Hackett Family Blog

What's Happenin' March 2011

2011-03-31T23:38:00.000-07:00

SNOW in Burbank, CA!!!

2011-02-26T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well, it was more like the CA version - snow/slush but the kids loved it anyway = )

Notice Emily eating a donut and watching all the fun from inside = )

What's Happenin' with the Hacketts

2011-01-17T00:58:00.000-08:00

Evan's Big Day

2010-11-22T23:00:00.001-08:00

Here is our post for the month. Evan was so excited about getting his own Bible with his name written on it in gold letters. Forgive me if this is the Christian home schooler equivalent of the "Proud parent of Luther Burbank Elementary Honor Student" bumper sticker.

Emily Takes a Stroll

2010-10-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

It's going on noon on a Saturday...

2010-09-28T22:47:00.000-07:00

you know you want to do something, but it's going to be 100 degrees. So, what do you do? If you're a Hackett, you pack up the ninos and go to the Santa Barbara Zoo.

The New Math?

2010-08-18T22:13:00.000-07:00

In the mind of our son:
Dropping Dada Off at the Airport + Dinner after Picking Dada Up at the Airport =

A Quick Post...

2010-07-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

We were dark in June. And we were doing so well! Before July is over I decided I better post something, or we'll fall into that annual thing. Not much to say, but we've got some cute pics...

Well, I guess I do have one thing to say. IT'S HOT!!!!!! Sorry, Arizona Hacketts. I know it's not 120 or anything. But, when the entire family is wearing those t-shirts, affectionately called, "wife beaters," you know it's hot (of course, Cheryl, the Hackett with dignity, is not wearing one).

By the way, we call them "Stellas!!!" And, only those of you who've seen the 50's film version of Streetcar Named Desire get this little family joke. The kids have no idea what it's about, but they enjoy running around the house yelling, STELLA!!! with their little white tank top undershirts.

'nuff said, enjoy the pics!

Our School Days

2010-05-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

We are in our first year of home school. The year started out great! We were on schedule and well into our daily routine (until our sweet little Emily arrived). Things slowed down for a while, but we are now back on track. The kids love doing school. They get excited when we work on new things and it has been so amazing for me to see how fast they learn. We work on our lessons, have craft/art time, and occasionally have field trips. Evan is in kindergarten but he is already working on first grade level books and this year he started reading! I love that I can give them the one on one attention. Another nice thing about homeschooling is when they are stuck on something, I can take my time and make sure they learn it. Yes, it has it's challenges, but I'm glad that this is what we chose this year. Here are some photos of Evan and Aubrie during this school year.

The Reality of Sin

2010-05-14T12:23:00.001-07:00

This has been so strong in my mind lately. Just the other day while going through a morning devotion I all of a sudden had this thought. It was an overwhelming, pressing, feeling of fear and hopelessness. Have you ever had that feeling? Maybe when you received devastating news, or got caught in doing something terrible (and you hope that nobody will ever find out about it)? It's a crippling feeling of panic, fear, your heart starts to pound and you feel alone. The other morning I realized that this is what the eternal feeling will be for so many. Many will someday stand before God with their sins not paid for because they rejected or did not believe in the ONLY one who could pay for their sins - the Lord Jesus Christ. It will be a devastating and conscious isolation from God, in eternal torment & darkness, without hope - FOR ALL ETERNITY. Man in general thinks very lightly of the reality of sin and who they are sinning against. The bible is clear that ALL sin will be punished by a Just and Holy God. It's not just the bad sins (as one would like to think). People say well, I never killed anyone (so I'm really not that bad) but, have you ever told a lie, used the Lord's name in vain, or looked at someone with lust (yes, everyone has broken one or more of the commandments).
Ephesians 2:1-3 says And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But, here is the good news Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved). Yes, it is God's grace that offers us eternal life with Him through faith in Christ the ONLY one who satisfied the wrath of God on the cross. All sin will be paid for, it's just a matter of WHO will pay for it? Will it be Christ or you (in rejecting him).

Below is a very short trailer from a past Resolved conference (this particular year was on the subject of sin). Tim and I watched one of the sessions last night and were truly blessed by it - please watch it if you get a chance.

I thank God for His word and gift of salvation through Christ my Lord. I am reminded to READ MY BIBLE! So, I can know the truth and not what the world generally believes when they take sin so lightly (which will be devastating in end).

You can see all the sessions at the Resolved website http://www.resolved.org/

A random post to make up for missing April.

2010-05-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

I was doing pretty well about posting at least once per month and then... April. Well, when all else fails, - babies. Pictures of babies that is, lots of 'em. See if you can guess who's who. What an undeserved blessing we enjoy. I know it seems sometimes like children sanctify us more in terms of trials. But, the Lord also sanctifies us through His undeserved love and blessings, drawing us nearer to Him thanks to the "kind intention of His will." Remind me I said that.

Emily's Latest Movie

2010-03-05T23:24:00.000-08:00

She's just over four months and all head.

The Real Deal

2010-03-05T23:14:00.000-08:00

The link below is to a sermon by Paul Washer. This is one of the best basic primers on true biblical Christianity I have ever heard. For those who are not believers, yet think they know what Christianity is, guess again - listen and find out. For believers, this is a great one to share with your curious friend, relative or workmate. It's also very convicting, instructing and edifying. Definitely, check it out.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=22310205797

Ponies

2010-02-19T07:33:00.001-08:00

Aubrie has reached that age in a young girl's life when ponies captivate the imagination and the heart. Evan seems to think they're pretty swell too.

Rain Rain...

2010-02-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

All parents with young children know how challenging rainy days can be. Especially when you have crazy, active, nut wagons for children. No matter how we try to start the day - playing games, coloring pictures, reading books, playing nerf guns, ponies, and trains - we always end up in front of the TV watching a video. Usually, a "Disney Classic!" (the language the fine folks at Disney have bored into my children's brains).

Yes, we try to enjoy the rainy days, but we are outdoors people at heart, even the little ones. Here they are looking longingly outside, wishing they could go out and play. Yes, even Emily yearns to be carried around outside in the fresh winter air.

Thank you sir. May I have another?

2010-01-31T23:11:00.000-08:00

This video has excerpts of a sermon by my friend's favorite preacher, Steve Lawson. And that's all I have to say about that, 'cause my gut's still a little tender.

The 12 Days of Homeschooling

2009-12-25T21:55:00.000-08:00

This is just classic. Of course, we don't necessarily agree with "God want's me to do this," (it's a preference, not a command) but it's a great laugh and includes all the comments spoken to you or behind your back by your neighbors regarding this subject.

Introducing: Emily Grace

2009-12-23T00:09:00.001-08:00

We are late in posting this but, by popular demand, here is the first Emily movie, her big debut. More to come...

Parenting Resource

2009-09-18T23:34:00.000-07:00

The strangest things can happen when you leave your business card in one of those fishbowls at a restaurant with the hopes of winning a free meal.

One Saturday afternoon, representatives of Cambridge University School of Psychology's Child Development Department contacted us to inquire whether we had any young children. Well, you know how we answered. They were interested in how we were handling their early education, about which, we were happy to elaborate. So, over the summer a professor and two students came to visit us in our home and were so impressed with both Evan and Aubrie that they commissioned us to produce a series of instructional television shows aimed at teaching new parents how to maximize the overall development of their children. We are excited to share the first volume of the series, entitled: "The Parent's Guide to Raising Well Rounded Children." We hope you will enjoy the videos and find them a useful resource in your efforts at parenting.

Please be advised that this is a joke. No one from Cambridge University has ever contacted our family, especially in regard to raising children. I know nothing about language cognition development in children. I don't even know if anyone really studies that. Although, it is likely someone does and is developing all kinds of half baked theories that will be accepted as hard science within the year and thousands of young parents everywhere will be buying pacifiers that talk when you suck on them, because your child might have a 25% chance of speaking two months earlier than they otherwise would have. And after that theory is so well established, the brilliant extrapolation, that is the special province of the social sciences, will assert that this advantage will most assuredly guarantee him or her a spot at Harvard or Stanford and of course they will go on to develop an even greater invention than the talking pacifier.

Summer 2009

2009-09-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is over, we've compiled a little film about what we've done and where we've been. Life continues to move at a swift pace, but we always seem to find time to have fun. We are continually amazed at how good our Lord is to us. We are looking forward to Fall. Sweaters, rain, and oh yeah, A NEW BABY (due early Nov.)!!! Stay tuned. We may be strictly L7, but our house is never boring.

Evan Graduates from The Master's Kids

2009-06-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

My sweet little Evan and I just completed our year of The Master's Kids. This is a great pre-school program offered at our wonderful church (Grace Community Church). Half of the time in class is Mommy and me and the other half Evan learns and plays with his teachers. I will always remember and cherish the special time that Evan and I spent in our Tuesday class (alone just him and I).

I am going to try to do more frequent updates on the blog (there are alot of exciting things going on in the Hackett Family house). Quoting Evan as he learned about the letter G - "God is GREAT and greatly to be praised"!

Evan, Future Worship Leader

2009-01-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of working nonprofit is that often you get an extended vacation during Christmas season. So, we had two weeks together as a family praising our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We also discovered we have a little future worship leader on our hands. Is it in the blood? The genes? We don't know. But, Evan loves to sing with his new keyboard. Of course, his repertoire consists entirely of hymns and worship songs. Here he is during our Christmas vacation doing a medley of his most requested numbers.

Remembering the Reason for the Birth of Our Savior

2008-12-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Gospel of John
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

We are so thankful that God became a man and came to earth to live a sinless life, and die on the cross and take away the sins of all those who believe. May we NEVER forget what a precious gift we've been given, may we NEVER take for granted our wonderful, merciful Savior. Praise to our Lord, for He alone is worthy of praise.

Our family is so blessed, God is so good to us. Although we deserve nothing, He has been good to Tim and I. This Christmas I am thankful for the greatest gift of all, salvation by grace through faith.

Ephesians
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."

My Little Evan

2008-11-20T16:03:00.000-08:00

Evan's Surgery -

A short while back, I noticed a lump in Evan's arm. After his recent physical his pediatrician referred us to a Pediatric surgeon to have it checked out. The surgeon said it didn't seem aggressive (like a tumor) but the only way to be sure is to have it removed. So, yesterday my sweet little boy had surgery. Here are some pictures of him at the hospital. He was so brave and the surgery went well. We will know the results in about a week.

The joy of my son (and the gift of His Son) -

What can I tell you about my little Evan. He is such a sweet boy. Everyday when he goes outside to play, he returns immediately with a flower that he picks for me. He always (just out of the blue) will tell me he loves me. Often when we are walking and holding hands he will kiss my hand. He loves his family and friends (he often tells them out of the blue that he loves them). He's loving, funny (he likes to act silly to make us laugh), sweet (and loves to give us all kisses and hugs). His favorite food is hot dogs, he loves animals (and has adopted the squirrel that lives in our tree), he loves to color pictures for Tim to take to work, loves to pray and every night before bed (and before we read him the bible) he asks to watch his bible story videos (NEST Animated Bible Stories). I thank God for blessing me with my son and most importantly for saving me by Grace through Faith in His son (my Lord Jesus Christ).

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord

I know I haven't been good with keeping up our family blog, but I am going to really try (at least once or twice a month).

The Discipline of Discipleship

2008-07-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Cheryl and I were blessed to be able to attend the recent Women Discipling Women and Men Discipling Men conferences. The teaching was just excellent and I know that we both walked away with great insights on the person and work of Jesus Christ and how we might better walk as He walked. I wish the conference had lasted a week. The teachers were really trying to cram days worth of material into a one hour session. Thankfully, we were provided with the lesson outlines, so we can go back and study through the expanded material.

It was so nice to be able to catch up with our dear friends from up north (Pastor Phil Layton and his wife Jamie). I was especially happy to be able to introduce some of our LA brothers and Bakersfield brothers to each other. I must say, Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield was in the house! The turnout was so encouraging. It was wonderful to see the Bako brothers/sisters and catch up a little. Cheryl and I look forward to coming up on a Sunday soon to see everyone.

These conferences are such a wonderful way to spiritually re-energize. After all we've been through lately, it was just good to focus on the Lord and not on ourselves. Next year, we are looking forward to the Resolved conference (John MacArthur, John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Steve Lawson, Rick Holland all in ONE conference) - any takers? Road trip? Here is a short trailer of one of the past Resolved conferences.

Our 4th of July Weekend - 2008

2008-07-09T22:58:00.000-07:00

Thought we'd share our wonderfully long 4th of July Weekend. This is as close to heaven as I think I'm going to get before the trumpet sounds. It was just great doing things together as a family. Taking our time and relaxing. We even had the fellowship of some dear saints. In a season that is not turning out to be an easy one for us, we know that God is (always) good.

Our days

2008-06-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our days at home (when Dada is at work). The kids love to do crafts, play in the yard and sometimes (if I'm lucky) they both take a daytime nap!

Bako to Quako

2008-06-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

Moving is never fun. Especially when you are moving away from people you have grown to love and enjoy. Is it the right thing? Is it the wise thing? We don't know. We have plenty of doubts. We do know one thing. We will never forget our brothers and sisters at Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield.

We rented the biggest truck they had, threw away an entire dumpster (industrial size) full of stuff, and still had trouble fitting it all in. We thank God for the gang of good men that came out to help. Nate - that was some pretty amazing leadership. We thank God for the gang of good women who ministered to Cheryl during the transition.

In our next post we will go into life back in Los Angeles and a few things we learned about ourselves upon returning. We are grateful to God for His mercy and for His perfect knowledge. We are grateful that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and that He works all things together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Lastly, we are grateful to God for the time we spent in Bakersfield with a body of believers such as those at Grace Bible Church of Bakersfield.

Here are some pictures of our last days in Bakersfield. We love our Bakersfield Grace Bible Family and we have learned so much from many of them. Even though we are attending another church in Los Angeles right now, we will always love them and consider them all a special part of our family.

A Season at Disneyland

2008-03-30T23:09:00.001-07:00

Well, it seems that our blog is just becoming "Tim's Family Movie Post." Sorry, the only Hacketts dancing in this one are Evan and Aubrie.

Anyway, the story behind this film is that our Disneyland passes were set to expire and we felt we needed to get our money's worth out of them. So, we went to Disneyland three times in two months...from Bakersfield. Not recommended for the faint of heart, but sucking it up every once in a while and doing something completely exhausting and loads of fun I highly recommend to all.

I'm pretty sure our next post will be some photos from Cheryl, as we just bought a new camera and she is having loads of fun playing with it. It will also be a much better instrument, or shall I say pallet, through which to create my great masterpieces, lol. Seriously, it's great fun to make these films and just a small expression of my joy in and love of being the husband and father of this family. God is good.

A Typical Evening at Chez Hackett

2008-02-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how different we are from other families. You can be the judge. This is a film about a typical evening at our house with our family.

Holiday Baking!

2007-12-16T23:12:00.000-08:00

Evan loves to "Help Mama" whenever it comes time to bake. He grabs his chair, and is ready to go. He always asks if he can crack the eggs (to which I reply, no, let Mama do that) I don't think the rest of the family would like crunchy cookies. He will stir, and his favorite part is decorating (he's quite the little artist). So, the other day when we were out shopping, I saw this box of Crayola brand "Holiday Cake kit". It looked like it would be fun, so I bought it. Here are photos of our little evening of baking.

While waiting for the cake to cook and cool, Dada gives him a mini guitar lesson.

Finally, the best part- the DECORATING!!!

After it was all done he wanted a piece of his cake, took one bite and said "May I please have a cookie" I was making cookies too. Then, I tried a bite, blah, talk about cardboard! It was horrible! So, if anyone reading this is ever thinking of buying this Crayola cake kit, DON'T. I should have known because it was Crayola, the cake was awful and was tossed into the trash the next morning.

Evan and I did have a fun night of baking and when we were done in the kitchen, we received a visit from our little Shepherd Girl (Aubrie was walking around the house with a towel on her head).

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2007-11-25T21:13:00.000-08:00

Yes, we love Christmas. It's the time of year that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. We don't get too caught up in the shopping and materialism. But we love all the traditions and the fun spirit of the season. Here we are at a local strip mall Christmas Tree Lighting. Watch for Aubrie the budding Starbucks sophisticate.

John MacArthur on the true meaning and spirit of Christmas and the joy only the redeemed can know.

Our Babies Are Growing Up!

2007-11-23T21:22:00.000-08:00

It seems like just yesterday that little Aubrie Leigh was born. Everyone says "enjoy it, it goes by so fast" and it sure does. We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with two beautiful children. When I think about all the blessings He bestows upon us, and how we deserve none of it, all I can do it thank Him for His wonderful grace. One of our favorite reminders of this in scripture is Ephesians 2:4-5 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)."

Here is a short video from our sweet baby's first fifteen months.

A Saturday Out With the Hacketts

2007-11-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are always our day to get out and do something fun as a family. Ever since moving to Bakersfield, we had heard about the California Living Museum (CALM). We were members and regular attenders of the LA Zoo and so we looked forward to seeing what Bakersfield had to offer in this area. We had a great time, as you will see from the video below. We bought a family membership and can't wait until the Christmas light show.

Harvest Time!

2007-11-02T23:49:00.001-07:00

Cheryl and I decided early on that we would not celebrate Halloween. We prefer the Harvest Festival. What a wonderful surprise, to be at our new church when this time of year rolled around, and finding that one of the families hosts a tremendously fun Harvest Festival.

Cheryl,Evan, Aubrie, and I had a great time. The kids got to play on a full size trampoline, husk corn, and many other fun things. Evan even had his first "musical chairs" experience, which Cheryl captured on film. I of course got roped into a donut eating contest and lost to a girl (our friend Staci).

It was wonderful spending time with our brothers and sisters.

Our Tuesday Afternoon-A Walk and Quiet Time

2007-10-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

After a night of rain which led to a new day with water-soaked grass, we decided to venture out for a walk. I love the colder weather, especially after the rain (nice clean fresh air).

First off, whenever we leave the house the kids love to stop and look in the Water Meter hole for frogs in our driveway (there are usually at least 2 or 3 of them just hanging out in there). Evan loves to bring his cars (so he can roll them down driveways) and Aubrie loves to collect leaves (she calls them flowers).

So after our long walk something very unusual happened, BOTH KIDS WENT DOWN FOR A NAP! What is the chance of that happening-I guess the walk tired them out? So, I got to enjoy some afternoon quiet time. I made a nice hot bowl of Tomato Soup and crackers for lunch, grabbed the book our women's bible study is going through and sat down for a nice quiet afternoon. Just as I finished my soup and opened my book, I heard a faint whimper coming from the other room. I waited and the whimper then escalated into a loud cry.

Yes, Aubrie decided to cut her nap short and would not stop crying until I took her out of her crib! Oh well, so much for quiet time = )

Weekend's over and the new week begins

2007-10-29T14:46:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the Riverwalk park (on Saturday). The park was hosting a Fall Festival and there were lots of games and crafts for the kids. We didn't get to stay long though, it began to rain. Here are kids before the rain began.

And so we start another week. Here is a little peek at what the house looks like Monday at 8 AM (5 minutes after I just straightened it up).

I guess Evan decided that Prayer Bear wanted to sit in his chair in front of the TV to watch the Super Readers with him this morning.

Heavenly Rap

2007-10-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, a friend of ours used John MacArthur sermons to create a rap song. He played all the music and did all the recording, mixing, and editing and chopped up J Mac's sermons to make a really funny song. Well, we enjoy listening to it from time to time. This is what happened spontaneously in the Hackett House upon a recent listening.

On another note, people usually say Aubrie looks like Cheryl and Evan looks like me. Well, it seems the ability to dance followed similar genetic pathways, as you'll see in this video.

Mama, let's make strawberries!

2007-10-28T02:40:00.000-07:00

One of Evan's favorite things to do (when Aubrie goes down for her nap) is to play with Play-doh. Many times he'll say "it's time for Aubrie's nap" which means, put her down and LET'S PLAY! It's the simple things (like making Play-doh strawberries and snakes) that make him happy.

My first attempt at a dress

2007-10-28T01:37:00.001-07:00

This past summer, I made my first attempt at a dress for Aubrie. I must admit that I was pretty excited when I found out I was having a girl (dresses, dolls, and little did I know at the time-drama).