Swamp, battlefield, and WWII

Last year one of my favorite experiences was our time in Big Cypress and the Everglades in Florida. Yesterday we were in a similar ecosystem although in this case it was a true swamp (which isn't true of the ones in Florida). On Wednesday we began our time in Louisiana at the airport which is on the west side of New Orleans. We traveled east to go to the zoo and then farther east to the French Quarter. The farthest east that we will be on this two-week trip was in Slidell, Louisiana. We spent the first night at a Comfort Inn in Slidell. Oliver enjoyed swimming in the outdoor pool. Yesterday morning we took a two-hour boat trip on the Pearl River (Honey Island Swamp). We saw many alligators also spotted racoons, turtles, little blue herons, great blue herons, anhingas, prothonotary warblers, one diamondback water snake, and crawfish. Oliver enjoyed holding a small lizard. 

We bought some food for lunch at McDonald's with a gift card and drove to the Chalmette Battlefield. There were two battlefields Paul asked me to add to the itinerary, and this was one of them. It was the site of the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Even though it was 90 degrees outside, Nadia and Ian decided to take a long walk together while Paul explored the battlefield. Many times, Paul wishes that we could have spent far more time at a battlefield, but even though we were only there for about one hour, he saw everything he wanted to see this time except for the fact the Visitor Center was closed due to the air conditioning system not working. Our final stop of the day also had Paul's name written all over it - the National WWII Museum which is H U G E (284,000 sq ft). We spent 2.5 hours walking through the exhibits and then about 45 minutes watching the movie Beyond All Boundaries. The 4D movie was VERY, VERY well done. The USS Tang submarine experience was also unique.

After the museum, we drove to Parkway Bakery and Tavern which has been in business since 1911. We ate another iconic New Orleans food - po'boys. I forgot to mention yesterday that the hot dogs we had on Wednesday night had the best hot dog buns any of us have ever had before. For our sandwiches yesterday Paul picked one that contained roast beef, gravy, and potatoes inside. Oliver had catfish, I had smoked pit ham, Nadia had roasted turkey, and Ian had spicy sausage. After dinner we drove west of New Orleans to spend the night at a Holiday Inn in La Place. Oliver put on his bathing suit only to find out the outdoor pool doesn't open for the season until Memorial Day weekend, even though it was 90 degrees outside. Before we checked into the hotel, we stopped at a Walmart for some groceries, sunscreen, and Band-Aids. We got ice cream novelties that the kids ate last night and food for our lunches for the next few days (bread, peanut butter, jelly, etc.). Today will be our last day in Louisiana as we will be beginning our time in Texas this evening. 

State #49

On Monday I began the final preparations for our vacation which included packing our suitcases, giving a garage door opener to a neighbor who will be caring for our guinea pig, mowing the lawn, and giving Oliver and Paul haircuts. Nadia worked on Tuesday morning. After lunch an old crown fell off one of my molars. I called the dentist and explained that I was leaving on a two-week vacation. I was thrilled when they said they could cement it back on if I got there within twenty minutes. I loaded up the kids and the dog and went to the dentist. I am so very thankful they were able to repair it for me before we left on our trip. After the dentist appointment, I dropped Milo off at the Seiberts, got a dozen glazed donuts at Weis market, and then dropped the kids off at MCS for their final choir rehearsal. After we ate dinner, we loaded up the van and then drove to MCS for the spring concert and art show. All the middle and high school boys were supposed to wear long sleeve black shirts, black pants, and black shoes. Some wore ties. Oliver had a tie (and no belt for his pants). Ian had a belt but no tie. Nadia wore one of my black dresses with a black cardigan that helped disguise the fact that the dress was too big for her. Pop Pop also attended the concert. We left directly from the concert to drive to Maryland. Yvonne and her family are also on vacation this week so the house was empty aside from their two cats. I gave the cats food and fresh water and cleaned out their litter box. We tried to get to bed as quickly as possible as we didn't arrive at their house until 11:00pm. 

I had booked a flight that left BWI at 9:00am, but American Airlines changed the departure to 6:30am, which meant we had to be out the door around 4:40am to allow time to drive to BWI, go through TSA, and get to our gate before they began boarding. We could have left my sister's house at 5:00, but we figured it was a case of better safe than sorry. Although we had to sit on the runway for a while with the engine turned off before we took off, our flight arrived in Charlotte on time. Paul, Ian, and Nadia sat together, and then Oliver and I sat across the aisle from them. Our third seat was empty. We landed in Charlotte a little before 8:00 am and hustled as quickly as we could to get from the D terminal to the C terminal. We *thought* we had very little time in between our two flights. Due to a mechanical problem that needed to be fixed, we actually had a lot of time in between the two flights. Eventually we were able to board our flight. Nadia and Ian sat together across from Paul, Oliver, and me in the hopes that there would be one empty seat again on that side, but the flight was full, and a woman had the window seat on that side. On both flights we were served a drink and Biscoff cookies. I had purchased 12 donuts for $5 on Tuesday at the grocery store as I knew that it would be expensive to buy food at the airport for breakfast. We didn't eat all the donuts, but $1 per person for breakfast is very affordable. Proof that the kids are growing up, After we arrived in New Orleans, we took a shuttle to the rental cars. I had booked the rental car through Priceline and had paid for their rental insurance because it's a lot cheaper than Dollar's. We declined the fuel charge, which just means we need to make sure we return the van with a full tank of gas. I did end up opting to pay for the tolls. We have an EZ pass, but those aren't accepted in this area of the country. I'm not sure if I made the right choice or not. They said many places only have electronic tolls and we could end up having to pay a lot of fees.

After we got our black minivan, Paul drove us to Wendy's for lunch and then to the Audubon Zoo. It is rated as one of the best zoos. We aren't sure why it's considered above average. I contemplated also going to a zoo in Houston and Dallas. The only other zoo that is in our itinerary is the one in Fort Worth. We also could have visited multiple aquariums. There is one here in New Orleans, for example. I chose the one in Corpus Christi, Texas. There also is an Insectarium here in New Orleans, but that also didn't make the cut. I can tell you that the Wendy's we visited near the airport is definitely below average. Nadia ordered a salad, and I ordered a chili. As we went through our bag of food, we noticed we didn't have a spoon or a fork (only one knife). When Paul asked for one, they said they didn't have any. Then why in heaven's name are they selling food that you need those things to eat them?!? Oi vey! After we walked around the zoo, we drove to the French Quarter. Our first stop was the St, Louis Cathedral, which dates back to the 1700's. We made a brief stop in the National Park Visitor Center which is the visitor center for both the French Quarter (part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park) and the Jazz National Historical Park. It was very unimpressive. The kids had already earned both of those Junior Ranger badges through the mail several years ago. For the next couple of hours, we walked around the French Quarter and ate dinner. We had hot dogs at Dat Dog. Oliver had wanted to eat some alligator in Florida last year, and it didn't happen. He chose an alligator hot dog topped with crawfish etouffee and cheese. None of the rest of us were that adventurous. Our last stop before we returned to the van was Cafe Beignet. We ordered two orders of beignets to share amongst the five of us. We all enjoyed them and thought they tasted similar (even better) than a funnel cake. Many trips we have tried to spend as little as possible on meals by eating a free breakfast at the hotel, skipping lunch, and using a gift card for dinner. Sometimes we are doing that on this trip, but this trip I made more efforts for us to try different foods. 

Graduation #1

As a professor, I attended many graduation ceremonies. As a student, my last graduation was in December 2002 when I received my doctorate. Paul graduated three times after I earned my doctorate, but he didn't actually participate in any ceremonies for his BS, MS, or PhD. Jenna, Joshua, and Andrew didn't have a high school graduation ceremony due to being homeschooled. We didn't attend Susie's due to the fact they live in Chicago, and we don't plan to attend Adam's this year for the same reason. There are graduations for homeschoolers in our area, but Nadia has also said she doesn't care to participate in one. All that to say despite the fact I have 3 kids, and my sisters have 13 kids, Jenna's graduation today was the first one we've attended for a relative in quite a while. Jenna attended my graduation in 2002. She was less than a month old. Her boyfriend, Toby, also graduated this week with his BS from Liberty, but like Paul he didn't participate in a ceremony. Jenna actually completed her BS in December 2024. She's been working on her MS in Occupational Therapy since then and expects to graduate again next year. Jenna had six family members attend her graduation at Messiah University - Yvonne (her mom), Toby (her boyfriend), Paul and I, and two of her brothers (Andrew and Brendan). After the almost 2-hour outdoor ceremony concluded, we took pictures and then eventually made our way to Texas Roadhouse for a late lunch. Milo was home alone for 9 hours, so he was very glad when we returned home. 

Toby has accepted a job offer for a job in Harrisburg, and he found an apartment to live in until he and Jenna buy a townhouse that isn't far from where Jenna lives or his new job. They plan to get married in 2026 and settle down in the Camp Hill area. Normally, when there isn't massive amount of traffic due to a graduation (ha ha), it only takes us about 90 minutes to get to that area. It is nice having at least one niece live within a reasonable drive of our home. Adam is going to be starting at the University of Florida in the fall, and Joshua will be starting at Appalachian Bible College, which is in West Virginia. Next spring there will be four people graduating - Nadia from high school, Susie and Andrew with their BS degrees, and Jenna with her MS degree. Because Andrew's graduation is on the same day as the homeschool prom, I don't think we'll be driving to Ohio for that graduation. Whether we attend Jenna's graduation next year will depend on when we end up going to Europe. We will make it a priority to attend her wedding. 

Our kids didn't attend Jenna's graduation because they were in Indiana today. Yesterday morning Ed picked them up at 6:15 am on his way to church. They left the church around 7:00 to drive to IWU, which is about eight hours away without stops. Last night they completed the written and preliminary individual portions of the competition. Ten of the kids from our church (including Nadia and Ian) qualified to be in the individual finals (meaning no one from another church did). The teams from North Rome didn't attend this quiz. I expect some of their quizzers (Ruth and Julia at the minimum) to qualify for individual finals in June. As for the writtens, Nadia finished in 9th place, and Ian finished in 10th place. In the team competition, Ian's team (Ben, Ian, and Isaiah) finished in 3rd place, and Nadia's team (Nadia, Faith, and Jill) were in 4th place. Two teams from our church were in 1st and 2nd place. It seems they drove all the way to Indiana just to compete against their own teammates although there were other teams there. For the individual finals, Ian and Nadia were in a four-way tie with Alex and Faith for 5th place. Daniel, Joey, Isaiah, and Ben were ahead of them. Oliver was on the team that won first place in the team competition (Joey, Xandir, Daniel, and Oliver) but I highly doubt Oliver had anything to do with their victory. Despite the fact he probably didn't help them one iota, he received 1/4 of what their team received in cash for having won the team competition. I think the winnings should have just been split between the other three boys, but that's not how it works. So ironically, the child of mine who did the least studying by far is the one who received a cash prize. However, we are not allowing him to compete in the competition next month due to the paltry effort he has put forth in studying Luke this year. Hopefully he will put a lot more effort in studying 1 & 2 Corinthians over the next 13 months. 

Graduation ceremonies are frankly pretty boring, but it was a pleasure to spend some time with my sister and some of her kids. Here are some other things I'm thankful for right now:

1. Our second year of having a co-op meet at our house came to an end on Tuesday. The kids usually eat lunch at our house, but on that day Ben and I drove the kids to the park in our town for a picnic lunch and a game of Wiffle ball. 

2. On Wednesday I had a conversation with my dad and one of my cousins as the three of us are joint trustees for a trust that uses money Grandpa set aside to pay for his great grandchildren's college education. When he was alive, he paid all twelve of his grandchildren to go to college. Now his money is being used to pay for my cousins' kids, my nieces/nephews, and my own kids to go to college. On our side of the family those monies have only gone toward Susie, Jenna, and Andrew so far, but Yvonne recently asked if there was a way money could be used from the fund to pay for college tuition bills incurred through dual enrollment (when they are still in high school). Yvonne and Joe paid for the first 30 or so credits of Andrew's college degree while he was in high school, and Paul and I have already paid for Nadia's first 34 credits. Through our discussion we decided that from now on the fund can pay for dual enrollment courses as long as the student realizes they will still be limited to the maximum we will pay altogether for each student's degree. So, the process was already begun for Nadia's upcoming tuition bill to paid by the trust, for which I am very grateful! Thank you, Grandpa!! 

3. I'm grateful the kids can participate in the Bible quizzing program at our church. They meet for 90 minutes every Wednesday. I'm thankful they had a safe trip out to Indiana yesterday and am praying the last few hours of their trip home will go smoothly. The Bible quizzing team has been the place where they have developed most of their closest friendships.

4. Yesterday after I took Paul's car for its annual inspection, I met Cheri for lunch at Panera. We had planned to walk, but it was cold and rainy, so I had my favorite salad for the first time this year. 

5. As tomorrow is Mother's Day, I'm very thankful for the mom God gave me. I still miss her very much. I also miss my mother-in-law. I am very grateful God gave me three children. I love being their mother. I also feel like a "dog mom" so I have to say I'm also thankful for Milo. I longed for decades for the day I'd become a mom. I had zero desire to ever have a dog, but I'm very glad Milo is part of our family. 

First prom

Two weekends ago, we had one special event on the calendar - going down to Lancaster to see Noah at Sight and Sound. We saw the same musical in 2013, but given our three kids were 10 months, 3.5, and 5 years old at that time, they don't exactly remember that performance. We had planned to tour an Amish home and school, but those plans were scratched once we realized that we'd be dog sitting Cooper that day as we didn't want to be away from home for more than eight hours. Cheri and Pop Pop joined us for Noah and a meal at IHOP. They recently announced that they are doing a brand-new show next year - Joshua. I also recently read about a new Broadway musical that is debuting in London later this year about Paddington! I had planned to try to get tickets to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang next year in May, but now I'm also hoping we might be able to see the Paddington musical. Ian still regularly eats orange marmalade which I introduced to the kids when I read the Paddington books aloud to them many years ago. 

This weekend our schedule was much more hectic. On Friday morning I picked up Cheri and Nathaniel and then drove to Ricketts Glen State Park for a homeschool program on vernal pools. After the program we ate lunch with the Schrecks and then went on a short hike. Friday night the kids from the co-op that meets in our home put on a 30-minute play about Robin Hood at our church. The kids had a dress rehearsal, the parents/grandparents/siblings watched a performance, and then we ate a meal together. Ben had to fill in for Julianna for the part of Friar Tuck. Nathaniel did a wonderful job playing the Sheriff of Nottingham. Nadia (who was Maid Marion) was primarily insulting him throughout the play because he was trying to force her to marry him. Lydia did a great job portraying the part of Robin Hood. There were about 50 people gathered together for the performance (guests plus the actors). I had the kids vote last week on what play we should do next fall, and I think they've chosen Peter Pan.

Nadia worked a morning shift (7:30-12:00) on Saturday morning. I picked up her corsage before I picked her up from work. In the afternoon six of the seven kids met at Faith's house to do their hair, eat a little, and then I took pictures of all seven of them at a pretty spot near their home. I was so very grateful the weather cooperated as the forecast wasn't very good. I have barely used my camera in 2025, but I definitely used it this past weekend! Nadia wore a necklace, earrings, and bracelet that had all been my mom's. I had signed Paul and the boys up for a father/son burger burn at our church that took place on Saturday evening, but those plans were cancelled as Paul wasn't feeling well. Dave Seibert drove the seven kids to the prom. 

Paul stayed home on Sunday. The kids and I attended only the first service at church. Then I took six kids to Knoebels. It rained off and on. I was the only one who brought a rain jacket or an umbrella (I brought both). I shared my jacket with Ian. The upside of the rain was that attendance was very low which meant almost all the rides had a short line or no line at all. Oliver and Xandir rode the Impulse for the very first time in their lives, and they ended up riding it eight times over the course of the day! James joined them for six of those times. The park was open until 6:00, but we left at about 5:15 to get some pizza at OIP before going home. Thankfully the rain didn't interfere with the kids' ability to ride the rides. 

Here are some things I'm giving thanks for.

1. Everything went smoothly with watching Cooper. Ben picked him up on April 27. Next week we'll be dropping Milo off at their house before we leave on vacation.

2. Nadia has been helping me a lot in the kitchen lately with cooking and baking.

3. It took a while, but we finally found someone who can watch Milo while we're attending the Bible quizzing national competition in Indiana in June. Although I'm very thankful Nadia can work at a kennel, we're also very glad we don't need to board Milo in a kennel.

4. On April 28 I celebrated my 49th spiritual birthday. I'm eternally grateful for salvation through Jesus Christ! Tab took me out to lunch that day to celebrate my physical birthday. I thought it was special that the day that worked best for her ended up being my spiritual birthday. It was lovely to be able to chat with her for a couple of hours.  I am also grateful for the gift my dad gave me for my spiritual birthday. 

5. On Wednesdays I usually drop the kids off at 1:15, and Paul usually picks them up at 8:00. Last Wednesday I walked around the church property while the kids had art/chorus so I could take Nadia shopping at the thrift store before bringing the kids back to church for Bible quizzing/youth group. I got Paul some polo shirts and Nadia some shorts and jeans. We also used a gift card to get pizza from Pizza Hut, which is Nadia's favorite place to get pizza (and not a place we go very often). 

6. I'm thankful that Nadia enjoyed going to the prom with some of her friends, that the performance of Robin Hood went well, that the rain didn't interfere with our time at Knoebels yesterday afternoon, and that we were able to go to Ricketts Glen State Park. I'm also thankful for the pictures I was able to take on Saturday evening. I took a LOT of pictures to share with the other families. 

7. The kids are doing a good job with completing their work so that May 8 can be our last day of school for this year. Ian has the most work left to do of the three, but I think he can do it if he works hard these last few days. 

8. Most of the time the van driver's side door opens. Sometimes I have to climb in or out by way of the passenger side, but this can lead to a dead battery because the van doesn't totally shut off until the driver's door opens. The first week of June it's supposed to be repaired. When I don't have many riders I need to transport, I have been opting to drive Paul's car. 

9. Tomorrow will be our last day of co-op for this school year. We're planning to take the kids to the playground instead of playing board games after we've done chemistry, personal finance, and book groups. Isaiah will be graduating, but two new girls plan to join our co-op next fall, so it looks like we'll have 16 kids in our co-op for the fall session. Right now, we have 5 middle schoolers and 10 high schoolers in the co-op. I think next fall we'll have 6 middle schoolers and 10 high schoolers. This session we've had 8 boys and 7 girls, and I think next session we'll have 9 girls and 7 boys in our group. As much as the kids enjoy having their friends come over each Tuesday, I am looking forward to having a break for four months before the fall session begins.

Thankful Thursday

1. I turned 53 on Monday. I'm thankful for the years the Lord has given me so far. On April 18 Cheri treated me to lunch at a restaurant we'd never tried before located 2 miles from our home. We hadn't seen each other since December. 

2. I'm eternally grateful for the price Jesus' paid for my sins and that He rose from the grave. We celebrated these occasions by attending a Good Friday service as well as a service on Easter. The choir started the service with the song "He's Alive" that I remember singing with the church choir in Maryland in the 1980s. Nadia worked from 7:30-12:00 on Good Friday and from 4:00-6:15 on Easter. Her generous boss gave her an Easter basket filled with goodies that Friday. 

3. Oliver got a lot of candy at his final two Easter egg hunts on April 19. He had eaten and given away some candy between April 12-19, but after his fourth and final egg hunt his candy bag weighed 7.5 pounds! 

4. I had invited Al, Millie, and Paul's dad to join us for dinner on Easter. Paul's dad planned to come, but he woke up with a cold and a toothache that day. Paul and I had been working in the living room on Friday and Saturday, so we were able to continue working in there on Sunday. Paul did a lot of spackling and sanding. He's not done yet. I sanded, primed, and painted the two window frames in that room and began doing the same to some of the trim. I will keep working on the trim this week. I hemmed the tops and bottoms of seven sheer curtains by hand since I have no idea how to use Paul's mom's sewing machine that is in our basement. I did a lot of ironing (6 drapes and 7 sheer curtains). After Paul finishes the spackling/sanding, then we can repaint the orange walls grey. I'm thankful for the progress made! The kids were thrilled that I made the yeast rolls that I typically make for holidays. Nadia helped me make them.

5. Our family went out to eat at Olive Garden on Monday. I enjoy the soup, salad, and breadsticks as my entree, and on your birthday, you get a free dessert. I always enjoy the black-tie mousse cake. Yum! 

6. On our way home on Monday evening, we got some mulch at Lowe's (only $2 a bag!), and I weeded, trimmed bushes and spread that mulch on Tuesday. The weather has been simply lovely the last several days!

7. The kids all saw the dentist on April 14, and it turns out that Nadia's wisdom teeth never developed. Since most people end up having to have them removed, that seems like a blessing! 

8. I called my friend, Joyce, on her birthday (April 19). I received three birthday calls on Monday (my dad and his two sisters), and Yvonne called me on Tuesday. I received six physical birthday cards, two e-cards as well as some happy birthday text messages. Oliver got me a bag of Fritos, Paul gave me some white gold hoop earrings, Nadia and Ian got me a Snuggie, and my dad gave me some money. I'm grateful!

9. Ian played the keyboard for the youth group last night. Grateful he has these opportunities. Our piano was tuned on Monday, and three broken strings were replaced. 

10. It involved scheduling her party to take place 3+ weeks before her birthday, but we found a date that is good for Nadia plus five of her friends. I can't believe she'll be turning 17 in two months!

11. Last fall Paul and I enjoyed seeing a sandhill crane a few times near our home. Yesterday while we were walking Milo and Cooper, we enjoyed watching a great blue heron. 

Thankful Thursday

1. We're thankful that Nadia is able to work at Warrior Run Petcare year-round, and that she also has been hired to be a counselor at Camp Susque this summer.

2. The three performances of the musical went very well. Overall, more than 1,400 people purchased tickets to see the Wizard of Oz. Seven of Yvonne's kids, Yvonne, Toby, my dad, Paul's dad, and Tab all saw one of their performances. I'm thankful they had this experience and that some of their family and friends were able to come and see them perform. I am also glad the rehearsals are DONE. Our schedule is much less hectic. This year I helped with serving meals to the cast. Next year I think I'll go back to volunteering to help with concessions.

3. On April 6 all 17 of us went to church together. My dad then drove to Pittsburgh for his cousin's funeral. The rest of us drove to Camp Hill to have lunch at Panera/Chipotle and see a passion play. I didn't think my dad would be able to see the kids' performance AND attend his cousin's funeral, but he was able to do so when they scheduled the funeral for Monday. 

4. I've taken at least one child to multiple Easter egg hunts every year from 2010 to 2025 with the exception of 2020. This is Oliver's last year so this phase of life as of April 20 will have come to an end. On April 12 I took Oliver to an egg hunt at the Alliance Church which is very close to our home. Because it was raining that morning, they moved the egg hunt into their gym. They had over 6,000 eggs on the floor!!! Oliver filled a LARGE basket once, dumped it out, and filled it a second time. There were still eggs on the floor when he decided to call it quits as far as collecting more eggs. He had found one prize egg - which meant he was given an Easter basket filled with an assortment of goodies (peeps, stuffed animals, etc.). Paul took him to another egg hunt in the afternoon at the park in our town. Usually, this egg hunt features hard boiled eggs for all the older kids, but I assume due to the cost of eggs these days, they had plastic eggs this year. Oliver found four prize eggs! I believe that's a record for him. All four prizes were solid chocolate bunnies. He shared some with his siblings. He plans to attend two more egg hunts this Saturday, and that will be the end of egg hunts for our family.

5. On Sunday I dropped Nadia off at church at 7:00 am so that she could ride to Philadelphia to participate in a ministry to homeless/ drug addicts in Kensington. She returned back around 6:00 pm. I am thankful she had a desire to serve in this ministry!

6. From 1992-2008 I owned plants that I kept either in my classroom, home, or office. When we moved to our current home in September 2008, I got rid of my plants, and I haven't had any plants in the home since then for any significant period of time. Last week I purchased two plants for the dining room - a monstera and a snake plant. Over the last month we've painted the dining room ceiling white, painted the walls grey, and painted the baseboards and window frames white (which had been stained for the last 26 years). We also removed the miniblinds, installed a curtain rod, and hung some drapes. I also hung up some additional artwork which included buying a frame for one my grandma's paintings that Aunt Janet gave me in 2020 before she moved to Reno. Next up is to change out the light fixture, and then I think the update in that room will be done. I really like the new plants, painted white trim, etc. Oliver also really likes the plants. I hope these plants are hearty enough to be able to go without being watered for two weeks while we're on vacation. I'm planning to tackle the living room next in terms of sanding, priming, and painting the trim and window frames. I will wait to paint the living room walls until after Paul does some spackling and sanding in there. 

7. Last week I had to cancel co-op at 7:30 am, which is about one hour before the first kids usually arrive, because some of us were sick. We're not all 100% healthy yet, but I'm thankful we were able to have co-op this week. We plan to meet three more times before taking a break for the summer.

8. On Sunday the boys attended a birthday party for a younger sibling of one of their friends at a playground. Ian went fishing with Ben, and they both caught trout! Ben is doing us the favor of chopping off the head and such, freezing it, and giving the fish Ian caught back to him so that he can eat it after I cook it. 

9. In October I permanently deleted my Facebook account. On March 22, I created a new account because I wanted to give away two curio cabinets. I have a whopping one friend right now, and I only sent her a friend request because she wanted to send me a video of her son's ninja competition via Messenger. I think this is the best of both worlds. I have spent zero minutes looking at a FB news feed for six months, but now if there's something I need to look up on a church or business's FB page, I can do so, and now I can resume selling things or giving things away on FB marketplace. This week Oliver sold some of his Paw Patrol toys for $50, and I gave away some plastic lawn chairs we hadn't used for more than 17 years. When I went on a FB yard sale page to list the Paw Patrol toys, I noticed a lot of 1,000-piece puzzles, which I proceeded to buy for Nadia on Monday. The seller met me at the dentist office while the kids were getting their teeth cleaned. I don't plan on posting anything on my wall or adding more friends as I don't plan to read a news feed, but there are other ways Facebook can be useful it seems (unfortunately). Anything that helps me with decluttering is appreciated. Paul made a trip to Goodwill to donate a trunk load after he took the boys to the birthday party on Sunday afternoon.

10. Nadia and Ian have recently started going on a walk together every day. A few weeks earlier Ian and Oliver started getting some exercise together outdoors. Ian often runs while Oliver is riding his bike or roller blading. Ian is the one getting the most exercise since both of his siblings ask him to join them! Milo is also getting more exercise because he's still walking with Paul and I twice a day, and now he also often joins Ian and Nadia. 

11. The battery on Paul's iPhone wouldn't charge. Thankfully he was able to get an appointment right away at Best Buy. They said it would cost over $400 to repair it so they suggested he purchase a wireless charger instead which was much cheaper than buying a new phone or repairing the phone. 

12. I'm thankful for Paul's help with the dining room update. I bought him a sledgehammer recently so that he could begin breaking up the piece of concrete in the yard that the spinning seesaw had been attached to. A few years ago, we had quite a few things in our yard - trampoline, spinning seesaw, shed, fence, and a slide/swing set. Gradually we've gotten rid of all of those things. The only things that remain are our grill and the two concrete pads. I'm not sure what we're going to do with the one that had been under the shed, but I figured if he broke apart the smaller slab, we could put a little bit in the garbage each week until we finally get rid of the entire thing. 

13. The plan *had* been to not take classes at MCS next year. Nadia and Ian have changed their tune. The school just changed the policy for homeschoolers. Up until this year homeschoolers have had to be in chorus to be able to audition for the musical. Starting in the fall, the policy is that homeschoolers can audition as long as they are taking one class at MCS. All three want to only take art at MCS next year, and Nadia and Ian want to be in The Little Mermaid musical in April 2026. The last two years they've taken art and chorus on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays are rather hectic because they also have Bible quizzing and youth group from 4:30-8:00 pm. I asked if their second section of art could be on another day. They could take art on Mondays. I asked Ian's piano teacher if Ian's piano lessons could be moved from Monday to Friday, and they can. The kids have been at church from 1:15-8:00 on Wednesdays. I'm grateful that won't be the case next year, and the kids are grateful they don't have to take chorus next year. 

14. Nadia, 100% of her own initiative, has been helping out rather regularly in the kitchen with baking, cooking, reheating, etc. I want all three kids to be adept at cooking and baking before they graduate. I'm trying to do a better job of asking the boys to help at least once a week to develop their skills as well. It means a lot when Nadia offers to help of her own initiative.

Off to see the Wizard!

Winter is my least favorite season, so I'm always thrilled when the weather starts to turn warmer, the grass gets greener, the trees begin to blossom, etc. I always think of my mom on the first day of spring because her birthday was March 20. She would have turned 80 this year if she was still alive, but she passed away in 2016. Rita's and Dairy Queen give a free treat to all their customers on the first day of spring. The boys and I took advantage of these offers this year, which was a first for us. I intended to last year, but I didn't realize that in a leap year the first day of spring is one day earlier than usual. In some locations ice skating rinks are open year-round. Ours closes at the end of March. Several of the kids from our co-op plus some of their younger siblings went ice skating together on March 21. We had two free passes, so we only had to pay $5 for the three kids to skate since Nadia already owns her own ice skates. 

Ian had his annual physical on March 14. Usually, it costs $50 for us to see the doctor, but awhile back they started charging us $100 for the kids' physicals because they said the hearing/vision screenings also cost $50. This time I asked if those screenings could be declined. She said they could. Ian had just been to the eye doctor the previous month, so I knew the screening wasn't necessary and was happy to save $50. The boys got their new eyeglasses last month. I have to say in both instances I liked their previous glasses better than the ones they picked out this time around. Ian's glasses are more similar to a pair he had previously so that wasn't as big of an adjustment. Oliver's have definitely taken some time for me to get used to seeing them on his face. This is only his second pair of glasses. I prefer his first pair, but to each their own. The good news is that he's gotten much better about wearing his glasses. We have had to buy a few different nose pads for Ian's new glasses because they were sliding down his nose. Ian's sleep study plus nose surgery was the first time we had a significant expense to submit to Samaritan (our health sharing program). So far, we've received checks for a grand total of $5,852 (most of them were $139 each). We are only waiting for the last $278 to come in, and then we will have been reimbursed for everything we paid. It's reassuring to know from experience that this system does work. 

On March 21 five girls from our co-op had an appointment at YWCA's Cinderella Closet to shop for prom dresses. Four of the girls found a dress. They are normally $20 each, but someone had paid for the next twenty-five girls to get their dresses for free, and we happened to be the first four to take advantage of that kind offer! Nadia also got a free pair of heels. Nadia picked a purple dress. I think all of the girls looked beautiful in the dresses that they chose! Five girls and two boys from our co-op are planning to attend a prom together on May 3. Ian, Ben, and Lydia opted not to participate in the prom. The other kids in our co-op are in middle school and therefore not eligible to attend yet. After this year's prom then we can decide whether next year Nadia will be attending the prom OR her cousin Andrew's graduation from Cedarville University as they are going to be held the same day. 

Over the period of March 24- April 5 the kids had Wizard of Oz rehearsals or performances 12 out of 13 days. Their only day off was Sunday (March 30). I'm helping with serving meals to the cast/crew this week. Paul, Paul's dad and Tab will attend on Friday, and the Towfighis, Toby, and Grandpa will attend the matinee on Saturday. I think this will probably be the last time my three kids will be in a musical. I attended the dress rehearsal last night so that I could take pictures. I overheard another mom telling someone else how funny Ian was and that he was going to "steal the show." Last week and this week I would have appreciated if Nadia had her driver's license, but it was worth all the driving for the kids to be able to participate in the musical together. The rehearsals have been going until 10:30 pm this week, which is definitely past my bedtime. Paul has done most of the late pick-ups.

Last Monday Paul and I painted the dining room. When we purchased the house in 2008 that room was painted white. I painted it light green in 2016. This time Oliver and I picked out a light grey. Last Saturday I sanded, primed, and painted the trim that had been stained for 26 years. It's now painted white. What a difference that makes to go from stained to painted white trim! I think it looks much better. I'm planning on doing the living room next. I have no idea how many months or years it will take me, but eventually I'd like to redo the trim in the whole house. It will make the house easier to sell whenever we decide to move.

None of our relatives passed away in 2020, 2022, or 2024, but I've had two relatives pass so far in 2025. My mom's sister's husband died at the age of 83 in January. My dad's one and only cousin died at the age of 87 last week. The last time our family saw Charlie was in August of 2023 when we had dinner with them at a restaurant in Pittsburgh. I spoke on the phone with him a couple of times last year after I read his book that he had recently written. We also exchanged Christmas cards in December. I would have attended his funeral except for the fact that #1 we already had plans with Yvonne's family for this weekend (we have tickets to see a passion play on Sunday afternoon) and #2 a deer plowed into the van on March 27 when I was driving home after dropping the kids off at a Wizard of Oz rehearsal. The auto body guy says it's drivable, but I'm wanting to drive it as little as possible until it's repaired, which won't be until June unfortunately. The earliest available opening conflicted with our upcoming vacation to New Orleans/Texas. 

I can't recall any President in my lifetime who has been working to do SO many things in such a short amount of time like Trump is in his second term. Although I like a fair amount of what he's doing domestically, I think he's turning into a train wreck when it comes to foreign policy. In his first term he negotiated the Abraham Accords in the Middle East which seemed like a very positive thing. This time around I don't understand why he's being so hostile to Canada, friendly to Putin, or making ridiculous assertions like possibly considering using the military to annex Greenland. WHAT?!?!? I also find it equally disturbing that he thinks there is ANY chance he could serve a third term. I don't want any President to be able to serve a third term. George Washington, the best President we've probably ever had, saw the wisdom in stepping down after two terms. If another country has been imposing tariffs on us, I think a reciprocal tariff on them makes sense, but it seems like Trump is going WAY overboard with the tariffs - far beyond just making them reciprocal. I'd love to see an end to the war in Israel and the war in Ukraine, but I don't think just letting Russia take whatever they want from Ukraine is a good idea. I wish the people of Russia would do something about replacing Putin. The Russians have already sacrificed more than 800,000 people to this cause of attacking Ukraine. Why are the Russian people allowing this to continue? I certainly hope Trump's actions don't cause more countries to get nuclear weapons because they now realize they can't count on the US to help them if Russia continues to try to expand its borders. I hope Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania aren't Putin's next targets. God is in control.

Nadia as one of the tornado dancers

Thankful Thursday

 1. Paul took Oliver to a free maple sugaring educational program at Montour Preserve on February 22. We had taken the kids there in the past, but it had been quite a few years. Oliver has been studying botany this semester in science, and he was too young when we went in the past to remember the program. It's an outstanding program which is free and at a location about 20 minutes from our home.

2. One of the families in our small co-op came over for dinner on March 1, and another co-op family came over on March 9. We enjoyed eating and playing games together with both of these families.

3. Our Montage ski trip was postponed by one week, but I was able to take my three kids plus Nathaniel skiing on March 4. They had a great time and want to go back there again next year!

4. Paul took Ian down to see the ENT for a follow-up appointment. Thankfully they didn't charge us anything for the appointment, and she said the surgery was a success! One nostril is now wide open. The other side has a narrow opening, but air can flow through both nostrils. Hopefully this will alleviate his sleep apnea. 

5. Although it made it hard to get up for church on Sunday morning in light of staying up past midnight on the night we lost an hour due to DST, the kids had a great time with the youth group at Winter Jam. Some of their favorite artists performed that night (Anne Wilson, Colton Dixon, Skillet, etc.), and they had fun with friends.

6. In the middle of February, I paid for one month of access to Angel. We saw several excellent movies including Faith of Angels, Brave the Dark, Lost on a Mountain in Maine, and Between Borders. 

7. We recently discovered that one of Oliver's friends from church lives very close to our home! Oliver has ridden his bike over to James' house a few times so far. Due to his autism, his mom doesn't trust him to ride his bike to our home, but I'm hoping I can provide transportation so that James can play over here from time to time with Oliver.

8. It feels like SPRING this week!!! I am not a fan of cold weather, so I am very, very, very grateful when it starts warming up outside. 

9. Cooper was at our house from the morning of February 21 to the evening of March 9, and he was healthy. Given his age and the fact that he had a stroke 13 months ago, it was an answer to prayer! Milo was looking all over for Cooper in the morning on March 10. He misses having Cooper here.

10. Nadia took the SAT on March 8. I decided to do some grocery shopping and get a haircut in Lewisburg while she took the test as then I took her directly for the last hour of a three-hour Wizard of Oz rehearsal. We will find out on March 21 how she did. I hadn't gotten a haircut in 7 months. I made the mistake of getting a shampoo while I was there. It had been years since I got a shampoo at a hair salon. It added a lot to the cost, so I definitely paid more than usual for this haircut, but I like the way she cut my hair. 

11. Next week I'm going to be taking five girls plus two moms to Cinderella's Closet at the YWCA to shop for prom dresses. The dresses there only cost around $20 each. Hopefully the girls will find dresses they love! The price is definitely right. 

12. Nadia finished her worldview course on March 7, and she earned another A. She's still in the middle of a New Testament course, and she'll begin an American Government class on Monday. 

13. A couple whom I have been friends with for 29 years sold their home that they had lived in for 57 years and moved to Indiana several months ago. They are in their late 80's. I enjoyed chatting on the phone with Kay this week, and we made plans to visit them in June as they live less than an hour from where the kids' Bible quizzing nationals will be held. 

14. After a two-week break, our small (15 kid) co-op resumed at our home on Tuesday. Our kids love spending time with their friends. 

15. I'm thankful for *some* of things Trump has done so far. I do not agree with a lot of his foreign policy (ex. referring to Canada as a 51st state, making Ukraine out to be the villain and Putin the victim, the way he talks about Greenland, talking about taking over the Gaza strip, etc.) or making a priority out of renaming things like the Gulf of Mexico/ Denali, but I am grateful he's trying to reduce the debt and size of the government, pardon some people who were in my opinion treated unjustly (ex. in jail for praying near an abortion clinic), releasing classified documents (and in general increasing transparency), trying to level the playing field when it comes to tariffs, and protecting women's sports. One positive thing as far as his foreign policy is that he's definitely not a "war hawk," which is a good thing. I think in general most Presidents have gone WAY too far with executive orders, so I'm hoping that the Congress will be more involved in many of these changes if for example the Post Office and/or Amtrak become privatized, or the Department of Education is eliminated. I actually debated with my roommate back in 1994 in favor of privatizing the Post Office. We shall see if that ever actually happens. My hope isn't in a President or anyone else in government. My hope is in the Lord!