What a busy day!

Today we decorated the 50 pinatas that we
made last week. There were 79 people in attendance. Journey was the first one to finish hers. Pink, of course, thank you very much...

Here are some of the group adding the final touches to their pinatas.

After a picnic lunch, we listened to a Fire Safety presentation from the local Forestry workers. The man in the picture just happens to be a homeschool dad ! Yippee !

However, the most exciting part was at the end of the day when the other moms gave me and Teresa a surprise birthday party . There were so many delicious deserts on the "share" table that it was hard to choose. We even had a birthday cake! What a fun day with a group of really special folks!

The Great Wall of Journey

My sister and Journey have painted a mural that covers her entire wall. We had to take pictures in pieces in order for them to show the whole mural.

Anders is about to fall out of the tree. That's usually where you'll find him down here in Georgia.
Here are Grandma and Grandpa with Journey. You'll notice that she's missing a few teeth.

Here is our family. Stennes has a hoe, since he's a diligent gardener. Josiah has the fish. Branch is flying a kite (out of the picture). Paul and I are with Abram.

This is my mother, who is watching over us from heaven.

From left to right: Caleb and Levi, Tim, Teresa, Chan, Pop, and Michele (and a little bit of Josiah).

This job took quite a few Saturdays to finish, but we're so pleased with the results. Journey really enjoyed painting with Teresa.

Defending our home

Okay, guys, we have to keep those wild mosquitoes away. Don't let your guard down for one second or that roving puppy will be in the tent with us. Away, you ravaging squirrels! Keep those chickens tightly shut up in their pens! Back, back, bothersome insects! Don't worry, Mommy, we'll be safe and sound tonight. We're real men. Oh, and what are we having for breakfast tomorrow?...

Children and Trees

The children have been diligently building an extension on their treehouse. They have also added steps up the side of one tree in order to better spy out the land and avoid danger of encroaching pirates. The days are getting warmer, and the mosquitoes are certainly more daring and fiesty. But the trees still call the children. "Come. Play. Explore. Dream."

If only they would approach their books and daily duties with such energy and abandon. It probably won't happen, though. "Oh, Mommy, I think that I shall never see a Greek translation page as lovely as a tree."

What I do for fun

Here I am with my friend, Olga. She is graciously teaching me (read: trying to teach me) how to cook authentic enchiladas. She has a lot of patience. We get along very well. Like I said, she has a lot of patience...
We made cheese enchiladas, potato enchiladas, and lots of other foods that are just too much work to say in English. There is very little left over. We worked together for almost 5 hours. She has a lot of patience. When I took her home, she offered to come back and teach me other things. I really enjoyed talking with her and cooking with her. She's a hard lady to keep up with. But what I admire most about her is that...well, she has a lot of patience.

Giant eggs ??

We spent the day at a friend's house making forms for pinatas. Fifty of them. That's right, fifty pinatas. Wow, was it a lot of work. It took 5 adults and an assorted number of children all day to blow up balloons, rub on cornstarch paste, and layer countless sheets of paper to shape the pinata. These will be decorated next Tuesday by 40-something happy homeschoolers. Once the forms were all laid out in the sun to dry, we laughed because they reminded us of giant eggs.

It was a pleasant day spent with friends, but I think that we will all think twice from now on if we ever have a chance to hit a pinata. All that work...(sigh)...All that work...

Redneck Entertainment

First, find an ordinary lizard out in the yard. Tickle his throat until he gets angry, then quickly attach him to your ear while his little mouth is open in frustration.

Next, pose for photos and think to yourself, "I am so cool. This is really fun. Mom will be so proud of me."

Finally, give into the pain of having a lizard hanging by his sharp little teeth from your delicate ear lobe. Scream madly and beg Daddy to put down the camera and pull the lizard from your ear. Yep, true redneck entertainment...

The Animal Trainer

chickens in the back yard. boy is happy. chicken ain't. ...

puppy in the front yard. boy is very happy. puppy very...well, ain't....
cat at a friend's house. boy is very, very happy. cat is in the throes of distress and despair...

Too cool for words

The boys splurged at the Dollar Store for sunglasses. They didn't spend much money, but isn't the "attitude" they sport now just priceless?

You know you're sleepy when...

This little guy sure gets tuckered out after a busy day. He likes to fall asleep in the oddest places. Wouldn't it be lovely to be able to sleep to deeply and easily?

Have you used your brain today?

Not quite a postcard, but...

Here we are outside the Natural History Smithsonian. We were brown-bagging it, although we did pay $2.50 each for those little plastic bottles of water that can be bought anywhere (except here, obviously). Needless to say, we bought a few bottles and poured a little into cups to make it stretch. It probably wasn't the most delicious meal, but the birds didn't seem to mind at all. Why go to Washington, D.C.? To feed the birds, of course...

Quite a catch!

Just checking out the fish and trying to remember who caught what...

Feeling crabby or out of sorts?

The Girl is delicately holding a crab. Not a dangerous venture, as long as the tail is kept away from the hands. Words to the wise...

Another winning poem (Stennes)

Lone Star Letter

Dear Ma and Pa,

I'm at this camp in Texas
I'm having so much fun
Last night I saw a bed bug
It ate my honey bun

The snakes all carry pistols
Armadillos carry augers
The ants carried off my tent
The termites all are loggers

It sure is hot at noonday
They say we're in a drought
Yesterday a dust devil
Turned the creek about

They told me about coyotes
Howling at the moon
After hearing them last night
I hope I'm leaving soon

I still love Texas all the same
I would like to stay a while
Everyone is nice in Texas
Where an inch measures a mile

Your Son

P.S. You're not going to believe this
But I just had a shock!
That cactus looked so soft and squishy,
But, Ma and Pa, it's NOT!!!

Good news!

Branch won First place in a county competition with his poetry entry. The poetry and short fiction was centered on the state of Texas. Stennes also won First in his grade level (6-8). I'll share his poem next. Josiah won Third in short fiction, although his poem was my favorite.

Cactus cactus
Ouchy ouchy
The needles hurt so much
Pokey pokey
Sticky sticky
You better not touch

Way down in the desert
The cactus grows so tall
They look like trees with needles
They make me feel so small

I don't like touching cactus
Because they poke my skin
I think I will not touch one
If I ever see one again

Good clean fun

Just a quick game with cousins and friends out in the field by the chickens.

Serenading

This picture was taken in Belle Glade, Florida, a center for Hispanic and Haitian migrant workers. The poverty was unbelievable. Why travel to a third world country when there are many such places close to home? We stayed the weekend, as this was a 9 hour drive from us. We held many other meetings, one after the other, trying to take advantage of the few hours we were there. The men here had just returned from grocery shopping. They were very attentive, even placing their food on the ground by their feet because they didn't want to go in quite yet. To the right hand (out of the picture) is a larger group of men, also listening. They were all very gracious and accepting of the message. This is the vision of the future...preaching without walls...

The ones that ... didn't get away !

The top photo is from a recent trip to a marine lab in Panacea, Florida. The children enjoyed exploring the waters of the touch tanks, dragging their hands through the sand to pull out... star fish, crabs, anemones, sea squirts, and other such treasures of the oceans. Mommy wasn't too thrilled with this part, though. Some of those little creatures are pretty slimy. Just what the boys enjoy...

The bottom photo shows a recent catch from the pond by our house. Quite a difference in size, wouldn't you say?

Why is "No" easier than "Yes"?

This lovely drum set is right over our bedroom. Right. Over. Our. Bedroom. It deserves emphasis. When the boys play in their studio (which is right over our bedroom), we hear every lovely note and every discordant squeak. It's like that in so many areas in our lives. It seems as if it's easier and less painful to tell them "No"... you can't play in the rain, you can't sleep out in the back yard, you can't make cookies....

Oh, little mother, when will you learn that "Yes" is just as easy to say as "No"? Practice, practice, practice...saying "Yes"...

A Day at the Beach

Fellow Soldiers

Branch represented the American Revolution. His musket was much taller than he.

Stennes was World War I. His gun was beautiful, but he wasn't happy with the tight WWI pants he had to wear...

Anders was Korean Navy. His gun was very nice, too. His middy belonged to his great uncle who wore it during his time in the Navy.

Josiah (below) was a Civil War Confederate General. Josiah wore his uniform just days before this performance and gave a 5 minute dramatic interpretation of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. We were very pleased when he won First in State. He made the sword he is carrying in the picture as well as a Civil War pistol for his table display.

Here are the boys and their two cousins in the "Spring Fling" performance. They were presenting a visual history of soldiers throughout American history with a tie-in to the armor of God. The other photos show the tables profiling each boy's soldier, history reports, historical weapon that he made in shop class, and his foods. It was quite a show. They did this same performance (without table displays) in 2 nursing homes, 1 senior center, and a private Christian academy (with table displays). There were close to 60 students (grades 6-12), and the boys really made a good impression. Hopefully their message of God's armor was taken to heart. They did a lot of work and it required a lot of practice and memory to pull this off. Funny thing, though, they have already told me what they want to do next year for "Spring Fling"....Oofda...Children and their boundless energy...