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Weekly Sunday pictures!

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Posted by: Kittykait
I know I’ve promised weekly posts multiple times and failed every time (sorry!), but this time I think it will be easier to keep it up, because I just got a smartphone (yaaay!), so I can post on the hour drive to or from church. Basically, I won’t have time to procrastinate! My plan is to post pictures of Megan, Lydia and me (and whoever else is close by), probably without many (or any) words, because as much and as well as people write I’ve always loved looking at pictures they post. It’s so much more personal and easier to process, it gets the point across better, like a little peek into someone’s life. 

wpid IMG 20120610 152802 Weekly Sunday pictures!

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Church retreat. Is it supposed to be this scary?

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Yes, I know.  The church isn’t supposed to be retreating.  We are to advance, as an army victorious!  But we took a break to rest, regroup, and retreat over the weekend, and we liked it!

Last year’s gathering at Piney Woods was our first, though the event had been happening for years without us.  This year, the kids wouldn’t let us off the hook.  We were forced to go.  They even paid for a portion of it when we hemmed and hawed about the expense.  There was no way out.  It was awful.

I jest.

It was wonderful.

canoedad 179x300 Church retreat.  Is it supposed to be this scary?

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Aside from canoes and kayaks and friends and fabulous food, it was also peaceful and beautiful and just plain fun.  Bethany was in awe of “pumpkin pines” all over the ground – pine cones, of course – and PerryBoy (who has announced his intention to be known as Batman Perry or Monster Perry rather than Little Perry) spent nearly the entire time in a canoe perfecting his paddling technique.

Batman Perry 179x300 Church retreat.  Is it supposed to be this scary?

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The girls had a grand old time at the dance on Saturday night, topped off with midnight pizza, while the grownups stayed up way past bedtime.  Perry and I learned to dance the exhilarating and complicated Posties Jig with 3 other couples.

Lydia, Natalie and Perry rocked the airsoft war.  I think our girls put to rest any doubts that young ladies could take the heat, and Perry (Big Perry, that is.  Not Batman Perry) had a glorious scene as Rambo in which he ran through the woods mowing down rows of outclassed combatants with his superior firepower.  He expects to come up against some heavier weaponry next year.

And then there was the ropes course.

Kaitlyn suited up first.

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She’s fearless.  See her fearless face?

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The first part of the course was climbing a pole and walking across another pole, using the rope as necessary to balance.  Kait did it with panache, I think.  I’m not sure what panache is, but it sounds cool and collected.

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Lydia suited up too, and took on the course.

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After the balance beam, the next task was to cross the converging cables.  Stand on one cable and hold the other in your tightly clenched fists.  As you inch along, the cable in your hands converges with the one under your feet, then another cable rises from your feet.  The trick is to keep your grip and balance as you transition from one to the other.

lydia21 Church retreat.  Is it supposed to be this scary?

Megan did it too.

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Her favorite part of the course was the zipline.  She didn’t even hesitate when it was time to jump off and freefall into the wild blue yonder, waiting to reach the end of the slack in the harness.

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Oh, did I mention that a few adults did the course too?  There were 3.

I know this guy:

pc3 179x300 Church retreat.  Is it supposed to be this scary?

He did the course just like the kids, zipline and all – but that’s not all.  I haven’t told you yet about the scary part of the ropes course.  Oh, you thought it was scary already?

The second part requires an additional harness.  They call this part of the course the Pamper Pole.  I’ll let you figure out why.

p2 179x300 Church retreat.  Is it supposed to be this scary?

Up, up, up…
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When you reach the last step, you’re not done yet.

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Stand upright and brace yourself.  The next step’s a doozy.

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Technically, you’re supposed to try to catch the trapeze.  Good luck with that.

IMAG0071 Church retreat.  Is it supposed to be this scary?

I know this is a photo-heavy post.  Maybe you’d like to be done now?  But I have a few more photos I’d like to show off.  I did the ropes course too.  It was THE MOST TERRIFYING THING I’VE EVER DONE.  CAN YOU SEE ME STILL HYPERVENTILATING 2 DAYS LATER?

I think I was more scared than anyone else there.  For that, I get a separate post.  Also, I have a knot in my stomach just from looking at the photos of my turn.  I’m not sure I can edit and upload them without a drink first.  What?  I’m a presbyterian.

4 Moms talk about church

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4moms35kids 4 Moms talk about church

Welcome to 4 Moms.  It’s Thursday again and the 4 of us are talking about church.  Some of you have been wondering what kind of church we attend, and how friendly they are to our personal convictions and large families.

One of Kimberly’s readers asked, ”I’m curious about the kind of churches you all attend.  We are protestant and can’t seem to find a church that teaches or even accepts our convictions about birth control. Do you all go to churches where there are other large families or do you just accept the differences?”

There are no easy answers to these questions, but I can share our own experience and reasoning.

Our family attends a CRE congregation, where we have been members for about 6 years.  It’s an hour drive, and we drive past many other congregations of Christian brothers and sisters on our way.  We spend a lot of money on gas and put a lot of miles on our van, but we believe it’s worthwhile to be in fellowship with like-minded believers whenever possible.

That’s not to say we never associate with others who disagree with us – we have friends in our home almost weekly who don’t agree with us or each other on many points of doctrine.  Even at our church, not everyone thinks or walks in lock-step agreement on every point.  Our large family is welcome there and in good company, though not all the families are large.  Homeschoolers are in good company, though not every family in our group homeschools.

We chose to worship with this congregation because we are likeminded on the issues that are most important to us and while it is not insignificant, our position on birth control is not what we consider a core issue.  Nor are homeschooling, large families, skirt-wearing, or other such outward signs of inward convictions…Instead, they seem to flow out of other issues.

Families worship as families in our church, and Sunday school is age-integrated.  This is important to us, so we are thankful to worship with Christian brothers and sisters who agree.  Our church baptizes infants of believing parents, welcoming them as communing members.  This, too, is a priority to us.

There have been times when we didn’t know of any like-minded congregations within driving distance.  In these cases, we worship with the Christian brothers and sisters around us as we are able, trusting that our worship is pleasing to God and seeking encouraging fellowship where we can find it – in the company of local Christian brethren, online, in visits to long-distance family and friends, etc.

The other moms are talking about it too:


Upcoming topics for June:

  • June 9 -
  • June 16 - Homeschooling the challenging child
  • June 23 – Q&A
  • June 30 -

Recent topics:

  • May 26 – 4 Moms Q&A: toothbrushes, internet filters, taming the stuff monster
  • May 19 - 4 Moms try to lose the baby weight
  • May 12 – 4 Moms practice hospitality, and YOU are invited!
  • May 5 - 4 Moms talk about you-know-what
  • April 284 Moms Q&A: sleep, exercise, and making do with one bathroom
  • April 21 – Large families & church, part 2: keeping them quiet
  • April 14 – Eating inexpensively on the road
  • April 7 4 Moms teach history
  • March 24 – Large families & church, part 1: getting there on time
  • March 17 – Bread baking linky
  • March 10 – Spring cleaning
  • March 3 Books for early readers
  • February 244 Moms Q&A: my first audio blog on potty training and more
  • February 17 – Individual time with children: scary stuff here.  Just kidding.  Let go of the guilt.
  • February 10 - Cooking with little ones without losing your sanity
  • February 3 -Teaching reading, because it’s so much easier than teaching them to use the toilet.  Do not request a 4 Moms post about potty training, do you hear me?
  • January 27 – Q&A: Must-have baby equipment and other nitty gritty stuff
  • January 20 – Top 10 Books for Preschoolers
  • January 13 – Soups and Stews
  • January 6 – Teaching Bible
  •  

    Once more because we need to hear it.

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    Download the audio on Behemoth.com for free here: Doug’s ‘Freedom at Risk Speech’ on behemoth.com

    Evening round up

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    My friends the Brown family at Ketocton Baptists have provided a thought provoking read on feminism from a rather un-American standpoint.

    You see Mrs. Brown is Romanian by birth and grew up in a socialist society.

    From the post:

    Socialist governments want women in the work force as much as men and the family is a tool of production. Fathers do not provide vision for their children, but rather leave it up to the State. I am often times shocked to see that what was seen as oppression in the Socialist Republic of Romania is called liberty here in America (even among Christians). What really hit home was a comment made by Voddie Baucham [In the film Return of the Daughters]. He said, “I don’t know why we allow ourselves to be poured into the world’s mold…”

    Read the rest of the post here.

    On Doug’s blog there are insanely cute baby pictures and a hot babe in a blue dress … icon smile Evening round up

    Voddie Baucham’s daughter gives us 10 reasons she doesn’t want to be VP when she grows up.

    Carmon Friedrich explains there are Bigger Dangers than Obama this election season,

    and last but not least Scott Brown sounds off on Searing the Conscience of the Church”.

    EDITED to include Kelly’s post on McCain’s positions. We all remember him, right?  The guy at the top of the ticket – the Big Kauhuna who will actually be making all the decisions that effect Sarah Palin icon wink Evening round up

    While we’re on the topic of women in civil leadership…

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    My good friend Colin and his brother have a collection of audio and video documentaries that look into, among other things,

    gunn all bundle1 While were on the topic of women in civil leadership...

    • How Christians should and are standing against public perversion and
    • What are the effects of Feminism on our culture

    These are HIGHLY recommended teaching tools for you and your family. If you dont’ have them go here and  here to watch the clips, read my previous review then go to  this link to buy the whole set for 40% off

    You might even considering buying one for your pastor or church library icon smile While were on the topic of women in civil leadership...

    Doug Phillips Interviews Olympic Gold Medalist Josh Davis

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    Talent show

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    We’re home from our church’s Christian Community Conference/Talent Show.  I’m back online (whew!) and back home with my chocolate (double whew!).  mmm…chocolate…

    During much of the conference I found myself in the back of the room nursing a fussy baby and watching the kids make crazy hats, jewelry, flowers and other stuff with pipe cleaners.

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    When Bethany wasn’t fussing, she was being passed around like a basketball, from one eager set of hands to the next with hardly a pause in the rhythm.  I never knew where to find her until she cried; then she seemed to find me.

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    The 3rd annual Talent Show was a challenge and a success.  There were 26 acts in all and it lasted for 3 hours.  We’re a talented bunch.  It was highly entertaining, of course – how could it fail to be? – but many acts ran into bumps and roadblocks, including one of ours.  I’ll tell you about my ovarian guilt from that incident in another post.  For now, I’ll just tell you what our family did.  Poetry seems to be our specialty, so you’ll see that we are heavy in that area:

    Would you like to know Who was on first?  That’s right; He was.  Who was? Yes.  Who? Exactly!  Can you guess what act hubby and his friend did?  In spite of the fact that I had heard it a hundred times in the weeks before the show, I still laugh at all the same lines, every time.  I just can’t help it.  I’ll break your arm you say Who’s on first! And I couldn’t help but laugh at audience’s delighted reaction to all the punch lines.  Do I have to tell you that hubby and his friend did a great job on a great skit?  Go watch the original now.

    Deanna recited Carry On by Robert Service.  This was a late change, as we decided that the extremely long poem she had memorized was less fitting to the occasion.  She memorized this entire poem nearly effortlessly in about a day and a half, including a small improvisation which fitted seamlessly into the original.  I always tell her that if she had a super power, it would be Memorization.  Not quite as dramatic as the powers of Superman or the Xmen, perhaps, but quite impressive nonetheless.

    Kaitlyn and Lydia performed Twins by Henry S. Leigh.  They alternated, each saying half a line without missing a beat.  Very funny and very fitting since they are our only two light-haired green-eyed daughters, and used to be mistaken for twins almost every time we left the house.

    Megan learned It Couldn’t Be Done by Edgar Guest.  This was also a late addition to the plan, and like Deanna, Megan learned her poem very quickly.  What can I say?  My kids are talented.  icon wink Talent show

    Natalie worked very hard to learn Adventures of Isabel by Ogden Nash.  She had a little trouble remembering the poet’s name when she was first learning it, so I had all the children repeat his name as a group about 10 times.  As a result, Perry Boy ran around the house for several days chanting, Ogen Nash!  Ogden Nash!  Ogden Nash! Needless to say, Natalie had no more trouble recalling the poet’s name.

    Becca learned My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson almost entirely by herself, and recited it flawlessly.  She came away glowing.

    Our family had been working on learning Proverbs chapter 3 (not for the talent show), and a couple of weeks before the show we realized that 3yo Rachael had learned the first 8 verses.  This seemed very talented of her, so she recited that for the talent show.

    wayfaring 300x219 Talent show

    The girls were very nervous about this one, but they did a lovely rendition of Wayfaring Stranger, which they learned from the Von Trapp family CD.  The three on the left sang melody while the 3 on the right sang harmony a half line later, with a sort of echo effect.  I’m sure there’s a technical name for it but I have no idea what it is; at any rate, it was hauntingly beautiful and I’m glad they were brave enough to do it.

    And then we all ate BBQ until we could eat no more.  It was a good day in Texas.