O to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be;
let that grace now, like a fetter, bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander -- Lord I feel it -- prone to leave the God I love:
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.
Robert Robinson, 1758

Friday, April 19, 2013

Just a Few Things Going On

Here are our most recent pictures.

Sheep Brain Dissection -- very cool!

Will's first game to pitch 
Love the facial expressions!!


Good swing!

Hit a double

Cheering on his teammate who just made a strikeout


Maggie had a tough game, but she played hard!





     Well, here it is April, and I am finally putting up some pictures and typing an update -- all because Will's game was rained out tonight, and Ryan is out of town. Our first semester of homeschooling with both Will and Meredith has gone very well, and the semester has zoomed by. We have had lots of fun, and I have been so excited to see Will's progress and enthusiasm. We have read some very fun books, done some cool projects, and learned some excellent history, Bible and science lessons. I am so very thankful to have him home and see how the Lord is blessing this endeavor.
     Besides homeschooling, we also have Maggie's basketball and Will's and Ryan's baseball to keep us busy. Meredith will be playing t-ball this year, as well, but her season does not start until May, which is a blessing! Maggie has loved basketball, and she is now playing on a little more competitive team for just the 5th grade girls. This current league is great for teaching some more advanced skills along with building relationships with girls who will be in her class next year for middle school. (MIDDLE SCHOOL!! I can hardly believe it!!) Will has had a lot of rainouts this year, but he is LOVING baseball. He plays second base, and for now his team has won their first 4 games. (Will got a clinch hit the other night in a game that was tied 6-6 with bases loaded, 2 outs, and in which he had struck out twice already. The Lord gave him an exciting unintentional bunt down the 3rd base line, and he hit in the winning run!) Meredith is currently involved in ballet, and her dance recital comes up in just a few weeks. Other than that, she is becoming quite the writer. She is constantly writing notes to us, leaving them beside our beds or other places, or just writing notes in her notebook.
      In other news, we were able to see our new baby cousin/nephew Ford, a few weeks ago when we went to celebrate Jan Jan's 85th birthday. It was quite a visit. I took the kids by myself since Ryan had baseball games in Memphis. The not-so-fun part was getting caught in a golfball-size hailstorm on the interstate south of Grenada right after dark. God was good in protecting us, and Ryan was very thankful to have us home!
      Here are some pics of our winter and spring events:

Maggie's New Year Celebration

Maggie's Necklace for Meredith

Rice Krispie Hanging Gardens of Babylon




Jan Jan with all of her great grandchildren
Feeding Cocoa
Gathering fresh grass for Cocoa
Sweet cousin time





Cold outing at the botanic gardens
Getting ready for the tip-off

Maggie had a tough defensive assignment. Thankfully Kyra is now on her team for the competitive league.


Queen Esther
Greek theater mask


My birthday flowers from Ryan



Sweet Babe





Maggie holding Ford

Meredith LOVED having a chance to hold a little baby


Nana with 4 of her grandchildren


So sweet to hold a baby!!



So happy for this new Mama!!

Will getting ready for the pitch

Rare shot of me with straight hair after a hair cut

Trying to get a view of our backyard that Will helped me with yesterday