Adventure-ette Day

Late Sunday afternoon we decided to head to the shores of Lake Erie for a Mini Adventure Day outing to close out summer vacation. Not to say this ends the fun, for we ALWAYS have fun at the Carpenter house, right? We just wanted to squeeze a few more drops of fun out of summer before we start hittin' the books again. It was quite chilly though, so it certainly didn't feel like we were celebrating summer. Downtown Cleveland can be seen to the right of the family and if you pull out your magnifying glass you will see something sticking out of the water to the left of Steve. We think it might have been the Loch Ness Monster?!

Looking for Canada... maybe it's warmer over there.

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs some glimpses of the sun made for a beautiful sky. I could stare at the lake and those clouds forever, except I was too worried Miss Emily might be swimming before long. She's in constant motion, moving rather quickly. I need roller skates to keep up with her these days.

Next stop the playground at Lakewood Park!

"The Climber" in all her glory, making momma EXTREMELY nervous, daddy playing it cool all the while.

See, it was worth the climb!

Now that's what I call a tire swing!

Our Adventure Days always seem to end with ice cream...and there's NOTHING wrong with that! You feel like you're stepping into a story book when you sit in the Lakewood Malley's ice cream parlor.

What a little lady sitting so nicely and waiting patiently for her vanilla shake.

If messy = yummy, Mommy's Hot Fudge Sundae was the BEST!

Good to the last drop!

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me My Child! Monday!

Did you almost die of embarrassment when your child pulled their own pants down at the library? Want to scream bloody murder when your toddler took a pair of scissors to the dog's fur? Feel like a terrible mother when your kid said a four-letter-word at a back to school event? Well don't! Mothers aren't perfect and neither are children. Let's 'fess up today because it's Not my child! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else's children have not been doing this week.

Sound liberating? Then let's get going!

We did NOT have to leave the playground approximately 3 seconds after arriving because Sarah got stung by a yellow jacket.

After waiting in line for a roller coaster at Cedar Point, my husband did NOT have to get out of line (just mere feet away from getting on the ride) with one of our dear children to use the facilities. They had NOT just used the facilities prior to getting in line. Nope! Not my kids! They have much more bladder control than that!

Sarah and Emily were NOT concerned when their soccer coach told them they were going to play a game at practice in which the monster was going to try to take their ball away from them.

My 4 year old did NOT attempt to play soccer face down on the soccer field.


We did NOT have to abruptly leave the church picnic because Rachel fell off the speeding merry-go-round onto the not-so-soft gravel. Her knee does NOT have a gash so deep that we were considering taking her to the ER.

We did NOT need to look up the number for poison control while tending Rachel’s wound because Emily did NOT get a hold of something she shouldn’t have been playing with.

I’m so glad these things did NOT all happen in the last week, because I would be thoroughly exhausted if they had!

DISCLAIMER: No animals were harmed in the making of the information for this post. However, several children were, but thankfully they are all doing just fine now.

Piano Recital

My children are blessed with the absolute BEST piano teacher EVER…. Grandma! Yes, Steve’s mom comes over twice a week to teach the 3 older children. And if I’m not mistaken they are learning much more than just how to read music and play those ivory keys. They have special one on one Grandma-time and she is instilling a love of music in them along with many of her other admirable qualities: kindness, honesty, patience and perseverance, to name a few. Tonight we were entertained at their third piano recital. They have come so far in 2 ½ years. It has been rumored that some attendees traveled all the way from California to hear this recital!

This was Sarah's very first recital!

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this curly-haired princess sat quietly in her pretty pink chair to listen to her siblings play the piano. As soon as the first note was played she bounced out of her chair to dance her way through Benjamin’s first song. She then disappeared through the family room and somehow ended up on the stairs.

She was out of sight but I could still hear that little monkey. Daddy, however, could see her and it appears he did not approve.

The little left behind… don’t worry, Miss Em, it will be your turn soon.

Wordless Wednesday

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did NOT drag my children to the zoo on a sunny, 97 degree day only to see fewer animals than we have in our own backyard, instead of our original plan to head to the beach on the shores of beautiful Lake Erie.

Now that summer has finally arrived, I did NOT allow the littles to play in the sprinkler sans clothes at grandma's house.



Since seeing Mary Poppins last week, I certainly do NOT exit and enter rooms or go up and down the stairs with any type of new-found dramatic flair. [That would be practically perfect if I did, though!]



My dear husband and dear son are NOT currently sporting mohawks. I am in NO way shape or form responsible for these fabulous haircuts.



My sweet daughter and I did NOT wake up 1 1/2 hours earlier than usual for VBS in order to give her hair an extra special touch last Thursday. That would be silly. We are all business here at the Carpenter house!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie...

If you take your kids to grandma's house for a birthday celebration they are going to want to eat.

If they eat a good dinner they will want to sing Happy 20th Birthday to cousin Christina and have cake and ice cream.

After scarfing down eating cake and ice cream they will want to venture outside (in the 90 degree heat) to play kickball.

While rounding 1st base on the way to 2nd they will spot a pile of mulch/dirt and feel the need to dig in it like a squirrel hiding acorns. Because they are sticky with sweat the mulch/dirt will cling to their bodies and become a second layer of skin.

Next, they will decide to have a grand old time with the "Crazy Daisy" which wildly squirts water every which way.

If you let them run through the Crazy Daisy sprinkler eventually all of their clothes are going to come off and sit in a sopping wet pile while they continue to run through the sprinkler, now naked.

If you let your children get sticky with sweat, grimy with mulch and dirt and then soaked in a sprinkler the next stop is going to be the bathtub. Three chicas in a tub... how sweet.

After the little ones are bathed and have clean clothes on they will smell so delicious you will smother them in kisses.

Occasionally, you will check on the older children (who are also sweaty, dirty and soaking wet - have no extra clothes to change into at grandma's house and thus are not allowed inside) and tell them to keep having fun on the glider on grandma's front porch. Uncle Pat will take pity on them and come to the rescue with drinks!

Someone will spot the birthday presents and remember that this is Nixtina's Christina's party.

After she opens her fabulous presents and cards we will want birthday cake and ice cream (again).

If we eat cake and ice cream we will realize that we should have had leftover chicken and rice for supper. And you know what happens after our tummies are full. Yep, those clean kids want to head back outside to play.

But the mean mommy snatches them up, puts them in the van and they are asleep before you reach the end of the street!

(Don't you just hate it when you have a perfectly fabulous day and you FORGET your camera!!!!! Hopefully, I will be able to get a hold of some pictures to add to this post soon.)

Friday Fill-Ins

1. When will my house ever be clean and the laundry caught up?

2. Fireproof was the last good book I read or movie I saw or tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but sometimes you have to look for a long time before you see it.

4. Turkey hot dogs and baked beans are what I had for dinner.

5. I'd like your maid to come clean my house when she's finished with yours.

6. Sleeping in Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom is where I want to be right now. Then we would wake to the smell of breakfast and eat the most delicious scrambled eggs in the world at her Royal Table and all the princesses would come to say hello and take pictures with us. Next stop would be Buzz Lightyear, where I am known as a Galactic Hero!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to blogging and reclaiming the kitchen table, tomorrow my plans include the last swim of the summer at Ledge Pool and Nixtina's Bday party and Sunday, I want to go to church, out to lunch and then to Steve's Championship softball game(s).

Camp E.D.G.E.

Last week the kids and I attended VBS at Good Shepherd. I led the science center, which is always a good time. It's an even better time when the experiments work, as they did this year. To Benjamin's dismay, there were no explosions as in the past... maybe next year. The kids had the awesome opportunity to sing one of the songs they learned with the SonRise Praise Band at the Contemporary Service on Sunday. Yes, that's LIVE music, not memorex, or whatever that commercial used to say. The kids AND the band were rockin! God moves in me and speaks to me through music and this song was no exception! Just look at those little ones singing their hearts out and praising God! Only 3/4 of the Carpenter children are present in this video. Benjamin, age 10, aka mohawk man in the back row, Rachel, age 9, green shirt on the left and Emily, age 2, yellow shirt on the left in the front row. Sarah decided to sing from the pews in the safety of momma's arms.

The theme this year was Camp E.D.G.E. It was an extreme adventure where we Experienced and Discovered God Everywhere! The 4th, 5th and 6th grade group decided to have a crazy hair day and yep, they took it to the EXTREME!

Crazy kids!

2009 ~ The Year of the Mohawk

I never thought I would see my son with a mohawk.

I definitely never even considered ever seeing my husband with a mohawk.

And I certainly didn't think I would be the one to take the clippers to their heads to create such works of art! Steve says people look at you differently when you have a mohawk... especially when you're pushing 40 and sportin' a mohawk! Ahhh, fun times, fun times.

People look at you differently when you follow Jesus too. They wonder what makes you do the things you do, say the things you say, live the way you live. Perhaps they may even ask what makes you tick. Perhaps you will have the courage to answer truthfully about the Savior who paid the ultimate price so that you could live eternally and know a peace, joy and love like no other.

Or, maybe they don't even know you are a Christian. I'm reminded of a quote I heard a long time ago. Unfortunately I do not remember who said it. "If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Sadly, for me, there are many days that I would NOT be convicted. I've conformed to the ways of this world, given in to temptations and don't walk the walk.

As Christians we are called to live differently than the rest of the world. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Here's the same verse from Eugene Peterson's, The Message: "Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

So, here we are, Benjamin and Steve, living on the EDGE and going to the EXTREME for Jesus!

"You're my prince of peace and I will live my life for you!"
(the last line of You Are Holy, MWS)

A Double Triple and a Triple Triple

Do you know what you're looking at?

That's my boy about to hit a double triple, as he likes to call it. That means he made it to second base with 3 RBIs. Wooohoooo!!!!

Today, at the Championship game, he hit a triple triple - made it to third base with 3 RBIs. This momma couldn't be more proud! Benjamin's team finished the season today in second place and what a nail biter of a game it was. I loved watching the boys play this year. It gets more and more exciting each year as they progress and grow and learn more about the game.

His little sisters even got into it, rooting for him and cheering him on to victory!

Or, maybe they're just into it for the end-of-the-season ice cream treats!

Friday Fill Ins

1. It's time for Will and Grace, it's the new Seinfeld in my book. Can't fall asleep without it.
2. My bathtub; it's not a bad place for thinking. I do some of my best work in there.
3. I must be heading to bed soon. I have a lot to accomplish this weekend!
4. Salvation is the best thing I have ever known.
5. My life is simply blessed.
6. The last time I laughed really loudly was earlier this evening when Rachel told me she hit a fly ball at the Dragon Range.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to updating my blog and reading some more of my book Real Moms, Real Jesus in preparation for the Mom's Group I'm leading this year, tomorrow my plans include cheering Benjamin on at his Championship Baseball game, doing another homeschooling portfolio review and getting my science experiments ready for VBS next week and Sunday, I want to go to church, take Benjamin to his Adventure Guides Olympics, take Rachel to her softball team's end-of-year pool party, go to Steve's playoff softball game and pack everything up for VBS and get everyone to bed early since we have to be out the door by 8:00am on Monday. YIKES!!!

Goodbye, July!

Summer is just rolling right along. August is going to be a busy month at the Carpenter household. VBS the first week and then family coming from CA for a 3 week visit will keep us hopping!
We're not ready to talk about the "S" word yet... you know... school ...shhhhhhhh. (HINT: Highlight the blank space to reveal the "S" word) However, I do have some fun ideas bouncing around in my head. For example, wouldn't it be cool to have a chalkboard wall? Or how about a magnetic wall to hang all our fabulous artwork? With 4 kids, my refrigerator doesn't stand a chance! I have so many cool magnets and we could even create our own. A place to hang our calendar, charts and photos... the possibilities are endless!
The idea that excites me the most, however, is Rain Gutter Bookshelves. We have enough books in our house to open a small library. If the books were more accessible and on display I think they would be read more frequently. The fronts of the books would be showing, as opposed to the spine, so they would be much more intriguing. Although Emily might look at this as a new opportunity to climb the walls! All I need is a hack saw and I think I can do it (when Steve isn't looking, of course).
These and many more awesome homeschooling tips and ideas can be found at a blog I recently discovered Raising Olives.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Can you guess who these lil' piggies belong to?

My millennium baby

Nine years ago today I cried because I had to leave Benjamin for the first time overnight. A few hours later, well maybe more than just a few, I heard the words, “It’s a girl!” and knew I could venture over to the ‘pink’ side of the store! I was thrilled to have my teeny tiny princess! She was a six pounder and just precious! And ya know what???? She still is! (Precious, not six pounds).

This daughter of mine is so many things:

She is an athlete who plays soccer, softball, ballet, jazz, modern dance and anything else you might challenge her to try. She is usually the smallest girl on the team but that doesn't discourage her in any way, shape or form. She's small but mighty! Her last soccer coach said she was the dynamite stick on their team!

She is a musician who plays the piano and sings her heart out. She also wants to learn to play the violin.

She is brave. It is NOT fun to have Celiac Disease but she is learning how to live with it. For the most part, she makes it look like a piece of cake (gluten free, of course!). I also remember a time when she was 5 years old and was the first child to give her Oral Presentation at our Homeschool group. The room was filled with many parents, grandparents and children. She was the only Kindergartner and I wasn't sure if she was going to do it or not. I know if I was in her shoes I would have wanted to hide. She was nervous, but she marched right up there to the microphone and recited Humpty Dumpty like you've never heard it before! That's my girl!

She is a friend and a sister. Her devotion to her friends and siblings is remarkable. She loves to play with them and is extremely creative. It's interesting to watch her create something she needs. It doesn't matter what it is, she'll find a way to make it work.

She is a helper. She loves to help me organize, fold laundry, bake cookies and take care of her little sisters. I don't know what I would do without all of her help! I don't think I tell her thank you often enough.

She is my little night owl who, since birth, has always loved that oh-so-delicious 5:00 nap! And she is also quite the snuggle-bug!
Most importantly, she is a Child of God. She has blessed our family with her sweet spirit, kind heart and loving nature. I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mom. My prayer for Rachel is that she remains strong in her faith, makes good decisions and seeks to honor and glorify God in all that she does. I pray that she will be happy and that God is preparing a special man to be her husband someday and that they will be blessed with children. God has a very special and unique plan for you, Rachel Nicole! I look forward to watching you follow that plan! I love you so very much, you'll never know just how much!

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Psalm 139: 13-14

Adventure Day

Adventure Day is when you load up the van with curious children, plenty of snacks, food and water (note to self: pack even more H2O next time), sunscreen and mapquest directions. Then you head out for a fun-filled day of exploring. Your husband drives while you navigate. You give him one too many clues while driving and he correctly guesses the destination. Well, at least the first stop.
Today's Adventure Day took us to Chagrin Falls where they just happened to be having a Sidewalk Sale too. The Falls were pretty and I think we should return in the winter months to see what they look like when they're frozen!


Next,we had a picnic lunch in the South Chagrin Reservation of the Metroparks.

Then off to Preston's H.O.P.E. Playground in Beachwood. What a fun place! This 60,000 square foot outdoor play facility is the largest fully accessible playground in NE Ohio. Even though it is located on the property of the Mandel Jewish Community Center, it is available to children of all ages, religious, ethnic or racial backgrounds. Until now, there was no such place that provided accessible structures that were safe and secure for children using special equipment such as crutches or wheelchairs or one that truly enables children with and without disabilities to play alongside one another. The park was built with many custom-designed elements to accommodate youngsters with mobility issues, vision or hearing impairments. Here are a few examples: The park is wired with sounds (train whistle, flowing water, etc) that can help a sight impaired child navigate. The large windows in the village houses allow parents to use sign language to communicate with hearing impaired children while they play inside. Broad ramps throughout the park let youngsters in wheelchairs get a loftier view of the world. And, the slides have transfer decks so children in wheelchairs can be helped onto the equipment. Three million dollars were donated in loving memory of Preston, a little boy with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, to build this awesome place. We'll definitely be returning there!




Daddy decided to add one last stop to Adventure Day.... Handel's for ice cream....mmmmmm!