TAG, you're it

This is a great book for Madison for her TAG pen.  She's been using it a bit more lately, thanks to Daddy and Mommy's pushing in that direction.  The truth is, she's reading better and better, and now she's able to read more from these books than she's ever done before.  Of course, there's more to these books than just the stories that are read to you.  She can point the pen at individual words and have them read, or hit the different pictures with the pen to hear different things.  Also, there are plenty of games to play, and things to search for.  Guided questions help steer her mind towards discovery of various concepts (talk about a vague sentence there!).  Basically, there are different mini games inside each book, and most of them have some educational value.

We'll hit the TAG games here soon enough - there's a board game of the solar system that we'll be playing.  Madison likes playing this one, which is great because we can learn together the different planets.  Or "trans-Neptunian objects" like Pluto and Eris.

This morning we were back at the museum at church, learning about the Declaration of Independence, which actually has three references to God in it.  I was noticing this last year, so I wrote up this short three-point message, which I rather like.

“A Firm Reliance”

     It was a Thursday afternoon in November when President Lincoln stepped up to speak. The audience had just heard a two-hour speech by one gentleman – and that’s when the President shocked everyone: he said everything that needed to be said in just a few moments. They were standing on the battlefield of Gettysburg, where just four months earlier, thousands of soldiers gave their lives. Sadly, it was just one battle in a long Civil War that put to the test if this great country could endure.
     Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address honored the fallen soldiers, resolving that they would not have died in vain. But his speech reminded the audience – and us – about this nation, under God, and its founding.
     Four score and seven years before, the President said, the United States of America was born, “conceived in liberty.” This liberty – or freedom – came at a terrible cost, one that we must never forget.
     In that war and many others, soldiers gave their lives so that we could enjoy the freedom we have in our nation. The world can never forget what they did.
     But only the blood of Jesus could give us freedom from death and the grave. Only His sacrifice could bring about the grace that can cover all of our sins, not just those of the select few.
     During his short speech, President Lincoln remembered this cost, and reminded everyone that our nation was dedicated to the thought that all men are created equal. This was a major issue during the Civil War, but it still persists today in many ways. Why is this so? God calls us all His children, and treats everyone the same. Shouldn’t we do likewise?
     Just before he finished speaking, the President once again reminded everyone of the obvious: this nation is under God, and would have a new birth of freedom. As he spoke then, and as we read this today, America is a nation under God. On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, Benjamin Franklin, and many more signed the Declaration of Independence. It declared our independence from another country, but at the same time reaffirmed our nation’s dependence on God. They even signed it “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.”
     In simpler terms, our Founding Fathers desperately counted on God, pledging to each other their lives, fortune and honor. It is a message that persists even today: we should always trust in the Lord with all our hearts.
     Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was epic because it was perfectly clear: though through the years we have been tested, we the people must always remember we are all equal, and never forget the tremendous cost of our freedom. And no matter what, we should always remember that upon God Himself, we must have a firm reliance. 

This afternoon, Daddy discovered that an upcoming performance of "Alice in Wonderland" by the Gainesville Theatre Alliance will actually take place on 10/6, which is Mad Hatter Day.  That said, we bought tickets.  Yes, we're going to see "Alice in Wonderland" on Mad Hatter Day.  What a fun day that will be - and unbirthday present for all of us!

The weather is turning more fall-like, which is good because fall actually starts next weekend.  It was such a pretty day outside today.  We enjoyed it a little - certainly a lot more yesterday - but were pretty wiped out from all the activity.  Madison did more of her homework, and more of her music practice, which she's pretty much got a handle on right now.  Daddy and she will occasionally play duets, and the hard part is getting her to be patient and slow down to play the music to the rhythm written.  The good part is she can find the notes quickly, in some cases quicker than Daddy can.

So all in all, it was a great weekend.  Tomorrow we start school again, and - shudder - Mommy and Daddy go to the dentist.  It's still a great month though.  Despite the lack of holidays, and the end of summer months, September is a time filled with hope of a new season to come, with a cool, fresh breeze of change in the air.