Thankful Thursday

1. It was a beautiful day today. Paul surprised us and came home around 12:30. This meant I was able to go for a nap during Oliver's quiet time, and he took a nap in his bed (first time since last Friday), which meant that when I got back from my 4 mile run he was still asleep and I was able to work with Nadia on her acrylic panting project that we started yesterday, which I prefer to do while Oliver is in his room because he wants to join in and paint with Nadia.

2. My mom wasn't able to have her fourth chemo treatment yesterday because her bloodwork showed her to be too weak. I am thankful there are safeguards like this in place. We are praying that she will be strong enough to have the chemo next Wednesday. They are also reducing the dosage of the chemo; we are hoping this means the side effects won't be as harsh the next time around.

3. Sometimes I have given Oliver kid scissors to use while I am doing schoolwork with the other two. Well I was pleasantly surprised to discover this week that he can cut on a dotted line fairly accurately! The other two certainly couldn't do that when they were three (in part because I didn't give them scissors when they were this age). He is also making progress with learning his alphabet and numbers.  Ian and Nadia are helping teach Oliver.

4. I have lost three pounds so far. It would be more exciting if these were additional pounds instead of pounds I had regained, but still at least I am going back in the right direction. I hope this time around I keep the weight off. I also have been improving my pace at little when running.

5. The realtor called today to say that she had two requests to show our house. I was happy to decline these. I told her I was still waiting to hear from Lock Haven.

Waiting

There are so many times in life where we are in a place where we are waiting to find something out. I had a phone interview yesterday, and now I am waiting to find out if I will be invited to interview on campus. Ironically, the chair of that search applied twice at Bloomsburg when I was the chair of the search committee, and she was invited to interview on our campus but was not selected by our department either time. I am hoping she is not holding that against me. I certainly had no control over it. She said she will let me know this week whether I will be invited to interview on campus. So many others I know are in times of "waiting" in one way or another - my brother is waiting to find out if he has been accepted into a PhD program, my mom is waiting to find out if she will qualify for surgery or not, etc. I also am waiting to hear if Messiah College will contact me for an interview. I really want to yank that for sale sign out of our yard, but until I know either that Lock Haven has offered me a job OR that Messiah is a closed door, the sign will stay put. We turned down one showing last month when Oliver was in the hospital, and I turned down another showing last week because of the fact we are leaning toward staying here. Those were the only two times that anyone asked to see our home in the past three months. The house has been on the market for four months.

I think either way I want to start doing some projects around the house this spring. If I am not offered a job, I will keep them low cost and just do things like paint some walls. We have lived here 7.5 years and only painted three bedrooms in that time. If I am offered a job at Lock Haven, then I want to do some more expensive projects such as replacing some flooring and buying a new refrigerator. I keep telling myself that God is in control, and He knows what is best. I just have to wait and see what that entails for us. It feels so strange that it is March and I haven't planned a summer vacation, but we are waiting to find out if I have a job or not as to whether we can afford to go and also so we know when is the best time to go. I did some research yesterday into getting an ASTC membership. I found a museum in Kentucky that only charges $40 a year for a family, and that will give us reciprocal agreements(free entry) at about 300 other museums. You can't use it at any museums within 90 miles of your home (which in our case eliminates the ones in Lancaster, Reading, Harrisburg, and Allentown), but I would like to use it at museums in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and possibly Chicago. My sister's family is also in a time of waiting as they *might* move to California. If they find out they are moving, I want to take a road trip to Chicago before they move, and this ASTC membership would be very useful in Chicago and also en route we could stop at museums in Ohio to help break up the trip.

I haven't seen a video of the choir's anthem on Sunday, but here is a video of a quartet that sang at the very end of the service. The inner two are married to each other as are the outer two, The taller man is my choir director, and his wife is the music teacher at the Christian school. Yesterday we were cooped up inside all day, but today although it wasn't exactly "warm" out, we did walk to the playground and I did run 4 miles after Paul got home. It was so windy yesterday they even cancelled the kids' soccer practices. Their first games are this Saturday so hopefully they will get their practices in tomorrow! Prayers for my mom tomorrow would be greatly appreciated as she will be having her fourth chemo treatment.

Easter celebrations

This morning the kids and I headed out the door at 8:00 for church, and we didn't return home until 7:20 this evening. We were at church until 12:30 and then drove to Aunt Millie's bakery for our Easter dinner. She had quite a feast prepared - coleslaw, macaroni salad, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, rolls, ham, green beans, pickled eggs, chicken, sausage, 3 different kinds of pie, cheesecake, cupcakes, and 3 different kinds of cookies. No one left hungry that is for sure!! It was our first time meeting our niece Brandi's children. They are pictured here at left. Autumn is 2 1/2, and James is 1 1/2.

After our sumptuous meal we stopped in at the assisted living center where Paul's 93 year old Grandma lives. We hadn't seen Gram in more than a year. She was amazed at how much Oliver had grown since she saw him last. As we left the center we drove past our first house. I bought it in January 2001, and Paul moved into it in August of that same year after we were married. The new owners did a lot with the landscaping. It looks much better than when we lived there.





Then we spent a couple of hours at Paul's parents house before heading home. Grandma and Pop Pop gave each of the kids a bag of Easter gifts - some candy, a book for each of them, a stuffed animal for Oliver, and Lego sets for Nadia and Ian. The picture at right is of Oliver wearing Paul's hat from when he was in a marching band many moons ago. The Easter service was beautiful this morning and included a powerful testimony from one man in the church and also an absolutely gorgeous acapella quartet at the end of the service. It was called the "Man of Sorrows Medley" and was a very beautiful arrangement of a few different hymns concluding with "Because He lives." It brought me to tears. I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. I didn't have my good camera with me today and so these are just cell phone pics. They are better than nothing. So grateful that we serve a risen Savior!

The Number Four

This post is brought to you by the number four. First, because I took the kids to four egg hunts today. That is a new record for our family. I have taken them to egg hunts at several locations over the past seven years (I think Nadia was almost 2 the first time I took her to an egg hunt). The very first egg hunt I took them to was at our local public library. The two I have liked the best over the years have been the two community egg hunts held in our town - one the Saturday before Palm Sunday at 1pm and the other the day before Easter at 11:00am. The first of those two involves mostly hard boiled eggs (the kids prefer the plastic ones with candy inside), and the second includes a free hotdog and a combination of hard boiled and plastic eggs. One of the reasons those two are the favorites is that both have quite a few prize eggs. The prizes range from something small like a pack of markers to as large as a brand new bicycle. Paul wasn't able to take the kids to the one we usually go to last Saturday because Nadia's basketball game went late, and they missed it. The kids were counting on an egg hunt, so when he called me last Saturday I told him he could go to one at 4pm at the church where they do Upward basketball OR one at our current church from 2-4 pm (included a lot more than just an egg hunt). He opted to go to the simple egg hunt at 4pm, and the kids enjoyed picking up some eggs that had candy and other little treats inside.

Today our first egg hunt was at the library at 9:00. The librarian read the kids a book and then they hunted for eggs outside. I remember one year the egg hunt was actually inside the library. They had a nice amount of eggs hidden in proportion to the number of kids present so the kids had VERY full baskets of eggs even though Oliver was a very slow egg hunter. Each egg contained one penny, one piece of candy, and a slip of paper with a letter on it. Ian and Oliver deposited their pennies in a bank inside the library (which is for donations to the library), and Nadia kept her pennies (saving for a Lego set). We then arranged our letters to see how many times we could spell the word EASTER. We spelled it 11 times and had some letters left over (needed more S's and R's). For each complete word we spelled we received an entry into the box for the prize. There were two golden egg prizes (one of Nadia's soccer teammates won one of those), and one prize from the drawing. We didn't win any of the three prizes, but the kids were happy with their candy. We checked out some books (first time in a very long time we had been in that particular library) and then went to another egg hunt that a church about 1 mile away from the library was having at 10:00.

This egg hunt had the kids divided into three groups (0-3, 4-5, 6-8), but almost all of the kids at the egg hunt were either 0-3 or 6-8. There were only a couple of kids there who were 4-5, so a few of the moms of three year olds (myself included) moved our kids to the 4-5 year egg hunt to even things out a little bit. Even though Oliver picked up quite a few eggs, he didn't get any prize eggs at this hunt, but Nadia and Ian each had one prize egg. Each prize bag contained crayons, a word puzzle find book, and a solid chocolate treat. Nadia's was in the shape of a cross, and Ian's was in the shape of a fish with the word JESUS on it. We came home for a few minutes and then headed with Paul to the 11:00 egg hunt about a mile from our house.

Oliver was in the egg hunt for ages 0-4, and the other two were in the hunt for ages 5-8. There was a third section for older children. Even though Nadia and Ian picked up more eggs than Oliver did, he actually picked up two prize eggs, Nadia picked up one prize egg, and Ian didn't get any prize eggs at that egg hunt. Some of the eggs were hard boiled and most were plastic with candy inside. One of Nadia's had a coupon for a free children's meal at Texas Roadhouse. Nadia's prize was a pack of markers, and Oliver's two prizes were both baskets filled with various goodies. I let him pick one basket first and gave the other to Ian. Each basket contained a harmonica, chocolate bunny, and stuffed animal and the other items differed between the two. Ian's had a squirt gun and a couple of bottles of bubbles, and Oliver's had a bunch of matchbox size cars. After the egg hunt we ate our hot dogs and got a picture with an Easter bunny.

After spending a couple of hours at home (during which time I made a batch of cookies, started preparing our dinner, and got the rest of the meat off the ham to put in the freezer), we headed to our fourth egg hunt of the day which was held on a baseball field at our "usual" playground. Since I was planning to run, we just drove there (we usually walk). Even though it's really close to our house, this was our first time attending this community's annual egg hunt. They had a fair amount of eggs hidden, but there were a lot of people there. Poor Oliver only got one egg. Oops! Ian actually got the most eggs at this hunt (usually Nadia gets the most). They had one hunt for toddlers. If I had to do it over again I would have put Oliver in that group as he was just overrun in the second group that was for preschool through 1st grade. Nadia's group was only 2nd/3rd grade. The last group was 4th-6th grade I think. They had quite a few prize eggs hidden (with some prizes again being as big as a bicycle) but we didn't get any prize eggs at that hunt. There was an Easter bunny there, and Nadia and Oliver wanted another picture (I only had my cell phone at that one compared to my good camera at the others). I also have included below a short video Nadia asked me to take last night of her going across some monkey bars. I was very ready to be done with egg hunts. The kids were game for more. They'll have to wait until next year!




We came home and then I ran for four miles while Oliver had his quiet time. The past four days he took a nap (two in the van and two in his bed), but today that streak ended as he stayed awake in his room while I was out running. My goal is to run at least three times a week (four if possible), and I achieved that goal the last two weeks. I ran on Wednesday and hoped to get my second run in on Thursday or Friday, but Paul came home too late both days for that to be possible. I did walk to the playground on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday though, and I did get two runs in this week which is certainly better than nothing! I bought a knee brace for my right knee and used it for the first time today.

Last but not least, tonight I attended part of the first of four Easter services our church is having tonight/tomorrow morning. I can't remember any church I have attended in the past that didn't have either a Maundy Thursday or Good Friday service. I miss that, but they do have four Easter services - one Saturday night, and three on Sunday morning (well four on Sunday morning if you count the service that is in Spanish in the chapel every Sunday). The choir is singing in three of the services. The youth pastor gave the sermon this evening. The senior pastor is giving the sermon at two of the services tomorrow, and another of the pastors is giving the sermon at the sunrise service. Tonight I saw a picture on FB that someone posted of her kids and each was holding a sign (sort of like a small chalkboard) on which was written "He is Risen." I love that idea!!! I want to do that for my kids' Easter pictures next year. If I hadn't already taken the pics, I'd do it this year, but I know tomorrow will be a busy day, and I'm sure it was better I took their pics on Thursday. He is risen indeed!

Foto Friday

The two pictures below were taken this morning of Nadia and Ian playing Money Bags, which I counted as their math lesson today. It's a great board game to use to practice money skills. School work can be fun! Ian is enjoying reading Amelia Bedelia books for reading (yesterday he read Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping and today he read Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia), and Nadia has one chapter left in the third Pippi Longstocking book. I am going to have her try All of a Kind Family next week, which was a series I really enjoyed when I was a child. For our "new food" this week to correspond with our study of the Middle East I was going to have the kids try pistachio ice cream (the book from the library had a recipe for making it but I just wanted to buy it), but our grocery store didn't carry it. I think that was a blessing because I opted for a box of pistachio pudding instead. As is often the case, Oliver liked it and the other two didn't. The pudding was a cheaper way for them to experience the flavor of pistachio for the first time. At least all of them really enjoyed eating ham last night. Thanks, Grandma for the ham! :)

Happy Easter!

Although we celebrate His resurrection throughout the year, Easter is a very special holiday. Christmas (His birth) wouldn't mean anything if it weren't for Easter (His death and resurrection). Ian remembered that "Up from the grave" is one of my favorite hymns, and he told me this morning that they sang it in church last Sunday when I was at Grandma's house (my mom). Hopefully they'll sing it again on Easter Sunday. I know today is actually Maundy Thursday and not Easter Sunday, but I also know it's really hard to find time to take Easter pictures on Sunday, and since it is a gorgeous day today, I had them pick out the outfits that they will wear to church on Sunday and took their photos today. They changed out of their play clothes, I took the pictures, we went to CVS for their Easter candy, we drove back home, changed back into play clothes, and then enjoyed a few jelly beans. After the candy I told Oliver to go to his bedroom for his quiet time, and guess what happened? He took a nap in his BED. This hasn't happened in weeks. WOOHOO! Nadia used to do that sometimes during her quiet time when she was four years old, but since Ian gave up his nap the only naps he's had have been in the van. The only downside was that Oliver had a hard time falling asleep this evening, in part because his nap was later than usual. He slept with his light on lying on top of his comforter and sheets, but he did take a quilt from the glider and slept under that.

I started the tradition last year of buying the kids each one small gift for Valentine's Day ($10 or less each). Last year they each got a puzzle and this year the boys each got a hardback book and Nadia received a set of paperback books. I have not gotten into a habit of buying the kids Easter gifts or baskets. I am going to take them to a few Easter egg hunts in our town on Saturday, and they might win something then. I had some coupons for CVS and could have gotten $15 worth of candy for $3, but I let them each pick a chocolate bunny and then I also bought 2 bags of jelly beans and 2 bags of peanut butter eggs. I spent $10.35 after using $12 worth of coupons. Spending $10 on Easter treats for three kids seems reasonable to me. It was in part my way of thanking them for participating in the photo shoot. In hind sight I didn't pick the right time of day for the location in terms of where the sun was located, but all in all I am happy with the pictures I got. I used a giraffe puppet on my left hand to help the boys smile. I like how you can see Ian's missing tooth in the photo!

I had planned to take the kids to the playground after Oliver's quiet time, but he was asleep at that point. We went after dinner instead. Since I didn't run today, I wanted to at least get in a nice walk. We walked to a playground a little farther away than our usual one. The kids noticed the neighbors playing outside today so I explained that the public school's spring break started yesterday. I told them that we would be finishing our school year on May 6, about one month before they will finish their school year, so we weren't taking a spring break. After this week we just have six weeks left of second grade (Nadia) and Kindergarten (Ian). 

My other project today was ordering four frames including two that will hold a total of three pieces of art work. The art projects were on 6x9" paper which is not a standard size opening. I want to display more of the kids' artwork on the walls in addition to photographs of the kids which are on display throughout the house now. I am eternally grateful that the Lord gave me these three children!

Wonderful Wednesday

Today was a gorgeous day. If it were up to me, we'd move farther south. I am NOT in any way shape or form a fan of winter weather, but it's not up to me. Paul wants to stay right here in central PA. Being able to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine is good for my soul. I don't like to spend much time outside when the temperature is less than 50 degrees, and my preference is for it to be in the 60s or 70s. You can see I also take a lot more pictures when the weather is nicer! This morning we did our school work, ate a really early lunch, and then headed out the door at 10:45 to go to the Children's Museum. I should add that Oliver's daily "schoolwork" includes doing one puzzle. He can now do 48-60 piece jigsaw puzzles on his own! Today's homeschool hangout activities were focused on flight. Nadia liked doing the experiment that created a chemical reaction which shot a medicine bottle high above the roof of the building. They all enjoyed floating above the ground in a hovercraft that moved around outside.

After spending a couple of hours at the museum, we headed to the playground near the river in Bloomsburg. They love that playground! After spending about an hour there, we headed back home. Thankfully, at the very end of our drive Oliver fell asleep, which means he had a nap two days in a row (mostly in the parked van in the garage). Yay! Paul worked at home today (he only teaches on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays), which meant that I was able to go for a 3.5 mile run this afternoon when the temperature was around 70 degrees. Yahoo! After dinner Paul took Nadia and Ian to soccer practice, and then I dropped Oliver off at the soccer field about 45 minutes later so that I could go to my choir rehearsal. The church didn't have AWANA this evening because of Easter. Choir rehearsal was heavenly because it had been three weeks since I had been to one, and we spent a large part of the rehearsal working on a gorgeous arrangement of "And Can it Be" that we are singing for the three Easter services this weekend (once Saturday night and twice on Sunday morning). They are anticipating about 2,700 people will attend those three services.

On a day like today I find myself really wanting this to continue. Meaning I wish Paul could continue to have a job that only required him to be away from home three days a week (and also for only 30 weeks a year). I also wish that I could continue to be a stay-at-home mom. I would absolutely love to teach one class a semester, but I have such mixed feelings about my upcoming job interview (to be the director of student teaching and field experiences). I have no control over what type of job Paul pursues, so that is out of the question. He will be switching to a job that will require him to be at work 6 and sometimes 7 days a week. It has been wonderful having him only working away from home three days a week for the past three years, but those days are almost over. As for whether I am going back to work FT or not, time will tell. Part of me really wants a job. I want to be able to afford to stay in this house. I want to be able to afford to go on a vacation once a year. When I think of the salary I used to make, I can quickly create a list of things I would like to spend money on such as some home improvement projects.

Nadia wants me to get the job. She says it's because #1 she wants to have more time with Daddy (she knows she'll see more of him if I get a job because then he'll stay at home when I am at work) and because she wants us to have more money so we can afford vacations and such. Ian doesn't want me to get a job. He says he just wants his mommy. Oliver is clueless about it all. I am really torn between the two. I loved being a professor for ten years, but right now my heart longs to stay at home with my kids. I will really miss them if I go back to work FT, but the salary would definitely be a blessing for the five of us. I also am not super keen on the idea of having a 45 minute commute (one way) to work, but it is feasible. I am going into this interview wanting to do my very best and hoping they will select me for an in-person interview, but if I am rejected (again!), I know it means I will be able to enjoy at least one more year as a stay-at-home mom (unless Messiah College shows interest in me), and that is also a wonderful option. We shall see what happens!

Thankful Tuesday

1. My in-laws graciously took care of our three kids while Paul was at the plant on Thursday and Friday while I was in Maryland. Paul and the kids spent those two nights at their house, which also meant Paul didn't need to think about preparing dinner either day. Paul took care of the kids on Saturday and Sunday. He made them pancakes for dinner on Saturday and bought carry-out pizza on Sunday.

2. I had a smooth trip going down to Maryland on Thursday morning and coming back on Sunday evening.

3. My mom showed improvement during the time I was there in terms of overcoming the side effects of the third chemo treatment, and yesterday she made even more progress, as she was able to use her walker to get to the kitchen (we had taken her there by wheelchair while I was down there). Praying that she has a good week until she has chemo #4 next week.

4. My mom graciously shared some things with us that she had been given including a kalanchoe plant, part of an apple pie, and a large ham that I am going to cook this week.

5. I made a request on the kids' choir FB page, and two parents graciously posted videos of the kids singing on Sunday morning since I was not able to hear them in person and Paul didn't take a video.

6. Ian made his second basket during his final game on Saturday morning!

7. The weather was much nicer today which meant we walked to the playground and enjoyed some fresh air this afternoon!

8. I hadn't placed any orders with Shutterfly in more than three months, but I placed a large order on Sunday. Without coupons it would have cost more than $200, but I paid less than $2 total for a notepad, 3 reusable shopping bags, a magnet, 2 photobooks, prints, address labels, etc. My mom helped me with the project, which was fun as usually I do it alone.

9. This morning we enjoyed an excellent program about eggs and the animals that lay eggs at the state park, and then we used part of Oliver's Valentine gift from my parents to have lunch at Wendy's which was a special treat. This photo at left is of the kids observing salamander and frog eggs in a vernal pool.

10. My phone interview with Lock Haven has been scheduled for Monday morning. Prayers that I do my very best are greatly appreciated!

11. I am very thankful for the 71 years of life God has given my mom thus far and that I was able to be with her on her birthday on Sunday.

12. Oliver took a nap today. It was his first nap in well over a week, and he hasn't been sleeping in as late in the morning so it was VERY much appreciated. He slept for 75 minutes in the van.

13. We got our refund from the IRS today. It was a much smaller refund than we've gotten the last several years, but it was enough to enable me to schedule the final payment of my retirement loan. As of April 1 the only debt we will have is our mortgage. In the last 3 years we paid off Paul's school loans, the van, and the two loans we took from my retirement accounts in 2008 that went toward paying for our current house. We started paying them off several months ago because we thought we were moving, but even if we don't move (which seems likely), having these paid off will lower our housing costs for as long as we do live in this house, and it also means we could refinance and borrow from my retirement accounts again (to decrease what we are currently paying in interest each year on the mortgage) if we end up staying in this house. When we bought this house we thought we would only live here for 3-4 years. Unless Messiah College offers me a job, we will be living here at least nine years. Ironically when we purchased our first two homes we thought we would live in them for decades and only lived in the first one for 3.5 years and a little over 4 years in the second. If I get the job at Lock Haven, I want to do some home improvement projects around this house (such as a new refrigerator and new flooring in a few rooms). We invested a lot more (new flooring, etc.) in the other two houses but held off in this one because we thought we wouldn't be here long. Go figure!

Spring!

Yesterday was my mom's 71st birthday and the first day of spring. It didn't feel like spring yesterday, but it does look like spring as the grass has turned green again and some spring flowers are starting to come up. The last two weeks I was able to run three times each week (a grand total of 22 miles between the six runs), and I'm hoping to run three times this week as well although I'm not tempted to run today as it's only in the 40's. Thankfully the temps are supposed to go up this week. Soccer was supposed to begin last week, but last week's practices were cancelled, which was fine with us because the basketball season wrapped up last week. Ian made his second basket on Saturday! I didn't see that one because I was in Maryland helping my mom, but I did see his first basket earlier this season. The kids had their basketball award assembly yesterday evening. This week they will not be having AWANA or homeschool gym class because of Easter, but they are having their first soccer practices this evening. Paul usually works at the plant on Mondays, but he stayed home today because he worked five days at the plant last week while Bucknell was on Spring Break.

This morning I spent some time continuing the clothes transition project. I officially switched Oliver to size 4T even for underwear, long sleeve dress shirts, jackets, and pants. Ian is almost 3 years older than Oliver, but there is just one size between them right now as Ian wears size 5T pants and Oliver wears size 4T pants. Last week I took a trip to Goodwill to donate a trunk load of stuff. I could have sold some of it, but I actually prefer to just donate it. I enjoy shopping at yard sales and consignment shops for used clothing, but I don't enjoy selling used clothing.

Tomorrow morning we are heading to the state park for a program about eggs and on Wednesday morning we plan to go to the children's museum for a program on flight.