Party Time!

Here are a few pictures from Maegan's party. I think you can see they had a great time!

5 years of Maegan

Today is Maegan's 5th birthday. She was lucky enough to have 2 parties this past weekend. Saturday she had some friends over for Luau II; fortunately for me she wanted a repeat theme this year. And Sunday our family came over for a toned down party.
For the longest time Maegan has dreaded turning five. I couldn't get to the bottom of it. Her only reason was she didn't want to get bigger. But, today I asked her how she feels about being five and she said, "I feel good. Now I get to go to the circus...and the carnival....and a fair." We haven't been denying her these things for any particular reason, but I guess this year we should try one of those :)

Kids Games

What an awesome week. I love doing Kids Games. Kids Games happens every 2 years because it coincides with the Olympics.
This year I coached tennis, helped with soccer, and helped with musical worship in the mornings. Next time Maegan will be able to participate and I will be able to help all day.
I do have an update on the long awaited "forgiveness" picture. A couple days ago Maegan told me that she did create a forgiveness picture. But, later that day she saw Spencer "tip toe ever so quietly" into the kichen, pick up the picture, and shread it to pieces!! Oh really. One, Maegan would have shown me such a picture with pride, secondly, she would have screamed bloody murder if she saw Spencer tearing it up. Oh a tangled web we weave when we set out to deceive.

A Story of Punishment

This is Maegan's lovely story about how mad she is that Spencer tore up her Sunday school 'baby Moses' craft.
At first glance I thought it was Dante's Inferno, but the story is about as tragic.
On your left are the miserable faces of all the people who are mad at Spencer. The right side is the story. It starts with Maegan and the other happy Sunday school kids, followed by a picture of Spencer in jail (random). The next scene is a picture of Maegan and her baby Moses craft. Then the story spirals downward. Spencer is caught destroying baby Moses and the punishment begins. Then you see Spencer laying down to get shot, Spencer moves to a time out, then he's spanked, finally to be banished from our house. When you see the happy faces, it's me, Doug and Maegan celebrating he is gone.
I think I'll have her do another picture on forgiveness :)

Business Ending Poverty

Doug was lent the book "A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and The Business Solution for Ending Poverty" by our friend John, who went to Uganda with us back in 2005. On the return flight Doug and John, being sharp business men, started to brainstorm on how to help the economy in the refugee camps we visited. I also read part of this book on microenterprise and found it to be a great way to really effect ending poverty.
Doug is preparing to leave for Nicaragua in July to research microenterprise opportunities. He will be traveling with a group from Common Ground who want to move to a small village in Nicaragua.
I encourage you to check out Kiva.com . You can loan money to people to help them start businesses so they can sustain their family and to infuse new money into their local economy. The site is extremely reputable (trust me Doug does his research). Whoever receives the loan pays it back and the money goes back into your account or you can loan it to someone else. It's a very simple and easy way to help. It's a great way to involve the kids too.

if you like dining in a litter box

This past weekend we had a blast with the Kueblers in Gatlinburg. The trip was sans kids, so we really whooped it up!
The reference to the litter box is our dining experience at The Dixie Stampede. The Dixie Stampede is rated 4 out of the 10 most awesome things to do in Gatlinburg. Wow, what an experience. The picture of Kari and I holding our noses tells you a little about the atmosphere. The DS includes lots of animals kicking up stinky sand, while you tear apart your dinner with your hands. The show was some mixed up plot regarding the North and the South and you had to pick a side to cheer for...as if the civil war is a nice part of our history.
Another highlight was the Zorb. The Zorb hails from New Zealand and I think it's America's next extreme sport. Well, it's not too extreme because you ride down a hill in a big bubble ball filled with water. But, it's a very exciting time!
We also enjoyed a nice hike in the Smoky Mountain National Park. We even got to see a momma bear and her two cubs.
I have to mention that Kari and I totally defeated Doug and Mike at Spades...and it was Kari's first time playing :)