He did it!

My 17 year old-my eldest-received something wonderful in the mail today-his official GED certificate! He is officially graduated from high school and ready to move on to bigger and better things in life. He took the test about 3 weeks ago and was uncertain as to how he did, especially on the math portion (nope..not a math lover!). He was pleasantly surprised to see his results-97 on the lang arts/reading portion and 90 on the science. Yay! The math? Well, not out of sight, but definitely above passing! He was delighted. I am so proud of him for this accomplishment, as I know it wasn't easy. I am looking forward, with a bit of sadness also, to the next phase in his life-I do know that God has many wonderful experiences in store for his future!

Pie making

My girls have been asking to make some pies for quite some time, so this week we made a date to do it! They invited a friend over and got busy baking! I premade the pie dough and they rolled it out...

Peeled and cored a whole bunch of apples!

Mixed them with the filling, put on a pretty lattice crust, and after baking for quite some time, they had 2 freshly baked apple pies-yum! Dad even declared they were better than storebought! I see more pie baking in our future!

Worms, worms everywhere!

For science this week, we learned about worms-a great creature to learn about when you have kids! In order to get an up close look, I bought a container of night-crawlers from Walmart. First, we discovered which end was the head and which was the tail (they look nearly the same). After that, we tried touching their head gently with a cotton swab, determining that they are sensitive to touch. Next, we dipped the cotton swab in nail polish remover and then held it close to its head. It didn't like that odor at all and coiled back quickly. Even more neat was when we held the swab up to its tail or any other part of its body, it had the same reaction. You see, God designed a worm's body to sense odor all over, not just in one part. Cool, huh? After we were done, I let the kids each take a worm outside to look at it and hold it (nicely). Here's a big one..

And my 7 yo with hers. It's funny how the girls all had names for theirs!

For something fun, we made a dirt cake, complete with oreo crumbs to look like dirt and gummy worms on the top. It was super yummy and they loved both making it and eating it!

2 years....

Today marked the 2nd anniversary since my Dad's death. Over the last 2 years, I've come to realize that grief is a journey. Just like a physical wound, time does help healing, but a scar will still be left behind. I don't miss my Dad any less than I did 2 years ago, certainly not. But life, as it does, goes on for those left behind. At this point, it's important for me to keep the memory of my father alive both for me and my kids. Last year, we set off balloons to celebrate his life. This year, the kids each wrote (or drew) about a special time they had with Grandpa. With kids, you'd think their best memories would be about the big stuff they did with him. No, it wasn't like that at all. They remember the little stuff-when he pushed them on the swing, played with them, or just listened to them. Isn't that what life is all about anyway-the little stuff? The past two years have changed me tremendously-in some ways positively, and others I am not so happy with. In all honesty, they've made changes in all of us. I know that the Lord brings good from every situation, and even in the midst of grieving, I have seen it. I don't know how I could have made it through such a tough time without the Lord by my side. When I have needed someone to cry to, He has been there. The most special time of each day now is the time early in the morning when I spend with Him, pouring out my heart and feeling His love toward me. With each passing day, I'm able to think back more positively on the memory of my Dad. I have come to see just how much I was like him, which makes me appreciate him even more. Though it saddens me to think of the rest of my life without him, the time I did have with him here will be forever treasured in my heart. I love you, Dad.

Fire festival

Today we had the opportunity to go to the Houston Fire Fest for the first time. A festival all about firefighters? My 6 yo was thrilled! Here he is, dressed up in the 1700's firefighting garb....


And his little sister, too! Hmmm...maybe the moustache doesn't quite belong?!


They saw all kinds of old firefighting trucks.

And even got to see a fire demonstration...cool!

Everyone had a great time. Unfortunately, my camera battery died halfway thru, so that's it for the pictures!

Enjoying the nice days...

Lately, we've been enjoying the nice weather here..highs in the low 80's-perfect for getting out and enjoying some sunshine. The kiddos have rediscovered the trampoline....even the little guy!

My goofy 6 yo loves swinging on the bar-he's so tiny he actually fits!

Here's my sweet 4 yo doll, getting ready to go grocery shopping with Mom. Notice the purse? She's ready to go!

This shot just about sums up my almost 2 yo's personality-on the go, looking for action, and very carefree! I think this was about the time he spotted some bouncy balls and was getting ready to go play some soccer!

Arachnids

In science, we have been studying arachnids, which includes, you guessed it..spiders! As a fun little project, we made spiders out of food. My kids love anything you can eat. Here's the peanut butter cracker and pretzel version-a big hit. Even my almost 2yo enjoyed building his.


Here's my 6 yo showing off his

And another version...the marshmallow/pipe cleaner spider!

I think this is an attempt at a scorpion. His tail wouldn't stay up, though.

And finally, a whole family of spiders! Those stumpy things on the left? My 7 yo said they were egg sacs. Creative!