SEVEN!

It's that season of celebrating birthdays in our home again, and every year Bro gets to go first.   I was thinking about how seven feels so old on the one hand, and still so young on the other.  He already has two solid years of schooling under his belt, and will be promoted to a middle elementary schooler in the Fall, and yet he's still not a solid reader, and dependent on me for so much of his schooling.  He loves to cuddle close and listen to a good story, and still wants me to hold his hand in public.  He is both gentle and fierce, and he is passionate about justice.  I've often said, he is the perfect brother for sisters.

I have recently enjoyed watching his tender care for the plants in the yard.  He loves to come and report about a new bud or blossom, and when we come home from a trip he rushes around the yard taking notice of each change that has taken place.

Another new passion of his is rock climbing.  We discovered halfway through the year that a local gym has a homeschool rock climbing program one day a month.  Each month he counts down the days waiting to climb again.  He has a very natural sense of balance, and doesn't seem to mind climbing high and falling backwards once he gets to the top (a skill that has been a bit more challenging for his sisters).

He requested a real bow for his birthday, and I am excited that the kids will get to learn more about archery at Junior Ranger camp this summer, too.

He continues to enjoy his bi-weekly runs with Kilometer Kids, and is looking forward to running his first 5K in a few weeks.  I am amazed by his consistency - always running at such an even pace.  In fact, he is in general a very consistent, disciplined kid.   If I need something done, I can usually count on his help, which is a huge gift.

I am so thankful for the boy that he is growing into, and I can't wait to see where his path leads, especially in this next year as he transitions into a reader and more of an independent learner. I found this to be such an exciting stage with his sister, and I'm sure it will be so fun with him, too!

Becca's House

It was so sweet and special to get to visit with my College roommate, Becca Ippel.  6 kids later, and many life experiences down the road, and we could still sit and enjoy each other's company.  She moved around the same time we did to a very specious house with 20 acres.  The kids couldn't wait to get there and run free (even though it was snowing much of the time).

Our first morning there we drove Hubry to Notre Dame, then decided to take all the children on a tour of a local chocolate factory.  It was fun and educational for all, and we got to sample some chocolate at the end of the tour.  We also bought some to take home with us.  Becca and I had remembered Krue Brock collecting Cocoa and trying to make his own cocoa powder for us to taste the semester we lived in Honduras together.

Back home the kids played and were able to talk with another college friend, Annaliese, on the phone.  Later we were able to talk to Becca number 2 on the phone, and by then I was feeling so full of rich memories of beautiful friendships.

What a joy to share life over such a long period of time together, and then to watch our children and husbands join us in sharing life.  Surely the boundary lines have fallen for us in pleasant places, as she used to say so many years ago...

The fort they made in the "Shaker style" out of bricks from the pile.

  

Wheaton College and the Billy Graham Museum

Our last day in Wheaton was 100% chance of rain all day long, so we decided to take Hubry to work so we could see where he had been studying and take a look at the museum.  I'm so glad we did this, as the museum had so many connections for us.  In the first circular room you entere banners hang from ceiling to floor with quotes from famous evangelists on them. - starting with St. Paul and moving to Gregory and St. Francis of Assissi and Martin Luther, etc.  These were all people whom we've read about over the past couple of years in our Trial and Triumph book.

At another point in the museum Songbird came running over to me and said there was a display with the same pictures from her Addy (American Girl Doll) books.  Again, such a contrast between my reader and my non-readers!!!  The younger two had such shorter attention spans, and even though my oldest started out the morning with a terrible attitude (probably due to lack of sleep), she ended up reading so many things at the museum and being very impressed by it.

Afterwards we went back to the hotel so the kids could swim all morning long.  At the beginning of the trip Raindrop was trying to remember how to swim, and by the third day she was pretty easily swimming across the pool.  They had so much fun swimming together, and I was able to wash and fold laundry while I watched them. (This Mama doesn't like swimming unless it's nice and sunny outside)!

After a late lunch of Crepes at a local cafe, we headed over to teh Wheaton public library where I read to the younger two and desperately tried to keep myself from falling asleep (what is it about reading out loud in the afternoon that is so drowsying)?? Songbird found a horse book which she made it half-way through.  And then it was finally time to pick up Papa and head to dinner.  Our dinner this night was at a fancy pizza place that we almost walked back out of (b/c it was so expensive) until we saw that all kids meals were only $5.  It ended up being delicious food at a very affordable price!

Afterwards we said good-bye to Wheaton with it's beautiful buildings and vast green spaces and headed over to South Bend area to reunite with my sweet college friend, Becca

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Cantigny Park

We decided to visit the Robert R. McCormick estate our second day in Wheaton.  I was looking for something inexpensive that could be enjoyed both inside and out, and with only a $5 parking fee and three different museums / buildings to explore, this fit the bill.

We pulled up to the parking lot nearest the War Museum and immediately noticed children climbing on big tanks.  I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be doing this or not, so I cautioned my children until I could read the sign.  It turns out they are meant to be climbed on.  How cool is that?  They had about 10-15 different types of tanks, and children could climb all over them.  Running in and out of all the tanks was a peaceful brook with a duck family - which pretty well kept Songbird occupied.

I decided to try the museum, as the staff said it was not gruesome or inappropriate for children, and I must say that it was extremely well done.  It began with World War I and meandered it's way through World War II, Vietnam, the Cold War and Dessert Storm.  Each display was designed to make you feel like you were walking through the desolation of that particular war (so we started out in a ruined city, then moved to a barbed-wire land mine, then on to a jungle, etc.). It was cool to see how the children made certain connections - like the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to World War I.

After the museum we went to check out the Visitor's Center, where the kids were impressed by a glass tiled display that showed the entire grounds.  They could actually lay on top of it and find where we were and where we had just come from.  They even found a few places they wanted to discover.

Afterwards we wandered out to the over 30 acres of manicured botanical garden.  In spite of the snowy weather, things were already starting to bloom.  It was the perfect place to learn a bit about the plants - as all the varieties were nicely labeled.  They even had a lovely childrens garden we could explore.

By the time we made it over to the mansion the last tour had already been given.  The curator did let us walk into the basement theatre and look around at the photos and displays.  His home theatre had a gold-leaf ceiling!  I'm sure the rest of the house would have been equally impressive.

When he died, since he didn't have any children of his own, he decided to make a trust of the Estate.  That's why we could enjoy its' beauty for only a $5 parking fee!

Chicago Field Museum

Hubry had three full days of research in the Wheaton archives, which was plenty of time for us to have some fun adventures in the Chicago area.  We decided that the Filed Museum of Natural History was the best downtown Chicago museum for us to visit.  This is mostly because of all the stuffed birds and mammals at the museum.

Originally I had thought we would make an adventure of it and take a train, but after looking at the route and realizing we would need 4 different connections between trains  and buses, I decided it would actually be much simpler (and cheaper) for us to drive and park.  I'm glad we did as it started snowing while at the museum, and it was nice to be able to jump into our car when we  were done.

We literally spent 1.5 hours in the stuffed bird and mammal section - and I can not believe how many different species they have on display.  I guess they've had them for a long time, and one thing we kept feeling was that the birds are much bigger in real life - especially some of them.  I'd be interested in knowing if they've actually gotten bigger over time, or if there's something in the stuffing of them that makes them smaller.

We also walked through Ancient Egypt and an underground tomb, then visited the ancient Americas.  There is a pretty big difference between readers and non-readers at a museum.  My younger two mostly look at things and run on, whereas my oldest actually wanted to stop and read the descriptions of everything.

After getting our fill of natural history, we drove down to the edge of Lake Michigan.  It was the first time the children have seen a Great Lake, and since they loved reading Paddle to the Sea and studying the lakes I couldn't leave the city without letting them see the edge of it

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Pleasant Hill Shaker Village

Our children (at least I'd like to think it's not only me) love living history experiences.  Last year we were able to go to Colonial Williamsburg together and it was a huge hit.  The books we read in preparation, and all the "colonial people" we met while there made the history of that era come alive for the children.  I think "living history" is well named, and one of the best ways to learn about the history we read in books.

That being said, I thought we should try for another living history experience on our way up to Chicago, and what better place than Pleasant Hill Shaker Village in Harrodsville, Kentucky.  I've always loved the Shaker style furniture, and pegs everywhere, and the combination of simplicity and beauty, and hidden Windows and secret passages.  Their theology is a bit unusual, but their aesthetics are timeless.

One of many secret windows.

After our carriage tour.

Where we slept.

The Shakers had over 40 miles of rock wall.  They built the first mile, then hired out the rest to Scotch / Irish laborers.

We went on a fossil hunt at the edge of the property which was covered in fossils.

My love.

Beautiful spiral staircase in the Trustees building.

The main drag.

Another secret window that leads to a very unstable looking rooftop.

Where the children slept.

Honduras

Over Spring Break Hubry will explore the archives at the Billy Graham center at Wheaton College, as well as some archives at Notre Dame, searching for a better understanding of how Christians have historically offered aid to the developing world.  It's mostly an exploratory trip where he hopes to see how much information is available and whether or not he needs to return.  Since it's our Spring Break too, we decided it would be fun to tag along and do some exploring of the Midwest.

After our second day on the road, Hubry and I were reflecting on the fact that everyone we just saw (the Stavens' for dinner the night before, my brother in Mufreesboro, and Jina in Nashville for lunch) had been a part of our experience in Honduras.  And, we will be visiting my friend, Becca at the end of the week who also shared time with me in Honduras.  Though we didn't plan to visit everyone who had a been a part of Honduras in specific, that's what ended up happening.

I think it's a picture of two things: first, how much the relationships and bonds we make in College shape the path we walk for the rest of our lives (at least this has been very true for us).  Second, it illustrates the depth to which Honduras and the people we lived with there changed our lives forever.  We see poverty and wealth much differently now than we did before living in a third world country.  Our one main food goal for our children was that they would like black beans and rice.  Our prayers and relationships have been informed greatly by living in community with people so different from ourselves, and I'm sure there are things I'm not even aware of that I have taken with me from that time.

I love the kids all reading in the background.

Kris and Katie's Baby