Elly and Vixey

"How about a big kiss?"


"Now, don't do that again!"


"Oh, I just love this dog!"


Vixey really is a sweet dog. It just so happened here that we were getting some really cute pictures of Elly, Selah, and William when Vixey walked right up and became the "star."

posted by Sarah

Peanuts

Last week we went to listen to Senator Coburn speak, then we went out to eat BBQ. While we were waiting for our food, we all enjoyed eating peanuts. It is the kind of restaurant where the server brings out a bucket of peanuts and when you have opened the peanut you are supposed to toss the shells in the floor. We tried to explain to Selah that you do not throw the shells, you simply drop them in the floor, but she had a hard time figuring this one out. One of her shells even landed in a lady's purse once. Oops! She didn’t seem too offended, but I do hope that doesn’t happen again. Selah eventually got the knack of dropping the shells, but only as we were leaving!
Here is a cute video of her trying to be careful how the shells fall. I hope you enjoy it.

posted by Abby

Gardening and Life

We recently did a small planting at our house. Daddy and Mommy started by mixing the soil, preparing the pots, and teaching us girls how to properly plant each of the different kinds of fruits and vegetables.

Then we each planted the item of our choice.






We had a great time planting blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, tomatoes, grapes, and cauliflower. Of course, Selah planted blueberries, her favorite!! Last summer when we went blueberry picking she ate them right off the bush!

Later that night, Daddy and Mommy went out to tend, water, and protect the plants from harmful weeds and other destroyers.


Hmmm, sounds a lot like life.

posted by Sarah

Things Outdoors

Here are some fun outdoor pictures:

Selah jumping on the mini-trampoline

Daddy riding my bike and popping wheelies

My cat, Taluse

Sydnee's dog, Vixey

Our family dog and chicken guarder, Oxy (pouting)

A pretty, stormy sky

A robin eating a worm

A mockingbird in our yard

The same mockingbird, taunting Taluse

posted by Sarah

Sir William's Birthday

William had a very good time at his birthday party! He did not want to give up one toy to open another, but he finally caught on! Here are some pictures:

William and Sarah

with Abby

with me

"The Defender" with Sherrod

with Elly

with Selah

William and Wallace playing IN the sand and water table

with Papa and Grammy

with Krissa

William had fun blowing his bubbles,

enjoying his cake,

and eating ice cream with Abby!

By the way, the only part of his cupcake that he would eat was the icing!

We love you, William!

posted by Sydnee

Fun with science

Part of my science assignment this past week was to create a model of the sun and be able to explain the different layers to my siblings. We all had a fun time making the model:
Selah

Elly

Even William and Wallace enjoyed watching and listening (with Abby, Sherrod, and Sydnee)!

Here is our completed model showing the sun's core (red), photosphere (yellow), chromosphere (blue), and the corona, or sun's surface (white):

(We wanted to do the corona in yellow or orange, but we didn't have enough modeling clay, so we had to improvise!)

Some fun information:

Have you ever thought about just how big our God is? Listen to this: the sun is so big that, if it were hollow, over one million earths could fit inside it. However, the sun is just a medium-sized star compared with others!

I was particularly interested in the hot temperatures:

The corona surrounds the sun like a halo. Gases in this layer can reach temperatures up to 1,700,000 degrees Celsius. (Remember that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius!)

The chromosphere is the only layer of the sun that we can see. It is 550 kilometers thick and the temperature does not usually rise above 6,000 degrees Celsius.

The photosphere is the middle layer that gives off a faint red light. We can't see it because the other layers are too bright. It is several thousand kilometers thick. Temperatures average 27,800 degrees Celsius.

The sun's center is called the core. This is the hottest part of the sun. At its outer edges, temperatures may reach 1,000,000 degrees Celsius, but near its very center, temperatures may reach 15,000,000 degrees Celsius!

Ever wonder how scientists measure the temperature of the sun? Well, they use physics equations to calculate it. Just knowing the solar radius, mass, and the fact that the sun is supported in hydrostatic equilibrium allows them to calculate the temperatures.

posted by Sarah

Flowers

A little while back Grammy and Papa brought us some flowers to plant. I put them in the ground and have been caring for them. They are coming up nicely.

Thank you, Grammy and Papa!

posted by Abby

The Happy Boy

The happy boy is 6 months old! He's got 3 teeth and loves to eat! He weighs 19 pounds, 2 ounces and is 27 3/4 inches tall!

He's also crawling, though he mostly goes backwards! He pulls up and is starting to walk around holding on to things. He is a fun baby and we all enjoy him very much!

William loves to hug and kiss him. The other day when William kissed him, Wallace reached over to grab him and pulled him over to him and gave him a big kiss back! It was so sweet!

posted by Sarah

Nanny's Birthday

Our grandmother, Mommy's mother, turned 60 today! To celebrate her birthday, Aunt Sheli (one of Mommy's sisters) took us four older girls with them to get manicures and pedicures. We had a lot of fun! Afterward, we took Nanny to eat at Red Lobster (forgot the camera)!

We had a great time! Most of us had never had a manicure or pedicure before, so it was a new experience. Here are some pictures of our time at the salon:

Nanny

Mommy

Aunt Sheli

Me

Abby (she read through most of her pedicure!)

Sydnee

Sherrod

Some other fun pictures:

posted by Sarah