Poor Little Peanut

Poor Victoria is sick. It's always so sad when they can't tell you what is the matter.

Christmas Day!

We are so thankful our Lord humbled Himself, robed Himself in the flesh of man, and eventually dies on the cross for the ungodly!

As the songwriter says, "What shall I give Him, poor as I am?"

He only asks that we turn from sin and put our trust in Him. It is so simple that a child can understand it.

Christmas Eve at the Maynard's House

Deer in headlights.

Weird little boy in headlights.

Weird little boy.

Toothless little boy.

Victoria loves to be read to, and Colin loves to read, so it's a great match!

The Wonder of It All

Yesterday in science, we discussed snow and the individual snowflake. They claim each one has six points and there are no two that are alike.

When I look out my window, not only is it pretty, but it reminds me that we have a very creative, detail-oriented God!

Paid For by the Tourists of America

Notice the abrupt cessation of footage when Colin asks the gender-related question!

Vacation, Part the Fifth

The next day brought more trails and a small zoo at the top of a mountain.

Victoria has lost the will to smile for any more pictures.

They had an exhibit for animals that are nocturnal.

The stately owl.

The slothful turtle.


The slithering snake.

The skulls and bones of dead things.

On to cheerier things...

The zoo keeper let us watch him feed the otters. They were quite hungry.

Rotten bears. I'm still bitter. I had to pay to see them. At least they did me the honor of walking about. One of them even disappeared into a log.They were in a playful mood.

There is a trail that is very steep that takes you up to a tower that allows you to see one of the highest spots in the Smokies.

It was a climb that required several pauses. At one point Colin said, "My legs are having a hard time going." I couldn't answer him because I was busy having a cardiac arrest.We made it to the top! It was very windy and cold. Very, very windy.

Victoria did not have a cardiac arrest because she didn't put a toenail on that trail. On our way back down, almost every person we passed commented that they wanted her spot.

The Big Seven!

Colin turns seven today!

We are so thankful for our little boy. He is so jolly and smart. He is always thinking and creating. He is an affectionate and kind big brother.

He loves to read! He has even made up a few stories and poems.



He loves to be goofy. I think he is trying to be a "stong man" here.

Reading again.

We love you, Colin! God gave you to us when we could have no children. We know He has a special plan for you!!

Vacation, Part the Fourth

There is a particular trail we like to go on while we are in the Smokies. It is mostly driving, but it also has walking trails and historic buildings throughout the drive.

This is a beautiful church building to me. It says, "I am a church, not an office building." There is nothing wrong with modern buildings, but I like the simple ones.

Of course, I prefer heated ones. :)

There was a neat old Bible on the pulpit. I tried to wait my turn, but the people looking at it were not realizing there were other people in the room that also wanted to see it (even though I was standing right there). I think these are the same people who never know when it's their turn at a four-way stop when they drive. :)


Every church should have a graveyard. They just go together.



We love walking through graveyards. It was something we did during our engagement. They are melancholy, respectful and historical all rolled-up together.


The person below was in the Revolutionary War!

Married couple.

Mountains!

These were very, very neat! You could see such detail! They were so soft, too.

Unidentified person.

They had a fox, bear, coyote, skunk, and a few others I can't think of right now.

The peanut (Victoria). She was carried in this thing. She happily waved and said "hello" to every person that passed us.

This old barn reminded me of Fisk and the loft we always had to be careful walking on for fear we would fall through the holes.

Another old animal building.

Gourmet Fire

Just in case anyone thought I was perfect, I thought I would post a culinary goof. I was "toasting" some potato flakes in the microwave (they were to be a topping for the main dish) and I began doing other things.

Because I have a highly functioning memory, I remembered to give them a stir every 30 seconds as the recipe suggested.

Just kidding. I forgot to stir them and set them aflame! Boy, did it stink!

Take a look at that wad of potato flakes. There was fire in the middle for at least 20 minutes! Next time, I'll stick to my stovetop. Microwaves are weird, anyway.