Maxwell Family Blog

Web Design and A+

Sarah — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:19:03 +0000

It has been exciting to see the Lord blessing ITonRamp. Nathan and Joseph have been encouraged to see those in their classes learn new skills and gain confidence in using them, and in receiving very positive feedback from those participating.

I want to take a few minutes to share with you about the two upcoming courses and why I feel either one could be a benefit to your family.

HTML—Step One in Website Design, May 28th-August 3rd

It seems more and more people desire to create a website. For some families, having a website could be vital to their home business. It could mean the success (having a site) or failure (not having one) of the business.

How does one even begin to create a website?
How does one learn the coding behind designing a clean, crisp website?
How do you place elements, text, and images in an eye-pleasing way, not to mention the coding behind it?

Students will study a book, learn by practical projects and assignments, watch weekly webinars, and participate in an online forum, if they so choose. This would be the perfect course for your high schooler or young adult to take this summer. The class begins in just one week, so if you’ve been thinking about enrolling in it, don’t delay!

A+, June 4th-August 31st

In two weeks, Nathan’s second group of A+ students will begin. Even if you’re not planning on going into the IT field and doing computer support, this class could be highly beneficial to supporting your computers at home or in a home business. In the long run it could save you money as opposed to paying someone to fix your computer problems. You can avoid those expensive bills by fixing it yourself! If your computer is running slow, you’ll know what to do to increase its performance. For young ladies, A+ offers you a dynamic skill set to be able to have a home business or simply to enable you to bless others by helping them with their computers.

Nathan will prepare you to take the A+ tests, which, if passed, will title you as an A+ certified technician. His weekly webinars are full of practical knowledge. The books to study, projects to do, and interaction in the forums are all part of the course. We feel A+ is so valuable in knowledge, we would encourage every high school student to take it.

Not to mention both courses are mentored, giving one-on-one interaction, follow-up, and encouragement.

So, there you have it—many reasons why one should consider taking HTML or A+. I’ll step off my soapbox now.

Sarah

“Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.”

–Proverbs 24:27

Zoo: Part 2

Sarah — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:37:17 +0000

One new-to-us feature was the SkyFari. It was basically a ski-lift that you ride over the zoo. Dad and Mom said they’d stay with the little girls and go through the butterfly exhibit, so Joseph, John, Anna, Jesse, Mary, and I went to catch a ride.

It was an interesting feeling being airborne over exhibits. You became very aware of not wanting to lose anything to the ground which was a good distance away. John and Anna were in the seat ahead of us, and Jesse and Mary behind.

Joseph and I were a team and enjoyed the quiet, relaxing ride across the zoo.

As the SkyFari came to the half way point, we were right over the rhino exhibit. This rhino was wallowing in the mud. Rhinos do this to cool off, and it was a hot day, close to 90 degrees.

This little guy looked longingly at the leaves which were out of his reach.

Grandma and Grandpa having snack time with the grandgirls.

One of our favorite sections of the zoo is the aquarium. The penguins are especially cute, and we had quite a bit of time in that section, because we were waiting for Dad and Mom to join us. They rode the SkyFari after we did.

The others had moved on around the corner, and this was neat shot in a bubble window.

A penguin close up.

Joseph took the pictures here in the overhead aquarium.

It makes me glad there is glass between me and it.

Jellyfish. Another of Joseph’s photos.

Mom’s favorite part of our trip was actually these guys, Silvery Lutungs. See how the baby was catching its ride mid-air?

The mom swung with that baby, and then it hopped off, and the next one got a ride.

This suspended bridge held memories for the younger five from our trips when they were little. Abby got to experience it with Aunt Anna.

John enjoyed himself too.

Love,
Sarah

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

Zoo: Part 1

Sarah — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:54:07 +0000

Our favorite zoo in the area is in Omaha, approximately three hours from here. It has been a desire on Mom’s heart to go to the zoo with the little girls. With all of our schedules and other items, it just wasn’t working out. A week ago Friday, Mary had the idea to go to the zoo as a special Mother’s Day outing. She talked to family members, planned, worked on schedules, and planned some more. In the meantime, she was able to keep it a complete secret.

Nathan wasn’t able to come due to his work, and Melanie, with being careful of her activity level, couldn’t join us, but they said Abby and Bethany could.

Thursday was a beautiful day. The drive was uneventful, and we had a picnic in the van as we approached Omaha. After we unloaded and tickets were purchased, we were ready.

First stop: orangutans!

Looking at the orangutans.

These cute little guys were a definite mischievous duo. They took turns threading part of their rope out of the cage, as if they were fishing for the zoo spectators.

We moved on. We were glad the gorilla was on the other side of the glass. He was huge!

Walking…

Abby had hoped to be able to pet a goat, and she did! Children definitely love the petting zoo.

One special treat was the train. It was an old-fashioned, train engine, with several open passenger “cars.” We had a nice ride around the zoo and observed prairie dogs, rhinos, giraffes, and other animals.

We visited the desert which was an interesting, dome-covered building.

The main reason we took the zoo trip!

Sweet Abby.

Aunt and Niece.

The giraffes were a special part of our visit.

Anna took the camera to grab this picture.

Anna was taking a cell phone picture, so I took this shot.

This concludes Part 1, about half of the pictures we chose. Part 2 will follow in the next day or two!

Love,
Sarah

“I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.”

–Psalms 50:11-12

It Was a Special Day At the Zoo

Sarah — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:35:54 +0000

More pictures to come!

Sarah

“And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.”

–Genesis 1:21

Update on Melanie’s Baby

Sarah — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:22:46 +0000

It’s time for an update on Nathan and Melanie’s little one. Melanie is now almost 36 weeks and doing well. A huge praise has been she is not on bed rest! Thank you so much for praying for her and Baby. Please continue to do so. Nathan and Melanie are very grateful.

Love,
Sarah

“Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings” (Psalms 17:8).

A Special Mother’s Day Outing

Sarah — Thu, 17 May 2012 13:22:33 +0000

It was originally planned for Monday, but long story, today is the day! Mom was very surprised and excited when we told her this morning. We’ll post a few pictures tonight, and the rest will come later.

Love,
Sarah

“This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalms 118:24)

Will Baby Come This Week?

Sarah — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:45:38 +0000

Anna Marie’s due date is this Saturday! Contractions are kicking in and become more consistent. Last night, when she and Christopher were over, contractions were coming at a steady clip for awhile. Anticipation and excitement is really building as we realize Baby will be making his/her appearance hopefully soon. Of course, contractions slowed down, but we know that this is part of the process.

Love,
Aunt Sarah

Anna Marie made us a delicious coffee cake for breakfast yesterday.

Daddy, Mommy, and Aunt feeling Baby and monitoring contractions.

“Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”

–Isaiah 44:23-24

Happy Mother’s Day!

Sarah — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:59:19 +0000

We are so grateful for the blessing Mom is in our lives. She has truly poured out herself “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1) on our behalf. Although the years of raising us children were long and sometimes difficult, she is now reaping rewards through the fruit of our walk with the Lord Jesus and how we live our lives.

Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Mom does this daily. She delights in growing and strengthening her walk with the Lord by spending time in God’s Word, prayer, and memorization; she helps my grandparents; she is an incredible Titus 2 homemaker; she blesses Dad in whatever ways she can; she grocery shops for three households every week; she keeps our family calendar updated; she is an awesome planner; she delights in the Titus2 ministry; she faithfully prays for many people; she encourages ladies in the vein of Titus 2; she loves her family; and I’ll stop there.

Happy Mother’s Day to an incredible Mom! We can honestly rise up and call Mom blessed, as Proverbs 31 describes a woman who fears the Lord. In addition, a special Happy Mother’s Day to my two very pregnant sister-in-laws.

A special hug to those who have lost a child. Mrs. Deana, I think of you, losing your only son about a year ago. How my heart aches with yours. I think of three families who have lost babies in the past few months. Amy E.’s testimony was featured in this month’s May Corner, which if you haven’t read it, please do so. It is a powerful, moving testimony of the Lord’s faithfulness.

My heart aches for the wives who have never been able to bear a child and who desire for their empty arms to be filled. May you be like Hannah, who cried out to the Lord. “For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:27

Love,
Sarah

Jesse’s Graduation

Sarah — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:08:02 +0000

Friday evening, we celebrated the graduation of Jesse Maxwell. Jesse is the 7th Maxwell to graduate from our homeschool. Jesse worked hard at his school: he was diligent, he applied himself to his studies, and he excelled quickly.

Our graduation celebration started with dinner, and Jesse chose the menu: ham stew, cornbread, potato casserole, and for dessert: chocolate brownies with fudge sauce, and chocolate custard.

Bethie brought balloons to Uncle Jesse.

After dinner and cleanup, we moved into the living room for Bible time.

Next, everyone had come prepared with a special verse (s) for Jesse. They read him the verse, shared some thoughts, and then prayed for him.

Joseph’s verse was presented in a special design which he had done.

Abby recited a verse she had memorized.

Grandad was able to read his verse, which was precious, with his failing health.

Dad and Mom gave Jesse his diploma.

As part of our celebration, we gave graduation gifts to Jesse. Everyone had put thought and effort into their gifts. Abigail gave Jesse a stuffed penguin.

Christopher being his funny uncle self. I can’t wait to see him with his own children.

The Maxwell alumni.

Jesse and John after the party was over.

Jesse Maxwell, Class of 2012

Truly, the celebration was a special time of blessing Jesse, celebrating his graduation from school, and recognizing his hard work. Near the end, Jesse gave Mom a card he had written. As Mom got emotional, there weren’t many dry eyes in the room. Mom has invested so much in our education, and it is something we are extremely grateful for. She’s been homeschooling for 27 years, and Mary is her last student!

Congratulations, Jesse!

Love,
Sarah

“Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.”

–Deuteronomy 4:9

Anna Marie’s Baby Shower

Sarah — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:42:49 +0000

Thursday evening was a special time of celebrating with ladies the upcoming birth of Baby Maxwell.

The shower idea was initiated by Abby. She loved reading about the baby shower in Spring with the Moodys. About four years ago, the ladies in the neighborhood had thrown a shower for Melanie and Abby. We thought we’d host a shower this time for Anna Marie!

Dad and John helped us with decoration hanging.

Ready!

Anna and Abby taking the balloons and sign out to the mailbox.

Anna Marie, GiGi, and Anna.

Anna had a last-minute idea for ladies to sign a onesie for the baby. It was a practical guestbook.

The first game we played was “guess mommy’s tummy size”. You couldn’t try out the yarn on yourself to get an idea, so it was strictly a guess. There were many giggles as ladies tried to figure out what length to cut their yarn.

Then, we started out with two ladies. They each tried their yarn around Anna Marie’s stomach, and the lady who was the closest, stayed standing until another lady’s beat hers.

Mrs. L, to Anna Marie’s left, won the game, with an extremely close piece of yarn.

The next game was “guess the baby item,” and we passed seven paper bags around, each containing a useful baby item. Would you believe Mrs. L won both games?! We didn’t make the items easy to guess either. Way to go, Mrs. L.!

A and B helped Anna, as she opened each bag and announced the item.

While Mom shared a poem, Scripture, and some thoughts on raising children, Anna prepared the little girls for a special presentation. By the way, Mary made the matching outfits.

Abigail sang Jesus Loves Me, and then she and Bethie presented Anna Marie with a flower. For those who have read Spring with the Moodys, you’ll know Maddie sang a song and gave a flower to Mom.

Anna Marie was given an amazing assortment of items. Our hearts were overwhelmed by the generosity of our sweet, neighborhood friends. They showered Anna Marie and her new baby with so many practical things. I enjoyed seeing the thoughtfulness and creativity put into each gift.

Mrs. L not only brought a gift for Anna Marie, but she also gave gifts to the little girls. Mrs. L’s mom made A and B two sets of matching sweaters! They were so sweet.

Anna Marie with the cake.

The whole group.

Christopher came to get Anna Marie and her gifts after everything was done. Don’t they look like such a happy couple?

It was a very special evening, celebrating the upcoming birth of Baby Maxwell with our friends from the area. We are grateful that the ladies took time out of their schedules to come and bless Anna Marie and Christopher.

Jesse’s graduation post will be in the next day or so.

Love,
Sarah

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

Psalms 139:13-14