Rebekah here! Hi!
A couple of weeks ago, we had the privilege of going to two nursing homes and performing on our instruments for everybody there. Several families from church went as well. I brought my harp; quite an experience since it is taller than I am and very heavy! I played "Be Thou My Vision" with my mom accompanying me on the piano. At the second nursing home though, there was no piano so I did a solo! It went well though, with only one mistake. I hope we can go back the next time our church goes!
While we're talking about harps, I can tell you a little bit about my lessons. I am going to a nunnery down the road, only five seconds away. (Really!) I am learning from a nun named Sister Mary Margret. She is a wonderful teacher and I have been taking lessons since the beginning of September. In a couple of weeks I will have group lessons with four other harpists. I will also be performing with Christina for the Christmas service at our church. We are doing "The First Noel" with her playing the melody and me doing melody and harmony. I am a little bit nervous but excited at the same time. In March, I hope to play in a Latin Ensemble with a group of other musicians.
Also during the past month I have had the privilege of getting braces! For 3-4 months they are only on the top and then I will get them on the bottom for 2-3 years! When my dad heard this he joked that I might be driving before I get them off! It didn't make me feel better but it is definitely worth it! When I was having them put on, I hadn't realized that the dentist was putting them on because I thought they were still cleaning my teeth. The braces, at first, did not feel like what I imagined they would, but now I sometimes forget they are there! For a couple of days my teeth hurt but now they do not. While I have them on, I can't have popcorn, gum, certain types of caramels, uncooked carrots, and I can't bite into apples. I'm mostly disappointed about the popcorn and gum, but like I said, it is worth it!
We have had maybe a foot of snow already! And it's perfect for sledding. We have three sleds and a tarp. The tarp is blue and fast which is why we named it "Blue Streak" We also have a sand box that is really just four logs in a square with sand dumped in the middle. When it snows, it makes a sort of ramp. Very fun! We also had a snow tussle with my dad. It was me, Christina, and Elijah against him. After that we went inside and had hot cocoa. Don't you just love the snow?
Hi! This is Christina writing now--
We have had a cat that has been visiting us. We don't know if it is a girl or boy. So...we decided to name it Bella. That's cute huh?? Bella is very patient... most of the time. When she is not hungry that is. We think she is from our neighbors...who have 24 cats! We put a heating pad that she absolutely loves to sleep on.
If you put your hand flat up in the air and wave it she will stand up on her hind paws and bat it or scent it. (But I think she is a boy,because she is huge compared to our other cat who is a girl.)
I'm also taking violin lessons. I am taking lessons with my friend from church, named Rebecca, and Isaac, a friend I have known since I was three. I take the lessons at Rebecca's house and I enjoy them very much. I have been taking lessons for about two months. I am going to play "The First Noel" with Rebekah (my sister) in church! And "Silent Night Holy Night" with Rebecca (my friend) and Isaac in church. Rebecca plays the cello and Isaac plays the string bass. (A pretty big instrument!)
Some of us and our friends get together and have a Bible Study every Wednesday night. We have been doing this for almost a year! We are reading through the book of James right now. The children take notes about the chapter and the things that stand out to them. When we started James the adults thought that it would be fun for the children, to memorize a verse and present it to the group every week. So we have been doing that and we've chosen some awesome verses! We also take turns reading the verses for the chapter.
We have a creek. There are lots of toads and frogs in it, and in the summer we will take buckets, put sand and rocks in them, and put the toads and frogs in the buckets . There are some tiny little frogs that are so cute!
We also catch trout and put them in with the frogs. The trout are about 2 1/2 inches long. The little trout are very fast and are very hard to catch. Just by luck Rebekah and I have been able to catch them very rarely. One day when Rebekah and I were looking out the window together, and after a while we spotted a Great Blue Heron. It was fishing in the creek! We watched for a few minutes. Then the phone rang right when the heron swallowed a huge trout!
We also have certain little frogs in the creek that are gold . They are very fast and speedy fellers! I once caught one, but it was hurt badly (before I caught it). It was cut on the legs. I did not know this until I showed Rebekah. So we put it by the bank so it could jump in. Hopefully it lived.
That's all for now!
P.S. We now have an update on our new cat. Bella is a boy! His name is Patches. We found this out when my mom was taking a pie plate back to our neighbors--who own him:) Mom saw him on their porch eating food. He still spends two thirds of the day here because he loves the heating pad!
12.03.2008
11.14.2008
Just a quick note
Hello everyone. Sorry to disappoint but this is not Sandra. You will have to deal with my dry and boring writing for the time being.
We have been exceptionally busy lately, mostly good and uplifting stuff but also very time consuming. Hopefully the professional writer will get an update on here soon. I just wanted to pass along that I have FINALLY updated our picture sharing on Shutterfly. So, pictures from LAST Christmas and through August of this year are available for you to review and get a little snapshot of our lives for the past 11 months.
You can access the site on the right side of the screen (shutterfly picture sharing). Enjoy.
May the coming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons be a time of true thanks and giving Glory to God for all He has done in our lives.
10.17.2008
Day at the Zoo
Well, here it is a month after our last update..not as timely as I hope one day to be, but notice that I have moved from yearly, to quarterly, to monthly posts. I call that progress!
We had a delightful visit with the Painter family in September. For a complete description of this happy time, please see Sarah's blog, "Life At the Painters". It even has pictures! (Something you are never likely to see here as long as I am the one posting.) Jamey and I feel so blessed to have friends who are willing to drive 14 grueling hours through the mountains with three small children, knowing that once they arrive they will be exposed to strange northern illnesses, fed strange food, forced to play endless games of bocce ball, and made to stay up way past their bedtimes talking politics and religion. We hope they come again soon!
Now for a quick synopsis of our day at the zoo. The children and I met our homeschool co-op at the local zoo today for a field trip which sounded very good on paper. The reality could be compared to what farmers call a "controlled burn". (For you non-agricultural types, that's when you light a field of dry grass on fire and then frantically run around beating it out with shovels before it burns your neighbor's barn down. You just call it "controlled" to make yourself feel better.)
I never appreciate Jamey more than when I get to take our precious children out by myself. The girls are normally model citizens on field trips, and today was no exception. But I am still trying to figure out when little boys gain that beautiful mixture of common sense and serenity so commonly found in the female species.
At this point I have one son who reacts to everything by screaming and crawling up my neck, one son who is not afraid of anything (i.e. "Look Mom! I'm in the lion cage!"), and one son who spends a good deal of his life on his own special planet (as in, "Excuse me, ma'am. Is that your child wandering around in the parking lot?") I think the children may have seen some animals today, but I spent most of my time pulling Isaiah off of fences, prying Jude off my legs, and rescuing Elijah every time he accidentally walked off with another family.
In retrospect, there were some memorable moments. Rebekah and Christina got to watch a rattlesnake swallow an enormous white rat. Whole. I really admire their scientific interest in the natural world. They were pointing out retractable fangs and jaw flexion while I was looking at the rat and thinking, "Poor thing. Look at its little pink feet."
I had never been to the reptile house during feeding time before, and I was struck by the fact that the zoo workers spoke of the snakes and lizards and gators with such warmth and affection--passionately answering questions about their proper care and habitat--all the while chucking out great handfuls of unlucky rodents.
Apparently mice are way below reptiles on the "animals we need to care about" list. And then I started thinking about the dilemma that certain animal rights activists must face every day. What do you do with animals who insist on eating one another? At least humans can be converted to vegetarianism. (Try reasoning with a crocodile or a slavering hyena.)
And if it is "natural" for animals to eat each another, on what basis can it be wrong for humans to eat animals? For that matter if the highest religion is nature, on what basis can it be wrong for us to eat each other?
This is where I am so glad to have a faith to stand on, because really, if we humans were not created in the image of God and given worth by Jesus' sacrificial love for us, there would be no more need to mourn the death of a person than there is to mourn the death of a moth or a mouse. What a blessing to be placed in such a position of privilege and responsibility on this planet--to be given stewardship over nature, the care of our fellow man, and the ability to consider the meaning of life and death.
I have no quarrel with vegetarians. I think that as Christians we should be thoughtful consumers, but since the Bible records that after the flood, mankind was given permission to eat meat as well as green plants, I do so with a clear conscience. I also think that God has a way of infusing spiritual meaning into our daily living, and I believe we should look for those lessons in every act.
Is it possible that as we take the life of something in order to sustain our own, we should pause to consider the necessity of God's sacrifice for us? Americans are so insulated from the realities of any form of sacrifice that it is no wonder that many of us are so spiritually flabby. Maybe the daily realization that our hamburger came from a once-living creature instead of from a Kroger meat-counter would do us good. Maybe it would also make us long for the day when death will no longer be an ugly reality of the sinful world we live in.
That's just the kind of stuff that goes through my head at the zoo. And why I am always so much fun on field trips:)
Other highlights of the trip included some adorable black-footed cats from South America, a hilarious pair of penguins, and a cougar who stared at us with piercing malevolence . Then there was the time when we accidentally left Christina in the snake house (she found us eventually), and the time I caught Jude chewing up something he picked up near the girls bathroom. The boys would also want me to mention the rude monkeys since that was their favorite exhibit, and the one they talked about all night, but I refuse to say any more about that particular experience.
In short, I got out of the van with five children, and three hours later, I got back in the van with five children. So from that standpoint, it was a successful field trip. Really, any day that ends with happy exhaustion, relief, a little pride, lots to talk about, and a renewed appreciation for the role your spouse plays in the survival of your children, can be considered a day well spent.
And so it was.
We had a delightful visit with the Painter family in September. For a complete description of this happy time, please see Sarah's blog, "Life At the Painters". It even has pictures! (Something you are never likely to see here as long as I am the one posting.) Jamey and I feel so blessed to have friends who are willing to drive 14 grueling hours through the mountains with three small children, knowing that once they arrive they will be exposed to strange northern illnesses, fed strange food, forced to play endless games of bocce ball, and made to stay up way past their bedtimes talking politics and religion. We hope they come again soon!
Now for a quick synopsis of our day at the zoo. The children and I met our homeschool co-op at the local zoo today for a field trip which sounded very good on paper. The reality could be compared to what farmers call a "controlled burn". (For you non-agricultural types, that's when you light a field of dry grass on fire and then frantically run around beating it out with shovels before it burns your neighbor's barn down. You just call it "controlled" to make yourself feel better.)
I never appreciate Jamey more than when I get to take our precious children out by myself. The girls are normally model citizens on field trips, and today was no exception. But I am still trying to figure out when little boys gain that beautiful mixture of common sense and serenity so commonly found in the female species.
At this point I have one son who reacts to everything by screaming and crawling up my neck, one son who is not afraid of anything (i.e. "Look Mom! I'm in the lion cage!"), and one son who spends a good deal of his life on his own special planet (as in, "Excuse me, ma'am. Is that your child wandering around in the parking lot?") I think the children may have seen some animals today, but I spent most of my time pulling Isaiah off of fences, prying Jude off my legs, and rescuing Elijah every time he accidentally walked off with another family.
In retrospect, there were some memorable moments. Rebekah and Christina got to watch a rattlesnake swallow an enormous white rat. Whole. I really admire their scientific interest in the natural world. They were pointing out retractable fangs and jaw flexion while I was looking at the rat and thinking, "Poor thing. Look at its little pink feet."
I had never been to the reptile house during feeding time before, and I was struck by the fact that the zoo workers spoke of the snakes and lizards and gators with such warmth and affection--passionately answering questions about their proper care and habitat--all the while chucking out great handfuls of unlucky rodents.
Apparently mice are way below reptiles on the "animals we need to care about" list. And then I started thinking about the dilemma that certain animal rights activists must face every day. What do you do with animals who insist on eating one another? At least humans can be converted to vegetarianism. (Try reasoning with a crocodile or a slavering hyena.)
And if it is "natural" for animals to eat each another, on what basis can it be wrong for humans to eat animals? For that matter if the highest religion is nature, on what basis can it be wrong for us to eat each other?
This is where I am so glad to have a faith to stand on, because really, if we humans were not created in the image of God and given worth by Jesus' sacrificial love for us, there would be no more need to mourn the death of a person than there is to mourn the death of a moth or a mouse. What a blessing to be placed in such a position of privilege and responsibility on this planet--to be given stewardship over nature, the care of our fellow man, and the ability to consider the meaning of life and death.
I have no quarrel with vegetarians. I think that as Christians we should be thoughtful consumers, but since the Bible records that after the flood, mankind was given permission to eat meat as well as green plants, I do so with a clear conscience. I also think that God has a way of infusing spiritual meaning into our daily living, and I believe we should look for those lessons in every act.
Is it possible that as we take the life of something in order to sustain our own, we should pause to consider the necessity of God's sacrifice for us? Americans are so insulated from the realities of any form of sacrifice that it is no wonder that many of us are so spiritually flabby. Maybe the daily realization that our hamburger came from a once-living creature instead of from a Kroger meat-counter would do us good. Maybe it would also make us long for the day when death will no longer be an ugly reality of the sinful world we live in.
That's just the kind of stuff that goes through my head at the zoo. And why I am always so much fun on field trips:)
Other highlights of the trip included some adorable black-footed cats from South America, a hilarious pair of penguins, and a cougar who stared at us with piercing malevolence . Then there was the time when we accidentally left Christina in the snake house (she found us eventually), and the time I caught Jude chewing up something he picked up near the girls bathroom. The boys would also want me to mention the rude monkeys since that was their favorite exhibit, and the one they talked about all night, but I refuse to say any more about that particular experience.
In short, I got out of the van with five children, and three hours later, I got back in the van with five children. So from that standpoint, it was a successful field trip. Really, any day that ends with happy exhaustion, relief, a little pride, lots to talk about, and a renewed appreciation for the role your spouse plays in the survival of your children, can be considered a day well spent.
And so it was.
9.15.2008
Two Months in a Nutshell...
Since our last post, I am sure we must have done something noteworthy. It's been two months, for goodness sake!
Let's see. I could write about Isaiah's lip stitches (a freak shower injury), or our trip to Upper Michigan to see my parents (not sure what the kids did up there, but I slept a lot--very nice!), or Jamey's work schedule (Isaiah keeps asking if we can go to "Daddy's house". Not so nice.), or Jude's suave new dance moves. Not that is worth writing about, because I have rarely seen anything so funny. Jude possesses a surprising amount of gravitas for a 16 month old. He contemplates life with a cool detachment, surveying the passing scene like a lord on his manor. This is not to say that he is always stern, but his smiles must be earned and he is not given to frivolity.
But when the music starts, watch out! It starts with a little bounce of the knees, a little swaying of the diaper. Then his arms wing up and out, his tummy waves back and forth, and he is carried away--all but his head.
That's the funny part.
He maintains a completely straight face throughout. Sometimes he even looks vaguely alarmed. I am not sure if he is trying to impress us with his coolness. ("Stand back while I bust this move, Mom") Or if his body just breaks out in mutiny against his cool Swedish reserve when the music starts. Whatever it is, I have it on video so I can play it at his wedding:)
Lest anyone think that we are blasting some sort of vile hip hop music at our son, I want to be clear that Jude dances to any beat. The rhythmic swishing of the dishwasher can set him off. Tonight he was swept away when the kids started singing "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" after dinner. He's a musical animal.
What else is new...Rebekah is now playing the harp (as of two weeks ago). She is taking lessons from Sister Mary Margaret, a Franciscan nun who lives up the road, and already the music sounds beautiful! I am of the opinion that you could drop a harp down the stairs and it would sound beautiful, but that is not to take any credit away from Rebekah. Already, she can play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and Yankee Doodle.
Christina is embarking on violin lessons and playing with a little ensemble made up of some friends from church and Bible Study. They hope to be good enough to play at some local nursing homes by Christmas, and at church. When I was a child, I used to scoff at the adults who would leave our piano recitals with tears on their cheeks. I have now joined their ranks. In fact, I get choked up when I hear a perfect C-scale coming from a little violin. What is it about watching a child perform? They just couldn't be any more precious!
The rest of our summer was filled with pleasant normalcy--Bible studies, days spent with friends and family, babysitting, gardening, church picnics, good hard work (thank you Jamey) and slow, pleasant evenings. I will end today's entry with one typical example. It is simply called, "A Day in the Life of Elijah and Isaiah: Tireless Explorers, Best Friends, Small but Manly Men."
Today was one of those steely grey September days--cold, wet, and dreary. So of course the boys were outside as soon as the sun came over the trees. It wasn't long before they noticed that they could see their breath out there, which (they insisted) meant that snow was sure to follow within mere moments. Oh, the shrieks of excitement from both of them! "Mom! Snow! Get the sleds! Where are my boots! Can we throw snowballs?"
Twenty minutes later, they were geared up for a blizzard, wearing hats, scarves, mismatched mittens, coats and boots--and shorts. (They didn't see the logic in changing their pants for some reason. Perhaps because that would have required going all the way upstairs.)
The girls and I got minute by minute updates on the latest "snowflake" sightings from both boys. At one point, Elijah became very concerned about the fate of all the cold bugs lying around the foundation of the house, so he began bringing them in one by one, and putting them on the kitchen table. He found a beautiful praying mantis and a somewhat dessicated grasshopper, several crickets, some beetle-type things, a caterpillar, several spiders, and a pile of mayflies--all of which appeared dead.
Unfortunately, the toasty kitchen revived a large number of Elijah's little friends before I noticed them crawling, falling, and flying off the table. At this point, I heartlessly insisted that they be corralled and thrust back out into the wild, much to Elijah's dismay. We did keep the praying mantis since he made no effort to escape, nor is he ever likely to.
And alas! No snow:)
Let's see. I could write about Isaiah's lip stitches (a freak shower injury), or our trip to Upper Michigan to see my parents (not sure what the kids did up there, but I slept a lot--very nice!), or Jamey's work schedule (Isaiah keeps asking if we can go to "Daddy's house". Not so nice.), or Jude's suave new dance moves. Not that is worth writing about, because I have rarely seen anything so funny. Jude possesses a surprising amount of gravitas for a 16 month old. He contemplates life with a cool detachment, surveying the passing scene like a lord on his manor. This is not to say that he is always stern, but his smiles must be earned and he is not given to frivolity.
But when the music starts, watch out! It starts with a little bounce of the knees, a little swaying of the diaper. Then his arms wing up and out, his tummy waves back and forth, and he is carried away--all but his head.
That's the funny part.
He maintains a completely straight face throughout. Sometimes he even looks vaguely alarmed. I am not sure if he is trying to impress us with his coolness. ("Stand back while I bust this move, Mom") Or if his body just breaks out in mutiny against his cool Swedish reserve when the music starts. Whatever it is, I have it on video so I can play it at his wedding:)
Lest anyone think that we are blasting some sort of vile hip hop music at our son, I want to be clear that Jude dances to any beat. The rhythmic swishing of the dishwasher can set him off. Tonight he was swept away when the kids started singing "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" after dinner. He's a musical animal.
What else is new...Rebekah is now playing the harp (as of two weeks ago). She is taking lessons from Sister Mary Margaret, a Franciscan nun who lives up the road, and already the music sounds beautiful! I am of the opinion that you could drop a harp down the stairs and it would sound beautiful, but that is not to take any credit away from Rebekah. Already, she can play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, and Yankee Doodle.
Christina is embarking on violin lessons and playing with a little ensemble made up of some friends from church and Bible Study. They hope to be good enough to play at some local nursing homes by Christmas, and at church. When I was a child, I used to scoff at the adults who would leave our piano recitals with tears on their cheeks. I have now joined their ranks. In fact, I get choked up when I hear a perfect C-scale coming from a little violin. What is it about watching a child perform? They just couldn't be any more precious!
The rest of our summer was filled with pleasant normalcy--Bible studies, days spent with friends and family, babysitting, gardening, church picnics, good hard work (thank you Jamey) and slow, pleasant evenings. I will end today's entry with one typical example. It is simply called, "A Day in the Life of Elijah and Isaiah: Tireless Explorers, Best Friends, Small but Manly Men."
Today was one of those steely grey September days--cold, wet, and dreary. So of course the boys were outside as soon as the sun came over the trees. It wasn't long before they noticed that they could see their breath out there, which (they insisted) meant that snow was sure to follow within mere moments. Oh, the shrieks of excitement from both of them! "Mom! Snow! Get the sleds! Where are my boots! Can we throw snowballs?"
Twenty minutes later, they were geared up for a blizzard, wearing hats, scarves, mismatched mittens, coats and boots--and shorts. (They didn't see the logic in changing their pants for some reason. Perhaps because that would have required going all the way upstairs.)
The girls and I got minute by minute updates on the latest "snowflake" sightings from both boys. At one point, Elijah became very concerned about the fate of all the cold bugs lying around the foundation of the house, so he began bringing them in one by one, and putting them on the kitchen table. He found a beautiful praying mantis and a somewhat dessicated grasshopper, several crickets, some beetle-type things, a caterpillar, several spiders, and a pile of mayflies--all of which appeared dead.
Unfortunately, the toasty kitchen revived a large number of Elijah's little friends before I noticed them crawling, falling, and flying off the table. At this point, I heartlessly insisted that they be corralled and thrust back out into the wild, much to Elijah's dismay. We did keep the praying mantis since he made no effort to escape, nor is he ever likely to.
And alas! No snow:)
7.11.2008
Testing. Is this thing on? Did I make it in?
Oh my goodness! I am IN! And writing! And so far it is working!
First of all, I'd like to thank Sarah Painter. Without her invaluable tech support, pep talks, prayers(?), this endeavor would never have made it off the ground.
Thanks also go out to my family, who have endured some neglect and a teensie bit of snappiness from Mommy as I attempted over and over to access my own blog in order to record some cute little family moment just after it happened--only to be met with repeated failure (loss of password, loss of email address, loss of patience, phone call, dirty diaper emergency, etc.).
Thanks finally to my dear husband, Jamey, who walked me through every step of how to log in to our blog at least three times--but then forgot to tell me how to enable cookies, thus helping me to see the depths of my need for further sanctification.
Now just in case anyone is still reading...a cute family moment!
Elijah is up north on the farm with Papa, Grandma, and Grammi this week. He and Grammi (age 92) have always enjoyed one another in limited doses. About 10 minutes into the visit, she will threaten to sit him in the corner or ask him when it will be time for him to go home--very sweetly, of course since she is every bit a lady. So I wondered how a whole week of 24/7 Elijah exposure would go.
The verdict is in! They are now best buddies. Mom called yesterday to say that she was working in the basement when all of the sudden, Grammi came down the stairs, half-running (which she is not supposed to do since she normally requires a walker and support to get around). Mom expressed surprise, and Grammi responded by saying, "Quick! Where can I hide?"
It turns out that she and Elijah were playing hide and seek upstairs and Grammi ran out of good spots. Mom told her to hide in the laundry room, and so Grammi trundled in and shut the door. Shortly after that, Elijah appeared and Mom winked toward Grammi's hiding spot. A few minutes later, he came out of the laundry room (which is not that big, by the way) saying that he could not find her.
So Mom went in to look. Sure enough, no sign of Grammi. Thinking that she may have sneaked out while Mom's back was turned, Mom and Elijah searched the rest of the basement. No Grammi. Finally they went back to the laundry room to look, and there, wedged between the laundry cart and the furnace, was Grammi--completely concealed by the ironing board she was holding up in front of her!
Grammi and Elijah rounded out the day with some spirited games of Zitternix and a few good books. According to Elijah Grammi is "better at hide and seek than anyone". Not only does she have grace, style, and flair, she also has an impish sense of humor! May I be so blessed one day...
Oh my goodness! I am IN! And writing! And so far it is working!
First of all, I'd like to thank Sarah Painter. Without her invaluable tech support, pep talks, prayers(?), this endeavor would never have made it off the ground.
Thanks also go out to my family, who have endured some neglect and a teensie bit of snappiness from Mommy as I attempted over and over to access my own blog in order to record some cute little family moment just after it happened--only to be met with repeated failure (loss of password, loss of email address, loss of patience, phone call, dirty diaper emergency, etc.).
Thanks finally to my dear husband, Jamey, who walked me through every step of how to log in to our blog at least three times--but then forgot to tell me how to enable cookies, thus helping me to see the depths of my need for further sanctification.
Now just in case anyone is still reading...a cute family moment!
Elijah is up north on the farm with Papa, Grandma, and Grammi this week. He and Grammi (age 92) have always enjoyed one another in limited doses. About 10 minutes into the visit, she will threaten to sit him in the corner or ask him when it will be time for him to go home--very sweetly, of course since she is every bit a lady. So I wondered how a whole week of 24/7 Elijah exposure would go.
The verdict is in! They are now best buddies. Mom called yesterday to say that she was working in the basement when all of the sudden, Grammi came down the stairs, half-running (which she is not supposed to do since she normally requires a walker and support to get around). Mom expressed surprise, and Grammi responded by saying, "Quick! Where can I hide?"
It turns out that she and Elijah were playing hide and seek upstairs and Grammi ran out of good spots. Mom told her to hide in the laundry room, and so Grammi trundled in and shut the door. Shortly after that, Elijah appeared and Mom winked toward Grammi's hiding spot. A few minutes later, he came out of the laundry room (which is not that big, by the way) saying that he could not find her.
So Mom went in to look. Sure enough, no sign of Grammi. Thinking that she may have sneaked out while Mom's back was turned, Mom and Elijah searched the rest of the basement. No Grammi. Finally they went back to the laundry room to look, and there, wedged between the laundry cart and the furnace, was Grammi--completely concealed by the ironing board she was holding up in front of her!
Grammi and Elijah rounded out the day with some spirited games of Zitternix and a few good books. According to Elijah Grammi is "better at hide and seek than anyone". Not only does she have grace, style, and flair, she also has an impish sense of humor! May I be so blessed one day...
7.03.2008
Just a bit late to this blogging game...
After being in Michigan for just over a year now perhaps it is time to give an update on how things are going. I feel terrible about how poorly I have kept in touch with all the wonderful and dear friends from N.C. and beyond. I could of course give the old line about how terribly busy things have been and there just hasn't been any time, but... who isn't? Maybe the fact that I haven't loaded any pictures from my camera in 5 mos indicates that as well.
As poor an excuse as it is, it really is the truth. We have had an incredibly busy, but blessed, year since our move. I can't believe that 12 months have passed already.
We are so grateful to be blessed with a God-fearing church, wonderful friends, and a beautiful home.
I have had a really rapid increase in my Med/Peds Rheumatology practice and that is certainly a double edged sword. It is great that I am getting so many referrals and the practice is growing but with that has come some very long hours as I still learn how to navigate being the "final answer" and not having a supervising physician to lean on. Needless to say, I love what I do and couldn't ask for a better specialty to practice in.
Sandra and the kids are doing very well. This has been a very busy year for them as well. School was great and the kids all excelled. Elijah finished his first year of "school" and has learned so much. The girls continue to show amazing gifts for learning and most importantly have demonstrated ever-increasing hearts for serving God with their lives. We are so blessed by their selflessness and diligence.
Our home has been a true blessing and a wonderful retreat from the business of the days. Sandra has (as always) made our new house truly HOME and I still can't believe that this is where I live. It is so peaceful with beautiful views on all sides during all seasons. Her gardening skill just adds incredibly to the natural beauty. I really am going to try and get our photo site updated soon as well. However, one of the big impediments is the continued slow uploads from our satellite internet provider (no cable here).
We are going to try and do better about keeping you informed on our "happenings." We miss everyone and are always ready to host any who wish to escape the summer's heat, or alternatively, experience a bit of true winter!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)