Ben's Poem

Ben wrote this for English class. I think that it's awesome! He had to write a poem following the same rhythm or rhyming patterns as another poem, I think.

An Archer Song
by Ben Rackers
A great archer and a far-off branch
An arrow that draws back
And bends the strong and trusted bow
Then strikes the smallest crack
Then strikes the smallest crack, my son
While like the branch that's free
Down the good bow snaps and falls
It's last day on his knee

This is what happens...

... when you give a four year old girl a ribbon. Adelynn saw the rhythmic gymnastics on the Olympics, and of course she fell in love with it right away. She wanted one of the ribbons, so Mom got a spool of silky ribbon at Wall mart for a couple bucks and we duct taped it to a stick. We got me one, too, they are cool... :-)

(Sorry that the picture is sideways)

Dancing

Undoing a knot

Ditto

Yes I Exist! :-)

Yes I exist. I have not disappeared from the face of the earth, I have just not been updating... We have been doing alot of little, fun things, and then the regular boring ol' stuff: school, cleaning, and the not-so-boring reading really good books, etc. On Sunday we had a parish picnic. Father Basil and Father Dave from St. James played beach volleyball with us (kids and teens). Tons of fun!
Tonight we had volleyball practice. I love our new coach!!!!!!!!!!!! We had to run a mile at the end of practice. Felt kinda good. I'm all tired, though.

Playhouse Project

Here I've been going on about "what to put on the blog". Here is Dad's newest project. One of our neighbors has a really nice old playhouse that they don't want anymore. Dad decided that he would build a little basement shed underneath it to store his lawnmower and stuff. It's really really neat and he has been working very hard at it for quite awhile. Here are the only pictures that my camera would let me take:

It's really cool, isn't it? We will be getting rid of the old "porch house" that is built onto the bottom of the porch. We haven't used it that much, but we will miss the slide that was on it. My camera went dead here, so I don't have any more pictures of it to show you.

Um, I was trying to fix my camera, and voila, it worked! For one test picture at least. Addie got this balloon from Michelle's birthday party.

Ben made a neat set up with his Lord of the Rings action figures. I LOVE LORD OF THE RINGS! Ben bought Lord of the Rings risk with his b-day money but he won't let me wear the One Ring that came with it.

Both Ben and Will are doing football this year. They have practice this evening and my goodness they will not stop going on about it.

School and Stuff

I am so sorry that I have not been putting on many new posts! I don't have any pictures, because my camera is going crazy and eating up the batteries after only a few pictures. It's never done that before... Not much has been going on. School, playing around, volleyball, just hanging out. We have been watching some Olympics and now we are all fairly tired in the mornings. Last night my volleyball team had a barbecue- that was so much fun!
Um... mostly I have been working on school and then just playing things. I might just put on one of my school stuff. This was for my English book. I did it like 4 times longer than I needed- that day I was really really bored and I figured that writing a really long one would be a time killer and double as my typing practice for the day. So I made my description incredibly long...

Lingua Mater Americana Week 1 Day 4 Writing 8-14-08

He did it! You could tell by the look on his face that Marcus had finally succeeded. His wide eyes were filled with gleeful triumph and several dimples grew to vast proportions across his baby face. However, the little victorious tyrant was the only person who was thrilled with his feat. With an amount of cunning and speed surprising in a one-year old, Marcus had managed to evade his mother and escape through the treacherous gate that usually blocked entry into the banned kitchen. Quickly he crossed the threshold of the gate and paused for one moment, checking for the all-too-alert guards who normally stopped his progress by this point. Luckily for him, and quite unluckily for the rest of the family, only one guard was near- and that big sibling was too involved in eating a yogurt to worry about their brother’s entry into the kitchen.

Within moments, Marcus’ quick, quiet feet had padded their way to the stepstool which was located by the counter. Faster than the fastest of cheetahs, the little explorer had blithefully scrambled his way up the towering stool and found himself inches away from the forbidden territory- the counters. He took a moment to grasp the stool’s handle and shake it with joy. A wide, toothless smile light up his face like a light bulb brightens a dim room. Knowing that he had only moments until he was discovered, the terror baby began to have as much fun as he possibly could.

He had already succeeded in unstacking the mail and dumping a cup of water on it when he saw it- a dirty pot that had been left on the counter, hidden behind the mail. Marcus bounced up and down and grabbed that pot as quick as a blink. Pretty soon, his tiny overalls were splattered with sauce from leftover baked beans. Still bouncing with happiness, he decided to attempt another experiment and began to bang the pan with a pair of scissors.

At this point, his big sister noticed his antics. His wide eyes watched her set down the yogurt and race over to get him. He clutched tightly at the scissors as they were torn from his tiny hands, but he did not put up much of a struggle. Sooner or later, he was always caught. When his sister pulled him off of the stool, he just looked at her. He seemed to be saying, “Did you see what I did? Isn’t it really awesome? I want to do it again. Please don’t take me out of the kitchen!” Yet take him out of the kitchen she did. The moment the gigantic gate shut with a click, he began to yell. Not cry, but yell, so that he could tell the world how much he hated to be a little baby and not be allowed to play with scissors in the kitchen. Moments later, he was contently making a new discovery- for Marcus had found a book on the couch.

Singer

Below is an article about the little girl who sang at the Olympics' opening ceremony. I can't believe that they would do something like this! They did it because they wanted to look the best; well, their best was not true but a big lie, just like the communist government. They didn't even tell the girl who was up on stage that they were faking the voice. She thought that she was lip-syncing her own song until they told her afterwards. They also faked the "footprints" fireworks- lots of those were computer generated. I don't even get why they would do that, did they really think that they could trick people with it?

When nine-year-old Lin Miaoke launched into Ode to the Motherland at the Olympic opening ceremony, she became an instant star.

"Tiny singer wins heart of nation," China Daily sighed; "Little girl sings, impresses the world," gushed another headline, perhaps in reference to Lin's appearance on the front of the New York Times. Countless articles lauded the girl in the red dress who "lent her voice" to the occasion.

But now it emerges that Lin was lent someone else's voice, following high-level discussions - which included a member of the Politburo - on the relative photogenicity of small children.

The recording to which Lin mouthed along on Friday was by the even younger Yang Peiyi. It seems that Yang's uneven teeth, while unremarkable in a seven-year-old, were considered potentially damaging to China's international image.

"This is in the national interest. It is the image of our national music, national culture. Especially the entrance of our national flag; this is an extremely important, extremely serious matter," Chen Qigang, the event's general music designer, explained to a Beijing radio station.

Chen said that director Zhang Yimou - who created the ceremony - had demanded a "very cute" child; a standard certainly met by Lin and, many would suggest, by Yang.

"We made the decision that the voice we would use was Yang Peiyi's. The child on camera should be flawless in image, internal feelings, and expression.

"Lin Miaoke is excellent in those aspects. But in the aspect of voice, Yang Peiyi is flawless," he explained.

But at the last minute, officials decided a switch was needed, according to the translation by the China Digital Times website.

"We had been through several inspections - they were all very strict. When we rehearsed at the spot, there were spectators from various divisions, especially a leader from the Politburo, who gave us his opinion: It must change," said Chen.

"I think it is fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi. That is to say, we have a perfect voice, and a perfect image and representation - in our team's view - combined together."

It appears that Lin, already a veteran of TV adverts, may not have been aware that Yang's voice was used. Chen said they had recordings of both girls and their voices were fairly similar.

Yang appears to have taken the snub in her stride. Asked by a CCTV journalist whether she was sad to have missed the opening ceremony, she replied: "No, my voice was there."

(And what else would the government let her say?)

Chalk Art

This stuff is amazing!!!

*Gasp*

Oh my goodness! Yesterday, William was going to have his first sleepover with his best friend. When Alec came over, the first thing that did was show him the skating ramp. Well, Alec strapped on his helmet and pads and all, then hopped right on that thing. He fell off and landed really strangely. He went to his dad who was right there in the driveway. His dad immediately got him into the car to go to the hospital. Alec had broken his left arm. Thankfully it was a nice clean break and should heal very nicely. Poor Will was all upset, but you know, as awful as these things are, sometimes they just happen. It's just as easy to brake a bone when falling down stairs or doing the trampoline or something. You can even break bones simply by walking, as Ben showed us when he broke his foot. Anyway, let's pray that Alec's arm heals up quickly!

Swimming and School and Sports

Dad just showed me a clip from the Olympics (We haven't watched it that much...) and I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but it was WOW. Swimming relay race, and the final score was made by 8/100th of a second. Watch it here: http://www.nbcolympics.com/swimming/news/newsid=194272.html#after+thriller+phelps+back+more

School started today, but I didn't start until the afternoon because of a babysitting job. Oh, my math book (Algebra by Harold R. Jacobs) has lots of funny comics and stuff in it. This was on the very front: (It's a lot better with the pictures, but these are the words. And the pople aren't people; one looks like a duck. There is an adult sitting next to a kid, teaching him or something).
The adult: An' the formoola we uses is algebra---invented by a fella name of 'Al'
Inasmuch as he done such a good job, the formoola was named after him--- bein' called Al-gebra 'cause he was a zebra.
The kid: Al- Zebra?!
Zebra don't got no "G" in it. So how could---
The adult: Who said it do?
The kid: An' algebra don't got no "Z".
The grown-up: Algebra got nothin' not "Z's" and X's" in it!
Kid: True, true

Tonight I had volleyball practice. Our new coach is awesome!

And sorry that this is all small type- I couldn't get it back to normal no matter what I did!!!

Saints For This Week

Monday's Saint- St. Clare of Assisi

Feast Day: AUGUST 11
ST. CLARE

Clare was born around 1193 in Assisi, Italy. She lived at the time of St. Francis of Assisi. Clare became the foundress of an order of nuns called the "Poor Clares." When she was eighteen, she heard St. Francis preach. Her heart burned with a great desire to imitate him. She also wanted to live a poor, humble life for Jesus. So one evening, she ran away from home. In a little chapel outside Assisi, she gave herself to God. St. Francis cut off her hair and offered her a rough brown habit to wear. She stayed with the Benedictine nuns until more nuns would join her. Her parents tried in every way to make her return home, but Clare would not. Soon her fifteen-year-old sister Agnes joined her. Other young women wanted to be brides of Jesus, too. Before long there was a small religious community.
St. Clare and her nuns wore no shoes. They never ate meat. They lived in a poor house and kept silent most of the time. Yet they were very happy because they felt that Jesus was close to them. Once an army of rough soldiers came to attack Assisi. They planned to raid the convent first. Although very sick, St. Clare asked to be carried to the wall. She had the Blessed Sacrament placed right where the soldiers could see it. Then she knelt and begged God to save the nuns. "O Lord, protect these sisters whom I cannot protect now," she prayed. And a voice within her seemed to say: "I will keep them always in my care." At the same time, a sudden fright struck the attackers. They fled as fast as they could.
St. Clare was abbess of her convent for forty years. Twenty-nine of those years she was sick. But she said that she was joyful anyway because she was serving the Lord. Some people worried that the nuns were suffering because they were so poor. "They say that we are too poor, but can a heart which possesses the infinite God be truly poor?" St. Clare died on August 11, 1253. Just two years later she was proclaimed a saint by Pope Alexander IV.

"Go in peace; you have followed the good way; go in confidence, because your Creator has sanctified you, has cared for you constantly, and has loved you with all the tenderness of a mother for her child. O God, blessed be you for having created me."-St. Clare

Thursday's Saint- St. Maximilian Kolbe

Feast Day: AUGUST 14
ST. MAXIMILIAN KOLBE

Raymond Kolbe was born in Poland in 1894. He joined the Franciscan order in 1907 and took the name that we know him by: Maximilian. Maximilian loved his vocation very much, and he especially loved the Blessed Mother. He added the name "Mary" when he pronounced solemn vows in 1914. Father Maximilian Mary was convinced that the world of the twentieth century needed their Heavenly Mother to guide and protect them. He used the press to make Mary more widely known. He and his fellow Franciscans published two monthly newsletters that soon went to readers around the world.
The Mother of God blessed Father Maximilian's work. He built a large center in Poland. This center was called "City of the Immaculate." By 1938, eight hundred Franciscans lived there and labored to make the love of Mary known. Father Kolbe also started another City of the Immaculate in Nagasaki, Japan. Still another was begun in India. In 1938, the Nazis invaded the Polish City of the Immaculate. They stopped the wonderful work going on there. In 1941, the Nazis arrested Father Kolbe. They sentenced him to hard manual labor at Auschwitz. He was at Auschwitz three months when a prisoner successfully escaped. The Nazis made the rest of the prisoners pay for the escape. They chose ten prisoners at random to die in the starvation bunker. All the prisoners stood at attention, while ten men were pulled out of line. One chosen prisoner, a married man with a family, begged and pleaded to be spared for the sake of his children. Father Kolbe, who had not been picked, listened and felt deeply moved to help that suffering prisoner. He stepped forward and asked the commander if he could take the man's place. The commander accepted his offer.
Father Kolbe and the other prisoners were marched into the starvation bunker. They remained alive without food or water for several days. One by one, as they died, Father Kolbe helped and comforted them. He was the last to die. An injection of carbolic acid hastened his death on August 14, 1941. Pope John Paul II proclaimed him a saint and a martyr in 1982.

"Hatred is not a creative force. Only love is a creative power."-St. Maximillian Kolbe

These saint biographies are from www.daughtersofstpaul.com

Olympics

Right now we are watching the Olympics. I am typing during the commercials (of which there are way too many). We watched the men's preliminary gymnastics- WOW! Right now we are watching the beach volleyball. They are so good! The tiny bikinis are more than ridiculous, though. And they are all wearing necklaces- a big no-no for normal volleyball.
I love my volleyball team! They have been having open gyms already. We have a new coach, who is awesome. She knows alot about the game and has played it alot in the past. Plus, she is nice and really pushes you.
School is starting on Monday. Whew. Summer went by fast.
It is hard to type at the same time as watching the Olympics. Hopefully I will have time to type later.

That was odd. We just saw a clip of President Bush playing beach volleyball with this year's USA team. He isn't very good at it.

Marcus' B-Day @ Grandma's

These are pictures of Marcus' birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa Archibald's. I don't feel like adding lots of commentary; I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. The first four pictures were taken by Grandma. And yes, Marcus always sticks out his tongue like that when he is happy. It's funny :) He is so cute like that.

Will's Week Long Visit

William went to Grandma and Papa Archibald's house for a full week. The rest of us are all a bit jealous- he got to go out to eat every single day, visited so many places, got peace and quiet, and got to be just totally spoiled. (That same week I had drama camp- which was awesome, but I don't have any pictures of it). He missed Marcus' birthday, though. Grandma and Papa took these pictures. Will said that they did tons more things than what is shown in these pictures. He probably was not exaggerating.

Playing Ticket to Ride- Switzerland Edition

Playing pool with Papa in the pool room. It's no wonder he kept beating me when we went to go pick him up- he got a week's worth of practice!

I think that this is at Incredible Pizza

Drinking something somewhere

He ate at least half of a watermelon that week!

Clydesdales at AB

???He is shooting a car???

I am not sure what this is- William said that this is the hotel where all the rock stars go and this is a pool that is only a couple of inches deep and is red.

Eating at the Spaghetti House. William got a special drink with a special cup. For the past couple of days, he has refused to drink out of anything but his Spaghetti House cup.

They went to the Arch

They visited the AB brewery.

At the Science Center

Inside the Arch

He got to do a trampoline with bungee cords--- I am so jealous.

Go-Karts

By the way, the thing with that hat- at Trish's wedding, she gave all of the guys St. Louis Cardinals hats to wear for the funny pictures. Will's had little fires on the brim, and he loved it. He wears that thing every day (though not every day at our house because he risks getting it grabbed off his head and then he would have to chase whoever took it).

Marcus' First Birthday

Marcus is ONE! I can't believe it. He isn't such a tiny baby anymore- he is turning into a big boy! He is so sweet, and as usual, so fast that he is almost always a blur. (And, as usual, I took far too many pictures).

What is that?

I think I'll investigate

Nah... I think I'll go back to Mommy

Why are you showing it to me, Dad?

Ohh... now that looks interesting. Much more than my old blanket.

I'm not sure what this is- but that little red thing spins around and around so fast, like so. Isn't it simply wonderful?

I adore my pedal

Whoa. So this is what is does.

I love it!!!

I think that I'll help Daddy adjust the seat.

Thank you, Mom and Dad!!!

Tah- dah! The cake. It sure looks yummy, even if the decorating didn't turn out the best.

Hey, I am a baby! I am supposed to touch the icing. It is my job!

I'm waiting!!!

Well... it looks yummy.

You know what? I love this!

Hi, Shaylynn. Aren't I cute?

Wait... Are you taking a picture of me? How dare you! I'm not moving fast enough to just be a big blur! How dare you, Shaylynn!

What do you mean, I'm messy? You should see me when I am eating Oreos, or baked beans!

Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!

What a perfect way to end my first birthday.