The scary Danforths

Sawyer's a hatless/spurless/beltless cowboy, Elaina's supergirl, and I'm....Sam.

Getting ready for the Nooni New Testament dedication

Today we send in our applications for visas for Cameroon!  We learned something new, the hard way.  After getting pictures taken for our applications, I found out that BOTH ears have to be showing.  I made sure to wear my hair up for the re-takes :)

Home school project...

One of our projects is to make blankets.  Elaina chose Rapunzel and Sawyer got Spiderman.  She finished hers, but his is still a work in progress :)

Africa class cont.

The kids and I were asked to share about Cameroon to one of their co-op classes.  Students learned about panyas (skits) and the Cameroon Lions (soccer team)!

Panya kid's dress

Panya towel

Panya baby carrier

Traditional men's clothing

Carrying loads on our heads

Chief's hat

Tie-dyed dress

Cameroon Lion jerseys

Time with the boys...

Sam and two Moody students found a great new place to go dirt biking.  Boys and dirt...what is it?

Diary of a home-schooling mom

I am becoming increasingly thankful for this year to home school my kids.  The more I invest in them, the more deeply I fall in love with them.  The deeper I am in love with them, the better I parent them.  I am thankful to God for giving me this year early in their lives, to discover NOW instead of LATER this depth of love for the little ones He has entrusted to me.  They know that our school motto and my prayer is that they will use their education to magnify God in all things and thus grow in their love for Him.

Daily fiddle practice, working on "Shortnin' Bread"

Sawyer's desk

Elaina works on math and number lines

We have been provided a wonderful home-school room at this rental

Our Reading Nook is full of Pilgrims, Mayflower, and Plymouth literature this month

Elaina saw a picture of friend, Asia Weimer's home-school desk complete with morning brew
 and decided this would help her own educational endeavors: peppermint tea.

Calender count down to the 100th day of school

This year's curriculum; Sonlight

Fiddle Beans: Practice with a great attitude = 5 beans.  Practice with complaints = 2 beans.
A jar full of beans = a P.J. and movie day!

This month's scripture memory: Psalm 1

Part of our Social Studies is to study Greek Mythology.  What a treasure to be able to start discussions this young the thought of discerning Truth from Myth.  They have studied about Zeus, Hades, Arachne, and much more! 

Sawyer struggled with the difference between short "i" and "e".  After some skype collaboration with an elementary teacher friend, we decided to look at each other's faces and observe what our mouths and jaws do differently for each sound.  Here is short "i"

Short "e"

"I will sing to the Lord for he has been GOOD to me." Psalm 13:6

A new Bible...

...their smiles say it all.  Say hello to the folks who have spent the last 20 years translating the Bible into Nooni and say hello to their new Bible.

Fall is here...

...which means lots of family love, crisp air, pumpkin decor, thankfulness to our Father, baked goodies, reflection on you all, and a harvest field trip or two for the Danforth Christian Academy kiddos. 

Africa class

Elaina with Mami Banla in 2005

Elaina and Sawyer's first class of the day, Expedition Earth, at our home-school co-op was on Africa! How fun!  I couldn't help but listen in from outside the door and finally had to pop in to hear the rest :)  Their teacher did a wonderful job and Elaina and Sawyer got to share their passports with the class.  They thought they were supposed to BRING them to class this week, but I think the teacher had just asked last week if anyone HAD a passport.  It worked out perfectly because they got to show the class their visas to Cameroon and talk about what visas are.  Next Thursday the teacher invited me to do a lesson on clothing in Africa.  I can't wait!  Reliving memories of taking Elaina to my village when she was a few months old.

ADDRESS

Our address will remain the same this year.  We have moved multiple times, so all our mail has been going to Moody so that our dear friends wouldn't have to update their address books multiple times for us :)  Our phone numbers will also remain the same (our cells) and we will not have a land line at this home.

Sam and Anna Danforth
6719 E. Rutter Ave.
Spokane, WA
99212

Stan Danforth

Last night was Moody's annual Staff Appreciation dinner.  How awesome to celebrate 125 years of Moody Bible Institute with Sam's colleagues!  We sat next to sweet friends and it was so refreshing to connect with our Moody friends away from work.

On a side note, Sam's name tag read "Stan Danforth".  He seems to have a difficult name :)  Usually it turns into Dan Danforth.  Last night Stan Danforth won some great loot in a door prize and all his friends whooped and hollered "GO STANLEY!" as he went up to collect it.

Stan Danforth

Stan's loot

Kidnapped and taken to Idaho

Several months ago, Sam came up with a sneaky master plan to kidnap the three of us on his birthday weekend and take us to a cabin in Idaho (45 minutes away).  A family there has chosen to bless Moody staff with weekend getaways to this lovely cabin in the mountains.  It was GREAT!

No birthday candles.  A twig had to do :)

Birthday fishing