Horse Update ... No Words Needed.

A Christmas to Remember!

Yes, you are seeing this correctly .... Isabelle's Christmas dreams came true this morning as she looked out the window to see her Daddy standing out in the field holding her very own horse. "Buck Christmas Kronz" is the latest member of the Kronz family farm. He is a 13 year old roan paint quarter horse with many years of 4H experience working alongside children. He is 14 hands high and a gentle giant. Here's how it happened .....

We had sought out a friend 3 months ago to begin looking for the right beginner horse for our little horse lover. Last week, he found this horse and felt sure that it would be just the right fit for Isabelle. And so ..... after we opened our stockings and gifts this morning and everyone was enjoying their presents, Joe announced that he was going out to feed the animals. I stealthily kept watch from the upstairs window and when he had the horse positioned where we could see it from the door, I called down to the kids to "Come up here! Dad has one last gift he wants to show you!!" They came racing up and Isabelle stopped dead in her tracks looking out the door. Words cannot describe the sweetness of this precious moment!! She was in utter disbelief and then the tears began to flow as she kept asking, "Is it for ME?? Is it to be MINE??!" I was crying, she was crying, Josiah was trying to get pictures in all the frenzy. It was precious.

I had her clothes hidden and ready for me to quickly help her into them (as at this point, she really couldn't even think straight!). She and I got outside as quick as possible and I snapped these pictures of her and her Daddy .... making his daughter's dream come true.

Isabelle had an apple ready to feed her new horse as she quietly spoke to it all the fond things she has been waiting to say if this moment should ever happen ....

This picture, although blurred, has the tender look on Isabelle's face that communicates perfectly how she was feeling. It is absolutely thrilling to help make a child's dream come true.

A Christmas to remember!! Merry Christmas everyone! Much love from the happy, growing Kronz family

Merry Christmas -- A Year in Reflection

The past year has felt like a blur, and yet .... as I've taken the time to gather photos here and recount our various adventures, I feel incredibly blessed. Although you are more than welcome to spend a few minutes looking through the many old posts on our family blog (they will give you a more detailed version of our life and goings-on as a family as well as cover many things that I've missed in this post), I've gathered the highlights of our year below.

There is definite joy in the remembering .....

It was during the Christmas season last year that we made the huge decision to go ahead and support Josiah in having a final recital as a violinist. The venue was selected, the invitations mailed, and the songs practiced for many hours prior to this performance. We were blessed beyond measure to be able to celebrate the conclusion of Josiah's formal violin study in a way which told of his efforts and dedication while simultaneously walking through a bit of family history in the various speeches given.

God was incredibly faithful in answering our prayers that HE would be glorified through our words and music. Friends and family were able to attend as well as perform. This is an incredibly sweet memory and a highlight of our 2011 year.

All three children have continued playing their instruments in some context. Isabelle plays both the violin and piano and has quite a musical gift when she puts her heart into it. Isaac continues playing the piano and enjoys composing on the computer in his spare time; and Josiah, although no longer taking lessons, has had several opportunities throughout the year to continue playing and performing.

It was a snowy Idaho winter which made for quite a few ski trips and playtimes outside once all the school books were tucked away. Yes, we still homeschool -- my 13th year actually! Josiah is now a senior and will graduate this spring, Isaac a freshman, and Isabelle in 4th grade. They are all excellent students with unique strengths. Josiah is our reader, politician, and historian, with plans towards law school in the coming years. Isaac, while still loving athletics, is emerging with his own academic strengths including learning to program computers on a basic level. Isabelle is our creative one, artist, lover of animals, and science-minded girl who carries her first-aid bag wherever she goes.

Our springtime focus revolved around a three week cross-country trip in our RV which we documented through an ongoing blog entitled "Kronz Cross-Country Adventure". This was a dream come true for Joe as we traveled all the way to the east coast and home seeing a variety of sights along the way. It was a growing time for us as a family and a blessing to be able to accomplish, but we were all glad to get home!!

Life on our little farm wouldn't be complete without projects .... and we've got LOTS of them! A big accomplishment for Joe and the boys was the completion of our new chicken coop as a gift to Mom this early summer. Affectionately named the "Taj Ma Chicken" by Joe, it is quite a sight to behold inside and out.

Gardening is a passion of mine and this is one of my favorite stages to capture with the camera. We had two gardens last year -- one quite large to hold the larger crops (including wheat!) and this smaller one named the "kitchen garden" which has just about anything you can imagine (with the exception of brussel sprouts!). Isabelle now gardens a portion of this with me and we have fun dreaming and planting and harvesting together from April through October.

Although we've recently added a new puppy to our menagerie, our golden retriever "Kale" is still our gentle giant keeping watch over the farm and always ready and willing for a good romp in the yard. He is Isabelle's nearly constant companion through the summer days and has learned to accept good-naturedly her various pursuits with him (dog trainer, horse back rider, sled dog driver, etc.). Raising animals has provided some tremendous opportunities for our children to grow in maturity, compassion, and responsibility, not to mention the unconditional love the animals offer 24 hours a day!

Work is a constant here on our 8 acres. Winter is the only season when there isn't daily outside chores beyond your scope of imagination (and if Mom thinks real hard, she can always come up with some even then!). We now have three official mowers in the family and there is always somewhere needing to be mowed! We're so thankful though and have been purposeful to provide these work opportunities for our kids to live and think outside of themselves and instead focus on serving eachother and family as a part of a bigger team.

We have an assorted menagerie here on the "farm". The ladies above give us farm fresh eggs on a daily basis -- enough to eat and to sell to neighbors.

The goats (Clara, Starlight, and Daisy) are still an absolute delight -- serving as big dogs when Isabelle gets the hankering. We had two of them "married" (smile) this fall and hope to welcome some baby kids in early April. We'll try our hand at milking them then and see how that fits our lifestyle and needs as a family.

I spend most of my time serving my family, but when I do have extra time, I love making things beautiful outside. While the boys were away for a week in July fishing in Alaska, Isabelle and I spent many a moment on this porch eating and talking and reading together. The daisies were in full bloom for over a month so there was much reason for me to linger in the gardens ....

I forgot to mention that we also raised turkeys this year, one of which we roasted and enjoyed for Thanksgiving! We round out the "farm" with 3 barn cats, a bunny rabbit named "Benny", and several thousand bees from which we harvest honey each fall.

We said a long and tearful goodbye to our dearest of friends, the Coose family, in early August. They are now living in Australia, a world away and are missed terribly .... but are forever in our hearts. This was a point of transition and grieving for both Isabelle and I with tears still shed on occasion, but we are so thankful for godly friendships which stand the test of time and continue in spite of the miles.

As this year draws to a close, we are already anticipating all that lies ahead for 2012. Projects, camping, traveling to see family and friends, new work opportunities and growth in a variety of ways are all on the horizon! The highlight of the year however will likely be the high school graduation of our oldest son -- first homeschool graduate in our family.

Josiah is growing into a tremendous young man with many goals ahead. He will graduate in May and continue to study towards the completion of his online college degree (estimated completion in early fall 2012). He has the privilege of interning for a local state Representative this winter, working in the State Capitol and gaining valuable hands-on experience.

Joe and I celebrate 21 years of marriage in just a few weeks and find it hard to believe at times that God has brought us this far as a couple, a family, and as believers in Christ. God continues to provide more and more opportunities for growth as we offer to Him the praise deserved for the blessings He has bestowed. We rejoice with you this Christmas and holiday season and encourage you to seek Him with your whole heart as you reflect on the birth of His Son. Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Tea

Isabelle and I had the privilege to share an afternoon with a precious Momma/daughter pair over an old-fashioned Christmas tea party.

The table was set with care, candles lit, and hot chocolate poured to accompany our homemade cinnamon walnut crescent rolls. Yum! Throughout this school year, we have been enjoying a Bible study designed for mothers and daughters which culminates every few months in a tea party where we have the opportunity to share what we've learned, as well as to study together God's Word on subjects ranging from friendships to a child's relationship with God. It has been a sweet time of learning and growing for Isabelle and I, and even sweeter to finish it off with this time of hospitality.

"Tea" was followed by pictures and stories from the Mamas on the couch telling of the day when this particular little one came into our lives. This was followed by a Christmas craft and finished off with decorating cookies and fellowship. God is so good to provide friendships along the way as we grow alongside our children!

Puppy Update

Well, we're one day short of "Snow" being a member of our family for two weeks. She really is quite precious and a very good dog, but it hasn't been easy ........

A four day bout with explosive diarrhea out of puppy (she had mistakenly been fed adult dog food the morning that we picked her up from the breeder) combined with a two-day stint with the stomach flu by Isaac shortly into her first week meant that bonding wasn't the easiest thing to insure happening; however, Isaac has made up for lost time and .....

is now handling over 90% of the responsibilities and playtime linked with the puppy (not easy to do as an active and full-time high school student). He has her crate trained for up to a few hours, enjoys playing with her, and no longer thinks the end of the world has come when she has an "accident" in the garage. They are both growing in maturity through this experience which is a wonderful thing to watch! Keep up the prayers on his behalf!