Rock City--Lookout Mountain

Last week, on our way home from a wedding in Atlanta, I wanted to stop at Rock City on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, TN. I had fond memories of going there with my family when I was young--many, many years ago. I especially remembered the swinging bridge which is suspended high above a gorge and sways when you walk on it. I also remembered Lovers Leap, from which you can see 7 states (on a clear day). Dad reminded me that I may have had this built up in my mind after fifty-some years, so it was a bit of a risk to pay the admission fee and begin the mile-long trek through the huge stone formations.

Amazingly, it was even better than I remembered and proved to be a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. Near the end of the trail, we went underground into Mother Goose Village where all of the nursery rhymes are depicted with carved figures illustrating the verses. The story of how this whole place came to be is also an intriguing one.

We later rode the world's steepest incline railway for a mile up the side of the mountain. The grade near the top is 72%, and we could look down at the ground below through the windows in the top of the car. One woman wouldn't uncover her eyes during the whole trip up and down, but we found it to be incredibly beautiful. Rock City and the surrounding area proved to be a great "rest area" on the long trip home.

First Few Weeks of Fall

It seems as soon as Labor Day passed, the cooler weather, darker evenings and quieter days began. All the neighbor kids are back in school and we have begun a new routine around here as well. I am so pleased with how it is going! I thought I would share in case any one was curious about our "homeschooling" days. I came across a really helpful tool to assist me in organizing our crazy life around here. It is quite Type A, but having a plan and everything organized greatly reduces the stress around our home. Plus, both Sam and I do best with routine.
So, here's our day:

Brian is almost always around for breakfast. He then leads us in worship and prayer before we head upstairs to "do our charts." Sam and Lydia have a checklist of personal chores to complete in the morning and before bed. When we are all ready for the day, there might be a small job to do together or some laundry to start...OK...there is almost always laundry to start.

Then we are all together for storytime. With all three kids, I am using this book and this curriculum to encourage our kids to love books and to love learning. The quality literature and fun learning activities make this an enjoyable time for everyone. After this, I am with just Sam and sometimes Sam and Lydia to do a bit of math, reading and/or handwriting. (The girls have play time alone while I do this.) Then we are all together again for snack and Bible immersion...reading Bible, memorizing verses, etc. After this we head outside to let off some steam. This is also when I can catch up on chores, run errands, or just feel free to play with the kids. It has greatly helped me to have a time to feel free from home responsibilities and to enjoy the kids.

Then we grab lunch. I have found that right after meals is a good time to have the kids do a small job, so they might fold some washclothes, change some laundry or pick up some toys after lunch. Sam and Lydia each have a half an hour of computer time while I catch up around the house, feed Noah and put Sophie down for a nap. Then Sam, Lydia and I read for a bit from a chapter book. We have read Charlotte's Web, Dangerous Journey and others. We are currently reading through the original Winnie the Pooh collection, which is my absolute favorite. Then we all have an hour of rest. Since the rest of my time has been so well organized, this has actually turned out to be a rest time for me, too.

Then Sam, Lydia and I have another story time using this curiculum. Same great idea: quality books, fun learning stuff. Then we head outdoors again when the babies are awake. For dinner, I have one of the kids help me while the others either keep playing outdoors or are in their rooms for alone time play. This is one of my secrets to sanity, too. Dinnertime is crazy because we are all tired and hungry, so keeping it simple and orderly really helps.

So, this is the way it goes around here, for now. Oh, except Wednesdays, when the girls are at Kindermusic with my mom. Sam and I make bread, which he is selling to learn math, interpersonal skills, etc as well as earn a bit of money. This has been a sweet time for us to work together. Oh yeah, and don't forget: plenty of Lego time!!

A couple things that have really helped me keep organized around here: 1) We have four weeks of favorite dinner meals chosen which we rotate through. I have these recipes in a simple small photo album so I can access them easily. 2) I do certain chores on certain days (groceries on Monday, clean the bathrooms on Tuesday, wash sheets every other Friday, etc) I write all of this on my calender so I don't forget. 3) I plan to do three months on/one month off of official "homeschooling" subjects. The off month will be spent planning for the next season and enjoying the change of pace.

OK...that was really long. Maybe nobody cares, but I have been so pleased with how smoothly and quickly the days have been going. I wanted to share the joy!!

Tobin's Dedication

As Amy said, we dedicated the two newest boys a week or so ago. It was a really nice time to focus ourselves on Noah and Tobin.

We spoke quite a bit about Tobin's namesake. His name means "God is good". We have a couple different perspectives on this meaning. From pregnancy to his birth and even looking at him now, I feel it. God is so good. We are so grateful for God's blessing of this life.

It is also our hope for him. We hope that Tobin will bring the goodness of the kingdom to humanity. That what he does, what he says, and who he is will show the goodness of God. Tobin's verse (as we have chosen) is Psalm 27:13 "I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." Easton's Bible Dictionary says "Goodness in man is not a mere passive quality, but the deliberate preference of right to wrong, the firm and persistent resistance of all moral evil, and the choosing and following of all moral good."

This is where his middle name comes in: Peter - rock or stone. After Kevin's grandfather. We pray that Tobin will stand firm in goodness and not be swayed by this world. That he will be perstistent in choosing right over wrong.
We also made him some promises as we hold him out to God. "We promise to pray for you throughout your life, whether you ask for it or not. We promise to do our best to display God's love to you. We promise to make decisions concerning you based on prayer and Godly counsel. We promise to teach you how to live a kingdom life."

Noah's Dedication

For those of you who weren't there on Sunday, we had a special time to dedicate the littlest Wolthuis cousins, Noah and Tobin. I didn't have enough free time to take many pictures, so maybe Jen can post one of Tobin. Here is what I shared with our friends and family...

Dear, Sweet Noah,

I feel we already have a glimpse into the person God has created you to be: peaceful, tolerant, quick to smile, content and full of happiness. Your father says he doesn’t know anyone who is really happy and really intelligent, but maybe you can be the first. If not, and if I had to choose, I think this world needs more happy people.

Your middle name, John, came to us after a couple years of being deeply intrigued by the disciple John. In his gospel, he refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” I am captivated by the fact that he was so assured of God’s heart of love for him, that he was able to confidently, repeatedly refer to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Could I define who I am with this testimony? I seek to learn the truth of this fact: I am loved. At times of trouble in my life, when I loose perspective, by the grace of God, He speaks to my deepest place and reminds me that he loves me, as I am, even if I don’t change, and I am centered and find peace again.

My prayer is that you will know you are loved…by me and your papa and, most amazingly, by your Papa God.

We called you Noah after the friend of God that comes to everyone’s mind – the one with the arc. I apologize in advance for all the rain and boat jokes you will endure. We chose this name because we admire and celebrate the courage it took Noah to walk out the call of God on his life. Can you imagine building a giant boat, waiting for a flood, with no sign of rain while the entire world looks on? Sometimes we can identify a bit with how that must have felt. We feel God’s nudge to lead a counter-cultural life that doesn’t always make sense and almost always blazes a new trail. Noah, you will grow up in a family that does things a little differently, with a father that isn’t afraid to seek out the voice of God and lead his family to obey the best they can, while the world looks curiously on.

My prayer is that you will grow to hear His voice for yourself and, even if there is no sign of rain and the world looks on, scratching their heads, you will have the courage to obey.

Love,

your mama