What Are Little Boys Made Of? Frog Eggs & Pond Scum

On Sunday, Renee brought over the frog eggs that we...well, SHE had gathered on our expedition last Monday. She had gotten enough to split between Marshall & Shaylen and her daughter Julia, but she needed to get another large jar so she could separate them.

So, we currently have a few dozen baby frogs sitting on our counter. Appetizing, don't you think? Aren't you eager right now to come over for supper? Tee hee!

It'll be fun to watch them progress, but equally fun to take a walk down the road to our little stream, set them free to go off on their own into the great big world. Does that mean we'll have Empty Jar Syndrome?

Marshall, Shaylen and I have enjoyed taking a peek at them every day. Here's hoping I don't accidentally kill them.

Children's Choirs

For those of you who don't know, I rehearse two (small) separate children's choirs on Wednesday nights at our church. They have classes going on, but I come in during half of those classes and have a music time with them. I do the youngest group (4yrs. through 1st grade) first from 7 until 7:30 and then the "big kids" (2nd-6th graders) from 7:30 until 8. They are wonderful kids and a joy to be with.

The past two months or so I've been rehearsing a piece with them with the intent of combining them to sing during April. Marshall and Shaylen have known for a while that they would get to sing this particular piece with the "big kids" and were very excited.

I'm looking forward to adding them to my choir next year when they bump up into 2nd grade. I'll be gaining three (Marshall, Shaylen and their friend Julia) and losing two to junior high.

It is such a blessing to work with children in this capacity.

New Little Visitors

This past Thursday, we got the opportunity to babysit our friends' (John and Laura) children. John recently got transferred to the Dover branch of the company he works for. They were going to be in town looking at houses and Laura finally took me up on my offer to spoil, uh, I mean babysit their kids.

They arrived on Thursday night. I wanted to gobble them up immediately. The kids that is. There's little Sophia who is going to be three this December, and then the twins, Jackson and Juliana who just turned one. They were SO good. They ate well, played well, slept well and were just so cute!

It brought back lots of memories to feed two at a time (both at dinner and then their bottle before bedtime). It's amazing how much I have forgotten of those long-ago days. Where has the time gone?

We enjoyed some great conversation when John and Laura came home and then I enjoyed Laura's company all day on Friday. The weather was nice and we decided to take the kids on a walk. Laura's kids are small in relation to Marshall and Shaylen, but when combined in a stroller headed UP the hill, they were h-e-a-v-y! I think both Laura and I got a good workout (Laura especially because she is expecting)!

All in all, I think Marshall and Shaylen enjoyed playing with their new friends, thinking they were soooo grown up and helping Mommy babysit (I think they secretly were excited to play with all their old baby toys again), and we enjoyed the extended time to chat with good friends.

We're praying earnestly for the sale of John & Laura's home. Can't wait until they can be in our neck of the woods.

A Mouse In the House (A Very BIG Mouse)

Knowing that the tail-end of our week was going to be busy, I tried to accomplish as much as possible within the first half. On Wednesday, I made a coffee cake and ginormous batch of cookie dough to bake later on when I would have the time.

When we went to bed that night, I was telling Taigen about my day and mentioned that I had made cookie dough. He said, "I know."

"You do? You mean, you discovered it already in the fridge?"

"I did."

I probed, "Did you eat any?"

Taigen looked sheepish. "I did. It's really good."

We laughed about it and went to bed. As I lay there, I plotted against him. I thought up a scenario and decided to play an itty bitty trick on Taigen in the morning. But first, I was going to try it out on the kids to see how they fell for it.

At breakfast the next morning, I threw on my acting skills and story-telling eyes and said to the kids, "I found out that we have a mouse in the house!"

"We do?" Their eyes were huge.

"Yes. I don't know how he did it, but he got into the house, opened the fridge and got into Mama's cookie dough. You want to see?"

"Yeeeeessss!"

I opened the fridge and peeled back the lid of the Rubbermaid container. There were the evidences from Taigen's little escapade the night before.

"Whoooooaaaa!" They believed it. Shaylen looked a little skeptical, but laughed when I told her that, no, indeed it had been Daddy. BUT, maybe, just maybe, Taigen would fall for it. After all, we have had some mice issues this past winter, but only in the garage and basement. So I sent him a brief email from my iTouch.

Subject: Mouse
"We have another one somewhere in the house."

TJ's quick reply: "Where did you see the evidence?" Tee hee! He fell for it!!!

CJ Reply: "I don't know how he got in, but I could tell he ate some cookie dough. At least he has good tastes!"

Friends, Frog Eggs and Peanut Butter Pie: A Delightful Combo

On Monday, we were invited to go over to our friends' house, the Fisteres, to spend some time with them and Dr. K. The Fisteres housed Dr. K while he was in town, and this was a nice chance to sit, relax and fellowship. The Fisteres have a teenage boy (not the infamous eight-cookie-eater one) who is graduating from high school this year and a little girl who is in the same grade as Marshall and Shaylen. Her name is Julia and she is a good little friend for them.

While dinner was baking in the oven, Renee invited the kids and me to go on a walk. We were going to go and feed/pet some horses and also go looking for frog eggs. If anyone knows me, they know that it was Renee who was going to find the eggs, because I wouldn't have had a clue what to even look for. The kids haven't had much exposure to horses either, so with camera in hand, I was eager for them to make some memories.

Our first stop was the little pond (emphasis on the little). Maybe it's more of an overgrown puddle, but regardless, it was big enough to function as a frog nursery. Renee threw on her mucky boots, waded in (this is good because I had on my linen skirt and sandals...not exactly frog fetching attire), grabbed them with her net and then dumped them in her jar with some pond water. I had never seen frog eggs before. Tadpoles, yes. Eggs, no. It was fascinating! We placed the lid on the jar and carried them along with us as we walked toward the stables of a neighbor. This was going to be our party favor from the evening! (I'm going to turn it into a science lesson for two munchkins.)

The neighbor was out feeding the horses and called to them. They came galloping toward the fence where the kids were waiting with apple wedges. After the wedges were gone, the grass was the next best thing. I'm thinking that between the three kiddos, the lawn on the outside of the fence got a pretty good clipping. I on the other hand got some great photos.

Once back "at the ranch," dinner was excellent and the conversation around the table was especially neat; hearing Dr. K talk about his trips to many different countries to see many different missionaries. It was great to reconnect after all these years. We polished dinner off with peanut butter pie and another great photo of the kids with Dr. K.

You might ask why I'm not using his full name. He asked that we post it this way. Why? Well, it is because some of the countries where Dr. K visits are not exactly rolling out the red carpet for Christianity. Just would rather be safe than sorry, if you know what I mean.

He was a blessing and I was thankful Marshall and Shaylen had the opportunity to meet him and get to know him.

Sunday Duds

My apologies for being the delinquent blogger lately. Life is rushing by. Thankfully, there are digital cameras that can capture moments and remind me of what's gone on in the past two weeks (when I get around to downloading them to the computer) so that I may relay it to you. Thanks for faithfully checking in to see if there is any new news.


Here are two pictures from Sunday, April 18th. Shaylen was wearing a new dress Aunt Karen gave her. It is adorable. (Mwa! to you Karen!) I'm thinking that Aunt Karen bought it with next summer in mind (it's a size 8), but I checked the length and determined that if she was going to get any use out of it, she had better wear it now. Some of these spring dresses were obviously made for the Caribbean because it is too chilly at this point here in New England for Shaylen to be wearing it sans sweater. Regardless, she looked so cute!

And how could I take a picture of Shaylen without taking one of my little man? Marshall is in need of a haircut (my neglect of the blog also is reflective of my neglect in cutting his hair! Ahhhh! Is there a pause button?). He looks cute nonetheless. I could just gobble him up. He's my tall skinny boy.

Last Sunday night we were able to have a S.N.A.C. Activity at our house for the teens. These are always a blast. S.N.A.C. stands for Sunday Night After Church. Of course, it does also mean food, and lots of it. Teens are bottomless pits. I made a layered chip dip and cookies and another mom also contributed cookies. I'm glad we had two batches for them to consume because I found out one of our teen boys (who will go nameless) ate eight of them! See what I mean about them being "bottomless pits?" We ate, played a game, and then enjoyed a devotional from "Dr. K," one of our visiting missionaries.

It was a busy but full day in the ministry here in New England.

Swim Class Super Slide

Marshall and Shaylen wrapped up their third session of swimming last week. On the last day of homeschool swim, they turn on the giant slide and let the kids go down. For the first time, the teachers said that Marshall and Shaylen could go down. That means they were confident that they would be able to go catapulting down the slide, plunge into a deeper pool and come up swimming rather than sputtering! The teacher's had forewarned me the week prior so I came with camera in hand. Marshall and Shaylen were so excited! They've been looking forward to this for eight weeks. (Pictured top left: Marshall and Shaylen are waiting at the top of the slide. They are about to head down.)

The twins are currently in level three. Their fourth session started yesterday and they swam in the lap pool for the first time. They had to swim the entire length! I am happy to report that they both did a great job. Of course, they have a ways to go before their strokes are smooth and satisfactory, but I think they have improved a ton (considering they didn't know how to swim this past fall)! They really enjoy swimming and I'm thankful for the local gym making these classes available for homeschoolers.

The twins aren't the only ones having a great time during swim class. Of course, being a proud mother, I enjoy watching the kids, but I have a friend from church whose son is also enrolled in the class. We pass the time chatting about various and sundry things. What fun! I especially cherish this time because it is approximately 45 minutes each week when I get to be still and enjoy conversation with a good friend.

Caution! Imaginations At Work

I thought I would post this hilarious picture from the other day. Many times you all will call (or email) and ask, "What are the twins up to?" This picture pretty much describes it all.

One of their favorite things to do is play with their stuffed animals. They like to load up all of the larger vehicles with the stuffed animals, line up all the couch pillows into "roads," and then make a large caravan. The caravan then goes through all of the house while they make up different scenarios to with them.

Shaylen will say something like, "...and Baby Snoopy didn't realize that Baby Bongo was hopelessly lost and following him very closely!" And Marshall will say something like, "Lil' Small Wee Bear gasped in astonishment that the bridge was gone and they were ready to fall down into the river!"

It's funny to hear snippets of their audiobooks make their way into their conversations, imaginations and free time. What a fun age!

Happy Easter!

Hopefully you all had a wonderful Easter. It is such a wonderful day for us. Without the Resurrection, there would be no joy, no hope, no eternal life. So thankful for what Christ did on the cross for us, but more importantly, that He rose from the grave conquering sin and death.

We enjoyed a great Sunrise service. This service starts at 7:30am. Believe it or not, we have a great turnout for this in spite of how early it is. This year, Marshall and Shaylen had learned a new hymn in their Bible class. It is entitled "Golden Harps Are Sounding." The words and music were written by Frances R. Havergal. As we sang it every day in school, the more I thought the words would be great for Resurrection Sunday. They read:

Golden harps are sounding,
Angel voices sing,
Gates of pearl are opened,
Opened for the King;
Christ the King of glory,
Jesus, King of love,
Is gone up in triumph
To His throne above.

Chorus: All His work is ended,
Joyfully we sing:
Jesus hath ascended! Glory to our King!

He who came to save us,
He who bled and died,
Now is crowned with glory
At His Father's side;
Nevermore to suffer,
Nevermore to die,
Jesus, King of glory,
Has gone up on high.

Praying for His children
In that blessed place,
Calling them to glory,
Sending them His grace;
His bright home preparing,
Faithful ones, for you;
Jesus ever liveth,
Ever loveth too.

So, to make a long story short (or longer), I talked to Taigen about it and we decided to sing it as a family during the sunrise service. We've sung lots of times together in nursing homes, and at home, but never before as a family in church. It was a special, memorable moment on this blessed day! The kids did a great job and sang right out.

Not only did they sound good, but they also looked fabulous. Thank yous go to Grandma Sherry who outfitted them with the beautiful and colorful outfits. I snapped up these photos of them in our backyard after the morning service. (I would have snapped them before we left for church, but it was cooler and very early...6:45am!)

After lunch today we went over to our friends' house. This makes the third Easter that we have spent with them. Our church does a sunrise service, Sunday school, a morning service and then no evening service. We enjoy going over to the Meroff's and enjoying a relaxing time all afternoon.

Amy is a great cook! We had ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, carrots, and rolls. For dessert, Taigen made his award-winning Reese's Peanut Butter Cake. That cake gets more and more delicious each time I eat it. I thought I would share this photo of this trio eating theirs. This is Matthew with the twins. He is seven and in second grade. Matthew is a great friend to Marshall and Shaylen (and, I might add, is super cute). We hardly see any of the five kids when we are there because they have so much fun together. Eventually though, they get hungry and then they make their presence known.

It was a wonderful day! After we came home from the Meroff's, we went outside and enjoyed the wonderful weather. We're seeing signs of life underneath dried leaves and old mulch. Thankful for the New Life which Christ gives. Happy Easter to you all.

Thank You's Make Great Compositions

With the special new Bible covers, the kids wanted to write "thank you's." I let them forego the "topic of the day" and take the time to write Grandma Cathy their notes of appreciation. They took so much time to get it right (wording and spelling) and then took extra time to make sure their handwriting was neat.

Special Project: Made With Love

Marshall and Shaylen are turning into great readers. Of course, I'm biased, but for being just over six years old (Actually 6 years, 3 months and 25 days...but who's counting, right?), they're doing a really great job. One thing that they have really enjoyed doing lately is taking their big-kid Bibles to Sunday school, church, children's church and then bringing them back home to use during school. They had permission to do it before (they got the Bibles for Christmas last year from Grandma Sherry), but they didn't really have the ability to read it.

Now, not only can they read it, but they can read it with a little more confidence. Of course, they still have trouble with words like "Hezekiah," "propitiation" and "Jehoshaphat," but for the most part they're enjoying this new found joy. (That's something we want to capitalize on!) With the extra mileage that the Bibles were getting, I realized that we had better get Bible covers for them. I looked online just over two weeks ago and didn't see anything that really struck me. Why not ask Cathy (my step-mom) to make some? She had made Shaylen's baby doll a gazillion outfits for Christmas, surely a Bible cover would be easy, right?

I emailed her at work and asked if this would be something that she would be interested in and have time for. She jumped at the chance! I emailed her the dimensions and by the end of the week I had Shaylen's. Can you believe it? I snuck up to the classroom and tried it on for size. It fit perfectly. Cathy hadn't found any material that she really liked for Marshall so she had special ordered it. Wasn't that so nice? She whipped that Bible cover out likety-split and we had it in our possession on Thursday. I think I'll rename Cathy the "Sewing Fairy!" Not only did she make the covers, but also handles, a velcro closure (which is pretty quiet by the way...and added bonus for church services, in my opinion), a pocket for their pen or pencil AND a matching bookmark!!!

I put both Bible covers on and placed them in their desks for Friday morning's classes. We told them that there was a surprise waiting for them. Boy were they surprised! Marshall hugged his Bible over and over and was so excited that Grandma Cathy "even put [his] favorite kind of airplane on it (a passenger jet)." Shaylen loved all of the sparkly butterflies and the matching bookmark. They are so excited to carry them around safely. At church on Sunday they enjoyed showing them to their Sunday school teacher and children's church teachers. During the day, I keep catching them lovingly looking at the covers and opening and closing them.

What a special present for them to treasure for years and years. These Bible covers were made with so much love. Thank you Grandma Cathy!

Refreshing

Last night and today we were refreshed with a special time around God's Word and good friends at Trinity Baptist Church's annual Pastors & Wives' Dinner (Friday night) and Leadership Conference (today). It was a great meeting this year. We were especially excited because we were going to be able to reconnect with Mike and Mark Herbster and their older brother Matt. Matt and Julie Herbster (from the Wild's Christian Camp) were up from NC. Mike & Amy (the piano playing Amy...sorry that's the only way some of you can tell them apart as you read this) and Mark flew all the way out to NH from California where they are getting ready to hold meetings in San Leandro. What a treat!

The three guys did a sacred concert and all five of the Herbsters held workshops today. I only had two regrets: One, that Mark's Amy couldn't be here as well, and secondly, that I couldn't listen to each of their workshops. I cannot say enough how much our week of meetings with Mark, Mike and their families meant to me. It was a great shot in the arm.


Marshall and Shaylen stayed at home with our friends, the O'Lones. I can officially say that they were spoiled rotten. I'm wondering who had more fun: Daniel & Elisabeth or the kids. Seems like they stayed busy and enjoyed each other's company.

Woodwinds and...Real Men Wear What?

One day during our music unit, the curriculum discussed woodwinds. There was a discussion on clarinets, flutes, saxophones, bassoons, oboes and piccolos. The kids were able to see these instruments and hear them. Marshall wrote, "The clarinet is very dark because it is made of wood." (At least they used to be...hence "woodwind") "It sounds kind of low. They use a reed to make a sound. They push buttons to make a melody."

There were wide eyes however when the discussion turned to bagpipes. When they got to see and hear them, imagine Marshall and Shaylen's surprise when there were many men, all decked out in different kilts, playing away! They could hardly contain their laughter. In fact, they didn't contain it, they laughed heartily. Now of course, being the good Mama that I am, I explained why these men wear skirts (all the while swallowing my own laughter and smirks). It didn't help, they were still howling.

I love what Shaylen said in her composition, "The Bagpipe sounds like a sick duck. It is very hard to play. The man looked funny. They wore a funny hat and a special skirt called a kilt. The Bagpipes are very loud."

I'm not expecting to have to pay for bagpipe lessons any time soon. Whew.

Little Eyes Are Watching

We've started a new unit in our Phonics and English curriculum and it's all about music. I must say that I've been looking forward to this unit for quite some time. No big surprise there. It is also no big surprise that Marshall and Shaylen love it as well. In a family like ours, you can't help but be musical.

So far in this unit we've learned about the harpsichord & piano, strings, woodwinds, brass, harp, percussion, whistles, conductors and even music boxes (there may be more, but I've forgotten). I love how the curriculum links composition, phonics, English, handwriting and reading all together within the unit. I could not be happier with BJU Press (unfortunately, I'm not making any money from that free plug, though that would be nice).

One day the twins were asked to write about if they had ever been to a concert or had ever watched anyone play an instrument. They have been to concerts and recitals, but what they immediately thought of were the various musicians that help out with the worship services at church. What a neat thought, since music directed toward God in reverent worship is the most important anyway. (Note: Marshalls is on the left, Shaylen's is on the right.)

I Won't Grow Up! But Just In Case...

The kids have been talking for quite some time about what they want to be when they grow up. I bet each and every one of you know what Marshall wants to be. Even if you've only read this blog for a short amount of time, you know. Our church found out quickly too. Yes, Marshall wants to be a pilot. He rarely varies from that though I have heard him say once that he would be an organist and once a pastor like Daddy, but he always comes back to his airplanes. This day's composition reads "When I am grown up I will be a pilot. I will fly a Boeing 707."

Shaylen has longed for piano lessons for quite some time. She loved helping me turn pages when I was still playing for the choir. Shaylen watched Mrs. Amy (Beaver) Herbster with amazement when she played the piano. Imagine playing without any music! That motivated her even more. Shaylen's composition says, "I want to be a pianist when I grow up. I'm sure it will be fun. I know I'll like it." We're hoping to start them both this coming fall. We'll see if she still thinks it is "fun" then. I'm sure hoping so.

Evidence of Spring

Couldn't resist posting this picture of Shaylen from Sunday morning. Aunt Karen had sent this dress quite a while ago but it's definitely a Spring dress. It's been in her box of Spring/Summer stuff just waiting for warmer weather.

Even though the weather this weekend was perfect, today it's back to cold with a mix of rain and snow.

Entertainment in the Ring

This day the kids were to imagine that they were the ones IN the circus. They were to describe what they were doing or what they were wearing.

Shaylen's composition (on the left) says, "I am doing a clown show. And one was a knight and the other was a police. And I was the knight. I was shooting cannon balls at another clown. And the crowd was clapping."

Marshall's reads: "My clothes have green and red and blue and brown and purple and pink and orange and black dots!!!"

Circus Compositons

The kids have finished up a circus unit in Phonics and English and I thought I would post a few of their compositions that they did.

On this particular day, they were to write an invitation to a circus that they were going to host in our living room. They decided to invite Daddy.

Shaylen's says, "Dear Daddy I am planning a circus inside. Come see it after dinner. It will be the stuffed animals."

Marshall's says, "Dear Daddy, Please come to my circus. There will be tricks! Lumpy will stand on his trunk. Little Bongo will stand on his nose. Baby Snoopy will stand on his ear. George will stand on his head!"

(Remember, you can click on the photos to view them in larger format. Just click your back browser button to bring you back to the blog.)

Revolving Doors?

If you saw our house this past weekend and week-beginning, you might have thought that instead of a front door, we would do better to install a revolving door. While for some the thought of house guests would be overwhelming, we love it. The only "pressure" is making sure the toilets, tubs and towels are clean and the dust has been shooed away. We had four separate families in our house within the past seven days. We love the conversation, good food and lots of fun that it brings.

The Pileggi's were able to come up this past weekend and stay with us. Our friends, the Gauthiers, were holding their annual Sugarin' Party and we (the kids, Pileggis and me) were all going to head up there for the day on Saturday. It was a wonderful weekend, filled with great times and great memories. (8 minute showers, evening cat naps or chocolate chip cookies, anyone?) Take a peek at Lily at the top left. She is growing so much and gets cuter every day.

You might have noticed that Janelle wasn't in the equation this weekend. Isn't she always in the picture when the Pileggis are here? Well, she wasn't here because she was over in Michigan adding an especially sparkly accessory to her hand. Yes, you heard that right. She got engaged! We are all so very excited (and contemplating the Puffs investment). Jon and Janelle were originally not going to put pics and news on Facebook, but I think they couldn't contain their joy because they broke down and posted something. That means I can post one itty-bitty picture here on the left, right? Don't they look so cute together?!?!

Sorry it's been a while since I posted. My prayer warriors probably have thought that I fell off the face of this earth, but really, it's just that cleaning those toilets, sweeping, mopping, fixing dinner, doing laundry, enjoying fellowship, etc. tend to take priority over blogging. Sorry Marie and Gramylis! I'll try to do better.

Men's Annual Dessert Contest

The much-anticipated Men's Annual Dessert Contest was today. Taigen has been scheming and plotting for months. I had come across a foodie blog a while back and spotted a couple of desserts that looked fabulous. I forwarded the link to Taigen and he started drooling. When it came time to start baking, Taigen revisited the blog and decided on a Reese's Peanut Butter Cake.

Wow. That's all that I can say. It was SO good.

The men from Heritage didn't hold anything back again this year. Remember the desserts from last year and the year before? These guys take a contest seriously. They looked and tasted (at least the one's I sampled) incredible. Sooooo, without further ado, here are pics of this year's winners:

Best Looking: Campfire Cake by Michael (one of our teens)

Most Creative: Vegetable Cake by Allan Bishop

Best Tasting: Reese's Cake by Taigen. Hooray!