365 Project: Week 14

4.8.13
Watched over by Petrie the Pterodactyl on his graham cracker tower, the kids grudgingly get back to their school work.





4.7.13
Dusk. So mild, a little spring scent to the air. Too bad that didn't last!





4.6.13
Someone fell asleep in the car with gum in her mouth, then hid the gum stuck in her hair from me until it was nice and gummed in and hard. After an hour or two of softening it and working it out with olive oil slathered on, she was finally ready for a second bath to get nice and clean. She really didn't want a haircut but I was thisclose!!





4.5.13
Saying goodbye to Reb as we get ready to head home. Evelyn is the only one of my kids who has lived at our farm without any horses around. Yet she's very interested in them and has no fear at all! She loves her Breyers, was over the moon when we had the Sleigh Ride at Christmas, and when Reb wandered away from the fence she marched out after him saying, "I go get him!" until Auntie Raini rescued her. Reb wouldn't hurt a fly (unless it looked like a dog) but having a little caution around a big critter is still necessary, little one!






4.4.13
Riding bikes together in the cold Indiana sunshine. Of course, the day we left it returned to a happy, warm 70 degrees. And we drove home to....more snow.





4.3.13

At the playground, which was really cool and full of neat stuff you don't often see at playgrounds: a barrel roll, a big rock to climb on, and this four-tire twirling swing. This was my first attempt at trying some "panning" shots. Kind of fun and different!

4.2.13
After some time at the library the day before, the kids were enjoying their new books and some not-so-quiet reading time. Both of these boys are intense information-sharers. So about every 30 seconds one of them piped up with something they needed to read or point out to the other! It was so nice to be able to watch them together.


4.1.13

Another one from April 1 - because one of the best parts of Spring Break was being able to go enjoy some time girl time with my best friend! We shopped, went to bookstores, sat lazily and sipped coffee, and enjoyed some great food. Not a moment (or bite) of this was taken for granted!

365 Project: Week 12

3.25.13
Evelyn's current favorite busy work while the big kids do school is using scissors to cut paper. It makes her very happy and keeps her busy for long periods of time. Of course, the house looks like a tornado has ripped through a paper mill and spit out everything in my living room, but hey, she's busy, quiet, and not watching Netflix on my phone. What more could I ask for?





3.24.13
Officially the most boring 365 pic yet. A pebbled sidewalk.




3.23.13
Our black panther has some war wounds after this long winter. I'm not sure what happened, but perhaps the squirrel out by the barn could tell the tale. If there was anything left of him besides a fluffy tail.





3.22.13
There's nothing better than an empty room to skate in to beat the winter (and sicky) blues! However, switching rooms on a Friday afternoon is not my best idea.





3.21.13
Just chillin' in the snow, trying not to compare the 20 inches of snow on the ground on the first full day of spring to last year's playing in the water at the lake on the first day of spring!





3.20.13
This girl.





3.19.13

Being the only kid not sick has some benefits! Emmy got to walk to Grandma's and spend some quality one-on-one time with her.

Epic

They worked on it every night for months.

Hours and hours of father and son sifting through thousands of tiny pieces, finding just the right one for just the right fit. Concepts and ideas flew as they built.

Plans were sketched for additions, hidden doorways stashed behind vines growing up the side, horses were placed carefully in their stalls.

Before they were even close to being finished, battles were fought between the Lion Knights and the Dragon Knights, a working trebuchet was constructed, then a seige tower.

Armies lined up in front of the moat with kings perched on thrones to watch.

It was epic.

A full size sheet of plywood sat on barrels in his room, with walking room all the way around so he could build on every side of it.

And it stayed there for about a year.

"Joshua, did you know the Bible talks about Lion Knights and Dragon Knights?"

His eyes grew big.

"In Revelation the Bible calls Jesus the Lion - 'Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered...' and calls Satan the Dragon? - 'Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended." (Rev. 5:5, 20:1)

So their minds were sparked with the study of history and nations, medieval battlefields and spiritual battles.

I couldn't help but feel nostalgic as the castle began to be surrounded with scattered lego pieces and airplanes lined a small path snaking across the floor of his room from doorway to bed.

It was time.

Time marches on, doesn't it?

The Castle came down today, demolished to make room for an epic aircraft carrier and a flying field. 

But at least we're still in the LEGO phase. I just hope it lasts a little while longer. 

There will be real battles to fight, son, soon enough.

Project 365: Week 10

3.11.13
A dreary, rainy Monday. Perfect for an afternoon of playing "Birds" and daydreaming of summer days when playing cowboys all day in the barn from morning till dark is a reality.




3.10.13
Silent Storyteller.





3.9.13
On Saturday night Emmy and Elayna went with me to watch the GLAA Aerokhanas perform. They couldn't sit still in their seats, bouncing, laughing, clapping and....climbing the outside of the bleachers (Elayna) trying to be like the gymnasts. It was a lot of fun! Especially when they each were lifted up high like one of the team.






3.8.13
How he studies.




3.7.13
"Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."  Is. 40:26





3.6.13
Ahhhhhh.......coffee.




3.5.13 - 
Meanwhile, back in MI...

it's still winter.

365 Project: Week 9

3.4.13
Last morning in the hotel. She had snuggled up by Daddy after playing contortionist for the past few nights. This happens to be the only picture I took all day, but I wouldn't change a thing. Sometimes this is just going to be about capturing the fleeting moments before they're lost.




3.3.13
Looking out over some of the modern aircraft from the balcony behind the Missile Silo.




3.2.13
There it is! The entrance to the enormous National Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. The size of the airplanes housed inside the hangars is overwhelming. Covering everything from early flight to modern military aircraft, including a 140 ft. tall "silo" that houses full size missiles used to maintain peace during the Cold War, it's impossible to see everything in one day. Evelyn thought she'd seen it all in the first half hour. Joshua could have spent at least a week exploring it and rereading every bit of information available.




3.1.13
Colby has never really enjoyed swimming or being in the water. But every single night at the hotel he was in the water with his kids! They had a blast and enjoyed every minute of it. And truth be told, I think we made far more progress in swimming skills during that time than in a year of lessons at the pool.




2.28.13


"Out came the children running, all the little boys and girls, with rosy cheeks and flaxen curls..." ~Robert Browning.





2.27.13

I really have no explanation for this. I went outside to grab some pictures of Joshua and Emmy playing Cowboys and came in to find this little monster sitting on the table using the lampshade as a hat. What'cha going to do but...take more pictures, of course!

**Favorite Things: I tried to convert these to black and white and stuff them into the "right" 365 format that I've done for the last 2 months. But these just wouldn't go, they refused to cooperate, and eventually won the argument. So here they are, in full color, my little time capsule for February 26, 2013.

2.26.13
Favorite Things | Evelyn ~ {almost 30 mo.}



2.26.13
Favorite Things | Elayna ~ {5 years 9 mo.}




2.26.13
Favorite Things | Emmy ~ {age 7}



2.26.13

Favorite Things | Joshua ~ { age 9}

365 Project: Week 8

2.25.13
Ahhh....old books. Is there anything better than to stuff your nose into an old book, curled up by the warm stove, a cup of coffee in your hand?



2.24.13
Such a busy weekend I hardly remembered to take any pictures on Sunday. But I did take this one of the sunrise and the fog rolling into the valley with my phone!




2.23.13
Sabbath: Children's Story. Not even half the normal number of children this week, but it doesn't matter how many cranky, tired, uncooperative, loud, boisterous, bouncy, crazy, unruly, crying, laughing little BLESSINGS there are in attendance, I've not once had the experience of feeling like any of them are at any time unwelcome. I think every generation in our church is thankful for each little body and the life they bring to our church family. Of course, every baby, toddler and child has their moments of crankiness, but for the record, they're all good kids! Just a week before there was a row of 7 children sitting completely by themselves, quiet as little mice! I'm very thankful for our church and for the attitude towards children here.




2.22.13
Preparation Day: Elayna is always my eager little helper, and she wanted so badly to help squeeze the lemons for the salad dressing for Sabbath!




2.21.13
Sometimes a little girl just needs to sit on a stool in the middle of the living room with a lollipop in nothing but her unders!




2.21.13
Science is so cool! Our new Apologia Zoology: Flying Creatures of the 5th Day is turning out to be a perfect fit for my aviation-loving son and my zoologist daughter.




2.20.13
Lord, there are no words capable of encompassing the dimensions of a mother's love. Without knowing it, experiencing it, I'd never comprehend the depth of Your love for Your children. For me. Thank You for these three blessings. And their uncooperative baby sister. They are my heart.




2.19.13 

A little early morning routine! It doesn't matter what pajamas I put her in the night before, she always strips down the minute I leave the room and sleeps in just her pull up. At least she leaves that on!