Every morning, these 4 little darlings can be found excitedly waving and squealing goodbye to daddy as he drives away to work.

On the occasion that he has left in a hurry and neglected to call them downstairs to say goodbye, there has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth by Sarah in particular. I have actually had to call Bruce before he got out of the neighborhood to have him come back by and wave so that the entire day did not start off with a total meltdown.

Andrew has started getting in on the action and will holler from the high chair to be a part of the farewell ceremony.  (You would think that Daddy was leaving to go overseas for a month but no, he is usually home within 8 hours, sometimes sooner.)

The scene is repeated each time Mama leaves the house. I always joke that my neighbors must think that I am a total Rock Star because my kids stand at the door wailing and waving hysterically each time I leave, even if it’s just to a neighbor’s to drop something off.

They’re so much fun!

“Read to me, Daddy!”

Andrew is starting to do lots of things that indicate to us that he is understanding words that he hears and he is communicating more and more each day. When the kids go outside, he will run and grab his shoes, bring them to me and sit down waiting for me to put them on.

He also loves to drink out of a big kid cup. He will get a cup out of the cabinet, walk over to the fridge and hold the cup up as if to say, “I know the water comes out of here! Get me some!”

The other night he brought a book to Bruce, crawled up in his lap and was ready for Daddy to read!

I can’t believe how big he’s getting!

I have started letting Abby help Nathan with some of his schoolwork. She sits with him while he does his explode the code workbooks and his horizons math. They love working together!! I let this count as part of Abby’s school – she is reviewing lower lessons and having to explain concepts and Nathan loves the interaction. They giggle together and the work usually goes quicker on the days that I let them work together.

You know what else makes me smile?

Sisters and brothers x 2! Sarah took Abby’s que and “read” to Andrew!

Have I ever mentioned that I think homeschooling is awesome??

We made a long overdue trek out to my grandmother’s house last week. The kids always enjoy seeing “Mama’s Nana” and they love hearing stories about when I was little. (This time Nana told them about the time I threw a snot-slingin’ fit over not getting a piece of bubble gum. Sounds like another little girl I know!)

They also love watching her fancy clocks chime the hour and this time they got a super special treat. Nana recently bought a tempurpedic mattress and she wanted them to JUMP ON HER BED to soften it up a bit! They tore off into the bedroom and jumped their little hearts out. Afterward they rested up by taking “rides” on her adjustable bed and they got a kick out of the massage feature.

Andrew even got in on the action.

We love you, Nana!

We celebrated mom’s birthday yesterday with dinner at Red Robin and then some fun time at Claire’s trying on jewelry, tiaras, sunglasses, (and in Abby’s case) wigs!

Happy birthday to my awesome mama!

…The earth is filled with His Glory.

Several years ago while I was working as a case manager, I did lots and lots of traveling. Some of my days involved literally hundreds of miles of car time and would take me from one end of Middle Tennessee to another. Our state is so breathtakingly beautiful – especially in the fall. It was autumn and the leaves on the trees were at the height of their color. On the days when I would spend so much time in the car, I would listen to great music and use that time to pray and just “be” with God.

During one of these cross the state trips,  I was taking in the splendor of creation. I noted all the colors of the rainbow – Fiery reds, Blazing Oranges, Bright Yellows, Deep Greens, Regal Purple. But there was one color that was missing! As I drove I wondered, “Why is there no blue? I see every color of the rainbow – every color represented in the spectrum except blue. Why Lord, why didn’t you make leaves that turn blue? It just seems incomplete, somehow. That’s not like you. You are perfect! Everything has been made complete in You! How could you have left out the blue!!”

I continued driving, pondering the absence of one of the colors in the prism and I felt a nudge in my spirit. I didn’t hear an audible voice, of course, but I sensed that God was speaking. He had been speaking to me through His creation (as we are told that He does) but now He was speaking to me in my spirit. He was speaking to me about my doubts. About my curiosity. About the idea that maybe He had forgotten or overlooked something. I heard Him say, “Dearest Julie. My child. How wonderful it is that you are communing with me through my creation, my artistry. Dearest one, I did not leave anything out. When you begin to doubt me, when you begin to think that somehow I left out an important detail or think for one second that I am not intimately involved in every single component of creation and of your life, I want you to do one thing: Lift up your eyes.”

And so, I looked up. As I lifted my eyes… there it was. The clearest, bluest, most perfect autumn sky I had ever seen.

He leaves nothing out. There is no detail that escapes him. Not in his creation. Not in our lives.

{Deep Breath} – He is so good!

Fast forward to today. I was once again driving miles and miles. This time with precious sleeping children in the back of the van. I was listening to a worship CD and taking in the beauty. I was driving up a hill that was thick with trees, full of vibrantly colored leaves. Careful not to wake up the kids, I was (quietly) singing along to “Holy Holy Holy” and thoroughly enjoying this time to “be” with God. As I came to the pinnacle of the hill, the sun seemed to shine brighter and the colors seemed even more vivid. At that very moment, the instruments accompanying the praise and worship team dropped back and all that was left were voices and a majestic organ and the words poured out of the speakers, “Holy Holy Holy! Lord God Almighty! All thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea!”

As I topped the hill, I came to a clearing and a sea of blue sky burst through the trees. I remembered my commune with God during my commute across the state. I remembered how He whispered to me that HE IS THE PERFECT CREATOR. He leaves NOTHING undone. The majesty of His creation and the truth of the lyrics came together in perfect a unison that could have only been ordained by the Creator Himself. I glimpsed in the rear view mirror to see my sleeping babies. I thanked God for that His blessings.

He forgets nothing. He ordains everything. God is good.

{From The Archives – Originally Posted Nov 2008}

{From the Archives – Originally Posted Nov 2009}

Since the beginning of November, we have immersed ourselves in the true and amazing story of The Pilgrims and have been captivated and inspired by the rich history and the lessons that it has for us today. The hardships that these people endured was remarkable but the real story is the faith by which they endured.

I peripherally knew the story of the Pilgrims and knew that they left Plymouth, England and fled to America because they wanted to worship freely but that little blurb does absolutely no justice to the true and wonderful story of these men and women. They risked (and gave) their lives for the hope of a land in which they could worship God in the way they felt was right and pursue their dreams of simple, family work.

I now know that they fled England because they were being executed, their houses were being burned, and the men and women and children of their congregation were imprisoned all because they refused to attend the Anglican church. They tried to leave England not once but twice and both times, it ended in disaster. The first time, they were betrayed by the ship’s captain. They had sold all that they had in order to make this escape and the few possessions that they DID still have were taken and they were imprisoned again. This only made their resolve to leave stronger. The second time they hired a ship, the men had boarded but ship sailed away in haste because the crew saw that the King’s army was in pursuit. This would have been a good thing were it not for the fact that in their haste, they were leaving the women, children, and many of their belongings on the shore!! The families left behind were put into prison but were eventually released and all were reunited in Holland.

Did you know that the pilgrims did not not initially flee to America? I don’t remember ever learning that! They first went to Holland because it was reputed to be a place of religious freedom and they lived there for 12 years. After these years of relative peace and freedom, they decided to embark on the journey to America for several reasons. First, they saw that their children were becoming “Dutch” and losing their cultural history. Second, the men of the congregation (old men down to young boys) were doing backbreaking work in factories that separated their families for most of the week. These people had been landowners and farmers in England and had a strong desire to live that way again where they could work together as families and not be in dark factories all week long separated from their families just to earn their livings. Most pressing, however, was the fear that the end of the temporary peace treaty with the Spanish would lead to renewed religious persecution. If the Spanish won, the country would become Catholic. If the English and Dutch won, the country might come under more English rule. Either way, after the religious persecution that they had suffered in England, they were willing to brave a 3,000 mile ocean crossing and attempt to settle in an untamed land order to avoid the possibility of that again.

After nearly sinking in one of their boats, (The Speedwell – not the Mayflower!) they ended up at Plymouth, England for repairs. (Plymouth, you see, was NOT where the pilgrims were from. It’s just where they ended up after having to dock and eventually sell this ship.) It was only after they abandoned the Speedwell that most of them piled on to the Mayflower to make the treacherous journey to America. (Some had to stay behind due to space constraints.) They had initially left Holland in JULY hoping to sail in fair weather and arrive in August or Early September. Because of their troubles, however, they didn’t actually set sail for good until September! (Which is why they didn’t end up in America until November and didn’t find a place to settle until nearly Christmas!)

There are so many more fascinating parts of this story that I have (re)-learned in this past month. The bottom line, though, is that these were people of incredible faith and determination who trusted that God was guiding them in all things as they were striving to worship and honor him. Their story is full of practical application for us today. They celebrated “The First Thanksgiving” as a way to praise God for all that He had brought them through in that first year. These men and women lived out the command to “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Though nearly half of those who came along on the journey were now buried and though the survivors had endured numerous hardships since they had set out on this adventure, they chose to bless and honor God with a feast of thanks to their deliverer.

I hope that this list of resources will encourage you delve into the story of our Pilgrim ancestors!

Our Mayflower exploration all started when my friend Cindi loaned me a few books. The first of which we read was:

Stories Of The Pilgrims. (Be sure that if you get this book – you get the first edition. I have seen poor reviews of the revised edition.) This is a FABULOUS read aloud book for families with young children! The first few chapters were especially engaging and inspiring and really got us started on our journey to discover more about our Pilgrim Fathers.

Another really wonderful book is “The Adventurous Life Of Miles Standish.” This is also written in great “read-aloud” language and has wonderful illustrations. The story is about Miles Standish – a military leader who was hired to go with the pilgrims as they set out to make their way in the New World – but it is not exclusively about him. There are extensive quotes from William Bradford and Edward Winslow – the primary historians of the colony. What I loved most about this book is that it has a running timeline of other world events at the bottom of each page that helps to tell the story of what else was going on in the world as the Pilgrims were striving to establish their colony at Plimoth.

Abby loved “The Pilgrims Of Plimoth.” She was really fascinated by the beautiful illustrations and the older language of the book. The book is written in the voice of one of the Pilgrims and there is a glossary in the back with definitions of some of the words that are used. It’s a lovely Children’s book.

The Mayflower & the Pilgrims’ New World is a book that is the youth-adapted version of Nathaniel Philbrick’s highly acclaimed “Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War”. This book does a wonderful job of finding a balance between fact and myth and not only tells the story of the Pilgrims crossing of the Atlantic, but goes much farther and tells the story of what happened AFTER the first few years. Much of the book focuses on the relationships of the pilgrims and their Indian neighbors. I learned many fascinating details about Squanto and Massasoit and “King Phillip.” I read a lot of this book on my own but it’s a great read-aloud as well. Nathan even enjoyed listening to this one!

Another book from my friend Cindi was “The Mayflower Adventure.” This is the fictional story of John and Sarah Smythe – a brother and sister who were born in Leiden when the Separatist Pilgrims living there in search of religious freedom. They had fled the persecution of King James of England and had been in Holland for nearly 12 years. The children hear the re-telling of why their parents left England and John and Sarah are some of the children who embark on the exciting and frightening adventure to leave Holland and start a new colony in America. Historically accurate details and quotes from William Bradford are incorporated in to the story. It’s not as good to read aloud and the others that I have mentioned but we’ve enjoyed it. This would be a really great book for an older child who was capable of self-reading chapter books.

Two books that I have read on my own have been “Of Plimoth Plantation” by William Bradford and “The Mayflower Miracle” by Johnathan King.

“Of Plimoth Plantation” is the journal of William Bradford – the governor of the colony for nearly 30 years. The fact that this man is not as studied as George Washington or other founding fathers is a travesty. This book should be required reading! It is a history written by the person who witnessed the whole thing. I borrowed the “modern language” version from the library (modern language meaning that all of the oddly spelled words are corrected – nothing is changed as far as the content) and it has lots of wonderful footnotes and appendices. I would not recommend this book if you hadn’t done other reading but knowing the history by way of reading the other books I’ve mentioned enabled me to read this one and enjoy it. It was quite a thrill to be reading the words written 400 years ago that rang so true to my heart in the year 2009! William Bradford is a true American hero and his story should not be overlooked!

The Mayflower Miracle: The Pilgrim’s Own Story of the Founding of America by Jonathan King. This book was an exciting find at my local used book store. It is written in sort of a time-line format and has lots of well documented and researched tidbits that add so much depth to the story. Bradford is quoted extensively as the writer tries to tell the story in the words of the Pilgrims. It is out of print now but if you can snag a copy, this one is a keeper! There are also lots of pictures included.

Some fabulous internet resources:
Timeline of Plimoth Plantation found on Plimoth.org and Scholastic.com’s Voyage Of The Mayflower.

And finally, for the love of all that is good and right, GO AND BUY THIS CD!

This CD set entitled, “Thanksgiving – A Time To Remember” was a gift from one of the moms at Bruce’s school. It’s an audio book with the narrative of the Pilgrim’s journey. It has been wonderful to take along with us on long drives. The kids love listening to it and I dare say that between this CD and all the literature that we have read, Abby knows more about the history of the Pilgrims than most High School graduates! The CD set also includes another disk of beautiful instrumental hymns all with the theme of Thanksgiving. It is a MUST HAVE for celebrating and remembering the importance of this holiday.

So there you have it. We didn’t spend our Thanksgiving study time making paper bag Indian vests and we have nary a macaroni necklace anywhere in our home. We do, however, have our minds and hearts full of thanks and filled with a fresh appreciation of our forefathers and of the faith that led them to this New World.

But hey – This is a good one:

LAST YEAR:

This Year!

It’s so hard to believe that on our trip last year, we didn’t even know what our little Andrew would be like!

Nathan:

Andrew: