Band of Brothers in Action

A couple of weeks ago, Andrew taught a band of brothers about the use of the tongue and the use of a compass.

Oh but first...there was a little throwing of the football.

And then the lesson began in our garage.

After that, the outdoors became the classroom

 The Band of Brothers was divided into four groups, each with a map and compass in hand to go find a treasure Andrew had planted at 4 different destinations about a mile away from our house. One of the groups' picture didn't turn out...but here are the other three.

After the groups left, Andrew and Brielle got on their bikes and headed down the different routes to spy on the trekkers.  

Every group found its treasure and headed back, all arriving within minutes of the other groups. Although they had a good time learning how to use a compass, they were quick to get back to throwing the football.



It was another successful Band of Brothers' session. Awesome work, hubby!

Cor Deo Walkathon 2011

This past Friday, all four of us ran/walked in our kids' school walkathon.  We ran a combined total of 32 miles, weaving around the walkers and the strollers so we'd be able to maintain a good pace. What was most impressive was Isaiah's determination to break his personal best of 10 miles at last year's walkathon. He managed to beat it by a quarter of a mile. What endurance for a little guy who's got very little meat on his bones! And what a gift to be developing such mental fortitude at a pretty young age! I ran 11 miles & my legs felt pretty stiff by the end...and I'm supposed to be a runner. Mmm-hmm.. 

Brielle managed to run/walk 4.25 miles before getting lured away from the 'track' by a huge jumping castle that was set up in the gym. Although my sources tell me it probably took major physical prowess to climb this castle more than a dozen time, Brielle still has got her work cut out for her on the mental fortitude department. She dished us and it took us a while to figure it out.  I think we'll have to sit her down and explain the ins and outs of a walkathon a little better before next year's comes around (I know, I know, she's only six, almost seven...just sayin' ;).

Watching our kids running got me thinking...I can't recall ever participating in a walkathon growing up. I have entered marathons and paid the entry fee for many races as a grown-up, but for the first time in my life, I ran to raise money for a cause. For the first time, I can say I basically got paid to run!  I would say it's about time, right?

No, but seriously, what really got me motivated to run it this year (and force a sick Andrew to run it, too ;) is the fact that
#1We love our school and want to keep it affordable by raising money to offset tuition
#2 My generous family pledged hefty per-mile amounts that made each mile count big time
#3 Getting my exercise in while raising money sounded like something I couldn't pass up

So, we ran it,  and now comes the hard part: the pledge collection. AWKWARD, right? It shouldn't be, but it is. Oh well, it's good for the pride. These things are always good for the pride. Mine could use a pretty good beating down right about now. ;)

The End of Summer 2011 and the Beginning of School

On the last day of summer, we decided to copy Ramona and her dad in Ramona and Beezus and draw the longest picture in the world--for us. I say 'we', but honestly, it is I who did most of the drawing. That's why it's by no means beautiful artwork...because it looks like kids drew the pictures when in reality I did. Nevertheless, I say, it was a meaningful exercise as we reminisced about our wonderful summer together. I hope we'll do it again next year on the last day of summer. Maybe next year the kids will be more confident as artists and pitch in more? Maybe I'll be a better artist, too? We'll see.

On the first of day of school, I managed to take a few pictures of my first grader and my fourth grader in their new classrooms. Lots of emotions come into play when we're saying 'goodbye' to good times and 'hello' to new beginnings. But we all survived it and now all four of us are happy to be 'in school' these days.

 

Brielle's Kindergarten Graduation

We know God placed Brielle in our lives for many reasons, one of which is to give us an appreciation for all the little steps she takes in the right direction. We can't help but celebrate and give thanks for God's faithfulness in the life of our Little Miss Sunshine!

 

When she was asked what she liked best about kindergarten, she said, "Recess!"

Andrew was proud of his custom-made double cheeseburger.

Brielle's Kindergarten Class under the balloon arch Kara and I made.

Brielle is excited about becoming a first grade, except for the part about no longer Mrs. A as a teacher!!

Gone Fishin' and Tooth Not Gone Missin'

Andrew took Monday off --his one personal day of the school year-- to go fishing with Isaiah and to go to the airport to see his sister Melody off. Isaiah had school but skipped it, knowing he could just double up on the work on Tuesday for a rather long homeschool day. And it was.

But the fishing trip was worth it. He's hooked! And he says he's soooo ready for summer. Aren't we all?!?

The trouts they caught at Hagg Lake on Monday.



Meanwhile, the good little school girl who wouldn't skip school for anything in the whole world lost a tooth while in class. It was actually her second tooth, but the first one that did not end up as part of her dinner. She told us proudly that she pulled it out herself, and after catching her biting on a vice grip in our garage a few days earlier trying to pry the barely loose tooth off, we had no trouble believing her! She wore her tooth around her neck in a special necklace for the rest of the day. She only parted with it when told about the tooth fairy.



Clearly enjoying this 'magical' moment!



Trying to show me the gap left by the tooth she pulled out herself!

The Little Nicknamer (Updated)

Upon meeting our family, I don't think it takes anyone very long to realize that Brielle is very special to us.

Of course, right?

We're like most parents:

we LOVE, love, love our kiddos so much it hurts.

But Brielle has a way of drawing us in....of working her magic so that we just can't help but find her delightful. It's really crazy. She doesn't have to say or do much to impress us, It's like... we're under some kind of spell.

Maybe it's because we almost lost her to seizures a couple of times.

The fact that she is still with us is such a gift.

Maybe it's because we've poured so much time and energy into her to get her 'caught up'.

The fact that she's coming along slowly but surely is so rewarding to us.

Maybe it's because she's such a happy little girl who loves life.

The fact that she exclaims with delight over just about anything is so endearing to us.

Maybe.

BUT, what's really cool is that we're not the only ones under the spell. Her big brother Isaiah is also spellbound and has been since she was a toddler. He doesn't seem to hold it against her that Mom and Dad go gaga over her either. I might be wrong, but I think he gets it (this would be the kind of thing that makes my brother refer to Isaiah as The Old Soul).

I'm sure my friend Becky remembers the days when Isaiah would gently pull Brielle's hair ringlets and press his cheek against hers as they sat side by side during our preschool co-op.
When he was about four, we started calling him The Sniffer because we would often catch him leaning over Brielle while sniffing her hair. He took a liking to the nickname and started chasing her around the house, threatening to Sniff-Her.
He still does that kind of thing. Not as often...but I still catch him loving on his sister like that once in a while. What he does do very regularly still is come up with little nicknames for her. He's given her so many nicknames over her lifetime, I'm actually having a hard time remembering them all. But I do remember my favorite ones, so here they are:

1. Sino (As in, "Jesus loves me, thi s-I- know"...He nicknamed her that when he realized early on that 'sino' was not a word...but rather a term he had coined...so he figured he might as well use it! =)
2. Feathers (Because he loved her 'feathery' hair)
3. Baby-Crocket-Drop-It (Birthed out of her annoying tendency as a baby to grab things from his hand)
4. Touchy-uchy-wuchy (Recent one...because she still has a tendency to want to touch/grab things out of his hand, especially his Pokemon cards =)
5. Sarscophagus or Scarscophagus (Because it's close to sarcophagus???? He hasn't yet been able to explain himself on that one...but he's got a special way of singing this nickname...and she often joins in. Don't ask me. I don't know. It's their 'thing'. )
6. Sacky (Because she 'sacks' him when they play football)
7. Sackidoodle (He added 'doodle' to Sacky one time and it stuck. Now he sings, "Sackidoodle went to town, riding on a pony..." or sometimes "Spankidoodle" gets slipped in instead)
8. Mouss (He says this when he squeezes her cheeks in). 
9. Moossatoossa (He likes to sing jibberish to the tune "Mickey Mouse". He says he honestly thought it said "Moossatoossa la mi fi petit petit petit, M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E". Right.....)
10. Mrs. Pants (Because she started losing her pants after she grew out of diapers)
11. Miss Whiny Pants (I think that one's self-explanatory) 
12. Yawny (He says he started saying that because she tires easily)
13. Wabugilla (Instead of "Cinderella")
14. Flopsy (Because her hair flops when she walks)

The little nicknamer is not so little anymore...but he still loves to shower his sister with his own unique 'terms of endearment'.

So yes, Brielle is special to us....but so is her little nicknamer.