Let the Reading Begin!

By Amy

Last Monday I started teaching Peter and Alex how to read. They are younger than Savannah was when I started teaching her to read, but as I look ahead at our year, this is definitely the best time to begin, with the least interruptions. (We don't have any 2-3 week vacations/ meetings planned or any visits with family planned until the fall.) So, here we go!

Once again I'm using How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Overall, I was pleased with this curriculum when I used it with Savannah. (Even though I feel like there were a few holes in this curriculum, her BJU Kindergarten curriculum filled them all in nicely.) I made two book marks with the numbers 1-100 on each. Peter's is yellow and Alex's is blue. Then, I chose 6 numbers between 1 and 99 and covered them with a sticker. Each time they complete a lesson they get to check off that number. When they successfully complete a lesson number that has a sticker on it, they get a prize! I'm hoping that a total of 7 rewards (including the big prize for completing the whole thing) will be enough motivation!

My boys are really different from each other, so I've decided to school them separately right now. Obviously, when they start kindergarten, I won't do that, but I feel like for where they are right now and in order to use this curriculum most effectively, separate is best. It's been interesting to watch them learn and be challenged. At this point (9 lessons into it) they both are really motivated to reach lesson 18 and get their first prize. Alex has a hard time sitting still and staying focused for a long lesson or 2 lessons in a row. But, he's motivated to try hard and continue working on sounds that are difficult. And, he gets really excited when he masters a skill/sound. Peter on the other hand, would sit still and work through 4 lessons at a time if I let him. But, when he gets to something that he can't do correctly the first time, he gets frustrated and is quick to say, "I can't do it!" So, this curriculum is giving me a good opportunity to develop some life-long-learning skills in them both.

Tennis Anyone?

by Amy


Our apartment complex has a tennis court. Occasionally, early in the mornings，you'll see people actually playing tennis on it , but it's typically used as a bike track, skating rink, and baseball diamond if my boys are out. The problem is that the tennis courts are SOOOO dirty! Every quarter when Brad goes to pay our maintenance fee, he asks them to wash the courts. One day, after our kids had been playing out there, Brad took them to the office and told the ladies, "This is why we'd like for you to clean the tennis courts!" Our kids were black all over!

Well, not too long ago, Brad and I were home. I was in the middle of cleaning something that had spilled on the floor, cooking dinner, and straightening up for guest that were about to arrive. So, my dear husband ran down to go pick the kids up from their kindergarten. As my hands are a mess and something on the stove is boiling over, my cell phone rings - and rings.... finally after the seventh ring, I pick up. It's Brad calling -- from downstairs -- "I know you're in the middle of a ton of stuff right now, but...." he says, " you have to look out the window - right now!" So, I rush to Savannah's room and this is what I see....

Say it ain't so!! They're actually cleaning tennis courts! I don't know if you can tell from the picture above or not, but they have one of those floor buffing machines down there. I'm not exactly sure how that worked, but it did!

The only problem we have now is that the gate is locked. They won't let anyone in to play on it while it's clean! That's OK, though. It makes me smile every time I walk by it!

Wow...What a Week!

by Amy

Oh, I can hardly even express what a great week+ we had with John and Sarah! I still cannot believe that they came all this way to support and encourage us! Oh, I feel so loved! We had a GREAT time! I'll try to give a quick (yeah, right) picture recap....

One of their first days here, we walked down the street about half a mile to a small town square. It has a few little jungle-gym type things for the kids to play on. It's one of the few places in town with some grassy areas - great for playing baseball! The weather was great for getting out!

After playing at the square for a while, we wanted to take them to one of our favorite local restaurants. They specialize in making dumplings. Unfortunately, we we got there, we discovered that the restaurant had been torn down! It's crazy how often that happens to us. It seems like building are constantly closing down or being destroyed here! So, instead we went to a little dive near the gate of our apartment complex.

That night they unpacked their suitcase a bit and put together two baskets+ FULL of stuff they brought us from the States. Wow!! Not only did John and Sarah buy tons of stuff to bless our family, but so many friends from Louisville sent stuff. We were absolutely overwhelmed with the notes and gifts from so many! What an amazing blessing.

After such a long day, my sweet friends were wiped!

Would you believe we woke them up and made them stay up until after 11pm playing Settlers of Catan? What kind of friends are we anyway?

On Monday, Brad and John were on 'kid patrol' so Sarah and I could go out to lunch (at Pizza Hut) then get a foot massage. What a great afternoon! We talked from 11:30-4:30 - non-stop! And, later that night, while John was a special guest teacher in Brad's class, Sarah and I sat on my bed and just kept on talking! Clearly, we had a lot of catching to do after 2 years!

Another day, we had fun taking them downtown to a big square. My kids love to chase, I mean feed, the pigeons.

When we go downtown to this square, we often hit McDs for lunch! Yes, John at the "cucumber -extra-special-spicy-sauce" Quarter Pounder. He liked it....

We also had fun taking John and Sarah out for local BBQ. It's definitely the dirtiest restaurant we frequent. And, several people have confirmed that their kabob skewers are actually old bicycle spokes. (Fire kills germs and dirt, right?!?) But, they put some chicken and garlic on a skewer (spoke) and it's pretty good.

Then, for their last few days here, the four of us went up to the big city up north. It was really great! We played Hearts and Settlers, hit the Silk Market, slept late (until after 9:30am - that's unheard of for my husband!), walked (and rode) through a park, hit a Starbucks, and watched an acrobatic show.

We also shared our hearts, prayed for one another, and cried together -- well, Brad and John didn't shed any tears.... Oh, what a sweet visit. My heart was so encouraged and strengthened by having my dear friends come experience our side of world!

They're coming!!

By Amy

I'm so excited!!! In about 1 hour, our dear friends John and Sarah, will be getting on an airplane (for about 22 hours) to come visit us!! They are leaving their four precious kiddos in Louisville for 2 weeks.... I'm so feelin' the love! I know leaving their kids for so long is so hard, but I'm SSSOOOO thankful they're coming! We have TONS of things planned to do with them while they're here -- including a quick weekend trip to the big city up north -- without kiddos. YIPPEE!! (Thanks Uncle Kevin and Aunt Becky for agreeing to watch our kiddos while we're gone.) I'm sure we'll also play a few games of Settlers and have some late nights! Oh, how delightful! Sarah and I have been know to spend 3-4 hours in Chili's or Olive Garden chatting, then even talk on cell phones as we drive home separately. Needless to say, since I moved here, we haven't had many (any?) 4+ hour conversations! I'm so ready!!

I Stand Corrected...

by Amy

My dad called this past week and told me that I forgot to mention two of his jobs.... After he quit working for that oil company, he bought and ran a gas station for a year or two. Then, sometime after that and before I was born, he and a buddy decided to buy a few motor-homes and rent them out to local travelers. For some reason, that didn't work out too well. Wow... I think that brings the total count to at least 23 different jobs that my dad has done in the last 40 years! Kudos to my mom to stand by him through all those ups and downs!

An Entrepreneur

If you look up the word entrepreneur on Wikipedia this is what you find:

"An entrepreneur is a person who has possession of an enterprise, or venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome. To the left is Robert O. Miller, a man who fully embodies all that is implied and understood by the word entrepreneur."

OK, so maybe it doesn't really have that last sentence, but it should! Robert O. Miller, my dad, is quite the entrepreneur.

When he graduated from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, he quickly got a job with a big oil company somewhere in the panhandle of Texas. If I remember correctly, his job was to check in with the gas station owners. Somewhere along the line, my dad was asked to fudge some results or give some approval that, in the long run, could endanger these gas station owners. My dad was not comfortable with that, so he quit. Soon after, he became a door to do salesman - selling TV Guides while my mom taught school (and provided a consistent income.) Somewhere along the road, my dad decided that he didn't make a very good employee, so he decided to start his own business, or two or three hundred....

My dad had two main, long, "real" jobs as I was growing up. First, he ran an advertising agency. Then, when I was about 8 or 9, he sold that so he could buy The Hunting and Fishing Show. What that means is he would rent a convention center, divide the floor into booth spaces and rent a booth to anyone that had anything to do with hunting or fishing. Then, he'd sell tickets to the general public so they come come in and see different hunting or fishing demonstrations, book trips, buy gear, etc. At one point, he had shows in seven different cities. I think he owned that company for about 12-14 years.

But, neither an advertising agency or The Hunting & Fishing Show qualify my dad as an entrepreneur..... It's all the other interesting things he did on the side -- that he was sure were going to be his ticket to millions.... So, here's the list of all the things I remember him trying, in no particular order:

• He owned 3 shrimp boats and would sell fresh shrimp on the side of the road. (Two of his boats sunk and one is probably still sitting in a shop awaiting repairs.
• He would video other people's hunts.
• He helped his daughter (me) buy, mix, bottle, and sell Original South Texas Wild Game Marinade. (I had a booth in the shows and would sell the marinade.)
• He sold fishing luers and fiberglass rods online.
• He's owned a locksmith company, that my brother quickly learned to run.
• He recorded and sold (or rather, tried to sell) subscriptions to a Sportsman's audio commentary. (He and his friend would tape record their own hunting reflections and wisdom and try to sell them! Maybe they'd interview a few famous people or something too. Needless to say, that one didn't ever take off!)
• He ran a bone-fishing business in the Bahamas. (That was while I was in college! What a great vacation spot! John Grisham even went fishing there once.)
• He ran a reader's club.
• He created and tried to sell his own fish fry mix.
• During Desert Storm, he sold Saddam Hussein toilet paper on the side of the road. Each sheet had a picture of Saddam on it with the caption, "Wipe our Saddam!" on it.
• He has been a deer hunting guide and a fishing guide too, if I'm remembering correctly.
• He owned a carpeting business in San Antonio, where they would recycle carpet pads or something.
• He sold computer software online.
• He started the Bavarian Festival - it was a huge flop, but fun for the kids!
• He made his own fiberglass boats.
• He raised animals: snakes (HUGE 6+ft long pythons), ferrets, tarantulas, guinea pigs, hedgehogs, geckos, and more. (When I moved out of the house and my mom was at the end of her rope, he rented a storage unit and would keep all his animals there. He's have to go out there every day or two to feed them all. I hated going with him because I was always afraid a snake had gotten out!)
• He is also a land developer. That means he buys large portions of land, subdivides it, brings in water and electricity, and sells lots.
• Currently he owns a cement chipping company. He sends crews out to climb into cement trucks and chip off all the dried cement.
• He also has recently opened a cellulite burning clinic.

Needless to say, my growing up years were never boring! One of the things I really appreciate about my dad is his optimism. He was always convinced that his next venture was going to be successful (and some were), but he was always quick to bounce back if they failed. Through all these things, my dad employed a number of different people, and in my bias opinion, he was an excellent boss. He was fair, upfront, and honest.

Another thing I am thankful for is how my dad taught me that it's important to love what you do. Obviously, he's an outdoors man, so many of his jobs revolved around hunting and fishing. I like to hunt and fish, but that's not my passion. And, although, my dad doesn't completely understand my passion, he has always been quick to support and encourage me to pursue it with all my heart!

Thanks Dad, for all the fun memories we have, the example you set, and the wisdom you passed on! I am so thankful for you! I love you!

The New Look

By Amy

Well, the other day, I checked out a friend's blog and she had changed it all up. It was super cute, so I decided it was time to do a little revamping! And, since she had a link to "The Cutest Blog on the Block" I clicked on it to see what I could find. This is what I came up with. What do you think? (I figure since Brad doesn't post very often any more, it's OK to move away from the nice, but slightly masculine, lighthouses to cute stripes with a bit of pink.)