First Summer Outing

Our first summer outing was to Riverfront Park last Sunday afternoon.  In addition to the usual -  seeing the falls, taking in an imax, riding the carousel - we did quite a bit of walking and eventually made our way to P.F. Changs.  It was warm enough to dine outside!  One of our appetizers was the edamame.  Until now, I have mostly seen just the beans and didn't realize how common it is to serve them steamed in the pod.  The pods clearly weren't edible (Greg tried!), and it didn't make sense for all the flavoring to be on the outside.  After breaking open about half them, I decided to ask our server about it.  He was very gracious with his explanation, merely suggesting that "some people" like to pull the beans out using their teeth.  Ah!  So that's how it works!  The beans tasted a lot better that way.

After leaving the restaurant, we walked through Riverpark Square and ended up in an area that was under construction last year but is now finished.  It's very nicely landscaped with places for sitting (or climbing!), water features, and a path down to the lower area.  The gondolas from Riverfront Park were going by overhead.  We were impressed!

Sermon We Listened to Today: Ravi Zacharias

Mother's Day

I usually like to eat out for breakfast on Mother's Day, but we had been so busy that it seemed better to have a quiet morning.  My preferred gift is always flowers for the front yard, and my boys didn't disappoint!  They spent much of the day planting and doing yard work.  :-)  Later in the afternoon, I asked to stop by a coffee shop and go for a drive.  It was a beautiful day!

Easter 2014

We missed hosting Greg's parents this year for Easter.  They weren't able to make it, but we decided to have a little feast anyway, just the three of us.  We had many of the usual foods, including eggs for knocking.  A pleasant and unexpected surprise was when some friends invited us last minute to join them for dinner that evening!  It made the day more special.  :-)

A few pages from the daily calendar Kris gave me for Christmas that were on the fridge.  I've really enjoyed that calendar.

Some of our eggs.

The lunchtime meal.

We gave Kylen a few gifts: some comics, a Star Wars book, and video game.

Our friends had ducklings!  I loved the contrast between them and the green grass, but I had a hard time getting a shot that wasn't blurry.  They were constantly on the move!

 

They had some finger foods out before the main meal.  I'd never eaten purple and yellow carrots before.  They tasted just like the usual orange ones!  Aren't the colors pretty?



Our Buddy's Birthday

In all the busyness, we managed to spend a fun evening with our friends to celebrate their son's birthday.  The super cool thing was that since it's on Pi Day, they went with a "Pi" theme, which had a lot more to do with Pie than Pi!

 

The Hangin' Tree Lego Model

Kylen really likes "The Hangin' Tree" by Marty Robbins.  A couple months ago, he was inspired to make a lego model that tells the story in the song.  Here's the song:

SUMMER

. . . is almost here!!!  Well, sort of.  I'll still be pretty busy for a few weeks playing catch up.  But we had our last day of co-op this week, and the yearbooks were ordered today!  I can finally think about something else!  I'd like to do a little flurry of posts from the last few months, not that I took many pictures.  But I managed to get a few here and there.  I'd also like to do some posts on my chocolate class.

So here we go . . .

Sermon We Listened to Today: Matt Chandler

April Update: I'm Alive!

I just wanted to do a quick post and affirm that I'm alive and fairly well (other than a cold I came down with Wednesday night).  Every spare second is still going into our co-op yearbook and my chocolate class.  It's shocking how time-consuming they are together!  My goal is to get the yearbook finished in the next week; my class will be done in a little over two weeks.  I can see the homestretch!

Kylen has finished English from the Roots Up and God's World News, with German not far behind.  Math will stretch into June, and if we finish the book, perhaps even further.  Public schools aim to complete 2/3 of their textbooks, but Greg would like us to finish, which I totally understand.

We should be done with state studies and history read alouds in a month.  Our current read aloud is - oh my - just absolutely amazing!!!!  I can't recommend this book highly enough!  It's called God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew and has seriously grown my faith.  I have cried multiple times, shook my head in wonder, sat there in awe - Kylen too!  (Well, not the crying part.)  I did have to skip or tone down a couple spots where worldly people engaged in inappropriate jesting, but other than that, it's quite family-friendly.

We have begun getting together with a couple of families about twice a month.  A friend is graciously hosting in their home.  There is a strong focus on relationships (both with God and man) and holy spirit leadership, which we find very appealing.  Sundays, we continue to enjoy online sermons by Francis Chan.  I'm also still attending the women's Bible group that takes place each week an hour before co-op.  It's a wonderful group of ladies, and I'll miss seeing them once co-op ends.  Hopefully, we can meet up somewhere occasionally.

Well, that's about it for now.  I hope everyone who sees with post is happy and well.  How exciting that summer is just around the corner!  I hope to make up for my lack of posts during that time.  :-)