Saturday, August 25, 2007

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

I am really thankful that it's a breezy 76 degrees right now...can you tell by the title? :) It has been so hot lately that I have started having guilt that my kids aren't getting enough fresh air! We have really been staying inside a lot because I can hardly stand the heat. My excuse is that I am pregnant, but to tell the truth I would be doing the same thing if I wasn't! Kevin and I have talked that we are really acting like Kansans these days; a month of 96 degree weather makes us swoon; gone is our Texan-hardiness...

The kids are all out enjoying the weather with their friends. Keely and Noah are at their friends' house down the street playing Indians. Keely ran home to get her Pocohontas costume on and to have me put her hair in braids, and she was off. Lily was excited to be invited to her friend Sophie's house, and Sophie's very sweet and hospitable mom also invited Rowan at the last minute. The little ones don't play much with friends at this age, but it is such a blessing to have 2 Christian families right on our street whom we feel very comfortable with.

So, it's just me and Joe. He is busy looking at a Princess book (secure in his masculinity) and taking apart the vacuum cleaner. Kevin is upstairs working, hopefully closing in on the finish line of this project. We will all be happy to have Daddy back with us when he's home. But, the money for this web design project is a huge blessing as we are saving for a new vehicle. Yes, it will be a big, ugly 12 passenger van, I think. We have gone back and forth between the dreaded big van and an Expedition, but we just can't get around how much more practical the van would be. It will be a humbling thing for us, as we are going to have to eat lots of "We'll never"'s. But I suppose it really doesn't matter in view of the big picture, does it?

One last thing. The two older kids and I have started reading The Secret Garden together, and I have been pleasantly surprised at how good it it. I know it's a classic, but for some reason I got it in my head that it was a dry and boring book. We are enjoying it; even Noah.

Joesph is emitting a strong and unpleasant smell, so I guess that's my cue. Bye for now.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Monkey See

Noah and Joseph have a 30 minute block to play together during our school time, while Keely and I work on grammar. Here's what I found when I went upstairs to tell them it was time to come out.

BreakPoint

I thought this BreakPoint column by Chuck Colson was worth sharing:
Of Dogs and Babies Cruelty and Outrage
August 17, 2007

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia isn't known for mincing words on the Senate floor. Still, even by his standards, his recent comments about a crime in the news were especially impassioned.

He repeatedly called the alleged crime "barbaric" and even volunteered to attend the execution of the accused. He told his colleagues that he is "confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt . . ."

What prompted the senator's ire? Genocide? Ethnic cleansing? No, cruelty to animals, specifically the indictment of NFL star Michael Vick.

As you probably know, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was recently indicted in connection with a dog-fighting ring allegedly operating out of his home in Virginia. The indictment included shocking details about the cruel way in which dogs that could no longer fight were disposed of.

Public reaction to the indictment was so strong that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the unusual step of telling Vick not to report to the Falcons' training camp. If he had reported, Vick would have seen dozens of picketers outside the camp holding signs reading "Kick Vick" and "Sack Vick."

Let me be clear: The allegations, if true, are barbaric, and whether the defendants plea bargain or are tried, if convicted, they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Still, as former Congressman J.C. Watts noted, something's "out of whack" in this response. He wrote that people get "more worked up over the admittedly brutal and inhumane treatment of soulless dogs" than "the brutal procedure known as partial-birth abortion."

Writing in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Watts quoted CNN's Nancy Grace, who said that the dogs "can't defend themselves." He then reminded readers that unborn children are even more defenseless. "If only," Watts continued, "animal-rights [advocates] would acknowledge the more precious worth of human life."

Watts' explanation for this moral blindness is that "cultural degeneration" has so skewed our priorities that we decry "the mistreatment of innocent animals, while we turn a collective and legislative blind eye to the premature and yes, barbaric killing of human life in the name of 'choice.'"

He concludes by saying that "once—just once," he would like to see people express the same level of outrage at the taking of innocent human life as they do over the mistreatment of animals. "Absent that, [he weeps] for them and for our culture."

The blindness Watts describes is the result of the two most destructive ideas in our culture. The first is the belief in radical autonomy which exalts "choice" and blinds us to the reality of what is being chosen. Choice, after all, is just a process. What matters is what you choose.

The second is the denial that there is anything inherently special about man—he is just an especially clever primate. Thus, there's no reason to get more upset over the death of humans, however barbaric, than the death of animals.

Combine the two and you have sad irony that Watts noted—an irony whose contempt for human life should make us all weep.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Smooth Transition

I am so excited that our transition into our school year has gone really well so far! I give all glory to the Lord, Who has been hearing and answering many prayers about this subject. There is always a little anxiety in me as I anticipate the new schedule, new subjects, the change back to a regular pattern of days instead of spontaneous and free days. This is day three of our new school year, and though each of the kids have had a few frustrating moments, I am so thankful that so far the Lord has given me a lot of patience and that elusive 'eternal perspective'. You may be laughing to yourself, thinking, "It's only the third day.", but if you are a homeschooling Mom, you know that little victories can give great encouragement! Our schedule is not completely normal yet, because we are waiting on our Latin workbooks to arrive before we can start that. This year we are trying Veritas Press' Prima Latina program, on dvd. Kevin's sister has used this with her son and was really pleased, so it's nice to have a recommendation like that. Plus, the lessons are on DVD! Did I mention that already? I really like that part. Then, in a couple of weeks our co-op will start meeting, and Keely and Noah will have p.e., gardening, drama, and geography on Tuesday afternoons. Lily and Row have a preschool class. I took a picture of the kids on their first day. Kevin put it in the rotation of photos that shows up on our home page. It's the one of them standing in front of the sunflowers in our back yard.



May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Hebrews 13:20-21

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Saturday

Well, we didn't melt at Powell Gardens...but, almost. It really was a neat place, with lots of kid-focused educational and fun activities. The flora was gorgeous, and the butterflies, too. There is one kind of butterfly we saw (need to look up the name) with a little bit of blue on its wings, whose caterpillars only eat parsley. So I may try to plant some in our yard next year and see if we can attract some...My friend Jo came too, with her teenage boys. It was wonderful to have their muscle to lug our cooler and push strollers---oh, and, of course their company! :)

Kevin's been working really hard to meet a website deadline he's working on for a local church. God has really been answering our prayers and allowing things to move quickly. Tonight he's taking a short-but very necessary-break to watch the first Chiefs pre-season game. I should probably be a good wife and go sit with him and act interested--I mean, watch with him.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Helllloooooo

It's been a while...Sometimes I just am not in a writing frame of mind. I probably should try to blog more regularly; it's fun, and for those of you interested in the minutia of my life....okay, for my Mom, I will try to do better.

This is day 13 of my sugar fast, and I must say that I feel really great. Kevin's sister Mandy inspired me with her stories of how great she felt after going without sugar for the month of July, and I thought, "I can do that!" My main motivation was to feel less draggy in the afternoons, as well as stop gaining 7 pounds a month, as I have for the past two. With us beginning our new school year on Monday, and knowing that we won't be finished with our scheduled work til 2:30 or so, I hoped this would be a help. I have not been obsessive about reading labels on things such as ketchup, but I have eliminated the obvious candy, coke, etc. With the exception of the day a friend brought donuts over for the kids, it hasn't been too hard. (You just HAVE to at least lick your fingers after you pass out the donuts...! But, I didn't.)

Most of you probably know this by now, but we did wimp out and find out that we are having a baby girl! The kids were rooting for a boy, but they all made the shift to a little sister quite easily, and are really excited. This is the fun part of pregnancy, when you can feel that little person doing acrobatics and kickboxing at night. What a miracle and a gift.

Today we are headed to Powell Gardens in Missouri for their Festival of Butterflies. I am hoping we all won't melt. I'll post some pictures later, as well as some of the baby. Really, I won't wait so long this time, Mom.