Easter

Easter this year was a beautiful day. We were able to celebrate it with a wonderful feast with Andrea's parents and John's adopted family. Of course we also had the usual Easter egg dyeing, egg hunt and hidden Easter baskets. Most of all we celebrated the most wonderful gift the world has ever know. About 2000 years ago, God sent his son to die in our place, to pay the price for our sins so that we can be made right before a perfect, loving and just God. More than that, he offered this free gift to all who believe, no matter our past. He also proved that He was ruler of death by coming back to life on Easter Sunday. Jesus is preparing a place for me in heaven, thankfully the end of this life is not death, but eternal life for all who accept God's love. I can't say I understand everything about life here and God's plan. But I am not made to understand these things, they are too great for me to know. But the one thing that is perfectly clear is that God loves me, and I love him.

It has been a joy to watch my children grow in the knowledge of God and his love for them. They often talk about what heaven will be like. They share their great anticipation to get to heaven so they can visit with relatives that have gone before. They are also looking forward to a New World that God will create, one with no death, no pain, no sorrow. They are hoping that the animals will talk there as they truly want to know what our 2 cats are thinking. I love to see the joy as they remember that this world is a temporary lay-over, our true home is heaven and they can't wait to go!

Spring Field Trip

I know this is horribly outdated but I am going to try to catch up and keep up with this blog again. Anyway, early in the spring, on and warm and sunny day, we took a little hike through the woods for a nature field trip.

The kids had a lot of fun looking for different plants and animal tracks. We found racoon and deer foot prints, and lots of bugs under logs. John helps the kids with tree and plant identification, he is very good at it.
We also stopped by an old pioneer cemetery bringing a little of the local indian and pioneer history into our day. Homeschooling is great fun!

Crazy Girl!

This morning's conversation before reading time:

"I don't want to read, I hate reading," Hannah whines.

"Hannah, everyday we go through the same thing," I say. "You get mad, then I have to get mad, and then you get in trouble and then we do school. Why can't we just do school?"

Hannah replies, "I don't like to skip to the end."

Wonderful Words

Luke says, "I'm stuck on you, mama."

Party Time

Hannah and John enjoyed the father-daughter banquet at our church a few weeks ago. The night had an Australian theme to it and they even won a prize. In this picture John has his best crocodile hunter face on. "Good Day mate!"














Hannah looks like a beautiful Sheila on a walk-about. Notice her new glasses. She loves them and loves the fact that she can see better.



















We also celebrated John's birthday a few weeks back. What a blessing this fun family of mine is!

Hannah's Show and Tell

Earlier this week, Hannah had a show and tell demo with Mommy. Listen in as she talks about her Lego creation and all of the latest features of her house.

Winter Fun

A few weeks ago Hannah and Luke had some fun playing in the snow. Although it was so cold they didn't last long, it was a good time.

Hannah attempted to build a snow fort but Luke quickly abandoned the effort to come inside. Hannah piled snow in the bucket but ts got stuck up in there. She had fun trying though.

Luke was sad to come in but it was much to cold for him. He loves the snow and wants it to come back again when it is warmer, he says.

Beautiful Faces

All Dressed Up...

Hannah says, "I really liked this dress so I put in on with this hat and shoes. I really, really liked getting dress up clothes for Christmas. We have had lots of fun with our dress up clothes."

Dressing up for a Birthday Celebration

Here we all are in your holiday finest ready for Christmas Eve service. The candle light service was beautiful and we had a good time celebrating Jesus' birthday.

Happy Birthday Hannah

I don't know exactly how it happened but Hannah turned 7 today. She certainly is a beautiful grown up girl. We had a great time celebrating with family today. We are very proud of her and the blessing she is to our family.

A Wonderful Christmas Time

The same as most people in the country, we are celebrating Christmas. Hannah and Luke had a great time helping with the tree and ornaments. They also had a lot of fun with the train.
















Of course the real meaning of Christmas does not escape the children. They are very much aware of Christ's birthday and even though the are small, they are beginning to understand why this birthday is so important. Hannah has had many questions about why Jesus came to live among us. One of the most special reasons God came down to us is to experience the same life we do. Even though he lived a perfect life, he went through the same suffering, temptations and sorrows we go through in life. Having a friend and Savior that can relate to my life brings comfort and joy.

We pray the real meaning of Christmas will take hold of your heart this Christmas.

Catching up...

Unfortunately, we are not only a little behind but also a little out of order. Before that wonderful trip to Kalahari, school started back up. Hannah is in 1st grade this year and although the bulk of her schooling is at home, she is taking 3 classes at the Christian school. This picture shows her first day of school and she is going off to music class. She loves the music, art and Spanish classes that she is taking at the school. She is also doing well at home with her other subjects. Luke started pre-school this year at home. In his 'first day of school' picture he is at the Christian school also. After we drop Hannah off for class, Luke and I have school time for him. He is really enjoying it. He also loves to get in on Hannah's science projects. So far we have learned a lot about magnets and had a lot of fun playing with them.

To go even farther back, Hannah is standing by one of her summer projects, Sunflowers. She thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow and follow after the sun everyday. As you can see, she grew them big. Too bad all the birds ate the seeds before we could.
We also all shared in a big veggie garden this year. We had a bumper crop and canned lots of homemade spaghetti sauce. It was nice to use all of our own vegetables for it. The kids felt very proud of their accomplishments. It is hard to believe they are growing so fast. I think they grew faster than the garden. They are bright and fun, smart and loving. I could not be more thankful for them!

Bringing up Hannah

Hannah will soon be 7 and boy is she changing into her own beautiful little girl. She is beginning to take more care with her appearance and has been growing out her hair so we can braid and curl it. She loves her classes at the Christian school and even loves her classes at home most days. She is bright and smart.
Hannah continues to have a vivid imagination and regularly tells of her adventures with Peter, Tinkerbell and the pirates. She likes to help Luke a lot, even when he doesn't want help.
Hannah also thinks very deeply about certain subjects, asking some very hard questions. She doesn't stop asking until she fully understands either. Sometimes she challenges me by asking questions about God, Jesus and heaven. This week she began to question how God is one and yet three. How do you explain the trinity to a 7 year old? I love her assurance in her faith.
Three cheers for Hannah!

Luke is growing

Last month Luke celebrated his 4th birthday. It is very hard for me to understand where the years have gone to. I remember very well when he was so small. I am thankful for his good health and wonderful personality. He is the sunshine in my days.

Already Luke can write his name and loves to get involved with Hannah's science lessons. He likes to build and create, as well as destroy things. He continues to be energetic and charming. Luke loves his gymnastics classes and is getting very good at flipping over the bar and somersaulting over the vault. It is a good way to focus his energy.

A special stay at Kalahari in Sandusky, OH

Earlier this week, our family took a little mini-vacation to the largest Indoor water park in the USA. Yes, it really is that big with a ton of things to do. They have sections for kids of all ages and abilities. The wave pool was a lot of fun and both kids enjoyed that a lot. The slides were a lot of fun in the various areas. Hannah really enjoyed going down them with at least one parent or the other in tow. There are at least three hot tub areas, two of which are of the indoor/outdoor variety, a lazy river, some basketball courts, and a lot of other things as well.

Ask Mama Eagle sometime about taking the "Toilet Bowl Plunge" backwards! Hannah loved it, mama? Not so much.
Luke's favorite activity was playing "putty putty golf". He really had fun just hitting and guiding the ball all over the place. Never mind keeping track of his hits, it was all about having fun! Not only was there the water park inside, but they also have one outside as well. If you need a break from the water, there was a nine-hole putt putt golf course, a full-sized game room, an indoor play area for kids under 54", plus a mini-zoo with a variety of animals including some kangaroos, camels, goats, and other African animals. More about that and pictures later.

But the best part was learning to ride the waves! Check out the video below. They have a special pool that you can ride a wave board. The water is so intense, but so is the fun. The first time I saw this a few months ago, I wasn't so sure I wanted to do it. But with very few people at Kalahari while we were there, I thought it was a great opportunity to take advantage of. Even Hannah got in on it and had a blast. Ask her about the best part of being at Kalahari and this is what she is going to talk about.