"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

the beginning of a new journey


Around the Engel home, anything new or special is celebrated with food. :) So on our first day of homeschool, we had a special breakfast with yummy food and school-y decor to start it off!



We prayed prayers of thankfulness and also for God's guidance for this year, and then asked the kids their goals for the year.

**Savannah's goals 1) Learn to read 2) Have recess! :)
**Camden's goals 1) Listening 2) Letters like "ostrich for O" :)

Then we centered our homeschool on the following verse:

~~Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.~~ Colossians 4:2

This was the beautiful sunrise on our first morning. God's creation is amazing!



Here are some pictures of the Kindergartner!



K for Kindergarten!



A look at the school space and the main curriculum:



The laid back kindergartner in her assigned seat:



The preschooler in his assigned seat:



Little sis joining in the teaching:



We even got to "kick off" school with a fun soccer clinic with friends from Savannah's Lincoln Christian preschool class last year.



Now for some Q&A:

How and when did you decide to homeschool?
The desire has been on my heart for a number of years, but recently the Lord laid it on Tyler's heart to check out for our family. We researched and asked questions for a few months and decided in July to go for it! I'm excited to walk this journey with our kids, teaching them not only curriculum but also the ways of the Lord, hand in hand through our ups and downs.

How long will you homeschool?
As long as God leads! We intend to continually evaluate our family and determine what route is the best for our family at the given time. I certainly love the idea of structuring our family "our way" and being a direct part of their learning. After learning the classical model at the practicum, Tyler joked that "it won't be long before our kids are smarter than their daddy!"

What curriculum are you using?
We are part of Classical Conversations which is a model of classical education focusing on memory work divided into 6 subjects: timeline/history, geography, math, science, Latin, and English grammar. We also have additional curriculum for reading/writing and math. So far I am thoroughly enjoying learning along with my kids! We will meet weekly with our community where Savannah and Camden will be in age appropriate classes, participate in a fine arts project/lesson, a science project, and practice oral presentation skills each week. Maryn will be in nursery onsite, and I'll switch weekly sitting in on the classroom time between the two.

A journey it will be. A Heavenly Father who will teach me and instruct me as I teach and instruct them.

Thankful.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A memorable Memorial Weekend

A fun weekend indeed! Lots of great family time, and though we didn't get to be with extended family and celebrate lives and service, we are thankful and ever appreciative for those who have sacrificed for us! Much love grandpa Mick!!!

We fit lots into a long weekend. Here were some highlights!

Kite-flying!




A new method of making homemade ice cream, then fellowship with great friends!






Pool time!!









Zoo time!!



















Such fun with the ice cream truck! And the ~coolest~ ice cream treat ever--Batman!!! (Look closely and you'll see a special figure in Camden's right hand too:))





Family bike rides!!



So blessed, and of course, thankful!

Psalm 107:1
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

New start!

Well hello out there! Seems it's been awhile since I've posted on here...ok, a looong while. But I'm back with a fresh start and some new features to my blog. Make sure to add yourself as a follower! Hope this family's Thankful Heart will be contagious :)

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with Praise!
Psalm 120:4

Friday, December 31, 2010

Before the year is over...

I need to introduce the newest member of our family...though nearly 4 months old...Maryn Adelaine Engel born 9/3/10 at 4:38pm. She is our dear 'mini Savannah'
and we are very blessed to have her.

Apparently I have had my hands full over the last few months that I have not gotten to this post until now. However, I have truly enjoyed every moment with Maryn and my hands were full because I took the opportunity to fill them with my precious baby! I rarely put her down for the first several months!!! No regrets there!

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Precious Memories

Thanks to our sweet neighbor/babysitter, Cori, we have some special pics of the kids and me before baby 3 arrives!



One week til the official due date. Excited for baby's arrival!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Top Ten List

It's been awhile, so let me fill you in on the last few months with a top ten list plus a few pics. :)

10.Lots of visits to Madonna Proactive outdoor pool!


9. Great family trip to Kansas City for a friend's wedding along with time at Crown Center. Kids loved Fritz's Train Restaurant and the Crayola Store!!




8. Savannah enjoyed her first movie theater experience! She and daddy went to Toy Story 3 and shared a big tub of popcorn :)


7. BBQs and park visits with great friends!

6. Family trips to the Farmer's Market!

5. Answered prayer! After months of seeking God's plan for our family, Tyler has accepted a new position with Allied in Lincoln that will have minimal travel compared to the heavy load in his last position. Praise the Lord for His perfect provision!

4. Camden turned 2 and had a choo-choo party! What a joy he is!!


3. Fabulous return trip to the Ozarks! We were blessed to have two families join us and create some treasured memories!!









2. Growing in fellowship with our new church body, First Street Bible Church! We are so thankful the Lord chose our previous fellowship at Faith Bible Church to branch out and connect with this wonderful new body.


1. Baby #3 is coming soon!!! We are about 4 1/2 weeks from our due date, yippee!

Monday, March 8, 2010

Christmas

Ok, I know it's March, and I am finally posting Christmas pictures. But if I may offer a good excuse :), due to the crazy weather around Christmas that prevented us from traveling back to family, we rescheduled our Christmases and had one in January and one in February. So when you consider that...I'm not as late as it may seem. :)

Long story short, we celebrated Christmas in a different way this year on actual Christmas Day. We were invited to my dear friend Steph's parents house and were warm and well fed in the presence of a loving family. Thank you Lord, though we were snowed in back in Lincoln, that we had a wonderful Christmas celebration afterall!

Here are some pictures of the cousins at our make up Christmas celebrations!

--The Engel cousins (this group will grow by two next year!)



--The Maxson side cousins (This group will grow by ONE next year :) Unless my sister decides to surprise us with some news on number 5! Ha!)



Our Burwell Christmas (my mom's extended side of family) all met in Kearney at the Holiday Inn and we swam and ate. :) Fun times! No group pic of the kids though :(


Merry Christmas in March! :)