Surreal Few Days

The last four days have been some of the strangest ever for this Bowes Family.

It all started with a call from a realtor on Thursday morning wanting to show our house on Saturday at 2pm. This in-and-of-itself isn't all that strange, although it does tend to send our household into an extended, unusual frenzy. For two-and-a-half days we dropped everything else we had planned and went to plan B: shooing away large dust bunnies, stuffing closets with things that wouldn't normally go into closets, making fourteen dogs disappear, etc.

But the surreal part of the past four days is that most of the members of our family of nine have been hit hard with the most unpleasant bug I think we have ever had in our home. (Certainly according to Lydia, this is the worst sickness she has EVER had!) It has driven our usually energetic, hard-working children straight to bed . . . for days. Each child has been hit with varying degrees of discomforts and fatigue, but for the most part, it has really wiped everyone out.

It is as if our little world here in our neck-of-the-woods has stopped for a time!

And the house has been eerily quiet:(!

We'd sure be grateful for your prayers for the quick recovery of our beloved, boisterous blessings and the restoration of our bustling Bowes household!

Once Again

"He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God."

Psalm 40:3a

Yesterday was what would have been our sixth child's sixth birthday! It is hard to believe it has been six years since that fateful day when our precious baby, Susannah Patience, was called to her heavenly home to be in the arms of her Creator.

As I pondered this day in my heart, once again, I was reminded of God's goodness. He filled my heart and mind with good things, one of them being this song:

ONCE AGAIN

Jesus Christ, I think upon Your sacrifice,
You became nothing, poured out to death.
Many times I've wondered at Your gift of life,
And I'm in that place once again.
I'm in that place once again.

CHORUS:
And once again I look upon the cross where You died,
I'm humbled by Your mercy and I'm broken inside.
Once again I thank You, once again I pour out my life.

VERSE 2:
Now You are exalted to the highest place,
King of the heavens, where one day I'll bow.
But for now, I marvel at this saving grace,
And I'm full of praise once again.
I'm full of praise once again.

Thank You for the cross,
Thank You for the cross,
Thank You for the cross, my Friend.

Words and Music by Matt Redman
� 1995 Kingsway's Thankyou Music


And I was also filled with gratitude to Him for the faith building experience He allowed when He chose to continue life for Joseph and I a year and a half ago. This has helped me so much in fully embracing His sovereignty!

"Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?"
Lamentations 3:37-38

So, once again, I rejoice and bless His name, resting in the Truth that my Sovereign Lord loves me so much and truly works ALL things together for my good!

Blessed Be Your Name

by Matt Redman

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name
Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things . . .

One of our family's favorite tools for encouraging us in our creative writing endeavors is a blog called "Just Write" (http://www.hsjustwrite.blogspot.com/). It is hosted by a home-schooling mom who posts creative writing "assignments" for all of us to consider, and if we so choose, we can leave our "masterpieces" on her blog by way of the "comments" box. It has been a very fun way to keep us writing and to see what creative things others are writing as well.

This week's assignment is titled "Happy Lists". All we needed to do was think about all the things that make us happy in life. But the creative twist is to plug these favorite/happy things into an acrostic of our names.

Below you will find some of our family's favorite things!

Now, we think it would be great fun to see YOUR favorite things!

For the acrostic part of it, you can use your first, middle, last, nickname, title (like Mommy, Grandpa), etc. You don't need to worry about spending much time on it or your spelling, grammar, etc. We didn't either!

For those of you who may be new to leaving a comment, it is very simple. Just go down to the bottom of this post and click on where it says "comments". It will take you to a box where you can create your acrostic. Then, below that, where it says "choose an identity" just select any of those options by clicking on one of the circles/bubbles. (The easiest is the one that says "anonymous".) Then, just click on the "publish comment" box!

We look very forward to seeing what you come up with!

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K - Kin (parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc.)
Y - Years of happiness with my family
L - Living a life for the Lord
E - Every new day

J - Joy!
O - Oh, I can't forget my dog, Dan
S - Summer days on the beach
I - I enjoy snowfalls in winter, too!
A - All sorts of candy
H - Having Christ in my life

B - Baseball
O - On a winning baseball team this year
W - Wonderful sisters
E - Every bro I have
S - Snakes! (Either the slithery kind or the Diamondbacks, my favorite professional baseball team!)

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V - Violin teacher
A - Anna, my Australian shepherd
L - Loving grandparents
E- Each of my sisters and brothers
R - Riding the lawn mower
I - Irresistable monkey bread
E - Every new morning as I listen to the birds chirping happily

H - How my Lord loves me!
O - Overlooking Swofford Pond
P - Practicing hospitality, especially baking:)
E - Either snowy or sunny days

B - Both my absolutely wonderful parents
O - Oh, my cutie-patootie baby brothers!
W - Wonderful smelling candles
E - Encouraging church family
S - Sweet friends

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L - Listening to music
Y - Yummy fruits of any sort
D - Doing writing assignments, particularly poems
I - Indescribable Lord Jesus
A - All lambs and sheep of most breeds

G - Gardens of flowers
R - Reading any book, especially historical fiction
A - All my loving family and friends
C - Caroline, Valerie, Victoria, all my sisters
E - Every brother, Kyle, Timothy and Joseph!

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C - Candy, my very favorite treat
A - All of my fluffy goats
R - Rambunctious little brothers
O - Occassionally, we go to the beach which is so fun!
L - "Limey Lou", one of our little black lab puppies
I - In the springtime, I love going to the Youth Fair
N - New songs to learn and play on the piano
E - Especially Angel, our guardian llama

J - Jesus, is, of course, my most favorite
O - Oh, I love my wonderful parents
Y - Yes, I do love the warm summertime

B- Beautiful flowers
O - Oh, I do love my sisters and brothers
W - Well, I love ice-cream, especially cookies-n-cream
E - Easter, because it is a wonderful reminder of what Christ did for us
S - Sunshine is the best


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V - Violins
I - Irresistable smell of muffins baking in the oven
C - Caring and loving sisters, brothers and parents
T - The Bible
O - Our llama, Angel, guardian of the pasture
R - Really enjoy baking
I - Igloos that we make in the wintertime
A - Animals of all sorts

F- Family and friends
A- All or our dogs
I - In the early morning, going fishing with Daddy
T - The sound of horses hooves on pavement
H - Horses of any color and kind

B- Beautiful birds chirping in the trees
O - Opening gifts on our birthday and on Christmas
W - Water fights in the summertime
E - Everything about my Lord
S- Sunshine, my goat


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M - Many laughing children
O - Oh, the wonderful love of family!
M - My dear husband's sense of humor
M - My three-year-old singing in the bathroom
Y - Yearly fun of enjoying the season at Thanksgiving and Christmastime and all the sweet memories made

O - Ocean sounds, sights, and smells
R - Really fragrant things, like soaps, candles and flowers

M - Miss Debbie teaching us girls how to sew
R - Rainbows
S - Smell of freshly bathed babies

R - Rain (everything about it!)
O - Oh, the smell of baked bread or goodies in the oven
B- Beautiful Savior
Y - Yummy chocolate
N - Newborn cuddles

B - Beauty in the countryside all around our home
O - Oh, the sounds and sights of hummingbirds
W- Watching our children grow in wisdom and stature
E- Everything about the fall season
S - Smell and sound of campfires or fires in fireplaces

A Day at the Beach

The weather warmed up yesterday, so we headed to the beach!

Timothy, Daddy and Joseph : ) tide pooling.

Joseph enjoying the sand.

Joseph enjoying the ocean! He loved it!

Yes, Praise the Lord!

"He makes the barren woman abide in the house as a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord!"

Psalm 113:9

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day, Moms!

We hope you have a super special day!

We love you!

"Her children arise and call her blessed . . "

Proverbs 31:28a

Some Mother's Day Thoughts - Part 3

By Caroline

Top Twenty Things I Love About My Mommy

1. She loves us so much.
2. She cooks very yummy food.
3. She teaches us our school.
4. She helps us with our struggles.
5. She teaches us about God's word.
6. She helps us when our animals are sick.
7. She is careful that we don't get sick.
8. She is a gentle mother.
9. She buys us clothes to keep us warm.
10. She loves chocolate and so do I.
11. She helps me with my sewing.
12. She helps us spend our money wisely.
13. She is pure in heart.
14. She loves the Lord.
15. She takes the time to drive us to music lessons.
16. She reminds us to brush our teeth. (Not that we never brush our teeth :)
17. She has a beautiful smile.
18. She teaches us how to write poems.
19. She is patient when we are wrong.
20. She loves children very much and is setting a good example for us.

Some Mother's Day Thoughts - Part 2

By Valerie

MY SWEET MOTHER

My mother is so very sweet.
Yes, my mother is also, very neat!

Serving others is always her plan.
Weekly she takes care of her whole clan.
Each day she tends to all our needs.
Especially mindful of doing good deeds.
Taking time to disciple and train.

Making sure her work is not in vain.
Oh, she loves to nurture her daughters and sons.
Men and maidens in the making, WE are the blessed ones!
Much gratefulness I have for my mother today.
Yes, more than the words of this poem could ever portray!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Victoria

My Chocolate Lovin' Momma
(Grandpa gave her this name:)

Mother’s Day is a day for chocolate,
Because chocolate is what my mommy loves.
Any chocolate she seems to like,
Even the little dark chocolate doves.

Even in the giving of chocolate, our love for her can't fully be seen,
For no matter how much chocolate is given to her,
We still say “We love you more than all the chocolate in the world!”
So a hug and a kiss will be added for sure!

With her chocolate and a kiss and a hug,
A card will be given that says “I Love You!”
And now all we need is something bright,
Like a bouquet of pretty flowers, pink, yellow and blue!

Some Mother's Day Thoughts

By Kyle

Mothers Are Sure a Blessing!

Mothers are a special, God-given gift,
Always ready to give your spirit a lift.

But what I like best of all,
Is when mothers answer the call.

To home school and disciple their children,
Into Godly men and women.

Although it is tough,
When life’s path is rough.

Whether you are 2 or 22,
Mothers will always be there for you!

With a loving and gentle touch,
You will feel warm, happy and loved much!

Yes, mothers are sure a blessing,
As they are always kind and loving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Lydia

What I Like About Mother's Day

1. It is a wonderful time to honor your mother. Exodus 20:12
2. It is a blessed time to reflect over the many things she has done for you.
3. You always get extra hugs and kisses.
4. It is a great time to thank her for the small things that may go unnoticed during a usual day.
5. It is so much fun to plan surprises for her!
6. It always makes her smile, and it lights up the whole house!
7. It's a great time to tell her over and over how much I love her!
   
   

Happy 20th Birthday, Christina!

In Honor of Your 20th Birthday . . .

Top 20 Things We Love About YOU!

1. You love the Lord your God with all your heart!
2. You honor your parents.
3. You're a loving, supportive sister.
4. You're a loving grand-daughter
5. You're a caring friend.
6. You're an awesome niece and cousin.
7. You're fun to be around!
8. You're cheerful and have a beautiful smile.
9. You're pure in heart.
10. You love your family!
11. You're bold in your faith.
12. You serve the Lord through helping the needy.
13. You love your country and want to do what you can to make it better.
14. You're talkative and outgoing.
15. You're ambitious.
16. You're humble.
17. You love having fun!
18. You make those around you feel at ease and comfortable.
19. You have a sweet spirit!
20. You're a Diamondbacks fan : )

We hope you have a wonderfully special day! We love you!

Uncle Teddy, Aunt Robyn, Lydia, Kyle, Caroline, Valerie, Victoria, Timothy and Joseph

Fair Fun! Part 2

Caroline and Victoria had a ton of fun giving their goats a good beauty treatment in preparation for their big debut! They all did great!

Joseph was still a bit young to participate in most of the fair's festivities this year, but he definitely enjoyed all the snacks we fed him to keep him content in his stroller!

Guess whose photograph won "most humorous"? Not much of a surprise, huh?

Happy 1st Birthday, Sweet Emma!

"Wish I was there to help you eat your cake! You're gonna love being ONE!"

With a big hug and kiss,

Joseph

Fair Fun!

Hands up in the air, and let the fair fun begin!

Caroline's quilt was awarded the "Superintendent's" ribbon!

(The superintendent of the fair picked one item from all the sewing entries!)

Lydia and Valerie's baked goods both placed well!

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to the Fair We Go!

It's Spring Youth Fair time here in southwest Washington! The kids have been anxiously awaiting this event for quite some time!

This year Kyle, Valerie, Victoria and Caroline decided to decorate cakes to enter. (This is the order they are shown in the picture. If you click on the picture, it should increase in size so you can see them better!)

Also, Lydia made cranberry chip scones, and Valerie made pumpkin apple bread to enter.

The girls were also excited to enter their quilts, a skirt and six photographs.

Saturday, Victoria and Caroline will be participating in the "Fit and Show" competition with their new goat kids.

We will be camping out at the fairgrounds over the weekend, which next to riding on the little rides is by far Timothy's favorite part!

Stay tuned . . . we're sure to post pictures of the big event next week!

The Greatest Sport Ever

By Kyle

Baseball is the greatest sport ever,
Hotdogs, sodas and peanuts for all!
Grab a mitt and head for Chase field,
Where the well trained players stand tall.

The excitement of a game,
When the home team’s down by two.
In the sixth inning, with a man on second,
The batter is chosen to see them through.

And as the hitter gets his sign,
Self-confidence the pitcher lacks,
As he knows this is the best team . . .
None other than the Diamondbacks!

And wouldn’t you like the sport,
Where the crowd is far from mild,
As the batter steps into the batter’s box,
The cheering fans can’t help but get wild!

The crowd starts chanting “Owings, Owings”,
As the pitcher delivers the ball sooo fast!
No worries, he won’t let them down.
He hits it so hard . . . the pitcher is aghast!

Now the team is celebrating,
For Micah has hit a game tieing home run!
The opposing team stands wondering.
Now don’t you think baseball is fun?