Words by Aly...

So, we were watching a movie the other night and Aly started fidgeting. She is like me...she has a hard time sitting still and watching a movie ...just watching a movie...nothing else. I end up flipping through a magazine or suring the internet or knitting or something else. Anyway...she ended up with a piece of paper and her colored pencils. She was busy writing something...doing something. After the movie was over, I asked her what she had been writing. I do hope you can see the following picture...it is a bit light, but it is hilarious. The picture examples at the bottom are the best!!!!
I thought she wasn't paying attention to the movie, but these words were all in the movie...so I guess she really was paying attention.
Enjoy~

~In HIS Mighty Grip

What did YOU do in school today?

We are studying the book of 1John. Actually I am using the book of 1 John to help the Noodles to learn HOW to study God's word. We are taking it verse by verse...reading, meditating, discussing, memorizing, praying, and copying the words of life onto paper.

I love to watch them copy from the Bible. Well, Lili is still a little reluctant, but it will come. The words will soon begin to seep in and she will start to swim instead of trudge. She is so funny...she doesn't mind working on the memorization of scripture, but when I ask her to recite a verse to me and goes into meltdown mode. Once she calms down and decides to do it...the words flow out of her like honey. She has amazing skills of memorization just like her big sister, but she doesn't think she does so she fights me tooth and nail. Then once she recites it, she couldn't be more proud of her self. She is one hard headed little coconut. I always had trouble getting her to pray in the morning before school. She always said, "I don't know what to say" Oh no...wait...she didn't SAY it she screamed it at the top of her lungs. Ahhhhhhh ... the drama of it all. So I began praying and having her just repeat after me. I figured I would give her the words for a while til she found her own words and her own footing. Well, low and behold...she is beginning to find her footing!!!! This morning I asked Aly if she wanted to lead in our prayer time or if she wanted me to. Lili jumped in and asked if SHE could lead us. ~Thank you God for giving her the words to thank you and the words to seek you!!!~

Aly is full of questions and gets frustrated if she can't understand it right away. She has yet to learn that most of her questions will be answered by that Still Small Voice in her inmost being.

Getting her to be still long enough to listen for that voice of God in her is difficult at best, but she is slowly getting there. For one who grasps concepts so very easily...this one is hanging her up. Now she tackles memorization like a woman on a serious mission!!!! She loves to tackle whole chapters and large passages of scripture. Her dear friend gave her such a sweet compliment last week at Co-op. She said how much she appreciated Aly because she always had a verse of scripture for someone to make them feel better. My heart just melted. It thrills me to know that she is letting the truths of God flow back out and is able to be a blessing!!!

Today was a bit slower paced in our little school room. After we did our bible study, and worked on our Memory Box we decided to do a little Cartography. We are studying Geography by learning to draw the world. We started out by learning about the Great Circles ( Equator, Arctic circle, Tropic of Cancer, Tropic of Capricorn, and the Antarctic Circle) and the Prime Meridian. After they could correctly place those on the paper we added the" Continental Blobs." We weren't worried about drawing them correctly yet...just putting them in the right PLACE on the paper. They had worked on that for a few weeks and once they got it down, we moved on to one continent. They decided to start with Australia. So, today I gave them gridded paper, a map of Australia on the same size paper, the colored pencils and off we went. I pulled up some Vivaldi Four Seasons on the laptop...

Some homemade Chocolate Chip cookies...

About 45 minutes later we had some pretty good maps of Australia to look at!! We had such a grand time together...drawing our maps...learning about God's world. Homeschooling is such a grand privilege!!!!!

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. Deut 6:6-7

...and one last picture

A girl and her puppy dog. Bailey loves to help with Astronomy!!!! Oh yes she does!!!

For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line,

line upon line, here a little, there a little.”

Isaiah 28:10

In His Mighty Grip...

Smiles...

So...here are a few of the amazing smiles that I am FORCED to look at and admire each and every day of my life. Am I blessed or what??

Not sure if she was cold or just posing...but I love that smile either way!

                                                No...it's not snowing in Florida...the girls are enjoying running through the falling pear blossoms.

Here is the princess hiding under the bleachers at a track meet for Aly and her GA group from church. She had more fun running from one end to the other...ALL DAY!!!

...but when she broke out from under the bleachers...boy did she break out!!!

Why...she looks positively Chinese in this picture!!!!  Make no mistake...she is All American!!!

                                                     This child loves to have more fun than just about anyone I know..she does EVERYTHING with extra gusto...smiling and crying!!!

 Wearing her Great Grandfather's beret with love. So beautiful!!

Field Day with our Homeschool Co-op. Everyone else was having fun playing games and such together...what was Lili doing???  Manning the water spigot and having the time of her life getting SOAKED!!! She had a BLAST!!!!!

Easter Sunday...Aly's Baptismal day. I'll post more pictures of that later.

I love that little smirk she does...she does it all the time and it makes me smile!!!
                                                                           

                                                                                                       My sunshine!                                            

My oh my...look how they are growing

I hope you have wonderful dreams in your princess gowns that Daddy bought you!!!!  You look so beautiful!!!!

We have a recognition night each year at our homeschool co-op. Lili was so excited!! She received a certificate of completion from Kindergarten and also a certificate of completion for the Presidental Physical Fitness program.  This was also BEFORE she got into the blue cake!! :-)

Aly with her certificate of completion from Second Grade and her certificate of completion for the Presidental Physical Fitness program.

And this would be AFTER she got into the blue cake!!!! I think she enjoyed this part of the evening the most!!!!

I don't know how she sits like this...she sits this way at the school table and in the kitchen at the table.  She is usually hanging off of the edge of the stool by her toes. Aly does it too...it must be a Chinese thing!!!

So precious...even without her teeth!!! LOL

Um...this is Bailey (our dog) and Lili. Technically they are not smiling, but they definately are sleeping...okay, so this makes ME smile!!!!  Can you see the dog? I mean seriously...can you see how she is twisted??? She is a nut!!!

My beautiful little 1st grader!!! We were getting ready to go to Co-op and she asked me to take her picture. She had to twist my arm...really hard. I finally gave in and took about 20 along with a video.

     

 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you.   Isaiah 43:5  

In HIS Mighty Grip~

                                                          

I have a really good explanation!!!

I know...I know... has been since the beginning of the year since I posted...worse yet, it was the previous spring since I posted before that!!!! I really do have a good reason. Okay...here goes.

My computer was full...literally FULL. I couldn't upload any photos...none...nada...zip!! Okay...so now I have a new laptop with LOTS more space. I got it this summer, but then we lost the cable to connect to the camera so that we could upload the photos from the camera to the laptop. In the meantime...we just kept buying more memory cards!!! LOL I think we have 4 that are about full?? I just uploaded one of them to my laptop last night and it had over 900 photos!!!!

David finally found the cable yesterday!!! WHOO HOOO Of course it will take me the better part of 2012 to get caught up. But...I am so thankful to have finally found the cable!!!!

Please be patient with me as I am WELL out of the habit of blogging. Hopefully it will be easier with the laptop...portability ya know!!!

We have started back to school this year. Aly is in 3rd grade and Lili is my big 1st grader!!! Can you believe it???

Lili working on that 100's chart

Aly soaking up everything...

Studying hard...

Lili started reading last year , but Aly really worked with her over the summer and made lots of progress. Now they have a shared passion!

They have another shared love...

Chinese Checkers!!

I have lots and lots and lots more pictures to share. I'll get them posted soon...I promise!!!!

Oh...I have to share one more picture from this summer...

This is Aly with her pet, Thor!!!! No, seriously...it is not her pet and I have no idea what his name is. Although I am sure he would tell me his name... with his deep cigar tainted voice!! The girls were out at the pool swiming with David and they found this mutant. Personally I would have run screaming into the house...but Aly looks pretty calm. Go figure.

Okay...more coming very soon!!!!

In HIS Mighty Grip~

Ah...life

Good Morning!! Just wanted stopped by to post a video and a few pictures from this last week. We have been having such fun with school and life this past week...Enjoy!!

There is a big ole vine hanging from a big ole tree in our front yard and Aly finnaly found the courage to swing from it!! Ah...such fun!!

Does it get any better than a messy ice cream bar? I think not!!!

Now thats what I'M talkin about!!!! YUM

I have pictures of me as a child looking through this same rock in front of Marineland. If I can find it I will try to post it sometime. Anyway...I wish you could have seen the behind the scenes of these pictures...I had Lili on my shoulders and was trying like the dickens to hold Aly up basically over my head so they could look through the hold. It was quite funny when I wasn't trying keep from dropping everyone!!

Aly's new preferred place to read. I guess she thinks that more blood to the head makes her brain work better??? Whatever!! She read the whole book just like this.

My Lovely Lili...

Please stop by our Homeschool blog to see more updates from the week. The link is at the top right of this page.

From our home to yours...have a wonderful week!!!

"...and all your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children. " Habakkuk 2:2

In HIS Mighty Grip