Travel Agent

My mom loved planning vacations, and I am like my mom in this regard. The methods of planning a vacation has drastically changed over the past 30+ years. My mom used to buy a couple of travel guide books (ex. one by Mobil) to use in planning a vacation. Although printed travel guides still exist, the internet is even better. I have been studying some for the Praxis test I'm taking in *gulp* two weeks, but what I've also been doing that is far more pleasurable to me is working on the list of ideas for field trips and vacations for the next several years. I tried to include science museums, natural parks, historic sites, factory tours, cave tours, amusement parks, etc. There are still things in my head that aren't on the list yet, but I am all ears if you have suggestions for me! I tried to pick many things that are a reasonable drive from here and take advantage of the fact that my Dad lives in Maryland so we can stay there when sightseeing in DC and such. I have included 3 trips in the next 5 years that would involve airfare. Hopefully that will be financially feasible.

Here are some highlights of the plan at this point:

2017-18: 2 night trip to Virginia in August, 7 night trip to Long Island in July, 3 trips to Maryland, 1 night trip to eastern PA next June, various day trips, and a 2 night trip to Niagara Falls in September

2018-19: multiple trips to MD/DC, 1-2 night trip to Philadelphia, week in Virginia in September, overnight trip to Pittsburgh, overnight trip to New York, and a 7 night trip to San Diego in October (I found out that

kids get in free that month to MANY places including Sea World, San Diego Zoo, etc.). Now I just have to figure out a way to pay for our airfare and rental car. The last time we flew anywhere was May 2015 so it will have been 3.5 years at that point.

2019-20: 3 night trip to NYC, various day trips, multiple trips to MD/DC, 3 night trip to Michigan, 7 night trip in September to various sites in Virginia and South Carolina including a few days at Myrtle Beach

2020-21: various day trips, 7 night trip to Ontario and Quebec, and 7 night trip to Mexico (drive to Canada and fly to Mexico)

2021-22: 2-3 night trip to Cincinnati area, various day trips, and 10 day trip out west (fly out) to sites such as the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Carlsbad Caverns

Although it's fun to go on trips and such, it's also nice to have time at home sweet home. Knowing we'll be in New York from July 1-8 I decided on Tuesday I needed more "at home" time this week. I also have had a cold and that was the other reason I felt I needed to just say no to a few things scheduled for this week. That included missing my Bible study on Tuesday night (tough call), skipping a meeting regarding programming for homeschoolers on Thursday afternoon, and having the kids skip the Mega Sports Camp last night and tonight. Yesterday we did go to our pool though. Monday through Wednesday we came home after the kids swimming and tennis lessons (which last from 9:00-11:30). The kids had fun playing sharks and minnows, Marco Polo, and other games with a few other kids at our pool yesterday. The lifeguard got in and played with them some also. I also rescheduled the kids' horseback riding lesson that was to take place this afternoon even though it means we have to push it back a few weeks. It's hard for me to get things done like laundry, cooking, cleaning, making photobooks (did that this week), mowing the lawn, etc. if I'm constantly in my chauffer role.

Thankful Thursday

1. Nadia and Ian enjoyed the painting and drawing class at the museum last week. I expected to bring home what they made on Friday, but the art teacher wanted to keep everything for an art show they put on for the parents that evening. We skipped it because #1 we were at VBS at our church and #2 I wouldn't have wanted to drive there twice in one day anyhow. We will pick up their goodies on July 10. Oliver enjoyed playing in the children's museum during their class.

2. We haven't done much yard sale shopping yet this year, but we made one small purchase on Saturday morning - the classic Simon game that I played when I was a child (paid 50 cents for it). It's a nice toy for the kids to use in the car on long trips. Tomorrow I am planning on going to what is almost always the yard sale where I spend the most money (by far!) each year. A lot of Nadia's clothes and shoes come from our neighbor's annual yard sale.

3. We enjoyed the Fancy Nancy musical on Saturday morning. Ian objected when we went in

that it wasn't a show for boys, but I saw him smiling through the show. It was a nice way to start Nadia's birthday.

4. Nadia, Ian, and Oliver had their upward flag football evaluations on Saturday afternoon. I'm thankful they have the opportunity to play flag football.

5. Their third horseback riding lesson went well last Friday. The weather looked iffy, but it didn't rain during their 30 minute lessons!

6. On Saturday we went to the Muncy pool as they were having a get in for free day. This means we've been to four different swimming pools this  month - Milton, Muncy, the one we belong to, and Liberty Splashland in Northumberland. Variety is the spice of life!

7. I enjoyed teaching the Bible story twice on Sunday (K-2nd and 3rd-5th). I am grateful I can do this in the summer months while the choir is taking a break. I do love teaching!

8. The kids are enjoying Mega

Sports Camp this week (a sports themed VBS). Oliver didn't cooperate on Monday, but he participated last night (yay!). I'm thankful Paul has agreed to pick them up each night as it's a lot of driving. We skipped it last night so they could go to their GPS rehearsal. Unfortunately Oliver had to be held by another adult to prevent him from running toward me last night. He had been doing so well with GPS lately I wasn't expecting it.

9. My dad and Margie made it safely to our area on Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed a meal together at Bonanza and then the FreedomFest event at our church. The fireworks were very nice at the end! They made it safely to Michigan on Monday. I don't think my Dad left the state of Maryland from January through July 2016, but it's been quite a different story for him from August 2016 to the present. He's driven to Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, etc. and flown to Turkey two different times. Whew. He's become quite the globetrotter!

10. Ian and Nadia have been enjoying their tennis lessons. Ian was supposed to be in the 8:30-9:30 class, but I'm grateful he's in the 9:30-10:30 class because #1 it means we don't have to leave our house quite as early and #2 he can

take swimming lessons from 9:00-9:30. The first two days there were 5 kids in the 9:30-10:30 class (including my two), but the teacher combined the two classes yesterday (since there were only 2 in the earlier class) so there are now 7 kids in the tennis class. Now we need to buy some tennis balls and use our rackets some more this summer!

11. The kids are also enjoying swimming lessons this week. Nadia has private lessons and is working on diving plus all the strokes (backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke, butterfly, crawl, etc.). Ian is in a level 3 class, but there are just two kids in his class. Sweet! He is braver than the girl who is in the class with him. All three kids have the same swimming teacher. Oliver is in a level one class with four other children. He is definitely the weakest link in his class. He does fine in the shallow part when he's asked to swim on his belly. He doesn't do well when he's asked to swim or float on his back (in the shallow water) or when he's asked to do anything in the deeper water or when he's asked to jump in. He also needs to work on showing more respect and being more obedient to his teacher. He thinks he's in charge. We have to keep working on this lesson with this child! If we were sending him to school, I don't think I'd send him to Kindergarten this year. I think I'd end up waiting until next year, but since we're not sending him to a school, I do plan on teaching him Kindergarten this year. Hoping he'll be more mature next summer. I will definitely be putting him in Level one again next summer. I hope that in 2019 I can move him to Level two though. A dad who has a son in the tennis class was telling me about indoor swimming lessons that Bucknell offers for children. He said they were outstanding. I will have to check into that! Anyhow, I can see that all three kids are making progress with their swimming skills this week.

12. The library called me on Tuesday afternoon to say that the next set of Jonathan Park cds arrived by interlibrary loan. These are enjoyable stories to listen to that also teach some science (particularly about creationism). It's perfect timing to have the for our trip to New York on Saturday. I also am going to pick up an audio version of the book Pax which is about a fox. We recently finished Tuck Everlasting on CD and also I finished reading them North or Be Eaten. I'm going to wait a little until I request book #3 in that series (The Monster in the Hollows). It's an excellent series if anyone is looking for a recommendation! (Wingfeather Saga).

13. The kids are also enjoying the playground in between their swimming and tennis lessons (plus feeding the ducks).

14. On Monday night I stopped in JCPenney on the way home from taking the kids to Mega Sports Camp. They are going out of business. (Sob!) I decided to wait until next month to try and find bargains as I assume the prices will keep dropping, but I did buy myself one dress. It was my first clothing purchase for myself this year. The dress was originally $72, but I paid $23. I'm planning to wear it at my Dad's wedding. Now if I could lose a little weight between now and then that would be terrific. The elliptical is supposed to be delivered tomorrow, but I'll be away next week. Hopefully Paul can assemble it while we're gone and I can start using it when we return.

Summer...

This is by no means a comprehensive list but just a few reflections on summer...

1. is a time when the kids spend very little time looking at a screen. They go days in a row without watching any television, which normally is a part of our daily routine -Adventures in Odyssey being the show of choice as of late. I can't even recall the last time Nadia or Ian used the iPad or Wii. I remember as a child I actually watched more tv in the summer than I did the rest of the school year. This is not to say my parents left the tv on all day as some parents did (and some still do). We had limits, but I remember watching game shows and reruns from the '50s and '60s on a regular basis. I was also reading voraciously in the summer as a child.

2. means we have ants and flies in the house. If the kids (particularly Oliver) would do a better job of keeping the doors closed, we wouldn't have quite so many flies. Nadia is getting good at killing them with a fly swatter. We appreciate her assistance. As for the ants, the first few years we lived here after Paul spread something outside around the house then we'd be good, but the last couple

of years no matter how many things we spray, spread, etc. we can't seem to totally get rid of those little invaders.

3. is a time for eating more fresh fruit. Usually the kids have a fruit at lunch (although sometimes they choose to have baby carrots) and a cooked vegetable at dinner. During the summer I often let them have fruit at both meals, in part because I don't want the fruit to go bad (such as a big watermelon).

4. means sometimes the kids stay up past their bedtimes. Most of the time we are very strict about their bedtimes, which are currently 8pm (Oliver), 8:30 (Ian), and 9:00 (Nadia). However things like VBS usually cause them to stay up past their bedtime. Last week Ian and Nadia didn't get home until a little before 9pm Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, which meant Ian was staying up 30 minutes later than usual. A trip to an amusement park also sometimes means staying up later than usual, and lastly, watching fireworks means staying up past their

bedtime. The past two years we skipped our church's Freedomfest event, but yesterday we attended it with my Dad and Margie. The fireworks didn't even start until 9:30pm and so we didn't get home until after 10:00pm. The fireworks were very nice.

5. is a time when they are a little bit more likely to sleep in later in the morning. Sometimes. There are certainly still days when Ian comes into my bedroom far earlier than I wish he would. Ironically over the course of the whole year the day of the week they sleep in the most often is Sunday. I say ironically because generally if it happened any other day I could let them sleep in, but on Sundays I have to wake them up to get to church, especially during the months I have to be there at 8:25. Yesterday morning Paul was the first to wake up, and he woke the rest of us up because it was already 7:30 and church starts at 9:00. Paul had gotten home from work early on Saturday so that he could  meet us at the swimming pool in Muncy. The kids and I had gotten there at 1pm, and he joined us at 2:00

because it was Nadia's actual birthday. We stayed until 3:30 and once we got home he fell asleep in the family room. Nadia tried to wake him up when we were sitting down to eat dinner, but he was OUT. He did wake up part way through dinner and joined us and then went up to bed very early and proceeded to sleep for more than twelve hours straight (not counting his nap in the family room). Can you tell he is sleep deprived? Most nights he gets 4-5 hours of sleep since he is out the door before 3AM six days a week. Anyhow due to fact the kids were up past 10pm last night (which happens only a handful of times each year), they all slept until 7:40 again today. Ian woke up on his own, and I woke the other two up so that #1 they could say goodbye to Grandpa who was heading out the door and #2 so they could eat and get ready for tennis/swimming lessons as we needed to leave by 8:35.

6. is a time for babies. Normally I associate baby animals with spring. In early June when I was taking a walk with Nadia and Ian we came across a wild turkey with her little chicks, for

example. In April three little robins hatched from their eggs in a nest on the wreath on our front door. Unfortunately last week I discovered a new nest had been built in the same spot. Can you believe it? Twice in one year? There are four eggs in the nest this time around. I really, really, really want a storm door next year!

7. is a time for a break from schoolwork. The downside of the fact that the kids haven't been playing on the iPad and such at all is that it means they also haven't been

doing anything to earn those turns (writing in their journal, practicing the piano, doing math flashcards, or reading chapter books). Nadia has still been reading some but the pace has dropped off considerably. All she wants to do right now (when she's at home) is cut out paper dolls or play with her new doll. We had been still working our way through the OT, but we have also had a break from that the last week or two. We have 12 chapters left in the book of Ezekiel and then we'll be done. I will make sure we do that sometime this summer! We're also still doing

chapter books together. We just finished listening to Tuck Everlasting on CD in the van, and I'm hoping to finish reading the North or Be Eaten by Friday so I can return it to the library before we leave for New York. During the weeks Nadia and Ian have camp but Oliver doesn't I'm hoping to make good progress with him on some handwriting, math, and reading skills.

8. is a time to take a break from team sports. Our break won't be as long this summer than it has in the

past because #1 soccer went later than usual because it started later than usual due to weather issues and #2 flag football practices will start a little earlier in August than soccer practices did in the past. I know some kids are still playing on soccer teams or having swim meets, but I am grateful for the break from team sports.

9. means many trips to the pool! Nadia surprised me today when she said she didn't want to go to our pool after their swimming and tennis lessons in Lewisburg. Those ended

right about the time that our pool opens (noon), but I didn't argue because it meant I had time to mow the lawn, trim some shrubs, go to the grocery store, cut some branches from the apple tree, weed whack, etc.

10. is when I volunteer to help out with children's ministries at church. I can't do so during the school year because the choir sings in both services. Yesterday I taught the Bible lesson (Mary and Martha) twice - first to grades K-2 and then to grades 3-5. I will be doing that every Sunday during the second service the next two months aside from 3 Sundays when we'll be out of town.

11. means I put more miles on the van than usual. I definitely feel like a chauffer in the summer! I have to fill the gas tank more frequently. When I signed the kids up for the Mega Sports Camp that started tonight, I did so thinking the church was 15 minutes from our house based on what town it's in. I was wrong. Although it takes us 15 minutes to get to that town, this church has that town on it's address but actually is 15 minutes outside of the town. Oi vey! I wouldn't have signed them up if I knew it was 30 minutes away. I took the kids, and Oliver didn't cooperate (i.e. wouldn't leave my side) so he left with me even though I had signed him up for the "camp" (sports themed VBS). Paul picked Nadia and Ian up 2.5 hours later. We shall see how many nights this week I actually take them there as I am not keen on driving that far. The other VBS programs that they do are about 1 mile from our house in comparison. That's more my style! Ian did flag football tonight, and Nadia did basketball. Ian loved it. Nadia said if we keep going that she'd like to switch to flag football.

Farewell, Charles

On Friday morning a custodian I was friends with at Bloomsburg University sent me an obituary by text. I was shocked to learn that the man who had been my department chair the last several years I was a professor there died about a week ago - 4 days shy of his 59th birthday. After contacting other faculty members, I learned that he had been ill since the fall and had been on medical leave since December and had retired last month. I couldn't have asked for a nicer department chair. He bent over backwards after I became a mom to give me a wonderful schedule filled with evening classes, online classes etc. instead of teaching at say 8, 9, and 10AM on MWF as I had done prior to having children. The last time I was in touch with him was in the spring of 2016. I know I had told him thank you many times, but when I learned of his passing I had this desire that I wanted to tell him thank you one more time to be sure he knew how much I appreciated him. Ironically his memorial service will be on July 12. I say ironically because that was the day my mom passed away last

year. Unfortunately it's at 2:00 in Williamsport, and I'll be in Bloomsburg with the kids from 10:00-5:00 that day, unless I'm serving on a jury that day.

Another former colleague who retired and moved to Oklahoma is flying back for his service. I am hoping maybe I'll be able to have lunch with her or something that week. I haven't seen her in probably 6 years or something like that. I am going to send a sympathy card to his best friend, Dan. I shed a few tears yesterday morning as I thought about his passing. He professed to be a Christian so hopefully I will be able to say thank you to him again in Heaven some day. I think whenever I hear of an unexpected death of someone I knew, particularly when the person dies at an age that seems to be on the "young" side, it makes me really remember again how we truly have no idea how many years we have left on this earth. There's no guarantee we'll make it to age 60 or 70 or 80. Although my mom lived a longer life than Charles, prior to her diagnosis of ovarian cancer I had no idea she was nearing the end of her life. I didn't expect her to live to say age 90, but I had no idea she'd pass away less than 4 months after she turned 71. Even

though she wasn't "young" it still shocked me and felt "early."

Although I have no way of knowing for sure whether I'll be on planet earth tomorrow or in Glory, that doesn't mean we can't make plans for the future, as long as we realize we have no control as to whether they will actually take place or not. I think that's forever etched in mind from May 2012. The dentist called me to remind me of my 6 month cleaning the next morning, and I said something like  "I'll be there." Then in the middle of the night I ended up in the labor and delivery ward (at 22 weeks in the pregnancy that's not a good thing!), and it was months until I was actually able to get to a dentist office due to bed rest, hospitalizations, a baby in the NICU, driving restrictions, etc. Over the past 16 years of marriage we haven't really had a plan in place regarding vacations. At one point Paul and I got in a routine of alternating trips to the Caribbean vs. Europe - sometimes that meant one of each in one year and other times it meant each year we alternated between the two. Since we have

had kids it's again been rather random, hence the reason we went to Florida five times from 2010-2015. Some of those years we went on more than one vacation in the year so during that time span we also spent a week in Williamsport, the Poconos, Grand Cayman, and on a cruise.

I had been thinking lately that Nadia is turning 9 and so I had been start making a list of places I hope we go on vacation before she grows up and flies from the nest. It's somewhat challenging to make that list because I have no idea what our financial situation will be in the future. I'd love to put things like London and Hawaii on the list, for example. When I was a teacher I planned field trips in connection with what we were studying in science or social studies. So I started mapping out what our content would be in those subjects the next several years and then started writing down field trip and vacation ideas accordingly. I am already liking having this list because even since I started it as I thought of other ideas I went back and added them to the list. This list

can constantly be modified by adding, deleting, or moving a field trip from one year to another. Not every field trip will be aligned with what we are studying that year, of course. When I list the years, I am thinking of July through June as our "year." Sometimes I picked things based on the fact we'd have a child in fourth grade that particular year as when that happens the whole family gets in for free to any National Park or National Historic Site. For example as we'll be studying 1860 to the present in two years, I thought during that year we could visit a variety of Civil War sites and also spend some time at Myrtle Beach. The year after that I think we'll be exploring a variety of countries and cultures, so I am hoping that year we can take one trip to Ontario and Quebec (drive here) as well as fly to Mexico. We'll have to be in a better place financially than we are now to afford the trip to Mexico, but still it's not insanely expensive to I'll keep hoping that might be feasible. When Oliver is in fourth grade (four years from now), I'm thinking maybe we can go out west and visit many national parks. It will be fun to keep working on this list over the months and years ahead, and hopefully we'll go on some wonderful field trips and vacations in the future months and years! Some places that have been on my "I hope to take the kids there some day" mental list aren't on this list yet - such as San Diego, Mt. Rushmore, etc so I definitely view this list as a work in progress! And although we've been there several times, I think it would be nice to return to Florida once when the kids are old enough to enjoy Epcot and Universal Studios, if our financial situation improves.

Nine Years Old!

 My nine year old...

1. is incredibly helpful. Many times a day she helps me out in many different little ways. I appreciate her help so much! She doesn't mind helping me clean the bathrooms, but she's understandably less enthusiastic about what will become her new chore starting next week - cleaning the guinea pig cage. That is the exception though. She almost never complains when I ask her to help me. She usually has a great attitude.

2. loves Adventures in Odyssey - listening to it on the radio from 6:00-6:30, listening to cds of the program in her bedroom, reading Adventures in Odyssey books, and watching some of their shows on Amazon Prime or Right Now Media. Over the past six months her favorite shows to watch have been Odd Squad, 321 Penguins, and Adventures in Odyssey. We gave her another AIO chapter book and more AIO cds for her birthday this week. Grandpa and Claire also gave her AIO cds.

3. is not so crazy about math (to Paul's chagrin), but she loves to

read. She enjoys a wide variety of chapter books (some over 200 pages long) ranging from American Girl books to missionary biographies (particularly those who have worked with orphans).

4. wants to do just about every extracurricular activity out there whether it is a Spanish class, theater production (she'll be in Madagascar, Jr in August), ice skating lessons, gymnastics, horseback riding lessons, ballet, soccer, basketball, flag football (she'll be starting that in August), an art class, tennis lessons, swimming lessons, diving lessons, etc. Of course our budget and schedule don't permit her to do everything that interests her, but she does do quite a bit over the course of a year! Speaking of our schedule, this girl is very focused on the calendar and our daily schedule. The boys don't seem to feel the need to know what we're doing to do throughout the day, but Miss Nadia does. She often likes to discuss our plan for the day or other upcoming plans. She might look like her father, but in this instance she takes after her Mom.

5. is very brave. She has zero fear when it comes to singing a solo, having a speaking part in a musical, going down any water slide, or riding any ride that an amusement park deems her tall enough to ride. She grew four inches over the past year (52 inches tall). She was bummed last week that she didn't weigh enough (had to weigh 75 pounds) to ride the zip line at Montage Mountain. She climbed to the very top of the large rock climbing wall at the state park last Saturday.

6. is very friendly. Whenever we go somewhere, she immediately makes a new friend, such as at a swimming pool. When I watch her interact with the girl for a couple of hours it seems like they've known each other for a long time, and then she tells me that she just met her. No one is a stranger to Nadia. She can strike up a conversation easily with children and adults alike.

7. loves dolls. Over the past six months she's mostly played with paper dolls, but she loves her new Samantha (American Girl) doll that she got two days ago from Paul's parents. She

Daddy holding Nadia while I was still in the OR

generally plays in her room by herself with her dolls, but sometimes she allows Ian to join her. Ian and Nadia play together quite a bit most days. Samantha has been traveling in the van with us, and she already said the next thing she is going to save her money for is a new outfit for Samantha. We gave her two more sets of American Girl paper dolls for her birthday, and she was eager to cut them out!

8. loves her immediate family, extended family, and the Lord very much. She has started doing a Bible study on the names of God of her own initiative and lately has

Ready to leave the NICU!

said she wants to be a missionary who works with orphans when she grows up. She is very affectionate, and she eagerly anticipates when she can spend time with grandparents, cousins, etc. She has been regularly emailing  her 13 year old cousin, Susie, for several months. One of her birthday presents from us this year was her very own email address. Her bedtime has also been extended to 9:00. She's really looking forward to what awaits her when she turns 10 - pierced ears!

9. has a growing appetite. I think she must be in a growth spurt because she has been eating a lot

more lately than usual. Some of her favorite foods include blueberries, strawberries, string cheese, Cool Ranch Doritos, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, fried mozzarella, pizza, cookies, brownies, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, fish sticks, donuts, Pop Tarts, Fritos, Rolos, ham and cheese hot pockets, cranberry sauce, grilled cheese sandwiches, Egg McMuffins, garlic bread, biscuits, apple butter, goldfish crackers, French fries, and apple pie.

I hope Nadia has a wonderful year in her last year of single digits! Over the past year she learned her multiplication and division tables (0-11) and how to write in cursive. I look forward to seeing what she learns in the next year!

One Pooped Mom

Summer is exhausting to me because I play chauffeur a lot more than I do during the school year. Thankfully most days aren't as hectic as today. We left the house around 9:25 (a little later than we should have) for art class. It was raining so Oliver and I stayed at the museum the whole time. I was hoping they would bring home what they created at the end of class today, but their teacher was putting on an art show (that we didn't attend) at 6pm and wanted to include their things. So we'll have to wait a bit to see all their stuff. The last three days we went straight from art class to our swimming pool, but since they had horseback riding lessons today, I opted to take them to a playground with a splash pad that was more en route to horseback riding lessons. On our way there we bought a few things at a consignment shop and a Surplus Outlet (grocery store). Ian didn't put on his bathing suit at the playground, but Nadia and Oliver did. Oliver spent the most time in the water and got himself totally soaked, even the hair on his head. Next they had their third horseback riding

lesson. After that we made a brief stop at the library before eating dinner (breakfast sandwiches) at Dunkin Donut. We also bought Nadia's donuts for her birthday breakfast tomorrow. Then we went to our church for a family worship service (about baptism), ate some food, and then the kids used the water inflatables. I was exhausted so at 8:00 I said it was time to come home as we were gone for almost 11 hours, and I was wiped out. Next week won't be as hectic as the kids will have swimming/tennis lessons (they both take place at the same location) from 9:00-11:30 and Sports Camp from 6:00-8:30. Neither one is as far away as the art class was. We'll probably swim at our pool some after the lessons are over, but then we'll have a little time at home (and eat dinner here). I'll have Paul pick them up at 8:30. I think the boys are oblivious, but Nadia does frequently thank me for "signing her up for things" as she puts it. I appreciate her gratitude because part of me would rather spend more time sitting on my couch at home. Sometimes I think I'm too old for this, but I keep pressing on.

Thankful Thursday

1. I am ever so grateful for a girl who will be turning nine on Saturday! It has been such a blessing to be her mom, and I look forward to the continuing to watch her grow. She is such a big help to me. This week, for example, she's been making four sandwiches every morning to help with packing our lunches.

2. We invited five of her friends from church plus her three grandparents to her birthday party this afternoon. Up until yesterday four friends were planning to come, but one had a change of plans yesterday. My dad, bless his heart, drove seven hours today to spend three hours with us at Nadia's party. That is true love!! He wasn't at her party last year due to my mom's health, but he has been to most of her birthday parties. He hasn't been to our house since February, when we went skiing because he's been quite the globetrotter lately between making many trips to Virginia to spend time with his fiancé and also two trips to Turkey in the past two months. Due to those trips he wasn't able to come up to see any soccer or softball games this spring, but he's

planning to return in just three days to spend a few hours with us en route to Michigan. We should be meeting his fiancé on Sunday as well. In addition to our immediate family, there were six guests at Nadia's pool party - Grace, Claire, Baylee, Grandma, Pop Pop, and Grandpa. Grandma and Pop Pop didn't come for the swimming part, but they joined us for pizza, cake, and presents! I'm thankful for these friends Nadia has made at church. This is one of the main reasons we switched churches three years ago - to be at a bigger church where it would be easier for the kids to make friends.

3. Our inkjet printer has not been working. Paul has been printing things for me at work, which I have appreciated, but these days you really need to own a printer because for example the car insurance company doesn't mail the proof of insurance any more, you have to print it yourself. Same goes for the proof of vehicle registration. They used to mail you a paper and a sticker for your license plate. No sticker any longer, and you have to

print it yourself. I have wanted to switch to a laser printer for a couple of years, and when we wasted money by buying two new cartridges and the printer still wouldn't print, that was the final straw. In the long run laser printers are much cheaper, and they also last much longer.

4. We're thankful for the yummy cake that Aunt Millie and Uncle Al provided for Nadia's Finding Dory themed party. We're also thankful for the gifts she received such as make your own lip gloss from

Baylee and two Adventures in Odyssey CDs from Claire. Grandpa also gave her AIO cds plus a comic book about the Apostles. Paul's parents gave her a watch, fidget spinner, and her very first American Girl doll - Samantha. She had asked for one at Christmas, but I wasn't sure if it was worth it as she rarely plays with bigger dolls - usually plays with Barbie dolls or paper dolls, but she continued to say that was what she wanted and so that's what her grandparents got her. It's a beautiful doll!

5. Oliver did really well going to the GPS rehearsal on Wednesday night even though Nadia and Ian weren't there because they were at VBS at our church. I admit I was nervous, but it was no big deal. Whew.

6. Nadia and Ian have really been enjoying the VBS at our church (Kidzway Camp) this week. Oliver is too young. He'll be old enough next year, but everyone is invited tomorrow night for Family Night. He can't wait to use the water inflatables! Nadia had her turn last night, and Ian had his turn tonight.

7. One risk of scheduling a pool party is you have no idea when you make the plans what the weather will be like that day. Thankfully it was a warm, sunny day for the first three hours we were at the pool. It started to thunder while we were eating cake so the kids weren't able to get back in the pool, but we wouldn't have stayed there much longer anyhow because I took Ian, Nadia, Claire, and Grace to VBS a little while later.

8. Nadia and Ian have really enjoyed their art "camp" this week (why is

everything a "camp" these days - are the words class and lessons taboo?). I will take photos soon of all the things they have created this week. Nadia's self portrait shows herself as a nurse, and Ian's shows himself as a zookeeper.

9. I found a 95 question practice test online for the Praxis test I'm taking next month. Considering most of the questions had nothing to do with what I studied in my doctorate, I was pleased with my score. I need to do some studying. I'm glad I didn't sign up to take the test next week. I really want to pass it the first time because it costs $120 to take it.