Posted in Family

Where do I begin?  I think I must say that with all of the birthday posts.  Just having these days come causes me to be reflective and to think back in ways that I don't always take time to do.  Has it really been 14 years?!  Don't I sound like an "old person" just saying that?  I remember when I was that age wondering why older people were always so surprised that I had gotten older.  I didn't understand how fast the years could pass.  I didn't know that I would want time to slow down one day. 

I have even joked with Rebecca that we were going to skip this one so she didn't get older so quickly.  She laughed - but was not in agreement.  Guess you only want to skip birthdays when you get older.  LOL

I remember being pregnant with Rebecca and having a vision that I would be having a girl.  I had wanted a "Rebecca" for years.  I was so certain I was having a girl, that my mother had bought only gifts for a girl!  I was delighted with our beautiful new daughter - and yet had no idea the joy that was awaiting us.  I couldn't even begin to fathom the blessing she would be - to me, to our family and to so many other people. 

Where do I start?  I'm thankful for the gifts Rebecca has been given and the beautiful way she uses those gifts to bless others.  She is creative, talented and hard-working.  This is evident in her Wholehearted bracelet ministry (see sidebar for details) in which she has made hundreds of bracelets and raised over $8000 for Duke Children's Hospital.  I see these qualities in her day to day life as well as she is constantly creating things - both craft projects and also cooking projects.  All of us benefit from these!

Rebecca is bright, inquistive and interesting.  She is a joy to teach and has always been a great student.  She is motivated and willing to do all that is asked of her.  I know this will serve her well throughout her life. 

She is brave and willing to try new things.  Starting a business at age 11 is amazing to me.  Speaking to a group of 150 is daunting - and she was wonderful.  All this for a young girl who is somewhat quie and a little on the shy side - until you get to know her. 

Rebecca has a heart to serve.  She demonstrates this every day in so many ways to her siblings.  I would not be able to manage nearly so well without her capable help!  She has also served in the community.  She is wonderful with young children.  She is energetic, athletic and sensitive.  She is also unassuming - so much lies behind her sometimes quiet exterior. 

I have loved being your Mom, Rebecca.  I have learned so much from you.  I love spending time with you, sharing interests and just talking.  You are all I could have ever wanted in a daughter and so much more!  I thank God for you every day and look forward to another amazing year with you!  I know that God has great plans for you.  I have loved watching Him at work in your life already and look forward to seeing the work He will continue to do in and through you.

I love you!

Mommy

So much has happened over the last several years to make me stop and appreciate the little things.  I think it can be easy to become overwhelmed with the big events, projects and deadlines that occupy so much of our energy.  These can become the focus of our scrapbooks (and sometimes our memories).  It isn't the bulk of our days though.  Most of our time is spent in the ordinary, every day things.  Things that are just as sweet and maybe even more important than those big things.  I want to remember to stop, enjoy and spend time in these moments as it is what my life is made of.

We've been enjoying being outdoors this fall.  I love the fall - the colors, the crisp sounds, the cool breezes (well, eventually we get those!).  We have been studying clouds for a week.  Wouldn't you know that 4 of the 5 days we had beautiful, clear - cloudless - skies!  LOL  The other day was our field trip day which has some great clouds which we enjoyed seeing but weren't able to draw in our nature journals since we weren't at home. 

Even without the clouds we found things to enjoy in nature.  I loved the color of the blue sky against the color of the changing leaves.  Isn't this beautiful?

I also enjoyed seeing my children thrive in the fresh air.  I think it does them good to be outside and I do want them to appreciate the many amazing things that  God has made for us to learn about and enjoy. 

I also enjoy seeing them have fun together.  It does warm a mama's heart to see a site like this one.

Rebecca took advantage of the beautiful weather to take her siblings to our neighborhood park one day.  They had fun playing and I loved that she took pictures while they were there!  Isn't this a sweet one?

She also let Eliana help cook again.  Have I mentioned what a great big sister she is?  I wonder if they truly appreciate how blessed they are to have her?  I probably need to help this along. 

Nothing big.  Nothing dramatic.  Just a few of life's sweet little moments.  I'm loving them!

Blessings
Leslie

Posted in FieldTrip

I love field trip days.  I look forward to the time learning more about nature or history whatever out topic of the day may be in a fun and hands-on way.  I look forward to seeing our friends.  I just look forward to all the day has to offer.

As our field trip day approached last week, it was raining and the forecast was grim.  It was calling for rain and our field trip was an outdoor nature one.  I wondered what the day would hold.  We were assured that it would be a go - rain or shine - as shelters were available (unless it was storming). 

As we drove over to Falls Lake, a few drops were hitting the windshield.  A number of people had to cancel for various reasons.  When we arrived, we were a small group.  It was overcast and dreary  ... and yet beautiful.

The haze obstrucing the view.  The brilliant colors of the leaves, muted through the fog.  Can you see God in views like this?  So many times, I want my path to be clear.  I want to see where I am going.  I want to know what lies ahead.  I want God to tell me what His plans are.  I want.  I want. 

What I don't want is to wait, to wonder, to worry.    I don't want to let go of my hopes and dreams.  I don't want life to be so unfair for so many.  Again, it is all about what I want.  Sigh.  It is hard when you can see so clearly that your focus is on yourself instead of on God. 

I want answers to so many things right now.  Things I've been praying about for a long time.  It is hard to wait and yet I really do want what God wants for my life.  I know He loves me.  I know He is working in my life.  I know He is there - even when I can't see clearly. 

There is beauty in so many places if only we will stop and look.  There is often beauty in places that may at first not look beautiful at all.  My eyes see things so differently now than they did a few years ago.  I'm thankful that God has given me that gift.  I continue to pray that God would give me His eyes to see things.  It is an area in which I fall short often.  I think that the many struggles that our family has been through have helped to open my eyes to so much.  I'm not the same and for that I'm thankful - and yet there is still so much work left to be done in me.  I think the more I learn about Him, the more I can see that I lack.  I'm thankful that I don't have to earn His love, but that it has been freely given to me. 

Now, on to the field trip.  We split into 2 groups.  The younger children were learning about Dangerous Plants and Animals.  The Ranger talked with us about spiders, snakes, fire ants, bees, ticks, poison ivy and unfamiliar dogs.  He gave the children a lot of good information on what to do when you encounter these animals/plants.

We looked at pictures in order to recognize various species such as the Black Widow spider.

And even saw some that had once been alive.

The most dangerous snake in our area is the Copperhead.  It was good to see what it looked like so that we could hopefully recognize one we might see.   (Though I hope we never see one!)

Due to its coloring, this snake can easily hide among the leaves.

The Ranger also shared the most poisonous snakes have larger triangular shaped heads and eyes shaped like slits.  One of the snakes that breaks these rules though is also found in NC, though typically not near us.  It is the Coral Snake.

 In order to help remember this snake, the children learned a rhyme.

Red and yellow kills a fellow
Red and black, OK  Jack

They looked at some snake skins.

We walked around a bit and looked at the poison ivy vines growing on some nearby trees.  Then we just played.  It is a beautiful area and I'm thankful we had the opportunity to be outside today. 

While we were with the younger children, the older kids had a class on Compasses.  They learned about how to read and use a compass and then were tested on this by having to put their skills to a test.  There were directions given and then they followed them to see where they ended up on a numbered line.  The teams were given points based on how close they were to the right numbers.  I heard great reports on this class, but unfortunately have no pictures to share.  Please check out my friend Lynn's blog (click on her name) for more details and some pictures of this group. 

A couple of hours later, some of the fog had lifted and the view was a little clearer.  I love the reflection of the trees!

At lunch, we had a scare as Joshua's blood glucose numbers were very, very high.  I haven't seen numbers like this since the week he was diagnosed.  It was frightening.  I had him wash his hands again and then we did a recheck.  The number was accurate.  We treated it and thankfully he was down 200 points by mid-afternoon and another 100 points by dinner time.  Yes, it was that high! 

He ALWAYS spikes on our field trip days.  Always.  I'm not sure if it is just the excitement of being with friends on a fun outing, but I've come to expect higher numbers on those days.  Just nothing like this.  It usually evens out by later in the day too.  I'm not sure if there is more I could or should be doing about it either.  I have talked with his doctor about this.  I'm going to try to make sure he is well hydrated on these mornings and just continue to do our best.  (There is no other factor that is different in terms of food, carb counting or amount of insulin.)  It's a mystery as this disease often is.  It can be a hard thing. 

So often I'm asked if his diabetes is "under control".  I'm not sure if it ever will be under our control.  We are doing our best to manage it day by day and I think that is all we can do.  Just yesterday a friend told me that it was still a struggle for her dh who also have Type 1 and that he still has highs and lows.  I think part of the challenge is that so many different factors can affect your numbers.  We are learning though and hopefully we'll continue to improve and get better.  There is a high incentive to do well and with God's help we will continue to work at it each day.

I feel like I've been rambling and want to end with some things I'm thankful for.  I'm thankful for our health.  I don't think I'll ever take this for granted again.  I'm thankful for a wonderful medical team.  I'm thankful for friends.  I'm thankful for a great FIAR homeschool group.  I'm thankful for the many things in nature that God has made - each pointing back to a wonderful Designer.  I'm thankful for my family.  I'm richly blessed.

With love,

Leslie

What I would love to be able to write is what a sweet fun time we had today making this craft.  I don't do crafts all that often and the boys typically really like doing them.  I was looking forward to them having fun with this activity.  I would like to say that we enjoyed laughter while we talked about turkeys and the day of giving thanks.   I would like to say that everyone was happy and cooperative while we were working. 

Instead though, I'll tell you what really happened.  We waited until the end of the day to do this craft.  (That was probably mistake number one, but we had a couple of therapies and a science lab interupting our day).  The boys were to have gathered pine cones earlier in the day.  One hadn't and went out to find one in the dark.  It was a small one and he was not pleased with it.  Another boy had gathered two earlier in the day.  Well, the first boy decided he wanted the extra one (though wasn't all that nice in asking).  The other boy didn't want to give his up.  Hearing them argue over a pine cone didn't do a lot to put me in the best of moods either.  And no, I didn't take advantage of this teachable moment to talk about sharing or listening or anything else.  My first thought was that I needed to remember this when it came time to do Christmas crafts!  lol

The boys were a little ... less patient that I would have liked for them to be.  I probably was too!  The pine cones were prickly and didn't feel good on the hands.  The pipe cleaners hard to manuever and the level of difficulty was just too much for my boys at this time.  I ended up helping them a lot.  (And did I mention that they weren't really being patient?) 

In the end, we got them made.  And they are cute. 

I think the lessons that I need to learn are several.

*Don't wait until the end of the day for crafting when people are tired and the grumpiness comes on faster.

*Check the level of difficulty before starting a craft.

*Patience, patience, patience.  I need to model it and teach it through my actions.

I know we'll remember these turkeys - and hopefully not the bickering that went with it.  I hope I'll learn.  I wasn't at my best tonight, but thankfully, there will be another chance.  Thankfully the boys are pretty forgiving and love me in spite of my flaws (and the feeling is very mutual).  I'm thankful for the times that I fail for it reminds me that I struggle just like my children do.  It reminds me of how much I need a Savior to shape and mold me into the image of the one I want to reflect.  So while it may not have been a teachable moment that was used wisely, I did learn from it. 

Just thought some might like to see a less than stellar experience.  We all have them.  Sometimes I think people can feel discouraged when they hear about "all" that someone else is doing.  Most of us tend to share the positives (I'm no exception).  Just know that we all have those days - and so do our children.  I still have much to be thankful for and yes, I will still do crafts with them at Christmas. 

Blessings
Leslie

P.S.   If you are looking for something fun to add to your November, check out the blog of my FIAR friend Kendra   She has posted a great list of activities to do celebrating Thanksgiving. 

Posted in FIAR Vol 4

We had another fabulous co-op day.  I feel so very blessed to be a part of this group.  The talent, creativity and energy is amazing - and a delight to be a part of.  And fun!  This is a fun group of children and moms! 

We started out talking about fats.  Hmmm ... interesting start to the day, isn't it?  But, it did weave in through the other topics.  The children went to a table to see lots of jars filled with interesting colors and substances.  Each had water and a fat in the jar. 

The jars were passed around and the children shook them up to see if they could get the fats to dissolve.  Some did while others were more resistant to change forms.  We heated a couple to see if this made a difference and it did for a short time.  It was interesting to learn and observe the difference.  The shaking was a hit too.

Next it was time for art.  This involved fats too!  The children did a crayon resist using light colored crayons on art paper.  The crayons were a fat.  They drew designs on their cards and then went over these with watercolors.  Each child was given 3 cards on which to paint and later send to a friend or grandparent.   Look at this beautiful example.  Can you see the lightning?

It was fun to see the various designs that the children came up with and how the watercolors just did not stick to or mix with the crayons.

I didn't get a good close-up of the art, but you can see the technique in the red card on the table.  The word "Hello" is written in crayon then painted over with red paint.  The word just pops out from the paint.  It's neat and it a good use for those white crayons!

The next part of the lesson was about taste and the ways in which our body sends messages to the brain.  The children formed a chain by holding hands.  They were to squeeze the next persons hand and say "ouch" to see how long it too the message to get around the group. 

Then we learned about the 5 (yes, one more than I learned about in school) areas of taste.  The new one is savory

We also learned that the tongue can taste all of the areas throughout and not just in one spot.  That makes more sense to me.  This ball was a representation of the various areas of taste (see how the ends on the ball match the chart above?). 

We learned about what happens when we eat something hot!  The Scoville chart for measuring heat was discussed and various types of peppers listed.  (This may not sound interesting, but our energetic teacher made this very exciting and hands-on!) 

When we eat something hot and then drink water, the water acts to push the hot further into our taste buds making it seem hotter still.  If however we choose to eat or drink something with fat in it like milk or yogurt, then the fat will bind with the heat and pull it away from our tongue. 

Now, it was time to put that to the test.  The table was lined with 10 containers numbered from 1 to 10.  Each person started at 1 which was the mildest with no heat in it at all and then went as close to 10 as they wanted to go!

They each took turns.  Some needed some coaxing to keep going.   Others were eager to try more. 

A lot of the children made it to 10!  (It was yummy!)

While the older kids were learning, Rebecca was playing with Eliana and her friend.  She even brought some craft things for them to work on during this time.  What a thoughtful big sister!  She is awesome with younger children!

Daniel was given a neat picture from his friend Miss Lynn.  It is the leaves that they gathered at our last co-op.  She laminated them and made the page so that it could be hung on a window.  He was delighted and loves seeing it in our kitchen.  Wasn't that so very thoughtful?!  Thank you friend!

Another fun day with friends.  I love these days!  Hope you enjoyed the pictures. 

Blessings
Leslie

Posted in Family

A sweet friend recently let me know that I'd been nominated for a homeschool blogger award (thank you Kendra!).  I was surprised as I didn't know anything about it.  I wasn't sure whether to post anything or not as I didn't want to be asking for votes.  I do however want to thank whomever nominated me.  Thank you.  It was very sweet!

I've been nominated in two catagories.  You can click on them if you want to see more.

Best Homeschool Mom Blog

Best Cyber-Buddy Blogger

I appreciate the encouragment.  I am thankful for the opportunity to share some of my life and always hope that it may bless and encourage someone else.  I feel that we all have great things to share as God is working in each of our lives.  I love that He has made us each unique with incredible gifts and talents.  I'm fortunate and thankful to be in a place doing what I love.  God is good.

I wanted to share a few other things.  Daniel has an appt with the specialist (neuro ophthamologist) in 2 weeks.  We were told that there would be 3 hours of testing done (to determine why he has optic nerve pallor in one eye).  I'm not sure what kind of testing.  I'm sure though that it will be a hard time for my sweet little boy due to his sensory issues.  We would love your prayers.  I confess that it is hard not to worry about what this could mean - especially if I do any googling on the exact words used to describe his eye.  We are hoping it is nothing or something fixable.  I've been told it may take a month to get the results!  I"m hoping that is not right!  I'll post more as we get closer to the date.  The date and time are also going to be a challenge for us personally.  They can only see us on the one day that is worst for us (field trip day) and beginning at lunch time (hard to juggle with Joshua's diabetes needs).  I know it will work out and I'm glad to have an appt sooner rather than later. 

Isaiah had an OT evaluation today and our therapist said he would definitely qualify for OT (occupational therapy) based on his handwriting and is looking to score his other tests to see if there are any other areas that need to be addressed.  He did well during the evaluation and seemed to have some fun with parts of it too.  I'm not sure when therapy will start for him.  (She told us there is a waiting list, but that it may be shorter for him since we can come during school hours.)  It's a step in getting some help for our sweet boy so he isn't struggling.  It is hard on a mama's heart to see your child struggle and to want so much to help.  I know that some struggle can be good and hopefully I can help him to learn from the struggles, because that is something that can apply to life over and over again.

Joshua is doing pretty well.  Diabetes managment can be such a roller coaster though!!!  Some days he seems to spike or plummet for unknown reasons.  Learning how to treat him is as much an art as it is a science.  He has a great attitude most of the time.  As an aside, Isaiah is very concerned about him and prays often that a cure would be found. 

Lastly, just something sweet. 

There are times when I just watch and think how lucky my children are to have each other.  One day, Rebecca decided to make cookies.  This wasn't a huge surprise as she does like to cook.  (I really appreciate this as cooking is not my favorite thing to do.)  The surprising part was when she included Eliana.  She got aprons for both of them, pulled up a chair and let Eliana help.

Is that cute or what?  Doesn't  Eliana have the best big sister?!

That's all for now.  I need to go finish up school and then get dinner started.  Thank you friends for your encouragment and prayers.

With love
Leslie

Posted in FIAR

This week-end our Five in a Row homeschool group hosted our biggest event of the year.  This is an event we have done annually and this year marked our 8th event!  It is a wonderful co-operative event.  I love seeing how it all comes together.  Each Mom has a job and is responsible for carrying out that job.  Seeing the gifts, talents and creativity displayed is an awesome thing!  Many of the children and adults come in costume to just make the day one that is exceptionally fun!  (I didn't get a family shot, but think I have photos of all but me to share.)

This year we choose the book The Gullywasher around which to build our day.  The story takes place in etiher Mexico or the Southwestern US (it isn't clearly stated).  It is a tall tale told by a Grandfather to his grandaughter. 

I have lots of pictures and it was hard weeding it down.  Hopefully you'll get a good idea of our day as I explain what we did.  It started early for some of the gals who were busy getting things set up.  There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into much of this and this year was no exception.  I love seeing how an grassy field and picnic shelter are transformed into something special!

We began the morning with a welcome and a prayer for the day.  Then we had a telling of the story.  This year it was done with a puppet show.

There were some liberties taken with the story, but the general ideas were all there.  The children were mesmerized and it was new way to experience the story.

After the story, we were divided into 6 groups to go through an activity/obstacle course.  It was not a race, but rather an activity to do as a group.  Our group started with lassoing a steer.

Everyone wanted a try.

Even Roger.

It wasn't easy though and most found it hard to get close to the target!

Next, was the rain from the gullywasher.  This one was a huge hit with our group.  Each child was givein a water gun.

They were to aim at a rain cloud.  (Each group had a different cloud.) 

As the water hit the cloud, the paint from the cloud begain to "rain" down on the catci below!  This was really neat!

A really fun water event even though it was still a bit chilly at this point in the morning!

Next was building birds nests.  Each child was given a baking cup and had to search for items with which to build the nest.

Our fourth station was corn grinding.  There were ears of Indian Corn and after grinding the corn off the cob, it was used for a craft activity.

Each child selected a fun foam that had a frame in the shape of an ear of corn.  The inside was sticky so you just had to press the corn into the picture along with some of the husks at the top.

Even Eliana enjoyed doing this one.

If you notice the "wheel" around his neck, that shows a picture of each station and the order in which to go. 

Our fifth station was "pop, pop, pop".  There were two parts to this one.  First each child had bubble wrap that they stomped on to make it pop and pop. 

Next they were able to choose some popcorn to eat - either plain or spicy.

The last station was a carry the horse station (like in the story).  We had one person to be the horse (a small person) and then the rest of the group stood in a circle.  The horse was then carried from person to person.

Or if the person was smaller than the horse, they might choose to just push the horse.

There was festive music playing while this was going on.  It was the scene of much laughter!

When we finished this event, we gathered for a group photo.

Next it was lunch time!  What a beautiful spread of delicious foods we had to choose from.  Each family brought a main dish, a side and either an appetizer or a dessert.  It was so very yummy. 

We ate in a beautifully decorated shelter too.  I unfortunatly, don't have any really good pictures.  Here you can see some of it - but mostly my little sweetie looking up at a pinata.

After lunch, the children had three choices of activities to enjoy.  One was an art area in which they could do sand art (peel a piece of paper off the picture and pour colored sand onto the adhesive background) or sticker art (fiesta theme).

There was a science area in which they could learn about a tornado in a bottle or sand/water erosion.  There was a demo of how sand was affected by rain (small hole in a cup of water) and flooding (larger hole). 

The children were fascinating to see what happened.  There were even had houses to show the effects during flooding.

The last area was a sound discovery station.  You could expore sound by trying to discern different sounds.  There were group of numbered bottles with different items inside (paper clip, screw, coin, etc.) and you would shake the bottle and try to figure out which of the four items was inside.  There were able 7 different groups of these to try out.  You could then lift the flaps to find the answers.

You could also choose to make instruments like shakers - with a variety of things to go inside and ways to decorate the outside.  Tamborines were made from lids that were hole-punched and then strung with floss, bells and washers.  Drums were made from empty containers, a balloon and a rubber band.

There was also a free play area with sand, play-doh, horses (stick and plastic) to play with at any time during the event.  I have so many pictures that I haven't posted of the creative signs and the set-up at the stations, lots more of many children enjoying the day.  Just too many for one blog post.  One last picture I wanted to share of two little cuties.  Rebecca made these adorable ponchos for Eliana and her friend J.  They even wore them the whole day. 

We had a beautiful day!  That was a real blessing as it rained and rained and rained the days leading up to it.  Someone asked me what our back-up plan was - and the answer is that there isn't one.  We are able to use this site for free (which helps tremendously with the budgeting for the event) and it has worked beautifully for us for many years.  I'm thankful God planned for this to be a beautiful day weather wise (cool and cloudy in the morning and sunny in the afternoon) which was perfect for our day!

I am so thankful to be a part of this group and thankful for each family in it (whether they were there or not).  I'm thankful for the moms (and some Dads too) being willing to invest time, talent and energy into pulling off this incredible event.  I'm thankful to have such a sweet group with which to share this homeschooling journey!  Thanks friends!

Love
Leslie

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragment.  We spent a lot of time preparing for this event and it was such a sweet time!

We hit some stumbling blocks before and even during the event, but all worked out well. It was neat to be able to talk with Rebecca about how Satan would love for us to be flustered, frustrated and ineffective - but that God was on our side.

We arrived early and set up and had the help of some of the atheletes too. Everyone was SOOOO nice to us! We were in a large room - and it was full! There were more than 100 - up to 150 student athletes, many of whom were freshmen there.

There was an intro and a gal from campus talking about community service opportunities. Then it was our turn. Just before it was our turn, I realized that I had forgotten to bring in my camera! It was too late to go get it too. I quickly called home and asked Christopher to call Roger (who was on his way with Eliana) to ask him to bring it in. Well, he couldn't find it. We do have some video though (which I'll try to post later once I get some blog problems figured out) and one of the staff took some photos (which I'll hopefully get soon).

I spoke first and talked some about our time with Duke Children's. Mainly about Eliana's heart. I got choked up. Why can't I share this story without the flood of emotions, even now? I wasn't the only one though. The pictures of our angel in the hospital are hard to see and I could see that on their faces. I ended with a more current picture though and it brought a lot of smiles! I also took some time to briefly share how her having Down syndrome has been such a blessing to our family and to many others that we know. I just wanted to plant a seed so that they can know that Ds is not a bad thing.

After I talked, it was Rebecca's turn. She was very nervous. It was a big crowd! She did an awesome job!!! I wish I could have recorded her. Can I just say how proud I am of my girl?  She shared why she wanted to raise money - so that other children with heart conditions could get help at Duke just like her little sister.  Her initial goal was to raise $100.  She has to date donated over $8000 to Duke Childrens!

The next part was hectic. It was time for making jewelry. They wanted to help build up Rebecca's inventory so that she would be able to sell more and thus give more to Duke Children's. We underestimated what they would be able and willing to do! They made a lot (more than 100 pieces - earrings, bracelets and necklaces). They seemed to have a lot of fun doing it too. Rebecca was kept very, very busy answering questions and helping finish the jewelry. She did a great job.

Roger and Eliana came in after we talked. They thought it would be nice for the students to meet her. I considered bringing her early, but thought that having her around while we were setting up beads seemed like a recipe for disaster. We talked to many students. Many came up to meet her and talk with her.

Several shared cookies with her, which she loved. She gave out some hugs and lots of high fives and fist bumps. They seemed to really enjoy her. Many of them thanked us for coming and sharing our story. It was really a privilege to be able to be there.

I'm honestly always so humbled that anyone is interested in our story. Grateful for the hearts that are open to hear and the many that respond in a positive way. I was very impressed by the Duke athletes! Very! It was a wonderful night and I'm so thankful we had the opportunity to be there!

We have been invited to join one of the teams who wants to help make more jewelry.  I'm excited and thankful for this next opportunity.  Who knew when she made that first bracelet that it would ever come to this? 

Here is a photo of my beautiful girls.

We are hoping to set up a "store" or website as we have been asked about this.  If anyone has suggestions or advice for us, we would love to hear it!

Lastly, here is an article you can read about our night at goduke.com.

Love

Leslie

Posted in Diabetes

I wanted to share a bit more about our time at this walk.  We really didn't know what to expect and only decided to go at the last minute.  Joshua had been interested in this walk from the time he was in the hospital.  When we found out that his last football game was at the same time as the walk, he wasn't sure he wanted to miss his game.

At his last practice, he decided he wanted to do the walk.  So we got registered just a short while before the walk and I posted a note here just a day before the walk.  We didn't send out letters or try to do a lot of fundraising.  We were all thrilled though that some gave anyway.  Thank you!  You were an encouragment to us all!

The walk started at 10:30.  We left early and thought we had plenty of time.  We didn't factor in the traffic.  LOTS of traffic.  It took about 45-50 minutes to go from the exit ramp to the site.  I thought we'd never get there.  We arrived after the start time, but thankfully it hadn't started yet.  :-) 

It was a beautiful day!  We checked in and got 2 shirts (based on the money we raised).  Then we started walking.  It was a 2.5 mile walk. 

We learned this week that they estimated that there were 8500 walkers there!  Lots of people had unique t-shirts for their "team".  Joshua thought he'd like one for our team for next year.  If any of you are interested, we'd love to have you join us there. 

While we were walking, we saw just one person we knew - Joshua's doctor.  His wonderful doctor from UNC hospital.  I was incredibly touched that she chose to be there. 

After the walk, we split up.  I stayed with the younger boys at the walk and Roger took the oldest 2 to their sports games.  We had lunch.  While we were walking to lunch, the boys saw someone "checking blood sugar".  It was a first.  We've never seen someone else do that.  After lunch, we did some of the fun things there like jumping in the bouncey thing.

Getting our photo made in a photo booth.

Playing foosball

There was concert and we listened for a little bit.  The bonus was meeting a really nice man with a pump.  I spotted it and pointed it out to Joshua.  I told him that I was sure he would be willing to answer any questions he might have about it.  Sure enough, he was.  He was incredibly kind!  He is an athlete and competes in the Bike to raise money for JDRF.  He showed Joshua his pump and the pump site and told him about it.  It was good to see and to learn more about it.

All in all, a fun day.  We learned that next year, we need to go earlier. 

I'm thankful that there is a group working to raise so much money to help find a cure.  There is a saying "Insulin is not a cure, it's life support".  That is so true.  We hope that there will be a cure one day soon.  I hear that there is hope for it in our lifetime.  While I do hope this is true, we know that our true hope is in Someone Else.  I'm thankful that God knows, understands and walks with us through each day - both the fun ones like this and the ones that are hard.

Thank you for your support and prayers for our family!

With love

Leslie

We had a lot of fun on Saturday - more on the rest of the day later when I have a bit more time.  We did the  JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in the morning and then sports in the afternoon.

Christopher's team was playing in the Championship game for his league (Homeschool Football League).  I know I've talked about this league before - it is a great league.  They really stress the importance of good conduct and Christian witness.  When a player is down/hurt, they all stop and drop to a knee and pray for him.  They pray and have devotions together after the games.  The importance of being a good sport is emphasized.  It has been a wonderful group of which to be a part.

Anyway, this was the last game of the season.  They played in the play-offs two weeks ago.  The final game was a great one for our team.  Here is a photo at the end of the game.

 Christopher, I'm proud of you!  Congratulations Warriors!  Great job! 

Blessings
Leslie

I just wanted to share a short note first on our event last night at Duke.  It was awesome!  What an amazing group of people and we had a wonderful time.  I have a lot to share - but no pictures yet.  I'm hoping to get some from one of the staff there and then I'll post more details about our evening.  Thank you for praying.  It was an incredible opportunity!

****

Last week we went on another really fun field trip to the Agape Center for Environmental Education.  Our group was split into 4 smaller groups.  The youngest children had 4 "classes" and the oldest 3 groups learned about survival skills. 

Eliana and I went with Daniel and the youngest group of children.  We first went on a sensory hike in the woods.  What a fun thing to talk about the specific ways to experience nature using your 5 senses. 

It was a beautiful day and a lovely wooded area in which to take a hike.  We stopped by a pond and used our sense of sight to observe a variety of colors.  The instructor would name a specific color and then have the children look for the color. 

Next, they used their sense of hearing to listen to all the sounds they could hear in just 30 seconds.  They were blindfolded so that they would depend more on their sense of hearing.

The next activity involved the sense of smell.  The children were told that someone special was coming and they were to make a fragrant mixture to honor this person.  They were each given a small scoop and with a buddy went to find things to put into their scoop which they thought smelled nice.  They were also given the opportunity to name their creation.  We passed them around and looked and smelled the various collections.

We discussed the sense of taste and how you should not taste anything in found in the woods unless you are with a grown-up that lets you know it is safe to do so. 

Finally, the sense of touch.  Each child was asked to gather something from the woods and to keep it hidden.  They then took turns taking their object and rubbing it across the back of another child's hand.  That child (with their eyes closed) would then try to guess what the object was just from feeling it.

The younger children learned about weather and the various instruments used to measure weather.  We also visited the nature center which has a lot of neat hands-on activities!  The hit was a little corner which they had made into a bat cave.  There was special lighting in it that enabled you to see as a bat would see.  Also a hit was the secret door (small door cut into the wall) in the cave at the other side of the room.  All of the children left the building through this neat door!

We also learned about birds and migration in a very neat and hands-on way.  This was an idea that I could see being adapted for many different topics so that children are up and involved in their learning!

They were divided into 3 groups -  each a different kind of bird.  There was a path with many signs on the path.  Each with something to read and/or do.  They first rolled a large die and then counted out the number of signs to begin the game.  We would read the sign and follow the instructions.  Each telling you something about the dangers that birds faced while migrating or obstacles or success. 

This is a group shot of most of the younger ones. 

The older kids were split into three groups based on age and each had a class on survival skills.  They talked specifically about fires, various types of fires, how to build them and what they were used for.  Lighting them was a big hit!

They also talked about the order of importance of survival based on 3s.  You can go 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without warmth, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food.  This was to let them know in what order they needed to focus their efforts if they were trying to survive. 

They also built debris shelters.  They worked hard and the shelters they build looked awesome!!!  I wish I had  pictures of all of them.  Here are a couple of them. 

The youngest kids were invited to look at the shelters made by the oldest kids before they took them down.  I was able to get a few pictures before my camera died.

All in all, it was a fabulous trip.  The instructors were kind, energetic and helpful.  The site is beautiful and the classes fun and informative.  I highly recommend this site for those of you in North Carolina!

Blessings

Leslie

Posted in Diabetes

Tomorrow, Nov 7th, our family will be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes.  This is sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. 

Joshua has been looking forward to this walk for many months.  We started talking about it when he was in the hospital.  He is familiar with "walks" because we go to the local Buddy Walk (supporting Down syndrome) each year. 

Here is a note from Joshua.

I think the walk is going to be fun.  I hope that the JDRF gets more money so that they can find a cure for diabetes.  I hate diabetes.  I don't like getting shots and pokes.  I want to be able to have food whenever I want it.

I know that money is tight and that there are many worthy causes.  I do feel the need to share this one though as it is important to us and many other families as well.  If you are interested in sponsoring Joshua, please go to this link.

http://walk.jdrf.org/

You can type in his name Joshua Nelsen and state and his page should come up for you.  Our team name is "Joshua's Fan Club" which should also show on the site.

Blessings

Leslie

Posted in FIAR Vol 4

We had another great co-op day last week.  I just haven't gotten around to posting about it.  It is always such a treat to spend time with friends and have fun learning in the process.  We had a beautiful day and spent it all outside. 

So what did we learn about today?  Well, pumpkins of course. 

We had a few more experiments on density and learned that all pumpkins float no matter the size or weight.  

One thing that I thought was really interesting was watching them turn in the water so that the stem was facing down.  I'm not sure why they did that, but all of ours from small to large turned in the water like that.  (Can you see that the large one is in the process of turning?)

We also learned about the human body.  We talked about joints (and had a neat visual) of how the joints can break down (ouch that one was a little close to home!).  They also learned about the bones in the body.

They came home with a neat project to label the bones as well as a skeleton to put together.  (The black dots are velcro to which the names of the bones can be attached.  There is a copy of the same sheet with the answers behind it so that they can check their work.) 

After learning about the body, we talked about the style of running done by the man in the book who "shuffled along" and won the race!  The children had several rounds of running a course.  What a fun course too!  It was through the woods and the path had pumpkins all throughout as well as pictures of various Australian animals. 

Lastly, the children learned about hot air balloons and why they float.  They made their own hot air balloons from a trashbag.

They used hair dryers to fill them with hot air and then watched them rise! 

We had a yummy snack of pumpkin muffins and granola.  While they were snacking the children watched the "dancing raisins" experiment.  More on the experiment here. 

While the other children were learning about pumpkins and such, Daniel again had his private nature study class with his sweet friend Miss Lynn.  He so looks forward to these days!

Thank you friends for another wonderful day!  I'm blessed to be a part of such a creative and sweet group of friends!

Love
Leslie

Things are busy here - no change there.  Just thought I'd do a quick update. 

Yesterday, Eliana met with the cardiologist.  She was very displeased to be there.  She fussed at EVERYTHING!  Fussed about blood pressure (so they didn't even try), fussed about having her height and weight taken, fussed about having her temp taken.  You get the idea.  She was fine until someone else wanted to touch or look at her.  Her ped told me this was an appropriate developmental stage.  LOL

Her EKG went well and it all looked good.  Her physical exam was also good.  Based on her size and how she is doing (and maybe a little on how she was acting?), the cardiologist decided not to have an echocardiogram done.  He wasn't sure the sedation would be effective on her due to her being on the cusp size-wise and I don't think either of us thought she'd be still for an unsedated look.  I was fine with that and so we were able to go home a little early.

Joshua went with us and he wanted to play a little in the outside play area.  It was a beautiful and chilly day and he and Eliana had fun playing.  We hadn't ever stopped at this play spot before as it has always just been Eliana and I. 

I'm thankful for a good report on her heart. 

Someone had asked for more details on  Daniel as my earlier post was a little vague.  I talked with a nurse today trying to follow-up about our referral.  We haven't yet heard about a new appointment and she is hoping we'll hear something by Thursday.  We should be scheduled for the first available time slot.  The doctor's notes on Daniel are "optic nerve pallor".  Basically it means the color of his optic nerve is pale and not the color it should be.  It's in just one eye and is noted as "prominent".  I have to confess that a quick google search (I know, why do I do that?) does not make me feel good about any of these words.  I just want our little boy to be fine.  I really just want nothing new to be diagnosed here!  I don't want to worry (I know it does no good), but it can be hard.  I do best just trying not to think about it.  Some days it is just too much, kwim?

Our week ahead is a full one.  I'm coordinating a field trip for our FIAR group.  It's to a new place and I need to work on final details to get it all ready.  We'll be doing some outdoor survival with the older kids and other nature topics with the younger ones.  The weather is predicted to be beautiful so I'm looking forward to a fun outing.

Both of our boys are scheduled to play in the State Championship games of the Homeschool Football League this week-end!  Rebecca also has a soccer game in between the boys' games.  This will be the last of our "Sports Saturdays" for awhile.  (Rebecca has one more game, but it conflicts with our homeschool group's Family Event.)   

As of this evening, Joshua decided that he wanted to miss his last game so that he can participate in the Juvenile Diabetes Walk for the Cure which is the same time as his game.  This is something he was interested in doing and we have talked about since he was in the hospital with a new diagnosis.  The game though was not something he wanted to miss - until now.  So, we need to make plans to join in the walk.  I really don't know much about it and we have not done any fundraising either.  I think that we will just go and experience it.  I think it will be really nice for Joshua to meet someone else with diabetes. 

Rebecca and I have been invited to do a presentation at Duke next week about community service.  We'll share some of our story and lead a class in jewelry making to about 150 student athletes.  We'd love prayers as we prepare.  We are excited about this opportunity and want to make the most of it. 

We are also preparing for our homeschool group's largest event of the year coming up in about a week and a half.  My job is organizing and coordinating.  It is a really fun event which is done cooperatively.  This year our theme is The Gullywasher (a Five in a Row title).  I'm looking forward to it.

Well, it's late and I need to get some sleep as the morning always comes faster than I'd like for it too.  Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragment to me.  I appreciate it.  This has been a hard season of life and I'm in a struggle.  I feel as though I've been buffeted by challenges on and off for quite awhile.  I am trying to rest and trust - though it has not been easy.  I have never been as aware of the spiritual warfare going on around me as I am now.  I'm thankful that I know the One who has already won the battle.  

With love,

Leslie 

Posted in Family

We were fortunate to be able to go to the Fair on a beautiful sunny day - and with friends too!  Rebecca had entered two items in the fair and was very excited to see if she had placed with either of them.  We went to a few other exhibits on our way to see her items. 

How exciting it was to go to the case and find that she had indeed gotten ribbons - two blue ribbons!  Congratulations!!!  You did a great job Rebecca!

The first ribbon was for this beautiful jointed doll that she made. 

The second was for this food made from felt.  It's a blueberry waffle breakfast.  The waffles are sitting on a waffle maker (really cute).  The meal also includes sausage and a fruit cup.  It's so cute!

My children have enjoyed this exhibit and look forward to going back each year.  You start with a basket and then wander through the garden areas of things that grow in NC.

The children are able to pick and gather various fruits and vegetables.

When their basket is full, it is weighed and exchanged for some money.

You can use this to buy a bag of goodies - including an apple and some peanuts.  Eliana loved her apple this year.  I love seeing her eating it on her own!

The DMV hosts a driving safety experiential exhibit. 

They also gave out "clickers".  (Really loud and lots of ours have disappeared thankfully!)

Of course we had to see some animals and the ducks and chicks were the cutest!

Bumper cars are the favorite ride for my family.  Just look at their faces!

I was able to do something really fun too!  There was an Artisan Bread class.  We thought it would be short and we would go in and enjoy the beginning of it.  My friend Rebecca and I and some of the kids (5) started out in the class.  Well, it wasn't a short class and so the kids drifted out.  Rebecca and I stayed because ...

it was fun and interesting and I was chosen to be a volunteer.  :-)  One of the first jobs was to cut and weight the dough.  I've had some practice with a scale and this was fun. 

The chef from Neomonde Baking Company was hilarious!  It was a lot of fun learning the techniques and making the bread.

Doesn't this look yummy?  Oh, and did it all taste good!  We made a pumpernickel with raisins and walnuts, a whole grain and focacia.  It was all delicious and I was able to bring a loaf of each home (and sample it there too). 

It was a fun day filled with lots of sights and sounds.  We were worn out by the end of the day and ready to go home to rest.  I'm thankful that we were all healthy and able to have a fun day together.  Hope you are able to enjoy a fun fair where you live!

Blessings
Leslie

I had typed up an entry and our computer froze and lost it.  So for now, I'll just let the picture speak.

I love you sweetie!

Leslie

Posted in FieldTrip

Today was field trip day.  It was a beautiful, sunny day - just perfect for an outing with friends.  We visited Historic Oak View County Park.  This is a 19th century historic farmstead.  Our larger group was split in half and we then toured the grounds.  We viewed the home from the outside only.  The left side of the house is the original house (1855) and is built in Greek Revival style.  The right side of the house (Colonial Revival) was added on in the 1940s. 

There was a lovely gazebo in the front of the house.

We went into the kitchen, a separate building behind the house.  We talked about things that we used and done differently than today. 

The children helped start the making of butter by using cream in a jar.  (Much easier than using a churn, though mine have liked doing that in the past.) 

Next, we went outside and the children had the opportunity to try using a washboard to clean some clothes. 

Three children at a time were able to wash clothes.

Eliana loved this.  Of course, she loves anything with water!  Her wonderful big sister was helping her!

Just thought this was a fun picture of Isaiah and Joshua with their buddy Joe.

The cash crop for the plantation was cotton.  Until the boll weevils came through destroying cotton in the US.  They switched then to pecan trees.  The children were able to go into this  "field" of cotton and pick one. 

I know you can't see it, but I love the he wears a Down Syndrome Awareness bracelet on his right arm.  :-) 

Getting the seeds out is hard work.

I think this is a really pretty plant.  Feels so soft too!

Next we went into an old barn and learned more about cotton. 

The children twisted cotton to show how it strengthened the fibers. 

We saw an old gin,

a huge bale of cotton and even a boll weevil.  (It was much smaller than I had imagined.) 

Eliana loves hanging out with her friend!

The children learned about artifacts.  We were told that to be an artifact it had to meet these three criteria

*must be old

*must be made by humans

*must be used by humans.

The children were given several artifacts and then tried to figure out what they were used for - and it wasn't as easy as you might think!  Two of the items are in the next two pictures.  See if you can guess how they were used. 

After figuring it out, a spokesperson from each group shared with the rest of the group what the tools were used for.  Did you have a guess?

The first one is a tool used to remove the nails from horseshoes.  The second is to scrape away the hair and skin from a pig in order to have clean meat.  (yuck!)

We stayed for a picnic lunch.  There are large grassy areas (where the pecan trees are growing) that are an ideal spot to picnic and play.  Daniel loves hanging out with his friend Miss Lynn!

We played for a short time in the museum.  There is a really cute hands-on children's area.  Eliana loved the dress-up. 

A beautiful fun day.  I had fun hanging out with my children and my friends.  I'm so thankful I have the opportunity to do these fun things!

Blessings
Leslie

Posted in Nature Studies

We are doing a really fun unit study this week and it's a free one too!  It's called Autumn Treasures (click on the link) and you can download it for free if you want to try it out yourselves!  It has a lot of great internet connections as well as lapbook components included. 

One of the things in the unit is to go on a daily Nature Hike.  My boys are loving this.  So am I!  I'm not always so good are taking time to specifically study nature - we are kind of sporadic about it.  Since nature cries out about God though - it is definitely worthy of being studied!

We are to notice and find things.  Leaves are an obvious choice this time of year.  We have found some very interesting and lovely ones too.

Isn't this leaf beautiful?  I love the colors and how it is changing.

They have also done a fair amount of drawing of various aspects of fall.  I love seeing the details that each boy adds in as it shows so much of their personality and interests.  Does this boy look proud of his work, or what?

One day we gathered leaves to do leaf rubbings.  Instead of going back in the house, I had an impromptu idea to go to the treehouse instead.  This was a lot of fun!  I loved hanging out with the boys up there - and know I need to do it more often.  (It helped that this was during Eliana's nap!)

The boys really enjoyed making the rubbings.  It made me wonder when was the last time we had done this?  It must have been awhile.

I like using this guide book to help identify trees and leaves.  You want to know what I like best about it?  It has trees that are here where we live!  Not trees we won't come across in our day to day wanderings.  It only cost a dollar or two and I bought it at one of our state parks.  Great resource if you live in North Carolina!

Here are just a few more photos that I enjoyed.  Eliana loves going down the slide!  It is even more fun with someone you love. 

She also loves to swing.

This is a fun chalk drawing the Rebecca made of some of our favorite things at the State Fair.  We were planning to go today, but one of our boys wasn't feeling well.  It was a good choice to stay home and we are hoping to go another day soon!

That's all for now.

Blessings

Leslie