Getting Our Christmas Tree

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Outside my window big, fluffy snowflakes are swirling down...but I'm afraid it will not last. It has been cold, but we have only had a few snow flurries that haven't amounted to much. The other day when we saw a few flakes, Grant and Katie ran outside to shovel and play in the little bit that was on the ground. They even tried to sled down the little hill in our yard. It was kind of funny. You could still see the grass sticking up through the snow. :-) I guess we are all eager for snow!

We all went to a tree farm last week to cut down a Christmas tree. The kids ran around among the trees while Dave and I looked for the perfect tree, which in our case means tall and skinny with lots of spaces between the branches. We found just the right one, but when we got it home, we made a mistake while trimming it to fit in the house, and chopped the top off! Ha~ha! So much for the perfect tree...

This week we have our homeschool co-op. We are reading Snowflake Bentley in our Five In A Row class and will be making snowflake ornaments. There is a Christmas party afterward. The kids are excited. They love to see their friends at co-op.

So, that is what we have been up to while we wait for it to snow.

Hail, the conquering hero!

Dave got up this morning at 4:00 in order to stand in line to buy us a digital camera at a great price. He returned home by 7:00 with our new camera in hand. He said the line was already about as long as a football field when he got there. The people at the front of the line had been there since 7:00 last night! Wow. Those serious shoppers were there for plasma t.v.s and computers.

Dave said he is never going to do that again because of the cold and the crowds...but that's what he said a couple of years ago when he stood in line early in the morning to get one of our kids a bike. :-) He laughed when I reminded him of this. And we both know that if the right bargain comes along, he will be out there shivering in the dark and fighting the crowds again. :-)

I will start posting pictures with the new camera as soon as I learn how to!

Aghast

I just read this devotional from Elisabeth Elliot and am just aghast. How can this be? How can this happen to an innocent child here in our country? I am sickened at the indifference shown to this little baby. Even when people came forward who wanted to adopt him, the parents insisted on killing him instead. Unbelievable.

Give Them Parking Space, But Let Them Starve to Death

Another moral threshold was crossed when a tiny baby boy, at the specific request of his parents and with the sanction of the Supreme Court of Indiana, was starved to death in a hospital. "Infant Doe" (he was not allowed the usual recognition of being human by being named), born with Down's syndrome and a malfunctioning esophagus (the latter could have been corrected with surgery), died, as the Washington Post (April 18) stated, "not because he couldn't sustain life without a million dollars worth of medical machinery, but because no one fed him." For six days the nurses in that Bloomington hospital went about their usual routines of bathing and changing and feeding all the newborns except one. They bathed and changed Baby Doe but they never gave him a bottle. Over his crib was a notice, DO NOT FEED. Several couples came forward, begging to be allowed to adopt him. They were turned down.

What went on in that little box during those six terrible days and nights? We turn our imagination away. It's unthinkable. But if I were to think about it, and put down on paper what my mind saw, I would be accused of playing on people's feelings, and of making infanticide (yes, infanticide--call it what it is) an "emotional issue." Let me suppose at least that the baby cried--quite loudly (at first). One report says that he was placed in a room alone, lest his crying disturb others (others, perhaps, who were capable of helping him).

Joseph Sobran, in his column in the Los Angeles Times Syndicate, suggested that "opposition to infanticide will soon be deplored as the dogma of a few religious sects who want to impose their views on everyone else." The language sounds sickeningly familiar.

There has been a conspicuous silence from those who usually raise shrill protest when other human rights are violated--the rights of smokers, homosexuals, and criminals are often as loudly insisted upon as those of children, women, and the handicapped.

The handicapped? What on earth is happening when a society is so careful to provide premium parking spaces to make things easier for them, but sees no smallest inconsistency when one of them who happens to be too young to scream, "For God's sake, feed me!" is quietly murdered? It is in the name of humanity, humaneness, compassion, and freedom that these things occur, but never is it acknowledged that the real reasons are comfort and convenience, that is, simple selfishness. "Abortion not only prefers comfort, convenience, or advantage of the pregnant woman to the very life of her unborn child, a fundamentally good thing, but seeks to deny that the life ever existed. In this sense it is a radical denial not only of the worth of a specific life but of the essential goodness of life itself and the Providential ordering of its procreation" (R.V. Young, "Taking Choice Seriously," The Human Life Review, Vol. VIII, no. 3.)

But weren't we talking about infanticide and haven't we now switched to abortion? The premises on which abortion is justified are fundamentally the same on which infanticide is seen as civilized and acceptable. What Hitler used to call eugenics is now called "quality of life," never mind whether the life in question happens to be the mother's or the child's. Death, according to three doctors who put the issue out into the open in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1973, is now considered an option in the "treatment" of infants; in other words, a mortuary may now replace the nursery. One cannot help thinking of the antiseptic "shower rooms" of the Third Reich, where the unwanted were "treated" to death. Nor can one forget the words of Jesus, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25:40, KJV).

Can any Christian argue that the smallest and most defenseless are, by virtue merely of being too small and too defenseless, not His brethren?

Fall Days

Fall is going by quickly. We had a dusting of snow yesterday...but it soon melted. Thanksgiving is next Thursday and Christmas is six weeks from yesterday! Wow! The kids and I ran some errands today and were surprised by all of the Christmas decorations in the stores already. I guess it really is that time of year again.

Meanwhile, we have just been moving along with homeschooling, enjoying the days. I am having fun teaching the kids and I think they are having a good time and, of course, learning as well. Right now they are listening to a Classical Kids CD about Vivaldi. Actually, the CD just ended, so I will sign off now. Enjoy what is left of the fall! :-)

Halloween Pics

I'm a little late with these, but here is the little princess and Darth Vader before going out to hit their friends up for candy. And, jack-o-lanterns designed by the afore mentioned princess and Darth Vader.

Happy Halloween!

"Is it Halloween yet?!" That is what Grant asked me this morning at 5:00! And, no, I was not up yet! :-) The kids have been excitedly anticipating Halloween for awhile now. Grant is dressing up as Darth Vader tonight and Katie will be a princess...again! :-)

Thankfully, I was able to find the best Darth Vader items at thrift stores, so Grant will have a red light saber that lights up, as well as a helmet, mask and chestplate. The chestplate has buttons on it that you can push to hear Darth Vader talking and breathing. Grant is beside himself with excitement.

Katie already has a beautiful princess dress (scored that at a thrift store, too!:-))and a crown that she wore on her birthday, so she can wear that again with a leotard and tights under the dress for warmth. So, I think we are all set for the big night! :-)

Meekness?

Another week has flown by. We have been busy with everyday life and homeschooling. Having fun together. Not much more to report than that we are busy, but enjoying the fall. God is dealing very tenderly with me in areas where I have been struggling. (Elisabeth Elliot says "struggling" is really delayed obedience!) His timing is impeccable. A case in point is this insightful devotional by Elisabeth Elliot that I recieved today:

"The Key to Supernatural Power"

The world cannot fathom strength proceeding from weakness, gain proceeding from loss, or power from meekness. Christians apprehend these truths very slowly, if at all, for we are strongly influenced by secular thinking. Let's stop and concentrate on what Jesus meant when He said that the meek would inherit the earth. Do we understand what meekness truly is? Think first about what it isn't.

It is not a naturally phlegmatic temperament. I knew a woman who was so phlegmatic that nothing seemed to make much difference to her at all. While drying dishes for her one day in her kitchen I asked where I should put a serving platter.

"Oh, I don't know. Wherever you think would be a good place," was her answer. I wondered how she managed to find things if there wasn't a place for everything (and everything in its place).

Meekness is not indecision or laziness or feminine fragility or loose sentimentalism or indifference or affable neutrality.

Meekness is most emphatically not weakness. Do you remember who was the meekest man in the Old Testament? Moses! (See Numbers 12:3). My mental image of him is not of a feeble man. It is shaped by Michelangelo's sculpture and painting and by the biblical descriptions. Think of him murdering the Egyptian, smashing the tablets of the commandments, grinding the golden calf to a powder, scattering it on the water and making the Israelites drink it. Nary a hint of weakness there, nor in David who wrote, "The meek will he guide in judgment" (Psalm 25:9, KJV), nor in Isaiah, who wrote, "The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord" (Isaiah 29:19, KJV).

The Lord Jesus was the Lamb of God, and when we think of lambs we think of meekness (and perhaps weakness), but He was also the Lion of Judah, and He said, "I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29, KJV). He told us that we can find rest for our souls if we will come to Him, take His yoke, and learn. What we must learn is meekness. It doesn't come naturally to any of us.

Meekness is teachability. "The meek will he teach his way" (Psalm 25:9, KJV). It is the readiness to be shown, which includes the readiness to lay down my fixed notions, my objections and "what ifs" or "but what abouts," my certainties about the rightness of what I have always done or thought or said. It is the child's glad "Show me! Is this the way? Please help me." We won't make it into the kingdom without that childlikeness, that simple willingness to be taught and corrected and helped. "Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21, KJV).

Meekness is an explicitly spiritual quality, a fruit of the Spirit, learned, not inherited. It shows in the kind of attention we pay to one another, the tone of voice we use, the facial expression.

One weekend I spoke in Atlanta on this subject, and the following weekend I was to speak on it again in Philadelphia. As very often happens, I was sorely tested on that very point in the few days in between. That sore test was my chance to be taught and changed and helped. At the same time I was strongly tempted to indulge in the very opposite of meekness: sulking. Someone had hurt me. He/she was the one who needed to be changed! I felt I was misunderstood, unfairly treated, and unduly berated. Although I managed to keep my mouth shut, both the Lord and I knew that my thoughts did not spring from a depth of loving-kindness and holy charity. I wanted to vindicate myself to the offender. That was a revelation of how little I knew of meekness.

The Spirit of God reminded me that it was He who had provided this very thing to bring that lesson of meekness which I could learn nowhere else. He was literally putting me on the spot: would I choose, here and now, to learn of Him, learn His meekness? He was despised, rejected, reviled, pierced, crushed, oppressed, afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. What was this little incident of mine by comparison with my Lord's suffering?

He brought to mind Jesus' willingness not only to eat with Judas who would soon betray Him, but also to kneel before him and wash his dirty feet. He showed me the look the Lord gave Peter when he had three times denied Him--a look of unutterable love and forgiveness, a look of meekness which overpowered Peter's cowardice and selfishness, and brought him to repentance. I thought of His meekness as He hung pinioned on the cross, praying even in His agony for His Father's forgiveness for His killers. There was no venom or bitterness there, only the final proof of a sublime and invincible love.

But how shall I, not born with the smallest shred of that quality, I who love victory by argument and put-down, ever learn that holy meekness? The prophet Zephaniah tells us to seek it (Zephaniah 2:3). We must walk (live) in the Spirit, not gratifying the desires of the sinful nature (for example, my desire to answer back, to offer excuses and accusations, my desire to show up the other's fault instead of to be shown my own). We must "clothe" ourselves (Colossians 3:12) with meekness--put it on, like a garment. This entails an explicit choice: I will be meek. I will not sulk, will not retaliate, will not carry a chip.

A steadfast look at Jesus instead of at the injury makes a very great difference. Seeking to see things in His light changes the aspect altogether.

Little Things

I receive a daily email devotional by Elisabeth Elliot and this is today's. It just resonated with me. I especially like the quote by Bishop Brooke Foss Westcott. I am trying to instill these principles in my kids and to live them out in my life as well.

When we were growing up our parents taught us, by both word and example, to pay attention to little things. If you do a thing at all, do it thoroughly: make the sheets really smooth on the bed, sweep all the comers and move all the chairs when you sweep the kitchen, roll the toothpaste tube neatly and put the cap back on, clean the hair out of your brush each time you use it, hang your towel straight on the rod, fold your napkin and put it into the silver ring before you leave the table, never wet your finger when you turn pages. They kept promises made to us as faithfully as they kept those made to adults. They taught us to do the same.

You didn't accept an invitation to a party and then not turn up, or agree to help with the Vacation Bible School and back out because a more interesting activity presented itself. The only financial debt my parents ever incurred was a mortgage on a house, which my father explained was in a special class because it was real estate which would always have value.

When I went to boarding school the same principles I had been taught at home were emphasized. There was a hallway with small oriental rugs which we called "Character Hall" because the headmistress, Mrs. DuBose, could look down that hall from the armchair where she sat in the lobby and spot any student who kicked up the comer of a rug and did not replace it. She would call out to correct him, "It's those tiny little things in your life which will crack you up when you get out of this school!" In the little things our character was revealed. Our response would make or break us. "Don't go around with a Bible under your arm if you didn't sweep under the bed," she said, for she would have no pious talk coming out of a messy room.

"Great thoughts go best with common duties. Whatever therefore may be your office regard it as a fragment in an immeasurable ministry of love"
(Bishop Brooke Foss Westcott, b. 1825).

It is not easy to find children or adults who are dependable, careful, thorough, and faithful. So many lives seem honeycombed with small failures, neglectful of the little things that make the difference between order and chaos. Perhaps it is because they are so seldom taught that visible things are signs of an invisible reality; that common duties may be "an immeasurable ministry of love." The spiritual training of souls must be inseparable from practical disciplines, as Jesus so plainly taught;

"The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great. If then you cannot be trusted with money, that tainted thing, who will trust you with genuine riches! And if you cannot be trusted with what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own?" (Luke 16:10-12, JB).
(The footnote to "your very own" says, "Jesus is speaking of the most intimate possessions a man can have; these are spiritual.")

Career Decisions

Grant and I had the following conversation on the way to his flag football game this morning~

Grant: "Mom, I'm having a debate with myself. I can't decide if I want to be a t.v. news reporter or a policeman."

Me: "Mmmm. Why do you think you might like to be a policeman?"

Grant: "Because they catch criminals. I want to jump on them!"

Me: "I see. And, why would you like to be a news reporter?"

Grant: "I think it would be fun to be on t.v.!"

Me: "I see."

Grant: "I think I'll be a reporter because I really just want to be on t.v. all day."

And then, after a slight pause: "Or, maybe I can be the king of England!"

Kids in Action

Close...But No Tornado

The kids were sleeping while the wind was blowing. A storm was coming. Then the warning siren went off. We checked the television to see if there was really danger of a tornado in our area. The meteorologist drew a triangle on the map around the area where the storm was most intense and where there was the most likelihood of a tornado. I stared at the screen. He had drawn the triangle right around our neighborhood!

So, we woke up the kids and headed downstairs to wait it out. It was a little bit scary, but kind of an adventure. Finally, the danger passed. No tornado had developed. Kids tucked safely back in bed. :-) It rained and rained and we all slept soundly.

Today the news reported that a tornado touched down less than ten miles from our home. It was headed this direction but died down before it got this far.

Let's Go Fly A Kite

We just got back from the soccer field at the local high school where we went to fly a kite! It is a cool and breezy evening~perfect weather for sending Grant's alligator kite with the spinning eyes soaring into the sky. Everyone took their turn at flying the kite and then the kids tried to jump and grab the tail as Dave kept it just out of reach. The kids are tuckered out and will sleep well tonight! :-)

Co-op

Today was the first day of classes for our homeschool co-op. The kids and I look forward to this time with other homeschooling families. Grant and Katie especially enjoy the chance to play and hang out with their friends.

This year Katie is in first grade and is in three classes at co-op: Health, Five In A Row and P.E.. Grant is in second grade and the classes he is taking are Music, Art and P.E.. I am teaching the Five In a Row class, along with another mom. Today we read the story, Blueberries For Sal. The mom that I teach with brought in a bear skull and a bearskin rug for our study of bears. Next time we will read the same story again and bake a blueberry pie! :-)

First Day Of School

We started the school year today. It was definitely an adjustment to get up earlier and have more of a schedule after our summer break! We got a bit of a late start, but I'm sure we'll get going sooner tomorrow.

I wrote out three chores for each child to do before we started our schoolwork. They loved that! It was fun to see them take on the responsibility of getting those chores done and checked off. Throughout the day they would make comments like, "I wonder what our chores will be tomorrow!" :-)

We hung out our flag and took our traditional first-day-of-school-in-front-of-the-flag-pictures. I gave them a new book and read it to them and we read a few chapters in our history book. That is one of my favorite things about homeschooling ~ the three of us snuggled on the couch reading together. :-) I worked individually with each of them and they each did some writing...and then the day was about over! All in all, it was a good first day of school.

This is the curriculum we are using this year~

Reading, Writing, Spelling: The Writing Road To Reading, Reading Works

Math: Math-U-See

History and Geography: The Story Of The World, Volume 2: The Middle Ages and library books

Science: Using ideas from The Well-Trained Mind as a guide for studying astronomy, the human body and earth science.

Art: I Can Do All Things by How Great Thou Art publications

Music: Co-op classes, Color The Classics (Hymns) and singing along with tapes and cd’s from the library.

P.E.: Co-op classes, community sports teams and swimming lessons.

Family Bike Ride

Since Katie got the training wheels taken off of her bike last spring, we thought she would be ready to ride with us on her bike, instead of in the bike trailer, the next time we went on a family bike ride. We found a nice paved trail at a state park and tried it out recently. Katie did great and we all had a fun time.

The bike trail wound through beautiful woods and ended at a beach and playground area. We found it was important to keep moving, though, so the mosquitos didn't have time to surround us! We think we might try it again in the fall, so we won't have to worry about that! :-)

Golf Ball ~ Sized Hail!

We recently had a thunderstorm that produced hail. The kids were excited to hear it tapping on the roof. Then the tapping sound changed and it actually sounded like someone was hurling golf balls at our house! Huge balls of hail were bouncing as they landed in the grass in our yard.

When it ended, the kids ran outside to collect the evidence before it melted! We put the pieces of hail on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer. They have pulled the hail balls out a few times to impress their friends, who usually want to touch and then eat them! :-)

Pictures From Homeschool Camping Trip

Boys and their light sabers. :-)

Fun at the playground.

Every year the kids make a special t-shirt.

Homeschool Co-op Camping Trip

Every year several families in the co-op we are a part of go camping at a small privately-owned campground about an hour away. This tradition has been going on for the past seven years. Our family has joined the group three times now and it has become the highlight of the summer for my kids.

Since the campground is small, most of the people camping there are from our group. It is kind of like a little city of campers where the kids can safely run around. There is a playground, a baseball field, a private lake with a swimming area and some canoes and paddle boats you can take out on the lake. The area is surrounded with woods. The kids play ALL DAY long and at night they play, "night games," in which the older kids hide and the little kids try to find them and then they switch and the big kids hide. The younger kids have a harder time finding the big kids! :-) Everyone wears dark clothing and runs around with flashights and has a BLAST!

While the night games are going on, the adults gather at picnic tables in a shelter and play games. The last couple of years the game of choice was, "Settlers Of Catan," which I finally learned how to play this year. It is pretty fun.

The first couple of years that we went camping with the co-op, we camped in our tent. This year we borrowed some friends' tent-trailer camper and now we are spoiled forever! :-) It was so nice staying in the camper!

We just got home last night from the homeschool campout and now I am facing all the laundry that needs to be done! It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end soon and school will be starting in a couple of weeks!

Body Worlds

Yesterday Dave and I and the kids went to see the Body Worlds exhibition that is in town. Wow. It is an exhibition of real human bodies preserved through a process called, "plastination." Some of the bodies show mostly muscles and others emphasize the nervous system or various organs. It is fascinating. There is a separate room that has babies in various stages of growth, starting at a few weeks and going all the way to birth. (A sign states that all of the babies died through accidents or natural causes.)

Body Worlds is like an amazing anatomy class. We were in awe of the intricacy and detail of all the systems of the body and how they work together. God is so creative! Seeing more of His creation up close causes wonder and awe to well up inside me. It causes me to worship God and give Him glory.

Check out Body Worlds and see if it is coming to your town!

Swimming Lessons

Grant and Kate had a great two weeks of swimming lessons at the local pool! They both had great instructors who made the lessons fun while helping them learn. Now we need to give them opportunities to practice the things they've learned with some trips to the swimming pool and maybe some days at a lake before summer ends. :-)

August

Is it really already August?! Wow, the summer is flying by! Tomorrow is the kids' last day of swimming lessons and then we do not have any more regular activities scheduled for the rest of the summer! Of course, summer is almost over. :-( But, don't tell my kids that. We are just finishing up school this week and they are excited that they will have four whole weeks off for summer vacation! :-)

VBS

Well, it's been over a week now, so I guess it's time for a new post! :-) Soccer ended on Saturday with a special day of soccer games and activities. It was extremely hot and humid, but we kept the kids cool by squirting them with water and making them drink a lot of water. A fire truck came and sprayed all the kids down, which they all enjoyed! Now that we don't have to rush out to the soccer field every night, we have our evenings free! Soccer was great for the kids, but it is kind of nice now to have a more relaxed schedule.

Grant and Katie are attending VBS this week at our church. They are both excited that friends from the homeschool co-op are in each of their classes. Yesterday they played for an hour with their friends while the moms talked! :-) So, we planned a picnic and playtime at a park for today after VBS. That way the kids can keep playing and we can keep talking! :-)

In Christ Alone

Whenever I hear this song, it touches something deep in my spirit and I get chills. It just really says it all. So, here it is:

In Christ Alone
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
'Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

A Visit From Grandma

My Mom came from Arizona for a visit and we just took her to the airport and said good-bye last night. It was fun having her here and we were all sad to see her go. The kids had so much fun with Grandma here! She listened to all their chatter, played games with them and took them to the toy department for a shopping spree! We all wish she didn't live so far away!!!

Dance Recital

Grant and Katie danced in their dance recital last night and again this afternoon. The rehearsal was Friday night, so they have performed their dances three times now. It was fun to watch all of the dance numbers and especially fun for Dave and I when Grant and Katie danced. God blessed us with the gift of dance classes this year through Katie winning a year of free dance classes in a drawing. (And, boys dance for free at this studio.) What a blessing! We think it was a geat experience for our kids.

California Wedding

Grant, the candlelighter.


Beautiful flower girls.


The wedding party.


Grant and Katie.


Katie and Daddy dancing at the reception.


This is the lovely bride, Misty, and I at her wedding reception. God has given her a wonderful, godly husband in Reid. It was such a joy to celebrate with them!

We're back!

We just got back from California last night. Our flight arrived at midnight, so we slept late today and we're all still pretty tired. But we had such a fun time!

We left last Thursday afternoon. The kids were so excited about the trip and had been anticipating it for what probably seemed like forever to them! :-) When we got to the place where we parked our car while we were gone,(about a 25 minute drive from home), Grant said in wide-eyed wonder, "Are we in San Diego now?" Dave and I laughed so hard!

It was fun to fly together as a family and the kids did very well on the flight. We arrived in San Diego around 6:00pm, checked into our hotel and went out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant. (We all LOVE Mexican food! :-)) By the way, we got a GREAT deal on a nice hotel through priceline. I would highly recommend doing the "choose your own price" option. It worked out great for us.

The next two days were filled with wedding activities. Grant took his job as candlelighter very seriously and he did a great job. Katie and the other little flower girl became instant friends and had a blast together. They did a great job, also. After the wedding the two little girls were playing (and sitting and rolling) in the rose petals, so they both got red stains on their white dresses. That happened after the photos were taken, so it was okay! :-) It was a beautiful wedding and it was very meaningful for all of us to be involved in helping the couple celebrate their wedding day.

On Sunday we spent some time at the beach, which was so fun and so relaxing. We also visited Coronado and Seaport Village, which is an old haunt for me. That evening we had dinner with some friends who are currently living by Mission Beach, which is another old haunt for me! :-) It was nice to be back in San Diego and really great to catch up with old friends. This friend, Michelle, was a high school student when I first met her many years ago when I worked in San Diego. Now she and her husband and two kids are foreign missionaries home on furlough. We had a wonderful evening with them.

The San Diego Zoo was our last stop on Monday before heading home that evening. We enjoyed the zoo, but we were all a bit "fried" from all our fun in the sun and late night fellowship with friends! As we watched San Diego get smaller and smaller out of the plane window, Grant cried and Katie turned to me and said, "Mommy, when I grow up I'm going to live in San Diego!" :-)

We're still here!

We are just chugging along with most of the same things I wrote about in the last post... Katie and Grant are enjoying soccer and they are just about ready for their big dance recital coming up soon! We finally got all of the wedding clothes pulled together and are looking forward to our dear friend's wedding celebration, also coming up soon! :-)

We recently got some new neighbors and it turned out to be a bonanza for the kids! The new family has four kids all close to my kids' ages, so Grant and Kate are having a blast getting to know them. Anytime we are home they want to go play with the new neighbors! :-) The new kids are adorable and very nice. I'm happy for my kids to have more friends in the neighborhood. :-)

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. :-)

Dance Class

Last fall Katie won a free year of dance classes at a local dance studio! She is learning ballet, tap and jazz in her class. Since boys dance free at this studio, Grant decided he would like to be in a hip hop class. It has been a good experience and great exercise so far! Just before Christmas the classes put on a little presentation for the parents. Dave and I enjoyed watching the fruits of their labors! We thought they both did great and more importantly, they had a blast! :-)

Thirteen Years!

Today is Dave's and my thirteenth wedding anniversary. This is the first year we haven't actually celebrated on our anniversary, but our babysitter wasn't available and I didn't get around to trying to find someone else to watch the kids. So, we will go out for a special date to celebrate in a couple of days.

I couldn't imagine sharing life with anyone other than the wonderful husband that God gave me. I am so blessed!

Family Christmas Picture

I guess we got caught up in Christmas preparations...and then Christmas...and then the Christmas conference we put on for high school students...so I got behind in posting! Anyway, this is the picture we sent out with our Christmas cards this year. We decided to do the cards, had a friend take the picture, went to Dave's office to create the card and email it to the printer all in a couple of hours! We picked them up from the printer and mailed them the next day. It was kind of a relief to just have it done!

More on Christmas later~

A Toothy Tale

The Tooth Fairy is going to have to fork over a bunch of dough tonight! Little Grant had to have his two eye teeth pulled at the dentist today. He was such a trooper as they numbed up his gums with "sleepy juice." The dentist did an excellent job of making Grant feel comfortable. He is really good with kids.

Grant did not feel much other than a little pinch when they gave him the shot of novacaine. He left the dental office with two big wads of gauze in his mouth and a puffy, numb lip. I let him watch videos and eat mashed potatoes and chocolate pudding for dinner. He is feeling much better now. :-)

Narnia Personality Quiz

As Susan, you are mature and respectable, yet with your 'motherly' role you can be quite bossy. Still, you can always be trusted to be loyal and faithful.

Ha~ha! Well, I guess there is a quiz for everything! :-)

Narnia

Oh, we LOVED the Narnia movie!

One of our family's favorite Christmas gifts last year was a volume of all The Chronicles Of Narnia. We began reading it together on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and soon the kids were begging for "Narnia time"! We finished The Last Battle about a week ago and could hardly wait to see the movie, The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe!

Last night our whole staff team, kids included, went to see the movie together. Afterward, we all went to one family's home for our Christmas party. It was fun seeing the movie with a big group, but it was really special to see it with our kids after reading the books and anticipating it for so long!

I thought the movie represented the story really well. The times that the children went into and out of Narnia through the wardrobe were just exactly like I imagined it when reading the book. When Aslan first appeared on the scene, I thought that he could have been a little more fierce, but other than that I loved everything about the movie. I'm so glad that the money and time were put into telling this story well and I hope that the other stories in The Chronicles of Narnia will be made into movies, also!

The first thing Katie said when the movie ended was, "I want to watch it again!" :-) I couldn't agree more! I don't think we can wait too long before we go back to see the movie and step into Narnia again!

Tigger is back

My little Tigger is bouncing and chatting again. :-) It is good to see him acting like himself once more. Tonight at dinner he confided that he thinks he should be a secret agent when he grows up because, "I just like being secret and sneaking around." Okay...well, I think everyone would know what he's up to because he also likes to talk and talk about every little thought he has! :-)

This is the weekend of parties! We have our homeschool co-op classes tomorrow and a little party afterward. On Saturday the kids are going to a birthday party and then we are all going to our staff team's family Christmas party. It's a good thing Tigger is back in action for all these parties, because socializing is what he lives for! :-)

Tigger

My little Tigger-like son is down with a headache and fever. He is always so full of energy and non-stop chatter, that it is strange to see him lying around and being so quiet. :-( I'm praying he will be his old bouncy self again soon.

Frosty kids

Grant and Katie just came inside after playing in the snow with the neighbor kids for the past couple of hours. They are red-cheeked and happy. The igloo they started sits in the front yard...only two lonely little snow blocks. It's a start, though, and that project will keep them busy all week! :-)

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only three weeks away! We've already gotten some Christmas cards in the mail ~ boy, I wish I was that organized! We haven't even taken a picture or thought about what kind of greeting we'll send this year. Last year we never even got one out, so hopefully this year we can pull it together! ;-)