When I'm older

When I'm older, Raindrop says between bites of oatmeal, I'm just going to do art all the time. I mean, I'm going to wake up first and eat breakfast.

That's good, Kelly says, to start your day with a healthy breakfast.

But when I get married, Raindrop continues, I won't be able to do as much art, because I'll have to lay down on my bed a lot.

Rest

As the world has exploded with color and fragrance, so has the air filled with environmental allergens.  This is something you would never think about unless, like Little Raindrop, it brings about a mysterious asthmatic cough that keeps you up at night and keeps you from breathing deeply during the day.  Today at Kilometer Kids she had to sit out for the second half of practice because she could not stop coughing.  As soon as she started to run, she started to cough.

It is so hard as a parent to sit by and watch the effects of the beautiful Spring on your daughter and feel so powerless to ease them.  And I know her issues are very mild compared to other children who are frequently hospitalized, etc.  But it is still so mysterious.

This afternoon I walked into Raindrop's room and found her sound asleep on her bed.  This is very unusual as she doesn't nap anymore, so I figured her body really needed the rest.  When I came in to wake her up around 4:30, she wouldn't budge.  I stroked her cheeks, whispered her name, rubbed her arms, and nothing happened.  I mean she was in a deep sleep.!  We didn't really have to leave until just after 5:00, so I decided to let her sleep another 30 minutes.  But when I came back in the second time it was the same thing.  I had to gently pull her off the bed, rub her legs and pull her socks on, and carry her into the kitchen where her smoothie was waiting for her.  But the entire time she was napping, I didn't hear her cough even once.  Her body was clearly craving much needed rest.

On a completely different note, since I've been pregnant I've probably been sleeping 12-14 hours a day.  Some nights I fall asleep around 8:00 and don't wake up until after 7:00, and I still can't make it through the day without an afternoon nap.  I wonder if our bodies are actually capable of storing up all the rest of early pregnancy to help with the sleepless nights of late pregnancy and the baby stage.  Well, that being said, it's already after 9:00, and I can hardly keep my eyes open...

Endurance

Today at art class we pretended we were Michealanglo painting the Sistine Chapel.  Last week we practiced drawing the hands from the Creation of Adam (which was pretty difficult for 3rd-6th graders to do). Today we velcroed the paintings underneath the tables and gave the students paints and paintbrushes.  It was amazing how many of them started to complain after just 5 minutes of laying on their backs to paint.  Their arms were sore from stretching upwards, their heads hurt from not having a pillow, and it was hard to paint well laying down and looking up.

I said, "Come on guys!  You've only been under the table for 5 minutes.  It took Michealangelo day after day hour after hour to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel - and it was a fresco!"

It made us all in awe of Michealangelo (even more than already,) but it also made me think of building up endurance to things.  He must have built up such a store of endurance to be able to paint in that way for so long, and that must have come bit by bit via practice and dedication.

It reminded me of life with Christ.  The time we spend now being in His presence builds up a store of endurance for the trials we face in this life.  I don't mean to sound worksy - just thinking about that gift of time in the presence of our Lord, and the way that blesses and guards us...

Early

It seems like Spring came earlier than usual this year.  My past association with the season of Lent is dark and cold - which couples well with the giving up and sacrifice of the season.  But the last few weeks have seemed warm and colorful.  It's as if the earth is giving gift upon gift, and I have to convince myself that it is still the season of sacrifice.  Resurrection is already happening around me, and I look forward to celebrating the fullness of this truth one week from today.

I am also celebrating new life inside me!  I have spent the last few months mostly in the cave of my bed hibernating in sickness, and just as the weather has warmed, my sickness has finally started to ease.  I have been able to walk outside with the children, picnic on the grass, and feel the warmth of the sun on my back.  And for all these gifts I am deeply grateful.

These two cuties asked me to snap their picture by the tulips this morning.  Little Raindrop is wearing the dress that Songbird wore for her baptism 4 years ago.  She has been waiting and waiting to open the bag of Spring hand-me-downs from sister, and today was the day!

Pine Mountain Wild Safari

You never know what's going to happen when Uncle Jim invites you to an animal park.  In my mind I was picturing a zoo-type environment - even after we pulled up to the premises.  The parking lot was packed full of cars, and all the people walking around seemed regular enough.  I easily convinced myself we were all there to look at the animals - like at a zoo.

I started getting confused when Uncle Jim said we needed to get back in the car.  In my innocence I mentioned something about never having visited a zoo in my car before.  He still chose to let the experience speak for itself, and I found out pretty quickly, being the driver and pulling through the grate and being greeted by a mass of very large animals with horns, that this was NOT a zoo!!

I was definitely taken off-guard when above mentioned mass of very large horned-animals started putting their heads in my window and licking their slobbery tongues all over the exterior of the car.  I had a moment of panick when I realized we were completely trapped.  What was I supposed to do - barrel through and risk running over hooves?  Not to mention all the commotion within my own car since none of the children were buckled and all of us were amazed at what was happening.

Exam Night

I am excited about our first ever exam night.  We are making a big deal about it and preparing by remembering together the things we've been learning so far this year.  We will make a special dinner and dessert, then the kids will begin!!

Here it is (based on an exam from the Ambleside website, though adapted to fit our study).

Ambleside Online Exam Questions Year 3 Term 1

Bible

1. Tell about Queen Esther and the role she played in saving the Jews. (Aida)
2. Tell about why we use a “Jesse Tree” for our advent devotionals. (Benjamin)

Writing/Penmanship

     Copy "The queen went stumping along in one shoe of stone and one of skin.” (Both)

History

1. Tell about John Calvin and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation while in Switzerland in the 1500s. (Aida)
2. Tell about the Bishop martyrs, Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer, during the reign of “Bloody Mary” in the mid 1500s. (Benjamin)
3. Tell about some of the most important contributions made by John James Audubon in the field of ornithology. (Aida)
4. Tell about Leonardo Da Vinci and explain what it means to be considered a “Renaissance Man.” (Benjamin)

          

Tales

1. Tell your favorite part of The Princess and the Goblin. (Both)
2. Tell the story of Paul Bunyan. (Benjamin)
3. Tell the story of Davy Crocket. (Aida)

Shakespeare

1. Tell the story of the Taming of the Shrew. (Aida)

Geography

1. Tell about Marco Polo's boyhood. (Benjamin)
2. Tell about Marco Polo’s journey to China. (Aida)
3. Draw the shape of the earth, and show where the hot countries are and where the cold ones are. (Both)
4. Draw North America, and label the Equator, the Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean.

Science

1. What is the difference between plankton and algae? (Aida)
2. What kind of animal is Pagoo? (Benjamin)
3. Name at least 3 other animals Pagoo meets during his adventures. (Both)
4. Name and tell about all the birds you see at the feeding station. (Aida)
5. Name and tell about the snakes we’ve had in our yard since August. (Benjamin)

Reading Skill

     Father or friend to select a passage for student to read aloud.

Arithmetic (Questions from your math program may be substituted.)

1.  What number is made up of seven hundreds, four tens and five ones?

2.  What is the sum of 69 + 57?

3.  5 x __ = 35.

4. Skip count by 9’s, 3’s, and 6’s.

Foreign Language

1.  Count to ten in Spanish. (Both)

2. Sing “In Noah’s Arc” in Spanish (Both)

Picture Study

     1. Describe one thing you’ve learned about in art at Master’s Academy. (Both)

Recitation

1.   Recite the poem you memorized for our writing co-op. (Both)

2.  Recite the Bible passage you memorized for our advent service. (Both)

Music

  Play a Christmas Carol on the piano / violin. (Both)

Home Sweet Home

We moved!  Ok, so we officially moved on August 2nd, but I'm just now getting around to taking pictures of everything.  At first I thought I would take pictures after the painting was done and the furniture was all arranged, and then I thought I should wait until we had the artwork on the walls, then I thought I should at least wait until the entire house was clean, and finally I threw up my hands in the air and decided to take pictures of the way things are right now.  This of course means that the breakfast dishes are left out on the dining table, dishes are sprawled across the counter because we are trying to address a small rodent issue, the library is full of the morning's schoolwork, the patio has black-walnut hulls littered around, etc., etc.  I haven't hung hooks or artwork in any of the bedrooms yet, and there are a few more "moving in" things on our list.  But we are not in any hurry, and we are trying to enjoy the process of making our first home reflect us.

The lady who lived in the house before us was an avid gardener, and she loved flowers.  We have been enjoying countless bouquets of fresh flowers ever since we moved in.  Each month something new starts to bloom in some quiet corner of the yard.  I hope I can learn how to take care of them all so they don't die :)

This is the view from the front steps, and the children can often be found with their nature notebooks and binoculars here.  The morning I took these we had seen a group of downy woodpeckers.  I don't know that "flock" would be the right word to use, but there were three or four playing in the dogwoods.  We watched them fly between the mailboxes and the quince trees.  It was a fun surprise.

This is the view from the screened-in porch - which is one of our favorite places to hang out.  You can make out the terraced garden beds out the back.  It was such a gift to move in to a garden-ready home.  The kids each planted their own row and we already have some beans coming up.  I planted greens and cilantro and broccoli, which are slowly popping up.

Off to the side is the bunny shed.  We had 8 when we came, 2 died for various reasons, we "processed" 3, so we have 3 left.  We are still trying to decide how many more to process and how many to keep.  We shall see, but there's a lot of talk of kittens and chickens for the Spring.

This is the entryway.  Both of these prints are so special to me.  The wispy one on the right was made by my talented sister-n-law Charlotte, and the one of the left was bought to remember the baby we lost in early September.  The day before we closed on the house we found out we were expecting another little one, but the baby seemed to be developing slowly all along and finally went to be with the Father around 10 weeks.  I like seeing these pictures right when I walk in the front door, and remembering God's faithfulness to our family.

This picture is from the living room and shows the dining and kitchen areas.  It's hard to see, but the table is a mess and the counters are stacked with dishes that I don't have anywhere to put.  We found evidence of a mouse (or mice) under our kitchen sink, so we are trying to clean up and fill in holes and figure out what to do.  In the meantime, I couldn't bear to keep the pots and pans down there:)

This is the living room.  I love the huge window facing the front.  We often watch the birds come and go from that window.  We've always wanted to hang up our stringed instruments on the wall, and one day we hope to do this on the wall behind the piano.  For now we just have stacks of instruments :)

My sister-n-law Bethany helped organize our art on the mantle.  I'm thinking of collecting some ferns and pressing them and having them framed for over the computer.  This will be a long process though.  The walls are all Benjamin Moore Edgecomb Grey - in memory of our year in Maine.  

After we lost the baby, my Mom, Dad and sister came up to help with the children while Hubry was in Peru, and while they were here my Mom suggested we paint the wood paneling.  Several full days of work later, and the room was totally transformed from dark to light.

This is one of our favorite things about the house.  An old-fashioned pencil sharpener that actually works.  It could use some blade-sharpening, but it is so much nicer than all of those new-fangled sharpeners!

We are using the library as our school room for now.  It faces the front of the house as well, and it doesn't have furniture in it yet (aside from the table), so there's lots of room to roll around in between lessons.

This is the hall bathroom / guest bathroom / kid bathroom, etc.

This is the guest bedroom.  Our first guests (Aunt Bethany and Cousin Caroline) stayed here for 5 weeks and just left us to head back to India on Monday.  It is a bit sad to see the room so empty..

We painted it Benjamin Moore Quiet Moments, and I loved the shade of blue so much I have the same color ready to paint our bathroom.

This is the view of Songbird from the top bunkbed.  I just had to climb up and take a look around :)

We bunked the beds and got an extra twin from my parents so all the kids could sleep together.  They are finally at a stage where they love sleeping in the same room - which is a comfort to them.  It also makes traveling and camping so much easier since they are used to all being thrown together.

The kids' room from the other angle.  We painted it Sherwin Williams Intelligent Grey and I love the color for a shared boy/girl room (not that you can really tell what any of these colors look like with all the glares) :).

This is our little sanctuary.  I really agonized over what color to paint the walls (I knew the royal blue wouldn't work with our quilt), and I love love, love the soothing shade of green we chose.  It is a discontinued Martha Stewart color through Sherwin Williams called Sung Green.  I didn't choose any paint colors that I hadn't first seen on someone else's wall.  I'm just not good at visualizing what a color on a tiny paint chip will look like spread out across a wall.  But color and ambiance is really important to me (can you tell???)

All the closets were super dirty when we moved in and looked like they had never been painted.  Since the previous owners lived here for 40 years, you can imagine how bad they looked!  My Mom, sister, and friend Melanie tirelessly painted rooms and closets the day before our furniture arrived.  Then Hubry ripped out the old wooden shelving in our closet and re-did it with so many more shelves.  I love the way it turned out, and I eventually hope to do the same with a few of the other closets. The house doesn't have tons of storage space, so having lots of well-placed shelves in the closets can make a big difference.

This is the happy gang taking tea on the screened-in-porch.  We love this space and imagine adding hooks for hammocks and swings and strings of lights, and, and... But really, we love it just the way it is!

There is also a nice open space downstairs where the kids can play and warm themselves by the wood-burning stove, but I forgot to take a picture of that...

We are so thankful to have such a lovely place to call home, and love how close we are to the mountain trails of Kennesaw National Battlefield.