First Snow of 2017

We got our first snow of the year last night. Close to five inches. The kids have been in and out all day enjoying it.

Tonight, I could hear them with Brian out sledding next to the house. I heard their screams and laughter at the same time I heard the wind whipping around the house. I think it's about 14 degrees.
Brian told me I really needed to come out so I got bundled up and headed out.

It was pretty dark. The stars were bright. Inhaling that frigid air stung!
Someone had a head lamp on as they zipped down the hill.
They were eager for me to get on a sled so I went down first with Lucy. At the bottom she looked at me with a big smile and asked, "Did you like it, Mommy?"
"Yes!"
I went down again on Sam's sled. Fast!
Jack carried Lucy's sled back up the hill.
It was pretty fun, I have to admit.
As Kayla said, "Cold."
Everyone is inside now with bright red cheeks and frozen gloves.
Totally worth it.

Snowstorm 2016

The excitement has been building in our house for several days.  Is this snow really going to be THAT big?  We stocked up at the grocery store and the library. Two days ago we gathered snow gear so we'd be ready to go.
Well, it's here. The boys slept downstairs and were awake at 5:15 to watch the snow falling. (They went back to sleep10

It was quite a surprise to see our town on the Today Show.

It didn't take long to get about 6 inches with much more on the way.

Lucy and I went for a walk.

Kayla sliding into the snow

 Snowy cuteness!

 Sam dusting off the snowboard

 Jack taking a break from shoveling. He's employed in the neighborhood!

Sam trying out snow skis

What's a good snowstorm without snow cream?

He'll take his outside!

Christmas Books 2015

 This year I saw these "book trees" everywhere so we tried one ourselves.  The kids thought it should have been much taller but wow! it takes a lot of books! 

Christmas books are some of my favorite.  Especially books for kids although didn't C.S. Lewis say something to the effect of if it's truly a good children's book, then it's also good for adults?

We have some that we read every year.

This year there are a few new ones.

 **We already returned my one of my favorites- it's called Not Enough Beds.  So cute! If you have ever had a houseful at Christmas, you should read this ABC book.

**Merry Christmas Mr. Mouse by Carolyn Buehner and Mark Buenher  

**The Twelve Days of Christmas in Virginia by Sue Corbett  You get a little history with your Christmas!

**Norman Rockwell's Christmas Book  This is one I'd like to own.  It's full of Rockwell illustrations, poems, songs, short stories, and excerpts, all about Christmas.  

**Coming Through the Blizzard by Eileen Spinelli (Remember her book Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch?)  This one is simple and sweet and made me a little teary at the end.

 

Some "old" favorites:

The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown

Merry Christmas Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

Berenstain Bears' Old Fashioned Christmas by Jan and Mike Berenstain

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

Silver Packages by Cynthia Ryland

Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Ryland 

For adults: A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg 

 

Summer Night

Who doesn't love a warm summer night?  She came out after her bath and was so excited.  "Mom!  The lightening bugs are all coming to get me!"  Happy girl!

Jack's Paper

Jack's Challenge class wrote apologetics papers as an end of the year project.  They spent the year studying and writing persuasive essays.  I also want to keep Jack's paper in a place where I won't lose it!  So here it is:

Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead? If he did not then Christianity is built around false truths and weak ideas.  Three facts support the idea that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead.  Women, whose testimony was not valued in that day, were recorded as the primary witnesses in the resurrection. Second, Roman soldiers guarded the tomb, and these soldiers were renowned for resilience in their duties. Lastly, angels were recorded being on the tomb at the time of the resurrection.

            Women were the first witnesses to say that they had seen Jesus alive.  Today women are taken seriously in their opinions and views. However, in Jesus’ time women were not respected.  Also, they held a very low place in society. Therefore, the disciples would not have written that women were the foremost witnesses to the Resurrection unless it was completely true.    

            Secondly, Roman soldiers, who were guarding the tomb where Jesus was buried, took their jobs very seriously.  If they failed in their duty, they themselves would be killed.  Consequently, the soldiers would most definitely not have left their posts unless they were extremely scared or even killed. Surely, the committed soldiers would not have abandoned their duties unless a truly terrifying incident forced them to leave.

            Finally, the disciples recorded angels on the tomb.  Angels would have seemed very mysterious and dangerous to anyone who heard the story. Even today not much is known about angels and what they are like. If you saw an angel what would you do? People in Jesus’ time would have been scared and shocked to see an angel. Thus, the disciples would have seemed crazy to declare that there were angels at the tomb.

Women were the leading witnesses in the resurrection. In addition, Roman soldiers were very severe about their jobs and would be punished if they failed. In conclusion the disciples recorded angels in their records of the resurrection. Considered very mythical creatures, angels were seen on top of the tomb. If Jesus did not rise from the dead then Christianity is built around falsehoods.

Kayla's Helen Keller Paper

Today was our last day of Classical Conversations for this school year.  Can you hear us doing our happy dance???
Jack and Kayla both presented papers to their classes today.  I want to keep these essays so I'm publishing them here.  Maybe you'll enjoy them, too!

Kayla's Essentials class has spent a great deal of time researching, note taking, and writing essays on famous Americans.  The class is  required to include many elements of style and mark each one in the final draft.  Kayla chose Helen Keller.  Here is her (unmarked) finished product:

Finding Invisible Beauty

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” Helen Keller, who was born on June 27, 1880, lived in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Several important factors influenced Helen’s life. When she was a baby, Helen suffered a shocking illness.  As a result, Helen became both blind and deaf.  Helen Keller’s world completely changed when she met stunning Anne Sullivan.

                When Helen Keller was only one and a half years old, she became very sick. In Helen’s little body a colossal fever raged. Her parents, who were extremely concerned, thought she would die! Worrying, Helen’s mother would gently place wet towels on Helen’s head because she hoped to cool the fever. She was burning up. The doctor worried that Helen might have scarlet fever! Miraculously, a few days later the fever had disappeared!  But the illness had left a considerable mark on the young child.

                 Since Helen’s illness caused her to become both deaf and blind her behavior in childhood was deeply affected. Helen started as a happy, beautiful baby. At only six months she began to talk! Her learning halted. Helen, who resisted discipline, did what she wished; her distraught parents could not make her behave! Desperately they wanted to help Helen, although they did not know how. Helen was often angry. She kicked and cried. She was mischievous! Daring, she once cut all her friend’s hair off!  Obviously Helen’s illness greatly impacted her childhood.

                On March third, 1887 a teacher named Annie Sullivan moved to Alabama to help Helen Keller learn, because Helen’s parents needed help. At first Helen refused to obey Annie. She continued to be a disobedient student. Annie taught Helen everything. Since Helen often behaved rudely, Annie first taught her proper manners, which would be helpful as Helen grew older. Skilled, Annie taught Helen to read in Braille!  Helen simply adored being able to read! Gradually Helen excelled at the many things Annie taught her. Sadly, Anne Sullivan died on October 20, 1936. Annie moving to Alabama proved to be an excellent idea.

                Helen’s illness was devastating. It affected her childhood greatly. After Helen met her, Annie Sullivan made a gigantic impact on Helen's life.  Most significantly, Helen learned numerous life skills because Annie zealously persevered.  Auspiciously, Helen Keller learned to find beauty in the world even without seeing and hearing.

Girls' Night

The guys have left town with friends for a few days and headed to Brian's dad's cabin in SW Virginia.  It's pouring the rain but I think they will have a great time on this belated birthday trip for Jack.

So tonight it was Cupcake Wars and ice cream for the girls.  

And yes.  Yes I did buy each of us our own pint of Ben and Jerry's.  Not to be eaten all at once but still, what a fun treat!

Tomorrow we work on school in the morning then off to see Cinderella.  I've heard from at least one of you that it will be well worth our time! 

Fancy Nails

I just love this picture of Kayla and our friend Emily.

Kayla has been enjoying coming up with fancy creations with her nail polish.  Emily was a willing participant and ended up with strawberries, watermelon, cupcakes, and a few other things on her nails.

I don't know how well you can see the "nail dryer."  Jack used Legos and built a stand for the hairdryer.  So fancy! 

Maybe Kayla can come up with some Radford University/nursing degree designs for Emily's graduation! 

Erica

I knew Erica didn't like vegetables.

So whenever she ate with us I had a dilemma.  Do I forgo the veggies so she enjoys the meal?  Or do I give in to my mama-instincts and make veggies so she'll have to eat at least a few??

I think I went both ways on different occasions!  

I can't remember for sure when I met this sweet girl.  I know it was her first year of vet school.  She came to church and ended up in home group at our house.  I didn't take long for her to become a frequenter of our home.  It also didn't take long for her to snag a place in our hearts.

We spent a lot of time together during her vet school years.  The beginning was hard for Erica as I think it is for most.  I can't count the number of times we spent talking on the couch or on the front porch.  Sometimes there were tears.  Sometimes laughter.  Usually prayer.

She asked me once if I would consider mentoring her.  I honestly didn't know what to say because I was pretty sure I could learn a whole lot more from her than she could from me.  Erica persevered.  She let her struggles and joys push her to Jesus.  She knew the Scriptures so well.  And she prayed.  I was right- I was the one learning from her.

Sometimes she called herself timid or shy, wishing she weren't that way.  But let me say this.  She may have been quiet but she was not timid.  My friend did missions in Haiti, Nicaragua, and Mongolia.  She flew to Mongolia by herself!  And loved it there so much that it was her dream to return full time.

Often my kids would mention her smile.  She always smiled.

So when this friend was taken unexpectedly to glory on Good Friday, I along with so many was stunned.  Just stunned.  And heart-broken.  I don't know that I have experienced loss quite like this before.  My heart is sad for us left here.  The tears have flowed often.

But for my kind, tender-hearted friend there is only an eternity to smile that beautiful smile at Jesus.  To sing and rejoice.

There have been so many tributes or testimonies to the joy she brought others through her letters, paintings, encouragement, hugs, and smiles.  I have no doubt she wouldn't believe it!  That humble heart loved others so well.

I find my self so very grateful for the gift of seeing God's work in Erica.  He gave her such faith, such grace.  What a blessing.

While her death still does not seem real to me, the hope of the Gospel does.  It is everything.

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  Phil 1:21

Snowy Saturday

We have enjoyed yet another snowy day.  Sam has been out in it a little.  Kayla and I went for a walk but other than that, we've been keeping warm indoors.  I baked some homemade gingerbread and watched a little "Frozen" with the girls.

What I'm really thinking about this afternoons is what to say tomorrow at Grandma's funeral.  I'd really like to honor her with a few words but nothing seems to work in my head.  My thoughts usually wander to when my cousins and I were little or even to times I know little about, like when Grandma was young herself.  I've heard stories, of course, but I can never really know what she was like then.  

There are things I always smile about when I think of Grandma- like a time when she was with her sisters and I saw a sassy side of her that shocked me!  They joked and picked at each other like sisters do- it just surprised me.  When I think of Christmas I think of her at her kitchen window working on our Christmas lunch/dinner.  The smell of bacon and coffee together makes me think of breakfasts with her and Papa.  Which is kind of funny because that's not the only place where we ever  had bacon and coffee but for whatever reason, there you go.  I don't know if there was a certain kind of wood Papa burned in their woodstove but whenever I catch that scent on the air, it's Christmas in my mind.  There's a different woodsy smell I associate with Papa and Grandma Rutherford's.  Strange, huh?

I guess one of my favorite things about her that I am only now really coming to appreciate is that you always knew where Grandma was coming from and what she thought about things.  As I've seen comments and remembrances from others, it's clear that everyone knew of her faith- she was outspoken and made no bones about it.  Sounds like many were encouraged by her prayers.

I think we all knew she was so proud of her grandkids and later great-grandkids.  We always knew she loved us.

There are a few kitchen items I have secured over the past few years that I like using because they belonged to grandparents.  One is a tin measuring cup that Papa Whitey always got a cold drink from.  Another is this square baking dish from Grandma Pearl's kitchen.  

Perfect for that gingerbread today- warming my heart and our home.

Grandma Pearl

"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints."  Psalm 116:15

My Grandma Pearl passed to glory this morning.  If ever there was a woman rejoicing in finally meeting her Savior I know it is my Grandma.  All my life I have known her as a lover of Jesus, a pray-er.  I remember not always liking it when she wanted to "have prayer" before we left but we did it anyway. 
It's an awesome thing to know you've been prayed for.  Over and over.
I'm sure she prayed over our family.  I've seen our names written down in her prayer lists.
She loved her gospel music and listening to her preachers on the radio.  She liked ice cream in a mug and introduced me to Snickers ice cream bars.  She used to be something of a "hummingbird whisperer."

I find grief to be a strange thing.  Like walking out into that icy cold wind, you feel it.  It's almost as if you can touch it.  The thing I have missed the most about my Grandma over her past few years of growing tired and quiet is her laugh.  Both of my grandmas have great laughs.
Hers- I can't really describe it but I hear it in my heart.  The thing is, I don't know that I have grieved its loss so much though I haven't really heard it in years.   I feel the sadness.  But now? 
Oh my- I know that laugh rings true in heaven. Today.  It's real.

Last night in our family worship we sang "O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing" and I told these kids that Grandma was quiet and even lame in some sense.  But that when she got to heaven her tongue would be loosed and she would leap for joy.  Today she does.

"Hear him ye deaf; his praise ye dumb,

Your loosened tongues employ;

Ye blind, behold your Savior comes;

And leap ye lame, for joy."

What a beautiful gospel we have that allows us to be brokenhearted and joyful at the same time.

Snow Day- Sort of

Everyone is back inside.
The snow returned, briefly, after lunch and brought with it a bitter wind.  So it's more hot chocolate and now a movie.  And more of this:

If I'm being honest, I have to say I really don't like this part of snow.  Wet hats, gloves, boots, socks, etc... piled up right by the front door.  Well, sometimes hung up or even thrown into the dryer.  But clearly, a lot right there.  The worst of it- all the mini-puddles of melted snow and ice that I cannot miss stepping in no matter how hard I try!

Ugh.  But I know. 

 It's a small price to pay for the quiet in the house that comes from the fun and laughter out of the house.  The kids have had a great time playing in that winter wonderland.

Yes, my beach scented candle along with my coffee is a nice backdrop for the "teacher workday" I have had.  Some school work done with a kid here and there but also some planning for class...the class we would have had tomorrow at CC but is now cancelled!  Our kids will have a true snow day tomorrow.  More for the cold than the snow but still.  They are happy!

Kayla says this is a classic Lucy look.  (Still in her jammies which is also very Lucy.)

Last night I asked her if she was getting a new cold.  Her answer:

"No Mom!  I've had this one since tomorrow."

Then she starts singing "Tomorrow" from Annie.  I had to laugh.

I know this is a grainy picture but I had to capture these two on the couch together.

Trying to keep warm?

First Good Snow of 2015

Yesterday we finally got a good snow.  I think somewhere around 9 inches.  It's the light, powdery kind.  Sam says it looks like frosting.  I don't know how they stay out in the snow for an hour (or two) and then want to eat snow cream.  I did it when I was a kid but in my older age- no way.   All I know is today is supposed to be in the upper twenties and that's about as warm as it gets until Sunday.  Brrr..... 

Trying out the snowman's pipe.

The doomed snowmen in the middle of the road.


Giving the snowboard a try

First Race

Yesterday was the Blacksburg Classic and our first race.  I have to say I am still excited.  I've always kind of "dreamed" of being a runner.  Thought it was something I'd really like to do but didn't think I could.

But yesterday Jack and I ran the 5k.  The temperature wasn't bad- around 40.  But the wind!  The wind was blowing hard.   Jack ran once in the last few weeks. Once.  And he either stayed with or ahead of me the whole time. Kids!  (And...we just saw that he came in third place in his age group!)

 

 

Brian, Sam, and Kayla ran the one mile fun run.  Also no prior running.  Kayla came in second and Sam third.  Medals!

Lucy was our faithful cheerleader.

 

So proud of my family!

It's safe to say that (at least) I am hooked on running!

Karate Kids

Jack and Sam have been taking karate for several months now and really enjoy it.  The only rule- no practicing on your sisters!

Jack started a little before Sam so he earned his orange belt last week.  He actually agreed to being on the blog!

Sam earned his yellow belt.

They really are happy to be posing- just trying to look imposing, I think.

Having some fun for the camera.

I am really proud of them.  They seem to take it seriously.  And, it's nice that they do it together.

El Deafo

The most recent Mother-Daughter book club selection was El Deafo by Cece Bell.  Kayla's first reaction was, "Mom, I don't really like graphic novels."  But.  She started it the night we brought it home and finished it the next day. Loved it.  Then Jack read it.  Then Kayla read it again.  Back and forth.  I enjoyed it very much myself.

Cece is telling her own story in this novel.  She became sick with meningitis at age four and lost her hearing.  I love how she uses pictures and speech bubbles to convey how the world seemed to her.  Kids seem to relate to her, down to the humor she includes (which I didn't always love but it was realistic to the age).

Cece Bell was delightful.  She talked a lot about her childhood, both asking and answering questions.  She even brought her original phonic ear and explained more about how the name "El Deafo" came about.

A local bakery decorated sugar cookies to go along with the book.  Cece portrayed herself and all the characters as rabbits in the book.  There are also a couple of cookies with her phonic ear.

Oh and by the way, her book just won the Newberry Honor!

Week in Review

We've had a pretty good week so I thought a "week in review" post was in order.  (Want to remember these good weeks, right??)
Aside from the stomach bug and some colds, we have been pretty healthy.  So far.  Kids are working on valentines as I type- they are so excited.
Last night Kayla and I went to our book club, which was great, but it deserves its own post so that will be forthcoming.  Another one coming up is the boys in their karate uniforms.  Jack (obviously) doesn't like to be in pictures lately but he was ok with karate pics.

 

Kayla did Sam's hair when we were watching a little video about the Industrial Revolution. 

He didn't even seem to notice.

Of course everyone needs a walkie-talkie when they are working on math.

And coffee.  The mom usually needs coffee.

Kayla actually said, "Quid et Quo is so much fun!"

Have to record that.  Q/Q is just a process of breaking down every word in a sentence by its attributes.  It is fun, in my opinion.  (For example, "boy."  It's common, singular, and concrete.)  By the way, this one also said she was retiring from school this week.   She did come out of retirement so that's good. 

A minor distraction during grammar.

This morning we were talking about the Battle of San Juan Hill along with Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders.  (Couldn't have told you a thing about any of that before I homeschooled my kids!) Sam wanted to color pictures of Mr. Roosevelt.  My favorite part is how he wrote his name in cursive at the bottom.  That's new this week!

After breakfast Sam, Lucy, and I started this Paddington book.  They loved it.  Sam picked it up again after lunch.  That's a genuine smile- it looks a little posed though, doesn't it?