Happy 16th Birthday, Landon!

Here is the birthday boy ready to open his gifts!


Chase didn't have any money for a gift (oh, those pesky management fees!), so she made breakfast for Landon with a little help from Dad - eggs, grits, bacon, and toast. She also made him this awesome card!


Awwww, thanks, Sis!


A card from the Department of Energy thanking Landon for using an alternative energy source - birthday candles! Okay, so it was really from Mom and Dad and included an iTunes gift card.


Mechanical pencils were actually on Landon's birthday list, so he got some of a little better quality than the dollar store cheapies he was using.


Hmmm.... what's this?


A graphing caluclator! Cool! Is it only homeschooling parents who give educational stuff for birthday gifts?


Landon always requests homemade strawberry shortcake for his birthday. It starts with a homemade angel food cake. (Ok, it comes from a box! My parents got this cake mix at a store in Belleville, IL, where they live. I can't find one like it down here. It comes with two packages of mix in it. The first is an powdered egg white mix that you sprinkle over cold water and whip on high speed until it forms stiff peaks. Then you fold in the other packet. It is the BEST angel food cake mix. My parents can't even get it anymore. It was a brand called Hospitality which may actually be a generic name. I used my last box on this cake, so I know I'm going to be searching the internet for more.)



Here's the finished product. It's a good thing Landon's birthday falls right at the beginning of strawberry season here. I even made homemade whipped cream this year for the first time.


Here's the King of the Day enjoying the creation!


And here's a tribute to a really awesome kid!

Carys Prays

Life has been busy. I've been reading others' blogs but not posting on my own. I've been thinking about this post for awhile since I read something on DeEtta's blog about one of her little darling's prayers.

Carys almost always wants to be the one who prays before meals now. This is how it goes:

"Dear God, thank you love for me." Interpretation - thank you for loving me. Then she begins to talk about whatever happened to her that day or whatever's on her mind. Last night she said, "Don't touch the stick. It's hard." She was trying to put the ClearPlay USB stick into the DVD player for the family night movie. She couldn't get it in, and we fussed at her and told her not to touch it. Some day it might be "I swing and slide." You get the drift. Then she finishes, "Jesus' Name. Amen." Sometimes she remembers to say thanks for the food, sometimes not. It cracks us all up as we try to listen closely and hear what she's saying. But I think she's right on target. She's just talking to God!

An Officer in the House

February 10 was a big day in the Meahl family as both of the boys were promoted that evening at their Civil Air Patrol meeting.

Gerren was promoted to Cadet Senior Airman. Here Major Shewbart pins on his grade insignia.


Major Shewbart, the Deputy Commander for Cadets, Gerren, and Greg.


And Landon was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant! He is only one of two cadet officers in his squadron at this time.


This is Major Shewbart, Landon, and the new Group 3 Commander, Major Miles.


I included this picture of the pinning on of Landon's epaulets for one reason. You can just see a tiny bit of Major Shewbart's face in the background.

If you look closely, you will see that he's talking. While he's pinning on the cadets' insignia or epaulets, he talks to them in a whisper. He said to Landon, "You're doing a good job, Landon. I'm proud of you. Keep up the good work." And I think he added something else more personal. He said something similar to Gerren. He's an incredible godly man who has had an awesome impact on my boys. I am so thankful for the men God has placed in my sons' lives at this crucial point in their spiritual growth (Keith Shewbart, Kevin Spiddle, Bob Ayton, Al Kearse.... I'm probably forgetting someone, but these popped in my head right away). Thank you for giving freely of your time to impact these young men.

Church?

I'm posting a link to an article sent to me by our friend, Jay Mitchell, who is starting a church in the Greenville, SC area. It pierced my heart, and I'd love to hear what some of my blog readers think. So, I found the article online and am posting the link here. The article is by Francis Chan and is entitled A Gathering Force.