Another Week

And it may get nasty outside. We're predicted to get a wintry mix with .5" accumulation of ice. Lovely. Tonight through Wednesday. I'm fine with snow and fine with rain....but I'm not particularly fond of ice...

So today I'm going to venture out to the grocery store. I find myself running low on some stuff. I try to avoid stores right before storms but sometimes it is simply unavoidable. Especially when the storms come once a week. Otherwise today I am doing the every present laundry and clean up and dishes.

For the rest of the week, we'll see what happens. There's a birthday in the house tomorrow so I'll need to bake a cake. I have some things the end of the week weather and children permitting....it may be another stay at home week.... The kids' school has it's annual "Talent Show" on Wednesday afternoon.... I'm just really not counting on much until I see what happens with the weather.

Potty Training Update

It's update day!

Zach's potty training....we're getting there. He totally knows what he's doing...just a matter of encouraging him to do it all the time and not get lazy about it while at the same time staying low key so it doesn't become a power struggle. Some days are better then others. But then, some days he's in pull-ups more then others. He wears undies at home, pull-ups to go away or out in the snow and for naps.

It dawned on me the other day that I will probably be potty training for 3 winters straight....but then I should be totally done. Not sure how I feel about that....the 3 winters straight that is. I feel great about the thought of having potty-training behind me. :-)

Laundry Soap Update

Okay. For those of you who remembered that I blogged about making homemade laundry soap....here's the update. For those who couldn't care less...feel free to skip to something else. :-)

First I started with 4 recipes:

1) Tereza's

1 bar soap, grated

1 c. Washing Soada

1 c. borax

2) Linda's

1 bar soap, grated

1 c. Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

1/2 c. borax

3) Sharon's

1 bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap

1-1/2 cups Borax

1-1/2 cups Arm & Hammer Washing Soda

and

4) Janie's

1 bar Fels Naptha bar soap

1/2 cup A&H Washing Soda

1/2 c. Borax

Optional - 1/4 c. Oxyclean

The directions were all similar. Grate bar soap and dissolve in water (quantity varied from 4 c. to 6 c. to unspecified). Heat & Stir until soap is dissolved. Fill 5 gallon bucket half full w/hot tap water. Some recipes called for other ingredients to be added to melted soap, others all to the 5 gallon bucket. Stir to mix well. Fill bucket with (hot or cold depending on recipe) water. Let set 24 hours. The mixture partially gels, so stir well before using. The recipes varied from recommending 1/2 cup to 1 cup of detergent per load.

I ended up using Tereza's recipe (as it seemed to be in the middle) + the oxyclean from Janie's recipe. I've been pleased with the results...although I'm not sure that grease (from greasy fingers at mealtimes) comes out quite as well. I think I may try Sharon's proportions the next time. I usually use 3/4 cup - 1 cup depending on how dirty the load of wash is.

For fabric softener I used straight vinegar until the jug was empty, and then I mixed up a batch of Linda's fabric softener and started using that yesterday.

Linda's Fabric softener

1 cup water

1 cup Washing Soda

mix in large bucket

Add 6 c. distilled white vinegar

stir

allow to rest until bubbles settle

Add 6 c. water

OPTIONAL - Add 8 drops essential oil (for scent)

Stir well & store in air tight container. (I used the empty vinegar jug)

I found other laundry detergent recipes at the website tipnut.com

In other "homemade news"....Linda also gave me a recipe for Homemade Dishwasher detergent which I plan to try once I've used up the stuff I have.

Dishwasher Detergent

1 c. A& H Washing Soda

1 c. Borax

Mix well & store in covered container

Use 2 T./Load

Add White vinegar to rinse cycle (or straight in the bottom at the beginning of the load). No specification as to the amount. You could probably also fill the "rinse-aid compartment" if your dishwasher has one.

Finally Friday

This was Wednesday morning...the snow got much higher yesterday!

And remember...summer will come again...

And the kids have a full day of school! They were off yesterday and had a half day Wednesday. Randy will be home tonight as well. We ended up with quite a bit of snow. Josiah was so exhausted from all the snowblowing/shoveling/playing with the neighbors that he did yesterday that he couldn't sleep well last night. I always forget that he can get dehydrated in the winter as well as the summer. So he ended up with a cup of lemon tea w/honey and a bottle of gatorade at bedtime....he's also been complaining of a sore throat so I don't know if he was just exhausted or if he's coming down with something.

No plans again this weekend...other then babysitting Saturday night for our friends whom we swap with so they can go out. And I may run up to my mom's on Sunday since we haven't seen them for awhile. I think Randy's leaving Sunday again after church.

Yesterday I declared a "No computer day"...so checking accuweather every 1/2 hour (Josiah), no checking facebook (for me), no computer games, no listening to music playlists. It was different, quiet without the hum of the computer always present. But I should probably do it more often. :-)

Yesterday was also a "bundle and unbundle the 3-year-old repeated times" day. I did not let the 2-year-old go out though...simply to deep for him! The kids had a blast going around and shoveling neighbor's driveways, building forts/houses, and sledding down our deck steps (when you don't have a hill, you do what you can).

I for some reason (perhaps due to staying up late a few nights in a row?!) was exhausted so didn't do to much. Today, however, I will need to get the house in order. The kids go to school at normal time today so that should help me get going. They must all be tired though, since it is 6:45 and they are still sleeping. I have been hearing a little boy off and on, but now he's quiet again.

Oh yes, and speaking of little boys, Mark (the 2-year-old) finally gave me a kiss yesterday! I've been getting worried that there is something wrong developmentally because he has NEVER given me (or anyone else) a kiss. But he finally figured it out! He's still rather stingy with giving them to me, though, but he's happy to give kisses to his brothers. He gives me lots of hugs though, he is so sweet. Mark's starting to talk more, though it's rather garbled. I'm sure he will need speech at some point. Autumn needed speech but we just waited until school and she did fine. At this point I'm going to see how he is at 3 and then decide whether to pursue early speech or wait until school.

Well, I guess I should go pack lunches and start breakfast...

***

Yes, I kept Josiah home. My "official" diagnosis - exhaustion. He does have a sore throat also. To much snow fun yesterday I guess!

It's Not Your Fault

Kim at www.hishandshisfeettoday.blogspot.com posted this on her blog today and I found it very moving...

Snowing

A year ago...we took Mark for surgery to open his clogged tear duct.I took this picture this morning...look at those bright eyes! :-)

***************************************

Still snowing. Got a call that the kids have a 2 hour delay in the morning. It had pretty much stopped this afternoon but by suppertime it started again.

Tonight for supper we had leftover chicken (well, actually turkey) corn noodle soup and I tried a new recipes called "Potluck Pan Rolls" (www.tasteofhome.com).

I spent some time today working on Zach's afghan. I've been working on it off and on for 3 years or so now...never in the summer...only when it's warm. I'm almost finished with the current ball of yarn. It's always exciting to start another one. Yes, small things excite me. :-) I'm already trying to decide what color to make Mark's afghan...but it may be a couple of more years till this one is finished!

Weather

is an interesting thing. And figuring out snowfall seems to be quite varied depending on what website I choose to check. The best I can figure out, we are going to get 6-12" of snow...I think. We were supposed to get "little accumulation" this morning - but we already got 3 inches (estimated, I did not measure). It is still snowing but warm enough that the roads, now that they've been plowed, are black. It's supposed to get heavier again tonight so we'll see how much we end up with.

It's a beautiful snow...the shake-up the snow globe type. Of course, now that I looked out the window again it is back to being a finer snow...back and forth. Josiah is snowblowing, next 3 are playing in the snow or shoveling. And the youngest 2 are with me...and soon need to go down for naps.

This morning the youngest 3 and I walked over to a neighbor's house to play. I pulled all 3 on the sled which was much more of a task then I expected. Zach walked on the way home which made it much easier.

I need to bake something.

I want to sit in the living room, watch it snow, and crochet.

I poured a cup of hot chocolate but forgot about it until now...better go drink it before it is totally cold!

More later

I'm running out of time this morning...I'll post more later.

Yesterday Randy ended up being home most of the day. Zach, right now, is stuck on "kissing on the lips". So he kept asking me to "kiss Daddy on the lips". Of course, I was happy to oblige! To which Zach simply said, "Nasty!" :-) "Nasty" is one of his favorite words right now...along with "Naughty" (which I don't say by the way). And some other less appropriate words....I think he knows they irritate me so he likes to use them!

Well, I need to go pack school/work lunches and the kids will be up shortly.

We're supposed to get 4.3" of snow according to accuweather....starting later today.

Assorted thoughts

• I'm listening to the Jets-Steelers game. Not that I pay much attention to football in general...but I do at the end of the season.
• Late last night I mixed up one of the versions of "Homemade Laundry Soap". I plan to try it out tomorrow.
• I am tired of the freezing cold. But then I remember the brutal humidity of last summer and think that at least I can stay warm now....when it's hot & humid, it's hard to stay cool.
• My hands are atrocious. Very dry and sore and cracked. I really should apply lotion more frequently....like every hour! They will be better when the weather warms up.
• Randy's family came over for supper last night. Very last minute, but amazingly it suited all of them. It's always fun to get together!
• Enjoyed church this morning....but need to listen to the message (www.gehmanmennonitechurch.org) sometime as I was in the nursery with Micah most of the time and the sound wasn't turned on back there for some reason.
• Josiah and Autumn each got to spend some time with a friend this afternoon.
• Randy is on his way to the midwest.
• The kids and I watched "Little Rascals" tonight.
• I pulled some old cooking magazines and started flipping through them for cooking inspiration. Still have a few more I want to go through....then I want to make a menu plan...something I always "want" to do, but rarely get accomplished. It goes in spells...

2010

This photo I also found on Randy's camera. I think it's in May when Janae went to visit school....but I'm not sure. Perhaps it's from the fall.

Right here and now, the ground is quite white. We are supposed to get a couple of more inches Tuesday or so....but depending on how the storm shapes up it could be significantly more...or rain.

Bulk stuff

I've been experimenting with making "bulk" stuff from scratch that I normally buy like pancake mix. I've long made hot chocolate mix. And next on my list is a biscuit mix. Anyway, I've been hearing a lot about homemade laundry detergent....from 4 friends (including momto9 who reads this) over the past few months. I got the recipe from each of them....now I need to get the ingredients and try it out. Each recipe used the exact same ingredients...but in different proportions. Now I need to decide which one to try first. So I googled "homemade laundry soap" and came up with even more. They are all basically the same though, so I guess I'll just pick one and try it...and if I feel it needs adjusted, I'll try a different one the next time. The claim is that it costs very little as it uses cheaper ingredients. Anyway, I'll see how it goes. I also have a recipe for homemade fabric softener (and when I googled that came up with an even easier one...plain vinegar) and homemade dishwasher detergent.

My hangup for trying this stuff before has always been that I'm skeptical of them working as well as my favorite brand....but I decided that if it's really as cheap to make as claimed, then I don't loose much if we really don't like it. And even then, I could probably use it up on the wash that isn't as dirty as the play clothes.

Now...off to fold more laundry...

snow

was minimal. The kids have a delay. It was not snowing when I went to bed and had stopped by the time I got up so this time I didn't get to enjoy seeing it falling.

Last night before I went to bed I stuck a rather large turkey in the oven to bake/roast. I woke to the smell of succulent turkey, nearly falling off the bone. It is now cooling a bit and then I need to take the meat off and package it for use in casseroles and such. Taking meat off bones is not one of my favorite things to do...but I do love having it in the freezer to use. And I'm hoping it takes up less space this way then when it was on the bone.

And now I'm going to go bake some french toast for breakfast....

Thursday

This morning we had a lovely time at MOPS. We learned about a great (and simple) craft. I had not ventured out to get the required supplies so I actually worked on Zach's afghan instead...but I observed and hope to do the project on my own sometime...and when I do....I'll show it to you. Although I don't have great hopes of it turning out as well as our instructor's did. I tend to be "craft challenged".

This afternoon, for some unknown reason, I decided to bring up some fruit from downstairs where I keep our canned goods. I very rarely do this as I usually send one of the kids down for it. Anyway, then for some other unknown reason (which I think was quite likely the prompting of God) I decided to bring up some applesauce from the chest freezer in the basement. This is something even more rare for me...usually Randy does it. My fingers do not tolerate cold well (Raynaud's disease) so I tend to avoid digging in the freezer if at all possible. Anyway, I discovered that the items were thawing! For some reason the freezer was keeping things in the 40s instead of frozen. SO...the items in that freezer are now divided between our other chest freezer and the ice chests which are sitting outside where it is quite frigid. We had bought this freezer with money received for a wedding present so it is almost 14 years old. I am not sure if it is worth getting a repairman to look at it as it seems to me that appliances just don't last that long anymore. I'm hoping with some judicious use of things in the freezer, I can get everything into 1 freezer by the time the cold snap lets up thereby giving us more time to purchase another freezer. I prefer to have time to make large purchases....not to have to buy in a rush.

We are supposed to get 2+ inches of snow tonight. I'm hoping for a 2-hour delay and not a day off of school. But we'll see.

It seems that a lot of people I know are quite sick with some sort of flu/virus...temperatures, feeling "like I was run over by a truck." I'm not sure whether to rejoice that we are all currently healthy (yes, that is exciting!) or to brace myself for when this next illness will descend on us.... Perhaps a bit of both...

Well, I should get back to paying the bills etc.

It is not snowing here yet....although we've had flurries off and on since this afternoon....

Flash Back to Spring

We found some photos from early summer on Randy's camera.... I could use some warmth and green right now. :-)

Mark

It must've been rather hot since I look like I'm trying to stay under the tree instead of sitting around the fire pit.

Zach

Janae

Odds and Ends continued

• I'm supposed to be doing dishes...not reading my favorite blogs. :-) (i'll do dishes next)
• Another snow storm is scheduled to come (according to accuweather) tomorrow night...3-6 inches give or take.
• Our pastors at church (www.gehmanmennonitechurch.org) are doing a series on growth based on the verse "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man." I'm enjoying it.
• Tonight I (finally) started the official "one night a week school kids (not including Kindergarten) get to stay up late" time. I've been thinking I should do this for...oh...maybe a year now?! Anyway, I need some time with the big kids alone. Time to chat. Time to read books on "important subjects". Perhaps sometimes do Bible studies geared to their levels. Tonight we started reading book #3 in the "God's Design for S*x" series. Um...yeah. I learned some things from them...and yes, it was high time we did this because as I suspected, they (well, Josiah anyway) are getting info from neighbors.... Anyway. So, Wednesday nights are our "Big Kid" nights...subject of course to switching to Tuesday or Thursday at mommy's desire.
• MOPS tomorrow (if we're all healthy....there are multitudes of viruses making rounds among our friends).
• One of Josiah's classmates has mono.
• Today I went in to school to eat lunch with the kids. My dear sister-in-law stayed with the boys. Lunch with Autumn, Dessert with Josiah, and 5 minutes with Janae in between. Josiah and Autumn have been waiting years for me to make it to the annual "eat lunch w/kids at school" hot lunch so they got precedence over Janae this year. I will be sure to eat with her next year (if I can find a babysitter).
• My sister stopped in for coffee this morning. Nice!
• I've been getting back in the habit of reading to the boys before naps...somehow we'd gotten out of it. Anyway, current favorite's include "Buzby, the misbehaving Bee", "Curious George and the Dump Truck" and "Curious George Hide and Seek" (a touch and feel book).

And now, I need to do those dishes...

Odds and Ends

• I finished the book that I mentioned I was reading. What Good is God? by Phillip Yancey. It is subtitled In search of a faith that matters. I loved it! And I totally recommend it.
• Baking - I love to bake! However, my sweet 8 year old wants to bake whenever I need something. I certainly have to struggle with myself not to act like a young child and say "no, I want to do this by MYSELF, this is MINE!" However, in the interest of raising well balanced children who can at least make themselves scrambled eggs, pancakes, and brownies, I try to accommodate her whenever I can....After all, my mom taught me and I'm quite glad she did!
• Weather - accuweather is predicting an inch of "snow/sleet/freezing rain"....not sure what that means for school tomorrow. Maybe they'll be wrong and it'll all be rain!
• Back to the baking, Autumn & I baked 2 batches of "Black Bottom Cupcakes"...2 dozen for school, 2 dozen for home. We also made "Christmas Bread" which was a recipe that I wanted to try before Christmas but didn't get around to doing so. Haven't tasted it yet so we'll see. It contains candied fruit which I did not find real appealing in it's uncooked state. I'm hoping I like it better in the bread.
• And that's all the odds and end I can think of at the moment....I had quite a list in my head earlier today while folding laundry..... :-)

Weekend in brief

• I got my hair cut (finally, I'd been wanting it cut since last spring).
• There was a "Ladies Tea" at church this afternoon/evening....it was quite nice!
• laundry and cooking
• I appreciated the message at church on growth.
• I'm reading the book "What Good is God?" by Phillip Yancey.

Tomorrow (Monday) the kids have off school. On the agenda is laundry and baking. And the ever present "straightening up of the house."

Later that day...

....everything calmed down nicely. The boys took nice naps. Zach did not sleep but was fairly calm anyway. My sister-in-law stopped by for a brief visit. Some bills got paid. Most of the laundry got folded and put away. Autumn & I worked a bit on a menu for the weekend and next week.

Tonight we did piano lessons which meant it was DVD night for the younger ones. This evenings choices were "Hermie the common caterpillar" and "Stanley Stinkbug goes to Camp." The older kids had also been asking to bake so I had said that if we had time after cleaning up the kitchen/laundry/entry way areas and completed piano lessons, then we could bake. So Autumn & Josiah took turns adding ingredients and made lovely chocolate chip cookies while the little ones finished up the second DVD. Now everyone is tucked nicely into bed, after a nice snack of a fresh cookie. Unfortunately, I used up the last of the milk in Micah's cup so everyone else needed to have water. I guess a trip to the store is on the agenda for tomorrow sometime.

Randy left Tuesday and should be back tomorrow by supper. I'm looking forward to seeing him again. And we have no plans for the weekend (other then normal truck and household stuff) with the exception of our churches ladies tea on Sunday so I'm looking forward to the weekend as well.

I'm feeling like a trip to the library so perhaps we'll get there this weekend as well...

Today

some days are days where you simply go from one mess/crisis/disaster (of various proportions) to the next. This is one of them. The kids had a 2 hour delay due to icy roads. There were conflicting opinions of whether to stay in or play outside during that time. Someone found a yellow marker and thought the carpet and piano needed some color. While dealing with that with that child, another child got the lid off their sippy cup and came to me with it....slopping hot chocolate from the kitchen to the living room. There is a pile of snow clothes inside the back door, socks strewn across the floor, gloves and boots in various places, dishes in the sink. Currently the little boys are playing in the basement and I am going to get up and do these various small things which individually take minimal time but joined together can consume a lot...no doubt there will be various interruptions as well. :-)

Which brings me to another point. Many times in books and at mom's groups and such the comment is made about "the housework (or cleaning) can wait". Well, that's true as far as a thorough cleaning goes, but in this house, we function much better if things are at least straightened up. We are more at peace without lots of "eye clutter". The children play better if the toys are put in the proper place at least occasionally. And it's okay to let a child play by themselves (or even cry!) while you do a certain household chore. Maintaining a large family includes doing lots of laundry and meal prep and straightening up. These things need done by someone. The children can certainly help as they are able. Now certainly I would not recommend you let your children on their own the whole day while you do housework, but it is okay to do some. :-) I've actually gotten to the place where I cringe whenever I hear the quote...because I have more problems the other way...making sure I do what needs to be done. For us (each family is different of course), we are more peaceful if the house is kept after.

And so...off I go to do what I can while the little ones play independently....until the next crisis....

Wednesday

• More snow overnight
• 2 hour delay for school kids this morning
• A 10 year old who loves to clear snow is a wonderful blessing.
• a lovely play date with a neighbor and her twin boys
• Doing laundry
• need to do bookwork during naps
• enjoying coffee & muffins
• Lots of fun in the snow

Random Monday

• Randy's been fighting off the stomach bug and every time we think he's getting better, it comes back with a vengeance during the night. Hopefully he feels better soon! And I have plans to get to the store to get some Gatorade...
• Saturday evening we had a lovely time with my mom's side of the family at a "Christmas" dinner. Delicious food, good company!
• Sunday morning I took the kids to church. Randy slept. By the time I got back, he was feeling much better. Church by myself with the kids is always interesting. Especially since Zach was rather agitated. We made it. I'm thankful for a friend who took Mark with their family to help me out!
• Sunday afternoon & evening we had meetings involving work we do with Transport for Christ (TFC - www.transportforchrist.org) In the afternoon we had a meeting to plan this year's truck rally (held the last Saturday in June at the Lebanon Expo Center). The Truck Rally is a fun day to watch a truck parade, walk around and check the trucks out, lots of kids activities, good food, vendors. Family fun!
• In the evening we planned the TFC Benefit Banquet featuring the music group Breakthrough. This is held on the last Saturday night of March. The menu is now planned and we can start selling tickets.
• This week there is absolutely NOTHING on my schedule. Amazing. Not sure what to do about that. :-) Well, there is a potential playdate with a neighbor & her boys at some point. Anyway, I expect that I will be cooking and straightening up the house and baking and grocery shopping and playing with little people. Perhaps I will even get to work on Zach's afghan again....it's very slow in coming. Thankfully he's always hot and doesn't actually need it!
• Oh yes, and the bookwork is still piled up...gotta work on that.
• And then there is "ORGANIZING"--I am on an organizing binge. Getting rid of infant toys (baby is 1 now) except for a very few for the nieces and nephews. Getting all the toys in their proper bins. Planning ways to eliminate clutter (Ha, Ha...what a joke...8 people do live here!). And possibly reworking some rooms to give Josiah his own room in the basement (No fears, multiple escapes in case of fire). Not sure if he'll be okay on a separate floor from the rest of us though...still thinking about this one.
• Hoping for a productive week....but knowing that several people in the family have not yet fallen to this second stomach virus which could rearrange my schedule...but glad that if they do get it, at least I don't have anything to reschedule/postpone/cancel.
• Oh yes, and the possibility of a snowstorm Tuesday/Wednesday....Accuweather.com is currently predicting 2.5" for us. I'm so thankful for a strong son who loves to snowblow and shovel!

Have a good week!

Snow is falling...

And I'm sitting in our quiet house drinking coffee. It's beautiful. The kids have a 2 hour delay. I was going to go to playgroup this morning...we'll see.

I have mounds of bookwork (personal & business) and laundry so I should stay home...or at least focus naptime on these things. I heard various boys crying through the night...but refrained from rushing to their side and they went back to sleep...for which I was thankful as I was rather tired for some reason.

Yesterday I finally got to go to MOPS again. It was lovely to be back again after not being their since November. Josiah & Autumn came home with papers saying they needed a varicella (chicken pox) booster shot for school by next year so we got that taken care of when I took Josiah for his physical. I was quite happy that I didn't have to make yet another appointment...so many recently.

I am pretty sure that Zach has Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Now I just need to figure out what to do about it. Actually, I've thought that he had it for quite sometime. And then I came across a blog, www.hartleysboys.com/2010/08/sensory-seekers-sensory-avoiders.html, (through a link from another blog I read) that had a detailed list and I realized he fit the "Sensory Seeker" category really well. Anyway, he certainly fits the profile. It's hard for me to balance "he needs to learn proper behavior" with "can he help what he is doing? and even if he can't how do I help him learn to help what he is doing?" and "is this behavior because he's a strong-willed child and being defiant?" yeah. Anyway. He has come a long way so perhaps maturing will help him also. But school starts in a short 2 or 3 years (he has a summer birthday) so I'm feeling the pressure to help him learn to regulate himself.

This weekend we have another extended family dinner (I need to take a salad & dessert) and a meeting to plan the Transport for Christ Dinner Benefit Banquet (March) and Truck Rally (June).

Have a lovely day!

Adoption

Again...yes, I know I keep coming back to this. Anyway, Josiah got his physical today (somehow that had gotten overlooked earlier) so now I THINK we have all of our end taken care of until it's time to do the legal stuff. We're waiting for updated clearances to come through yet. Then, hopefully, by the end of March (at the latest), Micah will truly be forever ours.

If you've found this blog recently and are at all interested in adoption...I'd recommend the following books.

• The Whole Life Adoption Book (revised) by Schooler & Atwood
• The Connected Child by Purvis, Cross, & Sunshine
• Thriving as an Adopted Family by David & Renee Sanford

There are lots of others out there. Lots of great books of peoples stories. Lots of blogs. But those will give you good, realistic overviews of what to expect. Kind of the "What to Expect" books for adoptive parents. Everyone is called to help kids....not everyone is called to adopt.

Then if you decide to pursue adoption...there will be lots of decisions to make. Should we adopt internationally because there are millions of children without homes. Should we adopt domestically, the people in our own back yards? Domestic private or via foster care? And the decisions go on and on. Between the paperwork (which will want to know every detail of your life) and the decisions, it can become overwhelming. It would be easier to just throw it on top of the fridge to do later and go on with life as you know it. But stick at it, one step at a time, and you'll get through it. Seek out those who have been there or are in the midst of it for support and advice.

Adoption is simply ordinary people, doing what's in front of them. Providing a home for a child who needs one. And being blessed and stretched and challenged beyond their imaginations. Some situations are easier then others, but each child is precious in the sight of God the Father.

Now, all that being said, if you have no interest in adoption at all, there is no need to feel guilty. God gives different people different passions so that all of His work can be accomplished. Adoption and Orphan Care is one part of the many ministries of the Body of Christ. And frankly, we didn't decide to adopt out of any great passion for orphans. We had a family. There were kids that needed homes. We opened our home. They came. They stayed. (It doesn't work that way for everyone. Some people suffer heartache upon heartache. I don't know why. But I trust that God has a big, big plan. And in the end, everything will be set right and made new.) And through it all, God grew compassion in my heart. Compassion for the birth mom, for the poor, for the lonely, for the children....

Okay. I feel this was rambling and rather disjointed. I'm not very good at staying on topic! :-)

Anyway, the point of this post was, if you have any interest at all, get a good book like one mentioned above, read it, pray about it, and let God show you whether adoption is for you, or whether your part in this is to support those you know who have (or are) adopting. We've been so blessed by all those who have supported us...You all are an important part of the boys' story as well!

Wednesday Morning

Bright and Early. Mark is in his room singing away which has no doubt woken the other 2 boys in that room. But they are all still back there for which I am thankful....Officially everyone is to stay in their rooms until 6:30....maybe they'll fall back to sleep?! Probably not.

I have a blank day today so I want to do laundry and bake and do lots of dishes as I was tired last night and opted for going straight to bed (I normally catch up on the dishes when everyone's tucked in bed). I'm feeling better today so far so hopefully I will have the energy to do what needs to be done.

It is currently 6:16 a.m. and quite dark and cold. I'm drinking Cafe Vienna and checking blogs/facebook before the kids get up. Next on my schedule are breakfast and packing lunches.

Mark is quiet now...

Have a good day to all!

Random Tuesday

And this afternoon I took Josiah for a check-up for his orthodontics. He "may" get to skip a few steps! We'll see... I'm thankful for a girl from church who is (1) old enough to babysit, (2) close enough for her mom to run her here & pick her up, and (3) one of 6 so has experience with lots of kids. She's coming again on Thursday when I take Josiah for a physical...then I think we're finally done with our paperwork...other then clearances for which we're waiting on our foster care coordinator.

There is another stomach bug making it's rounds. I think I may have a touch of it....we'll see how the rest of the family fares...

MOPS is on Thursday. I've missed the last 2 due to illness so I'm not holding my breath that I'll make this one...

I am totally out of ideas for supper tonight. Totally blank. Of course there are always the options of: scrambled eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, or frozen pizza.

Maybe I should read a recipe book again.... My brother got me a great one for Christmas...but since it features cupcakes and desserts it's probably not the best option for meal planning. :-)

This weekend we have an extended family dinner planned as well as a meeting to plan the TFC Truck Rally and Benefit Banquet.

Uh oh...the boys are dragging my stuff out of our room so I'd better run...

**Later that day....

• Josiah's complaining of a "rolling" stomach.
• Zach's been abnormally agitated most of the day....hope he's calmer tomorrow.
• Another person in this house thought that life was horribly unfair...said person perked up remarkably after a nice time of writing in their journal & chatting with Grammy.
• Autumn has been complaining of itchy skin....but refuses to try moisturizing lotion.
• Micah was up early this morning and took a 45 minute nap, Zach did not sleep at all during his nap.

May tomorrow be less traumatic all around! :-)

A couple of more photos from December

The kringle that I made the other week.

Snow - Dec. 26-27

2011

I don't know what 2011 holds for any of us....and 2010 flew by so fast it was a blur of fun weekend trips and laundry and minor crises (I can't find my shoe!) and all the various ups and downs of life. As I reflect on 2010 it seems I can barely remember what all happened without looking back over my blog or through our pictures.

What am I expecting 2011 to hold? Well, much cooking, laundry, straightening up the house and running errands and grocery shopping and all that! The biggest thing that we're anticipating the adoption of our sweet Micah and being able to show him to you all!

Isaiah 43:1-3
But now, this is what the LORD says--
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior"

This year I'm trusting that no matter what happens, God will be with me through it all. I know life is uncertain, it is quite likely that both deaths and births will occur in 2011. There will probably be huge disasters somewhere on this earth and even in our own country. We will read about those who do magnificent things and those who fail miserably. There will be those with serious illnesses and those who are healthy. There will be good times and disappointments and unmet expectations. And that's life. It's just the way it is.

I'm looking forward to the time when God makes all things new. When this world and it's sorrow passes away and he sets up the new heaven and earth. "No longer will there be any curse." Rev. 22:3. Sounds good to me!

But in the meantime, I plan to do lots of cooking and laundry, straightening up the house and soothing little ones, dealing with tantrums and sensory overloads, cleaning up messes and going grocery shopping, spending time with my family and time with our friends. Living the life that God puts before me each day.

Early Sunday Morning

I'm drinking my tea (Twinnings Irish Breakfast) and spending a bit of time alone before everyone wakes up. We've had a busy week and I haven't been on the computer much...and that was fine. :-) I am, though, looking forward to getting back into our normal schedule again...I think. It has been nice having the kids around.

Yesterday we had an extended family gathering with my Dad's side of the family. It was nice to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins and their families again! After we returned home I played Monopoly Junior (a new gift) with the girls while the little boys napped and Daddy & Josiah split wood. In the evening we watched Janae's new DVD (another gift), "Hermie: A Common Caterpillar." I love the Hermie & Wormie DVDs!

New Year's Eve we were at a friend's house with a bunch of people. We actually stayed until 10:00 this year! ;-) I tell the older ones that we'll probably make it to midnight once they are no longer coming with us.

Last night we also made it a point to get to bed very promptly to try to recover from the lost sleep of Friday night as they did not sleep in on Saturday morning.

This morning we will go to church (If you're local you're welcome to join us www.gehmanmennonitechurch.org). And we will eat lunch there as well. No plans for the rest of the day....

Oh yes, last evening Randy gave ALL the boys haircuts...even my sweet littlest baby with the longish hair on top (it didn't grow in the back much, just on top). They all look so handsome and bright eyed...but it was a bit hard for me to cut baby's hair. On the other hand, it tended to accumulate food during meal times and this will be much easier to clean. :-)

Before bed we spent some time discussing high points & low points of the year. It was interesting to see what the children came up with! Our weekend trips to the cabin, camping, and the beach hit the top for all of them. Autumn's bike accident and Randy's grandma's death were among the low points. Janae enjoyed going to visit Randy's grandmothers as a high point. She thought Kindergarten was an in between point....She used to be thrilled about it but now she's been a bit more platonic about it...perhaps it's actually requiring her to think now!?!

Happy New Year, all!