Christmas 2013

I am learning so much about taking life just one day at a time. We had a lovely Christmas Eve Day at the Rapier house complete with a lovely brunch, lots of presents, laughter, cousins, and delicious snack food. I could feel signs of a cold coming on but tried to ignore it as much as possible. Christmas Day and I was completely out of it. I made it out of bed long enough to watch the boys open their Christmas presents. We moved the party we were supposed to have at our house to a friends house. Aaron and the boys headed out to the party and I headed back to bed where I stayed for 2 days.
Even though we didn't really do anything special it was still declared by the boys to be "the best Christmas ever!"

He just keeps growing...

The other night during our small group Christmas party Jeremiah stood in front of me during prayer time. And I realized suddenly that I could comfortably rest my chin on the top of his head! Nine years ago I was pregnant with this guy at Christmas time and anxiously awaiting his arrival. Now he is so grown up.

Quiet-ing

It has been quiet here on the blog. Which is never my intention. This blog serves as the kids memory books really. Every now and then I will scroll back through old posts and I am so thankful that I took the time to record our memories. This year it has been harder. I have had some emotional, spiritual, and physical struggles and so it has been survival mode around here. But I think we are emerging. I feel energy returning.

We are enjoying a much slower and quieter pace after the hectic pace of fall. We are snuggling down and staying in and enjoying our own little nest. I feel more centered, peaceful, and purposeful. I love puttering around the house with no where to go. We work and play to the twinkle of lights and the soundtrack of Christmas music, reminding me that the Light has come and the darkness cannon overwhelm it. We "decked our halls" little by little and this year the boys pretty much decorated the whole tree by themselves. I stayed pretty stress free through the process and considered that a major victory. Our own family traditions are solidifying; Jesse Tree readings, unexpected surprises in stockings at random times, hot chocolate and popcorn while we read books from the Christmas book basket, friends over after the town Christmas parade.

We will not be traveling for Christmas this year. It will be a year for quiet celebration here at home.

Thanksgiving

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
-Psalm 103:1-5, 22

Philly Trip - Downtown Philadelphia

One of the days we were in Philadelphia we went downtown and viewed some of the historic sites. Some of the sites were closed due to the government shut down (Independence Hall, Liberty Bell) but we were still able to see some other things. It was a gorgeous fall day in the city and just walking around the old streets gave us the ability to picture some of the things we have been reading about in our books. Of course, no trip to downtown Philly would be complete without a terrific cheese steak sandwich!

Independence Hall

(Viewed from across the street. Due to the government shut down the whole block the building was on was barricaded off. I must admit I was very disappointed about this because we are going to be reading a lot about this building...Oh well...)

 Liberty Bell

We visited the Constitution Center. It was a great museum. Very interactive and full of detail. I really learned a lot here. My background is such that I don't particularly identify with, or feel patriotic to any one particular country, but it was fascinating to learn about the Constitution. And I can say that I gained a new appreciation for this country of my birth. Here are the boys, more American than I will ever be, with the preamble of the Constitution in the background.

 The boys met Betsy Ross! 

Did you know that George Washington originally requested 6-point stars on the flag because that was the common way to make a star back then. But Betsy Ross suggested a 5-point star because they can be made with just 1 cut and therefore could be made more easily and quickly. Smart lady! 

Cooking colonial style

The Betsy Ross House was open and a good place to visit. (Thanks dad for making us go in even though I was tired and ready to go home!) So many interesting things to learn and great details to see. Again, just being able to walk around the house really helped us visualize things from the books we are reading about the colonial period of American history. And really, how cool is it that George Washington himself walked through that very front door and had to duck because he was so tall?

Philly Trip - Re-enactment

I have so much to catch up on...So, one thing at a time.

On our first full day in Philly we went to a reenactment of the Battle of Germantown which occurred during the Revolutionary War. It was a beautiful day and such a fun, educational experience.

First we walked around the "Suttlers Camp" and talked to some of the reenactors. The attention to detail was amazing. The reenactors were friendly and informative. 

Then we watched the mustering of the troops. There were so many there! Each regiment had their own flavor with regiment specific uniforms, gear, and weapons. It was quite the spectacle.

 

 

 

 Then the battle began with lots of drumming and marching. The cannon fire was loud! There was smoke everywhere from the musket fire. It felt pretty realistic. Someone was narrating the battle over a loudspeaker so we were able to follow what was going on.

 

We really enjoyed the day. It reminded me of why we are enjoying our homeschooling so much. The combination of living books from our curriculum and experiences like this really teach the boys a lot, and it doesn't even feel like school work! If you get a chance to attend a reenactment I highly recommend it.

 

Suddenly it's fall

We woke up one morning and it was Fall. Soccer is winding down (just the championship games to go!), the yard is a mess of leaves no matter how often we rake, we went to the annual Harvest Party out at Mrs. Linda's, we all had our first cold/congestion illness, we are preparing for the Highlands Retreat, and suddenly we have to close the windows and make sure the heat is on at night.

I have lots of things to post about (including more about our Philly trip that was a month ago now), but right now we are playing catch up. Thankfully we are seeing our busy season slowing down. Soccer is ending which frees up our weeknights and the pastoral search committee, which was taking up so much of Aaron's time, is wrapping up too! I feel disorganized and slightly chaotic but am determined to keep calm and just tackle one thing at a time.

Yesterday evening I was home with the boys. It was calm and peaceful. We ate together and then had plenty of time after showers for some read-alouds, Bible reading, and prayer. We dug out our "Gratitude Journals" from last November and started again. It felt so good to just be. It was refreshing to take time for our evening routine, to not be rushed. I am determined that we will slow down and enjoy November and Fall.

Philly trip - Part 1

We just went on a trip to Philadelphia. The boys and I drove up, while Aaron stayed home holding down the fort. We went for a number of reasons. My dad turned 60 and we couldn't pass up the opportunity to be part of the celebration. We wanted to take some field trips that go along with what we are learning in school this year. We needed some Lieke cuddles. I needed a change of scenery and pace.

So we went. And had a terrific time! We took two days to travel each way, which made the journey quite relaxing and fun. We enjoyed our time with family and learned lots of new things. We came home rested and refreshed and ready to tackle "real life" again.

Field Trip - Apple Farm

 (This is what happens when you get ready to take a picture and the wagon ride lurches to a start.) 

We are adjusting to our new normal - incredibly busy. We don't prefer this kind of normal, but it is what it is for right now. So all we can do is breathe deep and do our best to stay calm, loving, and joyful even in the midst of the busy. Earlier in September we went on our annual Apple Farm Field Trip with a bunch of other home school families - 10 adults and 23 kids to be exact. We tried a different place this year. They didn't have u-pick apples, but they had a bunch of other fun activities that the kids enjoyed.

Being in the mountains soothes me. Especially as fall is nearing. It was a good day to catch up with friends, hold babies, watch kids run and learn to make friends, and eat some fried fruit pies.