Busy Summer!

I remember telling my mom a month ago that as soon as school was over I would be "free" to do more stuff like go to her house more! What was I thinking? I forgot that when school is out, preparations for next school year begin. Along with catching up on all of those deep clean chores like defrosting the freezer. And of course, you've got to include those "field trips" you can only do in the summer ;) like playing at the water park. Mom said I plan something for every day. I don't know that I plan it that way, but it does seem to work out that way. I also have a family member-in-law (that doesn't have internet btw) that somedays drives me nuts. Friday, she called us 6 times and came over 2 times !!! Isn't that ridiculous!! For the first time in 33 years I am sick of the telephone. It rings most of the time now and I don't even stop what I am doing. Anyway, here are some things going on with us this summer in no particular order:
1. Sarah is taking a fun online class where she is reading through Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Which means I have to get her class going online and then help her print everything out and work on it during the week.
2. Sarah is taking a fun online spanish class ......... same as above!
3. I am assigning myself 2 or 3 chores a week to accomplish such as defrosting freezer, cleaning out cabinets, ect.
4. I am working on my two class syllabi for the two co-op classes I am teaching in the fall.
5. I am preparing the work for those two coop classes.
6. I am preparing for our homeschool at the end of July.
7. I am tutoring lil' Michael in reading.
8. I am activities director for my group at our school, so I am planning field trips and play days for the summer and fall.
9. I am helping Michael build mice racks for the building. (He also has certain goals for the next few weeks which I help with)
10. I help feed and water the mice twice daily!
11. I have got to get lil' Michael's room painted by next weekend when we will have company staying with us.....which by the way . . .
12. I have to prepare for company that is coming the next two weekends.
13. We are preparing for the birth of 100 baby snakes. We have to prepare boxes for each one.
14. Michael is going to be off two weeks around July 4th. I will be dedicated to him and his jobs during those two weeks.
15. Julia is old enough for me to mow now while Michael weed-eats. This saves him from having to work on that two days. I mow while he weed-eats.

It seems my source of communication will be late night emailing or blogging! Just wanted to let you mom and everyone else know I am not just sitting here watching the phone ring! haha

Ideas for the kids for the Summer!

1. Volunteer- Beautify an old lot, plant flowers in a park garden. Help in a shelter. Visit a nursing home.
2. Write postcards to friends.
3. Join a summer reading program at the library or come up with one of your own.
4. Plan a scavenger hunt.
6. Take photographs an create a collage with all your pictures at the end of the summer.
7. Make a sandbox.
8. Visit as many different kinds of habitats as you can find. Ex. rivers, oceans, fields, forest
9. Spend a 1/2 hour or more quietly sitting outside. Observe and write down everything you see. Birds, animals, bugs, clouds, people, ect.
10. Spend the morning at a farmer's market. Plan a meal using the produce you buy.

*These are just a few. I will add more later.

Air National Guard Field Trip

What a cool trip to the Air National Guard support center in Birmingham! The kids got to get hands on with a few of the guns used by these brave guys. They loved that. I think this one on the left is the one they use on the Chinook.

They also got to get in and buckle down in one of the chinooks for a cool lesson on what goes on during a typical mission.

Sargeant Stewart showed the kids some of the gear that he has to wear. Boy this thing by itself was heavy!

This is the helmet with face shield that he would use. Kind of looks like Darth Vader...uh?

So cool!!!

This is inside the support center where they do maintenance and prepare for the next mission.

This is an older copter they got to see.







Sargeant Stewart and his crew will be leaving in August for active duty for 10 months on a chinook in Iraq. He is the "door gunner". Very dangerous I am sure. Please be in prayer for him and all of the brave soldiers fighting for us!

Reunion Time!

Ben, Marie, and Mary-Morgan

Sydnie and Sarah

Hannah and Julia

Mary-Morgan

One Handsome Fellow!!!

The Gardners came to visit this weekend! For those of you who do not know, The Gardners are one of our church families who moved about a year ago to Colorado! We have missed them so much. Ben was a great teacher and friend, Marie a super mom and friend, Parker and Aaron Lil' Michael's big buddies (didn't get a pic of the boys, I guess because they were always on the run) , Sydnie is one of Sarah's best friends, Hannah was one of Julia's best friends, and Mary-Morgan a blessing to all! It was just like "ole times" this weekend! Such fellowship! It truly was bittersweet. Hannah and Julia running around holding hands, and Sydnie and Sarah huddled up together giggling! We went to the park and had pizza with them Saturday night and then Ben taught and preached Sunday morning. After church we stayed and eat and fellowshipped until they had to leave. I truly enjoyed every minute with them. We are praying that if it is the Lord's will that Ben's job will send him back to the SouthEast!

Spring has Sprung!

As you may know, Michael is trying his hand at breeding snakes. Alot of our "yard snakes" sell between $30 and $150 each. Some we have sell for more. Honestly, when we went to the UAB show, there were snakes there over $1000 a piece! Ridiculous, but hey if they want to buy them, then by all means Michael will supply them. He has always loved snakes ??? so this is right up his ally. The bottom pic is a creamsicle corn snake with her eggs. The next pic is some type of albino rat or corn snake (I can't remember) and her eggs. Next up is a mexican king snake peering through the dirt with her eggs. And the picture at the very top is some of our being incubated. Nothing special ... just a shoebox and the room over 80

degrees. Not all of our females are gravid, but considering this is his first time breeding snakes, I think they have all done well. The eggs you see that look yucky in the one container have dirt on them. They are perfectly fine but she really rolled them around in the dirt before I got to them. I have candled all of these batches and they have veins and look great so far. Just 60 days and we will babies everywhere! If any of you want to come by and bring the kids to check them out just let me know.

Champion Mines Field Trip

What a great time we had at our Champion Mines field trip! We originally met Mr. Van Gunter and his wife when they visited our church. Then he sent Mr. and Mrs. Watkins our way to do a presentation for my Alabama History class in co-op on the civil war. And then one day out of the kindness of his own heart, he contacted me and volunteered his property, also Champion Mines, for a field trip for our co-op group. When we got there his wife was in the kitchen baking choc chip cookies and had made fresh lemonade. He took us on a 1.5 mile hike through the property surrounding a gorgeous lake. Then we had a picnic lunch and then a tour of the mines. Then we had free time to fish and ride on the floating pier across the lake. We had a great time. What a sweet couple! There was also another blessing. It had rained straight for about 8 days before this particular Friday. We decided to risk it and not postpone it, just hope for no rain. We would be happy with at least cloudiness. What do you know? That morning we woke up to the most beautiful day ever. The temperature was wonderful and the sun was shining! Thank you Lord for blessing our field trip with sun. I had responses that totalled about 40 people. But after all of that rain, we had maybe 20. Everyone was so leary of the weather. You missed a great time. I am sure we will go again so maybe you can go next time.

Isaac Watts

This is the words to a hymn by Isaac Watts. I love these words. It is one of my favorite hymns. I tried to find the song so you could hear it but I couldn't. It is the perfect description of God's effectual call.

How Sweet and Awful Is the Place
1. How sweet and awful is the place With Christ within the doors, While everlasting love displays The choicest of her stores.
2. While all our hearts and all our songs Join to admire the feast, Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,"Lord, why was I a guest?"
3. "Why was I made to hear Thy voice, And enter while there's room, When thousands make a wretched choice, And rather starve than come?"
4. 'Twas the same love that spread the feast That sweetly drew us in; Else we had still refused to taste, And perished in our sin.
5. Pity the nations, O our God, Constrain the earth to come; Send Thy victorious Word abroad, And bring the strangers home.
6. We long to see Thy churches full, That all the chosen race May, with one voice and heart and soul, Sing Thy redeeming grace.