tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279365662024-03-13T06:21:47.200-07:00our joyful lifekellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.comBlogger446125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-32372448148519500612012-08-17T06:43:00.000-07:002012-08-17T06:43:27.687-07:00Enjoying thistles <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZJFIw7PmcQ/UC5IT195nCI/AAAAAAAADmY/Er8I_KxuleE/s1600/swallowtail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oZJFIw7PmcQ/UC5IT195nCI/AAAAAAAADmY/Er8I_KxuleE/s400/swallowtail.jpg" width="238" /></a><b> I remember seeing Eeyore eating huge thistles in Winnie the Pooh and I always wondered where those were. In fact the only reason I knew of them was because that was Eeyore's food of choice. Since living in Georgia I've now seen these gigantic thistles. Man I love them. And the blooms on them, one of my favorite colors. Such a magnificient shade of lavender. Love it.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Through the summer I've watched one of these plants grow to maturity. It's one of my favorite things to look at each time I go on my walk with Saddi. A couple of weeks ago it was crazy busy with butterflies. Kyra caught one on a bloom with my phone.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<br />
<b>Now this week it's been a golden finch. Each day as I went by without a camera or phone I was thinking, "Dang! There he is, where's my camera! What a photo op!" </b><br />
<br />
<b> This morning I had my phone with me. I couldn't get very close but if you look carefully you can see the little guy. He was working hard, eating out the dried seeds. Maybe I'll try and get a better camera down there next week. I wonder if he'll still be around or another creature enjoying the thistle as much as I do.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NsQENXyVKi8/UC5FqGpFCgI/AAAAAAAADmM/wHZ5x8bIAoM/s1600/finch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NsQENXyVKi8/UC5FqGpFCgI/AAAAAAAADmM/wHZ5x8bIAoM/s400/finch.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
<br />
<br /><b> </b>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-37783258127441061422012-06-06T17:40:00.002-07:002012-06-06T17:51:02.057-07:00All spread out!<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tomorrow, Abbi will be traveling from Switzerland to France. She's been studying French for years and wanting to go there since she was little. I'm so excited for her. She and her family will be going to the Loire valley and then they'll be going to an unschooling camp out. So so excited!</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Kyra is in Tucson, Arizona visiting a friend. It was her first time alone on a plane. She's loving the different climate and all the cacti. The heat is a bit much, even if it's a dry heat, it's been around 100, but she's still loving the adventure</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Alec will be going up to Tennessee. It's not his first time up there but still a great place for him to be. He has really special friends that he loves spending time with and enjoys each visit he makes up there.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Tim and I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana is our destination. I've never been down there and this is our first trip alone since I don't know when. We're gonna walk on the beach, maybe do some snorkeling and just plain ole laze around.</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Our family will be all spread out for this week. Happily adventuring out into the world. </b></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-33348449441107694452012-06-06T15:37:00.000-07:002012-06-06T15:37:39.579-07:00Abbi's in Switzerland<b>Yes, that's right. Abbi's in Switzerland. She's staying with an unschooling family. How wonderful huh?</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>I'll write more about it soon, but I wanted to share what she showed me today. Check it out. I wish I could get the map bigger but this is as good as I could get it.</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cirnO0GW84k/T8_Y6CXMfXI/AAAAAAAADlI/eDdLHJbMBKo/s1600/Abbi%27s+walk.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cirnO0GW84k/T8_Y6CXMfXI/AAAAAAAADlI/eDdLHJbMBKo/s640/Abbi%27s+walk.png" width="538" /></a> <b>On google earth she was able to show me the route of a walk she took. The blue line is close to the path that she took. I guess it was beautiful, Lake Neuchatel on one side and the Alps on the other. She was able to talk with me on Skype and guide me through her walk. Technology makes being away from her so much easier. I can't even imagine how it would be if we could only write letters or call. Calling would be so expensive! </b><br />
<br />
<b>More later, I promise! </b>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-63664626681400662832012-02-28T05:29:00.004-08:002012-02-28T05:58:30.546-08:00My Children's WorkWonderful Work from my kids :)<br /><br /><br />Alec's latest cover. He got a mixer and mikes for his drums. He's sounding so awesome!<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0ZMTgVWREzQ" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe><br /><br /><br />Abbi's doing more baking, she made bread one morning and bagels yesterday. They were all so yummy. Her latest idea and desire is to go to France and learn to bake there. Sounds wonderful doesn't it? She and I have been working on our French and we're hoping to make it over there this September. We're also looking into <a href="http://www.wwoof.fr/eng/index.htm">WWOOF</a> for her as a possibility. We think we may have found a farm that grows their grain and makes bread right there, and... the woman that lives there is a pastry chef! Sounds like such a great fit, wonderful for Abbi. She's very excited!<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LLfW5yHkNQI/T0zad5n-ZTI/AAAAAAAADko/APYHqHEp8nQ/s1600/Abbi%2527s%2Bbagels.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LLfW5yHkNQI/T0zad5n-ZTI/AAAAAAAADko/APYHqHEp8nQ/s400/Abbi%2527s%2Bbagels.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714182234445866290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here's Kyra's latest work. I think this picture is just brilliant. I love the way the flowers cascade around her and through the picture. Do you see more than one image?<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--nUqwLZ2uuk/T0zchjJqYnI/AAAAAAAADk0/yh-6aAppUSY/s1600/Beautiful.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 359px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--nUqwLZ2uuk/T0zchjJqYnI/AAAAAAAADk0/yh-6aAppUSY/s400/Beautiful.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5714184496155878002" border="0" /></a><br />I just love seeing their creations and how their talent unfolds.kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-76015299243143104532011-09-14T08:50:00.000-07:002011-09-14T09:17:33.496-07:00InspirationalKyra's doing a 365 project right now that has really inspired her to take some amazing photos.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMLkfYi3TQE/TnDRpSZSyZI/AAAAAAAADhc/jgajgze_bUw/s1600/the%2Bmonsters%2Bcome%2Bout%2Bat%2Bnight.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LMLkfYi3TQE/TnDRpSZSyZI/AAAAAAAADhc/jgajgze_bUw/s400/the%2Bmonsters%2Bcome%2Bout%2Bat%2Bnight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652248039592741266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">the monsters come out at night<br /><br /><br /><br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DLsbluy6PU4/TnDPJKYZvtI/AAAAAAAADg8/qHpO1JhGBUM/s1600/the%2Boutcasts.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DLsbluy6PU4/TnDPJKYZvtI/AAAAAAAADg8/qHpO1JhGBUM/s400/the%2Boutcasts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652245288662449874" border="0" /></a>the outcasts<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--XQBkEEPL20/TnDP_7rGO7I/AAAAAAAADhE/1EitBs6qaqY/s1600/horton%2Band%2Bme.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--XQBkEEPL20/TnDP_7rGO7I/AAAAAAAADhE/1EitBs6qaqY/s400/horton%2Band%2Bme.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652246229607136178" border="0" /></a></span>Horton and me<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hx-La_jQ824/TnDQ75L19CI/AAAAAAAADhU/kCFs0aXySlc/s1600/grrrrrrrrrr.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Hx-La_jQ824/TnDQ75L19CI/AAAAAAAADhU/kCFs0aXySlc/s400/grrrrrrrrrr.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652247259731325986" border="0" /></a></span></span></span>flying<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CT4DRNKpR10/TnDTWM4ZHpI/AAAAAAAADhk/mUr4rQQ2XLM/s1600/shedding%2Bmy%2Bscales.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CT4DRNKpR10/TnDTWM4ZHpI/AAAAAAAADhk/mUr4rQQ2XLM/s400/shedding%2Bmy%2Bscales.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652249910718307986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;">shedding my scales<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span></span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">She's an inspiration. You can view more of her work here: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photopluto/"> http://www.flickr.com/photos/photopluto/</a><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-32889428334311553352011-08-30T06:41:00.000-07:002011-10-02T05:04:10.455-07:00Abbi's got the movesAll 3 kids attended <a href="http://www.etusc.com/">ETUSC</a> a couple of weeks ago and had a blast.<br /><br />Here they are just before they took off.. without me! :(<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ds39d45htVM/TlzqZYlflrI/AAAAAAAADgk/qjqSA-BK1cQ/s1600/leaving%2Bfor%2BETUSC%2Baugust2011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ds39d45htVM/TlzqZYlflrI/AAAAAAAADgk/qjqSA-BK1cQ/s400/leaving%2Bfor%2BETUSC%2Baugust2011.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646645754633098930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I wanted to share the dance that Abbi choreographed and performed for the talent show there.<br /><br />Pretty awesome :)<br /><br /><object height="315" width="420"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8tq_3-l75sk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8tq_3-l75sk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="315" width="420"></embed></object><br /><br />They had a great week and I recommend it highly!kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-77813245352464070822011-08-06T05:51:00.000-07:002011-08-06T05:53:10.910-07:00Drum magic<span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's Alec with a new cover of Unholy Confessions by Avenged Sevenfold. <br /><br /><br /></span><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eSYoN1HmDOg" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" width="425"></iframe>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-36412775995722640112011-06-30T14:27:00.000-07:002011-06-30T14:32:18.273-07:00Comptine d'unautre ete: l'apres midi<span style="font-weight: bold;">New cover by Abbi. This is </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="eow-title" class="long-title" dir="ltr" title="Comptine d'un autre été: l'après midi piano cover - Yann Tiersen - Amélie"><span style="font-weight: bold;">"</span>C<span style="font-weight: bold;">omptine d'un autre été: l'après midi" - Yann Tiersen - from the movie, Amélie </span></span></span><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jDGgXG8STrw" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-70340623062112425972011-05-28T15:05:00.000-07:002011-05-28T15:31:19.044-07:00Queen Anne's Lace and Snowflakes<span style="font-weight: bold;">Kyra and I are home. She's been pretty sick the last week. She started up on antibiotics 2 days ago and now this morning is seeming to feel better. It scares me when she's sick like this, Abbi had something similar a month or so ago and it's awful.<br /><br />I have to take the dog for her walks alone since Tim, Alec and Abbi are <a href="http://lifeisgoodconference.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />But.. it could be worse-- walk down to the lake, enjoy the woods beside me and check out all the wild flowers along the way.<br /><br />This is one of my favorites.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOFPb0Dd8So/TeFzeq1Q4KI/AAAAAAAADgQ/Puuvy3dk8fc/s1600/IMG00549-20110528-1755.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOFPb0Dd8So/TeFzeq1Q4KI/AAAAAAAADgQ/Puuvy3dk8fc/s400/IMG00549-20110528-1755.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611893581411311778" border="0" /></a></span><br />Partly because they are new to me, and partly because I have a beautiful bowl with the bloom impression on it. It's a Queen Anne's Lace, and actually a <a href="http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/queen_annes_lace.htm">carrot plant</a>. I had never seen them in Minnesota. I think it probably does grow in parts of the state</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> but I wasn't aware of them. The bowl was a gift from a friend and when she gave it to me I thought, "how pretty! A bowl with a snowflake!" :) Yes, I lived in Minnesota, and snowflakes were around quite a bit of the time.<br /><br />Here's the bowl, I love it.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t2Bh0bKRSPI/TeF0vm3umTI/AAAAAAAADgY/pvrOoyJaXu4/s1600/IMG00550-20110528-1811.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t2Bh0bKRSPI/TeF0vm3umTI/AAAAAAAADgY/pvrOoyJaXu4/s400/IMG00550-20110528-1811.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611894971917310258" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span><br />I do miss snowflakes, but Queen Anne's lace is a nice substitute.<br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-6776170807495721252011-05-22T18:13:00.000-07:002011-05-22T18:15:05.914-07:00Surrounded Drum Cover<span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's Alec's newest and first cover of Dream Theater. This is his favorite band, so he was pretty excited to get it done.<br /><br /><br /></span><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Auda7O-O6UE" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" width="480"></iframe>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-55599044629244602672011-05-19T07:12:00.000-07:002011-05-19T07:44:18.102-07:00Springtime at Oakwood Cemetery<span style="font-weight: bold;">I wanted to share this picture. It's one of my favorites right now, and my desktop background on my computer :) </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQVUXT9MSOo/TdUmhlZcoeI/AAAAAAAADfw/jtGdp-eaW50/s1600/IMG_1301.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EQVUXT9MSOo/TdUmhlZcoeI/AAAAAAAADfw/jtGdp-eaW50/s400/IMG_1301.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608431269376205282" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's taken at the historic <a href="http://www.oaklandcemetery.com/">Oakland</a> cemetery in</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Atlanta. We visited there last month. As a golfer, Tim wanted to see Bobby Jones' grave. I was quite interested in showing the girls Margaret Mitchell's. The trees and flowers were so beautiful through-out the cemetery.<br /><br />OK, so I have to share a few more.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UhGnkZYdJR4/TdUqo_sxw1I/AAAAAAAADgA/vK6Dcv315v4/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UhGnkZYdJR4/TdUqo_sxw1I/AAAAAAAADgA/vK6Dcv315v4/s400/IMG_1319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608435794742199122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-xpNS0H-08/TdUoUUQLwYI/AAAAAAAADf4/0ABYL1wCXTc/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-xpNS0H-08/TdUoUUQLwYI/AAAAAAAADf4/0ABYL1wCXTc/s400/IMG_1305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608433240458903938" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-xpNS0H-08/TdUoUUQLwYI/AAAAAAAADf4/0ABYL1wCXTc/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-774XSgajftY/TdUsH2VL22I/AAAAAAAADgI/qa9ACsPwBKg/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-774XSgajftY/TdUsH2VL22I/AAAAAAAADgI/qa9ACsPwBKg/s400/IMG_1304.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608437424314899298" border="0" /></a></span></span><br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-58949528941005171072011-05-19T06:45:00.000-07:002011-05-19T07:02:06.329-07:00Anime Photo Shoot<span style="font-weight: bold;">A girl gets a new camera. What does she do with it? Of course she takes lots of pictures, but also she would do a photoshoot with her sister as a model.<br /><br />That's how Kyra rolls. She decided to do a photo shoot of Abbi as a anime loving/anime character. Or in Kyra's words: "A photoshoot</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> about a girl who wants to be in a manga/anime, but in reality... actually is."<br /><br />They had so much fun.<br /><br />Here's a few pics and the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/photopluto/sets/72157626614263295/show/">link</a> to the entire shoot.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mzgqMEelv9c/TdUiBeyuh1I/AAAAAAAADfY/ru8ziQAObeQ/s1600/IMG_1397.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mzgqMEelv9c/TdUiBeyuh1I/AAAAAAAADfY/ru8ziQAObeQ/s400/IMG_1397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608426319800862546" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6FIkWao47GI/TdUiL8hkHXI/AAAAAAAADfg/1RAjjgRGPYs/s1600/5729036800_135b956ae7.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6FIkWao47GI/TdUiL8hkHXI/AAAAAAAADfg/1RAjjgRGPYs/s400/5729036800_135b956ae7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608426499580632434" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6FIkWao47GI/TdUiL8hkHXI/AAAAAAAADfg/1RAjjgRGPYs/s1600/5729036800_135b956ae7.jpg"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A6FYArOYG8Y/TdUiWQyybjI/AAAAAAAADfo/WBeOFLJ7joU/s1600/5728980242_d4ce408977.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A6FYArOYG8Y/TdUiWQyybjI/AAAAAAAADfo/WBeOFLJ7joU/s400/5728980242_d4ce408977.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608426676820274738" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span><br /><br /></span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ArwLtzBlUsA/TdUhjTX9GQI/AAAAAAAADfQ/yW5ULDZGxjw/s1600/5728954090_ea2beae65b.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ArwLtzBlUsA/TdUhjTX9GQI/AAAAAAAADfQ/yW5ULDZGxjw/s400/5728954090_ea2beae65b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5608425801339705602" border="0" /></a></span></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-32203645258450104152011-05-17T05:06:00.000-07:002011-05-17T06:44:00.812-07:00Ancient Lit Class Completed and Enjoyed!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Yesterday, Abbi completed her Ancient Literature class. She really enjoyed it. She really liked having a group of people to discuss rea</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">dings.<br /><br />For her final, she was assigned a partner and they asked to compare and contrast 3 books that they read. They had 8 different questions to write answers for: Acheological Prototype (comparing the book's accuracy with real information), Dates, the Role of Merlin, Geneology, Guinevere, Lancelot, Religion, and Arthur's Title. For the last portion of their class they focused on Arthurian Literature.<br /><br />As a presentation, she and her partner made a poster with the information. She also included some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogham">Ogham</a> writings which she's been having a lot of fun playing around with.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pbgMHSyIc20/TdJnBTMMm4I/AAAAAAAADe4/FMYhvd_aufM/s1600/Abbi%2527s%2Bfinal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pbgMHSyIc20/TdJnBTMMm4I/AAAAAAAADe4/FMYhvd_aufM/s400/Abbi%2527s%2Bfinal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607657758058650498" border="0" /></a></span><br />Here are some close ups of the Ogham writings:<br /><br />The first one is read as </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Arthur maqi Uther" or in modern English "Arthur son of Uther</span>"<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W55xD66wJE8/TdJnWrQhikI/AAAAAAAADfA/u7w-tMJCHnA/s1600/Close%2Bup%2Bof%2B1st%2BOgham%2Btext%2BArthur%2Bmaqi%2BUther%2B%2BArthur%2Bson%2Bof%2BUther.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W55xD66wJE8/TdJnWrQhikI/AAAAAAAADfA/u7w-tMJCHnA/s400/Close%2Bup%2Bof%2B1st%2BOgham%2Btext%2BArthur%2Bmaqi%2BUther%2B%2BArthur%2Bson%2Bof%2BUther.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607658125296503362" border="0" /></a></span></span></span><br />The second one is "Pendragon", Arthur's last name.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DIbbmGjwUqI/TdJochLF1NI/AAAAAAAADfI/gC6ZJpR4E-A/s1600/Ogham%2Btext%2Bfor%2BPendragon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DIbbmGjwUqI/TdJochLF1NI/AAAAAAAADfI/gC6ZJpR4E-A/s400/Ogham%2Btext%2Bfor%2BPendragon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607659325180204242" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />As we were leaving and Abbi was saying her good-byes, her teacher told her she had been a joy to have in class and that she hoped Abbi would consider her American Literature class that she's offering next year. We'll see.... :)<br /><br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-3165865717684415742011-04-27T14:55:00.001-07:002011-04-27T15:52:01.855-07:00Oh Time.. must you keep marching on?<span style="font-weight: bold;">I have to preface this post by saying that I'm not depressed at all. After writing it I was surprised at how somber it sounded. I think when I look at the kids and see how old they are, a wave of disbelief rushes through me. A thought of, "this can't be!" fills my head.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Anyway, we're having a grand time, no worries.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">************************************************</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g7hF-Ve68Dk/TbicPgBCalI/AAAAAAAADew/OD9nkTYmDUA/s1600/IMG_8785.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g7hF-Ve68Dk/TbicPgBCalI/AAAAAAAADew/OD9nkTYmDUA/s400/IMG_8785.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600397926741469778" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">As I watch my three teens playing Magic together, I can't believe how the years have passed by so quickly. Alec is 18. 18 years since I had my first child. 18 years ago I never would have thought that my kids would be staying home with me. Staying home with me instead of going to school. I'm so glad they did.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Abbi is 16. 16 years ago, after I had Abbi I said to Alec who was 19 months old, "you're such a big boy!" Really? Really. Wow, how crazy was I in pushing my baby boy to be a big boy. Did I know at the time that he would grow up so quickly? That he would change our lives when he wasn't enjoying school. Abbi was enjoying school at the time, she was in 1st grade and she thought it was pretty fun. She'd finish out the year but then ended up staying home the following years. I'm so glad she did.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kyra is 13, turning 14 next month. Yes, 14! 14 years since I had my last child. I remember bringing her home and being overwhelmed with 2 toddlers and a baby. I had a bout of depression which wasn't great and I'm sure that colored some of my experiences a shade of gray. I now wish I knew how quickly those years would go by.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hold onto each day, know how quickly they pass. Kiss those tiny heads of toddlers and babies; smell their heads, as my friend Sandra says. Before you know it, they'll be playing a game together and you won't even need to explain the rules to them. In fact you'll have a hard time comprehending the game.</span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-69097267186278742252011-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:002011-04-22T04:57:54.325-07:00Our Gaga-ness<span style="font-weight: bold;">We went to the Lady Gaga concert this week. It was pretty amazing. Quite the show.<br /><br />A few months ago, when we got the tickets, I really wasn't the biggest fan. Kyra was though, so that's what mattered. :) We choked on the price of the tickets a bit, but knew that Kyra really really really wanted to see her. As we got closer to the time of the concert, I was slowly being converted. Lady Gaga would be at rallies promoting acceptance of gay youth, speaking out on stopping bullying and always sending out the message of how you need to love yourself.<br /><br />How could I not embrace that?<br /><br />I have a few shots from the concert but only from my phone. We had a great night. Abbi, Samuel, Tracy, Morgan and Melissa joined Kyra and me.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C1DFTAs5Ga4/TbFh8KlwjCI/AAAAAAAADeQ/xUSbzdiO3vM/s1600/lady%2Bgaga%2Bgroup.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C1DFTAs5Ga4/TbFh8KlwjCI/AAAAAAAADeQ/xUSbzdiO3vM/s400/lady%2Bgaga%2Bgroup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598363498061007906" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Our bunch at Gaga</span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The photo below is of the stage from where we were sitting. Don't know if you can see it, but there's a big fish type of monster on the stage. Right in the middle you might be able to see a lit up mouth and eyes. We were supposed to flash our cameras and anything else to help fight it. </span><br /></div><br /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-02jgXE_P-Gs/TbFjHfrj96I/AAAAAAAADeY/naJHd3VWZkk/s1600/IMG00514-20110418-2327.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-02jgXE_P-Gs/TbFjHfrj96I/AAAAAAAADeY/naJHd3VWZkk/s400/IMG00514-20110418-2327.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598364792212682658" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQNBH_nFunA/TbFsCOxW8vI/AAAAAAAADeg/FOfOnIGkUvw/s1600/IMG00506-20110418-2040%2B-%2BCopy.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQNBH_nFunA/TbFsCOxW8vI/AAAAAAAADeg/FOfOnIGkUvw/s400/IMG00506-20110418-2040%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598374597378896626" border="0" /></a></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">Super excited concert go-ers!</span></span></span></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></span></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-32816497456487012342011-04-16T18:48:00.001-07:002011-04-16T19:00:20.784-07:00A Full Moon and 2 years!<span style="font-weight: bold;">We are so lucky to be able to look out to the sky from our great room. Look at our view tonight.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlBTKHD1eFY/TapI1T2NPQI/AAAAAAAADeA/e1RDt7DfHxQ/s1600/IMG_8441%2B-%2BCopy.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlBTKHD1eFY/TapI1T2NPQI/AAAAAAAADeA/e1RDt7DfHxQ/s400/IMG_8441%2B-%2BCopy.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596365567659162882" border="0" /></a><br /><br />And here's the cutest couple of the day. They've been together for 2 years now, wow! Here they are before going out for dinner.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6RGhlIBnRU/TapJihBnETI/AAAAAAAADeI/K5GOcIEEUYM/s1600/IMG_8435.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6RGhlIBnRU/TapJihBnETI/AAAAAAAADeI/K5GOcIEEUYM/s400/IMG_8435.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596366344290767154" border="0" /></a></span><br /><br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-116672369899755492011-04-11T16:13:00.000-07:002011-04-11T16:21:41.692-07:00The Sound of Truth cover<span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's Alec's new cover, The Sound of Truth by As I Lay Dying<br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sbzBA9kMOw8" allowfullscreen="" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /><br />The other day I asked him if he writes down the music to play, or if he looks up music for the songs. He answered me that he just listens and figures it out in his head. So, he plays these by ear. Pretty cool.<br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-375355659686105562011-04-09T05:32:00.000-07:002011-04-09T05:50:11.615-07:00Kyra's doings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KlVBHo9HOZ8/TaBU0J7gpnI/AAAAAAAADdY/LOKgYJNfi0c/s1600/Kyraphotos.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KlVBHo9HOZ8/TaBU0J7gpnI/AAAAAAAADdY/LOKgYJNfi0c/s400/Kyraphotos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593563992189609586" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GW44MzxNZGM/TaBU0jRPBAI/AAAAAAAADdg/by5Uj81VSkE/s1600/IMG_7769-edit.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GW44MzxNZGM/TaBU0jRPBAI/AAAAAAAADdg/by5Uj81VSkE/s400/IMG_7769-edit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593563998991614978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8td6RNWnPZE/TaBU0xcFFEI/AAAAAAAADdo/OAb2qnkA20s/s1600/IMG00499-20110407-1526.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8td6RNWnPZE/TaBU0xcFFEI/AAAAAAAADdo/OAb2qnkA20s/s400/IMG00499-20110407-1526.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593564002795197506" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d4uc1g912eY/TaBU1C1IzkI/AAAAAAAADdw/CAu9uc89Aw4/s1600/IMG00501-20110407-1541.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d4uc1g912eY/TaBU1C1IzkI/AAAAAAAADdw/CAu9uc89Aw4/s400/IMG00501-20110407-1541.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593564007463702082" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">You can see more at her photo blog: <a href="http://photopluto.blogspot.com/">photopluto.blogspot.com</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zSCFuDxHVu8/TaBU1LHspmI/AAAAAAAADd4/dGgt7N1JTTc/s1600/IMG_7630.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zSCFuDxHVu8/TaBU1LHspmI/AAAAAAAADd4/dGgt7N1JTTc/s400/IMG_7630.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593564009689032290" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-70001937720015450982011-04-08T13:14:00.001-07:002011-04-08T13:47:55.137-07:00Abbi the Baker<span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you know the muffin man?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I don't, but I know the muffin makin' girl! It's Abbi! She's now on a baking spree of muffin baking. So far she's made... let me see...</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gR_MN4H5OTE/TZ9uYvWEtqI/AAAAAAAADc4/zrjDH0Mi1M0/s1600/IMG_1292.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gR_MN4H5OTE/TZ9uYvWEtqI/AAAAAAAADc4/zrjDH0Mi1M0/s400/IMG_1292.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593310633522411170" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">she's made the Blueberry ones, Lemon Poppyseed ones, and right now there's a yummy banana chocolate smell wafting through the room.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's the baking goddess now!</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmKgnn-1tFI/TZ9u60SjaYI/AAAAAAAADdA/6BYSa5NG91A/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmKgnn-1tFI/TZ9u60SjaYI/AAAAAAAADdA/6BYSa5NG91A/s400/IMG_1290.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593311218965375362" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">She really loves baking. The other day we were grocery shopping at Publix, looking at all the yummy breads in the bakery section, we asked if there were any openings. We thought it might be a good place to learn about commercial baking . The lady working there said you had to be 18 years old to run the machinery, so Abbi was a little down about that. But then as we were turning to walk away she added that a younger person could probably help with the packaging and other work. Abbi is considering going back in and applying.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Owning her own bakery/shop is a dream of hers, isn't that cool?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here's today's muffin.. see the chocolatey goodness??</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--qH5gjPQP8o/TZ9zvzmT9NI/AAAAAAAADdQ/mwVuUfjUvaA/s1600/IMG_1297.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--qH5gjPQP8o/TZ9zvzmT9NI/AAAAAAAADdQ/mwVuUfjUvaA/s400/IMG_1297.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5593316527359390930" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Yum! I'm off to eat!</span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-56897041094765390992011-02-22T10:50:00.000-08:002011-02-22T11:09:52.164-08:00Alec's Drum competition January 2011<span style="font-weight: bold;">Alec participated in a drum competition last month.</span><br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xYS9wfrBJ7Y" width="480" frameborder="0" height="390"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He especially likes songs that use double bass. We brought in his double bass pedal and he played an excerpt from The Glass Prison by Dream Theater.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">He won 3rd place :)</span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-55817655407393274112011-02-22T07:25:00.000-08:002011-02-22T11:13:08.281-08:00Got work ethic?<span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Abbi is taking an ancient literature class at a local homeschool resource center. This is her first class since she left the school system after 1st grade. So when Monday morning came and she had her first assignments due she had some new feelings sweeping over her--pressure, stress, worry, doubt. She had finished her assignments the night before but didn't print them out. That should be easy, just print them in the morning. Yeah, trying to print things out before 8:00 a.m. can sometimes be harder than you think. She now knows that she'll probably make sure everything is done the night before :)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >All went well and I thought she wrote out very thoughtful responses to her teachers questions. But the morning was stressful and you could tell she was worried about things. We felt so bad for her that morning, wanting to help, but we knew we couldn't fix how she was feeling. She got her assignments done in time but was grumpy and not wanting to talk about it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >I drove her to class and she went in with a feeling of burden. I was beginning to wonder if it was going to be a good fit for her. Knowing that she loves reading, writing and critical thought, I thought it sounded like a perfect fit but maybe not. After class she came out and said that class went great and that she had worried for nothing. She told me that she felt so much better because she realized that she was taking this class and doing the work for herself. She wasn't doing it for us/her parents, or for her teacher. She wanted to be there and was working for herself. She was so happy and a burden had been lifted. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Now this morning, she was talking with someone about all of it. Telling them that she liked the class but had experienced some stress the first time she had to get assignments done and all that. She said she was so happy to realize that she was taking this class for herself and that if she didn't like it she could quit. The person she was talking with responded with a sarcastic "wow, great work ethic you have". She was kind-of surprised at the response. She replied that she thought she had great work ethic and that this was different from a job. She was paying them to bring something to her, to share it with her; be it knowledge, reading assignments, or a place to gather with others to discuss things. She had in effect hired this learning center. In a work place she would be paid to work so she would have a different viewpoint towards her work.<br /><br />I guess I shouldn't be surprised when people say this, we hear it all the time. It's a big worry for parents especially.. will kids ever finish anything if they can quit?? I have no doubt that they will and if they don't it's not worth finishing. She's already shown in many different ways that she's not going to just quit things when the going gets tough. But if the tough going isn't worth it to her she'll be OK with changing her path. I'm glad she feels like she can quit if she wants. I think this freedom has allowed her to learn more about herself. There's no muddied water, just clear desire and lots of hard work.</span><br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-83627844133912636892010-12-11T09:29:00.000-08:002010-12-11T09:32:04.583-08:00Holiday tunesfrom Abbi:<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a27y7XG3C0s?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a27y7XG3C0s?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />how does she do it?<br /><br />Happy Holiday!kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-81828603252219317022010-10-27T04:18:00.000-07:002010-10-27T04:28:58.933-07:00Ireland, next week!So.. we're going on a trip next week and it's going to be pretty special. We're going to Ireland! Another cool thing is that we'll be going with my parents and my in-laws, so we'll all have some wonderful memories. I've been to Ireland before, as have the grand-parents, but this will be Tim's first time and the kids first time to Europe! We're excited :)<br /><br />We'll be staying in the west, just south of Limerick, near Adair. Pretty close to where I visited before so I'm excited to share this all with Tim and the kids.<br /><br />Fingers crossed for some warmth and dry weather... yeah.. I know probably not gonna happen.. but I can hope!kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-90393828753401991122010-07-30T18:31:00.001-07:002010-07-30T19:30:05.948-07:00Alec's Rockin'<span style="font-weight: bold;">Alec attended Rock Camp this week where he takes drum lessons.<br />At the beginning of the week they were divided up into bands. Then through the week each band worked on a song. He really had a good time. Tonight they had a performance night where they played their songs.<br /><br />Alec's band played Detroit Rock City.<br /><br />I think he rocked it!<br /><br />Here it is:<br /><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hYMu_Yqm2W8&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hYMu_Yqm2W8&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27936566.post-68999498505554319592010-07-18T04:59:00.000-07:002010-07-18T05:11:15.833-07:00Now for a little gushing<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Some of the cutest couples :)<br /><br />Abbi and Tim went to Phantom of the Opera this week. They said it was wonderful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kMaqC3NFPlM/TELs2lJYbTI/AAAAAAAADbs/MHDAEIJpIAA/s1600/IMG_8752.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kMaqC3NFPlM/TELs2lJYbTI/AAAAAAAADbs/MHDAEIJpIAA/s400/IMG_8752.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495214917773978930" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Samuel's visiting! You think they're happy?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kMaqC3NFPlM/TELtPi7wmRI/AAAAAAAADb0/_sLZDKTR1KE/s1600/IMG_8758.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kMaqC3NFPlM/TELtPi7wmRI/AAAAAAAADb0/_sLZDKTR1KE/s400/IMG_8758.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495215346676701458" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span>And I'm missing this guy<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kMaqC3NFPlM/TELutFzYbvI/AAAAAAAADb8/Vsvdh_am3wY/s1600/alecsmall.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 274px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kMaqC3NFPlM/TELutFzYbvI/AAAAAAAADb8/Vsvdh_am3wY/s400/alecsmall.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495216953764638450" border="0" /></a><br />He's up in Tennessee for the week. Coming home tomorrow though.. phew..<br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>kellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00140450548487566657noreply@blogger.com1