Monday!

Why are Mondays so.... Monday-ish??

As far as Mondays go, today was pretty much a bummer.  Sigh.  So, now I'm going to complain a bit, and then I'm going to be thankful, so hold on for the end of the post...

The "badness" started in the middle of the night when Hannah was awake and fussy off and on for an hour or two (it's hard to keep track in the wee hours!).  Keith and I took turns trying to get her settled down.  I finally thought maybe it was her ears or teeth and Keith gave her Advil.  That finally seemed to do the trick.  But the damage was done.  I was tired!  On top of that, I had a bad dream that pointed out some unresolved crud in my heart.  :-(

So, I slept in, which I guess I needed, but that put our day behind schedule.  Then, I made the (rebellious) mistake of checking the weather and email before spending any time with Jesus, and then it was too late.  Duh.

After that it was a series of mis-haps, mistakes, and mayhem...

- Logan woke up with the sure conviction that he, in fact, was in charge and I definitely wasn't.

- I was feeling grumpy and out-of-sorts.  I ended up getting angry at the kids and yelling and it was pretty ugly around here.  By the time we were done with breakfast and chores, I knew we had to back up and take care of stuff.  So we spent some time talking, repenting and praying.  After a discipline session with Logan, I sent him back to bed and told him we were going to pretend that we were starting the day all over. 

- Logan and Caleb were HYPER.  Made me want to never feed them another gram of sugar again.  Ever.

- It was raining and cold today.

- I tried three times to start a fire in the stove and it never did take off - until Keith came home and dumped something very flammable and stinky on it.  So I was cold a good bit of the morning.

- Caleb has a runny nose and his first instinct is to snort.  Gross!  Then when he does blow, he leaves dirty tissues everywhere.  Grrr.  Tomorrow I'm going to charge him $.10 for every snort and every tissue laying around.  Money talks to that boy!

- Caleb "shared" his runny nose with Josiah, who is taking it to another level and is pretty miserable tonight.  More on that later.

- Logan broke a stapler and I found a section of staples - sharp side up - on the dining room floor.

- Caleb broke a cool little car we just got at a garage sale on Sat.

- Keith had a rough morning and then took a night shift at the ambulance tonight.  We hardly had any time to talk, which left me feeling rather dis-connected, but we did talk on the phone tonight, so that's good.

- Josiah didn't take a nap today.  (I gave up around 3:30 or so.)

- I had to discipline Josiah a bajillion times today for a particular behaviour that we're trying to irradicate.

-I dug a small piece of plastic out of Hannah's mouth tonight - I'm guessing it was from the broken car.

- I sent Josiah to go pee this evening and when I went in there a bit later, I found pee All Over the floor.  He claimed he was trying to go in the potty, and I think I believe him.  Not 100% sure.

- Josiah has already been half awake and crying three times tonight.  I feel like just not going to bed at all because I'm afraid I won't get any sleep anyway.  He did this about 3 or 4 weeks ago when he had a cold.  He woke up crying and inconsolable about 9 times during the night.  And, ironically, that was also a night when Keith was doing a night shift and I hardly got any sleep.  

So.  That's the garbage.  As I was thinking about this post earlier this evening, I realized that even with all the junk today, I still have a long list of things to be thankful for, if I just stop and look for them.  So, here's the good stuff that I'm thankful for:

- Hannah didn't choke on anything today.  (That girl puts Everything in her mouth!)  Of course, I have no idea what all she ate off of the floor! :-)

- My boys forgave me for my anger and harsh words.

- Supper was delicious (and came from the freezer, so it was very little work!)

- No one stepped on the staples!

- For the first time since Thursday or Friday, every dirty dish was either washed or in the dishwasher tonight.  (We came close a few times over the weekend, but never got around to that one pan that was soaking...)

- Kisses.  From my handsome hubby and precious little boys .

- I was finally able to start the laundry tonight - after wanting to do it all day.

- Josiah is actually having fewer accidents and starting to tell me when he needs to go.

- And, he hasn't pooped in his underwear for a few days.  He's been going in his diaper when I put him down for a nap.  Works for now I guess.  

- Hannah really is a good baby.

- Caleb was very willing to lay down with Josiah tonight so I could get Hannah to bed.  

- Caleb can be a very compassionate big brother.

- Logan got himself and Caleb a bed-time snack without any help from me.

- Logan and Caleb willingly cleaned up toys, etc. while I was getting Hannah to bed.

- With the two "littles" asleep, we were able to do some reading that we didn't get done today.  And we were in a much better frame of mind than when we tried this afternoon.  Instead of "I don't like this book!", I heard, "Read more!"

- In spite of hyperness and bad attitudes, the boys actually did quite well on their school work today.

- I was able to sweep the floor and put away some miscellaneous stuff this afternoon.  Yay.  Let's hear it for sweeping!

- This afternoon, Keith and I watched part of a Beth Moore video that we watched in our ladies' Sunday School class yesterday.  (I got there late and didn't get to see the whole thing, so I borrowed it.)  It is So Good!  It's from her Bible study series called, "Breaking Free" and the session is titled "God's Unfailing Love."  I think I should write a whole post about that, but we'll see.  I have so much growing to do, but she offers so much hope!

- My Father God, loves me!!!!

- Yeah, there's a small mountain of laundry, but hey, we have clothes to wear! And I have four precious kids to make them dirty!

- Caleb and Logan can do chores!  Today Caleb sorted the laundry and Logan cleaned the bathroom counter and sink.

- Tomorrow we get to start swimming lessons.  We're all excited.  And I'm a little nervous about getting us all out the door by 9:10!!

- Any day now, "my" new computer (a refurbished MacBook) will be arriving.  And I won't ever have to use this stinking, old, dinosaur of a PC any more!  Oops, this was supposed to be the thankful list.  Let's see...  I've been very thankful for it's years - or was that months - of somewhat faithful service.  And for the friend who put it together and gave it to us!

- Tomorrow night I get to go to a Stampin' Up party.  Just me.  No kidlets.  Just grown-up ladies, who can carry on grown-up conversations.  And after that, a prayer time with some ladies from church.  What could be better!

So, as you see, I really do have many things to be thankful for!  I just need to remember them and thank my Completely Gracious and Good Heavenly Father!  

Now, my question is, do I go to bed and try to get some sleep, or just sit here at the computer and work all night.  Josiah has already been awake and crying 4 - no, make that 5 - times and it's only 11:45.  He "barks" like a seal and his nose is all stuffy.  He's been laying on the living room floor for the past while.  Poor little guy!  

If you've read all the way to the end, congratulations.  You're a true friend - or very bored!  :-)  And now I will quit rambling!!

Confessions Of An Intrepid Home-schooler

I want to tell you a little story and give all kinds of praise and glory to my “Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”  

For a long time I've thought that I would want to home-school my children – at least for the first few years (when it's the “easiest”) Haha. That goes to show what I knew way back then. Anyway, when the time came to start educating Caleb, there was no longer a Christian school here, and public school wasn't what we wanted to do.  So the only option I was left with was home-schooling.  I wasn't always sure if I was doing it because we really wanted to, or because it was our only option.

Up until this year, it was fairly easy to be low-key (and half-hearted) about the whole thing since Caleb learns easily and was ahead, and Logan was pretty young yet. But, with this school-year looming ahead of me, I knew it was time to get really serious. As I mulled over my feelings, I had some disturbing revelations. 1) I don't really like home-schooling.  I guess that wasn't actually a new thought. I just freely admitted it to myself. 2) I have this nagging feeling that I'm not really “accomplishing” anything when I'm spending so much time doing school. This feeling that I really should be doing something else. 3) I've never really become whole-hearted or “given myself” to home-schooling.  

I have to take a little rabbit-trail here to explain a bit. For a long time I've been goal-oriented, achievement-driven, and very fond of having a clean and organized home. And I'll quickly admit that I've often taken that to an unhealthy extreme. Not that my house is too neat or clean. Ha! But my task-focus and drivenness too often have taken priority over my children's and husband's needs. I'm very happy to spend lots of time at home, taking care of my home and my children and “accomplishing things”.  

What I've discovered is that home-schooling takes a lot of time away from “housework” time and I sorta resent that. As we were approaching this school year and these feeling were crystallizing in my mind, I realized I really, really don't want to go on this way. I started praying and asking God to please, Please, PLEASE help me LIKE this home-school business that we've gotten ourselves into. And I told Him I accept this task He's given me and I commit myself to it.

So, now, a few weeks into school, suddenly I'm realizing that I'm having fun! I'm actually enjoying our learning time together. And the funny thing is, this year it's more demanding and time-consuming than ever before. And I don't resent it. I'm so excited about that I could just, uh, well, I don't know, but I'm really excited. Along with that, I'm enjoying my kids more than I ever have before, I think. Another huge answer to prayer.

Yes, sometimes it all makes my head spin: keeping a toddler occupied, the baby happy, and the older two motivated and focused. And I'm still trying to figure out how to get the necessities done around the house and get enough rest and exercise, etc. But I mostly have joy through it all. Mostly. :-)  And please don't take this to mean that I've pretty much got it together now.  I'm just saying this feels like a victory.  Even on the days when I'm asking forgiveness for losing my temper at someone.

I'm just so thankful that I have a God who is willing and able to work in me and change me. As I write this, it encourages me to ask Him to change some other areas in my life that need a serious make-over. If you think about me, you can pray for me/us. I'm always kinda nervous to share a victory story like this, because I'm afraid I'll just crash in a few days. So, I'm resisting the Enemy and standing in the victory that Jesus has given me.  

In case you're interested, here's what we're doing for school-work this year:

Caleb:
Math – Abeka, Grade 3
Language Arts – Some Sonlight, MCP Phonics, Wordly Wise, Sequential Spelling (that is so cool!), and some of Mom's ingenuity for Creative Writing (because he hates it and I'm trying to help him not hate it!)  (Does anyone have any good ideas??)
Science and History – finishing up Sonlight Core K and soon moving into Core 1. We actually did Core 1 two years ago, but it was way ahead of Logan so we backed up and will hopefully catch Logan's interest this time around.  I'm thinking of supplementing him with lots of good library books. He loves to learn by reading, so I think I should capitalize on that.
Electives - An art appreciation book for kids that we haven't opened yet this year.
       - “Do You Doodle?”, a fun drawing book I got from Sonlight. Hopefully Wendy will be doing some art with the her kids and mine and I'll do Science activities with them all.
       - “Mavis Beacon teaches typing”. I think he's anxious to start that, but we're having computer issues right now – and I'm not sure right now how we'll fit it in time-wise...

Logan:
Math – Math-U-See, Primer level. We're having so much fun with this! I'm thinking I'll switch Caleb over at some point this year or next.
Language Arts – Abeka, K-5. He did some Sonlight Language last year but I'm switching back to Abeka. It's easier for me. Since he already knows most of his letters and is blending simple words, I think we'll follow the curriculum loosely and probably go through at least the first part of it fairly quickly.
Science and History – the same as Caleb, but without any supplementing.
Electives – the same as Caleb, but without the typing.

And, of course, there's still music. We put Logan back in the same level as last year. At the end of last year it was getting to be overwhelming for him. He's having a lot of fun this year. I think it helps that Keith is practicing with him most of the time. Caleb was dragging his feet this year with the piano thing, but this week he got a song he really likes and that has piqued his interest much more. Whew!

And next week we start swimming lessons, so that takes care of Phys. Ed.  Well, that and all the running, jumping, and riding bike they do anyway!

I really didn't mean to "talk your ear off like that."  You don't have to read the whole thing...  :-) It's time to head for bed...  Oh, ugh.  I told Caleb I'd order some shoes for him from Sears before I go to bed tonight.  The poor child has no shoes - only sandals, dress shoes, and rubber boots.  Sometimes it's not so good being the oldest.  There are no hand-me-downs when you need something now!  Okay, I'm signing off!

Hey Ya'll, I'm Alive! (Is Anyone Still Checking Here??)

Hello? Is anyone still out there? I'll have to see if I remember how to do this blogging thing still. Oh my, where do I start. See, this is the problem with me: The longer I wait to write, the more there is to catch up on and the more daunting it seems. So I procrastinate some more. Nasty cycle!

So... Hmmm.... It's hard to get started here. Some day I will post a whole photo album, but for now I'll just write for a few minutes. Here's a quick overview of the last month or so.

* Wedding madness - lots of fun, friends, and family.

* A little vacation on the way home - more time with friends and family and a few days close to Lake Michigan. Ahhhhh....

* Home again - recovering from the trip and all of Keith's family was here for a week. Party time! It was like Christmas without the snow and presents!

* Iris and her kids were in town and, of course, Matthew and Rhonda and family, so we did a bunch of stuff together.

* Oh My It's Time To Start School! It took me a bit to get organized and started, but we're getting into the swing of things now. It's like learning how to juggle! I'm learning how to teach Logan to read while giving Hannah her bottle, keep Josiah occupied while helping the others, keep Caleb encouraged and motivated, and just now I even gave Caleb his spelling words while working on this blog! Please dont' take this to mean that we're just doing just peachy, though. We are definitely a work in progress!!

I have much more to say about the above subjects, and many pictures to post, but we'll see how and when that happens. I'm really hoping to post more now that we're getting into a routine. Hoping.

Now, I'll hold my breath and see if anyone is still checking here, and willing to comment. Someone just said the other day that they read this, but never comment. That was you, Yvonne, right? :-) Hint, hint...

I Don't Have Time To Post But I'm Going To Anyway - Quickly

*  We made it down here in 22 hours straight.  Ugh.  But the kids did really well.  We left at 3:15 am Sunday morning and got here at 2:30 (eastern) Monday morning.

* Since then we've been going full tilt.  Baking cakes, making bulletins, gathering up "stuff" we need, etc.

*  Tonight Matthew and Rhonda get here and maybe Derek's.  We're all going out for supper.

* Last night Rachel was having her trial run with her hairdresser and the lady who's going to do my hair was looking at my hair and asking how I want it.  I had been baking cakes all day and had no time for a shower.  My hair was gross.  They had said that we should come in with clean, dry hair, but not "too clean".  The lady who was looking at my thin, greasy, stringy hair blurted out, "but don't come in with it this dirty!"  We laughed and laughed.  I was embarrassed to be seen in public like that anyway, but then to have a hairdresser looking at your hair...

*  Weddings are a huffin' lot of work!  But fun too.

Big Trip Comin' Up

Lists are made.

Dress is sewn.

Boys' hair is cut.

A few fingernails got trimmed - but not all of them.

I'm real tired.

I found something to wear to Emily's wedding on Saturday.

I had to alter it.

I learned how to bake wedding cakes today.

The laundry is almost done.

Tomorrow is Packing Day.

I feel like I'm running a marathon.

In three and a half days we'll be in Indiana.

In six days Matthew and Rhonda and the girls will be there too.

That's very exciting.

I'm going to bed.

Potpourri

We had a great time at my little reunion two weeks ago.  We used to be just four young girls – 30 years later we’re 4 ladies, 4 husbands and 24 (soon to be 25) children!  It was hard to know whether to reminisce or catch up from the last umpteen years.  We hadn’t all been together at one time for about 20 years.   Thank God for friends!

 

As soon as we got home, we dove right into VBS.  It went quite well, I’d say.  There were anywhere from 31 – 41 kids.  It was exhausting though, and it’s good to be done for anther year.

 

Overheard at Sheldon’s late at night: 

Sheldon (nagging Alicia about chewing her fingernails):  “I read that chewing your fingenails reduces life expectancy the same as smoking a pack a day.”

Sara:  “But it’s cheaper!”

I howled with laughter, but it was pretty late.  Not sure if it’s funny now…

 

The ratio of sunshine: rain has finally tipped more in favor of the sunshine!  Yay!  It’s an absolutely gorgeous day (and I need to go to the basement and sew!)  (That was yesterday.  Today it rained most of the day again.)

 

My dress for Rachel’s wedding is about 65% done.  Maybe more.  Tomorrow I’m going to sew the bodice and skirt together and then wait for my friend Phyllis to put in the invisible zipper.  (I never learned to do those things.  I always had Mom do it.)  It’s looking really pretty.

 

It’s only 9 days until we hit the road for Indiana and Rachel and Dave’s big day.  Mercy!  It’s gonna be a marathon until then!

 

I’m convinced Hannah has/had another (the fourth?) ear infection.  This happened two weeks ago and again this week.  She was fussy about drinking her bottle and would usually only take a 3 – 5 oz. at a time.  So, I started in on the onion/garlic/olive oil treatment and also did vinegar for good measure.  I started yesterday and today I could already tell a big difference.  She’s taking 7-8 oz. at a time.  Two weeks ago I did the same treatment and it seemed to work then too.  Craziness!

 

I’m trying to start exercising again.  It’s so hard to get back into the routine – especially when I’m still so tired that I rarely get up early.  I miss my early morning walks…

That's all for tonight.  It's way past my bed-time!

Rhonda's Got A Hankerin'...

... for pictures of Hannah.  Here you go!  Enjoy.

Five months old!  (Oh my, she's almost 6 now!)

At church camp-out with Justin P., Andy and Amanda's little guy.

Having fun with Daddy.

Logan wanted to make a dandelion chain.  I did most of it, really, but aren't they cute?
Hannah's dedication, several weeks ago.

After a walk at camp-out last weekend.

Hey, Karla or Brenda

I don't usually use this as e-mail, but...  Our home computer is at the doctor and that's where I have your email addresses.  So, could you send me an email, so we can discuss our vacation plans more?  Whoo hoo!  Keith got the Mac hooked up to the internet at home so I now have internet again.  Yay!

A Few Things You Were Just Dying To Know

-  Our computer (PC) is either sick or dead, not sure which.  The mac still works of course, but Keith hasn’t figured out how to hook it up to the internet at home.  So I’m at church doing this.

 

-  I told you awhile ago I was going to have a vacation for a few days.  Well, it was really nice!  Just so you know.  With my little “vacation” and camping, I’ve actually read a few novels in the last few weeks.  And I’ve developed some opinions about a couple of authors.  J

 

 

-  Today I trimmed a shrub for the first time.  I really didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t have the proper tool for the job, but it still looks better than before I started.

 

-  Josiah is a little bit pigeon-toed.  One foot turns in a little.  Should I be concerned?

 

-  Remember awhile ago when Josiah fell down the stairs and had a little “seizure” of some sort? Later he had a really tiny one after hitting his head.  Well, he did it again a couple of days ago.  He fell off a riding toy backwards and hit his head on the brick patio.  He cried really hard – the kind where you don’t breathe for awhile, cried more softly a couple times, then went “spacey” for just a few seconds.  Then he sat on my lap for a long time.  Should I take him to the doctor?

 

-  Hannah is completely weaned now.  I pumped for a few weeks, but that was getting pretty old.  She’s doing quite well, but she’s not on a very consistent schedule.  Oh well.  Just don’t tell Gary Ezzo!

 

-  I started my dress for Rachel’s wedding.  Well, I made a practice bodice with some ugly, old, brown calico.  I was pleased that it was quite close to fitting properly the first time.  I think I’ll try one more before I cut into the real thing.

 

-  Next weekend we’re going to MN.  The purpose of the trip is a reunion with three friends from my childhood, Jewell, Eunice and Prisilla.  We were inseperable when we were about 8 until we started moving away one by one (except Priscilla who still lives in MN.  Anyway, we all turned 40 in the last year or so, and so we’re having a reunion.  We haven’t all been together since Jewell’s wedding in about 1989, I think.  (Eunice and Priscilla, you can correct me here if I’m wrong.)  And between the four of us, we have 24 children and one more on the way (for the youngest, Eunice, who just turned 40 last month.)  I think we’ll have a rollicking good time!

 

-  We went to the beach Thursday for the first time.  It was a little chilly, but the kids had fun playing on the playground equipment, and swimming just a little.

 

-  Today I found a young girl who’s going to come help me once a week for a day or half-day during the summer.  Thank you, Jesus!  I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed with all the stuff to do this summer, so I think this will help.  I’ll have her help with housework, summer projects, and playing with the kids so I can sew or paint up on a ladder or something like that.

 

-  This might just be the summer to paint the trim around the windows (outside) and paint my front door green (sage, not grass).  I’ve wanted to do that ever since we moved in four years ago.

 

-  Did I ever mention that when I was in IN in May, Keith (and Jeff) put new carpet in the boys’ bedroom?  We had gotten a really good deal on a remnant, but I didn’t know when it would get installed.  So, that was a really nice surprise!  Keith said it was my Mother’s Day present.  J

 

-  This next week looks very overwhelmin with getting ready to go away for the weekend, and getting ready for VBS, which starts next Sunday night.  We’re leaving Sheldon’s on Sunday morning so we can get back in time for that.  Oh my.  Pray for me, please?

Thoughts on Evolution

How could evolution possibly be true?  Isn’t it based on the premise that order can come spontaneosly from chaos?  Have any of us ever seen that happen?  On the contrary, don’t we witness the exact opposite every day?? 

 

Last fall I got in the “declare war on clutter” mode and this house was really looking good – even the corners and closets.  Of course, with the arrival of Hannah in January, my “extra tme” disappeared and things started to slide into chaos.  At this point, I would say that clutter and chaos definitely have the upper hand in this house.  It’s driving me a little crazy.  If I believed in evolution, I’d be hopefully watching a pile of stuff (books that need to find a home on a bookshelf, out-grown kid’s clothes, etc.) to see if it turns into some kind of masterpiece – say a set of china dishes (in my pattern of course), or a new computer (to replace our archaic PC that is on it’s way to the doctor – or possibly the cemetary.)  Alas, it doesn’t seem to be happening.

 

So, yesterday I dug in and re-arranged the kids’ dressers and closets.   It’s not all done, but I got a really good start anyway.  It felt really good to shake my fist in the face of clutter just a little bit.

A Fine And Pleasant Misery (with apologies to Pat McManus)

Last weekend was our church camp-out.  There were quite a few people signed up, and then the forecast looked pretty bad.  We headed down the road Friday evening even though it was supposed to rain.  We bought chicken and potato wedges before we left and ate them when we got to the camp-ground.  Derek and Elise were already there, and two other families/groups in campers.  One other family came later.  Everyone else chickened out that night.  And I couldn’t really blame them.  It rained most of the evening, through-out the night and the next morning.  We had the fun of setting up camp in the rain.  Thankfully, Keith put up a big tarp first, before it started to rain hard.  We set up our tent under the tarp and then slid it out so the entrance was just under the tarp. 

 

By Saturday afternoon, the weather cleared up and we had great weather the rest of the time.  Tuesday was a holiday (Canada Day) and Keith also had Monday off.  Derek’s were staying longer, so we did too.  Jeff and Wendy and Dad and Dru came down on Monday.  We ended up staying Monday night too.  That was  where we went wrong.  We were getting kinda tired of camping by then and wouldn’t you know, we had a major thunderstorm early Tuesday morning and then had to pack up in the rain.  Oh well, the kids had a blast and we had some fun too.  I think it was the first time that I really had my fill of camping.  Well, except for last summer when I was pregnant.  I’ll just say that camping with a baby and a pre-schooler is rather exhausting.   Hannah wasn’t the most content, and Josiah loves to run/wander away.  But hey, we kept them both alive, so that’s a good thing.  Maybe next year camping will be more fun.  J

Jeff improvised a swing for Dylan.
The dangers of camping and heating bottles.

Kendra getting ready to lead worship.

Ashley and Hannah.

Mmmmm.  Good s'more!

The kids and popcorn.  left to right:  Josiah, Trevor, Logan, Tia, Alabama.
Trevor kissing Papa's fish.  (Don't ask me!)
Scotty and Mary L. having a little moment together.
AnneJisca enjoying her home-made ice cream.  The best part of the day!  :-)
John and Esther.
Our bravest camper.  Yes, she was there all weekend!
Logan, after playing in the clay/mud at the beach.  It was even in his hair!

Un-Camping

Two weekends ago we went to our local Prov. park for the day with some of the family. It was just like camping without having to set up or sleep in the tent. Good deal! It had been nice and warm on Friday and was really nice on Sunday, but when we were there on Sat., it was cold and windy. Huh. But, it was nice for sitting around a fire!

We borrowed a kiddie picnic table from another camp-site. It was great for the kids.
Tia, our little monkey.

Grandma Dru and Hannah. Hannah wasn't terribly impressed with "camping."
Dylan enjoying the day and his "bumbo".
I decided that my sheep must be shorn, or else, so we did it in the great outdoors. I think I cut 3" off of Caleb's. :-)
Scotty and Wendy chillin' out.
On the way home we saw these two and a moose as well!

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

Tonight after supper, the boys and I were outside.  Keith left on his bike for a leadership meeting at church.  Hannah woke up shortly after so I went in to get her bottle.  At some point after that I looked out the window to check Josiah and didn't see him in the back yard.  I looked out the front and he wasn't by the road, so I assumed he was just somewhere where I couldn't see him.  I sat down to feed Hannah and when Logan came in I sent him out to look for Josiah.  He couldn't find him.  Then Caleb came in and I sent him to look.  He couldn't find him.  I was getting really concerned.  By then Hannah was done so I asked Logan to "babysit" her and Caleb and I looked again.  I went all through the house and yard and asked some neighbors who were in their yard.  Now I was really worried.  I called Keith and he said he'd come right away.  I decided to take a little walk up the road (in the direction that Keith had gone, in case Josiah had followed him.)  As I went up the hill I saw a man walking our way carrying a little person in a red t-shirt.  Thank you, Jesus!  When I got to them, it was a stranger and Josiah was whimpering.  The man said Josiah was heading for the highway and he knew right away he was lost.  He said he has a little guy about the same size.  I asked if Josiah was crying and he said not until he picked him up.  He thought he scared him a little.  I said, "good!"  He said Josiah pointed the way toward home.  What relief!  As I walked back with him, I was telling him how he could have been hit by a car or got lost.  Through his sniffles he said, "I didn't!" He just doesn't get it.  But I really hope it scared some sense into him!!  That's why I have gray hair!

Our Four Biggest Blessings

Caleb...

- got his cast off on Thursday. Everything seems fine, but he doesn’t have full range of motion yet.

- is quite happy to be finished with school for the summer. (It’s just the desk-work he’s not fond of…)

- said the other day that he wants to be a biologist when he grows up. That wouldn’t surprise me.

- got a microscope and had a lot of fun with it recently.

- had a major wipe-out on his bike last week, resulting in various wounds and a big bruise. I’ve instituted a “no jumping” policy for the time being!!

- had a virus last week with a high fever.

- could happily spend most of his time reading, riding bike, and playing with Lego.

- is changing from a little boy to a big boy.

- has a strong sense of “justice”.


Logan...

- is very fond of his little cousin, Alabama. They can play together for hours – mostly “house” or some other make-believe game.

- gets to be the ring-bearer for Auntie Rachel’s wedding. And Alabama is the flower girl.

- is almost definitely partially color-blind. We have eye appointments in a couple weeks.

- learned to ride bike without training wheels this spring, and has since graduated to an even bigger bike.

- still sucks his thumb. I’m in the market for that nasty-tasting stuff you can put on their fingernails or thumb.

- isn’t so fond of practicing piano right now. I’m trying to keep it light and fun for the summer, but still help him not forget everything he learned.

- is cheerful, enthusiastic, emotional (sometimes whiny) and dramatic.

- can often be heard singing as he does jobs or plays.


Josiah…

- learned to ride the little bike with training wheels in the last week or so. He’s so happy he can ride around the patio with his brothers!

- got a bug-bite on or behind his ear the other day and his ear got all swollen. He looked like a little monkey.

- can talk a blue streak now. But he’s still hard to understand sometimes.

- is starting to eat better. What a relief!!

-likes to communicate with whining and yelling. I keep hoping that consistent and patient correction will yield results!!

- tries to keep up with his big brothers.

- can pee in the potty almost whenever he tries - but doesn't tell me when he has to go.

- is “very two”.

- is stinkin’ cute!


Hannah…

- is five months old!

- could roll over both ways a few weeks ago, but isn’t doing it much now.

- is on a bottle now, but I’m still pumping some b.milk for her. She doesn’t seem to like soy formula or goat milk very much yet. So, feeding her is still a struggle, but not as bad as when I was nursing.

- was dedicated to the Lord this morning in church.

- seems to look quite a bit like my brother Matthew’s girls.

- doesn’t have much hair, but what she does have is strawberry blonde. And there’s a little tuft on the top of her had that sticks straight up most of the time.

- liked to “growl” last week.

- “found” her tongue today and started clicking it.

- is a sweet little huggable bundle!!

10 Years Together

I did say I’d tell you more about our anniversary, so here goes. It’s hard to believe we’ve been married 10 years. That’s ¼ of my life! Keith asked me awhile ago what I wanted to do for our anniversary. Well, since we still had a nursing baby, I knew it wouldn’t be anything big or far away. But I told Keith that in about a year and a half when Hannah’s old enough to leave for a bit, I want to go on a nice little trip to somewhere fun – like maybe New England in the Fall. Oooo, that sounds really nice!

So, for now, we stayed close to home. On our anniversary I made a special supper. I was planning for it to be really nice and then in the afternoon, I realized that Caleb’s cast was really moving – or rather, his arm was bending a lot – so I had to quickly take him in for a new cast. I thought that might trash my plans for a nice supper, but we managed. (Keith helped). At least we ate on china and had chocolate cake!

The next day, we had a really nice treat. My Dad gave us a coupon he had for one night at the executive suite at a local motel. (Dad had worked there last year.) The room was recently remodeled and was really nice. Glenda came about 2:30 to stay with the boys (Hannah went with us), and then Dad and Dru came a little while later and stayed overnight with them.




We checked in by about 3:00. I felt like I was in the city (until I looked outside!) . We napped, watched TV, went out for supper, sat in the hot tub, watched a really fun movie (National Treasure), played a game of Settlers, ate… You get the picture.

The only drawback was that it was on a Sat. night, so we couldn’t really sleep in. We had to get moving in order to make it to church on time, but it was still really nice and relaxing. A really nice little break from “normal” life!

Oh, and we got each other gifts. This is what I got:

This is what Keith got:

I’m not so swift in the gift-giving department lately! But, it is a pretty funny shirt.

Anyway, I’m thankful for my dear husband, and all the good memories of the last 10 years. It was good to celebrate together!

A Good Weekend, A Plan For This Week

It was a busy, but good weekend.  Friday was officially our last day of school.  In reality, we're going to continue a few things through the summer, but it will be some of the "fun" stuff and Logan's language arts.  (Maybe he'll learn to read this summer!)   I thought we should have some kind of celebration - so we went out to Subway for supper.  Yay!  I didn't have to cook!  :-)   Afterward, I went to the church to look through some garage-sale stuff from our school that closed.  I got a microscope for the kids and the boys had a blast looking at stuff in it that night and Saturday.  

Saturday morning I zipped over to the church where they were having our annual garage and bake-sale and bought some fresh donuts.  Oh my goodness, were they ever good!  After bringing the donuts home, I went back to the church to help clean up, etc.  After that I did a few errands and hit another garage sale (all by myself!).  I found a few really cute things for Hannah.  It's so fun to buy girl clothes!

The rest of the day was busy with odd jobs, going shopping with Caleb and Logan for Father's Day presents, making pizza for supper, and making food for today.  Dad and Dru stopped in for a bit to get Dad's Father's Day can of mixed nuts.  I was Bone Weary when we went to bed!

Today in church Keith led a special time of blessing and prayer for all the fathers there.  He had them all go to the front to be prayed for and it was really touching.   Josiah and Anne Jisca came today to have baby Korban dedicated.  Then they and Derek and Scotty (Elise was gone for the week, coming back tonight) came over for lunch.  We had our traditional Father's Day strawberry pie and it was delicious!  (Dog gone it, I over-ate!)  :-(

In the evening we had our Father's Day ball-game and potluck.  Unfortunately it was cold and rained part of the time.  Anne Jisca and I got there just as it was starting to rain, so we just went to the church.  I think the die-hards who played ball had a good time, and the food and fellowship was good.

So, that was the weekend.  Now I'm looking ahead to this week.  I was talking with Iris last week about the vacation they just had and I realized again that I'm a workaholic and hardly know how to relax.  Sigh.  But part of me just longs for some rest.  We've been so busy for so long! Iris challenged me to take a few days at home and just have a "vacation".  So, that is on my agenda for this week.  Here's my plan:

* We're not doing any school this week at all - unless we feel like doing some reading.

* Tomorrow I'm going to work hard at a few projects that seem rather pressing:
     - Wash windows and put up the rest of the screens.
     - Wash and dry the laundry - folding is optional.
     - Fertilize the trees that we planted last year.
     - "Round-up" some weeds in the driveway, and grass around the trees if it isn't raining.
     - Start catching up the budget, check-book, etc.

* For the rest of the week, I'll work on the budget for 20 minutes/day.  (I'm really behind.)

* Here's the hard one:  Tuesday and Wednesday are Vacation Days, with only the minimum amount of cooking and housework allowed.  We're going to play games, visit people, go to the park and hopefully have some friends over for lunch.  I'm going to read(!!!) and maybe even crotchet!  Oh, and take naps!  And blog.  Now that I think about it, maybe we'll need Thursday for vacation too!  I grabbed "The Atonement Child" and "Unspoken" by Francine Rivers from the church library tonight.  :-)  So, that's what I'm up to!  Hopefully you'll hear from me in a day or two.

My Sister, My Friend

There’s a picture frame sitting on my desk that says, “You have always been my sister, but you’ve been an even greater friend.” There’s a picture in it of Rachel and me in the Canadian Rockies. The frame is actually broken, but I won’t throw it away because it was from Rachel and it expresses my heart so well. I’ve been so blessed to have a wonderful sister, a true kindred spirit.

We’ve gone through many stages in life. When she was born and I was 10, she was a novelty – a novelty who threw up all the time. :-) I think I was scared to hold her because of it. I remember when she was around two, or even younger, I decided it would be fun to have her sleep with me (it turned out to not be all fun, since she wasn't completely potty-trained!) About 6 years later, I was ready to do anything to have my own room! At that time it meant moving upstairs to an unfinished bedroom with orange tarps and pink insulation for walls. Anything to have my own space away from that little sister!

But the older Rachel got, the more we connected and became best friends. I remember when she was so excited to wear my cast-off clothing – even when it was still too big for her. Then came the time when I accepted her old clothes. And now I get her to shop for me and get her opinions on clothes because she’s way more hip than me!

Here are some pictures in honor of my dear sis, and her "big" birthday today.

Three years old. Isn't she cute??

I think she's five on this picture.
When she was about twelve, we spent Christmas at the Holiday Inn in Goshen with some family. I told Rachel I'd give her five dollars if she jumped in the pool with her clothes on. Of course, she did it!
Thirteen years old!! With her friends, and Murphy, the dog.

Rachel came to see me when I was in Russia. It was so much fun to show her where I was and what I was doing!!

Of course, when I got married, she was my Maid of Honor. Made her so nervous she almost tossed her cookies! :-)

Rachel has always been a very good Auntie and my kids love her! This is her with Caleb.
Did I mention her brains? Here she is, making us all proud as the first one in the family to earn a bachelor's degree - and with "something cum laude". (Sorry, Rachel, I can't remember exactly which one.) Anyway, she did really well and I'm so proud of her.

And now, there's Dave. I have to share her with him now, but I'm so happy that she has someone to share her life with!

I admire many things about you, Rachel: your quirky sense of humor, your ability to write, your passion for justice, your brains, your love for kids (mine especially!), your creativity, to name a few! You are one of my favorite people in the world to be with! You can make me laugh like crazy.

There are so many memories, good ones and hard times, and it’s so good to know that a sister is forever. Rachel, you are my very dear, sweet friend and I love you very much!

Happy 30th Birthday!!!

Remember Me?

I hardly know where to start. If only all the posts I've had in my head for the last few months, could have just written themselves... Anyway, I really need to feed the baby and go to bed, but here are some pictures to tide you over until I can write more. That is, if anyone is still reading this blog! If you are, can you leave me a comment to encourage me to post more? :-)



Iris and four of her kids spent a few days here a couple weeks ago. We had a wonderful, relaxing time. Wendy and her kids came for lunch one day. So that made, let's see, um, 12 kids - plus a neighbor. :-) Fun times!
All of the little munchkins except the babies.
I decided the other day that I have three favorite days of the year: Christmas Eve, Easter, and Going To The Greenhouse. Glenda went with me and it was so much fun to buy flowers and dream of summer. They're actually all planted now, and that was fun too!!

Olivia and Evan enjoying Hannah.

My sleepy-head with his morning watermelon.

Ready to get the cast off! (He wasn't so happy when they yanked the pins out. Several days later I still wanted to punch the Dr. in the nose!)

Logan, the drama king!

Yes, it's been ten years!! More details on that celebration later...