Climbing

So today is the annual "Play Date," where we get to play with all the toys we got for Christmas.  Only, Daddy had to do a lot of writing for the upcoming devotional about fasting.  It should be good, and I'm plugging along on it one day at a time, just like a climber approaches that mountain one step at a time.  Today I was reading about a mountain called Link Sar, which only recently was submitted. Amazing pictures from the top, simply jaw dropping.  The entire experience had to be incredible, although I am not sure I have the fortitude to do that sort of journey.  Still, I'm quite happy to read about it and see all kinds of pictures.  The research that goes into each of these series at KidPak can be so much fun, as we dive into stories and history of the various subjects.  In this case, it's been all about mountaineering the past few weeks.  We're learning about the art of climbing, famous climbers, famous mountains, and the fact that there are still really high mountains that have never been climbed thus far.  Daddy will have written about fifty devotional entries with the theme of climbing by the time this week is over with.  It's been a lot of work, but it's also been fascinating.  I feel like I'm a climber myself lately, with all the knowledge gathered.  But there's also been a lot learned from the Bible too, as the Message version has been really great lately.  Consider this scripture here:

“When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside.  Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions.” Matthew 5:1-2 (MSG)

Basically, I gather from this that Jesus was seeing who the committed were, so he climbed a hillside.  Those who were committed climbed with him.  I love the fact that this version calls those who were with him his "climbing companions."  There's this picture of mountaineers in my mind, all going up together, and there's Jesus too.  It's just an interesting version of the a scripture, and of course this all introduces the Sermon on the Mount.  So yes, there's quite a bit of mountain material in the Bible.

We were cleaning up today, putting new gifts away and probably playing with too many of them as well.  We went to Hill Valley, or at least a LEGO version of it.  We have that level for LEGO Dimensions now, which is a game you'll be hearing about here for a few weeks, I'm sure.  Madison and Daddy spent a good bit of time playing that today, and enjoying it as well.  Lots of fun, and hopefully nothing we'll get too obsessive about.  The funny thing is the other game we were playing,  a Burger King bumper car video game.  This was the white elephant gift, but it's one Madison and Daddy were getting quite a kick out of today.  Bumper cars - that's the new thing lately.

We were washing dishes today, listening to our new music today, and also coloring some of the new stained glass books Madison got for Christmas.

One is a series of passages from the book of Psalms, all with a decorative stained glass window backdrop that you could color in.  Madison did a few of those this afternoon, something she'll be doing the next few days I'm sure.

Because we can sleep in all week, we decided that today would be the day to start the Lord of the Rings trilogy at night.  These movies are so long, it's impossible to watch them back to back on a school night.  There's homework, ballet, piano, and getting up early to contend with.  It's an unusual trilogy because it's so long.  But this week, we'll conquer Middle Earth.  For Madison, it'll be her first visit there, although she's played the LEGO video game of it extensively.  In fact, that's what spawned the idea in the first place:  LEGO Dimensions has a Middle Earth level, and we have Gimli the dwarf as part of her collection.  So tonight, Madison met Gimli and the other characters from the Fellowship of the Ring, and we set things in motion to go there and back again.

Speaking of deep movies, upon the second viewing, there is quite a bit that can be pulled from the Lord of the Rings, in regards to messages and meanings.  I'm sure there are several books dedicated to that, I'm sure.  Regardless, Madison enjoyed the movie, as did Mommy.  She's never seen the next two movies, but the idea is to watch these the next two nights consecutive, as we go on a journey across Middle Earth to Mount Doom.

Mordor is a lovely place.  Not saying I'd like to build a summer home there, but the trees are quite lovely!