Been Caught Steele'n

Some Heavy Friday Thoughts

2011-12-09T10:46:00.003-05:00

I had to share this beautiful picture that my wonderful Mother took back in October when the leaves were glowing with light. Look at them! Glorious!

My boys are growing up! Especially Isaiah... It makes my heart both sad and proud to watch him grow into a young man. Sometimes, I wish they could all stay young so that perhaps I might be able to protect them better from all the bad things in the world (and from themselves!). But, I know there is a beauty in life to be achieved when we listen and follow HIS direction, by choice. My prayer for my boys (and my beautiful daughter) is that they will choose to follow the Righteous Path to LIFE. But, God knows I didn't always follow, and when I didn't--OMG I was AWFUL!! So, I suppose it should give me HOPE that all is not LOST even when it looks really BAD! I'm sorry, watching the boys get older causes me to project my past onto their future... Don't worry, I keep it to myself! ...I know that the time is coming when Joshua and I have to loosen the reigns and give them space to try flying solo.

If only I had a way with words, like my husband does. I would try to describe how this picture of the boys captures a moment in time when all things were innocent and all things were perfect, and how regardless of what the future holds for these young ones, there IS HOPE!!

Oh how I love them!

Summore Pics

2011-11-19T21:25:00.004-05:00

Here are a few extra pics I neglected to add before. Sometime in the near or far future I'll add some monologue on our lives to go with the pictures, but I just simply do not have time at the moment. Just know that life is full and life is good and we are happily busy with our little family :) My oldest will be 13 in a few months...the youngest turning ONE just weeks before...So far, we are pleased with the direction things are going, but we're pressing on because we still have a long way to go! Hope everyone out there is holding on to your faith and securing what is shaky 'cause this ride is getting a little rough...Oh, geez, gotta run, time is running out...more later....

Brotherly Love <3

Another of Ira's birthday :)

Birthdays and Celebrations

2011-11-16T19:54:00.033-05:00

Ira's 10th birthday cake, featuring his 'lucky' Lego brick.

tsk, tsk, Joshua

Happy Birthday to Jude and Venecy!

Yay for Jude!

Joe-Joe trying out the rock wall.

Birthday boy on the go-karts :)

Tired out from all the birthday fun!

The 8-year old birthday boy :)

Forgive the extra baby weight on me, but we had to get a picture of the beautiful birthday girl, Venecy, and her beautiful Mama :)

Yes, this year we did it again. We celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in October and it was just beautiful. The weather was perfect :) ...and it was fun playing bad mitton too... Wish I had gotten a picture of it at night because it was amazing!

Just another ordinary day at the Steele house...

Loves to crawl under the table (which we moved against the window to give her more space to crawl)

Bein' silly with Daddy

OK, what happened was, the boys blew up this balloon and, with a marker, drew a face and stuff on it...well, guess who found the balloon??

Goin' for a ride.

Bruises on the forehead.

Pulling up and standing on everything.

Peace, Love, and Harmony

2011-09-30T19:51:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to share this lesson:

'Agape' is a divine love that gives and gives and gives, even if it's never responded to, thanked, or acknowledged. You could say that agape is a love that isn't based on response but on a decision to keep on loving, regardless of a recipient's response or lack of response. Because agape is such an unconditional love, I call it high-level love. It is the highest, most noble, purest form of love that exists. —Rick Renner

When we have expectations of others based on our own definition of 'love', we will always be let down. My biggest disillusionment came when I realized that my husband could not meet my inmost needs. This was not a recent discovery, but one that hit me in the first year of our marraige. The one on earth who loved me most, was falling grossly short of my desire of...... whatever it was I needed. It crushed me, but it also set me free. There is no human being on this earth who can meet your needs, regardless of what those are. Our personal fulfillment comes only through a relationship with God through His Son, Yeshua. Yeshua, the suffering servant, who knows more than anyone what it means to be deserted by those closest to you, and yet continue to give and give and give to those who do not deserve it...including me. When I identify myself with Him, my expectations of others diminishes to nada, leaving me the freedom to love without strings attached. In fact, if I do not return the love He has freely given me, then He says that He will remove Himself from me. Because I am so deficient in the ability to do this, I cannot possibly judge others when they can't do it perfectly. Nevertheless, I will never stop practicing this wonderful truth, because, as they say....Practice makes Perfect.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Kate the Great and more...

2011-09-30T13:22:00.012-04:00

More pics to come...I'm trying to clear some space on my camera. No time to explain why I've been MIA. If anyone still comes to the blog, stay tuned.

Cutie pie on the 4th. Love her dimples!

A good pic of my boys on the 4th.

Reading a book with her biggest brother

All the way back at Easter! Wow, she has changed!

A couple of months ago...lovin' her Daddy

It Ain't Me, Babe

2011-09-30T13:01:00.001-04:00

Go 'way from my window
Leave at your own chosen speed
I'm not the one you want, babe
I'm not the one you need
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who's never weak but always strong
To protect you an' defend you
Whether you are right or wrong
Someone to open each and every door
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me babe It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.

Go lightly from the ledge, babe
Go lightly on the ground
I'm not the one you want, babe
I will only let your down
You say you're lookin' for someone
Who will promise never to part
Someone to close his eyes for you
Someone to close his heart
Someone who will die for you an' more
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me babe
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.

Go melt back into the night
Everything inside is made of stone
There's nothing in here moving
An' anyway I'm not alone
You say you're looking for someone
Who'll pick you up each time you fall
To gather flowers constantly
An' to come each time you call
A lover for your life an' nothing more
But it ain't me, babe
No, no, no, it ain't me, babe
It ain't me you're lookin' for, babe.

Kiawah

2011-06-14T14:11:00.017-04:00

Wiped Out!

Happy Spring Equinox 2011

2011-04-27T12:46:00.015-04:00

*Very angry b/c half of my post was deleted and I'm having to re-post!! Don't have time for this, grrr!!*

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful spring! It's HOT in the south right now (80's). So, this post is to share a little of our lovely get-together at Aunt Betty's on Easter Sundee. This was Betty's favorite time of year, and it was decided that it would be a good way to celebrate by going over to her now-empty house and liven-ing things up in there :) Everyone pitched in and brought food, and Gena even gave the old 'Bunny Cake' a try, and it turned out perfect! How we all wished that Betty would have been able to join us, and I'm sure she would have loved it, but we found joy and thankfulness in our hearts just the same.

"Power to the People"!!

Cute little thing!!

Aunt Kathryn and baby Kathryn :)

Whoever knew the bunny cake had a crack?! We had a good laugh over that one!! And the fact that Gena kept smelling it's butt because she thought she detected an 'odor', which turned out to be the asparagus sitting on the table next to it :)

My cousin, Meredith (aka Merge), is a budding photographer and got some great pics of the kids on Easter/Spring Equinox Sunday. Here are some of my faves.

The boyzzz (are back in town!)

Sweet dreams on Daddy's chest. ...smiling in her sleep...

Jack and Margo. Age 3 and lovin' it!

And lastly, to top the day off, a mystery plane flew over the field and dropped candy for the kids! No kidding! Instant classic! (No pics to show for that one due to some infringment laws, or something of that nature :)

Til next time,
Later, Y'all!!

More pics

2011-04-13T12:05:00.011-04:00

One of the many funny faces babies make ;)

The boys love to take their turns holding her. *Hear Jack in the background shouting, "Give her to me!!"*

Her onesie says: "I'm kind of a big deal!"

She loves to feel "snuggled" :)

Venecy and Mom probably got better pictures on their cameras, but here are the ones I got of Kathryn in the beautiful dress that Venecy's mother handmade and sent from Lima, Peru. It fit perfect!

She was none too happy when we made her put on the hat! She was ready to eat RIGHT THEN!!! But look closely at the perfect little "shoes". Adorable!

This is actually pretty clean, but he seriously gets this dirty (or WORSE!) every single time he plays outside!

What Have We Been Up To??

2011-03-29T13:08:00.019-04:00

...making babies!!! This month, we've added a little GIRL to our family, plus 29 baby chicks to our farm! So, we've been taking care of all these babies and trying to get our gardens ready. We're adding a few more plots this year and hope to try our hand at growing potatoes, onions and various lettuces, among other things.

Busy and tired...

Sweet Kate, resting in her crib (no there is no crib-bumper or stuffed baby dolls or blankets in her bed with her! ...at least she's on her back :)

Do not sleep with your babies! I am a professional, so kids, don't try this at home!

Sitting with Daddy

Sleepin' in the Moses basket...

Meanwhile, one of our hens (Iris) was a-settin' on some eggs, but we didn't know how many. Well...she has 13 baby chicks who hatched out about a week ago.

The boys did a great job painting the Coop d'etat

We got 16 baby New Hampshire and Rhode Island Reds...
They are SOOO cute!

12th Birthday!

Picture of exhaustion :)

Happy Jack

Until next time...

Kathryn Naomi Steele

2011-03-14T17:56:00.013-04:00

March 11, 2011
@ 1:15pm
Kathryn Naomi Steele was born weighing 6 lbs 13.8 oz., 19.5 inches long

Everything went great and we're at home getting adjusted to life with 7!!

Here're a few pics...

Getting ready to head to the hospital.

The whole crew

My favorite so far!

Two tired gals

1st bath (@ hospital)

Not loving it!

Proud Daddy

View from our room--everything in bloom!

This pic will not upload right-side up! Still one of my faves.

Between Snowflakes and Forsythia

2011-03-08T21:13:00.001-05:00

Between Snowflakes and Forsythia

The world would never be the same without you,
Shall I compare you to a summer’s day?
When metaphors hang ripe and dripping,
Like fruit in full blown pregnancy.

But every summer’s filled with fruit,
And sun and heat and thunderstorm,
Since time began its followed spring,
Then given way to autumn’s forms.

Ah, spring, that time unparalleled,
He surfs in on a windy tide,
With tapestries of Bradford Pears
To announce the happy groom and bride.

But weddings happen every spring,
And the flowers always bloom the same.
Oh, it’s beautiful for sure,
But the colors never change.

So it must be in fall, the golden time,
From which to draw the perfect line,
For painting a form so gracefully aging,
For finding the symbol, the hidden sign.

Yet in frustration I sheath my pen,
The same thing over again I cry,
To use a leaf to describe your splendor
Would be the most mundane of lies.

For you my fairest, purest Queen
Were born in a chasm between two times,
Between the clean, white slate of winter
And the time to begin growing things.

You came in a time of uncertainty,
A time that can be different with every year,
With yards all ablaze in Forsythia
Or snowflakes landing on frozen ground.

~J.D.S.

Happy Birthday my one true love. A snowflake right before spring is who you are. You are the metaphor for originality and I love you dearly for that.

An important announcement...

2011-03-04T12:41:00.010-05:00

I have to admit it. I have been in a funk for the last little bit. When I tell you why, you'll be disappointed. You see, I (with a very large I,I,I,I) was DONE having children. I have four perfect little boys and felt that I had accomplished all that I needed to accomplish in giving birth to them. The rest of my life would be given to raising them to the very best of my capabilites, and it really is a FULL-time job. MY quiver was full. My body was sooooooooooo finished with that part of life, and it was even telling me LOUD and CLEAR that it just couldn't hack it!!

But....

my God had other plans for me! After some problems I was having at the first of last year, and then a series of visits to the doctor for the first time in YEARS (outside of being pregnant), I found myself......with child.....again.....

Oh boy, was I M-A-D!!!!! Joshua whimpered with his tail between his legs for several weeks while I angrily went head to head with a reality that I did NOT wish to accept. This is sad, but very true. Slowly, slowly, slowly, I did come to grips with the idea of another one. I just knew it was a girl. Nope, I wasn't excited. Oh, my heart was very hard.

Almost nine months later, we are approaching the Due Date. This year has been wrought with peaks and valleys, but we are making it. In February, just a few short weeks ago, we lost a precious Aunt, Mother, Grandmother, Sister, and Cousin, Betty Jean Moss Acree; and in just a week or so, we will WELCOME, Lord willing, Kathryn Naomi Steele into our family. In the time that has passed, God's spirit has softened my heart and helped me to see the real beauty of His plan for me, and to let go of MY plans. "Be joyful always;" the Scriptures say, "pray continually; give thanks in ALL circumstances, for this is God's will for you in the Messiah, Yeshua (Christ Jesus)..."

I am learning to be content whatever the circumstances.

We are very keen on what name's mean, and have been very thoughtful when considering names for all the children. This one was a hard one. It took us a while to settle on one that we liked the sound of. We finally agreed that we liked "Kathryn Naomi", but I wanted to know what it meant!!

Kathryn (Greek) Naomi (Hebrew)...means:
Pure............Beautiful, Pleasant, Delightful

Wow.

Of added importance (to me), Kathryn is the name of my aunt, and the youngest of the Moss's (my mother's family). She lived here in the house where we now live. My grandmother gave birth to her when she was 33 years old, and unless my Kathryn decides to come before Tuesday next week, I will also be 33 years old when my baby, Kathryn, is born. And, as it turns out, Aunt Kathy's husband has informed me that his mother's name was 'Naomi', so it seems that somehow it was all meant to be!! It just amazes me how things work out sometimes.

So, the DUE DATE is officially March 13th, the same day that we gain another hour of daylight (thank you, time change!). God knows when the ACTUAL date is, so of that, we will inform you when WE know!!

@ 36 weeks...(Jack is wanting me to pick him up, but, obviously, I can't!)

The new window shade that Mom got us and the valance that my mom and Aunt Sharon made together. How unbelievably sweet is that?!! I LOVE my family!

The lamp that a co-worker of Joshua made for us. I love how the light shows through the little holes-don't know if you can see it in the picture.

The crib that my cousin, Gretchen, gave me, along with the crib set that my sister sent.

Her closet, with clothes given by my cousin Jennifer and my sister Jennifer, and my friend Heather!

It's special to me that so many people have already been so much a part of this baby's life, and she's not even here yet! We also had a Korean couple from Joshua work who had their parents send us two 'podegies' to carry Kate in. I thought that was so awesome of them! For those of you who don't know what a podegie is, here is a picture of a child in one:

...it just sort of wraps around the baby and you and holds them snugly to your body so you can be free to use your hands.

So, that's the end of my confession and official blog announcement of our baby girl. We will definately get pictures up after she's born and let everyone know how things went and how we're all doing! Pray for a safe and healthy delivery, and a safe and healthy baby!!

Happy "Us" Day :)

2011-02-16T15:16:00.003-05:00

Being the out-of-the-ordinary sort of people that we are, rather than celebrate LOVE on February 14th like everyone else, we waited until two days later to celebrate :) Actually, on Monday, we took the boys out and treated them to icecream because we love them so....but tonight it's just Joshua and me. We're gonna go out and try to fatten up this little baby girl who's getting ready for her debut, and we're gonna be thankful that our God, YHWH to be specific, is so good.

Here's the song Joshua sent me this morning from work:

... here's the song I sent back...

May you all know and feel the love from above...

Craziness

2011-01-25T16:41:00.001-05:00

This was a WHILE ago. After bathtime is often crazy.

Christmas Recital

2011-01-25T13:18:00.002-05:00

Isaiah and Jude participated in the Christmas recital. We were so proud of both of them!

Biggest Snow in TWO decades comes to town...

2011-01-25T11:41:00.014-05:00

I've been putting off posting for a while, as you've no doubt already noticed. So, you'll have to forgive these next few posts because they are out of order.

These next pics are from our 'Christmas snow'. For the first time in like 60 years, we had a white Christmas! Not that it matters what day it snows on, because in the south, every snow day is a holiday. If not for my mom, we wouldn't have any pictures! She and Papa came and got the boys and took them up to play where there was more snow. I think we got 2-3 inches down here, but up the mountain a short piece they had 3-6 inches.

So, on Monday morning of January 10, 2011, we woke up to about 6 inches of snow on the ground and it was still falling. Those of you who are not from the south, this is a BIG deal! We ended up getting about 7-8 inches, which is still 10 inches short of the biggest snow I can remember which occurred in '88 or something, but still... There's still a tiny bit of snow left in spots here and there around the area, despite temperatures reaching the 50's for the last couple of weeks. Amazingly, these are the only pictures that I took the entire time. No pictures of the boys sledding or anything. But, let me tell ya, 8 months pregnant with number FIVE, still trying to regain strength from having the flu for a week, and trying to trudge through snow and help a 3 year old is not as easy as it sounds ;)!

Jack's eating the snow. Other than that, he really didn't enjoy it :(. I think it was just too deep for him!

The dogs LOVED it! Especially Kiji :)

"Now THIS is a snow!"

One of the roosters going back inside. It's much too cold for him!

On Sunday before it snowed us in on Monday, we went by the store for some things. I had to take some pictures of the milk and bread aisles for you peeps who don't know about southerners when there is a chance of snow or ice. The weathermen (and women) started calling for this huge snow-event on Friday, and immediately people started cleaning out the stores of bread and milk. I'm not really sure why they do this, but it never fails. By Sunday, there was literally no more bread or milk left in the store (unless you wanted to pay $6/gal for Mayfield). It's a good thing we didn't need those particular items!! Here's the proof:

Bread

Milk

Our Miracle Rabbit

2010-12-15T18:54:00.005-05:00

Well, he's not really a miracle, but he was an unexpected gift who came at just the right moment. We had recently been to a pet store to see all the animals that they have (not to buy any, just to look) and the boys really got a hankering to have a rabbit. They talked about it all day after petting the ones they had at the store, but of course there was nothing doing...the rabbits they had were $60+! The following day, however, when we were picking up goat food for the goats, we discovered that a fat little rabbit was available for FREE to the right family (right meaning: one who wouldn't EAT the rabbit). Thus, the 'miracle' rabbit, whom the boys named "Einstein".

Thanksgiving '10, Oconee Station Falls, Odds & Ends

2010-12-01T14:36:00.021-05:00

Namma, Papa and all the grandchildren together! (+ the puppy that Margo rescued, which also happens to be Namma and Papa's favorite kind :)

It was wonderful to have my sister, Jennifer, and her family here again for Thanksgiving. She opened up their beautiful home on Lake Keowee for the occasion and we feasted like kings on THREE turkeys cooked three different ways (baked, smoked and fried). I wish I'd gotten more pics, but it's hard to do and take care of food and chi'dren all at the same time!

Margo and Jack's talkin'-turkey-table

The only shot of the table I got, and Ty is chowin' down. Sorry buddy. If I had another pic I'd post it ;)

Papa and Connor

Oconee Station Falls = our new favorite hike!

Cool tree.

Our chickens

Isaiah and his sweet 'puppy'.

The boys taking pictures at the goldfish pond downtown.

I promise, as far as I know, this is the freakiest that my Josh can possibly look. This was just before the beard was sheared.

Golly-gee! Jackie Day is Three!!

2010-11-29T21:33:00.008-05:00

We had a birthday party for Jackie Day on Saturday (even though his actual birthday was Sunday) in conjunction with the annual Clemson vs. South Carolina showdown.

He was so amazed that everyone was watching him; after he blew out his candles and everyone clapped, he happily started clapping, too, saying "Yaaayy!!"

Ira, holding Namma and Papa's new puppy; Jack really wanting to hold the puppy. (the beautiful argyle sweater is courtesy of Grandma Kami and Michele)

Prayer

2010-10-26T11:09:00.002-04:00

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appears.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O Come, Thou Day-Spring, Come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel,
Shall come to thee, O Israel

O Come, Desire of nations, bind
In One the heart's of all mankind
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease
And be, Thyself, our King of Peace

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall Come to thee, O Israel...
Shall Come to thee, O Israel...

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
~Matthew 5:3-12

"Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, 'You are NOT MY PEOPLE,' there it shall be said to them, 'You are sons of the Living God.' Then the children of JUDAH and the children of ISRAEL shall be gathered together, and appoint for themselves ONE HEAD; and they shall come up out of the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel!" ~Hosea 1:10-11

~Even so, Come quickly, Yeshua~

Fall on the Horizon

2010-10-22T10:41:00.013-04:00

We rode up to Cashiers a couple of weeks ago. The color was just starting to peek through.

..walking around High Hampton, we saw these donkeys ("dankeys", Jack).

Daddy helping Jack throw horseshoes.

Before his haircut.

Good pic of my handsome Jude Harrison.

Short Beach Clip

2010-10-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

The Boiling of the Crabs

2010-10-13T21:02:00.001-04:00

**Caution**
This video contains graphic images.

Sukkot 2010

2010-10-13T20:24:00.016-04:00

This year, we celebrated the biblical feast of tabernacles. For those who don't know anything about it, it's the feast that takes place at the fall harvest time, when Israel is required to build a temporary dwelling place called a "sukkah" or "booth". It pictures the birth of the Messiah, when "the Word became flesh and tabernacled with us" (Immanuel; God with us). It is also a picture of the future fulfillment of a time when "God's dwelling is with men; and He will live with them and they will be His people, and He will be their God" (Revelation). Even though the Western world always celebrates the birth of 'Jesus' on December 25, it is more likely that the Messiah was born during this important feast, which takes place every year in September or October. There is a good reason that the date 'December 25th' was chosen as the day of his birth, but that's a whole other subject!

We built our structure out of bamboo, duct tape, and tent stakes. It decided to rain for the first time in months, so when the ground got soft, the whole thing fell down a few times. It reminded us of how fragile and temporary our stay on earth is, and what an incredible thing it was the God chose to lower Himself to our weak station so that He could lift us up. Anyway, if you'd like to know more, read about it! Or, better yet, do it yourself next year!

Haha!

Setting everything up for dinner.

So pretty with all the lights.

The King

2010-10-13T20:08:00.005-04:00

Oddly, we didn't really see many snakes this year. This is actually the only one we saw up close. George brought over this beautiful king snake, which for those of you who are a little freaked out by snakes (don't worry, so am I), these are excellent snakes to have around because they eat poisonous snakes, but aren't poisonous. DON'T KILL THESE!!

At Long Last....

2010-10-13T19:25:00.015-04:00

These pictures go back to the first week of August when we went down to visit Kiki and Nessy in Charleston. Our fellow South Carolinians have probably blocked that week out, but I'll remind you that it was about 110 (on the coast) every single day and maybe got down to the upper 80's at night. Whew. It was rough. We had fun despite the heat, though, and even got our first crabbing experience (thanks to Venecy!). I have a video of our first live crab-boil as well, but I'm waiting on that one to upload, so you'll have to wait.

Uh-oh...take the boys out in public one time and the girls come flocking ;) (I have to take a stick everywhere we go)

mmmm...raw chicken...

Venecy ('Nessy) showing the boys how it's done ;)

That is one tired babay

Finally home...ahhh...
Them boys love they mama.

Bam-Bam

2010-07-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

They couldn't keep the little guy out of the action! He did his 'makeup' all by himself ;)

Cavemen

2010-07-15T12:13:00.005-04:00

So, the boys have been working on a whole bunch of ideas for movies that they're going to make for a couple of months now. We finally got a little extra money to buy some video recording discs for our camera, so they excitedly started with one of their original ideas. If we can figure it out, we'll try to post it online for your viewing pleasure.

The idea is a comedy on the theory of evolution in a story called, "The Stoneage." Here are some pictures I snapped of them while they were getting ready.

Doing the 'Rock Lobster'

2010-07-08T19:12:00.001-04:00

Another old video of the boys dancing to some Halloween cd. So funny!

Laughter, the BEST Medicine...

2010-07-08T13:17:00.001-04:00

This is an old video of Jack, about 8 months or so. May his laughter be contagious...

Jack Hits the High Note

2010-07-07T12:21:00.002-04:00

...we give our children freedom of expression in art. just cover your ears or turn the sound down when he hits the high note. it's his fave.

Isaiah's First Piano Recital

2010-06-28T22:41:00.005-04:00

The students, filing in...

My handsome guys, sans Jackie Day who stayed home with Papa.

So..here's our young man after about six months of lessons...not bad, eh?

*deep concentration*

Firstfruit Delicacies

2010-06-28T22:03:00.008-04:00

With our first crop of ripened tomatoes, we made (ok, Josh made) this delicious salsa. It consisted of: chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, green banana peppers, chopped cilantro and basil, crushed black pepper, a jalapeno pepper, an onion, lime juice and salt. I don't think I left anything out. The only thing not grown in our garden were the jalapeno, onion and limes. I wish you could taste it through the computer because it was AWESOME!!

What I didn't get pictures of, but also made, were three squash dishes. You might ask, 'why three'? Well, we have so much squash that I wanted to play with different things to see what we like the best. Basically variations of baked, steamed, or fried. They were all quite good!

I'm in love

Fried Green 'maters, with a fresh basil garnish (also, right outta the garden)

Our favorite hot sauce, goes great on fried foods.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Sriracha is like heaven.

Happy Father's Day, 2010

2010-06-28T21:41:00.006-04:00

A good, hardworking, exhausted father gets breakfast in bed on Father's Day morning. At least this year he does. Don't count on it as part of your salary though, hun. ;)

~@Joshua's bedhead, Really nice, Clark~
...reading the card the kids made...

Garden Jungle

2010-06-17T20:16:00.008-04:00

Our luxurious garden is taking over this year, thanks to all the rain and glorious sunshine we've had... Can't wait for the harvest;)

Summer Days...

2010-06-08T18:56:00.014-04:00

Sabbaths and Salamanders

2010-06-01T20:34:00.011-04:00

Les Miserables

2010-05-30T21:23:00.003-04:00

I finished this book. I can't really say anything much about it. I'll just say that I cried like a baby through several parts of it, it was well worth the five months it took me to finish, and I'll never read a book that long again. omg. I can't even talk about it or I'll cry. That's it.

P.S.

I want to be like Jean Val Jean. I love him.

"...back in 82..."

2010-05-28T10:12:00.002-04:00

~I got this email today~ (and added my own picture ;)

The original 'Battleship'

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot.... BOTH ways… yadda, yadda, yadda.

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a darn Utopia!

And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the darn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our butt! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and mess it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!

There weren't any freakin' cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends." OH MY GOD !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are!!
And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get off your butt and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little rat-finks!

And not many of us had microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long!! Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!

And car seats and seat belts - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!
(that one really made me laugh)

See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980 or any time before!

Regards,
The Over 30 Crowd

Fun-filled Dayzzz

2010-05-27T22:02:00.005-04:00

"Swing me, Daddy"

Lookin' good :P

the first little cherry tomatoes

BadMitton games

Jude-y and the Monkey Man

Fly me to the Moon

2010-05-27T21:46:00.007-04:00

"Playing" with the full moon tonight

My all-time favorite "moon" quote:

G: What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I'll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That's a pretty good idea. I'll give you the moon, Mary.

M: I'll take it. Then what?

G: Well, then you could swallow it, and it'd all dissolve, see? And the moonbeams'd shoot out of your fingers and your toes, and the ends of your hair...Am I talking too much?

Old Man: Yes! Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

G: How's that?

Old Man: Why don't you kiss her instead of talking her to death?

G: Want me to kiss her, huh?

Old Man: Ah, youth is wasted on the wrong people!

Le "Coop" d'etat

2010-05-27T21:19:00.008-04:00

It's slowly coming along. The "Coop" d'etat, otherwise known as the "Chicken Poop". Soon, we will be eating fresh, raw eggs (from real chickens) and we will be drinking fresh, raw eggs (from real chickens), and eating fresh, raw chicken (from real chickens). This Chicken Poop was made with 100% free crate boxes from the docks of Thor Labs. Our journey to farm-hood is almost complete.

"Give me sum sugar"

Juniper is curious as to what is going on????

Isaiah and Ira helped with everything! Hammerin' nails, screwin' screws...they're regular farmers ;)

Got the roof on!

Only in the South :)

2010-05-27T14:00:00.002-04:00

One of my friends who lives in North Carolina put this picture up on facebook the other day. She took it on her way to work. It makes me so proud to be a southerner! How creative!!! HA!

Love, Always and Forever

2010-05-24T11:27:00.002-04:00

Our Mexican Fiesta

2010-05-24T09:45:00.012-04:00

At our house, almost weekly, we crave us some homemade salsas, guacamole, and layered dip. We have to make more and more each time because it seems like we don't ever have enough! Them boys put a hurtin' on it ;) For real though, I can't wait for our tomatoes and peppers to get ripe this summer! We plan on being fully vegetarian! This is one of those meals you could eat everyday!!

The fresh ingredients:

Margo gets in on the action :)

Delicious, homemade guacamole (aka "goccli-moli" ~Jack)

"I don't need no stinkin' cheeps"

Bowl #4

Homemade Salsa :) mmmm....

Eating Mexican will put hair on your...head.

Blue Dragons = Champions

2010-05-24T09:16:00.007-04:00

Isaiah's first year of soccer turned out to be a great success. His team, the Blue Dragons, won the division championship and Isaiah scored his first goal in one of the tournament games. Here are a few pics:

Isaiah celebrating his first goal in the tournament! It was beautiful...wish I had video.

Dollywood 2010

2010-05-17T20:31:00.006-04:00

OK, so I couldn't find my camera since we got back from Dollywood, and boy did you all miss out! Sike! (haven't heard that in a while, huh? :) *quick side-note: trying to put up posts while you are interrupted every 5 seconds with the same question that you've already answered a hundred times is like standing out in the 100% humidity of the hot summer-south with gnats in your face. just so you know*

So, anyway, it was the 25th anniversary and Dolly Parton was actually at the park, which my sister's Irish friend from California was super-duper excited about. (Not) surprisingly, there were hardly any crowds there and the lines were not long at all for the rides, which I was super-duper excited about. Dollywood is actually quite a nice park: lots of shade, and the rides are great for smaller kids, and stuff. Isaiah, Ira, Jude and I went together to all the bigger rides; while my sis, her kids, and my mom took the little kids to the kiddie area. I hardly got any pictures because my camera was in the stroller with my mom (my mom wasn't in the stroller, but...you know what I mean). So, I conjured up a wonderful plan that I would write a whole bunch of uninteresting words before posting the five pictures that I did take of all of--ONE ride. I'm sure by now the two readers of this blog are wondering where the real good writer is (my husband) who used to work with me to create ways to make us seem more interesting than we actually are. I don't know. I'll see if I can dig him up sometime and see what he has to say.

Namma and Jackie Day on the Ferris Wheel. He's clearly sooo tired at this point, and hot! He slept all the way home!! Mom said he loved the rides so much that he threw T-total fits when he had to get off (yeah, my sweet, perfect Jack threw fits). However, even with this unseemly behavior, he won the hearts of the ride-attendants and one man diegned (that spelling doesn't look right to me, but I don't feel like looking into it) to call him his little prince.

Jack and me

Jude ;)

Jenn, Margo and Owen

The view from the top of the Ferris Wheel. I gotta admit, I was scared up there!

No pics of Dolly 'cause we got outta dodge before the crowds lined up for her little parade. I'm sure she said, "Y'all come back now, ya hear? *giggles*"

ATL

2010-04-26T22:55:00.014-04:00

It was so good to see some of Joshua's family in Marietta. The boys had a fun time and said they wished we lived closer!

I loved the beautiful irises (especially).

Here is the one and only, Elle (4). This is a direct quote: "But, Mooommm, I don't want to pose!"...and instantly... (soooo cute!)

Heidi and Tom have so many caterpillars in their yard! Last year, we found a chrysalis/cocoon there and brought it home to watch what would emerge, but, alas, it died. This little guy is spinning his in a patio bench.

Grandpa and Grandma looking at the 'present' for them from Isaiah

"We love you Grandma and Grandpa Day"

Sidewalk Chalk

Basketball

Great-grandparents with all the great-grandchildren (present).

Jack and his (I believe) 2nd cousin, Lily Kate

Assorted photos from the last two years...

2010-04-20T11:38:00.041-04:00

I am trying to clean off the memory of my camera, so these are some pictures that I may, or may not, have already put up.

The two kinds of poisonous snakes in our area:
Copperhead

Timberland Rattlesnake

"I wanna fly!" ~Jack

science experiment

explaining math

Margo and Namma on the boat

...perspective of a nursing mother...

Passover-past

Jack's birthday cake

Daddy's favorite pastime

awww..

Jackie backinthe Day

a few pics from the Salt Lake temple...

...back when Kijika was a baby...

I have no idea what Jack has been eating in this picture.

a couple of beach pics I think I missed...

Bath-time with Jack.

Jack's turn dressing up as Batman.

I may have posted this one a while back, but it's just so cute!

Can't believe how much they've changed in a year (or so).

Isaiah's 10th birthday photos...I can't remember if I put them up, too lazy to check...but I don't think I did.

Cheers to friends and family!

Overnighter

2010-04-20T09:41:00.009-04:00

This past wknd, Josh was going to be in Columbia for soccer games, so we decided to go with him. It was so nice of the club to offer to pay for us to stay :) The boys were missing their daddy and they are always excited to stay in a hotel WITH a POOL!! So, after Isaiah and Ira's games in Easley Saturday morning, we took off to meet Joshua in Columbia. Thank goodness, only two more weeks of soccer and we'll be DONE!!! Whew.

Somehow, I only got pictures IN the hotel room. ??? I was too busy the rest of the time, I guess?

"Look a-me! I'm so cool!"

..So happy with Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Snoopy, and Frosty. (We only brought his 3 favorites out of the 15 that he sleeps with :/ ).

Jude jumped in this picture saying: "Mom, get a picture of me holding the peanuts." :)

One of Jack's favorite things to do: play with his animals and make them "cut flips."

If anyone has kids who want to see that dragon movie, take 'em to the one in 3-D! It was so cool! (Josh told me secretly that it was the best movie he'd seen in a while, and he loved it as much as the boys did ;)

A short visit to Charleston...

2010-04-11T21:22:00.052-04:00

OK, it's taken me forever to upload all these pictures! We took the rare opportunity to go visit my brother and sis-in-law in Charleston this past week. Joshua had games in Columbia for 4 days, so we figured it would be a lot better than sitting at home and missing him! It was really fun, and the boys were ~perfect~ for me (mostly). The weather didn't fully cooperate with us, but it was still beautiful. Just not quite as warm as I'd hoped!

We managed to snag a couple of shots of the elusive "Wall-ee Gator" who lives in the pools around the apartments. Pretty cool.

Nessy made cupcakes! Jack loved the icing ;)

The pollen is so bad, the kids were yellow after playing on the playset. Can you see it all over the slide?

A mommy duck and her 13 baby ducklings, crossing the road together!!

Fun with Uncle Kiki (aka Uncle Rico)

As a belated birthday gift to Isaiah, who had soccer practices/games the week of his birthday, we took him to the South Carolina Aquarium in downtown Charleston.

Penguins:

My favorite! The river otter:

the petting tank

The Albino Aligator. He was at the top of the water like this:

...and then they would make it 'thunder', and he would go under...

Gross.

Well, for some reason it uploaded sideways...but this is a nurse shark (?). Of course, all the kids loved to see the sharks.

Barn owls

Shooo--wee! Stinky skunks!

...always has to throw rocks into water (even tried to at the pool)

Isaiah, Ira and some others are looking at a jellyfish that has washed up onto the shore!

Run Jude!

...no more playing in the ocean!

I always wanted this color hair!!

The water was FREEZING!!! ...Ira assured me that if you kept moving it was fine.

Good-bye, ocean...

Eastre Sunday...

2010-04-05T10:38:00.020-04:00

...was spent at one of the greatest places on earth--Nama and Papa's house! My sister and her family are here from California, so all the grandkids got to spend the day playing in the yard and eating the best food in the south!

What did Margo find?

Yummy! Nama's good home-cookin'!

Best Buds, Owen and Jude

We took a walk down to the river on a beautiful 80 degree day! The grandchildren couldn't resist getting in (at least up to their knees ;).

The little ones didn't keep their clothes dry for long...

Margo, the Jungle Girl ;)

Captain Jack and Barbosa

Looking for frogs!

Margo (aka Mowgli) and Jack throwing sticks in the water

OUSA 2010 Rec League

2010-04-02T08:51:00.008-04:00

Isaiah and Ira are playing ball this year, and are doing very well! The most important thing, however, is that they are having FUN :) Here are a few photos:

Isaiah, #19, playing for the Blue Dragons...

He's takin' it! Isaiah with the ball!

Mannin' up, #19.

Second over from the right in all blue, #19, Isaiah Manley Steele!!!

#8, Ira, the Killer, Steele...playing for the Sharks.

That's Ira right in the middle there. Running.

2010-04-01T20:05:00.001-04:00

Passover/Pesach/Hag HaMatzah

2010-03-30T20:05:00.011-04:00

*So, no, we're not JEW-ish, but we ARE descendants of Abraham! I'm sure you all, by now, wonder what in the world is wrong with us! Get used to it because we get stranger by the minute :)*

Passover is a celebration filled with meaning. The thing that I love most about all of the Biblical celebrations is that they are so experiential: ie, every sense experiences the teachings, and none more-so than Passover. As a "Christian", years went by and I never understood the context for which "Jesus", or Yeshua, taught the disciples that "this cup is my blood", and "this bread is my body". I thought the disciples and He were in a room having "Communion", or a wafer of bread and a little cup full of grape juice. Anyway, here are some pictures from our meal:
Seder plates.

Placemat crafts.

Heather, Bob, Samuel

Pretty Hannah Elizabeth (doing crazy eyes ;)

"...let us allow the bitter taste to cause us to shed tears of compassion..." oh yeah!

Say, "Pee-satch" hahaha! No, Ira, it's "Pay-sock"!

The "Po' Boy" trying to bargain with Isaiah for the Afikomen...oh dear...

Isaiah counting the money to see if he's willing to accept it ;) He's a shrewd customer, he is!

Our attempt at "Dayenu" LOL!

HAPPY ST PATTY'S from Jackie Day

2010-03-17T21:31:00.001-04:00

I got this little gem while Jack was going potty today. I had to do a bit of 'editing' for one part, and for a while it wasn't working!! Please let me know if you watch it and it doesn't work :( Enjoy!

Snow, snow, and General Updates

2010-03-08T11:25:00.012-05:00

In the midst of chaos, I'm gonna throw out this post and see if there is anything of value here. We've had more snow than we've had in years; some pictures below to prove it (not from the same day). SUCH a cold winter, that today, March 8, (my birfday) we are opening the doors and welcoming the 70 degree day that it is! I think Spring may have finally broken through! We're soaking up every minute!

Soccer is in full swing. We've barely seen Josh and have been running ourselves ragged trying to keep everything together...Isaiah and Ira are both playing this year. We're trying to make it to May when we'll be able to breathe a little. Life is good, and we're livin' every minute!

Here are some photo updates: more to come when time permits.

We went for a hike to one of our favorite places and couldn't believe all the water!With all the rain/snow we've had, the creek is a-risin'!

Keeping warm next to Papa!

Best buds! It just started snowing...happiness.

New Years Day "Snow"boarding, and leftovers.

2010-01-06T10:01:00.022-05:00

On New Year's Day, Joshua took the older three boys up to Sapphire Valley, NC to learn how to snowboard. Granted, it could hardly be called snow...it was more like granulated ice...however, it was as good a place as any around here to learn how to carve, and cheaper than any, so off they went. They had a great time (after I'd predicted that within a few hours they'd be cold and sore and want to come home)! Here are some pics, along with some leftovers from birthdays and Christmas.

Isaiah's getting the hang of it!

Jude the Dude!

Ira learning to shred

Really OLD pictures (Nov 28) from Jack's 2nd birthday! Forgot I hadn't posted!

We all went up to Jocassee for a walk in the frigid cold, and the boys had fun playing on the playset!

I cannot believe how TALL Isaiah is getting!

Christmas at Nama and Papa's house

Happy New Year, 2010; and bring on CHANGE

2009-12-31T22:42:00.003-05:00

So, in an hour and fifteen minutes (as I write), it will officially be the year 2010. I'll say it with my cousin: "2010? Does that even make sense?" I don't think I ever comprehended this century, as those who lived at the turn of the last century likewise, probably, felt.

It's been a long and short year. Long, in the sense that there were many things left unresolved, economically, politically, and so on. Short in the sense that, well, anyone who is getting older knows...time just passes right on by while you were busy folding the clothes (or what-have-you).

Who has time to recount the last 364 days? Someone else, but not me. But, I will say that for our family, the closing out of this year is not without some pretty profound changes. "LOVE" is at the forefront of our hearts and minds. That is pretty profound in itself.

A couple of pictures from this last month are below. A brief explanation here: For the first time in our lives we decided to participate in the lighting of the candles for Chanukah. After this experience, I think we're definately planning on building on it and celebrating it year after year. We read a different scripture each night dealing with "light": the "light of the world", the word is a "light" to our path, etc. One of the "traditions" is to set the candles outside so that others can see them, so that was food for thought 'in and of itself' (as we say). There is so much commercialism in Christmas, and so much distraction, that, for us, it felt like a "return" in a sense. We also had a great time spending time with my family over Christmas.

Our make-shift "Chanukah Menorah" on night four; I thought it was so pretty!

Photo-op, taken on Christmas Eve with the new jammies from Grandpa Steele and Patty!

Many changes lie ahead for us in 2010. We pray for all of our friends and loved-ones to have a blessed year.

Happy Birthday to Jack :-)

2009-11-28T10:04:00.004-05:00

Two years ago today (at 11:01am to be exact), we were given the gift of Jack Day Steele. Happy Birthday to our sweet baby Jackie!!

Oh, sooo tired!!!

Jack D

2009-11-17T12:52:00.006-05:00

So, I look outside and Jack has gone and put two different boots on and is trying to walk around without them coming off. It was so cute to watch him working so hard on it! Had to share...

*Darn it, fell off again*

*Cheeze!*

Doe-mes-ticay-shawn (aka domestication)

2009-11-17T12:09:00.006-05:00

Just call me June Cleaver. I never woulda thunk it would happen to me, but I find myself more and more the domesticated housewife. It's been so vilified that it sounds horrible, I know! But, I'd like to glamorize it a bit here if I may!!

It started out a bit rough. When we got married and had Isaiah I could make scrambled eggs and grilled cheese sandwiches. That's it! I went to bed at 4 or 5 am and woke up at 2 or 3 pm. BIG changes were coming!! I have learned to cook and balance lots of things at once. We now have four children, as you all know. Lots of days Joshua doesn't get home until 9pm! So my job is heavy, but the burden is light :-) Today you could find me (apart from sitting at this computer posting to this blog): listening to jazz/Dylan/classical/other while...washing clothes, drying clothes, folding clothes, putting away clothes, making breakfast, cleaning the kitchen, cutting up fruits and vegetables to juice, vacuuming, dusting, balancing the checkbook, cutting coupons, sweeping the porch, mopping the floor, teaching math, reading a book to Jackie Day, cutting/arranging flowers, doing my graceful Pilates (hoping no one comes in! lol), helping Jude make letters, taking Jackie Day to the potty, checking grocery store sales papers, and alllll the while singing and smiling the day away!! Oh yes, it's beautiful! Now, obviously I don't need to mention that some days are hard and I get tired of children fighting at times! But, for a job that is considered beneath so many, and one I would have considered very drab and mundane and unimportant at one point in my young life, I have found that I am more fulfilled and content than I could have imagined. It doesn't pay in dollars, but it does pay in peace and love and harmony. (and fyi, I didn't feel this way after 1, 2, or maybe even 3 babies! It took #4 to chill me out! or maybe it was just 10 years of experience, I don't know which.) Alright, enough glamorizing. Here are some captured moments...*laughs*

Laundry lady

Fresh flowers

Matisyahu

2009-11-13T15:57:00.009-05:00

The boys didn't take long at all to fall in love with Matisyahu's music. It was love at first listen! I have to admit, it's very hard not to love the sincerity and devotion that he reflects in his songs (not to mention his gift to craft the beats that he carries). When my sister heard them talking about Matis and saw how excited they were about his music she went to work, seeing what she could do about getting them to a live performance. As "luck" would have it, he was playing at the Handlebar in Greenville, just a short hour's drive from us, so she surprised Jude on his 6th birthday by announcing that she'd gotten him and his brothers, Mom and Dad, tickets for the show. They started counting down the days! So, yesterday we dropped baby brother Jack off with Namma and Papa and set off to "G-vegas", as it's called locally, and got checked into our hotel downtown. Thanks to "Twitter", we learned that Matis would also be playing a few of his songs at a record store just up from the venue, to all who wanted to come. That was the icing, for sure! (As an aside, the boys had also felt very strongly to give Matis a gift, which we were able to a friend of his who hopefully delivered it. God Bless Solomon, and God Bless Matisyahu) Here are a few pictures and a little video I took at the store. Enjoy!

Waiting for the show to begin!

Probably the best part of the music experience for the boys was being able to see Matisyahu sing at this little record store a couple of blocks up from the Handlebar. They stood right in front very attentively and really enjoyed all the songs, especially the one they'd never heard before called, "Temple." Here is a little taste.

Thank you, Jenn-Dawn, for a lovely evening! We feel very blessed!

Leave'n

2009-11-07T10:23:00.003-05:00

Only one good thing about piles of leaves!!

Again...Slacker

2009-11-07T09:31:00.018-05:00

I have many good excuses for why I've been so slack lately; but as my husband's old basketball coach used to say: "Steele, excuses are like...[we'll use the word, booties]...everybody's got'em, and they all stink..."

Going WAY back, to October 8th, we celebrated 6 (SIX) YEARS of Jude Harrison Steele. He had a soccer game on his birthday, and after a season of disinterest in the ball on the field, he suddenly CAME ALIVE!! I said, "He just realized he's Joshua's son!" Seriously though, he just grew up! In one day! Later on, we had cousins come over and have a sleep-over with a campfire and roasted marshmellows and weenies! (no pictures, I'm afraid...)

A couple of weeks ago, we went with a group of homeschool kids to Denver Downs for some Fall Fun! We went through a corn maze, did a hayride, picked pumpkins, played on haybales and in the haybarn..The rain held off until we were leaving, so it was great fun!

Trying to find our way through the "corn maize"--impossible!

Rope-swing in the straw barn! It was by far their favorite part!

Our Halloween consisted of...not much really. Not our favorite holiday (if it can be called a holiday), although I LOVE the fall. We had a 'family reunion' of sorts that was, well, whatever...anyway, that's what we did, and the kids put something together right before we walked out the door.

That's it, hope you all had a Happy Hallerween...hehe!

Whoa! Time for an Update!

2009-09-30T10:17:00.017-04:00

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. We've been too busy with too much to mention, but here we are! Besides some snotty colds that have been lingering for the last month, everyone is doing wonderfully.

Hammin' it up for the camera:
Last night, Isaiah was trying to work on his story, and Jack kept climbing up in the chair and trying to steal his (Isaiah's) attention away from the computer. It was so cute, I documented it with pictures! Of course, when I got out the camera, Jack decided to stop being cute, to be even cuter!

Jude is playing rec soccer this year. He looks so much like Josh it's not funny! (Don't know why this is the only picture that uploaded...more later)

We celebrated Ira's 8th birthday on September 12th by going to Charleston with all the grandkids! Ira, my little grown-up 8-yr old, chose, not a "chuck-e-cheeze", but a nice (not 2 nice) restaurant to eat for his day so that he could look out at the ocean :-). As an added bonus, the following day we went out for Japanese and sat at an hibachi table (is that right?) so that the kids could see all the fun tricks the chefs do. Ty (my sis' hubby) told them it was Ira's birthday, so he was picked on the whole time by our chef ("How old are you, white boy?" ha!) He requested "Green Tea" with his meal, b/c, well, that's Ira! Here's some pics...

Ira's Birthday dinner at the Folly Beach Pier.

Everyone out on the pier after the birthday dinner. (Nessy, Kiki, Owen, Margo, Isaiah, Ira, Jude and Jack)

Out at a park on the Cooper River finding wild hermit crabs!

Jack loves to wear hats, so here are a few older pics of some of his "looks" (as Ira would say). SO cute!

Ira was ring-bearer for my cousin's wedding over the summer. It was his second time at the job, and he did well. We decided he should go into business, hire himself out, and get paid to do weddings. Not a bad idea, eh?

Doh! (*eating someone's cake when they weren't looking...busted*)

White Dog

2009-08-13T09:29:00.005-04:00

This cute little fur ball somehow turned into this 6 month old beast that we had to give a bath the other day. He hates water, so...not an easy task. He looked so purdy we took some pictures 'cause he's just gonna get red muddy again :-(

One Year Later

2009-08-10T21:25:00.003-04:00

Well, all, can you believe that one full year has passed since Daddy's surgery? A YEAR!! 365 days. Wow. We haven't forgotten the scare that we had in almost losing him, the difficult recovery, the sleepless nights... But, he's still here! And, do you know, he has been fishing again, just as I'd hoped?! I don't think his yard has ever been as beautiful as it has been this summer. Everything has worked out perfectly, and we could not have asked for more. I don't think words express how thankful we are that it turned out well for him, and as a result, for us. He turned 61 in July and says he hasn't felt as good in more than ten years. Ira may just get what he'd prayed for: that Papa would be around to see Jackie Day grow up! Thanks to everyone who prayed with us and thought of us through it all. I hope that you are all rejoicing with us! And let it be a reminder to us all that our days are numbered and we should try to make the most of them with the ones we love.

The Bob Dylan Show 2009

2009-07-31T10:05:00.006-04:00

It's Willie!! He was fantastic, and surprised us all by bringing out a Men's Gospel Quartet who sang several beautiful gospel songs, and then finishing up with "Always on My Mind" :-)

The beautiful venue at sunset...it was supposed to rain, but it turned out perfect

Me and my BFF Kelly G!

The man in his element

I love him!!!

The Riv

2009-07-27T11:03:00.005-04:00

"Let's alll go down to the river, There's a maann walkin' on the water" (a song often sung)
Before the hike (like the socks? I belong to Harry Manley)

Masters of the rapids

Taking a rest on the rock

Really nice, Clark.

Campaign for Liberty

2009-07-21T10:00:00.002-04:00

Just a 5 minute update on what's going on with this movement to audit the Fed. If there is anything you can do in your states (call/write representatives) to try to voice our opinions and get our voice heard in Washington (not that it will do any good, but we should try!)then do it! Wouldn't freedom be great???

Utah 2009

2009-07-11T11:09:00.061-04:00

We just returned from seven wonderful days in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, visiting Joshua's family. The days were so packed that I don't remember one from the next. Here are some pictures from our trip:

For the fourth we were invited up to Joshua's Aunt Margaret's "cabin" in the mountains for food, swimming, tennis, basketball, and horseback-riding, all of which were gladly partaken of. It was really fun to see the whole Steele family together. Later, we went to a local community park to watch fireworks (which take place only after many patriotic speeches, the national anthem, the pledge of allegience and lots of music...and I thought the south was the most patriotic place in the US of A).
Welcome to the Wheelwright home :-)

The "cabin", as Meagan so aptly put it.

Aren't they so cute?!

The "patio"

The "pool"

Joshie and Jackie Day outside the "pool house"

A River Runs By It (The Weber River)

Rounding up the horses.

Brushing the horses.

Riding the horses.

Beautiful Eliana.

Going to see some fireworks.

Waiting endlessly on the fireworks...

Gorgeous view watching the moon come up above the mountains on Grandpa(E-pa) and Patty's front porch.

Drove up to Snowbird and took a gandola up to 11,000 feet. It was pretty scary, but beautiful, and a cool 60 degrees!

The kids kept getting too close to the edge!

The old man

Milo and Ashley

SNOW!!

Jack's a little O2 deprived.

Went swimming in Uncle D's sister's pool with everyone.

The brothers even make a game out of tossing the babies in the air. The babies liked it though :-)

Went to Isaac's place to let all the grandkids get one full day together swimming, playing Nintendo, and playing on the playground.
Swimming in a hot tub on a 95 degree day. Nice.

The Papa and all the siblings.

All the grandkids (+Meagan:).

Our last day we drove up to Cottonwood Canyon and had a picnic. The big kids loved roasting their weenies and marshmellows (anything to do with fire) and hiking around on the rocks while the little ones played on the playset. What a location!!

busted...:-)

Eden and Isaiah loved climbing on the rocks and exploring all around. (They saw a baby fox and a rattlesnake!!)

Random picures from everywhere...
Waiting at the airport :-(

Tucker and the kids

Meagan (with child ;), Hubert and Ellie

Eden and Ryker

Katy, Sadee, Carrson, Isaac, and Addalyn

Michael Jackson 1958-2009

2009-06-25T22:11:00.003-04:00

As strange and sad, and, well, mannequin-like as this man was, he was still an amazing artist? It makes us sad to see his life end so tragically. Joshua remembers first hearing Michael on a vinyl "Thriller" album. My first memory was the "Thriller" video that my Aunt caught on tape and we would watch over and over. I was both terrified and mesmerized by it. This youtube clip is just a taste of his freakish talent, and just a small tribute to a man who led a troubled life.

May God have mercy.

Biblical Church

2009-06-22T21:32:00.004-04:00

Often, people ask us, "So, where do you go to church?", and when the answer is, "We meet in homes," we always get a puzzled expression. For those who are interested in what we call, "Biblical Church" (because it's the only thing the Bible teaches), our dear friend, Beresford Job, gives the most thorough and understandable teaching on the subject that we've ever heard. So, for anyone who is willing to take the time to watch these videos I thought I'd post them up so you don't have to go searching for them. But, if you're further interested, feel free to visit the website of their fellowship in England: www.house-church.org.

Biblical Church - Part 1 from CCF on Vimeo.

Biblical Church - Part 2 from CCF on Vimeo.

Biblical Church - Part 3 from CCF on Vimeo.

Biblical Church - Part 4 from CCF on Vimeo.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T11:32:00.002-04:00

This is a beautiful song...
In the video, if any of you have seen "Blood Diamond" there's clip of one very moving part of that movie where the father finds his son again. It touches me because it reminds me of the process, events, circumstances, etc., that culminated in my meeting Jesus (Yehushua) for the first time. See, in the story ("Blood Diamond"), the son is taken away from his father and reindoctrinated by men to hate and fear. When he sees his father again (in the scene you see in this video) he doesn't recognize him, and he's afraid and is even hostile to him. But something in his heart wants to trust in the love he sees in his father's face. And when he finally puts down the gun, as well as his doubt and fear, he is able to receive his father's embrace, and it just breaks him.

The Bible says in John: "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

Happy Father's Day for all the fathers.

Update on the goats/dogs

2009-06-15T20:54:00.006-04:00

Aside from some skin issues with Kiji, he's doing just fine. He loves playing with the goats and is the most laid-back puppy we've ever seen. The goats are okay, the dogs are okay...that thar's what it is!!

4 months old now

On the prowl...

Maple and Juniper

Our sweet Kijika

...and not to be outdone, let's not forget about the original play-pope (as we say it) herself, the one and only hound dawg of hound dawgs....Bonnie Bluuuuuuueeee!! (in hound-dog howl)

Brake for Snakes ;-)

2009-06-15T20:40:00.006-04:00

Tonight our neighborhood snake man, aka Uncle George, brought the boys a beauty. (Our English friends will appreciate this! I know Belinda wishes she was here so she could have held it too :-( Maybe next trip?!) It's just a young black rat snake. It has now been released into our yard to join the hundreds of others living all around us. Just the other day, I was sitting at our kitchen table and looked out the window onto our patio to one looking in the window at me! It was about 2 feet longer than the one in these pictures, and I think he was after our gerbils!! I'll keep my camera ready in case I walk in to them being swallowed up (whole)!

About Octogans...

2009-06-13T10:12:00.002-04:00

The boys really wanted to share this with everyone. We LOVE JACK!!! (who, incidently, we think must in some way be related to Joshua :-)

WATER!!!

2009-06-12T11:42:00.010-04:00

While staying on James Island with the fam (minus Joshua, sadly) we took all the kids to the water park. It was perfect for kids and everyone had a blast. Unfortunately, I couldn't get any pictures of the older boys going down the big slides because they were running the entire time, so I spent most of the time in the wading pool with Jackie Day. I'll give you the conversation that we had in a few words:

Me: Jack, is this fun?
Jack: Water!

Me: Jack, are you hungry?
Jack: *pointing* Water!

Me: Jack, are you getting tired?
Jack: Water!

You get the point, so, here are the pictures of Jack and water...

Week of Beach

2009-06-12T11:14:00.011-04:00

Snuggle-time

O-man showing off his wares

Cousin Margo gettin' down and dirty

Jude in deep thought

Building a "dribble" sandcastle for the pirates

More Snuggles

The boy did it again...

2009-06-12T11:10:00.002-04:00

What can I say? The child loves Strawberry Nesquik.

Memorial Day

2009-05-29T10:20:00.005-04:00

Papa and Jackie Day

The O-ster

The Little Critters

2009-05-29T10:05:00.005-04:00

Brotherly love

"He's just a little angel straight from Heaven!" (Raising Arizona)

Root Beer OD & Riders on the Storm

2009-05-29T09:23:00.015-04:00

Why so angry, Jackie Day? What the world?

Wow.

Handsome rascal. Stinky feet.

Shoo-ee, stinky feet!

Driving home through this:

The craziest cloud formations I've ever seen (over Walhalla). I don't know if it came through in the picture, but the sun was clearly visable through the clouds.

The rainbow over our house! (note: no sign of the pot of gold yet.)