The Sparrows' Nest

Stationery card

2011-12-29T15:17:00.001-05:00

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A Summer to Remember

2011-08-16T09:20:00.002-04:00

Wow, so much has happened since I last posted! This has been a crazy and wonderful time- Jalen's art show, graduation, and party, a weekend with friends at their cottage, a second kid is now driving, three kids in "Once Upon a Mattress," finished our co-op's yearbook and signed up for TWO co-ops for the fall....

Oh, wow! The above paragraph was written in June. And then life exploded! Five exchange students came to visit over the last 6 weeks or so, including the very best moment of the year... carefully planned and caught on film! You can check it out on you tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6PlLFP2qsg . Morgan's reaction was priceless and everything I had hoped for! Thankfully, you can't see in the video just how much I was shaking from the excitement of pulling it off with Immo and John!

Going back a little earlier in the summer, here's what's been up with us:

A double birthday celebration at a friends' cottage near Saginaw Bay... We had a wonderful weekend away with the Schultz family, celebrating the dads' birthdays. Caseville is a new favorite get-away destination- such a cute town and the kids all loved the boating, shopping, exploring, etc. We are hoping for one return trip before the boat comes out of the water for the season.

Jalen- graduated, working local comic/art shows, selling his art and having comics published in two local newspapers! He is starting college next week and can't wait. This year has really held some interesting challenges for him and I am so proud of the strong Christian man that he is becoming.

A favorite senior pic...
Jalen at his table at the Kids Read Comics show in Chelsea...
Luke is our newest driver and harasses us to drive all the time. He has learned to unicycle, taught himself the ukulele, and has been taking a ballroom dance class this summer in Plymouth with his friend, Sarah. He is also gearing up for his first day of school next week at Washtenaw Technical Middle College. I am excited about this opportunity for him, but might have to leave him behind for vacations now... I'm used to going to Disney when the crowds are at their lowest! How will I ever get used to following someone else's school schedule?!

Luke and David in Caseville...

Morgan is just a ball of energy! Volleyball, 2 drama productions, just returned from Pine Hills camp, and is now an assistant at our church's VBS. Her 12th birthday was Sunday and she asked for a guitar. She has no experience with one but today she was online, figured it out on her own and was singing and playing a simple version of the song, "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry. Simply beautiful!
Parker is my Bethany Hamilton expert! She is obsessed with all things water... surfing, sharks, dolphins, etc. She just watched "Soul Surfer" a week ago, is reading her book, and she can't get enough of Bethany's website and videos about her. What an incredible role model she is! Parker is looking forward to starting school and the two co-ops we are in. She will have the chance to get a couple of great science classes (her favorite subject), as well as ice skating, dance, history, and others (nine classes total).

This photo of Parker was taken by her sis, who is really getting into photography...

John started a "new" job yesterday! We are very excited about the new owners of Thorton's (not sure if it's changing names yet). Big changes are coming and God has been so good and so faithful throughout this process. While I am always prone to worry, I know that He is taking care of everything and J couldn't be in better hands right now.

In June, we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and I am so thankful for my best friend/love of my life!!

At the Motor City Comic Con, John had the chance to work security and assist "Chewbacca" (Peter Mayhew). What a dream come true!!!

Me? Well, coordinating one in college, one in high school, two at home, plus the co-ops and the jobs associated with them, as well as volleyball... hmmm, this is going to be interesting! One day at a time, I guess. I can't say I'll love *every* single minute of it, but I am certainly very excited about the opportunities that John and all of the kids have this year and I am grateful that I get to be there to help them all in every way possible.

So many things have happened over the last week or two that have me saying, "Things are really looking up"... but things were already pretty awesome! I'll end by pasting my status from facebook, posted last Friday:

"Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise... Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name".... that's been stuck in my head all week. Thanking HIM this week for some wonderful blessings!! :)

Christ is Risen!

2011-04-24T23:15:00.004-04:00

Like every year, the day began with sweet, whispering girls who always get up too early looking for Easter baskets. After much waffle- and chocolate-munching, we were off to Mass, which was perfection, as always. We took our yearly Easter photo and not ONE photo had everyone looking at the same time!

After Mass, we headed to see John's dad for his birthday and Easter dinner. Happy birthday, Big Les!The kids each brought a supply of candy to eat all afternoon while spending time with family. Grandpa kept the boys captivated with childhood stories. I'm not sure it's a great idea to share stories of drinking and smoking as a KID, but hopefully they won't try to imitate the crazy tales they heard. ;)

Parker and Morgan had a great time with the each other. Sometimes I can't get them to let me take a photo at all without hiding their faces, but today was a blessing! My little hams let me take a couple dozen photos of them out at the pond. Here are two favorites...

My beautiful baby, making a silly face...
My big girl, growing up way too fast!It was a glorious warm day to spend outside as well as taking some time inside to color eggs with Grandma Carmi (it was her first time!) and to take a look at all of the neat jewelry she made in the Philippines, before she each let us pick out a set for ourselves. Now the girls want to learn more from her to make their own creations. :)

It was a great day, filled with many blessings! .......Annnnnndddd, after all those M&Ms, the diet starts tomorrow. ;)

Exciting Times

2011-04-10T18:04:00.004-04:00

Jalen will graduate this week- he will end his fifteen-year Explorers career on Friday night when he graduates at our annual Spring Extravaganza. He and I have been pretty emotional about it... very excited about his future plans, but sad that this part of his life is over. I keep finding myself thinking, "this is the last time he will ________", "only a few more weeks until _____ is over", etc. It's bringing lots of tears and reflection, but I am determined to make the most of this time. Explorers grads don't usually do the whole cap-and-gown thing, but I really wanted to see our group make a bigger deal out of all of our grads and this was a great year to start the ball rolling. ;)

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to get the six seniors together for some photos for the yearbook and for Friday night's presentation. Here are a few of them that I just love!

Seniors, 2011... Erika, Jalen, Sarah, Michael, Christian, and Ian.

They prefer to think of these as "Jedi robes"...

...and these would be light sabers, of course! Christian plans to photoshop this pic. so that this will become an ultimate SW battle. ;)

Erika had to leave a little early- good thing, I'm not sure where they would have put her...

A goofy group of boys- I love it!!

Another favorite...

Next time I check in here, I hope to have some great photos from graduation... most likely with mascara smeared all down my cheeks. ;)

Have a great week!!

Recent Events from the Sparrows' Nest...

2011-04-03T17:58:00.010-04:00

A couple of weeks ago...
Jalen participated in a "Kids Read Comics" event- drawing for kids, attending workshops, and competing in "quick draw" events. Drawing and writing are Jalen's passion so this was an exciting and important day for him. It is so much fun to watch him grow and develop in his God-given talents!! He will be doing another KRC event in June... come see him in Chelsea, along with many super-cool, famous illustrators and writers!

Some of our Explorers' Graphic Novel Academy students...

Last weekend...
John bought me tickets to Les Mis as an early birthday gift and then practically begged me *not* to take him! Thankfully, I have good friends, willing to have a girls day out!! Susan was the perfect date. :)

Thursday night...
I have a new camera and, sadly, I can't figure it out most of the time sooooo this is the best photo I have from our CTK Jaguars basketball banquet. It was a fabulous season- they were 7-1, grew in skills and friendships, and John and the girls really seemed to mesh well. John talked in his final email about how much he will miss the words "Hey, Coach"... a very sweet mom headed up a beautiful effort to give him a priceless gift. In addition to some other great treats (loved dinner at Noodles and Co. this weekend!!), they gave him the following framed photo, which J will treasure forever. <3

J, getting a hug from "Chica" (Francesca), our team "pit bull"...

Greatest coach's gift EVER!... John could not have asked for more supportive parents in this league!
And on Friday...
We sat on pins and needles, waiting for the mail to come. Luke applied to a charter school at the local community college over a month ago and April 1 was the date to receive admittance letters.

I knew in my heart that God was all over this one. I knew *He* knows what is best for my son! Still, I knew how much Luke wanted this new adventure in his life... he asked when he was 11 why he couldn't start college yet!! WTMC will provide both a high school diploma AND college credits (free!)... even an associate's degree if that is what he wants to shoot for!

Thankfully, the "Congratulations" letter DID indeed arrive and we are so pleased to begin this new phase of Luke's education. This is going to be a big change for us- my boys are both done homeschooling! Will someone please send tissues? :'( OK, I'm not *that* sad- I am SO excited to watch what they will do next as they grow and mature. Love those kids!!

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

2011-02-28T10:00:00.005-05:00

... not sure I have much to "worry" about right now anyway, but that was Father's message yesterday (you know, Matthew 6:25-34) so I'm running with it!

We DO have lots to be happy about, though...

John just spent a guys' weekend in the U.P. with Jalen, Luke, and Jonathan (Luke's friend). Papa John guided the men to the falls, which were neat to see in the winter. They didn't have enough snow to do much snowmobiling but they really enjoyed their time together and mom made her famous mac-n-cheese (SO jealous!!).
John is again coaching Parker's basketball team for the UPward league. Watching her grow as a team player, interacting with her buddies, and working with Coach/Dad make us very happy! Go Lady Hawkeyes!!
And in his new adventure, John is also coaching for our church's 5th/6th grade team, the Christ the King Jaguars. John has such a love for the girls he coaches and they really respond to him. The team is 4-0 so far and the girls (and J) are loving every minute of it! Go Jags!!

Team goals:
1) Honor Christ
2) Play tough defense
3) Play hard

These girls are tough, intense, hard-working players with great sportsmanship and great love for the game and for each other. I just couldn't be happier about this team, the families I am working with as "team mom", and the character of the girls playing. Thanks be to God!

Mo and her buddy, Claire...

We've just finished up a large amount of paperwork in the last few weeks for the kids' schooling- FAFSA, report cards and required work samples sent off to our school in CA, application for Luke to enter a charter school next year at WCC, etc. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel (hey, is that light SUNSHINE?!) and feeling more caught up than I have all winter. It is such a good feeling and I am looking forward to the fast-approaching spring season with all that pressure GONE! I love nothing more than to cheer the kids on in their interests- whether it's basketball, art, music, writing, theater, etc.- but sometimes (too often) I get too bogged down in details to just sit and hold hands with my hubby, appreciating all the joy around us. Today, I will take Father's advice... Don't worry, be happy! God bless!!

Family Time Photos

2011-01-02T15:00:00.007-05:00

Here are several of my absolute favorite family photos from Christmas. We had a wonderful time with Welchers, Konarskes, Sparrows, parents and grandparents, and just our own little family of six.

Mom and her hubby, John, scored big-time with this awesome gift... a Lenox Patriotic Mickey and Minnie! It is in the china cabinet I got from my grandma a few months ago... a new treasure inside an old treasure and both really make me smile. John and I just love our little Disney habit together and couldn't be happier about this addition to our collection.

My sister brought a little "gift" for the ladies to share- a $75 box of chocolate from Wall Street, NYC. Heavenly! I love having such a great photo of Caitlin, my mom, and me, and getting that box open and sampling chocolates together was such fun! (But who had the ridiculously stupid idea to put caraway seeds in chocolate? Disgusting.)

My mom requested a Jalen-original for Christmas so Jay completed her artwork in time and we framed it. She loved it and Jalen was really happy to give her.
Little Miss Morgan *loves* Maya and Ryan, two of her second cousins. I sure wish we had more opportunities to see them and the rest of the cousins.

Oh my goodness did we do a lot of laughing at Christmas dinner! We had a beautiful, fun-filled visit with John's brother and his family. Luke's new ukulele combined with John's lyrical "skills" provided some great entertainment. Uncle Bill, cousin Tony, and John all had Jalen and Luke mesmerized with their basketball adventure stories of the past!

And finally, Parker's got a new best friend in her cousin, Brian. They were playing games together, laughing, and, oh boy, was it a joy to see!!!! I love when a guy isn't too old and too cool to enjoy the kids. Thanks for making her day, Brian- she can't wait to see you again!

What we've been up to... an extension of our Christmas letter

2010-12-22T15:20:00.006-05:00

Jalen, age 17:
Jalen is a senior this year and is intensely looking forward to interning at Disney World during his 2nd term of college next year. Currently, his favorite school subjects are history, art, and drama and he is excited about playing the part of the wizard in June in "Once Upon a Mattress" (a musical version of The Princess and the Pea) at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, University of Michigan.

In his free time, Jalen is into drawing (cartooning/manga), writing fiction, attending any and all Life Teen events at our parish, and helping as a teen leader of Fuel, our middle school prayer meetings. He is also guilty of sharing one of his favorite addictions with me, the TV show "Psych," and has sucked me in with him to near-obsession status!

The funniest item (to me!) of his year... Jalen is finally ready to cut his hair and now that he is, the director of OUAM told him NO- the wizard needs long hair! :) We have held off on senior photos, letting him decide whether he would cut it before having pictures taken. Looks like that epic moment will have to wait until June!

Luke, age 15:
Also in the Explorers Drama production, Luke will be Sir Luce and the understudy for the prince. Musically, Luke picked up the bass guitar over the summer and hopes to start serving soon at Fuel in music ministry. He also plans to learn the ukulele in the coming year- I don't know why, but this is one of the things that makes him such a *fun* kid to me!

Luke is always amazing us with his photography and his unique eye in all things artistic. This is likely his last year of homeschooling as next year (10th grade) he hopes to attend WTMC, a charter school at Washtenaw Community College, where he plans to study photography.

Luke is also very active in Life Teen, going on several retreats and conferences in the last year, and John and I are so thankful that one of our greatest problems with having teens so far has been... the cost of gas.

Morgan, age 11:
Morgan is a singer (2 choirs), dancer (worship dance, drama), actress (in "Annie" July 2010, and in the singing/dancing chorus of "Once Upon a Mattress"), musician (violin and piano), and athlete (CTK Jaguars volleyball and basketball.) She recently began a conversational French class with several friends and is really enjoying it (it helps that her awesome teacher brings hot chocolate and crepes to class!).

Morgan attends Fuel, the middle school prayer meetings at CTK, and is a member of a Catholic girls' group called "Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus." She comes home with wonderful ideas for expanding our family's faith life together and I think her passion will help bring great changes to our home.

Parker, age 8:
Our little pirate princess follows in her sister's footsteps as a dancer, with two worship dance classes, basketball player (in the Upward league), and in violin, piano, and French.

Parker, in 3rd grade, is my most eager student. Among her favorite subjects are history and science. She has many goals and asked if she could be "more than one thing" when she grows up- the current goal is a world-traveling scientist/inventor/chef/dental hygienist. :)

She can make something out of ANYTHING and constantly raids the trash cans for discarded items that can be used in very unique ways. It's cute, but I do have to watch what I throw away!!

John:
John continues to feel like he lives a life way cooler than he deserves. He just finished his 23rd year working for Thorton's and still really enjoys it. He is coaching basketball in two leagues for the girls, and his alter-ego, "DJ Jedi," is still doing his podcast and occasionally does special shows for Emancipation Radio.

John's bucket list got a bit shorter this year as he got to see the original band "The Time" (you know... Morris Day, Purple Rain!). We have seen the traveling band and met them a few times also, but this year in Detroit we were able to meet and hang out with all seven of the originals.

His other favorite days were driving like a madman through the night to get me to Florida and into the Magic Kingdom before my 40th birthday ended (I got 4 glorious hours complete with fireworks!) and also he says "just the simple days with my redhead and our kids." Love that guy!

Kelli:
What have I been up to??? I pretty much have a full-time job coordinating all of the above!! In addition to playing taxi driver and master-scheduler, I am the yearbook instructor at Explorers, the team mom for the CTK Jaguars, and I'm in my 18th year as a dental hygienist, still working part time for CSW Dental Associates. (Oh, I left out my other full-time job... homeschooling! I am teaching grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 this year!)

My favorite memory of the year is, of course, our trip to Disney World for my 40th birthday. I look forward to our next trip in 2012 when Jalen spends a semester there. :)

Even with the challenges that the year has brought, God has lovingly opened a window for us for every door that was shut. I am very excited about the new year and the changes that are sure to come. I was just explaining this to one of my teens the other day... It is hard to not know the future but over the last 23+ years with John, we can look back and see how the mighty hand of God was guiding us. We have suffered losses that were difficult, only to see that the Lord actually had something better in mind for us. Sometimes it took years and sometimes only weeks or even days to see what blessings He wanted to give us. We are so thankful for His loving care!

Thanks for checking in with us this year. We pray for peace and joy for you in 2011!

Celebrating

2010-12-20T14:19:00.004-05:00

It's been a great week and a half or so of school shows, talent shows, ballet, and birthdays! Here's a little of what we've been up to..

Our drama club had a fabulous talent show and all the little girls were really enjoying the nationally-ranked Elvis impersonator that emceed...

Morgan and her friend Colette sang Christmas songs and there were so many other fun, funny, and beautiful performances. It was a great evening out, enjoying wonderful food and friends.

A few days later, it was Luke's "golden" birthday...fifteen on the fifteenth! He gave us ZERO ideas for a birthday gift but he seems to be enjoying his new Flip. :) What a joy this young man is to us! He has a heart of gold, a great sense of humor, and musical and artistic talent that obviously did not come from my DNA. The Lord will do mighty things with this young Jedi. :)

Then, on Thursday, we were off to the Nutcracker to watch our friends, Sarah and Lydia Polk, performing in the first of their five shows. Sarah and Jalen...

Thursday night, we surprised Luke with a belated birthday dinner at IHOP (he's been asking to go there since it opened.) I love this photo- Luke and Mo can get irritated with each other sometimes, but more often lately, they have been best buddies. LOVE the expressions...

And finally, we had a birthday dinner with our friends at Pizza Hut for Luke and for their daughter, Kristin (18). I am fairly certain that the Schultz family was dropped straight from heaven just for us. Here are two of their four teens, David and Sarah, along with Luke in all his silliness!

So the last week has been one long and glorious celebration! Now the decorating and shopping are basically done and we are ready for a really wonderful Christmas. Thank you, Jesus, for the blessings you bring to us in so many ways!

Small things, big joy!

2010-11-01T21:06:00.004-04:00

Why *this* photo? I guess because I love doing laundry and loved being the team mom for the CTK Jaguars volleyball team and, well, this combined two of my favorite things! While it is time to hang up the way-cool spotted socks for the year, Morgan sure had a great time learning the game of volleyball and growing in friendships and in skill. She even says (to her daddy's utter horror) that she now likes it more than basketball!

Another simple pleasure... This is the first time I can remember the kids ever really climbing trees. I saw Morgan up *really* high this afternoon, but I decided it's best if I just quit looking. It gives me such joy to see them together and that this tree seems to be just the right size for them. For those in the country with lots of trees, this probably isn't a big deal, but for me, this week it is so I had to share it. ;)

And finally, oh the joy of exchange students!!! They've roped us back in! Jalen had tried to convince us to host again, but we wanted to focus on just our own kiddos for Jalen's senior year. A couple of weeks ago, though, I was asked to resume my area rep. volunteer position for a Korean boy in Whitmore Lake. We had the greatest time this weekend meeting him and taking him to the YFU Halloween party. When we brought him back to his host family, no sooner had he left the car when one of the kids asked, "Can we keep him?!" NO! He has a wonderful family but we are excited to spend more time with him and with all of the kids again soon. John and I love exchange teens and the way our kids go out of their way to welcome them and learn from them. They all exchanged a lot of laughter during the evening!

So I had been thinking of trying to put some "thankfulness" into my blog when, in the span of one week, several friends did the same thing in their blogs or on facebook. Oh well... I decided it must still be an idea worth trying even if I'm not first! I mean, how can you not be joyful and thankful looking at that sunset?...

God bless,
Kelli

A Little of This and That...

2010-07-03T19:58:00.004-04:00

OK, I am NEVER going to be good at regular, timely blog posts. Never. Oh well, here's a bit of what's happened since the last post.

I really didn't want to pour over *all* of the Disney photos again to pick out a bunch to post here. Here was just one highlight- Parker's birthday gift. Both girls got pirate makeovers! Princess makeovers are SO out-dated in this family and they are on to bigger, "badder" things. :) The girls got new "Elizabeth Swann" (Pirates of the Caribbean) costumes and they got their hair, makeup, and nails done. Then they had to recite the pirate oath, pledging their allegiance to Captain Jack Sparrow, and finally were able to enter the SECRET pirate room where we were NOT allowed to photograph what we saw!!! A *super* fun morning for the girls and for us while the boys went off to find characters to hang out with. :)

A little later in the day, the girls were in the pirate parade and then Morgan was chosen for training by Captain Jack himself!!!! After her training, Parker was also brought onstage to be part of the crew.
The vacation was an absolute dream-come-true. We've been to Disney somewhere around a dozen times, but this birthday trip was just SO special! We met up with a couple of sets of friends while we were there and that made it just that much more fun!

In super-sad news, we returned home from Disney to discover that Jalen's beloved kitty, Sushi, died from ingesting plastic bags (a bad habit that already got him one enema.) Coincidentally, friends had some kittens that were just precious and eased our pain a bit. We are loving our new babies, Kuzco (Jalen's) and Leslie (Morgan's).

Hmmmm, what else is new? A friend that we have known by internet for several years came up from Illinois to spend a few days with us and go to the Time reunion concert. She was THRILLED when we took her after the concert to meet the band. Jerome's kiss is up there as a high point of her year, I think! Two of my favorite men...
Also in the "fan club" department, we saw Parker Welling in concert for the first time last week. This is THE Parker that inspired us to name OUR Parker, only at that time she was just a young teen and we had no idea she would grow up to be such an awesome singer! It was lots of fun to have the girls get to see her again after several years and they have already memorized all of the lyrics on her first cd! Get one for yourself- she rocks!

Parker and Parker...
Two of Parker's biggest fans- they came home, grabbed some microphones and the cd, and held their own concert. It's great to have a great Christian girl for our girls to look up to. :)
On one other note, I never updated on our 40 bags in 40 days challenge. We made it, but just a little late. In the spirit of Holy Week and the chaos of prepping for Easter and Parker's first communion, it just wasn't worth my time to write about it or even to push to complete the challenge on time, but we were thrilled to dump MORE than 40 bags in the end.

We hope you have a wonderful Independence Day and we hope to post soon about our newest houseguest. Immo is flying in this evening from Switzerland to spend most of July here! He was one of the exchange students that hung out with our students a year ago.... we are so happy and honored to have him stay with us and to get to share some fun Michigan summer activities!

Disney!

2010-05-13T20:19:00.012-04:00

For my 40th birthday, we are in Walt Disney World having an absolutely MAGICAL vacation. I wanted to write about a few highlights before we forget them. Funny/cute/special things happen so often that I think I'll forget many before we get home.

Friday, May 7. The drive: We left at 9:40 at night on Friday, May 7, from the Explorers' Extravaganza. John drove through the night and I took over for a couple of hours when we reached Georgia around 7am and again in FL for another 2 hours or so. It was a pretty easy drive, other than some rain. I was very surprised that John could go without sleep all night and I know he had some FUN conversations with Luke as his co-pilot to keep him awake and with Morgan chattering away with them. :)

Saturday, May 8. Arrival and check-in: We made it to Calypso Cay by 6pm. Our villa is so pretty, all in Carribean pastels, with lots of space for everyone to spread out. We are about 3 miles from the entrance to Disney so we unloaded our luggage and by 8pm, we were already in the Magic Kingdom for my birthday celebration. It's amazing how much you can accomplish in just 4 hours at the MK once a lot of the young families have left! Space Mountain, Small World, the tea cups, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates, Stitch, Haunted Mansion, fireworks while in line for Big Thunder Mountain, pin trading... WOW! Of course, Parker and I started the evening by getting our birthday buttons so the cast members could celebrate with us. :)

Sunday, May 9, Mother's Day...

EPCOT- you think it means "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow." I recently learned it REALLY means "Every Person Comes Out Tired." So true, but SO worth it! Eating "around the world", learning a little about other countries, riding some of our favorite rides and trying out some that we had never tried before, drinking Beverly at Club Cool, etc.

Getting on a family favorite, Test Track... Luke looks a bit freaked out as this was his first time! He loves it now. :) One of the great parts of the whole trip has been how many more rides the kids will all go on- they are so much FUN and we have to separate far less than we did on the last trip 2 years ago.
Monday, May 10, we stayed at the villa to visit with some of our favorite people, the Schneiders. We were thrilled to have them skip school for the day to come up from Ave Maria and spend some time with us at the pool.

All of the Schneider and Sparrow kiddos together for a fun day...

That evening as they drove home, we headed back to the MK for an evening very similar to Saturday- a frenzy of packing in as much fun as we could in just a few hours. In a very short but magical time, Luke won an MP3 player, Mo was treated to several free games of Guitar Hero with a cast member, and John was "That Guy" on the Laugh Floor!! Three days later in Animal Kingdom, someone saw John and said, "Hey, you're That Guy!" Wow... we happened to see someone in a different park three days later and he recognized him from the show. I think that's pretty amazing among thousands of guests!!!
Since tomorrow (Friday) is our last day in the parks, I think I will quit now and get some sleep. I'll post on the rest of the trip soon!

Reduce, Reuse, RECITAL

2010-03-11T13:47:00.005-05:00

A little "40 Bags in 40 Days" update: Purple Heart picked up another 10 bags! Between those bags and the ones in the garage sale pile and in the trash, we are up to 22 bags out the door! I can walk all the way into my walk-in closet.... sweet success!

I haven't been able to get the violin videos to upload on youtube so I put off blogging... I give up. Here are a few photos anyway of the girls' first violin recital two weeks ago.

Parker played the Monkey Song :)
Here's Morgan with friends, Annie and Francesca. What I love about this sweet photo is that these young violinists are scrappers on the basketball court with the CTK Jaguars! Such different personalities on the stage than what we see on the court!

The final performance of the afternoon was the girls' violin instructor, Sarah. She is also Parker's worship dance teacher- she's quite a talented teen! She *wowed* us with her performance!! We took her out with our family after the reception for a Coldstone treat to celebrate.

Have a blessed week!
Kelli

Our Lenten Challenge

2010-02-20T19:58:00.006-05:00

Oh the time I waste shuffling clutter back and forth, to the garage or basement and back again, etc. One basement flood a year and a half ago consumed several weeks in time and lots of money because the clutter took over down there and wasn't put away as it should have been. Then a minor plumbing accident several months later dumped water on my scrapbooking room and table... another round of clean up and loss.

While purging the house is probably not, in itself, a very spiritual Lenten activity, I've spent a long time thinking about simplifying in many ways to make more "room" for the Lord in our home. Then just before Lent, I read a blog that had the "40 Bags in 40 Days" challenge. It was just what I needed! So we got started this week...

Christmas supplies, keepsake boxes, luggage, etc. are all waiting to see if they make the "cut." :)
(Want to buy a rocking chair? It *won't* survive the cut!)

Books, movies, games, school bins for each kid, and.... JUNK.

After an hour or two of work this afternoon, I already have boxes and boxes of books and curriculum to sell or give away (this is less than half of what I came up with)...

... and this looks to me like it should count as about 4 bags of trash, plus two more of donations we already removed. Ooh, it feels SO good! Just 34 bags to go.

Here's what we are aiming for- more peaceful areas like our prayer area. (Currently, it is purple for Lent- Parker is usually the one in charge of changing the cover to match the liturgical calendar. She does it so lovingly!)

Our kneeler, handmade for me by John's dad. <3I'll post more progress later on during these 40 days. I am excited to see the end result and to enjoy the process of emotionally and physically parting with the "stuff" that clutters my space and steals my time and peace.

God bless,
Kelli

A new year- new paint, new friends and a "new" heart!

2010-01-10T17:42:00.010-05:00

Aaaaaahhh, finally! After many years of kid-fingerprinted, dingy white walls, we finally painted the house! We are absolutely thrilled with how much this feels like a HOME now! The kitchen, while pretty, is not really blog-worthy with its new beige tone, but here's part of the living room...

...and the kids' loft. This orange is my favorite <3.

We were so blessed to receive a visit last week from Won Kun and his family!! It was a wonderful evening, but I wish I paid more attention in French class 25 years ago! Won Kun's whole family speaks French as well as Korean. Me, I'm stuck with English only. Bo Yun did lots of translating for her mom though, so it was a really neat visit. We shared Korean soju, Michigan beer, and lots of stories about our shared "son". The visit went so well on Thursday that we got up early Saturday morning for one last hug and to see them off from their hotel. We certainly hope to see them all again in the future!

We found these Korean Michigan shirts in Ann Arbor for Kyung He and Youn Duk!

All of the Park and Sparrow kids together...

Friday night, I took Luke, Mo, and Parker to an ice skating exhibition and brought Morgan's friend, Colette, along for the fun. It was a really neat show... and free! (Dave Ramsey would approve!)

And the best news is that Parker made her first confession! She wrote a little bit about her thoughts on it when it was over: "...I was nervous but Jesus helped me get through it... my heart felt soooo white and clean!..."

Now, we have started a really crazy time and I am trying to enjoy (almost) every minute of it. Jalen started driver's ed, Morgan and Parker both started violin and basketball, Jalen and Luke have much going on with school, play practices, parties, and Life Teen and tonight the boys are attending a pro-life rally for teens- what a great way for them to spend the evening!!

John and I are thankful (even if a little tired from all the driving) for the ways they are each growing in their friendships, faith, education, and as a family. My greatest joy of the week happened last night when I had a raging headache. I was nursing my head downstairs, while listening to all of the kids and their dad in the loft. They were playing board games together and it was such a joy to hear ALL of them enjoying their time together, even if the screaming did hurt my head even a little more!

I have internet friends who were recently discussing their "word" for the year... some I remember are "simplicity", "choosing joy", and "faith". I can't pick one. I'm stealing all three of those to work on and the first two weeks of 2010 have been a pretty great start. :)

God bless,

Kelli

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

2009-12-26T23:32:00.009-05:00

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

2009-12-12T12:44:00.006-05:00

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?

2009-12-06T22:01:00.009-05:00

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 :-(

2009-07-10T08:57:00.005-04:00

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

2009-06-22T10:17:00.009-04:00

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

2009-06-22T10:08:00.010-04:00

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

2009-05-09T21:02:00.005-04:00

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

A day at the zoo with our animals... err, children!

2009-04-26T22:18:00.006-04:00

Won Kun already went to the Binder Park zoo with us last summer so he skipped out on us this time. It was a gorgeous day, except for the rainstorm on the way and then some sprinkles while we were there. In any case, it was a wonderful time together!

Loving our camera! We got many cool animal photos but this is one of our faves... the Mexican wolves.

Heading for Africa on the tram...

Morgan Ami entertaining us in Africa (with an Asian hat... typical.)

We thought we would never get the giraffes over to the feeding area. Something spooked them and they wouldn't come near us for a long time. I was *not* leaving until Lena got to feed a giraffe!

We found a couple of gorillas in the African outpost and took a photo. They didn't seem happy about it though.

"NO MORE PHOTOS, LADY!" (recognize that hat on that monkey's head?)
He started following us! A gorilla with a goofy old-man hat and red Converse... he got a LOT of attention from passers-by for the rest of the day. :-)

We are looking forward to many more zoo trips this summer and hope for many more beautiful days like this one!

Disney on Ice

2009-03-01T11:08:00.003-05:00

Friday we went to the Disney on Ice, Worlds of Fantasy show at the Palace. When we asked Lena if she would want to come with us, she nearly cried she was so excited! Won Kun had a basketball game so he chose to stay in school... what is WRONG with that boy?!?

At the Princess pre-show, we were able to meet Cinderella and Belle. Parker (Snow White) was a little shy about it even though she has played princesses just about every day since coming home from Disney World in May!

Sweet sisters in front of Jasmine's costume. I must be influenced a little too much by my sons' love of weaponry... the first thing I notice in the photo is the glint of the sword!

No, we weren't the ONLY people there... just the first. :-)

The show covered four movies... Cars,

The Little Mermaid,

The Lion King,

and Tinkerbell.

It was a wonderful show and we look forward to Disney returning in October. We've definately become Disney Geeks over the last year. Of all the times we've been to Disney with one or more of the kids, 2008 was the most MAGICAL and one of my most treasured memories with my family.

Blessings,
Kelli

Oh, happy chaos!

2009-02-21T22:44:00.012-05:00

Lena, Morgan, and Parker seem to be getting along just fine... Morgan dressed up as "Little Lena" complete with her cell phone and sunglasses. Parker got in on the dress-up fun also just after this photo.

Lena has been soooo wonderful with the girls. She is very patient and loving, plays and reads with them, and does lots of snuggling.

(I tried to get a nice photo with my new "daughter" but look who snuck into this photo.)

The funniest thing is the relationship between Luke and Lena (hey, that almost sounds like "Luke and Leia"... cool, maybe she won't notice if we start calling her that!)... Oh, sorry... those two are so hysterical together! The teasing and loving little "jabs" at each other make me know she really is a part of the family already. She's the big sister he never had- and he really needs someone to boss him around sometimes! Jalen loves to watch those two go at it!

Great father/daughter shot!

Won Kun and Lena have done quite well together, too. They've hosted several little get-together/parties as they share many of the same friends.

It has been a *very* busy time for us with four teens, a tween, and a little princess. We have one in drama, two in basketball, two in power lifting, two in Life Teen, and six with rich social lives! We have put a lot of miles on the family "bus" recently but have even enjoyed just driving all of the kids to different events, often multiple trips a day. Some of the best conversations happen trapped in the car together. :-)

A word that keeps coming to mind lately is "chaos"... but not the kind of chaos that's in John and Luke's current favorite movie, "Dark Knight"!! This has been what John and I call our "happy chaos." There are times I am mentally counting kids to make sure I know where they all are, who's in charge of them, and how they each are getting back home, or buying snacks to have 2-10 more kids over for the evening, or talking around the dinner table for a long time about anything and everything, and I am enjoying this time in our lives more than any other. I am more often ditching other responsibilities temporarily to take time to enjoy my hubby and each of the kids in different ways and I'm starting to look at ways to ditch some responsibilities altogether. I see how fast time is flying and it's definately got me thinking...

Thanks for reading!
Kelli

Yet ANOTHER teen in the house!

2009-01-30T22:29:00.006-05:00

The photo below was taken in September. These are all of the YFU exchange students at WLHS this year. We had NO idea how much we would grow to love all of these kids!

Last week, Dae Sick stayed with us (front and center in the photo) while his host mom was on vacation. While he was here, Lena (far left) needed a place to stay while YFU searched for a new host family for her. She stayed with us overnight... just long enough for Morgan to beg to keep her! Sooo, we now have a 16 yr. old girl from Brazil in the family! We are now the Brady Bunch with 3 boys and 3 girls and loving every minute of it! Wait, maybe not EVERY minute, but most of them... just wish I could get my girls to go to sleep. They only want Brazilian lullabies from their new big sister!!

We are very thankful for ALL of our kiddos! Our bio. four have really welcomed and embraced new siblings so easily and beautifully and Won Kun and Lena are such a wonderful addition to the family. We are all learning a lot about other cultures, beliefs, languages, etc. and having an awesome time in the process!

A LAST FIRST :-(

2009-01-04T10:48:00.003-05:00

At more than six-and-a-half years old, my last baby finally lost her first tooth!! She has asked me several times to help her wiggle it out. Finally, it worked!

Here's the before....

And the after...

And then calling her best friend Alex to give him the big news!...

Yeah, Parker!! You finally got a visit from the tooth fairy!

Another TEEN in the house

2008-12-19T22:33:00.003-05:00

We now have THREE teenage boys in the house! (Pray for us!) Seriously, Luke turned 13 on Monday and spent the entire morning creating his Facebook account. He has waited a looooong time to be old enough to sign up for it and he is already as addicted to it as I am! It's fun to see the kinds of photos, status updates, and comments he posts. He's quite a funny young man!

Oh, the anticipation waiting for his gift! He HAD to know what it would be since he has been begging for it for months. Originally, he wanted a puppy but I wanted a gift that didn't need to be potty-trained!

Even though he was expecting it, Lukey-Bear (can I still call him that?!) was very appreciative and thanked us throughout the day. He was very sweet. :-)

Korean Thunder, Won the Mon, The Kun Man, etc.

2008-12-19T22:12:00.004-05:00

A great dream-come-true story for you...

Won Kun, our exchange student from S. Korea, plays soccer at home. He had never seen an American football game before August. He went out for our JV team, made VARSITY, and went on to break conference records in kicking!! Check out our awesome #3 in action...

All Conference team!!!

Won Kun was invited to a kickers' camp at Rutgers where college scouts were checking out the talent. If he can figure out how to continue playing football and improving his skills, he may have a university scholarship in his future somewhere in the states! Of course, we hope it will be nearby... I hear Univ. of Michigan needs some talent. :-)

BIG Snow and Cookies

2008-12-19T21:33:00.005-05:00

We had a snow day today just for fun even though our kids certainly had no trouble walking to school (the kitchen table!)

First thing in the morning, Luke and Morgan went out with Zoe... we nearly lost our poor, short dog out there in the blizzard. :-)

In the evening, the kids and Caitlyn, our neighbor, went to John's sister's house for some sledding fun.

A little earlier in the day, we all took part in decorating CHRISTmas cookies...

Morgan was quite artistic with her cookies!

My precious "Parker Pumpkin Pie"

I'm thankful that several of my homeschooling friends posted notes on the internet that they were going to skip school today to make cookies and have some fun for the day. It was a wonderful day once I gave up on making the kids get anything "productive" done. OK, well I did make them shovel the driveway- but they had a lot of fun doing it!! Let's just call it Phys. Ed. class. :-)

Welcome To Our Nest

2008-12-09T22:45:00.003-05:00

Welcome to the new edition of the Sparrow Family blog. Last year we started a blog right about this time and promptly failed to do anything with it after the holidays.

Our goal is to update it weekly or, well, knowing us, almost weekly. (We'll do our best!)

We've had an amazing 2008 and look forward to keeping you up to date with the latest happenings in our family.

Merry Christmas !!!

The Sparrows' Nest

Stationery card

A Summer to Remember

"Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise... Blessed be the name of the Lord, Blessed be Your glorious name".... that's been stuck in my head all week. Thanking HIM this week for some wonderful blessings!! :)

Christ is Risen!

Exciting Times

Recent Events from the Sparrows' Nest...

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Family Time Photos

What we've been up to... an extension of our Christmas letter

Celebrating

Small things, big joy!

A Little of This and That...

Disney!

Reduce, Reuse, RECITAL

Our Lenten Challenge

A new year- new paint, new friends and a "new" heart!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Explorers and the 2009 Christmas Extravaganza

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

Goodbyes :-(

A Brief Family Vacation

Pyrotechnics, Piercings, and Plants

WLHS Prom 2009

A day at the zoo with our animals... err, children!

Disney on Ice

Oh, happy chaos!

Yet ANOTHER teen in the house!

A LAST FIRST :-(

Another TEEN in the house

Korean Thunder, Won the Mon, The Kun Man, etc.

BIG Snow and Cookies

Welcome To Our Nest

What?! It's been months already?