We Wove Wally

EAA Airventure Museum Field Trip

Joe in the cockpit of a plane.
Joe the pilot.

Planes hanging from the museum ceiling.

One of the plane displays.

Ian and Joe took a class at the EAA Museum. They got a raw egg, aka an EGGstronaut. Their mission was to design and build a spaceship to hold the eggstronaut. The spaceship needed to be designed such that upon re-entry and landing, the eggstronaut remained intact and did not turn into an omelet. Joe and Ian succeeded in their mission. When their spaceship was dropped from a second-story balcony in the museum, their eggstronaut withstood re-entry and landing !! No cracks, no breaks. Hooray for Ian and Joe.

Mission Accomplished

Memorial Day

This past week Joe, Ian, and I had the privilege of meeting Victor Bast, a World War II fighter pilot.

For over an hour we were transported back in time. We were flying high with Victor reliving his missions as a fighter pilot. We were shooting down Germans and being shot at. We were scared and we were exhilarated. We sat on the edge of our seats listening to the horrific tales of war. We sat quietly and let tears roll down our cheeks listening to the man of 85 years tell with a tremble in his voice, what it was like to take another man's life on Christmas Eve. We laughed at the antics of fighter pilots. We listened how Victor spoke with love and pride of the

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

What a privilege and honor to shake his hand and say

THANK YOU.

Joe, Victor Bast, Ian
God Bless You

***********************************************

In Flanders Fields

By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

The poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place;

And in the sky the larks still bravely singing,

fly scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.

Short days ago we lived,

Felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved,

And now we lie

In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,

Though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

Horicon Marsh Fieldtrip

We went on a field trip with Joe's school today. We took a pontoon tour of the marsh. Absolutely beautiful weather. Afterwards we had a picnic at a local park.

Joe by an old cannon at a park in Horicon

Joe being weird with a fruit roll-up. He was saying he was so thirsty his tongue was hanging out.

Weed-Eater Dead x 2

My cousin Jane is having a problem keeping weed-eaters alive. Last year she killed one weed-eater. This year ... she killed another! You might be wondering what the heck kind of lawn this girl has that kills weed-eaters so fast. A hay field? nope. A huge yard? nope. Just one tiny spot of grass in her backyard. And I mean tiny. Lots of plants and trees and beatiful flowers and herbs. But, not much grass. So is it just bad luck with weed-eaters or does Jane just not know how to use one. Know what kind of weed-eater I think Jane needs ?!?!?

~A GOAT~

Love You S0 Much, Jane :)

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Sunday night began the season of Discovery League Baseball. It's a baseball experience. Everyone plays. Wheelchairs, crutches, autism, Down Syndrome, etc. The rules are simple, there are no rules. They pitch until you hit. You can use a tee. Everyone runs the bases and gets a home run. Innings? what are those. Strikes? never heard of them. Outs? not in this game. Awesome experience.

Ian Batter Up

Joe warming up with Ian

Great catch, Ian!

Mother's Day/Birthdays

Here are a few pics from Mother's Day celebration and May birthdays at the boys' grandma and grandpa's house. We had a taco feed and birthday cake. Yummm.

Cousin Kirstie
Cousin Kayla, Cousin Chandra, and Cousin Kayla's BF Jake

Auntie Angie

(sorry, Ang, I had to use the one with your tongue sticking out)

Cousin Nathaniel, Cousin Lexi, Grandma Sandy

Happy Mother's Day to Me.

What a wonderful Mother's Day.

Saturday night the boys and I went to the Performing Arts Center and saw Spamalot the Musical. Okay, I freely admit I am not a Monty Python fan, however, I LOVED THE SHOW! It was hilarious. I had been wanting to do a nice evening out with my boys for a long time. You know, dinner and a show. Well, I wanted to see Lion King when it came through but they weren't too excited with that. I mentioned to them that Spamalot was coming to the PAC and they were all for it. My thought on that ?? Grooooaaaan. Eww, Monty Python stuff?? No way. I was so wrong. The show was absolutely wonderful.

See if you can solve the following equation:

Dinner at an Italian restaurant + the boys dressed nicely (well, as nicely as possible for my boys) + great parking spot (big bonus there) + remembering to back the car in the stall so we can get out easier +a fabulous show + fabulous seats + being with my boys =

Perfect night out with my boys.
~HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ME~

And a very Happy Mother's Day to all of you

Ian and Joe before the show

(kinda rhymes, hey?)

Banner flying at the PAC
The PAC (rather obvious, don't you think?

60s to 70s

Today I was sitting outside enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. My ideal weather is sunny with temperatures in the 60s to 70s. Nothing colder, nothing warmer. I think I could live like that year-round. Well, maybe I'd miss a white Christmas. With the sun shining on my face and listening to the birds chirping, it was so peaceful. Spring has sprung in my soul.

Sickened, Outraged, Horrified !!!

Yet ANOTHER reported case of a teacher accused of SEXUAL ASSAULT of a student. Is there any place safe for our kids? Does the fact that the accused teacher is from a Christian school make the matter worse? In my opinion, yes. This certainly isn't the first case reported nor is it the last. Granted, not everyone accused is found guilty. I'm sure some of them didn't even do it. BUT, there certainly are enough rightly accused and found guilty. But what happens to these poor kids? The horror, the shame, the guilt they live with. The trauma unbearable. Sexual assault in general has skyrocketed out of control.

Incidents such as these make my decision to school my kids from home even more firm. I know I can't protect them from everything, but I can be damn sure they're not being sexually abused doing school from home. I can also be certain there will be no bomb threats. I can also be certain there will be no bullying during their school day. No shoot-outs or violent rampages. Might they get it elsewhere? of course, but at least I can be certain it won't happen here.

God Help Us

God Be With Us

Fanny Crosby

I recently read of a remarkable blind woman named Fanny Crosby.

Here's her story:

Known as an American hymn writer and poetess, Fanny Crosby wrote over 9,000 hymns during her life. She entered the NY Institute in at the age of fifteen and afterward taught English and history (1847-58). As a pupil and as a teacher, Fanny spent 35 years at the school. Her first book of poems was published in 1844 was called The Blind Girl and Other Poems.
In 1858, she published a book called "A Wreath of Columbia's Flowers". It is collection of secular stories and poems filled with the same emotional tone she gave her hymns. Her last book, Memories of Eighty Years, was published in 1906.
One biographer wrote of her, "...in her day, she was considered by most people to be the greatest in America. As Johann Strauss reigned in Vienna as the "Waltz King", and John Phillip Sousa in Washington as the "March King", so Fanny Crosby reigned in New York in the later nineteenth and early twentieth century as the "Hymn Queen".
Although blinded by an illness at the age of 6 weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, "I think it is a great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you." She replied quickly, "Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?" "Why?" asked the surprised clergyman. "Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!"
One of Miss Crosby's hymns was so personal that for years she kept it to herself. Kenneth Osbeck, author of several books on hymnology, says its revelation to the public came about this way: "One day at the Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby was asked by D.L. Moody to give a personal testimony. At first she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, 'There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul's poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.' She then recited while many wept:

Someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing;but oh, the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King! And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story--saved by grace!

At the age of 95 Fanny Crosby passed on and on her grave in Bridgeport, Conn., there is a simple little headstone with the name "Aunt Fanny," and these words:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.