He Shoots, He Scores.

A boy...

A miniature basketball...

A closet-door rim...

And lots of air between his feet and the carpet...

 Hours of joy.

Welcome Back to School!

It's back to school time in our house, and I couldn't be more excited!  Monday marked the first day of year #2 of our homeschool, and I felt so much more sure of myself than I did this time last year.  All the curriculum was ordered and organized, as were my gradebook and lesson plan book.  I had created what I believed to be a challenging but manageable schedule, a rewards system, and I could hardly get to sleep the night before school started because I was so anxious to jump out of bed and try it all out.  I was thrilled that we got through (almost) everything in that schedule the first day, and even had time to make a jaunt to the library.

SUCCESS!!!

This year, all three of our kids are on BJU Press Homeschool curriculum and we are LOVING it.  I have found it to be grade-appropriate, high quality, and BJU applies the Bible into every possible subject.

 I was pleasantly surprised that John had such a fun 1st day at school, because for the weeks leading-up to it, he was telling anyone who would listen that he was NOT excited to go back to school.  John loves the lazy, cartoon-watching, outside playing days of summer, so he does not go gently back into a disciplined schedule.  But once we let him pick what he wanted for the first day of school (which for John entailed a dress shirt and tie: he loves to wear dress-clothes!), and once we broke into those brand-new, never-been used textbooks (which smell so divine) and he started getting all his math problems correct...well, he had the back-to-school fever.  Happy Mom.  :D

One of the ventures we're trying for the first time this year has been Tim teaching the boys Greek.  At first, the boys shuddered at the idea of learning a foreign language....especially one that doesn't even use the same letters that English does.  But after their first lesson, the boys were hooked.  John began claiming several years ago that he thought God has called him to preach, and a positive relationship with our new youth pastor has prompted Christopher to wonder if he might like to pursue youth ministry someday.  So who knows?  This year's study of Greek might make things a whole lot easier for both boys down the road in seminary... 

I now have three men walking around my house speaking a language I do not speak.   It's all Greek to me.  :D

My favorite 2nd grader in the whole world:

 My favorite 7th grader in the whole world:

And my favorite 5th grader in the whole world:

I am such a blessed mom and teacher.  

Can't wait to wake-up tomorrow and do it all over again.

-Kara

Why The Smoky Mountains Are So GREAT...

  Anyone who knows our family knows that one of our favorite places to be is hiking in the Smoky Mountains.  While we were in Tennessee for Tim's graduation, the Lord blessed us with a few glorious days up in those mountains.

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place spend time with your family away from it all...

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to have an adventure:

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to hunt for...

ELK

BEARS

SNAKES  (Ick.)

DEER

BUTTERFLIES

WATERFALLS

The Smoky Mountains are  A GREAT place to spend your 10th birthday...

John's birthday dinner at the Apple Barn:  chicken pot pie, fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes with gravy.  Along with apple fritters and chocolate cake.

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to impress your wife & kids with your manly strength...

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to eat like a kid.  (Pancakes shaped like bears & lollipops that match your outfit):

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to try-out a hot tub for the 1st time ever...

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to whittle your first walking stick:

The Smoky Mountains are A GREAT place to have family worship when you're away from your home church: 

(primitive chapel by the creek in Cades Cove)

May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works.  He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they pour out smoke.  I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.  

-Psalm 104:31-33 HCSB

-Kara

Pretty In Pink

I couldn't believe those three words heard on August 10, 2007 in the delivery room of Christ Hospital in Cincinnati:  "It's a girl!"  I had been so certain we were having a third boy.  My pregnancy had been exactly the same as the first two had been.  But now I know this much: when God gave us a little girl, He REALLY gave us a girl.  Anna loves to play with dollbabies, twirl and dance, and she is obsessed with the color pink.  So we celebrated Anna's 7th birthday with a pink strawberry cake with pink icing and a pink unicorn (her request), pink ice cream, and pink Kool-Aid.

Happy Birthday Big Girl!
Mommy and Daddy love you very much...

Lookout Mountain

Right down the street from Rock City is a place worth stopping by if you are a Civil War buff like we are.  Infact, Lookout Mountain proves to be a fascinating place to have an historic battlefield.  The Union and Confederate soldiers who fought that battle had to climb to the top of a mountain and "look-out" over what is modern-day Chattanooga...

If you ever visit the Lookout Mountain battlefield, don't miss the coolest part.  It's actually found inside a room at the visitor's center: a HUGE, wall-sized, original oil painting that was painted in the 1870's.  The painting is so valuable that there is an alarm that is triggered if you get too close to it.  (Tim learned that the hard way!)  The painting - which looks a bit blurry in my snapshots because flash was not allowed -  was commissioned by a Union General.  You might notice him.  He's the one in the middle of the portrait who looks like he's standing in light coming from Heaven, riding a white horse.  (Human pride never ceases to amaze.)  Because the piece was painted immediately after the war, its historical accuracy is fantastic.

See Rock City

If you've ever driven through the South, chances are you've seen a barn or billboard that advertises See Rock City.  Taking the recommendation of my older brother who enjoyed visiting there, we decided to do just that while we were in Chattanooga:  we saw Rock City.

According to common belief, at the top of the mountain you can see seven different states from one spot:  Tennessee, Kentucky, Viginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.  I'm a bit of a skeptic that my aging eyes could actually see all those states.  Take a gander for yourself:

And here's my family standing infront of "Lover's Leap."  Any high-elevation attraction has its own "Lover's Leap," complete with a legend about an Indian princess who jumped to her death from it, and Rock City is no exception.  My favorite "Lover's Leap," however, is the one at Hawk's Nest in West Virginia.

 Rock City is a hoot for those who are afraid of heights:

The coolest part for me was the swing bridge.  Yes.  It really swings.  Especially when your boys jump up and down and say, "Look, Mom!  We're making the bridge shake!"  My apologies to those who had to share the bridge that day with the Barnette family...

 Below, my honey and our kiddos are standing under a 1,000 ton rock (notice that I said 1,000 ton:  not 1,000 pound) that is being supported only by...

 ...a teeny little wedge that is about 18 inches long.  Creepy.

But if your fear of heights doesn't get you at Rock City, your claustrophobia will.  At times on the walk, you come to these unbelievably tight spaces between the rock that you have to shimmy through.  The boys' favorite was named "Fat Man's Squeeze."  One needs not be a "fat man," however, to have to squeeze.  Even a skinny man like Tim had to turn sideways and take a deep breath at times to make it through.  I was much in prayer during my squeeze through those cracks, "Lord, please no earthquake right now..."

Below are shots of the entrance to "Fat Man's Squeeze from other angles.  Daunting stuff!

But a little less jarring to one's phobias was Anna's favorite part of Rock City known as Fairyland Caverns.  In this section, scenes from just about every nursery rhyme you've ever heard have been set-up in little rooms and colored with fluorescent paint.  Just perfect for a six-year-old girl.

Thanks for the recommendation, Doak!  Fun was had by all...