Passport2Purity Get-Away

For my daughter's 12th birthday, I planned a little get-away for just the two of us. We didn't go too far away from home, but I planned things I knew she'd enjoy and make her feel special. While we were away, we went through five sessions of the Passport2Purity curriculum by Family Life. 

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We left on a Thursday afternoon, but she was all packed and prepared to leave by Wednesday afternoon. She was very excited. 

Before leaving town, we stopped by Starbucks for one of her favorite drinks, and enjoyed some laughs over a few mad libs. 

I knew I had to reserve a hotel with a pool because this girl loves to swim. Plus, she needed to practice all the new things she learned at her recent swim lessons. 

You know how Jesus said we can't live on bread alone? Well, I think this girl could and that's why I took her to Fazoli's for dinner because she loves pasta and bread. 

In between listening to the sessions on CD, we did an art project and we also did our nails. 

On our final morning we ate breakfast at the hotel, finished up our last session together, checked out of the hotel, did some shopping, enjoyed a lunch at a place of her choosing, and then headed back home. 

We were only gone for about 26 hours, but we learned so much, had a lot of fun, and made a lot of wonderful memories. We had some wonderful, tough conversations and she made it through all the sessions like a champ.

I highly recommend this product to all parents of adolescent children. It was a great guide to help me have some intentional conversations with my child now before it's too late.

We Have Now Entered the Teenage Zone

Tyler got TWO celebrations for his birthday this year, and I guess your 13th is a good one for that. On his actual birthday, our family traveled to meet my husband's family for a few days of lake fun. Tyler's grandpa rented a boat and they spent the morning fishing (which is his favorite outdoor activity). 

When we returned home, Tyler and a couple of his friends went and played laser tag and then came back to the house for pizza and a 2nd birthday cake. I think he would say his 13th birthday was very special and memorable. 

I'm still not recognizing this birthday. He can't possibly be a teenager. Perhaps that's why I'm posting about his 13th birthday 21 days after it happened.

I love this boy - I mean young man.

Summer Bucket List

At the beginning of summer, I found this FREE printable and had the children take turns writing things down. Here's some proof that we didn't just make a list of things to do, but we are actually taking action and getting some fun accomplished this summer!

We enjoyed going on a picnic and fishing and visiting a local ice cream shop. We are now trying to decide on a nearby zoo to visit before our summer ends. Last summer back in PA, we were busy trying to sell our home, packing boxes, and saying "good-bye" to all our friends. There was  not much room for fun activities like this because there was so much work to be done. This summer has been full of fun trips and activities and it's not even over yet!

Visiting Missouri Family

My family is only about 8 hours away from our new home in IL and I have seen them twice since moving from PA to IL. Our drive time was cut in half after moving and we've enjoyed the more frequent visits. Tyler is holding my great nephew in this picture. We love him so much and miss him terribly. We are thankful his mama posts a lot of pics on Facebook for us to see between our visits.

Here's a picture I took of all the cousins. I love them all so much and am thankful my kids have great cousins they truly enjoy hanging out with.

After leaving southwest Missouri, the kids and I traveled to Columbia to visit more cousins. On Monday night, I enjoyed a night out with my sister-in-law while her husband watched all five of our kids. I completed my degree two years ago, but chose not to drive from PA to MO for the graduation ceremony, so we thought it would be fun to go take a picture by the columns. 

Lowden State Park

We enjoyed visiting a local state park this week and it was beautiful. We hiked to take a look at this local landmark dedicated to all Native Americans, but over time has become known as Blackhawk. 

After looking at the gigantic statue, we found these stairs (188 total) that led down to the Rock River, so we decided to go down the stairs to explore. We all survived the journey back up and my leg muscles today still recall these lovely steps. 

Some PA friends of ours were nearby for a family reunion and we met up and enjoyed the day together. They taught us a game called Bocce ball and we all decided this is a game we want to own. Our new home state has a lot of state parks and now we are excited and looking forward to visiting many more. 

Lauren's Fashion Birthday Party

 My baby turned 9 on Sunday, March 30th. We had a fashion-themed birthday party for her on Saturday, the 29th. We sent out simple invitations I created over at PicMonkey using their "design" feature. We found adorable plates, cups and napkins at the Dollar Tree, and I was completely surprised at the wide selection my local store had.

We set up a photo booth and used all the same props we used at our homeschool co-op's valentine party. Here's a sweet pic of the birthday girl and her dad.

We took pictures of the girls as a group and then gave them an opportunity to pair up any way they chose or individually. While I got the girls started on their craft, my sister-in-law used my laptop to send the pictures to be developed at a nearby CVS so they could be picked up before the end of the party. So when each girl went home they took their decoupaged frame and 2-3 photos home with them as a party favor. We purchased wooden frames at Michaels for $1 each and a pack of animal print scrap booking paper and let the girls use mod podge to decoupage their frames with foam paint brushes.

Once the frames were done, I divided the girls up into two teams and chose a model for each team. Each team was given tape, tissue and toilet paper and asked to design and create a dress and put it on their model. Once the girls were done, their model walked the "runway" and was judged for best design. Both teams were incredibly creative and all the girls seemed to really enjoy this activity.

The two models wearing their beautiful fashions. 

Lauren asked for plain glazed donuts instead of birthday cake again this year. So, we stacked them up on a pretty cake plate, stuck in some candles and she was pretty stinkin' happy. The refreshments were very simple. We had a bowl of M&M candies, donuts, pretzels and punch.

Since our parsonage is quite small, we were very blessed to be able to reserve and use an area of our church called "Children's World" for the party. It worked perfectly for all we wanted to do.

2014 is the year of friend birthday parties (we do them every other year) and I would say we got off to a fun start with Lauren's party. Tyler's birthday is in August and Kaitlyn's birthday is in November. So I have some time to recoup and plan the parties they want to have.

My Tuesday Morning with Jesus

We spent the weekend out of town for a niece's birthday party, came home Saturday night to no water because the water pipes leading to our home froze. I spent Sunday at home instead of going to church so I could wait on a call from the water district to come fix the situation. Monday was a holiday, so my husband got to stay home and we decided to not do any school so we could have a family day and catch up on laundry and things around the house. So, when Tuesday morning came I felt behind. Very, very behind.

Tuesday is our co-op day and I have certain goals I want to reach before we head over to church around 10:45 a.m. This Tuesday morning was quite simply chaotic and stressful. I had to discipline a child, I couldn't find a school book, I needed to finish packing lunches for the day, and my sink was full of dirty dishes. The missing school book was what caused me to fall apart. I began speaking out loud for both of my girls to hear things like...

"If I could get the house organized better. I wouldn't lose school books. I am a terrible homemaker."

"If I would have gotten up earlier this morning I'd have these dishes done and the lunches packed. I am a terrible homemaker."

"If I had more self-control and patience, I wouldn't get angry so quickly at my children. I am a terrible mother."

I probably spewed off 2-3 more negative labels about myself in the course of this meltdown, but I stopped when I saw Lauren and the tears streaming down her face. I sat down in a chair, reached out my arms, and she came and sat on my lap. My negative self- talk, my self-focused pity party had hurt my daughter's heart. She said, "Mommy, you are a good mommy and you take good care of us. I don't like it when you talk like that." My heart broke for so many reasons at that moment. Instead of crying out to God to calm me and strengthen me, I chose to explode in a self-focused tirade and it did not help me and it hurt my daughter's heart in the process.

We went to co-op and the 2nd period I have free. I sat in a classroom all alone and ate my lunch, pulled out my Kindle to read the 3rd chapter of Lysa TerKeursts' book, "Unglued." Some ladies at my church are reading this book right now and meeting to discuss a few chapters at a time. The 3rd chapter of the book literally brought me to tears because it basically described my morning and how us women tend to speak to ourselves in a way we would never dare to speak to someone else. We beat ourselves up and let our messes define us and how that enslaves us and makes us "prisoners" as the chapter is appropriately titled.

My mind is constantly in a battle. Focused on the Lord one moment and focused on myself the next. Letting God reign one moment and the in the next moment self rears its ugly head again.

Do I need to work on some organization projects in my home? Absolutely! But does that make me a failure in life? Nope.

Do I need to sometimes get up earlier in the morning? Yes. But that does not make me a failure on those days.

Do I need more self-control and patience? Oh yes. But thank the Lord His mercies are new everyday and He is faithful to prune me so I can grow the fruit of patience and self-control in my life. Not in my own power, but in His power (Lamentations 3:22-23 and Galatians 5:22-23).

So, I am going to break free from these labels I put on myself and exchange them for the labels Christ has given me. I am His child, He has a plan for me, He is the author and finisher of my faith, and He has given me everything I need to live a godly life for His glory.  Grace, grace, grace, how thankful I am for grace.

I am thankful for my Tuesday morning with Jesus -- mess and all. I am thankful He met me in my mess, cleaned me up, put me back on my feet so I can walk away from my sin and forward with him. I'm thankful for TerKeursts' reminder in the first chapter of her book that "There is a beautiful reality called imperfect progress ... progress wrapped in grace ... imperfect progress."

AWANA Silver and Golds

Kaitlyn has finished her AWANA book and has begun working on her silver and golds (reviews and fun interactive activities). One of the things she chose to do for a gold section, was to make a recipe from Bible times. She chose to make unleavened bread and then she took it to her class to share with them. We also looked at information about unleavened bread in the Bible. 

Do your children participate in AWANA or any sort of Bible memory verse program or challenge?

Valentine and Birthday Parties

On Tuesday, February 11th, we had a valentine party at our homeschool co-op. The younger children exchanged valentines, we had snacks, and a fun photo booth, which was a big hit and a lot of fun! 

On Friday, we got to attend a cousin's 10th birthday party. This was only the second time we have been to one of her parties since we've always lived so far away. The party was on Friday, and as a result, Heath got to go with us since we could make our travel day on Saturday to ensure he was back in time to preach Sunday morning.

The party was Paris themed since the birthday girl loves all things fashion. The girls designed and made dresses out of tissue paper and then walked the runway for all the family members in attendance to enjoy a fashion show.

All the cousins together. 

The boys were just there to drink punch and eat cake pops. They didn't want anything to do with the fashion party.

Merry Christmas from the Tibbetts Family

Praying for peace for myself and others has been a constant theme in my life these past few weeks. Jesus came to be our Prince of Peace and because He came, I can walk through this life with His peace that surpasses all understanding (Phil. 4:7). 

Jesus, thank You for coming to be my Prince of Peace, now may I live like I truly believe You are.  

Merry Christmas from our family to your family and may we all experience the presence, peace, and power of our Savior this Christmas Season and always. 

A Day in Chicago

We spent a very fun and affordable day at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, thanks to an awesome Groupon deal we found a few weeks ago. This was my first trip to Chicago and my first time ever laying eyes on a Great Lake. Due to traffic and construction, it took us around 2 hours to get to the aquarium and we are looking forward to future day trips to Chicago. There is so much to see and do there. 

No one in our family had ever experienced a 4D show until yesterday and we thought it was a lot of fun. Our seats vibrated, punched us in the back, and water sprayed out a few times, which was quite a hilarious shock.

A very nice man took this family photo of us with Chicago's skyline and Lake Michigan in the background.

Have you ever visited Chicago? If so, what are some of your favorite places to visit? 

14 Days of Celebrating 14 Years of Marriage

Today is our actual anniversary, but we've been celebrating for the past 13 days. My husband challenged himself to give me thoughtful, small, and sweet gifts for 14 days in honor of celebrating our 14th anniversary. It's not the things he's given me, but rather the thought and care he's put into each gift that means so very much to me. I am incredibly blessed to be married to a man who is generous, selfless, and just plain fun to live life with. I honestly mean it when I say my husband is my best friend and I am crazy in love with him.

Look Who's 11 on 11-11

Today, my middle child turns 11 and she is looking less and less like a child and more and more like a young lady. I love her creativity, sensitivity, funny personality, and her tender and sweet heart.

One day last week, I asked her if she ever really wanted to do something really awesome for God, but didn't know what or even how to begin. She poured her heart out to me and it was so awesome to hear her share some desires of her heart.

Since I carried her in my womb, I have prayed for her to faithfully walk with the Lord all the days of her life, for that is all that truly matters because this relationship with Jesus has eternal worth and if she keeps seeking Him first, then everything else will fall into place and He will make her path straight (Mt. 6:33 and Pr. 3:5-6).


My prayer for you, Kaitlyn, is for you to always focus on serving and pleasing Christ and not people in all areas of your life (Galatians 1:10). Just because you are a child, does not mean you cannot serve and do mighty things for the Lord (1 Timothy 4:12). If you want to study and teach God's Word, then obey God and do it. Ask Him to give you opportunities to minister and serve in His name and for His glory. 

Consistent Thanksgiving

I've learned giving consistent thanks is the key to being joyful always (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) and November is a great month to focus as a family to give thanks for all our gifts. 

I found a free Thanksgiving Scripture printable earlier this week, printed it on cardstock, and found a 5x7 frame I still had packed in a moving box down in the basement. The vase in the background will (hopefully) overflow with slips of paper with our scribbled prayers of thanksgiving. 

The display is a simple arrangement to help us keep our focus on Christ, His gifts, and how we owe Him ALL our thanks. I'm thinking the Scripture printable and vase may have found a permanent place in our home. Sometimes I need visual reminders like these throughout my home to keep me breathing in grace and breathing out prayers of thanks. 

Are you breathing out prayers of thanks 
to help you be a consistent thanks-giver? 

Are you on Instagram? If so, I'd love to have you join me as I try to post a daily #30daysthankful photo each day to document 

Our Trip to the Discovery Center

August 22nd was a donation day at our local Discovery Center Museum and we thought that would be a great way to visit this fun place for the first time. We got there around 1 pm and stayed for a couple hours exploring and playing. 

My children had never seen a pinball machine before and Tyler said, "Oh, is this one of those games our ancestors used to play?" I looked at him like he was crazy and then explained how this used to be one of my favorite games to play. I don't think he picked up on how offended I was since he was inferring I'm ancient. 

The children enjoyed hanging out at the "Ag-Zibit." It was fun explaining how I remember my dad and grandpa milking cows, raising pigs, and how their Uncle Jeff works for Case International. Agriculture has deep roots in our family.

The "human bubble" was a lot of fun. The children stand on the platform, quickly pull the string to raise up the hula hoop and they are instantly covered by a humongous bubble.

Lauren's favorite activity was this cool room you could go in, dance to the music, and then see whacky images of yourself projected on the large screen.

We enjoyed our time at the Discovery Center and were thrilled some new friends shared with us the date of the special donation day so we could go check it out.

More Adventures in Illinois & Wisconsin

We have almost been in our new home for five weeks now and we have enjoyed some adventures in our new community and area. One day we visited Rock Cut State Park (see picture below).

The kids enjoyed a day at a local water park with some new friends and can't wait to go back again next summer!

Since we live so close to Wisconsin, Heath decided to drive just 17 miles north to go eat lunch at a darling place called The Little Bistro in Beloit. We also picked up some cheese curds while visiting the dairy state, and of course someone had to get their picture taken with this Wisconsin badger.

The Rockford Park District is really great. We have enjoyed walking, hiking, running, and biking along the many trails in our area.

We were invited to go on a boat ride on Rock River and the children even got to drive. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting to know new friends better and getting to see the beautiful scenery around Rock River.

We have also enjoyed eating pizza with new friends, swimming in a friend's pool, trying out new ice cream  and coffee shops in our area. I have more to share about a visit to a local children's discovery center museum, but that will have to be an entirely new post.