Mongol Invasion

One of our hands-on projects while studying ancient China last week was building a model of The Great Wall.

 

So, it's not an exact model.

  

 Lego Bionicles are standing guard, on the lookout for...

 

Mongols!

 

He and his Bionicle army invaded from the north...

 

 

and destroyed this 10 meter section of The Wall.

The Victorious Little Brother

Today

Too much going on today to post anything of significant interest. 
Which made me realize I'm feeling better.  Yahoo.

This morning I taught 20 homeschoolers soccer skills and how to do an English folk dance in our PE class. 

Then the boys and I went to Kroger for the fun shopping sale I mentioned yesterday.  Peter kept my tally marks for me (when you buy 10 items you get $5 off - we did 5 deals), and Reuben helped put things in the cart and choose which fish crackers to buy.  When we came home Rube put away all the cold stuff and Pete stored all the crackers ('bought' 10 boxes for free).  They were super helpers.  But we're all tired now.

Reuben lost the fight to slumberland and Peter is reading books in his IKEA igloo tent. 

Which reminds me that 4 of us couples are taking a kidless trip to Cincinnati next month to go to IKEA.  I don't think any of them have been.  And they're looking for an excuse to get out of town.  Should be fun.

Hope you have a nice weekend.  We're going to the Children's Museum tomorrow for Science Day.  The boys have their lab coats all ready.  I jest not.

Ugh

I'm feeling unwell.
Itchy ears and throat.
Swollen neck glands.
Tired.

And I have gray hair.
Mostly on the right side when I pull my hair back.
Woe to the pony tail.

But, the sun is shining today and the fresh snow is lovely.
And Kroger (our grocery store here) is having a Mega Deal, which is super fun shopping.

I watched a video about current Haiti conditions. 
How dare I complain about gray hair.
If you've got an hour, this will be enlightening... 
You may want to watch it when children are not looking over your shoulder.

Backyard Baseball

Sunday the thermometer showed 47!  The boys were very excited to be outside and play in the 'warm' weather.  Peter and Reuben got a baseball game going in the backyard, and our neighbor Caden came to play too.

Pitching to Dad.

The cutest player on the team, for sure.

Pete pitching to Caden.

Wearing his Dodger helmet from spring training last year.

Okay, here comes a hilarious sequence.

Reuben hits the ball...

(Notice Caden in the outfield)

He ran straight for Caden and tackled him.

Caden is 8.  Reuben is 3.

Then he proudly got on first base,

of which Caden was nowhere near.

Next at bat, he went for Peter and took him down.

I have no idea why he was tackling them, but it was pretty funny.

This is to show you the blue sky!

See the shadows of the trees on our house?

For just a few hours it was lovely.

And this is to show you that there is indeed crying in baseball.

 (He wanted to get the ball when someone else got it first.  So sad.)

Glad for a day to play outside.

It's all covered in snow again now.

Helping Haiti

There have been a lot of rumors about what's going on with orphans in Haiti.  Bethany Christian Services (the adoption agency we use and highly recommend) is having a webinar tomorrow (Wed) to tell more about what you can do to help the many children of Haiti.  Here's the info about it...

Special Issue: Haiti & Beyond National Webinar

What You Can Do to Help in the Global Orphan Crisis   With the Haiti earthquake and devastation still on all of our hearts, we are inviting you to attend a national webinar called "Haiti & Beyond" to learn more about what you can do to help the many children of Haiti and other countries around the world. We have been overwhelmed and are so appreciative for the thousands of people who have contacted us and are interested in donating, volunteering, taking children into their homes, and so much more to help the children in Haiti. In response to all of this interest, we will be conducting a webinar from 3 to 4p.m. EST on Wednesday, January 27. There is no charge for this webinar and the login instructions are below. This webinar is open to the public and will be recorded and available to watch online at a later date. As our focus is on finding families to help children, please invite others who may be interested. If you are unable to attend and would still like to donate to help make sure orphans in Haiti are having their basic needs met, please visit  www.bethany.org/donate to donate to the Haiti-Earthquake Recovery fund. To login for the webinar please go here to view the instructions. It will be helpful for you to login by approximately 2:45 p.m. EST.  We look forward to having you join us Wednesday afternoon!

Go Team!

The band.  The cheerleaders.

Rival teams.  Good friends.

A trip to the snack bar.

Fun times at a high school basketball game.

I like to go to one game a year.  That's the most Paul can endure.  I wait until we play the other local team because I know the stands will be crowded and it will be an exciting time.  We don't even know one player on the team this year.  But I love the atmosphere and the nostalgic feeling.

So here's how our family enjoyed the game.

Couldn't wait to get a treat from the snack bar.

Entertaining ourselves with a self portrait.

Getting tickled by a pom pom.

There's a basketball game going on?  What game?

Paul usually brings a book when he's headed to a sporting event- you know, in case he gets bored.  This night he made the grand gesture and did not bring a book.  *So sweet*  He hasn't gotten the memo that there's more to going to a game than just watching the players.  See above photos.  We were happy to see some friends there and I think that helped Paul pass the time.

I couldn't believe these posters of the players.

So High School Musical.

We made it to half time, which was 9pm, and headed out.

Yes, Reuben wore his cape.  I told the boys they could bring a quiet toy and that's what he picked.

 Running around in the empty hall with the air flowing through his cape is too much fun.

So my need was fulfilled.  I come from a sports family and spent many hours in gyms growing up.  It just feels good to go back once in awhile.  And sweet Paul, who has no understanding of this, smiles and comes along.

Love.  He loves me.

Everybody's Doing It

Well, not everybody, but several of us here in Population 1,042 are reading through the Bible in a year.  I've done this before but this year I have 2 new tools that are making it so interesting!

CLICK HERE to go to a website called One Year Bible OnLine.  You can sign up for them to email you the day's Bible reading, no need to look it up.  It's right there.  I open it in the morning and have it on my screen all day and read it as I have bits and pieces of time.  If I keep it up like that I know I'll see it and read it before I turn off the computer at night.

It's already late January, too late to catch up for this.  Uh-uh.  On that same page you can choose today as the first day and start from the beginning and end next year on Jan. 23.  Isn't that neat?  You're not behind at all.

1. Select which version of the Bible you want to read
2. Choose a start date (today!)
3. Then on the left, click E-mail Signup.
You're on your way to a daily date with God, along with thousands of other readers.

THIS SITE is a great sidekick to reading The Word.  It's the One Year Bible Blog.  It has comments and insights on the day's readings.  I kind of skim through what he says, but what I really love is that he posts paintings from the centuries that go along with the reading.  Beautiful, interesting, relevant art.

Rembrandt's "Jacob's Struggle with the Angel" from the year 1659

From Genesis 32

Another thing on this blog is at the end the writer posts a music/worship video that relates to the day.  I enjoy those too.  So do the boys.



THIS IS ONE OF THE VIDEOS from the blog.  It's Brandon Heath's video of Give Me Your Eyes.

Peter asked me what is was about.  What a great opportunity I had RIGHT THEN to explain to him more about God and how we can strive to be more like Him.

Lord give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing

Give me your love for humanity

Give me your arms for the broken hearted

The ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see

Paul vs. the Dossier

He cracked me up.

He gathered 3 snacks and a drink
before attempting to settle in and get to know

the Dossier.

He made it to about page 10 and has not been back since.

Some relationships just aren't meant to be.

No worries.  I've got it covered.

The Dossier will go on.

Cuties and Cute Reuben

We are big Cutie fans.  Easy to peel, no seeds, and tasty.

(Tiger art courtesy of our friend Kaitlynn.)

Here's a photo log of Reuben's Cutie-eating skills.

He started to peel it, but apparently juice squirt him in his eyes. 

So he disappeared and came back with his goggles.

So smart.

Totally protected now.

Nevermind breaking it into little segments.

Cuties are so fun.

And he's so cute!

More Love

No new post today.
I'm interested to hear more of your LOVE stories.
You can click the comments button to read others' stories.

In the Name of LOVE

When you're doing something tough, it doesn't seem so bad when you realize you're doing it because you love someone.

Today, I loved my future child.  I gave my blood, sweat, and more to fulfill another piece of the adoption process:  the physical and the tests that go with it.  I didn't faint like I nearly did in China when they took my blood so we could live there long-term.  That blood test was love for my husband.

Here's an excerpt from an email I wrote to my parents from China on September 20, 2003...

"Having our blood taken was not so fun, at all, not really a bit.  I have a great anxiety issue with needles, and even more so in a foreign country where I can't understand what they are saying, and things are a little less sterile than I'm used to (the blood lady was using an old Pringles container to store some empty vials).  As we waited in line to put our arm through a bank teller window to have our blood drawn, I began to feel a little weak.  They use a super small needle and I didn't feel it at all.  No band-aid, just a Q-tip on a wooden stick.  So I thought I was fine.  As we started to leave the crowded, little room I started seeing black spots, became very cold, nauseous, and felt I would soon pass out.  And I remember fighting it so hard because I was afraid of what they would do with me if I did pass out.  We had to go to another room for paper work stuff and I sat down, became very hot, and was ready to give up my lunch.  I never passed out or vomited, and I began to feel better during the taxi ride home.  When we got home I was so emotionally drained that I napped.  Paul was fine.  He is much tougher.  I told him I hope he realizes how much I love him, because I wouldn't go through a foreign medical exam for just anybody.  I wasn't sure if Peter (7 months old at the time) would have to be examined too and I was relieved that he didn't."

I'm such a wimp, I know.  But living in China with an infant was emotional and stressful for me.  Add in an unsterile needle situation and I'm a gonner.  Paul reminded me of this lovely story today as I had a needle in my arm.  He was trying to be helpful, he said, distracting me.  But really let's talk about our honeymoon in Encinitas or having breakfast overlooking the Bosporus or taking ballroom dance lessons.  Let's not talk about other queasy times in the midst of a queasy time.  Sweet man.

Have you loved someone recently?  Did it make you faint?  Was it easier to get through because of the love?  Leave a comment and inspire us with your love story.  There's a little comment button right below this.

My Dad

I have his face.  I look just like him.

He knows things like the capital of Ethiopia.
Like how to put a hitch on a truck.
And how to throw to the cut-off man.

He knows how to install a backyard sprinkler system
And how to bowl a 300.

He also knows how to work HARD.
And make personal sacrifices for his family's benefit.

He has a cute smile
And a great head of hair.

He has fun at weddings
And adores his grandchildren.

I like remembering him as a baseball coach
because he was patient and knew how to teach them.
And he let me keep the scorebook, which made me feel important.

He taught me how to be a loyal Dodger fan
No matter where in the country I live.

He's taught my boys how to watch sports on TV
and how to do them in real life.

I'm so glad I have a dad
A dad like you.

Happy Birthday!

To The Beach

We wish.

Rube and I woke up feeling the waves calling to us.  I was able to come to terms with the fact that we live a gazillion miles from the California beach.  But Rube insisted on putting on his swim trunks this morning.

He's ready.

You just never know when a beach situation might show up.

Someone enjoy a beach for us today.

*Can you tell this is his favorite shirt? 
It's in just about every picture of him. 
I do wash it.  Promise.*

Ode to my Brother

I have a big brother.

And I'm so glad I do.

Everything he did as a kid

I wanted to do too.

*That's as far as the rhyming goes*

He skated on a Vision board
and when he was done, I tried it too

He learned the trumpet and played in the Lehman band
When I was old enough, trumpet is what I chose too

We pegged our pants
And played floor hockey before school
I remember the first check he wrote was to buy a hockey stick

I locked him out of the house once while he was babysitting
My apologies - I'm sure you were mad.
But I felt like I'd conquered some huge feat.

I watched him climb onto the roof to retrieve a ball
And I felt confident to do it one day, then got stuck
and the neighbor dad had to get me down.

He has achieved much and is so well liked
He loves his family and cares for others
He tells a good joke and gives a good hug

I just wish our families got to be together more.

I love you

Happy Birthday

Snakes and Ladders

We just finished studying Ancient India and learned that the game Chutes and Ladders comes from India's version called Snakes and Ladders.  So we got it out and hissed like snakes when we slid down a slide.

 Giving Rube the low-down on how to play.

If only all of life's instructions were as easy as Chutes and Ladders'.

Sweet ladder-climbing skills.

 Age 3 is really a great age for this.  No need to follow any rules.  Spin the spinner only because it's fun to do and just find a ladder or slide and go up or down it.  Game ends when he gets distracted by something else.  5 minutes tops.

Play with a 6 year old and the game lasts for-ev-er.

Guitar Lessons

A favorite activity at our house is to turn on some upbeat tunes and jump around and flail about.  Not Paul and I so much, but Peter and Reuben, yes.  They specifically like Relient K and Hawk Nelson and this one Bionicle song from Lego.com.

Bruce, the stick horse, serves so many purposes.

Today, he's a guitar.

Mastering the Power Stance and Full Arm Strum with Paul.

Like this, Dad?

About to slide out of the Power Stance.

And the big finale- Guitar Spin!