Seven Years Ago.....

I can't believe how fast seven years has flown by. On a Thursday night during an exceptionally warm March, our fist child was born!! I remember that first second that he entered the world reaching for him and greeting him with a "hi baby"! A moment I will never forget.

I could imagine all I wanted about what kind of boy that baby (all 8lbs. & 4 oz. of him) would be. He is far more of a blessing than I could ever have imagined. On Monday Feb. 22 of this year he felt his need to ask Jesus to be Lord over his little life. Yet another moment I will never forget. That day became his "spiritual birthday". What a great leader and example he is to his two little brothers. He is such a sweet, smart boy and we are very thankful to call him son.

The morning of his birthday we did one of our usual birthday morning traditions, waking him up with a doughnut, candles and the birthday song. We had him open his gift from us, a scooter!

He had been wanting one for awhile, I had it hidden away for months and it was hard to save it.

Evan gave him a hot wheels car and got a hug in return!

Then for lunch we tried to eat at POP'S, but because of the time demands of daddy's school, we had to settle for Freddy's (not a bad compromise). We were also all sick so his party had to wait until the following weekend.

The day before his party he helped to make cookies. He chose to make mint chocolate chip!! YUMMY!!

He helped mix the ingredients and break up the Oreo cookies for his dirt cake.

The next day was his party day, finally! He chose to have a family party this year, with the neighbors

kids and our close friends the Kittredges. We had pizza, cookies, cake and presents!! Then the

kids retreated to the back yard to play, what a great day!!

Now I want to reflect on the past seven years with you.

Our first family photo

Clayton's first hour

Clayton's first birthday

Clayton's 2nd birthday

Clayton at 3

Clayton at 3 1/2 with new brother Evan

Clayton at 4

What sweet boys!

Clayton at 5, during our vacation to Durango

What a fun day!!

Clayton at 6

6 1/2 welcomeing another brother!!

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be STRONG, be BRAVE.

Let all that you do be done in LOVE."

~1 Cor. 16:13-14

What a blessing these past seven years have been!!

Dearest Clayton,

What a joy it is to be your momma. I am so thankful that you have such a loving heart. You have an awesome example of what it is to be a man of God in your father. "Listen my son, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding." (Prov. 4:1)

You have a special calling on your life, God given. I pray that you will learn to discern God's voice and do His will in your life.

What a great age to hear your need for a Savior!! You, my son, are AMAZING!! Remember Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the Lord is the begining of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." You will grow and do great and mighty things!!

I love you!

Presidents Day 2010

This year the boys made fun books to tell us what they would do if they were President. I got this idea from Michael's.com. We also listened to the Presidents Song and Clayton has the first 5 and the last 10 down!! This was such a fun activity to do!

Let's start with Evans! While I did most of the work the fun part was watching his absolute head nods and "yea" to the things I suggested. Then he got to pick and choose from those things. Such a cutie!

I was drawing and writing while holding the baby, so it actually looks like he did the work himself!! Oh well, I do my best.

This phrase was completely his own! I thought this was so funny and somewhat true.

This speaks to the very heart of Evan. Without fail everyday he wakes up asking for something ridiculously sweet. So I'm sure that if he were President someday he would ask for some sort of tax credit for the purchase of candy!! Then he'd have to implement some sort of reimbursement program for Dentist visits.

Now for Mr. C's book!

Of course he would drive a train!! What else would a train loving President do?!

I have my mom to thank for this one. He LOVES those butter and jelly sandwiches! Why not have everyone at least try one?

Ahh, the sweet mind of being 6!!

What a fun morning!

I pray that my boys will grow up to be leaders. Whether they be husband's and fathers that lead their families in faith, or leaders of business, or of this nation! If his spiritual gift is "leadership, let him govern diligently"(Romans 12:8). That you be humble men of God who lead by your example (1 Peter 5:3). To "live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love" (Ephesians 4:1&2).

The last verse is also my prayer for Kenneth and myself. To be humble and gentle, patient and bearing with each other in love.

God Bless

Playing the Leck Way!!

Let's play the Leck way!!

Yes, this is truly one of our favorite ways to play together. It is loud, crazy and fun!! The boys love the opportunity to play with dad. They can express themselves with the beat of their own drum!!

We love listening to them cheer when daddy pulls out the instruments and lays them on the floor. We all participate, trading instruments and trying to find the right rhythm. These are my favorite kinds of memory making moments. The kinds where I don't need to take pictures or video(except to share them with you). I capture these moments in my heart and mind knowing full well how priceless this time is. These family treasures cannot be achieved the same way that taking them to Chuck E. Cheeses can (although we do those types of things as well). The impact that these moments have will last a lifetime and more!! The BEST part of it is that its FREE!!! We stay home and play until we are all played out. Whew! When the night is done, I'm thankful for the peace and quiet! My ears are ringing but my heart is singing about the joy of having and being a family.

"You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me!

I sing for joy because of what you have done."

Psalm 92:4

Here are some more pictures we took that night enjoy!

"celebrate His wonderful name with music"

Psalm 135:3

"Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!

Praise Him with a clash of cymbals; praise Him with loud clanging cymbals."

Psalm 150:4-5

Clanging Clayton

Jitter-Bug Evan

Photographer Mommy

Denton and the shaker

I am truly blessed!

WE ROCK!!

Evan's current favorite book and our little learning corner

When I lay Evan down for a nap we pick out a book to read. Lately, however, he has been drawn to read and re-read "Oh, The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. Every time I read this book to him it reminds me of my own journey through childhood up to today. I love how "Dr. Seuss" reminds us that there will be times when things are going great and we feel we have it all figured out and people will be there to cheer us on. Then on the flip side he reminds us of the times that we will be "left in a lurch" and that others will be off sailing through life ahead while we're stuck. That some times we will be on our own going through our own journey. I love how he ends the book telling us to, "Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left." Then he goes on to say,"KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!" "So....be your name Buxbaoum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!"

Isn't that great for a child to hear? That everyday has its own "mountain" that sometimes we will climb high with others around us supporting us, sometimes we'll climb high alone. Sometimes we won't do any climbing at all. I think the best thing I want to teach my kids is that with enough faith they don't have to climb it at all, they can move it! Isn't that what Jesus said in Matthew after He healed a demon-possessed boy? Yes!! "I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

I love this verse, I love that I have the awesome opportunity to teach my children these truths, that faith in their Heavenly Father will give them that kind of power!!

My hope for my boys is that Kenneth and I will have taught them well in the Word of God, academia and the world around them.

"All your children shall be taught by the Lord,

And great shall be the peace of your children.

In righteousness you shall be established;

You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear."

-Isiah 54:13-14

The Lecks Learning Corner

I love our little learning corner in our kitchen. The smell of coffee, the just-out-of-bed-warm-hugs. The sunshine (if its not cloudy) streaming in through partially opened blinds. The freshness of a new day. New things to be learned, new conversations to be had and new challenges to face.

This is where we begin our day, this week I plan on adding a list of the Ten Commandments to our little spot. Clayton had them memorized and has forgotten the first five.

I added a tote for Evan to keep his school things in because he was becoming restless with my attention being focused on Clayton. In it he has

play doe, dry erase markers, chalk, scissors and a "work book" just like brothers. For now this has helped to give him a place in our spot.

Teaching my boys has really become my favorite time of the day these last few weeks, I go to bed with exciting ideas for the next day!

Thank you, Lord, for giving us a new day. For the freedom to teach my boys at home and for the joy I receive in doing this work. Thank you for these healthy boys that are curious and were created for your eternal plan!!

It is great to watch them learn new skills like Evan using scissors for the first time.

"Bless his substance, Lord, and accept the work of his hands".

-Deuteronomy 33:11

Do you wonder what my precious baby is doing during all this learning? Well he is either with us or sleeping away!! I either wear him in my sling or set him in a seat. The boys love to show him what they are doing and to hear his responses in coos. He has been such a sweet blessing and I am amazed at the amount of love and joy that has entered our house since his birth. Such a great blessing!

"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory

both now and forever. Amen."

-2 Peter 3:18

Now to Biggest Brother, it was this little man who inspired us to follow in faith and walk this road of "homeschooling". When I look back at where we started and where we are now I stand in awe at where God has lead our family. I am constantly amazed at the beauty, work and faithfulness of my Father's hands. Thank you, Lord, for your promises.

"Being confident of this very thing, that He

who has begun a good work in you will

complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

-Philippians 1:6

The Ups and Downs of Homeschooling and The New Year

This picture was taken in the last days of 2009. We were working on our science projects making salt crystals.(the calm before the storm) The very next week was a test of my true desire to homeschooling. The older boys were fighting, the baby wasn't sleeping and everything just seemed incredibly loud. One of my fellow home teaching families put their oldest two into school for the first time and upon giving her God inspired hope and encouragement, I thought well, why don't I just put mine into school and save myself from the craziness that my children are putting me through? I'm not at all saying that having my child be taught outside of my home would really be any easier. I would still be as involved as I could in their school. Not to mention all the hours of homework, the friendship lessons, the correcting of attitudes and phrases that would have to be reexamined. I think that that would make it so much harder to instill into my boys why we believe what we believe and behave the way we behave. To"commit yourselves wholehartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to you children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again."(Deuteronomy 6:7) How could I do that if for 8 hours a day they were at another place? After praying, and speaking to my co-teacher, co-parenting, best friend, he reassured me that what we are doing isn't just for the educational purposes, but for the relational and spiritual as well. That while in the present it is hard, but that is just what parenting is, its unselfishness, its giving and not expecting to get anything in return. If I expect immediate return then I set myself up for heartbreak and resentment. Even if our children when to school, private or public, we would still face the exact same dilemmas. Except for one thing, in our classroom we are encouraged to pray to our heavenly father, to find our Creators works in math, reading, writing, art and history. We read His Word and follow His commands and laws. In homeschooling our children we are free of worldly interpretation from a teacher who may or may not be picturing my child as an adult fulfilling his specifically designed purpose. I don't want to just be a helper in my child's learning I want to be a participant, fully engrossed in every aspect of what enters his growing mind. I love knowing what makes him tick, what excites him and what are his challenges. So, before last weekend was up I had gained a new resolve, to keep doing what God has called me to do, to keep teaching my children at home.
So here we are back into the saddle of school work. We have many great things that we are learning and I'm finding creative ways to keep making it fun. One way is adding fun science projects, so far this year we have done are salt crystals...


dyeing eggs...


and more to come!!

The other "new" thing that we are doing is taking a dance break to re-focus.

This has become one of our favorite times during school. We move to the music to interpret what we are hearing. Here are some photos that Clayton took of me...

then pictures that I took of them!

The next "new" learning tool that I am trying, is using scrabble cheese-its to practice our spelling and sight words. This has been lots of fun and fun to eat up our good work!!

So now armed with a fresh perspective, fun and new ideas, I can press on and "I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." (Phil.3:14)

I can only hope and pray that our efforts to raise these boys into men of God is received by them. That when they go off to college, get married and have children of their own that I can step back and praise my Father in Heaven for his wondrous grace, mercy and love over these formative years.

Before we know it they will have lives of their own and we must use this time to prepair them for the world and to prepair us for them to go off into it!

How fast they grow.....