Ernst 5

This One's For You, Joel!

2012-02-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Joel, has a great interest in the Statue of Liberty. Here is a recap of my sister in law, Jill, explaining this cute obsession. http://http//mjbillingtonquebec.blogspot.com/2012_01_08_archive.html (wish I knew how to highlight a word that would take you to that blog post, but I can't figure it out...hoping what I did even works).

Anyhow, in recent weeks I have see different people dressed up as the Statue of Liberty on a nearby street. Of course, every time I see one of them, I think of sweet Joel. One day the kids were in the car with me and I said out loud, "I should take a picture for Joel." With my kids thinking I was a bit crazy, I acted upon that thought...thus the explanation for the above photo. Hopefully, I didn't get this guy's hopes up that his marketing technique was drawing business for the local tax place he was hired by (I think the name was Liberty Tax). I just wanted our Joely to see him! Love you Joel!

Some Overdue Christmas Photos

2012-01-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Not wanting to break from my norm, here are some Christmas pictures that are about a month overdue! They aren't in order either, but it's all good!

Dan trying out Joel's beloved Colt's football helmet!

Jack and Jake...best buds!

Joel trying out Claire's guitar!

Looks like Claire found the perfect place to rest.

Lydia and Noelani...best cousins forever!

Jake got 2 boxes of Dinosaur Eggs all to himself! (He loves them, but rarely gets them)!

Lydia's gift to Grandma! She made this piece in art club. I made my mom a similar one in elementary school. How fun that she has one from her grand daughter now!

Anna's first Christmas!

My special gift from my two oldest kids...a notebook with 100 recipes! They (Jake especially) worked so hard on writing down recipes, complete with hand-painted illustrations! I love it!

Grandma knows Lydia will always love a pretty outfit! Aunt Sarah Beth and Uncle Matt got her one, too, but I don't have a picture of that one. She loved it enough to wear it in the spelling bee this morning, though!

Claire got her own giant package of Craisin's (she loves those)!

And finally, some Christmas cupcakes I made for our Sunday School party. I wish I had mini-M'M's for the lights on the "tree." But it still turned out cute, I thought.

Some Funnies to Share

2012-01-10T11:15:00.000-08:00

So, here is one more cookie to show...notice the mistake? Whoops! Forgot the "r" in Stroop.
This is one sad piece of toast. And this is one of my favorite pictures recently taken. Claire wanted to help out while I was cooking supper. I asked her to set the table. I finished cooking and when I turned around, this is what I saw...complete with toilet paper napkins!

5th Anual Christmas Cookie Decorating Day!

2012-01-06T18:00:00.000-08:00

I had to look back on Picasa to figure out how many years we have been doing this. The kids were so little when we started! I hope they don't outgrow this tradition anytime soon. A big thank you to my sister, who helped me shape and bake all these cookies! And of course, to all the decorators! Two out of the who knows how many trays.

Claire thoroughly enjoyed herself this year! That pile on her plate that looks like just candy actually does have a cookie underneath!
Who needs napkins when you have your shirt? Right, Jake?
Jake's favorite that he made.
Lyd's fave she made.
Claire's fave she made...that's pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?

A newbie! Found this cookie cutter at a garage sale this summer.

Another newbie.

*I do have one more special cookie pic to share, but it'll be on the next blog posting with some other funnies.*

Happy New Year! (and some late Christmas pictures)

2012-01-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

Happy 2012

While my intentions are to post things on time, life gets in the way. The kids have had a nice break from school, but we did mingle some sickness in there. Two days before Christmas, Claire came down with strep. Thankfully, this was a Friday, so I was able to get her into the Dr's office before the weekend. By Christmas Eve, she was back to her perky self and we were all able to attend the annual candlelight service at church that afternoon. A highlight of that day was getting to see Brian (my "kid" brother) who is home for 2 weeks from Afghanistan. We had a unified service the next morning, during which my mom, Lydia, Dan, and myself sang special music (Tell Me The Story Of Jesus). After the service, we took our pictures in front of the tree (seems to have become a tradition). This year, we had an ANNA girl to join us...yay!Sitting still (for anything, much less a picture) is not high on Anna's priority list. This picture reminded me of a little Claire girl just a few years ago...

Freedom!

In the bulletin, the special music was under the name, "Kanost Family." So, here's a pic of the Kanost women, I guess.

York

2011-12-17T07:46:00.000-08:00

So I was trying to be clever with the title of this post but I got nothin'. This short word has been in my vocabulary a lot recently. I am claiming it the word for this fall (for me).

First off, there was our New YORK trip in October.

Secondly, there's been much talk of YORK-ies in our home. No, we are not getting a dog. Lydia has to do an IRP (independent research project) in her KARE class and the topic she chose was YORKshire terriors. She saw one for the first time in Jack's pets and fell in love with this breed of dog. Hmm, Lydia...could it do anything with the fact that they usually have a bow in their long hair? Just saying...

Lastly, right now I am typing this blog in YORK, PA! My mom and dad were planning on visiting my brother and his family in December. I haven't been back in this area since summer of 2007, so I asked if I could tag along. It took some figuring out having places for the kids to stay since Dan was out of town this week, but we successfully left Thursday around 4pm and arrived here a little after 1am. One fun memory from the trip was singing to my dad at midnight on the 16th (his birthday). Only I initiated it, not knowing the clock in my mom's car was a little fast. We had fun celebrating two birthday's (my brother's is on the 24th) and an early Christmas with John, Amy, Jonathon, and Matthew. We leave tomorrow after church. Not looking forward to the long drive home leaving YORK, but at least we will have more daylight hours on the way home.

Anyone want to buy me a York Peppermint Patty before the 22nd (the first day of winter)?

A Little Thursday Randomness

2011-12-13T13:23:00.001-08:00

Here are pictures taken earlier this fall that I never got around to sharing until now (imagine that)? The kids had fun carving pumpkins. Jake even carved his entire pumpkin by himself this year! Did you notice that tongue that comes with intense concentration sticking out? The last picture is of the finished pumpkins next to Kevin, our scarecrow man and his new friend, Kelsey. Speaking of, I just got done washing their clothes to store away for next year.

And now, on to much more exciting news! I'm going to be an uncle! Woohoo!
Sarah Beth and Matthew had the family over last month for a reveal party. On the day of their ultrasound, I was given instructions NOT to call...since keeping a surprise is hard for both of them. I would find out that evening at their house. Evening came and sitting on their dining room table was this cake. Of course, we had to wait until after supper was over. We were all anxious to get into that cake. You see, the middle layer of icing would be either pink or blue, revealing the gender of baby Rickert #2. My guesses were for a boy...although I thought Anna was a boy, too. Finally, supper was over and my mom had the honors of cutting the cake. Blue icing it was!!! How exciting! Ironically, the night before on Cake Boss, I'd watched Buddy make a gender reveal cake for a couple...only chose to be surprised with their guests and the color of the cake under the icing was the reveal. What a fun way to share! Anyhow, I am super excited to be meeting my nephew in March...due 8 days after his big sis. Only, maybe he'll follow Anna's lead and come a month early and have a February birthday...we shall see.

And now, I must get the kids fed and Lydia ready for gymnastics. Grandpa Kanost is taking her tonight so that I don't have to drag Jake and Claire there. Thanks, Grandpa!

Repundle, Repundle...Let Down Your Golden Hair

2011-12-08T06:14:00.000-08:00

FINALLY, here are some pictures of Claire's 5th birthday party, which was a big hit! *Explanation of my blog title: Claire's has a best-est little buddy from school, Morgan. Apparently, Claire had told Morgan that she had "Repundle hair," so Morgan went home and told her mom she wanted Repundle hair, too!*

Wish I'd gotten better pictures of the decorations. We hung paper lanterns and had a tower complete with Rapunzel and her long hair.

This tower cake was fun to do. We had a mishap in the middle of Claire's party with it falling over. I'm definitely learning cake decorating as I go. I didn't put a slab of icing at the base of the cake to kind of cement it in. Thankfully, it stayed upright for Claire and the guests to see it. The last picture makes me think Flynn Rider is calling for Rapunzel to "jump and I'll catch ya!"

First thing we did was have the kids sit down and do a craft. Again, wish I'd taken a picture of the final result. They made Pascal (the chameleon) party blowers, with the blower being his tongue. Very cute idea I saw from online.

Next, we played a game called, Pin The Nose On Flynn Rider (in the movie, he doesn't like how they drew his nose in the Wanted posters). This has been somewhat of a tradition in our household for the 5th birthday party. At Jake's, we played pin the tale on the dinosaur; Lydia's was pin the lips on the frog (prince). It seems to be a big hit for this age.

And of course, even if you are 10 and 8, there is fun to be had. This picture shows Lydia tricking Jake by standing in place of the poster.

Time to eat!!! Frying pans were used as serving bowls for the chips since a frying pan was Rapunzel's choice for a weapon in the movie, Tangled. And off to the left, you can sort of see Lydia's Pascal party blower.

Something funny being shared by Travis and Lydia.

Mrs. Chrisman, Claire's pre-k teacher got to come to her party. Her 1st daughter, Ellie is around Claire's age and even though they aren't in the same class, they enjoy each other's company before and after school.

Blowing out the candle!

Opening presents!

An attempt at a group photo (minus Morgan, who had to leave early).

Claire, Kelsey (we made Keven a friend this year), and "the boys." Claire LOVES the three T's! (Tine, Travis, and Titus)

Baby Girl's Five!

2011-11-30T07:51:00.000-08:00

Claire has been 5 years old for exactly one month...just about my pace for updating this here blog. I will post her birthday party pictures next time. Just wanted to wish my C-R-A-Z-Y, fun-loving, lastborn a very belated birthday wish on here. Just last night, Dan and I were watching some old videos from when Claire was 14 months old and also our beach trip in 08. Lots of fun to watch those, but also a visual reminder that our kiddos are growing up so very fast. I have not had any maternal "itches" in a long time. Even with my sweet little baby niece, Anna. But seeing my "baby" as a baby stirred something up. Guess we better not watch anymore. =) Oh, and in the above picture you can see where Claire decided to cut her hair (she still has long hair...it is braided in the picture, but take a look at those bangs).

So, back to Claire. She has recently said a couple of funnies that I don't want to forget. Thought I would jot them down on here for my memory's sake.

*We read books every day before naptime. Yesterday, when Claire was picking out her books, I heard her proclaim with excitement, "Green Hams and Green!" Can you guess what one of her favorite books is?

*This morning before school, Claire got out her play doctor's kit (score at the thrift store...69 cents). She gave me a shot (pretty standard treatment from Dr. Claire), listened to my heart, and checked my ears last (probably because she absolutely HATES that part of her visits and has a panic attack the second the inside-the-ear-looker thing approaches her). She looked into my right ear and then my left one and point blank told me I had "greasy ears."

Minute To Win It

2011-11-27T19:06:00.000-08:00

So, here are the pictures I promised of Jake's Minute To Win It party...finally. He had a such a fun 10th birthday party, thanks to Daddy! (The first picture is of our cutest onlooker)!

We divided the boys into 3 teams and the birthday boy got to partner up with his best friend from school, Mitchell. What good buddies these two are.

Seth trying to get the tennis ball in a metal trash can with only one bounce.

Mitchell attempting the pencil game.

Jake aligning that ping pong ball to make it into the cup.

Malcolm getting ready to trade off to Seth during one of the games.

Perhaps this was one of the silliest games. Trying to balance an M&M on the face and moving it down to your mouth without touching it. Next to impossible! But hilarious to see everyone try!

The three teams had one minute to try and get all six chapsticks balanced using chopsticks...much harder than it appears.

How fast can you pound the nail in the wood (this one proved to be a little too easy for these macho young guys)?

Jake's birthday coffee cakes! He is not a big fan of regular cake, but enjoys coffee cake. Mommy's couldn't come close to the deliciousness of Grandma Ernst's coffee cake, but they got eaten!

Rejoice in the Lord always!

2011-11-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Philippians 4:4-8
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."

Just being real here...the last few days have been rough. Dan's been out of town for going on two weeks. I want my husband back and the kids need their daddy back. Whenever I express that, either out loud, written down, or in my head, I always feel guilty. It's been two weeks. My "kid" brother, Brian, has been serving in Afghanistan. His wife and son are missing him for months. And then I think of all the single parents out there...when Dan is gone, my respect for them deepens. And perspective gives me a good kick in the rear. All that being said...the last few days have been rough.

Last night, I told my kids I might be adding a class to their day once they get home. It would be called, "How To Treat My Family." This morning, I woke up and realized I need to hire a teacher and become one of the students. The "whatevers" from Phil. 4:8 flooded my mind. I looked it up and was given another kick in my rear reading verse 4. I have to admit I am not a great rejoicer when I am tired, overwhelmed, irritable. I briefly talked with mom Ernst yesterday and vented to her a little bit. She told me she would take it to the Lord in prayer. She is doing what I should have...clearly stated in verse 6. God cares! He cares about the squabbles. He cares about the amount of energy I have! He cares about me trying to teach my "anti-social" child when she is being rude. He cares about the stubbornness in another child. He cares about the attitude in the third. And He cares about the mistakes I've made and the feeling of failure at times. And how quickly I forget He cares and not surrender my burden to Him. He promises peace which will "guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus!" Amen! Many times, I feel I am losing my mind. I don't know a mom out there who wouldn't want to claim that promise.

So, today I am going to pray for wisdom, energy, patience, kindness for myself and for my kids. And I am going to choose to rejoice and not be negative!

Thank you, Lord, for being patient and loving this child.

Double Digits!

2011-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

Jake turned 10 years old on Friday, October 14th! T-E-N...how can that be? His first "present" was the fact that he had no school on his birthday! Despite the fact that he could have slept in, he chose to still go out to breakfast with Daddy, a birthday tradition. His next gift came with a little smoothness on his part. After playing First In Math on the computer for a while, I reminded him of his dishes (a daily chore) that still needed to be done. He looked up at me and said, "Since it's my birthday, will you do them for me?"

We left for the library late morning and checked out a bunch of books. Then, we made our way over to Ms. Beth's house. Except for when I had to drag him in for some lunch, Jake played outside the entire time. There is always lots of tree climbing, mud sloppin', good old fashioned outdoor fun when we go over to the Riddell's who have lots of wooded area surrounding their property.

We left there around 5pm. We met Grandma and Grandpa K., Uncle Matt, Aunt Sarah Beth, and Anna at McDonald's around 6:30 for dinner (Jake's choice for a quick restaurant so that everyone could come over to our house afterward and hang out....thought that was sweet considering he had his choice of where to go).

Yesterday, we had his Minute To Win It party with 5 of his friends outside at the church. He seemed to have a great time and so did his friends. So fun to watch boys interact with each other. We left the memory card to the camera at home, but thankfully, my mom took a bunch of pictures with her phone for us. Will post those soon.

Just wanted to give a belated birthday wish to Jakers! We love you, son!

A Big Thank You and some other stuff

2011-10-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

I realized today that I never even mentioned a huge part of our trip...the wonderful grandparents who helped to make it happen by taking care of our kids! Thank you so very much, Mom and Dad E! What a blessing it was for us to be able to go and know our kids were in the hands of grandparents who love them much and were willing and wanting to spend almost an entire week with them! I know the kids made many memories with you and that makes my heart happy! Thanks the big special moments...like picnics at the park and fishing and for the quiet, but just as big special moments...like singing "Summertime" at bedtime and lots of journal writing! I love it! And we love you both so much!

Today was a day to recover from our vacation. Sounds funny...but it truly was an exciting, yet tiring, visit. Let's just say Dan or I had no problems falling asleep each night. I thought I would try to keep up with all the walking we'd done in NYC by pulling Claire in the wagon to school this morning. She loves it when "we" walk to school. Got a few spits of rain and was hoping we wouldn't get dumped on...or at least that the dumping would wait until my solo walk home. Thankfully, I arrived home dry.

Got a bunch of laundry done, had an easy supper plan (leftover porcupine meatballs...thanks again, Mom E), and read some Holes to Jake and Lydia and Rattlebang to Claire before bed. A pretty layed back day...glad to be home. One funny before I log out...at least to me. Claire sometimes gets mixed up with her words. Lately, she has been asking me, "Are you my baby?" Then comes the explanation that she is my baby and I am Grandma Kanost's baby. Tonight at bedtime, she commanded me to kiss Dan, "because you're his husband!" Silly girl!

Finally, just for a walk down memory lane. I was looking for a picture of Grandma and Grandpa Ernst to put on here. I have many but went looking for the ones of when we went to PNG in 02' and they got to meet Jakers for the first time! Talk about a memory...these pictures make me well up a bit. Guess it doesn't help that my sweet baby boy is turning 10 on Friday. Enjoy the pictures...I sure do!

Our Last Day Here

2011-10-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

This was taken earlier in the week, but I had to include a picture of us on the subway!

So call me a dork, but there was one particular place I was hoping to visit in New Jersey, since we were close. This next picture was taken on our way to the train. I thought Christopher St. looked like a nice street to live on. We arrived in Hobokin, New Jersey - your 1st clue. The next picture is your 2nd clue (and answer if you are a fellow Cake Boss fan).

So, Cake Boss is one of my favorite shows to watch. The cakes they make are pretty unbelievable! I new I would be one of many wanting to go to Carlos Bakery (as you can see from the line in the picture below). It was a 1-2 hour wait in the line. And while I am sure whatever we ordered would have been delish (and my sweet hubby was willing to accommodate), I decided a peek through the window and a picture would suffice). While we were eating outside at the pizza place next door, I saw Grace, Buddy's sister. She was taking pictures with with people, so after we ate, we went over and grabbed a quick picture. I had said I wanted to see a celebrity and in my book, Grace is a celebrity!

Our next stop was the Empire State building! Jake and Lydia...you inspired Daddy for this picture. Remember the gorilla statue at the zoo. Well, Daddy got to pick King Kong's nose! Another shot of the George Washington Bridge for the kids!

Looked like a Lego city from so high up!

The new tower being built with Statue of Liberty in background.

The very top...where King Kong went a little berserk.

Look, Jake, Lydia, and Claire...we found Gelato on the streets of New York City! But I didn't see Pistachio.

Had to stop in Macy's just to see. So many peeps!

Who can tell me what's wrong with this picture? And of course...the obvious answer (to the debate) is Jordan and Pippen!

It's interesting when you are on a trip without your kids what makes you think of them. There are LOTS of pigeons here and I think of Bert's pet pigeon from Sesame Street every time I see one, which makes me think of my kids! Plus, I think they would be enamored with the quantity of them.

Our last stop today was Coney Island. It was nice to smell the ocean air and take a walk along the beach (albeit with shoes on...it was a dirty beach). And God gave us a beautiful sunset! A great way to end a great time!

Jake, Lyd, & Claire...this one's for you!

2011-10-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE!!! Today was a another beautiful day...we really were blessed with some great weather on our trip! I was worried about being too cold here in October, but with it being in the 80's today, I was borderline too hot.

So, we were planning on going to Long Island today but didn't time out our day very well. We wanted to attend church at Inwood with our friends, the Sotelo's, where Walter pastors. They meet at 5pm. We went and rode the train to one stop and made the decision then that we would have only about 1/2 hour on Long Island. So, we rode the train back and took the metro to Central park area again. We walked around some (it was so much more crowded than the other day!), then we walked to Gray's Papaya...a hot dog place Dan had been to before. Before long, it was time to head to Inwood. That was neat to be able to worship with some New Yorkers! After church, Walter and Victoria had us over to their home in the Bronx. We had a lovely time eating supper with them and their three kids and getting a chance to chat with them afterward for a while. Walter gave us a ride back to our hotel. It was neat to see the Manhattan skyline at night for the first time (was on the wrong side of the plane the night we landed). Also, one thing we wanted to get a picture of was the George Washington Bridge for the kids (thanks to a Bert and Ernie song we often listen to in the van). Since this bridge is close to where the Sotelo's live, Walther took us to a spot where we could get a good pic!

And that wraps up our day. Not many pictures because we need new batteries. We'll have to get some on our way into the city tomorrow. We still want to go to the top of either the Rockefeller or the Empire State building. They are having a big Columbus Day parade tomorrow so we may catch some of that and maybe hit a museum...a big recommendation from Walter and Victoria. We shall see!

NYC - Part 2

2011-10-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Billingtons, this pic is for you. Dan discovered this cobblestone in Central Park as we were leaving. Didn't know you were famous, did you...at least they shared the same first capitols! Turns out the Ernst's are famous as well...see last picture.

We walked some today...and walked...and then walked some more. After a lazy morning in the hotel and a good talk with the kids on the phone (hooray for Jake to losing another tooth!), we headed to the subway once again. We headed over to China town. Wasn't quite what I had in my mind and like Dan said - you been in one shop there, you've "been in them all." During our time there, we witnessed hundreds and hundreds of skateboarders. Most of them were making quite a stupid decision....banking on the hope that regardless if the light was red at the intersection or not, they were going. There were quite a few close calls! Dan modeling some earings I found. Sorry, Lydia...these are a bit too dangly for you.

We went to Little Italy and ended up eating lunch at Benito. They sold us on their lunch special, but unbeknowst to him, Dan's two Diet Coke's cost almost as much a lunch. Sneaky!

Just a cool building, on our way to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Lady Liberty seen from Brooklyn Bridge.

Half way across!

Multiple times throughout our time here, I have thought what it must have been like to witness the events on 9/11...when I look at the skyline or when I see a plane go by. I thought of the people walking on the bridge that day or riding on the ferry or walking on the street. It's been 10 years, but being here brings it back to the forefront of my mind so quickly.
.

After walking the bridge, we took the subway to 5th Avenue. I wanted to check out The American Girl store. That place had THREE floors! And a salon where the dolls can get their hair done. And of course, it was swimming with girls! Two funny comments I overheard - one from a boy outside of the store - "I'm not going in there," and one from a poor boy trapped inside - "Get me out of this torture chamber!"

Then we walked back to Time's Square...significantly more crowded on the weekend! We ate a cheap dinner (shared a $5 footlong from Subway) and people watched for a long time. Then it was off to the hotel to watch the Huskers/Ohio State game....but look what I saw as we were leaving Time's Square (see last picture)! Looks like we are famous, too!

First Time in NYC

2011-10-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Guess whose in the Big City? WE ARE! Dan and I have wanted to visit NYC together for a few years. He has been a couple times on missions trip but I had never been before. Dan recently gave up his seat on one of his business trips resulting in two round trip airfare to anywhere in the States. We celebrated 13 years of marriage in August and decided to celebrate (a little late) by coming to New York with those tickets. We arrived late Wed. night. There is so much to see...I am glad we aren't rushed. Yesterday, we stayed around the Time's Square area. Today, we got to visit the 9/11 Memorial, take the ferry to Stanton Island, and walked and rested in Central Park.

Look who we happened upon in Time's Square! Beth and Libby! (ok, ok...we did make arrangements knowing we'd all be there the same time). Had lunch them at Hard Rock Cafe and then we parted ways.

This pic is for you, Lid! Your famous in NYC!

Thought Jake would appreciate this shot.

I needed a chocolate fix in the Hershey's store.

Dan saw this and thought of Lydia...our girl who loves to skate. They look like Ronald McDonald skates to me.

We got to be part of the David Letterman audience! Too bad they didn't ask if anyone had any stupid human tricks! I'm sure Dan has one or two up his sleeve.

Here's our proof...Baxter the dog and his owner (winner of the dock diving dogs).

Another pic I thought Lydia would like...

We woke up this morning early to try and make it in time to get tickets to see the 9/11 memorial. We made it. It was neat to be able to be there...but it was pretty overwhelming and emotional. The above photo is a piece of warped metal from one of the twin towers. This was the first of many times this day I had to swallow hard.

This tree was the only one that survived on 9/11. They nurtured it elsewhere and replanted it by the memorial recently. Pretty cool, huh?

Us in front of one of the fountain footprints with new (unfinished) tower in background.

This intrigued me. I saw a few women listed along with their unborn children. I love that they were included because those unborn babies were, indeed, a life lost on that tragic day. So my confusion lies in the loss of so many other lives lost in the tragic act of abortion. When is a life not a life?

This was also quite interesting to observe...protesters on Wall Street (in that first pic, in case you can't tell, the news camera and microphone were fake).

On our way to Stanton Island!

Statue of Liberty...pretty cool!

Central Park is huge! I had no idea how big it was. We decided to go there and rest a bit in Sheep Meadow (1st picture). Our legs and feet were a tad tired from all the standing and walking! Our little rest turned into a couple of hours...so relaxing. Then we walked around the park for a while. It was very pretty. I really like The Mall strip with American Elms soaring overhead.

That's all for now. More to come!

Gettin' All Grown Up

2011-09-06T06:20:00.000-07:00

(GO COLTS!)

Here we are...another set of "first day of school" shots (a couple weeks late). Time is going by so fast...hard to believe I have a 4th grader and a 3rd grader! Jake was partially excited to start school; Lydia was very excited. She had her matching purple outfit, Twinkle Toes (which I got for a steal at Marshall's), and book bag (purple, of course) all laid out and ready to go the night before. Jake was happy in his T-shirt, shoes, and Colt's book bag Grandma Kanost bought him.

Two weeks have already passed and they are doing great. Jake already had his first field trip, with mom in tow. We went to the New Boston Fair last Friday. It was H-O-T walking around in 100 degree weather with my 5 boys I was in charge of. But we had a good time.

Lydia is happy to have the opportunity to go to a different school each week on Wednesdays. Last week on her first day, I asked her how it went. Her response sums up her priorities..."I met three new friends!" Reminds me of last night - we took the kids to the county fair and about half way through our time there, she met a girl named Makayla and they quickly became friends. They rode everything together and we exchanged numbers when it was time to go. She is quite the social butterfly.

Lydia and Jake both decided to run for student council this year - a first for both of them. This past Labor Day weekend was spent working on posters for them to hang up. There are quite a few kids running in their classes, but it is a fun experience, no matter the outcome.

Pics of Claire's first day of preschool last week to come next!

God's Hand of Protection

2011-08-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

Last month our area got hit hard with a severe storm - "our area" being pretty specific. A storm hit my parents house in north Dayton and a storm hit my sister's place just a few miles away. But THE storm hit our house and nearby surroundings very signigicantly. We think it was straight winds which can do as much damage as a tornado. Below is proof of that. And our house wasn't the worst I saw. Massive trees were uprooted and a roof of an apartment building was torn off (which was about a mile from our house). We thank God for his protection!

On this particular evening, Jake and Lydia had their last swim meet. Jake left after his first heat (with previous permission from the coach) because basketball camp was starting. We got through probably 3/4ths of the swim meet when they had to have all the swimmers exit the pool due to lightening and thunder. We waited the 1/2 hour and they called it. Dan had left with Claire to go pick up Jake. Since it was the last meet, the kids all lined up for their ice cream sundaes. Just moments later, the pool manager ran up and told everyone to take cover under the shelter. It hadn't started raining yet, so most people had stayed. About a minute later, the swim coach ran up and yelled to the volunteers, "Quit passing out ice cream...we have to get everyone out of here." I looked up and agreed wholeheartedly. The dumping of rain looked imminent and I've never seen clouds so low before and in such a swirly fashion. Of course, when the coach made this announcment, the purpose of it wasn't to induce panic, but that is exactly what it did in Lydia and her good friend, Holly. Holly was in line with us and I made sure she found her family before we booked it out of there. As we ran to our car, Lydia asked if we were going to die. It was the first of 4 or 5 times she asked. Tornado sirens started going off, so when we arrived home (thankfully, it was a home meet so we were right around the corner), we went down to the basement and prayed. Still no rain...just very windy. I called Dan and asked if they were going to wait at the church till it past. He said, "no," much to my dismay. Lid and I stayed in the bathroom for a bit then we went upstairs to the living room to wait for the others to get home. I started to read to Lid to distract her. Didn't get too far. The rain decided to pour and the lightening, thunder, and wind picked back up. And of course, the power went off. Right when we lost power, I saw lights in the driveway. What scared me was that I also saw tree limbs falling everywhere, including all around the van. I wasn't sure if Dan was going to stay in the van or make a run for it or if they were trapped or what. I was going to run outside to help (don't know what difference I would have made in hindsight). I told Lydia to get under the table. She begged me not to leave her. I told her I would be right back...I just needed to see if they needed help. I started to open the front door and then Dan made his move. He was carrying Claire and Jake was running close behind. Everyone was safe inside the house. During of one the lightening blasts, I heard Dan say, "whoa." He showed me our neighbors partially fallen tree with leaves just inches from our living room window. We hadn't even know it, but God also protected Lydia and I inside the house. We had been reading on the couch with our heads and backs to that very window. Dan went back outside to go check on our neighbor next door who is a single gal. When he was out, he noticed our trampoline had been carried across 4 lanes of traffic to the people's house acoss the street! From the pictures below, you'll see it didn't fare too well.

This was in the backyard. Big limbs had fallen on the patio covering, as well as a couple of them impaled in the ground (don't have pictures of those).

Downed power lines in the back yard.

Ironically, our power company would not hook the lines back to the house. If there had been something "live" or "hot" or whatever the term is, I believe they would have. We hired a man in our church who is qualified in this area. We still have to cut down a hanging limb and hopefully, insurance will cover the cost of a new trampoline...then our back yard will be as good as new.

While God is always good, I am so glad our family was under His hedge of protection this particular evening!

The Day Our Friends Were A No-Show - Part 2

2011-08-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

I had good intentions of finishing this post earlier. However, I did not take into account a hubby being out of town for 2 weeks and a son recovering from surgery which equals one mom being exhausted and celebrating an early bedtime each night (which is usually when I can grab a moment to blog). Below is how we finished our day at Youngs, sadly without the good company we were expecting. But we did have a fun time as a family so that definitely counts!

At the kids last day of school picnic, they had Mountain Dew as a choice of beverage. I noticed on the back of Jake's MD can there was a coupon for one free game of golf or a free cone at Young's Dairy! That discovery resulted in Dan picking out cans from the trash can. Once he left, I took over. Yes, kind of gross, but we scored a deal! How often can a family of five go mini golfing for free? Better yet, go mini golfing for free and get free ice cream? All we paid for was the gas to drive there! And guess what? We collected enough cans to do it again! I think they expire the end of this month so we better plan that outing soon. Jake takes his game of Putt Putt very seriously.

Kids on a stump...don't ask about Jake. I have no idea?

Had to get our tractor shots.

Time to feed the goat. I had loaded my pockets with dimes for animal feed. But my kids had to resort to scooping it off the ground since they uped the price to a quarter.

Not sure why, but one thing Claire is always excited about when we go to Youngs is getting to wash her hands outside in the handwashing area. Seriously, that was one of the things she mentioned when we said we were going. Funny girl.

Jake's picture pretty much sums up what we did next.

The Day Our Friends Were A No-Show - Part 1

2011-07-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, we headed over to Young's Dairy to meet our good friends, the Murphy's. (Jim and Dan were college buddies). We have had fun over the years meeting up with them and Young's is usually our meeting point. They moved overseas last year and Jim teaches at an international school, so we were looking forward to catching up and getting an update on how their year went. Dan and Jim passed e-mails along and a time and place was set...or so we thought.

We were to meet them at noon and have lunch together. We pulled in right about noon and waited....and waited...and waited. We each passed the time in different ways as our hungry stomach's growled away. Lydia was glad she had a book in the van!
Jake had to resort to a little of this...

And Claire found some pretty flowers to smell. I thought the flowers were a decent background for a picture so I asked Claire to smile. The ornery little girl gave me these instead...

So, Lydia posed for me!

And guess who came around after watching her big sis!

Shortly after I took these pictures, I sat back down at the table and said,"You guys did say "noon,"right? Dan shook his head yes. "And it was supposed to be today, right?" Again, Dan shook his head yes. Then he got out his phone and re-read those e-mails. We were at Young's 2 days ahead of schedule! Ha! When we realized this, we quickly headed in the lunch line and filled our bellies. Then it was off to the putt-putt course, visiting the animals, and ice cream. Will post those pictures next time. Just had to share that little funny story.

Fun at Jungle Jim's

2011-07-25T18:14:00.001-07:00

I was mean tired driving home from the Louisville zoo last month. We were about 50 miles away to Cincy when I was so wishing that we were 5 miles to HOME. Then I had an idea. The kids were oblivious while I was on the phone with Dan. We crossed the bridge into Ohio and drove past the city. I got off at the West Chester exit and pulled into a hotel parking lot. "What are we doing here, mommy?" "We are going to stay here overnight." "No, really... what are we doing?" "Really, we ARE going to sleep here tonight." I might have well said we were on our way to Disney - that was the hollering and celebrating going on in the back of the van. Who knew a sleepover in a hotel was so exciting!? Score, Mom (and Dad, the hero, who had found us a decent place on Priceline). The kids were happy to not cut our trip short and I was happy to have a bed sooner than later. We checked in, went across the street to get some snacks, Jake watched some basketball, and then we were all out. The next day we swam in the pool before checking out. Since we were close, I took the kids to Jungle Jim's. I don't know what they were imagining in their heads after my description, but I did remind them it was a glorified grocery store. That didn't matter. We spend 3 + hours there...THREE HOURS. They wanted to check out every single isle with all the different ethnic food options. We bought some fun, different food, sampled several things, and of course, had fun with the camera!

A Trip To Elizabethtown

2011-07-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

I got some catching up to do seeing as the summer is more than half way over. Figured I would show a few pics from the beginning of summer when we went to go visit the Rebilas family in KY. Not too many represented...I wish I could say it was because I just forgot to take pictures. It was more like I was too miserable to take pictures. If you remember from an earlier post, the pink eye bug had hit our household (at least the women folk) HARD! I would have post phoned our trip but I thought my pink eye was starting to go away with the left over drops I had from Claire...or Lydia...one of the two. Sadly, it got much, much worse. I even ended up going to Becky's doctor and got a stronger prescription of drops.

We were planning on staying through Wed. but ended up leaving Tuesday when Claire started getting her 3rd round of pink eye. It was enough for me to be crazy about handwashing & disinfecting everything I touched. There was no way I could do that with Claire. But before we headed home, we went to the Louisville zoo. I think it was a record for heat that day, of course. But the kids and the moms still had fun! Here we are at Wendy's for dinner before we drove home to Ohio. (**with the fun memory of me throwing my keys in the trash and an employee fishing them out for me. I was going to do the dirty work, but he insisted. I thought, "how nice of him." Then thought how amusing it was that he then asked me to mention the whole incident to his boss right then and there. I waited while he retrieved her and told her "this man needs a raise" and explained what had happened - although I did leave out the part about him asking me to praise him in front of her). =) We discovered this little message...although Drew was not the author of it...
Ethan was! What a sweet boy!

Claire and Sammy had quite a little connection going on. It was cute to watch. Sammy just looked at me funny when I told her to "have her home by 8:30."

Random Thusday Thoughts

2011-06-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

* It is 9:38 pm, but it feels like 1:30 am. Why, then, am I taking time to post? Because I have the memory of someone 3 times my age...at least that is the way it seems sometimes. I know if I don't write down my thoughts, they will be lost in the abyss of forgetfulness.

*Claire is...well, Claire. If you know her at all, that about sums it up. She has quite a little spunk to her personality and the girl makes me laugh. Here are a couple recent funnies from her little 4 yr. old mouth (with some background info as well, so it makes sense).

- I love Mandesa! I've gotten the chance to hear her live twice at Women of Faith and I love her! I was given an album of hers for Christmas. I thought the kids would enjoy listening to it so I let the girls borrow it one night for their music. Big mistake...(just jokin')... Jake never got the chance to get it because Lydia has claimed it. So, the other night, Claire saw me turning on the little boombox and she said, "I don't want to listen to that Aunt Lisa!" Guess he needed a change of pace.

- While on the Mandesa theme, there is a song on the album where the words start off as "How Much? (referring to God's love for us). The "How Much" part repeats itself a few times, almost like a chant. Once Claire asked me why the song said, "Ham-ich," which is her word for sandwich!

- Claire is in the L-O-N-G process of learning that she is not the center of attention at all times...imagine that!? With this comes learning to wait her turn to talk when Daddy and I are talking or one of us is talking to Jake and Lydia. So, she has heard the word "interrupting" a time or two, you could say. Not long ago, at some mealtime, she was talking and got extremely frustrated at her siblings. She finally had enough and proclaimed loud and clear, "YOU ARE UPTER-ROOTING ME!"

*Before we left to visit friends in Kentucky, Lydia asks, "Do they speak English there?" I guess that is up to one's interpretation. Although, I'm not one to poke fun since I had a thick, Carolina accent when I was young.

* Claire has been on a kick about asking people if they live in America. She hounded two older girls the other day at the library about the matter.

* I have developed a love/hate relationship for swim team. I love that Jake and Lydia are learning how to swim. I hate the time commitment for it. Ok...so hate is a strong word. I dislike it very, very, very, very, very much. Practice is every morning during the weekday. That's not so bad. It's the stinkin' meets. There are so many swimmers, so many teams, swarms of people, and from the time we have to be there to the time we get to go home, it takes about 4 hours; longer if it is a home meet. I asked J & L if they wanted to do it next year and they both said "yes." We shall see.

* The street department for the city of Kettering stole my kid's library signs. Really? Jake met his goal of reading 30 hours last week and got his Library Champion sign for the yard. Lydia met her goal this week and I took her Tues. afternoon to get her sign. Wed. morning, I saw a truck stop on the side of the road, pull up the signs, and throw them in the back of the truck. I hurried the kids, who were all eating breakfast, out the door. We were going to go get our signs back. I have to believe the guy saw us and then quickly drove away, leaving me shaking my head and my kids disappointed. Lydia was quick to remind me that we could go and get another sign, but I told her we were going to complain. The whole thing just bothered me. No knock on the door and definitely no hanging around when the mom and kids come out to find out what's going on. Well...the reason was that we are not allowed to have the signs on the city's property, which is between the street and the sidewalk. They have been put there the past 2-3 years, but apparently, they are trying to really "clean up" the city and two signs whose purpose is to encourage kids with reading is offensive to the eye??! Our signs were returned and now they are on the non-offensive side of the walk.

* I have been pricing room darkening curtains. I wish I knew how to sew and could just make some of my own. Oh, why didn't I pay more attention in Home Ec. class?

Cake Hobby

2011-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while since I posted. Summer vacation started with a bang with 3 plus weeks of pink eye. Loverly - huh? We were pink eye free until about 4am this past Sunday morning, when Claire came back in my room complaining of her eye bothering her. Poor girl...this was her 3rd bout with it (with Lydia and I also catching it, despite my coming just shy of using Lysol as a perfume). Claire's problem is linked to a recurrent ear infection...so hopefully, when her ears get checked next week, she will be in the clear or else it's off to the ENT for her. We have also been busy with a trip to KY to visit friends (next post), VBS, and swim team.

Wanted to post some pics of the cakes I have made so far. Dan gave me a cake decorating class certificate in February and I started that 6 week class in April. I had so much fun and was happy to learn some new "tricks." Here they are in order... First cake made was for my sister's b-day.
Design transfer cake...donated to the Family Fun Fest at school, during which there is a cake walk. How fitting!

This was not part of the cake assignment for the class, but I did make this cake for Dan's b-day. Go Colts!

Not a huge fan of clowns, but week 5 was learning how to make them. They were kind of fun!

We celebrated early for my nephew, Matthew's, b-day while he and his fam were in town for Memorial Day. I'm sure he would have gone for a Star Wars themed cake instead, but he was a grateful recipient anyhow.

The last class was learning how to do the basket weave cake. My weave does not look the greatest mostly because I was rushed and I had the wrong tip. That would be my only complaint about the class...I felt rushed. But then again, I can be a bit of a perfectionist in certain areas. I was the last one to leave the class every single week. But I was also enjoying my "free time."

And this cake had nothing to do with the class either. Just felt like practicing. I made this sheet cake as an appreciation to the VBS workers. Our theme was kind of a western one so this was my attempt at a bandanna pattern. I do need to work on my lettering, that's for sure. And that's all for now!

Happy "Last Year Of The Thirties," Dan!

2011-05-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

Dan turned 39 yesterday, May 15th. That seems crazy! Thankfully, my husband doesn't act or look almost 40 to me. I love that he is full of energy and spunk. I love what he said yesterday, even though I will admit I made a "you're strange" face. He says for his 4oth b-day, he wants to have a big dodge ball game with a bunch of friends. How fun is that? I will say, that strange face came after his next comment. He wants to use the old playground type balls that really sting, instead of the softer ones made nowadays. I think I'll be a-ok watching that game.

Last night, it dawned on me that this summer (on my birthday) will mark 15 years of us being together as a couple. FIFTEEN YEARS...wow! And later, in August, we will celebrate 13 years of marriage. Seems like the days are flying by quicker than ever. Thankfully, I can say that I love Dan so much more now than before. Seems like a "duh" thing to say, but in this day and age, I think I will celebrate that statement. And so...in honor of my hubby's birthday, here is a list of some of the things I love about him.

1. He loves me and is patient with me.
2. He is a hard worker. This has always been true of Dan, but was very evident last year when Dan was unemployed, but was willing to perform ANY job he could find to provide for his family.
3. He is crafty and desires to figure out things on his own and does a great job of it. Example...many, but the most recent one would be our floor to ceiling cabinet/shelving unit he built and installed into our family room. I tried to get a picture on here, but couldn't figure out how to because it was not on Picassa. But take my word for it, it is incredible!
4. He loves our kiddos and is a wonderful father to them. He wrestles with them, plays games with them, takes them on bike rides while he runs, buys them little souvenirs from the cities he travels to, and takes time to have lengthy conversations with them. Those were just some of the things that popped into my head. I am just grateful that he is such an involved father. *pictures below...old ones, but ones I haven't put on here before. I need to get the camera out and start taking pictures again.*
5. He is pretty thoughtful and takes time into making something special. Two examples...go back and read about our anniversary in August 2009. More recently, for Valentine's Day (which we don't normally really celebrate), he bought me a gift certificate to a cake decorating class. He took notice that I was looking at the schedule online and he sneakily went and got me the gift certificate. (And I am loving it, by the way). *See picture below to see the cake I made for Dan, using the techniques I've learned so far.*
6. He is funny. That is something that I have always enjoyed about Dan. Even though sometimes he goes a little too far with it. Like the time he sabotaged by Facebook account with a post saying "Pregnant." Thankfully, I was able to clear the air pretty quickly with that one. His most recent big funny that I can think of is when he told people on April Fools Day that if they went to Chipotle, they would get a free burrito if they said, "I'm a fool for Chipotle." Most people saw right through him, but there were some who did it and even a couple who got a free burrito out of it because the managers thought it was hilarious (my brother in law, Matt, being one of them).

I could list more, but I need to go and pick up Claire from preschool. Just wanted to wish Dan a "Happy Birthday." Love you, Dan!

Anna Girl!

2011-05-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

Introducing...Anna Jane Rickert!!!

It has been almost two months since she made her appearance and FINALLY Aunt Gwen has gotten a chance to blog about her birth! Anna was born on March 20, 2011. (I don't think I'll ever have trouble remembering her birthday as it falls on my due date with Lydia).

Apparently, Anna decided she just didn't have enough room left in the womb and it was time to come out. We had thrown my sister's church baby shower that Saturday, the 19th. We were wondering if Anna would come early since she was measuring big, but I'm not sure anyone guessed it would be a whole month early. After the shower, we helped to bring all the gifts back to Sarah Beth and Matthew's house. We said our good byes and I remember reminding them to call me, no matter the time, when things started to happen. Fast forward to 10pm...I get a call from Matt. When I saw his number come up on my phone, I started to get excited. But he burst that bubble pretty quickly. He had been doing diaper inventory and wanted my advice on how long babies stay in certain sizes of diapers. Ah, man!

I went to bed that night and I remember thinking, " I need to make sure I have my phone with me at night and have it on ring tone." I set it down on my dresser and went to bed. Fast forward again to 2a.m. Now, I am pretty sure it is Matthew with some big news...no more diaper letdowns. My sister was on the other end of his phone letting me know her water broke and they were on the way to the hospital. The plan was for me to go back to sleep, knowing most likely she would progress slowly like most women, and that she would call me if that seemed different in her case. I hung up with her and very quickly realized there would be no more sleep for me that night. My excitement had taken over! I called my parents wanting to hear their game plan. They were already getting ready to head to the hospital. So, I quickly got myself ready and left as well.

I feel so blessed that Sarah Beth and Matthew let me be a part of this awesome event! Sarah Beth did so great and I was quite the proud, big sister. Matthew was a wonderful coach and support to her, which was neat to see. Anna was born that afternoon, I believe at 2:41, if my memory serves me correctly. She was 8 lbs. 2 oz., but was still monitored and treated as a premie. It was love at first sight for all involved as you can see from the pictures below.

*Anna, Aunt Gwen loves you so much already. I can't wait to get to watch you on Mondays! You have captured our hearts and we are so glad to welcome you into our part of the family. You are blessed have such awesome parents and not too shabby of an aunt, uncle, and cousins.

A Life Well Lived...A Beautiful Legacy

2011-04-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

This week, I had to say "good-bye" to a dear man. Mind you, not a final "good-bye," for I know he put his trust in our Savior, Jesus Christ, so I will be seeing him again someday. Smeltzer Charles Rose went home to be with the Lord on Monday, April 18th, 2011...just a few hours before his 92nd birthday. To me, he was Grandpa Rose, regardless of the fact that we were not blood-related. The Bowersox family was gracious enough to "share"him with me...something I will be forever grateful for. Some of the best memories from my life happened on Grandma and Grandpa Rose's farm in Galipolis, Ohio. Feeding the cows; gathering eggs from the chicken coop; going frog hunting, knee-deep in the pond; ridin' the tractor while it spread manure (who know getting hit by a random piece of dried manure could be fun?); going down to the creek to catch crawdads and skip rocks; working the meat from a freshly butchered cow; playing Carrom out in the screened in porch; getting our first try at driving - in my mind, I can still hear the crunch of the tires on the gravel; learning a lesson in patience, which involved Beth, Brian and I deciding we could clear our own path to the creek....ended up getting into a bunch of nettles. Wish there was a video of us trying to run back to the house while scratching and digging our arms and legs, then being hosed off and sent to the basement with Comet and scouring pads to get the boogers off our skin. I could go on and on. But I do have to mention one last memory. The first time I ever went to the farm, we stopped at a McDonalds. I had just known Grandma and Grandpa Rose for a few minutes...but leave it to me to make an impression. Can't really say why I was doing this, but I decided to twist the ketchup packets in half like little bows. As I lifted one up to pretend it was a hair bow, the thing exploded. I was quite embarrassed and didn't know to expect a scolding or not. How relieved I was when there was laughter instead!

I got the privilege of going to hospice Sunday evening and getting to tell Grandpa, "thank you" and "I love you." I count that as a gift to have been welcomed to come and give honor to such a gentle man. Since then, I have been pondering how very important our legacy is. What memories and thoughts will my loved ones have of me? While it is strange to think about, it is very much a reminder about what is important in life and what's not.

Happy Birthday, Bertha!

2011-04-14T18:18:00.000-07:00

Beth with son #3

Just wanted to shout out a "Happy Birthday!" to my dear friend, Beth (a.k.a. Bertha), a beautiful person on the inside and out! What a blessing she has been in my life. The days of us spending those carefree summer days on the farm or at camp are long gone. Now, we get to watch our kiddos enjoy similar memories. And while our adventures have changed, you betcha that we still have them! Trash pickin' in the late night hours, spending hours in Applebee's to have kid-less debriefing sessions, setting up our garage sales despite pending storms looming over our heads in high hopes that it would just "blow over." What I appreciate about Beth the most is that she is real! I know I can come to her seeking advice, prayer, encouragement...whatever...and her response is always real. Her passion is real! Her love for her family is real! Her love for the Lord is real! And I tell you what...real is refreshing. So, Happy Birthday, Beth. I love you, girl!

Lid's Skating Party

2011-04-11T08:51:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month since I posted. Life in the month of March/beginning of April has been slightly CRAZY!! Lydia's party was a success as you will see from the pics below, but I ended up coming down with strep throat the day of her party. Being hopeful that it was allergies acting up, I suffered through and enlisted the help of others to help me serve, just in case I was truly sick. I am happy to report I did not spread the love to anyone. Although it was utterly awful to get strep, I was ever so grateful to get sick when I did, because the next weekend proved to be a very memorable one that I would've been sad to miss. For that was the weekend we threw my sister's baby shower at the church, complete with fire alarms going off 10 min. before it started and the fire depart. coming (some casseroles had bubbled over and were smoking badly). And then, somehow knowing her parents had all the things needed to care for her, my niece decided she was ready to be born. I got a call that very night (actually 2 a.m.) from my sis telling me her water had broken and they were on the way to the hospital. Anna Jane was born the next day at 2:41 p.m., I believe. Of course, she will get her own post, but it'll have to wait until I get my camera back from her parents =0). I love her so, so much already! Since then, I've gotten as many baby fixes I can and have enjoyed spending time with my sister, too. Throw spring break week in there, where we got to spend some time in Indy with family, as well as a busy week last week with our church's missions conference...and there, think I've mostly summed it up. Enjoy the pics from Lydia's 8th birthday party...as you'll be able to see, it was a roller skating party. Originally, she was just going have a couple friends over for a sleep over, but I discovered how inexpensive this place was (Skyborn Skateland) from a party Jake and Lydia were invited to a couple of weeks prior. In hindsight, I am soo glad she chose this over the sleepover with me getting sick. Thanks, Lid! The cake...a 2 layered German chocolate cake with homemade butter cream icing. I made a batch of rice krispies and molded it into a boot shape for the skate. This was the first time I worked with fondant, so it was challenging, but fun! The boot is covered in fondant and the letters and hearts are fondant as well. Used candy necklace pieces for the eyelets for the laces. I was going to use licorice strips for the laces, but what I had wasn't long enough. My mom had come over and she suggested just piping the laces. Well, I need lots of practice with piping, and my mom was up for the challenge. Way to go, Mom/Grandma! They turned out great! And the wheels are mini chocolate donuts. I didn't take into account the fact that the weight of the rice krispie and fondant would crush the donut, so I just placed them beside the boot. I was given suggestions by a certain someone. Next time, *cough Dan cough* I will do better on the wheels. =0) But I'd say for my first time doing a cake like this, it wasn't too shabby. I am really excited to start the cake decorating classes Dan got me for Valentine's day!

Playing with Barbies before it's time to get ready.

Never have I known two girls more girly-girl than these two. Did that even make sense?

Laced up and ready to get on the rink! *Grandma Ernst watching in the background...how nice it was to have them there that weekend, too!*

How many adults does it take to help lace up 11 pairs of skates?

Silly group photo

Somehow, we managed to squish all these kids around 2 tables.

Getting ready to sing "Happy Birthday" to Miss Lid.

Cutting the skate...I was using lots of hand sanitizer.

Had to include this pic of Lydia starting to open her gifts. We got her that dvd, but you would have thought we gave it to Claire. She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to watch "Ramona and Bevus" and would watch it everyday if she was allowed.

Her gift from her cousin...thanks Noelani! Lydia loves her pretty-pretties, just like you!

Finally, at the very end, Claire decides to skate. Once she got the right ones, she was having the time of h er life! I'd say a good time was had by all!

My Liddy Bug Is Eight Already!?!

2011-03-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

Eight years ago today, the Lord blessed us with one special little girl (correction...she was really a big girl weighing in at 8lbs. 13 oz.). What a precious day that was to welcome another child into our family. We didn't know if this new baby would be a boy or a girl and we were quite excited to find out! I remember we weren't sure for another boy's name and we were discussing it back and forth while I labored. This time around, the process was sooo much easier than with Jakers, so it was light-hearted joking happening when someone mentioned Lester. Well, the first thing I recall when baby was being born was my mom exclaiming, "It's got chubby cheeks!" Shortly thereafter, the doctor chimes in, saying, "It's a Lesterette!" And this is how I received the joyful news that I had a daughter.
Lydia, you captured our hearts from the beginning and it has been a wonderful eight years since that day, March 10, 2003. There is so much that I love about you, Lid. You are a loving and caring child and you were nicknamed, "So Sweet Lid," at a young age. You aren't afraid of a challenge and you aren't afraid to fail at something and try again. You have a passion for the things you love...reading, writing your own stories, your friends, and I can't forget your sense of fashion. Even as a toddler, you loved your "pretty-pretties!" I believe I will be taking lessons from you soon.
Lydia, my prayer for you is that you will grow to become a woman who continues to love the Lord and serve Him. That you take that passion you have shown us and use it for the Lord's Glory. He loves you so much more than I/we ever could and it is exciting to think about what God has planned for your life.

You will always be mommy's little girl! I love you so much!

A Poll

2011-02-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

So, I know some of you who read this and don't comment. And I am totally ok with that...however, I am presenting you with the golden opportunity! No giveaways or anything exciting like that, but I am in need of some advise.

When we bought our house, we knew we were going to re-do every room. Not a question in my mind about it. Our kitchen had the lovely 70's wallpaper color theme of burnt orange and lime green. And carpet that was supposed to look like tile. Yeah, you read that right. I wish I had a picture to share of that classy stuff but that was back in the day before we had a digital camera.

During the last 11 years we have lived here, we have slowly, but surely made those transformations. And we are currently in the middle of two more. Dan is building us a cabinet/shelving unit floor to almost ceiling in our lower level. I am super excited for this! While he has been working on this, I have been stripping off the dreaded wallpaper again. But at least, this time it was wallpaper we applied. I stripped off what was under the chair rail in our kitchen. A lot of this paper was torn and scuffed up. So, my goal is just to give it a fresh look. Now, here is where the advice part comes in. Originally, I was leaning toward just painting it a neutral tan/beige color. If we decide to try and sell our house, that seems like a safer option. However, I have always liked color. And if I knew we were going to live here a while longer, my choice would be to put a fun shade up. There are many different colors in our wallpaper above the chair rail, so I have a few options. Green is out... I think there is enough green in our front room. And we have a lot of red downstairs in the golden/red room. My favorite color is purple and there is a pretty plum shade in the wallpaper. So, that is probably what my choice would be. Dan says we should go with it. That even if we were to put the house on the market, the chances of the next buyers wanting to change it all up are probable...like we did when we bought our house.

So, the official pole question:
Should I
a. play it safe and paint it a neutral shade
or
b. go with color!

Just A Few Things I Want To Remember

2011-01-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

A little randomness in no particular order:

Lydia's idea for a girly-girl nose plug...maybe they distribute these on The Loving (and looping) Airplane.

"Stisters" as Claire would say. There are a lot of squabbles in our house. I know, I'm sure that is shocking to hear. But I love it when I find our kiddos getting along..had to capture this as evidence.
We had a great time in the end of December when Uncle Rich, Aunt Araceli, and Noelani came and visited for a few days. Here is the only decent shot I got of the 4 cousins. Not too shabby, considering...

I had this to work with.

Glued to the tube, watching one of our favorites...

NACHO LIBRE!!!!

Two "reject" pancakes Dan made. Coincidentally, I gave Dan a new pancake griddle for Christmas. I expect no more sad looking pancakes.

We went out to one of our favorite restaurants to celebrate Dan getting a job. It was fun to hang out with 15 family and friends...and Bucca's was the best place to do that since you can be LOUD AND CRAZY! (Lydia is doing a great job demonstrating that).

No more pictures for now, but here are a few verbal memories to share...

*Jake woke up on Monday telling me he had dreamed he lost his tooth. We went about the morning and I took the kids to school. Later, at supper time, Jake was laughing about something. I asked Jake to smile, he did, and I discovered it had not been just a dream. He had more of a "whole-y smile." We still have not found the tooth...I'm wondering if he swallowed it.

*Was reading to Claire the other day and I grabbed the next book on the stack, which happened to be a Little Mermaid book. Don't know what was going through her mind, but I heard her mutter, "Ariel and the three wise men." Hmmm, now that would be an interesting book.

*In love with Mr. Bean

This summer, I had taken the kids to a free movie at the theatre. I believe it was called Mr. Bean's vacation. I wasn't sure if they would like the unusual humor, especially Claire, but they all enjoyed it. Enough so, that when I was at a garage sale this past fall, I nabbed a collection of 3 Mr. Bean VHS tapes. I had wrapped them up for Christmas. Claire has been asking and asking to watch them, so last night, while the ice storm was hitting us hard, we started watching Mr. Bean, vol. 1. There were lots of giggles, so I think the love of Mr. Bean continues.

If We Are The Body

2011-01-28T19:21:00.000-08:00

It's crowded in worship today As she slips in Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know Farther than they know

CHORUS But if we are the Body Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the Body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way There is a way

A traveler is far away from home He sheds his coat And quietly sinks into the back row The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances Are better out on the road

CHORUS But if we are the Body Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the Body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way

Jesus paid much too high a price For us to pick and choose who should come And we are the Body of Christ Chorus (2x) If we are the body Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way Jesus is the way

This song by Casting Crowns has been coursing though my brain for much of this month. Can't seem to get it out of my head. Not that I want to though. I'm sure a huge reason for this is something I have been meaning to share on my blog for some time...but time has escaped me lately. But it is so worth sharing! We have some wonderful friends, Beth and Ryan Riddell. Beth has been a childhood friend and I don't know what I would do without the love and support she has given me over especially the last few years. Her husband is a pastor and he felt the Lord was calling him to take a big step. For the entire of month of January he has been "homeless." He has been sleeping in a van at night. During the daytime hours, he has been finding the homeless, connecting with them, hearing their story, and sharing the love of Jesus with them. One of his goals he felt the Lord wanted him to do was to raise awareness for the kids who are aging out of the foster care system and ending up on the streets. He is trying to also raise money to give to the New Family Tree ministry located here in Dayton, Ohio. To learn more about this ministry, you can go to www.newfamilytree.net Also, if you are interested in the journey Ryan has gone on, he has a video blog that he has kept up with at www.30dayshomeless.tv

God has done some amazing things already, including the salvation of 4 people who came to the church Ryan pastors at. He has allowed Ryan's story to have been aired on some local television stations. He was also K-Love's featured story of the day once this month and even had a comic written about him. Obviously, Ryan and Beth point all the good that has come of this situation back to our Heavenly Father. Please be in prayer for Ryan as he finishes out the month. And for Beth and the boys, as they are ready to have their husband/daddy home!

Back to the Casting Crowns song...yesterday, once again, I was singing this song in my head, but for a different reason. I found out some pretty sad news. A couple of years ago, when I worked in the child care room at work, I met a family who had just come to the States from the Middle East (can't remember exactly where). The mom was so sweet and even though we had a language barrier between us, a small bond was formed. They had two children who were only a year apart in age. I didn't see the mom at all last year, since I quit working. But it has been fun to reconnect with her in the hallways this year with Claire going to preschool. Anyhow, her daughter, who was Claire's age, passed away a couple of weeks ago. No one had told me because they forgot I had that connection to the family. Needless to say I was shocked and it felt like someone had kicked me hard in the stomach. I hugged the mom and told her I would pray. My mind raced to this song wondering how "if I am the body," how can I reach and touch this family in a meaningful way?

Catching Up In The New Year - Part 5

2011-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

The 4th Annual Christmas Cookie Creations Grandma K. came over this year to help cut out the cookies. Jake was at a friend's house, so it was just the girls. Thanks so much for your help mom. I would've been up all night.

While we, of course, have the traditional Christmas cookie cutters, it seems like each year we add some interesting ones to the mix as well. This year, one of the ones we added was a cow in honor of Dayton (see previous post). We also made some gingerbread cookies as well as sugar cookies. They were delish!

Mixing, mixing, and more mixing up colors.

Saturday afternoon was when the decorating began. Here is Uncle Matt working on his airplane...how fitting. Lid...keep those fingers out of your mouth!

Whew...look at all dem cookies. Good thing we had multiple people to pass them out to.

Lydia with one of her favs.

Jake with his patriotic airplane.

Aunt Sarah Beth's fat lipped lady was cause for some giggling.

I "won" some new cookie cutters for finding the pickle on my aunt's tree in TX. Was fun to make some snowflakes this year.

Jake's brick house turned out nicely.

But this Colts cookie was his most important one. He says he is saving it for the Superbowl when the Colts win. Way to be a fan!

Mr. and Mrs. Tuey helped decorate this year! Yes, that is a foot. I told you we have some interesting choices.

Ashleigh was quite happy we saved her a few to decorate for her family. Although, this one didn't make it on the plate.

Catching Up In The New Year - Part 4

2011-01-05T05:17:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures of the kids last day of school...and a special picture with Claire in it just for my friend, Becky!

Jake beside his desk mate...this girl is the one who he gets in trouble with in the area of talking.

Lydia, Maddie, and Holly

Claire and I with Mrs. Frederick (Lid's teacher).

Don't know how, but somehow, when Claire touched Mrs. Claus again, she shrunk...Whoopsies! Look who's carrying an ice scraper!

Playing Catch Up In The New Year - Part 3

2011-01-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Earlier in December, I got the honor of traveling to Texas to visit my maternal grandma. I love her dearly but don't get to see her very often, so each time I'm there I am so grateful and try and treasure my time with her. I also get a chance to visit with my Aunt Nancy (my mom's sister) and Uncle Bill since they take such good care of my grandma! My traveling buddies were my mom...and Sarah Beth and Matthew. This was taken on the plane before the excruciating pain began for my sis and me. On our descent, I had bad ear pain, which I know can be normal. But then I felt severe pain in my nasal passages and figured it was due to me being on the tail end of a cold. My description of it was that it felt like sharpened pencils being rammed up my nose into my eye sockets. Lovely, I know...but that was what it felt like. Unbeknownst to me, while I was crying and suffering, my sister was experiencing something very similar behind me. She was not sick, so I have no idea if it was due to my cold or not. All I know is that I probably majorly freaked out the lady next to me (I was in between her and my mom). We conversed back and forth during the beginning of our flight. But when the plane landed she said not a word to me and booked it out of there. She was heading to Vegas and had another plane to catch...we'll just say that was the reason.

Growing up, we had a pug named Suzie. Whenever my grandma would come into town though, our dog turned into my grandma's dog. Suzie would follow her around wherever she went. Suzie's favorite spot was curled up right beside my grandma, or better yet, on her lap. Well, a few years ago, my grandma got her own pug for a companion...and guess what she named her? Suzie! She made me chuckle many a time with her little tongue always sticking out.

Friday, we got an unexpected visit from my cousin, Tom, who lives in San Antonio! Was nice to catch up with him a little bit.

These are my uncles two horses. Ebony is the black one...my mind is blank for the other. They are so pretty. Saddens me that I can't really be around them though with my allergies.

I took my aunt and uncles Christmas picture with the horses. This was them just getting ready.

We got a really neat experience...one of their cows gave birth while we were there. While we didn't actually see it born, we got to see it minutes after. Poor calf dropped into a pile o'pooh, so this picture was of my uncle getting ready to wipe him down.

We were cheering him on as he started trying to use those wobbly legs.

Since we were there, Aunt Nancy let us name the calf. Only rule is that it cannot be a people name. I suggested Dayton since his birth fell on the weekend we were visiting. So, Dayton it was!

All cozy and warm now. As I took this picture, I was reminded of Jesus' birth in a similar setting.

As always, the weekend went by much too quickly and we had to say our good-byes. Can't wait to see you again, Grandma, Aunt Nancy, and Uncle Bill. Maybe next time, I can bring my hubby along! Love you all!

Playing Catch Up In The New Year - Part 2

2011-01-01T19:25:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, the kids and I made a trip sans Dan to Indy. We missed him and wished he could have joined us, but he wasn't feeling well and he did not have the following day off of work. We arrived at Uncle Rich, Aunt Araceli, and cousin Noelani's house in the early evening and enjoyed some yummy food with the family. We also had fun just hangin' out, as pictured below! I wish I would've taken more pictures. But if I am remembering right, the batteries died on my camera. The next day, we hung out some more and also made a quick trip over to Grandma and Grandpa Ernst's NEW house to check it out! While there, Jake was able to try out his Daddy's skateboard from when he was a kid. Pretty cool thing to witness and my mind imagined a young Danny doing some daring tricks on that thing. Looking forward to visiting with all those Indy Ernst's some more! Grandma & Claire

"Your never gonna get out!" A fun game invented by Uncle Rich which Claire thoroughly enjoyed.

Claire's retaliation!

Some cousin and Nena lovin'.

Playing Catch Up In The New Year - Part 1

2011-01-01T18:41:00.000-08:00

In November, I finally got to go and visit my sweet, dearly missed friend, Becky. My mom and sis traveled with me and we made some fun memories! Once we arrived Friday evening, we all stayed up pretty late just chatting....something Becky and I are good at! Of course, it was nice to be able to sleep in, too (her hubby and kids made a trip to OH that weekend). On Saturday, Becky was kind enough to drive us to Campbellsville. My maternal grandparents used to live here when I was a young child and I have fond memories of that place! Stopping for lunch at Arby's on the way to Campbellsville.
This magnolia tree was planted by my grandpa for my grandma (her fav). Look how big she is now!

Funny how you remember things from your childhood. My grandpa added this shed to their property and used it for his workshop. Even though it is big for a shed, in my memory, it was much, much bigger.

So, we have these pictures of my sister and I with rakes in front of my grandparents house when we were little. Being the true nerds that we are, we decided to reenact those photos. If I had the originals, I would scan them...but they are at my mom's house. We did not bring rakes with us, but the next door neighbor just happened to be an old family friend. She also told us the owners were not home, but we had fun catching up with her and letting her fill us in on this quaint little town where everybody knows everybody!

Again, not what my memory conjures up. The shutters were green, not blue (and the front door was certainly not blue). Their used to be shrubs and a nice porch swing. And their was no RV parked next to the driveway... but I can't hold that against them.

One more stop before heading back to Elizabethtown. My mom had told my grandma she would check on the grave sites where my great-grandparents and great-aunt are buried.

For supper that night, we got to go to a hibachi grill. MMMM...let me tell you, that was some good eating!

Apparently, Henry wanted to go home with us. He hopped in as soon as the door was opened.

Thanks, Becky, for a relaxing, fun-filled weekend. We had fun playing games and getting to be the first guests in your new, gorgeous home! Can't wait to come back!

You Must Watch This!!!

2010-12-26T20:53:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T05:55:00.000-08:00

Tried to order Christmas cards this year and my coupon code would not work. Instead of paying $6, I would've had to pay closer to $60, so I decided that this would be a year I would just do my greetings online. Jake had a black eye at the time and we aren't all looking in the same direction, so maybe it's for the better anyhow.

The Ernst 5 wishes you all a very, Merry Christmas! "T'was a humble birthplace, but oh, how much God gave to us that day! From a manger bed what a path was led, what a perfect, holy way!" Thank you God, for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ!

Skin Color Unhappiness

2010-12-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

Oh, I am falling so behind in my blogging once again. And I was doing so good for a couple of months. I will play some catch up when I get a chance, but today is quite busy, as will be tomorrow. But this conversation with Claire on our ride home from preschool was too good for me to risk my bad memory losing it. Just a bit of info to let you know why she said what she said...there are many families from Sudan in the building she attends preschool in, as they have ESOL classes upstairs. Many of them have preschool aged children, therefore Claire has become friends with them.

Claire: "Mom, I want to be black."
Me "You mean you want the color of your skin to be black?"
C: "Yes!"
Me: "But God made you with lighter skin."
C: "But I waaaant to be black!" (on the verge of having a little hissy fit about it).
Me: "Well, I'm sorry but we can't change the color of your skin."
C: "Yes."
Me: "How? How do you think we can give you black skin?"
C: "With black paint."
Me: "But it will wash off when you take a bath."
C: "But I want to paint me black."
Me (picking my battles): "Ok, we can paint your hand black sometime soon."
C: "And my arm and my other arm and my legs and my belly and my face...all of me."

So, don't be shocked to find pictures on here someday of my blond-headed Claire with "black skin."

An Interesting Journal Entry

2010-12-10T08:01:00.000-08:00

*Taken from my written journal December 9th, 2010*

"Something just happened that, to my knowledge, was a first. Dan fell asleep during a Colt's football game while I stay up to watch it! Crazy, I tell you! This is the girl who couldn't stand football just a few years ago. I tell you what, Dan has slowly infected me. Thankfully, the Colt's won against the Titan, 30-28. This is a very good thing, considering Dan proclaimed to the Facebook world after the last game that Manning should be benched. They are 7-6 now. Yes - I am even impressing myself with my football facts! *And now I can name many of the Colt's players - not just five.* For fun, let's see how many off the top of my head at 5 minutes till midnight. Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Jacob Tammie, Gary Brackett, Edgerrin James, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Jeff Saturday, Dwight Freeney, Adam Vinatieri, Austin Collie, ? White, Reggie Wayne

*A couple of years ago Dan's standard for me being a true Colt's fan was based on if I could name at least 5 players. I passed the test!*

Losing My Mind

2010-12-01T06:19:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I feel just like Kevin (our pumpkin man who comes to visit every year) in the above picture. Especially today...with all the nose wipin' I've done with Claire yesterday and today, I now, am feeling yucky. I was supposed to meet a friend at Panera this morning. I completely forgot. Doh...I hate it when I do stuff like that. Even when I am well, though, sometimes I feel like I have the memory of someone twice or more my age. It is quite frusterating. Any tips? I'll take them. I even had the Panera meeting on my calendar...I truly do blame that on me not feeling well though.

Anyhow, here are some late pictures of Kevin coming to life again. We had Ashleigh's help this year with stuffing him. A good time was had by all. And now it's already time to say good-bye to Kevin until next year.

"In Everything, Give Thanks"!

2010-11-30T10:28:00.000-08:00

What I've been thanking the Lord for today...

*Dan's new job!
After being unemployed for a year, Dan reported on base for his first day of work last Monday! It has been so neat to see how God provided for our family over the course of the year. While I had my moments of anxiety, I can say in all honesty, they were moments. The Lord gave me a supernatural peace! We were blessed by so many people in so many different ways. And I am just so thankful for the journey of going through this experience.

*Medicine
While on that first day of work, Dan felt miserable. You see, the cold bug decided to target our entire family and he had perfect aim. Throughout the last three weeks, one or more of us has been doing battle with this bug. Dan was able to start antibiotics last Tuesday, and while the rest of last week wasn't too great for him, he is doing much better now. Lydia was feeling particularly crummy last Wednesday and was devastated that we had to stay home from pie and praise service at church. Our trip to Indy for Thursday was a possible no-go, too. After some discussion with the Indy Ernst's, we decided to go (sans Dan, who had to work on Friday). And now Claire is the sickie in the house. *Also, very grateful for the pharmacist at Meijer who filled up another bottle of antibiotics for Jake (for a returning ear infection). After only taking 2 doses of it, it fell on the floor, cracked open, and $38 worth of medicine was wasted.

*Water

The Children of the World (International Children's Choir) came to our church this past Sunday evening. They came about 10 years ago and I remember it being so touching. I was excited for our kids to get to see them and they held their attention the entire time. They sing with such joy even though they have been through so much. Here is a blurb from their pamphlet..."this inspiring group travels across the U.S. for 10 months, putting a voice and face to the desperate needs of children whose lives have been devastated by civil war, famine, poverty, unclean water, and preventable diseases." I take so much for granted, I know. Clean water is one of them. I go often to fill up a cup with filtered, clean water from my refrigerator without thinking anything of it. According to World Help, "six thousand children died today from water-related illnesses." This truly saddens my heart. Every year, we get a catalog from Samaritan's Purse. This year, we were trying to decide which ministry to give to. There are so many needs...clothing, food, shelter, other medical needs, schooling, etc... But truly, after seeing the faces and hearing a couple of these kids stories, I believe we have our answer. If you are interested in helping out this cause as well, go to http://www.causelife.org/ to learn more about what you can do to save the life of a child by helping to provide clean drinking water.

*Life

I have life on the brain right now, as I just found out the gender of Sarah Beth and Matthew's first child. Lydia and Claire are happy that the number of girl cousins will be a bit more balanced now! Congrats again, SB and Matt!! Can hardly wait until April to meet my little niece...ooh, I love the sound of that! And of course, I am eternally grateful for my new life in Christ! I am reminded of pastor's message in which he talked about how the Lord created us and then bought us back!! How great the Father's love for us!

A Gift, A Cookie, An Answer To Prayer

2010-11-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

I have been participating in the 30 Day Giving Challenge, as mentioned in a previous post of mine. It has been neat to see how the Lord leads. I believe God is directing it all, but some days the gift seems more obvious than others. There have been a few days where I have just prayed, "ok, Lord...not sure about today. Please make it clear." And He has. Today was one of those days.

I woke up wondering. Got the kids fed and ready for school. Dan drove J and L to school and I took C with me to take Ashleigh to school (the little girl we watch on the weekend nights). After I dropped her off, I decided my body needed some caffeine after a fun, but late-night filled weekend at Becky's. I am out of creamer, so I made a run to Tim Horton's (they are, after all, my favorite coffee place). There were 5 cars ahead of me, but still, I decided to wait. While I waited, I started wondering again. What could I give today? A car drove up behind me and the thought came to my mind to pay for her order. But seeing as I was scrounging for change to pay for my cup of coffee, I scratched that idea. About this time, C started fussing that she was hungry and needed a cookie. I replied with a "you already had eggs and an orange for breakfast; you don't need a cookie." The sin nature in her decided to rear it's ugly head as she continued to plead and beg and pine away for a cookie. I told her, "Tim Horton's doesn't even sell cookies." Donuts and muffins and bagels, yes, but I never had seen a cookie at TH. She finally quiets down just in time, as it was my turn to place my order.

"Would you like to buy a cookie for one dollar that goes directly to Children's Hospital?"

Whoa! How cool was that? I did have enough change for an extra dollar; I have a dear place in my heart for Children's as I have known patients there and the dear nurses who care for them. And not to mention, my youngest child desperately wanted a cookie. Of course, I told her she was going to have to "earn" her cookie with some good girl behavior, so she did not get it right away.

I just thought that little beginning of my day was too cool to not share! A buck is not a huge amount, I know. But the clear direction from God was!

Random Thusday Thoughts

2010-11-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

*Shopping
Took Claire to the mall today to get a birthday present for one of Jake's buddies birthday party on Sunday. I don't normally shop the malls, but the store, Game Stop, was where I was headed for a couple of previously owned games for his DS. His mom had given me the idea, as his games were stolen. Anyhow, I was amused at Claire's wonder at all the different mall discoveries. She paid special attention to the manikins in the store displays. We also had some fun looking at the puppies in Fetch and a little lunch at Chick-fil-A w/ a freebie coupon I had. Two other 'musts' on her list was to hit the little play area and of course, take a round trip on the escalators. I admit I am a people watcher, so while Claire played, I took note of the people around me. There was the teeny, petite mother on one side of me eating her Larabar. Then there was the mom on the other side of me who nonchalantly watched her son bully another boy repeatedly. Hello... mom of bully,how about taking some action? Of course, I also had fun watching all of Claire's peers (minus bully boy). One little guy in particular made me giggle. Claire and 2 other girls were in a car and the boy ran up, climbed on the windshield and exclaimed, "How about some boy on your window?" Don't know if this a new pick up line or what? We stopped into Old Navy on the way out so we could use the potties. Claire, once again, got distracted and I caught myself saying something only a mother probably would..."Ok, say good-bye to the manikins so we can leave."

*God cares about the details!
It's been a few months now that I have been Becky-less. I miss my friend...a lot. I am so glad I get to go and spend some quality time with her this weekend. Leaving tomorrow and I can hardly wait. And while she can never be replaced, God has given me a new friend. Makes me think of the poster that used to hang in my room at my parent's house that said, "Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver, the other gold." Sabrina and her family just moved here from TX right about the same time Becky and her family relocated. And guess what...she has 5 year old twin boys, just like Becky. How cool is that? She also has the sweetest little girl who is in my nursery and is a miracle baby (her story is also one that shows God cares about the details). Sabrina joined Ladies Premiere and we have gotten to know each other the most during our talks on the treadmill! So, thank you God, for the Becky's and Sabrina's in my life!

*She said what?
Sometimes I race the kids to the van and do the ol' "last one there..." routine. Claire has picked up on it, only in her version, it goes, "the first one there's a rockin' egg!"

*York, PA
Just a shout out to my brother and his family's place of residence. Was feeding my kids a bedtime snack of Stauffer's animal crackers and saw on the giant container that they are made in York! Speaking of those Yorker's, I am super duper excited to get to spend some time with them next week!

*The ugliness of man (and woman)
Dan and I went to the Goodwill outlet this morning while Claire was in preschool. The Goodwill outlet is huge and most of their pricing is determined by weight (other than clothes, furniture, and a few other items). I have never seen what I saw today, which I'm told is an everyday occurrence. When the store is ready to bring out a new supply of stuff, they ring a bell and wheel out these huge bins. People line the area where the bins will be brought and they are ready. Sometimes the poor people bringing them out can barely get there before the chaos ensues. Arms were flying and bodies were bumping and well, you can just picture the "gimme" mentality. I know everybody in that line does not fit that category, but you can definitely tell the ones who do. Dan and I were able to snag a few Christmas presents while there but I can't say what they were since the kids read this.

*A sweet closing
Claire is standing beside me and I need to read the kids some Farmer Boy and get them in bed. I asked her if she wanted to say a few words, so here ya go.

"I love you. I love you. I love you. Fishies in the tank. And an animal called Beary (who happens to be lost). Toothpaste tooty. Love you to the neatest states. Animal cracker with pop and sdfhodihsodhfsd (my way of typing gibberish). Talking to Mrs. Balter and Mrs. Hamsik (her teachers)."

Guess she had some pretty random thoughts as well!

Trick or Treat Night

2010-11-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Two kitties and Darth Vader getting ready to head out...

Score...king size candy bars at one of our first stops!

Lydia ran into her friends from preschool, Peyton and Jasmine...how fun!

Happy Birthday, MuMaw

2010-11-12T12:16:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday, Mom! (In case you may be wondering, no, our kids do not call their Grandma by the name of MuMaw... I lovingly came up with the name...don't remember when or why, but it stuck).

I can't put into words what my "mamma" (what I used to call her in my childhood days, living in the South) means to me. My words come up short every time. How can you sum up feelings you have for one of the most important persons in your life? When I became a parent, I learned many things (and still am, for that matter). How to swaddle my baby, different ways to burp, discipline techniques, understanding that each of my children is unique and special in their own way...the list could go on and on; some of it trivial, some of it very important. One of the biggest lessons I learned was something called perspective. Now, I get all the sacrifices my parents made and the daily challenges they faced. One of those sacrifices my mom made was to work in a Christian school and make a lot less money than she could have in order for me and my siblings to attend a Christian school with the discount she earned.

Another lesson my mama modeled to me was a generous heart. My mom has a passion for giving to others. She truly finds pure joy in being able to give to someone, whether it is a meal or an airplane ticket. And she is so creative in how she presents those gifts. She is just as excited to watch the blessing unfold as is the person who receives the blessing.

Unconditional love...that would be another trait I think of when I think of my mom. She loves with every bit of her being. She is very demonstrative in how she shows that love, just like her mother.

So, Happy Birthday Mumaw! I heart you very much!

Random Thursday Thoughts

2010-11-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

*I have been making it a priority to get back to the gym. Last week, I went 2 days. Today marked the 3rd day I've gone this week. I know it is because I am just starting back up, but man, it has been wiping me out. And that's with me even trying to start slowly. I have some personal goals which seem pretty "far out there." But, I keep reminding myself that progress is made inch by inch, pound by pound. Just to give myself a little pat on the back...I have not touched the candy stash since the day after trick or treat night. I think I had 5 treats and that was it. Now if I could only break the coffee craving...

*The other day as I grabbed the last couple of eggs from the carton, my eyes did a double take. For this is what I was pleasantly surprised to see...

Pretty interesting place to discover a verse of Scripture!

*I really enjoy writing. I have a few book ideas in my head, but the thought of actually dedicating time to try write them seems overwhelming. I find this to be true of myself...that I doubt myself before I even try. I really don't like that about myself. I need a boost of confidence, I suppose. That, and a quiet place to think; now there's the real challenge.

*One topic that I could write about...the things you experience and the words that come out of your mouth that could only be true of a parent. Here are a few recent ones...

"I just don't have much sympathy for you. Bobby pins don't belong on people's lips."

"Find another job then...I don't want snot all over my dishes." (After Jake was complaining of having to keep washing his hands while doing the dishes because of a runny nose).

You know your a parent when...

-you drop your daughter off at preschool, turn the car back on, and start singing along with Elmo. It takes you about a minute before you realize you are alone in the car and can stop torturing yourself and turn on some 'real music.'

- your laptop has a Cinderella sticker planted smack dab on the front of it (This was true of my friend, Tess).

I would love to hear some of your "you know your a parent" moments...whether from a few days ago or years ago. Go ahead and post a comment to share and help me be encouraged that I'm not alone...that other people's kids cut their lips with bobby pins, too.

Claire Turns 4!!!!

2010-11-08T08:11:00.000-08:00

So, this year Claire could not decide what kind of a party theme she wanted. She went from Clifford to Elmo again to Polly Pockets. Those are some of the ideas she verbalized. Finally, I was able to lock her into a kitty cat theme as this is what she was dressing up as for Halloween. We had her party the day before her actual birthday and invited family and close friends. It was a lot of fun and Claire was all smiles!We borrowed this Fur Real stuffed kitty for part of the decorations from my Grandma Kanost. However, she had to be turned off as she was freaking out Mrs. Tuey, who happened to sit in the seat the kitty was facing.

Here is a shot of all the kiddos. We didn't get a picture of them all in their costumes, but here are some that I did...We had Lydia as a matching kitty....Noelani as Queen Esther...

Travis as Batman (who got a hold of Jake's storm trooper mask)...

Tine as Spiderman (chowing down on some sloppy joe)...

Ashleigh came as Spiderella, but wanted to be kitty cat, too.
There were also 5 other kitty-cats, although I'm not sure you can see our whiskers. Uncle Matt and Aunt Sarah Beth dressed up as lovebirds...oh wait...they are lovebirds. This was a fun group of peeps and let me tell you, there was a lot of laughter that night. In this particular pic, they were laughing at something....

she said. (Had to include this, mom, for memory's sake).

First on the agenda was to eat supper.Next, we made a craft...messy, but fun!

Mrs. Tuey even got in on the action...the art lover that she is.Then, we played a game called "Scamper." It was simply a song on a cd that I borrowed from my former co-worker. There is one cat (that is who I was in the above pic) who is sleeping, while the mice (the rest of the players) are quietly sneaking around looking for food. The music is slow until a bottle drops and the cat wakes up. Then the music speeds up while the cat chases the mice. Silly, but I knew the kids would love it, which they did!Claire's turn to be the "old tomcat." And then we had a 3 legged tomcat give it a go.

Next, Claire opened up her presents...
while her onlookers watched behind the line of tape. Time for cake!

Blowing out the candles!

That was demolished pretty quickly.

Just a silly shot to throw in the mix.

We love you so much, Claire Danielle. You make us smile every day and we are so thankful God put you in our family.

One Cute Kitty

2010-11-06T13:35:00.001-07:00

Claire's birthday pictures are still coming, but figured I might as well stay in order. These pictures are of her little Fall Party at school. Enjoy!

Walking the parade part...
Time for food!
One of the mom's made jack-o-lantern fruit cups out of oranges. Too cute, but also too time consuming. I asked her how long it took her...3hours!
Claire was not in the mood to take a picture with her teacher. She really does like her.

All smiles now, painting her bat.

Coffee Cake Visits!

2010-11-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

The weekend between Jake and Claire's birthdays, we had the privilege of having Dan's parents come and visit us. A little tidbit about Jakers...he does not like regular birthday cakes. He is standing here beside me and wants me to clarify that he only likes, "angel food cake and coffee cake." And Grandma Ernst's coffee cake ROCKS! He requested this for his birthday and Grandma was feeling well enough to come to OH and bake it herself. Mom and Dad E. were traveling the weekend of his birthday, thus the reason they came the following weekend. While it was a short stay, we thoroughly enjoyed their company and cake!

I love, love, love this picture!

Grandpa helping the birthday boy make a paper airplane.

Jake and Grandma preparing the cake ingredients.

The finished product! Yes, there are 10 candles. Jake insisted to have an extra one on for the purpose of having "one to grow on."

Jake gets help with the match (note how close up Claire is).

What a grown up boy (note how far away Claire is now).

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Ernst, for making the trip to Ohio to make a memory with us. I already told this to mom, but perhaps a tradition was started? We'd love to have you make Jake's cake every year!! Love you both bunches!!

Random Thusday Thoughts

2010-11-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

*Took a walk this morning instead of going to the gym. Figured since I'm starting back at the gym slowly and just walking on the treadmill anyhow, I might as well enjoy the outdoors while I can before it turns gray and gloomy. T'was a bit nippy, but very sunny and pretty (until about 6pm tonight when we got hit with hail). I do not have any device to listen to music with, so it was just me and my thoughts. I enjoyed the quietness and "by-myself-ness." I walked to the kids school and back (just under 2 miles). On the way back, I saw some newspaper liter and picked it up, as well has a couple pieces of dropped candy from a trick or treater. I imagined in my head these were unintentionally left behind. But the 2 beer cans, empty carton of cigarettes, and 46 cigarette butts (yes, I counted) bothered me. And where I counted the most of those butts was where there was less grassy area between me and the passing by cars on Stroop. Most of my walk has a lot more of that area, so I can imagine my count was low. I can understand how kicking the habit of nicotine might be hard, but throwing away your own remnants in a trashcan is not. Come on, people.

*One of Claire's b-day gifts was a Leap Pad that the Wykcoff family had passed to us about a year ago. J & L got one of these as a combined Christmas present a few years ago, but it never really worked too well. Claire has been loving this and so have her older bro and sis. The three of them were just hovering over the microphone part of it eating their bedtime snack. Let's just say there was a lot of slap happy giggles going on.

*No school tomorrow! Woo hoo, we get to sleep in. J & L are getting increasingly harder to wake up. Yesterday morning, as soon as I started to wake up Lydia, she proclaimed in her half-sleep-state voice, "It feels like I just got one second of sleep." Watch, tomorrow, she'll be up bright and early.

*Me the other night at supper discussing with Dan the giving challenge mentioned in an earlier post.
"I thought we could brainstorm things to do as a family."

What Lydia heard and then said,
"What family things during rainstorms?"

*I know it is still a couple weekends away, but I cannot wait to go and visit my friend, Becky, in her new home in KY. My mom and sis and I will be taking a "girls only" trip and it will just be so much fun.

*I am pumped about the steals and deals I got at Kroger this week. Thanks to the Mega Deal going on at Kroger in combination with coupons, I got 33 items that at normal prices, would have cost me 73.48. I paid $25.20!! I can't help but get excited about saving almost $50 bucks on things like whole wheat pasta, soup, and Advil, to name a few.

Go Vote!

2010-11-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

If your house is anything like ours has been lately, with call upon call relating to "vote for so and so...," then you might hate my post. But last night, while watching our favorite football team win (Go, Colts!!) I thought of a good analogy to voting. I couldn't help but notice how extremely loud the Colts fans were in Lucas Oil stadium (aren't you impressed I knew the name of their field)? It was hard for the Texans to hear (hee, hee). At many times, they would zoom in on the fans. One of the times they did, I saw this man yelling at the top of his lungs. I could hear the entire stadium but only saw this one man. This one man's voice would not have made a huge difference if he were alone in that stadium cheering on his team. I'm sure the Texans hearing would have been just fine. But, his voice, in combination with thousands of others, made a contributing factor in the outcome of the game.

And so it is with our votes. Sure, the ballot I cast this morning, by itself, would not matter too much. But my vote, along with the votes of thousands of others, does matter. So, that about wraps up my political speech for the year. And if you haven't done so, go vote!

30 Day Giving Challenge

2010-11-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

I had intentions of this post being full of pictures of Claire's birthday party. And while those will be coming, I just had to share this challenge that I came across a few minutes ago. I check my couponing blogs just about everyday (because I do love those deals). While checking out MoneySavingMom, I read aboutthe 30 Day Giving Challenge. A team of bloggers is encouraging other bloggers everywhere to get involved. And while the vessel used was a website, God pricked my heart to accept this challenge. To learn more about this exciting opportunity, go check out MoneySavingMom (on my list of blogs favs). You may need to scroll down some to find it as she updates quite often. You can also go to the blogs of the other team members or to other people who have accepted this challenge. I went to one of the team member's sites (http://www.savingthefamilymoney.com/ )and printed off a 30 Day Giving Challenge calendar page. My hopes are to brainstorm with Dan and the kids tonight and make this a family affair. And that is the encouraging thing...monetary giving is welcomed, but not required to participate. There are so many ways people can give to someone else (plenty of ideas are listed in the aforementioned sites). I know for myself, I can get so wrapped up in my own little world, that I don't open my eyes to how little things can encourage someone. I have been personally blessed in huge ways with something as simple as a card letting me know I was being prayed for. So, my plan is to be on purpose about thinking of ways our family can give to others.

A lot of these sites want bloggers to share their stories...to inspire others to get on board, I suppose. And while I will become a fan of this on Facebook to help spread the word, I have decided that I do not want to write everyday what I/we did that day to give. I know I do not reach the masses with my blog, but I did want to mention this much on here for the few who do read my blog. Would you pray about considering joining this joint effort across the country and see how God leads you?

Extending Grace

2010-10-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ever have those moments wear you just want to kick yourself in the seat of your pants? Let me tell you, I did this past Monday night. Actually, one kick would not have been sufficient. I have to start off this saga with informing you that I had salmon thawed out for dinner. However, the hubby had a hankering for waffles and bacon. He was even going to make the waffles and bacon with his handicapped self. However, we had no Bisquick in the house (his preferred method of preparing this breakfast food); neither did we have bacon. So, we decided to make a run to Aldi. And this was when the bright idea popped into my head and the beginning of a long night started.

You see, last week I had stopped into Aldi to buy some salsa and was giddy to discover the deal on pumpkins. All pumpkins, no matter the size, were $2. And they had some pretty big ones. Two bucks! I've never seen them so cheap. Last year, we did the whole pumpkin patch thing with our dear friends, the Holsingers, at Young's Dairy and had a blast. But part of that was simply the company we were with. Of course, the kids wanted to have that experience again, but when I saw those prices, I had second thoughts of any pumpkin patch.

So, Monday, when we were getting ready to make the trip to Aldi, I grabbed the camera thinking we would have our pumpkin patch experience there. After all, there was an entire isle of big huge boxes filled with pumpkins. The kids would still have fun picking out "just the right one." We park and Dan and J & L head to get a cart while I am unbuckling Claire. Even though Dan was wondering why I was taking the camera and thought it was pretty silly, I decided I still wanted to take it in. Hey, it was gonna make for a fun blog post if anything. I stuck the keys in the camera bag, but then at the last minute, I decided just to take the camera in and leave the bag in the van...with the keys still in it. And of course, I had locked it manually before shutting the door. I took about 5 steps and realized what I had done. Doh...

I ended up calling my sister who drove over and took me home to try and find my set of keys. Yes, I had locked Dan's keys in the van and I hadn't been able to find mine for a few days. (Dan found them the other day in the garage by the freezer. I think I must have left them there after delivering one of the bags of ice Dan needed for his shoulder surgery recovery time). I spent a good, long time looking for my keys. I finally had to call Dan with no good news. I grabbed the car key and headed to Aldi to pick up my tired and hungry family. I had told Dan I was on the verge of tears and I should have just agreed with his thought of taking the camera into the store as being silly.

And this is why I entitled this blog post what I did. We came home and as I served the kids turkey sandwiches, Lydia told us she didn't have the best of days...that her friend Maddie was sick and was not at school and that we didn't get to have waffles for supper. I apologized to her for the latter. She did not mean it in a hurtful way...just expressing her disappointment and she felt bad after I apologized to her. We all sat down and Dan prayed and thanked God for the food that we did have before us and for us to find mommy's keys. He could have gotten and stayed very annoyed with me, but he extended me grace during some moments that I really needed them. Thanks, babe!

And there you have it...I did get one picture with my camera. It was the sign on top of the store that said Aldi. Maybe I'll add it once I've gotten it onto Picassa. But that was the one and only picture I took. For when we got to the isle where the pumpkins had been, there was not one in sight. One of the managers told me they had sold fast. I shoulda known. Oh well, I think rather than the kids getting a lesson in money management (cheap pumpkins), they got an even better lesson in how to extend grace!

Slow Down, Baby Girl

2010-10-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

This cute, little one will be a 4 year old, "big girl" on Saturday! How is that possible? Seems like yesterday Claire was a newborn sandwiched in between her big bro and sis wearing those same pj's.

Some things haven't changed...like Claire's constant companion, Beary.

( That pure pink blob by her head is Beary).

And then there is Claire's hair. When she was a babe, we got oh, so many comments on her hair that seemed to defy gravity. And we loved it...it was her trademark. Well, this summer she put silly putty in her hair which I ended up cutting out. Now that it is growing back in, a small portion on the crown of her head looks familiar to me.

There are some big changes occurring in Clairey's life, too!! Starting around mid September, Claire started attending preschool. I was curious as to how she would do, but she absolutely loves going to school. And just like J & L, she wants to go the whole nine yards, with a backpack and wanting do have homework to do. She is writing her name better and is doing great with cutting. She has always loved books, but I have never been able to read as many books to her at one time as with J & L, due to her attention span. But, that is improving now, too (thanks to circle time). Our stack of books to read at naptime is becoming bigger! She has even been able to sit with us while I read the Little House series, as long as she gets to be on my lap and in charge of turning the pages. She loves her teachers and is getting some needed social skills while getting a chance to play with kids her own age every day. I am so glad she is loving going to school. This week, I am helping out in her classroom during the fall party. Should be fun!

Bob Evans, Down On The Farm

2010-10-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, we had the privilege of joining the Riddell family and heading to Rio Grande, OH for the annual Bob Evans festival. Beth came here with her family a few times as a youngster and I remember coming with her once during one of our farm trips. (If my memory serves me correctly, her grandpa went to the same high school as Bob Evans). We had a fun time and Jake even said he wanted his birthday dinner at that Bob Evans. We had to explain to him that all the fun stuff was specifically for the festival. Below are pictures of some of that "fun stuff."

First we headed up this hill and sat down to wait for the show at the pond to start.

First, there was some friendly competition with sawing logs the old fashioned way and with a chainsaw.

Next, this man demonstrated a certain type of chopping and did it in quite a fast time (he used to hold a world record in the 70's).

Look how high he is (note the telephone wires in the background)! Don't know too many men (or women) who would get up so high with an axe on a teeny board. Not to mention he's not a young man anymore.

Next came my favorite thing to watch...the log rolling!

This dude lost, obvioulsy, so next time...

he decided to cheat.

The gang in front of an old mine.

One of the memories from going to the BE farm with Beth was rolling down the big hill near the pond (see the first picture to see the height). Anyhow, the kids had a fun time reliving our adventure. Beth, Ryan, and myself got in on the action, too. Too bad Dan had a bum shoulder; or maybe he was glad for it at that moment? (No pictures of Jake doing it, because he had fallen on the way back down from the mine and had to go get bandaged up).

I have been reading the Little House on the Prairie series to the kids, so it was fun for them to get to see and stir these giant kettles they were using to cook soup beans in. We had just finished reading about Laura Ingalls grandpa collecting tree sap and transferring it to giant kettles.

Waiting for the sheep and duck herding to begin.

Hay bail maze!

And then getting to climb on hail bails!!

Hmm, appears to be a tongue sticking out in that picture.

Waiting for the tractor square dancing to begin.

Here they come.

Dog and farmer, tractor square dancing.

About this time, we decided it was time to leave. We still wanted to make a trip to the farm that used belong to Beth's family. That was bittersweet. Brought back many, many memories, but I didn't even take pictures as it was just not the same and looked very run down. Before we headed up, we went to downtown Galipolis and had some supper at the Snack Shack.

And that's all for now, folks!

Our Birthday Boy

2010-10-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Jake turned 9 years old yesterday!! I was going to compile a bunch of pictures on here and then thought I would try Smilebox. I couldn't figure out the music, but I hope the pictures on the slideshow work for you. I only had about a million shots to sift through, but here are some of my favs of Jake over the last nine years of his life. Enjoy! We sure have!

Jake, I love you so much.

Personalize your own free picture collage

A Souper Deal

2010-10-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

I make no claim to be the expert in the couponing world, but I am so glad I have learned a thing or two over the last couple of years. A huge "thank you" to Jenny and Emily over at Mommin' It Up and Crystal at Money Saving Mom (both on my blogger list off to the side). They were who gave me a crash course in couponing. While we no longer get the paper right now, I have still been able to score some sweet deals through the use of printable coupons!!

The above deal was done last week at Rite Aid. With Dan subbing, he is packing his lunch every day. He has been great about taking leftovers from dinner and sometimes packs a sandwich. When I saw I could get a good deal on these soups, I thought that would be another good option for Dan. Thanks to my mom, who generously gave me the coupons she had on Progresso soups. (She is also a superb couponer).

I'll not break it down in great detail, but basically, with the store sales, combined with my coupons and previous rewards I had earned, I was able to get all that was pictured above (plus one additional can of soup...Dan had already taken one for a lunch and a pack of gum) for $8.11 and received $8 back in more rewards! I'd say that was worth the eleven cents!!

Just a Few Funnies

2010-10-05T04:59:00.000-07:00

*I rotate the bigger toys in our house. The ones not in use get put in the shed. Recently, I got the play kitchen out of the shed and put the doll house away. Claire was so excited (this is why I like the rotation since it brings a new appreciation to old toys). She began playing with it asap. All of the sudden, she came running up to me and saying, "Mom, look at the floth, there's a floth." It took me a few seconds, during which I was trying to figure out which piece of food she was mispronouncing. Then I guessed it right, as she led me to the moth I needed to get rid of.

*Yesterday, as I was in the shower, I realized I'd left the bar of soap on the sink (since I keep putting off making more soap for the hand pump). I called to Lid to hand it to me. She did and as she was closing the door again, she said, "Bye, I mean, good night, I mean good shower." It made me giggle, which made her giggle back. Thirty three years have passed in my life and I've never wished anyone a "good shower." But just maybe that will become a tradition now.

*Claire has had an obsession. Many times, she has asked me about my wedding ring. "Did Daddy give you that ring?" Now, she frequently asks me, "Did Daddy marry you?" Don't know why it is a question that she feels the need to continue to ask, but she does - just about every day. And my answer to her every day is, of course, "yes." The other day, we had this same little conversation, only after I said, "yes," she asked, "Was it awful?" I don't know if she's got an early case of the cooties or what, but apparently, getting married is not high on her future priority list.

*"Who do you love?" Can't really say when this started, but I know it was when Jake and Lydia were little. We would rattle off people's names and also throw in items we knew the kid's didn't like (ex. spinach, liver, white chicken, etc...) If they loved the person or thing, they would slap our hand and say "yes." If they did not slap our hand and gave a "no" answer, that obviously meant they didn't like what was listed off. It used to be they would say yes to every person. Well, times have changed. Even though we haven't played this silly, little game for a long time, Jake wanted to last night during my talk time with him. And let me just say, if you are a. of the female gender who is related to Jake or b. a female elder to him, then count your blessings. All the little girls I mentioned got a big, fat "NO."

*Did you know we have a garage sale scheduled every month? Seriously, we do. You see, this summer, we did have a garage sale. And Lydia took it upon herself to write it on my dry erase calendar since I had not done so. Only thing is she used a permanent marker. So, yeah - the second Saturday of every month, come to our house and we'll wheel and deal. It's a good thing Dan and I are so good at cleaning out our garage. (Oh, and in case you were wondering, we also have 2 "sad days" every month. She had marked those days as well when she saw that Daddy was going to be out of town. Although, I can guarantee you those sad faces aren't accurate for this month, since Grandma and Grandpa Ernst will be coming for a special visit that weekend)!

Camera in the Hands of The Jakester

2010-10-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Was going through Picasa and came across some recent pictures that Jake had taken. I will forewarn you that these are silly and fun. If you want to enjoy some absolutely gorgeous pictures, take a look at my sister in law, Jill's blog, on my list of favorites (The Blab). But I know Jake will get a kick out of me sharing his creative side with the camera. And after you check out the pictures, watch the 2 second video. I think this was an accidental video, but it makes me giggle everytime I watch it. It may not even be funny to you, but I just keep clicking on it over and over and it makes me laugh. Silly boy...

Salt,Glorius, Salt!

2010-10-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

My scan on Thursday went well. Very well! I was in and out of there in 2 hours, which is record time so far. And the best part was that I left already knowing I could go home and take my medicine and introduce SALT back into my diet. Wahoo!

My levels were not at 0, as I was hoping for. Because if they were, I would mostly likely not need another scan in the future. The scan itself is not bad at all...it's just what I have to do to prepare for the scan that I loathe. My levels did however drop a point which is progress. Had they risen, my body would be ready to receive the much stronger dose of radioactive iodine due to the fact that I was off my medicine and had gone through the diet. So, I do understand why this option was pursued. However, if my doctor suggests another scan next year, I will ask for the shot. I was told the shot allows them to see the level without me going off my medicine. And since my number did drop, I would hope that would be a good reason to allow me to go this direction. We shall see. But for now, I am rejoicing! Rejoicing that this is now behind me and I am on day 3 of taking my medicine. I look forward to having my energy levels rise now, slowly, but surely. And I rejoice that the Lord gave me the strength to get through this time once again. I am thankful for your prayers and I am thankful for those of you who helped to carry this burden. God is good!

One funny moment to share from Thursday: I had not had time to eat breakfast before we left (my dear friend, Beth, drove me there and stayed with me) and I wasn't even sure if I was allowed to eat. So, I grabbed a banana and some mix, unsalted nuts. I figured I'd have time to eat them before my test. But when I checked in and asked if I could eat, the lady said "no" because the tech she had asked was ready. I could have scarfed the banana down quickly, but this guy seemed to be in a hurry. He told me to go to the bathroom and then had me lay down on the bed to start the process. It was just before he started the test that he finally introduced himself. Then he did something on the computer and finally offered Beth a chair. Just seemed like he did things a bit out of order, in my opinion. But I didn't say anything. But I was thinking I missed my "regular" tech. The tech I had the two years prior is so sweet and always checking on me. He was a real comfort to me the first year, as I was by myself and a bit nervous. Anyhow, he did come in during the middle of the first part of my scan and asked Beth if she wanted the tv on or needed a blanket...just sweet. When the first part of my scan was done, I asked if the other guy was around. He said he was in another room and "did I need him?" Thinking I was safe to say something, I said, "No, I just prefer having you in here. That other guy is not as friendly." Well, guess what? The room got awkwardly quiet. And I hear the other guy say, "I'm not friendly?" Whoopsies...I then did my best to dig myself out of a hole and explained how I was under the other tech's care the previous years, etc... I never intended for him to hear what I said, but maybe it is for the better. Maybe he will work on being more friendly to his patients. I know it is routine for him to do his job, but there is nothing routine about it for the patients (even if it is your 3rd time going through it).

When the scan was over, Beth and I had breakfast together and that was pretty much all I ate that day as my stomach and head hurt. Friday was more my celebratory day and my mom, dad, sister, and her hubby joined us for dinner. I had been craving pizza pretty much the entire time I couldn't have it, so we had some yummy LaRosa's for dinner. I haven't gone crazy because I really want to watch what I eat, but boy, oh boy, I have enjoyed the salt. Tonight, Dan and I had Aldi's orange chicken (was intended for the whole family, but the packaging was misleading and there is no way it would have fed all 5 of us). I looked at the sodium level and was surprised it wasn't as high as I thought it would be. But I'm sure it was about what you should have in one day vs. one meal. We Americans eat way too much salt!! But it's soo good!

Smelling Grandma

2010-09-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been somewhere and out of the blue, smelled a familiar scent, and immediately conjured up a memory? This doesn't happen often to me but I am intrigued every time it does. Research has been done on this topic and many articles written, but I am sold on the matter. One such scent memory for me is a musky perfume fragrance. My maternal grandmother, Betty, is such an affectionate, huggy, doting woman. Growing up, she would just grab you, pull you to her, and smother you in hugs and kisses. And I loved it. As a child, when we would travel to her Kentucky home, I knew when we had arrived because I could smell Grandma. The funny thing is that I thought it was just Grandma's scent. It wasn't until I was well into my late teens, maybe even adulthood, that I was informed that "Grandma's scent" was the perfume she wore. The thing is, that scent triggers so many good memories, so even though I know the truth, to me it will remain "Grandma's scent." No one else's. It's just Grandma. (Although I am thankful for the handful of times I have been caught up in my memories of Grandma because I smelled it on someone else). I so wish I could just drop everything, jump on a plane, and fly to Stephenville, Texas to get a whiff of Grandma and be smothered in her hugs and kisses. And of course, spend some precious time with her. But believe you me, I will bask in the scent again the next time it catches me off guard.

Another scent memory I have is one that reminds me of my good friend in high school, Christy (pictured above in the center). Christy was such a sweet heart; meek, and gentle. Her favorite lotion was Bath and Body Works Country Apple and her perfume of choice was Beautiful, just as she was. Christy went home to be with her Heavenly Father three and a half years ago. She is greatly missed by her family and friends. Boy, were there a lot of memories made with her in the short span of time God blessed me (and our cluster of friends) with her presence. And I smile when I think of Christy. Recently, one of our mutual friends bought me a bottle of Country Apple lotion as they were discontinuing that particular fragrance. I was so grateful and also tempted to go buy the remaining bottles. I did refrain, but I will say that lotion is one I don't share with the girls, so that it will last longer.

There are others...the smell of onions and butter and stuffing always brings me to past holiday celebrations. A negative one...couldn't even tell you the name of it, but it is not a pleasant smell. It is a strong chemical smell that I associate with my grade school cafeteria in North Carolina. Which reminds me - I now associate the smell of ammonia with the lady who cleans the tables at Fazoli's, where we go sometimes for .99 kid's meals on Tuesday nights. Let's just say she is spray happy. I know when she has cleaned a table even half way across the restaurant. Someone...take the spray bottle away.

What about you? What scent triggers a memory for you? I'd love to hear.

**Since publishing this post, a funny memory came to mind I had to share. When I was in 4th grade, I had this friend who shared my same passion for horses. However, she totally weirded me out once on a field trip. We were going to a farm and the second she stepped off the bus, she breathed in as deep a breath she could and proclaimed, "Don't you just love the smell of horse manure?" Uh - No. Even though that particular smell does bring some incredible memories with it of summer days at the farm, I cannot say in my heart of hearts that I love or even like the smell of horse pooh. (Although, there may or may not be someone in my family who does. And this nameless person may or may not have spent part of her childhood on a farm. And she may or may not have inherited the same loving, huggy, affectionate personality from her mamma. Ok, that last sentence was silly. She did, hands down. But I'm not naming any names. I'm just sayin'...).

A Mother Daughter Correspondence

2010-09-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

I found this special picture on the dining room table from Lydia...

In case you couldn't read it, it said, "I love you! More than kittens, More than lentils, More than pudding, More than friends, More than princesses, More than, More than anything. I love you! from Lydia"

So, I decided to write her back and let her find it in the morning when she sat down for breakfast.

I sure do love my sweet Liddy Bug.

So Long, Farewell, auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

2010-09-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the beginning of September brought with it the time we had to say goodbye to some dear friends. The Rebilas Family up and moved to Kentucky...go figure, right? Seriously, we are thrilled for this new transition in their lives, but i gotta be honest, I miss em'.

The beginning of our friendship started out in the not-so-typical way. i believe it was God orchestrated and a result of modern technology. Our paths were not likely to cross...

You see, back in 2003, there was this young mom who had a baby question. She decided to go on American Baby to do some research. While on that site, she stumbled upon a message board. She had never before communicated on one of these and it was intimidating at first. However, she found herself drawn to these groups of women who were going through the trenches of spit up and diapering right along with her. She found herself visiting the boards quite often. As time passed, a number of these women who were part of a national group found out that they lived fairly close to each other in Ohio. it was decided that a playdate was in order. i cannot even say that we were graduating to the next step of friendship. This was more like a "blind date" on the friendship level.

So, i packed up the diaper bag, threw a then, almost 2 year old Jake and a 5 or 6 month old Lydia, into the van and we made our way to Centerville. i remember Dan half way wondering what if the whole thing was a scam or something. And I recall bringing up a woman's intuition and if i got there and felt something was not right, I'd book it out of there. But as soon as we pulled into the apartment parking space, there was this girl named Becky, matching the description she had told me, waving at me. And the rest is history. We became friends quickly and that friendship blossomed. Over the last 7 years, we have been able to laugh together; comfort each other; pray, pray, pray for one another. I've had the privilege of sharing in her joy as her husband came to Christ and getting to fellowship together with them at church. And in those 7 years, we both welcomed new members into our families. Of course, she had to outdo me with the twins and a puppy. We had many a late night conversation at Tim Horton's that crept into the wee hours of the morning, as well as many a game of Phase 10 while we chatted.

God blessed me with an amazing friend. And just because we are separated by more miles now, I know our friendship will continue. In fact, I'm already planning a trip for November! So, thank you God and thank you, American Baby. I cannot even remember my question now, but a blessing was waiting for me that day I clicked on your link.

Drew and Lydia at her third b-day.
Becky holding a brand new Claire Bear in the hospital.

Drew at VBS...what a cute shepherd.

Meeting Henry for the first time.

Playdates at the park.

Drew and Lid are just one day apart and Becky claims i stole Lydia from her. Lydia is so much the girly-girl that Becky is and i am not. Still, I've had to keep careful watch so that Ms. Becky did not "steal her back."

Although, she probably would steal this little girl, too.

These were taken on our last play date with them at their house. This was a squirrley group, so this was the best i could do.

Gotta love kid's taking pictures....i love you, my friend.

Back to School Pictures

2010-09-23T05:10:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, right? Here are Jake and Lydia in our traditional, in-front-of-our-tree shots. Still hard to believe I have a 2nd and 3rd grader.

Diet Sch-miet

2010-09-17T05:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been MIA again - only, leave out the action part. i do have a good excuse, however. i look at it as i am keeping myself from embarrassment. I have been off of my good ol' levothyroxine for a month now and quite frankly, it ain't pretty. My thought process is muddled which means it's highly probable that what I type sounds highly unintelligible. That said, i am taking a risk to give an update. There shall be no mocking from any of my family...or else.

The beginning of Sept. was not too bad. i was able to take a drug called Cytomel to give me a boost throughout my day. i had to stop taking that about a couple weeks ago. Still, i seemed to be ok. Wasn't doing any marathons or anything of the sort, but i felt able to go throughout my day and still feel "alive." This week, however, has been rough. i started my no-salt diet on Friday. So, now I am tired and hungry. Do you people realize how much salt we consume? Well, if you are ever interested, go on a no salt diet. You'll find out real quick. i know this is a healthier way of eating, but i gotta be honest...i miss my salt. Mmmm, chips and salsa... Ok, where was i? Since Monday, i have started to feel the major lack of energy. Keeping my hands up to wash my hair or to brush my teeth; going up and down the steps - simple things like that tire me out. And that walk to the bus stop to get the kids off the bus mid-afternoon - well, that does feel like I've finished a marathon. That is how out of shape and blech I feel. i am getting ready to make a pot roast for supper tonight because it is one of the dinners i can actually eat with the family. But i have been putting it off, why? Because of the carrots and potatoes I'll have to peel. Pretty pathetic, huh? Not trying to gain sympathy...just painting a word picture as many have asked how i feel. i am so thankful it has not been this bad all month, but just this week.

Anyhow, my scan is scheduled for September 30th, so the light at the end of my tunnel is drawing nearer. i go into the hospital for my very low dose of radioactive iodine on next Tuesday and then two days later is my pet scan. The Dr. at the hospital will tell me the results of the scan, which I anticipate to be fine, seeing as my blood work and ultrasound both were good. Unfortunately, i do have to wait for a call from my endocrinologist to get the ok to start the meds and stop the diet. I thought my scan was for Friday, therefore, i would have to wait through the weekend for him to call the following week. But here's to hoping he will call on Friday and give me the clearance. I will be given the Cytomel and then the levothyroxine. i estimate I'll be joining the land of the living sometime in mid-October. Hallelujah. i know I've said this before, but i never knew the importance of your thyroid until mine was gone. So...for all you out there with a healthy, functioning thyroid, here's a shout out to you. Don't take it for granted. In fact, give your neck a little pat.

Fallderall and Fiddledeedee

2010-08-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Lydia got a very special treat from Grandma Kanost. We chose not to tell her details other than she and Ashleigh, the girl i babysat this summer, were going to have an afternoon of getting pampered and dolled up. They were more than ok with that plan. So, my mom and I got to work. We tag teamed Lydia's hair...i did the curling; my mom did the pinning it up. Grandma gave Lydia a manicure while I did Ashleigh's hair and nails. The girls were beaming with smiles through the whole process.

We did a quick photo session before we had to leave.

Claire wanted in on the prettiness and pictures, so I curled a couple strands of her hair and snapped a shot so that she was included.

And finally, we were on our way to...

La Comedia to see Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.

La Comedia is a dinner theatre. Mom had gotten us super seats near the front. We had a wonderful feast, great conversation with "the girls," which also included Aunt Sarah Beth. Picking up Aunt Sarah Beth was also part of the surprise. And then we got to watch one of Lydia's favorite plays. There were many little Cinderella's scattered throughout the audience. During our dinner, we were stopped by someone who was sitting above us and asked if she could take a picture of Lydia. Lydia was pleased to accept her request.

So silly...

Lydia's fruit smoothie, which she was anticipating for quite a while. She got to keep the glass as a keepsake.

Afterward, we got to meet the main characters of the cast, who also signed her playbook. They did such an excellent job and it was fun for Lid to get to see them up close. They were all so friendly.

Cinderella and her in laws, the king and queen.

Cinderella with her cruel stepmother and mean step sisters. (They were my favorites).

Cinderella with the fairy godmother.

And finally, the two Cinderella's with the handsome prince.

Thanks Grandma, for a magical evening.

We Love Those Billington Boys

2010-08-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

Earlier this summer, we have the privledge of having my newphews spend the night. They live in Quebec so we look forward to spending time with them and their parents every summer when they come back to the States for a couple months. This was a first to have them sans Mark and Jill. They were so much fun and I was especially impressed by my nephew, Sam, at how responsible he was in regards to helping his younger brothers. While our time with them was short, we made some memories. One of those was going hiking on a trail in Bellbrook. it was a hot, hot day and we didn't make it very far in distance with 8 kids, one of which was carried many a time by her daddy when she would resort to just stopping and fussing. Here are a few shots from the hike.

Grabbing a bite to eat before we get started.

Claire is in LOVE with her oldest cousin, Sam.

Cool shades, Joel.

This was one of the "Three Sisters," a few trees that were around 500 years old.

The gang in front of the base of one of the Sisters.

We were trying to figure out where all three trees were and saw 2 really big trees. We wondered about the third. We went down a small hill and discovered the third sister.

The fearless Jack with a daddy long leg. He really impressed the girls.

I got some help from two sweet boys for dinner that night. We made a not so healthy meal of chili dogs. Jack cut up some onions for me, while...

Mr. Joel shredded some cheddar. Sorry the pics are sideways. I went to Picasa to fix them and cannot even find them now???

The next day we camped out at home. At one point, someone asked to play with playdough. I thought it was fun then to find it entertained the bigger kids as well. We made space for everyone around my kitchen table and playdough creations were made for well over an hour.

Thanks for the memories, Sam, Jack, and Joel. We wish you could have stayed longer. We would love to make this a yearly tradition. WE LOVE YOU BUNCHES.

Uncle Gwen

2010-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

When Dan and I were dating, i quickly grew to love his family, of which included my soon-to-be nephew, Sam. Sam didn't have any aunts...just uncles. Once Dan and I were married, I was thrilled to become an instant aunt. Only Sam decided to lovingly refer to me as Uncle Gwen. The name didn't stick and i am called "Aunt Gwen" by my now 5 nephews and 1 niece. Anyhow, all that to say i am super, duper excited to be an uncle again.

Congratulations to my sister, Sarah Beth and her hubby, Matthew. Can't wait to meet my new nephew or niece this spring. Let me just say, he or she will be blessed to have these two as parents. And look at how much fun they are gonna have. Love you guys and praying for you.

Prayer

2010-08-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Lately, it seems like my mind is a rough sea of thoughts that has handicapped my sleep. The other night I was awake until 3 am...just me and my thoughts. When this happens, i ask the Lord to calm my anxieties and give me rest. And He has. There seems to be a lot emtionally "on our plates," but we know God is good and takes care of us. I would ask those of you who read this to join me in prayer for a few specific requests. Thank you to those who already have.

*My mother-in-law, Marcia, has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. While this was shocking news to hear, we know it did not take our God by surprise. She says the Lord has given her a peace about it all, for which we are thankful. Please lift her up in prayer, as i am told she is getting ready to start treatment very soon.

*My uncle Philip, my dad's brother, continues to decline in his health. He has been under the care of hospice for a few months now. Please also keep my dad in your prayers during this time. My dad has been such an example to me as I have watched him take care of my uncle over the last few years.

*Starting August 24th, i have to get off my thyroid medicine again. My bloodwork came back good and my ultrasound was good, but the Dr. wants to have another pet scan done in September. Dan thinks I should try and get out of it, but i feel that if the endocrinologist thinks that it is needed, I should follow through.

*So many have prayed for our family as Dan has been unemployed. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Please continue to do so. God has provided and it has been a blessing to be on "this side;" to watch how God takes care of our every need. There are some prospects on the horizon. I would put an excited mark next to that last sentence, but my keyboard won't let me do that and half the time, I can't use my parenthesis or capitalize the letter i.

*And lastly, I ask you to pray for something very, very exciting which I am going to let you read in my next post.

Jake Swimming

2010-08-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the two new swimmers in our family. Jake and Lydia both swam in the last meet just to get some experience and they both did great. I wish they had been able to swim at separate times, but they were in the same heat and each was in one of the far lanes of the pool. My mom and I were on the side where Lydia was placed so I was bummed that I wasn't able to see Jake very well. However, I was very happy when Dan showed me this video he nabbed. Can you believe this is the same child, who last summer screamed when encouraged to go under water. This was the best thing for he and Lydia this summer. Now we have two fish in the family who cannot get enough of the pool. And Claire is making great headway with going under water, too. We will all be sad when this month is over and the pool closes.

4th of July Fun

2010-08-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Since July 4th fell on a Sunday, we were able to have two fun filled days in a row. For the last - I don't know how many - years, we have spent this holiday with our good friends, the Cruz family. However, they decided to celebrate on Monday so we were also able to celebrate with some other wonderful friends, the Riddell's on Sunday evening. Following are some pictures to highlight our time with them.

This is Jackson, my "little brother," Brian and Alex's son. Brian has been serving our country in Iraq and I am happy to report he is home now. Praise God.

Claire decided to imitate Jackson, I guess.

Best buds.

This year, we got to experience 2 days of slippin' and slidin'. And a first with shaving cream. I forgot our camera the next day at the Cruz's, but lots of memories were made. What more could you ask for?

Flower Girl Lydia

2010-07-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to wonder if I should put an ad in the paper for Lydia. Something like, "Need A Flower Girl? Here she is." Ok, so maybe that was kinda boring, but I got nothing right now. Anyhow, near the end of June, Lydia was pleased to participate in her third wedding. She was the junior bridesmaid in my sister's wedding in November 09'. Then in January, she got her first go at throwing petals as the flower girl in my cousin, Deana's wedding. She was more than thrilled when Ms. Lisa asked her if she would do the honor of being her flower girl in June (when these pictures were taken). And she has one more wedding with flower girl-girly moments to come on August 6th, when our friends and former youth group students, Forest and Susie, get married. Four weddings in one year...I guess you could say she is in high demand. And she L-O-V-E-S it...pretty dresses, fancy hair do's, nails done up; what more could a 7 year old, fashionista girl ask for?

This picture makes me smile. I do believe she is up there checking out her fingernail polish.

It's so nice when you know the ringbearer you have to walk down with.
Lydia with the bride and groom (can't figure out why these won't go the right direction).

Had to throw this one in. Of course, Joshua caught the garter and the look on his face is priceless.

Still Alive

2010-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Why did the boy throw the clock out of the window?

He wanted to see time fly.

Why, you may ask, did I start out my much neglected blog with a joke? Well, not only was this the first real joke my two older kids ever told (real meaning making any sense whatsoever), this riddle came to mind when I thought about how to sum up my excuses for the recent zero blog posts. While I cannot claim to have actually seen time fly, I can attest to you that it has. I remember as a teenager, pining away for more privileges and responsibilities. (This happened quite frequently with an older brother). Much to my disgust, I usually heard something like this. "Your only a child once. Enjoy it while you can." Of course, me being the all-knowing, eye-rolling, "you just don't understand," kind of girl, I would dismiss this notion and continue in my little pity party.

Now, just a week following my 33rd birthday, I find myself grinning and rolling my tired, "grown up" eyes at that kid. I get it now, I really do! The older I get, the faster time seems to go. I know everybody says that as a cliche, but I think some research is in order. In my mind's eye, I can go right back to the moment I first held my newborn son in my arms. What a sweet and precious moment that was. I thank the Lord for the gift of memory; for that moment was 8 1/2 years ago! Or lately, I've been reminiscing over some of the most fun days of my childhood. One such memory was when I would get to go to my friend, Beth's, grandparents farm. We'd spend hours upon hours in the creek, catching critters, wading in the water, etc... It's hard to wrap my brain around the fact that now Beth and I have 6 kids between us. And we trek those 6 kids down to the creek near her house for their own adventures.

So, what have I been up to in the last couple of months? Well, ever since school let out, I started watching the neighbor boy down the street, Malcolm. He comes over to our house at 8am and usually goes home around 5:30pm. I also found an ad on CraigsList that I responded to. So, starting the second week of summer break, I also started watching Ashleigh. Her mom is working on her Master's degree to become a nurse practitioner and needed some extra study time and wanted Ashleigh to have a "fun summer." I watch her 3 days a week from about 8am to 3:30pm. Life with 5 kids is definitely different than life with 3, especially when they are not your own, but each week seems to get easier. The girls get along great for the most part, but the boys have quite a few squabbles throughout the day. When this occurs, I try and separate them for a while. There are moments that I reach my max (or so I think), but I am reminded that God has a purpose in allowing me to watch these kids. Already, some pretty cool conversations have occurred (especially post VBS week) and we may start picking up Ashleigh for church on Sundays. If you think of me, please pray that I would a.) keep my sanity in tack and b.) continue to be a light for Christ to these kids.

The kids have been enjoying the pool a lot this summer. With 5 kids, I was not about to go to the public pool about a mile away. It is always soo crowded and I am never at ease when we have gone in the past. It is so big and swarming with people. This equals a mom constantly having to locate her kids. Not fun. Jake's teacher was trying to recruit us for the pool right around the corner from our house. We've always known it was there but always figured it was too much money. Apparently, they have a deal for first time families. So, a big thank you to my mom and dad who treated us to this deal. While Crestwood does not have a water slide, water fall, huge kids area, separate deep end, or an alluring kiddy area, it does offer something much, much better! It is not crowded. Finding my kids at the public pool would involve me walking around and around and around some more, until finally I located that third child. Now, I can do a quick head count in about 10 seconds, all within the comforts of my chair or side of the pool. And the absolute best thing...my kids are actually learning to swim!!! Woohoo!!! I was told Crestwood doesn't have swim lessons, but if you put them on swim team, they will learn to swim. And that is what has happened! We aren't doing the meets...just the practices, but they have helped tremendously.

Let's see, what else. I survived my single-parenting experience for the week plus Dan was gone on the missions trip to NYC. I always end my weeks of going it alone with the utmost respect for the single moms I know. Dan is such a good father and help to me with the kids and I appreciate that about him! They surely missed him very much and kept asking to call or text him. They were very happy for him to be home as well. Even better that he brought them NYC Silly Bandz.

Seeing as at least my time seems to fly, I need to end this and head to bed as morning will be here all too quickly. Hope I did not bore you too much. I will do better about keeping up. Thanks for taking the time to read this!