Frog on my Blog

How's that for a title? Eldest and I (mostly I) finished dissections today; we recently did an earthworm, a grasshopper, and today, a frog. She maintained a stand-offishness throughout the whole frog thing.... I, however, was a trooper, fearlessly snipping, pinning, and identifying froggy parts which I then showed to my squeamish daughter. To her relief, we probably won't do any more dissections until her senior year.

In other news, there's excitement in the air (NOT just formaldehyde) due to our upcoming beach trip! We talk about what we're going to pack, what we're most looking forward to doing, who's sleeping where in the condo, etc. We're going with both sets of grandparents so I expect the kids will get used to a certain amount of spoiling :). That's ok, they spoil US too!

Later Days!
Kelly

American Girl Day

Today our local library system sponsored American Girl Day, featuring the Native American doll, Kaya. There was a storyteller/singer who shared some Native American folk stories and legends; he also played traditional instruments and taught us some songs! As you might have guessed, my 8yo girl wouldn't have missed it for the world!

You've never seen such a crowd of little girls and their dolls! After much deliberation, K. chose to take her Felicity doll. Naturally, I think that MY American Girl was the prettiest :).

Later Days!
Kelly

9/11

Eight years ago today, I sat holding my 6mo old girl and cried while scenes of devastation played out on television. I tuned in to the morning news in time to see the second plane hit the World Trade Center and continued watching well into the night and for days afterward, shooing my older children (aged 7 and 4) into different rooms so they wouldn't be exposed to such horrific images. The specter of survivors staggering away from the Towers, covered in dust and soot, desperate people jumping from the upper floors, and the search for bodies through the mountain of rubble are images that stick with many of us, I'm sure.

There were also scenes of hope: courageous emergency workers tirelessly putting themselves in harm's way, occasionally a rescue rather than a "recovery," an American flag waving proudly....

Like many other churches, ours held a spontaneous prayer meeting to pray for the families of the victims and for God's mercy on our country. How encouraged we were that so many seemed drawn to places of worship during this difficult time...and how discouraging it was to find that so many fell away quickly when the immediate danger was over!

No doubt, this world is just as dangerous a place today as it was eight years ago. We face economic and political uncertainty, violence, and mayhem on a smaller scale EVERY DAY. No doubt, our God is bigger than all of these things and nothing that happens catches Him by surprise! He wants to hear from each of us; He wants to give us peace and hope. Talk to Him!

Later Days!
Kelly

Friday's coming....

Hello, world!
First off, I have some things I'd like you to pray for:
--My uncle (Living Out Loud's dad) is going to have open-heart surgery tomorrow because of some blockages--please pray for a successful surgery and a quick recovery
--My Dad (otherwise known as Papa) is sick
--My friend's brother-in-law has just been diagnosed with stomach cancer
--My friend's mission team in South Asia, sharing the gospel through sewing classes!
--Our nation and its leaders

There are so many things we need to bring before the Father in prayer--please feel free to leave your prayer requests in the comment section and I would be honored to join you in prayer for them.

In family news, we had a wonderful Labor Day weekend, going to a cookout and pool party at our friends' house. Hubby didn't get any emergency phone calls the whole weekend! If you are related to any pastors you know how unusual this is! Also, we gave the last puppy, Charlie, away to a good home as new-puppy ownership was proving to be too difficult for us at this time. His mom is much more settled now that she doesn't have a puppy vying for our attention :).

We are settling into our homeschool schedule for the new year, with the kids taking more responsibility for their work and record-keeping. Eldest, however, is still not thrilled with dissection labs! Yesterday we did a very large grasshopper; still a frog to go....

Later Days!
Kelly

I try to unblock my writer's block!

You know how you keep putting something off so long that it seems like too big a job to tackle...like, say...cleaning the bathroom or writing a really important paper? That's how the blog has become for me this last couple of weeks! Since E. and hubby came back from their mission trip, I've been hoping to get E. to write a guest post and show off some photos. Doesn't look like that's going to happen really soon so I have to buckle down and post something to catch everybody up with our lives.

Perhaps list form will work:
1. All puppies have been placed in good homes, except #5, which we decided to keep.
2. Rather than continuing to call him #5, we named him Charles Spurgeon or "Charlie."
3. Yes, that is the name of a famous preacher. No offense is intended, we just thought it was fitting since the mother's name is Annie Armstrong (famous missionary). Yes, as a matter of fact we DO have a strange sense of humor.
4. I've been trying to run/walk most days & I think I'm developing a little bit of stamina, though weight loss has been negligible. Still, I'm doing something for my heart, right?
5. I've finally received all the materials I ordered for our school year! We'll probably be starting on Monday: 10th gr, 7th gr, 3rd gr, and preschool!
6. The aforementioned preschooler had to be taken to the hospital late Thursday night for a problem with his posterior...as in, a portion that should have stayed inside made an appearance outside. That problem has been resolved, Praise the Lord, but we're waiting on the results from some lab work the Dr. wanted done just to be cautious. Please pray.
7. E. and I successfully dissected an earthworm today for her Biology! Sure, earthworms aren't really scary creatures but it took real bravery to face up to that specimen and show it who's boss!
8. It should be obvious which of the above photos is of E. dissecting the earthworm.
9. The other photo is of M. at our friend's pool. Notice the large fake tattoo he's sporting! It's been about 3? weeks and it still hasn't come completely off!! Thanks, Laney :).

Later Days!
Kelly

p.s. The dates shown on photos are incorrect...I have no idea how to fix that feature on my camera...sorry.

Mission Trip pics

I'm still having a bit of trouble with the keyboard so I won't be typing too much, but I did want to post a couple of snapshots hubby took of E. doing face-painting at the block party this morning. It's safer for me to do this while she's out of the country :). She hates having her picture made!

Please pray for our mission team as they have block parties, hand out school supplies, and do sports camps, all in the name of Jesus!

Later Days!
Kelly

What's New?

For one thing, my space bar is sticking and I have to bang it every time--this will be a short post.

1. Puppies are fine. Anybody want one?
2. I graduated with my Master's of Religious Education.
3. No, I don't plan to start on my Ph.D.
4. K. did great as a marshal for the graduation.
5. E. and Hubby are in Nova Scotia for a mission trip!

Enjoy the pics...I may not post much until my keyboard is fixed!

Later Days!
Kelly