An era gone by

My sign that Owen was still my baby was the way that he always said, "Hold you" when he wanted to be picked up. Now not only does he not ask to be picked up, but on the rare occasion it does happen, he asks like the big boy he is--hold me he says. Not sure why this makes me particularly sad, but it does. He has sprouted up and his traces of babyhood have all but faded. 

--
Amy Calhoun
HS Academic Coordinator

Christ Presbyterian Academy
2323A Old Hickory Blvd
Nashville, TN 37215
(615) 301-3527

"Of one hundred men, one will read the Bible; the ninety-nine will read the Christian" Dwight L. Moody

Circus time--Should I enlist my kids

Owen's first trip to the circus. Kids had a great time. We went with a group from Ellie's Destination Imagination team. There was a lot of cool stuff going on there. We were met by protesters at the door, but I kind of understand their point. I really could have done without the elephants and the tigers. I found myself feeling sorry for them. I don't feel like they were really being whipped, but I saw a lot of prodders and the keepers flicking whips on the floor.

Owen's favorite part was the girl getting shot out of the canon. The girls liked the people who walked around the spinning cylinders. Looking at all the dancing, acrobats, silly skits, etc. made me wonder if I should sign my kids up. I think they would fit in nicely. Good Family Day!

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"Family circus time. "

First Cross Country Meet

CPA introduced cross country to the elementary kids this fall, and Katelyn and Ellie decided to give it a try. Currey Ingram was crawling with little elementary runners for their first meet on Thursday.
It was a sweltering day, hitting the 90s for race time. They ran their hardest. Ellie came in third in her age group and Katelyn was 18th. Not bad for their first runs.

Learning Guitar

Ellie has decided to challenge her genes and play a musical instrument. While Alan dabbled in guitar for a brief time in his life and I reached my musical pinnacle in the 2nd grade on the violin, Ellie is determined to become a master at the guitar. So outfitted with her newly, picked out guitar and her beginning guitar book, she completed her first lesson this week with our CPA Band Director, Max Fulwider. She was super excited all week and was counting down the days until her first lesson.

I think she was hopeful she would come home playing actual songs, but alas, like all others, she is beginning with GGGGGGGGGGG. The interesting thing is that you don't even have to buy a tuner anymore. We downloaded an app that helps you tune your guitar. I think she found it as entertaining to tune her guitar as to actually play.  We shall see whether a musical prodigy emerges.

First Day of School

Girls are finally home

The girls finally made it home on August 11 after three weeks away at camp. Needless to say, Owen was super excited to see them as is evident by the video below.

Vacationing in route to camp drop off

Our July vacation was a whirlwind of activity spanning multiple states. While I have been married to my husband for almost 13 years, and we have visited his parents in the Washington DC area yearly, we have never really done the family touristy thing. This year we decided to give it a try.

First, let me say how beautiful it is in the Bethesda, MD area. They have a trail along the Potomac that extends for miles and runs along the old locks--great for running. We hiked the Billy Goat trail, and the kids showed incredibly finesse as they climbed rocks and tried to stay on the path. The pictures below are of Alan's dad with the kids and then us with the kids. We were hiking to a spot where we could look down into the water. Alan's brother was in a kayak race below.

One day was spent in the heart of DC visiting all the landmarks. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing was particularly interesting. Note the kids next to the million dollars. Katelyn kept walking around it I think trying to figure out how she could sneak it out of there. Not likely. My favorite quote on the wall, "How do you think I feel. I just printed my lifetime salary in minutes." It was jaw-dropping how much money was being printed before our eyes.

The one location Katelyn desired to visit the most was the White House. She didn't quite understand that it was closed to visitors due to the Sequestration and that even without it, she would have to reserve six months in advance. Regardless, she enjoyed peeking through the bars. This is a picture from the back which is the less recognized side. Below she is taking a break at the Lincoln Memorial. For some reason, she reminds me of a carefree student backpacking the US.

A highlight of our trip was a slight detour to Hershey, PA, home of Chocolate World. After a day and a half at the amusement park/water park, we took the Chocolate World tour and made our own Chocolate Bars. Don't you just love the hygienic accessories we are sporting.

Our final, big stop was in Lakeville, PA, where we visited Alan's other set of parents and prepared to drop the girls at camp. They live on a lovely lake--an ideal haven for little kids looking for adventure. Below, Owen and Ellie are discussing how best to run their pirate ship aka the dock.

It is not a family vacation with the Bargers unless we stop at a pizza joint. We enjoyed the evening with Duncan, Holly and Ethan Barger before heading to Camp Netimus the next day. With Duncan and Holly running the boys camp and the girls getting privileged brother/sister visits to see them and their cousins, they were left in good hands.

It is my tradition to actually take my kids to sleep away camp for the first time. Ellie, age 7, surprised me by her maturity and fearlessness as we made up her bed in camp and prepared to leave. In fact, if I didn't know better, I would feel that we had been quickly dismissed. She seems to be having a great time with swimming, sailing, kayaking, horse care, etc. Katelyn was made for camp. She was greeted with lots of hugs and smiles when we got there and seemed to know everybody she passed. We are hopeful that she keeps and eye on her little sister and shows her the ropes.

Just five more days and all my ducklings will be home. The girls fly home solo on Sunday, and Owen will be returning from Grandma's this weekend. While I do appreciate the small pockets of time I have had this last week with an empty house, I am beginning to desperately miss the sounds of their pitter patter feet running down the hall, their sweet little snuggles as I tuck them in to bed and their never-ending questions about life. Five more days and I will be complete again.

Owen singing his Camp K'Toni song

I just love this kid.

Swimming Superstars

Family Beach trip to Miramar Beach, FL

Every other year, my mom's side of the family goes on a beach trip together. This year there were 29 of us that embarked upon Miramar Beach, near Destin, FL. We rented 3 condos and just condo hopped all week. The kids had a blast--Owen particularly as he followed his older cousin Dylan around.

Katelyn catching a wave

Katelyn, Ellie and Dylan all have early June birthdays. The aunts showered them with a surprise birthday party while we were there. They were surprised to say the least and loved on well.

 We took the kids to Gulfarium to see the marine life, including dolphin and sea lion shows. Below the girls are with the trainers after asking them lots of questions.

 Owen taking some time out to play in the sand.

 Alan and the girls had a Turtle Encounter where they got to go behind the scenes, learn about the turtles and feed them.

 We ate dinner one night (all 29 of us) down by the Boardwalk. Afterwards, we took a stroll, had balloon pirate swords made by a "real" pirate, ate ice cream and did the bungee trampolines. A very pleasant night indeed.

I love that our family is so close and still gets together routinely. I remember beginning this tradition when I was a little girl--before my generation was married and bringing our own kids to the beach. There was a sad note to the trip. Mema Shirley had planned to go on this trip never realizing that she would so unexpectedly be taken from us. We still appreciate her starting this family tradition with Papa so many years ago.

Moore, Oklahoma

For a couple of years, I have been feeling a tug to go on a mission trip. Would I go overseas, would I do something in the inner city, what was I being called to do? Recently, our pastor at church had us reflecting on "Who are we" and what is our identity tied to.  For many of us, we look to years past to identify who we are now. But is that who we really are and is that who we really want to be? What are we doing now to be the person that we want to be?

It was during that service that I learned my church was going to Moore, OK for tornado relief. Immediately, I knew that it something that I needed to do. I needed to get outside myself and my circumstances for a while and serve. For me, May is an insanely crazy, stressful time of year. I always find myself re-evaluating my life and purpose during this time.

So Tuesday morning, approximately 65 of us headed out in vans and cars for Moore, OK. Three of Cross Point Community Church's pastors are from Oklahoma, so there was a personal connection. Our Nashville campus pastor, Blake's, family's church hosted us for the week and were super hospitable, providing meals and a place to crash.

 Journey Church was the command post. Volunteers file in each morning and Journey assigns them to a work order. Some go out and help at individual homes while others work at the church, filling boxes with food and supplies for the victims, unloading trucks, etc.

 They had a hug tent full of supplies. They had "shoppers" who went around and shopped for victims and filled their carts with what they needed.

 Our crew arriving for our morning work.

 Our first job--clearing debris at a property. When we arrived, the roof was in the front yard. We demolished it and took it to the road, then cleaned debris in the yard.

 A child's stocking--made me think of Owen and that there was likely someone his age in that house.

Our second stop was at Ground Zero--a neighborhood that reminded me of where I grew up. When we looked on Google maps, the picture of the house was a 1970ish ranch house on a street full of trees. The picture above is after the tornado--not a tree standing. Below is their car. When we arrived, we thought were were going to try to salvage stuff from the house, but the lady really just wanted her pictures and mementos. We found stacks of pictures, a camera and some memory sticks in what she said had been her bedroom. The place looked like it had been picked up in a blender, chewed up and spit back out in a pile.

Pictures of Plaza Towers Elementary School. This was the most emotional spot for me. The kids that were killed were the same age as Katelyn. The fence was lined with stuffed animals. While we were there, a little girl came with a stuffed animal and then turned to her father with tears running down her face. I wonder if she was just touched by it all or if she had friends in there that she had lost.

 Our last stop was an elderly couple's five acre property. They had tons of debris. Their windows had been blown out, so we spent time picking up shards of glass in the yard. Others picked up sticks, trees, and roof shingles. The picture above is of some of the amazing girls I met on the trip---Clarissa, Lexy and Megan.

One story came out of the trip that I loved. One of our workers was walking around the neighborhood. A man hollered out to him, "Is that a red Explorer?" The worker looked down the street and saw a red vehicle wrapped around a tree. He went with the man, climbed in his window and got his papers from the glovebox. After taking a picture of the man with his registration (for insurance), the man asked, "Are you a Christian?" The worker said, "Yes, I'm here with my church." The man said, "I prayed to God to find my truck, and he sent me you."  

The whole trip reminded me of the hospitality and heart that we saw in Nashville after the flood. I am so thankful for Journey church taking the lead in helping all the Oklahoma folks in need. I appreciate the volunteers that fed us--volunteers ourselves. And while, my intention was to go and help those in need in Oklahoma, I think I turned out to be the most in need--in need of stepping outside myself for awhile, in need of serving others without restraint,  and in need of seeing the love of Christ at work.

Ellie turns 7

For months, all Ellie has said she wanted for her Birthday was to have a party at Chuck E Cheese. Now mind you, she has never been to Chuck E Cheese (how is that possible?), but the power of television commercials lured her in.  So Monday night, we celebrated her 7th birthday with the big mouse. I must say that it was the easiest party we have ever had for any of our children.

It is hard to believe that Ellie is already 7 years old. She brings such a joy to our lives with her sweet face and tender spirit. She is developing her own interests and always wanting to try new things. She recently asked to learn to play the violin--we'll see . . . It's hard to keep up with her and the world she is trying to explore.

 Dancing with the mouse

 Trying to catch tickets in the ticket blaster

My sweet O Man with his aunt and uncle