Veerman Family

Christmas Day

2012-01-09T21:14:00.001-05:00

Stockings, traditional egg casserole and donuts for breakfast, and gift opening.

Christmas Morning Worship

After lunch (traditional pigs in a blanket) we finished opening gifts. Some highlights: egg incubator, Nature Friend subscription, Atlanta Botanical Garden family membership, and ….Xbox!

We enjoyed a simple but tasty Christmas supper of turkey*, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli casserole, cranberry sauce, and rolls, with pecan pie and ice cream for dessert.

*Our friend Norma taught me how to prepare her famous turkey injected with a garlic-orange juice-bullion potion; stuffed with beef, dried fruit, nuts, potatoes and carrots; and studded with almonds, prunes, and chips of bacon. Oh my. Thank you Norma!!

Mommy and Kate

2012-01-08T22:17:00.001-05:00

During our school break I took each child on an outing. Kate and I went to lunch at the American Girl Bistro. Kit borrowed Mia’s formal gown for the occasion, and since it was raining Mia also loaned out her rain gear.

Mommy & Kate

Sweet girl!

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For the record, Caleb and I also had an outing, but he kind of got gypped: first we had to run some errands (I actually bought his Christmas gift with him sitting right there in the cart!) and then we did go for a cupcake, but he only ate one bite (I realized later that he was getting sick), and I didn’t take any pictures. So really I owe him a redo!

Mommy and Nate

2012-01-08T22:11:00.001-05:00

Nate wanted to ride MARTA for our outing. When I mentioned that a cupcake shop was within walking distance of one of the stations that sealed the deal. On the way back I put him in charge of navigating: identifying the right track, the right line, and the right stops. That was right up his alley.

Saving all the frosting for last.

Mommy and Nate

What a great boy!

Mommy and Meg

2012-01-08T22:08:00.001-05:00

Meg also liked the idea of lunch at AG, so she and I went together the next day. We arrived at the shop early and she helped me choose some clothes for Kit as a gift for Kate. Mia would have been wearing the green formal in this photo, but Meg graciously let Kit borrow it again as Kate was going to a friend’s house and really wanted Kit to dress up for that outing as well. (Since Kate/Kit received several lovely dresses for Christmas, in the future the borrowing can go both ways.)

Matching hairdos

Mommy and Meg

Precious little Meg!

Gingerbread Houses

2012-01-08T22:07:00.001-05:00

To all you gingerbread house decorating friends out there: have you discovered the bliss of pre-assembled kits?! This was the most pleasant gingerbread experience yet, due to our already constructed houses (Thank you Maria!) and helped, no doubt, by the advancing age and dexterity of the children. They were quite independent in their artistry, ate a high percentage of the embellishments along the way, and had lots of fun! Kate won the prize for perseverance (read: she was the only one still at the table when I remembered to take pictures.)

Nate reads the Christmas Story

2012-01-07T00:51:00.001-05:00

A few years ago my parents sent the kids a book containing the Christmas story and striking illustrations. The text is directly from Luke 2. They included with it a cd of my dad reading the story (and ringing a bell for the page turn signals). During the whole Advent season the kids listen to it over and over at home and in the car, following along in the book, and most of them have it pretty well memorized.

This year Nate wanted to recite it at the Christmas hymn sing we hosted. At the last minute he decided (although he had it down cold) he wanted to read it from the Bible. When it was time he hopped right up in front of 50 people and “read” the whole thing beautifully.

This part isn’t included in the clip, but after the final verse he automatically said “The End,” which is how my dad ends the recording. We had teased him before about remembering not to say this, so as soon as it slipped out he got a shy and disgruntled look on his face and sped to his seat.

Caleb reads the Grinch part 1

2012-01-07T00:33:00.003-05:00

One afternoon I heard Caleb reading to himself “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” so I snuck over to record him. I wish I could post the whole thing, but it’s too long. This edited version actually cuts out very little of his speaking--just most of the long pauses, back-and-forth page turns, and pondering about what should come next, which really made the whole thing as cute as the talking.

Transcript: “…that doesn’t light up, so I’m taking it to my shop…my dear…I’ll fix it there and bring it back here…and he went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up…and the next thing was the brick for the fire…and the crumb was too small for a mouse…and he did that to the other Whos’ houses…and left crumbs so small for the other Whos’ mouses”

Caleb Reads the Grinch–part 2

2012-01-07T00:33:00.001-05:00

“….ok…and when he got to the top he started to dump it, and he put his finger like that…and it sounded like merry, but it couldn’t be merry, but it was. And he stared down at Whoville and he hadn’t stolen Christmas yet. And now the Grinch thought he was good to go…and he served the roast beast.”

Brunch Decor

2012-01-06T23:27:00.001-05:00

I had fun inventing table decorations for our women’s Christmas brunch. We had a great musical program, and a wonderful chef in our church prepared crepes—yum!! A lovely morning all around.

Christmas Programs

2012-01-06T23:26:00.001-05:00

Our church doesn’t have big children’s productions at Christmas, but the preschool and elementary choirs each have an opportunity to present a few songs. Kate was a sweet little angel with rhythm sticks and Meg and Nate sang a French carol in our hanging of the greens service.

Family Photo

2012-01-06T00:32:00.001-05:00

As our Christmas gift, Bethany and Nate orchestrated, shot, edited, and delivered a series of family photos. Here are some of my favorites. (Also, photo credit for the previous post: all the good pictures were by B&N.)

Thanksgiving

2012-01-05T23:57:00.001-05:00

We spent a fun-filled week with Erik’s family in Connecticut over the Thanksgiving holiday. Some of our activities included:

a sandbar hike to Charles Island,

pottery painting,

LOTS of screen time (I think Caleb is saying, “If I have to spend five more minutes in front of this computer I’ll poke my eye out”—no wait, that might be me projecting again),

and a day trip to NYC. Here we are at the Milford train station bound for Grand Central.

Ground Zero

“…I lift my lamp beside the golden door…”

The sun was a little too bright for a good photo beneath Lady Liberty.

Rockefeller Plaza

Another Blue Cast

2012-01-04T08:42:00.001-05:00

Kate observed Veterans’ Day by slipping off the zip line and breaking her arm. (Nate was just a few months younger than this when he broke his arm riding his scooter.) She was very brave as we went to various doctor appointments (we weren’t able to get the cast until three days later.) She was also very independent, figuring out how to do many things with just one arm, and she took good care of her cast. I took a cute close up shot of her with the cast on (and she was wearing her favorite red dress up outfit) to document the event, but I guess I deleted it :(. This snapshot will have to suffice (She is St. Patrick’s Cathedral; more photos of our day in NYC coming soon.)

Celebrating cast removal with a milkshake. Happy girl!

Rides

2012-01-03T23:12:00.001-05:00

Tent City

2011-11-11T08:04:00.001-05:00

We are in a tent making phase here. I think if I let them they would make, furnish, and then abandon tents in every room of the house and every sector of the yard. Right now we are holding at two.

Post Halloween Post

2011-11-11T07:59:00.001-05:00

The day after halloween I found these great dresses for 75% off. They are pretty well made and more substantial than the average costume. I also bought a really nice giraffe costume for Caleb. It may or may not fit next year and he may or may not want to be a giraffe, but for $5 I figured we could find some one to use it. There were no super deals for Nate, so I splurged and spent $14 on a Darth Vader costume (including light saber).

Also, Nate continues as the undefeated champ in the annual candy binge. About 24 pieces--and this was on a full stomach and with a slight fever. Unfortunately they are figuring out that they actually get less of their candy this way, so I think next year they are going to petition for a new system.

Trick-or-Treat

2011-10-31T23:05:00.001-04:00

Basketball player, Man with the Yellow Hat, Ninja, Fairy

This one deserves a close up shot. (consume credit: once again my resourceful mother is the heroine of the day.)

Neighborhood Pals

Buddies

2011-10-31T22:52:00.001-04:00

This is Caleb’s friend, Adam, whose family came over for lunch on Sunday. Don’t be fooled by the sweater vests! They are wild Indians together in the nursery.

Fall 2011 Poetry Recital - Meg

2011-10-31T22:47:00.001-04:00

Fall 2011 Poetry Recital - Nate

2011-10-31T22:46:00.003-04:00

Fall 2011 Poetry Recital - Kate

2011-10-31T22:46:00.001-04:00

North Georgia

2011-10-26T23:17:00.001-04:00

Today the kids and I and a friend enjoyed an outing to Blue Ridge and Elijay.

What’s a visit to a quaint mountain town with out a little fudge?

The kids took turns viewing Amicalola Falls through this telescope, then we hiked to the base of the falls to view it up close.

Pumpkin shopping at Burt’s farm.

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Side note: Meg and Nate have accumulated a little money through allowance, acorn collecting, birthday gifts, etc. It is entertaining to see how they handle their newly acquired wealth. Among other things, today they funded their own telescope viewing, purchased their own pumpkins, and (they’re currently on a benevolent kick) also bought mini pumpkins for Kate and Caleb.

Nature Walk

2011-10-26T22:08:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday Meg and Nate presented their Roman speeches at a homeschool group Social Studies Day. Then we took a picnic lunch to the Autrey Mill Nature Preserve and walked through the woods. Nate was stepping across some stones in the creek when he looked down and saw a snake. I’m not sure but I think it looks similar to pictures of a Northern Water Snake (non-venomous).

Botanical Garden

2011-10-26T21:15:00.001-04:00

Last week friends from church generously gave us passes to the Atlanta Botanical Garden. I wouldn’t have guessed fall would be such a nice time to visit, but we spent a wonderful five hours enjoying the pleasant weather and beauty of God’s creation.

Another little step toward independence

2011-10-23T23:21:00.001-04:00

Family Reunion

2011-10-23T23:19:00.001-04:00

Over Columbus Day weekend Erik took all the kids to his family reunion in Michigan while I stayed in Atlanta to attend a women’s conference (and I had a whole day ALONE in my own house—extremely enjoyable and productive! Thanks Babe!) Everyone had a great time at the reunion. Here are a few photos taken by Erik’s cousin Kali.

Sand dunes at Lake Michigan

Game night

Good meals

Movie time

Fall festival

Deer sighting

Family time

Craters and concrete

2011-10-23T22:35:00.001-04:00

Since much of Mercury is covered with craters, our astronomy text recommended a crater experiment. We took a bowl of flour out to the deck and dropped rocks, marbles, and balls from various heights into loose and packed flour, noting the various diameters, depths, and shapes of the craters. We spent a pleasant 30 minutes on this activity and then Meg and Nate recorded some observations in their notebooks.

Then (and sorry I don’t have a picture of this) they asked if they could play with the flour. It really does feel nice to sink your hand down into the cool powdery dust. A few minutes later I looked out and water was being added. My better-judgment-sensor sounded a warning alarm, but I snoozed it because they were playing so nicely together and besides they were outside. Next time I looked, the tables were lined with dough balls and a solar oven was being constructed for a little al fresco baking. By late afternoon Caleb had joined the project and there were smears of goo hardening all over the railings, gate, chairs, tables, and swing set (not to mention clothes, hair, etc.) And that’s when I called game over.

We never did get to eat the “bread” since the oven became shaded and the bakers abandoned it and I think the sprinklers gave it a good soaking early the next morning. I half-heartedly hosed off part of the deck but it was too late to clean it up with a quick squirt, and I wasn’t in the mood to chisel, so I tried to ignore it and hope for rain. We did get a few light showers, but I think my mom, whose spiritual gift is cleaning, scrubbed the rest of it away when she came to visit the next week (she also cleaned the green house from top to bottom, and the refrigerator, and whittled away at the laundry and the mending pile…)

Spook-and-Seek

2011-10-23T22:12:00.001-04:00

It’s just like hide-and-seek but all the lights are out and everyone wears dark clothes and carries a flashlight. And if the seeker can’t find the hiders and yells “I give up” the hiders start to flash their flashlights to help the seeker locate them. Oh, and you have to play in pairs because everyone is too afraid to hide alone in a dark house.

Roman Feast

2011-10-23T22:09:00.001-04:00

Recently we finished studying the Roman Empire in history. Our book suggested throwing a feast, which the kids thought was a terrific idea and we invited our friends, the Parkes, to make it more festive.

Meg was a servant, in charge of foot washing and food serving. (Hope she washed her hands in between duties.)

We decorated with mosaics we had made a few weeks earlier. Nate and Meg began the evening with short presentations on the history of Rome and the gifts of Rome, respectively. (see video clips below)

Next we served a three course meal…some items were definitely more popular than others.

First course: lettuce and goat cheese with olive oil, hard boiled eggs, purple grape juice

Second course: bacon, olives, beans, broccoli, bread and cheese, red grape juice

Third course: custard, honeyed dates, white grape juice

Between courses we presented our interpretation of Roman entertainment: musicians (Nate-Old MacDonald on piano), clowns (Caleb-knock knock jokes, although he was actually too shy and didn’t really do it), acrobats (Meg-summersaults and cartwheels), dancers (Kate-freestyle ballet, of course), jugglers (Erik-evidently an upper class juggler, since he was in a toga.)

It was a fun evening and a great finale to our ancient history studies. On to the Middle Ages!

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Roman Speech Excerpts

Off to the Races

2011-10-21T23:02:00.001-04:00

September 17 - Meg Turns 9!

2011-10-11T07:50:00.001-04:00

Good morning birthday girl! A chilly campsite (see previous post) breakfast of homemade granola, yogurt, and biscuits.

Since this wasn’t a “friend party” year, it was fun that our camping trip fell on Meg’s birthday as a special activity. Birthday lunch on the boat: egg salad sandwiches, chips, and mini cupcakes.

Time to open a few gifts: lots of great books this year.

So excited to receive a soccer outfit for Mia. (Thanks Grampy and Grammy!)

Due to the camping trip, we saved birthday supper and the rest of the presents for Sunday evening. Of course Maggie was invited. Pappy and Mema made a special trip over and Mrs. Lamos also joined us for ribs, mac & cheese, baked beans, broccoli, and rolls.

Stylish hat from Pappy and Mema.

A bird feeder to hang outside Meg’s window.

Hard to believe—9 candles!!

Birthday request: carrot cake. 1000 calories per slice!!

Happy Birthday, Meg.
You grow more precious to us every year!!

Camping and Boating

2011-10-05T22:22:00.001-04:00

In mid-September we had a little outing to Lake Lanier with some friends from church. Once you load all the stuff in your car--camping chairs x 6, sleeping bags x 6, pillows x 6, beach towels x 6, change of clothes x 6, tent, duffle bag, cooler, laundry basket of food, fishing gear, coffee maker, air mattress (not trying to rough it here)--it does seem a shame to stay only one night. But still worth it.

After the roasting hot summer we had it was hard to believe the high would barely break into the 70s. When these crazy girls went in the water Friday evening it was probably 60 something and breezy.

Before the trip Nate had declared he would catch a bass to eat for supper. Sure enough…

(at least, Erik is letting Nate take the credit)

The kids had a great time playing at the water’s edge while burgers were grilling. You can see that the lake is pretty low again. I think that whole “beach” area they’re on should be under water.

Brothers throwing rocks.

Fish cleaning.

Fish sautéing.

Fish eating.
Nate was very pleased and did eat a good portion, but I think he may have discovered that what he had previously identified as a taste for bass was actually a taste for fried food (the only way he has eaten it before).

Chow time.

Since Meg’s birthday was the next day, we brought along one present, glow bracelets from Nate, which she magnanimously shared with the other 10 kids.

Marshmallow time.
(I think Nate had 6 s’mores.)

Cutie.

Outdoorsman.

Saturday morning dawned cloudy and windy, so we bundled up in jeans and jackets to board the pontoon boat we had reserved.

Brrrr.

Meg and Anna.

Optimistic, we brought our swimsuits along. Caleb stayed in the water about 45 seconds.

Nate held on a little longer because the slide off the back of the boat was so fun. But before long everyone shivered back on board and changed into warm, dry clothes again.

Halfway through our four hour rental period the sun broke through and it turned into a beautiful day! Blue skies, sparkling water. Back into the bathing suits. More swimming, sliding, playing on muddy little island shores, picnic lunch. A good time was had by all!

Meg with the famous and beloved Maggie Halbert, babysitter and friend from church.

Soccer

2011-09-30T23:37:00.001-04:00

Meg and Nate’s second soccer season is off to a good start. They both won their first game (they didn’t win any games last year.) It’s also fun to see how their skills have improved over last season.

Tippy Canoe

2011-09-30T23:08:00.001-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend we borrowed the Lamos’s canoe to paddle around the lake at Stone Mountain. All six of us fit in at once. It was fun even though we spent the whole time telling the kids not to lean over or turn around or put their hands in the water for fear we would flip right over. Surprisingly, we never did.

The kids had even more fun scrubbing the canoe in the rain a few days later.

Kate’s Project

2011-09-30T21:53:00.001-04:00

August 12–First Day of School

2011-09-26T22:33:00.001-04:00

Third Grader!

Second Grader!

Kindergartener!

A few more fun ones:

Meanwhile…

We’re off to a good start!

Tea Parties

2011-09-26T08:05:00.001-04:00

Anytime we host a party or event Meg and Kate enjoy helping and often have ideas of their own to contribute. Usually I dismiss their suggestions (gently, I hope?), because I want things to be done my way—even at the girls’ own birthday parties. (Ugghh, this sounds much worse as I type it here than it does when I explain it to them at the time. Hmmm…) Well, I thought one solution would be to let them throw a party of their own just for the fun of it. So, at the beginning of the summer I told them they could each have a tea party and choose the menu, decorations, dishes, etc. themselves. Suddenly the end of summer was around the corner, so we found a day to squeeze in both parties simultaneously—one in the dining room, one in the living room.

Meg chose the milk glass luncheon set with various serving pieces. She prepared peanut butter sandwiches, carrots and tomatoes with dip, fruit salad, peach cobbler, brownies, and a fig cake (she and Maggie made it with figs from Maggie’s back yard and Meg froze the leftovers for this occasion.) Oh, and milk and pink lemonade to drink.

Meg wore her formal red gown with a hot pink scarf and presided over a lovely, albeit somewhat silly, table of friends.

Kate was adamant about using her miniature metal tea set. After much research online to determine that it was indeed food safe, I consented. We used doilies as mats to give each place setting more presence at the table.

Her menu included mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrots, and strawberries with more strawberries, carrot cake, and cookies for dessert. Since she is not as independent of a baker as Meg I suggested we make one dessert together and purchase the other. She really wanted to make the carrot cake (and really wanted a frosting carrot on top) so we did that and I bought some yummy chocolate-topped shortbread at Trader Joes, which she garnished with sprinkles.

Her pink seersucker sundress and the red, yellow and blue star necklace she got from the treasure chest at the dentist last spring hung on her door knob for days before the big occasion. She daydreamed about serving milk and “fizzy” lemonade from her little tea pot and (very) reluctantly let her guests take a turn. After all, what fun is a tea party if you don’t get to pour?

A good time was had by all. Maybe a new summer tradition.

Summer Vacation–Part 1

2011-09-22T23:55:00.001-04:00

It’s been while since we’ve taken a family road trip. This summer we went to Virginia by way of Ohio. The kids were especially entertained by several tunnels on our route. Each time, Erik would hold his breath until we got to the other side, which tickled the kids. Of course they tried also, and I think I noticed a couple of them with tight lips and puffed out cheeks breathing away through their noses.

Caleb’s chief pass time was cutting paper. It was great!Literally hours of quite, concentrated, happy snipping.

We spent an afternoon visiting Grampy and Grammy Dear, and Nate had a fly fishing lesson in the driveway.

Great-grandparents

We also enjoyed spending a little time with Erik’s Uncle Ted and Aunt Maggie who graciously hosted us in their lovely home, fed us two delicious meals, and (Maggie) shared homeschooling ideas, books and encouragement. A quick visit, but well worth the drive.

Saturday afternoon we arrived in Virginia to join Paul and Darian, the Forstroms and the Johnsons. We attended church with the Veerman and Velker cousins on Sunday (and later that week they had us all over for dinner.)

Finally, that afternoon the vacation really started when we hit the pool. Caleb loved the freedom of his water wings.

Uncle Nate was such a good sport.

Summer Vacation-Part 2

2011-09-22T23:22:00.001-04:00

Sunday night we watched a great lightening show while waiting for fireworks to begin outside the condo.

On Monday we took a Fourth of July field trip to Poplar Forest, Thomas Jefferson’s personal retreat. It was SO HOT! But there were interesting demonstrations and presentations:

blacksmith

weapons

quill pens

Native American games

pump drill

presentation of colors (and the reading of the Declaration of Independence)

lace making

hackling flax

Before any of us had a heatstroke we left, picked up milkshakes, and took the scenic route (Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive) back to the condo.

Summer Vacation–Part 3

2011-09-21T23:04:00.001-04:00

snowless tubing

ropes course

a favorite vacation privilege for our kids: eating in front of the tv (actually, not eating, just watching tv as though in a trance)

The activity we had all been waiting for: the water park. Just as much fun as we had hoped.

Luray Caverns

picnic lunch and family photo

fishing

‘Bye family. See you at Thanksgiving.

M&M

2011-09-21T21:04:00.001-04:00

Meg’s best friend Maggie moved to a new house this summer. Here Meg is helping her get settled in.

And, the new place has a pool!

Some day I’ll do a post of these two through the years. I have a shot of them sitting in highchairs next to each other at Meg’s first birthday, pictures from almost 9 years’ worth of church Easter egg hunts, plus many more great photos of their smiling faces side by side.

Fun Little Guy

2011-09-16T09:24:00.001-04:00

I had to post both of these pictures:

this one so you can see his dinosaur jammies on backwards

and this one so you can see his cute profile.

He is quite meticulous at his silverware job. And while he was working he spontaneously announced, “That’s another tip from This Old House, sponsored by the Home Depot.” How cute can a little boy be?!?! And funny.

Quite a Pair

2011-09-15T23:01:00.001-04:00

These two are pretty entertaining together. Caleb frequently begs to go next door and play “wif Luuke” and Luke often succeeds in slipping over to help himself to our garden hose or toy power tools. Their favorite pastime, though, is big wheeling together in the cul de sac, and crashing into each other as much as possible. Should be some interesting adventures ahead for this dynamic duo.

June 19 - Camp

2011-09-15T22:53:00.001-04:00

Meg and Nate had another great summer at Camp Westminster. We still couldn’t find a buddy to attend a regular week-long session with Nate, so we signed him up for back-to-back first-timer sessions with his friend Ian. They had a great time AND Nate made it all the way up the climbing tower and down the zip line! Way to go Nate.

Meg was excited to go to camp with Nella (pictured) and Anna again. But the biggest thrill was that after three years of waiting she FINALLY got to go the same week as her best friend, Maggie.

Next year Kate will be old enough to go, too! Yay!!

Bubbles

2011-09-11T22:21:00.001-04:00

The highlight of our last spring trip to Birmingham was catching several turtles.

The kids spent lots of time rearranging the habitat. I spent lots of time pushing hand sanitizer on them.

I reluctantly agreed to let them bring home a tiny little turtle. Poor Bubbles was left in the sun while we went to church. The kids and their friends held several funerals.

May 25 – Kate Turns Five

2011-09-11T21:53:00.001-04:00

Birthday Breakfast

Meg gave Kate her dollhouse.

Dress up necklaces from Grampy.

Cute Kate.

Our neighborhood friends came over to eat lunch and play on the slip-n-slide.

New play-doh tools from Lindsay.

Ready for a birthday dinner.

Special request: chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.

An after dinner bike ride; trying out her new doll seat (with one of Meg’s dolls as she had not yet opened her big gift from Grammy & Grampy.)

New bulletin board.

Kit! And matching hats made by Grammy.

Happy Birthday Kate! We love you!!

Bunkmates

2011-09-11T17:51:00.001-04:00

May 13 - Six Flags

2011-09-11T17:50:00.001-04:00

This year we took advantage of homeschool day at Six Flags, which meant for a reduced rate we enjoyed the whole park with cooler weather, smaller crowds, boxed lunch, and free return vouchers to be used later in the summer. It was also fun to run into several families we know. I thought we would make it a few hours, but we ended up staying for 8. It turns out Meg is our thrill seeker: she loved every roller coaster she went on (and she went on all of them at least once). Caleb will probably be similar; this time around he wasn’t big enough for any really wild rides, but he did like the zippiest of the kiddie coasters. Nate and Kate were a little more leery of things that went too fast or upside-down, but everyone had tons of fun!

Visit from the McBrides

2011-09-10T22:46:00.001-04:00

Fun with friends: Uno, chess, nerf guns, snacks, baseball, dress up.

April 29 - Spring Poetry Recital Sampler

2011-09-09T13:05:00.001-04:00

Sorry about the low volume.

Carolina Wrens

2011-09-04T22:43:00.001-04:00

This mother bird obliged us by making a nest right outside our schoolroom window. It was fun to watch the babies go from scraggly fuzz and closed, bulging eyes, to healthy adolescents ready to strike out on their own. How providential (as is everything) that I sent Nate down to the garage on an errand one day just as the little birds left the nest. He came charging up the stairs yelling, “The baby birds!! The baby birds are out of the nest!!” So we dropped everything and ran don to watch them hop around the driveway and eventually off into the bushes.

Easter Sunday

2011-09-04T22:28:00.001-04:00

The kids with Alex and Maggie (their favorite babysitter!)

6th Annual Strawberry Day

2011-09-04T22:26:00.001-04:00

(Give or take a year.)

2011

2006

April 19–Carlton Farm

2011-09-04T22:16:00.001-04:00

One of our spring field trips was to this picturesque dairy farm.

The tour included milking and egg sorting demonstrations and lots of time to pet baby animals.

Our friends the Spaughs and Barias

Meg could have stayed by this little calf’s pen all day.

At the farm we bought a gallon of raw milk for about $7 (I hear that is a great price) which they sell “for pets” (in Georgia it is illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption). The farmers and several friends of ours tout the health benefits of drinking unpasteurized milk. So under the influence of all the fresh air and green grass I decided to bring some home. The kids thought it was wonderful (that was just because it had all the fat in it), but all kinds of other people said, “Um, you really shouldn’t be drinking that.” Well, I’m just enough of a rule follower (ok, I’m completely a rule follower) that I started having second thoughts. Of course you can find loads of facts and anecdotes to support both sides. But then one of the kids began to complain of a stomach ache, so I dumped the rest of the milk down the drain! I know, I know people have been drinking milk straight from the cow (goat, etc.) for millennia but, at least for now, I guess I’m not one of them.

Viburnum!

2011-09-03T23:40:00.001-04:00

I have always wanted viburnum in my own yard. A few years ago I bought one small bush and now every spring I can cut several large vases full. Love it!

Shortly after these pictures were taken our cousin Josh finished the last phase of the kitchen remodel. The walls are a lovely, soothing, light green and the cabinets are white/off-white with a dark brown glaze in the grooves. If anyone in the north Metro-Atlanta area is looking for construction/remodeling/handyman services, please call us to get Josh’s number. He is the best!

Caleb at the Nature Center

2011-09-03T23:27:00.001-04:00

I think I’ve posted pictures of the Dunwoody Nature Center before. It’s a nice place to be in the woods and only about 5 miles away. This time we ate lunch and the kids played in the creek for a little while, but then Nate gashed his foot on a broken root in the path, so we had to head home early.

Blueberries

2011-09-03T23:15:00.001-04:00

My mom gave us some blueberry bushes this year. As part of a gardening/nature week in school we planted them in these pots and situated them on the deck. Since I’m posting this over four months after the fact I can report that the plants have grown and we actually picked several handfuls of fruit from them, spread out over many weeks, of course. Every few days someone would conduct a berry check and would ceremoniously pass around the allotment from that particular harvest – usually one berry each. This fall we hope to put them in the ground and get a larger crop next year.

Spring Centerpiece

2011-09-03T23:06:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite table decorations we’ve ever had. We save the bird nests from year to year; as young children Philip and I painted the ceramic bunnies while visiting Aunt Irene and family in Ohio; our yard is full of great little blooms in April; these “permanent” eggs were on clearance the craft store last spring. We were able to enjoy this all month simply by refreshing the flowers every few days.

Table for Two

2011-09-03T22:36:00.001-04:00

I scored big points with this episode (1) mac & cheese and (2) raspberry crystal light (3) eaten outside. This picture captures several endearing traits that make me laugh: Their lunch spot in the bushes under the oak tree where they periodically have an entire hobo camp set up (apologies to the neighbors)…Meg’s mismatched shoes…Nate’s habit of riding his bike for five minutes and keeping his helmet on for the rest of the day…and the not-pictured attraction off to their left—Caleb running around the front yard in his underwear.

Baking Stint

2011-09-03T22:21:00.001-04:00

I went through a (brief) phase of making homemade rolls. These were quite yummy:

New Recruit

2011-09-03T22:04:00.001-04:00

Joyful Noise

2011-08-31T21:13:00.001-04:00

Each week at community group Mrs. Toll (our hostess and pianist) prepares two songs, one of which is especially for the children. Usually she brings out kazoos (hilarious) but this time she had the perfect instruments for “The Wise Man Built His House upon the Rock.” After we sing she takes the children in the other room so the mothers can sit in on the study and prayer time. Bless her heart!

Birmingham in March

2011-08-31T21:06:00.001-04:00

I can’t seem to find any pictures of my Lady Banks in bloom, so how about this sensational yellow cascade at the Birmingham Botanical Garden! The kids and I visited my folks for a few days over spring break and enjoyed a chilly tour of the Garden.

One of the most interesting features there is the black bamboo forest (at least that’s what I call it). Someone with real photographic skills could get some great shots here. At least I have cute models.

I took each child out in turn for some one-on-one Mommy time: ice cream and sliding at McD’s for Caleb.

Go-karts and ice cream sandwiches for Nate

Shopping and frozen yogurt for Meg.

Chocolate Sundaes and picking up her cousin for a play date for Kate.

And of course there was fishing with Pappy.

Cook’s Helpers

2011-08-30T23:10:00.001-04:00

This spring we took another turn providing the meal for about 60 ESL students and teachers at church. Meg, Nate, and Kate did a great job helping me prepare and then enjoyed playing with the other kids, gringos and internationals.

Afterward Meg begged to stay and help wash dishes (amazing how those chores become so fun when you’re away from home and working with friends.)

Lady Banks Arbor

2011-08-28T16:09:00.001-04:00

I have always wanted an arbor for my Lady Banks rose. In anticipation of installing one, I let the willowy shoots go wildly unpruned for months (years?) until I’m sure some neighbors wanted to sneak over in the night and clip them all off. BUT, when we finally put up this arch we could instantly cover the whole thing. It was gorgeous covered with little yellow blooms later in the spring. I’ll try to remember to post a picture when I get to the May pictures.

The Flower Fairy has been here…

2011-08-28T15:57:00.001-04:00

Actually, we have two flower fairies. Every once in a while a little bouquet magically appears in the house.

March 19–Nate’s Turns 7

2011-08-28T15:48:00.001-04:00

Good morning birthday boy!

Finally, a bigger bike!

Finally, another fish!

For lunch we had a fun picnic at the park and played on the playground and in the fountains.

It's always a special birthday when Grammy and Grampy come to celebrate with us!

(From these pictures it looks like he spent nearly the whole day in his pjs. He didn't, but we had an after-dinner outing planned--see below--and wanted everyone to be ready jump in bed as soon as we got home.)

On friend-party years I make birthday cakes from a box mix and try to decorate them in creative ways to match the theme. On the off years, since I don't have to spend time decorating, I decided I will let the birthday kid choose any flavor and I'll make it from scratch. For inspiration, I read aloud the all the cake recipe titles in my cookbook. A few caught Nate's interest, but when I got to Carmel Cake we all knew that was the one. Making the frosting was a harrowing experience, but in the end it turned out great. Garnished with white chocolate chips and served with Moose Tracks it was sickeningly sweet. Perfect for Nate!

After dinner it was back to the park to watch the moonrise. March 19 was a "supermoon," a phenomenon which occurs roughly every 20 years when a full moon coincides with the moon being at the perigee point in its elliptical orbit (the point closer to the earth.)

Watching and waiting.

Young astronomer.

See that little orange dot? It was bigger and prettier in person. Not quite a Supermoon in my opinion, but a fun outing anyway.

We love you Nate!! Happy Birthday!!

February 21 - Field Trip to Seattle

2011-08-14T17:49:00.009-04:00

This winter Erik realized he had two back to back weeks of meetings and conferences in Seattle, so we decided to turn it into a family outing and all go for ten days. We knew there would be plenty of things to see and do, plus two families from church had recently moved to the area and we were looking forward to visiting them as well.

Our first adventure after arriving, settling in to a small rental condo, and doing some school work was to meet the Jacksons at the Ballard Locks. This was one of the few days the distant mountains were visible.

Minutes after arriving at the locks our toes were completely numb (and seemed to stay that way until we returned to Atlanta.) But the locks were fascinating; several boats/ships came through while we watched. Oops, I didn't actually get a picture of one going through.

After watching for a while we went to look at the fish ladder. (See picture below the beach photo--accidentally posted them out of order.) If there had been fish traveling through it would have been more exciting. (On one of my two previous visits to Seattle--in the summer--I remember seeing lots of fish and it was fun to watch.)

Next we drove to the beach at nearby Discovery Park. This was the definition of raw weather. Cold, icy drizzle, wind, gloomy gray skies, damp gray mud, and choppy gray water. We would liked to have stayed longer since it was so different from any "beach" we have been to, but we quickly retreated to the warmth of the car.

Here is the aforementioned fish ladder. (There is also a viewing window below water level.) This provides salmon and other fish a way to travel to and from the Sound, bypassing the locks. They can jump from one weir (section) to the next or swim through tunnels under the divider walls. Because the locks separate fresh and salt water bodies the last several sections of the ladder gradually mix in salt water. The fish can smell the "attraction water" up ahead which motivates them to travel. Fascinating.

When Erik had some time off we went to see Pike Place market.

We saw some of the famous picturesque produce

displays at the market and also the fish throwers.

We bought spiral hair ornaments for Meg and Kate.

We also drove by the Space Needle (too cheap to buy tickets to the top). It was

so cold and windy; we could barely stand still long enough to pose for this picture!

From downtown we drove to the flight museum. We couldn't believe all the huge cranes we passed and thousands and thousands of shipping containers.

Seattle - part 2

2011-08-14T17:03:00.008-04:00

We spent several hours--could have been several days--at the flight museum.

We walked through the Concorde and an old Air Force One.

It is funny to think this used to be the height of Presidential luxury and technology.

The most interesting sections to me were the WWI & WWII displays. We also walked through part of the original Boeing building and saw some of the machinery used in early aircraft production.

We hoped the day of our ferry ride would be clear enough to see the spectacular mountains all around the Sound. Of course it was actually quite foggy and windy, but still interesting.

In Bremerton we toured the Turner Joy, a Navy Destroyer. Erik and I both had grandfathers on Navy ships in WWII, so this was interesting to us even though this ship was from a different era.

Between sight seeing and school work we watched lots of tv.

One of the prettiest days was Friday when we visited the Point Defiance Zoo with the Funches and Jackson families. Here's our motley crew of 11 kids:

Seattle - part 3

2011-07-16T23:05:00.008-04:00

On Friday we headed to Spokane to visit the Macks. We enjoyed

clear weather and beautiful views as we drove over Snoqualmie Pass.

Chrissy was a great hostess. It's not easy to have our crew and paraphernalia descend on your house! The girls, especially Meg, hit it off with Annie, who generously shared her dress up collection.

Ben, Ryan, and Nate enjoyed some time on the Wii.

The big hit was Brandon's backyard ice rink!

The trip back to Seattle on Monday proved to be rather eventful. We drove part way Sunday night to get a head start. Before going to bed we heard pessimistic weather reports for conditions on the pass the next day, so we planned to wake up early and check the forecast again. Sure enough, by morning snow chains were required, so we decided to go back to sleep until stores opened. After breakfast we started toward the pass. To make a long story short, as we climbed toward higher elevations we went from clear skies to overcast, to flurries, to driving snow. When the truckers started pulling over to put on their chains, we took their cue and did the same. We stopped several times due to road closures (avalanche control, accident clean up, actual avalanches, etc.) Finally around lunch time (after sitting still for over an hour and half) we were all ordered to turn around and head back--the road was closed. Part way back down we stopped to eat in a funny little town. Huge piles of plowed drifts lined the streets and surrounded the buildings. Everyone was out and about as if it were a fine summer day--the power of snow chains! (Incidentally we lugged our set home on the plane and are really hoping it snows in Atlanta this winter!) Meanwhile we talked with Bekie and she confirmed what we had heard over lunch: there was a clear pass farther north. Thankfully it was, in fact, smooth sailing and a mere 12 hours after leaving the hotel that morning we arrived back in Seattle. It was actually a very interesting day. The kids did pretty well on our unplanned road trip marathon, the scenery reminded us of Narnia under the White Witch, and the experience was certainly one of a kind.

Unfortunately I have no pictures of our time at the Jackson's house. They had plenty of space for us and a great piece of property to explore. The kids had fun romping for a few days around while Bekie and I visited and Erik concluded his work responsibilities.

Goodbye Seattle. We hope to see you again--in the summer. :)

February 20 - Caleb Turns Three

2011-05-06T12:33:00.009-04:00

This year we implemented the one-year-on, one-year-off system for "friend" parties on the kids' birthdays. This is the year off. However, since 3 is traditionally the year they have their first party with little friends, I couldn't skip it altogether for Caleb. So, the night before we had three families over for a simple celebration with pizza and cake. The birthday boy was very pleased.

assistant birthday cake baker / chief batter taster

train cake

happy boy

the most precious three-year-old in the world

beautiful Avery

fellow train-lover, Luke

(not pictured, cute little Katie)

Something always seems to come up on Caleb's birthday: year 1 was an ear infection and a huge dinner party the next night; year 2 was a family wedding the same day. This year we all were leaving the next morning to fly to Seattle for 10 days. But we still fit in a happy birthday breakfast before church and family presents and cake before bed.

We love you, Bubster!! Happy birthday!!

Basketball

2011-03-10T22:06:00.004-05:00

This was Meg's first basketball season. She was excited to play and really enjoyed practices. Unfortunately, there were no other girls on her team or any of the teams they played. The pace of the 7 & 8-year-old league is much faster than the 4 to 6-year-olds, so she didn't have the ball very often, but she learned about the game and she did make a basket. Great job Meg!

It was fun to see Nate's basic skills increase from last year. He is much better at shooting, ball control and generally paying attention to the game while on the court. He did lots of scoring this season and his team had a winning record.

Daddy and Kate Time

2011-03-10T21:43:00.005-05:00

The aquarium is a popular choice in our family for special outings.

Kate was very proud of her otter hat craft.

Sweet girl!

Big Snow

2011-03-10T21:01:00.008-05:00

Well, the southeastern January snow storm is ancient history, but I thought these pictures were worth posting:

Ariel

2011-01-20T19:35:00.002-05:00

Here's my parting shot from 2010 - Kate performing a duet with her "Ariel" necklace:

Christmas Part 3 - More Fun with the Veermans

2011-01-14T15:03:00.007-05:00

We had a great week with the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!! We even enjoyed a few extra days with Paul and Darian due to airport-closing snow in the Northeast, and we packed lots of fun into our time together. In addition to much eating, drinking, reading, game playing, laptopping, and flight-rescheduling, here's a little sampling of our holiday:

Climbing
We spent one morning at a huge indoor facility. Nate and Bethany are real climbing aficionados so it was fun to see them in their element and they enjoyed sharing a hobby with all of us. It was such a hit with everyone that we went back for more after Chuck, Crista, Kylie, and Tyler arrived.

N & B show us the ropes.

This is the children's area with an auto-belay system. Before playing around here, Meg, Nate, and Kate made it all the way to the top of the (really high!) main wall. Meg is completely hooked; she learned to use the color-coded routes and just couldn't get enough.

Goofing around

Atlanta's first true white Christmas since 1880 (not counting a dusting in the 1970s). It started falling late Christmas afternoon and everything was covered by morning. Fun!

Kylie brought her new video camera and the kids had fun directing, filming, and acting in dramatic and silly productions.

Zip

Relaxing

Cousins

Tubing

Christmas Part 2 - Christmas Day

2011-01-10T21:38:00.005-05:00

waiting to open stockings

Meg gave Grammy and Grampy her artwork from the class she took this fall.

Christmas lunch: grilled pheasant from Erik's hunting trip in October, served on his new platter (thanks Lynn and Dianne.)

Meg's friendship bracelet kit from Aunt Bethany and Uncle Nate

Caleb's tangram puzzles from Grammy & Grampy

(little) Nate's snap circuit set from Mommy & Daddy

Erik's beer making kit (actually from last year.)

Nate spent lots of time with the electric set.

Kate's Ariel jewelry from Daddy

Nate's chess set from Uncle Nate and Aunt Bethany

Christmas Part 1 - Pappy and Mema

2011-01-10T20:42:00.003-05:00

My mom and dad came to celebrate with us the weekend before Christmas. We packed many festivities into 24 hours. They arrived in time for a quick supper, after which we attended the Georgia Boy Choir Christmas concert--a stunningly beautiful performance! The next morning after breakfast and advent wreath we opened gifts. Then we went to Meg and Nate's basketball games and each of them scored a few points, much to delight of the kids and grandparents. From there it was back here for lunch and then back to Birmingham for Pappy and Mema.

My first attempt at homemade donuts. So yummy and not quite as much trouble as I expected. Definitely worth making again!

It is hilarious to see what the kids select as gifts for others. The day before I had taken them to the dollar spot at Target with handfuls of coins stuffed in wallets and purses and pockets. Usually when they purchase something I have them do all the work at the checkout. But this time to give the clerk (and myself...and the people behind us in line) a break and avoid 4 separate transactions involving all quarters, I decided to pay for everything and have them reimburse me at home. Anyway, they were delighted to watch Pappy and Mema opening their presents. Very cute.

Meg and Mia with their new nightgowns

Kate's fishing pole

(Not pictured: Caleb & his race car set; Nate and his Legos.)

Nutcracker Field Trip

2011-01-02T16:08:00.002-05:00

Meg, Nate, Kate and I also went to the Atlanta Ballet's children's production of the Nutcracker at the Fox. What a fun morning! We semi-dressed up, enjoyed the excitement of the big city as we walked from our on-the-street parking space (hooray for meters that take credit cards!), watched an abbreviated (perfect for Nate!) version of the ballet along with an informative presentation about the logistics of wardrobe, lighting, and scenery changes in the beautiful Fox theater. A good time was had by all.

Nativity Collection

2011-01-02T15:35:00.004-05:00

Our first Christmas field trip was to a local church with a collection of 250 nativity scenes. A parishioner had personally collected about half of them, which he donated to the church on the condition that it would display them each year. They came from many countries and were fascinating in their diversity. Each was displayed with a portion of the Christmas story from Scripture and information about the origin or interesting details of that particular set. The first photo shows the second half of the collection which has been donated by various other parishioners over the years. I'd like to go again next year (without Caleb) and take more time to examine the scenes. I recommend it to Atlanta-area friends with kids 5 yrs. and up.

Our Favorite - from Laos

This photo is for the Faulls :)

Fall Poetry Recital - Part 1

2011-01-02T15:19:00.002-05:00

After Thanksgiving dinner the kids put on their fall poetry recital. My parents' good friends the Maynors had joined us for the afternoon, which worked out well since we want the kids to practice "performing" in front of more than just our immediate family. The selections were:

Meg and Nate - Psalm 84
Meg - Thanksgiving Day by Lydia Marie Child
Nate - The Elf and the Dormouse by Oliver Herford
Kate - The Little Elf by John Kendrick Bangs
Caleb - The Children's Catechism questions 1-4

I hope you enjoy these excerpts.

Fall Poetry Recital - Part 2

2011-01-02T15:15:00.002-05:00

Meg had the most to memorize and she did a lovely job.

Fall Poetry Recital - Part 3

2011-01-02T15:09:00.002-05:00

This year Nate chose the poem that Meg recited last spring. He really already had it memorized from hearing her practice, but it is such a cute poem I let him do it anyway.

Fall Poetry Recital - Part 4

2011-01-02T15:01:00.002-05:00

This was Kate's first year to recite a poem. She did a good job and seems very comfortable "on stage" (no surprise there).

Fall Poetry Recital - Part 5

2011-01-02T14:33:00.002-05:00

After Kate finished, Caleb automatically assumed he was next. He went running up to the "stage" and then realized he didn't know what to do once he got there. He managed a few shy, silly answers to my impromptu catechism questions. Now I know to have him prepare for next time.

Thanksgiving in Birmingham

2011-01-01T21:35:00.005-05:00

working on a hole

Kate practicing phonics with Pappy

petting zoo at Oak Mountain State Park

Caleb and Mema hiking through the woods

out for Sunday dinner

Nature Day

2011-01-01T16:39:00.008-05:00

One Friday in November we went to the Dunwoody Nature Center. Meg and Nate took their nature study notebooks and water colors and I packed paint and paper for Kate and Caleb. We spent some time collecting and painting specimens and playing around in the beautiful woods. The outing was even more fun since Erik took the morning off to join us.

Photo opportunities like this always make me wish I knew how to really use a camera. It seems nearly impossible to get the composition and lighting correct at the same time that all my subjects are cooperating. Maybe I could start by reading the manual that came with my camera and experimenting with something beyond the "auto "setting... Anyway, we enjoyed a gorgeous day together and I think it generally comes across in the pictures.

We're not trying to be artistic or pensive or romantic or anything here. We just weren't quite ready when the camera woman snapped the shot.

photo credit: Meg

Since our last visit (which was during the drought) I had forgotten about the stream. A little too cold to get wet this time, but we can't wait to go back in the spring to wade and build dams and see things in bloom!

Mommy and Nate Time

2010-11-30T20:35:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago Nate and I went to the Georgia Aquarium together. We started in the glass viewing tunnel under the big tank and then made our way around to each exhibit. What strange and amazing creatures God has made!

electric eels

beluga whale

albino alligator

lion fish

It wouldn't be mommy and Nate time without dessert.

My buddy!

Trick or Treat

2010-11-30T20:12:00.002-05:00

Lisping His Praise

2010-11-30T19:44:00.007-05:00

Little Bubby still has such a cute toddler quality to his singing. Usually he is more pensive when we sing at bedtime, but in this case a sibling was off camera trying to make him giggle. See below for the lyrics written phonetically in his dialect.

Jethuth, name avub awl nameth; Beautiful Thavior, Gworiuth Wohrd.
(Jesus, name above all names; Beautiful Saviour, Glorious Lord;)

Emmanuewl, God ith wif uth; Blethed Redeemer, Living Word.
(Emmanuel, God is with us; Blessed Redeemer, Living Word.)

Laundry Tip: ALWAYS check the pockets.

2010-11-15T21:58:00.003-05:00

Especially when your husband has just come home from a pheasant hunting trip and you are washing his blaze orange vest. And especially when one of the birds survived the pellet spray and had to have its neck wrung, and some feathery remnant went into a pocket...?
I decided that finding a raw chunk of pheasant in my washer was better than finding a cooked chunk of pheasant in my dryer. I thought about posting a close up, but I know you don't really want to see it. (And, by the way, let's pretend that grayish ring around the washer basin is a shadow.)

Apple Picking

2010-11-14T22:14:00.003-05:00

For our last October field trip we picked apples and enjoyed fall in the North Georgia Mtns.

Amicalola Falls.

Rome Beauties

Apple Fritters

Meg baking pies for her friends.

Downing Family Reunion

2010-11-13T20:39:00.000-05:00

In October the kids and I attended a family reunion in French Camp. This was one of many photos on display: my dad with his parents and two sisters.

This is where my dad grew up. No one lives there now, but it was renovated about ten years ago to facilitate family visits. The best addition was the screened porch all the way around. My cousin Maria had the whole place looking beautiful for the weekend.

This is the best "reunion" photo I took, unfortunately. These are the descendants of Richard Alexander Downing, my dad's paternal grandfather. The reunion also included descendants of Richard Alexander's three siblings.

My favorite Downing descendants

Over the years my extended family has grown very close to the family next door to the "screen house" (as my kids call it). This visit was the first opportunity the kids and I had to meet the Edwards. Caleb was especially drawn to the chickens.

Everything about the Edwards' place is comfortably, rustically beautiful. The little building in the background is the guest house, which they kindly let us use when we have an overflow crowd in town.

Meg and Dabney really hit it off!

What's a family reunion in Mississippi without a few

barefoot kids playing on a rope swing over the ditch?

This old sorghum mill is part of the historic preservation area. Every Saturday in October you can watch the mill in action (complete with a mule) and buy the sorghum. I took this picture on Friday afternoon. On Saturday evening I was so disappointed to realize that in the busyness of the reunion I had forgotten to take the kids back to watch! Maybe next year.

Zip Line + Baby Swing =

2010-11-04T14:09:00.003-04:00

Soccer

2010-11-04T13:55:00.002-04:00

This year Meg and Nate both played soccer for the first time. Although neither team won any games, they both enjoyed it and want to play again next year. (Actually, they did each score a goal: Meg dribbled halfway down the field and made a great shot from the side; Nate's was a little more accidental. Another boy kicked the ball and it bounced off Nate and into the goal--but it was the right goal and Nate was the last one to touch it before it went in, so we're counting it.)

The (mis)adventures of Caleb Veerman

2010-10-31T22:12:00.004-04:00

People often ask what Caleb does each day while I teach the older two. He spends the first hour and half playing in his room, then joins us for snack and recess, then plays out back or with Kate for the rest of the morning. And what does he do during all that time in his room? These first two pictures are a representative sample. (I promise neither was staged!)

Dr. Jekyll

Mr. Hyde

Here's my little guy enjoying some trail mix and solitude out on the deck. I love the profile and the chubby arm. The cutest thing was his stocky little legs and bare feet swinging as he ate, but that didn't show up in the picture.

You know how it is when you're having so much fun at the sand box you just can't be bothered with pulling up your pants (which are at your ankles b/c you just went #1 off the edge of the deck).

Very proud of this block tower he made all by himself.

Personal Grooming and Self-Identification

2010-10-31T21:19:00.003-04:00

Me: How did your hair get wet?

Caleb:

Me: What is your name?

Caleb:

Me: Show me how you brush your hair.

Caleb:

Me: And what's your name?

Caleb:

In case you couldn't hear his last line, "A. I'm turning six."

Hmmm.

Eight-year-old Meg!

2010-09-30T21:53:00.006-04:00

Good morning birthday girl!

Great gifts for our sweet Marguerite, who does

indeed make quite a lot of books.

Ready for a Fairy Tea- and Slumber-Party

Woodland fairy cake with meringue mushrooms and a waterfall. It was unanimously voted the favorite cake I've made so far, but it looked better in real life than in pictures.

Kirigami craft made by the girls; glow sticks
for the sleepover; Meg's birthday photo album.

Friends

Our Girl!

The next morning: a little zip line fun.

Not Pictured: Some of the girls (and consequently me) staying
awake until midnight and rising at 5:22 am!!! I would expect
that at a pre-teen slumber party, but I had higher hopes for
the 7-8 year old crowd. Oh well; a good time was had by all.

Happy Birthday Meg! We love you!

4th generation hostess

2010-09-28T22:50:00.004-04:00

For some reason the other day Meg had all the kids out back raking a few leaves that have already fallen. Often when she gets in a straightening up mood, it evolves into some kind of table setting and food and drink preparation. In this case, she ran back and forth from china cabinet to refrigerator to rag bin to deck. Presently she invited Erik and me to come out and have a mid-morning snack.

For her birthday party she made place cards and this pretty bouquet. She loves beautiful things, has a strong sense of what is beautiful to her, and loves to share it with others. I hope this is the beginning of a life-long gift of welcoming people into her home to share the beauty and love of Christ.

All By Myself

2010-09-28T22:24:00.003-04:00

Over Labor Day weekend I had the pleasure of travelling--alone--to visit Mandy and family in San Diego. Thanks to my and Erik's parents who had each invited a pair of grand kids come visit for the long weekend (Meg and Nate actually flew from Connecticut back to Atl by themselves!) and to Erik who arranged all the schedules and flights, I spent a lovely weekend visiting my dear friend and seeing her brand new baby and home and everyday life.

I didn't take pictures of half the things I would like to have, but these three are surprisingly representative as all together they cover: beautiful weather, picnic, Mandy wearing the sling and tending to Greta, Mike and the kids hiking, Olivia's splashy wardrobe choices, Joseph happily tagging along, and a chilly trip to the beach. The highlights were lots of completed conversations (much easier with 3 kids in the house as opposed to the usual 6 when we're together), yummy food, visits to two of the Harbor sites, laundry (I'm such a nerd I even like checking things off other people's lists), Yogurt Land, and the nurturing exposure to good friends who are learning to daily live out the gospel. The best thing is now being able to picture many of the people and places they talk about and feeling more connected to their new home, life, and ministry. That and over 10 hours of reading time throughout the weekend--sans interruptions. So nice.