Circa 1983

The last time this sweater was worn, was at Minnetonka Elementary School.  Molly wasn't real thrilled about wearing it today (see above picture), but Amanda made her.  This was, I'm sure, tre chic when Shube knit it.

I asked for a better picture and got the one below, complete with Caleb's bunny ears from the side and Molly's scrape on her face from an earlier run-in with Lucy.  She wasn't in the mood to pose for pics.

Molly and Burley

Molly has found a new dancing partner.

Girls

Our house has been so boy oriented for so long.  The girls are coming into their own as a part of our family and it is fun to watch.  Amanda sent me this picture this morning with the following note.

The girls are playing outside. Lucy is barefoot so Molly's carrying her everywhere.
Funny.
Amanda

I love my girls.

First Day of School 2012

When mom is also teacher, it complicates things sometimes, especially when mom is recovering from a cesarean section.  It also simplifies certain things as well.  Getting all of the kids ready to start at the neighborhood school I think would have been pretty difficult over the last few weeks.  Today was the first day of school for us though.  Amanda started off slowly with just jumping into math today.  I will begin history on Thursday.  We'll see how things go.  

This year we added Molly, our fourth pupil to the Gammons home school.  She is very excited.  I asked her at lunch how it went and if she like it.  She said she loved it.  She said she has her own math book.

We look forward to another grace-filled year of educating our kids at home.  Amanda is amazing in her patience, strength and skill.  The class is full of great students.  You can see the class roster below.

Ben, almost 10-years-old, grade 5

Caleb, 8-years-old, grade 3

Matthew, almost 7-years-old, grade 1

Molly, 5-years-old, kindergarten

Lucy, 2-years-old

Nathan John, 3-weeks-old, diaper school

And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9 ESV)

Popcorn Party

The boys went to Gregg's house last night for a vids (video games) party.  So the girls decided they'd have a movie night and watch Lady and the Tramp.  And what's a movie night without popcorn?  Once the baby comes and starts sleeping well, Lucy will move into Molly's bed full-time.  There are to be many more nights like this.

Summer Sports Co-op

For the last three summers the kids have enjoyed a home school summer sports co-op. Every Thursday night we get together with a bunch of other families and play baseball and soccer. It's not very serious, but the kids have fun. Here are some shots from last night.

5 Years of Molly Pearl

Last week Molly turned 5-years-old.  I am so thankful to God for who she is.  She is a sweet, kind and lovely little girl.  We got to do our annual birthday breakfast on Saturday.  It was a lot of fun to spend some time with just her. She is currently very interested in Winnie the Pooh.  For her birthday we got her stuffed animals of Pooh, Eeyore, and Piglet.  On the packages we put that they were each from one of her brothers. After the party I asked her if she liked her new stuffed animals.  She said,

"Yes, I love them, because I love my brothers."

I told the boys that story as I was putting them to bed.  I said when you're looking for a wife, if you can't find one that loves you and thinks you're as great as your sister does, keep looking.  They thought that was pretty funny.

We look forward to many more years of Molly in our life.  She brings us daily joy unlike any of her siblings.  We love you Moll Doll.

It's a boy

We went for Amanda's twenty week ultrasound this morning and found out that our little one is a boy.  We are very excited.  Both Amanda and I were a little shocked as we were both expecting a girl.  Our boys are really jazzed and Molly cried.  She really wanted another sister.  That only lasted for a few minutes though. 

We are all so thankful to God for his mercy to us in giving us what appears to be another healthy child. 

Molly Pearl

There are some people in the world that seem to have two very distinct personalities.  There is the private and the public.  Molly is one of these.  At home, she is a complete chatter box.  She is funny, vivacious and creative.  Invite some people over or bring her out in public, and the transformation happens.  She becomes shy and introverted. 

To proved this to all of you who only know the public Molly, I shot the video below.  Molly has been composing some of her own music.  It's hilarious.  It's mostly on the topic of God and the cross.  Very interesting.  Lately Ben has taken to accompanying her while she improvises.  Enjoy.

New skis

When my mom was here this fall, she got cross country skis for all the boys.  Today was our first day out.  It was great.  We are so thankful to live in a place where we can do this just outside our door.  The boys started on the driveway and once they got that down they headed into the back to break some trail.  When I watch the boys in situations like this, their personalities all stand out so prominently.  Matthew is our natural athlete.  He looked as if he had been skiing all his life, very fluid and effortless.  Caleb is quiet and determined.  He put his nose to the grindstone and got to work.  Ben started out complaining about the cold until he made it into a race with the other two.  Then his competitive side came out and he was off.  Molly, our sweet little girl, came out and stuck right next to Matthew.  They are best friends and it's fun to see how much she loves him.

We look forward to many more days of skiing at Providence Farm.  Thanks, Mom, for the skis.

The race is on.

And Ben is the winner.

See all the skiing photos here.

December

"The Assassination of Lincoln" by the Gammons Players

This is the kind of stuff you do when you're educated at home.  The boys were studying Lincoln's assassination.  Amanda sent me these photos of the kids' subsequent production.  I especially love the performance of the actress portraying Mary Todd Lincoln.

My Girls

I posted about what I have been thinking about the boys and their futures last week.  Last night we were reading our latest read aloud "Caddie Woodlawn" by Carol R. Brink.  It is the story of a pioneer girl in Wisconsin.  She is allowed, mostly by her father, to run and play and romp with her brothers.  Her mother would like her to be more of a "lady."  As she gets a little older she begins to struggle with the tension of who she is and who she wants to be and who others want her to be.

In the passage we read last night, she gets in big trouble with her mother because she and her brothers play a practical joke on their cousin from Boston.  She is sent to her room without any supper.  After everyone else is asleep, her father comes up to her room and sits on her bed.  He puts her warm hand in his cool hand and says to her the following.

It’s a strange thing, but somehow we expect more of girls than of boys. It is the sisters and wives and mothers, you know, Caddie, who keep the world sweet and beautiful. What a rough world it would be if there were only men and boys in it, doing things in their rough way! A woman’s task is to teach them gentleness and courtesy and love and kindness. It’s a big task, too, Caddie—harder than cutting trees or building mills or damming rivers. It takes nerve and courage and patience, but good women have those things. They have them just as much as the men who build bridges and carve roads through the wilderness. A woman’s work is something fine and noble to grow up to, and it is just as important as a man’s. But no man could ever do it so well.  I don’t want  you to be the silly, affected person with fine clothes and manners whom folks sometimes call a lady.  No, that is not what I want for you, my little girl.  I want you to be a woman with a wise and understanding heart, healthy in body and honest in mind.

I love this quote.  The spirit of it is what I want for my girls.  I want them to do the work that God has for them in a strong way like their mother and their grandmothers and their great-grandmothers before them.

Country Living: Overalls

When I posted about the kids selling our excess produce, my sales consultant suggested that they purchase some overalls.  What do you think?  Could you pass up buying some cukes from this sales team?

Future Entrepreneurs

Fresh cucumbers, 25 cents.  That's what the sign said on Saturday morning in front of our house.  We've been getting a bumper crop of cukes out of our garden so we told the kids to set up shop at the end or our driveway. It was a ton of fun to watch them all out there.  At first they didn't do a great job of customer service.  After my brief lesson though, they were off and running.  They sold through their stock and made almost $8.00.  My favorite quotes from the morning were when Caleb said to a woman, "If you see us out here again, be sure to stop."  Then the next day Caleb asked Amanda, "Can we only sell cucumbers on Saturday?"  I think he may have the itch.

July Update

I read a while back that a blog is updated at least every day or two.  If you don't update that often, then you're just a website.  Amanda suggested that due to my lack of updating, I pull down this website.  I don't think I'm ready to do that yet.  I actually have quite a few posts ready to get up.  Look for those early this week.

To get started, here's a quick July update.

We celebrated the 4th of July with a great party and a mess of friends at our house.

We celebrated Molly's fourth birthday.  I loved go out for breakfast with her.  The cousins all got together to celebrate at Micky D's.

Lucy's hair got long enough to put into pig tails.

We spent the last week in Michigan at my mom's house with my siblings and their families.  There will be more to come on that, but here's a teaser.

We look forward to continuing to share our lives with you in this way.  Thanks for checking back.  Thanks for reading.

Cousins

Since Tricia is posting about our upcoming time together with my family, I thought I would post these pictures of Molly and her cousin Davy.  Davy is the topic of almost daily discussion.  She can't wait to get to Gigi's to play with Davy.  As Tricia wrote in her email to us, here's to many more years of these pictures.

4 years of Molly Pearl

Yesterday we celebrated Molly's fourth birthday.  It consisted of fun things like our normal breakfast with dad, lunch with cousins at McDonald's, and ended with a slumber party where Amanda joined Molly in her bed.  The last part was by special request.  She loves her mommy.  At about 9:00, I came in and Molly was "braiding" Amanda's hair.  We have treasured every moment of the last four years with Molly.  She is a precious addition to our family.  My prayer for her is that God continues to shape her into the girl and woman he wants her to be and that he draws her to himself and gives her the gift of salvation.  Happy Birthday, Moll Doll.

Molly

Quotes: Why didn't they sing?

Last night we were lying in bed watching the president do his State of the Union address.  Molly was in between Amanda and me.  When the president had made his way to the podium and began speaking, Molly said,

"Why didn't they sing?"

Amanda's reply was, "because this isn't church."

Molly shot back, "Then what is it?"

Huffington Post/AP

Molly

Some of my favorite pics of Molly from the last few months