Christmas 2011

So I can't believe I haven't blogged since August - where has time gone? So thankful for the end of another year, and so looking forward to 2012!! Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!!

Summer is almost over

I can't believe I haven't posted in 2 months! We have had a great summer, and I hope to get caught up on blogging over the next few weeks!! We plan on starting school August 22nd. Jason is excited about 5th grade and Rachel will be in 2nd grade! We were just looking through old folders, and it seems like yesterday that Jason was starting kindergarten and Rachel was only 2! Cherish each moment because they grow up too fast!!

Creek Classic 2011

What a weekend of soccer we have had!! The Celtic U10 Boys Blue team started the Creek Classic on Saturday with a win 5-3! First win of the season! Rachel had a game at the same time, so myself, Oma, and Opa watched Rachel and then we will watch Jason play at 3:00!! The second game was all Celtics and they won with a shutout 6-0 and Jason scored THREE GOALS!! We were so proud of him!!

Our third game was Sunday morning and we really needed to win to secure a spot in the finals Sunday afternoon!! At halftime, they were tied 0-0 and the parents were getting worried that the boys weren't playing their best, but the second half they came out and pulled off the win 6-2 which meant they were going to the finals and had a chance to WIN!!

Sunday afternoon we returned to the fields for a 3:30 start time! I think I was more nervous than the team! WOW - what a game! We scored first, then the other team scored, so tied 1-1. We scored, then they tied it up AGAIN! With 40 seconds left in the game, WE SCORED!!!! What a great game!! The team didn't win a game all season, and now went 4-0 in the tournament - Jason was so excited!!!!!!! Way to go Celtics!!

Gone a Long time

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted! April was a whirlwind of activities including moving into our new house! I plan on catching up over the next few days, so bear with me, and wait to see all of the things that happened in April!!

Bible Study

Every week I look forward to Fridays because it's the end of the week, but mainly because I know our Crown class is going to meet tonight. I am so blessed each time we meet. I am so thankful for how God ordained our group to have people from different areas of life and at different stages. Chris and I are excited to be leading a group again. Today was a nice day other than the frigid temperatures. We were finished with school by lunch, so we spent the afternoon getting ready for the weekend. The kids cleaned their rooms, and played nicely together. I spent the afternoon getting lesson plans ready for next week because I didn't want to spend a Saturday with nothing planned doing lesson plans. I called Boonshoft museum and was able to sign Nathan and Kara up for the next homeschool lab on April 5th since they will stay until April 6th. I also called and ordered a plant to send to the funeral for Marie.

Relaxing day

Before we went to bed last night, Nelda called to tell us that Marie had passed away at 9:15 pm. We all felt very sad for Nancy. We found out later in the day that the funeral will be on Saturday at Noon, so Nancy planned on coming home on Monday and then coming with the family next Wednesday. We will be so excited to see them all!! I was so excited to have an "easy" day today. The best part was that Chris got to be home before Jason had to go to practice, so Rachel and I stayed at home and played cards. We eat supper later on Tuesdays and Thursdays now, but it works out so much better, because then the kids aren't begging for snacks before bed. While the boys were gone, Rachel and I went to Toys R Us to look for the present she wants to get Jason for his birthday. She would like to get him a new binder for his baseball and basketball cards, but we can't seem to find one at the several stores we visited. We were excited to find kites though, b/c the they have both wanted to fly kites since winter is almost over, and we have seen people at the parks flying them.

Life is so short

So thankfully today is Wednesday and nothing is on the calendar but Bible Study at church with the kids going to GAs and RAs.
Nelda called on and off again today about Marie. She was beginning to get better and then out of the blue, she calls and says that Marie's right kidney had been failing, and they were going to do a scan of her insides.
After the scan, they found some blockage in her stomach, and pretty much said that her time on earth should only be a few more hours. WHAT? I can't believe this lady has gone from doing better (recovering from a major surgery) to on her death bed.
The first thing Jason asked was if she was a Christian, and I told him I wasn't sure, but Nelda talked to Nancy, and Marie did confess she was a Christian, so it's reassuring knowing she soon won't be in pain as hard as it is to say good-bye!
As of this moment, Marie hasn't gone to meet her Maker, but unless He pulls off a miracle (which I know he is capable of doing), by the morning, she will be seeing Jesus face to face!!
It's such a wake up call that we never know when our time is up. Rachel said it's sad she has to die, but one day we will all die. Our time here is short, and this home is our temporary home!!

Soccer Practice

Today was a normal day again, but enjoyed being outside even though it was very windy. I often think how windy Chicago must be since it's called the windy city!
We left at 5:00 to get Jason to practice. I am so thankful for the training he is getting - I can see him getting better each practice/game.
Chris made supper and had it ready for us when we got home.
Sadly, to end the day, Nelda called to tell us that Nancy's friend, Marie, was going to the ER by ambulance, b/c she was turning purple and her lip was numb. We thought she was getting better, so we aren't sure what's going on. We are all praying she is okay.

Last Esther Study

Today was a great day! The weather was warm, so we were able to be outside for recess! We took Jason to drum lessons, and went by the lot to check on the house - no one was there!
Tonight was bittersweet. I was so excited to get back to Bible Study, but sad that it would be the last one for this study. I have missed the ladies and especially the time I was able to spend with Shawn as we carpooled every Monday.
I enjoyed the Esther study and am so glad I went through it twice. The second time I learned so much more than the first!
Norman is getting better each day so that's a praise!!

A day of REST

I am always happy to get to Sunday! I love Sundays when there is nothing planned between services.
We got home around 1:00 and I was able to get lesson plans finished, the kids played outside, and we even got ice cream from the ice cream truck!
We watched a little basketball, and got ready to head to church, and Chris started limping on his left foot. He took his sock off, and his foot is really swollen. He wouldn't let me take him to the emergency room, so he went to AWANA on a swollen foot.
After church, he propped his foot up and put a bag of frozen peas on it. If it's still swollen in the morning, he will go to the doctor.
Mom said Norman's oxygen is getting decreased every few hours, and they said it would be 2-3 days before we see a significant change.
Today I told Becky Marcum that I would keep her kids, Danny and Julianne, this summer and next year, Julianne when she gets out of half day kindergarten. I think it will be a great fit for both families!

Soccer Day

So after not going to bed until after midnight, I knew I would be tired, but I wasn't expecting to wake up 3 times in the night. Chris got up at 5:30 to go on a long run, so I was up again.
Anyway, we were up and going, b/c we were heading over to Ankeney field to help get the soccer fields ready for soccer season. We ended up putting nets on the goals, so that was cool. There are 3 sections of playing fields, and I think 35 total fields. We worked for 2 hours, and between all the parents that showed up, we were finished with all of them.
Jason's team then had their last indoor soccer game that afternoon, and we enjoyed watching them end the season with a victory. Jason gets better each game, and had 4 shots on goal, but none would go in!
Mom called to say that Norman was back in ICU because he had some respiratory problems overnight, and was on oxygen, and wouldn't leave the mask on, so they needed him to be back where he could get care more often than in rehab.
After soccer, we came home and got a meal ready to take over to the Bonifields. Mr. Bonifield has come home to die, so the whole family is under a lot of stress, and are exhausted from his round the clock care.
We came home and were all so exhausted, we decided to watch Cats and Dogs. I had the intention of filling out lesson plans, but was so involved in the movie, I just couldn't get them finished.
Everyone went to bed exhausted, and were ready for a good night's sleep.

Last Regular EXCEL day

The kids were excited to go to EXCEL today. This would be their last regular EXCEL day, because the last 3 are for taking the SATs.
They took the OLSAT test today, and thankfully, Rachel said she didn't get nervous or scared, so hopefully through being at home this year, she has gotten over some of her test anxiety. She said the test was easy, so we will see how she does in June when the results come in.
While the kids were at EXCEL, I went to JK's house and babysat Jacqueline while she went to the doctor. I was so happy to be hanging out with a 20 month old. Sometimes I miss having a little one. Oh, to do it all over again.
As I was heading home, I was able to talk to Jennie for a little while, and then we decided to finish our talk Friday night after we returned from CROWN.
After EXCEL, we went on base and took Rachel's glasses to get the new lense put in at the optical shop.
When we got home, I called to check on Norman, and Mom told me to call him on his room phone, but she warned me that he wasn't able to comprehend much and was having a hard time speaking. When I called, I felt like I was talking to a 2 yr old, b/c he wasn't himself. I mentioned basketball was on, and he had no idea what I was talking about - WHAT? This isn't Norman? I talked to Mom again, and through our conversation, she mentioned he had a stroke, and I said I knew that on Tuesday he had a stroke, and Mom said, "No, Sharon, he had a stroke in the hospital sometime early Wednesday." WOW, that was a shock. I totally misunderstood her when she told me he had a stroke, I thought she meant that's what sent him to the hospital on Tuesday. I kept asking her if I need to come down, but she said, no, because he isn't life threatening right now. A part of me wants to go, but the other says, Wait. I will just sit by and be ready if/when I need to go.
Friday night ended well with our CROWN meeting! We have such an awesome group. I am blessed after each of our meetings.
When I got home and put the kids to bed, I called Jennie to finish our conversation. We ended up talking until midnight. While I was on the phone, she got a text from Joe saying that Lindsay had gone forward to make a commitment of faith while at Ski and Share! Oh, were the angels singing! I was so thankful to get to be a part of that. I miss them so much and can't wait to visit in May!

Outdoor soccer

So today was a beautiful day; the kids and I enjoyed being able to get outside. We worked hard to get all of our work done early, so we could meet some friends at the park. The high was supposed to be almost 70, so we were excited to be able to have some warmth.
Mom reported to me most of the day about Norman, they were monitoring him and saying how well he was doing, but then towards the end of the day, she mentioned he was starting to slur his speech and having a struggle using his left arm. I talked to him and he seemed to be in good spirits, but sounded very tired. The plan was to move him to rehab later in the day. Mom was excited once they got him a room in rehab, so things were looking up.
The kids and I went to the park to meet Amy, JK, and Julie. We went to a park in Kettering that isn't far from the interstate, and stayed for almost 2 hours. The kids had fun being able to run and play, and exert some extra pent up energy.
At 4:00, we left and headed home to get Jason ready for soccer practice. We all decided we weren't hungry, so Chris said he would come home from work and have supper ready for us when we got home.
Practice went well, and we got home right after 7:00. Thankfully we could walk in and eat, then get baths, and chill out for a little while before going to bed. I was exhausted, but so thankful we could get outside.

Chris coming home

Thankfully Chris was getting to come home tonight, because I wasn't sure how Norman was doing, and I was scared that we would have to leave in a hurry to get home.
Mom called and said that the doctors had to go in to do another surgery during the night, and that they removed all of the blood clots; ended up being way more than they expected. She said they were waiting to get the test results on the cat scan and head scan.
She called back to say the tests showed he had a stroke, so they are taking precautions to watch him. All day the reports came that he was getting better, and they were moving him to rehab, and he would be there for about a week.
Chris met us at church after a successful flight and we enjoyed another night of parenting class. God is really showing us alot through this study as to how far we still have to go as parents to truly training our children up in the way they should go.

Dayton Philharmonic

Today we were excited because we were going on a field trip. We headed into Dayton to the Schuster Center to hear the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra in their production of Kaleidiscope around the World. We had a great time. The music was wonderful! Rachel even enjoyed listening to the music.
Later in the day, Mom called and said that Norman had collapsed and the ambulance was taking him to the hospital. I waited to hear from her, and she finally called and said he had an embelism which sent a blood clot from his heart to his left arm, and they were getting ready to do surgery to get rid of the blood clot.
Thankfully he came through the surgery okay and they were waiting to see how he reacted to the surgery. I went to bed praying that everything would be okay.
Jason was supposed to start outdoor soccer training tonight, but they called and said that Athletes in Action sports complex was closed, so the first practice would be on Thursday.

Time change

I love Daylight Savings time, but it always takes a few days, or weeks, to get used to the sun staying up until 8:00! Once this nasty winter weather leaves, it will be great, because we will spend most of the evening taking walks, and playing outside.
Chris left at 5:00 am today to head to the airport. I didn't fall back to sleep until 6:00, so at 7:15, I thought I had slept until 9:00. Rachel slept until after 8:00, so our day started off late, but that's okay - we all needed the sleep.
We had a normal day of school, and took Jason to drum lessons. On the way home from drum lessons, we stopped at the library to return books due Thursday and pick up new books.
We enjoyed a quiet night at home with dinner, a game of Yahtzee and watching Marmaduke - cute movie! I love nights at home, but after the kids go to bed, and Chris isn't here, the night seems to last forever because it's too quiet :)

Day of Rest

Sundays are always wonderful, but today was especially wonderful because we had absolutely NOTHING PLANNED in between worship this morning and AWANA. In fact, the day got even better because Rachel went home with a friend, and Chris decided to take Jason to the park to play soccer for over an hour! YEAH for an hour of MOMMY quiet time.
Rachel had a great time going to Bellah's house. Chris and I took Jason to Cracker Barrel to eat lunch, and we found a "bug bottle" kit that we can use for Science since our new unit is on insects. It's a really cool container to keep any bugs you find, a bug chart, a bug journal, and a really cool bug guide with neat projects in it!
We all enjoyed our day going our separate ways, but sadly Chris has to go to Texas again tomorrow, so we aren't looking forward to Monday (mainly me).
I ended Sunday night by finally booking a hotel in Cincinnati for Nelda and me when we stay overnight during the Homeschool convention on April 1st - can't wait to have some mommy time with my favorite sister-in-law!! We both deserve it!

State VBS training/choir performance

The kids got to meet Jeff Slaughter (the writer of all the Lifeway VBS songs for the last 15 years)

Most of the kids from our FBK group - singing with the state VBS choir

"Love you More"

I want to "LOVE YOU MORE"

"By Faith"

After our busy night last night, the state VBS training was today and our church, First Baptist Kettering was hosting. I couldn't go all day, but I wanted to at least attend the recreation training. The rec training was the first session of the morning at 8:30. I overslept and barely made it out the door by 8:00, but I made it on time anyway. I enjoyed the training and getting to play some of the games we will play. After the training, I went home to get Jason. He had to be back at the church by noon to eat lunch, and practice with the state VBS choir. 10 kids from 10 churches would be performing in the last general session at 2:30. Unfortunately, Rachel wasn't asked to do it, so she was a little upset by that, but I told her maybe next year. She and I had lunch together while Chris did a 2 hour run, and then the 3 of us headed back to church to listen to the choir sing. I was so excited for all of them. They did a GREAT job, and the best part of the whole day was getting to meet Jeff Slaughter. Jeff has written all and choreographed all of the VBS songs for Lifeway for the last 15 years! What an honor to get to meet him and Jason got his autograph on his VBS shirt. After the musical, I was glad he hung around to meet some of the kids, so Rachel was able to get in a picture with him, too! Our day ended with a quiet evening at home - wow, the weekend just doesn't last long enough!

EXCELebration DAY/Science Fair

Science Fair project - can magnetic levitation be used for transportation?
Jason reading his part in the musical

O-H-I-O (I can't believe we have the kids on tape doing the Ohio State Buckeyes song)

"Fifty Nifty United States"

The kids were so excited for their big day! All school year at EXCEL they have been practicing for tonight. Chris took the day off, so he and Jason finished up his science project. We went to Dayton Christian to set up for the fair, and then went to Wal-Mart to look around while we waited on the judging to be over. We got back to the school around 4:15 and he was finished! We decided we didn't have enough time to drive the 30 minutes home and then be back by 6:30, so we went to Hometown Buffet to eat supper, and then went to Sam's to look around while we killed time.

We went back to the school at 6:30 to get ready for the EXCELebration. Each grade had a display of different projects they had completed at EXCEL. The musical was great. The muscial was based on Ohio, so each song had something to do with a facet of Ohio. I learned alot through listening to the songs, so I know the kids learned alot about our state during music time at EXCEL. The teachers all did a great job!

During the production, I kept thinking, this is where my kids need to be. We have been praying about which avenue to take with homeschooling next year, and it was like I got a peace about what we should do. I told Chris afterwards that I felt we should go through Dayton Christian again next year, and he agreed. The kids were excited, because I think they wanted to be in the same program, too, but were waiting for us to hear from God.

I told Stephanie (the homeschool principal) after the program that I felt like I had received our answer, and I asked her to call me next week to set up a time to interview for any EXCEL positions that might come available over the next few months. Thank you God for answering our prayer right when we needed it!

Beautiful Day

Today was a beautiful day, so we were motivated to get schoolwork finished, clean house, and get ready for Crown class. Our Crown class was rescheduled because tomorrow night we have the science fair and the kids' homeschool EXCELebration musical at Dayton Christian.
The kids and I went to Kroger and got a birthday/anniversary cake for Linda who is turning 50, Ryan whose birthday is Sunday, and Jenny and Brian whose anniversary is Monday.
We enjoyed going to the Tschirhart's for Bible study. Jason and Rachel had to come with us because Ashley is on spring break, so we didn't have a babysitter.
We didn't get home until late, so thankfully tomorrow is Friday and we can take it easy in the morning to gear up for our busy FRIDAY night.

Rachel's Eye Doctor appt

We had to finish up school by lunch today, because this afternoon we needed to take Rachel to the eye doctor at Dayton Children's Medical Center. Thankfully Chris was able to get off for the afternoon. I wasn't thinking that anything bad would be said, but just in case, I wanted him with us. We got to her appt right at 2:00, and we were out by 3:00. The doctor said that she has NO inflammation - PRAISE GOD! She does need to wear her glasses, and he wanted to increase the prescription in her left lense, because what was there wasn't going to help her any.
Rachel and I went to the optical shop on base and ordered her new lense. She kept the glasses on the whole time and didn't rub her eyes. Dr.Bloom told her that we have a chance of correcting her vision, and maybe when she is older, she won't have to wear them. He wanted to see her back in a month, so our next appt is April 11th in the afternoon. Hopefully if she wears them this whole month, they will see a difference for the better.
We finished our evening going to Bible Study. Chris and I are enjoying the parenting class. We learn each week how far we still have to go.

Day off

I was so excited to get to Tuesday this week because we had absolutely NOTHING planned. The only thing we did today other than school was go to the mall. I took the kids to get lunch at the mall, and then we went to The Children's Place to look for Easter outfits. Thankfully they had everything and I saved a TON of money which is always a good thing. We enjoyed a quiet night AT HOME. Tonight is the only night we will be at home ALL week.

Upwards Awards Ceremony

Cobras Team Picture

Best Friends


Upward ROCKS!

Jason coming through the tunnel one last time

Rachel's last tunnel run

What a busy Monday we had! The day started off slowly with just school, but then after lunch, the day got busy. Rachel had an eye appt at the opthalmologist on base to get a second opinion about her glasses. Since putting the eye drops in her eyes, they haven't seemed to bother her.

He was really concerned as to why her 3 D vision and vision as a whole seemed to be almost perfect, but the itching of her eye and sensitivity to light was an issue. He dilated her eyes, and then did some more tests. He said he saw some white blood cells floating around her in eye, so she might have some inflammation, so he wanted to refer her to a specialist. After we left, I was trying not to think worst case scenario, but he was even mentioning juvenile arthritis? Crazy! Dr. Bloom's office called right away and scheduled an appt for Wed at 2:20. They are at Dayton Children's Medical Center.

After the appt, we had to head to drum lessons right away. Jason continues to get better each week. Mrs. P gave him a challenge this week of writing his own song. He is supposed to try to have 8 measures ready by next Monday.

After dinner, we headed to the Upwards Awards Ceremony. The kids were so excited. We have never been a part of an Upward program before, so we didn't know what the ceremony would involve. Boy, we were blown away! The kids all got to run through the tunnel one more time. The cheerleaders all did a cheer for us, and we saw a photo slide show of the season. After that, they passed out the awards - an Upwards Duffle Bag! The kids were disappointed at first they didn't get trophies, but then they realized how useful the bags would be. The ceremony ended with a cake and punch reception. We were thrilled to get to sit with the Bonifields and visit for a few minutes. Coach Shawn called all of the players out into the foyer because he had something for the players and the parents. He blew us away with what he gave the kids. He told them a story about this quote by Theodore Roosevelt that he kept framed with a picture of a basketball, so he gave each of them a framed picture with the quote and basketball. What an awesome gift. He gave each of the parents a thank you card. Jason loved the gift so much, the frame is sitting on our mantel at home. He will cherish that forever! We were blessed having him coach Jason!

PRAISE

Today was a great day! Our rotation for second hour Sunday School was over for the next 3 months, so we were able to be in worship service. We LOVE Pastor Chad, and are excited at what God is doing at our church. 3 people were baptized, 2 accepted Christ, and 8 people joined the church! God is good all the time, and all the time, God is good!
Jason had VBS choir practice after church, so we packed lunches, and ate with him and then just hung out at church until they were finished.
Jason then had a soccer game at 5:00 (the first one on Sunday), so we all went to the game, and Rachel and I left for AWANA at 5:30. Jason and Chris came after the game was over, and made it to AWANA only 15 minutes late! Their team ending up winning 5-2 to a team they lost their first game to!
Yesterday Chris had emailed Cecil (our property manager for our rental) to tell him that we would have a closing date on the new house by the end of the week. He emailed back just now to tell us that Col Eady (the owner of the house) was wanting to put the house on the market, and he has a potential buyer! WOW - that is awesome! Sounds like we would have had to move anyway, but they are willing to work with us on on April or May move out date. We will now pray that the offer goes through, and God would work out all of the details for when we could move. What a blessing it would be to have people move in as we move out! We wouldn't have a house payment in May, and then wouldn't have double payments in June! Pray, pray, pray!

Last Upward Game

Today the kids both had games at 9:00, so we had to be up and going pretty early. I can't believe it's been 8 weeks since we started Upward basketball and cheerleading! WOW how time flies! Jason's team, the Cobras, were playing the Bears for the 3rd time this season. The Bears beat us 60-28 the first game, and Jason scored 20 of the points. Not a good outcome to a game. Big difference yesterday. They ended up winning their first game by 10 points. The kids were so happy. They worked SO HARD. We were so proud of them! They came together as a team, and almost everyone on the team scored a basket!! We loved the coach, and are excited to go to the basketball camp in the summer!
Rachel did a great job cheering in her last game. She got to bring her megaphone home which had all her stars on it. She will bring her pom poms home after the awards ceremony Monday night.
After the games, we took Rachel to FBK for Upward Soccer evaluations. I signed up to coach or be an assistant coach for her team, so I am excited to be a part of such a great ministry. She did a great job with her evaluations. The first practice will be the week of March 29th. Thankfully all of the practices are on Tuesdays at 6:00 and all games are on Saturdays at either 10 or 12. It will be nice to have a consistent schedule.
After evaluations, we went to Maggie Moos to get ice cream to celebrate the end to a great season! The rest of the day was spent working on science fair project, lesson planning, and just being together as a family - it was nice to have a night at home!

Pre Drywall appt

Today the kids get to go to EXCEL - their last day to practice for the program next Friday night! They are so excited to sing for us and show us their art projects! We are excited to see what they have been working on all school year!
After getting them to "school" - I met Chris at the lot because we were meeting John to go through the house for our pre drywall appt. The house looked so much cleaner than it did when we were there a week ago. How exciting to see we weren't going to live in a house full of mud! JK
We got an in depth tour of wherever thing is going to go - made sure wires were placed correctly, phone jacks, cable wires, etc.
I remembered from the parenting class on Wednesday the idea of writing Scripture on the doorposts of your home, so I asked for a Sharpie and went on a few walls (especially the one leading in from the garage (which we will enter and exit many times), and our bedrooms. How awesome to know our walls will be filled with Scripture!
The day ended with us taking the kids to the Wuebben's house for Madi to babysit while we went to the Singermans for Crown. How blessed we are by the group we are in. I love how God ordains things!!
It RAINED all day and hasn't stopped at bedtime.

Boonshoft Homeschool Lab

The kids were so excited for 2 reasons today: Chris was coming home this afternoon, and they were going to Boonshoft Children's museum for a homeschool lab! My friend, Kristi Deglow, told me about the labs. They have actually had them since September, but we didn't learn about them until last week. The lab today was on electricity which is what Jason finished studying last week. We were all excited to be out of the house and able to exert some energy. Chris's plane landed as we were heading home. We made it home at 4:15 and he made it home at 4:30! After being home awhile, Chris offered to take us to dinner at Red Robin since he had been gone all week! Yeah- we LOVE Red Robin!

Cool picture of a bat - we studied bats a few months ago in our Apologia Science books

The Honorable Jason Gay

The future veterinarian Rachel Gay (she could have stayed in this section forever)

Jason was brave enough to touch a starfish, but for some reason our brave Rachel backed out

Rachel learning how to create a dam and allowing the water to flow to let the boat through

Jason testing out the water works section

The first section in the new animal part had several birds - we love birds now that we studied them for 2 months!!

Girl Time

Today was going to be a good day! Amy wanted to come over to have coffee and visit for an hour and a half. I was super excited to have some company, and to visit on a morning when we would normally be doing school.
She came over from 9:30 -11, and then took Jason home with her so he could play with the boys for the rest of the day, and then bring him to church that night.
Rachel and I decided to have some girl time together. We ate lunch here at home, and then went to Michael's so she could get some letter beads to go with her bead kit. She is really into making bracelets and necklaces. We enjoyed looking around at the craft store. From there, we took the van through the car wash, and ended up forgetting about the Upward magnets on the back, so we lost both of those.
Then we finished our outing by heading to the commissary to buy groceries. I love having her with me because she is such a big help. She is just like me when I used to go to the grocery store with my mom - I loved to get things off the shelf, and put them in the buggy (for those of you who are wondering, a buggy is a shopping cart).
We finished putting the groceries away and then went on a cold bike ride down to the pond. We ended the day by going to Bible study and bringing Jason home. Chris comes home tomorrow - YEAH!!

Last Upward practice

Today was a learning experience for Rachel: she was giving me a hard time doing her Phonics lesson, and I told her if she continued with the attitude that we would not go to Michael's to get beads for her to make bracelets. Within 10 minutes, she was being defiant and refusing to work, so I explained politely that we wouldn't get the beads. She cried for about 15 minutes, but then realized I was sticking to my guns, and that she can't be upset with me for the choices she made. I was just happy that I followed through on what I said, b/c normally I would give in and say, "well, if you have a good afternoon, we may still go." She worked the rest of the day without any complaints. I am learning alot in this parenting class.
We headed to the kids' last Upward practice. I enjoyed Zumba, and then the parents were going to scrimmage with the kids during Jason's practice, but after 2 trips down the floor, I was done for. I guess I shouldn't have done Zumba (at least that was my excuse) :)
Missing Chris and wishing that Thursday would come faster than it is!

Today is MONDAY!!

Well, today went fine until I needed to figure out a way to get Jason to soccer practice and get to Bible Study at the same time. Thankfully, Christina offered to have the kids come to the house, so that fire was put out.
We got Jason to practice, and I didn't realize that he could have practiced with the team before him. How less stressful for all of us it would have been if he could have practiced from 5-6.
Anyway, we left practice at 6:30 and headed to Bible Study. We stayed there until 9:00 and the last video wasn't finished so we came home.
Jason is getting sick, but I immediately started giving him Mucinex, so I hope we can nip this before it lasts 2 weeks!

Fellowship

Today was our last Sunday to teach 2nd hour preschool Sunday school. We rotate every 3 months with Bill and Amy. We are looking forward to being in worship service next Sunday and hearing Pastor Chad preach for the first time. We hear that the Holy Spirit has really been moving in the services, so we are excited to see what's going on!!
After church, we went to the Tschirhart's house to eat lunch and fellowship with them and a new family at the church, the Zabels. Melissa homeschools her son, James, so she had questions to ask, and we shared different ideas. So fun to have adult interaction.
Chris had to leave around 2:00 to head to the airport to head to San Diego. I don't like when he has to leave on Sundays, but he doesn't have a choice. He will be back Thursday afternoon.

Brenna's Birthday party

All the cute girlies

Brenna with Rachel's Littlest Pet shop gift

Rachel airborne trying to hit pinata

Rachel painting her cat - she LOVES to paint

So after our usual Upward games on Saturday morning and indoor soccer (in which the team tied 2-2), Rachel was excited because her friend, Brenna, was having a birthday party. Rachel met Brenna on the soccer team she played on in the fall. Brenna's family have become very good friends of ours, and we will miss them when they leave in a year and a half. The girls had so much fun eating pizza, painting, hitting the pinata, which busted open with LOTS of candy, and then presents, and chocolate chip cookie cake.

While we were at the party, Jason and Chris worked on Jason's science fair project - pictures to be posted at a later date.

Trip through the HOUSE

Front of house - roof almost finished


Room to the side when you walk in the front door


Future kitchen and morning room

Woke up to sleet at 6:30 this morning, and snow falling, so Chris was delayed to go into base for up to 3 hours. The message didn't get updated until he had already shoveled the snow/ice mixture from the driveway, so he went on into work knowing he wanted to be off at lunchtime to meet us at the lot. He had bad roads on the way to work, but made it safely.

No EXCEL day today, but something exciting was getting ready to happen. We are finally able to get on the lot, and have a walk through the house in Kettering. The kids were so excited. We did all of our lessons and were finished by 11:00.

We headed out to meet Chris and John and Andy (our project managers) were waiting for us! We were so excited, and then Andy says, "I am sorry, but for safety reasons, the kids can't go into the house yet." BUMMER! I thought Jason was going to cry. Neither Chris or I thought about that or we wouldn't have brought them.

Anyway, Mr. Andy stayed in the garage with the kids telling them all different kinds of things about the build, which I think Jason enjoyed, while John took Chris and me through the house. Everything is so muddy because of the rain and rain and rain we have had.

After the walk through we went to Lee's Chicken to eat lunch. Tonight was our second week of our Crown class.

We are blessed to have such a diverse group of people who are willing to be open and honest. They are all focused on getting closer to Christ through learning about finances and financial freedom. We ended the class 30 minutes late because we had such a great testimony time. God bless this group for their willingness and faithfulness.

Back to the Doctor

So my appointment was this morning at 11:00. I didn't know if going at 7:30 or 11:00 would be better, but 7:30 is early. We went to the library on the way to the doctor's and for some reason, the door was locked? Shocking, but they didn't open until 12:00 - I forgot to check what time they opened. We were just around the corner from the BX, so we went to the BX and looked around for 20 minutes, and then headed to the hospital! The doctor (same doctor as last Thursday) came in and said, "well, my lady, you have a full blown sinus infection." YOU THINK!! I knew that a week ago :) Anyway, we then proceeded to the pharmacy to wait 40 minutes to get Mucinex and an antibiotic. Hopefully with 4 medicines, I can begin to feel better.
Knowing I can't taste or smell my food, I decided meatloaf (which was on the menu to cook) didn't sound appealing, so the kids and I went to Kroger and got some eggs and bacon, so we could make chocolate chip waffles and bacon! We enjoyed breakfast for dinner, and I was already beginning to feel better.

Still SICK

So I slept okay last night, but my stuffiness is back. I have spent most of the day blowing my nose and coughing. I called the clinic on base and they booked an appt for me for tomorrow at 11:00. I am really hoping he will give me an antibiotic, because I am beginning to think there is an infection that was either missed or came about since last Thursday. Almost a whole box of Sudafed hasn't worked, so I am hoping for a new diagnosis tonight.
We enjoyed going to Bible Study tonight. The parenting class is great - shows just how far we have to go as parents.
Met a family new to the area on Sunday, and then Ty and Michelle were in our parenting class tonight. She is also a homeschooling mom, and we are excited to hook up on things to do for the spring. They are excited to be at FBK, and it was exciting to hear that she felt at home at our church and that the people were very friendly!! Hoping for good things tomorrow from the doctor.

Zumba again

I was so excited that today was finally Tuesday. I have waited 2 weeks to be able to do Zumba again. We had a nice day at home - just school, and then hung out at home playing and finishing up the laundry.
We took off to Upward practice at 5:30 and I could feel my nose getting stuffy again, but I felt that exercising might work it out of me. I enjoyed the class, even though it was like starting over after being away for so long. I drank lots of water and made it through the class.
Chris and Rachel had gone home so Chris could eat dinner, so Jason and I headed home after his practice. On the way home, I started getting a headache, and it pretty much lasted until I took an Ibuprofen, and finally cried until I went to sleep. I guess I will call the doctor bad tomorrow.

President's Day

We were so thankful to finally have a day off with nothing planned and Chris gets to be home. Chris and Jason went to Lowe's to start shopping for things for Jason's science fair project. While they were gone, I finished lesson plans for the week. When they returned we ran to the mall to play with the dogs at Fetch. Everyone is so excited at the possibility of getting a dog after we move into the new house. I think we have narrowed it down to a mini goldendoodle. They don't get much bigger than a cocker spaniel, and they don't shed. We have talked with several people who have them and they said they are very good for families and don't shed at all.
As we were finished up at Sam's Club, the rain started coming down pretty hard. Thankfully we didn't need to get out again until Jason's drum lessons. Chris took Jason to lessons because he knows I needed a break.
Jason came home from drum lessons with a stomachache saying he didn't feel good and that he was going to throw up. He went to his room and went to sleep for a little bit. We called Coach Scott and told him that Jason would miss practice. Of course, after that, Jason felt much better, so I hope there is nothing going on that Jason won't tell us. I am not sure if he is getting nervous about the spring season starting, or what, but he seemed to make a miraculous recovery after we called Coach.
As time got closer for Bible Study, Shawn called and said she wasn't going because sleet was starting to fall outside. I had no idea, so I looked out and sure enough, the ice was coming down. Taryn decided to cancel Bible Study to keep everyone off the roads.
After that we enjoyed a quiet night at home because we had nothing planned, so we played Wii bowling and then watched The Game Plan on Disney Channel.

Another blessed Sunday

As always, we are blessed to go to the house of the Lord, and we continue to be blessed by the people of First Baptist Kettering. We are also so amazed at how God is moving as we heard that several others came to know Christ today! God is good: all the time, and all the time: God is Good!!
Jason had VBS choir practice after church, so Chris, Rachel, and I went through McDonald's drive thru, and returned to church to eat to wait on Jason.
We enjoyed a few hours at home before heading back to FBK for AWANA. Jason finished his book tonight, so we are proud of him for that. He now gets to start working towards the silver and golds. We are so thankful that he hides God Word in his heart and we pray that he would be able to live it out everyday and recall it when he needs it. Rachel only has 10 more pages of her book, so she is excited to be almost finished. She is trying to learn the books of the New Testament, and we know she can do it!
After AWANA, I enjoyed a bubble bath (a little relaxation), and we watched Extreme Home Makeover before the kids went to bed.
I am so thankful to have day off from everything tomorrow - Chris will have off, so the kids and I will enjoy having him home.
Now to get lesson plans started and finished!!

Valentine's Day banquet

Our Saturday started off as usual: Upward Cheerleading for Rachel and basketball for Jason. We had a good time watching their teams. I left at halftime of Jason's game to meet some friends for lunch. Carrie, Eileen, Diane, and I had lunch at Abuelo's to celebrate Eileen's birthday. We all met in Utah and when Jason was in kindergarten, we met in a playgroup together quite often. It's so amazing that we all ended up here at the same time. I really enjoyed catching up with them, and hearing all about their families. After lunch, we watched Jason play indoor soccer with his new Celtic team - they lost 3-2. The other team scored with 4 minutes left in the game, and we couldn't get another goal to tie. We are enjoying watching this team, and are excited for the spring soccer season.
After soccer, we came home to get ready for our banquet at church at 5:30. The kids were excited because Ms. Ashley was coming over to babysit. We are blessed to have found a Christian college student who we can trust.
The banquet was awesome. I forgot to take pictures, of course. The senior adults in our church provided the meal which was delicious. After the meal and fellowship, we watched Fireproof. We had seen it many years ago, and we both enjoyed it again. It was so nice to just spend some time with Chris and watch a film about strengthening a marriage. After the movie, they gave us a copy of The Love Dare which Chris and I actually need to read. I hope I can make it a priority and not just keep saying I will get to it.
We were excited to hear about Ashley's new adventure when we got home: she is going on a nursing mission trip in May to Thailand. We need to be covering her in prayer as she seeks funding and safety while there.

Excel Friendship Parties

Jason and Rachel were so excited to go to EXCEL today because they were going to have their friendship parties. I helped organize the 1st and 4th grade parties, but was only able to be in the room for the 1st grade party. Chris surprised the kids and was able to get from the airport to the church before the parties started. They had fun eating yummy treats provided by the parents and handing out their valentine's. Rachel came home with a bag full of goodies.

Will Tschirhart came home with us after EXCEL. We stopped at the lot and to see how much they had gotten done since Wednesday was incredible. The kids enjoyed watching them hoist part of the roof while we were there.

New views of the front and back of the house

We had a rather busy day on Friday. The kids had fun playing with Will, and that helped us get ready for our Crown Financial class that was starting Friday night. We had such a good turnout. 10 total including Chris and me. Jenny and Brian will join us next Friday, so we will have 12 total. Chris and I are so happy with be teaching Crown again. It's been 10 years since we last taught the class. We can't wait to see what God does in the next 10 weeks.

Playdate with Moshers

Today started VERY EARLY for us! We were all up by 6:30 and out the door by 7:00 to head to the clinic for my appt at 7:30. I promised the kids we would eat at McDonald's for breakfast since we had to be there so early.
The appt went well - I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear that I had anything severe, or if I just wanted to get some medicine and some relief. Of course, I have nothing more than a bad virus (which Rachel had last week), so the doc prescribed some Sudafed and Nasonex and said come back Monday if I don't feel any better.
We enjoyed our breakfast at McDonald's amidst all of the stares of people wondering why my children aren't in school. It's getting really old! I do educate my children, but we can't stay cooped up in the house all day and only come out after 2:30 when other children are getting out of school. Sorry, that was my soapbox.
We finished up lessons today fairly quickly and cleaned the upstairs. Both kids were a HUGE help.
We left at 12:00 to head to the Moshers because Ruth had asked if Jason could come to play with Joseph last week, and today was the day. After I got there, Joseph informed me we were 30 minutes late, and I felt so bad. I have been feeling so out of it the last few days that I didn't read her email right and thought it said 12:30.
Anyway, we were there until 3:00 when they needed to leave for karate, and we all enjoyed our time with them. The kids played nicely, and I heard lots of laughing, which is music to my ears. I so enjoyed talking to Ruth - she is such a classy lady. She made some wonderful chicken salad for us to eat and had some homemade chocolate chip cookie. She loves to cook and bake.
As I am writing this, I have taken 2 doses of Sudafed and feel so much better. Jason and Rachel went to bed earlier than normal tonight, b/c everyone is so tired. I am going to enjoy the quiet and catch up on my Bible Study.
Chris comes home tomorrow - YEAH!!

Update to House in Kettering

Today started off with me thinking I had something worse than a cold. When I coughed, my throat and chest burned so bad. It even hurt to talk. I called the clinic and they had nothing for today, but could get me in tomorrow morning at 7:30 - YIKES - we aren't normally up and starting our day before 8:00. I said yes, and then went through the whole day wondering if I should change the appt or not.
I called Nancy to ask her advice, and while I was on the phone with her, I turned around and noticed a dent on the driver's side of the van. It looked like someone had hit the van. I had no idea when it could have happened - the only place we had been in the van was to the Kittyhawk pharmacy to pick up my refill. I took pictures and sent them via email to Chris and he said that it did look like someone had hit the van. Oh well, nothing I could do now because I didn't know when it had happened.
We headed off to church, and on the way, we stopped by the lot because John had said that the lumber packaged arrived lately, and the framers were ready to start work this morning. Below are some pictures of what they accomplished today. Wow - things are really starting to happen fast now. Hard to believe that in 2 months we will be signing papers on our new house.

Sickness go away

The NyQuil worked wonders, and I think I slept the best I have ever slept when Chris is TDY. I woke up feeling better.
I had decided to buy groceries at 9:00 when the commissary opened instead of waiting until the afternoon because they might be busy with it being payday. While at the commissary, Melissa Bonifield emailed me and asked if Thomas and Matthew could still come over! Now I know why I had a feeling we should go in the morning, because the boys were coming to play that afternoon while Julia was at violin lessons. I am so glad we could still have them over.
I didn't take any more medicine until noon, b/c I was beginning to feel better. By the time the boys arrived at 1:30, I was feeling great.
The kids enjoyed having other kids to play with, and I could make calls to the people who had signed up to take our Crown class starting Friday. What a blessing to have some entertainment for Jason and Rachel. It also helped break up the day since the days never seem to end while Chris is gone.
Melissa came to get the boys around 4:30 and she and I were able to chat until 5:00 when they had to leave. I am praying so hard that things get easier for them instead of harder. With Mr. Bonifield in the hospital, she is having extra things thrown on her plate. I pray some relief comes soon for her and her family.
After dinner we headed to Upward practices for both kids. I was so bummed to have a sore throat again (it started right before Melissa came to get the boys), so I had to miss Zumba for the second week in a row. I am so ready to get back in the class.
Thankfully day 2 of Chris's TDY is over! I pray I can sleep again tonight!

Valentine's Day

Chris was up at 4:30 am getting ready to leave for Texas. I actually felt better after sleeping very soundly, so had happy thoughts on how the day was to play out!
The day went well, and Rachel was excited because she was going to a birthday party for her friend, Rella from her soccer team in the fall. I was going to have to miss Bible Study, because after we dropped Rachel at the party, I had to get Jason to indoor soccer training. It worked out perfectly, though, because when Jason was finished at 7:00, the party was over, and we could pick up Rachel.
After we left the party, Jason and I decided to have a little Valentine's dinner together before practice, so our dinner was at Burger King. We enjoyed talking and just spending time together.
Chris called to tell us good night - we were glad to hear he made it to Texas safely - it's going to be a LONG week!

Still under the weather

Today is Sunday, and I am normally happy to get up and go to church, but my throat ached and my chest was burning. I went to church anyhow, and by the time church was over, I was ready to take some medicine. We stopped at Walgreens and got some DayQuil and NyQuil, because Chris was leaving for Texas on Monday for the week, so I knew I would need something to get over this QUICK!

After we ate lunch, we exchanged Valentine's Day gifts, b/c as I said, Chris was leaving for Texas at 5:00 am Monday morning. The kids and I gave Chris a goodie bag of some bottled water, candy, a box of popcorn, and a stuffed bear with a balloon plus a Resses's heart. The kids had given me the chocolate and strawberries, so Chris surprised me with a beautiful silver necklace and earrings with the design from Jane Seymour. I wasn't expecting that at all!

I took a dose of medicine and slept for about 45 minutes! We then went to AWANA and I took a dose of NyQuil and slept like a rock!

Early Valentine's Day

My sweet son decided this morning that he would make heart shaped pancakes for Rachel and me because Chris will be gone on Monday morning. Made my day!

Chris and Jason brought home a 2 lb block of Ghiradelli double chocolate to melt and make chocolate covered strawberries. We melted about 1/3 of the bar, and we had to find other things to dip, because we had so much chocolate! They were so good!

I had to try one!

All of us had fun dipping our strawberries, marshmallows and pretzels!

Chris was the serious dipper!