Science Fair

Science Fair... the time of year that I cringe and yet smile.  I smile in anticipation of choosing project ideas.  I cringe during the gathering of materials and preparations for the projects.  I smile while watching the kids in the discovery mode while conducting their experiments.  I cringe when working on the boards!  I smile while conducting mock interviews with my children.  Yes, the Science Fair is certainly a roller coaster of feelings every year.  I'm on the smiling end at this moment :) 

Bryce enjoys throwing things down from our loft.  Therefore, we chose a parachute experiment for him.  His question... Which shape of parachute floats the best?  In case you are wondering, the hexagon shape floated the longest.  The triangle shape floated down the fastest... yikes!  

We chose an experiment with shapes and counting for Rylan.  We love going to the lake in the summer, so his question was... What shape of boat will float the best?  He used pennies and aluminum boats that we created to test this out.  We were very surprised with our findings... we thought the triangle boat would float the best because that is the shape that we see the most of at our lake... row boat, sail boat, speed boat.  However, the triangle sank first!!!  The oval actually did the best.  Our conclusion... the triangle shape must be better for speed but for floating it is better to have a shape with more of a surface.  Great stuff :)

There were three moments that made me smile today in preparation for the judging.  The first was with Rylan during our mock interview.  I asked him to tell me how he made the boats and he said, "with foil."  I told him that he needed to be more specific with his talking.  He needed to elaborate more... so, I asked him again... tell me how you made the boats and his response "with ALUMINUM foil!"  I just cracked up... he DID elaborate... LOL!  The second funny moment of the morning was in the van on the way to school and I'm reminding the boys to talk as much as they can about their projects.  I told them that they can't talk too much with this kind of thing.  Bryce says with a cute little grin, "Wow Mom, I bet you did awesome in the science fair!"  Why, I ask... "because you LOVE to talk... you talk ALL the time!"  Both of my boys gave me giggles today :)  Lastly, I practiced with the kids how to hold out their hand for a handshake and to say, "Hi my name is Rylan Hathaway, it is nice to meet you."  This was awesome... Rylan kept getting the giggles.  Both boys gave me wet noodle handshakes... oh my!  So we practiced manly, firm handshakes.  Oh yes, that was precious.  I truly wish I could have witnessed them in action with the judges...

It was time to load up the van and head to school.  I dropped them off and prayed for them on my way to work.

I was teaching a Parenting class at church this evening and was unable to attend the Science Fair Open House and Awards Ceremony.  However, afterwards we had planned to meet at YoYo's to celebrate the hard work that they had put forth.  I got out of the van and two little boys came running at me with medals around their necks and smiles from ear to ear!  Yes, this was a significant moment in their life :)  They were so truly proud!  I couldn't wait to hear all the details...  

Bryce was a Science Fair winner and will be taking his project to Science Central on Sunday, March 18th for an exhibit in the afternoon.  Rylan was a Regional winner and will be taking his project to IPFW on Saturday, March 17th.  

Although this was a beautiful day for my children... the highlight of my day was when I told the kids to put their medals in a safe place before bed and they could wear them to school tomorrow, Bryce says, "Mom, I am just going to take mine in my bag... I don't want to make the people that didn't win feel bad.  I remember when Braydon won and I didn't and how sad I was."  Wow Bryce... I'm more proud of you for your spirit than anything else!  Yes, we are proud of ALL the kids that participated in the Science Fair this year.  For all of those sweeties that have a heavy heart tonight... we truly believe that you are amazing! Congratulations Haverhill students... you are ALL winners :)

My Pastoral License!!!

Wednesday was a wonderful day in the journey of my call to ministry.  I interviewed with our lead pastor, Denny Miller, and two of our elders to receive my local pastoral license.  I must admit, I was quite nervous.  Yet in the midst of my insecurities, I smiled!  One of the devotions that I read during my career change, spoke to me once again...

Trust me, and don't be afraid.  You tend to feel more secure when your life is comfortable.  Let me lead you to the rock that is higher than you and your circumstances.  Take refuge in the shelter of My wings, where you are absolutely secure.  When you are shaken out of your comfortable routines, grip My hand tightly and look for growth opportunities.  Instead of bemoaning the loss of your comfort, accept the challenge for something new.  I lead you on from glory to glory, making you fit for My kingdom.  Say yes to the ways I work in your life.  Trust Me, and don't be afraid.

So, as I sit today and realize that it has been 6 months since accepting the call to ministry...  I am so grateful that I said YES! The Lord has equipped me and blessed my heart richly. Yes, I stepped out of my comfortable life and entered a life of serving Him!  I am honored... I am so very thankful for the opportunity to serve in His Kingdom!  My pastoral license will be in effect on March 1st per the approval of the church elders.  I am looking forward to seeing the rest of this journey unfold.  The next step will be to work toward my Specialized Pastoral License and my Graduate Degree in Ministry.

Once my meeting on Wednesday was complete, I called my mom to tell her about it :)  About an hour later, my step-dad appeared at my office door... with FLOWERS!!!  This was truly a special moment for me... one that I will remember always... one that touched my heart and filled me with much joy!  The card was even handwritten by Bill.  I called to thank my mom and she told me that the gift was all from my dad... wow, tears, yep, tears!  I am blessed to have a family that supports me and is proud of me... my cup runneth over!

My cozy office :)

Valentine's Day

As Valentine's Day approached, my kids began asking if we were going to celebrate like we did last year.  I loved their enthusiasm... so of course, we did!  I was never much of a fan of Valentine's Day but I have to admit, it has become one of my favorite holidays!  For two years, this holiday has produced great joy in my family...

The evening started off with a heart pizza from Papa Murphy's... 

This year I added a new touch... Festive Drinks...

I've Got a "Crush" on You! 

I also added a card to the bottle that stated that each of my kids get one free date night with mom at a restaurant of their choice for a "faith"talk.  I'm looking forward to taking my boys out one at a time to chat with them about where they are in their faith walk.  More posts about this to come...

Once we were finished with dinner, the much anticipated Valentine dessert... Chocolate Fondue!!!

Brotherly Valentine Love :)

Adding chocolate kisses to the fondue pot!

Are they melting yet?!?!?!?!

The first strawberry marshmallow!

Bryce's first bite!

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!!!

The evening was a huge success!  I am truly looking forward to the upcoming Faith Dates!!!

Friendly Valentine's

My boys were very excited to make their Valentine's this year!  I loved watching Rylan so intently writing the names on his cards. He asked me to read all the 6 sayings before EVERY card he wrote!!!  He wanted just the right one for each friend... LOL!

Rylan is VERY proud of his Star Wars Valentine cards...

Braydon and Bryce made iPhone Valentine's!  These were very simple but WAY cool for my older boys!  

*These are more Pinterest finds!  If interested in the links for free printables, go to...

http://www.meckmom.com/2011/02/04/free-star-wars-valentine-printable/ 

http://www.livinglocurto.com/2011/01/iphone-valentine-free-printable/

RAK - Day One

Today was the first day of RAK(Random Acts of Kindness) week. This is a week meant to ignite people to take kind actions every day for seven days.  My children's virtue this month at church is HONOR - Letting others know how valuable they are.  What better way to honor others than through kindness!  So, the Hathaway Household is on a mission this week to bless our community!

Today, we went to Espresso Gallery and purchased a $10 gift certificate.  I told the barista to utilize the certificate for as many customers that came in after us!  I also gave her a handful of little cards to give to the recipients that stated this...

You've just been gifted with a random act of kindness.  It's amazing how much a free beverage from a stranger can bring more sunshine into your day, isn't it?  Enjoy!
Kindness: Pass it on!

We are looking forward to tomorrow...

Love each other deeply.  Honor others more than yourselves. 
Romans 12:10

Prayer Pot

I'm back!!!  I haven't posted on my blog since November.  I've had so many thoughts yet time so quickly seems to pass by.

A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer.  Another friend sent out a message with the power of prayer and asked different friends to adopt a time throughout the day to pray for this family.  She had us sign up for a specific time of the day.  This will help us remember the family each day and we will be able to surround them with prayer throughout the entire day!  I signed up our family for the 6pm time slot... thinking we would pray for this family every night at dinner.  I was trying to explain to my kiddos who we were praying for and they couldn't seem to figure out who I was speaking of.  So, I got a picture from facebook and they immediately new who we were praying for... this got me thinking about an idea I saw on Pinterest... A Prayer Pot!  I combined my own creative juices with the idea from the pinboard and this is what I came up with...

I used a pot that a previous student of mine had given me at the end of the school year a few years ago.  I then used a Sharpie paint pen to write a verse that I knew my kids would get!  "Pray Continually."  1Thessalonians 5:17

I added a longer verse on the back of the pot.  Philippians 4: 6-7

Then, I purchased some jumbo craft sticks.  I wrote some ideas for my kids to pray about at dinner with pictures for my youngest, non-reading, son.  I included ideas such as friends, family, neighbors, teachers, church, thankful stick, etc.  These were more broad topics that would help the kids with more intentional prayers.  I then added more specific sticks such as Wilberth (our sponsored child), our family that we committed to pray for, Grandma Hathaway (she's in the nursing home), and Grandpa Budrow (has MS).  On the more specific sticks, I added a photograph on the stick to help my kids connect to that person more.

The plan... as we set the table and prepare for dinner, each family member will take a stick and lay it on their plate.  We will each pray for our "stick."  Then, of course, eat dinner!

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.   Philippians 4:6-7