Editor’s Note: Liz started this with Michael a while ago, but hasn’t been able to convince him to finish it. Rather than wait for what will probably never happen, I’ve decided to post what he’s done so far for the benefit of people who want a view of our world through the eyes of Michael. Who knows what this would have looked like had Michael finished it, but for now, enjoy the sneak peak. –Peter
Today Michael and I decided to make a book. He asked me to take pictures of “bugs, animals, chickens, Thornton, and cracks in the dirt.”… Read the rest
Mangonel: a type of catapult. It’s name comes from a Greek-Latin word for war machine.
The mangonel was a siege weapon used to launch rocks, dung, bales of hay (set on fire), dead bodies, wooden spikes, and hostages (very few hostages survived) over or at a walled fortress. Hostages were launched from mangonels to scare the people inside the wall. The dead bodies and dung were launched to spread diseases to the people in the fortress or castle.
Mangonels work by a mechanism called torsion. Torsion is when you take ropes and twist them and stick the throwing arm in … Read the rest
The ancient Assyrians were one of the first civilizations to use the battering ram, although it’s more commonly known as a medieval weapon. Battering rams were made to knock down walls and gates; some even had real sheep heads on them. Others had spikes on them to pull down wooden gates. They are still being used today in smaller sizes to knock down doors.
This weekend we packed up the family for a short trip to the coast to test out the recently acquired pop-up trailer. Not a lot to say other than whoever thought tin-foil dinners were a good idea in the sweltering heat of a South-Texas summer needs to have their head checked. It’s bad enough cooking over a fire when it’s cool outside, but doing it at 95+ degrees in the coastal humidity sucks! The worst part of the whole deal is that I don’t really have anyone to blame but myself. I was the one that put together that part … Read the rest
For Father’s day this year, Liz interviewed Michael and provided me a run-down of the answers he provided. You never know what you’re going to get when you ask a four-year-old questions, and in this case, the result can be quite funny. The questions and his answers are provided below for your reading pleasure:
How old is Dad? 20
What is Dad’s favorite color? Orange
What is Dad’s favorite outfit to wear? Shirts
What is Dad’s favorite movie? Jason Bourne
Where was Dad born? He was with Jesus before he was born
Sydney is off to youth conference for the weekend. Of course, that means she had to get all dolled up for the fireside and dance that kicks the weekend off. I’m so proud I have to share a picture of her dressed to kill. Look out teenage boys, she’s dangerous but still under-age. Check back in just over a year and you can get in line to compete for a first date.
Several years ago when we lived in Florida we would go to sea world pretty regularly. I never really enjoyed the experience. Between the three dollar bottles of water, the whiny kids who wouldn’t or couldn’t go on any of the fun rides, the expensive crappy food, and the outrageous parking I usually walked away feeling financially violated and irritated.
The last time we did anything of that sort was almost five years ago when we were in Florida. We’ve been in San Antonio for almost three years now, have had the option to go back to Sea World on … Read the rest
For years I’ve been trying to convince Liz to let me “sleep in” until eight or nine on Christmas morning. Liz, however, is firmly in the camp of the early Christmas risers. I don’t think she ever once has allowed me to stay in bed past six thirty, even before we had kids. Since we’ve had the kids, she’s even developed a habit of waking them up because they have the audacity to sleep in. What kind of holiday is it when you have to stay up late the night before shrouding trinkets in ridiculously patterned paper only to wake … Read the rest
This one requires explanation. Liz found Michael asleep on the piano bench. He stirred, got up, and announced that he was going to go lay down in his bed. However, when Liz came back a few minutes later this is what she found:
Apparently he had gone to his bed, pulled a blanket off, and gone back to the piano bench to sleep. He stayed there for almost an hour.
Every project we’ve done so far in the “yard” has been geared towards something that produces food or is food. So far projects have included things like the barn, fence, chicken coop, electric to the barn and coop, water to the animals, etc… The only thing I’ve done to the yard is to cut back the brush and let wild grasses grow in. Not much of a yard, and not particularly good at keeping the mud down when it rains.
Now that some of the major projects are done, and all the animals have homes and water, I decided to … Read the rest
Sydney, 2002
Sydney 2002
Isaac 2004
Isaac 2004
Isaac 2004
Isaac 2005
Sydney 2005
Isaac 2005
Isaac 2005
Isaac 2006
Isaac 2006
Michael 2012
Michael 20013