Recap

Saturday...
A day of errands, chores and play. Mom and Dad came over late in the afternoon to stay with the kids. Brian and I went to a Valentine's Dinner at church. It was a lot of fun. They had a Newlywed Game spin off that was very funny.

Sunday...
I went to the early service as the choir was singing. A quick buzz home and then we all went back to church for Sunday school and second service. On Sunday when the choir sings, we do both services. Bessie had an audition after church with the music committee. This is required if you would like to be added to the special music rotation. She was nervous, but did very well and has been added to the list. She is thrilled and eagerly going through music tracks to pick out some songs. We had a quiet afternoon. I took a nap!

Monday...
A good day at home. We got in a good morning of school. Gabe, Rachel and I went for a walk. Brian had a late flight, so he didn't get home until 11:30pm. I worked on my current cross-stitch block.

This particular block comes from the Beginner's Bible and is of Noah, the Ark and some of the animals. It is a larger pattern than usual, but quite simple. It is taking me forever. I am not really sure why, but I'm feeling like Penelope from The Odyssey. I am not pulling out stitches, but everyday it seems I make no progress! I guess I am, but it is very, very slow.

Tuesday....
Bessie's usual piano lesson was canceled. Brian, Gabe and I went walking after Bri got home. The dirt road is getting very muddy.

Today...
We went visiting. The family we visited is dear to my heart as they also have adopted children, three of them. They are an "older" couple, like we are, so I feel a real kindred spirit with them. We can talk about issues and there is understanding. Their adoptions where different than the usual baby adoptions, so we have a lot in common.

The kids had a great time playing outside in the snow. It was warmer today and the sun was bright. We took a walk and enjoyed the fresh air. You can feel spring in the air; even though we are expecting another snowstorm this weekend. The birds always sound differently at this time of year and the sun is getting higher in the sky. We have had a relatively mild winter this year, but it will still be wonderful to see spring arrive.

Brothers

Dan and Gabe are growing closer in closer. As Dan gets bigger and is able to play more "big boy" games, Gabe is enjoying his company more. They will run and chase each other all over the house, tumbling in a heap of wrestling. It is so wonderful to see their relationship developing. Gabe always wanted a brother and now they have each other.

Going Shopping

This was the gorgeous view from the top of the mountain on our way to my brother and sister-in-laws house yesterday. It is a very long view across VT and into NH.

When we woke up this morning, the world was coated in a beautiful frosting of snow. We got a couple more inches of snow and it was lovely.

Our much smaller hills

After a good morning of school, we headed out to the Post Office and an afternoon of shopping. The kids had money left from Christmas and Gabe was antsy to spend some of it. He collects small plastic figures made by Papo. He has quite a few knights and horses and had his eye on some pirates this time. Our local AC Moore sells them as does the Parent-Teacher store.

We stopped at AC Moore first as they had a sale. He was able to find two of the figures he wanted. I picked up a couple long-sleeve t-shirts and a few things for secret sisters.

The Parent-Teacher store is wonderful. They have so much there from books and traditional classroom items to games, puzzles and toys. We took quite a bit of time in there. They did not have any other pirate figures, so Gabe added to his knights collection. Each of the Littles found something they liked (with help), Bessie picked out a book and I picked up a few small things. I would have liked to browse in the book section more, but keeping all the little ones out of trouble was getting difficult. I also forgot that this is vacation week here and there were a lot of teachers in there. It was much more crowded than usual at this time of day.

A Day of Visiting

We had a last minute change a plan and spent the day with my sister-in-law Theresa and her kiddos.

The drive over to their house takes about 1.5 hours. The kids were good on the drive and very excited about seeing "the cousins".

We had lunch and then the younger kids went outside. They played in the snow for quite a while. The older girls enjoyed time on the computer, playing cards and using the Karaoke machine. What a bunch of hams.

Theresa and I enjoyed some nice relaxing time catching up on what's been going on. I even got in some stitching.

Theresa had made brownies and they had a gift for Rachel's birthday, so we sang happy birthday and enjoyed the yummy treat. Rachel was thrilled with her gift. It was a Disney princess art set, markers, colored pencils and a very cute teddy bear.

A happy group of kids

It started to snow as we were getting ready to leave and by the time we got up the mountain, the roads were very slippery. There was an accident on the top of the mountain. Thankfully, no one appeared to be hurt, but the cars where crunched. We forged ahead, slow and steady and made it home fine. We did make one stop so Bessie could take pictures of the snow on the trees.

It was a very fun day.

Warm Up

We had a good few days. After a very cold morning yesterday of -3 degrees, it warmed up very nicely today.

We had a very productive morning of schooling, every one's attitudes were good and we accomplished quite a bit. I love those days!

The kids spent a lot of time outside today. The snow, which had been a very light powder, was stickier today, which meant snowballs and snowmen. They made a few runs down the sliding hill, but decided they wanted to play in the snow today, so they put away the saucers.

Bessie and Gabe love to roughhouse in the snow, tackling each other, throwing snowballs and stuffing snow down necks and under shirts. The Littles are not too sure about all this physical play. I'm sure they will catch on sooner or later.

Bessie tackles Gabe

It is tough for Dan playing in the deep snow. Every step and he goes up to waist. He retreated to the swingset where he could use the slide and climbing rope for support. Despite the tough going, he had a great time.

Hannah made this cute little snowball and decorated it with pine branches and cones. She always wants to make things look pretty.

Bess, Gabe and Rachel went for a more traditional type snowman. He has a pot for a hat and a very long nose. He was dubbed "Pinocchio".

Sunny Saturday

Today was a pretty full day.

Brian and some of the kids headed out to run errands. They went to the post office, two libraries and two different grocery stores.

I stayed home with the rest of the kids and did laundry, started making pies and worked on my current cross-stitch block. I had to wait until Bri got home from the grocery store to finish my pies. The pies were for a dinner at church tonight.

After lunch, Brian, Gabe and I went for a nice walk. It was warmer out today and the wind had finally died down. It was so enjoyable being able to move right along. We did the two miles in jig time. When we got back, I booted everyone out for some air and exercise. The kids played on the sliding hill for a good long time.

It is amazing what a difference just a few days makes in how much fun the Littles had. The first day they tried sliding, they were quite cautious and didn't seem to enjoy it that much. Today they were giggling and screaming and having a great time. Brian joined them and posted himself at the top of the hill for pushes. He was spinning the bigger kids and they would rocket down the hill twirling like tops. He also "groomed" their trail a bit with the shovel so they didn't slide off into the brush so often.

Tonight we had an appreciation dinner for our pastor at church. It was a surprise and a lot of fun. There have been some difficult times at church recently and I'm sure he was glad to see how many people love and support him. There were over 200 people present. He is a wonderful godly man, who preaches the word and really has a heart for his congregation and for the lost. It was good to be reminded that despite troubles, if we are steadfast in supporting our pastor and praying for him, that God will bless the church.

It was late when we got home, so we had a quick ready for bed and in bed for all.

Little's Plane Day

Today was the Plane Day for the Littles. This is the date we celebrate their homecoming to join our family. They didn't really understand what it was all about, but we talked about it and asked if they remembered last year. Rachel said she did, but I'm not sure how much Hannah and especially Dan remember.

We had a good day. We did some school this morning. Rachel is making good progress on her letter sounds. I am really encouraged by her work the last few weeks.

It was still cold and windy, but not quite so cold. It managed to get up into the 20s. With the warmer temps, I let all the kids go out to play. It takes me about 10 minutes (okay, a little exaggeration, but not much) to get Dan ready and he was back inside in 5 minutes. Hannah lasted a bit longer and the older three stayed out for quite a while.

Brian was home early. He did the snowblowing again as the wind had blown in several of the paths and the town plow truck and piled quite a bit of snow across our driveway.

We made brownies for after dinner and I put fixins' in the bread machine for pizza dough.

Bessie, Gabe and Rachel went out again in the afternoon and stayed out for over an hour. I don't know how they can handle the wind, but I guess trotting up the hill dozens of times keeps you warm.

We had a dinner favorite of pizza and salad and then brownie sundaes for dessert. We gave small gifts to the Littles. They were so excited.

We watched some home videos of past Christmases and Gabe's Plane Day. I couldn't find the video of when the Littles came home last year. I need to hunt around for that. Everyone loved seeing Gabe as a baby and watching Bessie play peek-a-boo. When we skipped ahead to newer videos, Dan kept wanting to see the baby again. We told him it was Gabe, but he said, "No, baby!" They loved seeing themselves from this past Christmas. I need to remember to take the video camera out more often. It was great fun watching them.

Then and Now

One year ago today, Brian and Bessie brought home the Littles from the Philippines. I can not believe it has been a year already. We call this special day the kids "Plane Day".

Our first family photo 2/16/06 at the airport

This past year has probably been the most difficult our family as ever faced. I wonder if we had known just how difficult it was going to be, would we have still gone forward? I would like to think so, but it has been so tough for us. We are secure in God's plan, but sometimes it can be a very rocky road.

The main thing we have learned from it all is God's faithfulness and grace through all the trials. The daily "manna" that we needed to make it through, but often, just enough to get through. We had to depend totally on his provision and strength.

We all have grown by leaps and bounds and it is so encouraging to see how each of us has been molded and changed, the "old" family members as much as the "new".

We still have far to go, but we are walking more together as one unit instead of two and we can see how shifts in family dynamics are taking place...different pairings instead of the "old" foursome and the "new" threesome. Bonds are being broken and new ones are made as we reform our family into a whole! God is so faithful.

A much different family 2/16/07

The "real" us!

Cabinet Troubles

Hmm...is this some new trend in kitchen design or accessory? Actually, it is just what it appears to be...a car jack and a brick.

This afternoon, I noticed that the cabinet doors were not coming together straight...no major deal in a very old house, but I knew they where much closer than this before. Upon further investigation, I discovered that that cabinets where pulling away from the wall. Yikes! I called Brian and he said to take everything out of the cabinets. Which Bessie, Gabe and I did.

Apparently when we took the peg board off the wall, that was a major part of what was holding the cabinets up. These are not conventional manufactured cabinets and they cut a lot of corners when making them.

When Bri got home, he jacked the cabinets back up and went to work on putting in bracing and screwing the cabinets to the wall properly. It was quite a bit of work getting the kitchen back in order, but it is done! You just have to love living in an old house.

All my glassware on the washer and dryer

After the Storm

This morning while everyone else was eating breakfast, I ventured out to enjoy the early morning aftermath of the snowstorm. The sky was blue and clear and the snow was full of sparkles. The world was quiet. The wind had picked up and it was very cold, but I enjoyed this time before the snow was disturbed.

Our vehicles before Brian cleaned up the driveway

The homestead
My perennial border and water garden

are under there somewhere

The shadows made such beautiful patterns

After breakfast, Brian headed out to tackle the job of cleaning up the driveway and paths. We have an extensive path system...out to the chicken coop and bunny hutches, over to the woodpile, around the house to the birdfeeders and a serious of paths for the dog. We have a snowblower, but this still takes about two hours after a large storm like this.

The path to the chickens and bunnies

The kids had a snow day yesterday, so I told them they had to get some work done today. Gabe wanted to go out with Bri, so he quickly did his language arts and math and then went out.

Gabe digs a fort

Later in the afternoon, Gabe, Rachel and Bessie went out for some sledding. The wind was blowing very hard and the temp was only around 11, so I did not let Hannah and Dan go out. They were disappointed, but it was just too cold and windy for them.

Valentine's Day Flowers

Brian and I don't usually do anything special for Valentine's Day, but he always treats to something nice. This year he brought me this lovely miniature rose. He knows I love "live" plants over cut flowers. This will go in my garden in the spring.

Snow for Valentine's Day

We had our first major snowstorm today. It was great. Everyone was so excited. Okay, so usually I am not thrilled with the idea of more snow in February, but this year we have had very little snow, so this was fun.

Brian had no trouble getting into work and was let out early, which was a relief to me. He was able to snowblow the driveway early, which will help tomorrow when he'll do it again.

I gave the kids a "snowday" today. Everyone headed outside to romp in the snow and enjoy some sledding.

The view across the road and that snowstorm

Bessie and Gabe were old pros and tried to share all the sledding tricks with the Littles. Rachel was the only one willing to partake of some of their ideas....like chaining the sleds together.

Of course, I had to get in on the fun. Dan was not too sure about all this whooping and hollering that seems to be part of the whole sledding experience.

Rachel awaiting her turn

Bessie is thrilled, Hannah is well....guarded

Bessie doesn't have much luck "surfing" on her sled

Gabe doesn't have any better success with his attempt

Dan loves the sledding, but not the climb up the hill

Brian shovels the stoop

Round #1 with the driveway

Wedding photo for Valentine Day

Okay, some friends on SHS were wanting to post weddings pictures. Some of them are really funny. Wish we had something goofy, but this is the best I could do. This was in 1986. I got my dress on sale from the J.C. Penney bridal shoppe. My mom made my veil.

Stitching for Kids

I wanted to mention the site where I started my "career" charity stitching. It is called LoveQuilts. It is a wonderful organization.

I would encourage any of you who like to cross-stitch to check it out. You don't have to stitch a lot. You can do one block a year, or many. You get to choose the child you stitch for. You pick your own patterns within the theme described, so you can work within your ability level. It is a very worthwhile organization.

Below are some of the recent quilts we have done in my little group.

Around the world

Dogs

This is one of my favorites....shoes and purses!

Quilts

As I've mentioned before, I stitch with a small group of ladies, for charity. This is an online group and we make quilts from cross-stitch blocks for children with chronic or life-threatening diseases. I have never met any of these ladies, but they are wonderful friends.

When they knew that the Philippine kids were coming home, they wanted to make quilts for all of our children. I was overwhelmed and so very pleased that they wanted to bless our family with these quilts. They allowed me to be part of the surprise so that I could stitch a block for each of the kids quilts.

It was quite comical as I openly worked on the quilt blocks and the kids had no idea. They are so used to seeing me working on my cross-stitching that they never would have guessed the blocks this time were for them.

Below are the quilts. The kids love them and sleep with them every night.

Rachel's My Little Pony quilt

Bessie's butterfly quilt

Dan's Thomas the Tank Engine quilt
Gabe's heavy equipment quilt
Hannah's Hello Kitty quilt

Quiet Saturday

We had a good day today.

I headed out this morning to sign Rachel and Hannah up for soccer this fall. They have this pre-season sign up at half the cost of signing up later, so I try and take advantage of it. They enjoyed playing last year. Bessie is too old this year and Gabe decided not to.

We had a good morning around the house. The kids played and Brian and I puttered. There is always laundry to catch up on. Bri did some outside chores.

After lunch we went to the library. He hadn't been in a couple weeks. There were books waiting for us and everyone found a book or two for fun reading and some videos. Brian even found a couple WWII books. He loves reading books on history.

When we got home, everyone bundled up and we headed out to walk. Brian couldn't believe his ears when I said, "Don't forget the dog!" You bring the dog and all the kids?! Of course!

It was still cold and quite windy, but the sun was out and it was nice. We brought the strollers this time so Hannah and Dan could ride on the way back. Two miles is quite a stretch for their little legs.

Bri all bundled up

I thought he looked like a Ninja

We had a nice quiet afternoon. I got some stitching done, the youngers watched one of their videos, Bessie played Zoo Tycoon and Bri started right in on one of his new books.

Rachel's Birthday

Rachel's birthday was on Thursday. Brian had to work late that night, so he stayed home for a few hours in the morning. He made us pancakes for breakfast.

This was Rachel's first birthday since coming home. We had only missed her birthday last year by a little over a week. It was a long year for her as she watched everyone Else's birthday come and go.

We didn't get to celebrate her special day until Friday. Brian took the day off and we had a day out. Rachel got her ears pierced and we did some shopping. Mom and Dad came over in the afternoon to have dinner with us.

In our house, you get to choose what you want for your birthday dessert. We aren't huge cake fans, so often it is something else. Rachel chose apple pie.

We had a great day and Rachel was so excited. It was wonderful to watch her. This was her first celebrated birthday.

Make a wish!

So many gifts
Gabe helps out
A new Barbie

Getting Our Ears Pierced

Thursday was Rachel's 8th birthday. For months she has wanted to get her ears pierced and we told she could when she turned eight. She counted the days.

Friday morning we headed to the Claires at the mall. She was so excited until the moment of truth. She started to wiggle and squirm. I wasn't sure she was going to go through with it. After some coaching from me and finally my hands helping her to keep her shoulders down, she did it. After the first one, she did great on the 2nd.

She was so very excited. The young lady handed her a mirror and she was just tickled pink to see those tiny gold balls in her ears. She received several pairs of earrings for her birthday and can't wait to try them out.

"Is it going to hurt?"

"Don't I look pretty?"

Danger Dan

Daniel is a very, ahhh, shall we say, energetic child! He can get into trouble in a room padded with mattresses. I'm sure at some point, he will earn us a trip to the ER.

One of the things that is constantly causing him trouble is that he likes to climb on the back of chairs. Usually while someone is sitting in it. That wouldn't be so bad, except people get up and then, yes, chairs tip over and Dan goes for a short flight...crash and burn!

The photo below is the result of just such an incident. He was on the back of a rocking chair that Rachel and Gabe were sitting in. They got up, Dan went crashing and landed face first onto a radiator behind the chair. He looks like he was attacked by a wild animal.

He was very brave about the whole thing. After the appropriate snuggles and "Poor Daniel", he let me clean it up and even take his picture. Of course, holding Mr. Teddy helped. I am not a squeamish person at all, worked in an ER for several years, but this gave me to shivers looking at the "roadrash" on his little face.