There's this famous family story, that my dad likes to tell.  He used it for an illustration in an article he wrote from Elder S.T. Tolley's The Christian Baptist when I was a child.  He and Benjamin, my youngest brother, were out in the yard one evening, and looking up we had over 50 pine trees in the lot, and you could see the tops of them waving and dancing in the wind, the way a pine will do.  Daddy looked at Benjamin with the most serious deadpan expression and said, "You know the trees move to make the wind blow."  Benjamin not too much older than Britt is now, immediately answered, "No, silly Daddy.  The wind blows and makes the trees move."  He used the picture, to help explain the following verse of scripture,

The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. - John 3:8

 It is an example that always has stuck with me.  It is a picture even a child can understand.  We cannot cause someone to be born again by preaching to them, or fussing after them.  We can't pray enough or work enough to get ourselves born again.  We can't instruct our children or our neighbors enough to get them born again either.


Tonight driving home, it was quite dark in the car, and I handed Ruth a picture that one of the Cook girls had colored for her, that she had forgotten to get out of the car.  When she asked if that was the same picture.  I told her there wasn't any picture.  She then insisted that "it is too a picture!"  I replied, "But it's dark, I don't see a picture."  She told me just because I couldn't see it didn't mean it was there.  She told me to turn on the light and look.  The exchange brought to mind the following verses,

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: - II Timothy 1:9-10

You know, God saved us and called us, not because of our works (anything at all that we could or would do), but because of his grace.  He did all of this in His mind, according to His purpose before the world began.  This covenant, this agreement between God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit was made manifest or made plain to us when Christ came and died for us on the cross.  His death put away death for us, there will be no eternal death, no separation from God in Hell for His children, for all that he died for.  And all of these is brought to light by the gospel.  Just as me turning on the light didn't make the picture appear.  The gospel doesn't give life to God's Children, it only makes evident what was already there.  The gospel is a light switch for God's children.  It explains that unexplainable feeling we have.  It sheds light on what that hope is, it tells us that we need not fear anymore because Christ paid it all.  Ruth never doubted that there in the dark on the piece of paper she held there was a beautifully colored picture.  Turning on the light didn't magically make it appear.  But, when I turned on the light, and she could check and see that everything was just right on that paper, it was comforting to her.  And the gospel is good news, it is comforting to us.  Our Heavenly Father loved us so much as to take care of us, to right the wrong we couldn't, and then He didn't leave us in the dark about what He did but shared the good news with us - really, what could be more comforting than that?

What's with Britt's crazy eyes?

I had my 15 month doctor's appointment yesterday.  It was suppose to be Tuesday, but Momma left the headlights on in the car, and it wouldn't crank when we went to leave.  So she rescheduled for yesterday.  Then when we got there, they told us we were scheduled for Thursday not Wednesday.  Momma laughed at the craziness of it.  But they told her that they could work us in at 10:45 instead of 10:30, and she was really happy about that.  Me, not so much.

Yumm!

I am back on the growth chart again.  Apparently even though I made it back on the growth chart at 9 months (for the first time since birth), I fell off again at 1 year.  I like giving folks a run for their money.  I am in the 5% for height, and have hit the 25% for weight.  Momma already suspected that I had outgrown my carseat, but yesterday confirmed that I am barely too tall for it, and over the minimum weight for the new carseat, so I'm going to be upgrading soon.  Momma thought she might could wait a little longer, but I guess not.  Apparently my new found little pot belly, is why Momma is also boxing up the 9-12 month clothes and pulling out the 12-18 month stuff.  And for the first time I'm in the right size clothes, since 3 months.  Momma says I just don't gain weight at in even rate, my charts aren't a nice arc, but a pretty jagged set of rocks.  I'm cool with that though.

What?  I'm not much of a morning person.

The doctor agreed I needed to get back into the eye doctor and get it taken care of since it hasn't cleared up, and it is bothering me more and more.  The doctor was also a little concerned about, not so much my lack of vocabulary, but the fact that I've quit using words, I already knew.  I would have told her it's just not convenient to need so many words, but I'd had to use words.  She was less concerned, when Momma had me get and do some different stuff, so that she could see that I understand, I'm just not a talker, yet.  And really who has time for learning words, I mastered the stairs three ways this week.  I can go up and come down two different ways.  I like to scoot down on my hiney, holding on to the rails.  Brady showed me a neat trick at Church this weekend and that's how to go down backwards.  Momma is grumbling that is what she's been trying to tell me for some time, but I don't believe her.

I like to eat, and your point is?

I got a shot, which I didn't like at all.  However, since everyone was so good (though my brother's behavior was a bit debatable), we went over to Dairy Queen for lunch and everyone used their money from Granddaddy for ice cream.  I really liked a sign that had ice cream and fruit, but Momma said it was too big for me to eat.  I insisted that it looked so tasty and had FRUIT too, so she gave me a little extra money, and we split a Banana Split while Ruth and Britt had ice cream twist with sprinkles.  Afterward I came home and slept for a really long time.  Momma said something about a sugar coma, and used the time to load lots of singing videos to the Church facebook page.  Well there are stairs to climb, so I'm gonna run!

Well, in case you didn't notice, SURPRISE, I couldn't sleep last night (still all wound up from our annual meeting I suppose) so at 2:30 am, I decided to revamp the blogspot.  I get so bored with the same thing all the time, it really is amazing that I was able to leave the last layout up for an entire 13 months!  ESPECIALLY since it was pink.  I really hate pink.  I just thought it would be kinda fun, since the girls around here, finally outnumbered the boys.  So as usual, after a year, I got some thing new, more along my favorite color scheme green and blue and brown.

Getting the garden in the ground.  We are trying something new this year, Square Foot Gardening.

So, as you might not recall, one of my New Year's Resolutions was to find some way to reclaim some me time, doing some of the things I really love.  Like maybe reading a book sometime this year, or catching up the scrapbooks in which the last entry reads we are expecting a girl!  (That would be Ruth not Rebecca.)  Maybe actually making time to blog for myself.  Let's just say, I haven't even attempted to check that off my list.  I really would like to reclaim this blog though.  I love that the kids can record things in their own words (especially since all the scrapbooks are pitifully behind), but I want to do some serious writing again.  Maybe about what I'm studying or maybe about some good meetings (like this weekends).  Somewhere along the line the blog morphed from lots of interesting thoughts to a journal, and that's fun and useful (for whenever I catch up those scrapbooks), but I'd like to get back to some sort of substance writing.  (Of course, I've completely wasted two paragraphs already with no substance, yes I do see the irony here.)  So, I thought today, I am going to blog again, WOOHOO!  Gary is home, the kids are outside, he can hold down the fort.  And you know the slight problem with this grand plan?  I haven't come up with a single coherent topic.

Talking on the phone to Bro. Jonathan, getting ready for our Church Meeting.

Laugh if you must, but I'm serious.  For the first gazillion times I tried to pop in here today, I had nothing.  For the next gazillion times I sat down to type, I had too many things.  I want to tell you about our meeting this weekend, but I can't come up with the right words to describe just how uplifting it was, and then I thought I might just link some of the sermons, so I went to go load them.  I thought I might tell you about some funny memories that came back to me while driving the other night, but they were too disconnected.  I thought I might write about some recent life lessons learned through motherhood, but then remembered One True Media is closing, so I need to sign on and download that stuff before I lose it.  SO instead, you got a pretty rambling and pointless post, in which I'm promising, I will write something of note, and something interesting... soon.  In the meantime here are some random pictures of what I've been up to this past month, you know when I'm not chasing heathens!

Taking pictures at our Church Meeting

Rebecca,

You are 15 months today.  Oh how time flies.  You are such a busy little bee, perhaps that is just part of your personality.  You always want to be doing something, learning something, progressing to the next step.  Lately the activity of choice has been stairs.  Oh, you've been climbing a step or two for 6 months now, I guess, but in the last few weeks, you would sit on the bottom couple of steps, looking up, head cocked to one side listening to Britt and Ruth playing upstairs.  Then one day you just started climbing, within two days, you had mastered it, you have such speed now it is crazy.  It's hard to catch up, when I don't want you climbing.  I don't leave the baby gate up all the time, since the only bathroom is upstairs and while Britt can climb over it, Ruth cannot.  You haven't mastered going down yet though you've been practicing alot.  Only 2 spills so far in the last few weeks though.

Aside from the climbing things pretty much have continued along the same.  You aren't running, but you have a speed walk like I Ahna's.  I can remember practically running to keep up with her, and it seems to be the same following you, you are just much shorter.  You continue to be a gal of few words.  MA-MA screamed at the most annoying pitch continues to stand for every conceivable thought.  Though, in the last two weeks I've heard you say "hi Daddy," "ta-ge" (with the slightest G sound - so Grumps will say it's time to work on his name), and you've started occasionally using Bit again for your brother.  Despite your limited vocabulary, it's impressive how much you understand.  I can ask you to do and get all kinds of things, things I'm sure will stump you and you come trotting back a few minutes later having put away or gotten out said item.


On that note, you are eager to help around the house.  I will start sweeping and look over to find you picking up items in the floor around your chair and carrying them to the garbage bag.  Like Ruth did when she was a little older than you I will start dusting and look around to see you using taggie as a dust rag on the lower items.  I can start picking up toys and you bring me items further off.  Just this week, I was pulling things out of the drier into the basket, when I had to go and help Britt.  I came back to find you having gotten about half the items out and into the basket.  You like to sort laundry too, but we need to work on your concept of darks verses lights.


Persistence, a little attitude, a big flashing smile, and a love of cuddling are all things that seem to define your personality.  The more you grow the more I am in wonder if the majesty of God as a supreme creator.  We have three children, all raised more or less the same, and yet you are all three such wonderfully unique people.  His ability to design, His infinite imagination, His many bestowed blessings, they all boggle the mind.  We continue to pray that He will guide and shape you into a wonderful woman, we continue to thank Him for the blessing of you (and your siblings).  Momma and Daddy love you very much, little bit.

Love,
Momma

ps - I'm sorry you don't have a 15 month video, but My True Media is closing down, and I'm trying to get all the years worth of videos saved to the hard drive.  Blogger wouldn't let me load the video of you climbing this past Sunday afternoon at the park, so instead, here is you squeeze and grunting (aka, to the rest of the world, hugging) your puppy.

Today been a nice day cause of marshmallows.  And us had a campfire.  We had it with us friends.  My friend is Annie.  She came to my house, and swinged me on the swing set.  We drawed with chaulk.  She drew a picture of Ruth as a princess.  Britt played with Everett.  They played with dinosaurs and Britt's toys in his room and outside.  Annie's big brother Alex came too, he was so funny.  He sword fighted with us too.  It was a nice day to play with them.  We all had lunch together, hot dogs on the campfire.  It was a nice day.  Me want my friends to stay more.  They will come back another day, and play all the way till night time.

We went to Zoo America in Hershey with our friends from co-op.  We saw lots of animals at the zoo.  I don't know how much.  I did have a good time with my friends, and asked them to come to my house, and they did today.  We went to the zoo on Wednesday, it was cold there, so borrowed Alex's coat.  He's funny.




























They had a black footed ferret.  I wanted to look for those in our woods, because I learned about him from Brothers and Chris.  They have sharp teeth, because they are a predator.  They have a long body to go through the tightest tunnels.  There are only 16 left in the world, they use to live in Texas.  I want to go there.  We saw Black Bears.  They were sleeping and a bird almost woke them up. Bears are omnivores, like us, they like meat and berries and stuff. I did see wolves, I think they eat deers and stuff.  They might kill them too.  Did you know, otters were in their home?  They didn't want to swim because it was too cold.  It might be warm now, cause it's hot.  It would be a good day to play in the shade or go to the beach.  It feels better in the shade.  You know how it feels if you are barefooted in the sand, it's hot.





Then we ate lunch.  We brought sandwiches and Everett shared some of his chips with me.  We got to play on a little playground after that.  There was a little slide, and some stairs to it, and we all took turns.




After lunch time, we went into that building.  There was lots of kinds of animals: an owl, a skunk, a snake, and an alligator.  The skunk didn't have any stripes.  She was an albino named Betty White.  Albino means she has no color all white.  Her eyes looked pink because she didn't have any color in her eyes, so you could see all the blood behind them.  If she had been all black she would have been melanism.  He asked if anyone could have a staring contest with the snake, and Ruth was picked.  She stared a long time, till we were all laughing.  He told her she was really good, but that she couldn't win, because snakes don't have eyelids so they couldn't blink.  We all got to pet the snake, but Momma said no thank you.  The last animal that he told us all about was the alligator.  I don't think it would be a good idea to touch the inside of his mouth.

















I think it would be fun to go there again, but next time I want to try another zoo.

A week ago, I went to my first homeschool convention.  Everyone says it's one of those things you just really should do if you are going to give this homeschooling gig a whirl.  You get to go and hear a lot of encouraging speakers talk about all kinds of things both encouraging and technique related.  You get to go and actually see all of those curriculum options that you've been reading about and talk to the makers, designers and sellers about how to actually works in practice.  Plus, you get to meet other homeschooling families.

I had attend a convention on my to do list last year, but it didn't happen.  I heard about this one for nearly a year, it's one of the bigger ones in the Northeast apparently as I meet folks from New York and other New England states.   Now, they told me it was big, but WOW it was big!  The first day, I only managed to make three speakers and to see about 2/3rds of the booths, between 9 and 5.  The second day I heard 3 more speakers, and managed the rest of the booths, but wow, there was just so much to see, I could have spent a week in there and not really got to look at it all.

I went with my short list:  things to buy, things to check out, and people to hear.  I knew I was going to buy math curriculum this year, and I knew I wanted Math U See, what I wasn't sure was what level Britt needed.  I also considered getting a few of Critical Thinking's Mathematical Reasoning Workbooks for Ruth as an intro to Math since she has been after me to have real school books like Britt.  I ended up deciding on getting both level of Math U See the Primer and the Alpha.  After Britt talked with the gentleman who founded the company and came up with the method (and talking with me about my thoughts) he said Britt could start in Primer this fall, but he would probably be through the book by Thanksgiving, but that Ruth would really enjoy Primer too.  So I opted for Primer for her and Alpha for him.  I also looked to see if anyone was selling Sing, Spell, Read, Write, since Ruth wants her own books, but I didn't find them.  I will by her some at the end of the summer online, I think.  I also looked for a copy of "Teach a Child to Read with Children's Books" in the used curriculum sale, since it is out of print, but it was also a no go.  However, I did find out that our local library has a copy that I can check out.

I wanted to look at Tapestry of Grace and Trail Guide of Learning, because I think they appear to be some excellent unit studies built around history.  One of them is TOTALLY the way I would teach and learn history, but the other looks really good too, and I wanted to be able to play with a hard copy, not for right now, but for future reference.  See, since I don't have to document anything officially till Britt turns 8, I can follow his interest and really have a very laid back approach, building my own curriculum as I go, I don't need anything too structured yet.  Besides he's not ready for that sort of thing.  I just wanted to get some ideas for down the road.  I was also hoping to see someone with some Konos materials, because that stuff just looks SUPER cool, but I'm not sure if I want to shell out the money for it, without having a chance to really be sure that the activities in it are something I'm going to be willing to do.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to find anyone selling those items.

The best part though, I suppose was two of the speakers.  One talked alot about how to work with multiple kids at different levels.  Some of the things she talked about I was already doing, kind figured out on my own.  A few things will be more useful as mine get older.  One of the suggestions, is to use unit studies, something I already really liked, and have been using.  And that you include all the kids.  You just hit the high points and after 5 minutes let the pre-k kid go and set them on a coloring sheet that relates.  Then you go further in more depth for another 10 minutes and let the 1st grader go, and set them to copy work. You go for another 15 minutes, again in more depth, then let the 4th grader go with an assignment of righting a few paragraphs by the end of the day.  Finally you go in the most depth for longer with the 8th grader, and ask for a 3 page paper by the end of the week.  This way, you are teaching most everyone the same thing, but at different levels.  You can do this with pretty much every subject but math which requires more one on one attention and since it's progressive, not everyone can learn on the same material.  Language Arts can be done around the same idea, but you have to change the level of difficulty.

The other really great speaker talked about incorporating movement into lessons.  She told us that as a 1st grader in 1987, her mother was concerned when every day she couldn't tell her a think she had done in school, and because she wasn't reading at all.  She knew that she was bright, and always excited about learning, but now seem "dull eyed."  Her mom made the decision to go up to school, and watch.  So for the first 5 to 10 minutes she sat there great, but then the next 10 or 15 she was fidgeting worse and worse.  All of a sudden she would hop up and run around her desk then sit back down.  Her mom watched this repeat itself over and over all morning.  At break, she asked the teacher what was wrong, and the teacher replied, some kids just need to move more, we've got her in the back, she's not disturbing anyone don't worry.  It didn't take long for her mom to figure out that she was using all of her mental energy to say to herself "sit still, sit still, sit still" and she wasn't hear anything else or learning.  She told us that it is often a misnomer that sit still and pay attention go together.  She had lots of suggestions for using that movement to your advantage, and ways to direct it without it being disruptive, and also ideas about when it's ok do just do things differently.  She also talked about the power of muscle memory, and how to incorporate movement and rhythm (both musically, and rhythmic movement) to add it higher retention.  It was really fascinating and gave me tons of ideas for Britt.  Ruth loves to sit right with me, and remembers so much, but not so much with Britt.

The whole weekend was really great.  I highly recommend going to a convention if you are thinking about homeschooling.  There's just so many resources.

Momma says I should update everyone since it's been a while.  I walk really well, I don't run, but I have a speed walk, that she says would enable me to keep up with Ahna in the hallways at school.  I am the stairmaster, well, I haven't quite figured out the down part, but I can get upstairs when it sounds like Britt and Ruth are having too much fun without me.  I have started playing patty cake, and other hand games.  Everyone seemed to think it was alot of fun when I played too, so I don't mind to entertain them.  I like to eat everything, I out eat both of my siblings, and Momma thinks I'm about to jump up to the next clothes size (12-18) and finally be normal sized.


Everyone says my only word is Momma, but you have to understand that I say it in this incredibly loud, teenager like tone, "Maaaaaaa-ma!"  It's a handy word to know.  It means, "I wanted food 10 minutes ago," "Ruth is annoying me,"  "Hold ME," "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA," and "What happened to my cup?"  I've quit using the word, "da-da" because I've found I can get everything I want with "ma-ma."  I do babble some, and I nod really big when Momma asks me if I want something.  Today, just to mix things up I said my first sentence, "Hi, Da-da."  I've also started mumbling something like "Yeah ahm" for Yes Ma'am, but if you tell anyone else I'll deny it.  I prefer a solid standby that is the answer to all questions, say it with me, "MAAAAAAAAA-MA!"

So, I've been really insistent with Momma that I want a Sing Spell, Read, Write book like Britts, and that if she's going to get him something with numbers, then I want some Math workbooks too.  I want one like Britt, cause me not have one.  So, Momma set out to find us some worksheets for our next thing we are learning in school.  We have sheets about writing and drawing, and sheets for counting seeds, and sheets just for coloring.  We have a plant part life cycle book.  I got my own, I'm not sharing with Britt.

Now we are learning about plants, and seeds, and gardening, and all the beautiful things God made.  My lettuce plants look so beautiful.  Yeah, cause they are growing.  I made a plant book it tells me all about plants growing.  First it's a seed.  Then it's a germinating seeds.  Next it grows roots and a stem.  Then it grows leaves.  Next it grows flowers.  Then the bees come and get nectar, and while they do pollen sticks to their legs and bellies and that's what makes the fruit grow.  Plants need four things to grow - dirt, rain, sunshine, and air. I like growing things, cause it's so fun.


My lettuce seeds grew first, but Britt's all died, and his dirt blew away.  So we both planted another tray for a race.  His lettuce came up in 4 days super fast.  But I told him it didn't count.  We are going to see if my broccoli and cabbage beat his okra and watermelon.  We planted peppers, eggplant, and tomatoes too, but Momma says they will take a long time to grow, that they are slow.  We are going to plant our carrots and potatoes and beans soon, because they need to be planted straight in the garden.

Today I'm going to tell you about my nature walk.  We are starting a new unit in school.  We are learning about gardening and nature.  In the last week we saw two groundhogs.  I think they looked just like a beaver a little.  Their back is a little like a beaver, and they live close to our river, and beavers like water too.  Sometimes they go in the water too.  They are a little bit different too.  They have different tails.  We saw a raccoon, one day too.  Kita was try to eat it, so it ran up the tree.  I went outside and tried to climb up the tree to touch it.  Daddy told me it might bite, so I didn't actually touch it.  When he went up the tree, he didn't do anything but lay around, so maybe he was getting ready to sleep.  Today we saw a bird building a nest in our red bird house.  It ate some food from the bird feeder too.  I watched it from the window, because when I tried to go outside, it flew away.


Yesterday Momma and I went on a nature walk in the woods.  We went passed lots of thorn bushes.  Some we got cut and some we got trapped, so I let Momma go first.  I weared snow boots, so that I could go first some and step on them to get them out of the way.  We were looking for lots of kinds of animals.  Well, we only just found birds.  We found something burnt up, maybe an iphone.  There were some interesting plants like moss and algae.  Moss felt like a bobcat's fur.  I liked it.  Momma said it grows by water.  I didn't like algae, because I wouldn't want it to get in my snow boots.  Plus, if there's too much the water stops moving.  We found one spot where there wasn't any water left, just algae.  I want to go back and clean it up and help the river.


One of the last things we found on the way home was a lot of rocks stacked up.  I made a hypothesis, that it might have been a playground.  Momma thought it might have been an old part of a house.  I'm going to take Daddy back to look another day.  Then we got past that river on the rock path.  I like go on adventures.  Goodbye.