THE MOFFATT CLAN

I've MOVED!

2011-01-22T07:13:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. I have a new blog/website that is focused a lot more on my business of crafting, sewing, and decorating. You can find me at www.aprilmoffattdesign.com

Can't wait to see you there.

2010-10-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Ellie turns 8!

Helping mom with her Barbie cake. Ellie like this job as you can see.

I've only made one other Barbie cake ever and the last one was sort of a flop. Actually it was racey. Her frosting top slid off as we blew out the candles! This one went a little bit better. Stiff icing is the trick.

I'm so thankful for my older daughters who along with their friends did a lot of work that day for Ellie. We had a spa party and Kate, her friend Lizzy, and her friend Isabel were the "technicians". They soaked all the little girls feet and hands, and painted their toe nails and finger nails. So fun!

The girls converted the lanai into the Spa.

Gracie designed the dining room decorations.

The workers; Isabel, Kate, and Lizzy.

Soaking.

This picture just cracked me up! They were showing each other pictures of rugs, commenting on which ones were cute or ugly! Do you like the spaghetti pot and mop bucket soakers? Yea, we're pretty classy around here.

Mom and her girl.

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You would not believe how much frosting is on this baby!

Happy Birthday honey!

Making jewelry out of Sculptey Clay.

Dance contest.

Birthday Tradition: Birthday Spanks. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 1 to grow on, and a sock to grow a block and a pinch to grow an inch! Your not offically 8 until you've had your birthday spanks!

A yardstick of gum. Who doesn't need a yardstick of gum?

Pretty happy about the yard stick of gum!

Mom and dad, this is what you bought Ellie. The baby moves and talks. It's freaky. She loves it.

Celebrating 8 Years of Ellie Sue

2010-10-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

It's kinda been a while...

2010-09-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Haven't blogged in a while...it's just that we've been so busy melting in South Carolina that I couldn't get myself out of the puddle of sweat that seems to follow me everywhere. I know, gross! It's been HOT and SWEATY. Even my house sweats. It's finally starting to cool down at night a bit and it's even been a little bit breezy. I tell you what though, I would have died as a southern belle. Petticoats and girdles, no thank you sir. By the way, I said "ya'll" for the first time this week. It came out before I could stop it. Here's few pics of just normal summer life.

Ellie and Gracie with their little friends, Olivia and Becca. Jammies and popsicles are the best.

Ellie posing like Vanna in front of the Summerville sign.

One of the lovely and romantic trees of the south; Live Oak covered in Spanish Moss.

There's a story here. Ellie and I getting drinks at Sonic. Ellie sees some guys car (apparently painting your car after your favorite candy is big here in the south). Ellie laughing till she cries because the man who drives this car must want to marry a grape starburst. Ahh...7 year old humor.

Florida with the Feareys

2010-07-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

We got to see the Feareys in Florida when we drove down to pick up Katy from camp. We all went to Bushe Gardens for the day which was really fun, but the best part was getting to see them. For some reason though I forgot to take very many pictures even though I lugged that huge camera all over the park. I love this picture of sweet Hannah and Katy. I also love the look Ellie is giving her dad after watching him tame that wild beast he's riding. Classic.

The Moffatts Moved Where???

2010-05-18T04:12:00.000-07:00

Ummm...yes, we moved again, and as you can imagine I'm a little behind at posting pictures and updates. However I have been taking pictures and so in a sloppy effort to get current I'm going to post a bunch of stuff at once. Short version: John took a permanent job in Charleston, South Carolina and now we all live together again. (Yea! The crowd goes wild).
Yeah, we're pretty excited to have our dad and husband back, what a SUPER blessing.

Here are some slide shows to enjoy:

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Fort Benning Infantry Museum

2010-03-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at Fort Benning's Infantry Museum. It is a beautiful facility and an incredible museum.

"Follow Me" memorial honoring the foot soldiers who "win the last 100yds. of any battle".

These next photos aren't the greatest since the museum required me turning my flash off and I really only know how to take automatic pictures;) However you can see a little bit of how the museum is set up. You walk through a very life-like setting of the 8 most famous battles in US history. Ellie was scared by all the artillery and shelling noises, but honestly it WAS scary. It was overwhelming to feel a tiny bit of what it would be like to truly be in battle. I can't even imagine.

Distinquished beyond their years and experience, Grace and Ellie were promoted to Drill Sergeant and were permitted to drill a new recruit (He was in actuality a Lieutenant headed for duty in Germany who was good enough to be bossed around by our little General). Grace didn't make that great of a drill Sergeant, being "soft" and too kind-hearted. Ellie on the other hand...well let's just say she may of found her calling. Yelling out commands and critizing the new recruit's performance was right up her alley. She made him do 80 push-ups after the first 20 were "too slow"!

Ellie revelling in her temporary power.

A great day for everyone that will not soon be forgotten.

Life in a Hotel Room...

2010-03-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

What do 6 people do when they live in a Hotel room?

They swim.

They play lots of Horse-opoly.

They play video games in bed.

They watch Gracie knit lots of things.

They ALL drink lots of free coffee.

(Actually this picture shows the end result of us waiting in the car for Ellie. She said she had to go to the bathroom. Well, after 10 minutes mom went looking for her to find her chillin' with her cup of coffee and baby. Apparently Lily kept her up all night with a tummy ache and she really needed a coffee;) John says all we need to do is get her hooked on smokes and our amazing parenting will be complete!)

UNBELIEVEABLE

2010-03-11T10:50:00.000-08:00

I can deal with lizards crawling all over, killing snakes, and pigeons that will steal your sandwich, but this was a little much. Yesterday was a day of biblical proportions. At 11am we were overcome by subterranean termites. In about 30 seconds our whole sunroom was SWARMING with the little suckers. They started coming through the cracks of the door. Then they started OOZing through the walls and ceilings. I screamed at Jack to get my Dyson and started sucking them up as fast as possible (gunslinger style). The girls wetted down towels to seal the cracks; Grace kept getting distracted because she wanted to look at the bugs to discover if they were male or female!!! I'm like "Who freakin' cares, KILL THEM NOW!" Then Ellie starts screaming, "Mom they're upstairs in my room!" OK we're moving and buying new stuff.

Needless to say we needed professional help. I am now in Georgia, staying with John while my house is being bombed with poison. As if the day wasn't bizarre enough (packing clothes as fast as possible while shaking bugs off of them!) the neighbor calls right as I'm crossing state lines at 10pm and says their cat somehow got locked in my house! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? UNBELIEVEABLE. No it doesn't end there. I hit a possum 20 minutes outside of Columbus. So now I have about 5 billion insect bodies carcasses in my house, people I barely know cat hunting in my house, and possum guts on my bumper. AWESOMESICK,SICK,SICK!!!

The Move

2010-03-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

OK mom, this post is for you, because I'm pretty sure no one else cares where I've decided to put my couch! Our move went great. Thankfully we were able to wait until the weekend when John was home to move into our little place. Some people from Gulf Coast Community showed up to help us move (some of them I had never even met before). What a blessing God's family is! They got us all moved in and a sweet family even brought us a delicious dinner. It was such a blessing.

This is what these two think of moving. Our teeny-tiny kitchen.Our front porch/sunroom/garage complete with hammock and boogie-boards!

Can you believe Geraniums in February?

We are slowly settling in, learning the roads, where the grocery store is, and how fast the water heater can drain:)

Mom, I'll post more pictures when it's less messy. -Love Me

Where In The World Have the Moffatts Gone?

2010-02-24T19:45:00.000-08:00

Well first and foremost we have been trying really hard not to go to crazytown, although many days I am the mayor of crazy town (thank you Lemony Snickett for letting me steal one of your best lines).

Since Christmas John has been in Columbus, Georgia on assignment at a large hospital there. He works 10 days there and then gets to come back for 4 days off. The kids and I went and stayed one week with him which was...umm...gruts. That's great and nuts mixed together. I mean the hotel had two bedrooms, but there's only so much to do in Columbus besides eating fried food and more fried food, and four kids and one mom armed with a tub of books- hello stress! Not to mention that we are still being jolted occassionally by the culture of the south.

The last month has been especially difficult as I have spent countless hours in the car with all the kids trying to find a place to live. It has proved much more difficult than I ever expected. I'm sure you're asking why. Well, first and foremost housing is still somewhat expensive in Florida, even though every 6th house is for sale or sitting empty. Second, many people going through foreclosure are trying to rent their homes in the short time before the bank takes back their property. This is a bad situation for the renter and takes a bit of investigative work to find out about. Last, there are a lot of people in need of a rental. Many times I would put in an application on a home I was 3rd or 4th in line.

During this time I have been extremely stretched. I am a woman of action and so to just "wait" has just about killed me. The kids have been pretty much miserable as well. Three months of sleeping on the floor and having very little personal space or privacy has definately been a strain. Not to mention how despertately they miss their daddy. After all we are all very selfish and being uncomfortable is something that I know I want to skirm away from. This update is probably sounding depressing but I wanted to share our failures and frustrations because it makes God's faithfulness through this time that much more beautiful.

The very first Sunday I flew out with the kids to Tampa we found a church (thank you Nate!). It was SOOOO hard to leave our brothers and sisters at Faith and we just knew that it would take us a very long time to find a church. I swear God has a sense of humor because it truly was the first church we tried. John and I both cried through the worship time and turned to each other after and said "this is it." We had complete peace about it. The people at Gulf Coast Community have poured out themselves into us and it has been wonderful! We aren't serving or very involved yet at all which is pretty weird for us, but the people their have just been such a blessing to us. The church is in St. Petersburg and we have been staying in Brandon which is about a 45 minute drive across the bay (yes, you drive for 7 miles across the ocean- just you, your car, and a little strip of floating road!).

John has been traveling as I mentioned, a lot. This has been much harder than I could have ever imagined. I hate being a single parent. It's really hard not to just be angry because the burden is too large for one person. It has given me a lot of compassion for single parents, for my sister-in-law Kelly who does it so often, and for all the parents I know and meet who have no other choice. It's extremely isolating.

John is also very ~~homesick~~ familysick (we're still confused where "home" is). He is doing quite wonderful in his position. He also does really enjoy the work that he's doing and for that, and the steadiness of his job we are very thankful. Pray that he will be able to interview for a permanent position soon. If I think too much about him going on like this for many more months...well, let's just say my computer will be wet!

We are going to be moving out, into a rental house that I found, this weekend. It's in downtown St. Pete and is quaint, charming, and very old. The kids are so very excited to open boxes and remember what they own! The house is near all the fun things to do so I'm going to pretend that we are on vacation (seeing as I don't know when we shall be moving again!). If anyone wants to visit us, we have room for guests and you could come play in the white sands on the Gulf of Mexico with us.

Thank you to all of you who have been much better than I have at reaching out, keeping in touch, and checking up on us. For so many weeks I felt like I had nothing really to share that wouldn't have been a complaint and I have been trying so hard not to complain (except to John...poor man). We really do appreciate all of our dear friends and family who are so far away in distance. We miss you all very much.

Check out the next post...i put up some pics of the house.

2010-02-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

Our new address:

645 th 6th Ave. N.

St. Petersburg, Fl

33701

This is the cute little house we are going to be living in. It's just a few blocks from all downtown, the pier, and the beaches; slightly sketchy area but a great little park right across our one way street.

The front porch was inclosed with windows so now there's 2 front doors. It's like being double welcomed. Fireplace that one would rarely need in Florida.

Itsy-bitsy kitchen:)

Its like living in a little dollhouse with palm trees.

Gracie Turns 9 and Visits a Bunch of Fish and Reptiles!

2009-12-20T05:54:00.000-08:00

Jack and Katy helped me decorate the hotel room after Gracie fell asleep to give her morning a little more festivity.

Good morning 9 year old!

7am and everyone has their smile on.

After we sent John off to work I took the kids to the South Carolina Aquarium.

This was the perfect place to celebrate our little biologist's birthday. Grace said herself it could have only been better had we been able to find a whole museum devotely solely to insects. The rest of us appreciated that South Carolina doesn't have one of those and that we had to settle for mostly fish!

Mr. Turtle here weights 250 pounds.

The girls talking with the playful otters.

We decided that both the girls could fit in the belly of a Great White Shark. Scary!

Ellie and an Emperor Penguin model.

We ended her birthday celebration with dinner at olive Garden. Happy Birthday baby girl!

The Carriage Ride

2009-12-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Dad got to join us after work.

Our guide was a South Carolinian and gave us a very informational tour. His history of the Revolutionary war and Civil War varied quite a bit from the history I've learned. Apparently Carolina was the richest, biggest, and brightest colony. They had a better Tea Party because they just stole the tea and kept it for themselves. They fought more battles and sacrificed more than any other colony. Apparently Texas and California once belonged to Carolina as well. The Civil War or "The War of Northern Aggression" was a great indecency done to the south. He even said that slavery wasn't that bad because slaves had the freedom to fish and hunt after their chores were done. Interesting. The arrogance and pride that came from a man who drove a tourists carriage for a living was unbelievable to me. Very interesting nonetheless.

A passing carriage.

You can see the architectural influence from the people who came from Barbados in the pretty pastel-colored homes.

The 200 year old Live Oaks are also a favorite of mine.

I love the laterns!

Not exactly a historic sight, but classic in its own special way.

Notice the gas laterns on the walls of the buildings. They are lit 365 days a year all through the city. It makes for a beautiful romantic city but has a funny back story. The city is all piped for natural gas, but the plans of the pipes were lost long ago and so, to make sure there are no explosions from pockets of gas build-up, everyone has to burn natural gas year round.

A tavern down this alley has a chair at the bar that no one is allowed to sit in ever, because George Washington once sat in that chair!

Some of the headstones in this church cemetary dated back to the 1700's.

Another gas latern in the portico of a beautiful church.

Jack and Katy enjoying King St.

The end of a great day. Pizza and monoploy await us back at the hotel room.

More Charleston...

2009-12-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

So part of our day we just explored downtown seeing the sights and kinda killing some time until John could get off and join us for a carriage ride around the city.

This is the Old Slave Market, called that not because slaves were sold here, but because the slaves would bring thier masters' wares here to trade and sell. It is now full of vendors selling cheap trinkets, artwork, and our personal favorite baskets. Women sit down in the vendor booths weaving the most beautiful baskets from local sweet grasses that grow. This is a skill that the peoples captured in Africa and brought over as slaves to the Americas brought with them.

Taking a little break.

The girls showing off their big purchases.

Some high quality art. Grace named her the Cowalisa.

A classic moment in the moment in the Moffatt family. Jack trying to explain one of his hilarious jokes to his sisters. Notice how much they are enjoying his humor:)

Jack enjoying his own joke.

Ahhh...a moment into my life. This is what I get endure...I mean enjoy everyday. Awesome.

The Old Exchange and Provost Dunegeon c. 1771

2009-12-18T05:57:00.000-08:00

The dungeon complete with talking wax workers, prisoners, and pirates.

Dancing in the Great Hall. This is the room for where the Congressional Delegates ratified the Constitution and where George Washington dance with over 160 ladies. we actually got to see his dance card!

The dining room as it was over 200 years ago.

Amazing Architecture in Charleston

2009-12-18T05:17:00.001-08:00

The sea wall that holds the Atlantic back from washing away much of the city.

Built in 1761, St. Michael's Episcopal Church has had George Washington and Robert E. Lee worship inside. Charleston is called the Holy City because it has so many churches (186) in just the historic district. the colony was religiously free allowing many types of faith to settle and worship here.

The three sisters houses. Built for three homely sisters by their father to entice someone into marrying them. Apparently they all died single, but lived in lovely homes.

My favorite building and one of the oldest. Dating back to the 1600's where this building was a tavern and inn housing pirates and supposedly even Blackbeard.

Road Trip to South Carolina

2009-12-18T05:02:00.000-08:00

5:30 am, 4 kids, 1 mom and a very full trunk set off to take on the 426 miles that separated us from John. Here we come honey! This is a cute little town we stopped at in Northern Florida. Heather I wished you could have seen the cute little houses and churches. it was adorable.

This in december. I know that I'm still a northerner at heart because this is just plain weird.

Kinda crowded for a 7.5 hour drive, but there were only about 3 arguements. Not bad.

So happy to see their Daddy!

Walk Through Bethlehem

2009-12-18T04:03:00.000-08:00

We took the girls to a local church that puts on "A Walk Through Bethlehem". It was a pretty amazing feat this church undertook, touring more that 1,500 people a day through the event. It started outside the city gates and our touring group was a family of Jews from the tribe of Benjamin. Caleb was our patriarch and guide and we were definitely treated like Jews. John got yelled at and even shoved around a bit by the roman guards for being "a stinking goat herding Jew!"

The synagogue where the Jewish leaders argued and debated and where the scribes worked endlessly.

Caleb trying to get more information from a woman at the well about a rumor that the Messiah had been born. The woman laughed and jeered that the babies mother was supposedly a virgin.

A Jewish family of potters who heard that the mother who gave birth to a son had to find shelter in a stable since the town was packed full for the census.

The carpenters gave us all cedar chips to place under our nose to help with the smell when we visited the shepherds. Ellie used hers often:)

After much searching in the city and talking to many merchants we found the child who was born in a cave and laid in a manger. His parents had named him Jesus.

We encountered some magi who had been following a strange star and were looking for the child who would become King of the Jews.

Caleb then took us to the hill of Golgatha where Jesus would later die on the cross.

Here Caleb explained the most significant event in history. That Jesus conquered death and sin reigns now and forevermore at the right hand of God. He explained the gospel beautifully and prayed with our touring group.

Feeding a real live camel!

It was a wonderful experience for us all.

Visiting Janelle and Diane

2009-12-18T03:57:00.000-08:00

We spent the day in Maderia Beach visiting with Janelle and her mom Diane. Where we are standing in the picture is Janelle's backyard! It drops to a sea wall that holds back the bay waters. Craziness!

It was really good to spend time with the girls and see someone familar.

2009-12-03T19:48:00.001-08:00

Clearwater Beach; Still feels like we're on vacation

2009-11-19T17:53:00.000-08:00

The kids and I spent the day yesterday at Clearwater Beach, about 30 minutes from where we are staying. It feels like I am on vacation (albeit as a single mother), but nevertheless I still am having a difficult time believing that we have moved. I'm sure a huge part of that is because we really aren't settled permanently and we still are not sure where we will be when the dust finally settles. For a girl who likesto plan that is a bit trying, however the Lord is good and has been teaching me to take one day at a time and not let my mind wander too far ahead.

John is in South Carolina at a university hospital and will return this coming Wednesday. Yippee! We also found out that it looks as though he will be working in the Tampa area for most of December. This is a huge blessing to our family. We truly miss all our friends and other family so please keep in touch!

We're Here!

2009-11-16T06:43:00.001-08:00

We are actually here in Florida, living here. I have to keep saying it because it doesn't feel real to me at all. I feel like we are visiting relatives or something. Very strange.

The Lord has been very good to us though over the last few days. Traveling by myself with the kids and the amount of carry-on luggage I decided to take was slightly stressful:) The airlines had us all sitting in different sections of the plane on the long flight from Phoenix to Tampa. Obviously that wasn't ideal but the flight was full and the airlines were not willing to move anyone. I started praying/pleading that the Lord would sit us next to someone kind and thankfully he did. A lady gave up her window seat next to me to trade with Ellie (Ellie was crying at this point), and I was extremely grateful. The other kids had to sit by themselves but did really well over the next 3.5 hours. Gracie's big eyes only filled with tears one time towards the end when I went to check on her and the older man next to her had fallen asleep all slumped over on her. I woke him up 2 more times during the trip to ask him to stop sleeping on her! Poor thing. I finally told her she could kindly elbow him if he did it again:)

As we flew into Tampa I was overwhelmed at the view of Florida. There really is water everywhere! The state looks like a giant sponge floating in a bathtub. In fact, in the mornings mist floats in many places like wisps of fog. Getting off the airplane was huge relief and it became clear how much the kids missed their daddy when they rounded a corner and saw him for the first time in a month. They were like moths around a flame, all trying to get their turns with him. I had been keeping it together pretty well until then...

Driving to Brandon from the airport was beautiful. Tampa truly is a lovely city, especially since freeway views are not usually the best. Downtown is beautiful and there seems to be ocean every direction you gaze.

Yesterday we took the kids to Anna Maria Island, on the southern tip of the bay, and then proceeded to drive over the giant water causeways to the west beach towns of St. Petersberg and Clearwater. It was really beautiful. In fact, it reminds me somewhat of the prettiest parts of Southern California without the pollution and psycho traffic.

I know my mom was hoping I would hate it, but so far it's really lovely:)

As far as adjusting I know it's going to take quite a while. First of all, John hasn't got a permanent posting yet and we don't know at all how long that will take. Second, the latter causes us to not know where we are going to live and so, as more changes are sure to come, I'm trying to not waste to much energy learning information that I may never need to know!

I did however, take John to the airport this morning by myself and I got home without getting lost. All of this at 5:30am! Of course I had our little gps gadget that the Ellie named "LaFonda". Her voice sounds more like a "Susan" but oh well, she helps a lot.

This week will probably consist of just getting settled, learning where the basic places are in Brandon, and getting back on some sort of school schedule. The kids brains are like oatmeal presently. I will definately keep posting pictures of our adventures and also ask for prayer from our loved ones for our adjustment and that we would be submissive to the Lord in whatever he has for us here in the big sponge!

Camping is Now Banned...

2009-07-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to all of you who are praying for us, who posted words of encouragement on my blog (I needed that!), and who helped us move! What a blessing. I HATE feeling like a burden to anyone but receiving help is such a blessing so THANK YOU again.

We are officially at my parents (2060 Karen Dr. Meridian) and are mostly moved out of the Tysons. My legs feel like rubber and I am disgusted at how much stuff we own. I'll post some pics of our cute little "nest" when I get some time but I have a funny story to share.

We are all being stretched in a lot of ways right now, one of which is space. Our last 3 houses were pretty big and we could all get away from one other for the most part. That is proving to be slightly more challenging here. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get back into running:)

Anyways we are sharing 1 bathroom between 6 people (Miss Eagy can relate here). Well 3 of my kids are readers and the bathroom seems to be a favorite place for that. Tonight I actually had to make a rule called "No reading and camping in the bathroom".
Didn't really ever think I was going to have to ban the written word like that, but the truth is there is just no time. With one bathroom it's gotta be an all business kind of thing. Get in and get out. I know that we are spoiled Americans and dependent on our creature comforts but it doesn't make it that much easier giving them up just knowing that you're spoiled. It's still just one bathroom. Maybe I could make a cute sign that says "No Camping" or "Get'er Done" or...hmmm...I think I need to go to bed. I'm rambling.

Well thank you again for the encouragement and prayers. We need them!

This world is not my home...

2009-07-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

I've been convicted of late that my blog is a lame excuse of "sharing" our life with others. I mean sure I post cute pictures and funny stories and things that maybe a few people may find mildly interesting, but it is far from a complete picture of my life or of my families. So in an effort to be more transparent I thought I would share with those who care what is really going on in our life. Maybe it will encourage you, maybe you'll just think "what a loser":), but at least I will be sharing something a little more authentic than the still-life menagerie showcased previously.

Right now we are moving again. We have been staying in the Tyson's home while they have been in China on a job assignment. We have had two wonderful years here and are extremely grateful to God and to them for this haven in our tumultuous life. Unfortunately I willingly admit that I've had expectations of God again, (even though I have been patiently taught this lesson many times in the past). I thought that surely two years would give us time enough to get our "act together". I expected that John's job would be better; it's not. I expected to be buying a house of our own again; we're not. I expected to be living somewhere besides my parents; we're not.

It's amazing to me how prideful I am. Everytime someone asks us where we are going to be living I inwardly cringe. "My parents basement" flows from my lips because I must not lie, but oh how I wish that was not the truth! Yes we (all 6 of us) are going to live in my parents basement for??? Who knows how long.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry!

However before this quickly becomes an entire post on me whining I must move on to what the hero of my life is doing. What the Lord is teaching me right now is scary, and completely liberating. This world is not my home. My dreams must be sacrificed on the alter of submission, and the blessing of drawing closer to Him is worth it!

We all take different things to learn these lessons of the Christian walk, but I must admit at times I feel like the dunce of the class. Apparently I need the long, hard, and humiliating road to learn what is really important in this life.

If you think of us, you could pray that we would be humble, that we would trust the Lord with our whole hearts, and that we would not love our desires above the Lords.

I will continue to share what God is working on in us!

This song encouraged me today;

This world is not my home I'm just passing through
my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

They're all expecting me and that's one thing I know
my savior pardoned me and now I onward go
I know He'll take me through though I am weak and poor
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Just up in Glory Land we'll live eternally
the Saints on every hand are shouting victory
their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven's shore
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

O Lord you know I have no friend like you
if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do?
the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

HOLY HAIL!

2009-06-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

Last night we experienced the craziest hail storm. In about 7 minutes it completely poured down on our house. The sound was absolutely deafening!

Jesus, Kids and Gardening; My Plug for Gardening

2009-05-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Ellie and I have been working in the garden a lot the past 2 weeks. We started with these raised planters that were filled with fall leaves, debris, and weeds. It took us several days to just clean up the beds and get them ready for planting, but it gave us ample opportunity to talk. I've been reading through Hosea and Matthew and it dawned on me how much we can miss in our modern era because we are no longer an agrarian society. God's word is overflowing in word pictures whose penetration into our hearts is directly related to our understanding of those ideas. Take gardening (God's first employment of man), unless you grow something from seed it's hard to understand how fantastic and difficult that process really is. Ellie is in the process of witnessing how a tiny seed can grow into a fruit producing bush that by the end of the summer will be as tall as her.
Our planter beds have been a great word picture for us because although the beds looked clean and full of rich soil when we planted our seeds I knew they were not. You see our beds are badly corrupted with a noxious weed called Morning Glory. It's this horrible tuber vine that lies beneath the surface of the soil and sprouts it's fast growing vine sporadically, choking anything in it's way. The kids and I were discussing how much that weed is like our sin and the soil is like our hearts. You can't ever completely eradicate the weed. There are only 2 lines of defense unless you want to completely destroy the beds.

-Daily hand picking every bit of vine that you see.
-And crowding it out with other good plants.

What a perfect image of sin in our lives. If we are to prevail and produce fruit for the Lord, we must be willing to daily pull the morning glory out of our hearts. We can also be encouraged that as we bear more fruit for the Lord there will be less room for the morning glory to take hold.

Hosea 10:12, Matthew 13:24-30

Santa Barbara Zoo

2009-05-26T14:25:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Gracie Takes 2nd Place at Reading Rainbow

2009-05-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2009-05-17T20:19:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

BUMBER CARS!!!

2009-04-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

the california trip part 2

2009-04-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

we went to the coolest pizza place ever it had a game room just like pojos

Justin and Kyle
Ellie's best teeth ever
presenting Ellie the leprechaun

the California Trip part 1

2009-04-03T11:58:00.001-07:00

the trip starts

stopping for some yummy lunch

2009-04-03T11:35:00.000-07:00

Saying Goodbye to Papa JB

2009-03-28T19:52:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

555

2009-02-06T10:36:00.001-08:00

I'm trying to be a good friend to Heather. This is for you babe!

Heather tagged me to post the 5th picture of my 5th folder. It made me cry! Look how little everyone is.

Now I tag:

Lisa W.
Lisa L.
Brenda
Corey
Mariah

Grace Starts a Baking Business

2009-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

Grace thought of starting a baking business called Gourmet Grace. She went to Dad's work, Mr. Hughes work and the O'Hara's house.

Gracie's Grandma even came over to help with the toffee.

Grace hired Kate to be her assistant.

Yummy!

Counting her profits is laborious.

What I love about my Dad...

2009-02-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

My dad is so fun because he is always goofing around with us kids. He doesn't even seem to care what a DORK he is, but we love it! He's always making us laugh- mostly at him. This was waltz turned into disco dancing night.

Dad asking for a waltz.

Ellie sporting some toilet paper as a headband. Weird.

Portfolio Presentations

2009-02-01T12:32:00.000-08:00

The kids get to present samples of all their hard week each semester to our contact teacher at Idaho Distance Education Academy. It's a busy week for us preparing everyone's samples, but is a great experience for the kids to get to present and speak in front of strangers.

Katy explaining the process of photosynthesis.

Gracie showing Ms. Foster her hand-made underwater ocean box.

Ellie reading one of her favorite books for Ms. Foster.

The Christmas Play

2009-01-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

It was funny because Ellie was King Herod.
Mary riding on the donkey's back.
All the little Shepherds
Me (Katy) as the angel Gabriel
Mary and Joesph with baby Jesus

Christmas

2009-01-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

my poppa and Grandma .
Me ,Uncle Wes, and little Trinity (inside she loves her dad.)
I know, he's weird.
Trinity and Jack.
All 15 of us at Christmas.

2009-01-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

Katy coming home from surgury
(here are some pretty cool buildings )
the Mormon temple(wow)
Katy and all her animals and doll
here's another beautiful house

Christmas morning

2009-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

Katy hugging dad after she got her webkinz.
Ellie opening her cute girly watch from dad.
Gracie getting her big sister's MP3player.
Jacks really nice teeth.
All the kids right before they opened their stockings.

Gracie's Book Party

2009-01-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Katy dressed some of the girls up and played old fashioned school.
All the girls slept in the living room after watching "Horton Hears a Who".

Saying Goodbye to the Bidondos

2008-09-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

We had a sad party this weekend to say goodbye to our dear friends the Bidondos. Loads of people came by to wish them well in their new life in Seattle, Washington. We will miss you ALL and pray for you often.

Some

"My Favorite Color is Caleb..."

2008-08-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Caleb and Ellie

Ever since these two little squirts were about 2 years old they have had a strange and special attachment to each other. Lisa and I used to find them in the confessional booths after church giggling and pretending to read hymnals. According to them both they are "best friends" and for about 2 years now they "are going to get married". Well today Ellie got a letter from Caleb, yup they write each other often, and she wrote back. He asked what her favorite color is and today she answered,
"My favorite color is Caleb."

This is getting serious:)

Look What I Made

2008-08-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

This is my new Magnetic Daily School Schedule. Isn't it great? (Click on it to make it big!) Now I must give a lot of credit to Heather who helped me figure out how to make a daily school schedule for 4 different people, who have four completely different subjects and schedule. Thanks Heath! Whoa that looks like I just called you a candy bar. I'm trying to spell your name the way I say it shorter, Heathe...Heath...it sounds better than it spells. Anyways, thanks!
The really cool part is it's magnetic so I can change subjects everyday. I know this seems lame but I have struggled for a few years now, trying to figure out how to daily direct the troops and it's been working fabulous. Yippee!

He Amazes Me

2008-08-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

OK, this kinda a weird picture, but check out what John made for dinner when I said I had nothing for dinner and nothing in the fridge. He made chicken artichoke sausage, saute'ed veggies and egg fritta. Yea, I know, impressive.

Pedicure Day

2008-08-25T22:19:00.000-07:00

The girls and I enjoyed a relaxing, well sort of relaxing, pedicure today. Since Bandit has to be everywhere that I am he oversaw the whole process. Ever since I was little I knew I always wanted a big family, but I always imagined that I would have 5 boys. I'm so thankful that God knows best and gave me my girls. I love my sweet little darlings and look forward to being friends our whole lives!

Fun at the Hot Springs

2008-08-25T22:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great day at the Lowman Hotsprings with the Wolin family. The kids and grown-ups all had a great time jumping in the river and getting warm again in the hot water. Thanks Wolin's for such a great day!

I can't decide if Ellie is more excited about the warm water or being next to Caleb???

Future Entreprenuers

2008-08-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

Yes....this is toilet paper. However a lack of supplies never stopped a good fashion designer!
The girls were inspired by the Western Idaho Fair and decided to host their own fair. They took an entrance fee, sold lemonade, and offered "dog" rides. Bandit wasn't so into the ride part, but it was a great attempt all the same.

We've Started School!

2008-08-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

We started school year about 2 weeks ago. It has been a crazy couple of weeks for me; planning the school year, ordering all the supplies and curriculum, and of course organizing the school room! We've all been excited to dig into the year.
Here's the role call:
-Jack is in 6th grade (Holy Cow!)
-Kate is in 5th grade
-Grace is in 2nd grade
-And Ellie is a big Kindergartner

Daddy reading is a family favorite since Daddy does all the great voices!

An experiment in flight and air pressure.
The great thing about home schooling is that you can literally read anywhere.
This is Gracie's annoyed look because I'm making her "write" her sentences instead of "type" them.

FCBC Family Camp

2008-08-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

We spent a weekend in June in Cascade at Trinity Pines with our church. We had such a great time hanging out with our own kids and other families from church. We participated in lots of adventures including zip lines, canoeing, nature walks, ropes courses, and of course the camp fire.

Gotta love electronics in the great outdoors.

Ellie and mommy getting all warrior-like.
Love this helmet on Ellie!
This was a hilarious event. Much harder than it looks:)
The kids got to do it as well.

Worship time with friends is such a gift.

We did a skit of Elijah and the Prophets of Baal. It was a trio of Matts! Matt Feary was Elijah, Matt Lindley was the leader of the prophets, and Matt Beglinger was our narrator. Thanks guys for being such good sports!
(These are the angry prophets of Baal.)
Our entire group.
Clean-up crew.

Cousins Are a Blessing From the Lord!

2008-07-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Ellie(5) with cousin Elliot(3).

DeeAnn(6) and Gracie(7).
Katy(10) holding Trinity(7mos.) and Grandma Dottie(83).
A lovely dinner at mom's to celebrate Grandma Dottie's visit.

2008-07-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Redneck potty training!
Redneck hoola hoops too. My Dad made these out of sprinkler line and man can these girls hoola hoop. Their Aunt Amy would be proud!

Aunt April desperately trying to get a smile out of Elliot.

Camping in Wallowa

2008-07-30T18:06:00.000-07:00

Yea, that's a real deer right by our tent. They were really brave and loved "leftovers". One morning at about 5am I heard all of this cracking and crunching and I woke up in the tent really mad at my Dad. In my delirium I was sure he was outside the trailer breaking ice(hint at how cold I was). I kept thinking, "Why on earth do you need to break ice at 5 am?" Finally I got up to tell him it was way too loud. To my surprise it was this deer licking a plactic wrapper! Sorry Dad!

These umbrellas were really handy for keeping the hail off of us:)

Cute picture of Linda O.

2008-07-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Katy got pretty flowers from the Hughes and I thought this was such a cute picture of her. I rarely get a big grin out of this girl. OK. I'm still bragging. Totally cute picture of Jack proving there is great hope for his future as a father. He's usually kinda freaked to hold little babies, but he looks completely calm holding little Ella Dayton. So manly!
Katy multi-tasking.

Gracie Wins the Idaho Reading Rainbow Writer's and Illustration Contest

2008-05-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

We're so proud of our little girl. Grace entered Reading Rainbow's Writer and Illustrator contest and won first place in her grade! (1st grade). It was really exciting and such a great experience. Thanks to all our friends who came to show their support.
Here's a link to read her story.
http://www.idahoptv.org/kids/readrainbow/readrain08/gracie/gracie1.htm

KATY'S TRIP TO SHRINERS

2008-05-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

What and amazing couple of days! Kate, April and John set out to Salt Lake City,Utah on Wednesday May 14th not sure exactly what to expect. After spending the night at the Ronald MacDonald house and visiting Build-A-Bear we arrived at the Shrner's late morning with a very hungry Kate! She kept talking about how bad she felt for little Micah, (a friend's little guy who was having his tonsils out on the same day). She definately had sympathy pains!

Overall the experience was OVERWHELMING because of how amazing the care at Shriner's is. It's a beautiful and happy place. Kate was welcomed to her own private room overlooking the mountains. She met her personal aide, her nurse, her doctor, the team of other doctors, and the therapy staff. Talk about a welcome! They seriously thought of everything. If any of you have ever had a child have surgery you know how scary the hospital can be, but because they only treat children with skeletal issues they really know what they're doing.

She was very nervous going into surgery but her doctor was sooo kind. Kate told me they even warmed her surgery bed so it was like being tucked in. Her surgery took about two hours and Dr. Carroll came and spent about 20 minutes just talking to us about how she did.
Unlike most places they is no rush so they let her wake up naturally in her dark room covered in warm blankets!

Katy did so great. They were hoping to get her up the following day, but instead she walked to the bathroom about 30 minutes after waking up. She recovered so well and quickly they told us we could leave whenever we wanted.

As of today (Saturday) we are home and she is not even taking any pain meds.

Thank you to ALL of you who prayed for Katy. God was SO good to us.

We kept teasing Kate about how cheerful she was. All the staff kept calling her their poster princess.

2008-05-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the screws and brackets. Remember you can click on the picture to enlarge. The screws go into the group of cells that produce more bone cells. this disrupes them so that they stop growing.

2008-05-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

The view from her windows.
Kate taking a spin in the big playroom.
Mike and Sully welcome the kids to the surgery wing.
Katy really liked going down to the dining room because the staff would sing silly songs to her and she got to meet some other children and their families.

2008-05-17T18:00:00.001-07:00

Happy to be home.

Great Art Project for Kids

2008-04-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun and pretty easy art project to do with your kids. It's called Paper Batik.

1. Take a small piece of computer paper (6'x6') and have your child color a design in crayon. (It's important to color the color areas really solid and to leave some white areas on purpose. i.e. leaving white borders in the design).

2. Crumple the paper up really well in to a ball, smashing it. The kids really like this part. Then flatten the paper all out.

3. Next make a tub of batik ink. It's about 1 gallon of water with 1 tablespoon black paint, and 1 tablespoon blue paint. Stir it up.

4. Dip the whole paper design into the the tub. The paper that's exposed will absorb the paint as well as the cracks in the wax crayon colored parts, but the solid crayon part will stay the same. Let them dry outside.

5. If the kids make four different designs they can be out together as a paper quilt. Very cool!

Jack's Track Meet

2008-04-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

It was a COLD day for Jack's one and only track meet. It actually snowed on us! Jack did OK although the meet was pretty unorganized and therefore a little confusing. It was a good first season of running though and learning all about the different events.
This is Ellie's best fake smile complete with hot chocolate goatee.
Oh what fun!
100 meter

Room Service

2008-04-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Grace has been really into bringing us breakfast in bed lately. This was her latest breakfast and I just had to crack up! A piece of toast, a tootsie roll, and a caramel candy. Interesting. She is always thinking of ways to brighten our day.

A few days with the Hughes

2008-04-09T21:42:00.000-07:00

The Hughes children spent a few days with us last week as their mom and dad sadly prepared for their Grandpa's funeral. As you can see from the pictures a good time was had by all. Kenna and Katy had a "weird hairdo" contest. Grace was the judge.
Ty slept in Katy's bed and received the royal treatment of book reading and back scratches each night!
Jackson and Jaxon battling during a game of Stratego.

Resurrection Sunday

2008-03-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Easter Sunday was spent at church celebrating Christ's completed work on the cross and worshipping Him for his unfathomable sacrifice, then it was off to Grammy's and Papa's for a fantastic feast and egg hunt with all the cousins.

Life with Gracie; "Breakfast in Bed"

2008-03-23T18:44:00.001-07:00

7:13am- Loud, strange, rythmic thumpings coming from downstairs.
7:15- Little feet running franticlly on the hardwood floor.
7:16- Coffee grinder turns on
7:18- A precarious clinking sound draws closer up the stairs.
7:18.5- We are served coffee(with floating grinds and about 2x's as much sugar as I prefer) in bed by a robot. Our little robot's name is Ursala and she wants us to take her to our leader after we've finished our coffee.
GOOD MORNING!

10 Things you Might Not Know About Me

2008-03-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

So I got tagged, and I really didn't know what that means but I guess I'm supposed to share weird things about myself. Hmmm..Here goes.

1. I am really messy. I have learned how not to be just out of necessity, but my nature is really messy and I actually feel more comfortable with things kind spread all around me than put away neatly. In high school, I didn't know the color of my carpet.

2. My mom made my bed for me in high school! Might explain number 1.

3. I am typing this to try to stay up so Ican pick up my husband who is moonlighting at Home Depot till midnight.

4. I once got a $250.00 tip for being at server at a wedding reception that was so crazy I had to walk on tables to deliver food and the fire department showed up to shut the party down.

5. I love taking baths so hot that they burn.

6. I've had dogs, chickens, geese, goats, cows, pigs, horses, rabbits, rats, a guinea pig, and cats when I was a kid.

7. I learned to shoot a shotgun at 8years old, and ride a motorcycle and horse at 6 .

8. I wish sometimes I could still be a kid.

9. If I could change anything about myself I wish I could talk less and listen more. I really try, but I feel like Anne Shirley most days, when she said, "If you only knew how many things I want to say and don't."

10. I don't really think rules apply to me, more specifically "dumb" rules. Yes this has been a problem more than once in my life.

Dress-up Party

2008-03-02T22:12:00.000-08:00

OK. I know you're thinking what's with the get up? Well, our friends little girl turned three and for her birthday party her mom mentioned that she would love it if Cinderella showed up. Not only is it weird that I would dress up as Cinderella, but what is really weird is the fact that I had something that would work as a costume! The girls of course, loved dressing up to go to the party.

Homeschool Bliss

2008-03-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

This is a normal school day. Notice the organized mess, the joy at which Jack works on his favorite subject; math, and especially notice Ellie's appropriate outfit. She showed up downstairs in a "no-strap" dress. That's Ellie speak for "strapless".

2008-03-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

These are some of the gifts that you get to receive when you're a mom and your daughter loves nature and scotch tape. My crown is made out of crab apples, pine needles, and pine cones. Pretty cool, eh?

Our Little Ellie

2008-03-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

I told Ellie that we were going to the YMCA and that she had to get ready. This is her "ready".

2008-03-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day

The kids had a fun day at the Hughes frosting little cakes and eating loads of sugar.

This proves that one can have too much frosting.

Katy's Trip to California

2008-03-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

For 8 mos. Katy saved her money so that she could spend her 10th birthday in California with her Great-Grandma. She had a WONDERFUL time as did her momma and grammy who both accompained her.

This is Katy at a great marine kids museum and compliments of Aunt Jen.

2008-03-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

This my Uncle and Aunt's "guest villa" that we got to stay in on our trip.

2008-03-01T21:08:00.000-08:00

We spent a beautiful 75 degree day at Pismo Beach since Kate had only played in the waves one other time in her whole life!

2008-03-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

It was so great to hang out with my cousins and it was equally great to see Katy and her Great-Grandma sharing some tunes on Kate's MP3 player.

Christmas Eve at Grammy and Papa's

2008-01-07T18:21:00.001-08:00

We always spend Christmas Eve at my mom and dad's house with my brother Wes, my sister-in-law Kelly, and their 5 kids. It is lots of fun and really crazy!
Katy holding her new baby cousin Trinity.
Now we know where Ellie gets her eyes and her pout!
Not sure what to write here....

Uncle Wes picked out these super plush robes for the girls.

2008-01-07T17:52:00.000-08:00

Mom squeezing a little work inbetween life!
Before and after pics.

Christmas Work Party

2008-01-07T17:41:00.000-08:00

This year Source Mortgage's Christmas party was back at the Rodegherio's house. Mark and Mariah decided to host a western murder mystery party. It was great fun and we all dressed up which made it much more believable. John had to rent his hat and six shooters, but I made my outfit out of an old high school formal. Cool, huh?

"What My Grandma Dottie Means To Me"- by Katy Moffatt age 9

2007-10-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

“What My Great Grandma Dottie Means to Me”- by Katy Moffatt age 9

My great grandma Dottie is 82 years old and lives far away from me in Santa Maria California. I am 9 years old and have been faithfully writing to her for almost three years. My great grandma’s birthday is January 1st, 1925. My birthday is January 2nd, 1998. I think it’s special that we are almost born on the same day. I was born at 4:42am, so my mom says I can blame her for not being born on grandma’s birthday.
My grandma and I are such good friends and I love that she always returns my letters. She tells me what she’s been doing, who she’s beaten in Rummy-O, and even shares recipes with me. I started my own recipe box for when I have my own kitchen. My mom let’s me borrow hers for right now.
I also love grandma’s hugs. My best thing I’m doing is that I am planning on visiting my grandma for our birthdays this year. So far I have saved $85.00 for my plane ticket. Most of the money I made babysitting for people. I can’t wait to see her and ride on a plane! We are going to have a lot of fun together. I need to practice playing Rummy-O though, because my Grandma is really good.

“Narration of Adam and His Kin” by Gracie Moffatt- age 6

2007-10-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

(This has been transcribed by Mom.)

My mom has been reading me this book called “Adam and His Kin” by Ruth Beechick. The book is about Adam and his life, and his children and grandchild’s lives.
Back in the beginning it was very dark and there was no light except the light in God’s heart. He was so great he wanted to share his joy and love inside of him with someone, so He made the earth and animals. He made small creatures that crept on the ground and all animals that walk on the earth.
Then God thought all his joy was not out yet. He decided to make something very special to him that he would love dearly. So he made man in his own image. God named him Adam. The man was lonely so God put him in a deep sleep and made woman out of his rib. Her name was Eve.
When Eve was in the garden she saw the serpent. The serpent had wings, for God had made him the most beautiful animal of all.
The serpent said, ”Did God really say not to eat of this tree?”.
The woman said, “We can eat any of the trees in the Garden except this tree, for it is the tree of Good and Evil”.
The serpent said, “God doesn’t mean this, he knows that if you eat from this tree you will be a god like him.”
So Eve listened to the serpent. She knew when she ate the fruit she had done wrong and she was scared. She went to Adam. Adam ate the fruit too so she wouldn’t die alone.
God was sad and angry. You must leave the garden and never come back. God guarded the garden with two angels. The angels had flaming swords in their hands and four faces. One face was a lion, the great beast of the field. One was the head of the man. One was the face of an ox, and the last was the face of an eagle. The angel could see in all directions.
God sacrificed an animal for their sin. That was the first death they had ever seen in their lives. Adam and Eve were very disappointed in themselves. They tried to make a home for themselves as good as the garden, but it never was.

"Papa Bob"- by Jack Moffatt

2007-10-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

My Papa Bob is my dad’s father. He died this year from cancer at the age of 82. I am thankful that he knew Jesus though because he is in heaven right now. I’m pretty sure he’s “avoiding blondes” because right before he passed my Grandma Shirley, who was his wife and has dark hair, told him to wait for her in heaven and to “stay away from the blondes”. My mom and dad told me my Papa Bob was always joking around. My mom said he had a joke for every day of the year.
My Papa was an engineer and served in World War II. I would like to know more about what he did and what it was like in the war, but he didn’t like to talk about it. Probably because it made him sad. Grandma gave me his pocket knife and compass and they are really important to me. I wish I could remember more about him, but my mom says I’ll get to hang out with him in heaven. I bet he’s making a lot of friends and I miss him a lot.

"The Myth of Theseus"- by Jack Moffatt age 11

2007-10-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

There once was a prince of Athens named Theseus. His kingdom was under a cruel rule set by King Minos of Crete. Every seven years a ship with black sails would enter the port of Athens. The King of Athens was forced to give seven young men and seven young women to King Minos’ ship. Then ship would then sail to the island of Crete where a terrible death awaited them. King Minos kept a horrible monster called the Minotaur under the palace in a maze called a labyrinth. The monster had the body of a man, the head of a bull, and the teeth of a lion. The whole city of Athens lived in fear of their young peoples’ fate.
Prince Theseus had a clever idea. When the ship came to get the people, Theseus went as one of the seven men. He planned to kill the monster himself.
When the Princess of Crete saw Theseus she decided to help him. She gave him a knife to kill the monster, and a spool of thread to use to find his way out of the maze. That night Theseus was thrown into the labyrinth. He went around and zigzag until he came to the monster. He threw dirt in his eyes and jumped on his back stabbing him. He did it! He killed the Minotaur. He followed the thread out of the labyrinth and set his friends free. He even married the princess and took her home to Athens with him.

The End

Jack's Book List

2007-10-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Eragon- Christopher Paolini
"A fantasy, action/adventure about a 17 year old boy named Eragon who is chosen to be a Dragon Rider and fight the evil King Galbatorix. There was always something exciting happening and a lot of action. Eragon's character starts out as a simple farm boy and through the book changes into brave hero."

A Series of Unfortunate Events- Lemony Snickett (All 13 books)-
" A very long series of books about three ophans who try to find out what happened to their parents. Disapointing ending and very difficult vocabulary made this series not my favorite. I would say,'Don't waste your time'."

Inkheart- Cornelia Funke
"Very good book about a girl named Meggy and her Dad who can read people out of books. This causes havoc for everyone, and it's up to Meggy and her dad to fix the problem. I liked how exciting and easy to read it was. I also like other books by this author. She has agood imagination."

The Thief Lord- Cornelia Funke

Dragon Rider-Cornelia Funke
"Halfway through at the moment."

Ivanhoe- Retold from Sir Walter Scott's original
"This story is a great legend from the days of 'Robin of the Hood' and 'King Richard the Lionheart'. I need to read it again as I have forgotten most of the story."

The Bully of Barkham Street- Mary Stolz
"Taught a lesson about what a bullies life is like. It's got some kinda sad parts, but overall I liked it because it made me understand why someone would be a bully."

Peter and the Starcatchers and Peter and the Shadow Theives- Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
These two books go together. The story of how Peter Pan was made. Liked these very much because the characters had many adventures and were always in risky situations. I liked their explanation for how Peter Pan became Peter Pan."

Katy's Book List

2007-10-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

Little House in the Big Woods- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Thee, Hannah- Marguerite De Angeli

Classic Starts “Anne of Green Gables”- Lucy Maud Montgomery

Gracie's Book List

2007-10-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Christian Liberty Nature Reader- Christian Liberty Press
“Loved, loved, loved this book because it is so interesting to learn about all the bugs and animals in the world!”

Fairy Realm- Emily Rooda
“I loved this book too! Sometimes I pretend there is a secret door in my room so I can go to a fairy world.”

How to Count to a Million- David M. Schwartz
“Kinda of interesting to show how big numbers are, but I liked the pictures the best.”

Puss and Boots- Hans Christian Anderson
“This book made me laugh because it was sooo silly.”

The Mouse and the Motorcycle- Beverly Cleary
“I’m still reading this, almost done. I’m not sure why Ralph would leave his motorcycle in the laundry though. That wasn’t very wise.”

The Tale of Despereaux- Kate DiCamillo
“So far my favorite book besides the bible. I read a chapter and then mom read me a chapter. That way it was fair, but I like my mom’s funny voices that she does.”

The Tale of Peter Rabbit- Beatrix Potter
“Pretty good, but I don’t know all those English words. Better when mom reads it with an English accent, that’s funny.”

The Wizard of Oz- L. Frank Baum
“Kinda scary because I’m worried tornados might come to Idaho, but dad says they can’t. The illustrations were AMAZING!

The Bible- God

"I really like when my mom reads it to me. I can read a grown-up bible now. Also mom's been reading "Adam and His Kin" to me and I did a narration onthe first two chapters."

We've moved!

2007-09-17T08:01:00.000-07:00

We have moved! For those of you who may not know, we haved moved into our good friends house in Eagle and will reside here for at least the next 2 years while our friends are in China. Rather bizarre, I know, but what a blessing! The house is fantastic as well as the location. We are thoughoutly enjoying living here.