Little Monkeys

It's out!

2011-12-12T19:58:00.000-08:00

Tonight at dinner, Amberly suddenly noticed that something was missing...

In fact, that something is still missing. It should turn up in a day or so.

I nominate Dave to find it.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-08T06:21:00.000-08:00

My apologies for the delay in getting this posted.

H'ween is not a big deal in our house (though Reformation Day IS);

the evening went something like this:

"Hey Kids, if you want to go get some candy, find something from the costume bin, quick!"

This is what they came up with:

As a bonus, this year they actually got to KEEP some of their haul!

Let us not grow weary in doing good...

2011-10-27T06:50:00.000-07:00

For our breakfast Bible time, I read the kids the parable of the pearl of great price. Preparing myself for some deep discussion (and perhaps an opportunity to impart some of my vast wisdom to these blessed, blessed children), I asked, "Why do you guys think this man sold everything he had to buy the pearl of great price?"
Amberly: "He wanted to get a girl."

Nathan: "Do you think I could count to a million?"

Julia: "Does Jakey have big lips, medium lips, or small lips?"

Jake: "Who can make food? A robot?"

Amberly (again): "I don't know, but I think God can make me a princess."

Sigh. We'll try again tomorrow.

Noses to the Grindstone

2011-09-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

The annual back-to-homeschool pose

"Great are the works of the Lord;

They are studied by all who delight in them." Ps. 112:2

Daddy Date

2011-07-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

One of Ammo's favorite birthday presents was a Princess fishing pole from her Daddy. Since then, she has been just waiting for a chance to use it.

Finally, this morning they had a little date to the lake.

She caught several "princess fish" which are, of course, very different from the regular fish one catches with a regular fishing pole.

You've never seen a little girl more eager to "clean" her newly-caught princess fish!

Amberly's 5th Birthday

2011-06-04T15:53:00.000-07:00

For her 5th birthday, Amberly had a dream-come-true Tea Party!

We decorated hats.

We had tea (of course).

We played, and played, and played.

We sang and ate cupcakes.

We opened gifts.

It was A Very Good Day.

Irony

2011-05-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

This is exactly what I found when I went into the bathroom yesterday.

The note normally resides next to the rod of discipline itself. Could it be that Mommy's silent pep-talks have been observed enough times for a certain little guy to figure out what the note means? I wouldn't put it past him...

New skills

2011-04-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Today Ammo learned how to ride her bike!

She has never successfully pedalled even a tricycle before this.

It may not seem like much,

but for us it's a major breakthrough!

We're so proud of you!

Callouses

2011-04-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Miss B has been obsessed with callouses lately. Triggered by something she read in a Beverly Cleary book-- Ramona comparing callouses with classmates?--Miss Be was immediately convinced that her soft hands simply wouldn't do. She has been spending lots of time on the monkey bars in order to acheive these coveted crusts, and she's pretty pleased with them. Oh, and in her pursuit, she's gotten pretty good at the bars, too.

Must be Spring!

2011-04-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

She gets it

2011-02-21T12:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after reading Psalm 8 to the kiddos, Dave was talking about how amazing it is that God would condescend to care for us, provide for us, bless us. Searching for a suitable way to illustrate the distance between God and us, he explained that it would be kind of like the President of the United States getting down in the dirt, finding a little ant, and taking great care to build the ant a castle, provide food for it, and protect it. After thinking about this for a moment, Miss B said, "Actually, I think it would be more like the President of the United States getting down in the dirt and taking very good care of an scorpion that had stung him one hundred times."

This Winter Rocks

2011-02-19T11:12:00.000-08:00

Last week:

This week:

This winter rocks.

Snow Man!

2011-02-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Mercury rising...

2011-01-30T14:56:00.000-08:00

When mercury levels pass 60 in January, we...

put aside regular schoolwork for a "nature study day,"

do lots and lots of winter yard work,

collect an abandoned wasp's nest and a robin's nest for the kids to investigate,

and thank God for the warm respite

before the coming blizzard.

Daddy and His Girl

2010-12-21T11:57:00.000-08:00

Four Little Hunters

2010-12-21T11:53:00.000-08:00

The Swing

2010-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

It struck me recently that I have gradually exited the pushing-kiddos-on-swings era. Nostalgia mingled sorrow with joy as I thought back on the countless hours spent propelling little ones high into the air, delighting in their giggles and shrieks, my heart soaring along with their little bodies, as I recited to them--oh, how many hundreds of times?--this poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.

The Swing

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue?

Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing

Ever a child can do!

Up in the air

And over the wall

Till I can see so wide,

River and trees and cattle and all

Over the countryside--

Till I look down on the garden green,

Down on the roof so brown--

Up in the air I go flying again,

Up in the air

And down.

Star Wars, Age 6

2010-10-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

Not so very long ago, in a backyard not so far away....

Exuberant young boys engaged in intensive Jedi Training.

They learned to intimidate their opponents,

vanquish Darth Vader in effigy,

defeat the enemy from a distance,

engage in saber-to-saber combat in small, enclosed spaces,

and develop stamina with a vigorous exercise regimen.

All this in preparation for the big moment... When it was discovered that the enemy, Darth Vader himself, had (dramatic music) Stolen The Birthday Gifts!

The clue led us to the closed garage, which the young Jedis needed to open by using... THE FORCE!

Inside, the dark Lord Vader towered over the pile of presents, and dared all to fight him.

Lucky to escape with his life, he forsook the Dark Side and became the birthday slave.

Kneel before Master Nathan!

Now get out of here... But leave the cake to us!

In a few years, we may have a sequel...

Something you don't see every day

2010-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

So Nathan was reading one of his early-reader books, "Tiny the Snow Dog," and I happened to notice the illustrator's dedication:

To the One who loves all the children

of the world--Jesus Christ,

my Redeemer.

Huh. Never seen anything quite like that before. Curious, I pulled out a few other books in the series (Nathan adores all of them) and found other interesting dedicationsby the illustrator, Rich Davis:

In "When Tiny Was Tiny" it reads:

To my beautiful mom who nurtured

my creative gift since birth and who

prayed me into God's kingdom. I love you!

From "Tiny's Bath":

To my ninety-five-year-old grandmother,

Gaga, who showed me how to love laughter,

a good story, and God. I love you.

In "Tiny Goes to the Library",

To Angie, my wife and best friend:

I'm so glad God brought us together

to make a home. I love you!

How often do you see dedications like those? BTW, the books are all super cute.

Gone Fishin'

2010-10-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of a picture-perfect early Autumn day to do some fishing in a friend's lake...

Ammo caught a fish of her own, but was perfectly content to relax in her "little cute pink chair" and observe the rest of the action.

Nathan was in little boy heaven--this kid LOVES the outdoors, and relishes every opportunity to do "guy-stuff outside"

Jakey reeled in the prize-winner, but spent most of the morning playing with the worms.

Miss B quote of the day: "You know, I often miss living in California. But when we do things like this, I don't miss it so much!"

I second that.

Winter

2010-09-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Miss B. greeted me at the breakfast table with this spontaneous little poem, composed after glimpsing a bare branch through the window:

Winter

The trees are bare,

Their leaves nowhere.

Snowflakes fall on the trees,

Happy days begin to freeze.

But winter days have just begun,

Throwing snowballs is lots of fun!

We sled down steep hills,

What--more tumbles??

Now comes Christmas, quiet, fun,

And winter's just begun.

Often, rather than simply saying something like, "I'm excited for winter to come!" she'll write a poem, and has done so since she first learned to write--she just loves the sound of words, the varying rhythms, the lingual dance.

Just one of the many little drops of delight with which she showers our days. There's nobody quite like Julia.

Not sure if you'd heard...

2010-09-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

You saw it here first, folks. Stay tuned.

School Days!

2010-08-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

The kiddos were chomping at the bit to get started with the school year. They ADORE our Ambleside Online curriculum and eagerly pored over this year's book list, giving their opinions as to which free reading books we ought to start first, recalling their favorite historical figures from last year, and chanting out their Spanish vocabulary. It is such a joy to teach kids who love to learn!

You've never seen a more excited Preschooler!

Our four delights. We are unspeakably blessed.

The Old Stomping Grounds

2010-08-18T07:09:00.000-07:00

After years of Jayhawk indoctrination and various excursions to the KU campus in Lawrence,

we finally took the kiddos to the mighty hills of Westwood...

They were appropriately impressed.

What do you think, any future Bruins among them?

Afterwards, we enjoyed legendary Diddy Riese cookies on the beach at Santa Monica.

Hey, whatever it takes to make them dream of UCLA at night!

Just like Grandma

2010-07-31T10:11:00.000-07:00

Or Bado, as she's known around here.

Our strong-willed child

2010-07-23T15:11:00.001-07:00

He insisted on dressing himself for bed.

We pick our battles around here.
(Notice the chigger bites on the underwear line---poor Kansas boy!)

Tweedy

2010-07-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

A house built by their great-great-grandfather

long walks to the lake

swimming with frogs and chasing lizards

echoes of memories from their mother's childhood

mining quartz on the hill above the house

dusty sunsets

a night sky unlike anything they've even imagined--

A fifth generation falls in love with Tweedy.

A First

2010-07-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

Glasses for Miss B!

Stair Sledding

2010-05-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

When there's no snow...

Together again!

2010-05-25T06:38:00.001-07:00

Jen & Co visited from Wisconsin, which means the cousins got to spend a whole week together!

We rode four-wheelers in the Flint Hills,

Went "fishing" where there were no fish,

Tried to catch minnows,

Rode horses, courtesy of friends from church,

Rode "tractors,"
Fed baby goats,

Watched Nathan's last soccer game,

Entertained ourselves inside during the storms,

And realized that they're all still best of friends!

So thankful for you guys! Thanks for the visit!

Things I'll Miss When They're Older...

2010-05-25T06:01:00.000-07:00

Gender-designated bathrooms.

My Mother's Day Blessings

2010-05-13T09:22:00.001-07:00

Things I'll Miss When They're Older...

2010-05-12T06:13:00.001-07:00

Dandelion Bouquets.

Closing night

2010-04-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

Our church's grand experiment with AWANA was a great success! The kids learned about God's Word, hid it in their hearts, began developing habits of discipline for godliness, and had a blast! Poor Jakey still has a whole year of nursery before he can join us in Cubbies...

Ammo's turn

2010-04-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, Amberly turned to me and announced out of the blue that she would like to go to a "football game with Daddy. Not Jilia, not Nayfan, not Jacobitus, just me. Not a basketball game, I just already did that. A football game with Daddy." She has literally never asked for anything like this, but every day afterwards she repeated, very politely, the same request. For an entire month.

Fortunately, Daddy Make-a-wish Hintz remembered that the Spring intersquad scrimmage was coming up and he (along with everyone else in the stadium) managed to score some free tickets. This is what we call a win-win situation! Somehow Ammo also got a pink balloon and a pink ice cream cone out of the deal--her cup runneth over!

Spring means...

2010-04-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Easter,
New life all around,

Beezlenut stew-making,

Playing outside (yes, Jakey rides a Razor),

Long walks in the neighborhood,

Kite-flying,

Daddy time,

Family kickball games,

Visitors

WE LOVE SPRING!!!

Back from the Dead (of winter)

2010-03-11T20:17:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the break, faithful visitors, but it has been a difficult winter in the Hintz household. I am happy to report, however, that tonight we were actually all healthy enough to make a pilgrimage to Braum's! The weather is warming, tulips are peaking through, God's in His heaven, all's right with the world. (Name that poet!)

As an aside, I was struck this morning by how old my little girl is looking... Where did all that precious baby fat go??

Our little stairsteps

2010-01-24T14:24:00.000-08:00

All bundled up for a simple walk around the neighborhood!

Smile for the day

2010-01-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

Snow Fun!

2010-01-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Nate pulling Jake on the sled...

Jake pulling Ammo on the sled--pretty well!

Our snow-hobbitt

Duck!

And, of course, testing the effects of sub-freezing temps on the trampoline!

Christmas in Review

2010-01-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

December 24 found us dreaming of a white Christmas, as the snow began to fall...

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...

We awoke to a dazzling winter wonderland!! But there is a downside to a white Christmas... especially for Dad's lower back!

Delayed by the blizzard, our guests finally arrived!

The presents can wait... We've got snow!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

2009-12-05T06:38:00.000-08:00

For his birthday, Dave informed me that I had given him tickets to a KU basketball game, and he took his favorite 5-year-old fan to his first big game.

There was a bit of suspense when Alcorn State scored the first 4 points of the game, but KU then went on a 36-point scoring streak and ended all drama. Nate learned the rules of play, witnessed many slam-dunks, and had an all-around great guy time.
They came home at 11pm with a sleepy but glowing little guy. His dad was rather glowy himself.

Five.

2009-10-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Five years of boyish blessing, five years of long hugs, five years of careful observation, five years of deep thoughts, five years of trying to be just like Daddy. We're so thankful for five years with Nathan.

To celebrate, we spent a day in Lawrence, exploring the KU campus and enjoying the natural history museum.

We also ate amazing pizza, found my new favorite tea shop, listened to Jacob cheerfully call out "Jayhawk!" every time one came into view, and stopped the entire family whenever Ammo needed to attend to her baby's "needs".

Tea Time

2009-10-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

Most every day, after putting the Little Force of Destruction down for his afternoon nap, the remaining kids and I gather from the far corners of the house and yard and assemble for tea. This has become one of our favorite routines, taking a drift-aimlessly-around-the-house time of day and making it instead a time of savoring.

We savor our hot tea--gingerbread spice is the kids' favorite, while I cozy up to Earl Grey--and modest snack.

We savor poetry. The kids adore the lyrical language, and our only rule is that no one interrupts during the reading of a poem. Every week or so they will clamor for me to help them memorize a poem that has struck their fancy, so that they have a growing log of beautiful words and rhythmic thought filling their little minds. You should see the grin spread across Nathan's face as he recites

"There was a young lady from Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside
And the smile on the face of the tiger."

And it is a time of savoring one another. When we are through, the kids often dismiss to a "moops," which, if you have never read The Penderwicks, means nothing to you, but to them it is an all-important kids only meeting, usually conducted in our stall shower.

We have done this in a hit-and-miss sort of way since Julia was 3, but this year it has become an indispensable element of our joy-filled days.

Why we home educate

2009-10-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

People often ask, "Why do you homeschool your kids?" In response, they often get a fuzzy pros-and-cons sort of answer. But when it comes right down to it, this is why I homeschool:

Because God made this incredibly huge, unspeakably beautiful, mind-bogglingly complex universe rather than a simple black, empty sky.

Or take a simple blade of grass, which is tread underfoot or chewed by ruminants, and look closely: GOD PUT HAIRS ON EACH BLADE!

Why? Why did He bother to make such common things so intricately, fascinatingly, wondrously beautiful? Why did He create the heavens to be so vast, so varied, so undiscoverable?

Because everything from the galaxies to the grass bears His fingerprint, in which the close observer can discover traces of His amazing creativity, limitless power, intimate care.

As I educate my kids, I see the world for the first time all over again and feel the wonder of discovery. I strive daily to stoke the flames of awe in their little hearts rather than quenching them with wonder-killing "scientific" explanations and laws of "nature". I point with my children and say, Behold our God!

Moving from the book of nature to that of history, I can show them that there is nothing new under the sun, and that the wisdom that comes from fearing God applies in every time and place. We see that tyranny is mankind's continual default, and that all historical solutions--whether monarchy, socialism, democracy, feudalism, oligarchy--have ultimately failed to solve this problem, because it is a problem of the heart.

I can introduce them to art and music and poetry that fill them with affection and praise for our holy God, showing them true beauty rather than the Satan-hijacked imposter which so quickly turns our affections to baser things.

There are so many useful occupations I can train their hands to do, so many lofty goals and ideals I can instill in their little hearts, so many noble examples of godliness, bravery, and steadfastness that I can put before their eyes.

Keeping them home is by no means the only way we can do these things, but it is the way we have chosen.

We homeschool because we want to help our children to see the God-saturatedness of absolutely everything. We homeschool because we want to train them up in the way they should go, in every area of life. And we homeschool because I love it.

We're Off!

2009-09-25T05:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to two brave families who have taken our little ones for the weekend, Dave and I are headed to Minneapolis for a weekend of refreshment! We're so excited--it's like summer camp for married people!

theatreofgod.com

Take Wings and Soar

2009-09-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

Consider how great things
The Lord has done for you;
O let your soul take wings
And praise His love anew.
Resist the downward pull and soar,
And sing whom you adore.

Look up, look up, arise
Above the clinging earth;
He waiteth to surprise
The quickened heart with mirth.
Resist the downward pull and soar
And sing whom you adore.

~Amy Carmichael

Soccer Season

2009-09-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

After patiently watching his sister for two seasons, Nathan finally got his chance to play with the big boys this year!

He got to play on the same team with his buddy from church

And his coach was one amazingly cute guy. I couldn't take my eyes off him!

Our backyard just got a lot more exciting!

2009-09-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

The Ringmaster has been laboring,

The kids have been playing,

And the Trainer has actually managed to find some quiet moments with the kids so happily diverted!

When I am tempted to call service mundane...

2009-08-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

There is no great with Thee; there is no small,
For Thou art all, and fillest all in all.

~Amy Carmichael

First day of school!

2009-08-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

For Miss B, the first day of first grade

Nate hates to be left out, so we'll call this the first day of Preschool (which involves lots of K'nex and not much else).

And for Ammo, yet another day of being adorable.

It's out!

2009-06-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

After weeks of waiting, a treacherous encounter with Grandma and dental floss, and some persistent wiggling, the first top tooth came out! Miss B was overjoyed, although a bit concerned that a proper flower girl shouldn't have a big gap in her mouth. After we reassured her that it would make her all the cuter, she rushed to find the tooth fairy pillow and settled in for a prosperous night. Up at 6am to collect her earnings, she dashed about in joy, and before I could stop her, she found... THE TOOTH. On my sink. Whoops! After thinking it over for a while, she brought me this letter to leave out tonight.

Look Who's Three!

2009-06-16T05:35:00.000-07:00

Three years ago we received this unspeakably precious gift.

Her road was not as smooth as parents always wish for their children, but the bumps have shaped her in ways that only our Wise and loving Father could have foreseen. We are so thankful for her life, and we celebrate the delightful little girl she has become! Here are some highlights from her special day:

Our little architect

2009-06-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

"Mommy, look what I made! Does it look like the temple Jesus is building in heaven?"

Visiting the Land of Cheese

2009-05-20T18:45:00.000-07:00

We've finally recovered from a GREAT visit up north. I braved two 11-hour drives with 4 kiddos under 5 with only minor mishaps, and we managed, in the course of one week, to play in parks in Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri! Nate, our map master, practiced tracing out our route for a week in advance, and could tell me what state we'd be in next, what rivers we crossed, etc. He'll be my navigator in no time!

Once in Wisconsin, the time went WAY too fast. The brief rundown:

Caleb treated everyone to a hot cocoa, all the cousins paired up all week and still claim to be bestbestbest friends, we took lots of walks, played in parks, saw ducks and geese with their young, and ate Aunt Jen's good cookin'; Jake spent the week running away from Evelyn and chose the top bunk as his favorite hideout(he was adept at getting both up and down--yikes!); and as you'll see, we made several valiant efforts at capturing the elusive group shot!

Cookie Monster

2009-05-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

Mmmm... Warm cookies. I bet I could snag one before anyone even notices...

Busted! That didn't work.

I'll try a different technique...

Easy does it...

Bingo!

Quick--get to em before I'm stopped!

Boy, I'm good.

Fun with clippers

2009-04-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Our favorite barber came over to give me lessons on cutting Nathan's impossible hair. It took a little longer than usual, but he was oh-so-patient (note the expression), and looks oh-so-much-better!!

A Visit from Bado

2009-04-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

When Bado comes to town...

The weather shows off

The kids show off

Tackle football happens in the house

Babies begin to walk

A plethora of books are read

And everyone wishes it could go on and on!

Finally off his knees...

2009-03-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

He waited for his Bado to come visit to finally show off his new skills! Good job capturing it on film, Mom!

Daffodowndilly

2009-03-19T11:24:00.000-07:00

She wore her yellow sun-bonnet,
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead."

~A.A. Milne

Miss B and Nathan chant this poem every time they see these happy harbingers of spring!

Fun with Papa

2009-02-28T12:21:00.001-08:00

Which ones have YOU read?

2009-02-23T15:35:00.000-08:00

The 100 Books Quiz

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here.
Instructions:
1) Look at the list and put an 'x' after those you have read ENTIRELY
2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.
3) Star (*) those you plan on reading.
4) Tally your total at the bottom.

Additionally, I put minus signs next to the ones I strongly disliked.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (x/+)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien (x/+)
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (x)
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling (x)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (x/+)
6 The Bible (x/+)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (x)
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell (x)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (x/-)
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens (Never finished. Not a huge Dickens fan)
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott (x/+)
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (Many, but certainly not COMPLETE)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier (x)
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (x/+)
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (x)
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger (x)
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (x)
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (x/+)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (x)
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (x)
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck (x/+)
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll (x/+)
30 The Wind in the Willows (x/+)
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy (x)
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis (x/+)
34 Emma - Jane Austen (x/+)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (x/+)
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (x/+)
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (x/-)
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (x)
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (x/+)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (x/+)
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown (x/-)
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (almost, but not quite)
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery (x/+)
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding (x)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel *
52 Dune - Frank Herbert *
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (x/+)
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens (x/-)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley (x)
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon (x/+)
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (x)
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (can’t remember if I finished this or not)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac (couldn’t bring myself to finish it)
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville *
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett (x/+)
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce *
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath (x)
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray (x)
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens (x/+)
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (x/-)
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert (couldn’t make myself wade all the way through)
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (x/+)
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (x)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (x)
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (x)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare (x)
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl (x)
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo *

I counted 49 that I’ve read in their entirety, most of them in the nearly 7 years that I’ve been out of college. This is a rather strange list—I’ve never even heard of at least a dozen of these books.

I can just about guarantee that all of my children will have read 6 books from this list by the time they’re 10 years old.

Warm Winter days!

2009-02-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

A couple of pics from a sunny day outside...

Looking quite mature these days

Who does this remind you of?

The family sweetheart

Yes, he always looks this happy!

On Becoming Parochial

2009-02-05T19:53:00.000-08:00

You know you've hit a new cultural low when your spouse comes home and extols the "menu" at the local University Cafeteria, and then excitedly tells you that he can't wait to take YOU there someday. I almost spit out my cookie.

Thankfully, we're going to Kansas City for a little getaway, where I pray he will be reminded of what dining out is supposed to be.

I've always wondered...

2009-01-30T19:57:00.000-08:00

What it would be like to keep kids cooped up in the house all winter long. Now I know. Very Very Very excited to see that we're gonna get a warm spell this week... Practically beach weather.

NCAA, anyone?

2009-01-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

So we're thinking maybe we'd better encourage them to pursue academic scholarships...

What doesn't kill us, only makes us stronger

2009-01-26T17:10:00.001-08:00

So I was walking down the hall, and heard giggles coming from the bathroom (Jake's favorite room, which is usually off-limits to him). I peeked in, and this is what I found.

Yes, that is a toilet brush he's playing with.

"Brainless" wisdom

2009-01-26T15:13:00.001-08:00

I was reading to the kiddos from "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, and came across this:

The Scarecrow listened carefully, and said, "I cannot understand why you should wish to leave this beautiful country and go back to the dry, gray place you call Kansas."
"That is because you have no brains," answered the girl. "No matter how dreary and gray our homes are, we people of flesh and blood would rather live there than in any other country, be it ever so beautiful. There is no place like home."
The Scarecrow sighed.
"Of course I cannot understand it," he said. "If your heads were stuffed with straw, like mine, you would probably all live in the beautiful places, and then Kansas would have no people at all. It is fortunate for Kansas that you have brains."

I laughed so hard the kids gave up waiting to hear the rest.

(Silent) Stars of the Show

2008-12-16T16:50:00.000-08:00

So the "Wee Ones" sang some Christmas songs in "Big Church" this week, and two of mine were given rather prominent places. Too bad they never even opened their mouths!! You'd never believe it, but we had actually practiced standing and singing that song like 5 times at home. Oh, well, at least the other pastor's 2 kids were equally close-lipped... Good thing they're cute! Notice Miss B and her friend in the way way back, performing their little hearts out!

Trimming the Tree

2008-12-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Ringmaster came home from work tonight with a tree over his shoulder. For the three older kiddos, this meant a time of unbridled Christmas enthusiasm and joy. We pumped up the Ella Fitzgerald, unwrapped a bin full of ornaments, and had a room full of giggles and shouts of delight.

For Jake, however, it was training time. It's tough to be nine months old at Christmas, with a family who insists on placing a huge, shining, sparkling Source of Temptation in the middle of the most-used room in the house.

The Touch

The Slap

The Indignation

Merry Christmas, Jake!

Meanwhile, the others merrily set about decorating the tree. In our house, the very last thing we do is put the star on the tree. Year after year, this is the coveted privilege, and last year it caused--well, let's just say it proved the reason we all needed a Savior! This year, bracing myself for the worst, I asked Nathan, "Who should put on the Christmas star this year?" Big blue-eyes answered sweetly, "Julia should." Gasp. Did I just hear that? "No," says Julia, "Nathan should get to do it this year." As Dave and I tried to recover from shock, they both stood there, smiling angelically, and I could almost hear the heavenly host singing... or was that Ella? Truly this is a season of miracles.

Where a dad can be a kid (again)

2008-11-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

On Friday we made a trip to the "sort-of big city." Facing a two-week deadline to get all of our Christmas shopping done (we're celebrating early this year), and with very few local options, we headed out to Topeka and spent an entire day dashing from store to store. The kids were such good sports that we decided to rock their worlds and take them to Chuck E Cheese! It was a first for five of us, the Ringmaster being the only CEC veteran among us, but he was more than happy to show us the ropes!

Miss B's way with words

2008-11-11T18:39:00.001-08:00

"Dear Lord, I praise You for being very righteous and shiny."

(After I had been encouraging her about the fruit I've been seeing in her life) "It was so much easier to not sin when I was four. Now that I'm five, it's way harder."

Mama: "What was the name of the ship that took the Pilgrims to America?"

Miss B: "The Cauliflower!"

Miss B: "Satan was trying to tempt me the other day, but I hid from him, and he couldn't."
Mama: "Oh? Where did you hide?"
Miss B: "Behind the basketball hoop."

The month in review...

2008-11-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

So I kinda dropped out of the blogosphere for a while there. Consider this my re-entry into the world of virtual communication with unknown recipients! First, a quick pictorial month-in-review. In October we...

discovered the wonderful world of K'nex and quickly became obsessed...

...spent lots and lots and lots of time in the dirt...

...escaped to Ventura for a little getaway...

...became soul mates with Grandpa's new dog...

...made new friends...

...charmed all the neighbors...

...celebrated a big birthday...

...decided remote-control helicopters are way cool...

...and treasured our brief together times.

And now we're back home where, after rearranging our entire bottom floor (don't ask), we're starting to feel settled. There's no place like home, there's no place like home...

Beach day!

2008-10-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

Since Dave was visiting us in Burbank for a few days, we decided to rent a van and do some fun, vacation-like things and take advantage of our exile in California!! We spent a day in Malibu and had a picture-perfect time!

Nathan, dodging the waves--he was pretty brave and had some mean body-surfing moves!

The ringmaster, enjoying the surf

Yeah, he had that much fun. The beach is no place for a super-mobile, crawling/cruising/everything-in-the-mouth baby!

Ammo spent the day making sure she looked just right.

And avoiding all contact with the waves!

Miss B, after reading "The Rescuers", has been obsessed with messages in bottles, and has spent the last week or so composing dozens of SOS notes and sticking them in every recycle-bin item she could lay her hands on. Imagine her delight when we told her she could actually throw this one into the sea!

She quickly realised that it is harder than it looks to actually get the waves to take the bottle OUT to sea. So she got to practice her sidearm for quite a while. Finally, she just left the bottle on the shore, and made up stories about the kids who would find the note... You've never met a more imaginative kid. She's a little Anne Shirley.

Days at the Park

2008-09-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've been spending our days at the many parks in Burbank... here are a few recent pics!

Miss B, our monkey

Ammo, who has recently discovered the joy of slides

This kid has become a serious dirt magnet. If his face isn't properly smudged, it's a sure sign that it's been a rather dull day.

Fun with friends!

2008-09-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

No longer neighbors, but still great friends!!

My Bubble

2008-09-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

My allergist at KU Med said that if you put an allergic person in a bubble, she can go about life like everyone else. So am I actually going to wear this thing? Well, if that's what I have to do in order to go outside my home, yes. You may laugh now, but just think: this mask, coupled with the decade-long shelf life of my "special" food, puts me in very good shape if we're ever nuked! Maybe some of you should consider investing in a nifty pink mask...

Look Who's Mobile!

2008-09-05T13:59:00.001-07:00

6 months old and he's on the move! This kid is as strong as an ox (he pulled over the ironing board a week ago) and NEVER STOPS!!! He tries to feed himself with a spoon, holds his own bottle, and sits up to play. YIKES!!

Well-said, Watson

2008-08-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

"Though we should be desirous of doing service here, yet we should be ambitious of being with Christ. We should be content to live, but willing to die." Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity

Daddy Workout

2008-08-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

Who needs a gym membership when you've got kids?

Miss B's first day of school!

2008-07-28T17:41:00.002-07:00

I don't care if she didn't actually go anywhere, we took first-day-of-school pictures anyway!! We figured that since August is such a hot, muggy stay-inside-a-lot month, we'd go ahead and knock out some of the required 180 days a little early! That way, we can take some guilt-free time off when guests come to stay, or we just want some time off. Ah, the beauty and flexibility of homeschool.

Our day, by the way, looked remarkably similar to every other day of our life: Bible reading and memorization, time outside, art, reading good books together, poetry, singing, gentle math games... I'm a big believer in letting kids be kids when they're 5 years old!

Her sibs, of course, want to be right where she is, doing whatever she's doing. Apparently when you're in Kindergarten, you've really arrived.

Vacation Report

2008-07-28T17:41:00.001-07:00

We're home from Idaho! A quick week-in-review: Lots of...

quality time in airports

lap time with grandparents
best-friend-becoming with cousins competitive card games

amusing bowling moments

tasty concoctions when the kids took over the kitchen (with Aunt supervision, of course!)

new friends made and old friends visited

and, of course, many memories to hold us over until the next time! Thanks for having us out, Mom & Dad!

The best toy is a cardboard box

2008-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

When I look at this box, I see trash to be collapsed and recycled. So far, my kids have seen

a boat

a car

the belly of a whale

a fiery furnace

an oven

a jail

a house

a badger cage

a tank

a fort

a helicopter

a straw, then stick, then brick, house

Tarzan's tree house

Don't you wish you had that much fun with the recycling?

No 'Bread and Jam for Frances'!

2008-07-07T18:07:00.000-07:00

Now I don't know about you, but when I think of a badger, I get an image of a cute and cuddly children's storybook character. So when Dave came in from work and announced with a hint of alarm in his voice that we had a badger in the front yard, my first reaction was, "cool! Let's take the kids out to look!" which shows just how much I don't know about the local fauna. Apparently badgers are ferocious little devils who will defend themselves viciously, attacking much larger animals when they feel threatened.

This little guy was cuddled up by our front porch, making himself right at home, and causing the neighbors to gather a safe distance away and collectively bite their nails.

The local Animal Control dude had closed up shop for the day, so lucky for us, we have friends in interesting places. Dr. Dorsey (a vet) came out and captured our furry friend

and took him far away from our tasty little kiddos. (Apparently he's used to such things--just ask him about the time he got the call about a lion in a basement!)

Good thing I didn't spot the badger first and take the kiddos out to pet him... =)

We're Ba-ack!

2008-07-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back in Kansas after spending a month in California. For those of you who missed us, here is the quick pictorial recap:

We stayed at Grandpa and Bado's, in my old bedroom (yes, all 6 of us fit quite nicely!)

where we did lots of visiting family,

learning to swim,

birthday celebrating,

reading with Bado,

and tree climbing.

We also saw lots of dear friends, were amazingly refreshed, and came back to Kansas with a new lease on life! We're still dealing with the post-vacation carnage in our house, and all the rain we've had has turned our yard into something of a jungle. Good thing we're refreshed!

Fun for the Whole Family! (But Especially Dad)

2008-06-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

So our church held their annual VBS this week, and I'm not sure who was looking forward to it more, the kiddos or their Daddy! The FHCC family goes all-out for this event, and it really was an amazing program.

The kids woke up talking nostalgically about what had happened the night before, sang the songs ad nauseum throughout the day, drew pictures of Creation-Corruption-Catastrophe (and rather dramatic ones at that), shoveled down their dinner and flew out to the car, then collapsed euphorically into their beds three hours later, only to dream about doing the same thing all over again the next day. Not even a Disney vacation could generate more excitement for these three!

Their Daddy was just as excited, for he enjoys few things more than spending time with the church, and this week afforded him the chance to do so every single night! He ended up pinch-hitting as a team leader one night, and filled in during game time to even out the teams. He showed no mercy to those eight-year-olds; Pastor Dave plays to win!

Aunt invasion!

2008-05-30T14:37:00.001-07:00

For Memorial Day Weekend, Aunt Kori and Aunt Angie came to visit and entertain! Determined not to let the stormy weather ruin our fun, we managed to fit in two bbq's, cooking with the kids, bounce-housing, making and playing with play-doh, and (of course) a trip to Braum's.

Play-doh creations:

Ammo with the ubiquitous blanket and thumb

Miss B, the princess/ballerina

Super-Nathan, who loves listening to stories his Mama makes up about his nighttime derring-do, when he becomes Spider-Boy and rescues all who need, er, rescuing

Bounce house fun

And, for more pics, follow these links to see the slide show Angie put together!

http://animoto.com/play/qsAcDHSKH1oIYAOVSqIlbg
http://animoto.com/play/j0rdTCzjqs0N6YiHiF8W2w

The Fruit of the Spirit

2008-05-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

Sightings

2008-05-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

With the help of Uncle Billy, Daddy FINALLY finished the screened porch project (can't tell you how many hours of work went into that one!) and now we have a very pleasant place to spend our mornings, days, evenings... and all bug-free! Since we've been outside so much, we've seen some interesting new things.

First, the local rabbit population has more than doubled... now I understand all those "like rabbits" jokes. The young bunnies have begun to venture out of their holes and into our gardens... this one is no bigger than a rat.

Next, two baby robins just hatched in a nest by the porch...

The kids had a blast checking them out, but Mama robin was rather hot and bothered by all the visitors!

Those terrible two's

2008-05-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

Two months old....

Two shots per leg...

Two new teeth...

Still up two times a night!

You'll laugh out loud

2008-04-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

Spring at last!

2008-04-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

And we're enjoying every outside minute! Here are some of this week's "firsts"...

First bulbs to bloom (We're enjoying the fruit of the previous owner's labors as we watch to see what pops up around the house!)

First bee sting...

First time we've actually liked this tree, Autumn home to those Hitchcock-esque birds... unfortunately, these beautiful blossoms smell like they were fertilized by a dead something in a shallow grave.

First gummy smiles, my reward for keeping the little guy fed and happy.

Still waiting for that first good night's sleep...

Like an old-fashioned "barn-raising"

2008-04-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

As new homeowners, we have quickly discovered what most of you already know: we can save A LOT of money if we do things ourselves. This includes everything from fixing a furnace to... dum, dum-dum, dum... re-roofing our own house. So, after perusing a few web articles on the process, Dave rounded up a work crew, we flew two of my brothers out to help, ordered supplies and plunged in.

Rural Kansas is a great place to live when facing a project like this for a number of reasons:

1. Everyone has tools. Now when I say "tools", I don't mean hammers and nails and screwdrivers; I mean nail guns, air compressors, woodworking gizmos, tractors, farm trucks, front loaders, and all kinds of loud things I didn't even recognize, in large quantities.

2. Men here know how to work. Hard. They know what they're doing, and enjoy doing it! They showed up in droves to pitch in, and stayed late to get as much done as possible.

3. Boys as young as six are brought along to learn the ropes--and they're actually HELPFUL!!

4. Home projects are kind of like community events. Guys stop by after work to lend a hand and later to see the finished product; neighbors sit outside to knit and watch the spectacle; men laugh and joke and sweat and get to know one another better on roof than in a church building.

The one bad thing about doing a job like this in Kansas, is that leaving a job unfinished can be rather perilous. With the roof completely stripped and tar-papered, we had a storm with 70+ mph winds all night long. After hearing some loud thumps and the sound of things falling to the ground, my brother climbed up in the dark to nail corners back down, while I worried that HE would be the next loud thump!

All came to a happy conclusion, the roof looks great and withstood our last rainstorm, and the kids had a blast watching it all happen. To top it all off, they got to spend a week with their uncles!

The little builders, working on a roofing project of their own!

Random Occurences

2008-03-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the extended absence, but I've been a wee bit sleep-deprived lately. First, for your viewing pleasure, a few new pictures:

Four little monkeys sitting on a couch...

The boys:

The oh-so-stylish girls: (Ever read the book "Fancy Nancy"?)

With our little guy:

A visit from Aunt Kori, preserving Mama's sanity

And a visit from Grandma Idaho, who cooked and cleaned and entertained the three olders for a whole week so I could rest! Ahhhh.

Next, some Random Quotables:

Teacher: "Julia, do you have an announcement to make to the class? Did something special happen this week?"

Miss B: "Yes, my aunt Kori is here!"

Teacher: "Anything else?"

Miss B: "Yes, both of my grandmas are coming to visit!"

Teacher: "Anything else?... like, maybe, a baby?"

Miss B (after a moment's thought): "Oh, yeah, we also got a new brother."

And finally, a Random Moment of Panic:

Ammo decided it was high time Mama got acquainted with our local poison control guy, so this morning she opened the "child-proof" carpet cleaner and tried to drink it, and this afternoon she chugged some Hydrogen Peroxide and started frothing at the mouth. We promptly decided it's also high time we invested in some strong cabinet locks.

As Promised...

2008-02-28T14:33:00.001-08:00

Some pictures of our first and last born...

Jacob:

Julia:

Jacob:

Julia:

Definitely siblings!

Jacob Edward Hintz

2008-02-26T15:07:00.001-08:00

After a mercifully short labor, our fourth lil monkey made his grand entrance into the world, all 8 lbs, 12 ounces of him! He arrived at 6:54 am on Monday, Feb. 25.

He has dark hair, deep blue eyes, and looks uncannily like his eldest sister. I'll post some comparison shots tomorrow.

All three of his siblings LOVE him, including (surprise!) Ammo, who just lost her "baby of the family" status!

He's a handsome little boy, a great (read: frequent) eater, and we are so blessed!

"Behold, children are a blessing from the Lord, And the fruit of the womb is a reward"

Great post

2008-02-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

This is must-read material. Whether you've followed the MLB hearings on steroid use and HGH or not, read it all the way through--the last part is the kicker. Takes just a few minutes, but if you're like me, it'll keep you thinking much longer than that.

http://www.sovgracemin.org/Blog/post/Andy-Pettitte-and-My-Confession-of-Sin.aspx

This is the end of the road, folks

2008-02-17T17:43:00.001-08:00

So I was hoping to have some new baby pics to post by now, but as Junior seems frustratingly content with our little space-sharing arrangement, instead I have one last "pregnant me" picture. This one's significant because I've never actually been this big--all my babies have preferred to explore the world outside the womb by this point.

And just for kicks, here are some cute shots from this afternoon...

Many new walkers are younger...

2008-02-07T12:54:00.000-08:00

But few are any cuter!

Things that make me smile...

2008-01-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

The newest biped, enjoying a sunny day with Mommy and Daddy

Can you guess what they're doing?

Getting ready for baby brother

And baby #4, 37 weeks and coming soon!

By the way, notice the wardrobe: it was a gorgeous day God blessed us with, in the middle of a COLD winter!! Never in my life have I so cherished the words "highs in the 50s this week," but today I headed out for a 2-mile walk (waddle?) on a path near our house and, for the first time, preferred being in Kansas to Southern California. The clearness of the air, the fresh smells, the peaceful repose of the country, all made my senses unusually alive.