Stonesetters Verse

The Lambs were required to memorize this verse and recite it daily during the month of January. Now that we moved away we won't be able to attend Stonesetters next year, but this verse will always be in our memories.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 1 Timothy 2:1

This verse has run though my head almost every day since we worked on memorizing it even though we quit reciting it as a family after we attended Stonesetters in January. We pray for the American people that go to the voting booth today and for those elected to high positions.

Stonesetters Part 2

The Stonesetters schedule went like this on January 22.

8:30am Bill mixer game-The students had to ask as many other students what their bill was and the name of their pet and write down their information on a list with all the students names. These were turned in and the students that had the most signatures won a small prize. Lamb 1 and 2 went around together and it really slowed Lamb 1 down because Lamb 2 needed help to spell all the pets names. I tried to help Lamb 2 but he didn't want my help as much as he wanted Lamb 1's help. They didn't get information from very many students.  They will understand how this works better next year and also probably go separately. It was also disappointing for the Lambs to answer each time that they don't have any pets. Even our goldfish died.

9:00am Speaker Etiquette-The students were taught proper addressing. Stand up each time you address the floor and say, "Madame Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House"...and when finished speaking, "Thank you Madame Speaker and Ladies and Gentlemen of the House." It took correction from the parents but after a few times almost all the students had the pattern down.
Senator Johnson spoke to us. She said that Stonesetters was designed to train up these students so some day we will have more Christians in the Statehouse.

9:15am Bill skit-The older students put on a skit to explain how a bill works when it is proposed. It was clever and a good way to teach this concept.

9:45am The House Majority Leader spoke to us. He told us that he thinks Idaho is the best place to live. He ran for office because he hates taxes. Stonesetters presented him with a Ten Commandments plaque to put in his office to thank him for his help with Stonesetters and his Christian example at the Capitol.

10am We split in to two groups and we began debating our bills. Proper speaker etiquette was expected. Both parents and students were welcome to debate the other students bills. I will talk about how Lamb 1 and 2's bills went in a separate post. We ate our sack lunches that we brought with us during the debate.

12:30pm Each student was presented a certificate and received their bill signed by the clerk with passed or not passed on it.

1pm-3pm We had a complete tour of the capitol. Representative Moyle invited us on to the House floor. We were allowed to take turns sitting in the Speaker's chair. In several places at the capitol members of the legislature met us and told us what happens in those rooms. It was very interesting, but the Lambs thought it was too long.

3:15 We met with one of our representatives, Representative Holtzclaw. A few other students that were in his district met with him at the same time.

3:30 Ram and Lamb 3 met us and we went out to eat.

There were no breaks and the day went very quickly for me, but the Lambs thought it was long. They had a ton to fit in the one day that we were there. I am thankful the Lambs had this opportunity. I hope that all three Lambs are able to participate next year.

Stonesetters Part 1

I took several pictures when Lamb 1 and 2 attended Stonesetters at the state capitol. I will explain more about the day in a later post.

Lamb 1 and 2 were allowed to take a turn to sit in the speaker's chair  in the House.

The participants were kept busy from 8:30am-3pm. There were no breaks. We ate our sack lunch during debates. There wasn't even a time for bathroom breaks. So the Lambs enjoyed the couple of minutes when they were invited to lay on the ground level and look up at the ceiling at the capitol.

We saw Governor Otter's ceremonial office. The picture behind the desk is Ronald Reagan. 

At the end of the day, one of our representatives met us. He asked the Lambs if they enjoyed their first Stonesetters. Lamb 2 answered first, "It was boring and too long." Representative Holtzclaw answered that they may not appreciate Stonesetters now, but as they get older they will. We wrote to both our representatives and our senator, but Representative Holtzclaw was the only representative that met us at Stonesetters. 

 Lamb 2, Lamb 1, and Ewe attended Stonesetters this year.

Ram was kind enough to chauffeur us so we didn't have to worry about parking in downtown Boise. Lamb 3 was not old enough to attend this year. Ram and Lamb 3 got dressed up to come down to meet us at the end of the day.

We were all hungry after Stonesetters and I had a gift card for Whole Foods so we went there for an early supper. It is the only place I know we can get pizza without cheese for Lamb 1 without making a special order. We enjoyed pizza and Izze drinks. Ram and I were happy that they were running a deal of 99 cent espresso drinks so we both had a fancy coffee.

After all the Idaho history at the state capitol tour, I thought it would be fun to get the Lambs an Idaho themed treat for dessert. So we went to get Idaho ice cream potatoes.

Ice cream rolled in cinnamon with whipped cream, nuts, and chocolate topping.

They were served at a drive in and the January weather wasn't the greatest for eating outside. I thought they could eat them in the car. But I didn't think about them being dressed up. See that pool of chocolate sauce? After the treats, we stopped at the dry cleaners to drop off Lamb 2's tie and Lamb 3's church coat. Everything else that had chocolate on it was washable. They were a fun treat to have once, but none of the Lambs really liked it. They are definitely a summer treat to have outside!

January Family Update

• Lamb 1 had his last Cub Scout Den meeting. We are looking forward to his last Cub Scout Pack meeting next week. We are so proud of his achievements.
• This morning Lamb 2's bill for Stonesetters was finally approved. I have e-mailed several times trying to finish. I felt like we cut it very close this year, but it was not our fault. I learned more than the Lambs through this. Next year all 3 Lambs will be old enough to do Stonesetters and I know that it will be easier after doing it this year.
• We have had a checklist to complete for Stonesetters. Dress clothes ready, learn how to tie a tie, homework, copies of homework, wrote to senator and representatives, prayed for ID legislature daily, and memorized 1 Timothy 2:1-2. I think all that remains is packing lunches and getting dressed on Friday. Their organized binders look beautiful to me after all this work!
• We are plugging away at homeschool. Lamb 2 began cursive this week. When he was in vision therapy, I never thought there would be a day that he would be ready to do cursive. I would have been satisfied if he got to the point of legible printing. After Christmas break this year his printing looked beautiful. He is excited to learn cursive, especially his name.
• We finished our book for January family book club at the library. We have started the book for Lamb 2 to attend Mayor's book club in February. We began working on the reward program to earn hockey tickets. We love reading!
• One of the Lambs has a rash on his back. I believe it is from dry skin that we put lotion on and I think the lotion irritated it instead of helping it. So we are leaving it alone, no lotion and no shirt today when he is inside. I am waiting to see if it improves or if we need to take him to the doctor. I hate decisions like this-obviously I would take my child to the doctor if he had an earache or high fever that wouldn't break, etc. But  something like this I don't know if it will improve in a few days or if a doctor could help it. Thankfully he says it isn't painful so the current plan is to keep an eye on it and take him to the doctor if it gets worse.
• Our PE co-op is doing Crossfit this month. I love to see my boys get exercise during the winter. It is just once a week, but they are working all kinds of muscles. They look forward to PE. 
• We purchased sheet music for Lamb 1 and 2 to go to music contest in March. This is their first time. They are looking forward to learning and memorizing their music.
• I put the Christmas decorations away soon after Epiphany. Since then I keep finding items that go with the Christmas decorations. Hopefully I can have everything put away before February!
• UPDATE: We did take the Lamb to urgent care. He has a viral infection and also eczema. We got a prescription, but the pharmacy was out of it until tomorrow. He is not contagious. In this case I was glad we found out what it was so now we can treat it.