told me yesterday that teachers get sick too and take time off. Hum...hubby's are smart, aren't they?

Anyway, for any of you moms out there that feel guilty when you take time off or are sick...don't. And I will keep trying to tell myself that!

Until next time, smile and be blessed! I have a ton of pics and updates, but not time to post on that.

Pictures Say It All

Nothing much to write, as I am super tired and need to go to bed!! Just wanted to share some pictures of Ethan diligently working on some verse copy work. Ethan LOVES handwriting and copy work, and is really enjoying each Proverb we learn each week. :o) Just in case you are just joining in on our homeschool adventure, we are using My Father's World for our main curriculum (language arts, Bible, science, reading). We will be adding in KONOS in the next month or so to "spice up" our home school adventures. We are also currently using Math U See, which I can't say enough positive things about!! Ethan dearly loves his Math time!