Happy Memorial Day!

We decided this morning to spend our Memorial Day at our state capital. It was a very good choice. This was the first time our children have ever experienced a patriotic event like this so we've had lots of discussions since lunchtime. We also went to two museums and Pullen Park before arriving home with four very tired kiddos.

Placing the wreath on the World War Monument

Bagpiper playing Amazing Grace

Our four precious children

Red Fox, Raccoon and Chipmunk

This was the best part of the costumes. :)

Mom and her girls ready for a train ride.

Dad's ready to scream in the tunnel!

GOD bless America

Land that I love

Stand beside her, and guide her

Thru the night with a light from above.

From the mountains to the prairies

To the oceans, white with foam,

God bless America,

My home sweet home.

We appreciate ALL the men and women who serve in our armed forces to protect the land that we love! GOD BLESS AMERICA!

PLEASE PRAY!

Our friends, The Mestas Family, are in the process of adopting again (3rd time). The girl they want to adopt has run away from the orphanage. See Eileen's blog for the full story. I know they would appreciate your prayers during this time.

Random Thoughts by Brock

i liked going to pick strawberrys. the caramel was good to(asweome). we usually pick in the front patch but this time we picked in the back.have you ever been strawberry picking? it is fun! did you know that i have a webkinz? its name is arctic (9 years old)& i got it at the museum. & at the gift shop. & Hannah said if she got a elephant she would name it phillp johnny bob(that name is in a book). but i bet she will forget. that was my first webkinz!i am going to make a song about arctic! arctic i love you you have money oh arctic!

Catching Up

We roasted marshmallows in our backyard one evening a couple of weeks ago. We invited our neighbors to join us. The kids had fun making smores.

Ethan and Hannah enjoying their smores.

Yummy, yummy, yummy!

Last weekend we went strawberry picking. This was on the wagon ride to the strawberry patch.

Hannah had a loose tooth so she could only bite the strawberries on one side of her mouth. It didn't slow her down though. That evening she had a "tummy ache".

Brock enjoying a strawberry. He had a tummy ache too.

After the two previous years of strawberry pickin', I finally learned to dress them in old clothes. Forget looking cute! And wouldn't you know it, none of the "old clothes" stained!

The wagon ride back to the van. You can see the bucket of strawberries beside Hannah. They didn't last long!

Hannah singing during worship at the last KidStuf for this school year. Patience is this month's virtue. "Waiting until later for what you want now."

Hannah on stage at KidStuf for doing her God Time each week in April. Each child received a 1 lb bar of chocolate.

I caught this shot of the baby birds on our front porch when they were 12 days old. Yep, that's what you think it is all around the nest. Mama Bird keeps the bottom of the nest clean though.

The children and I enjoyed hearing the baby birds "singing" when they were being fed. I caught this shot just as the Mama Bird was about to fly away.

The birds are gone now. I was watering plants sometime last week. I normally left that pot alone. This time I bumped the hanging limbs. All 4 or 5 baby birds flew off chirping and haven't been seen again. :( We were enjoying our nature study. Hopefully, they know how to eat on their own!?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Life Lessons

I read a story one time of a dad who took his two children with him to the mall. When they got there, a carnival was set up in the parking lot. Naturally, the two children started asking to ride something. The dad told them that he would give them each 50 cents (must have been a grandpa remembering days gone by!:) and they could ride after the shopping was completed. The two children were handed two quarters each and instructed NOT to lose them.

After the shopping was completed, the three-some made their way to the train ride. The older sister (8 or 9 yrs old) pulled out her two quarters. The younger brother (4 or 5 yrs old) began pulling out his pockets but could not find his quarters. He only found a pocket with a hole in it. Although the dad was going to give his young son two more quarters, the sister said, "Oh here, you take my two quarters. I think it'll be more fun to stand here with Dad and WATCH YOU ride the train!"

Little brother took the quarters and was on the ride in seconds. As the train made it's way around the tracks, the dad stood outside the fence holding his daughter's hand. His other hand was inside his pocket, holding the two quarters that could have put his daughter on the train. However, he was wise enough to know that this was a life lesson for his daughter. She went home a little "older and wiser", caring a little more for her brother than she had previously.

That story ran through my head all afternoon after Hannah gave Ellie her $20 bill for Ellie's mission trip. I could have easily given Hannah a $20 bill to give to Ellie, but it would not have meant the same to Hannah.

And now...the next time Hannah wants to buy something...and she doesn't have the $$ she needs...I hope I'm as wise as the dad in the story...to let this be a life lesson for Hannah.

Hannah's Heart

I want to share a story that happened this past Friday when we were leaving co-op. First, let me give you a little history...

Hannah received some money for her birthday last fall. She spent a little of it, put some in her bank savings account, and put the rest in her "bunny" bank. At one point I needed change for a $20 bill and she made change for me. So that $20 bill has been in her bunny bank for many weeks now. From time to time she'll say she wants to spend it on something but it has never left the bunny bank.

One of our prayers for all our children is that the Lord would put older kids in their paths who will influence them in a Godly way. There are some really sweet teenage girls in our co-op. One of them, Ellie, is going on a mission trip in June to work in orphanages for 2 weeks. We found out about Ellie's mission opportunity a couple of weeks ago. Since that time we've been praying for Ellie to be able to raise the $2700 she'll need for the trip.

Now back to my story...last Thursday we went to the NC Museum of Life and Science with Pawpaw and Nana. There were several things Hannah wanted throughout the day that I would not buy. By the end of the day she had decided that the next time we went to the museum, she would take her $20 and buy whatever she wanted. (Note: I did not say "yes" to this. I just listened.)

When we returned home Thursday evening, she got out her bunny bank to show everyone her $20 bill. She was really stuck on the idea of spending it the next time we went to the museum. At one point I reminded her that the $20 was not really hers, but God's. I asked her if she could think of a better way she could spend the $20 or at least part of it. She thought for a moment then said, "I could give it to Miss Ellie for her mission trip!" I said, "Now that's a good idea. We'll have to see about it but now it's time for bed."

Friday as we were leaving co-op, I found Hannah on the floor emptying her backpack. She was frantically looking for something (and blocking the hallway for her search). I got to her just as she pulled her hand out of her backpack. She stood up with a big smile on her face, turned to Ellie and said, "This is for your mission trip!" It wasn't at all how I had planned to let her "give" to Ellie. It was even better because it was from her heart.

Needless to say, her parents are very proud of her for giving to someone else instead of thinking of herself. Now comes the hard part...I'll save that for my next post.

"Thank you, God, for Hannah being part of our family. May she always have a heart for missions and a heart for You! Amen."

Soccer Season Finale

Today was the last day of this year's soccer season. Pawpaw and Nana came for the big day. (Well, actually they just came to visit and were able to plan it around soccer.) It was a fun season. Here are some highlights from today's games...

Brock kicking the ball...he scored TWO goals today!

Brock and his friend Caden showing off their trophies. (Notice the ever so important juice box and snacks!)

Hannah kicking the ball...she scored ONE goal today!

Hannah and some teammates showing off their trophies. (They have their snacks too!)

Just thought I'd throw in a rose bush photo for fun:)

It has been a fun season but it'll be nice to "sleep in" next Saturday. Both think they want to play again in the fall so we'll see if any other new interests develop between now and then...

Nature All Around Us

God's creation is amazing. HE has been reminding our family of that truth in wonderful ways the past week or so. Here are just a few photos of the "nature moments" we've enjoyed. We're thankful He thought enough of us to share them with us.

The first photo was taken from our back doorway looking through the railing of our deck (that I need to finish painting:). The second is of baby birds in a hanging basket on our front porch. The third is a photo Brent took yesterday morning while we were eating breakfast. The drops of water on the tips were really pretty. And lastly we saw a baby bunny in the roses behind our deck this afternoon.

Bunny in our backyard

These birds hatched sometime Sunday night. This was taken Monday morning. The next day the last egg was hatched.

Dewdrops on the rose bush

Baby bunny in our rose bushes. We're curious if the bunny we saw last week is the mommy.

Leave a comment and tell us how you've noticed God's creation in a new way recently. We praise God for His "good" creation!

Emma's First Haircut

Getting started...

Snip, snip, snip...

Is she finished yet?

Emma decided to take a snip or two off her hair so I had to take her for her first official haircut. It was actually long overdue but I was afraid we would lose the curls. I was wrong! It's still curly and looks much better (except for the spot she cut...it'll grow back eventually:)

New Wheels

Hannah's new ride...a big girl bike with gears!

Brock's new ride...the Rockit...now known in our home as the BROCKit!

I didn't plan it but notice how Brock is playing basketball behind Hannah and Hannah is playing basketball behind Brock. We are happy to be outside in warm weather again!

How God Uses Glue

As the twins are getting ready for bed...

Emma: Mommy, how does God make people?

Mommy: I don't know, Emma. What do you think?

Emma: I tink he pours in da middle den puts the wid on top. (translation: I think He pours in the middle then puts the lid on top.)

Mommy: The lid? What's the lid?

Emma: Oh, our heads.

Mommy: Oh, I see. Well, how does He get our heads to stay on?

Emma: (thinking briefly, then getting big eyes) He uses glue!

Mommy: Interesting. Where does He put the glue?

Emma: (pointing between her eyes) Right der! (Right there!)

Mommy: That sounds like a lot of work.

Emma: It's alright. God can do it.

Guess we'll need to work on her theology as she gets older. :)

Have an awesome SONday!

Impress

Impress: to affect especially forcibly or deeply : gain the admiration or interest of ; to implant firmly in the mind or fix in the memory

To set the scene...I was standing at the kitchen sink preparing lunch. All 4 children were sitting at the table patiently waiting for lunch. Dad's location was unknown.

Brock: Mommy, what does impress mean?

Mommy: It means to make someone think you're really good at something. Like if you wanted to impress someone with your piano playing, you would play a song you know really well for them. Or if you wanted to impress someone with your handwriting, you would write the best you know how. Or if Mommy wanted to impress someone with her cooking,

Dad from the other side of the house: SHE WOULD GET DAD TO COOK!

Brock: Oh, I see. Now I get it.

And that was our vocabulary lesson for lunch.

Happy Easter!

We went to the Resurrection Egg Hunt at church Saturday morning. They all came home with way too much candy! For the older kids a few of the eggs had a "Golden Ticket" that was redeemable for a prize. When we got home, Brock said, "Mommy, what's this yellow paper that was in my egg?" Brock had a Golden Ticket! :) Our children's pastor graciously allowed Brock to claim his prize at Sunday School this morning.

We made Resurrection Cookies Saturday evening just before bedtime. Here's the oven...fingerprints and all... after the kids "sealed" it (i.e. taped it shut). That represented the tomb after Jesus' body was buried.

Sunday morning "the tomb" was open! Our cookies (on the good pan) were hollow.

Easter hugs to everyone!

Brock took this photo...we didn't have a tripod to get us all in one photo and there were no neighbors outside to take one for us.

HAPPY EASTER!! WE ARE THANKFUL THAT JESUS IS ALIVE!!

Grammy's Birthday Party

Grammy's birthday "party"

Grammy's birthday cake

Helping Grammy blow out the candles

While Grammy was here we celebrated her birthday which was actually 3 days before she arrived. We had her a cake ready for after dinner. It didn't last long but sure was good while it lasted!

The next day Grammy went to watch Brock and Hannah play soccer. That was her first time to see them play. They both had fun with Grammy there.

Making Tyropitakia: Cheese Pie Triangles

Concentrating on Mom's instructions...and hurrying before te phyllo dough sheets dried out!

The cheese mixture that went inside the phyllo dough sheets.

Getting ready to roll them into triangles.

Mom got really fast at rolling the triangles!

Ready for the oven.

Our contribution to the Greek foods feast.

We spent most of last Thursday afternoon making cheese triangles for our Unit Celebration that evening. The recipe wasn't the easiest I had ever seen but I thought we could handle it. I had never worked with phyllo dough sheets so it was definitely a learning experience.

We made half of the recipe without the parsley and half with it. As expected our kids liked the ones withOUT the parsley but I was glad they even tried it.

The kids (especially Hannah) had fun cooking and it was a fun way to end of study of Ancient Greece.

Out of Ancient Greece

The kids had their Unit 3 Celebration last Thursday evening for our homeschool co-op. After several weeks studying Ancient Greece, we're moving on to Rome now. They displayed all the crafts they had made for the past 8 or 9 weeks. They also chose one and told about it in front of the other kids and all the parents. (think...Sunday School room at church with 40 or so sets of eyes looking at you) Hannah was first and didn't know what to say or do. (She now knows that Mommy is a smart mommy when she says, "Hannah, let's practice before you are in front of people". She did have to learn it the hard way though.) All the others learned from her and did a great job. Brock said it just like we had practiced (notice the word PRACTICED) and didn't have a nervous breakdown doing it.

We also sampled Greek dishes that everyone brought. We made Cheese Triangles as our contribution. More on that at a later post...

The twins displayed their Bible Storybooks they have been making this year. We are not moving as quickly through the pages of history in the pre-school class so we've just finished learning about David and Goliath.

Everyone moved down the hall to our church's Children's Theatre for the oldest group of kids to perform a Greek play. They did an outstanding job and it was a real learning experience for the younger ones. It took me back to 8th grade English with Miss Redding...

Socially speaking it was an evening of coordinating outfits with friends for Hannah. Such fun memories!

We were back home a little after 9pm and all crawled in bed with visions of airplanes dancing in our heads...Grammy was coming the next day!

The Texas Quiz

Thank you for participating, your score is 50%!

Congratulations, you nudged above 33%. This shows you have interest in those thing immediately important to you, but are a little indifferent about periphery issues.

The new & improved Texas Trivia
Take More Quizzes

Okay, for all you Texans...see how much you really know about the Lone Star State! Take the test for yourself.

The Texas Quiz

It's hard to believe I've been away for 8 years now. As much as I enjoy all the new things to learn, see and do here in the East, there's still nothing like Texas History.

Thanks to my brother, Shawn, for sharing the quiz. (BTW, his score was the same as mine.)

Esther and the Feast of Purim

Queen Esther and Haman

You've gotta' love the beard! :)

A couple of weeks ago we read the book of Esther. At co-op H and B learned about the Feast of Purim. H is dressed as Queen Esther. B is dressed as Haman. They made "noise makers" so that they could make noise every time Haman's name was mentioned in the reading of the story. They also made hamantaschen with apricot preserves in the middle. It was a fun week of learning for all of us.