Bells are Ringing

This school year, Hannah, Josiah and I joined a bell choir. We've been practicing since September. On December 11th, we were part of Carol with the Bells at First Baptist Church in Lilburn. There were several different groups playing. Ours is called the Joyous Ringers and we rang Oh Come all Ye Faithful and Joy to the World.

 

 

The choir is directed by Phil Meyers.

 

 

 

Hannah and Josiah did very well and we enjoyed listening to the other choirs that performed, also.

 

 

 

Vacation 2012 - Part Five

On day three, we scheduled a tour (Little Lady stayed at a vet for boarding). At first, Josiah wasn't sure about riding a boat (a ferry to be exact), but just check out his face in this smilebox and see if you think he likes it.

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Vacation 2012 - Part Three

This is the third part of our first day of vacation on August 15th. We experienced two different beaches on Jekyll in the morning, after which we had to go back to our hotel room to clean up and rest. In the early evening, we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset and walk at St. Simon's Pier Village.

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Vacation 2012 - Part Two

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It Only Comes Once a Year

July 23rd -
Hannah, Josiah, and myself took the long ride out to Dallas, Ga.
We were greeted by this . . .

Yes, it was my birthday

and this . . .

Western Red Cedar garden bench

and my smiling mom. A note attached said, "From Dad". Inside the house was this . . .

Glass garden tower

The note said, "From Mom".

What makes these gifts so special is that they were made by the same hands that lovingly cared for me, that worked to feed me, that labored to shelter me, that were clasped in prayer for me, that held me and guided me. The hands that I looked to imitate as I sought my own way on life's road. Such precious gifts of life and creativity.

"And pick one more," my mom said.

So I picked one more glass tower for the garden. ". . . because you need one that has a light in it," she told me. Those hands that didn't let me leave home without first giving me The Light of the World, continue to give and give and give.

Back home in my own little garden, I remember them and feel the glow of love in my heart.

There is nothing like a parent's love especially on your birthday.

What We Did on the 4th

Just in case you were wondering, we went to Six Flags. I bet you're thinking it was crowded. No.
I bet you think we paid alot of money. No. I bet you're thinking it was too hot. Well, uh, it was kind of hot.

Passages 2012

On June 16th, we met some friends at the Passages Exhibit. It was really very interesting and covers the history of the written Word. The kids wore headsets that explained the artifacts to them, so they did not have to read everything. There were also videos throughout of people in history (portrayed by actors of course) speaking to you about their involvement with scripture, as well as lifelike moving figures that "talked" to you.
No photography was allowed inside the museum, so all of the pictures in the Smilebox were taken before we went in, during our lunch break, and in an area off the gift shop where I practiced being a modern day scribe.
If I wondered about it being worth it to go before, I have no doubt now that it was definitely a meaningful thing for our family to experience. It was very well done. When you entered each section, there was a wall map that highlighted what part of the world and what time period the exhibit displayed. There was also a fun aspect for the kids. They were on a mission to find Louis the Lion and his paw prints and listen to him on the IPOD when they entered the number on the paw print. He would give them two riddles to solve - one serious and one silly. Josiah loved that part.
Would you believe, our Latin word for Monday following this trip was 'liber'. It means book. I did not know that before. Maybe you did. It thrilled me, because I had seen that word so many times at the exhibit on the Latin manuscripts and was unsure of it's meaning.

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Mother/Son Minute To Win It

Josiah and I had a great time at a special event for mothers and sons with our homeschool friends. We had a dinner and then played games from a show called Minute To Win It. Although us moms, were a bit nervous at first about what we might have to do (like pick up cotton balls with our nose using petroleum jelly), we quickly got into the action and had a blast with our sons.

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Fun Friday at Rock Ranch

I guess this Smilebox tells most of the story. What started out as an overcast day, got pretty hot before we left. The good thing is that it was not at all crowded.
It may take a while to download, because there are alot of pictures on this one.

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Our Day at Six Flags

The kids took part in Six Flags Over Georgia's Read to Succeed program this year in order to earn free tickets to the park. It was their first time going and quite fun for mom and dad to share this experience with them. Our first time as a family!
The day started out hot, but then we had a heavy rain and thunder storm that stopped the rides for a while. After the rain when they started back up, there was no wait for most rides and some you could ride multiple times because no one else was waiting to get on.
The favorite of our family seemed to be Thunder River, which was closed the first part of the day, but opened up after the storm. Theron, Hannah, and Josiah rode it through three consecutive times without getting off. Hannah also loved the Dahlonega Mine Train and Gotham City Crime Wave (a big swing). Wile E. Coyote's Canyon Blaster was also a blast with Hannah.
We had a fun, full day and left the park wet and tired and talking about next year.

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Monday Thanks

22. mothers

me and mom

23. sisters

my sister and mom, often mistaken for sisters

24. little girl enthusiasm

my great neice learning with her new toy

25. new books

Rome to the Reformation, next year's curriculum



Celebrating Summer Birthdays

On July 25th, my family came for a swim and cookout to celebrate my birthday, as well as my sister and brothers'. Their birthdays are in August, so they got to party early. I have one other brother, who lives in Oregon. His special day is in May. Too bad, he couldn't come. Guess it is just too far.
My mom had written each of us a poem and I want to share mine with you.

I got creative, too and made individual personalized cupcakes for everybody. Got the idea from a friend. Thanks, Mitzi.

Me and my siblings. Wesley, Leah, myself, and Daniel (oops, he's not there. He's in Oregon.)

And last, but not least is a game. What is it? The first person to figure it out will get. . .

. . . the satisfaction of knowing they are very clever!

Fun Friday Dog Tricks

Hannah took this video showing Little Lady doing "paw, high five, turn around, roll over, dance, and leave it".

Have you taught your dog any tricks? Let us see them.

Have you ever been to The Newport Aquarium?

We had a great time on our first day of vacation, getting up close to the penguins, petting the sharks(yikes!), and taking a walk across the bridge to Ohio.

Alligator Encounter - 2000

In Lake City, Florida there is a place where an old man

raises alligators.

In the year 2000, I was there.

I posed with this statue.

I posed with the real life alligator that Tarzan wrestled with in the shows I watched as a kid. The "alligator man" showed us the hole in his snout, which was used some way to keep his trap shut during the filming. He moved quite slowly as he was very old.

I still can't believe I got that close to a real live alligator. The "alligator man" would not even get close to this one though. He had some baby ones inside a building that he was showing us and they were only about 6 inches long. He asked if I wanted to hold one, so I thought it would be one of these little babies. He left the room and came back with this "cutie".

I said, "Are you sure?"

He said this one was very tame. He takes it to schools and does talks, etc. He put him on my arm and instructed me to rub him on the back of the neck. Actually I don't know if it was a he or she. I smiled and through my teeth said, "Theron, take the picture quick. No one will believe this unless I have a picture."

Now that was a close encounter!