Musings from Graceland

IN OUR FREE TIME

Believe it or not, we DO have free time around here...even Mom and Dad! Here's a glimpse into what we're doing with that precious time:

Super Daddy---J is learning to play the GUITAR! He's been at it for a few months now and is getting quite passionate about it. We even went to the local guitar store on our last date. I can't wait til he can accompany me while I sing in church.

13 year old A---She is also learning to play the guitar, though reading is still her main free time activity. A also enjoys creative writing, listening to Christian rock, and spending time on the Internet. She is volunteering at the local crisis pregnancy center one day a week providing childcare for moms, sorting and folding baby clothes, etc.

11 year old B---Reading, writing, creating, and drawing are big pursuits in her life right now as well as clog dancing, riding her bike, roaming the woods, playing the creek, and spending time with her friends. B is also volunteering at the crisis pregnancy center with big sister A.

10 year old D---He loves reading and gets up at the crack of dawn every morning, all on his own, to read his Bible. He also loves to play gameboy, Internet, and cd rom computer games. Boardgames such as backgammon and Clue are favorites for D in the evenings and on Sunday afternoons. Splashing at the creek is his favorite outdoor activity this summer.

8 year old P---Riding bikes, play fighting, and acting out adventure games outside are things that P often does. He also loves "screen" time whether that be watching TV or playing computer games. As with D and B, he also goes to the creek every chance he gets.

5 year old L---Her number one free time activity is drawing and artwork. For the last several days her art has reflected our weather and so it has been filled with lots of rain and clouds. She also likes watching videos such as Blue's Clues and playing outside with her brothers and sisters as well as picking flowers and working in our vegetable garden.

3 year old T---T loves playing computer games at Nick Jr. and watching videos, especially WonderPets, Larry Boy, and Dora the Explorer. He likes playing with our kittens though his oldest sisters calls it terrorizing the kittens. He likes building Thomas the Tank Engine train track layouts and spending time with his Mommy.

Almost 2 year old M---She, like her sister L, LOVES drawing. Unfortunately, M loves drawing EVERYWHERE and with ANYTHING! UGH!!! Her masterpieces have been found on the fridge door, in storybooks, on walls, on the upholstered furniture, in her siblings school books, and on the netting of her playpen. When she's not drawing, she likes getting dirty outside, swinging, sliding, and being pulled in her wagon. She also LOVES music and is adorable as she dances to Hannah Montana's songs.

And Moi---I love to read and keep piles of books in my room that I intend to get to one of these days. I also like goofing off on the PC, emailing friends, and blogging though lately I've been spending a lot of Internet time reading about the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Swaziland and investigating various ministries to the Swazi orphans. I'm hoping that in the not too distant future, some of my free time will find me IN Swaziland ministering to some of those precious little ones.