BFF Visit: Part Two

We didn't have much more time together on Sunday, but I'm happy that we got to visit with them at all! I got one more picture of the babies playing together:

And one more picture of me & Taya as we said goodbye.

Actually, I think we got more pictures, but they must have been on her camera... which looks just like mine! Of course, it was too short of a visit. But better than nothing!

BFF Visit: Part One

Grandma wanted to see our guests, but I don't know if there will be time now. So I thought I'd share some of the pics we have so far while they've gone to the wedding.

Brigid is a happy girl!

Friday was a school day, so we went on with school.

Sarina is practicing her number 5.

Lavery shows Elizabeth how to write ABC's.

Lavery also enjoyed our water gun fight outside.

David wandered off before the picture was taken.
We were going on a leaf collection adventure for science.
Don't we look cute in our boots? : )

Back inside, we made leaf rubbings while I read to them
about the structure & purpose of leaves.

In the evening, we sent them out to burn off some energy.

Elizabeth & Lavery are 9 months apart.
David & Sarina are 2 months apart. (David is older)

And Rebekah & Brigid are 5 weeks apart!
Chillin' in the Bumbos.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Part of David's prayer Friday night: Thank you, God, that you made us so special to you."

The Pirate Party

We went to a friend's 5th birthday party that had a pirate theme!

That's birthday boy, Jeremiah

David having cake

Elizabeth got her face painted like a lovely pirate
(she's got a heart on her cheek)

Working on the pinata

There's the loot!

It was a lot of fun & kids were everywhere!
I wish I had gotten a picture of all of them painted up
when they were all sitting down eating pizza.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

David's trucking along with his verses. He learned this one last week... or at least he memorized the words...

Mom: Our internet is down again. They said the tower went down in last night's storm.
David: The internet tower blew down in the storm! And then it got struck by lightning and burned up!
Huh... he sounds a little like tech support for coolaccess.net

David: Can I press on lego.com?
Mom: No, the internet is not working again.
David: Maybe Dr. Infergo built a giant robot that knocked the tower down.
Mom: You think so?
David: Yeah! Dr. Infergo has orange & black hair that glows in the dark.
Anybody know who he's talking about?

Oh, and yes, tech support's only "help" was to say, "Yeah, we have a lot of trouble with that tower." At least it was an honest answer this time.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Last week's verse:

Sunday on the way to church, Elizabeth was singing in the back seat:
Daddies wear dresses - NOOOOO! Mommies wear dresses; they wear shirts...

David was pestering to get on lego.com and I kept saying no. Finally David spelled it out:
Can I click on l-e-g-o dot c-o-m?
Mom, spelling out the answer: N-o
David: What?
Mom: N-o is my answer.
David: How about...(thinking)... y......e?.....s
Mom: Wow, David!!! I am really proud of you for figuring out how to spell yes! That was really good! But the answer is still n-o.

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Elizabeth, dancing around the room: I'm a tango dancer, Mom!
I really don't know where she heard tango.

David, in the car while we were stopped nursing Rebekah: Hey, Mom, the car is at rest.
Mom: Yes, it is. And it will stay at rest until we act upon it, right?
David: Right!
Mom: Do you remember who discovered that?
David: Um... Isaac Newton!
Yep, he knew it after reading his new book just once!

David to Mom: When you disobey, God will send a bad storm!
They've been studying Jonah at church this month.
Sunday, he added this: Hey, Mom, which way are we going?
Mom: We're headed east.
David: Um, hey... that's the way to Nineveh!

Women of Faith 2009

Rebekah and I had a wonderful time at Women of Faith this year! Once again, we were blessed to be able to sit in the box on the Platinum Level of the arena. This was perfect for having Rebekah with me, because we had an assortment of comfortable seating and floor space to lay out a pallet. I took 2 baby slings and the Bjorn and wore her about the conference, getting lots of smiles and "awwww"s and lots of older women saying, "I wish we had something like that when my babies were little!"

When asked what my favorite part of the weekend was, it was so hard to pick just one thing....

The concert by Steven Curtis Chapman rates HIGH on my list. He's my all time favorite artist ever and just keeps getting better. If I'm ever able to see him again, I'm there!

Marilyn Meberg told some hilarious jokes. The personal testimonies we heard were very encouraging. The music was amazing - the praise & worship, Mandisa, and of course, SCC. Getting away from most of the kids was refreshing, too. And then when I came home...

I came home to clean children, a clean kitchen, clean towels, a cleaned out garden, and

a new faucet so I don't have to drag a water hose across the front yard to water the garden & animals, AND

three new raised beds in the garden!!! So I can grow more stuff next year! My darling hubby was quite busy while I was gone, wasn't he?!?! He also added some bracing on this year's beds so that hopefully they'll last another year. All the beds are built with left over materials from the house construction and the 2 I built were just not that sturdy. He started filling them with dirt, too, but lost a tire on the little trailer & wasn't able to finish hauling it.

So, wow, I had a great weekend away and came home to a wonderful gift from my husband. Thank you and I love you, too!

School's On!

I watch my friends being sad today as they drop kids off at new schools for the first time. I know for a fact that if I was dropping off today, I'd be in tears right now, too. I teared up yesterday when I took David down a new hall to his new Kindergarten Sunday School class.

But today I'm not crying. We started homeschooling Kindergarten last week. I know it's not for everyone and that some would like to but simply can't. I am so thankful that I have this chance to be with my children, to shape their minds, to see them grasp new ideas, to help them succeed.

I posted our first day of school pics last week, but here's a brief summary of what we accomplished in our first week:

• We got to chapter 5 in The Boxcar Children
• We discovered that David may be left handed
• David learned why it's day on one side of the Earth and night on the other... in the bathroom, with the lights off, using a globe and a flashlight
  
• I learned that David is very good at sounding out new words
• David & Elizabeth memorized Romans 3:23
• We joined a homeschool co-op
• Dad taught one day
• And more!

And don't you just love EB's new play dress that Grana gave her?

Company Girl Coffee on the Road

I'll have a decaf white chocolate mocha to go this morning, 'cuz I'm on my way to

Yeah!!! I go every year with my mom & sister-in-law and this year Rebekah will take her turn to attend Women of Faith. Elizabeth went with me in 2007 and David went in 2004 before I became a blogger.

I am so excited that Steven Curtis Chapman will be there this year! I have ALWAYS wanted to see him in concert, but this will be my first chance. Stay tuned for pictures when I get home!

Garden Note - I started pulling up the tired plants this week. It was just time.