More Memory Bears

Could you hear the angels singing on Saturday night, March 28 at around 9:23?  No.  Hmm.  I was finished with a big project of memory bears.  Twenty of them in all, just in time for Easter gifts. 

 

They turned out great and I hope the family was pleased with them. 

That's a lot of bears to hug and to hold and to remember a loved one. 

 

"The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, . . . "  Proverbs 10:7a

 

Centerville Honor Band

Ephraim has been participating in the local 5th grade band twice a week.  He was recently asked to be one of four 5th graders to represent the school at an honor band comprised of all 5th graders from SE and Central Iowa.  It was an all day Saturday affair.  He left early in the morning and practiced until the concert at 3pm.  The kids and I drove down to Centerville for the concert and met my parents there. 

Ephraim is in the middle right in the red/blue plaid shirt. 

 

They played four songs and did an excellent job.  We sat in the balcony so we could have a better view of the trombone players. 

 

Ephraim is lucky enough to play Seth's trombone from his former band years. 

The 5th graders from Fremont. 

 

It was a great concert.  And even if Ephraim has the blisters to show from the all-day practice he enjoyed it. 

 

 

"My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul."  Psalm 108:1

Sole Hope 4-H

Ephraim's 4-H group hosted a Sole Hope shoe cutting party in April.  We had parents and 4-Hers helping to trace, cut, decorate and pin shoe pieces.  The shoe pieces are sent to Uganda where they are sewn into slippers for children who have no shoes.  Before a child gets a pair of shoes, their feet are cleaned and jiggers are removed from their feet.  We are using our leftover blue jeans to provide shoes for them. 

 

Ephraim did well pinning together the necessary pieces to complete a pair of shoes. 

Not everyone in the club was able to make it, but we had a great group and 40 pairs of shoes, many bandages and medical supplies were sent to Sole Hope. 

 

"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'  " Matthew 25:40

Homeschool Capitol Day

The kids and I ventured to Des Moines for Homeschool Capitol Day on April 9.  We left early because we wanted to be there in time to get a tour and go up in the dome.  We haven't been in the dome before.  We had a very entertaining tour guide for the 90 minute tour. 

 

A view looking down while in the dome. 

In the dome--not everyone wanted to be close to the railing :)

A view looking out.  If I remember correctly, Iowa has the only capitol building with more than 1 dome. 

Waiting to speak to our Representative and Senator.  We weren't able to see either one of them. 

A view on the outside. 

The Homeschool Iowa group had arranged for a line-up of speakers at a hotel conference area and we took that in as well. 

This gentleman was "George Washington" and he told us about his time and what he would want us to know now.  We've seen him before as other characters and he's always great. 

Then it was time for the potential presidential candidates to speak.  Left to Right;  Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindahl and Rick Santorum. 

After about 45 minutes of politics, the kiddos were over it. 

 

All in all a great day with some fun and learning thrown in there. 

Jordan House

Earlier in April, the kids and I had some errands to run in Des Moines.  I wanted to also combine this errand run with a little educational value.  I've heard of the Jordan House in Des Moines from some family and friends so it was already on our radar as a place to visit.  However, their hours are slim--mainly giving tours on Fridays and Sundays.  And the Friday tours are during the 11o'clock hour.   We were finally able to make this work with our schedule and we are glad we did.   

 

The Jordan House is located in West Des Moines.  It is a known stop on the Underground Railroad and the gentleman of the home was the "chief conductor" for Iowa.  Lots of history here. 

We took a complete tour of the home, including the basement where there used to be a tunnel. Mr. Jordan was a cattle farmer and that gave him the many business connections he needed to help slaves escape from Northern Missouri. 

Outside the historic home.  If I remember correctly, it was in the Jordan family until the 1940's, then sold privately.  In the 1970's the Historical Society bought it, restored it and now it is a museum.  If you are able to stop there sometime, I'd recommend it!

 

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday, April 5, found us at church first where we enjoyed a wonderful service. 

 

 

We enjoyed lunch with my family.  And the children had a small egg hunt--with money inside the eggs.  Each child got 6 eggs and they could only look for their color. 

 

After coffeetime, we came home and did the chores.  Then it was time for supper with Seth's family. 

A quick visit with the cows before supper. 

 

It was a great Easter Sunday.

 

"Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all  nations, beginning from Jerusalem.'"  Luke 24:45-47

Meet Rodeo

It is time you met Rodeo, Emmet's bottle calf.  He was born  in mid-March to an older mama who wasn't going to be able to care for him, so we've brought him to our house to give him some love. We brought him home on March 14. 

 

Here is Emmet with Rodeo on the halter, trying to lead him toward the minivan.  We bought this calf from Grandpa Harold. 

This is how a calf rides in the minivan.  The kids think it's a hoot!

Emmet's feeling pretty special that he has a calf to show at the Open Class show at the county fair this summer. 

Here we are at home, showing the calf his new surroundings. 

Rodeo took to the bottle without too much trouble the next day.  Emmet loves his calf and does all the care for it.  He bottle feeds it twice a day, gives it a little grain, grooms him, hugs him and makes sure he has plenty of hay and bedding. Yes, I think it is safe to say that Emmet is glad to have a calf.

 

"Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right."

Proverbs 20:11

Wildlife Refuge field trip

Our homeschool group met by Prairie City the end of March and had a field trip to the "buffalo ranch."  We learned about Iowa's prairie grasses and native animals. 

 

They have 5000 acres that are owned by the refuge and just over half of them are restored to their native grasses.  These trays are itty-bitty plants that will be the next prairie. 

 

The children were able to help plant some dried seeds.  They took them to a bare spot, rubbed the seeds from the plant and then danced on them to get seed-to-soil contact. 

Separating the seeds from the dried plant.  (Yes, it was windy.)

We took a little hike and had to make notes of what we saw--tracks, animal homes, etc. 

The brown dots in the center-right  of the picture are the buffalo lounging.

Picking out which animal fur we like the best.

What's your wing span?  Bigger than a hawk and not quite an eagle. 

The wingspan of an eagle!

The wingspan of a hawk!

The wingspan of a hawk!

The wingspan of an eagle!

We saw these big ones right by the road!

We enjoyed a picnic lunch and then headed for home. 

 

"The wild animals  honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland,

 to give drink to my people, my chosen,

 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise."  Isaiah 43:20-21