Christmas

Hello Everyone!

Life here has been rather crazy and I'll get back to posting more details next week when my husband goes back to work and the kids go back to school. Some highlights:

• a wonderful Christmas Day at home
• a wonderful Christmas celebrations with Randy's family
• and with my family
• getting rooms organized, trash trashed, and outgrown clothing to the attic
• dinner with friends

Tonight we'll spend New Year's Eve with some friends coming home at a nice child-friendly time. Tomorrow my Dad's side of the family gets together for their annual get-together. Then Randy & I get a date night on Saturday.

Happy 2010! And may you go with God through this New Year.

Christmas Eve

Okay, well, so much for not posting until after the weekend! Everyone is in bed except me and the baby so while I'm trying to get him settled I'll take a few moments here.

This afternoon I took Mark to the Opthamologist (sp?) about his blocked tear duct. He will need to have surgery to open it the end of January. And he missed his nap so he kept wanting to fall asleep all evening. I finally gave in and put him to bed around 7:15.

This evening my parents, some of my siblings, aunt & uncle, and several cousins came over. We roasted hot dogs in the fire place and had finger foods--carrots/celery, fruit, chips/salsa, cookies, candy, crackers/cream cheese/pepper jam, pickles, potato chips, deer bologna, cheese. Can't remember if there was anything else right now. And also punch, Coke, tea, hot chocolate, and coffee.

Once this littlest one finally goes to sleep I want to put the packages under the tree and fill the children's stockings. Tomorrow we will read the story of our Saviour's birth and open the packages. Randy's parents will join us for lunch.

Several of us have coughs, runny noses, headaches and I am hoping that Motrin & Tylenol will keep anything more serious at bay at least until Monday!

Merry Christmas!

The Night before The Night Before Christmas

Our week is going well. Today was the children's final day of school until after New Year's. Josiah had a "lunch exchange" and Autumn went Christmas caroling and had a Christmas party. Yesterday Josiah went Christmas caroling and Autumn's class did a "Walk through Bethlehem". It was a neat time. They had set up the classroom in different areas--bakery, potter, leather/fabric worker, census taker, tax collector, inn, stable and such and had small snacks. They even had 3 live chickens in the classroom which obligingly laid a couple of eggs for their displays. I, of course, didn't even think of bringing my camera!

This morning I took "Matt" to the clinic for his 2-week check-up. He is now 11 lb., 3 oz. and has already started growing out of some of his 0-3 month sleepers. This afternoon I took Josiah, Autumn, Janae, & Zach back to Grandma's house to decorate the garage for our Christmas dinner this weekend. I'll need to go get them in about an hour. It's different having only 2 small ones at home. And I think Mark doesn't quite know what to do with himself without the older kids around.

We are all very excited about Christmas! Randy should be getting home sometime tomorrow which is also very exciting! Sometime I need to put bows/ribbons on packages yet and then I should be all ready to bring out the Christmas cookies and tea or coffee and enjoy hanging out with family.

I doubt I'll post again until after the festivities so "Merry Christmas" to all of you!

Christmas Week

Christmas week is here! Lots of fun festivities that I tend to hold rather loosely--to many times have someone or other been sick and we've had to miss things. So now I keep food and movies available for if we need to spend holidays alone. Anyway, our plans currently (and always subject to change!) look like this:

• Monday - lots of laundry!
• Tuesday - Matt gets a Christmas visit with his birth mom; caseworker visit in the afternoon; Autumn has a Christmas "walk" at school that I need to try to get to.
• Wednesday - Matt gets his 2-week check-up at the clinic in the morning; after school the oldest 3 go help Grandma decorate the garage; Josiah & Autumn have various festivities at school.
• Thursday (Christmas Eve) - Possibly hang out with cousins in the morning (not sure about this - some years I hosted a brunch this morning but this year I've opted not to); Mark to the Opthamologist in the afternoon (during naptime!, for a clogged tear duct); Extended family come in the evening for a hot dog roast and finger foods (weather permitting).
• Friday - CHRISTMAS DAY - Gifts, Randy's parents will join us for lunch, a relaxing day at home.
• Saturday - Randy's Family Christmas Celebration
• Sunday - Church Christmas Program (postponed from today); Karen's Family Christmas Celebration

Last year we missed my family get-together as Josiah & Janae had scarlet fever. So far we all seem healthy. They are allowed to eat as many fruits and veggies as they desire whenever they want. :-) Actually, Mark has a very, very runny nose, but otherwise everyone seems well.

Traditional "Sleep Out Under the Tree"

For the past several years (5?) we pick one night in December and allow the children to sleep on the floor--falling asleep by the light of the Christmas Tree. As our church service was scheduled to start later today (and subsequently canceled due to snow) we chose Saturday night. This year Zach got to join the big kids.

They used to sleep in the living room but now that the tree is in the kitchen they sleep out there. As the floor is hard (and cold due to being above the garage) I gave them the option of sleeping in the basement (cozy due to the woodstove) but they opted for around the tree. I was very impressed that they all got up around 7:00 this morning. I expected them to wake early.

Autumn, Zach, Mark, and Matt were around when I had my camera out. Not sure where Josiah and Janae were...probably getting more blankets or books or something!

SNOW!

We woke up Saturday to snow & wind. Our area got 8-15 inches of snow (from what I hear) depending on where exactly you live. The girls and I baked some cookies (from dough bought cheaply at Glenwood Foods) in the morning. Randy ripped out our master bathroom in the afternoon (for my Christmas present we are expanding that bathroom into a full bathroom instead of a half-bath). And it snowed and snowed, all day long. This morning it is clear and sunny. The roads are cleared and Randy (and kids) are working at clearing the driveway and sidewalk. I love snow storms on weekends when he is here to assist in the clearing! We'll have a white Christmas as it is to stay cold so the snow won't melt.

Okay, need to go tend the screaming infant on my lap and the 1-year-old eating breakfast and finish my (first) cup of hot chocolate.

Enjoy this beautiful Sunday!

Book Review

Well, this picture really doesn't have anything to do with my post....it's just a close up of our mishmash items on the tree this year.

Now, the book review:
I'm reviewing "Wild at Heart" by John Eldridge for our church library. I enjoyed this book. Certainly it gave me some insights into my husband. Actually, I think I did read this several years ago. Anyway, I think it's a good book. I'm not quite sure how to reconcile the "warrior soul" with our Mennonite non-resistance....perhaps in channeling that "warrior" into speaking up for the poor and down trodden and lonely?

Several things that stood out to me: (1) things that happened to you in your childhood are "not your fault!". We tend to think we deserve things that have happened to us....and this is frequently NOT TRUE! (2) We tend to dwell on the verse about "our heart is deceitfully wicked". When we do things we don't necessarily want to do or make bad choices we may dwell on how bad we are. The author points out that this is true of our pre-Christian heart. But Christ has cleansed us and given us a clean heart. If we have thoughts that are wrong or impure or envious, or depressing, or discouraging (and on and on) then we should consider that they very well may be coming from our "enemy" who wants to bring us down, knows our weaknesses and where we've fallen in the past. We need to remind ourselves who we are in Christ - pure, spotless, a child of God....and know that these thoughts are not from our "new man". If that really doesn't make sense - read the book. He words it much better than I do! :-)

Right now at bedtime I am reading "When Christmas Came" by Barbara Rainey to the children. This book unpacks the famous verse - John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. The book is full of beautiful watercolor illustrations, poetry, and short essays as she goes through the verse line by line.

Adjusting

We are settling in as a family of 8. "Matt" is doing well for the most part but like most babies, he likes to be held, snuggled, fed, and changed.... and Mark still needs many of those things done also... Zach loves "Matt" and wants to hold him and feed him and such. The older kids also like to help out. Everyone dotes on this new little baby!

I am getting back into the routine of appointments - Thursday morning I took him to the clinic for a check-up. Friday was a court hearing (we will have visits every other week for one hour with his biological mother). Everything went well with meeting his birth mom again. She seemed pleased with the pictures of the boys I had for her. Today we have a foster parent holiday party to attend. We considered skipping it but our older children have been looking forward to it so we'll drop by for a bit anyway. Sunday we have church and a family get-together. Monday Mark has a 15-month-check-up and we have a neighborhood play-date. Tuesday is our foster parent/adoptive parent play group. Wednesday the caseworker comes to visit. Thursday is the next court hearing. Friday night the children have their school Christmas program....and on it goes! Should slow down after Christmas!?!

Matt is adorable. He reminds me a lot of Zach. Mark a little, but more like Zach. He has thick black hair all over his head. He seems tiny to us but he is 9 lb. already.

Well, Zach, who is supposed to be napping, is calling for me. And Matt is crying so I got to go....

"Matt"

Janae & I picked up our precious bundle this afternoon at the hospital. I wish I could show you his pictures, but for privacy reasons, I won't. We are calling him by his middle name right now. Zachary is not impressed with his first name. So, hereafter, we will refer to him as "Matthew" or "Matt". So far he has been wonderful - sleep, eat, alert, sleep.... but the nurses assured me that he had a horrible night last night so I'm not sure what to expect tonight.

He has a doctor appointment tomorrow morning, a court hearing on Friday, and another the following Thursday. Then a visit schedule will be set up and we will start visiting with his birth mom - probably weekly or bi-weekly. So we start again...visits, appointments, caseworker visits, etc. I enjoyed my 2-1/2 month break. :-)

A friend posted the following verse on her facebook sight the day we found out about "Matt" and it's perfect for me right now!

I am the Lord your God. I am holding your hand, so don't be afraid. I am here to help you. - Isaiah 41:13

news

As some of you may know, we found out this morning that the boys' mother delivered another boy early this morning. We have agreed to take him. We will probably get him sometime on Wednesday.... beginning all the "fun" of foster care all over again (court hearings, parental visits, caseworker visits, etc.) and a bit sooner then hoped for. Mark is only 14-1/2 months old. Zach is 2-1/2 years.

Therefore, tomorrow I need to get my house in order and go shopping in preparation of having a newborn again. Thankfully my Christmas shopping is nearly complete so I don't need to worry about that. Although I do need a stocking for this little one.

Oh yes, and a pseudonym to call him on my blog and yet protect his privacy.... How about "Micah".

Prayers on behalf of all of us as embark on this new adventure are welcome!

It snowed Saturday. In the late afternoon I stepped out on the deck and took these pictures. Sunday morning the world was glistening in the sunlight. Our local "mountain" had beautiful snow covered trees that sparkled....of course, I did not have the camera out then....

Pictures which correspond with previous posts...

Mark climbed into the box that stores our decorations.

My budding photographers need to work at holding the camera steady and using the flash. And yes, we stood on rather unstable stools to put things high up on the tree.

Autumn was enjoying putting her decorations at just the right spot.

Janae placing ornaments "high" so Zach can't get them.

Saturday morning we made butter mints....

....and fudge as evidenced around the mouths of Janae & Zach.

Advent Calendar Story

Every year I get an Advent Calendar to count down till Christmas. Not the chocolate kind...I do not want to deal with fighting over canday! I get the kind with little doors to happen. Now my mom always made ours and some years I do that because they're really not hard to make and are rather expensive.

Anyway, this year I was planning to make one but suddenly realized it was December 1st. So, i took a piece of green construction. Put numbers all over it (1-25), cut out more small pictures from previous years' cards (I had begun!), and now every day one of the kids gets a turn at gluing a picture on the number.....maybe next year I'll get it together on time! Or buy one!

O Christmas Tree

Around here we are getting ready for Christmas! I am playing lots of Christmas music which some people get rather tired of. :-) And baking...I love to bake Christmas cookies. And now that it is December I have determined that we can also eat what I've baked. Today's addition was Brownie Peanut Butter Cups. Mix up a Brownie Mix (Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies work well). Divide batter into 18 paper lined muffin cups. Insert a mini peanut butter cup into the center. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes. Delicious and Easy!

Monday I spent the day decorating (as mentioned in a previous post). Tuesday was "tons of laundry" day. Wednesday was "yeast dough" baking day (bread, icing buns). Thursday morning we had MOPS and I paid bills. This morning I'm doing more laundry and made the above brownie muffins. AND THEN.....after school, Randy will take the older kids to get our Christmas Tree. We go to the local (cheap) lot and cut our own. As we are not overly perfectionists around here our tree is never perfect--and we love it that way! I do not do theme trees or anything (not that they're wrong, just not "me").

After dinner we will commence with decorating the tree. I bought a DVD for the kids to watch while I string up the lights. "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". I love the book but haven't seen the movie yet. Then we will get out our accumulated mishmash of ornaments and hang them. They will all gradually migrate up the tree as I move them out of the reach of little hands. Our ornaments are mostly of the "shatter-proof" variety as last year our tree fell over (twice) and most of our glass ornaments broke. Every year I stick an ornament in each of the kids stockings so they have their own special ornaments that they love to hang. One year we made salt dough and cinnamon applesauce ornaments....but I think many of them were casualties in our tree episodes of last year.

Where to place the tree has always been a question at our house. In years past we would put it in front of the living room bow window. The problem with this location was that we would have to visit around the tree which made it hard to see the other people in the room depending on where you sat and depending on the size of the tree. Then for several years we placed it more in the corner of the living room to the left of the bow window. This worked much better for visiting but of course then the tree could not be seen from outside.

Last year we had a new dilemma. The tree was too tall for the living room! So, we placed it in the kitchen with the point touching the tip of the cathedral ceiling (and actually bending over slightly). I loved this as it is much easier to clean up the fallen needles from a laminate floor then carpet. However, it was a bit difficult to get between it and the island.

So this year we are going to try the kitchen again, but place it in front of the windows on the dining side and move the table a bit. Unless of course it is too tall and we need to go back to last year's position. (No, we couldn't possibly cut off the bottom!). I plan to take pictures (maybe I should designate one of the kids as "photographer") and post them. Maybe I should take a picture when finished and another one at Christmas so we can see how the ornaments migrate "north"!

And this post is long enough so I think I'll save my "advent calendar" story for another post!

Merry Christmas!

Tea

My (very random) thoughts on "Tea" one of my favorite beverages:

• I like it iced when it's hot outside and hot when it's cold outside.
• While I used to drink only black tea or mint I am working on expanding my palate.
• I am trying to cut back on the amount of sugar that I drink.
• I occasionally add milk or "nondairy creamer" to my tea.
• My very, very favorite is "Twinnings English Breakfast".
• I recently bought a multi pack of "Good Earth" brand tea. These teas are flavored with spices and are naturally a bit sweet so I can drink these without sugar. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked them.
• In general I avoid fruity teas (I feel like I'm drinking potpourri) although I will sometimes brew iced tea and add one fruity teabag to change the flavor.
• Janae's favorite teas (currently) are "Apple Cinnamon" and "Sweet Dreams" both by Bigelow.
• I also bought a Twinnings multi pack. The English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast ones I drank first. Today I am drinking "Lady Grey" from that pack.
• When drinking chai I must have large amounts of sugar and milk.
• I also recently found a Lipton brand multi-pack at our local discount grocer. I think Lipton Mint tastes like drinking chewing gum. Yeah. I think I'll leave that one for the kids.
• Randy's favorite teas are Bigelow "Plantation Mint" (caffeinated) or "Mint Medley" (decaf).
• I also enjoy drinking International Foods "French Vanilla Cafe" and other flavored hot beverages (including their chai--which does not need added sugar as it's already included).
• Oh yes, and hot chocolate is a nice option during a crisp, chilly day.
• When making iced tea I usually use Lipton Decaf Tea Bags and sometimes add a bag of something else (mint, raspberry, peach) to flavor it.
• Lemon Teas sweetened with honey are my favorite sore throat/cold soothers.
• And if my stomach is a bit off I reach for "Sweet Dreams" (Bigelow) or "Sleepy Time" (Celestial Seasonings).
• As for Chai, I currently have Celestial Seasonings, Lipton, and Good Earth versions in plain, decaf, and decaf vanilla. I sometimes make my own mix (thanks to Sylvia's recipe).
• Teas that I normally keep on hand: Bigelow - Mint Medley, Plantation Mint, I Love Lemon, English Teatime, Sweet Dreams. These were picked primarily because they cover our favorite flavors AND they're available in large boxes at our local discount grocer.
• Speaking of said grocery store, I recently also bought Lipton Black Pearl Tea there. It comes in triangular bags. I haven't tried it yet so I really can't give an opinion until I do.
• Some day I'd like to try loose leaf tea.
• I love to use sugar cubes instead of sugar but since the kids (and I to be honest) would eat them like candy I stick to the sugar bowl.
• Speaking of which....if a child spills sugar on a burner....AND....you do not clean it up promptly....AND....you come out early in the morning and put a kettle of water on said burner to have your morning cuppa tea....AND you turn that burner on....You will get a lovely little fire (sugar ignites). However, your handy dandy baking soda kept nearby will squelch that fire in an instant. Simply change to a different burner to heat your water. And remember to clean this up so it doesn't happen again the next day. :-)

Happy Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Well, my husband headed back to work tonight so I am back to blogging! We enjoyed having him around from Wednesday until tonight with the exception of about 6 hours earlier today.

Thanksgiving Day we went to my parents' church and then spent the day at their house. All of my siblings (& their families) were there at least part of the day and it was wonderful to spend time together.

Friday morning we got up at 5:00 and headed south to Randy's parents vacation home in Delaware. We spent the weekend with Randy's family there. The kids had a blast playing with their cousins. Unfortunately, as I have a policy against posting other people's kids on this blog, I can't show you any pictures. Randy's mom graciously offered to watch the kids Saturday morning while we did a bit of shopping. My sister-in-law noticed a Christmas Bazaar at a house in the neighborhood. I was thrilled to find a wreath for one of my doors for only $9. It did have lights on which I had nowhere to plug in but I just took those off....so I got a wreath & a string of lights for $9. :-) We got home in good time on Sunday.

Monday I spent a good part of the day listening to Christmas Music (starting out with Handel's Messiah (Highlights) and decorating the house. We do want to put up the Christmas Tree yet. Hopefully we will be able to get it this weekend. We go to a local place that only charges about $2/foot or something like that. The trees are not perfect, but that's okay. After the kids have pulled on them a day or two they wouldn't be perfect anyway. I do have a small fake one in the living room and it's toppled a couple of times. Those lights and ornaments are hard for 1 and 2 year old boys to resist!

Today was laundry day. I had avoided doing it Monday as I was decorating so had plenty to do today. The kids also went back to school today.

Home Projects - Randy is working at repainting the nursery. We still had paint left from when we painted it 8 years ago we just removed the border and will put a fresh coat of paint on. We are also painting the trim white. This house had stained trim when we bought it...which would've been beautiful had it been properly finished. But the nail holes had never been filled and the stain never had polyurethane on it so it looked dull. Anyway, we've gradually been changing everything to painted trim and this is the last room to do so. Oh yes, and I bought a "horse" border to put at the top of the room. The last border (Ducks) was at chair rail height...perfect for little fingers to pick at. I have a set of paint-by-number horse heads that my Grandpa painted. I need to fix the frame of one of them and then I want to hang them in there also.

My sweet kids

My sister-in-law kept the rest of the children while I took Josiah to the dentist the other week. She took them to a nearby park and took these pictures. And then when I got back she took some of Josiah and all of them together.

Autumn - she's looking so grown up already!

Mark - my sweet, adorable, contented littlest one.

Zach - the exuberant, LOUD, energetic, inquisitive, aggressive one

(Anyone have any tips for learning to use our "inside" voice???)

Janae - such a pleasure to be with - it will be hard for me to send her to Kindergarten!

Josiah - he's turning into a young man....I guess we'll soon find out about adolescents!

The 5 of them.

Some days they drive me crazy but I love them to pieces and I'm so thankful that God has placed each one of them in our family!

And I'm thankful for this man too....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Life goes on....

Last week was rather hectic. It seemed like all the errands piled up and needed to be done at once so Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I left the house right after the kids got on the bus and returned for naps (sometimes a bit later naps than normal). We did get a lot accomplished and the children cooperated beautifully. If I'd clean the house and then go away every day maybe everything would stay neater. :-)

This week we have minimal plans....do the laundry, get groceries, the perpetual straightening up of the house. Wednesday the kids have a Thanksgiving Feast with school and a short program that Randy or I will try to attend. We hope to go to my parents church for a Thanksgiving Service on Thursday and then spend the day with my family and spend the weekend with Randy's family....but Josiah came home from school and told me that a friend has H1N1 so I am holding our plans lightly and plan to buy a turkey at the grocery store in case we are at home for the holidays. Josiah & Autumn have off school Thursday - Monday.

Tonight's thankfulness focus was "subjects we've studied in school" and "Blessings of daytime and nightime".

Now that I finally put the pictures from the camera

onto the computer..... I can write lots of posts with pictures again!

Saturday night we made "Sand Tarts". Lots of messy fun. And lots of tantrums from the 2-year-old who wanted to help but really could only with extreme supervision. I didn't take pictures of the tantrums! And actually, I didn't take these pictures at all. The 2 oldest took care of the photography.

Zach and Josiah waiting for more cookies to decorate.

Josiah cutting out cookies; Autumn waiting her turn.

Janae

Now it's Autumn's turn.

Extreme supervision!


Cookies waiting to go into the oven.

We neglected to take any pictures of the finished product. We each tasted 2 for a bedtime snack and they are now tucked away in the freezer for after Thanksgiving (provided I can keep other baked goods around until then so we don't dig into these prematurely).

Learning to Walk

Mark now routinely takes 4 steps or so before collapsing and crawling. He's such a delight and brings a smile to my face because he looks so pleased with himself.

The long overdue post

A month ago at our MOPS group we did a few crafts. I took pictures of the end results and am finally getting around to blogging about it. Unfortunately I need to work at my close-up shots as these got a bit fuzzy.

Station #1 - Card Making. I decided I really enjoy making cards when everything is all ready for you and cut and what not!

Station #2 - Miniature Flower Arrangement - Hollow out a mini-pumpkin. Insert a soaking piece of florist foam. Fill with mums, leaves, etc. Of course, our group was rather busy talking so by the time it was our turn to do this there wasn't much variety left....but it was fun....and on the cute side...until Zach (aka Curious George) decided to investigate....

Station #3 - Dipping your hands in paraffin. As I mentioned...we were very busy chatting and I never did get to this station.

We always have a lovely time... yummy, large breakfast... conversation.... devotions/speaker.... prayer... etc. At the last MOPS group we made Apple Pies. Delicious! Thursday is the next one and I think we're focusing on Thanksgiving as that is next week already. Anyway, so I do enjoy attending this group. I'm quite grateful for the wonderful child care and the time spent with the other women.

Yesterday's Birthday - Photos

Happy Birthday!

Happy 5th Birthday,

Janae!

Sunday Night

It's 8:35 and all the children are in bed...and from the sound of it, fast asleep. The boys missed their naps this afternoon and were very, very tired! Mark did get a few cat naps but that was it. This morning at church we had "Baby/Child Dedication" for the boys and another baby girl. It was very meaningful. We had lunch with Randy's extended family - Grandma, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, their children. We hadn't seen most of them in quite awhile and it was good to see them again.

So far still no flu or bronchitis or anything serious...just coughs and runny noses. I was kind of hoping we'd get it and be done before Thanksgiving! Speaking of Thanksgiving, today's "God's Gifts" that we discussed were "Things from Nature" and "Christian Books we have Read in the Past Year".

I'm reviewing the book "Pax Avalon" for the church library. It's in comic book form targeting teens. I found it fascinating--the parts I scanned. I need to read the whole thing yet.

Tomorrow and Tuesday the kids get out of school early for parent-teacher conferences. So I don't need to pack lunch for 2 days. Thursday I'm hoping to take Janae for pictures. She will be 5 next Sunday! I can hardly believe it....

Tomorrow is also "Neighborhood Play Group". And I need to wrap up the Foster Parent Association fundraiser and get the order placed. And of course....laundry, meals, baking, etc.

Normally I start baking cookies for Christmas the first week of November. I had read one time that if you bake one type of cookies per week starting after halloween you have a nice selection by Christmas (assuming of course that you bake other things to eat right away and stash these in the freezer). This year I have not started yet....but perhaps this week I will...or perhaps I will simply not bake as much....

A friend blessed us with several boxes of clothing to go through for the girls. How exciting! They were both thrilled to find new pairs of pajamas, pants, and shirts that will fit them and look nice too. Now I need to go through their old clothes and get rid of what doesn't fit well or is very stained.

Saturday night Randy & I had a "date night". Our friends kept the kids and we went to "Outback Steakhouse". Then we went to Lowe's and Giant. As normal, at the restaurant I asked for a box for what I didn't eat....and then walked out without it. It was nice to be out together and talk without little ears to overhear! :-)

Thanksgiving

I found a bulletin insert at my mom's from their church. It is published by www.AbundantLivingMinistries.org and titled "God's Gift List". Anyway, it challenged me to be more specific about what I'm thankful for. For instance, instead of saying "family and friends", see how many I can list. And I'd been thinking that so often recently, that every time I come to God I'm asking for something...there are so many needs! And so I decided that this month (and perhaps into December since I'm starting a bit late) we will focus on "God's Gifts" after we read our bedtime story. They had a list of 30 topics (one for each day of November). We started tonight with Day 1 - Family members and relatives (can we name them all?). We got through all of the cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and great grandparents and then started on some great aunts/uncles and mommy's cousins and their 2nd & 3rd cousins and I decided we can do some more another time...there are a lot! Right now our end of the day routine is

1. Get pajamas on (baths some nights also)
2. snack and read a chapter of "Rainbow Garden"
3. brush teeth/bathroom
4. bed/prayers - read until 8:30 on school nights, 8:45 or 9:00 on non-school nights

So we are adding our "God's Gifts" topic into #2. I found a journal I had stashed and pulled it out so we can record everything. In bed tonight Autumn pulled her journal out and was making a list of what God made.

Josiah seemed rather tired this evening. Hopefully it's just because of the time change but several of his friends have been out with the flu so perhaps it's his turn....I guess we'll see how he is in the morning.

Zach's favorite word right now is "annying" (annoying). hmm....he must've heard that somewhere! :-) His current behavior issues include walking up to adults and smacking them. I am trying hard to eliminate this one! He is so fun and exuberant though that I can't stay upset at him for long. I love the way his eyes sparkle.

Mark has not taken any more steps alone but he is certainly getting around and into everything.

Janae was so excited today because we went to MOPS. She loves to go to her class and play with her friend, L. I think this is probably good for her since next year she goes to school.

This morning at MOPS we made apple pie. It was a nice dessert for supper tonight and there is one piece left which I hope to claim for breakfast in the morning. Tonight I made Lentil Soup which Randy & I like and the kids didn't eat very well...hopefully Randy will eat the leftovers! Mark picked out the ham and just smeared the lentils around. So much for hoping this would be a healthy (and inexpensive) meal to add to our diets!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights." James 1:17.

Update...

1. a little man took his first few steps alone last night. He's still rather unstable but it won't be long until he's as fast as his older brother!
2. Tonight we're going to our church's family fun night...complete with dinner so no cooking for me tonight!
3. Randy left today for AL via MI....he should be home the end of the week sometime.
4. So far we have dodged the flu and bronchitis and whatnot that's going around...only a few coughs and sniffles...but it seems it's just a matter of time!

Adoptions in general

http://vimeo.com/4386155

Summit V - Why are you here? from Tapestry on Vimeo.

Okay, I've never tried linking anything to my blog before...so let's try this. I was reading some info on http://www.orphansunday.org/ and came across this video which touched me. Sometimes I spend time reading blogs and websites about kids that are waiting to be adopted or sponsored or assisted in some way....I can't help them all...but I wish I could!

On another note, we never did "Baby Dedication" for the boys as I didn't feel comfortable committing to raising them in the knowledge of God when we didn't know if we would be the ones who are raising them, however, now that they are adopted we are going to be a part of the next "Baby/Child Dedication" at our church. It will be November 8....which is also Orphan Sunday. Is this a coincidence? or the hand of God?! Of course, the other baby being dedicated is not an orphan....and ours were not technically orphans....still, I find meaning in this.

Last Week of October

Today begins the last week of October. Our alarm clock in the bedroom fell back an hour since it was preprogrammed to do so....right before the government changed the weekends to do so...so I'll need to adjust it correctly today, and then back next Saturday night. We had quite a bit of wind and rain this weekend which gave the grass a nice carpet of leaves. The trees are yellow and brown and orange and red right now...very little green...and quickly loosing their leaves.



Friday night, after everyone was settled, I left the kids with Randy and went to the neighbors "Creative Home" party. Another Christmas present checked off the list. Saturday morning we all tackled the basement and it's lovely and organized and cleaned....and even stayed that way for a day and a half since we've stayed out of it!



Randy is now hooked on watching "Top Gear" shows on YouTube. It's a BBC program. I have to admit some of them are pretty funny...but in general, I get tired of them before he does. Must be a "guy thing".



We attended church this morning as normal. And appreciated being there as normal also. Whenever I can't attend I miss it. Afterwards, Autumn went home with a friend. Josiah's friend came over after lunch. Later we picked up Autumn and dropped off the friend and went to my parents house for supper. 3 of my siblings (& families) were there also so we enjoyed hanging out with them and catching up with each other.



I got a creative impulse so have been scrapbooking away in an effort to get caught after. This afternoon I updated Zach & Mark's books to include their adoption story, their baby books, and a page in Janae's book. Now I need to tackle Josiah's book, Autumn's book, and the family album....but not tonight any more.



The projects for this week are:

• FUEL TAXES - Randy's quarterly fuel taxes are due by October 31....this includes IFTA, NYHUT, KY, and NM. Not difficult, just a matter of focusing and doing them!


• BCFPA Fundraiser. Orders are due by the end of the week. Then I need to organize and place them.


• And of course, the above mentioned scrapbooks need updated.


• not to mention the normal: laundry, cleaning (up), dishes, caring for children....

On the plus side, I have a relatively free week to tackle all these projects. I do need to go in to school briefly on Tuesday. And the children have a dentist appointment Tuesday afternoon. But otherwise I have all sorts of options!

Monday is my oldest little brother's birthday. Happy Birthday!

Friday

Yesterday we had a blast at our Open House. What a good excuse to hang out with a bunch of friends! And I even got some Christmas Shopping done in the process. Then later in the afternoon I went to a local craft show (held by friends from church) and did some more Christmas shopping in addition to getting some absolutely wonderful whoopie pies...so light and delicate with plenty of cream!

Today I went back to check and see if I missed anything since it was rather crowded yesterday and first thing in the morning it is less crowded. Then I headed to Sharp Shopper and also the egg place. Then I stopped by my sister's to drop off a nuk and the door prized she won from one of the vendors who was here yesterday and some diapers that are to small for my baby. Now I am having trouble getting motivated to begin anything. It is a cloudy windy day. The rain is supposed to come later. I love the fall leaves and the rustling...but today is just rather gloomy.

Well, I should come up with something for supper....and really, I should do a bit of wash (although it could wait until tomorrow)....and sweep the floor...

Tonight I am invited to a "Creative Home" (formerly Home Interiors) party. I'm not sure if I'll get there or not.

Today

Today a friend and I are hosting a "Holiday Open House" at my house with home party businesses and refreshments. Tupperware, Creative Memories, Avon, Southern Living at Home, Yellow Brick Road Bakery, Shaklee, and Jewelry. Oh yes, and refreshments. I'm looking forward to hanging out with a bunch of friends and shopping at home. :-) It's from 9-2 here and anyone is welcome.

My house looks wonderful in preparation for above....somehow it just doesn't stay that way!

Tuesday we had our first foster mom/adoptive mom play group. We had a great time even though it only suited 3 of us this first time (and 9 kids). We plan to do it again next month.

This weekend we currently have no plans. Life's been rather busy so I'm looking forward to a weekend with nothing set, where we can do things on the spur of the moment or just hang out together at home.

Book

My latest book read was "How to Become a Sweet Old Lady Instead of a Grumpy Old Grouch" by Marilynn Carlson Webber. This was published back in 1996 by Zondervan. And I enjoyed it immensely.....hopefully I absorbed the message and will be the "sweet old lady" as I age.

Another weekend

The end of last week I was dealing with extreme fatigue and a sore throat..but seem to be better now. The flu is so prevalent around here that I am just waiting for the kids to come down with it.

Thursday at MOPS we made some neat crafts...pictures are on my camera which has dead batteries.

Friday the older 3 spent overnight at grammy's house. Randy & I and the little boys enjoyed spending time with friends.

Saturday I accompanied Randy to NJ to load his truck. First time I was along in a long, long time. His mother kept the little boys, the older ones were still at my mom's. I took the afghan I'm working on along and got a few inches added. We ate lunch at the infamous diner, Louise's. Upon returning home, he ran to E-town for trailer tires and I went to pick up the kids. Then we babysat some of our friends' kids for the evening while they went out.

Sunday morning we went to church. In the evening I went again and Randy kept the kids home to get them to bed early.

It has been very wet and cold and rainy recently but this week is supposed to be a bit milder. I get to go to the dentist this morning.

Weekend

Today it is freezing! Well, not literally, but definitely colder than it was...and from what I hear colder than "average" with the temps predicted to drop...we need to start the wood stove! I do have the electric heat on.

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we went to a "Missions at the Airport" event held at a private airstrip in the area. The had displays of what all is involved with working with the missionaries and providing transportation of people and cargo. Hayrides and "train" rides for the kids. Airplane and Helicopter rides. And cheap food. When I got there I thought we'd only be there a short time but we ended up there for 2-1/2 hours. My brother & his family joined us also. The kids loved the rids. Randy went up for an airplane ride. And I really, really should've taken my camera! Then we spent the evening at my brother's house...very nice.

Saturday night we watched the 1939 Shirley Temple version of "The Little Princess". I'm never sure why movie producers think they need to improve on the book?! Anyway, it was interesting, but only had about 1/3-1/2 of the movie that resembled the book....of course, this was produced in 1939 so perhaps they made the switch to it being during wartime to reflect the world at that time.

BOOKS: Recently I've been reading the O'Malley Series by Dee Henderson again. I enjoy those books. Most recently "The Guardian". I've also been reading the books about Lord Peter Whimsey by Dorothy Sayers. Ms. Sayers was a contemporary of C.S.Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The books are fascinating mysteries. And then I found a Lucy Walker romance on the paperback swap at the library that I hadn't read so I read that. I checked out some Munsch/Murtchenko books at the library. They are so much fun to read to the kids. This week we have "Pigs", "The Paperbag Princess", and "Show and Tell". And I also found "Olivia....and the missing toy". I love the Olivia books!

Today a friend kept Zach while Janae, Mark & I went to K-Mart and the library. Tomorrow I will fold and put away the many loads that I washed this afternoon but did not fold (as I was reading my library book..."The Guardian"...mentioned above).

Fair

As I mentioned in a previous post, I took the kids to the New Holland Fair last week. Below are a few pictures of Zach & Janae on some of the rides. The pictures I have of the older kids include cousins--and I try not to post pictures of other family members without permission.

Life...

Really nothing much to post....but I noticed I last posted on Thursday....so I guess I'll update this.

We had a lovely weekend at home with minimal plans...always a nice treat! Josiah went to a friend's house overnight Saturday and we had 2 cousins here...so we had 4 girls & 2 boys for the weekend. The girls all played so nicely together I hardly knew they were here. Sunday morning we had Communion at church. In the afternoon I took the girls to a neighbors birthday party.

This week is not very eventful...yet. Today was the first "neighborhood play group" of this year. We meet once a month from October-March. Wednesday morning a friend is coming over to discuss the "Holiday Open House" we are having in a couple of weeks. Thursday is "Day for Play" that my cousin's wife invited me to come to....basically just a bunch of moms and kids getting together at a church gym and letting the kids run for a couple of hours. Friday night is a benefit banquet for our friends in Honduras. Then the rest of the weekend is free....oh, except for an hour or so on Saturday when we're helping with the church stand at the "Brecknock Fall Festival".

More Pictures

Autumn with balloons from the adoption party.

The lake at the cabin. Some of my family is on the far side around a campfire. It was a lovely weekend...just the right temperature for the fire. Later that day (Saturday) it rained and continued to rain off and on through Sunday.

Josiah enjoyed fishing with his uncle's rod.

He caught this fish.

We celebrated Mark's birthday on Saturday night. Janae was happy to blow out the candle for him.

And he was very sad when I took the cake away to cut it.

Promised Pictures

Randy, my brother, & Josiah went to see these steam generators being moved.

These roses were from our friend Lisa's funeral. They were a lovely addition to our celebration on Sunday. Lisa was excited about our adopting the boys and so encouraging. I miss all her encouraging comments.




Mark playing with a streamer

Mommy & Zach

Some of the food....

a close up of the cake (taken by Autumn)

balloons--just for fun!

Mark, cleaning out the cupboard....

...and "opening" a birthday present.