What Does A Crib Plus Power Tools Equal?

Man-ly Answer: A Power Nap
Baby Faith's crib was erected today. All stuffed animals are in place for the big day, and the baby bedding sewing project is complete. With only three bedrooms upstairs, Grace and Faith will be sharing a room together. Grace says she can't wait to have a sleepover in her room everyday of the week.

A Trip Down Memory Lane With Daddy

We are having some space issues with storage in our house. So this winter we are trying to slowly go through our storage and pitch and donate much of those things we have been holding on to for way too long.

During our Christmas packing up, Ken pulled out a huge duffel bag that contained all of his Lacrosse gear and jerseys from years ago. The headgear Jack is wearing in this picture must weigh 10 lbs. alone, and Grace is sporting a jersey from a lacrosse All Star game where Dad snagged a hat trick.

Mandatory Vacation Instituted

After writing my post on little vacation time, I chewed on it for awhile, and decided that I needed to put my foot down and insist on a one week vacation. Baby Faith is four weeks away from arrival, and there is much to do before she arrives. I told the children that even though they might not need a vacation, sometimes Mommies need a vacation. With the children having plenty of games and new activities to play with, not having school has been less painful. They still asked for it today, but I am beginning to think that their reliance on it is more of a dependence on routine.

The tree is down, the Christmas cheer has been safely packed away, the house is relatively clean, and the projects are getting done...FINALLY. Hmm...Maybe a TWO week vacation should be instituted.

Croquet In the Dead of Winter...Anyone?

Forced to play outside for one hour before they were able to claim their one hour of media time (video game, computer, or TV time), the kids elected to use their new croquet set from Christmas. I couldn't resist the humor of taking a few pictures, as the weather was less than ideal for croquet and the children were pretty miserable. Notice the "I'm totally hating this" glare from Grace in picture two.

Grace's First Loose Tooth

This morning Grace asked for a breakfast apple. I poked a little fun at her as I watched her try in vain to break the skin of the apple. She mentioned that when she bit down her front tooth was sore. Remembering her face plant into the side table a few weeks back, I took a closer look.

Sure enough, Grace has a genuine bonafide loose front tooth! We're nearing the crossing of another milestone. Our baby is only 6 and she's going to lose a tooth. Grace is ecstatic and can't wait to get it more wiggly. Jack on the other hand, isn't sure what to think, and prayed tonight that when Grace loses her tooth she will soon find it again. :)

Guess I need to buckle down and schedule Grace for her first dentist appointment.

Christmas Un-Wrap-a-Thon

Christmas morn was greeted with a shadow of Grace in the dark beside my bed, asking if it was time to get up. As dark as it was, Grace had thankfully slept in until 7:15am. I mumbled something like "Go get dressed and make your bed first.", to stall and get a few more minutes of sleep under our belts. Jack was still out like a light when I managed to clammer out of bed, so I stalled Grace longer with a shower. Poor Grace, she was so good, but about ready to bust at the seams with the prolonged stalls.

By 8:15 everyone was pounding down the stairs to check the cookie plate for evidence that a foreign presence had entered the house. The children stampeded down one more flight of stairs, in search of a second confirmation - and lo, Santa had indeed been there and indeed found our tree in the basement. After unwrapping a few traditions hidden in the stockings (Christmas socks, Pez, and a Book of Lifesavers), we were able to con the children into one more stall. Ken let the children unwrap one special Santa gift which was a new Bible that had a good reading of the birth of Christ. So the kids snuggled with Dad as he read, while I cooked and iced the cinnamon rolls. After a doughy and gooey breakfast (took the buns out too early), we rolled our bellies back down the stairs.

Santas gifts are very special, so naturally, the kids wanted to open them first. Grace's gift from Santa was a very nice electric keyboard:


Jack's gifts were a motorized Percy to replace a badly beaten up and sandy motorized Lady:


Jack also received a child sized guitar. Can you see what plans the parents have in place for 2006?? That's right, music lessons here we come.


There were many, many, many good gifts this year. The children have enough board games to make them go cross-eyed, and they also a have healthy supply of outside supplies: soccer cones, a goal post, hopscotch mat, Jack's first ball and glove, batting tee. One outside gift, two hop-a-longs (large balls with a handle), have become a source of major indoor entertainment. The children are doing hop-a-long races around the house. It has been great exercise.

More highlights for the children include a Fast Lane car race track, a series of Paul Goble books, and a 2 foot long tank for Jack. Below is Jack revisiting his top rated book for 2005 "The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses", and pouring over the new sounds and songs of his tank.

The rest of the day was spent in recovery mode for the parents as we tag teamed naps in. By 7:00pm the children were toast and put in their beds for a little recovery of their own. Then it was our turn to play with our new toys (and the children's toys). And what would a relaxing night be for two homebodies without Sunday night football, a couple of episodes from 24 (series 4, Netflix style), and a sack of Starbursts at our side?

Thank you to all of our family for your generous and thoughtful gifts. We missed you greatly this year. But it sure was nice without any of you here. ** a little inside joke on Ken's side of the family. **

Christmas Eve...

Our final day of anticipation is here. It is Christmas Eve. After a day full of football, and preparing the playroom for a year's supply of toys and games, the family headed out to the 7:00pm Christmas service. Recently, Jack received his very first ties, and he couldn't hide his pride as he sat on the stage listening to the children's portion of the Christmas service. After a thorough cleaning of his nasal passages, he proudly pulled out his "power" tie from under his sweater vest to admire its sheen under the lights. I'm not sure what he said, but he was clearly enjoying displaying his new apparel to a captive audience. The children also had the thrill of holding their own candles this year.

Upon our return home, we popped some P-corn, set out some of Aunt Kristy's enviable cookies (only the best for Santa), and provided the reindeer with a power dose of Vitamin A (carrots). Mom prepared Christmas morning's cinnamon buns. And then we all headed upstairs for the treasured and long awaited 3 tickle hugs that only come on Christmas Eve.

Ken and I marathon wrapped the remaining presents for underneath the tree, bringing us to a chipper 1:00 am. Here she is in all her glory, surrounded by a splendor of gifts.


Earlier this week, Grace and Jack were told that they would be able to tell Santa's presents apart because Santa would wrap them in green paper with little Santas all over them. Here is the finished product, complete with special Santa tags and a personal letter in response to a letter Grace wrote Santa back in November.



This is the last year Grace will probably fall for "Santa". We were questioned if Santa's reindeer could really fly, and Grace asked Ken point blank if Santa was real. Neither one of us wanted tell on Santa yet. (Mostly out of fear that the news would reach Jack.) And so, for at least one more year, we hold on to the endearing myth of Santa, his reindeer, and his special gifts on Christmas morning.

Praise be to God that our family's true comfort is in Christ who's mercies are new and real EVERY morning.

Merry Christmas everyone! We love you!

Grace Reads Her First Chapter Book

Our family is on a huge Kate DiCamillo kick right now as a result of our adventures with Despereaux. To my delight, I discovered on our last weekly library trip that DiCamillo has also started an easy to read chapter book series. Her first book in the series was just released and is called, "Mercy Watson to the Rescue". The outstanding illustrations in the book, and the short chapters that divide the 70 pages, make this a wonderful way of easing into reading chapter books. Next Monday will be her last chapter read for the book.

I can't believe I am writing this post. As I write now, she is reading to her younger brother in the next room. Grace has progressed with incredible speed in her reading. Without question, teaching my own child how to read has been one of the greatest highlights, and accomplishments of my homeschooling year. What an irreplaceable blessing.

Grace reading this evening to Jack.

Our Collosal Gingerbread House

Look what came in the mail two days ago! Aunt Christy and Uncle Mike sent us a giant (and I mean GIANT) gingerbread house they ordered through Eddie Bauer. Compare our graham cracker house, with this skyscraper!


The children have been hovering around it for the last two days and playing house with all of their little people. They have been so good about not picking, but today, has been MUCH more difficult. So far one frosting tree was extracted and brought to me by Grace. Later it disappeared from its temporary location, and ended up in the mouth of Jack. When questioned about the disappearance and the green line of frosting across his mouth, Jack asked with a sly smirk, "What Christmas tree?".


If they can hold off, the kids have been promised a grand feast after Christmas. They will then be promptly shipped to their aunt and uncle's house for sugar detox.

THANKS AUNT CHRISTY & UNCLE MIKE!!

This Is Just Plain Bass-Akwards

Yes. As you may have noticed we are still having our school time everyday. Christmas break? What is that??? I am starting to feel like the odd man out. While Mom is all for a week of vacation, the kids are completely opposed to the idea, requesting school as usual. In complete honesty, I can say that except for a few days during our vacation in Colorado this summer, a mandatory two weeks off before the new school year in August, and four days around Thanksgiving we have had no other breaks.

I have to admit that by abandoning the two week school break I had originally scheduled for Christmas, it has allowed us to catch up for Year 1 readings that have slipped by here and there. So it does appeal to the task list checker in me. However, there just seems to be something inherently wrong with the conversation:

Grace: Mom, when are we going to do school this morning?

Me: (trying to wrap up some advertising and design work before the holidays) As soon as I finish these last few things. Almost there.

Jack: (20 minutes later) MOM...I just want to do school.

Me: Guys, go play for a little while longer. I'll be done soon.

Grace: (5 minutes later) Are you done yet?

Me: WE DO SCHOOL WHEN I'M READY TO DO SCHOOL. WILL YOU TWO GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO DO RIGHT NOW!!!! (Sudden wash of guilt over me because I blow up over my kids wanting to do school.)

Nativity Abductions

Grace and Jack have taken to playing daily with our nativity scene, and various additional characters they wish to add. Lately these characters have been in the form of marbles rolling around the nativity.

Jack and Grace had a small tiff today, and it was impossible not to bust out in laughter as Jack wailed through his tears, "SHE TOOK THE BABY JEEEEE-SUS!!!!"

GA Aquarium Field Trip

We've had quite an exciting day today! Unknowingly, I timed our fall nature study (Freshwater Fish & Crustaceans) with the opening of the Georgia Aquarium. We are on the last week or two of our nature study, so Ken and I decided to do a grand finale to the school term and head to the brand new Georgia Aquarium for a homeschooling field trip.

The aquarium facilities really are outstanding, and it is hard to decide where to go first. There were many highlights. One of the most notable was walking through the 100ft long acrylic tunnel, and being surrounded by some of the world's biggest fish. The experience was a thrill, as we watched schools of sting rays swim above us, and viewed the largest fish in the world -the "whale shark", and the giant grouper (below), just to name a few.


The children enjoyed having the opportunity to touch with their own hands bullnose rays, starfish, and shrimp. Much of these animals had been covered in Grace's reading material (Pagoo), and it was a wonderful supplement for all of us to see many of these creatures and plants first hand. Grace and I found ourselves enamoured with the jellyfish, anemones, the octopus, and the beluga whales. The aquarium had at least five belugas in a giant tank. Grace was insistent that I try and catch all five on the camera:


Other highlights included the sea otter tank, and the penguins. The most unexpected treat was a 3D Movie with "Deepo" the GA Aquarium Mascot. It was a hoot to watch Grace try and grab the objects that appeared before her eyes. We all received a few unexpected water showers from above and other surprises from underneath our chairs during the movie.

Here's me and the kids at the front end of exhaustion, just before leaving the aquarium:

Jack Is Taking TaeKwonDo!

Here is our little soon to be student of the martial arts. Today, the entire family headed out on a multi errand mission (shipping packages, haircuts, etc.). On a whim, we checked out a nearby TaeKwonDo location where we met Master Yu. Both children were entreated to a 15 minute personal lesson by Master Yu.

It has been our intention over the last month to enroll Jack in a martial arts class so that he can:

A. Start diverting his head butting aggression in a more formative outlet.

B. Have an activity that is all his own. (Something that he can teach and demonstrate for his sister.)

It was quite hysterical to watch the children be told to shout while they punched, kicked and blocked. At first they were pretty soft spoken and timid, as they probably thought "But we aren't allowed do this sort of thing at home". However, by the end of the lesson, Master Yu had them loosened up, punching their hardest and shouting loudly "TAE! (block) KWON! (punch) DO! (kick) Followed by "YES SIR!".

We both think this will be a good thing for Jack. He'll be in a small class of three to four 4-5 year olds, that meets twice a week. This is also something he and Daddy can do together. Daddy was a black belt in Karate in his youth, and it will be a bond of encouragement the two can share together.

Little Pea...Speaking Up for Spinach

This has nothing to do with homeschooling, but I need to stop and make a few comments about a great book that I checked out for the children at the library called "Little Pea". It a small simple story about a young pea that has to eat all of his CANDY for dinner, before he can have his dessert - SPINACH. The children have found this concept entirely humorous, and it has become an instant favorite. I highly recommend searching this one out at your library. As a parent, the story is short and clever enough that it is hard to tire of it.

It certainly had an influence on Jack. Who decided that tonight he wanted Spinach for his dessert. And he was serious. As luck would have it, I had a box of frozen spinach (which honestly has been in my freezer for over a year). I brought out the box and let Jack look at the picture of spinach on the front. He was a little more tentative, but still open to trying it...until I mentioned that it was a vegetable. As soon as he heard the word "vegetable" he instantly changed his mind.

What did he have for dessert? CANDY.

Our Mini Ice Storm

It seems like every year Georgia has an ice storm. This year was no different. We woke up to the world of Narnia in our own back yard. As much havoc as ice can cause, I can think of fewer things more gorgeous then a 1/2 inch of ice glistening on a forest of trees. Ken and I had heard the power clicking on and off throughout the night, but at 8:00am it was final - No power.

I have to admit that Ken and I are getting pretty good at coping with ice storms. As soon as it was clear that the power outage was not short lived: in came the wet wood to dry by a roaring fire, out came the crankable powered radio, and every door was closed in the house. The children did their school work and forced us to read just about every library book we had checked out yesterday. Ken snoozed by the fire, and later reflected, "So this is what it feels like to be retired." We all took advantage of hot showers and had PBJs for lunch. With Ken's Eagle Scout fire always burning, the temperature in the room stayed a remarkable toasty 69 degrees. Thankfully, by 3:00 pm the power returned, as nights without power are a little more chilly.

Tonight, the last of the relatives' Christmas wrapping was completed. ALL of our shopping has been online, which has brought an unimaginable 15+ boxes of every shape and size into our house. To entertain themselves, (while Mom and Dad banned them from the green room to hear Iraqi election news in peace), the children began packing each other up. It was entertaining enough that the parents found themselves watching the children, more than the news.

There are days when being out of routine can be a good thing. Ice storms have been a powerful catalyst for bringing our family together. Everything always seems cozier on those days. And children have a way of adding an anticipation and excitement to the day.

It Is The Thought That Counts

In our house, our family has a new tradition that Ken and I started about 6 years ago...The Giant Christmas Cookie Tree. Every year we build a cookie tree from a kit that uses different size star shape cut outs. It is always sure to bring laughs, as our tree usually has some sort of disability by the time we are through creating it.

This year, I wanted the kids to be involved, so I took just the top five cookie tree cutters, and let the kids build mini trees. Thinking ahead earlier this week, I stumbled upon a new product Pillsbury has made - ready to cut cookie dough sheets. What a find! WRONG. Word of warning, these sheets are great for cookie cutting, but if you are looking for something that remotely TASTES edible, move on.

Before I realized how inedible the cookies were, I searched on my favorite recipe site for a really good icing. I landed on one with 5 stars and 150+ reviews, plus only 5 ingredients. I should have had a clue when I discovered that my shortening had a large crack running up the tub. How long had I had that in the cupboard?? But I scooped out 1/2 a cup and added it to the mixture. Meanwhile, our cookie sheets had come with a small pack of bright red icing, which I promptly told the kids probably tasted awful, and had loads of preservatives - "Mama was going to make REAL icing". Long story short, if our cookies were remotely digestible, they were completely disgusting after the icing was added. I purchased all of these nice little pretties to decorate with, but nothing stuck on the icing. In desperation, we did try some of the Pillsbury Icing, which to my humor and shame, was better than delicious.

So here are the childrens' cookie trees. They are more like "LOOK-kie" Trees, as that is all the children can do with them now. I imagine they'll look just the same 100 years from now, thanks to the petrified shortening and clay cookie sheets.

Bucket? Check.

Last night was not pleasant. I had already been working with Jack throughout the day on his belly pains. Something has not been agreeing with him over the last two days. Whatever it is, it has the tendency to turn his #2s a lovely shade of green.

So bananas and bland toast for his dinner last night, and a 3rd shower in 24 hours.

At almost 1:00am, Ken and I were still up doing the midnight owl work jam in front of our laptops and watching Falcons football. Unable to fend off the fatigue, I headed to bed. Grace had already made an unusual second trip down the stairs that night with stomach complaints, and the inability to sleep. Checking in on her, I was surprised to see her wide awake in bed. She excitedly reported that she felt a lot better after a trip to the bathroom and the dose of Pepito. Nevertheless, the "just in case" bucket was firmly in place beside her bed.

Mamas just know don't we? Exhausted, I climbed into my own bed, to enjoy a few minutes in a horizontal position. I laid and waited for the inevitable, not satisfied with the more than chipper report of health. Sure enough...after 5 minutes...I heard the familiar sound of my child preparing to wretch, and a holler for "Mom!".

And so it goes...that was our night. Buckets of sour acid, warm washcloths, back rubs, loads of hand sanitizer, a couple hours of sleep...buckets of sour acid, warm wash...you get the point. I prayed hard for Grace to be blessed with the 24 hour flu. I think I got my wish. No fever, and no wretching. But the poor child was exhausted by 6:00pm tonight, and I'm suspicious again...as she just couldn't seem to get warm enough this evening.

And so, the faithful bucket still stands, ready to defend the newly steam cleaned carpet at a moments notice.

Monday Mouse Mania

This morning, the kids and I broke from our regular scheduled programming (schooling), and took advantage of a morning invitation to Chuck-E-Cheese for a birthday party. Never again, NEVER, will I go to Chuck-E-Cheese at a normal time. School is in session for most kids at a morning hour of 10:30 am. Because of this, we had the entire place to ourselves! No craziness, no insanity, no worries about children that disappear out of your line of sight...just good fun with friends.

The children had a great time, and I found that even I surprised myself by hopping on a mach Sea-Doo with my son to ride the virtual waves. It was admittedly a little hard on the 8 month pregnancy and pelvis...and I'm sure beyond comical...but with nobody there to laugh mercilessly at me, I enjoyed it.

Trains...Planes...& Automobiles

Dad forgive me...but I'm going to have a little fun at your expense on this post:

Yesterday we were informed that Grandpa Adams was flying back to Georgia on a free voucher he had earned. And then he'd be flying back home on Sunday (today) at around 4:00pm.

WHAT???? A 12 Hour Visit????

Ken and Kristy were convinced that Dad must have had something very important to tell the family. It didn't make sense otherwise. Christian and I, on the other hand, shook our heads with a smile, and informed our spouses that this was "just Dad being Dad."

Yes. Grandpa Adams is a little quirky at times. (He's a bit like the nutty professor. Aren't you Grandpa?) But we love him dearly. :)

Anyway, my Dad, the nutty AND absentminded professor, missed his flight trying to park in Economy parking. Economy parking... uh huh... let that sink in... for a one day flight. Never a quitter, Dad stayed the course, taking a later flight and making his connection in Chicago. At the early hour of 1:30AM Sunday morning he reached his destination at Christian & Kristy's house. As a side note, some of you might find the humor in the fact that his luggage was also lost in the process.

Yes, I did say LUGGAGE. My Dad took and checked luggage for a 1 day trip.

However tired and haggered he was, we were all glad to spend time with him at our church service and for lunch at Moes. And then he was off to the airport...back to New Jersey. That crazy Grandpa...

The rest of the day had been planned a few days in advance. Ken has in his possession a treasure that we pull out every Christmas - a Lionel train set with the track glued onto a large piece of painted plywood. His family worked on it over 20 years ago, and he was the lucky duck who got to keep it. The kids have been looking forward to pulling the trains out of the boxes and getting it set up. So that was our afternoon. This is always a mix of nostalgia and annoyance for the adults, as the train and track are fussy enough, that it pretty much requires that an adult be present at all times to fiddle and fix. But tradition is tradition, even when there is a little Bah-Hum-Bug sure to be involved.

That's My King

Take three minutes of your time today and remind yourself this Christmas season just why it is that Jesus Christ is Lord over all. The words of Dr. S. M. Lockridge will burn in your heart and bring tears of pride to your eyes as Lockridge poetically describes his King, The Christ.


That's My King Video (Click on the link...You won't regret it.)

Our church played this video clip a few months back, and I instantly regretted that I didn't have the opportunity to transcribe the entire text -- it was so moving. Someone e-mailed Ken a link to the actual video and words the other day, and I'm addicted to it. I've looked forward to playing it daily, (and hopefully soon memorizing it).

I've just finished Beth Moore's Bible Study of the gospel of Luke, "Jesus The One & Only", and I am finding that the words of S. M. Lockridge are a perfect summation of how I feel about MY KING after digging deeper into the life of Christ.

Breakfast With Santa

Barely functioning after our late night TGG Christmas party the night before, we all tried to rub the sleep out of our aching eyeballs, and headed over to the church early for our scheduled pancake breakfast with Santa Claus. It was a close call at the breakfast table. Ken had asked one of Grace's friends what he wanted from Santa this year, which quickly prompted a "Santa isn't real!". Luckily, the child is soft spoken, and Ken and I both found ourselves overpowering his response with an instinctive "Hey....ho...ho....". I don't think Jack or Grace caught the revelation.

The highlight of the church's Breakfast with Santa event is twofold: Santa, and the decoration of a gingerbread house with every type of candy imaginable. This can turn into a serious competition alongside a serious sugar rush. Last year our family won "Most Kid Friendly" (most crazy, and least parent assisted). This year, things were more controlled around the gingerbread decorating:

Here is the final presentation of the children's gingerbread house. Grace and Jack are sandwiching their next door neighbor friend, Phoebe.
Ken and I both agree that Grace isn't ready to extinguish the idea of Santa Claus. She hung on his every word during his visit, and was never far from his side. Later in the morning, when his celebrity status had faded a bit, Grace was able to bring Santa over to her table to view her newly completed gingerbread house. She made sure to tattle on Daddy, letting Santa know that last year, Daddy had eaten off her gingerbread house.

The 3rd Annual TGG Christmas Party

As has been the annual Christmas tradition between our two families, Ken and his business partner's family gathered together for an evening of food and cheerful fun. This year, we packed up our gifts and desserts, and headed down to have the event at Jonathan and Rachel's household. Rachel had cooked up a wonderful Turkey meal, and it felt like Thanksgiving all over again. My dessert contribution drove home the Thanksgiving theme as I had accidently grabbed the wrong covered Pyrex from our fridge. Yes folks...imagine my horror when I discovered that I had brought two week leftover Thanksgiving turkey for dessert, rather than cute little cheese cake cups. OIY!!!! Luckily, all was not lost in that I had 5 cheese cake cups and a handful of chocolate pretzels stowed away in smaller Pyrex.


The kids as always got along splendidly and enjoyed the rare company they get to spend together. Ken and Jonathan had their traditional Christmas cigar outside, while the women of the house discussed our homeschooling experiences, organizing households, and babies over coffee. It is hard to believe that a whole three years have past since our two families took a huge leap of faith, going into business together. It has been a hard road, but this Christmas we found ourselves laughing over "Remember when..." stories, with a sense of great promise coming in 2006.

Hic..Hic...Hiccup

I remember how popular The Guinness Book of World Records was in grade school. I'm not sure if there is an entry for the "Longest Bout of Hiccups Inutero", but I have to wonder if Faith is close to breaking the record. She easily has the hiccups at least 5-6 times in a day, and the poor little one just has a heck of a time shaking them once they start.

Thinking about those good ol' days of looking through the world record pictures and facts, I searched online and found the The Guinness World Records Web Site. Interestingly enough, there is an entry for the Longest Bout of Sneezing...978 DAYS...CAN YOU IMAGINE???

Grace's Face...Ground Zero

I'm doing a little catch up on the blog after quite a wild two weeks...so while this post should be for the 2nd, it is being written today.

Last Friday, Grace and Jack were jumping around in the bedroom down in the basement while I did some stealthy Christmas shopping online for Ken (he was at a meeting). The bedroom echoed of giggles and fun, until an awful crash/thud followed by piercing screams from Grace. I was already running to the door as fast as I could just from the sound of the crash. Mother's Instinct knew that the sound was no ordinary sound, but the sound of something human being crushed.

Grace was on her knees on the floor in front of a bedside table. It was clear her mouth had been the brunt of the impact, as I watched blood well up in her mouth. I was so sure by the sound of it all that I would find teeth missing. But they were all solidly in place. Instead, it was her gums that had been ground zero and she had severed her frenulum (the membrane that hangs between the gum and lip). The right upper side of her gums were so badly banged up, a small piece of one tooth root was on display.

We ran to the bathroom splashing water into Grace's mouth full of blood, and then I did my best to run with baby in belly up two flights of stairs for washclothes and ice...and then run back down. (NOT a pretty sight). After a panic call to Ken for a second opinion, I felt a little better. Ken has that calming affect on people.

The bleeding was under control and Grace had calmed down, so I grabbed the laptop to check and see if this would need a trip to the ER or dentist. In two minutes, I was able to pull up the info I needed, complete with pictures of the exact same injuries Grace had sustained. Thankfully, I learned that mouth injuries don't usually require medical assistance, as the mouth does such a great job healing itself. What an amazing tool the Internet can be. It is not the first time I have used it to balance my thoughts and inform in an emergency.

It is now a week later, and her mouth has healed very well. Her gums still are black and blue bruised, but the teeth aren't changing color on me, and we aren't breaking out into infection or fever. The poor child has one heck of a shiner along the left side of her laugh line, and a bit of the puff still. But she'll make it.

I'm still struggling with the sound of flesh and wood meeting in my ears.

I See That!

Baby Faith (in utero) has become such an active part of our reading time these days. As soon as I begin read-a-louds with the children, she'll begin doing a very pronounced belly dance. This is becoming increasingly more difficult for the children to ignore. The books and children's elbows on either side of me are visibly getting kicked during our reading time together.

Today Grace was reading her book of choice out loud, and about every other page, one of the kids would announce "I saw that!". I hope this is a positive sign that she loves listening to books like her siblings...either that or she can't stand to listen to her mommy read.

(Wouldn't that be a Charlotte Mason kicker?)

Reading Her Own AO Literature

Grace read her own reading assignment from Baldwin's 50 Famous Stories today. This was a huge step from the simple cartoon 1st readers we have been utilizing. Last week, I gave Grace a poem or two to read from A.A. Milne's "When We Were Six". She loves to listen to 50 Famous, but the thought of reading it herself was a little intimidating.

The reading for today was a perfect length and looked like a good match for her level - the telling of George Washington and the chopping of the cherry tree. It was interesting to note that when I asked her for a narration, it came much more swiftly for her, since she had read it herself.

We've come so far in such a short time. It really is amazing to me how quickly she has been able to apply her reading skills.

December Date Night

The children have been asking for a lot of special time lately. I'm not sure if it is the extra time cooped up indoors or if they just have a stronger need for attention. We decided to have a Daddy/Daughter and Mommy/Son date night tonight to give the children again something new to talk about with each other (a little individuality), and of course...special time with one parent.

We double dated up to the point of the mall and then split our separate ways for a couple of hours. Dad and Grace opted for cheese pizza, a ride on the indoor carousel, and a rendezvous at the Build A Bear store. This was a first for her, and proved a worthy date choice. Grace filled us all in on each step of the stuffed animal process. She ended up building a large talking giraffe named Que (pronounced Q).

Jack and I had dinner by the light of the mall, over chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers. Jack had also spotted the carousel, so after dinner we hit the carousel, and quickly discovered that Daddy and Grace eat faster....they were already riding the carousel. And then it was off to the children's section in Barnes and Noble where the Thomas the Train table lay waiting expectedly for Jack's attention. Jack had the pleasure of playing trains with two other boys for an hour...rather than his big sister.

Raising of The 2005 Christmas Tree

Early this evening, the family piled in the car and headed to our favorite grocery store's parking lot to locate The 2005 Family Christmas Tree. We landed a beauty, and probably the thickest spruce we've ever had for Christmas (three men could barely pull her through the shoot to wrap her in netting for the ride home). This year we are trying something a bit different, and the tree is being displayed in our basement. After a very busy Thanksgiving, Ken and I seemed to both like the idea of being able to purchase a fatter tree, and only having to move all of our stored decorations from storage, 10 paces into the next room. Ken calls it our "Contained Christmas".

The children were chomping at the bit to decorate the tree while Dad worked systematically on stringing the lights. Dad's labored task was a bit too lengthy for their patience (maybe his too) so I took a risk and had the children be in charge of unwrapping all of our ornaments. They did very well with this exciting task, but they were quickly through, and Dad still had half the tree to light.

During my excavation for Christmas supplies, I had discovered a huge stash of childrens books I had stowed away in a plastic bin at least a year ago. This proved to be a treasure to be remembered. The children were glued to some of their long lost favorites until the time to decorate finally arrived.


Jack was an instant crack up with his decorating. Every ornament was placed in the exact same location. Unfortunately, after a good 20 minutes of pleasantries, it wasn't long before the children began hoarding the ornaments and scuffling over whose ornament was whose. Ah...the merry sounds of Christmas.

The tree is almost complete...a few more strings of beads and she'll be our bejeweled cheer for the season.

A Longing for Summer Again?

I'm not sure what triggered the reversion, but the children have suddenly taken up their butterfly studies again. They have been playing The Butterfly Game that we purchased from The North American Butterfly Association for the last three days. And for two days, Jack had the entire Butterfly Fandex (taken apart for better viewing) strewn all over his bedroom. I came in yesterday to find that there was a long trail of butterflies laid out and what appeared to be a pile of discarded butterflies off to the side. When I inquired about the line up, Jack said, those were the butterflies that were beautiful to him.

Unfortunately, the line up was situated right in the pathway between his door and his bed, so the "beautiful" butterflies were starting to look trampled. This evening we took 12 of his beautiful butterfly nominees and placed them on a corkboard, so he could have them displayed for his viewing pleasure in his room. Grace also selected 12 of her favs and we squeezed them between one of those cheap plastic large frames you can purchase for posters. In the midst of the organizing, I caught Grace and Jack laughing that they weren't going to pick the stinky butterfly. When I asked which one was stinky, Grace and Jack immediately identified it as the Common Mormon caterpillar. I couldn't believe they recalled that small tidbit of information, from our Butterfly of the Day moments. These little ones are such giant sponges.

Look Out Mensa...Jack is On The Horizon

Today Jack asked me... "Mom? How many inches do you cost?" This might be a question Mensa would be interested in using on their next IQ test, as I am sure that there is a logical answer.

Turning Dependence Into Independence

Our Holidays were consumed with family in town, and it has left me quite exhausted; I have had very little Will to blog in the last few days. My eyes are quite tired, so hopefully this post will make sense.

Over the course of this week, Ken and I decided that we needed to have the kids withdraw from the many electronic screens in our house: Computer, TV shows, Monkey Ball. The time in front of each of these items per week day was not excessive (each usually limited to an hour or less), however, when added up...it was becoming way too much screen time. The kids had recently seemed to forget how to play without a virtual world in front of them.

So starting this week, the children were given a choice. They could only have one hour of electronic screen time a day, however they did get to pick what they would do in that hour. In just a few days, I am beginning to see their dependence wane. They still look forward to that hour as the biggest highlight of the day, but at least we have a better balance on it.

This has also caused me to rearrange my school schedule with the children, as I myself had a dependence on the computer screen to entertain and educate one child with Jumpstart CDs, while I worked one on one with the other child on school. On an entirely different tangent, my lovely children have been waking up at 6:00 in the morning, and without a morning TV show(s) before breakfast, they now are dealing with another rule of staying in their room until 7:00am. This is all going somewhere...

The children don't have many toys in their room so I promised them yesterday evening that I would supply them each with a small basket of toys to entertain them during that morning hour. On a whim, I told Grace that I would also give her math and copywork on a clipboard, and if she wished to knock it out early, this would allow for more special time in the afternoon together. I honestly thought she might start it, but would soon be distracted by whatever Jack started playing with.

This morning she came to me with the school work completely finished! What a small blessing to our morning that finished work was. Knocking out the worksheet material, then allowed me to better juggle our Ambleside reading, and Jack's work. Jack was also strangely independent. I had given him copywork and some math to work on while I read to Grace (3 sheets), however, he independently decided to do both the front and back of all three pages (6 sheets total). I made sure to reward them both for an excellent school day with that extra special time in the afternoon. We played a butterfly identification board game (by their request) that we hadn't played since our butterfly study in the summer, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. With fingers crossed, I am hoping that this new effort to knock out school work while Mom is still snoozing or showering continues!

I think Grace is enjoying a feeling of independence too. I had already put together Grace's clipboard for tomorrow, but left it on the kitchen table. Without telling me, she set to work on the math sheet leaving only 4 problems left for tomorrow.

The Tale of Despereaux

When picking free reading chapter books for Grace and I to read, I tend to pick the books which had a lasting impression on me as a child. I find myself steering away from recent releases as I don't have time to pre-read our selections. Overall our experience has been safe...with one or two exceptions.

Grace and I had just finished two books about a mouse named Poppy that had a bit of questionable content despite the reasonably good read. But when I saw this on the library shelf, I couldn't resist, hoping that the Newbery Medal Award I saw shining on the book cover was a promising sign. I'm so glad I did. Grace and I are in love with an adorable mouse (Despereaux) who is in love with a Princess. To date, the book has been lovely, and a great read, that has had both Grace and I laughing. If the book continues on this pace, it is sure to be a classic in our family. Judging from the reviews on Amazon, it will be.

Our Last Hurrah

Today is the last full day for the children and cousin Alyssa to spend together. After assembling a number of gifts from last night (giant marble run, and Spiderman lego town) it was off to enjoy the day outside. What is a fall day without a giant leaf pile to jump in?

Friday Chili Night

To fend off the Turkey repeat blues, we declared Friday Chili Night and headed over to Aunt Kristy and Uncle Christian's house. While the chili was warming up, a bunch of us went to the nearby park and burned off an hour of steam.

Grace trying to hold her turkey from the night prior down while Uncle Jacob and Aunt Rachel team up forces:Meanwhile Grandpa enjoys the new contraptions that parks these days wield. Once the sun went down everyone was glad to be heading home for the fantastic spread of warm food: white chili, brown chili, spicy chili, cornbread, and pinwheel appetizers. Following the great eats, we huddled together for an early Christmas gift exchange.

Great Grandpa Adams (85 years old in a week) and his youngest great grandchildren.
The prank gift of the night was courtesy of Ken. The night prior Uncle Christian told on his dear wife Kristy and announced to the family that Kristy had been trying to locate Ken and Amo in church last week by Ken's bald spot in the back of his head. In retaliation, Ken purchased a bottle of Rogaine, wrapped it, and placed it under the tree with a gift tag that said To: Ken - From: Kristy. It was a great gag as we watched Kristy's puzzled face turn from shock to embarrassed laughter to determination to search for the real gift giving culprit. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Highlights

This year's Thanksgiving was one for the record books: Four generations of Adams' sitting in one room celebrating the Holidays together at our house. An experience to be remembered and appreciated. The food was grand, the company always lively, and there were plenty of laughs to go around for everyone.

Seated in this picture from left to right (Jack, Uncle Christian, Grandpa Adams, Grandma Adams, Uncle Jacob, Aunt Rachel, Amorette w/ baby Faith munching on turkey in utero, Great Grandpa Adams, Uncle Jeff, Cousin Alyssa and Grace). Missing in this picture are the picture takers - Aunt Kristy and Ken. Very much missed and present by phone this year was Aunt Sarah.

What Color Is Your Blood?

Driving home from gymnastics today, the children and I had an interesting discussion. Grace started the topic by asking me an off the wall question about blood. (I believe the wheels were turning around the topic of blood since Grace had picked out an excellent library book on bats yesterday, and happened to find a page on vampire bats).

Grace: "Mom? Do flies have blood?"

Me thinking to myself: Oh geez. I can't seem to remember a thing from my zoology class in college. I wonder how much that class alone cost my poor parents? (Quick rationale: There are blood sucking flies right? Wait...that's digestive...not circulatory...OH, GO WITH IT.)

Me to Grace: "Sure hun...probably a little."

Grace: "Caterpillars have blood, it is just a different color like yellow."

***Pregnant pause of deep thought interrupted by the mind of a four year old.***

Jack: "Do angels have pink blood?"

For some reason...I follow the logic. This entire discussion was then followed by a lesson in why we need blood, and what blood does. (I felt a bit more redeemed on the cost of college classes after that). Which spurred another discussion on how important not only oxygen is to our bodies, but also water.

BTW, in case you are wondering...after a little research, I now can say with confidence that insects DO have blood, but the blood is not used to carry oxygen. Instead, insect cells receive their oxygen through other means.

A Half Inch Away From Faith

The excitement in my tummy is growing. My little Faith continues to be my strongest, most spirited child in the womb. And, while the house is not quite ready for her arrival (bumpers still to sew, and cradle and crib still to reassemble), we are all so ready for her arrival. This house needs a good dose of change. It will be such a welcome sound to hear a wee little voice again among us.

Tonight while laying on my back, it was as if I could have held her hand or foot if it wasn't for the 1/2 inch of tummy flesh between us. I could feel what probably was a small heel slowly moving around my belly, and I was able to practically grasp the very end with my thumb and forefinger. Just a 1/2 inch away from touching my baby girl...so close, but still two months away.

Egg On My Face Again

Jack has reminded me again that I am coddling his capabilities. He has become very strong with his printing of letters, and in the last two months we have been working on practicing over the dashed lines of letter strokes, and then doing only two attempts at capital and lowercase letters completely free handed. Two months ago, this was a very daunting task for Jack, but with continued encouragement from Mama he's gaining ground and confidence.

Today after working on a worksheet with dashed out words, he decided to go above and beyond the call of duty and select another worksheet. When he picked out the worksheet (writing the words for numbers 1-5 completely freehand), I found myself actually saying to him, "That's a pretty hard worksheet Jack. Are you sure?" He gladly took the challenge and aced the strokes. I'm still trying to get all of the egg off my face.

Maybe I'm in denial. My little "Bubba" is growing up, and it is becoming clear to me this week that somewhere deep down, I'm fighting that.

It Is An All Out Reading Blitz!

Grace is officially a strong reader. She has gained the confidence she needs to now sound out any word she sees whether it be in a book, on a box, or on the street. We are almost complete with all of the online books offered by Starfall.com and I am also incorporating books from the library. This was all planned and expected work for this fall, and I am thrilled she has taken to reading so easily and confidently.

What was not expected is my just turned 4 years old son! He's been working on phonics sounds (a single sound per letter), and except for an occasional "oops" he has the sounds all down and associated with their corresponding letters. I just wanted him to become familiar with the sounds, and didn't even plan on introducing the concept of reading until at least another year. He apparently has other plans:

Today, while doing another double digit number recognition flashcard game with me, Jack decided to apply his own rules. Some of the flashcards we use have animals or shapes on the backs illustrating the number or amount, others have the name of the number written out in words. Spontaneously, the child began sorting out his "winnings" as he won them - shapes and animal backed flashcards in one pile, and number words in another pile. If the card had a word, he would check his answer by phonetically sounding out the letters.

This had me sitting in awe and also in horror. My son isn't ready for this!!! "Thirty-two" does not work out phonetically with only one sound committed to memory, and no introduction of how two consonants work together to create totally new sounds. What do I do??? Do I dive in with him? Do I just let him explore and hope he doesn't get frustrated with his sounded out results when they are so different from how the actual word sounds?

I am now embarassed that I had chalked up his boyhood as an instant mark against him for reading early. I just figured I would let him be. I have felt no rush in pushing reading with either of my children, but I assumed Grace would be my earliest reader. But (true confessions from a mother), I thought Jack would read later than Grace because he was a boy, because he was not a first born, or he'd just probably have stronger interests in other areas of his work for a good long while. Isn't that awful??? Shame on me.

Now I am not sure where to invest our time...I don't want to ruin an already good thing.

Reflecting On Beethoven

This morning as Grace listened to a little Beethoven while working on her math, she said to me, "Mom? Do you know what I would do if Beethoven was still alive? I would ask him if I could help him."

I joked with her that maybe she would need to learn sign language since Beethoven went deaf.

She started working again on her math and off the cuff said, "I wish he were still alive. I miss him. Do you miss him Mom?"

The "O" in Telling Time

As mentioned before, Jack has been very interested in telling time, and he's doing a terrific job at it. Today we reviewed whole hours and half hours on a face clock, of which he has almost licked.

He may have just earned himself the "Stumped Mom" award over spaghetti dinner tonight when he asked:

"Mom? Why do they have an "O" in one o'clock?"

I have no stinkin' idea. Anyone know what the point of the "O" is when telling time? Was the person who invented telling time in the English language, Irish?? Or before we got technical and exact about everything, did people used to say, "Oh, it is about one.", and things have just been rearranged over the centuries. :)

November Play Date

The kids and I had a wonderful time today at the local park with two other homeschooling families. I'm the play date coordinator in our group, and each month I try to get us together for a planned play date. Today I chose to ditch the standard playground and pick a great park nearby that has flat green lawns and loops and loops of sidewalks for bike riding.


Despite the gusty winds, the kids spent the next two hours in glee trying out each other's bikes and scooters, and kicking around the soccer ball. I tried to get photos of them in action, but between the wind and the constant movement of children, the pictures were pretty weak. The photo above was a spontaneous moment between Grace and Jack, when everyone else had left. Fatigue was just beginning to set in, but the children were still happy.

Later, Jack gave himself a voluntary nap while playing in his room. And Grace, came up and gave me a big hug telling me what a great day she had today at the park. That's what it is all about. Right there in an unsolicited hug. Being a Mommy just feels good.

Useless Bits Of Information About Me

Yesterday night I caught myself doing it again. I always do it when I drive a car. I've done it ever since I was a teenager. I have no idea why. I don't do it anytime else. It is just one of those things that makes me...ME...I guess. This got me thinking about other quirky useless things about me. Here's my short list:

When I drive, I bite and hold the insides of one or both of my cheeks. If I ever get in a bad car wreck, you'll know me by the two holes in my cheeks.

When I walk in public places, I tuck my thumbs inside my fists.
(I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day with that one.)

I walk like a duck - toes pointed out.
My father used to point this out to me relentlessly, forcing me at times to walk with my toes pointed straight. It felt like my knees were being pulled around 180 degrees. I blame it on my years of gymnastics in my youth.

I get my eyebrows waxed.
When I pluck them, I get into huge sneezing fits. For some reason the feel of flesh ripping away from my face isn't as bothersome.

As a child, I used to be able to hear disturbing patterns of sound.
It was always the same pattern of soft and strong sounds, and once it started, it was incredibly difficult to avoid hearing, no matter where I retreated. I used to think it was something evil. It disappeared in my teenage years - thank the Lord.

In college, my hair turned bright green after a very bad chemical reaction with hair dye. I have never dyed my hair from a box again. I went from long locks to short boy cut in order to cut the green out. Paying mula at a hair salon is worth every penny.

I am the first born of four.
That explains a lot.

I have never received a speeding ticket.
After driving for over 15 years, the thought of getting pulled over by a police officer for speeding still makes my heart pound. I do speed...just probably not enough to make the sirens go "wicky wicky". (Wicky wicky is a term used by cops in our neck of the woods for going lights and sirens. How do I know that? My younger brother is a cop. I'm 32 years old, and my brother is a cop in the same county as me - and I am STILL afraid to get a ticket. Go figure.)

The perfectionist in me hates that I only can think of 8 useless things about me. I have got to have at least 10 things that are useless about me. Or 15. Or 20. Not 8.

Ah Peace! I've got one: I sleep on a baby pillow. My husband calls it a "scrap". The top of our bed is really funny looking. Ken has a giant king sized fluffy pillow that takes up half the bed, and my pillow is barely perceptable (only about 2 inches thick and half the size of a standard pillow). I don't like any of the standard pillow cases we own, so it looks even more ridiculous hiding in a king sized pillow case.

Trading Hymns For Prayers

Ambleside Online includes the use of learning hymns and folk songs in their curriculum, which falls right in line with Charlotte Mason. This is the only part of the curriculum that causes a struggle within me.

I have a strong appreciation for many of the classics, but the thought of teaching my children hymns, admittedly has been one I have avoided. It just sounds boring (throw tomatoes now). If you catch me singing praises in the car, it is to bands like Audio Adrenaline, Jars of Clay, or Swiftfoot. I'm sure Ms. Mason would be rolling over in her grave. I'm guessing I'm not your typical Ambleside mother.

I do have an alternative that I think is an equivalent to memorizing hymns, and that is memorizing prayers. Hymns and prayers are very much similar in their intent and posture. One of the legacies I want to leave to my children is a plethora of prayers. Prayers said together as a family, like hymns, can bring a flood of childhood memories back to the adult mind. The act of passing prayers on through generation after generation, is important to me.

Starting last January we began memorizing a new prayer for each term. These prayers are said as a blessing over our meals, and the children relish picking out the prayer to be said. Here is what we have learned so far:

Robert Herrick's - A Child's Grace
Here a little child I stand,
Heaving up my either hand.
Cold as paddocks though they be,
Now I lift my hands to thee,
For a benison to fall,
On our meal and on us all.

Paddocks are another word for frogs, and a Benison is a blessing.

This next prayer is one carried down from Ken's German paternal grandparents. It is a combination of two Lutheran prayers and was said a mealtime.

All eyes wait upon Thee O Lord,
And Thou givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest thine hand,
And satisfiest the desires of every living thing.
O Lord God, heavenly Father
Bless unto us these Thy gifts
Which of Thy tenderkindness
Thou as bestowth upon us.
Through the merits of Jesus Christ,
Our Lord and Savior.
Ever one God,
World without end. Amen

Our last prayer is actually a portion of a song from Nicole Nordeman appropriately called "Gratitude".

Daily bread, give us daily bread
Bless our bodies, keep our children fed
Fill our cups, then fill them up again tonight
Wrap us up and warm us through
Tucked away beneath our sturdy roofs
Let us slumber safe from danger's view this time
Or maybe not, not today
Maybe You'll provide in other ways
And if that's the case . . .

We'll give thanks to You
With gratitude
A lesson learned to hunger after You
That a starry sky offers a better view if no roof is overhead
And if we never taste that bread.

I have been in search of more prayers that we could learn for next year's terms. If any of you have ones that are near and dear to your heart, I would love to have you include them in the comments section.

Boggle Jr. - A New Play On Phonics

This past weekend we purchased a few more board games for the children (masked as a birthday presents for Grace). These included the classic Chutes & Ladders game, as well another heralded classic - Operation. Added to the mix was Jr. Boggle.

I remembered playing and enjoying the game Boggle in my youth, and this looked right up our alley for where we are with both kids in Phonics.

This week we have been using Boggle Jr. as our Phonics work, and the children have found it a fun challenge, and something unusually hands on for Phonics work. They need to complete ten cards, (if they spell the 3 or 4 letter word correctly using the letter dies it is theirs to keep, otherwise it becomes my card).

I was impressed with how well Jack has picked up on this game. Some of the vowels are difficult, but the consonants are within his grasp with his new basic knowledge from Starfall of phonics sounds. Plus anything that looks remotely like a flashcard is instantly hoarded.