Independence Day Celebration: Sneak Peek

While the men were off shooting....

Can you guess what the Ladies did?

Victoria, Havilah, Shiloh, Bethany, Elanee, Eden, Joy, Yvonne, & Mrs. S.

Think.... Target Practice, Good Aim, Boundaries,.....  etc.

Happy Indepence Day!

"I in­stant­ly felt the im­pulse to write a pa­tri­o­tic hymn of my own, adapt­ed to the tune. Pick­ing up a scrap of waste pa­per which lay near me, I wrote at once, prob­ab­ly with­in half an hour, the hymn ‘Amer­i­ca’ as it is now known ev­ery­where. The whole hymn stands to­day as it stood on the bit of waste paper."  -Samuel F. Smith | 1831 

My Country ‘Tis of Thee

My country, ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims’ pride,
From every mountainside,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

No more shall tyrants here
With haughty steps appear,
And soldier bands;
No more shall tyrants tread
Above the patriot dead—
No more our blood be shed
By alien hands.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees,
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers’ God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To Thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our king.

Staying Creative

This is an interesting video that I found on the CollegePlus! Blog. 

I love the first two steps- which tell you to write lists and carry a notebook everywhere!  I love making lists and carry my notebook (which often is a calender) along with me when on the go! :)

I found that I already do a lot of the things mentioned in this video-- what about you?  Do you have any tips on how to stay creative?

Posted By: Shiloh

Science Lessons 101

I caught a lizard today (yes, I actually went out and caught one-- surprise!!).  This was simply a homeschooling moment that couldn't be wasted whether I dislike lizards or not... 

Anyhow, Havilah, Judah, and Benjamin were delighted to look at this "lovely" little specimen....  And thus began their very first science lesson of the season.

Finally, after looking at the "cute" little guy--it was time to say goodbye and let him go-

Judah had the honors of dumping him out of the bag-

And everyone watched him creep away...

Remarks made by the children~

• In response to the question of what color he was, Havilah answered, "....Green...."
• After studying the lizard for a moment, Judah declared, "He's looking at me!"
• When the lizard seemed somewhat close to Benjamin he responded, "Eeeeeh!!!!"

 Stay tuned for future Science Updates....  Perhaps next time it will be a snake....

Posted By: Shiloh

OCEANetwork Conference 2011

This last weekend we enjoyed the 2011 OCEANetwork Homeschool Convention!

We had a wonderful time.  Well, who wouldn't?!  Conferences are great places to fellowship with old friends, meet new ones, hear great speakers, and to enjoy a very fun weekend.

Of course I will be document this event with the following pictures!  ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Empty seats waiting for the conference to start!

Our family settling down for the first session.

Dr. Voddie Bachum was one of the keynote speakers... and let me tell you, he was phenomenal!

Getting ready for the next move to make...

...Which was visiting the Exhibitors Hall!  One of our favorite things to do at a conference.

Shiloh and I were able to help Yvonne Smythe at her booth of handmade soaps.

The next day we enjoyed lunch with the cuties...

Judah...

Benjamin...

Havilah...

...and the Bisceglia Ladies!

Havilah playing outside...

...And after the conference, we enjoyed getting some exercise (or making escalator get the exercise!) with friends!

Afterwards we went to dinner with the Smythe family.  They showed us their family's Newest Addition!

Eden and I take the car for a spin!

Actually, Jordan was the "lucky" one!  :)

Camera wars here we come!!!!!!

And little Judah... catching up on some much needed sleep after such a busy weekend!

If any of you attended this conference, please comment and let us know!  We'd love to hear from you!

Posted By:

~Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Father's Day...

...To the most wonderful Father in the world!

"We love you, Daddy!"

Shiloh, Bethany, Jordan, Eden, Judah, Havilah, & Benjamin

"I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father."

~2 John 1:4