Ft. McHenry

Last year, Amy and I thought it would be fun to go visit Ft. McHenry, but, on the way, we saw a Goodwill.  It was a good one-with great prices and there we spent the rest of our day.  I still have clothes that I wear from that shopping trip...it was great fun.  This time around, we made it to Ft. Mc Henry!  The kids were able to run around and touch things.  We all enjoyed our time there. 

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On a completely separate note...I love these song lyrics.  This song came on my ipod this morning.  I never grow weary of this line from It Is Well With My Soul by Horatio G. Spafford:

1. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
2. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

I especially love the line, "My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more."  God is so merciful to those that belong to Him.  He is so worthy of our praise.  May I never, never forget that.

Baltimore Inner Harbor

This is just such a fun place to visit-a great combination of old and new, old ships and fun new restaurants...

I Think It Is Clicking...

I had planned to post more photos of our trip, but I am overflowing with joy and have to share.

First a little backstory...I have been working with A on reading for years!  We started working on the alphabet around age 3 and he learned his letters and sounds fairly early.  We then progressed on to Bob Books  and into Phonics Pathways.  And we plodded along.  He grasped the basic sounds and concepts, but reading just wasn't clicking.  He wasn't taking off independently with it.  I wasn't too worried about it, he is still young (almost 7), but I was wanting him to get to the place where reading would click for him.  

I am not a great reading teacher.  It is somewhat drudgery for me to teach a child how to read.  It is a lot of hard work and it is tedious.  Ugggg!  To sit still and listen to a child sound out words is not an easy thing for me.  I love the feeling of accomplishment once they get it, but the work to get it, it isn't my strong point.  It brings me face to face with my own impatience and fears of incompetence.  But, having one reader under my belt does bolster my confidence this time around.  I know he will get it...someday.  

C was barely reading basic three letter words at age 7 when she joined our family.  Getting her reading was no easy task, but when I see her reading books like Uncle Tom's Cabin and other classics, I beam inside!  Her favorite thing to do is to settle into her room or on the couch or in the car on a drive, well, pretty much anywhere, as long as she has a good book to read.  And the books she reads...it makes me so proud!  She reads really good stuff, classics and some contemporary fiction, biographies...  It is really a delight to see that, especially after how challenging it was, for both of us, to get her reading.

A is doing just fine in mathematics, he gets math and is making good strides-his biggest challenge there is reading his lessons.  He can do the math fairly well, but needs help reading the problems and directions.  He adores history and enjoys science.  But, reading, on his own wasn't happening.  One of his favorite books is Pilgrims Progress-we have it on CD and he listens to it on a regular basis.  It is even in the older English.  And he will ask me questions about the characters from time to time and often I am not sure of the answers right off the top of my head...all that to say, he comprehends quite well.

So, I was so delighted when I walked out into the living room the other morning and saw him reading a Dr Seuss book to his brother and sister.  I was elated.  He wasn't "reading" some book like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See, that he has memorized, he was really reading a book to them!  And he has been super excited to read this entire week.  He is hooked on Dr Seuss books.  Thank you, Dr Seuss!  I think it may be clicking...whoo-hoo!    

Air and Space Museum

After the Botanic Garden, we walked down the street to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  We then wrapped up the day with dinner and a stop by the Pentagon Memorial.  The memorial was very moving and I am glad we saw it in the dark.  It was all lit up and impressive to see.   Very sobering.  The kids were doing well, walking on the pathways and all and at one point we looked over and saw one of our littlest ones sliding down one of the parts of the memorial (see photo).  It was so innocent.  And that action on his part captured something.  The memorials and cemeteries are very sober, very deep in meaning, yet they are approachable.  Those memorials and monuments, while rich in meaning, can handle the innocent play and touches of children.  They are places to teach our children respect, but also places where children can be children as they learn that respect and begin to grasp the history of our nation.   

United States Botanic Garden

Last year M and I walked past the Botanic Garden building and mentioned that that would be a fun stop, but with our limited time we didn't make it in there.  This time, after our tour of the US Capitol building we did go.  It is very kid friendly and amazingly beautiful.  

The United States Botanic Garden has amazing plants-I love this pineapple!  And it was right at the perfect height for the kids to look at.  

Besides all the living plants, the Botanic Garden had a marvelous display for children.  As the pictures show is is very touchable, smellable and approachable for children.  The large metal flowers were attractive to look at and each one had a container in the center with a different scent to smell.  I think the vanilla scent was the favorite in our group.  There were also jars full of scented beads and a display that showed products (such as soaps and lotions)  made from plants. 

Dreams do come true...

Brave or insane?  I am not sure what we were to take 8 children under age 8 on a tour of the US Capitol building.  But we did it!  And, in my opinion, the kids did a great job.  The other tourists might have a differing opinion...

I do like this picture.  It is one that will be fun in the years to come as these kiddos all grow up.  Who knows, maybe we will get to take another tour of the US Capitol together down the road when they are all older.  If we do, we will have to take another photo like this.

A year ago when I was able to go out to Maryland and DC and see Amy, we talked about how fun it would be to take all of our kids on a bunch of field trips into DC and around the area.  We were dreaming.  We thought maybe years down the road something like that might work out.  A fun thing to dream about.  Neither of us ever would have guessed then that less than a year later we would be taking those field trips.  God is good!  I feel so humbled and awed by how He fulfilled that dream.  Just writing this brings tears to my eyes.  The time was so special, truly, it was more than I could have hoped it would be.  

Amy, thank you, thank you, thank you for opening your home to us!  I am still amazed that both of our families could live together for two weeks and it went so well.  I didn't expect it to not go well, but two families, of our sizes, together non stop for that long...and it was wonderful!  The hospitality of you and Scott inspires me.  Truly, you have such a gift in that area.  I came away encouraged to look for ways to be more hospitable.  We couldn't have done a trip like this without your graciously hosting our family in your home.  And, Scott, you had to work most of the time we were there and you were such a good sport about it!  Thank you.

The center photo was taken the night we arrived.  We decided to head into DC, after 13+ hours on the road, before settling in for the night.  It was freezing-literally, it was.  There was snow on the ground.  But we wanted the kids to see the Lincoln Memorial at night and to stand on the steps and look at the Washington Monument with the Capitol building off to the side, all lit up.  

In my mind...we would take a very meaningful photo of it and treasure it for always.  Probably, it would be framed and sit in a special place in our house.  The reality, is that L wet her pants, they had to be removed, and we wrapped her in a blanket (nothing was going to stop us from seeing the Monument!), everyone was freezing cold by the time we got up there.  We had to park a good distance away.  And I managed one lousy photo!  It is blurry, and you can barely see the Washington Monument.  The Capitol is not visible at all.  Oh well...it still makes me smile.

M, thank you so much, again, for making my dreams come true!  This life has taken some turns that I never would have anticipated or, on my own, chosen, but it is so good!  I love being your wife!  I am honored to be standing beside you as your helper, living this life hand in hand with you.  Even as we prepare for your deployment and all the emotions that that has brought and will bring, I wouldn't change a thing!  I am so proud of you!  For so many things...for following where you knew you needed to go and for being the man that you are.  Sometimes it isn't easy, this crazy path we have stepped on to, but never have I known God more than when I was following you.  I am fully yours, no matter where it leads!  Even when it is lonely, even when we are apart, even when we struggle, even when you ask me to step out of my comfort zone.  In doing so, I am finding that God, in His grace, is helping me to find peace, to find contentment, to find strength, to discover what it means for me, personally, to best live for Him.  All glory to Him!  I love living this life with you.  

more photos coming...btw, we did see Nancy Pelosi when we were in the Capitol.

C gets her ears pierced.

The day after we arrived in Maryland we decided to have a mellow day.  We had had a 15 hour day getting up there, so time for the kids to play was in order.  The one outing we did make that day was a quick one to the mall for C to get her ears pierced.  She had had them done when she was younger, but they got infected quite often and she (we) decided to let them be until she was older.  She hadn't had much interest in having them repierced until about a week before we left for our trip.  By then she had taken care of the neighbors house while they were gone and earned some money.  She decided to use some of it to pierce her ears.  She was very brave and her new earrings are so cute-not like the ones I had when I first had my ears done.  Her earrings don't even look like starter earrings.  They are hard to see in the photo, but they are little pink stones.  The other person in the photo was the girl who did the piercing.  =)  

Just FYI

The HSLDA is offering a free temporary membership.  Here a bit of info from the email I received:

Right now we are making it easy for them to experience the benefits of HSLDA membership—for free! If they join between now and April 30, approved applicants will be granted a free membership good through July 31, 2009.

They do not need to send payment and there’s no commitment. But this is an opportunity for them to see how committed we area to securing their right to homeschool and to do so successfully.

This offer for a free membership is short. The opportunity to sign up extends only through April 30! So please don’t delay in forwarding this offer to them. Of course, we will give them an opportunity to renew for continued benefits after this trial membership period is over.

We remain willing and able to protect the legal right to homeschool. We also know that homeschooling can be challenging. That’s why we’re able to help with both legal and practical homeschooling needs.

Please accept my invitation to forward this email on to your friends and give them an opportunity to “test drive” HSLDA. 

Click here to go to the on-line application form.

They also send email alerts and updates to those who aren't members.  I find them to be super helpful.  You can sign up by going to their homepage.  

Good Insight For Parenting

Our pastor (the one out here-our Southern Pastor =) sent the following in an email.  It is so good!  Such an important perspective to keep before me...

An Encouragement and Precaution for Parents

March 16, 2009  |  By: John Piper 
Category: Commentary

Jesus tells of two sons:

What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” And he answered, “I will not,” but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, “I go, sir,” but did not go. (Matthew 21:28-30)

I draw this advice for parents from these words: Do not despair of the rebel, and do not assume the heart of the compliant child is with you.

Which means practically, pray like crazy for both of them. And keep showing both of them the gospel of undeserved, blood-bought grace

Stone Mountain, Testing M's Gear and Snow in the South

Before we left for MD, we drove a friend to the airport.  Since we were in Atlanta we decided to see Stone Mountain.  Much of the activities there were closed, but we did get to see the carving and we saw them making snow.  That is how they do snow here-they make it themselves.  Normally, that is...little did we all know that three days after we watched the snow making in Atlanta, we all woke up to snow!  It was crazy!  We actually had a snow man in our front yard!  

It is good to be back home, after being gone for two weeks.  It was hard to leave and come home, but once we got here, it felt good to be back.  We spent two weeks up in Maryland visiting friends, taking in the sights and just enjoying time as a family.  I have lots of photos to post and some books to share about...so lots to blog about in the coming days!  

Way Behind on Posting...

I had intended to take a bit of a blog vacation, but I didn't intent to start that last week-life just sped up and my blog took a backseat.  

Last Thursday M graduated from some military training.  We attended a small ceremony, then the kids and I attempted to watch some airborne troops practice dropping from parachutes (it was delayed because of the wind so we didn't see much), then we picked up M and a friend of his needed to go to the airport.  We took him and dropped him off and poked around Atlanta a bit, since we were there.   

On Saturday it was humid and warm and rainy, then thunderstorms started and then tornado warnings were issued.  No tornado came.  C and I went to a movie that afternoon.  It was good to have some time out-just the two of us.  Sunday morning we woke up to snow.  And it snowed all day.  

Currently, we are visiting friends.  Last night when we arrived in the area we couldn't resist a drive through D.C. to look at the monuments at night-completely beautiful.  Since there is snow on the ground and it is very cold we mostly observed through the vehicle window.  We did bundle up and walk over to the Lincoln Monument.  We walked up the steps and delighted in the view of the Capitol and the Washington Monument from the steps of the Lincoln Monument.  Then we hurried back to the van to warm up.   

My posting will probably be irregular for the next couple of weeks...