Do you like blowing bubbles?  Shiloh and Zippy LOVE bubbles.  We blow bubbles inside over the carpet and outside everywhere.  One day, Shiloh and Zippy explored bubbles in different ways.  

They blew little bubbles and big bubbles.  They made bubbles fly slowly.  They made bubbles fly fast.  They made bubbles swirl all around.  Shiloh mastered the art of blowing just right to get the most bubbles out of one breath. ​

Zippy discovered that you can use long grass blades as bubble wands.  Just pinch the ends close together and swirl the grass in some bubble solution.  ​

They even made bubble mountains!  Bubble mountains are made when you blow lots of bubbles on top of each other.  They had a special bubble blower that helped them do that.  Shiloh made the biggest bubble mountain of all!  ​

Sometimes we get bored because we don't imagine or try all the possibilities.  One of the best ways to have fun is to explore something in a new positive way.  You might discover a new game or a new favorite toy.

Jesus said in Matthew 13:54 about teaching truth in old and new ways, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  Discover the fun and insights God wants to share with you as you study and play with "old" things in "new" ways.

Mommy and Shiloh discovered that those eggs were from the Milkweed Leaf Beetle.  This bug looks sort of like a giant ladybug, but it doesn't have circle spots.  Just as their name indicates, these bugs claim milkweed as their primary food source for their larva.  And they are some ugly looking larva.  Mommy noticed these beetles hanging out on the milkweed plants a couple of weeks earlier.  They were mating.  Now they were laying eggs.  Can you spot the Milkweed Leaf Beetle in these two pictures?

Unfortunately, we don't have enough milkweed to share with the Milkweed Leaf Beetle larvae if we want to raise Monarch butterflies, so Mommy removed the eggs and fed them to our quail.  She left the beetle because it doesn't seem to do any damage to the plant.  It's the larvae that greedily eat up many leaves.

Milkweed has many pests that want to eat it.  We are watching our milkweed plants carefully.  We keep them by the front door, so we can inspect them whenever we come or go from the house.  We are guarding our milkweed for the Monarch butterflies.  They will come from afar in late summer to lay eggs on the milkweed.  We want to make sure there will be leaves available to the newborn caterpillars to eat when they arrive.

Protecting our milkweed plants from pests reminds me of a warning Jesus gave in Matthew 24:42-44: "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (NKJV).  Jesus is coming back to this earth very soon.  He wants us to watch and wait for Him.  But, we must be careful.  The devil wants to steal our hearts away from Jesus.  Guard your heart with prayer, Bible study, and obedience.  When you find the devil planting the greedy eggs of covetousness, pluck them out right away.  Our sweet Jesus is worth the wait!

It was Marine Chemistry AND Astronomy Day at the Science Museum.  Shiloh, Zippy, Mommy, Mumsees, and Popsees all went together.  When we arrived, a man greeted us at the door and said, "Would you like to launch a rocket? Go over there!" We walked outside to the grass area he pointed at.  

Sure enough, another man was there standing at a table.  There was a black air pump under the table.  On the table, was a closed soda bottle filled partly with water.  The tube from the air pump connected to the soda bottle.  "Would you like to turn on the pump?" The man asked Shiloh.  Shiloh is always eager to push a button and see what happens.  Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, said the pump.  The water in the soda bottle started bubbling.  Bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop!  

After Zippy launched her soda bottle rocket, we all went inside.  The grand foyer was filled with table stations of experiments and fun things to do. Mumsees and Zippy went off together exploring. Popsees, Mommy, and Shiloh headed another direction.  As usual, after the first table experiment, Shiloh was a little restless.  So, he tried to buzz around in search of something "interesting" to him.  Popsees and Mommy made sure Shiloh finished a lot of stations, but Shiloh was still very restless.

When we got to the Astronomy section, Shiloh discovered his favorite activity - make and launch a straw rocket. Here were the directions.

1. Get your materials: a straight straw, a tiny bit of play-dough, a rocket picture, scissors, tape.
2. Color your rocket picture and cut it out.
   
3. Tape your rocket to the straw at one end.
   
4. Plug the rocket end with play-dough.

Mommy and Popsees also tried to figure it out.  First, they adjusted the launcher.  Maybe the tiny pipe should be angled this way or that way.  Maybe Shiloh needs to let the pipe drop more smoothly.  Maybe the play-dough seal wasn't tight enough and letting air out.  Maybe...it's the rocket.

Again, and again, Shiloh launched pumpkin after pumpkin.  He didn't want to do anything else at the festival.  We discovered that you call the activity Shiloh enjoyed so much - pumpkin chunking.  This fall pastime is new to us.  ​When mommy's hands were too cold to be outside any longer, we insisted it was finally time to go home.  

The Bible says in Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."  Evil pride is when you feel like you are worth more than others and like you don't need God's help.  Sometimes we are tempted to feel pride when we get a high score or win.  We forget that God helps us with all that we work at.  We may even taunt others around us for not doing well.  But, just like a pumpkin that really can't fly, a prideful person will soon discover the hard way that making oneself better than others and forgetting God leaves you with just gravity to contend with.  You will fall down and be ashamed.  Don't be a pumpkin! Give glory to God and cheer everyone on. 

"Look, Mommy!" Shiloh shouted with his hands up in the air. "It's raining leaves!" It was a breezy fall day.  Absorbed in her list of outdoor fall chores to do, Mommy didn't even notice the beautiful brown, yellow, and orange drizzle all around us.  Shiloh was beaming with eyes wide with wonder.  The bright sunlight bounced off the falling leaves, making the air glisten.  

Jesus said in Matthew 18:3, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (NKJV).  Sometimes, mommy-hood seems like endless messes to clean up and a long list of chores that still need to be done.  But, God showed me through (uncomfortable!) mud puddles, raining leaves, simple tools, and little kids that He sees those messes as meals enjoyed, new discoveries made, and evidences of fun and laughter.  Put that rake down and experience the miracle of raining leaves.