Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Boys Working Together
The boys lost a birdie from the badminton set on the roof. I thought it was so nice how they worked together to get it down.
Movie Making
The boys are celebrating the beginning of summer by making their own blockbuster movie. Bryan and JT, along with Josh and Bradley (two friends from church), have been working on a movie that has bits and pieces of Indiana Jones, Narnia, High School Musical (??) and several other movies in it.
They spent the last days of May at our house filming Indy Jones (Bradley) unlocking a wardrobe in our basement and then finding himself in G'Narnia (the backyard), where he fought a Ninja. I think JT makes a cute Ninja, don't you? Oops. I mean, he's a tough cookie, showing off that Tang Soo Do form! I'm told that later in the movie he transforms into "Short Oval." They won't tell me more than that. I don't think I want to know more than that!
They spent the last days of May at our house filming Indy Jones (Bradley) unlocking a wardrobe in our basement and then finding himself in G'Narnia (the backyard), where he fought a Ninja. I think JT makes a cute Ninja, don't you? Oops. I mean, he's a tough cookie, showing off that Tang Soo Do form! I'm told that later in the movie he transforms into "Short Oval." They won't tell me more than that. I don't think I want to know more than that!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Moustaches!!
All the moustachioed men at the party.
Marty, Papa, Bryan, Caleb
Bryan's moustache is helped along by chocolate icing.
JT had to get in on the act with a Cheetoh!
Bryan's moustache is helped along by chocolate icing.
JT had to get in on the act with a Cheetoh!(sorry, Feingold friends...it is not a natural cheetoh)
Today is Laura's birthday. She's Janet's oldest daughter.
More pics on that in a future post. These were taken at her party.
Today is Laura's birthday. She's Janet's oldest daughter.
Terrific Memories
Yellowstone
Mt. Rushmore
Yellowstone
7-11 Store...JT and Bryan were 7 & 11 when this was taken
Winnie the Pooh signs a t-shirt for John, who was overseas on his first deployment. All the characters we met at Disney World signed his shirt!
This is SO Much Our House!
... especially after a day of homeschooling and Luci's had the run of the house.Monday, June 09, 2008
John's Travel
John's been on an Army trip the past two weeks. He was hoping to get an earlier flight home but since it was a Monday morning, that looked pretty impossible. Busy business travel day. His orders were to travel in his army uniform. The people at the ticket desk saw his uniform and were so helpful and got him on a very early flight back home! Hooray for the airlines people!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Saturday, June 07, 2008
We Must Spread the Word!
I can't believe I've been doing it wrong all these years.
Thanks, Micki, for the funny!
Thanks, Micki, for the funny!
Friday, June 06, 2008
The Original Blogger
This man had the idea for blogging before Al Gore took the Internet public.
Here's the whole story:
Daily Polaroids Detail Last 18 Years of NYC Man's Life
Saturday, May 31, 2008 Fox News story
For 18 years Jamie Livingston kept a record of every day of his life, but this was no ordinary journal.
Livingston, a New York City-based cinematographer, amassed thousands of Polaroid photos, taken each day of his life during those years, and a collection of the photos has been posted online by friends for people to see and experience, according to a report by MyFOX National.
Many of the photos were of friends. The subject sometimes was as ordinary as a smile, a window or a household item. Another was taken on his wedding day.
Livingston's friend Risa Mickenberg told MyFOX National the photos are an essay on life.
"'Photo of the Day' is a work of light, color, laughter, pain, travel, beauty, wonton soup, afternoons, coffee, hanging out, love, life in its entirety," she said.
Livingston was born in New Jersey on Oct. 25, 1956, and died in New York City 41 years to the day in 1997.
In 1978 at Bard College he began to take photos with his Polaroid camera, according to MyFOX National. After a few weeks he realized he had taken almost an image a day. He then began to earnestly take one photo a day and continued the project until his death.
Here's the whole story:
Daily Polaroids Detail Last 18 Years of NYC Man's Life
Saturday, May 31, 2008 Fox News story
For 18 years Jamie Livingston kept a record of every day of his life, but this was no ordinary journal.
Livingston, a New York City-based cinematographer, amassed thousands of Polaroid photos, taken each day of his life during those years, and a collection of the photos has been posted online by friends for people to see and experience, according to a report by MyFOX National.
Many of the photos were of friends. The subject sometimes was as ordinary as a smile, a window or a household item. Another was taken on his wedding day.
Livingston's friend Risa Mickenberg told MyFOX National the photos are an essay on life.
"'Photo of the Day' is a work of light, color, laughter, pain, travel, beauty, wonton soup, afternoons, coffee, hanging out, love, life in its entirety," she said.
Livingston was born in New Jersey on Oct. 25, 1956, and died in New York City 41 years to the day in 1997.
In 1978 at Bard College he began to take photos with his Polaroid camera, according to MyFOX National. After a few weeks he realized he had taken almost an image a day. He then began to earnestly take one photo a day and continued the project until his death.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Luci in the Pool
JT taught Luci how to float on her back and kick a little to move around the pool. He was a great little teacher and is so proud of teaching this to Luci! This is in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Luci had a great time with Bryan, too, learning how to jump into the pool.
J.T.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
More Painless School Review...Part 4
No explanation necessary on why this game is a good idea.JT and I set the timer tonight (so the game wouldn't last forever). I thought I was going to really skunk him but he managed some triple word scores and when the timer went off, we had a tie! Good for you, JT!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
I Love These Photos!
This was taken at the Army Reserves Christmas dinner in 2001. Santa just made an appearance. Wow, JT and Bryan--you've grown so much since then!
Luci right before the family photo was taken at the Fire Department on Mother's Day. They raise funds by selling portraits.
Luci right before the family photo was taken at the Fire Department on Mother's Day. They raise funds by selling portraits.
Monday, June 02, 2008
?Sunday, June 01, 2008
Where's Luci?
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Change Is Coming!
This is a sort of rambling post...skip it if you like.
Something's got to change...I've prayed for a long time for wisdom in how to protect our time as a family, and ensure that we are doing what we ought to be doing for our kids. How to guard that time, without becoming hermits? How to train them to love God more? How to have the children all feel like they are on the same team, rooting for each other instead of going off to study alone?
Something's got to change... The past few months have seen us dealing with the high cost of gasoline, just like you are. So, why did we build "way out here?" Why not in town, or at least closer to town?
We spent a lot of time praying for and searching for our new house, or for a place to build it. We looked for a long time. This homestead we found was a real answer to our prayers. We drove up to this gorgeous lot that was even further out from our old house (we wanted to be closer to our church) and found a family having a picnic by the creek. Lo and behold, it was Colby Butler and his family. John took Colby on a camping trip or two 'way back when, when Colby was a teen. He remembered John as a good man and made us a good deal. We got the most beautiful lot for a song, compared to others nearby...and much cheaper than anything closer to our church. Colby was our contractor (he's dealing with the deck builders now since John's out of town--he's giving them "what for") and now we have the loveliest, most cheerful house I've ever lived in. Not fancy, but it's really us. And we love the Butlers.
And here we are, further out than ever. So we are consolidating every trip to town and re-evaluating the need for sports involvement. Karate stays...JT loves it, and he's pretty good at it. Soccer is over now, at least for a year. Field trips still happen, but they are completely planned out now, and must have something to do with what we are studying--no spur of the moment trips (fine with me, I don't do "spur of the moment" very well). Family takes priority. (So trips to see Heath, Audrey, Grandpa and Grand-Je and Nana and Papa are always on the list. Those won't stop.) Church activities are being weighed...not the mission trips, but some of the "just socializing" activities will be curtailed. We have a very active church, and could be busy several times a week. Just because it is good, doesn't mean it is good for us. Saying "no" is sometimes hard.
What else can we change to provide the outcome we want for godly children and time better spent at home? Well, we are changing how we "do school." This is the biggest change since we started homeschooling all those years ago with Bryan in Kindergarten. We are going to a unit study format, so all three kids will be studying the same subjects (but at different depths) at the same time. This means those science experiments will actually get done because I'll have three kids interested in the outcome, not just the one to whom I'm trying to teach the experiment. Trips to the different spots around our area will get done now, and more frequently because there is a reason to go--three reasons: Bryan, JT and Luci! A bonus: John retires soon, or will at least cut his days of work to 3 or so a week (that's by June of next year) so he can participate and go with us. He's a great adventurer, and makes a good compliment to my stick-in-the-mud-itis.
We've used AOP's LifePacs and Horizons, plus some other items along the way. Now we are moving on to Weaver Unit Studies. I am excited about it. It is a shake-up that I've needed, a totally different way of teaching my kids than I've ever done. Complacency is not good! We'll still use LifePacs for math, and Bryan's high school subjects will be supplemented with other items (for instance, he's learning Spanish with Power-Glide). It is more reminiscent of teaching in a classroom with several reading levels. You teach most things together but those specialized items like reading and math were divided up in my 3rd grade classroom in Duncanville.
I'm really looking forward to the next school year. Updates on our progress and change as it unfolds.
Something's got to change...I've prayed for a long time for wisdom in how to protect our time as a family, and ensure that we are doing what we ought to be doing for our kids. How to guard that time, without becoming hermits? How to train them to love God more? How to have the children all feel like they are on the same team, rooting for each other instead of going off to study alone?
Something's got to change... The past few months have seen us dealing with the high cost of gasoline, just like you are. So, why did we build "way out here?" Why not in town, or at least closer to town?
We spent a lot of time praying for and searching for our new house, or for a place to build it. We looked for a long time. This homestead we found was a real answer to our prayers. We drove up to this gorgeous lot that was even further out from our old house (we wanted to be closer to our church) and found a family having a picnic by the creek. Lo and behold, it was Colby Butler and his family. John took Colby on a camping trip or two 'way back when, when Colby was a teen. He remembered John as a good man and made us a good deal. We got the most beautiful lot for a song, compared to others nearby...and much cheaper than anything closer to our church. Colby was our contractor (he's dealing with the deck builders now since John's out of town--he's giving them "what for") and now we have the loveliest, most cheerful house I've ever lived in. Not fancy, but it's really us. And we love the Butlers.
And here we are, further out than ever. So we are consolidating every trip to town and re-evaluating the need for sports involvement. Karate stays...JT loves it, and he's pretty good at it. Soccer is over now, at least for a year. Field trips still happen, but they are completely planned out now, and must have something to do with what we are studying--no spur of the moment trips (fine with me, I don't do "spur of the moment" very well). Family takes priority. (So trips to see Heath, Audrey, Grandpa and Grand-Je and Nana and Papa are always on the list. Those won't stop.) Church activities are being weighed...not the mission trips, but some of the "just socializing" activities will be curtailed. We have a very active church, and could be busy several times a week. Just because it is good, doesn't mean it is good for us. Saying "no" is sometimes hard.
What else can we change to provide the outcome we want for godly children and time better spent at home? Well, we are changing how we "do school." This is the biggest change since we started homeschooling all those years ago with Bryan in Kindergarten. We are going to a unit study format, so all three kids will be studying the same subjects (but at different depths) at the same time. This means those science experiments will actually get done because I'll have three kids interested in the outcome, not just the one to whom I'm trying to teach the experiment. Trips to the different spots around our area will get done now, and more frequently because there is a reason to go--three reasons: Bryan, JT and Luci! A bonus: John retires soon, or will at least cut his days of work to 3 or so a week (that's by June of next year) so he can participate and go with us. He's a great adventurer, and makes a good compliment to my stick-in-the-mud-itis.
We've used AOP's LifePacs and Horizons, plus some other items along the way. Now we are moving on to Weaver Unit Studies. I am excited about it. It is a shake-up that I've needed, a totally different way of teaching my kids than I've ever done. Complacency is not good! We'll still use LifePacs for math, and Bryan's high school subjects will be supplemented with other items (for instance, he's learning Spanish with Power-Glide). It is more reminiscent of teaching in a classroom with several reading levels. You teach most things together but those specialized items like reading and math were divided up in my 3rd grade classroom in Duncanville.
I'm really looking forward to the next school year. Updates on our progress and change as it unfolds.
My Sleepless Angel
Okay, so she slept through ONE night. The last two nights have been horrible, and only about 2 hours of sleep each night. I should never mention her sleeping all the way through, it jinxes the days that follow!
And this comic fit all too well today!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Tag! You're It!
Katie Bug's Mom tagged me. I don't know her yet, except through her blog, but we have a lot in common. We both homeschool and we both have 2 bio boys, and a precious girl from China. Even some of my answers could be copied from her list. I'll try to not do that! But I will keep the declaration at the beginning of Katie-bug's list:
*For those of you who are not bloggers, you probably don't "get" this, but it helps us all get to know one another.
Favorite person (outside of family): That's not fair! Naming one person might upset somebody. I love my homeschool friends who live close-by. They help me so much (with ideas for homeschooling, with their friendship, and how to stay sane).
Favorite food? Chocolate. Anything chocolate. (same as Katie-bug!)
Quirks about you? Love to plan. Any trip becomes the equivalent of a military campaign. Except for Disney World, I've become kind of relaxed about that place.
How would the person who loves you the most describe you in ten words or less? Hmm. I've heard some things I like and some I'm not too sure about. :) But all are true.
Any regrets in life? Yes. But not many.
Favorite charity or cause? Love Without Boundaries
Favorite blog recently? There are quite a few that I read every week, sometimes more often. They are all favorites for one reason or another. They make me think, make me laugh, make me even more thankful to belong to this really neat group of adoptive familes.
Something you cannot get enough of? hugs from my kids (same as Katie-bugs!)
Worst job you ever had? I haven't really had that many jobs. I did hate cleaning the grill at Red Steer!
What job would you pay NOT to have? Anything dealing with bodily fluids, or anything shown on Dirty Jobs .
If you could be a fly on the wall, where? I would want to be in Luci's village, to see her birth family and to see how they live. I would want to be a talking fly, though, and tell them that she is safe and healthy and happy.
Favorite Bible verse right now? I Peter 2:9--a verse for Luci.
Guilty pleasure? Mystery novels, my favorite authors are Tamar Myers and MC Beaton.
If you had to spend $1000 on yourself, how would you spend it? A trip to Idaho! (see you guys SOON!)
Favorite thing about your house? Everything.
Least favorite thing about your house? Nothing--I love it. Except for the deck today (see yesterday's post!)
One thing you are bad at? sick kids (same as Katie-bug!)
One thing you are good at? Bryan just said, "being a mom." Awww! He said he was serious, and does not want any favors. I may get that all in writing.
If you could change one thing about your circumstances, what? have everything paid off.
Who would you like to meet someday? Luci's birth parents.
What makes you feel sexy? too personal. I don't like personal.
Who is your real life hero? My Mom. I honestly do not know how she accomplished all she did while I was growing up. (exactly the same as Katie-bug)
What is the hardest part of your job? Keeping my cool.
When are you most relaxed? When all the kids are asleep.
What stresses you out? Household clutter. That pile of ironing that needs doing.
What can you not live without? Air conditioning. Serious answer: Christ.
Do you agree with the recent article that blogs are authored by narcissists? I haven't seen that article. But mine is sort-of narcissistic, to be honest. It's the only place I can talk. And I love telling about our kids. And I like to think that sometimes I am kind of funny. (I loved Erma Bombeck.)
Why do you blog? My family is scattered around the country. Nice way to keep them up-to-date without having to do a Christmas newsletter. And again, I like to talk, if only to myself.
Who are you tagging? The people I've tagged before didn't respond, so I don't know if mentioning any one here would serve any purpose. Here it goes, anyway:
Sherry from my alma mater
Denna (did you do this yet?)
Buffi (have you done this one?)
Stephanie, Olivia's mommy
Scarlett--but she's about to give birth to baby #2 and probably too busy!
Kaylee! mommy to two beautiful boys
KT--she is sooo interesting. Love her blog! (also a Feingold friend)
Joan--another Feingold friend (I think you are interesting, too!)
Rules: 1. Answer the questions. 2. Link back to who tagged you. 3. Tag 8 bloggers to do the same.
*For those of you who are not bloggers, you probably don't "get" this, but it helps us all get to know one another.
Favorite person (outside of family): That's not fair! Naming one person might upset somebody. I love my homeschool friends who live close-by. They help me so much (with ideas for homeschooling, with their friendship, and how to stay sane).
Favorite food? Chocolate. Anything chocolate. (same as Katie-bug!)
Quirks about you? Love to plan. Any trip becomes the equivalent of a military campaign. Except for Disney World, I've become kind of relaxed about that place.
How would the person who loves you the most describe you in ten words or less? Hmm. I've heard some things I like and some I'm not too sure about. :) But all are true.
Any regrets in life? Yes. But not many.
Favorite charity or cause? Love Without Boundaries
Favorite blog recently? There are quite a few that I read every week, sometimes more often. They are all favorites for one reason or another. They make me think, make me laugh, make me even more thankful to belong to this really neat group of adoptive familes.
Something you cannot get enough of? hugs from my kids (same as Katie-bugs!)
Worst job you ever had? I haven't really had that many jobs. I did hate cleaning the grill at Red Steer!
What job would you pay NOT to have? Anything dealing with bodily fluids, or anything shown on Dirty Jobs .
If you could be a fly on the wall, where? I would want to be in Luci's village, to see her birth family and to see how they live. I would want to be a talking fly, though, and tell them that she is safe and healthy and happy.
Favorite Bible verse right now? I Peter 2:9--a verse for Luci.
Guilty pleasure? Mystery novels, my favorite authors are Tamar Myers and MC Beaton.
If you had to spend $1000 on yourself, how would you spend it? A trip to Idaho! (see you guys SOON!)
Favorite thing about your house? Everything.
Least favorite thing about your house? Nothing--I love it. Except for the deck today (see yesterday's post!)
One thing you are bad at? sick kids (same as Katie-bug!)
One thing you are good at? Bryan just said, "being a mom." Awww! He said he was serious, and does not want any favors. I may get that all in writing.
If you could change one thing about your circumstances, what? have everything paid off.
Who would you like to meet someday? Luci's birth parents.
What makes you feel sexy? too personal. I don't like personal.
Who is your real life hero? My Mom. I honestly do not know how she accomplished all she did while I was growing up. (exactly the same as Katie-bug)
What is the hardest part of your job? Keeping my cool.
When are you most relaxed? When all the kids are asleep.
What stresses you out? Household clutter. That pile of ironing that needs doing.
What can you not live without? Air conditioning. Serious answer: Christ.
Do you agree with the recent article that blogs are authored by narcissists? I haven't seen that article. But mine is sort-of narcissistic, to be honest. It's the only place I can talk. And I love telling about our kids. And I like to think that sometimes I am kind of funny. (I loved Erma Bombeck.)
Why do you blog? My family is scattered around the country. Nice way to keep them up-to-date without having to do a Christmas newsletter. And again, I like to talk, if only to myself.
Who are you tagging? The people I've tagged before didn't respond, so I don't know if mentioning any one here would serve any purpose. Here it goes, anyway:
Sherry from my alma mater
Denna (did you do this yet?)
Buffi (have you done this one?)
Stephanie, Olivia's mommy
Scarlett--but she's about to give birth to baby #2 and probably too busy!
Kaylee! mommy to two beautiful boys
KT--she is sooo interesting. Love her blog! (also a Feingold friend)
Joan--another Feingold friend (I think you are interesting, too!)
Rules: 1. Answer the questions. 2. Link back to who tagged you. 3. Tag 8 bloggers to do the same.
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