Amos and Real Life History

WE FOUND IT!

For years I have wanted to stop in Jaffrey and find the final resting place of Amos in Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates. We have driven nearby for 5 years now when we pick up our various teens from Worldview Academy which is an outstanding summer camp, but that is another story. This year, with all the little ones in tow, I was determined to find the grave site since we were reading the book while working through the Beautiful Feet Early American History Guide for the second time around, clearly a benefit of homeschooling a large age range of students. How's that for a run-on sentence?

We arrived at the Jaffrey meeting house and walked around to find a cemetery in the back. It was not remarkable, just a quaint New England plot of ground with rows upon rows of moss covered gravestones. I don't know what I was thinking but I guessed we would somehow be able to immediately spot the "famous" grave markers that we were looking for. Would there be a flag or signage or something?

Guess what? We had to search each row and narrow down the area by date and then read each monument until Erika yelled that she found it. We converged and agreed that these were indeed the headstones that we sought.

I forgot my good camera but wanted to memorialize the moment so I used the camera phone. Amos and his wife Violate were buried here. See what I mean about an ordinary cemetery?

The kids pose with the stones. Was that okay to do?

Sacred
to the memory of
Amos Fortune,
who was born free in
Africa, a slave in America,
he purchased liberty,
professed Christianity,
lived reputably, &
died hopefully.
Nov. 17, 1801
Age 91

Sacred
to the memory of
Violate
By sale the slave of
Amos Fortune by marri-
age his wife, by her
fidelity his friend and
solace, she died his widow.
Sept. 15, 1802
Age 73

History is best learned when we can see it and believe it. There truly was an honest hard working man named Amos Fortune who loved the Lord and his neighbor in spite of the times in which he lived.

The Plunging Commode

Okay, the only reason I am going on and on about this is....do you really want to know?

Well, did you ever realize that in the Little House on the Prairie books they never once talk about an outhouse? Laura Ingalls describes everything in minute detail except in this one area. I mean what DID they do during that long winter? And how about that dugout next to Plum Creek, or the house by Silver Lake? If I'm wrong, correct me please but send me the page and book. Okay?

So, you know this post about the Toddler Toilet troubles? That was only two weeks ago and IT happened again. Slow to no flow. I'm not kidding. The kids plunged, Bob plunged, I plunged. Here we go again. Back to the front yard. Poor, poor toilet.

All plugged up and nowhere to go.

The husband was so mad that he threatened to turn this into a boy's only bathroom.
Just point and shoot.
The girls said "eeeewww."
By the way, this is what it looks like under your toilet too!

Investigating what seems to be the trouble.

Aha!
A shooter marble is the culprit.
There are no willing confessions this time around.
Wonder what that means.

Erik gets a lesson on clean up and whether it is working now.

Okay. So it is working fine. Got the marble out and we are in business. Almost.......

The husband carried it back into the bathroom and then this HAPPENED!

Just as he was putting it down, it slipped.
Poor, poor toilet.
Never to be useful again.
Just like Humpty Dumpty.
Shattered.

Could it be any worse?

Apparently, it could. Did you know you can spend as much on a toilet as a used car if you want? We went to the Lowe's website to toilet shop. Should we buy a unit? A bowl and a tank? An insulated tank? Try to match the color of the bathroom? Are you kidding?

We got a white cheap toilet.
It works.
It whooshes.
At least for now.

What to Blog About?

Okay, so far my blogging has amounted to an online scrapbook for which my family members and friends are probably quite grateful. I have been spending a lot of time (way too much time) following other blogs because I found an online community of families that were a lot like mine. This was a miraculous discovery to me. It is so easy to feel alone when you step out of the culture and choose to be a non-traditional family. Of course, we don't feel different. I find it quite humorous that if you had asked me 20 years ago what my life would be like, I would not have even come close.

Let's see if I can remember.

20 years ago I thought I would:

- Be a working mother and computer professional.
- Have perfect kids in SCHOOL.
- Have two kids. (Capital period)
- Never be without a dog.
- Live in a 3 bedroom cape happily ever after.
- Go to Sweden, Alaska, and Hawaii. (One down, two to go)
- Always drive a Honda, NOT a minivan.
- Stay married forever.

Amazing how God changed my thinking. I am glad I was open to His call.

Now, I am:

- A stay at home mother.
- Raising imperfect children, most of whom school at home.
- Without a dog.
- Living in a ranch.
- Known to send my family members to Africa or other third world countries.
- Driving a vehicle with twelve seatbelts.
- Still married to the same man and always will be!

I wouldn't change anything. The hard places, the deserts, they were all worth it. Obedience to the Holy Spirit is a daily battle for me. As I grow in my faith, I am challenged to be a better listener, to my kids, to my husband, to Him who leads me. Some days are easier than others.

I am wondering what to write about. Should I espouse my thoughts on adoption? Raising a large family? Home schooling? Become vulnerable in tough times? Maybe I will stick to what comes to mind as the Spirit leads.

Wondering....

A Week of Birthdays in July

We had Irish twins for about 5 days. The boys are just a few days shy of one year apart. It was quite cool to have two 2-year olds for a week. I can honestly say I am incredibly grateful to their birth parents for giving us the privilege of celebrating these special days. I cannot imagine my life without them.

Every birthday kid gets a grocery store date with Mom to pick out their own cake and frosting and decorations. The little guys loved having their turn.

Micah turned "two" first.
He has been part of our family since he was 6 weeks.

Blow, Micah, blow!

The eating was very good.

It took him awhile to figure out how to blow but he did it!

Everyone got in on the act.

At the end of the week, we had a combined party with a few families over for dinner. The other birthday tradition we have in our family is making a banner and a paper chain.

Trey turns "3".
He has been part of our family since he was 8 months.

Are they mesmerized with fire?

Singing Happy Birthday to you!

He was ready to go.

He got them all!

The best part? Licking the candles. How fast they learn.

Could there be a face any more precious than this?

Good friends.

This is what happens when other people grab the camera.

Farmor came to celebrate the birthdays! We love her.

The pictures of Trey's birthday were most likely taken by Lindsey M. Peterson. She excels in portraiture.

Puttin' On a Show

What does a three year old do at a high school soccer game when he's bored? Improvise with a chair and put on a show of course. Note carefully the group of girls behind Trey. They caught onto his game and were laughing and playing along. It was quite a show.

Bet you didn't know that canvas chairs could stand all by themselves.

Once he got it standing up, he did a little dance.

Around and around...

until just the right place is found to...

go in for the jab.

Quite a wind up on this guy.

POW!

And it started all over again and again and again...

Toilet Troubles Again

The toilet is plugged up again.

The husband isn't too happy.

Stay tuned.

10 Months Old

The baby of the family is 10 months old this week. She can do so many things on her own. In fact, she is ahead of the boys and their development at the same age. She is accomplishing gross motor skills about a month ahead of what they did. She can crawl on all fours, fast!

She is a girl on the go!

"I know my name."

"I make silly faces and stick my tongue out a lot."

"I LOVE my brothers."

"Just gorgeous."

"This week I started standing on my own for a few seconds.
Boy, do my brothers and sisters get excited when I do this.
They clap and cheer."

"I can stand for a few seconds....

...and then I go kerplop!"

"I wave hello and good-bye."

"Kind of busy here, did you want something?"

"Look Mom, only one hand."

We love her hair. Her curl down the middle is fun.

She can get just about everything she wants now.

Silly faces.

Lots of personality.

She can say "Mama" and sign "more." She says hi and waves bye-bye. She talks all the time which is a blessing since both her brothers have had speech delays. She likes to eat a variety of foods although right now she prefers to feed herself and uses a sippy cup nicely.

She has discovered that she can command 10 people's attention at the kitchen table and make them all laugh hysterically. She has the best belly laugh going.

Her favorite trick is to crawl to the couch, pull herself up and bite the toe of an unsuspecting family member. She's thinks that is hysterical. It hurts. Trust me, those two little baby teeth are razor sharp.

We love her and are blessed to be able to watch her grow and experience all the firsts this year has brought.