"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Morning"

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Morning
by Ainsley Feeney

I made a snow angel between the woods and the house
But then I saw a cute little mouse.
The mouse was brown and very fat
And it was chased by a big yellow cat.

The yellow cat fell in the woods.
I held him in my hands quite tight.
I could barely feel his fur.
It was very light.

I also saw a big huge deer
Running to my house, which is right here.
The deer was chased by a bear.
The bear had lots of hair.

The snowy woods are pretty and nice.
I’ll play in lots of snow and ice.
And miles to go before I see Mom.
And miles to go before I see Mom.

Stopping By Woods...

Ainsley has been learning about Robert Frost and his poem "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening".

Click HERE to see Ainsley say the poem from memory.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Snow Day

Ainsley and I played in the snow today!

(It was less than an inch but we had so much fun.)

Ainsley catching snowflakes on her tongue.

Sweet little snowbunny

"I love the snow, Mom!"

Warming up with a nice cup of hot cocoa.

Beethoven Symphony no. 5

For "B" week, Ainsley is learning about Beethoven. (She is also learning about Beethoven in her Kindermusik class.)

I wanted to share my favorite Beethoven symphony with her and found a very good video of it on YouTube. When Ainsley watched the video, she liked "the way the conductor moved his hands" and the music. ("It was very pretty.") She also enjoyed identifying the different instruments in the orchestra.

(If you are receiving this by email or on Facebook, you will need to go to my blog to see the video.)

Upward Basketball update

Ainsley has now played three basketball games and is having so much fun.

*****

Her games are on Saturday mornings. Each Friday night before she goes to bed she gets very excited because "I get to play basketball tomorrow!"

*****

She receives a star after each game.

Her first star was for "Best Effort".

Her second star was for "Best Sportsmanship".

Her third star was for "Best Defense".

*****

Dan and I have enjoyed watching her play. She has the fundamentals down so well...especially when it comes to dribbling and holding out her arm to guard the ball.

Here is a quote from an email her coach sent us today:

"Ainsley is showing awesome form – especially when she dribbles."

*****

(The photo was taken by my friend, Kelly. Her son, Mitchell, plays basketball, too, but is on the opposing team. Ainsley is visiting with Mitchell while they are sitting on the bench.)

From Shalee's Diner

One of my favorite bloggers is Shalee of Shalee's Diner. She is down-to-earth and so funny!

Click here to see one of her latest posts that made me laugh...a lot.

Inauguration Day

Our dear friends ~Melanie and Samantha~ came over to watch Barack Obama

become our 44th President.

Ainsley and Sam were quite excited when President-elect Obama was introduced. Our new President!
For lunch, Ainsley and Samantha made "Presidential Pepperoni Pizza". Yummy!

********************

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

For kings, and for all that are in authority;

that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour."

1 Timothy 2:1-4a

Ten on Tuesday: Homeschooling in December

Our month of December was busy getting ready for Christmas, doing Christmas activities, and celebrating Christmas with our family. We did fit in a few "school" activities. Here is an overview of December (2008) and a few of the things Ainsley did/learned:

1) Memorized two Bible verses:
"For God so loved the world, He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have everlasting life." ~ John 3:16

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given." ~ Proverbs 19:17

2) Read the books "Another Celebrated Dancing Bear" and "The Clown of God". (We did activities with these books using "Five in a Row".)

3) Covered the letter "E".

4) Found Russia on the map and discussed some of the things Russia is known for, like caviar (Ainsley thought that was icky!), ballet, musicians, and stacking dolls. Ainsley also made a picture with "turrets", the spiral "onion" tops on some buildings in Russia.

5) Talked about "occupations" and discovered the occupations of some of our family members. (Ainsley would like for her occupation to be a veterinarian.)

6) Discussed ways to be hospitable to others.

7) Learned what an apostrophe is and how it shows possession.

8) Found Italy on the map and learned some Italian words. (Arrivederci, Grazie, Signor and Fine)

9) Learned about elderly/aging people, how we should show them respect and how they can be recognized for their wisdom, skills and knowledge.

10) Introduced the math concept of multiplication.

Meeting OJ

After standing in line for over an hour, Ainsley met one of her favorite players for the Grizzlies... OJ Mayo!

Ainsley was excited to meet OJ. (A little shy, too.)

He was very nice and gave Ainsley an autographed poster which is now hanging in her playroom.

(There is a good chance OJ could be Rookie of the Year for the NBA. He is a terrific player!)

A B See: "B" is for...

Ben

(Ainsley sure does love her Uncle Ben!)

To participate in this meme,click here.

Ainsley's first basketball game

After one month of practice...and several years of wanting to play...Ainsley had her first basketball game on Saturday. She is playing with Upward ~ a program through one of our local churches.


Here she is in her uniform...ready to go!Dan and I asked her if she was excited about the game. She told us she was "a little nervous" and wanted to know what would happen if she got a "techincal" (foul). (I think she watches too many NBA games.)


Here is her team...the Oakland Bulls. Coach Eric...the second from the left...has been an encouraging coach and has taught the kids a lot of basketball fundamentals.

The teams, coaches and referee said a prayer before the game.

I didn't take any photos during the game. (too busy cheering!) Ainsley was very much into the game and had fun! It was neat watching her use the fundamentals she has learned. She was dribbling, pivoting, defending the player assigned to her, shooting and rebounding. (Dan assisted Coach Eric during the game.)

Each child received a star for something they did well during the game. Ainsley received a star for "Best Effort". Dan and I are so proud of our little basketball player!

Helping Hands

For "H" week, Ainsley made Helping Hands. I traced her hands on a piece of paper and she decorated the prints with paint.

She then told me how her hands can help:
~fold clothes
~help Pa and Ma sweep the floor
~share toys
~set the table
~pick weeds
~help cook
~pick-up room
~help Pa pick tomatoes

Ainsley ~ our little helper!

Update on my dad ~ 3

My dad was released from the hospital this morning and is at home. (yay!)

He said he feels fine...just tired. He is still in some pain and is taking medication to help.

His lymph nodes (which were removed and tested) show no signs of cancer cells so his prognosis looks very good.

He will be on breathing treatments one time a day until he has his next appointment to see his doctor...which will be in two weeks.

Thank you, again, for your thoughts and prayers for him and our family.

Update on my dad ~ 2

My dad is doing remarkably well after his surgery.

He has been out of bed the past two days taking short walks down the hallway of the hospital.
He has also been sitting up in bed frequently.
He has had both drainage tubes removed. (This is a very good sign he is healing well.)
All of his x-rays look very good.
He did say that today was the worst he has felt. He was very light headed at one point and did get sick. They were able to give him some medicine in his IV to calm his stomach. As of this evening, he is feeling much better...but still feels weak and tired.
He has not received the results of the tests from his lymph nodes but his doctor said there should be nothing to worry about. (He should receive the results on Monday.)

It looks like he will be released on Monday or Tuesday to return home. Please keep him in your prayers as he continues to recover.

A B See: "A" is for...

Ainsley

(I am so blessed to be Ainsley's Mom.)

To particpate in this meme, click here.

Christmas 2008 Slideshow

Christmas 2008

Here are a few of the things I loved about our Christmas:

~ spending quality time in Chicago with our terrific family
~ Ainsley playing in the snow with her grandpa
~ celebrating Ainsley's great-grandfather's 88th birthday
~ hosting a "country" family Christmas party and learning to square dance
~ welcoming a new cousin for Ainsley into the family ~ Kellen Christian
~ watching Ainsley have a fun time with her wonderful grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins
~ eating a lot of great "Chicago" food - Lou Malnati's and Photo's
~ being with my two favorite people in the world ~ Dan and Ainsley

Update on my dad~ 1

My dad made it out of surgery and is doing well.

I talked with my sister and she said the surgery lasted a few hours. The surgeon removed the upper right lobe (from his lung) and a lymph node. The lymph node looks clear but they will send it off to be analyzed. Thankfully, it looks like the cancer has NOT spread.

Thank you for lifting my dad (and our family) up in your prayers. I will post an update when I hear more.

Prayers for my dad

I would like to ask for prayers for my dad.

He was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and will undergo surgery tomorrow (Wednesday) at 11:30 am to remove his upper right lobe and lymph nodes.

Please pray:
~ for the surgeon and medical staff who will perform the surgery.
~ that they will be able to remove all of the cancer and that the cancer has not spread.
~ for a speedy recovery for my dad after surgery.
~ for my dad's wife and our family...that we will best know how to support him during this time.
~ for safe trips for my sister's famiy and my family as we travel to be with him.