The Twelve Hours of Christmas...

The kids were merciful and let us sleep 'til a reasonable hour Christmas morning. I'm not sure when Sis and Buddy got up, but they waited quietly in the basement until Baby Boy sounded the alarm. Then there was a stampede of little feet as they scrambled to greet us and begin the morning's festivities.

It always amazes me how so many months of shopping, planning and wrapping culminate in a mere twenty minute flurry of gift opening. I've always wished that we could freeze time and savor that excitement a little longer.

Sis and Buddy insisted that Baby Boy open his presents first. They helped him along and patiently interacted with him as he enjoyed each one. As for Baby, he would have just as soon been left alone with his first gift - a dollar store car chosen by Buddy.

Once the presents were all opened, we threw on some coats and traveled over the river and through the woods (literally!) to Grandma's house. She had a scrumptious hot breakfast waiting for us. My brothers and sister in law were there as well. Buddy is in awe of his Uncle Matt (the police officer) and was eager to show off his new toy gun and handcuffs. Grandma delighted the kids with some pretty amazing gifts (including moon shoes for Sis and remote controlled bumper cars for the boys). The trickiest part was getting the grownups to share.

After a quiet afternoon of naps and playtime, we headed out to the kids' favorite restaurant - the Red Apple Buffet. This is a dinner tradition we started a while back and which we look forward to every year. The kids are amazed by the concept of the buffet and filled/emptied their plates with zeal. I for one love the fact that I can satisfy all of my pregnancy cravings without having to lift a finger. (Who ever said that crab legs and chocolate ice cream don't make an excellent duo?).

Baby Boy put in his request for Christmas music on the way home. As we drove down Forest Lane, we were flooded with memories of last Christmas and our longing to be settled in our own house. We made so many trips down our road to enjoy the Christmas lights and to imagine living in such a peaceful and cozy neighborhood. This home has been all we dreamed it would be.

After we arrived home and put some logs on the fire, we snuggled up in our jammies and watched "Ratatouille," a gift we'd surprised the kids with.

Satisfied with a full day of fun and scrumptious food, the gifts drifted off to sleep. We certainly couldn't have asked for a more delightful Christmas! We are so thankful to God for all of His provision and for the good gifts he has given us.

Making Christmas Fudge By: Sis Age: 7

This is the first story (with dialogue) I have written!
It was fun how I made it!
I did it with Mom!
We used Shurley English!
Here it is . . .

___________________________________________________________________________
1. Main Idea- Making Christmas Fudge


2. Setting- Evening, Home


3.Characters- Mom, Mama's baby, Buddy, and Sis


4. Plot- The family works together to make fudge for Christmas.


5. Ending- Wrapping up the fudge
___________________________________________________________________________


Making Christmas Fudge
___________________________
Yesterday evening, Mommy
suggested that her kids , make fudge.
"Sis and Buddy, would you like to help me make fudge?" she asked.
"Yes!" they replied. They helped Mommy get the ingredients and read the recipe.
"Can I help stir?" Buddy asked. Mommy said yes.
When the fudge was cool, Mommy asked, "Sis, will you get a Ziplock bag and put
the fudge in it?" Finally the fudge was packed away and put in the freezer.


~~~~~~The End ~~~~~~
By Sis Age 7

Getting Ready for Christmas By: Sis Age: 7

We have gotten ready for Christmas!
It has been fun!
Three stockings are hung up!
My one is at the top!
Buddy's stocking is below mine at the left!
Mama's Baby's stocking is below mine on the right!
We have a big window so we put our Christmas tree right in front of the window!
And we put Mom's dolls up on the window sill!
I even have one of the doll's as my own!
We got out to a shop that is called Annalee Dolls!
We go out with my Grandpa!
Another decoration we put up is outside in front of our house hanging in the front of our house!
We also made a candy wreath!
We bought peppermints from the store and we also bought some different kinds of candy!
And we bent a hanger into the shape of a circle!
And then we bought string and some red ribbon.
Then we took some scissors.
And we took some of the string about 4 inches wide and then we took a piece of candy and we tied the string around it two times and then we made sure we pulled it tight.
And then we tied it around the hanger two times.
And we repeated this again and again and then we finally at the end took the wreath and cut of the hanger and we used wire cutters to do that.
Then we took the ribbon and used only a little bit of the ribbon and then we tied it just like you would a shoe.
And we are happy that we made our very first candy wreath!
By Sis Age 7

Our Family Christmas Letter

As our little ones eagerly decorated our Christmas tree, I couldn’t help but reminisce about last year’s holiday season. We were buried in moving boxes, and I was nominated for the “worst mother ever” award after packing away our miniature, fake Christmas tree BEFORE Christmas even arrived! This year we find ourselves snuggling up by the fire place in our own living room and marveling over a year’s worth of blessings – not the least of which is our cozy little house on Forest Lane. As I type this, Sis and Buddy are sledding in their very own backyard – a little haven nestled into the woods. We are so thankful for this home which has provided the simple luxuries we’ve always dreamed of – a swing set, sandbox, a vegetable garden, and plenty of room for the kids to ride their bikes, play and explore.

This fall has been busy with activities including soccer, a World Cultures class and dramatic production through our homeschool Enrichment Center, several field trips and gymnastics. Most of our extra commitments have come to a close, and we are looking forward to a winter of hibernation and quiet hours of reading and learning as a family.

We are expecting another Little Arrival in April. Sis (age 7) and Buddy (age 6) are delighted with the prospect of a new brother or sister. They watch my growing belly with pride and ask to read about our baby’s weekly development in my pregnancy book. Mama's Baby, on the other hand, just giggles at my “nice full tummy” and thinks I’ve eaten too many bananas like Curious George. He has been doted on by his older siblings for 2 years and is in for some character-building adjustments when New Baby arrives.

We wish you all a blessed Christmas season!

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment...

I am part of a ladies' Bible study in our church, and we are working through the book entitled The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, by Jeremiah Burroughs. Reading this book has been both an exciting and painful process. Exciting because, for the first time, I'm viewing this "mystery of contentment" as an ornament worth striving for. Discouraging because I see how miserably I fall short. I want to both laugh and cry as I relate to Burroughs' description of those who make a business out of "murmering, repining, vexing and fretting." He contrasts the spirit of these people with the following description: "Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit, which freely submits to and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal in every condition." I expect that this will be a lifetime process for me to fully attain, but I am excited to begin...

Benjamin Franklin By: Sis Age: 7

We have been learning about Benjamin Franklin.
Streets were named after him eventually!
But he was poor for a long time and then he became an apprentice.
I will give you more information later.
Benjamin (also known as Ben) lived on a street called Milk Street.
Here are some of the things Ben would be named after . . .
Streets, Towns, Counties, Colleges, Libraries, Hotels, Banks, Ships, Stoves, Stores, A football field, and a flowering tree.
Ben's father didn't care if he was rich. He didn't give it a thought.
Ben's last name was Franklin.
Mr. Franklin, (Ben's father) was a leather apron man.
(That means, he works with his hands and has a trade.)
Mr. Franklin made soap and candles.
Ben's brother Samuel was already a blacksmith.
The oldest son in the Franklin home was always a blacksmith.
Ben's brother James would be a printer.
Three other brothers would be trained to make soap and candles. The remaining four brothers died young. Two died as babies. Josiah Ben's brother and Ebenezer Ben's brother were drowned.
Josiah ran away and was drowned at sea.
Sixteen month Ebenezer ran away and was drowned in a tub of his father's soap suds.
Ben was the tenth and last of Mr. Franklin's 10 sons.
Ben was very smart.
Mr. Franklin thought Ben should be a preacher.
He would go to Latin school and then college and then climb up into a pulpit and make his father proud.
When he was 7 years old off he went to Latin School.
Some preachers went around with holes in their shoes.
Mr. Franklin decided it would be to much money so he took Ben out of Latin school and put him in a ordinary reading and writing school for to years.
When Benjamin was 10 Mr. Franklin took him out of school altogether.
He was old enough now to run errands for him.
To delver soap to dip candles.
When he was 12 years old, they'd decide what kind of leather apron man he would be.
Then he'd become an apprentice and learn the trade.
And no wonder he had to say that he would become an apprentice and would obey his master until he was 21 years old.
When Ben was 12 years old he told his father that he might go to sea.
His father didn't care for that idea. Look what happened to his brother Josiah.
Ben didn't care for soap and candles.
Besides look hat happened to his brother Ebenezer and the soap suds.
Ben knew his father had a good business.
His candles sold well.
Even the night watchmen carried Mr. Franklin's candles around.
There was however one thing wrong with the business, it smelled.
Mr. Franklin took Ben to different shops.
Mr. Franklin talked Ben into being an apprentice to his brother James.
Now Ben was stuck until he was 21.
James thought Ben was vain and argumentative.
He treated been strictly if not more strictly then the other apprentices.
Ben could not bear to think of all those years gone to waste.
He would read.
He would write.
As a starter he tried writing a poem.
It was a long poem about the capture of Blackbeard the pirate.
He showed it to his father.
His father thought it was a terrible poem.
Later he would write letters to Jame's office signing them Silence Dogood.
Ben read a book about vegetarianism and decided to quit eating meat.
He asked James to give him cash in what he would usually pay or his meals.
James agreed.
Now Ben could not only eat alone he could read while he ate.
Now he could also save some money for books.
Many times a meal was only a biscuit, a handful of raisins, and a glass full of water.
Once Ben read a book about swimming.
He learned some fancy tricks and strokes.
He learned to swim on his belly while holding both hands still, to carry his left leg in his right hand, to show both his hands and feet out of the water.
To swim with his legs tied together,to sit in the water, to cut his toenails in the water, to show 4 parts out of the water at the same time, to swim holding up one leg, to put on boots in the water, and to leap like a goat.
In order to swim faster he tried out an idea of his own. He made wooden paddles for his hands and feet.
He went faster but the paddles were heavy so he didn't get far.
Then he tried lying on his back, holding a kite string so the kite could pull him across the pond.
Ben read a book on how to argue.
The author said that a person should not flatly contradict another person.
Instead he should be polite and ask questions until at last he had brought his opponent around to contradicting himself.
Ben tried this and it did work.
When Ben was 17 Ben ran away.
He boarded a boat and left for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was free!
He bought a new suit of clothes, and a watch with a long gold watchchain.
When he had saved enough he went to Boston to see his family.Ben stopped at the printshop to show off.
He walked in and twriled his watchchain and jingled the money in his pockets.
James was so angry it took years for him to recover.
In Philedalpheia Ben married a woman named Debbie.
Ben Ben was 24 years old.
He had his own printshop now.
He made up lots of inventions.
Here are 2.
He inented a rocking chair with a fan over it when he rocked the fan would blow to keep the flies off.
He invented a stepladder stool with a seat that turned up.
He flied a kite in a thunder storm to prove that lightning was electricity.
Ben was called to France.
When Franklin was 79 years old he came back home and Debbie was dead.
His daughter Sarah was so excitedshe fell into a wheelbarrow.
Every afternoon Ben's 9 year old grandaughter Deborah would come and readaloud her speller.
If she did well Ben would give her a spoonful of fruitjelly that he kept beside him.
April 17, 1790, Ben died.
He was 84 years old.
(This is a summary of a book she read, "What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin"

Our Thanksgiving By: Sis Age 7

We had everyone over to our house for Thanksgiving for the second time!!!
There was 20 people in all!!!!
We were excited!!!
But then Grandma and Grandpa came early and then Grandma said "Lets see if everyone else comes early!!!!"
And then all of the sudden Auntie Sharon came early and Grandma said "Lets see if Auntie Donna comes early and then all of the sudden Auntie Donna walks in and Mom was still not ready!!!
But everybody came cause all the radio stations were saying there would be traffic!
But everybody went downstairs and waited until everything was ready!
Then when everything was ready we were sitting down and then we figured out that we were one chair short!
And then we figured out that my cousin was sitting in that chair and we found out we had a desk for him though!
But then he said he didn't want to be in the desk so then one of my cousins said that she would sit in the desk!
Now I will tell you what we ate for Thanksgiving . . .
______________________________________________________________
MENU
LUNCH
____________
VEGGIES, (CARROTS, CELERY STICKS, GRAPE TOMATOES, TOMATO STICKS), DIP, CRACKERS, DIP,
HERSHEY KISSES, ROLLS WITH BUTTER, TWO TURKEYS, STUFFING, COFFEE, TWO KINDS OF JELLO,
SWEET POT., MASHED POT., CHEESE, CHIPS, CHERRY DRINK, JUICE DRINK, CHICKEN SALAD ROLLS, PINEAPPLE MIX, JUICE BOXES
DESSERT
_____________
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE, TWO APPLE PIES, CHOC. CHIP CHEESECAKE!!!!!! (WITH WHIPPED CREAM).
_________________________________________________________________________________
We had a happy Thanksgiving!
I hope you did to!!!!
By Sis Age 7

"Opening the Door" - a play inspired by the life of William Tyndale

During the past 10 weeks, the kids and I have been living in 16th century England, rubbing shoulders with the court of Henry VIII and learning about the life and work of William Tyndale (who translated the Scriptures into English). We had the opportunity to participate in an immense theatrical production, inspired by this historical era. This play consisted of 12 scenes - transporting the audience from the palace of England to the poor homes and prisons in Belgium. It included several musical pieces from the Renaissance era, a masquerade dance, and (my personal favorite)a court jester scene.

My role was to choreograph the court jester act, where 14 bouncing children in authentic costumes each had a chance to perform a creative stunt. I also taught them 2 songs, including a round of "Dona Nobis Pacem." I have not been gifted with a large dose of creativity or any musical talent, so both of these endeavors were challenging to say the least.

On the night of the performance, the kids were as confident as could be! They sang their hearts out and performed their stunts with so much energy and "cuteness" that the audience went wild. I was so proud of them.

Now it's time to switch gears and think about Thanksgiving. We will be hosting the Piercey crew (20 people total), and I'm very excited about my menu... This is the first chance we've had to host a large family gathering since we lived in our Northfield apartment. What a lot we have to be thankful for!

Just wanted to add a note about our "new" vehicle. It's so easy to get excited about a provision like this and then, as months go by, to forget all about it. Both of our cars were having problems at once. The kids' seatbelts were broken in Stephen's commuter car, and the little Hyundai I drove started making some startling noises (sounded like the bottom was going to fall out). That left us with NO family car. We couldn't even drive to church and had to go through all sorts of gymnastics to borrow my mom's car for weekly commitments. I felt more discouraged than I had in a while, knowing that there was no way we could afford to fix our car AND think about buying another vehicle that would fit our growing family. It was no mistake that the kids and I read in Exodus that week. It occured to me that my prayers must have sounded like those of the Israelites. No sooner were their feet dry from the Red Sea then they were whining to God about their need for food and fresh water. It was as if the miracles hadn't even happened!

Well, we received a call from one of the deacons who "just happened" to have inherited a nice, new vehicle from a family member and didn't know what to do with his 6 passenger Taurus wagon!!! He said that he had been the recipient of so much generosity over the years and that he wanted to GIVE the Taurus to us!!! Can you believe it?! It was so neat to be able to show the kids this tangible example of God's provision. If this gift hadn't come our way, we would have had to take on another car payment when we are already tight financially. That would have added YEARS to our debt-elimination plan...

This incident was such an encouragement to me and Stephen. We went over the "history" of our last 8 years together and the ways in which God has provided for us against all odds. We realized that we have lived in 6 homes, have been in 4 churches, have lost 6 cars, have worked 7 jobs and have juggled classes for most of the first 5 years together (while having a few children, I might add :).

Good Thing These Kids are So Darn Cute...

Every now and then I just have to run for my "funny quote notebook" to record some of the things these little rascals come out with.

The kids were watching "Sound of Music" yesterday. The nuns bowed their heads, and Sis asked what they were doing. Buddy answered, "They're praying to Allah!"

Sis and I were having a heart to heart during one of our Mother/daughter outings. She was chattering in the backseat, and somehow the subject of schools came up. She said, "If I ever went to school, I'd want to go to one of those biblical schools like Aunt Krista's kids. That school would be good 'cause I KNOW she wouldn't send them to a trashy school."

We were reading in Exodus about when God wrote the 10 commandments. I said, "Guys did you know that God wrote them with his finger?" Buddy piped in, "Well, not REALLY his finger. His SPIRITUAL hand..."

I told the kids that it was really hard to keep the secret about my pregnancy during all of those early months when I was so sick every day. Sis said, "Yeah, I wondered what the heck you were doing..."

Buddy (always one to conserve energy) said that he would not want to work on a farm when he grows up because it would be "way too much work for him and all of his WIVES." ?!?!

Baby Boy was trying to snuggle up to me in my bed, but his brother had stolen his spot. He didn't miss a beat, crawled over Buddy and said, "SHOO BUG!"

He does have a softer side. Yesterday he rewarded Sis when she carried in a load of wood with a heartwarming, "Thank you, dear girl!"

Baby Boy is also our most cautious and fearful child. He was TERRIFIED of sitting in our new car the first day after we got it. We tried to coax him into his car seat, and he got so upset that he threw up! We abandoned the cause and put him back in the Camry where he immediately calmed down. I said to him, "Were you a little scared?" He answered, "Mmhmm. I frew up!"

The other night, Sis was chasing Buddy around with a medicine dropper, saying, "Just take it! Just take it!" I snapped to attention and asked her WHAT ON EARTH she was giving him. Buddy rolled his eyes and said, "She makes me take my cold medicine EVERY night, and I don't even have a SPECK of sickness."
I remembered that Sis had been allowed to measure his cold medicine weeks before that. Evidently she thought she was treating her brother for a chronic condition...

Baby Boy has been singing up a storm lately. His favorite song has been "Christus Vincit" which he learned from our Latin CD. Recently he has been working on "Let's Go Fly a Kite" which he sings quite well (with Sis' constant encouragement)
Another one of his favorite activities is cleaning. He follows me arround with the swiffer saying, "Too messy! Too messy!!"

When his brother or sister call to him, Baby Boy often responds, "One sec, I'm BUSY!" He keeps a pretty tight schedule for a 2 year old. :)

Buddy was asked to make his bed. He came to me in exasperation, saying, "Mommy, I CAN'T make my bed because my sheets are off course!"

Sis was eager to share the news from our last ultra sound. She called up her cousin Lydia and informed her, "Daddy's pretty sure our baby has a penis, and girls don't have those!"

Buddy came to me with a look of concern the other day. He had been reading the bottle on Sis' allergy medication. He said, "Mommy, why does this say that it 'May Cause DISEASE?'" I explained that it said "dizziness," not disease. Sis was quite touched by her brother's concern for her wellbeing and said, "Oh, Mommy, you should put that on the blog!"

The Thanksgiving Story By Sis Age 7

The Pilgrims did not agree with the church in England!!!!
So they went to Holland.
That was also too crowded so they made a deal with merchants and they made a trade with them!!!!
So they then went to America on the Mayflower which the merchants helped them buy!!!!
_________________________________________________________________________________
Pilgrims arrive in America with no homes no nothing they did not know how to plant anything.
They did not know how to hunt either.
They prayed for help. GOD sent Squanto to teach them . . .
He taught them how to plant and he showed them also how to plant corn . . .
He showed them how to poke a hole in the ground and then put fish in the hole then finally you put in the seed.
The Pilgrim's also thought Lobsters were a gift from God!!!!!!
________________________________________________________________________________
Good crop and then they decided to celebrate with a feast!!!!
Cheif Massosoit brought deer as a gift.
(Because the Indians also were there)
Some of the foods they ate were these. . .
Venison, duck, seafood, cabbage,
onions, corn squash and No Turkey!!!!!!!
Almost a week long feast!!!!!
They played games and maybe some of the Indian children and the Pilgrim children played Blind Man's Bluff.
_____________________________________________________________________________
By Sis Age 7

Charming Fare Farm By Sis Age 7

We went to Charming Fare Farm!!!!
It was Mama's Baby's Birthday!!!
We were very glad to be there!!!
We saw these following animals . . .
Goats, Lions, Bears, Wolves, Reindeer, Camels, Horses, Baby horses, baby ponies, donkeys, porcupines, racoons, swans, ducks, rabbits, oxen, a kind of cat I forget,
a fox, pigs, baby pigs, lama's, oh there were so many animals!!!
LOTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mama's Baby got soooooooooooooooooo excited!!!!
He loved it!!
The mother goats were pushing there babies off cliffs!!!
We bought a bag of grain!!!
We gave some to the goats!!!
They loved the grain!!!!
And we got to go on a tractor ride!!
We were on the first row!!!
And we saw a mouse!!
A woman offered him some grain and he hid his face and put his hands over his face and she said I'm sorry!!!
He was led by a lady holding his hand!!!
We saw a pumkin who did not have a name!!
So he hated every name we tried to give him!!
But a man said "Give alllll your names to the office and by the end of the day we might have a name for him!!
And oh!!
I forgot we saw an owl too!!!
Well we had a ton of fun topped on by a magic show!!
By Sis Age 7

All Sorts of News

It has only been a few weeks since I've written, yet I hardly know where to begin to catch up on all that's happened...

I'll start with our biggest news: We are expecting!! This isn't "new news" to us, but, after a very sick and exhausting first trimester, we are sharing the joyful announcement with others. What a delight it was to hear this Little One's heartbeat and to enjoy the kids' reactions when we told them. Buddy was ecstatic. Sis was reserved initially; it always takes her a while to process big stuff like this. Now she is as pleased as could be and shows her care by bringing me breakfast in bed each morning. She did say, "Mom, it would really stink if you had another boy!"

Baby Boy turned two today. We celebrated this occasion by bringing him to a petting zoo/farm yesterday. He was breathless with delight over all of the animals he could touch, feed, and hug and the tractor/train ride through the corn mazes. He repeated the animals names (including llama and camel). This adventure was second only to his last birthday which we spent in Disney World. :)

Stephen was in San Diego last week on business. It was the first time we have been separated as a family in over 7 years. Buddy wept and clung to Stephen for about an hour the night before he left. Sis made heartbreaking comments like, "Daddy, we can hardly bear to wait until 6:00 for you to come home from work. How are we going to wait 4 days?!" Baby Boy was quite forlorn as well. Once he discovered the wonders of speaker phones, he kept running up and pressing the button, hoping that his Daddy would be on the other end. Our reunion on Thursday was as joyful as our parting was pitiful. We calculated that we had about 160 hugs to catch up on and got right to work. Baby Boy said again and again, "Plane all gone! Daddy home." Stephen can have no question about how much his family loves and appreciates him.

This week marks the end of soccer season. We have enjoyed seeing the kids' progress but are more than ready for a calmer schedule around here. I'm going to do my best to include some pictures; however, my computer has rebelled at previous efforts.

The Day At The Apple Orchard By Sis Age 7

We went to the apple orchard!!!!!!!!!!
It was a lot of fun!!!!
We went on a tractor ride and Mama's Baby got VERY SCARED at first but then he knew he had a car like that because we brought his toy tractor and he got excited because he saw that the car in his hand was the one that he was on!!
Last year the tractor ride we went on was not so good!!!
There were Noooooooooo SIDES!!!
And we were squeezed in with oher people and on top of that we almost fell off!!
But this year we had sides and we were not squeeze in with other people!!!
We were glad about that!!!!
And we did not fall off!!!!
We got enough apples we could make apple Dumplings enough for everyone and then we could have like 7 other apples to eat!!!
It was great!!
And we learned they had a fan that blew on the apple trees like a windmill!!!
It was a ton of fun!!!
And we got maple lollipops and some fudge!!!!!!!!
Whhhooooo!!!!!!!!!
Well that was a fun day!!!
The Apple Orchard By Sis Age 7

The Day And The Life Of A Fire Fighter By Buddy

We went to see real Fire Fighters!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We saw their Firetrucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then then they showed us their equipment!!!!!!!!!!!
We saw some pretend smoke!!!
(No poisonous gases)!!!!
Then we learned that smoke travels up!!!!
Not down.
We saw a smoke detector and heard it beep!!!
It was loud!!
And they told us to crawl if their was smoke!!!!
We should feel the door with the back of our hand and then feel the handle!!!!
Peek out if their is a tiny bit of smoke close the door!!!
Then put a blanket in between the bottom of the door!!!!
And then get a sheet a Yellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Help!!! Help!!! Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!
And climb out the window if you can!!!!!!!!
Me and Buddy could jump out since our house is one story!!!!!!
And they showed us a fireman in his suit!!!!!!!!!!
Then they showed us the ambulance!!!!
And they were nice!!!!
We had fun and got a coloring book!!!!
We had a lotttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt of fun!!!
Fire Fighters Life By Buddy!!!
Age 6

Science Part 2 By Sis Age 7

(Please read on the bottom first that is the Introduction). (Very short!!!)
I Sis would like give you Part 2 of the Science!!!!
As I said we are doing lots of experiments with Radishes!!!!
I am glad to show you our schedule!!!
Here it is I will show you the first thing we did!!!!
Happy Birthday
________________
We took Radish seeds and and drew circles and put numbers on them!!! (We wrote these on a piece of paper towel!!!!)
Then we took a orange juice box and cut of the top and then we put a piece of tape and then we used that as an easy opening!!!!!
Then we put two Radishes on each hole and we drew stages of the plants until we had stages A B C D E and F!!!!!
And we made a graph!!!!!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Mini Planters
_______________
We took a battery and wrapped aluminum foil and wrapped it around the battery and then we made Planter A B C and D and put lots of soil in them!!!!
We put them on the tray and wrote our names Sis and Buddy!!!!
___________________________________________________________________________________
We then Did
Four environments
________________________
We took a plastic cup and we put two paper towel pieces and let them hang out of the plastic cup and put water in them and then we took some, foil and wrapped it around one of the paper towel pieces and we put four Radish seeds and put them under the foil then on the other piece of paper towel we put 4 radish seeds on it without foil!!!
Then we put four radish seeds on the top lid. And then we checked them and the top of the lid with Nooooooo water did not grow and the on with the foil on top did grow and then the one with Noooooo foil on top did grow a little bit!!!!!!!
________________________________________________________________________________
Night and Day
___________________
We took a 2 cups and some foil and then we wrapped the foil around on one of the cups
and the other we left with noooooooo foil and we came back later an their we were shocked we saw the ones in the cup with foil did grow!!!!
But they turned out gray!!!
They did grow but they did not have enough food so they did not grow healthy!!!
Then we checked the one with light and they were green and healthy!!!
I am taking a brief brake and then I will come right back to tell you more!!!!
__________________________________________________________________________
Build a Greenhouse
____________________
We took a glass container and we filled it with water not to the brim like half way!!!
Then we put circles in the box out of paper towel rolls!!!
And we put a hole in the box we were using , and some paper towel in the glass container!!!
We used tape and rolled it up and then, we put it on the box and then we put another piece of tape strait up and we had a latch!!!!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
We also put our other experiments light and day and let them grow in the greenhouse!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Sun Salad
______________
We took a plant that had grown from all the stages A B C D E F
-
and we took the cotyledons they tasted like grass!!!
The hypocotyl tasted SPICY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
______
The tap root tasted cold!!!!!!!
_____________________________________________________________________________
Toxic Stress!!!!
__________________________
First we took 3 plastic cups and we cut out 3 circles made out of paper towel pieces!!!!!
We put them on the bottom of the 3 cups!!!!
And then we filled 1 with salt water!!!
1 with vinegar!!!
And one with just water!!!
And we put four radish seeds on each paper towel!!!
And then we came back later and we saw that the ones in the salt water did not grow!!
The ones in the vinegar did not grow!!!
The ones in the water did grow!!!
We can not grow plants in the ocean!!!
We can not live unless we have fresh water!!!
And so we have learned a ton this PART of the school year!!!
______
I hope you like all the radish news that we did!!
I hope you all learned a loooooooooooooooooooootttttttt!!!!
Science Part 2 By Sis Age 7

Introduction to our Science!!!! By Sis

Me Sis Buddy and Mom have been doing Science including Radishes!!!
It has been great to grow all sorts of plants!!!
They have not grown into flowers you see and all sorts of plants because they have been growing on wet paper towl!!!
But it was still fun!!
I am not going to put everthing on this entry but go to the next entry!!
It is more interisting!!!!
Like when I read books they are not that good until you get to the story cause I am telling you what we were doing!!!
But please read on!!
It is very interisting!!!!
I hope you like the Radishes!!!
I will not be able to give every detail though!!!
Well I will come back tommorow and you will hear about all the
things that involve plants!!!!!!!
Introduction to Radishes By Sis!!!!! Please come for more tomorrow!!!!!!

How I came to gymnastics!!!! (By Buddy).

First Sis was doing the parachute at gymnastics!!!
Then Mom asked me if I wanted to be included!!!!
I said YES!!!!!
Then I Buddy started doing gymnastics the next time they had it,Thursday!!!!!
It is really fun being in gymnastics!!!!
One of my favorites is on the bars!!!!!
And floor!!!
I get to flip on the bars!!!
BUT NOT WITHOUT A TEACHER!!!!!
I get to do a Tripod on floor!!!!!
A Tripod is when you put your knees on your elbows!!!!
It is hard to do!!!
Then you go into a headstand where your head is on the ground (or mat)and your feet and legs are strait in the air!!!
That is how I started doing gymnastics!!!
It has been veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Buddy Age 6 The End

"The Silence of God"

God, You will give me the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that I may know that You are the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons me by name. (Isa.45:3) Lord, even in this difficult place, You have treasures for me here. You want me to discover the riches of relationship with You that will set me free from this place.


I appreciate the analogy of this life being like a tapestry. We know that God is weaving something beautiful, yet from our limited view of the fabric's backside, we merely see random colors, marred by knots and frays. This has been a year marked by unusual sadness and questioning in my own spiritual journey. Enduring my second miscarriage after losing our church home and many dear friendships left me feeling disillusioned and scared. Our desires were wholesome and God-honoring, so why would He allow such losses? How could this possibly be part of God's plan to sanctify me and work "all things to my good." This past week, those unsettling questions rushed back in a torrent when I heard the tragic news that my friend gave birth to a still born baby. It just seemed like a huge mistake. Why this particular family? Why now when their hearts have so longed for this little one to ease the emptiness left by their other losses?

All I can say is that these heartaches have taken all pretense out of my prayer life. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit's intervention at times when all I can manage is a weak, "Why, God?"


I have mulled over this quote from Charles Spurgeon, savoring it and finding new significance each time I turn to it...

"Oh, dear heart, what is your condition? Are you torn with anguish? Are you sorely distressed? Are you lonely? Are you pushed aside? Then cry to God. No one else can help you. He is your only hope. Wonderful hope! Cry to Him, for He can help you. I tell you, in that cry of yours will be the pure and true worship that God desires. He desires a sincere cry far more than the slaughter of ten thousand rams or the pouring out of rivers of oil (Mic. 6:7)....See then, poor, weeping, and distracted ones, that it is not ritualism, it is not the performance of pompous ceremonies, it is not bowing and struggling, it is not using sacred words, but it is crying to God in the hour of trouble that is the most acceptable sacrifice your spirit can bring before the throne of God."

I'd like to close here with the lyrics to a song that have provoked so much healthy thought about this matter of suffering and the questions we ask. They come from Michael Card's recording "The Hidden Face of God."

The Silence of God: Words and music by Andrew Peterson

It'll drive a man crazy, it'll break a man's faith, It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane.
When he's bleating for comfort, from Thy staff and Thy rod,
And the heavens' only answer is the silence of God.

It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart,
When he has to remember what broke him apart;
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God.

But when you have to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got,
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross,
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...

There's a statue of Jesus on a monastary knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold;
He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone
All his friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone.

And the Man of all sorrows, He never fogot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that He bought;
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God,
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not,
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not,
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God.

Still Plugging Away...

There have been a lot of adjustments as we've settled into our new school routine. A couple of weeks ago, I began to eye those yellow buses that frequently pass our house with a bit more longing than usual. Our days just seemed to drag on endlessly, prolonged by one interruption after another. The necessity of character training became more evident than ever, yet the process of patiently disciplining them, staying on track with academics, and running them to all of their extra curricular activities (while keeping up my home and caring for a challenging toddler) seemed daunting. After a couple of tearful conversations with Stephen and some fellow homeschooling friends, I resolved to press on and work out the kinks. I am fully convinced that this journey we are on is worth the investment of my heart and soul...

Last week we had our first GREAT day. It was one of those school days that moved like clock work. The kids were cooperative and engaged. Baby Boy was reasonably good, and I had the energy and inspiration to make everything happen the way it should.

We have been doing a fascinating hands-on study of plants including countless experiments with radish sprouts (following the steps of the scientific method which the kids have carefully studied). These hearty little seedlings have cooperated quite well, and we have observed their growth and habits over the past several weeks. I told the kids that we were going to taste the sprouts and write down our observations of the different flavors (from the cotyledons to the root hairs). Buddy protested, "But MMMOOOOOM, we'd have to be HERBIVORES to enjoy that!" Sis piped in, "YEAH, Mom. We're OMNIVORES!" I basked in the pride of that moment, realizing that they were actually getting it!!!

...The Best Medicine

Sis (Age 7), Buddy (Age 6)

Buddy turned to Stephen the other day and said, "Dad, I'd just like to take this opportunity to play with you."

Sis was confused about why her friend has a couple of extra grandmas and grandpas. I explained that this was due to remarriage in the family. Siobhan processed this and answered, "I hate divortion."

The other day Sis and I were riding in the car, and she was chattering up a storm. We were discussing different types of schools, and she observed, "Mommy, it's too bad that those biblical schools cost so much money!"

Sis, commenting on Grandma's teaching schedule, "She must be ferocious trying to get her school done!"

During Grammar, I asked Buddy for an example of a verb. He didn't miss a beat, "Navigo!"

Sis: "You can go sit on those bloopers over there." (meant bleachers)

Sturbridge Field Trip By Sis Age 7

We went to a Field Trip together as a family!!!!
It was fun!!!
I am going to write about it in my thousands of Journals!!!!
I suppose you are thinking how long was it to get there?
Well For us it is 2 Hours And 11 minutes to get there!!!
So total of driving there it took 4 Hours And 22 minutes to there and back!!!
So you might not think it was worth it but you just read and you might change your mind!!!
It was awesome!!!
So that is why I have chosen to write about it!!!
So where on earth do I start?
Well you might live some where else but to us it looked like a drizzle and when we got out after we had been driving for a hour and a half we were getting tired of driving!!!
And we went to a resting area!!!
And we bought a camera!!!
And used the bathroom!!!
And when we finally got there we waited in line for a long time in the rain the boys went back and got our lunch!!!
Food felt soooooo good!!!!
And then we went and payed and then we got settled and looked at our map and in the building was a play area!!!!
And it was amazing!!!
We went and played a game in the room where you could play like the settelers did!!!
It was awesome!!!
And just as we were going out to set out on a new adventure I shouted Mom look!!!
And there was mirror where there were little girls like me Sis dressing up like in the old days!!!
And I got in a dress and Mom took a picture of me!!!
And then we set out and found a little barn!!!
It had some chickens!!
And then we set out again and I will not be able to tell you the things in order!!!
We did a lot!!!
And we found a cooper shop where a man dressed up explained about how coopers work!!!
It was fun!!!
And we got to do a thing where you made wood flat!!!
And then came the schoolhouse!!!
And a women there said that the children used to come to school and then they stayed for 3 hours and then they went back and had dinner (lunch) and came back for another 3 hours!!!
And Mom said Wow!!!
Cause she homeschools!!!
And we walked to a barn where we saw a 2 oxen and then Mom took a picture of us!!!
Ane then we walked out of it and saw a few cows!!!
One was friendly and we touched him!!!
And then we saw a chicken again!!!
And then we saw a 2 pigs!!!
And then we went to a house that the people would have lived in and they were building it to look like the people in the olden days houses!!!
It was fun!!!
But the childrens attic was cut off.
But that was OK cause they were probably building up there!!
We would not want any trouble!!!!
And then we went to a meeting house!!!
And it was fun to see that and we saw a lot of seats!!
And it said that people could get fans and feet warmers exc.!!!
And we went up and saw a top of the meeting house for more people!!!
And then we went to see a thing which had hoops that you could race if you wanted to!!!
It was fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And finally I got the hang of it!!!
And we went to a sawmill!!!
And there was a lot of water below it and do you know why?
Well it was because what powers the mill?
Water!!!!
You are right if you had guessed that!!!
And we went to a cup maker and we saw him make cups!!
We did not see him put on the handles though but he said he had to wait a long time before he put on the handles!!!!
It was fun to watch him do it!!!
A women asked "When do you stop when your legs get tired?"
He said "No when my hands get tired!!!!!"
It is fun to watch people do things!!!
And we set out again to a blacksmith shop!!!
And we saw some of the things that he uses to make the stuff he needs to!!!
He said that his stove is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy hotter then ours!!!
And we went to a shop where we here about the things women bought in the olden days!!!
Here are some of the things!!!
"BASCKETS AND CLOTH AND SUGAR AND FLOUR AND ALL SORTS OF COOKING STUFF AND MORE CLOTH AND ALL SORTS OF STUFF YOU CAN NOT GROW!!!
It was fun to see!!!!
And it was a lot of fun!!!!
And that was a day I will remember all of my life!!!
By Sis Age 7

A Soggy Day at Sturbridge Village

For any of you, my friends, who have ever called me organized, I'd like to set the record straight. This has been one of those weeks where I've messed up my scheduling left and right. Double booked, scrambled dates, arrived late for stuff... The chaos culminated today on our field trip to Old Sturbridge Village where I received a harsh lesson in the consequences of poor planning...

We arrived at our field trip "fashionably late" only to see that there were already swarms of families waiting to sign up for homeschool day activities. We took our place in line - trying to ignore the pesky drops of rain landing here and there. Before five minutes had passed, the sprinkle had changed to a downpour. It was at this time that I watched in contemptuous awe as the seasoned homeschool moms sprang into action...

Without missing a beat, these wonder women procured their rain gear. Children were wrapped in color coordinated raincoats and issued umbrellas. Even the strollers were swaddled in protective gear. Meanwhile my little ones stood in line, blue lipped and whimpering. The only consolation I could offer them was that they could only get SO WET before their little shirts couldn't possibly hold any more water. I'm not sure that I looked all that credible, drenched in my see-through khakis (sporting my turquoise frog underwear no less!).

I began to wonder where these other mothers obtain their Mary Poppins bags. These compact, miraculous satchels from which they pull out any and all items needed to fit the occasion - everything from a first aide kit to a portable globe. But then again, I am one of those moms who carries her beach stuff in a Hefty lawn bag. My shovels and buckets aren't initialed, and most of our sand toys have been stolen from our friends.

I was truly proud of the kids as they cheerfully engaged in the day's activities. We made it up to them on the way home with a trip to Dunkin' Donuts and some steamy cups of hot chocolate.

It won't come as much of a surprise that there are no pictures included in this post. Did you honestly expect me to remember to put my camera card back in my camera? We did purchase a disposable camera, so there should be some coming before too long...

My Soccer Game Sis Age 7

I Sis have been doing soccer!!!!!
Buddy will be doing soccer Monday!!!!
But I did a soccer game yesterday!!!!!
My team won and it was a hot game!!!
These were the scores!!!
Sis's Team Points "5" Points
Other Team's Points "2"!!!!!
It was a fun game!!!!!!!
It was a lot of fun but it was hot!!!!
I am 7 years old so I play with 3rd Grade and 4th Graders!!!!!!!!!!!
I am glad to do this sport!!!
It is my favorite sport!!!!!!
I am glad Buddy got some cones for his birthday cause we can use it for soccer we practice some times with my dad!!!!!

Buddy's 6th Birthday

Buddy turned 6 on Thursday. Our day started with a special donut breakfast with Stephen. He had taken our orders the night before and bought them fresh in the morning. Buddy had a lighter school day (no Math or penmanship!) and then burned off some of his surplus excitement at gymnastics before we met at Grandma's for a dinner of pizza, corn dogs, smiley fries, and Shaw's cupcakes (Buddy's choice of menu). Before bed we snuggled up on my bed and looked through Buddy's baby album, talking about the exciting day, 6 years ago, when he joined our family.

He also enjoyed some special activities during the week. Stephen brought him on a special Daddy/son outing. They went bowling and then enjoyed lunch and playtime on the slides at McDonalds. Grandma Z. brought our big kids swimming at the Holiday Inn (a traditional birthday treat she has begun for her 11 grandchildren).

On Saturday we had yet another celebration at Mom's for all of the Sept. birthdays in our family.

Enjoy the pics...

Creepy Fun Part 2 (By SiS)

We went and saw a lot of reptiles!!!!!
We were amazed when we sat down and the first thing we see is reptiles!!!
Buddy was amazed as they held it and let us touch it!!!!
I was afraid at first!!!!!!
But it was so cool I got rapped in it in know time!!!!
It was amazing!!!!!!!
They passed around all sorts of snakes first small though!!!!!
The second one was pretty big!!!!!!
We were in awe when they said ''Who wants to see aligators?''
A chourus of "YES YES YES!!!!!'' Arose!!!!!
It was us even that joined in!!!!!!!
It was loud though!!!!!!
We heard a bit of it though!!!!!!
It was amazing!!!!
Then turtles came!!!!!!!
We were not suprised by then!!!!
Though we were when they showed us a snapping turtle!!!!!!
It was fun though!!!
Last of all!!!!
The part you have been waiting for!!!!
Though I have not written it so you will not go ahead and take a peek!!!
Though this is not a stopping point!!!
Thne came the the the big snakes!!! SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me and Ethan got one around our neck!!!!!!
It was so fun!!!!!
It was heavey though!!!!!!!
Well I think I will remember this day for the rest of my life!!!!!!
It was like a fun field trip!!!!
Well That Was My Day!!!!!!!!
By SIS Age 7!!!!!!!!!

Creepy Fun (by Megan)

Yesterday I mourned the fact that I didn't have my camera. The kids had been counting the days until our town's "Old Home Day," and we promised to bring them to a couple of the events. The heat and humidity were oppressive, so we opted out of the pony rides. We did check out the "Reptiles on the Move" exhibit. I didn't expect a whole lot from this - maybe a couple of locals showing off their pets. Boy was I in for a surprise...

This was the most incredible, hands-on science event my kids or I have ever experienced! They passed around close to a dozen snakes for the kids to hold and examine - a python, a ball snake, a milk snake, a rat snake, a king snake... Then came the alligators!! I was thankful that their mouths were tied shut. The kids played on the grass with several turtles and learned how to safely handle them. For the grand finale, they introduced their boa constrictor. This is where you must close your eyes and imagine that massive, formidable creature wrapped around my kids' shoulders, squeezing them into a great big, snakey hug. It was incredible!

I told Sis that, growing up with 2 brothers, I didn't have the option of fearing creepy crawly things. I only wish that Uncle Matt and Adam could have shared in the unique experience...

Final Beach Trip of the Season...farewell summer!

We had a fabulous time at the beach today with Stephen's sisters and 8 of the kids' cousins. It was neat to see how quickly they paired off and created all manner of fun for themselves - swinging through tree limbs, tumbling on the grassy picnic area, splashing in the chilly surf and collecting dozens of sea creatures. We couldn't have asked for greater weather for this late-summer reunion and truly enjoyed one more lazy day of summer fun before the fall schedules begin...

Angels Carry Coupons

Whatever it was that King Midas had going on, we seem to have the opposite problem around here. Lately everything we've touched has turned to garbage. It was almost comical when we made a list of the broken things around our home that need immediate attention. Stuff that wasn't supposed to break - like my new talking globe, plumbing that passed with flying colors in the home inspection, our bathroom floor (which has rotted out), the bricks around our fireplace, 2 seatbelts in our Camry, and - last but not least - my Oreck vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner was on its way out for a while. It was spitting more out the back than it took in, and the burning rubber smell hinted that its end was approaching. One morning, it sucked its last, and I told Stephen that I simply couldn't go another day without a functional vacuum cleaner. In addition to the piles of crumbs and playdough that were accumulating, three of us were having fits of sneezing (thanks to the dust in our carpets).

We had heard wonders about the Oreck Wind Tunnel and headed to Wal-Mart to buy one on credit (No amount of careful saving could cover the financial setbacks we've had these past few months).

Anyway, Wal-Mart was out of the vacuum cleaners. We consoled ourself with a cart load of 39 cent school supplies, pretending it was worth our while to stand in those intollerable lines for a lifetime supply of crayons.

The next place we tried was Linens and Things. By this point I was so stressed out (and exhausted from sneezing) that I volunteered to stay in the car with the kids while Stephen checked out the vacuums. Within minutes, the kids and I spotted him through the window with a massive box! We practiced our "Daddy's our hero!" cheer as we watched him approach the car. Two older women were on his heels, chattering away with him as if they'd found their long lost grand-nephew. Yes, he had been successful all right. There was my brand new, shiny Oreck Windtunnel!

Stephen's smile revealed that the best news was yet to come! Not only was the vacuum marked down $50, but (while he was standing in line) those two little ladies asked him if he could possibly use an extra coupon they were carrying - an additional 20 percent off! We were so excited and thankful for this small reminder that even the most insignificant details of our lives don't escape God's notice.

School!!!! By Sis

We have been doing well at school!!!!
We have now done 2 weeks!!!!
We are happy!!!!
We have been doing a lot of fun stuff!!!
They have a beautiful Poetry book!!!!!
It is very fun for my Mom cause she is happy to read books again from her childhood!!!!
We have had a lot of fun years of school!!!
Plus we started early so we could do summer stuff before we are feeling like we want school to be over so we can enjoy the fun!!!!!
Well this is just a little post now I have to go to bed!!!!
Well I am happy I can be with my mom all day!!!!
Written By Sis Age 7.!!!!

The Life In The Woods!!!!!! By Sis Age 7.

We have had a scary day!!!!
If you dare read it!!!!!
This is a adventure story!!!!!!!
I hope you read it was a very exciting day as well as scary!!!!!
We were doing our school and then all of the sudden Buddy came and shouted
''Mom there is a mouse in our basement''!!!!!!!
Both scared and excited!!!!!
Mom of course hates mice!!!!!
She got so scared!!!!!!
We could not believe it!!!!!!
And then my Aunt came with my good cousin Chris!!!!!
They were taking me and Buddy to their house for a bit to play!!!!
We were excited!!!!
And then Chris offered to take a try to get the mouse!!!
Let me describe what Buddy said it looked like!!!!!
It was a little mouse!!!!
Probably a inch long and it looked like it looked like it was falling!!!!
Now as I write it seems so creepy!!!!
I gives me shivers!!!!!!!
And Buddy said it got on its hind legs!!!!
Mom said she was scared to my Aunt!!!!!
It was scary!!!
Chris took the bucket from Mom!!!!
We were thinking he was the best cousin in the world to be able to be that brave!!!!
He went down and we heard a wham wham!!!!!
I whispered I here noise!!!!
And he came up and Mom thought he was just sad he had not got it!!!!
But he looked in the bucket and Mom screamed and jumped on a chair!!!!
And Grandpa came with a gun and did not get a thing!!!
So that is what the life is for the wood people!!!
By Sis Age 7.

Summer Reading Program By Sis Age 7.

"Read diligently. Those who do not read have nothing to think and little to say."
Samuel Johnson

We have been doing a reading program at our library!!!!!!!
It has been fun!!!!!
You have to read 15 minutes a day and every 2 times you go to the library you get a icecream cone!!!!!!
Yippe!!!!!!
And there are like 40 blank spaces and you write your 15 minutes of reading on those!!!!!!!
It is awesome to be able to go to that and I have done 12 charts!!!!
Buddy has been going as well and has gotten 3 charts!!!!
But that is awesome just the same!!!!!!!!!!
We are homeschooling so we get 6 15s every day we do school!!!!!
It is a very fun thing to do!!!!
And you get a prize to if you read a ton!!!!!!
I love our library!!!!!
We have been going with our cousins so that was fun to!!!!
It ended yesterday!!!!
We are sad it ended though cause it was a lot of fun!!!!!!!
We have been doing a lot of reading and I am going to tell you a few of the books I Sis like most!!!!!!!
Here are some of them...
BETSY TACY
BETSY TACY AND TIB
THE LITTLE PRINCESS
WALK THE WORLDS RIM
AMERICAN GIRLS BOOKS...
KIRSTEN
KIT
MOLLY
SAMANTHA
KAYA
JOSEFINA
ADDY
I THINK THAT IS ALL OF THE AMERICAN GIRLS BOOKS!!!!!!
THE 21 BALLOONS
B IS FOR BETSY
THE STRAWBERRY GIRL
DETECTIVES IN TOGAS
FOLLOW MY LEADER
LITTLE WOMEN
______________________
Those are just some of the books I like!!!!!!
Well maybe you can read a few of these books and have fun!!!!!
I wish you good reading!!!!!
Follow the quote at the top of this page!!!!!
(By Samuel Johnson)
By Sis Age 7

One Week Down...35 to Go!

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit...Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.'"

This year we decided to begin school in mid-August. Our books had arrived and the kids were anxious to get going. On Sunday we had a little celebration and gave the kids their traditional "school gifts." Stephen and I had smuggled these treats during our last trip to the dollar store. Sis got a Sleeping Beauty doll, and the boys each got a new character car (from the movie "Cars"). These have provided endless fun...

On Monday morning we rose early and ate donuts with Stephen before starting our first day of school. The kids and I had rehearsed their "chore cards" over the weekend so they knew exactly what was expected of them. Baby Boy was perplexed by these changes and more than a little resentful of this new structure. This week he has expressed his frustration in some creative ways (coloring our couch, tearing books out of his siblings' hands, breaking 2 bowls, dumping his new water bottle in the family room, and yelling "MAAAAAMAAAAA!!" while I'm trying to read. It became clear that HIS training was going to become a bigger priority in our orientation week than I had anticipated. Fighting tears of frustration, I reminded myself that God has promised strength in proportion to the tasks He requires of me. These kinks in my "perfectly planned" schedule were clearly part of His best plan to humble me and teach me flexibility.

Our week did improve with only a smattering of mishaps along the way; somehow I was even able to laugh when our "talking globe" nearly went up in flames (some sort of electrical jumble that resulted in vile fumes, smoking components, and shrieks from the children). Time and again I took a deep breath, prayed a quick "HELP, GOD!" and moved on to Plan B (i.e. locating Peru on a WALL MAP).

I am truly excited about all that we will be learning this year. Over the past two years we have studied Old World History. Now we are using Sonlight Core 3 (part one to U.S. History). I have supplemented this program with some great items from Veritas Press (including Shurley English, Latina Christiana, and "A Reason for Handwriting" - in which the kids copy Scripture passages and catechism, and Saxon Math. We are doing an Introduction to Biology (with hands on experiements) and a fun Lyrical Life Science program. Other "extras" include Sequential Spelling, Bible reading/memory work, an Overview of Classical Poetry and Introduction to Orchestra.

Our favorite part of the day is when we curl up with our readers. This week we began "Poccahontas" and "Walk the World's Rim" to enhance our understanding of Native Americans. In the evening, we have been reading a chapter of "Mountain Born" with Stephen (Buddy's special book).

I am so thankful for the opportunity to choose my children's curriculum and to learn with them each and every day. As challenging as homeschooling can be, I wouldn't trade this adventure for anything.

Gymnastics is fun!!!!!!!!!! By Sis Age 7

I Sis and Buddy have been taking Gymnastics!!!!!!!!
I love my teacher Miss Kathy!!!!!!!!
There are 4 teachers!!!!!
Miss Kathy my teacher Miss Browchwe as my teachers we are in the oldest class
Then Buddys class Miss Christain!!!!!!
Then youngest class Miss Leisha!!!!
All very nice!!!!
She is really nice!!!!!!!
I have a few friends there my cousin is coming this August and my Aunt will see about the fall!!!!!!!
And my friend Clowee is nice to!!!!!
And my friend Kirin!!!!!!!
And my cousin MOMO!!!!!!
I went to story hour at the library with Kirin and I saw her again when we went to swimming class!!!!!!!
It was fun!!!!
She was my age!!!!
She was 8!!!!!
I am 7!!!!!!!
I love gymnastics!!!!!
We have made a lot of progress!!!!!!
We have learned how to do backflips!!!!!!
And I am learning how to do a somersault on the balance beem!!!!!
The balance beem is my favorite part!!!!!
I love it!!!!!
My other teacher Miss Browchewe likes the dipwalk where you walk across the beem with your foot scraping against the side then you lift it up and switch to the other foot!!!!!
And on and on!!!!!!
It was fun!!!!!
I like the bars as well!!!!!!
They are fun!!!!
One time we saw to our suprise they looked like a big X!!!!!!!
We were supposed to climb up the bars and then down!!!!
And one time me and MOMO and Clowee got on the bars and were bats!!!!!
They had to guess what we were MOMO covered her face and they knew we were bats!!!!!
And so that is some of the stuff we do in Gymnastics!!!!!
For Now At Least!!!!!! By Sis Age 7

The Gift of Laughter

I wanted to include some of my favorite quotes and anecdotes from the kids. Some of these are a bit dated, but they still make me laugh every time!

From Last Year...
Sis, age 5-7 Buddy, age 4-5

We went to visit Grandpa Hake at my mom's. Sis made the observation, "Mommy you don't have to wear anything too pretty because Great Grandpa won't be able to see you anyway."

Sis: "Mommy, you're beautiful even when your face is peeling from peanut butter." (referring to the troublesome breakouts I get from peanut butter)

"Mommy, would you like me to shut the door while you're changing? Even though Daddy is your husband, he is still a sneaky dude."

Sis was undone when Buddy left for his first sleepover. She didn't know how she'd get to sleep without her bunkbedmate. She tried to console herself with the thought that she'd be sleeping with Stephen and me. "Mommy, I talk to Buddy a LOT as he is going to sleep, but you'll be better at that because he always falls asleep right away."

This reminded me of the time she compared herself and Buddy to "Ma and Pa" on Little House on the Prairie (who always talk in their bed before falling asleep).

Sis to Stephen: "Daddy, school went pretty well today. There was just a little disobedience. I prayed that God would help me obey, and His answer was..."Mostly."

Sis told my friend that we eat donuts "briefly." She meant "seldom."

Sis: "Doesn't Daddy just make you feel SAFE?"

Sis' best little boyfriend, J, was in Sunday school. When his teacher passed out the memory verse cards, J asked, "Can I please have one of those for my wife?" (He meant Sis)

Sis was quizzing my mom on her new Latin vocab. She mispronounced the number 6 (sex), and asked, "Grandma, what is SEX?"

Sis to Stephen: "Daddy, Ethan and I don't pray before bed anymore. We're just too tired with our schedule."

Sis: "Second Kings is my FAVORITE book of the Bible. I just love it!"

Sis: "Mommy, why are you drinking all of that water? If it's because you're trying to get less fat, you are just wasting your time."

Sis (on the way home from the grocery store: "Mommy, I'm so hungry that I could eat a whole diaper!"

Sis: "Daddy, if you lost your job at BAE, you could work at Sub-Way and get us the RIGHT toys!"

Sis recounted a funny story, "Mom, a black cat crossed my path. I told our neighbor that that could be a bad omen IF omens were real. When I was telling her that omens are just pretend, I FELL OFF MY BIKE!" The irony of this did not escape her.

"Mrs. W. is a fast breeder! She just had a baby and now she's pregnant AGAIN!"

Sis: "Mom, I don't know any swears, do you?"

"It's hard to think of Aunt Renee as my AUNT. She's more like a friend."

Sis greeted Stephen at the door, "Daddy, we are having Coo Coo for dinner!" She meant couscous.

Buddy: "Mom, I want you to have another baby just so we can get a mini van!"

I announced that our new Latin curriculum arrived in the mail. Buddy got all excited, "Mommy, you got us ALLADDIN?!"

Buddy has to work on his handicapped etiquette. He was in line behind a person in a wheelchair who was drooling. He piped up, "Mommy! Why is that person DRIPPING?"

Yesterday Buddy was at the park and saw a young woman (mentally handicapped) who was rocking back and forth and making a lot of noise. He took in the whole scene and later commented, "Mommy, I think I know why that girl is doing this (demonstrated rocking motion). It's because she is a little dehydrated."

Buddy passing Victoria's Secret, "Daddy, why do they put so many CRUDE pictures in the windows?" Stephen quickly redirected him to the dirt bikes.

During our devotions, I asked the kids, "Who can have fellowship with God?" Buddy piped in, "I know! I know! Jesus, the angels, Great Grandma Hake, and the guy who got killed by a sting ray!"

Buddy exclaimed, "Daddy, you're just EXABBERATING!" (not sure if he meant elaborating or exaggerating)

Buddy looking out for his brother who has allergies..."He shouldn't eat mushrooms, or his face could crack right open!" He meant that it could break out.

Mommy called to Buddy outside, "What are you doing?"
He answered, "I'm gathering all of the deciduous tree leaves!"

After I gave my devotional at the ladies' tea party, Buddy said, "Mommy, I'm glad that's over because now your worst nightmare won't be your worst nightmare anymore!"

Buddy: "Those friends are like EXTINGUISHED family, right?" (meant extended family)

I was doing my home exercise video, and the kids looked indignantly at the scantily clad woman leading the moves. Buddy observed, "Yeah! It's like she's saying, 'I have a better body than you.'"

Buddy, watching me exercise... "You're getting your body ready for another baby, right?"

Buddy saw a flag lowered and commented, "Mommy, in some other country they must know that Auntie Dorothy died."

"My teeth are clattering, clacking and chattering."

I warned the kids not to blow up their whoopie cushion beyond capacity. I told them that it would get all stretched out and never go back to normal.

Sis didn't miss a beat... "Just like your tummy, Mommy?"

Sis and Buddy were having a heated argument. Buddy said, "The first thing I'm going to do when I'm a policeman is arrest you!" Sis looked unmoved, "J. won't let you! He is going to protect me!"

We were talking about my grandpa (Pop) who died before the kids were born. Buddy was eager to share his memory of the story when my brother gave Pop CPR. He exclaimed, "Uncle Matt was a Super Hero back then! He tried to breathe breath back into Pop!"

Buddy informed me, "Mommy, that pillow is soiled!"

"Mommy, Captain Hook must not have learned Shurley English. He said "me" instead of "my."

Ethan confused the lyrics of a VBS song this year. Instead of singing, "The Year of Jubilee," he belted out, "He's a little jiggly."

Baby Boy, age 1, adds an emphatic "P" sound to many words. His favorite thing to do is "nurp!" (instead of nurse)

His favorite game is "Puppa Boo!"

The kids often make up imaginary names for themselves. Ethan suggested the name "Thesseus" but then told me that it was "too plain and sensible of a name."

Last night they began to call Baby Boy, "Baby Cucka." He was delighted with this fun word and said, "Cucka! Cucka!" We immediately put a stop to that...

A few weeks ago we were at the doctor's office and waited in line endlessly to check in. We got a thinly veiled reprimand from the cranky receptionist who observed that we were late. Trying to remain composed, I corrected her, telling her it was the LINE that caused us to be late. When we got to the room, Siobhan blurted out, "What the HECK, Mommy?! We were a minute early. I saw the clock!" Guess I have my own little advocate...

Ethan, after reading Psalm 8 and pondering the transcendence of God said, "Mommy! We would be like DEER TICKS to God!"

The Month of August

A friend recently asked, "What does the month of August look like for you?" I felt an immediate adrenaline rush as I thought of the million details I need to pull together before school begins. Letters of intent and the kids' test scores have been submitted to our school superintendent. Boxes of beautiful school books have arrived. Now it remains to organize all of the details for this coming school year. The biggest lesson I have learned over the past few years is that all aspects of my homeschool and housekeeping responsibilites needs to be clearly mapped out; otherwise, I get lost and overwhelmed by noontime.

The first project I tackled in preparation for this upcoming school year is a yearly menu plan. For those of you who care to take a look, I have decided to include in my blog an inventory of my favorite recipes. This list keeps me out of my cooking ruts and gives me fresh inspiration at a glance. I have typed out 5 months worth of menu plans and have begun to stock my chest freezer with some of our favorite staple items (soups, chili, homemade breads, spaghetti sauce, and veggies from the garden).

Next, I reordered my life in one big, friendly binder. Each area of responsibility has a section. The binder follows me everywhere, so I can jot down ideas in the proper place and file papers and lists as I go. This method worked well for me last year...

This next week, I hope to print out the kids' chore packs. I am so grateful for my friend's recommendation of the book, "Managers of Their Chores" and am excited to see how this new system will improve our quality of life.

Last, but not least, I need to create the MASTER SCHEDULE. This year I am going to try to map out our day hour by hour. Baby boy is in a predictable enough schedule that this should work. We are no longer at the mercy of frequent feedings and choppy naptimes.

It was music to my ears when Buddy asked me this morning, "Mommy, can we PLLLEEEASE do some school today?" Guess I'm not the only one who is eager to regain some order around here and hit the books. I have high hopes that this will be our best year yet.

"Taking the Next Step"

Remembering my Identity and Calling as a Christian Woman

***
I was snooping around my sister’s kitchen a while ago, and I stumbled across a very unusual quote above her kitchen sink. Now my sister, Krista, will be the first one to admit that cooking and dishes and kitchen stuff in general are NOT her thing. Expecting something light and witty about the uselessness of doing dishes, I began to read the quote. Here is what it said:

“It takes Almighty grace to take the next step when there is no vision and no spectator - the next step in devotion, the next step in your study, in your reading, in your kitchen; the next step in your duty when there is no vision from God, no ethusiasm, and no spectator. It takes far more of the grace of God, far more conscious drawing upon God to take that step, than it does to preach the Gospel.” (Oswald Chambers)

If I were to identify the most significant lesson that God has been teaching me in my early years as wife and mother it would be summed up in the message of this quote.

What God requires of me is to simply take the next step in faithful obedience to Him.

I would like to use these two cups to illustrate a point. Now if you were to guess which of these teacups is more valuable to me, you’d probably guess this pretty one here. It looks like an heirloom teacup; it’s dainty and attractive. Now this HEFTY mug here is far from attractive. It has been dropped on the floor a few times. It’s chipped. The paint is coming off. It takes up way too much room in my cupboard...

But...it might surprise you to know that this Minnie Mug is my favorite mug in the world and one I couldn’t stand to part with!! Stephen and I were given a set of Mickey and Minnie Mouse mugs the night before our wedding from some close friends who had just come back from Disney World. We drank our first cups of coffee as newlyweds from these mugs. This mug has been ready and brimming with coffee each morning after a sleepless night with my children. In fact, I couldn’t resist figuring out JUST HOW MANY cups of coffee this Minnie Mug has held in over 7 years of marriage. And the grand total was over 8,212 cups!!! Now, appearance aside, if we were to measure the value and usefulness of a mug, I would have to say that this Minnie Mug wins over the teacup hands down.

When I met Stephen as a younger believer, I would have fit the profile of this other teacup here (or, for the sake of our analogy) an impressive young woman by the world’s standards. By the age of 19, I had earned a college degree in culinary arts with straight A’s, completed a certificate in Biblical studies, and traveled to 5 countries. I was stylish and thin, successful in my job, had lots of friends... More than anything, I was a skilled people-pleaser - fueled by the approval and acceptance of everyone around me. As long as my efforts were being noticed and applauded and I looked good to people, I was content...

Well, 3 months into our newlywed life, Stephen and I learned that our daughter Siobhan was on the way, and thus began an intense process of spiritual growth. God very deliberately stripped away my old identity and sense of security and began to reshape me into the woman He intended me to be.

At first I hated the idea of throwing away my career and exciting goals to be a stay-home wife and mother, and the adjustment of being home full time with a colicky newborn was made worse by a case of post partum depression. For the first time, I felt like I was no longer “in control” of my life, and all that used to make me feel important had fallen by the wayside.

The most discouraging and lonely years of my life began just after Ethan was born. Stephen worked a couple of jobs while completing his engineering degree. We had very little time together and barely enough money to make ends meet. I like to refer to those as the “cloth diaper years.” I was stuck in a bad apartment with two babies and no car. Everything in me cried out, “WHY?! Why, God, did you take away everything that made me feel useful and important and put me in this awful, lonely life?”

The lesson God was (AND IS STILL!!) teaching me is that taking the next step in faithfulness where God has placed me will result in contentment and blessing.

Our culture put so much value on external success and achievement.
The world says that we as women should be beautiful, that we should be fulfilled in challenging careers outside of the home, that we should be self-sufficient and independent. The world scoffs at the “servant role” and the “helper model” that God has called us to and will try to cheapen the value of what we do as faithful, Christian women.

We are barraged by these harmful messages and destructive ideas which stand in stark contrast to the description of biblical womanhood that God has laid out in His word.

Susan Hunt in her book, The Legacy of Biblical Womanhood explains this when she writes...Sin marred woman’s design, and now she thinks about her womanhood in terms of her own self-fulfillment. She seeks her own completeness. She is her own reference point. She is her own authority. She abandons her design and mission for a never-ending quest for her own happiness. Woman became a life-taker rather than a life-giver.”

Now that we’ve seen what we should NOT be, let’s look at some Scripture passages that model what we should be as faithful Christian who are always seeking to “TAKE THE NEXT STEP” in obedience to God... I would like to order these passages under two of the main roles that we have as women. The first is that of SERVANT. The second is that of HELPER.


The most powerful model of godly servanthood is Christ’s life. So much of His work and ministry was thankless. So much of it was menial in nature. I think of the powerful image of Christ washing the disciples’ feet.

John 13:3-5 says, “Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garment, took a towel and girded Himself After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and wipe them with the towel with which he was girded..”

Christ’s identity as the powerful Son of God was not compromised by this humble act of service. Rather, he voluntarily set aside his glory and willingly served the disciples. He said that it was His food and drink to do the will of the Father who had sent Him, and He did it for the joy that was set before Him. Likewise, if our identity is secure in Christ and our perspective is ETERNAL, we will be able to serve those whom God brings into our lives with joy and purpose.


Christ teaches in Matthew 20:26-28: “...whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Paul writes in Philippians 2:5-6, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.”

So much of what we do as Christian women, wives and mothers is service-oriented. Our labors might go unnoticed and unappreciated, but we should take comfort in the fact that we are following the pattern set forth by Christ and that He acknowledges and rewards what we do. And, in a very mysterious way, our acts of service are actually being done directly TO HIM!

Listen to Matthew 25:34 and following... “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You a drink?’ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the king will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”

The second role we are called to as Christian women is that of HELPER.

Susan Hunt writes, “helper is not a fragile word, and we are not called to a mission of fluff. This is a life-giving ministry of nurture, defense, comfort and caring.” She continues, But the helper design is alien and offensive to a fallen world. It doesn’t fit; so the world tells women that there is a better way...[The enemy] still tries to convince women to try the way of independence and autonomy.”

In Genesis 2:18, this idea of the “helper role” is taught by God Himself. “The Lord said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for Him.” The Hebrew word that is translated HELPER in Genesis 2:18 is the same word that is used to refer to God as our helper. Susan Hunt points out that “when we consider how God is our helper, we begin to see the richness and strength of this word. Moses spoke of God as his helper who saved him from the sword of Pharaoh. In Psalms we read that God is the helper of the victim, the fatherless, the needy, and the afflicted. God is referred to as a helper who is our support, strength and shield.”

In Psalm 144, we see an unusual prayer of David. He prays, “...that our daughters may be as pillars, sculptured in palace style.” I had always thought that this was just poetic imagery until I learned (and I quote again from Susan Hunt’s book), that this word “pillar” “is used of pillars supporting buildings, the bronze pillars of the [Old Testament] temple, and the pillar of cloud and fire...This kind of pillar is not free-standing or ornamental. It is a functional, supportive pillar. This imagery bursts with application. Here we see the essence of woman’s helper design. It is the sum and substance of femininity. The woman with a quiet and gentle spirit is free from the need to protect and promote herself. She is able to be a pillar of comfort and support in the home and church. She is free to attach herself unselfishly to people, and she is often a connector across generations as she fulfills her life-giving mission.”

I pray that these two Scriptural images of the servant and helper will challenge you as they did me, that you will be reminded of the importance of the woman’s role in our home and church. I would encourage you to continue renewing your minds with the truth about our value as Christian women, and that, even if your labors go unnoticed or unappreciated, you will press on in taking the next step in service to Him and those he has placed in your lives.

Our Garden By SIS

We have a garden that is shooting up!!!!!
We got 14 Zucchinis!!!!!!!!
In one day!!!!!!
It was awesome!!!!!!
And we got TONS of greenbeans and waxbeans!!!!!!!
We have gotten herbs and roses and all sorts of stuff!!!!!
Nothing today but there are greenbeans that will be ready tommorow!!!!!!
WOW!!!!!
We made like 36 cups of shreaded Zucchini for Zucchini Bread!!!!!!
And we have a chest freezer so we put all sorts of stuff in there so that is good!!!!!
We have a good garden!!!!
The people before us left manure so we put that in!!!!!!
We turned over the grass so we could have a big garden!!!!!!
I am sweating as I write cause that was hard work to turn the soil over!!!!!!
It was fun but hard!!!!!!
Mom said ''We will be happy when we look at it to say well that was hard but when we see it we will be proud that we have a good garden''!!!!!!
And I am proud that we have a good garden!!!!!!
And God has helped it grow!!!!!
By SIS AGE 7

Our Adventures at VBS

We had a fun time at VBS!!!!!
We went to it for a week!!!!!!
It was fun we went with our cousins!!!!!!!!
The theme was a builder theme!!!!!
So they had hard hats on the windows!!!!!
And we learned how to buld our lives on Christ!!!!!
We made a CD with decorations and did sand coloring and all sorts of fun stuff!!!!!
We got a hard card with a picture of praying hands and we took orange foil and scratched out praying hands took the foil off and there they were praying hands!!!!!
It was fun!!!!!
And we sang songs and had skits and all sorts of fun stuff!!!!!!
It was really fun!!!!!!
And we had a gametime and we played games!!!!!!
(Only fun ones though!!!!)
It was a lot of fun!!!!!!
We played a game where there were white ties!!!!!
And you had to take away the ties from people and it was fun!!!!!
Me and my cousin MOMO told each other we would not take out each others ties!!!!!
We had a lot of fun!!!!
And on the last day for snack after gametime we had sundaes!!!!!
It was great!!!!!
After we had bibletime!!!!!
We talked about Elijah!!!!!
He was a prophet!!!!!
And we had fun!!!!!!
And everybody came on the last day to see what we had learned!!!!!
It was fun!!!!!!
So that was VBS!!!!!!!
By SiS Age 7 VBS

The Adventure of Losing my Tooth (by Buddy, age 5)

Sis was doing Typing Instructor for Kids.
I (Buddy) pushed my tooth all the way back!!!!
Then I tryed again!!!!!
Then PoP!
Out came the tooth!!!!!
I thought I broke it!!!!
(I did not really though)
I was excited I had lost my tooth!!!!!
I ran upstairs to show dad!!!!
Then the tooth fairy came that night!!!!!
And I got a letter!!!!!
And A box of pills that if you put them in water they turned into animals!!!!!
I got a dollar with it!!!!
And that is the story of Buddy losing his tooth!!!!
By Buddy Age 5 (Typed by Sis)

Our Summer with our friends!!!!!!! by Sis (age 7)

We had a fun summer!!!!!
It just seems to short!!!!
We have a lot of our school books for this year!!!!
We home school!!!!!
Mom gets a lot of school books from Paper Back Book Swap!!!!!
We have gotten lots of books!!!!
We have gotten a few books just for fun!!!!!!
We have had a lot of fun things happen this summer!!!!
It has not been an ocean type one though!!!!
We have had a lot of fun!!!!!
We had friends visit!!!!
Joley and David!!!!!
And Joel and Chalice!!!!!
They live in California!!!!!!!
Joley is moms cousin!!!!
We liked having Chalice who is a baby 8 months I think!!!!!
She was the cutest thing!!!!!!
I want a baby sister!!!!
Anyway they came and they stayed at our cousins house for 7 days!!!!
Thats a week!!!!

But Joel was sick when he visited our houses so he could not have good stuff!!!!!
And thats no fun!!!!!!
And they left and then he was better that day so that was good but what was not good
was that Mama's baby got it a week later!!!!
And Great Grandma is visiting us for a bit!!!!!
And on the day when everyone came to see her at Our Grandmothers house we did a play
for her!!!!!
It was Cinderella!!!!!!
Me Sis I was a Stepsister!!!!!
Buddy was the prince!!!!!
And Mama's Baby was not anything but a distraction!!!!!!!
My cousin MOMO was a stepsister as well!!!!!!!
And the oldest in the play Lyd was the Narrator!!!!!
And Lynny was the stepmother!!!!!
And my little cousin was the princess Cinderella!!!!!
And it turned out to be a great play!!!!!!!!!
Everybody loved it!!!!!!
It was a very fun play!!!!!
Yesterday at our cousin's house we did a sewing lesson with our Great Grandma!!!!!
It was fun!!!!
We sewed a bookmark!!!!!
It was a elephant!!!!!
We glued it and then sewed it!!!!
What I did after it was glued was I sewed on the eyes they were buttons!!!!
And they were not glued!!!!
And after I sewed them on I sewed on little horn shaped things!!!!!
I sewed them on as Xs!!!!!!
Mom sewed 1 though cause the string got tangled!!!!!!
It is a pain when the string gets tangled!!!!
And then I sewed around the hat and then I glued hearts on the back to cover the sewing!!!!
And then we were done!!!!!
And Great Grandma gave us black dog shaped licorace!!!!!!
And my cousin MOMO did not like hers so she told me to close my eyes and open my mouth!!!!
And she gave me hers!!!!
She was being really nice!!!!!!!
And we went to Beech Hill Farm yesterday!!!!
Me Sis and our cousins And Buddy and Mama's Baby got a picture with Great Grandma!!!
It was really fun!!!!
We hope we will be able to write more on this site and make more memories!!!!!
By SiS Our Summer with our friends!!!!!!

Summary of Our Field Trips (2006-2007)

It has been great to revisit old pictures from this past school year. We had the opportunity to visit so many neat places! From a guided tour through Canterbury Shaker Village, to a trip to Odiorne Point (a Seacoast Science Center) to a step back in time at Heritage NH, to a show/activities at the Planetarium on the "spring night sky" to apple picking and learning about maple syrup to a Medieval Feat (where the children "jousted" and recited their Latin Prayer before a group) to some hands on "farm fun" at Remick Museum... We are thankful for our homeschool network and the great opportunities to combine fun and learning.

Our winter activities have included participating in a homeschool bowling league and taking gymnastics lessons. We can hardly wait to begin classes at our homeschool enrichment center. Buddy will be taking a World Cultures/cooking class, and Sis will be taking art (history as well as hands-on). The kids also plan to be in the annual homeschool drama which depicts the life of William Tyndale. I will be assisting the director with the youngest actors, our court jesters. :)

What's With The Name?

I've been homeschooling my kids for 3 years. Last fall we embarked on a new academic adventure and took our first Latin course. The kids got a kick out of one of their vocabulary words, Alma Mater. Alma Mater (while referring to a school) literally means "nurturing mother." They quickly attributed this title to me. After all, I am both mother and school to these little ones. ;) It is a daunting honor to be responsible for the nurturing of these children's bodies, minds and spirits. I pray daily that God will give me wisdom and endurance.