Sad Goodbyes

Our little exchange student flew home yesterday morning and we are so SAD. She was such a great addition to our family.

Introducing her to street hockey was a must.

She already loved badmitton so we played a few times.

Rollerskating!

What a view. :)

Inside "the car".

Fun with games on the phone.

Banana splits!

So we hosted last summer and while it was okay, we definitely didn't bond with our student. This year was incredibly different. Mary is fun-loving and very polite. What cracked me up was how quickly she assumed the role of big sister. I heard her correcting the little ones (but it was always appropriate). Before we knew it she was unbuckling Calico from the car and taking her inside each day and playing in the backyard with Bubba.

We are going to miss our student but at least we have an email address for her. And who knows? Maybe someday we'll go to Korea!

What to Do?

The girls have been attending vacation Bible school this week and it has been so different around the house. They're gone from 9 a.m. 12 p.m. During that time Bubba's aide works with him and Calico takes a nap, so I have been getting a lot done! It's very strange. I also have a break this week from the little neighbor girl I homeschooled during the year, so it almost feels like I don't have kids for a couple of hours. I can't imagine if this was the norm. Stay-at-home moms who have their kids in school must get so much accomplished every day. I'm a little jealous. ;)

I've been doing smaller organizing projects around the house, leading up to the mother of all projects: our master bedroom. When we bought our house I was okay with having a huge bedroom, but also kind of wondering what we'd put in it. So we turned half of the room into a library/craft room. I hate to admit it, but it has become a craft dumping ground. Occasionally I wade in, grab some scrapbook papers or ribbon, and make my way out. Carefully.

Anyway, Ethan and I talked about it and decided we had to do something to make it better in there. So waaaaay back in February my mom and I went shopping for something to organize my craft materials. We lucked out big-time at a scrapbook store that was selling off their floor displays. This huge twirling display was only $25. (Actually free to me because it ended up being my birthday gift!) Anyway, from the first picture you can see that it even opens up for storage. And guess how much I've organized in that room so far? Um . . . . well, I threw enough stuff in to take a picture. That's it. So tomorrow and Friday IT IS GETTING ORGANIZED! I have no excuses now, no kids interrupting or lessons to plan. You blogging friends can hold me accountable, okay? Guess I better go get to work!

Life

Baby's first trip to the dentist! She doesn't look too upset in this picture but she did end up shedding some tears.

By the time she got to the treasure box and was allowed to pick out a toy she was all smiles again. She chose a pair of bright pink sunglasses.

Spunky and Giggles entered their first race. They did awesome and loved the medals they received.

A moment of joy - Bubba is extremely happy when he's buckled into his car seat. I'm not sure why his car seat ended up in the backyard but he took full advantage of the moment. He stayed out there for probably a good hour reading a book and cuddling with his blanket.

The first lemonade stand of the summer! Grand total earned (in 1 1/2 hours): $6

Calico and Fred have a conversation. :)

Such a Busy Time

Our exchange student from Korea has been with us for 5 days and we all really like her. The picture above is the girls building a volcano for a (home) school project.

Her profile described her as shy and very self-reliant. I'd agree with shy, although she seems to be warming up to us a little more each day. And it took her no time to warm up to the kids! She is very polite and well-mannered.


Last weekend the girls had their end of the year recital. As much as I love watching anything my kids do, I must confess that sometimes I find ballet boring. But this year's Cinderella was an exception! The stepsisters really made the show with their jealous antics.

It looks like our Calico is going to take after her daddy and be a tree climber! Ethan was just standing next to the tree and she about leaped out of her arms trying to get into it. Of COURSE I had to capture that on film.

Speaking of Calico, lately we've noticed that she is extremely stubborn and very dramatic. It is so cute but we try to be really careful to not encourage the behaviour. Ethan was cooking here and she wanted to play with him, but when he couldn't she grumpily threw herself down on the floor and held onto his leg. I think it may be an uphill battle to good behaviour with this one!

The Cat's Out of the Bag!

BIG NEWS!

Okay, so some of you friends already know about this, but Ethan and I are starting a non-profit organization. We've been working on it for about 14 months now. The name of our non-profit is the Messenger Academy of Worship Arts. What is it? Well, maybe I better give some background.

Ethan works closely with churches as part of his job as an audiovisual design consultant. It's his passion really, helping churches. But over and over again he has talked with worship pastors who are frustrated because they have so many people with the desire and the talents, but there isn't any place they can further their training. (Especially at an affordable price.) There are many secular dance studios, for example, but it's rare to find a place where you can take dance lessons where the emphasis is to bring honor and glory to God. Our dream is to have a place where people of all ages can train in visual arts, drama, dance, writing, and music. They in turn can use the gifts God's given them to bring His message to others in their own churches and the community. Another part of the academy will be training for the technical side of things -- running sound, lighting, video, etc.

If you live locally and are interested in teaching a class or being involved in any aspect, we'd love to talk to you. :)

Two New Reviews

The Overton Window by Glenn Beck

Twenty-something Noah Gardner is pretty happy with his life. He has plenty of money, good looks, and doesn't care or feel convicted about much of anything. One day he meets Betsy Ross, a girl who is passionate about the future of the United States. Betsy, and others like her, feel that there is something dangerous brewing among the powerful and influential. Without even trying Noah gets caught up in her campaign and realizes his company is a key part of the frightening changes that are to come.

This was a good read and definitely gave me something to think about. A big part of this book, although it was fictional, was taking a look at how the truth can be manipulated to accomplish the means of the paying customer.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Living a predictable life as a publishing assistant is what sums up Edie's existence, until a mysterious letter from the past leads her to an ancient castle and the three sisters who live there. She slowly uncovers family secrets and mysteries as she explores the history of the castle and its occupants.

This is an amazing book. There's a little bit of adult subject matter so I wouldn't suggest it for teens, but all in all it's very clean. I felt like the author had the perfect balance of making me look forward to reading it but not staying up all night to finish it.

Lazy Me

I'm sorry to my friends that I haven't been much of a blogger lately. Not so much for my posts, but for the fact that I haven't even commented or read anyone else's post. I wish I could say I've been busy traveling or doing something exotic, but the truth is it has just been . . . . life. Sickness. Recovery. School. Spring cleaning. Etc.

It looks as if we will be getting a Korean exchange student again! She should be a little older this time; a fifth grader. The girls are really excited.

We have big news to share, but it may have to wait a couple of days. I also have two new book reports to write up. :) So stay tuned!