Busy

Wow, I haven't posted in quite awhile! This has been such a busy time. We are just doing all the normal things, plus...

Soccer has started, which means I am out at the soccer field four nights a week.

The kids are preparing for their dance recital and still have dance classes twice a week, (one night each kid).

We decided to re-arrange our "office/schoolroom," which involved putting up more shelves and re-organizing all the books...a BIG job!

I have been getting the kids outfitted for the wedding they're in this summer. We found an adorable flower-girl dress for Katie. It is all white and has a tulle skirt. She looks like a princess in it. :-) I am still looking for Grant's candlelighter outfit.

So, that is what we've been up to... Not too exciting, but keeping us busy!

Art Class

A couple of weeks ago, Grant and Kate had the privilege of attending an art class taught by Barry Stebbing of How Great Thou Art Publications. I had heard Mr. Stebbing speak at our local homeschool conference and really appreciated his perspective of helping people see God as an Artist and to give them skills to glorify Him through art.

Mr. Stebbing and his wife, Saundra, have been travelling around the country to teach art to home schoolers. The classes have about 100 in attendance and are comprised of kids of all ages. They meet for two and a half hours, three days in a row. It was a fantastic experience for my kids! They both have been applying some of the things they learned from Mr. Stebbing and have more of an awareness of the beauty and colors all around them.

Tooth Out, Photos Taken, Carpets Clean

Well, the tooth FINALLY came out! Kate was brushing her teeth and grabbed for the spot of white that flew out of her mouth before it could be lost down the drain. She got a hefty haul from the tooth fairy next morn. ;-)

Today I had to take both Grant and Kate for their dance photos. Kate was first, with three changes of costume. Oh, it was quite a sight...little girls hopping and spinning around in various colors of tutus and sequins, as well as a few boys in more boyish looks. We finally got her in and out of all the costumes with the right shoes, bows, pants, tutus for each dance and she and I were both pretty pooped when it was finally all over! So, naturally, we took some "girl time" and went to Panera for lunch! We love Panera!:-)

When I went back to the dance studio later for Grant's photos, there were less people milling around and everything just seemed much calmer. He only had one costume to change into for his hip-hop dance and then we were out of there!

While I was running the kids to and from their dance photo sessions, my husband took on the task of moving all the furniture, renting a carpet cleaner and cleaning all the carpets in the house! Wow! By the time Grant and I got home, he was moving most of the furniture back into place. It's like magic--when I left the carpets were dirty and when I came home they were clean! :-)

So, that was our Saturday. We got things done that needed to be done and we're glad it's over! But, we also had fun along the way.

Nanny McPhee

This isn't really about the movie, Nanny McPhee, it's about my daughter whose loose tooth makes her look like Nanny McPhee! This tooth is hanging by a thread, but she will not pull it out or let anyone else pull it out! So, we call her "Nanny McPhee" and she laughs and sticks out her one big loose tooth until I crack up. She loves to make us laugh! Maybe I could sneak into her room when she is sleeping and pull it out...naah. I'll let Nanny McPhee pull it out (or let it fall out!) in her own sweet time. And I'm sure I'll be laughing a lot until that tooth finally does come out! :-)

Happy Easter!

Easter Egg Hunt

We hosted a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt the day before Easter. After everyone gathered in our driveway, Dave explained the rules, said, "go!" and they were off! When all the eggs were found, everyone moved to the garage. The kids sat on a piece of carpet and their parents sat in chairs behind them. I was able to share the Easter story and the gospel using the Resurrection Eggs. It was a great way to connect with neighbors and also share what we believe in a very non-threatening way since it was aimed at the kids. We had donuts, coffee and juice for snacks after the story. Everyone received a DVD of The Story Of Jesus For Children as a special Easter present. Hopefully, they will be watched and will help many kids and their families come to know Jesus personally.

April 7th ~ Grant's Birthday

Grant turned 8! Wow, it seems impossible that my little boy is getting so big! We had a family party to celebrate. We are so thankful that God "granted" our request for a child with this wonderful son of ours!!! Grant received a lot of Star Wars Lego sets, which he was thrilled about and knee, elbow and wrist pads so he can ride his skateboard. How can I have a kid old enough for skateboarding? Time sure flies! Happy Birthday, Grant!

Two Funerals In One Week

The kids and I flew out to join Dave for his father's funeral. It was a very quick trip ~ we got in on Sunday night, the funeral was on Monday and we flew back home on Tuesday. The service was a celebration of Bill's life. It was full of hope because of Bill's faith in Jesus.

Dave had to stay and take care of some details before flying home a couple of days after the kids and I. The day after he got home we all piled in the car and drove five hours to join my side of the family for my grandfather's funeral on Saturday.

My grandfather died three days after Dave's dad died. He would have been 90 years old later this month. So many happy childhood memories came flooding back to me as we reminisced about my grandpa's life. He was a "feisty" character who loved to tease his grandkids and he was a wonderful grandpa. I loved him and miss him.

We are back home now and back to our normal routine, but we are still processing the events of the last couple of weeks...reflecting on family relationships, life and death.

Hope and victory

Last Thursday, my father-in-law,Bill, fell and broke his neck. Over the last several days my husband and his siblings talked to doctors to determine the extent of the damage to his spinal cord. They discovered that he was paralyzed from the neck down, unable to move anything other than his face and neck muscles.

It was incredibly difficult for my husband and his siblings to see their dad in this condition. However, being able to see their dad and communicate their love to him was a gift the Lord gave them before taking their father home this morning. Dave's dad passed from this life to the next with his four children at his bedside.

Dave commented that the Lord has been so sweet to him and his family throughout this ordeal. How much hope we have at the end of our days when we know the Author of life, the One who has victory over death!

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
ICorinthians 15:55

"How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
ICorinthians 15:57

Just For Fun

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Co-op

Today our homeschool co-op met and in our Five In A Row class we read Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. Even though most of the kids were familiar with the story, they seemed to really enjoy hearing it read and a few couldn't help finishing some of the lines with me. :-) After we read the story and discussed Paris, the Eiffel tower, what an appendix is, etc., we took a walk around the church in "two straight lines" and "smiled at the good, frowned at the bad," etc., just like the girls in the story. After learning some French words and painting a picture in a similar style to the pictures in the book, the kids had to head off to their next class. The time went by quickly and we had a lot of fun! :-)

March

Wow, I can't believe it is March already! We have just been clicking along with our normal routines and February just flew by! Grant and Katie have each recently gone to a friend's birthday party and Katie is going to another one on Sunday. It's just one party after another around here! :-)

Valentine's Day

The kids certainly got their fair share of sugar and fun on Valentine's Day! Our homeschool co-op hosted a potluck lunch and Valentine's Day party yesterday. The kids each had to sign over 60 valentines for the valentine exchange, which took up most of our writing time during school the day before! At the party they got to decorate a bag for their valentines and frost and decorate heart-shaped cookies. The moms got to visit while the kids played games and that was the highlight for me! :-)

We came home from the party all sugared up and then had to turn around a few hours later and head back to church for AWANA. I am Katie's Sparky group leader, so I couldn't very well stay home. It was a great night, though. I always think I want to stay home instead of going out to AWANA in the evening, but once I get there, I end up really enjoying the kids and am glad I went.

Dave and I usually celebrate Valentine's Day with a late, quiet dinner at home once the kids have gone to bed. Since we had AWANA last night, we will have our candlelit dinner tonight! :-)

More Birthday Party Fun

Dave made a castle for the princesses to play in out of refrigerator boxes. It takes up half of our basement! The girls had so much fun peeking out of the windows and lowering and raising the "drawbridge"! :-)

Royal Celebration

This is what greeted quests at our front door for Katie's birthday princess party on Saturday! Katie has been talking about having a princess party for over a year, so it was fun to finally have all the little princesses to our castle to celebrate her 6th birthday. :-)

Visit from Arthur

We've had a friend visiting since Friday. Arthur was my husband's roommate in college and he was the best man in our wedding thirteen years ago. The guys have gone ice fishing and played some basketball at the Y. Last night they looked at pictures from a bike trip they took after graduating from college. I'm glad they've stayed good friends all these years. It's good to have friends who know you well.

A year and a half ago, Arthur stopped by for a couple days with his kids while they were on a long road trip vacation. Our kids and Arthur's kids played continually the entire time. They hit it off amazingly well! Because of those great memories, I guess, Grant and Katie have been practically glued to Arthur the entire time he has been here! They are just ga-ga over him! :-) He has been very patient and kind to them as they have fought over sitting next to him, holding his hand, etc. He even babysat them for Dave and I for awhile one afternoon.

But, all good things must come to an end and Arthur heads back home this evening. Hopefully, we will be able to visit him and his family sometime even though he lives all the way up in Walla Walla, Washington! Maybe a long road trip is in our future...

End Of The Spear

When I was a new Christian, someone gave me a copy of the book, "Through Gates Of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot. I flipped through it and saw a picture of a man's body floating in a river with a spear sticking out of his hip and thought there was no way I wanted to read that book.

Well, it sat on a table for awhile and one day I picked it up and finally read a bit of it. I couldn't put it down and ended up reading the whole book. Wow! The lives of Jim Elliot and the other missionaries killed by the Auca Indians in Equador in 1956 really challenged me to live fully for Christ. After that I read everything I could find about the mission to the Aucas and all the books by Elisabeth Elliot I could get my hands on.

My life was changed by reading about those missionaries and their complete surrender to Christ's will for their lives. I know that I am not the only one. I have heard many stories of people going to the mission field because of these men who gave their lives for what they believed in.

Their sacrifice influenced the future direction of my life and Elisabeth Elliot's writings and speaking challenged me (and continue to challenge and encourage me)along the way. I even named my daughter after Elisabeth Elliot ~ her middle name is Elisabeth. With an "s." :-)

Now a movie has been made about this incredible story, told from the perspective of the pilot, Nate Saint's son. It's called: End Of The Spear. I hope that God will again use this story to challenge people to live for Him and take the gospel to those who do not know Him yet.

January

The new year is well under way and we've been trying to get back into a more regular routine with our days. The kids are finally getting back in the habit of doing school work every morning and I'm finally getting back in the habit of not eating candy or drinking eggnog every day~ha-ha! :-)

Last week our homeschool co-op met. In the class I teach, Five In A Row, we enjoyed reading A Pair Of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno. It was fun to show the class some of the things I had brought home from a mission trip to Japan 15 years ago. I had some Japanese coins which we let the kids look at and do crayon rubbings with and I brought a little cookie-like snack to share with them. (I found them in the Asian foods section of the grocery store.) When I gave them each one, they had to say please and thank you in Japanese, which they really enjoyed doing.

Katie's birthday is coming up and she will be having a princess party to celebrate with her friends. She is VERY excited and is always suggesting ideas of things we can do at the party. :-) Dave and I are going to attempt to put together some type of castle out of refrigerator boxes for the little princesses to play in. We'll see how that actually turns out...

So that is how our January days are going! :-)

Winter Days

It snowed a little bit last night ~ just a light dusting. Now the sun is shining and it looks like someone sprinkled sugar all over our yard! :-) This picture is from another day, which was overcast, but this is what the kids will be doing this afternoon! :-)

Christmas Recap

Every year I want to slow down and really enjoy the Christmas season and I want our celebration to be about the fact that God sent His Son to the world. And every year the busyness comes rushing in and we get caught up in the frenzy of going to and hosting parties, buying gifts, sending out cards and eating an inordinate amount of sweets. This year was a little better. We did slow down a bit.

And I realized that part of the problem is my idealized vision of what Christmas is supposed to look like. To make it meaningful and give my kids wonderful memories of family Christmases. I think that is already happening. So, I can let go of the phantom "perfect Christmas" and just enjoy the real Christmas we have. :-)