Christmas Tree

A favorite star ornament

The whole tree...the top is kind of blunt, and it's to close to the ceiling to put the angel on it so it's topped with a bow.

As it's a real tree, and from a cheap tree farm, it is not perfect. At $2/foot you can't be choosy. But I love trees with character! This photo shows the top...with lots of ornaments.

And then there's the bottom with fewer ornaments!

Zach.

Weekend

This will be short as I hear a little boy babbling in his crib. :-)

We had a good weekend. Friday I decorated the house for Christmas. Saturday we bought and decorated our Christmas tree. Sunday we enjoyed worshiping with our church family. In the evenings we just hung out around here for a change.

Other fun things included: listening to Christmas music and watching some Christmas DVDs.

Due to some late nights earlier in the weekend the kids have been sleeping quite well at night and napping well also. It's really quite amazing how different behaviors can be after a good night's rest. :-)

The kids still have off school today. Today's plans: grocery shopping at the discount grocery store and doing lots of laundry. Perhaps we'll even bake Sand Tarts when the boys are napping...we'll see...

Thanksgiving Day

I realize I haven't posted for a few days...

• Last evening we had Randy's family over for dessert.
• This morning we went to my parents' church for their Thanksgiving Day service.
• We spent the day with my family.
• Randy & I left briefly to attend his cousin's wife's viewing.
• Randy & Josiah left immediately after supper for his next trip to Indiana.
• 2 of our nieces are here for a sleepover tonight.
• The little boys, who barely napped today, are sleeping soundly.
• The girls are coloring and enjoying the girl time.
• I forgot to take any pictures today...

Friday's plans - Christmas decorating! (and laundry etc....)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week

• I realized this morning that our foster care coordinator is coming this afternoon.
• I took baby in for his 1 year photos and was told that the appointment was an hour later then I thought it was...at least I got a bit of Christmas shopping done.
• His photos are quite cute and I'm looking forward to when I can show him to you all!
• His caseworker is coming tomorrow.
• The caseworker who will be facilitating the adoption is coming next week.
• The kids have a Thanksgiving Feast and program on Wednesday.
• I'm trying to clean off the tops of my cupboards in preparation for Christmas decorating and actually clean everything for a change instead of just shoving the dusty things in a box as I normally do.
• I need to go do dishes and laundry before the coordinator comes
• Randy's cousin's wife's viewing is Thanksgiving Day. Funeral on Friday (although I don't think we will get to that).
• I picked up some new books that our church library just added and am looking forward to reading them and sharing them with you all!
• And I really do need to get to work. :-)

Have a good day!

Longer Version

Okay. I now have time to post (well, not really, but am doing so anyway!).

We had a good weekend despite the fact the Randy had a later run and so didn't get home until lunch time on Saturday. Friday night I took the kids to a Creative Memories' Open House and shopping...yes, I know, insane...but more fun then sitting at home on a Friday night without Daddy! Saturday we spent the day "cleaning up" all the stuff that accumulates around this place and out of it's designated spots. Saturday evening our friends kept the kids and Randy & I went out to Olive Garden. This time we went with his parents for something different. It was lovely and I had Chicken Parmigiana.

Sunday morning we went to church. At our church we sing both hymns and contemporary praise & worship music (btw, I hate that designation as praise & worship can technically describe some hymns as well...but, anyway). The song leader chose the song "My God, I Thank Thee" written by Adelaide Anne Proctor, 1858, music by Frederick Charles Maker, 1876. And as I was singing it, I was thinking on the words (particularly verse 3) and thought that they were the writer had captured reality so well. Our pastor later made some comments about the song and asked us if we really meant what we were singing...he then proceeded to preach on "God is Good, All the Time".

We invited several friends over for lunch and in the midst of getting to the table, we received the word that Randy's cousin's wife had died very suddenly from a heart issue...I'm still not quite clear on the exact cause, but heard "cardiac arrest" and a vein or artery punctured...anyway, the end result is the same. This is the same side of the family as the Grandmother that recently died. It was quite shocking....and kind of hit close to home what with them also having 6 children and her being only a year older than I am. Randy & I are now discussing whether we should have funeral plans on file in case we should need them before we are "old".

In the evening we visited with the families of 2 men that work with Randy. The one family recently had a baby girl. They both have large families so there were 6 adults and 15 kids between us.

"My God, I Thank Thee"
Adelaide Anne Procter, 1858

My God, I thank Thee, who hast made
The earth so bright,
So full of splendor and of joy,
Beauty and light,
So many glorious things are here,
Noble and right.

I thank Thee, too, that
Thou has made Joy to abound,
So many gentle thoughts and deeds
Circling us round;
That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

I thank Thee more that all our joy
Is touched with pain;
That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain,
So that earth's bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

I thank Thee, Lord, that Thou hast kept
The best in store;
We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more,
A yearning for a deeper peace
Not known before.

Quick Post

We had a good weekend...date night, spent time with friends. And heard rather difficult news. Randy's cousin's wife passed away suddenly this morning. They have 6 children ages 2 weeks to 13.

Wishy-Washy & Charities

I, for some reason, can usually (although not always) see (if I so choose) both sides of any given subject...now I may be totally convinced that 1 side is the truth and the right...but I can drive myself crazy by saying something...but on the other hand...at the same time...but if I think about it...yeah. Totally drive myself nuts...and probably everyone around me who gets the benefit of listening to me debate myself....or probably worse, show them the flip side of whatever they're trying to say. Yes, I am often guilty of "playing the devil's advocate." I really need to work on that!

Anyway, the reason I mention all this is that throughout the year I get requests from many worthy charities requesting money. At this time of the year (and also frequently midsummer) the amount of mail requesting money goes up significantly...along with catalogs coming to try to entice me to buy whatever they are advertising.

So this throws me into a dilemma. All (or at least most) of these requests are worthy! All are performing good works (feed the hungry, care for the orphan, spread the good news of Jesus Christ). Most agree with my Christian faith. So what do we do? Do we take the amount we choose to give and divide it between them so we can support all these worthy causes? Or do we choose 1 or 3 or 5 and split the money accordingly? Do we give more to this and less to that by random chance or personal preference? I can talk myself into any of the above at any given point.... But I guess in the end, it matters more that we do something, then that we so paralyze ourselves by indecision that no one benefits.

New words to an old song

I recently read new words for the very common children's Bible song - Jesus Loves the Little Children - which is full of stereotypical "colors" to represent different people groups. Anyway, I was reading the magazine "Answers" published by Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org) and it used these words and followed it with an article about how we are all one race...we just have different levels of melatin which creates the different skin tones.

"Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
All the shades from dark to light
They are precious in his sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world"

I think we will be singing this version in our home from now on!

Going a little crazy...

It's a bit crazy around here. Baby has not been napping much so I haven't been getting that time period to tackle some things that need done...and that are best done without the little boys help. That being said, Zachary was a big helper this morning. We started cleaning out drawers and cupboards in the kitchen. He would sweep them out with our little canister vac and help me scrub them. And he even left me clean them out and put the things back. :-) I have everything done below the counters with the exception of 1 lazy susan. Perhaps we'll get to the upper cupboards tomorrow.

Yesterday started our foray into the orthodontics field. Josiah and Autumn each got 2 teeth extracted. The evening was a bit tough but they seem much better today. Josiah also got bands around 2 teeth and will get a "lip bumper" connected to them.

Yesterday morning we had our foster/adopt playgroup. I had a lovely time with 3 other foster/adopt moms and their children.

While waiting for Josiah & Autumn at the dentist, I started working on a new crocheting project. Zach's afghan, which needs completed badly, is getting to big to easily lug around. My mother-in-law had given me the yarn and pattern for this last Christmas and I'm enjoying figuring it out. It is fairly easy but slightly more complicated then what I have done before. We'll see how it turns out. Maybe this will be practice and I'll do another one once I have it all figured out. :-)

Well, it's about supper time. Tonight I tried another recipe from that slow cooker crockpot called "Hamburger Greenbean Casserole. It reminds me of "Shepherd's Pie".

Thanksgiving

In November I always like to do something during our evening snack/devotional time in regards to thankfulness. I really am not very creative, but sometimes this brain pulls together various things I've read and comes up with an idea (which may or may not be lame at any given moment). Anyway, this year I found a leaf template online and cut out a bunch of leaves out of scrapbooking paper. The kids wrote things they were thankful for on them. After a few nights they got tired of it so I just finished it up.

I then taped the leaves around the edges of the kitchen windows.

This leaf and several like it are Zach's. He says it's a Garbage Truck. And I certainly am thankful for those....I can't imagine life with piles of garbage in my back yard!

We also read this book (available at www.familylife.com). Last year I bought a cheap journal, and aided by a bulletin insert from my parents' church, we made lists of things we were thankful for. The insert had a topic for each day such as family, friends, things from nature, miracles, types of trees. We will probably add to the lists...after all, we added a family member since last November so that list at least needs expanded. The book also came with a CD of Thanksgiving Hymns...mostly instrumental.

I also got this coloring book from Family Life many years ago. It has reproducible pages so some years I make copies and let them color while I read from the book.

Janae's Birthday

We celebrated Janae's birthday all weekend.

Friday evening - Janae got this fun set from Grandpa & Grandma.

We celebrated with cake and (2) gifts at Saturday supper so Daddy could be part of the fun.

We usually give 3 presents for birthdays. Here are 2 of them. We saved one for the official day.

A scrapbook set....just what she always wanted. The other gift was an umbrella.

And her final gift on Monday, a DVD.

Birthday Girl!

Happy 6th Birthday, Janae!

Six years ago, on a Monday morning, Mommy went to the hospital. You were born at 3:03 pm.

These are a few pictures from the past year:

Christmas 2006

Janae with her garage sale treasure - a "Build-A-Bear" Poodle

Playing dress-up with an old flower-girl dress of mommy's

And her official 6 year old photo. I know I posted this one before, but I still like it. :-)

It is rather hard to believe that my 3rd born child is 6 years old already....she is sweet and precocious and full of smiles. Janae loves kindergarten, playing outside, and playing with her siblings.

Busy Weekend

My niece is back home and on the mend. Thanks for any prayers you offered on her behalf!

Friday the children had off school. Josiah spent the day with Randy. I took the other kids grocery shopping and on some other errands. It's always interesting what people say when you appear in public with more then the standard 2-3 children. At the grocery store the nice lady who was bagging the groceries asked if the children are all mine. I said that Yes, they are. She just wondered because she thought the one looks different "but I guess you never know" to which I responded, "that's right!" I feel no obligation to explain to all and sundry that some of our children joined our family through adoption....yes, they are all mine.

Then, because 2 of them fell asleep and I did not want them to be sleeping before it was actually naptime, I stopped at The Green Dragon, a local (massive) flea market type place to get subs for supper (Randy really likes these). Anyway, I was walking in with 2 in a double stroller, 1 on a leash/backpack thing, and 2 walking, and an older man asked if I have enough kids, to which I replied that I thought I should have a few more. Perhaps he was just being facetious, but perhaps he truly thought that one should not have so many kids....I was a bit surprised that he would say something in front of my kids as the implication is that some of you should not exist. Sadly, it seems that children are no longer valued as a blessing from God, but are rather a burden.

One thing I have learned through our foster care/adoption journey is to think about what I say to other people about their children and the assumptions I make. Truly, I do not necessarily know what their story is.

Anyway, later Friday afternoon it dawned on me that if I did not do the rest of the applesauce soon it would not happen. So after the boys' naps I went to the local orchard and bought apples. Normally I do early apples in July so I wasn't sure what type to buy. The lady recommended I mix them so I did...winesap, stayman, macintosh, mutsu, gala, golden delicious, jonagold. Friday afternoon/evening I made pie filling and Saturday we made applesauce. I intended to take photos of the whole process...maybe next year! After the applesauce was all in jars, and while I was running it through the canner, I baked Janae's birthday cake and birthday treat for school. And of course, why waste the oven heat on just one cake, so I made 2. While the boys napped I frosted them. Autumn & Josiah were playing with legos and her lego person (Matt) had a birthday which reminded me that our Matt will have a birthday in 3 short weeks, so I decorated the 2nd cake for him and put it in the freezer which will certainly be nice when we get to December. I'm so glad she made that comment!

As Daddy was not guaranteed to be home for Janae's birthday (Monday) we celebrated at supper on Saturday. We had cake and she received 2 gifts. The 3rd gift she will get on her actual birthday. Friday she got a gift from Grandma & Grandpa as well.

By the end of all that I was rather exhausted. Anyway, then in the evening we went to church to pack boxes and drink coffee. We had a lovely time! This morning we enjoyed our church service (www.gehmanmennonitechurch.org). After a quick lunch, Randy left for Indiana. The little boys are in bed. Josiah and Autumn are playing legos. Janae is playing with her scrapbook set. I am checking blogs and facebook and want to look over my schedule for the coming week so I know what's coming.

Today is a lovely fall day. There are only a few scattered trees with leaves yet but the sun is shining brightly. I love the smell of the fallen leaves and the rustling sound when the wind blows...

Prayer Request & Other news

My niece, N, has been diagnosed with HSP. I checked it out on the Mayo Clinic website and it seems to need to just run it's course - treatment is bed rest, anti-inflammatory drugs, and fluids. It can, however, affect the liver & kidneys in which case it becomes much more serious. At this point she is in the hospital for observation. Pray for her parents--peace while they wait for test results and for N's swelling (legs, feet) to go down so she can be more comfortable. She is almost 6.

In other news, our kids have off school today! Which is wonderful. I intend to have them clean out our vehicles which are quite junky (which is not a word according to spellcheck).

Also, Daddy will finally get home today. He left at bedtime Monday evening and has been gone ever since. I'm ready to have him here again. :-)

Saturday evening a group of people from our church are getting together to pack shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child - Samaritan's Purse. Should be fun!

Last night I left the kids watch a DVD while I did piano lessons (only 3 weeks since the last one...). That worked better. Not sure why I never thought of it before! Anyway, I think piano lesson night & movie night will be one and the same.

Adoption Month/Orphan Sunday

November is National Adoption Month and Sunday was Orphan Sunday. I had intended to blog about this last week but obviously didn't.

We of course are excited about adoption and orphan care, although quite honestly, we simply started down this road as a desire to both enlarge our family and care for children whose parents could not care for them. Through this journey we have learned so much! And quite frankly, it would be much easier to simply know "about" all this and not actually experience the reality of the hurt and pain and brokenness. And we only have a little window as we have only adopted via foster care.

Anyway, we do not believe everyone is called to adopt (although perhaps everyone should pray about it!) but we do believe that everyone is called to care. There are about as many ways to care for orphans as there are people!

Ways to help include:

• sponsoring children in need through agencies such as Compassion and World Vision, supporting children's homes/orphanages (such as Watoto Child Care Ministries)
• fighting against poverty (such as supporting your local homeless shelter or a world organization such as World Vision)
• supporting your local crisis pregnancy center
• adoption
• foster care
• respite care
• participating in a mentoring program (such as Big Brother/Big Sisters)
• supporting families you know who have adopted children.
• Many adoption agencies (such as Bethany Christian Services and All God' Children International) also have homes in various countries that need support/sponsorship.
• Supporting ministries (such as Wycliffe) that translate scriptures and bring Jesus to other peoples helps their families learn that God values children.

Fighting against poverty and disease and spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ are ways to help families be healthy!

There were two quotes from the recent edition of "Thriving Family" magazine that I appreciated:

• Not everyone is called to adopt, but we are all called to care about orphans. For more information, go to iCareAboutOrphans.org.
• It's interesting how our perspective on parenting has shifted. We've learned that often the most effective way to deal with our kids' upsetting behavior might appear to be overly compassionate, running against our "normal" parenting instincts. But I'm always reminding myself that I'm dealing not so much with defiance in need of discipline, but pain in need of healing.

We are now approaching a new chapter in our life. Matt's adoption is likely to be finalized the beginning of 2011 (although, of course, in foster care everything is subject to change!). At that point our home will be full (PA foster care law allows 6 children under 18 in the home without a waiver--yes, you may have as many biological children as you wish, this only applies to foster families). And we will continue with raising our beautiful children. At this point our "orphan care" will continue with raising those we've adopted, supporting our Compassion kids, babysitting for other foster families, and supporting others financially as God leads us. And we will see where and how God leads....

Cooking

The little boys are napping well and long today. Janae is playing at her cousins house. And I got a bunch of stuff done that needed done (dishes, for example). Anyway, I wanted to mention, again, this great cookbook that I've just gotten and been using...Fix-It-And-Forget-It Christmas Cookbook by Phyliss Pellman Good, published by Good Books (no, I do not get money for mentioning this). These are recipes to make in a slow cooker. I have 2 of her other cookbooks which I use also. Anyway, I've been into trying the beverage recipes. So far we've tried Cider Snap (as mentioned in a previous post) and Matthew's Mulled Cider. The kids said that both are "keepers." Today I'm trying Crockery Cocoa. Last week I made Hamburger Potato Casserole. I love when I have my act together enough to make something ahead of time....unfortunately this does not happen as often as I'd like. Anyway, just thought I'd mention this so you all can put it on your Christmas list. :-) She has a book called Fix-It-And-Forget-It for Kids that I'd like to get sometime also.

I've also been enjoying a little flip recipe book called "Busy Mom's Cookbook." I bought it from a young man at church last year who was raising money for something or another and then stuck it away and never really used it. Right now I have "Heavenly Brownies" baking in the oven. Last week I tried a couple of other recipes from it also.

Now I just need to get motivated to make those Christmas cookies. Cookies take so much more time then brownies and cakes. On the other hand, they last longer (since I ration them out).

Our MOPS group just sold Wildtree seasoning mixes for a fundraiser and I tried the Hearty Spaghetti Mix last weekend. It was great! This makes it easy to make Spaghetti Sauce from scratch (1 T. mix + 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes). Wildtree products are 100% peanut free, msg free, etc. www.wildtree.com. Their slogan is simple. healthy. natural. I bought some other mixes to and am looking forward to trying them.

Well, I should go fold some laundry before the boys wake up.

Sick

The "sick" season has begun here. Zach woke up with a fever of 103 and I think there are white spots on his throat so as soon as the doctor is in I need to call and schedule an appointment. I did give him Motrin so he's feeling a bit better with that in his system.

My foot is better, still noticeable, but definitely better.

I think I'll reschedule Matt's photos for another day....

Random

So, I thought it was time for a random post again...since that's about all my fragmented brain is coming up with right now.

• I'm eating Good's Potato Chips (red bag). Yes, I know that "EVERYONE" prefers the blue bag...except for me. And since I buy them... :-) Anyway, I was really craving some salt and this hits the spot.
• My one foot feels like someone trounced on it...it is painful and feels swollen but doesn't look it. It hurts when I try to flex my toes...sadly I have absolutely no idea why! I have no memory of injuring it but it's been getting worse all evening perhaps exacerbated by the shoes I wore?? I feel like I have a huge numb spot.
• This afternoon was the very first orthodontic appointment for Josiah. He got (blue) spacers between a few teeth in preparation for installing some wire/lip thing next week. As it was a short appointment, I took all the kids and we waited in the van...it took longer then I expected for him to get in, but the kids did pretty well.
• Tonight was parent-teacher conferences at school. It's always nice to talk to the teachers a bit.
• I have great plans to get to bed early for a change. I still need to get caught up from yesterday morning when Matt so graciously thought that 3:00 was a good time to get up.
• Zach seemed rather out of sorts and buggy today...I'm wondering if he's coming down with something.
• Janae is complaining of a headache.
• Mark & Matt have runny/stuffy noses.
• Josiah's mouth is sore from above mentioned spacers.
• Autumn is feeling well!
• Like I said, it would be a good idea for me to get to bed in good time....especially if I end up dealing with sick kids. But perhaps everyone will feel much better in the morning.
• Books that I am reading or currently read: The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer, "Bondage Breaker" by Neil Anderson, "Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis.
• This morning the kids and I were downstairs. I was going over Christmas lists and deciding what to get for whom, and the lights went out. We had no electricity for about two hours...I think. I really wasn't keeping track but I know it was awhile and Josiah's clock was 2 hours off of what it should've been.
• Then this afternoon I spent naptime sorting and wrapping Christmas and birthday presents. With 3 of our children having birthdays close to Christmas I end up shopping for everything at once...especially for Josiah as after Christmas the stores are not restocking anything because of inventory. Anyway, I discovered that I had stuff put back so that Janae's birthday is covered and I don't need to go shopping this week yet...unless I want to.
• I can now move my toes again...it hurts, but at least I can feel them moving. I have no idea what's going on but hopefully a good nights rest will do wonders.

Update: My foot is definitely swollen...almost feels like I would've been bitten by something. I don't know. Anyway, my plan is to take an antihistamine and see how I feel in the morning.

Cultural Experience

Well, we got through the weekend and today. The babysitting all worked out. While we were certainly saddened by the death of Randy's Grandma, we rejoice that she is no longer in pain and is now in heaven. Randy's Grandma was a member of an old order Mennonite group that around here we call "Horning Mennonites" or "Springville Mennonites" or "Black Bumper Mennonites" (although since most cars no longer have chrome bumpers that's really a mute point). Anyway, in our churches funerals are frequently celebrations of life with a focus on Jesus' victory over death, comfort for the family, and celebrating the life of the person.

Attending this viewing/funeral felt a bit like stepping back in time. A time when if someone close died you put on mourning. I was amazed at the viewing at all the black dresses. (Randy's mom told me that the family ladies will wear black dresses on Sundays and probably Saturday nights if they go away for about 6 months.) While we frequently do where dark colors to funerals, it's not the sea of black as we experienced this weekend. There are no flowers at all. A very simple coffin. Grandma was wearing a white dress (I believe this represents the bride of Christ possibly?). Most people were very somber (except my husband and some of his cousins who had begun reminiscing already).

When the funeral procession arrived at the church (from the retirement home where there was a short service), we all got out of our cars and gathered by the coffin (outside). Those who were not family filed by to view one final time, ladies to the left, men to the right (removing their hats as they filed past). Then the cousins....we rather broke the tradition by all filing on one side. Then the children gathered around for a brief time. Then the lid (a partial lid revealing only her face) was closed and the coffinbearers carried her to the burial site. They do not use mechanical equipment for the burying but rather lower the coffin with straps and then 2 men filled in the dirt with shovels (no backhoe or excavator here). We had a brief service which included singing the song "Going Down the Valley". Then we all proceeded into the church.

The church was rectangular, with a center square for meeting, and a cloakroom at each end...one side for men, one side for women. There was a table for the preachers half way down the one side. Perpendicular from that was a long table for the songleaders to sit at. One either side were benches parallel to the long table (ladies on left, men on right, facing each other). Then in the other half of the building were benches facing the preachers table. The benches were very basic planks. A few (including the one I sat on in the front row) had cushions but most did not. The floors were wood...sound really echoed (especially my heeled boots). There were 2 rows of hooks on all the walls for hats and bonnets.

The service - there were 3 preachers which gave messages. We sang a two songs a capella...but in unison, not in 4-part harmony. The song book contained words and no music. We knelt for prayer. The messages focused on "our dear sister" and "our mother" and the brevity of life for any one of us. They also spent time on the reality of trials in life and the comfort from God. The grandchildren were admonished to cherish the memories. The children were thanked for their service to their mother. The great grandchildren who were there sat very quietly with little or no diversions; many fell asleep. I was glad I did not take mine as they would not have been so compliant having not been brought up in that way.

Afterwards we went back to the retirement home for a meal prepared by people from their church. It was delicious. And we enjoyed spending some time with cousins and Aunts & Uncles reminiscing about Grandma's Christmas dinners and the food that seemed to fly around covertly (or not so covertly as the case may be!). The only thing there that I wasn't prepared for was that at the end of the meal we "returned thanks"...my mother tells me that at my father's home that was a common practice whenever they had company. But I had never experienced it.

I had thought that the service might be very long, but it seems they kept it shorter then normal (it was only about an hour) as Randy's one aunt is an invalid. Many of Randy's aunts & uncles as well as his other grandmother are also members of this type of church although many of his cousins have left for less conservative churches.

I'm not quite sure how to wrap up this post...it was different then what I was used to...but an interesting experience.

Oh yes, about the woman herself...Randy's grandma, Irene, would've turned 92 this month. She was a sharp and spunky woman who loved life. As I'm a granddaughter-in-law, I didn't know her well, but she blessed us with a booklet she wrote about her life and her husband's life some years ago which gave a window into their lives. Her husband died back in May of 1973. Her 2nd born daughter died at age 24. That daughter and her oldest daughter had polio and were in a hospital across the state for quite awhile when they were teenagers (I think, or slightly younger). I think a few of the other children also had mild cases. She had 6 children (3 girls, 3 boys). She & her husband farmed. Her youngest son now owns the farm. I only knew her for these last 14 years, but Randy talks of how much he enjoyed being with her when he was younger. They could see her house from their house. He talks about getting thumped with her thimble if he wasn't behaving, how grandma would take care of the groundhogs invading her garden, of mowing her yard for her, and visiting cousins at her house. She was a godly woman and will be missed by her family....

Weekend

Today I've been doing laundry. Randy's grandma's funeral is on Monday so I want it under control so I can wait until Tuesday. And we've been figuring out what we're doing as regards to the funeral and kids and such. I think it's all under control now. :-)

Randy's Grandmother attended a Mennonite church of a group of Mennonites which are more conservative then what we are. So we're not sure what to expect. Randy's memories are a bit hazy as he was about 9 or 10 the last time he attended one of their funerals. So he remembers a lot of preaching...I guess we'll find out!

It is a beautiful, crisp fall day here. The leaves are fast disappearing from the trees though so winter is well on it's way. We've had our woodstove burning most of the week as well.

And now I need to go get baby who is not falling back asleep....very short nap today...which leads to the question, did he nap at all??

Friday

We had a fun time with playgroup this morning. Only 13 kids and 5 moms this morning.

Randy's grandmother died during the night...so once the plans are arranged I'll need to figure out babysitting. I think it will work out for my mom to take care of the children though so that should be okay.

Now to cleaning up...

Tonight

hishandshisfeet.blogspot.com posted this video and I really appreciated it and thought I'd share it also. (I do admit to being annoyed by the perfection of her...I like to see lines on faces that tell me the person is "real"...I know, very shallow of me!) The first verse grabbed me of course because of the foster care link...but the final verse really got to me since Randy's grandmother will soon be crossing over to her forever home, her LORD, her husband, her daughter, and all those who've gone before her... Anyway, I had not heard this song before and I love it!

I also recently got a new daily flip calendar and the quote for today seemed fitting as well:

"You are our faith,

Our great consolation.

You are our eternal life,

Great and wonderful Lord,

God almighty,

Merciful Savior."

~Francis of Assisi

Today

This afternoon I'm drinking Twinnings English Breakfast Tea and enjoying a Kit-Kat.

We had MOPS this morning...such a lovely time! I always enjoy the laughter and coffee. The speaker was good too...she spoke on love & families & love languages (I can't remember the actual title).

Randy's grandmother is not doing well at all....

Now I'm doing lots of laundry since I totally forgot yesterday....how spacey is that!?! Really, how one could possible forget the laundry around here is amazing! Perhaps it's because the laundry doors were shut and there was no pile on the floor in front of it....Anyway, catching up now so I don't need to do some during playgroup tomorrow morning.

Now to pay bills...

Tuesday

Well, everything went extremely well yesterday at the clinic. The nurse practitioner who in the past has been ....umm...difficult now likes me....not sure what changed?! Anyway, she saw the movie "The Blindside" and proceeded to stand there and clap for me (which made me feel rather uncomfortable). So all is good. No immunizations this time. And he is 23 lb. 5 oz. and 30"l. Next appointment will hopefully be with our family doctor! In the afternoon I did mounds of laundry.

This morning I had a lovely time visiting with 2 friends (1 old and 1 new!). Each of them have a child who is a biological sibling (1 adopted, 1 in foster care) to our boys as well as other children. So we had a total of 3 ladies, 3 girls, and 8 boys in the house this morning. Lots of fun! And so nice to meet the little sibling that I had not met yet and his foster family. I'm thankful that we can be on good terms with these other families.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my "at home" day this week. But I'm out of milk (and have been for several days) so I will be going out for groceries at some point. And another friend is stopping by for coffee at some point which will be lovely! The kids have been a bit more...umm...rowdy! recently. I think the transition to being inside more is a bit difficult. We are having to learn again about keeping doors and windows shut because it's cold outside!

Clinic Day

Today I need to take Matt to the clinic for his 9-month check-up and immunizations. We're running a bit behind schedule due to the RSV he had last winter. I always dread going for some reason. And it's always fine. I usually end up being there for hours but it's uncertain as you never know how long it will take. In the past I would enjoy visiting with Matt's birth mom while we passed the time but she won't be there today...although that had it's own emotionally draining aspect as well. Anyway, I can't wait until I am able to take him to the doctor of my choosing... But I know that this will be fine. Really. And I am thankful that we live where we have plenty of medical access....many peoples of the world do not have that luxury. My cousin is graciously keeping the other 2 boys. And I know they will want to give him the flu shot and I don't think I'm allowed to sign for that and I hate conflict with doctors (or anyone I perceive in authority - I take conflict with my children in stride). :-)

Well, the children are stirring. Time to pack lunches and make breakfast and get everyone ready for the day....