Wednesday, May 18, 2011

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday

This is a billboard we passed by several times while we were on vacation in Jacksonville, Florida...and a topic that has been in the news recently since May 21st is coming up.


Hmmm...really?


“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." Matthew 24:35-37 (NIV)

~~~

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 2 Peter 3:3-10 (NIV)

~~~

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom, Shibley Smiles, and Baba's Farm Life for more Wordless Wednesday photos.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Vacation: Part Four...The Beach(es)!

The first time we went to the beach on our vacation (last month), it was just to get our feet wet in the ocean


so there was a lot of anticipation built up for Josiah (8) and Grace (5).



We saw a jellyfish


and seagulls


...lots of seagulls.


Not only did we go to Neptune Beach in Jacksonville, we also went to Fernandina Beach. Josiah and Grace looked like they were ready to hit the waves. ;)


Robert (13) alternated between chasing Josiah


and making a game of tossing the foam boogie boards into the ocean waves. Out of all the kids, he spent the most time actually in the water.



One of the perks of going later in the day (6:30-ish) is getting to play where others have done the work already


and you get the cool parts to yourself.


Plus...the sunset!



Oh, the sunset!




We are missing it already...and can't wait to go back to the beach!


Want to see more of our Jacksonville vacation pics? Check out these posts:
You Capture: Smiles
Vacation: Part One
Vacation: Part Two...The Zoo
Vacation: Part Three...Quirky Photos
Vacation: Part Four...The Beach(es)!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Fourteen years ago...

My firstborn arrived


long, skinny...and with really long feet.

He's still long and skinny...and he still has really long feet. :)

Wiiiiiiii! We now have a Wii. :)

And he has loved Star Wars and LEGOs since they first met...

I thought since I posted a video of him last year playing his guitar on his birthday I would post one now. This was from a recent music recital both boys played in (I'll post Josiah's soon) and Robert played "Eruption" by Van Halen.




Happy birthday, Robert!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Vacation: Part Three...Quirky photos

Photos of the beach(es) we went to on vacation are coming soon...honest! That's what you're really wanting to see, right? In the meantime, I thought I would share some of the quirkier photos I took on our trip.


At the Jacksonville Zoo:

My children being "attacked" by a jaguar


and yet this one didn't seem a bit interested in them.


How many times do you think well-meaning patrons informed zoo employees about a dead bird before they posted this sign?



At the baseball game:

I think Grace was trying to scare Jason into getting her some baseball food treat

with her "fierce" face.



Driving around:

Home of the Camel Rider? (Thanks to Google, I now know what that means.)


A church with a lighthouse (and two parking decks!)


A dashboard Jesus (like this one) alongside a skull that sits in front of the steering wheel. Hmmm...No comment.


OK, show of hands...who has taken a picture through the drive-through window at Krispy Kreme? Oh, just Jason? (He was driving, so I handed off my camera to him at his request.) "This is where the magic happens," as Jason says. :) YUM!


And last, but not least...we saw places we'd only heard about in the Monopoly game, like Atlantic Avenue (plus Kentucky Avenue, but this is the only shot I got of street signs). Interesting church at this corner, too!


Want to see more of our Jacksonville vacation pics? Check out these posts:
You Capture: Smiles
Vacation: Part One
Vacation: Part Two...The Zoo
Vacation: Part Three...Quirky Photos
Vacation: Part Four...The Beach(es)!

Wordless Wednesday: Releasing butterflies

Each year, my dad and stepmother give the kids caterpillars to watch and to take care of until they transform into butterflies and are ready to be released on or around Easter.

This is when Grace (5) decided Josiah (8) was getting more butterflies out of the butterfly garden than she was, so she's complaining to him here. ;)




Visit 5 Minutes for Mom, Shibley Smiles, and Baba's Farm Life for more Wordless Wednesday fun.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Vacation: Part Two...The Zoo

One of the things we did on our recent (yet oh, so far away now) vacation was to check out the Jacksonville Zoo.



It was a really awesome zoo--reasonable admission (all five of us got in for under $55!) and it was beautiful. Plus, it was large enough that we spent hours there and decided to leave to get lunch rather than seeing every exhibit. Because of this, I was glad we stuck with the general admission tickets instead of getting the ones that included a ride on the train.

We spent hours walking through


and looking at all the huge birds nesting in tall trees


and flying overhead as they made seemingly constant improvements to their nests.



There were plenty of large animals throughout the zoo...


some of whom didn't seem to care whether I got a good shot of them or not.






There were also giraffes you could feed.




Josiah (8) and Grace (5) loved feeding them!






I liked taking their picture. :)


Grace enjoying spotting the babies, like the baby zebra you can barely see in the middle of this shot.


One of the most unique animals there was the okapi, which has a reddish-brown body with black and white striped legs and eats leaves from trees like a giraffe...with a much shorter neck.


The flamingos! There was a sign posted about the particulars of their diet at the zoo, and explained that their diet includes dye to enhance their bright color. That just seems like cheating...




Want to see more of our Jacksonville vacation pics? Check out these posts:
You Capture: Smiles
Vacation: Part One
Vacation: Part Two...The Zoo
Vacation: Part Three...Quirky Photos
Vacation: Part Four...The Beach(es)!
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