Bible Bee

Two of our boys participated in the (local) National Bible Bee in August.  Only 7yo was old enough to actually be a contestant, but 5yo was a "supporting sibling".  He learned more verses than we realized by the end of it.

For his division, 7yo had to learn 250 verses plus study the book of 1 Peter.  The first part of the competition was a written test which was a LOT of detailed questions- that was difficult.  Second, was the oral test, when two judges gave him random references to quote for 10 minutes.  Last, was the final round- it wasn't for points, but mostly for fun.  They stand on stage and say their verses in the microphone- let me tell ya, that made them nervous, but all the children did well. 

I waited outside the oral round testing room with our little wiggly noise makers.  Husband told me how it went later.  You can see how he felt about it in the picture of them coming out of the room.

There was something fun for everyone.  We all enjoyed ourselves.  7yo doesn't get to compete at the national competition.  It would have been exciting, but after looking over all the information the national contestants have to learn before November in addition to what they've already studied, 7yo considered it a needed rest.  He worked hard!

Pond Fun

Oh, the fun the boys have on their Grandpa's pond!  They are learning all sorts of things.  They are not supposed to be able to paddle out in a boat- they're my little boys!  I see I'm going to have to let go- a little bit.  It is so fun watching them enjoy themselves so much.

One

We have such a sweet girl. It's hard to believe its been over a year now since the first time we welcomed her into our arms. We loved celebrating her with both of our families. Although she may not remember it, she had a great time, too.

A phrase I hear the often from those who have been parents longer than we have goes something like this, "enjoy them while you can, they grow up fast, and everything changes." Or, "It only gets worse, just wait until they're teenagers."  I'm really starting to see how quickly time does fly now that our oldest is already 7.  My prayer, though is to enjoy them while they're young and, Lord willing, when they're older, too.  I pray He will develop everlasting friendships in our family that will stand the "teen years" and beyond.  Some parents say the same phrase as above, but with a slight different tone and wording, "cherish them, it goes by fast."  The difference, to me, is the outlook.  For sure I will miss these early stages as each child grows.  But do I dread some unavoidable, hateful cloud that will invade my children's beings as they grow?  I look forward to the same little bundles of joy becoming mature, young people exuding joy.  For now, I am enjoying each of their personalities and ages.

Honey Harvest

My father-in-law let me tag along to extract some of the honey from his hives again this year.  The whole process is pretty neat.  He did the hard part before I ever got there- getting the boxes without getting attacked by bees!  He built a screened in "honey room" for convenience, and I'd say it worked out very well. 
He used his heated knife to cut off the caps.

Put the frames into the electric extractor (it takes a special touch to get that machine balanced.)

The honey that was spun off the frames poured out of the spout below.

The cappings had plenty of honey in them, too.  We squeezed is out, mmmmmmmmm yummy job. 

It wasn't one of his biggest harvests, but very good, none-the-less.  We didn't get to all of it that day. I'm not sure I'd ever be up for handling those bees, I know they're protective of their honey.  I did enjoy helping out with this part of it though- not to mention the honey they shared with us!