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Our family motto is to strive to glorify God in mind, speech, and deed while being continuously sanctified by Him.


"And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, and so also should you forgive." 

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Friday, June 12, 2009

Night At the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian

A blog by my daughter:

My family and some friends of ours went sight seeing at the Museum of Natural History, part of the 19 museums that creates the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian is named after James Smithsonian, the founder. My mother had an idea: why not see Night at the Museum, Battle of the SMITHSONIAN at the SMITHSONIAN? Well, we decided to watch Night at the Museum 2 (as some call it) at the Smithsonian.



The movie is as follows:



SPOILER WARNING!
THE PLOT:

Larry Daley, the night guard for the museum in the first Night at the Museum, has moved on in life and now is the owner of the "Daley Devices" company. He is an inventor and the movie starts off (after the beginning credits) with a commercial of his company. Then Larry introduces the "Glow in the Dark Flashlight". After his show, he leaves the studio and returns to the museum that he had his old job (as the night guard) at. He is astonished to see that all the exhibits are being packed up, except for Theodore Roosevelt, Rexy, the T. Rex, the Easter Island Guardian and Ahkmenrah, the Pharaoh of Egypt who owns the tablet (now if you have seen the other movie, the tablet it the reason the exhibits come to life at night). Soon he discovers that they are to be put into deep storage and, without the tablet, they won't be able to come alive after the sun sets. So now Larry must try and save his friends. He talks with the board and tried everything he could think of. Nothing worked. Then, at night, he gets a mysterious call from Jedediah, a cowboy miniature at the museum. It was an urgent call for help. Ahkmenrah's older brother, Kahmunrah, is trying to steal the tablet! Larry asks how Jedediah, Sacagawea, the other miniature cowboys, the miniature Romans and their leader Octavius, The Huns, and the Cave Men have the tablet (the tablet should still be at the old museum!). It turns out that the capuchin monkey, Dexter, stole the tablet, and now Kahmunrah is attempting to steal it back. Kahmunrah thinks that the throne should rightfully be his because he is older. Now Larry needs to find the tablet. The only problem is this: their is an underground storage where all the exhibits are kept. His friends could be in any of them! (NOTE: there is not an underground storage under the Smithsonian.)

He finds out that his friends were fighting Kahmunrah and his Egyptian followers when the sun came up and they froze in place. Larry Daley is able to grab hold of the tablet, but then the sun sets, and his friends come back to life. Unfortunately, so does Kahmunrah. Kahmunrah demands the tablet because with it he can make an army from the underworld. Larry tries to escape, and this is when he meets General George Armstrong Custer and Amelia Earhart. Amelia is thrilled with the idea of adventure and joins in. Mean while, General Custer is thrust into the medal create that Larry's friends are trapped in. Larry and Amelia Earhart manage to escape, but Kahmunrah has not been idle. He has recruited Al Capone, Ivan The Terrible, and Napoleon Bonaparte to help him capture Larry. In return, they shall share the world with Kahmunrah when he defeats it. Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch try to join his team, but they are not evil enough for Kahmunrah.

The little miniatures Octavius and Jedediah escape from the medal box through a small hole. Al Capone's two men see the Jedediah and Octavius escaping and manage to capture Jedediah. Octavius runs away to find help. Larry is captured by Napoleon and Amelia comes along as well. With the tablet in the correct place on the door, Kahmunrah pushes a series of buttons on the tablet, but nothing happens! Kahmunrah looks confused but then decided that his mom and dad changed the combination. Kahmunrah then demands that Larry figure out the 
newcombination. Larry is about to refuse when Kahmunrah shows him little Jedediah to cowboy, who is trapped in an hourglass. Kahmunrah says that Larry only has one hour until Jedediah is covered in sand.

Larry and Amelia Earhart rush off to find someone who can read Egyptian hieroglyphics. They encounter a bust of Teddy Roosevelt in the Washington museum of Art (NOTE: There is no Washington museum of Art). After scratching Teddy Roosevelt's itching nose, Teddy interprets the hieroglyphics, which reads "The answer is in the heart of the Pharoah's tomb.". Larry and Amelia then try and consult "The Thinker" but he just says "I'm thinken, I'm thinken, I'm thinken." and then gets distracted by a statue of a woman (who has clothes on). Amelia remarks that he certainly is no Einstein, and that gives Larry Daley an idea.

After hiding from Kahmunrah's henchmen in the Lincoln Memorial, they sneak into the National Air and Space Museum because Larry (on his trip early when he was searching for his friends and the tablet) saw a bunch of Albert Einstein bobbleheads! The Albert Einsteins explain to him that the answer to the puzzle (and the new combination) is pi. Larry then goes back to the museum and confronts Kahmunrah (Amelia is freeing Larry's friends). The two of them argue on who should get what they want first; Larry wants Jedediah and Kahmunrah wants the new combination and the tablet. Larry is about to win when Al Capone comes striding in carrying a bobble headed Albert Einstein. Albert had been forced to tell Al Capone the new combination (pi) to the tablet. Kahmunrah then opens the door of the underworld and an army of bird headed men come marching out of it and completely surrounds Larry. Then a voice can be heard and Octavius comes charging towards Kahmunrah on a squirrel. Kahmunrah laughs and asks if this is Larry's "big" rescue. Octavius shakes his head and then says "This is!". Moments later, Abraham Lincoln (who sits on the big chair in the Lincoln Memorial) comes crashing though a stain glass window and looks at Kahmunrah and his bird men. Kahmunrah shouts at his men to attack Lincoln, but the spears are deflected by his stone body. Lincoln likens the bird men to pigeons and then starts swatting them. All of the bird men then go rushing back into the "underworld". President Abraham Lincoln then leaves, but not before he gives Larry this advice "A house divided cannot stand". Suddenly, Amelia Earhart arrives with Larry's friends and General Custer gives the word to attack! A battle commences in which Larry fights Kahmunrah; Kahmunrah uses his sword and Larry uses his flashlight. Making Kahmunrah back up to the door where the bird men had returned to the underworld in, Larry signals Amelia to open the door and then shoves Kahmunrah into it! Kahmunrah is gone for good!

Amelia Earhart flies Larry and his exhibit friends to their old museum home and then Amelia leaves (but not without giving Larry a kiss). A while later, it shows that the museum has new exhibits (to the public), but it turns out it is just the old exhibits coming to life! Teddy Roosevelt is a tour guide, Rexy the T. Rex moves back and forth rhythmically, Atilla the Hun as a story teller, and Ahkmenrah (along with Dexter) display the tablet. One of the girls asks Ahkmenrah what the tablet does and Dexter (in monkey "talk") tells Ahkmenrah to tell them. So Ahkmenrah does "It is a tablet that makes all of the museum's exhibits come to life." (that was not the exact quote, but the main idea), but the girl is not convinced. "No, what does it 
really do?" (again, not the exact quote) Ahkmenrah sighs and says "Nothing, it is just for decoration." and the girl leans over to the other and says "I thought so." Larry takes on the job as the Museum Night Guard again and meets a young woman who reminds him of Amelia Earhart. The movie ends with him escorting her to the Hall of Minratures.

So, that is the Plot. Over all it is a good movie and I would watch it again. It is full of laughs, heroes, villians, and friendship.

If you would like to read some more reviews on "Night At the Museum, Battle of the Smithsonian", click on the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_at_the_Museum_2

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004645.cf

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Virtual Field Trip to a 7 star hotel

Recently the kids and I took a virtual field trip to the world's second tallest hotel.  Thank you to Aunt Christina who sent the neatest architecture 3-D puzzles for Aidan's birthday.  The Burj Al Arab was one of the puzzles.  Since I was unfamiliar with it -- we looked it up.  It became an instant homeschool lesson.  

 The Burj Al Arab is  a 7 star hotel located on the Persian Gulf.  For a mere $28,000 you can be pampered in the luxury of this exquisite sail shaped hotel for a night.  The architecture is incredible, but the interior is unbelievable.  

Click here to see an  8 minute video about this amazing hotel.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

The Hat Box


On Crisann's birthday, Spencer was in a particularly creative mood, and decided to make the best of the various boxes Crisann received.   Here is his new hat.  

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Hidden Joys of Winter


I begin counting the days until spring as soon as winter begins.  The long dark days of winter tend to be..... depressing to me.  

This past winter I was determined to find hidden joys in the cold grey days of January and February.  The picture above was one of the hidden joys I found this past winter.  During a snow storm the birds were "desperate" for food and willing to come very close to the house to find some.  I placed bird seed on my kitchen window sill and watched the birds eat while I did the dishes.  This was a tremendous source of entertainment not only for me and the kids, but the cats too.  

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Family Shield Birthday Cake


Around this time of year, I have to remind myself of all the benefits of homeschooling.   This combined effort of my three boys to create Aidan's "Family Shield" birthday cake is a great encouragement to me.  Not only did the boys cooperatively work on this project as a gift to their younger brother, but they even let him help.  

The "Family Shield" was a project that my husband created with the boys a few years ago while going through the study Raising A Modern Day Knight.      Each symbol on the cake has a meaning, as does each color.  I used to think that I had to have professional made birthday cakes done each year.  Now I am beginning to understand the value of a cake made with 100 % pure love.  

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Happy Birthday Rod!


Happy birthday to you.....
Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday dear wonderful, loving, hubby of mine..... 
Happy birthday to you!

P.S.  I would proudly "Stand by my man" 

Friday, April 3, 2009

Keeping up with...... my daughter

My 13 year old daughter has begun blogging, and I have been shamed into up dating my own blog. My blog didn't have a "hip" design, but now thanks to my daughter and her blogging buddies I have a new look.   The pressure is also on to blog more frequently -- my daughter has posted 9 blogs in less than a week!  I cannot seem to do 1 in a week!

You know when I became a parent, there were many things I didn't expect.  I guess I can add "a desire to keep up with my blogging daughter" to the long list of things I didn't know before I became a mom.  I will file it on my list somewhere between "I didn't realize I needed the medical expertise of a nurse to be a mom," and "I would actually catch the food being regurgitated from my child's mouth versus clean the carpet AGAIN."   There are some things you just don't learn until you are already in "the parenting club."  

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April 1st Computer Virus

There is a nasty computer virus scheduled to hit PCs on April 1st called the  Conflicker worm.  I first heard about it  on-line news.   I was not convinced of its validity until my husband did some research too.   It appears to be a real virus.

Apparently some really smart computer brainiac decided it would be particularly funny to mess with the computers of the "less technologically with-it public" (like myself).  Great!  The joke is on me and anyone else that doesn't exactly know how all this computer stuff works!  Isn't there a law against this type of vandalism?!   

Some experts have recommended keeping your PC off on April 1st.  That is my plan.  The good thing is that our family is not only a PC family.  We also have a Mac which apparently is immune to the taunting and teasing of computer hackers that want to ruin my computer.  

This is just one of the many reasons I LOVE my Mac!  

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A photo of a painting of a painting of a photo


Our family has been amazingly blessed  by the incredible art of fellow homeschooler Anna.  Two of my sons have been inspired by her work to try their hand at art.  Recently, Aidan created this work while visiting with Anna's younger brother William.  Aidan used one of Anna's paintings as inspiration.  

Spencer pointed out the irony of me taking a picture of Aidan's painting who copied Anna's painting who used a photograph.  

To see more of Anna's art work click below:

My personal favorite (to date) Sycamore 

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Happy 8th Birthday Aidan!