Praying for Henry Holdren

Please pray for the oldest son of our dear friends, Joe and Marci Holdren.  They are they loveliest young family.  Henry is their oldest son and was life-watched to Kansas City yesterday morning due to a very sudden and severe kidney infection after having had the flu last week. 

If you feel so called, good friends of theirs have set up a fund to help defray the medical expenses.

Please go to their Go Fund Me account.

Thank you for your prayers for this wonderful family.

A Fall Walk

We really cannot complain ever this winter due to the beauty this fall offered us for so long. I would be ashamed of myself. I love taking the kids on walks.  I "try" everyday after lunch to stroll around our neighborhood.  I think they enjoy it too.  I love to point out God's fingerprint everywhere to them.  I know when they are older and look back at their childhood, they will delight in our simple walks.  My father enjoyed walking through the cemetery because he knew so much history about the residents of Beloit, KS.  He knew I loved the connections of  different family members.

I read during naptime from the book Echo in Celebration the following paragraph:

"One of my favorite books is Exuberance: The Passion for Life, by Kay Redfield Jamison.  The first chapter, read in a restaurant, inspired me to walk a mile in 35-degree weather past a windy New England waterfront, rather than take a taxi, just so I could feel more of life.  I was very cold, but I spent 30 minutes reveling in a fisherman in a bright yellow dory, the song of automobile wheels on a 100-year-old bridge, a set of armor on a porch, lace curtains in a Colonial window, and lots of "hellos" to bundled up strangers.
I live and breathe life and learning.  Jamison's book made me want to share, with anyone who would listen, the joy and enthusiasm that results from living a life grounded in the exuberant love of learning--or rather, playing hide and seek with God as He reveals His creation (Prov. 25:2).  

This pictures doesn't capture how thoroughly incredible this scene was. These two trees were shaded every color...red, orange, yellow, green, pink, purple and the ground was covered with crayon shavings of each color.  Pink was the dominant color which was so enchanting.  I took them up really close to look at that beauty. 

I knew the days were numbered to enjoy the array of color so I was determined to go for a walk at dusk for them to fully understand how amazing fall is.  We walked for an hour and half.  Ironically, most of the trees lost their leaves the very next day.  Isn't it funny how God prompts even in the smallest of details.
Children are just so simple.  I feel as though we have attempted to show them many great and small wonders, but they usually can recall with great detail the smallest wonder with much more excitement and nostalgia.  My friend and I talk about how her kids always remember the time they sat under their covered porch during a heavy rainstorm to do their school work. Her kids ask to do that over and over. 

Every girls' worst nightmare.  This happened to me AT college, ON CAMPUS, IN FRONT OF MANY FELLOW CITIZENS.  I guess it is genetic.  Here she is all looking darling and little does she know...She not know now, but she know soon....(Mammy!!!)

She watched her sisters gather an abundance of leaves and toss them into the air.  So, she gathered her bundle and proceeded to drop them on the ground.  We have same thing....(Mom!!!)

Our Shop Around the Corner

Chapter books and series we have enjoyed:

-Redwall series by Brian Jacques
-The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien
-Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
-The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence
-The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
-Biggles' Big Adventures by Captain W.E. Johns
-NERDS:  National Espionage, Rescue and Defense Society by Michael Buckley
-The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon
-Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne
-Alvin Fernald Mystery Series by Clifford B. Hicks
-American Girl series
-The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Our Shop Around the Corner

The Roman Mysteries Series by Caroline Lawrence
Dominic, Lillie, and Rose have all enjoyed this series of books. (Grades 5-8)

Book I:  The Thieves of Ostia
Book II:  The Secrets of Vesuvius
Book III:  The Pirates of Pompeii
Book IV:  The Assassins of Rome
Book V:  The Dolphins of Laurentum
Boook VI:  The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina
Book VII:  The Enemies of Jupiter
Book VIII:  The Gladiators from Capua
and many more

Mr. Ferris and His Wheel by Kathryn Gibbs Davis and Gilbert Ford
I just loved this story of American inventor George Washington Gale Ferris Jr. and his wonderful Ferris Wheel invention.  What was particularly interesting was the fact the Walt Disney's father worked at the Chicago World Fair where the first Ferris Wheel was unveiled.  Disney's father worked as a young man building sets at the fair.  He told his son about the illuminating lights and sounds he witnessed during his time there which sparked an interest in Walt Disney Jr. to build his now famous theme parks.

Mrs. McBloom, CLEAN UP your classroom by Kelly DiPucchio
We read this book several years ago and for sometime after could not remember the title of this book to check it out again.  I tried googling anything I could remember about the story, but nothing.  In particular, Dominic loved this story.  Finally, we remembered a key word in the title and were able to check it out again.

Time Marches On

These next few pictures are cute and adorably disproportionate as Zellie is shown heaving thunder thighs himself on her hip.  Not until you look back ONE SHORT YEAR AGO, do you really realize the galloping speed their lives are growing each day.  It is so intriguing to me how we develop as human beings from tiny infants to full-grown adults.  Yet, the lessons are still the same, we just get taller each year.  Looking back at my earlier years of motherhood and remembering the attempts at holding onto my old free self, but knowing that my vocation now was to be in the home carefully tending to the next generation.  Parts of that self still wanted to "See the World."  Now though, 12 1/2 years into mothering, even though the delights of the world are still interesting, I want to be home more than anywhere else without much of a second thought of anything else.  I still find world news and events exciting, but not at the expense of time spent with our family.  Even when I am away from home, my heart is pulled towards home.  When John so willingly offers me a chance to step away, I really just want to be home with him enjoying our children together.  We have invested years into our children and ironically those children become your intrigue, individual biographies to be read and re-read,  human beings to get to know over and over.  Funny how that works.  

My sister was going to come for a visit this summer.  We emailed back and forth about our plans.  I told her most what I was looking forward to was sitting out back on our porch swing together watching the kids play.  We did that multiple times this summer. 

One year ago.  ONE.  We couldn't help but chuckle at his legs.  Those legs go everywhere now at lightning speed.  He is trying so hard to talk.  He can throw a great fit.  I am surprised he learned to walk as his six other mothers carry him around like he still weighs 8 lbs. 7 oz.