Nadia's turn

Oliver was sick on Tuesday, and when his siblings were healthy on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, I thought the rest of us had escaped getting the bug. I found out on Saturday that I was wrong. Nadia had a fever and hardly any appetite yesterday. She skipped breakfast, ate a somewhat normal lunch, and then had to be cajoled into eating a very small dinner. She went to bed at 5:30 last night and didn't get out of bed until around 7:15. I knew Paul was going into work early this morning so I knew we all might have to skip church if Nadia was still sick, but when her temperature was 98.3 this morning, I got everyone ready for church. We wore red, white, and blue as I knew it was a Veteran's Day service at church this morning. The choir sang a beautiful arrangement of Battle Hymn of the Republic. One man in our choir sang a solo that was an Armed Forces medley, and people in the congregation stood when their service hymn was sung, if they are currently or have in the past served in that branch of the military. The soloist is a veteran, and he was wearing his uniform. At our church typically there are several songs that the whole congregation sings and one by the choir. Solos are rare, but today we had two. The second was sung by a Vietnam veteran who was also wearing his uniform. The selected six veterans in the congregation to honor this morning, and I was particularly moved by the one that was awarded to the parents because their son died (at the age of 21) in Iraq 13 years ago.

Nadia exited the service twice, which was highly unusual. I can't remember her ever needing to leave even once, but her stomach wasn't happy. She had eaten a bagel for breakfast. I went with her the first time, and after she threw up in the bathroom I asked her if she thought she could stay in the sanctuary for the rest of the service. She said, "yes," and so we stayed. Near the very end she ran out again. At least she is old enough to make it to the bathroom on time. I had brought my camera (and some candy corn as an incentive) and planned to stop on the way home at the park and take a few pics of three kids in their patriotic clothes, but since Nadia threw up again on the way home (in a trashcan we keep in the van for that very purpose), we just came straight home. She was wearing a red dress with a navy blue sweater, navy blue tights, and navy blue flats. She did help me out by taking a picture of me with my patriotic boys on our front porch. We left the church after the first service which meant I missed singing with the choir in the second service and attending my Sunday School class plus the kids missed their Soul Patrol rehearsal today.

At one point I had planned to take the kids to Scranton yesterday to tour a coal mine because I have decided to join the PBS station again. I had joined it two other years in the past but hadn't done so for a few years. The perks of joining include free tickets to Knoebels one day in May, free tickets to tour the coal mine in November, and free ski passes (and ski rentals) one day in January and one day in February. The two times we did it in the past it also included free tickets to Reptiland, but I don't think they do that any more. I decided a few days ago that I didn't feel like driving that far this Saturday, and I am glad I made that choice because we never left the house yesterday, which was perfect considering the fact Nadia had a fever. I am planning to join the PBS station next month, which will mean we can do the coal mine tour next November. Paul and I are planning on taking Nadia and Ian skiing on the free day in January, and my dad is planning to join the kids and I (weather permitting) on the free day in February. I am excited because they have never been skiing before, and Paul hasn't been skiing in more than 20 years. It's been more than 15 years since I skied.

Since Oliver wasn't up to taking any fall photos on Tuesday when I did Nadia and Ian's, I dressed him a fall sweater on Friday and took him outside in Milton while Nadia and Ian were playing hockey in their gym class. Today he's had at least three costumes on thus far. I snapped a photo of him dressed like a fire fighter in honor of the fire I fought four days ago. Paul said I should have had him posed next to the blackened propane tank.

Well I'm hoping that Nadia will be feeling back to normal tomorrow and that maybe just maybe Paul, Ian and I can still escape it. Oliver's only lasted for 24 hours so Nadia's has lasted longer than his did. We are planning to spend Tuesday in Lancaster so hopefully everyone will be healthy by then. Paul's parents and my dad are planning to meet us there to see Samson at Sight & Sound. We are very excited!

I fought a fire

The first time in my life that I called 911 was for an electrical fire in the wall of the computer lab of the school where I was principal. I used to schedule one drill a month (tornado in the colder months and fire in the warmer months). Some of those drills I told the teachers about ahead of time, and some were a surprise even for them (only my secretary and I knew). Well the day I called 911, the real fire was discovered only 5 minutes before a scheduled fire drill that I had announced to the teachers ahead of time, so they thought it was just a drill until the fire engines started arriving in the parking lot. Parents also started arriving because they had heard the news on a scanner, but we were able to go back into the building and finish out the school day (with the exception of staying out of the computer lab) once the breaker to that room was turned off and the wall temperature had come down. That fire was discovered by the smell produced from the outlet strip melting. Let me tell you I was nervous the next time I scheduled a fire drill and hoped it would only be a drill, ha ha!

Yesterday was the second time in my life I called 911. At 4:00 I started up the gas grill and a few minutes later put some hamburgers on it. A couple of minutes later I noticed there was a lot of smoke so I went out and saw the flames were much bigger than usual. I turned down all the burners to "low," and flipped the burgers. The flames just got bigger so I turned all the burners off. The flames still got bigger so I turned off the propane tank. When the fire raged on and started to spread below the grill, then I panicked (especially after I checked and saw the tank was definitely turned off). I started screaming HELP at the top of my lungs, but no neighbors were around. I ran inside and screamed for the kids to come down (they were upstairs) and go get their coats and shoes on and go outside. I was also trying to locate a fire extinguisher. I went out to the garage but couldn't find the one I thought was out there, and then I remembered we had one under the kitchen sink. I grabbed that one plus my phone. I asked Nadia to call 911 for me, but she was crying and unable to do so. I sent them out in the front yard, and took the phone and fire extinguisher outside and prayed that the house and deck wouldn't catch on fire. I struggled to get the fire extinguisher started, but I did part way through my conversation with the 911 operator. I kept asking him what I should do. I had gotten a big bowl of water but wasn't sure if this was the kind of fire you should use water with or not. He was not helpful in answering my questions but only kept repeating "help is on the way" and actually he hung up on me while I was asking him a question, which was surprising. The only advice he had given me was to move the grill farther from the house, but I told him it was tied to the deck by a bungee cord, and I would have had to put my hand through the flames to untie the cord.

I finally figured out the fire extinguisher and used up the whole thing on the grill. Earlier I had closed the lid on the grill because #1 I thought it might contain part of the fire a little better and #2 I thought maybe having less access to air would help slow down the fire (knowing fire needs oxygen to burn). In hind sight though, I should have opened the lid when I was spraying the fire extinguisher. I was shooting mostly at the fire under the grill and also in a hole on the side of the grill which was causing some to go inside the grill. I had never used one before, and I was not expecting the huge spray of yellow powder everywhere. Since I was talking to the 911 guy while doing it, I got a lot in my mouth and let me say the stuff tastes awful. Also, I had not closed the sliding door when I came out so the powder went all through the kitchen as well. The fire extinguisher had made the fire a lot smaller (stopped the part that was under the grill), but the fire wasn't totally done. At that point I thought there wasn't anything else I could do so I started gathering a few things from around the house just in case the house caught on

fire - I grabbed my laptop, purse, and camera and put them on the front porch. Then I checked the grill again, and the fire was done. Thank you, Lord! I started to call 911 again to tell them we didn't need the fire company's help, but Nadia told me they were already here. For some reason they sent an ambulance. If the house had caught on fire from the grill (the grill was just a few inches from the side of the house), I am not sure what good the ambulance would have been. The three who came in the ambulance came around back and inspected the grill and agreed the fire was done. He totally disconnected the propane tank just to be safe.

I called Paul and asked him to come home ASAP (although I knew he had a one hour commute). I spent two hours cleaning myself and the house (that yellow powder had been tracked various places before I realized what was happening and had the kids take off their sock and shoes). I had the kids eat in the dining room (we usually eat in the kitchen) while I cleaned the kitchen. Oliver dropped some of his ravioli an sauce on the carpet and on the white cushion of the chair (hence the reason we usually eat in the kitchen). Later he spilled his glass of milk, and I hadn't put away all the school stuff so I was cleaning milk off of the collection of rocks that Nadia had been using for her geology unit. Whew. When Paul got home he worked on cleaning the deck, and then when I left for choir he mopped the kitchen (first time he mopped in our home so I had to show him how to use our mop). He had planned to take the kids to Upward basketball for their evaluation last night while I was at choir rehearsal, but instead I will take them tonight. They didn't have AWANA last night because the church was having a business meeting.


I'm giving thanks that...

1. The fire extinguisher saved our house. God answered my prayers and saved our house. It had rained yesterday, and the wood on the deck was wet which I think also was a blessing in that the deck didn't catch on fire. I definitely want to buy another fire extinguisher. So
thankful that we had that one. I did later find the one in the garage. I also have a feeling it will be years before I ever use another grill. I will find other ways to cook things or let
Paul use the grill. I have used a grill for more than 20 years, but right now the thought of grilling anything would be too upsetting. Considering we don't usually grill in the winter, it's a good time to take a break from the grill. If we do start grilling again, I want us to move the grill so it's not so close to the house. I pray I never need to use another fire extinguisher again. I've still been cleaning up some of the mess today from the powder, but I know that's a zillion times better than if our house had caught on fire. I am SO thankful the fire didn't spread. I'm also thankful I didn't use the water I brought out as Paul said that would have made the fire spread.

2. The fire company got here in about 5 minutes. It's nice to know they can get here quickly although I hope we never need their services again.

3. Yesterday on Facebook someone posted about a deal on a website where if you donated $5 they would put together two boxes for Operation Christmas Child. I hadn't gotten started on that project yet, and if I bought stuff it would cost a lot more than $5 to fill a box so I opted to give them $50, which translated to 20 shoe boxes (I've usually done three boxes in the past). I am thankful that these people are making it possible to help more kids around the world.

4. Oliver's bug was just a 24 hour bug, and it seems the rest of us were spared catching his germs.

5. The kids enjoyed the art and science activities at the Children's Museum yesterday (wood burning, leather tooling, etc.).

6. I am thankful that Nadia and Ian can participate in Upward basketball
again this year. I am planning on taking them to their evaluation this evening.

7. Last night we started working on one of the Christmas anthems we will be singing in December. I love Christmas music! This Sunday we are singing a beautiful arrangement of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" in honor of Veteran's Day.

8. Some of the candidates I voted for on Tuesday won. I am praying for ALL those in government that God will guide and direct them.

9. I got my first free shipping code of the year for Shutterfly yesteray. Last November and December I got several of them. Usually all I have to pay is shipping when I order something from Shutterfly. With a free shipping code that means I can get some things totally for free. I am very thankful for this first code (from Wyndham) and hoping maybe to get some others along the way, but even if this is the only one I end up getting this year I am thankful!

10. I didn't have any nightmares last night about fires. I was
concerned I might because I found the whole thing rather frightening.

11. This morning Oliver and Ian woke up at their usual time for the first time since the time changed. I am so happy it only took five days for them to adjust their internal clock this time as in years past it has taken much longer than that. The worst was Monday morning when Oliver woke up at 4:45 am. This morning he got up at 7:15. Big improvement!

12. Ian finished the 1st grade math textbook last week and started the 2nd grade one this week. He's doing a great job! Nadia and Ian are making good progress with learning their multiplication tables. I think within a week we'll be done with all ten times tables!

Can't believe it

Usually my kids have either an English muffin, bagel, oatmeal, or cold cereal for breakfast. This morning Oliver ate some pretzels then baby carrots and then a peanut butter and jelly sandwich A very nontraditional breakfast, but as long as he didn't ask for something sweet, I was going to say "yes" because he hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday (and he had thrown up around dinner time last night). Yesterday it took him all morning to eat his breakfast (a bagel), which I didn't understand until I discovered later in the day that he had a fever. But this post really isn't about Oliver. I feel compelled to write about the election. I again am putting out a disclaimer that this is a political post (so please don't read it if my political opinions offend you). If Hillary had won, I wouldn't be writing a political post today, but surprisingly that is not what happened. If any Hillary supporter is still reading this, let me say first of all I feel your pain. I remember how I felt when Obama was elected the last two elections. Some people view the parties as if they are sports teams and you are cheering for your "team," but I don't like that analogy because in this case both sides are hopefully working toward the same goal (the benefit of our country) even though we may have very different views on how to accomplish that. Hopefully now that the election is over we will all hope that Trump will be a good President whether we voted for him or not (I didn't). Secondly, if any of you are feeling really disappointed that we didn't end up with our first woman President, I too would like to see us have a woman President, but naturally I'd rather see it be someone who is far more conservative that Hillary (and also someone who hasn't broken as many laws as she has). Thirdly, since for much of his life Trump was a Democrat (and not that long ago gave Hillary money toward her campaigns), it's quite possible that we have elected a Democrat in Republican clothing. Time will tell.

Yesterday was the seventh time I participated in a Presidential election. In 1992 and 1996 I voted for the Republican candidates, and Bill Clinton won both elections. Paul and I started dating in 1997, and he shifted me towards a "vote your conscience" position rather than "vote for the lesser of two evils" position. I don't remember whom I voted for in 2000, but I know I didn't vote for Bush in 2004 (went with a third party) even though I was hoping he would defeat Kerry. In 2008 and 2012 we both went to the "lesser of two evils" position and voted Republican. In 2016 I voted third party, and Paul voted for the lesser of two evils. It was his eighth election, I know he voted for Ross Perot in 1992. Up until a couple of weeks ago Paul had planned to vote third party in this Presidential election, but as more came out about Hillary, he decided to vote against her (he couldn't bring himself to say he was voting for Trump). Although I understood his logic and agreed that Trump was the lesser of two evils, I just couldn't bring myself to vote for him. Of course voting the lesser of two evils greatly increases your odds of actually voting for someone who wins the election, which is what happened to Paul this year (maybe his first time of having that happen for the Presidential election?). In all the other races this year I voted Republican, which means that at least two of the candidates I voted for did win.

Early in the primary process I thought that the Republicans would have a shot at winning the election because I didn't view Hillary as a strong candidate. Her personality isn't as likable as Obama and carried a lot of baggage from her time as Secretary of State plus a little more baggage from her husband (defending him rather than his rape victims). But when I realized Trump was probably going to win the nomination, then I thought that meant Clinton would easily win the election even though our country seems to have established a pattern of going back and forth between Republican and Democrat Presidents every 4 or 8 years. I thought Trump was the easiest candidate to defeat because of his temper, inability to control his tongue, mistreatment of women, huge ego, waffling on the issues, the fact that he owned strip clubs and casinos, etc. I also have felt like the Media (news stations, Hollywood, etc.) have been in the bag for the left and that might make it almost impossible for a conservative to win. All that to say I truly was shocked to discover this morning that Trump had won. I think many that voted for him did so because like Paul they were more focused on preventing Hillary (who makes Nixon look like a saint in comparison) from becoming President than that they actually liked Trump. One friend told me she felt like she was going to throw up when she voted for him. It is sad to me that our choices were so despicable that people felt they had no choice but to vote for someone who literally makes them feel sick to their stomach. Paul stayed up until 1:30 am. I am not sure if he knew that Trump won when he went to bed, but I am sure he found out when he was driving to work at 4:45 am.

As I told the boys the news at 6:30 am when they came in to my bedroom, I said we need to PRAY earnestly for Mr. Trump, and we three prayed together right there in my bed for him. I have prayed from time to time for the Presidents over the past four decades, but I truly hope this time that I can be more faithful in praying for Trump. I am praying that God would surround him with wise advisers. I am praying that Trump will learn to control his temper, think before he speaks, show more kindness and respect to people, and actually keep some of the promises he made while campaigning - in particular to appoint a pro-life candidate to the Supreme Court. When Scalia died earlier this year, I thought it was pointless for the Republicans to try to delay the appointment of his replacement because I was assuming Hillary would win and there wouldn't be much difference between whomever Clinton or Obama would appoint. Now I am glad that they delayed the process because it gives Trump the opportunity to pick someone similar to Scalia. If Hillary had been elected, we would have had a very good idea as to what she would have done in office. She has been in politics for decades and hasn't waffled on the issues. Trump has been all over the map on many issues so it's hard to know if he'll actually do things in keeping with the Republican platform or not. His choice of Pence was very encouraging. I hope that wasn't just to get people to vote for him. I hope he will make choices like that once he's in office. Time will tell.

Recently the kids and I started praying more regularly for the three children that we sponsor in other countries. I am not planning on making any New Year resolutions this year, but as of  November 2016 I am trying to establish a new habit with my children that every day we will pray for Trump (and others in various levels of government) and also for our three children that we sponsor. It says in the Bible that we are to pray for those in authority so that we may live a peaceful life, and certainly those in government in Rome at the time when the New Testament was written were far worse than any President we've ever had in America. God is in control no matter who is the President.

I had told the kids yesterday evening that we'd probably have to cancel our plans to go to the Children's Museum today because of Oliver's bug, but it seems it was just a 24 hour bug. When I saw he had resumed eating, was playing, and had no fever at 10:00 am, I decided we could go. He did sleep in the van on the way there, but all three kids had fun. The homeschool hangout theme today was "Make it, Take it." At one table they were painting masks, at another making foam turkeys, making fossils, LED light flowers, leather tooling with a hammer, wood burning, building a circuit, etc. Then they played in the museum for about an hour before we left. So far it seems that no one else has come down with whatever Oliver had thankfully. Although I didn't like to see him feeling so miserable, I did enjoy the extra time holding and snuggling with him on the couch yesterday.

Thankful Tuesday

1. Nadia and Ian enjoyed playing glow in the dark dodgeball in gym class last Friday morning. I enjoyed talking with one of the mom's during most of the class. It's a rare treat for me to be able to have a face-to-face conversation with someone over the age of 8. I don't take it for granted!

2. Friday night the kids and I went to a pizza party that Ian's soccer coaches hosted at a local pizza place. The kids also enjoyed a cupcake at the end. I really enjoyed having a little Stromboli, which I enjoy but hadn't had in years. His coaches were really terrific. I am hoping Ian will be on their team again in the spring.

3. The kids and I enjoyed building and painting helicopters on Saturday at Home Depot.

4. I am thrilled that Nadia and Ian got to do a rat dissection on Saturday morning. Ian in particular really enjoyed the experience, and they all enjoyed playing in the Children's Museum.

5. My choir has moved away from assigning us one color to wear each Sunday to giving us a range of colors to choose from (this past Sunday they said "fall colors"). This means I don't have to struggle to figure out what to wear as sometimes in the past they've picked a color (ex. yellow) that I don't usually wear.

6. I know I've said it before, but I just LOVE the trees. Every time I drive somewhere, even just in our small town I am just awestruck at the beauty of the red, yellow, and orange leaves. Since it was supposed to be in the 60's today, I picked out the kids' clothes today (usually they pick them out themselves) as I wanted to try to get a picture with some pretty leaves in the background. As you can see from this post I succeeded with Nadia and Ian. Unfortunately Oliver is sick today so he wasn't up for a photo. He has a fever and threw up once thus far. I'm praying he'll be better soon and that no one else catches the bug.

7. I voted today. Although I know the candidate I supported for President has 0% chance of winning, I'm hoping that some of the other candidates I voted for do win. I am thankful that we have the freedom to vote. My kids have a very favorable impression about voting because every time we go they each get a cookie and a sticker. Oliver didn't eat his cookie since he isn't feeling well. I am also very thankful the election will probably be OVER by the time I wake up in the morning. I don't think it will be close like that time when we had the "hanging chads" and had to wait for the Supreme Court to rule before we knew he won. In our area the voter turnout seemed higher than usual, which again I think is a good thing. I think as many Americans as possible should do their civic duty and vote in each election. Considering I generally try to adopt the "head stuck in the sand" approach to political news, I am grateful the election will be over soon so I will be encountering less chatter about politics. In my opinion sometimes ignorance is bliss.

8. The kids got a good report at the dentist yesterday. All three of them had exams. I was told that Ian's molars are coming in and that Nadia's two lower canines are loose.

9.Yesterday afternoon we also stopped in at our previous dentist because he gives kids a $1 coin for every pound of candy they give him (which he passes on to a charity). I knew we had way too much candy in our house. I asked the kids to go through their bags and pick what they wanted to donate. Between the three of them we donated six pounds of candy, which meant they each got two $1 coins. They are so fancy looking (gold); it makes them seem like they are worth more than one dollar.

10. The bank was pleased with our home appraisal last week. I would have liked a number a little higher, but considering we're only borrowing 40% of what they say our house is worth, the bank was happy. We locked our interest rate in yesterday. It had gone from 2.65% to 2.875% during the application process, but that is still much better than the 5.875% we've been paying the past 8 years.

Three blessings

As I count my blessings, three near the very top of my list are named Nadia, Ian, and Oliver. I love them with all my heart and am so grateful that God used the miracle of IVF to bring these three little ones into our family. I thought today I'd write a few things I am thankful for about each child.

I am so glad the Lord gave me Nadia Renee. I so badly wanted a daughter, and the Lord gave me my heart's desire. For one thing, girl clothing is so much fun to buy. It was even more true when she was an infant and toddler, but it's still true today. I love her dimples, blue eyes, and beautiful smile. She loves to try just about any new activity and is very excited about field trips. She has no trouble separating from us to spend a week at camp. She will ride any ride that an amusement park will let her ride - including roller coasters. Even though she is usually the weakest player on the soccer or basketball team, she has chosen to continue playing both sports. She can talk to anyone even if she just met them - from children younger than her to people old enough to be her grandparent.

No one is a stranger to Miss Nadia! She is very friendly and outgoing. She doesn't seem to have any fear with being on a stage whether she's acting or singing. She loves to read both picture books and chapter books and play a wide variety of board games. She is my most obedient child. She loves to be hugged, kissed, cuddled, and tickled. She loves the Lord and also loves her immediate and extended family very much. She is the only child who eats her meals in a timely manner most of the time. She is making progress with eating foods she doesn't like (such as peas), and the list of foods that she likes is growing. When I ask her to help me, she rarely complains. She is the best sleeper of the three in terms of sleeping later in the morning.

When I found out I was pregnant in 2009, I was hoping I would have a boy, and God granted me the desire of my heart and gave us Ian Alexander. I am so grateful for my middle child. He is the most patient of my three children (least prone to lose his temper). He is also the most affectionate and the one most prone to speaking words of affirmation and encouragement. He has made tremendous progress with eating although meals are still often lengthy affairs.

He has the longest attention span of my three children. Ian talks about his feelings far more than his siblings and is the most sensitive. He took it the hardest by far when he learned that Grandma had passed away. He also is the most empathetic. He also loves the Lord and his  immediate and extended family very much. He enjoys practicing the piano and loves to draw. He has an amazing memory, and this has helped him to learn his multiplication tables at the age of six. He has done very well with math in general. Science is his favorite subject. He has come a LONG way with becoming more outgoing and also displaying more courage. He has a beautiful voice and easily memorizes the lyrics of songs he hears on the radio. He has excellent pitch. He has done better than his siblings (by far) with playing soccer. He also has made great strides with singing in a choir (doing motions, etc.). He loves the Phoenix roller coaster, and his favorite toys for several years have been Legos and stuffed animals. He loves to get dressed up for church on Sundays and is by far my most honest child.

I was thrilled to find out in 2012 that I was going to have a third child. It was a very stressful pregnancy, but Oliver Elliot was worth everything we went through that year. Knowing he is my last, I am trying to savor every moment as best I can. I love his blue eyes, blonde hair, and beautiful smile. Like his siblings, he loves to be hugged, kissed, cuddled, and tickled. Grandpa says he gets the most hugs from Oliver. He loves to play outside and ride his bike. He helps me in the kitchen the most and has gotten the most use of our play kitchen. He still likes to be carried now and then. I am going to take advantage of that for as long as I can. He has spent more time on my lap than the other two did when they were three or four years old. Oliver thankfully hasn't reached the "gimme" stage yet. He isn't materialistic at all (the downside is I always struggle to come up with what to buy him for his birthdays and Christmas). He is the best eater of the three kids in terms of eating almost every food he's ever been offered. He definitely likes soups, stews, and vegetables far more than his sibling. He is my best climber and is in most instances very brave. He wants to do schoolwork like his siblings. I am very, very thankful for the privilege of being  the mother and teacher of these three blessings from the Lord.

Sleepy Saturday

Ian is usually the first child up. He typically comes in my bedroom (carrying his Batman clock) between 6:50-7:15 am. Then usually at 7:15 I go and open up Oliver's bedroom door. He's almost always awake in his bed. This morning when I opened his door at 7:15, he was still asleep. I left his door open. Ian and Oliver both woke up at 7:45, and the noise they made woke Nadia up as well. I have said the past eight years that the clocks "falling back" an hour doesn't actually result in any extra sleep because the kids get up at the same time (an hour earlier according to the new time). However, if they happen to wake up at the same time tomorrow as they did today, we might actually get an extra hour of sleep since the boys got almost an extra hour of sleep. Oliver went to bed at 8:00 last night, which meant he slept almost 12 hours.

I made sure to give Oliver a bagel for breakfast because he takes a long time to eat a bowl of oatmeal or cereal, and I wanted to leave around 8:30. Yesterday I went to a three day consignment sale in our town that started on Thursday. I bought a variety of things yesterday, but there was one size 4T four piece suit that caught my eye for Oliver that I didn't buy because the consignor had priced it at $12. I knew they were marking everything off 50% this morning, so I decided to wait and see if that would still be available today. My conundrum was that the sale started at 9:00, which was also the time the workshop started at Home Depot in Bloomsburg (about 30 minutes away). I decided to show up a few minutes early at the sale (hoping they'd open a little early) and a few minutes late at Home Depot (hoping they had not run out of kits). When I got to  the sale, I saw that suit was still there. At first they told me the sale wasn't open yet, but when I asked if I could just buy one thing that I had already picked out yesterday, they let me (so thankful). I can't wait to see Oliver in it. The shirt is aqua. Because 99% of what he wears are hand-me downs from Ian, I don't feel guilty about buying him something every now and then even though he usually doesn't really *need* it.

Our next stop was Home Depot where we built and painted three helicopters in honor of Veteran's Day. I was a bit forgetful this morning as I forgot two things - their Home Depot aprons and our lunch. I always pack our lunch when we head to the museum. Thankfully I don't think they got any paint on their clothes. Prior to May Paul was the one who always took them to these
workshops. My skills at hammering are definitely improving as I help them with these projects. And since it was almost 1:00 as we were driving home, I spent $5 at Wendy's for lunch for the four of us.

Then we went to the Children's Museum. The kids explored for about 30 minutes before Nadia and Ian did a rat dissection lab with 2 Biology professors from Bloomsburg University along with 12 students from their Biology Club. There were only five kids who showed up for the lab so they had an excellent student: teacher ratio (5:14). Ian was the only boy, and he was the youngest participant. He took the longest to write the words on the worksheets (such as "dorsal" and "cranial"), but he was also the most vocal with giving (correct) answers to many of the professor's questions. I was pleased! They gave the kids 3 rats. Nadia was paired with another girl, and Ian had his own rat. They unwound the intestines and measured them. Ian's rat's small intestine was 22 inches long. The university student was surprised that he knew how to multiply (they were using 6 inch rulers and she said it was almost 4 rules long and he said that is 24 inches). Nadia's rat's intestines
were almost 3 feet long. I don't remember doing any dissections until I was in high school. I am grateful they were able to see and touch many different organs. I think that is far better than just reading about them in a book.

Taking my kids on field trips is sometimes tiring but almost always very enjoyable. Not all parts of parenting are enjoyable to be certain. It's hard to watch them suffer physically (like when Oliver's lung collapsed), and it's also hard to watch them work through emotional grief. It makes me long for Heaven - a place of physical, spiritual, and emotional wholeness - without any suffering, tears, or pain. This year they have had to process their grief in losing their grandmother whom they dearly loved and also grieve the loss of seeing their father far less each week than they did previously. Out of the blue on Monday night Ian made a comment about how we miss Daddy now that he's not working at Bucknell. When I was reading a book to the kids during a meal yesterday one of them said,
Daddy would have loved this book, and they talked about how they missed him at meals. Thankfully he will be joining us for dinner tonight. The last time we had a meal with him was lunch last Saturday (it has been seven days since the five of us had a meal together). Oliver is the one who has talked about it the least. I actually am not sure that he really understands that Grandma is in Heaven because every once in a blue moon he still prays for "Grandma Harton to feel better." Recently when I was in Nadia's room I saw an open notebook on her dresser and it had a picture she had drawn of

Grandma in the hospital, and on the page she had written something to the effect of "Grandma had cancer and a few months later she died." So even though she doesn't talk about it as much as Ian, it is still on her mind as well. Ian talks about it the most. Earlier today he was talking about how much Grandma loved Jesus and that if he wanted to tell someone who wasn't a Christian about Jesus he could tell them about Grandma's faith. The two great grandmothers I had met died when I was a child, but my 3 grandparents that I had met didn't die until I was in my 20's. I would have liked for my children to have had more years here on earth with my mom, but that wasn't God's will. I am thankful they still have three grandparents (and one great grandma) to spend time with here on earth, and I am very, very grateful to know we will see Grandma again in Heaven some day. This separation is just temporary.

Thankful Thursday

1. I don't go to the mall very often because it's definitely a stressful thing to do with my three kids. I had coupons for BonTon, JCPenney, and Target. I ended up not using the one for BonTon, but I did some Christmas shopping at the other two stores plus got Ian some underwear and Nadia some socks. At JCP, my total before discounts would have been $106.97, but I actually spent $25.95. I was glad I went even though it also reminded me of how it is a VERY nice thing to shop online when you have little kids.

2. Nadia participated in a 4.5 hour program today about whitetail deer and archery at R. B. Winter State Park today. She had wanted to do archery at Camp Susque this summer, but that didn't happen. She enjoyed using a compound bow today. Thankfully the torrential rain didn't start until the very end. Since I needed to stay with the boys, I am thankful another homeschooling mom was able to keep an eye on Nadia for me.

3. I am thankful that our church has a choir. Many churches only have a praise team and don't have a choir.

4. Although I am not keen on the two main candidates running for President this year, I am very grateful to be an American. It's so easy to take our freedom for granted, but in reality we are very blessed.  I can't believe it, but Paul and I have swapped places. He is going to vote "lesser of two evils," and I am voting third party. I understand his logic, but I just can't bring myself to do the same.

5. The weather turned a bit warmer yesterday. If I had to do it over again I would have taken the kids on a walk to the playground instead of going to the mall.

6. The boys and I spent some time at the public library, ate our lunch at a picnic table at a playground, shopped at Aldi's and my favorite bread outlet, and then they enjoyed playing in a McD's playland while Nadia was at the state park. I did more driving today than I'd prefer, but I was able to read some at McD's and the library, which was a treat (just got the newest John Grisham novel).

7. We have overspent our entertainment budget for the year. For most of our marriage it didn't bother me if we were over in a category because overall we spent less than I made so the budget was more for keeping track of things than actually limiting our spending. That is not the case now. We are trying to tighten our belt financially due to a smaller income plus some new expenses on the horizon (ex. orthodontist bills). Some categories we don't really have control over whether we overspend them or not because we can't control the price of say gasoline. I guess we could drive a little less, but that's about it. Next year I will make the gasoline budget MUCH higher than it's ever been before, and that's with the assumption of gas prices not going up (and they certainly have been higher in the past than they are now). Paul spending 12 hours a week driving to and from work definitely affects that line item. Some categories we are under budget (yay!) such as clothing (spent $502 for the year for clothes and shoes for 5 people). Our electric and natural gas bills are also a little lower than normal (a little part of that is due to us keeping the house a little cooler in the winter and a little warmer in the summer than we used to). Even though we stopped gymnastics lessons, I still went way over in the "kids" part of the budget. That line item covers textbooks for homeschooling, summer camp, tennis lessons, ice skating lessons, soccer, basketball, etc. Anyhow since the entertainment line item is something we CAN control, I have been trying to stay within budget. I didn't buy any tickets for plays at the theatre in Williamsport this fall for example. I am not going to the Big Daddy Weave concert at our church in two weeks. We didn't go to Knoebels or Hershey in October and don't plan to go to Hershey in December (we have gone to those parks in those months in the past). We skipped doing a corn maze this year. Next year we aren't going to Sight and Sound which will help that line item because those tickets aren't cheap. I do really
appreciate it though when I get a night off from cooking, and I put things like getting a take-out

pizza in the same category. Plus me cooking more meals has led to a little increase in our food budget compared to last year (although compared to 2014 we have spent less this year on food). Anyhow last night I went on the credit card website and used some of our points to get some restaurant gift cards. I selected Red Robin, Dunkin Donuts, Papa John's and Dominos. I figured this way I can still get a night off from cooking now and then without it costing us any money. Win/ Win!

P.S. I know this is a gratitude post (I am trying to do more of those this month in honor of Thanksgiving Day), but prayers for Paul's mom would  be appreciated. She had some abnormal results with bloodwork recently, which lead the oncologist to order a scan. She's having the scan tomorrow, and we're praying for good results.

Thankful Tueseday

1. Last week someone from the pulmonologist's office called to schedule Oliver's next appointment, and I said I didn't think it was necessary. I think he's really turned a corner. He''s still more prone to having a cough than his siblings, but it doesn't seem to progress too "serious" these days (thank the Lord!). I even have stopped using the nebulizer because it didn't seem to be helping, and skipping the nebulizer didn't cause his symptoms to get any worse. Here's to hoping and praying Oliver can avoid being hospitalized in 2017.

2. The kids enjoyed the eight Halloween events we went to over a period of five days - at Weis grocery store, McCann school of business, the library, four churches, and trick or treating. They ended up with 17+ pounds of candy between the three of them. Last night Nadia went as the Pilgrim (she wore that costume 4 of the 5 nights), Ian went as Luigi (2nd time), and Oliver went as Mike (from Monsters University). Paul joined us. I had taken the kids to 7 of the 8 events. Paul took them to one by himself and joined us for trick or treating. The kids gave him some bags of Middlesworth sour cream and onion chips (one of his favorite kinds of chips) and also some peanut butter cups (his favorite candy). It's fun to see all the different costumes that people wear. Last night a Christian puppet ministry put on some puppet shows outside, and they were also giving kids rides around the block and giving out free hot dogs, popcorn, and donuts. We walked around visiting houses for about 90 minutes.

3. I have enjoyed the Bible study on Hosea. Tonight was the last night. They will be starting other studies in January, and I hope to join again.

4. This morning I asked Oliver if he liked trick or treating last night, and he said, "I really like museums, Mommy." I was not expecting that reply, but it was music to my ears. My four year old loves museums! He then went on to talk about how much he liked the planetarium show we saw in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago.

5. Paul and his parents were able to see Nadia's game on Saturday - first time they saw her play this fall. Paul was also able to see a second game of Ian's. I am equally grateful that soccer is over for 2016. It was also nice that Paul's parents got the kids lunch at McDonald's and played with the kids for a couple of hours at our house on Saturday.

6. We had fun carving pumpkins on Saturday, and it was special that Pop Pop helped with the project.

7. I had taken a week off from Facebook, but I was glad I reactivated my account because through it I learned that a local library had made arrangements for a free bus trip to Harrisburg - through a grant they will be providing transportation, tour of the capitol, lunch, and tickets to see the Nutcracker ballet! I signed Nadia and myself up, and Paul's parents have agreed to watch the boys that Saturday. I am really looking forward to a Mommy/daughter day with Nadia - that is a rare treat. I had looked into taking her to the Nutcracker last year but didn't because of the cost. It is such a gift to be able to go for free!

8. The trees are so beautiful! Since the weather didn't cooperate on Sunday, I had the kids put on Sunday clothes for a few minutes yesterday so I could get my annual "fall leaves portraits" of each of them. In addition to beautiful trees, I am thankful for my three precious children and my camera, which is definitely one of my most favorite possessions that I own (since it enables me to preserve images of my three beloved children).

9. Jesus is the King of the universe no matter who becomes the President of the USA. As it says in Proverbs 21, "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases."

10. As I type this at 9:40 pm, Paul just went out to work on the door. He is motivated to finish it this evening because our home is being appraised tomorrow morning. I am grateful that something else will be crossed off the "to do" list.

11. I am not really into candles, but many years the soccer team has done a Yankee Candle fundraiser. I look through the catalog to find one of the cheapest things I can buy (and am grateful my kids have only one fundraiser a year and the only other person I show the catalog to is Paul's mom who graciously buys a few things so I don't have to go to others and solicit their purchases). Well I have decided I really like having one of their fragrance spheres in two of our bathrooms. I don't know exactly why but those bathrooms had been stinky places lately although I clean the bathrooms once a week. The price in the fundraising catalog is naturally higher, but since I found I loved them (and they sadly only last 1-2 months each), I found a good bargain an got some for $2.50 each (less than half of what I paid through the soccer team). It's so nice to have our bathrooms smelling nice again.

12. I don't do my CVS couponing trips as regularly as I used to, but I still go now and then and am always grateful for

the bargains when I do. I went last Friday and got 20 items (six boxes of cereal, three 12 packs of Coke for Paul, four bags of fun size candy bars, six 2 liters of Pepsi, and a box of granola bars) and paid about $25 total. Three of the bags of candy were used at our church's trunk or treat. I kept the fourth bag at home because it was filled with what currently is my most favorite kind of candy (also a favorite of Nadia) - Milky Way Simply Caramel. Yumm! Hopefully a little bit of chocolate hasn't sabotaged my diet. As of the last time I checked I had lost 5 pounds.

13. Ian and Nadia continue to make progress on learning their multiplication tables. We are working on the six times table this week, and we already did the ten times table, which means after this we only have three left to learn.

14. Ian loves practicing the piano! I am so happy that he enjoys it and is making good progress. Nadia is very happy that she is now allowed to use the pedal sometimes.

15. We finished Mara, Daughter of the Nile. It was an exciting book to read, but I purposefully picked a couple of lighter/shorter ones (Miss Hickory is the one we're reading right now) before we start our last one that is set in ancient Egypt (Golden Goblet).

16. Nadia and Ian were well behaved when sitting alone in church on Sunday morning. I need to remember not to take that for granted, as I am sure there are many 6 and 8 year olds who would struggle to behave in that scenario. I am thankful they both do a great job in the morning worship service. At this time next year I'll be teaching Oliver how to do the same.