U--US

U--Us...God made us Wonderful.  This was our theme this past week from My Father's World.  Our Bible verse was Psalm 139: 12, 14: "For you created my inmost parts, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."  (a side note...I really think that if my girls memorize and understand this verse it will help them through some of the difficult times later in life that girls often face.  If they understand the truth that they are fearfully and wonderfully made...that they are specially created by God, then maybe...hopefully it will help them through those perilous teenage years where girls often feel ugly, inadequate and wrongly made.  Lord...let this verse penetrate the hearts of my children so they know they are perfectly made by you, even when the world tells them they are awkward, ugly or undesirable).

So, this week, we studied the Five senses; sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing.  We had a lot of fun learning about how God made our bodies to experience the world, playing games about our senses and learning how to read when we are blind, or speak when we are deaf.

Touch: I blindfolded Nicole and gave her several different objects that she felt and had to explain and then guess what it was.  Then, I took the sense away by putting socks on her hands.  This activity helped her learn how important her skin is to her sense of touch.

Hearing: I had the girls turn their backs on me while I made a noise with an object (a ball bouncing, a spinwheel spinning, an object opening, etc.) and they had to guess what was making the noise.  We also walked around the house and listened for noises we often don't "hear" because of how cluttered our sounds can be.  Throughout the rest of the week...Hannah made me a little crazy with all the *gasp* "Mommy, did you hear that?  A sound!"  and Nicole made me crazy with all of her (very good) questions about how sound travels and why can we hear sounds that are outside when we are inside.

We talked a lot about how our ears are made and how sound travels through our ears.  I wanted to make a large ear model...but never got around to it.

Finally, we also talked about people who can not hear at all.  I taught them the alphabet in sign language.  Nicole actually has picked up on several letters...this seemed like something she would like to learn more of.  Hannah just makes all kinds of crazy movements with her hands...probably shooting gang signs like the best of them:)


Sight: Although I should have...we did not walk around the house blindfolded and give directions....I probably should do that.  But we did learn about Braille and Nicole had to decode a message "written" in braille. 

Nicole's braille worksheet from Enchanted Learning

Smell: Again, the kids were blindfolded and they had to smell different items form the kitchen and guess what it was.  They smelled pepper, onions, marshmallows, apples, peanut butter and other objects.  Then, I had Nicole eat a slice of apple, while I held an onion under her nose.  This was to introduce the concept that our sense of smell and taste work together.

Hannah smelling a marshmallow

Nicole smelling pepper

Nicole smelling peanut butter

Nicole smelling an onion while eating an apple

Taste: Finally, our sense of taste...again, we blindfolded each other and tasted different foods.  Cake, cotton candy, raisins, sugar, salt, lemon juice.  They had to use the words; sweet, sour, salty or bitter to describe the taste.  When the lesson was over, I asked Nicole what the bumps on her tongue was called, she said, "Taste Dudes" :)  Close enough I suppose.

Nicole tasting something...maybe a potato chip

Hannah insisted that I played too...so I am tasting a raisin I think.

I got some good worksheets including the worksheets on braille and sign language from Enchanted learning.  Of course we also worked on our math and phonics.  It was a fun week filled with lots of hands on learning activities.

But....I'm really excited for next week:-)  Stay tuned.....

Annie

This past Thursday and Friday, the Academy at our church put on the musical Annie Jr. (just a short version of Annie).  We were invited to join our pastor's table because they had their granddaughters down and so they thought the girls may enjoy sitting together. 

They had fun giggling together before the show.

And going backstage to meet Annie.

The production was very very good.  There are some very talented young people at FBA.  Nicole did not move the entire hour.  Between every song or set change, Hannah would turn around and ask me, "Are we going to watch another one?"

After the show, the girls...well, mostly Nicole, wanted to go see some of the characters again.  Although, I don't think she understood at all that they were actors.

At the end of the night she said to me, "Mommy, I think I am becoming friends with Annie" :)  I think because she got to see her before and again after the show. haha.

Janet and the girls snuck out right when the musical ended ( I think the little one was very tired and still a bit sick), so we didn't get a picture with everyone...but we did get a picture with Pastor Wicker.  The girls love him.  They remind us to pray for him every night and are always excited when they get to see him.  I think it's kind of neat.

We also got to see our buddy Hunter.  He was on a special dress up date with his mom...so he was looking suave that night.

It was a fun evening spending time with my two sweeties.  We had front row seats, enjoyed some wonderful talent and delicious dessert. 

Hannah is 3!

Today has been an extra special day.  We celebrated Hannah and her third birthday all day long.  It was a fantastic day filled with friends at the park and a family party in the evening.  We are so grateful we have had three fun filled year with this little giggly ball of energy, smiles and love.  We love you so very much Hannah Grace!  Happy Birthday!!!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Hannah.  This outfit was made by the incredible Kirsten DeWitt!

Set up at the Park

Hannah and her friend Emma

Hannah and Harrison

Hannah and Vanessa

Hannah and her wonderful big sis...Nicole

Hannah and Nolan

Olivia, Hannah and Isabella

Snack time!

Hannah loves this spinning toy at the park.

Going for a little birthday drive with daddy

Hannah's adorable Minnie Mouse birthday cake

The trick candles were making sparks.  This was Hannah's reaction.  She was worried about it.

This is the classic "Hannah Face" that I LOVE!

Yummy birthday cake.

Liking the bottom of Minnie.  Nicole really, Really wanted this job...but she was so good at letting Hannah "get her way" today since it was her birthday.  I was so proud of the way Nicole acted today. She really tried to make Hannah feel special.

Nathan loved the cake as well:)

Playing wit the paper and tissue after all the gifts were unwrapped. 

All of Hannah's Loot!  A "Minnie's Birthday Bow-tique", beach toys, Tangled (the movie), play doh, money, some clothes, and a few other odds and ends. 

Nate enjoyed watching the commotion from daddy's arms.

Hehehe...Nicole wanted a picture with all the gifts as well.

Now that the girls are preoccupied...Nathan takes his turn to play in the tissue.

Checking out Minnie's Bow-tique

Show me the money!  Thanks Mimi

As special hand made card from cousin Seth.  Hannah said, "Mommy, did Seth write this?" Perfect gift from a cuz.

N is for Nest T is for Turtle

A few weeks ago, we started going through My Father's World Kindergarten curriculum.  Our first week was N-Nest "God takes good care of me".  Each week, there is a phrase to memorize and then I pick a corresponding Bible verse for the girls to memorize.  We have a book (or two or three) that we read often throughout the week.

The Bible verse I chose was Mathew 6:26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

We spent time outside pretending we were birds picking up supplies to build our nests, and then we came inside and built our nest (I used the bottom of an oatmeal container for our shape). 

Since a nest is a home for a bird, we talked a lot about other homes for animals.  A really fun book to read was "A House is a House for me" and "Animal Homes".  We also happened to get a book on animal homes from a Chic-fil-a kid's meal that went perfectly with our unit.


The next week, we did T is for Turtle.  The phrase was "I don't quit; I persevere"
the bible verse we learned was Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."


We talked a lot about perseverance last week.  We read and watched the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare. We read about turtles and how their shell is their home (tying into last week).  Honestly, school work wasn't much of a priority last week....so we didn't get a lot done.  We had a couple of days doing some worksheets.  My favorite for these letter units have been from here.  It is a letter search that even Hannah can do.  Then, they practice writing the letter on the bottom (a tip, for those who are learning to write like Hannah, use a yellow marker to write the letter for them, then they can trace the letter with a pencil). 


We also used worksheets from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  While Nicole was working on her math, Hannah was sorting turtles according to color and according to size.  Nicole later sorted according to color as well.  The words were in gray and she had to match the color of the turtle with the correct word.  So, she had to figure out how to spell some of the colors...or least make an educated guess. 

The phrase for this week really "stuck", especially with Hannah.  When she found out that our friend Dan was quitting his job, she said to Jeremy, "But daddy, He shouldn't quit; he should persevere" :-)

I don't have any pictures form last week (Jeremy had the camera out of town), so that is why I combined these two weeks.  This week though, I ought to have lots of pictures:-)

Easter 2011

What a wonderful day to worship our RISEN Savior!  Over the past several weeks, I have been learning and studying about Jesus, salvation and the work of the cross and resurrection...and it has led to a much more worshipful time for me this weekend as I reflect upon the absolute humility of our God, coming to Earth as a baby, raised as a young boy, into a hard working man, and later into ministry.  The insults that were hurled at him along the way, even to the point of false accusation, false trials, and the cruelest of deaths on a cross between two thieves.

Friday night at our Good Friday service, major portions of the book of John were recited as they describe the three "trials" that Jesus went through (I say "trials" because they were not followed by law  and in fact were against the laws of the day.  They were secret trials the should have held no legal authority).  Anyway....during one moment between Pilate and Jesus, Pilate is getting frustrated because he knows that Jesus has done nothing wrong, but he can't find a reason to release him and he (Pilate) says, " You do not speak to me?  Do you not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?"  Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above..."  When I heard, and later read that...it floored me!  Even while standing in mockery, with a crown of thorns and scourges on his back...at any moment he could call down a multitude of angels and completely wipe away any  (or all) of these people.  But he didn't.  He didn't because he knew that in order for man(kind) to be saved, he must be the perfect lamb, the perfect sacrifice for our dreadfully, ugly, awful sins.

Jesus, 100% man, 100% God humbled himself, even at his last hour to be the absolutely perfect, wonderful sacrifice that we could never give.  John 19:30b says, "He said, 'It is finished!" And he bowed his head and gave up His spirit".  He was not killed....his life was not taken from him.  NO, he gave up his spirit freely...as in "handing it over" as an act of his will.  John MacArthur says,"No one took his life from Him, for he voluntarily and willingly gave it up." (check out John 10:17, 18 for more on that)

But, the story isn't over with his death.  Nope...no way.  He rose again, three days later.  He defeated sin and defeated death! "Where O death is your victory? Where o death is your sting?"  It isn't there any more!  His resurrection reminds us that his sacrifice was accepted.  He was perfect.  "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  Did you catch that?  Jesus....who knew NO sin...was perfect, sinless, a spotless lamb....BECAME sin for us SO THAT WE might become the righteousness of God in Him.  We were the ones who deserved to hang upon that tree...yet it was the sinless perfect Christ who did.  And now, if we believe in him, accept his gift of grace, repent and believe....We may become the righteousness of God.  NO one deserves that.  Yet, it is offered, gifted...and that is what we celebrate and why we worship him. 

It is precious to hear my sweet four year old say "Happy Resurrection Day" to everyone she saw at church today.  And precious to hear her say "He is risen" so that I will reply back "He is Risen Indeed" over and over (and over and over) today. 

We did spend the afternoon with family.  It was a very enjoyable and relaxing time.  We had a delicious dinner, yummy dessert and way to may sweets from the Easter baskets.

Want to see some pictures?

Coloring eggs last night.

This is Hannah's "daddy face"

Beautiful little girls

SOOOO excited about their chocolate bunnies

Nathan got a baseball bat and ball.  He carried the bat around all day long.  Yay...he likes baseball!

Fun times with the kiddos (anyone see anything interesting in these pictures?!?!)