Hannah's Dental Day

Hannah had a tough day today. She had two appointments, one with the Orthodontist to put in spacers in preparation for a palette expander and another with the Oral Surgeon to remove a tooth.

She is such a tremendously tough little girl and very brave. She rarely complains and never gives us a fight when she has to have these procedures done. She took it all so well.

The tooth extraction was a tough one. It was a canine tooth with an extremely long root and even though it was a baby tooth, it was not loose at all. There was quite a bit of pain afterward and she did not like the fact that she could not spit or use a straw.

This picture says it all...poor little dear. I felt very bad for her. Thankfully, by the evening, she was feeling much better and almost pain free except when she bumped it by mistake. I told her she could stay home from school if she wants tomorrow. It would be pretty hard to send her to school with a tender mouth and a soft food diet.

Weekly Daybook

Go to The Simple Woman to read more entries.

For Today...November 30, 2009

Outside My Window...a very dark, gray day. Some rain, but not quite cold enough for snow.

I am thinking...I need to remember where our copy of Bartholomew's Passage is. It has to be here somewhere, but oh, where is the mystery.
I am thankful for...Brian for so many reasons. Today as on many days, he makes my live easier. He is always quick to help when needed and does it without complaint.
From the learning rooms...worked on setting up the Jesse Tree today and other advent prep.
From the kitchen...left-overs today. One more round and then any left-over Thanksgiving food goes away.
On my mind...How best to help our "Littles". They will face a lot of challenges and I want to make sure we give them the best opportunities to maximize their abilities, but not sure exactly what that will look like.
I am creating...still working on Christmas things and probably will be until Christmas Eve.
I am going...to continue to enjoy the excitement of the Christmas season. The last few years have seemed too much like work. This year I am trying to recapture the fun of the season.
I am reading...Fix It and Forget It Complete Collection. So many new possibilities.
I am wearing...Black windpants, a green shirt and sweater vest.
Pondering these words..."One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries." A.A. Milne
This was posted on FB today by my friend Jennifer. My life is often so disorderly and I fight constantly against the tide of clutter and disorganization, but the discovery part has happened so many times. I'll be looking for something, usually with a lot of frustration and rediscover a long lost treasure and it makes me smile. I love this quote.
I am hoping...that Hannah feels better soon from her tooth extraction today.
I am hearing...the dish washer, the clothes washer and Brian just coming in.
Around the house....bins of Christmas things waiting to be put out.
One of my favorite things...taking pictures. I don't think I'm very good at it, but I do enjoy it, especially pictures of the children, my gardens and the beautiful nature around us.

Here is a picture I'd like to share...

Some mornings after the bus leaves, Gabe, Gracie and I go for a walk. It is a great way to start our school day.

Christmas Card Photos

Today after lunch, we had the children put on somewhat matching outfits and we took a ton of pictures for our Christmas card photo. The children really did great. The only time they complained was during the tree pictures. The little girls were somewhat nervous of sitting in the tree. This struck me funny as they climb the trees all the time.

The following pictures are ones that did not make the cut. I won't show the winner until after the cards gets sent out.

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving would be a bit different than most years. We stayed home. Usually we either spend the day at Mom and Dad's or at Glenn and Theresa's. We do not have a lot of room for a large sit down dinner, so this works out well. This year, Mom and Dad were traveling to Ohio to attend Chris and Cayla's wedding on Saturday and Glenn and Theresa were spending the day with her family.

I was all for having lasagna or something non-traditional like that, but after weeks on the road and restaurant food, Brian wanted a nice home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner. Brian, Bess and I had a great time cooking and baking. The chores were shared which made the work light and the company was great. Preparation went along smoothly.

Walt joined us shortly before dinner.

The table all set and ready for the feast. You can see our Thankful Tree on the wall. This has become a favorite Thanksgiving tradition.

Everyone ready to dig in. The food was all so yummy. We had all the favorites, turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, gravy, sweet potato, squash, turnip, fresh baked rolls, pickles and olives. And for dessert, pumpkin and apple pie.

After dinner we took a walk to the show Walt the falls and to burn off a bit of our dinner before dessert. The sun was setting and by the time we got back home, it was almost dark.

We had a very nice relaxing day. We are so very thankful for the many blessings in our life.

Daddy's Coming Home

Brian has been on a trip since late October. We have been eagerly awaiting his arrival back home and hoping for no delays. Tuesday night we headed to the airport. The children love these late night trips to the airport. They view it all as quite the adventure.

Here they are waiting for his flight to arrive.


We had a lot of sleepy eyes the next morning getting up for school, but we were so thrilled to have him home and that he would be with us for Thanksgiving.

Children's Museum of Science and Technology - CMOST

The Children's Museum of Science and Technology (CMOST) was a recent destination for a field trip with our homeschool group. CMOST is a fun little museum with lots of hands-on displays.

We picked up Ethan, one of the boys in Gabe's class to go along with us as his family wasn't going to be attending. Ethan and Gabe had a great time.

Here they are playing with a giant sized Lite Brite. I couldn't get it in a picture, but one of the highlights for the boys was a large light wall. It was heat sensitive, so when you moved your arm along the wall, it would change color, like a mood ring. We spent a lot of time hanging out by the wall. At one point, the graphic changed to the solar system with all the planets bouncing around and as you moved your arm or hand toward one of the planets, it would bounce up like a ping-pong ball...very fun.

They had a nature demonstration. The kids got to hear about several animals and touch them.

The snake was a hit with our crew.

Another fun exhibit was a green screen set up like a weather station. There was a tele-prompter and you could pick what type of weather you wanted to report on and then it recorded you and you could watch it playback.

Gabe and Ethan really enjoyed this.

Bess got into the act and did a great stereotypical weather girl impression. She hammed it up big time and had us all in tears from laughing. And yes, she is on her knees...these exhibits are made for much younger children.

Here is her recording, well a picture of it. I wish I would have thought to put the camera on video. It was very funny. Gabe was playing her assistant, being blown around by the stormy blizzard in the background.

Checking out the battery and light bulb table.

Finding out about the head waters of the Hudson.

Playing in a dugout canoe.

The last thing we did was see a dome show in their planetarium. That was really fun and is similar to an IMAX experience. We got to lay down on the floor and with the dome over us, they played this great movie on astronauts.


It is times like this that I really miss having all the children at home. I think next time we go on a field trip, I'll let the public school children have the day off from school to join us.

Latest Cross-stitch Block

This is my latest cross-stitch project done for my stitching group. The theme was sports.

Weekly Daybook

Go to The Simple Woman to read more entries.

For Today...November 23, 2009

Outside My Window...a very gray, dark day. Looks like snow, but isn't cold enough.

I am thinking...that I would love to take a nap.
I am thankful for...Bessie. She is a terrific young woman and I am so blessed to be her momma.

From the learning rooms...taking the week off from formal stuff.
From the kitchen...all is quiet today. No motivation to be cooking or baking.
I am wearing...windpants and a long-sleeved purple shirt.
I am creating...some Christmas gifts. Shhh, don't tell anyone. :-)

I am going...a bit stir-crazy. The last few days of Brian's trips are often the toughest for me.
I am reading...several books on adoption and attachment.
I am hoping...that Brian meets all his connections and arrives home safely.
I am hearing...very little, a dog barking, the computer humming. Bess and Gabe are quietly engaged and the other children are not home from school yet.
Around the house....mounds of laundry in various stages...in the hamper, sorted piles on the floor, in baskets awaiting folding, neat piles on my bed awaiting children to put them away.

One of my favorite things...a comfy chair, a fresh cup of tea and a new recipe book.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...the biggest, best plan is to pick Brian up from the airport. Celebrating Thanksgiving. Enjoying family time.

Here is a picture I'd like to share...

Weekly Daybook

Go to The Simple Woman to read more entries.

For Today...November 9, 2009

Outside My Window...it's dark. The night falls so early this time of year. The amazing thing is that is it is still 60 degrees.

I am thinking...how much I miss Brian when he is away.
I am thankful for...men and women who give up so many of the things we take for granted to serve the Lord as missionaries. They humble me.

From the learning rooms...lots of basics...grammar, writing and math facts.
From the kitchen...chicken pot pie, a new recipe, it was yummy.
I am wearing...a black and white striped shirt and black pants.
I am creating...a sport themed cross stitch block.
I am going...to work on getting my block done. I am always behind my deadlines.
I am reading...Open Heart, Open Home by Karen Burton Mains.
I am hoping...that God continues to nudge me in areas that need nudging and that I might act accordingly.
I am hearing...Bess and Gabe downstairs. I think they are getting ice cream. The water running in the tub...a nice bubble bath is calling me.
Around the house....baskets of folded laundry needing to be put away...a school project waiting to be completed...one more box of apples waiting for...applesauce, apple butter, pies?

One of my favorite things...an unexpected warm day in November.
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...ortho appointments, boys club, piano lesson, youth group, night class, parent-teacher conference, celebrating Veterans Day.

Here is a picture I'd like to share...

Camping - VA & DC - Day 5 - 8/30 - National Zoo

The National Zoo was our first destination point in DC. Brian braved the traffic, no easy feat with our 12-pack van, and drove to the zoo.

It had been 26 years since I had been to this zoo and Brian never had, so this was basically a new experience for all of us. The children were so excited to be going to see so many animals and some we hadn't seen before.

It was a lovely day, a bit hot, but sunny and nice. They had these great misting stations around the zoo where you could walk under a very fine mist. You didn't get real wet (well the children sure did), but it cooled you off wonderfully.

These guys didn't look like they were too hot.

Ones of Gabe's favorite moments was seeing the Pandas. He was so thrilled and especially excited that one of them was awake and eating. We made sure to get a picture of him and the Panda.


We hit just about every exhibit at the zoo and that is a lot. We spent six hours there, walking and walking and walking some more. The children did a great job, but you can tell by this picture and some of the others, that Dan was tuckered out.

We ate at one of the places in the zoo, but for future visits, we would bring our own...very expensive as we anticipated. It was a nice break and we were able to see the last few exhibits after being refueled and a bit refreshed.


One of the last animals on our list was the Hippos. Gabe wanted to see one "live and in person" and the excitement for him was worth the whole day for us. He is at such a wonderful age where things are still so exciting for him and he is making a lot of life connections between things he has read and learned about then experiences in real life. Our Filipino children are just getting to this point as they gain more knowledge of the world around them.

I loved these jelly fish. Even when watching them for myself, I find it hard to believe they are a real living creature. They are so delicate and seemingly made of well...jelly...just lovely.


Look at the size of these fish!

The crew taking a rest in the shade of the bamboo.

Here's the handsome couple. Still smiling after a long day. I enjoy traveling and seeing new places, especially when we are all together. We saw a lot of this particular bush behind us. They were beautiful and I have no idea what they are...maybe some type of spirea, although I've not seen any like in our northern clime. Any southern gardeners out there have a clue?


After a very long, hot day, we made our way back to the campground. We stopped and picked up take-out on the way back...too tired to cook. We shed our walking shoes, put our feet up, ate our food and went to bed. What a great day!

Camping - VA & DC - Day 3 & 4 - 8/28 & 8/29

The 3rd day of our trip found us driving around the Charlottesville area. We didn't make any plans ahead of time and we needed more time to see all the things available in the area. It is a beautiful area to explore.

We saw this statue in downtown Charlottesville of Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea. I had not realized that Charlottesville was where all the planning and organizing for the expedition began.

We drove up to Monticello but did not go in. It was a very rainy day and we were running out of time. We are hoping to return to the area again with a better plan.

This trip found us staying at KOA campgrounds. We did not know what to expect as we had never stayed at one before. We were very pleased with the Charlottesville KOA. It is one of the many privately owned KOA campgrounds. It was clean, the sites were big and the staff were excellent. There was also a nice pool, but we the weather was not agreeable for swimming. We would use them again with no hesitation.

The next day we loaded up and headed for Washington, DC. The drive was easy and did not take too long. We stopped along the way to have lunch. One of the many reasons we love traveling with the camper is having bathroom and kitchen facilities ready wherever we stop.

The Capitol KOA was also a great campground. It was clean, had a great playground and pool and a nicely supplied store. Part of the campground is wooded and part open. There are also a few cabins you can rent.

After we set the camper up and relaxed for a bit, I took the children up to the pool. This was a great feature of both KOA campgrounds that we have not enjoyed at other campgrounds we have used. The children loved being able to walk up to the pool and have an hour or so of water fun.