Since we are on the topic of school, I thought I’d post some more pictures of what goes on here during the day.

In history, we learned about the historic voyage of Christóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus). Of course, we couldn’t merely read about this event, so we reenacted it with blue punch, pistachio ice cream and apple ships.

Part of the clean-up required drinking the punch. Let’s just say it looked better than it tasted…and that’s saying a lot.

After a few sips, we let Molly give it a try.

With the weather being so nice, Ruth and I have done her schoolwork outside just about every day.

It’s a nice break from the routine, and it keeps the inside quiet while her brothers work. Working outside has not been without distraction, however. This has been the year of the box elder beetle. I’ve sometimes wondered if they are attempting to take over the world. Ruthie loves them, so as they fly and creep around us, she watches and laughs. And they aren’t shy creatures!

Finally, we celebrated Derek’s birthday this week! He is now (gasp) 17 years old. Unfortunately, he was up well before the sun so he could finish homework that was due that day. He said it was not a happy birthday so far. But the birthday pancake tradition carried on nonetheless; we were not going to let homework put a damper on it. So we lit a candle in the D pancake and let Derek eat his birthday pancakes while he worked.

While the younger two are learning about birds and insects, Peter is tackling physical science for his final year of middle school.

I recorded his most recent experiment, with Jeremy as his assistant. Peter collected oxygen in the balloon after combining hydrogen peroxide and yeast.

I sent the video to Jake, who reminded us that the overabundance of oxygen in the Apollo 1 space capsule was a major contributing factor in the fiery death of three astronauts 50 years ago.

Jeremy and Ruth are learning about birds and insects this year in science. We are attempting to complete the insect portion of the curriculum before the weather turns cold and kills off all our specimens.

We’ve been pleasantly surprised at what six-legged creatures have flown into our lives this week so that we may observe and learn. For example, a few days ago, Jeremy caught two leaf-looking insects in our backyard.

They were quite interesting to observe, and it’s easy to understand how you would not notice them right away, given their camouflaged nature.

One of the experiments in the book required a dead insect so students can observe the body segments. (So as not to upset any sensitive children, it charged students to find an already-dead insect…don’t kill one). Well, I suggested we catch one of the beetles that have been plaguing every screen and window around the outside of our house lately, then put it in a jar with some cotton soaked with nail polish remover (like we did in the old days to make our bug collections in junior high). Then, voilà, we have a dead bug!

This idea did not float well with Ruth, who has a special place in her heart for these creatures, as has been reported earlier on this blog. She has scientifically named them “friendly beetles”. Despite Jeremy and me trying to convince her that there are gobs of these friendly beetles–what’s one less in the world–she would not cave.

All turned out well when I was jogging with a friend on the prairie path the other day. We were talking when something caught my eye on the ground. It was big and green and motionless. A dead insect! I scooped it up and put it in my pocket to bring home and show the kids.

We weren’t sure how it died, but after looking closely we observed that it was missing its head. At least we could observe the other two segments. Plus, Jeremy wasted no time pulling off a wing to observe it under the microscope. Never a dull moment.

One thing we were really looking forward to parents’ weekend was spending some time with the families of Jake’s closest USAFA friends. The guys had it all planned out: we would go to church together on Sunday then head to a restaurant where they had made reservations.

Here are three of the four guys:

What a blessing it was to get to know them and their parents! We left with hearts full of thanks to God for bringing such like-minded friends into Jake’s life.

Last year we had stayed in hotel rooms and found that we lacked a meeting place–somewhere to eat all together and just hang out. So this year, Jim found a house with ample meeting space, and we were thankful for it.

My parents left Sunday afternoon, and we were happy they were able to share the weekend with us. Monday, we went on a hike in CO Springs. It was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed breathing in the clean air.

Molly led the way the entire time, and she loved it.

And I think the siblings loved being together as well. What a special weekend it was!

All cadets are required to attend every home football game; therefore, a non-negotiable part of parents’ weekend for the family is going to the game. Thankfully, it’s something we all look forward to!

Before leaving for the stadium, I took Molly for a long walk. Due to certain spastic lab behavior, her first trip to Colorado was likely her last; thus I took a picture of her with mountains in the background so we may remember the moment.

Tailgating is a game day tradition at USAFA. Each squad sets up their tent, a grill, and serves up food. We approached the sea of cadets and families.

Before the game began, they had cadets jump from planes,

as well as four F-16s fly over. The sound was deafening!

Jake and Derek were happy to reunite.

Ruth sported her cheerleading outfit.

It was a beautiful day, a great game, and most of all so good to be all together as a family!

Compared to parents’ weekend last year, the weather was much milder, albeit cloudy and windy. We were significantly more comfortable in the stands. While we waited for the parade to begin, Jeremy and Ruth met a 21 year-old falcon.

It was too windy for the jump team to perform; however, the gliders flew and landed on the parade field. This was of special interest to us, as this is what Jake learned to do last summer.

Then the cadet wing marched onto the field. Jake bore his guidon well!

Once his responsibilities were through, he gladly handed the guidon over to any sibling who wanted it.

It was so good to reunite with him!

After the parade, Jake showed us his room for this semester. He remains in the Raptors squadron, and I found this mural in the dorm hallway pretty funny.

We ate a picnic lunch with his squad, then toured the Aeronautics building, along with a couple of his friends and their families. Jake declared this as his major last year, and since then, we have learned what a tight bond these Aero engineering cadets form during their school years.

One classroom was particularly impressive: the ceiling was covered with model airplanes, several of which the boys have built over the years. It was one of many, many moments of the day we wished Derek was there with us.

Ruth flew an F-16 simulator.

Later, we toured the airfield. We hung out in the hangar for a long time.

This was surely a highlight for the kids, as they were able to hop in the gliders. I could see the wheels turning in their heads as they imagined themselves as cadets one day.

Jake demonstrated that he can indeed fit his 6’7″ frame into one of those gliders!

Ruth opted to try on the jump harness. She had fun ascending and descending.

We saw where Jake signed his name on the pool of water he was thrown into after earning his soaring wings.

Then he sat in the next plane he will learn to fly as he goes on to earn a pilot’s license. His co-pilot was right by his side.

It was a full day, and we were exhausted by the end. We got home and played a game of cards while receiving regular updates on Derek’s football game back home.

We headed west last week to visit Jake for Parents’ Weekend. Like last year, we rented a minivan. It was a great deal…except for the black interior. Normally, black interior would be a very good thing, as it hides dirt well. But unfortunately, black interior does not hide white needly dog hair well at all. By the time we returned home, it looked like the van had a shaggy white carpet laid over the floor.

We left before the sun rose on Thursday morning. The kids like to see how long it takes the sun to rise and overtake us on the drive.

Molly had plenty of room to stretch her legs since Derek was not with us on the drive out. He joined us Saturday morning, after he was through with school and game responsibilities.

Molly was a champ in the car; she slept, ate meals and waited to go potty until we stopped for gas.

Upon arriving in CO Springs, one of our first stops was to the grocery store to pick up breakfast and coffee for the next day. Jeremy, Jim, and Peter found their own personalized coffee brands!

After a long day in the car, and looking forward to a busy day ahead, we were eager to get to the house and get some sleep.

Someone is very excited for Parents’ Weekend at USAFA:

“I’m going to Colorado on Thursday. I am very excited. I’m going to see my brother there. I love the mountains.”

As soon as we return, it’s back to spelling and writing practice 😄

One tradition of the WA football team is to share a team meal every Thursday before Friday’s game. Usually the meal takes place at school, but last week, it was at someone’s home. The host family has a pool…which meant the guys had an opportunity for silly antics such as throwing one another into said pool.

It’s all about having fun and team bonding.

I am thankful for parents on the team who take great pictures. Here are some scenes from the first game.

The next day was Meatopia, where the boys filled up on protein. It’s like a locust invasion.

We love it!

Our kitchen was bustling this week. Cornermouse was hired to make 200 cake pops (among other things) for a football parents’ event last night. Mid-week, they got right to work, forming the dough and rolling the balls.

Molly has perfected the art of strategic placement.

Meanwhile, Ruth and I began baking 200 cornbread muffins. She proved to be quite a hard worker!

After the cake balls had time to set, the rest of the Cornermouse crew came over to do the dipping and decorating.

These guys sure are honing their art skills with cake pops.

While the workers were laboring inside, the younger ones played outside.

After a few hours, the job was finished!

The team posed for a pic.

What I don’t have pictures of are all the other food items we provided for the football parents’ meal: cookies (baked by Aunt Judi), coleslaw, and baked beans (prepared by my mom). It was a gargantuan effort, and I was thankful for the help!

We placed some Cornermouse business cards next to the cake pops, which proved to be potentially good for business: a handful of people took cards, including a bride-to-be who is interested in having cake pops at her wedding!

The main course at the event was a pig roast, provided by a local BBQ restaurant.

After the eating, it was game time. Here, the three team captains take the field.

Though it wasn’t pretty, WA defeated their cross-town rival. Afterward, Derek posed for a picture with his loyal supporters.

As for our bustling kitchen, it hasn’t stopped buzzing with activity, as we are hosting another Meatopia today for the offensive and defensive lines!

It doesn’t matter how much I plan ahead for the upcoming school year, summer always seems to come to an abrupt end. However, as much as we ALL love the laid back days of summer, I must say that the school year does bring a welcome routine and daily sense of accomplishment.

We said goodbye to summer last Monday:

Derek: 11th grade
Peter: 8th grade
Jeremy: 6th grade
Ruth: 2nd grade
The Air Force flag is in the background, paying homage to Jake in his sophomore year of college.

The sun and the moon celebrated our first day of school with us by putting on a unique display. We thought we would miss the eclipse completely because the clouds were thick all day. Knowing the eclipse was scheduled to happen at 1:18, we sat down to lunch and lamented over the cloud cover preventing us from seeing the much-hyped phenomenon. Then suddenly we saw a slight break in the clouds just after 1:00, so we quickly pulled out Jake’s telescope with the sun filter and pointed it toward the sun..

For just a couple short minutes, we were able to gaze at the moon-covered sun while the clouds peeled back.

What I find almost just as amazing as the eclipse itself is the fact that scientists are able to predict the date, time, and location of such a wonder. As Albert Mohler put it:

This is where Christians understand, for just one example, that the predictability of this kind of eclipse is only made possible because God to his glory fine-tuned the universe in such a way that there are predictable laws and principles whereby the movement of celestial and heavenly bodies can not only be measured, but also predicted.

It was a memorable way to celebrate the end of our summer break and beginning of the school year!

Jake has said more than a few times how strange it is to see doolies roaming around, especially when they call him “sir”.

Those doolies just finished basic training and were accepted into the cadet wing this week. I don’t know where the past year went, but it seems like yesterday Jim and I made our spontaneous trip to CO to watch our son be accepted.

No spontaneous trip this year, but thanks to Flickr, I caught a glimpse of Jake as the guidon bearer for squad 22.

When he called tonight, he described how difficult it can be to ensure the guidon is perpendicular to the ground while marching, to hold it in one hand while saluting the officers, and to keep it from slipping from his gloved hands, etc.

We are looking forward to seeing him bear that flag in person during the Parents’ Weekend parade!

We were given eight primo White Sox tickets over the weekend. Four were in a suite with a buffet of good food; four were in the front row behind home plate. We had made plans to get together with my parents anyway that day, so we asked if they’d like to join us at the ball field.

We four in the suite looked down on the four behind home plate.

We couldn’t get over how good their seats were–they said they could see the pitcher’s facial expressions!

Being that close to the televised action, their mugs landed on TV throughout the entire game. The following clip is thanks to Aunt Judi:

When Ruth learned that her brothers were on camera, she wanted a piece of that action. So she took a piece of cardboard and made a sign to try to gain the attention of the camera.

Alas, the only camera attention she gained was my own. But all ended well, for after a good game with an exciting ending, she and Jeremy got to run the bases!

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. (1 Peter 4:9)

It’s been three months since moving in to the new house, and more days than not, we’ve hosted friends, family, acquaintances and overnight guests. And we love it! Our desire is that God is glorified in this place.

Following are two times I actually remembered to take a picture:

Last week, we hosted the Air Force Academy parents’ club for the Doolie Day Out picnic. The weather was beautiful.

After the last guest left, the skies turned black and storms rolled in. Jim and I sat on the front porch with Molly as she gobbled up hail stones that tumbled onto the porch.

Every Monday we’ve had the offensive line over for Meat Monday. Jim likes having a reason to smoke meat for hungry people.

By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3-4)

The WA football team splits into four smaller teams over the summer for some friendly competition. They have all sorts of contests, but the most recent one was definitely the most entertaining…as well as closest to our house. The kids and I took our seats to watch the show.

The guys competed in a softball tournament, but not any ordinary softball tournament. Each team was to come up with a theme, for their theme and costume were judged in addition to their performance on the field. The coach gathered the superheroes, hunters, landscapers, and Polish Christmas guys together to lay out the ground rules.

One of Derek’s teammates is Polish–as in his parents are from Poland–so they decided to build on that theme.

Derek asked if I could put together some lederhosen. Relishing the challenge, I found some suspenders and sewed a chest piece to them, cut some pants short, then scrounged the rest of the items. It was just good enough to be recognizable.

After the games, Derek put on another kid’s costume bear head and walked around with it.

Here he stood before me, sharing the story of how he split his ‘lederhosen’ pants on the game-winning play of his final game.

Peter has had a handful of nicknames since he was born, “eye-poker” being one of them. I’ve been going through some old pictures lately and ran across one that illustrates well where this nickname came from…

A couple weeks ago, while the boys were at a water park with friends, Ruth and I spent the day just the two of us. I had to return some things to the Naperville library and thought it might be fun to try out the paddleboats on the riverwalk.

We had a great time, talking and laughing and observing bugs and animals.

What really got us laughing were the fearless ducks. We first saw them off in the distance, and I suggested to Ruth that we paddle after them. As it turned out, the ducks had the same idea when they saw us, as they paddled themselves over to our boat, I’m sure hoping for some bread crumbs.

Unfortunately, all we could give them was a wave hello.

Nearly every morning, we females (human and canine) hit the prairie path for some exercise.

Pace Leader:

Pace Keeper:

The other day, we were out after a severe storm went through the area and encountered some obstacles in our way.

We were not deterred.

Some went over, while others went under.

Knowing winter will be here eventually, we are seizing every opportunity we can to enjoy the path!

Since moving in April, we have had a steady stream of home improvement projects going on. While some might become overwhelmed by the thought of one project after another, we really do enjoy accomplishing the tasks together.

Jim and I finally bought tiles for the kitchen backsplash. Thankfully, they went up very easily: minimal effort, maximum reward!

Molly, always lending moral support by just “being there”.

Meanwhile, as Jim and I were in the kitchen, the kids were staining the deck outside. I’d say we got the better end of that deal, as the temperature was well into the 90s and humid.

After some finishing touches on both projects, we will be able to cross off two more items from our to-do list.