Getting Our Christmas Tree

A couple of days after Thanksgiving we went to a local tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree.

We took a hay ride out to the field of Balsam Firs and then started looking for the "perfect" tree.

Grant and Kate selected our tree and "helped" Dave cut it down. :-)

Thanks, Mom!

My mom sent me a Borders giftcard last year and while I have used it to purchase a book or two, I mostly use it for "dates" with my kids! They like to go to a bookstore with me and enjoy a snack while looking at books. It makes for a fun and cheap date! :-) I enjoy these relaxing times with my kids and I am always game for a cappuccino, too! :-)

Tea Time

Recently, Katie and her friend, Krystal, went to a fun place in town for tea time.

This shop has hats and gloves and necklaces that young ladies (and older ladies :-) ) can choose from to wear for tea. The girls selected their tea time attire and then were seated.

Along with plenty of giggles, they enjoyed tea and scones with whipped cream and jam.

When you are eight, you can only act like a young lady for so long...

As soon as the girls took off their finery, they were done with all of that sitting and acting proper! Thankfully, their moms agreed to give them some time to run and play together to get it all out of their systems! ;-)

Election 2008

News reports about the election repeatedly use the word, "historic." And so it is. I have to say that I am glad that Americans chose an African-American president. I am glad my children will see that the man in the most powerful position in the world is someone who looks like them. They will see children living in the White House who look like them. They won't see barriers holding them back because of their skin color. They will see that the sky is the limit for what they can accomplish in life. Alleluia! This makes me so happy it moves me to tears.

But, it pains me that I could not vote for the first African-American president of our country. I could not vote for him because of his unwillingness to protect innocent lives. I believe that life is precious; even the life of a baby still growing inside their mother's womb.

So, I feel a mix of incredible sadness and great elation at the outcome of this election. Now that Barack Obama has been elected, I want him to be a great president. I hope he is successful. I will pray that he will make good decisions for our country and be a great leader. I will also pray that he will become a champion of every American-even those yet to be born.

Football Game!

Dave surprised Grant one morning by telling him that the two of them were going to a professional football game that day! Grant was so excited he could hardly stand it. They had their first ride on the light rail, too, since they took it instead of having to deal with parking.

The guys had a great time together watching the game, eating snacks and getting some autographs. And to top it all off, their team won the game! Here are some pics from their fun day.

About This Blog

There are so many interesting blogs out there and I have discovered many that I love to return to again and again. These bloggers have such an engaging way of sharing their lives through words and pictures. I have bookmarked several blogs that I check on an almost daily basis because I like to see what they are up to. When I started this blog three years ago, I wasn't exactly sure what kind of a blog it would be, but it soon became clear how I wanted to use it.

This blog is mostly a scrapbook of our lives, so my kids can look back someday at some of the daily and special things we did while they were growing up. (In fact, I plan to get the blog printed into book form for them at some point.) In an effort to keep up with our busy days, I usually just post the pictures with a brief description of what we were doing and leave it at that. Occasionally I have shared more in depth about things close to my heart and it is fun to interact with others I have met in blogland, but I just don't have the time to post lengthy daily reflections about life most days.

So, if you happen to stop by, you are welcome here and I hope you will leave a comment to say hello! And I would love to go to your blog as well, whether it is a newsy place, a spot for deep reflections, or just a simple family scapbook. Happy blogging!

Halloween '08

This year, our friend, Melissa, and her daughter, Cecily, joined us for some trick-or-treating. We usually just go to houses where we know the families, on our street and the one behind us. After that, we get in the car and head to a nearby church that hosts a, "trunk-or-treating" event we have gone to the past few years. Families from that church park several cars in a big circle with the trunks facing in, decorate their trunks, and hand out candy to little trick-or-treaters. After going to all the trunks, you can go inside where they have pizza and some carnival-type games that kids can play. Attendance at this event has really increased in the last couple of years and we heard of three other churches that hosted their own versions of trunk-or-treat this year. It is a safe way for kids to dress up, get lots of candy and have fun.

We also heard that Chipotle restaurants will give free burritos to anyone dressed in tin foil on Halloween night, so of course we had to check it out! When we got there, we saw a long line of people wearing tin foil hats, belts and other creations, waiting for their free burritos. So, we joined the line and started twisting and crimping foil into headbands, bracelets, hats and belts. And, yes, we all got free burritos! We took the burritos home and will enjoy them for dinner tonight. That was a fun way to end the evening, and how can you say no to a free meal? ;-)

Science Class

The days are flying by ~ I can't believe it is already the middle of October! The kids and I have been enjoying our school days together. Today we did a couple of the experiments in the Sonlight science curriculum we are using this year. The kids loved it! I like this format, too. We watch a DVD and then do the experiment. All the supplies are in the kit. Science is not my strong suit, so having it all laid out like that makes it enjoyable for me, too.

Saturday Night At The Movies

We watched the first half of the movie, "Fiddler On The Roof" Saturday night and now we are all walking around singing, "If I Were A Rich Man." Grant tries to dance like Tevya in the movie when he sings it, which is quite amusing. :-) I haven't seen this movie for a long time and had forgotten how good it is! (Well, except for the dream sequence, which would have been a little too scary for the kids, but we fast-forwarded through that.) We are planning on watching the second half next Saturday.

Here's Life Inner City

These are the people my husband and I work with. What a great group! We are so blessed.

Game Time

Grant's football team, the Cyclones, has started playing games against other teams now. It is kind of exciting when they play at night under the bright lights. Grant is learning a lot and having a blast! He has gotten to play a number of different positions so far. The coach gives out a candy bar award for good blocking after each game and Grant won the first one! The player across from him on the other team kept scooting sideways so Grant would not hit him. :-)

School Started!

We started school on Monday and took pictures in front of the flag like we do every year on the first day of school. Summer seemed to really fly by this year and it is hard to believe that we are back to our school routine already. But, I am glad to have a regular schedule and I really enjoy teaching my kids. I love the fall and the whole, "back to school" excitement. I got the kids little gifts that were waiting for them at their seats on Monday morning ~ just some fun little things from the dollar bin at Target, like a new pencil box, crayons, gel pens, glue sticks and a mini globe. They were thrilled. :-)

Kate is in 3rd grade now. Third grade! How did that happen? I remember third grade so well and am trying to see things through her eyes and imagine how she feels about things that happen in her life and with her circle of friends.

Grant is in 4th grade this year. That sounds so grown up to me and I can't believe he is old enough to be in that grade already. His work load has increased since third grade and he is having some trouble adjusting to that, but it is mostly his attitude that is making it difficult for him. He is a good student when he wants to be.














We had a great first day and we are looking forward to a great school year! :-)

Our Curriculum

Reading, writing, phonics, spelling
Writing Road To Reading (Reading Works)

Abeka readers and library books

Language, grammar

Writing Road To Reading, Abeka language workbooks

Cursive practice

Abeka cursive workbook, daily writing assignments

Math
Math-U-See (Kate-Gamma, Grant-Delta)

History
The Story Of The World, Vol.4: The Modern Age (Book and Activity Book)

Science
Plant Life (Books: Green Thumbs: A Kid’s Activity Guide to Indoor and Outdoor Gardening, Usborne Flower Sticker Book, Midwest Book Of Wildflowers)

Batteries, Your Body, Weather (Sonlight Discover & Do DVD and Usborne Book Of Science Activities, vol.3)

Art
Painting, Drawing (How Great Thou Art curriculum)

Co~op Art Class

Music
Color The Classics (Godly Composers & Christmas Classics)

Piano Lessons

Co~op Music Class

P.E.
Tackle football (Local Recreational City League) (Grant)

Co~op P.E. Class

Playing outside with friends :-)

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State Fair

Every year, the kids ask if we can go to the fair and every year, we think about it and then the time flies by and we never quite make it to the fair. This year, though, we finally did it. Dave and I are not really that big on the fair, but we actually had the best time this year of any of the times we have gone. Maybe it was more fun for us since Grant and Kate are older now and want to try so many things at the fair. It was fun watching them get so excited about everything.

We spent a lot of time looking at the animals and even watched 4H people show their goats. We thought the kids might get tired of it, but they were so intrigued with the whole thing. There is a building called, "The Miracle of Birth," where pregnant sheep or cows actually give birth right where you can watch, if you happen to be in there at the right time. We waited forever for a cow to give birth and finally pulled the kids away, but they did not want to go. They were just sitting there watching this cow walk around the pen. It would have been exciting to see the birth, but it could have been hours until that happened. We did get to see chicks hatching, which was exciting, too.

By evening we headed to the midway, where all the rides were lit up. The kids had ridden a few rides at the "kidway" earlier in the day, where the rides are more tame. This is the last time we will be able to do that, though, as Grant especially is ready for the real deal. Both Grant and Katie wanted to play some of the carnival games to try to win prizes, so we checked them all out and they chose the ones they wanted. Katie actually won a stuffed monkey at one game and a crown at another! She was thrilled. But, poor Grant. He played the same game over and over because he was sure he could win a guitar and burst into tears when it did not happen. For some reason, getting a free yardstick a little later soothed the wound of losing the guitar. (I do not quite understand how that works, but I think he just wanted something in his hands that he had "won!" :-) )

So, we had a good time and yes, we ate way too much, but isn't that part of the fair experience? :-)

Another Day at the Lake

We are trying to enjoy every last bit of summer before it ends and the school year begins, so we hit the lake again recently. This is such a quick and easy way to feel like you are on vacation. We usually get to the lake in the morning and and grab a spot along the beach with a grill. We grill burgers and hotdogs for lunch and dinner and hang out at the beach all day. It is so relaxing. Dave and I have had the chance to have some great conversations and the kids are happy campers because they can play in the water all day. So, it is becoming a favorite way for our family to spend a hot summer day! :-)

Football Practice

Football practices have been going pretty well. Grant seems to have adjusted to the schedule and enjoys the drills. He has his first game this weekend, so that will be fun to watch! :-)

Football Started!

Grant is so excited to play football this fall! Practices finally began this week. After two hours of football practice, he showers and is ready for bed! He gets quite a workout! :-) I guess I had better learn how the game is played so I can cheer properly when Grant's games start in a couple of weeks!

Day At The Lake

Sailing Through Summer

Well, summer is sailing along and we have settled into a more relaxed routine now that most of the scheduled activities are over. Grant's football practices will start in two weeks, but until then we have nothing on the calendar, which is kind of nice.

So, Grant and Katie have been playing outside with kids in the neighborhood quite a bit. They have a special spot by some trees that they have claimed as a "fort" and all kinds of pretending goes on with the upkeep and guarding of the fort. It is an ongoing game that is picked up every time they run outside to play. I'm glad they enjoy playing outside so much as opposed to wanting to watch T.V. all day!


We have also been taking some fun outings as a family, like to a park or a lake, and hope to do some more of that in the next couple of weeks. Before we know it, summer will be over and it will be time to start school again!

Winding Down

Grant and Katie recently played with their teams at the last event of the soccer season -- Super Soccer Saturday. All the teams played a few games and there were snacks, face painting and carnival-like games to keep busy with between soccer games. All the kids received trophies, too. Grant and Katie each had great coaches and teams, which made for a wonderful season. I think it was a great experience for them.

Now that soccer is over, our summer activities are winding down. It is kind of nice to have less of a schedule for the rest of the summer...that is until football starts up next month! :-)

American Girl Movie

There has been a lot of excitement around here recently in anticipation of the movie, "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" finally coming to theaters. Last week Kate and some of her friends finally got to go see the Kit movie and they brought their dolls along. The girls had a great time munching popcorn and watching the show together. :-)

We have read some of the American Girl books and we have listened to some of the stories on tape. We studied the American Revolution in history this year and the Felicity books were fun to listen to then. When we listened to the Addy stories, it led to some deeper conversations about slavery. Grant read those books before we listened to the tapes and he said, "Mom, those books are hard--not hard to read, but hard on your heart." And they were hard. But it was also a good way to begin talking about some of those difficult things. We had not read any of the Kit stories, but we will discuss the Great Depression next year in our history studies, so maybe we will read them, or listen to the tapes, then.

Cool Spray on a Hot Day

Wow, today was HOT!!! And the humidity made it seem even hotter. Grant and Katie love to cool off on hot days like today by playing on the slip-n-slide that Dave made with a long piece of plastic from Home Depot. :-)

Happy Independence Day!

He Can't Wait!

Grant is so excited for football to start! We finally agreed that he could play tackle this fall, after holding off last year because of the crazy schedule. We had heard that there were long practices four nights a week and games on weekends and we just weren't ready to commit to that kind of schedule for a young child's sport. But, this year we said yes. We realize how good sports are for Grant. He is a very high-energy kid and needs the outlet sports give him. Also, he is learning to respond to an authority figure, follow directions and be a team player. This is good because his natural tendency is to try to take the lead and do things his way. :-)

Kid Life

One thing I especially remember about my childhood is that I always seemed to have skinned up knees. My mom was always putting something that stung and made me yell on some skinned up part of me--usually my knees. So, the memories came flooding back when Katie wiped out on her bike a few days ago. Grant pulled her bike off of her and walked her into the house, where I washed her scrapes and put antiseptic and then a bandaid on each one. She braved it all and then ran back outside to play. :-)

Soccer Days

Grant and Kate are both on soccer teams and we are at the soccer field four nights a week. They love it and they are getting exercise and learning how to be team players. As for me, as I shuttle them to and from their games and practices in my minivan, I am truly living the soccer mom life. :-) (It's not so bad...especially since the soccer season ends in a couple of weeks! ;-) )

A Fun Visit

Twenty-two years ago I joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ to work with their high school ministry, Student Venture. My first assignment with Student Venture was in San Diego, California, where I met a high school sophomore named Michelle, who was in a Bible Study that I led. Michelle was in that study all through high school and we had lots of deep conversations and great experiences, like a mission trip to Mexico City, together. Michelle graduated and headed off to college and I was transferred to Boulder, Colorado. It was in Boulder that I met and married Dave.

Several years later, Michelle married Greg, a wonderful guy who just happens to be from Boulder! Together they have three adorable kiddos and they have been serving overseas as missionaries for the past seven years. Last week they were in town for a conference and we had the pleasure of having them stay with us. The kids all played together, the men talked and Michelle and I talked and talked. We stayed up until 2:30am two nights and until 4:00am the last night, and we STILL could have talked for hours more! I don't know how she managed to make it through her conference on so little sleep, and I definitely learned that I cannot stay up all night and still function the next day! But, it was so fun to catch up. :-)

Bowling

Yesterday the kids and I met some friends at the local bowling alley for free bowling! Yep, it was totally free. They have a summer program that allows kids to bowl a free game of bowling every day, all summer long! Isn't that amazing? We will certainly be bowling more this summer! :-)