October 2013

By now our main activities of the fall are in full swing - school, gymnastics, fitness, Home Fellowship, piano, Eastside field trips, Barton House, and flag football.
Matt gets in a few hikes and bike rides to prepare for his upcoming events raising funds for the schools in Tanzania, Africa.  (His bike event Tour De New River is Nov. 2, and his hike to Mount Kilimanjaro is in January 2014.)  Jodie celebrated another birthday.
Micah participated in a business simulation called BizTown.  Kids from all over the valley learned about economics, went through an interview process, and then had a 'work' day in the BizTown facility.  Great experience!
Lilly is doing terrific in her new gymnastics class (Mini Elite).  Her teacher is one of the team coaches - nurturing, disciplined, and great with the 3 girls.  (Yes, 3!)  This new class and new time has provided Micah the opportunity to participate in a class at the same time - Homeschool Fitness.  He enjoys being out on the floor and has Lilly's most recent coach, Coach Zach, as his teacher.
The cooler weather has brought the neighborhood kids out of the woodwork after school.  We have a few new neighbors:  Elliot, Kevin, and Lillianna (Lilly, spelled the same way).  Halloween was spent walking around the neighborhood with some of the neighborhood crew.

September 2013

The month began with Labor Day and grandparents visiting.  Dave & Julie (G&G Rich) spent a week with us before we began our new school year.  They went with us to see Micah skydive (end of August), took Lilly to her gymnastics class, and we all went to the Diamondbacks game.
Our neighbor, Dave, pulled out his guns and took Matt, Micah & Jodie to Ben Avery Shooting Range for a morning.  We shot a mixture of 8 pistols & rifles.
School started on September 9th.  Lilly's first day of kindergarten and Micah beginning 4th grade.  It is our first year to purchase a pre-made curriculum.  We are studying 'My Father's World - Adventure' focusing on the discovery and foundation of the United States of America.  We are learning about our fore-fathers and how/when each state joined the USA.
Other special events:  Tanzania Sponsor Event; Strong Families Farewell Picnic; Neighborhood Ministries Dinner; Eastside Explorers' Kick-Off.
We went on a field trip to the new Butterfly Wonder.  We enjoyed the multitude of beautiful butterflies all around us in the sanctuary - but Micah said "it was a little much."  Micah began his first season of flag football this month.  His team:  Falcons; his position:  quarterback.

August 2013

Micah turned 10 - double digits!!!  We hosted a Lego Ninjago birthday party with 10 of his friends.  Nana & Papa Joe Neihardt came to visit for a week.  We took them kayaking at Willow Lake.

We had our annual 'Micah's birthday camping' trip to Dogtown Lake with the Gravel family. This year we weathered through afternoon thunderstorms, with lightening and strong winds.
Lilly was invited into the next level of gymnastics - Mini Elite.  This class will be taught by one of the competition coaches.
Grandpa & Grandma Rich arrived at the end of the month to spend Labor Day weekend with us.  We went to Eloy, AZ with them one day to take Micah indoor-skydiving.

July 2013

Along with our relaxing, silly playing, reading, and play dates with friends ... we managed to pack in a lot.  I'm going to bullet this month. (not in order)

• Camp 34 - Micah went to his first camp away from home with some Sunday School buddies.
• Museums - AZ Science Center (became members) and History Museum (with the Gravels)
• Bible Study - All We Like Sheep by Mary Peeples (details on our school page)
• Jodie made her first batch of jam! (raspberry - yummy!)
• Surprise timeshare in Peoria - a week in the Peoria, AZ Bluegreen Resort!
• Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat broadway show - as a family
• Micah, Lilly & Jodie had allergy tests done (Micah - outdoor; Lilly - foods; Jodie - both)
• Matt had a business trip to Shanghai for a week
• Jodie's cousin, Tracy Rice, passed away (28 years old)

June 2013

SUMMER VACATION begins!!

Our first week of June was definitely a time of vacation.  We spent some quality time with Aunt Alice & Uncle Charlie in Flagstaff, Arizona at the "Bear Paw" Wyndham resort.
Micah made the Dynamite League All-Star baseball team, so we had practices and games throughout this month.
We chose to keep Lilly's gymnastics classes going through the summer.  She will be in the 'Flyers' class with Coach Zach.
Jodie & the kids joined friends, the Meigh's, to do the Harkins Summer Fun movies.  Jodie took a 'grilling 101' class from Matt to help keep the house cooler through the summer.  Jodie's cousin, Suzy Lee, came out to AZ with her family and they got to swim together for an afternoon.  We met Roxy, their daughter, for the first time.

May 2013

This month began and ended different activities.  Micah finished his piano season with his recital.  He also got the knack for blowing bubble gum bubbles!  Lilly began her "puzzle marathon" for the next few months of summer.
We ended our Strong Families (Sunday School Enrichment class) with a "Family 5k" and a special Blessing over our children.
We ended our 3rd grade / preschool school year, and celebrated our upcoming summer vacation, with another annual camping trip with our homeschool co-op Eastside Explorers.

April 2013

Matt & I celebrated another wonderful anniversary.  We went to a dinner/comedy show combo for the evening.  Sammy turned 14 this month and is still doing well in health.  She likes to snuggle up with the kids and lay on our papers when we are working.










We went to Feed My Starving Children - for the first time as a family.  It was during their "24 hours, 1 million meals, 5,000 volunteers" campaign to build a new facility in the Phoenix area.

New lessons:  Micah got to learn how to mow the grass.  He feels, and looks, all grown up getting to do this.  It's a big help.  Lilly learned how to make potholders with the Weaving Loom.  She likes  to use them as blankets for her small stuffed animals.

March 2013

This month we celebrated Easter, the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  We attended service at Scottsdale Bible Church's chapel, where Matt & I were married just about 13 years ago.  We hosted our annual Passover and spent Good Friday on a traditional 'remembrance walk".  The Good Friday evening service at church was incredible.

Micah got his braces OFF.  It was just about 1 year to the day.  His teeth look great - hopefully, his adult teeth come in and use the space that was just made.  His request for the evening - gum & popcorn.

Lilly was promoted, by 'invitation only', to the next level in her gymnastics.  She is officially a "Flyer".  In this class they will jump/fly from the lower uneven bar to the higher bar.  Here she is doing a cartwheel on the balance beam.

 

The kids and I celebrated our 100th day of school this month.  They get so excited about it and it was Lilly's 1st one as a 'student'.  They thought it was great - they brought 100 of their stuffed animals to school that day (yes, they had to pick and choose because they have more than 100).

We've been spending a lot of time with our neighbor, Dave.  This month he took us over to the Deer Valley airport to see the insides of the B-17 & B-29.

February 2013

Now that Lilly's 5 years old, she's old enough to participate in the Feed My Starving Children packing process.  So, the kids and I joined some other Eastside Explorer families on February 15th in Tempe, for our first packing experience.  Our food that day went to children in the Phillipines.



We went to a friend's farm one morning.  The Moore's showed us how to (and allowed us to do it) collect chicken eggs, milk the cow, and cuddle the chicks.

Matt's mission trip to Tanzania (to hike Kilimanjaro and visit the villages of Mairowa & Kondoa) was postponed to September, so his parents were able to come out at that time and visit with us for a week.  They took the kids to the CYT production of "Willy Wonka", attended Eastside's annual Science Fair (saw Micah present on 'gears'), attended Lilly's gymnastics "Handstand Party", watched Micah's first debut as pitcher for his baseball team 'Colorado Rockies', and more.
Micah began his first season of kid-pitch baseball through the Cal Ripkin Dynamite League.  He's on a team with the same boys and coach as last spring.  He was the first pitcher of the first game, and he struck out his first batter.  It was very exciting!
Lilly was invited to the North Valley Gymnastics "Handstand Party".  She has been improving with her cartwheels and front-pull overs too.