Quick update in pictures....

Ok, so since LTC we have been busy catching up with schooling and working diligently on our character issues, which have been somewhat numerous with the youngers. This has been an odd year for them with teens in the house. Their sleep schedule is not good. They do not like to sleep alone, but the older kids don't want to go to bed at 9pm. So the little stay up and get super grouchy and irritable. So we had to reinstate mandatory naptimes. Hate to do that but life can be unbearable without it.
We also had to research some creative parenting techniques with our "spankings make me even angrier" kids. So far so good.
We let the kids have a Pirates of the Caribbean movie party on Saturday as a reward for good behavior and just for fun. We LOVE those movies so we all watched Dead Man's Chest and ate lots of snacks and entertained each other. it was so much fun we must do it again to watch At World's End!
That is about all we have done. Short and sweet.

LTC was great

Genesis is a very familiar book to most of us, but with 50 chapters, it can be overwhelming to learn. there is just so much detail there. My LTC kides have been studying and reading Genesis every Wednesday night in class, and during bible time at home for 3 months. We also read through it over the summer and spent the past week really studying. So I am not surprised they got a gold, silver and bronze in competition. I am proud of them. I was a judge for bible bowl and could not answer all the questions myself. But no matter how many they missed, i know they came out knowing more than they did when they began and knowledge of the bible is a precious thing to have.
Jacob was a first time song leader and very nervous and unsure of himself, but he earned a gold. Made me smile for him! The scripts were really great for drama and puppets this year and all got gold. And the chorus Emily sang with sounded just gorgeous and they earned a gold, too.
But I was also happy that all three earned a gold on their art. Art is so subjective. Everyone has a different amount of talent and a different interpretation. What is great to one person may be awful to the next. Especially for Lizzy it was a HUGE boost . Having a learning issue and the ensuing things that go along with it, she really needed the gold.
The hotel was nice as always and we were not on the atrium, where the rooms are awfully loud. So it was a busy crazy weekend and they are excited to study for next year! How many people can say that one of their kids favorite activities is bible related??? Actually, any activity relating to church, from class, to CBH, to MNFTM, to LTC, to youth group all rank high for all my kids.
So now we shall rest...sort of.

Easter weekend is coming

What an eventful week it has been! We had LTC dress rehearsal on Sunday afternoon, which was also the start of our gospel meeting. Just before evening service, our youngest, age 5, did a flip outside and landed on her neck and couldn't look up. We left, got some food and almost ended up in the ER. She did go to the doctor the next day to find her neck was out of joint and needed some massage. Today is Thursday and she is still unable to fully lean her head back, but it is much better.
For homeschool this week we decided to take it easy on math, skip language arts, other than reading time and handwriting, and concentrate on our LTC text of Genesis. 50 chapters is ALOT to remember! But we have worked daily to learn it. Most is common, but there are some parts that are just confusing, especially if you are asked for specific wording and geneaology things. We also did more backtracking with the oldest as he is having difficulty with pre-algebra. We put him in Life of Fred this week to solidify concepts, and he loves it. It is helping a lot, so I bought the next 3 books to help him through algebra!
We worked on art for LTC and finished those projects today. We got chorus clothing and had dance and piano lessons. But by far our biggest event was the weather.
Apparently we do not watch tv enough because I had no idea we had storms coming for Tuesday. I knew it seemed cooler and windier after lunch that day, though. Around 2:30 I checked facebook and saw lots of people posting about tornadoes in Dallas! Yikes! Decided it was time to watch the news, and sure enough we had some terrible spring storms coming through! We got out the weather radio, charged the cell, and got radar on the laptops while watching NOAA on tv. About 4pm a line was moving right for us and shear markers were appearing in a cluster a few miles from us. Not good. We had a tornado warning and a watch. Meaning they could develop AND one had been spotted. So we cleared out an interior closet, put helmets on the kids, got in with dogs, cell and laptop and barred the door with a mattress. Texted husband to take cover at work since spotted tornado was heading toward his building. We prayed without ceasing that the Lord in His great power could take the tornadoes back up into the clouds and keep us and all our friends safe in the storms. He answered us and took the storms back up into the clouds. Some may think it is a coincidence, but I believe it was God's work. He didn't have to do that, but I believe He did. We prayed and sang for over 20 minutes until we heard it was safe to come out. Our area had 13 official tornadoes that day. One almost touched down less than 2 miles from our home and one within 5 miles of husband's work. So scary! Unfortunately the antenna on the weather radio broke as we entered the closet so i am looking for a new antenna. Spring in Texas is not over, and it is often violent.
So, we have weekend competition and other stuff going on. Busy, busy...but all for Him. Blessings to all of you!