dance recital

On the way to the recital, We saw Uncle Mark driving Head of us.



Maddie did a great job in her recital. I really admire these teachers who can convince a bunch of 5 & 6 yr olds to learn and perform a real dance. Maddie is in Ballet so that she has an outlet for all of her creative energy. She is also in a music class, but that hasn't gone as well. She is learning music, but she also uses every opportunity to be a dog or cat. We have to discuss "when is it time to be a dog" (recess, at home, etc) "when is it time to be a little girl" (during class, church, etc.) I am so glad I have such an interesting child.

things that I find exciting.....

These are my new gooseberry bushes!

Martin can burn things with his magnifying glass!

Reedus Robertus of the familae VanHorn

This creature was spotted in my yard earlier this week. It appears to be primarily a quadraped though it will attempt bipedal locomotion. It eats anything that comes near its mouth, and makes very cute noises.

park

water

what is it about a giant puddle of water that makes kids want to jump in it even if it is cold and miserable and rainy?

easter weekend

Friday we did a massive Easter egg hunt with some friends. It was fun and there were lots of eggs!

On Easter Sunday we went for a walk along the ice age trail and read the Easter story.

We have three pairs of binoculars and three children who can use binoculars, so it works out just right. Today the kids were looking for birds and birds nests. It got the kids some exercise so they were more willing to stay indoors during conference.



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Here we are playing on some play equipment, which is always fun. This is after Martin and Maddie did a 2 mile race in Black Earth.





Finally, here is a sample of what Maddie has been wearing lately. She just looks cute, so I took a picture. She has a pink/bright pink poncho, zebra striped pink t-shirt, and pink striped pants.

correction; I should have posted this earlier.

OK, so last week after the Health care bill was passed, I was exuberant, and I posted an incredibly inspirational poem, written for Obama's inauguration and read there by Elizabeth Alexander. Here is one of my favorite parts;

Some live by 'love they neighbor as thyself'
others by 'first do no harm' or 'take no more
than you need'. What if the mightiest word is love?

I feel the entire poem is about our country, its varied spotted history and various political and social feelings; and how we all work towards the same ends albeit with different means.

What I did wrong, is that I removed my post after a few hours because I heard a lot of negative feedback about the Healthcare bill from my republican friends. I had truly not expected negativity from anyone.
A friend very rightly chastised me for this
"did you get too much flack from your republican friends"
well, if they gave me too much flack (a little bit of flack is fine) then they are not my friends and really wouldn't read my blog. So I need to express myself more and not worry about introducing inconvenient thoughts and ideas to those around me.
We do not progress by trying the same things over and over and expecting different results.

The Great poet William Butler Yeats , in his poem The Second Coming, described time when
"the best lack all conviction while the worst are full of passionate intensity"
I will not speculate on where those 'full of passionate intensity' stand on the health care bill, but I must make sure that I am not one of those who lack conviction.

So there you have it, I will not shy away from big political social statements which I feel to be important. As you read this blog, be warned that it is written by me (you can get your own if you don't like it). It will of course continue to be focused mainly on my children and our family blah blah blah. But I am making a special effort to live a life consistent with what I believe are correct principles and ideas.

Praise Song for the Day
by Elizabeth Alexander

Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other, catching each other’s
eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise. All about us is
noise and bramble, thorn and din, each
one of our ancestors on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem, darning
a hole in a uniform, patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere,
with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum,
with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky.
A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin.

We encounter each other in words, words
spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,
words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark
the will of some one and then others, who said
I need to see what’s on the other side.

I know there’s something better down the road.
We need to find a place where we are safe.
We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain: that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,

picked the cotton and the lettuce, built
brick by brick the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.

Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more
than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?

Love beyond marital, filial, national,
love that casts a widening pool of light,
love with no need to pre-empt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,
any thing can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,

praise song for walking forward in that light.

field museum

We visited the Field Museum in CHicago recently. IT was great. One of the exhibits was "it came from underground" and everything was as if you had shrunk to 1/100 of your normal size. This was Maddie's favorite place. She liked ot pretend to be 1/100 of her size, and crawl around in the dirt. There were also lots of moving scale sized ants, crawdads and other bugs. Even a wolf spider eating a grub. Caleb was frightened by these. The kids all got to crawl into a cicada shell and pretend to molt.
I was particularly impressed by the display of meteorites and the extensive dinosaur collection, including Sue, the most complete tyrannosaurus rex ever found.
After the museum we played outside. It was really fun and took all day long!