Jo turns 12!

To celebrate this year we took a family trip to a local climbing place.
Jo did not know where we were going and was pleasantly surprised and totally excited once we got going.

It was a super fun day.

Here are the boys in a tunnel I was surprised I couldn't do because I was so claustrophobic getting in!

New fears exposed and yet to be conquered. But all the kids loved the tunnels. Even Scott made his way through once. (And got stuck going head first and has to go back a ways to a larger spot to turn himself around so that he'd come to a drop feet first instead of head first! See, my fears are legitimate!)

Anyway.

Jo was blessed and truly loved his day. 

Happy birthday Jo!

Plant Identification

We grabbed these Audubon books at the library and are on a mission to at least identify every plant and tree and bird we see in our apartment complex.

It's been fun so far, but we've skipped ones we couldn't get quickly, so it's going to become more difficult in the days to come. Still, I think it's a great thing to know what's around you and hopefully it will propel them into being interested in identifying more of nature as we encounter it outside our usual bubble. 

Supper in the monastery

Since we're still in the Middle Ages (in our studies), we had supper like the monks in England. Lentil soup, home baked (but not authentically "crusty") bread (with no butter), apples and cheese, and water. And... Silence!

Milk shopping

What is the difference between these 3 jugs of milk?

According to the code on the back that shows where the milk is from...

Only the price!

Crazy that all 3 are from 06-2238, Alta Dena Dairy!

Why pay the extra 2 bucks?

Ministry in the apartment complex

Our apartment complex has a little community center where kids can go for tutoring 2-3x/wk. We try to head down and my kids use the computer lab to work on khan academy or typing  while I attempt to help other kids with their homework. In his way, we have got to know about 25 kids in the complex and some of their parents who come by. We also get to know kids at the playground and have met another 20 or so that way. Most of the parents only speak Spanish so my language skills are definitely challenged and growing daily! The kids have resolved to throw out French and learn Spanish instead. We pick up picture books in Spanish at the local library to try to grow their vocabulary.

I have also been attending a Bible study in Spanish in one family's apartment. Though I've not taken my kids yet, the kids who come watch a Bible video in Spanish while the parents are studying. It's a very basic study of foundational truths. Perfect for the community that is traditionally catholic.

I hope to have a kids Bible study once a week in the summer and maybe carry over into the school year now that I've seen that many kids are frequently at their leisure about the complex after school hours.

Looking forward to all the Lord has for us in this place. 

First bike ride of the year!

The bikes were still stored at my dad's until this week. But we made room in our garage, changed a flat, aired up all the tires and headed out.

We visited a new (to us) park - Gilman. And the kids hiked around, played, and found frogs.

Just as we got to the park Sy got a flat and I had left the patch kit on the shelf in the garage. ): so everyone moved up a bike and I walked/ran with Sy's little bike for a little over a mile til Scott rescued me and picked up the bike on his way home. Then I just ran the last 1/2 mile alongside the kids on bikes. Fun day!

CA African American Museum & Science Center

CAAM totally inappropriate for children and a sad representation of the African American community (in my humble opinion). But so much so that I told the lady at the entrance desk who replied "well, I guess there are more art than historical exhibits right now."

I asked about the class of 6-year-old school children, wondering if their parents knew that going to the "African American Museum" was so graphic and inappropriate. If I was a parent signing a permission slip, I would never had guessed what my child would see!

My 4 actually asked why anyone (including me) would bring children here. 

Needless to say, our visit was brief - like 10 minutes to see all 5 galleries brief. 

If we want to learn about African Americans, we'll have to find some other resources. 

On a happier note, we visited the science center today and found new exhibits. Some we missed during our last visit at Christmas time, some that had changed.