Fishy Fun!! By: Stella

Last weekend Dad, Leo, Rus and I (Stella) went fishing at the Franklin Falls Dam. It was really fun! There were two park rangers there who taught us some fishing techniques-which was awesome for us because we are amateurs at fishing. :) The man who used to live at our house had given us three fishing poles and we had gotten interested in fishing. We have enjoyed it but it really was cool to learn from two experienced people! We hopped in the car loaded with poles, waters, cameras, and snacks. When we got there with our gear-not knowing what to expect, we were quickly supplied with live-bait and fishing tackle. We were soon dipping our poles into the water. Shortly afterward, we were rewarded with bites. We had sooo much fun! Leo, Rus and I caught several fish- Leo caught five, I caught five (including a bass, which really gave me a struggle :D), and Rus caught two. We got several fish that got away too! It was our first fish that we had caught, and we went home having had a really cool trip!!! As I mentioned we got pictures! Here they are...
Stella, Park Ranger Nat and First Catch... :D

A bass!!! This one bent my pole literally in two when I was reeling it in!! It didn't snap though... :D

Proud Catch!!!

Striking an Odd pOse :0

Holding up his first catch!
Proud fisherman...

We had lots of fun!! Thanks so much to Park Ranger Nat and Matt!!!

By: Stella

Cute Quotes

I recently read through some hand-written children's quotes I had jotted down when my big kids were much smaller. Tears of hysterical laughter rolled down my cheeks as I read them to Stephen. I was so thankful that I had captured those memories which, at the time, I was convinced I'd never forget. It was as if I was enjoying those funny stories for the first time as I was transported back to the day when Stella was a spunky, unpredictable four year old, and Leo was her partner in crime . I became more convinced than ever of the value of recording the sweet/hilarious/slightly-shocking things my little ones come out with. They grow up too fast...

Rus - "The abdominal (meant abominable) snow man looked SO REAL!"

"Mom, we used to play baseball [as a family] when your tummy was thick like it is now - not with a ball inside. That was WAAAAY before Filia was pregnant!"

"Mom, I wish that the library had movies about sacrifices. Wouldn't that be neat?"

"Mom, you're as pretty as an amethyst, and and you're even prettier in your wedding picture, but it's just 'cause your clothes are different, NOT because you've changed."

"It's easy to have a soft heart toward Filia because she is the beauty of our home and the greatest gift!"

Rus was listing the characters on the Waltons. He was on a roll until he came to "Sponge Bob" (aka Jim-Bob)!

Tert - "Sissy kept waking me and making me panic!" (Stella is truly our early bird and has been known to wake her brothers for company at the crack of dawn)...

Tert often tries to get out of having to eat foods he dislikes by saying in a dramatic way, "Mom, I just don't DESERVE this food! I look full."

Tert - "I can't find my Ratattouille." (He meant his sticker "tattoo").

"Mom, have you seen my HILARIOUS rock?"


When Tert saw some discipline coming his way, "Mama, are you going to have mercy on me?"

"Is Grandma two or three?"

Tert asked me for more yogurt. When I said no, he replied indignantly, "But GRANDMA gives me more yogurt!!"

This morning, Stella recruited little Tert to watch "Christy" with her (a rather complex and dramatic movie for a 3 year old attention span). He was a good sport and sat through it. When she asked him if he liked it, he looked away and whispered into his hand, "It was a boring movie," and then, rallying his enthusiasm, forced a huge smile and bright eyes and exclaimed, "YES!!!"


Leo was soothing his baby sister with some songs. Later he reported, "Filia really enjoyed 'Away in a Manger,' especially when I sang it in French!"

~Filia~

Much thanks to Filia's Marine Cousin who sent her this ADORABLE ONESIE!!
(The shirt says-"I outrank everyone!") ;)

By: Stella

Butterfly Fun Again By: Stella

So the painted lady butterflies that we set free just a couple weeks ago...WERE JUST THE BEGINNING!!!! They laid eggs that hatched! We were surprised and we were excited but didn't count on the tiny little specks in the plastic container that we set up for them making it. We hurried to buy some Malva to feed the larvae with. We put in the leaves and we were surprised at how quickly they ate it. But that was nothing compared to what they do now... We have already put in four or five leaves today which they shriveled down to nothingness! They are getting huge! I got pictures of what they were the day they hatched... and what they are like now! See the difference?!

You can BARELY see the caterpillars here!! Now check out the pic. below...





AMAZING!!!!

We'll put more pictures up later!!! :)

By: Stella

Rock 'n Race By: Stella

Hello All!!!
Recently Mom, Dad, Me (Stella), and Leo all ran in the Rock 'N Race! It was Leo and my first big race- a 5k! We had lots of fun, and we got to go with our cousins! We couldn't really get many pictures while running the 5k... (Wink!*) but Grandma Z. got a picture of us before the race!!!

Thanks so much Grandma!!!

By: Stella

~Filia~ Pictures and Anecdotes By: Stella

Enjoy these pictures of Filia!!! :D
(By the way, I changed this post... for those of you who might have seen it already!)
Filia-7 months!!!

Trying out her New Overalls! :D


Bright Flash...


Happy Girlie!!!

Grin!!!


Reaching FOR THE CAMERA!! :D



Need I say more?!

Smile Big!!!

HAPPY!!!

Are we done soon? (Forced Smile)


BIG GRIN!!!!

Pretty 'n Pink in the Dress from Grandma and Grandpa P!!



Filia!!!

By: Stella

Family Pics.

We are proud to present... OUR FAMILY PICTURES!!! We especially thank Adam for the pictures. He did a GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!



Sigh. Yawn. "Take 120."


Smile!!!!!

Thanks so much Adam!!

By: Stella

Thank You!!!! Dedicated To: Grandma and Grandpa By: Stella

I would like to dedicate this post to Grandma and Grandpa P. Thanks so much for coming to the End Of The Year Celebration, and we thank you so much for the wonderful clothes that you have given us! The boys were very excited about the shirts and put them right on! I love mine, and thanks again!!!!

Here are some pictures!! :)



Yay! New Shirts!!!


Striking a pose....


Silly Tert!

Thanks so much!!!

Kindergarten Graduation By: Stella

Hi All! I wanted to post some pictures of Rus' graduation from Kindergarten! It was really fun! He was very excited. We also LOVED having Grandma and Grandpa come over! We had a wonderful visit with them, and then we went to the graduation ceremony! Well, I'll probably do a better job with pictures than writing about it!! So-let's dive in!!!



Sitting with his friends...




Singing "The More We Get Together" with Sign Language



Encore, Encore!!!



Receiving his Diploma



Proud Kindergarten Graduate! GO RUS!!!!!!!!!
Pictures and Anecdotes By: Stella

Butterfly Fun By: Stella

Hi All!
I wrote a three paragraph report on butterflies which I put on the blog below. I also wanted to share some pics. with you of the butterflies that we got from Insect Lore! We let them go today, and we had lots of fun! Rather than telling you about it, here are some pictures! I grabbed the camera and got some GREAT shots!! (If I may say so myself!) :P LOL!



Admiring the Butterfly





Getting a Closer Look...



Beautiful!!!





Admiring the Butterflies....




WHOA!!

Flutter By Butterfly!!!



Say cheese butterfly!!



Smile!!!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!!

By: Stella

Flutter By-Painted-Lady Butterfly

Report By: Stella

Some people, who don’t know the true nature of caterpillars, toss them aside as a nasty little pest. When people correct these misconceptions, they end up growing to love these fuzzy little creatures-which start as a tiny egg. It can take from three days to a whole winter for the egg to hatch. When hatched, caterpillars industriously weave silk. Because of dangers that can befall this tiny creature, every caterpillar has a means to protect itself, such as what look like eyes, or ‘intimidating’ striped patterns to scare off predators. In all, these hardworking little caterpillars are just the beginning of the butterfly cycle.

This is only stage one of the caterpillar’s metamorphosis. Caterpillars, who are eager to become butterflies, molt several times. After molting for the last time, the caterpillars become silent chrysalids. They hastily spin silk around themselves. If you are patient, in seven to ten days they emerge from their silky home. Because of your patience, you will see a marvelous sight- the arrival of another beautiful, breathtaking butterfly! The little caterpillars can in no way compare to the beauty of the butterfly!

The little caterpillar has patiently gone through all of the stages, and is now a butterfly! While there are many different kinds of butterflies, the most widely distributed butterfly is the dainty, painted-lady butterfly. Because of this butterfly’s graceful fortitude, the painted lady can shockingly peregrinate up to a thousand miles during her lifetime. This butterfly, who really is a fascinating insect, breathes through her abdomen, and she tastes with her feet! She is both beautiful and amazing with her black, white, and orange wings, and ten thousand eyes! The painted lady loves to feed on nectar, and fruits. The butterfly is dainty and fascinating, and a wonderful example of beauty in the world around us.

The caterpillar is just the beginning of its remarkable transformation into a butterfly, which is not just an interesting insect, but a breathtaking example of God’s love for beauty, and His love for us.

Resources:

1. Butterfly Battle- Nancy White (Pgs. 27-28, 38-39, 47, 54-58)

2. About Bugs- Sheryl Scarborough (Pgs. 16-19)

3. “Insect Lore” Handout

and…

MY EXPERIENCE!!!

Cultivating the Colony By: Stella

When we view an ant hole swarming with its busy workers; it is amazing to think that this colony started with a single, hardworking queen ant. The queen can live up to the age of twenty-eight and is larger than the other ants with a pair of wings. Because of her need to start a colony, the queen flies off and mates with several males. The queen, who is not even close to done with her work, descends from her parental flight, and snaps off her wings. She industriously gets to work digging a nest and starts laying eggs. After a few of her eggs hatch and become worker ants, she lies down, laying eggs for the rest of her life. After studying the queen ant, we know that this hard-working, industrious ant truly is the mother of the colony.

After the queen ant starts the colony, there is the need to feed all of the ants in the colony. The most diminutive ants of the colony must diligently work at the fungus gardens, because the gardens are located in very narrow caverns deep within the nest. The ants must sow their crop of fungus, which they get from garbage and leaves. The mushrooms do not actually sprout; while this may be a problem for us, it isn’t for the ants, who munch on only the roots. The workers, who are a very important part of the colony, have a special type of bacteria on their skin. This fundamental antibiotic keeps the fungus from growing moldy. Gardener ants really are a tiny, but very important part of the colony.

Not only is there the need for feeding the colony, but there also is the need for some ants to watch the little ones, who do not yet play their part in the colony. The ants carefully construct nurseries near the surface of the nest, so that the inhabitants of the nursery will be warmer. That is why, when you disturb a nest, you will see the worker ants hastily picking up the “children” and carrying them deeper into the nest, while the nurseries are carefully rebuilt. Because of their delicacy, the nurse ants have to lick and turn over the eggs so that they don’t become moldy. The hatched larvae, which can be very pesky creatures, like to snack on the eggs, so the nurses have to move the larvae away from the eggs. The diligent nurses also feed the larvae pieces of insect. In all, the nurses play a very important part in the colony.

The colony, which started with a single queen ant, multiplies, and gives us a very good example of fortitude, diligence, and perseverance.

Seacoast Science Center By: Stella

Hi All!
Yesterday, our whole family went to the Seacoast Science Center. It was a really neat experience! There was a whale skeleton to greet us as we opened the door. Then we walked through aquarium after aquarium of fish. We also went to a live pool of fish! We picked up starfish, crabs, and so much more!!! It was amazing!
After exploring the inside, we went outside, and explored the rocks and got soaked up to our waists with waves from the ocean!

Deep Sea Diver

Sailing, Sailing, Over the Deep Blue Sea...

Exploring Habitats....

T-ball By: Stella

Hello Everyone! Rus is very excited! He has started his first sport-T-Ball!
After seeing Leo do baseball, he is very excited about this! He had his opening day this past Saturday, (yes, in the snow, and the rain) and he loved it. (By the way, does anyone reading this know-WHEN THIS SNOW WILL STOP?)
Rus was in a parade, and was very cheerful, representing his team. He stood with his team-his coach, his son, and him. What a big turnout! Well, he enjoyed it, and marched along happily. After standing in the wet field listening to all of the team names being called out, we dashed to the cover of the car, and went to Cumby's to round off the celebration with a big cup of cocoa!
Now for the grand finale... PICTURES!!!

His team is the COBRAS!!!


And he-CATCHES THE BALL!!!


Marching, Marching, Marching ALONG!!!

Standstill...

Ushering in the T-Ball Season...

GO RUS!

Happy Easter!!! By: Stella

Happy Easter from, Filia, Stella, Leo, Rus, and Tert!

Matching Gals'

Pretty Girlie

Happy Easter-to one and ALL!

By: Stella

Leo's Report on the Second Great Awakening

In this time, many had strayed from the Lord and His precepts. This awakening drastically affected many lives. It began on the western frontier of New England. Its effect traveled across the ocean. Camp meetings were attended by as many as 20,000 people at one time. These meetings were held by pastors on the spacious prairie. One of the results of this awakening, was a conviction of their need for the gospel. Drunkenness and gambling were two examples of the ungodliness of the day. Some families had not entered a church building for the past two generations. It ended with Charles G. Finney's preaching of erroneous doctrine and the spreading of his ''new measures'' for evangelism.