Vasquez Rocks

We are in a very fun phase of our lives right now, a very flexible age of our kids. No one is in diapers and no one is in high school....and we are really enjoying it!! We have started a new tradition, now that the kids are ready for it. We take at least one Sunday a month and go on a fun hike in the area. The kids are all set up with camelbacks, compasses, first aide kits etc... Today we headed to Vasquez Rocks which is in the Canyon Country not far from our house. We had a great time, no one whines, everyone walks on their own....fun, fun, fun!! Oh, and we like to stop at McDonalds for ice cream afterwards!

Fall Festival and Reformation Day

As October is drawing to a close we have been enjoying some of our Ferguson Fall traditions. The first one is the AWANA Fall Festival. This event is put on at the chapel by our amazing AWANA directors, volunteers and parents. It is a fun night with all the trimings of a fall festival. The big kids aren't much in to dressing up, but Emmie didn't miss her chance and went as a LOVELY Queen Ester. (A side note on our AWANA program; we are currently the largest AWANA in the Dept. of Defense AND our Fall Festival brought in 465 attenders!!)

Our other recently added tradition is to formally celebrtate Reformation Day (Oct 31, 1514). We have some great friends here at Edwards that throw a super Reformation party complete with games to throw the "Papal bull" in the fire and "pin the 95 thesis on the door". They even had a Wertburg castle box maze in the backyard. Luther (aka Iain) as well as Calvin and Bucer were there to teach us more about how the Reformation came to be. I went dressed as Katharina, Luther's wife who came out of the convent. Abbie was also a nun who left the convent to follow Luther's teaching. Will was Fredrick the Wise and Mollie and EmmaLee represented the "mouse that roared" (aka, small Wittenburg raoring across Europe) I promise I didn't make that up, a professor I listened to through Covenant Seminary said it, so I figured it was a valid Reformation costume. :)

WHAT?!

When did they get so big? How did this happen and how do I stop it?? Aren't they cute??

Lots of "co-op"eration going on

 As I think about the time that has passed since I last seriously blogged, I feel a little guilty. Then, I stop and think about ALL that we have going on with our little growing family....well, different seasons, I guess. :)

One of our adventures here at Edwards has been starting up the Edwards Christian Homeschool Co-op (ECHO). We are in our second year of ECHO and it has been a wonderful experience for us all. We meet every other Friday for the whole year and all the classes are taught by moms and dads here on base!! The day starts at 1000 and goes until 330.




Here is a sample of the classes that we have been able to offer: sewing (Abbie has made a purse and a quilt. This year she is making a shirt and skirt, for her sister, because Mom doesn't know how to measure); robotics (Will is one of four on his team); biology w/a lab; choir; art; excellence in writing (the teacher is FAB-U-LOUS); survival skills; lego challenge (Mollie's favorite!!); poetry; mock trial; geography; all sorts of pre-school fun for Miss EmmaLee.

Not only has it been a great experience for the kids, but for me as well. Last year I taught Geography and really loved working with all the kids. I don't know how much geography they actually learned....but they always left my class with candy (gotta be the fav). This year I have stretched myself a little farther and I am teaching a program called Excellence In Writing to 4th-6th graders. I spent some time this summer becoming a Registered Instructor with this program. It is my hope that at the end of this year I will become a Certified Instructor. AND, if that falls through, there is always my psych degree to fall back on. Homeschoolers have a lot worth analyzing (not to mention their moms) :)

What's in an owl pellet??!!



OH!! But that's not all!! We added another little co-op to the mix this year JUST for pre-k!! This one meets in our homes once a week. We rotate between homes and it is just as fun, but on a much smaller scale. We hosted our first co-op the other week and we learned about the letter C.

Can I just say, that I am in the "having big kids is awesome" phase of life. This is how our afternoon went with these little guys. They all came in and played with puzzles, which Will and Mollie ran for me. Then Abbie brought them to the table and did the sugar cookie craft for them......by herself. Mollie read the Bible lesson from Genesis for me! It was a beautiful thing :)

Where did the time go?

I don't know what compelled me. But I was compelled. I haven't been to this sight in well over a year, and now here I am again. I was quickly reminded of the preciousness of memories and I felt joy and saddness all at once. Joyful to have captured some wonderful moments and so sad that I have let so many slip away since the last entry.

the kids are bigger. Life is busier. So many changes. It is hard to know where to start. Iain and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary yesterday. That is a good place to start. The kids showered me with happy anniversary wishes all day long. Mollie gave us a card, which she dictated to Will, who wrote in his most ornate writing. It said " Dear Mommy and Daddy, Happy fourtenth anaversery, fourteen years being married, and just as long loving one another, love mollie." While much has changed, the one thing that is still the same is the incredible blessing of our family.

I hope I will be back soon.