Cousins! They finally came

After 2 years, we finally got Jeremy's sister and her kids to come and visit us (but no Uncle Chris :(

Earlier this month, Tiff, Valerie, Seth, Susie, and James all came down for a surprise visit.  Well, surprise to our kids.  they had no idea!  They didn't seem all that shocked to see their cousins at the door. They just welcomed them in and ran off to play.  I was expecting some screaming or something ;)

Hannah and Susie quickly became best pals. They spent their time dressing up together, dancing ballet, and enjoying one another.

Seth tried to teach Nicole the art of the star wars lightsaber (no pics for that one though :(

We made homemade pizzas one night

James just made a pile of cheese

Watched a movie together

And had fun comparing James to Jeremy.  

It was a super fun to have them at our house.  I hope they come back again soon ;)

Football and food

This year, Auburn played in the BCS Championship bowl against FSU.  Jeremy's family are big Auburn fans. Unfortunately, so are my children ;)  (just kidding, sort of ;)  Jeremy borrowed a huge screen from his boss and we had a regular ole football party outside.

pre-football movie

Except that it was in the low 40s with a strong wind.  It was SO cold!!!

So, we had fire pits.  So fun for friends, co-workers, and our neighbors to join us.

Nicole made a sign that morning to support her team :)

 We also finally ate at Hungary Harry's Famous BBQ.  We drive by this place all the time, but it's taken us 2 years to actually stop and eat.  Pretty good...and pretty cheap.  Good enough for me!

Letters to daddy

Last November, Jeremy had to travel a little bit.  He went to Canada for about 5 days one week.  The girls wrote him letters.

This is Nicole's

And this is Hannah's...it's heartbreaking.  Check out all the pages of sad faces!

Baseball bats and bears

Earlier this month, Nathan was asked to go outside to pick up his baseball bat and bring it in.  The problem was...it was dark. He was scared to go out back.  Several months ago, there was a bear on our street.  A 350+ lbs black bear.  It was quite exciting, but ever since then....the kids think there is a bear outside at night (let's be honest here...I do too).

So, after some coaxing, Nathan prepared himself to go outside.

He found a flashlight.

And a bamboo spatula.

And then, he announced his plan.

"Mommy, daddy, if I see da bear oustide, I'm just going to spank him!"

Of course, we all laughed.  Then, he thought a moment later and said, "No, I'm not going to spank him.  I'm going to shoot him.  Daddy, I need a gun!"

More laughter.

 No, he didn't get a gun.  So then, it took him a while to get outside because he was shining his light through the broken screen.  Shining it all around our fenced backyard, making sure there was no bear ;)

The good news is...he returned, safe and sound :)

How to make a Telegraph

The presentation topic for CC this week was to share about an invention or inventor, preferably during the Industrial Revolution.  Nicole wasn't terribly interested in the steam engine or power loom, but she was really interested in Morse code.  So, we started looking for information about the beginning of Morse Code, which of course led us to the telegraph.  This invention was certainly one of the most important to spur the age of communication, so it seemed appropriate.

We learned that Samuel. Morse was actually an artist, not a scientist...but he had this idea....

We also learned that several other people were trying to develop similar ways to communicate across the miles more quickly than the letter or newspaper.  We discovered that the first telegraph sent a message from Baltimore, MD to Washington DC.  People were given information and then sent on a train between the two cities to pass the info on.  They were amazed to find out that when they arrived in DC, the message had beaten them by an hour and a half!  Just a few years later, lines were being laid across the Atalantic sea floor for telegraph communication between America and Europe!

We found out that a telegraph is really a simple machine that communicates with a series of clicks.  Operators on both sides had to understand what these clicks meant, which was the reason to develop the code, commonly called Morse Code.  Each letter and number is assigned a series of dots and lines.  Skilled operators can send 40 words a minute!

It took about an hour of reading books, articles, and watching videos for Nicole to begin to understand the value of this invention.  I think the hardest part was understanding that there was no TV, radio, telephone, computer, etc.

While watching videos, we came across a couple that kids had put on youtube of telegraphs they made with their parents.  This is similar to the one we made.  These brothers made two so they could communicate across the house.  Since Jeremy was at work, and I didn't want to go to Home Depot, we did the simplest model possible.  We built a telegraph using a battery, brass clips, paper clibs, and some wire we found in the garage!

We would like to build a bigger model with daddy soon.

We could not find written directions on how to build this.  All we could find was a video without words.  So, we watched, and tried to make sense of it.  We will write directions out now for our friends.

Working Telegraph with materials you can find around your house.

Materials needed:
2 paper clips (we used small ones, but I'm sure big ones would work.
2 brass fasteners
A small piece of paper
D battery
rubber band
Large nail
piece of styrofoam
Two pieces of solid, insulated wire.  One piece should be about 6 feet, the other about 6 inches (we got our wire from some CAT-6 Jeremy had in the garage.)

We spent a long time unwrapping the wires...thumbs up that we were doing ok.

Step 1.  Wrap the 6 foot piece of wire around the nail.  Wrap it tight...it doesn't have to be super neat.  Leave about 6 inches on each end free. (this will create an electromagnetic field)

Step 2.  Strip both ends of the wire that is wrapped around the nail.

Step 3.  Insert one brass fastener into the small piece of paper.  Before securing the back, wrap one end of the nail wire around the fastener (just under the head of it).  Secure the fastener.

Step 3.  Push the middle part of one paper clip out a little.  You'll make it a little 'springy'.  Attach the paper clip to the underside of the second brass fastener (you may have to stretch the paper clip a bit, it's ok..just bend it back when you are done).

Step 4: Strip the ends of the 6 inch piece of wire.  Wrap one end around the 2nd brass fastener (you want this wire touching the paper clip and the fastener).Insert the 2nd brass fastener into the paper, just close enough to the first one for the paper clip to tap the head of the first fastener.  (you just made the key)

Step 5:  Press the nail into the piece of styrofoam.

Step 6.  Wrap a rubber band around the D battery.  Place the other end of the nail wire under the rubberband, on the positive end of the battery.  Place the other end of the 6 inch wire (touching the paper clip) under the rubber band on the negative side.  **Note- I am not sure if it matters which wire touches positive or negative, you can play with that.

Step 7.  Stretch the second paper clip out so you can poke it through the styrofoam.  Bend the head of the paperclip down so that it is just above the nail head.

Step 8.  Press the key (the paper clip attached the brass fastener) to the head of the other fastener.  The paper clip that is close to the nail head should tap it.  You may have to move the straightened paper clip around a bit to create a nice tapping sound.  Once you have it adjusted....start typing Morse Code messages.

From my understanding, when you touch the key to the brass piece, you close the electrical circuit that you created.  When electricity flows through these wires, a magnetic field is produced.  By wrapping wire around and around, and around your nail, you are creating an electromagnetic field, which attracts the paper clip to the nail head and taps.  When you release the key, the electromagnetic field ends (the circuit opens), and the paper clip released from the nail.  This guy on you tube explains it much better.

I have never once in my life (that I remember) built anything like this.  We learned about the telegraph, Mr. Morse, history, electricity, circuits, etc. all in this one little experiment.  It was awesome!


Here's hoping our video uploads...

Fancy dinner night

Proverbs 14:26
He who fears The Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

We decided that we wanted to honor Jeremy and make him a fancy dinner.  Life gets crazy, and sometimes it is nice to slow down, take a deep breath, look around and enjoy and appreciate what you have.  The kids know that daddy's job can be stressful, and that he might really enjoy a fancy dinner with us.

We set to work.

The girls got out our nice table cloth & napkins, picked out fancy stemware, lit candles, and laid out a beautiful table for dinner.

trying to light the candles

They helped me prepare a new recipe that looked fancy.

Ginger & tomato salmon with coconut rice

Then they eagerly awaited for the arrival of daddy.

We read scripture and shared that his fear of The Lord is a secure fortress than even his children can take refuge in.   We told him how thankful we are for a daddy that loves God, loves his family, and works hard.

It was a really fun, quiet, and peaceful evening at home.

homemade store bought carrot cake

Skull Biology- A college lab

After a month break, we ventured back to our wonderful science class at Crystal Springs Preserve.  So far, these classes have been so good, and today was no exception.  Our topic was skull biology.  Mrs. Sonya first explained to us the reason for a skull and pointed out some key areas to help us as we work to determine what type of animal we are looking at.

First we would look at the location of the eyes on the skull.  If the eyes face forward, it is most likely a predator.  They are always looking ahead, searching for their next prey.  If the eyes face out to the side, the animal is probably a prey.  It has to be aware of it's surroundings and look out for predators that are on the prowl.  I never considered the position of the eyes when looking at an animal.  Of course there are exceptions, and some animals are both predators and prey...but it's a general rule of thumb.

Next, we looked at the nasal passage of the skull.  If there are lots of bones, the animals has a great sense of smell.  If there are only a few bones, the animal has just a good sense of smell.  (this only applies to mammals by the way).

Finally, we examined the Auditory Bulla (pronounced "bully").  If the auditory bulla is large, the animals has a great sense of hearing.  If it is small, then the animal only has a good sense of hearing.

I realize I spelled that wrong.  The kids were distracting me...now I can't find the original file to correct.

After teaching the children these basic steps in examining a skull, Mrs. Sonya passed out a lab sheet for the children to go around an inspect 21 skulls (most of them were real, including a Bengal Tiger).  I helped Nicole with the first one, then she was off on her own.

She truly enjoyed checking out all these skulls and tried to determine what animal it was.

She also brought in her own piece of deer jawbone that Gramps brought her last time he came down.

Mrs. Sonya kept telling us that this is a lab she did in college.  Nicole (and Hannah and Nate to some extent) were doing comparative animal physiology and completing a lab making deductions based on observation.  Woohoo for big fat words to describe this lab ;)  Thankful for another day of homeschooling (now off to work on that ever pesky life skill....cleaning your room)

A New Year- A New Focus

Every year I try to buck the system, and every year I end up failing.  I've never been a fan of New Year's Resolutions because I know that for the most part, they fail in less than 6 weeks.  However, it's hard to not think back on the past year and see where changes need to be made.

I've decided to give in, and just go with it.  Last year, our focus was on our budget and money habits.  I think the past twelve months have shown more control in our spending and have set nice foundations for the future.

It's time to move on and think beyond ourselves.  This year, our focus is on serving and loving others.  I want our family to get outside of ourselves.  We are searching for ways that we can put others before ourself.  Ways that we can serve people who need help, love on those who are unloved, and share resources with those who need them more than we do.

We started this process earlier this week by visiting a nursing home with a friend and her daughter.  It was a beautiful 45 minutes.  The kids asked to go back the next day.  The residents of the facility flocked to the children. Nicole brought her Bible and read Genesis chapter 1 to a woman named Clara.  Clara had been playing the piano as we came in the door.  So, after Nicole was done reading, they went to the piano and Nicole played Silent Night for her.  Clara then showed Nicole some tips for piano playing and music reading.  Nicole spent another 15 minutes with Clara as several other woman came around her.  She passed out bracelets she had made, and those ladies were simply overjoyed to receive a gift from her like that.  Before we left, the ladies all asked Nicole to come back and play piano for them again.  One said to me, "I just love to see these little ones and listen to their music."

Hannah sat with a beautiful woman named Mary.  Mary read Hannah a book, and then Hannah read a ballerina book to her.  We found out later that Mary was 100 years old!  The ladies doted on Hannah and her pink dress, pink ear rings, and pink hair bow.  Hannah got up and twirled for them (since they were talking about Ballet).  A woman named Angelina saw a kitty cat book that Hannah had and quickly came over to share in the reading.

Several men sat down near by and started waving at Nathan (as he hung upside down from the couch or my arms).  I love it.  I loved every moment of it.  I loved that the kids loved it.  I loved that the residents loved it.  I just simply loved it.  We want this to be a regular event.  Maybe even every week.  We can give 45 minutes every week to spend time with these sweet people, right?  Loving others.

We  are also looking for ways to participate with a pregnancy resource group.  There are ideas of filling a baby bottle with money the children earn while doing chores, getting 'caught' doing something good or kinds, etc.  We've talked about hosting a baby wipes/diaper drive with friends and family to help a center have tools to give to young moms, or even working on donor gift baskets.

I would also like to put together little baggies of necessities for homeless shelters or something like that.

We are going to participate more fully in C.O.L.E.S. and write letter monthly to a child in the hospital.

What other ideas do you have of ways we can serve and love others?