It Just Doesn't Seem Right....

That's what I thought this morning when I woke up to see snow lightly falling and the ground covered in a dusting, especially with the first signs of Spring emerging. But, oh the beauty of God's creation......

I couldn't help notice how the flower receives its protection from the elements snuggled up next to the rock. That's exactly what the Rock does for us!

~Wee

I Beleive!

Today was our Easter program. Both Megan and Grace were in the choir and have been practicing for the last several weeks. "I Believe!" was the theme of the program this year and, once again, the message and worship were beautiful and moving!

This was Leah's first time to be in a program. Her class sang two songs -- He's Got the Whole World in His Hands and Deut. 7-9. Here is one of her songs. We've been practicing it at home and she's always eager to do the hand motions, as well. Today, however, she just sang :)

The choir sang six songs, leading us up to and through the resurrection of Jesus to the point of His coming again to receive His elect. Listen as the choir sings The Days of Elijah. This was the final song of the program and a great one to end with!!

I apologize for the quality of the movie. For some reason when I uploaded the video, it played back choppy and seemed to have interference in it. I did my best to splice it together, but the part where they are repeating, "There's no God like Jehovah" to the end of the song didn't turn out too well. It truly was wonderfully done (and I have the original recording to prove it)!

~Wee

April Fool's

A scene at our house this morning......

Dad: "Last night a wolf came up and chewed half the slide off."

Megan: "I'll have to see this." Concerned, both she and Grace got up from the bar stools to go check out the damage done. Standing at the patio door peering out at the slide (fully intact), they ask, "Where????"

Dad: "April Fool's!"

Grace started laughing and Megan replies, "Since you are the one who usually does that, last night I was trying to think of how to trick you, but I couldn't think of anything."


1 Cor. 2:10 ~ "But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. " ~


The "deep things of God" refers to God's unfathomable nature and His wonderful plan - Jesus' death and resurrection - and to the promise of salvation, revealed only to those who believe that what God says is true. Those who believe in Christ's death and resurrection and put their faith in Him will know all they need to know to be saved. This knowledge, however, can't be grasped by even the wisest people unless they accept God's message. All who reject God's message are foolish, no matter how wise the world thinks they are.

Were you fooled today? Don't be.

~Wee

Amusing a Child

Grace wrote the following for an English writing assignment:


Once upon a time there lived in a little cottage two girls, a mother, and a little baby boy. The two girls' names were Emily and Leah. The two girls loved their baby brother. One day Emily asked her mother if they could watch their baby brother. Their mother said, "Yes, you can watch your baby brother for fifteen minutes. So Leah shared her toys with her sister and her brother. After the fifteen minutes, Leah said to her mother, "Thank you for letting me watch my brother." Then the two girls went outside to play.


THE END

By GRACE GUTWEIN

A Day at our State's Capitol

I will quote what Megan said yesterday, "That was the best field trip ever!!! And it was, I agree! Before sunrise, with a full moon high in the sky, the girls and I, along with our friend, Beth, loaded into the van and headed down to Indianapolis for the day. Since most of us aren't normally up at that time of day, it was a treat to be able to witness the orange pink hues light up the sky as the sun rose. The Lord truly blessed us with a beautiful day to travel as we spent the day touring points of interest in our State's capitol city. Our gang at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Our first stop was the Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts. Our tour began clear up at the top in the press box, where we could see the entire stadium through the magnified glass. Down the hall from there were all the offices of those who run the scoreboard, the PA system, the video screen, the time clock, you name it, it was there. There was even a door for the "Home Coach." My favorite sign outside one of the doors read, "Instant Replay....Positively No Visitors."

From the top of the stadium, we worked our way down level by level. At stops along the way, we sat in the stadium seats and listened as our guide pointed out the various aspects of the stadium. One thing that amazed me (even from the second level up) was how little and hard to see the ball was as we watched some guys shooting baskets down on the court.

Here we are standing on where the field would be if it wasn't covered up.

On the lower level, of course, the thrill was to walk down the visiting team's tunnel and out onto the field. In preparation for the NCAA tournament, however, the football field was covered up with protective flooring, bleachers and a basketball court. Even so, we were able to see and feel a little corner of the end zone turf. We were surprised on how shaggy the turf was.

After leaving the field, we went into the visiting team's locker room. The room was huge, with yellow walls and blue lockers. No decals adorned the walls. It was, in fact, very plain. Off that, behind a curtained-off area, we entered the shower room. Before I was even into the room, Megan came out to report to me that the "showers are all together." She wasn't so sure about that!

This was at the end of our tour of Lucas Oil Stadium, and Leah had had enough walking!!! Notice her delightful countenance?!

After the stadium tour and lunch in the parking lot, we headed to the Indiana State House. While sitting on the marble floor, we learned all about the history of our State's capitol building - where it was first located, what materials were used in building it, and the fact that it took ten years to build. The inside of every part of the building, from floor to ceiling (including both), was absolutely beautiful. Even the restroom was nicely kept up!

In the Senate Chambers, we were only able to walk through it as the guide talked about what goes on when the Senate is in session. From there we went to the Court of Appeals courtroom, and here we got to sit in the original wooden chairs as the guide explained the appealing process, gave bios of the Justices and Chief Justice, and told us about the chandelier in that room - one that cost $1 a pound and weighed 1500 pounds. As we exited the room, a plaque above the door with the inscription, "In God We Trust," caught my eye.
The five Justices pictured on the wall above the robe are those who currently sit on the bench.

Leah sitting in the House of Representatives.

Our tour of the State House ended at the House of Representatives. Once again, we were allowed to sit at the desks and in the chairs where the representatives sit. Grace was stationed in the front row at the very desk of our local Representative. While both Megan and Grace were on the Republican side of the room, Leah, Beth, and I sat on the side of the Democrats.

Like all the other rooms, this room was full of beautiful detail as well. The chandelier had 100 candle lights, the exact number of Representatives, and had the nickname, "The spider." The mural on the front wall illustrated three details: how Indiana earns its money (agriculture), its statehood, and how it spends its money -- very interesting. A highlight in this room was seeing our name "Gutwein" in the board listing all the Representatives. (Although a distant cousin, still fun to see.)

A view of the Civil War Monument from the State House.

The girls and I climbed the 330 steps up inside this monument and had a good view of downtown Indy from the very top. That was the most steps I have ever done at one time, but the view from the top was well worth the climb!

The Civil War Museum was just a block or so from the State House, so we couldn't miss that. Since we are currently immersed in the study of the Civil War, it was the perfect time to visit this museum. The films, the artifacts, the surgical instruments, the flags, and all the displays made everything we've studied seem so real.

This regimental flag was carried by a Civil War flag bearer. They said its position is much like it might have been as the flag bearers waited for orders to march on or to charge into battle.

Once outside the city, we stopped for dinner (at about 8:00 p.m.). Sitting around the table at Wendy's I asked each one what their favorite part of the day was. While the Colts' stadium was a highlight, each one had a difficult time coming up with a "favorite" part. Everything was so good! It was a fun 16-hour day.

~Wee

I Love Lucy

We, here at our household, are I Love Lucy fans. The girls just love watching these old shows, even Leah. In fact, that is her video pick of choice, and she is often heard walking around singing......

~Wee

Week No. 6

I realize I haven't kept up on the girls' basketball games. The last two games have looked really good (not that the previous games haven't) in that all the girls have gelled nicely as a team ~~ there is controlled ball handling, great efforts on defense, confidence in carrying out offensive moves or plays, and smiles on their faces. The game today was fun to watch. Each of the girls on our team made at least one basket in today's game!

This is a 3rd and 4th grade league, so for being one of the younger players, Grace has done a good job in staying up with the others. We have seen improvement in her as the season has progressed. She is more confident in her ball handling and does a great job on defense (that's also where she excelled in soccer). Today, she made her first game basket, so she was excited about that! She received the gold star for best sportsmanship. Here is Grace dribbling the ball.
Megan made a couple baskets in today's game. Because she is so quick, I love watching her dribble the ball. She starts going one direction, then quickly changes and goes in the other direction, backs into the lane and shoots. Today she received the red star for best defense. Here she is heading into the lane.

~Wee

Wanting Grandpa

This morning I asked Leah what she wanted for her Birthday (which isn't until July). She thought for a bit, then replied, "I want PawPaw."

Me: "Oh, you want Grandpa --"

Leah: "Me have MawMaw; me not have PawPaw."

Knowing that she has both Grandmas and Grandpas and even a Great Grandma in her life, I was a bit confused before I realized that she was talking about her doll house figurines. So, Grandma, there you have it, she'd like a "Grandpa" to go along with her Grandma. It just doesn't seem right to her to have one without the other!

~Wee

Announcing....

I am excited to announce that I am a new aunt! My sister and her husband had their 5th baby boy on Saturday, February 28, 2009 (his actual due date). He was a big boy, weighing in at 8 lbs. 1 oz., and was 22 inches long. CONGRATULATIONS, Dad and Mom!!!!

~Wee

The History Center

Another busy week is behind us! Our February field trip took us to the History Center in Fort Wayne. There the girls were sent on a scavenger hunt. All the exhibits in the museum are numbered, so as we moved from room to room, they looked for answers to the questions on their guide. It was fun and interesting, but by the time the final exhibit was seen, we were all tired and ready to go.

Megan's favorite part was the last exhibit - the jail. That night around the dinner table, the girls talked the most about this particular exhibit. Strange, isn't it, just cement walls and iron bars, but they found it fascinating that the benches inside each cell were about a foot (if that) off the ground. This was because the prisoners in these cells were drunkards, and the low benches prevented them from hurting themselves if they fell off their bed. The walls were full of graffiti. Grace found a section of tally marks, so she counted how long that prisoner was behind bars. Leah wasn't so sure about being behind bars.

Grace liked seeing the replica of a Conestoga wagon. She had recently finished reading a book about traveling west in the covered wagons, so it was neat to see a model of one.

Leah enjoyed the doll house. When she pushed the buttons at the bottom, the light in that respective room lit up. She really did a great job keeping up with us as we moved from exhibit to exhibit.

I personally enjoyed the Underground Railroad Code-Quilts. It is amazing to me all the intricate work put into each section, each with its own message in assisting the slaves onto freedom. Here is a sample of some of them.

~Wee