Be Careful What You Eat

The kids have been learning about cowboys during their Phonics and English lessons the past week or so. They have been fascinated by their jobs, their horses, their whips, their brands (ouch!) and their hats. It's been funny. Today we learned about their diets. No, I'm not talking about Atkins for Cowboys. I'm talking about what a cowboy would eat. The kids learned about hardtack, a staple in a cowboy's diet while out on the trail. Looked more like a cracker on steroids to me, but I guess when you're tired and hungry you'll eat just about anything, right?

Tonight at dinner I was prompting the kids to tell Taigen about what they learned today. When we got to Phonics and English, I said to the kids, "Tell Daddy about some of the things that cowboys eat."

They mentioned beans, bacon, biscuits, eggs & jerky. Taigen said that possibly they might have eaten things they hunted while out on the trail. That prompted a huge discussion on bears, deer, caribou, snakes and rabbits. That was a long rabbit trail, trust me.

I wanted to round-up this conversation and get back to what we were talking about. I hinted at the hardtack. "What was that stuff that the cowboys ate that looked like a huge cracker?"

Shaylen piped up, "A heart attack."

Homeschool Fine Arts Recital

A few months ago, one of our homeschool moms approached Taigen about our homeschooled church kids putting on a Fine Arts night at the church. Taigen told her to go ahead and run with it.

Boy did she. Jane contacted everyone, set up a time and then managed the how to's of getting everything done decently and in order. If the kids wanted to submit art, they needed to have it in a frame with matting. She made up placards to place in front of each art piece so we could see the title of the piece, the materials used to create the art (crayons, pencil, clay, etc.), the artist and his/her age. Fancy Schmancy! If the kids were doing music or a recitation, they were to have it memorized and were required to state their piece and bow at the conclusion. I think it pushed our kids to excel at what they did since it was going to be a genuine recital. There were poems, duet acting and other recitations, and also lots of music that included piano, cello, viola, singing and violin.

The kids and I have been working through the Music 1 curriculum this year and I found a piece that would work well for them. They memorized a little introduction to the piece and all three verses of their song. One of Marshall and Shaylen's friends from church who is a Kindergartner this year asked if they would be willing to sing I Sing The Mighty Power of God (all verses) with her. They know that piece well and were excited to help her out so she wouldn't be all alone on the platform.

Taigen and I were so proud of Marshall and Shaylen's hard work. They did a fantastic job and sounded so sweet singing in their very first recital. I have video to upload, but at present, my computer and internet are rebelling. Sorry!

Snow Much Fun!

Last Monday, we got dumped on with a bunch of snow. Between Sunday night, Monday and Tuesday, we probably got about a foot of snow. I love snow in New England. I love how it weighs down the evergreen branches and makes everything so white, crisp and clean, not to mention picture perfect. All those pictures on Christmas cards or on those pictures that pop up when you use the search engine on your computer for "winter" or "snow," just look like New England. Beautiful.

After school & lunch the kids were able to don all of their winter garb and head out to play in the white stuff. They never tire of it. While they played and I snapped pictures, Taigen cleared off the driveway. He even let Marshall have a go of it.

Once that was done, we piled into the van and went sledding at a nearby park that has a nice, long semi-steep hill. We probably sledded for about an hour. The kids would have done more if we had let them, but it was getting close to dinner time and we knew their tummies would be growling soon.

Homeschool Sledding Day

Each year, the homeschool moms and kids have gathered together in Rochester for a fun sledding day. Today was the scheduled day for this year's and it turned out to be the perfect day for it. It wasn't too cold. About 40 degrees. The snow was a bit packed and slick, but looking at the enjoyment on the kids' faces, you would never had known there was anything to complain about. Most of our homeschool families were able to come out and play.

I love how all of our kids play well together. High schoolers sledding down with pre-schoolers and lower elementary kiddos too. It's not too cool to be seen with the little ones. When you homeschool, the little ones are your friends, or, at least my kids and the teens think so. Snowballs were occasionally being tossed too and fro, there were lots of "trains" made with several sleds and some even pulled out their snowboards. It was a cool hill!

After we (and yes, I mean even me) had spent about an hour and a half going up and down the hill sledding, laughing and crashing, and snapping up pictures, we went across the street to the Perdues for hot cocoa, brownies, cookies, chips (and for some of us, coffee).

Marshall and Shaylen were whipped tonight. They both took a long shower. We were able to put them to bed early and I haven't heard a peep from them since.

The Blessing of Busy-Ness

Sorry it's been so long since I posted. It sounds redundant to say "we've been busy," but in all honesty, well, we've been busy. Last week on Thursday I had a ladies' meeting. We all cozied up in the Meroff's living room and we enjoyed a great time of prayer, time around God's Word and a time of fellowship. For those of you who don't know, last year we met every month at the church. It was spacious, but very cold (physically) and impersonal. I decided to shake things up a bit by having us meet in homes this year. The feedback that I've gotten from the ladies I've spoken to has been all positive. But here I'm rambling. Sorry, that was quite the rabbit trail. Back to the busy weekend...

On Friday night the Sheltons came to our house. Stan and Grace Shelton (and their four boys Kaleb, Lukas, Micah and James) are here from Austria on their second furlough. We were elated to be able to spend the entire weekend with them. Marshall and Shaylen were only two when we saw them last AND we were up in Maine. Thankfully, Heritage supports them too, so we were able to reconnect. Stan was going to speak at the men's breakfast on Saturday morning, Sunday school on Sunday morning, and then preach in the evening service. In between functions, we were able to crash at the house, let the kids play with each other and sit and chat.

As you can tell from the photo, our kids made themselves quite at home with Stan. I love the fake "I'm Dying" look that Stan has on his face. Funny as it sounds, this is a blessing of having missionaries in our home. It gives Marshall and Shaylen a connection; a relationship with those that we pray for on a weekly basis. They aren't just some face on a prayer card. They know them personally.

On Saturday when the guys got back from the breakfast and book study, Stan mentioned that Grace had hoped to hit The Christmas Tree Shops while she was in town. Would I be able to take her? Of course, I jumped on the opportunity and we made an afternoon of it. We first went to lunch and then over to the store where I told her to take her time and enjoy wandering around. (This was such a priceless iron-sharpening time for just the two of us.) The guys in the meantime took the kids out sledding. I have to say that all ten of us had a fantastic time enjoying each other's company.

Sunday we were able to have the Meroffs over for spaghetti and meatballs, salad, fresh bread, lemon cake and good coffee. Scott and Amy had spent some time with the Sheltons the past two times they had been at our church, and had wanted the opportunity to do that again. Amy contributed a ton toward the meal so between the two of us, it was an easy prep for the masses.

After lunch, we all sat around and chit-chatted: the ladies in the living room, the guys in the basement (with football) and the kids, well...everywhere. There were fifteen bodies floating around the house. It was glorious! I loved every minute of it.

Many times missionaries or special speakers will say what a blessing it was to stay, but I know the truth: the fact is, we always receive the greater blessing. Pray for the Sheltons. They return HOME (Vienna, Austria) in February.

The Spirit of DuWayne Lives On

Grandpa Rutledge was known during his lifetime for his various and sundry projects. According to Taigen, he tinkered with a lot of stuff. So, when Shaylen said that she wanted a garage to go with her new dollhouse, I volunteered Taigen's services. While Taigen isn't a carpenter, I figured a garage for a six year old couldn't be that difficult, right?

Taigen pulled out the scrap wood and started in on becoming his little girl's hero. She was elated! She specifically asked for a flat roof and no garage door, so essentially, a carport. Once the carport was done, Shaylen could hardly wait to paint it.

Today we finally had the opportunity to paint. We had such a great time being creative. We both primed it and then let it dry. After dinner we got out the craft paint and got busy with the details. Shaylen was so happy with how it turned out. Her Loving Hearts dolls' car will have a fancy-schmancy place to park come tomorrow morning.

It isn't the perfect structure, but we all know that Grandpa would be proud.

Enlisting Little Prayer Warriors

This past Sunday, we had to send off a dear friend & quiet, godly leader at Heritage. Sonny is in the National Guard and his battalion (or whatever you call his group of soldiers...sorry) has been called to active duty in Afghanistan. He'll be leaving Wednesday and won't return for a whole year.

We've promised him that we'll pray for him while he's away and help take care of his sweet wife and son that are still here. One of the things we did was take a picture of Sonny with the twins so that we can print it off and place it in our missionary notebook. While Sonny is not an official missionary to Afghanistan, he will no doubt have many opportunities to talk to his fellow soldiers. We'll be proud to have him as an ambassador from Heritage Baptist Church!

I cannot imagine having Taigen away for a year. What a sacrifice! If you think of it, as you're praying for our troops, would you mention Sonny too? We'll surely miss him and will eagerly await his safe return.

Continuing With Our Boat Theme

Today during the Phonics and English lesson, the focus was about ferries, yachts, warships, submarines, sailboats, etc. The teacher instructed Marshall and Shaylen to write about their favorite ship that they had seen pictures of during their introductory lesson.

Shaylen wrote about ferries. I love that her rotor blades are spinning, but clearly out of the water. I hope we're not planning on getting anywhere soon. She did do a great job. She loves composition.Marshall, being Marshall, decided to write about aircraft carriers, because, of course, it has airplanes on it. Surprised? What's funny is that he proceeded to draw passenger jets on the aircraft carrier. Not sure I would want to fly those friendly skies, but hey, at least the kid is predictable. AND, just so you know, he does own a miniature aircraft carrier and yes, his diecast airplanes land and take off from it. He knows it's not supposed to work like that, but he enjoys imagining it this way.

Ever Wondered How...

On this particular day of school, Marshall and Shaylen were supposed to write out the directions for something. Shaylen decided to write about how to clean the toilet and Marshall wanted to write about how to play the piano. As I type I am laughing out loud because both of my impressionable young munchkins included one very important direction that I've given them. Can you tell which comments are from their Mommy?

Where Would YOU Kayak?

It's been a while since I posted some of the kids' compositions. I thought you would enjoy these from before our Christmas break. They are working on a boating theme during their Phonics and English class. On this particular day the focus was on kayaking.

I always crack up with their illustrations. Please notice Shaylen's comment bubble above her person kayaking (2nd picture). When I asked her who the "we" were, she said, "No, Mommy. That's me saying 'wheeeeee!'"

And Since I'm Already Out of Chronological Order...

While I'm at it, I thought I would also post pictures of the kids enjoying themselves outside on Sunday afternoon last week (20th). We had been invited over to our friends' house after the Christmas program. Which friends? These friends, so you know that we were in store for a great time. We didn't have an evening service on the 20th so they had invited us over for a relaxing afternoon.

After a lunch of hearty chili and rolls, the kids bundled up and played outside for quite a bit of time. Their cheeks were so rosy and cute! The guys watched a football game (you'll have to ask Taigen which teams were playing because I didn't take the time to notice) while Amy and I enjoyed chatting in the living room over coffee and hot cocoa.

Eventually the kids came inside with their wet socks, sweaty heads and frozen noses. We defrosted them with dessert and hot cocoa. Marshall and Shaylen sure enjoyed this time with their sweet friends.

I had to post a couple of pictures that Amy took (from the comfort of the heated house). The kids were so adorable and I wanted to gobble them all up. We had such a wonderful time.

Backing Up a Skosh: The Annual Deacons' Party

In my hurry to post the kids Christmas program video, I failed to mention a wonderful party that we hosted in our home. All of our deacons, their wives and children were able to come over and enjoy some food & games. This year, food-wise we varied from "tradition." Instead of a main course of ham or roast beef and everyone bringing sides (canned or frozen corn included...sorry, inside joke), salads or dessert, we had lots of little stuff: meatballs and sauce, stuffed puffed pastries, little smokies in barbeque sauce and honey & barbeque chicken. The deacons' families brought in cheese and crackers, veggies, rolls, chips and dip and desserts. What a feast!

All of the kids camped out in the basement while the adults enjoyed the laughter and teasing amongst ourselves upstairs.

Once we were all done stuffing ourselves, Taigen called the kids upstairs and started the games. You'll notice the funny looking photo on the left. What are those teens doing? Well, Taigen had them drawing a picture without looking (Christmas tree, ornaments, star on top, presents underneath, fireplace complete with fire, stockings, etc.). Then, the kids needed to go to their parents (pictured right) so that they could be awarded points for accuracy. It was hilarious to see their drawings.

We also played a "Name that Christmas Song" game. This was super interesting since Taigen didn't just quote phrases from the song. He had acquired high-faluting, mumbo-jumbo wordings of the carols and we had to figure it out. Here's an example: "Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors" or "Query Regarding Identity of Descendant." I'll let you chew on those for awhile. Bwa ha ha ha!

The grande conclusion to our evening was a white elephant gift exchange. I must say that I ended up pretty good this year! I got a brand new Yankee Candle snowman figurine that I just love...complete with a brand new Evergreen candle. Taigen on the other hand got stuck with some glittery, purple lotion in a bottle shaped like an ice cream sundae! I have a feeling he's going to set that aside so it can make a grand appearance next year.

We love our deacon group and their families and are so thankful for them. They are a joy to work (and play) with.

Heritage's Christmas Program

Since we've been at Heritage, there have been no Christmas programs. Yup...two years! This is not because we have an avertion to Christmas programs, but for the sole reason that we live in New England. The past two Christmases, we've rehearsed, prepared programs and scheduled the date, but each time they've been snowed out. Due to the various and sundry schedules that everyone has during the hectic holiday season, we've never been able to reschedule them.

This year was different! I am so thankful to say that we were finally able to have a Christmas program this year. We were "sweating it" last night as we were watching the big Nor'easter come barrelling up the eastern coast. Thankfully, for us, the brunt of the storm pummelled Massachusetts and the states south of it and just barely touched into New Hampshire. Whew! We only got a couple of inches.

Our program this year was entitled "Christ Was Born To Save." It was a compilation of Scriptures, singing by the adult, youth and Pee Wee choirs, solos, a duet, piano and organ, and a string trio. What a blessing it was! I am so thankful to the Lord that everything went seamlessly and everyone did a fantastic job.

Marshall and Shaylen's choir started off the program and Taigen was able to get a video. The girls had Part I and Marshall carried Part II all by himself. They all did a fantastic job (not to mention...they looked awesome! Thanks Grandma Sherry for the outfits!). I couldn't be prouder. They really worked hard and enjoyed every minute of it.

So thankful for all of those who participated (or your kids participated). I know you worked so hard. I cannot believe how stress-free & enjoyable the rehearsal and program was. It is such a blessing to serve with these dear, dear people at Heritage.

Watching Aviation History

On Tuesday I got an email from Sherry informing me that the Dreamliner's (Boeing 787) first, long-awaited takeoff was going to actually take place at around 1:00. We would be done with school by then so I planned on getting onto Boeing's website and watching the live webcast with my little airplane enthusiast (and his faithful sidekick).

The takeoff was a success and the three of us cheered when the 787 took to the skies with no problems. It was really neat to be able to witness this interesting part of aviation history.

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Times

Don't ask me how Jason managed to avoid the camera all weekend...he really was there. Mike however was down in Argentina having to work. We really missed him. No one was there to weasel out of the kids what was in the Christmas presents.

Meeting Our Special Guest

You faithful readers know how much we love the Pileggis. We were glad that all of them could come...BUT, we were especially glad to meet the newest Pileggi: Lily. She was born mid-November and I was dying to see her. Apparently, I wasn't the only one.

Preparing for Life...and Company

One of the things we're wanting to instill in our kids' lives is the value of hard work. Don't worry, we're not working them to death and stealing all of their free time. They play...a lot. We do however want them to know how to clean and how to help out around the house. When working together, it can be a ton of fun. Plus, when all four of us work hard, it takes less time.


We were expecting a house-full on Friday night: Janelle, Jason, Joni, Enzo, Julia and Lily (and then Brenda Bowman on Saturday). That meant that every available space in the house was going to get used and therefore readied. I wrote out a list for me, a list for Marshall and a list for Shaylen. They were so excited to be able to help. I think there is a thrill for them to be able to cross those things off that list!

One of the newer jobs on the list was vacuuming the stairs. Fortunately, I now have that little Dirt Devil hand-held that I found at the consignment store. I don't have to lug the big vacuum up and down all of our stairs! (Trust me, there's a lot of them.) I thought that it was also the perfect job for my little Marsh-man. Boy was he excited! Every stair and every rug got cleaned thoroughly and with a big smile. Doesn't he look cute?

Shaylen joyfully scrubbed the half-bath downstairs and their bathroom. We all worked hard and were really glad to sit back and enjoy our company when they finally arrived.

Maple Suites Ministries I & II

I got a call a couple of weeks ago from a lady that attends our church. She is a member of the D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution). Their meetings this month were taking place at Maple Suites Retirement Home. She wanted to know if our homeschool kids would be willing to come and sing for the residents after their meeting this past Monday. I shot off a quick email to everyone and was able to gather several interested families! We pulled together some of the pieces we are rehearsing for the church Christmas program and planned on going.

Monday afternoon we were able to go and sing for the residents there. They were just finishing up lunch, but quieted down in order to hear the kids. The kids did such a great job! It made me so proud of our church kids with how well they did and how well behaved they were. The staff rewarded the kids with homemade cookies! (Boy did that make Shaylen happy!)

On to Monday night's ministry: Taigen had called up Maple Suites Retirement Home several months ago and asked if they would like us to come back again this year and do a Christmas concert. We thoroughly enjoyed going and singing/playing last year and definitely wanted to do it again. When they said that they would, Taigen asked two of our church families to join us. They jumped at the opportunity. We went and joined them for dinner at the home and did our Christmas concert. The residents all pulled up their chairs and listened as we did a program that lasted just over an hour.

When we were done, the three little kids went and passed out little bead ornaments that Shaylen had made. Every resident (at least those that were there at the conclusion of the concert) and worker got one...that's probably over 40 people! She had been saving them and decided to give them to the "grammies and grampies" in case they didn't have any presents this year. What a sweetie!

Afterwards the folks there commented on how much they enjoyed it, but truth be told, we are the ones who receive the blessing by encouraging these folks.

Weather to Match the Month

Ah! Finally we got some snow! I was wondering when it was going to start looking like December. Winters here in New England are absolutely beautiful. Come and visit!

The Birthday Festivities

Marshall and Shaylen's birthday was a day of wonderful family time. It was a great day to just be together. They were able to sleep in after a busy last week. I'm surprised that they slept in at all with all of their excitement for their birthday, but they did. Taigen made pancakes for breakfast and they got to eat in their jammies (a special treat!).

Their Wednesday night club leader made them their cakes again this year. (Remember last year's? They were outstanding!) He had asked them a long time ago what kind of cakes they wanted for their birthday. They didn't waste a breath thinking. Shaylen asked for a butterfly and Marshall asked for a helicopter. It's a good thing that Mr. B isn't afraid of a challenge. A helicopter? How was he going to pull that one off?

The kids were able to play outside for quite a bit. They were so excited because it finally decided to snow. The weather finally matched the month! What a wonderful birthday surprise for both of them!

For dinner Marshall and Shaylen requested their favorite thing: French fries and chicken! Surprise, surprise. I think the kids asked for dinner every five minutes starting at 2:30. They knew that after dinner came presents! And after presents came cake and ice cream.

What a hoot we had watching them open up their presents and cards this year. They were so excited to get puppets, audio books, money and birthday greetings from afar. I think Shaylen has that money spent in her mind already. Marshall knows he wants to spend it on something having to do with airplanes, but just doesn't know yet. I think he wishes that the Boeing store was near here so he could go and peruse it.

And the cakes? Well, Mr. B was able to pull off two incredible cakes. Not only did they look fabulous, they tasted fabulous too.

Happy birthday to the best two kiddos in the world. We love you Marshall and Shaylen!