Luke's team had a great year again. They won the 1st game of the playoffs, by being seeded in 1st place.
We've gone to this Balloon Festival before and after a few years of not....we ventured there again w/some friends from church that are novice photobugs. We were right on the field line (thanks to Wendy) and had fantastic views the entire evening.
Some photos from our Mackinac Stay. Before dinner at the Grand Hotel and one at Wilderness State Park. Our friends camp there each summer and on our drive home...they drove out there so we could see it's beauty. We ate our picnic lunch there and again....Lake Michigan makes for GREAT pictures.
We were there during the Lilac Festival or something like that. The funny thing is that they were just starting to come into bloom. It was rather hard to find them out.
View from an overlook right next to Arch Rock where we ate our picnic lunch
Dear friends invited us to tag along w/them on their 15 year anniversary celebration to Mackinaw Island. I had never seen it or the bridge or anything....so it was SUPER exciting for me. We spent two days on the island...one entire day just riding bikes and exploring. I have to say it was truly two of the most relaxing, fun days ever.
Grandma Betty came for a visit in May around Memorial Day. The picture of her below was on Memorial Day reading while the kids played in the park w/some friends.
Grandma and Nattie planting
Grandpa Dick, Blair and the boys on Fathers Day.
Today Nat turned 14.
I've begun a really interesting book I picked up at a home school used book sale. It's called,
WHEN YOU RISE UP: A COVENANTAL APPROACH TO HOMESCHOOLING By: R.C. Sproul Jr.
Well the first chapter is addressing the one thing that is universal in education no matter what kind one chooses. Education is important. He give a staggering figure from a Digest of Education Statistics, 2002; from the U.S. Department of Education
At the turn into the next Millennium, (so roughly 10 years ago) the U.S. was spending $754 Billion a year on education. Almost a trillion dollars. $754,000,000,000 Whoa...thats a lot of change. This made it obvious to me. Education is important.
1. What is the goal of Education?
He addresses this quite well and it comes down to this. There is academic excellence and there is
moral excellence. Within the home school community there is a tug of war for both. We don't want one or the other; (typically) we want them both. I would like both for my kids. I have struggled with this same thing. I don't want to just school them at home so they can be protected to some extent, I want to give them a fantastic education that I don't feel they could get. But I also want to instruct them "when they rise up and when they lie down" in God's Truth.
It's a really hard balance.
Then Sproul uses this example that really hit home.
"Would you rather have your child graduate at the top of his class at Harvard, become a Rhodes Scholar, win the Nobel Prize and serve on the board of the Council for Secular Humanists? Or would you rather have your child be unable to make it through the local high school, become a garbageman and be a godly husband and father?" Ouch. His comment: We want both. We want our kids to be Godly Geniuses. Ha Ha. I just laughed. Because as I talk to those in the home school community (from all faiths) and read books on homeschooling....this is what I find. We desire Godly Geniuses.
Who wants to brag to their friends that "Yeah, my son is the local garbage man in Trashtown U.S.A., he couldn't make it to college, but...he loves his wife and kids and the Lord God w/all his heart" I think maybe our thinking is skewed.
Anyway. The book is very thought provoking. I'm going to keep plunking out my thoughts as I read through this in case anyone is interested.
I'm taking a little break from reading books about Theology, discussing Theology or explaining Theology. Right now I'm in the middle of a very good book entitled "1776" by David McCullough. I try and read books for personal reading that correlates w/our current history topic. Our history topic this year has been 20th Century, so this doesn't fit in, but a good friend lent this book to me and I need to get it back to him--so I'm attacking this late into the night, when I should be sleeping.
Easter Break found us hoping a couple planes and heading to MN to visit the cousins. The kids were each able to have several outings with the respective cousins and canoeing at G&G was a highlight.
Our night out at Acapulco's w/Aunt Christine. I don't think we stopped laughing all night.
I had the joy and priveledge of playing on a womens Volleyball team at an Assembly Church in our area. It was a blast. Our team was in first place through the whole season but lost in the Championship game on Monday night.
Tayler finished up her cheerleading year w/a final routine at Eastern Michigan University. Grandma and Grandpa were here for one of her games which was fun.
It's been a long time since I posted thoughts on books, life & theology. There are several reasons. One, homeschooling. Two, the discovery of Facebook and reconnecting w/friends from childhood, college and high school. It has been so much fun but I've neglected Blogging both posts myself and reading the blogs that I would regularly read.
Blair took this picture on the dock. I wish I could take credit but I can't. I love the perspective.
Luke snorkeling. He and another little boy found a baby Baracuda.
We just got back last Sunday from a week in the Mayan Riveria compliments of NWA and buying a week of timeshare from a friend of ours.
We had a great Winter Break with the kids. Explored Mayan Ruins, Natalie and Blair went scuba diving for the first time and Tayler and I did a Dolphin Swim. (compliments of listening to two different time share presentations) Ha Ha
Our friends from 5 years ago, Wolfgang and Kelly, are home from their UIM mission field in Durango, Mexico.
Tayler demonstrating the 'old days' (my childhood) which is coming back "in" fast and the boys helping Blair build our vanity.
The other night I went to grab a piece of wood to put on the fire and the snow was just glittering. I thought it was SOOOOO beautiful and thought my aunts, uncles and cousins who used to live in MN and now reside in always sunny Arizona, would appreciate the fine beauty of this w/o the cold. I hope you can see the glitter!
Luke and Tayler (the two outdoorsy people) built little forts and had a snowball fight with the most recent snow last weekend.
Luke is always on the hunt for icicles. This one broke for him, but he brought it in to show me the thickness. Note the bottle of water in his opposite hand...used for pouring over his snow fort to harden it.
Her favorite Dessert is my Homemade French Silk Pie. She wanted to try and make it this time, which she did and it turned out delicious.
I had found this Eiffel Tower lamp in November for Tayler. It's SO cute and I was so excited to give it to her and am amazed I held off and didn't give it to her for Christmas. The rubber boots is something she has wanted since we were in Alaska this summer. Glad to have found them for her. I think she's worn them everyday for the past 2 weeks!
The expression on her face is TOTALLY Tayler.
Nat and Tay each had a friend over for New Years. Grandpa and Blair went to the U of M Basketball game. We played games, ate lots of yummy snacks and stayed up late keeping with our theme of the previous 10 days.
I liked this of the kids playing Monopoly (Sawyer's Favorite Game)
The bottom three are of our Christmas w/our neighbors on either side of us who we are very close with. Jackie is in the picture w/Tayler and is so special to us. Jerry and David are w/the kids in the group picture and are like adopted Grandparents to the kiddos.
Each year I've held a Christmas Tea w/neighbors. This year was so much fun as the girls are crazy bakers. We created (copied) 14 different recipes in 2 days and had a flour MESS in the kitchen and were exhausted afterward, but the results were wonderful. The girls really did the bulk of the baking (by their choosing) and I just instructed, answered questions on how to do things, kept things clean for them to use and was an extra set of hands. It worked great.
This year my theme was "Redeeming the Time" starting w/the book of Esther and her redemption of her people, to Christ's redemption of His people through his birth, death and resurrection.
The girls also served again this year along with my accountability partner. Which made the tea even more relaxing for me. It was disappointing that some of my regular neighbors who come couldn't attend (we missed you Jackie and Sherri) but there were a couple of new faces this year making for a wonderful evening.
Sawyer lost his front tooth the other night. He had his teeth cleaned a couple weeks ago and the dentist told him he had 9 loose teeth. Both front were wiggly, and he was determined to get one of them out. He worked on it all day and then at bedtime wanted me to try. So he went to bed and 5 minutes later he came downstairs proudly bearing his tooth.
Annual Tree Trimming. Notice Natalie is almost as tall as I am and I had Crocs on and she was shoeless.
We've progressed slowly on the bathroom the past week due to other committments. Here are a few pictures--They boys, Luke especially have really stayed by Blairs side working. I love the picture in the far right corner of Blair yawning. Although exhausted, he continues to work.
