History Museum

I'm going to try to play a little catch-up with this month.  We went to the History museum about a week and a half ago.  Our regular field trip was cancelled due to pending rain and so some of us decided to meet at the History Museum in Raleigh instead.  It was a fun morning.  It's always nice to spend time with friends and I think hands-on learning is the best!

In front of the museum with some of our friends.



While we were waiting to meet up with friends in the lobby, I saw a sign for a backpack for younger kids that could be checked out.  I decided to get one and try it out.  It was a really neat way to make the exhibit come alive for the younger kids.  It was geared for ages 3-5.   If you are there, I recommend you trying it out for yourself.  I kept trying to think how I could take this great idea and use it at home. 



We used the backpack called "Good Sports" that went with the sports exhibit.  The older kids had a scavenger type questionnaire to fill out as they found answers to the questions.  The was a guide back to go with the backpack listing questions to ask and what to do each step of the way.  Our first stop was at the gold exhibit and there was a bag inside the backpack to open.  Inside were two golf balls - one intact and the other cut in half.  The children felt the balls and we talked about what the inside was made of.  They also looked at the outside of the ball and we discussed the dimples and why there were there (to make the ball go farther). 

At the baseball section, there was a neat book to read that was the song Take Me Out to the Ballgame with pictures.



Next was the race car displays.  Inside were a pair of racing gloves to try on while you watched a video and pretended to be driving a race car.



There was a jersey to try on in the basketball section.  As you can see, Daniel really enjoyed doing these activities.



There were a few more, but hopefully this gives you an idea.  What a great idea for making the museum more accessible for younger children!



There were also phones that you could listen to famous atheletes talking.





We also saw some exhibits on transportation.



And one on various wars - no pictures in this gallery though.  We also visited an historical mystery exhibit.  There were many items on display and you had to try to figure out what they were used for.  Some were behind glass and others were more interactive, talking to a museum worker.



We enjoyed a picnic lunch and then headed home.  It was a fun day and I'm thankful we had the opportunity to go!

Blessings

Leslie

Bentonville Battlefield

Today we visited one of North Carolina's State Historic Sites.  Bentonville Battlefield.  This is the site of the largest Civil War Battle in North Carolina.  The site hosts a reenactment once every 5 years and this week-end was it!  We were there 5 years ago and it was fun to go back again.  (And hopefully we will be there again in another 5 years for the 150th anniversary of the battle.)

The site is set up with many costumed interpreters doing various things from that time period.  We listened to an embalmer talk about his trade and even the specifics of how he embalmed a body (even showing the tools that he used).  He shared some comparisons of what was done then compared to how things are done now.  It was interesting.



The children were interested in the herbs and medicines that were available though we missed the reenactor at this station.



So many of the reenactors are eager to talk and share what they are doing or what they have learned.  If you just get them started, many will share very interesting things.  This is one of my favorite parts of visiting historic sites.  It just makes the time period come alive!

This man shared about how he lived, explained why his hat was pinned on one side (to keep it out of the way of his gun during battles) and even showed them his gun and how it worked. 



The items on this table were the types of things that would have been sent as a care package to one of the soldiers.



This man was the engineer.  He helped to plan the movements of the troops, drew maps as well as any building (bridges) or construction that might have been done.  He explained that the men that were the top of their class at West Point were the ones that were chosen to be the engineers.  West Point was started in part so that our country would have it's own corps of engineers.



As we stood talking with him, Daniel was very intrigued with his desk and all of the items in the cubbies.  The man then started looking for something to show  Daniel.  He pulled out a small round metal container and handed it to Daniel asking if he knew what it was.  Do you?



He answered immediately and correctly, shocking the man.  The man then asked me if he had seen one before.  I told him that I didn't think so.  He said that in all the years he has done this that he has only seen a couple of people guess it correctly.  So do you have a guess yet?  He also said that most people could not figure out it by taking it apart which Daniel also started doing immediately. 



It's a pair of candlesticks.  The two outside pieces were the base of the candlesticks and the holder pieces were inside of it.  This was a more compact way to carry them.  I loved watching him figure this out.

We talked with people about their cooking.  It's a lot of work to cook over a fire and haul in the water!  Just being here reminded a couple of my children about their desire to be reenactors. 



We had started looking into this before Eliana was born, but thought we'd wait and pursue it after she arrived.  Obviously our years have been filled with some other things since then.  Perhaps though now would be a good time to try again.  I have 2 children that are very interested in this.  Can you guess who they are?

There were also sutler's tents - people who sell a variety of wares for those who are reenactors or those who just enjoy things from this time period.  Rebecca enjoyed seeing the clothing and we found one woman who made and sold beautiful bonnets!



We had a picnic lunch and shortly afterwards it was time to head toward the battleground.  We watched a number of the soldiers marching into the woods to prepare for the battle.  I remarked to my friend that I wasn't sure that the way that they were going was also the way we needed to go.  A man heard us and said that yes, this was the way to go. 



After we had walked for awhile, with soldiers all around us, I thought this was not the way we went the last time we were here.  What we didn't know was if this was also an acceptable route.  We asked several people and were told it was fine or that they didn't know.  We walked until the field and found out it was not the way to go.  Oh well.  We had a behind the scenes look.  We then ran to try to make it to the battle.  This was not a short distance.  It was good exercise.  lol

We made it for the battle and watched for about an hour.  The cannons were loud and earplugs helped some that were more sensitive to it.  Can you see the man next to the cannon with his hand over his ear?



We saw the infantry and artillery.



And the cavalry.





Afterwards we toured the Harper House which was used as a makeshift hospital. 



They were successful in treating many of the wounded, though many later died of infection.   The surgical table is a door on top of two barrels.  They did the best that they could.



This is such a sad period in history in so many ways.





All in all, it was a wonderful day.  I think it is important to understand history.  We need to know what has happened in our past and why.  We can only see the present clearly when we understand our past.  I'm praying that God would open our eyes and give us wisdom to truly understand His role in our history and our role in our present.

Blessings

Leslie

Beautiful Day

Today was a lovely day - in more ways than one.  The sun was out and it was just beautiful.  It started off on the chilly side, but warmed up nicely by lunchtime.

We were up early to head to an event at a local church.  Christopher was participating in the 5K and there was also a festival for the family there. 

We waited at the finish line for the runners.  The boys liked seeing the clock and the place where the runners crossed to get their times. 

As Christopher neared the finish line, he had several little boys running along beside him trying to spur him on.  He definitely ran a little faster then.  lol  Christopher is in black in the center and if you look you can see 4 little boys around him cheering him on.

There was a small fun run for the younger kids.  Eliana participated with the encouragement of her big sister.

To my surprise, Daniel also ran and really appreciated the ribbon he won at the end.

One of our neighbors attends this church and we enjoyed hanging out with them there. 

There were bounce houses for little people ...

and some more suited for bigger people.

The boys had to remove their glasses in this one which makes things a little more challenging for them.  They had fun with it though!

There were even ones that were obstacle courses which the boys like racing in to see who could go through the fastest.  It was very hard to get good pictures in these because they moved so quickly!

There was a train riding around the parking lot.

And snow cones to eat.   This worked out really well when Joshua tested at 54 mid-morning (and had no idea that he was low).  He really was happy to be getting this even though it doesn't look like it.  As an fyi, it raised his blood sugar by 100!

There was a baseball pitch that measured how fast your pitch was thrown.

There was also a bungee jumping.  This was very popular and by the end of the morning, the line was quite long!  This is Rebecca doing a flip.

It was a fun morning and I'm glad we had time to hang out and play.

The afternoon was spent with more time outside for the kids and Roger.  I was inside sewing up 5 sets of spider legs (for the play Charlotte's Web that Rebecca is going to be in.  If you are local, we'd love to have you come!).  I also got some scrapbooking done!  I'm journaling on some completed pages and trying to finish up 2006.  Yes, I'm that behind.  I have done some scrapbooking for 2008.  I skipped 2007 trying to get more current.  I'm planning to go back, but ... well, you know how it goes.  This is a fun hobby, but one I'm always behind in!

Tomorrow looks to be another fun family day.  I hope your week-end is filled with fun too!

Blessings

Leslie

Update on Daniel's appt

We had a good appointment today.  It was much easier than the last one - thankfully.  Daniel did really well and I felt at peace too.  Thank you for praying!

We arrived after lunch and spent a few minutes at the "art cart" doing dot paints before being called back.  The doctor did a variety of vision tests.  One of them was for colorblindness.  Daniel is colorblind (which I knew), but I had not seen the eyes tested independently for this which apparently can be another issue with the optic nerves. 

He was dilated and we went back to the waiting area.  We read books, played with toys, did another picture and then were called back again.  More examination.  I could hear her commenting on his optic nerves.  They apparently look very unusual still.  She showed me a picture of them the last time and it is clear that something is not quite right.

Short version - Daniel has Optic Nerve Drusen.  This is calcification on the optic nerves.  This puts pressure on the nerves which is how it was detected.  In children, this is typically not a problem and there is nothing that can be done.  We won't need to return to see this specialist, but will continue being seen by his pediatric opthamologist.

Long version - Well, you can click on this link - Optic Nerve Drusen - if you want to read more about it.  There is currently nothing that can be done for this, though the doctor did say that she thought there might be a cure by the time Daniel is an adult.  I'm trying to be cheered by that, but honestly am not there yet.

He faces the risk of loss of vision in adulthood.  The doctor said that is was similar to how a loss of blood flow can affect the heart and lead to a stroke.  The loss of flow to the eye through the optic nerve can lead to damage there.  There are some risk factors (such as Drusen) that can not be eliminated, but that there are other things that he can do to try to help avoid this fate.  Again, similar to what you would do for your heart - eat well, keep cholesterol low, keep blood pressure low, etc.  I remember during some of this discussion thinking, I didn't need to know all of this about the heart, but then she said it was the same for his eyes. 

So, here we are.  It is just a wait and see game.  I know that I'll try to put it out of my mind.  That is how I tend to deal with things.  I'm trying not to fret or be sad about what *may* lie ahead for our little boy.  The thought of losing vision is just a hard one.  I know it's not definite, but I hate that it is even a possibility.

I'm wondering now if I need to start back a medical notebook for my family.  Something listing all of the various issues each are facing.  I kept this well for Eliana and now have a notebook for Joshua.  I'd love to hear what any of you have done if you are doing this for your family.

I'm exhausted - physically and mentally right now.  I think things will be better after a good night's sleep.  I need time to pray and think about this and just hand it over to God.  Worrying will do no good.  In some ways, it would have been easier not to have even known any of this.  (How is that for wanting to put your head in the sand?!)  I wonder if there is a lesson to be learned.  Maybe just another reminder to cherish each day, each moment with my children.  Live fully and with much energy.  Live without regrets.  Love completely and with abandon.  Yes, those are good lessons and good reminders.

I'm thankful for our precious little boy and the lessons he teaches me daily.  He stretches me and blesses me.  I love you Daniel!

Blessings

Leslie

 

St. Patrick's Day and Prayer Request for Daniel

We had a fun day today tucked with little surprises.  All the thanks are due to Rebecca.  I am thankful she enjoys holidays and fun traditions.  I'm thankful that she is willing to come up with new ones and just looks for ways to have fun with her siblings!  I hope they all realize what a great big sister they have.  (I'm pretty sure that they do!)

The first surprise came at lunch time.  Rebecca made a delicious Irish Soda Bread.  (We devoured it!)  She wanted to back money in it for a surprise, but I wasn't sure about the cleanliness of it - so the coins were left out.  Did I mention that the bread was incredible?  The picture doesn't do it justice.

Rebecca also made some green deviled eggs.  (A great snack for Joshua because they have no carbs.  He however was VERY suspicious of the color and wouldn't buy that they just came that was today.  lol )

Lunch also included green apples and pizzas with "shamrocks" (made from pepperonis). 

After dinner, Rebecca and Eliana made sugar cookies.  (Sorry, no picture)  She told the boys that she had seen a leprechaun running toward their room.  If they caught him, there would be a surprise.  So the boys went to look for him - and find him they did.  He had a note to go back to the kitchen.

The surprise - green sugar cookies. 

We all thought they were yummy.

Thanks Rebecca for making our day fun - and making sweet memories for ALL of us!  You are a treasure sweet girl.

PRAYER REQUEST - Tomorrow (Thur), Daniel has another appointment with the neuro - opthamologist.  For those not familiar, he has a swollen optic nerve.  He had an MRI a year ago and underwent more testing in November.  They have ruled out a brain tumor.  The doctor did find some calcification on the nerve.  I'm not sure what that means for him in the long run or if anything more will need to be done.

The doctor (who was wonderful!) wanted to wait to see how things progressed.  It has been 3 months.  I'm preparing for a hard afternoon for our little man.  Would you please pray for him?

The last appt had numerous tests which were very hard for him.  I imagine that he may be resistant to doing them again.  With some of his sensory issues, the tests can just be a little more of a challenge.

Would you please pray for clear results, wisdom for the doctor, no pain for Daniel, patience for me and good news?

I didn't write about this, but I found out at Eliana's last appointment that her optic nerve was looking unusual too.  The doctor had thought this in her fall appt - shortly after Daniel's appt.  She didn't tell me that then though as Eliana had a bad appt and she had a hard time getting a good look at her eyes.  During her last appt, Eliana was very cooperative.  She looked for awhile and then left and brought in another doctor.  You know that is cause for some concern.  Thankfully, Eliana cooperated with her too.  She looked and then pronounced that she didn't think Eliana had glaucoma!  Happy tears.  I was thankful to not even know that this was a possibility.  Her issues though are not the same as Daniel's and hers seem to be fine with no further follow-up needed other than her routine eye exams.  She is a little far-sighted, but at this point does not need glasses.  (My girls seem to have a totally different eye pattern than the boys.)

I'm rambling.  We would love prayers for Daniel.  I'm not planning on telling him about the appointment until about lunchtime.  I think he would just fret and I want him to have a fun morning.  Thank you in advance for praying and I'll post something when I know more.

Blessings

Leslie

Mailing May - FIAR Vol 4 Co-op

Thanks for those of you who were praying for health for me and our family.  I'm feeling much better and thankfully so is everyone else.  I'm really hoping this is the end of sickness for us.  It hasn't been too bad thankfully.  I'm going to play catch -up with a few blog posts and also with emails and such. 

We had a wonderful time last week at our co-op, though we greatly missed a couple of families who were missing due to health issues. 

We started with reading the story.  Mailing May is about a little girl named May that wants to visit her Grandmother.  The cost for the train ticket is too much, but her parents find another way to send her - as a package on the train.  There were no rules against it and so May was weighed, stamped and send with her Mom's cousin on the train.  It's a true story and lots of fun!

The first activity was learning about stamps - what has to be on them, who can be on them and more.  The children were able to look at many books filled with stamps.  What a treat to see the many different types of stamps.





After learning about stamps, the children then designed their own stamps.



I always love seeing the creativity and variety that comes through in their artwork.



Here is Joshua with his very detailed $200 stamp.



Isaiah finished his stamp early (it's the one above with the Liberty Bell), so he had the opportunity to be weighed and measured in order to find out how much it would cost to send him parcel post to Nebraska.  (He picked NE because that is where his grandparents live.)



After getting all the information, it was plugged into a calculator on the US Post Office site to find out the rate.  I think it was $33 (can't read the numbers on the screen.)



I loved the next part of the day.  Each of the children was told in advance to come prepared to share something interesting about one of their grandparents.  They each shared an interesting fact or story and often with pictures too.  I loved hearing what each one of them had to say!

Joshua shared about my Dad, who was a basketball coach.  He shared some photos from magazines of my Dad.



Isaiah shared about Roger's parents who live on a farm in Nebraska.  He also shared a picture of their farm.



Next, the children were given several scenarios and chose one to act out.  They were also given props/costumes that they could pick from as well.  This is the one that the boys chose.  (The girls had one in which they acted out animals in a train car welcoming - or not - another new animal.)



Needless to say, they all had fun acting!



We ended with a snack time and learned some fun facts about Idaho (where the story takes place).  They were asked questions, asked to figure out puzzles and also looked at photos.  It was a neat way to learn some new things.



Thanks again friends for a wonderful day!  I love co-op!

Blessings

Leslie