Every Friday night, our family takes time to be with each other. We let the kids stay up late and sleep in on Saturday morning. Some of the things we have done on different nights are watching a movie, playing a board game, calling family on the web-cam and Skype, making videos together, making and practicing international flag flash cards, going to the mall, learning Chinese, and blogging together.

We all look forward to family night every week and always have a blast! You should try it with your family! Just choose a night and an activity and start making long-lasting memories together!!

Here are a few posts about past family nights:

Live Video TV Station
Twister
Monopoly

Drawing is something I never considered myself able to do. It was probably due to the fact that I tend to be a perfectionist, and my older sister was a great artist. What I drew could not compare with what she could, so I didn’t even try.

Several months ago, Luke suggested we, as a family, draw flags of every country and make a game out of memorizing them (he did this as a child). I agreed as long as I didn’t have to draw them. It soon became quite evident that, although Luke did a great job, he couldn’t keep up with 3 “colorers.” So I volunteered to make some of the more simple cards, like Japan, which only has a circle in the center. 🙂

We finally came to a section that contained no “easy” flags, so I took one a little more difficult. It surprised me when Luke could actually look at the picture and tell what I had drawn when I attempted to draw a dragon!

Since then, I have become a little bolder, and in the process, have realized that I’m not a wonderful artist, but what I draw can at least be recognized.

Luke and I have discovered that he does things with curves, like birds, better than me, and I do straight lines, like stars, better than he does. So sometimes, we each will draw what we can do the best and then pass the card off to the other. And as we had already discovered years ago, we make a better team than we ever could individually. 🙂

We have finally discovered a form of physical activity that the whole family can participate in!! I have wanted this for a long time, and it has finally happened!! Rollerblading!!! Here’s how it works. Luke pushes the double stroller with B and Ph in it and P holding on to the side. Yes, he is able to skate doing this!! (Amazing, huh?) AM follows a good distance behind L because she can’t go quite as fast, and I skate along behind AM zig-zagging and skating in circles (anything to make up for going a little slower).

P has impressed us. At the beginning, one of us would skate ahead so the other could stay with the stroller at a much slower pace because P’s skates kept getting tangled up together or with the stroller. He really had no control at all. By the end of the first day, he was able to hold on to the stroller and keep his legs straight while L pushed the stroller at almost full speed. He even showed off some by skating on one foot!!

The best news of all is that we all love it! We don’t have to drag the kids out when they’d rather be doing something else because, so far, they are itching to go. Roller blading like this is great because I get to spend time with the family, but I also get that much needed time to myself at the same time. That sounds impossible, but it is true because I am mostly skating by myself behind AM (time alone). She isn’t talking much because she is concentrating on her new skill. I can skate up and talk to her anytime I want. Plus L would let AM and me catch up occasionally, so I could converse with him too (time with the family)!

We skate on a walking track with trees and rock on each side. At this time of year there are also small waterfalls and trickles of water that add to the whole experience. While rollerblading along with my family and looking at the things around me, I have a great opportunity to praise God for his beauty. So here is a fun exercise that includes family time, exercise, alone time, and praising God. What more could you ask for in an exercise?!!

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