There’s something wrong with my dog….she used to look like this:

Now she looks like this:

(Yeah, her tongue is really that pink!)

What is up with that one ear up thing?

I don’t like it; I think she looked cuter with both ears down.

Also something is wrong with my fish, besides the fact that he’s 4 years and 2 months old. He used to be orange, and then he turned white, now he’s got red spots on his gills and his tail. Funky fish.

Other news is that Joel’s English grammar book has disappeared and so has Bethany’s geography book. It’s somewhere in here, I know it is!

Today we hopscotched the order of the original 13 colonies. It wasn’t easy drawing that map on the driveway, you’d think they would have done a better job at making the colonies square (like, it’s very easy to draw Colorado, because by then people had given up on using natural boundaries and said, “Hey, just draw it into a square!”)

Anyway I put the abbreviation of the state and its number in order of appearance.

I also wrote the capitols of each state around the map.

So the kids had to jump from 1-13 while saying the states. Then do it again adding in the capitols. I still think they need to give New Hampshire another capitol, I can’t remember Concord, it just doesn’t sound right (Neither does Columbia, SC or Harrisburg, PA.) Here is a good resource for learning about the 13 colonies. Here is a quiz on the colonies.

Even Maisy got into the hopscotching, well, not really, she was just trying to get in the way.

I told Joel he could go inside after he named the states and their capitols. Um…yeah, Concord NY or MD sounds just as good as NH (but that’s not right.)

And if we mostly abbreviate by first and last letter in a state (like DE, CO, GA, CA), then shouldn’t New York be NK?

Hannah didn’t learn anything other than one is ‘ginnuh’, but that’s ok.

Hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow, I’d like this to stay up for a few days.

Beautiful and we didn’t cry as much as last time (although I think we’ll cry more next time because all 3 girls will be dancing!)

Bethany danced to “Above all”, see it here.

Grace danced to “Forever”, see it here.

Here is part of the ending, Bethany has a white flag in the back and then comes to the front at the end.

I messed up with my camera, I found out I could set it to NOT autofocus and I changed the pixels, but now I can’t download them because they are too big! So, these videos from rehearsal will have to do until I can figure out how to get the others off and onto something to upload to here.

Bethany did much better at the recital, she was wearing a red top and a red flowers in her hair. Grace was wearing a sparkly green belt and flowers in her hair and on her wrists.

Hannah says as she tries to catch a flake.

We finally got Bethany’s ballet video, a front moved in, guess we won’t be taking Maisy to the river…..

Presentation club:

Joel did origami and helped everyone make an origami box.

Bethany did volcanoes and we watched hers overflow with lava.

Grace did blue whales, yeah he’s a little round, but he is blue!

Well, it’s that day again. Since I am a SAHHSM, my kids spent the day with me! Since I tend to do cool things, they not only spent it with me, they spent it at the ballpark! (Not that I think I’m cool, but my kids like the neat stuff we do, so that makes me kind of cool to them.)

So, we headed out to Coors field to sit in the rock pile. I’m not sure why they call it the rock pile, maybe because it’s on top of this?

I have to say that the guy behind me was so rude. The National Anthem was playing and he was on his cell phone, my gosh! Get off the phone and sing or just shut up and listen.

Anyway it’s the cheap seats and we were 1 bleacher from the top, which made it easy to squish the Cubs with my fingers, see?

(Ok I couldn’t really see the pic I was taking so the guy isn’t actually getting squished in this shot.)

Hannah got a chance to hit some home runs in the kiddy bat area and Grace was a hit with her hot dog hat.

The fan photographer lady came over and took our pic because of that hat.

Also fans got a Rockies 2007 championship ring from Shane co. I hate their commercials, but these rings are too cool. Wonder twins activate!

At the start of the game I felt like we were in Chicago with all the yelling for the OTHER team. Hello? We’re in Denver, so you’re supposed to root for the Rockies. And yes, I know green isn’t a Rockies color, it’s so they don’t get lost.

So, we ate snow cones and cotton candy to while away the innings.

We had a 1-0 lead, then it was 1-1, then 2-1, then 2-2, then at the bottom of the 7th we hit a homerun. In the 8th we shut out the cubs and got two more runs to lead 4-2.

The top of the 9th we were all standing as the pitcher struck out cub after cub. Boom-ba-da-bing, WIN!

A few parting shots….

Art show co-op, here is a montage, click on it to see it:

Art show 08

My favorites:

The park:

A hike:

We went to City Park today to take dance pictures. I forgot it was Earth day, so the park had all kinds of tents and school kids milling about, but on this side of the park we were pretty much alone. Hannah won’t really be in dance until September, but she can put on a tutu and look cute, so I let her take pictures too.

At one point she started screaming ‘Who dat guy is!’ and when I turned around I saw this:

It’s a running toilet, get it? Don’t let your toilets run, earth day, save the water…..Hannah thought it was funnier later when she was safe in the car. ‘Know dat guy, dat toilet paperey guy, hah, hah!’

So, Bethany is in WD3A, this is her third recital.

It is a really hard song/choreography and at some points she is in the front and doesn’t have anyone to look at, but she says she thinks she knows it pretty well after 10 weeks of practice.

Grace is in WD1B, this is her second recital.

She has another cute veggie tale version of a praise song and she knows her dance by heart.

She usually sings it while she dances too. Grace says that it will be much easier this time with no cast on!

Hannah will be in WD1A in September.

She already knows how to skip and do angel arms thanks to watching sissy.

She’s rarin’ to go, I hope I can find the other ballet shoe around here somewhere or I’ll have to buy a new pair just for her (or maybe she should get a new pair because it’s her first class?)

Here is a ladybug that flew over to us.

After that we ran back home and got Joel to go take yearbook pics at the library. Here is what they will probably look like (a friend was taking them with her camera, so there are like 4 shots of each kid.)

Then it was back home for Tea Tuesday, today they wrote to 3 people each! We’re waiting for Bethany’s volcano to dry, Grace needs to paint her whales eyes and we have an art show tomorrow (also park day and a hike that day too.) So now I’m off to mat art and get things together.

Ok, so our summer co-op board was open last night and we have the following (in addition to school, field trips, clubs, park days, sports, library outings and family outings.) Those with an * are my offering.

5/2 Mornin’ Chores (Yes, kids will do them if you have goats and a horse.)
*5/8 Longmont museum (My favorite, after the museum we’ll picnic at the park)
5/9 Ice skating (Falling on our butts, well, me anyway.)
5/19 llama ranch (wait list)
5/23 Headband weaving (Simple headband on a cardboard loom.)
5/26 Underground railroad (We’re going to be slaves trying to escape via the Underground rail.)
*5/27 Duct tape wallet (Wallets out of tape!)

6/3 Presidential lapbook (wait list)
6/5 Fish store tour (Fish, some info. and a craft.)
*6/13 Speed cup stacking (Stacking cups in a 3-6-3 method and seeing who is the fastest.)
6/19 Spy school (We get some gadgets and try out codes.)
*6/23 Rock and bowl (Melting records in the oven to make bowls.)
6/26 Princess tea party (Just Grace and Hannah in this one, they get their hair done.)
6/30 Lego playdate (Um…playing with Legos.)

7/15 Aurora beach (Another favorite, they have a great shelter to sit in.)
*7/22 Poetry slam (Learning about types of poems, writing some and sharing some.)
7/29 Cross stitch (Bethany only.)
7/31 Hiwan homestead (We haven’t been here before.)

8/7 Bear creek lake (Another summer favorite to cool off in the icy cold water.)
*8/18 Rock and bowl #2 (More melting records.)
*8/28 South America tour (We’re going to visit S. America with songs and stories, do a craft and learn about what comes from S. America.)
8/30 Girl stuff talk (Like periods)

There are 2 we’re on the wait list for and 1 that was full when I tried to sign up. Pretty good mix of stuff to do. Some things (like the tea party) are for Grace and Hannah, some are for Bethany, some are for Joel and some are for all. This is the advantage to being in a HS group that has 98 members right now!

Some were wondering about this:

Participant’s Information
1)Name/Age: Joel/13
2)Name/Age: Bethany/9
3)Name/Age: Grace/6
4)Name/Age: Hannah/3

Non-Participating Attendees
1)attendee: Liese

Please list any special needs here, like allergies. Hannah – no goat poo, milk, peanuts, corn, tomatoes, soy

It’s because she ate goat poo at a friend’s house (and it’s funny!) I changed it to no llama poo for the llama ranch co-op.

At church we’re on a series entitled Baggage. Today’s title was discouragement, despair and depression. First off, I have no idea what depression is like. I have never had post-partum depression or any other kind. I have had experience with the depression of others though. My uncle was so very depressed that he took his own life. Standing there at his funeral watching his son hug and kiss his body was overwhelming; I couldn’t understand the depths of being so sad that death was better than life. My husband is bi-polar and sometimes he swings into a depression, never as bad as my uncle, but still a heavy sadness and feeling of unworthiness. So, while I can’t truly understand the sorrow of depression, I can empathize with those who suffer.

So, back to Sunday: people want to belong. They want to have encouragement and a sense that they are liked. But sometimes we take that and move it from the Godly area to a human area, we look to people to get our sense of self rather than God. We start to conform our behavior to the standards of those we wish to be a part of. 3 areas of conforming behavior are: the way you dress (I have to have that outfit so I can fit in), the way you talk (if I don’t talk like them they won’t like me), the group’s moral standards (blurring the lines between right and wrong.) All of these are masking cries for acceptance and belonging. But what does the Bible say?

Romans 12:2 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We should desire to conform only to God’s standard so that we can understand what He wants for us.

Discouragement (like not being accepted by a group) leads to despair and then depression. Things like: a death in the family, a sickness of a loved one, a divorce (which our pastor calls a living death because you are separated from your spouse, but not in a ‘death do us part’ way), a job loss and many other things can bring on depression. A shift in what is normal, like when a 12 yr. old boy in our church lost his eye to cancer last week. What was once normal suddenly changed for him. If we have no faith, no belonging, no acceptance, we will more easily fall. The Bible says that two can help each other and God is there too in their midst.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Why is it important for someone who is depressed to seek help? Because the effects of depression are: they don’t want to feel that way anymore, there is a temptation to mask their feelings (so others won’t be bothered by them), but masking is a form of denial and some people are tempted to self-medicate. Our pastor described his depression as a train wreck. Like you wake up in the morning and you feel like you need a tow-truck to haul you out of bed and carry you over to the couch. You have no desire to function or you have a desire to get better, but your body reacts in slow motion and everything you do is a chore. God did not intend for us to go alone in this life. He did not make up a network of individuals to cling to themselves. He set up a way for people to be His hands and feet, to minister to those in need. Maybe it’s a phone call, watching the kids, taking someone to the doctor. Maybe it’s a word of encouragement, a hug or a listening ear.

For those who want to rid themselves of depression here are some thoughts.

Be honest with yourself and identify your pain.

Psalm 51:1-6
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Here we have David, a king, a great man, but also a man thrown into the pit of despair because of his sins. It took a prophet of God to make him look and see what he had done was a sin, a sin against God, and that he needed to be forgiven.

Reach out for help, this goes back to the ‘when one falls down another is there to help him up’ (Ecc. 4:9-12) Again, God did not make people to strike out on their own and lean only on themselves.

Invite the personal ministry of Jesus to attend to your soul.

Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

He will give you REST.

Isaiah 61:1-3
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

He will BIND your broken heart, FREE you from darkness and COMFORT you.

When depression is crushing your very life:

Psalm 34:18 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

What can He give you when you are crushed in sprit, but you come to Him and ask for help?

Psalm 51:10-12
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

JOY!