Dis and Dat

Our open house was a smashing success!  The weather outside was miserable, but it made it that much more cozy inside.  There were 79 of us and we enjoyed hot apple cider, rich fellowship and a spread of food!  It was such a delight to be able to host such a fun gathering, and a wonderful initiation for FairOaks! 

Today is recovery day...we took it a bit slower this morning, then worked on some schoolwork and now are relaxing before Daddy gets home.  We had an interesting history class this morning.  Since we are now in the middle (dark) ages, we learned some more about the knights over in England, as well as the Samurai over in Japan.  Did you know that the Samurai were also big into Haiku poems?  So for their writing assignment today, each of them had to write their own Haiku.  Fun!

My brother and sister-in-law are here for awhile.  It was so great to see them yesterday, and tomorrow we are having a big family dinner here and spend the evening with them.  We are looking forward to it.

Then on Friday we leave for our big trip to Arkansas!  We are so excited and ready for the break! 

We have started a special, fun tradition.  We leave and drive halfway, get in plenty early to enjoy and evening of swimming and dinner at Red Lobster!  Then Saturday we will drive the rest of the way to our family.  We are looking forward to a whole week of rest, refreshment and time with S's family. 

As a special surprise, we told the two bigger girls last night that they are going to get to stay at Nona and Papa's for two weeks after we leave!  We will meet Nona and Papa to retrieve them mid January.  This will be a first for them...and they are so excited!  I have been printing out things for them to do light school while they are there.  It is going to be an adventure. We will miss them for sure!  But I know that they will have a great time.

I am doing well with the pregnancy.  Tomorrow I will be 24 weeks! Here is what Baby Gaga has to say about our little 24 week old...


Fetal development in pregnancy week 24:

" This is another big week for your magical growing baby! Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”. What’s that? Well, surfactant is sort of what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat whose main purpose is to assist the your baby's little lungs during inflation (as in, filling with air, not getting more expensive). Just in case you’re curious, your submerged baby is still breathing in amniotic fluid, preparing and rehearsing the lungs an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!"

It is so much fun to feel this little one inside so active.  This baby's "womb name" is Obie.  Little Obie is so busy in there, giving me kicks and punches all the time now.  I am learning how to treasure every little movement.  I don't know if it is just the fact that the older I get, I learn how to enjoy each moment more, or the fact that I am aware that my child bearing years are quickly coming to an end, but I truly am relishing these special feelings within.  I just love to feel this precious little one and realize it is a little blessed life inside.  I am really enjoying this stage of pregnancy again and am thankful to the Lord!


Now that we are getting settled with curtains hung, etc.  I hope to put up a tour of FairOaks soon.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

History Class

Today's history class...The Fall of Rome...

Mt. Willbek and Mt. Confederate

As I mentioned in a previous post, we have recently been studying Mt Vesuvius

.

Here is W and B making their volcano.

The others are making theirs as well.

Here we go...

Eruption!

I am glad we don't live at the bottom of that mountain!

Now for the second volcano...

Whoa!

Fun for all and alot of learning going on too.  As D said it "Thanks mom, for letting us experience that!"

History Lesson

Today we had a productive lesson in history on the destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii and the eruption of Mt Vesuvius.  I wish there was a way to insure that all of these important facts and lessons stick in my children's brains because it really is so useful, as well as fascinating.  One of the things I love about Mystery of History is that I can do it with all my precious students at one time.  Even H gets into it sometimes...straining to see and wondering if that is where the fire comes out of the volcano.  After our reading lesson, I went to my computer.  What a resource we have nowadays!  I found a virtual tour of Pompeii, and a discovery channel short documentary given from the perspective of a young survivor of Pompeii.  We also saw some videos of volcanoes erupting.  I am looking forward to getting into our new home (Lord Willing) where we will have no download threshold for our internet, so I can utilize even more fully these teaching opportunities on the web. 

So there is your history lesson for the day!

History Lesson!

Photo taken from Here

I continue to wonder if history class is for the children or the Mama.  I can't believe how excited and passionate I can get as I teach and learn at the same time.  Today we studied the life of Josephus and the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem.  Did you know that Josephus and Nero were contemporaries? Josephus also was a Pharisee, but his loyalty was split between the Romans and Jews.  He was good friends with Nero's successor and did not encourage the Jews to revolt against Rome.  But, he still fought for the Jews when the time came.  We spent some time reading in Josephus today, his account of the burning of the temple.  I find it quite fascinating!  God had decreed that the temple would be destroyed.  He had stretched out His hand of mercy time and again to His people.  But, they had rejected the Messiah, the Savior.  They clung to their traditions and crucified the Lord of Glory.   

"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen [doth gather] her brood under [her] wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until [the time] come when ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Luke 13

But, this is what I find fascinating...In the Romans discussing their plans, Titus (the commander) decided the temple should NOT be destroyed.  It was one of the soldiers, in their frenzy, that took of the inner fire and, with another soldier lifting him up, set fire to the window of the temple.  Titus even tried to have the fire stopped, but the soldiers could not hear him above the noise.  In the pandemonium and fury of the soldiers the temple was burned down!  I find this amazing.  God's prophecy will be fulfilled, no matter what the plans of man are.  He had decreed it should be destroyed.  And it was. 

I bless the Lord who has extended such love to His people...stretching forth His mercy with so great salvation. His patience with the Jews for so long is astounding. 

But I also fear the Lord who also has declared in Psalm 2...

12   Kiss ye the Son, lest in his ire
          ye perish from the way,
     If once his wrath begin to burn:
          bless’d all that on him stay. 

How much we have to learn from the Lord's dealings with us throughout history!

History Lesson!

As I did last year, I plan on occasionally posting updates from our world history lessons.  I find it so fascinating that I hope others will too!  We are now studying around 64 AD and focusing on the early church martyrs.  Did you know that the reason John was on the Isle of Patmos (where he had the book of Revelation revealed to him) because he had been exiled there under the persecution of Domitian?  And listen to this powerful quote by Ignatius before he was thrown into the den of lions..." I am God's grain, to be ground between the teeth of wild beasts, so that I may become a holy loaf for the Lord."

I am grateful that we live in a fairly peaceful time for Christians in our country, however I was sharing with the children that the church actually flourishes more in times of persecution than in times of peace.  I feel that I must prepare my children...our nation is becoming more and more Godless, mimicking the days of Rome.  What might they have to suffer for the sake of Christ?