Here's a few shots of our party.  I was busy chasing children and hostessing, and didn't take many pictures, but we enjoyed good food, extended family, cooking over the fire-pit (roasted apples, brats, and s'mores, oh my!), fireworks, and tractor rides for little boys!  (My nephew was especially excited about the tractor ride!)

Tomorrow is the 4th of July!   Having just studied the American War for Independence and the founding of our beautiful country, my daughters have new appreciation for our celebration.  Freedom has been a resounding theme around our home, and our hearts are full of gratitude.

If we grow complacent in our freedom, we are already enslaved.  

Let freedom ring!   (And have a spectacular holiday!)

(But we had fun!)


Saturday we celebrated Purim.  It is supposed to be in the Jewish month of Adar... which was in March.  I believe the actual Purim date fell on Good Friday, or thereabouts this year.  It didn't work for us, so since we aren't Jewish, we took creative licence with the date. 

The Jews were commanded to remember Queen Esther's brave sacrifice each year.  We decided to make it a family tradition as well because it is a wonderfully rich story and a lot of fun.  

We began with baking.  Kendra and her daddy worked on bread for dinner: (This had no special Purim significance... we just needed bread.)

Everyone took turns helping me make hamentashen.  (Hamentashen are three cornered hat cookies that are supposed to represent Hamen's hat.)  If anyone knows where the tradition of a tricorn hat for Hamen came about (although I'm assuming it is a more Persian styled tricorn), I'd be eager to know.  It isn't in the scriptural account, but may have some historic basis?


While we bake we sing the Hamen's hat song. 

"His hat it had three corners, three corners had his hat, and had it not three corners, it wouldn't be Hamen's hat!"

Next Ken reads the entire book of Esther (which isn't long)  Here he is with the boys just before the reading.  I love their Batik frog outfits!

Then the children act out the story.  Here's Queen Vashti just before her banishment.

King Ahasuerus with his Queen Esthers (Yes, our version had twin Esthers...)

In the quiet of the afternoon the children colored pictures of Esther and the older girls did some word searches and other Purim activity sheets.  An Esther movie is also tradition here, and they munched hamentashen while watching. 

And finally we conclude the day with a feast of... ham and bean soup.  Yes, very inappropriate and entirely unkosher.  Usually I do leg of lamb or something, but um... well... uh... 

Kendra's excited to have finished her 1st grade math book! 

According to PrairieFrog tradition, upon completion of a level in math the accomplished scholar and her teacher are both entitled to a lunch out together.  Kendra chose a fun local bakery that grinds their own bread and makes a tantalizing variety of fresh sandwiches, salads, and pastries.  She had heard tales of their turnovers, and had been planning the outing for weeks. 

Although it was a bit cool, we couldn't resist the allure of plein air dining. 

Over the summer I hope to help Kendra accomplish the remainder of her first grade graduation requirements. 

I so enjoy those one-on-one outings with each child!  Kendra's a sparkling and sweet conversationalist!

Lovely handmade flowers:

Precious handmade cards:

The biggest size of Land's End Tote (Perfect for back exercise and hauling ALL the library books!):

Playtime Outside After Church:

Making dandelion cookies:

And a phone call to my own dear mother!  (Sorry, no picture of the telephone.) I love you, Mom!

The boy:

The presents:

The Cake (Blueberry Snack Cake)

One year ago we welcomed little Kieran into our world! 

And today, he's a busy, smiling, laughing fellow!

He's adored by his older siblings, and a joy to each of us!  Such a delight!

We will celebrate this next weekend, with cake and presents, but his big sisters delighted him by playing "Happy Birthday" on the piano this morning, and have made it their goal to entertain him and cater to him all day.  (Which aside from the happy birthday, is pretty much um... normal.  He has them wrapped around his finger--he has all of us wrapped, truth be told.) 

About Wednesday I realized we are doing spring break this week. While we’ve done a few basics, much of our typical academics got derailed. I could have gotten everything back on track, but with Resurrection traditions to keep us occupied, I decided to just enjoy the scenery along side the tracks and get back on next week!

Today the children gathered rocks to build our tomb, which will be sealed tomorrow afternoon, and then sit solemnly until Easter morning–when the children wake and rush giggling to check it! They always act amazed to see the stone rolled away and the centurions scattered.

As we seal the tomb tomorrow, we will also shroud our house by using only minimal lighting needed to go about our tasks until Sunday dawns glorious. Although we use a few candles, and an occasional light when necessary to do our tasks, it is a dramatic difference from our usually sun bathed home. Two years ago in a blog post about our dimming the lights, I wrote the following,

"Preparing meals in a semi-dark kitchen, getting children dressed by the faint glow of a candle, and doing things without the wonder of the electric light-bulb is an inconvenience to which I'm unaccustomed. I catch myself reaching toward the light switch instinctively. (Which begs the question: In my daily life, do I reach as instinctively for The Light as I do for the light switch?) "

Just as we lead up to Christmas with advent readings, we’ve been leading up to the Resurrection for over a week now. We match our scripture reading up to the Ressurection Eggs to give us visible symbols for each event from Palm Sunday through the empty tomb. Each day we hide all the previous eggs (with the symbol tucked inside) and the "egg of the day" in additon. The children hunt, and then we open them in order, reviewing the previous eggs contents and symbolism each day by catechizing the youngest children about the contents and their significance of each. After opening the newest egg, we read the devotion, and the scripture to match.

On Sunday morning, the children check the tomb, we worship with our church family, then after a wonderful meal we celebrate with a family Resurrection basket (from the Easter Frog, of course). I don’t think we’ve ever put candy in the basket. Usually it is filled with family games, occasionally a movie, and other Timberdoodle type goodies.

Years ago we did a messianic Seder and I long to do it again, but just have somehow not gotten organized. I know that this year I could justify dong a Seder next month, as the Jewish Passover falls a full lunar cycle off from our Easter this time, but it seems so odd to have it after the Resurrection.  I like  celebrating it before,  and thinking of  Christ and the disciples partaking before the poignant events it shadows.

However you reflect on Christ's sacrifice for us and His resurrection, may you have a blessed weekend of celebration and remembrance!

We kept St Patrick’s Day minimal, with the Lenten Season more of the focal point this week

Still, there’s always time for a few St Patrick’s Day day shenanigans.

First, the children did the leprechaun litmus test. The solution greened up nicely, proof that there is indeed a leprechaun about! Naturally, they wanted to find him. Although evidence (in the form of a wee mug, a hat, and several shamrocks) was discovered under beds and on the playstand shelves, they were initially unsuccessful in finding the leprechaun himself.

Kaira continued searching long after the others had given up the hunt. Soon, she called out excitedly, "Mommy! I found him, but I can’t get him out! I need help!"

Sure enough, look what she found in Kieran's crib!

A fun St Patrick’s Day, indeed. (As for me, I celebrated by treating myself to an Irish Cream Latte when I picked up our next four weeks worth of books at the library.)

With less than a week until St Patrick’s Day, I’m excited to share a fun “science experiment” Aunt Lorelle (my clever little sister) sent for the PrairieFrog children!  
 

If you wish to make your own Leprechaun Litmus, secretly purchase a package of instant pistachio pudding mix.  Stealthily remove the plain white pouch from the box and print out a custom litmus label.  (In your word processor or Photoshop, rotate a leprechaun image upside down from the poem--enabling it to be on the flip side of the label when folded in half.)  Print your label on cardstock, fold it over the plain white "test solution" packet, staple at the top and voila!   (Note: Directions in the poem are for a small box of pudding.  For a large box, or two small boxes, increase milk from 2 cups to 4.)

My darling niece and nephew hunted for their leprechaun while waiting for the solution to set.  The leprechaun himself wasn’t to be found, but bonny wee mugs and other “corroborating evidence” were discovered!  As long as the children can distinguish between pretend and reality, such shenanigans are delightful!  (For my youngest ones, we'll need to explain that leprechauns are a fun game of pretend.)

A final word of caution from Aunt Lorelle: ”Include the ingredients panel from the Jell-O Pudding box under the faux label if the modified package will leave your house.  Many people have allergies to gold flakes nuts.”

(Leprechaun Litmus shared with permission)

And speaking of green things...

Please also continue to submit entries for my tractor naming contest. 

After a busy weekend, I'm jsut now posting pictures of Kendra's birthday!  She has successfully turned 6 years old!  Here's glimpses of my sweet Kendra's evening.

She wrote out her menu and requested: Cherries, green beans, hotdogs (something we usually have once a year), and for desert a creation of her own called "Yummies".  She helped make the buns for the hotdogs, and of course got to assist with her "Yummies".

I made a few suggestions to the recipe she originally brought me:

Yummies:

A cake recipe by Kendra:

5 cups of chocolate chips
5 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 eggs

½ hour in the oven

 

I encouraged her to decrease the chocolate chips and flour, and increase the eggs.  She agreed to adding milk and butter.  After modifications we ended up with the following:

 

2.5 cups chocolate chips

3 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 eggs

½ teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 cup butter

combine flour baking powder and salt

beat sugar, butter, vanilla & eggs (eggs one at a time)

add milk and flour alternating

stir in chocolate chips

pour into greased & floured Bundt 325 degrees for 70-80 minutes



The result was delicious!  Kendra writes excellent recipes.  It did end up a bit crumbly, so we served it in a bowl, with whipped cream atop individual servings.

 

We celebrated Keegan's Sunday birthday on Monday.  He is so, very proud of being three.  All week he's been telling me, "I had my birthday.  I three!"  "Mommy, I'm still three."  "Mommy, I'm three, I had my birthday."  "Mommy, You know I'm three?" 

For his meal he chose spaghetti, cheese bread, and strawberry icecream with chocolate sauce for dessert.  For some reason many of the pictures I took were blurry.  I'm wondering if I had the wrong camera setting.  At any rate, I don't have much photo evidence of the meal or of dessert, but I did capture him with his presents.

Such a sweet, huggy, busy, chattering boy!  I love my Keegan!

Kendra's 6th birthday is today, but we are celebrating tomorrow.  (We do tend to time shift a lot, don't we!)  So far she celebrated by passing into first grade math this morning.  She'd worked hard to get her addition and subtraction facts fast enough for our requirement!   

I need  to scramble and wrap her packages and bake some buns (strange child chose hot dogs, which we usually only do for a once a year cook out!)

We'll be ringing in a New Year with our Christmas bells.

We've had a lovely Christmas! Grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins made for a festive Christmas day!  From start to finish it was wonderful; From the children waking and checking our nativity's manger to tucking the tired tykes into bed that night.

My parents stayed on through snowstorms and left just this morning.  (Yes, we had another white Christmas!) We were spoiled to enjoy the extra  visiting time with them.  It was also nice that Grandma and Grandpa got to watch the children exploring their new gifts.

And what wonderful presents they were! My sister and parents gave them musical items this year: Handbells for the whole family, chromatic bells for me, recorders for Kendra and Keianna, a beautiful little lap harp/plucked psaltery for Kaira, percussion for Keegan, and even a small set of baby instruments for Kieran!

I joked that we may need to rename our school "Cacophony Christian School", so much joyful pandemonium filled the air!   May we use our new toys and tools to make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

Over the weekend I hope to get a collage of  Christmas photos arranged, but for now, here's one of Kieran enjoying his new instruments.