Party and Guests....

We had a little party at our house afterwards. Grandpa Wager, Miss Betty, Grandma and Grandpa Andrews, Joey Andrews, and Diana and Randy Meyer came to share in the celebration. Everyone brought gifts, which Charlie and I were really surprised at. But, they were great gifts...Some money, A mystery devotional book (Owen's going to love that), a coin purse, and a suit of the "Full armor of God." Very cool! After all were gone, Owen decided to play in the mud in the back yard, unbeknownst to me. lol Apparently, finding worms was just the way to end the day. Well, actually, a warm bath soon followed. :)

New Life!

Owen was immersed today. Charlie went behind the baptistery with Owen a half hour in advance, where they changed into robes, and got ready. There were several baptisms in a row. Owen was 2nd. Pastor Joel did the honors. Apparently, Pastor Joel was playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with Owen to help calm his jitters before hand. Then Owen noticed that the water was warm, and mentioned that he saw Mommy, Grandma, and Grandpas, Joey, and Miss Betty. He read his testimony, that he came up with himself, and I typed for him to read. And then he shared John 3:16. He was clear, eager, and a joy to watch. Of course, they needed a step stool for him, since he was so short.

The Hidden Trash Can....

So, Owen decided to make his own, "Hidden Trash Can." It's actually a trash BOX. lol He connected the tube to a hole in our counter, where electrical cords can usually go down to reach an outlet. At the bottom of the tube was a shoebox to collect trash. It's "hidden" because he then put our rolling 3-drawer cabinet in front of the below part. Creative, but was best for little pom pom balls that could be the only kind of trash to go down the tube. lol Maybe some day we'll see this as the beginning of his "Inventions." What do you think?

Easter Pictures

1st Annual Talent Show!

Our family attended the 1st Annual Talent Show for Fellowship of Christian Homeschoolers last night.   We preformed at Our Savior Lutheran Church, in Grand Rapids.  There were10 participants in performances,  (Piano, Voice, Poetry, and Cello), and many others who brought displays of their work  from throughout the school year.  I saw artwork, Lego creations, 3-D puzzles, an erupting volcano, Science books of birds, etc.  Owen played his piano piece, "Pumpkin Eater," from Music Tree, Book 1.   He did a great job, with no mistakes, and he bowed with confidence afterwards.  I was really proud of him!  Afterwards, we all enjoyed some punch and cookies.  I made my "Strawberries and Cream" cookies.

Bibles International

Owen and I had the opportunity to visit Bibles International today. Dr Hantz Bernard is the Director there. They were putting on display many ancient Bible texts, some over 600 years old. The most interesting part to me was seeing an actual scroll from the 1400's, hand printed on sheep skin. There were 38 or 39 sections of text sown together by thread made from sheep parts. They scored lines that appear white on the skin to make sure the alignment of the text was perfect. When the scroll was falling apart, or too hard to repair the text anymore, they put the scroll into a pot and stored it some place, or sometimes put it into the temple walls. Later texts were written on dried sheep bladder, which apparently resisted moisture well.
1400's Complete Torah Scroll.

See the stitching between sections?

Hard to see, but I tried to focus the "white lines" they scored for perfect alignment of the text.

Example of "printing."

Pressing...

Final product!

The lady who helped Owen print his own name. :)

Snacks.

Our speaker, Mr. Mike Grant,who had the scroll collection.

Turkey!

LOOK at what flew into our back yard yesterday! Of course, it flew off as soon as I captured these pictures.