8 Little Men

Tonight I have the pleasure of watching 8 little boys ages 7 and under while their families are setting up for Upward Basketball Awards Night. I sent my 3 girls to help them, but thought having the little boys here would help the adults be more productive. What a great group of little guys! They play well together, know how to share, and try to include everyone. Earlier I walked into the living room and heard one of them singing, "Jesus is the rock," while he was playing cars. I told them all to come sit up for dinner and was told, "yes, ma'am" by several of them. One of them prayed for us and I decided that he must be really paying attention to Pastor Kevin's prayers because he prayed forever.......and ended with, "and everyone said...AMEN." (Just kidding, Pastor Kevin!) When they were done eating, they asked "if they could be excused," and then each one picked up their paper plates and threw them in the trash. I heard, "may I please... Mrs. Kellenberger" many times tonight. It is funny... most of these children have not been to school to be properly "socialized," and yet they are pleasant, disciplined, FUN, and respectful. Their parents must be doing something right. I have only heard one complaint tonight, that I did not have any dessert. My bad...what was I thinking??? Next time boys, I promise!

Meet "Sammie"...

This is Sammie Rose Kellenberger. She is one of the newest members of our family. She is 9 weeks old and very playful. She likes her toys and she also likes to play with her friend , "Hershey." He is our other new puppy. Sammie is very naughty and likes to get into things that she knows she's not supposed to be in. She also loves to cuddle with you. She is not doing as well with the potty training as "Hershey" but we are trying. We enjoy having two new puppies in the house. (written by Madison & Molly)

Meet Hershey...

This is Hershey. His full name is "Hershey Kiss Kellenberger". He's a miniature Dachsund and he is the sweetest thing ever. We were going to get a girl dog, which we did, and her name's "Sammie," but Mrs. Solum just kept bringing the dogs up to us. What's really funny is that girls are usually easier to potty train but right know Hershey is way easier. He likes to run, kiss you, and play with his ball and bone. He plays tug-a-war with his friend Sammie. He has the prettiest brown eyes and black and brown fur. He is a snuggle bug and loves to sleep on top of you. He is a week younger the his friend Sammie. We got him in Jasper from a kennel. Because he is so little and almost flat to the ground it's very hard not to step on him. We also like his cute little ears in front of his face. Dashounds are the best kind of dogs to have. (written by Margaret & Bubba)

Our new babies!!!

On Thursday night we went to pick up our puppy....but we came home with two puppies! It really wasn't my fault, the kennel lady just kept coming up with these adorable dogs and they all wanted to snuggle with me and I promised my husband I would feed them and love them and I would walk them and bath them and he could use my allowance to buy their food.... and HE GAVE IN !!!! Surely I can blame him, right??? He is supposed to be the level-headed one, right???
Honestly, the dogs came from a Kennel run by Merida Solum in Jasper Missouri. She does a fantastic job of raising several breeds and has lots of experience. She gave us a great deal on a male and a female. So here we go...on to potty training. Wish me luck!
You'll be reading more in the days to come as the kids introduce you to each little sweetie!

The Kindergarten Class

These girls are working on the dance, "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair!" As you can see, the two little men, (my son, Chase, and Levi Taylor) get pushed around quite a bit, but I really don't think they mind!!

The 5:45 Class

This is the 5:45 class and they are 4 & 5 year olds. They have been polishing their dance & tumbling skills this year in order to get ready for a recital in May. I am very proud of them!!

The 5:00 Class

This is what I do at 5:00 pm on Tuesday nights. I get together with an awesome group of 3 & 4 year olds and DANCE - DANCE -DANCE!!!! We are currently working on tondues and plies in first position, shuffles, and the difference between left and right. We work on the balance beam, gymnastics mat, and mini trampoline. These guys really keep me on my toes!

One Good Reason to Homeschool

You get to snuggle up with your little brother and read a book on a cold winter's day.

Madison Kellenberger has passed her audition and earned a seat in the Northwest Arkansas Philharmonia Orchestra!!!

After performing a stunning audition with Vivaldi's 3rd Concerto in A Minor, Madison was asked to play with the orchestra for this semester. It is an orchestra sponsored by The Northwest Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and is housed at the NW Arkansas School for the Performing Arts. If she works hard, she could earn her way into the Youth Star Orchestra which is a full orchestra (brass, percussion, all strings, etc.) and they are performing at Carnegie Hall every other year. We are all so excited for her to have this opportunity and can not wait for their first concert in May! We thank God that He has blessed her with the gift of music and the opportunities to develop this gift!

Our new pet!! "Winston"

We'd like you to meet our pet bird. His name is "Winston." He is a budgie also known as an Australian parrot. As you can see, he is very colorful and playful. His favorite toys are pennies, balls, and bells. He likes to ring his bells and often puts them on his head.

He is really easy to take care of because all you have to do is change his water every day and give him new food once every two weeks. You also have to clean his cage once in a while. Sometimes, when we are washing dishes, he will come over and take a little bath. He goes to sleep around 10:oo pm when mom puts the drape over his cage.

We got him in October when his owners moved to Saudi Arabia to work. They used to be neighbors with our Momo & Popo. To be honest, we really wanted their dog, but they took him with them. So now we have the bird instead.

Winston is really funny when he sits on your finger, shoulder, or head. He loves to eat spaghetti and macaroni and will steal them off your plate. We learned that we have to close his cage before dinnertime or he will think he can eat with us at the table.

He is a great pet to have and we love him dearly, especially when he gives us kisses.

Written by Margaret & Molly

Molly's Birthday Party!

Three weeks ago I had my 8th birthday party. It was lots of fun. I invited Margaret (she is my sister so she was there anyway) , Maggie, Allie, Blythe, Merida, Courtney F. and Courtney G.

We ate lots of pizza, drank lots of pop, and ate LOTS of candy. We were all stuffed.

We put on a dance show, watched a movie, and slid down the stairs in sleeping bags. The sleeping bag part was TONS of fun.

Then we opened presents. I got lots of cool things. I got poly-pockets, necklaces, a stain glass paint set, a treasure box that you can paint, and a bracelet making kit.

Thanks to all who came!! I've played with everything and love them all. I had lots of fun and I hope that everyone else did to.

"The Apple and the Arrow" (reviewed by Madison)

If you have ever wondered who William Tell is, then this is the book for you. It is called "The Apple and The Arrow", and was written by Mary and Conrad Buff. The story takes place in 1291. It is about William and Walter Tell and the becoming of Switzerland. There are a lot of characters in this book but the ones that were real are, William Tell, Walter Tell, Hedwig Tell, Rudi Tell, Marie, and Gessler.

The people of Uri who had a good king and the King was good to them. He left them alone except when it was time for them to pay taxes. But then the good King died and his son became the new king. The son was very different then his father. He was mean and wanted all of his people to realize that they were his people and that he ruled over them. So he made certain people become his governors. The new governor of Uri was named Gessler. He was a very cruel man and very evil. He treated the people of Uri very badly. The people wanted to become free again and get rid of Gessler. The men of Uri held meetings that plotted against the governor. These meetings were very dangerous, for if the were caught they would all be hanged. They plotted and soon all of the people of Uri, except Gessler and his men, knew that there was going to be a revolt against Gessler on the first day of the new year. But people started to find out about the revolt in other towns and so William and Walter Tell went to find out what all they knew. When they got there they were told to bow down to the governor's hat but William wouldn't do it. He said he would only bow down to the Lord God and the King. This made Gessler made so he arrested him and his son. But he then remembered that William was said to be the best bowman in the land, so he tied Walter to a tree and put an apple on his head. He told William that if he could hit the apple in half of the top of Walter's head he and Walter could go free. William didn't want to do it for he was afraid he would miss, but Walter had faith in his father. Walter said that he knew that William could hit it. All of the towns people who had gathered around to watch all knew William could do it too. So William shot the apple and it went right thought the apple and hit the tree. Gessler had said that they could go free but he was a cruel man and didn't keep his promise. So he arrested William but let Walter go free. Walter went back to Uri and told his Mother what had happened. Later on the night a neighbor boy came and said that his father had seen a small ship with Gessler and four of his men in it. But steering the ship was William Tell! Everyone was excited. The Tell's waited all night until finally William came home. He was cut and bleeding and was very tired. After he had some rest he told his story. " They were taking me to another island, but a storm came and everyone knew that I was the only one who could save them. So they cut my chains and let me steer the boat. I knew where I was going and brought the boat right up along the shore, jumped out and then pushed the boat out to the sea. I wasn't for sure if they had drowned but I couldn't take my chances. I ran through the woods and scraped myself up along the way. After about three hours I heard the sounds of horses and men. I didn't know who they were until I saw Gessler. I knew that this was my chance to get rid of him. I waited until he was right in front of me and then I shot my bow and arrow. It hit him in the heart and he fell to the ground. I ran before anyone ever knew what had happened. And then I ran all the way back here." After everyone had heard the story and asked questions, they went to bed.
There were still other governors that needed to be stopped. On the night of the revolt, the men went to the mountain top with some of the children. They prayed and then they lit their fires, but before they had a chance to do anything, someone started shouting, " Look! The Governor's castle is on Fire! We are free!!" So in the end, Uri turns into a free country of Switzerland and William ad Walter Tell turn out to be heroes.
To me, Walter was not a hero. He didn't do anything. His father, William, was a hero because he killed Gessler and was also one of the main leaders of the revolt. William did a lot to save his people and his town. Maybe Walter was a hero because he had faith in his father. Or maybe he was a hero because his father was a hero too. I guess that's for you to decide.
This story was more about William Tell than his son but the authors made the book look like Walter is the main character by placing him on the front page and focusing on him the entire first chapter. That is one thing that I would have done differently if I were the author.
I like the title of the book. I think the title, "The Apple and the Arrow", fits this story because Walter had to trust his dad and believe that he could really shoot the apple off his head. One of the things that I thought of when I read this was that we should all trust our fathers and believe in them.

I really liked the part in the story where Gessler captured William and so William had to shoot the arrow off of Walter's head. If I had written this book I would have made it longer. I think it needed more of the story with more details.
I would not have liked to live in the time that this story happened. It would have been very hard to get food. Not many people could read or write, either. I would not like it if we couldn't read or write, because life would be very boring. They also didn't have any electronics. They didn't have computers, cell phones or any kind of music players. This would have been very hard! Although, people who lived then would have never dreamed of these kinds of things, so they would never miss them.

This story was very interesting to read. I would recommend this book to people who like history and books set in the early middle ages.

Kellenberger & Luthi Fall Birthday Party!!!

Chad & I recently had the Kellenberger and Luthi families over to celebrate fall birthdays. We had a great time just being together and being ourselves. Here are Jared, Calvin, Chad, Nathan, Austin,Molly, and Madison...the special birthday people.





First, we ate chicken & noodles... (We total 14 children & 9 adults.)

Here's Austin, Bubba, Danielle & Margaret waiting so patiently to be excused from the table...

We enjoyed just hanging out together...

Here's Mary and Audrey telling secrets...


Molly and cousin Clint...

Margaret & cousin Danielle...

and Clint has decided that he's big enough to try to walk around...

Jessica enjoyed my chicken & noodles sooooo much that she was all smiles! HA,HA

THEN CAME THE PRESENTS...

Molly is old enough to read her own cards now...

We even gave Cal a special gift... Chad gave him back a saw that he had borrowed from him 3 years ago!

The main event for the night was, THE BOXING, of course. Ryan & Caleb showed us all how it is done.

Winston, our bird, even got a little attention from Aunt Jodi & Jessica.