Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Too much was happening before Christmas to spend any time blogging! Now that the frenzy is over, here are a few highlights...

Parker (peeking at me instead of paying attention to Mrs. Fifelski!) and Morgan both sang for Jesus at the Christmas Eve mass. We were thankful to have John's mom join us in the celebration.

Twenty-three Christmases together and so much to be thankful for...

... including these four young blessings, who all cleaned up pretty well! :) (if we could just get them to all smile nicely at the SAME time now!)

After mass, my mom and her hubby, JOHN, and my sister and her boyfriend, JOHN, joined me and JOHN and the kids for a wonderful evening. Seriously, Cait, did ya have to pick a JOHN?????

Christmas morning came way too early after only 4 hours of sleep. Parker's joy over these requested "dangly" earrings was so sweet and Morgan surprised her daddy by hugging several pieces of clothing and even a hair dryer! Daddy just didn't think Mo would really like the gifts I wanted to buy because they seemed too *practical* to him. He didn't realize that doing all of her shopping at Justice (the girly store) was *exactly* what she wanted!

We spent the afternoon at John's sister's home. I had so much fun playing with the kiddos and the camera, just enjoying goofing off with them. Natalie's son, Noah, is in the process of biting Jalen's leg in this photo, making me laugh (mean mom) while he yelps, "Hey!"

More silliness with the kids :-)

Morgan loving on her sis at my aunt's house <3

... the hands-down absolute highlight of Christmas day was a phone call from Brazil! We each got a turn to talk to Lena and to share some laughs and some love... and for me as usual, a few tears. She was accepted to several colleges and will start in February, pursuing her dream of being a lawyer. We are so proud of her!

Over Christmas Eve and Day, Immo and Dae Sick each called and I chatted with Won Kun via facebook (he will visit with his family in 2 weeks- is that enough time to learn Korean?!). I can't get over how much joy these students brought to us last year, and how much they continue to do so with their messages, phone calls, and visits. Why do they have to live on three different continents?????

Now for a fun week of home projects before the start of a new decade and oodles of schoolwork!

Merry CHRISTmas!!

Kelli

Explorers and the 2009 Christmas Extravaganza

Miss Polk's "Intro to Worship Dance" class- Parker wowed us with her performance after years of being afraid to get on stage. Yay, Parker!! Here is a video of her awesome dance... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-_893s_Sww


This is Morgan's 2nd year in worship dance. It is always a joy to watch her and her friends! This particular dance was a little more upbeat and fun and drew lots of applause :-) Check it out!....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cURfE2b2ly4&feature=channel



Year three of theatrical combat training (a useful life skill, right?!)... Luke added some humor to his performance, fighting with Rachel over a candy cane. :-) (video link is below after Jalen's photo)

Also in his third year with Maestro Barbeau, Jalen has gotten very quick! I don't fight him anymore... I have video of him injuring me last summer and he is way too strong and too fast for me now! Here are both boys (in the 2nd and 3rd fights)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDRdcwpQFws&feature=channel

Just this morning, I was asked where my kids went to school and upon hearing they are homeschooled the lady worried aloud that they may be too shy when they grow up.... Wait, I can't stop laughing!

It always seems to make it all better when people hear the kids are in a co-op (to get their apparently much-needed "socialization"). Explorers only meets 24 days per YEAR :-). The videos above represent the work done in just 12 one-hour classes. OK, except the advance stage combat... they met for two extra sessions since you better get it *right* when wielding swords!!

While the bulk of our schooling and "socialization" still happen in the home and out in real life, Explorers does serve several wonderful purposes for us... classes I can't or don't desire to teach, quality friendships for our kids and our family, and a day out once in a while so we don't stay in our jammies all day for school. :-) Just for fun, here's what the kiddos are signed up for next semester...

Jalen, grade 11:

Graphic Novel Academy (comic book story creation and illustration)

World Literature (just for FUN... he doesn't need more lit. credits but loves the class!)

Chemistry and Chem. lab

Drama- the Sound of Music, performing at U of M's Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in May

Advanced Theatrical Combat

Luke, grade 8:

Graphic Novel Academy

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens

Photography

Drama- Sound of Music

Advanced Theatrical Combat

Yearbook (his mom's class!)

Morgan, grade 5:

Fiber Arts

Mapping the World by Heart

Physics for Fun

Cool Crafts

Parker, grade 2:

Intro to Worship Dance

Around the World (geography)

Wonderfully Made (human body)

Gym

Fun and Games

Cooking

Explorers has been a part of our lives for over 13 years and what a blessing it has been. For the first time, I am co-teaching middle and high schoolers in a yearbook class- teens are such a joy to work with! With Parker in 2nd grade now, I am looking forward to another 10 years or so of Explorers fun!

What?! It's been *months* already?

I really do have great intentions when it comes to writing this blog. It's just that life keeps getting in the way and I've never really been able to make it a habit. And then too much time goes by, and I can't figure out how to blog about *dozens* of fun and blog-worthy events! So this time, I'm going to get started again by just including a favorite recent photo of each of my kiddos with a little of what's up in their lives.

Jalen turned 16 in October. Unbelievable. Then he got his first job and *they* taught him how to drive. Unbelievable. Then I find myself turning to my young man for advice occasionally because in some ways he is way beyond me in matters of faith and maturity (in SOME ways!). Unbelievable. WHERE has my little baby gone???
Jalen is enjoying his teen years in ways I vaguely prayed for, but never realized just how much God would honor those prayers! He has an amazing group of fun, faith-filled friends with really neat interests and personalities. His own interests in art, writing (books and poetry), and swords are NOT what I expected when I imagined him growing older, but how fun it is to learn from him!



Luke... is about to turn 14 next week!! I chose the photo above because we had just left a Tim Hawkins concert, where Luke had Tim sign his hat. Tim Hawkins is an awesome comedian and Luke reminds me of him often.... he keeps me laughing! I also chose it because of the HAT... it is almost as famous as Tim!! Luke wears it all the time, except in Mass and around my grandmother. :-)
Luke's love for art is a beautiful thing, but often gets him in trouble when his teacher (yes, me!) finds art on his schoolwork, his arms, and the shower walls!! His style is unique and often humorous. This semester he took four hours of art classes each week and will most likely complete his last few years of high school at a charter school that will allow him to pursue college art classes free (my favorite kind of classes!).
Like Jalen, Luke is also blessed with a solid faith and set of great friends. We are so happy to drive the guys around extensively to prayer meetings and parties, knowing these busy social lives build them up into incredible men of God. The accountability they provide for each other is *vastly* different from how I grew up with my friends!



Morgan is 10 years old and wants to live inside "Justice" (the girly clothing store). She is probably "typical" in the sense that she loves to sing and dance, do her hair and mother those around her. But of course, she is super-special and unique to her parents! She is sensitive and loving, dramatic and helpful. She took a leap forward in maturity recently when she realized on her own that a class that was difficult for her was worth continuing and that she was ready to put forth more effort to achieve her goals. Yay! I was so proud of her for seeing value in pushing through difficult tasks! (Again, *I* need to learn from my kids... definitely great teachers.)

Oh, my! When did the baby of the family grow to be this beautiful little girl?! Parker is seven and was just in her first worship dance performance this weekend. This was a HUGE step for her as she used to be SO afraid of people watching her. She did great and made her mommy cry!

Parker is Daddy's little girl... Daddy's little pirate, Daddy's little football buddy, and Daddy's little princess. When we went to Disney last year, it didn't occur to us that she didn't really know anything about the parks (Jalen had been there at least 4 times by that age!). She was that perfect age to be in complete awe of everything. She wore a princess costume every day and melted our hearts with her wonder.

So, there's a start. I do hope to keep up the blogging on a regular basis. Not because I think anyone else is terribly interested in the minute details of our lives, but it's good for *me* to focus on what's going right instead of how behind I am on getting the basement cleaned and laundry done. It's definitely a good exercise for me. :-)

God's peace and blessings to you during this season of Advent!

Kelli

Goodbyes :-(

The start of a week of goodbyes... Dae Sick was the first to go home, 6-7 days before the other five. We had him over for his final dinner in America and he chose tacos. He was so funny the first time he had tacos here. He put so many ingredients in that it didn't come close to rolling up!

After dinner, we all went in the backyard to play ball, take photos, and just hang out one last time. You are missed, Dae Sick! I am so thankful that you have been active on Facebook and calling us. <3

Won Kun's and Lena's last day here, Lena went to Mass with us as always. She never missed and it was a blessing to be able to share a common faith and learn about Catholic traditions in Brazil.


Lena had to work so hard to get her belongings home! Three big suitcases with 70 lbs. each (the generous Brazilian limit, thank God!)- one was even a little over but they let her get away with it. All the guys just left a lot of things behind, but Lena was determined to take most everything.




Won Kun and Parker say goodbye. Parker handled it the best of all of us. She kept reminding us, "Don't be sad that it's over, be happy that it happened." She did shed a few tears in the airport and she loves the kids dearly, but she doesn't seem to have the same gift of tears that most of the family does! (Good for her!)

I took Won Kun and Immo to the airport and friends tagged along for another round of goodbyes. Such wonderful friendships were formed over the year. We are thankful that we got to know so many great kids!

Wow, 10 whole months have flown by! It was such a pleasure to learn new things and grow together. WLHS football sure won't be the same without you, Won Kun. Neither is our house- we miss hearing the video games, the sports, and the alarm clock (NOT!).

Jalen decided to say goodbye to Won Kun and Lena the night before so he could sleep in and not participate in the cry-fest at the airport. I took one trip to the airport at 5am, then a second trip around 11am...

Lena was only with us for 5 months, but she became one of the family very quickly. It was a difficult time at the airport, but I wouldn't change a thing. That much emotion only goes to show how much love she brought to our home.

To the six "rock stars" of Whitmore Lake... Thanks for all that you brought to our lives this year. We will miss you, but are so thankful that we got to know you so well and that you've *all* made the effort of emailing, calling, chatting on facebook, etc. We can't wait to see where life takes you.

Now, YFU has 5 students left in our area who still need homes. Trying hard to "Just say no!" and take a break this year. Anyone want to try hosting? ... boys from Finland, Japan, and China, and girls from Brazil and Germany are waiting for you!!!

God bless,
Kelli, for the whole family

A Brief Family Vacation

We went camping two weekends ago near the Silver Lake sand dunes. This was the last chance to get the whole family together before our exchange kids go home. We banned electronics, which was hysterical because, while Won Kun and Lena are always texting, it was ME who discovered that I could take Won Kun's ipod to the camp store to check my email!! I had to allow a little texting to bribe him to let me use it. :-)

Kids goofing off with Mom's camera...

Pool time for two bathing beauties...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that newly-toothless smile!!

Lena's never played putt-putt golf before! Here they are, getting psyched up for the intense competition...

The Dunes- a favorite destination for the Sparrow family.

My boys crossed the dunes with a water bottle and a pirate flag. The received much attention for doing this! It's a long trip across the dunes and then down the shore of Lake Michigan to the lighthouse. Lots of people stopped to take photos and video... wonder what they'd think if they knew our last name is SPARROW!?! My guys definately have a little "Captain Jack" in them!

Family photo at our favorite lighthouse...

Won Kun and Lena, just after she smacked him upside the head like a true big sister!

Stiff competition for the "Exchange Student Cup"... John wins it, but only because Won Kun had technical difficulties with his go-kart and Lena DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS ALLOWED TO PASS!!!

Won Kun, Lena... we will miss you and will forever cherish the memories and the photos of our year together! Love, Mom

Pyrotechnics, Piercings, and Plants

An update on Sparrow family fun, starting with the Hamburg Family Fun Fest. My guys were at a manly, sword-wielding, tough-guy church retreat so I took the ladies for a little surprise. When the girls all saw the carnival come into view Lena starting yelling something like, "It's so AMERICAN!!" And Morgan and Parker just screamed like little girls. :-)

Parker wasn't ready for the very-tall, somewhat-fast ferris wheel so Lena and Mo went without us. While the fireworks were going on, it stopped with the girls right on top! What a spectacular view!!! What's a carnival without wasting some cash on a dart-throwing game and fresh cotton candy (this is the ONLY place to get *good* CC!!)? It was a magical night with the loud music, fireworks, yummy smells, etc. One of my favorite childhood memories is the fouth of July carnival in Whitmore Lake so this was SO much fun for me. :-)

Next up...

I've wanted to try sqare-foot gardening for a couple of years and finally got started yesterday! John and I built the frame and then the girls got in on the fun.

The girls stole my industrial string from the garage, so I stole my daughter's yarn for my garden. Fair trade, right?

Lena won't get to stay long enough to eat the cucumbers, but we were thrilled she wanted to help plant them.

And finally...

Parker's been begging to get her ears pierced for a while (oh, and she's growing out her bangs, but keeps forgetting her barettes!). Before...

And after! (Oh that toothless grin never gets old for me!)
Morgan also got her ears pierced today, but hers was a re-piercing after letting her holes close up a few years ago. My sweet girls...

There's a little update for you. Vacation photos are coming soon!

God bless,

Kelli

WLHS Prom 2009

I am posting these mainly for Lena's family to see her going to her American senior prom, but maybe everyone will enjoy them! They all clean up so beautifully! :-)

Won Kun and his date, Abby...


Back row- Dae Sick, Won Kun, Caleb, and Immo
Front row- Lena, Abby, Lauren, and Melissa

I thought this was such a cute photo... :-)
A pose we've been using for all of the formal dances this school year. I love the addition of Lena into what has been a guy-only pose up til now!

The new desktop photo on our computer... kind of a backwards Charlie's Angels?! This foursome has been such a wonderful additon to our family this year. While only two of them live with us, Dae Sick and Immo are over quite often and we will miss them just as much as our own when they all go home in June... waaaaaaaah. :-(

I get annoyed too many days when one or more of my six kids don't get a chore done promptly and I have to remind them, but today reminded me gently of what really matters. I really love these teens and will miss them so much when they are gone- thanks for making my day, kiddos! I love you all. <3