Waterfalls, horses, slides, and more!

 Every summer I try to make sure the kids have a few new experiences in addition to the regular summer activities. A few new ones this summer on my list include picking raspberries, going to Idlewild amusement park, eating a BLT sandwich, etc. Over the past few days we experienced a few "firsts." On Thursday Ian, Nadia, and I visited Ricketts Glen State Park for the very first time. I have wanted to go there for a few years, but I didn't know if the kids were up to doing the hike. We did a 3.2 mile hike. The first half was mostly going downhill. This was easier in the sense of not being much of a cardiovascular workout, but my right knee wasn't happy At All. The next time I go there, I'll wear a brace. We enjoyed seeing many different waterfalls on the way down and back. There are 21 waterfalls at this park. We ate lunch at the bottom, and then we began the uphill climb. Ian is so energetic. He was almost always in the lead. Often times he had to wait for us. I was usually in the middle, and Nadia was usually in the rear often asking me if we could take a break, if she could have a drink, or how much farther did we have to go. The weather was gorgeous. We couldn't have asked for a prettier day. There was another four year old in our group that did the hike, but I don't think Oliver would have had the stamina for it. When he gets a little older I'll take all three of them. I took pictures, but they're not in this post because I have so many pictures to share from the past three days.

Friday morning we were at home, but after lunch we headed to Liberty Splashland because it was free that day. Nadia was thrilled that she was finally tall enough (52") to go down the big Liberty Bowl slide. Oliver thought the water was too cold so he just stayed in the splash pad area. Ian stayed warm by sitting on top of an inner tube in the water (meaning he was staying dry). Nadia didn't mind the water temperature. Naturally she made a friend while she was there whom she played with almost the whole time. Our next stop was Heather's house. We showed Heather Nadia's portfolio, and she wrote a review that I will submit to our school district. Then the kids went horseback riding. It was Oliver's very first lesson. He rode Clyde, the same pony his siblings have ridden in the past. They each did some work in the ring and then did a 15 minute trail ride. They will have three more lessons in the coming weeks. I loved horseback riding when I was a child, and I'm happy they get to experience this also.

We stopped at the library on our way home, and then after dinner we changed clothes and went to church to have our photo taken for the church directory. I wasn't planning on buying any photos. I just wanted the free 8x10 and also to be included in the directory. When I saw the price list I felt even more strongly about this, but then when he was showing us our pictures I caved and bought two 8x10s of our family (for Paul's parents and my dad). In hindsight I should have passed. The moral of the story is that I MUST learn how to use a tripod and put the app on my phone so I can control the camera with my cell phone. I am bound and determined to master this skill. I caved because we hadn't had a single photo with the 5 of us in it for 25 months. I wasn't tempted in the least bit to buy any of the other poses - such as of the three kids or individual shots. No offense to that photographer, but I like my photos better in part because I pick more interesting backgrounds. When we got home it was time to put the kids to bed.

Today started with beautiful navy blue carpet being installed in our bedroom at 7:30am. Then we headed to Ian's last soccer game. He played offense the first two quarters, sat out the third, and played defense the fourth quarter. We decided a few days ago to skip Oliver's last soccer game. It was torturous for Paul and I to watch, and it would have delayed us for our outings this afternoon. After lunch we drove to Scranton. We visited the Trolley Museum for the very first time. We were planning to also ride a trolley, but they were already out of tickets. It was free today so they gave us a pass to get a free ride in the future. We're going to try again on Thursday. It's a 50 minute trolley ride. Paul really enjoyed the trolley museum as they had photos of trolleys in towns where his relatives have lived. Ian commented, "So is that why Daddy is so fixated on the pictures." I was impressed with his use of the word "fixated" ha ha! The kids liked pretending to drive the trolleys - especially the ringing the bell part. Then we headed to Bee's Backyard which was just a couple of minutes away from the museum. It's a playland that we had a coupon to go once for free. It was nice, but they only lasted about an hour there, which would never have made it worth the amount of money it normally costs to get in. Paul shopped at a bookstore while the kids and I were in there.

We had dinner at Subway thanks to a gift card. So the only thing we paid for today was really the gas as everything else was free. I was going to go to a concert at our church at 7:00, but when we got home the last thing I wanted to do was go anywhere. So instead I finished putting our room back together, gave the boys a bath, etc. I knew that tomorrow and Monday would also be very full days.

I love the new carpet in our bedroom. My first thought was I wanted to call Mom and tell her about it. I miss her so much! It's so nice to have carpet that's not stained (from when I bled during Oliver's pregnancy), and navy blue is oh so much prettier than the off-white neutral Berber carpet that was there before. Plus it feels so much softer to my feet, and it's easier to tell where I've vacuumed. I believe we are done with changing out flooring for this year (did the kitchen, family room, Nadia's bedroom, and our bedroom this year). Ironically when I first moved in I remember telling my mom that the first room I'd change the flooring in if I found out we were living her longer was the dining room, but over the years I changed my mind as to which was the higher priority. I still am not keen on having carpet in there, but we rarely eat in there. Right now it's just a Lego table. I think the next room I'll do (probably in December at the earliest) is Ian's bedroom. Well here is a small sampling of the many photos I took the past three days.

Nadia was finally tall enough to go down this! In this picture she's at the very top waiting her turn.

Weekend in Virginia

In February when Margie and my dad picked August 12 for their wedding, we planned to drive down sometime on August 11 and return on August 13. Originally I had plans for all three kids to attend Good News Camp from 9-3 August 7-11. Last year I had registered Nadia and Ian for that camp, but they didn't end up going because we went to Ohio with my family instead. My dad had told us early on that there would be a family gathering at Ruthie's house the evening of the 11th. Ruthie is Margie's niece who is one year younger than me. I wasn't sure at first if we would be attending that or not. I thought it the kids attended the full day of camp we wouldn't, but if we took the kids out a few hours early then we could attend, as it's a 6 hour drive (without stops) between our house and Lynchburg, Virginia. This morning I did some research on what museums are covered in Virginia by our ASTC membership, and I was pleased to discover that the children's museum in Lynchburg joined ASTC in the last couple of months. When I had checked previously, they weren't on the

list. We will definitely plan on that one. I saw that on that Saturday night anyone can get in for $3 each (compared to $9 normally) so I imagine maybe the cousins might also enjoy doing that on Saturday evening.

Then I thought I'd see if there were any museums that we could stop at on our way there or back to break up the drive. At first I saw one in Roanoke (a city I've been many times as a child as my mom's sister lived there when I was growing up), but that is an hour out of the way so we'll skip that science museum. I found three science museums that were not far from our route - one in Maryland and two in Virginia. From the beginning I had been thinking of stopping at Luray Caverns on the way home. Of all the caverns I've ever been to, my favorites were Carlsbad and Luray. Paul was at Luray in 1997 with his friend, Scott. I can't remember when I was there last, but it's been more than 20 years for me. When I saw that the one museum was near Monticello, I knew we should include that in our itinerary. Paul has wanted to go

there for years but has never been. Weddings are something Paul doesn't get excited about (I think that's true for most men). He would have been thrilled if I had opted to elope rather than have a wedding ceremony when we got married. I am glad I could add one thing to our plans for that trip that will excite him. Three museums plus Monticello plus Luray Caverns is too much for two days. I scratched the Virginia Discovery Museum from the list.

So my thought now is that the kids will skip the fifth day of Good News Camp so that we can leave around 7AM. That day also happens to be our 16th anniversary. Our first stop will be the Discovery Station in Hagerstown, Maryland. Then after spending up to two hours there, we'll drive to the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum. After spending up to two hours there, we'll finish our drive to Lynchburg for the family gathering at Margie's niece's house. Stopping at those two museums only adds about 10 minutes to our total drive, which should be about 6 1/4 hours altogether.

On Saturday the wedding is at 11:00 with a reception following in the church's fellowship hall.  That evening we'll probably go to Amazement Square, which is a children's museum in Lynchburg. On Sunday we will visit Monticello and do a tour of the house geared for families as well as two other guided tours. Then we'll drive 90 minutes to Luray Caverns, spend about two hours there, and then finish our drive home. These two excursions will add a little less than an hour to our total drive home, which should be about 7 hours total. Although the three museums will be free, we will have two nights of lodging plus admission to Luray and Monticello. This two night/three day trip will cost more than our eight day/ seven night trip to Chicago/Ohio did, but it will be a special trip. In addition to seeing these sights, the kids will enjoy seeing all their cousins. I am not sure exactly which relatives will be coming to my dad's wedding, but two of my cousins on my dad's side whom I haven't seen in ten years plan to be there.

Thankful Tuesday

1. My Bible study on the book of Ruth ended last Tuesday. I really enjoyed it! It was a very small group (only 4 women) so it had a very different feel from the other groups which are larger. Tonight is the last night of my Revelation study. Next week we're starting a study on the names of God. I'm very thankful that Paul comes home earlier on Tuesday nights so I can go to study and that our church offers a wide variety of Bible study groups that meet at different times and on different days. The book of Ruth is one of my favorite books in the Bible, and not just because my name is Ruth. I'm so thankful Jesus is our kinsman redeemer!

2. Tonight Nadia has her last softball game. She has to help at the carnival with a fundraiser for Little League on Thursday, and then her season is officially over. Paul is driving her to the game. He's been getting home from work between 7-7:30PM lately, but he's going to be home by 4:30 today so he can take Nadia to her game which is farther away than usual and so I can go to Bible study. I'm also going to go for a walk! Yay!

3. We enjoyed the homeschool picnic and assembly on Thursday. The weather was perfect for this outdoor event! I made lemon bars, and I brought about half of them home (which never happens when I make brownies) so I have still been enjoying the lemon bars, which I very rarely make. Yum!

4. Oliver didn't cry when I took him to summer musical on Wednesday night. YAHOO!! I told him he was in charge of carrying in the ice cream sandwiches. I had signed up to bring the kids snack that night. In the past I've always made the snack, but since we had four potluck picnics within fourteen days, I went the lazy route and purchased ice cream sandwiches.

5. We had a lovely time with Aunt Janet this past weekend! It was so great to spend time with her, and she was able to get a glimpse into our world by attending Ian's soccer game, going with us to church, seeing the children's museum, etc.

6. Aunt Janet treated us to dinner at Bonanza on Saturday

night. I always enjoy having a night off from cooking!

7. The kids enjoyed their last gym class on Friday (until September). Oliver said that glow in the dark dodgeball was his favorite. Hopefully next fall I won't have to sit in the gym and watch to get him to participate.

8. The kids, Janet, and I enjoyed Nadia's softball party on Friday night. The kids enjoyed the pool and playground. I found it a treat to eat s'mores.

9. Oliver scored his very first goal on Saturday morning! I am so glad this is the last week of soccer and softball. We get a two month break before flag football practices will begin.

10. Nadia and Ian learned more about eyes through the class lead by Bloomsburg University biology professors at the Children's Museum on Saturday. This included dissecting a cow's eye.

11. I enjoyed teaching an adult Sunday School class as a substitute, and it was especially nice that Aunt Janet was in the class that day.

12. Claire and Sophie came over for 5.5 hours yesterday. I'm so glad the kids have friends.

13. We watched an interesting movie last night about the history of McDonald's (The Founder).

14. Last month when I received the EOB from the dental insurance, my heart sank as it looked to me that we were going to be billed about $250 for Oliver's x-rays because the insurance only covers them beginning at age 5 (which he won't turn until August). Thankfully, we haven't received a bill from the dentist, which I believe means his x-rays were free. This means I think we can afford to schedule an eye doctor appointment for me. I had thought that between Oliver's x-rays and Paul's mole we had exceeded our budget for medical expenses for the year. I am so grateful we haven't, and I can start the process of getting some eyeglasses that don't give me a splitting headache.

15. Paul's mole still hasn't been healing. I have been asking and asking and asking him to call a dermatologist as I felt it was time to move beyond his PCP. Thankfully he called yesterday and got an appointment for this Friday. We want the dermatologist to #1 make sure this first mole removal was handled properly and #2 remove any other suspicious moles. Basically we want to maximize our deductible. I don't want to remove one mole a year and max his deductible each year over each mole. If we're maxing his deductible this year, let's take care of any and all suspicious moles before our "year" is up with the insurance. He was supposed to see the PCP on Thursday. He's going to cancel that in light of his appointment on Friday. I am so glad he could be seen so quickly by a specialist.

16. I had never taken a shower in the kids' bathroom so I didn't know that the monkey shower rings were not very functional. They were cute but made it very difficult to slide the shower curtain. I bought new shower rings and a new shower liner last week (some of the holes were ripped in the liner which also added to the problem), and now that shower curtain is SO much more functional. I am sure our guests will appreciate this in the future, and we are appreciating it now until we are able to resume using our master bathroom shower.

17. Maurice had a good week in Italy last week, and my dad made it safely over to Turkey yesterday. Now Maurice and my dad are exploring Ephesus for a few days before they spend a week with the Towfighis. Hoping they'll all have a fabulous time over there!

18. We are going to see a movie today at the theater. It's one we've already seen on DVD, but since only one time in their lives have I purchased a ticket for a newly released movie (took Nadia to see Beauty and the Beast), seeing a movie on the big screen is still novel for them. So for $4 the four of us will watch Kung Fu Panda 3 this morning. We were going to pick strawberries before the movie, but it was raining. If it's not raining after the movie, we'll pick them then. If not today, at some point in the next week or two we will pick strawberries!

19. Paul's mom had been on a pill that was supposed to keep her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in check. It didn't work. Bummer. This means she is starting chemo again on Thursday. She has had and continues to have the best attitude through all this. She had chemo in 2008 and in 2014. Praying that it will be effective this time and that the side effects will be as minimal as possible. I'm thankful it's a far more treatable kind of cancer than the one my mom had.

Choices

Life is constantly full of choices which vary greatly in their significance. One decision often leads to other decisions. A few years ago I instituted the rule with the kids that they have to have a fruit or a vegetable at both lunch and dinner. Prior to that I often only purchased bananas and frozen vegetables as that was typically what Paul and I ate most of the time. Even though Paul and I still each eat a banana almost every day, none of our kids eat bananas. Nadia and Ian used to each eat a half a banana, but they stopped eating bananas a few years ago. Oliver has never been a fan of bananas. Oliver is the only one of our children who often has a fruit or vegetable at breakfast; Nadia will have some fruit at breakfast if we have cherries, blueberries, or strawberries on hand. Oliver will have a slice of watermelon or some baby carrots with his breakfast. Since the kids don't like bananas, I usually have a wider assortment of fruits plus baby carrots in the refrigerator. I almost always have apples and oranges on hand, and when I see them for a good price I buy pears, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, nectarines, etc. I have price points for most things I buy at a grocery, and I won't buy the item unless it's at or below a particular price. Some price points have had to go up some over the years, or we'd never be buying that particular item again. Some things (like milk and eggs) I buy no matter what the price is. I have never purchased raspberries (in part because of the cost), but Nadia tasted some this weekend as my Aunt brought some. I'm planning to take the kids to a berry farm to pick raspberries for the first time this summer. This week we're planning to pick strawberries. YUM!

I think at times it's easier to make decisions that involve a value. For example, both Nadia and Ian's teams had games last Wednesday night. In Ian's case it was a make-up soccer game because typically all their games are on Saturdays. In Nadia's case it was the one softball game this season that was super close to our house (less than one mile away), but we didn't go because they had the summer musical program at the Alliance church to attend. I have told the kids that church always trumps sports, and they haven't had any problem with that at all. Ironically, we found out at the softball party on Friday night the girls had their FIRST win of the season on Wednesday night, but only five girls from her team were able to make that game so two kids playing on their team that night were actually from the other team so you can't really compare that game to the others. Most of the decisions that take more thought (in contrast to decisions like what clothes to put on in the morning or what to eat for breakfast) seem to deal with either money, time, or energy. We have a limited supply of time, energy, and money. Last week our homeschooling group toured a cave that we haven't been to before. I considered signing us up, but then I decided we shouldn't because we don't have much left in our entertainment budget for the year, and we are planning to stop at Luray Caverns on the way home from Lynchburg in August. Luray Caverns is a lot more expensive (and bigger) than the one they went to today, but I figured spending money to tour two caves in one year was probably not a wise choice. Similarly, today our group toured an animal farm/ petting zoo that we haven't been to before, but again I have decided to skip it because it would cost $22 for the four of us to go there, and we are planning to go to Lake Tobias in July. Instead I invited two girls over for a play date. Thankfully there are many field trips that are free, such as a 3.2 mile hike we're planning to go on this Thursday with the homeschool group at a state park we've never been to before.

Last summer Paul received dual income for a few months because he was paid by Bucknell through August but started at the family business in May. We opted to put the extra money down toward the principal on the mortgage to #1 reduce the amount of interest we will pay overall and #2 to lower our payment when refinancing so we could afford to stay in this house on Paul's lower salary. Of course paying down the mortgage is not the most exciting way to spend money. A trip to Hawaii would be a lot more fun, but honestly it wasn't hard to make that decision. I hate being in debt. The only time I've ever paid interest in my life was on a mortgage. That started for me in January 2001 when I bought our first house eight months before we got married. I took out a 15 year mortgage at that time. Paul paid off his car loan in the summer of 2001. He only brought school loan debt into our marriage. We paid those loans off in 2013. When we moved to this house in September 2008 I took out my very first 30 year mortgage. We refinanced in December 2016 to a 15 year mortgage, and we

made a payment toward the principal shortly after that with coin money from my mom. It was an easy decision for me to put 50% of the coin money toward the mortgage. It was harder to decide whether to put more of it toward the mortgage. Saving thousands of dollars (eventually) due to paying less interest in the future is wonderful, but it's naturally also tempting to use the money to buy some things I doubt we'd ever be able to afford otherwise. Setting aside some for Ian's braces was again a no brainer. I don't see how we could afford braces on Paul's salary, and Ian really needs braces. I would SO much rather have my mom around, but I'm grateful we can afford to pay for his braces as a result of her passing.  So after the tithe, Ian's braces, and 50% toward the mortgage, it was hard to decide what to do with the rest. Part of me wanted to put ALL of it toward the mortgage, but in the end I used some of it for things like a new kitchen floor (very happy with that decision), a new camera body, and the setting for my great grandmother's diamond. I made another payment on the principal today, but I'm still undecided about the last part that hasn't been spent yet (not counting what I've set aside for Ian's braces). I could also put that toward the mortgage or use it toward something we couldn't otherwise afford such as a piece of exercise equipment (I'd like to lose some weight) or a 70-200mm lens. I'm giving myself more time to think about it. It took me months to decide about which setting to get for my great grandmother's diamond. Sometimes after the fact I have buyers remorse or remorse that I didn't purchase something. For example, my sister in 2008 wisely suggested I buy a DSLR when my camera broke, but I just bought another point and shoot (big mistake in hindsight). With the ring I am very glad I went with the much cheaper setting rather than the one I really loved because now that the diamond is in the setting I realize that the diamond is all I really notice due to its size (2.46 carats).

It's a good thing I have a strong desire to be out of debt ASAP (although it likely will be ten more years until that is true) because buying things you can see (like new carpet or a camera) is a lot more exciting than paying down the principal of a mortgage. It reminds me of when I was the principal of a Christian school. It was a lot harder to raise money to pay the operating expenses (utilities, salaries, etc.) whereas it was much easier to raise money for more tangible things like a computer lab or playground equipment.

My decision to give Upward flag football a try in the fall was partly about time and energy. It would have been cheaper to pick soccer. I asked Nadia yesterday whether she'd prefer soccer, softball, or gymnastics next spring. She said gymnastics because she hasn't done it in more than a year. Gymnastics is far more expensive than soccer, but 8 weeks of gymnastics would have been cheaper than 8 weeks of softball. So 8 weeks of gymnastics for Nadia next spring sounds good to me if we can afford it. If she does softball again in the future it will be a bit cheaper since she already owns a bat, mask, helmet, mitt, and bat bag. It will certainly make the schedule a lot less hectic to trade softball for gymnastics. I'll wait a few months to ask the boys what they want to do next spring.

My natural instinct is to be a saver not a spender. I've been that way since I was a child. It does not seem that any of my kids have inherited that trait from me. Nadia did save up a decent amount of money once a couple of years ago for a Frozen Lego set, but usually money doesn't sit around long before they spend it. Ian almost always wants to spend his ASAP. He sets goals of things he wants to save his money to buy, but he rarely has the patience to actually save his money until he has enough. I am trying to teach them about stretching their dollars. They see something they want (ex. a candy bar), and if I say, you can get that candy bar at xyz store for 1/2 the price, it is so hard for them to wait. They don't seem to care if it's a good buy or not. In April I had a coupon for a free pastry at Panera. I picked out a cookie, but then found out it exceeded the price limit. So I switched to a cinnamon bun. Would you believe the cookie was $3? Ian said, "I'll buy the cookie, Mommy." I couldn't believe he would consider spending $3 to buy one cookie. We didn't get any cookies that day, and the kids discovered they like cinnamon buns. I realize none of them might ever be as into couponing and finding bargains as I am, but I hope they do become wise stewards of whatever resources God gives them. When I was a professor I was a penny pincher by choice not necessity, but now it is imperative I am as frugal as possible. In gym class a few weeks ago I heard a few moms talking about how much they paid for their kids' shoes. The lowest price I heard was $40, and one mom was also talking about how much she paid for her one year old's shoes! I have never paid over $25 for any shoes for any of my three kids, and the vast majority of their shoes I have paid less than $5 a pair. Considering our clothing (and shoe) budget for the year for all five of us is $500, I had better not be spending $40-50 per pair of shoes! Yard sales, clearance racks, and consignment shops make this possible.

Great Aunt Janet's visit!

Growing up I had a very different experience compared to Paul regarding extended family. Many of his extended relatives lived close by. In fact one of his grandmothers lived with his parents for many years, and his other grandparents for most of his childhood lived in the house next door. In contrast I lived in Alabama, Texas, and Maryland whereas my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles lived in New York, Michigan, Virginia, and California. This meant we didn't see them very often, maybe once or twice a year. We often had Thanksgiving dinner with my Aunt Janet and Uncle Bill. Janet is my dad's sister, and she has three children. Vanessa is two years older than me, Kurt is a few weeks younger than me, and Brent is two years younger than me. It has been ten years since I've seen any of those cousins, but I'm hoping to see all three of them this summer between our trip to Long Island in July (Kurt lives there) and my dad's wedding in August (Vanessa and Brent plan to attend). It has been 10 years since I have been to Long Island. I have seen Janet a few times since then in other places such as here in Pennsylvania while Nadia was in the NICU, on vacation in Florida together in May 2010, and at my dad's house for my mom's funeral in July 2016.

This year it seems as if we will see each other four times over the span of about two months! Aunt Janet has been so sweet over the past year with the passing of my mom. She has been a wonderful listening ear for me. I am so thankful. On Friday afternoon she arrived at our house. It was her first solo road trip in many years. For example, she flew to Maryland for my mom's funeral last summer. We had some time here at our house on Friday and then we went to Nadia's softball team party. They had a full set of playground equipment in their backyard! The dad is an engineer for a playground manufacturer. They also had goats, chickens, rabbits, and an in ground swimming pool (water temperature of 75 degrees). Oliver stayed in the pool the least amount of time, Ian stayed in longer than Oliver, and Nadia was definitely in the longest of my three (and one of the longest of all the people at the party). She swam for about an hour. We roasted hot dogs over a fire, roasted marshmallows to make S'mores, and ate other yummy treats that people had brought. We were one of the first to leave, but as it was Oliver was up past his bed time.

Saturday morning we left at 8:30 to head to Ian's soccer game. It was raining at the start of the game, but then it stopped and began to warm up (yay!). Ian played three of the four quarters. He had some moments where he was doing a better job. He didn't score any goals this season (he has one game left), and Nadia didn't score any runs this season (she also has one game left), but Oliver managed to get his VERY first goal on Saturday. I can't believe I missed it! Paul said that Oliver was near the goal when one of his teammates kicked the ball to him and then he kicked it in the goal. Way to go, Oliver! I didn't see his goal because Aunt Janet and I were with Nadia and Ian at the Children's Museum. They showed her around various exhibits and then we participated in a dissection of a cow's eye. Janet and Ian thought it was cool. Nadia thought it was gross. She said she liked the rat dissection better than the eyeball dissection. They said in the fall they'll be doing one about bones. I so appreciate the programming this museum makes possible. It doesn't cost us a penny beyond the annual membership!

We came home had lunch and hung out for a few hours doing things like playing Uno, enjoying the guinea pigs, and playing Frisbee. Over the course of the two days two different neighbors were over playing at our house so Aunt Janet met Camden (he played Uno with us) and Karyss. Aunt Janet treated us to dinner at Bonanza. She was amazed that what she usually pays for herself to go out to dinner in NY was what it cost her for the six of us to go out to dinner last night. When we got home we watched Moana as I had gotten the DVD from the library on Thursday. Oliver, Nadia, and I had seen it in the theater in December, but it was the first time that Ian, Paul, or Aunt Janet had seen the movie. Everyone enjoyed it!

This morning Oliver woke up at 4:45 and was throwing up phlegm. He was sleeping on an air mattress in our bedroom as Aunt Janet was using his bedroom. He threw up some more phlegm at 5:30, and he had a really hard time going back to sleep. Since it was light out he thought it was time to get up even though he usually doesn't get up until 7:00.

He finally went back to sleep. When it was time to leave for church, Nadia, Ian, Aunt Janet, and I were ready and Paul and Oliver were still sleeping. I had decided not to wake either of them up as I figured they both needed the sleep. Paul said Oliver slept until 9:30. We attended the first worship service and then went to Sunday School. I was asked to substitute for my teacher, which was perfect timing because my Aunt Janet got to see me teach. I do enjoy teaching. In July we'll get to visit her church. We came home, had lunch, and then said goodbye to Aunt Janet as she was heading out to see her cousin Charlie in Pittsburgh (whom the kids and I visited with my Dad in December). She's planning to spend one night at our house on the way back home next Sunday. We are planning to spend one week at her house in July, and we should see each other in Virginia in August at my dad's wedding. We love Aunt Janet very much!