Merrily Musing Mom

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

2011-12-29T13:06:00.000-05:00

With his favorite candy...a gift from his grandparents

Today marks 17 years since our oldest son Jonathan was born. We didn't meet him until he was almost 7 years old, but we will forever be grateful that his birthmother chose life for her son. While some might say that life dealt Jonathan a lousy hand, we know that God was in control of his life from the moment he was conceived. Our prayer for Jonathan is that he will understand God's purpose for all that has happened in his life, and that, ultimately, Jonathan will give God the glory for ALL of it.

We are keenly aware that we only have a couple of years more to instill in Jonathan the values and morals that we want him to learn, as, Lord willing, he will graduate from high school in 2013 and move on to what God has for him in the future. We pray that this new year of life will bring profound direction to Jonathan's life and that he will allow God to direct his every path.

We love you, Jonathan David Fisher!

"The Littles"

2011-12-15T19:45:00.001-05:00

Photo by Naomi Atkins from Inspired and Enchanted Photography
(copyrighted...for personal use only...please do not copy w/out permission!)

English Muffin Pizzas

2011-11-19T20:29:00.000-05:00

We have been sans internet at home for a little bit, so I haven't been able to post in awhile...but a lot has been happening in the Fisher house! Last week we had the privilege of having Aunt Sharon Metzger with us for the week. She was such a huge blessing and help with the kids while Dave was away! One day for lunch we made English muffin pizzas. They turned out really yummy, and Benjamin and Nathaniel did all the work! Here's the proof:

First the sauce...

and more sauce...

then the cheese...

and finally, the pepperoni...yum!

Happy 14th Birthday, Sabastian!

2011-10-07T08:05:00.000-04:00

Today is an extra special day in our house...not only is it Sabastian's 14th birthday, but ten years ago today, we met Sabastian and Jonathan for the very first time! It's hard to believe that the rambunctious four year old who changed our lives forever ten years ago is now a handsome young man of 14. Where has the time gone?

Sabastian has been great with Sophia from the very beginning...I think she finds him handsome, too!

Sabastian is great with all the younger kids, when he wants to be!

This is an early photo when Sabastian was earning Sophia's trust and adoration!

And this is the fruit of his labor all these months later!!

We love you Sabastian James Fisher!!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Nathaniel!

2011-10-02T12:51:00.000-04:00

Where have the last four years gone?

My little man is a bundle of energy and love, strong-will and compassion, humor and fun.

We thank Jesus for you, Nathaniel!

Apple Picking

2011-09-30T23:13:00.000-04:00

On a whim, we went apple picking today! There is an orchard near our home and we want to make and freeze applesauce, so Benjamin, Nathaniel, and I each grabbed a red basket and a bag and headed to the grove. It was a lot of fun and went pretty quickly. It was great for the boys to be involved and see where apples actually come from--not the bin at the grocery store--and they were a whole lot cheaper, too! Now to find time to make the applesauce...

Homeschooling Benjamin

2011-09-19T22:17:00.000-04:00

This year I am homeschooling Benjamin for First Grade. We have been going for almost a month now, and, for the most part, we are having a lot of fun. We have set up shop in our dining room area, where we usually work together at the table, but Benjamin also has his own desk area, which he loves to use.

We have been using Five in a Row materials which consist of reading a picture book for five days in a row, and doing all kinds of other curricular activities that piggyback off of the book. Additionally, we use Horizons math from Alpha and Omega, and Benjamin's Word of Life Quiet Time and memory verses for Bible. I throw in a lot of odds and ends from my years of teaching, too, so it is quite eclectic. This is the map we hung on the dining room wall to use of geography and also to map the settings of the stories that we read.

I have also been doing some little workbooks on basic skills with Nathaniel each day, as he never wants to be left out! He enjoys listening to our stories, too, and is gaining a lot by just being around when I work with Benjamin. Sophia usually occupies herself, but when she gets bored, she makes enough noise to let us know! All in all, it has been a good experience thus far. Benjamin is a little sponge right now, so when he gets interested in something we touch on, we can take the time to investigate it further. Last week it was electricity, and the week before was Paris, France. Who knows what it will be this week! That's the fun of homeschooling!!

I'm Baaaack!

2011-09-06T18:51:00.000-04:00

It's been four months since I took a break from blogging on this family blog. I guess it's time to catch everyone up on our family's happenings. Here's the bulleted version:

The end of May Benjamin graduated from Kindergarten, and I finished my second year of teaching K5 at Blue Mountain Christian School.

On June 9, Dave and I left for Taiwan to adopt our daughter, Sophia Elizabeth Chia-Lin Fisher! After almost three years of waiting and praying, we finally met our daughter and began a new chapter in her life and ours! (You can catch up on all those happenings at my other blog, Our Silk Road.)

Since March, Dave had been commuting to Indiana for a new job. We were scheduled to move there the end of July in order for our older boys to begin school. Two weeks before our move, we found out that Dave's company changed their mind--we weren't moving after all! Time to unpack the boxes and resettle in our Jonestown home!
Due to the impending move, we didn't really take any vacation time this summer as a family. Hopefully we will get around to that next year...I could use a vacation after this crazy year!
The end of August brought Hurricane Irene and the beginning of the school year. This year Jonathan is a Junior at the Northern Lebanon High School and is studying carpentry at the Lebanon Career and Technology Center. Sabastian is in 8th grade at Blue Mountain Christian School and enjoying being back with his friends. Benjamin is being homeschooled by Yours Truly for 1st grade...we are having a blast! Nathaniel and Sophia, both 3 1/2 years old, are along for the ride. My days are full!

I'm sure I've forgotten something in the craziness of the last four months, but there's a synopsis to catch everyone up! I will attempt to post some fun photos from the summer soon...Happy Fall, Ya'll!!

Adoption Break

2011-05-05T12:54:00.000-04:00

I will be taking a break from this blog for a couple of months in anticipation of our upcoming adoption. Stay current with all of our adoption news at http://www.oursilkroad.blogspot.com/. I'll return to blogging about our family's antics once our family is complete!

Big News on the Adoption Blog!

2011-04-07T19:39:00.000-04:00

Check it out HERE!

Adoption Donation Opportunity

2011-03-27T15:34:00.000-04:00

Up until now, we have not had any way to offer a tax deductible receipt to anyone who wished to make a donation to our adoption fund. However, for the next month or so, our church is taking up a special offering for our travel expenses--the final amount needed to bring Sophia home--and is willing to add any additional gifts that might come from people outside the church. The church will then issue you a receipt. If you would like more information on how to do this, please e-mail me at tfisher83@myexcel.com. You can follow our fundraising progress on the sidebar of our adoption blog...thanks!

These Days

2011-03-20T08:05:00.000-04:00

These days I am a single parent as Dave learns the ropes to his new job in Indiana. It will be like this until we move...two weeks away, a weekend home. All four boys have done a pretty good job of adjusting thus far, but I think it will get old for all of us very soon. However, this is what we are called to do at this point, so we do it. I am again reminded that God gives us the strength to do what we need to do when we need to do it. And I am grateful.

This coming Wednesday is our first court date in Taiwan. A judge will be hearing our case and subsequently deciding whether or not we can proceed with the adoption of our daughter. Please pray that all goes quickly and smoothly and that we are not required to jump through any more hoops. I'm too tired to jump very high...

I've been mulling over the story of Samson this past week as I have taught it to my kindergarten class. Samson was set apart by God for His service before he was even born. He was given superhuman strength and really could do anything when God's Spirit was upon him. However, he chose to follow the lust of the flesh and the desires of his heart instead of God's. This resulted in his demise. I was reminded that when we choose to sin, we are choosing the consequences that go with that sin. Samson could have done so much more for God. I wonder how much of my own fleshly desires have gotten in the way of what God would have liked for me to accomplish in my own life. Oh, to be like HIM and not me!

These days, God is stretching me and our family, but still showing His faithfulness and goodness in so many ways. I will choose to thank Him in the midst of it all. (Just remind me that I said that when it gets old, okay?)

:)

A Whirlwind!

2011-03-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

I'm stressed. Life is crazy hectic. We are trying to get our house ready to list and sell, while still going about our daily business. I feel pulled in ten million directions. When it gets this bad, I end up not doing anything because there is just too much to do. I don't even know where to start, and so much is outside of my control. Why did God decide that this was the time we needed to do this? We will be traveling half way across the world and moving half way across the country most likely in the same month??? Yikes! For those who know me well, you know I don't usually get too stressed out about things, but this is different. I'm feeling the stress in the pit of my stomach and in my chest. I don't like it. But there's nothing I can do. It's out of my control. God will have to do it...to Him will be ALL the glory! And the saga continues...

Movie Party

2011-02-26T21:35:00.000-05:00

For Benjamin's 6th birthday, we invited classmates over and watched Toy Story 3. During intermission, we sang and he blew out his candle. It was fun!

Here's the crew, waiting patiently for their cupcakes!

This many kids made a lot of crumbs, let me tell you! But they enjoyed their cupcakes and ice cream!

Nathaniel really liked being a part of the group for his big brother's party. He thought he was pretty cool!

This photo pretty much sums it up! I can't believe he is six years old already! I love this kid!

Six Years Old

2011-02-26T21:19:00.000-05:00

Six years ago today, our lives were blessed with the birth of a beautiful baby boy...

Benjamin Phillip Fisher

Today he is six years old.

He loves to draw, play with trains and cars, and learn new things.

Most importantly, he loves Jesus with all his heart.

And we continue to be blessed.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Benjamin!

My Sickies

2011-02-02T09:33:00.000-05:00

We've been battling some sickness around our house for quite some time now. Nathaniel had a bacterial infection that took two different types of antibiotics to kick out, and now Benjamin has a doozy of a viral infection that is affecting his eyes in a weird way. I'm kind of glad for the snow days so that I can be home with them and try to get them on their feet again. We are eating homemade chicken noodle soup, eating raw honey, and taking it easy. Ah, the joys!

Snuggling with Daddy

Look at his poor eyes!

Can you tell Nathaniel is on the mend? What an imp!

The View From Here

2011-02-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

We are on our second snow day of the school year...we made it until February, unlike a lot of other districts around the country...

Happy Groundhog Day!

Snow Fun

2011-01-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel couldn't wait to get out in the snow we got last week.

He had been talking all winter about wanting to make a snow angel.

Here he goes...

Mission accomplished...except he lost a boot in the process!

Benjamin is our builder. He started working on a snow fort in the corner of the yard.

He really got into his work!

This is the face of pure joy, don't you think?

Still building...with wood from the deck! He's committed!

Happy (Very Belated!) New Year!

2011-01-21T16:39:00.000-05:00

Wow! Where has the month of January gone? The first month of 2011 is almost history, and I haven't posted one thing on this lonely, little blog. I really must do better when we move to Indiana this summer. That will be one of my new year's resolutions, I guess!

Yes, we are moving to Indiana. Dave was given a promotion at work (Good job, Honey!) and with it came a transfer to the Evansville, Indiana, area. I'm excited about it on most days, but it's also the biggest move we have ever made as a family, so it's quite daunting. Thank the Lord for the internet, where we can research housing and schools before actually setting foot in the area. We are praying for direction and wisdom in all aspects of this big change for our family.

Today we got our first court date for Sophia's adoption: March 24. I wish it were sooner, but I'm glad to have a date. Hopefully that will still put our travel sometime in May or June, as we are hoping to move in June, provided Sophia is home by then. Lots of unknowns, but since I can't do anything about any of it, I'm choosing to commit it to God and leave it in His capable hands!

Thanks for following along in our little corner of the internet...I promise more faithful blog posts as we move forward with our move!

This Day in History

2010-12-29T15:02:00.001-05:00

December 29 is a double-special day in our house. And this year, it's even more special...16 years ago, Jonathan David Fisher made his appearance into this world--and it's never been quite the same since! Below is one of the earliest photos we have of Jonathan, as he didn't enter our family until he was six, going on seven. We are thankful for his birth mother and her choice to give him life 16 years ago.

Happy 16th Birthday, Jonathan! We love you!

One of the earliest photos we have of Jonathan (left) and Sabastian (right)

Jonathan this summer at the Maryland Zoo

December 29 is also special because 15 years ago on this date, I married my best friend. It was an icy Friday evening, as I recall, and we had to start the ceremony late because my grandmother had a hard time getting to the church in the inclement weather. It was a beautiful Christmas wedding, and 15 years and (almost!) five kids later, we still enjoy one another's company!

Happy Anniversary, Dave! I love you!

We were young and in love!

Christmas Memories

2010-12-27T09:24:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve tradition...the first present...new Christmas pajamas!

After two hours of wrapping presents, the stockings are stuffed, and Dave and I are off to bed!

The little boys are ready to dig into their stockings...they were very patient!

Jonathan will be 16 in a few days...need I say more?

Sabastian will be...well...not sure what his excuse is!

Now that's better! This is exactly what he wanted!

Jonathan is starting his own tool collection...watch out world!

Here's the tree before the gifts were opened...we are so blessed!

The only person missing...next year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T13:22:00.002-05:00

From our family to yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Birthday, Sophia!

2010-12-20T00:00:00.004-05:00

Today is our daughter's third birthday. Unfortunately, we are not with her on this special day, but we know she is being well cared for by a foster family who loves her very much. We are still in need of over $6000 to make the trip to Taiwan to bring her home. Please continue to pray that this need would be met, and check out our adoption blog for ways you can help support us on our journey...perhaps you would even consider a donation in honor of Sophia's birthday!

We love you, Sophia!

All I Want for Christmas...

2010-11-27T21:05:00.000-05:00

Benjamin pulled out his second tooth all by himself tonight while in bed. It's the top tooth directly above the bottom tooth he lost earlier...Dave says he looks like one of the "Beverly Hillbillies"! I just had to photograph him in front of the tree to reference that classic holiday song!

Mommy's Knights in Shining Armor

2010-11-27T15:57:00.000-05:00

Nathaniel's 3rd Birthday

2010-11-27T15:51:00.000-05:00

I have been lax in keeping up with family happenings this fall, so I'm going to do a little catch up this long weekend! On October 2, Nathaniel celebrated his third birthday. "Poe", his babysitter, joined us for gifts, cake, and ice cream. Following our some photos from that evening. We love our little Nathaniel!

Ohh...what does he see?

Balloons and gifts...what fun!

I think the balloons were the best part!

This was a great thrift store find that Nathaniel has gotten a lot of good play use out of!

Christmas Card Photo

2010-11-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

This morning I tried to get all four of my boys to lie on the floor in a certain order on the floor wearing Santa hats...how hard could that be? I was attempting to get an "aerial" shot of their heads with the hats for our Christmas card. Well...the three year old wouldn't lie still; the five year old wouldn't give me a toothy smile; the thirteen year old wouldn't smile at all (par for the course!); and, lo and behold, the fifteen-almost-sixteen year old totally cooperated! I never cease to be amazed! As for the photo...you'll just have to wait and see!

Dossier Update

2010-11-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to post that our dossier was mailed last week to our agency, and hopefully is on its way to its final certification here in the U.S. before being mailed to Taiwan! Now we focus on our last monetary need of $7000 for our travel expenses. God is able!

Two Thousand Three Hundred Dollars

2010-10-25T12:48:00.002-04:00

...is all that stands between our dossier leaving our house and arriving in Taiwan. Two thousand three hundred dollars. It's not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but it's more than we have sitting un-earmarked in our bank account. Could you please pray with us this week that God will show us His will regarding this last bit of money that we need? We could use credit, but we committed at the beginning of our adoption process to not do that if at all possible. We have decided to wait and pray until next Monday, November 1, before making any decisions. Thanks!

Finally!

2010-10-11T15:24:00.000-04:00

Check out our adoption blog for some really great news!

Still Here...

2010-10-09T18:42:00.000-04:00

It's been a crazy few weeks at our house. Lots of downs and very few ups, but we're hanging on to the Lord and His perfect plan for us and our children. I do have some photos of Nathaniel's 3rd birthday to post, and Sabastian turned 13 this week. (He will be having a party next month, so the photos will be delayed for him!) I thank God for my children, but must say that parenting is not for the weak of heart! I'm very thankful for a long holiday weekend, and the relaxing Saturday we are enjoying right now. Someday I'll be back to my regular postings, but life needs to settle down a bit, first!

Getting Closer...

2010-09-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to remind everyone about our name doily adoption fundraiser, as Christmas is getting closer, and perhaps you would like to order a name doily as a unique gift and at the same time, help us meet our orphanage fee goal! We also have our Forever Family cookbooks available for $15--these have received rave reviews from everyone who has used them! Lastly, we have a limited amount of beautiful hand painted Chinese glass ball ornaments available for $20.

They come in their own special Chinese box and are also great for gift giving. Any one of these items would bring us closer to our orphanage fee goal which we hope to have to pay soon! If we can help you check off some gifts on your list, leave a comment, and I'll get you the information you need...thanks!

Back to School Monday!

2010-08-30T21:26:00.001-04:00

Here's our annual "Back to School" photo shoot...today was the day our new school year began. This year I have a 10th grader, a 7th grader, and a Kindergartner. We had a beautiful day today to start our school year, and all in all, it went well. It will take a bit of time to get back into the routine, but in some ways, it feels like we never left it. I think time just goes by faster when you get older or something! Here's a photo of Benjamin with his Kindergarten teacher...

Yep, that's me! Pray for us this year if you think of it. He did a great job today with remembering to call me "Mrs. Fisher" as much as possible around his classmates, and not trying to get my attention unduly. We'll see how it goes when the novelty wears off! Hope your back to school has gone well, whatever shape it takes in your household!

Handmade Doilies by Brenda - New Adoption Fundraiser!

2010-08-15T18:39:00.000-04:00

Are you looking for a unique, handmade gift for that special occasion coming up? Well I have just the idea for you, and I can bet that no one else will give the same gift! My mother-in-law, Brenda, makes beautiful, handmade, crocheted name doilies. She is offering her talents as a fundraiser to help us bring Sophia home from Taiwan.

Now for the details...these unique doilies are available in white or ecru/tan, horizontal or vertical, with a lacy shell or pointed edge border. They are beautiful matted and framed, or as a pillow top, and are usually ready in 1-4 weeks. They make great holiday, graduation, wedding, birthday, teacher or baby shower gifts and are excellent for first and/or last names, nicknames, slogans or favorite sports teams. The doilies cost $25 for up to 5 letters and $3 for each additional letter. You choose the color, edging, and of course, the personalization. This is a fundraiser for our little Sophia with a minimum of $10 per doily being donated to Sophia’s adoption...and you get a unique, personalized keepsake for yourself or to give as a gift!

We are taking orders on a first-come, first-served basis, so get your holiday orders in as soon as possible! To place an order, e-mail me at tfisher83@myexcel.com with your desired color, edging, and personalization. I will then send you an invoice via Paypal. As soon as I receive your payment, your order will be processed and filled! (For those orders requiring shipping, an additional charge of $5.00 will be added to cover priority shipping costs.) Please help us pass the word around about this fundraiser, and thanks for supporting our family and helping us bring our daughter home from Taiwan!

Paint Colors

2010-08-13T16:06:00.000-04:00

Here are the photos of the two paint colors we used recently in our home...I know some of my friends wanted to see them. They didn't photograph really well, but you can get the idea. They are both from Sherwin Williams...a very helpful place, I might add! (And, no, I'm not getting paid to say that!) Thanks again to my friend Tiffany who helped me paint...I wouldn't have been able to do it without her! At least one summer project was accomplished this year!

"cay" in my craft room

"lighthearted pink" in Sophia's room

Grandmom's Pound Cake

2010-08-13T15:57:00.000-04:00

Grandmom Christian's pound cake was a staple in her house growing up. And because we lived overseas, when we were home, it was a really special treat. I grew up hearing how ornery the cake was, because sometimes it didn't turn out as a pound cake--but as a ten pound cake--way too heavy and a waste of precious ingredients. I have always been a little afraid of trying it, but I just got a hankering for it and, after calling Grandmom and getting some last minute advice, I tried baking it today for the very first time. And, I'm proud to announce...IT TURNED OUT BEAUTIFULLY!

just out of the pan

ready to be eaten...yum!

If you would like this recipe, it's in our Forever Family cookbook that we are selling as an adoption fundraiser...check it out here!

We're Losing It Around Here!

2010-08-07T14:09:00.000-04:00

"It" being teeth! This week Benjamin lost his very first tooth. It had been quite wiggly for some time, and finally I just yanked and out it came!

I shed a few tears about it, too...not because it hurt him, but because this means my little boys is growing up! He starts kindergarten in a few short weeks (with yours truly as his teacher--pray for us!) and is really maturing in a lot of ways. I still have by baby, Nathaniel, but he's growing up way too fast, too! When Benjamin lost his tooth, Nathaniel wanted me to pull one of his out too...didn't want to miss out, I guess!

Benjamin was very surprised when his tooth under his pillow "turned into" four quarters...we don't make a big deal about the tooth fairy or anything, but we told him to just put it under his pillow to see what would happen. He was happy to put the money in his piggy bank and that was that!

Today's Inspiration

2010-08-04T08:25:00.000-04:00

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD;

And He delights in his way.

The law of his God is in his heart;

His steps do not slip."

Psalm 37:23, 31

The Blind Side

2010-08-02T08:26:00.000-04:00

We just finished watching this movie...yes, we are behind the times. I'm almost at a loss as to what to write about it because it impressed me so much. Having adopted two children out of foster care and away from a life not too unlike what the movie portrays about the "projects", this movie really hit home. The "what if's" don't come to mind all too often any more, but after watching this movie, I can't help but wonder...what if our boys had not come into our lives when they did...where would they be now? Of course there's no need to wonder, really, because God had His hand on their lives from the very beginning and brought them into our family in His perfect time. But humanly speaking, I do wonder sometimes. I also wonder what our boys, especially our oldest, thought about the scene in the movie where Michael remembers being taken from his birthmom by protective services. This happened to our boys, and it breaks my heart to think about what was going through the minds of a two year old and a four year old being torn from the only life they had ever known...albeit, not a healthy one. It will definitely be cause for discussion at a later time! This movie touches on so many themes that our family can relate to...football, interracial adoption/foster care, education, family life. (Here's a great review from a Christian perspective.) If you haven't seen it, give it a try...if you have, what are your thoughts on it?

Painting Frenzy

2010-07-29T11:12:00.000-04:00

I don't have any photos for this post, but I will take photos of the end result...I promise! Yesterday my good friend, Tiffany, came to help me paint my craft room and Sophia's room. What a job! I am no house painter, so I naively thought it wouldn't take too long and we could get it all done in one day...well that didn't happen! We were able to primer Sophia's room (it was a very bright yellow for Nathaniel) and get the first coat on in the craft room. The taping and cutting in really takes awhile, I found out! (That, and managing the scuffles of six children at the same time...) But Tiffany is a self-proclaimed perfectionist when it comes to painting, and a good teacher. She is making our rooms look great! We were going to continue today, but one of my boys wasn't feeling well, so we are postponing to next week. We should be done in one or two more days...I'll post photos of the finished project! THANKS, TIFFANY!

Keeping Busy...Little Boy Style

2010-07-22T16:03:00.001-04:00

When it's stinkin' hot outside and there's no extra money for "paid entertainment", what are little boys to do? Well if they are my little boys, plenty! Here are this week's top two ways to keep entertained in the heat and on a budget!

What's more fun than building a really long train track?

They were especially proud of this one!

Now if they would only share the train cars nicely...

Big brother helped them build this really cool fort in the basement with lots of hidden doors and storage areas

Lots of room for everyone!

The Angels are Singing!

2010-07-17T22:07:00.000-04:00

It was a very busy week in our house this past week. This week was our VBS at church, and three out of the six of us were involved each night in some way. Benjamin attended the VBS with his kindergarten buddies while Sabastian served as part of the worship team leading the songs and motions in the opening and closing, and helped out with the four-year old class. I taught the Bible lesson four times each night to the elementary students...with groups ranging from 35-75 or more kids at a time, it was quite a challenge to teach an active curriculum (as in the kids were to be part of the story!) and keep order at the same time! Fortunately the children were divided into "crews" and the crew leaders were mostly adults or teens who were able to help out with discipline and crowd control. On Thursday night I shared the gospel as part of the Bible lesson with a very powerful visual presentation that was part of the lesson for the evening. Many children raised their hands indicating that they were accepting Christ as their Savior that night, but we like to personally talk with the children and make sure they understand what they are doing. On Friday night, a couple of the Children's Ministry volunteers took time to meet with each child who indicated that they had prayed to become a child of God. Out of a rather large group of children, the ladies were pretty certain that 23 understood the decision that they were making. Praise God...the angels are singing in Heaven this weekend! It's such a blessing to be able to be involved in such a meaningful ministry and to see young lives changed. It makes the craziness of the week all worth while! Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be teaching the same curriculum in two other locations that are outreach ministries for our church. Sabastian will be joining me to help lead the music. Please pray for the children in these two locations, too, that their hearts will be ready to hear the truths of God's Word!

Union Canal Tunnel Park

2010-07-09T16:34:00.000-04:00

On Monday, while I was out shopping with my Mom in Lancaster, Dave took the boys on a hike at the Union Canal Tunnel Park in Lebanon. This park boasts the oldest transportation tunnel in the United States, and, in the summer on Sunday afternoons, you can still take a boat ride on the canal and get an up-close-and-personal view of the tunnel. On this day, Dave and the boys went on a hike around the canal to see what they could see. It was their first visit to this park, and in spite of the heat, they had a great time. Even Nathaniel (age 2) did the hike on foot...I was impressed! Here are some photos from their visit...

The boys love to find...and eat...berries on their treks

Jonathan (up) and Sabastian and Benjamin (down) checking out the canal

I hope Dave was paying attention...this photos scares me a bit!

The littlest brothers trekking along!

A view of the canal

The water is a bit murky, but still has a beauty all its own!

I'm thankful for my husband's willingness to take the boys on adventures such as this and make some good memories with them. I'm also grateful that he allows me to venture out on my adventures with my Mom...in a house full of boys, I need that every once in awhile!!

Will You Be My Roomie?

2010-07-06T21:30:00.001-04:00

We have been working on some rearranging of room assignments at our home this summer in anticipation of Sophia's arrival. The first big change occurred a week ago when Nathaniel moved into Benjamin's room and the two little boys became roommates! Benjamin moved to the top bunk and Nathaniel now occupies the bottom bunk, so both kiddos have had some adjustments to make. Dave thought it would take a week to adjust, but Nathaniel is still enjoying his new found freedom of getting out of bed, turning on the light, and climbing up to join Benjamin at least once a night. Both boys are getting less sleep than they were used to, but maybe that's not a bad thing. I'm sure eventually they will settle down...just in time for a new schedule when school starts!

Benjamin's room is painted bright yellow with other primary colors as accents, so we decided to repurpose Nathaniel's old changing table/dresser by painting it red and using it as his permanent dresser. Last week, while Sabastian was camp, Jonathan helped me sand it down, and I painted it. We started with spray paint, which Dave applied, but that didn't work too well. But the final effect is pretty cool...almost looks distressed without being distressed...people pay big bucks for that! You can see the process and final product in the photos below...

This is what the finish looked like before it was sanded

Jonathan hard at work sanding the drawers...he did an awesome job!

The main piece after being sanded...the brown that remains added to the distressed look in the end!

Dave surveying his spray painting...and not liking what he was seeing!

The final product...doesn't it look cool against that yellow wall?

Nathaniel likes it!

The next step in the room switcheroo is to move the remainder of my craft stuff upstairs to our guest bedroom/back room. It used to be up there originally, then I moved to the basement, and now I'm moving back up...go figure! Before I move completely I am painting that room, so currently I have four shades of blue on the wall in an attempt to decide what color I want in there. Hopefully I'll get that painted with the help of a friend, and then I can move the remainder of my stuff up and get settled again. That will open up the downstairs area outside of the younger kids' rooms as a playroom, which will be nice. There will be lots of space for a play kitchen area which I can't wait to have for Sophia and her brothers to use!

The final project is Sophia's room. I'm SO excited to be decorating a little girl's room finally. Of course, it will be pink, with brown as the accent color. I already have a lot of decorations picked out or made. I'm enjoying collecting items from Etsy and other places, and also making and repurposing items. I am going to paint the crib white and turn it into a toddler bed (hopefully...we can't find the directions!) and paint a current dresser that we have white and give it some new knobs. I have already spray painted a grapevine wreath white and have pink and brown ribbon to decorate it with, and I have fabric that will be incorporated into a quilt for her bed. Little sparrow birdies and plum/cherry blossoms are going to be the motif. It's going to look really cool! I'll show photos as I go along...I'm very excited, but need to get the other projects done first!

So, there you have it. The summer is a good time to do all this movin' and groovin' indoors, especially on days like today when it's a bloomin' 100 degrees outside in the shade! I hope you're keeping cool in your little corner of the world!

Adoption Update

2010-07-02T12:52:00.000-04:00

It is July already...hard to believe that half of 2010 is in the history books! By the end of this month, we are hoping to have a HUGE milestone completed toward our adoption of Sophia...our referral dossier in Taiwan awaiting our court date! God allowed us to complete all of the paperwork on our end in record time during the month of June, but we are still waiting for some legal paperwork to come from Taiwan. When that arrives, we sign, date, notarize, and state authenticate everything--and then it can be out of our hands and on its way to Taiwan! There is only one thing that can slow that down at this point...when we send our dossier back to Taiwan, the orphange fee needs to go with it. Right now we are still needing about $3000 to cover that expense. We know God is able to provide, and will provide in His time. Would you like to play a part in ransoming a child from a life as an orphan? Help us bring Sophia home

HERE!

50 by Taiwan!

2010-06-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

To help us pass the time a bit as we wait to pick up our daughter Sophia in Taiwan, and get us motivated with a little accountability and competition to do something we really need to do, Dave and I are announcing that we want to try and lose a combined 50 pounds by the time we travel to Taiwan. We aren't trying to lose 25 each necessarily, but just a combine weight of 50 pounds. This should be very doable as we probably will not travel until March or April at the earliest. We are planning on eating less and exercising more...the quintessential diet plan, right? You can follow along on our ticker as we lose the pounds and get healthier for all of our children's sakes!

A Rainbow Walk - Green

2010-06-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

It sure is taking us awhile to get our entire Rainbow Walk (click on link to see our previous walks) adventure accomplished, but as my dear education professor always said, "It's about the process, not the product!" Today we ventured out to look for green. We wanted to find other things besides the obvious green plants and such, and I think we did well. We headed for our neighborhood cemetery, which is always an interesting walk. Here's what we found:

moss on a tree trunk

a green fish...was litter on the side of the road

a hosta plant...or as Benjamin used to say, "pasta!"

a street sign

an evergreen tree

Sabastian's shorts (totally unplanned!)

Benjamin's shirt (also unplanned!)

an interesting bush next to a tombstone

an old water pump in the cemetery

a fence post

a mailbox

wildflowers

a trash barrel

a medal indicating a US war veteran's burial spot

an old grave marker

Viva Chile!

2010-06-21T15:11:00.000-04:00

Just a little shout out to my favorite South American country for winning their first two World Cup soccer games...

CHI-CHI-CHI-LE-LE-LE

VIVA CHILE!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

A Father Is:

There in every memory

See his love and care

Strength and hands to count on

Freely he does share

Provider, toil so faithfully

To make our dreams come true

Give strong and tender discipline

Though it is hard to do

A Father is God's chosen one

To lead the family

And point it to His will for life

Of love and harmony.

(Sue Skeen)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in our lives...we love you!

A Day Out with Thomas

2010-06-19T00:18:00.000-04:00

On Thursday morning we got up bright and early and headed down to Lancaster County to the picturesque Village of Strasburg and its famous Strasburg Railroad. We had heard that Thomas the Tank Engine was in town, and he is a pretty popular icon in our home. Sabastian was on a missions trip, so it was Jonathan, Benjamin, Nathaniel, and I on this particular adventure. We also met up with my mom there, which was a treat. We had to park a little ways away from the railroad itself, and the first excitement of the morning for the little boys was their very first school bus ride! Jonathan, of course, was less than impressed since he rides one every day of the school year!

After getting our tickets, we got in line to wait for our boarding time. I love this photo of Nathaniel waiting so expectantly to see Thomas! What a change from last summer when he was scared to death on the steam engine ride in New York...what a difference a year makes!

Finally Thomas appeared and we could board for our 22 minute ride! We had a beautiful day for this adventure, and the scenery around Strasburg is some of the best in Lancaster County. We couldn't have asked for a better day!

Here are a couple of photos from inside the train. The family next to us was gracious enough to take our photo for us, which we then reciprocated. Jonathan and my mom sat together on one side of the facing bench seats in the beautiful restored coach, while I sat with the little boys on the other side.

After the ride, we ate a picnic lunch that we had brought, and then the little boys went on the little crank cars three times in a row! They were pretty good at it! By the time that was done, Nathaniel was getting a bit cranky himself, so we called it a day. But what a fun day it was!

Look Mom, No Hands!

2010-06-13T16:36:00.004-04:00

Well, not exactly, but close! Today Benjamin mustered up the courage to have his training wheels removed from his new bike (which he earned by "staying on green" all year in K4, by the way!) and to learn to ride without them! Daddy took him up to our church's big parking lot, and he rode, and rode, and rode. Apparently he still needs to master the art of stopping and starting on his own in a safe and productive manner, but he got the balance part! I'm so proud of my 5-year old! Way to go, Benjamin!

What a Week!

2010-06-11T18:57:00.000-04:00

Last Friday feels like an eternity ago! I have accomplished a lot this week on the adoption front, but there is still a lot to do. The last day of school for Jonathan and Sabastian was Tuesday, so they are officially on summer vacation now. Benjamin was done two weeks ago, so he's already in summer mode! Nathaniel is adjusting to having everyone around all of the time again, and I am adjusting to being home with four boys all the time again! There's always something to adjust to in life!

We don't have any real vacation plans this summer, but the boys and I sat down yesterday and made a list of all of the day trips we would like to take, and the activities we would like to do this summer. We'll see how far we make it on the list! The older boys have camp and summer missions trips to look forward to, and Jonathan is also working for a couple of weeks at a camp. My full time job is just keeping track of our crazy schedule, it seems!

Next week should be a calmer week, so hopefully I can get more accomplished around the house and more accomplished on the adoption to-do list. Summer is here, but will go quickly, so I want to make the best use of it that I can! Here's to enjoying my family and life for the next couple of months!

We've Been Approved!

2010-06-04T14:46:00.000-04:00

I was jumping up and down when I read the title to our agency contact's e-mail...GOOD NEWS!! Yes, we've been approved to proceed with our daughter's adoption...and in record time, praise God! It has been three weeks since we sent off the last of the answers to the questions we were asked by the orphanage, and I was getting ready to type my weekly "we continue to wait" post, but instead, I get to write this post! Now we must paper chase the second round of documents, update everything (ugh!), and get our funds totally raised. But God is good and He has a plan and it is proceeding in His time frame...Sophia, Mommy and Daddy and brothers love you, and we are on our way!

Quilt Raffle to Benefit a Friend's Adoption

2010-06-01T13:34:00.000-04:00

One of the perks of being on our adoption journey is the opportunity we have had to "meet"--via the internet--so many wonderful people who are on their own adoption journeys. There is a comradarie and fellowship among us that only happens when you have experienced or are experiencing something similar. One of the first women I met was Robin. I fell in love with the sewing creations that she was making to bring home her daughter, Mia Hope. Our little Sophia will hopefully fit in several lovely outfits I purchased to support Robin and her family as they saved to bring Mia Hope home from China. Now, they are on a new journey to bring home another daughter from China. They are holding a raffle for a beautiful handmade quilt that contains many of the fabric remnants Robin used in her clothing designs while sewing to bring Mia Hope home. I encourage you to take a look here and if you feel led, purchase a number (or two or three) and help this family on their quest to fulfill God's desire for the orphaned. Thanks!

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T22:04:00.000-04:00

Today we enjoyed being with family on a hot, summery day. We prayed before our yummy, abundant meal, and talked freely about things that meant a lot to us. We sat in a house that my parents are privileged to own, payments and all. On the two hour journey--each way--Dave and I discussed our dreams and our family's future. All of this was made possible by what Memorial Day is all about...remembering those who gave their lives to protect the freedoms that we take for granted on days like today and every day. To those who gave their last full measure of devotion...I thank you. To those who are giving on the front lines around the world...I thank you. To those who gave of their time and talent in years past...I thank you. May we NEVER forget!

Sophia's 100 Good Wishes Page

2010-05-29T06:11:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to announce that we have launched a 100 Good Wishes Campaign to support Sophia's adoption from Taiwan! Through the link to the right, you can visit our 100 Good Wishes page, and leave your good wishes for Sophia. This is based on the idea of the 100 Good Wishes quilt, a Chinese tradition that spans generations. The 100 Good Wishes folks have set up their organization specifically to help adoptive parents in their efforts to raise the necessary funds to bring home their children. Please feel free to pass along our information to any friends you might have who would be willing to support our endeavor as well. Thanks, and God bless you!

Words of Encouragement

2010-05-23T19:39:00.000-04:00

"Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, 'My way is hidden from the LORD, and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God'? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary." (Isaiah 40:27-31)

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

"But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel, 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior..." (Isaiah 43:1-3a)

Winding Down

2010-05-13T20:55:00.002-04:00

The school year is winding down, which is always a bittersweet thing for a teacher. Yes, I'm looking forward to summer vacation, but I've grown attached to my young pupils. Several of them will not be returning to our school for first grade, so I pray that I have made a difference in their lives in this short school year. I have seen so much growth...I was looking at their school photos from the fall and they have matured so much! They are all reading now to varying degrees, and they all understand our routine and handle it like champs. Today there was a hiccup in our day, and they went with it like seasoned surfers on a rogue wave...I'm so proud of them!

Tomorrow we will add a straw to our days of school count and be at 162...only 18 more days left, but actually a bit less for my class as we graduate a few days earlier. Hopefully I have taught them more then phonics and math...may they remember that God loves them and has a plan for their lives...like Joseph, Esther and King David. May our theme verse, which we have said for 162 days...resonate with them for a long time: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." (Colossians 3:23). Keep up the good work, K5--I'm proud of you!

Check It Out!

2010-05-10T21:10:00.000-04:00

Go to our adoption blog for some exciting news!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T08:05:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

To my wonderful mother and mother-in-law, and all the other mothers and mothers-to-be and women who want to be mothers (because I was in that category for a very long time!)...may God bless you for all you do! Enjoy your special day!

The Coolest Mom Ever

2010-05-07T14:39:00.002-04:00

Quote from my 5-year old son this morning on our way to school: "Mom, you're the coolest mom ever!"

How I hope he still thinks that when he's 15! (If my current 15-year old is any indication, chances of that happening are next to nil...but one can dream, can't she?)

Thought for the day/week/year/century:

Parenting is not for the faint of heart!!

(Can you tell what kind of parenting week it has been at our house?!?!?!)

May Musings

2010-05-03T16:20:00.005-04:00

Today I changed the calendar in my kindergarten classroom and announced to the children that they only had one month left in K5...where has the time gone? This past weekend I finished teaching my spring grad course which started out delayed due to my trip to Florida in January to see my Haitian nephews and then due to snow in February. And Saturday we were experiencing near 90 degree temps and high humidity...amazing!

I think the older I get the more quickly time flies...and the more I realize that I really must seize the moment and use it wisely. There really is no time to waste. I was reminded on Sunday of God's faithfulness and immutability...in this world of constant flux and change, He never changes. He is my anchor as life swirls wildly around me. I am so thankful for the relationship I have with Him. Some day I will spend eternity basking in His glory and enjoying sweet worship and fellowship. And, I believe, time will finally stand still.

Oh glorious day!

History Fair

2010-04-17T15:18:00.005-04:00

My Kindergarten Class

Last night was our school's History Fair and Spring Concert. My parents were able to come up from Delaware to see their grandkids perform, which was so nice. I even got in on the act as we finished the evening with a song performed by the teachers. It was great to be singing in a group again, as I haven't done that in quite awhile!

The History Fair theme this year was toys and games. Students in grades 3-12 had to do individual projects, while the K4, K5, and 1-2 grades did a class project. For my K5 class, I chose to research the game, Barrel of Monkeys. It just seemed so apropos for the group I had this year! I did some online searching for info, and then the children helped me develop a Venn diagram comparing the "old" version of the game with the "new" version of the game. I was even able to find a 1966, new in package, version of the game on Ebay for a great price! The children enjoyed comparing the two barrels of monkeys visually, as well. I also had each student take home a die cut monkey to decorate for our display. They did a fantastic job! I was really pleased with how it all turned out.

Benjamin's class (K4) did a little project on their favorite games. His teacher had the students bring in their favorite games, and then she took a picture of each of them with their game. Her display really turned out cute, too! Sabastian's project was on Silly Putty. We all learned a lot about that silly stuff! Did you know that it was created accidentally as a scientist was trying to make an alternative to rubber during WWII? Jonathan's project piggy-backed with his research paper this year. He did the game of Chess. He loves playing that game, and it was interesting to read up on the history and the innovations over the years. Sabastian's project won third place in his age group, and all the boys did a really nice job (after some motherly prodding and prompting!). Way to go, guys!

Easter Photo

2010-04-06T14:30:00.001-04:00

Jonathan (15), Sabastian (12), Benjamin (5), Nathaniel (2)

Where...

2010-04-02T21:42:00.002-04:00

...has the time gone? I figured I should at least try to figure out an answer to that question for myself, so let's see...in the last of half of March (in no particular order):

- I held my Pampered Chef show and it went very well. Thank you to all who ordered to help bring Sophia home!

- I finished out a reading emphasis month at school with various weekly activities. I kind of spear-headed the whole thing, and was very pleased with how it went. And, my K5 class tied with the High School for the most participation, so they get a special lunch as a reward!

- I dealt with a sick hubby and sick kids and ended up sick myself. I'm trying to get rid of a very stubborn cold/sinus infection and am running on near empty every day...ugh!

- I had the girls from our Grantville Girls Bible Club over for homemade pizza and a movie. It was fun!

- I taught my grad class at LBC, worked my last few hours at The Children's Place (I'm now per diem) and of course taught K5.

- I went to DE to attend a Stamp Camp with my mom and had lots of fun being creative.

- I read a variety of books including Jana's Journal by Jeanette Windle. I really like her books, both for kids and adults!

I'm sure there are more things, but that's all my foggy brain can remember at this point. Suffice it to say, it's been busy around here! I'm glad for a mini Spring break this weekend, and time to meditate on Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made on my behalf.

Happy Easter!

Pampered Chef Adoption Fundraiser

2010-03-15T14:39:00.000-04:00

I am hostessing a Pampered Chef party next week as a fundraiser for our adoption of Sophia. In lieu of hostess benefits, a percentage of all purchases will go towards our adoption fund. If you would like to order something (it can be shipped to you!) please visit my consultant's website, and click on my show! The deadline to order is Friday, March 26. Thanks!

And the Beat Goes On...

2010-03-13T22:54:00.003-05:00

Life has been moving forward at a frenetic pace in our household this month. It's been a busy month at school with our "Build...Defend...Read!" reading emphasis month initiative, which I have sort of spear-headed. It's been neat to see the students get excited about reading. But just the discipline of a daily task has caused the last couple of weeks to fly by for some reason. Last weekend I taught my grad class and this weekend I worked at the store. Three jobs has proven a bit much for the family, so I will be scaling back at the store at the end of the month. I will miss the friends I have made there, but I know I need to be at home with my family. The tendency is to fill the "free" evenings with other things, but I am learning that in this season of life, we need togetherness. And the beat goes on...

Earthquake in Chile

2010-02-27T21:19:00.003-05:00

Almost 25 years ago to the day, I was sitting in the dining hall of a conference center in a small town on the central coast of Chile when the ground shook. And shook. And shook. It was 1985, and I was a young teenage missionary kid at the time. That earthquake occurred on March 3, and today, February 27, the ground shook again in Chile. And shook. And shook. My two younger sisters and their families are back in Chile as missionaries and thankfully, are safe. My youngest sister lives in northern Chile and didn't feel the quake. But my middle sister lives in Santiago, the capital, where the quake was felt at around a 7.7 (Richter) magnitude. That's slightly less than the 8.3 we had in 1985, but not by much. Please pray for my nephew, Matias, as he seems to be the most affected by this quake. School was to start again after summer vacation on Monday. That won't be happening as the classroom bookshelves and such came tumbling down...not to mention that the country is in a state of emergency for at least three days per the Chilean president. Please pray for the southern part of Chile, the most greatly affected by the quake. We know missionaries and families of friends who live in the affected area and have not yet been heard from. Thanks for keeping this beautiful country and her beautiful people in your prayers. Part of my heart is in Chile...and I'm saddened by her loss tonight.

Awesome Cooking Blog

2010-02-15T14:47:00.002-05:00

I just had to share this link with you: http://stolenmomentscooking.com/. It is a blog that I recently found that has the most awesome recipes that are economical and easy enough for this cook! The premise behind the title of the blog as I understand it is that the author has set out to make her meals during times of the day when she has a few stolen moments, in between being a home schooling mom of four kids. That way she can spend as much quality time as possible with her family. Many of the recipes make good-sized portions, especially the muffin recipes, which is great for our family of six big eaters. I have tried quite a few of the recipes on the blog already, and they have all been hits with my five men! Tonight we are having savory muffins with cheddar cheese and bacon...these stay in the fridge and heat up in the microwave so well as a quick breakfast or snack. I think you could freeze them, too, but they never make it that far in our house! If you try any good recipes from the blog, let me know! Enjoy!

Art

2010-02-14T21:19:00.005-05:00

I have several prolific young artists at my house. The hard part was figuring out what to do with all that art! My good friend, Bethany Hissong, had one of these fantastic shower curtain lines from IKEA hanging in her gallery, HATCH. I stole the idea and finally got it installed last weekend during our winter storm. It hangs along the only really long uninterrupted stretch of wall in the house...the little hallway in the basement that leads to our bedroom and bath. I would love to have several more of these, but for now, I will just have to have rotating art displays. If anyone else has some great ideas for storing and displaying prolific young artists' work, let me know!

a view to the right

a view to the left

a close up of the clips...so cool!

another place we hang art...this is in the kitchen

Nathaniel getting in on the act!

Benjamin loves to draw with an ink pen...lots of roads, houses, and people, all with a story to tell!

after the cats moved in, he had to color this picture (printed from the internet as none of the big people in the house could draw a good enough cat!)

hard at work

The View From Here

2010-02-12T12:39:00.003-05:00

These photos were taken at the height of our snowstorm on Wednesday...the second big snowfall in less than a week! We probably got another 18" to add to the 18" we got on the weekend. It is the first big snowfall that any of our boys really remember...we haven't had this much snow in PA since 1996!

Nathaniel peering out the window in delight

the view up our street to the right

the view down our street to the left

you can see how much snow we had at this point by looking around the bottom of the van...we actually ended up with a lot more in the end!

this is a view of our deck, which was not cleared off between storms...it was taken through the screen, of course...I wasn't going out in that stuff!

School has been canceled since Wednesday. In our area we actually got less snow then Lancaster and York, a bit south of us. It really is amazing to see this much snow everywhere. I guess we were due after so many lean snow years. The boys have enjoyed playing in it, although it's been very cold, too, so it's not safe to be out for too long. Hope that, wherever you are, you have a warm and relaxing weekend!

A Few More Random Photos

2010-02-07T14:30:00.002-05:00

Here are a few more photos from our anniversary trip to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The first two were taken in St. Michael's, and the last three were taken on Tilghman Island as we walked around the area near our B&B. Enjoy!

Happy (Very Belated!) Anniversary to Us!

2010-02-04T14:27:00.007-05:00

With so much busy-ness in our lives these days, I have not had the time to blog as much as I would have liked. But I'm trying to do better. So, I thought I would share some pics from our trip in late December to the Eastern Shore of Maryland...Tilghman Island, to be exact.

On December 29, Dave and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. For Christmas I told Dave the one thing I really wanted was to go away, sans children, for our anniversary. He said that was fine, so I began looking for a place to visit. I checked out all of our usual haunts...D.C. NYC, the Jersey Shore...but nothing was working for us. I then went on VRBO, which had been a great resource for our FL trip in November, and I started to see some areas in MD that looked interesting. Tilghman Island kept popping up, so I did a Bed and Breakfast search for Tilghman Island and The Chesapeake Wood Duck Inn was on the list.

Dave and I used to love visiting bed and breakfasts before we had children, but they are not too kid-friendly, so it had been quite awhile since we had stayed at one. The Chesapeake Wood Duck Inn had great reviews, and was running a "Winter Escape" special. I sent an e-mail early on Christmas week asking about the weekend right after Christmas, and thankfully, they had availability. In fact, we ended up having the whole place to ourselves! The innkeepers, Jeffery and Kimberly, were wonderful, asking about all of our food preferences for the four course dinner for two that came with the special offer, and sending us detailed directions and such on very short notice.

After spending Christmas day at my parents' house in DE, we left the kids in their care and my sister's care, and we took off for MD on Saturday morning. It wasn't a bad drive at all from DE, and we made really good time. There was a fire burning in the fireplace upon our arrival, and we quickly made ourselves at home with the XM radio and wireless computer connection. Dinner was absolutely incredible, as Jeffery is a gourmet chef, and his recommendation of filet as our main dish was superb. Saturday night we had our dinner, and then we enjoyed two gourmet breakfasts the next two mornings which were out-of-this-world amazing. The innkeepers were very easy to talk to, and very helpful with directions and information on the island and surrounding towns. The Eastern Shore is very busy during the summer, but quite void of tourists in the winter, so we enjoyed the solitude and stark beauty of this unique landscape in winter. I would highly recommend The Chesapeake Wood Duck Inn and a trip to the Eastern Shore and we hope to visit again soon. Enjoy the photos!

a side view of the inn...the 1890 structure was used as a guest house originally, and was refinished by the current owners

a view of the back of the inn and the big yard

LOVE these adirondock chairs...unfortunately, it was a bit chilly to use them!

this is the view from the backyard of the inn...it is the working marina with fishermen coming and going all day long

one of the many fishing boats in the marina

thought this was pretty cool!

another view of the marina and the fishing fleet

UNICEF & Haitian Orphans

2010-02-02T16:04:00.002-05:00

Please read the following post and consider how you might get involved. The children need to be heard!

http://godslittlestangelsinhaiti.org/2010/02/02/unicef-a-call-to-action/

For more information, my sister has various posts on this topic on her blog:

http://iansadoption.blogspot.com/2010/01/children-caught-in-middle.html

http://iansadoption.blogspot.com/2010/01/children-caught-in-middle-part-two.html

http://iansadoption.blogspot.com/2010/02/children-caught-in-middle-part-three.html

http://iansadoption.blogspot.com/2010/02/children-caught-in-middle-part-four.html

Ebony's Story

2010-02-02T14:40:00.002-05:00

Ebony's arrival was a bit more planned than Tigger, Jr's arrival. Shortly after Tigger, Jr. found us, we knew he needed a playmate. Dave and I had two cats prior to the birth of our younger two sons, and we knew they enjoyed companionship, especially when left alone for long periods at home. Since I work in the mornings, we thought Tigger, Jr. should have a friend. We also knew we wanted another kitten so that they could grow up together and grow up with our boys. So, we went back to the rescue association that had helped us with Tigger, Jr., Friends of All Animals. Located in Lebanon County, Friends of All Animals uses foster families to care for animals while trying to find forever families for them. They take some of their kitties to Pet Smart in Lebanon each Saturday morning to see if they can find families for them. So off we all went to Pet Smart about a month ago, to see if we could find a kitten for Tigger, Jr.

When we arrived at Pet Smart, I was naive enough to think that we could walk in, fill out the papers, pay the fee, and walk away with a kitten. However, that's not how it works, and rightly so. First of all, there was only one kitten in the lot of cats that were there. Apparently it's not the time of year for kittens (who knew?). But there was one, so we held her and decided that she was the one (however you decide that!). We filled out the paperwork, but I didn't have the phone numbers for the references that I needed. When I got home I called the woman who runs the rescue association to give her the phone numbers. She remembered us from Tigger, Jr., but told us that she wasn't sure why the black and white kitten was at Pet Smart on this day, because someone was already interested in adopting her. She wasn't sure what was going on for sure with that situation, though, so she said to take care of a few things meanwhile (Tigger, Jr., needed to be tested for feline leukemia) and she would get back to us in a few days.

Well, the few days turned into a few weeks as we called back and forth and waited for things to happen. Happily, though, we were finally told that we could adopt our little kitten for Tigger, Jr. We were so excited! I called dibs on naming her since she and I were the only females in the house and I had been outvoted with Tigger, Jr.'s name. I knew that it needed to be feminine, yet reflect her personality and coloring. I chose Ebony and it seems to fit. She has been with us for a little over a week now, and is adjusting very well. She is definitely a little lady, but doesn't let bigger Tigger, Jr. get the best of her. She has really brought out the kitten in him, as we think he was never around other cats before...he had to learn to play, but he caught on quickly! Now they play and play fight and romp around the house like a little herd of elephants, but they can also be found snuggled together on our bed on many occasions. Life is good! (Click here for a photo of Ebony's adoption day...you may have to scroll down a tad...)

Tigger, Jr.'s Story

2010-02-01T13:35:00.004-05:00

To see Tigger, Jr. now, you would never guess he was underweight and scrawny when we first met him, but he literally only weighed 1 1/2 pounds when he found us. Yes, you read that right...he found us. Tigger, Jr. was hanging around the church/school building where I teach Kindergarten, but was not allowing anyone to catch him. It had rained earlier that week, and when we first saw him, he looked like a drowned rat. One of the teacher aides was really interested in catching him and getting him some help, so when he showed up outside my basement classroom window, I figured I would try to help her out. I opened the window above a tall bookshelf in my room and waited. He was really meowing loudly, so of course the kids in my class were beside themselves and every time he would put a paw on the bookshelf, they would hoot and holler which sent him running for cover! So I told them that they needed to be quiet and go about their business as usual (whatever THAT is in Kindergarten!) and he would come in. Finally it was lunch time, so when we all left the room, I shut the door in case he came in while we were gone. Sure enough, when I came back to the room, Tigger, Jr. had ventured down the bookshelf and couldn't get back up...which was what I was betting on! Long story short, we finally caught him (he was so small he was under even the lowest shelf!) and put him in a box. The teacher aide who was interested in catching him had a friend who fostered cats for a local rescue association, so we called her, and she came and got Tigger, Jr. so he could be assessed and such. While she was gone, I called Dave and asked if he wanted a cat. The rest, as they say, is history! We were given all the supplies we needed for the cat by the lady who took him to be assessed, so we were good to go the first couple of days.

While we aren't certain about Tigger, Jr.'s date of birth, the veterinarian guesses he was born the beginning of October, so we will remember his birthday along with Nathaniel's each year. He has proven to be a great cat and adapted well to life indoors. We are glad he found us when he did, as he would have surely frozen to death with the cold spell that hit our area a couple of days later. As to his name, Dave and I had a Tigger who looked exactly like Tigger, Jr. before our youngest two were born. I thought we should honor Tigger's memory and not name our new kitty the same name, so I suggested adding the Jr. and calling him "Junior". However, I was overruled by all of the other family members, so now he goes by Tigger, Jr. or Tigger. I guess Tigger, Sr. wouldn't mind!

Newest Fisher Family Members

2010-01-29T15:27:00.004-05:00

Updated: The photos finally posted! Enjoy!

Well...I was going to post a photo of our newest family members, but at this point in time, that function does not seem to be working properly on Blogger. So, suffice it to say that our two newest family members are Tigger, Jr., and Ebony, both of the feline variety, and both with interesting stories to tell. But, alas, the stories will have to wait until such a time as I can post the photos! Check back soon!

Unbelievable!

2010-01-16T14:40:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: Saturday night my sister found out that her boys were granted their visas, along with 20+ other children from the orphanage...praise God! Now we need to pray that they get safely transported out of Haiti and reunited with their forever families. Also, pray for the caregivers of these children. While they are extremely happy to see these children leave the country, there is little time to prepare themselves emotionally for the exodus of so many children at one time. These children have been loved and cared for by these dear caregivers for a long time, and the bonds are great. In many instances, the caregivers will continue on in country to care for the many other orphans who will now take the place of the adopted ones. May God bless them for their sacrifice of love!

Sorry I have been so quiet on this blog as of late. It just doesn't seem right to write frivolous posts when so much death and destruction is happening in our world. The earthquake in Haiti has touched our family in a very tangible way, as I have two little nephews there in an orphanage who need to get out. My sister Stephanie has been in the process of adopting little Ian and Alec for over two years. She has made several visits there, the most recent of which was this past fall with my mom. Just last week she found out that the boys had been granted their visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy which was the final step before they could come home. The appointment was scheduled for next Tuesday, January 19. And then came the earthquake...UNBELIEVABLE!

As I type this, people in the upper eschelons of our government are working hard at trying to get special humanitarian parole status for children who already have mommies and daddies waiting for them here in the United States but are just lacking the necessary paperwork...which now may be lying under tons of rubble at worst, or in dead computers at best. The orphanage where my nephews have lived their short lives has a wonderful director who has been working around the clock to get some of the kids out. Miraculously, she was granted 12 visas in one day, but she wants 12 more. Please pray that our government will see fit to get ALL the children out of that country who have families waiting for them. It could take YEARS for the Haitian government to get itself back together enough to continue the paperwork for some of the families who are in earlier stages of this process. And in good times, the process already was taking years...

My heart aches for the children who have already known such devastation and now are having to live through more. My heart is broken for the thousands of children who are now left orphaned in addition to the thousands who were already orphaned. I thank God for the compassionate people who have given their lives to advocate and care for the "least of these" in the name of Jesus. If you would like to read my sister's blog, please visit http://www.iansadoption.blogspot.com/. If you scroll down her righthand sidebar, she has links to other blogs where you can follow the stories of adoptive families and ministries in Haiti and other adoptive families in the US and around the world. But most importantly, pray without ceasing for this situation to be handled quickly and efficiently so the children can be spared further heartbreak and suffering.

God is good all the time...and all the time, God is good.

Goodbye, 2009...Hello, 2010!

2009-12-31T12:09:00.002-05:00

This past year has just flown by in our household. As I reflect back, I'm grateful for the busyness, as it has caused time to go by quickly, but I'm also sad that the time has gone by so quickly...does that make sense? With going back to work this fall, this blog has not had the attention I would have liked, and I am long overdue on lots of photos, but I will try better in 2010. As we anticipate a new year, I'm excited about what it might hold for our family (maybe we'll meet our daughter Sophia this year?!), and yet a little hesitant about what the future might reveal. But through it all, my God is in control, and in Him I can trust and rest. So, may God bless you and yours in 2010, and...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Overdue Vacation Pics - Part Two

2009-12-15T14:50:00.004-05:00

After visiting the Lego store and other fun places at Downtown Disney, we decided to find somewhere to eat dinner. We headed over to Pleasure Island, another section of Downtown Disney, which has a variety of restaurants and shops. (Interestingly, it used to have nightclubs, but they are all closed down and they are making it all more family friendly!) We ate at a new restaurant there called Paradiso 37. It was by far our priciest meal of the week, but we enjoyed the interesting flavors of the Americas! After dinner, one vehicle loaded up with the men and half the children, while my mom, sister, Jonathan (our bodyguard who always stayed half a block away to make sure we didn't dampen his style!), and I stayed to shop around a bit with the toddler duo of Nathaniel (age 2) and Juliana (age 3). We had a lot of fun...enjoy the pics!

Nathaniel and I enjoying dinner

my sister and her clan at dinner

the toddler duo contained...for the moment!

my sister, my mom, and I having a little fun

(photo courtesy of Jonathan!)

grandmom and Nathaniel riding the "choo-choo"

my all time favs...Pooh and friends!

the toddler duo...free at last!

Overdue Vacation Pics - Part One

2009-12-12T09:17:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago (although it seems like a lifetime ago now!) our family, my sister's family, and our parents took a week long trip to Orlando, Florida, for a mini family vacation. We rented a beautiful house with a pool that more than accommodated all 14 of us (that would be six adults and eight kids!) and ventured out and about each day to various area attractions. The first night we were there we went over to one of my favorite places in Orlando, Downtown Disney. The following pictures are from the Lego Imagination Center there...more pics will follow from other things we did that night and later that week, but I have so many pics, I need to chunk them into groups to keep the posts semi-manageable! Enjoy!

the wall of single Lego bricks you can buy by the pound

I love the sky behind these two pics of the boys!

my happy two year old!

attempting to climb a mini climbing wall

cousins working together on a Lego creation

one of the few decent pics my teen allowed...and he's actually helping his brother!

Benjamin's finished product...he wanted a picture to remember!

Dave and the younger boys enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather!

Our Advent Tree

2009-12-07T15:34:00.003-05:00

A few years ago I expanded on the tradition of an advent calendar by creating an advent tree for our boys. I found these ornament boxes and immediately thought that they would be great for hiding little goodies for the boys as we counted down to December 25. The boys take turns opening one box each night to find the treat inside. From our almost 15-year old to our 2-year old, each of the boys enjoys this tradition. When I have something that doesn't fit in the box, I put a paper with a clue to the item in the box, or, this year, just a number that clues me in to my "master list" of items. They wait expectantly as I go to our "back room" and rummage around to find the item that the number indicates. Usually I have four of an item so that each child gets something, but sometimes, the treat is for the entire family (e.g., a new DVD). This tree is in addition to our regular tree and sits in our dining room. It's a lot of fun and something I look forward to planning each year for that little something extra that makes the Christmas season fun and memorable!

our advent tree

What I am Thankful for...

2009-11-30T06:35:00.003-05:00

This photo was taken in Florida a couple of weeks ago. When I have a spare moment (ha!) I will post about the trip, but I didn't want to let November come to an end without posting what I was thankful for...God, my family, and having all the necessities (and little extras!) that we need. Life is good!

Quote of the Day

2009-10-11T11:55:00.000-04:00

"If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that, too."

— Somerset Maugham, English playwright and novelist

I Love Fall!

2009-09-30T13:53:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to check in on this chilly, crisp, fall day and say:

I LOVE FALL!

(That's all!)

Jonathan

2009-09-18T14:20:00.004-04:00

My sister has been hinting not ever so subtlely that I needed more photos of my older two boys on the blog. Well, Sabastian doesn't mind being the center of attention in photos, but Jonathan avoids the camera if at all possible. So, I had to be sneaky in getting a photo of our teenager, but here's what I got:

It was taken holding the camera backwards...not too bad, I guess! Since he slept the summer away, I'm not sure where the muscles are coming from, but he is lifting weights a little with Dave now to enhance them. The girls have definitely noticed our handsome son and vice versa. May I just go on the record to say that the teen years are not my favorites thus far? And I have a looong way to go to be out of them!

First Day of School Photos (LOOONG Overdue!)

2009-09-18T14:15:00.002-04:00

The first day of school was almost a month ago now, but with all of the hulabaloo with Nathaniel, I never posted these photos. Here we are getting ready to leave the house. Benjamin started K4, Sabastian started 6th grade, and Jonathan started 9th grade...yikes! Of course, it all comes back around, as I started Kindergarten!

A Rainbow Walk - Yellow

2009-09-15T20:13:00.006-04:00

Last night we finally went on the third installment of our Rainbow Walk--Yellow! You can check out Red and Orange on previous posts. Tonight we just walked the circle in our neighborhood. It was getting dark, so we had to get close ups of the things we saw. Benjamin has been enjoying photography ever since his summer art camp at HATCH, so most of these photos he took. I thought he did pretty well...enjoy!

I think this is a cool pic...a yellow newspaper box...

a yellow rubber ducky discarded by someone's dog, most likely...

a yellow leaf...autumn is right around the corner!

a yellow "car shape" as Benjamin put it!

the classic fire hydrant in yellow...

beautiful yellow mums...another sign of autumn!

another yellow Merchandiser box...

the yellow logo on our stroller (Nathaniel was along, too!)

and finally, more yellow flowers!

Hangin' Out!

2009-09-15T20:03:00.002-04:00

Hanging out is just about all Nathaniel can do these days...and he does it very well! This is how I found him in the pantry the other day...he really wanted an apple juice! Only 2 1/2 more weeks to go!

Update on Nathaniel

2009-09-04T22:32:00.002-04:00

Today we went back to the orthopedic doctor and the verdict is...four more weeks in the cast! Ugh! Thanks for your prayers, and when life settles down, I'll have some pictures from our first week of school!

For Dave's Exel Friends!

2009-08-29T22:05:00.003-04:00

Little Tank says

"Thank You!"

to Daddy's friends at Exel in Carlisle

for the wonderfully yummy box of goodies!

Nathaniel's "Bath"

2009-08-29T22:00:00.004-04:00

Tonight we gave Nathaniel a "bath" at the kitchen sink. He got his hair and upper body and feet washed as best as we were able. He didn't seem to mind it too much! It probably felt good and at least it was a change of scenery!

"The Waiting Room" - Photo Essay by Benjamin Fisher, age 4

2009-08-26T14:15:00.007-04:00

While we were waiting on Wednesday morning for Nathaniel to come out of the operating room, Benjamin snagged my camera and took a bunch of photos in the waiting room. Ever since participating in Art Camp (check out the August Kinder photos!) at HATCH, he has been interested in taking photos. Perhaps we have a photographer in the making? You decide...enjoy!

Nathaniel's Very Eventful Day

2009-08-26T13:50:00.004-04:00

I chronicled the events of today with photos so I could share them with family and friends. Before I begin, however, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and concern for us. Nathaniel came through everything with flying colors, and is adjusting as well as can be expected to his immobility. A really cool thing that happened at the hospital that was definitely a "God thing" was that our anesthesiologist was a gentleman from our church...when he walked into the room our minds were instantly at ease--and he even prayed with us! God is good! Here's Nathaniel's Very Eventful Day in pictures:

This is the before shot as we arrived at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. I got a good, hearty "Cheese!" out of our unsuspecting patient for this photo!

Big brother "Benjamin Fisher" (as he told everyone who asked him his name) was pretty well behaved at the hospital. He even got to have a bagel in the cafeteria with Daddy, and took his own waiting room photos which will be on a future post!

They gave Nathaniel some sort of drug to sedate him a bit so that he wouldn't remember too much about being taken into the OR and be traumatized later. We couldn't help but laugh at how loopy he got!

Check out those droopy eye lids and the drug-induced grin! He went away with the nurses with not even a backwards glance after having this drug in his system for a few minutes!

Here's our boy after his procedure. He ended up not getting an IV because they couldn't get one in, so he was given gas instead of anesthetic drugs. This allowed him to "come to" much faster and we much preferred it! Thank you Lord!

Here's another side view of the cast. The poor guy wanted "out" and when he realized we couldn't take him out, he cried. Other than that, he was a real trooper!

Ready to go home! We actually were able to get him into his car seat and even got a grin from him again...not the hearty "Cheese!" like the "before" pix, but a grin nonetheless!

Here we are back at home with a tired and grumpy patient! The bean bag chair works well to prop him up, but he gets tired of not being able to move. Right before this photo he had chucked some matchbox cars across the room...his arms are all he can move!

Benjamin tried to console his brother by joining him on the floor, but a few minutes after this it was nap time for both of them. I think we were all exhausted from Nathaniel's Very Eventful Day!

Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-08-25T21:44:00.001-04:00

This is a beautiful dress being given away on a blog called Shabby Apple. As I want to learn to sew someday, the blog intrigues me. This little dress is just magical, in my opinion. Check it out: Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

When It Rains, It Pours!

2009-08-25T16:45:00.002-04:00

Ironically, I began my day and week yesterday by reading in the book of Job. Specifically, I was reading about Job's wife and how less-than-encouraging she was to her husband and how we, as wives, should be careful to encourage our husbands in their walks with the Lord. But anyhow, in reading various passages from the book of Job, I was intrigued by Job's response to God at the very end of the book in Job 42:2 where he says, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." No typically we think of God's plans as being great and wonderful things in our lives, but if you look at God's plan for Job's life, the experiences he allowed to happen in Job's lives were much less than great and wonderful! Yet Job realizes that God ultimately sovereign, and in being so, who are we to question His plans? Little did I know what the next 48 hours were going to bring to our lives!

Fast forward a bit and you have my youngest three kiddos playing on the school playground for literally 5 minutes while I finished up in my classroom and Nathaniel falls, hurting his leg. We spend the entire afternoon in the ER only to be sent home with the instructions to see a pedatric orthopedist in the morning because the x-rays are inconclusive as to whether the bone is fractured or not.

Fast forward again to today. We go to the orthopedist who again deems the x-rays to be inconclusive, but the physical examination shows that something is indeed wrong with his upper, inner leg, sort of in the groin/hip area. In order to not incur further damage by waiting unduly for an MRI or bone scan results, his recommendation is to put our little almost two year old in a full body cast to immobilize his pelvic area and allow whatever the problem is to heal. I guess when you have a very active little one, this is the best you can do for him. Of course, he will have to be anesthetized and taken into the OR in order to put on said cast. And of course, I am supposed to be at in service meetings the next three days and school starts on Monday.

But of course, God knows all of that and His plans can't be thwarted! And I thank God that my children are alive and well (unlike Job's children!), and this bump in the road will only make us stronger as a family and as individuals.

But we would covet your prayers! Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Dave!

2009-08-18T23:16:00.002-04:00

Today is my husband's birthday. We celebrated last night with lasagna and German chocolate cake...yum! I have photos but it's late, so I'll post them later. I just didn't want to let the day end without wishing my best friend a very happy birthday!

I love you, Honey! You are the best Dad and husband I could ever ask for...I thank God for you!

Super Kiddos!

2009-08-13T23:30:00.003-04:00

"Super Benjamin"

"Knight Nathaniel"

Vacation Photos...Part 3!

2009-08-10T22:06:00.005-04:00

Here are the photos from our ride on The Arcade & Attica Railroad. You can read the original post that I wrote on the day of our excursion here. It was quite the trip! Nathaniel was pretty scared on the first half of the journey since we were right behind the noisy engine, but on the return trip he just chilled. Our friend, Ruth, went along...you will see her in the photos, too. It really was a lot of fun and a day our younger sons will never forget!

Vacation Photos...Part 2!

2009-08-10T21:53:00.005-04:00

One morning, while Dave and Sabastian were out fishing, the younger boys and I went on a little walk around the grounds of Odosagih. The conference center is located right on Lime Lake in Machias, New York, a deep, spring-fed lake used for recreational water activities of all kinds. Our friends, Matt and Ruth Stephens, have been coming to Odosagih for many years. They opted to stay in a cottage right on the lake so that Matt could fish 24/7 if he wanted to (and he wanted to!). Benjamin, Nathaniel, and I walked over to their cottage and went down the stairs to the lake and walked for a ways around it. These are some of the photos I took that morning...