18 years later

The last time Paul and I went on a date to see a movie at the theater was in 2004. It's not something we did very often while we were dating or in the early years of marriage. I think the two we saw in the theater together that Paul liked the best were The Perfect Storm and A Beautiful Mind. Generally, we have been content to wait until a movie comes out on DVD, and that has been even more true since we became parents in 2008. Saturday night Paul and I went to see Lifemark because I had received two free tickets through K-LOVE. It was our third date in 2022 after going a few years without any dates! Sam's Club is very close to the theater, so we picked up a few things there before the movie. In hindsight, we could have spent more time at Sam's Club because the previews lasted a full 31 minutes before the movie started. Oi vey! That didn't exactly inspire us to choose seeing movies at the theater over waiting for them to come out on DVD. The movie was excellent. I reflected on the years we tried to adopt and also the experiences of some of my friends who have adopted. The next movie I was contemplating seeing was I heard the Bells, which has been made by Sight and Sound and will be shown in December, but maybe we will return to our pattern of typically waiting to see movies on DVD. Now that Oliver is ten, we aren't paying his siblings to babysit him. There have been three "firsts" in the last month in regard to the kids being left alone. The three of them ate lunch once together at home alone when I went out to lunch with Tab last month, they ate dinner together at home alone once last month when I was at a meeting at church, and Saturday night was the first time that Oliver went to bed when we weren't home and no one else was babysitting. We certainly don't feel comfortable leaving them home alone for extended periods of time yet. We left as quickly as possible after the movie was done. 

Speaking of Oliver being ten, he's now old enough to volunteer with Compassion. Ian and Nadia have volunteered with me on more than one occasion. Next month all five of us are signed up to volunteer with Compassion at a concert featuring Casting Crowns, Anne Wilson, and Cain in Hershey. It will be the first time either Paul or Oliver have volunteered with Compassion. 

Speaking of dates, Nadia had her first date for 2022. She went bowling with Paul yesterday afternoon. They bowled four games. Oliver wanted to have his third (and final) date of the year yesterday, but the weather didn't cooperate. He has requested going to a corn maze for his last date. Technically Nadia's first date was split over two days. Last Sunday evening Paul took her out for pizza and then to a bowling alley, but the bowling alley wasn't open. Our new tradition is for the kids to each get three dates a year with one of their parents. Nadia has two left for 2022, and Ian should have one more. 

Nadia took this photo of her guinea pig, Peppa.

It's been 2.5 weeks since I wrote a gratitude list so here are some things that I am thankful for today.

1. Nadia enjoyed having Macey over for a sleepover at the end of August.

2. Two sixth grade girls joined the Bible quizzing team. One of them lives across the street from us so we will be taking turns driving the kids to their practice at 4:30 on Wednesdays. 

3. We enjoyed having a family from our church over for dinner on August 28. They go to our church, but I met them in 2020 when Nadia and their daughter, Natalie, were in a play together. One of my goals for the year has been to have 12 different families/couples over for dinner this year (not counting our relatives). We've had seven over so far.

4. Nadia and Ian had their first rehearsals with the Susquehanna Valley Youth Chorale on August 29. Their second was tonight because they had last Monday off due to Labor Day. 

5. I am enjoying doing my grocery shopping on Monday evenings at Aldi (and sometimes Walmart) while the kids are in Ninjastics and/or choir rehearsals. 

6. We had a tour of a creamery that is housed in a building that is almost 200 years old. The ice cream is made from milk from their cows. It was SO delicious! We hope to go there again at some point in the future as the peanut butter Oreo ice cream was amazing! 

7. On August 31 Oliver and I were able to help serve food to people who were coming to our church for a food bank distribution.

8. The kids and I participated in a three-hour program at a state park on September 2nd. I was very grateful that I didn't injure myself on the hike. 

9. We enjoyed spending a couple of hours at Panera with the Kinleys. I had invited them to have a meal at our home, but he is highly allergic to guinea pigs, so they treated us to a meal instead. 

10. The boys enjoyed seeing the new Pinocchio movie on Disney+. 

11. Paul loved that they talked about Coolidge (one of his favorite Presidents) on the latest episode of the Tuttle Twins that we watch together as a family whenever new episodes come out on YouTube. 

12. Milo had diarrhea in Nadia's bed once last week. Unfortunately, it happened again in Ian's bed the next night. Yuck! Considering I didn't want to start washing bedding on a daily basis, we had him sleep in his crate the next night. It happened in his crate the third night, but thankfully that was the end of it. After he had a night without any issues in his crate, we resumed having him sleep with the kids. That was the first time in the last 21 months that had ever happened, and hopefully it won't happen again! 

13. Nadia and Ian also came down with a bug last week. Last week Paul was going in to work VERY early (as in leaving our home at 12:30am) so he was also coming home much earlier than usual which was very helpful as I didn't want to leave Ian alone at home if he wasn't feeling well. Ian for the first time in his life managed to throw up in the right place. I wasn't happy that he was vomiting, but I was very, very grateful I didn't have to clean it up. Whew. Nadia came down since on Thursday. I had already cancelled Thursday's field trip, and because the kids were sick, we opted not to go to our church's quarterly Friday evening worship service. Thankfully, Paul, Oliver, and I have escaped this bug. 

14. Nadia, Oliver, and I attended a monarch butterfly class last Wednesday morning. We brought home a monarch egg, and it hatched this past weekend! I also took them to the thrift store to get Nadia some more jeans. Most things are 50% off at that store on Wednesdays. 

15. My Bible study began on Wednesday night. I can already tell that this is a better fit for me than the group I was in on Wednesday nights last spring. 

16. Paul and I enjoyed the movie Lifemark. We'll get it on DVD from the library in the future so the kids can watch it. 

17. Nadia enjoyed bowling with Paul yesterday afternoon. 

18. Paul and I enjoy our Sunday School class. Yesterday I was one of the two people signed up to bring snacks for our class. I made a strawberry pretzel Jell-O salad, German apple cake, and German peach kuchen. It seems like I made the correct amount of food as there was only a tiny bit left of each at the end of class. 

19. The kids enjoyed skating at the homeschool party at the roller-skating rink today. Oliver won the four corners game and received a free popcorn from the snack bar as his prize. Oliver also enjoyed the cookies that they had at the orthodontist office this afternoon. 

20. I've lost 18 pounds since I started dieting on June 1. I'd like to lose five more, but clothes that haven't fit for a year or more are fitting again, which is a great feeling. I've been faithfully walking with Milo for at least three miles a day rain or shine. 

21. Although we weren't able to be there in person, we were able to see a video of my niece, Susie, giving her testimony and being baptized at their church in Chicago on Sunday. 

22. We have no plans to go anywhere tomorrow. I am very thankful for that because today was a hectic day with the roller skating, errands, orthodontist, mowing the lawn, choir rehearsals, Ninjastics, etc. 

23. Our neighbors have agreed to watch Milo this Friday/Saturday while we're in Philadelphia and also for our nine-day trip to New England later this month. So thankful!!!

Thankful Thursday

 

1. Margie had a lung x-ray ten days ago which showed something that could have been cancer. She had a CT scan on February 11 and received a good report regarding that scan on Monday. They thought her fifth chemo treatment that had been scheduled for February 8 would have to be postponed due to her illness, but thankfully she was able to have it. The next chemo treatment should be the last one!

2. Nadia enjoyed attending Macey's birthday party on Sunday afternoon.

3. Oliver enjoyed his date at KFC and Treasure Castle Playland on Saturday with Paul. He hadn't been there since 2019. I don't think he'll ask to go back again as he now realizes that he's outgrown that place. 

4. I'm not sure if I'll agree to dog sitting again, but Nadia is very thankful that she's had this opportunity to earn $100. She has been very diligent as far as cleaning up Cookie's messes and walking Cookie many times a day. She still hates to be in her crate, but thankfully she's no longer scared of Milo.

5. We are getting close to the end of Gulliver's Travels. Usually, it's not a struggle to finish a book, but this one is long (12 hours) and hasn't been a favorite. In contrast to that, we have only been listening to A Place to Hang the Moon for a few days, and we're nearing the end. Yes, that book is 4 hours shorter than Gulliver's Travels, but more importantly we're really enjoying it. 

6. The kids enjoyed roller skating on Monday. I hadn't seen my friend, Tab, in two months, and now we're going to see each other three times in five days as we went to their house yesterday afternoon and the same 7 kids that played together yesterday are planning to serve together at the warehouse tomorrow afternoon.

Giving Thanks

Typically in November I have tried to include a gratitude list in every post. I haven't done so this month, and I've only written two "thankful" posts so far this month as my last one was 10 days ago. So although Friday doesn't start with a "T," here are some things I am thankful for today.

1. Tab, Micah, and Isaiah came over for a visit on November 12. We hadn't spent time together since September 2 so it was great to talk face-to-face. Tab also brought her vacuum so that we could use hers while ours was on the fritz. 

2. Paul fixed the vacuum last Sunday afternoon. I'm thankful that we don't need a new one. 

3. The doctor gave me permission on Wednesday morning to begin bearing weight on my right leg. I didn't make progress that day toward walking, but I made progress yesterday and today. I am by no means walking normally, but at least my hopping days are over. We shall see if I can walk up the stairs this evening for the first time in almost 10 weeks. I was able to walk down them this morning with my back to the railing and both hands holding on to the railing that was behind me. I'm thankful that Yvonne can help me via FaceTime with relearning how to walk. Yesterday morning I was so happy that I could finally make my right leg go forward to take a step, but then I was frozen and couldn't move my left (uninjured) leg an inch. The kids and I all were all laughing. I felt ridiculous, but Yvonne told me that my brain was still working hard to protect my right leg. I've had to readjust my expectations as to what I can accomplish around the house at the moment, but hopefully in another week I'll be back to normal. Walking is VERY exhausting to me at the moment. I was so tired yesterday that I went to bed at 8:30pm, and I slept until almost 7am!

4. Nadia attended a 4-H roller skating party this evening. Her friend's mom came and picked her up, and Paul was able to meet them somewhere convenient afterwards on his way home from work. 

5. Paul's dad came up to our house yesterday. He went to the library for me, took the kids to lunch at Bonanza, helped Oliver learn how to program his Edison robot that my Dad and Margie had given him for his birthday, listened to the boys play the piano, and played Ian in a game of chess. He was with the kids for about 5 hours total. They hadn't seen him for three months. 

6. So far things have gone well for Margie following her second chemo treatment. Her white count is low so we're praying she won't succumb to any illnesses. 

7. We got a very cheap trial of an Amazon Prime channel (99 cents a month), and that enabled Ian and Oliver to see the new Clifford the Big Red Dog movie. Last weekend we watched the Jungle Cruise movie together on Disney+, and Oliver also watched the new Home Alone movie. Nadia and I are hoping that Disney+ will renew the show Turner and Hooch for a second season next year. 

8. Walmart had the grocery order ready on time for Paul last night, which was a relief after the problem we had on Wednesday morning. 

9. After the disastrous experience we've had with our health insurance regarding my ankle surgery, we want to have other coverage ASAP. Instead of trying another health insurance, we're going to go the Christian sharing plan route instead. I'm glad there are other options out there, and I'm still praying that either our health insurance company will pay more toward my surgery or that the hospital will greatly reduce the size of the bill that currently exceeds $21K. Here's to hoping and praying we have a better experience with the sharing plan. 

Thankful Tuesday

 1. Henri's winds weren't as bad where my Aunt lives as the storm that came through Long Island when we were there last summer. She just got a lot of rain. In hindsight we probably could have gone out there. We wouldn't have gone swimming on Sunday or Monday, but she didn't lose power as she did last year. We erred on the side of caution particularly with flights from Chicago involved in the decision. The good news is that we ARE going to drive out there tomorrow morning and come back on Sunday.

2. My sister made it here safely with Grace on Sunday evening. Her girls really wanted to go to a trampoline park. That didn't happen due to reduced hours at Kaos due to COVID, but we did go roller skating this morning. It cost $20 for me to pay for admission for my 3 kids plus rent skates for Nadia. This made me appreciate that fact that we usually skate there for free. Wendy, Rachel, and Grace hadn't roller skated in a long time. They improved over the two hours they skated and also appreciate the tips one expert skater was giving people throughout the session. Oliver was in third place in the limbo contest.

3. We played a variety of games together such as Racko, Rummikub, and Quiddler. 

4. We had lunch at Kid's Café yesterday and today, and both times Wendy and I also received a free meal although it's usually only for kids. Today was "parent's day" so all parents were offered a meal, and yesterday we were there at the end and they had so much leftover pizza they opened it up to parents at the end. The tacos and also the éclair cake were tasty today! 

5. Oliver has improved over the last several months in his ability to sit nicely during a worship service, and he's even begun to take notes (fill in the blanks in the sermon outline) on his own initiative! Way to go, Oliver!

6. Nadia and Rachel have loved having a little over 5 days together!! Wendy told me that despite the miles between them, Rachel has previously said that she considers Nadia to be her best friend. Awww!!

7.  Most of the National Parks I had planned to visit in conjunction with our trip to Long Island are currently only open Friday through Sunday due to COVID, but it turns out that Paterson Great Falls is not only open tomorrow but is having extra activities due to the fact tomorrow is the 105th birthday of the National Park system! So we are planning on stopping there on on our way to Long Island tomorrow.

Birthday Eve

Oliver has eagerly anticipated this birthday for months.  I had planned 5 special events for his birthday. The trip to DelGrosso's Amusement Park with Karyss and Maddox had to be cancelled since he got four stitches the day before we planned to go. He started wearing his birthday shirts on Monday; he really likes the "Birthday Dude" shirt. This week Micah and Isaiah came over at 10:15 on Wednesday. The boys played at our house, and then I took them to the playground where the played and had tacos and root beer floats compliments of Kid's Cafe. Then they played some more at our house before I took them to Centered Earth. They each picked out a piece of pottery and what color paints they wanted to use. Ian painted an owl cup that he plans to use as a pencil holder in his bedroom, Oliver painted an ice cream bowl, Isaiah painted a dolphin, and Micah painted a gingerbread house. Our next stop was to get breakfast sandwiches from Dunkin'. Because they are still not allowing any customers inside the restaurant, we ate outside on some grass. Then the boys went roller skating; It's free to skate on the first Wednesday night at that rink. I bought them each a slushie. The boys gave Oliver a light for his bicycle tire, fruit snacks, and Goldfish crackers. We got home around 8pm so the boys had almost ten hours together that day.

Yesterday Westyn and Addi joined us for an outing. We would have left a little earlier than we did, but they were attending another Good News Camp. We left around 2:45 and headed to the bowling alley. The kids could have each bowled 2 games for free, but we only had time for 1 game. Ian and Oliver wore bowling shoes that we own. I paid to rent shoes for Addi and Westyn. Because we paid for their skate rental, they gave us two $5 cards to use on the arcades. The kids each got one small piece of candy from the points they earned on the games. The kids used bumpers when they bowled. Addi had two strikes and came in first place (99), Ian got a spare on his first frame and ended up in 2nd place (81), Westyn didn't have any spares or strikes but he came in third place (80), and Oliver had three spares and came in last place (78). Next we drove to Kaos where I paid a total of $40 for the four kids to play for a little less than 2 hours. First they played on arcade games, then they did two games of laser tag, and they ended with 20 minutes on the trampolines. Our excursion ended with sharing a large cheese pizza at Long Island Pizza. We got home around 7:15pm. Paul spent the night at his dad's apartment last night.

Oliver went on a date with Paul in February for his half birthday, which meant his birthday date would be with me. Since Nadia is at overnight camp this week and Paul has been working extremely long hours (ex. on one of the nights he came home this week he got home after 8pm and left for work again at 2:30am), Ian is joining Oliver and I on our date. Oliver picked to go to Knoebels. On Wednesday and Friday nights you can get a handstamp for $12 that is valid from 5-9pm. I'm going to buy the boys each a handstamp this evening. Oliver wanted to bring Milo along as Milo loved being at Knoebels in May, but Ian really wanted to have pizza once more this week. So Oliver agreed that we would share a pizza at OIP in Elysburg prior to arriving at Knoebels at 5pm. Tomorrow, his actual birthday, will bring his four day birthday celebration to a close. 

Oliver will be getting donuts for breakfast tomorrow morning while we are on our way to pick up Nadia at Camp Susque. I can't wait to hear all about her week at camp! Pop Pop is coming to our house tomorrow, and he's bringing a chocolate cake with peanut butter icing that Oliver requested from Aunt Millie and Uncle Al. He asked for macaroni and cheese with grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for dinner tomorrow night, and he invited one of the neighbors (Maddox) over to join us for his birthday dinner.

For the first several years of his life it was very hard to come up with ideas of what to buy him for Christmas or his birthday because #1 he didn't have any particular interests, #2 we already had a lot of toys, and #3 he never asked for things. Last year was the first time he actually gave a few suggestions for a wish list. Over the past year he's told me MANY things he would like to receive such as: table and chairs for our deck, a tent, a swimming pool for our backyard, a treehouse, a minibike or electric dirt bike, an electric scooter, a skateboard, an Edison robot, Paw Patrol toys, a snowboard, Fritos, Goldfish crackers, gummies, a new slide for the play set in the backyard, a knight costume, a subscription to Amazon Music Unlimited, and Super Mario 3D World + Bower's Fury, which is a Nintendo Switch game. He also asks me very, very often if we can adopt another child. I tell him it's Daddy he has to get to agree to that request. I got him a skateboard and a few toys that he picked out at yard sales the last three months, and my Dad and Margie got him the Edison robot. He's not getting even half of the things he's asked for, but hopefully he will have a great birthday tomorrow! 

Speaking of birthdays, I finally finished Nadia's birthday interview video. I didn't record many videos over the past year. I included pictures of her from July 2020 to June 2021, her video interview, two short videos from white water rafting, and short interviews of Ian, Oliver, and Paul. It's definitely an improvement over the videos I've done over the past 13 years as I've never done any editing before - just hit record (mostly with a camcorder) and uploaded whatever I recorded. However, I utilized very little of what I've learned in the video course. In the future I hope to record short video clips FAR more often with either my phone or DSLR. I also hope to improve my skills both with recording videos and also with putting everything together with video editing software. I hope that I will improve with each video I make, but I especially hope that I can do MUCH better with my video of our vacation in September. I've learned that it's better to record interviews indoors (to avoid background noises of birds and such), to use the tripod when I'm recording a video with my DSLR camera, and to use the stabilizer when I'm recording videos with my cell phone. The stabilizer has been a big help for almost every occasion. I got a good video of Oliver doing the limbo at the roller skating rink on Thursday, but I couldn't figure out how to use the stabilizer when I was taking videos of the kids bowling yesterday. I'm sure it's my lack of knowledge that was the problem. Ian and Oliver have already seen Nadia's birthday video. I hope Nadia likes it when she sees it tomorrow. Just like I have to say "I'm done" when making a photo book (or I could spend an absurd amount of hours making one), I had to say "I'm done" with her video. It's the type of project that I could keep tweaking for hours on end. 

Thankful Thursday

1. The kids had four more tennis lessons from May 24-27, and their friends Micah and Isaiah also took tennis with them. I was able to talk with Tab in person far more than usual that week. It was also easier for me to log more steps that week as I walked during the lessons. The kids have been playing tennis in our driveway with the neighbors lately.

2. We were able to take a two day getaway to Buffalo that included the Buffalo Naval and Military Park, Theodore Roosevelt's Inaugural site, swimming in the indoor pool at the hotel, and Six Flags Darien Lake. We used four coupons to reduce the cost of our dinner at Chick-fil-A on Friday, and we used gift cards to pay for our lunch and dinner on Saturday. Paul had a four day weekend!!!!

3. Our church had a nice service and luncheon to celebrate the fifth graders promotion into the youth group on Sunday. Ian would have attended youth group last night for the very first time if Paul hadn't offered to take the boys roller skating. He's planning to start attending next week. 

4. I'm very thankful for all who have given their lives in the service of our country.

5. The kids and I enjoyed our annual visit to Reptiland. 

6. Milo is handling our absence better when we leave him in his crate, and we are also very appreciative of the care that Micah and Isaiah give him when we leave Milo at their house. 

7. Tab picked us up at Walmart one day last week on the way to tennis lessons so that we didn't have to wait at Walmart while they rotated the tires on the van.

8. Paul took Karyss, Ian, and Oliver roller skating last night while Nadia and I were at church.

9. Although the mask mandate in our state doesn't expire until the end of this month (or whenever we hit 70% of adults fully vaccinated if that happens first), at most places masks are already optional. Yahoo!!!

10. I don't always vote in the primary election in an off year election, but I did vote this year because of the constitutional amendments that were included on the ballot. PTL the amendments passed. The first two were aimed at limiting the power of a governor in terms of how long a state of emergency can last. I'm absolutely in favor of checks and balances and not giving any one person too much power regardless of what political party currently has control of the legislature or the executive branch. 

ABC's of 2020

Doing a puzzle in January - long before I knew we'd do MANY puzzles in 2020.

I decided to do an alphabetical "year in review" post and include some of my favorite photos from over the past year.

A - One of our two stops on the first day of our vacation was to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. This was a highlight of the trip for Paul, Ian, and Oliver! Nadia and Ian had taken art classes at the Christian school the past three years, but due to COVID we didn't pursue that for this school year. The kids are enjoying taking art classes online through our membership with Creating a Masterpiece; Nadia has done 25 art projects over the past few months and the the boys have done 21. We love to listen to audiobooks! Not counting the ones we're in the middle of right now, the kids and I listened to 143 chapter books together this year!  We've begun saving one book for just when Paul is able to listen with us (usually Saturday night and all day Sunday) - typically a biography. I paid for some through Audible, but the vast majority we got for free through Hoopla or Overdrive via the library. Nadia has been enjoying playing Among Us the past two months online with Ava.

B - In January Nadia joined a Bible Bowl team at our church. At that point she was on a team with three seventh grade girls, and they were memorizing the books of Hebrews and I and II Peter. Because of COVID, the annual competition wasn't held. In September Nadia joined a team with two fifth grade girls and one eighth grade girl, and they are studying the book of Matthew. Because she turned twelve years old in June, Nadia is now allowed to babysit. She and her friend Evanna babysat a preschooler together for several hours once, and I have paid her to babysit Oliver on multiple occasions. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, she has been able to babysit more than I anticipated. She likes being able to earn more money! All three kids got new bikes this year. Nadia sold her 24" bike and claimed my bike as her own. Ian and Oliver received new 24" mountain bikes this year, and Pop Pop built Oliver a bike ramp. Birthdays were very different in 2020. For the past 12 years we've had extended family at the kids' birthday parties. No relatives came to our house for Nadia or Ian's birthdays. We spent Oliver's birthday at Aunt Janet's house, and we saw Grandpa and Margie a few days later. 

A field trip to Gettysburg in February before I had any idea we'd go on very few field trips this year!

C - Although COVID-19, coronavirus, and cancelled are probably the first three "C" words that come to mind for 2020, I'm going to pick Cincinnati because we enjoyed our time that area in October. The playgrounds along the riverfront, the IMAX movie about dogs, the Ark Encounter, and the Creation Museum were among the top six experiences of our family vacation this year. In January and February the kids took a computer hardware class for four weeks, Oliver began learning how to write in cursive in August, and as always friends and family have been fighting cancer. One of my friends died of cancer in October, and two of my friends lost their spouses to cancer in August and November. Margie was diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery on November 9. Once Nadia finished watching all the episodes of Full House, she switched to working through all the seasons of the Cosby show. I've sung in an adult church choir consistently since the fall of 1986. COVID brought an abrupt end to our choir season at the beginning of March, and it looks like the choir break will last at least one full year.

D - We paid for a subscription to Disney+ in December 2019, and due to COVID-19 some movies that were originally going to be released in the theatres went straight to Disney+ instead. Paul and the boys have also really enjoyed watching two seasons of Mandalorian this year. Baby Yoda is so cute! Last year I assumed we'd only have the subscription for one year, but we paid for another year earlier this month. One of the reasons we made this decision was because we usually pay for at least four months of cable tv each year to watch the NFL, but we didn't do that this year. The kids get a new privilege and a new responsibility each time they have a birthday. Nadia's new chore now that she is twelve years old has been to do the dishes at one meal each week. Thankfully, the five of us rarely see the doctor aside from annual physicals. This year we spent more than usual in the "medical" category of our budget ($1,500) because Paul saw the doctor a lot more than usual. Thankfully all the test results came back normal (aside from showing he has carpal tunnel). He had a colonoscopy, stress test, upper EMG, and lower EMG. 

I had no idea when I took this photo that the rabbits would only be in our house for two months.

E - We are finally making progress with learning a foreign language as the kids and I are speaking more and more Español!  Hopefully we'll make even more progress towards becoming bilingual next year through our subscription with Talkbox.mom. The three topics which I think were in the news the most in 2020 were COVID-19, riots and protests related to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the Election. As usual, the candidate I voted for didn't win. I'm praying about the special election in Georgia that is taking place in a few days. 

F - Paul turned fifty years old this year! We have been wearing face masks or face shields for the first time in our lives. Paul wears a face mask far more than the rest of us because he wears it at work. We hope that sometime next year they will no longer be mandatory. Nadia completed a personal finance class online this summer, and she also finished watching every single episode of Full House. We got our first chest freezer this year, which was somewhat of a miracle given the shortage on them due to COVID.

G - Four different guinea pigs lived in our home this year. Jenna is four years old. Sadly, we experienced the death of a pet for the first time this year as Ian's first guinea pig, Patches, suddenly died in February at the age of three. In April we brought home two more guinea pigs - Peppa (Nadia's) and Buttercup (Ian's). Unfortunately the younger ones sometimes wake me up in the night with their loud chirping. Nadia has Peppa and Jenna out a lot. They are accustomed to being held and purr quite a bit.  - - This year we also got new garage doors, and Ian got new glasses because his second pair of eyeglasses were broken by another child at Bee's Backyard in February. During the quarantine, the kids and I played 74 different games at least once! 

H- is for hoverboards! Grandpa and Margie gave Oliver a hoverboard for his birthday in August, and Nadia bought one during a Prime Day sale at Walmart in October. 

Two of Nadia's friends who came over for sleepovers several times this year.

I - The kids and I spent a week on Long Island with Aunt Janet the first week of August. It was different than our previous three trips there due to COVID and also a lengthy power outage, but we still had a great time. All three kids participated in group ice skating lessons this year, which was a first for Oliver. 

J - Although MANY our trips to National Parks were cancelled this year, the kids have earned 72 Junior Ranger badges altogether, and 50 of those were earned this year. That would never have been possible if it weren't for the fact that some can be earned from home without actually visiting the site.

K - Although some science museums have been closed since March due to COVID-19 and others have only partially reopened, the kids had a blast at the Kentucky Science Center. We also enjoyed visiting the Kentucky Derby Museum. 

L - It was a shock to have all the libraries closed for four months this year. This fall I got another library card and switched to using the Lycoming county library system as our primary library. 

M - We got a Bichon Frise puppy on December 12 named Milo! On the first day of 2020 we had two pets, I would never have guessed we would have six pets in our home by December 12. Because Nadia began studying Matthew in September and we opted not to have the boys join AWANA by Zoom this fall, the kids and I have been memorizing the Sermon on Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7). So far we have memorized chapter 5 (which has 48 verses). Ian and Nadia have been playing Minecraft lately.

N - We have had very brief shortages at other times in my life due to a snow storm or something like that. I can't ever recall any other time in my life where we had SO many national shortages this year. The list is lengthy and contains a wide array of items such as: toilet paper, napkins, pasta, bicycles, freezers, bread, cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, etc. Thankfully the grocery stores have been close to fully stocked lately. 

O - We had to attend church online for three months. Church still isn't back to "normal" - no choir, for example, but we're very thankful we can attend in-person again. We also picked an orthodontist for Ian this fall. He will begin phase one (expander) in January.

P - Puzzles is the "p" word that first comes to mind. We spent FAR more hours doing puzzles this year than ever before. I spent FAR more money on puzzles than I had ever spent before. Oliver has moved beyond 100 piece puzzles. With assistance, Nadia has done up to 1,000 piece puzzles. We listened to audiobooks for many hours while doing puzzles together during the spring. The kids couldn't attend Camp Susque this summer as they usually do, but they were able to attend Pocono Mountain Bible Conference instead. Ian continues to excel at playing the piano, and Nadia has been enjoying taking an online photography class.

Q - It's usually challenging to come up with a "q" word, but this year it's easy. In 2020 Q is for quarantine and Queen Esther. The kids and I were quarantined for three months this year. Paul continued to go to work, and he took over the grocery shopping during that time period. We originally had tickets to see Queen Esther at Sight and Sound in April, but due to the lockdown we actually went in December.

R - Nadia didn't make it to any of the WGRC skate nights in 2020 for a variety of reasons, but the boys dramatically improved in their rollerblading skills this year. All three kids own their own pair of rollerblades, and I've been taking the boys to a roller skating rink once a month. 2020 is also the year when Ian enjoyed rock climbing for the first time. He learned to enjoy ziplining in 2019. I love seeing him conquer his fears! We also had two pet rabbits for two months this year. Unfortunately, we had to take Cocoa and Coal back to the SPCA as they were spraying pee on each other and our house as well as chewing baseboards and such. We all love to READ. I'm not sure how many books Paul and I read, but I can say that both of us read more books this year than we had read in one year in quite awhile. Ian and Nadia each read at least 60 chapter books this year. I tried a lot more new recipes than usual - 87 over the past four months. We usually go to several concerts each year. This year Paul and Oliver didn't attend any concerts. Ian, Nadia, and I were able to attend The Roadshow (put on by Compassion) in Wilkes Barre in early March. 

S - We went skiing twice in one year for the first time this year! I took the kids to Elk Mountain (first time any of us  had ever been there) in January, and all five of us skied at Ski Sawmill in February. 2020 was the year Oliver learned how to ski! Probably the words that come to most people's minds for 2020 that start with "s" are safe, social distancing, six feet, and hand sanitizer. I signed us up for a Six Flags membership in early January thinking that we would visit five different Six Flags parks this year. Because of COVID we only made it to two of them, but the kids and I did spend five days at Six Flags this summer, and Paul joined us for one day. Because the parks opened later than usual, we will be able to go to Six Flags for free through the end of July 2021. Ian and Nadia received scooters for Christmas last year, and so all three kids rode their scooters quite a bit during the lockdown. We started the year without the use of either of our showers. In November we agreed to hire someone to finish the master bathroom shower which was been a project Paul began in May 2016. I  believe that project will be completed in early January. So in early 2021 we will likely have the use of TWO showers for the first time in years!

T - I think we all would agree that we've had our temperatures taken FAR more in 2020 than any other year of our lives! In past years we've seen Paul's family the most (since they only live an hour away) and the Towfighis the least (since they lived in Turkey for 15 years). This year we haven't seen Wendy's family at all, whereas usually we see them 1-2 times a year. So in this upside down year, the kids and I saw the Towfighis more than any other extended family member (I'm not counting Paul as he sees his brother and dad at work). They came to our house in June, we met at least some of them at Six Flags (MD/NJ) on three occasions, and we saw most of them at Refreshing Mountain in September and again at our house for a couple of hours in November. Finally in November we were able to spend time with Paul's extended family after not doing so for more than 10 months.

U - 2020 was Nadia's seventh and final year of playing Upward Basketball. The first several years my parents would come to at least one game, and Paul's parents would attend several games. 2020 was the first year that we didn't have any extended family members attend any of the kids' games. Thankfully their season ended right before the lockdown began. 

V - Nadia took one semester of voice lessons this fall for the first time ever (by Zoom). She was motivated to complete her piano books so that she wouldn't have to pay for the voice lessons. Originally I thought that the kids and I would be going on five vacations this year - three without Paul and one with Paul. Three vacations were cancelled (to Chicago in April, to MD/DC in May, and to Canada in August), but the kids and I did go to Long Island in August and our eight day family vacation in October to Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, and Pennsylvania DID take place although it certainly was far different than what it would have been if we weren't in the middle of a pandemic.  I prayed for a vaccine this year more than I've ever prayed for a vaccine before.  Paul and I had never paid a bill at a veterinarian  prior to this year, but we visited three different vets this year -in February for Patches (guinea pig), then for Cocoa and Coal (rabbits), and finally this month for our puppy, Milo.

W - In previous years we haven't had a plan for regularly incorporating current events into our curriculum. This fall I subscribed to a year of World Watch News, which is an approximately 10 minute show that is aired M-F. I expect we will continue to keep this subscription, as the kids and I find it to be enjoyable and informative. 

X - Although we have belonged to swimming pools in the past, we hadn't done so recently and didn't plan to join one this summer, but in light of everything that was cancelled this summer, we joined the Exchange pool in June and swam there for quite a few days this summer. 

Y - Nadia joined two youth groups in January. She attends First Baptist's youth group on Sunday nights and CWC's youth group on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. Nadia has participated in a theatre camp every year from 2013 to the present. She participated in two this summer, and Ian participated with her in the second one called Youtheatre. It was his first time ever participating in a theatre camp. It was NOT his idea, but he loved it. 

Z - Oliver asked for a pet for the first time this summer. In early August he received two zebra danios. We enjoy watching them swim around when we're sitting at the kitchen table. He named them Henry and Zuma. Sadly, this morning we discovered they had both died. Probably the "z" word that comes to mind first for 2020 is Zoom. I had used Zoom previously to participate in faculty meetings from home, but Nadia used Zoom a lot this year - to just chat with a friend or her cousin Rachel OR for Bible Bowl and youth group meetings during the lockdown, and she even participated in a play that was performed on Zoom in October.  Nadia usually is on Zoom, Facetime, or Kids Messenger video from 8:45-9:30 each night, and she stays on it until 10:00pm one night per month. 

Laser tag, trampolines, and more!

 

The roller skating rink that is closest to our house has a free skating session the first Wednesday of each month. In the past we could only take advantage of this in the summer because during the school year I'd have choir rehearsal and the kids would have AWANA, but due to COVID-19, there's no choir at my church and AWANA is by Zoom. We opted not to participate in AWANA by Zoom. Nadia is at church from 4:30-8:15 on Wednesdays between her Bible quizzing meeting and then the youth group small groups. Yesterday I still took a 3rd grader, 5th grader, and 7th grader to the roller skating rink, but the seventh grader was a neighbor named Maddox since Nadia was at church. Oliver and I drop her off at 4:30, and Paul picks her up at 8:15 on his way home from work. Just eight months ago Oliver really didn't know how to roller skate. Ian and Oliver's rollerblading abilities have improved dramatically this year. I bought two pairs of roller blades during the pandemic through Facebook. I had purchased another pair in September 2019, which means all three kids now have their own pair of roller blades. Oliver and Ian were really flying around the rink last night, and Oliver was one of the last three left in the limbo contest. The man who won the four corners game gave Oliver his token for a free drink or popcorn.

Today I took the kids to Williamsport as a homeschool group had set up an outing that included one hour of either bowling or arcade games plus one hour to play laser tag and/or jump at the Fly World trampoline park. It cost $10 per child, which seemed like a pretty good price for 2 hours. The kids chose to play arcade games for the first hour, and then they jumped on the trampolines for about 20 minutes before they headed up to play a game of laser tag with five other homeschool kids (two teams of four). Oliver was on the winning (blue) team. Ian and Nadia were on the red team. Nadia had been to Fly World once with Aunt Wendy, Rachel, and Grace so she already had a pair of Fly World socks. The Sky Zone trampoline park in Pittston that we usually visit once a year for free via our PBS station ONLY accepts *their* socks. They wouldn't accept the Fly World socks, but this trampoline park isn't particular as long as you're wearing trampoline socks. Nadia wore her Fly World socks, and the boys wore Sky Zone socks. Although we haven't gone bowling yet in 2020, the kids remember going bowling many times over the years whereas they don't recall having played arcade games before although they've been to Chuck E Cheese in Maryland with the Towfighis and once in Harrisburg for Oliver's third birthday party in 2015. We had our main meal at lunch (potato cheese soufflé) and ate sandwiches and fruit in the van  as the event was from 4-6pm, but next time I'll have the kids bring water bottles. They became thirsty, and due to COVID they couldn't use the drinking fountains. I splurged and bought them each a drink. The homeschool group has this outing once a month during the school year. The kids said they want to return next month! The only downside is that Nadia likes to go roller skating at a different skating rink when the Christian radio station hosts an event there once a month, and they also hold it on the first Thursday of the month. I think next month I'll see if any kids in the neighborhood want to come with us for this two hour event. 

1. I'm thankful that the kids have adjusted to the time change. Monday morning Ian climbed into bed with us at 5:55am. I had changed several clocks around the house on Sunday, but I had forgotten to change Ian's clock. 

2. Speaking  of sleep, Paul and I didn't get much sleep on Tuesday night because of the election. Paul stayed up until 2:30am. I went to bed at 9:30, got up at 1:30 to check on how things were going, went back to bed at 2:30 (but it took me a long time to go back to sleep), and then I was up again at 6:15. Thankfully, last night I slept very soundly for nine hours. 

3. Nadia and I have been enjoying the key lime pie I made this week. I figured if we are making international recipes this school year, we should also try one that has its origin in the USA, right? I required the boys to have one tiny little taste of it just so they would know what it tasted like, but I never require the kids to eat a dessert they don't like. I also made a soufflé for the first time today. Today's was a potato cheese soufflé. Later I'm going to try another one. Oliver absolutely loved it. Nadia and Ian thought it was "fine" so I imagine it won't be the last time I make it. The recipe called for two cheeses - Morbier and muenster. The grocery store didn't have Morbier cheese, so I used cheddar instead, but I did buy muenster cheese for the first time. Nadia loved the muenster cheese and is planning to use the rest of it to make grilled cheese sandwiches, which is typically what she has for lunch most days. She said she liked it as much as swiss cheese, which has been her most favorite cheese for months. 

4. Paul and the boys are really enjoying the Mandalorian show on Disney+. It's the first time in my kids lives that they are waiting for one new episode of a show to come out each week. Last Friday the first episode of the second season was released. The second episode will be released tomorrow. There will be eight new episodes over the coming weeks. The boys often have a count down of how many days until they see baby Yoda!

5. Ian, Oliver, and Maddox had fun roller skating last night, and my three kids had fun playing arcade games, jumping on the trampolines, and playing laser tag today! 

6. I haven't been watching the games at all, but the Steelers are the only undefeated team in the NFL at the moment. A 7-0 start is quite impressive, especially since the last two weeks we played teams that were either undefeated or had only lost one game prior to playing the Steelers. My Dad is hoping this season will end with their seventh Super Bowl victory!

Thankful Thursday

 I haven't written a gratitude post since August 20. Oops!

1. We enjoyed swimming with the Schrecks on August 21 and eating their delicious homemade ice cream and strawberry shortcake. The kids swam with them again for a little bit on August 24 when I met with a friend from church.                                                              2. Nadia has been enjoying participating in Bad Auditions by Bad Actors. She tried out for the production on August 22 and 23. The rehearsals are all being done over Zoom.

3. We enjoyed our fifth day at Six Flags on August 25 and were thankful we were able to spend the day with Yvonne's family.

4. The good news is that Paul's lower EMG went smoothly on August 26. The bad news is that means the cause of his symptoms hasn't been determined yet.

5. We enjoyed learning about bees and doing a service project for VOM with other families on August 29.

6. The picnic and baptismal service at our church on August 30 was wonderful. 

7. The kids and I enjoyed our field trip in Hershey on September 2nd which included a homeschool program at the Hershey Story Museum, Chocolate World, and Indian Echo Caverns.

8. The kids have enjoyed going roller skating twice so far this month, and both times it didn't cost us a penny because the kids own their own rollerblades. 

9. We are thankful the kids have been able to attend a free gym class two times so far this month. 

10. We enjoyed the bonfire at our church on September 5 and are very thankful that the kids SS classes (age 9 months through 12th grade) resumed on September 6. I taught the elementary girls class on September 13. We're not so crazy about wearing masks and having our temperature taken at church, but it's worth jumping through those hoops if that is what is necessary for the classes to be offered again. Nadia was also grateful that the Bible Bowl and youth group resumed meeting on Wednesday nights on September 9. Oliver and I drop Nadia off at 4:30. Ian stays at home by himself and finishes eating dinner. Paul picks Nadia up 8:15.

11. Nadia has had two voice lessons by Zoom so far this month. 

12. I missed attending my Bible study on August 27 because Paul didn't get home from work in time for me to go, but I was able to attend on September 10.

13. The kids have been playing with more of the neighbors over the past week. Sometimes over the past months some families haven't let their kids play with everyone in the neighborhood over fears related to COVID-19.

14. The kids and I have really been enjoying watching World Watch News each day (M-F). Each episode is about 10 minute long, but they are very informative and educational. I'm also impressed by the book Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? that I began reading with Ian and Nadia yesterday. I like it so much I'm going to try to get my hands on copy of another book by the same author - Whatever Happened to Justice? Nadia, Ian, and I also have continued to enjoy reading Life of Fred every day. We have almost completed Mineshaft. 

15. Our two little zebra danios appear to be doing fine, and we've owned them for about 6 weeks. Our neighbors have agreed to feed our fish and guinea pigs when we're on vacation in two weeks.

16. A few months ago I wondered if we'd have to cancel our trip to OH/KY. I am thankful that so far it seems we will still be able to go albeit we'll be wearing masks far more than usual and have had to make adjustments to the plans based on what is still closed. I had made reservations for 7 nights before the pandemic began. I am hoping to change where we are staying one of those nights. We shall see if they agree to give us a refund. It won't be the end of the world if they say no. It will just add some unnecessary driving time. I have a feeling I am going to be VERY gun shy the next time I'm contemplating planning a vacation! I'm hoping not to plan another vacation until the pandemic is over. Hopefully we will have a good vacation. 

17. I'm thankful that when you homeschool, you can go at the your child's pace. I came to the conclusion this week that attempting to do Beast Academy level 3 with Oliver this year was a mistake. I'm going to save those books for him to do next year. I ordered Beast Academy Level 2 this week, and I'm doing flash cards with him every day until the Level 2 books arrive. We're reviewing subtraction and addition facts plus I've begun to introduce some multiplication cards into the mix. 

Photo credit - Nadia

18. The kids were fine with the chimichangas yesterday. Paul won't eat anything that has salsa in it so he had leftover stuffed shells instead. I definitely want to add chimichangas to the rotation, but I might try a recipe that includes refried beans next time. I baked our chimichangas to make them healthier. The ones I've eaten at restaurants have been fried. The kids (especially Nadia) LOVED the croque monsieur sandwiches this evening. Nadia already asked me when I'm going to make them again. It was their first time having gouda cheese, and Nadia said she really liked it. She likes most cheeses (except for Parmesan) ,and Swiss is her most favorite.

19. We continue to love listening to books together. Nadia is not thrilled about Around the World in 80 Days, but Ian is enjoying it. All three kids love books by Andrew Clements. We've been listening to more of his books lately. We had recently studied Mormonism, and there was a discussion of that in one chapter in Around the World in 80 Days when they passed through Utah. I love it when unexpected connections are made.

20. A federal judge recently declared some of our Governor's actions to be unconstitutional. He's appealing the decision so we shall see what happens in the end, but this decision was encouraging to me as has felt like we have allowed Governors to become dictators during the pandemic.

21. I've switched to a different public library. I placed some requests on Tuesday night, and I picked them up at a library 8 minutes from our house this morning!!! Wow! That would have never happened with the other library because they quarantine the books for 4 days when a librarian transports them between two different libraries. This library quarantines books for 3 days when a patron returns them, but they don't quarantine them when they are transferred between libraries. AND this library lets you walk in and take books off the shelves!!! We haven't been allowed to do that for 6 months. And this library system has a larger collection. They had books I had wanted which the other system didn't have. In some cases I had planned to access the books via Hoopla, but I'd MUCH rather read actual physical picture books to the kids when possible rather than by Hoopla. I prefer to listen to audiobooks via an app (because you can't rewind within a track on a CD), but when it comes to picture books, we prefer physical books. Nadia was thrilled because they already had the new Mr. Lemoncello book which just came out last month. I wish I had thought of using this library years ago, but better late than never! They also are very happy to help with getting books by ILL even if it means getting a book out of the state. I already have two that I'm planning to request later in the year. Audrey of the Outback is supposed to be an Australian version of Pippi Longstocking. I think Nadia will enjoy reading those when we are studying Australia. I am thankful for public libraries!

22. Today I started using a pom pom jar as a motivation for the kids to use Spanish more in their conversations. Back when I was a middle school teacher 28 years ago, I had a marble jar in my classroom. I'd add or take away marbles and then when the jar was filled, the class would get a reward such as an extra recess. A pom pom goes in the jar when they use Spanish sometime during the day. "Tengo mucha hambre" is the phrase they said the most today. They are motivated to fill that jar!