January
1. Princess Sultana's Daughters (Jean Sasson) NF
2. The Dante Collection: A Genevieve Lenard Novel (Estelle Ryan) F
3. Princess Sultana's Circle (Jean Sasson) NF
4. American Chick in Saudi Arabia (Jean Sasson) NF
5. Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not Evangelism (Carl Medearis) NF
6. Princess: More Tears to Cry (Jean Sasson) NF
7. Daughter of the Mountain (Louise Rankin) with Ben and Maddie F
8. William Carey: Obliged to Go (Janet and Geoff Benge) with Ben and Maddie NF
9. All the Small Poems (Valerie Worth) with Ben and Maddie P
10. The Hiding Place (Corrie Ten Boom) NF
11. East of Eden (John Steinbeck) F
February
12. The Color Purple (Alice Walker) F
13. Shadow Spinner (Susan Fletcher ) with Ben and Maddie F
14. Going for Kona (Pamela Fagan Hutchins) F
March
15. Seven Daughters and Seven Sons (Barbara Cohen and Bahija Lovejoy)
17. Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunnes, Butcher of Men (Harold Schechter) NF
18. Living Water in the Desert (Rebecca Davis) with Ben and Maddie NF
19. Private India (James Patterson and Ashwin Sanghi) F
April
20. A Long Walk to Water (Linda Sue Park) with Ben and Maddie, NF
21. The Brethren (John Grisham) F
22. The Black Book (James Patterson and David Ellis) F
May
23. Beat the Story Drum, Pum-Pum (Ashley Bryan) with Ben and Maddie, F
26. Eastern Hemisphere with Ben and Maddie NF
27. Cross the Line (James Patterson) F
28. Woman of God (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro) F
29. The Light of the Fireflies (Paul Pen and Simon Bruni) F
June
30. The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman) F
31. Radical Reminssion: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds (Kelly A. Turner) NF
32. Woman to Woman (Joy Loewen) NF
July
33. Assets Cubed (Anthony Humpage) NF
34. Entrusted (David York and Andrew Howell) NF
August
35. Invisible (James Patterson and David Ellis) F
36. You Have More Than You Think (David and Tom Gardner) NF
September
37. Living Trusts for Everyone (Ronald Sharp) NF
38. Humble Roots (Hannah Anderson) NF
October
39. Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking (Kittee Berns) NF
40. Invisible (James PAtterson and David Ellis) F
November
41. Ten Women (Marcella Serra) F
42. One-Dish Vegan: More than 150 Soul-Satisfying Recipes for Easy and Delicious One-Bowl and One-Plate Dinners (Robin Robertson) NF
43. A Taste of Arabia: Recipes and Customs from Arabia and Beyond (Jessie Kirkness Parker)
44. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession (Allison Hoover Bartlett) NF
December
45. Swimsuit (James Petterson and Maxine Paetro) F
46. Cross Country (James Patterson) F
47. Eyewitness Travel: Top 10 London (Roger Williams) NF
48. Insight Guides England NF
49. The Asian Vegan Kitchen: Authentic and Appetizing Dishes from a Continent of Rich Flavors (Hema Parekh) NK
50. An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Faith E. Gorsky) NF
Monday, December 31, 2018
Sunday, December 31, 2017
Turning The Pages: 2017
January
1. Thomas
Jefferson Education (Oliver DeMille)
2. Thomas
Jefferson Education For Teens and Every Adult Who Wants to Change the World
(Oliver DeMille)
3. Do
Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations (Alex Harris and
Brett Harris)
4. Roll
of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Mildred D. Taylor) - with BMJ
5. Almost
12 (Kenneth N. Taylor) - with BMJ
February
6. King
of the Mound: My Summer With Satchel Paige (Wes Tooke) - with BMJ
7. Number
the Stars (Lois Lowry)
8. The
River (Gary Paulsen) - with WBMJ
9. The
View From Saturday (E.L.Konigsburg) - with WBMJ
10. The
Winged Watchman (Hilda Van Stockum) - with BMJ
11. 15th
Affair (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
12.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll)
13.
Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems - with BMJ
March
14. Out
of the Dust (Karen Hesse) - with W
15.
Miracles on Maple Hill (Virginia Sorensen) - with BMJ
16. The
Second Mrs. Giaconda (E.L. Konisburg)
17. W is
for Wasted (Sue Grafton)
18. To
Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) - with W
19. The
Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson (Bette Bao Lord) - with BMJ
April
20.
General Butterfingers (Catharine Bowman Smith) - with BMJ
21. X
(Sue Grafton)
22. The
Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had (Susan
Wise Bauer)
23.
Lights in a Dark Place (Rebecca Davis) - with BMJ
24. Henri
Matisse: Drawing with Scissors: Masterpieces from the Late Years
25. The
Children’s Book of American History – with BMJ
26. In
the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson – with BMJ
27. Every
Soul a Star (Wendy Mass) – with BMJ
28. Belay
On (Boy Scouts of America)
May
29. The
Landmark History of the American People: From Charleston to the Moon, Volume II
(Daniel and Ruth Boorstin) – with BMJ
30. In
Search of the Source (Neil Anderson & Hyatt Moore) – with BMJ
31. The
World Wars (Paul
Dowswell and Ruth Brocklehurst) – with BMJ
32. I Will Always Write Back (Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda) -
with W
33. The
Summertime Survival Guide for Parents (Rebecca Kochenderfer)
34. Uncle
Tom’s Cabin (Harriett Beecher Stowe, audiobook)
35. The
Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
36. Rescue
the Captors (Russell Stendal)
37. The
Scent of Water (Elizabeth Goudge)
June
38. The
Bridge of San Luis Rey (Thorton Wilder)
39. The
Island of Dr. Libris (Chris Grabenstein, audiobook with WBMJ)
40. Brian’s
Return (Gary Paulsen, audiobook with WBMJ)
41. Summer of the Gypsy Moths (Sara Pennypacker)
July
July
42. The
Girl on the Train (Paula Hawkins, audiobook)
August
August
43. Mere
Christianity (C. S. Lewis, with friends)
44. Where
the Mountain Meets the Moon (Grace Lin) – with BMJ
September
September
45. Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze (Elizabeth Foreman Lewis)
– with BMJ
46. Hudson
Taylor: God’s Adventurer (Phyllis Thompson)
–
47. The
Heavenly Man: The Remarkable True Story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun
(Brother Yun and Paul Hattaway)
October
48. The
Master Puppeteer (Katherine Paterson) – with BM
November
49. I
Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade (Diane Wilson) –
50. Whatever
Happened to Penny Candy? A Fast, Clear, and Fun Explanation of the Economics
You Need for Success in Your Career, Business, and Investments (Richard J.
Maybury and Jane A. Williams)– with WBMJ
51. Breaking Stalin's Nose (Eugene Yelchin) - with BM
52. The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam (Quang Huynh and Vo-Dinh Mai) - with BM53. Rickshaw Girl (Mitali Perkins and Jamie Hogan) - with BM
54. Teresa of Calcutta (D. Jeanene Watson and Louis H. Rock) - with BM
December
55. Christmas Carols for a Kid's Heart (Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Eareckson Tada) - with BMJ
56. The Art Forger (BA Shapiro)
57. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) - with WBMJ
58. Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (Jean Sasson)
56. The Art Forger (BA Shapiro)
57. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) - with WBMJ
58. Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (Jean Sasson)
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Twelve Months
It has been twelve months since I last posted a family story. I did keep my reading list updated, but, overall, I've not blogged in a year.
I've been busy.
I've been distracted.
I've been overwhelmed.
I've been avoiding writing.
Though we started the 2015-16 school year homeschooling only Will and Ben, we brought Maddie home in January, and Jon in the middle of February. Every time I thought about blogging, I was overwhelmed with all the unfinished tasks at home...
Shadow died a bit more than a year ago, and every time I sat down to consider blogging, I was overwhelmed with sadness...
Will and I went to Uganda a year ago, and every time I considered blogging, I was overwhelmed with how many stories I had not written...
It was not just the mission trip tales, but the homeschool stories, the nature-outside-our-window happenings, the end-of-the-school-year ceremonies, the summer vacation and summer camp narratives, the early morning adventures, the beginning-of-the-school-year pictures and the yarn that just kept going and going, but in a tangled ball. I was too frustrated to try to work through it.
And every time I tried to write, my dog's photo smiled at me...and I cried.
Now that it's been a year of yearning to get the stories written, I'm just jumping right in -- the last year of words is gone, and I'm not going to dwell on it. Instead, I am choosing to start with NOW.
What does NOW look like for us?
I am still overwhelmed with the unfinished home tasks...
I am still often overwhelmed with sadness without our loving furry family...
I am still overwhelmed that some really great stories are unwritten...
All four kids have been home schooling this year -- Will is in 7th grade, Jon is in 5th, and Ben and Maddie are in 4th. They go to Venture classes on Tuesdays, so I get a day "off," and they go for a couple hours on Wednesday afternoon. It has been a school year of ups and downs and learning to navigate uncharted waters (for us): growth spurts and the onset of pubescent attitude; curriculum that worked for some kids, but not all of them; figuring out how to empower our child with learning differences; finding the rhythms that work for our family.
Our family is still very involved in scouting. Allen is leading the Trail Life unit that Ben and Jon are in; Will is back in Trail Life with his buddies. Maddie is an Explorer with American Heritage Girls, and I am in a new role mentoring our troop board and four other troops. Both groups still meet weekly at the same time, and both have at least one activity per month on a weekend.
Ben, Jon, and Maddie are taking music lessons. Though Ben played guitar last semester, he switched to drums in January. Jon is also playing drums, and Maddie is playing ukelele. Will focused on speech this school year, and has spent many hours researching apologetics for competition. This competition season is over, but he is already working on next year's.
In our spare time, Allen and the kids play lots of games -- a few video games on the weekends, but lots of board games after dinner throughout the week. I've been painting (as a Christmas gift, Allen enrolled me in an online weekly art class). The kids and I read -- a lot! We read for school, but we all really like to read in our spare time, too. All the kids spend a lot of time outside and with neighborhood friends.
We have one not-cuddly cat, Pickles, about 16.5 years old, who has really enjoyed being the only pet. I have many times during the week when I wish we had a cuddly kitty or dog, but then I realize how much easier it is without the extra messes to clean up. The reasonable side of me tries hard to convince the other side that one cat is enough... but I still really miss what I had with Shadow, Ramses, and Tico...
Now...
I am writing about life again, but I will be okay with the times when living it is more of a priority than recording it.
Saturday, December 31, 2016
Turning the Pages: 2016
Books read with any of my kids
Non-fiction
January
1. Daughter of Earth and Water: A Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Noel Gerson)
2. The Forgotten Girls (Alexa Steele)
3. 12th of Never (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
4. For the Love (Jen Hatmaker) - with book club
5. The Advocate (Teresa Burrell)
February
6. Unlucky 13 (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
7. Reluctant Writer (ebook)
8. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham)
9. Lewis & Clark Expedition (Richard Neuberger)
10. Helping Without Hurting in Short-term Missions (Stave Corbett and Brian Fikkert)
March
11. Justin Morgan Had a Horse (Margeurite Henry)
12. Calico Bush (Rachel Field)
13. Bones Never Lie (Kathy Reichs)
April
14. Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma (Janet and Geoff Benge)
15. A Child's Introduction to Poetry (Michael Driscoll)
16. Peace Child (Don Richardson)
17. The Journeyman (Elizabeth Yates)
18. Fervent (Priscilla Shirer)
May
19. The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
20. Cut to the Bone (Jefferson Bass)
June
21. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics (Chris Grabenstein, audiobook)
22. Hatchet (Gary Paulsen, audiobook)
23. Theodore Boone: The Scandal (John Grisham, audiobook)
24. The Broker (John Grisham)
July
25. The Witnesses (James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
26. The Inquisitor's Key (Jefferson Bass)
27. Mistress (James Patterson and David Ellis)
28. A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare, audiobook)
August
29. Back Fire (Catherine Coulter)
30. Split Second (Catherine Coulter)
31. The Great Turkey Walk (Kathleen Karr)
32. William Wilberforce: God's Politician (John Holzmann)
33. Angel Experiment (James Patterson, audiobook)
September
34. Bombshell (Catherine Coulter)
35. Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt)
36. Confessions of a Murder Suspect (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
37. Leading like Jesus (Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges)
October
38. Caddie Woodlawn (Carol Ryrie Brink)
39. The Best Yes (Lysa TerKeurst)
40. The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Dyslexia (Abigail Marshall)
November
41. The Great Wheel (Robert Lawson)
42. The Last Woman Standing: A Novel (Thelma Adams)
43. The Watcher (Jo Robertson)
December
44. Little Britches (Ralph Moody)
45. Played to Death (BV Lawson)
46. The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware)
47. Cross Country (James Patterson)
48. Do You See What I See?: Exploring the Christmas of Every Day (Ross Parsley)
49. Christmas Carols for a Kid's Heart (Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Earekson Tada)
Non-fiction
January
1. Daughter of Earth and Water: A Biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Noel Gerson)
2. The Forgotten Girls (Alexa Steele)
3. 12th of Never (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
4. For the Love (Jen Hatmaker) - with book club
5. The Advocate (Teresa Burrell)
February
6. Unlucky 13 (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
7. Reluctant Writer (ebook)
8. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham)
9. Lewis & Clark Expedition (Richard Neuberger)
10. Helping Without Hurting in Short-term Missions (Stave Corbett and Brian Fikkert)
March
11. Justin Morgan Had a Horse (Margeurite Henry)
12. Calico Bush (Rachel Field)
13. Bones Never Lie (Kathy Reichs)
April
14. Adoniram Judson: Bound for Burma (Janet and Geoff Benge)
15. A Child's Introduction to Poetry (Michael Driscoll)
16. Peace Child (Don Richardson)
17. The Journeyman (Elizabeth Yates)
18. Fervent (Priscilla Shirer)
May
19. The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)
20. Cut to the Bone (Jefferson Bass)
June
21. Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics (Chris Grabenstein, audiobook)
22. Hatchet (Gary Paulsen, audiobook)
23. Theodore Boone: The Scandal (John Grisham, audiobook)
24. The Broker (John Grisham)
July
25. The Witnesses (James Patterson and Brendan DuBois
26. The Inquisitor's Key (Jefferson Bass)
27. Mistress (James Patterson and David Ellis)
28. A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare, audiobook)
August
29. Back Fire (Catherine Coulter)
30. Split Second (Catherine Coulter)
31. The Great Turkey Walk (Kathleen Karr)
32. William Wilberforce: God's Politician (John Holzmann)
33. Angel Experiment (James Patterson, audiobook)
September
34. Bombshell (Catherine Coulter)
35. Across Five Aprils (Irene Hunt)
36. Confessions of a Murder Suspect (James Patterson and Maxine Paetro)
37. Leading like Jesus (Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges)
October
38. Caddie Woodlawn (Carol Ryrie Brink)
39. The Best Yes (Lysa TerKeurst)
40. The Everything Parents Guide to Children with Dyslexia (Abigail Marshall)
November
41. The Great Wheel (Robert Lawson)
42. The Last Woman Standing: A Novel (Thelma Adams)
43. The Watcher (Jo Robertson)
December
44. Little Britches (Ralph Moody)
45. Played to Death (BV Lawson)
46. The Woman in Cabin 10 (Ruth Ware)
47. Cross Country (James Patterson)
48. Do You See What I See?: Exploring the Christmas of Every Day (Ross Parsley)
49. Christmas Carols for a Kid's Heart (Bobbie Wolgemuth and Joni Earekson Tada)
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Traveling to Uganda
8/11/16 - You wouldn't believe how hard it has been to find time to write...and the struggle with guilt and frustration I've had the last five-and-a-half months as I know the writing isn't happening. I'll miss it, and YES, I already regret not journaling closer to when we actually traveled, but it is what it is. Mostly, we have just photos now as the details are so fuzzy. I do still want to share our memories -- photos and crumbs from my mind...
Will and I went to Uganda on a shoe distribution trip for Parental Care Ministries. While we were gone, Ben, Maddie, and Jon stayed with Gramma and Granddad. Allen's cousin's daughter was doing a Flat Stanley project (taking photos of Stanley at different places in the US.) We took Stanley with us and got a few pictures for her, too.
Allen was able to take the day off work and he was one of two who drove our team to Houston. From Houston, we flew to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Entebbe. We stayed overnight in Entebbe, then took the PCM bus to Mbarara.
The only time I remember being stressed on the trip was the first evening we were in Mbarara. I had already seen a giant pile of shoes -- I am talking about 2000 pair of shoes, no boxes, piled high against a wall. Know this: my four kids each have two pair of shoes and I get frustrated seeing those 16 shoes unmatched and piled in the closet. Can you imagine how much my heart raced to see almost four THOUSAND black shoes unmatched and piled?!?!
I was told the PCM staff HAD started matching and packaging them, so I was quite thankful! When we arrived at the garage where the shoes were stored, they were paired and bagged -- about 30-60 pair per bag. What stressed me out was that we had no way of knowing what sizes we had, and I knew we needed to sort them out again to see what we had. The stressful part for me was that our whole team was looking to me for answers about what to do, but I didn't want the Ugandans upset to see us UNdoing everything I know they spent days doing. Lori (our team leader) asked me what we needed to do first and I replied we needed to pray. I asked for a few moments to think, and I think she saw the tears fighting to stay in and she pulled me aside to pray with me (without the group). We got the shoes sorted and got to know each other a bitter better in the process. After several hours of sorting, we counted and recorded all the numbers, then headed back to the hotel for dinner around 9:30pm.
Will and I went to Uganda on a shoe distribution trip for Parental Care Ministries. While we were gone, Ben, Maddie, and Jon stayed with Gramma and Granddad. Allen's cousin's daughter was doing a Flat Stanley project (taking photos of Stanley at different places in the US.) We took Stanley with us and got a few pictures for her, too.
Allen was able to take the day off work and he was one of two who drove our team to Houston. From Houston, we flew to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Entebbe. We stayed overnight in Entebbe, then took the PCM bus to Mbarara.
I was told the PCM staff HAD started matching and packaging them, so I was quite thankful! When we arrived at the garage where the shoes were stored, they were paired and bagged -- about 30-60 pair per bag. What stressed me out was that we had no way of knowing what sizes we had, and I knew we needed to sort them out again to see what we had. The stressful part for me was that our whole team was looking to me for answers about what to do, but I didn't want the Ugandans upset to see us UNdoing everything I know they spent days doing. Lori (our team leader) asked me what we needed to do first and I replied we needed to pray. I asked for a few moments to think, and I think she saw the tears fighting to stay in and she pulled me aside to pray with me (without the group). We got the shoes sorted and got to know each other a bitter better in the process. After several hours of sorting, we counted and recorded all the numbers, then headed back to the hotel for dinner around 9:30pm.
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Shadow gone
Today was a sad, sad day for our family. Our sweet Shadow has been quite a picky eater the last several weeks, and I kept trying to find the food that he would eat enough of to fill out his bony body. But, ... yesterday he didn't eat anything at all... and he had a lot of trouble balancing. Allen was out of town the last two days and I told him Shadow wasn't doing well. Last night, I had to carry him to get outside, and even that didn't work. I put his cozy bed in the bathroom with a bunch of waterproof mats under him, and I checked on him several times through the night.
This morning, I put his bed in the sunbeam where he loves to sleep while we were all around him doing our school day and cuddling our 16-year old pup. Around lunchtime, his heart started racing, so I held him and we eventually called Allen. Shadow got to hear all six of us tell him how much we loved him, and I held him until he breathed his last breath; the younger kids and I wailed and Will went to his room to be alone.
When the kitties passed a year ago, I was really worried about how the kids would react...how I would do without my Shadow, named so because he followed me everywhere. When I decided in November to go to Uganda at the end of March, I had a feeling that IF Shadow was still alive when I left, he might die of loneliness while I was gone. All along, I've been sadly hoping that wouldn't happen, but our old dog was aging fast. My heart hurts a lot now, but I am really glad he was not alone when he left. I don't know if we will ever get another dog again, but Shadow sure was an awesome dog!
I adopted the gently, leggy pound puppy in June 2000 -- the summer we lived in a non-air-conditioned home in Canyon. Allen spent the weeks at an internship in Albuquerque, and I didn't like being alone in the house with the windows open at night. I tried convincing Allen I needed a dog; he tried convincing me I needed an air-conditioner. By September, we had an AC, too. When I was pregnant with Will, in June 2003, Shadow fell from a third-story window at our home in Kansas. I raced to him and saw him trying to run with floppy legs, and I was afraid the vet would want to put him to sleep. Turns out, he just needed legs of steel -- after a couple surgeries, and daily, then weekly, vet visits our gentle pooch had legs that were almost as good as new (until it was really cold outside.) Shadow loved playing in the snow! Even when his legs were sensitive to the cold, he would chase snow balls and use his nose as a shovel, throw the snow in the air, and try to catch it in his mouth. Shadow was so sweet with the kids -- first with Will, then with Maddie, Ben, and Jon. I remember his confusion when he greeted Maddie...but then heard Ben in another crib. He ran to Ben's crib and saw a baby, but then bounced back to see her in my arms. The poor dog was nearly dizzy with the back-and-forth questions when Jon finally got home, too. When I was away having dinner with friends, Shadow waited for me next to the front door. When I was up later than normal -- watching a movie, crafting, visiting -- he would stare at me because HE was ready for bed, but I wasn't in my room yet. He would sometimes sigh impatiently until I walked him to his bed and he would lie on his pillow next to my bed. But when I'd leave the room, he would follow me...again. I love that silly dog so much and he will really be missed.
This morning, I put his bed in the sunbeam where he loves to sleep while we were all around him doing our school day and cuddling our 16-year old pup. Around lunchtime, his heart started racing, so I held him and we eventually called Allen. Shadow got to hear all six of us tell him how much we loved him, and I held him until he breathed his last breath; the younger kids and I wailed and Will went to his room to be alone.
When the kitties passed a year ago, I was really worried about how the kids would react...how I would do without my Shadow, named so because he followed me everywhere. When I decided in November to go to Uganda at the end of March, I had a feeling that IF Shadow was still alive when I left, he might die of loneliness while I was gone. All along, I've been sadly hoping that wouldn't happen, but our old dog was aging fast. My heart hurts a lot now, but I am really glad he was not alone when he left. I don't know if we will ever get another dog again, but Shadow sure was an awesome dog!
I adopted the gently, leggy pound puppy in June 2000 -- the summer we lived in a non-air-conditioned home in Canyon. Allen spent the weeks at an internship in Albuquerque, and I didn't like being alone in the house with the windows open at night. I tried convincing Allen I needed a dog; he tried convincing me I needed an air-conditioner. By September, we had an AC, too. When I was pregnant with Will, in June 2003, Shadow fell from a third-story window at our home in Kansas. I raced to him and saw him trying to run with floppy legs, and I was afraid the vet would want to put him to sleep. Turns out, he just needed legs of steel -- after a couple surgeries, and daily, then weekly, vet visits our gentle pooch had legs that were almost as good as new (until it was really cold outside.) Shadow loved playing in the snow! Even when his legs were sensitive to the cold, he would chase snow balls and use his nose as a shovel, throw the snow in the air, and try to catch it in his mouth. Shadow was so sweet with the kids -- first with Will, then with Maddie, Ben, and Jon. I remember his confusion when he greeted Maddie...but then heard Ben in another crib. He ran to Ben's crib and saw a baby, but then bounced back to see her in my arms. The poor dog was nearly dizzy with the back-and-forth questions when Jon finally got home, too. When I was away having dinner with friends, Shadow waited for me next to the front door. When I was up later than normal -- watching a movie, crafting, visiting -- he would stare at me because HE was ready for bed, but I wasn't in my room yet. He would sometimes sigh impatiently until I walked him to his bed and he would lie on his pillow next to my bed. But when I'd leave the room, he would follow me...again. I love that silly dog so much and he will really be missed.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
End of a Season
With a loud buzz that season ended.
The final score - 44 to 23 with Tyler Heat winning.
Will played two quarters of the last game, tried for four baskets (all ALmost scored), and assisted on many successful scores. It was his best game yet and he ended on a proud note.
Will started playing basketball at a series of skills and drills workshops in October and he decided we should sign him up for the local home school basketball team when they had registration in November. It was a crazy four and a half months with practice four hours a week and one or two games on some weeks, but we were surrounded by other Christian home schooling families and coaches and kids who were kind and encouraging. Overall, it was a great experience for Will and for the rest of us, too. Below are some pictures I snapped with my phone just to prove I was paying attention to the games ;)
The final score - 44 to 23 with Tyler Heat winning.
Will played two quarters of the last game, tried for four baskets (all ALmost scored), and assisted on many successful scores. It was his best game yet and he ended on a proud note.
Will started playing basketball at a series of skills and drills workshops in October and he decided we should sign him up for the local home school basketball team when they had registration in November. It was a crazy four and a half months with practice four hours a week and one or two games on some weeks, but we were surrounded by other Christian home schooling families and coaches and kids who were kind and encouraging. Overall, it was a great experience for Will and for the rest of us, too. Below are some pictures I snapped with my phone just to prove I was paying attention to the games ;)
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