I still seem to never have my camera when I really want it.  But, I'm doing better!  I'm trying anyhow. 

Here is a picture of each of the boys when we first arrived at their cabins for youth camp!

 

We had a couple days off right before Take-7, so we decided to go to Big Falls as a family.  We'd never been there...it's a river that winds through the woods and has lots of giant rocks in it and along the sides for climbing and wading.  It was fun, and Betty really enjoyed it too!  We hiked around for most of the afternoon.  Here's a picture of the river....isn't it pretty?

You already saw pictures from the Rockford trip to meet my brother.  Next up....4th of July.  We had our usual campfire with marshmallows, lots of watermelon slices, and some mini-fireworks and sparklers!  Then, we sat across the street in the grass by the lake and watched the local big ones!  It was really fun.  We had lots of kids around....our neighbors, some friends from camp, and the Wrights (minus Danny and Matt who were at camp most the evening).  I didn't get many good pictures unfortunately.  But, here are a few:

Leah stuffing down the watermelon with both hands.

Anna with flaming marshmallow.

Some of the Wrights at the campfire

And, Leah with one of her first sparklers!  Fortunately noone got burned....not badly anyway.  It seems like someone froze with a sparkler a little close to their clothing....was it Leah?  Or Charis?  Can't remember.  What other day will parents let their little children run around with flaming sticks?   I was the one responsible for the only really scary moment.  I set off one little firework that I'd never done before....not really knowing what it would do.  It was supposed to go UP and then burst, but I lit it upside down.  Therefore it spun around on the street and exploded lots of little colored, flaming balls in all directions.  I was fortunate that our little audience was sitting up on the grass and that the curb blocked all the flaming balls.  No other close calls, however.  And, I won't make that mistake again! 

And lastly, David caught a nice largemouth bass last week....just at our little dock across the street.  He was very proud.  But, not so proud that he wanted to hold it himself for the picture!  "It has little teeth", he protested.  So Johnny did the deed for him.  And here's the picture for posterity.

That's about all I have for this entry.  It's been a very busy few weeks, and no end in sight.  It's been fun though, just crazy from one thing to the next.  We had fun seeing Danny and Charity and family, although it is hard to have quality conversations while trying to keep only two sets of eyeballs on 8 children 9 and under!   But, I hope there will be many more excursions north for them in the future, assuming that the massive grudge against Wisconsin does not spread any further in their family. 

The kids had VBS the following week, which they really enjoyed.  We've done strawberry picking, pea picking, and lots of freezer jam!  Matt spoke at Junior High, and it went wonderfully!  He really enjoys doing that, as much stress as it is beforehand!  This week he got the coolest comment I think he's ever received!  It made me actually sit up in bed during our late night debriefing session (when I'm usually mostly asleep).  A kid pulled him aside and told him that 4 yrs ago when Matt spoke for the first time at Take-7, he had gotten saved.  Then, he said he went home and told his family everything that Matt had taught them all week.  His dad started reading his Bible and the whole rest of the family got saved!  Now, they are involved in a church and this boy "just wanted you to know that God used you to save my whole family".  Is that not the coolest thing?  You just never know where a seed planted is going to go, and often you may never know.  I thank God that He allowed Matt to get that encouraging glimpse of how He used him.  The Word does not return void.  It's great to see kids wanting to learn more about God, and to see them come back year after year, and often then work on summer staff!  Watching them grow and mature in Christ is one of the neatest things about working at camp, I think.  If you stick around long enough, you see campers grow, marry, and return with their children and the cycle begins anew.  (and we've been around long enough now....yikes)   Family Camp starts on Sunday, and that will be a whole new shift in our focus.  Pray that we will have endurance to keep going through the next 5 weeks, and be able to minister to the families who come.

 

 

My kids only have two of them....soon to be three, though!  Their first boy cousin is on the way!  WooHoo!  Well, on Wednesday morning the kids and I headed out early.  I dropped the boys off at Grandma Sue's house and the girls and I headed down to Rockford, IL to meet my brother and his family for one night at a hotel.  We were so happy to get to spend even just a little time with them and to cement a few more memories in the girls' minds as to who their cousins are!

The girls did so good on the trip.  Really, I was shocked.  We must finally be getting to that age where car travel isn't quite so much torture.  Here are a few pictures:

After swimming and baths, Anna read some bedtime stories to Charis.  Anna's expression left something to be desired (she's still focusing so hard on getting the words), but Charis hung right in there with her! 

And Leah got a story from Uncle John.  I have a similar picture of him reading to she and Alathea from last summer.  It was fun to compare them and see how the girls have grown.

The next morning, after swimming a little bit, we found a nice playground to hang out in for awhile.  Alathea was so proud of herself for being able to climb up and over this one element on the playground.  It was pretty high and required some courage and dexterity for sure!  Here she is at the top of it, and then I got the cutest shot of her at the end.

Here are all the girls!

I snapped this cute one of Anna and Charis while we were walking into Red Robin for lunch!

And lastly here is the whole group....minus me.    You can't even really tell that Andrea is 4.5 months pregnant!

I'm so glad we got to see them!  Then we headed our separate ways.  I fought traffic back up through Madison, but thankfully Leah slept nearly the whole way.  We hit a couple firework stands to pick up our small stash for the 4th.  Got the boys and headed home. 

I'll post more later about our 4th of July and our friends who were here this week.  I have to sign off for now.  We will be celebrating Matt's birthday this afternoon with his mom.  I tell you, we have rushed from one thing to another for the last week and a half!  And, the calendar doesn't let up all month.  Anyway, I have a cake to bake! 

What a beautiful morning!  I'm sitting here squinting in the sun as I type.  A pair of something I haven't put on our backyard list yet just flew in and perched in our bush.  I can't wait to look through our guide and figure out what they were.  And, last night something loud and creepy sounding flew through our backyard!  Scared us to death!  It brought Matt out of bed, looking wildly around.  (we finally had a hot enough night to leave windows open)  I at first thought "bat" as it was kind of squeaky, but I think it sounded too big.  Owl?  I'm thinking probably some kind of night hawk who found something yummy in our yard.  I'm going to listen to some hawks in our bird song book and see if anything sounds remotely similar to what we heard last night.

Fishing!  The kids are infatuated with fishing this summer.  Every day.  Every evening.  It's "Mom, can we go fishing?"  There's a little dock across the street where they can cast to their hearts content.  And occasionally they even catch something nice!  Anna's gotten a perch and a bass...both good size!  The boys have only gotten bullheads there.  The other night, I documented Anna's very first fish ever with the camera.  We have the cutest little boy that lives down the street, who is an "expert" fisherman.  (as much as you can be at age 5)  He comes down almost every night with his box full of "muskie baits" and wants Anna to fish with him.  It's the cutest thing ever!  Here are some pictures.

That evening, Dre (pronounced 'dray') came down with his "fishing hat" on.  So Anna had to go find something she felt was comparable.    It was a beautiful evening to sit by the lake, and since I was right across the street, I let the neighbor girl come in and water paint with Leah while I watched the kids fish.  2 yr olds and fishing docks (not to mention hooks, lines and 5 yr olds) don't mix so well!

In other excitement, the other day I was on the phone with a friend and Leah came down crying with a bleeding foot.  She'd stepped on a broken plastic storage container in the attic and sliced her little foot.  SO after giving comfort and first aid, I thought it safe to call my friend back.  Wrong.  Not 5 minutes into the conversation, I see David running across the lawn with a neighbor man running not too far behind.  David's face was a mass of blood.  Apparently he'd crashed on his bike on the other side of the block.  The neighbor feared his tooth had gone all the way through the lip.  Not to worry, once we got it all cleaned up....it was just a nasty scrape.  And so he was left with a fat lip and a hitler-esque mustache of a scab.  I documented the occasion.

Oh, and why did he crash?  I'll tell you in his words. 

D:  "I was imagining things, and suddenly I swerved" 

Me:  "You were imagining things?  What did you 'see'"

D: "I swerved so I wouldn't hit the imaginary boulders" 

Another funny camp story.  David participated in choir for the week.  At the end, John Windle asked them all to write down exactly how they wanted their names to appear on their certificates.  He was thinking like if their name was Christopher on the registration list, but they go by Chris....they could write that.  So after they collected the papers and looked through them, they saw David's.  It said, "David Hoffland the Great"  HAHAHAHAHAHA!  That made for some good chuckling around the staff lunch table. 

I can't wait until tomorrow.  This week has been soo long!  But, can you believe they BOTH made it all the way through!!?  David did so far past what I ever thought he could do.  I am so proud of him, and so thankful to the Lord for allowing him to be so successful.  I can't believe I didn't think he'd make it through one night.  Of course Matt did say he looked like a zombie this morning at flag raising.....he's got to be so exhausted, I can't imagine.

They are both tired.  Sweet Johnny lost it again last night and cried, "I don't think I can last another two nights....I just MISS you guys".    Of course, that was after a big, group game and it was 9:00...he was SO tired.  Matt told him to try and just go to bed, but that if he couldn't fall asleep it would be OK to come down to the nurse's station and sleep with dad.  Sure enough, his counselor said 5 minutes and he was out.  He's doing fine during the day, it's just the nighttimes that are hard.

But, it just ripped my heart out.  My boy!  SO I did what any pining mother would do....I went up and cleaned their room today.  Cleaned and cleaned it.  And sat there for awhile imagining two little boys sleeping there tomorrow night.  Now I know why my mom always had my room all spotless when I came home from camp.  She must have missed me!  Well, that and maybe she wanted to make sure I didn't have scary things growing under the bed.   Seriously, I missed them so much sitting there in that empty room!  Anna has missed them terribly too.  She gives them hugs and kisses when we go out....which they appreciate greatly.    Actually, David hugged and kissed her back, which was very sweet.  Anna's been sick today.  I hope, hope, hope her fever stays down tonight so we can all go out and pick them up tomorrow.

Going out to camp for lunch hasn't been terribly comforting either.  Not only do I barely even see them as they cram lunch in and disappear, but I also have to resist my motherly instinct to meddle.  It's amazing how quickly we react (or maybe overreact) to things when our kids are out there.  When Matt told me that Johnny slept badly on the campout b/c "they wouldn't let me take my pillow and blanket"....I was like, "WHAAATT!!!!  How could they!?"   I think Matt was a little worried when he saw the look in my eye.   He was pretty quick to assure me, "I'll find out what happened".  Turns out they aren't SO very dogmatic on it, it's more of a 'maybe you don't want to carry your pillow out and get it dirty' kind of thing. Johnny is a pleaser...he wants to do whatever you think he should do.  So that would have been all it took to keep him from taking his beloved blanket.  And a pillow?  C'mon, I can't even sleep without my pillow!  I drag it along on every trip. 

Anyway, do you see why I had to pretty much RUN for home after I was done eating?    Insufferable, controlling mother that I am.  But see, it's a good thing that there are always staff kids attending camp.  Because then we really keep tabs on how the whole experience is going. 

Funny story.  David has always had what Matt jokes about as being a 'superhuman' sense of smell.  The kid smells horrible smells that we barely catch a whiff of if we concentrate real hard.  He can smell cereal in the air when he comes downstairs if someone ate it an hour ago.  He knows.  The smell of  potato cooking drives him batty.  When he was 3 or 4, we walked into my aunt's house for Thanksgiving and all the wonderful smells that enveloped us sent him into a complete and utter meltdown.  He wanted out of there right NOW!  Couldn't take the intensity of those smells. 

ANYHOO....they were out on the campout and his counselors were playing a campfire game called Smell the Stick.  (or something like that)  One counselor turns around and the other counselor picks a camper to come and touch this stick someplace specific.  Then the first counselor comes back and smells the kids hands, makes a comment like "ooo, your fingers smell like candy...I'll be able to tell where you touched it", and then proceeds to sniff the stick to presumably figure out exactly where the kid touched it.  Of course, there's a trick to it and he's watching his partners feet b/c when one comes off the ground that's his clue that he's got the right spot!  And the campers are so impressed with his smelling skills!  Well, David immediately wanted to try it.  "I have a SUPER smeller", he said.  "I can smell cereal all the way across the room!  Let me try it!"  So, they turn him around, etc.  He comes back and smells the kids fingers carefully.  "They smell alot smoky and a little sweet", he decided.  Then he carefully sniffed the stick all over, taking his time. 

"He touched it there.", and pointed to a spot on the stick.  You know what's coming.  It was the exact right spot.  Can you believe it?  They were floored.  Of course, noone thought of having him do it again....and why would they?  He was I'm sure enjoying his success.  And honestly?  I do not totally believe it was a coincidence.  I'm telling you, he has always had an unusually sensitive sense of smell!

Now just so you know....after the pillow incident, my hubby reminded me that Johnny was fine, he got through it, it made him stronger....and he is right, as usual.  So see, I'm not SO very insufferable. 

 

 

.....the maybe five people who read this blog are going to quit!  OK, there are so many things going on right now, I don't even know where to start!!  I'm losing my mind!

We were out of town last week.  Matt was speaking at his home church for Family Bible Week.  He spoke to the teens there.  It was a surreal experience for him....speaking to the youth group at the church he grew up in....kids the same age he was when he lost his dad and nothing was ever the same for him again....right about the same time he lost his dad (June 9).  It went really well.  The kids seemed to really respond....the leaders told him typically attendance drops through the week.  But, the teen attendance stayed steady this week!  Some of the guys asked Matt to go to breakfast one morning, which was kind of cool too.  He really is growing to enjoy the opportunities God is giving to him to speak to young people. 

The rest of the family also enjoyed Family Bible Week.  We stayed at Sue's house, and they had kids' classes too each night.  The kids all enjoyed their classes SO much, and I really enjoyed the speaker for the week as well.  It was David Lawson, of Precept ministries.  He had a very simple and humble delivery...unusual for an FBW speaker.  They are typically Southern and revivalist types.  I really enjoyed David's testimony and his simple way of delivering crucial truths.  He is a student of the Word and inspired me to study more!  It was very encouraging.

To the kids' chagrin, they and I had to leave one day early after the session Tues night.  I was supposed to be putting some stuff in a garage sale with a friend on Thursday, and hadn't done anything to get ready.  So, I had one day to do it.  Didn't want to miss the opportunity to get rid of some clothes and stuff.  SO I spent most of Wednesday gathering and pricing kids' clothing and toys.  Thursday was busy as Johnny and I had an appointment with the RVA administrator to pick up his curriculum and officially enroll.  That lasted at least 90 minutes (more in a few).  AND, we picked up our first box of vegetables from the CSA farm.  (again, tell you more soon)  Then on Friday, I was watching my friends toddler while she manned the garage sale.  I made over $50, which was more than I expected.  Nice!

THEN, I had to get the boys ready to go to Junior Camp on Sunday!  Can you believe it?  I can't.  It really snuck up on me.  I spent the rest of the day Friday and all Saturday getting them packed up.  Doing laundry, running to WalMart to let them pick out little soaps/shampoos/toothpaste, a rain poncho, getting flashlight batteries, and labeling everything possible with a permanent marker!  My babies!  I spent so much time getting them ready and in task mode that when we finally went out to drop them off yesterday, I hardly knew what to feel or do!  It was so strange after working at camp for 15 years....from counseling on....to be carting my own kids luggage to the cabin, 'meeting' their counselor (who we already know of course), and watching them run off.  Good grief.  Even more surreal was that we kept running into other people who had either counseled with us way back in 92-94 or worked on summer staff then.....bringing their kids to camp!!  Makes sense, we're all about the same age....it was just this weird, surreal, I'm getting really old feeling!  Of course, Matt then has to make it even worse by commenting "First comes camp, then comes college".  About that time, I decided to flee for home! 

The boys were SO excited.  I had serious reservations about letting David go, considering his many, many struggles of late.  I admit, I was feeling downright pessimistic about it.  But, my hubby felt pretty strong about giving him the chance and pretty much put his foot down.  We worked with the director, hand picked his counselor and planned to have Matt out there as much as possible as a support if need be.  He even would sleep out there, unbeknownst to the boys.  He kept telling me the worst thing that could happen is he can't do it and comes home.  But that he might really rise to the occasion.  Well, we prepared D as best we could.  He knew all our concerns....he knew he'd have limited clothing, noone to smooth his bed down multiple times at night, not be able to freak out if he gets something wet or is uncomfy, he'd have to abide by lights out and function as a group with his cabin, obey the rules, and on and on and on.  He was still very excited.  I thought there was NO WAY he'd make it through even one night.  The night before they left however, he out of the blue decided he was going to sleep with a short sleeved shirt on, shorts and no socks.  That sounds perfectly normal, but for David (who insists on long pants, long sleeves and socks for sleeping) it was a very, big deal.  We'd been talking to him about how it was going to get very hot this summer sleeping in his usual manner, and I guess he decided he needed to make himself change....it seemed as if he was preparing for the challenges he knew were coming the next day.  He went to sleep that way!  And woke up the next morning saying, "I won a big battle last night".  I felt a glimmer of optimism.  Maybe he will rise to the occasion.  Maybe this is going to be a good thing. 

It was the cutest thing ever to sit on the patio last night and watch them run around with their cabins.  They had a little free time during registration, and their counselors had told them to  be back at 4:30 for the camp tour.  (they are in two separate cabins)  Sure enough about 4:25, I saw both boys booking it through the parking lot to get back in time.  Yay!  And, Matt called last night at 10:30 and said all seemed well.  He'd heard nothing from D's counselor, and had even walked by the cabin in the dark.....lights were out and all was quiet.  I nearly burst with pride.  He made it through a night.  Whatever happens now, and I'm sure it will get harder as he gets tired, I am proud of him....he's done better already than I ever thought he could!  I am praying now that God uses this week in his life, that maybe it will be a turning point for him.

And Johnny, well I am praying Johnny makes it through too!  He's my little emotional, homesick one.  They put all the staff kids in one cabin too!  The counselor is also a staff kid.  It could be a great thing....or not.  But, I'm going to let it go and trust the Lord on it.  I just hope Johnny has a great week. 

Ok, other things....I feel really excited about the RVA (rural virtual academy).  I seriously can't believe all the stuff we got.  The curriculum looks super and the administrator sure seems very supportive.  He even gave me an extra Math workbook they had on hand when he heard that I was planning to try and keep David up with the same material.  Found out Johnny is about 1/2 yr ahead in Math.  We're going to get started and then evaluate if we need to accelerate him.  I'm thinking it might be OK b/c the Math seems to emphasize problem solving alot more, and it might be a change of pace for him.  There are several things that will be a new emphasis for him, including writing/composition....so I think he will have plenty of challenge!  It will be nice to have some extra support this year too.  Our neighbors across the street just enrolled 2 of their kids as well.  We start mid-August.

The CSA farm.  CSA stands for consumer supported agriculture.  We bought a half-share this year in a local farm....for several reasons.  I'm looking very much forward to it, but will have to save that discussion for another post.  Sure did enjoy our first box!

And one more note.....Leah is completely potty trained!  She has been so reliable, not a single accident and we've been wearing underwear all the time....at family Bible week, on the road, in WalMart and everywhere!  She is over the poo phobia for the most part.  Still gets nervous, but at least reports when she has to go!  She even did well when she had a tummy ache and a little diarrhea one day.  She told me when she had to go and all!  I'm so proud of her.  She is only wearing a pullup at night now, and wakes up dry about half the time.  What a big girl!

Now, I have to get going.  My house is a disaster.  We have floor people coming to evaluate the job this afternoon, which means I have to CLEAN the floor.  I have family coming through next week to get ready for.  I'll be travelling with the girls to spend a night with my brother and family the week after that.  We have friends coming up here for a week also....looking forward to seeing them!!  Lots going on, this summer is going to zoom by!  So....signing off now. 

 

 

 

 

I just don't have time to blog!  Today we are getting ready to host the summer staff counselors for dinner.  We had camps big 50th anniversary celebration on Sunday during Memorial Day Family Camp.  There were tons of people at camp from the past.  So many people to talk to and see.  The kids had a blast just being at camp all weekend and visiting all the favorite program areas.  They are getting to the age where they would just live at camp if they could.  I think it will be a fun summer.  Leah woke up dry yesterday morning for the first time!  Yay!  Anyway, just wanted to share a quick funny.

Last night, I was upstairs in bed finishing up a newer version of "Jane Eyre" that I checked out of the library.  I hadn't seen it before, it was done in 2006 and it was SOO good!  Doesn't compare to the last version I'd seen of it...it was that much better.  I think it may even surpass "Mansfield Park" as my new favorite of 'those' type movies.  Anyway, so I'm upstairs and it's WAY past my bedtime, but I just can't turn it off.  And the tears start flowing as unrequited love is finally fulfilled.  The credits start to roll (hate it when that happens) and I heave a big, satisfied sigh and turn it off.  My husband wanders in about then (he was downstairs watching TV).  Glancing at his goo-goo eyed, weepy wife, he dutifully asks how I liked the movie.  "Why do you love those movies so much?", he asks.  And, I launch into a lengthy explanation on the power of restrained romance.  And, the plot of Jane Eyre.  Totally not doing justice to it, of course....but, trying to get him to feel for Jane's tragic life, the strength of her bond to Mr. Rochester, and bringing it to it's triumphant closure!  He tried to listen with interest.  So I finished my tale, and rolled over to try and go to sleep as he checked his e-mail, etc.  And I asked sleepily, "So....what were you watching?" 

"Rambo."

"You were watching....(I could hardly choke the word out)  Rambo?"   I was speechless for a minute. Then we both laughed hard at the absurdity of it.

Seriously.  Does it get any more stereotypical than that?  

[EDITED to add pics...look below!]

I have excuses.  One...I've been sick for over a week with a nasty cough.  Two....My computer keyboard suddenly stopped working AND they've been working on the phone lines, so our internet's been down for several days.  It kind of got me out of my web groove. 

Another problem is that I feel like there should be pictures accompanying this post.  And there aren't.

What's going on here?  Well, there's been a terrible, very contagious stomach bug going around camp.  It was brought to us by an outdoor ed group from MN.  Thank you very much.  So, I was congratulating myself on Friday night that we'd hardly been out at camp that week, and surely wouldn't expect to come down with it.  Then Matt called from IA early Saturday morning.  He was on a trip with Johnny (one that poor Johnny was very much looking forward to) and Johnny had been violently ill beginning at 5am.  And lasting til about 10:30 when he finally fell asleep til 3pm, and felt better.  Poor Johnny gets SO unbelievably sick with these things.  He cried and cried.  I felt wretched that he was so far from home with no mommy.  He said Dad did good though.  Poor Matt....how awful for him to have that to deal with on a concert trip. 

Anyhoo, I was kind of thankful to God that for David's sake, Johnny was far far away.  However, with this particular bug....they are contagious for 72 hours after symptoms disappear.  And onset is very quick after exposure.  Thus, Tuesday morning we awoke to David "BURPING".  Bad, bad times.  Fortunately David wasn't too terribly sick.   He obviously takes after his mother as far as stomachs go.  I'm actually hoping/thinking maybe this will be good for him considering his fears of late.  The therapist keeps telling us that he needs more exposure/resistance in these areas.  So...God provided a little extra exposure for him. 

So, now we are waiting.  Who will have it next?  And why haven't they started yet? 

We cancelled most of the birthday plans...we were headed to our annual family getaway at the waterpark.  We moved it to this next monday, and I"m worrying that we won't be done with this bug at the rate we are going.  We had a small family celebration for Johnny's 8th birthday on Monday.  I made him the Peters family birthday cake, which he prefers to other cakes.  It's already gone.  Leah just came in a bit ago and asked, "Mommy, I have cake?"  I told her it was all gone.  She put both hands over her eyes and did a little, fake "BooHoo".  We like that cake.

Speaking of Leah, she is almost totally potty trained.  We are still not 100% reliable on the poo, but we've managed to get them in the potty the last few times.  But the other....not an accident.  Another new thing for her, is that she is sitting still enough for me to french braid her hair now!  She loves to be "like Anna".  So the other night, I put her hair in two french braids like I often do for Anna.  It's totally adorable...it's amazing how long her hair has gotten, and the ends are cute curly.  I'm happy, b/c it solves the problem of having her hair constantly in her food and mouth.  Here she is coloring in the kitchen.

Anna and Johnny went to T-ball practice yesterday.  We spent some time yesterday in the backyard practicing.  You haven't seen anything as cute as Anna playing t-ball.  She is going to be quite the little athlete.  She tackles everything with great expression and gusto.  Like Matt said when they got home, "Johnny is a thinker, Anna is a doer." 

 

With the big rain a few days ago, the ice disappeared off the lake all at once.  Yay!  Of course right now as I type, there are flurries outside.    But I shouldn't complain too much b/c we have had some lovely weather this week.  Spring is here....for the most part.

And in other 'water' news....Leah is now on Day 4 of wearing big girl "panties".  She is doing great!  No accidents at all during the day...other than a few times of starting a little, and then holding it til we got there.  We even braved AWANA on Wednesday night with no diaper or pullup.  And had no problem!  Last night, she went poo in the toilet too....although that was ambush and coercion on my part.    I knew it was due anytime, and when I walked by her bedroom, glanced at her, and she said "Go 'way"....that's my clue to whisk her to the potty!  She was very afraid the whole time, and seemed to still be a bit shaken up even afterwards.  So funny how some kids are so frightened by that. Johnny was the same way.  SO, I think I'm still going to have to be vigilant in that area....don't think she's over the fear of it yet.  I think this is it.  She's still wetting at night, but has woken up dry from her nap several times.  I know we've had lots of false starts....mainly b/c I've become a very lazy potty trainer.  I want them to know what's expected, be ready and willing, and make it easy on their mom.    It is the cutest thing, though how excited they get at this age.  First thing she does is run tell her dad everything....all the details.  And he milks it for everything it's worth b/c it's the cutest thing when she's all excited and expressive!

Leah: "Daddy, I went poo-poo on the toy-et!!" 

Matt: "You DID?  Leah, you went poo-poo on the toilet??" 

Leah: "YEAH.....I flush it!" 

Matt:  "You DID? You flushed it?" 

Leah:  "YEAH...bye-bye poopoo!   Mommy wipe me!" 

Matt:  "She DID?  Oh, you're such a big girl, Leah!" 

Leah: "YEAH...I a big girl!" 

So cute.  Oh, and the other day she spontaneously wrapped her arms around my neck and said "I WUV you".  And, we were on the way up to her nap too!  She'd never said it spontaneously before, and it took me a minute to figure out what she was saying....but how heartwarming it was.  Now, for some reason she is overwhelmed with love for me while we are sitting on the toilet waiting for her to go.  Quite often, she's sitting there and for no reason flings her arms around my neck and says "I wuv you, mommy".  Maybe she's just really glad for the company? 

I've been meaning to mention that we got new neighbors this winter.  Some of you may remember the last ones and the excitement/disruption that they were in our lives!  This family has 4 kids, the oldest is 13 and down to 8.  They are Christians, have been attending our church somewhat and are the nicest kids!  Now that the weather is getting warmer, the kids have been out more getting to know them.  The 4th grade girl adores babies and lives for the time that Leah wakes from her nap so that she can follow her around the yard and walk her around the block in the stroller.  The other night, she literally walked her around in the stroller for two HOURS!  Man, it's going to be a good summer!  And, they have a 9 mo black lab who Betty loves.  It's such a relief to not feel like I have to be constantly out there supervising like I did with the other neighbor kids.  And, she keeps begging to come in and help me organize the toy room.  Too good to be true?  I guess we'll find out! 

Something kind of funny happened at AWANA Wed night.  I had a flashback to my childhood.  It was balloon night during game time.  And, of course you can't play any group balloon games without at least one where the kids have to sit on the balloon and pop it.  When I was younger (actually...not so young) this type of game struck fear into my heart.  I could not do it.  Hated the thought of doing it.  I remember twice at camp going and hiding in the bathroom so that I would not have to be embarrassed in front of everyone by not being able to sit on the balloon.  So I was chuckling with another mom as they set this game up.  I confessed my past fears, and she asked if I thought it would bother David.  Nope, I said.  Won't bother David or Anna.....it will be Johnny that can't do it.  Even though David has a few uncanny similarities, it is really Johnny who is the most like me of all my kids.  So David's group was downstairs first.  David loved the whole concept.  He had trouble getting his balloon to pop, but not for lack of trying!  Later, the Sparks come down and they start explaining the game.  Once Johnny realizes what he has to do, he turns around and gives me this look of dread, and it was all I could do not to bust out laughing.  He moseys over, and whispers, "Mom I can't do that.  I don't want to do that."  I told him it was OK, he didn't have to.  He looked mortified in spite of my reassurances.  When it came to his turn, he was gone....disappeared.  His game leader looked around, quickly assigned someone else to go in his place.  It was then that I saw him hiding behind the book racks in the libary.  Like mother, like son. 

How does this happen?  (long blog entries)  Yak, yak yak.  I want to write about my new Bible study and about some diet changes we are making.  I just keep pushing it off in favor of daily life.  One of these days.....

I'm now accumulating miscellaneous blogworthy information.  Time to spit it out.

1.  Anna is taking her first 'concert trip' with daddy this weekend.  They are headed to Embarrass, MN.  She is thrilled to be going along with him.  Hopefully it goes well....it's a church he's been to before and they'll be staying with the pastor, so it should be an easy one for Anna to start on.  I did finally get her hair cut today.  It was getting SO long and unmanageable.  I knew Matt would never be able to deal with it on the trip, so we cut off about 3.5 inches.  It's still just past her shoulders and looks nice and healthy again. 

2.  Speaking of Matt, he's been extremely busy all of a sudden.  The usual travelling stuff, plus about 3 other big things that he needs to get done for future events.  One biggie is writing a new dinner theater.  He's got the idea, he's collecting vignettes and tying it all together.  In my opinion, it will be considerably better than the last.  Hard to imagine (and he probably won't like me saying so), BUT I really like the theme and can see the potential for cool tie-ins and effects.  Last year was the "Christmas Tree Lot" idea with different trees/skits demonstrating different aspects of Christmas spirit...the cross being the final "tree".  This year he's going with Light.  It's going to be cool, folks.  But, it has to be written before summer.  B/c rehearsals start immediately in the fall.

Another biggie is that it's only a month or so til summer staff arrive.  Matt has been revamping the summer staff manual and really all of staff training.  It's great and much needed, but is alot of administrative work on his part.  And it all has to be done SOON, so it can be printed and in place for planning purposes.  And lastly, he is speaking for Jr. High youth camp this summer....so, he's started work on that series of messages.  Like I said, he's suddenly very, very busy.

3.  Flora, our mourning dove mommy, hatched two baby birds this week.  She and "Henry" stuck it out on that nest in a terrible winter storm that came through last week.  They are amazing.  One morning, I came down and they were BOTH snuggled in together on top of those eggs.  We watched the little ones eating this morning....so tiny, eyes still shut.  Johnny wants to take pictures.  We'll see how they turn out.  Maybe I'll share.

4.  This afternoon, I stopped by the school district office to get info about the local charter school....the Rural Virtual Academy.  I've been thinking of enrolling Johnny next year and wanted to look at the curriculum and hear about it.  We have several families (well, we know almost all of the 15 or so students) who are involved.  I have to say I was very impressed.  Solid curriculum, very flexible management, lots and lots of great resources, activities and support.  (should have seen Johnny salivating over the RVA library)  I was not prepared to be so impressed.  We came home with the entire box of 3rd grade curriculum to look over.  It wouldn't be too much of a change for us as far as what he'd do, well there's MORE than what we're currently doing if anything (stuff like poetry, computer skills, etc.)...but the basics are about where he is at.  Phonics looks a little too easy for him, but they make it up with more reading, writing and composition than I'm currently doing.  The big change would be the accountability for getting work done.  He would go to town each month to be tested over that months material.  They'd be keeping records of progress.  Slightly intimidating, but in a good way I think.  Anyway, we're thinking about it.  Will keep you posted.

5.  And, I'm doing some great reading and Bible study.  But, I think I'll save that for the next entry.  As far as D's therapy, he had his first session on Friday.  But, it was mostly just getting used to the machine, learning how to toss the "koosh" ball back and forth, building some trust with the therapist.  This next Friday should tell us more.

6.  OH, I almost forgot....we had our piano tuned finally.  We had called the guy last fall, but he never showed.  So we finally got him here the other morning, and I've been rediscovering the joy and stress release of playing and playing and playing.  Nothing like some heavy classical music to just work your stress out to.  My fingers are incredibly out of shape, but I am amazed how much they remember.  The piano sounds great now.  It had really gotten badly out of tune, with probably 5-6 keys that stuck.  And, who can blame it....after being dragged across the country on a trailer, under a tarp, in a monsoon!!    Then the shock of a whole new climate.  The poor thing didn't know what hit it! 

 

I find myself pondering which of many possible blog entries I want to write.  Should I share about my new Bible study, and all the seeming "coincidences" as far as it's subject matter....how God has obviously ordained it for this time in my life?  Do I share about staff retreat, and the amazing love we experienced from our staff family during that time?  Do I share about our recent struggles with David in the area of fears/anxiety/obsessions and the victories and encouragement we have had as we have sought the Lord's direction?  And what about Leah....A. Beth wants an entry about Leah.   What to do?

Hmmm...well, each of these really deserves a blog entry of its own.  However, I think I can combine David and staff retreat....as they are somewhat related.  So I think I will start there.  Then maybe I can share about my new Bible study next, and Leah....well, at least she is generally near the forefront of my mind and memory.  I'm not going to be forgetting her. 

Most of you know that David struggles with a variety of developmental issues, including ASD (autistic spectrum disorder), dyslexia, and other frontal lobe impairment (like ADHD, OCD, etc).  He has always presented special challenges.  However, since late November, we feel that he has been under significant attack....his physical struggles magnified by Satan's lies.  One of his worst fears came true then.  The kids all got the stomach flu.  Since that time, he has greatly regressed in the area of anxiety and compulsions.  He began withdrawing, not wanting to go anywhere.  Laying down all the time.  He began sleeping on the very edge of his bed.  Obsessing about clothing being too tight or not tight enough (in the case of his socks).  Finally, in the last month or so......compulsively washing his hands all day long and changing his clothes several times a day.  Even using the strongest ointment possible, his hands were beginning to scab and bleed from all the extra washing.  As parents, your natural inclination is to just make him 'get over it' and that's what we were certainly trying to do.  Forcing him to go out, disciplining him, dragging him to the car, putting clothes on him, not letting him wash his hands, etc. etc.   In addition you try and reason him out of it.....explaining in great detail why his fears are irrational, why his shirt is not contaminated b/c his sister touched the sink, and then his blanket, which touched his shirt.  I, in particular, was getting very frustrated and angry with him.....not to mention exhausted as battles were happening in the middle of the night almost every night.  We began to read on OCD in children.  Someone gave us a protocol from the Mayo clinic on therapy for OCD in a child David's age.  We found it quite useful in some ways, but didn't feel totally settled about the amount of control given to the child and the lack of spiritual perspective. 

All this to say, it has been a very, very difficult couple months at our house.  I feel like it has brought out each and every one of my worst weaknesses......something for which I am genuinely grateful b/c I'm being forced to deal with them.  God is working in my life as I am trying desperately to work in my sons'.   No amount of purposing to do better was making me successful in certain areas.  Coming to the end of my abilities and asking God to take over has finally been granting me some victory, but I know this will have to be a daily, ongoing process.  We have been pouring spiritual truth into David (and ourselves)....we pray with him, we are armed with Scriptures on truth vs. lies, on trusting God, on God's sovereignty.  Matt and I have been more united in this than ever before.

God has given me a new love and compassion for my son....rather than seeing him as an obstacle to 'normalcy' as I have been tempted to do lately.  His little brain is so tortured right now.....constantly bombarded with things that for most people are quiet and small, but for him are loud, disruptive and frightening.  Just to look at him breaks my heart sometimes.  Matt jokingly called him "Lurch" to me the other day b/c he walks around of late with his whole head tipped to one side...it's a new tic that has developed over the last 6 mos or so.  Everything seems so difficult for him.  HOWEVER, this brings me to the encouragement part.

One night after a particularly bad episode, Matt was praying for direction from the Lord and a lady came to mind that he'd known since he was young....who works for a Christian counseling service in Wausau.  (if we were going to seek help, we were very adamant that it be from someone with a Biblical perspective)  He decided to just call her and chat about what we've been dealing with.  As it turns out, she works with adults dealing with OCD, in fact her son had it....so she is very familiar with these symptoms.  And she mentioned that she is trained in a therapy called EMDR (eye movement desensitization & reprocessing), which she finds to be very effective.  That rang a bell with me b/c a couple years ago I had heard of some new research on EMDR (that was what Julie told you about, mom)  with children who had traumatic births.  I was very interested in it then, but while there was tons of info on using it for adults in a variety of ways, there just wasn't much documented about kids.  It basically works to reconnect pathways of communication btw. the left and right sides of the brain....pathways that have either been damaged or never developed due to traumatic events or illness.  They used to think these couldn't be repaired, but are finding that they can be now!  It is these neurological pathways that are responsible for many of David's physical delays and lack of processing skills.  This completely makes sense to me, and they've actually been working towards this for decades.  Ever heard about the connection btw. crawling and reading?  That kids who crawl longer are better readers?  They have actually used "crawling therapy" for reading disabilities and for other neuro-disorders or brain damage.  Why?  Because crawling is something that both sides of the brain coordinates together.  So forcing the brain to do it constantly strengthens those connections that are responsible for processing information correctly.  Playing the piano is another good right/left brain activity.  Anyhoo......I believe that this direction is going to be helpful for David.  We will be starting next week with the first focus being that she processes through the stomach flu event with him while consistently stimulating both sides of his brain.  We will see how he responds to that, and then perhaps continue further.

We have had some recent victories.  One night last week, he looked at his scabby hands and tearfully said, "Mom, will you PLEASE help me tomorrow not to wash them so much"?   I told him that I would, and I held him to it the next day.  We have seen a desire in him to do better and real remorse for the times when he doesn't.  We know that he has given his life to Jesus, and we see the Spirit working on him too.

At staff retreat, our executive director asked us to share a little about what was going on with David.  He felt it would be good for the staff to know specifically where we had been at the last couple months.  It was a very vulnerable experience in some ways as we were both emotional.  However, words cannot describe the love and support of our staff family.  Those people love us and they love our son.  As I looked around the room and saw the tears, I realized this in a new way.  One man who has worked with David in AWANA for many years shared how in council time, David had shared many testimonies of how God was working in his life.....always insightful and appropriate to whatever had been taught that evening.  He had tears in his eyes as he shared some of the things David had said (some I didn't even know) and told us that "He is a precious kid".  Some reminded us of how far they have seen David come in many areas.  Then at the end, they ALL gathered around us, laid their hands on us and prayed out loud for healing, for strength, for wisdom, for our other kids, etc.....it went on for a good 10-15 minutes as we passed the kleenex around and I don't think I have ever felt so loved and cared for.  How blessed we are to work with a family of people like this.  They are truly our brothers and sisters in every possible sense of the word.  I have a lump in my throat just writing of it.  Like Matt said, "I don't think I'll ever get over that."  And I pray we won't.  Thank you, God!

We did have our intro session with the counselor on Thursday.  It went so well.  David was hilarious....marching right into the office, sitting down and being very forthcoming about all his issues in a very cute way.  He said emphatically that he always had some fears, but that in November...."I was changed".    When he left for the waiting room, she did note that alot of how he talks is very typical of autistic and OCD people....but, she said "He is a doll!" and she really wants to work with him in spite of the fact that she generally works with adults.  We believe the Lord has led us to her.

And so I will close this very long entry knowing that God has given David to us for many special reasons, not the least of which is to grow us closer to Him.  But, I feel God has a special plan for this kid....He wants to demonstrate His glory through him, and I am going to trust in that.  Please pray for us as we continue to speak the truth, believe the truth, and act on the truth with him.  And for his upcoming EMDR sessions.  Also for our other kiddos, who I believe God is also equipping for special work through all this!  Stay tuned for other mentioned blog entries.  Love you all!

Yes, it did!  You'd think after living in WI for more than a decade now, that I'd get used to the idea that we generally can't expect spring weather and easter dresses on that holiday.  Well, one year we DID hunt for easter eggs in the backyard....must have been a late easter that year.  Anyway, there were FLURRIES as we bundled out to Sunday School on Sunday morning.  Leah did wear one of Anna's previous Easter dresses and was very cute....I just have to make sure they have sweaters to wear.  Alas, no pictures. 

Does that mean I have to say something substantial?  There's really not much to say.  We are gearing up for our annual staff retreat....a wonderful break once we get there, but an incredible stress in the week leading up.  We have a couple coming here to watch the girls [read: clean entire house so they don't know how messy we really are] and the boys are going down to Matt's moms house.  I feel like there is a giant clock ticking nonstop....steadily ticking down to Monday.

We're trying to accomplish schoolwork as well.  Anna is almost done with her work for the year.  She is reading SO well!  She sounds out just about anything now.  The boys just learned how to borrow and are starting multiplication next week.  (they've been introduced to it before, but this is SECOND grade multiplication)  They are adding thousands now too with carrying.

And our mommy dove has finally laid her eggs after several weeks of poking around the nest.  Cool!

What am I reading these days?  I haven't been doing alot of recreational reading....other than an occasional readers digest or News magazine.  I'm really enjoying "The Big Picture" by Tommy Nelson.  Matt's been listening to Tommy's podcasts from Denton Bible Church in TX for awhile now.  He specializes in Church and Biblical History, and I'm enjoying the book. 

I have only three more days in the book of Daniel with Beth Moore!  I know, it's taken me forever.  But you know, I've done 2 of her studies on my own, and about 4 with a group.  And I get so much more out of the ones I do on my own simply b/c I'm not tempted to rush through a chapter to keep up with the group schedule.  Do I ever return to those quickly scribbled chapters or missed audio sessions?  Historically....no.  So, I feel like doing the indepth study and audio sessions on my own has been very fruitful for me even though it does take me a bit longer.  And I think Daniel is my new favorite book of the Bible!  So much we can learn from his life, and then there's all that detailed prophecy about things that didn't happen for hundreds of years....so AMAZING!   

I'm really excited about the Amazon order I placed the other day.  A few years ago, when our wives study did Jesus: the One and Only, I remembered really wanting to study further on Jewish feasts and customs.  Beth had mentioned something in an audio session about some great books that have helped her with that, and I attempted to track down those titles via e-mail from her ministry.  No luck, and I forgot about it.  Now after studying Daniel, I was again impressed with the desire to know more about the feasts and celebrations/traditions of ancient Jewish culture.  I feel like it would help me so much with context and Bible study.  So, this time I called Living Proof.  The lady I spoke with was very sweet, and told me that if I could remember about what lesson Beth mentioned the books....that there are footnotes at the end of each chapter in the study book that list all her reference material.  Duh. 

I remembered that it was her in depth look at the Last Supper that had so wowed me.  Talking about the 4 cups, singing the Hallel and how significant all of that was to Jesus that night....how He was the very fulfillment of all of it.  I'd never read the account of the Last Supper with such understanding.  So, I looked at the footnotes of that lesson and sure enough, two titles......both of which I ordered from Amazon (one for only $3 used!)  "The Feasts of the Lord:  God's prophetic calendar to calvary" by Kevin Howard and Marvin Rosenthal and "Manners and Customs of Bible Lands" by Fred Wight.  They are coming!  Yay!  I also ordered the next study I want to do with Beth....."Stepping Up: Psalms of the Ascent".  I can't wait!

Can't you just hear Julie Andrews?  [....tuppence a bag...listen, listen, she's calling to you....] I always thought the bird woman looked a bit scary.    Liked the song, didn't care for the bird woman.

Well, spring is coming.  The snow starts to melt, the days are longer, the sun seems brighter, and Tarah starts talking about birds in her blog.    Our mourning dove pair is back for a third straight season of using the old robin's nest in our bush by the dining room window. (can I use that many prepositional phrases in one sentence, Mom?)   I just think that's amazing!  Amazing that they keep coming back...how long do they live anyhow?  Also amazing is that they do two broods each year, and the first one is laid while there's still several feet of snow on the ground! 

Anyway, this year I've had an excuse to indulge my obsession with birds.  We've been working on Apologia's Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day....at least half on birds!  One of the projects that I've been putting off and putting off (b/c we HAVE no birds in the middle of the winter) is having them make bird feeders and "smart suet" for our backyard.  Well, I'm starting to see birds again...we also have a cardinal pair that was scouting out the bushes the other day.  So, I decided that this weekend....we'd get the feeders made and out.  Enjoy the pics!

First we made "smart suet" for our basket....we see lots of woodpeckers in our backyard each year.  Here is Anna melting together the crunchy peanut butter and lard.

Some of our other ingredients....yummy!!

Johnny read the recipe and instructions for us.

Here is David stirring in the raisins.  (who knew that woodpeckers like raisins!)

And here are our bags of suet....ready to harden in the freezer!

While the suet was hardening, we made hanging seed feeders out of old juice containers.  Johnny's feeder has thistle seed in it for finches.  The others are a wild bird mix.

And now you'll have to just picture me dragging a ladder around in a backyard that has a couple feet of snow in it.    But here's an activity for you....can you spot the three feeders and the hanging suet basket in this picture?

Wow, I'm a picture posting maniac.  I'm discovering that pictures are a way to look like you're posting alot without saying anything substantial. 

This is mostly going to be pics of Anna.  We always close down the winter season of downhill skiing with a staff ski evening.  So we put Leah down for a nap at a friends apartment at camp, and all headed out to ski.  It was so much fun, and Anna could finally go down the big hill too!  The boys were skiing maniacs.....of course halfway through David fell and knocked the wind out of him good and he and Matt headed in.  He fell on the moguls!  Yes, the moguls.  I'd left to go get Leah up, and missed it all.  At first, I was upset that Matt had let him go down the moguls.  But he informed me that he'd already been successfully down them 4 times before he fell at the bottom of the 5th time.  I tell you, kids really pick up skiing fast.  I guess it's good that he learned he's not invincible out there.  Johnny is just as good, but a bit more cautious.  Anyway, Anna was so cute out there.  Here are some pics of her wedging her way down the big hill at the bottom.  One of our missionary staff, Norm Hoyt is talking her down....she's kind of following him.  Sorry they are kind of dark and blurry....the sun is going down and I am a notoriously bad photographer. 

And here we all are.....at least those of us who lasted the whole time.  Matt had taken David and Leah home.  This was right before the last run...when Anna made it up the tow rope ALL by herself!  So fun.

 

After all that skiing and a pizza party, we were very tired.  Anna was wearing her pink, Packer shirt that night and someone gave her a hilarious packer hat to match it.  I've never quite seen hats like this before....looks like pink and white dred locks!  But, she adored it....and insisted on wearing it to bed.  So, here is our exhausted-from-skiing, sleeping beauty in her strange Packer headgear. 

Matt and the older three are out skiing this afternoon, so I have a minute to blog!  I actually am wishing I was out there with them.  It's 30 degrees, sunny and beautiful outside!  And I think this is the last weekend that the ski hill is open to the public.  It's hard to believe skiing season is almost over!!  I'm sure if the nice weather continues, staff will have a couple more chances to be out there....but still.  Hard to believe it's nearly March.  Yes, I am heading out after Leah's nap to try and get some pictures.

So Thursday Matt decides out of the blue that the family needs a getaway.  We've been cooped up sick in this house for three weeks, everyone is getting on each other's nerves.  Time for a fun overnight trip to a hotel in Wausau.  A hotel with a small waterpark.  I was a little skeptical about how fun it would be with a 2 yr old.  However, Leah demonstrated that she is not a typical Hoffland 2 yr old!  The child has no fear.  Last year, Anna wouldn't even do the lazy river and she was FOUR!  She wouldn't do the lily pads either.  OR the two slower slides for kids.  Before I denigrate her any further, let me say she did ALL of those things this year.  Even the dark slide.  I was very proud of her.  But what I'm saying is that typically Hoffland toddlers don't like deeper water....where they feel off balance.  They are afraid of slides and new things.  Don't like waves.  Won't ride on tubes with mom and dad.  Historically there's nothing to do with them, but sit in 6 inches of water.  Not Miss Leah, though.  She first conquered the slides in the wading pool.  She had no problem riding round and round the lazy river with mom.  She hung out in the hot tub and the big pool, and after seeing the bigger kids crossing the lily pads....she went across too.  Crawling on all fours, with mom or dad standing nearby in case she slipped off.  She had a BLAST!  (and so did we) 

She will be more of the adventurous type like her thrill-seeking brother David.  David was very afraid of his first big slide too around age 3.  But once we went down it, there was no holding him back ever again.  He was a water-sliding maniac on Thursday.  AND, he is doing so good at swimming too.  He is determined to pass the blue swim test at camp this summer, and for the first time I think he might be able to.  Johnny was getting his dog-paddling down pretty well too.  He was finally tall enough to ride the 'toilet bowl' slide, but didn't really care for it.  He was very put out with himself for not wanting to do it again.  And, he couldn't do the bigger slides b/c you couldn't go double and he can't touch at the bottom.  But, I told him despite his being so hard on himself....I was proud of him for at least trying the toilet bowl.  The kid needs to give himself a break!

Funny David story.  We were loading up the van at the hotel.  Most of us were standing inside the back door of the hotel waiting.  Matt had just finished unloading the cart and David was already in the van.  So Matt tells me to take the cart back to the front desk and he will drive around and pick us up there.  I took the other three kids with me.  When we come around to the front, Matt is standing there inside the front door chuckling.  He told me that as soon as he got in the van, he goes "DAVID....let's get outta here!  Let's ditch the rest of them!  Just you and me, man! They won't even know we left!"  He was just teasing and thought David would realize that immediately.  But David (ever the literalist) panicked and started to stutter in his haste to stop his crazy dad...."B-b-b-but WAIT, Dad.....I love them!"   Now, how sweet is that?    When I got in the car, I said, "Thank you, David!  I'm so glad that you didn't leave us behind!" and he says, still shaking his head in disbelief, "Yeah.....it was Dad's idea!"

Oh, and we had a magnificent view of the Lunar eclipse on Wed night.  After AWANA, we set up the telescope in the back room and there it was....right outside our window!  It was a perfect view.  We saw it go into total eclipse and start to come out, then it rose too high for good viewing out the window.  And considering the temperature was about 10 below, I decided not to take the telescope outside and keep on watching!

It would be nice if I could get prayer concerns into the blog during the actual crisis....but, crisis tends to eliminate my blogging time.  Since my readers are mostly family (and family is generally updated through e-mail), I will just summarize the last couple weeks. 

Nearly 3 weeks ago, Leah came down with some kind of cough/fever thing.  Anna got sick too, I figured it was just a virus, but Leah kept getting worse.  I took her in Monday morning and she had pneumonia.  She was almost admitted pronto, but the doctor allowed me to take her home and try to reduce her breathing rate through breathing treatments and they gave her two good shots of antibiotic.  But, it wasn't enough and we ended up in the hospital that night.   That was loads of fun.  I'm afraid Leah will never again be the sweet, cooperative patient!  By the end, she greeted every nurse/Dr. who entered and looked at her with a "NO!  Go WAY!  I don't YIKE it!" even if they only had a harmless stethoscope.  It must be very unsettling to a little one to know that it doesn't matter what you say or do (they may ask you, but they don't mean it),  they're going to do whatever unpleasant thing that they have planned!   Poor thing.  She didn't rest well there, so I was relieved when they told me we could go home Tuesday afternoon.  But, she was still SO sick.  Finally by Friday she was slowly starting to improve.  Now today, even better.  David got sick a few days ago and has been running a monster fever for about three days, plus coughing and tons of mucus.  Johnny came down with it yesterday and again...the nasty fever, the coughing that hurts, and much snot.  Miserable stuff.  I'm home from church today for the third week in a row.  Can you say cabin fever?

As if pneumonia and coughing isn't enough, Leah also started having a diarrhea and yeast rash problem the minute she started the strong antibiotic.  I knew what to do though!  I ran and got a high grade probiotic at the pharmacy, and sprinkled a whole capsule into her applesauce.  Amazing how well that works.  If there are any moms reading....TAKE NOTE!  She had nasty, green skin-irritating poo that was just coming constantly.  She spent the first night complaining and itching (probably yeast too), but within 24 hours of the probiotic....diarrhea was GONE!  And the yeasty redness was much improved.  Gave her another capsule the next day.  No more complaining about itching.  She's still got antibiotic smelling stool, but it's normal and not painful and green...and only once a day rather than every other hour!  I will continue giving her a capsule every day as long as she's on the antibiotic.  What I'm doing is replacing the good intestinal bacteria that the antibiotic is killing.  The bacteria that usually keeps yeast under control.  Tips for probiotics:  higher quality stuff needs to be refrigerated...don't buy it off the shelves.  You can't overdose on it, it's perfectly safe.  Anything the body doesn't need will just come out.  I just plan to buy some everytime we are on antibiotics. 

For me, I've been taking high dose vit C and fresh garlic to strengthen my immune system.  Each and every time I start to feel run down and like I might be coming down with it....I pop at least 5-6000 mg of C and swallow an entire clove of fresh garlic.  (either chop it into manageable chunks or mince it in applesauce)  Works like a charm.  I find fresh garlic seems to be more potent than capsules.  I'd take even more C if I could get it down....hard to swallow so many pills! 

So, here we are.  I do have to write down two very funny Anna stories before I forget them!  So enjoy!

1.  Yesterday Matt was on his way out for the weekend.  He was squatted down hugging Anna.  She gave him a big kiss on the top of his head, and said "Dad, other kids aren't as lucky....they can't kiss their dads on the head.  There's too much hair!"    So sweet.  She's happy HER dad is bald.  That made him feel all mushy.

2.  So yesterday afternoon, Anna comes into the kitchen and asks me where the glue is.  No big deal....I figured it was another one of her bazillion little crafts that she loves to do.  She's always cutting and gluing something or other!  So I told her where it was.  A few minutes later, she comes hopping into the kitchen with a slightly nervous look on her face.  She's anxious to get all this out quickly before I have a chance to object.  "Mom, I glued my feet together so I can be a mermaid.....but if it doesn't work, I'll wash it ALL off!"  And she turns and hops out, while I'm picking myself up off the floor!    Later on, I heard her wail, "DAVID....you made my feet come apart!" and I had to break the news to her that school glue wasn't going to be sufficient to fuse her feet.  [note to self: hide the super glue] BUT, I showed her the fun of peeling oodles of elmers glue off her skin!