Living History

Were there rats on the ship?
Where were the bathrooms?
If the people slept on the deck, what happened when it rained?

You would know the answers to these questions -- and more -- if you had been on our field trip to a replica of Columbus' ship the Nina. We were able to drive to the Quad Cities (less than 90 minutes away) and go back in time over 500 years. Since we had studied Columbus' voyage a couple weeks before the floating museum docked in Iowa, we definitely took advantage of this great field trip with some homeschooling friends!

Caesar and the Angel

This morning was our annual church Christmas program, including a re-enactment of the Nativity story. The buzz started in early November when the children requested their parts. Maria wanted to be an angel...perhaps a step up from last year's role as a sheep....at least a cooler costume to wear under the stage lights! Miles' main criteria was that he wanted a speaking part, which seemed to make the director happy since most of the boys DIDN'T want to speak. So, he was cast as a younger-than-usual Caesar Augustus.

Miles and Maria did their parts well and -- of course -- looked cute in the process. Miles used his best "official" voice to summon people to Jerusalem for the census. Maria hovered so close to baby Jesus that visitors probably thought it was her little brother! (She wasn't the only doting angel, though. Now that I think about it, what would you expect when there is a baby near a group of 3 to 7 year old girls who have been told to stay still and quiet?)

We had the most active "Jesus" we've had in quite a while, and poor 10-year-old "Mary" kept looking at the baby's dad in the front row, as if to ask, "Why don't you come up here and help me get this baby to stop crying!!??" Finally, she realized that he was giving her the green light to pick up the baby (earlier she'd been instructed to try and keep him in the manger), and all was at peace again.

On the drive home from church I asked the children what parts they aspired to for next year. Maria didn't know yet -- after all, it's a pretty big decision and she has 11 months to think about it! But Miles was quick to say that he wished Mary could be played by a boy. I was a bit concerned, but tried not to show it by asking that great parental cover-up question, "Why do you say that?" "Because Joseph doesn't have any lines," he immediately responded. Aah....a desire for more of the spotlight. I wonder how long it will be until he realizes that Mary always sings a solo?

Kindergarten Day 1: Will I Learn to Read?

Our baby girl, Maria, turned 5 in May. Just before her birthday, she got to visit school one morning with Miles. Even though we homeschool, they attend a local elementary a few hours a week with other homeschool children for "specials" (art, music, P.E., library, etc.).

Fortunately, after the shock I experienced when Miles confidently walked into the classroom without even telling me goodbye during his Kindergarten visit, I was only slightly disappointed when Maria didn't want me to walk in with her ("I'll be okay with Miles") and didn't look back at the van even once as she followed big brother into the building. When I called my wise sister to share my sob story with her, she pointed out that I must be doing a good job of teaching the children to be independent. I countered that I didn't want that much independence at age 4!

But what shocked me most, was that after 2 years of participating with Miles while he was schooled at home, Maria still had no clue what it was all about. The night before her visit, when I told her where she was going the next morning, she eagerly asked, "Will they teach me to read tomorrow?"

Maria has been working hard at learning to read. Today's read-aloud story had "kitten" in it, and after successfully reading it, she looked up and said, "That was a big one!" It's fun to see her get so excited about reading.

And our children are truly opposites. Miles cringes at the sight of a workbook page and is overwhelmed with the idea of answersing SO MANY questions. Maria, on the other hand, complained to me a few weeks ago that there should be MORE workbooks in school. I guess variety is the spice of life....and school!

Prawns in Paris

Ray hasn't traveled much in his 15 years with Rockwell Collins, but when he does, it's always been memorable.

Like the time he brought home Cheesecake Factory cheesecake in his suitcase.
Or when I got delayed coming home from a trip to Spain and arrived a few hours AFTER he left on a business trip.

In November, Ray was sent to Paris, France to meet with a sub-contractor. It sounds wonderful, but the schedule was grueling (or at least that's what he told us...I think he was exaggerating to make us forget about his business class seat on the direct flight from Chicago to Paris!!) As travel goes, there are always stories and this was one of the best:

The last night in Paris, the team stopped work about 7:30 p.m. so a couple of the guys could see the Eiffel Tower before it closed. Ray and others who had already visited milled around so that the whole group could go to dinner together. About 10 pm they decided where to go eat, and about 11 pm they arrived at a restaurant on Champs-Elysees. After the orders were placed, a co-worker pointed out that Ray's prawn appetizer -- at 46 Euros or about $65 US -- cost more than his meal. So Ray agreed to split it with the guy. When the appetizers arrived, Ray was handed a plate with elaborate garnishes and one prawn! After overcoming his shock, true to his word he cut it in half and shared with his co-worker.

Ray's Paris travel advice: you get great-tasting food -- and more for your money -- at off-the-beaten-path sidewalk cafes than in the fancy main street restaurants.


Next trip: Savannah, Georgia; December 16-20. Check back to read what humorous mishap follows him home.

Davis Clan Cruises Alaska

* Crab and fresh fettucine dinner cooked in our Seattle hotel room: around $50
* Letting a "Ride the Ducks" driver teach our children to say "Cha-Ching" when they see Starbucks: $70
* Memories from a week-long Alaskan cruise with the extended family: priceless

The Davis clan gathered for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. We departed from Seattle on Royal Caribbean's "Vision of the Seas" and visited the ports of Juneau and Skagway, Alaska and Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada. We also spent a morning cruising Tracy Arm Fjord to see icebergs and glaciers. God definitely made that part of the country beautiful! On-board we enjoyed dance lessons, board games, a rock climibing wall, Adventure Ocean (free on-board childcare) and more.

Miles and Maria waited patiently to use the ship's pool -- the one at our Seattle hotel was broken -- only to find it was filled with salt water! Fortunately, the hot tub was up to their standards. And although they liked being spoiled in the main dining room, they jumped at the chance to join other kids for a "no silverware required" dinner.

Whale watching was especially fun because we got to spend over 10 minutes watching a baby whale throw a temper tantrum because his mom decided to eat before feeding him. (He didn't cry as loud as our hungry babies did, but he did make quite a splash!!) On a train ride along historic the gold-rush path, we felt like we were on Scooby Doo when the train passed a bridge that disappeared into the fog....fortunately the conductor knew the bridge had fallen apart and didn't take us that direction! And Ray and I learned something new about each other after 13 years of marriage: we both wanted to kayak. What better place to start than a placid Alaskan lake where we could see bald eagles, jellyfish, starfish, and more?? (We also found something to agree on: we'll take kayaking over canoing if given a choice in the future...)

The worst part of the trip was finding out our beds had to be separated for the kids to get up into their bunks. We tried to get Mom & Dad to trade rooms because they WANTED their beds separated to have more floor space, but for some reason, they quickly and firmly said, "No!" Can't blame us for trying.

The photo above shows: (standing, left to right) Austin, Joe, Shannon, and Jennifer Marsh (Jennifer's step-daughter, Kristin, was in Korea and couldn't join us); Brandon; Dad & Mom; (seated, left to right) Ray and Shari Damaso; Jenn and Maddie Davis (Brandon's wife and daughter); Maria and Miles Damaso.

Others (not pictured) with us on the cruise were: Mom's brother, Ted and wife, Ellen; Mom's Aunt Gloria and friend, Dee; and Murray friends Bob & Bev Brown.