The Maxwell House Kids

Winter 2012 Open House

2012-02-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our OPEN HOUSE! We thought it would be fun to show you all the wonderful things we have been doing in school this year . . .

Lydia - 2nd Grade
Byron & Abby - Pre-K

OUR DAILY SCHEDULE
8am - Rise and shine for Jesus, breakfast & chores
9:30 - Family Worship (prayer, singing, Bible study & activities)
10am - Lydia works alone (Spelling, Math, Handwriting, computer, journaling); Preschool with Byron & Abby
11:30 - Recess
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Cartoons
1:30 - Naps or quiet play time in rooms (Byron & Abby)
Teaching time with Lydia: Science, History, Grammar, Phonics, Math, Spelling, readers, Bible
3:30 - Afternoon playtime with friends

Our weekly preschool schedule is as follows:
Monday - Review last week's letter; introduce new letter; science, game, workbooks.
Tuesday - Letter of the week with Bible story, workbooks, art.
Wednesday - Alphabet book & stickers, health, workbooks.
Thursday - Learn how to write the letter of the week, Bible devotional or verse with letter of the week, workbooks.
**Friday - No preschool; Test day for Lydia in the morning and FAMILY outing in the afternoon
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Inside the classroom

Day of the week

Letter of the week
We have six objects that we put on our letter board each week that BEGIN with that letter. Byron & Abby get three pictures each to share and hang up.

Lydia works independently during preschool time.
She will work on her cursive writing, spelling words, and math pages. She must also journal using two new spelling words each day. If Mommy is still working with Byron & Abby when she has completed her work, she can play math and spelling games on the computer. (On Tuesdays, Lydia joins the other children for art.) After preschool time, she will get about 30 minutes of teaching and we will review her completed morning work. On Friday morning Lydia is tested on every subject and can earn a piece of gum for each "A" received!!

Class work

Puzzle time

"Me Books" - Contains their FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL picture for each year, hand & foot prints for each year (along with their measurements), as well as other fun stuff like: favorite foods (the kids cut and paste pictures from Mommy's old cooking magazines), 30 days of what they are thankful for (month of November), a page on Christmas (month of December), a family tree (comprised of photos and drawings), and pictures the kids make of their favorite activities, games, school projects, etc.

The kids LOVE flipping through their "Me Books" and remembering what they did in years past.

Alphabet Books
Each week we decorate their letter of the week. We use stickers, paint, crayons, and other things to fill their page with creations that BEGIN with that letter. At the end of our school year the kids put on an OPEN HOUSE for Daddy. They use their letter books to recite each letter (and sound) of the alphabet. They also name objects that begin with each letter. Then we take out the pages from their binders and fasten together their own alphabet books for them to keep in their rooms!

Reward charts (each child can earn a sticker by having a good attitude and working diligently)- A full chart earns an item from our TREASURE BOX!

Chore chart - Each child earns a sticker for doing his or her assigned chores. If they fill up their chart by the end of the week they earn a quarter.

Spelling review

Afternoon school (We do part of our work in the office so we can use the BIG board!)

Art

Cooking

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Let's get moving!
Recess

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Lunch time

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Cartoon time
The kids LOVE to snuggle together . . .
when they're not fighting!

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ALPHABET CRAFTS
Letter A - "airplane"

Letter B - "block"

Letter C - "crown"

Letter D - "dinosaur"

Letter E - "elephant"

Letter F - "fan" and "frame"

Letter G - "glitter" (We made Christmas tree ornaments!)

Letter H - "heart" and "horn"

Letter I - "iceburg, iris, ice cream"
(We played with "ice glacier" putty on a snow day
and ate ice cream!!)

Letter J - "jewelry box"
(forgot to take a picture!)

Letter K - "kid"

Letter L - "lantern"

Letter M - "monkey mask"

Letter N - "necklace"

Letter P - "pecan pretzel candy"

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FIELD TRIPS
Pink Palace

Nature Hike

Zoo

Leaf Hunt at Orgill

Children's Museum

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BIBLE
A few of the resources we use for our Bible time. We are currently studying the book of Ruth. (The blue paper contains a list of all the songs we like to sing, as well as hymns we want to learn together as a family.)

Coloring books, stickers, and small 10 commandment books.

The girls coloring in their JOSEPH books:

Cards the kids use to tell Bible stories.

Shelves stocked with Bible workbooks -
coloring, puzzles, games, etc.

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School resources and activities
**I keep folders for each day of the week for PRESCHOOL. Each folder contains the workbooks & sheets we will use for that day.

Our workbooks for the week:

**PRESCHOOL science resources we use.

**PRESCHOOL development resources & games.

**GRADE SCHOOL resources

**TEACHER'S help
My filing cabinet is full of workbooks I find at dollar stores and sales. I also keep folders for various subjects (United States, other countries, sign language, space, etc.) as I run across material.

Our FUN shelves - The kids can grab puzzles, bean bags, magnets, coloring books, play dough, and other fun stuff when we have free time! (The kids piggy banks - for their allowance - are on the bottom shelf.)

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Hope you enjoyed our Open House!
God be praised for this opportunity to train and steward our children!!

Welcome to our home!

2009-06-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

As most of you already know, we moved to Tennessee on May 1. We love it here! We get to see grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins whenever we want :) We also love our new church family. There are lots of kids to play with and a REALLY COOL playground. Our teacher (Lydia and Byron's) is Mrs. Kathy. She is really nice. She teaches us about Jesus. Then we go into the service with Mommy and Daddy. We like to listen to the drums and guitar. Daddy finally got his books unpacked. He has A LOT of books. But the men of our church made him a bunch of book shelves. We have played at friends' houses. We love to visit Katie, Owen, and Audrey. Mrs. Jenny let us make pizza for lunch one day. It was fun! We ate some of the flour. Yucky!

Mommy took some pictures of us with Papa Max when we lived with him. We stayed at his house for the month of May. It was fun!

Lydia, Papa Max, and Abby

Byron and Papa Max

Abby giving Papa Max a big ol' wet kiss on the lips

On June 1, we moved into our new home. We really like it! I (Lydia) got a new trundle bed. (Mom found one on Craigslist.) It's my favorite bed!! Byron got a new bed. It has a ladder on the foot board so we can climb up and jump on the bed. (The people who sold us our house left this bed for Byron.) But the thing we love the MOST about our house is the backyard. It is SO MUCH fun!! We like to swing and play in the tree house. Mommy took some pictures of our house. I hope you enjoy them.

The front of our house.

Backyard to the left.

Backyard to the right

The living room (view from the front door)

The living room (view from the fireplace)

Dining room

Kitchen (Mommy painted it blue - it use to be brown)

Mommy and Daddy's room

That is it for now. We hope to post more pictures this summer.
We love you.

The Letter "P"

2009-03-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

We learned about the letter "P" in school last month.

Mommy took us to the park. Do you know that there are a lot of things that begin with the letter "P"?

We PLAYED at the PARK.
We had a PICNIC breakfast.
Lydia wore a PINK PRINCESS shirt.
Mommy wore a PURPLE sweatshirt.
Abby wore PINK.
Mommy PUSHED us on the swings.
We fed the ducks at the POND.
We walked by the POOL.
We went to the POTTY.
Lydia recognized the letter "P" on a PARKING sign.
We saw lots of PEOPLE.
Mommy took PICTURES of us. (see below)
We saw some doggie POO.
We then ate lunch with Daddy and used PAPER PLATES and PEPPER.
Daddy drank a PEPSI.
Byron POUTED when he dropped his ice cream.

Needless to say, we had a lot of fun learning about the letter "P".

Fall Open House, Part III

2008-11-06T13:25:00.001-08:00

**PLEASE BEGIN WITH PART I.

And finally . . .

Each morning, after we eat breakfast, we have chores to complete. After we have completed our chores, we can watch cartoons before school starts. We LOVE cartoons! If we fill up our chore chart with stickers, we get a treat. Each week it is something different. We like doing our chores. We are growing up!

Lydia - "This is our chore chart. I make up my bed. I take a bath. I get dressed and brush my hair. I brush my teeth. I am good in school. Then I get a treat!"

It is very important to have a kind heart. It is unkind to hit . . . to be a tattle-tell . . . to not share my toys . . . to push Abby because she's blocking the TV . . . to scream because I am not getting my way. There are lots of things that are unkind! To help us remember to choose KINDNESS, we have a sticker start. Every time we do an act of kindness (something that we have not already been told to do), we get a sticker! Once we fill up our sticker chart we get to go to our most favorite, favorite place - CHUCK E CHEESE's!!!

Lydia - "I get a sticker if I be kind to one another." What does it mean to be kind? "Share and love one another!"

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We are very proud of Lydia. She has completed two workbooks this year.

Lydia - "I did all of that! I was just working hard on that one."

We are very proud of Byron. He has completed his first workbook. When he first came into our home (back in April 2008), he could not identify any color. After several months of hard work, he can now recognize colors AND he enjoys coloring as well.

Lydia's message to all of those who attended our OPEN HOUSE:
"I love you. And I will come at Thanksgiving and take care of you. I like school because Mommy does stuff. She takes care of me. That's all. My favorite part is getting a new workbook. I have learned that Jesus takes care of me and loves me. I like doing computers."

Thanks for visiting!

Fall Open House, Part II

2008-11-06T12:53:00.001-08:00

We hope you enjoyed looking at our alphabet activities. And perhaps you were able to take a potty break and enjoy a snack before beginning the second part of our OPEN HOUSE!
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OUR SCHOOL ROUTINE

We usually have school 3-4 times a week. (On Wednesday we go to the library for story/music/craft time. We also get to pick out 2 movies for the week and books that begin with the letter we are learning.)

School always begins with a Bible story on the couch with Mommy. We read from one of our kids' Bibles. We learn a lot about Jesus and how God takes care of us. We sing songs and each of us prays.

After our Bible story time, we go outside and check the weather. Then we come back inside and do our weather chart. We take turns each day being the person that holds the door for everyone - OR - the person that does the weather chart. FUN!

After we do our weather chart we recite Bible verses. Mommy made up fun motions to help us remember our verses! Then we do our FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT CHANT!

After our song we review our fruit of the Spirit and talk about what each one means.

Then we do our alphabet, colors, shapes, or number review. After we finish everything in the hallway, we go to the kitchen table and have snack time! Woohoo! We love snacks!!

After we eat our snacks we will either play a game, look at library books, count with our marbles, work on worksheets/workbooks/flashcards, or do a craft. We have a lot of fun doing our school work at the table. Some days it can be hard and we don't always like to sit still. But some days . . . we have surprises! One day we had a frog jump into our house while we were having school!! We caught it and let him sit in a box on the table while we worked and ate lunch. Then we let him go. This week we had our friends, Lilli and Owen, over. They did school with us. We had so much fun!!

Library books and other alphabet activities

Craft supplies

Games

Once we are done with all of our school work, we get to play! We like to cut and paste, play with playdough, pretend to cook with our food in our play kitchen, or hide from Abby in our pink tent that Mommy and Daddy got us! But our FAVORITE thing to do is to play outside. When it is hot we get to swim in our pool. But it is too cold to swim right now, so we get to ride on our bikes up and down the sidewalk. We can go REALLY fast on our bikes.

As you can see, we have lots of fun!

2008 Maxwell House Fall Open House, Part I

2008-11-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

Lydia has learned so much since her first year of school. She has learned to write her name (as well as spell Byron and Abby's name); count to 30+; identify & write letters A-H; recognize colors & shapes; recite Psalm 119:11, Matthew 22:37 & 39, Genesis 1:1, John 1:1, the fruit of the Spirit; answer 20 Catechisms & recite the Greek alphabet (thanks to Daddy); and much more.

This is Byron's first year of school. He is doing great! He can now identify colors; recite Psalm 119:11, Matthew 22:37 & 39; and name all of the fruit of the Spirit. We are currently working on counting. (It's a bit tricky . . . however, we are working VERY hard on learning how to count to five!) Byron is also learning to identify shapes.

We are very proud of both of them!

Below are pictures of the kids' school work, particularly activities we did for each letter of the alphabet (A-G). Lydia will be your guide, explaining what is in each photo.

May God be praised for the good work He is doing in these precious children!!

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The Letter A
"We were angels. We put ABC (alphabet) stickers on the letter A."

Letter B
"We put bumblebees on our B paper. We sang, I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee. Won't my mommy be so proud of me. I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee. OUCH!!! He stung me!"

Letter C
"We put chocolate chip cookies on our letter C. We glued eyes on crocodiles!"

Letter D
"Look at our polka dots on letter D!!" I did not want to color my dinosaur."

Letter E
"We colored the letter E. Look . . . 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 elephants!!"

Letter F
"We colored the letter F. Fireman begins with the letter F. There are five footballs. I found all the F's in my letter game."

Letter G
"I found all the letter G's. We stamped girls on the letter G and colored it green. I love you."

Are You Listening to Me?

2008-10-29T12:39:00.000-07:00

Some days I wonder if my kids hear ANYTHING I say??

Before school each day we have a Bible story and prayer time. (What a great time of reading the Word, asking questions, singing and praying!) However, there are many days when I wonder if the children have heard a word I said. There seem to be more things to be interested in than learning about Jesus . . . pesky flies on the window screen, the baby trying to walk across the kitchen table, the discovery of boogers dripping down brother's nose, or perhaps its the bucket of ants that somehow spilled into the pants of my lil' squirmers??!!

But God is good to work in ways beyond my understanding. He is good to use sinful parents (or teachers) to instruct and train. He indeed is POWERFUL and MAJESTIC as He instills His truths on the hearts of energetic, wiggly pre-schoolers.

A couple of random stories about Lydia . . .

Last night Lydia could not find her beloved "Cat". As I settled into the couch, I remembered that I had seen him in the kitchen while I was putting away dishes. I told her he was in the kitchen, and that he was probably scared being in there all by himself in the dark. She quickly went and grabbed Cat and brought him back to the couch. I asked, "Was he scared?" Lydia promptly replied, "No, Mommy. He wasn't scared. He had peace."

I wanted to stand up and sing the Hallelujah chorus!!!! "Peace" she said!!! (We have been studying the fruit of the Spirit for the past two months. I try to explain what each of the fruit mean, but I never know if they really GET IT?) Cat was not scared! He had peace!!!

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One day as we were eating lunch together, Lydia was anxious to tell Daddy what she had learned at school during Bible time . . . "Daddy, we learned about a seed. It's really small. But then you plant it and it grows REALLY, REALLY big. And then . . . you have honey mustard!!!!"

Well, maybe that was not the truth Jesus was getting at in that particular parable . . . Not sure which parable speaks on the giving of honey mustard . . . but I'm thankful that she remembered that a small mustard seed can grow into something really, really big!

A few random pictures of Lydia below to enjoy!

School is OFFICIALLY in session!

2008-08-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

We began preschool this Monday at home. Exciting time in the Maxwell household!! Lydia LOVES school time and "brother" has been getting excited as well. There is always something fun and new to learn every day. This week we are learning about the letter "A" and beginning our study on the fruit of the Spirit.

With the arrival of our two foster children, we had to switch out a lot of the rooms. What was once our school/computer/music room is now the baby's room and the guest bedroom is now "brother's" room. Therefore, we are currently doing our classwork at the kitchen table, but all of our classroom STUFF is hanging in the hallway by the bedrooms. (I posted some pictures below so you can see what the kids are doing.)

A typical school day for the children:
8am - Rise and shine for Jesus!
8-8:30am - Curious George (on PBS) while Mommy prepares breakfast
8:30-9am - Breakfast, clean-up, get dressed
9-10:30am - SCHOOL TIME!

*Daily Bible story or devotional
*Prayer time (teaching the children how to pray)
*Checking the weather (for our weather chart) - Today was exciting!
We FINALLY were able to move the weather dial to cloudy, instead of sunny!!
*Switch out our "day of the week" sign
*Memory verse: Psalm 119:11 (with motions)
"I have hidden (cover eyes with hands) Your Word (hold hands out like a book) in my heart (point to heart) that I might not (shaking finger like you are saying "no") sin (hammer fist into opposite hand) against You." (point up towards God)
*Bible song
*Talk about and review fruits of the Spirit (this week: love and joy)
*Review the letter "A" - various activities while learning each letter: alphabet board (as seen in pictures); coloring big and small letter "A"; make something that begins with the letter "A"; practice writing the letter "A"; possible field trip to do something that starts with the letter "A", etc.
*Review shapes, colors, counting and basic skills (cutting, pasting, etc) - practice one on each day of the week

SNACK TIME!

*Workbooks
"Brother" is currently working on colors (this is taking a LONG time!) Each day we learn two colors and he colors various things in his workbook.

Lydia works on various skills in her workbook (opposites, feelings, what things belong with each other, etc.)

10:30-11:30am - Free play! (various activities planned for each day, including a trip to the library, the park, play dough and games, etc.)
11:30-12:30pm - Lunch and play time with Daddy (this is usually when the "tickle-sauras" comes out to play!)
12:30-1:30pm - Settle down time (books, short movie or cartoons)
1:30pm - Nap time for everyone!

Just For Fun

2008-08-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Lydia will be turning 4 this month. This is very exciting! She has been waiting a long time "to grow up" and "be old" . . . She's been telling everyone that she will be turning 4 in August. In fact, she just recently told one of our ladies at church that since she will be turning 4, she can now get married :)

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Speaking of marriage . . . A couple of weeks ago Lydia was sitting at the table eating her favorite breakfast cereal (Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds!) As I was washing dishes, she asked, "Mommy, when can I have a baby in my belly?" I quickly replied, "Not until you are married and very old." She took another bite of cereal, while contemplating when this might be. Then she promptly asked, "How old is Papa Max?"
(For those of you who do not know, Papa Max is BJ's dad.)

* * * * *

I worked for our church secretary a few weeks go while she was away on vacation. It was quite a task trying to keep three little ones entertained while Mommy worked, but the kids did well playing together, especially "brother" and Lydia. The baby, on the other hand, was into everything, especially all the dead bugs and beetles . . . As I was busily working in the office, Lydia ran into the room screaming for me to come and see the baby. I ran into the fellowship room to discover that the baby had a huge beetle in her mouth. YUMMY! She was smiling ear to ear as its little leg was dangling from her mouth. I tried to get the beetle out (which I quickly discovered was more than one beetle). Lydia was gagging and screaming! In fact, it was making me sick :) We had to holler for Daddy to come and get the bugs out of "baby's" mouth!

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Lydia loves having a brother. They have so much fun together! They play hard and fight often :)

Lydia has taken on the task of helping "brother" speak. His words are still not very clear, he often has a hard time pronouncing the simplest of words . . . A few weeks ago we were eating spaghetti. Lydia was helping "brother" to pronounce the word "noodle." He was having a hard time, or rather, not saying it like Lydia wanted him to. Very firmly, she kept saying, "Brother, say nude-al. NO, listen to me. Say nude. Can you say nude? Okay, now nude - al." BJ and I were laughing so hard. She kept emphasizing the "nude" in noodle.

A couple of days ago we were eating Teriyaki. "Brother" was unfamiliar with this dish, so Lydia was trying to tell him what it was. "Brother, this is teri-yucky. But it is not yucky. See! It's good. Now say it with me, teri-yucky . . . But it's not yucky!"

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Ever since Lydia was a baby, I have prayed for (and over) her "to love Jesus above all things." After prayer one day, Lydia stopped me and said, "Mommy, you forgot to pray that I would love bubble things" . . . I guess she thought I was praying for her to love bubble things all these years. That explains a lot :)

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We have been through three rounds of lice since getting the foster children back in April. The third (and I pray the FINAL) time Lydia had it, it was REALLY bad. We felt so sorry for her. Every day we were washing and combing her hair. We had heard that Listerine, vinegar and tea tree oil were great remedies so we drenched her hair with all of these this last round. (What a HORRIBLE smell!) Lydia did so well as we combed and pulled every strand of hair trying to seize those little critters.

I went to wake up Lydia one morning during the lice crisis, part III. As I opened her door and exclaimed, "Good morning!", she quickly replied, "Mommy, when these bugs are out of my hair, I have two words for you, Chuck-E-Cheese!"

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I have been on antibiotics (5 in fact) for the past 2 months. Needless to say, my stomach has been really messed up. We had just finished eating lunch with Daddy and were on our way home for naps. We were about 2 or so miles from our house, and my stomach began to churn. I was feeling very sick and needed to get to a bathroom QUICKLY! I began thinking what would be the quickest and easiest thing to do with a baby, a toddler and a 3 year old . . . My only hope was making it home. As I was driving, I began instructing the children that they needed to get out of their seat belts and seats AS SOON as I pulled into the driveway and that they needed to hurry inside the house. I told them that Mommy was not feeling well and that I needed to get to the bathroom right away . . . We FINALLY pulled into the driveway. Lydia jumped out of the van and began SCREAMING at Christopher, "Hurry, hurry!!! Mommy is going to poop in her pants!" To my embarrassment, our neighbors (whom we have not really met) were all sitting outside listening to the whole thing.

Quick Update and Random Quotes

2008-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

As of April 1, we became foster parents!

As Lydia and I were having our morning Bible time together (the morning of April 1), we were talking about how Jesus tells us to "ask, seek and knock." We talked about the importance of prayer and how Jesus wants us to come to the Father with our needs.

So . . . as we were praying that morning, Lydia SPECIFICALLY prayed for "a brother and a sister!" At about 1:30 that afternoon, we received a call that we would be getting a brother and a sister at our house around 3:30 THAT day! (2 year old brother and a 7 month old sister) Exciting news!! We happen to be at the grocery store when we received the call so as we were racing through the aisle to get checked out, Lydia was chanting loudly, "Brother! Sister! Brother! Sister!" It was priceless! She was telling everyone she was getting a brother and a sister. Although most folks just smiled politely, not really understanding the gravity of the situation AND that God answered her prayers that morning! What a great opportunity we had to talk about God and exalt His name and power. (So if you need a prayer warrior, just call on Lydia Maxwell!!)

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A few random quotes from the past couple of weeks:

**I asked Lydia one morning if she liked having a brother and a sister. She replied:
"Yes! I like having a brother and a sister. But can we get a different sister??? This ones cries a lot!!"

**As we were having our family worship time a couple of nights ago, this was part of Lydia's prayer . . .
"Thank you God for new hearts! (Of course, BJ and I just SWELLED up in pride.) And thank you God for new sin! Amen."
Well, what can you say? I guess that pretty much sums up a three year old's heart. One minute they have a heart that loves to obey and please Mommy and Daddy, and then three seconds later they are just lovin' them some "new sin!!" HA!

**This has become quite the common thing for Lydia to say lately . . .
When we have had to get on to Lydia (which lately it's mostly about not wanting to share her toys, or for her to stop pestering her brother, etc.) She will crawl up into BJ's lap - put her head on his chest and say, "Sorry you got mad at me, Daddy" or "I forgive you for getting mad at me."

Quick to forgive. But slow to obey :)

Homeschool

2008-02-26T10:50:00.001-08:00

As many of you already know, we are homeschooling Lydia. For how long will we do this? We do not know. We will take one year at a time.

So far, Lydia LOVES having school each day. We spend anywhere from 30 minutes to perhaps an hour on school type stuff. We have been learning our alphabet - we are currently on the letter "U". She has mastered counting to 30 - although "17" can be a bit tricky from time to time! Every day we learn a new Bible story. Each month we learn a new memory verse. And of course we do lots of crafts, singing, playing instruments, field trips, reading, and playing games. It really is a lot of fun!

I thought it might be fun for our family to see Lydia's school room.

Let's just call it our "Open House!" Enjoy!

**Our craft this week was making a fish. A word that begins with the letter "u" is "under" and fish live "under" the water! We had lots of fun painting an old CD with sparkling fingernail polish!

**We also took a field trip to the Lampasas Park and walked "under" all the bridges and climbed "up" stairs and ladders! And of course, we were able to swing "up" REALLY high!

Ephesians 6:1

2008-02-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

Lydia has been doing so well in reciting Bible verses and catechisms. (And she even uses different voice inflections and movements to help her remember particular verses and questions.)

Last night during family worship, BJ asked Lydia to recite Ephesians 6:1.

Without any hesitation, she proudly proclaimed (in a loud authoritative voice), "CHILDREN . . . OBEY YOUR PARENTS . . . IN THE STORE . . . FOR THIS IS RIGHT!"

BJ and I must have laughed for a good five minutes.

She did not realize what she said. She just stood there beaming with excitement that she had recited her verse.

I want Lydia to obey us "in the Lord," but I certainly don't mind her obeying us in the store as well!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2008-02-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Stickers
(I love wearing stickers on my face!)

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Cleaning
(brushing my teeth, washing my hands, taking baths, etc)

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Reading books and coloring

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Singing and listening to music
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Helping Mommy cook
(or perhaps, helping Mommy clean the bowls and beaters!)

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Purses!
It's hard to believe that we do not have a picture of Lydia with a purse. It is VERY rare if you see her leaving the house without one! In fact, she has a whole drawer (in her playroom) that is nothing but purses. Anytime we go out, she insists on carrying a purse, and filling it with all the fun, little stuff little girls like to fill the purses with :)
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Playing princess
(either dressing up as a princess or watching/reading princess stories)

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Playing dress up: hair stuff, make-up, "glass slippers"
(I am pretending to put make-up on Charles, a deacon from our church.)

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Playing with friends
(Brooke Honig, Lillian Mandeville and Lydia)

(Micah Dease and Lydia)

(Emilie Johnson and Lydia)

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Playing with Daddy, "The Tickle-sauras"
(Daddy and Lydia at Christmas)

Hannah's Prayer

2008-02-07T07:35:00.000-08:00

As most of you already know, Union University was hit by a major F-4 tornado on Monday, February 4. Our niece, Hannah Maxwell, is a freshman at Union. By God's grace she was not in her dorm room when the tornado ripped through. She was able to find shelter in the prayer chapel, and later evacuated to a friend's house. However, her dorm room and car were totaled.

As Lydia and I were praying on Tuesday morning, especially for those caught in the path of the 60+ deadly tornadoes that devastated many of the southern states, Lydia prayed the following prayer:

"God, thank you for saving Hannah from the tomato storms and accidents . . . "

Three things that I am thankful for:
1. Hannah, and all the men and women of Union, are safe.
2. Lydia listens when we pray and is learning to imitate our prayers to the Father.
3. The Lord doesn't send TOMATO storms . . . Wow, that would be really messy! And can you imagine the stains those tomatoes would leave?!

(Hannah Maxwell and Lydia)

Welcome Baby Ruby!

2008-01-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

Ruby Joy is here!
She was born on Thursday, January 3.
Mom and baby are doing well and the kids are SO excited!

Baby Ruby

2007-12-24T07:17:00.001-08:00

A close friend of ours is pregnant (and in fact, due any day!) Karna and Preston Atkinson will be having baby #4 sometime, Lord willing, in the next couple of weeks. They are having a baby girl, Ruby Joy! All the kids are very excited about baby Ruby. In fact, this has become quite the buzz around the three year olds (Lydia and Owen & Lilli Atkinson.) A couple of months ago the three of them were sitting around our dinner table eating lunch, just chit-chattering about all the fun stuff three year olds like to talk about. The conversation eventually turned towards baby Ruby. The girls quickly stood up on their chairs, lifted their shirts up high, and exclaimed with great joy and excitement – “Look, I have a baby Ruby!” Of course Owen couldn’t be left out! So he stood up with a sparkle in those big blue eyes, lifted his shirt up, and pointed to his soft little belly. “I have a baby Ruby, too!” They all giggled and jumped up and down as they rubbed their little bellies.
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As I was dressing Lydia this morning, I was telling her that the twins were going to play with us today because Mrs. Karna was going to see her doctor. Lydia was very concerned, and asked if Mrs. Karna was sick. I quickly explained that she was not sick, but that the doctor needed to check on baby Ruby because she is coming to see us any day now.

She contemplated our conversation for a minute or two, and then exclaimed, “Mommy, I have a baby Ruby, too. See!”

She then took off her shirt, sucked in her belly, and ran over to show me the baby that was hidden in her belly.

“She is very small, Mommy. She’s the size of my pinkie . . . Okay, Mommy, baby Ruby will be out in one minute. Then you can see her. She will be very pretty.”

As she continued getting dressed, Lydia went on and on about the baby Ruby in her belly (which is now “in her shirt”.) “Tickle, tickle, baby Ruby!” as she ran her fingers up and down her belly!
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Baby Ruby, we can’t wait for you to get here! You have a lot of brothers and sisters anticipating your arrival . . . lots and lots of hugs and kisses await your soft little cheeks!

A Brother or Sister?

2007-10-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

It is an exciting time in the Maxwell household. Barry and I are getting certified to be foster/adoptive parents with the state of Texas!

Today, we met with our social worker at the church for our second class. Lydia stayed with one of our deacons, Charles (whom she adores!) They had wild and wonderful adventures today . . . hunting for freshly shed pecans, feeding the ducks at the park, eating lunch at McDonalds, and riding around visiting everyone at Wal-Mart on Charles' scooter. What a day!

When they returned, Lydia jumped up from her seat in the truck and asked immediately, with great excitement, "Where's my brother and sister?" (This really took me off guard because I had only mentioned ONCE, briefly, that she may be getting a new brother or sister.) Charles went on to tell me that she had been talking all morning about getting a brother and sister - and how they were going to be friends, and go to church together . . . how fun! I tried to explain to her that we would have to be patient and that God has not sent a brother or sister at this time. But if you know 3 year olds, you know (1) they don't like to wait and (2) if Mommy says no then just go and ask Daddy! So, Lydia ran inside the church asking Daddy for her brother and sister.

I think she is beginning to understand that it may be awhile before we get any brothers or sisters, but she let me know today that she prefers a sister!

**Lydia and her friend, Nehemiah Barrett.

Bubble Gum

2007-10-23T20:51:00.001-07:00

When we first started potty training Lydia, she refused to "poop" in the potty. So, we began bribing her with bubble gum! (This is something she LOVES, but Mommy and Daddy do not necessarily like her chewing it.) But upon realizing her obsession with the sugary ball, we told her that she could have a piece of gum if she "pooped" in the potty . . . Well, let's just say this was a major potty turning point in the Maxwell household.

What is funny, is that every time Lydia sees someone with gum in their mouth, she promptly asks them if they "pooped" in the potty. This can be quite comical for someone who is uninformed of proper Maxwell potty etiquette.

Whenever Lydia sees that I have gum in my mouth, she always asks, "Mommy, did you poop in the potty?" Of course, I always say "yes"! (I don't want to be a bad example.) And then she will run into my legs and give me the biggest hug, exclaiming, "Oh, Mommy, I am so proud of you!"

The Big Breakfast Debate

2007-10-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

This morning Lydia and I enjoyed some bagels and orange juice for breakfast. Below is typical dinner table dialogue with a three year old!

The butter debate . . .

"Mommy, I want butter on my bagel." - Lydia
"There is butter on your bagel. I put butter on it before I cooked it." - Mommy
"But I don't see any butter." - Lydia
"Well, when I cooked your bagel, it got hot and so the butter melted." - Mommy
"No it didn't. The bagel is not hot." - Lydia
"Well, it is not hot now, but it got hot in the oven." - Mommy
"No, it's not hot. I want butter on my bagel." - Lydia

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The cup debate . . .
(Lydia had slid her cup of orange juice down at the edge of the table.)

"Lydia, you need to put your cup near your plate so you don't spill it." - Mommy
"I won't spill it. I want it here." - Lydia
"But you are clumsy and you always spill your cup when you put it there." - Mommy
"No I don't." - Lydia
“Yes, you do. You need to move your cup.” - Mommy
“But I won’t spill it, Mommy. I want it here.” - Lydia

SPLASH! She spilled her cup of orange juice everywhere.
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The number of bites debate . . .

"Mommy, I am done." - Lydia
"You need to eat three more bites of your bagel before you get up." - Mommy
(She eats a small bite and then pushes her plate away.)
"No, Lydia, Mommy wants you to eat three bites. You cannot get up until you eat three more bites." - Mommy
"But I don't want to!" - Lydia
"Three bites!" - Mommy
"No - four bites!" - Lydia
"Okay, four bites." - Mommy

Then Lydia proudly ate her four bites, believing she had out witted Mommy!

Lydia, do you remember . . .

2007-10-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

the day you were born?

You weighed exactly six pounds. You were so beautiful. This was the most exciting, and yet scary day of Daddy and Mommy's lives.
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the day you became a Maxwell?

You were 6 months old. We flew to Cincinnati from Texas and had a big adoption party with all of our friends and family in Harrison. What a lovely day! You officially became Lydia Grace Maxwell.
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your first smiles?

You had the best smiles. They were so full of love and joy.
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your "Daddy times"?

Your Daddy loves you so very much. When you were a baby you both loved snuggling up together on the couch for late afternoon naps and reading books together. Daddy would carry you to the coffee house and even to the church office where you would spend hours together. What a treat!
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your first plane rides?

Our first plane ride was to Texas to interview for the position your Dad has now at Southern Hills. The next time we flew we were going back to Ohio to finalize your adoption.
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taking your first baths?

You love taking baths! When you were a little baby you had a special blue baby bath tub that you laid in. Then, as you got bigger, you got to bathe in the sink and then the BIG bath tub in your purple bathroom. Remember? How fun!
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your first tea party?

You had all of your stuffed animals and dolls laid out in a row, each with its own cup and spoon. Everything was neat and orderly.
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So many memories . . . I could go on and on. Indeed, our gracious Father was good to give us such a beautiful, happy daughter. We love you, Lydia Grace!

Cat

2007-10-16T12:41:00.003-07:00

If you know Lydia, you know Lydia's best friend, Cat.

You see, Cat was a gift given by one of the widow's at our church in Harrison. It still amazes me that out of all the stuffed animals Lydia was given as a baby, she attached herself to this particular one.

Cat use to have beautiful white fur, a shiny pink nose, and two sparkling blue eyes. Now, his fur is a dingy shade of brown. His tail has been twirled and chewed so much that there is no longer any stuffing in it. It lies limp and soggy from spit. His nose is half on and easily pops out. And as far as his eyes go, well the poor thing now has cataracts. So sad looking, but Lydia sure does love him!

My favorite times to listen in on Lydia playing are in the mornings while she plays in her bed until it is time to get up. She and Cat have the BEST time! From her room I hear whispers and giggles. Lydia laughs and talks with Cat about every fun subject you can imagine. Then every once in awhile I hear her belly laugh and exclaim, "Cat you are so funny!"

What would we do without Cat?
(Buy another cat off eBay for back up!)

Dying on the Cross for my Sins

2007-10-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

Ever since Lydia was born, we have prayed with and for her. Our greatest prayer for Lydia is that she would love Jesus above all things. Nothing would give us more joy, than to know our daughter loves the sweet name of Christ Jesus!

I remember our first time of family worship together back in Harrison, Ohio. We were sitting down at the keyboard singing one of our favorite family hymns, Be Thou My Vision. I was playing the keyboard while Barry held Lydia in his arms. As we were singing we both happened to glance down at Lydia and there she was, snuggled up in Barry's arms with her hands clasped perfectly together as if she were praying. I will never forget that moment.

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Now that Lydia is older, we have been teaching her HOW to pray. One specific praise that Barry has taught Lydia to pray is thanking Jesus for dying on the cross. She now tags every prayer with, "Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for our sins. Amen." As we have taught her to say this, I have always wondered if she knew what she was really saying. We have read through countless Bible stories and have talked about Jesus. But does she know and recognize the significance of the cross?

A few weeks ago, Lydia and I were walking through Educational Outfitters looking for homeschool resources. As I was deep into all the charts and ABC material, Lidi was busy rummaging around all the colorful art supplies. All of the sudden I hear this loud shout. Thrilled with her discovery, Lidi held up a rubber cross and exclaimed at the top of her voice, "Look Mommy, dying on the cross for my sins!"

I think I was the proudest Mommy in that store.

I'm Three Years Old

2007-10-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

This past summer we were trying to explain to Lydia that she was no longer going to be two years old, but that she would turn three on her birthday in August. But in her mind, she was "two and a half" and nothing was going to change that.

To celebrate Lydia's birthday and our 10th wedding anniversary we planned to go down to Corpus Christi, Texas, for a week. Lidi was eager about seeing the beach and ocean for the first time. So we told her, "At the beach, you will be three!" This excited her! Being three might not be so bad after all. We kept a running calendar at home, counting down the days until we could see the big blue ocean.

The day we arrived in Corpus Christi (which was still a few days off from her actual birthday) we drove down to a beach and let her loose. She was fascinated with all the sand and shells. She wasn't quite sure about the crashing waves and the loud birds squawking for our attention. For several minutes she got very quiet, soaking in everything around her. You could literally see those little wheels in her head turning . . . Then she turned to Barry and me and exclaimed with great joy and profound realization,
"I am three years old!"

I'm A Big Girl Now!

2007-10-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Potty training has definitely been a challenge. But after many months of great perseverance (on Mommy and Daddy's part), Lydia has now successfully mastered going potty during the daytime. So, as a reward, I took her to Wal-Mart so she could select a package of BIG GIRL underwear. Giggling with excitement, Lydia proudly chose a package of Dora the Explorer panties.

Our next stop was the library. (Each week they have a pre-K and under story time which Lydia LOVES!) Needless to say, Lydia HAD to wear her new panties to the library. We were late getting there, so all the kids were already on their carpets waiting for Ms. Layla to begin reading. Yet, this did not put a damper on Lydia's excitement in sharing with EVERYONE what she was wearing. She quickly dashed up front, pulled her shirt up and her pants down, and exclaimed, "Look at my big girl underwear!!"

When is the last time you got excited about your new undies?!

A Husband for Lydia

2007-10-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

As we were enjoying some family time out on the lawn chairs in the front yard, Barry asked Lydia if he could pick her husband. We joked around a bit with Lydia about it, although she had no idea what we were talking about.

A few hours later when it was time to go to bed, she pitched the biggest fit and started crying, insisting, "I want a husband! I want a husband! Daddy is suppose to get me a husband!!" She was refusing to go bed until she had her husband.

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The next morning when I went to wake up Lydia, she asked, "Where is Daddy?" This is her usual morning question to which I always reply, "He's at church." Yet this morning she immediately asked after my reply, "To get my husband?"

We have had a good chuckle over this one!

Owen Atkinson,
one of Lydia's BEST friends

Beauty In the Eyes of A Child

2007-10-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

It was a rare stormy Texas night. The thunder and lightening were frightening Lydia so we let her venture into the living room with us. She quickly crawled into the warm blanket I was wrapped in and snuggled up beside me. She began brushing my hair away from my face, tucking it ever so delicately behind my ear. As she neatly tucked the final strand, she smiled and whispered softly, "You are so beautiful."

Indeed, what a precious moment.