this is my sweet family: joy 10 delie 9 anna 7 samuel 2 thomas 10 months daddy 35 mommy 36 and amos our dog we have a farm it is so fun
BY GEORGE 5
Monday, February 25, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Tornadoes
Our family made it through another tornado warning just fine yesterday, although others in the area were hit hard. We're getting used to the warnings, although it's a little cramped trying to fit the 8 of us into the bathroom. It really wasn't as bad as it might sound - we took the radio so we could listen for updates but kept the volume really low, and I read a couple of chapters aloud from a book we've been reading together.
We were actually out trying to vote when the weather started getting bad. This was the first election since we moved last year, so we didn't really know where the polling place was (a rural fire station), and we spent more time driving around on lonely country roads than we planned to. The rain really hit while we were voting, and the sky was incredibly dark as we drove home. Beverly and I were praying quietly but fervently, and I imagine some of the children were too. Looking out across the fields, I expected to see a funnel cloud but never did.
As we pulled into the driveway, they put our county under a tornado warning (meaning a tornado had been spotted nearby). It was such a relief to be home. We ate supper quickly and then went to the bathroom for our read-aloud time.
I drove past some of the destruction on my way to work today. It's hard to describe how bad things look, but I guess most people have seen the pictures on the news, so you know what it looks like. The assisted living home where Beverly's grandmother lived for a couple of years had significant damage. The wing where Grandmother lived had the roof torn off and one of the walls was gone. I feel so sorry for all of those elderly residents who lost what little they had left. Union University (Lambuth's cross-town rival) had a dorm destroyed and other severe damage. I still find it amazing that no one was killed there. Rather than protecting them from the storm, I guess God was with them through the storm.
We were actually out trying to vote when the weather started getting bad. This was the first election since we moved last year, so we didn't really know where the polling place was (a rural fire station), and we spent more time driving around on lonely country roads than we planned to. The rain really hit while we were voting, and the sky was incredibly dark as we drove home. Beverly and I were praying quietly but fervently, and I imagine some of the children were too. Looking out across the fields, I expected to see a funnel cloud but never did.
As we pulled into the driveway, they put our county under a tornado warning (meaning a tornado had been spotted nearby). It was such a relief to be home. We ate supper quickly and then went to the bathroom for our read-aloud time.
I drove past some of the destruction on my way to work today. It's hard to describe how bad things look, but I guess most people have seen the pictures on the news, so you know what it looks like. The assisted living home where Beverly's grandmother lived for a couple of years had significant damage. The wing where Grandmother lived had the roof torn off and one of the walls was gone. I feel so sorry for all of those elderly residents who lost what little they had left. Union University (Lambuth's cross-town rival) had a dorm destroyed and other severe damage. I still find it amazing that no one was killed there. Rather than protecting them from the storm, I guess God was with them through the storm.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Spelling Bee
The local homeschool group had a spelling bee today. The real competition goes through 8th grade, but they also have a competition for students in grades K-3 to allow the younger ones to get some experience. All three of our girls participated and did great. Delie won first and Anna won second in the K-3 age group! And Joy lasted about 10 rounds, making it to the final 8 contestants - that's great since she's only in 5th grade.
Beverly has been "practicing" with the children at home for the past week so that they would be prepared for the bee. She also had George and Samuel practicing with the girls. George is in kindergarten and just learning to read, but he can spell quite a few 3- and 4-letter words. Samuel is just 2, so he doesn't have any idea how to spell, but he liked practicing. Beverly would say, "Samuel, spell chocolate." Samuel would reply, "Chocolate. B-L-D-G. Chocolate." And everyone would tell him how good he did. At the bee today, the announcer was giving the rules very seriously at the beginning, and Samuel got a horrible expression on his face and said, "I don't want to be in the spelling bee!" He thought he was actually going to be in the bee! How cute.
The girls and George are all excited about being in the bee next year. Encouraged by her victory, Delie says she's ready to start preparing for next year when she'll be competing against the older children. Joy, excited that she did so well but exhausted by the competition, asked if she could have the rest of the week off from spelling.
Beverly has been "practicing" with the children at home for the past week so that they would be prepared for the bee. She also had George and Samuel practicing with the girls. George is in kindergarten and just learning to read, but he can spell quite a few 3- and 4-letter words. Samuel is just 2, so he doesn't have any idea how to spell, but he liked practicing. Beverly would say, "Samuel, spell chocolate." Samuel would reply, "Chocolate. B-L-D-G. Chocolate." And everyone would tell him how good he did. At the bee today, the announcer was giving the rules very seriously at the beginning, and Samuel got a horrible expression on his face and said, "I don't want to be in the spelling bee!" He thought he was actually going to be in the bee! How cute.
The girls and George are all excited about being in the bee next year. Encouraged by her victory, Delie says she's ready to start preparing for next year when she'll be competing against the older children. Joy, excited that she did so well but exhausted by the competition, asked if she could have the rest of the week off from spelling.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Mama Em's Party
I can't believe it's been almost a month since I've updated the blog. A lot has happened, and I may write about Christmas and other happenings in the next week or two. My parents gave us a digital camera for Christmas, so it's much easier to add pictures to the blog now. Here are some pictures from this weekend.
My grandmother - everyone calls her Mama Em - had her 85th birthday this weekend. The whole family went to Montgomery Bell State Park outside of Nashville to celebrate. We all stayed in the inn there, and we had a great time. The weather was nice enough that we had a picnic and hiked a little on Saturday. Here the boys are walking through a stream with Uncle Roy.
Mama Em held Thomas while we were in the woods.
Then we had a big party Saturday night. The highlight was playing "This is Your Life." We all dressed us and pretended to be people from Mama Em's life, and she had to guess who we were. Then she told us funny stories about the people. It was hilarious.
The two-year-old cousins got tired of that and went off to play their own games.
My grandmother - everyone calls her Mama Em - had her 85th birthday this weekend. The whole family went to Montgomery Bell State Park outside of Nashville to celebrate. We all stayed in the inn there, and we had a great time. The weather was nice enough that we had a picnic and hiked a little on Saturday. Here the boys are walking through a stream with Uncle Roy.
Mama Em held Thomas while we were in the woods.
Then we had a big party Saturday night. The highlight was playing "This is Your Life." We all dressed us and pretended to be people from Mama Em's life, and she had to guess who we were. Then she told us funny stories about the people. It was hilarious.
The two-year-old cousins got tired of that and went off to play their own games.
Friday, December 14, 2007
The big day
It's been a long but great day. We left the house at 6:30 this morning to go to the ocularist in Memphis. Delie's appointment was at 8:30 and we were actually early - very rare for us. It was fascinating to watch him make a wax impression of her eye and then go through the steps of making the eye to fit perfectly and then painting it to match her good eye. We left the office at 3:30 with the prosthesis in place. Delie looks great.
We met my parents, Beverly's sister, my nieces, and the other children at a restaurant in Memphis, and then 8 of them went to the Nutcracker at the Orpheum. My dad and I took the 3 children (two of ours and one niece) under 3 home. Delie wanted to see the Nutcracker for her birthday. The local performance in Jackson was last weekend, and Delie (and her sisters) were disappointed that we didn't go, although they didn't really show their disappointment. Then Monday night my parents gave Delie (and everyone) tickets for tonight in Memphis. I know they're having a great time. Everyone will be exhausted by the time they make it home.
In other recent news, Thomas (8 months) now has his first tooth. All of our children have gotten teeth fairly late, and Thomas continued the pattern.
And we have a new dog. Yesterday a puppy showed up by our door. He's really cute and must have been well taken care of, but none of the neighbors know where he came from. The children love him and have named him Joseph since it's Christmastime.
Thanks for praying for Delie and for all of us. Delie goes back to the doctor next week for him to check the prosthesis and make sure everything is OK. It's hard to believe that we may be finished going to Memphis for a while. This has been such a part of our lives since September 13. We're glad to have this behind us, and we thank God for carrying us through it all.
We met my parents, Beverly's sister, my nieces, and the other children at a restaurant in Memphis, and then 8 of them went to the Nutcracker at the Orpheum. My dad and I took the 3 children (two of ours and one niece) under 3 home. Delie wanted to see the Nutcracker for her birthday. The local performance in Jackson was last weekend, and Delie (and her sisters) were disappointed that we didn't go, although they didn't really show their disappointment. Then Monday night my parents gave Delie (and everyone) tickets for tonight in Memphis. I know they're having a great time. Everyone will be exhausted by the time they make it home.
In other recent news, Thomas (8 months) now has his first tooth. All of our children have gotten teeth fairly late, and Thomas continued the pattern.
And we have a new dog. Yesterday a puppy showed up by our door. He's really cute and must have been well taken care of, but none of the neighbors know where he came from. The children love him and have named him Joseph since it's Christmastime.
Thanks for praying for Delie and for all of us. Delie goes back to the doctor next week for him to check the prosthesis and make sure everything is OK. It's hard to believe that we may be finished going to Memphis for a while. This has been such a part of our lives since September 13. We're glad to have this behind us, and we thank God for carrying us through it all.
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