John and Alyssa's Duet

John and Alyssa performed "Holy, Holy, Holy" at CrossWay's Homeschool Art Festival tonight.
(Sorry about the unsteady hand, I was holding Lauren in my opposite arm!)

Wow.

You may be interested in reading what Carolyn McCulley has to say about this video, here.

Disney World

We surprised Alyssa with a trip to Disney World for her
tenth birthday.

Please Pray for My Dad

Last week my Dad fell down and hit his head. He has spent the last several days in the ICU. Although he did not break any bones, he did have a bleed on his brain. As a result his speech is badly slurred, and he has been slightly confused. He is also having difficulty moving the right side of his body.
Yesterday, the doctor moved him into a regular hospital room, but it looks like it may be a long recovery, including several weeks in rehab. We are not sure when he'll be coming home.
Beyond the obvious, here are a few prayer requests: my Dad is at risk for strokes, but because of the bleed and his frequent unsteadiness, he cannot be on blood thinners. Please pray that God would protect him from having a stroke. He also has great difficulty with his knees, causing much discomfort as well as weakness when he is walking (he has been using a walker for months). He was scheduled for knee replacement next month,
but it has been postponed until he is better.
It has also become apparent that he may no longer be able to live by himself. Please pray for wisdom for my family as we try to decide what would best serve my Dad, who he can live with, and how to care for him during this stage of his life. As you can imagine, it is difficult to see your parents suffer. Please pray for God's comfort for us all during this time.
Thank you from all 9 kids, 6 in-laws, and 26 grandchildren in the Flanigan Crew.

Where Has the Time Gone?

Alyssa will be ten next week.

I Wanna Be a Cowboy...

I couldn't resist posting this one.

Baby Noah

Meeting Noah's birth grandparents has me reminiscing... as a result, I have begun a new project. John brought home a VHS-DVD converter, and I am in the process of compiling and editing about six years of video. Here is the beginning of this huge undertaking:

P.S. No comments on the hair please! : )

Who's Shakespeare?

We have begun memorizing poetry each month. Noah and Alyssa each pick a poem out of a collection we enjoy. Julianna also decided to participate....



Noah memorized "The Eagle" by Lord Alfred Tennyson;
Alyssa memorized "Where Go the Boats" by Robert Louis Stevenson;
and Julianna memorized "The Elephant" by Hilaire Belloc.